#wasted too and overall celebrate together. the chapter moves quickly just like how the hope was quickly withered out and died just hours

[ruporas]

cheers to the future of humanity (and the future of us)

[ID: Digital illustration in color of Vash and Wolfwood from Trigun. The illustration takes place during the ship/home arc, specifically chapter 21. At the center, Vash is grabbing Wolfwood by the collar and pulls him into a kiss in the middle of a celebration. The pair is colored in vibrant warm hues while their surroundings are colored in cooler colors like green and teals. Luida, Brad, Meryl, and Milly are shown amongst the crowd, occupied in the celebrations as Vash and Wolfwood share a moment by themselves at the center. END ID]

[writer-panda]

The Hit on the Groom and What Became of It - Chapter 3/Leaps in logic (and over the edge of the rooftop)

Chapter 1  -|-  Previous -|- Next

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Adrien’s day wasn’t good at first. Okay, it was straight-up terrible. For most, their wedding is supposed to be a happy day. Or at least a reason for celebrations. Adrien? He couldn’t even hope for a cake since it would ruin his model body.

For the last several months, his father was working him into an early grave. The extra photo sessions, harder classes, new exercise regime… and Lila. The last one was terrifying. 

Adrien tried to hold onto hope that his father would in the end cancel the whole affair. That he would drop the ridiculous notion of wedding or at least push it back. The young model wasn’t sure exactly why was his father so insistent on pushing for the wedding. He repeatedly asked himself if Lila was blackmailing his father, but it was hard to think of anything that his father possibly could be blackmailed with. Adrien spent countless hours wondering if his father had some dark secret, but it didn’t fit the man. 

Did the designer have an affair with Nathalie? No… he already got angry about the suggestion once. And even if so, it wasn’t something that he would be so ashamed about. 

Was his father doing some illegal business dealings? It was somewhat possible, but what? It would need to be something big. Something extremely big. 

Thinking rationally, he had no idea what could it be…

What could be so big that it was worth more than the happiness of his only son?

--------

When one looks at all that, being kidnapped right at the altar was almost… nice. Sure, Adrien had been dragged by a sentient pile of mud into the sewers and then carried to some unknown location. Sure, his beautiful suit was ruined and all the hard work Marinette put into her work was irreversibly wasted. 

But, he was not married to Lila. 

The pile of mud dragged him deep into the sewers until they found a ladder leading up. It appeared to be grievously damaged, with several steps in the row removed. Adrien didn’t protest much when he was lifted up and into the place above. 

The place turned out to be a quite comfy flat. It was overall smaller than Adrien’s room back in Paris, but it felt more welcoming. It only had one big room, divided in half with a plywood panel. In the first ‘room’, there was a couch, a small table with three chairs, a tv on a cabinet, and two armchairs. It all appeared to be old and worn out. The second part held two beds (one without any mattress), a desk with an old computer, and a kitchen annex. It was… nice. Adrien almost liked it better than the big, sterile manor. 

The pile of mud seated him on one of the chairs before condensing into humanoid form. Slowly, his body turned human and in the end, he looked almost exactly like the wedding officiator. The man pulled his phone and sent some text before turning to Adrien. 

“Do you want something to eat?” He asked, walking over to the kitchen annex.

“Um… anything would do.” Adrien hesitantly spoke up. He was only slightly scared. Honestly, first, he is saved from the wedding and now he is given free food? Yes, purr-lease!

“Vegan or non-vegan?”

“I would kill for a fat, juicy steak���” Adrien remembered his last photo session, which was advertising the summer collection. One of the photos had him standing over the BBQ grill. The smell of the food being prepared almost made him salivate back then. 

“Ah… The actor’s diet?” His kidnapper/savior asked, giving him a knowing look at the same time.

“Yeah… I’m a model, but I heard it’s the same” Adrien corrected. 

“I’ll get you something. We need to wait anyway.” 

Adrien chose not to speak to the man while he was cooking. It was still a bit awkward. He was being kidnapped.

It didn’t matter. The meal was too good to complain. Who cares about kidnapping when one is given some meat. It was a light meal, probably not to upset his stomach, but it was still more than he hoped for that day. 

Of course, it couldn’t be that pretty.

The moment Adrien finished with the first piece of meat and was reaching for another, the doors were violently kicked and a man entered. He was dressed in a red bodysuit with silverly metallic elements. His helmet had one eye replaced with a red… monocle?

The explosion was quickly followed by a single gunshot. The moment it sounded, Clayface (because that was the name of the ‘pile of mud’) became frozen in place. Literally. He was covered head to toes in ice.

“My steak!” Adrien cried as he was being dragged away by the newcomer. 

They were already away when Clayface managed to break through the ice. He wanted to pursue them, but his phone rang suddenly, giving him a pause.

“Who is this?!” He snarled, irritated at the interruption.

“I was led to believe you have what I wanted.” The voice on the other side growled and Clayface paused. It sent shivers down his figurative spine. His employer sounded dangerous. 

“Ah… Yes… There’s been a… complication.” He stuttered, hoping it wasn’t too apparent. Whoever was on the other side made a terrifying first impression.

“What do you mean ‘complication’?” They hissed. Clayface stumbled and almost dropped the phone. He knew the employer was someone powerful, but it was a whole new level of scary. Sure, he was technically a mercenary, but until today his biggest job was some light security gig. This was supposed to be his way of reinventing himself into part of the major league. But this was being much more overwhelming. 

He quickly got to the point where his employer should’ve been somewhat satisfied and hanged up quickly. He had to get the boy before he became the target himself.

----------

Elsewhere, Adrien was starring into a pair of curious sea-green eyes.

When his new kidnapper brought him to the apartment and tied him to the chair, Adrien was still bemoaning the loss of his steak. He disliked the lack of freedom, but he was still feeling safer than with Lila and his father. Objectively looking at it, he knew it was wrong, but he preferred to be kidnapped. 

To his surprise, the kidnapped tossed him and the chair into some spare room of the flat they were in when the doorbell rang. There were also some curse words, but Adrien chose to disregard them.

It took a very energetic girl (about two years younger than him) all five minutes to figure out he was in that room. Not that the man made it particularly hard, leaving the doors half-open and all that.

She leveled her head so that they were on an equal level and stared into his face with an inquisitive glare.

