#<- warning | female reader - female parts and appearance ● personality and backstory ● with a kid and is Robin Buckley's cousin. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ashes-writing · 11 months

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stranger things ● forever pt 5 ● s.harrington

warnings

[ multi chapters ] your daughter calls Steve daddy + baby talk -cannot stress enough that she's 3 and she's still grasping speech and language but like.. writer doesn't want to overdo it so... yeah. robin and barb and robin trying to muster up the nerve to make a move -it's not fun having to hide your true self and being gay back then was not a picnic so.. angst about that. heavy sexual tension/physical attraction (mutual, duh), swearing, things seem like they're moving fast but there is a good time lapse between each part so.. yeah. having a kid written by a person who does not... female reader with female parts / a connection to Robin and a past/personality + an adorable lil kid.

word count + prev. part

5452 exactly

part four <- can be reached by clicking.

summary

“It’s not!” you’re laughing. But there’s this small part of you that cannot deny that lately, since you and Steve have gotten closer and opened up to each other more, there’s something different between you.

He’s more touchy. He teases you more. You caught yourself flirting with him on more than one occasion because you couldn’t resist doing it and it happened before you could catch yourself. There’s the way you seem to lack a sense of boundaries when he’s around.

And Robin isn’t wrong, you’re starting to find it really hard to resist just going for it.

“Everybody hasn’t noticed because it’s not like that.” you insist.

taglist + shoutouts

<< taglist here >> just click & add ig. if you're here for gareth/eddie or other ST men, lemme know and I won't tag you on this.

@allelitesmut @tbmunson - bestie ilysm omg i hope you're having a great day!! @chaoticcancer @caravelofthesun @dylanwritesgood @just-a-blue-nerd @eddiemuns0nl0ver @slyisbehindyou @spaceconveyor

other links

masterlist ● steve's masterlist ● about + rules

FIVE

“ She told me she wishes he was her daddy.” you’re munching on some french fries from Wendy’s as you watch Steve and Stevie down at the pond, feeding the ducks together. Steve has Stevie sitting on his shoulders and you can hear her laughter as it echoes through the park.

You can’t stop staring. Your eyes roam freely. You tell yourself that if you can’t be with him, you can stare as much as you like but honestly, you’re not stupid. All you’re managing to do is torture yourself every single time you wind up doing it.

Barb laughs softly and Robin snickers at the faraway look in your eyes as they glue themselves to Steve’s body all over again. You’ve been stealing glances a lot more lately.

You got so caught up in it when everyone met to hang out at the pool two afternoons ago that you nearly face planted the door to the women’s restroom just because he went off the high dive, answering a dare that guy across the street who works as a lifeguard gave him.

“Pick your jaw up off the table, woman.”

You jump a little, broken out of your daze by your cousin’s teasing so you flip her off. The two of you share a look and while Barb is busy grabbing herself a soda from the vending machine nearby, you smile at your cousin. “You need to do something, okay? Who cares what anybody thinks? Screw them. And I don’t see aunt Janet being as horrified as you have yourself believing she will be. Now grandma Ethel.. Possibly. But she clutches pearls at everything, Robbie.”

“You do something and maybe I will. You’re the older one. Lead by example.”

“Robin..” you sigh and shake your head, taking another bite of your double cheeseburger. Groaning at the taste as it fills your mouth because you haven’t really eaten anything today. It’s been busy at the office.

In a desperate bid to change the subject because you’ve told your cousin so many times exactly why you can’t just throw caution to the wind and the more you have to tell her, the more convincing her arguments are as to why you can -and should, do that very thing are starting to become.. In a desperate bid to get off the current topic and on to a new one, you speak up.

“I think I might have found an apartment. We can go look at it later.. If you wanna come with me?”

“You and sparkles should stay with mom and I longer.” Robin shakes her head. Pouting a little. “I don’t wanna lose my little buddy.. Or you and our nighttime talks. C’mon, it hasn’t been that bad.”

“It hasn’t. But I need to stand on my own again too. Like.. I know this is putting a huge strain on aunt Janet as far as money goes. And if I’m living in my own place, it won’t be as bad. They just gave me a raise and more hours.”

Robin’s still not thrilled, but she nods. “Yeah, okay. But you’re still stuck with me, woman.” “Duh.. We have a blood pact. Remember?” you laugh and so does she. “Where is the apartment?” she asks after a second or two. You’re distracted, watching Steve and Stevie again, he’s pushing her on the swings now. “Hm?” you ask as you take a sip of your vanilla Frosty.

“Woman, oh my god.. If you don’t do something it’s going to drive you insane. And lately, whenever you two are around each other, the air’s almost heavy enough to choke somebody. Everybody notices it.”

And Robin isn’t wrong, you’re starting to find it really hard to resist just going for it.

“Everybody hasn’t noticed because it’s not like that.” you insist.

Barb laughs as she slips down onto the bench right next to Robin and hands her a Tab. “Okay, am I allowed to call bullshit? Because that is exactly what you’ve just said is… Total bullshit. Everybody’s noticed it, ___.”

“There’s nothing to notice! We’re friends.” you insist.

“Friends don’t look like they’re a second away from kissing each other, ___. Which is exactly what you two looked like the other night when we all went to see that movie together at Starcourt.” Robin is patient when she says it. Laughing as she remembers turning to find Steve dragging his thumb over the butter smeared on your cheeks. Or later, finding you leaned against him, the two of you and Stevie whispering back and forth as you all stared up at the screen and shared popcorn from the same mega sized bucket.

Or even later, when the crowd leaving the theater as the movie ended got so thick that Robin watched as Steve pulled one of his patented Harrington moves out, resting his hand against the small of your back as you all wandered out.

She’s annoyed that neither of you are willing to budge but it’s oh so painfully obvious.

“Even Eddie’s asked if you have something going on! And Eddie, he’s practically the most oblivious guy on Earth!” Robin insists, throwing up her hands in exasperation as you calmly shake your head no and insist all over again, “He’s not into me like that. I’d know it if he were! Body language expert, remember?”

“My ass you are.” Robin grumbles, the two of you flipping each other off as your laughter dies away.

“Where’s the apartment?”

You cringe a little because you know your cousin well enough to know that when you tell her it’s over that one bar on the wrong side of town, she’s not going to be thrilled. And honestly, you’re not either.

But you refuse to keep burdening your aunt and you know it’s putting a strain on her having two more mouths and more of a mess to keep up with. You help as much as you can. And you really love being there, you just know that you need to stand on your own again.

“Okay, there’s a teeeny flaw with the place.”

“I’m not liking it already.” Robin’s shaking her head, taking a sip of her soda after she’s opened the tab.

“It’s over that bar on the way out of town. The owner.. He uh.. He came in to the office for a consult and he mentioned that he was going to open up the empty units and start renting them out. He told me if I did all my own repairs and stuff he’d knock it off the rent, too. And he’s only charging like… I think he said 400 a month for a two bedroom?”

“Absolutely not. Do you know how often the cops are called to that place? And Eddie’s band, they played there once, said there was a brawl in the middle of their set so bad that an ambulance had to be called.”

Barb speaks up. “Wasn’t Steve looking at a place, Robbie? And it’s near the school. It’s one of the two that the guy who owns the Post just opened up and completely remodeled.”

You give both of them a playful dirty look. “Mhm, like it’s not obvious what you’re getting at.” you laugh as you finish off your Frosty. “I’d fold like a deck of cards if I had to live with him.” you’re doing it again, staring at him openly as you fan yourself with a stack of napkins. “And it’s not even like.. Okay, he’s fucking gorgeous, don’t get me wrong. But that’s not even why I fell in the first place.” you nod to the way he’s waiting on Stevie at the end of the big spiral shaped slide on the playset, “Its the way he is with her. It’s the way he treats everybody.. Like.. I can’t explain it but god, it just turns me on.”

“Because he’s a good guy. He has changed a lot since high school. But anyway, why not look at the place Steve is looking at? You guys are getting to know each other and you’ve gotten to be really good friends.” Barb’s looking at you, giving you a smirk that only makes you stick out your tongue at her. “I just told you why, B! If I live with that man, I will fold like laundry.”

“That’s kind of why she suggested it. One of you needs to, jesus.. The tension is getting to the rest of us outside the little bubble the three of you have formed lately…” Robin laughs and shakes her head. “So stubborn. Why keep fighting it? What if it ends up being amazing? I mean, you said it yourself. He’s good with her. He’s good to you.. To everyone, actually. Why not just go for it?”

“What if it completely blows up though?” you counter, biting your lip. “I can’t.. I won’t put her through what Jenna put me through.”

“Speaking of.. She called last night. I dunno what she said to Mom but Mom exploded. It was great. She told her she was the worst mother to ever exist and hung up. Told her to call back when it wasn’t about something she wanted or something she needed.”

“She didn’t even ask about Stevie.” you guess, frowning and rolling your eyes when Robin’s look confirms it. You shrug. “It’s her loss. We’re fine without her.”

“Definitely.” Robin agrees, reaching out to steal some of the fries you have left.

“Will you guys just come with me to look at the place? Please?” you ask them both, giving them a pleading look.

“Fine.. But I’m not gonna like it.”

“And I agree with her.”

You laugh and slip off the bench, making your way over to where Steve and Stevie are by the swings again. Stevie loves the swings. The day before, you brought her to the park and she refused to leave until she’d spent at least an hour swinging. An hour that you happily obliged because one day, she’ll be older and you already know that you’re going to miss this.

You take advantage of every little moment you’re allowed because they’re moments you won’t ever be able to get back.

CONTINUED

“Daddy! Higher! My feet almost touch clouds!”

When she says it, she’s giggling. Her eyes squeezed shut against harsh afternoon sun. Smiling so big that it’s probably ten times brighter than the sun itself. Steve is frozen and at first, he doesn’t know how to respond.

All he knows is that when she calls him Daddy, he finds himself wishing that it wasn’t just an accidental slip-up. That he really was her father. Because that’d mean he got both of you, all to himself for the rest of your lives. If it were true, nothing would make him happier.

The swing comes back down, Steve catches it and brings it to a stop. "Higher, huh?" he laughs as he locks eyes with you because you're standing nearby, watching. He's gazing down at Stevie now and he chuckles. "Dunno if it's a good idea, scout."

"Pwease?" She's begging and it's adorable. He still can't decide what to do about her calling him Daddy, so for the time being, selfish as it might be, maybe he just pretends that he is. And that she's his little girl, the two of you are his girls.

Everything feels better, he notices, when he pretends like it's true and he acts like it's true. He doesn't feel as alone until later on when he actually is alone and the realization sets in all over again.

A brunette nudges you in your side, nodding to Steve as he pushes your daughter in the swings.

"Hi."

"Hey." you turn your attention to her after calling out to Stevie not to hang the way she is off the swing. "Something you want?"

"Is Steve her father?"

You shake your head. Smile fading a little. One, because you're pretty sure her entire reason for asking has everything to do with her interest in Steve and this makes you just a little jealous and two, without even realizing it, you were kind of imagining what it might be like if things were totally different. If Steve was actually her father. If the two of you were together.

"She called him daddy. Just now." the brunette states. "Either he is or he isn't." and she's pretty sure he's no, after all they were close friends, there's no way he could've hidden something this massive from her and Tommy. And she likes to think he wouldn't have attempted it, either. But the little girl calling her best friend daddy did make

"He isn't. Closest thing she's known t' one though."

"She looks like he did when we were all kids." and it hits Carol that she hasn't actually introduced herself yet. She laughs quietly and palms her face. "I'm Carol. Steve is an old friend. The two boys on the slide are mine." she points out her sons and you smile. Stevie is racing towards you and you drop, holding your arms out for her as Steve jogs over behind her, laughing.

Carol watches as you scoop up the little girl and cover her face in noisy kisses. Steve is staring at you, oh you can bet she picks right up on that. And she's thinking about the way you were all soft eyed and staring as he pushed the cute little girl on the swings just now.

,,this is what he deserves. He needs to find the confidence he had in high school and just go for it already because the air is so thick between them I cannot breathe."

"Carol."

"Steve." she smiles, giving him a thumbs up as she nods to you and Stevie. Steve raises a brow because usually, Carol is nothing if not a harsh critic of anyone he dates or shows interest in and it only doubled down after things ended with Nancy.

"What's her name?"Carol's attention turns back to you and she's smiling. Curious, with the strong feeling that Steve is definitely falling hard and fast for you because he's gone into protective mode without even seeming to realize. She knows because he's stepped closer to you and Stevie as if to shield you both.

"Stevie." you answer. She smiles, nodding towards the slides again. "Tommy and Hunter."

Carol makes her way over to the slide where her sons are and Steve gives you an apologetic smile. "She wasn't like…rude or anything, right?"

But you're distracted, between what she revealed to you about Stevie looking a lot like Steve and Carol revealing that Stevie called Steve daddy, you have a lot on your mind at the moment.

Steve repeats his question and you smile, you shake your head no. "No, she wasn't."

You're just wondering.. how did Steve react to your little girl calling him Daddy?

And more importantly, how should you react to it?

CONTINUED

"Yeah, I don't like this place." this is said by Steve who offered to come over and really look at the little two bedroom apartment you were told about earlier in the week. Robin speaks up next. "What is that smell?" and Barb asks the same question. "I'm agreeing with them."

"It's not that bad." You're wandering around the empty space. It's bigger and brighter than your old apartment. And considering it's over a bar, the floor is so thick that barely any noise seeps up through worn hardwood flooring. "It's bigger than the last one."

" I just don't think this is a good idea, __." Steve repeats. The door lock isn't the best but honestly, that's the least of the things he's noticed. He can tell you're determined but so is he. "There's other places, ___. Maybe we should look at em before you decide anything."

"Yeah, I'm going to agree with the dingus here."

"I'm agreeing with Robin. And Steve."

You're not entirely sold on the place either but you're determined to find something soon. You've never been the kind to wear out your welcome and you're just so used to doing everything alone that you don't know how to take help when it's offered.

Or this is what both Robin and your aunt keep telling you.

"Okay. Alright. I'll look a little more." you promise the three of them. Stevie stirs in your arms and buries her nose down in your neck. "Mama, somethin stink."

"We're leaving now, cupcake." you laugh softly. "Good. Smell make me wanna barf." she grumbles. “Don’t wanna live here cos it stinky. Like old cheese. Feet.”

All of you wander out, Robin and Barb getting into Barb's car and after you've fastened Stevie into her carseat, you get into the passenger seat of your Mustang. Steve's driving like he usually offers to whenever everyone goes out together lately and you decide to take your car. As he merges in traffic, he speaks up. "You'll find somethin better."

"Not at that price. And it's two bedrooms."

"There was a murder in the alley behind the place..this guy I know..Jim..he worked the scene. I think it was like..my junior year?"

"Oh. Yeah, I didn't know that."

"People don't talk about it a lot." Steve answers. "That place is dangerous. Just trust me."

You nod before you even realize you've done it. You, the headstrong and argumentative, stubborn one. You, the one who always does whatever she wants whenever she wants. And when you realize that you're just going along now, you're stunned to a state of silence.

He pulls into the spot next to Barb's Volvo and kills the engine and nods to the car seat in your back seat. "She's out."

"She sleeps so well when she goes for a ride." you tell him as you quietly pull open your door. As you're unfastening her seatbelt, she looks up at you all groggy from her nap. "Wan' daddy t' carry me."

Your breath hangs and you're frozen. It was fine when she'd do this, call him that whenever it was just you two. You usually just gently remind her that she can't blurt it out and she needs to call him Steve or Mr.Steve. But she's just done it all over again right in front of him.

Steve is about to speak up and say something strictly because he doesn't want to make you uncomfortable or anything, and he figures you're about to anyway. But then, instead of saying anything, you turn to him with an apologetic smile. "I keep telling her she can't do it when we're not alone, that you might not like it."

As he starts to realize what you're getting at, he's stunned speechless. The implication that she's done this before..that she does it a lot when it's just the two of you and the further implication that you're okay with it.. the smallest glimmer of hope is in bloom and the wheels are turning in his mind.

"I got her." he reaches out to take Stevie and she wraps little arms around his neck and yawns because she's beginning to wake up. "Good nap, wasn't it?"

"Mhm." Stevie answers. "Now I sooooo hungry."she giggles. You gape at him. "How is it she's not a little grouch right now? She's a grouch waking up for me?"

Steve shrugs. Smirks a little as he pulls open the door to the diner just in time to come face to face with Nancy, Jonathan and Jonathan's friend Argyle as they come out with grease stained bags. Upon seeing him, Nancy is kind of frozen, definitely shocked to see Steve with a little girl in his arms and even more shocked that she's seeing just a hint of the side he opened up to her when they were together.

,, everyone kept telling me he met someone. They all said he was finally happy again. And that weird rumor that he had a kid and somehow nobody knew.. I can see why it started."

"Hey Steve."

"Nance. Hey. You haven't left yet?" and it's honestly no an act to make her think he's okay this time, this is what shocks him most. He's honestly just been so busy lately, he's been so preoccupied with fighting the nightmares, the mess Vecna left in his head when he was done with him and since the end of April, his feelings and the attachment he's forming with Stevie and you that honestly, he hasn't given her a whole lot of thought. Lately, he's given her none at all and when this hits him, he's more than a little shocked.

"We leave next week.. Monday?" she looks to Jonathan as if she's not sure and he smiles and nods. "Yeah. Monday…hey, we're having a get together with everyone this weekend. You guys should come." Nancy looks from Steve to you as she says it. Her gaze lingers on you just a little longer. Taking in the way you’ve molded yourself right against Steve’s side and you’re standing just a little taller. As if to protect him.

Steve starts to say no. But between the tension you're picking up on and you'd die before admitting it, the slightest bit of jealousy and anger you feel upon meeting the ex girlfriend, you speak up before he gets a chance. "We can if you want to, Steve. It's up to you." you’re trying to act as a buffer.

Pretending things between you and Steve are more serious. More intimate than they actually are all while coming to the realization that his ex girlfriend is a very good and clear reminder as to why he’d never willingly settle for you. Nancy’s beautiful and she’s got this good girl look about her. Not to mention, her life is together and yours, well.. You make yourself stop thinking too hard and picking yourself apart before you get too deep into doing it.

His brow raises. And he tells himself there's no way, you can't be jealous, but there's just something about the way you melt into his side just a little more..and of course, the tiniest hint of mischief in those beautiful eyes of yours as you look up to hold his gaze as you're doing it, as if you do it all the time. He chuckles. "We'll try, Nance. I'm not promising anything."

"Mama, can you take me to bathroom?" Stevie speaks up, reaching for you. "Wait for you inside?" you ask Steve, glad your daughter needs to use the bathroom because the more you stand there, the more you compare yourself to his ex. The more you tell yourself there's no way he'd just settle for you and your jealousy -as well as the knee jerk reaction it caused just now, are pointless.

You go in with Stevie and Steve is left to stand there. This is made further awkward when Jonathan steals a kiss before walking away to Argyle's van. This leaves the two of them alone.

Nancy laughs.

"What?" Steve raises a brow.

"She really likes you. A lot. Robin said it was obvious but wow.." Nancy smiles up at him and keeps laughing, " You feel something too. Didn't almost dying teach you anything, Steve?"

Steve blows out a breath and shifts his feet. "Yeah."

"So do something! You could have your dream life. Don’t you want that?"

He nods.

She fluffs his hair and goes to step past him, pausing for a few seconds. "You'll be okay.. i.. I was worried about you after…you know.. I just want you to be happy. Like me." and with a smile, she's gone. Rushing over to the van just as the rain starts.’

Steve lingers for a minute, trying to figure out where she came to the conclusion that you like him as much as she seemed to think. Mulling over the advice she gave that he didn't ask for.

You're sitting in the booth with Robin and Barb, feeding Stevie fries as you watch the two of them outside but try to make it seem as if you're not. And of course, Robin picks right up on it and clears her throat. You nod to them. "Yeah, if that's not a reminder of why I need to ignore the way I feel…" you muse as you take some fries for yourself. Barb and Robin share a look and then they're both looking at you.

"What? You see her! She's a knockout and she's got her life together."

"She really doesn't, though." Barb speaks up, laughing to herself. Robin agrees. "You need to stop ignoring it and do something about it. What happened, huh? You used to be the brave one?"

You laugh and roll your eyes. "Yeah, when it comes to dumb stuff. Emotional risks have never been my thing."

"The fact that you sit here so confidently convinced that he doesn't feel the same way when everyone knows that he does. I can't. You're the single most stubborn.." Robin laughs and Barb laughs with her, slipping fries out of the shared tray between them.

Steve wanders in and as he makes his way over to the table, Barb nudges Robin and leans in, whispering against her ear, "Okay, whatever Nance said to him… he's looking more like King Steve right now than he has in a really long time.."

"Maybe he's finally going to do something." Robin adds, nodding in agreement. Your breath hangs in your throat when instead of grabbing a chair and pulling it to the booth like usual, Steve seats himself in the space beside you. As his designer cologne envelopes you and your sides brush, you need to go pull yourself together. "I'll be right back."

You hurry to the bathroom and when Robin peeks in a few seconds later and sees you visibly flustered, trying to pull yourself together, she doubles over laughing and steps inside. "You okay?"

"I, uh… never better?" you're trying to pull yourself together because the way he looked at you when you locked eyes before you rushed in the restroom to cool down.. you can still feel it's effects. And the scent of his cologne surrounding you, the way he sat down and got as close to you as he could get.

It's all combined to do a number on you.

"You're in for it now." Robin muses, giving you a smirk. She knows something you don't, of that, you're certain.

"Huh?"

Robin shrugs. "Oh trust me. You'll figure it out. Especially if what I think is about to happen actually happens."

"Context?"

"Oh no.. no, because if I do that, you won't believe me."

"Seriously?"

"As a heart attack."

CONTINUED

Your red Mustang pulls to a stop in the driveway of your aunt's trailer. Stevie is sleeping in the back, in her car seat and as Steve kills the engine and holds out your keys, he closes his hand around yours when you reach for them. Steps as close as he can and when he does, your breath promptly hangs in your throat.

"If Stevie calling you that earlier…if it bothers you.."

"It doesn't." Steve looks over at you, "does it bother you?" and for a few seconds, he's searching your face for something..any indication that Nancy..Robin, Dustin and even Billy, that they're all completely wrong.

He doesn't find that. Instead, what he actually finds is just enough for the flimsy bit of hope to grow just a little more because you're looking up at him and . You're unfastening Stevie from her car seat and he gets out, holding your aunt's front door open for you as you walk through with Stevie asleep on you.

You can feel the air getting thicker. Something is different. It's not bad, only intense. So intense you almost feel like you can't breathe.

,, I have to be imagining it. This is just wishful thinking because i want to let it happen so bad that it's driving me crazy."

"You're sure it doesn't?" you question, tilting your head to look up at him and he chuckles quietly, shrugging as he answers, " I actually like it. If it bothered me at all, I swear I'd say something. Are you sure it doesn't bother you?" and then he steps closer. Pushes open the bedroom door for you as you step inside to put Stevie to sleep for the night. " It doesn't. If it did I would have stopped her the few times she's said it when it's just the two of us." you answer, looking up at him. Holding his gaze and God help you, squirming just a shade when it feels like he's looking deeper at you as he does the same.

"See you tomorrow." he finally manages to pull himself out of his daze and the temptation to touch you is so strong that he clenches his hand at his side.

You fall back into the bed beside your sleeping daughter and take several very shaky deep breaths.

CONTINUED

The whole drive across town to his parents empty house consists of him having the mother of all internal dilemmas. Instead of going home, he winds up at Dustin's house.

Dustin raises his window and gives Steve a concerned sleepy look. "Something wrong?"

Steve immediately starts the pacing as soon as he’s climbed through Dustin’s window. And rambling as he paces. And when Dustin figures out what's causing his best friend to pace a hole through his bedroom floor, he's snickering about it.

" She does it like all the time, man. You're just noticing Stevie calls you daddy?"

"Today is the first time she's actually said it to me directly." Steve answers, gaping as Dustin's statement sinks in. "Wait..she's done it in front of you then?"

Dustin nods to the chair at his desk and Steve sinks down to sit. "Yeah. She actually started like..a week ago? Two, maybe?” Dustin yawns and smiles, falling silent for a few seconds before picking up where he left off, explaining the situation to Steve as Stevie explained it to him, “ This girl in her daycare group named Sadie has her convinced that if she picks her dad then whoever she picks automatically just..is. I tried t' talk to her but she's stubborn and she plugged her ears, started to hum. She said her mind was made up. That even if she couldn't tell you, she still knew and that was okay with her. She was afraid you might be mad so her saying it directly to you man.." Dustin pauses, rubs his eyes as he chuckles quietly, "That's huge."

Steve's chuckling too. "Yeah, the uh..the stubborn thing, that’s like 1000 percent her mom." he drags a hand through his hair. "I saw Nancy earlier. We talked. Well, she talked. I thought I'd have more to say but I didn't."

Dustin nods. Looks up at Steve in concern but Steve shrugs. "It's over. It's been over. I get it now."

"Okay, so what about ___?"

Steve rubs his chin as he thinks about it. He knows he can't keep fighting it, not with everything he's either accidentally overheard or he's figuring out only just now. He wants to fight. He wants to win.

"I'll figure it out. The uh.. the letting Stevie call me daddy thing though.. that won't mess her up, right?" and he wants to laugh at himself, he's asking a literal teenager for advice right now but…Dustin Henderson is the second person he trusts the most in the world. Robin Buckley is the other person and he's definitely going to bounce all of this off her tomorrow.

Because he's determined that this time..this time the ending he wants most in the world is absolutely going to stick.

"No? Why would it? Her father is some asshole who didn't even want her to be born, man. If anything, it's clearly for the best this way, Steve."

Steve nods quietly. "To not fucking this up, right?"

Dustin grins even brighter. "You're finally going to do something then?"

