#why did she say yes to going to the dance

[makethemhoesmad]

Souls Aren’t Supposed to Attract on Accident

“I was never the villain. You just chose to believe your hero.” -Azzi Fudd

Read Azzi Fudd’s Long Awaited Interview here:

Interviewer(I): So, Azzi, as I’ve heard, this is quite the long story. Any specific place you’d like to start?

Azzi(A): I’d like to start at the beginning of the end. 2025-2026 college season

I: Alright, let’s start there.

A: Well, obviously I wanna clarify the rumors first. Yes, Paige and I dated from 2021 all the way up until April of 2026. That’s right, ladies. Your heartbroken star dumped me right after I’d won a second championship, and right before my rookie season.

~

“Aren’t you so proud of me, baby?” Azzi asks, gleefully dancing around in championship confetti.

“Yeah, babe, mhm. Listen, Az, can we talk?” Paige asks, placing her hands on Azzi’s shoulders to still her. 

“What’s up?” Azzi questions. She knows what’s coming, obviously. She just really doesn’t want it to happen the same night she’s just won her second natty in a row.

“I just don’t think it’s gonna work between us, y’know? Especially when we’re in the W and playing against each other so much. Right?” Azzi hates the way she words it like she’s fucking stupid, like she’s slow in the head. 

“Let’s just talk about this later, Paige. I want to enjoy this.”

~

I: Do you believe that breakup impacted your rookie season play at all?

A: If it did, it was only for the better.

~

“Do you really fucking hate yourself that much?” Azzi nearly shouts. Paige backs away, hands up as if she’s calming an animal, as though she hasn’t just rationalized a breakup being because of competition. They’ve been competing for years now. Is Paige just afraid Azzi will win?

“Are you really so mad I won that you’re going to end what we have? You’re never getting something like this again, Paige!” Still, Paige stands, stoic. Azzi grunts, frustrated, turning on her heel to leave.

“Your loss, Bueckers,” she calls over her shoulder. 

As she leaves the hotel she now knows why Paige insisted on booking, she vows that no matter what Paige does, she will always, always have to be second to Azzi.

~

A: Back to my last season of college. Obviously, Paige and I had just started the whole ‘long distance’ thing. It wasn’t too awful, because her season ended right when mine started, so we had time for each other. Sort of, at least. We fought quite a bit during that last season for me.

I: What changed when you went to the W, considering that the Valkyries and Sparks are much closer?

A: Part of it, I think, was Paige’s ego. She’s supposed to be this huge UCONN star, and in her five years there, she only won the natty once. When I did it twice, it pissed her off.

I: So you don’t believe distance played a part in it?

A: No. I think we could have easily made it through the physical separation, if Paige weren’t so damn jealous.

~

“Good game tonight, Paige.” Azzi says respectfully in the handshake line, nodding at her former teammate and love. Paige only grunts in response, refusing to meet her eyes.

~

I: So, 2026, your first meeting with the Sparks, and your team wins. In the post-game press conference, reporters ask Paige how she feels about your success as a rookie, and she declines to comment. Was this significant to you?

A: No. She didn’t want to say that I was having a good season, because my rookie season was going better than hers did. It would have been like telling herself I was better, and that would have torn her apart.

I: Right, because Paige didn’t win Rookie of the Year in 2025. Sonia Citron of the Indiana Fever did, because they were the WNBA champions that year. 

A: Exactly. I was already on course for Rookie of the Year at that point, but the previous year, all eyes had been turned to Olivia and Sonia.

I: And then, of course, we can’t talk about your first WNBA game against Paige without bringing up what fans dubbed the “repost war” started by current Washington Mystic KK Arnold and Ice Brady of the Seattle Storm.

A: Yeah, my old teammates reposting about being children of divorce. To be honest, I wasn’t all that fazed by it. I know Paige went off on KK for it once, but I genuinely didn’t give a fuck.

~

“Azzi, I wish you could still call Paige off like a dog,” KK laments, flashing her phone screen at Azzi. 

“Damn, all that for a repost about being a child of divorce?” Azzi says, squinting to read the string of profanity Paige had texted her former teammate. 

“Yeah, she’s gone off the deep end. Someone’s gotta help her.” 

“Well, it’s never gonna be me.”

~

I: And then nothing really happened at all, right? Not until 2028?

A: I mean, not to the public.

I: What do you mean by that? Anything to do with the 2027 news article titled “Paige Bueckers Spotted Outside of Valkyries Hotel”? 

~

“Azzi, you don’t know what you’re doing to me!” Paige screams, backing Azzi into the wall of her own hotel room.

“What the fuck do you mean by that, Paige? I don’t know that my rookie season was about a million times better than yours, and you’re too fucking weak minded to let me be happy about it?” Paige recoils at the defiance in her voice. She expected Azzi to balk at her fury, maybe try and lick her wounds. She never expected Azzi to fight her on it.

“That’s a lie and you know it. You know how the media spins things, Az. I just really fucking miss you. I’m going crazy without you, really.” Azzi scoffs when Paige kneels down in front of her, groveling like it would change her mind.

“Get up, Paige. And make sure you close the door when you leave.”

~

A: No, nothing about that. One of my teammates said they saw her in the lobby, but I never saw her.

I: Then the next year, you were both selected for the 2028 Olympic team. 

A: The funny thing about that was, it didn’t even cross my mind that she was also on the team until we had the first meeting all together. I was just so over the moon about getting chosen.

I: Was there tension at said meetings?

A: Maybe some, but when we got onto the court it fizzled out because even after all that happened we still worked together really, really well.

I: Yes, and of course the infamous “Is Pazzi Back?” article.

A: I didn’t even read it. Sonia, who’s now my teammate, showed it to me, and I waved it off. Wasn’t too concerned.

~

“So,” Paige says, wiggling her eyebrows at Azzi as she thunks down onto the cardboard bed they’re given to prevent intercourse between athletes. “Is Pazzi really back?” 

Azzi snorts at the absurd suggestion, even if some small part of her heart is screaming for her to say yes and throw herself on top of Paige. “Yeah right. I mean, seriously? They create a rivalry between us since I get drafted and the second we’re back on the court they think we’re fucking again?” Her voice shakes ever so slightly when she says again, unnoticeable to anyone except for someone who knows her well, body and mind. Like Paige used to.

“No offense, but I think I’ll stick to teammates this time,” Azzi scoffs, pointing Paige out the door.

“Aw, baby, you want me to beg? I can beg, you know I’m good at it.” Paige kneels down in front of her, remembering the way she was in this position in front of Azzi in a hotel room, about a year ago. Azzi must be remembering too, because she kicks Paige in the side and strides out of her own room.

~

I: Some critics said that Olympic team was one of the best ever, but when they look to credit players, they mention the Citron-Fudd connection almost more than the Bueckers-Fudd connection.

A: Well, yeah, Soni and I play well together. We’ve proven that over and over on the Valkyries.

~

“I’m getting a call from a blocked number, what the fuck.” Azzi gripes, showing Sonia her phone. 

“Answer it, you only live once.”

Azzi slides the call to answer, then hits the speaker button.

“Azzi, I swear to God if you’re fuckin’ that straight bitch Citron you better just own up to it now,” a slurred, familiar voices crackles. Azzi’s eyebrows raise, but she’s spent some time around Paige Bueckers and alcohol, enough to know exactly what she sounds like when she’s drunk and jealous. Sonia looks insulted, but before she can say anything, Paige speaks again.

“She don’t even make as much money as you, Az, so I don’t know why you’re even goin’ for her. I bet she don’t make your pussy feel the way I made it feel, huh?”

“Paige, you’re drunk. Fucking go to bed and call again in the morning if you still care.” Azzi ends the call, immediately beginning to apologize to the very insulted Sonia on her couch. 

“I’m so sorry she said that shit, bro, sometimes she just calls and says that stuff.”

“And you let her? Girl, I don’t know how you don’t slap the shit out of her when we play.”

“Maybe next time I will, you know, ‘cause we’re buddies again.”

~

I: Then, July 2029 when Paige went onto a podcast for an interview, she told the camera “yeah, never date your teammate”

A: I watched that, and nodded along. She was right, it wasn’t really going to do much for our careers, though I guess neither of us realized that until later.

~

‘Never date your teammate’ huh? Is what Azzi types into Paige’s Instagram DMs at midnight after watching that podcast episode. 

“No way she doesn’t even fucking open it,” Azzi curses to herself. She’s mad, obviously because Paige mentioned her a frustrating amount of times in that interview, considering she has a girlfriend to go home to now. Yep, cute little LA up-and-coming actress. She’s 5’2 on a good day, and the sweetest little bitch you’ll ever meet. One time, she had the audacity to comment ‘you’re so gorgeous’ on Azzi’s Instagram post. But Azzi obviously doesn’t care

~

I: Basically radio silence from you for quite a bit after that season, no one saw you doing anything until you commented on a fellow Valkyrie’s post.

A: I took a long break from social media, because I felt like the toxicity of it was hurting more than it was helping anything. When I finally did come back, it was because I couldn’t resist supporting my long-time friend Kate Martin and her firstborn!

I: It was right into this past season then, right?

A: Absolutely, I’ve always had a very championship-based mindset. I want to be the best, and I want to do it well. Nothing really messes with my head during the season, I just get so driven.

~

Paige messages back three months later, with a snide comment about Azzi being easily distracted. Azzi doesn’t justify it with a response. Really, she looks down on three-months-ago Azzi. She’s matured a lot since then. She’s deleted every media outlet from her phone, gone ‘off the grid’, buried herself in workouts. She tells herself it’s because her team didn’t make it to the finals this year, and that she needs to. It helps her sleep at night. Sometimes.

~

I: And now here we are, where we can finally talk about this year’s riveting WNBA finals. Neck-and-neck until the end, with you putting up some of your best performances.

A: I love to win. Anyone who’s close to me knows that. It’s my number one source of dopamine.

I: So I bet a win like that, over a team like that, must’ve felt really, really good, right?

A: Oh, it felt like I was riding the world’s best high.

~

The handshake line of the seventh game is an emotional roller coaster every year, opposing players hugging each other, cheering, sobbing, confetti. Everything is going both 100 miles per hour and seems to stop at the same time. 

But when Azzi catches that brief glimpse of Paige, leaning down so, so low to hug her girlfriend, she knows the celebration won’t be what she remembers most. For just a moment, she lets a long-suppressed memory play, of the 2025 National Championship. When they were teammates, when they ran to each other, instead of barely grazing hands and inclining heads in the handshake line, as if they had never met.

~

I: And that brings us to right here, right now. What are your future plans? 

A: As everyone knows, the WNBA free agency trading period always gets intense. This year, my team is rebuilding and recreating, moving people around. While I will always love the Valkyries, I’m making a change. You’re looking at a member of the Los Angeles Sparks!

~

Azzi scrolls through DMs in the hours following her interview release. Some congratulatory, some spiteful, some simply conspiratorial. One name catches her eye, nearly lost in a sea of words.

paigebueckers: Welcome to LA, Az.

January, 2031

___________________________________________ taglist: @purple-paige-purple @overtimenatalie @fuddfanatic35 @azzilov @ldapper @forpsheturnpesbian @rhyxanwaters @bu3ckersgirl @rosemariiaa @paigebaby5 @tndaqlwifwy

[autumndory]

Takes Two

And the Levihan brain rot continues.

Here's the link for AO3

Let's start by saying that @catyypss is truly a queen when it comes to LeviHan fan art. I opted for something extra simple for the cover of this fic and she, once again delivered. I added the title (as I always do for the fics), and what can I say… I have a TRUE passion for graphic design. can someone please teach me how to use Photoshop?