“Daddy! You promised not to work on our day together!” She turned to the man and complained. “You clearly kidnapped him!”

“I’m really sorry, cupcake. I didn’t plan it. The time zone changes can really mess up with the calendar.”

“If it helps, this is better than the alternative.” Adrien smiled shyly.

“How is being tied to the chair good?”

“It’s better than being forced to get married.” The boy deadpanned.

“Fine.” She then turned to her father “But you will untie him. He can join us in our board game evening.” She declared imperatively.

“You won’t try anything, right?” The man glared at Adrien, who shrugged (as much as the binds allowed him). 

“I quite like it here. I could do with some water, but it’s really better than how the day was supposed to go.”

The man sighed and walked over to the boy. The rope fell to the floor and Adrien could move freely. Yet, he didn’t immediately move. He did try to get up, but the world swirled and blackness consumed his consciousness.

----------

When he woke up, he was once again faced with a set of sea-green eyes. The girl apparently liked to stare at faces in close quarters. Not that Adrien complained much as long as she didn’t actually touch him. He was used to the attention. 

“You must’ve been really tired. Daddy said he almost wanted to get you to a hospital.” That woke Adrien very quickly.

“No hospital!” He launched himself to sit straight up and almost crashed with the girl. Luckily, she moved out of the way. Otherwise, her father might’ve actually sent him to the hospital. Probably in pieces too. 

“Don’t worry.” Speaking of the devil, the man entered the room with a platter full of fast food and a glass of water. There was a hamburger there!

“Zoe. Please leave us alone for a moment. I need to discuss some things with Mr. Agreste.”

“Sure. But remember you promised not to hurt him. And we promised him board games.” She reminded her father before happily skipping out of the room. 

Once she was out, the man handed him the platter and Adrien practically leaped to devour the food. 

“So…” His kidnapper/temporary caretaker started awkwardly. “If it’s any help, I’m sorry for kidnapping you.” 

“Dot wowwy” Adrien dismissed him with a mouth full of burger. His father would lock him up for months if he saw him, but the boy was way past caring about it. He gulped before continuing though, as it was a shame to waste anything of the tasty goodies. “Seriously, you guys are making me a favor.” 

“Huh?” The man raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah! If not for this,” he gestured vaguely around the room, albeit it was clear he meant kidnapping, “I would’ve probably been married already.”

“Ah… And I guess the wedding wasn’t your idea.” It wasn’t a question. Deadshot (because he was the kidnapper if it wasn’t yet obvious) had some experience with runaway brides. Grooms escaping arranged marriage were rarer, but not unheard of. He used to take those tasks without remorse. At least until one time, when he tracked the bride, instead of an adult woman like usual, he found a pre-teenage girl. She couldn’t have been older than his own daughter at the time. 

Let’s just say that he failed to deliver that contract. Or any similar in the future. 

“Sir?” Adrien asked once he finished the meal.

“Yeah?”

“Could I get some more?”

“In a moment. Let what you ate settle down first.” He scolded him lightly, his parental instincts kicking in. “So, do you have any idea who might’ve wanted you kidnapped?”

“Not really… Only Marinette and Gerard cared about my opinion on this matter. And neither is the kind that would arrange a kidnapping.” He did his best not to think about his past as Chat Noir. No one but Ladybug knew, but his Lady wasn’t someone that would get involved with criminals. And even then, he doubted she could afford mercenaries. He always thought they were expensive. Could someone else figure out he used to be Chat Noir?

“Hm…” Lawton focused for a moment. “And what about The Seamstress? She is a completely new player that came out of nowhere. I suspected she might’ve had a personal connection to you. What about your father? Could someone want to get back at him? Especially someone with that name?”

“You do know what my dad does for the living?” Adrien deadpanned. 

“Yes, but did he anger someone? Enough that they would want to ruin him?” The man pressed. 

“It would be easier to list people he didn’t anger. My father is not… not the easiest to be around.” The light that was in the boy’s eyes just moments ago dimmed slightly. “Why are you asking all this?” He suddenly perked up and met the gaze of the mercenary. 

“Honestly, I really dislike the jobs involving kids. I thought that you were just another bratty teenage star that got his way with the wedding. A kid wanting to be treated like an adult. Now… now I can’t with clear conscience return you or deliver you.”

Adrien held back any witty remarks about hired gun having a conscience. “So… I’m living with you?”

“Sadly, no. I’m not around often enough and there is still a price on your head.” Lawton pulled out his phone and carefully read through something. “The more I think of it, the more it looks like you are not the most important part.”

That got Adrien’s attention. His own brain started to work overtime to get the meaning. “What?”

“The wording of the contract. ‘Grab from the wedding’, ‘possibility of further assignments’, ‘very public’… and the price is unreasonably high for such a simple task. It appears as if whoever The Seamstress is wanted a show. Like she wanted to recruit whoever brought you in. It appears as if she was setting up some sort of competition over who brings you to her.”

“But why me?” Adrien ran through ideas, but only him being Chat Noir would make sense in the long run. 

“Publicity. Your old man made sure the wedding was the event of the decade.” The merc simply shrugged. “If they wanted to announce their entrance to the big league, they would pick the biggest, most prominent target.” 

“Figured father is to blame…” Adrien grumbled before reaching into his pocket. “I… would like to call a friend of mine. To reassure her I’m safe.”

“She won’t run to the police?” Lawton was hesitant to allow it but also didn’t have the heart to tell him no. The kid was emotional wreck. And if his appetite was anything to go by, it was possible physical abuse was also there.

“Marinette wouldn’t do anything dangerous. She… I think she was trying to stop the wedding. Or delay it.”

“The girl that stood up shortly before the panic?”

“Yeah… She used… She’s a friend of mine. Probably the last true friend I have left.” 

“I see… Okay, call her. But make sure not to mention anything about me. Just in case.”

There was a moment of tense silence while Adrien waited for his friend to pick up. Finally, after the fifth signal, there was a rustle on the other side.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng speaking. Who do I have the pleasure with?” She spoke almost mechanically. To someone who never met her before, it might’ve sounded sincere. To Adrien, it sounded like she was exhausted both physically and emotionally. He almost blamed himself, but at the last second shifted it all onto Lila and his Father. 

