#yelling their head off demanding to be given this teenager's address | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

chaoticpuff17 · 4 years ago

Text

Suga We’re Going Down

part 12

masterlist

Hello, my darlings! I have an update for you! Please enjoy the drama that will be unfolding in this chapter as well as the chapters to come.--- chaotic puff

Y/N was grateful for the extra money her new job brought in, but it didn’t make the new found separation with her son any easier. At least once a weekend she was called away, and it was usually overnight. It was hard on both of them. Eun Jae didn’t understand why his mother was away so much, and she hated seeing him upset. It was why she was taking the time to take him to the park.

She should have been working on some project or another, but she was much happier watching her son run around the playground with a wide smile on his face. He loved the park, and she couldn’t help but feel guilty that she didn’t get to take him there more often. Today was a perfect day for it though. It was unseasonably warm, and Eun Jae could run around in a lighter jacket instead of his heavier winter coat which gave the little boy more ease of movement as he dashed around the playground.

Y/N was lost in her thoughts watching her favorite little guy when she noticed the other moms beginning to whisper amongst themselves. She didn’t pay it much mind though as she assumed it was just the latest neighborhood gossip. It wasn’t as though she hadn’t been whispered about before either. She was an unwed mother. It got her plenty of ridicule from the other moms. What was odd was how they had started to gather around, moving closer to where she was. She knew well enough that they weren’t going to suddenly welcome her into the fold, so why were they getting closer?

“Y/N?”

She froze knowing who she would see if she turned around and hoping against hope that he would just disappear. He didn’t.

“What are you doing here?” she hissed running to face him.

“I just want to see him. Is that so bad?” he asked pasting on the most contrite pair of puppy dog eyes he could manage.

“Yes!” she cast a quick glance over her shoulder making sure that Eun Jae hadn’t noticed anything yet. He hadn’t. He was blissfully unaware and running around the playground with the other toddlers. “You can’t be here.”

“I just want to see him. He’s my son.”

“Kim Taehyung.” she snapped, shooting him a withering glare. “He is not your son, and you need to go.”

“He’s my kid.” he pleaded, peering around her trying to catch sight of the little boy. “I just want to meet him.”

“That’s not your decision to make.” she squared her shoulders and did her best to make the same stoic, terrifying face her grandmother made when she was displeased. “You should leave.”

Taehyung scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared her down. Neither of them was willing to budge, but unlike Taehyung, she had paternal rights. “You can’t make me go.”

“I can call the cops and say that there’s a strange man harassing me and my child.” her head tilted to the side sassily as she waited for him to back down.

“Like the cops would believe that the heir to Singularity Enterprises was harassing you. I can promise you they won’t.” he scoffed, rolling his eyes. “I’m not going to hurt him.”

“Take a look around, Taehyung. You really think you belong here?” she huffed, placing her hands on her hips casting her gaze around her neighborhood. It wasn’t a bad area per say, but it certainly wasn’t what Taehyung was used to, and he stood out like a sore thumb in his designer clothes. They were already attracting the gazes of the other moms. “Eun Jae certainly doesn’t need another parental figure to dip in and out of his life like the utter failure they are. So you want to meet him now? What’s going to happen in a month when you get bored of playing house?” Taehyung stared at her in shock. People didn’t talk to him like this. “Do us all a favor and go.”

“I’m not going to abandon him.” he protested, recovering himself. “He’s my kid.”

“Great! Where were you the past three years?”

“I wasn’t allow…”

“Don’t.” she scoffed. “You’re a grown man. You could have been here if you wanted to.”

“I’m here now. I want to meet him.”

“How is that fair to us?”

“How is it fair that I don’t get to be a part of his life?” he countered.

“You signed away your rights before he was even born. He doesn’t know you, and he doesn’t need you.”

“Every kid needs a father.”

She sighed pinching the bridge of her nose as she did her best not to yell at the man. “He’s a kid, Taehyung, a baby. He doesn’t need anymore disappointing parental figures. You want to be here now, but what happens when you get a family of your own? Eun Jae is always going to be your teenage indiscretion, but he’s my whole world.”

“He’s not…”

Before either of them could continue, a little body smashed into her legs wrapping little arms tightly around them.

“Swings, eomma!” he demanded staring up at her with a bright smile.

Both adults were frozen staring down at the little boy. Taehyung was the first to recover, kneeling down to the toddler's height with a bright, boxy grin.

“Hey, buddy.” he greeted not even phased as Eun Jae retreated hiding behind his mother’s legs as he stared at the stranger with wide eyes. “It’s nice to meet you.” the little boy said nothing, choosing instead to cling to his mother’s legs even tighter than before. “I’m Taehyung.”

Eun Jae ignored him, pulling on her tunic-like shirt instead. “Swings?” he asked again, staring up at his mother with big pleading eyes.

“Okay, baby.” she hummed, running a gentle hand through his hair. “Let’s go to the swings.”

The toddler nodded furiously reaching up to grab her hand, tugging her towards the playground. “Swings, eomma, swings!”

She followed behind her child praying that Taehyung would get the hint and leave. Eun Jae had in typical fashion for the toddler, rejected the stranger preferring the company of his mother, but Taehyung didn’t seem to care as he followed behind them a soft smile playing on his lips.

“Eomma.” Eun Jae tugged on her hand again. “Who’s the weird man?”

Y/N did her best to suppress the laugh that bubbled up, but she didn’t quite succeed. Instead a choked chuckle like snort erupted. “He’s just a weird man, baby.”

“I’m a friend of your eomma’s.” Taehyung interrupted catching up to them and addressing the toddler with a smile that just didn’t seem to get any less bright no matter how many times they both rejected him.

“No you’re not.” he frowned, glaring up at the adult. “Auntie Nina is eomma’s friend.” he explained, his brows scrunched up in confusion.

“Eomma can have more than one friend.” The look on the kid’s face told them both that he didn’t think so. It was a blank expression that looked far too similar to Taehyung’s for her comfort, and it didn’t escape Taehyung’s notice either. “He kinda looks like me doesn’t he?” He smirked, staring down at the child proudly.

“No.” Eun Jae frowned. “I look like Eomma. Halmeoni said so. You’re a weird man.” he pouted, once more clinging to his mother’s legs.

“You can look like more than one person.” Taehyung explained even though Eun Jae only buried his face into her leg.

“I don’t want swings.” He whined reaching his arms up in a silent plea to be held, and Y/N complied, swinging the toddler up onto her hip where he promptly buried his face in her neck. “I don’t like him. Wanna go home.”

Y/N gently bounced him on her hip, hushing him as his little fingers clenched her shirt. “You wanna go home, Jae Jae?” She cooed, rubbing his back with her free hand as he nodded into her neck. “Okay, baby. Let’s go home.”

“Y/N.” Taehyung called out, reaching for her as she began to walk away.

“I think you’ve done enough for one day.” She hissed, tightening her grip on her child. “Don’t you?”

She strode away, hyper aware of the stares of both Taehyung and the other mothers as she did. This was going to be the talk of the playground for at least a week or two, and Y/N wasn’t looking forward to the invasive questions she would get asked the next time she and Eun Jae went there.

Y/N didn’t want to admit it, but she moved more quickly than she would have normally as she took her son home. She was rattled. As much as she hated to admit it, she was rattled. She didn’t like Taehyung showing up in her neighborhood, at her park. She didn’t like the fact that he ignored her wishes and met Eun Jae.

If she had wanted them to meet, she would have prepared. She would have explained things to the toddler. She would have arranged things so that they were in a safe and comfortable place for both her and Eun Jae. She certainly wouldn’t have suggested he ambush them at the park.

The fact of the matter was that she was Eun Jae’s mother, and she was the only one that had parental rights. Ha Jin didn’t, and Taehyung certainly didn’t. He didn’t get to decide what was best for Eun Jae. He didn’t get to show up on a whim. He didn’t get to uproot their lives because he suddenly decided he wanted to be part of the life of a child he couldn’t have given a shit about until he ran into her the week before.

“Eomma?” Eun Jae asked as she unlocked the door to her apartment.

“Yeah, baby?”

“Pororo?”

“Sure, buddy.” She agreed, kicking off her shoes and shutting the door behind them, before taking off Eu Jae’s shoes as well.

The toddler was quick to run into the apartment and settle himself in front of her small television as she put on the cartoon for him. It was one of his favorites, and she couldn’t blame him. The penguin was pretty cute.

“Eomma?” he called as she went to the kitchen to get a snack for him.

“Yeah, buddy?”

“Cuddles?” he pleaded, staring at her with big puppy dog eyes.

She smiled, handing him a little bowl of dried mango slices. “Sure, buddy. Eomma just has to make a quick phone call first. Okay?”

He nodded, flopping back down with his snack as he turned his attention to the cartoon penguin and his dinosaur friend.

Y/N moved back to the kitchen pulling out her phone as she considered what she was going to tell Yoongi. She was meant to go to his concert, but she didn’t feel right leaving Eun Jae, not after what had happened at the park. Part of her was terrified that Taehyung was going to show up while she was gone and take him away.

“Angel?” Yoongi’s raspy voice asked from the other end of the line.

“Hi.” She sighed out shakily. Yoongi was quick to pick up on it. Nothing ever seemed to slip past him.

“Is everything alright?” Concern colored his tone, and she could hear people moving around in the background.

Part of her felt bad for calling when she knew he was busy preparing for his concert, but Eun Jae had to come first. He always had to come first. “I’m so sorry, but I’m not going to be able to make it to the concert.”

There was a drawn out pause, and she could practically see the scowl on his face.

“What’s wrong?” he demanded, voice lowering into a growl. “Are you alright? I can send Jackson…”

“No!” she was quick to stop him. “No. I’m just not feeling well. I just need to stay home and rest.”

It was a lie, but what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

“Are you alright? Do you have a fever? Do you need to go to the doctor?” he demanded, and she was half convinced he was going to come to see her himself if she didn’t cut him off soon. “I’ll send Jackson over to take you to the doctor. I’ll set up an appointment…”

“That’s really not necessary. I just need to rest. I’ll be fine in a day or two.” she promised, knowing full well she was perfectly fine now.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. I’m sorry for missing your concert.”

“Just get better.” he sighed heavily. “You can come to the next one.”

“Thank you.”

“If you need anything, call.”

“I’ll be fine.”

She hung up shortly after not knowing the mayhem she had caused for Yoongi’s staff. The mixture of her cancellation and worry for her health had put the rapper into a horrible mood. A worried Yoongi wasn’t a pleasant Yoongi.

part 13

#bts #bts fic #yandere bts #bts yoongi #bts suga #agust d #min yoongi #suga #yandere #soft yandere #yandere suga #suga x reader #suga we're going down #yandere yoongi #rapper yoongi #yoongi x reader #bts fanfic #dark romance #sugar daddy au

202 notes · View notes

chandelier-s-notebook · 3 years ago

Text

Chapter 10

Let me know if you wanna get tagged when I post new chapters in “These Streets Are Made For Walking”. @sleepysnails. Ao3 Link

————————

“You got food, bitch?” Tommy shouted as the door unlocked.

“No!” Purpled yelled.

“Fuck you! Why the fuck are you here?” Tommy screamed. “And without food! It’s dinner time!”

“Calm,” Tubbo muttered in Tommy’s ear, wrapping his arms around his shoulders.

“I have your brother,” Purpled said.

Tubbo stood quickly at attention. It was probably his brother, and he would need to show Dream that he could handle himself. His friends were fine and safe, he wasn't hurt.

Tubbo froze. It wasn’t Dream standing on the other side of the door. It was Techno.

Tommy’s face crumpled; why was Techno here? “Where’s Dream? Dream’s supposed to be here?” Tommy asked desperately. Techno wasn’t in this gang stuff. He was just a petty thief so that they could eat.

Ranboo didn’t care. He simply saw salvation and he ran into its arms. He trusted Techno with everything in his body.

“Hey buddy,” Techno said, taking a step back from the force.

“Where’s Dream?” Tubbo demanded.

“Being a dumbass upstairs. Got himself arrested.”

Tubbo’s panicked expression left his face, and was replaced with one of slight disappointment. He took a deep breath to soothe the wrinkles in his forehead. “I want to go home,” he said, stepping out of the room. “Why is George here?”

George slipped into Techno’s shotgun seat before any of the boys. Techno tried to turn on the radio, but all three freshmen were adamant that they weren’t feeling up to it on the ride to the station.

Quackity, Wilbur, Fundy, Slimecicle, Dream, and Sapnap all get taken in for individual questioning in a separate wing of the station.

Tommy, Tubbo, and Ranboo each give their stories to the interviewer with Techno in the room: something about his presence was comforting.

George waited in the lobby with the two boys not getting interviewed. At some point news cameras showed up and tried to get pictures through the glass windows of the station. George knew from experience that it was not a fun experience to have your picture in the paper, so he took the bullet and used his body to try to shield the boys.

Tubbo and Ranboo were playing battleship over text when Tommy dropped heavily into the seat next to him.

“You good?”

“No. Techno. Techno’s not supposed to be wading in your shit,” he scorned.

George’s phone buzzed. Pulling it out of his pocket and checking the screen; his blood ran cold. The problem with the media is that they are very quick.

Momma Lore I’m on my way.

Shit. George hadn’t even called anyone to come pick him up. He figured that since Purpled had called Bad in to be in the room with him for his interview that he didn’t need to call anyone. He was at the police station, of course he was calling his friend’s dad and not his own mother.

He started panicking.

“George,” a voice broke him out of his fog. “George. Hey. It’s Techno.”

George inhaled. “Hey Techno.”

“You good?”

“Mother.” He took a gasping breath and dug his nails into the armrest to ground himself. “Mother texted. She’s coming.”

“Oh.” Techno shifted slightly. “It’s your turn to make a statement. So you can hide in there.”

George quirked a smile before returning to a tight expression. “Yeah. Yeah.” He stood up. “I’ll be back.”

Techno nodded to George and moved to let him pass. He then took up George’s seat next to Tommy, and turned to face him.

“Not now,” Tommy said. “I want a pillow to throw at you.”

“That’s fair, but we’re talking about this later.” Techno turned back forward, and picked up his phone. “We just gotta wait for Bad to sign us out and then we’ll go to the house.”

“Ok.”

“I’ll deal with the Foster Bitch.” Techno raised his hand in greeting when Bad entered the building.

“Please.” Tommy grabbed Techno’s arm and threw it behind the back of the chair. Using his newfound space, he snuggled up to Techno and rested his head on his shoulder. “I’m tired of pizza.”

“Did you eat anything other than pizza?” Techno asked jokingly.

“No.”

Techno snorted. He glanced over at Tommy’s phone. He smiled.The kid was playing crazy eights with all three of his friends; no hard feelings, he supposed.

A still nervous George was then walked out by Captain Craft and brought to the receptionist. Techno nudged Tommy with his head. “George. I’ll be back.”

Tommy pursed his lips, but he let Techno up.

“Bad’s here. No need to call.”

“Oh. Yeah.” George took one more intake of breath. “Who called him?”

“Purpled,” F1NN supplied. “He wanted an adult present during his interview.”

“Makes sense.”

Techno and George continued to crowd the desk. George may be more Dream’s friend than his, but he was growing on Techno.

The doors of the station were thrown open forcefully.

Techno didn’t like George <i> that </i> much.

“You useless boy! I am planning for your future here, and you are ruining it by getting into the paper! Grades are what count! Nothing but the grades and you know this!”

George subtly tried to lean away. In fact he seemed to be trying to hide behind Techno, who deftly stepped to the side and went to sit back next to Tommy.

“You can’t be getting into stuff like this.” She took a deep breath and put on her smile. “Thank you officer for dealing with my son. I’ll take it from here.”

“Uhm actually!” the receptionist floundered, clearly noticing that George does not want to go home with this woman. “We’d like to keep him here. We have a few more questions we’d like to ask about the situation.” She held up a finger before Mrs. Lore could get a word in. “And I know he’s had a long night, and should start resting soon, but we’d like to get this mess cleaned up today if possible. We’d rather not have to call him back to the station on a later date. The memories will be fresher tonight.”

Mrs. Lore sneered at the receptionist before turning to her son. “You’re in so deep that they’re not even done with you yet?”

George straightened his back.

“Don’t even think about coming home tonight.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Bad butted in, rushling slightly to reach them, having just finished up with Purpled. “Mine now. Muffin off if you please. Pack a bag and leave it on your porch, we’ll come pick it up once we’re all done here. I’ll take him out of your hair if he's such a disappointment.”

Mrs. Lore shoved her finger in Bad’s face. “You have corrupted my son! With your complete and utter tolerance and downwrite encouragement of illegal activities.”

“What my parents didn’t know couldn’t hurt them,” Bad said, defending his parenting skills. “You don’t give him enough freedom.”

“You give him too much!” she shouted back.

George took a step behind Bad and tugged lightly at his arm. “I don’t need my stuff,” he whispered. “I’ll just use Sapnap’s.”

“You keep him.” And with that Mrs. Lore stomped off, passing the cameras once more and getting into her car.

Bad let out a sigh of relief. “I’m sorry about her.”

“It’s okay,” George said; toneless.

George went to sit by Techno and Bad turned to F1NN. “What’s the plan?”

In the end Bad was taking everyone home. Purpled was given a court date--after getting vouched by everyone else in Las Nevadas that he didn’t hurt anyone--and was put on probation at Bad’s house instead of waiting in juvenile detention. But the rest of the Las Nevadas crew were sent to jail to await their trial dates.

Dream and Sapnap were let go with yet another change added to their list and a court date. Bad signed everyone who was eligible out.

“Tubbo,” Bad addressed the boy lying on the floor. “You are having a proper dinner at my place, and I will force you to stay the night. Then you can Dream can figure out where you’re staying, because he’s trapped with me.” He points at Tommy, “Don’t think I don’t know you barely eat. You are coming over as well. Techno.” Bad points in his face.

“I’ll go kidnap Ranboo from his place.”

“Hey!”

Captain Craft paused his paper signing to look up at Techno. “Mate I’m literally right here.”

“Ranboo?”

“I’ll come willingly but hey!”

“See? No kidnapping. No abduction. Just a teenager running away from home.”

“That’s still gonna get called in mate.”

“You overestimate my father,” Ranboo plainly stated.

#Technoblade #Georgenotfound #tommyinnit #Purpled #Tubbo #Dreamwastaken #Sapnap #Philza #These Streets Are Made For Walking

10 notes · View notes

starwarsimagines1105 · 4 years ago

Text

Betrayal KR

Kylo’s POV

‘He tried to kill me,’ was all I could think as I made my way through the temple. I gave each member of my class a choice, either join me or die. Most of them chose to die, picking up their sabers to attack me. The few that had chosen to follow were going through the temple, taking what they thought valuable and killing anyone who opposed them.

I heard Y/N scream. Turning the corner, I saw one of my followers holding his lightsaber, preparing to kill her. “No!” I yelled, using the force to freeze him.

She turned to me, tear streaks down her soot covered face. “Ben, why are you doing this?” she cried.

“Join me,” I said, extending a hand to her. “I love you and together we will be the most powerful Jedis to live.”

“You betrayed me, you betrayed us,” she gestured to the bodies laying around her. “And I will never bow to the dark side,” she spat coldly at me. A follower next to me stepped forward, ready to kill her but I held up my hand, stopping him.

“No, let her live,” I ordered. Y/N looked shocked at my actions and I knew everyone else was as well. I then used the force to knock her out and she slumped onto the ground, eyes closed. “That’s everyone,” I spun around to leave the temple, “let’s move out.”

I was brought out of the memories of my past when the door to Supreme Leader Snoke’s chambers opened. I walked in, kneeling down as soon as I got close enough to the stand where he projects his image. “Sir, we are approaching Jakku. We will have the map to Skywalker soon.”

“Excellent. You have done well, my young apprentice,” he praised.

“Thank you, Supreme Leader.”

“You should be made aware, the one your heart so desperately desires is here.” My head snapped up, ‘Y/N.’ “Yes, the one you loved from your past, Y/N.”

I felt my heart leap into my throat. After all these years I’d get to see Y/N again. She had joined the resistance, my mother taking her in after I left the Jedi Order. “Sir, she will not disrupt my mission nor my destiny,” I reassured.

“I know she won’t because I’m giving you permission to bring her aboard. You can have her.”

“Thank you, Supreme leader,” I thanked once again. My heart was racing in excitement. I knew as a sith I shouldn’t be letting someone have this much of an effect on me but I couldn’t help it. The Jedi believed in having no attachments, so it’s only rational to have a companion.

Before we landed and the stormtroopers were deployed I addressed, them. “Do not kill any woman unless ordered to do so,” I ordered, looking over each of them. I could feel everyone’s confusion but no one dared to speak up so I just left.

After they were deployed, I waited for Captain Phasma to tell me when they had rounded everyone up. “Commander Ren, we’re ready,” Phasma informed me. Walking down the ramp I was greeted with the sight of Stormtroopers surrounding the villagers, Lor San Tekka standing in front of all of them. Instead of giving me the map, he spoke about my past and of the dark side. In anger, I ignited my saber and killed him. At that moment, I sensed two presences. As one fired a blaster, I stopped it. Turning, I saw a resistance pilot, and my heart stopped when I saw the woman standing next to him, holding a blue saber. Four troopers ran over, grabbing the two rebels. Y/N fought them particularly well but ultimately succumbed when I froze her again with the force.

Bringing them in front of me, they were forced to their knees, Y/N refused to even look at me. I crouched down, focusing my attention on the man. “So who talks first? You talk first? I talk first?” he asked. I felt my temper flare slightly when I saw Y/N give a slight smile.

I could sense in his mind that Tekka had given them the map. “Search them,” I ordered. Two troopers approached Y/N. “No, Captain Phasma, you search the girl.” I didn’t want any man touching her now that she was mine again.

“Yes, Sir,” she complied reluctantly. “Nothing, Sir,” Phasma and the other storm trooper said.

“Put them on board,” I commanded as I turned back to the ship. Feeling the force shift slightly, as well as a saber ignite, I turned to see Y/N slash at a trooper near her. She managed to strike him over the head, killing him, before I stopped her. Waving my hand, I knocked her unconscious, just like I did all those years ago. Before she could fall to the ground, I picked her up bridal style, carrying her into the ship.

I brought her to a room with an old containment shield so she wouldn’t be able to get out with her Jedi abilities. After a few minutes of the machine struggling to turn on after so many years of not being used, I finally got it to work. Placing Y/N in, the machine automatically suspended her midair and rendered her imobile. Waking her up, I waited eagerly to look into her E/C eyes after so long.

Her eyes slowly fluttered open, and I was greeted by E/C orbs full of confusion. When she looked at me, I saw a brief flash of something positive. Love? I could only hope but it swiftly turned to anger and hate. I saw her try to move her arm, likely reaching for her saber. When she realized she couldn’t her distress caused me to worry but I pushed it down. I had to make her love me before I could start helping her.

“You will release me,” she demanded.

“You know that must’ve been a long shot,” I chuckled at her attempt to manipulate my mind.

“What do you want, Ren?” she spat my name in disgust. “The map to Skywalker? We don’t have it. Tekka deceived us,” she lied.

“That’s not what I want from you and when did you decide to stop calling me Ben?”

“When you killed him the night you killed the rest of our class. And what the hell do you want from me?” she struggled against the shield.

“I want you to love me again,” I admitted. Taking off my mask, I saw her take a sharp breath when she saw my face. I sensed the walls of her mind go down a little, but they snapped right back up almost as quickly as they fell. “I never stopped loving you since we were teenagers, please Y/N.”