So, did I start another fic when I have one waiting for its culmination? Yes, I did. Mind your business.

I whipped up this fic (or at least what I have so far) in what felt like ten seconds. So, if you're expecting it to make sense, then that's on you. Honestly, I was inspired by the team-building activities at my partner’s company. They seem to have something fun going on every quarter! More companies like that, please!

I know there have to be Levihan fics out there featuring them as dance partners (a lot of us have the same ideas and headcanons) but I wanted to write one of my own because why not? In this fic, they are coworkers and they have to collab together. That's all. Nothing too fancy. Nothing out of this world.

Anyway, if you read any grammar errors, ignore them. I truly don't care about the English language these days. Not my first language, not my problem. With that said, I hope you enjoy it.

Happy Valentine's Day!

[lavender-butterfly-cookie]

TA DA, my next masterpiece y/n as a belly dancer, I never seen anyone make this au of them so here's one. It's with the theme for burning spice and golden cheese.

In a fanfic how would they reacted to this along with the other beasts cookies and the gang.

Golden Cheese cookie and Burning Spice cookie are fighting ruthlessly as their friends (Followers) watch from the sides. Y/N is also watching, but she's unamused and bored.

Golden Cheese cookie: MINE! They are MY dancer! Gtet away you insufferable brute!

Burning Spice cookie: They were mine first! Or need I remind you of who's power you hold?! Come at me dumb bird!

Y/N cookie: Ugh... Their arguing combined with the heat wears me out quicker. I need a break from this.

Mozzarella cookie: You could always go to the kingdom?

Y/N cookie: Which one? Cuz as far as I know, I live in two.

Nutmeg Tiger cookie: Obviously you should return to ours-

Smoked Cheese cookie: Fat chance, your spice storms are too harsh for them-

Nutmeg Tiger cookie: And you castle is too bright, we even!

Y/N cookie: Hm... I think I'll just do the responsible thing.

Burning Spice cookie and Golden Cheese cookie stop fighting for a moment and all cookies look at Y/N, anticipating their next choice.

Y/N cookie: I'm going to my siblings house.

All: WHAT?!

Golden Cheese cookie: B-but- why?!

Burning Spice cookie: You shouldn't leave! I have yet to pound this bird to the ground!

Golden Cheese cookie: Why you insolent-

Y/N cookie: That's why.

Both: Huh?

Y/N cookie: The heat, the arguing, it's all so draining. I've grown used to it, yes, but even I need a break. 3 days. 3 days and I'll return. Got it?

All the cookies glance at each other before glancing at Golden Cheese cookie and Burning Spice cookie. The two glare at each other, than cross their arms and sigh as they quickly avert their gaze once more.

Both: *Mumbling* Fine.

And that settled it. The next day, Y/N cookie was off to live at their siblings place. Even though it'd only be for 3 days, there was a whole farewell thing where the cookies granted them luck. After a long day of travelling, they made it. They walked up to the door and knocked. Soon it opened and Original Y/N greeted them.

Original: Hey Belly Dancer Y/N. Wait- why are you-

BD Y/N: I'll explain later, can I come in? I just travel a heck of a long way just to get here.

Original Y/N: And how exactly did you make it in a day?

BD Y/N: I realized half way that I had some magic dust from the kulfi's in the pocket. I teleported here after having a hell of a break down for realizing what an idiot I am.

Original: Well... uh... You know what, just come in.

The next day the house sounded like it was bustling with activity, causing BD Y/N to wake up. They leave the room to see the Twin Y/N's arguing with Military Y/N and 350 Kilos Y/N. Original Y/N is trying to be the voice of reason, but to no avail. Realizing how similar it was here than when they were in the desert, BD Y/N decided it was better if they excused themselves from the house.

Whilst outside, BD Y/N lounged in the hammock. Always dancing, always in heat, always hearing argument. This quiet atmosphere was a nice change of pace. But just as they were relaxing-

BD Y/N: Gya?!-

A ball hits them straight in the face, causing them to spin around in the hammock in a twist before ultimately falling off and face first into the dirt. They bring their head u with an upset expression displayed on their face before their eyes land on the ball. As they get up, they hear voices approaching.

Gingerbrave: OMG- I'M SO SORRY!

Strawberry cookie: A-are you ok?!

Wizard cookie: It was an accident!

BD Y/N looks up at the three- no, five cookies approaching. One of them goes to their side and helps them up before brushing of their shoulder nonchalantly.

Chili Pepper cookie: Eh, you'll be fine. A little bit of ball and dirt never hurt anybody- gah?!-

Custard cookie iii: *Hits her in the side with his scepter* You can't just say that! We're super sorry!

Strawberry cookie: Are you hurt?

BD Y/N needs a moment to look at them. 4 kids and one teen. Despite their original displeasure, they could see that they really meant no harm. B/D Y/N puts on a soft smile and shakes her head.

BD Y/N: No no, I'm not hurt. And it's ok, it was an accident after all.

The kids: Phew.

Gingerbrave: Say, who are you? We've never seen you around before.

BD Y/N: Oh, right, my mistake. I'm Belly Dancer Y/N. I usually reside in the desert, but I'm staying here for the next three days.

They all exchange glances before the barrage of questions comes crashing into BD Y/N faster than they can react. They're faced with several more questions before eventually Original Y/N comes outside to assist her a bit. The day goes by in a flash and soon it's night time, mean BD Y/N can finally rest.

Unfortunately, "rest" isn't something any Y/N can do, aside from tired Y/N. Their short slumber is cut off soon as she wakes u to the sounds of air rushing past them. Before they can react, a vortex of sorts extracts them from their bed and brings them to another place, one which they're partially familiar with.

Shadow Milk cookie: Ah! there we go! All in one piece. Sleep well fellow performer?

BD Y/N: I- How'd-

Mystic Flour cookie: Questions for later.

BD Y/N: Why am I here.

Eternal Sugar cookie: well *yawns* Burning whatever his name is asked us- *yawns* to look after you.

BD Y/N: Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh of course he did. And where's the quiet one?

Shadow Milk cookie: Beats me. But I suppose we should keep ourselves busy until you return to our spicy fellow, hm?

BD Y/N: Ugh, I just wanna rest! Is that too much to ask for?!

Eternal Sugar cookie: Omg, relatable.

BD Y/N: You know what? Screw it! I'M GOING HOME!

Mystic Flour cookie: And where would that be?

BD Y/N: ANYWHERE BUT HERE!!!

They walk off in a huff. After long hours of walking, they made it to beast yeast somehow, remembering they still had the kulfi dust. Without even greeting their companions, they walked of to a tomb, got in, closed it and slept in hopes that maybe the others will think they're dead and leave them alone.

[sugawhaaa]

SAN DRABBLE

🌙▪︎[Damn those eyes]▪︎🌙

Warnings//genre:: violence, knives mentioned, San is in love with you bc he's insane....

Pairing:: rich!San x fem!bodied!hitman!reader

A/N:: okay we got part two of the masquerade series and I think Yeosang will be next and possibly the last of this series 💪 I did have a Hongjoong one planned but idkkkk

Atz masterlist::🗡

Taglist:: @saddeneddimple @leo-seonghwa

🎧::

You were a hitman hired by a big shot of an internationally famous company. You were ordered to kill a man named Choi San. Why did the company want him dead? None of your business. You got a photo of him, nice and clear, 4k quality yet when you arrived at the exact location the company said, he was well hidden. A masquerade ball. Choi san would be at this ball on May 17th, arriving roughly at 7 pm yet the grand clock showed it was a quarter till eight and you could not spot this man. It would be hard to find a man you've never met behind a mask and feathers among nearly a near hundred people. Time to move on to plan b.

You started getting friendly, but not too friendly so as to not draw attention. You silently started to hint at your interest in a good man named Choi San. The groups of people seemed surprised you didn't know of this man.

“Oh Mr. Choi?”

“He's new money but he is so famous,”

“You should really look into him,”

All the women seemed giddy about the concept of San and this piqued your interest.

“New money you say? How did that occur?” You ask, trying to keep up your curious little lady vibe.

“His father passed away tragically, however, his father insisted he take the money,” a woman wearing a deep satin blue gown informed you. She held her mask up with the convenient handle on the side. The mask's blue matched that on her dress and there was a gold trim around the eyes and outside of the mask.

“Oh, what a shame,” you sigh with a shake of your head. “I would love to meet Choi san, passed off of all your positive judgment on him,” you say politely, slightly hinting to them that they should introduce you or something of the sort.

“Ah yes, he is just in the back corner by the drinks,” a younger woman in deep magenta points out. Her eyes are full of youth and innocence, a spark that has been missing from your eyes for far too long.

“Why thank you for pointing him out,” you bow slightly before making your way over to him. He stood close to the bar of drinks and held one hand behind his back, the other in front holding red wine, a dark clash to his white suit with a snake tongue-like ending to it. You take a deep breath before coming up to him. “Excuse me, are you choi san?” You ask politely and he turns to look at you, his eyes are mainly hidden beneath his white mask.

“That would be me,” he smirks slightly. “And you may be?”

“Ah, Y/N L/N, sorry for my rudeness,” you put a hand to your chest, drawing sans eyes to the black choker on your neck holding a deep ruby charm on the end of it.

“No apology necessary,” San bows slightly, almost like a nod in a modern conversation. "What is it you wanted to discuss with me?" He asks, assuming that you wanted more than friendly conversation.

"Ah, yes," you look down at your hands for a moment, taking in the dark velvet red gloves that wrap up to your elbows. "Perhaps we should discuss it in private," you suggest and San chuckles, that rich laugh that makes your blood heat up. San eventually leads you to a deserted hallway with rows of doors. He takes you to one of the rooms and explains that these are guest rooms used by people who wish to stay the night at these balls rather than go home after all the drinks and dancing. San had already booked himself a room so there would be no interruptions in here.

San closes the door behind himself before making his way to stand in front of you. A perfect opportunity...

"What is on your mind Ms. L/N?" He smiles politely and through his mask, you can see the purity in his eyes. You swallow hard, your hand tightening around the handle behind your back. San's eyes flicker down to your hand hiding behind your back and he sighs softly. He sits down on the bed in his room, leaning back slightly and holding himself up with his hands. This is the perfect opportunity to pull out your knife and kill him off. You grip the handle harder and swing it out from behind you, now revealing the weapon to San's eyes.

You pin him down to the bed, ensuring he can't wriggle away, before raising the knife above even your own body. Your eyes are locked right on his neck, your aim perfect. However, as you bring your hand down you down feel the knife make contact with his body. You avert your gaze to look at his neck, which should be covered in blood, you see his eyes looking up at you. "Can you really do it?" His expression is blank and you raise the knife again, attempting your strike again but now your hands quiver. "It's much harder to kill someone when they're looking right into your eyes huh?" There isn't an ounce of fear in his voice or expression, almost as if he knew this would happen and he mentally prepared for this beforehand.

You sigh, questioning yourself; could you really do this? Kill a man who is looking up at you with those eyes. Damn those eyes... "before you kill me," San starts, drawing your attention back to him. He raises a hand to your face and you pull back. "Could you let me see your face?"

His request leaves you momentarily speechless, however, it is quite frankly his last wish.

"No," you state and you can see the hurt in his eyes. "Because...I'll let you live. But you if you saw my face, I'd be severely punished," you put the knife back into its hidden pocket in the back of your dress. You stand up and turn to go to the door but San quickly follows, placing a hand on your shoulder. You turn to look at him and he pulls the mask off your face, the mask falls to the floor as you finally feel the warmth of him on your face. He looks directly into your eyes, for they are most familiar to him.

