#through no fault of the champions). but... it does look beautiful... and finally we can appreciate Peter's wonderful wardrobe as it always

[mariocki]

Peter Wyngarde guest stars as Dr. John Hallam, eminent physician - but also criminal mastermind - in The Champions: The Invisible Man (1.2, ITC, 1968)

[missinghan]

falling for the first time ⤖ bang chan

❖ genre : hogwarts au; fluff

❖ word count : 2,1k.

❖ warning : explicit language

❖ summary : your plan of putting all effort into avoiding bang chan as much as possible has been going smoothly for almost seven years until he asks you for a dance at the Yule Ball. or alternatively, your families hate each other but wait...has he always had those golden flecks in his eyes?

❖ author’s note : here’s the song they’re dancing to 🖤

one.

The once cold ballroom has waited for eons it seems, for a real heart to beat a new rhythm into the matter that made it. 

Meanwhile, you too have been waiting (for two-ish hours) in the corner with your cup of root beer abandoned at a table for your dance partner. You’re currently half-clutching your dress and half-panicking because Chan wouldn’t miss an event as extravagant as the Yule Ball. He’s not the type to be sour over little things either just because he didn’t win the Triwizard Tournament. Or perhaps someone else just happened to ask him? 

A blood-curdling shriek bursts your eardrums. 

Jeongin gives you a nudge with his elbow from behind. “Grilled scream-cheese?” he asks with a mouthful of gluten and carbs, a plate of a sandwich with a (literally) screaming slice of cheese slapped in the middle. 

“No, my appetite is ruined,” you say, pushing it away slightly and heaving an audible sigh. 

The Ravenclaw boy makes an alarming noise—something similar to ‘uh-oh’ and swallows the big bite from before as fast as he can. “Where’s Chan?”

You only shrug, “Don’t know. Don’t care.” If only you could do that with the train of thoughts that have been going in and out of your ears for the past a hundred and twenty minutes. 

“Y/N, you look troubled,” he purses his lips, frowning at you. 

“I’m not,” you voice in denial, trying your best not to come off as snappy. No, you will not give up your facade that easily. You won’t leave Chan’s ego nor Jeongin to rest without a fight by saying that you actually want to dance with the heathen!

“Yeah right, let me-“

“Don’t. What if he’s already asked someone else?” You momentarily shudder at how sad you sound. The root beer shouldn’t have hit you this hard. “I mean look at him, he’s Bang Chan. I’m pretty sure those girls from Beauxbatons have been eyeing him up and down since the Tournament.” 

Jeongin lets out a huff of laughter in disbelief. “Are you even hearing yourself right now?”

“One of you guys could have asked me. Or I should have paid Jisung to be my partner yesterday. I just, I don’t know, what am I saying? I’m confused.”

Your friend is officially done with your bullshit so he decides for himself that he will now set down his food to make your first and last Yule Ball arguably unforgettable. “Honestly? I can lie and say I would dance with you if you weren’t so full of pride. But truth is, none of us asked you to dance because we all know how badly Chan wants this opportunity. Wake the fuck up! He’s been planning this since forever. I’ll go look for him, wait here,” he points a finger at you before running off, leaving your heartbeat pause awkwardly like a broken record. 

The ballroom feels significantly colder now. 

“Miss Y/N?”

Ah, perfect timing. What’s another way to phrase ‘being an absolute idiot at a ball’? Oh right, it’s ‘talking to your professor five minutes before the first dance while your friends are socializing left and right’. 

“Yes, Headmistress McGonagall?”

Your professor peers around when she realizes that you’re all alone. “Are you and Mister Bang ready?”

“R-ready?” Suddenly, you feel out of place. 

“Well, of course. It’s only traditional that the three champions start the first dance!”

“Oh.”

two. 

Only the celestial bodies above can know how melancholy you are. But you’re met with a sky without stars tonight. 

With your head on your elbows, lips pressed into a straight line, your gaze falls from the endless canvas of darkness to the hustle and bustle of students leaving the Great Hall to head back to their designated dormitories. A sigh. You definitely don’t need to know what they’re going to do for the after-party. Ryujin used to show you an article on this peculiar machine called ‘a laptop’ that the more you sigh, the faster you age. If Chan keeps doing shit like this to you, you’re gonna be all old and wrinkly by the time he comes here. 

If he is going to show up at all that is. 

The moment you peel your eyes away from the overcrowded main gate, a broad figure is shuffling himself through his drunk Quidditch teammates, sloppy couples, and burnt out professors. He dashes through the empty hallways to reach the spiral staircase, skipping three steps at a time, risking the chances of falling on his face just to get to you. 

Pulling himself to a halt at the last step, Chan sees you all curled up against the balcony railings and feels a pang of guilt wash over his innards like a wave. You’re pulling your legs toward your chest, defeated eyes gazing into the space ahead while your hair falls to your face messily. Like you’ve gone through the depths of the Fourth Dimension, struggling through dark matters and a rite of divinity at the end of the line. All for him. 

You’re beautiful. 

And the amount of affection that’s piling upon his rib cage? Astronomical. 

Your gaze is averted away; even with a slight scowl, sloppy clothes and messed up hair, you still flare radiance. He thinks that if a meteor shower is happening right now, you can still outshine it. “You came,” you mention. 

For once, Chan finds himself at a loss for words. “Y-Yeah,” he manages to swallow. Yeah? What the fuck, Chan? Is that all you’ve got to say? 

“I-I’m sorry, Y/N. Yeji accidentally mistook one of Minho’s potions for her allergy medicine so I gotta take care of that before coming,” he scratches his forearm awkwardly, head hung low with guilt. “I didn’t know it would take that long…”

“Oh.” Wow, jealous stinks. This isn’t pre-school, you’d better snap out of it. “Let’s head back. I wanna check on her before passing out.” 

“She’s fine now, sleeps like death. Chaeryeong is there too, you know, just in case.” Chan feels perplexed as he tries to coax anything but the ‘head back’ option from you. 

You tilt your head. “And...?”

“I’m afraid you owe me something?” A slow smile begins to outstretch upon his facial muscles, deepening the dimples on either side of his cheeks that you adore the most. “A dance, I believe,” he makes a thinking face while striding toward you. 

Coldly, you stand up to dust your dress. “I don’t want to.” You’re not having it, he can tell. But does Bang Chan ever give up? 

“A bet is a bet, Y/N.”

Chan’s hand fishes inside the pocket of his trench coat to take out his wand. His hand delicately gives it a swift flick; once, and twice followed by a low mumble from his lips. Immediately, light pulses from the tip of the wand before shooting upward, disintegrating into a million bits as though a starry night is embracing the both of you. He does the same action again to cast a different spell. Music laces through every fiber of air without effort, like honey being poured into your ears. 

“It’s just one bet,” he pouts with a hand fully extended toward you. 

You should have realized how good Chan looks tonight. A black dress shirt that’s buttoned below appropriate, matching trench coat, silver accessories lining his fingers and ears with naturally tousled hair from running here. He looks so gorgeous that it almost suffocates you, that it almost makes you want to hiss ‘fucking unfair’ out loud. 

Enchanted by his poise and grace, your body reacts without the consent of your mind. You seize up when you unknowingly place your hand on top of his, the touch sending electricity down your spine. A simple response has become all too complicated for your brain to process. 

You grow breathless the moment he grabs you by the waist and pulls you flush against him. “Yeah, a bet so you’ll leave me alone,” you remark sarcastically to ease your nerves. 

“Look, it’s not my fault that the Goblet of Fire chose me to participate in the Tournament,” Chan chuckles lowly, eyes crinkling into crescent moon shapes while he sways you to the soft melody. Dots of light continue to float around weightlessly, reflecting the golden flecks in his eyes. He’s ethereal in the worst way—the way that isn’t healthy for your heart. 

But you soon slap on another scowl when you realize he just reminded you of why you’re even here in the first place. If only you weren’t so salty about Slytherin winning your team over at the final Quidditch match before the holiday occurs. Let’s just say you weren’t exactly in the best mind state after getting your ass kicked in your favorite sport. 

And Chan wasted no time to slip in between the line of comical humor and your ultimate torment. Which results in—if you get to attend the Triwizard Tournament, he will leave you alone for the rest of your life; but if he is the chosen one, he gets a dance with you at the Yule Ball. 

It’s really not all that bad if you think twice about it. Dancing with Bang Chan, the Slytherin’s Quidditch team captain, the student with perfect academics and conduct for six years straight, and now one of the Triwizard Tournament champions this year. 

Music threads through the atmosphere and lifts away gravity. You can’t count how many times you have stepped on his toes due to nervousness because you’re too much of a coward to look him in the eye. But he’s the only thing you can seem to focus on right now. 

“Besides, don’t you think this is a good opportunity to get rid of the tension between us?” Chan asks honestly, and this causes you to perk up. 

“What?”

Lights are twinkling with every step as Chan spins you around gently, your dress billowing out prettily as your heels click against the cold concrete. After that, he swiftly pulls you back into his arms and you exhale in relief like you were meant to be there all this time. 

“Don’t act dumb, you’re terrible at it. I know the only reason why you’ve been avoiding me since first year was because of our families’ stupid grudge. ”

Your eyes are cast downward, sadness glinting in your round pupils. “Either way, my parents wouldn’t like to see me talking to you. And look at what we’re doing. It’s going to be catastrophic if they find out.”

“Well, they can’t just magically appear now, can they?” Chan leans a little closer to lock his eyes with yours. 

And you break it seconds later because you’re an absolute coward for a Gryffindor. “We’re attending a magic school. Anything is possible.”

“Did they even tell you what the actual problem was in the first place?” he huffs out in faint annoyance. 

You shake your head. “I don’t think they’d even remember.”

“Then would you stop giving me that look as if I just shooed your owl way every time I said ‘hi’ on my way to class? Have you ever thought about my feelings? About us being civil for once? Like friends? Or even more so?”

“I-“ 

“We’re not our parents, Y/N.”

Your heart becomes all erratic at his words. It’s nothing like those fully-fledged, tear-jerking nor cheesyass confessions that you’ve gawked at one too many times, but it makes your heart flutter and stirs up those cliché butterflies inside your stomach. This can’t be compared to the Yule Ball—it’s even better than that. Because it feels as though you and Chan are the only presences that graze the surface of this land. There’s no one to judge, no fingers to point, no gossip spreading like wildfire. 

It’s perfect. Almost. 

“Us...it’s not- it can’t happen. It’s not supposed to happen. It’s not possible, Chan.”

Wordlessly, he stops, moves both of your hands to his shoulders, and wraps his arms around your torso. The sound of your heartbeat against his is so in sync they just drown out the music completely. Time is frozen in place, leaving you to hang on the edge with him, hanging onto this single moment as thin as the red string of fate. You’re waiting for him to do something, say something. 

Just then, Chan cracks a wry smile and pulls you closer by the nape of your neck, resting his forehead comfortably on yours. “We’re attending a magic school. Anything is possible.”

[girlmeetsliv3]

Lilies of the Valley I

A/B/O!BTS x Reader

Flowers can have different meanings depending on the flower’s shape, color, and method in which they are presented. Lilies are my favorite for such a simple flower can have so many distinct meanings.

Chapter One: Hatred & Pride

“Lilies are considered a beautiful, popular flower but the orange variations actually symbolize hatred, pride, and disdain.”

Release Date: 05/18/20 @ 7 pm

next

 YN stumbled haphazardly into her apartment, as she tried to kick off heels and steer her way into her apartment's small bathroom. In her hand lay a crumpled up business card that scorched her skin, yet she couldn't let go of it. As she reached the bathroom, she flickered the yellow lighting on and stared at herself in the dirty mirror. Mascara and eyeliner were smudged making her resemble a panda, a frown etched between her brows, and colored lips turned downward. It was not her wretched appearance that had her sorrowful, but rather the bite that was visible right where her neck met her shoulder. It looked fresh, harsh red marks that displayed to the world that she was taken. "What a fucking lie."

She took off her makeup and jumped into the shower scrubbing off every trace she could of the alpha. Not wanting his scent permeating on her body any longer, then it would truly prove people's perception of her to be true. A small ding as she was exiting the shower alerted her towards her phone.

           Mark Lee: Sorry about how I acted. I just don't understand, but I don't think we should see each other anymore.

"Great," YN grumbled. There went another one that she'd managed to drive away. It would be a lot easier if she could simply date someone like her - not that it would ever be allowed. Still, there would be less judgment and she wouldn't have to feel like a let down to society or her family every time a holiday passed and she failed to present with a mate. "Fuck society." Though truly it was more like fuck Jeon Jungkook. None of this would've happened if it weren't for the alpha and his hormones. Truly none of this would've happened if his mates kept a tighter grip on the newly presenting alpha, but she couldn't blame the others for his mistake.

           On second thought, fuck them all. Why the fuck are sub-genders a thing anyway? This wasn't the first time said thoughts had filled her head. Presenting as an Omega in a family full of beta's had been difficult, not to mention the events that followed afterward. YN dragged her feet into her bed, thankful for once that she lived in such a small apartment that things were never so far apart. Though her current apartment was about the size of the kitchen in her parent's home, she couldn't complain. Few people rented unmated omegas. She was lucky that her landladies were two female betas with small children. YN doesn’t have anything against alphas but she’s aware enough to know how they perceive her: a means to an end rather than a human being. Or half of one at the very least.

           Her cell phone screen lit up again, but YN was far too tired to check it. Until it stayed on as a plethora of messages appeared. Rolling her eyes, YN grabbed her phone and unlocked it planning to send to hell whoever sent so many messages this late at night.

           Unknown: Please consider it.

           Unknown: I know you blame me for a lot of things and it is my fault, but I’d like to fix things.

           Unknown: or help at the very least.

           Unknown: Please just answer me.

           Unknown: I’m very sorry. You know I am. It was a mistake, I was presenting and couldn’t control myself. Please YN.

           Unknown: You’re my mate.

YN slammed her phone down on her bed with tears in her eyes. She regretted ever going on the date tonight, regretted ever meeting Jungkook, regretted presenting as an Omega. YN regretted being alive. She knew others felt the same way, she'd seen the look in her father's eyes when he had gone to the police station. None of this would've ever happened if she were a beta. YN would be able to get a good education, a good job, a decent place to live. She wouldn't be treated like a third-class citizen because of her sub-gender - she would just be YN. The way she'd been in school before all this happened. The way she spent seventeen years of her life living. Sobs racked throughout her body and she bit into her arm to keep the sound from reaching her neighbors. She didn't want to get into any more trouble tonight.  

           Exhaustion eventually won over and YN slipped into a restless sleep, plagued by the events of her past and the ones that occurred a few hours earlier.

          “So there was nothing you did in high school? No clubs or anything like that?”

YN shook her head, shrugging slightly. "I helped some teachers, dabbled in a couple of things but wasn't like the head cheerleader or class president." Tentatively she reached for her drink, making sure Mark didn't notice her smelling it for anything. It wasn't that he wasn't nice, but one could never be too careful. Mark laughed, "Alright you got me there, but I'll let you know the only reason I became class president is that I promised I'd get us a pool."

           “How did that work out?”

           “Terrible. The school was convinced our stupid asses would drown or something. Can’t say it wasn’t true.”

           YN giggled, taking another bite of her food. Mark was cute and he seemed aware of things, enough to not try too hard. He hadn’t asked to pick her up or asked about exes, he’d agreed to meet at the restaurant and even arrived early. Then again it might also be because they have a friend in between and it was Rosé who’d set them up together. “So YN what school did you go to?” Mark leaned forward resting his face in his hands. The warm lighting in the restaurant cast a nice glow on his features, it made him look more attractive. Or perhaps the alcohol had finally set in.

           “I went to Yeong-gwang Academy.” As soon as YN uttered the name Mark’s eyes widened exponentially. “No way, I’ve heard about that school. Isn’t it like a rich kid central or something? Wait didn’t you go to school with the Kims?!” It was an involuntary reaction the way she shivered whenever she heard that name, but her date must not have noticed. He stood waiting for her confirmation and all it took was a curt nod, for the man to begin rambling about all the rumors he’d heard over the years. It was difficult to keep up with them all, but she did manage to correct a few.

           “Haven’t you guys been ranked number one school in Korea for like thirty years or something?”

           “I think it’s only twenty.”

           “I heard all your sports teams are national champions.”

           “We only really had like five or so.”

           “Don’t you have the largest private collection of flowers in Asia?!”

           “Um, it’s Lilies and I think that’s an exaggeration.”

On and on it went, YN was now beginning to regret opening her mouth. She'd heard of Academy fans before, but it was mainly people who wanted to go there and couldn't or alumni. The way Mark spoke about it made her seem like she was an olympiad or a part of history. The date was drawing to an end, YN couldn't help but feel disappointed but it could have gone worse. Mark could have seen her mark and it would've caused conflict, hearing the boy ramble about her school was the lesser of the two evils.  

           It was when YN lifted her drink to her lips that she sensed it. A hint of musk and the smell of fresh linen, she couldn’t explain how she knew it was him. It was almost instinctual the fear that spread throughout her. As discreetly as she could, YN cast a glance around the room trying to find him almost exhaling with relief when she didn’t. It’s probably a mistake.

           “Hey isn’t that Kim Jungkook right there?”

It was said a little too loudly, just enough that YN knew he'd heard it. It didn't take long for her to feel eyes peering at her, goosebumps rose through her arms. Her bite began to throb and YN could feel her heart skip a beat. Mark's eyes focused on him and eventually crawled up, letting her know the alpha was approaching. Now the scent hit her entirely, shaking her to her core. YN gripped the table to steady herself but found that near impossible when the alpha kept sending his pheromones at her.  

"Does there seem to be a problem here?" His voice had deepened over the years, no longer the voice of a teenager but that of a man.

"Oh sorry, I didn't mean to call your name so loudly. Um, I'm Mark Lee. A pleasure to meet you." Mark turned his attention towards YN expecting her to acknowledge Jungkook or greet him as a classmate. YN couldn't. She couldn't look at him. It didn't help that there was a tense atmosphere between the two, the tension was palpable and it seemed Mark had enough.

           “Aren’t you going to greet him, YN?”

           Greet the man responsible for everything wrong in my life, sure. Yn’s eyes trailed upwards from the table to Jungkook’s face until her warm eyes met his golden ones. As YN parted her lips to speak, she felt it: the heat spreading throughout her body. An uncontrollable feeling that raked throughout her body. The fucker was trying to trigger a pseudo-heat. Instantly YN’s grip tightened on the table, her fingertips becoming white as she fought with nature to keep control over herself.

           “Do you two know each other?” It seems Mark was catching on and truly she couldn’t blame him if he misunderstood. She would too if the roles were reversed. Suddenly Jungkook turned to face Mark, holding his hand out to greet him.

           “I’m Kim Jungkook, her mate.”

"What?! No, he isn't. Don't listen to him, Mark." Her outcry had caused quite a few patrons to turn her way, now all paying close attention to what was happening.

