#this concludes Jordan’s personal hour

[laddersmp3]

Whatever. Doodles of those guys I’m fond of

[bllsbailey]

WATCH: Troubling Post-Debate Moment With Joe and Jill Biden and Another Handler Has People Talking

Well, the first presidential debate of the 2024 campaign season is officially over, and pretty much all anyone can talk about in the aftermath of it is how President Joe Biden looked and sounded, which - incredibly - was even worse than he normally looks and sounds on any given day.

On Friday, we wrote about the warning NBC News/MSNBC political analyst Elise Jordan gave about how Biden "absolutely cannot have a senior moment at this debate" because focus group Democrats she'd talked to in states like Michigan and Wisconsin had stressed that they had serious concerns about Biden's age and fitness to lead.

It was, she correctly pointed out, "an albatross that is hanging around this candidate and campaign."

READ MORE:MSNBC Analyst Reveals What Focus Groups Say They'll Watch for at Debate, and It Should Terrify Joe Biden

Suffice it to say that it's an even heavier albatross around Biden's neck after the Thursday debate, which Biden had to be thankful only lasted an hour and a half.

But it was something that happened just after the debate concluded that's gotten people talking, and it involves Biden's handler-in-chief, Jill Biden.

Because there was no studio audience, we didn't get any shots while the debate was going on of any family members, friends, or others who were there in support of the candidates. But as soon the debate was over and as soon as she got the opportunity, the First Lady - who is often seen pushing the purported leader of the free world and directing him on where he needs to go, rushed onto the stage.

Video clips show her briefly hugging him and then immediately trying to guide a frozen-looking Joe Biden away from the podium and toward two steps. She grabs either his hand or arm, and they move forward, with Biden shuffling slowly, eventually gingerly stepping down.

Watch:

The zoomed-in version actually shows another person, presumably another handler or perhaps a CNN staffer, walking up to Biden and appearing to offer additional assistance:

In this clip, we see her guiding him towards the debate moderators, Jake Tapper and Dana Bash:

I mean if these clips don't put a finer point on how awful Joe Biden looked and sounded on that stage as he and Trump debated each other, I don't know what does.

There's no other way to spin it: This debate was a disaster for Biden. An absolute disaster. Even if he'd had any zingers or home run moments (he didn't) they would have been overshadowed by him walking out on that stage looking lost and out of it and basically confirming everything his critics - including Donald Trump - have said about him.

Related -->>Boom: Border Patrol Union Shuts Down Biden With Epic Fact Check After Whopper at Debate About Endorsement

[dankusner]

Life sentence for hater of ‘queers’ who mistook a woman for a man

Michael Dines was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison for fatally shooting Kerstin Marie Taylor on March 13, 2022. Courtesy, Bexar County Sheriff's

A San Antonio man has been convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison in the fatal shooting of a woman he thought was a man.

A Bexar County jury this week heard testimony and viewed evidence in the trial of Michael John Dines, 52, who fatally shot Kerstin Marie Taylor, 56, whom authorities described as a homeless person.

Prosecutors argued that Dines was homophobic, and in court they played a portion of a video from a VIA transit police officer’s body camera in which Dines said he killed Taylor “because I don’t like queers.”

Taylor came to Texas from Illinois and had lived in Austin.

Testimony established that Dines invited her to his apartment on North Frio Street on March 13, 2022, and went to a grocery store to get dinner and wine while she waited for him there.

Later on, as they were about to become intimate, Dines came to the conclusion that Taylor was really a man, and shot her, he told police.

He left his apartment and told the first police officer he saw that he had just killed someone and that the body was in his apartment.

Taylor was shot twice, and Dines said he watched her die.

Interrogation videos by San Antonio police show Dines making homophobic comments and saying he killed Taylor because he believed he was about to have sex with a man.

A Bexar County medical examiner testified that Taylor was a woman from birth and had not made or begun any transition.

Defense attorneys challenged the admissibility of the confessions as evidence and in the trial's punishment phase asked the judge to allow the jury to consider “sudden passion,” directly caused by and arising out of provocation by the victim, to lower his sentence.

Dines was found guilty of murder on Thursday after about an hour and a half of deliberations in the 226th District Court, with Judge Velia J. Meza presiding.

On Friday, the panel took about the same amount of time to render a life sentence.

The jury concluded the crime had not occurred out of sudden passion.

Court records indicate Dines had no prior criminal record.

He will have to serve at least 30 years before he is eligible for parole.

“The verdict and sentence reflect the gravity of Michael Dines’ actions,” Bexar County District Attorney Joe D. Gonzales said in a statement released late Thursday. “Our office is committed to the protection and justice for victims of crime.”

Bexar County Assistant District Attorneys Raul Jordan, Willem VanZeben, and Tamara Strauch, chief of the DA’s Felony Criminal Trial Division, prosecuted the case.

Defense attorneys Suzanne Kramer and Loraine Efron represented Dines.

[blogger360ncislarules]

CBS‘ No. 1 comedy series Young Sheldon is coming to an end. The Big Bang Theory spinoff will conclude with the upcoming seventh season, which will consist of 14 episodes. Young Sheldon will air a one-hour series finale on Thursday, May 16 at 8 PM.

The news is not surprising. The upcoming seventh season, which premieres Feb. 15, is the last in a three-year pickup Young Sheldon received in 2021.

And while CBS would’ve probably liked to keep its flagship comedy series around longer, there had been a lot of speculation that Season 7 may be its final chapter as the show’s story is coming to a natural end with events that have been referenced on the mothership series.

“As a prequel to one of the biggest comedies, Young Sheldon proved lightning can strike twice,” said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment. “It set itself apart with a remarkable cast that felt like a family from the first moment we saw them on screen and brought characters to life with unique heartfelt stories that drew audiences in from the start. We extend a sincere thank you to executive producers Chuck Lorre, Steve Molaro and Steve Holland and the entire writing and producing teams for six wonderful seasons. We look forward to seeing their final season unfold and giving it a proper send off with the best episodes yet for their fans to enjoy.”

From creators, executive producers and writers Chuck Lorre and Steven Molaro, Young Sheldon centers on Sheldon Cooper, a once-in-a-generation mind capable of advanced mathematics and science, which isn’t always helpful in a land where church and football are king. And while the vulnerable, gifted and somewhat naïve Sheldon deals with the world, his very normal family must find a way to deal with him.

The finale of Young Sheldon brings the journey of the Sheldon Cooper character to an end. The single-camera, half-hour comedy takes viewers through his childhood, as he embarks on his innocent, awkward and hopeful journey toward the person fans got to know on The Big Bang Theory.

Young Sheldon has been a strong ratings performer. It premiered as the #1 new comedy of the 2017-2018 television season and became the #1 comedy in the 2019-2020 season after The Big Bang Theory completed its run. The show remains the #1 comedy for the 2022-2023 season and consistently outperforms its competition, attracting a large viewership of 11 million in L+35 and streaming on Paramount+ and CBS TVE (CBS.com and the CBS App).

The series stars Iain Armitage, Zoe Perry, Lance Barber, Annie Potts, Montana Jordan, Raegan Revord and Jim Parsons (as the voice of Sheldon). Chuck Lorre, Steven Molaro, Steve Holland, Nick Bakay, Jim Parsons and Todd Spiewak serve as executive producers. Young Sheldon is produced by Chuck Lorre Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.

“Being able to tell the origin of Sheldon Cooper, and expanding the story to include the entire Cooper family has been a wonderful experience,” said executive producers Steve Holland, Steven Molaro and Chuck Lorre. “We are grateful to our fans for embracing this chapter of the Coopers these past six seasons, and on behalf of the entire Young Sheldon family, we’re excited to share this final season with you.”

[sourwines]

The London Memoir : Old Vic

'Twas only hours before midnight when the fine heighted man exited one of the most popular theatre in London. The entrance lobby was not too crowded, but still full of people. Little things like this made Elyas conclude that London surely never sleep.

He planned to watch a show with a friend, yet whoever that person was didn't show up. He grabbed his phone from his jacket pocket and decided to make a call one more time to confront, hoped that this time his friend would pick the call up.

But still, no answer.

Another call rang in his phone almost immediately after the last one ended with no response. Elyas picked the call up while walking slowly on the pavement.

"I've called you many times, you know," The heavy voice on the other side of the call greeted.

"I noticed."

"Where are you, Jordan?"

"Just finished watching a show, quite an interesting one if you asked-"

"No. Don't tell me you're at The Old Vic."

Elyas stopped his steps, exhaled a long breath. "I won't say, then."

The call went silent for a good 30 seconds. Elyas moved aside and stood leaning on to an old building wall to avoid slowing down the busy pavement's pace, still with his smartphone sticked to his right ear.

"The rules, Elyas. You can't visit the theatre for 3 days before if you will be performing. Our show is in 2 days!"

"I can't help myself. I need to see the venue and audience's point of view before the grand play. Need to see the other shows we will be competing with, also."

"Look, I know that you can't really help your perfectionist arse to show the best yet. But these 'silly rules' exist for a reason. Besides, you're THE Elyas Jordan."

Elyas stood still for a moment. His phone screen light up, so he immediately checked the incoming notification. Another call was sent to him, the number he's been calling to since the afternoon. He sticked his phone back to his ear and responded back to the ongoing call.

"I had an appointment with a friend, anyway. The show made me curious. Now please excuse me, I have to go."

He tapped the end call button, then navigated to the message feature to take a look at the new incoming text message.

[jordanianroyals]

2 November 2022: Queen Rania cautioned against humanity’s mounting reliance on technology and called for an increased focus on improving the lives of the most vulnerable, asserting that “the real progress we need is not better machines, but for all of us to be better humans.”

She made her remarks while delivering a keynote speech at the Web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal, during a session titled “Battling Built-In Biases.” This year marks Jordan’s first participation in the annual summit, which is the largest tech event in Europe and one of the largest in the world.

Her Majesty explained that we are “hooked” on our devices, citing the Digital 2022 Global Overview Report’s findings that, last year, the daily average of time spent online went up by four minutes per day, which, each year, “adds up to one whole day per person.”

“If someone told us we’d have one extra day per year, would we conclude that the best thing we could do for our families, for our communities, for our world, was to take those extra 24 hours and invest them back into our screens?” the Queen asked.

“I am concerned that we’re undervaluing the most precious currency of all – our time,” Her Majesty stressed. “I am concerned that, even as virtual reality improves by the day, we’re neglecting the needs of our actual reality. And our mental health is suffering, too.” (Source: Petra)

Urging the audience to “reclaim” the four additional minutes spent online each day, the Queen advised that the first minute should go toward “mobilizing collective compassion… starting from the conviction that every human being has equal worth.”

Her Majesty pointed out that, while the world’s response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis has shown how much we can achieve through joint action, there has been a marked “difference in generosity, tone, and urgency” from that extended to refugees from countries such as Syria, South Sudan, and Myanmar.

“It’s hard not to wonder if skin color and religion affect the global community’s humanitarian instincts… and whether the impulse is to lend a helping hand or look away,” she questioned. “Addressing that prejudice isn’t an algorithm’s job. It’s up to us.”

Queen Rania recommended investing the second reclaimed minute toward “building a common concept of truth,” explaining that the rapid spread of misinformation and a media ecosystem “where clicks reward conflict over credibility” have undermined our trust and our tolerance for nuance.

She called on the audience to consider other points of view than their own, explaining, “There isn’t one right way to do the right thing or get the right results. There’s always a third way, and finding that path shouldn’t have to feel like a sacrifice or a compromise. Sometimes it’s about taking the best of both options to create something new both sides can believe in.”

Her Majesty proposed using the third minute to “reclaim human agency,” on the grounds that “more and more, we’re depending on our devices not simply for distraction but for direction.”

“The more we delegate decision-making to AI, the fewer choices we’re making for ourselves. Intentionally or not, we’re giving up our own process of reflection and discernment, and that’s a risk,” she explained. “In a world of complexity, we need our human powers to be fine-tuned, so that we can decide among imperfect options, and adjust to unexpected demands.”

Finally, the Queen called for using the fourth reclaimed minute to spend time with loved ones. “I lost my father earlier this year,” the Queen said. “I miss him every day. What I wouldn’t give for one more moment with him.”

[yeeyee-alumni]

Ellie’s (lack of a) character arc & why the result is an unsatisfying story

Let’s state the obvious: Ellie does not have a character arc in The Last of Us Part 2. A character arc is defined as a gradual transformation or inner journey of a character in response to changing developments in the story. And you may argue that Ellie from the beginning of the game is not the same as the one at the end of the game, and I would agree with you. She went from a woman consumed by revenge (not really but we will stick with that for now) to a woman able to forgive her aggressor and move on. However, there are problems with this supposed inner change on multiple levels. a) the change is not gradual b) the change comes out of nowhere c) the change is not informed by anything I don’t think there’s any need to thoroughly explain the first statement. Ellie has the same goal from the beginning to the very last second before attaining her goal. At no point in the story is she self-reflective, questions her methods, there’s no moral dilemma for her, no inner conflict, no doubt that causes her to put her own actions into a new perspective and possibly change her motivation. From beginning to end she believes to be 100% justified in her goal to kill Abby. Subsequently, if Ellie were actually consumed by revenge, the only logical conclusion to her story would be for her to eventually drown Abby.