She thought for a minute. “You sacraficed our love for your power,” she spoke coldly.

“I’ll make you love me. We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” She didn’t answer me so I reached into her mind, trying to pull forward any memory of us when we were young. Her scream of agony were killing me but I kept pressing deeper into her mind.

After what felt like hours of struggling with her mind, I was only able to pull out a few. She had strong defense mechanisms. Each memory made her walls a little weaker, but I still struggled to get through them. “That’s enough for today,” I finally conceded. I could feel her relief, we were both exhausted from fighting. If she weren’t immobilized, she likely would have collapsed.

Leaving the room, I walked into the elevator. Out of anger and frustration, I pulled out my saber, slashing it against the walls. Why wouldn’t she just love me back? I was determined to make her mine again.

Part 2

#star wars #star wars imagines #kylo ren #kylo ren x reader

46 notes · View notes

ayamari-no-goshi · 4 years ago

Text

Eidolon 14 | (T)

ff.net | AO3

Fandom: Danny Phantom (DP)

Summary: AU: What started off as the result of a simple act of rebellion ends up causing his life to spin out of control. How will young Danny cope with the results as well as a past that has a strange habit of coming back to haunt him.

Warnings: rated T for violence, mentions of death, kidnapping, and various other things

Chapter warnings: implied character death. Entrapment

Parings: hints of Danny/Sam much later on

Notes: originally uploaded to Ff.net. Cross-posted to AO3 and tumblr

Chapter 14: History

"Sweetie, could you hand me the socket wrench? I think it's somewhere to your left…" a woman asked as she looked up from the device she was creating to glance at her daughter calmly reading on a worn couch about twenty yards behind her.

The girl being addressed sighed but complied with the request. She moved to a nearby tablet and quickly began searching through various stacks of blueprints of various inventions yet to be invented to find the tool which was possibly lurking underneath. "Mom!" she called out rather sheepishly a few moments later, "which one is it again?"

"It's the silver one that looks like it has a nozzle on the end."

"Well… that's not very specific."

A few moments later, the girl came over to the woman's workbench and produced a few different tools. Chuckling, the woman grabbed the needed tool, placed to others on a nearby table, and thanked her daughter. Quickly, she began tightening a nut needed to keep her project together. It needed to be stable if it was going to do its job.

"Um… what exactly are you making again?" her daughter asked after a few awkward moments of examining the device.

"It's a containment unit to trap ghosts," she explained without missing a beat of her work. "I thought I had mentioned this one to you before."

"Probably, but you know it's hard for me to keep all of your various inventions straight." The girl fell silent and started to head back towards the couch. "Mom…" she called out before she had reached her destination, "If he's just going to destroy your work, why do you continue to make all of these inventions? It's not like they'll help us escape."

Now it was the woman's turn to sigh. She gently put her tools down, pushed her red safety goggles up, and turned towards the younger girl while adopting an understanding expression. "Jazz… I know what I do seems pointless at times… But, if we can manage to either trap or incapacitate Vlad, then maybe we can finally get out of here."

"But Mom, in case you forgot, we need a ghost to get out of here! That maniac put us in a room with no door, no windows, and a ventilation system way too small for a human to even consider using for an escape! Unless you've found a way to safely blast through eight feet of steel enforced concrete, even if you can incapacitate him, what good will it do?

The woman bit her lip at her daughter's words. "It does seem hopeless, but I refuse to give up. We are going to get out of here, somehow. I promise." She gave Jazz a glance conveying the conversation was finished for the moment before turning back to her work.

Dealing with a teenager was difficult on the best of days, but when she was the only completely living person the woman had contact with for the previous thirteen years or so, trying to convey hope was exceedingly she was, Madeline (Maddie) Fenton, ghost hunter and paranormal research extraordinaire trying to convince her daughter they would be able to escape, when she had been utterly trapped and neutralized by a ghost who could disguise itself as a human. If only she had realized such a thing was possible years prior, there was a chance she could have prevented their current predicament and the separation of their family.

The man had seemed nice enough when he had introduced himself to her and her husband, Jack, all those years ago. He had even helped fund their various anti-ghost projects, but it was all a sham. The man had only gotten close to them to keep an eye on their research and any children they might have. She should have seen the warning signs when he brought up that one particular legend, but she, like Jack, just brushed if off as simple curiosity.

But, soon after Maddie became pregnant with her second child, Vlad's interest in their family started to verge on obsessive. It worsened after they found out the gender of the growing child. This, his possession of one particularly old book, and the growing notion he was somehow involved in the raids on the lab by the ghost known as Plasmius had forced her to reconsider Vlad as the person who would look after her children if anything would happen to her and Jack.

About a year after her son was born, the attacks from Plasmius on their research compound and home had gotten much worse, and Vlad's behavior had gotten more eccentric. Worried, she contacted an old friend of hers who had worked with her and Jack in the past and explained the situation to him. He seemed to understand the situation and agreed to her request. Not wasting any time, Maddie sent him a copy of the new will she and Jack created so he could look over it before it was finalized. Unfortunately, she never got the chance.

Plasmius had managed to find a way to get by their security system and enter the main part of the house. Maddie barely had a chance to hide her son before Plasmius knocked her out. When she awoke, she found herself alongside her husband and daughter in what appeared to be a large concrete room with no apparent doors or windows. Little did she know it would become her prison for the next fourteen years.

When Plasmius (who revealed himself to also be Masters) demanded to know where their son was, both she and Jack refused to tell him. He appeared to take it well and left them to their own devices for a couple weeks. During those weeks, the only outside interactions they had were with the ghostly servants who tended to their needs and furnished the room. Maddie still could fondly recall the way Jack tended to attempt to attack the servants on sight.

When Vlad reemerged, he was absolutely livid. Her son had been found where she had hidden him, but the courts had refused to let Vlad anywhere near the child due to the presence of the document her friend held. While surprised the courts ruled it as official, Maddie couldn't help but be pleased. However, Vlad found it as unforgivable and took his rage out on Jack. Maddie still was not entirely sure what happened to her husband after Vlad took him, but Vlad had given her enough hints for her to understand Jack was dead.

After her husband's death, she believed the same fate would befall her and Jazz, but it never came. Vlad had developed somewhat of a liking for both of them and had gone to great lengths to keep them happy and healthy. Her concerns turned to her missing son, who was still outside of Vlad's reach. The boy's new guardian had disappeared from Vlad's sights making the hybrid furious. What Maddie never understood was why the man never used his abilities to overturn the different court orders to gain control of the child or even just kidnap him. The only thing she could fathom was either he could not properly forge signatures or it dealt with his pride as a man, if one could refer to him as such.

After about a year of imprisonment, Maddie devoted herself to three main goals: educating her daughter, escaping, and taking care of Vlad for good. When she wasn't helping Jazz increase her knowledge with the books and materials Vlad had given them, she was working on weaponry which had the potential of fighting off Vlad and his servants (though most of them were relatively harmless). Unfortunately, it seemed as if Vlad had a means of spying on her as he seemed to always know what she was making and would frequently take and/or destroy her work, forcing her to start from scratch. Though it was disheartening, she was not going to give up. From her perspective, getting a handle on Vlad was the only route of a feasible escape.

Though most of her thoughts retained to the protection of her daughter, she would occasionally wonder about her son. She had no knowledge of his life which she supposed was a good thing. The less she heard, the better as it meant Vlad was not making progress. However, there were whispers among the staff involving Vlad's interest in a recent case involving missing documents in a single parent household. Though it was probably no big deal, Maddie had an uneasy feeling every time she thought of it.

…..

An odd noise caught her attention around dinnertime. It almost sounded like a yell. Glancing over at Jazz, Maddie noted her daughter also had heard it. She looked in the direction of the noise just in time to catch someone falling from the ceiling. Unsure who had intruded into their space, she grabbed her newest completed weapon, an ecto-staff (complete with retractable edges), and slowly approached the newcomer. The person lying on the ground appeared young and completely knocked out. But, her assumption was quickly proven wrong as the figure groaned slightly before shakily standing up.

It was a teenage boy, or at least its appearance suggested it was, with startling white hair and a mostly black wardrobe. The white aura around him indicated he was a ghost, but Maddie had never seen a ghost fall such a manner which made her suspicious. Deciding to gain the upper hand in the situation before he could react, she snuck up on him while he was glancing around and stabbed him in the back with her staff, effectively shocking him. Secretly glad her invention worked, she removed the weapon from him back and then used it to slam him into the closest wall.

"Don't move!" Maddie hissed at the boy after shocking him again with the staff. "I don't know why Vlad sent you, but I am not going to let a ghost harm either me or my daughter!"

"Hold on a second!" The ghost's voice was full of fear and confusion as he held up his hands in protection. The echo in his voice made him a little difficult to understand, but it was the same with most ghosts. "I'm not going to hurt you! I didn't even realize you were here!"

Her response was to shock him again. "Nice try, ghost!" she snarled after his screams died down. Most ghosts, no matter how friendly they seemed, lied. It was in their nature to try and trick the living.

"Wh-what are you talking about….? What ghost? I'm… I'm not a ghost!"

Maddie raised an eyebrow as she studied the boy. He seemed genuinely confused; she could see it in his eyes. Was it possible this ghost didn't actually know it was a ghost? No, that was impossible."Oh, and I suppose normal people have unnaturally white hair and glow?" she asked sarcastically trying to force him to admit he was lying.

"Hey, that was something Vlad did to me…!" he retorted indignantly before realization seemed to hit him. "Wait a minute…. I'm glowing?" A frown crossed his features as he examined his hands and noticed the pale light emanating from his body. "Why the hell am I glowing? What was in that drink he gave me?"

She stared at him in amazement. "You didn't even realize…" she muttered to herself as the scientist in her started to emerge. "You're either a good actor or newly formed…" Examining him more, she quickly threw out the notion he was acting. Everything about him, from his body language to the honest surprise in his shockingly green eyes, indicated his expressions were genuine. But, ghosts weren't supposed to be able to be so expressive, unless they were newly formed as they still had some recollection of their human life. If he was newly formed, it represented such a great possibility! "Hmm… I've never gotten to study a newly formed ghost before…"

The boy seemed to understand her intensions and immediately tried to scoot away from her. Fascinating! Didn't he realize he could just phase through the wall? "Look, I really didn't mean to bother you!" he told her quickly as he glanced around for an escape route. "I really want to leave as much as you seem to want me to. So… if you could please just show me where the door is, I'll be out of your hair."

Maddie didn't answer him immediately which caused him to cringe. She was far too interested in his physiology. After powering down her staff, she placed the end of her staff to lift the boy's chin. "Fascinating! Your body structure is incredibly similar to that of a human's, and you clearly still think like one." It was true. He was the most human-looking ghost she had ever seen. If it wasn't for the white hair and glow, he would look exactly like a normal teenager. Even his skin color could pass as a human's. Normally, the closest a ghost got was a sickly pale white, but this kid was actually tan. Maybe his appearance would become more ghost-like as he got older.

"'Think'? What's with this think business? I am human!"

She was about to retort when her daughter suddenly pushed her aside. "You're scaring him!" she scolded before turning towards the boy and extended her hand. "Here, I'll help you up. By the way, my name is Jazz."

The ghost looked at Jazz warily before accepting the hand. "I'm Danny," he told her with a smile as she pulled him to his feet. Maddie was surprised how easily the ghost was able to interact with her daughter. Though most ghosts could interact with the physical world, it tended to take some effort. They boy seemed to have no problems whatsoever. Maybe it was another particularity of such a young ghost. "And… I … uh, didn't mean to come in here, I promise. I was just trying to get away from Vlad…" He coughed awkwardly for a moment before he looked around. "Um, where exactly am I anyways?"

Jazz was obviously amused by his response. After patting his shoulder, she led him towards her favorite couch, an old and patched gray thing she refused to let Vlad replace. "Let's exchange information. You're obviously confused by this just as much as we are."

Maddie watched the interaction with a wary eye. While she wasn't too keen on letting the ghost get close to her daughter, it didn't seem like it was hostile. Maybe hostility was another trait which was age dependent. No matter the reason, it was still a great opportunity to study the boy. It also gave another possibility; he could have some information on Vlad she could use. So, observing was her best course of action, for now.

…

"And I thought my situation was bad!" Danny remarked after he listened to Jazz explain their situation. He leaned back, allowing himself to rest his head on the back of the couch. "I can't imagine being trapped in a place like this for so long. And there isn't any way to escape?"

Jazz shook her head. "Trust me; we've looked over this place hundreds of times with no luck."

A frowned crossed Danny's face as he considered it. "It's just like the room he had me in… except it at least had a door. Man, that guy really is a fruitloop. Why has he kept you here for so long?"

"He hasn't exactly privileged us with that information," Maddie sniffed as she stared at the ghost. While he didn't seem like a threat, she still wasn't sure he wasn't under Vlad's control. "I'm surprised he hasn't told you."

"I keep telling you I have nothing do with that guy! Not only did he kidnap me and give me this weird stuff, but Winston told me he's the one who attacked my family!"

"Hey…" Jazz quickly interrupted noticing Maddie was starting to get irritated. She inwardly smiled at her daughter; Jazz was really good at reading her mood. "You've mentioned this drink Vlad gave you a couple times now… What exactly was it?"

"Not sure…" he replied with a frown. "I was trying to break down the door to that room I was in when he came in and somehow managed to be in two places at the same time. One of the Vlads held me still while the other forced this nasty tasting green glowing stuff down my throat. Next thing I know, I'm sick to my stomach and in a lot of pain." He grimaced and grabbed his arms as he recalled the event. "After I woke up… Vlad came in and started talking about this curse before dragging me in front of a really big mirror. After catching a glimpse of my appearance, I freaked out, ran for my life, and tripped over my own feet. Next thing I know, I'm in a strange room being stabbed by that staff." He glared at Maddie. "What exactly did you do to it to make to shock people like that?"

"Hold on a moment… you 'caught a glimpse of your appearance'?" Jazz paraphrased slowly. "So, you're implying you didn't look like you currently do before getting here?"

"Yes! What's so hard to understand about that?" Danny's voice was full of frustration. "I don't know why Vlad changed my clothes and hair color. Where does that guy get off dying someone's black hair white? It's going to take forever to get all of this bleach out…"

Maddie shared a look with her daughter as Danny examined one of the snowy locks near his face. He really didn't seem to understand exactly what had happened to him, and he certainly didn't seem to realize he was no longer human. He was even sitting perfectly on the worn out couch like a regular person. Normally, even when sitting, ghosts tended to float above the piece of furniture instead of touching it.

But, there was a bigger implication to the ghost's words. He was suggesting he was still alive when Vlad had gotten a hold of him. If Vlad had indeed killed the boy than how many of the other spirits they had encountered through the years had met their fate in the same way?

"So… Danny," Jazz stated suddenly in an attempt to change the subject, "how old are you?"

He frowned for a moment before he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Hmm… that is a good question. Since I'm not exactly sure how long I've been here, I'm not sure if my birthday's passed. If it has, I'm fifteen now."

Maddie had to turn away for a moment after listening to the boy. Usually she was unaffected by the words of a ghost, but this one was different. He was approximately the same age as her missing son. Had he been taken away from his family like hers had been? At least she was still alive and would eventually be able to try and reconnect with the boy when she eventually escaped. This child would never get the same chance.

…...

About an hour had gone by since Danny had fallen through the ceiling. While the boy was proving to be surprisingly good company, Maddie was surprised no one else had visited them as dinner time had passed. Suspicious, but not overly alarmed, she turned her attention back towards the boy.

Though Danny had initially come across as shy, he was actually rather talkative and had a good sense of humor. Even she was warming up to him, though she wasn't going to admit it. She did allow herself to politely offer him a drink from the small fridge Vlad had given them in an attempt to play hostess. Amazingly, he drank it with no apparent problem. Ghosts weren't supposed to be able to handle human foods, but perhaps since he was so young he still had something of a human constitution. She was going to have to ask the boy to allow her to study him more in depth.

While the boy was telling a joke, he suddenly gasped and shivered. "Danny… are you okay…?" Jazz asked him hesitantly as she touched his shoulder. A small gasp escaped her as she watched a faint mist form from his breath before disappearing. How peculiar. Ghosts shouldn't be able to breathe, and it certainly wasn't cold enough in the room for it to be visible.

"Someone's coming…" Danny stated as he stood up and looked at the ceiling. His breath misted again as he spoke.

Maddie looked at him curiously. "What do you mean? Are you telling me you can sense other ghosts?"

"I… I don't know… But I think it's Vlad… Great… just what I need right now…"

"Are you sure?" If this boy was telling the truth, he presented an interesting possibility. This was the first time she had ever heard of such a power.

Danny wasn't able to give an answer before Vlad phased through the ceiling in about the area where he had been staring. The man looked agitated as he glanced around the room before allowing his gaze to focus on her and the two teenagers. A smile graced his lips as he floated down to their level.

"Ah, Maddie, Jasmine, you look wonderful today," he told them as a form of a greeting. "I do hope you forgive me for dinner being late today. A certain someone disappeared, and it's been a mess trying to find him." His attentions turned towards Danny, who hesitantly backed away. "My dear boy, how did you ever manage to end up down here?"

When Danny didn't answer, Vlad rubbed his eyes and continued to talk. "Though I had planned on introducing you to the girls eventually, I was hoping you would have a much better grasp of your powers before then. No matter… In fact, this may actually work to my advantage." He glanced at back at Maddie and gave a strange smile. "So, my dear, do you recognize him? I've heard a mother will always have some sort of recognition when she encounters a child she hasn't seen in years."

Maddie narrowed her eyes at the strange comment. "What are you talking about?" She glanced to her side to check where her staff was. Drat! Why didn't she grab it when it Vlad entered the room?

"Oh, how silly of me," he said as he placed his hand over his face in feigned embarrassment. "It would be much harder to recognize him in this form. Come here, Daniel."

The boy shook his head and continued to move away. "No way! I'm not letting a sicko like you come anywhere near me again."

"When will you learn you are in no position to argue?" Vlad's tone was rather resigned as he tiredly made three duplicates of himself.

As Danny kept switching his glance between the different Vlads in a terrified manner, Maddie snuck over and grabbed her staff. She kept her movements as quiet as possible until she noticed the clones were about make a move to grab the boy. "Danny, run!" she shouted as she attacked what she believed to be the original with her staff.

"You'll regret that, woman!" the hybrid snarled as he and two of the clones turned their attention to her.

One of them shot a beam of pink ecto-energy while another disappeared. She easily blocked it with her staff, as most ecto-infused weapons could deflect such attacks, before using it to stab the air behind her. A grunt of pain told her she had hit her mark; Vlad could be so predictable some times. Bringing the bottom of the staff up from the ground, she nailed the ghost in the chin to giving him an injury somewhat comparable to that of an upper cut. She then flipped the staff to use the momentum to bring it horizontally and nail him again in the face. A satisfying crash told her he was down for the moment. One down, three more to go.

She quickly jumped back as another blast was sent her way. As soon as she landed, she had to lean back as the other Vlad involved in her fight swung a right hook at her. Recovering before he could, she swung the bottom of her staff up towards her so she could circle it and hit him. The ghost tried to turn intangible before it hit, but the ecto-energy within the staff still sent a painful shockwave through him. Bringing the bottom of the staff up, she switched the position of her hands to allow her to bring the tip down on the top of his head. Sensing the approach of another clone from behind her, she thrust the staff backwards,hitting the him, before sliding it back forwards to once again hit her previous opponent.

Quickly adjusting her hands again, she swung the staff around, much like an overly large baseball bat, catching both of her opponents as the move caused her to crouch. Bringing the rear end of the staff to the floor, she slid the tip out until it was resting under the opponent behind her as she turned around. Standing, she shifted positions and brought the end of the staff right between Vlad's knees. She could hear him slump to the floor as she turned her attention back towards the other one. Somewhere on her right, she could see the Vlad she hit earlier getting up from the floor.

The frustrating thing about ghosts was their incredible resilience. While they could be damaged with the proper weapon, they were easily able to recover if given the time. Though Vlad was somehow only half ghost, he still possessed the annoying trait making him a difficult opponent, even if she was the better fighter. And, he was an expert at distractions.

A yell somewhere to her side caught her attention. The one Vlad which had gone after Danny had finally gotten a hold of him. Vlad was trying to say something when an irritated, "Get away from him!" was shouted followed by a heavy book being thrown. Though the book easily passed through Vlad, he did give Jazz a rather irritated look.

"I would stay out of this if I were you, girl," he retorted as he raised his hand towards her. Pink energy circle the outstretched hand as he kept the other firmly attached to Danny's shirt.

"You leave my daughter alone!" Maddie shouted as she started to charge towards the fourth Vlad. Her movements were cut short as she was grabbed from behind by several hands. She struggled only to find she was effectively stuck and at least a few inches from the ground.

"Just sit back and watch the show," one of the Vlads hissed in her ear. "Struggling won't get you out of this mess."

"Now that all of the distractions are gone…" the Vlad holding Danny looked over the terrified boy rather carefully. "You've caused quite a lot of trouble today… I would be more careful in the future. You wouldn't want the people who care about you to get hurt, would you?"

Danny was barely able to mumble an answer when Vlad started sending shocks through his body. Maddie watched in horror as the boy screamed as he started to convulse. After an agonizing moment, Vlad stopped the shocks and held the limp boy by the arm seemingly waiting for something. After a moment, a dazzling blue-white ring appeared from Danny's waist. It quickly spilt in two; each half traveling along both halves of his body. When the lights died down, a completely different boy was dangling from Vlad's grasp. This one had pitch black hair and lighter skin. Even the outfit was different.

Apparently satisfied, the solitary Vlad glanced at Maddie and held up the seemingly unconscious boy. "Maddie, meet your long lost son, Daniel Fenton." He then flung the boy onto the gray couch. As he did so, the other Vlads let go of Maddie and were absorbed back into the other one. "As you can see, he has come into his birthright… though he doesn't look anything like what either of us were expecting. But, I'm not overly bothered. There are things I must prepare for him, so until I return, look after him. I dare say you should welcome this as a great time to bond with him. Ta!" With a mocking grin, he floated up towards the ceiling and disappeared.

Maddie, though no longer trapped by the ghost, was unable to move as she stared at the boy on the couch. This child… this ghost, was really her son? But how…?

She collapsed to the floor and tried to hold back her tears. She had tried to prevent this! Vlad wasn't supposed to get a hold of him! And Danny… poor Danny, she and Jack had done research to try and prevent him from becoming like Vlad, but it had all been for naught. She should have known better than to try and fight fate. But, how was she going to live with herself when the sweet boy from before became the monster from her nightmares?

=== End of chapter notes:

It was actually pretty fun to write Maddie's fight scene. I've actually taken Kung Fu in the past and was fortunate enough to learn some staff forms. With my staff currently sitting in the living room (where I usually tend to do my writing), I was able to grab it and fool around with different movements and forms to try and get a semi-realistic fight going in my mind. But, staff movements aren't easy to describe. There aren't a lot of technical terms and you can't swing them sideways without picking them up in certain ways. The circling I describe is in reference to switching staff positions/forms. Note, when you learn how to work with a staff, it's usually taller than you are.

Vlad is a master manipulator, strategist, and can fight, but knowing he tends to let others do his work, I'm fairly certain Maddie would be able to take him in a real fight if he didn't get a chance to plan it out. Sure, Maddie could have gained the upper hand on him a while ago, but that's exactly why he takes away her weapons. The staff escaped due to the ends being retractable allowing it to be stored in odd places. Yes, I thought about this.