Steve takes a shaky breath and laughs quietly. "I think so, Dustin. I have t' try or I'm gonna lose my fucking mind."

#steve harrington #steve harrington fanfiction #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington imagines #steve harrington x fem!reader #steve harrington x single mom!reader #steve harrington x buckley!cousin reader #<- my writing ● steve harrington #<- warnings | see above but... angst / internalized and not ● robin is gay and we're here for it ● reader is a single mom with a past #<- warning | female reader - female parts and appearance ● personality and backstory ● with a kid and is Robin Buckley's cousin.

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xsunnysucculentx · 1 year

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meeting task 141

summary: you were transferred from your other task force to the 141 and meet the members.

warnings: reader smokes, has piercings and tattoos content warning: none

pronouns: she/her

a/n: this will be a multiple part story, maybe with some of your ideas ^^ english is not my first language, if you find any mistakes pls let me know!

disclaimer: i do not own call of duty or any of the mentioned characters

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ghost didn't know how you landed a place in the 141 task force. not that you weren't good. you were probably one of the best snipers he's encountered.

he didn't see you in action yet, but your killcount is speaking for you. his opinion tho, it was...purely based off appearance. you just didn't look like you'd belong here, your bubbly personality not matching the dark hues of the base and the men, who lived there.

you weren't the only female member that got transferred from another location. but the only one who stood out to ghost. it wasn't every day that he met someone, who could withstand his gaze and not blurt their whole backstory out once he asked one simple question. you're still pretty mysterious, even after he made a background check, he couldn't find anything on your records. to the public, you were living in santa monica, had three children and a husband named arthur hales. you were a completely normal human being, working an office job before becoming a house wife. and no one would assume that someone like you, always smiling, always trying your best to get warmed up to the men in the past three days you've been here, wearing the light blue oversized hoodie and grey sweatpants were a killer. lost in his thoughts, ghost trailed his gaze through the cantine. you were talking to soap and gaz as you held your cup of tea between your hands.

"so, we know that you're good at sniping. what about on the field. and experience?" soap asked, his scottish accent peaking through heavily. "actually yeah. i wasn't on the field often, but i know a trick or two when it comes to fighting." you gave a small smile and turned the white mug slightly. "how come you've been transferred here?" gaz asked, being the only one in the past days who's asked yet. you didn't mind the question, you had a long time to think about your answer after all. they didn't need to know the whole truth. not yet, at least. "my task force just got a few new recruits and everyone was occupied with two, except me. and since y'all needed backup, Lt. sent me here to help you from above" you left out the teeny tiny fact that you've known price for a long long time (since you were two, to be exact) and had quite the bond with him, which is why price told general shepherd he'd like to have you on his squad. "who said we needed backup?" soap sounded kinda offended. "giving some of us almost died last time we were out, it does sound like we needed backup." alejandro mentioned and shrugged. you were surprised how fast the men actually accepted you in their circle and how easy it was to communicate. there were no uncomfortable silences or inappropriate jokes, which were almost always there with your other team, and you actually felt quite comfortable here. the only one who hasn't spoken more than two words (which were a simple 'good morning') with you, was ghost. you felt his gaze lingering on your back and you asked yourself why he didn't join the table. maybe he was cautious of you? or in general just a little socially awkward? you didn't know and quite frankly didnt care a lot, there's always that one person in the team. you let your snake bite piercing graze against the back of your teeth and enjoy the silent moment. "whats this?" soap pointed to your left wrist, where your tattoo peeked through. "an angel number. stands for protection and the right path." you explained and looked down at the three small numbers on your wrist. you got it done a few years ago after joining the military, you didnt believe in a "higher power" or anything like that, you just kept remembering your mother, who always said that 4 was your lucky number. you've always been protected in your life, she said. ghost started getting closer to the table, not wanting to come of as weird or anything, and sat down next to alejandro, who was sitting opposite of you. "look who joined us, if it isnt the most handsome man!" soap smiled and put his arms slightly up. you looked at ghost, his dark eyes shooting a quick glance in your direction and looking at soap after that. it was the first time you could really look at him, giving that he either wasn't there or hiding somewhere in the shadows. he had a black balaclava with a skull print on and a black t-shirt. you were wondering why he wore the balaclava inside. it looked very cool (and kinda intimidating), but it left you asking yourself if it was because of you. maybe he had some trust issues and wanted to conceal his identity.

"i didn't catch your name yet" ghost looked at you. god damn. his voice was deeper than expected. or.. you didnt really know what you were expecting, but definitely not a british accent. "oh, i was called flower. but my Lt. said i had to change my before going out in the field to eliminate any connections to the other task force, im kinda nameless now" you knew you couldn't really pick your own call sign, which would leave you with something like newbie for a couple of days (or weeks, or how ever long it took until you'd figure out your name) ghost gave you a short nod, understanding that you didnt want to say your real name. you didn't know his after all, that only seemed fair. in fact, you didnt know any of the guys names except for alejandro. you made a mental note, you'd remind yourself some day to ask for their real names, maybe it was just too early for that.

"newbie!" yup, it was like you've expected. soaps voice echoed through the gym and you pulled out your headphones. you were mid rep and raised an eyebrow at his call for you. behind him was ghost in a tank top and some black sweatpants. gah damn his arms were big. "yeah?" you asked and pulled off your gym gloves and took your water bottle. you were still in a hoodie and sweatpants, not wanting to show your body because of some.. events that happened back at your old base.

"we wanted to ask if you'd be down for a smoke? well, if you smoke at all" soap started but looked at the bar bell on the floor. "but you probably wanna finish training, right?"

"oh no i was on my last rep for today anyway, soo yeah sure." you gave them a quick smile and turned around, unscrewing the bar bell and putting the black heavy plates where you got them from. soap nudged ghost slightly, pointing at the weights and gave an admiring nod after counting the weight in total. you were strong, no questions asked, but you were also kinda.. he didn't know.. short ? or it just seemed like it, because all of them were tall and you just stood out because you were a lot of inches smaller.

you noticed the look and quickly gathered your stuff, phone, headphones and your water bottle. you'd be passing the sleeping quarters anyways, so you didn't have to ask the men to lend you a cig.

"i just need to get my cigarettes out of the room, i'll be right back" you gave the little announcement and quickly disappeared behind the door, after unlocking it with your card.

"do you think she was deadlifting or squatting with that weight?" soap crossed his arms and looked at ghost.

"dunno. but she sure as hell is strong" he admitted and earned a chuckle from soap.

"gave you a little competition aye?"

while they we're talking, you were on the search for your coolest lighter (a black clipper with a white ace of spades and blood spluttered on it). 'that'll do' you thought, pulling a light pink zippo out of your bag. it had flowers on it and a small engraving, which said 'you're the prettiest flower'. you smiled down at it, memories of your little sister gifting it to after you've been away on a mission for several months flooded your mind. it's already been years in which you haven't seen her, the zippo was a nice reminder that she'd always be waiting for you to come back.

you opened the door to your room and let out a sigh, putting the cigarettes and zippo in the pocket of your hoodie. the men looked down at you and you put your arm out, as a gesture of saying 'lead the way'.

soap and ghost were talking (well, it was mostly soap telling ghost some gossip and ghost giving a hum in response) and you listened to their conversation on the way to the smoking area. it was in the back of the base, some benches and tables scattered here and there. it wasn't very cold outside, the spring air filling your lungs and you took a deep breath in. birds were flying over your head, the trees started to blossom and you were genuinely happy that winter was over and it'd be summer soon.

you sat down at a round table, ghost opposite of you and soap between you and him. you pulled your sealed cigarette package out and removed the plastic wrap.

"didn't think you were a marlboro typa gal" soap mentioned and you flicked against the bottom of the package. "whats that for?"

"the highest cigarette, that comes out, is my lucky cigarette. im smoking it last one, and always wish something." you explained your little ritual and put the cigarette upside down back in the package before offering the two of them one. you put one between your lips and pulled out the lighter.

"we were the ones asking you to come out and now we're smoking your cigarettes" soap commented and you passed the lighter to him.

"pff dont worry about it, i'm not greedy" you smiled and inhaled the smoke. ghost took the lighter and inspected it for a quick second. it was kinda cute, seeing the all so serious man holding a pink lighter. he gave it back and turned around, leaning on his elbows on the table.

you didn't even question it, he didn't want you (or anyone) to see his face and smoking meant pulling his mask over his lips.

"so" you started as you tapped the ash off. "how long have you two known each other?"

"way too long" ghost answered almost immediately and you looked at soap, who just nodded.

"i've seen this man almost die more often than i saw me mum" soap took a deep inhale and blew the smoke out. "anyway, why did you join the military?"

"eh, thats a story for another day" you winked and soap mouthed a 'got it' and stared off into distance.

"we gotta start thinking about a name for you" soap mentioned and you quickly nodded.

"i dont wanna be called newbie again" you kinda whined and put your head onto your free hand. "it took sooo impossibly long to get my other team to pick a name because nothing really fit and 'wasn't screaming me'" you quoted your friend and soap smiled a little.

"well we have to see you in action and pick out a name then huh?"

and just like that, a new era in your life began.

#ghost x reader #ghost call of duty #simon riley #ghost #141 #cod mwii #soap mw2 #gaz mw2 #price mw2

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soupthatistohot · 5 months

Text

BSD: An Absurdist Analysis - Chapters 7 & 8 (Part 1)

Yosano and Kyouka: The Agency’s Women

[Masterpost]

I will be covering chapter 7 and 8 different from how I usually do these analyses, focusing on certain characters rather than the linear narrative. These two chapters revolve around the introduction of Yosano and Kyouka into the story, so I will focus on them for this post and make another ch. 7 & 8 post regarding other aspects of the chapters.

So, let’s talk about Yosano!

This is her introductory chapter, spotlighting her personality and eventually her ability. One of my favorite moments by far is when she’s apologizing on Atsushi’s behalf for bumping into a rude, wealthy and entitled man who then kicks her in the face and she replies by threatening to stomp on his dick.

Later in the chapter, after Motojiro Kajii begins the bomb threat on the train, the same man begs for Yosano to save him after realizing she’s with the agency, perhaps hinting to the reader that he’s now had a change of heart… but then asks her to step on his dick. Appropriately, she drop-kicks the pervert.

This highlights the absurdity of sexism and classism in modern society, the man flaunting his wealth earlier and insulting Yosano for being a woman, and is still unable to get over his bigoted ideology when his literal life is in danger. One would like to think that a woman being part of a powerful detective agency would earn the man’s respect, but in reality, this is not quite so true. He just wants to reap the advantages of having Yosano on his side by offering to pay her, but still objectifies her in the end. It’s a nuanced criticism that doesn’t magically solve sexism/classism by Yosano simply existing as a badass woman.

This continues with Kajii’s interaction with Yosano, where he remarks that “women are so tough nowadays,” implying that it’s not in women’s nature to be strong. His sexist assumptions already put him at a disadvantage, because although he acknowledges Yosano’s strength, he still thinks himself more powerful and her stupid for trying to defy him.

In chapter 8, he calls her a “girl” and questions her intelligence, to which Yosano retaliates, calling Kajii "an idiot."

She’s goading him into injuring her here, knowing that her own ability will only work if she is on the brink of death, and it works. He drops a load of bombs on her, ignorantly assuming that there’s no chance of her survival. When he checks on her again, she uses this to her advantage, attacking him and effectively putting him in his place.

Earlier, he had basically tried to mansplain death to her, not knowing who she was or what her background is, so she reveals her status as a doctor and explains her ability and understanding of death, threatening him.

After this, she half-kills Kajji and uses her ability on him enough times that she gets the information she needs and is able to speak to Atsushi over the intercom, allowing him to take charge of the situation.

In summary, this chapter introduces Yosano as someone consistently overlooked because she is a woman, but she proves that she is capable and intelligent, which is not negated by the fact that she is also revealed to be borderline sadistic. It paints a nuanced portrait of a female character that will be further explored with her backstory much later in the manga.

Now, let’s shift focus to Kyouka.

Kyouka is silently present throughout chapter 7: capturing Dazai at the beginning and bumping into Atsushi at the train station. We know she is a threat, likely affiliated with the Port Mafia, but she is kept mysterious until the conclusion of chapter 7, using her appearance as a young, quiet girl as a cover until then. Atsushi tries to warn her against going toward the bomb before she reveals Demon Snow, who is being controlled by Akutagawa at this point.

Continuing into Chapter 8, Atushi is shown to have been pretty injured by Demon Snow, and when he asks why a young girl like her is there, she reveals her very innocent interests and fears… and the fact that she’s killed thirty-five people in the last six months.

Pairing the seemingly normal and even sweet personality traits consistent with a young girl with the fact that she’s an assassin is jarring, those two things do not belong together, and yet, in this absurd reality, there exists and girl who likes rabbits and has caused death. It’s absurd.

After battling with Atsushi some more, she reveals that the bomb is strapped to her chest, reiterating her body count. Atsushi implores her to “express herself,” telling her that there’s more to life, imploring that they stop. Yosano then interrupts and Kyouka hands over the switch, only for Akutagawa to reveal through the phone that there is no way to defuse the bomb and it will go off regardless.

She then pushes Atsushi away, attempting to jump off the train, and he then realizes that the phone controls her ability, that she has no autonomy and did not want to commit the murders she did. She has no autonomy.

But rather than be resigned to her fate and allow herself and everyone on the train to die, Atsushi’s words seem to have affected her, and she decides to sacrifice only herself, jumping off the moving train.

While I cannot label this action as explicitly absurd (she believed she was dying either way and had completely lost hope), the fact that she’s rebelling against what Akutagawa wanted her to do, something she was unable to do thus far, is significant. I also think it is noteworthy that her ability is being controlled by a man, rendering her mostly unable to control her own actions, her hopelessness allowing for this. This appears to be in theme with the feminist lens these chapters seem to be taking.

But as we already know with BSD, there is no situation that is completely hopeless, and Kyouka’s intended act of sacrifice allows Atsushi to jump out after her and save her, the bomb detaching from her chest far enough from the train that nobody gets injured.

Kyouka will be further developed in future chapters, so I’ll wrap this up here at the end of chapter 8. What I will bring up is Kyouka’s similarities to Dazai, especially in his younger years. This is by no means an original idea, as many others have brought up this point on social media, but I do think it’s worth noting considering that the two share a certain amount of nihilism, which is only perpetuated by the toxic environment of the Port Mafia. Here, we see

Kyouka taking her first steps toward breaking from this mindset, taking direct action so that nobody else got killed, seemingly the first decision she’s made for herself since her parents’ death. In this moment, she's reclaimed her autonomy.

This post is long enough as it is, so I’ll end it here. I will be making another post soon about chapters 7 and 8, focusing on Dazai’s capture, Kajji’s ideology, and Atsushi’s actions.

[Previous] [Next]

#bsd #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bsd manga #yosano akiko #kyouka izumi #atsushi nakajima #bsd 7 #bsd chapter 7 #bsd chapter 8 #bsd 8 #bsd absurdism analysis #soup rants

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romanticbat · 1 year

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May I request a story with the adult female reader being an unwilling instructor at vile for chemistry and physics and both Malestrom and Roundabout fall for her? Also the reader really liking everyone there but having trouble due to being a very morally good person?

Of course! I have some troubles with Roundabout's and Maelstrom's personality so I will do my best

Warnings: slight angst maybe, I also probably taked a little much creativity liberties with Reader's little backstory, I AM SORRY BUT I FEEL LIKE THIS IS A LITTLE YANDERE FOR MAELSTROM...

You are a instructor in VILE, you used to be a scientist, of course, USED to be. You didn't even knew how you ended in this place, using the place of a ninja in a table full of criminals, you helped them before tought, of course with the wish of finding a better job, the sweet sound of the promise they filled your ears with.

You loved your students! Truly, but you didn't really knew if they truly respected you and not just tried to pretend they did only because everytime they opened the doors of the faculty room, you were there, your eyes curious about why they wanted to talk to the rest of the faculty, criminals who wanted this, and maybe to you too, the one who didn't even asked for something for the operatives to steal, not even the most priceless thing was stealed by them to give it to you. Maybe that personality and moral was what attracted Gunnar to you, he watched every move you maded since you started helping VILE even before Shadowsan left, how you tried your best to look the 'kind' part of all this, how you almost hissed to yourself after making the most slight of bad things, you were a kind soul, trying to understand him, listen to him and his rants about psychology and marine life, this wasn't a place for someone like you and he perfectly knew that but it was better protecting you about the bad comments of some persons because of your morals and having you at his side when a 'rival' appeared.

Roundabout falled for you more faster that you could expect probably, he appreciated your kind and caring soul in this asociation full of criminales and he showed it, taking you to his country and giving you cute and fancy things to wear, you didn't have to know than that piece of jewelry was the propiety of some rich person before you used it tought... Not when you used it so happily thinking it was something buyed by your dear friend while you two drinked tea.

Maelstrom is experienced with the human mind so it's not really a surprise when he realized Roundabout was in love with you even before Roundabout himself realized it.

You were sitting with Roundabout, enjoying the wind of the afternoon "Thank you Roundabout, I loved this ring" you said with a genuine smile in your lips "It's nothing my dear, really" he said with a lovestruck smile before hearing your phone gived my VILE ring "Oh sorry, I have to attend this" you said, putting your cup in the table again before clicking the accept button, being received by Maelstrom's voice "-code name- we need you here the faster posible" Gunnar said, hidding any signs of his crush in you "Of course, I will be there" you answered him before getting off of the call and putting it in your pocket "Sorry, I think I couldn't finish my tea, I have to go now" you said with a sorry face "It's ok, we can do this another day, I can acompay you if you wish tho" "I would love that" and with that you two waited for the helicopter to come, he guesses the roses will have to wait for next time.

You arrived and Gunnar was waiting for you in his room "Oh, sorry Roundabout I don't think I called you too" He said in a passive-Aggresive tone, Roundabout looked at him with a slight angry face before closing the door "Sorry for interrupting your rest, I think the meeting canceled just before you arrived the isle" he said in a false sorry tone, why should be he sad too? This just means more time with you without being interrupted "Do you want to listen more about sea creatures? I have a presentation already maked, maybe you can find your new favorite animal" He said in a slightly sweet tone, Brunt, Cleo and Bellum will have to wait for you two for a while.

#carmen sandiego #carmen sandiego 2019 #x reader #gunnar maelstrom #proffesor maelstrom #proffesor maelstrom x reader #gunnar maelstrom x reader #roundabout #roundabout x reader #V.I.LE.#fanfics #one shot

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fishermanshook · 3 months

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Can I send a request Platonic Female dancer, Cheerleader and Journalist x Ballet Dancer reader (not separate or both happen at the same time).

Pirouette's for Days (surviors! x gn!ballerina!reader)

# reader has a backstory , cut 4 length , there's a small kiss in each part but they are seen as platonic and not romantic , grammar and spelling warning , a tinge of ooc

INTRO

After a horrible “accident” left your theater in ash, the manors offer of shelter seemed to be your only hope. While the situation was not ideal, I suppose it did work out in the end. In exchange for shelter, food and water, you get stuck running for your life from blood thirsty Hunters who are dealing with the same things you are.

You should’ve been off and on your feet by now, but stuck in a never ending game of life and death leaves you trapped in a rickety manor that won’t let you leave. Thankfully, you’ve met some amazing people during your stay and you couldn’t ask for more. (Well, maybe a way out. But you’ll just have to take their deduction costume as an apology.)

꒰wc꒱ 1.0k

Female Dancer

Your destined arrival was a surprise to Margaretha, a delightful one sure, but a shocker nonetheless.

Margaretha truly believed that she would be the only dancer to ever roam these treacherous halls, that no one would ever understand her on a deeper level when it comes to dancing. How the act of it envelops her and consumes her mind and body entirely. Assuming the dancer was forever destined to waltz alone, others could hear her slow music box accompanied by the soft melody of her tears in the dead of night.

Thankfully, that time has come and gone, and Margaretha is in a better place now. Your company has shown her that not everything and everyone is bad in the world, she cherishes you deeply. She just isn't 100% sure how to show it.

You've found yourself adjusting to your peculiar situation quite fast, and you're sure that the Female Dancer is the one to blame. You spend most of your time with her, and usually, that time is spent on stage somewhere in the manor. This is where your secrets have spilled. This is where you've perfected your Grand Adage. This is where you've shared a kiss with the one and only Female Dancer.

Margaretha will break in your ballet shoes for you. She will help you sew and pick out your performance outfit for your upcoming solo. (You being forced by Ms. Nightingale to dance at one of the events, don't worry about it.) Margaretha will help you bend and flex every fiber of your being. Margaretha will do nearly everything for you, and you will do almost anything for her.

Cheerleader

Lily is almost certain she's seen a show of yours in the past, at least, before she was stripped of her aristocratic status because of the accident. Whether it was you or someone else performing, she remembers it and quotes it as an incredible experience.

Right off the bat, Lily wants to be your friend. She may not be the first person you meet in the manor, but she's a face worth remembering, as the Cheerleader starts to appear more often in your new life at the manor. If you do decide to indulge in the Cheerleader and choose to seek her out, she'll start to appear at your side more often.

The Cheerleader learns of your upcoming performance and is instantly intrigued. With the eyes of a puppy, she begs to see your practice, just for a little bit. How could you deny her? Not that you were going to, originally you were going to ask her if she wanted to see what you'd been working on. She doesn't have to know that though, as you quickly take her hand in yours and race off to the auditorium where your practices have been taking place.

Watching you dance triggers memories to flood in, and before she knows it, tears are flowing down her face. Your performance has moved her to tears and all she can do is mumble a small "m sorry..." as she tries quickly to compose herself. Your show has reminded her of better times before the accident took place, before her brother was rendered bed-bound, and before her life was overcome with grief and abuse. You help comfort her, hugging her tightly and laying gentle kisses on her head.

Lily will always cheer you on from the sidelines. Quiet as a mouse during your performance she quietly gasps from the sidelines, but after your show, she showers you with praise and compliments. Commenting on every aspect of your dance and applauding you for all the hard work and effort you put toward the show. Her words make you teary-eyed before she kisses them away. Your her friend, she doesn’t want you crying! Taking your hand in hers, the two of you rush off elsewhere to celebrate your successful performance.

The Journalist

Alice DeRoss has most likely heard of you and your grand theater, it's even possible that one of her coworkers has interviewed you before. Although, she'll never know as she loses her memory of them the more she's stuck in here.

When she first meets you, she's (just a bit) overly kind. Sensing the fact that you've just gone through something traumatic (like everyone has in this damn place.) she wants to make sure you feel safe with her, despite your unlikely situation right now.

As one of the first people you meet, you feel most at ease with her. Which is one of the reasons why you choose to stay closest to the Journalist. Alice doesn't mind as she enjoys your company and finds that you're an intriguing character to talk to. Whether it be about ballet, more of your background, or just random things in general, she finds herself smiling more in your presence.

Alice is the first person to see your performance finished or now. Whether you're dancing with Margaretha or performing a solo, you spot a flash of light from the audience. Her camera has caught you soaring through mid-air as if defying gravity itself and it wows her. Your performance leaves her mouth slightly agape before she snaps out of it and claps for you. (And maybe Margaretha, but either way she was looking at you the entire time.)

When you finally do put on your performance, Alice has got front-row seats and is amazed the entire time. You look stunning on stage and she doesn't dare to take her eyes off of you for a second. In the end, she is waiting for you on the side of the stage and (with the help of Emma) has brought you a bouquet and a special kiss on the cheek for all your efforts.

note: EAT UP IDV WOMEN LOVERS (please reblog) (also i didn't expect to actually get something out tn)

(2024)©️fishermanshook — do not steal, translate, plagiarize, or repost my work on any other platform

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astolary · 2 years

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Hello! I love your chamber fics 🥰

I was wondering if you could write one where the reader (preferred female) is the new agent everyone has been praising, and it piqued chambers interest so he went to find out why she’s so special?

Thank you! I love your work and hope you have an amazing day❤️

𝐓𝐘𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐐𝐔𝐄 .

( Synopsis ) Someone needed to weigh down all the odds within the stubborn protocol.

( Author's Note ) Aww thank you \^.^/ Hehe Chamber just hits different.

( Pairing ) Chamber x F! Agent Reader

( Content Warnings ) Omen making dark jokes, mentions of trauma.

( Word Count ) 2.0k+ words // NOT EDITED!

A few weeks before Chamber joined Valorant, you were instantly the anchor of the protocol. At least that was what Jett claimed.

It was true. Reyna tolerated you despite her not-so-empathetic self while Breach toned down his aggressiveness just a tad bit while you were around him. You kept the team balanced and did what you do best.

A few weeks prior, you understood that the protocol had its fair share of problems running around. It would take a while for you to adjust to the workplace. I mean, it was suspicious beforehand when you were invited to join.

Cypher pretending to be a super creepy person that stalked you your whole life? No─ just no. Was that how a supposed "corporation" recruited people?

(He apologized to you, but you forgave him just a few weeks later. You won't let him get past it that easily.)

What you first noticed after getting accustomed to your dorms were the several disagreements each agent seemed to have. A tragic backstory sprinkled in. The losses they all were forced to suffer. How the stars played with them.

It caused you to feel like you were the odd one. Are you even going to be able to fit in with everyone? You were at the bottom of the list. Understanding the trauma they went through is practically impossible.

(Call it an excuse? They were facts.)

—

"INSECURITY ON the battlefield will lead to your downfall." Viper's spiteful tone was painfully obvious. Brimstone rolled his eyes, already used to her personality.

"Don't say that," Sage mumbled lightly, hitting her arm. Viper glared at her. "No. Physical. Contact."

"Yes, yes, of course."

The four of you were preparing to sign the contract, the contract that will bound a chapter of your life to the Protocol.

You were in the middle of expressing your concerns to the senior agents. Are they sure they wanted to recruit you? Someone who had no military experience? Who scrolled down the internet with full trust that their account was protected?