Which neatly leads me to the next point: her change comes out of nowhere. The decision to let Abby go, as is implied by the narrative, is triggered by a random, arbitrary flashback of Joel. First of all, the timing here is outright comical. For what reason is she having this specific flashback at this very moment? Sounds like contrived, convenient bs to me to give the appearance that her decision is informed by something (which it isn’t, and we'll get to that in a moment). Second of all, getting a flashback to the most important person in your life that has been brutally murdered in front of you, seeing an image of what could have been and what was unjustly taken from you, is not gonna inspire you to forgive your aggressor. If anything, it would make you more determined and sadistic. And third of all, I hear you all yelling "but it was a flashback to their conversation about forgiveness and that inspired her to forgive Abby." And I have multiple qualms regarding this line of thinking. Number one, forgiving the person you love most in this world for having lied to you cannot be compared to forgiving the person who brutally took said person from you. This actually further accentuates my previous point, this is the person that robbed you of your opportunity for reconciliation. Implying that Ellie's thought process here is „I wanted to forgive Joel, but this person robbed me of any opportunity to, so I have to forgive her” is muddled, nonsensical and quite frankly unrealistic. And number two, is the implication here that this is the first time Ellie has thought back to that conversation? That’s a whole new level of nonsense. She will have reflected on all moments with Joel, including this one, and yet at no point prior to this moment had she considered even the possibility of forgiveness, as I have illustrated earlier. So why now? Very obviously to get a payoff, which was neither set up nor properly developed. And moving on to my last point: it is not informed by anything. I know a lot of players didn’t want Ellie to kill Abby, and even I felt that way at first, albeit presumably for entirely different reasons (I was so drained and removed from the narrative by that point that I only thought to myself "just go home, you psychos"). But upon reflection, I concluded that that would have been an unsatisfying conclusion narratively speaking. Nevertheless, Abby seems to have grown dear to many players. After all, they have spent several hours with her, they have seen her struggle, overcome her obstacles, fight for what she believes to be right. Their feelings towards Abby are informed by the person they have seen her to be and by the experiences they went through with her. Yet Ellie is missing all of that context. She has not been with us throughout our three days in Seattle, she doesn’t know Abby outside of her having horrifically killed Joel and she has not gained any new information that would lead her to change her opinion about her. And so, we have another example of the story making characters do things that are not informed by anything, for the sake of a poor payoff. And since we're talking about characters acting nonsensically, let's talk about the roughly three minutes leading up to Ellie nearly drowning Abby, shall we? Ellie approaches the beach absolutely determined to find and kill Abby (repeatedly murmuring Abby’s name to herself). Yet when she reaches the pillars, she cuts Abby down, letting her free Lev and follows them to the boats, indicating that Ellie has changed her mind, showing pity/empathy upon seeing Abby a mere shadow of her former self. And yet again, we have Ellie acting in a way she never has before. She didn’t have pity for Nora who was coughing her lungs out, or for Jordan who had advocated for letting her live, or for any other innocent WLF or Seraphite that came in between her and killing Abby. But the one person she holds a grudge against to the point of killing hundreds of innocent people without batting an eye, that is the person she is suddenly capable of feeling pity/empathy for? Is it really that surprising that Ellie's actions here feel forced, uncharacteristic, and illogical? But it actually gets worse. In an additional display of Druckmann not knowing how humans work, we have Ellie putting her backpack with all her gear in the boat, looking at her bloody hand and then remembering "Oh yeah, that's the woman who killed Joel. I almost forgot.” And at this point in my playthrough I was laughing out loud. And so, we have Ellie all of sudden determined to kill Abby again, so much so that she is willing to threaten an innocent child’s life (this by the way was the final nail in the coffin for me, they thoroughly obliterated Ellie’s character throughout the entire game, but this goes against the very core of her being). And we know the rest, they fight, Ellie nearly kills Abby but eventually lets her go. To summarize what happened in the three minutes before our big emotional payoff to our 25 hour-long journey of playing this epitome of misery porn: Ellie has 3 - count them 3!!! - changes of heart. Her motivation does a perfect 180 almost every minute. This is not how people work! That’s lazy, contrived beyond believe, and borderline comical levels of writing, because Druckmann prioritized having a final boss battle on a beach over organic, coherent, and logical storytelling (but I guess it was worth it for the goddamn visuals). However, what’s most infuriating is that there are such easy fixes if one only thinks about it for more than two minutes that could erase nearly all for the major issues I just illustrated while maintaining the plot points of the two fighting on a beach and Ellie letting Abby go. If we have Ellie walk to the beach immediately, finding Abby there untying the boat (Lev nearly passed out in the boat, Ellie not seeing him) and she then attacks Abby, immediately we have erased two of Ellie’s changes of heart, she remains consistent in her goals/motivation, not jumping back and forth between two extremes. The two women fight much like we see it in the game, and then as Ellie is about to finish it, we hear Lev calling out to Abby. And there we have our motivation for Ellie to not kill her. Not because she gets a random, convenient flashback, not because she forgives Abby (Abby has done nothing to earn Ellie’s forgiveness), not because Abby has earned her redemption, but because Ellie cannot find it in her to put an innocent child through the pain Abby has put her through. Because at the end of the day, Ellie’s hatred for Abby does not outweigh her capacity for compassion and empathy for those deserving of it (a core characteristic of hers that was established in the first game). Because Ellie would rather let an individual live that is undeserving of it than cause the same pain she was put through to an innocent child that is undeserving of it. Granted, if we were to go with this ending, we would still have to build towards it properly and therefore would have to tweak the rest of the game, mainly by showing Ellie being self-reflective, merciful towards innocents, and even doubtful about her goals at times to make her final decision informed by prior developments in order to have the character arc actually be a gradual transformation leading to a logical conclusion. I have been a writer for nearly 4 years now, which means I am in no way an expert, or the most creatively talented person around and yet I would argue that this ending would be much more satisfying to most players than the alternative we were presented with. Because as it stands, none of our actions or decisions (and yes that is something important to consider when we are working within the medium of video games), or Ellie’s for that matter, lead up to this conclusion. The conclusion to this story, the final moment, the big emotional payoff hinges on a random flashback, not on any other developments that previously occurred in the story. Subsequently rendering all of the 25 hours entirely pointless, none of it had an influence on the finale, none of it mattered narratively speaking. So, is it even a surprise that many found this to be dissatisfying? I noticed a few people who are fond of Abby accusing people feeling differently of having too much of an emotional bias or even going as far as to say they are less emotionally intelligent. This is problematic for two reasons, a) different people have different reasons for disliking Ellie’s final choice. Some still hate Abby as much as in the beginning, others feel drained and indifferent, and others still feel similarly to how I feel in that it’s mainly narratively dissatisfying. And b) the same story can have a different effect on any amount of people (otherwise, we would have settled the discussion about what the greatest movie all of time is long ago). My point being, that no matter how you feel about this particular story you are 100% justified in feeling this way, and yes that includes people that by the end of the game still hate Abby just as much as they did the moment she bashed Joel’s skull in. That does not necessarily have to be personal bias, more often than not it’s the ability to see through the storytelling techniques used, rendering them mostly ineffective for these people (and I include myself in this). I wanted Ellie to kill Abby not because I was unable to empathize with her or couldn’t see past my own personal bias, but because that would have been the logical, narratively satisfying conclusion to this specific story.

[fandomscombine]

No, Not Like This (George Weasley x Reader)

I am rewatching New Girl yea and the episode of S2x15. You know the one with the ICONIC Nick and Jess 1st  Kiss?

Yup, now enjoy it as George Weasley x Reader! With guest appearances of Fred, Lee, Angelina & Alicia. *wink wink*

WC:1673

Read [Part 2]

>>>MASTERLIST<<<

>>JOIN MY WRITING CHALLENGE!<<

It’s the night before Christmas break and your friends are ever so kind to throw a small party. They let kinda bad as they were all off to spend the holiday at their homes while you spend the next 3 weeks in Hogwarts. You weren’t that sad though, sure your parents were off to spend their 20th wedding anniversary and you are going to celebrate the holidays alone-well there are a couple of 2nd and 5th year students, none you are close with, stuck at Hogwarts too.- but you didn’t really mind cause there is something about Hogwarts during the holidays that makes it more magical.

Your friends are literally the sweetest bunch you’ve ever meat and wouldn’t have any other. Which lead to now, sitting in a circle for a game of Truth or Dare Exploding Jenga. It works like every other Jenga game, the goal it to pull out a piece without it falling and place said piece on the top. The twist is that there is either a truth or a dare written on the piece in which the player who took it must follow, if the player doesn’t accept to do said truth or dare within the 30 seconds, the tower of Jenga would explode and cover the player with brown mystery slime.

‘CHUG CHUG CHUG CHUG!’ You all chorused, while Lee Jordan drowns his 5th shot of firewhiskey.

‘And time.’ Alicia pauses the stopwatch. ‘Just under 20 seconds!’

‘A new record!’ chimed Fred.

Lee looked to his left. ‘Alright Angelina, you’re up next. See if you could beat that!’

Angelina raises a brow at him. ‘You do know that each turn has a different dare, right? Or are you too drunk to remember?’

‘NOPE not just drunnkkk’ He slurred.

‘Truth.’ Angelina reads ‘Who is the most attractive person among the group?’

She places the block carefully on the top. ‘EASY. ALICIA’ She states casually. Sitting back down and not breaking eye contact with the now very red Alicia across from her.

‘Now that would be hard to beat.’ Fred stands and takes a block from one of the lower levels, leaving a middle piece. The tower sways a little.

‘Oi, you piece of shit, I’m next!’ You scream. ‘Why’d you have to take that one!’

‘Player’s choice. y/n/n, player’s choice.’ Reading his block, he chuckled. ‘Oh, Georgie this is gonna be good.’

George now curious asks, ‘well then what is it?’

Fred puffed up his chest, ‘Dare: Sit on the lap of the player on your left for one round.’

Everyone laughed including you, though not George through, it seemed like he was fuming.

Then it clicked. Wait a minute. You’re next!

Not that you mind though, it is just a game, and Fred is one of your best friends. You just wished that it was another twin that was in his position.

‘Alright Freddie bring it in.’ Patting your thighs. ‘You’ll always have a seat with me’ you teased.

‘Opfff! Oi boy be gentle!’ Fred had just dropped his weight on you.

‘Sorry.’ He muffled into your neck.

Your embrace position with Fred proved to make it difficult to reach for the tower. ‘Heyya Freddie, do you mind?’

He looks up at you, then the tower and back. ‘No can do amiga, rules are rules. And the dare says I have to stay seated.’

‘Ugh you prick.’ Sticking your tongue out at him. Rules are rules, yet there were none stating that the use of wands is not allowed.

‘HEyyyy! No cheating’ shouted Angelina.

‘There are no rules against using wands!’

‘Dammit….She’s right.’

‘Thank you, George.’

You read the levitating block in front of you. ‘Dare: Snog the player across from you for at least 20 seconds.’

‘Now that’s what I call a dare’ exclaimed Alicia.

Placing the block on top with the help of your wand, who glanced down to see who was across from you. OH OH.

As if he had read your thoughts. Fred sang ‘Ohh lala’ He left your lap. ‘Georgie, Georgie, Georgie! You lucky man!’ he teased.

‘Oh now you decide you release me?’

You make your way to George with the chanting of ‘KISS! KISS! KISS!’ seem like background noised against your nerves. Sure, it’s just a game, but you were given the opportunity of a lifetime to kiss you crush that happens to also be your best friend who you no doubt thinks of you just as that- a friend.

You held your hand out to George and pulled him right up. ‘So…uh…you good?’

He lets out a nervous breath ‘yea..yea’

‘Don’t worry, I’m nervous too.’ You admitted. ‘Let’s just suck it up and French a little.’

‘Okay fine but don’t say “Let’s just suck it up and French a little.”’ You can see him fidget a little. ‘Let’s just do it, No big deal.’ He mutters- more to himself.

‘Yea no big deal.’ You echoed though boy did you wish it would mean something. You tried to keep a serious face on and manage the blush that has no doubt covered all over your face. All that resolve though came crashing down when you saw what he was doing. ‘Why are you licking your lips?’

‘Should I not? Do you want dry lips?’

‘NO!’

‘Then I’m just licking them to make them better.’ He reasoned.

‘okay fine’

‘fine’

‘just kiss me, we’re running out of time!’

You could faintly here your friends counting down from 10….9….8..

‘yea, but first-‘

‘GOSH WEASLEY! YOU’VE KISSED OTHER GIRLS BEFORE! JUST KISS ME ALREADY!’

‘NO, NOT LIKE THIS!’ He bursts. ‘Not like this.’

‘What?’ Mouth opened; you were caught off guard. ‘What does that mean?’

‘Ahhh no , nothing , I… I…’

BOOM.

The Jenga tower explodes, magically covering only you with slime- as if was you who failed to complete your dare.

The explosion seems to bring George back into his body. ‘I’m sorry y/n…I…I gotta go’ And with that he ran out the common room.

It felt like a slap in the face. Did he not want to kiss you? Yea it was a game….but… What did he mean by ‘No, not like this’.

You were pulled from your thoughts by the retching of Lee on the carpet.

‘Oh Disgusting’ Fred helps him up from the floor. ‘Let’s get you cleaned up buddy.’

He looks up at you. ‘Hey I’m sorry the party had to end this way, And I’m even more sorry for my idiot brother.’

‘Nah, it’s fine Fred. Thank you though.’ You place a hand on his arm. ‘Hope you have a great Christmas.’

Fred’s eyes go wide and facepalms himself. ‘Crap I almost forgot, and such horrible timing too. But I owled mom earlier today and she says that you are welcomed to stay over at the Burrow for the holidays.’

‘Really?!?’

‘Yea, We didn’t want you to spend the holidays alone-‘

‘We?’

‘Uh George and I’ He gives you a weak smile. ‘So, are you in?’

‘Heck yea!’ You hugged him tightly. ‘Thank you.’

When you part, he holds onto your arms a second longer. ‘Just don’t mind my idiotic brother okay? He genuinely cares for you, talk to him okay? It’s not like him to chicken out.’

You nod.

Next to you Alicia appears with wash cloths.

‘Come on y/n let’s get you upstairs and cleaned up.’

‘So…Angelina huh?’ you tease.

‘oh shut up!’

~

‘Damn it!’ You cursed. It was 2 am and everyone is asleep. You had finally finished your last-minute packing when you realized that your wand is missing. So here you were, tearing the common room apart.

You rummaged under the couch ‘It has got to be somewhere here. Where are you, you damn magic stick?’ You remembered last using your wand near the couch. But it must have rolled away due to all the chaos.

‘Looking for this?’

‘AHH!’ Startled by the voice, you banged your head on one of the arms.

You look up and see the one and only George Weasley.

‘Yea, thanks.’ Grabbing your wand from him.

The awkward tension between you too is palpable.

You turn to head back up to bed. But George’s hand on your arm stops you.

‘y/n… I’m sorry about earlier.’

‘It’s alright..’ You had considered to ask about what he meant by ‘No, not like this’ his words still had you guessing, you had to know. ‘Um George…’

‘yea?’

‘Fred told me about you guys asking Molly if I could come with and spend the holidays with you. Thanks for that’.

You chickened out, you chickened out! You couldn’t believe it, but your rational self pointed out you can’t risk it being more awkward with George especially when you’ll be spending the next several weeks with him and his family. IN HIS HOUSE. WITH 24 HOUR CONTACT.

George merely nodded. His eyes were moving around a lot. Signs that you knew he was thinking about something- that or he was genuinely tired and is kindly trying to stay awake for you- it is currently 2am.

Concluding that it was due to exhaustion, you bid him good night.

You were midway up the steps when you once again stopped by a hand.

‘Wha—’ Though this time you weren’t greeted by his word but rather of his soft lips.

George Weasley is kissing you! George Weasley is kissing you!

After the initial shock, you reacted and kissed him back with equal passion. The moment didn’t break, even when you felt your back hit the wall. All you could concentrate on was George’s lips on yours and his hands on your waist while yours are tangled in his red hair.

Pulling apart to catch your breath, foreheads touching and his eyes that seem to see into your soul. What he said next, put a smile on your face and butterflies in your stomach that won’t be leaving soon.

‘I meant something like that. I didn’t wanna kiss you because of a game. I want to kiss you because you mean something to me’

~

Read [Part 2]

Part 2?? Anyone? When they spend Christmas in the burrow? Lol just a thought.

Taglist for this fic ‘No, Not like this’: @stopicouldvedroppedmykwusant​ @l0ttadreamz​

Taglist [All/General]: @gruffle1​

[burberryfaerie]

If Tonks had a younger sibling Pt 4 :

Pairings : Cedric diggory x gryffindor!reader

Warnings : Angst, fluff, character death, torture, crying, swearing, a war basically, possible spelling mistakes

A/N : In case if you're asking, yes i was crying during writing this.