#Eidolon #danny phantom #dp #danny phantom au #dp au #danny fenton #sam manson #tucker foley #vlad plasmius #maddie fenton #jazz fenton #my writing #fanfic #fanfiction #fantasy #alternate universe #paranormal #supernatural

4 notes · View notes

ft-dads-au · 4 years ago

Text

I’m Gonna Stand By You

I Take Pride In What I Am 2020 Prompt: Brave Pairing(s): Silver & Gray, Rogue & Gray, Silver x Mika

A Collaboration by @mdelpin and @oryu404 AO3 | FF.Net

Summary: Gray didn't plan on coming out at his grandfather's 59th birthday dinner, but he couldn't take even one more of his grandfather's hateful opinions. Worried at how his family will react he hides away only to learn that he is not alone.

Gray age 15, Rogue age 12

June 1, 2006

The atmosphere had always been different whenever Gray’s grandparents were around. Tense and uncomfortable, and Gray knew that it had everything to do with his grandfather. It was a shame, really. His grandmother was actually quite nice, but he hadn’t looked forward to seeing her in a long time, and it was safe to say that he wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

Argent Fullbuster was an intimidating man. He was strict and harsh in his opinions, which he never kept to himself. On the contrary, he’d belt them out to anyone who would and wouldn’t listen, never being subtle when he voiced his criticism.

And he criticized a lot.

Few things seemed to be up to his standards. Even when he’d give his praise, he’d always find a flaw, and he never hesitated to point it out.

He’d commented on one of Gray’s passes when he’d come to watch one of his hockey games, even though they’d played an amazing game and won. He’d told Rogue he could’ve gotten a higher grade for his essay if he’d tried harder, even though he’d scored the highest grade in his class. Their parents were never spared either.

No one ever spoke too much about it, but now that Gray was a little older, he was more aware of how his parents’ behavior would change, starting well before a visit.

His mother would fret about cleaning the house, what to prepare for dinner, or making sure Gray and Rogue looked presentable. His father would become distant or get moody, burning through his cigarettes in no time.

Gildarts made sure not to be around, and Gray guessed that was a good thing. He couldn’t imagine the man keeping his mouth shut the way his parents did when Argent would go off about whatever displeased him. Cana had downright said she didn’t like him and would stay with her own grandparents whenever she got the chance.

Gray could see the extra effort his mother would always put in to please Argent, but it never seemed to make any difference. He and Rogue would too, they’d speak more politely and mind their manners. But Gray was getting sick of conforming to his grandfather’s impossible standards.

He was 15 years old. He didn’t want to be told what to do, what to say, or how to act anymore. And he certainly didn’t want to waste his energy on someone who would never accept him as he was anyway.

Gray had suspected that he wasn’t straight for a while now. He received plenty of attention from girls, something he didn’t always enjoy but certainly wouldn’t complain about either. Still, he couldn’t deny he was attracted to guys too. It took him some time to figure it out. At first, he’d mistaken it for admiration or maybe even jealousy, until he realized that he didn’t want to be that guy.

He wanted to be with that guy.

Grandpa Fullbuster, of course, had a very outspoken opinion about faggots, as he called them.

He’d use the slur whenever he saw fit. Watching a sports game and the ref made a call he didn’t agree with? Faggot. Someone cut him off on the road? Faggot. A man acting or presenting in any way that didn’t match his definition of manly? Definitely a Faggot.

Gray had so hoped that the subject wouldn’t come up today when his parents had invited his grandparents for dinner to celebrate Argent’s 59th birthday. He was already having trouble dealing with the usual scrutiny his grandfather was delivering, struggling to keep his expression neutral and his mouth shut. But then, right after dinner, when they were sitting in front of the tv, there was an item about the annual pride event on the news.

“Pah! What’s there to celebrate? All these faggots do is make themselves look like fools!” Argent boomed. He took a sip of his scotch, then raised his glass at the tv as if he was addressing the people on the screen directly, “You’re all going to hell, you can be proud of that!”

The awkwardness that followed was smothering, and Gray looked at his family members curiously to see their responses. His grandmother fiddled with the purse on her lap. His mom was putting the dishes in the dishwasher, not giving the matter any attention whatsoever. Rogue was reading a book, only glancing away from the pages for a second before ignoring the situation again. His dad was just staring at the tv with a blank expression like he’d do so many times when Argent went off about something.

No one said or did anything. And although it was nothing new, today it was the last straw for Gray. He got off the couch abruptly and stormed out of the room before he could say something stupid.

“Where are you going?” Rogue asked, following his movements.

“To hell, I guess.”

Like that.

Gray could hear a plate shattering on the floor and a commotion rising, but he didn’t stop to listen. He slammed the door of his bedroom shut and flopped down on his bed, putting in a pair of earphones and raising the volume of his mp3 player as high as it could go in a bid to drown out the sound of his grandfather’s yelling.

Whatever he had to say, Gray didn’t want to hear it anymore.

When his dad came into the room a few songs later, he was still laying in pretty much the same position, music blasting into his ear as he tried to calm his angry thoughts. Gray paused the song, ready to face a scolding for disrupting the peace, or a demand for an apology which he was unwilling to give.

Gray certainly didn’t expect his dad to sit down next to him on the bed and burst out laughing. That’s it, he thought, all the research he was continually doing for his work must have gone to his old man’s head. Either that, or he was going senile at a very young age.

“What’s so funny?” Gray huffed.

“I just can’t believe that out of the very few people I have ever seen brave enough to defy my father like that, one of them is my teenage son!” his dad chuckled, wiping a tear from his eyes. “Man, I haven’t seen him that pissed since the time I told him I was dating a guy…”

“What?” Gray’s eyes widened in surprise, and he sat up, “What do you mean?”

His dad regained his composure and turned more serious, but the smile never faltered. “I’m sorry, kid. If I’d realized, I would have told you this sooner,” he apologized, “Maybe then you would’ve had someone to talk to and known you’re not alone.”

“I’m bisexual,” Silver admitted, and suddenly his behavior around Argent made even more sense to Gray than it already had.

“Wow, that sucks,” Gray blurted out, still stunned by his father’s revelation. “Not the bisexual part, I’m pretty sure I am too, but…you’ve had to deal with that asshole’s bullshit for all those years?”

“Yep,” Silver laughed, but Gray wasn’t fooled. He could sense something painful his dad was trying hard not to let show, and Gray hated to think about what it would’ve been like for him, growing up with a father like Argent.

“It does suck, but I’m used to it. At this point, I just try to ignore it. You know how he is, he won’t change his mind, and nothing we do is ever good enough for him anyway.”

“Right,” Gray rolled his eyes,” Is he gone already?”

“Yeah, he tried to yell at me for my less than adequate parenting skills, but I told him I had something more important to do.”

“But wouldn’t that mean that his parenting skills were also inadequate?” Gray pointed out.

”Good luck getting him to admit to anything like that,” Silver shrugged in resignation, “Anyway, your grandmother was able to convince him to take her home before he lost it.”

Gray had to admit he was surprised to hear his father had stood up for him against his grandfather, he’d never expected it given how his father seemed to be off in his own world whenever Argent was around.

“He was furious, though, won’t that make trouble for you guys?”

“Let me and your mother worry about that,” Silver said reassuringly as he pulled Gray into a tight hug. “Honestly, at this point in my life, I could care less about his opinion.”

“You’re my son, and I’m proud of you for being brave enough to stand up for what you believe in.” He kissed the top of Gray’s head, patting his shoulder before letting go.” I know it’s not easy to do.”

Gray still couldn’t get over how everything had gone down. Just a few weeks ago, he’d been trying to figure out whether to tell his parents at all, not sure how they would react to his news. He’d never expected it to go this smoothly, and he certainly never expected to learn his father was the same.

“When did you know you were, you know?” Gray wasn’t sure if he was overstepping boundaries, but he’d never met anyone else who felt the same way he did, and he had so many questions.

“Bisexual,” Silver enunciated as Gray gawked at him with wide eyes, “It’s okay to say it, it’s not a dirty word, and it’s not something I ever want you to feel bad about, okay? I was never able to be proud of who I was when I was growing up, I always felt like I had to hide it. The last thing I want is for you to experience that.”

He scratched his head, “As for your question, I think I always knew, I just wasn’t really at liberty to say or do much about it. Things are a little better now,” he smiled in encouragement.

“What about you?”

Gray gave a half shrug, suddenly feeling shy after all his earlier bravado.

“It’s okay,” Silver ruffled his hair, “I know you’re not much of a talker, you don’t have to share anything if you don’t want to. There are some things I won’t be able to share with you either.”

“What’s it like to date a guy?” Gray asked eagerly.

His father peered at him, the corner of his eyes crinkling, before giving him his answer, “Well, the first time can be kind of nerve-wracking, like most firsts usually are, but ultimately it all depends on how you feel about each other. If you find someone you really love, the rest just becomes less relevant. It’s the same for dating women.”

For a moment it seemed like his father had once gone again off to whatever world he escaped to whenever his grandfather was around, but just when Gray was about to say something, his father turned to him with a teasing grin.

“So what about you? Have you dated anyone? I remember what it was like to be on a sports team, I doubt things have changed that much.”

“Not exactly,” Gray muttered, not really wanting to get into the few hookups he’d had when he was trying to figure stuff out.

“Is Mom not coming in?” he looked to the door, wanting to change the subject but also finding her absence decidedly strange.

When Gray glanced back at his father he thought he caught the barest traces of sadness on his face, but it was quickly replaced by a blank expression, making him wonder if he’d just been imagining it.

“I wouldn’t read too much into it. Your brother got a little spooked with the yelling,” Silver explained, “She’s making sure he’s okay.”

Gray nodded his understanding, but remembering the clatter of the plate breaking as he stormed out of the room, he couldn’t help but worry that maybe there might be more to it than that.

“Hey,” Silver was quick to reassure him, “unlike my father, your mother will always love you no matter what. Remember that.”

“Okay.”

“I know you probably have a lot more questions, but there are some things I want to talk about first.”

Gray slipped him a curious glance, unsure of what his father wanted to talk about, but he settled down to listen.

“I want you to be careful. Things have gotten better over time, people are more accepting, but unfortunately, there are still plenty of them who aren’t. Don’t engage them, you never know what they’re capable of.”

“And speaking of being careful, that applies to sex as well. Always use protection, whether you’re with a man or a woman, because-”

“Yes, dad, I get it!” Gray interrupted. He’d had the talk with his dad already and had no intention of repeating the experience.

“Alright, alright,” he glanced at Gray with a mischievous grin, “Wanna really piss off your grandfather?”

“What did you have in mind?” Gray couldn’t help but smile at seeing the excitement on his father’s face.

“Well, the Pride parade in Crocus is on Saturday, wanna go?” Silver twisted his wedding ring as he waited for an answer. “I always wanted to go to one.”

“Sure,” Gray replied, feeling closer to his dad than he had in a long time and wanting to experience his first parade with him, “I’d love to go.”

“Maybe we can all go!” Silver exclaimed eagerly, “Come on, let’s go find your mom.” He hurried out of the room, and Gray chased after him, caught up in his excitement.

When they reached the living room, they were greeted by the sight of Mika talking to Rogue quietly. There was something about it that made Gray feel uneasy, but his dad didn’t seem to notice.

“We’re all going to attend the pride parade in Crocus this Saturday,” Silver announced with a smile.

“Crocus? That’s quite a ways away,” Mika reasoned, “Don’t you think we should discuss it first?”

“What’s there to discuss?” Silver asked, stiffening at the apparent lack of enthusiasm coming from his wife.

“Silver, I get that this is exciting for you, but this is about Gray, not you.”

“And just what the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“I’m not having this discussion here,” Mika countered, her lips pressed into a thin line.

“Fine!”

Silver yanked the sliding door that led out to their deck open, storming outside. Mika turned to look at Gray and Rogue, flashing them a half-smile, “Everything’s gonna be just fine.”

She followed her husband outside, gently closing the door behind her.

Gray’s eyes were fixed on his parents, and although he couldn’t hear their words, his father was obviously upset. He watched as his mother tried to put a hand on his father’s shoulder only to have him shrug it away and step back. He didn’t really understand what the fight was about, but it seemed much too hostile to just be about whether they were going to attend an event or not. And he couldn’t help but feel that it was his fault that they were fighting.

“Do you want to play a video game?” Rogue asked, getting up and turning away from the sliding door, drawing him away from the guilt that was gnawing away at him.

“Yeah, sure, it’s not like we’re doing much good up here,” Gray agreed, giving one last look at the arguing couple before following his brother downstairs to the entertainment room that their dad and Gildarts had set up in the basement.

“Which one do you want to play?” he asked as he turned on the tv and the game console, searching through the games they owned.

“Co-op fighter?” Rogue suggested with a small smile, “We can pretend to kick grandpa’s ass.”

“If only,” Gray snorted and inserted the game, grabbing a controller for each of them. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected from his brother but was glad to find that he didn’t seem to be making a big deal out of the situation.

“I’m sorry for causing a scene, heard the old bastard freaked you out a little,” he apologized as he picked his fighter, waiting for Rogue to choose his.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Rogue shrugged, “He was the one who made the scene. It’s so stupid, we always have to behave around him, but he’s the one who can’t act like a decent human being. You should’ve seen him, he went rabid.”

“I seriously don’t understand how Dad came from that man,” Gray grumbled, “they are so different.”

“Yeah, I feel bad for him sometimes, I guess that’s why he always acts like he’s off somewhere else while they’re here,” Rogue noted, “And poor mom is stuck serving Grandpa while he sits there saying shit about dad.”

Hearing his brother mention their mom reminded Gray that he still had no idea how she had reacted to his announcement.

“Hey uh, what did mom say after I left?” he asked hesitantly. His worries regarding her opinion still bugged him. The response she’d given when his dad mentioned the plan for Saturday, and the fact that his parents were having a fight over it had only worsened them.

“Not much, just that it was going to be okay and that I should come to you and dad with my questions.”

“Oh,” Gray looked down at his controller, trying not to feel disheartened by that. He guessed it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t what he was hoping to hear either.

“She isn’t disappointed in you or anything,” Rogue added quickly, “I think she was just overwhelmed. There was a lot of yelling.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Gray forced himself to smile at his little brother, not wanting to stress him out any further. He gestured toward the screen, “You ready to go?”

“So are you gay?” Rogue asked, still scrolling through the different character options to pick his fighter.

“Ish? I like both, so that makes me bisexual,” Gray spoke the word confidently like his dad had told him to, remembering their conversation.

It was the first time he’d used it to refer to himself, and though he’d thought it would make him nervous - like there was no turning back from it anymore- he just felt right. It wasn’t any different than saying he played hockey. It was only another part of who he was, and his dad was right, he should be proud of it. No matter what others might have to say.

“That’s cool,” Rogue replied much in the same way he said anything, finally settling on a character. “All set.”

Gray snorted at his response, wondering what else he could have possibly expected from his brother. “Let’s do this.”

They played for a while, waiting for their parents to call them back upstairs, but when it didn’t happen, Gray forced himself to focus on the game. Trying to beat the waves of enemies helped him distance himself from what was going on.

“Hey, Gray?” Rogue spoke up in the middle of a boss fight, “Do you think they have video games in hell?”

Gray peered at him curiously, wondering where that had come from. “No idea, why?”

“Just wanna know because you suck so much I’m afraid we might not finish this game before we get there.”

Gray gawked at him for a moment before collapsing into a fit of giggles, “Man, I sure hope mom and dad weren’t counting on too many grandchildren.”

“What are you doing?! You got us both killed!” Rogue protested with such outrage that it only made Gray laugh even harder.

Gray’s expression softened as he studied his brother. “Guess we’ll just have to finish it in hell then.”

“I’d rather finish it now, just in case the rumors of blazing infernos are true, thank you,” Rogue rolled his eyes, setting up the game for another try. “And just so you know, you’re on grandkid duty. You like both, so you still have a chance of making it happen.”

“No promises,” Gray smirked, he did like girls, but he seemed to be more interested in boys at the moment.

“True,” Rogue said matter-of-factly, “Who’d want to date you?”

“You’re alright, kid,” Gray declared with a lingering chuckle, ruffling Rogue’s hair in the way his brother absolutely hated.

“And you’re annoying,” Rogue pouted, “but you’re also pretty badass for giving gramps the big fuck you.”

“That did feel good,” Gray confessed, getting up to grab a soda from the mini-fridge and tossing one to his brother.

Gray felt relief knowing that his father and brother both supported him. As for his mother, he decided to trust that she would love him no matter what, just as his father had said. There wasn’t much else he could do until he had a chance to talk to her.

He wondered what the outcome of their parents’ fight would be, hoping that they would still be allowed to go to the parade. It seemed important to his dad, even if he had framed it as a way to piss off Argent, and Gray wanted to offer him the same support he’d been given. It was easy to see there was a story there, and he hoped that someday his father would trust him with it.

As for the game, they never did end up finishing it, too wound up by everything that had happened to stay focused, but Gray felt closer to Rogue than ever. He made himself a promise that he would always have his back, and if anyone ever had the balls to give his little brother a hard time for who he was, Gray would give them hell.

#fairy tail #ftdadsau #ftlgbtpride2020 #ftlgbtales #silver & gray #gray & rogue #silver x mika #fics #dads pride 2020 #I Take Pride In What I Am 2020 #prompt: brave #fullbuster family

19 notes · View notes

vaguely-concerned · 5 years ago

Text

Some Alec Ryder Meta

So since I couldn’t find the screenshots of Alec Ryder’s dying ‘thoughts’, I went and got them myself!* And I am uh way closer to crying than I thought I would be, Alec sort of surprised me here. Let’s go!

I was NOT prepared for his literal first thought to be of his children. And notice -- this is not his children being impressive or special or idk ordered/obedient. It’s them being happy and safe and playing and chaotic. I uh did not expect this, frankly.

I’m guessing this is where they used to live when the kids were small! (Would this be before or during their time on the Citadel? The timeline there is so hazy to me haha, I can never quite remember how that works)

Baby Scott on the swing ;______; I wonder if Alec is ‘there’ off screen in this scene, pushing him, since we start off with a shot looking over Scott’s shoulder like that

Can I just say how quietly charmed I am by the fact that in Alec’s memories Ellen isn’t captured when she was ~*young and beautiful*~ or whatever nonsense -- she’s a mature woman, the same age as himself. It feels like there is something sweet and telling in that, like they were partners/equals in his mind. (This also makes me very uncomfortable to think he didn’t ask her/didn’t get her consent at the last moment on her death bed to put her in stasis, after the twins left the room at least; he seems to have respected her so much, if he went against her wishes that’s... such a breach of everything she seems to have meant to him and really should have been addressed more because it would essentially be his big sin as a character. So I choose to believe for now that when the kids left he did one last ‘give it this one last shot and I promise that if I find nothing within a certain time I’ll let you go and grieve like a normal fucking person’ sales pitch, possibly with prepared Science to back him up because they were both kind of weird like that and I think that if anything could have worked that would. ‘But think of the scientific implications tho babe wouldn’t you want to be able to find out how worked?’ ‘...You’ve got me there’)

More confirmation that Ellen had probably come to terms with her death and Alec Really Hadn’t lol. (Ellen might have just been grateful she lost neither of her children to the eezo exposure, actually -- she would have understood intimately how phenomenally lucky they were that both the twins survived and were healthy to boot) If I were to hazard a guess I’d say that Alec probably was in pretty bad need of space therapy even before his wife got ill, she was just his emotional support and he was intelligent and driven enough to hide most of it until that stability came under threat

:( this is upsetting. It doesn’t come across as well without the movement but he’s bowing his head and putting his face in his hands. Either Ellen when she’s really sick or when she uh ‘died’

I’m fairly sure that’s Ellen’s eyes -- and crucially they’re opening again.

Mom and the twins :’) I think it’s pretty clear Alec did that thing some people (especially men) do where they sort of organize all their feelings through their partner -- “Your mother would have been proud of you, of both of you” JESUS CHRIST ALEC JUST TELL YOUR CHILDREN YOU’RE PROUD OF THEM LIKE YOU ACTUALLY MEANT TO SAY, THEY ALREADY KNOW THEIR MOM LOVED THEM FOR GOD’S SAKE YOU ARE THE UNCERTAIN ELEMENT HERE

ETA: actually this might also have something to do with how convinced he seems to be that the kids don’t need him -- that his love and attention and regard doesn’t matter or count, or would even be seen as an imposition (he consistently refers to himself pretty self-deprecatingly in connection to them, their ‘old man’ coming in and messing up their lives, like he considers his absence to probably be the best he can do for them? He certainly devalues his own impact massively, positive or negative). Meanwhile Ellen’s place in all their lives is a clear and uncontested positive so maybe that’s why he goes for her pride and her love like that. Again: who the fuck raised this weird dysfunctional man to be like this and how did he get away with it for so long haha

Alec and adult/at least teenaged twins! a) I suspect going to another galaxy with them to explore might honestly have been his idea of how bonding works, which... well and b) Sara is right behind him, leaning in like she’s listening and interested in what he’s saying and maybe even speaking too, and Scott looks to me like he’s sort of stranded on the side, looking in but not quite able to connect the same way. (This might be coloured by what I know about their respective relationships from the rest of the game, granted)

The same memory as before BUT interestingly --

the camera is turning around, like Alec is trying to get a look at his children’s faces and can’t :) this is fine and not at all illustrative of his entire deal *everything in my heart is on fire*

sOME observations:

- These flashes give you more emotional insight in him than all the unlockable memories put together, and you’ll literally never see most of them unless you’re a freak like me, painstakingly frame by framing your way through it. That... seems like a waste??