“Marinette!? Are you okay?” He asked, wanting to make sure there was nothing truly wrong.

“Adrien!? Adrien!” She immediately seemed to cheer up. “Where are you!? Are you okay? What happened? Did they hurt you? Are you safe?” She finally paused to take a breath. 

“I’m okay, Marinette. I might’ve sorta gotten myself kidnapped,” he realized how bad that sounded as the words left his mouth, “but it’s all okay! It’s better than it was!” He rushed to reassure her, albeit his method was not a hundred percent successful. 

“Are you safe?” Was the question she repeated. It sounded almost… guilty. To Adrien’s tired brain though, such subtle details were second to the question. 

“I’m probably good. Someone put a bounty on me, but it’s all about me being alive. It’s like whoever did it accidentally saved me from the wedding.” He chuckled a bit darkly, thinking about how much of a temper tantrum Lila must’ve been throwing since his disappearance.

“Call me back later, okay?” There was a sudden urgency that Adrien did pick on. “I have something that needs to be sorted out.”

“What’s happening?”

“Just my Maman is coming. She is knocking right now.” With that, she hanged up. Adrien relaxed. There was no danger. And even if there was, it probably just ran away to hide as Sabine Cheng came to town.

“Kid, you done?” Deadshot walked back into the room with another hamburger.

“Yeah. I feel much better now. Thanks for the opportunity.”

“Don’t sweat it. Listen… I can’t just keep you, but I called some friends of mine. They’re willing to help you. Well, she is. Her girlfriend is just going with it for her sake.”

Lawton carefully studied Adrien to see his reaction to mentioning the couple, but there was no visible reaction. He just watched the hamburger with a hungry gaze. 

-------

Elsewhere, an exhausted kwami flew out of the jewel. Hawkmoth was one step from tossing the jewel at the wall. 

“I don’t understand! He should be terrified by now! He was kidnapped! They wouldn’t kill him after going so long to kidnap him!”

“Maybe your powers aren’t as good as you’ve thought?” another voice spoke from the shadows. Lex Luthor walked into the center to join Gabriel Agreste.

“They didn’t have time to move him out of the city before I started the search. Not without magic and he said there was no magical travel to or from Gotham so far.” Gabriel paced around the room. 

“While you were playing with your precious jewels, I actually used some of my contacts. It appears that someone ordered a hit on your son. They wanted him kidnapped from the wedding.”

“What?!” Gabriel paused and glared at the other man.

“While I can’t stop it or even try to outbid them, I do know of one person I can convince to take this task. And she just happened to be coming to Gotham this very moment.”

“Fine. I want my son back, or our deal is off, Luthor.” 

“Don’t worry. He will see the Light soon.”

[violet-knox]

Kindness is Overrated

Year 7 - Chapter 63

Summary: You spend Christmas morning with Connor and Severus exchanging gifts.

Word count: 3876

Warnings: A bit of naughty touching 

A/N: Wow this update is so long overdue. I should have come back to this story a long time ago, but I at the very least wanted to post a chapter before I started posting my Snape Bang entry. As I mentioned before in a previous ask, I’ll be alternating between writing a chapter for this story and fulfilling my request todo list. I’ll also be posting my Snape Bang soon so stay tuned for that. Writing this chapter, I realized it’ll take me a bit of time to get back into this story and I’m so sad I missed the opportunity to post this chapter on Christmas. There’s even a chapter coming up focused on Severus’ birthday and I know I won’t be able to post that any time soon, but that’s okay. It’ll just be a delayed celebration. I hope you enjoy and I hope my posting rate will increase this year (low key new years resolution?) compared to the last. 

Previous Chapter - Chapter 1 

~

Severus was so insistent yesterday on spending the night in his dorm despite the fact you’d done just that every day for the past week. You’d begun to cherish your mornings together and couldn’t imagine any reason why last night would be any different, but you had to admit, waking up today felt nothing like it had this past week. The warmth of Christmas morning enveloped your body as you felt the gentle brush of slow, sensual kisses trailing across your neck and collarbone. It was nothing like the last few mornings you’d spent together, and you understood why Severus was so persistent yesterday, constantly making sure you were planning to sleep beside him.

“Happy Christmas,” you mumble through your sleepy state, your eyes open just enough to catch the light of the morning, your fingers twirling around strands of Severus’ hair as he continued to press his lips to your skin. This holiday was always meant to bring people such joy and year after year you’d see families gathering, friends exchanging gifts, an overall feeling of love and joy passed from one person to the next. But it was never a holiday you’d found yourself caring for. Last year you thought the Yule Ball was your one chance to experience what everyone else felt this time of year, but it wasn’t until this morning that you’d understood why Christmas was such a special holiday. 

“Happy Christmas,” Severus whispered into your ear before lightly grazing his teeth against your earlobe, teasing you as he let one of his hands travel up from your hip to your waist, resting against the side of your breast. Pressing his knee between your legs, he moved to press as much of himself to you as he could. With your chest against his, your hands in his hair and his lips finally meeting yours, he felt his heart swelling with such glee. He’d been looking forward to Christmas all year, needing it to be perfect to make up for what he’d done last Christmas. He wanted to please you, to show you how much you meant to him as best he could tonight, starting with the passion he put into your morning kiss. 

You blinked away your sleep as you parted, your eyes finally meeting his, your hand slipping from his hair to rest on his jaw. You smiled as you felt yourself floating in bliss, feeling guilty about having to ruin this wonderful morning by telling Severus you’d have to meet Connor for breakfast in the Great Hall. the idea of bringing it up to Severus these past few days had loomed over you, saddening you when you saw how happy he was to be spending so much free time together over the holidays, you didn’t want to ruin it. 

“What’s wrong?” Severus saw the burden in your eyes, worried he’d already done something to ruin such an amazing day. He propped himself up on his elbows and peered down at you, studying your face as he waited for an answer. 

“It’s nothing-”

“No,” he interrupted you before you could even try and come up with an excuse, anything to explain your sudden shift in mood without upsetting him. “I know that look, something is troubling you. Tell me (Y/N), you know I’m here for anything you need.”