You tried to hold your ground and meet her jade eyes. The first impressions were always the moments in your life you would look back on. You were going to be fine, you were going to be fine.

Chartreuse. Her intelligent and watchful jade eyes were almost chartreuse under the filtered sunlight through the blinds. (You were not going to be fine.)

Even while she wore a mask, her frown covered half her face. You weren't the best at lying, so she must have noted the way your eyes immediately widened and darted to the floor. Anywhere but the poison specialist. A grumble escaped her when you tried to form sentences.

"Killjoy whiffed every shot on the training dummies when she first held a classic," Brimstone suddenly recalled almost fondly, "Sova would occasionally drop his sheriff while switching to his bow, he even shot an arrow to Omen's cape by accident once. That's why he only carries two to three arrows with him at a time during missions."

"Yoru and Phoenix almost fainted when they were going hand-to-hand combat with me. Breach even—"

Sage interrupted Brimstone's small speech, trying to save him from embarrassing the other agents.

"What Viper and Brim are trying to say," She paused, trying to find the right words. "Is that nobody expected this to happen. Nobody expected to become part of our organization. A mission to save the world."

A small, desperate, smile appeared on her face. "We need your help, please."

The words you furiously tried to form got stuck down your throat. Although Viper looked like she wanted to squash you under her heels, her posture dropped ever so slightly. They were tired. Extremely tired.

Each of them certainly had their own way on how to express their feelings.

You signed the paper. Might as well since you spent so much time there already.

(Did you fully grasp the concept of what you just got yourself into? Nope.)

—

It was hell. You needed to catch up quickly since a lot had already gone down. Somehow, months later, you managed to survive. You pulled it off. You were alive with all your bones intact.

Massive improvement in your skills was shown. Now, you wore tight clothes that hugged your figure. Small scars from harsh training littered your arms. Calluses formed on your hands after Reyna reminded you multiple times to hold your damn gun tightly.

Just aim for the head. Reyna told you. Yeah, sure. (You knew she was joking just the tiniest bit.)

And like everyone that joined the protocol, you were sent on your first mission after they enlightened you on what you were about to be sent on. A bundle of nerves clutching your gun, aimed head level.

—

SURPRISINGLY, OMEN was the one with you at the site. It was peaceful for the most part.

"Are you alright?"

You jumped in place, not expecting him to initiate the conversation. "Just nervous," You remarked, "But I know I'll get used to it sometime in the future."

"We don't even know if we have a future."

At least he tried to comfort me? That was what you thought.

You stood still as a statue. What he said sounded out of character. It was but at the same time, it was not. "Sorry," Omen nodded stiffly at you. He overheard from Yoru that people loved making horrid jokes.

"It's alright." The shadow was sweet. You could tell his intentions were good.

A full minute and the spike was not yet planted. The palm trees rustled against each other. Something needed to happen.

"Do you remember where we got dropped off? I heard the speakers calling for someone named 'Vincent Fabron.' Do you think he's the one behind the destruction of Fracture?" You jested light-heartedly.

Omen paused, taking into consideration what you just said. Huh.

—

Quick-witted. You were quick on your toes. Omen praised.

Reckless duelists running into the site like headless chickens? You're the only person who can talk things through them. Sage and Sova overworking themself? You like to call them the humble narcissists, always claiming you should take care of yourself but they barely check on their own well-being.

You weren't insanely enthusiastic like Raze, intelligent like Killjoy, clever like Cypher, experienced like Brimstone, or skillful like Breach and Sova. But, "You're a breath of fresh air!" Phoenix worded out for you. That was what made you special. Normal but eccentric.

By this time, Chamber was recruited, and he heard all the compliments that were thrown at you. Viper's mood got sour whenever meetings were held, and there was an awkward silence that would engulf the area whenever you would hear his foot pattern.

(Agent Name) this, (Agent Name that.) Whenever Chamber tried to talk with somebody, your name would get into the conversation.

So, with insanely high hopes, he sauntered off to look for you.

—

THE WALLS OF the room the both of you were staying in were paper thin. An abandoned workplace, but far enough from human interaction. If memory serves right, you were to be meeting up with Killjoy. Your base was far, far away from cities. More privacy and protection were always welcomed.

"Please, you do the paperwork much more efficiently than me, and that's saying something." Killjoy praised you from across the table. Pens and books were scattered on the table, laptops left turned on. The both of you were researching in a desperate attempt to power up the portal.

"Yeah sure. Totally, it's not like you're someone I barely know commending my work habits. Besides, you're just being modest. I just joined two months ago."

She sighed. "I'm not being modest,"

"What I'm trying to say, is that you understand when you overdo yourself. You build up, an amazing, small habit of helping others without crossing their boundaries. But at the same time, you make sure they don't take advantage of you and cross your boundaries. You know who's worth your energy." Killjoy rambled.

"You're selflessly selfish. The world shows us how everything is kept in balance, and you're a living representation of it."

Chamber listened behind the doors as you ended the rather wholesome conversation. Your voice was pleasant.

It was a completely opposite reaction to when he joined. Cypher? He hated Chamber. Brimstone? Disliked him. Viper? Absolutely loathed him. Everybody around him felt like they were walking on eggshells, even the French could see it. He would never say it out loud, but he was a little offended. A little only, of course.

He thought it was a good idea to make his presence known after you strolled off. The door was left slightly opened.

"Killjoy, beautiful as always." Chamber nodded in her direction, stepping into the room. He brought out the blueprints she desperately needed. Killjoy snapped her head up, not expecting him to be here after you left the room.

Suspicious. But he was probably here to give him the blueprints, so maybe it was all a coincidence. "Thanks, if you excuse me I'll be going to (Name) now." She practically jogged outside, thanking the heavens for letting her leave the situation.

Ah, that was your real name. (Name.)

"Didn't even let me bother to explain." What a series of misfortunate events.

—

Killjoy was not oblivious when business people wanted something.

Someone is suddenly ready to pop into your life at the most random time? And one of the most easy going people you know in the protocol is uncomfortable around him? And the person was Chamber? A French?

Nope, not today. He isn't enough for you, you deserve better.

She told you about what happened, so you simply decided to ignore his presence. You knew you could deal with it some other time.

Even if you both never met each other on a personal level, that was your first encounter. It certainly was not your last.

You couldn't blame her uncertainty. Anyone that joined the organization practically left the face of the earth. They couldn't casually go outside without approval from the higher-ups. They didn't even know the states of their family until the holidays.

Paranoia wasn't uncommon when they were browsing the internet. Drinks were offered to them? What if they were drugged or poisoned?

It didn't help that when Neon joined, it just confirmed everybody's suspicion of him. One of the youngest agents breathing down his neck? Well, there goes the idea of befriending him.

You can deal with it some other time.

(Until one fateful day.)

—

THERE WAS THIS inside joke that ran between you and Raze. Giving in to fatigue during training was embarrassing, but holding eye contact with the explosive agent as she watched the entire scene unfold before her eyes was a different story.

So now whenever the both of you were stuck in an awkward situation, the two of you would look each other in the eyes. Trumpets of colorful messages would be conveyed.

"Did you hear?" She whispered to you once. The both of you were lining up at the cafeteria to get a bite after losing to Maxbot.

"What did the both of you hear, mesdemoiselles?"

:D?

You glanced at the reflection of the food display counter. He was tall, easily towering over the both of you. Your heart skipped a beat. How was he able to hide behind that flimsy door?

"Ah! Chamber, right? The French?" Raze gave a strained smile, believing all the warnings Neon gave her. "We just heard that you joined! Welcome to the protocol, I'm Raze and this is my sister!" She hugged your shoulders, shuffling over to the end of the line with your empty trays.

Whatever Raze was saying, the both of you didn't hear it. He was stuck in a trance, and so were you.

You were absolutely gorgeous. (Yes, the both of you were still admiring each other through the reflection of the food display counter.)

"We'll get going now!" Raze's iron grip on your shoulder didn't affect you.

The world blurred and became invisible, it was just the both of you. Completely random strangers.

"I said! We'll get going now!"

,and you thought he was certainly handsome.

astolary 2022 — do not edit, repost, or translate.

#（ ❁ଓ.° ） astro! valorant #valorant #valorant headcanons #valorant protocol #valorant x reader #chamber x reader #chamber headcanons #chamber x yn #valorant chamber x reader

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zoeykallus · 2 years

Text

Hunter - Dirty Little Thief 1 - The Threshold

Hunter x female reader She/Her (Enemies To Lovers)

Warnings: A little Cat And Mouse Situation/ Some Violence/ Very cocky reader/ Strong Language/ F Bomb/ Slightly Implied Force Sensitivity In Reader

Summary: Reader grew up as an orphan on the streets of Tatooine, mostly surviving by stealing and taking small bounties. One day the Batch has to stop on Tatooine, with an artefact in their possession that she stumbles upon while actually trying to steal the Batch's weapons, to trade on the black market. Hunter can smell her perfume and follows her back into town, to get the holocron she stole back.

______

Author's Comment:

This is a x reader fic, Enemies to Smutties, I mean Lovers. I don't describe her appearence aside from what others see in her, like she's pretty in their eyes. But she's got a lot of my personal trades, cocky, snarky, a good heart but hard to crack. She's not afraid to fight and good at it. She's got a mouth on her too. Oh and she likes Rock music. sorry, not sorry

I actually had the idea for her backstory by listening to the music she is singing in this chapter.

Enough information you didn't ask for. Have fun!

______

Following Chapters:

Part 2 -Fairplay

Part 3- What We Do Not Admit

Part 4 - Provocative

Part 5 - Fighting And Loving

Part 6 - Scorching Hot

Part 7 - Keep It Together

Part 8 - Give Me More

Part 9 - Don't You Dare

Part 10 - Hurt

Part 11 - Say You Won't Miss Me

Part 12 - Still A Dirty Little Thief

Part 13 – In The Shadows

Part 14 - Burning Bridges

Part 15 – Under A Red Sun

Part 16 – See You Again

Part 17 - Reunion

Part 18 - I Missed You

Part 19 - Old Wounds And Broken Hearts

Part 1 - The Threshold

It was late at night, everyone was already asleep, only Hunter was still half awake in his bunk, had not even completely undressed, only the breastplate of his armor he had taken off. The Batch had recovered a Jedi artifact, a holocron, during a successful mission today. It lay safely beside him on his discarded breastplate.

It was scorching hot, currently the Marauder had stopped over on Tatooine, partly to refuel and because Tech had to do some repairs before they could continue. During the day, the Marauder had heated up in the sun incredibly because, among other things, the air conditioning system was not working at the moment. The Marauder was standing a little outside of Mos Eisley, with open ramp in the moonlit desert to cool down the heat of the day.

For a moment, just as Hunter almost closed his eyes, he thought he smelled something strange. His sensitive nose had picked up the scent of a pleasant woman's perfume. But there were no women on board, not even Omega was with them right now. He blinked, that didn't make sense.

On impulse, he reached for the holocron beside him and grasped at nothing, his fingertips brushing over the now lonely breastplate of his armor. Startled, he sprang up in his bunk and saw a shadow scurrying down the ramp into the open.

"Kriff! Get up we've been robbed!" he roared through the Marauder and ran after the intruder.

Crosshair murmured, "Don't care."

Echo swung out of bed and retrieved his blaster from his gear lying next to his bunk.

Wrecker was still snoring and sleeping like a rock.

Tech came stumbling out of the cockpit, still in full gear, he had once again fallen asleep on the job instead of slipping into his bunk.

The person Hunter was chasing was not particularly tall, compared to him in any case, and she was fast, even if the sand slowed them both down. She also had a head start, but Hunter was fit, a trained soldier, he would not give up so quickly.

In the moonlight he could see that it was a woman, except for her perfume, the contours under her clothes were recognizable as those of a woman. She disappeared behind a sand dune and when he heard the characteristic sound of a speeder in the next moment, he uttered a crude curse and quickened his steps.

He reached for his blaster, only to find that the holster was empty, the blaster was lying next to his chest plate in the Marauder.

"Fuck!" he cursed as he saw a speeder come out from behind the dune and move quickly away toward Mos Eisley. He stopped, thought for a moment, finally turned around and ran back to the ship.

Echo came toward him in full gear," What's going on?"

"There was a woman, she stole the holocron, took off on a speeder towards Mos Eisley," Hunter replied annoyed.

Tech who came up behind Echo said dryly, "That's inconvenient."

"I'm going after her," the sergeant finally said.

"Alone?" asked Echo skeptically.

"You two need to get the ship ready so we can leave when I bring the holocron back, that thing is attracting too much attention for my taste. How ever that woman knew we had it. Wrecker and Crosshair are useless without sleep. It's just one woman, alone, I can handle it."

Tech raised his famous finger and was about to object, but Hunter didn't have the time or nerve for that now.

"Take care of the repairs with Echo," he said urgently, pushing him aside to get into the Marauder and get his gear.

That had been a piece of cake, even if you hadn't expected to be followed, shaking the guy off had been easy. You were actually looking for blasters or something, but then you saw this weird thing, it had glowed softly and you could have sworn you heard it whispering, but that was probably just your imagination with all the excitement. This small, golden, pyramid-shaped metal thing looked like it could be worth a lot on the black market.

You didn't expect to find anything like this strange artifact. As mentioned, you had been after weapons. When you had seen the gang during the day, they definitely looked like mercenaries or something, mercenaries always had weapons, but now, maybe you had something even better.

Mostly you stole things or picked up small bounties to keep your head above water, that's how you had grown up, that's how it had always been. It worked, so far you were still alive, even if it had been close sometimes. The threshold between life and death is often only a blaster's length.

With a triumphant grin on your face, you slipped into your shack on the outskirts of town. You turned on your stereo, grabbed a bottle of Corellian ale from the fridge and bobbed along to the music in good spirits, still staring fascinated at that thing in your hand. You hummed along to the melody of the song and at some point automatically started singing along.

„It's not what it seems When you're not on the scene There's a chill in the air But there's people like me That nobody sees so nobody cares

Why is it so hard to find someone Who cares about you? When it's easy enough to find someone Who looks down on you

Why is it so hard to find someone Who can keep it together When you've come undone? Why is it so hard to find someone Who cares about you?“

Song

Hunter had his full equipment and now followed his nose and instinct. His brain had stored the smell of your perfume and was able to filter it out among the smells of the city almost all the time, at least it got easier the closer he got to the source. He got closer to a run down shack that stood a bit apart from the other houses, next to it was a speeder, covered with a cracked old tarp. He lifted the tarp and let his eyes glide over the rusty old speeder, definitely the junked speeder you had escaped in.

There was music coming from the shack and something else.... like someone was singing along with the music. He raised his eyebrows a bit in surprise, but finally frowned in annoyance. The door was only ajar, he slowly pushed it open and saw you swaying to the music in your living room, holocron in hand.

„I swear this time it won't turn out The same 'cause now I've got myself to blame And you'll know where we end up On the streets that is easy enough To find someone who looks down on you

Why is it so har- What the fuck?!"

He was angry, annoyed. But his grim look softened against his will when he saw the startled expression on your unexpectedly lovely face. He saw your fingers clinging to the holocron so that your knuckles stood out white.

"This is not yours" he murmured and held out his hand "Give it back and this can go off peacefully".

You looked at him out of big doe eyes, then smiled dirty and said, "Like hell I will. That thing is no more yours than it is mine"

Hunter sighed and as he was about to step towards you, your free hand sped forward with a blaster aimed at his neck. Hunter stopped jerkily, he hadn't seen you carry or draw a weapon, where did the weapon come from?

"I'll make you another offer" you said smoothly "Fuck off or I'll shoot you".

"Wow" Hunter said dryly "That's a generous offer".

You smiled sarcastically and replied "The only thing you're getting from me today"

"You cocky little shit" he grumbled.

"Careful, I might change my mind" you returned nonchalantly, you had been called far worse things.

But Hunter wasn't looking to run, he was looking to flee forward, true to the motto; offense is the best defense. He was faster than you expected and more skilled. He quickly disarmed you and already had a triumphant smile on his face, which you swept from his lips with a roundhouse kick. You hit him hard on the cheek with your boot, knocking him off balance, and he dropped your blaster again. He tripped over your chairs, rolled on the other side and jumped back to his feet like a cat, tense and ready to fight, only to see that you were no longer in the room.

„What the... damn it!“

@oneshot-one-kill

@moonstrider9904

@photogirl894

@chlorine-claws

@the-sith-in-the-sky-with-diamond

@brynhildrmimi

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thefanficmonster · 3 years

Text

Lucky Me (Sequel To Unlucky)

Corpse Husband x Reader (Female)

Warnings: Swearing

Genre: Fluff

Summary: You aren’t always born with luck. Sometimes, you meet people who bring it to you. In short, they are your lucky charm.

Requested: Yes, but not in a typical way. A big thank you to all the wonderful people who read, liked, reblogged and commented on part one - Unlucky.

@susceptible-but-siriusexual @simonsbluee @save-the-sky @hacker-ghost @itsminniekat @bi-andready-tocry @imtiredaffff @jazzkaurtheglorious @hereforbeebo @fandomgirl17 and many more ❤❤❤

They are the reason this story is being written. What was originally supposed to be an elaborate one-shot turned into the most liked piece I’ve ever written. I can’t thank you enough, guys. You are amazing and I hope you like this one just as much or even more than the previous. Love you ❤❤❤

Y/N’s POV

I’m grinning at my reflection in the mirror as I put on a pair of earrings. My face is already touched-up with a little make-up and my hair is looking on point. I can almost see my own reflection in the shine of excitement in my eyes. I take in my upper body via a quick once-over in the full body mirror opposite me, and I finally relax my muscles that I didn’t ever realize I was tensing.

“OK, now I’m ready.“ I say as a form of encouragement as I reach behind me for my phone that’s sitting on my bed.

You might be wondering where I’m going? Who I’m going with? What’s the occasion behind this many preparations and pampering?

The answer: Nowhere. No one. Nothing. I’m literally not even going to leave my house.

It might seem ridiculous to someone else, but to me, to my hypnotized mind, it’s perfectly reasonable to be getting so amped up over a FaceTime call. Yeah, you heard me correctly - a FaceTime call.

Well, you see, this isn’t the first time we FaceTime, but it will be the first time we’ll see each other’s faces. I wanted to level the field so I didn’t let him on to what I look like, where exactly I live, etc. Basically, he only knows my name, which I am still prepared to call unfair, considering I don’t know his real name.

A brief backstory to my first ever real interaction with Corpse: I was introduced to him by my friends. They are the ones I always turned to with all the scary shit happening in my life. Often times they didn’t know weather to comfort me or laugh at my curse. My friends suggested I start sharing it to a youtuber named Corpse Husband. You see, I love YouTube narrators and I’ve always been a fan of Mr. Nightmare and I, to be perfectly honest, always kept the idea of sending him my stories in the back of my mind. Nevertheless, I bit the bullet and checked out on of this Corpse Husband guy’s videos. And then another. And another. And before I knew it I was having a marathon after which I was too paranoid to get online, walk home alone at night, leave my curtains open etc. It wasn’t all thanks to the stories themselves. A lot of the fear factor these stories strike with should be credited to the way they are read. Let me tell you, this guy had it all figured out with the reading. Not sending him my stories would just be wrong. So I did, I sent him my first ever creepy encounter which was with a stalker from my high school and it took me only two days to forget about it. It only crossed my mind when my friends blew my phone up, demanding I watched Corpse’s new video. I kid you not, I got more scared by the story when he read it than when I lived it. That’s what settled it for me - I decided to send him each and every story.

And then one day, out of the blue, my life changed for the better in more ways than one. It got turned completely upside down, like a rollercoaster, and I just had to hold on and enjoy the ride, embrace the adrenaline rush and excitement, knowing full well that I chose to get on and there’s no way I can get off halfway through.

I’m being too metaphorical. He sent me an email. He freaking reached out to me. And I was posed with a rough choice. Took me a minute, but I chose to reply to him, I chose to trust him, and I couldn’t just leave him on read one day simply cause I chickened out. Yes, I’m unlucky and these things don’t happen to unlucky people. I mean, they do, but they are nightmares disguised as a dream come true. I’ve lived all my life cautiously: if something sounds too good to be true it’s either not as good as marketed or not true at all. If it’s dark and late and there are no people around, FaceTime someone. If your Uber driver’s sketchy, cancel the ride. I take all the precautions and I still find myself in the worst situations. Or at least...

My thoughts are interrupted by the ringing of my phone. A simple ringtone I hear every time he calls me. A simple sound that causes me butterflies when I hear it and ultimate devastation if the caller ID doesn’t read the name I want. It always gets me excited, probably more than it should. This time is different, however. It’s scary almost. I’m nervous, anxious, scared, hesitant - all things I never feel when I’m about to answer his call.

With shaky hands I pick up the call and find myself looking at the most beautiful person I’ve ever met. Now I know why I would have never initiated this meeting, because I know what color my face is right now. I know my voice has let me down before I even attempt to speak. I know I look like a mess. I know my obvious crush is showing.

Corpse initiated this meeting. He said he was getting too curious and he wanted one of his best friends to see him and for him to finally see her. It’s been about seven months since we first started texting and I haven’t let out a single peep about it to a single soul. It’s just between him and I. We are each other’s safe space away from the rest of the world.

“Thought you weren’t gonna pick up for a second there.“ His voice is not as confident as other times when we’ve talked. His trying to hide his own nervousness and all I wanna do is hug him and tell him he doesn’t have to. I kept telling him over and over again that we don’t have to do this if he’s not sure that he actually wants it. I even offered to show him what I look like, not expecting to see him in return but he declined, saying it was now his turn to even the field.

“I was in another room.“ I manage to say, my voice only shaking a little.

We spend a few moments just looking at each other. Admiring one another. For someone who prefers digital interaction, I am surprised to realize I wish he was actually standing in front of. I wish I could hug him. A long hug of comfort, mutual understanding and hidden feelings.

He lets out a short laugh, shaking his head which causes a few strands of hair to fall over his eyepatch, “I’m sorry...It’s just-...Fuck I’m stumbling.” He chuckles nervously, “I just...can’t believe you are real. You are a real person. And the most beautiful person I’ve seen. That’s corny, isn’t it.” He looks away from the screen, his face now a shade of red. “But I mean it. I’m embracing my corniness. You are beautiful, Y/N. Not that I’m flexing or anything, but I’m lucky to have met you.”

I laugh, feeling my eyes stinging from the tears that have suddenly formed. I don’t want to let them fall, but I don’t have much say in that. “Well, mister Corpse, I can’t begin to compare. I mean...that hair! I still cannot believe it’s you. You are not just a deep voice in my mind. You are....you are...”

“Everything you imagined and more?“ he jokes, making my whole body heat up. “I told you you could trust. I mean, if the hair doesn’t confirm I’m who I say I am, I don’t know what will.”

“Actually, I never tried to imagine what you looked like. I knew those visions...I knew they didn’t matter. Faces don’t matter to us, Corpse. I think you realize that.“

And just like that, all I’ve been keeping hidden is pouring out. I don’t try to stop it - you can’t stop a hurricane with bare hands.

“I never needed a face to imagine us. I always saw as talking on the phone, playing Among Us. Reading scary stories to each other on Discord. I never needed a face to imagine your company. To imagine what we could be...“ I trail off, letting the first tear slip down my cheek.

The most sincere look appears in his eyes, “Fuck, I wish I could hold your hand right now. Never mind, I wish I could hug you, Y/N. Hug you and not let go for a long time.”

I laugh halfheartedly, my chest burning from the intensity of this moment’s intimacy, “I can always tell you where I live.” I’m only half-joking. I really want to see him in real life, not just through a screen, but even this call is out of his comfort zone, let alone a physical meet up.

He surprises me yet again, “Saturday. I’ll bring the take out, you pick the movie.” he says with a smile that is literally saying ‘you didn’t see that coming, did you?’

“How are you sure I don’t live in a different state, or a different continent all together?“ I tease, making an attempt to put my composure back together.

He smirks, “I pay way more attention to your stories than you’d think.” I laugh, shaking my head as a pointless method of fighting the pesky tears that he has 100% noticed by this point. “By the way, just because we’re....” he thinks for a second, “in a weird zone between friendship and...something more, doesn’t mean you have to stop sending me stories. I absolutely love reading them for my audience. They love em too.”

I just realized I am yet to tell him the crazy miracle that has happened. “Well, the thing is...I don’t have any.” His eyebrows shoot up in shock which makes me laugh, “Yeah, I know, it’s crazy. Since the day we started talking I have not experienced a single scary thing. Deadass. I swear on my life.”

If I wasn’t so head over heels for this man already, the baffled expression on his face would definitely send me falling for him. He’s just that adorable. “Wow.”

“I know right.“ I nod, “Seems to me you have enough luck to share with me.“

His eyes light up at that comment, showing just how meaning full it is to him.

“You’re my lucky charm, Corpse.“

“I will never be more proud of any other title, Y/N. That I can promise you with no hesitation.“

“Deadass?“

“Deadass.“

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sashi-ya · 3 years

Text

{+18} - Law x Fem Best Friend ♥ CH.1

♥ Daily living with the Heart pirates crew AU ♥ Spoilers after Dressrosa Arc. Law´s backstory. ♥ Female reader. Little physical description. Everybody is 18+, canon ages. ♥ TW: Nightmares related to PTSD. no further warnings. If you think I should include some feel free to tell me ♥ ♥English is not my first language, so If you happen to find some grammar or vocab mistakes, I’m sorry ♥´

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/31053383

Word count: 4.1K

» List of parts: {CH1} {CH2} {CH3} {CH4} {CH5} «

Chapter 1

- Polar Tang, somewhere underwater on the Grand Line. July 14th. -

“Ay ay captain, I need fresh air please, I’m dying!” Shouted Bepo asking our captain, and my best friend, Trafalgar D Water Law to please emerge from underwater. Bepo is a polar bear mink, and does not like hot environments, so he is usually hot whenever we pass a lot of time underwater in the submarine.