Tags: @loveitsonlyforthebrave ❤️

Hermione apparates you to a place called Tottenham Court Road.

“The heck is a cappuccino? Is it better than butterbeer?”

Your ring suddenly rings violently and you can't understand why?

Dolohov and Rowle rudely interrupt your thoughts.

Going to Grimmauld place knowing damn well you're being followed.

Arthur Weasley's patronus reassuring that everyone is okay.

Remus's unlikely visit.

Muggle-borns are targeted by the ministry.

Your father and best friend are targeted.

Dora's pregnant.

You'll have your own niece / nephew.

But he wants to leave her.

“Me and my family went through shit Remus, and I won't let you break my sister's heart.”

Hating Remus with every inch of you.

Because how dare he breaks Dora's heart.

Kreacher's tale.

Regulus died as a good person who lived beneath the shadows of his prejudiced family.

The locket is with umbridge.

well, fuck

You know what's fucker?

Snape is headmaster

“WHAT ABOUT MINNIE?”

“who the heck are the carrows?”

Going to the ministry after drinking polyjuice potion and morphing in your case.

"Magic is might"

Seeing 'Umbitch'

Harry stupefying umbitch.

Escaping the ministry before Yaxley gets hold of you.

Apparating to a mysterious place.

A forest apparently.

Ron's splinched.

Hermione's protection spells.

“How do you have time to learn all this stuff? Last time I checked we go to the same school,”

“Last time I checked you don't study a word.”

Taking turns in wearing the locket since you can't destroy it.

Feeling so cruel once it rests around your neck.

It's a part of voldemort's soul afterall.

Ron leaving three months later.

Crying your eyes out every night because you miss your best friend so much it hurts.

Same thing with Hermione.

“Why haven't you told him Mione?”

“Tell him what?”

“That you love him”

You give her a knowing look, she returns it with the faintest of smiles.

Going to Godric's Hollow.

Looking at the statue of Lily, James amd baby Harry with sadness and awe.

They were too young to die.

Too innocent to die.

You visit their grave.

You smiled because you suddenly felt their presence, two warm souls watching over you.

Bathilda Bagshot.

Fuck that's a snake.

Voldy is here and he was about to murder the three of you right before you apparated.

Fast forward when Ron returns.

You're so. bloody mad at him but can't help it and pull him into a hug.

“You're such an idiot, Ronald Billius Weasley.”

Hermione's so mad too but you know damn well she still loves him.

Ron and Harry telling the events of last night, first horcrux is destroyed, wohoo.

Visiting Xenophilious Lovegood.

The deathly hallows and the tale of the three brothers.

Luna's painting of you, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny and her.

“She's so precious.” you think.

Xenophilious's betrayal.

Hermione wiping the fuck outta his memories.

fast forward a couple of days later.

listening to potterwatch. the norm.

lee jordan's voice

“Let's take a moment to report those deaths that the Wizarding Wireless Network  and Daily Prophet don't think important enough to mention. It is with great regret that we inform our listeners of the murders of Ted Tonks and Dirk Cresswell.”

Feeling the worst heartache you've ever felt.

feeling as if every muscle, every cell in your body stopped functioning.

“No”

he can't die.

he was always okay. he can't just die.

he's expecting a grandchild. he can't just go.

The trio rushing to hug you.

Harry not able to meet your eyes.

“I'm so sorry” Hermione sobs into your neck.

You don't cry.

You can't cry.

You just sit there, feeling emptiness.

You suddenly get up, shoving everything in your way.

Ron holding you back.

"it's okay, I'm here” he reassures you.

You letting out a heart-wrenching scream that came out from god knows where.

Thank god Hermione has protection spells.

The trio tuck you into bed, making sure you were asleep.

You slept almost instantly, dreaming of your father who speaks to you.

“I'm always here, watching over you. Don't give up sweetheart, fight for your mom, dora, Remus and Cedric.”

“How'd you know about Cedric? ”

“I knew all along” he smiled

Waking up feeling slightly better the next day.

Fast forward when the snatches caught you.

Taken to Malfoy Manor

Bellatrix torturing you and craving "traitor" on your arm.

She also tries to slit your throat.

“You know? I want to murder you so badly, so you'd end up like your mudblood father, but I'll torture you, unril you beg for mercy.”

Literally screaming throughout the whole process.

“I know about Diggory, he's quite of a traitor, but his blood is pure, he won't want a filthy half-blood traitor like you with him.”

“SHUT UP, YOU DON'T KNOW HIM, SHUT U—”

being cut of with her dagger cutting your skin.

she moves on to Hermione next while you watch helplessly.

Dobby, Harry and Ron save you two.

Apparating to shell cottage.

You spot a small, weak figure in the distance.

You try reaching out for it, but you're too weak.

You loose consciousness in Ron's arms.

Next thing you knew you were in a room, Fleur watching over you.

Learning that Dobby's lost his life.

Feeling so weak.

Remus visits.

Little Teddy is born!!!

Can't help but feel so happy and hugging Remus, forgetting about all the drama.

Harry's Teddy's godfather.

yay

Gringotts

You hide under Harry's cloak.

You get caught.

Robbing Bellatrix's vault.

Getting the horcrux and giving griphook the sword.

Aaaaaand Griphook betrays you.

Escaping on a dragon.

Basically having to head to hogwarts.

To get the horcrux.

Hogsmeade at Abeforth Dumbledore.

Ariana Dumbledore's portrait.

NEVILLLEEEEEEE!!!!!!

Him looking terrible yet dashing at the same time.

From your conversation, you concluded that the carrows and Snape are absolute assholes.

Reuniting with all your friends!

Harry goes to Ravenclaw tower with Luna.

The order is here .

Cedric spots you.

He literally just picks you up and kisses you.

infront of everyone basically.

including the adults.

feeling sorta awkward but you don't care.

“YOU ESCAPED GRINGOTTS ON A DRAGON?!! DAMN IT LOVE HOW CRAZY CAN YOU GET?!!! ”

Harry interrupts your adorable moment.

Voldemort wants Harry.

“Potter's right here! someone grab him”

yeah of course, pugface parkinson.

literally everyone jumping in to defend Harry.

The battle has started.

You seeing Dora and running to hug her.

“MY BRAVE SISTER!” she shouts.

“Once we're outta here, we're spoiling Teddy with every inch of me.”

“I kinda approve though”

Duelling multiple death eaters.

Including Dolohov, Rookwood, Rabstan Lestrange.

Saving Malfoy's arse from the flames in the room of requirement.

Going to the shrieking shack to face Voldemort.

Snape's dead.

He's acting weird all of a sudden.

Voldemort wants Harry to meet him in the forbidden forest.

The chaos has calmed down.

You enter the great hall.

Your eyes roam around the room to find the redheads huddled together, the Diggorys, somewhat crying?

You take a closer look, seeing what they're all mourning.

You shake your head in disbelief.

Remus and Dora?

Your sister?

Your soulmate?

They just had a baby.

You felt Fred and George hug you, Hermione and Ginny hugging eachother.

You kneel down.

Your world is crushing.

They're dead but they look so peaceful.

You hugged Dora.

Ever so tightly.

The last time you'll ever hug her.

You wished you can turn the clock back, to listen to to weird sisters together, to giggle behind the Malfoys back together, to annoy your mother together.

Perhaps you could've been able to save her.

You rest your head on her chest.

Muffled voices of everyone else speaking were in the background.

But you didn't care.

You let out a cry, a small one.

You let out a slightly louder one.

You felt your chest tighten, your stomach churn, you felt your eyes twitch underneath your lids.

You heard Cedric's comforting voice.

“Shhhhhh.. I got you love”

But his words are not comforting you.

You just lay there on Dora's chest.

By that, you knew your hair will never turn pink again.

You don't know how many minutes or hours had passed by.

You heard the familiar snake-like vouce of Lord Voldemort.

“Harry Potter is dead He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone. The battle is won. You have lost half of your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you and the Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war. Anyone who continues to resist, man, woman or child, will be slaughtered, as will every member of their family. Come out of the castle, now, kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, your brothers and sisters will live, and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together.”

You slightly lift your head.

The great hall was deadly silent.

You were sure he was lying.

You slowly walked up, holding hands with Ron and Hermione, exiting the great hall.

Voldemort and his army stood and your eyes spotted Hagrid.

He was carrying someone.

It was Harry.

Your body can't lift you anymore.

Mconagall let out a terrible scream followed by yours , Ron, Ginny, Hermione and Cedric's then everyone else.

Neville standing up to Voldemort.

He- he killed the snAKE??!!!

You just watchung Neville like a proud mom.

Cahos erupts once more.

Harry's gone?

No like seriously, he's just vanished.

poof

Spotting Cedric taking over three death eaters all at once.

Just being so proud of him.

You duelling Rodolphus Lestrange.

Took over him (as you should)

Moving to Bellatrix Lestrange.

Duelling her with Hermione, Luna and Ginny.

Bitch just aimed a killing curse at Ginny??!

About to make your move but-

“Not my daughter you bitch”

literally internally screaming because MOLLY WEASLEY DID NOT JUST CUSS???

Bellatrix's downfall.

Just felt a bit relaxed.

Voldemort is about to kill Molly but—

FUCK??

HARRY??

DID THIS MOTHERFUCKER TURN INTO A GHOST TO KILL VOLDEMORT?!!

Voldemort's downfall.

The man who everyone feared sayimg his name, just, fell down.

dead

Post-battle

You hug your mom so tight , she knew about everything.

You raising Teddy along with your mother and Harry.

You still have nightmares and trauma from the war.

But, Cedric was always there for you.

Not like he was any better, but you two comfort eachother.

Him placing soft, small kisses around your "traitor" scar after telling him about the Malfoy Manor events.

You, Harry, Ron amd Hermione gather at the burrow, just sitting there in comfortable silence, holding eachother.

Three years pass by and Cedric's on one knee, asking you to be his forever.

You frantically saying “Yes” before hugging him.

You were now an auror, just like Dora.

The wedding was so simple.

You had Hermione, Ginny and Luna as your bridesmaids.

Looking at the empty seats made especially for your father, Remus, Dora and Sirius.

Saying "I do" before leaning in and kissing him.

And for the first time in three years, your hair turned pink again.

[drakewalkerfantasy]

Consequences: Chapter 3 NSFW*

Synopsis:

Jordan Williams is a former Marine who starts a new life joining Medical school at age of 27.

Rachel Ferguson is a freshly out of college graduate and Medical school 1st year student.

Two complete strangers who fell in bed together for a night of solace from their moment of anger and hurt. By chance, they were brought together and their fates intertwined.

Not realising yet that not only they share the same house, they also share the person they cannot lose no matter what.

What will happen when the reality of the one night’s actions filled with lust and anger will hit them both? What will happen when he will find out that the girl he spent the night with is not only his housemate but also his best friend’s little sister? The one he swore to himself never to touch, the one for whom he will never be good enough. Will he be able to keep his hands off her? Or are they doomed from the beginning?

Words: 3195

Authors notes: Some chapters maybe NSFW or have a mature content

Jordan Williams x Rachel Ferguson (Rae, Rae-Rae)

**Warnings: Alcohol consumption, anger, bad decisions, NSFW, sex, heavy make out.*

Warning: Minors DNI.

Previous chapters: Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

“How do you know him?” asked Rachel in a quiet barely audible voice, looking at Jordan with wide eyes, reminding him of the deer caught in the highlights of the approaching car.

He suspected she already knew the answer to this question, knowing how close Brandon was with his sister, but he answered the question anyway.

“We served together…,” he replied, swallowing hard.

“Right…,” she mumbled under her breath.

They looked at each other for a long moment, while reality slowly sank on them. The deafening thundering of their hearts was filling the silence between them, and Jordan could feel how the panic started to rise inside him beating the excruciating pain in his hip that he started to feel.

He opened his mouth to say something, anything… but the flight reflex kicked in and without saying a word, he abruptly turned around and rushed toward his room. He walked up the stairs trying to ignore the pain that followed him every step until he finally got into his room and shut the door behind.

His back pressed to the wooden panel, and his head hit it with a thud, making him moan in irritation. His eyes closed and he gritted his teeth, trying to get his pain under control, breathing in and out, while he leaned against the door waiting for the pain to become less. After some time he let out a low growl and limped to bed, falling on it facing the ceiling. He didn’t know how much time had passed, nor what time it was when a buzzing of his phone snatched him back to reality.

He took it out of his pocket, taking a call without looking at the caller’s ID, groaning when a loud voice came through the device. His body tensed instantly, when the recognition hit him, and his muscles flexed. His head throbbed with pain, and he shut his eyes, trying to suppress a shooting pain in his temples.

His voice weak and distant, but he grudgingly reassured Brandon that he is well and alive, barely believing in it himself. Feeling like he cannot not only move but also breath. Pounding in his head only increased, when Brandon invited himself over to meet his housemate, making Jordan sit up straight, grunting in pain.

Shit… Shit… Shit… thought Jordan, no longer listening to Brandon. Trying to come up with something he could say to stop his friend from coming. Not sure for how long he would be able to do that. But before he could say even a word the line went dead, leaving him to the deafening silence, broken only by his thunderous heartbeat.

Great… just perfect. Grunted Jordan, watching the screen of his phone going black, before shoving it back into his pocket. This is why I never had friends before… till joining Marines… before the hell we went through that made us closer. Probably my mother was right and this was just a waste of time. No friends, no pain, and nothing to lose. No people to care about and no deaths to witness… He thought in frustration, closing his eyes.

The memory of his dead friends… Jack… Denise… Steve… Nick… immediately floated to his mind. Followed by the vision of the comrades he cared about but couldn’t save… Anthony… Noah… Henry… Luca… Ava… and finally concluded with the images of bloodied bodies he barely could recognise… Alexander… Jonathan… William… Baby Jack… and many, many more faces he would always remember and would never forget… The guys and girls who would never ever have a chance at just having fun or building a family… or even breathing… So why should he have a chance at anything? And probably losing Brandon, the only best friend who survived, would be the fitting price to pay for him trying to forget… trying to have fun, while so many couldn’t anymore. It was as if fate was punishing him for surviving… for trying to continue to live.

Quickly, he pushed the thought away, feeling how the lump already started to form at the back of his throat. His thoughts instantly moved to his sister before involuntarily going to Rachel thinking of what to say to his friend… what would he feel if anyone from his friends would sleep with his own sister? Using her for just one night because of anger and lust and trying to forget… to forget at least for a little while the weight of the guilt for staying alive and feeling. Would he forget and forgive? Or would he punch the asshole who would do it to her without thinking of protecting her first?

And he knew the answer to that… NEVER… He would NEVER forget and forgive such betrayal.

After an hour, Jordan heard a distant knock at the front door, and the muffled voices reached him after some time.

“Heeeeey….” said Rachel, opening the door. Her voice faltered at the end, and Jordan, even before hearing another voice, knew exactly whom she saw at the porch.

“Rach?“ a surprised voice sounded at the door.

