#ava-rosier

[lilacwisps]

Eyes to wonder (tongues to praise)

Ship: Sebastian Sallow x Ravenclaw Female Player Character Rating: T

Summary:  In which Sebastian eavesdrops on a conversation, jumps to conclusions, and almost makes a fool of himself, yet, somehow, still gets the girl.

ao3 link

Settled in a small alcove in the Slytherin Common Room, Sebastian thumbs impatiently through the fragile pages of The Secrets of the Darkest Arts. He'd stolen - borrowed- it from the Restricted Section of the library the night before, hoping to find something - anything - that could cure Anne. The book had promised to reveal the intricacies of the most complex curses but was yet to deliver anything useful - Sebastian is halfway through the tome and still hasn't found anything that could help his sister. Suppressing a frustrated sigh, Sebastian flips another page and focuses on the text.

Sebastian doesn't usually read the books he's borrowed from the Restricted Section in the common room, preferring the secrecy of the Undercroft or the silence of his dorm to the inevitable prying eyes and chatter in the commons. But this late October Friday afternoon is surprisingly warm, and the castle grounds are bathed in sunlight, and all the students have poured out into the courtyards, hoping to enjoy one last beautiful day before the weather inevitably takes a turn for the worse. As he is all alone in the common room, Sebastian figures there is no reason he couldn't read the book in his favorite alcove.

As Sebastian flips another page, he's startled by the sound of a door opening and closing in the distance. His hand reaches for his bookbag as he momentarily considers whether he should hide the tome before he realizes that the sound's coming from the direction of the dorms. With a sigh, Sebastian lets go of his bag - the route from the dorms to the exit doesn't pass directly by the alcove, so the chances of anyone seeing him are slim.

He's about to return to his reading when suddenly, he hears, "By the way, Imelda told me about your run-in with the new fifth-year earlier this week during the Beasts Class, and I am dying to know - is she as good at dueling as everyone claims she is?"

Sebastian rarely eavesdrops, but the words "new fifth-year" instantly get his attention, so he listens closer.

"Fortunately for her, it didn't come to that," Sebastian instantly recognizes Nicholas Nott's voice, "Howin was standing right there, watching everyone. Otherwise, she'd get a proper Hogwarts welcome."

Nott's companion, Henry Avery, laughs, and Sebastian rolls his eyes. Nott's always bragged about his dueling talent, but on the few occasions that Sebastian got to duel him, he'd found Nott to be utterly mediocre with the wand. Given how well Ava handled Sebastian himself during their Defense Against the Dark Arts class duel - and everyone at the Crossed Wands - Nott stood absolutely no chance. Nott was the lucky one that Professor Howin was keeping a close eye on the class - and it is almost amusing to Sebastian how much he doesn't realize it.

"I must say," Nott continues after a brief pause, "A spirited little thing that Rosier girl. And quite easy on the eyes too."

Sebastian's amusement melts away in an instant as an unfamiliar feeling uncoils in his chest. Sebastian would be lying if he said he'd never noticed that Ava was pretty - and, perhaps it should come as no surprise that Nott saw it too - yet, there's something about the casual brazenness of Nott's tone that makes Sebastian almost angry.

"Oh wow," Avery whistles, "Who would have thought she'd catch your eye! Davies will be all broken up over this when she finds out."

"Good then," Nott replies, "I am so tired of her. It was fun at first, but she'd grown so clingy in recent weeks. Won't leave me alone even in class - it is quite unbearable, honestly. The only peace and quiet I get these days is here, where she cannot follow. It's well past time to send her on her merry way - and if this does it, then all the better."

"Slowly working your way through all the Ravenclaw girls in our year, huh?" Avery laughs, "Oh, I have an idea - once you're through with all of them, you should consider ranking their…performance."

Sebastian slams the book in front of him shut. Anger, bright and bristling, rises in his chest, spilling liquid fire through his veins, making his heart pound in his ears. Avery would do well to watch his mouth - it takes almost all of Sebastian's willpower to stop himself from finding Avery and knocking his teeth out. But he had promised Ominis to try and stay out of trouble - at least for a little while - and so he clenches his fists till his knuckles are white and remain in his seat.

Sebastian does not expect Avery's words to get under his skin, but they do - after all, Ava is a close, dear friend, and he wants what's best for her. What other reason could there be for the white-hot rage blooming in his chest at the insinuation? Certainly not the way Sebastian's breath seems to catch in his throat whenever Ava meets his gaze or the way his heart flutters when his hand brushes against hers on accident as they walk side by side.

"A tempting thought, but I think I might stick with this one for a while," Nott chuckles, "Only if she learns to behave, of course. The way she'd comported herself in the Beasts class was quite unacceptable."

"I wouldn't count on it," Avery laughs, "From what I heard, your Rosier girl's rather difficult."

"There is a lot I'm willing to overlook for those dark doe eyes and that pretty pink mouth," Nott replies nonchalantly, "But certainly not everything. Luckily, I know just the way of teaching people their place."

"Now that's going to be interesting," Avery chuckles.

Blood rushes in Sebastian's ears, and his heart pounds rapidly against his ribs. Who does Nott think he is? Ava will never give him the time of day - not if Sebastian has anything to say about it. Somehow, the way Nott speaks of her so brazenly, the way he must have looked at her during the class - and Merlin knows when else - feels like a transgression - an almost personal offense. She isn't his speak of - or even think of - that way.

She isn't yours either, a voice in his head taunts.

"Are you sure you want to get involved?" Avery says suddenly, "I feel like things might get…messy."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nott asks coolly.

"Well, I've heard Reyes say that your Rosier girl is actually Sallow's little squeeze - apparently, they've been caught in flagrante the other night in some broom closet or another," Avery explains.

The memory brings hot blush to Sebastian's cheeks. A few nights ago, he and Ava tried sneaking into the Restricted Section to search for The Secrets of the Darkest Arts. Sebastian did not expect any trouble on their regular route but was in for a nasty surprise when he realized that prefects were stationed at both ends of the corridor. The only option to avoid getting caught right then was to hide and wait for the prefects to leave their posts to patrol - and the only available hideout was an old broom closet.

The closet in question turned out to be tiny - even leaning against opposite walls left hardly an inch of space between them. Sebastian's heart fluttered in his chest as he realized just how close they were, and suddenly, his whole body felt as though on fire. A part of him wanted to leave that very second to make sure he didn't do anything he shouldn't have - and yet another part of him never wanted that moment to end.

Sebastian's heart races as he remembers Ava's warm breath ghosting his neck as she whispered in his ear.

They were not doing anything untoward - or so Sebastian tells himself - but it seems the Hufflepuff prefect who caught them thought differently. And, apparently, she'd shared her conjectures with Imelda, at the very least.

"Reyes has no idea what she's talking about," Nott scoffs, "And you should know better than to trust such silly rumors. The girl is a Rosier - there's no way she'd be involved with a half-blood."

Sebastian rolls his eyes - before attending Hogwarts, he had no concept of the "blood purity" status. Both his parents were wizards - and Sebastian had always felt that was all anyone needed to know about him. As it turned out, however, he was wrong - his mother's parents were muggles, which made him a half-blood in the eyes of those who could trace their unbroken lineage of wizards to Merlin himself.

Sebastian always considered the concern with blood purity silly - it's not like having wizard parents and grandparents, and great-grandparents made his classmates stronger or more intelligent. Although some bloodlines carried impressive abilities - like Ominis's Parselmouth ability - those were few and far between.

"Imelda's pretty reliable when it comes to this sort of thing," Avery argues, but Nott just scoffs again.

"Even if it were true - and I'm sure it isn't - it won't take very long to show the Rosier girl that there are finer things in life than some orphaned half-blood."

"And if she doesn't listen?" Avery prods, "You did say she was quite spirited."

"In that case, I have this as insurance," Nott replies.

"Oh, so you are very serious about it," Avery whistles, "Well, then, this is going to be interesting."

"What can I say - I always play to win."

From the alcove, Sebastian cannot see Nott or Avery - so there is no way for him to find out what insurance Nott is talking about. A sudden memory comes to mind of a great scandal from last year when Gryffindor's Seeker unexpectedly dropped out of the team just two days before the Quidditch final and was later spotted with Nott all around the castle. Unable to find a replacement Seeker in time, Gryffindor suffered a crashing, catastrophic defeat, and Slytherin won the Quidditch cup for the third year in a row.

Instantly, the rumors swirled that a love potion may have been involved - persistent gossip plagued the school for the better part of two weeks until Headmaster Black personally interfered to put an end to them. Despite the headmaster's interference - and, perhaps, because of it - Sebastian was almost certain that the rumors were true. Knowing Nott, Sebastian wouldn't put it past him to bewitch the Gryffindor Seeker to ensure Slytherin's Quidditch victory - just as he wouldn't put it past Headmaster Black to cover up the ordeal. After all, Black had an extensive track record of showing favoritism to his friends' children, and from what Sebastian could tell, Nott's father was among those friends.

Could it be…?

Sebastian recalls the conversation between Nott and Avery, and the more he thinks of Nott's words, the more certain he becomes. That must be it! The "insurance" Nott's been talking about - he is going to give Ava a love potion. That bastard!

"Speaking of which," Nott continues, distracting Sebastian from his thoughts, "I have an appointment to keep. A little bird had told me that Rosier is in Hogsmeade now - and I'm going there to meet her."

"Good luck," Aver responds, "I'll be curious to hear how everything went once you return."

"Actually, I thought you might want to come along," Nott cuts him off, "She is with Pecul… with Poppy Sweeting, so I thought you could keep Poppy company while I talk to Rosier."

"Poppy Sweeting, huh?" the sudden shift in Avery's tone is almost unsettling, "Well then, I'm in."

The distant sounds of steps are followed by the rumbling of the stone snakes opening the door to the Slytherin Common Room, and Sebastian knows he needs to hurry. He absolutely cannot let Nott do whatever he is planning to do. Shoving The Secrets of the Darkest Arts into his book bag, Sebastian rushes to exit the Common Room, but before he can make it out, the door opens again, and in comes Ominis. There are a few small feathers on his shoulders and a couple in his hair, and Sebastian instantly knows that Ominis is coming back from Owlery.

"Sebastian," Ominis says, recognizing his steps instantly, "I was about to look for you."

"I don't have time right now, I need to get to Hogsmeade," Sebastian replies, "It's urgent."

"What happened?" Ominis asks, instantly frowning.

"It's Nott - he wants to sneak a love potion to Ava," Sebastian explains, shifting impatiently from foot to foot, "I cannot let that happen - I have to stop him before he does!"

"A love potion? Nott?" Ominis muses, confusion apparent on his face, "Wait, how would you know that - did he tell you?"

"He told Avery, and I overheard," Sebastian replies before adding, "Well, not in so many words, but what he said was essentially an admission of guilt."

"What do you mean?" Ominis asks, and Sebastian lets out an exasperated sigh.

"I can't explain now, I need to hurry," Sebastian says, frustrated, "What would be the fastest way to Hogsmeade?"

"Through the passage behind the statute of One Eyed Witch," Ominis says, "Unless, of course, something drastically changed since we've last taken that path."

"Thank you," Sebastian says, and he's about to rush past Ominis when his friend turns around.

"Wait," he says firmly, "I'll walk with you, and you can explain the situation to me."

Sebastian knows that arguing would be futile. They are out of the dungeons and almost at the statue of the One-Eyed witch by the time Sebastian finishes recounting Nott and Avery's conversation to Ominis.

"I still don't understand why you think Nott's trying to give Ava a love potion," Ominis says once Sebastian finishes his story, "Did I miss something?"

"Think, Ominis, think," Sebastian sighs, exasperated, "What could this insurance be if not a love potion?"

"Could be many different things," Ominis shrugs, "I don't know why a love potion was the first thing that came to your mind. Did you see anything?"