"I didn't plan on snitching either way, I know you're just a puppet,"

[starfox017]

Life Series College AU

Hi guys! This is my first time ever writing fanfiction! (i'm fueled by the hyperfixation) and I wanted to share the very first bit of the Life Series College AU I wrote! ---

Alright New school You’ve done this before But this is different right? I mean college, that’s a BIG deal. Will you know anyone here? Well, of course you will. Pearl’s here, and so is Mumbo. Maybe I’ll find other friends too.

I feel a fist punch my shoulder and I flinch at the impact, only to see Pearl on my right side skipping along the sidewalk. “Hey! Stop being so much in your brain, brain is bad. It’s college, you have got nothing to worry about. No one knows you here, it’s a brand new experience, with brand new people!”

“Yeah but—” I can feel the binder pressing against my chest, all the air starts to leave my lungs. “No buts!” Pearl turns in front of me and grabs my shoulders. “Just breathe. Okay? If anyone messes with you, just call me, okay? Now get in there, and make a good first impression! What’s your first class?”

“I- I think it's the history of architecture?” I say, swallowing the lump in my throat. I roll my shoulder back and stick my head up and fill myself with fake confidence. My words taste artificial, and my brain is filled with lies. Pearl and I stroll into class together, having the same class. She leaves me to sit across the room.

“This is for your own good. You need to be your own person, make your own friends.” I sit alone in an empty room, way too early for class. I fiddle with my fingers and start to pick at the dry skin around my nails. I wince at the slight pain of removing a hangnail, and see a drop of blood appear. Shit. I stick my finger in my mouth and try to remove the blood so no one notices. People begin to enter the room, sparcing themselves everywhere. I turn to stare at Pearl. From across the room she gives me a thumbs up with a warm smile. I quickly take the finger out of my mouth and give a thumbs up back, a fake smile plastered across my face.

“Why hello there!” “AAAH!” A voice startles me from behind, appearing at my left is a person propping up their cane against the chair next to them.

“Sorry, did I startle you?”

“Yes, sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing, for being scared? My name is Scar!”

“My name is- Grian” I say, the words not wanting to come out of my mouth. What do I tell people? The truth, or a lie? Is it even a lie anymore?

“Is that a question? I don’t know what your name is, sorry about that buddy.”

“NO! No. That’s- I’m sure. My name is Grian. That’s what my name is! Why would it be anything else?”

“I don’t know! I’ve never seen you in this class before. OH YOU’RE NEW! Welcome, welcome. Oh you’re going to love this class! Professor Andersson is the best!” Scar’s eyes flash to the professor standing at the front of the classroom. He’s dressed up in a blue crew neck shirt and some black pants, exactly what you would expect an engineering teacher to prepare. He adjusts his classes before introducing the class. I try to pay attention, but my mind keeps drifting to the man sitting next to me. He said he was a junior. He’s older than me, but acts so much younger. He has a goofy smile on his face always, and has such a way of speaking unlike anyone else I’ve ever heard. His hair is long and outgrown looking like a nest a bird would make, yet magnificent in a way you don’t normally see in a man. His green eyes gleamed like grass covered in mud but shone with sparkles of emeralds in the fluorescent light of the classroom. He had tan skin with a scar across his cheek— fitting with his name. When you stared at him enough, he was almost pretty. His face danced through my brain the rest of the class. If you want to hear more about what I have planned for this AU, feel free to ask me! I hope you guys like this, as I've never written fanfiction before.

[secndlife]

[7:15pm]

Soonyoung’s alone and sad on Valentine's Day.

And it’s all his fault. 

It’s all his fault and he knows it. 

You’re not alone and sad, though. You’re spending Valentine’s Day with someone else when you should be spending it with him. But again, it’s his fault. 

“So…” Your voice is small and hesitant already. You’re not sure how you’re gonna do this.

Soonyoung looks away from the movie to stare at you, eyes as majestic as ever, and a small smile across his lips. His black hair is slightly damp and droplets of sweat are trailing down his torso. His body can never really hide what the two of you do.

When you say nothing, he asks, “Yes?”

You just have to say it. Plain and simple. You’ve known him long enough. You’ve been doing this long enough. It’s time. 

Breathe in, breathe out.

“Valentine’s Day is coming up.” This has to be enough, you can’t bring yourself to continue. You just can’t do it. Soonyoung has to figure out the rest on his own. 

The thing is, he isn’t any good with unspoken words. 

“Oh, yeah.” His eyes are facing front again, “I have a couple’s class to teach until 8:30 that day.” 

You nod. 

You want him to tell you he can still see you after classes. You want him to tell you he wants to spend that day with you. You want him to own up to his feelings, even if he’s not ready to actually call you anything more than a friend. 

Because you know you are. You are more. You feel it in the way he kisses you. In the way he smiles at you. In the way he holds your waist when you’re dancing. In the way he says you’re the best he’s ever had. 

But now you want him to say it with actual words. You want them to roll out of his lips the same way moans were doing not long ago. 

“Do you have plans?” Soonyoung suddenly asks and you’re caught off guard. 

“Not really.”

Silence.

Do it. Do it now. Ask her to spend Valentine’s Day with you. You want it and she wants it too. That’s probably why she’s bringing this up. Just say it. They’re just words. It’s not like you haven’t been showing her in other ways you want that. 

But Soonyoung just can’t do it. 

It’s like he’s paralyzed. By fear, by insecurities, by the weird voice in his head - he’s not even sure what it is. He just can’t do it.

When Soonyoung doesn’t say what you wanna hear, you do your best to hide, but there’s a clear shift in your posture. And it’s so evident that even someone like Soonyoung can pick up on it. And before he realizes it, he’s vomiting words. And they’re all the wrong ones. 

“You can do something if you want to. Don’t let me hold you back.” He’s still not looking at you, but he can feel your eyes on him. “I mean, it’s not like we’re officially dating anyway.” 

“What?” You can’t say anything more than that. Your head is spinning and your mouth feels dry. 

No, Soonyoung. No. Shut up. Shut up, shut up, shut up. 

But again, he just can’t do it. 

“Well, we always said this was casual.” 

There was absolutely nothing casual about the two of you. Not anymore. Soonyoung’s in it, and deep. But that’s not the arrangement. That’s not what you both said this thing was gonna be when you first kissed months ago. That’s not what you both said when you kept having sex week after week. He was not supposed to like you this much. He’s not supposed to almost love you like that. 

But he does and he somehow thinks he’s not allowed. Soonyoung thinks he shouldn’t. Not because of you. God, never because of you. But because of him. Because he’s clueless.

And he thinks you deserve more than that. He’s known you for ages and you’re his favorite person. You don’t deserve clueless. You deserve intentional. Regardless of how much he likes you.

So maybe that’s why Soonyoung is doing this now. He’s not sure.  

Clueless.

This did not go as you planned. Awful result. Just awful. You’re at a loss for words so all you do is hum in acknowledgment.

Soonyoung tries to think for a second, and he can feel in his heart he’s absolutely ruining everything. 

But he just can’t help it. Maybe it’s for the best.

Clueless.

“Yeah, so you’re free to do whatever. Maybe even go on a date.” You look at your hands and his words feel like a thousand knives being pressed against your skin. “You shouldn’t be alone on Valentine’s Day.”

And so you aren’t alone on Valentine’s Day. But Soonyoung is. 

And all he thinks about is you. 

Soonyoung is alone and sad and he’s about to teach a couple’s class without the best dance partner he’s ever had. 

And it’s all his fault.

a/n: omg hiiiiii! i haven't written anything in ages. i was in fact complaining yesterday to a friend about it lol and then today i woke up and BAILE INoLVIDABLE was stuck in my head and had an epiphany that it's very much a soonyoung song. so then i wrote this. i kinda wanted to write more and give it the happy ending it deserves but i the inspiration is gone (and so is my free time). so maybe some other time. but yes here you have it, angsty soonyoung for vday!!! enjoy!!! mwah!!!

[nightbutterfly09]

Kids.

Your aunt and uncle arrived in Spain and would spend the rest of the month in this country. They texted you a few days ago that your uncle reserved a dinner for the lovely married couple to spend their wedding anniversary together but their daughter, Akemi, didn't want to participate.

They knew you lived in Spain with your boyfriend therefore they reached out if perhaps you could babysit Akemi for a day. 

You filled Sae in too and it wasn't like he had much of a chance for denial as you seemed way too excited to see your toddler cousin.

He did have a match that day however. That meant he wouldn't be there when the little guest would arrive. So as he opened the door, shook his shoes off and tossed his bag on the chair he went inside the living room. Where some laughter was erupting from.

You were dancing in front of the TV with Akemi. You were singing along to the lyrics. Or so he’d say, but singing is wuite an exaggeration.

The little girl was keeping up with his girlfriend very well and he'd say she was close to beating his woman.

The smaller one with the pigtails looked to her right side and her eyes widened at the tall figure. Sae’s finger made its way to his mouth. He didn't want to stop the fun and he also enjoyed your failing dance moves.

The little one giggles and turned back to continue where she left off. But when the song finally came to an end you saw Sae in the corner of your eyes.

He was standing against the door frame. A smirk plastered on his face. Lips cured upwards and his eyes weren’t able to contain his laughter.

“Big brother!!!” Akemi ran and hugged his legs. It always amazed you how well your cousins got accustomed to Sae.

Not only was he a famous football player but also your boyfriend, so you were always even more nervous when you had to introduce him.

But just like your other cousins, to Akemi seeing Sae was just another surprise. The fact that they all started calling him big bro most of the time really threw you off the first time, but lately you found it very heartwarming.

“Hi mrs. Unicorn” he smiled and picked the little girl up. She was in a pink dress with unicorns on it, hence the nickname. “Sae big bro! Did I do great?!!” She exclaimed.

“Ah yes, amazing, not even a professional dancer could stand in your way miss” he rolled his eyes.

Thoughts never came when you saw him with kids. He always acted like such a father figure. It was always so different from how he was with the rest of the world. So soft and gentle. You can understand why Rin got so attached to the older one.

Their parents weren't always around and to Rin, Sae was more like a parent figure than their own parents. Not that they didn't care about the two little boys. Sae was just better at taking care of him.

“Big sis Y/N! I want to go outside!! A walk please- oh and ice cream!!” “Auntie and Uncle would murder me if I gave you ice cream you know.. but a walk would be fine.” Her pouty expression rose but it dispersed as you poked her cheeks. “Sae are you coming?” “Sure, but don't you want to go on a drive? It's getting colder now that it's so late.”

Now that. That idea struck something within the toddler. She really loves Sae. She likes fresh air. She likes the night sky. And it looks like car rides were among her new favorite activities. “YES YES YESS!!” she exclaimed happily.

“Okay okay fine, Sae will drive us but before you run out, let’s dress up okay?” She pouted but nodded along.

After you made sure she had everything she requested her hair to be braided so you quickly got to making a beautiful and strong braid. Sae was watching in awe not understanding how placing a strand on another would make such a pretty braid. “You know big bro, you could do it for sissy sometimes!!” “I could never” he chuckled and hugged the woman from behind, placing a kiss on her cheek. “But practice makes perfect- or that's what mommy said when I dance!!” “That's true, but he has more important things to do than braiding my hair.”

“Sp you want to be a dancer that much Akemi-chan?” “Yes!! They are so cool!!” The car sped through the cold road and soon you arrived at the playground where the little girl really wanted to go.