“How… How did you find me? I just was planning to send you my address,” she said trying to sound genuinely surprised, but from the notes in her voice Jordan could say how nervous she felt. Even without seeing her, he could picture how her beautiful forest green eyes widened and her coral lips parted while she took a barely audible shallow breath.

Why the hell do I even know how she looks nervous? Jordan thought, frowning.

“I wasn’t looking for you. I actually was looking for my friend… but… what are you…,” started Brandon.

“If you speak of a handsome, tall stranger with blue eyes and nice body then he is upstairs. And in regards to what I’m doing here… I’m living here. You know it was the only place near the university I could find, so please… please don’t ruin it for me with your unbearable overprotectiveness.”

“I’m not…”

“You are, and I love you, but let’s make it perfectly clear I’m not interested in your friend. So please… please don’t get all big protective brother on me,” her voice a little bit shaky with the memory of their morning, but no less convincing.

“Rae, whatever you think I didn’t even plan on doing that,” laughed Brandon, giving Rachel a hug. “Plus, Jordan would never betray our friendship like that. I know the guy and I trust him. On top of that I saw him yesterday leaving with some super hot blondie so I think we are good.” said Brandon.

I was that blondie… almost blurted out Rachel hating to keep a secret from her brother, but stopping at the last moment. 

Meantime upstairs Jordan was listening more closely to the conversation between siblings.

I screwed up… I royally screwed up… thought he, banging his head on the mattress. But I cannot come clean now… not after hearing that she obviously doesn’t want him to know… Shit…

“Ohhhhh, so his name is Jordan?” asked Rachel, laughing at Brandon’s surprised expression.

“Wait a minute…. did he even not introduce himself,” incredulously asked Brandon looking at his sister, watching her shake her head. “God, it’s so typical of him… same as sneaking out to the library while it’s closed. So… you said he is in his room? Alone or does he have company?”

“Yes, your friend is hiding in his room. And regarding the company, how can I know?” mumbled Rachel, feeling how her face started to heat up.

He had some a little bit more than an hour ago… she thought, turning to close the door, to hide the blush from her brother, waving him toward his friend’s room.

“God, I missed you sis,” laughed Brandon, hugging the girl and lifting her effortlessly off the ground, twirling her happily before putting back.

“I missed you too, big brother. After your return, the last time I saw you was in a hospital bed, flirting with some poor unsuspecting nurse and then you moved here, leaving me behind,” sighed Rachel, hugging her brother and kissing him on the cheek. “Now go,” she said, shoving off her brother lightly toward the stairs.

In a moment, Jordan heard a sound of footsteps on the stairs, followed by the knock on the door.

“What do you want?” he snapped, abruptly sitting up on the bed, still embarrassed and angry from the fact how little self-control he showed yesterday. He looked at the door, unconsciously hoping to see Rachel, whose name he knew only from Brandon, but instead his friend stuck his head through the ajar door.

“Brandon, what are you….?” he asked, furrowing his brows. Not expecting to see him, thinking that he will spend a little bit more time with his sister.

“For a smart guy as you, you ask too many stupid questions and too few right ones. Considering, you didn't even ask your new housemate’s name.”

“How did you know I didn't?” asked Jordan, raising his brow sceptically not ready to admit that his friend was right.

“I know you. Aaaaand you didn’t give her yours so following the logical conclusion you didn’t ask hers,” rolled his eyes Brandon, sitting on a bed without invitation. “By the way if you would have a little chat with her, you would know that her name is Rachel. She is my little sister and she also first year Medical student as you are,” he said, falling silent for a momen before starting to speak. “Man, I know I can trust you, but I cannot trust all the other assholes who would creep their way to her and hurt her,” grunted Brandon.

“What do you want me to do?” growled Jordan flopping down on the bed once again, his eyes trained on the ceiling, his thoughts far away.

“What you do best… watch my back… keep an eye on her… get closer to her... make sure that no one else gets too close.”

Great… just what I needed… get close… keep your hands to yourself… protect her… mumbled quietly Jordan.

Distantly, he could hear Brandon continue to speak, but he could barely hear anything. His thoughts wandered to the previous evening trying to remember at least something from what led him to the bed with a complete stranger, furthermore none other than his best friend’s little sister, the one who always will be off limits for him. Still feeling embarrassed about what happened. Still feeling guilty for losing control, and still angry that he couldn’t get her out of his head, no matter how hard he would try.

Absent-mindedly, he took out his phone, scrolling through his calls and notifications, half-listening to Brandon. His eyes caught on one received phone call from his mother, followed by three missed ones straight afterward. And a few voicemails.

Mentally, he noted that he would need to listen to them, in case it was something urgent, and to call his mother, surprised that she still didn’t call him. The distant, but familiar feeling, that the last phone call from her did not go too well, gnawed at him. And he knew that this time she managed to get under his skin. This is why he lost control. This is why he felt frustrated and angry. And this is why whatever happened was on him.

He closed his eyes, straining his memory to restore the events that got erased by the amount of alcohol that he consumed and by the heat of the moment that followed after. He knew that before anything happened he made sure that she wanted this as much as he did. Made sure she knew what was happening and agreed on that knowing what she was doing. But it didn’t make him feel less guilty and didn’t make her less off limits. His thoughts returned back to try and reproduce the events that led them to bed, including their second accidental meeting.

My mother got me again… and I drank… and drank… and drank. I drank so much that I barely could think, blinded by anger and alcohol. And when my body collided with Rachel’s in that dark hallway I felt something else apart from the anger. It was like I was struck by the lightning that zapped through me... I barely can remember what happened after that. But I know that whatever happened I knew what I wanted. And I wanted her as much as she wanted me. Thought Jordan. The flash of him emptying one glass after another, without even registering what exactly he drunk, striking him. As through the daze, he heard Brandon’s voice, snapping him back to reality, and for the first time, since he entered the room, he looked up at his friend.

“So did you score with her? Or tell me that you at least got her number as I told you to do,” grunted Brandon, while Jordan looked at him in confusion.

“What do you mean you told me to get her number?” asked Jordan, furrowing his brows.

“Man, pay attention… I sent you a text, or did you not receive it?”

Quickly, Jordan looked back at his phone, scrolling through his texts, clicking on the new message received yesterday just after 10 pm.

“Just seen you bump into a pretty blonde. She is tiny, but with killer legs and ass to die for. Go for it or at least ask for her phone number. Tell her you are asking for a very single and a very available friend ;)  And if you don’t plan on taking it further than the lip-lock then let me know, I totally will. B.”

Jordan’s eyes widened at the message while he reread it again.

Shit… he is hitting on his own sister… just exactly what I needed. Jordan cursed, frowning at his friend.

The memory of him bumping into Rachel flashed in front of his eyes and he grunted remembering her hands against his chest, so small and so delicate. The golden hair blurred his vision the second prior a pair of beautiful forest green eyes met his in surprise before a flicker of anger and mistrust shot through them.

He could feel how his own anger was fuelled by hers in the same instant joined by a sudden spark of electricity zapping through him. His hands balled into the fists, gripping the phone firmer. The quiet groan of frustration escaped his throat, watching her eyes move closer and closer until all he could see was the forest-green light in front of him, burning with flames of passion fuelled by her anger.

Brandon’s voice faded to nothingness when visions started to explode in front of his eyes, unsure of what was real and what was just a figment of his imagination. Trying to figure out what he could trust, and what could be considered a fantasy, he never thought he had. Not sure why, but trying to reproduce the events of the previous evening.

His heart jumped when a blurred image of a blonde girl flashed before his eyes, and he felt a wave of heat running through him from the vision. Her lips pressed to his, kissing him firmly, hungrily. He couldn’t make out her face or anything about her, just the feeling of her lips and a faint taste that was slipping away every time he tried to remember it. His pants and boxers hung around his ankles, and his back pressed against the cold frame of the front door. Her hand wrapped around the base of his cock, stroking him firmly before sliding to her knees, wrapping her lips around the tip of his dick.

The blurred image disappeared as quickly as it emerged, leaving him breathless.

“I cannot believe she did this. Did she…? Did she really give me a blowjob on a porch…. outside of the house?” he sputtered internally, his eyes flying open and his breathing became uneven. A sheer terror filled him, and his pulse skyrocketed at the thought. “How? How is it even possible I let her do this? Oh my God, did I really let her suck my dick, where everyone could see us? Degrading her like that… God, if Brandon will ever find out he will kill me.” thought he, feeling how the guilt almost swallowed him, bringing him to his knees. Needing to remember more, needing to know what he had done or let her do to him. His fists firmly clenched at his sides, desperately straining his memory further, trying to remember what had happened between them. Hoping that the reality wouldn’t be worse than a blurred vision he just has seen, hoping that this wasn’t real. And finally, after a kaleidoscope of blurred images flashing in front of his eyes, he saw the sequence of the clearest visions he could, feeling the full extent of the desire he ever felt in his life. The desire that was only fuelled by the image of her eyes. Feeling how his length started to harden just from the memories.

There it is… the clear image of him holding a blonde girl with soul-piercing eyes in his arms. Her legs wrapped around his waist, while she tried to open the door. Their kisses grew more heated and desperate, the faint taste of tequila and lime haunting his distant memory. Her sinful coral lips, moving against his, their tongues dancing together.

He could feel how the wind was knocked out of him, leaving him breathless, his eyes wide opened, when the image of her squirming body beneath him emerged in his mind. And he could feel how her soaked tight pussy was pulling him deeper into her warmth with every spasm of her body, making him gasp for air. The clear memory of the strongest orgasm he ever had, hit him hard, making his heart skip a beat. Making him almost cum instantly in his jeans without even a single touch.

I’m screwed… I’m so screwed. Thought Jordan, sitting straight on his bed, his eyes wide, as the weight of reality hit him hard. Oblivious to his friend’s distress, Brandon still continued to speak. Talking about how wonderful it would be for them to hang out at Jordan’s place more often, letting him see more of his baby sister.

Jordan swallowed thickly, thinking of how possibly he could allow this to happen. How he possibly could sleep with the girl who is his best friend’s baby sister and who always will be off limits. The one who always will be too good for him or anyone else.

The frustration and guilt, mixed with anger for letting this to happen overwhelmed him. And he raised his eyes at his friend. The panic filling them, unsure of how possibly he will be able to share this house with her. Unsure of how possibly he could betray his friend like that and what possibly he would be able to do to fix it. Wanting to come clean, but not able to find the right words to do that except of just being honest.

I slept with your sister… mumbled Jordan, but too quietly for Brandon to hear.

Tagging: @choices-bound​ @lahelasaveiro​

[dreaminae]

We All Neee The One Friend

Chapter 6

"I got all the fun we need for this weekend right here." J.J excitedly announced, showing off his portable fun box.

The guys rolled their eyes playfully, but J.J was completely serious.

"We know your kind of fun, Jay." Jordan chuckled, about to let J.J down. "And not to burst your bubble, man, but I don't think we came down here for that kind of fun."

"Maybe later." Asher agreed. "Spencer needs help going through the stuff inside."

Pouting, J.J groaned desiring to start the party. "Fine, but afterward we are going have some fun. Especially, Spence."

The boys headed inside while the girls took a stroll around the wooded area surrounding the cabin.

"I really shouldn't be out here, you guys. I'm super behind on my college apps." Simon sulked, walking beside Layla and Olivia.

"You need to loosen up, alright." Layla encouraged, knowing how overwhelmed her friend was these last few days.

"That's easy for you to say. You've probably finished all of yours." Simone moaned, angered by her lack of priorities.

"Yeah, but I haven't had as much going on as you either," Layla recalled Simone's last few months. "From being pregnant, to dealing

with giving up your baby, I'd say you have a good excuse."

"At least, tell me you are in the same boat." Simone plead with Olivia who gave her a sad smile in response.

"Sorry," Liv mumbled, "I didn't have a lot going on over summer break. Starting my college apps was a time filler for me."

"Ugh, let's talk about something else. Both of you are making me feel like an underachiever." Simone groaned, fed up with herself.

"Good idea." Liv and Layla agreed, attempting to lift the strain off Simone.

Simone's eyes fell to the sight of Vanessa helping Asher collect wood for the small bonfire they planned for tonight. "Aye, I've noticed that Vanessa and Asher -"

Layla coughed roughly in the middle of Simone's statement to keep from an awkward conversation. Shaking her head she signaled for Simone not to go there.

"What? What am I missing?" Simone asked, glancing between the other two girls as they each other knowing expressions.

"It's fine, Layla." Liv dryly stated, finding it pointless to hide Asher's summer secret.

"What's fine?" Simone asked.

"So it turns out that Asher and Vanessa met each other in Mexico during summer." Liv revealed to Simone.

"Woah." Simone gasped.

"Not, Woah." Olivia sighed. "He didn't cheat on me with her. They just formed a close bond, like... I don't even know." Liv dragged out, unsure what went on between Asher and Vanessa.

"Cheating or not. If you ask me, she shouldn't be hanging around like she doing." Simone spat. "It's disrespectful towards you."

"I don't even care." Olivia shrugged off the recollection of Asher's summer fling. "Asher says nothing happened, so I am not going overthink it."

"I am not sure whether to applaud your trust in your man or to be concerned that you're not more apprehensive," Simone observed Liv's disinterest.

Thinking hard of what Simone stated, Layla began to wonder if Liv might have a secret of her own.

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

"Don't tell me you guys mixed up the piles." Spencer moaned frustrated by the thought of having ro redo all of the organizing the keepsakes from the junk.

"I didn't even know there were two different piles." J.J revealed, his cheeks flushed from embarrassment.

"Guess we're restarting." Jordan pouted.

"Do we have a chance?" Asher huffed, wondering how the four of them got their wires crossed during the organizing.

"Alright, so is this junk or keepsake?" J.J inquired, shaking around a small dusty box. "Something is in here."

"Let me see that." Spencer insisted before J.J might accidentally spill the containments out.

"What's in there, Spence?" Jordan questioned, curious to know what secret treasures Corey might be left behind.

"Letters," Spencer responded with convection of surprise. "Addressed to me and Dillion." He added, looking through the stack of sealed letters dated after his Pops first left years ago.

Their conversation was cut short by Vanessa's cry for assistance with the grill.

"Here I come, boo." J.J chuckled, goofily skipping from the room to help his date.

"No way, am I leaving the grill to those two." Asher moaned, following right after J.J to ensure they didn't burn the place down.

"Like you're any better than the two of them." Jordan chuckled, ready to follow suit. Halting in his steps, he spun around to check on the person that was supposed to matter at the moment.

"Hey, Spence, you good?" Jordan inquired, noticing that Spencer's focus centered on the unread letters.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, don't worry about me." Spencer assured his close friend. "Make sure they don't burn my Pops' place down." He laughed to cover up his anxiety.

Sensing that Spencer needed a moment alone with his thoughts, Jordan conceded, leaving him isolated.

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

Somewhere between failing to start

the grill for dinner, and debating on games to play, the crew found themselves in a war of water guns.