“Let’s emerge, guys” said Law, annoyed, but willing to make the polar bear feel better. Me, despite not being a polar bear, I’m always hot, so I praised the lord for the decision.

“Aya aya, Thank you captain!!!” Bepo celebrated and grabbed me by the arm pulling me eagerly to the main door, because he knew how much I love to get fresh air, as much as he does.

From the control room, Shachi and Penguin shouted, announcing that we can fully unlock the door. And so, we did. Outside there was a clear blue sky, the sun was shining, but apparently, we were close to some winter islands, so the temperature was lower than we were expecting.

Fresh cold air hit my freckled cheeks and it felt wonderful. “Oi, Y/n-ya, don’t go outside without your coat. You are going to catch a cold”, said Law while placing a white coat over my shoulders. My best friend, despite the unfriendly appearance he normally shows, has the biggest heart and takes care of the one he loves.

I’ve known him since we were 13 years old, while wandering on a certain island of the North Blue after losing my family. A few weeks before knowing him, I found the Nagi no mi and became the user of it. So, when we introduced ourselves, we realized I was the new user of the devil fruit that had “Cora-san”, the person that saved Law’s life. Both of us were alone, and sad, so we held onto each other, striving to survive. I wanted to become a doctor like him, so we studied together. Now I’m his right hand whenever we have a surgery.

“Aren’t you coming outside?” I asked Law, which was still inside, looking through the door with a listlessly gaze at the immense sea around us. He looked at me, sighed and said, “Tomorrow is 15th”. He didn’t wait for my response and walked away.

Our captain still misses “Corazón”, Rosinante, or “Cora-san”, as he usually calls him, and on July 15th was his birthday. He was killed by his brother, Donquixote Doflamingo, who was taken down and sent to prison by Law and the Mugiwaras, a few months ago. I didn’t say a word, mainly because I knew how Law hates to show his feelings and even if I decide to say something, it wasn't going to help at all. The afternoon went by, and while the crew was having fun relaxing on the deck, Law didn’t show up. So, I proceeded to go see him, he usually loves to be alone, but this time I felt he needed some company.

I headed straight to the kitchen, made his favorite tea and went to his room. “Oi, Doc, you’ve been there for a good 5 hours, I brought your fave tea. Can I come in?”, I asked, but didn’t receive any answer, so I knocked, and the door opened. “I’m sorry dumbass, it was unlocked, I brought some tea for… “I stopped when I saw Law on the floor, with red cheeks, sweated and unconscious holding something red on his hand. “Law, what the hell?” I said while placing my hand over his forehead. His skin was burning. He was running a strong fever that caused him to faint. I was worried because I didn’t know how much time had passed since he had fainted. In any case I needed to make the temperature go down, as quick as possible.

“Law, Law, are you with me?” I asked him while grabbing him by the shoulders making soft movements. The captain vaguely opened his eyes and said “Y/n-ya… I’m ok, do… don’t worry”, “Of course you are not, your temperature is really high, why didn’t you tell me you were feeling like this?, come on you should take a bath right away”. He passed his arm around my neck and I grabbed him by his waist. Law is pretty tall, but I am stronger than I seemed, so I made him stand up and took him to the bathroom.

I turned on the shower and helped Law to undress. Taking off first his sweated white shirt and then unbuttoning his jeans. I left him only with his boxers on, that made me giggle a little ‘because they had a heart pattern all over.

The laughing was over because he became pretty weak so in order to avoid him falling, I had to grab him real tight, making myself enter to the open douche. We remained for a few seconds looking at each other under the running water, until he slipped a sloppy laugh at how I was becoming wet. “Dumbass don’t laugh” I apprehended him. I remained there for a few minutes letting the slightly cold water bathe his whole body, waiting for the temperature to drop. I realized I’ve never been that close to him, we usually had zero physical contact, and as weird as it might sound this was the first time, I saw that he has more tattoos than I thought.

“Sexy motherfucker look what you’ve been hiding”, I thought, but quickly I uprooted those thoughts off my head. “Come on, Y/n, he is like your brother….”.

I turned off the water, extended my arm out of the shower and grabbed a towel. Wrapped him with it and as I was doing so, I noticed that Law was looking at my chest, still weak but now able to stand up without my help.

“Take off your wet boxers, I’m not watching” I said, turning my back to him. To which he responded, “I don’t care if you look, you are like my doctor”.

“Oh, come on, tell me when you are ready”, I said, a little embarrassed.

A few seconds later he told me he was ready and I turned back at him again, realizing that now the towel was hanging from his hip bones, leaving his whole tattooed torso naked, his hair was pretty straight from being wet and his cheeks now don’t show as much blush as before. I admired the image of the handsome man I got before my eyes for less than two seconds and told him to go to bed. I helped him to get into bed carefully not to untie the white towel, because he was still a little weak.

“Wait here, I’m going to the infirmary to get you some antipyretics, ok?” I ordered pointing at him.

I was about to walk out the bedroom when I heard him say “Oi, dumbass, are going out looking like that?, Put on one of my shirts” and I realized that my underwear was showing through the transparency of my wet clothes. I widened my eyes, and my cheeks turned to fire. Without saying anything I opened the drawers grabbing a shirt and some shorts he had there. I ran to the bathroom where I got changed and left the bedroom without even looking at him.

I walked through the hallway feeling my heartbeat faster, trying to dismiss the embarrassment I was feeling, until I got to the infirmary.

While searching for the medication I asked myself why this whole situation was making me lose my cool so easily, but no answer came out of it.

I then went to the kitchen to grab some water for Law to take the antipyretics and came back to my captain's room.

I gave him the pills and water and waited for him to take them.

"Let me check on your temperature" I said, and he raised his arm for me to put the thermometer under his armpit. "I don't want to feel sick; I hate those pills you gave me", complaining and acting almost as if he was a little boy. I remember when we were younger. He rarely got sick after he cured himself from the amber lead disease, but whenever he felt bad, he acted as he was a kid. I always thought that was really cute and today it wasn't the exception. I teased him a little bit for being a capricious little child and he smiled, gave him shorts, because his temperature was getting lower. I asked him if he was hungry and he assented.

The whole crew was still having fun on the deck, so I went back to the kitchen and made Law some soup.

I brought the meal to the room that he devoured, despite feeling sick. We chatted a little bit until he fell asleep. "How angelic you seem sleeping and acting as a child, Law…" I whispered while contemplating his face that was slightly illuminated by the moonshine that enters from one of the little windows.

Suddenly, something on the floor caught my eyes. It was some sort of red cloth. Picking it up I realized it was Law’s most precious treasure, Cora-san’s hat, that he was holding when I found him on the floor. I put the hat next to his face and caressed his cheek softly, "Sleep tight, Law, Corasan and I will take care of you tonight”.

A few hours passed and the bustle of the crew slowly turned to silence as they went to bed.

Sitting on bed next to him I must have fallen asleep until I was woken up by some grunts. Law was still asleep, but he seemed uncomfortable, he was again starting to sweat, and a few tears were running through his cheeks. I placed my hand over his forehead and his skin was burning once more, not only was he having one of those nightmares he always has, but also his fever was getting serious again.

I went to the bathroom, got some towels wet and put them over his face and under his armpits.

I held his hand and softly said “everything is going to be ok, Law”. You see, when someone has nightmares related to PTSD it's better not to wake them up instantly. With Law it has always been better if I slowly do it, making sure I am there for him. He woke up, looking at me embarrassed but relieved I was there to tell him it was just a bad nightmare.

The night went by, with me frequently changing the wet towels for more cold ones and the fever slowly stopped. My best friend went back to sleep until the next morning.

The sunrise was invading timidly the room and the clock strikes 7 am. Time for Law to take the medicine again, I said and stand up from bed.

I headed to the kitchen to prepare some tea and bring a glass of water to my patient.

When I got there, I saw Penguin and Bepo looting the fridge. "Excuse me? What are you both doing?" I shouted, scaring the hell out of both of my nakamas. "Aya aya Y/n, you are gonna kill us!!". But after looking at me both of them changed their facial expression from scared to confused. "Y/n, are you wearing the Captain's clothes? “asked Penguin, scanning my whole image from head to toe. "They suit you, really". “Whatever you are trying to suggest, stop it right there, you little shit” I said frowning and continued, “Law is sick as hell, he had a fever all night long, I’m taking care of him. He is still sleeping, don't run to him, especially you, Bepo.” I sentenced the Bear that was about to run through the hallway to hug his captain.

“Law, oi Law, wake up, you have to take your meds”, I whisper to wake him up. Slowly he opened his eyes, letting myself admire the bold grey irises that were looking at me. He gave me a weak smile and sited on the bed, grabbed the glass of water and chugged it with the pill. “How are you doing? feeling better?”, I asked. “uhm, I am”. “Go back to sleep, then, you should rest”, I suggested - ordered - him. He nodded getting under the sheets again, covering his face with them. A little laugh slipped out of my mouth until he said “Y/n.. can you… stay here with me? If you don’t want to, it's ok.”. How cute he acts when he wants some care… “Of course, I’m staying here, I’ve been here the whole night, what makes you think I’m leaving you now?”. A silence invaded the room, until he broke it with “Thank you, do you mind getting in bed with me?”. We have slept in the same bed before when we were younger so at first it didn't surprise me, but then, something hit my insides. I didn't know why but It made me nervous. Nevertheless, I acted cool and agreed, "Ok, make some space".

Law moved and I got under the sheets. My body didn't know how to react, so I stayed laying down facing him until he buried his face onto my chest hugging me by my waist, really tight. I put one hand over his hair and place my other hand on his back caressing it softly up and down. I couldn't see his face, but I knew he was crying as my t-shirt began to have wet spots where his face was. He then placed his ear onto my chest, as he was trying to feel the beating of my heart and said, "I needed to hear your heartbeat, I don't want to ever stop hearing it". There weren't words to be said, I knew what he meant, so I simply gave him a kiss on his head and hugged him even harder.

We both passed out at some point until a well-known voice woke me up saying "Daaaaaamn the captain and vice-captain are sleeping together!!!" Shachi was shouting and I realized I had the whole crew watching us from the door. The image they saw Included Law half naked, myself with my shirt up letting my back and stomach out, Law's hand over my waist and his head over my breasts, my leg over Law's legs. The perfect image to imagine every sexual situation.

"It is not what you all are thinking! Law is sick, shut up!" I told everybody as I stranded up from bed arranging my clothes. The whole crew was laughing and making a fuss of it. “Hey, get out, Law didn’t get so much sleep last night, shut the hell up!” ... As I finished my sentence, I regretted it instantly and everybody started to laugh. Suddenly everyone shut up. I saw their faces turned to happy to fully serious followed by the voice of my captain saying “Oi, all of you, prepare to submerge. Bepo, resume the course to our destination, tomorrow we have to arrive at the next island, I don’t know why you all are wasting time. And, remember this is the last time you disrespect your Vice Captain. Is that clear?”, “Yes, Captain. We are sorry. Excuse us Y/n”, said everybody in unison, and rushed to their positions.

I grabbed my face with both of my hands, I wanted to hide for a week. Law approached me and placed his hand on my shoulder saying, “don’t worry, they ‘ve always been like this, it’s ok”. I sighed hard and turned my face to him. He looked better than yesterday but still needed to rest. “Are you feeling better?” I asked him, and he nodded.

I told him to go get some more rest, that I was going to have a bath and get some rest too, and then come back to check on him, and left to my room.

Only Law and I have private rooms, so I was going to be safe from the looks of our nakamas as long as I didn't leave.

I open the faucet and let the water fill my bathtub. Undressed and left Law’s clothes aside for me to clean them after and return them to him. I realized I had left my wet clothes and underwear on Law’s bathroom, but I didn’t stress much about it, he wouldn't see them, because I left them in the laundry bin. I relaxed for a few minutes in the hot water until the image of Law’s body covered in tattoos, hit my thoughts.

Suddenly I discovered myself enjoying the fond memories of his anatomy. He had become such a grown-up man throughout all of these years, and I didn’t realize about it until last night. I wonder if he thinks the same way about me…? My mind sailed through the memoirs of yesterday, seeing his body covered in sweat, having him close under the shower, the feeling of his skin on my hands, his face over my breasts, him holding me from my waist, being in the same bed… every memory was making my body react and… I shook those thoughts out of my head. What the hell am I thinking? Law is my best friend; he is like family. Stop Y/n, stop right there.

After eating something I headed to Law’s bedroom and stood up in front of the closed door. I’ve never felt the need to rehearse what I was going to say to him, but this time, I did. I felt the need. To my surprise I heard from behind the door as If someone was breathing with trouble, little moans perhaps. So, I instantly thought that my best friend was again running a fever, perhaps having trouble breathing. I opened the door without even knocking, worried and expecting to found Law suffering. I tripped and fell on my knees and what I saw next, was something far from distress or sickness…

There he was, sitting on his bed, fully naked, holding my bra with his left hand, breathing heavily, arching his back and neck with his head thrown back. His right hand stroking his hard member up and down, violently.

I was still on my knees when he concluded someone had entered his room, and as fast as he could said “Room… Takt” and closed the door behind me with the simple movement of two fingers. “La… law… what… I mean, I’m sorry, I’m…” I barely mumbled still with my mouth open, unable to move, mortified for interrupting such a private practice. But at the same time unable to understand why the hell he had my bra on his hand while touching himself.

He looked at me, still naked, meeting our eyes, both without even moving. Until he expressed a little smile and stood up. Me still on my knees, I contemplated him and his glorious body reaching to where I was. He stopped in front of me, grabbed my chin up in between two fingers. “Wha.. what are you doing, Law?” I asked, even though I didn’t take my eyes off him. “Shh…” he said rubbing his thumb over my lips and softly opening my mouth…

“Puru puru puru puru” the Den Den mushi next to my bed woke me up from my dream exalted. “Oh… It was just a dream…” I said and picked up the snail transponder. “Y/n, dinner is ready, you haven’t eaten anything all day, come to the dining area!”, I heard my nakamas shout through the speaker.

I washed my face and looked into the mirror. My cheeks were red, my head was spinning, I was agitated, sweaty. I replayed the dream over and over, it felt so real… so… enticing.

When I got to the kitchen my nakamas were already drinking beer and shouting as always, Law was seated on his usual spot, and Bepo was passing plates. “Oi Vice Captain! have a drink!!” some of them shouted, while Bepo handed me a big bowl of my favorite meal, read bean soup. Shachi, who was seated next to me, bumped me with his elbow and said, “Oi, the dinner was chosen by the Captain specially ‘because he said it was your fave, fufufu… are you both sleeping together again tonight”? I turned my face to him with the most psychotic expression I’ve ever had… “I’m sorry”, he said and directed his gaze to his plate.

I looked at Law who smirked a little and kept eating without any talking. I gave him a little side smile and did the same. He had a better semblance than the night before, so I think his fever hasn't come back since last night.

We finished eating and discussed the plan for tomorrow. We were supposed to arrive at a new island in the morning, not for anything special but for us to buy food and supplies needed. Usually, the whole crew divides the work, so some of them buy food, the others stuff for the submarine, and normally Law and I take care of buying medical supplies.

Through all the conversation I was trying to avoid looking at Law as much as I could. Whenever our gaze locked, I remembered the dream over and over… I felt guilty, stupid. My cheeks burned every time I replayed it on my head.

After having the plan settled, I waved goodnight to everybody, and left the kitchen. I was almost running through the corridor to get to my room as if I was trying to hide when I remembered that my underwear and clothes were still in Law's bathroom.

“Ok, he is not here, this is my chance, I just have to recuperate them and run to my room”, I said while entering my best friend's bedroom.

I was scrutinizing the laundry bin in the bathroom, when I heard the door of the bedroom close. I stood still. "Damn, what should I do?" … so, I decided to use my devil fruit powers in order to avoid making any sound until I was able to figure out what I was going to do. I mean, I couldn't just get out of the bathroom like nothing happened, what would Law think?

As the bathroom door was not fully closed, I was able to peek through it and observe what Law was doing.

The captain took off his hat first, and then his shirt. He jumped on the bed and grabbed a book.

I was hoping for him to read some more and fell asleep, so in that moment I could get out from my now hiding spot.

Twenty minutes passed and he was still reading. Meanwhile I admired every movement he did. From brushing his hair back, to how he licked his finger to turn the pages. My core felt fancy, I couldn’t escape from watching, deep down I wished for him to even untied his pants. I wanted to see more…

Finally, he put the book down and turned off the lamp.

"YES! FINALLY!" I said getting excited for my big escape but suddenly he said, "I know you are in the bathroom; I don't need to hear you to sense you, you know?".

I froze, closed my eyes and remembered how strong his Observation haki got during the last months. I didn't say anything simply because I didn't know what to say.

" Room… Shambles!", and without any warning I was teletransported to his bed. My ass hit the mattress hard making myself lose stability falling with my whole face over his lower abs.

The scent of his skin invaded my nose for less than a few seconds, because I regained my posture as quickly as possible. "Law, how many times I have to tell you not to use shambles with me without any warning?!!" I scolded him. "Excuse me? You've been hiding in MY bathroom for almost half an hour and I'm the one who gets shouted at?" He said, frowning and staring into my eyes. “I was trying to recover my clothes, I wasn’t trying to hide…”, I confess, to which he responded this time laughing, “Don’t lie, I’m sure you are into voyeurism”. Widening my eyes, still seated on his bed, covering my mouth, my cheeks blushing, my heart beating faster, I was embarrassed, because deep down, after all it was what I was doing. I was enjoying the view from the bathroom, I wanted to see more, I wished I could witness an image as my dream…

“I’m kidding…”, he said ruffling my hair and smiling. God, I love his smile… I wasn’t still saying anything back when he came close to my face, and whispered into my ears, “unless… you like it…”

Chapter 2

#Trafalgardwaterlaw #one piece law #law x reader #trafalgar d law x reader #Trafalgar law x reader #one piece x reader #one piece x y/n #one piece x you #one piece x oc #one piece fanfiction #monkey d luffy #wano kuni #dressrosa #laugh tale #bepo one piece #shachi #penguin one piece

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cotccotc · 3 years

Text

SKZ + a ftm s/o !!

◌ ftm (female-to-male) refers to a transgender person who was assigned female at birth, but identifies as male. these people are awesome, lovely, brave, & valid !! (yes that’s part of the official definition !!!! look it up <3)

part of my eight as fate event !! ( requested by @lixsmullet ♡ )

genre/s: fluff, skz x ftm reader

warning/s: mentions of dysphoria, mentions of periods, one very brief implication of transphobia (NOT IN REFERENCE TO THE MEMBERS DW), use of various pet names, swearing, my dumb formatting and commentary uwu

wc: ~1.5k

a/n: i hope i did this req justice !!! i made sure to do a lot of research on topics that might come up in this situation so i hope everything is accurate, but also inclusive for multiple types of people within the ftm umbrella. the descriptions might not be too deep but pls know they were written with a lot of care. OH ALSO i included potential pet names they might use !! i really really hope y’all enjoy this :) lmk what u think !!

◌ CHAN

chan’s known for putting other people’s needs before his own, and this is no exception.

he’d be super giving !!! would buy you “world’s best boyfriend” mugs and shit !!! it’s cringe but you love him so it’s fine !!!

more on top of your doctors appointments or meds than you are tbh

boy oh boy… if you take/decide to start taking testosterone……

LOOK OUT HERE COMES THE T POLICE KJDF

he just wants to do everything he can to help you !!!!! whether it means literally helping you stay on top of things and being your at-home (emotional) therapist, or giving you space.

i feel like he’s very good at detecting how a person feels based on their face or body language, so he’d always be on the lookout in case you might be feeling off or dysphoric.

and, as much as it might pain him, he’d give you as much time/space as you need. once again, he has your best interest in mind 24/7 !!! he just loves you so much, you know? 🥺

potential pet names (as long as you’re ok with them !! that goes for each member.): babyboy (we saw this one coming), foxy/sexy (mostly sarcastic but also… True), sunshine

◌ MINHO

a thing that i personally love to imagine: minho introducing you to people as his boyfriend

if anybody ever gives either of you a questioning look afterward (either intentionally or not) he wouldn’t waver at all !!! he’d just stand there and keep smiling. because you’re his boyfriend, duh

constantly reminds you how strong you are !! how super tough and cool you are !!! because it’s true !!!!!!!

i feel like i always make him sound like the ceo of Boyfriend Bootcamp in my reactions but i MEAN???

for example, if you’re ever feeling down (for whatever reason. whether it applies to you being trans or not) he’d be like “MAN UP !!! YOU’RE A WARRIOR !!!! ……. a cute one <3333 bUT A STRONG ONE !!!!!!”

in general, i definitely see him as the type of person who’ll just grab your hand or hold you a little closer in situations where he thinks you might feel uncomfortable, and even if he doesn’t directly acknowledge it, you know there’s a lot of love and care behind the gesture.

also… you’re sad? here, hold a cat.

potential pet names: stud (as a joke.. but it stuck), anything that starts with “my” (like my boy, my baby, my love, etc.)

◌ CHANGBIN

ok listen

i’m not calling changbin lazy

HOWEVER

he will most definitely try and make you do “manly” things for him when he doesn’t feel like it- SJDJJ

imagine his raspy, tough, yet adorably whiny voice being all:

“BAAAABE…. BABYYYYYY….. come lift this fOR MEEEEEEEE”

ESPECIALLYYYY if you’re taller than him oh my Lord

BUT HE’D DENY IT AT ALL COSTS !!!

changbin, pointing to an object on a tall shelf: “BABE can you get this for me? you’re so strong you can do it <3333”

you: “short ass-”

changbin: “hEY”

ALSO if you menstruate, i personally believe that he would be very comforting to have around during that time !!!!! just chillin on the couch !!!!!! vibin !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

your very own personal heating pad <33 jksjfd

potential pet names: babe, bunny, hot stuff (sometimes used for moments of sarcasm !!! there are lots of those..)

◌ HYUNJIN

he’s very sweet and loving with you, which never changes despite anything you might be going through. like ,,,ever.

i can see him being especially sweet and helpful for someone who doesn’t want to or can’t surgically transition !!!!

would do everything he could to emphasize the fact that you’re his favorite boy !!!!

whether it’s through activities, pet names, playful jokes, etc., he always wants to remind you how manly and lovely you are !! lolll

i present to you a thought that just popped up in my head and Will Not Leave:

you might normally be the little spoon, but if you ever feel a bit off about your body or just don’t want to be held, THIS BOY WILL GET CURLED UP IN A LITTLE SPOON POSITION FOR YOU !! SO VERY FAST !!!

(is it also an excuse for him to be the little spoon? yeah maybe it is-)

potential pet names: hubby (regardless of whether or not you’re married sjdsdf), prince, things that start with “my”

◌ JISUNG

asks lots of questions !!!!!!! whenever he’s not sure how to proceed with something or has any general questions about being trans or how to support you, he’ll be completely transparent with you about it.

even though it makes him a lil embarrassed 🥺🥺

will overuse the terms “dude” and “bro” just to make you laugh… but you both know there’s a hidden underlayer of validation there

loves cheering you up when you’re not feeling your best !!!

also ,,,,,,Youtube Research Enthusiast

“hey y/n check this out! let’s try it :D” and it’s a two minute video about how to naturally lower your voice

and you go along with it because a.) he’s cute for suggesting it, b.) it could actually be useful, and c.) he’ll look cute stretching his neck for a few minutes and it would be a valuable use of your time to watch him do it <3 jsjdfh

oh also !!!! we know he’s just Like This anyways, but he will indeed take every chance he gets to kiss random parts of your body like your hands, shoulders, the tip of your nose, and anything else you’re comfy with :) he just likes 2 smooch, what can i say?

potential pet names: anything silly !! bubba, baby/babycakes, good lookin’, etc.

◌ FELIX

this is somewhat similar to what i’d suggested in my nonbinary coming out reaction, but i feel like he’d take a lot of care to make you feel more confident in yourself !!!

especially when it comes to your appearance !!!!! if you ever decide to try out a new hairstyle, different clothing, etc., he’d HYPE YOU UPPPPP omg

you: *exists*

felix: *silly smirk* “my handsome boy.. hehe” 🥺

bakes for u !!!!!!! will come over asap with freshly baked cookies if he even senses you might not be feeling your best !!!!!!!!!!!!!

we all know he’s a real cuddlebug, but since you’ve explained dysphoria to him (to the best of your ability), it’s very important to him that he doesn’t overstep with the physical affection

he might also suggest you use a code word or gesture to signify if it’s ok for him to get all close and cuddly with you !! he knows you have your off days, and the last thing he wants to do is emphasize your insecurities.

he loves you more than anything, and he just wants to see you smile :)

potential pet names: handsome, love, sweets (bc ya know,,, brownie boy things <3)

◌ SEUNGMIN

would regularly spend hours and hours doing research on trans rights, different forms of transitioning, other people’s perspectives (both in his position and yours), etc

honestly i wouldn’t be surprised if he posted some questions on a website like reddit or quora or something from time to time SJDK (but eventually he’d be much more comfortable asking you directly, especially since he knows not every person is the same)

he really just wants to make sure he understands how you feel to the best of his ability in order to best care for you !!!

VERY VERY diligent if he has to adjust to new pronouns. would practice that shit like it’s his JOB.

i think he’d just be very scared of screwing something up, which you might have to console him about from time to time.

you know he’s trying his best to a.) not make this about himself and b.) do everything in his power to support you

sorta similarly to changbin, i think he’d be nice to have around if you’re ever on your period !! overall, this boy would do his RESEARCH

potential pet names: baby, mister (for some playful sarcasm), bear (or baby bear, honey bear, etc.)