To Sae, seeing you with your little cousin reminded him of what you’d be like with your own children and to you it was the same with him. Both of you loved seeing the other take care of a smaller human. Someone who still had life ahead and still had millions and millions of things to hear about.

Not that Akemi ever thought so deeply about today.

I hope you enjoyed it. Tomorrow will be a valentines special with more blue lock characters.

(sorry I just posted today's but I hope you already figured this out, all valentine's week I posted something 🩷💕)

Have a nice day/night

[sergeantbarnessdoll]

Hi! Can I please request a soft!dark fic with Lloyd Hansen? With a little age gap (she’s in her early twenties) Maybe he took her as at first only as a hostage in order to get someone he’s be hired to “take care of” out of hiding, but after a couple months of her being in his mansion (it’s taking a while for the guy he’s hunting to show up) he has become rather fond of her and has fallen in love with her. So when he finally catches the guy he’s going after, Y/n is expecting that he’ll let her go home now but he reveals that he never had any intention of letting her go and that she wants her to be his. She has never tried to run away, has always listened to whatever said. While she does start crying at the news that Lloyd is indeed not letting her leave, he manages to soothe her, promising that he’ll take care of her and love her and make her forget the way she got there, so she just clings to him taking solace in the warmth and comfort of his arms

Change Of Heart » Lloyd Hansen

Pairings: Soft Dark!Lloyd Hansen x Female Reader

Summary: Lloyd has a change of heart with you shortly after taking you hostage.

Warnings: Soft Dark, Fluff, language, age gap (reader is in her early 20s), held hostage, mentions of murder, crying, kissing, pet names

A/N: Thank you for the request, nonnie🩵

Written on my phone. My apologies for any mistakes.

Header made by @buck-star

GIF IS NOT MINE! Gif credit goes to the creator.

Lloyd walks in the club with his hands in his pockets to look causal. He took a walk around the club before leaning against the wall. He looks at the sea of people who is either dancing or is too drunk to function. That’s when you caught his eye. He watches you for a moment before motioning one of his men over to him.

“Get her when she leaves.�� Lloyd says lowly, pointing at you.

“Yes, boss.” He replies.

As it got later, you decided to leave. You were about to open the door to your car when someone grabbed you from behind and put a hand on your mouth to keep you quiet. You kicked and screamed, trying to fight off the person behind you, but it was no use. You felt yourself grow weak when you kept inhaling the chloroform that was on the small white rag in the person’s hand. The person picked you up, throwing you over his shoulder and walked over to Lloyd. Lloyd tilted your head up and moved your hair out from your face, making sure his men got the right person.

“Great job. Take her to my mansion.” Lloyd says.

His men nodded and did as they were told.

You woke up a while later in an unfamiliar room, which appears to be a bedroom. You sat up and looked around the room to gather your surroundings. You were in a state of confusion. You looked down, noticing you weren’t wearing the outfit you wore to the club last night. You were now wearing a sweat outside, which you’ll admit is comfortable. You got out of bed to walk around the bedroom. You walked over to the window, looking out of it. You were trying to figure out where you are, but nothing is coming to your mind. No one you know has a house this expensive.

You jumped when you heard the bedroom door open. You turned around to see a man with a mustache. He closed the door behind him. You stayed frozen in the spot you’re standing in, not daring to move a muscle. You didn’t dare to say a word either.

“Hello there, Y/N.” Lloyd says.

“How do you know my name?” You asked.

“I do thorough research on everyone.” He took a seat in one of the nice chairs one the other side of the bedroom. “Have a seat.” He says, gesturing to the chair across from him.

You hesitantly walked over to the chair and sat down.

“I’m Lloyd Hansen of Hansen Government Services and before you ask, you’re in my mansion.” Lloyd introduces himself. “The reason why you’re here is because someone who you’re acquaintances with and I hired is in hiding.” He says.

“Who?” You asked, furrowing your eyebrows in confusion.

“I think you know.” He says, leaning back in the chair.

You thought about it for a moment, but your mind is drawing a blank. You honestly don’t know who Lloyd is talking about.

“Anyways, I had you brought here as leverage against him to see if he’ll come out of hiding.” He says.

“What did I do?” You asked.

“Absolutely nothing, sunshine.” He replies. “I just want to see how long it takes him to come out of hiding so he can come to me.” He says.

“If whoever you’re talking about comes out of hiding, will you let me go?” You asked.

“Maybe or maybe not.” Lloyd answers.

Lloyd stood up from and walked to the door, putting his hand on the doorknob, but didn’t turn it.

“There’s books and magazines on the book shelf in the corner for you to read and food will be brought to you. There’s a bathroom in here and there’s clothes in the dresser for you.” Lloyd opened the door and then turned around. “One more thing, don’t even think about trying to escape.” He says.

Lloyd closed the door, locking it from the outside. You sighed and leaned your head against the chair. You stood up and walked over to the book shelf. You looked at the variety of books and magazines that are on the shelves. You grabbed a random one to read. You sat down on the bed, leaning your back against the headboard and covered your lap with the blanket. You might as well red the books and magazines since you’re not getting out of Lloyd’s mansion anytime soon.

The first few weeks you’ve been staying in Lloyd’s mansion, you haven’t tried to escape or run away in any way, which surprises Lloyd. He thought you would try to escape from him somehow at least once. He watched you closely just to be sure. He has a security camera hidden somewhere in the bedroom so he has eyes on you at all times. He doesn’t have it in there as a creep would. He just wants to make sure you don’t try anything he doesn’t want you to do.

“Hey there, sunshine.” Lloyd smiles as he walks in the bedroom two glasses and a bottle of scotch. “You want a drink?” He asks as he sat down in the chair.

You nodded and stood up from the bed, walking over to him and sitting down in the chair across from him. You watched as he poured some scotch in the glass and hand it to you. You hesitantly took it from it and looked in the glass.

“I didn’t poison it or anything if that’s what you’re thinking.” He says, taking a sip of his drink.

“It’s not that.” You mumbled. “What is it?” You asked as you continued to stare at the liquid inside of the glass.

“Scotch.” He answers.

“I’ve never tried it before.” You say.

“Try it. You might like it.” He says.

You stared at the scotch for a few more seconds before taking a sip of it. You felt the burn of it slide down your throat, but other than that, it’s pretty good.

“It’s good.” You say.

You stared at the glass and tapped your fingers against it as an awkward silence fills the room.

“Can I ask you something?” You asked after a moment.

“Sure.” Lloyd says, taking a sip of his drink.

“I’ve been here for a while and I was wondering when I could go home.” You say.

Lloyd sighs and puts the glass on the small table next to him.

“You’re not going anywhere, cupcake.” He says.

“Why not?” You asked.

“That acquaintance of yours isn’t here yet, which means you’re staying here until I see fit.” He says.

“Oh.” You mumbled quietly.

You put the glass on the small table and started fiddling with your fingers, avoiding eye contact with Lloyd. Your bottom lip quivered and you felt your eyes tearing up.

“Don’t be like that, sunshine.” He coos, gently tilting your head up so you were making eye contact with him. “If you’re thinking I’m going to hurt you or something, that’s not my intention. All I’m doing is waiting for him to show up. I promise to keep you safe. Ok?” He says softly.

You nodded softly. Lloyd smiles and kisses your forehead.

“Can I at least leave this room and roam around your mansion?” You asked.

Lloyd stared at you for a moment. He knows you’re not going to escape in any way. He’s not sure if he should give you free rein of his mansion. He knows he can trust you, but he wants to keep you in the bedroom a little while longer to build up that trust a bit more.

“I’ll think about it.” He says.

“Ok.” You say quietly.

Another few weeks go by before Lloyd finally gives you free rein of his mansion. He watched you like a hawk just to make sure you didn’t try anything. You roamed his mansion just to see what it looked like. Besides the bedroom he has you set up in, you hangout in the kitchen and the living room most of the time.

Also, you and Lloyd have gotten closer to each other. Lloyd has been developing feelings for you. Whenever your acquaintance gets back to him, he’s not sure if he wants you to let you go or not. He loves you too much to let you leave him. When that acquaintance of yours finally showed up, he decided to break the news to you.

“Hey, sunshine. What’re you up to?” Lloyd asks, walking in the living room.

“Just reading you say.” You say.

“I have something important to tell you.” He says, sitting down on the couch next to you.

“What is it?” You asked, bookmarking the page you’re on in the book you’re reading and put it on the coffee table.

“That acquaintance of yours finally showed up.” He says.

“Did he finish the work you hired him to do?” You asked.

“No, but he got taken care of.” He says.

“Taken care of?” You questioned, furrowing your eyebrows in confusion.

Lloyd let you think about it for a moment. That’s when you realize what he meant by “taken care of”. You gasped loudly.

“Why would you do that?!” You exclaimed.

“I had to, sunshine.” Lloyd says.

Your eyes teared up and a couple tears rolled down your cheeks.

“You could’ve talked to him and let him explain himself.” You say.

“I did, but he didn’t fulfill the job I hired him to do.” He says.

You started stammering with your words. You couldn’t figure out what you wanted to say now. At this point, tears were streaming down your face. Lloyd wrapped his arms around you, pulling you closer to him as you cried.

“Not that I want to leave, does this mean I’m not leaving here?” You asked, looking up at him.

“I’m afraid so, sunshine.” Lloyd says softly.

You whimpered and looked down, avoiding eye contact with him. Lloyd gently tilted your head up so you were looking him in the eye.

“I’m not going to let a thing happen to you. I’m going to do everything I can to protect you.” Lloyd promises.

“Promise?” You asked with a sniffle.

“I promise.” He whispers.

There was a moment of silence between the two of you. Lloyd’s eyes flickered down to your lips, curiously thinking about how soft your lips would be against his. He leaned and pressed his lips against yours, kissing you sweetly. Lloyd expected you to push him away for kissing you, but you didn’t. Your hands grasped his shirt, clutching it tightly in your hands. You melted into his touch. He slowly pulls away, leaving you speechless from the mind blowing kiss he just gave you.

“I love you!” You blurted out.

Your eyes went wide and you quickly covered your mouth with your hand. A smile grew on Lloyd’s face, happy that you’re coming around to the idea of him even more.

“I love you too, sunshine.” Lloyd says softly, kissing you once more.

💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛

-Bucky’s Doll

[canirove]

Canary boy | Chapter 15

Previous chapter | Next chapter (coming out on Tuesday)

Masterlist

“Pedri, what are you doing?”

“Dancing.”

“Why?” I laugh.

“Because I'm cold, Inés” he replies.

“How can you be cold with all the layers you are wearing?”

“Maybe because it is winter? Also, you should not judge me. You were cold in Tenerife.”

“Yeah, but because I was wearing a summer dress in winter with no jacket or anything like that.”

“And I am a Canarian boy living in Barcelona. I'm not used to this weather.”

“Yeah, my canary boy” I smile. Wait, did I just say that aloud? Oh… my God. I did. The way Pedri is smiling is all the confirmation I need and oh… my God.

“Inés!” a familiar voice calls. “Inés, over here!”

“Mum!” I wave when I see her.

“Oh, Inés, finally!” she says, giving me a hug that almost leaves me breathless. “I can't believe you are finally here!”

“Yeah, but can you please stop squeezing me so tightly?”

“Of course, of course” she chuckles, taking a step back and cupping my face. “Oh, look at you. Don't you look beautiful? Doesn't she look beautiful?” she asks Pedri.

“She always looks beautiful to me” he smiles.

“Even when she's all red and sweaty after running around playing football?”

“That's kind of sexy” he shrugs. 