"No…But you don't understand - he's definitely planning to do it! And we need to protect Ava from whatever plan Nott's concocted," Sebastian argues, but Ominis cuts him off.

"Our new friend is perfectly capable of handling trolls and unforgivable curses," Ominis says, "Do you really think she needs help dealing with a dimwit like Nott?"

Sebastian frowns - Ominis isn't wrong, she's quite capable, and yet something inside is urging Sebastian forward. They stop in front of the Statue of the One-Eyed Witch.

"You know," Ominis tilts his head to the side as an amused smile spreads across his face, "From where I stand, it sounds like you just don't want a chap you hate asking a girl you like out on a date - which is understandable."

A hot, bright blush spreads across Sebastian's cheeks as warmth rises in his chest. The memory of Ava's breath ghosting his neck when they hid in the broom closet sends Sebastian's heart racing.

"It's not like that," he says hastily, "I only do this because she's my friend, and I care about her well-being."

"Could have fooled me," Ominis chuckles.

Sebastian rolls his eyes, then turns to the One-Eyed Witch Statue and murmurs, "Dissendium." A quick, creaking sound notifies him that the passage has opened.

"Wish me luck," he tells Ominis as he reaches for a ledge of the statue to climb up.

"What do you mean, "wish me luck"?" Ominis chuckles, "I have a feeling things are about to get very entertaining - and I have no intention of missing any of it."

"Suit yourself," Sebastian scoffs as he hops inside the statue. The slide is short, and soon enough, Sebastian finds himself in the dark tunnel leading to Honeydukes. A moment later, Ominis is standing by his side.

As they make their way through the passage, the conversation between Nott and Avery keeps running through Sebastian's mind - with one thing particularly gnawing at his heart.

"Ominis," Sebastian calls out in the dark, "I was curious about something… The Rosiers - what are they like? I'm sure you must have met some of Ava's relations at some point."

"An old, pure-blood family with a penchant for dark magic and a strong distaste for anyone who isn't pure-blooded. They view everyone who isn't a member of the "Sacred Twenty-Eight" as beneath them and utterly unworthy. That may be why my grandmother's favorite friend was a Rosier - they took great joy in tormenting muggle-borns and half-bloods alike."

A myriad of thoughts rush through Sebastian's mind, and it is as though something heavy squeezes his chest, making it hard to breathe. And, instead of a thousand things that cannot be put into words, he simply says, "But Ava isn't like that?"

"No," Ominis replies, "No, she isn't."

Poppy brings the mug to her lips and takes a long sip of butterbeer. She's utterly exhausted - she and Ava had spent the better part of the day scouting the hills north of the school in search of the poacher's camp. It seemed they were looking in the wrong place - or, perhaps, the poachers were much better at hiding their tracks than Poppy and Ava expected - since they hadn't found a single trace of the camp.

Exhausted by the futile search, Poppy and Ava made their way to Hogsmeade to rest and think through their next steps. Poppy has never been particularly fond of the Three Broomsticks - it always felt too loud and crowded - but she has slowly realized that, perhaps, it wasn't all bad when you had a friend by your side.

Looking over at Ava, Poppy smiles softly. When Poppy first met her in the Beasts class, Ava came off aloof and cold - but then Poppy saw how her gaze softened when she looked at the kneazles and instantly knew that she had met a kindred spirit.

Ava's sitting next to Poppy, absent-mindedly tracing the foggy sides of her mug with her right index finger. She seems relaxed, leaning fully against the back of her chair, yet her face remains pensive.

"What's on your mind?" Poppy asks, her eyes following the patterns Ava leaves on the mug.

"I'm still thinking about our earlier…excursion," Ava replies, turning to Poppy, "We were in the right place, I'm almost sure of it. It's not too difficult to relocate a camp - if only we could trace where they went."

"Wish we could ask the centaurs for help," Poppy sighs. While the centaurs were renowned for being quite well-versed at tracking, most of them avoided the wizardkind like the plague - and Poppy could not blame them.

"Oh?" Ava says, "Got any centaur friends that could help us?"

"Me?" Poppy chuckles, then sighs wistfully, "I wish. Unfortunately for us, they rarely make contact with humans."

"I think I remember reading something about that," Ava frowns, "But I figured if anyone had a centaur friend, it'd be you."

"When I make one, you'll be the first to know," Poppy laughs, taking another sip of her butterbeer, "There are so many magical creatures in the world - I wish I could meet and befriend all of them."

"I have full faith in you," Ava chuckles, shifting in her seat.

"What about you?" Poppy asks, resting her hand on her chin and looking at Ava, "Is there a magical creature you'd like to meet?"

Ava tilts her head to the side, pressing her finger to her lips, thinking. "Maybe a dragon," she says after a momentary pause, "Although I wouldn't say I want to "meet" one. Rather, I'd like to see one from a safe distance - preferably, far enough away that the dragon can't see me."

Poppy chuckles at Ava's words - she, too, would like to see a dragon.

"If you ever happen upon a dragon," she says, "You just need to be careful. They are highly intelligent creatures and won't attack until they feel threatened."

"Given how the wizards have been treating the dragons for the last few centuries, I wouldn't blame one if it attacked me on sight," Ava shrugs, "Although I still would rather avoid becoming a dragon's dinner…Other than dragons, I'm curious to see unicorns - I've heard they are breathtakingly beautiful, and I'm also curious to see if there's truth to certain old wives' tales."

"Ah, I wish you were here two years ago!" Poppy exclaims, "Professor Howin brought the unicorns to class one day during our third year."

"Did she? How exciting! I really wish I was there," Ava sighs before adding, "But, who knows, perhaps I could see some in the Forbidden Forest - Natty told me she'd caught a glimpse of one when she was out collecting the ingredients for her potions."

Silence falls upon them for a moment. Poppy leans against the back of her chair and sips her butterbeer. The Three Broomsticks is packed on this late October evening, and though Poppy usually hates crowds, she doesn't feel uncomfortable. The chatter of the crowd, coupled with her exhaustion, makes her eyelids heavy, and Poppy almost struggles to keep her eyes open.

The comforting trance is broken just a moment later when she suddenly sees Nicholas Nott and Henry Avery in front of their table. Instantly, Poppy's tense, straightening in her seat - out of the corner of her eye, she can notice just how quickly the smile vanishes off Ava's face at the sight of the two Slytherins.

"What a pleasant surprise," Nott smiles, but his smile doesn't reach his eyes, "Good evening, ladies. Care if we join you?"

Both Nott and Avery are carrying two mugs of butterbeer, and Poppy knows that this meeting is anything but a chance encounter. Poppy sighs, annoyed - after the day they've had trying to find the poachers' camp, the last thing she wants is to be around either Nott or Avery.

"We'd rather you didn't," Ava responds coolly, but Nott does not listen.

"Come now, there's no need to be like that," Nott says, placing butterbeer mugs on the table and sitting across from Ava while Avery settles next to him, "I'd have us be friends. I understand there had been a little…misunderstanding between us earlier, and I just wanted to straighten things out - and apologize."

Poppy rolls her eyes - only a fool would believe that Nott was even slightly remorseful over hurting Persephone. She clenches her fists, feeling her nails dig into her palms - if Nott and Avery don't leave soon, they will regret it.

"You should be apologizing to Persephone," Poppy says firmly, looking Nott in the face.

"I'm sure you will be able to pass on the apologies to her," Nott replies.

Poppy scoffs and crosses her arms before her, "As if she's accept."

"We've heard you out," Ava says calmly, "Now, if you don't mind…"

"That wasn't everything I had to say," Nott interrupts, "As a gesture of goodwill, we come bearing gifts. I know you are looking for the poacher's camp - and I also know its location."

"How would you know any of that?" Poppy asks, as anger, bright and bristling, rises in her chest, "Were you eavesdropping?"

Belatedly, she realizes that, perhaps, she should have feigned ignorance, but it's much too late now. Poppy looks at Ava apologetically, and her friend offers her a reassuring smile.

"It was by chance, really, with no ill intent. I've overheard you two speaking at the library," Nott replies, "And it just so happens that I know where to find what you're looking for - so does it matter how?"

Poppy tenses - she knows Nott is lying. They have discussed the poacher's camp on school grounds before, but never in the library. Was he secretly watching them?

Ava must have realized it too, but nothing in her face betrays that fact.

"Well then," she says, looking Nott straight in the eye, "Where is it?"

"What's the hurry?" Nott says, leaning against the back of his seat and placing his elbow atop its backrest, "I will tell you - but first, we should have a drink to celebrate our new friendship." With that, he slides two mugs of butterbeer toward Poppy and Ava.

Poppy rolls her eyes and scoffs. "New friendship" - the audacity!

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Ava replies coolly.

"I wouldn't dare," Nott says, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

Poppy glances over to Ava - she doesn't trust Nott or Avery, but they are running out of time to track the poachers. If Nott is telling the truth, suffering through this one conversation would hardly be too high a price to pay. Ava meets Poppy's gaze and nods - it seems she's thinking the same. Reaching forward, Ava takes the mug that Nott gave her.

"Wonderful," Nott smiles, "I'm glad we understand each other. So tell me - how is aunt Ariadne these days?"

"You know my mother?" Ava narrows her eyes.

"Of course I do," Nott tilts his head to the side, studying her face, "My parents hold an annual gathering at our summer estate for the most prominent members of the wizarding society - the Blacks, the Gaunts, the Lestranges, the Malfoys… And the Rosiers are always most welcome guests, of course."

Poppy shakes her head - it's hard for her to comprehend how some people can be so invested in their "blood purity" status. Despite being a pure-blooded witch herself, Poppy never gave it much thought. Perhaps, because her blood status was just a chance occurrence rather than a result of multiple generations of inbreeding, all in an effort to keep the bloodline "pure."

"Mother will be expecting you to join your parents this summer since you will turn sixteen by then," Nott continues, "It's a unique chance to meet everyone who matters in the wizarding world all at once - you don't want to miss it."

"A grand gathering, to be sure," Ava says flatly, "But I must decline - unfortunately, the entirety of my summer is already spoken for."

Poppy shifts in her seat, annoyed - she had hoped they'd learn the location of the poachers' camp by now, but it seems Nott is in no hurry to reveal anything. Just as Poppy thinks things cannot get worse, Avery addresses her.

"I was watching you the other day by the enclosures," he says, "How's…Proserpina - that rodent you take care of?"

"I already said - her name is Persephone. And she is no rodent; she's a kneazle," Poppy bristles instantly.

Avery's smile is unsettling - and it doesn't escape Poppy that he said he'd been watching her. Shiver runs up Poppy's spine - she doesn't remember seeing him there at all, and it unnerves her.

"Right, right," Avery nods, "Same thing. Are you going there later? I could keep you company - the school grounds can be quite treacherous in the dark."

Poppy isn't afraid of the dark - or most things, really - but the way Avery's looking at her makes her feel uneasy. She could spend the whole night by the enclosures taking care of the animals and not feel unsafe for a moment if she could be sure he wasn't lurking in the dark.

"I'll pass," she says firmly.

Poppy grasps her butterbeer mug and ponders her options. They were no closer to finding out the location of the poachers' camp than when the conversation had started, and it was high time to cut their losses. But before she can say anything to Ava, Nott looks out the window behind them.

"Would you look at that," he says, half in awe. Poppy turns around in her seat and sees the sky lit up with a myriad of purple and green sparks - it's the biggest fireworks she'd ever seen. Instantly, she thinks of all the small magical creatures that left their hideouts to enjoy the quiet of the night and hopes, in vain, that the bright light and the sounds of the explosion hadn't spooked them too much.

"Zonko really outdid themselves this year," Avery adds.

When they turn back to the table, it is as though something has shifted imperceptibly. Poppy takes a deep breath, and suddenly, she's overwhelmed with the smell of lake and sweets and something else she cannot quite describe - it's old, yet airy, almost magical, and makes her think of a long-forgotten secret passageway she'd discovered once that connected the greenhouses to the Hufflepuff Common Rooms.