◌ JEONGIN

if you’re ever feeling dysphoric, depressed, anxious, or generally not the best, he will do WHATEVER IT TAKES to cheer you up.

you: :(

jeongin: “ok fine you have permission to poke my cheeks all day”

you: :D

jeongin: :D

is also very similar to changbin !!!!! he’ll very dramatically give up on a task that requires even the slightest bit of manliness just so you can do it for him…. because he’s laz- i mean thoughtful <33

ok picture something with me besties (and this is quite random so bear with me):

he buys you cologne. cute !! very sweet of him yes <3 …...but the Backstory-

he had No idea what kind to get, so he went to the store and tried on like 10 different kinds until he realized he could just swatch them on a piece of paper so now he’s covered in cologne and he buys the one he thought was his favorite but he comes home to realize it was the WRONG ONE so he has to go back to the store and test them all again until he finds the one

..all just so he could surprise you & make you feel more masculine :’)

anyways LONG STORY SHORT: innie best boy :D

potential pet names: bun (in reference to bread, of course. you must match.), handsome, sexy (BUT ONLY IF YOU SAY IT RIGHT BACK !!!!!! sexy loaf boyfriends aw <3)

tags: @stayndays, @hanniiesuckle17, @leggomylino, @freckledberries, @kisskissbanggang, @mr-jisung-main, @childofthecosmos, @kpopscape, @skzwriternet, @hyunsins, @sleepylixie, @sunshine-skz, @vera-liscious, @thatrandomoneinthecorner, @cyberskz, @seungminsaidsta, @somethingrandomworld, @ethan806 ( join my tag list !! )

#districtninewriters #inkidz #skzwritersclub #fluffyskzclub #straykidsland #*fics #*8 #skz imagines #stray kids imagines #skz #stray kids #skz ot8 #stray kids ot8 #skz reactions #stray kids reactions #tw: gender dysphoria #tw: transphobia #tw: periods

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ashes-writing · 1 year

Text

stranger things ● forever ● s.harrington

warnings

{multi series}, angst, huge changes to s4 / past canon (nobody died but Jason, starcourt's rebuilt, max isn't almost dead, the portal is PERMANENTLY closed now), single mom/ former teen mom reader, baby talk -in moderation.. your daughter is 3, she's just really starting to grasp speech so.. yeah.. eventual filth -probably featuring Steve's known breeding k*nk, eventual roommate trope, mentions of robin's struggle with her sexuality + maaybe robin gets the girl here (Barb. i'm dying on this hill, sorry), typical small town judgmental bullshit, found family, mentions of past injury/violence (because they didn't beat Vecna and close the portal without being unscathed in some way), kind of a slow burn, unapologetic fluff, mentions of smoking / alcohol..

<- reader/you are a female. with female parts. and a child that you've had since you were 17. and a past / clothing and appearance that all tie into this. reader/you have a personality, backstory and past. you/reader's daughter Stevie is 3/4, give or take. this is yet another self indulgent thing and again, i am.. not sorry. nope not at all.

word count

2727 exactly. this is the first part to this.

(( am fully in the grips of a mighty need for dad!steve.. and..eventually.. giving him his dream life. ))

summary

--- you're robin's cousin and you need a new start for yourself and your 3 year old daughter, Stevie Robin. -named after Stevie Nicks and your cousin, ofc- and this brings you to Hawkins.

taglist + shoutouts

-- taglist is here. if you want to be on it -because it is the only way you'll get tagged, click the bolded. if you're here for gareth/eddie + other content, please let me know you don't want to be tagged in this or any of my steve works.

@allelitesmut

@caravelofthesun

@chaoticcancer

@dylanwritesgood

@eddiemuns0nl0ver

@just-a-blue-nerd

@music4life42

@spaceconveyor

@tbmunson - bestie. babe. ilysm. this is for you. for us. i really hope you like it and idk what I'd do without you to talk to -and possibly annoy, lmaooo.

other links

masterlist ● steve's masterlist ● about + rules

ONE

"Okay, aunt Janet said it's a right turn. Across the street from Big Buy. It's a big sign, I can't miss-" you grumble as soon as you realize you've done just that.

"Mama! Mama look!" your daughter is giggling in her car seat, she's pointing to the park on her side of the street and you pull in.

"We play?"

"No, sweetie. Maybe later, 'kay?" You smile at her and reach out, smoothing her shaggy bangs behind her ears. "I've gotta trim your hair later."

"No!"

"Yes." you laugh, pulling your Mustang out into traffic and merging with it. Your daughter is eating the fries you got her on the way into town. "We live here now, mama?"

You nod and smile. "Yeah."

"Aunt Wobin? She live here too?" Stevie has her little head tilted, staring at you with big eyes. You laugh and nod. "Yeah baby, she lives here too."

Your daughter is so little. So sweet and she's so happy. For her, this has been one big and happy adventure and you're satisfied to keep it that way. She's too little to go through what your own mother -Robins aunt, put you through before finally throwing you out. She doesn't know that you're silently freaking out right now because this is a huge risk you're taking.

The video store Robin works at for the summer comes into view with only 1 car, a brown BMW, parked outside. "I thought Robin was working." you wonder as you turn the engine off and slip your feet back into your shoes.

"Mama. Shoes."

"Good girl." you nod, slipping out of your seat to shut the door with your hip. You make your way around to your daughters side of the car and open her door, leaning into the car to unfasten Stevie and attempt cleaning her up and putting her shoes on before you go inside.

As you do this you're totally unaware that your being watched. Steve's leaned in the door, arms folded. And he’s trying hard not to stare at you but his eyes are moving up your body slowly. As you straighten to full height, he swallows down a lump in his throat and clears it.

Grin in place as he really takes you in. Your little girl is the most adorable kid he's seen, like her mom, he thinks to himself as he hears the little girl with light brown hair and freckles call you Mama.

He's thrown for a loop because you look as old as he is.

"Is Robin Buckley here?" you ask after a few seconds. He's wondering if maybe you're not the cousin she always finds a way to slip into conversations lately, but he shoves the thought that follows this wonder down deep, ,, if this is ___, she's beautiful. took my breath away, honestly." because the thought is dangerous and it's one he refuses to allow himself to even begin entertaining.

Because the second he does even attempt entertaining anything lately, his time trapped in Vecna's mindscape comes rushing back and he can hear it all again on repeat. And it hurts, it makes him bitter, it makes him angry all over again.

Steve's hand raises and rests against the back of his head. He smiles at you and nods. Tries to answer your question but the words get hung in his throat. You're both standing in the doorway, nearly body to body and he takes a deep breath, getting frustrated with himself because he's so distracted by you and your adorable little girl -and a dream that he's been trying to forget about lately because he doesn"t even know if it should happen anymore and he's trying to be okay with that fact- he can't think straight let alone speak properly.

He nods. "She's uh..she's inside. In back, I think." he finally manages to answer, biting back a groan as your soft body brushes against his as you work your way into the store.

"Robbie! Hey!" you're calling out to your cousin as you stop in front of the circular counter in the middle of the store and switch your little girl from one hip to the other.

Your little girl is playing peek a boo with him and he's laughing and it's probably the first time he has in weeks at this point. "You're a cutie, yeah." He's smiling at Stevie and she reaches out for him, dropping the purple stuffed alligator in the process. Steve bends to pick it up and he hands it to her. She gives him a gap toothed grin, "Fank you, sir."

He laughs. "What's your name, huh?"

"I Stevie Robin."

Steve feels that yearning tug at him and he shoves it down. Hiding the pain at his own thoughts, he smiles at your daughter. "I'm Steve."

"Mama! Mama!"

"What is it, sweetie?"

"He Steve. Kinda like me!" she giggles, turning her gaze to Steve as she adds in awe, "Pretty Steve."

You're torn between blushing and laughing. Then you make the mistake of really looking at Steve. And it hits you, you're wondering if he's the same Steve your cousin Robin is talking so much about all the time.

Your daughter isn't wrong, not even in the slightest. You tilt your head slightly and you're taking him in. From the shaggy hair that hangs over his forehead and covers one brow to the way he's got his hand resting on his head calls attention to that hand. By the time you reach his eyes -and immediately get lost in their warmth and depth, you're fidgeting a little. But then you're staring at his mouth, from the perfectly formed cupids bow to the thickness of his lips. His shoulders are broad, biceps fight against the restraint of a beige polo shirt.

If this were the version of you you used to be, before Stevie, before the way her father ripped out your heart, you're absolutely sure you'd be in prime flirt mode right now. But you're not. And your life is totally different now. You have Stevie, she comes first.

The thickening tension is shattered by your cousin Robin and not a second too soon. She's racing towards you with open arms and you find yourself and your daughter being squeezed til you almost can't breathe. The hug breaks and the two of you are laughing and happy and Robin pulls away to look at you as she lets out a long whistle. You shake your head and laugh. "I thought you two weren't coming in until next week!"

You laugh quietly. " The uh..my apartment got broken into. And then my boss pissed me off and I quit. It was now or never, so here I am."

"Your apartment got broken into?" Steve is gaping. You nod. "It happens."

"It shouldn't." Steve answers, staring down at you and Robin clocks it immediately.

She's been talking about him to you a lot -and vice versa, because after his speech in the RV, she started to casually mention you in conversation to him a little more too- . She does this hoping she'd make you -or him, at least a little curious, especially since the night she got a 2 am drunken call from him in which he went on this tangent about how bitter watching everyone start their lives was making him. Then he confided something to her that blindsided her with just how perfect he might be for you.

He wants a family. He needs people to take care of. He really needs to be taken care of in return because Robin knows him like the back of her hand at this point and she knows he's a good man.

She knows that you're dying for the same, it's all you've ever talked about, especially all the times your mom would hurt, use, lie to or turn her back on you, disappointing you over and over.

"Yeah, well.." you mumble, eyes locked on his. "Just glad Stevie was with a sitter and I was picking up a shift at the bar down the street."

"Yeah." Steve mutters. Your voice is soft, a sweet and lazy drawl he could listen to for hours and as soon as this one comes to mind, he's rubbing the back of his neck.

Stevie reaches for him. You start to object but Steve takes her into his arms and smiles, acting as if it's nothing. As he takes her around the little store, you can finally pull yourself together just a little. Robin clears her throat. "That's Steve Harrington, by the way. My best friend. Well, my other best friend." she gives you a soft grin. You hug her and as the hug breaks you laugh softly. "I named her after you and Stevie Nicks."

Robin is speechless, gaping at you as if she might just cry. Then she laughs softly, nodding to the way Stevie is just content to be carried around by Steve. You laugh softly. Tear your eyes off the two because it's concerning just how easy it is to let your imagination run wild. "She doesn't meet a stranger."

"She takes after her mommy." Robin teases as she watches you watching Steve with your daughter. "Nick was an asshole. He didn't deserve either of you."

"Fuck Nick." you mumble, tearing your eyes off of Steve and the way he's so good with Stevie because if you don't..it's a slippery slope. Robin's caught you though and she can't help but smile to herself. She clears her throat. "You're staying with us, right?"

"Yeah…aunt Janet, she told me to take as long as I want but I'm gonna try to get on my feet as quick as I can."

"No, take your time."

"Robin, trust me..you think that now but trust me.

You want me to do it quick."

Steve chuckles as Stevie finds the Disney aisles. "You like Disney, huh?"

"Some. Love Bambi." Stevie answers politely as she rests her head against his shoulder and yawns. "I show you gator."

She raises a little arm to show Steve the dark purple alligator she's been carrying the whole time. "He my fwiend."

"Oh he is,huh?"

"Mhm. Where mama an me lived before.. there were real ones!" her enthusiasm makes Steve laugh. "You like alligators?"

"Mhm! An fruit bats."

Steve laughs. "What about dinosaurs?"

"T rex!" she's giggling and when she holds on tighter to him, his heart melts. And the oh so familiar longing ache is back. Made worse this time by the fact that Nancy, the girl he held out hope to have it all with, she's finally moving on. Moving away, leaving Hawkins with Jonathan and while Steve is happy for her, it's killing him because he's realizing that there's a good chance that his dreams might not come true.

Nobody chooses him. Nobody ever wants to stay. He's never enough.

"Where did you live before?" he asks and she smiles. "New.." she pauses, little cheeks puffed as she thinks.

"I hafta ask my mama."

"Okay." He's laughing. "Let's go back over to her? Are you ready?"

She's giggling because he's giving her a piggyback ride. You laugh quietly and nudge Robin, nodding at him as he carries Stevie over to you on his back.

"Oh she's in love now." Robin laughs and you laugh along with her. Steve stops in front of you, letting you take your daughter off his back. And as you do so, your fingers graze against muscled shoulders and you suck in a breath. You step away, letting Stevie settle on your hip.

"We should probably go. It looks like there are people coming. " you nod to a group of teenagers approaching, some on bikes and a girl on a skateboard.

Steve nods. "Yeah. I'll uh.. I'll see you around." and without another word, he grabs his cigarettes, tells Robin he's going on a break and he's gone, vanished out the door at the back of the store. You're staring.

Robin speaks up. "He's had a really rough time lately."

As you say your goodbyes to Robin, one of the boys that comes in is calling his name, searching the store. Robin nods to the door. "Out there, dingus."

You leave with Stevie, going back to your aunt and Robin's trailer to drop off Stevie with your aunt so you can go out and look for jobs because you're determined to get settled in as quick as you can.

CONTINUED

"Steve? Are you okay?"

Steve doesn't answer Dustin, he only shrugs. Thumps his cigarette onto the pavement. "I'm fine,kid."

"You're not."

"I am, Dustin."

"I know you're not. Just talk to me." Dustin coaxes but Steve shakes his head, refusing. "Just a long day."

"Who was Robin hugging goodbye when we came in?"

"___. Her cousin and her cousins kid, Stevie."

Dustin grimaces because suddenly, he knows exactly what's wrong with Steve right now and it has everything to do with something Steve admitted when they were all preparing to face Vecna in March.

He saw Stevie just now, got reminded of his dream. The one he's giving up on. The one Vecna used against him when he tried to take over Steve’s mind during the whole thing. The one Steve goes above and beyond not to talk about, especially lately.

"Stevie.. like in Stevie Nicks?" Dustin chuckles as he asks, glancing over at Steve.

Steve shrugs. "Didn't ask. I uh..kept my distance. Let Robin and __ talk. I walked Stevie around the store a little."

"Yeah she yelled at Max that she had a pretty skateboard." Dustin smiles. “She’s a cute kid.”

"She using the dinosaur one again?"

Dustin chuckles. "Yeah. Said the deck is fucked on her favorite one. She said Billy ordered a new one but it won't be in for like.. six weeks because it was on backorder or something.. I still can't get over Billy Hargrove not being a massive prick anymore, man." Dustin laughs and the sound dies away as he gazes at his best friend. Noting the dark circles under his eyes. The way he's quieter. Less outgoing lately, he's started to spend more time alone than he does with nearly all of them. Dustin's worried that something's really wrong with Steve because Steve isn't like this. At all. So he's trying to stick close. Eddie keeps telling him he needs to. That they all need to. Says Steve is struggling with heavy shit.

"Stevie likes dinosaurs. 'S what she told me anyway." Steve thumps the cigarette pack against his palm again. "I'll be fine, Dustin."

"You're my best friend. I'm gonna worry." Dustin responds, tapping a sneaker against the pavement.

"You don't need to. I'll be fine, Henderson. Just realizing I wasted a lot of time up to this point. Did I really think she was gonna come back one day?"

Dustin puts an arm around Steve. "You loved her, man. Hope isn't a bad thing."

Steve shrugs. "Kind of is when you put it all in one person or thing. But it's fine. If Nance can move on.." He goes quiet, laughing at himself. Dustin speaks up. "You should too…right?"

Steve shrugs. "Somethin’ like that. I'll get around to it. It’s not exactly top priority anymore."

There's nothing like facing down what you think will be your death and beating it to put life into perspective. He knew hope for his dream with Nancy Wheeler was gone when he and Eddie Munson walked out of the station following a long interrogation on zero sleep just in time to see Nancy reunite with Jonathan. The way she looked at Jonathan.. it stung. But it woke him up and now.. he's just going to close this chapter in his life.

He pulls himself off the pavement and makes his way back inside with Dustin.

,, Maybe you don't give up on your one dream.. maybe just stop trying to seek it out and see if it'll come to you." this thought is conflicted by another, just don't bother. You're not enough. When Vecna tried to get in your head, he did have a few good points."

CONTINUED

Stevie goes bolting out the door as soon as she sees Robin get out of the passenger seat of Steve's car. After she hugs Robin at least four times, she wanders over to Steve's side and he opens the door. Stevie climbs into his car to sit and Robin laughs to herself as she watches.

The little girl is staring at the fading red scar that circles his neck and she knows she shouldn't. She knows it's rude but she's curious. And maybe she's a little afraid that whatever happened to cause it hurt her new friend. Little fingers raise and rest against the raised flesh. "Ouchy."

Steve chuckles and nods. "Yeah."

"When mama kisses my ouchies, they always get better." Stevie gazes up at Steve intently. "Mama sleep." Stevie mumbles after a few seconds.

"Yeah, Robin told me how far you two drove."

"Was fun. Mama took me t' parks. And this huge rocking chair."

"Stevie?"

"She's over here, Robin." Steve calls out to his best friend. Then he remembers the movie he rented under his account so Stevie could watch it. He reaches over into the seat and holds it out to the little girl to be rewarded by her, flinging her arms around him and thanking him. Then she holds up a stuffed t-rex to him. "You have? He protec."

"You should keep it." But she's shaking her head and she gives him this cute little frustrated look as she gestures to the neck scar he's been really self conscious about lately. "So that won't happen again. Please?"

Steve takes the t-rex and pulls himself out of the driver seat. "C'mon. I'll give you a piggyback ride to Robin, okay?"

Across the road, Max Mayfield is seeing all this and smiling to herself. "Maybe everything will be okay."

#steve harrington #steve harrington imagine #steve the hair harrington #steve harrington fanfiction #steve harrington imagines #steve harrington fic #<- my writing ● steve harrington #<- warnings | angst - swearing - single mom reader. reader was a teen mom too - see full warnings above #<- warning | female reader - female parts / clothing / personality and backstory. reader is borderline OC in that she's Robin's cousin.#-- if you want your dad!steve fix this is gonna be that. if you're into found families this is also definitely that.

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averagewriter-inthedark · 3 years

Text

The Other Redhead | Riley Biers | Part 2

Riley Biers x female!reader (Victoria’s sister)

I don’t own any of the characters/plots from Twilight, that all belongs to Stephenie Meyer & Summit Entertainment

This is going to include Victoria’s backstory so her age will be 18 like it is in the books/illustrated guide.

Part 1 here Masterlist

warnings: angst, profanity, mentions of past abuse, prostitution and allusions to SA, death.

word count:3725

Bella found her seated out on the stone steps of the Cullen’s house in the late hours of the night. Upon her arrival, not many words had been said by the redheaded vampire. She kept to herself. It was obvious she wasn’t interested in making friends with the Cullen’s let alone the human they were protecting, but Bella was curious of her.

When Edward returned home two days after announcing he was going to Miami, Bella was hesitant to let him go. Victoria was growing stronger by the hours and could attack them at anytime.

Why would Edward have to go to Miami all of a sudden? On such short notice? What was Alice refusing to tell her?

Her questions were answered days later when her love had arrived, but to her surprise he was not alone. Beside him was a beautiful immortal woman, with fiery red hair to match her blood red eyes. There was something familiar about her.

And Bella realized what that familiarity was after a few minutes of analyzing the woman’s facial features. Of course the hair should have been the first clue, but all the pieces came together. It was confirmed when Edward introduced her to the family.

Bella was skeptical to say the least. The sister of the vampire who has been causing them hell sudden appears to give aid to them? For all Bella knew, Victoria could have tracked her down before Edward and got Y/N to be her little spy. Edward assured his mate Alice would have seen that happening if it did. It made Bella a little less weary, but that didn’t mean she fully trusted the woman.

Y/N and Bella’s introduction also have her mixed feelings about her. Y/N gave her nothing more than a blank look, eyeing her up and down as if to say “you have me risking me life and safety to protect this?” She didn’t say anything when Edward introduced her, giving them a nod before leaving the room all together. Edward had apologized to Bella telling her “She’s doesn’t like strangers, and she’s not too happy about coming out of hiding after all these years. Give her time, and maybe she will warm up to you.”

But it didn’t seem like warming up was going to happen. It was the night before the group was set to go hunting and could possibly be the last time Bella would see Y/N. By the time they would return Bella and Edward would have already headed for the mountains and then the battle would follow the next day.

Being the curious person she was, Bella had decided to take matters into her own hands. If that meant having to go up to Y/N herself and try talking to her then that’s what she had to do. Edward would be disappointed in her, but then again he probably would not be surprised.

Y/N could hear approaching the moment Bella had descended the stairs in the house. When the front door opened, she kept her attention focused ahead into the dark forest that surrounded the residence. The foot steps halted, and it could be assumed that the girl was debating whether or not she should approach or go back inside although it was very obvious the older woman knew of her presence.

“You going to just stand there silent like a mannequin or do you plan on asking the questions I know you have for me?” Her voice had startled the young girl, not expecting her to acknowledge her and instead being silent in hopes she would leave.

Bella bit her lip before slowly stepping down the stone pavement until she was standing next to where Y/N was seated. “Mind if I sit?”

“Go ahead,” was her reply, tone blank and void of emotion. Bella lowered her body, placing herself next to the woman but keeping enough space so she was not too close to her and invading her personal bubble. By now there was no going back, they could stay silent the whole time and not talk about anything, but now if Bella went inside she knew Edward would want to know her intentions.

“I’m sorry we dragged you into this,” her soft voice spoke after several minutes, the only sound that had been filing the atmosphere was the rustling of the trees from the wind, “I know this is probably the last thing you wanted. Helping people you don’t even know just so their little human will live to see tomorrow,” Bella gazed up to the night sky while adding, “Fighting an army of newborns.”

“Wasn’t what I had in mind when I thought about the day I would see my sister again,” Y/N had a ghost of a smile on her lips, “but leave it to her for doing something reckless that would be the reason for it.”

Bella turned her head to her, “What happened between you two?” It was a personal question, one that could surely have the woman cursing at her. Shouting how it was none of her business. To her surprise, a soft chuckle has left Y/N lips, her eyes flicking briefly to the ground before connecting with Bella’s.

“That’s a very long story, Bella. A story that’s complex with a not so pleasant end.” Bella bit her lip again, looking at her feet. “Tell me, Bella,” she met Y/N’s eye, “Edward said you were the victim of James’ game. This true?”

The shudder Bella gave was enough to confirm the truth. She closed her eyes, almost flinching at the painful memories that played in her head from those days.

“I know what it’s like to be on the running side of that game. Not knowing if he found you already, if he was only a city away or if you managed to successfully trick him and get him off your trail.” Y/N stared back into the forest, her expression somber. Bella remained quiet. “I had always been scared my whole life. The life Victoria and I had growing up was anything but what childhood and adolescent should be. It’s been five hundred years don’t get me wrong, but I can still remember everything. It wasn’t just Victoria and myself, we also had an older sister, Anne. All three of us were the result of our father’s affair with our mother, she was a maid and he was master of the house. I don’t even know to this day if he knew we were his daughters,” her face turned hard, “after all he never treated us as such.”

“He was a cruel man. We ended up working for him when we got older. We needed the money so we could have food. Being his maids meant we were now victim to the treatment he would give any of his servants and he was no stranger to giving physical punishment whether it be a small mistake or refusing to do something. All three of us would sneak away whenever we got the chance, but unfortunately he would find out and beat us until there was ringing in our ears.

“Victoria and I always got the worst of it. Her hair is more vibrant than mine, even as human it was and it made her much more noticeable. Me on the other hand, well I didn’t realize what it all meant until I was turned and then it all made sense. It was always a wonder why whenever I got angry the glass cups would shatter or the fire in the chimney would blow out. Each time it happened I was whipped.

“One day, one of our fathers whores slapped me after I had spilled wine on her when she bumped into me. I was only eight, and I was so angry. I remember thinking in that moment how I just wanted to choke her to death and as soon as the thought crossed my mind the whore had fell to her knees clasping at her neck. She was gasping for air, skin starting to look purple and I stepped away in fear. When I stopped thinking about it was when she was finally able to breath. I ran away immediately. I was scared to know what my father would do to me when he found out.”

She let out a sigh, although there was no need to since Y/N had no reason to breath. “I was only ten when we fled, Victoria twelve. We never looked back. Even though we were now on our own, we at least had each other. It didn’t last long though. Anne began working for a pimp in order to provide for us. I was scared for her. I remember the nights where she would come covered in bruises. Her face bloody and clothes tattered where she was almost naked. She never spoke about it and tried to be discrete, but Victoria and I knew what happened. I didn’t care about the money, I would have slept in a cold alley if it meant my sisters were okay, but Anne refused to quit. Then one night she went to find a client and never came back. The pimp was furious and thought she had just left without a word so he had Victoria and I locked up. She had always shown a knack for escaping by then and was able to find a way we could get out of there.

“We were on the streets for years before Anne returned. Only she wasn’t the sister I had remembered. Anne was always beautiful, but the woman who had stood before me was like a goddess, unlike anyone I had seen and it was when she was close I saw her eyes. Blood red. Her skin was so pale and cold, she had no blemish or scars from the years of beatings she had endured. Her voice was like a melody when asked if we were happy. She didn’t look pleased when we said we were managing and would be okay. Before I knew it she had outside in a flash. I couldn’t even process what had happened before I felt the fiery pain coursing it’s way through my veins. I was sixteen--well I still am sixteen, physically at least.”

Y/N paused, her face comforting into sadness. “I remember waking up, scared and confused by what took place. I could hear everything so clearly, see things so sharply. Anne told us what she did, and I remember being so distraught. I couldn’t believe what she was saying. I wanted to cry, but no tears would fall. Anne found a dirty hand mirror in the dumpster and gave it to me. Seeing my eyes had me frozen, and soon the thirst came. I let out this loud scream and the mirror shattered in my hand, the lights from the lamppost burning out and the glass falling to the floor around us. Anne managed to calm me down so she could help me feed, but I still was so shocked by it all.