"Uh -" Jungkook quickly interceded whatever Mark was going to say. "Did you not notice her mark? Or do you make a habit of seeking mated people?" At this a few people gasped, Mark looked between the two of them confused. YN snapped, "It's a partial bond. It was never completed so it doesn't mean anything." Her words only confused Mark even more. Whispers from surrounding tables began to reach her ears and it only fueled YN's rage more. This was all a big misunderstanding, but Jungkook was thriving off it. Mark and YN's eyes met as she silently pleaded with him to listen to her.

"Hey beta," Jungkook snapped his fingers together, "look at me." YN should've known she'd lost then and there. As a beta, it was impossible to resist the order of alpha, not to mention one that exuded the stench that Jungkook did.

           “You know who I am right?” Mark nodded, eyes wide as if aiming to please. “Then you know don’t you? You know…” When Mark looked back at her, there was sympathy in his eyes. “I’m sorry YN.” was all the beta said before standing up and walking away. YN had so many things to say, so many more explanations, but they all died in her tongue.

           Jungkook tsked, “What an asshole. Could’ve at least paid for the meal.” That was the final strand for YN, she gathered her stuff and threw all the money she had down on the table. Walking fast out of the restaurant trying to avoid the judgemental stares directed towards her, she swore some people hissed at her under their breaths. Once outside YN leaned against the side entrance of the restaurant trying to steady her breath and stop the incoming tears.

"YN. Hey!" Jungkook raced out the front, staring around panicked until his gaze landed on her. YN tried to walk away, but his long legs gave him an advantage and he reached her in a few steps. "Please YN. I'm sorry, I just- I couldn't control myself." YN rolled her eyes, trying to push the alpha aside.  

           “No please YN look.” His hands gripped her forearms and tugged her close to him. “I’ve been trying to find you, we’ve been trying to find you. But you disappeared off the map.”

           “That’s because of you. I left because of you.” YN tried to get him to release her arms, but his hold was too tight. “Wasn’t it enough for you? Isn’t it enough for you? You ruined my life and my reputation Jungkook. The least you could do is leave me alone.” She was begging at this point, trying to make him see reason.

           “I can’t leave you alone, YN. You’re my mate.”

           “You already have mates Jungkook. Fucking six of them! How could you want more?!”

           “It isn’t like that and you know it. You’re all our mates. You're the pack omega, you just don’t see it yet.”

           This wasn’t the first time Jungkook had tried to excuse his behavior by using the pack bond. Yes, it was true all seven of them shared it but that didn’t mean she did too. “Omega’s don’t have the pack bond, Jungkook. Stop trying to lie.” YN couldn’t see what he gained from this.

           “I’m not lying. It’s rare but it happens, please if you just speak to Namjoon you’ll see-”

           “Leave me alone Jungkook.” YN mustered all her strength and managed to finally push him off. The alpha looked shocked at her display of aggression, YN strongly desired to hit him but knew it wouldn’t end well if she triggered his instincts. “I’d rather die alone than be mated to you.” YN could see the spear driven through the boy’s heart because she felt something similar go through hers. YN let out a shaky breath, she leaned over resting on her knees for fear of falling over.

"I get it. I'm sorry, I ruined your date. I embarrassed you in front of all those people and that wasn't right. I'm sorry YN, I truly am. For everything, I've ever done to you. But it doesn't change the truth. You know this isn't something I can lie about: you are my mate. Our mate."

YN groaned and went to walk away, knowing that there wouldn't be an end to Jungkook's madness. As she walked past the shaken alpha, he grasped her hand placing something in it. "If you ever need anything, don't hesitate, please." YN didn't even spare him a look as she walked away. It wasn't until she could no longer smell him that YN broke down, her body shaking as she tried to hold it all in. She was still in a public place and a vulnerable omega might draw unwanted attention. YN took a deep breath and steadied herself. Heading straight to her apartment and refusing to look back.

           A loud abrupt ringing awoke YN from her sleep, she jumped so high she practically touched the ceiling. Grabbing the phone, she saw Rosé’s contact picture pop-up on the screen. It was rare for her to call, especially since it was nearly six a.m.

           “Hey.”

           “YN? Oh my god.” Rosé’s tone was panicked and YN could hear the way she panted. “Someone broke into my apartment while I was sleeping.”

           “What?! Are you alright?!” YN jumped out of bed and raced to put on pants and hoodie, before grabbing her keys and wallet. “Where are you?”

           “I’m at the police station. I couldn’t see very clearly, but they’re looking at security cam footage from around the area to figure out who it is.”

           “I’m on my way. Did you call Lucas?” Lucas was Rosé’s foster sibling, his husband worked in the police and was certain to make the whole process smoother.

           Rosé hesitated, “He isn't answering. Please come, I’m here alone and I-”

           “It’s alright I’ll be there soon I promise.” YN had managed to wave down a cab and told him to drive as quickly as he could.

The sight of her best friend in tears triggered something innate in YN. She pulled Rosé into a hug and refused to let her go, terrified at the thought of what could have happened to her friend. "It's alright, I'm here." Rosé dug her head into YN's neck using her scent to calm her nerves and trying to muffle her cries. Already she could feel the sympathetic stares of some of the officers. Out of the corner of her eye, YN saw someone approaching his bloodshot eyes, and the tall way in which he stood made it seem like he owned the place.

"I told you to call your mate, not your girlfriend." He remarked voice dull yet mocking. Rosé stepped away from YN turning towards him, "I don't have a mate and my brother isn't answering." Her tone was meek and eyes were downcast, YN knew she wasn't a confrontational person and this event likely further caused her to become more introverted. The cop rolled his eyes, "Where is your mate then?" He turned his attention towards YN, now she could see the name inscribed on his uniform: Officer Hwang. "I don't have one." Her tone was too blunt, YN knew she could see the way his eyebrows raised at it.

           “Don’t lie to me, I can see your mark.”

           “I don’t have a mate.”

Annoyance was now visible in Hwang's tone before his eyes widened. "Ah, now I get it." The officer turned back towards one of his colleagues and called out, "Bo, it seems we have a cat house on our hands." Rosé's eyes widened and YN spoke quickly, words tumbling out of her mouth. "No. You're misunderstanding." Bo had already stood up from his desk and was making his way towards them.  

           “Ladies if you could please follow me.”

The two of them were talking over each other trying to explain the situation, but the officers had made up their minds about what was occurring. YN cast a glance around the room trying to find anyone who could help them, but everyone kept their eyes downward. They'd been titled as prostitutes and it would be difficult to change people's minds. Officer Bo guided them, pushed would've been a better term, towards the basement where the holding cells were.

           “Please sir, you’ve misunderstood.”

           Officer Hwang shrugged, a cruel smirk on his face. “Call your alpha then and everything will be solved.” YN resigned herself as they were dragged downstairs and locked up.

Rosé and YN were separated in different cells while a guard stood watching. Tears streamed endlessly down her best friend's face, whilst YN told herself that hers were tears of frustration rather than humiliation at everything that had occurred tonight. Eventually, as they hit the two-hour mark the guard spoke up, "I'd call your mates if I were you. The boarding house bus swing's by at nine." Both omegas stilled in fear at his words. YN turned towards Rosé, "Ro can't you try your brother?" She was pleading with her friend, but Rosé shook her head. "He won't come." There was something she wasn't telling her, but YN figured now was not the moment to press it.

           “Don’t you know someone who can help YN? What about Mark?”

Mark would be no help, considering everything that went down at the date it would be a further embarrassment to ask him to come to pick her up at the station. If he even answered that is. Unless? No, there was no way. Her pride wouldn’t be able to take it.

            "Thirty minutes, girls."

It seemed as if fate was pushing her into a corner. YN had heard about what kind of things occurred to Omega's who were taken to the boarding house, it was not a nice place. It certainly didn't provide the comfort or protection that was promised to unmated troubled omegas. Hesitantly YN cleared her throat, "Can I please make a call?"

~ Please lmk if you would like to be added to the tag list. Thank you

[am-imagines]

I see you. - Alex Morgan Imagine.

Request: “ Can I request this: Alex and r are together and the team knows and then they come out to the public in some really cute or funny way and maybe you can also incorporate some supportive reactions from the team? ”

I hope I did it justice, guys. Thank you for the patience to those that are still around. I love y’all. <3

No Beta, so you know the drill here, but I tried my best.

Sharing a room with Alex during the World Cup was somewhat rough when you were barely able to look at her without blushing. You were crushing on her since the day you met, but it was never that bad until you were on the bed next to hers.

The awkwardness that overcame you around her was odd, considering you texted practically nonstop. You became good friends like that, and there was an ease on your conversations that you’d never experienced with anyone else.

You shared so many interests, even had a similar lookout in life. You aimed for the same goals and put in equal amounts of effort to achieve them.

None of that changed the fact that Alex was stupidly handsome. Her beauty smacked you on the face whenever you looked at her and that was your downfall. It didn’t matter what you did, your cheeks would end up flushed with color and you’d stammer total nonsense that would make her chuckle. Alex would inevitably get closer to make sure you were okay, and just like that you were a gay mess.

A thing you learned quickly about Alex is that she never quit.

When you were too nervous to talk, she filled in the silence with a funny story or a new song to listen together. Free nights became movie marathons or just quiet moments where you’d work the nerves away before a match.

Halfway through the World Cup it wasn’t a rare occurrence for you to fall asleep in her bed and wake up cuddled on her side come morning.

Pointing the exact moment when your relationship became more than a friendship was near impossible. It was slow, steady and swift. One day you looked at her and realized that she was more than your friend, and when you leaned down to kiss her, she met you halfway.

This was a new side of yourself and Alex; one that you wanted to enjoy without rush or pressure. No one really knew you were into girls to start with although your crush on her wasn’t exactly subtle. Then again, everyone had to be a little starstruck by Alex Morgan when they joined the USWNT.

Once you were World Champions, you had time to explore that relationship and everything it meant to you. It was both exhilarating and terrifying with all the media swarming you, and yet no one noticed the slight changes in your demeanor.

No one really asked, and you never told.

Perhaps you just weren’t ready to come out to the rest of the world. Maybe wrapping your head around some of the details was harder than you thought. After all, you were dating Alex Morgan, for fuck’s sake!

Maybe the longing looks, the lingering touches and the secretive smiles were a few clues for the team, but if they knew or suspected something, you couldn’t tell. They were a part of your family, and in the end, they wanted you to be happy above everything else.

They would wait for you to be ready, and once things went back to normal after the victory tour, you finally were.

“How are we doing this?” Alex asked as she played with your hair. “Livestream?”

You look up at her, your head resting on her lap as you scroll through social media wondering what the fuck you’re about to do. But a second later all your attention is on her, and you find yourself breathless once again.

She’s stunning in a million different ways but you preferred this one; soft and relaxed. That was one of the perks of enjoying a quiet weekend at her place in L.A. before you went back to your respective clubs.

It seems like the National team is fond of Live Streams but it isn't how you want to come out. First because you’d become a nerve mess before actually sharing the news, and second because it isn’t original at all.

If you are about to come out to the fans and sponsors out there, you want to do so in a way they’d remember.

“I don’t think I could do it even if I tried,” you finally say.

Then it dawns on you: humor is the way you handle most of the things that would make you uncomfortable otherwise. That’s not to say you want the world to believe your relationship with Alex is a joke, but there has to be a way to come out in a funny, quirky and clever way.

“We’ll see each other in a couple of weeks, right?” You ask trying to remember the exact date when your clubs will face each other.

“Yeah,” she pauses for a second and you look up at her curiously. “Speaking of, any chance I can steal you for a night while you’re in Orlando?”

“Well, Ms. Morgan, I’m pretty sure that can be arranged,” you tell her with a coy smile. “For now, there’s some online shopping to do.”

With a kiss on her cheek and all the hesitation on the world to leave her side, you finally go to the other side of the room to retrieve your laptop. After all, you’re in a very important mission. And NWSL is the kind of merchandise you’re looking for.

For some miracle of the Gods above, you find both your jerseys in stock available for shipping within 24 hours with an extra fee. You don’t mind paying a bit more to stay on schedule, and even when you technically still have time, you like to be prepared.

It’d be nice to get your items before you and Alex go your separate ways.

You’d be lying if you say having her autograph wouldn’t be nice too.

“What’s the big idea here?” Alex asks while you finalize the purchase.

Her arms found their place around your waist and she rests her chin on your shoulder so she can see what you’re doing. Your plan is still a secret, and you want to keep it like that for a little longer.

“You’re gonna have to wait and trust me for a while.”

The smirk never leaves your face even when you can feel her little pout. It doesn’t last long, the laptop is forgotten on the coffee table and you turn on her arms to face her. A moment later you’re straddling her lap, your fingers undoing her ponytail and combing her hair until she closes her eyes.

“For now, what do you say we stop worrying about the rest of the world?”

“What should we do then?” She asks, already leaning in for a kiss.

“I think you got the right idea.”

*****

“All set?”

You scan the place one last time to make sure nothing’s missing from your bag. Nothing important since Alex has already claimed half your clothes.

Cellphone and wallet already in your pocket, and keys right on your hand, everything seems to be where it should. The rest of your things are packed and ready to go for the last flight home.

The Victory Tour ended on a good note, so now all you have to do is say goodbye to Alex.

Sharing a room with her was hard at the beginning, and you never expected that not sharing it anymore would be exponentially harder.

“Yeah,” you finally answer after patting your pockets once again. “I think-, I think I’m ready.”

“Okay.”

But just like you, Alex doesn’t really move and when she does, it’s towards you.

You’ve never seen her move as fast as she does while crossing the distance between you. But you don’t comment on it, really can’t when her arms are around you in a second and her lips are on yours.

It’s soft and yet firm. The kind of kiss that makes you weak at the knees and all you can do is hold onto her shoulders. You move with her, allow her to take control of it all as you try to burn her into your memory.

You try to memorize the softness of her lips, the silkiness of her hair between your fingers and even that scent that is purely Alex. You try to take all of it in, but you only have a moment that is over far too soon.

Technology is your saving grace, and you’re not sure what you’d do otherwise. And yet there are things you can’t convey through the Internet.

“I should go,” you whisper against her lips.

“Yeah.”

It’s hard -almost impossible-, to resist Alex. So despite the pressing matter of time, you indulge in another kiss.

Just like last time, you melt into her embrace and you consider staying there forever. It’s almost as if time stopped around you. Almost. Your alarm goes off startling you out of the daze, and you can help the little jump that makes Alex chuckle.

A step back creates just enough distance to clear your mind, the action making Alex raise an eyebrow in amusement but it’s really not your fault. She has that effect on you, has been that way for a long time, and yet she still finds it amusing.

With a tap on the screen you take care of the alarm. And there you are, right where you were ten minutes ago.

Time to go.

“Right. So...here I go then.”

“And-,” Alex adds with an excited smile, “-we have a game plan for next week.”

“That we do.”

Next week you’re playing against different teams on different days which gives you the opportunity to watch each other’s match. It’s the first step on your plan. Coming out seems like a big deal, and bit by bit the pieces get in motion.

“No regrets, right?” You ask.

This is not just about you. As big as coming out can be, this is also the reveal of your relationship with the biggest face of the USWNT. Whatever backlash you can get from this, it’ll be worse for her due to her massive following.

So you have to ask her again if she’s sure about this, if she’s as ready as you are.

“Y/n,” she calls softly as she cups your face. “No regrets at all.”

“Good,” you said with a small voice, barely believing this. “That’s...that’s good.”

You’re on this together, and yet, it’s incredible.

*****

Her match is about to start when you pull out your phone to take a selfie.

The pride colors look kinda odd on you. Maybe it’s because you spent the last few months only wearing the National Team kit, or maybe it’s because you don’t wear purple that often. But well, you’re not requesting a team trade, and it was your idea, so you can’t complain.

One of your friends already helped you take one picture of the back where Alex’s name and number are perfectly visible.

You’re practically shaking, but manage to smile as you snap the picture.

It’s something simple, really. Something that shouldn’t mean too much and yet, it does.

Pulling up your social media, you add both pictures.

  |Cheering for the Pride today. #13 show me what you’ve got. ;)

The wink is cheeky; it’s a reason for people to read into it and wonder if there’s something else going on. Which is…well, totally the point.

It’s funny to see the diverse reactions to your post. Some are confused about what you mean, some jump to call a trade that simply won’t happen; at least not that you know. But the press, oh they are ready to call it a rivalry.

It doesn’t matter how many times you two were caught on camera during the world cup being friendly. It didn’t matter if you two worked like a well oiled machine on the field during every match; Victory Tour included. They wanted to push the rivalry angle; fueled by the lack of a rebuttal from either of you.

You can’t help but laugh later when you call Alex to congratulate her. She truly showed you what she got with a couple of goals and the victory for the Orlando Pride. Those have been rare for her team lately, although you can’t blame them with so many key players also going to the World Cup.

However, the rivalry angle is fun to play with and in the end it’s the one you decide to push a little more the next day when it’s you on the field while Alex watches.

You’re already done with warm-ups and head out to the locker room to change into the kit when you hear your phone pinging with a new post. As expected, you find Alex’s post already blowing up despite it has been up for a grand total of two minutes.

   |I already showed you what I’m capable of. Now it’s your turn, Y/n.

Attached it’s a picture of Alex wearing your club jersey and although the number isn’t really showing, it’s more than obvious she’s wearing yours.

A chuckle escapes your lips while you shake your head. A question running through your head as you prepare for the starting whistle.

What the fuck am I doing?

***

A week later the press is going wild with theories about you and Alex. They aren’t sure what to make of it, but everyone has been talking about it for days. The upcoming match up between your clubs has served to add fuel to the fire, but you ignore all the fuzz of it as you prepare.

Last week you obtained the victory with a last minute goal to earn the three points. And unable to resist temptation, you had to make another post about it.

   |I’d say I’m pretty good at delivering. What do you say, Morgan?

   |TBD. See you next week.

The last part was a clue that no one seemed to catch on considering you were staying at her place instead of sticking with your club in a hotel. Of course, you didn’t share that bit of information and instead let the tension grow outside of your happy bubble.

This match is the moment of culmination if everything goes the right way. But playing against Alex doesn’t mean you’re going easy on her. If anything, being on the same field always pushes you to play the best soccer and be the best player you can be out there. It doesn’t matter if you’re wearing the same colors or not.

Being lenient with her as a rival is the kind of mistake that could and would cost you a game. You just don’t underestimate Alex Morgan. And she better not do so to you or you’ll make her pay.

Adjusting the captain armband once more, you follow your team into the field and take your place just a few feet away from your girlfriend.

“Good luck, Morgan.”

“May the best team win.”

You play your hardest on that field; push to your limits and beyond, but in the end it’s a draw. Two a piece. Of course it had to be a draw. But you left everything there.