Your lips stretched into the widest of smiles, elated by his words. He’d been so supportive this year, your rock to lean on, someone you knew you could go to with anything and you loved him more for that. It was hard to tell him the truth now, knowing he’d do anything to protect your happiness only to have you turn around and snatch his away from him.

“Okay, don’t get upset but-” you pushed him from over you and sat up against the wall. “I told Connor we would spend Christmas morning with him.”

“(Y/N)!” You could already see his anger bubbling to the surface as he sat opposite to you, his fingers running quickly through his hair like they always had whenever he was stressed. Your heartbeat fastened as you so desperately hoped to salvage the moment, your hand finding his, squeezing it tightly.

“I’m sorry! I know how much you wanted to spend the holidays together, but we couldn’t avoid him forever Sev.” You leaned into him and let one hand slowly rub up and down his bare arm, trying to assure him the day was not lost. “Please don’t be mad at me, it’ll only be a couple of hours.”

Severus took a deep breath before looking up at you, the corner of his lips twitching into a subtle smile. He couldn’t believe you’d asked that of him when he knew very well there was nothing you could do to make him mad at you. Of course he was upset this day wouldn’t be absolutely perfect, but he would never hold it against you, nor would he blame you for wanting to brighten the day of everyone around you with the privilege of your company. 

“I promise I’ll make it up to you,” you offered with a sly smile as you crawled out from under the covers and over his lap. You settled atop him, wrapping your arms around his neck, his hands slipping from your legs and over your pants, resting on your waist under the shirt you wore. Pressing your lips to his, you sealed your promise with a kiss, happy to see your morning plans hadn’t ruined his mood.

“We should get dressed,” you whispered as you trailed kisses down his jaw, one hand gripping his hair. You felt his own hands slither to your back and press you against him, lifting your shirt up as they rested between your shoulder blades. You loved the feeling of his skin against yours, especially with the contrast of the cold dungeon air, but you knew if you didn’t get going now, Connor would start to suspect there was something between you and Severus. There were times where you thought telling Connor the truth would make life much easier, but every time you thought of saying something, you could only imagine the abandonment he’d feel knowing two of his friends were dating and you couldn’t do that to him, especially on Christmas day. 

“I never thought I’d say this, but I cannot wait to spend our next Christmas away from Hogwarts.” You chuckled, taken back by his words, never thinking you’d see the day that Severus Snape would prefer spending his time away from Hogwarts. Slipping off his lap, you took his hand and smiled knowing you were the reason he was happy enough to find a home outside of Hogwarts. You stood in front of the bed, Severus joining you before he reached into his trunk and handed you your uniform. 

You both got dressed, Severus taking his time, knowing now there was absolutely no rush to start the day since he’d be forced to waste hours of it in the company of others. You watched him lean back on the bed when he was done tying his shoes, smiling at you as if you’d just returned from class, ready to call it a night and cuddle with him. Shaking your head, you grasped his hand and pulled him off the bed, dragging him out of the dorm until he finally stopped resisting, trying to enjoy the last few moments he’d get to hold your hand before you both found yourself in the Great Hall. 

It wasn’t until you’d stepped through the large doors you realized you’d spent longer than usual in the Slytherin dorm this morning, everyone else already present, seated at the table. Two empty seats stood waiting for you beside Connor and without a second thought, you sat next to him, placing yourself between Severus and Connor. The feast began and you enthralled at the food appearing before you. You’d always loved Christmas at Hogwarts, but nothing could ever compare to this year’s Christmas, the feeling of love, care and acceptance flowing from one side of the table to the next. House rivalry was forgotten, and all sat at the same table as equals. 

Severus did his best to engage in conversation with you and Connor. He wanted to see you happy, glad you were smiling all throughout breakfast, but he felt envious. He wanted to be the sole reason for the smile you wore, to be your happiness like you were his. It was selfish of him to think like this, he knew that, but he was at least glad this Christmas was going a lot better than last years. At least with Connor here, Severus was more inclined to keep himself grounded, letting you take the lead instead of jumping the gun like last year. He even felt himself enjoying a conversation with Connor, less resentful towards the fact he was stealing alone time with you until owls interrupted the feast, one landing in front of Connor. 

The box it was carrying weighed down the poor creature, struggling to keep itself upright when it finally landed. You offered the owl all the food you could grab and filled your empty goblet with water, hoping it hadn’t travelled too far to deliver whatever it was Connor’s parents had sent him. You were surprised to see Connor push aside the gift as if it wasn’t important, always assuming Christmas would mean a lot more to those with caring families. His attention instead lay on the gifts he pulled from his robes, handing one to you, the other to Severus. 

“I suppose now is as good a time as any. Merry Christmas,” he told you both as he handed you your gifts. You smiled in return and reached into your own robes to hand Connor and Severus their gifts. Connor’s face lit up, happily opening the gift you gave him, Severus feeling much less elated than him. His lips stretched into a frown as envy took him over once more. He felt humiliated for being the only one without gifts to give at breakfast and enraged that you and Connor had thought of each other when shopping for Christmas this year. He watched the boy sitting on the other side of you tear apart the wrapping paper you’d so neatly folded over the present, holding out a Herbology starter pack that you’d taken the time to buy for him. He held his breath as Connor thanked you, watching you open his gift to reveal a broomstick polishing kit. He’d been so busy drowning in his own fury, he’d neglected to open his own present, your voice the only thing reminding him of the fact that you’d taken the time to buy and wrap his gift too. 

“Sev, open it!” You pushed, unable to take the anticipation any longer. You’d put so much thought into his gift, looked everywhere for the perfect item to give him, you couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when he unwrapped it. Severus’ lips twitched into a smile, his shoulders dropping as he felt himself let go of the resentment he’d felt towards this holiday and very delicately began to reveal your gift to him. “Come on Sev, the new year will arrive before you finish unwrapping it!”

Severus scoffed at your comment, but didn’t let it affect his speed, wanting to cherish this moment as much as he could and salvage every piece of care you’d put into this gift. Finally he pulled back the wrapping and his eyes were met with the most beautiful dragon scale notebooks he’d ever seen, a quill set placed atop them. His nimble fingers hovered over the items feeling completely unworthy to touch them as you smiled with satisfaction. You were overjoyed at his reaction, knowing he would love the delicacy of the items, the rich cover of the two notebooks and the intricate metal casing holding the most stunning quill you’d ever seen.  