Poppy frowns, confused, but before she can say anything, the door to the Three Broomsticks flings open with a loud thud.

"Wait, don't drink it!"

Despite Ominis's needling, Sebastian is almost glad his friend decided to tag along - without him, it would have probably taken at least twice as long to locate Ava and Poppy. Ominis's wand shines its usual red when it leads them to the Three Broomsticks.

"They must be here," Ominis says.

Sebastian nods and looks into the window - the bar is full of people, so it's unlikely he'd be able to see them from the outside, but he still tries.

To Sebastian's surprise, he sees Ava and Poppy almost immediately - they are at the table by the neighboring window. Instantly, his heart drops - Nott and Avery are at the table with them. Was he too late? Has Nott already done what he'd been planning?

He sees the way Nott looks at Ava with a keen, hungry gaze and clenches his fists. If Nott thinks he has won, he's sorely mistaken.

"So," Ominis asks expectantly, "Is she there?"

"Yes," Sebastian replies darkly. He hesitates momentarily before adding, "And Nott and Avery are there too… I need to warn her about the potion, I hope it's not too late."

"Sebastian," Ominis steps in front of him, stopping him from moving, "As entertaining as it would be to watch all this unfold, I feel it is my duty as a friend to make you stop and think. At this point, Nott's presumed love potion plan is pure speculation - if you are wrong, think about how that will look."

"What would you have me do then?" Sebastian crosses his arms before him, "Nothing? And simply leave Ava to her fate?"

"No," Ominis shakes his head, "I would have you talk to her - but not about the potion."

A loud explosion rattles the air behind them, and when Sebastian looks around, he sees thousands of green and purple sparks in the sky.

"Must be one of Zonko's fireworks," he explains, turning back to Ominis.

From the corner of his eye, Sebastian sees through the foggy window of the Three Broomsticks Nott shift forward. For a split second, something that looks like a tiny vial is in his hand - and he's holding it over Ava's mug. Sebastian's heart drops - Ava cannot see it; she's still looking out the window at the fireworks.

"I told you he was going to do it!" Sebastian exclaims, rushing to the door, "I just saw Nott pour something into her cup."

Ominis must have said something, but Sebastian cannot hear him - not when the blood rushes so loudly in his ears, and his heart pounds against his ribs like mad. Logically, he knows that Ava isn't in danger - even if she were to drink the potion, no harm would come to her - they will take her to the Hospital Wing immediately. But the mere thought of her acting under the influence of a love potion, even for a moment, shatters his heart into a million pieces.

The heavy oak door flings open, slamming into the wall behind it, sending a tremor through the building. Suddenly, all eyes of the bar patrons are upon him, but he's only looking at Ava.

"Don't drink it!"

But he's too late - the mug's already at her lips, and he can only watch helplessly as she takes a sip and then another.

No.

The entire establishment erupts in cacophony, and out of the corner of his eye, Sebastian can see Sirona come out from behind the bar and head toward him, and he knows he needs to hurry. Before Sirona can stop him, he's already at the table where Ava and Poppy sit with Nott and Avery.

"Ava, don't drink it," he says, "I saw Nott spike your butterbeer."

Placing her cup on the table, Ava looks up at Sebastian, wide-eyed and surprised. She seems lucid enough, which is a relief - perhaps, he's not too late.

"You saw him spike my butterbeer?" she repeats, frowning.

"Yes - when you were looking at the fireworks. I saw it from outside the window," Sebastian explains hastily as Sirona approaches them.

Ava looks to Nott, who just shrugs. "I have no idea what he's talking about," Nott says, picking up his own butterbeer and taking a sip, "Did you hit your head so hard during your last duel, Sallow, that you are now seeing things that aren't there? Maybe it's time you took a trip to the Hospital Wing."

Before Sebastian can respond, Sirona is between him and the table.

"What's going on here? Why are you storming into my bar yelling?" she demands.

"I saw Nott spike Ava's drink with a love potion when I was outside," Sebastian explains earnestly, "So I had to warn her. I'm sorry for the disruption, but there was no time to do it any other way."

"You really should stop imagining things, Sallow," Avery budges in, "It's quite embarrassing, you know."

Sirona looks from Sebastian to Nott, clearly weighing the accusation.

"Well, if it was a love potion, it must be pretty bad because I don't feel any different," Ava chuckles, "Guess I'm just heartless."

There's confusion in Nott's gaze, which is all the admission of guilt Sebastian needs. The unquelled rage uncoils in his chest, bright and bristling, making him lurch forward and grab Nott by the lapels of his robes.

"By Merlin's beard," he snarls, "I'm going to make you rue the day you were born."

"Get your dirty half-blood hands off me," Nott yelps, trying to grab over Sebastian's writs to shake his hands off his lapels. Avery gets up to interfere, but Sirona's between Sebastian and Nott, forcefully separating them before he can.

"Stop it, both of you," she says firmly, "Whatever happened, I will not tolerate any fights at my bar."

"Ava, are you sure you are feeling alright?" Poppy asks, "I can walk you to the Hospital Wing if you need."

"Don't worry about me, I'm alright," Ava responds.

A part of Sebastian wonders how that is possible - Potions may not have been his strongest subject, but even he knows that love potions worked almost instantaneously. Could she really be immune?

Dread rises in Sebastian's chest - a cold wave clenches his heart, making it hard to breathe. What if he was wrong - what if it's not a love potion that Nott poured into her drink but rather some kind of poison?

"As for the accusation," Sirona continues, frowning, "The situation is quite serious, and we will need to investigate to uncover the truth."

"I could go fetch Professor Sharp," Ominis offers instantly, "He will be able to tell right away if there is something in this cup that doesn't belong there."

"No need," Sirona replies, taking out her wand, "Try working as a barkeep as long as I have, and you'll learn all the spells necessary for such a check out of pure necessity."

She points the wand at Ava's mug and traces a symbol Sebastian hasn't seen before. The liquid in the cup shifts slightly but stills almost instantaneously. Seconds pass, one after another, but nothing changes.

"Hmm, it doesn't look like this drink's been tampered with," Sirona frowns, then turns to Sebastian, "Are you sure you saw something happen to it?"

Sebastian's heart drops. "I know what I saw," he says vehemently, blood rushing in his ears as a cold, sinking feeling unfurls in his chest, "He did something to it."

"You are a liar, Sallow!" Avery exclaims, "I don't know what you are playing at, but you will pay for this."

"Everyone needs to calm down," Sirona says firmly, "This could have been an honest mistake."

Sebastian looks at Sirona and suddenly realizes that Nott is not behind her. Glancing around, he sees Nott by the window. He appears surprisingly still, almost stiff, as he stares outside.

"Nicholas, hey, Nicholas," Avery calls out, but Nott doesn't respond, only continues staring through the window, mesmerized by something it seems only he can see.

"You are…so beautiful," Nott finally whispers.

It takes Sebastian a second to realize Nott is talking to his reflection.

"Nicholas, are you alright?" Avery asks, approaching Nott, who, once again, doesn't respond.

"Perhaps, we should test all other mugs on the table," Ava suggests, amused, resting her chin on the palm of her hand, "Who knows what we may find."

Sirona nods and casts a spell on the remaining three mugs. Sebastian watches closely - for a brief moment, the liquid in all cups is still until, suddenly, Nott's butterbeer starts to glow a pale pink. Sebastian frowns at the sight - how is this possible?

"Nicholas, this isn't funny," Avery continues, trying to pull Nott away from the window, but Nott simply shakes off his hands. Sebastian can hardly suppress a chuckle as he watches the scene unfold.

"Huh," Ava muses, "Perhaps, it was a good potion after all."

Sebastian looks to Ava and frowns - he was certain that he'd seen Nott pour the potion into her mug. But then how…

"She did this!" Avery exclaimed suddenly, turning around and pointing to Ava, "She's the one who did this - she wanted to bewitch Nicholas, and Sallow's only covering for her."

"Mr. Avery," Sirona sighs, exasperated, "If I were you, I'd save your breath - everyone here knows how love potions work. If Miss Rosier prepared this potion, Mr. Nott wouldn't fall in love with himself."

Avery clenches his fists as he looks to Ava, "What did you do to him?"

"Nothing he didn't try doing to me," Ava smiles sweetly, amusement apparent in her dark eyes, "Let's just say I returned the gift. By the way, next time you try to sneak a love potion into someone's drink, maybe choose something other than butterbeer. You see, when a mixture of cream, caramel, and butter suddenly starts smelling of old books, smoke, and sandalwood, anyone would become suspicious. "

Sebastian looks at her wide-eyed and awe-struck. When did she have time to switch their drinks?

"Mr. Avery, please get Mr. Nott off the premises," Siron says, crossing her arms, "Both of you are banned from my establishment indefinitely."

Avery grumbles but knows he cannot argue. Grabbing Nott's forearm, Avery tries to pull him away from his reflection, but to no avail. Sebastian could watch Avery struggle to get Nott to move the entire day, but Ava and Poppy have other plans.

"It's time for us to head out," Poppy says, and Ava nods as they get up from their seats. Without a word, Sebastian and Ominis follow them outside.

"Nott's certainly going to remember this one for a while," Ominis chuckles as they walk into the town circle.

"He better - else next time I'll make sure he really regrets it," Ava laughs, looking at Ominis over her shoulder.

A sudden fluttering of wings attracts Sebastian's attention - he looks up and notices a small owl circling above them. He's never seen one with such a peculiar coloring - the owl's feathers are soft yellow with brown, red, and gold speckles. After a moment, the owl quickly descends, landing on Poppy's outstretched arm.

"This is from gran," Poppy smiles, accepting the letter from the owl's claws and petting it gently on its head, "Finally."

As Poppy reads the letter, the owl makes its way up her arm and onto her shoulder - then, suddenly, hops over onto Ominis's shoulder.

"Sorry," Poppy offers apologetically, "She doesn't usually do this."

"It's alright," Ominis replies calmly, "I don't mind - what is your owl's name?"

"Eos," Poppy smiles.

"Hello, Eos," Ominis chuckles, "Would you like to be friends?"

"I think she's begging for treats," Poppy laughs, "She always does when she brings letters, but, unfortunately, I do not have any on hand. Sorry, Eos, I'll have to see you later at the Owlery."

"Actually, I happen to have some - I was at the Owlery sending a letter right before we left for Hogsmeade," Ominis reaches into his robes and pulls out a small pouch of dried owl treats. Shaking out some treats onto his palm, he moves his hand closer to the owl, "Here you go."

"You just might be her most favorite person in the world right now," Poppy chuckles, watching Eos pick at the treats.

"Sebastian," Ava says suddenly, "I wanted to thank you for coming to warn me."

A small half-smile blooms on her lips, making Sebastian's heart flutter.

"Any time," he says, trying to calm his racing pulse, "By the way, when did you manage to switch the mugs?"

"When you ran into the bar - the commotion you caused gave me just the split second I needed," Ava smiles, then tilts her head to the side, "But I'm curious - how did you find us? Were you and Ominis just passing by the Three Broomsticks when you saw that entire ordeal?"

Blood rushes in Sebastian's ears, and his mouth suddenly feels dry. "Actually, I was looking for you."

"Looking for me?" Ava frowns, meeting his gaze, "Why?"

Sebastian's heart is in his throat - he knows that if he ever wanted to tell Ava about everything that's been weighing on his heart the last few weeks, that made him lay awake at night yearning for something he couldn't quite describe, now would be the time. Yet, somehow, the words never come to him.

"I…I overheard Nott and Avery plot this in the common room, so I knew I needed to warn you," he says instead.

Something shifts in Ava's gaze, and she smiles an unfamiliar, soft smile, "Thank you - I am so fortunate to have a friend like you."

"Ava," Poppy calls out excitedly, looking up from her letter, "I think gran just gave me an idea of how we can find what we've been looking for! We'll just need to drop by Pippin's Potions first!"