“Yes, well, ummm…” I mumble. Why is Pedri telling my mum that I look sexy when I'm sweaty? Why is he telling anyone that I look sexy? Why is he saying that I look sexy at all? Like… what? “I guess we should do the proper introductions.”

“Oh, yes, of course!” my mum says. “It's so nice to meet you, Pedri” she says, letting go of me and hugging him as tightly as she had hugged me.

“Nice to meet you too” he smiles. 

“Now, c'mon, let's go. They say it is snowing later today, and we don't want to be stuck on the road on the last day of the year, do we?” my mum says. “And Matt is waiting in the car and didn't park properly, and we don't want to end the year stuck on the road and with a parking ticket, do we?” she laughs.

“She talks a lot, doesn't she?” Pedri whispers while we follow my mum, who is now telling us about the last parking ticket she got.

“You have no idea” I sigh. Why did I think that bringing him with me to Manchester to celebrate the New Year with my mum and my sisters was a good idea? I don't know. But after seeing him getting along so well with my dad's side of the family, it just made sense, you know?

“Inés, are you sure about this?” he said when I told him about it.

“100% sure. You've only met half my family and I met everyone in yours in Tenerife, didn't I? We aren't done yet.”

“I know, but…”

“If you are worried about the plane tickets, don't. They will be my Christmas present. And” I said when he was about to protest again. “You don't have to get me anything in return. Just being there with me will be enough. I prefer experiences over material things.”

“Good to know” he chuckled. “But Inés, I don't know. I…” he said, running a hand through his hair.

“You told me you've never left the country, that when you first flew to Barcelona it was your first time on a plane.”

“It was, yes.”

“Then think about this as some kind of holiday! We can do more than just be with my mum and my sisters, you know? Manchester United is playing against Arsenal, so we can ask Matt to get us some tickets. Did I tell you that his brother works for the club?”

“You did, yes. But…”

“And since neither my sisters or my mum like football, we can be on our own. We could go on a date. First the game, then dinner just the two of us…”

“All that sounds amazing. But are you sure about this? Are you really really sure?” he asked me.

“100%, I already told you. C'mon, Pedri. Say yes.”

“Pouting doesn't work on me, Inés” he smirked. “It is the other way around.”

“Ok, fine. And if I do this?” I said, kissing his cheek.

“Meh.”

“And this?” I said before giving him a peck.

“Not enough.”

“And if when we are back home I do that thing you liked earlier?” I smirked. 

“You mean… when you went riding?” he whispered.

“Yeah” I nodded, my face on fire. I had wanted to try something new and… wow.

“Ok.”

“Really? Did I just convince you with… sex?” I said, mouthing that last word. Even though we were alone in one corner of my grandparents’ living room, everyone else busy talking to each other, you never know who could be listening.

“But just this time. The next time you come out with another crazy idea, you'll need a lot more.”

“Noted” I chuckled. “Does this mean that we are going to Manchester, then?”

“We are, yes.”

“Yes! Thank you, Pedri!” I said before kissing him, my cousin Daniel yelling again for us to get a room. 

Also yes, I properly kissed Pedri in front of my whole family. And yes, it still haunts me. Though it was a really good kiss, so remembering it isn't that bad. 

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“So you are the famous Pedri who finally put an end to Inés’ Trivial tyranny, uh? Welcome to the family!” my sister says, making me roll my eyes.

“Thank you, Ingrid” he chuckles.

“I'm not Ingrid, I'm Irene.”

“Wait. Wasn't the one with the mole on her cheek Ingrid?” he asks me.

“Urgh, Inés. What did you have to ruin all the fun?” 

“Sorry” I shrug.

“But good for you, sis. You've found yourself a man who actually listens to what you say, he is a keeper!” Ingrid laughs, making me roll my eyes once again and Pedri do a weird laugh that makes me look at him and… is he blushing? Pedri? Because of what Ingrid said? What? “Jules confused us a few times when he first met me.”

“He confused his girlfriend with his sister?” Pedri asks.

“And almost kissed the wrong one” I add.

“What?” he says, his eyes going wide. Oh, his eyes. I'm always talking about his lips, but his eyes? Urgh. Gorgeous gorgeous brown eyes. 

“Yep” Ingrid nods. “When I realized what was happening I slapped him, and since that day he hasn't gotten confused again. He is lucky he isn't my type” she chuckles.

“Who isn't your type?” my mum asks her, walking into the living room.

“Jules” she says. “Though he could be Inés’. Or yours. You all like your men with dark hair and brown eyes, don't you? So boring.”

“And how did the last girl you introduce us to look like, sweetheart?” my mum says. “And the one before her? And may I remind you of Aida?”

“That's… umm… whatever” she says. Now Ingrid is the one blushing. Good. 

“We are engaged!” someone yells from the main door. 

“What?” my mum, Ingrid, Pedri and I say at the same time.

“We are engaged! Look!” my sister Irene yells again, storming into the room. “Look, look, look!” she says, showing us her hand, a huge diamond on her finger.

“Oh my God, Irene. You are engaged!” my mum says before running towards her and hugging her. “She's engaged!”

“I am!” she says, both of them starting to jump.

“Did you know she got engaged? I think she hasn't said anything about it.”

“Oh, Ingrid, don't be jealous. You will also find your one one day” Irene says.

“Maybe I don't want one” she shrugs.

“Which will be their loss” Irene says, letting go of my mum and hugging her.

“Congratulations, Nene” she says, hugging her back and making me jealous. I've always wished I had the sisterly bond they share. I know they both love me and would do anything for me, but… 

“Inés!” Irene suddenly says, turning around to look at me. “You are here!”

“I'm here” I chuckle. “Congratulations on your engagement.”

“Thank you” she smiles, giving me a quick hug that isn't anywhere close to the one she just shared with Ingrid. “And this must be Pedri!”

“The new Trivial champion” Ingrid says.

“It was about damn time someone put this one on her place” Irene laughs, nodding towards me. “Nice to meet you.”

“You too. And congratulations” Pedri says.

“Thank you! Because I am… engaged!” Irene yells before showing us her ring again, my mum and Ingrid surrounding her to get a better look at it.

“She is… excited” Pedri chuckles when she lets out a squeaky scream that almost leaves us all deaf.

“You should have seen her when I got down on one knee.”

“Oh my God, Jules!” I say, turning around. “I hadn't seen you there, I'm so sorry.”

“It's ok, don't worry” he smiles. “It's nice to see you again, Inés.”

“You too” I say before hugging him. 

Jules and Irene have been dating since I can remember, and while my sister has sometimes ignored me because she doesn't like football, he's always been there for me, supporting me and showing interest in my career and my life in general. 

“And you must be Pedri. Welcome to this crazy family” Jules chuckles.

“Thank you” Pedri smiles, shaking his hand. 

“They can be a lot to handle sometimes, but they are totally worth it and you'll end up loving them all as much as you love Inés, trust me” Jules says. “And if you ever need a break from them or just want to vent, Matt and I are there for you” he laughs.

“Good to know” Pedri chuckles while my brain still is stuck on “you'll end up loving them all as much as you love Inés”. Like… asdfghjklñ. 

“I think we should celebrate, don't you?” my mum says, stopping my internal freaking out. “Ingrid, go to the kitchen and bring one of the champagne bottles, I'll get the glasses. And call Matt! He is working in his office and may have not heard the screams with his headphones. This is going to be the best New Year's Eve we've had in… forever!” my mum smiles. “I have all my girls with me, the oldest one just got engaged…”

“For two minutes!” Ingrid yells from the kitchen.

“And the little one is the happiest she's ever looked. I could not ask for anything else” my mum smiles.

“Oh, you could” Ingrid says, joining us again. “Grandchildren.”

“True” my mum chuckles. “But there is time for that. A lot of time” she says, looking at me and Pedri. “Gonna go find the glasses. Did you call Matt?”

“I'm here” he says as he joins us all in the living room, wrapping an arm around my mum's waist and kissing her cheek, making her giggle. 

“Urgh, please don't start” Ingrid complains. “I want to make it sober to midnight.”

“Oh, shut up!” my mum laughs, finally getting the glasses. 

“I'm sorry” I whisper to Pedri.

“About what?” he says as Ingrid pours some champagne and Irene does little jumps while looking at her new ring.

“About them. Like Jules said, they are a lot to handle.”

“I like how chaotic they are.”

“You won't be saying the same at the end of the night.”

“I will, you'll see” he says before kissing my cheek just like Matt had done with my mum. But unlike her, I don't giggle. I just turn into a real life tomato.

“So, what are we toasting to?” Ingrid asks when she's done pouring champagne for everyone.

“To love” my mum says. “To love and family.”

“And to me” Irene adds. “I mean, us” she says, smiling at Jules. 

“To love and family” my mum says again, ignoring her.

“To love and family” we all repeat before drinking.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“Inés” Pedri says, kissing my shoulder.

“Yeah?” I yawn.

“Are you ok?”

“Yeah, just tired” I say, curling up a bit more against him. We are finally in bed after celebrating the New Year with my family for hours, my back against his chest and his arm around my body, spooning like we always do. Unlike his mum, mine didn't mind if we shared the same bed. 

“Nothing else?”

“Maybe a bit tipsy too. Ingrid's cocktails were quite strong” I chuckle.

“Then you aren't regretting bringing me with you?”

“What?” I say, moving on his arms to face him.

“I don't know… I had that feeling when I met your sisters. That you regretted bringing me with you.”

“What? No. No, no, no, no. I just… I… I was overwhelmed.”

“Overwhelmed?”

“They can also be a lot to handle for me, you know? Not only because my mum talks too much, Ingrid has no filter and Irene believes herself to be the centre of the world . They…”

“They what?” Pedri says, caressing my cheek.

“Sometimes they make me feel like an outsider” I confess. “Especially my sisters. We are so different… And then besides the age gap there is the fact that they are twins and share that special bond and I…” I say, biting my lip. 

“You?” 

“I wish my family was like yours, Pedri. I love mine, don't get me wrong. But with them I've never felt the type of happiness I felt in Tenerife when I met yours just by seeing them interact between each other and with you. I wish I had with my sisters the relationship you and Fer have. I wish I had gotten to see my parents look as happy as yours do, have those memories of them instead of just arguments because someone had been late to pick me up from school. Your family is perfect and mine is just… just...”

“Oh, Inés” he says, hugging me against his chest when I start crying. 

I had never told anyone I felt like that about my family. Pedri is the first person I am opening to like this. The first person I'm feeling comfortable enough to share it all, to be that vulnerable with. 

“But there are no perfect families” he says. “You got to see mine in a good moment because they all were happy I was back home, but we also argue and there are days where we can't stand each other.”

“But they still are together and support each other while my parents and my sisters can't even get together to support me on big moments in my career like the Real Madrid game. There always is something that comes first and that is more important than me, like their jobs, their partners, a friend that needs their help with something... And I'm tired, Pedri. I'm so tired of always being left behind. Of looking up at the stands after a game and never seeing them there supporting me. I am so fucking tired.”

And as I cry my eyes out while he hugs me tighter, kissing my head and whispering the loveliest and nicest things to comfort me, I feel as if a weight is lifting from my chest. As if by confessing all these things to him I'm doing like what Elsa sang in “Frozen”, and finally letting it go. 

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“Inés… Inés, wake up.”

“Uh?”

“Wake up, c'mon” Pedri says.

“It's too early.”

“It isn't. Get out of bed, c'mon.”

“No.”

“Then you asked for this.”

“What the fuck!” I say when I notice something freezing cold on my cheek. “What was that?”

“Snow.”