The game became physical and you tackled Alex as much as she tackled you in order to get back a lost ball. That’s part of your motto, not giving up even if it seems like a lost cause. And considering Alex decided to date you even when you couldn’t look at her four months ago, you’d say Alex doesn’t give up either.

Well that and the couple of new bruises you have after the match.

You’re a bit disappointed with the final score; you always want to win and carry that inertia into the next game. But it’s a fair result considering how close the game actually was. You two put on a show and the fans of both teams can see that.

“Y/n! Y/n! Can you give us one moment of your time?”

Looking at the person calling for you, you have to fight the smirk as you see it’s a reporter. It’s not hard to imagine they’ve been waiting for this moment since the first post you made a week ago.

“Sure.”

“What a great game you gave us today. Are you disappointed with the result?”

You can see this is not really what they want to ask, but you don’t mind playing along giving your commentary to this question and a couple of others.

“One last question, the fans and everyone really, are wondering about this new rivalry between you and Alex Morgan. What can you tell us about that?”

Bingo.

“Oh, there’s absolutely no-”

You could feel Alex lingering around, listening into this interview while being interviewed herself by another reporter for a quote after the game. But it’s only when you’re in the middle of your answer that she takes the few steps to wrap her arms around you from behind.

“We’re dating,” she announces proudly and straight to the point.

“-rivalry.” You finish your sentence before shaking your head. “Babe, I was going to say it!”

“What’s stopping you?” Alex challenges with that smirk you absolutely adore.

“You’re impossible.“

“Yeah, and…?”

“And Alex Morgan is my girlfriend,” you answer with just a little grumble as you look back at the camera. “But we’re definitely winning the next game.”

“Not on my watch,” she counters before turning your face towards her to kiss you softly.

Whatever argument you had is gone just like that. But it’s hard to keep track of your thoughts when she kisses you. Hell, it’s impossible to think straight when she’s too close to you. That’s why it took you so long to actually talk to her.

Your relationship is still so new, and yet you can’t help but feel like you’ve known her for decades. The connection between the two of you is meant to last, and you’ve never felt your heart skip a beat as it does when you look at her.

You’ve never felt your heart hammer against your chest so madly; and that’s something considering you played -and conquered-, a World Cup. You’ve never felt so in peace as you do when you look into her eyes. You’ve never felt so happy, or so whole, or so seen...or so you.

Alex has the ability to understand everything you say, but words aren’t needed for her to understand you. In a short amount of time, Alex knows you better than anyone else in the world, and as scary as that might seem, it’s also the best thing in the world.

“If you’ll excuse us now...”

Surely there are a thousand other questions the press wants to ask. However, you have no need to stay on the field as you guide Alex back to the tunnel. The fans will be all over that interview in no time, and it’s bound to appear in every social media and every news channel.

Even with the anxiety starting to creep in, the doubts nagging at the back of your mind, you don’t let go of her hand until you have to. After all, you belong to two different clubs. But your goodbye will be short lived as you’re going to her place for the night.

Still, the time apart is a bit scary when you’re about to face the backlash of many, and perhaps the support of most. After all, you’re not the first couple -or the only one-, in the USWNT, NWSL or even women’s soccer around the world.

After another gentle kiss, you part ways to reunite with your team.

You’re hesitant for a moment; taking a deep breath to steel yourself before facing them.

As soon as they see you, the room erupts in cheers and whistles of approval. Then again, your crush on Alex Morgan wasn’t exactly a secret. And after the World Cup, they could see something had changed within you.

Of all the people out there to get you, your club got your back. And after you get a chance to check your phone, you notice they ain’t the only ones.

   |Rivalry, that’s what they call it now, uh?

Megan’s post goes along with a picture of you smiling at Alex at the end of a World Cup match. It’s obvious you were smitten with each other back then, and nothing has really changed.

  |We all know how Rivalries work. One of them has to end on top. If you ask me, my money is on Y/n.

Your blush is impossible to hide when you read Ash’s words, and that’s something that you won’t ever reply to. There are things that you simply won’t share with the world.

  |Wait, hold on. Did you guys seriously not know?

Sonnett asks in her post with several pictures taken during camp. Some of them are during team bonding or well...movie nights. It wasn’t unusual for either of you to feel particularly tired and ended up falling asleep in the same bed.

But you’re surprised to see that you cuddled before you were together.

Then, there’s the evidence of you sitting next to each other whenever you could. During breakfast, on the bus, on the bench, on the plane. At some there was hand-holding added, and you wonder, truly wonder, how you called that subtle.

  |Hottest couple out there. Sorry, Krashlyn.

Bit by bit, every single player of the USWNT has shown their support, and it acts as a wave to generate more support from the fans, and it’s so overwhelming that the few people brave enough to try and drag your name on the mud are immediately silenced.

The world is still far away from being perfect, but your friends, your teammates, your family, they sure make it better.

“Ready to go?” Alex asks when you meet her outside.

“Sure, as long as I end on top tonight,” you say with a playful wink that earns you an eye roll.

“You wish.”

[allthingspurtie]

Jay Z ft. Chrisette Michele

Uh, uh, uh, uh It's not a diss song, it's just a real song Uh, you feel me? Uh

I heard motherfuckers sayin' they made Hov Made Hov say, "Okay, so make another Hov" Niggas wasn't playin' they day role So we parted ways like Ben and J-Lo I shoulda been did it but I been in a daze though I put friends over business end of the day though But when friends' business interests is Day Glow Ain't nothin' left to say though I guess we forgot what we came for

I shoulda stayed in food and beverage Too much flossin', too much Sam Rothstein I ain't a bitch but I gotta divorce them Hov had to get the shallow shit up off him And I ain't even want to be famous Niggas is brainless to unnecessarily go through these changes And I don't even know how it came to this Except that fame is the worst drug known to man

It's stronger than heroin When you could look in the mirror like, "There I am" And still not see what you become I know I'm guilty of it too but not like them You lost one

Lose one, let go to get one Get, one, lose some to win some (You lost one) Story of a champion, sorry, I'm a champion You lost one

I don't think it's meant to be, B But she loves her work more than she does me And honestly, at 23 I would probably love my work more than I did she So we ain't we, it's me and her 'Cause what she prefers over me is work And that's where we differ So I have to give her free time even if it hurts

So breathe, mami, it's deserved You've been put on this earth To be all you can be, like the reserves And me? My time in the army, it's served So I have to allow she, her time to serve The time's now for her, in time, she'll mature And maybe we can be we again like we were Finally, my time's too short to share And to ask her now, it ain't fair So yeah, she lost one

Lose one, let go to get one Get, one, lose some to win some (Oh yeah, she lost one) Story of a champion, sorry, I'm a champion You lost one

My nephew died in the car I bought So I'm under the belief it's partly my fault Close my eyes and squeeze, try to block that thought Place any burden on me but please, not that, Lord

But time don't go back, it goes forward Can't run from the pain, go towards it Some things can't be explained, what caused it? Such a beautiful soul, so pure, shit Gonna see you again, I'm sure of it 'Til that time, little man, I'm nauseous

Your girlfriend's pregnant, the Lord's gift Almost lost my faith, that restored it It's like havin' your life restarted Can't wait for your child's life, to be a part of it So now I'm child-like, waitin' for a gift To return when I lost you, I lost it

Lose, one, let go to get one Get, one, lose some to win some (Colleek, I lost one) Story of a champion, Colleek, you're a champion I lost one

[starshineandbooks]

This Is part of the sidlink exchange ( @sidlinkgiftexchange ) and is for @naobara He seems awesome and I'm excited to give this to him!

Link paces, impatient as always, if better healed, he’s so close to getting to see Sidon again, but what if he doesn't like him anymore? What if he found someone else? What if the prince realizes Mipha’s death is all Link’s fault?

    “Are you done pacing?” Myrah asks, looking up from her scimitar she is cleaning, “I promise, he still loves you, the royal zora siblings have a very specific type, you.”

    Link turns to look at his friend, one of the few left from the before calamity times, she was frozen in time by magic, neither of them is too sure how, but their ages seem to be tied together with eachother’s and Zelda’s, and the trio seems to age more like Zora than hylians now.

    She raises a brow, gold eyes appraising him, different from the usually playful gaze she has.

    “I- what?”

    She snorts, “Come on, Link, you need to get ready, you need to finish collecting the stones.”

    “I guess.” He shifts, arms crossing as he blows hair out of his face to avoid making eye contact.

    “I’ll be with you, we’ll make a day of it, who gets more shiny rocks vs lizards oir something.”

    Myrah sets the blade down, standing up to her half hylian half gerudo glorious height of much taller than Link as she strides to him, hand settling on the hero’s shoulder with a comforting little tune she hums.

    He narrows his eyes at her.

    “Oh alright, we’ll spar too.”

    He smiles, “Good.”

    She shakes her head, then, “Come on, I have a surprise for you.”

    “You do?”

    “Yeah, I do.”

    Myrah stands her hair falling over her shoulder, he can see her gerudo half prominent in her face and hair.  She leads him through her house, and into a room he’s seen a few times but rarely is in.

    She stops then, “It’s okay if you don’t like it, or think it’s too much… I just- Here.”

    Myrah moves a sheet out of the way and Link stares, awed.

    Several things are there, a set of matching swords, one made for Link and the other for Sidon, obvious in the size. A set of voice and vai clothes, both for link. A painting, Sidon and Link dancing at a ball, both draped in fancy jewels. Several pieces of jewelry. And oddly enough, a small box wrapped in silk.

    “Go on,” Myrah smiles gently.

    Link steps forwards, finding the swords first, silver, with gold decorative vines on the hilt, pretty but functional. He tests the edge, sharp, dangerous. He tries the smaller sword, and finds it balanced perfectly for him, a one handed sword, the light glints off of it.

    “Where did you get all of this?” He asks.

    Myrah smiles softly, “The painting is Kaori and Zelda’s gift. I had Ashley in gerudo craft the jewelry, I enchanted them myself. The box is my own doing, and the clothes are things- My mother made them for you years ago. Likely before you remember.”

    Link gasps, “Your mother?”

    “We grew up close as siblings,” Myrah says, “She cared for you like her own.”

    “Oh.”

    “The zoran black smith made the swords, I designed them and enchanted the metal.”

    “You can enchant weapons and jewelry?”

    She laughs, gentle, and nods, “Of course, it was my aunt’s craft, and useful.”

    “Wow.”

    Link opens the box, and stares at the keys, identical, “What is this?”

    “I made you your own hidden, private home in the domain, for you and Sidon.”

    “You did?”

    She nods, “Of course.”

    “Myrah-”

    She smiles, “There’s- one more thing.”

    “What?”

    Myrah turns, grabbing something before handing it to Link, “Sidon asked me to give you this the day before you are reunited and married.”

    Link stares at the rolled up scroll, eyes a little wide.

    ‘My dear sapphire,

                    Without you I am miserable, even when you are only gone a week, I cannot imagine how this year has affected me, yet I doubt it has been easy for you either. You are truly my most prized companion, and should you for any reason wish to not be married, I hold no ill will.

    However, I am excited, because I know if you are reading this we’re almost guaranteed a marriage. I have missed you greatly, even if I have yet to separate this fatal year at the date of writing this, I know I ache for your embrace.

    I hope you are well, I know the princess will take care of you, your friends have never been too patient with your moods that l;ead to taking ill care of yourself. And if I know you, you are either staying near Zelda, or Myrah, likely both, and I know neither will hesitate to make you take care.

    Anyways, I am likely at my wits end, I find you make me better and without you I get- irritable. So, if when we reunite I seem off, I assure you I am fine.

    I know you are busy, just as you know I am. I love you more than all the stars in the sky, the fish in the sea, and the blades of grass you love.

    -Sidon’

    Link doesn't realize he’s crying until he feels the tears hit his hand.

    “Get dressed,” Myrah says, “We’re going on a trip.”

    -------

    It isn’t until Zelda is walking him down the aisle that Link finally breathes again, and the worst this is he has to keep in the proper role, he can’t just rush Sidon and tackle him into a hug, no, that would be ‘improper’, and ‘rude’, and ‘uncivilised’.

    Myrah gives him a little snap followed by a wave that he tunes back in.

    But Sidon’s blinding smile is enough to keep Link anchored, and he’s standing opposite his beloved prince quickly and yet not soon enough.

    And the ceremony is long, and boring, and Link really isn’t sure what’s said, too focused on Sidon.

    Sidon’s usual regal parephnelia is gone, instead it is still silver but it is all sapphire, and he wears his father’s headdress, with silk tied about his ankles, wrists, and wasit.

    Myrah elbows him sharply, “Link,” SHe hisses.

    “What- Oh, yes, I do.”

    Sidon laughs, and then he’s being picked up by SIdon, their foreheads pressed together, and then Myrah is breaking costumes by cheering scandalous things. Zelda smacks her.

    But Link doesn't care, not when he gets to kiss Sidon’s nose and be carried away gently by his prince, his husband now. 

    Husband! They’re married!

    Sidon holds him close, walking through the hidden halls, and he breathes deeply, saltwater and fish, but it smells good, home like even.

    “You’re here.” Sidon says.

    “Of course I am.” Link says, and it’s sincere, just like it should be, just what Sidon needs.

    “I love you. I was- well surely there were other things, people who caught your interest over the years.”

    “Never.”

    “I- Really?”

    “Never, Sidon. I missed you.”

    “I missed you too,” The prince whispers, nuzzling against Link’s face, smooth scales offering solace that had previously seemed miles away.

    “I can’t wait for a forever with you,” Link says, and he means it, he’s finally home. The Calamity is beaten, Zelda and Myrah are happy together, everyone is safe, the champion’s spirits are freed, and he’s in his husband’s arms.

    Everything is well.

    -------

    Link’s used to ridiculous things, okay? The wars of the goddess do that. And so does the fact that he married a shark puppy that’s ten foot tall and more muscled than anything or anyone else Link knows, and he’s best friends with several gerudo soldiers.

    But really, this, this has to take the cake.

    “You what?” Link asks, and it’s tiring.

    “I found this in the spring of courage.” Sidon says, holding up a golden sphere that is clearly a large zora egg.

    “Oh,” Link nods, because really, what else did he expect?

    “I think it’s for us!”

    Link just nods, and turns, leading Sidon to their chambers, and they are easy, setting the orb into a pool.

    “I wonder what they look like?”

    Link nods, of course Sidon wonders, he himself does too.

    So, they sit down, and really, what’s the worst that getting a child could do? They just, will lose sleep, and time. At least the child will be a Zoran, Link reasons, after all, they live longer.

   

    “What do we name them?” Sidon asks.

    Link tilts his head, unsure then, “Lymphina?”

    Sidon hums then, “Maybe.”

    And whatever made the strange egg see fit that it should hatch, as a small Zoran child begins shrieking, a guppy like shape.

    They both turn, and there is a guppy with golden scales to match Link’s hair, red fins like Sidon’s coloration, and striking blue eyes that almost seem to glow. A nurse shark then. Like Mipha had been, gorgeous.

    Sidon gasps, “Oh my goodness, Link!”

    Link nods, “She’s a beauty.”

    “She’s perfect!”

    “What about- Mipha?” Link asks quietly.

    Sidon chokes, “You- really?”

    Link nods, of course he is.

    “I love it. Mipha, she’s going to be as wonderful as her aunt!”

    Link laughs warmly, nodding, because this is wonderful. His beloved husband, and a daughter, his bestfriends ruling hyrule, everything is well. He is safe and so is his family.

    And the little golden guppy with her aunt’s name is going to grow up so loved.

[naferty]