- Despite his numerous flaws and shortcomings as a parent and as a person, literally every single thought he has at the end is about his family -- and not only his wife, all of them. There’s no place for his work here at all. That doesn’t absolve him of anything, of course, but it makes me sad that he never found a better way to show it, or to emotionally connect with his children, which he seems to have a real wish to. (”Maybe six hundred years can change a man”) Bioware... Bioware sequel pls don’t leave it like this ;_________;

- He himself does not figure prominently in his memories, and when he does he is faceless and vague -- except for when he is completely alone with his grief and Ellen is gone. I think there is something to be said about the fact that he makes all these huge inspiring speeches about the unknown and exploration... and yet his actual motivation is so firmly rooted in this immense fear of the unknown and of himself, of not knowing who to be without his wife, of not knowing how to go on living, of being alone. I wonder to what degree he knows this himself. (From what I’ve read so far of Mass Effect Initiation he certainly isn’t as idealistic about the whole thing as even the game portrays him, where he’s show to be pretty clear-eyed about the Initiative already -- or maybe he sort of is an idealist, under the fear and the jaded exhaustion. Either he genuinely believes Andromeda will hold answers and that science can achieve the impossible or he’s just too scared to consider any other outcome. Oh Boy tm)

- Ellen’s illness is such a cataclysmic event for him that I really have to assume he was never that stable to begin with. And as we’ve seen: When a Ryder goes off the rails they do so in STYLE and drag thousands of people with them to an uncertain fate haha

- My personal headcanon is that Alec used to be a better dad before Ellen got ill and when the kids were still very young; when all they really needed was to be held and loved and made to feel safe, and then became more and more distant as his work with SAM progressed and the children’s emotional needs grew more complex and demanding. Sara remembers this part of their father better (or clings to it more desperately, depending on your point of view) and is also more like him in general, being driven, competitive and intensely intellectually engaged (no matter how you play her in-game, Sara is always presented as vastly more A Nerd than Scott is -- its own can of worms of course but it’s there in the text). Meanwhile Scott has reached a resigned sort of ‘It’s perfectly plausible my dad would not be able to pick me out from a crowd’ place about it and given up on expecting anything more a long time ago in self defense. I think they’ve both hit on different parts of the truth there lol

(Also Sara and Alec seem to have bonded over making fun of Scott a little bit and considering him the underachiever of the two and like Not Cool guys!!! :( )

- Anyway Alec Ryder is a very interesting and immensely flawed character and killing him off and never meaningfully engaging with him again seems like throwing away a golden opportunity. Sequel where ‘Ghost Riders’ takes on a new meaning when??? I just want the twins to be able to either yell at him or connect to him better, as appropriate to the feelings of the individual player (I totally get why people would want to give their Ryders a chance to straight up hate him)

I think where it really hurts for me is that he clearly has these feelings, the capacity for it. There’s a wealth of affection and... tenderness? reverence, nearly? in these memories. None of his outward hardass needs-everything-to-be-under-control persona. And yet he could find no way to express this or even really meaningfully stay with his own feelings and his children suffered for it. It’s just all so fucking sad

*Courtesy of DanaDuchy’s youtube channel, which is truly one of the marvels of the internet; please check it out if you have any interest at all in Bioware games or indeed RPGs/games in general, there’s SO much content and it’s all neatly organized! If like me you want to listen to all the banter of every game... this channel’s got you covered

#mass effect #mass effect andromeda #meta #alec ryder #is a real SOB but the more I learn about him the more grudging confused affection I have for him lol #this must be what it's like to be the ryder twins #today in the 'I know no one asked for this but my brain won't shut up about it' report lol

66 notes · View notes

shinobirain24 · 4 years ago

Text

RWBY NEXT GEN

First Entrance to Beacon

By wolfstyle2074

Valerie Rose and Sai Xiao Long have exited the airbus to Beacon Academy for their first year after passing the entrance exams. The two cousins are very inseparable and close like sisters. Valerie is a girl with a red cape and a scythe she names, Lunar Rose. And Sai is a blonde girl with gauntlets she calls, Long Quan.

"Oh my gosh, Sai! Can you actually believe it?! We just landed in the courtyard to Beacon!" Squealed Valerie.

"I am starting to miss home already. But I am also psyched to be here." Sai pumped her fist. Valerie then pulls out a paper full of list of instructions. "Okay, first things first, we get to the ballroom for the announcements made by Professor Goodwitch."

"Wonder how our dorms would turn out to be. Cause the lat thing I wanted is to go to the Emerald Forest and punch some Grimm. Cause that's also the step of student orientation. Which is my favorite part of the introduction." Sai glances at Valerie.

"Basically, I wanna know more about weapons. Mom is a know-it-all about weapons. I love weapons too. I mean I always have Lunar Rose."

"Oh, yeah, forgot to mention. I promised Aunt Ruby that you needed hand to hand combat lessons. You're good with weapons. But can you handle without one?" Asked Sai. Valerie then pouted in response. Sai then sees the expression and didn't mean to bring up the fact that Valerie isn't great with combat. So she ruffled her hair a bit to cheer her up. "Cheer up, Cuz. You'll get the hang of it." For that, Valerie beamed with joy.

Then two Atlesian soldiers are standing next to the airship while guarding a spikey White haired boy with undercuts on the sides. With grey jacket and black ripped jeans, amber goggles and pads on his knees. With the half trident and half snowflake symbol on the back of the jacket. He is pulling out his suitcase. He then turned to the soldiers holding up their firearms.

"Okay, guys, I am here in Beacon. You can leave now." He waved lightly. But they didn't complied to his request. He then raised an eyebrow. They are still watching him. "Um, you can go now!" He repeated lightly. "Argh! What's it going to take for you guys to just leave me alone?!" He snarled, annoyed that he must be kept watched at all times for a reason and there it is.

"Sorry, Mister Vasilias. But as the nephew of General Winter Schnee herself. Those are her orders to make sure you and your family's safety a priority, and...Hey, where'd he go?!" He then turns back to find Tristan Vasilias missing. The soldiers become frantic that they lost the teenage boy. "Oh no, General Schnee isn't going to like this! Quick, find him before we lost him completely!" What they didn't know is that Tristan is hiding behind the side walls of the courtyard. He then smirked to find them running around to search for him.

"Ha ha, suckers!" He snickered. Tristan then hears spray painting on the wall he is near at, then glances at the picture of big letters that says, "Rules stank." It belonged to a monkey faunus with raven hair and golden eyes. Kai Wukong. "No way, Kai?!" Addressed Tristan. He turned to see his best friend.

"Hey, buddy!" They jumped for joy. "I didn't know we were going to be in the same school!" Kai said.

"I didn't know either!" They were interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. A ginger-haired boy with armor. "Hey, pretty boy. Give me your pocket money." Demanded the boy. Before Tristan can respond, he was saved by Kai the moment he pulled him aside. "Sure we will give you the pocket money. Hold this, would ya." Kai gives the spray paint can to the boy as they left under pretense for the money.

"Huh, well that was easier than I thought." He tilted, until he was yelled at by a woman in white hair. "Carter Winchester! What is the meaning of this?!" Yelled the woman. He then jolted to see her as she spotted the can in Carter's hands. "Graffiti on the walls is against the rules!" She said. Then Carter remembers that Kai has given him the can. "Wait, it's not want it looks like-!" He was cut off when Winter have pulled him to the main office. "Save it, we're discussing this in the office with the headmistress."

"No wait, I didn't do this! You got to believe me!" The the two soldiers guarding Tristan have returned to the courtyard exhausted with nothing. Until they looked up to their general. "G-General Schnee, sir! We lost your nephew, he somehow snuck off from our watch!"

"We're deeply sorry, ma'am! He didn't watch, it was his fault!"

"No he lost him first!"

"You did!"

"No, you did!" Winter then shook her head. But then sees Tristan walking into the courtyard with Kai. Then smiled in relief. "You two have a break. I'll handle the rest from here." She ordered.

"Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!"

#rwby fanfic #anime #rwby next gen

1 note · View note

untaemedqueen · 5 years ago

Text

Peregrination

Peregrination > j.jk

Chapter 1.

A cold breeze blows through the cracked window of your room. The white curtain whipping wildly as you stir in your sleep. It seemed to be an ordinary occurrence this winter, your landlord has told you on quite a few occasions that the building just could not afford the heating bills. You pull the heavy duvet cover higher up your clothed body, only your eyes peaking out of the sheets. Your eyes snap open, heavy and sleep laden. They find your trusty digital clock and with a groan you squeeze your eyes shut. Just an ordinary day for a very ordinary you. Waking up before your alarm seemed to be a skill of yours, add that to your resume. Maybe this was why you were constantly exhausted, besides the constant hours of working. There were twenty four hours in a day and seventeen of them were dedicated to non-stop working just to afford your bills and living. This was no way to live, and yet, you did it. Never truly getting out of the hole that was dug for you from such a young age.

With a groan you sit up in bed, your hair flopping to one sit as you stretch widely, your bones popping and creaking as you ready yourself for the same tiresome day of work. Today just like all days would be the same, incredibly monotonous and depressing. You stand up, stepping on to the cold floor barefoot before tiptoeing over to your window. With a finite groan, the window closes and you look around your studio apartment. The rising sun starting to illuminate the small space. It was the same for you each day, shower, makeup, small breakfast that you could afford, dress for work and then finally work for most of the day. “So it begins again.” You say to yourself as you grab your phone.

An apple hangs from your mouth as tie your shoes, you wiggle your toes and frown looking at the seams to the soles of your shoes. They were breaking again, only one pair of shoes lasts three months around here with all the walking you have to do. You wear your shoes to the bone and then struggle to pay for new ones every few months. ‘Just another debt.’ You think before grabbing your grey wool pea coat. “Let’s go.” You begrudgingly grab your keys and your phone before shoving them in your pockets, the last thing you grab is your wallet before shoving it in your coat pocket. Several scenarios run through your mind making you giggle as you imagine being held up by a thief, he demands your wallet and money and all you can do is shrug. Money? Never heard of it. You don’t own any. You lock your door before chuckling at yourself. “I’m such a hoot.” You mumble as you chew your apple descending your staircase.

The streets are bustling with the morning work crowd, you see the same zombified faces as you walk towards the ever familiar place. The train station up ahead, the large letters signifying its existence scream at you as you watch people descend the stairs in a hurry to make the 6:45 train. You step around a pile of trash in the street before smacking into someone. You mutter a sorry before looking up at the figure. An older Asian man smiles down at you before bowing, he stands up right before holding out a business card. You take in his appearance quickly as he fixes his blue tie. His suit looked expensive, way to expensive for this neighborhood. His glasses get pushed up his face with the middle finger of his hand as he smiles down at you. “Pleasure to make your acquaintance. Come see me.” He says before bowing once more and walking in the opposite direction of the crowd. You stare at the man as he walks away fixing his black suit. He was dressed very stylishly to be walking anywhere on this block. “Hey! Lady! People don’t have all goddamn day y’know. We got things to do!” Someone yells pushing past you into the train station. You hum in agreement before shoving the card into your coat pocket. You couldn’t miss that train.

You smile mentally as you grab a seat on the train, yeah you might have shoved a teenager out of the way but at least you get to sit on this long ride to work. You pull the business card from your pocket as you stretch out your legs. The card was heavy duty, iridescent purple lines the card as you look at the gold lettering. ‘Magic Shop. Your dream become reality.’ You raise an eyebrow trying not to laugh. What the hell is this? A strip club? You read the address before snorting. Yeah, okay, weird old Asian dude. I’m on my way right now.

You enter work keeping your head down, people bustle around you as you walk towards the elevator. “Y/N!” You turn your head to the familiar brown haired girl, her outfit impeccable as always as you press the elevator button. Your only saneness in the world, Kim Ha Won. “Ha Won.” You greet her as the elevator doors slide open. She hugs you tightly pushing both of you into the elevator making you chuckle. She pulls away before accessing your outfit. “You look nice!” She feigns looking down at your shoes, you snort before pushing the fifth floor button. “Thanks for trying to bring up my confidence. Feels good.” You joke making her pout. “Why don’t you just take up my offer? I don’t care about the money, just take it. I hate seeing you like this.” Ha Won had a very big heart, which was great and all but you could never take her money, your pride just wouldn’t let you. She was the type that didn’t even need to work, she just did so, so she wouldn’t be ‘bored’, a concept you couldn’t get your head around. You gaze at her and she sticks her hands up defensively. “Look at this.” You say handing her the business card you received on your way to work to distract her. The elevator ascends and she looks down at the card. “Wow, this card is pretty!” She flips it back and forth before looking at you, “You should totally go!” You look at her incredulously before laughing, “I am not going. It’s probably a strip club or something.” She pulls out her phone as the elevator stops and the doors open. “I’m looking it up and we are going after work.” You pull the card out of her hand. “No, no. I didn’t show you to get a dumb idea in your head. It was to be funny. To look at it and say, ‘Ha. Ha. Very strange and funny. What a weird thing to receive so early in the morning.’ Not for you to actually WANT to go here.” You take off your coat and walk towards your desk. She follows behind you. “Nothing shows up on the search engine.” She mutters, her black heels slapping against the wooden floor of the many cubicle office. “Shocking.” You say feigning shock as you approach your small cubicle. The grey padding of the walls greets you as you sit down with a sigh. “Ha Won, go away.” You say shooing her, “My seating changed! I sit here now!” She announces happily before sitting behind you, you smile warmly before mentally smacking your forehead. She won’t relent on this, you should have never said a damn thing.

“We’re so going.” She cheers behind you as you hang up the phone. You roll your eyes before turning in your chair, your index finger up as you flip your hair over your shoulder. “No. No we are not.” You turn to your computer hearing Ha Won’s complaints as you begin to type out the chapters assigned for you. Yes, that’s right, you write textbooks for grade schools. Could you possibly think of a more boring job? No, maybe a sanitation worker. You work seventeen hours a day writing textbooks for kids that would draw dicks and hearts all over the pages. Minimum wage looks good for those textbooks, no?

You groan standing up, shutting off your computer. “Ready to go?” You hear Ha Won behind you, “No. I’m going home so I can go to sleep so I could return in the morning and write more about Physics- the Forces and Motion of the world.” Ha Won rolls her eyes before throwing you your coat. “Let’s go Y/N. You’re making me depressed.” You gasp at her feigning shock. "Me? Be depressing? No way." She shoves your shoulder before grabbing your hand. "Come on!" She squeals pulling you towards the elevator.

The two of you stand outside the Magic Shop, it looked old, really old. With old ancient Chinese lettering and jade ornamentals hanging up. You poke at one of the red paper lanterns hanging from the signage signifying the places existence. This place was two blocks from your house, how have you never noticed this place before. "Lets go in!" The place was dim, almost seeming closed if it wasn't for the shadows passing by the murky glass windows. "I don't know Ha Won. I don't think it's a good idea." Ha Won rolls her eyes folding her arms. "Y/N, you stay in the same routine every day, just this once. Have fun, let's just check it out. You're allowed to not be miserable for one day." You sigh loudly as Ha Won walks towards the door. You begrudgingly follow with a groan, the door opens with a flourish as she enters. Little bells dinging as she steps in.

You step inside and your mouth drops slightly looking around, it definitely doesn't look like this from outside. A young man sits at a desk, his wire framed glasses at the tip of his nose as he doesn't even pay notice to the two customers in the shop. "Hello?" Ha Won asks as she watches him write in a book. "Hi." He says not looking up, his black hair falling into his face as his tongue peaks out of his mouth, caressing his bottom lip. You and Ha Won stare at each other in silence before you clear your throat. "I was given this card." You say pulling the business card, his head snaps upwards to look at you, his fingers busy pushing up his glasses. "Come." He says holding his hands out greedily. You look at Ha Won and she shoves you forward with a smirk. You hand him the card and stare down at your fraying shoes. "Wow. The highest tier." He mutters in awe. The wall behind him was full of filing boxes. He stands up, his body tall and lean, you could practically see his muscles through the thin black shirt he was wearing. You look away embarrassed as your attention focuses back on the wall. "Y/L/N." Your eyes find him look at you. "That you?" He asks pulling at the small drawer. "Y-Yeah. How would you know that?" You ask creeped out. "We know lots of things. Nothing to be scared of." The guy turns back to you after placing the business card in the drawer. "I'm Seokjin. Pleased to meet you. I will hand you a card, on this card you will write three things you would like most in the world, please." He hands you a thick rectangular card stock with gold edging. It had your full name on it and you turn back to Ha Won. She ends up sitting on a leather stool in the corner, her face alight with excitement. This was exactly her type of thing. You look back at the Asian guy, he sits back down before pointing to the seat next to Ha Won, “Go on, nothing to be nervous about just three things you would like most in the world.” He smiles before handing you a heavy black fountain pen. He looks back down at his book, you clutch at the stock card before heading back to Ha Won. Seokjin looks at you eagerly before clearing his throat. He takes off his glasses before sitting back in his chair, you plop down next to Ha Won. You hand her the stock card, “This is so cool!” She cheers silently, “You don’t think it’s strange? They know all this information on me.” She shrugs before handing you back the card. “Well, go on! Write the three things. It’s just three things.” You stare down at the card, what were the three things you wanted most? You lean back staring at the ceiling, you wanted to never work again, you wanted to be out of debt. “Be precise.” Seokjin says before running his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know what I want.” You whisper to Ha Won, she snorts before shifting her body in front of you, making your knees touch. “Sure you do. Here, close your eyes.” You do as told before taking a deep breath, “Just answer spit back an answer quickly, okay?” You give a small nod as Ha Won grabs your hands. “What do you want most?” “To be happy.” “And then?” A smile in her voice, you were lonely. “To have a happily ever after.” Yeah, it was corny but it was true. “And last?” Your head swims, “To do something with my life that makes me happiest.” You open your eyes and Ha Won smiles down at you, “That’s kinda like the first one.” She says making you nod. “Well, to be happy at first meaning to be well off, to no longer have any debt from my parents.” She hums understanding, “Write it.” She says picking up the fountain pen from your lap. It lays heavily in your palm as you bend over to lean on the glass table to your side.

1. To be well off, to no longer have debt or worries with money.

2. To have a happily ever after, finding a soulmate.

3. To do something with my life that makes me happiest.

You look down at the black ink as it dries into the card stock, seeming like it was being carved into stone. You look back up at Seokjin, his hands clasped and perched under his chin as he smiles at you. “You have a good heart, Y/N.” Seokjin says finally standing, and you along with him. You close the small distance between you and hand him the card. He grabs the card and places it within a grey envelope. His back greets you as he searches the wall of small drawers before finding your box again, his mouth quirking up as he opens the drawer. He places the envelope in carefully before closing the drawer. A loud slap resounds through the room and he sighs happily. “Request granted.” He says quietly before turning back to you. “Y/N. It’s been a pleasure, I hope to see you again sometime.” You blink at him as you set the pen on the desk. “Uh...That’s it?” You ask confused, Ha Won stands up before stretching happily. “That’s it, I’m afraid.” Seokjin grabs his glasses and sits back down, his legs land on top of the desk as he leans back in his chair. “Um. Okay.” You whisper as Ha Won approaches the desk. “Can I have a go?” She asks happily, Seokjin sucks his teeth before frowning. “Unfortunately you did not receive an invitation. Only Y/N has. My apologies ma’am.” Ha Won frowns before shrugging. “Cool. Thanks Seokjin.” He nods to you before giving you a smile. “Let’s go.” Ha Won grabs your arm and pulls you out of the store. “That was dumb.” You say as you both walk down the street. “I thought it was pretty cool, at least you know what you want most in life.” “Yeah but knowing and being able to do something about it are two completely different things.” You counter walking in the direction of your apartment. “God, you are so depressing.” Ha Won laughs rolling her eyes. You pull your pea coat closer to you as you hit the corner of the street, the chilly wind suddenly blowing in your face. “I’ll see you tomorrow, I’m meeting Kwon for dinner.” You nod and give her a hug, “Have a good night, be safe.” You call to her as she crosses the street quickly. She gives you a thumbs up as you lose sight of her in the bustle of people.

You enter your apartment with a sigh before placing your keys in the small shell dish by the door. Back to your mundane life, back to typing up textbooks that kids would never remember, and the same anxiety for debt you would never overcome.

You wake up early and stare at the clock as you bring the comforter up to cover your face. "I have one more sick day, maybe I could be ill today." You mutter to yourself, you stare at the ceiling recalling yesterdays strange events. Seokjin and the weird Magic Shop flipping through your mind as you hear water rush through the pipes in your walls. Why would you write down what you wanted most in your life if you could hardly ever reach these goals? You could never have enough time for yourself to look for your soulmate. After your parent's died when you were small it was up to your frail grandmother of 75 to raise you. She was nasty, unnurturing and wanted nothing to do with you. What she 'forgot' to mention all those years of raising you, was that your parents had took out many loans to live a lavish lifestyle that was way above their paygrade. So much money in fact, that the internet assumes it'll take you 70 years to pay it off. Seventy years. That's your whole lifetime, basically. Working for fifteen dollars a hour would not get you nearly enough as you would stuggle to take care of yourself in between the paychecks. You groan loudly sitting up before shaking your hair with your hands out of frustration. You kick your feet watching the comforter fly off with an angry sigh. Stupid life, some people just shouldn't have kids. You stand up before huffing out. Fuck the Magic Shop, it was pointless to look towards happy things when you would be miserable your whole life. "I'm gunna go over there and give that Seokjin a piece of my mind." You decide before standing up, the cold room nipping at your skin as you stretch beginning to wake up.

You stomp towards the Magic Shop as you mumble to yourself. "I'm gunna give him a piece of my mind." You whisper as you cross the street. The wind bites at your face as you push down the street. You approach the Magic Shop before stopping short. "Wh-" You stare, mouth agape at where the shop should be. A dilapidated building meets your eyes and you cough out a noise of shock. “What the-” You step towards the building, a City Quarantined sign visible on the door. ‘Closed due to Asbestos.’ This building looks like it has been closed for decades. “No.” You say out loud. This is absurd, you were here just yesterday! You take out your phone, your vision blinking rapidly as you look for Ha won’s number in your contacts.

The phone rings loudly as you stare at the white and grey abandoned building in front of you. The pain peeling off in a disorganized fashion, the windows showing signs of wear and tear as the wood cracks on the sills. Ha Won picks up with a cheery voice, “Morning! You okay?” You clear your throat and look down at the sidewalk, “We went to the Magic Shop yesterday, right?” You ask, knowing the answer, you were here! “Are you sure you’re okay? Of course we did. Did you hit your head.” “Well I came back and it doesn’t exist!” You practically scream into the phone, “Doesn’t exist, wh- Y/N. You are sure you’re on the right block, right?” You roll your eyes at the question before stepping backwards. “Yes, of course I am! It isn’t here, Ha Won. The building says it’s been closed for asbestos.” Ha Won sighs through the phone. “See, so?” “It seems like nothing has been here for years!” Ha Won clears her throat as you hear wind blowing through the phone, “I think you need a nice hot bath and a glass of wine. Why would the shop disappear in the middle of the night? Because of asbestos, it’s a perfectly good reason. Wouldn’t want that handsome guy getting all sick from it.” She says dreamily, “You are seriously no help.” You scoff before biting your lip, peeling some skin. “Just get your ass to work, you can’t be late again.” She says playfully as she thanks someone over the phone. You stay silent staring at the signage. “We’ll talk about it when you get here, just get here.” She says before you hear the elevator button ding through the phone. You drag yourself away from the building, “See you soon.” She says and you hum in agreement before the line cuts dead. It doesn’t make any sense, how the hell could you go to some beautiful shop yesterday and now there was nothing there besides a dilapidated building? There were no Chinese lanterns or anything of the sort. You walk down the street, your head doing countless turns as you look back at the building. You rub your temples as a headache comes on strong. You walk towards the subway, your pea coat flying in the wind as take the Magic Shop card out of your pea coat. “It’s not possible.” You say descending the steps of the subway.

You stand on the platform as the 6:45 train rolls in, the business card still in both of your hands as watch the train fly by, your pupils moving with it. None of this makes any sense. Did Ha Won not believe you? Why does she shrug everything off so simply? Why do you take everything with such skepticism? The train halts to a stop and you enter the train car door. The train was pack as always, the heat on making you pull at your shirt collar, bodies pressed up against bodies as you clutch at silver pole to steady yourself as the train pulls off again. You close your eyes as you think back to yesterday, it was such a strange event. You felt strange in the shop like maybe things would change for you, but you knew better. Nothing would make your life better, not magic, not anything, You were stuck like this, in this constant state of torment and worry.