However, Layla's fun ended at the sight of her boyfriend through a nearby window. Seated in the love seat, Spencer remained alone, contemplating what to do with his Pops' letters. Engrossed within his mind, he failed to notice Layla's presence.

"Are you alright?" Layla asked, wanting Spencer to feel comfortable confiding in her about the things racking his brain.

"Turns out my Pops wrote me and Dillion while he was away." Spencer chuckled emotionless. "He wrote a letter to me and Dillion on every birthday that he missed after he left. But he never sent a single one."

"Did you read any of them?" Layla asked, sitting on the arm of the love seat to be near Spencer.

"I'm not sure if I should," Spencer admitted. "There are so many questions I wished he was here to answer. His letters could hold some of the explanations, but it's possible they won't." He explained in a quick rant.

Trying to relate to Spencer's situation, Layla thought back to when she finally allowed herself to go through her late's mother's belongings.

"I know it's not the same, but I remember the repercussions of going through my mom's song lyrics." Layla detailed from last year's events. "I thought the lyrics might help me to understand what she might have been going through before she died." She sighed sadly. "Truth is, reading those lyrics left me with more questions than answers."

Spencer nodded, comprehending where she was coming from.

"I can't tell you what Corey was thinking when he wrote these letters," Layla conceded, knowing that fact was beyond anyone's ability. "But maybe there is a good reason why he never sent the letters. Maybe he didn't want to leave you and your brother with more questions, than answers."

"So you don't think I should read them," Spencer concluded from his girlfriend's comparison.

"That's your choice." Layla asserted. "But, hey, it's not a choice you need to make right now." She implied, suggesting he take a break from his inner thoughts to have some fun. "C'mon."

Grabbing his hand, she leads Spencer away from the letters and his conflicts, dragging him outside to join in the fun.

The game of water wars continued for another half an hour before everyone drifted to their activities. While everyone helped out in the kitchen, preparing a good grilled meal, Spencer couldn't let go of his intrigue.

In the end, his curiosity won, forcing Spencer to commence reading the letters. Starting from a more recent year, Spencer delved into a letter that documented his father's spiteful side. Inside the letter, Corey revealed his reason for leaving was because of the one-time affair between Coach Baker and Spencer's mom.

Hatred garnished each sentence as Corey vented about his rough history with his former best friend and wife. Stunned by the harsh torment of his father's words, Spencer released a sigh of relief once he reached the closing sentence of the letter. Advising his son to beware of those closest to him, Corey precisely conveyed his perception of treachery in his final statement.

Stopping in his steps on the path through the wooded area, Spencer folded the letter closed, unsure if he should read another one. His confliction attracted him to a region of serenity.

Reaching the lakeside where he bonded with his late father over a traditional pastime of fishing, Spencer sat in a lawn chair watching the marine life as his mind wandered into deep reflection.

From afar, Olivia observed Spencer's anxious mannerisms. Noting how his hands clenched to a rusted box, that she assumed contained the letters from his late father. Only knowing what Jordan disclosed to her earlier about their findings, Olivia summed up that Spencer might need a listening ear.

Although they were in a strange place, Liv refused to turn away when Spencer needed her. Like an unspoken vow between the two of them, Liv wanted Spencer to understand that --- no matters what problems they carried-- he was never alone.

Following the motions of so many summer nights that they shared, Olivia made her way over to Spencer ready to help with whatever he required.

"Damn, you showed those letters who's boss." Liv joked, approaching Spencer as he tossed the box down on the boardwalk.

Cracking a small smirk, Spencer played along. "Someone had to."

Sitting down in the empty chair next to Spencer's seat, Liv inhaled a breath of the fresh, outdoor air. Following her actions, Spencer sniffed the tranquil atmosphere.

"We can talk about it," Liv spoke lightly, breaking their silence. "Or not talk about it." She added, knowing somethings people needed to figure out for themselves. "Whatever you need."

Spencer nodded, glad to have her at his side for either. "I hoped reading these letters would ah.." He sighed, trying to piece together an explanation. "I don't know. I hoped they'd be like a....ah.."

"A gift." Liv finished for him.

"Exactly." Spencer agreed, surprised that she took the right word choice out of his mouth. "But my Pops was so angry. He blamed my moms for everything, even for the choices he made." He explained, disappointment coating his tone. "And I ah, I don't want to remember him like that." Spencer decided, striving to keep the happy memories of his father, rather than recalling Corey's cold side.

From a few feet away, Asher watched the interaction between his girlfriend and Spencer by the lake, while he grilled on the porch deck. Carrying a plate of cobbed corn, Layla accompanied Asher around the grill.

She hadn't noticed his stressed expression as he observed Liv and Spencer from afar. "They seem closer than ever."

Layla's brows furrowed, confused by whom he referred to. Following the line of his sight, her vision landed on her on the scenery of her boyfriend in a deep conversation with her best friend.

The smile that she expressed when she first arrived outside inadvertently faded. Despite her best efforts of attempting to ignore the new intimacy between Spencer and Liv, Layla continually felt envious of their cozy friendship.

"Have you wondered just how much did we miss being gone this summer?" Asher inquired, his eyes pulling from the scene by the lake to analyze Layla's cold exterior.

Feeling that she wasn't ready to answer his question, Asher spared one last glance to Liv and Spencer before striding inside the cabin.

Glued to the view of the intense discussion between her boyfriend and Olivia, Layla realized that she desired nothing more than to know the answer to Asher's question.

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

Probably crack and a result of staying up way too late, but how do you think an AU where Peter dated and married Naomi instead of Nora would go?

This officially goes on the list of “ships I never considered before, but now that you say it I can kinda see it.”  Peter’s clearly got a competency kink, between Eva and Nora.  Naomi deserves better than Dan.  They’re both overworked single parents who try to do what’s best for their kids, and don’t always succeed.  Peter’s good at the nurturing and hug-giving and supportive side of things, not so much at the day-to-day practicalities.  Naomi’s excellent at making sure everyone is fed and sheltered and keeping up in school, not so much at the touchy-feely stuff.  Yeah, I can see it.

Anyway:

They meet through the PTA, naturally.  Naomi’s there to stage a formal protest about the high school’s suspension of late-bus service, and Peter’s there because this is the once-a-month night out of the house that Marco keeps scheduling for him.  Naomi makes a sarcastic comment about the U.S. government’s idea of “sufficient funding”, Peter jumps in with a one-liner about science grants, and four hours later they’re still companionably trashing the NSF over their third round of bake sale brownies.  Peter makes the first move, of course.  Naomi sets the time, the venue, the curfew, the transportation, and the expectations for the night, of course.

Jake thinks this is the funniest thing that has ever happened to him in his entire life.  The more both Marco and Rachel call him to complain about their respective parents, the funnier he finds it to be.

Both Naomi and Peter are pleasantly surprised at how well their kids get along.  They were both vaguely aware that Marco and Rachel knew each other through school, but neither one is prepared for the instantaneous companionable banter the teenagers fall into the moment Peter first brings Marco over to meet Naomi.

The first four or five times Marco comes around Rachel’s house for dinner, Jordan hides under her hair and watches him in enraptured silence.  After about two months’ worth of this, Rachel drags Marco aside after an Animorphs meeting and has a stern conversation with him.

Neither of them will tell the others what they talk about, even though Ax expresses concern at the brilliant red shade both their faces have taken on and Cassie gives them a knowing smile.  Technically Tobias overhears the whole thing — the others tend to get so caught up in hawk eyes that they forget all about hawk ears — but he’s nice enough to keep his silence.

The next time Marco’s over at Rachel’s house, he lets out a seven-second belch after downing an entire can of Mountain Dew in one go.  Over the next ten minutes, he insults Jordan’s favorite boy band, picks his nose in front of everyone, claims he’s going to die alone because girls are gross, and (to Rachel’s quiet shock) too-casually acknowledges his raging crush on Brad Pitt.

Anyway, it works like a charm.  Jordan gets over her crush pretty quick after that.

“You didn’t have to go quite that hard in the paint, you know,” Rachel says to Marco much later.  “Pretending to like Brad Pitt, I mean.”

Marco is lying on her bed, looking through one of her back issues of CosmoGirl with the air of a forensic anthropologist picking apart the dismembered remains of a human sacrifice.  “What?” he says, back in that too-casual tone.  “I can appreciate a good pair of lips, no matter what type of human being they grow upon.”

Rachel spins around, looking away from the mirror where she was fixing her hair.  Marco is now staring at the magazine as if trying to detect a coded message between two lines of the spread comparing different brands of eyeliner.

“No matter what type?” she asks.

Marco lifts his chin.  He doesn’t back down, and he doesn’t laugh.  There’s a defiant set to his smirk, and the careful confidence in his expression is betrayed by the slight trembling of his fingers clenched around the Cosmo.

Their parents are engaged, that’s all.  And it’s not something he’s ever told anyone... but he also thinks it’s maybe the sort of thing that one tells one’s siblings.

“So you do agree with me and Cassie about Jeremy Jason McCole!” Rachel says triumphantly.

Marco gags so hard he risks straining his own throat muscles.  “I have taste!  You, clearly, have none.”

If Jordan still has any romantic interest in Marco at all even after the you’re going to be step-siblings news broke, it disappears the instant that Naomi announces Jordan and Sara are going to be sharing a room from now on, because Marco and Peter are moving in with them.  A week later, Jake’s mother has a stern conversation with him about the extent to which he’s been running up their phone bill.  He grumbles that he didn’t ask to be everyone’s agony aunt, but that doesn’t get him out of being grounded.

Marco teases Rachel endlessly when he figures out why she leaves her window open every night, even — especially — when it’s cold or rainy outside.  But he also helps cover for her and Tobias without being asked, and one night in gorilla morph he deforms the oak tree out in the back yard so that a sheltered branch rests directly underneath her windowsill.

Rachel stops in the door of Marco’s room the day after the confrontation with Visser One outside the fake hork-bajir valley.  She doesn’t bother to knock.  He didn’t bother to shut the door.

Marco’s sitting in the narrow space between his bed and the wall, staring at the blank blue paint in front of his face.  His knees are drawn up to his chest, his hands limp at his sides.

“They didn’t find a body,” Rachel says, blunt as ever, standing over him.  “I know that’s not good news or anything.  But I also figured you had a right to know.  There’s no sign of Vis—  Of her body.”

Marco squeezes his eyes shut, hard, but still can’t stop the tears.  “Shit.”  He lets his head fall back against the bedspread.  “Shit.”

Hesitating only a second, Rachel scoots in next to him.  She doesn’t try for a hug or anything stupid like that, but she sits shoulder-to-shoulder with him.  She’s the kind of person given to stillness, but she stays put as he struggles to breathe and swipes his sleeve across his face time and time again.

“It’s never going to end, is it,” Marco says at last, when he’s got enough air for words.

Rachel shrugs.  “I’m the wrong person to ask.”

“Shit,” he whispers again.  “Shit, shit, shit.”

“You wanna play Sega?” she asks.  “Not think for a while?”

Marco shakes his head violently.  “I just need some space, okay?”

“Sure.”  She stands.  “I’ll tell my mom not to expect you for dinner.”

Their parents are downstairs cooking.  Laughing.  Arguing companionably over one of Naomi’s cases.  Every clink of dishes, every fond word, feels like a spike driven under Rachel’s fingernails right now.  And if that’s how she feels...

“Anyway, I know you think I’m a crazy psycho killer, but for what it’s worth I think you made the right call.”  She says it sharply, standing to go.  Marco doesn’t respond, not that she expected him to, and she yanks his door shut when she goes.

Peter doesn’t try to be Rachel’s dad.  But he helps her with homework and shows up to her gymnastics meets and acts more excited than she is when she aces a history test.  He asks her what she wants to study in college, not whether she’s going or how they’re expected to pay for it.  He doesn’t try, and he does pretty well anyway.

The Animorphs meet in Rachel’s room almost as often as they do in Cassie’s barn.  It’s more centrally located, even if it doesn’t have nearly the selection of morphs right at hand.  Jake and Cassie both have preexisting excuses for showing up several times a week, and Tobias and Ax never bother using the front door anyway.  Marco’s also taken the time to confirm that no one in the house is a controller, so it saves everyone a little peace of mind.

Rachel wakes up screaming in the middle of the night.  No, that’s not it; she’s screaming in her sleep, and then Marco snaps the light on and wakes her.  He sets a glass of water on her nightstand.  Tilts the alarm clock so she can see the time.  Pokes her in the arm to remind her that she’s human, at least for now.  When it becomes obvious that she’s not going to talk about it, he turns and leaves without ever saying a word.

“I need you,” Marco says into the phone, middle of the night, apparently apropos of nothing.  “They took my dad.”  He gives the address, and then he hangs up.

He and Rachel have come to a decision, without discussion, without niceties like consulting Jake, by the time they’re done fighting off the half-dozen controllers who were dragging Peter toward the portable yeerk pool.  Rachel demorphs as Peter watches.  Marco goes through the explanation the first time, then the second.

Midway through the third round of attempts to convince Peter he’s not crazy, Rachel gives up.  She herds both Peter and Marco into the backseat, and drives back to the house.  “Pack for a long trip,” she tells them both, and goes upstairs to tell her mom.

Maybe, Jake concludes, exhausted just at the thought, they could’ve kept going if it was just his parents, or just Cassie’s.  But Rachel and Marco can’t both disappear without rousing too much suspicion, and getting rid of just one of them will put the yeerks on the tail of the other.  “I guess it’s time,” he says.  “Better get ready to tell our own parents, then.”

By the end of that day, Rachel’s and Marco’s blended family is in the hork-bajir valley.  By the time two days have passed, Jake’s and Cassie’s families are there too, even if Tom is currently secured with about a half-mile of duct tape and will need to be babysat by several hork-bajir for the next three days.  A week after that, Tobias shows up with Loren in tow.  One hellish mission later, and Visser One is dead, but her host is rapidly recovering.

Naomi and Eva circle each other like a pair of housecats thrust into the same room, at first.  They’re prim and aloof and wary, unable to know what to make of each other.  Peter helps exactly nothing by retreating from the conflict entirely, busying himself with an elaborate irrigation project the hork-bajir don’t actually need his help with.  But he can’t escape them forever.

One night, all three of them get roaring drunk on some kind of regrettable fermented-bark thing, and finally have it out.  Peter makes a passionate speech or two about his love for them both before retreating into morose silence.  Naomi’s sixth drink ends in her making an elaborate attempt to draw up a timeshare contract over who will keep Peter on which night.

Eva slams a hand down on the table, and they both fall silent.  She won’t share, she announces quietly, and she won’t be with a man who cannot choose.  She’ll find her own way.

Her own way, as it turns out, is even worse than Marco could have possibly imagined.

“Why?” Marco cries, flopping on the ground in the middle of the next Animorphs’ meeting.  “Why, why, why does this keep happening to me?”

“Pretty sure we’ve been over this before, back when it was your dad, and concluded it’s not about you,” Jake says.  “Anyway, the yeerks —”

“No!”  Marco sits up.  “We have more important things to talk about than yeerks.  Tobias, back me up on this!”