"The store's closing soon, so we should go now," Ava replies, then looks back to Sebastian, "Well, we'll be on our way - see you later."

Ava and Poppy are halfway across the town circle when Ominis lets out a deep, exasperated sigh and says, "Sometimes I just cannot believe how daft you are."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sebastian frowns, crossing his arms before him as he turns to Ominis.

"Merlin's beard, it's almost painful to witness you be so oblivious," Ominis continues, "Especially when she's just all but outright admitted it."

"Admitted what?" Sebastian asks, confused.

Ominis sighs again. "You know, the way you've been getting on my nerves the last few weeks, perhaps, I should let you suffer," he says, "But I can't stand your whistful sighs or longing gazes every time she's around any longer, so I will tell you."

"You can't see the way I look at her!" Sebastian protests.

"I can feel it," Ominis replies, "And if you think that I'm the only one who noticed, then you are a bigger fool than I thought."

Sebastian feels a bright blush rise in his cheeks. "So what are you going to tell me?" he asks.

"Do you remember what Professor Sharp told us about Amortentia?" Ominis says. Sebastian frowns, trying to remember, but Potions have never been his strong suit.

"Not really," he shakes his head.

"You really are hopeless," Ominis chuckles, "Well, fine - in short, Amortentia smells different to every person, based on what they like. And Ava just said that the spiked butterbeer smelled of old books, smoke, and sandalwood…Is none of that ringing a bell?"

Sebastian stares at Ominis, confused.

"Really?" Ominis raises an eyebrow, "I wonder where you can find many old books? Perhaps, in the school's library…And the smoke, that couldn't possibly be from a certain fire spell you seem to really favor - the very same one you taught her just a few weeks back, could it? As for sandalwood… I wouldn't know, but I also cannot do all your thinking for you, Sebastian."

Unbidden, Sebastian's mind goes to the night he and Ava got caught hiding in the broom closet from the prefects. It was almost dizzying to have her so close, and when her warm breath ghosted his neck as she spoke, he could barely hide his shudder.

"That's a nice cologne," she whispered, "It's cardamom and…sandalwood, right?"

Suddenly, it feels as though all pieces of the puzzle fall into place.

"Ominis," Sebastian says, heart racing in his throat, "What do I do?"

"Do you like her? Then go tell her."

And so Sebastian does.

He runs through the streets of Hogsmeade, hoping and praying that Ava and Poppy haven't left the village yet. To his relief, he sees Ava just outside Pippin's Potions store.

"Ava!" Sebastian calls out.

"Sebastian?" Ava looks at him confused, when he approaches, "Is everything alright?"

Silhouetted by the soft light of a streetlamp, she looks absolutely lovely, and Sebastian's heart flutters in his chest.

"Ava, I…"

A myriad of thoughts rushes through his mind. He wants to tell her of the way his heart skips a beat every time she smiles at him and about how happy she makes him and how much that scares him because, truly, he'd never thought that one person could bear that much happiness and of how he'd lain awake every night until dawn for the last few weeks yearning - aching-for her.

Yet, somehow, when she looks at him with those mesmerizing dark eyes, Sebastian finds himself lost for words, so he does the only thing he can.

Sebastian doesn't remember leaning in - only the moment his lips found hers. Ava feels delightfully soft and warm - and, yet, completely still under his touch. Sebastian's heart drops as a cold wave of dread rises in his chest. Was he so utterly mistaken?

But then she's kissing him back - and the very axis of his world shifts ever so slightly. It's everything Sebastian has ever wished for - slow and sweet and utterly dizzying, spreading liquid fire through his veins and making his head spin.

When they pull apart, Sebastian's flushed and breathless, and he notices a light blush rise in Ava's cheeks as well.

"Was there Amortentia in your butterbeer too?" Ava chuckles.

Before Sebastian has a chance to respond, the door to the potions shop swings open, and Poppy comes out carrying a small satchel.

"Got everything we need," she says happily, "And I think I know where we need to search next."

"Well then, lead the way," Ava replies before turning to Sebastian and smiling, "We've got some matters to attend to now, but when I'm back at Hogwarts, perhaps, you could find me - and we could finish this discussion then."

"Of course," Sebastian replies, his voice a little hoarse, "I will see you later."

#sebastian sallow x mc #OC: Ava Rosier

[lifeofkaze]

Friendly Fire

Charlie Weasley x OC

Happy birthday to my favourite, morally-so-grey-it's-questionable OC Ava Campbell! I was told I'm not allowed to give her angst for her birthday, so have whatever this is, instead 💙

A/N: Kaari Arcano (in mention) belongs to @kathrynalicemc

Noble goals were a nice thing to have. Unfortunately, like any charitable endeavour, every goal - as noble as it might be - required one thing: money. 

Growing up in a family with six siblings, a ghoul, and only one breadwinner, money had been perpetually tight for Charlie Weasley, which was why he had learned how to keep a budget early on. Looking at the amounts of money needed to maintain a dragon sanctuary, however, Charlie found these to be of a dimension exceeding his wildest dreams. 

Getting your hands on enough Galleons to secure the new, much-needed addition to the Romanian Dragon sanctuary wasn't an easy task if you happened to be a simple dragonologist, which was why the main hall of Gringotts Wizarding Bank was presently filled with people dressed in their best evening robes. It was the Ministry of Magic's annual charity event, where it would be decided which organisations would benefit from the next distributions of their generous funding. Representatives of organisations from all across the board had flocked to the event, ready to charm their way into the hearts and purses of the witches and wizards responsible for the funds.

Needless to say, Charlie hated it.

He and his colleague Felix Rosier were keeping to the side of the big room with its gleaming marble floors, at least for the moment. Charlie's eyes wandered over the colourful mix of people in front of him, dancing to the music of the string quartet or chatting and laughing about jokes that probably weren't even funny. He hooked one of his fingers underneath the bowtie around his neck and pulled, but it only increased the feeling of tightness in his throat. 

"You're only making it worse," Felix sternly said next to him. He was dressed in forest green dress robes that looked way too expensive to be afforded by his dragonologist's wage alone. "The more you fiddle with it, the more you'll hate it."

"If possible," Charlie muttered but let his hand sink anyway. "I don't get why the boss sent us, of all people. This is a waste of time."

"Because we're good-looking and persuasive," Felix replied. With a slight grin, he added, "or at least one of us is."

"Yeah, I don't know why she wanted you to come either."

"Careful, Weasley. Continue like this and I'll abandon you to deal with the joys of butt-kissing all by yourself."

Chuckling into his very small and probably very expensive drink, Charlie changed the topic. "Who do we have to charm anyway? They all look the same to me."

"See those wizards standing by the big scales over there?" Felix said and discreetly nodded his head in the direction of two men in understated but impeccably tailored dress robes. They had an effortless air of authority about them and were surrounded by at least half a dozen people.

"Who are they?"

"Malcolm Mintington and Salif Sterling. They are the chairmen of the funding panel. It's a democratic vote, but most other members do as they say. If you can convince them to support us, the money is as good as ours."

Charlie's brows knit together in a frown. "If I can convince them?"

Felix shrugged. "Sterling and my family aren't exactly on good terms. I would do more damage than good here."

"And you didn't think of telling me that earlier?"

"And miss the party? As if." Felix winked and took a sip of his champagne. The mischievous look on his face vanished and made way for a concerned frown. "Wait, is that who I think it is?"

Charlie turned his head in the direction Felix was looking in, his eyebrows shooting up as he spotted the woman making her way towards Mintington and Sterling. Her long, platinum blonde hair was woven into an intricate plait that fell over her shoulder, and her lips were painted in a bright, alluring red. She wore a floor-length black dress that was scandalously tight and hugged her body in all the right places. Once the two wizards laid eyes on her, she broke into a charming smile Charlie knew all too well. And really, not even a second later, she had engaged the two men in a conversation. 

Charlie cursed under his breath. "What is she doing here?"

"I don't know. She works for Gringotts, maybe that's why."

"Then why is she making eyes at the chairmen? Gringotts has enough money to fund their Curse-Breakers. They don't need ours."

"Only one way to find out," Felix shrugged and nudged Charlie forward. With a dark look, Charlie put down his drink, righted his bowtie, and set off to go and save the new Horntail reserve they so desperately needed. 

He hadn't even reached the group when their laughter reached his ears. The two men were hanging from the woman's red lips, and the number of supplicants surrounding them had dramatically reduced. A firm resolution overcoming him, Charlie put on his most charming smile and laid his hand on the woman's shoulder from behind.

"Ava," he said cheerfully, "what a surprise seeing you here."

Ava Campbell ceased her anecdote on the depictions of animal idols of the native tribes of Ethiopia and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Charlie," she smiled, her eyes flashing, "I could say the same of you. Tired of dragon dung and rainy days in gloomy old Romania?"

"Never. How about you? Tired of dust and bones and ancient things?"

Ava's red lips pulled into a half-smile. "Never. I'm not here on Gringotts duty."

"You aren't?"

"No. I'd love to tell you about it, but as you can see, I'm busy. Gentlemen, where were we?" 

Her smile froze when Charlie didn't drop his hand off her shoulder and he addressed the very confused-looking chairmen. "Would you excuse us for a second? There are some things I need to ask Miss Campbell about."

"No, of course not, Mr… what was your name?"

"Weasley."

"Weasley as in Arthur Weasley? Well, of course, where else would you belong?" one of the two Ministry officials smiled as Charlie nodded. "Go ahead, but promise to bring Miss Campbell back to us - we need to hear the end of that riveting story about goat worshipping."

"That's a promise," Ava winked over her shoulder as Charlie led her to the side of the room. When they were out of earshot, she turned to him, the look on her face suddenly hard.

"What are you doing?" she hissed. "You've ruined my shot!"

"And look how sorry I am. What game are you playing at, Ava?" 

"Not a game," Ava said, suddenly evasive. "I need funding."

"What could a Gringotts Curse-Breaker possibly need funding for?"

"I told you, it has nothing to do with Gringotts."

"What then?"

"It's for a friend."

"A friend who can't come and get the funding himself?"

"Apparently not."

"What friend?"

Ava raised her chin. "That's none of your business. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a story to finish." 

She meant to push past him, but Charlie stepped in her way. Ava didn't retreat from him, making the two of them stand so close that Charlie could smell the lilac scent of her perfume. 

"The reserve needs the money."

"So does my friend."

"Alright, if that's how you want to play..." Charlie held out his hand. "May the best one win."

"Reckless," Ava said, looking him up and down with a smirk. "Are you sure you can handle defeat, Weasley?"

"I don't know. I'll find out another day."

Ava and Charlie shook hands before returning to Mintington and Sterling, around whom a new cluster of people had already formed.  

"Sorry for keeping you waiting," Ava said as she pushed to the front of the group, Charlie close on her heels. "Where were we?"

"Good to have you back, Miss Campbell. I believe you wanted to tell us about the hazardous war the worshippers of the Horned Goat waged against the zealots of the Great Dragon. Where did you say it happened? The Atlas Mountains?"

"Yes," Ava beamed, "see, the latest historical finds from Northwestern Africa suggest -"

"Talking about goats, do you know how many goats it takes to feed a Hungarian Horntail to satisfaction?" Charlie suddenly butted in. He didn't like how all attention - some eyebrows raised, some drawn together - turned to him, but neither did he like the idea of letting Ava win. 

"Do enlighten us, Mr Weasley," Malcolm Mintington said, sounding more confused than anything. 

"Ten. Ten goats per animal. They can go for several days without food but prefer to eat every other day. In our sanctuary in Romania, we took charge of three additional Horntails last year alone. Their hunting grounds are vast, just like their appetite," Charlie explained, feeling more comfortable by the minute. "Do you want to know how Horntails hunt? They chase down their prey to the point of exhaustion. You'd think they kill it with their dragonfire, but Horntails prefer their meat raw. They use the spikes on their tail to maul their prey to death."