“(Y/N), this is-” Severus was at a loss for words, wanting so badly to kiss you and spend the rest of the day simply staring at the quill and notebooks you’d bought for him. “They’re remarkable. Thank you.”

You took his hand, smiling in response as he grasped your hand and ran his thumb over your knuckles a moment before letting go. He picked up the quill set and opened it to reveal a beautiful flaming red phoenix feather quill, accompanied by four detachable tips and a self-filling inkwell. He grazed his fingers over the feather, deciding it was too perfect to ever be used. He wanted to keep this quill and the notebooks that came along with it forever, never to be tarnished, never to be ruined. The notebooks were made with the same high-quality craftsmanship as the quill, the spine carefully pressed, the covers beautifully made. They were absolutely perfect and he couldn’t have wished for a better gift.

“Well, now I’m not sure you should open my gift Severus. It’ll never compare to something like that,” Connor gestured to his gift, Severus almost forgetting he had one more present to unwrap. 

“I’m sure whatever it is, Severus will appreciate it,” you lied to Connor, knowing full well it didn’t matter what either of you gave him. Severus would cherish any present from you over anything anyone else would give him. That of course didn’t stop your curiosity as you watched Severus tear open Connor’s gift to reveal a small set of potion ingredients. 

“Thanks,” Severus mumbled to Connor with as much of a smile as he could muster. The ingredients Connor had given him weren’t cheap and he was thankful for them, but his thoughts still lingered on your gift. He couldn’t take it anymore. He’d entertained the idea of sharing Christmas morning with Connor long enough. He needed to spend the rest of the day with you alone, needing to show his appreciation and hope you’d like his gift half as much as he loved yours. “I think I’ll go drop these off at my dorm.”

Severus wasted no time gathering his belongings and jumping to his feet, his eyes briefly meeting yours as he walked out of the Great Hall. You could barely keep from reacting before you found yourself standing up as well, excusing yourself and thanking Connor one last time. You ran off before he could ask to meet in the evening and left the Great Hall after Severus. You caught up with him as he was making his way to the dungeons, seeing him stare down so intently at your gift in his hands. 

“Well, that wasn’t so bad was it?” You chuckled, thinking back to his disappointment when you’d mentioned spending the morning with Connor. You were glad to see Severus making conversation during breakfast and knew your gift would help lift his mood. You could only look forward to whatever the rest of the day had in store for you, ready to properly celebrate Christmas with Severus.

“I suppose not.” Severus pushed his gifts to one hand and held yours with the other. He gave you a soft smile as you walked down the stairs to the dungeons feeling grateful to have you in his life. He couldn’t have been more thankful than he was in this moment, but his growing love for you kept him afraid. He worried over losing you, over ruining things to the point of no return or have someone else take you away from him. He worried over Connor’s intentions and couldn’t help but nitpick on every move he made towards you.

“You know, I think Connor fancies you,” he commented casually, feeling unsettled by his thoughts. He already knew you’d think it was ludicrous and your laugh confirmed just that, but jumping to the worst case scenario in his mind was something he couldn’t help but do. He knew you loved him, he knew what you shared was real, but that didn’t stop him from assuming the worst. 

“Why because he’s nice to me?” Your laughter died down, but the absurdity of his comment kept your smile from fading. “Severus, just because a friend is kind to me, doesn’t mean they fancy me.”

He was being paranoid, and you weren’t surprised. Connor hadn’t done anything to warrant these accusations, but Severus didn’t have the best track record with the people he cared about, and you understood his hesitation to trust others. You didn’t expect him to trust Connor or to open up to him when it had taken years for you to reach that point in your relationship with him, but you hoped that he at the very least had faith in you and trusted you to do the right thing if what he claimed was true.

“Don’t be so sure. We started off as friends,” Severus agued, thinking back to how kind you’d been to him when you’d first met. He hadn’t done a thing to deserve your kindness, yet you’d blessed him with it and continued to do so until you became the one person in his life he couldn’t live without. He remembered you standing by his side when everyone else turned against him after the Whomping Willow incident, not even questioning why he was there or what happened. You’d just sat there with him, comforting him while the rest of the school put Potter up on a pedestal. He remembered every kind gesture you’d ever given him, the job he’d received over the summer, the happy memories he’d gotten to build at Cokeworth because of you. He could never repay the happiness you’d given him, and he worried that Connor was now giving you what he couldn’t; a show of appreciation.

“That’s different!” you protested, dismissing his worries, finding them completely ridiculous. “Besides, even if it were true, it wouldn’t matter. You’re the one I want to be with.”

You smiled as you stepped into the Slytherin common room, making your way to the boy’s dorm. Severus immediately walked over to his trunk to put away his gifts, taking special care of your notebooks and quill as you threw yourself on his bed.

“So, where’s my gift?” You leaned back on the bed and looked down at him, smiling in anticipation. You knew Severus would only want to give you your gift in private despite the fact you’d already given him his. Even if you’d told him ahead of time, you knew he wouldn’t want to buy Connor a gift, so you decided it was best to hand him his gift with Connor’s and ambush him for your gift later.

“Gift?” Severus questioned like he had no clue what you were talking about.

“My Christmas gift!” you leaned towards him at the edge of the bed, offended he would dare forget your gift after all the thought you put into his. Your eyes widened as you waited for him to apologize and give you your gift. You weren’t at all materialistic, nor did you care for expensive gifts, but the idea of someone shopping for you, of wrapping a gift with you in mind was something you’d always cherished. You wanted to feel loved and you wanted him to take advantage of one of the only excuses he had to show his love for you.

“I don’t recall agreeing to exchanging gifts this year.” Severus smirked as you pouted, half believing his lies, acting like a child who’d received a chunk of coal for Christmas. He chuckled and gave up his ruse, pulling out a neatly wrapped gift from his trunk. He closed his trunk and walked around the bed to sit beside you before handing you your gift, watching as you smiled. You placed the gift on your lap and took care when unwrapping the paper, just as he did with yours. Severus held onto every moment that passed, watching you intently as your eyes sparkled with wonder, your heart filled with love and your smile proudly displaying your glee for him.