“Snow?”

“It is snowing, Inés” he smiles before moving towards the window. The opened window.

“Pedri, you are gonna get sick.”

“I don't care. It'll be worth it” he says, extending his arm to touch the snow.

“Being your nurse won't” I say, getting out of bed but taking the duvet with me. “Here” I say, putting half of it around his shoulders while the other covers me.

“Thank you” he says, still smiling from ear to ear. He may be crazy for standing next to an open window just on his pyjamas while it snows, but he looks so cute. So… happy. “I had never seen snow before.”

“What?”

“I'm from Tenerife, Inés” he chuckles. 

“But you have the Teide there. You must have seen it with snow.”

“From afar, yeah. But I had never seen snow like this, coming from the sky. Or felt it” he says, moving his arm again to catch one of the snowflakes. 

“And now that you have, what do you think of it?”

“It's beautiful. Though not as much as you” he smirks.

“Oh, stop it!” I laugh, giving him a little push. “My face probably is all puffy from last night's crying session and everything I drank.”

“You look beautiful, Inés” Pedri says. “You always do. But now that you mention last night… How are you feeling? Are you ok?”

“I am, yes” I nod. “I really needed to let all that out. So thank you for listening and being there for me, Pedri.”

“Always” he says, caressing my cheek and making me flinch. “Cold?” he chuckles.

“A bit” I smile.

“We should probably close the…”

“It's snowing!” Irene yells from somewhere in the house.

“Dear lord. Does she always scream like that?” Pedri says.

“Yep. Especially when she gets excited.”

“Poor Jules. I don't know how he isn't deaf already. They've been dating for years, haven't they?”

“They have. But I guess he doesn't excite her that much” I shrug.

“Inés!” Pedri gasps while closing the window. 

“I didn't mean it like that! I meant that… I… Ummm…” I mumble, my face on fire despite the cold.

“You meant it like that and you know it” he smirks, wrapping his arms and his side of the duvet around me. “Do I excite you like that?”

“You…” 

“Inés?” my mum says, knocking on our room’s door.

“Saved by the bell” Pedri winks, making my face feel even hotter than it already was. Face, and other parts of my body too.

“Yes, mum?” I manage to say.

“Are you guys awake?”

“We are.” We are so awake right now. Especially yours truly.

“The girls want to go outside on the snow and take some pictures, maybe make a snowman. Why don't you get dressed and join them?”

“Yes, sure. Give us five minutes.”

“Ok” she says before I hear her walk away.

“Ready to freeze your ass off?” I ask Pedri.

“Ready” he smiles.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“Don't you dare, Pedro. Don't you… dare!” Ingrid yells before Pedri hits her with a snowball and runs away. “I'm murdering your boyfriend, Inés!”

“You’ll have to catch me first!” he replies with a childish giggle.

“Oh, Inés. You should see your face right now” my mum chuckles, sitting down next to me.

“What? Why?” I say, touching it. 

“Your smile” she says, giving me a mug with hot chocolate.

Once Pedri and I joined everyone else downstairs, we all went outside into the garden, where Ingrid organized a couples snowmen competition. Mum and Matt were the winners according to her, but if you ask me, mine and Pedri's snowman was way better despite being the first time he was making one and me spending most of our time taking photos and videos of him smiling or struggling with the snow. It was just too cute, and I knew he would want to remember it all. 

After that they decided to start a snowball fight, but since I could not take part of it due to the risk of slipping, falling and getting injured, I sat on the garden’s deck and watched them scream at each other, snapping photos from time to time while my mum sneaked out with the excuse of making us some warm breakfast for later. 

“What about my smile?” I say, taking a sip from my mug.  

“You love that boy, don't you?” 

“What?” I say, almost choking. 

“Pedri” my mum says. “I've been keeping an eye on you, and I've noticed the way you look at him and the way you smile at him. Because of him. It's like your face literally glows. And I think I've never seen you that happy, not even while playing football.”

“Maybe because you haven't seen me playing since you moved here” I say to myself.

“Inés, you love him” my mum says.

And the thing is… that I do. 

After what happened last night, after the way I opened myself to him and how safe and understood he made me feel, I realized that I wasn't falling in love with him anymore. I realized that I was in love with him. 

That I am in love with Pedri. 

“I'm glad you found him” my mum says, taking my hand on hers and giving it a squeeze. “You deserve to be happy, Inés. To be loved. And he is giving you that. Happiness, love. So enjoy it. Cherish it.”

“Dad said something similar” I say, my eyes fixed on my mug.

“Then you know this is serious, because for your dad and I to agree on something…” she laughs. 

“Yeah” I smile. “Thank you, mum.”

“Of course” she says, kissing my cheek before walking back inside the house. 

“Urgh, Inés, you don't know what you are missing” Pedri says, running towards me and sitting down where my mum was a moment ago.

“Getting soaking wet because of the snow?”

“That too” he laughs. “But this is so… so… I don't know how to explain it.”

“You don't need to. Your smile says it all.”

Look at me, basically quoting my mum.

“Does it?”

“Yep” I nod. 

“Does it also say that I could do with a sip from that chocolate?”

“It does. Because your lips are turning purple.”

“You could help me warm them up, you know?” he smirks, moving closer.

“Starting the new year horny, uh?” I chuckle. Wait. Did I just say that aloud? Oh… my God.

“A bit, yeah. That's what happens when you sleep next to someone as beautiful as you are, Inés” he winks. He's horny and cheesy. Cool. “Anyway, mind sharing?” 

“It doesn't taste as good as the one we make when we eat churros, tho” I say, passing him my mug.

“It's warm. That's enough for now” he says before drinking. 

“Pedri!” Jules calls. “Pedri, I need reinforcements!”

“I gotta go. My boy needs me” he says, getting up and leaving the mug where he had been sitting.

“Your boy?” I laugh. “Since when?”

“Since last night when he, Matt and I had a little chat. And I better go. I fear Ingrid may leave your sister with no fiancé to marry.”

“Yeah” I chuckle. “But before you go…” I say, also getting up and holding his face by the chin and rubbing my finger over his upper lip. “You can't go to war with a chocolate moustache, can you?” 

“I cannot, no” he smiles. 

“There. Perfect” I say, not being able to contain myself and kissing him, not caring about my family seeing us. They had already done it the night before, so…

“Pedri!” Jules calls again. 

“I have to go, Inés” he says against my lips.

“Urgh, fine. Go” I say, rolling my eyes. “Go save Jules and be a hero, my canary boy.”

Oh God. I said it again. And aloud. Is there something in Manchester's air?

“My lady” he smirks, giving me one last kiss that leaves me giggling like an idiot while I watch him run towards where Jules is, picking some snow and making a ball to throw at Ingrid. 

[fioreofthemarch]

heart flow

This was written for @zelinkcommunity's Loftwing Letters 2025, and is for @hyylia! Words: 1640 Fandom: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild / Tears of the Kingdom Characters: Link/Zelda

It’s a high moon tonight. The rising paths and nestled buildings of Hateno are drowned in its rays. Three days until the full moon, and the harvest festival to celebrate it. 

It’s a welcome light. Link straddles the top of an unsteady ladder, glad to be able to see clearly so late into the evening. He’s been helping string lantern lights across the main thoroughfare of Hateno, but he’s done his bit, securing his end to the mossy roof of Cece’s shop. The string slackens and tightens as his counterparts at the general store struggle with their end. “We’ve nearly got it, Master Link”, one of them calls out. He’s content to wait.

Behind him, inside Cece’s shop, the women of the town have gathered. He can hear feet thumping lightly on the wooden floor, the beating of a drum, and a muffled shouting: and step, and step, one, two! For the festival, the men hang the lights, and the women do the dance. There are giggles, more shouts, more giggles. He wonders if he can pick Zelda’s laugh among them. 

“I’m really not much of a dancer,” she had said, multiple times, but they wouldn’t have it. He pictures her in there now, golden hair tied into a plait, cheeks flushed, spinning and smiling. 

Link frowns. The moon above is harsh, exacting: why not just tell her? He’s been wondering that for a year, since she returned into his life, into all their lives, and set about filling the land with her radiance. 

Practice is over. The women stream out of the building towards their homes, Zelda among them. She is flanked by two others, chatting amicably as they approach. 

He could do it now. He could descend the ladder and tell her plain and clear. Did you know that you are perfect? That I love every single thing about you?

Zelda passes by the ladder and waves up at him. Link... waves back. And sighs. To the north, where the horizon meets sea, the dragon Naydra floats through the sky. 

---

“Finally autumn, after such a long summer!” Zelda says, looking up at the full moon.

“Indeed, and a dry winter to follow, from our observations,” says Symin beside her. 

“Oh. Hopefully we get some rain.” 

They stand together under the shade of an old tree, watching the townsfolk collect long timber beams from the construction site of the planned Hateno School, which is as yet unfinished. “These beams will be returned tomorrow, right?” Symin asks. 

“Of course. They just need them for the festival tent.”

“I hope so. I won’t teach from a tent.” 

Zelda smiles to herself. The only person in Hyrule more passionate about building the school than her is Symin. Well, except maybe–

“Master Link!” Symin calls out, rushing forward. He greets Link, who has slugged an entire beam over his shoulder with ease. “Please remind the others to be careful. This timber is pine, from Tabantha.”

“Sure,” Link answers, but still Symin cranes his neck towards the centre of town, sighing and fussing as he watches his priceless timber being carted away.

“Why don’t you remind them yourself?” Zelda offers. 

“Indeed! I'd better!” Symin says, and kicking up a little dust he marches into town, leaving Link and Zelda to speak alone. 

Only, Zelda never knows what to say to Link. What can she say, to the one who saved her life, saved all their lives? Her gratitude always feels cloying and sticky in her mouth.

“It’s going well?” she asks.  

“Yes.” He lowers the beam to the ground. “Do you need anything?”

“No, I – are you looking forward to tonight?”

He pauses, seeming unsure. Maybe he dreads it as much as she does. “I am.”

“I’ll be dancing, you know."

“I know.”

“It’s so ridiculous.”

Link smiles, a look that makes her want to melt. “I don’t think so.” 

For a moment they stare at one another, and everything Zelda has wanted to say nearly rushes out. That he should have his own life, that he doesn’t have to live where she lives. That he can have his house back and that it’s okay if he doesn’t feel anything for her, really. She is grateful just to be able to love him, because it means she is alive, and being alive was once a distant and fading dream– 

“I better go.” Link says. “I’ll see you tonight?”

“Yes.” 

No other words come. After he is gone, she spots the goddess Naydra rounding the mountains to the north. Lady of wisdom, lady of love, she prays. Oh, save me from myself!

---

A harsh wind descends upon the town as the festival starts, rattling the lantern lights. Link helps hang the last of them between the dye shop and a water tower further up the hill. When he’s done, he heads to the festival tent. It shudders under every gust, but the townsfolk are determined. Their ragtag band of drummers and pipers are loud enough to drown out the wind.  

He keeps a low profile, sampling the food stalls one by one. It’s oppressively hot in the tent, the whole town crammed inside, but Zelda is nowhere to be seen. Maybe it’s for the better. Maybe the time to tell her what he feels has passed.  

Then there are three sharp beats of a drum, and the festival goers turn their attention to the centre of the tent. The women of the town gather, with Zelda at the front in a red dress and black leggings. They join hands, forming two long lines, and to the beat of the drum they dance, spinning and clapping. Link blushes as he watches, realising in his gloom he had forgotten the reason he came to the festival at all. When they are done, the women bow to whoops and cheers from the crowd, and in the chaos that follows as they disperse, Zelda appears in front of him with a hand outstretched. 