Also, I'm pretty sure I've read all your aus by now

You have? That won’t do. How ‘bout another? A centaur balto au with a slice of iron dad! 

~~~

The festivities are grand and the spirits are high on this beautiful day. The laughs and smiles are contagious and even Tony couldn’t resist joining in. While the town is small, the festival is impressive. Many tourists come from all over to take part in the fun. The many centaur-themed activities present and the town’s high centaur population is enough to warrant a weekend stay and then more, bringing in much-needed revenue to the town, but the main events, the races themselves, are really the whole reason the town is able to hold the festival in the first place. Twenty-five years running now.  

The yearly racing event of a little old town Tony calls home always got everyone ecstatic, including the town’s own centaur population that helped host a majority of all activities. Tony being included on that list. He had taken part in the jump race on the first day of the festival, winning with little problem and keeping his crown as champion. 

His biggest fan, little six-year-old Peter Parker, cheered for him the entire time. With a fan base like that, how could Tony ever lose? 

Now on the second day, the quarter race is on. Much like a regular horse race, the centaurs are running to a finish line. The difference? Centaurs don’t need riders and they certainly don’t need a track. No, instead the town has a pathway created years ago that cuts through the forest surrounding their town and down the main road of the town itself. It starts at the festival, goes through the main road, enters the forest, returns back down the same main road and finishes where they started. The biggest of the races, many would argue, but not one Tony is interested in.

Tony’s fifteen minutes of fame came and went. Now, he’s a tourist like everyone else, walking with his carer and his carer’s family. Ben is a good carer. Perhaps the best, but that could be Tony’s bias. He couldn’t be blamed for it, however. May is a beautiful woman, for having two legs, and kindhearted to a fault. Their ward, Peter, is downright the cutest little two-legged child Tony has ever seen, and no that isn’t his bias talking. It’s the truth. His boy is unchallenged and Tony is willing to die on that hill. 

At that moment, he walks alongside Ben, May and Peter through the sea of two legs and four. Peter sits comfortably on his back while Ben keeps a hand on him to make sure Peter doesn't fall off. Tony is careful to make sure he doesn't jerk the child, but the extra help is always welcomed. The last thing he wants is to hurt his boy. 

They’re heading towards the ‘smithy.’ The lovingly named building that crafted and sold everything related to racing from harnesses to carts to hats and boots. There’s a present waiting for Peter there. Something his boy has talked about non-stop for the past few weeks and something Ben and May had mentioned to Tony beforehand. With Tony’s blessing, they went ahead and ordered it weeks prior. Long before the festival officially opened. 

Ben quickly goes inside when they reach the building, leaving Tony and May to distract Peter and keep the secret a little longer. Peter has no idea and boy is the child going to be in for a big surprise. 

“Are you having fun, Pete?” May says to the child still sitting on his back. Tony’s height makes it easy for May and Peter to be at eye level and for them both to see the large smile on Peter’s face. 

“I am! Will we see the race today?” Peter starts to jump in place. 

“Of course we will, but behave. Don’t hurt Tony.” 

Tony smiles. He’d love nothing more than to say he doesn’t mind, but the language barrier and difference in vocal cords between them makes it impossible. So he’s left to simply listen and hope his face expresses what he means. 

Ultimately, it does. “Don’t say it’s okay. We both know this would hurt anyone’s back,” May shakes her head. “Behave,” she repeats to Peter and like the good little boy he is, Peter listens. 

“I’m sorry, Mister Tony.” The large eyes his boy gives him would make even the most hardened wild centaur crumble. 

Tony nods, making sure his face shows no signs of anger. He honestly doesn’t mind. Peter isn’t a heavy child. In fact, he’s lighter than most. 

Ben peeks his head out, giving them the signal. 

“Okay, Pete, time to get down,” May says and holds up her arms, meaning to help Peter down. 

Peter pouts. “Why?” 

“We got you something. You need to get down so we can give it to you. Come on.” 

Peter goes down grumbling. Tony knows the boy loves the height and usually fights tooth and nail to stay, but he figures the present will more than make up for it. 

Once on the ground, May asks him to close his eyes. The prospect of a present finally settles and excitement soon took over. Peter closes his eyes, going so far as to use his own hands to stop himself from peeking. 

When they’re sure he isn’t looking, Ben and the crafter wheel out the present. Said present is a carriage. A simple one with a child seat on the front. The special order Ben and May requested meant to cater to Peter. For you see, his boy has taken an interest in carriage driving after watching it on television. Something about the sport caught his boy’s little eyes. The child couldn’t stop talking about it. 

Ben and May had talked to Tony about it. The two own a plot of land but have no animals to call it home. Tony is really the only resident of the place. It fell down on him to make Peter’s little dream come true. He is the one who’s going to pull the carriage after all, but they’d never force Tony to do so. If Tony is going to do it, it will all by his own free will, and how could he ever say no? 

So here they are. The carriage is customized to allow Peter to reach the reins properly. Of course, the reins are really superficial since Tony will be in charge in all manner, but it gave Peter the official feeling he wants. 

Sitting on Peter’s little seat is the harness meant for Tony. The basic breast collar, the girth and the reins themselves. Colored in the most beautiful mahogany that is going to complement Tony’s black coat that Tony’s own champion money paid for handsomely. The best for his boy. 

“Okay, open your eyes,” May tells Peter. 

When Peter opens his eyes and sees the carriage he jumps in joy. He giggles and points at the craft. Excited beyond a doubt. “A carriage!” The child runs to it. The wheel of the thing is nearly his same height. 

“It’s all yours, Petey,” Ben informs him and earns himself a shriek of delight. 

“Thank you, thank you!” Peter hugs both Ben and May, thanks them seven more times, gives Tony’s front legs a tight hug and determinedly tries to climb the carriage to reach his seat. 

“I think he likes it,” May says with a smile. 

“I think so, too.” Ben laughs as Peter nearly makes it to his seat. “Hang on there, Sport. Let me help.” 

“Hurry! Hurry, Uncle Ben.” 

“I’m hurrying. Keep your hat on.” 

A hat plops on Peter’s head. A stylish, little brown cowboy hat. It makes Peter shriek even louder. 

“A real cowboy’s hat!”

An excited child is not one to be reckoned with, so Ben and May work quickly to set up the harness on Tony and get it connected to the carriage. Peter waits impatiently on his seat. His little legs kicking wildly as he watches his aunt and uncle. 

Peter grabs for the reins when it’s all set and ready. Like on the television, he begins to crack the reins, saying words ranging from ‘mush’ to ‘giddy-up’ to get Tony moving. Tony doesn’t budge until Ben and May give him the go-ahead

The two adults double-check everything. When they’re satisfied they eventually give Tony the green light. “Go on, but be careful, okay?” They opt to stay behind and let Peter go on his own for his first try. They’re showing a lot of trust in this decision. 

Tony nods and trots off when he hears a “he-yaw!” from Peter. From the angle Peter moves the reins he’s led back through the crowd and towards the area the finishing line for today’s races are located. He moves at a slow pace and is even surprised when Peter pulls the reins to slow him further or even stop him when families, humans or centaurs, come in their way. A responsible racer in the making. 

When the crowd grows bigger Tony knows they’re near the finishing line. Peter is a fan of all races, and now that he has his own little carriage the child couldn’t resist not going where the excitement currently is. That and perhaps showing off that he’s an unofficial racer. 

“Mister Tony, please slow down,” Peter says when they’re in the middle of the gathered bodies.

Tony does so and looks back to make sure Peter is still safe and okay sitting on his seat. As he does the barrier separating spectators from the running centaurs makes itself known. Tony sees his chance and rushes in to grab a good spot for both him and Peter. 

The crowd cheers loudly. A sign the racing centaurs will appear soon. Tony makes a grab for Peter and sets him on his back to get a better view of the race. They wait for the winner and Peter cheers excitedly for his favorite centaur runner. Peter removes his hat and waves it, trying to mimic the cowboys of the television and their dramatic antics. It’s at that moment a strong gust blew through and took the hat right out of Peter’s hand. Both centaur and child watch helplessly as the hat lands right in the middle of the track. 

“My hat!” Peter cries in panic. A gift from his aunt and uncle, who already struggle with money, about to be trampled by brute centaurs mere minutes after receiving it. Neither he nor Tony could do anything about it. They could only stare at it despairingly as the racing centaurs grew closer and closer, passing each marker as they got nearer. 

That is until a four-legged body jumps over the fence from the inside and joins in on the running. Tony is a little more than surprised when he recognizes the body as Steve. The wild (or feral as some bigots would often call them) centaur of their town. Tony has seen him a couple of times. He knows of Steve. Knows his name. Knows the wild centaur lives in the forest but will occasionally make a trip into town for one reason or another. Ultimately the town lets him be. Steve doesn’t cause trouble and the town sees no issue in his wandering, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the townfolks are welcoming either. 

Eyebrows are raised as the gathered townsmen notice the very same wild centaur running in the race now. A few cry out in outrage. Tony himself is left a little speechless when Steve catches up to the predicted winner with little trouble. Even at a distance, he could see Ty, the yearly champion, glare at the wild centaur and even go so far as to swipe at Steve. 

Steve avoids it expertly by leaping to the side then comes back, pushes further and jumps head of Ty to grab the hat that’s waiting innocently for its impending doom. Steve manages to grab the hat and move out of Ty’s way, skids over to the barriers, jumps over those and disappears into the crowd that scramble to move out of his way in a panic. 

Tony moves quickly to search for him. He doesn’t know why Steve would grab the hat and he certainly hopes it’s not because the wild centaur suddenly grew a desire to wear cotton shirts and denim. Peter holds on tight on his back. Tony is careful not to jostle him too much. Least he wants to catch a falling child. 

The disbanding crowd makes it hard for him to move. So hard that he’s forced to stay put for a solid minute or two as the bodies part way. Something that frustrates him. Peter’s hat is somewhere and Tony can’t do a thing to find it! 

“Mister Steve!” Peter calls behind him. 

Tony turns and sure enough, there is Steve making his way towards them. Hat in his hand. Undamaged and even clean. Tony watches him warily until Steve hands the hat over to his boy and smiles. 

“Thank you,” Peter puts the hat on, thankful to have it back. “What a crazy thing to do, Mister Steve. All to show off to a pretty boy.” 

Caught off guard, Tony looks to his boy and then back to Steve. Oh, he isn’t prepared for that comment. He certainly isn’t prepared when Steve doesn’t deny it either. Choosing to smile warmly at Tony. As if to express it true. 

Unable to keep eye contact, Tony looks down. He’s blushing. He knows he is. Did Steve truly do all that, putting himself front and center, to impress him? 

It’s at that moment that Ben and May catch up to them and Peter eagerly tells them what just happened. His boy talks their ear off as Ben brings him down and May grabs Tony’s harness. They lead him away. Tony nods to Steve in goodbye.

Steve is about to say something when he’s interrupted by Ty, the racing champion, barging in. He pushes Steve away and nearly makes Tony jump. Something he doesn’t want when May is still holding his harness.

“Yeah,” Tony elongates the note. He’s hoping his sarcasm is showing. “Almost as much as you did.” 

“Hey there, Tony,” Ty says in a voice that’s meant to be sultry yet is anything but. The winner follows him. “Did you enjoy the race?” 

“Thanks.” Clearly, Ty doesn’t catch it. “Let’s go celebrate. I know this lovely little spot by the lake. Ditch your carers and come with me.” 

Tony shivers in disgust. “Sorry, Ty. Suddenly I’ve lost my appetite.” 

Ty stops. Clearly he understood that one. He grins. “Ooh, well maybe your taste runs more toward,” Ty looks back, “feral.” 

Tony stiffens. He glares at Ty and he’s ready to give him a piece of his mind, but Peter calls out to him from Ben’s arms. “Mister Tony! Come on, we’re going back home!” 

“Sorry, Ty,” he’s really not, “my boy is calling me.” 

He turns his back and follows after his two-legged family. May is no longer holding his harness, leaving Tony to follow on his own. He keeps up no problem, but the crowd does pose a challenge. At one point he’s farther than what his boy is comfortable with. 

“Mister Tony!” 

Tony follows the voice. His family turns a corner.

“Mister Tony?” 

Tony turns to join them and stops in his tracks when Steve skids to a halt right in front of him. Their noses touching as Tony reels back a little. 

“Oh,” is all he can say when Steve pulls away. His ears are low and his eyes are wide. As if he’s just as surprised as Tony about their situation. 

“Tony - I, uh,” Steve stumbles. He smiles awkwardly. 

“Tony?” Ben calls out. 

“Mister Tony, hurry!” Peter waves at him. 

Tony looks away for just a second. That second is all it took for Steve to disappear. Tony searches, but Steve just outright vanished into thin air. He has no choice but to leave when his family calls for him again, but he does look back one last time to see if he’d catch sight of Steve. 

He doesn’t. 

[novelist-becca]

More than Friends

Inspired by @quirkquartz's "It Must Be (A) Love (Potion)"

Fandom: The Owl House

Rating: Gen

Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda

Summary: Amity finally gathers the courage to confess to Luz. For both of them, it's a big surprise.

AO3 link

Amity shuffled through the hallways of Hexside, finding herself looking at Luz every 5 seconds. She looked down at the piece of paper in her hand. Was she really going to do this?

The note was in fact, for Luz. Even more important than the Grom note. This morning she almost caved in and tore it up, but she squared up.

No more hiding, Amity. Don't think about what others think of you. Take a page from Luz’s book for once.

It felt good to have confidence about this. Silently, she watched Luz by her locker as she chatted with Willow and Gus, probably info-dumping about Azura or something. Not that she could blame her.

And when the school bell rang, she told herself to remember exactly where Luz’s locker was. So she could put the note in after classes were over.

~

During Abominations class, Amity thought about how much she'd changed since Luz came to the Boiling Isles. When she first “met” her, Luz was disguised as an Abomination for Willow.

Amity couldn't help but think that back then, Luz actually looked cute acting like one of those things.

Then there was the Covention when Luz challenged her to a witches’ duel. She remembers how Luz cheated by letting her mentor put mines into the ground. But then, her former mentor Lilith made her cheat too with that stupid power glyph. Also, Luz wasn't even proud of cheating. She admitted that she wasn't a witch so easily, but she still had the confidence that she could become one. The light spell was…beautiful.

When Luz kept trying to befriend her, Amity pushed her away, not wanting to show weakness. She still remembers how she found Luz looking through her diary with her brother and sister, and how she got upset and called her out on it, even when Luz tried to explain. But now she understands that it wasn't even her fault. She didn't mean or even want to expose Amity’s private thoughts. Although Luz was making a big mistake by listening to Ed and Em, she always had good intentions.

Man, Luz really did change her for the better, didn't she? Almost a month ago she had the facade of a stuck-up Little Miss Perfect, and Luz changed that. She helped her realize she didn't need to act like this for people’s approval. Luz made more friends than Amity just by being herself.

Her feelings for Luz grew even more when Luz vowed to take her place as her “fearless champion” to fight Grom like some hero. It was stupid. But Luz wouldn't let it go. She cared that much. And even when she and Luz were backed into a corner by Grom, they still worked together to beat him. Gosh, that dance was a breathtaking experience.

Even if Luz still called her a friend. That was another thing about Luz. She was oblivious. Amity was sure she'd know by now that she has a crush on her, with her getting flustered in her presence, or the way she talks around her. But Amity wouldn't let that bring her down.

Amity also remembers how she reacted when Luz asked if she wanted to be in a Grudgby match. The image of Luz in a Grudgby uniform was enough to get her tomato red and running.

Luz letting herself be Boscha’s target after she gave Amity Willow’s barrette was the last thing she wanted. Boscha was competitive, rough and cunning. Luz could've gotten seriously hurt! As Amity said, Luz can be stupid. Always getting in over her head when a challenge presents itself. And as Amity slipped out to Willow (she totally knew by now), it was something she loved about her. She was always doing things on impulse to protect her friends, not caring about the consequences. Not caring if she gets hurt in the process. She was selfless.

And don't think Amity doesn't remember how her heart pounded when Luz just scooped her up in her arms after her leg was broken. Even though it took forever to get to the Healer’s office, she will admit she enjoyed the feeling of Luz holding her, even if she started to stumble halfway due to Amity’s weight.

And, it was a major confidence booster when she teamed up with Luz in front of Boscha, stating that she made her social life better. And she really did. Amity loved Luz. She would no longer deny it.

And she hoped Luz felt the same way.

~

“Has Amity been acting weird to you guys?” Luz inquired to Willow and Gus at their lunch table.

“She seems normal to me.” Gus said nonchalantly.

“What, pray tell, do you mean by weird?” Willow said with a knowing look.

Luz looked at her food, blushing. “I dunno. It's just…lately Amity’s been looking at me funny, and every time we’re together, she gets all red and flustered. I'm starting to wonder if I did something wrong.”

Willow leaned over the table to make eye contact with her friend. “Luz, what do you think it means?” She said, pointing a finger.

Luz leaned back, surprised. “Well…it can't be a crush!” She said quickly. Amity and her may be closer than before, but there's no way it's a crush. Luz has had too many bad experiences with that territory to think that. She looked away from her friends, crossing her arms. “Sure, we've…danced together, and I carried her…and she’s stuck her neck out for me twice despite everything, and she looks at me like I'm her favorite thing in the world, and she makes me feel like I'm walking on air…” she shook her head to clear her thoughts.

Willow raised an eyebrow. “Luz, admit it. You like her.”

Luz made a face before caving in, covering her face with her hands. “Okay, okay! You're right! I do have a crush. I just never thought it'd feel like this…” she trailed off.

Willow put a hand on her shoulder. “Luz, it's okay. Actually, I kinda knew already.” At that, Luz smiled.

“I guess I never imagined you and Amity together. But I guess you two are, how do you say it, two peas in a shell?” Gus added.

“Pod, Gus. And I'm sorry, but I just can't imagine Amity liking me like that.” Luz concluded with a pained expression. She's afraid, afraid of being hurt again. She's too weird for Amity, right? …Right?

When the bell screamed and the trio got up, Willow had one more thing to say before walking away. “Luz, I’m your best friend, so trust me when I say that Amity does like you.”

~

When Amity got to what she was sure was the right locker, she took a deep breath.

She held up her note in her hand, and without a smidge of hesitation, slipped it in between the locker’s teeth. And took a step back. She could hear footsteps nearby, and as casually as she could, she walked out of the hallway and towards her destination.

~

Luz noticed a small folded piece of paper sticking out of her locker. Weird. When she opened it, she didn't expect to read

Meet me in the potions classroom. There's something I want to talk about.

Amity

There were barely any students left in the school, save for some that were probably doing extra work or something. Luz looked at the note, then at the way to the potions classroom, then back to the note.

Luz really hoped this wasn't a prank set up by Edric or Emira, or some sick illusion. Amity wanted to talk to her. Alone. About what, she didn't know, but there was only one way to find out. Eda wouldn't mind if she was a few minutes late, right?

And so she jogged to the potions classroom as fast as she could, heart pounding. Was Willow right?

When she approached the entrance, the first thing she noticed was Amity sitting on one of the desks, twiddling her fingers. When she took notice of Luz, her cheeks flushed, but she got off the desk and regained her composure.

“Luz!” Amity exclaimed, her voice cracking a little.

“I…I got your note.” Luz said, entering the classroom, and closing the door behind her, just in case Amity wanted privacy. “You said you wanted to talk about something?”

Amity cleared her throat and stood up straight. “Yes, I do. Um…how about we sit down?” She answered, pulling out chairs for both of them.

Luz complied, taking a seat next to the pale witch.

For a few seconds, there was an awkward silence. It was Amity who broke it, taking a deep breath and summoning her courage.

“Luz, we've been friends for a long time now. And as much as I love being your friend, I'm not sure I can see us like that anymore.”