You finally sit down as people rush off the train at the same stop every day. Someone slams their body down next to you with a huff and you look sideways at them before gasping. “Y/N.” Seokjin says with a smile, “Seokjin!” You exclaim, you look him over. He wears a long white tee-shirt, a beige sheeps skin coat hugs his body as he cross his legs, black cut up jeans grace his legs as he sits comfortably next to you. He didn’t have glasses today and he gives you a warm smile. You shake your head looking at him, “I went back, this morning. I went back and it wasn’t there!” He nods before looking at the clock. “Magic.” The train stops short in the tunnel, ‘Sorry folks, there is a train in the station ahead of us, we will be moving momentarily. Thank you for your patience.’ The train conductor announces over the intercom of the train car. “Magic does’t exist!” You whine wanting a real explanation. The train begins to move quickly, “This is my stop.” Seokjin stands up, towering over you. You stare up at him about to get off with him, he notices your jittery movements before putting his hand on your shoulder. “I’ll see you soon. Don’t follow me, you aren’t destined too.” The train doors slam open and he moves through a sea of people off the train as you call out for him. Just like that, he was gone again and you curse loudly. An old lady looks up at you from her book before giving a noise of disappointment. You roll your eyes before picking at your nails as the doors close. Destiny? Magic? What is will all these fantasy words?!

You stare out the window as the train approaches a tunnel, the train shrouding itself in darkness with small bulbs of light flashing through the window. The train seems to pick up speed as you continue to stare, the small bulbs of light growing bigger and flying by faster as you inch forward in your seat. My God, this train was going fast. The train speeding down the track so fast, all the small bulbs begin to blur into one, taking up the whole window making you squint. You look around at the rest of the people on the train but no one seems to notice how many miles per hour you were travelling. “Oh fuck.” You whine clutching at the silver railing as the train gets wrapped in the bright light. “GOD!” You yell as the train doors fly open, your hair blowing furiously at the wind, the smell of burning metal enters your nostrils as you close your eyes. You were going to die. This was it for you, and maybe, that would best. Take you out of this miserable life. The train comes to a harsh stop throwing you from your seat. You head smacks painfully against the floor and with a groan you lose reality.

You groan loudly, your closed eyelids red showing your veins as you sit under some sort of sunlight. “Y/N?” You hear above you, you groan at the unfamiliar voice. Your closed eyelids going black as the sunlight fades from your face. A large hand shakes your shoulder and your eyes open slightly. You stare up at the guy above you, his head tilts giving you a large smile. His bunny smile makes you raise an eyebrow as his eyes squint in happiness. His long black hair falling in his face as he holds his hand out. he looks at you expectantly as he pushes his hair back. He was gorgeous, with his goofy smile and his brown eyes that bore holes into yours making you feel like you were naked in front of him. He bites his bottom lip trying not to giggle and you notice a small birthmark under his lip. “Are you going to take my hand? Or are you going to just lay there?” You clear your throat before grabbing his hand. He hoists you up effortlessly and you look around. You were in a field, a sunflower field nonetheless. “Uh, wh-” You mutter rubbing at your head. “You’re so clumsy, my gosh.” The stranger says before standing tall next to you. You look up at him as he fixes his black tee-shirt. You look down at the ground before furring your eyebrows. “How did I get here?” You ask aloud as you kick at the large rock next to you. “Well, we drove. If that’s your question. You got a concussion? Should I call my manager?” He asks before stepping away from you, like you had the plague. “I-I’m just confused.” You look up at his brown eyes again and he laughs. “Come on.” He says slinging his arm over your shoulder. “Who are you?” You ask looking at his limp hand dressed over your shoulder, large silver rings dot his fingers as you look back up at him. “Don’t play like that. You’ll make me worried about you.” A man approaches the both of you with a smile. His figure familiar as he closes the distance. “Seokjin!” You cheer recognizing him, he gives you a smile before greeting you with a small wave. “Y/N.” He says before looking at the guy next to you. “She fell trying to come and fix my hair.” The guy beside you clarifies and you fur your eyebrows. “I was?” Your head aches with questions as you stare down at the ground. Seokjin lifts his face with his hand before placing fingers on your temples. Your mind begins to fog, memories you never made enter your mind and they mingle with your real memories. You cringe at the strange feeling, your mind swimming trying to grasp these images. “What are you doing to her?!” The guy next to you says swatting at Seokjin’s arms. “Fixing her.” Your eyes roll back at the new information entering your mind. “You’re both weirdos.” The guy says as he walks away. Seokjin pulls away before smiling down at you. “What was that?” You whine grabbing at your head. “Magic.” You look back up as the guy approaches you with a water bottle. “Here, it’s really hot out here. You must be dehydrated or something.” He gives a nasty look at Seokjin as you receive the water bottle. You stare up at him before what feels like gears grind in your mind. “Jeongguk.” You say pointing at him, his bunny smile returns before letting out a sigh of relief. “I thought you were really sick or something.” He slings his arm back over your shoulder. “Let’s go.” You look at Seokjin as Jeongguk pulls you away. He pulls a card from his back pocket. It was your three things list. As you look at him, the card disappears leaving just sparkling ash behind. “Wish granted.” He says before putting the dust into a purple felt bag. He throws the bag at you with a wink. “Magic.” You whisper as you step into the shade with Jeongguk.

#jeongguk x reader #jungkoooookie #bts #kookie #bts series #bts story #bts au #idol!jungkook #bts imagine #seokjin #jin #taehyung #namjoon #yoongi #jimin #hoseok #rm #suga #j-hope #bts smut

80 notes · View notes

liw-the-melancholic-apple · 4 years ago

Text

How it may have gone - Humble Beginnings

A fic taking place in the marauders era. While the political climate seems to head to a conflict, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter are still just teenagers. Dealing with typical teenage problems.

But this year their little group grows. Who would have known that more prefects would be a good thing?

Masterlist

Eight: New Year, new me III

We nearly missed breakfast. As the very last student we walked into the Great Hall to grab the rest of the Sunday buffet. None of us looked truly alive but the adrenaline of sharing a secret and the excitement of maybe running into Crick had us all on edge.

The Potter-posse was nowhere to be seen when we sat down and dug in but waited for us on the steps when we walked back into the foyer. They weren’t the only ones, though. Magnus leaned against the wall and waved Chloe over, Toby standing next to him. My heart dropped. Hopefully they would talk about something completely irrelevant and not me or Crick.

“I hear you’ve become quite the ladies’ man!”, Nica bellowed messing up Pettigrew’s hair.

“So, you told them”, he looked at me.

“Yep.”

“Everything?”, Remus asked cautiously.

“Yep!”

“Then we finally get to brag about our heroism! Killed me that we couldn’t do that yesterday!”, Potter cheered and pulled us all into the snowy courtyard, telling the story from his perspective – it nearly sounded creepy the way he described how Crick tried to kiss me – and giving all the girls sufficient time to ‘oooh’ and ‘aaah’.

“And that is how us noble men saved the fair lady”, he ended.

“I’m so proud of you, James”, I applauded him. “You haven’t even exaggerated that much.”

“Hang on, did you just call me James? Are you feeling alright?”

“Yes, I am. I just figured after you have rescued me from a truly uncomfortable situation and provided shelter for me, it would only be a token of my gratefulness and respect to use your first name.” That wasn’t completely true. Not a lie necessarily, but not the truth either. I had decided to call Sirius Sirius and I had decided to not tell any of the girls that I knew he lived with the Potters. So, I had to come up with a reason to call him by his first name and this was the best I had. Besides, I was grateful. And I did respect all of them.

“Honoured!”

“Does that go for all of us?”

“It does, Peter, if you’re okay with it.”

“Absolutely.”

“Won’t change anything for me, I guess. You already call me Remus all the time.”

“I could go with Remus John. Or Rems.”

“Remus is fine, thanks.”

“And obviously the honourable man who took a hit for you for will be referred to by his given name”, Milla cleverly directed the conversation towards the question we all had. To be perfectly honest I hadn’t thought about what Sirius might have done to get punched by Crick until I retold the story but I now really wanted to know. I was properly shocked to hear that their conversation had gotten physical but Sirius had made a point of not telling me what he did to get his bloody lip. When he pushed Crick away from me he was calm and calculated, but I reckoned Crick would have not punched him without provocation.

“Obviously”, I answered.

“Why did he punch you?”, Blair asked quickly.

Sirius extinguished his cigarette.

“Why does it matter?”

“Because a) we don’t know Crick to be violent and b) we didn’t think you would take it without striking back”, Blair answered.

“I didn’t ‘strike back’, he sarcastically stretched the last two words “because I figured Cricket was already feeling like shit.”

“Okay, and how did you get that busted lip?”

“I said something he didn’t like to hear.”

“Come on! What did you say?”, Nica whined.

He still wouldn’t look at me. Not once since we’d been out here. Now, he hesitated to answer, scuffing his feet. I was sure that he would have normally used his soul-seeing eyes to get my approval or okay but he didn’t.

“I really don’t think it matters.” He abruptly walked through us, bumping into Remus and Milla and went back to the castle.

“What the hell?”

“He’s been weird recently”, James explained. “Don’t focus on that too much. Reckon he’ll be back to normal in no time.”

“You know what he said, right?”, Milla bat her doll eyes at Remus, frowning in the cutest way possible. Stellar performance.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that!”

“But I’m really curious! And Jette feels bad about it.”

Remus looked at me. “You do?”

“Of course, I do. Felt bad about all of it. Feel bad about all of it. I didn’t want my naiveté to cause anybody any harm…”

“For the one thousandth time: Not your fault”, Peter said, stern face and voice.

“Just tell them, man”, James demanded. “They’ll be bugging us about it anyway and he’s just being dramatic.”

“You tell them.”

“Fine! Cricket kept going on about how de… Jette – feels weird to say that –“

“I know. We’ll all get used to it.”

“… how Jette was a tease and did all of it on purpose. He got really angry. Sirius told him to calm down and asked whether he honestly believed Jette would do that. But that didn’t help and Cricket got even more furious and called you some nasty names, apparently”, James said, head turned to me, face apologetic.

“Sirius said something along the lines of: “No wonder she doesn’t want you if that’s what you think of her. You don’t deserve her. ‘And that was the last straw and Cricket hit him.”

I stared at him open-mouthed.

“He didn’t!”

“You saw the lip Milla, it wasn’t there before he took Cricket away.”

“Not what I mean. Crick didn’t really call her a slut, did he?”

“Sirius didn’t give us the details. But something like that I’m sure.”

Not only did he get beat because he helped me out. He also got beat because he defended me. I had expected him to have told Crick that I wasn’t worth the drama. Not that he didn’t deserve me. Good thing I told him that people didn’t give him enough credit when he still talked to me. I hadn’t given him enough credit. Not by a long shot.

“Has he gone mental?” Nica’s yelling got me out of my head and I closed my mouth. “He’s known her her whole life, he knows that she’s as much a slut as skunk!”

“Thanks, love. But he was really upset. I don’t think he meant it.”

“Sounds like you haven’t talked to him yet”, Peter found.

“Not since New Year’s.”

“Your decision or his?”, Peter asked on.

“Both I’d say. I don’t even know where to begin and he probably still hates me. Jonas said he’d calm down but I doubt it. Couldn’t wait to get away from me after Dad dropped us off at the station.”

I heard their voices shouting and arguing before I even entered the foyer. I knew that it was them before I saw them.

“Are you really that thick!?! Of course that’s what she’d say. As if she’d admit to it!”

“You know her! As if she’d ever do it!”

“Why would Crick lie?”

“He doesn’t on purpose, you idiot. He’s hurt. He’s overreacting.”

“So, you’re taking her side? You think what she’s done is okay?”

“Not falling for someone who fell for you? Yeah, that’s okay!”

“What about her leading him on?”

“Mer-lin! She didn’t! Or did you see her do that?”

Magnus fell silent for a moment to think whether he had and I used the opportunity jump in between them.

“Chloe, you promised me you wouldn’t argue about it. Please, just agree with him and be together and be happy.”

“He thinks you kept Crick on the hook for kicks!”

“So, what? I really don’t care, Chloe. I know that Crick hates me. I expect him to convey that to his friends. Magnus is a good friend. He believes what Crick says. Just agree with him and be done with it.”

“But you didn’t do that, Jette!”

“Chloe, please! I don’t need to ruin anybody else’s January. Crick’s fuming, Sirius’ got a bloody lip, Jonas is all awkward. You two will not fall victim to this goddamn drama! As soon as Crick doesn’t give me looks of death anymore, I’ll talk to him and try to clear it up. Until then I’m perfectly fine with Magnus and Toby wishing the Dragon pocks upon me as long as you’re still his”, I vaguely gestured at Mag. “girlfriend.”

Not waiting for an answer I pulled her with me by her arm, leaving Mag and the rest of our friends behind. I dragged her into the common room, made her promise again that she would not argue with Mag over me and went up to my dorm. I was not perfectly fine with Magnus and Toby wishing the Dragon pocks. I hated it. Just like I hated Crick looking at me in disgust. Just like I hated Sirius not looking at me at all. Just like I hated Jonas avoiding me. Just like I hated keeping secrets from and lying to my friends.

I kept hating all of that for the next three weeks. Because for those next three weeks it all stayed the same. Mag and Toby were mad at me, Crick looked at me like I was some disgusting insect, Sirius ignored my existence, Jonas avoided me and I had to keep secrets from my friends. In order to not keep lying to them, though, especially after they noticed that Sirius ignored me and asked me about it, I became quite the loner.

In the beginning I made up excuses to head back to the common room after meals and smoke at the terrace instead of going with the rest. But by the second week I didn’t say anything anymore.

I had volunteered for all the things in the prefect meetings and taken on more nightshifts than I needed, just to have excuses to get away and be quiet a lot of the time. To keep busy and alone in the weekends I hardly did any of my homework through the week, so I had to do it then. The time I gained by that on week nights I spent either reading in my bed, chatting to Felix or writing to my parents. Actually, for the first time since homesickness-stricken first year I wrote lengthy letters home. In the first one I had explained what had happened with Crick and all the consequences. Turned out that Mr and Mrs Cricket had heard all of it from Jonas on the first of January and informed my parents immediately. They told me to keep my head up and hope for the best.

The second one was only addressed to Dad. Although I thought that he had told Mum all about Sirius but I didn’t want to feel the risk. I asked him what his pretermitting me meant and how I should deal with it. He said he didn’t know. That I should probably ask him that. Assure him that I was his friend. Stuff like that.

The only good thing that came from all this heartache was that Chloe and Magnus stopped arguing when I disappeared into isolation. I didn’t really know why but I was happy about it. Those two were meant to be together. But I loved Chloe for being on my side.

“Protego!” Joe’s Tarantallegra didn’t hit me. We were going through the common defences and counter jinxes in Defence against the Dark Arts.

“Locomotor Mortis!” He reacted well too late and his legs got locked in their current position. I gave Joe a moment to think of the counter jinx but he gave up quickly and shot me a look.

“Mitterio”, I waved my wand at him.

In his next attempts he threw arrows and ropes at me which I easily countered with two Impedimenta-spells before I had him laughing on the ground and disarmed.

“Very nice, Miss de Witt, very nice. Go on like this and your practical OWL should be a walk through the park.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

Joe had used Professor Horton’s interruption to throw the Pimple jinx at me and it worked but hardly long enough to even register. “Finite Incatatem!”

“Oppugno!” I pointed my wand at my empty bag first and Joe second but his Protego worked out this time.

“By the Sirens, Jette, give me a break”, he huffed, smiling, clearly impressed with himself.

“Sure.”

“Miss de Witt” Professor Horton came over to my desk. “You know that there are extra points in the practical exam for conjuring a Patronus, don’t you.”

“Indeed, Sir, I do.”

“Why don’t you give this a read while Mr Fox catches his breath. I think you’ll find it understandable and not too challenging.” He handed me parchment with instructions and illustrations on how to produce a Patronus.

“I think you’re more than capable of getting those extra points. At least for conjuring a non-corporal one.”

“Thank you, Sir. I appreciate it.”

I studied the illustrations first. Nothing overly complicated. Hold out the wand in front of you, arm fully extended. Once your Patronus had materialised you could direct it with your wand to wherever you wanted it to be. Simple enough. On to the instructions.

“To conjure a Patronus one has to focus all positive energy into the spell. This can be done most effectively when thinking of a happy if not the happiest memory one has. It seems important to note that said memory mustn’t be tainted by melancholy, sadness, nostalgia or any other negative feeling. Alternatively one can manufacture a happy scene in one’s head. In this case the scene should be imagined to every last tiny detail, including the voices of present people, every leave in the background and the position of the sun and the cast shadows. One needs a vivid imagination to conjure a Patronus with such a thought. Once the happiest memory is fully formed before one’s inner eye, the wand is raised to stretched arm and the charm’s formula Expecto Patronum is spoken. This is the very moment the memory needs to be visible, audible and felt as this is the moment the positive energy is concentrated into the spell. If the memory was strong enough and the caster concentrated enough the Patronus will now appear, either in corporal or in non-corporal form. The corporal Patronus is the strongest of Patroni, capable of providing protection against most offensive spells and very capable of keeping a dementor at bay. Corporal Patroni take the shape of whatever creature best represents the caster’s personality or values. A non-corporal Patronus manifests as silvery dust or mist and is a weaker version of the charm. While lesser attacks can be successfully avoided, not all offensive spells can be warded off. Furthermore, a non-corporal Patronus can sometimes be useful against dementors but not always. A Patronus is directed to defend by pointing the wand at whatever danger one finds oneself in.”

I read the parchment several times while Professor Horton took it upon himself to partner up with Joe. A happy memory. The happiest memory. I took a moment to concentrate.

The ceiling was a dark purple, pink clouds spattered upon it, the moon already visible, the sun not yet fully disappeared. It was breathtaking. I took next to Milla holding her hand. Behind us were four huge tables, filled with students of all ages. Crick sat at the second from the left, wearing a yellow tie, Tristan to his left, Jonas to his right. He had smiled and given us a thumbs-up when we had followed Professor McGonnagal through the path in the middle of the Great Hall. The closer the professor got to the letter S on her sorting list, the harder Milla and I squeezed each other’s hands. Since August we had assured each other that we were too similar and too good friends to be sorted into different houses. It was impossible. Then, again, we saw a set of twins with the last name Brown be sorted into two Ravenclaw and Slytherin respectively. Twins were probably as alike as possible. “Scribe-Anderson, Milla!” A last squeeze, then I let go of her hand. She walked up to the chair calm and collected on the outside but I knew that she was going just as crazy as I was. The hat was placed on her and fell silent. Milla mumbled to herself, pulling her forehead in wrinkles. “Hufflepuff!”, the high but enormously loud voice yelled through the hall. Crick’s table applauded and stood up. Milla smiled in relief, grinned at me and took her seat between Tristan and Crick at the yellow table. Part one of our plan had been a success. We wanted to be in the same house as all the Crickets. They were like brothers anyways and we wouldn’t be fully alone in the quest to navigate the terrifyingly big castel. Part two of the mission was to get me into Hufflepuff as well. Milla had done her job. Now only I could screw it up. I got more nervous by the minute watching the T’s, U’s and V’s all take their seat on the little stool and getting sorted. “de Witt, Jette!” She didn’t pronounce my name right. She’d said Dooit. Whatever, I thought, more important matters to attend to. I hoped I looked as cool as Milla when I walked up to the little podium but I doubted it. Professor McGonnagal gave me a surprisingly warm smile, then the Great Hall disappeared when the big hat fell over my eyes. “Interesting, interesting. Both parents Hufflepuffs, but grandparents in Ravenclaw and Gryffindor… A strong need for harmony, for companionship. You don’t like being alone.” I shook my head. I didn’t. “Your friends are important to you. You’d let nothing ever happen to them, hm? And I see a strong sense of justice in you. Of tolerance. A need for equality. Will you do the best you can in your classes?” I nodded. Of course I would. This was the coolest thing ever. I wanted to do well and learn as much as humanly possible. “Well, then, I think it’s safe to say that you’re a HUFFLEPUFF!” My face lit up. Hufflepuff. Like Milla. Like Crick. Like Jonas. Like Tristan. I would be with my family. Thank Merlin. I jumped off the stool and skipped over to the applauding table, got pulled into a hug by Jonas and high-fived by Tristan. Milla beamed and pushed Crick away so we could sit next to each other. “Told you everything would be fine, Libby, haven’t I? We’ll be best friends and siblings for the next six years. Nothing will ever get between us, I promise”, Crick said when he offered me some pumpkin juice. I believed him.

I concentrated hard on that feeling lightness and joy and relief when I had been sorted in the only house that was a real option for me. I raised my wand, took another moment and said the spell. Absolutely nothing happened. Nothing of interest, that is. I realised that my eyes had started burning and a lump had built in my throat.

He’d promised nothing would ever come between us. Seemed I wasn’t the only who lied. I fought back the tears and forced myself to regain my composure. The last thing I needed right now was a nervous breakdown in front of 30 students.

For the fifth time I read the instructions on the parchment. The memory mustn’t be tainted by melancholy, sadness, nostalgia or any other negative feeling. Should have taken that into account. With the state I was in at the moment every memory that had Crick in it would be tainted by nostalgia, melancholy, anger, despair, the urge to yell at him and longing for better times. No chance to cast a Patronus with a memory that starred him.

That basically knocked out at least 90% of all my memories. Crick had been a constant in my life just like Mum, Dad and Felix. Or Milla. What was left? A couple of holidays my family had taken, none of them bad but none of them the happiest memory either. Those were out. I loved going on holiday but the feeling I had when I knew I was going to sleep in the same room as Milla and eat every meal with my ‘brothers’ was practically unbeatable.

Head on my desk I ignored the shouting and laughing around me, trying to find a memory that would come even close to the one that had just nearly made me cry. Was there any.

“Look out!”

“Protego!” Pure instinct. I heard the scream and felt a little breeze and conjured the protective invisible wall without even thinking and before I had looked up. No thirty centimetres in front of me on eyelevel floated a chair, legs pointed at me. Who was so stupid as to throw chairs at their friends? “Finite Incatatem.” The chair fell to the ground with a lot of noise that was even louder because the entire class had stopped duelling to watch me get impaled by dumb piece of wooden craftsmanship.

“Impressive display of reflex, Miss de Witt. And impressive execution of the protection spell. 20 points to Hufflepuff.” He addressed the rest of the class. “Take note. This is excellent defence and a guaranteed “O” in your OWL exam. This kind of quick thinking and self-preservation is at the core of your lessons for Defence against the Dark Arts. Now, don’t stand around! On you go and practice.”

Chloe and Blair came over.

“Wow. I knew you were good but I didn’t know you could do all those spells in your sleep”, Blair grinned at me. I weakly smiled back. It had been forever since we’d had an actual conversation. My self-inflicted isolation hadn’t given us many opportunities.

“Thanks, mate.”

“I thought McAllen would blind you!”, Chloe gasped. “Idiot! If you don’t know how to use the goddammn spell, then don’t.” She quickly punished him with a very disapproving look. He still stood frozen in place.

“Poor thing”, Blair found.

“Oi, McAllen, I’m fine. No hard feelings, okay? Just practice with pillows for the time being, yeah?” He looked at me in shock. I smiled as warmly and reassuringly as I could manage and he slowly unfroze.

“Shit, de Witt, I’m sorry, man. I meant to use the jacket.” Well, he would not apply to the auror offices any time soon, that was certain.

“It’s all good. Don’t sweat it.”

“He’s got you on Patroni?”, Chloe asked, my parchment in hands.

“Yeah, but it’s gonna take a while before that’ll ever work.”

“I don’t think so. You’re excellent at Defence.”

“Be that as it may, most of my happy memories have Crick in them. So, not exactly untainted…”

“Still no progress on that front then?”, Blair rubbed my back while she exchanged looks with Chloe. They were worried. Of course they were. They were good friends and had more than just noticed that I kind of fled the room whenever they entered.

“Nope. He still looks at me like I’m the love child of a ghoul and a mountain troll.” Chloe snorted. “Charming picture.”