Pulling back the wrapping paper, you revealed a large brown photo album with gold braces on each corner. In the centre was one word, letters partially faded, written in cursive gold lettering: Memories. Inside were three photographs, pinned to the first page. The first was a Muggle picture, a still image of you standing with Severus in the middle of the bookshop on your last day of work. Mr. Davis had insisted on taking the image, knowing you wouldn’t come back to work for him again, but you had no idea Severus had asked for a copy, never seeing him as the type to enjoy photographs. The second was a picture of you flying on your broom, waving as you went in and out of frame. It was your first game as Captain, you knew because of the nervous look on your face, the lack of confidence that you had now. The final image was a polaroid of Severus, one he’d taken himself. You smiled as the figure in the photo waved at you, his eyes filled with love.

“Oh Severus,” you whispered as your fingers traced the border of the last image. “It’s beautiful.”

Severus smiled, delighted with the warmth in your eyes as you stared at his gift. It really wasn’t much of a present, nowhere near as expensive as yours, but when he saw the album in the window of the antique shop he passed by on his way to work over the summer, his mind going back to it all day, he knew he had to buy it for you. He knew that you’d soon start your lives together and he wanted you to keep all your memories of the life you’d build together all in one place. 

“Do you really like it?” he whispered back, a small bit of nervousness in his voice. Despite your words, he really wanted to be sure you liked his gift as much as he did yours. You tore your eyes from the album and took your hand in his, smiling from ear to ear. 

“I love it,” you assured him, tucking his hair behind his ear with your free hand. You cupped his jaw and watched a look of content wash over his face, the joy of Christmas and the love shared in your gifts enveloping you as you leaned in. Severus returned your motions, pressing his hand against yours as he tilted his head and closed his eyes. Your lips brushed against one another, his soft touch sending sparks jolting through your veins as you kissed. 

You set aside the album for now and leaned forward as Severus lay on the bed, accepting what you’d consider your second Christmas gift. He hummed in delight as he pressed you to him, wrapping his arms around you. He couldn’t have asked for a better Christmas and it seemed that all those years of wishing for a holiday where he wouldn’t have to spend it alone was all worth it in the end. He never would have pictured his wishes coming to life in such a simple way, but he was glad they had, and he was glad that they’d all been fulfilled by you.

~

Next Chapter

~

@dracos-mudblood @bush-viper-cutie @wanderingtrails @sleepysnapesnake @fluffymadamina

[frunbuns]

Fics that punched me in the face and stole my lunch money

one more time with feeling by Soulykins (Not rated, 4009 words)

When Five Hargreeves is four-years-old, he discovers his power.

He also discovers a whole lot more than that.

They’re all figuring out their powers, and as a consequence they all move out of the nursery into their own rooms after a somewhat unfortunate incident regarding the discovery of Six’s powers. Regardless, Five isn’t very fond of the new arrangement because he’s lonely.

He can’t sleep without the sounds of his siblings around him. One’s sleepy whuffling and Four’s random exclamations, Six shuffling around and Two kicking his blankets off in the night. It’s too quiet.

That is, of course, when the man falls into his room.

Probably one of my all-time favourite fics. It hits hard and is honestly the reason this rec list was made. I swear the ending knocks the breath out of me every time I read it.

little white lies by Soulykins (General Audiences, 3750 words)

The first time Five lies, really lies, he's four-years-old and taking the blame for something he didn't do.

And then he doesn't stop.

--

Five lies to everyone. He lies to his father, to his siblings, and even to himself.

(Five has broken himself apart and put himself back together so many times over the course of his life. When you're broken, you use whatever is at hand to glue yourself back together. Love and loyalty and determination, of course. But hate and spite and fury all work as well.

Five never noticed when he started gluing himself together with lies. Lies are not very good glue, they come apart too easily.)

Five protecting his siblings? Angst and hurt? Yes. It hurts, but in a good way. Like all good angsty fics do. The ending? My god. A very nice way to end all that angst. Thank you very much.

Delusions of a Practical Nature by KnightNight7203 (Teen and Up, 5045 words, 3 chapters)

This wasn’t how today was supposed to go. He was supposed to get through the next layer of his equations, finally narrow down the limits he’s been searching for for the past month and a half. But maybe he should sit down with his family more often. For the first time in a long time, he feels something akin to peace.

In which Five doesn’t always have to make it through an apocalypse alone.

You think this is nice. A few things that make you go “That’s weird”, and then it punched you in the gut with the ending and you realize; “oh shit” and it’s actually really sad. This is yet another one of the fics that made me make this list lol.

Don’t waste your time (or time will waste you) by rosewitchx (Teen and Up, 4408 words)

He was an old man. He is sixteen. Ben dies next week. How does he know that? “I think I broke it,” Five stutters, and for the first time in her short life Vanya sees absolute terror in his eyes.

- Or, Five travels back again. Something goes wrong.

Heartbreaking in all the best way. This one hurts, but it wraps up nicely at the end and I like that in a fic (or anything tbh). It kinda feels like one long gut punch at times.

losing you to the gutter by tiesmp3 (Teen and Up, 2328 words)

fire, it burned my skin but i still want to play with it. - “baby boy”, mother mother

or, five is teetering on the edge of a very steep cliff—or, maybe he always has been, but no one’s ever really cared about it, anyway.

Hurt and comfort. Five’s PTSD being adressed. Getting the help he needs. All the good stuff.

and i'll be back (again and again and again) by artfulacrostic (Teen and Up, 3560 words)

Five stumbles to his feet and looks up at his family.

They seem so...startled. Staring, like they can't believe he's back, even though he's been back over and over and over.

Of course, they don’t know that. They never do.

//

Five relives the eight days before the apocalypse over and over again in a whirlwind of equations, alcohol, and failure.

This one’s a ride, y’all. Oh my fucking god. It’s so good. The feels, holy shit. I have no words. Just read it. This was also one of the fics that made me make this list.

Bolt from the Blue by TheArchaeologist (Mature, 84665 words, 39 chapters)

When they were sixteen Klaus successfully escaped for the night, and to celebrate went to the disco with a girl he barely knew. He was young, terribly misguided, but overall the night had been amazing.

He just didn't expect to have a baby dumped in his arms nine months later.

Or,

The author takes a throw away joke in the show and runs with it.