Luz blinked in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Do you remember when you asked me who I wanted to ask out to Grom, and I said it's not important?” Amity asked.

Luz nodded. “Of course I do. That was after we had that dance. Man, we looked so cool together…”

Amity giggled, a smile making its way on her face. “We did. But that's not the point. The point is…it's important now. The truth is…you're who the note was for.”

Luz’s eyes widened. “Wha-? Me?”

Amity felt a little more confident, so she continued. “Yes. This is going to sound really corny, but…Luz, you've changed me for the better. You showed me that I don't need to act perfect for everyone else’s approval. I can be myself around you.” She took Luz’s hand. “The truth is…you're more than a friend to me and I really really like you, Luz Noceda!” Amity finally blurted it out.

Luz let her hand linger in Amity’s hold. She…liked her? Like-liked her? She took a moment to let it sink in.

Amity held Luz’s hand, hesitant to let go. She finally let it out. Luz knew. But Luz’s hand was limp in hers. She looked lost in thought, and…almost in disbelief?

“You…you're serious? This isn't a joke?” Luz finally said.

“Of course I am. You think I'd lie about something like this?” Amity answered, moving her chair closer.

“And this isn't the effects of a love potion Edric and Emira put in your food or drink?”

“If they did that, I'd probably know and they'd be so dead.” Amity said. It wasn't a rejection, but Luz looked and sounded as if she couldn't believe what she heard. But she finally closed her fingers around Amity’s hand.

“Oh god, somebody pinch me.” She breathed.

“What? Why?” Amity raised an eyebrow, incredulous.

“I gotta know if this is a dream…” Luz said. Amity answered by twisting the skin of the top of Luz's hand. “Owowowow! Yup! This is real!” Luz grunted. Amity smirked and let go.

Then, “Are you okay, Luz? Did I say too much?” Amity asked, concerned.

“No, no! I like you too! A lot! I just…I'm having a hard time believing it.” Luz said, her voice beginning to waver. “I guess I totally misread your signals, huh?” She laughed.

Amity laughed with her. “Maybe.” Then she saw Luz’s somber expression.

“But why, Amity? Why me?” She hesitated. “Aren't I a little too…weird for you?”

Amity shook her head and took both of the brunette’s hands. “Are you kidding me? Of course not! I mean, yes, you're weird, but it's one of the things I love! You're unapologetically yourself, and you'd do anything to protect your friends.”

Luz smiled, her eyes glistening. “As Eda says, ‘us weirdos have to stick together.’”

Amity continued. “And uh…you're kinda cute, too.” Her cheeks were flushed again. “I don’t think I'll ever admit that to anyone else.”

Luz was also blushing beet red. “Really? Nah, you're the one who's cute!”

“You're the one who had that otter onesie!” Amity said.

They both chuckled. Then Amity’s face looked serious. “But seriously, why do you think I'm lying?”

Once again, Luz looked down. “Well…back in the human realm, I didn't have any real friends. I was…different. I did things that labeled me the ‘weird kid’ at school. Nobody wanted to be friends with me.”

Amity looked shocked. “Nobody?”

She nodded. “Nobody. And if anybody ‘confessed’ or asked me out, it was usually a prank or a dare. Most of them thought I was ‘broken’ and even gave me the nickname ‘Luzer’. I guess I got used to it, at least until I came here.” Luz finished, smiling sadly. Her hands were shaking from the painful memories.

Amity took it all in. How nobody wanted to be friends with this girl was beyond her. But obviously it planted the idea in Luz’s mind that she was incapable of being loved like that, that she didn't deserve it. Was that why she “misread” her signals? Denial?

She squeezed Luz’s hands. “Well, forget them!” Amity said loudly. “Don't listen to those idiots! I think you're great the way you are! You shouldn't have to change that!”

Luz looked up. “But-”

“No! Luz, you are the coolest, nicest person I've ever met. Whenever I'm around you, I feel so happy, my heart just soars.” Amity continued.. “I love you, Luz. I was just too afraid to admit it because I didn't know if you'd love me back.”

A big smile crossed Luz’s face. “Oh, Am! Of course I love you back! You're like, one of the coolest witches I know! You're so smart, and skilled…I love spending time with you!” She squeezed Amity’s hands back. She deserves to know.

For a moment, the two girls looked at each other, lost in each other's eyes. Neither of them knew what to say anymore.

On one hand, Luz was beyond happy that somebody, especially Amity of all people, loved her for real. Her words touched her heart. But on the other hand, a part of her still couldn't believe this was real, expected it to be some dream or illusion. Plus, what did this mean for both of them now?

Luz broke the silence first. “What does this mean for us now?”

Amity shrugged. “I don't know. But Luz, what do you want?”

Luz thought for a second or two. “Well…I do want us to be more than friends. But I'm also scared.”

“Of what?”

“Of what could go wrong. A lot has happened to me, you know?”

Amity could understand that. She knew Luz had to see her mentor almost get petrified, and obviously, that would leave a mark on her. And ever since she was seen on TV stopping the petrification ceremony, she's gained some…popularity at school.

“I don't want my problems to get in the way of your life, Amity.” Luz said, looking down at her feet again. “I'm…scared of doing the wrong thing somehow and not being who you think I am.”

Amity shook her head. She scooted her chair closer to the point to where their knees were touching and grabbed Luz’s shoulders. “Stop, Luz. I understand, you're scared. But you don't have to be. I don't care what happens to us. We’ll get through it together, okay? I don't know how, but I promise that I'll help you.”

The fierceness in Amity’s eyes persuaded Luz. She nodded, placing her hands on Amity’s. “You're right. I know you will.”

Amity spoke up again. “So…does this mean…”

Luz squeezed her hands. “If we're more than friends, I guess that makes us girlfriends, right?”

Amity blushed, eyes wide. “I-I mean, if you want to?”

“Do you?”

“Yes! I want to!”

Luz seemed to get back her usual courage and smiled wide. She was blushing too. Her eyes were beginning to water. “Then I guess I want to try a relationship too.” Luz held up their hands, stood up, held her head high and said in her signature confident voice that she loved, “I, Luz Noceda, will be your girlfriend!”

Amity giggled. “Dork…”

Luz looked at her. “Looks like I'm your dork now, though!”

Amity nodded. “Yeah, I guess you are.” Suddenly she felt Luz’s hands shake. Her chin was shaking too, and within seconds, Amity saw tears spilling down Luz’s cheeks. She stood up. “Luz?”

The other girl shook her head. “Sorry, it's just…” then she burst into tears. Without hesitation, Amity took her into her arms and Luz fell to her knees, taking Amity with her.

“Luz! Luz, are you okay?” She asked, concerned. She'd never seen Luz cry, and frankly, it was jarring.

“I'm sorry…” she said between sobs. “It just feels so good to get this out. I can't believe you like me.” Luz snaked her arms around the green-haired witch to hug her tightly back.

“Don't be. I promise you, this is all real.” She says, voice wavering as she squeezed Luz in her arms, much like how Luz would when she initiated hugs. But Amity was just as shaken up as Luz was. Getting her true feelings out to her crush was like a weight lifting off her shoulders. Knowing Luz felt the same way felt even better. She felt light as a feather.

The pair pulled away, holding each other’s hands, and looked into each other's eyes.

“Amity, you are the coolest, most amazing girl I've ever met, and I'm so happy I met you.” Luz said happily.

“Likewise.” Amity replied with a big smile on her face.

Just then, a booming voice echoed throughout the hallway. “Alright, any students that are still here need to go home now!”

“Oh! Right!” Luz exclaimed. She and Amity gathered their stuff and rushed out of the classroom. They walked hand in hand to the exit. Amity had to admit, the warmth of Luz’s hand in hers was really nice.

The pair stood outside Hexside’s doors, bidding each other goodbye.

“So…maybe tomorrow, we could meet up at the library? Just the two of us.” Amity offered. Luz’s face brightened at the idea.

“Yes, definitely, absolutely!” Luz agreed. “It's a date!” She said, bringing Amity in for a hug.

“Great!” Amity pulled back, looking her new girlfriend in the eye. “So, I guess this is goodbye.”

“For now! At least until tomorrow.” Luz says.

“Yup.” Amity stepped away for a few seconds, looking unsure of herself before grabbing Luz and placing a kiss on her cheek, leaving her surprised.

Amity pulled away, only for Luz to pull her back and kiss her cheek. When they pulled away, she felt the heat going to her cheeks, and she noticed that Luz was blushing too.

Titan, she's so cute.

“Okay okay, last hug!” Luz promised, and the two girls held each other for another minute before pulling away for the final time.

“‘Kay, bye, Amity! Love you!” Luz shouted, waving as they walked home their separate ways.

“Goodbye, Luz!” Amity shouted back. “…I love you too.” She murmured to herself.

As Amity walked home, she felt the happiest she'd ever been. Who wouldn't be this happy after confessing her love to her crush, having those feelings returned, and then setting up a date for the very next day?

For Amity and Luz, this was the happiest day of their lives.

[jaybug-jabbers]

Review: Pokemon Gold and Silver 97: Reforged

The Review

What a fantastic game. I went looking for a hack that fully realized the sort of pokemon game we glimpsed in the Spaceworld ‘97 demo, and I was not disappointed. 

This alternative version of Gold and Silver takes that Spaceworld demo and builds on it with loving care and attention to detail. All the beta pokemon sprites were freshly made from scratch or edited to update them for the final, polished Gameboy Color look. The pokemon movesets and stats were crafted so that they were balanced and didn’t contain placeholders, and the pokemon were populated throughout the world in a logical fashion. Dex entries were written and the pokes were integrated smoothly into the world. There are even different sprites and different encounter rates for Gold and Silver-- although you can ‘catch them all’ in either version, an excellent choice.

Meanwhile, the world map was colored, tweaked and polished, allowing us to explore that beta world that was stunningly different from the final Gold and Silver. It’s a place that in many ways seems even more vibrant and varied than final Gold and Silver, and is truly exciting to explore.

Along with this fully realized map, this hack’s creators also gave us a fresh new plot for Gold and Silver. This one was inspired by the differences glimpsed in the demo, including Oak’s increased involvement in the story, Silver’s different personality and role, and the inclusion of an Imposter Oak. The plot stays true to the style of pokemon games and doesn’t seem out of place. 

All of the exciting little beta details were included too-- including the original Type alignments, the original Gym Leader designs, beta pokemon moves, new hold items, access to the Skateboard, being able to name your Mom, and even the minigame on the game start screen. The attention to detail and the polish on this hack is truly impressive.

Essentially, I feel like this hack can be considered the definitive edition of the beta Gold/Silver that we never knew. It gives us a chance to experience this alternative world, and breathes life into these wonderful pokemon that never were. Giving us a chance to know and love these beta creations is truly a gift for pokemon fans.

Perhaps the only downside is the sadness that this is not the official version of Gold and Silver. I experienced Pokemon a little bit differently then my peers. As a child, I adored Red and Blue, but once I’d finished with those games, I moved on from pokemon. I have no nostalgic memories of Gold and Silver to hold onto. I only returned to pokemon years later as a teenager. At that point I played several generations, one after another, at the same time, as a sort of “pokemon binge.” While most would call it blasphemy, I was never too terribly fond of Gold and Silver. I think it was largely because I didn’t happen to like a lot of the pokemon designs in those games. In many ways, this ROM hack presents a Gold and Silver that I adore and can love even more than the originals. 

That’s not to say the official Gold/Silver games are all terrible, of course. There are still definitely some beta pokemon that I feel were axed or altered for good reason. Not all of them are better then the final cuts. And there are other elements that are an improvement, too; for example, I actually really like Silver’s storyline in the official games and the fact we dealt with a character who actually stole pokemon and treated them poorly. 

That said, there is an awful lot to love in this ROM hack, and I’m grateful that we have it. Pangshi, Bellrun, Warwolf, Madame, Volbear and others may not be officially recognized by the Pokemon franchise . . . but they will always be very real in my heart.

The Team

Cinnamon (Flame Wheel/Crunch/Scary Face/Earthquake - Charcoal)

Selecting the starter was difficult, because both Honooguma’s line and Kurusu’s line appealed to me. Ultimately I think I went with my old Fire bias. Cinnamon was everything you’d expect a Fire starter to be-- powerful, intimidating, and very reliable. My only real complaint would be that I happened to strongly dislike the sprite the team had created for Dynabear. This isn’t really anyone’s fault, because the team did an excellent job with spriting-- for example, their sprite for the mid-evolution, Volbear, was incredibly good and I adored it to bits. I think it was just a matter of personal taste; I just didn’t like the final evolution’s face. (I’ve actually replaced the sprite in this picture with the original sprite, because I don’t want it to dampen my love for this species) Other than that, seriously, they did this evolution family justice. It was a joy to have on my team.

Doomsday (Curse/Confuse Ray/Body Slam/Shadow Ball - Power Wings)

The second member of my team was found in Brass Tower, to my great excitement: Kurstraw. This was possibly my favorite evolution line to come out of the beta discoveries. This pokemon’s stats were not exactly breaking any records; he went down pretty easily if I wasn’t careful. However, that never really mattered. Doomsday still did his job anyway-- pulling his weight just fine, relying on Confuse Ray and Curse a fair bit to take care of foes. He often was an excellent team player, messing with especially troubling pokemon before passing them over to an ally to finish off. His Normal Immunity also was a strong advantage at times, which I made sure to make use of. Basically, he was a fantastic companion, who helped me all the way through to the Elites and Champion fights.

Rumtum (Slash/Thunder Wave/Thunderbolt/Crunch - Leftovers)

Along with a Rinrin, this round good boy was added to the team next. I was slightly wary of Kotora because it seemed to be one of the most popular beta pokemon among fans. But, the pokemon does seem to be worthy of praise, as it turns out. It is an excellent, cute, cheery little creature and seems to do Pikachu’s job just as nicely as Pikachu, both in fighting and in charisma. Where Pikachu is focused more on speed, though, Kotora and its evolution focus a little more on bulk. The tanky tiger was able to take hits long enough to outlast the competition, even when working with relatively low basepower moves. When he *finally* learned Thunderbolt, though, man, look out -- he was quite a force to reckon with.

It’s funny, actually. When I first saw this tubby tiger, I assumed it was a fire type. Electric was somewhat surprising, but I quickly grew to like it as that typing. Most electric type pokemon are rodent-focused, as Pikachu clones, or Magnemite’s kin. Having a big, bulky tiger is unexpected for the archtype of electric pokemon, but it’s a very refreshing change.

Poprocks (Fire Blast/Surf/Body Slam/Flame Wheel - Mystic Water)

Next on the team was this awesome fellow. Well . . . sort of. Technically, next on the team was TRICKY the Bomsheal, which I traded a Rinrin for with an NPC. Later on, I felt like being able to name the pokemon myself, so I bred Tricky with Cinnamon and trained Poprocks up from scratch. This seal was the cause of some angst for me. I loved Manboo’s evolutionary line a lot, but I also loved the fire seal. They both vyed for the position of the water type on my team. For a while, I used Manboo (and Anchorage) . . . intent on keeping it. But I missed the seal so much, eventually I went back for it to retrieve it from the PC. Yes, it only added to my team’s Rock/Ground weakness, but I didn’t care. I loved this guy too much.

I’m not sure what it is. The freaking amazing typing of Fire/Water? That was definitely a big part of it. But there’s also just something so appealing in its design, simple as it may be. He’s just a cool seal with a fireball. And boy . . . I sure learned how INTENSE its stats were. This seal was RIPPING through the competition. Using it was basically pushing the win button. Honestly it might need to be nerfed a little, it was nuts. But yeah, Bomsheal is a badass and doesn’t need any evolutions to be cool. Best surfer ever!

Darkwing (Slash/Fly/Swords Dance/Faint Attack - Stick)

Right around when I was handed the TM for Fly, I ran into an area that had two types of birds available, depending on the time of day: Hoothoot at night, Farfetch’d at day. As cool as beta Noctowl looks, I eventually decided I needed to have a Madame. I just had to. Like many others, I always, always felt Farfetch’d deserved an evolution and was kind of screwed over. Learning it used to have one was a revelation.

Madame on this team was kind of funny, though. Next to all of these exotic beta pokemon, Madame seemed so . . . normal. She had moves and performed pretty much the way you’d expect a Normal/Flying type to act. It was much like using a Pidgeotto or Fearow. She couldn’t take many hits but usually could take out one pokemon. Her typing had her as an ideal Generalist pokemon-- something that could be used in various situations, not to any amazing effect but usually to a passable one.

That may sound a little underwhelming to you, but honestly, it’s what you’d expect of this cool-looking swan; it’s a Normal/Flying type. It fills that archtype as a familiar, dependable generalist. And I am someone who can really appreciate a generalist pokemon. I think the pokemon world’s richer for having Madame in it, even if only in our dreams.

Alpha (Strength/Blizzard/Screech/Ice Punch - Nevermeltice)

The final member of our illustrious team. You have to wait until fairly late into the game, when you reach the snowy towns, to get a hold of one of these fellows.But the wait is well worth it. What a beautiful pokemon design these two are-- mysterious little creatures hiding inside their wolf pelts, a perfect mix of cute and creepy. Wolfman/Warwolf actually struggled for quite some time on my team, unfortunately, just because of its movepool. I was left with the very weak Icy Wind for a long time. To compensate, I taught Strength, which worked somewhat, but I could still tell Warwolf wasn’t reaching its full potential. I taught it Blizzard, but the poor pokemon had a rough time ever landing its hits. What I SHOULD have done from the start is buy and teach it Ice Punch for a reliable STAB move with decent base power. I FINALLY decided to do that around the time I reached the Elite 4. I kind of had to-- its learnset wasn’t providing it with reliable, decent Ice moves, for some reason. Once Warwolf was properly equipped, he did great work. Admittedly, a pure Ice type pokemon isn’t the best, defensively. They have four weaknesses to some very common move types-- Rock, Fighting, Fire. (Steel moves weren’t really implemented in this game). That said, when used wisely, a pure Ice type can still be a valuable team member.

There was one hitch, though. Warwolf was mainly a physical fighter. This makes sense if you look at him. Of course he’d be a physical fighter. Thing is, in gen 2, Ice moves were all special. So I suppose technically Warwolf still isn’t hitting at his full potential-- not until the special/physical split in gen 4 so he can take true advantage of physical-type Ice moves. Still, despite that fact, he did a great job anyway. He landed the final blow that defeated Lance and won the game, after all.

I think my only real regret is how relatively little time I spent with him when compared to the others. This is, of course, just the nature of the game; you find some pokemon later on when you’re nearing the end of the game. If there’s any sort of post-game, perhaps I can spend more time with him.

And the Ones Who Didn’t Make the Cut . . .(This Time)

There were so many beta pokemon that it was impossible to have them all on the team, of course. I was especially sad about leaving my Bellrun, Tibbs, behind. I adore Rinrin and Bellrun’s line, as yet another set of pokemon that should have been included in the final cut of the official games. Alas, ultimately I removed Tibbs from my team, though. The reason was simple enough. With the beta Type alignments, Dark type was heavily disadvantaged. It was weak to Normal-type and Dark-type moves (as well as Bug), which was extremely significant. Pokemon’s movepools were positively saturated with Normal and Dark type moves, and it was impossible to avoid. With her already weak stats, and her lack of any decent basepower moves for so long, there was just too much stacked against her. It’s my hope that Rinrin/Bellrun get a bit of a buff in future updates, because they really seem to struggle. 

In any case, there were also plenty of others not on my team: Aquarius, Noctowl, Belmitt, Jumpluff, Turban, Plux, Grotess, Girafarig, Leafeon . . . and so many more. Honestly, that’s fantastic. It gives such replayability to the game. I have no doubt I will return to do more runs and get the chance to try out other pokes.

And, who knows? Maybe in the future they’ll even update this hack to include even more beta pokemon that were uncovered last year. If they don’t, I’m sure someone else will.  

(This hack is largely the work of lvl_3, who created ‘Pokemon Super Gold 97.’ Then, the hack was further changed and refined by a team into ‘Pokemon Gold and Silver 97: Reforged.’ Both can be found at the PokeCommunity as patches.)

[rimalupin]

Arthur x MC: “Never Have I Ever...”

(A/N: Fluff piece w/ a hint of angst and the *tiniest* bit of suggestive content. I wanted to show Arthur some more ~love~ by writing him w/ a bestie who’s comfortable with platonic touching/cuddling ((but also this is once again a lowkey self-indulgent piece bc i miss hugging my friends hnggggg T_T)). I’m also a sucker for the friends-to-lovers trope, so there’s that, hehe~. c: )