“It wasn’t hard to put two and two together on what my special ability was. Being able to move things with mind, making things happen with a simple thought. The only thing was if my emotions got the best of me then it could become destructive. That little incident with the whole all those years prior had made sense.” Bella could see Y/N lip curl up in a smirk, finding humor in the memory.

“I grew to be happy again, Bella,” her voice went low, “I had my sister back, we were stronger than what we were. I had this power that could protect us once I learned to control it. Anne took us to her creator Hilda and we joined her coven alongside Mary and Heidi.” Bella let out a gasp at the name, her mind picturing the mahogany haired beauty who lured humans for the Volturi. The girl was shocked by the news that Y/N had once been in a coven with her, and was curious to know what had happened between the two.

“I assume you know who I’m talking about?”

“Heidi,” Bella said, “I met her. I-I didn’t talk to her or anything but when Edward, Alice and I were with the Volturi I briefly saw her on our way out.” The mention of the infamous coven had the older woman, well older when talking about the time spent on earth, scowl. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize Y/N utterly despised them.

“I take it you’re not a fan of them,” Bella voiced trying to ease the tension with a joke. Although she didn’t laugh, Y/N dropped the glare from her face.

“Far from it if you could tell. We stayed with Hilda, Heidi and the rest for several years. I thought everything would be fine now but of course nothing lasts forever. Even immortality. I learned that the night the Volturi came for us. Aro accused us of not being conspicuous, saying we were drawing too much attention. I had mentally scoffed when he had said Hilda was to be executed, thinking there was no way a vampire could be killed. But I was naïve.

“I watched them remove Hilda’s head and burn her body. Heidi was taken before she could run and I watched as this female in their coven had stared really hard at her. I though Heidi would refuse to join them, but she was under the spell. Victoria grabbed my arm and we ran. Never looking back like we did when we fled our father. I could hear the screams of the others being slaughtered and I thought Anne had followed behind us, but when I heard her scream I realized she had ran opposite of Victoria and I. We lost her all over again.” Y/N had to pause when she felt a lump rise in her throat, her eyes glistening though the tears would never fall.

“Over the years as vampires we had discovered that Victoria’s specialty of escaping places or being alert to danger had passed onto her immortal life much like my telekinesis. She guided us away and we were the only two who managed to escape. We swore we would never interact with other vampires again. It would only be us two, just like how it was when Anne had first disappeared.

“As you can probably guess by now Bella, I’m was a fool believe things would ever be alright for us, for me. That we would live the rest of this wrenched life immortal life together with no problems, no Volturi, no coven. It would just be us.”

Y/N drew in a sharp breath, her voice becoming hard, “Things were fine until he showed up.” Bella could see her hands laced in her lap gripping each other while her jaw clenched. “For years we were in a game of cat and mouse with James. Once he had us in his mind there was no end to it. We ran, he found us. We escaped, he chased. Victoria could sense him coming so we managed to outsmart him every time and when he got too close I flung him away with a simple thought.”

Bella was slowly starting to see the picture. Although it was blurry, it was obvious to her that James was the reason for the drift between the sisters. It must’ve been devastating seeing that Y/N had spent over a century on the run from them.

“He got to you two, didn’t he?”

“Yes, he did. He was intrigued so he stopped tracking us. Victoria could sense he had changed his decision, no longer feeling threatened and allowed him to approach us. She was enamored with him. I could tell the minute we let him get close, she was smitten. She liked that we was confident in his abilities and no longer wanted to harm us. It was fascinating to her that their abilities were like opposites, he could track, but she could escape.

“The problem with my sister was she was naïve. Despite him not being a potential threat I still was weary of him. I didn’t like his arrogance, or the way he hunted. It was a game, a sinister one, and I never forgot that she and I were once a part of that game. Victoria though was all forgiving by that point. She loved him, more than she had ever loved anyone.

“I figured out James would bring nothing but pain and destruction to us when he tried to hit on me. Victoria was scouting for him, which left him and I alone. The moment he knew she was out of reach to hear us was when he made his move. Bringing his hand up to move my hair from my face, telling me how he was always fascinated by me and my ability. How he longed to have me and that he was willing to get rid of my sister if it meant he and I could be together without her constant shadow.”

Bella flinched when the lights on the poach flickered, a gasp escaping her lips and Y/N sighed again, apologizing to her.

“I was disgusted, the anger rose in me like a volcano about to erupt. He was pinned to the tree in a blink of an eye when I tried to kiss me. I held him there while I ran until I could no longer keep hold. I found Victoria and grabbed her, running away from the area for miles, but eventually she pulled me to a stop and demanded to know what happened. She demanded to know where James was. I told her everything, Bella.”

Y/N had glanced to her feet while her face grimaced in pain. Bella could feel her heart ache for the woman. It pained her to see how hurt Y/N was, and she could only assume the outcome of this story.

“I tried to get her to understand. That James didn’t love her, he didn’t care for her like she cared for him. How could he when just tried to seduce me and would have killed her if it meant he could have me. James would bring her downfall, he would use her and when it came time to get rid of her because if benefited him than he would. But she didn’t listen, in fact she abandoned me. Victoria screamed how I was a liar and I was trying to get her away so I could have James for myself. She cursed at me, tried to fight me. I had had enough and threw her into the dirt when she had attacked me again after I pushed her away. This gave her the chance to run back to him.

“She left me. Alone. She took his side and left me there on my own. My own sister.” Y/N’s breath hitched and her voice cracked. Bella could hear the despair in her tone and it was enough to bring tears to her eyes. “I didn’t think Victoria would leave me, after everything we had been through, after everything we survived, she betrayed me in the most cruel way she could. We both knew he would come for me and she stood by him.” Her eyes closed, the wind breezing through her locks of hair.

“I had never been so scared in my life, Bella. I was always scared growing up. My father was cruel and incited fear. The pimp Anne worked for was cruel. I was scared when Anne disappeared, I was scared when she turned us into vampires. I was scared when the Volturi came and I was scared when James tracked had first tracked us. Even though I lived in fear all those years with all those obstacles, I at least had my sisters with me. I at least had Victoria with me. But in that moment and all those years to come, I had never been more scared in my life now that I was alone. My only source of hope and motivation to keep me going was gone. I was alone.”

Shaking her head, Y/N opened her glossy red eyes and stared deep into the forest.

“I luckily had my ability to keep me out of their reach. Anytime they got close, I would get them away and I knew they were growing frustrated. Victoria was his pawn, and he was the king of a game of chess they were trying to win. Trying to think three moves a head but always falling back. Neither of their powers could match up to mine and soon they grew bored.

“You’re probably wondering why I didn’t just destroy them. I easily could have. A simple thought and their heads would be removed,” Y/N eyes narrowed into the night, “I always had hope Victoria would come around and see the error of James. I hoped she would realize she was wrong to betray me, that she would find me and beg for forgiveness. I would have given it to her. But soon months turned into years, and years into decades and before that a century had passed. There was nothing.

“I continued to stay off the grid. Move from country to country, island to island. The hope of her coming around faded, and soon it was replaced by anger and resentment. I didn’t want to see her after so much time had passed, the damage was done and anything she said could never make amends to the decades worth of suffering I had. I was living in fear, scared of what I would do when I finally reunited with her....”

Y/N’s voice trailed and her face became blank once again. The glossiness in her eyes faded, void of the emotion they once held. Bella was quiet, her mind still wrapping around the story she had just heard. The minutes of silence felt like hours once it was finally broken.

“So why did you say yes to helping us?” Bella whispered, anxiety rising when the woman finally looked at her after keeping her attention off her for the entirety of her story.

“Because I’m not scared anymore.”

#riley biers #riley biers imagines #riley biers x reader #twilight imagine #twilight #twilight fanfiction #twilight one shot #bella swan imagine #edward cullen imagine #the cullens

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lunaslethifold · 4 years

Text

A Summer in Ottery St. Catchpole: Prologue (George Weasley x Potter!Reader)

Pairing: George Weasley x Female!Potter!Reader

Series Synopsis: Y/N Potter used to have a huge crush on George Weasley. She could hardly even function around him. Now fresh out of a long relationship, she can say with confidence that those feelings she harbored for years are gone. George, on the other hand, had barely even acknowledged her existence. But now that Y/N is more comfortable around him, he starts to see the real her. George starts to see her in a new light. Boy, is that bad news for him.

Warnings: Mentions of death.

Word Count: ~8.4k (Sorry! Future parts probably won’t be this long.)

Find the other works in this series in my masterlist (pinned and linked in my bio :))

A/N: Welcome to my new George Weasley series about this trope! Some things to note: I made the reader female because I am more comfortable writing that. The reader is in Gryffindor because it fits better with the story. I know it can be frustrating to read something that doesn’t fit you correctly and I’m very sorry! I also decided to make the reader adopted because not everyone looks like Harry, James, or Lily. I know I certainly don’t! This series takes place the summer after Goblet of Fire and before Order of the Phoenix, and will not be following canon completely to make room for the reader. I’ve no idea how long the other parts are going to be, but they probably won’t be this lengthy as this part covers the entire backstory. This is also the first fanfiction I’ve written in years, so please let me know what you think! Sorry about any off grammar and please enjoy! Thank you for reading!

The first time George Weasley laid eyes on Y/N Potter was on the day he was set to return for his 2nd year at Hogwarts. This time around he was more confident approaching the platform than he was his first year, but that wasn't saying much. On their first ride on the train, he and Fred had already started wreaking havoc on Percy and Charlie.

George grinned at the other people waiting around the train. In particular, the first years that looked like they were about to pass out. His eyes landed on a girl that was standing alone, almost hugging the bar on her trolley.

He nudged Fred. "Mate, does she look familiar to you?" he said, tilting his head in the direction of the girl.

"Dunno, maybe we saw her at Diagon Alley?" Fred offered, shrugging and turning his attention back to the chocolate frog in his hand. George glanced at the girl one last time and jumped into a conversation with Ginny.

The first year didn't cross George's mind again until he was sitting in the great hall watching the sorting ceremony. He wasn't paying much attention, too preoccupied with the rumbling in his stomach, until he heard Professor McGonagall call out a name he hadn't heard in a long time.

"Y/N Potter."

She wasn't nearly as famous as her brother, sure, but that didn't stop the whispers from breaking out among the students. Professor McGonagall not so subtly cleared her throat and the hall quieted as the girl that caught his eye on the platform approached the stool. That's where he had seen her! Pictures of her and her family were all over the papers after the dark lord was defeated. She was much older now, yes, but the remnants of her younger self were still present on her face. Especially her eyes, George thought, but he quickly shook it out of his mind.

Perhaps he had been the one to recognize her because he'd seen photos of her long after they were the only thing being printed in the papers. Ginny kept a stash of things related to Harry Potter in her room and he had accidentally stumbled upon it. Maybe that's why Ginny only talked to him about Harry, or maybe it's because George was the only one who stopped to listen.

The entire Weasley family was close, but the twins and Ginny got along great. That might've been due to the fact that Bill and Charlie were much older than them and many of their pranks were directed at Percy and Ron. While many people thought of Fred and George as a package deal, which they were in a sense, it seemed that Ginny was one of the only people to think of him as his own person. Somehow she recognized the differences and George appreciated that beyond what words can express.

He'd have to write Ginny about Harry Potter's sister coming to Hogwarts. The sorting hat seemed to be having a toss up about which house Y/N belonged to. He recalled the conversation he'd had with the old hat just last year. George was a Weasley; a Gryffindor through and through. But when the hat was placed on his head, it spoke about him having Slytherin and even Ravenclaw traits. Ultimately he was placed into Gryffindor just as the rest of his family had, though.

After a couple minutes of debate the sorting hat yelled out, "Gryffindor!" Y/N looked almost relieved and joined the Gryffindor table, not too far away from George and Fred. The rest of the sorting ceremony was uneventful and soon enough (though not soon enough for the twins), the food appeared on the plates before them.

A couple of times George caught his gaze slipping towards Y/N out of curiosity. Once their eyes met, he smiled at her. She gave him a nervous smile back and quickly turned back to her food. He thought it was a bit odd but brushed it off and continued to joke with Fred and Lee.

Y/N and George didn't see much of each other that year. They were in different years and Y/N seemed to spend more time out of the common room than in it. Him and his brother made the quidditch team as beaters, and occasionally he'd see her in the stands.

So no, Y/N Potter and George Weasley were not friends. He couldn't even remember if he'd spoken to her before. That year flew by just as his first year did, and then he found himself on the train back home.

Next year Ron would be joining them at Hogwarts and Charlie wouldn't be coming back. That summer was spent playing quidditch with his siblings, teasing Percy for becoming a prefect, and going down to the village near the burrow.

Y/N, on the other hand, was not having a good summer like the Weasleys. She had returned to the Dursleys’, but she was beyond ecstatic to see her little brother again. When she left for her first year at Hogwarts she had felt extremely guilty for leaving Harry alone and even went as far as to write Dumbledore asking if he could come a year early. He had reassured her that he would be fine and she should take the opportunity to see the world their parents lived in.

Harry and Y/N weren't blood related, but they knew they were real siblings regardless. Similarly, Lily and James Potter were Y/N's mom and dad, even though their blood didn't run through her. Y/N's biological mom was Lily's best friend since the moment they met on the Hogwarts Express. She clashed with Snape, but remained loyal to Lily through it all. Not long after graduating she got married to Y/N's dad due to the brewing war. Lily and James were made the godparents of Y/N and weeks after her birth, her parents and their entire family were killed by death eaters. She was taken in immediately by the Potters and assumed their last name for safety. Soon little Harry came along and Y/N became a big sister.

Unfortunately, as Voldemort set out with the intent of killing Harry, Lily and James' attempt to keep Y/N safe was put in jeopardy. The family of four went into hiding together. They were betrayed and the dark lord came to their home in Godric's Hollow. Lily knew that he was after Harry, not Y/N, and kept her promise to Y/N's biological parents that she'd keep her safe. Y/N was shoved into the closet in her and Harry's room, along with a muffling charm to silence her cries. That night not only did she hear her father getting killed, she saw her mother die trying to protect her younger brother through the shutters on the door. She heard her mother's cries and saw an evil, evil man try to murder her brother. Even though she was only two, Y/N possesses more memories of their parents and that night than Harry does.

This resulted in Y/N becoming extremely protective of Harry. Oftentimes this would cause her to get into trouble with the Dursleys. She was Harry's fiercest protector. When an escort came to collect her for Hogwarts, both her and Harry were introduced to magic and what their parents really were. She almost didn't go because she couldn't bear the thought of Harry having to deal with their relatives without her, but she eventually agreed. An escort brought her and her luggage to platform nine and three quarters on September first, but had to rush off right after. There she stood alone with her trolley, unsure of where to go or who to talk to. She surveyed the people around and her eyes landed on a group of redheads, most of them being children. The ones that were commanding the most attention were two twin boys, one of which was fiddling with a wrapper and one who had the brightest grin she had ever seen. She stared at him for a second before rapidly looking away. What she hadn't noticed after was the boy she was staring at was now looking at her.

On the train she didn't have much luck either, meeting a few students but ultimately sitting alone in a compartment reading a book. There was no telltale sign that she was a Potter, unlike her brother, who had the scar on his forehead. At the sorting ceremony, however, people began to take notice of her when they heard her name. The sorting hat had a long conversation with her about what house she belonged in. The big argument was about Gryffindor or (house of choice), but Y/N asked to be put in Gryffindor, like her parents.

Y/N took a seat at the Gryffindor table, trying to shake off everyone talking about and looking at her. The rest of the sorting ceremony went by and soon everyone was digging into the feast. Katie Bell, a fellow first year Gryffindor, struck up a conversation with Y/N and others around her. She relaxed a little and surveyed the rest of her housemates. Her eyes unexpectedly met those of the boy who she had been staring at on the platform. His lips turned up into a smile and a wave of anxiety crashed onto the girl. She smiled shakily at him and felt her cheeks warm up. Y/N quickly turned her attention back to the food sitting on her plate, which seemed quite interesting to her at the moment.

The rest of that year passed by quicker than she liked and soon enough she was back at the Dursley household. She was happy to see Harry, but Hogwarts was now more home than Privet Drive had ever been. The only thing missing was her brother, but he was due to follow right after the summer.

So it couldn't be going by any slower.

Between her uncle's shouting and her summer reading, she quickly found herself wishing the break would zoom by. She thought she was used to it, but she was getting fed up with Vernon and Petunia's constant nagging.

"Clean the kitchen!"

"Set the table!"

"Dust the living room!"

"Hurry up with dinner!"

Y/N would never admit it, but quite a few times she had to put her wand out of reach when it all became too much. Especially when Harry was getting the heat. She'd much rather have all the yelling directed at her than Harry.

September first rolled around and Y/N was accompanied by Harry to King’s Cross. Hagrid had dropped them off and left. As they pushed their trolleys through the station, Y/N found herself quite turned around. Which platforms was it between? Which wall were they supposed to enter through? Last time her escort had to apparate her and her things onto the platform because they were running behind schedule. Now she was wishing she had paid more attention because she couldn't for the life of her find the dang entrance.

Both of the Potter kids were growing nervous as the time ticked closer to departure. Just as it seemed all hope was lost, a familiar head, or rather heads, of red hair caught Y/N's eye. She looked at them and Harry followed her gaze. The Weasley family was moving through King’s Cross at a rapid speed.

As they passed, Harry and Y/N heard a snippet of their conversation. "-packed with muggles-" said the oldest woman.

"Muggles?" Harry whispered, turning to his sister. "Isn't that… Well come on then!" He raced after the woman.

"Harry! Wait!" Y/N ran after him and by the time she caught up he was already talking to them. Y/N shook her head. Why couldn't Harry have just followed them onto the platform? Why'd he have to stop and talk to them? She'd never say it out loud, but Harry wasn't always the brightest when it came to things like this.

Before them stood five people, presumably all family members. An older woman, three of Y/N's housemates, and a younger boy.

"Excuse me," Harry said to them as Y/N approached. "Dyknow how to-" he gulped and tried again. "How to-”

"Get onto the platform?" finished the woman. Harry blushed a little bit and nodded. She gave him a kind smile. "Yes, of course dear. Don't worry, it's Ron's first year too," She gestured to the younger boy that stood nearby. He half smiled at them.

Harry smiled brightly back. "I'm Harry."

"Ron Weasley."

Then it seemed everyone turned to Y/N expectedly. Her mouth went dry and she shifted on her feet.

"And you're Y/N, right?" spoke up one of the twins. Was it Fred or George? She nodded shyly and fiddled with the hem of her shirt. Why was she nervous all of a sudden? Maybe she wasn't as outgoing as Harry, but she was never this shy.

"Well, it's nice to meet you two. Now to get onto the platform, you just run straight into the wall there. Percy, you show them," said their mom, breaking the silence. The oldest one, Percy, who Y/N recognized as three years above her, ran to the wall and disappeared through it. "See? Just like that. Now you, Fred."

"He's not Fred, I am!" said the twin who spoke earlier. Ah, so Fred had introduced Y/N.

"Honestly woman, you call yourself our mother," said the other twin.

"Oh! Sorry George." She beckoned him forward.

He walked forward and spoke again. "'I’m only joking, I am Fred." Fred smiled and ran through the wall. Oh, so it was George that had introduced Y/N after all.

"Can I go next, mum?" said Ron.

"Yes, and Harry, why don't you go with him?" she replied. Ron and Harry ran towards the wall. Something small slipped off Ron's trolley without him knowing.

"Ron!" his mother called, picking it up and running after him through the passage. Now it was just George and Y/N.

"Did you really not know how to get onto the platform? Or did you just want an excuse to talk to me?" he laughed and grinned at her.

Y/N felt heat rush to her cheeks. "Erm… I-" she cleared her throat. "Last year my escort apparated me onto the platform," She looked at her shoes.

His smile didn't falter at her awkwardness. "Ah, that explains it. Well, have a go at the platform then."

George and Y/N saw a little bit more of each other during Harry and Ron's first year. Often she could be found talking with Harry, Ron, and even Hermione around the fire. He could tell that they had a really close relationship.

Sometimes they'd be hanging out or sitting with the same group, but only because of their siblings or Katie Bell, Y/N's friend, who was now on the quidditch team along with Harry. He started to see Y/N in the stands during games much more often now, probably because her brother and friend were playing.

George thought Y/N was, well, a bit odd. She was awkward, much more than her brother who got on quite well with him and his twin. She always seemed to be tripping over her words and fidgeting when he saw her. But she was the same way her first year, so he just boiled it down to her being shy.

The first time since Y/N's sorting that George thought about her for more than a few fleeting seconds was at the end of that year. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had returned after stopping Professor Quirrel from getting his hands on the Sorcerer's Stone. Percy, Fred, George, and Y/N were all summoned to the hospital wing when they returned.

Y/N looked utterly distressed. She even began to walk ahead of them on the way. When they reached the hospital wing, she bolted straight for Harry on the other side of the room. She hugged him and whispered a conversation with him. Harry had smiled and seemed to reassure her.

Then, before him and his brothers even had a chance to step forward, Y/N turned towards his brother. "Oh, Ron!" she exclaimed and then pulled him into a hug, just like the one she had given Harry. Then she took his face in her hands and tried to look him over. "Are you alright?" Ron nodded and smiled at her. Y/N let go and rushed to Hermione's side.

George was taken by surprise. Sure, Harry was Y/N's brother, but she seemed just as concerned about his brother's wellbeing and Hermione's. He'd have to ask Ron about it later. George smiled, shook his head, and approached Ron's bed.

Just as the previous summer, Y/N and now Harry went back to their Aunt and Uncle's. Harry and Y/N had gotten into big trouble when Dobby the house elf came to visit. Uncle Vernon was so angry that he put bars on their shared bedroom window and forbade them from returning to Hogwarts. Luckily for them, a certain family of redheads came to the rescue.

While they were up late talking in their bedroom, they heard something out of their window. Outside was a flying Ford Angelina, driven by Fred Weasley, with his brothers George and Ron sitting in the car. They ripped the bars out of their place on the wall and pulled up to the window.

"Ron!" Harry smiled widely at him. Y/N couldn't stop the grin that grew on her face. "What are you doing here?"

"We've come to rescue you, of course! Now c'mon and get your trunks," Ron replied. The two Potter siblings heaved their trunks into the car through the window. As Harry handed Hedwig's cage to Ron, Y/N heard stirring from the other side of the house.

"Harry, hurry. I hear Uncle Vernon," she spoke calmly, but there was a panicked expression on her face. "Go on, you first."

Harry began to climb out of the window and into the car with Y/N's assistance. Just as Harry was safely inside, Uncle Vernon barged into the room.

"Y/N!" Harry shouted, pointing at their uncle. Her eyes widened and she not so carefully leaped out of the window and towards the car. She caught onto someone trying to help her in, but she didn't have time to process who it was because Uncle Vernon's hand had enclosed around her ankle. She kicked her leg and tried to heave herself up, but the grip was tight on her leg.

"Let go, you tosser!" called out the person she was clinging to. She kicked hard one last time, and while his grip faltered, she pulled herself up by the person she was clinging to. The door slammed shut and she found herself face to face with one of the Weasley twins. Ron and the other twin were in the front seat, while she and Harry were sat on either side of the twin in the backseat. Y/N felt heat rise to her cheeks and she let go of him.

"Fred, you're going the wrong way," said the twin, George, next to her. Fred turned the car around. Ron and Harry had already jumped into a rather animated conversation.

Y/N cleared her throat nervously, then spoke up. "Thank you. For saving Harry... er, us."

"It was nothing, really," said Fred, cracking a smile.

"Yeah, someone had to. I mean, they've got bars on your window. Your uncle must be mad," George said. Y/N laughed. Never had she heard anyone but her and Harry speak bad about Uncle Vernon.

The rest of the ride was spent making conversation with the twins, but Fred did most of the talking. Soon they landed at their family home and went inside. The five of them were caught by Molly Weasley, who gave Harry and Y/N a warm hug.

Their trunks were lugged inside. While Mrs. Weasley was scolding her children, Y/N rushed to hers and opened it. She pulled out a box wrapped in newspaper and handed it to Harry. "Happy birthday, Harry. Sorry it's not anything special, but when we go back to Diagon Alley we can get something better," she smiled at him.

He smiled back and said, "Thank you Y/N, and I know whatever it is, it's brilliant." He unwrapped the paper to reveal a pair of red and yellow gloves that matched his scarf perfectly. "Did you- did you make these?"

Y/N smiled bashfully and nodded. "'S alright if you don't like them, but I saw the leftover yarn when I was doing laundry and-"

"Y/N," he cut her off. "Thank you. I love them. They're perfect." Y/N smiled widely and pulled Harry in for a hug. What the two didn't see was the Weasley family watching the exchange.

Mrs. Weasley smiled warmly. "Now who wants breakfast?"

For the rest of that summer Y/N bunked with Ginny Weasley. Although she acted a little starstruck at first, they were fast friends. Even though she could talk to Y/N, she still hadn't spoken a word to Harry. Before long the nine of them had to head to Diagon Alley to get ready for the upcoming school year. Ginny was starting her first year, Harry his second, Y/N her third, and the twins their fourth.

While they were shopping for books at Flourish and Blotts they ran into Draco Malfoy. He didn't skip a beat before immediately insulting all of them.

"And what, Potter number one has nothing to say this time? Nervous around your boyfriend?" said Draco to Y/N, gesturing vaguely to the Weasleys standing nearby. "I wouldn't be surprised. They're blood traitors just like your 'father' was." He put air quotes around father. "But I suppose after marrying a muggle's child, he'd let anyone into his family, if you could even call it that." Y/N took a menacing step forward, then felt someone step up to her side.

"Malfoy, you have no idea what real family is," one of the twins said, standing to her left. She turned and the "G" stitched on his sweater stared back at her. Fred joined him.