“He’ll come around. Mag’s already coming around to the idea that you might not be an evil bitch but just an unobservant naïve little thing. And if he does, so will Crick.” A flicker of hope lit up in my heart.

“That’d be great”, I admitted.

Horton shooed them away to get back to duelling and I looked back down at the Patronus instructions. What other really good days had I had? Moments of pure delight?

The first thing that came to mind was the last Saturday before Christmas break. No worries, a snowball fight, a couple rounds of quidditch and some sneaking around in secret passages before going to a glamorous party. That was a really good day. But before I really had chosen a still from that day to use as an inspiration for my Patronus, I realised that it would be just as useless as the memory of my sorting. Negative feelings. Sirius had been with us that entire day. Sirius who wouldn’t look at me, who wouldn’t speak to me, who decided I didn’t exist. Sirius who had moved in with the Potters because his own parents had raised their fists to him, and probably their wands. Sirius who didn’t want anyone to know. Sirius who seemed to think I wasn’t trustworthy.

That memory would never work as an untainted happy one.

Alternatively one can manufacture a happy scene in one’s head. In this case the scene should be imagined to every last tiny detail, including the voices of present people, every leave in the background and the position of the sun and the cast shadows. One needs a vivid imagination to conjure a Patronus with such a thought.

A vivid imagination I had. The nightmares that had tortured me ever since the new year had begun were proof of that. I was either chased down the forest path between Marlow’s Creek and Godric’s Hollow by Crick yelling all kinds of insults at me and grabbing me; or I stood in a dimly lit room with black and green walls watching two faceless figurines with shrieking voices fire spells and jinxes and curses at Sirius who lay on the floor screaming in pain, begging for them to stop, blood all over his face.

In that second dream I was never able to move. I couldn’t help I was absolutely useless and just watched Sirius scream and sob in agony. A mind that can come up with such twisted scenarios had to be capable of imagining a detailed happy scene. Maybe I should give that a go.

“Okay, wands down!” Horton yelled and restored the class room to its usual state by a wave of his wand.

“In the next lesson we’ll continue. I’d like you all to hand in a three foot essay on your strongest and your weakest offensive and defensive spells, then. I’d like to do some individual work with each of you in the next weeks. Class dismissed!”

I packed my bag in record time and rushed to the front table to hand back the parchment.

“Oh, no, keep it. Use it to practice. I’d love to see you conjure a Patronus in that exam.”

“Thank you, Sir. I would, too.”

I pushed the parchment in my backpack and walked out the classroom and to the staircase without taking notice of my surroundings. That had become my new routine. If you don’t see your friends waiting for you, you can’t feel bad for ignoring them.

I entered one of the secret passages the boys had shown us to make it to lunch without having to navigate all the first years that would block the staircases and was about to illuminate my wand when I heard voices and froze in place.

“I cannot believe that it’s just the Crick-thing. Why would she run from us if she has trouble with him?” Blair.

“We all usually came as a combi deal. I mean, for the price of one Scribe-Anderson you got three Crickets and two de Witts. And she definitely saw me talk to him a couple of weeks ago.” Milla.

She was right. I had seen her and Crick talk and laugh in the common room that day. They seemed like nothing had changed between them and I didn’t want to ruin that. It had been the last drop. When I saw that I decided to keep to myself for a while.

“What’s that got to do with anything?” Nica.

“Maybe she doesn’t run from us, maybe she runs from Crick. Crick, who usually comes with a free Milla. Milla who usually comes with a free threepack of friends.”

“But we’re not always with Crick.” Chloe.

“She should know that her chances of running into Crick are like zero when we’re with James, Remus, Peter and Sirius.” When had Chloe switched to using their first names?

“That’s why I said that it’s not just Crick. Since the break Sirius and Jette don’t talk, haven’t you noticed? They used to have those little private conversations all the time an now they don’t even say hello.”

“Remus says that they were gossiping about him and me, when they did that whispering thing. They tried to get us together. Maybe now that we actually have a date there’s no need for that anymore.”

“Even if that’s true, why would they stop talking all together?”, Blair asked and I imagined her imitating McGonnagal’s inquisitive look. An art that she had perfected.

“I bet something happened over break”, Nica commented.

“A lot happened over break”, Chloe shot back.

“I mean something neither one of them is telling us. Maybe they had a fight, maybe they snogged. But something happened I’m telling you. Otherwise she wouldn’t dodge every single human being she knows.”

Touché, Nica. That was nearly spot on. I suddenly felt bad eavesdropping on them and backed out of the passage to take the crowded stairs. At lunch Felix had saved me a seat and I joined the lively discussion he and his friends had about the next quidditch game: Hufflepuff-Ravenclaw. It would take place the weekend after Valentine’s and wasn’t that far away anymore.

When I got up to go for a smoke I passed the girls who had changed subjects and were now planning their day in Hogsmeade. Milla would finally go on that long awaited date with Remus in less than 24 hours and the rest wanted to spill their Christmas money. I had homework to do and thirdyears to tutor. Besides, I was to work the nightshift on Sunday and needed to rest up for that. None of my friends had bought that story but they also hadn’t succeeded in changing my mind.

I was dying to find out whether Milla and Remus would get it together and I would have loved to spy on them in Hogsmeade but everybody would be in the village, from Crick to the Potter-posse and I didn’t need that.

I would have a quiet day in and then interrogate Milla about hers as soon as she got back. While in my head thinking, I didn’t notice where I was going and was rather surprised when I found myself in the courtyard, cigarette in hand. ‘The might of routine”, my mother would have said. I looked around myself. Nobody in sight that would pose a threat to my fragile peace of mind. I inhaled the smoke and instantly the tension in my neck loosened up a bit.

Eyes closed and head rotating I must have stood there for a couple of minutes.

“It’s alive!” I jumped at the voice.

“Hansel, Gretel and the ginger bread house!! You scared the hell out of me, Peter!”

“And it speaks.”

While I had tried to calm down and not be a nervous wreck my friends had obviously gone on their after-meal-date. All of them looked at me. All of them but Sirius.

“Of course it speaks. It always has”, I answered, trying to not sound panicked.

“Thought you’d had enough of us, now that we’ve become noble heroes. Thought maybe we weren’t interesting or exciting anymore.”

“Oh, shush. You know that’s not true. I’m just under the weather from that whole… you know. I’m still as charmed and fascinated by you as ever.” I blew James a kiss. It felt good to be here with them and talk nonsense. I had really missed that over the last few weeks.

“Good. Good. That’s good.”

“Horton has Jette doing Patroni now. As the only one in the whole class”, Blair said proudly, obviously trying to keep me with them by engaging me in the conversation.

“Nice!”, Remus raised his hand for a high-five. “How’s it going?”

“Pretty badly. Turns out most of my happy memories involve Crick and when I think of him I’m not really capable of concentrating my positive energy.”

“Well, that’s just insulting!”, James bellowed.

“How much fun have you had with us, hm? Most of your happy memories should include us, not that sulking baboon.” I smiled.

“I have a lot of happy memories including you, but I’m afraid they’re not as powerful as… I don’t know… first day of school or when I got my first broom. He was there for all of those things.”

“Fair enough.”

“If you need help with the charm, though, I’m sure Sirius would help you out. He got an impossible score on his OWLs last year because his Patronus was perfect. Should be worth a try to learn from the best”, Peter suggested. I hesitated for moment. Sirius had still not recognised my existence. Then I decided that I enjoyed conversations like these and being surrounded by my friends too much to live in isolation because he had a problem he didn’t even tell me about.

“Would you mind helping me out? I mean I’ll give it another go and look through my diaries to think of a good memory but if that doesn’t help could I beg you to take pity on me?” I hoped it sounded sarcastic like usually. Hoped it showed him that we were friends. But he stoically watched the ivy on the other wall and exhaled smoke.

“Sirius? Would you mind?”, I tried again, now a little louder. Still nothing.

“I’m asking you a question.” I was audibly irritated. No, I was fuming. I had done nothing to deserve this childish punishment.

“By Merlin’s Beard, Sirius, we all know that you can me hear me. If you can’t stand the sight of me, fine, but at least have the decency to tell me no.” No reaction at all. Like I was a bird chirping in the distance.

“This is ridiculous, do you realise that? I’ve done nothing wrong! I was just there. I didn’t even ask the stupid question. That was my dad. And he only made small-talk, he was being polite. The one who actually told me – no him! – was Euphemia and I doubt that you neither can nor should be mad at her, because she had no bad intentions whatsoever. But the one person you can’t blame for anything is me, Sirius! I was just there! And I didn’t know what she would answer, how could I? If I’d known I’d just left that damn kitchen. I didn’t know, though.

And I don’t see why you need to pretend that I don’t exist. It doesn’t make sense. What have I done to deserve that, huh? Nothing. It was obvious you didn’t want me to know and so I pretended I never did. But you had already decided that I wasn’t worth your time or attention anymore.”

“Oh no, that’s what this is about?”, James cut me off.

“I didn’t even think of that”, Remus commented. “Never realised it was news to her.”

“What d’you want me to do? I’ve already tried pretending it never happened, I’ve tried avoiding you – at a high cost, by the way because that meant I had to avoid basically of my friends – and counting this very interaction I’ve tried asking you to not shut me out.

And I’m done trying! I’m done sitting around alone. I’m done feeling absolutely terrible without even knowing why. I’m done with the nightmares and I’m done lying to my best friends. And that doesn’t mean I’ll tell them what I heard but I will answer their questions and I will be around, so you’ll have to deal with it! Okay?” Of course I didn’t even get so much as a flinch.

“Okay. Great. Glad we talked about it. Now who has a light that works?”

Peter lit me up, eyes darting between me and Sirius.

“Jette, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realise you didn’t know. If I had I’d straightened this one out weeks ago.”

“It’s not your fault, James.”

“It kind of is.” James aggressively dragged Sirius away from us and started quietly shouting at him. Remus hugged me.

“Tell me he is not the reason you kept away.”

“Well, him and Crick. Hard to avoid the both of them without avoiding you.”

“He’s an idiot. And so are we. It didn’t even register that it happened.”

“Again, not your fault.”

“What is even going on?”, Milla asked, hugging me. “What on earth was this all about?”

“Not my story to tell, Milla.”

“But…”

“ It’s his business and he obviously wants no one to know. I might be done attempting to be his friend but I still have principles.”

“Did you say nightmares?” Peter had sat down on the stone bench and didn’t even look at me.

“I honestly don’t know what I said, Pete.”

“Do you have nightmares because of it?”, he rephrased his question.

“That doesn’t matter. What matters is that you all have not yet gotten rid of me!”

“I think it matters.” Peter got up and joined James and Sirius who were now standing at the staircase to the owlry, both gesturing a lot with their arms, obviously arguing.

“Will nobody clue us in?”, Chloe wanted to know after a while.

“All of this happens and we don’t get to know why or how?”

“Jette’s right. It’s not our place. He’ll come ��round.” Remus absentmindedly played with Milla’s hair, before he joined his friends.

Under normal circumstances we would have all freaked out about that little gesture of intimacy and affection but there were other matters to attend to.

“I mean you could’ve just told us that something was up if you didn’t want to spill a secret”, Blair started but the bell rang and they had to get to their second to last Astrology class. I stayed behind staring at the doors to the foyer. Then I looked back at the boys, all engaged in a very passionate discussion.

#marauders fanfiction #marauders era #james & peter & remus & sirius #james potter #remus lupin #sirius black #peter pettigrew #original character

2 notes · View notes

elegantyoungmaster · 4 years ago

Text

Hanging By A Moment

@lanxsizhui

He always felt like he was being waited on when Sizhui looked at him that way. Maybe he was, maybe Sizhui was waiting for the golden prince to catch up to him in maturity he feared that the white clad man would be waiting a long time. Yes, he could understand tantrums because he knew why they happened to him. It was easier to defuse the child since he was well aware of things that could trigger a child into such a mood. He found that the boy was agreeable like Sizhui, he liked sound though and he liked to chase the chickens at least as well as his small toddling little legs would allow him too. Yes, they had dealt with the demon, it had been empowered by the souls of the small village, but Suihua was made for that. He couldn't allow that creature to harm either a newborn or the boy at his side. Sizhui had been working with his guqin and protecting the not yet named Zhenyu. He had shattered the seal, and it had pulled all of them into the cottage setting, he didn't know what else to call it. Still between he and the Lan trained boy it had not stood much of a chance. Jin Ling was still a teenager if not for much longer, he was growing up and it was noticeable to him. His features were sharper, and he resembled his Uncle Jiang Cheng but his face was softened due to his mother. His hair had not been cut because Sizhui had said he liked how it looked long with all the beads in it, and the small golden chains. It was easy enough to pull up and out of the way, it was a small thing if it pleased his partner. Sizhui was a pure soul, and it reflected in his thoughts and when he had mentioned if they two could not escape the fate they had brought upon themselves and that maybe their son could, he could only agree, if that were to happen he would take up a new sword and Suihua would be sent back with him. It would give him the claim to the Jin name, that he deserved he would also send his clarity bell with him, because again his son. Sizhui would send his robes with the boy, and his butterflies so that Wen Ning would recognize it. He did not have as much as Jin Ling that was his, but he would send what he could. A letter would be written as well, before either of them would attempt the counter spell. The things in the woods looked like something out of a nightmare and Jin Ling, had a good idea that it would be dangerous if they got to close to the home. When they could over reach and make it through Sizhui's warding, they had stolen chickens. Luckily, they had never gone after anyone in the house. Mostly because they knew better. The guqin in Sizhui's hands was most certainly a weapon. He always worried when he went to hunt, that they might take it as a sign of weakness and storm the house and he'd come back to a --. He shook his head lightly he didn't need that image when he was going out to hunt, and would be away from them for a few hours. He leaned into the gentle touch of his cultivation partner his lashes brushing the man's palm. Was he beautiful ? He was sure he was, he was arrogant, not vain. They had sworn themselves to each other, not because they had too, but because it felt like the right thing to do. He wanted to see Sizhui in red, and he would if they got back to their own world. He had told him as much that night in his arms and than the world had become a blur and nothing but the moment, and Sizhui had mattered it had been something that would stay with him for the rest of his days. No matter how often they were together. Jin Ling had never thought he'd love anything as much as he did Sizhui, that was until the small little hand had reach up and grabbed for him. How the baby wanted to bump his face against Jin Ling's and would drool on him. Leaving Sizhui laughing and Jin Ling terribly amused. Though he had jokingly told his other half he thought the baby was trying to headbutt him. He loved his golden father. Jin Ling allowed him to hold onto Suihua or chew on his lotus pendant like Sizhui would let him teeth on his jade token. That the baby had addressed him first had overwhelmed him and he had teared up and rubbed his sleeve across his eyes. It was a wonderful feeling to have his son recognize him. The look of love on the baby's face was enough to humble him. Sizhui's face had given away his happiness. Jin Ling had seen him in the soft golden shade of his under robe and it had enthralled him. He was so beautiful with his hair down and the soft shade against his pale skin. Had he stared ? Damn right he had stared and of course he had loved him in it. Than again Jin Ling loved the flowing white robes as well but Sizhui, did not seem to realize that one yet. It seemed like his partner could do anything he put his mind too. Jin Ling could cook but Sizhui had become the pillar of their home. He cooked, he cleaned and he could sew. He had taken things that Jin Ling had grown out of with and made them fit, or failing that, he had created clothing for A-Yu. Who ever had lived there before them had at the very least been very pack rat like, which had served them well. Some of the stuff they could still use for food, they had taken the bolts of cloth to use, and they had even taken apart old curtains and the things they did to make things for their son. He had a few stuffed animals crafted from scraps of clothing and filled with either rice, or extra scrap that they could do nothing with. Sizhui had made a patch work bunny. Which certainly struck Jin Ling as a very Lan thing.

"My family doesn't need to thank me--ever." he promised he recalled what Wei Wuxian had once told him about Thank You's and Sorry's. Than he was being pulled into a kiss and allowed that to be the center of his world until Sizhui yelped. His fingers found the tiny fist of his son and gentle opened it so he let go of hair and ribbon, with a gentle little tease to his palm. "Now, now A-Yu your a strong boy, careful with that." he sooth and the little boy grabbed a hold of his finger, allowing him to steal one more kiss. Than press a kiss to a chubby and dirty cheek of the little boy. "No matter what I will come back." he had promised Sizhui once that if he died on a hunt he'd come haunt him. He meant it. "I think he'll protect you, You protect your daddy while I am away, little one." he addressed his son shaking his little hand before allowing Sizhui to kiss him once more and move away to tend to their son.

The yell from the other room set him laughing as he went to toss wood into the small stove. "I'll see you two soon." he called and was out the door of their home. If he lingered he'd not want to go. It wouldn't take him long to find a trail and hunt it would have been easier if Jin Ling had Fairy. Still he was glad the spirit dog was safe with JiuJiu. If one of those things in the woods got his beloved dog, he'd go on a murderous rampage.

-------------------------( ***** ) ------------------------------------ Jin Ling had found a buck that he took down before it had known it had been hit. His skill with the bow was deadly to say the least. The hardest part was cleaning it before taking it home. He would not deal with a deer around his son, he was still to young for that, and it feared it would upset the boy. Still, the idea that he was being followed was not missed on Jin Ling, and he paused looking up into the shadows of the leaves, the things that lived in the woods did not seem to be lurking but he unsheathed his blade and waited quietly. There was something small being chased his head tilted he could hear it hiding in the underbrush, it was one of those things that he had learned from Jiujiu. The wooden creatures with the long limbs and sharp branch like hands, what it was chasing was small red, and looked like a raccoon almost. A Red Panda, he thought when the thing burst into his clearing and fell at his feet. The poor thing was bleeding freely from a few wounds. Inflicted no doubt by the monster which immediately came into conflict with a young man holding a shiny sword, he stepped over the panting little form, and when the creature lunged he went into a quick spin, one hand behind him as he sliced through the creatures branch like hands. "Leave or I will turn you into kindling." he demanded. It did not take well to such a threat. Why couldn't he use words like Sizhui ? It took longer because he had to fight, the deer had bled out by the time he dusted himself off, and looked at the tear in his sleeve. The thin lines of blood that welled up. At least he wasn't the fellow on the ground. Kneeling he gathered the creature up it was to weak to fight, it made little noises though. Jin Ling settled with it close to him as he sought out wounds, and dressed them as best he could with what he had on him. It was still alive so that was a good thing. He wasn't a healer but he knew a very good one, he would take it home to Sizhui, with any hope he could do something for it. The deer was already dressed and ready to go back home. He would hang it from his sword and carry the little bundle of fur. Nothing got after him this time allowing him to get home safely. He would not yell for the young man because he did not want to wake up the baby. He knew Sizhui would still be up. He would also be keeping track of the time and sounds outside of the home. He opened the door and peeked into the house hoping the other hadn't fallen asleep waiting for him. "Sizhui, bring your healer bag." he called softly.

#001. Verse - Until It Ends There Is No End #lanxsizhui #long post #Hanging By A Moment

1 note · View note

lazyfox411 · 6 years ago

Text

Some more Qrow Angst

Ruby is in trouble so she calls her uncle qrow for help. Warnings I guess for alcohol use and a dude being.. creepy?

Let me know what you think! And sorry if this ends up formatted strange, I'm in an airport and using my phone which I normally dont do for posting fic..enjoy..

Qrow smacked his lips as he polished off what was left in his glass. He played his fingers along the neck of the bottle, contemplating another.

Tai cleared his throat, nestled in an armchair across the room. His eyes immediately flicked back down to the novel in his hands when Qrow looked up. It was subtle, but it was enough. Qrow left the bottle where it was. This was Tai's house, he would at least try to behave. If not for Tai, then for the girls. Even though it was late, so Yang was already locked away in her room for the night, and Ruby was out at a friend's.

No sooner had the thought left his mind than his scroll, tucked away in his back pocket, began to vibrate. He pulled it out and looked at the contact photo: Ruby's smiling face. Tai was fully immersed in his book now, and after years of living with the man in a small dorm room, Qrow knew not to interrupt him when his nose was stuck between pages. He quietly stepped into the kitchen to take the call.

"Hey, kiddo, what's up? I thought you were at your friend's, Violet, or whatever her name is."

"It's Velvet," Ruby corrected softly, and in that instant, Qrow knew there was something wrong, very wrong, because he had never heard his niece speak in such a quiet, timid voice.

"Ruby, what is it?" he asked.

"I lied," she replied, barely a whisper. "I lied, Uncle Qrow, I didn't go to Velvet's, I went somewhere else. These kids at school were having a party, and they asked me to come, and I did, but now everything's getting out of hand, people are drinking, and they're breaking stuff and yelling and this one guy has been following me around all night, and I don't know anybody here, they're all older than me and I'm hiding in the bathroom but people keep knocking on the door--"

"Whoa, slow down there, kid, just breathe for a sec," Qrow tried to keep his voice steady, but just about every muscle in his body was tensed and ready to spring to action.

There was a muffled knock, and someone shouted from Ruby's end of the line.

"Occupied!" Ruby called out. She must have put her scroll closer to her face then, because Qrow didn't have to strain to hear, "I'm scared, Uncle Qrow."

"Where are you?" Qrow demanded. Ruby rattled off an address. "Alright. I'm gonna get Tai, and we're gonna get you out of there."

"No!" Ruby cried, "You can't tell Dad, please, Uncle Qrow, you can't let him find out. He'll be so disappointed in me."

That made Qrow pause, if only for a split second. Did Ruby think so little of him that she didn't care what he might think? But that didn't matter, not right now, because his niece was in trouble, and she was trusting Qrow to help her.

"Okay. Hang tight, kiddo. I'll be there as fast as I can."

"Please hurry."

Not even seconds after hanging up, Qrow was scrambling up the stairs. "Going to bed, goodnight!" he called to Tai, not much caring about his reading anymore.

Qrow burst through the door to the spare room he'd been staying in, kicking it shut behind him and grabbing his weapon from where it was leaned against the wall. He threw open the window and leapt into the night air.

There was a moment of vertigo as his body plummeted towards Tai's flowerbeds on the ground below, before he erupted in feathers and propelled himself higher into the sky. With all the places he'd been, the things he'd done, the missions for Oz, he had never flown this hard.

The only thing faster than his wings was his mind, racing a mile a minute, tearing him apart from inside. What was Ruby doing at a party with people she didn't know, people older than her, and a lot less innocent and a lot more reckless? Ruby was smart, why would she make the decision to go there? Unless she thought it was something okay. Unless she had seen her uncle drinking and wanted to try it for herself. Unless she'd heard the stories Qrow had told from his younger days, about the wild and reckless things he'd done. He was regretting those things now more than ever before.

It was easy to spot the house, it was the only one on the street with all the lights on, music was blaring, and kids were scattered over the lawn. Qrow swooped down, only to have a red plastic cup thrown at his head. With an indignant squawk, he dove into some bushes.

Nobody seemed to notice a grown man stepping out of the shrubbery; they were too drunk or didn't care, or both. Qrow brushed the leaves from his hair and started up the walkway. The obnoxious music was starting to give him a headache.

He nearly keeled over when he opened the front door. The crowd inside was generating a powerful stench of weed, body odor, and booze. It was even louder in here, people were shouting and breaking things. Qrow flinched as an expensive-looking vase was thrown and shattered against the wall. But he had more important things to worry about.

"Bathroom?" he asked a kid next to him.

The kid pointed to a worn set of stairs leading farther up into the house.