~~~~~

“Never have I ever… Broken a bone.”

“Well, I didn't expect that from you.” Arthur raises his eyebrows in surprise. “Haven’t you at least sprained something?”

“That's not the same as breaking something,” I point out as I massage my wrist. A habit I’ve developed ever since I first sprained it.

“I’m well aware.” His eyes dart to my wrist and he reaches out to grab my hand. Of course he’d know I’d sprained my wrist before just by seeing me touch it. Normally, Arthur’s super-observational skills would catch me off-guard. They still do, but I think they’re growing on me now. I guess that’s how you know we’ve spent A LOT of time together. 

He lifts up my hand and gently moves it about. I’m assuming he’s making sure that my wrist is still working. “I’m glad you haven’t broken it.”

I shrug. “I don’t do anything too weird with my hands, so I’m not really worried about that.”

“Oh? Define what you consider a ‘weird’ activity for your hands.” He waggles his eyebrows suggestively and I lightly punch his shoulder with my free hand. “OH! MAN DOWN!” He lets go of my hand and clutches his arm before falling onto his bed. 

I giggle and follow his lead so that I’m lying beside him. “Alright, stop stalling: it’s your turn.”

He turns to lay on his side and places a finger on my lips. “Have patience, my dear assistant! I’m still thinking.”

I gently pry his finger away. “Arthur, ‘Never Have I Ever’ is just a silly get-to-know-you game. It isn’t something you’re supposed to mull over for hours like… chess.”

“Usually, players aren’t supposed to think for THAT long in chess. But you’d know that, Miss ‘Almost-National-Chess-Champion’.”

I roll my eyes and sigh. I never should’ve let that fact slip out. I hadn’t played chess since middle school, so I’m dreading the day that Arthur asks me to play a game with him. My rusty skills wouldn’t be enough to beat him at even one game...

I quickly attempt to re-direct him to ‘Never Have I Ever.’ “Ohhh, just play the game already!” I poke at his sides, trying to see if any ticklish spots exist there. I’ve been trying to look for them for a while, but I still haven't quite found them yet.

“Alright, alright.” He chuckles and grabs my hands. Our fingers interlock almost automatically.

It’s not the first time we’ve held hands like this - it’s become kind of our “thing” ever since we got close. Arthur’s the first friend I managed to make at the mansion, not to mention my first best friend who happens to be a vampire. Our friendship is special, and this is one of the many special things that resulted in it.

“Never have I ever…” He gives my hands a light squeeze, and I promptly return the gesture. “Been bitten by a vampire.”

I furrow my brow. “Pff, no way. I don’t believe you.”

“What? Why not?”

“Isn’t that how humans get ‘turned’? Like some powerful vampire bites a mortal and suddenly they become a vamp?”

“My dear, that is but a myth. The contract we have with le Comte didn’t require him to just bite us to give us a taste of eternal life.” Arthur wraps an arm around my waist, and I squeal with surprise when he pulls me close to him, his body flush against mine. His voice is low and he gazes at me intensely. “It required something much more dangerous.” I have to tell myself not to blush as I feel his breath on my face.

On one hand, I can see why so many ladies fall for Arthur’s advances: he's handsome, charming, and - dare I say - very sexy when he chooses to be. If they were in my position now, I'd imagine that they’d throw themselves into Arthur’s arms and start making out with him before they… well, you know…

On the other hand, it’s Arthur. Yes, he’s an awful flirt, but he’s also extremely intelligent, caring, and goofy. I love these sides of him, and I’m glad that he’s been showing me more of them lately.

I raise an eyebrow at him. “Don’t tell me that le Comte is secretly pimping you guys out.”

“My word, get your mind out of the gutter!” he chides.

“It’s your fault for putting that thought into my head! But no shame if it’s true,” I tease. We laugh aloud, our voices echoing through the room.

Once we catch our breaths, Arthur speaks again. “_____ seriously, you’ve been here for almost a month now. Have you really not been bitten yet?”

I shake my head. “Nope.”

“How interesting…” He’s quiet for a moment. “Nobody here has bitten you?” 

Besides some really close calls (courtesy of Arthur, though it never went further than his mouth hovering near my neck - a move he used on me when I first arrived at the mansion), none of the residents had actually done that to me. “Arthur, I’m pretty sure I’d know if someone bit me.” “I’m just asking! But…” He looks at me with a curious gaze. “Have you ever wondered what it feels like?”

I shrug. “I mean, I guess.” I’m living with a bunch of vampires - of course I’m a little curious. 

But I’m also scared. Does it hurt? How much blood will I lose? Will I pass out?

As if reading my thoughts, Arthur gives my arm a reassuring squeeze. “You don’t have to worry about that here. We’ve got plenty of Blanc and Rouge stocked up, so none of the residents would just sweep you up and make you their meal.”

I look at him, my expression deadpan. “Gee, thanks. Glad to know I won’t be eaten up during my stay.”

“I’m serious! But if you want to know…” His fingers reach up to tuck some stray hairs behind my ear. “You can use me.”

I blink at him, confused. “Use you..?”

He nods, completely serious. “I can bite you. And there’s no need to worry: I’ve done this plenty of times before, so I won't go too wild on you. Not that I've gone completely wild on anyone else!" He quickly adds.

I widen my eyes as I recall what Sebastian had told me when I first met Arthur: “Arthur feeding off of others is a sort of - How do I put this? - ‘vampiric foreplay,’ I suppose.” Does that mean that if he bites me, we’ll..?

No, that can’t be true. Surely Sebastian was over-exaggerating. I’ve heard that people can be into that kind of stuff, so how could it be any different with a vampire?

But I don't want to become just another one-night-stand for Arthur. He's my best friend - I wouldn't want to ruin what we already have...

Again, Arthur reads my thoughts. “We don’t have to do anything beyond that if you don’t want to. But I should warn you that the feeling is rather… intense.”

I narrow my eyes at his explanation, my skepticism at an all-time high. “I don’t believe you.”

“Well, perhaps I can convince you with an alternative explanation. A demonstration perhaps?” He’s speaking with his “Flirty Arthur” voice, but his eyes… There’s a look in them that I haven’t seen before. It’s almost as if he’s been wanting to do this…

I reach out to touch his cheek, curious about the longing look in his eyes. He leans into my touch, and we silently gaze at each other for a while.

I finally manage to answer him. “Fine. Just this once.” My voice comes out quiet and a little shaky. Am I nervous about this..? “But if it hurts like hell and if you draw too much blood out of me, you’d better stop.”

Arthur’s gaze softens and he gives me a kind smile. “Alright. Just tell me and I will stop. I promise.” After I nod again, he wraps his arms around me and rolls us over so that he’s on top of me. I look up at him, still wondering about that look in his eyes. 

He leans closer to me, and I hold my breath as his forehead touches mine. “Just relax,” he whispers. "You trust me, right?" Something wavers in his gaze. Is he as nervous about this as I am..?

I give him a gentle smile, hoping to reassure him. "Of course I do."

He nods and takes a breath before speaking again. “The pain only lasts for a moment.” He moves closer to my neck, gently pushing my hair aside before hovering his lips over my pulse. “But I promise that you’ll feel much better right after.”

Before I could ask what he meant, Arthur’s fangs pierce into my skin, and my eyes widen as I yelp aloud. “AH!” 

The pain is sharp and intense, and I feel as if my neck is on fire. My eyes begin to fill with tears as the wave of pain spreads throughout my body.

But a short while later, the pain starts to fade until it feels... nice..?

An involuntary moan spills out of my mouth, but I’m too overwhelmed by the feeling to quiet myself. What is this feeling anyway..?

Pleasure? No… More like ecstasy radiating throughout my entire being. 

The spot on my neck continues to throb, becoming more intense as it travels down to the rest of my body, setting everything on fire.

Arthur begins to suck on my neck, and I wrap my arms around him, almost instinctively. “Mmm…”

It feels so good… 

My fingers tangle through his hair and he moans onto my neck.

I want more…

I pull him closer to me, and he presses his chest against mine.

I want him...

This feeling. It wasn't just lust. It was…

I have to tell him…

He lifts his head and gazes at me.

I need him...

My eyes dart down to his lips, now lightly stained red from my blood.

Arthur...

He's inching closer to me, his lips hovering over mine. So close, nearly touching.

Our gazes lock onto each other, and he whispers to me. "Do you want this, _____?"

I stare into his dark blue eyes. Those beautiful eyes filled with longing… need… and something else…

The right thing to do is to say "no." Even if I do like him, I still have to return to my own time sooner or later. I didn't want either of us to get hurt by that inevitable future. But now that I'm facing him like this, I'm not sure if I can hide my feelings any longer…

So I nod. "Yes." There's no point in running now. I reach up and wrap my arms around his neck. "I want this. I want you, Arthur."

His eyes widen with surprise. He whispers my name as he lifts a hand to my cheek, and I lean into his touch. We draw closer to each other, closing the distance between us until…

We're kissing. Arthur and I are kissing. It's a gentle, slow kiss so achingly sweet that I nearly cry when our lips first touch. The taste of his lips sends a thrill through me that I have never felt before.

Soon enough, the kiss grows more passionate, sending even more flames throughout my body. My lips part slightly as I moan, and his tongue easily slips into my mouth. I cling onto him, and he holds me tight as our kiss deepens.

And then we break apart, our foreheads touching as we catch our breaths. As if waking from a dream, I blink at him, dazed. "Did we just..?" I didn't just imagine that, right?

He's as shocked as I am. "I… I suppose we did…" He looks into my eyes, searching for something. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you..?"

His concern for me is so sweet that I nearly kiss him again. "No," I shake my head. "Well, it did hurt a little bit. But you were right: the pain didn't last very long." I blush, still feeling the flames inside me that have yet to be quelled.

He lets out a sigh of relief. "Good." His head moves back to my neck, and he peppers the spot he bit with light kisses.

"Ngh… Arthur, what's this for..?" I ask, even though I don't want him to stop.

He lifts his head and looks up at me with a sheepish smile. "To apologize for hurting you."

"Arthur, it's alright, really."

"I still feel bad though. So I hope you'll accept my apology."

Honestly, how much sweeter can this man be? "Of course I do."

Another lovely smile. "Thank you, _____."

I return his thanks with another kiss, and I feel his lips curve into a smile as he kisses me back.

I really do love him…

The kiss is short and sweet. After we break apart, he rests his forehead against mine. “Can I kiss you again..?” he asks in a soft voice.

I raise an eyebrow and move away a little to tease him. “What for?”

He pouts as he moves closer to me. “To ask you to stay.” My eyes widen with surprise at his answer. He wants me to stay..? “I don’t want you to leave...” His hands move up to cup my cheeks, and my heart aches at his gentle touch.

“Arthur, I have to go back someday…” I close my eyes, willing myself not to cry at the thought of leaving him.

“I know…” His thumbs gently caress my cheeks as if he’s wiping away the tears I refuse to let fall. “But until then, can we stay like this? Together, I mean?”

I open my eyes to look at him again. “Together..?”

He nods. “I want to be with you, _____. Even if it’s for this short blissful while, I want to be with you.”

His honest confession is too much for my heart to handle. “Yes,” I say as the tears rush down my face. “Yes, of course. I want to be with you too, Arthur.” I wrap my arms around him and hug him close to me. “I don’t want to leave you…”

He holds me close. “You don’t..?”

“Of course not. You’re my best friend and… I love you too much to leave you." I bury my face onto his chest, his scent washing over me.

“We’ll figure something out, my love. But for now…” His index finger gently lifts my chin up, and his lips meet mine once again. Our kiss is slow, and we take our time tasting each other, exploring each other, loving each other. 

We take our time to make this short eternity last because we don’t know when it will end.

[meaningofmotorsport]

Formula E Diriyah ePrix Race 1 Review

As Formula E’s season began under the lights, it was clear that De Vries was unstoppable, topping all the sessions and controlling the race. It was behind him that we saw overtakes, bumps and crashes.

The 2019 F2 champion, after a quieter 2020 campaign, is coming into this year all guns blazing, having pace over the field in qualifying. During the race though it wasn’t all plain sailing, we did see drivers like Rast and Wehrlein pull up the back of him quite comfortably, although we don’t know if he was energy saving then. It is unclear if the Safety Cars were an aid to him or not, but I think it didn’t really matter, he is the man to beat right now in Formula E! As for Race 2 tomorrow, this could present some real challenges, mainly in the first group of qualifying, as the dusty track could leave him down the order on the grid. Even still I expect a strong drive from him, his competitors will just have to hope it isn’t from the front.

Mortara and Evans both put on good shows to get on the podium, the former pulling off an incredible overtake on Evans and Wehrlein. The Venturi team look to have turned a corner, helped most likely by the strong Mercedes powertrain. Evans’ race was hampered by the Safety Cars, he was waiting to pounce on those in front of him at the end of the race, but couldn’t make the most of it. Nevertheless, he fought his way forward with some nice moves, and even if it had gone to plan, I only think he could have been one place further up. Much like De Vries, Q1 will be crucial, to making or breaking their second race.

For Rast it is a case of what could have been, showing great pace at points, and ending the race with over 1% of his battery left, which nowadays in Formula E is a waste. At the very least he should have been third and maybe second, however we shouldn’t be too hard on him, given his relative inexperience. The good thing is that the Audi does look fast this year, and with Di Grassi down the order today, he could be a threat tomorrow in qualifying. If Audi can make the most of what they have, with two seemingly quick drivers, they could end their time in FE on a high.

Porsche are another team who had glimpses of speed, yet the problem here seemed to be energy saving, Pascal could match De Vries for speed at the start of the race, but we gradually saw him lift and regen more and more, which caused him to drop back. If they can fix those issues, we could see them being really strong, but it could be difficult to gain that much efficiency in a short time.

Vandoorne and Di Grassi were two drivers who gained a lot of positions to get up into the points, admittedly they were helped by incidents, but their teammates showings are proof they have what it takes to fight upfront.

Techeetah will want to forget today, they can’t use the excuse of Group 1 in qualifying, as they were bottom of the group, way off Rowland’s time. They did seem to have pace in the race, so tomorrow may bring better times for them, but this isn’t how they wanted to start the year, and if they can’t fix it soon, we could see a demoralised team very quickly.

A lot of the action during the race was brought by Bird and Lynn, who exchanged positions a few times before crashing out. The final incident was the fault of Alex in my opinion, Sam was committed to the inside, there was nowhere for him to go, it was just desperation for Lynn as he didn’t want to lose the position. Unfortunately, it took out two good cars, who could have been in the battle for the podium come the end of the race.

The race as a whole was fairly good, not amazing or a classic, but we did see good racing and passes, even if the two Safety Cars did not help the flow of the race. Watching it under the lights was so cool with the beautiful liveries, and made the empty grandstands less obvious, however the tricks with the lights to count down to the race was a bit stupid, as much as it did look good.

For the race tomorrow, expect more of the same as today, not a tonne of overtakes, a crash or two and many battles through the field. I think we will see a different winner, just because of the Q1 effect, my pick would be Vandoorne or an Audi, as they both look really fast.

-M

[aures-rose]

Dear Diary,

I've been having these weird dreams. The world is green again, like the summer. But everything is too green. There's moss and vines and green leaves and mushrooms but it's overrunning everything. I don't realise at first and I'm trying to walk through it but I get stuck in the mud and then vines start to creep towards me and my face is hot and wet with tears and there's a lump in my throat but finally I get free and I start to run through the brush but there's pine needles and vines and it's all reaching for me. And then I wake up. I think I'm longing for summer and feeling trapped.

I guess a lot has happened since the last time I wrote but also seems like very little has. I found Lars, since Jamie had told me he'd been looking for me. I found him by the Winged Horses reading. I came over and we talked some and he said the fox agreed to meet me! I just have to wait for him to tell me he's ready. He gave me a coin that he did some magic to. He also let me interview him for the Owl Post but I haven't seen Tom to finish it! Though, I haven't seen Magnus either, at least, not alone without a girl with him. Anyways, I interviewed him but I upset him, I guess. I asked him if he thinks the French Champion was trying to make him fall in love with her- because of what they put in Witch Weekly- but that upset him because he says it's a silly question. He got angry at me and it… I don't know why but it kind of hurt. He said he was mad at me when I asked him if he was. I left to go back to the castle but when I told him I was sorry and asked him to please not be mad at me, he sort of smiled and said as long as I learned my lesson. And I said I had.

Next, was Professor Macauley's class. When we all entered his class, Professor Macauley and Professor Blightly were there and they had all these goblets laid out on our desks. Professor Macauley told us it was a very dangerous potion and let us guess what it was. A bunch of people thought maybe it was a bunch of potions I'd never heard of, but also someone said truth potion. Anyways, we all ended up taking the potion before Professor Macauley told us the potion would make us confess our deepest secrets. Some people got really upset and left or tried to leave and then… everything went wrong. Everyone was saying or shouting their secrets and Talula said she was afraid her yabos were too small and I went to try and help her but then I just said what came to my head and that was that I thought she was mean and I didn’t really like her. Then she yelled at me about how I never want to grow up and that I’m bigger than everyone else and that my bum is too big! Eventually after I told Professor Macauley that he’s my favourite professor, he revealed that the potion really didn’t do anything and that we were all spilling our secrets just because we thought we were going to. A lot of people got really upset about that and Talula even screamed and ran out. I get why they were upset but… It was kind of… Well, it’s something the Fae would do, isn’t it? 

Next was the Gryffindor House Meeting which was… I think everything has been pretty weird this week. Well, anyways, Andie and I went together and I thought that maybe Dumb Vicky would yell at her for having pink hair but he didn’t. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised because he never does anything. Anyways, Jamie was there but I didn’t go sit with them because I didn’t want to leave Andie or make them be around each other. So Andie and I sat down and we learned we were playing a game where someone draws something and everyone else has to guess what it is. I wanted to play a prank so I let loose a jellybee and it stung Dumb Vicky which was great! Or it would have been but then one of the prefects started yelling at me and Andie. She threatened to keep me from going to the Hearty Party with Jamie! Luckily Dumb Vicky woke up and told everyone to calm down. Andie almost got into a fight with Ramon though and Jamie stormed out and so Dumb Vicky lectured us all about being Gryffindor and working together. He was all blah blah work it out or come to me if you can’t. I’d rather go to Professor Mac though, at least he helps with things so I left.

Then another day, I went into the Great Hall and found… Jamie and Andie fighting again. Everyone says it was Andie’s fault and… I know it probably was because she’s… well… Andie. I didn’t run after Jamie because I know sometimes they need space and everyone looked like I was the bad guy because I didn’t run after them! I just asked Andie what happened but… I think she lied to me. Anyways, I went to go find Jamie and… well… Nora was talking to Jamie and… said that she wouldn’t want to be friends with someone who was friends with someone like Andie. I tried to explain to her that if everyone’s mean to Andie, she’ll never learn how to be nice. I don’t really think Andie will ever learn to be nice and I don’t really think I can teach anyone to be nice, but I don’t think I’m a bad person because I want to be Andie’s friend. No one else paid me attention really until Andie was nice to me. Anyways, I found out Andie told Nora to “shut her fat gob” when Nora was inviting Jamie to the Hufflepuff… talent show like thing they were doing. And that Andie told Jamie the reason Jamie didn’t like her was because I like Andie better. Andie won’t admit she said that, but Jamie’s too good to lie. Jamie and I talked about everything for a while, about how she and Andie don’t have to be friends for me to still like them, they thought that I wouldn’t like them if they couldn’t be friends with Andie. We talked for a while and eventually… they asked me if we were dating now. Apparently someone asked them if we were and so I asked what dating would mean. Jamie says in the movies, dating means spending time together, going on dates, and deciding if we want to be a couple. I figured, we are spending time together and we were going on a date, so that we were dating. It’s kind of scary, really. Dating. I don’t why, but it’s… Scary.