"That sounds gruesome," Sterling said. His eyes were wide, and he looked like he couldn't wait for Charlie to continue. Satisfied with the result, Charlie opened his mouth to do so when Ava took a step forward, only slightly, but enough to pull the focus back on her.

"Do you know what else is gruesome? In Sweden, ancient druid cults would choose one among their ranks every winter solstice to be sacrificed to their gods. The chosen one was led to a place where Swedish Shortsnouts would gather, and the man burned alive and torn to pieces. The remaining ashes were gathered and mixed with sacred earth and crushed herbs. The ointment they created from it was used to hallow weapons, charms and other objects. It was considered the greatest of honours." 

"Talking about ashes," Charlie intercepted again," we had a Horntail once who was driven out of its chosen habitat because the population became too big. It was so distressed that it settled right in the middle of our reserve, crushed the administration hut and set the medical unit on fire. It took fifteen dragonologists to relocate it."

"I remember the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures talking about it," Sterling whispered to his colleague. "They were in a jiffy about it for weeks." 

"It was chaos," Charlie nodded, "and probably quite expensive for the Ministry to fund the necessary rebuilds. An incident like this should be avoided at all costs in the future. With additional spaces for new Hungarian Horntails to settle, for example."

"What's a bit of charred wood against knowledge lost to the ages?" Ava snorted. "During my last assignment in Egypt, one of the Curse-Breakers working in our unit touched a serpent idol we found in one of the tombs, like the absolute git that he was. It was exquisitely crafted, unlike anything we had ever seen. When he touched it, it set off a succession of curses that knocked half our team out, collapsed the burial chamber and then dissolved into dust. Had we known more about what this dragon idol symbolised, a tragic loss like this could have been avoided." 

Charlie remembered the incident from recounts, but he wasn't entirely sure if Ava was more upset about her colleagues getting hurt than she was about the artefact being destroyed. 

"All knowledge of people long dead," he told her, earning himself a withering glance. "A new compound for the Romanian dragon reserve could help provide us with knowledge actually helpful in keeping our workers safe and animals alive. We could even start a second attempt at a breeding program."

"The knowledge of those people long dead could help us in more ways than you can even imagine," Ava hissed, now turning to Charlie fully. She spoke very pointedly, telling Charlie that her patience was running thin. "There's evidence that furthering our understanding of the lore of dragon-worshipping could help us repair the relationship between dragons and wizardkind for good!" 

Charlie cocked an eyebrow. "A dragon-wizard utopia? Really?"

"Baby dragons? Really?" Ava shot back. "Someone should have taught you how to hold a gripping presentation that actually makes sense."

"You're not even specialising in dragons. That's my field of expertise if you remember." 

"That's my business. Now go mind your own."

"I would, but it's hard when you come in and interfere," Charlie said, looking her up and down and lowering his voice so that only Ava could understand his next words, "especially when you're wearing a dress like this."

Ava's posture changed as her lips drew into a smirk. "What? Am I making you nervous?"

"Not me, them."

"Good," Ava smiled sweetly, "because all is fair in love and war."

Charlie was about to reply, but instead, a curse escaped his lips. He and Ava had been so caught up in their discussion that neither of them had noticed Malcolm Mintington and Salif Sterling slowly backing away from them. They were now standing a few feet ahead of them, talking to a rather wild-looking man about Charlie's and Ava's age with long black hair and a beard; Charlie recognised him as Kaari Arcano, one of the dragonologists from the dragon reserve in Fossan, Norway. 

Kaari Arcano's dress robes looked shabby, and there was an odd lump bulging out his breast pocket. As Charlie looked closer, he could have sworn that the bulge was moving. For a split second, he thought a tiny green-scaled head was poking from the pocket, but before Charlie could look twice, it had vanished again. When the three men laughed and shook hands a moment later, Charlie sighed deeply, turning away to notify Ava about what he had seen, but she, too, had already gone. 

The rest of the evening was uneventful and after having lost his shot with the funding commission, Charlie saw no point in staying much longer. He left the glittering halls of Gringotts and shortly after found himself in the quiet streets of South-East London, close to the whispering trees of Greenwich Park. The door to the small flat off King William Walk was locked, so Charlie leaned against the wall and waited. 

It didn't take long for Ava to arrive.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest, which Charlie had to admit added immensely to the appeal of her dress.

"I need a place for the night."

"You lost our game. What makes you think I'd let you sleep here?"

"You lost, too. And who said anything about sleeping?" 

Ava chuckled, stepping close enough to Charlie that he could pick up the scent of her perfume again. "Too bad I don't have a key with me."

"How so?"

Ava looked down at herself and laughed again, decidedly more mischievous this time. "Where would I hide a key in this dress?"

Charlie's eyes trailed her silhouette. "I have some ideas."

He put his hands on her hips and drew her in, kissing her red lips like he had wanted to for the whole evening. Ava's hands brushed down his sides, then left him as she produced her wand from the holster she wore around her thigh, easily accessible through a slit in her dress that Charlie hadn't noticed before but suddenly found very intriguing. Still kissing him, Ava tapped her wand against the doorknob, and the door sprung open with a click.

"A shame Fossan got the money in the end," Charlie said between kisses as Ava pushed him back into the darkness of her flat. "You'd think they're rich enough to pay for themselves."

"Rumour has it the guy they sent had a miniature dragon in his pocket," Ava mumbled, playfully biting Charlie's lower lip. "Can you believe that?" 

Charlie said something into her ear that made Ava laugh out loud. She ran her hands through his ginger hair and kissed him again. "Next time, I'll get the money, just you wait. My friend would have loved to get his new Horntail reserve for Christmas."

Charlie grinned in response, laughing as Ava squealed when he picked her up and carried her towards her bedroom. "With that case you made? Never."

"Was that a challenge, Weasley?"

"Bet on it, Campbell."

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #golden era #charlie weasley #charlie weasley x oc #ava campbell #felix rosier #happy birthday ava #oc birthday

[friendlyneighborhoodcapricorn]

Happy STS, Laurie! I hope you're well.

Which of your ocs would run away or go alone if the group would argue or split up?

Happy STS! And thanks, I am doing well!

Hmm, so I’m picturing this in a horror movie setting, so I’m gonna answer for How Not To Be A Necromancer

Ivy has seen enough horror movies to know that splitting up is a horrible idea. She will do it regardless. Ivy is the high intelligence low common sense kind of person

Blaine would go alone, no thoughts head empty style. He would be the first to be killed in an actual horror movie lol

Ava will keep the group together with the wise words “are you all stupid”

Quinn is just as dumb as Blaine and would go alone

Evan is smart enough not to go alone, but then Quinn would and he’d go after him lol

#asks #answered asks #sts asks #sts #storyteller saturday asks #storyteller saturday #ocs #my ocs #ivy mason #blaine cooper #quinn beckett #evan aquila #ava rosier #wip hntban #wip how not to be a necromancer

[friendlyneighborhood-writer]

New WIP intro

How Not To Be A Necromancer

@wherearetheplants @evethenovicewriter @tryingtimi Thanks for asking about this WIP! Y’all are so sweet!!

Alright, so my not-actually-new wip is called “How Not To Be A Necromancer” which makes it sound like a comedy, so I need a new name because it’s not a comedy. At all.

After a devastating accident kills one of her closest friends, Ivy Mason is trying to keep her best friend Blaine (and herself) from falling apart.

It’s easier said than done when Blaine feels so guilty for the accident that killed his girlfriend. After all, he was behind the wheel.

There’s only so much suffering Ivy is willing to witness, so when Blaine comes up with a ridiculous plan to bring Ebony back, Ivy is all-in.

Even if it means that she’ll forever have to hold her peace about what Blaine really means to her.

Yeah, like I said, not a comedy (though there are magical shenanigans).

This idea has been in my head for almost four years now, and I’ve known the characters for almost a decade (the story they originally appeared in was very different though 😅)

And speaking of which…

Meet the characters!

Ivy Mason

The 17-year-old protagonist. She’s headstrong, determined, and willing to go unbelievably far for the ones she loves.

Blaine Cooper

Wracked with guilt over the accident, 18-year-old Blaine is a shadow of his former self: quiet, withdrawn, and moody. Ivy describes his past self as being a ray of sunshine.

Quinn Beckett

Ivy’s step-brother and the one person who knows she’s in love with Blaine. Quinn is three days younger than Ivy, and making it everyone else’s problem.

Evan Aquila

One of Ivy and Blaine’s close friends, as well as Quinn’s boyfriend. He’s a voice of reason to the chaos that is Quinn and Ivy when they’re together.

Ava Rosier

If her name sounds familiar, you’re right! Ava is the protagonist of Red Palmer Psychic, but she makes a return to White Falls for Ebony’s funeral, and sticks around a little while longer to help Ivy and Blaine. Furthermore, her girlfriend Frankie also makes an appearance.

So there we have it for now! If you’ve got any questions (about the story or the characters) feel free to send them in <3

#writeblr #writing #wip hntban #wip how not to be a necromancer #ocs #my ocs #ivy mason #blaine cooper #quinn beckett #evan aquila #ava rosier #frankie pérez

[petiteribbon]

Head: LeLUTKA Lilith Head 3.1 Skin: tres beau x lel evox - sugar skin Hair: bonbon - suki hair & bonbon - ava bangs (unrig) Teeth: = DAE = blood moon Vampire tooth SET (@ Equal10)

Dress: ALTAIR* manea dress .white. Headpiece: Insomnia Angel . Cupid Head Headdress Bow (on dress): Insomnia Angel . Kate big bow tops (@ Equal10) Sleeves: ALTAIR* amara sleeves Necklace: Insomnia Angel . Margot princess rosary Nails: 1990 - Glam Goth Deco Set Knife: {Rosier} / Magica Decora Knife (@ Access)

#sl #secondlife #second life

[randomestfandoms-ocs]

Happy January! November / December involved a whole lot of editing so I decided to make another roundup! Ngl this is mostly to prove to myself that I actually did a whole lot even though I feel like I didn't do enough because of the countdown being late, but I'm including it as part of December anyways so that I can start January as a fresh slate!

Countdown

12 Characters

Mercedes Delgado

Adhara Black

Mina Ambrosia

Clem Wayland

Hollis Everdeen

Ilsa George

Ophelia Wayne

Kirsty Gilmore

Erin Humphrey

Caroline Fox

Aurora Anderson

Mirella Gold

11 Ships:

Eloise Quinn

Valentina Wolfe x Audrey Hope 

Reese Masrani x Emilio Contreras

Ginevra Maroni x Bruce Wayne

Adelia Kline x Quinn Fabray

Ties That Bind

Delfina Baratheon x Oberyn Martell

Summer Sol x James Coleman

Maristela Carrillo x Blaise Zabini x Theodore Nott

Aurélia Agreste x Luka Couffaine

10 Brotps:

Hollis & The Band

Topher Charming & Marnie Fitzwater-Hood

Emily & Luke Patterson

Betty Fabray & Finn Hudson

Cassia Potter & Dimitri Volkor & Sebastian Rosier

Camila Nelson & Will Byers

Luciana Davila & The LDB

Kennedy Quinlan & Alex Claremont-Diaz

Vanessa Kline & Jason Todd

Eva Nightborn & Gabriel Branwell

9 Christmas Aesthetics

Kirsty Gilmore

Cece Cartwright

Noelle Of Arendelle

Sophie Dugray

Cassia Potter

Aurora Anderson

Ivy Knight

Chessy Of Arendelle

Betty Fabray

8 Platonic Crossovers

Ava & Roni [ @thecaptainsgingersnap ]

Aurora & Sydney [ @megdonnellys ]

Thalia & Remy [ @cecexwrites ]

Dylan & HN [ @ocmerunaway ]

Jax & The Girls [ @ginevrastilinski-ocs ]

Ivy & Amelia [ @darknightfrombeyond ]

Gloria & Gabe [ @manyfandomocs ]

Kirsty & Richie [ @the-witching-ash ]

7 Romantic Crossovers

Angel x Roman [ @the-witching-ash ]

Will x Kit [ @ginevrastilinski-ocs ]

Lily x Greyson [ @manyfandomocs ]

Cassandra x Waverly [ @megdonnellys ]

Savannah x Andrew [ @the-witching-ash ]

Ariadne x Elys [ @ginevrastilinski-ocs ]

Coco x Matthew [ @manyfandomocs ]

6 Intros

Reese Masrani

Colton Cartwright

Hollis Everdeen

Ophelia Wayne

Aurélia Agreste

Nevaeh Murphy

5 Posters

Katia McKinley

Olivia Olsen

Coco Bates

Maristela Carrillo

Laura Hyde

4 Neglected OCs

Quinn Hargreeves

Briar Tyrell Stark

Caitlin Watson

Miranda Granger

3 Nicknames

Arianne Martin

Sabina Maximoff

Kirsty Gilmore

2 AUs

Sophie Dugray + Arranged Marriage

Kirsty Gilmore + Raised By Emily & Richard

1 Video

Kirsty Gilmore

[outrageousrp]

Damos boas vindas aos novos moradores de Godric's Hollow!