This is a looong one, I have to be honest with you all. It really is. It’s so good and heart wrenching and sweet and oh so sad. In an Alternate Universe Five is Klaus’ son and we follow him and Ben as they try their best to raise him with the little they have, until it all goes to shit. It’s part of a longer series and let me tell you; It’s a wild one.

And I Will Run Fast, Outlast by beastboy12 (Teen and Up, 27345 words, 7 chapters)

Five is fine. Getting his siblings to see that is a different matter entirely.

In which Five has a very difficult time accepting that he may not, in fact, be okay.

This one’s also on the longer side, but not terrifbly so. It’s another fic where Five struggles with his trauma and gets help. Some recovery. A very nice read. Make sure to read the warnings though, as it covers some difficult things. Be aware of that when reading this.

Side Effects May Vary by CivilBores (Teen and Up, 6565 words)

Allison crosses her arms. “Five,” she says firmly, “when was the last time you slept?”

“I don’t know,” Five says honestly. At Allison’s expression, he quickly adds, “But it doesn’t matter. I don’t know what it’ll take for all of you pea-brained idiots to realize that.”

“We may not be as intelligent as you, Five,” Allison says, “but at least all of us are smart enough to know how to take care of ourselves.”

OR

A week after the world is saved, Five convinces himself that he is still experiencing lingering side effects of paradox psychosis. His family has something to say about that.

Five’s falling apart and he thinks it’s paradox psychosis. The siblings try to help him. It takes some time, but eventually they get through to him. Turns out it’s not that serious, but Five is a disaster so what do you expect?

we are alive, here by pilotpoison (General Audiences, 1364 words)

The Apocalypse was diverted, and Five finally gets to feel.

Probably one of the shortest ones on the list. Five has a bit of a breakdown after finally stopping the apocalypse for good. Angsty with a hopeful, nice ending.

(i heard a rumor) i put a band-aid on a bullet wound by telm_393 (Teen and Up, 3220 words)

Allison tries to figure out who she really is. Allison tries to calm her brother down. There are no quick fixes.

Allison centered fic where she struggles with the loss of her voice and powers. It delves into Allison’s feelings towards the sitauation and her siblings (mostly Vanya). Basically she kinda learns how to live without the use of her voice, which has been such an imprtant part of her before and she also has a nice moment with Five where she calms him down after a nightmare. It’s also an interesting look at what Five’s trauma might look like from an outside perspective.

Derivation by obvious_apostate (General Audiences, 3199 words)

Grace wants to give the children something special for their birthday. She succeeds for six of them.

Your typical fic of the siblings recieving their names, expect in a slightly different direction. Grace sends out letters to the sibling’s mothers to ask what their names should have been and Five’s the one that never gets one. It’s sad and it hurts, but it’s so good.

[geochic03]

Never Letting Go

A/N: One shot based on the scene in Chapter 14 (Royal Edition) where Noctis asks Prompto how things went with 'you know who'. My interpretation of what happened between Prompto and Cindy and what happened post game.

Summary: After everything he just went through, there was no way that he was going to loose his grip on the one person that's meant the most to him the last ten years.

Fandom: Final Fantasy XV

Pairing: Prompto x Cindy (Post Game)

Rating: T (implied smut)

Words: 2262

Read on AO3

Just remember: Hold on tight to the ones you love and don’t let go.  Loose your grip and you loose ‘em for good.

 The kings words echoed in his head as he speed through the Leiden plains.  It had been so long since he laid eyes anything so bright.  The now dead vegetation glowed under the bright sun light as he saw the ground for the true color it was always intended to been seen.

 Crowds were beginning to form outside of the old city check point.  Most of whom were curious to know what was left of the once mighty Crown City, others wanted to celebrate the king who brought back the light.  If only they knew the truth.  Gladio took off with Talcott, on their way to Lestallum to gather supplies and pick up Monica and Dustin to help with the initial surveying of the city.  He also wanted to tell Iris in person the fate of her beloved friend and long time crush.  In his words: this isn’t something you tell someone over the phone.  Ignis stayed behind with the marshal, helping with the initial planning of rebuilding their home.  Sure, he felt guilty leaving them to the task, but he had to do this, he needed to do this.  They understood, and for that he was grateful.

 Prompto gave a heavy sigh as he continued to drive.  He had been so suave in responding to his best friends inquiry into his love life since the darkness, but what was he supposed to do.  How was he supposed to respond to that?  Tell him he spent the last ten years trying to impress her?  That this entire time he kept telling himself that he wasn’t good enough, or she is too busy with her work for a relationship?  That after helping her one night restore an old armory truck, they had one too many beers and slept together?  And then the next day both of them acted like it meant nothing to them.  That no matter how many girls he kissed, dated or slept with since, none of them could compare to that one drunken night with the girl he’s loved since the moment they rolled the Regalia into that garage.

 Seeing Noct again, watching him so selflessly sacrifice himself for the people he loved to bring happiness and light back to the world, made him realize what was important in life.  And damn it there was no way he was going to start living in this new age for Eos with lingering regrets.  Noct would never have wanted that.

 Prompto tightened his hands on the steering wheel as he saw Hammerhead appear in the distance.  It looked so different in the sunlight.  They had really turned Cid’s beloved garage into quite the fortress these last ten years.  He made a mental note to himself to make removing the barbed wired fences the first thing done before Cid returned back home.  He knew the spry old timer wouldn’t want to be stuck back in Lestallum knowing things were safer back at his true home.  As if on auto pilot Prompto turned into Hammerhead, the gate no longer being guarded by hunters and left opened for passers by to come and go as they pleased.  He hastily parked the truck over by a pile of large supply crates and hopped out.  He threw his Kingsglaive jacket into the back of the truck and moved quickly to the garage hanger, knowing even with the sun shinning bright that his goddess of the gears would still be working hard on whatever project she had going.

 As he scanned the hanger he frowned seeing that there were no signs of her anywhere.  Just as he was about to turn around and try Takka’s old diner he noticed a light coming from Cid’s, now Cindy’s office.  He gave a relieved sigh as he made as way over, hoping he didn’t loose his nerve between now and when he saw her.  Before he could get half way across the garage he watched as the door swung open and it’s occupant made it’s way outside.  His breath hitched as he watched her shield her eyes from the suns rays filtering into the steel structure.