I ran into Jamie in the library a few days later and we sat and talked. We talked about them being a Seer and my being a veela. And learning things about what you are. We also talked about Everlina. She talked to Jamie about me, I don’t know what all they talked about, but some of it was me. Jamie says they think Everlina’s a real friend to me. She gave them the ‘don’t hurt my friend or I’ll kill you’ talk, which I didn’t know was a talk people gave but I guess it must be. I haven’t had a chance yet, but I want to find Eve and talk about it when I can. Well, talk about stuff, not that talk.

After we talked about stuff, Jamie and I went back to the common room because I asked them if they wanted to hear me play. I felt pretty happy so, I wanted to play something like that for them. I played for them and they seemed to really enjoy it. We talked about anger some too. About what it feels like to lose your temper and… How they deal with it. They walk away so that they don’t say or do something they’ll regret, which makes sense I guess. I told them that Eve would always pull me away from whatever it was that upset me and they said they’d try that if I was getting upset.

Mother wrote back to me the next day. It wasn’t what I wanted to hear. She basically told me to keep my eye hidden so that no one makes fun of me and that she’d send for me to attend the St. Mungo’s outreach. She also told me not to try to be a famous musician. She says I should focus on other studies so that I can get a job that will make money when I'm older. It made me so angry but I thought I'd talk to Professor Macauley about it after his next class.

After his class, Jamie kissed me on the cheek and left me to speak with Professor Mac. I told him about Mother's letter and he said that maybe, if it really is a curse, she didn't tell me because she's embarrassed. He says I should be easy on her. I was trying to listen to him but I just kept getting more and more angry so I took my calming draught. Professor Macauley though said that he didn't think I should take Calming Draughts. He says that if I swallow down all my anger that I'm meant to feel, I'll end up losing my temper and hurting someone, maybe with a dark spell! And I mean Professor Mac would know, right? He teaches Defence Against the Dark Arts!

Anyways, the next thing that happened was the Hearty Party. I told Jamie that I wanted to look like a Princess and so I took the whole long way from the common rooms so that I could come down the stairs like they do in all the Faery Tales. I didn't expect Jamie to look so… charming! I came down the stairs and they were at the bottom, dressed like a Faery Tale prince! There were so many buttons on their coat and they had a crown and everything. They gave me a rose to wear on my wrist and we went to see the Great Hall. It was beautiful there! It was like a big garden with statues everywhere. Everyone looked so beautiful, like they belonged in a Faery Tale! Jamie and I people watched for a bit and Andie even told Jamie and I we looked nice! She was in a hoodie and it had a bunch of pink on it and we told her pink suited her. She'd never got to find Artie to ask him to go to the party with her so she left to go find him. Jamie and I went to get food then. There was cheesecake and it was delicious. I saw Eve with Bobby and waved to them but then Jamie and I started to dance. They kept saying all these sweet things that made my face feel all hot while we danced and I asked them to be my Valentine. They agreed and we said we'd have a picnic. I'll have to write about that later, I'm getting very sleepy, Diary. I ended up having to run away, which also felt like a Faery Tale, but I gave Jamie a kiss on the cheek before I did! I think that's everything. I'll write to you about the picnic later, I think I'd like to play something sad before I go to sleep. Good night!

[iwaswritingmywayout]

BTMH: Chapter 7: Angry Russian

Music was playing in Minako’s ballet studio, Okukawa Minako Ballet, as Y/N was hunched over, one hand over her heart, the other on the barre.

“Maybe he just wanted an excuse to take a break,” Minako said, her arms crossed.

“Please, don’t say that. That’s what I suspect too, but…” Y/N said. She didn’t want to think about the fact that she truly could just be Seonghwa’s excuse to take a break from skating, and that when the season finished, he’d return to Russia and she’d be alone all over again. To be honest, that thought really scared her. She was finally close to Seonghwa, and she had a chance to end up with the guy she was interested in, even if it was very far away, and very small, but it was still a chance.

“You decided to keep skating, didn’t you? You need to take advantage of Seonghwa! Okay, let’s get you slimmed down!” Minako said before doing a twirl and lifting her leg into the air.

“O-okay,” Y/N said.

‘Minako is a ballet instructor. She used to travel the world as a dancer.’

Y/N was seen running up the steps to meet Seonghwa and Makkachin at the top. When she got there she had sweat on her face, and was breathing heavy. That had been her fifth time running up the stairs.

‘When I was younger, I spent more time in her ballet class than at home. I even started skating because Minako urged me to.’

Y/N was jumping up and down a wooden bench, as Seonghwa sat on the other side. The bench was surrounded by beautiful cherry blossoms, and it was a pleasant distraction during the exercise.

‘She always cheered me on, but she likes to meddle, too.’

Y/N jumped into a crouch on the bench before sitting down fully.

“Do you have a boyfriend?” Seonghwa asked.

“No,” Y/N responded.

“Any ex-boyfriends?” Seonghwa asked.

“N-No comment.” Y/N stuttered out.

Seonghwa moved closer to her on the bench. She sweat dropped again. ‘Is he being flirty, or is this his personality? I really cannot tell anymore,’ Y/N thought to herself.

“Let’s talk about me! My first girlfriend was—” Seonghwa started before getting interrupted by Y/N.

“Stop!” Y/N said frantically, waving her arms.

Seonghwa put his head down in his arms and sighed, defeated. It was quiet for a bit until Makkachin decided to bark, which caused Y/N and Seonghwa to turn around.

“Y/N, what’s that castle over there?” Seonghwa asked.

“Oh, that’s Hasetsu Castle. Inside is ninja house,” Y/N said, the last sentence being said in English.

“Really? Ninjas?!” Seonghwa said in English.

Seonghwa rushed over to the castle, before handing his phone to Y/N so she could take a picture of him in front of the castle. He held Makkachin while holding up a peace sign.

“Hasetsu Castle! Let me see! Let me see!” Seonghwa said as Y/N handed him the phone.

“Who’s that good-looking foreigner?” A person said.

Seonghwa posted it onto social media. “Hashtag “#ninja”! Yes!”

Due to Seonghwa adding the location to his picture, it confirmed that Seonghwa really was becoming Y/N’s coach. Articles and twitter posts started to pop up, all featuring Seonghwa and Y/N.

Back in St. Petersburg, Jongho Plisetsky was on his phone, scrolling through social media. His cat, Putya (Puma Tiger Scorpion), was resting on his chest. He saw Seonghwa’s post pop up on his feed and he furrowed his brows, starting to get angry.

“Hasetsu Castle? Does he want to become a ninja or something? I finally found you. Just you wait, Seonghwa,” Jongho said.

Hiroko opened the front door of Yu-topia Katsuki, and Mari followed her. They were shocked to see several reporters crowding around the front door.

“Is it true that Seonghwa is here?” A reporter asked.

“Comment, please!” Another reporter said.

“Can we share a bath with him?” A stranger asked.

“It’s been a long time since we had so many customers,” Hiroko said, a small smile present on her face.

“Seonghwa’s here, right?” A reporter asked.

“Excuse me! We’d like to film a special feature!” Another reporter said.

“Wh-what the hell?” Takeshi said.

“I want to learn how to skate, too!” A stranger said.

“Me, too!” Another said.

“Oh…” Takeshi said.

Meanwhile at Ice Castle Hasetsu, Seonghwa enter with a bluish-gray sweatshirt and sweatpants.

“Oh my god! He’s super hot!” A stranger said.

“He’s really good-looking,” another said.

“C-can I take a photo with you?” Another asked.

“Please let us interview you!” A reporter said.

“Apparently Seonghwa’s at Ice Castle.” Someone said.

“Oh, wow!” Another person said.

Y/N had been exercising a lot, jogging, doing ballet, doing crunches, and carioca.

A week later, Jongho landed in Hasetsu.

“Wow, creepy!” Jongho said, before taking a picture of an ugly pig that he saw. “Crap, no! If I post this, Yakov will know I’m here!”

Jongho continued to walk, making his way though a market. “Seonghwa’s been uploading tons of pictures with this city tagged… Hey! Where’s Seonghwa?! Seonghwa!” He shouted. He continued to walk and he saw a black sweatshirt with a tiger wearing a bow-tie on it. “Wha- My god…” Jongho took his sunglasses off. “That’s awesome fashion!”

Jongho, being Jongho, had to purchase it, and then put it on right after. He couldn’t resist taking a photo and posting it on Instagram. A few moments later, he received a call from Yakov who saw it.

“Jongho! Why are you in Japan, too?!” Yakov shouted.

“Oops, you found out?” Jongho said. He held the phone away from his face as Yakov started to shout at him.

“You know how important this time before your senior debut is, right?!” Yakov said.

“I told you! I’m not coming back to Russia until Seonghwa makes good on his promise!” Jongho said, hanging up the phone. “That geezer’s such a nag! I have my own plan, okay?”

Jongho continues to walk, looking down as he drags his suitcase behind him, he smiled a little and looked up.

“Where am I? Seonghwa!” Jongho said.

This got the attention of an old man fishing at the side of the road. “Oh? Are you a fan of Seonghwa’s? There’s a skating rink below the castle. Try there,” the old man said, pointing down the road.

Back at Ice Castle, Axel, Lutz, and Loop held back a crowd of fans from entering Ice Castle.

“Come on, let us watch!” A fan said.

“It’s reserved, and it’s a private practice season! Go home!” The triplets said.

Jongho pushed past the crowd and the triplets, rolling his suitcase behind him.

“Hey, you can’t go in there!” Lutz said.

Jongho turned around and the triplet’s mouths dropped.

“Huh?” Jongho said.

“Jongho Plisetsky!” The triplets said.

“He’s the junior world champion,” a fan said.

“Seonghwa’s inside, isn’t he?” Jongho asked.

“Come in, come in,” The triplet’s said.

Meanwhile, Y/N jogged up the stairs, breathing heavily. When she finally made it to the top, she ran past axel, lutz, loop and jongho, slamming her arms against the door and letting out a sigh of relief.

“Finally here… I’m exhausted,” Y/N said, still breathing heavily.

“Y/N…” the triplets said.

Jongho stood where he was, trembling.

“Y/N…” the triplets said again.

“Hey, get this! My weight’s back to what it was before the Grand Prix Final!” Y/N said happily.

Axel, Lutz, and Loop were pointing to Jongho who stood behind him, but Y/N didn’t notice because she wasn’t facing him. Jongho was standing there, a dark shadow cast over his face.

Y/N clasped her hands together, smiling widely. “Now I’ll finally get Seonghwa’s permission to skate!”

As Y/N pushed the doors to Ice Castle open. Jongho basically yelled, before sending Y/N flying back with a hard, back roundhouse kick. Y/N bounced off her face, smacked into the front desk, and fell flat onto her back with her arms splayed out. Jongho then stepped on her face with a yellow-and-black tennis shoe.

“Ow!” Y/N shouted, very loudly.

Her shout was loud enough that it made Seonghwa stop skating. “What happened?” He asked, stepping out of the rink, putting his blade guards on, and walking to the front are.

Jongho continued to grind his shoe on Y/N’s face.

“It’s all your fault. Apologize!” Jongho said.

“U-Uh, sorry, sorry?” She said. ‘Why is he here? And why’s he furious at me?!’ She thought to herself.

The triplets decided to take pictures instead of helping her out.

“Hey, pig!” Jongho said.

At that point, Seonghwa had made it to where they were but Jongho didn’t realize it. Seonghwa crossed his arms and looked at Jongho in a disapproving way.

“Ow! That hurts! Stop!” Y/N said, starting to tear up. He was really hurting her. He was a lot stronger than her and he was stepping on her really hard.

Seonghwa felt very bad, he could tell she was in a lot of pain just from the way she spoke. Her voice kind of cracked, like someone does when they are trying not to cry.

“Fatso! Pig!” Jongho said.

“Jongho, take your foot off of her face,” Seonghwa said.

Jongho glared at Seonghwa. “Oh, so you can come to Japan to coach her, but when I get angry that she took you away I’m the bad guy?” Jongho said angrily.

Y/N was just sitting on the floor, not even sure what he was talking about. “What?” She asked.

“He promised me first that he’d choreograph a program for me. What about you?” Jongho said.

Y/N wasn’t even sure what was going on. She didn’t know how such a young man can contain so much anger.

Y/N put a hand on her face, wincing when she felt the part he rubbed his foot on. She knew she’d develop a bruise there. She always did bruise easily.

“Huh? We haven’t gotten to talking about programs or anything yet,” Y/N said.

“Huh?” Jongho said, stomping angrily. “You make him take a whole year off, and to do what?”

Jongho walked closer to her, and she walked back, holding her hands up.

“Isn’t getting him as a coach enough? As if a girl who sobbed in a hallway at the Grand Prix Final can change at all just be getting Seonghwa as a coach!” Jongho said, mocking Y/N.

Seonghwa was shocked. He had no clue her performance at the Final upset her so much that she cried. She must have been so disappointed in herself, especially after seeing everyone talk about whether she was going to retire or not. He shook his head before returning back to the ice rink, starting to skate the short program he was going to use that year.

“I don’t really get the whole picture, so you should ask him yourself,” Y/N said.

‘Seonghwa came all the way to Hasetsu because he wanted to. Just to become my coach,’ Y/N thought.

[youarewarmth]

Trying to mend my broken heart

(a very long post that started off as a letter to myself and others; I wasn’t going to post it, but my therapist said I should try, because it might encourage people to do the same if they’re struggling, so here it is)

So... I’ve been thinking if I should it. Do I have a right? I knew nothing of them – of him – until weeks ago. Can I even speak up? I have to let it out. Will I be scrutinized or listened and understood? I hope it’s the latter.

I knew SHINee was a thing, a band. A Korean band. I think my little sister was into them for a brief moment. I saw the band’s name mentioned on Twitter every now and then, but I never really cared. Just another K-Pop product, as they all are.

I fell into YouTube’s rabbit hole, as we all do sometimes, after I suddenly felt like listening to one of the songs I used to like. “Up next: SHINee – Forever or Never”. I thought “hm, what a coincidence!” and hit “play”.

“Wait… How is this the same song… but better?” I was so confused, but also thrilled. I don’t really like music that much. I have a hard time finding stuff that I really like and once I do, I stick to it until I memorize every note. I liked the version of the song. I really, really did, but I wish I never looked at the comments. That’s where it all started. The spiraling.

“R.I.P Kim Jonghyun you'll be forever in our hearts”

“Rest in Peace, my angel, you did well”

No.

My heart dropped. I looked up one phrase after another. I looked up SHINee, I looked up Jonghyun. Countless videos on YouTube. Of their first performances, of them having fun on stage, music videos, talk shows. Videos of Jonghyun breaking down in tears on stage. Videos of Jonghyung talking about the scrutiny, judgement and – again – breaking down in tears, wanting to be understood and accepted. Of his last show and the pain and emptiness in his eyes. Of how he died. Of his letter. Of them performing without him for the first time. Of “From Now On”. Of “Our Page”.

I couldn’t sleep that night. I’ve been sleep deprived ever since, because my thoughts keep racing and bring tears that I can’t contain. And with tears, immense grief. That’s all I can feel right now.

Why did it hit me so hard? Why him, why now? Maybe because we’re same age and I understand the struggles of getting older in the world where only the youngest can achieve something, though it was much worse for him. Maybe because I know what it feels like to lose a friend so suddenly. Maybe because I know exactly how he felt, even though we had completely different life experience. Or maybe we’re just kindred spirits that experience emotions a little bit too intensely.

You see, I’ve been dealing with depression ever since I was seventeen. That’s when my heart stopped. It was still beating, still keeping me alive, but I felt nothing. Nothingness slowly turned into pain. And hatred. I’ve achieved nothing. I’ve done nothing in my life. I’m a waste of time, waste of space. I was crying for help, but nobody ever listened. I would scream into my pillow every night until I fell asleep, I didn’t want to feel this pain. I wanted it to be gone. _I _wanted to be gone. I can’t count how many times I was minutes, seconds away from the irreversible. I didn’t do it and I felt like a coward. I was too weak to even do this much.

To this day I don’t know how I kept on living despite nobody giving a damn. I wanted to live, but I didn’t. And I think he felt the same. He desperately wanted to live. He was open about his condition, he reached out, looked for help. Except I got the help I needed. He, on the other hand, got scolded by his own “doctor”. He was told that it’s all because of his personality. What personality? A sensitive, compassionate angel? A loving friend? A gentle soul that wanted nothing, but to be an artist? Was it his fault that he was overworked, stressed, judged for every little thing he did? People didn’t really help either.  They would ask “is crying the new way of promoting your music?” Or say that SHINee doesn’t need Jonghyun, that he’s the ugly duckling of the group, or that he doesn’t have to pretend to know how to sing. And I’m angry. I’m so angry, because how fucking dare you?

I can't get the images of his last performances out of my head. They override everything good and sweet about him, because good and sweet is not how he felt in his final days. He felt pain and sadness, he felt old and lacking, he felt like he was so much less than he was. And he was so precious, warm and soft. Just like the fluffy blankets he loved so much. Did he feel his Blingers' love when he looked at them this one last time? Was it any comfort to him that he WAS loved by so many, after all? Did he know how far that love goes?

In his last performances he looks like he accepted his fate. And he just looks empty. He knew. He must have known what was going to happen. He was taking everyone and everything in, he was saying his last goodbyes. And it undid me completely. When he was recording the Shinin' video, did he know? Did he already know and sang "always be with you" to us to let us know that he will always be here even when his body is not?

We lost this pure soul to a disease that could’ve been treated. It was preventable. He could’ve still been with us if he got the help he need. And it truly fucks me up, and I can’t hold back tears – yet again – because he wasn’t supposed to be gone. He was supposed to be here and enjoy his life. Hold hands with girls, kiss boys, date like crazy (for the love of god let your idols date!), marry or not, have kids or not. He was supposed to make all the choices we all take for granted. But depression is a bitch that sneaks up on you and eats you alive, eats you whole, until you’re a shell, an emotionless zombie, and the thought that he probably felt like that… My heart aches for him so much I want to tear it out. I want to go back in time and do SOMETHING. I want him to be happy, grow old and depart when the time comes and not a second sooner. Would he be happy in this time line? Could I pass the strength I've gained over the years to him, so he can power through this life like an absolute champion he was?

I was watching old videos of Jonghyun interacting with other band members and I noticed that he was always craving closeness and human touch. He’d always stroke someone’s back or neck, held hands with them, hug, lean on, pat. And they weren’t big gestures, it looks like he did it all without even thinking. He enjoyed these little gestures that spoke volumes. Or how in the Excuse Me Miss video, where he’s introducing all the SHINee members, almost hyping them up, and when he introduces himself it’s in a much calmer, quieter manner. Can’t put my finger on it, but my first thought was the obvious “he’s so humble”.