Personagens aceitos possuem 24hrs para enviar o blog! Ao enviar, lembrem-se, também, de enviar seu user no discord para que possa liberar o acesso total!

Os seguintes faceclaims se encontram ocupados: Ethan Torchio, Vernon Chwe, Kento Yamazaki, Michael Cimino, Jessie Kim, Sophie Thatcher, Choi Jisu, Maia Reffico, Barbie Ferreira, Choi Yoonsun.

As seguintes famílias se encontram indisponíveis: Potter, Lupin, Snape.

As seguintes habilidades se encontram indisponíveis: Ofidioglossia.

Você não sabe quem vimos saindo da residência dos POTTER ao som de NO DIGGITY (BLACKSTREET)? STEREN “SEREN” POTTER! É impressão minha ou, esses dias, elu se parece muito com ETHAN TORCHIO? Bom, acho melhor elu se apressar ou perderá hora para a aula. Ouvi dizer que está cursando TRANSFIGURAÇÃO com METODOLOGIA DO ENSINO na Waffling University. Bacana, né? Vamos só ver o que será delu no futuro.

Você não sabe quem vimos saindo da residência dos LUPIN ao som de SONG 2 (BLUR)? THEON ‟THEO” LUPIN! É impressão minha ou, esses dias, ele se parece muito com VERNON CHWE/CHOI YOONSUN? Bom, acho melhor ele se apressar ou perderá hora para a aula. Ouvi dizer que está cursando TRANSFIGURAÇÃO e FEITIÇOS na Waffling University. Bacana, né? Vamos só ver o que será dele no futuro.

Você não sabe quem vimos saindo da residência dos SNAPE ao som de SWEET CHILD O’ MINE (GUNS N' ROSES)? SEBASTIAN BASILTON SNAPE! É impressão minha ou, esses dias, ele se parece muito com KENTO YAMAZAKI? Bom, acho melhor ele se apressar ou perderá hora para a aula. Ouvi dizer que está cursando FEITIÇOS com ALQUIMIA na Waffling University. Bacana, né? Vamos só ver o que será dele no futuro.

Você não sabe quem vimos saindo da residência dos POTTER ao som de ALRIGHT (SUPERGRASS)? HARRY JAMES POTTER! É impressão minha ou, esses dias, ele se parece muito com MICHAEL CIMINO? Bom, acho melhor ele se apressar ou perderá hora para a aula. Ouvi dizer que está cursando FEITIÇOS com RELAÇÕES INTERNACIONAIS na Waffling University. Bacana, né? Vamos só ver o que será dele no futuro.

Você não sabe quem vimos saindo da residência dos LUPIN ao som de ONLY HAPPY WHEN IT RAINS (GARBAGE)? FAITH ELIZABETH LUPIN! É impressão minha ou, esses dias, ela se parece muito com SOPHIE THATCHER? Bom, acho melhor ela se apressar ou perderá hora para a aula. Ouvi dizer que está cursando FEITIÇOS com ARTES PLÁSTICAS na Waffling University. Bacana, né? Vamos só ver o que será dela no futuro.

Você não sabe quem vimos saindo da residência dos CROUCH-ROSIER ao som de BACHELORETTE (BJORK)? MIMI JOE CROUCH-ROSIER! É impressão minha ou, esses dias, ela se parece muito com JENNIE KIM? Bom, acho melhor ela se apressar ou perderá hora para a aula. Ouvi dizer que está cursando FEITIÇOS com ARTES PLÁSTICAS na Waffling University. Bacana, né? Vamos só ver o que será dela no futuro.

Você não sabe quem vimos saindo da residência dos POTTER ao som de NATURAL (IMAGINE DRAGONS)? HEATHER "POPPY" POTTER! É impressão minha ou, esses dias, ela se parece muito com MAIA REFFICO? Bom, acho melhor ela se apressar ou perderá hora para a aula. Ouvi dizer que está cursando POÇÕES com DIREITO na Waffling University. Bacana, né? Vamos só ver o que será dela no futuro.

Você não sabe quem vimos saindo da residência dos PETTIGREW ao som de SHE WILL BE LOVED (MAROON 5)? CHARLOTE DIANA PETTIGREW! É impressão minha ou, esses dias, ela se parece muito com CHOI JISU? Bom, acho melhor ela se apressar ou perderá hora para a aula. Ouvi dizer que está cursando CRIATURAS MÁGICAS com PSICOLOGIA na Waffling University. Bacana, né? Vamos só ver o que será dela no futuro.

Você não sabe quem vimos saindo da residência dos BLACK ao som de LIVIN ON A PRAYER (BON JOVI)? AVA BLACK! É impressão minha ou, esses dias, ela se parece muito com BARBIE FERREIRA? Bom, acho melhor ela se apressar ou perderá hora para a aula. Ouvi dizer que está cursando FEITIÇOS com ARQUIVOLOGIA e HISTÓRIA DA MAGIA na Waffling University. Bacana, né? Vamos só ver o que será dela no futuro.

#ouch:aceitos

[avalentina]

PROFILE:

Avada Valentina Rosier-Riddle

Ava is...

A Parselmouth

The Slytherin Princess

A Blood Slytherin 🐍

Cunning, Manipulative, Charming, Persuasive

Gifted at most subjects, Potions especially, not so much for muggle studies and divination

As far as the public is concerned, she's a pure-blood, but actually, she's a half-blood

A Take Charge person, Definitely a Leader (Sorry, Not Sorry, Draco)

Ava is a badass by every definition

She has some whiny tendencies

Headstrong, Calculating, tough

She loves a good tiara, not above pulling the royalty card

QUIDDITCH! (Keeper/Seeker)

Don't hesitate to ask if you have other questions about Ava!!!

-a.valentina

[flyingtacoturtle11]

Taylor having an Evan rosier moment……. Maybe… am I the only one that feels it 🤨🤨

#evan rosier #the tortured poets department #taylor swift ttpd #marauders brainrot #Spotify

[adhonoremrp]

the following characters have fourty eight hours to please post, or else their characters will be reopened on friday 9:42pm nzst --

Hector Kelly

Connie Gilmore, Rene Deschamps, Elizabeth Burke, Marina Scarr, Cherry Scrimgeour, Noah Harris, Ellie Dowson, Otto Bagman, Ernest Richards, Aja Ansari, Sigrid Hellstrom, Santiago Smith, Benvolio Solace, Belinda Sun, Montgomery McKinnon, Henrick Drake, Laisren Mackenna, Basil Pierce, Nikau Parata, Patricia Rakepick, Hestia Jones, Albert Runcorn

Poppy Potts, Wendy Fletcher, Zina Batista, Echo Voltaire, Dorcas Meadowes

Dexter Bennett, Dirk Creswell, Declan Whitlock

Bonnie Blake, Maxine Flint, Thalia Mendoza, Edgar Bones, Riley Wood, Ricky Moon

Regulus Black, Lorcan d’Eath

Lily Evans, Amelia Bones, Remus Lupin, Xenophilius Lovegood

Adelaide Boot

Fyodor Bychkov, Glenda Chittock, Clifford Gu, Devereaux Sauvage Jr, Lonnie Gilmore, Ivelisse Cassidy, Kimiko Monet, Rhys Amin, Whitney Jaggernauth, Azriel Emmanuel, Valentijn Vos, Harrison Marchbanks, Jack Doe, Euphemia Abernathy, Shivaun Reaver

Charity Burbage, Walter Shafiq, Algilbert Fontaine

Archie Graves, Carolina Snyde, Gwenog Jones, Melanie MacDougal, River Hedley

Valerie Petrov, Sebastian Laviscount, Mara Lovelace, Calista Travers, Araminta Valentine, Nimue MacKenna, Sorina Rosales, Leilani Ishikawa, Estrella Norwood, Theodora Zabini, Petra Ulvehud, Elodie Corbin, Ava Davudi, Inala Greentree

Andromeda Black, Antonin Dolohov, Barty Crouch Jr, Castor Dolohov, George Calloway, Kassandre Fairchild, Logan Buchanan, Mafalda Hopkirk, Mason Mcelreath, Max Winters, Melinda Dolohov, Miraphora Mina, Thorfinn Rowle, Vareena Gore

Juliette McLaggen, Beatrice Hoffman, Pandora Lovegood, Gladys Gudgeon, Cristine Avery, Deidra Wolfram, Cadence Bell, Lane Macmillan, Tate Lodgston, Katherine Burke, Geraldine Ollivander, Gulliver Hedley

Alejandro Sundstrom, Bailey Blake, Calantha Rosier, Darcy Killick, Dorian Silvius, Elena Montague, Jude Arnoult, Marley Marsh, Mary Macdonald, Myra Yadav, Nari Mina, Ronan Prince, Slade Wixx, Tyson Huxley, William Abbington, Barbie Benitez, Shu-Hui Zhao, Damien Ricci, Alora Poverly

the following characters have a fourty eight hour extension, and have until 9:42pm nzst on sunday to post:

Ambrose Burke, Yasiel Baptist, Zehir Aydem, Kiernan Kenny, Josefina Reinhart

#ahactivitycheck

[lilacwisps]

the course of true love (never did run smooth)

Ship: Sebastian Sallow x Ravenclaw Female Player Character Rating: T Summary: When Sebastian and Ava get caught stealing potion ingredients from the greenhouses, only one way out comes to mind.

ao3 link

On a crisp yet sunny October morning, the Transfiguration Courtyard was filled with people. Sebastian leaned against the balustrade separating the courtyard from the small pond, resting his chin lazily on the palm of his hand as he looked out on the water. A myriad of tiny silver glimmers just below the water's surface drew his eye - Sebastian looked closer and saw a shoal of fish scurrying about the pond's floor.

Watching fish was not exactly Sebastian's idea of fun. Still, he had about twenty minutes to kill before meeting Ominis, who - after an extended argument - had promised to let Sebastian "borrow" his Potions assignment. Between yet another excursion to the Restricted Section and all of his detentions, Sebastian had absolutely no time to complete all of his homework- and he had told Ominis as much.

"Very well," Ominis finally relented, "But this is the last time I'm letting you copy my work."

Sebastian easily agreed, knowing all too well that it won't be the last - Ominis liked to scold Sebastian for his careless attitude, but he did not want Sebastian to fail any of the classes. Especially not right before the O.W.L.s.

"Sebastian," Ava Rosier's voice distracted him from his thoughts, "There you are. I need your help."