 He didn’t think Cindy could be more beautiful than she already was, but seeing her there with the newly restored sun rays shinning on her perfectly curled, albeit longer blonde hair, he knew he thought wrongly.  Cindy turned to him and gave him a concerned look as she noticed the cuts and scraps on his exposed skin.

 “Prompto…you look like you dun near went through hell and back how did you get…” she began but he didn’t let her finish.

 In the time it took her to finish her sentence Prompto had marched his way over to her and pulled her lips to his in a searing and passionate kiss.  Cindy’s olive green eyes starred back in shock, frozen in place by the sudden action from her long time companion.  Prompto let out a shaky breath as he pulled a way, stroked her cheek with his thumb before leaning down once more to press a gentle loving kiss to her lips.

 As he pulled away again he watched her eyes follow his as he pressed his forehead to hers, knocking her hat off her head and allowing her blonde curls to sway freely.

 “Prompto what in the world…” Cindy started again but as if on queue he stopped her once more.

 “I love you.  I’ve loved you from the moment we pushed the Regalia into the garage that day ten years ago.  And every time me and the guys came back for a break or to run an errand I fell in love with you even more.  I know the guys used to tease me saying it was just puppy love but I knew that wasn’t true.  There has never been another woman in all of Eos that has ever made me feel the way I feel when I am with you and there never will be.  And before you say that I am wasting my time because you are married to your work that’s OK.  You wouldn’t be Cindy if you weren’t, and I get that…I always did.  That’s why I didn’t….that’s why I didn’t say anything after we fixed up that armory truck awhile back.” Prompto rambled out.

 Cindy stood there stunned as Prompto pulled away from her and looked away.  She could tell he was nervously fidgeting with his wrist, a habit she noticed long ago when he used to wear a wrist band on that arm.  When he told her about the barcode and how it came to be a few years into the darkness,  her heart broke for him.  Prompto was such a sweet and kindhearted man and didn’t deserve the trauma he had gone through.

 “What…what brought this on all of a sudden?” Cindy asked him as he stopped what he was doing and turned to her.

 “I…don’t want any regrets.  After what just went down in the Crown City…with Noct I…don’t want to keep moving forward without being honest with myself…and to you.  So, yeah…sorry if that makes things weird…” Prompto said scratching the back of his head.

 “The king’s gone ain’t he?”  Cindy asked as she moved closer to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

 Prompto silently nodded trying to hold back tears remembering the sight of Noctis marching towards the Citadel alone.  Soon he felt a gentle kiss on his cheek and Cindy wrapping her arms around him, giving him a comforting squeeze.  Cautiously Prompto wrapped his arms around her as they held each other for a few moments, processing the grief of their lost friend together.  After a few moments Cindy was the first one to pull away, placing her hand lovingly on his cheek.

 “I always knew you know.  You never needed to say it.” she said with a small smile on her face.

 Prompto’s eyes widened at her words “You…you did?  Wait…for how long?”

 Cindy laughed “You weren’t exactly the subtle type.  Even that night…I didn’t drink that much you know.”

 Prompto frowned “Then why did you…”

 “Act like nothin’ happened?  I…got scared.  I’ve lost so many people I cared about to this dag-on darkness and the daemons….I didn’t want to get too close to someone else knowin’ they might get taken away too.  I know you’re strong and all that Prom but even then…I don’t think I could handle knowing you, especially you, got taken away from me too.  I always appreciated that you never treated me like I was just some hot girl workin’ on cars in a bikini top.  You always understood my love for this garage and working on machines.  You’ve always respected me for who I am and have always been so nice to me offerin’ to help out here…take out daemons at any given moment.  You didn’t even laugh at me when I told you I was scared of the dark even with the headlights shinning into Hammerhead.” Cindy explained, folding her arms over her dark blue overalls.

 Prompto smiled back at her “How could I laugh at you for that?  After everything you went through with your parents and…”

 “I know…that’s why I’m so scared of loosin’ you Prompto.  I…dang it I guess what I’m trying to say here is that I love you too chocobo boy.” she said looking up into his bright blue eyes.

 Prompto was pretty sure he couldn’t smile any wider than he was in that moment.  The girl who he has pined over for the last ten years just admitted her love for him.  The only thing that would make the moment better would be if Noctis was there to see it.

 “Well are you just gonna stand there an smile at me or are yah gonna kiss me again?” Cindy said with a huff as she crossed her arms.

 Without hesitation Prompto leaned down and capture her lips with his once more, feeling her wrap her arms around his neck, pull him closer to her deepening the kiss.  He didn’t even care that there were people pulling into the station at that moment.  Or that he could have sworn he heard a customer making a lewd comment about them from outside the hanger.  All that mattered was the two of them, embracing in newly restored rays of sunlight, finally having confessed their feelings for one another.

 After hearing another person whistle from afar Cindy pulled away and smirked at him “Why don’t we take this upstairs where we won’t have an audience hrmm?”

 Prompto gulped as he nodded slowly, following her up the stairs to the living quarters above the garage where the two of them spent the rest of the day and night expressing the love they cultivated for one another over the last ten years.

  In the early morning, when the first ray’s of sunshine came filtering into Cindy’s room he couldn’t help but smile at the sleeping form wrapped in his arms beside him.  She had a content smile on her face as the sun lit up her features.  Even at thirty six, Cindy didn’t look a day over twenty five.  Prompto moved a strand of blond curls out of her face and pressed a gentle kiss forehead.  Silently he vowed to himself that from this day forward he would never let his goddess of the gears go, spending as much time as he could loving and cherishing the woman who would always have his heart for eternity.

 Cindy suddenly stirred from her sleep, slowly opening her eyes and giving Prompto a warm smile.  Slowly she took her free hand and reached up, rubbing his cheek affectionately.

 “Mornin’ sunshine.” Cindy said as she watched him look down at her.

 Prompto smiled as he took her hand in his, giving it a squeeze “Hey there…”

 “Looks like it’s going to be another sunny day out there.  The sun is shinning bright again.” she said as he held her hand.

“Yeah…it does doesn’t it?  But it’s not as bright as the one I’m looking at in here.” Prompto said as he leaned down and kissed her once more, the two enjoying the time the King of Light had given them, time neither of them would ever take for granted.