In this short time he had such a great impact on my life that I miss him immensely, even though I've never met him like you guys did. I feel guilty, because I feel like I have no right to miss him, and yet I do. And I'm so utterly sad that it's hard to get up in the morning and carry on with my day, that's why I'm writing this. Will it get the sadness out of my system? I don't think it will, but I hope my thoughts and feelings will be less chaotic now. That I will be able to accept the painful reality, stop daydreaming, thinking "what if" and blaming myself even more for something I couldn't possibly help.

The last thing I want to say is that – as crazy as it sounds – I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Jonghyun, that I couldn’t save you. Even though it was impossible, I’m sorry I didn’t do anything, that I wasn’t aware of your suffering, that I couldn’t be your shoulder to cry on when you needed one. I feel like it’s my fault, somehow, and that I should hop into the Future Gadget 204, 2nd Edition Ver. 2.31 right now and beg you to hold on. I wish I could. I wish it was possible. Because it does get better. It gets better. It gets better. It gets better. I don’t want any more people to feel like they’re lacking, like they aren’t enough, like they didn’t do well enough.

So, to whoever reads it and will possibly read this in the future, even if you stumble upon this “letter” a year from now, five hears, ten years; even if you’re not even born yet and it somehow survives, know that I’m here for you and I will always be here for you. If you’re looking for a sign not to do it today – let this be the sign. If you want me to remind you daily that you’re worth more than every star we’ve ever discovered – I’ll do it. I will be your friend, your shoulder to cry on, your safe haven and your protector.

And believe me, Shawols, when I say this - I wouldn't hesitate one bit if I could trade my life for his. This is the point where you go “damn, this woman crazy” and ridicule me to hell, but it won’t change the fact that if I were presented with the opportunity, I’d take it, because I have nothing to lose and there would be so much to gain. I know how many lives he affected and how many people are still hurting, and will be hurting until they meet him again. I don't believe in heaven or hell or afterlife, but thinking that he left this world in pain and there was nothing else waiting for him... I don't want it to be real. I wish he could make you all smile again. With his performances, with his IG Lives, with his wise words that touched so many, with his art, with his beautiful, gentle soul. And I'm selfish, because I want him back even though I know he didn't want to be around.

To you, my dear, dear, Jjong – you were loved. You were SO loved. You still are. You were a kind soul, a light of our eyes, that wasn’t meant for this cruel world. And your people are so proud of you. I truly hope there is life after life and that I will meet you there. And then I will give you the hug I couldn’t give when you were so alone. You will forever live in our hearts, some of which you touched even after your departure, and your legacy will never be forgotten.

I promise I will work hard. I promise to be more kind to people, but also to myself. I know you wouldn't want us to be hurting. You told us many times that we worked hard and we did well, even if they were the smallest things we managed to do at the time.

You were in my dreams the other night. You were sitting at a dining table in what had to be the strangest meet and greet ever and you signed a CD for me. For some reason it was a generic disc that was in one of those flimsy paper CD envelopes, because even in my dreams I have to totally embarrass myself. But you signed the envelope, smiled your beautiful smile and asked me if I'm well. I know it's all my brain's doing, because I've been thinking about you constantly lately, but I like to think that it's because you still very much care about your Blingers and want to check on them. Even on those that came long after you left. Hearing you now hurts, but I know that with time it will feel like warmest homecoming.

You worked hard, Jjong. Very hard. And you did well. And I thank you for that.

[nolongerapileofashprobably]

I think about Zelink in each game and I seriously give Nintendo props for creating a compelling dynamic between the two no matter if it’s purely platonic or has romantic undertones or is just blantantly spelled out as soulmates.

OoT Zelink has romantic undertones. Don’t even try to argue with me if ya feel differently. It isn’t spelled out plainly enough that we could say it’s practically canon, but it does have that bond between them that’s undeniable.

In the game, you can literally go back into the castle as Young Link and show Zelda the different masks Link acquires through the side quests. And the entire idea of Link sneaking pst all those guards to show Zelda some mask is hilarious and adorable.

After the time jump, Sheik then accompanies Link and it’s 10000% obvious that he’s fascinated with them. Link wants to spend as much time with Sheik as he possibly can. Water Temple aftermath scene anyone? That made it obvious (for me) that OoT Zelink are soulmates, because it’s their souls pulling them together and creating this attraction. Gender has no say. (It’s also makes Link 10000% bi in this game since Sheik is considered a “guy” to everyone else and I live for this headcanon). No matter who they’re disguised as, the chemistry and attraction is THERE. Plus, in Kakariko when they’re attacked by the Shadow. Staying by the others side. Trying to protect each other. Please let me live.

And the final battle. Oh this poor bby. He sticks his arm out to protect her. He’s so loyal to this girl. He found out she was this person guiding him the entire time and she’s separated from him as soon as she reveals her identity. Foolishly banging on a crystal to free her? Desperate boy wanting to save the girl he cares so much about. Link’s entire life ends up revolving around Zelda in this game. She is the one person he truly truly cares about on a deep level.

I love Malon and all, but I never saw the connection. I’ve always headcanoned the idea that Link comes back from MM’s events and goes straight to Zelda and legitimately just grows up in Castle Town under Zelda’s orders and is trained for the Guard and eventually becomes the head of the entire Hyrulian Army. I also headcanon that OoT Zelink both die young, but not before they have a child who is then given to their trusted friend Malon to raise. (I know it’s a dark headcanon but hey I think it makes sense)

Twilight Princess, on the other hand, gives off much more platonic vibes. Partly because Zelda is barely in this game. I do love Midlink in this game too, but as an endgame, nope. The thing about Twilight Princess Zelink is that it could POSSIBLY happen after the game’s events. But during the actual gameplay? This Zelda and Link play their respective roles to ultimately defeat Ganon. It’s more professional.

People can debate about this one, with Link’s attention whenever Zelda is in the room being solely on her and all, but I see that more as a ranch hand meeting royalty for the first time and being awed by the regal and natural beauty she exudes. I have said that I can see them happening through a friends with benefits type of situation, but only after.

In game, the story pretty much implied that Ilia is the love interest and not Midna or Zelda. Tbh, I didn’t love her character but I knew for a fact that Link did so I went with it. But I’m replaying the game now and BOYYY it seriously points to Ilia and Link being an item. And it makes perfect sense too. But after everything, I’d see Link sticking around Zelda more because she at least understands. But again, in game and from the canon events, Zelink is more platonic than anything.

Skyward Sword is completely platonic. Idk how y’all got “soulmates” from this Zelda and Link, I mean-

Yeah no do I even have to talk about how this game is blatantly romantic? Its not even UNDERTONES like it’s full out “I’m doing this to save the girl that I love”. They’re literal soulmates and started the kingdom of Hyrule and I couldn’t be MORE PROUD! The first Zelda and Link happen to be in love and they managed to get cursed so in every incarnation they’re bound to meet each other and I think that’s beautiful (despite the angry third wheel that reincarnates with them). But otherwise, this game is legit a love story between Link and Zelda with a bit of action and adventure sprinkled in. Good quality and excellent eyeliner.

Breath of the Fucking Wild people. I know I already did romantic undertones but would I be me if I DIDNT go on a little rant about the beauty of this Zelink??? Didn’t think so. It’s also not even undertones. It’s also not blatantly romantic. It’s heavily implied.

So, you get the hate to love trope, the princess and her knight trope, AND the amnesia trope. All three in this very special pair. The memories play these two very well. The actual story to the game may have been a bit underwhelming, but Zelink’s story is MASSIVE. The memories show us a very complex Zelda, a mute Link who is loyal to a fault, and an epic love story between the two. This isn’t even a theory. It’s actually canon. (Thank you Kass, ily bby)

Now Link’s perspective isn’t fully fleshed out, but that’s the thing. It’s not supposed to be. But what we do get is a few pieces of information that makes you go “oh so he does have feelings for Zelda”. First being the Journal Entries. He wants to save Zelda ASAP so he can see her smile. He wonders if she will be pleased with how far he’s come. He is determined to save her after gaining all his memories of their relationship back. This Link only truly remembers Zelda. The Champion’s have some place in his mind, but he doesn’t remember like like he remembers Zelda.

Second being the little moments in the memories, like him staying by Zelda’s side in the castle to just hang out with her, listening to her ramble on about science things, being Extra Asf when the ground shakes and he immediately goes to make sure Zelda doesn’t stumble, turning around when Zelda begins to doubt herself, sheathing his sword despite being chased by murder bots. It’s just all those little things that makes you THINK.

Third being the flowers. The symbolism. It’s all too real and I won’t even get STARTED on how Nintendo gave us a canon ship name for BotW Zelink and we had the audacity to IGNORE IT!!!

Fourth being the fact that they practically debunk Miphlink after giving it the potential to become official. Stay with me. They painted Mipha as the typical childhood friend that falls in love with the protagonist. Except, I can say with certainty that it’s 1000% one sided. In the game, Link goes to Zora’s Domain as a kid and Mipha heals kid Link’s wounds because she a kind and gentle soul. There’s nothing romantic about that given the fact Mipha writes about it before she writes about the feelings she develops.

When Link goes back, she writes about how he looks past her, doesn’t open up to her, but still remains the kind soul she knows him to be. This in and of itself tells us that Link has no feelings for her whatsoever. He’s a knight and he does his best to protect whoever is in need. But he doesn’t truly reconnect with Mipha as a teenager because he remains closed off and in her diary, Mipha confirms the fact that he doesnt give her the same attention that she gives him. She makes the Zora Armor, yeah, but she didn’t present it to Link AND she prayed to Ruto. Ruto being the Zora that fell for Link but that relationship never happened because Link didn’t have feelings for her whatsoever. That in and of itself gives the impression that this relationship is also one sided. The thing that always stood out to me was how Mipha never presented the Zora Armor and how she realized Link and Zelda would grow closer because all the time they had was spent with each other. My theory is that Mipha saw Link and how he seemed a bit less weighed down. And it hit her that the Zelda is also more carefree at this point. And she puts two and two together and realizes that Link and Zelda have opened up to each other and gotten much closer as a result. Hence, why she didn’t give him the Zora Armor since she saw where Link’s heart truly lies. That’s just my own personal idea and theory on her not giving him the armor, so don’t judge lol.

But BoTW Zelink is so COMPLEX and is heavily implied to be canon after the events that I cannot wait to see how the sequel treats their relationship. It’s definitely going to be fun to watch and play.

OKAY SO MY POINT WAS

Nintendo provided all thes unique takes on two characters yet never gave them a toxic relationship, but always one where they can rely on the other when they needed to. And I think that’s beautiful.

*please take note that these are more of my personal opinions and how I view the relationships which may differ from others but that’s okay since LoZ is supposed to be a franchise where you are Link and so whatever you love, he loves. I’m just a slut for Zelink 🤷🏻‍♀️

[notorious-lightning-thief]

The Stag and the Doe Chapter Three

Here is a peak at Chapter Three! Read the complete story on Ao3

What happens when Lily runs into James Potter while running around Diagon Alley after a terrible fight with her sister?

Chapter Three: With Milk and Two Sugars

Lily Evans was a young, bright, and beautiful witch. She was well-known for her poise, grace, and her canning ability to keep a cool head under pressure. Right now, she was anything but that. She was a bloody mess.

Tears streamed down her face as she marched determinedly through Diagon Alley with only one destination in mind: away. The argument she had with her sister and her stepfather just over an hour ago kept replaying in her head.

"I'll have you know I'm not coming home for Christmas. And I'm certainly not coming to your wedding!" Lily yelled at her sister, Petunia.

Their argument started when Petunia barged into Lily's room and accused her of taking her precious necklace that her boyfriend Vernon had given her. A little tuff had soon escalated to a full-fledged shouting match. Before long, the girls were at each other's throat in a competitive battle to see who could hurt the other one more.

"Good, no one wanted you there anyway!" Petunia yelled back.

"I hope you and your husband have a happy life together," Lily told her.

"I hope you have a happy life alone," she spat.

"Girls, please stop yelling," the girls' stepfather, Joseph, said timidly. He had been watching their screeching match anxiously. "The neighbors have already called twice asking if everything was ok—"

"Like you're not glad to be rid of me, too," Lily said. She grabbed her bags and started for the door.

"We wanted you gone ages ago, but no one had the heart to tell you," Petunia said, following Lily. "Especially Joseph, but since you were Mum's favorite, he couldn't say anything.

Lily swallowed a big gulp of air to prevent herself from crying. What she was saying was true; Lily knew it, Petunia knew it, Joseph knew it; it just hurt to finally hear someone say it.

"I'm leaving," she said quieter this time.

"You said that already," Petunia pointed out. "Go! Leave! Your freaky friends are the only ones that want you if you can call them friends. I bet you're even a freak among freaks."

"You've never been able to accept me for what I am!" Lily screamed. "Either of you! If Mum was still here—"

"Yeah, well, she's not," Petunia said heartlessly.

Lily then gave them a departing glare and added, "Enjoy your Lily-free life."

Petunia's words still stung an hour later. True to her word, Lily had packed up her room and departed for London, knowing that she would most likely never see her sister or her childhood home again. Without having a real destination in mind, Lily made her way to London. The Hogwarts Express didn't leave for another week, which meant she needed to find a temporary home, which is how she ended up checking-in at the Leaky Cauldron.

She now found herself wandering aimlessly through the streets of Diagon Alley, wondering how she managed to get herself into such a mess.

Calm down, Lily thought to herself. You knew this was coming. Things between us have been rocky for ages, even before mum died.

It was true. Things with her sister had been in shambles ever since Lily first left for Hogwarts nearly six years ago. Throughout those years, the Evans girls lost both their mother and their father. Instead of bringing the girls closer together, it only drove them farther apart.

This is your last year at Hogwarts, Lily chastised herself. It's time to start looking forward to the future.

Hogwarts had always been a safe haven for Lily. She needed that now more than ever. Not only were things crumbling in her Muggle life, but things in the wizarding world were looking bleaker and bleaker every day.

Lord Voldemort and his followers were on the warpath, and Muggleborns were their number one target. Not a day went by that a murder wasn't reported about in The Daily Prophet. Lily's future hung in a delicate balance. Being a Muggleborn herself, she was always looking over her shoulder in both the Muggle world and the Wizarding world. Even at Hogwarts, she didn't feel completely safe. Not after everything that went down with her ex-best friend, Severus Snape.

Woah girl don't go down that path, Lily tried to calm herself as that fateful day from the end of fifth year came to mind. Screw Severus, screw Petunia, screw Voldemort. This is my last year at Hogwarts, and I'll be damned if it isn't the best year of my life.

With that thought in mind, she closed her eyes and took a few calming breaths to collect herself. Don't let them see they have gotten to you. Keep your head held high.

Feeling much more put together than she did ten minutes ago, Lily took a few steps forward to start back on her way. She didn't get very far when she ran straight into someone, nearly sending them both into the ground.

Two hands grabbed her shoulders, two very strong and sturdy hands. "I am so sorry, are you alright?" Lily's savior said, steadying them both.

"It's my fault. I wasn't looking at where I was going." Lily's arms were trapped in front of her, resting lightly on the man's chest as the stranger continued to hold her shoulders.

"Alright, Evans?" the voice said. She knew that voice. She knew that line. Lily's eyes snapped up, and she found herself looking at the face of the last person she would want to run into right now, James Potter. This is not how she wanted to see James for the first time since admitting her crush on him two months ago.

"Potter?!" Lily exclaimed. Lily felt a blush creeping its way up her neck and towards her cheek. She was still pressed tightly against his chest and couldn't help but notice how broad and firm it was. She found herself actively resisting the urge to run her hands all over it.

She cleared her throat and quickly straightened herself out. She stepped out of his arms and questioned, "What are you doing here?".

"Back to school shopping," he replied with a broad smile. His smile wavered when he got a good look at Lily's face, and she knew exactly what he was seeing. Her eyes were puffy and red, her hair was a tangled mess of curls, and the blush that was clearly visible on her cheeks, but that she knew had nothing to do with the events that happened earlier, but with the handsome man that stood in front of her right now.

"Seriously, Lily, are you alright?" James asked, concerned.

"I'm fine, just a little embarrassed at how clumsy I am. Sorry for nearly taking you down," Lily laughed, trying to lighten the situation.

"It was completely my fault," James said, which was a lie, but she appreciated it anyway. "It's good to see you."

Once again, Lily was reminded just how much James Potter had changed. All last year she watched and took note as James stopped hexing people, stop drawing attention to himself, and stopped his insistent unwanted advances on her. Because of this, they had been able to develop a tentative friendship that mostly involved awkward small talk when they found themselves sitting together in the Great Hall or in the Gryffindor Common Room.

Their newfound friendship had also led to them nearly kissing on several occasions. Occasions she had been fantasizing about all summer long.

"It's good to see you, too, James," Lily responded. "Fancy running into you here."

James laughed. "Literally. You don't seem alright though, Lily. Have you been crying?"

Dammit, Lily thought. Not only had James Potter stopped talking about himself constantly, but he had also started being an observant and sensitive person, much to Lily's dismay at this particular point in time.

"Is it that obvious?" Lily sniffled. It was clearly written all over her face. Lily hated showing weakness, she hated crying, and she hated doing both of those things in front of James Potter.

"Just a little," James offered a small smile. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," she snapped. She felt bad after looking at the pain on his face. She was being unfair, and she knew it. "It's just family stuff. Thank you for offering, but I think I just need to get my mind off things. That's what I was trying to do anyway. Didn't really work out that well since I nearly took down the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain."

James laughed. "It takes a lot more than a pretty girl knocking into me to take me down." James looked at her thoughtfully, perhaps worried by calling her "pretty." James had lasted all sixth year without asking Lily Evans on a date, a personal record. However, they still ran into moments like this where James would drop an off-handed compliment, or Lily would catch him staring at her for a few seconds too long.

Lily quickly brushed the compliment off, "That's good to hear. I wouldn't want to take you out before the season even started. I would be labeled 'Public Enemy Number One' within Gryffindor Tower."

"McGonagall would have your head," they both laughed at this. It was safe to say their Head of House was more than just a little aggressive when it came to her Quidditch Team. She took a lot of pride in maintaining their claim as Quidditch Cup Champions.

While they laughed, she couldn't help but notice just how damn handsome he was. She had always known James was good looking, even when she despised him. But recently, she started realizing that he was drop-dead gorgeous. She found herself fantasizing about him more and more each day in more graphic detail. Friends can think about each other that way, right? God, I sure hope James Potter is not an accomplished Legilimens, Lily prayed.

"Do you want some company?" James asked shyly. That was new. James Potter was never shy, especially not while asking her out.

That's not what he's doing, Lily corrected herself. He's just being a good friend. That's what you are now, friends.

"Sure," Lily responded with a smile.

Read the rest of the chapter on Ao3