When Sebastian turned to Ava, he instantly knew she must have just gotten out of the Flying Class with Madam Kogawa. She was dressed in blue Ravenclaw flying robes, her long hair was windswept and tousled, and pale pink blush bloomed on her cheeks. Momentarily distracted, Sebastian smiled at Ava before catching himself.

"Skipping pleasantries and going straight to business this morning, huh?" he said, "I like that."

"You are so not the one to talk about manners," Ava leaned back against the granite column and crossed her arms before her, "And besides - I had just seen you not two hours ago. Or have you forgotten?"

Sebastian had not - Ava was the one who helped him get into the Restricted Section earlier that night. Not that he needed her - or anyone's - help - after all, very few students knew the secret passageways of Hogwarts better than him. But after the night he got Ava to the Restricted Section during the first week of school, it became almost a tradition between them to sneak into the library together. It increased the risk of getting caught, of course, but Sebastian always maintained that doing illicit things with someone was at least twice as fun as doing them alone, making the risk worth it. Simple math, really.

Besides, while he did not need her help actually getting into the Libarty, it was helpful to get some external ideas for his rule-breaking routine - such as Ava's suggestion to start all their illicit outings between three and four in the morning rather than just past midnight.

"At that hour, the librarian is most certainly gone, and all the prefects can hardly keep their eyes open, so they are much less likely to investigate anything suspicious," she told him.

Sebastian was not too fond of waking up that early, but after a few night outings, he had to admit that Ava was right.

"See, I always knew we'd make a great team," he told her, to which Ava only smiled.

A loud splash of water pulled Sebastian out of his thoughts. He glanced over his shoulder only to see a group of first-years tossing rocks into the lake, each trying to prove they could make their rock leap farther than everyone else.

"No," he said, turning to Ava, "How could I forget? So then, what is it you need?"

Sebastian Sallow liked a few things better than having friends in his debt, which was why he would hear Ava out. And what else could be the reason? Most certainly not the soft half-smile that bloomed on her lips when she thanked him or the pretty blush that rose in her cheeks when they had to run from prefects or the librarian.

Ava glanced at the group of first-years on the other side of the marble pavilion. Satisfied that they were out of earshot, she turned her back to the balustrade and hopped up, settling down on the top rail. It was an odd change of perspective for Sebastian - usually, she was more than a head shorter, but now her face was almost level with his.

"Don't be so loud," she murmured softly, "It's best that no one else hears us."

"Well, now I am most certainly intrigued," Sebastian lowered his voice and shifted closer, "Let me guess - it has something to do with the Restricted Section."

"Not this time," Ava chuckled, and Sebastian raised his eyebrow - now that was surprising. Fortunately, Ava didn't leave him wondering for too long, "I need you to help me steal some Sopophorous Beans from the greenhouses."

The request surprised Sebastian - given their history together, he had expected Ava to ask him to join her on a trip to the Forbidden Forest at the very least - or, perhaps, on a detour to a goblin camp to make sure that filth didn't spread. Stealing from the greenhouses was not something he could have guessed - and that made him all the more curious.

"What do you need them for?" Sebastian asked.

Since Ava mentioned the Sopophorous Beans, he'd been trying to remember if he'd ever heard of them. The name sounded vaguely familiar, to be sure. Still, his mind kept coming up blank on the beans' magical properties - unfortunately for Sebastian, neither Herbology nor Potions were his strong subjects.

Ava tilted her head, looking Sebastian straight in the eye, "I'm trying to brew the Draught of the Living Death."

Sebastian looked at her, blinking slowly as he processed Ava's words. Potions may not have been his strong suit, but he knew just enough about the Draught of the Living Death to understand its dangers. He'd heard from some seventh-year students that this draught used to be taught in the N.E.W.T. level potions class - but after someone poured it into the cups of the entire Hufflepuff Quidditch team - no doubt as retribution for winning the Quidditch Cup - it was removed from the curriculum.

To many, that sounded like just another rumor - but Sebastian knew more than his fair share of sore losers, so he believed it.

"What can you possibly need that for?" he asked, frowning.

"I cannot tell you right now," Ava released her grip on the railing to brush her windswept hair out of her face.

"Does it have something to do with the trials you've told me about?" Sebastian leaned in closer so he could speak quietly.

Ava held his gaze, silent and still, then nodded slowly.

Sebastian was sure that he knew Ava better than anyone else at Hogwarts - and yet, so much about her remained a mystery. Still, he did not mind - the draw of the unknown has always been inexorable to him.

"It's a dangerous brew," he cautioned, "I hope you know what you are doing."

"I appreciate the warning," Ava replied, placing her hands back on the railing, "But you do not need to worry about me."

All of a sudden, Sebastian was acutely aware of how close their hands were - warmth radiated from Ava's skin, and if he shifted his fingers ever so slightly, he could brush against the back side of her palm…Which was something he most definitely was not going to do.

Shaking his head, Sebastian chased away the unwelcome thoughts and focused on Ava's request. So, how would they steal Sopophorous Beans? While Sebastian did not know the greenhouses as well as he knew the Restricted Section of the library, it did not take a genius to figure out that a plant like this would likely be in a special area accessible only to N.E.W.T-level Herbology students and Professor Garlick herself.

"Suppose I agreed to help you," Sebastian said, "But what exactly is your plan? If Sopophorous beans are grown in the special area of the greenhouses - as I suspect they would be, given their uses - it would be no easy feat to get to them. Professor Garlick keeps the corridor leading to that greenhouse under lock and key - and always seals it with an anti-Alohomora charm. We cannot exactly ask her to let us in - so what do you propose we do?"

"Well, now I know for certain you don't pay attention in Herbology," Ava chuckled as she tilted her head to the side, studying Sebastian's face. A moment later, she widened her eyes in faux shock and leaned in closer - lowering her voice to barely a whisper as though sharing the biggest secret, "Don't tell me it's because of Professor Garlick. I knew it! Ever since that first Herbology class, you were always so awfully distracted."

Sebastian rolled his eyes as warmth rose to his cheeks. Of course, she'd remember. The night before that Herbology class, Sebastian helped Ava sneak into the Restricted Section of the library for the first time. As luck would have it, they've stumbled upon Peeves, who could not wait to tell Scribner all about their little adventures, leaving Sebastian no choice but to go back to deal with the fallout, all to buy Ava time to continue her search.

He never saw her again that night - the librarian marched him straight to Headmaster Black's office, where he'd been threatened with all kinds of disciplinary actions until Ominis's interference reduced his punishment to detention.

Sebastian became exceedingly worried when he did not see Ava at breakfast the next day. She seemed capable enough to handle all the obstacles she'd faced thus far, but what if he made a mistake leaving her alone that night in the Restricted Section? What if something had happened to her?

When he later saw Ava walking down the stairs into the greenhouse, his heart thumped in his chest. And if he smiled at Ava when professor Garlick introduced her to the class, that was only because he was so relieved to see her alive and well - and not at all because of the way his heart skipped a beat when their eyes met.

Chasing the thoughts away, Sebastian shrugged.

"Wouldn't you like to know," he responded to Ava's jab, "Unfortunately for you, I'll just have to leave you wondering - after all, I can't be going around telling you all my secrets now, can I?"

"No need to say anything," Ava replied, "You aren't half as discreet as you think you are. But, if you were to pay attention in Herbology, you would notice that on Thursdays, Professor Garlick always comes out of the locked section of the greenhouse right before our class starts and doesn't properly lock the door until the class is over. All we need to do is sneak into that corridor before it's locked."

Sebastian nodded along - while this wasn't the most elaborate plan, he's heard much worse in his five years at Hogwrats.

"And it just so happens that today's a Thursday," he said slowly.

"Yes," Ava smiled, "Isn't that convenient?"

Sebastian sighed - if he were to get detention again today, Ominis would undoubtedly be extremely cross with him - all the more reason not to get caught.

"And how certain are you that everything will go as you expect?" Sebastian asked wearily.

"Unlike some people, I pay attention in Herbology," Ava said, looking Sebastian in the eye, "And Professor Garlick has been leaving the door to that corridor unlocked during our class the past three weeks."

Sebastian frowned - three weeks is far from long enough to ensure the plan is foolproof, but he has to admit that Ava certainly put some thought into it.

"So," Ava leaned back on her arms and looked at Sebastian impatiently, "Will you help me?"

"The success of your plan hinges on an awful lot of assumptions," Sebastian mused, running through all the steps in his mind.

"Says the man who almost got us caught at the Restricted Section during the first week, all because he believed that the librarian is "usually" gone after midnight," Ava chuckled.

"But we didn't get caught," Sebastian retorted.

"Technically, we did," Ava said, tilting her head and letting her hair fall to the side. Soft fall sun caught in the dark brown strands of her hair, turning it almost gold. It took a moment before Sebastian realized that he'd been staring.

"Don't start," he said, frustrated by Ava's words and his own disposition.

"If you don't want to help me, you can just say that," Ava shrugged lightly. Next thing Sebastian knew, she hopped off the balustrade and stood beside him, "I could always ask Garreth Weasley - he does still owe me for that time at Hogsmeade… I suppose I better go find him - not much time left until Herbology."

A dark, burning feeling uncoiled in Sebastian's chest as he thought about Ava approaching Garreth Weasley for help. It almost shocked Sebastian how much he loathed the thought - he'd never been all that possessive over his friends. But something about her felt different - ever since they went to Hogsmeade on the first day of class. Ever since she beat him in that duel during the Defence Against the Dark Arts class.

They share a special connection - of that much, Sebastian is certain. He understood her better than anyone at the school did - and most definitely better than Garreth Weasley, of all people.

Ava was almost halfway across the pavilion when he called after her.

"I'd hate to see you get caught," he said, "And if you bring someone like Weasley, that outcome is all but guaranteed. Luckily for you, I'm feeling benevolent today, so I'm willing to help."

"Oh?" Ava stopped and glanced at Sebastian over her shoulder, "And what happened to change your mind?"

"I just pictured professor Fig's disappointed face when he learns that his favorite student is in detention until the end of the semester and realized that I cannot do that to the old man," Sebastian said, approaching Ava.

She studied his face briefly, then a half-smile spread across her lips, "How kind and generous of you."

"What can I say," Sebastian replied, then added, "Now, just so I understand the scope of the problem - what exactly do you need me to do? Do you need a lookout? Or would you rather I come along and help steal the beans? Or, perhaps, you want me to distract Professor Garlick?"

"You'd like that, wouldn't you," Ava laughed, "But, alas, whatever designs you have on Professor Garlick will have to wait. I'm assuming you are not at all familiar with the Sopophorous Beans; otherwise, you'd know that there is no way to collect them alone - someone needs to be holding the root leaves to make the plant release the beans in the first place. So you'll need to come along."

Sebastian nodded along - holding leaves sounds easy enough. "And have you thought about how we will get out of the greenhouses?" he asked.

"Hopefully, the same way we got in," Ava replied, leaning against the marble column behind her, "If we manage to keep Professor Garlick distracted long enough."

"I could think of a few spells that could help with that," Sebastian mused. There were several strong contenders, but Sebastian always maintained that it was usually better to go with something simpler in a situation like this one.

"That's what I like to hear," Ava smiled, "Thank you, Sebastian."

"I told you I can help you, and I will," Sebastian crossed his arms before adding, "Even if your plan is a little half-baked. Fortunately for you, I am feeling charitable today."

"Lucky me," Ava chuckled lightly.

The sound of bells filled the courtyard - the clock struck ten, notifying students to hurry to their next class. Ominis must be getting out of his Arithmancy class right about now.

"Ominis will be really disappointed if he learns what we've been up to," Sebastian remarked, watching the doors to the courtyard.

"Then we'll have to make sure we don't get caught, so he won't have to find out," Ava replied calmly, "Worst comes to worst, I'm sure we could make it up to him."

Sebastian could not even begin to imagine what that would entail - any time he'd spoken to Ominis after getting into trouble with the faculty, he'd always gotten an earful from his friend. But Ava seemed to have a way with Ominis - so much so that he'd agreed to help them find Slytherin's Scriptorium after she asked him once, even though he previously refused Sebastian's pleas outright. It's good that his and Ava's interests were aligned thus far.