“There’s another dance. Join me?” she says. There’s a sort of giddiness to her, almost drunken. Is that what dancing feels like? He takes her hand, and wordlessly they step into the dancer’s circle. Maybe this is how he tells her. Maybe he simply sweeps her off her feet. 

Just as the world around them begins to fall away, a terrible crack rips through the air. It’s deafening. The ground shakes. Then another; thunder, beastlike and hungry, accompanied by flashes of lightning. Never letting go of his hand, Zelda hurries them outside, and they see the sky has darkened, clouds churning like the sea. There is shouting all around – everyone inside, quickly! It’s a storm! 

Another flash, as an arc of lightning strikes the general store. Then another hits the grass in front of them, the light blinding. Crack! When Link opens his eyes he is met with a wall of fire. The lightning has set the grass of the main thoroughfare alight, and the wind is blowing the flames towards the festival tent. 

“There's no rain,” Link says, drawing back. 

“A dry winter…” Zelda murmurs. “We have to do something!”

In the sky, just below the clouds, Link spots the dragon Naydra, seemingly undisturbed by the weather. “Can she help? Can you, I don’t know, call her–?” 

“No. How would I even– I mean I could try but –”

He takes her other hand, holding both between his. “Okay, it’s okay,” he says, waiting for her to calm. “We save ourselves.” 

Zelda nods, and they turn their attention back to the fire. Across the thoroughfare, Zelda seems to spot something. He follows her gaze, eyes drawn to the lantern lights, which are now mostly gone out. “The water tower?” he asks. Zelda answers by taking his hand and leading him away from the tent. 

They rush to a nearby stable shed, where Zelda finds two axes, placing one in Link's hands. Then she points to the water tower. It sits on three poorly made struts and is already shaking in the wind, water spilling over the edge of its wide metal tank. Link understands immediately, and can't help but laugh. Alright, Princess, let’s go destroy some public property. 

They run to the tower and begin chopping - one strut each. “We need them to come down at the same time!” Link says. 

“Then follow my lead!” 

She chants as they chop. And swing. And swing. One, two! Lightning flashes around them, and the fire rages towards the festival tent. One, two! One, two! Then there is a creak and a groan - the sound of snapping wood. Link drops his axe and dives toward Zelda as the whole structure collapses, unleashing a flood of water down the hill. 

They roll and tumble, caught in the wave, and come to a rest beside the festival tent, arms around each other on the muddy grass. Bewildered, the townsfolk stumble towards this spectacle; where there was once a fire, a wall of water has consumed it down to the embers. Seeing this, Link and Zelda hold each other close, and laugh and laugh. 

There is nothing else to be said. Zelda rests her head back on the grass, smiling up at Link. Now, he thinks, and catches that perfect smile with a kiss - a lingering, apologetic, long awaited kind, and though it tastes a little of earth and grass, it’s intoxicating. As more townsfolk gather, Link and Zelda pick themselves up and hurry out of sight -- to continue with this new means of communication they have discovered.

Inside the festival tent, the music starts again. Above, Naydra makes her rounds – where she flies the dark clouds split, and the full moon shines through bright and clear.

[julianne124]

I’m only me when I’m with you

James Potter x fem!slytherin!reggietwin!reader

Warnings: bleeding, passing out at the sight of blood, quidditch game, kissing I think that’s it lmk if you find anymore

First person

It was the biggest Quidditch game of the season, Slytherin vs Gryffindor. I’m captain this year and James Potter is the captain of the other team, as he’s my brothers best friend that took my brother away from me, I have a bit of a grudge against him. As we walk on the field I see Sirius and James walking out with the most smug smirks on their faces, I hate them and I want to wipe those looks off their faces.

My twin brother, Regulus, feels the same way but he’s more calm about it. Me and Potter shake hands and start the game. It was a very rough and painful game, after about 15 minutes three of my players were lightly injured, but not enough to go to the hospital wing but enough to not play for a couple minutes. Then, I hear lots and lots a screaming of my name I look around and see a bludger flying right toward my face I’m out, I feel myself falling, someone breaks my fall but then leaves and gets back to the game.

I come back to consciousness and touch my forehead feeling something wet, it’s blood. I faint again. The next thing I know I’m in the hospital wing and watching Madam Pomfrey take care of me and I see a mop of light brown hair leaning on my arm on the bed. I tried to reach my arm over to wake this mysterious person up, and I find it in a cast and sling. I shake the arm this person is lying on.

The mop rises and I see the familiar eyes of James Potter. “How long have I been here?” I croak out to him. He must still be waking up. “You’ve been out for about half a day. It’s 7 am, after the game. Which I’m sorry about my player did that on purpose. I kicked him off.” He explained quickly, I thought it was quite cute.

Don’t get me wrong, I find James Potter attractive as much as the next person. But I feel like if I really got to know him, we could be more than friends. Madam Pomfrey comes over to my bed. “Hello darling, now i know you don’t want to stay here for as long as you have to but i have to keep you here for about 2 more days…” she says sadly. I nod understanding.

She walks away. “Did we win?” I ask James, he smiles softly and nods a ‘yes’. I do a small, not-so-embarrassing, victory dance in my seat. He laughs and looks down. “You know, Sirius wouldn’t approve of me saying this to you, or regulus but I wanted to tell you, I’ve had my eyes on you since my third year” he tells me slightly embarrassed.

My smile is just continuing to grow wider and wider. “Me too- well I’ve had my eyes on you-“ he cuts me off with a kiss. It was soft and smooth and comforting. We hear the doors burst open and two familiar voices talking loudly to Madam Pomfrey. “Madam! Where’s my baby sister?” I hear Sirius asked the older woman. Then we hear two sets of feet running towards us.

Regulus and Sirius come into the curtain. “Oh thank goodness you’re okay!” My older brother comes to hug me, pushing James out of the way. Always a drama queen. Then I look over his shoulder to see my twin brother standing there awkwardly. Then Sirius lets go, and it’s Regulus’ turn. A tight hug is received and done quickly.

“Wait a minute. Why are you here?” Sirius asks furrowing his eyes brows at his best friend. James eyes widen and he looks at me, like I would know what to say. “Uh well you know that thing you told me not to say to your sister?” He says with a small smile on his face. Sirius hums a little confirmation. “Well I told her.” James says running out.

Sirius’s jaw drops and runs after him. Regulus’ eyes widen and his eyebrows shoot up. After they leave, he comes and takes James’ seat. “So my sister has a boyfriend now?” He teases me. “Well maybe. All we did was kiss” I say like it’s no big deal. He gets up and runs after James too.

[killjoy-prince]

DAYBREAK MENTION FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 65 CHAPTERS!!! BABYGIRL I MISS YOUUUU

[acourtofquestions]

Kingdom of Ash Chapter 59

Chapter; Highlights

His ears still rang with the din of battle, his breath a rasping beat echoed by Aelin.

Atop the blood-slick battlements, their allies and companions around them, Rowan wordlessly passed Aelin the waterskin. She drank deeply, then handed it to Fenrys.

An unleashing and release. That's what the battle had been for his mate.

Hasar at last looked Aelin over. "I heard you put on a show today."

Rowan braced himself.

Aelin turned from the battlefield and inclined her head. "You look as if you did, too." Indeed, Hasar's ornate armor was splattered with black blood. She'd been in the thick of it, atop her Muniqi horse, and had ridden right up to the gates. But the princess made no further comment.

Irritation, deep and nearly hidden, flashed in Aelin's eyes. Yet she didn't speak again-didn't push the princess about their next steps. She just watched the battlefield once more, chewing on her lip.

She'd barely stopped during the battle, halting only when there had been no more Valg left to kill. And in the minutes since the walls had been cleared, she'd remained quiet— distant. As if she was still climbing out of that calm, calculating place she'd descended into while fighting. She hadn't bothered to remove any of her armor. The bronze battle-crown was caked with blood, her hair matted with it.

Chaol's father had taken one look at her armor, at Rowan's, and gone white with rage.

For now. They had bigger things to consider. Things that drove his mate to gnaw on her lip. When Prince Kashin's army might arrive, if they would indeed head northward to Terrasen. If today had been enough to win them over.

"Any nearby are to run here. Those farthest out will have to flee for the forest." Rowan met Aelin's stare. Her hands began shaking.

This cannot end here, she seemed to say.

Panic—panic indeed flared in her eyes. Rowan gripped her trembling hand and squeezed.

But there was no truth or lie that might soothe her. No truth or lie to save the army on the plain.

Something had gone wrong. Something was wrong.

The battlefield stretched into the distance, healers darting amongst the felled bodies with white banners high to indicate their locations. So many. So many dead and wounded. A sea of them.

Elide reached Chaol's side just as Nesryn Faliq leaped atop her beautiful ruk, launching into a dive for the army below. No-the other ruks.

Elide laid a hand on Lord Chaol's shoulder, drawing his attention from where he watched Nesryn fly off. Blood-splattered, but his bronze eyes were clear. And full of terror.

Any message that Yrene had given Elide faded from her memory. "What's wrong?"

It was Aelin who answered, her bloodied armor strange and ancient. A vision of old. "The dam is going to break," the queen said hoarsely. "And wipe away anyone on the plain."

Oh gods. Oh gods.

Elide glanced between them, and knew the answer to her next question: What can be done?

Nothing.

Ruks took to the skies, flapping toward them, soldiers in their talons and clinging to their backs.

"Has anyone warned the healers?" Elide pointed to the white banners waving so far out into the plain. "The Healer on High?" Hafiza was down there, Yrene had said.

Silence. Then Prince Sartaq swore in his own tongue, and sprinted for his golden ruk. He was spearing for the battlefield within seconds, his shouts ringing out. Kadara dipped every few moments, and when she rose again, another small figure was in her talons. Healers. Grabbing as many of them as he could.

Elide whirled to her companions as soldiers began running for the keep, trampling corpse and injured alike. Orders went out in the language of the southern continent, and more soldiers on the battlefield leaped into action.

"What elsewhat else can we do?" Elide demanded. Aelin and Rowan only stared toward the battlefield, watching with Fenrys and Gavriel as the ruks raced to save as many as they could. Behind them, Princess Hasar paced, and Chaol and his father murmured about where they might fit everyone in the keep. Those who survived.

Elide looked at them again. Looked at all of them.

And then asked quietly, "Where is Lorcan?" None of them turned. Elide asked, louder, "Where is Lorcan?" Gavriel's tawny eyes scanned hers, confusion dancing there. "He ... he went out onto the battlefield during the fighting. I saw him just before the khagan's troops reached him."

"Where is he?" Elide's voice broke. Fenrys faced her now. Then Rowan and Aelin. Elide begged, voice breaking, "Where is Lorcan?" From their stunned silence, she knew they hadn't so much as wondered.

Elide whirled to the battlefield. To that endless stretch of fallen bodies. Soldiers fleeing. Many of the wounded being abandoned where they lay. So many bodies. So, so many soldiers down there.

"Where." No one answered. Elide pointed toward the battlefield and snarled at Gavriel, "Where did you see him join with the khagan's forces?"

"Nearly on the other side of the field," Gavriel answered, voice strained, and pointed across the plain. "I—I didn't see him after that."

"Shit," Fenrys breathed.

Rowan said to him, "Use your magic. Jump to the field, find him, and bring him back."

Relief crumpled Elide's chest.

Until Fenrys said, "I can't."

"You didn't use it once during the battle," Rowan challenged. "You should be fully primed to do it."

Fenrys blanched beneath the blood on his face, and cast pleading eyes to Elide. "I can't."