"Yeah, Malfoy. Harry and Y/N are more family than all of your relatives combined," Fred said from his spot next to George.

"What's that supposed to mean, weasel?" Draco crossed his arms.

"Well I don't reckon Lucius Malfoy is very loving to his son," George shot back. Y/N's jaw dropped to the floor.

"How d-" Draco began, before his father came up to the group. The rest of the conversation passed by in a blur for Y/N. As they continued on getting their school supplies, she found herself glancing at George and getting deeply nervous when he was around her.

Oh no, she thought. Y/N Potter was developing a crush on George Weasley.

Throughout her third year, Y/N avoided George as much as she possibly could. She thought that if she avoided him, her feelings would go away. Unfortunately for her, since they were in the same house and shared some of the same friends, this was proving to be extremely difficult.

So, yeah, George saw less of Y/N than he should have. Not that he noticed, of course. She was more of Ginny's pal and Harry's sister than his friend. But at the end of the year she proved she was someone that would be sticking around.

When Ginny had gone missing, Y/N was extremely upset. Harry could see it, Ron could see it, and even George (who didn't pay her much attention) could see it. But even feeling that way, she made sure to comfort the Weasleys. Even Percy, who had spoken to her the least out of all of them.

Then, when Harry, Ron, and Ginny returned from the chamber, she practically sprinted to the hospital wing. Just like last year, she ran to Harry's side and made sure he was ok. Then, she turned to Ginny, who it seemed everyone had turned against, and hugged her. Ginny looked relieved that finally someone wasn't scolding her for what happened to her.

George smiled gratefully at Y/N, then started talking to Ron.

Y/N and Harry were staying at the Leaky Cauldron the summer before her fourth year. They had left Privet Drive after an unfortunate incident involving their Aunt Marge and escaped on the knight bus. There they ran into the Weasley family, who had just returned from Egypt.

"And after we got there-" Y/N was sitting and listening intently to Ron, who was recounting his trip to Egypt.

"Goodness Ron, how many people are you going to tell about it?" interrupted Fred, walking down the stairs.

"What? I've barely told anyone, George," Ron replied, glaring at him.

"Actually, I'm George," came a voice from someone who was descending the stairs. Y/N suddenly found the newspaper in front of her very interesting. Fred glanced at her. "And I reckon Y/N's got better things to do than listen to you talk about some dusty old buildings."

Y/N felt blood rushing to her cheeks and bit her lip. While Ron and George continued to bicker, a wide grin made its way onto Fred's face. He looked between Y/N and George. Fred had noticed something off about them and he had finally figured it out.

Fred Weasley knew Y/N's secret.

"Detention, Miss Potter," Professor Snape's voice called out. She tried to stay out of trouble, but it seemed that Snape had a particular dislike for her. She groaned inwardly and bit her tongue. "My office after dinner." Y/N suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and nodded.

After classes, Y/N found her way to Professor Lupin's office. He was sort of like her newly appointed godfather after she was adopted by James and Lily. Her and Harry spent a lot of time with him.

"-And Snape's given me another detention. I swear he's got it out for me, Professor," she said to him. Lupin laughed and shook his head. "It can't be fair, can it? I mean, I'm a good student."

"That you are, Y/N. But did you ever stop to consider that Professor Snape was not having the best day? Or other students were putting him on edge as well?" he replied, going through the papers on his desk.

"Well, maybe." She paused. "But I swear he's been like this since first year. It's almost as if he's mad at me for something I didn't do. Like I was cursed from birth," she said jokingly. Lupin smiled as if he knew something she didn't. He opened his mouth to reply, but seemed to decide against it. Just then, the door to the office was opened.

Harry was standing in the entrance. "There you are, Y/N. I thought I'd find you here."

"Harry, what's up?" Y/N said to him, smiling slightly.

"Dinner is nearly done and you hadn't shown up, so I thought I'd see what you were doing," he replied.

Y/N shot up from her seat. "Dinner's almost done!?" She began to gather up her things. "Dang it, I forgot I had to go to Snape's right after dinner. I better get going then. Bye Professor. Harry. Thank you!" She waved as she rushed out of the room.

Y/N sprinted down to the dungeons and turned the corner, checking her watch. She should've been there already. Since she wasn't watching where she was going, she smacked straight into someone. She slowly looked up and her eyes met cold ones.

"Miss Potter, it is probably useful to look where you are going when you're running. Although I suppose silly things like that aren't important to someone who is late to detention," Snape's monotone voice said. Behind him stood Fred and George. One of them stepped forward and helped her up. "Well, since Mr. Weasley is so keen on helping you, Miss Potter, he will be joining you in reorganizing the potion supplies." The one who helped her up groaned. "Alphabetically," he added. The other twin moved to join them. "You, Mr. Weasley, on the other hand, will be cleaning the trophy room and I will be accompanying you. You can't possibly think I'd trust you two alone. Now run along. I'll be checking on you in an hour."

Y/N didn't have to be told twice and started towards the supply room.

"I'm Fred by the way," said the twin beside her.

She nodded. "Ah, that's what I figured." Fred smiled.

"That's what you figured?" he laughed.

She joined in. Well, you're not giving me butterflies, she thought. "It's not like you guys are the same person."

"Thanks for noticing," he grinned. "But I would've thought it was because of a certain reason."

"A certain reason? What's that supposed to mean?" Y/N replied, fiddling with her sleeve. She giggled slightly. Had she been that obvious?

"Well, judging by the way you act around George-" he started. She could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

Y/N cut him off with, "I don't know what you're talking about." She walked ahead into the storage closet.

"If you say so." He put his hands up in surrender. They began to work on organizing all of the ingredients. "How did you end up in detention anyways?"

"Who knows anymore? Snape always has something to say about me." She changed her voice to imitate Snape's. "Potter, that potion is terrible. Potter, stop daydreaming in class. Potter, you're enjoying yourself too much. Potter, I am a greasy fun sucker."

Fred laughed loudly and Y/N joined in. "Yeah, it always seemed like ol’ Severus had a problem with you and Harry." Y/N smiled gratefully. Finally someone else validated her feelings. "But I never guessed that Y/N Potter would be spending her evenings in detention making fun of her professors."

"Well maybe you need to get to know me better, then."

"Yeah? Well maybe I will."

That was the start of Fred and Y/N's friendship.

Fred knew that Y/N didn't feel comfortable being herself around George. He wished she was, though. They were fast friends and he had grown quite fond of her. Not wanting to push her out of her comfort zone, Fred spent time with her without George. He liked to push people's buttons, but also knew what buttons not to push. Fred understood.

George did not. He always wondered why Fred went off to hang with Y/N Potter of all people. She was nice enough, sure, but he had no idea what they would do or talk about. So he was confused when Fred was so excited about her coming to stay with them for the rest of the summer. Ginny also seemed to be bouncing off the walls at the thought. Maybe it was the whole idea of the Quidditch World Cup in general that had everyone energized.

Soon enough the Potters and Hermione joined the Weasleys at the burrow. Fred and George were on their way back from town when they arrived.

Ginny opened the door and leaned out. "Oi! Y/N's here! And Harry and Hermione, too." A wide grin spread across Fred's face and he walked ahead into the house. George followed shortly after and stood in the doorway. They didn't notice him standing there.

"Fred!" Y/N said, giving him a hug. George thought that they were both grinning like madmen and a small smile made its way to his face.

"About time you showed up," Fred said to her. He turned to the others. "Finally some more people to test out our products. Ron can't seem to handle it."

"Fred!" Ron said, glaring at him.

"Products?" Y/N said, turning to him with a questioning look.

"Yeah, I'll show you. Come on! I've got so much to tell you," Fred replied, rushing up the stairs. Y/N raced after him and they engaged in a rather animated conversation.

"I guess I should join them before Fred blows Y/N's head off," Ginny laughed and made her way towards the stairs. Now it was just George, Harry, Hermione, and Ron.

"Aren't you going to join them?" said Ron to George.

"Ron!" Hermione said, lightly hitting him with her book.

"Ow, what?"

"Join them?" George spoke up, confused.

"Yeah, aren't you friends with Y/N now? We see you guys hanging out all of the time in school," said Ron.

"Come to think of it, I guess I only really see her with Fred," said Harry, shrugging. He sent a questioning look to George.

"Well-" George started, but they were interrupted by a loud bang from upstairs followed by raucous laughter.

"Fred! That better not be my room again!" Ron said, sprinting up the stairs. Harry laughed and ran after him, followed shortly by Hermione. George felt inclined to go after them.

When he got there he found that no, it was not Ron's room again. They were in his and Fred’s shared room. Ron, Hermione, and Harry were standing in the doorway. He moved closer and peered over their heads, which wasn't hard because he was quite tall. Inside he saw Ginny, Fred, and Y/N all sitting on the floor huddled together.

Ginny had her hand resting on Y/N's shoulder. Y/N was leaning close to Fred, who had something in his hand. They all had smiles that they couldn't seem to shake off. All three of them seemed so… in their element. George couldn't quite describe it, but it was odd seeing as he never really saw Y/N like this.

"What's going on with you lot?" George called, feigning sternness.

"Nothing!" the three on the floor called in unison. Y/N hadn't looked up at him yet, but his siblings were staring up at him. They stared for a few silent seconds before Ginny burst with laughter, falling onto her back. Fred started laughing too, and he even saw Y/N covering up her giggles between them.

As the time to the world cup ticked closer, George couldn't help but notice how close his twin and Y/N had gotten. Usually the two of them had the same friends, so it was a little bit odd for George. He brushed it off, though. Fred saw something in her that he didn't, so what? Fred had a good way of making people come out of their shell, he supposed.

Before long it was the morning of the day they had all been anticipating. They began their trek to the portkey.

"George, you've got the face paint right?" Fred said to him when they left the house. George's eyes widened.

"No, I left it on the table. Keep going, I'll catch up." He dashed back into the house and retrieved what he needed. When he exited the house again, the group was in the distance. He broke into a jog to catch up with them. When he was catching up to the back of the group, he caught a snippet of a conversation.

Y/N and Harry were lagging a little bit behind everyone. George didn't mean to snoop, he swears. He just heard by accident.

"-spending time with him. Y/N, are you and Fred, er… dating?" Harry said to his sister. George had thought the same thing. But no, Fred would've told him. Besides, Fred was interested in Angelina.

"No! No. W-we're not, I promise. We're just really good friends," Y/N sputtered out quickly.

"Well it's just that you only hang out with him and not George. You have to admit that's a bit odd," Harry replied. She shrugged her shoulders. "Do you have a crush on him?" he said, teasingly.

Y/N bit her bottom lip. "Have a crush on…?"

"Fred," he finished for her.

"No. Definitely not." She sounded sure this time.

Harry grinned. "Brilliant. We can't have my sister getting a boyfriend, can we?" She pushed him lightly on the shoulder.

"Alright. Whatever you say. I wonder what Cho would think about all of this." She walked faster, heading to Ginny and Hermione.

"What-" Harry looked bewildered. "How-"

"I'm older than you. I know everything," she called over her shoulder, smiling cheekily.

George waited a minute before he decided it was time to make himself known. "Fred! I've got it." He waved the paint in the air.

Soon enough, they arrived at their destination. There, his father was talking to Amos Diggory. Just then, a figure jumped out of the tree they were standing by. He recognized the boy as Cedric, who was in the same year as him.

Hermione, Ginny, and Y/N exchanged glances in front of him and Fred. The two of them moved to pass the girls and greet Cedric. He saw Fred poke Y/N's side playfully as they passed.

"Diggory!" Fred called out. Cedric turned around. The three of them weren't the best of friends, but they got along just fine. Maybe if the three were in the same house, they'd know each other better. "What's up mate?"

Nearby Y/N, Hermione, and Ginny were talking. "He's kind of cute, don't you think?" Ginny whispered.

Hermione smiled bashfully. "Yes, I suppose so."

"What do you think, Y/N?" Ginny said, turning to her.

"Oh, er… yeah. For sure," Y/N answered.

"You don't sound very sure of yourself," said Hermione. Ginny nodded in agreement.

"Well, you're staring over there," added Ginny, laughing slightly. Yeah, at your brother, Y/N thought to herself. She quickly averted her gaze.

"Am not!"

"Don't look now, but I think Cedric noticed," Hermione said with a slight giggle in her tone. Y/N glanced up to Cedric looking in their direction. Fred seemed to have followed his gaze and was now looking at them too.

A cheeky grin spread across his face. "Oi, Y/N! Come say hi!"

Y/N approached them and shot Fred a glare. Cedric stuck his hand out to her. She took it and they shook hands.

"Cedric Diggory."

"Y/N Potter."

After the crazy night at the game, the trek from the portkey to the burrow seemed much longer than before. In fact, so much so that George was lagging behind the rest of the group. In front of him was Fred and Y/N, who seemed to be in their own little world. Just as earlier in the day, he caught a snippet of a conversation that wasn’t meant for his ears.

“So, what’d you think of Diggory?” Fred said to Y/N in a teasing manner.

“What did I think of… Cedric? Yeah, he’s a nice guy,” she replied, shrugging her shoulders.

“A nice guy?” Fred laughed and Y/N rolled her eyes. “I think he took a liking to you…”

“A liking to me? What’s that supposed to mean exactly?”

“Oh, you know. He just seemed a little bit… flirty, if you will,” Fred said with a large grin on his face.

“No, I will not,” Y/N replied with the hint of a laugh in her voice. “He was just being friendly. Besides…” she leaned closer to Fred. “You know I fancy-”

Just then George heard a loud crunch that came from the bottom of his foot. He had stepped on a branch.

Fred and Y/N whipped around.

“George!” she exclaimed. “I- We- We didn’t quite s-see you there!” she said, wringing her hands nervously.

He felt a little bad at her mortified look. “Oh yeah, sorry about that. I was way behind and just caught up now.” Okay, so he lied. But she did look relieved, so it didn’t matter much to him.

A smile crossed her face. “B-brilliant.”

“Y/N, I think I heard Harry calling your name,” Fred said after a long silence. Y/N sent him a grateful look and headed to the group in front of them.

The Yule Ball was fast approaching and all of the students at Hogwarts seemed to be buzzing with excitement. Everyone except Y/N, of course. She had been stressed about Harry in the tournament and more obviously, she had not yet secured a date. Y/N was silently wishing that a certain someone would ask her, but she tried not to get her hopes up. He had never really given her much attention anyways.

Y/N was sitting in the library doing her potions homework. Despite the upcoming holidays, Professor Snape still decided to pile on work. She lifted her quill to dip into the ink bottle that was sat on the table.

“Y/N.” A voice from behind her cut through the silence of the library. Several heads turned their way. On top of that, the person had startled her so much that she knocked the ink all over her parchment. She tried to contain her huff and turned around.

“Yes?” she said in the politest tone possible.

“O-oh I’m sorry about that,” said the boy before her.

Her gaze softened and a polite smile made its way to her face. “Don’t worry about it. My essay was rubbish anyways. Kenneth Towler, right?”

“Yes, that’s me. And I highly doubt that. You’re one of the top students in your year, aren’t you?” he replied, fidgeting with his hands. Y/N felt a bit of heat rise to her face and smiled brighter. And were those… butterflies in her stomach? “A-anyways, I was wondering if you were going to the ball with anyone…?”

She was a bit startled by the question. “The ball? Oh no, no one’s asked me.” Y/N’s smile faltered a bit.

“Oh wow, that’s surprising. Well, I was wondering if-” he cleared his throat. “I was wondering if y-you wanted to go with me? To the ball, I mean,” he stammered. Y/N smiled to herself at his awkwardness. It was endearing, in a way.

When she opened her mouth to reply, a head of red hair caught her attention. It was George, walking towards the exit of the library. Her eyes followed him for a split second, as if that would will him to come over and ask her to be his. She shook the thought out of her head. Come on, Y/N, he’s barely even spoken to you.

“You know what, Kenneth? I would love to.”

And just like that the idea of George Weasley got smaller and smaller inside of her head.

“Fred! Fred!” a voice called from down the corridor that the twins were walking through. It was Y/N’s. They turned towards her.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the Y/N Potter,” Fred said, grinning as she approached. George thought that she seemed to have an extra pep in her step. She came forward and grabbed Fred’s arm in excitement.

“Oh, you wouldn’t believe it Fred. Someone’s just asked me to the ball. I didn’t think anyone would,” Y/N said. A bright smile was spread across her face. “Oh, and, erm, hi Geroge.” He nodded and smiled at her in acknowledgement. That was a bit unusual. She never really seemed to speak to him unless he spoke to her first.

“Oh, rubbish. You’re a right catch, Y/N Potter. Who’s the lucky guy?” replied Fred.

That just seemed to make Y/N’s smile wider. “Kenneth Towler.”

This shocked both Fred and George.

“Kenneth Towler? The Gryffindor? In our year?” Fred asked, eyes slightly wide. Y/N nodded. “Did you think you wouldn’t have any other options?” he teased, snickering slightly. Y/N lightly hit the side of his arm with the parchment rolled up in her hand.

“Oh hush, Fred. He’s a really nice guy. And handsome, too,” she said, laughing lightly. Oh thank goodness, George thought. She knows he’s teasing. For a second there he thought she’d get offended, but then he remembered that Y/N and Fred knew each other really well. They were quite close. Best mates, one could call it.

“Handsome! Handsome?! Well, I guess whatever floats your boat, Y/N. He’s definitely not Fred Weasley handsome, but he’s okay I suppose.” George let out a laugh at his brother’s word.

“Funny, coming from you Fred. I reckon Angelina will have to wear a blindfold to the ball if she even wants a chance at having a good time,” she replied. This made George shake with laughter. Y/N smiled brightly at him and fiddled with the bottom of her jumper. Did Y/N potter just make a joke? He had never seen it before. Perhaps that was why Fred had her around so much. She looked like she wanted to say something to him, but someone called his name and that was that.

The night of the ball soon came and Y/N was scrambling to get ready. Her hands were only slightly shaking as she was putting on her necklace.

"Are you nervous, Y/N? It's only Kenneth," her roommate, Katie said as she took the clasps of the jewelry out of her hand. She clipped it for her.

"That's the thing, Katie. It's not just Kenneth. He's the first boy who has shown interest in me and I really want him to like me," Y/N replied exasperated.

"The first boy-" Katie sputtered in surprise. "The first boy? Y/N, I can name four guys off the top of my head who've fancied you."

"Katie, I've no idea what you are on about. If anyone liked me why didn't they tell me or ask me out?" Y/N laughed slightly at the idea. She would've known if someone was interested in her… right?

"Well maybe it's because you never showed interest back," she replied, shrugging. Perhaps she had spent too much time looking at George to realize anyone was looking at her. Well, no matter. The fact was she was going with Kenneth tonight. Y/N finished with her accessories and stepped back to look in the mirror. Her roommate made her way to the mirror as well. "Wow Y/N, you look absolutely stunning."

A bright, genuine smile made its way to her face. "Thank you, Katie. Truly. And I know your date is going to be absolutely gobsmacked when he sees you." The two girls shared a laugh, then made their way down to the great hall.

That night Y/N hung out with Fred and Angelina, but she spent the most time with her date.

A few days later, after her second official date with him, she had an important conversation with Fred. The two of them were lounging in the courtyard.

"Y'know what, Fred?" she said. He hummed in response. "I'm completely over your brother." A large grin was spread across her face.

Fred sat up from leaning on her shoulder and turned to face her. "Are you really?" Y/N nodded excitedly. It was sort of… liberating to her. She felt she wasn't held back by her unrequited nonsense anymore. "That's surprising, seeing as you've fancied him since what? Before your fourth year?"

"Before my third year, actually. When you lot saved me and Harry from the big bad Dursley household." They both laughed at that. "But now I'm free." Fred raised his eyebrows. "Free from having to worry about George. Or what he thinks of me, at least. Now I've got Kenny. I don't know how to describe it, but he just makes me feel… good."

Fred grinned at her. "Kenny?"

"Yes, Kenny. You know I give everyone nicknames, Frederick," she replied, rolling her eyes.

George had a great time at the Yule Ball. There was dancing, singing, and good times. The Yule Ball also brought change, but it would take a little while for him to notice it.

Y/N seemed to have a magical night at the ball with her date. They went on a few dates after that and Kenneth asked her to be his girlfriend. She agreed of course, and they seemed happy as they could be for the rest of the year, given the circumstances. George saw that while Y/N still didn't really hang out with him, she came up to Fred while he was there more often now. He started to see more of her. Kenneth must be helping her come out of her shell, he thought.

Near the end of the year, George and Fred were walking through an empty corridor. They then turned the corner and were shocked to see a crying Y/N being comforted by Harry. Or at least he was trying to comfort her. He looked a little helpless.

"Y/N!" Fred exclaimed, sliding onto the bench next to her. He threw an arm around her comfortingly and said, "What's wrong?"

Y/N sniffled. "It's Kenneth," Harry answered for her. George felt a pang of anger go through him. He wasn't close to Y/N, but he still felt bad for her.

Fred looked even more angry than he felt. "What did he do?" said Fred, who George could tell was trying to contain his anger. She lifted her head from her hands.

"He didn't do anything. It's- It's-" Y/N started before stopping and letting out a shaky breath. "It's his parents. They're moving to- to-" she said, putting her head back into her hands.

"They're moving to America," said Harry, sensing that her throat was closing up.

“Moving to America?” Fred said incredulously. “Why?”

“They don’t think it’s safe here anymore,” she said, lifting her head once again. She tried to control her breathing and wiped her tears. “He has to sever all ties here and… I said I’d wait for him. Wait until this is all over. But he said that I’d be happier without waiting. Without him…” A fresh set of tears made their way to Y/N’s eyes. “But I’m not really happy now, am I?” she laughed at herself pathetically and tried to sit up straighter.

“I’m really sorry, Y/N,” Fred said, rubbing comforting circles on her back.

“Thanks, Fred.”

After George’s sixth year at Hogwarts everything seemed to change. You Know Who was back in his own body. Cedric Diggory was murdered in cold blood simply for being with Harry. The Order of the Phoenix was reestablished.

And another thing. Something about Y/N Potter had changed in George’s eyes. The summer before his last year at Hogwarts, the image of her in his head changed. And he wasn’t sure if it was for the better or not.

Please let me know what you think and ask me any questions you have! My askbox is always open! Thank you so much for reading!

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random-imagines-blog · 3 years

Text

Empty Walls {Sirius Back x Reader}

Requested by: Anonymous Wordcount: 2380 Summary: A lot of the order is pretty untrusting of any Slytherins joining their midst - but there is one person who accepts you. Warnings: Mentions of character death.

Molly Weasley shoved a plate of food in front of you, so harshly that little puddles of gravy spilt onto the table, making a small mess. You thanked her regardless of her hostility, and cleaned up the gravy with your own napkin, embroidered with your initials. She was a wonderfully sweet woman most of the time - but you just so happened to be a Malfoy. Despite your loyalty to the Order of the Phoenix, many of its members still didn’t trust you yet, because of your surname. It was more about that than the fact that you had been in Slytherin, while everyone else around here seemed either to be a Gryffindor or even a Hufflepuff. You tied your blonde hair out of your face and started to eat self-consciously, knowing that there were eyes on you no matter what. Sirius Black’s to be specific. He always seemed to be watching.

The room filled with the sound of eating as everyone dug into Molly’s delicious food. You were the first done, vacating your seat quickly and washed the dish - by hand - in the sink. You had grown up completely spoiled, with the house elves doing all of the cooking and cleaning, so earning your place here had been difficult at first. You didn’t mean to be spoiled. You just couldn’t help how you were raised.

Grimmauld Place. It was dark and it was dingy, but there was one place in this house in particular that you were drawn to. The wall with the family portraits - your own included. All of the little faces of your family, and then the burned out one of Mr. Sirius Black. Your eyes went to your brother and you smirked to yourself. He was painted in that little hat. He always hated that picture, which made you love it even more. You then saw your parents, Lucius and Narcissa. They both looked a little snooty, which was how they tended to appear to the world. But they were never like that when it was just the family together. Your fingers graced your mother’s face. You missed her, a lot. She still sent you owls, and your father would always add his own little notes. They loved you, despite the fact that most of their friends saw you as a traitor. That your actions nearly put a bounty on their own heads, like the rest of the order.

But you were going to help take him down before he could try to collect.

“Do you really like staring at your own face that much?” A deep voice came from behind you. You didn’t turn around. It was Mr. Black himself. He always seemed to be following you around. He was probably the most mistrustful of the lot. You just ignored him, and put your fingers over your father. You missed him as well. His opinion was the one that you had been most scared of - but you were doing what he was too cowardly to do. You were making the right choice.

You didn’t even pay attention to your little portrait. You knew what you looked like. You didn’t give into the vanity that the rest of the Malfoys seemed to have. You preferred knowledge over looks.

“It’s not that bad of a picture. Mine was awful. They made me cut my hair for it, so I looked like some dapper gentleman,” Sirius said. He had come and stood right behind you. You didn’t realize how close he was until then. If you took even one step backwards, you would have bumped into him.

“So it’s a good thing that your place is burnt out then?” You asked.

“I like to think of it more as an empty space,” Sirius said. “I’ll probably paint over the whole damn thing one of these days. Most of these people, I don’t feel like I’m that related to anyway. Like you.”

“We’re hardly related. It’s like ... many branches away,” You said with a shrug. He may be some sort of cousin but it never felt that way to you either. When you looked at him, you saw ... well, a handsome man, even with all of that hair and those tattoos. You had seen photos of him when he was younger and you had some pretty obscene thoughts one should not be having over family members. He’d been, to put it roughly, a hunk. “Why haven’t you painted over it by now?”

“The room needed some sort of decor,” Sirius shrugged. “I don’t know what I’d do with an empty wall.”

“Well, knowing you, I’m sure you’d hang a very flattering portrait of yourself,” You mused, clicking your tongue. “Dorian Gray style.”

“What?” Sirius asked. You laughed then, remembering that someone like him probably hasn’t picked up a book since his time at Hogwarts, let alone one written by a muggle.