"Hey man," he said, "cool sword. What are you, like a huntsman or something?"

Qrow gripped the hilt, feeling reassured. He was an adult. He could handle this. And even if he couldn't, Ruby needed him, so he would try.

The kid who he'd asked about the bathroom and had liked his weapon was trying to give him a beer now. Qrow brushed him off, thinking he would very much like a drink of something to calm his nerves but now wasn't the time. He elbowed his way through a sea of dancing teenagers to get to the stairs, nearly tripping over someone passed out and sprawled across the landing. Qrow did his best not to step on her and continued on his mission.

What he heard at the top of the stairs curdled his blood.

"Come on, Little Red. Open the door. I'm sorry, let me make it up to you. We can get out of here, go back to my place--"

The guy didn't finish his sentence, because if he did, he would have lost his Adam's apple. Qrow shoved him against the wall, blade millimeters away from his throat.

Qrow had never really believed in the term "seeing red" until now. He was seething, breathing so hard he could hardly get his words out, and in that moment, he could have killed this guy.

"You stay away from my niece," he spat. "Stay away, and if you so much as look at her again, this blade is gonna be the last thing you ever see. Understand?"

The guy nodded as much as he could, given one wrong move could cost him his head.

"Say it," Qrow growled through his teeth.

"I- I understand." He was obviously drunk, but fear shone through his glassy eyes. Good.

"Get the fuck out." Qrow lowered the sword, and gave him a shove towards the stairs for good measure.

When he was sure the guy had left, Qrow turned to the bathroom door.

"Ruby," he knocked softly. "Ruby, open up, it's me, it's Qrow."

"U-uncle Qrow?" Ruby sniffled from inside.

"Yeah, it's me, I'm here, kiddo. Can you open the door? Please." He just had to see her. He had to know she was alright.

After a few moments, the door opened with a soft click, and before Qrow could brace himself, Ruby crushed him in the tightest hug he'd ever received. And he returned it.

"Ruby," the air rushed from his lungs, and he fought to refill them. "Kid, what the hell are you doing here? Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"You came," Ruby managed. Her voice was shaky. "I'm so, so sorry, Uncle Qrow, I'm so sorry, it'll never happen again, I promise."

"I'm just glad you're safe," Qrow murmured, gently stroking her hair. "Let's get outta here."

He escorted her down the stairs and to the door, shielding her from stray elbows and flying objects, and they left the property altogether. He kept a steady hand on her shoulder the whole way.

They had a decent walk ahead of them. Cabs wouldn't take passengers carrying giant weapons unless they had a huntsman's liscence, and Qrow had left the house in a panic, not thinking to grab his wallet. Even then, there was no money in it.

Ruby was silent as they plodded towards home, which was unusual for her. She kept opening her mouth like she wanted to speak, but then changed her mind. Finally, Qrow couldn't take any more of it.

"Spit it out," he said, not unkindly.

She stared down at her hands. "I'm sorry, Uncle Qrow."

Qrow sighed. "I'm just glad you're safe now. But I hope you learned your lesson, 'cause I'm pretty sure you turned all my hairs gray after tonight."

That made Ruby smile a little bit, and Qrow put an arm around her as they walked.

"Seriously, though," Qrow said, losing some of the light tone, "what were you doing there?"

"These kids at school," Ruby explained, picking at a loose thread on her sleeve, "they told me about it, and they said if I didn't go, then I might as well not bother coming back to school because I'd be a laughing stock. And you know what? Those kids weren't even there tonight. I don't know how I could be so stupid."

There was a bit of relief that washed over Qrow that he wasn't the immediate cause of this, then guilt at the fact he might have been at all. Stronger though, was anger, threatening to bubble over. He had some very specific words for Ruby's schoolmates, but he bit them back for now. He stopped walking, and knelt to look Ruby in the eye.

"You are not stupid. You made a mistake tonight, we all do. What's important is that you recognized it. And those kids at school, don't let them, or anyone else, speak to you like that. And if they do, you need to tell me. Tell me, or your dad, or some friends or a teacher, tell somebody. Understand?"

Ruby nodded, "I understand."

Somewhere along the way back, Ruby grew tired, her feet started to drag, and her eyes drooped. Somewhere along the way, Qrow crouched down and mumbled, "Get on board," and that was how he ended up sneaking back into the house with Ruby clinging to his back like a koala.

It was late, and all the lights were out, so Tai was probably gone to bed. Qrow didn't much feel like dealing with an angry dad tonight. He lowered Ruby to her feet as they tiptoed through the kitchen towards the stairs. Qrow cursed when he stubbed his toe on the banister. The whole thing set him off balance, and he landed, unceremoniously, on the staircase with a resounding thud.

"Shit," he muttered, listening for the sound of footsteps to tell him what little luck he had had run dry. The house was silent.

"Come on," he whispered to Ruby, "let's get you to bed."

Ruby kicked off her shoes and crawled under the covers as soon as they got to her room. Qrow eased the door shut, and lowered himself to sit on the edge of the bed. It hit him then that he was exhausted, and sore from falling up the stairs.

"Uncle Qrow?"

"Yeah?"

"You won't tell Dad about this, will you?"

What was left of Qrow's energy may as well have seeped down into the floorboards and been absorbed by the moonlight. He rested his forehead on his hand and sighed.

"Kiddo, I don't think this is something I feel comfortable keeping from your dad. Tai'll kill me if he finds out I kept this from him."

"He'll kill me, too!" Ruby protested.

Qrow chuckled and shook his head. "You're his little rose petal, he'll get over it. But, Ruby, if you don't tell him, I will. You're growing up, and you've gotta learn to take responsibility for your actions. I'll tell that you now, because I know how much it sucks to learn the hard way."

Ruby sighed and laid her head down on her pillow. "You're right."

"You'll be fine," Qrow assured her. "Just get some rest now."

"I can't fall asleep."

"You didn't even try yet."

"Uncle Qrow," Ruby looked up at him with puppy dog eyes, "will you stay with me? Just until I fall asleep?"

Qrow answered by closing his eyes and leaning back. Ruby snuggled into his side.

"Thank you," she whispered. "For everything."

"You're welcome, kiddo."

#qrow branwen #ruby rose #rwby fics #rwby #rwby fanfic #ruby whump #protective qrow #rwby fic #rwby fanfiction #hurt/comfort #angst #alcohol #creepy dude #idk lol

53 notes · View notes

inmy-blueperiod · 6 years ago

Text

Grandparents Day, Pt. 3

Part 1, Part 2

based on this post:

1617 words

Peter stops to tie his shoe on the way to the office, and motions for the soldiers to continue, the office is in sight. Walking there, they pass a few empty classrooms, but some have students in them. Like the room that gets used for Academic Decathlon. And guess who sees Peter walking in the hallway?

None other than Eugene "Flash" Thompson.

"Hey, Parker!" he yells. Shit, Peter thinks. "Why aren't you in here? With the rest of your team? Hm?"

"I was coming back, but I just had to show some people to the office and well--they're waiting for me. I'll be back in 15 minutes tops!" he tells his team.

Before he can escape, MJ speaks up; "you better, Peter! You have people depending on you, and if you miss another practice, we have to bench you next competition. You're the smartest here, and we can't afford to bench you, so, please, show up!"

"Yes, MJ! Definitely! I will be here, promise! Give me 15 minutes?" Peter asks hopefully.

She sighs and looks at her watch; "15 minutes, Parker, go." He smiles with relief and sprints to the office to see Steve and Bucky waiting for him.

"Sorry," he apologizes. "I had to talk to my Academic Decathlon team real quick, but I'm here."

"No reason to be sorry. Pete, did you know that your principal--Mr. Morita's--grandfather was Buck and my friend back in our glory days?" Steve smiles.

"Really? No, I didn't know that. Awesome!"

"Yeah, Jimmy, I think, is what we called him. He was a good man," Buck nods at the teen's principal, "We were in the same unit, the 107th. He got captured with me, I think. My memory is still foggy, but I remember that he was my friend."

"Alright, I know you came here to talk to me other than my Grandad. What can I do for you gentlemen?" Morita asks.

"Well, Peter, here, invited us to come to Grandparent's Day on Monday--" Steve begins.

"Ah, yes, I saw that slip. It was given to me when our top student was accused of lying--not to his face, naturally--so I had to check it out. I didn't think it was all that necessary though. I mean, this kid brought in Tony Stark for Parents Day," Morita chuckles.

"Yes, well, we were wondering if everyone could treat us like every other grandparent. I don't want to make a big deal out of it," Bucky replies.

"Yes, of course. I understand perfectly and wouldn't dream of it. My Grandad used to say that he always just wanted to be treated like everyone else and that everything he did, he wanted to and didn't expect any praise."

"Jimmy was a good man. I'm glad you got that gene," Steve smiles. Morita smiles back.

"Thank you, Mr. Morita. I'll try to stop bringing in superheroes so that you don't get any more slips that say I'm a liar," Peter says with a small smile.

Morita chuckles. "I'll ask Mrs. Thatcher to stop sending the complaints to me and instead rip them up." Once out of his office, Morita shakes Steve and Bucky's hands, tells Peter to stay out of trouble and goes back into his office to do some more paperwork.

The three walk down the hallway silently, until Peter breaks it; "hey, I, uh, I have to get back to Decathlon, so I'll see you both at the Tower? It's Thursday and May's working again, so I'm staying there until Monday after dinner."

"Yeah, sure. But, uh, is it okay if we stop by your practice? I mean, we don't have to check it out, it's just that I don't know what Academic Decathlon is and you're involved so I would like to be involved," Steve says sincerely.

"Yeah, no, it's okay Mr. Rog- Steve. Academic Decathlon is an afterschool activity where you go competition and compete against other schools and whichever school figures out the correct answer the fastest wins. Last year, we went to Washington D.C. and won! Well, I mean, I didn't win. I was previously occupied with stopping the Vulture, which was when you both were Rouge. Long story short, I couldn't be there for the competition because Spider-Man was tracking a bad guy. And you both can totally sit-in during practice. It's no big deal." It's a shock to the old heroes that Peter didn't pass out from lack of breath.

”Uh, great! Where’s the restroom?” Steve asks.

”Oh, it’s down this hall, take a left and it’s on the right. We’ll be in the big room over here; just take a right, walk back down the hall, go around the corner and it’s on the left. The floors might be wet though, so I think you should probably take another left walk through the hall, turn past the cafeteria, and take another left. But, then again, they might not be mopping the floors today, so just take a right, walk back down the hall, go around the corner and into the classroom on the left.”

Steve just stared blankly; Bucky chuckled. “I’ll help him out, kiddo. Don’t worry.”

“Thanks, Mr. Barn-- I mean Bucky! I’ll be in there when you get back,” Peter says quickly and marches into Decathlon.

MJ checks her watch; “17 minutes, Parker. It’s not looking good for you.” He sucks in a breath. MJ was always punctual and got upset when others weren’t. At his worried expression, she laughs. "I'm just fucking with you, loser. You were gone for, like, less than 13, so chill out." Even though it sounds like a jab at him, Peter knows better. She's worried about him. He’s not showing up to Decathlon, which isn't new, but he's been.. different since whatever it was that the Avengers are keeping from everyone. No one knows what it is; there are many conspiracies, but the Avengers have confirmed nothing other than yes people disappeared but they’re back and okay now. Which doesn’t make any sense, but most people have gotten over it by now.

“Thanks, MJ,” Peter replies; the two exchange smiles.

“If you guys are done staring into each other's eyes, can we get back to practice?” Flash groans loudly.

“Oh, shut up Eugene. Some people can actually have friends; did you know that? That people can actually enjoy other people’s company?” When Flash doesn’t comment, MJ continues, “I know right! Mind-blowing!”

After a huff, Flash backs off; "whatever. Let's just get back to practice."

"Awesome. First question! What is the atomic number for chlorine?"

With a ding of the bell, Peter answers, "17." He's just relieved that everyone is done arguing.

"Correct. What is the capital of Monaco?"

Another ding. "Monte Carlo," Abe answers.

"Nice. How old was Queen Elizabeth the First when she became queen and what year was it?"

Ding. "It was 1558 and she was 26 years old," Flash answered cockily.

"Nope, close though; she was 25. Maybe next time Eu-" she was abruptly cut off by a loud gasp from Ned. Peter turned to see what had happened and winced (of course, they had to make a dramatic entrance).

"Holy shit," Ned whispered under his breath.

"It's them," Abe exclaimed, just as star struck.

"Uh, hello everyone," Bucky said awkwardly. Steve laughed and tried to cover it up with a cough; he received a deadly glare from the ex-assassin.

Mr. Harrington snapped out of his awe quicker than the rest of them. "Hi, Mr. America-- I--I mean Mr. Rogers! Can we help you with anything?" His voice cracked at 'anything'. Peter try as he may to control it, let a chuckle slip.

"Uh, no, Mr--?"

"Harrington."

"Mr. Harrington," Steve finished. "We just wanted to sit in and see what School Decathlon was all about."

"You dumbass," Bucky said and hit the back of Steve's head. "It's Academic Decathlon. Not School Decathlon."

MJ chuckled and almost every Decathlon member's eyes snapped to her. "What? It's funny," she told them with a roll of her eyes.

"Yeah, Michelle. It's so funny. Violence is so funny. Since you think it's so funny, you should really rethink being the captain and hand it off to someone who deserves it," Flash smiled innocently.

"Yes, you're right. Eugene. I think I'll give the Captain title to Parker," she replied, smug.

"Penis!?” Flash exploded. “Him!? Really!? But he doesn't even show up!"

Peter had his eyes trained on Bucky from the moment Flash opened his mouth. You bet he saw the way Bucky's eyes darkened and how took a menacing step forward.

Steve put a hand in front of Bucky to stop him from doing something he would regret. Like decking a 16-year-old. Steve whispered a "keep calm," and Peter's

hearing picked it up.

"What did you just call him," Bucky demanded. Flash went white a shade white but didn't answer. "What. Did you call him," he growled.

"I-I called him Peter, sir-sir," Flash stuttered out, eyes wide.

"Liar." The glare directed at Flash was deafening. "What did you call him." Silence. "Answer honestly. What did you call him."

"I called him Penis," Flash said confidently as if it would erase his nervous stutter from before, but he still shrank back and dropped Bucky's gaze the moment they met.

Bucky’s glare intensifies ten fold. Steve clears his throat as if to distract his friend from murdering a teenager. “So, uh, Mr. Harrison,” Steve says addressing the supervisor of the club.

Bucky interrupts, “if one of your students is being bullied, do something about it. We’ll be over here watching the rest of practice.” And with that, he drags Steve over to an empty table and makes himself comfortable.

Grandparents Day Tag List: @tamaranianprincess @justmyshitandmoreshit

Strikethrough means I couldn’t tag you

If you want to be added to the list or permanently tagged, just drop in an ask or message me <3

75 notes · View notes

everlarkrealornot · 6 years ago

Text

The PANEM Initiative, Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter 24

“Please state your name for the record,” the judge instructed without looking at her.

“Katniss Everdeen,” she said leaning forward to speak into the small microphone. She sat at the front of the court room, surprised by how many people were there to watch the proceedings.

Effie had cut her and Peeta off as they were entering the building that morning, pleading with them one more time to reconsider attending the review. When her efforts were unsuccessful she warned them that they would be just as much under the spot light as Peeta’s parents were.

“Your every move and every word will be noted…and if you don’t want to cause yourselves issues with The Initiative, I suggest you keep that in mind.”

“Do you want us to lie under oath about my parents’ marriage?” Peeta had asked in a strained voice.

“Of course not!” Effie had looked appalled as she adjusted her hair. “You two need to present as a united front, stay next to each other at all times, do not comment on the proceedings outside of being on the stand, and do not under any circumstances comment on how this review is affecting how you view your own match.”

“Coordinator, you may proceed.” The Mellark’s Match Coordinator stood up and cleared his throat. He looked tired and frustrated, most likely annoyed that his nuptial success rate is decreasing, Katniss thought to herself.

“Miss Everdeen, what is your relation to the Mellarks?” he asked in a monotone voice.

“I am engaged to their son, Peeta.” Katniss pressed her sweaty palms into her thighs as she talked.

“And how long have you known the Mellarks?”

“My entire life…Peeta and I are the same age and have attended the same school since kindergarten.”

“What were your interactions like with Mr. and Mrs. Mellark as you were growing up?”

“I mostly interacted with Henry, he has always been very kind to me.”

“And Mrs. Mellark?” Katniss swallowed hard, trying to remember the words she had prepared in advance.

“I did my best to avoid Mrs. Mellark…I could tell she was not fond of children around her store.” She paused and took a deep breath – she had not imagined sharing her and Peeta’s story in front of this many people. “When I was 11 my family was struggling financially and we did not have enough food. Peeta would bring me bread from the store and the he started showing up at school with bruises under his eye from his mother.” There were gasps of shock from all around the court room and Katniss could see Mrs. Mellark shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

The Coordinator closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“What have your interactions been like with Mr. and Mrs. Mellark since you and Peeta have been engaged?” And so the questions continued. “To your knowledge, did your March Coordinator file an incident report?” And continued. “Miss Everdeen, I was informed that you were there the day that Mrs. Mellark was served her divorce papers, can you tell us a little of what happened?” And continued. “Have you had any other interactions with Mrs. Mellark since that day?”

By the time Katniss was done answering the questions she was exhausted and ready to shut out the public eye. She was dismissed from the stand and quickly retreated to the safety of her seat next to Peeta, who wrapped his arm protectively around her shoulders as soon as she sat down.

“Coordinator, do you have any other witnesses to question?” the judge asked after the personal witnesses, along with Ryen, Brandon, and Peeta, had all been questioned.

“No, your honor,” he said as he sat down.

“Mr. Mellark if you could please – ”

“Excuse me, your honor?” Mrs. Mellark’s attorney stood up as he interrupted.

“Yes?” the judge bit out.

“I was wondering if I could ask a few questions of my client.” He motioned to Ida.

“Mrs. Mellark will have her turn to make her statement after Henry makes his.” The judge waved for Henry to come forward.

“Yes and she has prepared that statement,” the attorney continued, “But I would still like to ask a few clarifying questions.”

“Make it quick.” The judge waved Ida forward and swore her in. She sat down and fixed her gaze on Katniss, an evil smirk on her face.

“Mrs. Mellark,” her attorney started. “There have been several testimonies today that have called your character into question, but one such testimony was confusing to me.”

“Objection!” Anita, Henry’s attorney stood up. “If Mr. Miller is confused by a witness’s testimony, shouldn’t he be asking the witness themselves?” The judge looked between the two lawyers.

“I will allow Mr. Miller to proceed. Please get to your line of questioning soon – and make it relevant.”

“I will your honor.” Mr. Miller cleared his throat and continued. “Mrs. Mellark, Miss Everdeen spoke of two occasions where you brought genuine concern to their Match Coordinator’s attention. Miss Everdeen spoke of these occasions as if your intent had been malicious, could you please spread some light on these situations?”

“The two instances that Miss Everdeen,” she spoke Katniss’s name with venom in her voice, “spoke of earlier were of two instances of a concerned mother.”

“Bullshit!” Peeta spit under his breath.

“I may have made some mistakes in the past,”

“You can say that again,” Katniss heard Bran mutter from beside her.

“But these two instances were no mistakes. I was, and am, genuinely concerned for my son’s future with that girl! The last time I spoke with Miss Everdeen she was on a date with someone else!” Katniss felt her stomach turning as Mrs. Mellark spewed her lies.

“And as a concerned mother, what did you do when you confronted her?” Mr. Miller asked.

“Objection!” Anita stood up again. “What does this have to do with the petition review?”

“Mrs. Mellark was painted in a tainted light earlier and all she would like to do is have a chance for the board to hear her side of it!” Mr. Miller yelled.

“Then she can address it in her statement!” Anita yelled back.

“Approach the bench, both of you!” The judge waited as the two attorneys hurried to him.

Katniss strained to hear what they were saying in hushed voices but the ponding in her ears was too loud.

“Mrs. Mellark, you may step down,” the judge said as the attorneys returned to their seats. “Now, Mr. Mellark, please, present your statement.”

“We the Review Board have been tasked with keeping the integrity of The PANEM Initiative intact. We do not take this responsibility lightly, making sure to examine and analyze every piece of information we are given. With that in mind, after hearing the prepared witnesses, both sides’ statements, and reviewing the proposed separation of assets, along with taking into account that the full children requirements have been meet and that Mrs. Mellark has refused to sign the divorce petition, we have decided to grant Mr. Mellark his request for a divorce.

Katniss could feel Peeta physically relax.

“In regards to assets,” Katniss watched as Henry’s shoulders tensed, “we are granting Mrs. Mellark’s desire for an even 50/50 spilt with exception to the house and bakery. We have decided to grant Mr. Mellark sole ownership of the Mellark Bakery along with the house that sits on the adjoining property, as it was willed to him by his parents.”

“Yes!” The Mellark men cheered in unison.

“Mr. and Mrs. Mellark, please approach the bench to sign your divorce papers.”

Katniss sighed heavily and leaned her head against the car window.

“Sigh all you want, but we have to find an apartment,” Peeta said as he pulled out of the bakery parking lot a week later.

“I know…I just hate apartments…even ones that aren’t in the city.”

“I’m not a big fan of them either, but we have not found a house within our….”

Katniss lifted her head, ignoring Peeta’s words as she stared out the window, a sign catching her eye.

“Stop the car.”

“What?” He glanced at her.

“Stop the car! Stop!” Katniss quickly unbuckled and threw her door open as soon as Peeta had put the car into park.

“Kat?!” He jumped out, following her. “What is it?”

“It’s for sale.” She pointed to the sign that was swinging in the breeze.

“I see that…but there is no way it would be in our price range.” He stared up at the stone on the front of the house.

“They have had this house on the market for almost two years…” she paused and smirked at him, “they might be desperate.”

“What are you talking about?” Peeta raised an eyebrow at her. Her smile grew bigger as she nodded towards the neighbor’s house.

“Who really wants to live next to Haymitch?” she asked as she started walking towards the house.

“Not me.” He watched as she continued walking up the sidewalk. “Are we really doing this?”

“It never hurts to ask!” she called over her shoulder.

“So they accepted your offer?” Helen asked in disbelief as she looked up from her newspaper.

“No. But we asked if they said they would be willing to discuss the negotiations with The Initiative and they said they would be.” Peeta sat down beside Katniss on the couch. “They have been struggling to get offers on the house and no one has looked at it more than once.”

“Turns out, no one wants Haymitch for a neighbor.” Katniss smiled.

“What are the next steps then?” her mom asked.

“We already submitted the negotiation form to Effie yesterday – she said that someone from The Initiative’s financial department would be contacting the seller within 48 hours.”

“That is very exciting.” Helen smiled brightly at the two.

“Yeah, it should be – ”

“HEY!” Prim’s voice interrupted them. “ARE WE PLAYING CARDS OR WHAT?” she yelled from the kitchen.

“We’re coming – don’t get your panties in a twist.” Katniss jumped to her feet.

“My panties are just fine, thank you!” Prim yelled back.

“When did she turn into such a teenager?” Helen asked as she stood.

“Rematch!” Prim cried as she threw her cards down on the table. “There is no way they could have beaten us by that much! I demand a rematch!”

“You got it!” Peeta pulled all the cards into a pile and started to shuffle them. “Helen, you ready to take them down for a second time?”

“Oh yes!” She clapped her hands. “What do you say, Katniss? Ready to lose again?”