«Uh, yeah.»  Tobias looks over at Rachel.  «By the way, all those times you talked about how weird it was when your mom started dating again... Sorry for not being more sympathetic.  Now that I’m in your shoes...  It’s really weird.»

Rachel sniffs.  “You only met your mom like a month ago.  It’s still worse for me.”

“And it’s worst of all for me!”  Marco has flopped back over.  He emits a noise something like a wookiee being murdered.  “Please someone acknowledge that it’s worst of all for me!”

Cassie pats him on the back of the head.  “It’s worst of all for you,” she says.

“Thanks,” he says into the grass.

“Okay!”  Jake throws up his hands.  “Marco’s mom and Tobias’s mom have a thing going.  Now do we have it out of our systems?”

«Personally, I think Loren and Eva are most compatible,» Ax says.

«Nobody asked you,» Tobias snarks.  «And Jake, just imagine for a second if it was your mom who was macking on—»

“Nope!” Rachel says loudly.  “Nobody is thinking about anyone’s mom and anyone else’s mom.  Or dad.  We are ignoring it, we are pretending it’s not happening, we are carrying on as Marco and I have been for over a year now, we are killing yeerks.”

“Yeah, like I was saying.”  Jake rolls his eyes.  “There are aliens invading the planet, remember?”

“The horror,” Marco mumbles, still facedown in the grass.  “The horror!”

Cassie gives him another sympathetic pat on the back of the head.

[sleeplessincairo]

[ dating steve rogers would include: ]

warnings: just a few cusses and a few sexual implications

///

He's an absolute gentlemen even in awkward, but adorable ways:

He’s always asking for permission before taking action whether it’s asking if you’re okay with him wrapping his arms around you in public or if you mind him kissing you even if you’ve been dating for 6 months.

He’s always racing to your side of the car or to the entrance of any room/building just so he can open the door for you-But despite him being super human, you still manage to beat him to it sometimes.

He even sometimes sprawls his jacket across a puddle just so your shoes don’t get wet, but you usually end up jumping in the puddle and splashing the water everywhere with an innocent grin. You do appreciate the thought and effort, though.

He constantly offers you his jacket just in case you’re cold and even sometimes goes ahead and drapes it over your shoulders, because he knows how stubborn you are to actually bother accepting it or asking for it.

He absolutely HAS to walk or drive you home every time just to make sure you arrive home safely and make sure no knucklehead dares to mess with you, but when you refuse to let him go through all that trouble he settles for ‘observing from a distance’ which is basically him stalking you.

Despite him having the spontaneous job of being a superhero, he never keeps you waiting too long-Mostly because of him missing his dance with Peggy by years resulted in him being as punctual as he can.

The list goes on...From him pulling your seat out for you to sit on and helping you put on your coat to paying for every date regardless of your protests.

In the beginning, he was extremely shy and flustered to the point where he would stutter uncontrollably and question every move he made so he wouldn't embarrass himself.

At the end of your dates, He tried to kiss you but usually ended up chickening out and end up kissing your cheek instead.

But finally, when he walked you to your apartment on your 4th date, he stood there awkwardly stuttering a goodnight while staring directly at your lips, only for you to grab him by the collar of his shirt and kiss him yourself.

When Tony heard the story of you being the one to make the first move and kiss him, he stayed about a whole month teasing Steve about it.

"Is (Y/N) gonna be the first one to make a move in the bedroom too, Steve?"

Him giving you those adorable sideways smiles with his eyes glimmering with adoration that’s reserved just for you.

You teaching him about the latest technology, slang, and trends after realizing that getting Tony to do it was a completely bad idea-He ended up just telling Cap’ either completely incorrect things or just things that would give him a good laugh.

“Wow (Y/N), that’s so fetch.”

"Alright let me get this straight, you tag people? Wasn’t that a game people played where you chase someone and if you touch them, they're it? Did they make that into an...app-apparatus?"

A lot of ‘Wait, I didn’t mean to send that’

You get to see the clumsy, imperfect, and wounded side of Captain America the world doesn’t get to see; you get to witness all the ‘Him getting up in the middle of the night to pee and accidentally stepping on his shield, making it hit him in the shin’s, all the sleepless nights spent together because the nightmares are getting too vivid, all the regrets and disappointments he holds for himself because he was too late, all the insecurities that eat him alive because of him having all of this strength and these abilities yet still not being enough, all the reckless and deadly actions he makes without even a second thought because he’s just not used to having someone to live for, the way he slightly flinches when Thor summons and uses his powers, all the times he misplaces his shield to the point where Tony ends up putting a tracker in it, the emptiness of his apartment because he’s too afraid to settle down, the bright red color that seeps through his cheeks when you press your body tightly against his, all the low swears that escape through his mouth when he thinks no one can hear him, all the uncertainties and hesitations that he never dares to show because he’s ‘Captain freaking America’. You get to witness all his deepest fears, thoughts, and feelings. You get to witness and love Steve Rogers.

Steve always making sure that his superhero life doesn't affect his private life especially when said superhero life concludes of spontaneous and agonizingly long missions. He makes it his personal duty to make time for dates, events, and well, you.

Steve doesn't like bullies. He doesn’t care who they are.

Steve woke up from almost 75 years of being frozen in ice after fighting wars and battles, fighting for America and it’s freedom only to wake up and find out the world is still a dark place and he can’t help but think that all his friends died for nothing. Steve makes it his new mission to fight for equality and power to the people, to make sure everyone has a voice, to make sure no one is overlooked or ignored, to make sure that everyone gets the God-given rights they have.

Captain America symbolizes freedom and protection and he'll be damned if he can’t offer minorities the freedom and protection they DESERVE. Captain America has always been for standing up for the little guy, for following what’s right not the law. Captain America is the symbol of how America should be.

Steve Rogers was a fugitive of the law at some point, there is no way he’d hold back on joining in on women’s marches, protests and riots, and pride parades.

Steve Rogers volunteering at Youth Centers to teach kids self-defense and offering them the guidance, support, and comfort Bucky always managed to offer him.

Steve Rogers protecting people from police brutality-His insomnia and Tony’s drones helped him keep an eye out for it and other forms of harassment.

Steve refusing to reinforce nor aid any governments that took part in the oppression of it’s own citizens and worked hard to striving for a better life for them with the help of T’challa and Tony help creating a treaty that ensures it.

A lot of slow dancing and slight swaying while being wrapped in each others arms.

Especially to Billie Holiday. Boy, is he a fan of Billie Holiday.

He's not exactly supportive of technology due to the unfortunate difference in human interactions between the 40s and now, so he sticks to some of his old habits.

Instead of sending text messages or calling during missions, he mostly writes you letters. Every single different alias he uses for each letter is inscribed into your brain.

Instead of staying home all day, he takes you out to soak in the beautiful weather of New York and tells you about how it used to be back in the 40’s.

Instead of watching a movie on your laptop or the TV, he takes you to the local cinema or even a drive-in.

Oh, how he loves taking you to the Smithsonian Museum just so he can point out all the inaccurate facts and exhibitions in display.

Leaving each other sticky notes everywhere to remind each other of events because of the fact that his unstable working hours so you don’t see each other much for you to tell each other face to face. Slowly, the both of you ended up developing a habit of leaving short cute love notes on each other’s things-Every single sticky note is saved in your own special places but Steve takes a few with him whenever he goes on missions to keep him company.

Although, you’d never tell Steve this, but his handwriting is absolutely terrible. Despite him being quite the artist, reading his notes is like decoding what a doctor’s prescription note says. However, with every not he wrote you, you started recognizing the way his I’s look like E’s, the way he curves and arcs his letters like he’s drawing loops, and the way punctuation is a stranger to him and soon enough it was like you were reading your own handwriting. You did enjoy decoding the notes he leaves you everyday. It was like a secret language only you could understand.

Him taking you to Brooklyn and telling you stories of the trouble he'd get himself into in EVERY spot.

He told you about how he almost got arrested at the Old Stone House because he snuck in there with Bucky. All because they couldn’t wait for the Grand re-opening. Bucky managed to talk the police out of it by lying to them, and saying that Steve had 2 weeks left to live and how it was his dying wish to see the place.

Oh, and how he had his first kiss with Leslie Jordan in front of Bamonte’s during their first and only date in the 11th grade. He remembered all the fights he got into with the jerks in his class that were always picking on her because of the birthmark on her face, he remembered all the times they sat together because no one wanted to sit with them, he remembered how he asked her to the school dance because every girl deserved the chance to have a special slow dance with a boy, he remembered how he saved up so that they could eat at that fancy italian place-Bamonte’s-afterwards. She ended up switching schools and moving to Wisconsin the following week.

Steve told you about all the places that were rundown and were there before all the replacements and modifications, all his happy childhood memories, all the alleys he got his ass kicked in, all the places him and Bucky got kicked out of. But it wasn’t until after you met Bucky and shared hundreds of stories about Steve that you realized that even before the serum Steve was still a fucking dumbass that went headfirst into reckless and dangerous trouble; Now, he didn’t jump out of planes without a parachute back then but he did climb 3 floors up the side of his apartment building just because he felt like it.

Helping and comforting Steve after Peggy dies and being his shoulder to cry on, to lean on, to hide his dorky smile in, and rest his head on that fit perfectly as if it was hand sculpted by God himself just for Steve.

He tells you everything. Absolutely everything. From how many punching bags he managed to make fly today to telling you about his failed missions or missions with casualties-Sometimes he didn’t even need to verbally tell you, you could tell what happened by the slouch of his shoulders and the lack of glimmer in his oh-so-bright eyes.

Jesus, the man can swear like a goddamn sailor. It took him about 2 months for him to feel comfortable enough swear in the presence of a lady, but it was expected that he’d break at some point considering all the pent up rage he has bottled up. The man makes punching bags fly for God’s sake! Not to mention the fact that he was in the army with the Howling Commandos of all people. He just couldn’t help the series of cusses that flew past his lips when-despite the years of training-he accidentally hits himself with his shield, the ‘Fucks’ and ‘Shits’ that escaped through clenched teeth when he got injured during a mission, the soft profanities whispered against your neck as you came apart underneath him, the loud and consistent obscenities that forced his way out of his throat during his road rage-God help anyone who dares to ride in a car with Steve Rogers. You asked him to drive you to work ONCE during rush hour while your car was in the shop and oh boy, he let out words so colorful and vibrant they’d bring Tony Stark to tears.

Tony having a habit of interrupting you and Steve whenever you’re clearly having a moment.

“Did I walk in on some pre-fonduing?” Of course Howard told Tony about it during one of this drunken rants about Captain America, The Living God, and of course Tony would bring it up from time to time just to see Steve’s face turn redder than the Ironman armor.

Getting a mini heart attack whenever you hear about another reckless thing he did despite him telling you that he’d be more careful.

At some point, Bucky and Natasha become your personal spies who inform you of every Godforsaken idiotic thing he does

“You got into a brawl with a God, seriously?"

"Well, so did Tony.”

“AGAIN? You jump out of a plane without a parachute AGAIN?”

He gets homesick quite often but thankfully you’re there to help him through it with ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ and ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ ready for him at any moments notice as well as trips to Coney Island and the Stark Expo, but mostly, even if Steve doesn’t admit it, your presence is what helps him through it. The way you run your fingers through his hair and draw circles with them on his skin takes him back to simpler times when he was a little boy lying in the arms of his beloved mother, Sarah. A time of safety and comfort.

Helping him go through his To-Do list.

One of the most precious memories you have of him was when he saw Rocky for the first time with you, he was in awe of the storyline and the colors-He was put in a wonderous state after seeing the deep red color of blood being spat onto the floor, the sweat shimmer of Rocky’s face darimg his opponent to come at him, the overwhelming saturation and hue of actually seeing colors on a screen, of no longer seeing the dull and bland black-and-white pictures he was so used to.

You’re pretty sure he has Marvin Gaye’s entire discography memorized by heart at this point. Steve is eternally grateful to Sam to mentioning Troubleman to him because it was the start of a great obsession.

Training with him. Steve Rogers will personally wake you up for a morning run everyday and honestly you wouldn’t mind it if he didn’t wake you up everyday at the break of dawn. He can’t help it though. Sleep has become a stranger to him since he’s been back.

You’d be lying to yourself if you said you didn’t enjoy it, running with him side-by-side during the rare moments where the city was actually asleep offered you solace. Sometimes the both of you would talk, othertimes you’d run in silence, but mostly on each run you’d use it as a chance to help him catch up on another music album you thought was culturally important for him to know-Dating Steve really diversified your music taste.

He’s a hugger. He just loves embracing you in any possible way whether its linking his arms around you while you’re working, resting his head on your shoulder and hugging you from behind while you’re cooking, or pulling you onto his lap so he can breathe in your scent while he’s doing paperwork.

He has dozens of notebooks filled with hundreds of illustrations he drew of you and The Avengers. You’ve got a few hung up on your fridge but your favorite is definitely the drawing he made of a ring, set in between the cushions of a tiny blue box, that he gave you right before he bent down on one knee.

[yunagalvan]

Fred Weasley One Shot (with a madeup character named Haliwell Galvan)

Summary: Haliwell Galvan is best friends with George Weasley. After he finds out she had trouble sleeping sometimes he lets her sleep with him, but it seems as if their plan doesn’t work well on one night. Fred and Hali finds themselves unable to sleep without eachother.

A/N: New user to tumblr and I had been writing this in my free time just to make the days a little more fun. Thought why not post it I’m sure at least one person may enjoy it.

Warnings: None. Grammar Mistakes prob.

Word count: 6352 (A lot I know)

“Sleep well last night?” George questioned, sporting a lazy smile as he spooned some scrambled eggs into his mouth.

“Not at all actually,” She huffed, taking a seat next to him. She rubbed her aching eyes.

“Couldn’t you tell George? She’s got bags the size of Snape’s robes under her eyes,” Fred chuckled, leaning to catch a glance of Hali’s tired expression. George elbowed him in the ribcage.

“Ow! Git,” Fred muttered before turning back to chatting with Lee Jordan who was sat across from him.

George leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Even though you find me and my cold hands utterly repulsive, if you think sleeping next to someone will help you fall asleep, you can sleep next to me anytime. I know how much you need to sleep. And don’t bother waking me up, I’ll be grumpy,” He finished turning back to his eggs.

“You sure?” She asked. She wondered if they’d get in trouble or what kind of treatment his dorm-mates would give him if they found out, especially Fred. Of course, she knew either wasn’t a concern to him. She knew getting in trouble never crossed his mind and that he wouldn’t care what kind of jokes arose because they’d always been best friends, just best friends.

With no hesitation he answered back, “Of course.”

“What are you two whispering about over there?” Lee had interjected, an eyebrow raised.

“Nothing concerning you,” Hali responded, giving George a quick wink. Fred wondered what George had said to her and why she’d given him a wink, but figured he’d just get it out of George later.