“Nothing,” You said, shaking your head. “So what can I help you with? Does Molly need help with something?”

“Why would Molly need help with anything?” Sirius asked, taking a seat in one of his favorite chairs in the bedroom.

“I don’t know - you all seem to think that housework is female only work-” You started but Sirius cut you off.

“Not at all,” He said, shaking his head, those unruly waves flying around him. “I actually wanted to talk to you myself. And it’s really not about housework.”

“Well, talk away,” You said, settling into a chair of your own, facing away from those painted walls.

“I’ve been keeping my eye on you for a while now. I knew your father back in school and-”

“Yes, I’ve heard some of the stories,” You interrupted, crossing your legs. “There’s no need to go into a lot of backstory. I know you don’t trust me and that’s what you want to talk about, isn’t it?”

“Do you always go around making up all of these assumptions?” Sirius asked, curiously. “I don’t distrust you, I actually wanted to tell you that I think you’re doing an amazing job. Especially for someone so young.”

Your mouth went dry at the unexpected praise that he was bestowing on you. “Well, thanks. That actually means a lot to me. It’s been hard, since I had to give up everything but saving the world seems pretty worth it. Wanna tell Molly what you think, because that woman has had it out for me since day one.”

“She’ll come around. She’s just mistrustful of Slytherins, that’s all.”

You were quiet for a couple of minutes there, thinking about all of the times that you had tried to proven yourself to the Order. You had gone out on dangerous missions without hesitation. You had fought people who had once been dear family friends. You were trying to protect the world, which seemed bigger than just one family.

“Guess I just have to give it time - and hope that we have enough of it,” You sighed, realizing there wasn’t much in this situation that you could do. “You’re not so bad yourself, Black. Even if you come from a family of, well, us. Snakes and all.”

“Thanks,” He chuckled. “I’ll take that to heart.”

Since you had already graduated from Hogwarts, you spent a lot of time among the rest of the adults. Molly was finally warming up to you just a little, if only because she had no children to keep her busy now that they were all back at school. You were one of the youngest in the Order, having just left school the year before, and so she doted on you. Or, at the very least, she didn’t make a mess of your food anymore.

“Fancy taking me for a walk?” Sirius asked you one day, leash in hand. You laughed, knowing exactly what he had meant. It was the only way that he could leave this house. Being disguised as Snuffles, the big black dog. And the only way not to get Animal Control called on him was to have someone walk him around.

You nodded, also feeling the need to get out of the stifling nature of the house. Get away from the screams of the portrait and the gloominess that clung around every corer despite you and Molly’s attempt to cheer the place up a bit. Sirius turned into his dog form, and you put the leash and collar on him - which always felt weird, no matter how many times you did it. His tongue lolled out as he grew excited for the fresh air and it was enough to make you laugh.

These walks became more and more frequent - especially because sometimes, when you were in a more isolated part of town, Sirius would turn back into his human self and you would have a coffee and sit in a park, enjoying the early fall nature. You ended up having some really long conversations. About everything. You told him some stories about his godson, Harry, and his friends at school - they were rather infamous and it seemed like you knew a lot about them despite not being in their house. And your brother’s complaints, of course.

It didn’t take long for you to realize that you were falling for this much older man, despite the age gap and the fact that he had been in Azkaban for years, and that this was hardly the time for love, given the fact that there was a war that was growing in importance more and more each day.

“To the ones that we have lost,” Arthur Weasley said, raising his glass in toast over his head.

It was not a happy occasion that you were celebrating here tonight, back at Grimmauld Place. “To the ones that we have lost,” you toasted back in return. And then you drank deeply from your flask - Firewhiskey having become a solace these days.

Sirius was taking things particularly hard - the war may be over, but the cost of that victory was entirely too high. He was tearing himself apart about it, but you couldn’t blame him. He lost his only other best friend. And the Weasleys had lost two sons - one to death, and one to the attack of a werewolf, though Bill was pulling through swimmingly.

You stood up slowly, which garnered the attention of the rest of the people around you. “I can’t be here,” You admitted, finding it too hard to be around loved ones, when they weren’t exactly the ones that you wanted.

You went down the hallway into the room with the family portrait on it, your wand in your hand as you closed the door, but you did not lock it. “What have you done to be remembered for?” You asked the portrait of yourself, and of your parents.

“I think this is a long time coming,” Sirius said, staggering into the room. “Patat Pingere.”

“What are you doing?” You asked, as the paint started to peel off of the walls, and then dissolve into nothing, leaving only the bare baseboards that they must have been before the family tree. You watched as you, your parents and the rest of them just seemed to disappear, like you never existed.

“You deserve to be remembered,” Sirius said, leaning against the doorframe, taking in the sight of all of that white. “So we’ll repaint you now, as you are. And... and Remus. And Tonks. And Fred... the others...”

You nodded, looking at the potential of it now. All of the noble house of Black had disappeared, and most of them were better off being remembered - entirely unlike everyone that you had just lost, and whose death was still pulling at your heart.

“And yours,” You said, looking over at Sirius. You were surprised to see that his head was down, and a sob racked through his entire body, and he was barely keeping himself upright.

You rushed to his side and took his weight upon your shoulder, half-dragging and half-carrying him to his favorite chair and helped to lower him into it. He didn’t let you go, so you had no choice but to sit with him. You curled up in his lap like a kitten, and he held you while sobbing into the shoulder of your robes.

You were through with crying - you’ve made yourself dehydrated with it and nothing ever seemed to get better, but seeing Sirius like this was still draining nonetheless. “You’re not completely alone Sirius - you have me.”

That seemed to help somewhat, for his shoulders stopped shaking as much, but he did continue to hold onto you tightly, making sure that you could not leave, even if you had wanted to. You didn’t want to, you wanted to stay and make sure that he knew - that he knew that you would not leave him.

“I love you.”

You weren’t expecting that from him, especially not at this time, but you began to run your fingers through the dirty, straggly hair.

“I love you too.”

“Don’t just say that if you don’t mean it. I can’t take anything more, I just-”

You’ve never seen him so vulnerable before. Even when he was in the middle of a fight, with spells going around him, narrowly missing him, he usually had some excitement showing on his face. But this was a defeated man, who seemed ready to break at the slightest negativity.

“I mean it, with every bit of me. I really, truly do,” You told him, detangling a few knots with your fingers, your wand having dropped on the floor when it seemed like he was falling. “I love you, Sirius Black.”

“Can we fix this - these empty walls?” Sirius’s head rose just a little.

You nodded, looking into his dark eyes, which had the same expression as a dog that had just been kicked. “Yes, I think we can. I know we can. Let’s start tomorrow.”

#Sirius Black #Sirius Black x reader #Sirius Black oneshot #Harry Potter #Harry Potter oneshot #request #oneshot #one shot #siriusb #x reader

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songtoyou · 3 years

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Epiphany - Part One

Paring: Luke Crain x Female Reader

Chapter Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 2,204

Warnings: Talks of drug use and recovery, mention death of a family member.

Description: Life has never been easy for Luke Crain. After the death of Nell, Luke realizes that he needs to make some changes. He decided to stay in Massachusetts and attend rehab. He was determined to remain on his path of sobriety. When you get assigned to be Luke’s sponsor, it opens a new door of possibilities that neither you nor Luke expected.

A/N: I finally watched the Haunting of Hill House a while back. I found Luke to be very interesting. This is my take on how Luke would go on with life after Nell’s death and how his continued path to remain sober would look like.

I do not permit my work to be posted on any other site without my permission.

Updated: Cleaned up for grammar and punctuation errors.

An epiphany is when a sudden and intuitive perception of insight into reality. It can provide a great moment of revelation and present itself as symbolic insight. Some people experience it while others often search for it.

Life was not easy for Luke Crain or his siblings. After the recent events of Hill House, Luke was scared of a life without his twin sister, Nell. Despite Luke being ninety seconds older, he always felt that Nell was his big sister. She was his protector. The only person to believe in him when others constantly sowed doubt. Unfortunately, Hill House ended up taking Nell in the end, along with his father Hugh. Luke was scared. More scared than he had ever been now that Nell was gone.

However, Luke was determined to get clean. To remain clean. He had to do it, not only for Nell but for himself. Both Steve and Theo pitched in to help pay for a good rehab center for Luke to stay. At first, Luke told them, no, but it was Theo who adamantly expressed her desire to support him.

“Luke, you have made it to 90-days. I can tell you want to remain clean. We all see it. Nell still believes in you and so do we. I want to be supportive of you because you’re my little brother and I love you,” said Theo.

With the support and help of his siblings, Luke decided to stay in Massachusetts for treatment. He took up residence with Shirley in the guest house since Theo decided to move out to live on her own. Despite her worries, Shirley believed in her little brother and his determination to remain clean. One could say it was her way to make amends for the guilt she held by not allowing Luke to attend Nell’s wedding.

It was actually Shirley’s husband Kevin, who recommended Banyan Treatment Center in Wilmington, Massachusetts. “One of my sisters went there for her alcohol addiction. She responded well to the program and has continued to stay sober for two-years. Banyan has a good family counseling program, along with outpatient therapy. Pretty much will have everything you need to continue your path for sobriety,” said Kevin one night after dinner.

It did not take long for Steve and Theo to be on board with Luke deciding on Banyan. Both liked what they read of the place. The treatment center was not uber fancy, like the one Shirley paid for all those years ago but also was a tad upscale compared to the rehab center in Los Angeles Luke recently attended.

The therapists and case managers at Banyan were nice and friendly. Rob, Luke’s primary therapist, helped ease him into a routine. Even though Luke was now over 90 days sober, Rob recommended intensive outpatient therapy every day for an hour session. Luke admitted to Rob, along with his siblings, that he was worried about relapsing due to Nell and Hugh’s deaths. He did not want to fall back into old and dangerous habits.

For 30 days, Luke was committed to his intensive outpatient therapy. Talking over his childhood trauma at Hill House and the recent events helped, not only explain his phobias but also tackle his post-traumatic stress. Hill House had a long-lasting effect that damaged his entire family. So much so, that all he wanted to be was numb. To not have to deal with the images in his mind or how the loss of his mother disturbed him.

When Luke “graduated” from intensive outpatient therapy to regular outpatient therapy, Rob recommended a sponsor for him. The Center’s alumni recovery program allowed for past patients who have succeeded in their program to help mentor those currently in the early stages of detox, treatment, and recovery. Having a strong and influential network of sober peers can make all of the difference between an addict relapsing or staying strong through hard times.

That is how you came into Luke Crain’s life. Rob recommended you to Luke as a sponsor. You had just celebrated your third anniversary of recovery. It was not that you had a bad childhood as the reason you turned to drugs. You were not abused, both of your parents were still alive, nor had you experienced any other forms of childhood trauma. Similar to Luke, heroin was your choice of escapism; the way to ease the feeling of pain and suffering. Not your own, but other peoples’.

That was the downside of being an empath.

Of course, no one believed you about being an empath. Your mother had always referred to you as an overly sensitive child and that stress was not something you handled very well. When having to deal with the ability to sense what people are feeling, whether the emotions are happy, sad, scared, stressed, disturbed, or angry, can be a lot for a person to handle. There came a time when taking on the pain of others became too much. You no longer wanted that burden. You no longer wanted to feel anything.

It did not matter how many rehab facilities your parents sent you to or how many times they pleaded; you did not care. For once, you put yourself first. Heroin helped you stop feeling. Helped you feel numb and content. You were happy. Of course, when the high wore off, as it always does, you were back to reality. You hated reality.

The last hit you had made you end up in the hospital. The doctor explained how you overdosed but were able to resuscitate you in time. That was when you finally realized you needed to change. Needed to get clean once and for all. You knew it would take time and patience. That you would not magically become clean and sober overnight. It was a process. Setbacks were a possibility. However, there was always a little voice in the back of your head that helped pull you through the dark times, to motivate you to keep going.

Now here you were about to meet the new mentee that Rob assigned you to. He only gave a little backstory about Luke, but not many other details. You ended up texting Luke asking him to meet you on Sunday at your favorite coffee shop, the As Good As It Gets Café. He promptly replied that he would see you there around noon.

When Sunday finally rolled around, you headed to the café and waited. It was a quarter past twelve and Luke still had not shown up. You were starting to get nervous and wondering if he would ever appear. You were on the verge of texting him when the bell on the entry door chimed, indicating that someone was entering the café. You looked up and saw a very tall, scruffy, and attractive looking man standing by the door. The way he was looking around with a lost kind of look helped pinpoint that this was Luke. You got up from your booth and walked over to him.

“Luke?” you politely asked.

“Yes,” he said.

You introduced yourself and held your hand out for him to shake, which he took. You immediately became overwhelmed with the emotions that permeated this man. There was a lot of pain and loss underneath. But there was also a sense of hope and happiness that felt nice.

“Are you okay?” Luke asked wondering why all of a sudden you had a weird look on your face.

“Hmm? I’m sorry. I’m fine. I didn’t mean to…daze off for a second,” you laughed and pointed over to the booth you previously occupied. You walked over with Luke following.

“I’m sorry that I’m late. I was finishing up some homework and didn’t track the time properly,” Luke shared.

“Oh, where do you go to school?”

“Uh…I take a creative writing course at Bunker Hill Community College,” he replied.

“Nice. How are you liking it so far?” you asked him.

Before Luke could respond, one of the waitresses came over asking if Luke wanted anything to drink. Indicating that he just wanted coffee, the two of you were soon left alone.

“I like it. The instructor is really nice. It is the only course I am taking, so it doesn’t take up too much of my time. My older brother, Steve, actually encouraged me to enroll after I shared some of my writing with him. He’s a writer himself. I don’t know if you ever heard of him, Steven Crain? He has written a lot of books, mostly ghost stories. His most famous one is, ‘The Haunting of Hill House’. Have you read that book?”

“I have not. I tend to stay away from horror genres,” you told Luke.

There was a moment of silence between the two of you. Luke was adverting his gaze to anywhere but you. It was easy to tell that he was nervous and unsure of himself.

“Luke,” you spoke up to get his attention and said, “You don’t have to be anxious or feel uneasy. Getting here, to this step, is a big freaking deal. I get it, trust me. I absolutely get it. I never thought I’d be here. To be completely frank, I always pictured myself dead somewhere in the streets. I’m sure you pictured the same for yourself. But it didn’t. You’re here today because you wanted more for yourself. That is something to be proud of.”

Letting out a sigh, Luke sat back in the booth and crossed his arms over his chest. Sometimes he did not feel proud. He missed Nell. He missed her all of the time. She always believed in him no matter how many times he broke her heart. Nell always forgave him. She was always there when he needed someone to bail him out of trouble.

“You okay, Luke? If you would rather do this another time, that is okay. We can reschedule,” you offered. You could sense a feeling of grief underneath the surface of the man sitting before you.

“No. No, I’m sorry. I…uh…I was thinking about Nellie. My twin sister. She…she died recently. Well, not recent, two months ago. So, it’s still…very…it’s still a lot to handle.”

“I’m sorry,” you told him earnestly. “What was it like having a twin? I don’t have any siblings, so I always like to hear other people’s sibling stories.”

“Having siblings has its pros and cons,” Luke laughed, but continued, “They can be much at times, but I’m glad to have them. Especially now that Nellie is gone. They have been incredibly supportive, which makes all the difference in the world.”

“I really appreciate you sharing this with me, Luke. I know it can’t be easy. I am a stranger after all. You’re actually my second mentee from the alumni recovery program. My previous one …well her story didn’t have a happy ending,” you shared with Luke.

He could relate. When he left the clinic in Los Angeles to find Joey and bring her back to get her clean again. She was nine-months clean at the time but ended up using while being back on the streets. Luke would be lying to himself if he did not say he was rather disappointed in Joey. To him, Joey was someone who he could look up to while trying to get clean. He should have known something was off with her during what would be their last night at the clinic. Joey reminded him of Nell, so he could not stand by and do nothing. Joey helped him during his first week at the clinic. So, Luke felt that he owed it to her to return the favor.

Unfortunately, Joey did not want his help in the end. To this day, Luke still does not know what really happened to her after she swiped the drugs off him and headed towards that alley. But deep inside, Luke knew she did not make it. That her body would either be discovered or continue to rot in that alley. Theo would tell him that Joey was not his responsibility. That he had to put himself first when it came to recovery.

Luke pushed his coffee cup to the side and leaned on the table. You were so focused on your own coffee cup that you did not notice him staring at you intently. He was taking you in and assessing you. So far, he could admit that he found you attractive. You had a nice built. Your clothing was not too flashy. He could tell that you were the type to choose comfortable clothing over fashionable attire. However, it was your eyes that stood out. There was a softness and warmness to them that he found quite soothing. There were no ulterior motives behind them or any sense of malice. Luke could see that your intentions with him were good and that you really wanted to help him in his recovery by being a supportive mentor.

“Hey,” he said to get your attention. “I promised that I’ll come to talk to you if I ever feel like I might…. Or if I just feel like I need someone to talk to.”

“I appreciate that, Luke,” you told him sincerely.

#luke crain #luke crain x female reader #luke crain x reader #the haunting of hill house #oliver jackson cohen

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mediaevalmusereads · 3 years

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Black Sun. By Rebecca Roanhorse. New York: Saga Press, 2020.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Genre: fantasy

Part of a Series? Yes, Between Earth and Sun #1

Summary: In the holy city of Tova, the winter solstice is usually a time for celebration and renewal, but this year it coincides with a solar eclipse, a rare celestial event proscribed by the Sun Priest as an unbalancing of the world. Meanwhile, a ship launches from a distant city bound for Tova and set to arrive on the solstice. The captain of the ship, Xiala, is a disgraced Teek whose song can calm the waters around her as easily as it can warp a man’s mind. Her ship carries one passenger. Described as harmless, the passenger, Serapio, is a young man, blind, scarred, and cloaked in destiny. As Xiala well knows, when a man is described as harmless, he usually ends up being a villain.

***Full review under the cut.***

Content Warnings: blood, violence, gore, body horror, drug/alcohol use, self-harm, suicide, mutilation, reference to child sex slavery

Overview: I came across this book while looking for fantasy novels set in non-European-inspired worlds. I got really exited about the premise: a pre-Columbian, indigenous-inspired story? With multiple perspectives? And crows? It sounded great! Unfortunately, I couldn’t give this book more than 3 stars for a number of reasons: I felt like the writing could have been a little bit better and that character motivations could have been more clear; and I ultimately didn’t feel like the story was a true race-against-the-clock until the end. While I’m intrigued enough to pick up book 2 in the series, I do wish this book had done a little more to make me feel connected to the plot and the characters.

Writing: Roanhorse’s writing reminds me of some New Adult prose styles: it feels straight-forward, clear, and well-balanced, but sometimes tends to tell more than show, especially when it comes to emotion. I really liked that I could follow the prose without issue, but I often felt like Roanhorse was dumping some info on me and expecting me to absorb it right away. For example, Xiala (one of the protagonists) tells us that she’s always felt like an outsider and that’s why she has such an immediate connection with Serapio (another protagonist), but I didn’t exactly feel that. There were also some worldbuilding details that seemed to be inserted to flesh out the world - which was great - but ultimately didn’t feel relevant to what was going on in the plot.

This book is also told from multiple perspectives and flashes forward and backward in time. While I personally was able to follow the voices and time skips just fine, some readers might find it a challenge.

Also, without spoiling anything, the end of this book seemed to rush by WAY too fast, and I honestly didn’t feel like most of the book was building to it.

The worldbuilding, however, was wonderful. I really liked the way Roanhorse described the look and feel of everything from the tastes, smells, sights, etc. and I loved how diverse and rich everything felt. While I don’t know enough about various Indigenous groups to comment on whether or not the cultural elements were incorporated well, I did like that various populations didn’t seem to be monoliths and varied in terms of social structure, dress, and custom.

Plot: The plot of this book follows two-ish threads: in one thread, Xiala must get Serapio to the city of Tova in time for “the Convergence,” a time when the celestial bodies are aligned AND there’s a lunar eclipse. In the other, Naranpa must navigate a plot to oust her from the priesthood while also dealing with rising opposition from clan Carrion Crow (and their cultists, with whom Okoa is involved).

Because of the many POV characters and the flashbacks in time, it was difficult to feel any sense of urgency in either plot thread. Xiala and Serapio’s thread was a travel narrative, and most of the conflict stemmed from the fact that the crew just straight up did not trust Xiala. At first, I thought we were getting a narrative where the crew mistrusts Xiala because she’s Teek, but then they appear to be ok with her in what was a pleasant subversion of my expectations. But then something happens and we’re back to what I expected, and it proves inconvenient for getting Serapio to Tova in time. Because I didn’t feel like I had much of a reason to want Xiala and Serapio to succeed (Serapio’s motivations are mysterious and Xiala mostly wants wealth), I felt pretty “meh” about them potentially missing their deadline. I would have much rather seen Xiala (and perhaps the crew?) be challenged and grow from the setbacks she experiences at sea, and for her to become more personally connected to Serapio so the journey shifts from one done to earn untold wealth to one where Xiala wants to help her friend (even if said friend ends up being deceptive).

The Tovan plot is likewise a little “meh” because there wasn’t a huge sense of urgency or suspense. I felt like I didn’t know the clans enough to feel strongly about their politics (aside from understanding that killing people is bad in the abstract), nor did I have a concrete reason for wanting the institution of the priesthood to remain (once I learned more of their history and the fact that most priests - called “Watchers” - would rather be elitist than minister to the people).

Perhaps that’s why I felt a little underwhelmed by the plot as a whole: while things certainly happened, I ultimately didn’t feel like they impacted the characters’ inner lives much, or if they did, that evolution was told to us more than shown. While I understand that Black Sun is the first book in a series, I still would have liked the plot to have more of an impression on the characters.

Characters: I think it’s safe to say that this book follows 4 main protagonists: Xiala (a Teek sea captain who fills the Han Solo archetype), Serapio (the mysterious blind man with crow-themes magic powers), Naranpa (the Sun Priest who struggles against traditionalists to make the priesthood more active in people’s lives), and Okoa (the son of the murdered Carrion Crow clan matriarch). While I liked all of these characters, I do wish they had been a little less dependent on archetypes (lusty sea captain, Chosen One, etc). Maybe things will change as they develop in later novels, but for now, they’re fun and certainly likeable in their own ways, but not mind-blowing.

Xiala is likeable in that she’s a hot mess with a heart of gold. She drinks, swears, and gets into trouble, all in the pursuit of earning enough wealth to make a living. She is also Teek - a member of a (rumored) all-female island clan, whose members have special sea-based magic. I liked Xiala’s connection to the sea and the way she communicates her people’s stories and cultural values. However, I do wish she was challenged a little more to want something more than material reward.

Serapio is an intriguing character in that he fits the archetype of dark, mysterious Chosen One. While I appreciated that he wasn’t a gruff loner (instead, he seemed eager to connect with people while recognizing that his appearance might unsettle them), I also think his backstory is a little too “edgy” for my tastes. His motivations were somewhat shrouded in mystery, which made it hard to know whether or not I wanted to root for him to succeed, but because he’s not a complete jerk, I found him interesting enough.

The connection between Xiala and Serapio could have been a lot stronger than it was. While I liked that they bonded over their “outsider” statuses, I ultimately felt like this was told to us rather than shown. Thus, when they kind of sort of “get together” later in the novel, it doesn’t feel earned. I didn’t understand what Xiala saw in Serapio other than his physical attractiveness and (maybe?) feeling like he didn’t treat her as a foreigner. While fine, I wanted Xiala to be more attracted to Serapio’s personal qualities, not just that he was nice to her. Same thing for Serapio: I didn’t get the sense that he had genuine feelings for Xiala personally, just that she was intriguing because she was Teek.

Naranpa, the Sun Priest, was an interesting figure in that she was caught up in the politics of the priesthood. While I liked watching her navigate the various setbacks and conflicts with traditionalists, I ultimately wish I had been given a more compelling reason to root for Naranpa to succeed. Trying to make the priesthood more hands-on and philanthropic is all well and good, but it felt too abstract. I wanted Naranpa to have more personal stakes - because she comes from the “gutters” of the city, is she more invested? But if so, how does she reconcile that with her decades-long absence from where she grew up? There was a little of that, but ultimately, I didn’t feel like I had a reason to want the priesthood to continue. I didn’t understand why Naranpa was so attached to the priesthood as an institution; why didn’t didn’t she cut her losses and go elsewhere?

Okoa is something of a late addition. His perspective doesn’t appear right away, but I think that worked out fine, considering when it appeared. Okoa is a warrior who finds himself torn between keeping peace between his clan and the Priesthood and joining a rebellious cult who wants to restore the old religion and seek revenge against the Priesthood for past trauma. While I think his perspective was important, I didn’t personally feel invested in this plot or Okoa’s dilemma. Perhaps it’s because I didn’t feel like the rebels were treated as having a real grievance; we’re told about the past and told that it was harmful, but because we don’t get the perspective of someone dedicated to the Cause, I didn’t feel like I could sympathize with it. Okoa himself is resistant, calling the rebels “cultists” and saying that though he understands their grief, he doesn’t want to support violence. Perhaps if Okoa felt threatened by the cultists, or if their cause was a true threat to the stability and well-being of the clan, then I could feel more involved. But as it stands, Okoa was somewhat wishy-washy, and I couldn’t quite understand the stakes to make his indecision feel justified.

Side or supporting characters were interesting. I really liked that Roanhorse included plenty of queer characters, including trans and non-binary/third gender characters who use pronouns like xe/xir. My favorite was probably Iktan, the head of what is essentially the assassin’s branch of the priesthood.

TL;DR: Black Sun is an intriguing fantasy with intricate worldbuilding and premise. While I personally felt like the inner lives of the characters could have been more developed and the plot more compelling, I think this book (and author) will satisfy many fantasy lovers, and I look forward to picking up the next novel in the series.

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