“What happened to a friendly game of cards?” Katniss laughed as Prim and Peeta stared each other down. “You know – ” a knock at the door cut her off. “I’ll get it.” She hurried to the door and pulled it open. “Effie?!” Their Match Coordinator stood on the door step with an exasperated expression on her face and her bright red hair a mess. “What are you doing here?”

“I need to speak to you and Peeta – his father said he was here.” She walked around Katniss, letting herself in. Katniss inhaled slowly, trying to stomp out her annoyance as she closed the door.

“I am…do you have news on the house already?” Peeta asked as he walked into the living room.

“The news I have is not happy news, Peeta…the Review Board has some concerns about statements made at your parents’ petition review,” Effie said as she looked around the room, seeming to decide on whether to stand or sit.

“Shouldn’t you be talking with my parents about that then?” Peeta asked, concerned.

“No, Peeta, I should not.” She pulled two folders out of her purse and presented Peeta and Katniss each with one. “The Review Board’s concerns are focused around your match.”

They took the folders and opened them. Inside were transcripts of Katniss’s and Mrs. Mellark’s testimonies.

“I don’t understand.” Katniss flipped through the pages, trying to make sense of it.

“I asked you not to go to the review…I warned you two that your actions and words were being watched, but you did not listen.”

“Effie, we did just as you said – we presented ourselves as a united front, we did not talk about the proceedings off the stand, and we certainly did not talk to anyone about our relationship.” Peeta tossed his folder down on the couch.

“You’re right Peeta,” Effie folded her arms tightly across her chest as she talked. “Neither of you talked about your relationship.”

“Then what is the concern?” Katniss asked.

“The Initiative’s Review Board is conducting a review of your relationship with Gale Hawthorne.”

#everlark #thg #the hunger games #au #arranged marriage #kate writes #tpi

30 notes · View notes

ph-piecebypiece-blog · 8 years ago

Text

Chapter One

Authors Note: I’ve had this idea bouncing around in my head for a while now and finally decided to try and write it all down. I have a few chapters written, but I’m new to the fandom and don’t know what kind of response it will get. So I’m posting this now to test the waters and see what people think! Hope you enjoy and feedback would be lovely! :)

It was a pain that was unnervingly familiar, but a pain that never got easier to deal with. The physical aching agony from the repeated kicks, punches, scratches, anything he could think of to hurt her and the emotional pain of loving the person causing so much damage. She laid curled up on the floor, people were watching, but no one was interfering. She felt the force of his foot slam into her back and she let out a groan of protest unable to scream like her lungs were aching to do.

“You're such a little bitch, you know that?” She heard him pant, his breath laboured from the effort it was taking to torture her. Once again her only response was a quiet groan. “Answer me!”

She took a shaky breath, working up the energy to respond as he demanded, but suddenly the mood in the room changed.

“Shit, dude. Do you hear that?” One of the bystanders questioned.

“Hear what?” Her attacker paused. With the sudden silence even she could hear the noise that was being referred to despite the ringing sound in her ears. Sirens. “Shit, fuck, hide everything, everyone leave!”

“What are we gonna do about her?”The man asked, gesturing to the heap of a woman on the floor.

“Nothing.”

Without any warning she felt another swift kick from her boyfriend to the back of her head and just as the door slammed open, the room filling with lights and yelling, her vision clouded and she fell unconscious.

January 2013

Everly woke with a start as she always did when she had that dream. It always felt so real and she stretched as her heart rate slowed down, reminding herself that her body had mended and had come so far from where it had ended up that night. A few scars still remained, but the majority of the physical damage had healed.

She sighed as she pulled herself out of bed and looked at her phone. It was just after one in the afternoon meaning she had less than an hour before she had to leave for work. She dragged herself into the bathroom of her tiny studio apartment and looked in the mirror. She looked awful thanks to her restless night with her past haunting her dreams, but she did her best to push the thoughts from her brain and shake herself off. She turned the shower on as she brushed her teeth, letting the water heat up to the almost unbearably hot temperature that she enjoyed. She washed her hair and lathered her skin with her favourite body wash, but just as always she felt removed from her actions as if she was just going through the motions automatically, not really present.

The same detached feeling followed her as she blow-dried her straight hair and browsed through her wardrobe, deciding what outfit to wear. It was a rainy Tuesday which meant the bar she managed would be dead. They were lucky if they served three customers a night on Tuesday and Wednesday and Everly was ninety percent sure the owner, her Godfather, only stayed open so she'd have enough money to survive. She knew they made more than enough to cover their losses on the busy Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights though so she never questioned his reasoning.

Knowing there would hardly be anyone to charm tips out of that evening she decided on a slightly more conservative outfit. A classic black dress, fish net tights, converse and her leather jacket as it was the only coat she had that stood a chance of keeping her even a tiny bit dry.

By the time she was finished getting ready she was running a few minutes late so after grabbing her purse she dashed out the door.

As Everly had predicted the night was passing by painfully slow. She always worked alone on the slower nights meaning she was sat behind the counter in an empty bar from three in the afternoon until midnight or later if they miraculously got busy. Most nights she didn't mind, bringing a book to read or finding something to clean since it was astonishing how filthy the place got on the few nights they were busy. However as she left in a rush today she'd forgotten to bring anything for entertainment and the bar was surprisingly clean.

It was around nine o'clock, when she was mindlessly busying herself by reorganising the liqueur for the third time that evening, that she heard the door open. She turned around, hopeful that there would finally be some work to do, but froze when she saw the man standing by the door. He was looking around the empty room as he shook the rain off of the baseball hat he'd been wearing moments earlier.

“Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the worlds,” Everly started, quoting the famous Casablanca with a smirk on her face. “Prince Henry Charles Albert David walks into mine.”

The redhead's attention snapped to the woman behind the bar. At first his expression was worried by how quickly he'd been spotted, but the worry quickly faded into recognition.

“Everly Cunningham, what are you doing here?”

He quickly strode across the room and settled on a bar stool.

“I should be asking you that, what on earth are you doing in a shitty place like this?”

Harry chuckled.

“I just wanted somewhere quiet where I could have a drink like a normal person and get away from the press whirlwind I've been faced with since I got home.”

“Ah, yes. Captain Wales. I heard you just finished a tour in Afghanistan.” Everly recalled reading something about that on the cover of a tabloid magazine in the grocery store and Harry's nod confirmed it. “Well I think that entitles you to a free drink, your Royal Highness.”

“You don't have to do that,” Harry assured her. “And you certainly don't have to address me like that.”

“It's no big deal,” She said with a shrug, referring to the drink. “What would you like?”

Harry asked for a scotch and Everly picked the nicest one they had.

“Thanks,” He flashed her one of his charming grins before taking a sip. “So do you own this place?”

Everly laughed, shaking her head.

“God, no. I just work here.” She admitted. “My godfather owns it so I manage the place for him. It's not the most glamorous job, but it pays the bills.”

“It seems like a nice place,” Harry lied as he looked around earning a scoff from Everly who was not fooled by his compliment. A silence settled between them as Harry took another sip of his drink. “So, how's the Prime Minister?”

Everly feigned a puzzled expression.

“David Cameron? I wouldn't know, I've never met the man.”

Harry chuckled and rolled his eyes.

“You know what I meant. How's your father?”

“Well he hasn't been Prime Minister for about eight years now, so how was I supposed to know who you were referring to?” She playfully rolled her eyes back at him. “But he's alright. Well I think he is. I don't really talk to him these days. Some, uh, some stuff happened and I needed some space away from my life for a while.”

Harry nodded solemnly.

“I heard about what happened to you,” His voice was soft and comforting, but Everly felt her chest seize up and her mouth go dry at the thought of the conversation that was sure to follow. “I'm sorry you had to go through-”

“It's fine, really,” Everly cut him off. “I'd rather not talk about it.”

Harry nodded and took another sip of his drink, not wanting to push her. Another silence fell between them as Everly picked at the varnish on the bar top. Her entire mood had shifted at the mention of her past and she cursed herself for even alluding to it. Of course he'd heard about it, the entire country had. She was headline news for three months. She shouldn't have given him an invitation to bring it up.

They didn't speak for almost five long, awkward minutes, but just as she was about to make an excuse about having to close the bar early due to how slow it was, Harry interrupted her thoughts.

“I really can't believe I ran into you tonight,” He mused. “It has to have been what? Ten years?”

Everly perked up a bit at the change of topic and thought back to the last time she'd seen the handsome prince.

“Uh, eleven or twelve I think.” She pondered. “I believe it was the marijuana incident of June 2001, just after my fourteenth birthday.”

Harry almost choked on his drink at the title she'd given their last meeting. He'd been almost eighteen and accompanied his father to some banquet that all of Britain's elite were attending. Naturally, the Prime Minister and his daughter, Everly, had been there as well. The young prince had snuck out for a quick cigarette late into the evening and had been surprised to find the perfect spot he'd scoped out earlier already taken. Everly had just beaten him there and was furiously trying to light what Harry instantly recognised as a joint. He offered his assistance on the promise that she would share and forty-five minutes later when the two teenagers returned to the party they were sufficiently stoned. They thought they were hiding it well of course, but the smell was instantly noticed by several people in the room and they were dragged out by their furious father's as soon as word got to them.

“I believe you are correct,” Harry confirmed. “God, I got in so much trouble that night. I don't think I've ever seen my father so angry with me.”

Everly giggled at the memory.

“I barely even got scolded” She smirked. “But I mean, my mom had just passed away so I think my dad felt bad for me. I would have loved for him to lose his mind and actually pay attention to me though, might have helped me more in the long run.”

Harry nodded, not sure what to say to the woman across the bar from him. He'd forgotten about her mother and how they'd both lost a parent so young. She'd been through so much in her life and as he watched her he noticed how sad she really looked behind the front she was putting up.

“Well,” Harry paused to toss back the last of his scotch. “I think this reunion calls for another drink, but you have to join me this time.”

“Harry, I'm working,” Everly reminded him.

Harry chuckled as he gestured to the empty room behind him.

“Not very hard though, are you?” He teased with a cheeky grin that pulled another giggle from the girl across from him.

“Alright, your Highness, you win.”

Everly poured both of them a drink. Another scotch for him and a gin and tonic for herself. Then, knowing no one else would come in for the rest of the night anyway, she walked around the bar and perched on the stool next to him. They easily fell into conversation as Harry opened up about his time in Afghanistan and how much it meant to him to have the chance to go and fight for his country and they reminisced about their wild teenage years and the various ways they embarrassed their families. One drink turned into three fairly quickly and considering Everly hadn't eaten all day she was definitely feeling the familiar alcohol induced fuzziness. Enjoying their time together, Everly formed a plan.

“I'll be right back,” She mumbled to Harry before going back behind the bar. She grabbed the bag of peanuts they kept to fill up the little bar nut bowls, a bottle of cheap gin and her keys from her purse. She left the alcohol and snacks on the bar before walking to the door and locking it.

“Are you closed?” Harry asked, confused by what she was doing.

“No, but no one's going to come in anyway so I decided to close up early.”

“And this?” He gestured to the bottle on the bar.

“It's cheap and shitty,” She answered with a shrug. “No one ever buys it so I figure we may as well finish the bottle.”

She poured them each another drink to demonstrate her point.

“Cheers,” He smiled holding up his glass to her. She did the same before taking a sip.

“Now where were we,” Everly pondered. “Ah, yes. I believe we were discussing a few very scandalous pictures I saw of you last summer.”

A feint blush covered Harry's cheeks.

“It turns out that what happens in Vegas doesn't always stay there...”

Everly giggled, stealing a peanut from the bag even though she knew realistically a couple of peanuts would do nothing to combat the alcohol in her system.

“Well I thought you looked pretty good,” She teased. “I mean, I know having the world see you naked must be quite embarrassing, but at least you looked hot.”

“Yeah?” Harry smirked.

“Yeah,” Everly nodded. “You have a cute butt.”

Harry laughed, his cheeks still pink with embarrassment before a smirk slid on to his face.

“Well, since you've seen me naked I think it's only fair that I get to see what's under your clothes too.”

Everly almost spat out her drink at his proposition, but quickly regained her composure.

“Prince Harry, are you flirting with me?” She asked, feigning complete shock. “What an indecent proposal!”

“You started it!”The smirk stayed on Harry's face as Everly's shock dissolved into giggles.

“I did, didn't I?” She smiled. “Well I'll stop, I'm sure there's someone out there who waited four long months for you to get home who wouldn't appreciate the way our conversation is going.”

Harry raised an eyebrow at her suggestion.

“No one that I know of,” He admitted. “I'm not seeing anyone at the moment.”

Everly suddenly became aware of how close to each other they had ended up. She hadn't even noticed it was happening, but through the course of their conversation they had both been leaning closer and closer.

“Oh, me neither,” She practically whispered as her eyes flitted down to his lips.

“Perfect,” Harry said softly before pausing for a moment, his eyes staring into hers with an intensity she wasn't familiar with. She was just about to ask why it was perfect when he cut her off. “Because then I feel no guilt about doing this.”

Before she could question him, his lips were against hers. The spark that went through her body was intense as his soft lips captured her own. Her hands instinctively wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer and as her lips parted with a soft moan, Harry seized the opportunity and his tongue tackled hers. Their tongues danced for a few moments, but as Everly gently teased the hairs at the nape of Harry's neck, he felt his control slipping. Moving so fast that Everly barely even knew what was happening, Harry's hands found their way to her waist and hoisted her up so she was sitting on the bar and he was stood between her legs.

“Wow, so strong,” She breathed out, her cheeks flushed and her lips swollen and Harry didn't even bother to reply before he pressed his lips back against hers. Everly eagerly leaned into the kiss and let her hands wander to the hem of Harry's shirt. She brushed over his toned abs and sighed against his mouth. Moving slightly farther south, she let her hands trace lightly over the skin just above his waist band, feeling his stomach twitch in anticipation and Harry groaned as he pressed farther between her legs so she could feel his growing bulge against her. A quiet gasp fell from her lips as she moved her hands back around his neck as she too pressed herself towards him.

It wasn't until Harry's hands slowly began to slide up her thighs that her mind caught up to her body. As he gently stroked the skin of her inner thighs through the fishnet stockings, images that Everly had pushed to the back of her mind and buried began to pop up. Rough groping, pain, reluctance, self-hatred all flashed through her mind and Harry felt her tense in his arms.

“St-stop,” She stuttered out, her chest tightening as tears filled her eyes. “Please.”

Harry immediately stepped back. His breath heavy from his arousal, but his face showed nothing but concern.

“Are you alright?” He asked quietly, surprised by her sudden change in mood. Her eyes were clenched shut, but single tear slid down her cheek and even though she wiped it away as quick as it appeared, it didn't escape Harry's notice. He thought back to everything he knew about what she'd been through and cursed himself for being so forward, for moving so quickly, and stepped towards her. “Everly, I'm sorry.”

She shook her head, pressing her hand against his chest so he couldn't move any closer.

“It's not you, I'm fine,” She lied. “I just think you should go. This is entirely unprofessional of me. I work here, I shouldn't be about to fuck a customer on top of the bar.”

Harry felt a stirring in his groin at her words, but nodded. He knew her reaction was far more than just her common sense kicking in, but didn't want to push her any more than he already had.

“You're right,” He agreed, stepping back to give her space. “I'm sorry for getting carried away.”

Everly forced a smile and hopped off the bar.

“You're not the only one to blame for that, your highness.”

Harry chuckled, relieved to see her perk up a bit as he grabbed his hat off the bar.

“Well I'd be a fool if I didn't at least ask for your number after that,” Harry admitted pulling out his phone.

Everly's fake smile faded a bit as she mulled over his suggestion and all the possibilities it could lead to, but it was impossible to deny him when he was staring at her with his big, charming grin.

“Alright, I suppose that's fair,” She agreed, her smile sneaking back on to her face.

She rattled off her number as Harry put it into his phone and then, after placing one last gentle kiss on her cheek, he was gone.

#prince harry fanfiction #prince harry fan fic #phff

38 notes · View notes

westywrites · 7 years ago

Text

The Teller of Stories and Keeper of Secrets

Chapter 5 - Christopher Marcel

First - Previous - Next

Warning for bullying, violence, and murder

Last but most definitely not least, in fact, I'm tempted to say that I saved the best for last in this case, we have Christopher Marcel. The second son of a very rich businessman, in Florida, U.S.A. Early in his life he was always the quieter of the two sons and Christopher spent most of his young life hiding in the shadows of his older brother, who took after his father and was heir to the business. Christopher however, took after their mother and was very meek child, he hid his face when the press were near and rarely spoke louder than a whisper. He was too shy to even say that he preferred being addressed as Christopher rather than Chris which is what everyone ended up calling him. Now he would've liked to have taken after his mother in height too but he did not and is at least 6'3", making it very hard for him to hide or blend in with a crowd, so he grew his black hair long and lets it fall over his eyes, giving him a feeling of being protected from the world. Given his quieter nature he was always the subject of the neighbourhood kids jeers throughout his childhood, and that's where we start his story. On a fine afternoon in spring when he had just turned 16 years old.

Christopher sat silently on the swing in the old playground behind the ball park, in the distance you could hear the sound of his older brother's baseball team playing a game they were sure to win. He sat and slowly moved back and forth, the swing creaking. He was in a different place in his mind, the place he goes to escape when he feels down. He had been going there more often lately as his brother was graduating and it was such a big deal everyone forgot Christopher's birthday a few weeks before. Christopher sighed, the game would be ending soon, he should leave before the rush of other teens come back to celebrate the win with all their beer and noise. As he went to get up he saw something under the slide across the playground. He froze where he was as the two worst people in Christopher's life, other than his brother, came out laughing and totally drunk.

"Oh my gawd." Hannah's mouth fell open. Everyone knew Hannah, her dad was a lawyer and no one messed with her, she was also a total jerk. Especially to Christopher. "You were totally watching us, you perv!" She fixed her shirt really quickly, making a horrified face that was framed by her always messy brown hair.

"Chris, dude. Let me teach you something, here." Patrick, the famous surfer's son, started walking towards Christopher. "You don’t watch people when they're going at it under a slide."

"Yea, really. What's wrong with you?" Hannah slipped on her sweater, which was too big for her and had a huge pink butterfly on its hideous purple background.

"So you listen up," Patrick was close enough now that he reached out and grabbed Christopher by his hair, "never do this again. Freak." Hannah was giving Patrick this googly eyed, head over heels look, and he looked back at her and winked, flicking his shaggy blond hair. The other teenagers from the neighbourhood were out of the game now and were starting to make their way back to the playground.

"What the hell's going on here?" One of them asked and suddenly Christopher was bombarded with insults and threats as Patrick explained his version of what happened. They yelled at him, calling him horrible things and he tried his hardest but he couldn’t help crying. As the first tear dripped off his chin, they laughed.

"Ah, you poor big baby." Patrick stuck out his bottom lip, his eyes shining. "Are you crying for your mommy?" Everyone fell silent as Christopher looked up with rage in his eyes. "Oh that's right she's dead." Patrick finished his joke and it fell flat in the silence. Christopher stood up, towering over Patrick and kicked him. Hard. It landed but Patrick just stood there and everyone started laughing again. Even though he was so tall, his kick wouldn't move a fly, at least that's what they said. They jeered and laughed. Christopher cried, sitting back down on the swing as they mocked him.

"I betcha he can't even look at a girl."Hannah said her nasal voice piercing his mind. "Come on, baby. Come on you freak." Hannah started hitting his head, shouting out insults. "Pathetic." Patrick joined in. "Nerd, hah you're just a joke." Drunken meaningless words that stung Christopher down to his very core.

Patrick put a hand on Christopher's shoulder. "A shame to your family name, your mother is probably crying out of disappointment this very second." Christopher felt heat bubbling through his body and he lifted his hands towards his face, stopping half way. His breathing was heavy.

"SHUT UP." He shouted, twisting his upturned hands sharply and as he did with his hands, so did their heads. There was a horrible snapping noise, and blood sprayed everywhere. Hannah and Patrick fell to the ground, limp, their heads twisted backwards and their necks snapped. The blood ran pooling at Christopher’s feet, staining Patrick’s white shirt red. The others were frozen for a second and he looked up at them, his hair out of the way for the first time anyone had seen, and his eyes were like green flames, filled with rage and sudden confidence. They ran. All of them gone, screaming back to the ballpark, the ones who had been at the front were covered in blood. Christopher stood triumphantly over the bodies and he smiled for the first time since his mother had died 10 years before.

Christopher quickly walked off into the woods a little ways behind the playground, taking a shortcut through to town. Before he left the shelter of the trees he ditched his black hoodie and made sure no blood could be seen on his pants, face or hands. He strutted down the street standing straight and smiling. A store caught his eyes, just a simple tailor shop, one of the ones his father’s company owned. Christopher waltzed right up to the front desk and demanded a suit, just a simple casual suit. The man behind the counter was confused at first and had begun to ask Christopher if he had any means of paying, but then it struck the man. This boy was Christopher Marcel, unlike anyone had seen him before.

"Quickly now." Christopher demanded again sweeping his hair out of his eyes.

"Yes sir." The man scuttled off. They already had Christopher's measurements, for they were making a suit for him to wear to his brother's graduation, so it was done within ten minutes.

"Do come again Chris." The man said as he handed the bag that now had the suit within it to Christopher.

"It's Christopher." He slammed the door behind him on his way out. The feeling of talking to someone like that gave him a rush. He ducked into a small cafe and changed in their washroom, as he walked back out people gave him strange looks and he didn't care. For the first time in his life he didn't care that people were watching, he didn't care that someone was taking a picture on their cellphone. He could kill anyone of them with a flick of his wrist, and he was happy.

"CHRIST, CHRIS WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?" His father came storming down the stairs when Christopher had opened the door.

"I found myself, father." Christopher smiled looking up at his dad. "I found myself in the death of those two jerks."

His father’s steps faltered. "Chris?" Confusion was painted all over his face and he ran a hand back through his greying hair.

"Christopher, father, my name is Christopher." Christopher walked past his dad up the stairs, patting his dad on the shoulder as he passed.

"Christopher?" His dad was frozen on the stairs completed shocked at the change in his son.

Christopher was up in his room now laying on the bed laughing, he just laughed and laughed. Laughed at the look on his father's face, laughed at the people in the cafe, laughed at the tailor, and most of all he laughed at all those other teenagers who would probably need therapy for a good, long, time. He layed there and laughed for an hour or so and then he slept. Who knew killing people would tire you out so much.

Over the next few weeks Christopher's father said he was proud of Christopher about a thousand times, took Christopher with him instead of his brother onto 3 different T.V. interviews and payed off the parents of Patrick and Hannah, and threatened to police and media so the whole murder thing got dropped. Christopher had moved up the social ladder at school and now everyone was at his feet doing whatever he wanted, including most of the teachers. No one messed with him. Except one stupid kid who had been there that day following Patrick around with a camera and ended up getting the whole thing on tape and putting it on youtube. Of course that kid was never heard from again and the video was taken down, but there was enough internet attention that it was affecting business on a high enough level that Christopher's dad agreed to sending him to therapy to get the public off their backs. Christopher didn't protest and smiled and waved at the cameras as they drove off to the nearest, cheapest form of therapy, at a cheesy little place called "WALTER'S HAPPY CHILDREN'S HOUSE!"

#west's words #original fiction #ya fiction #writers on tumblr #fantasy #TSKS #final kid #now on to the story :)#again please tell me if you're liking this #or even just reading it #give it a like or something and I'll be overjoyed

0 notes