That had happened during their sixth year, and George managed to keep his offer a secret between him and Hali. During their seventh year she had fallen asleep early on the night, and at that point, the noise of the storm outside had been bearable. Rain hadn’t been violently rapping against her window and the wind wasn’t howling fiercely. However, later in the night, a particularly loud rumble of sudden thunder woke her up from a nightmare she was having. The situation was now bittersweet for she had escaped her nightmare, but was now left to perpetually be kept awake by the ravaging storm outside. She turned over to her side, facing away from the window and shut her eyes. She feebly attempted to fall back into unconsciousness but her mind was racing. In a couple hours she would be tested in transfigurations and she’d only been able to complete the difficult vanishing spell a few times. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to do it tomorrow- well technically today- but she yearned for the few hours of thoughtless bliss sleep would provide for her.

After 15 minutes of tossing and turning in her four poster bed, she quietly moved her curtains aside and swung her legs over the edge of the mattress. Her body shivered as her bare feet contacted the cold floor. Her socks had been lost somewhere in her bed and she was too tired to feel around for them in the dim light. The storm outside provided some light, but her eyes were barely open. Her left eye remained completely closed, as her right eye struggled to stay open. As she straightened her back, and her hands flew to grip her biceps. She drew in a sharp breath, and rubbed her arms in an attempt to create some heat.

She gingerly tiptoed past her sleeping dorm-mates and began to hastily descend the cold, stone stairs which led to the gryffindor common room. As she made her way down the spiral staircase, her eyes adjusted to the bright flames each held by a sconce.

She rushed across the common room floor which would lead to the tower that housed the boys. She huffed and puffed as she walked up what seemed like an infinite amount of stairs. She was still bringing in sharp breaths and shivering when she reached the 6th years dorms. She easily navigated her way to George’s dorm as she’d gone there many times in order to retrieve some object he or Fred had stolen from her.

She quickly shuffled over to George’s bed and was able to slip easily under his covers and next to him since he was rolled away from her and was practically dangling off of the side of the bed. The light from the storm outside barely illuminated the back of his head but she rolled over to face away from him, pressing her back against his. She shut her eyes and relaxed at the feeling of his warmth behind her.

Although she always vocalized how much she hated when people touched her, she felt strangely serene, although she’d never tell anyone except George that.

Hali drifted off to sleep and woke up to a warm arm curled around her waist. She groggily wrapped her left hand around his wrist and removed his uncharacteristically warm hand from the skin of her stomach. She dropped his arm limply behind her and sleepily fled the boys’ dormitory.

She slept the remainder of the time in her own bed and when it was time to eat breakfast she plopped down in her usual seat next to George.

“Morning, ‘Hali,” George greeted happily.

“Morning George,” She smiled, fully rested.

“Got a good night’s sleep last night, eh?” Fred grinned into his bite of roasted potatoes. Although there was something patronizing about the way he said it, Hali's mind immediately thought he’d seen her in George’s bed. A heatwave of paranoia settled through her.

“Yeah… I did,” She answered giving George a wide-eyed suspicious look. He gave her a confused one back, but she ignored it and delved into her breakfast.

“Did you tell him?” She muttered to George under her breath.

“Tell him what?” George playfully asked.

“Our- sleeping agreement,” She quietly answered.

“Er- no?”

“Why’s he being so weird then?” Hali anxiously questioned.

“I mean- he’s Fred, he’s always weird. I think he’s just happy- said something about having a really good night of sleep this morning, but I thought he was just sayin that to annoy me since he slept in my bed last night-“

“He- He WHAT?” Hali vocalized earning a wide eyed look from Lee and Fred. Hali stood up and dragged a still-sitting-down George away from the table and out into the hall.

She dragged him around a corner as he stumbled and struggled to balance himself after being abruptly dragged across the dining hall.

“What’s wrong? You’re being mad right now!” George breathed.

“I slept in your dorm last night. And I thought I was sleeping next to you! Because I was in your bed!” She explained, obviously flustered.

“You- He- my bed?” George stuttered.

“The storm woke me up last night, and I thought I was sleeping next to you but- You know I knew something was off, you never touch me when you’re sleeping. His hands are way warmer than yours by the way,” She concluded, crossed armed.

“His hands? He touched you?” George said eyebrows furrowing.

“Oh come on- He was sleeping. Don’t get all big brother on me now against your own brother who was in your bed,” She deadpanned, seeing George agitated, “Why was he in your bed in the first place?”

George rubbed the back of his neck guiltily,” Alright well… We were playing catch with some dungbombs and you know- one exploded on his bed and I uh- I had thrown it of course. I cleaned it, but he swore it still smelled like dung so he said he wanted to trade beds until the stench was gone.”

She took a deep breath in and rolled her eyes.

“You guys talking about me?” Fred’s voice spoke from behind her. She threw an elbow into his stomach and then turned around to face him. He was doubled over, holding his stomach, a pained smile coating his face.

“Fred-“ George started an uncommonly serious look on his face.

Hali stopped George and motioned for him to go back into the hall, “It’s fine. I’ll handle it.”

Fred was standing up straight now, and waved sarcastically to his grumbling brother as he walked back into the dining hall. He was still sporting a wide grin when he turned to face Hali.

“Care to explain?” She began, tapping her foot.

“Explain what?” He eagerly simpered.

“You think you’re being so cute, hm? Stop smiling, you look like an idiot,” Hali spoke, visibly annoyed.

His smile faltered, “Listen, I didn’t know you and George were…”

“What? Sleeping together?” Her face dropped at her wording and his eyebrows rose up in surprise, “I don’t mean like that. I mean literally just sleeping. I only do it when I can’t sleep,” She explained.

“That’s a relief and weirdly understandable,” Fred thought outloud.

“What?”

“Well, who wouldn’t want to wake up next to a girl? It’s like the best surprise a guy could get,” Fred explained smiling down at her.

“Why you-“ She rose a closed fisted ready to give him a punch in shoulder which would at most leave a slight stinging sensation on his arm.

He grabbed her wrist before her hand met his arm, “Relax, Haliwell. I’m kidding- well not really but- I didn’t know about your ‘sleeping arrangements’ and I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I- erm- kind of thought I was in a dream to be honest. But after I woke up for a second time and you were still there I realized it was real. I’m sure you prefer George, you two have always been closer, but uh it was nice,” His voice got quieter as he went on, finally settling on a whisper when he reached the last sentence. His grip loosened on her wrist.

She didn’t know what to say, there’s no way he would have known she wouldn’t be able to sleep and he seemed genuinely sorry. She was skeptical of his behavior though, because he was being unusually expressive and helpful.

“I didn’t hate it, but your hands are much warmer than George’s so it was a nice change,” She admitted to him. She started to think about what he said about it being a dream. She decided it was her turn to bother him.

“You said you thought it was a dream?” Hali asked smiling slightly, “Why would you be having a dream about me in bed with you, Fred Weasley?”

The tips of his ears flushed a deep red, unfortunately not hidden by his fiery red hair since he had cut it this past summer. His flustered look quickly disappeared as he regained his false confidence and he leaned over to her ear.

“It wouldn’t be the first time,” He breathed, his breath tickling her ear. She felt a wave of heat wash over her chest, but quickly disguised her surprise with disgust.

She let out a disgusted scoff, “You’re so...“

He waited for her insult, “I’m so what?” Fred smiled seeing through her fake disgust. He saw how red her cheeks were and knew she was embarrassed.

“You’re so much better to sleep with than George,” She murmured looking up at him through her lashes.

“Really?” He questioned, thinking back to the feeling of her against him.

She placed her hands on the back of his neck and slowly brought him down to her face. He felt his heart rate increase. Was this a dream? He asked himself. He didn’t remember when he had put his hands on her waist, but he quickly became very aware of how close her face was to his. As she brought his face closer to hers, he shut his eyes.

Just as her lips barely brushed his, she whispered, “No.”

She let go of his neck and quickly walked past him and back into the dining hall. He let out a heavy breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He ran a hand through his hair, and even though she’d barely touched him, he felt completely disheveled.

How had he let his guard down so easily? She’d always acted so cold towards him and always turned to talk to George. The sudden change in behavior threw him off. He wasn’t complaining about it, just disappointed in himself for losing control so quickly

He composed himself and finished his breakfast in record time. George noticed his haste, but was just proud of Hali for putting Fred in his place.

“I would’ve expected him to tell you or wake you or something,” George muttered before gulping down the rest of his pumpkin juice.

She shrugged, “It’s alright, George. I handled it and he seemed genuinely sorry.”

Hali continued her day and noticed how the tips of Fred’s ears turned a scarlet red everytime she made eye contact with him the rest of the day. Of course, he would throw some obscene gesture or give her a silly grin back.

She successfully vanished her set object completely in Transfigurations class and glided through the rest of her school day in a good mood.

“So, how’d it go?” George asked before plopping down next to her. He had presumably just finished quidditch practice as she could smell the dirt and sweat radiating off of him. Usually she’d swat him away with a nearby textbook, but she was in an exceptionally good mood today.

“It was brilliant. I did it no problem!” She beamed as he removed his quidditch jersey.

“That’s great, Hali. Listen, off topic question but what the bloody hell did you say to Fred? He’s been off all day. Missed nearly every swing in practice. Wood’s gone mad,” George stated.

She narrowed her eyes at the portrait hole and rubbed them. Her eyesight had gotten blurry from straining to read the school work she’d been doing.

“He’s not gonna walk through there is he?” She questioned.

“Nope. I specifically skipped the showers in the changing rooms to give me time to ask you what the bloody hell you’ve done to my twin,” George explained, sweaty locks of hair coating his forehead.

“I mean- I just said his hands are warmer than yours and-“ She began to laugh. Her small giggles soon grew into roaring laughter and George furrowed his eyebrows in concern.

“Haliwell Galvan, what did you do?” He asked.

Her laughter only extended when he used her full name.

“Okay listen, you can’t tell anyone. But you know I thought it- okay since he hadn’t bothered to tell me he was Fred and let me sleep with him the whole night, I thought it’d be funny to mess with him a little. I thought If he was okay with me sleeping next to him he’s either a perv or he’s got a little crush, so I utilized my resources-“

“Oh Hali you didn’t-“

“No, I didn’t do anything to your precious brother. I just acted like I was going to kiss him, then I didn’t. I thought it’d be a good punishment, boys hate that. Been thinking about it all day he has.”

George lifted himself off of the couch, a small smile playing at his lips. He pointed a finger at her, “You’re evil you know that?”

She shrugged, “What can I say? It’s a gift really.”

George sighed and pressed his fingers to his temples, “Okay, he’s definitely going to kill me when he finds out I told you, but you know he had a giant crush on you first year right?”

Her eyebrows slightly rose and a devilish grin crawled onto her face, “You know- that explains why he was so irritatingly- just so evil to me first year. Poor Freddie didn’t know how to act, eh?”

“Don’t be so happy. You’re not out of the bushes yet. I reckon what you did this morning confused him. And from what I saw during practice and basically all day today, he’s very confused.”

“Oh he’ll get over it. He’s not exactly a one-woman-willy. And don’t tell me he didn’t deserve it because he did,” She pointed a stern finger at George.

“As a man, I can fully say he did not deserve that. What you did this morning- you’ve stolen his manhood you have. You need to give it back. I want my bloody brother back!” George dramatically explained, failing to keep a straight face.

“Are you telling me to kiss your brother?” She questioned her face contorting into a disgusted expression.

“Oh, don’t act so disgusted. We’ve kissed before; Just imagine he’s me. Shouldn’t be too hard,” George simpered running a hand through his wet locks.

“Okay, that was not real. It was for a dare and I felt like I was kissing my brother. It was weird,” She explained recalling how wrong it felt to kiss her best friend last year. Even though it was a short peck and lasted barely a second, she still couldn’t shake how peculiar it felt.

“Well, you better figure something out, Hal,” George laughed before trudging downstairs to the showers. Hali continued to do her ancient runes homework. As the minutes went by she heard more Gryffindor’s slip through the portrait.

Oliver Wood stepped through the portrait and casually strolled toward Hali.

“Oi, Galvan, figure you could replace Fred and be the new beater? I’m about ready to play his position for him after today’s practice,” He huffed, his clean scent replacing George’s previously sweaty one.

She chuckled, “Wood, you know my parents don’t want me playing quidditch anymore after I got my face smashed in my 5th year. Besides I was joking when I said I’d reckon I could be a better beater than Fred. I’ve got arms the size of a wand.”

He let out an exasperated sigh and moved onto the next unsuspecting Gryffindor in the common room.

The next person to walk through the portrait was Fred. She looked up at him from her book, a small smile growing on her face. He gave her his signature confident smile, but quickly broke his eye contact with her. He began to make his way toward her while peering at the now busling common room and she raised an eyebrow at him.

“Seat taken?” He asked peering at the cushion next to her.

She jutted out her bottom lip and shook her head. Fred quickly settled himself next to her and peered at the crackling fire.

“Wood reckons I should take your spot as Gryffindor beat, you hear?” She questioned closing her textbook.

“Oh yeah?” He asked, crossing his legs and setting his arm across the back of the couch.

“Yeah,” She looked behind her at his arm which spanned the pillow, “And I’m starting to think I agree. You’re looking a bit small there, Weasley.”

He laughed dryly at her attempt at insulting him.

“Seriously though, something on your mind?” She innocently smiled at him even though she knew exactly what had caused his lack in skill during the quidditch practice.

The smile on his face fell and he let out a cough.

“No, just had a bad day. Why, should something be on my mind?” He questioned coyly.

She gave him a toothy smile and leaned towards him once again, but not as close as she had been to him this morning.

She looked down at his lips, “No,” she whispered. She got up from the couch. He quickly wrapped his hand around her wrist, stopping her from leaving.

“It’s still storming out,” He told her, the light from the fire twinkling in his eye. She looked down at his hand on her wrist.

“Better keep your hands warm then, yeah?” She retorted walking up to her dorm.

This time Fred smiled to himself as she left him. He eventually caught up with Lee and George and spent the rest of the night thinking up ways to irk their classmates.

Eventually, they all fell in and went to sleep, but Fred’s mind was too busy to sleep. Yes, the rain pattering on the window didn’t help, but he expected his thoughts to slow down so he could fall asleep. It was 1 a.m. and as he laid flat on his back with his left hand tucked under his head, he couldn’t help but wait for Hali’s footsteps to enter his dorm room. His ears perked up at every creak and tap, but she never came. Eventually, he grew tired and his thoughts faded.

Hali had been fast asleep since 11 p.m. and didn’t stir at all that night. Despite the storm and the whipping winds, she slept peacefully. She did, however, wake in the morning to the cold air of her dorm room and couldn’t help but wish she’d felt the warmth of someone next to her.

She dismissed the thought and continued to sleep soundlessly for the next month. Her relationship with Fred returned to normal, with his occasional flirty comments and her cold responses. Every once in a while she threw him off, but never twice in a row did she allow his flirtatious actions.

During mid-december on a particularly windy night, the persistent tapping of her windowsill kept her awake and irate. The rate at which the tapping occurred gave her enough time to grow tired, then would rip her away from rest at the very last second. Frustrated, she grabbed a nearby jumper and her “Hogwarts: A History” book, which all those around her had seen her read at least once this past month since she was prone to read it whenever she found herself with free time.