Silence fell on the battlements.

Then Rowan growled, "You won't." He pointed with a bloody finger to the battlefield.

"You'd let him die, and for what? Aelin forgave him." His tattoo scrunched as he snarled again.

"Save him."

Fenrys swallowed. But Aelin said, "Leave it, Rowan." Rowan snarled at her too. She snarled right back. "Leave it."

Some unspoken conversation passed between them, and the hope flaring in Elide's chest went out as Rowan backed down. Gave Fenrys an apologetic nod. Fenrys, looking like he was going to be sick, just faced the battlefield again.

Elide backed away a step. Then another.

Lorcan couldn't be dead.

She would know if he were dead. She would know it, in her heart, her soul, if he were gone.

He was down there. He was down there, in that army, perhaps injured and bleeding out — No one stopped her as Elide raced inside the keep. Each step limped, pain cracking through her leg, but she didn't falter as she hit the interior stairwell and plunged into the chaos.

She had made him a promise.

She had sworn him an oath, all those months ago.

I will always find you.

Soldiers and healers fled up the stairs, shoving past Elide. The shouting was near-deafening, bouncing off the ancient stones. She battled her way down, sobbing through her teeth.

I will always find you.

Pushing, elbowing, bellowing at the frantic people who ran past her, Elide fought for each step downward. Toward the gates.

People screamed, a never-ending flood surging up the stairs. Still Elide pushed her way down, losing a step here, another there. They did not even look at her, even try to clear a way as they flowed upward. It was only when Elide lost another step that she roared into the stairwell, "Clear a path for the queen!"

No one listened, so she did it again. She filled her voice with command, with every ounce of power that she'd seen the Fae males use to intimidate their opponents. "Clear a path for the queen!"

This time, people pressed against the walls.

Elide took the small opening, and screamed her order again and again, ankle barking with every step down.

But she made it. Made it to the chaotic lower level, to the open gates teeming with soldiers. Beyond them, bodies stretched into the horizon. Warriors and healers and those bearing the wounded rushed toward any stairwell they could find.

Elide managed all of five limping steps toward the open gate before she knew it would be impossible. To cross the field, to find him on the endless plain, before that dam burst and he was swept away. Before he was gone forever.

He was not dead.

He was not dead.

I will always find you.

Elide scanned the gates, the skies for any sign of a ruk that might carry her. But they soared to the upper levels, crawling with soldiers and healers, some even depositing their charges onto the mountain face itself. And at ground level, none would hear her cries for help.

No soldiers would stop, either.

Elide scanned the other end of the gates' entryway.

Beheld the horses being led out from their stables by frantic handlers, the beasts bucking at the panic around them as they were hauled toward the teeming ramps.

A black mare reared, her cry a sharp warning before she slashed her hooves at the handler. Lord Chaol's horse. The handler shrieked and fell back, barely grasping the reins as the horse stomped, her ears flat to her head.

Elide did not think. Did not reconsider. She limped for the horses and the stables.

She said to the frantic handler, still backing away from the half-wild horse, "I'll get her." The man, white-faced, threw her the reins.

"Good luck." Then he, too, ran.

The mare Farasha-yanked so hard on the reins that Elide was nearly hurled across the stones. But she planted her feet, leg screaming, and said to the horse, "I have need of you, fierce-heart." She met Farasha's dark, raging eyes. "I have need of you." Her voice broke.

"Please."

And gods above, that horse stilled. Blinked.

Horses and handlers streamed past them, but Elide held firm. Waited until Farasha lowered her head, as if in permission.

The stirrups were low enough thanks to Lord Chaol's long legs that Elide could reach them. She still bit down on her shout as her weight settled on her bad ankle, as she pushed, and heaved herself into Farasha's fine saddle. A small mercy, that they had not even had time to unsaddle the horses after battle. A set of what seemed to be braces hung from its sides, surely to keep Lord Chaol stabilized, and Elide unhooked them. Any weight, anything to slow her, had to be discarded.

Elide gathered the reins. "To the battlefield, Farasha."

With a whinnying cry, Farasha plunged into the fray.

Soldiers leaped from their path, and Elide did not stop to apologize, did not stop for anyone, as she and the black mare charged toward the gates. Then through them.

And onto the plain.

[hippo-pot]

Oklahoma! (1955) is a WILD watch. some lovely ballet though

[star-ocean-peahen]

After watching Cinderella (the original animated movie, which was my favorite as a child), it strikes me how it solves many common problems people have with this fairy tale. Like:

Why did they try to identify the mystery girl using her shoe size? Because the bullheaded king's only clue to her identity was the shoe the Grand Duke picked up off the steps.

Why didn't the prince recognize her by her face? Because his father wouldn't involve him in the process at all, and wasn't the one going around trying to find her.

Why did the prince want to marry a lady he only met that night? Because his father was going to force him to marry someone, and he genuinely liked this woman.

Why did Cinderella want to marry a man she only met that night? Because marriage was her best and most secure way to freedom. Fucked up, but you can't say it's unrealistic for the setting of a fairy tale. She also genuinely liked him.

If they're using the slipper to find her, wouldn't it be more sensible to search for the person with the other slipper? Yes. The King is purposefully nonsensical and the Duke is purposefully terrified enough of him to carry out his orders to the letter. Furthermore, they end up doing that in the end anyway, because the Duke's glass slipper is shattered, and Cinderella brings out the one she has to prove her identity.

Why didn't the stepmother and stepsisters recognize Cinderella at the ball? Because they were dancing too far away, and then left the party to dance in private, which was possible because the King wanted very badly for his son to hit it off with someone and tried to arrange the best conditions for that to happen.

Why didn't Cinderella save herself? Because in real life, abuse victims should not have to shoulder that responsibility, and usually can't. In real life, you need and deserve an external support system. Asking for help, in this kind of situation, is very important. She is saved by others because she is loved. Because she is not alone. Because she has friends who love her, and want her to be happy and safe and free. Because in real life, people who want to help someone who is suffering are like the mice. We can't pull out miracle solutions, but we can provide companionship and if we're in the right place at the right time, we can help the person find a better life.

Why didn't the fairy godmother save Cinderella from her abusive household, or try to help her sooner? Because she's magic, and magic can't solve your problems. Quote: "Like all dreams, well, I'm afraid it can't last forever." This (and Cinderella's dream of going to the ball) is a metaphor for pleasurable things in bad circumstances. An ice cream won't get rid of your depression, but it will provide you with momentary happiness to bolster you, as well as the reminder that happiness in general is still possible for you. Cinderella doesn't want to go to the ball so she can get away from her stepmother and stepsisters, or so she can meet someone to marry and leave with. She wants to go to the ball to remind herself that she can still have things she wants. That her desires matter. This is important because the movie does a very good job of illustrating Lady Tremaine's subtle abuse tactics, all of which invisibly press the message that Cinderella doesn't matter. While going to the ball and fulfilling her dreams may not be a victory in the material sense, it is still a victory against Lady Tremaine's efforts.

Why is Cinderella's choice to be kind and obedient framed as a good thing, when you are not obligated to be kind to your abuser? This one walks a very fine line, but I think the movie still makes it make sense. Lady Tremaine never acknowledges her cruelty. She always frames her punishments of Cinderella as Cinderella's fault. Cinderella is interrupting, Cinderella is shirking her duties, Cinderella is playing vicious practical jokes. Cinderella is still a member of the family, of course she can go to the ball, provided she meet these impossible conditions. Lady Tremaine's tactics are designed to make Cinderella feel like she must always be in the wrong and her stepmother must always be in the right. If Cinderella calls her stepmother out on her cruelty, or attempts to fight back, Lady Tremaine can frame that as Cinderella being ungrateful, cruel, broken, evil, etc. If Cinderella responds to her stepmother's cruelty defiantly (in the way she's justified to), she's not taking control out of Lady Tremaine's hands. Disobedience can be spun back into her stepmother's control. She wants Cinderella to be angry and sad and show how much she's hurting. So since Cinderella is adapting to her situation, she chooses to be kind. Not only because she naturally wants to be and it's part of her personality, but because it is a form of defiance in its own way, and it allows her to keep a reminder of her agency and value. Her choice to be kind is her chance to keep her own narrative alive: she is not obeying because her stepmother wants her to and she has to do what her stepmother does, but because she wants to. It's a small distinction, but one that makes all the difference in terms of keeping her hope and identity. (Fuck, I wrote a whole paragraph about how this doesn't mean you can't be angry at people who hurt you or that you need to be kind to deserve help, and then deleted it by accident. Uh. Try again.) Expressing anger and pain is an important part of regaining autonomy and healing. Although it is commendable to be kind while you are suffering, it is NOT required for you to get help or be worthy of help. If Cinderella's recovery was explored beyond "happily ever after" she would need to let herself be angry and sad to heal. Cinderella is not only kind because it comes naturally to her, but because it's her defense against the abuse she's suffering. Everyone's story and experiences are different, and one does not invalidate the other.

Bonus round for answers that aren't part of the movie:

Why didn't Cinderella run away? Where would she go? Genuinely, in hundreds-of-years-ago France, where would she go if she snuck out of the window with a change of clothes? With her step-family, she's miserable and abused, but she's fed, clothed, and in no danger of dying or being taken advantage of by anyone other than her stepmother and stepsisters. Even if she escapes and manages to find financial security, her stepmother might be able to find her and get her back.

Why didn't Cinderella burn the house down with them inside it/slit their throats in the night/poison their food/etc.? Because that's a revenge fantasy, and this story is a fantasy about being saved. There's nothing wrong with making Cinderella into a revenge fantasy. That's perfectly fine, as long as you acknowledge that the other type of fantasy is also a valid interpretation. (I mean, the original fairy tale features the stepsisters getting their feet mutilated and all three of them getting their eyes pecked out, so go for it.)

Why isn't Cinderella more proactive in general? Because she's a child who has been abused for the back half of her life, who has had to be focused on survival because. you know. she's an abused kid.

How did she dance in glass slippers? Gotta agree with you there man, that's weird.

[frogeyedape]

I ran out of tags XD Good Omens Spoilers Beware! (time for dinner now)

The Magic Trick You Didn’t See: Being An Analysis of Good Omens Season 2

(or: Neil Gaiman, Your Brain is Gorgeous But I Have Cracked Your Sneaky Little Code And Have You Dead To Rights*) (*Maybe)

***

Soooooo I just spent the last 48 hours having a BREATHTAKING GALAXY BRAIN EPIPHANY about Good Omens Season 2 and feverishly writing a fuckin16,000 word essay about the incredible magic trick that @neil-gaiman pulled off. 

Yes, it’s long, but I PROMISE your brains will explode. Do you want to know how magic works? Do you want to know what Metatron’s deal is (I’m like 99% sure of this and it’s EXTREMELY FUCKING GOOD)? Do you want to know about the Mystery of the Vanishing Eccles Cakes and the big fat beautiful clue I found in the opening credits? Do you go through the whole inventory of Chekov’s Firearm & Heavy Artillery Discount Warehouse? 

Here is the essay, go read it: https://docs.google.com/document/d/193IXS11XN46lziHRb6eUpM17yK0BQkRqke1Wh64A_e0/ When ur done u can tell me I’m an insane crackpot, and u know what, i won’t even be offended

In case you don’t know whether you want to bother reading the whole enormous thing on google docs, I’ve put the first couple sections of it under the cut. JUST TRUST ME OKAY, HEAR ME OUT, THIS IS VERY EXTREMELY COOL, NEIL IS GOOD AT HIS JOB–

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