While seeing a student who fell asleep in the common room wasn’t unusual, she always loathed the idea of being found in the morning with her mouth wide open and her hair knotted to oblivion. But right now, the mere idea of sleep was all the yearned for. She didn’t care about the situation she would get into, as long as she could sleep.

The universe has a sick sense of humor.

As she tiredly read the pages in her book, she heard the heavy footsteps of another half asleep Gryffindor clomp down the stairs.

He jumped at the sight of another student in the common room.

“Well, well, Welly” Fred said in a low groggy voice.

She craned her neck to face him and closed her book, folding the corner page.

“You’re half asleep, and still insist on calling me that god awful name,” She deadpanned.

He gave her a tired smile, “Trouble sleeping?” He asked, yawning.

She nodded, “You too?”

He nodded, “Came to get my mug,” He shuffled over to a wooden table on her left. On top of it, a slightly misshapen green mug sat. He scooped it into his hand before conjuring a stream of water from his wand.

He began to sip at the water and Hali went back to reading her book. She wondered if she should ask to sleep in his bed.

“You should come up with me,” He said slowly like he was thinking about what he was saying, “- And you know slip into George’s bed. Get some sleep, Welly.”

She smiled down at her book, and shook her head.

“Have you ever noticed that George is like a human fridge? Like I think he actually steals heat from me. It’s bloody freezing tonight,” Hali chuckled, pulling her sweater sleeves over her hands.

“Well, I think we’ve got an opportunity to solve both of our issues here,” Fred offered, his tone slightly more awake.

She sighed, “Fred Weasley, are you going to ask me to sleep with you?”

“I wasn’t going to say it like that. But- yeah. You did say I was warmer than George,” He reminded her before gulping down the rest of his water and setting it down on the table.

“Fine. But you don’t tell anyone. Not even George. I just- I’m so tired,” She yawned before closing her book once again, tucking it under her arm and walking past him. As her foot stepped onto the stairs leading to his dorm she turned around, “Come on then.”

He let out a small laugh, “That was easy.”

“You know, this is a one time thing right,” She informed him as they made their way up the spiral staircase.

“‘Course.”

Fred smiled to himself as the possibility of this happening again crossed his mind. And it did happen.. Again. And Again. Eventually, she found herself awake late at night when it wasn’t storming outside. And so on some perfectly quiet, peaceful, dry nights, Fred would wake up to a pleasant surprise which of course was Hali next to him.

The sun was beginning to rise when she woke up. Her hands were bunched up against his chest, her face nestled into the crook of his neck. She tried to slip away from him quietly without waking him up, but his arms wouldn’t budge.

“Fred,” She whispered pulling her face away from his neck.

“Fred, Let go. I need to leave.”

He let out a grumble, “Stay.”

“Freddie, I can’t.”

“You never… never call me that,” He muttered sleepily.

“Fred, please let go,” she begged but he tightened his arms around her waist.

She looked up at his face, his eyes still closed.

“I’ll let you go, only if you give me a good morning kiss,” He sleepily smiled knowing she’d have no choice but to stay locked in his embrace.

She slid her hands onto the back of his neck once again, leaving goosebumps on his skin. She softly pressed her lips to his, his eyes opening in surprise, but her lips were gone as soon as they came.

“If only every morning started this way,” He thought, his eyes fluttering back closed. He loosened his grip as he had agreed and presumably fell back asleep.

She left quickly and slept the remainder of the time before her roommates woke her for class.

When Fred woke up, he was unsure if he had dreamed the whole thing. Hali was certainly acting like he had. She was still giving George more attention than him. She still dismissed his flirtatious comments. She gave no indication that she had kissed him that morning. Nonetheless, Fred thought the next time he got her alone he should ask her. Hell, he’d asked her weirder things than that. If it hadn’t happened, she’d certainly just think he was hitting on her as usual and she’d dismiss him as always.

So, when classes were over and she was nowhere to be seen, he went to the place George said she spent the most time at. He hadn’t been to the library that many times in his past 6 years at Hogwarts. He felt strange walking around searching for her because he felt like everyone who knew him knew he never went to the library. He felt like he wasn’t supposed to be there, but maybe that was just because of what he was going to ask his brother’s best friend of 6 years.

He spent a few minutes wandering around the library peering around each bookcase, his eyes scanning for her. When he found her, she had her knees pulled up to her chest, he shins pressed against the side of the table. Her hands gripped the same book she’d been reading for the last 2 months. He was surprised she hadn’t finished it by now, but he assumed she had probably read it more than once at that point.

She noticed flaming red hair in her peripheral vision and looked up from her book.

“Frederick- In the library?” She whispered quizzically while turning the page of her book.

He didn’t respond. He hadn’t thought of what he was going to say.

“Thought you were George for a second, but you’re not. He’s got sadder eyes than you,” She quietly laughed pressing down on her eyelids so they were more droopy.

He let out a dry laugh, before taking a seat next to her

“What’re you doing here?” She asked before her eyes moved in Madam Pince’s direction. She knew how Madam Pince felt about disturbances in the library and Fred was about the worst disturbance there could be. Hali liked the quiet of the library which was why she only sat in the common room when most people weren’t there. She hoped Fred wouldn’t get her kicked out of the library, but his signature sinister look was no where to be found. So, she thought he had come to say something of importance.

“I’ve uh- got to ask you something,” He quickly muttered while scratching the back of his hand.

“Go on then, quick before Madam Pince catches us talking.”

“Did you… did you kiss me this morning?” Fred whispered his hand flying to rub the back of his neck.

She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, “Fred, I didn’t kiss you much less wake up next to you this morning. I slept alone last night.”

He felt his chest flood with embarrassment. It had all been a dream? She saw his mind moving at a million miles a second and decided to spare him the embarrassment.

“I’m only joking. So what if I did?” She simpered.

“So, it wasn’t a dream?”

“No. I’m not surprised you thought it was. You were half asleep when you asked me to kiss you,” She explained quietly.

“Well, I didn’t expect you to actually do it,” He answered, rolling up one of his sleeves. She glanced down at his forearm; she’d always liked his arms.

“Well, I needed to leave. And you had an iron grip so I was given a solution to an issue and I used the solution.”

“I didn’t want it to go like that,” He grumbled sitting back in the rickety chair.

“What?”

“It doesn’t matter. You know- you can’t just kiss someone and act like it doesn’t mean anything to you,” He whispered, obviously annoyed.

“People kiss people all the time. Hell, I see you kiss girls all the time. Does that always mean something to you?”

“Yeah, it does,” He quickly answered.

“Bullshit. It doesn’t and you know it,” She noticed his annoyed expression. While she’d observed his odd behavior towards her for the last few months, she was sure she was imagining it and her actions towards him barely crossed his mind. She was just a body for him to hold at night. Nothing more. “What? Does it bother you that I don’t worship you? That I’m not begging you to date me like all the others? Shouldn’t you be happy I know everything means nothing to you?” She spat forgetting about Madam Pince.

“No-I’m not happy,” He responded, his jaw clenched.

“What do you want me to do? Huh, Fred? ‘Oh Freddie let’s go to Madam Puddifoots and have a cup of tea’ I can’t do that for you because I know you don’t want that. You don’t date girls, you can’t committ-“

“Me? You’re one to talk. George has never told me about you having any boyfriends. I’ve never even heard you were dating anybody. The rumors are always about you and some ever-changing guy. It’s never the same guy.”

“Have you maybe thought for one second that George doesn’t tell you everything about me? Granted, I don’t date, but maybe if you asked me instead of pestering me about it I’d tell you why,” Her face was hot. She was angry at him for assuming things and speaking about things he knew nothing about.

“Fine. Why? Why don’t you date?”

“Did George tell you who my first kiss was?”

He shook his head not knowing what this had to do with anything.

“Roger Davies. I caught him snogging some other girl a few days after he kissed me. I really thought he liked me Fred, but we weren’t dating or anything. Maybe I overreacted but, after that I assumed that everyone just wanted their freedom, and I never assumed anything was special,” She explained more calmly, like she’d told this story before.

“That’s bloody stupid,” He concluded now feeling guilty. George never told him that.

“It’s alright. It was a good lesson I guess-“

“No- I mean. Kisses can be special, Hal,” He interrupted her, a sad look spread across his face.

“Well, every guy I’ve kissed doesn’t seem to think that. So, I think I’ll just keep believing what I believe.”

He got up to leave, but before he turned around he thought he could try to change her stubborn mind.

“You know, after you kissed me the first thought that popped into my head was ‘If only every morning started this way,’ “ He admitted quickly before leaving.

She furrowed her brows, turning back to her book. She tried to finish reading the paragraph she’d left off on but she found herself repeating the same sentence over and over in her head. If only every morning started this way.

For a second she thought that was Fred’s way of telling her he thought it was special, but she shook her head. For the next month, she slept alone every night no matter the weather. She hadn’t spoken to Fred much after their argument in the library. Fred assumed she wanted nothing to do with him, and she assumed Fred wanted nothing to do with her. The most they’d said to each other was “Happy Christmas” before leaving for the holidays.

On one particular night, it was snowing and she had been laying in bed for hours. She couldn’t sleep, and not because of any noise, but because she felt like something was missing. The words “If only every morning could start like this,” echoed in her head.

She was standing in his doorway before she knew it. He was facing away from her, on the edge of the bed just like the first time. There was plenty of room for her on the bed and she couldn’t help but wonder if he’d slept that way on purpose, in hopes of waking up with her there. She turned her wonder into courage and walked over to his bed.

She poked his shoulder, “Fred.”

He woke up at the sound of her voice. He hadn’t heard it since before break.

“Hali?” He questioned rolling over to face her.

She wasn’t sure what she wanted to say, so she said the first thing that popped into her head, “Fred, I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright, Welly. It’s not your fault…” He sighed tiredly and rolled over to face her, “You just need to realize that sometimes that kind of stuff means something,” He responded pulling the covers up to his shoulders.

She sat down on the side of his bed, her back facing him.

“I know it means something to me. Sometimes it doesn’t mean anything to the other person. And it’s just easier to convince myself it means nothing,” She explained, her elbows resting on her knees.

“You don’t have to explain anything. Just- Just know sometimes the things you do matter to other people,” He murmured watching her back rise and fall with each breath.

She turned her head to face him, the moonlight barely reaching her features, “It meant something to you, didn’t it? When I kissed you?” She whispered.

The corner of his mouth lifted up, “Are you going to get in or what?” He asked, flipping the corner of his covers over.

“I’ll get in if you answer my question,” She responded, bringing one leg onto his mattress.

“Of course it did Hal. You were the first girl I ever loved,” He muttered tiredly.

She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, “Fred?”

His smile had faded, and his breathing had slowed.

“Fred, I know you’re still awake,” She said twisting her body so she could poke him.

“We can talk about it tomorrow. Just not now. I just want to sleep right now.”

She brought her other leg onto the mattress and flipped the covers over herself. He reached out and pulled her flush against him after hearing her shuffling noises subside. She would probably never tell him, but she had missed the feeling of his arms wrapped around her waist. She’d missed the feeling of his breath against the back of her neck.

She pulled him into the most isolated table in the library after quidditch practice the next day. She sat him down quickly before fixing a rogue hair that was standing up oddly on his head, his hair still wet from his recent shower.

“If only you’d been there with me, you could have fixed it before I left the shower,” He snickered, earning a slap on the shoulder from her.

“We’ll see who’s laughing in a few minutes when I remind you of what Sleepy Fred said last night,” Hali said, taking a seat beside him.

“No, no. I remember. Sleepy Fred always speaks the truth. I mean yeah- I loved you. You know whatever love means to a 12 year old, but I thought you were wicked,” He let out a short laugh.

“Thought?” Hali responded, an eyebrow raised.

“Still do,” Fred winked.

She gave him a toothless smile, “I like 17 year old Fred a lot more than 12 year old Fred.”

“Yeah, how much?”

“Enough to give him a good morning kiss, I reckon,” She shrugged.

He checked the time on his nonexistent wrist watch, “Well, it’s not morning, but I could go for an evening kiss,” He said leaning towards her with his lips pursed.

She swatted him away, “Oh, it’s not that easy Fred. You’re going to have to wait a bit longer for another kiss.”

“Yeah? Why’s that then?” He asked his chin resting on his own interlaced fingers like a child.

“Don’t you think it means more if you wait?” She smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

He shook his hand and let out a laugh in disbelief, “God, I’m so screwed aren’t I?”

“Yeah,” She faked a sad expression before popping up from her seat and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, “You’ll survive.”

[jordanianroyals]

30 October 2021: Led by Princess Jalila Bint Ali, Jordan took sixth place among 25 teams in the 200km five-day long “Gallops of Jordan” race from Wadi Rum to Petra.

The event, which took place from October 23-30, involved 25 teams of 133 riders from 15 different countries. The race started in Wadi Rum and ended in the ancient rose-red city of Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and was won by the French team “Blue Ghallah”.

Prince Ali, the princess’ father, posted on his Twitter that “So proud of my daughter Jalila for competing in GALLOPS OF JORDAN. As the youngest ever competitor in this international endurance race. Congrats also to all her colleagues on team Jordan.”

According to race organiser Sameer Ahmad, the race had previously taken place in India, Morocco and Oman, this being the fourth edition of the event in Jordan. 

“This edition had many more people than the previous editions; many people were still on the waiting list as well. We had a few important personalities in the race, a model who won Miss France six years ago, and a Belgian rider who lost both her legs from above the knee in a car crash, and she managed to finish the race,” Ahmad told The Jordan Times over the phone.

Ahmad noted that the race was well organised despite facing challenges and minor errors.

“It is challenging to be in the desert with no connection, but thankfully we had Zain Jordan who took care of that part, which made things easier,” he noted.

He added that the race was successful, saying: “We are proud of this achievement and we look forward to having similar events in the future too”.

Batool Abdallat, a member of the Jordanian team who participated in the race, expressed her pride and happiness in participating.

“I am very proud to be part of this national achievement and raising the name of our country. The race was more of an endurance test rather than a speed race and we managed to finish it,”Abdallat said.

She described her experience as “fascinating”, noting that they visited new places in Jordan during their journey.

“It was very satisfying to explore new areas in Jordan and also witness other people get mesmerised by its beauty. Many participants extended their stays to see more of Jordan,” Abdallat told The Jordan Times over the phone.

Abdallat noted that there were continuous stations to rest, feed and water the horses, which all came from Jordan.

“We moved for five hours per day, approximately crossing 40km each day. It was great to share the experience with so many people from all over the world, and we were very happy to reach the Treasury [Petra’s iconic façade] by the end,” she continued.

According to Abdallat, the Jordanian team, called “Jordan’s Centennial Team”, consisted of six members. “Our goal was to showcase our achievements through the 100 years and celebrate our country,” she said.

“Although it was not easy, it was a beautiful experience which I am very proud of, and having Prince Ali Bin Hussein at the end of the race was heart-warming,” Abdallat concluded. (Source: Jordan Times)