"I better hurry," Ava continued, "I still need to change before my next class. Thanks for the help, Sebastian - I will see you in Herbology."

Three hours before Herbology passed in a blink of an eye - Ominis came by almost as soon as Ava left, bringing with him the potions assignment Sebastian so desperately needed to copy. Without wasting a minute, Sebastian got to work - the assignment was so lengthy that even using Ominis's work as a guide, Sebastian was only finished right before it was time to head to class.

This Herbology class was dedicated to tending to aconite flowers. After setting up his workstation, Sebastian glanced at the door leading to the sealed-off part of the greenhouses to see if Ava was correct. He watched Professor Garlick appear through the door a moment before the class started - and saw that she did not lock it.

Impressive, Sebastian thought, looking over to Ava, who only shrugged.

To Sebastian's surprise, the lesson passed by with hardly any accidents. Only Everett Clopton had to leave halfway through due to aconite poisoning - somehow, he thought it would be wise to handle the leaves without gloves.

"Five minutes left," Professor Garlick announced as the lesson was drawing to a close, "Please wrap up your tasks and clean up your workstations."

Sebastian glanced over at Ava and nodded. Setting aside his trowel, Sebastian picked up the watering can and brought it to the shelves at the back of the class. Once there, he scanned the classroom to ensure no one was looking before quickly pulling out his wand.

The archway to the right of the shelves opened to a smaller greenhouse room. Looking in, Sebastian noticed six flowerpots hanging from the ceiling with dense green overgrowth spilling over the sides of the pots. Perfect.

Sebastian was already back at his workstation when a loud sound of clay shattering rang through the greenhouse.

"Oh no," Professor Garlick - who'd been checking over Natty's aconite plant - exclaimed as she looked up and saw shattered pots on the ground in the other room, "I knew they were too heavy - I should have repotted them sooner."

"Do you need help, Professor?" Samantha Dale asked.

"No, no, it's alright," Professor Garlick replied, "I would hate for any of you to be late to your next lesson - class dismissed."

With that, Professor Garlick hurried off to the smaller room, musing out loud about which pots to use for replanting. Everyone else was still packing up when Ava caught Seabstain's gaze. "Now's the time," she whispered.

Sebastian and Ava quickly made their way through the corridor leading out of the greenhouses and walked through the door on the left that Professor Garlick forgot to lock earlier instead of heading up the stairs to the exit.

Sebastian had extensively explored Hogwarts in his five years at the school - and yet, he'd never been to this part of the greenhouses. The short corridor ended, opening into a large room. Soft autumn light poured in through the roof's green and yellow glass panels. In the center of the room were three smaller greenhouses with iridescent, almost milky-white glass walls.

"Do you know what that Sopophorous Bean plant looks like?" Sebastian asked as they approached the greenhouses.

"It's a short, pale green plant with long, thin leaves," Ava responded, carefully studying the contents of the first greenhouse through the glass walls, "And the beans are small and silvery-white - they are very similar to mistletoe berries."

Sebastian nodded and turned his attention to the inside of the second greenhouse. They've gotten this far, but they needed to act quickly, or they could get caught.

"There!" Ava said suddenly, pointing inside the greenhouse on the left, "Next to the Alihosty in the corner."

With that, she walked over to the small door on the side of the greenhouse and decisively pulled it open. Sebastian followed, careful not to touch overhanging leaves bursting from various pots and flowerbeds. Though he recognized some of the plants, there were many he'd never seen before, and he did not feel like this was the right moment to try his luck.

Ava walked over to a small pale plant nested in the tiny pot next to a bigger one with green and red leaves and crouched before it.

"Careful," she said, looking at Sebastian over her shoulder, "Make sure you do not touch Alihosty - even the smallest contact can induce a bout of hysteria and uncontrollable laughter."

Wonderful.

"Thank you for the warning," Sebastian replied.

"Hold these two leaves," Ava said, pointing at the two root leaves at the bottom of the Sopophorus plant's stem, "The stronger you pull, the quicker I can collect the beans, and we can be out of here."

Sebastian nodded, then reached forward, gripping the Sopophorus leaves firmly. The leaves felt warm and almost soft to the touch, but when he tried to pull, they offered a surprising amount of resistance. It took more effort than Sebastian cared to admit to pull the leaves away from the stem.

Ava got a small satchel from her book bag and got to work collecting small white beans that resembled tiny pearls. Keeping the leaves away from the stem was not easy, but Ava worked fast - it was only a couple of minutes later that she looked up at him and said, "All done - let's get out of here."

Sebastian did not need to be asked twice. They quickly made their way out of the small greenhouse and were about to walk around it to head to the corridor leading to an exit when a clear sound of footsteps suddenly came from that direction.

"Not good," Ava whispered, "Do you think it's Professor Garlick?"

"Who else could it be?" Sebastian said, looking to the corridor, "Can't believe she's already finished with all the plants."

He'd thought that making more than a few flower pots fall would make professor Garlick too suspicious - but if he had known how little time it'd take her to replant everything, he would have cast a spell on at least a dozen.

"Should have broken more pots," Ava sighed.

"A little too late for that now," Sebastian whispered, frustrated, then looked at Ava, "So, what are we going to do?"

When sneaking around the castle at night, Sebastian relied quite heavily on the disillusionment charm. It worked well on prefects - but there was no way they could fool a professor with that one.

The steps were drawing closer. Ava looked around, no doubt in search of another exit from the greenhouse - but, to their chagrin, it seemed that the only way out was the way they came in. Finally, she turned back to Sebastian.

"Kiss me," she said.

Sebastian blinked slowly, processing Ava's words. Surely he'd misheard - surely, she did not just ask him to kiss her. His gaze dropped, unbidden, to Ava's lips and lingered far longer than it should have.

"What?" he'd asked, forcing himself to look her back in the eye.

"Kiss me," Ava repeated impatiently.

Sebastian stared at her, dumbfounded. Was it possible that she'd accidentally touched a plant she shouldn't have? Were there any plants that had properties similar to love potions?

His eyes shifted, yet again, to her lips, and his heart raced. Before Sebastian could say anything, Ava's hands clenched the lapels of his robes, and suddenly, she was pulling him forward with a strength that was utterly unexpected for her small frame. Next thing Sebastian knew - she was pressing her lips against his.

Dizzying heat rushed through his body as his heart fluttered against his ribcage, and before he'd realized what he was doing, Sebastian responded to the kiss. Her lips were warm and soft against his, her movements decisive yet teasing - skillful. Clearly, this was not a first.

A sharp, bitter feeling uncoiling in his chest at the mere thought of Ava being with someone else stunned Sebastian. That someone else would dare touch her, let alone kiss her, felt like a personal offense - one Sebastian had no intention of taking lightly if he'd ever found out who it was.

But then Ava's fingers snaked through his hair as she pulled Sebastian even closer, deepening the kiss, and suddenly, his mind was delightfully blank. The few coherent thoughts at the very edges of his consciousness finally put the puzzle pieces together, making Sebastian realize why Ava's kissing him.

Could this really work?

Even if it didn't work, Sebastian had no regrets - not when she was kissing him like that. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her closer, savoring every intoxicating second of this stolen moment. Between one heartbeat and the next, they would, no doubt, be caught, but he had no intention of stopping until there was no other choice. Not when he'd just realized what he had ached for since the day they'd met. Besides, the plan was to make this look believable, wasn't it?

"This part of the greenhouses is off-limits to students," Professor Garlick's bright voice was almost startling, "Oh my…"

Instantly, Sebastian felt Ava pull away - it took more restraint than Sebastian would like to admit to let go of her. His heart still pounded in his chest, and he could feel a deep crimson blush bloom on his face, but when he looked over at Ava, only the fadest shade of pink rose in her cheeks.

Professor Garlick stood in front of them, clearly embarrassed, almost not knowing where to look.

"I uh…My apologies," she spoke quickly, having regained some of her composure, "But as I said, these greenhouses are off-limits to students. Miss Rosier may be a new student, but you should know that by now, Mr. Sallow."

"It's my fault, Professor," Ava murmured. Between her downcast eyes and a sad smile blooming on her lips, Ava's face was the very picture of repentance, and Sebastian was thoroughly impressed. "I saw an open door in the corridor and didn't realize where it led, and then…"

"I understand," Professor Garlick's replied calmly, "But that doesn't change the fact that you went to the off-limits section of the greenhouses. Just so you know, a punishment for such an infraction is usually detention."

Sebastian could barely suppress a sigh - he'd already had more hours of detention scheduled for this semester than he could count, and now this.

"But," Professor Garlick's voice suddenly softened, "Given the…circumstances, I do not think detention would be necessary. If you both promise me never to enter this part of the greenhouses again, I think ten points off Ravenclaw and Slytherin each would be enough of a lesson."

Sebastian could hardly believe his ears - he had his ways of getting out of trouble with the faculty, but that required spinning elaborate tales. Was Professor Garlick going to let them off the hook just like that?

"Of course, Professor," Ava replied swiftly, "We are very sorry - this will not happen again."

"You have our word, Professor Garlick," Sebastian added.

Professor Garlick looked between him and Ava and smiled.

"Very well," she said, "I am glad that the two of you have learned your lesson. Now I think it's time for you to be on your way."

Neither Sebastian nor Ava needed to be told to leave twice. Sebastian was still surprised that this ridiculous plan worked - and only resulted in ten-point deductions to both their houses. As they walked into the corridor, Sebastian could have sworn that he had heard professor Garlick hum something about "young love." Instantly, Sebastian felt color rise in his cheeks.

The ghost of Ava's kiss still lingered on his lips, spreading warmth through his body and making blood rush in his veins.

"Only ten points deducted - what a bargain," Ava chuckled, walking beside him. Sebastian looked at her out of the corner of his eye. She seemed quite unaffected by everything that transpired - and, for some reason, that thought stung.

"I'm surprised it worked," Sebastian offered, his voice a little hoarse, "Frankly, that was a ridiculous plan."

"You just need to know your audience," Ava smiled, "A trick like this had a chance of working on someone easily flustered, like Professor Garlick, but would never work on someone like Professor Sharp."

The thought of just what they'd need to do at that greenhouse to fluster Professor Sharp set Sebastian's cheeks ablaze.

They walked through the half-empty Central Hall, then up a few flights of stairs. On the third floor, Ava stopped and turned to Sebastian. "Thank you for your help," she smiled, "And I must say, I'm quite impressed: you're pretty good - that was almost believable."

"You weren't so bad yourself," Sebastian shrugged lightly as if his heart did not skip a beat.

"I owe you one for this ordeal with the beans," Ava replied, "So if there are any trolls or goblins or, I don't know…inferi you need help dealing with, just let me know."

"I told you I'd help you get those beans - and I always keep my word," Sebastian said proudly, looking Ava straight in the face, "You're lucky you decided to ask me for help first - had you brought along someone like Weasley, you would definitely have been caught and on your way to detention right now."

"Hmm, I don't know about that one," Ava mused, tilting her head to the side, "After all, that little trick we pulled on Professor Garlick was Garreth's idea."

Sebastian's stomach dropped as blood rushed in his ears, and an all too familiar burning feeling started to uncoil in his chest.

"When I was helping him sneak out to Hogsmeade, Garreth suggested we do this if his aunt catches us - perhaps, hoping she'd be too embarrassed to inflict any disciplinary consequences upon him," Ava continued, "To be honest, I thought the plan silly - Professor Weasley is hardly a blushing maiden, so something like this is unlikely to startle her. But I'd remembered his words just now at the greenhouses and thought that this might just work on Professor Garlick - and, fortunately, it did. Perhaps, I should thank him."

Sebastian hated the idea of Ava sneaking around with Garreth Weasley to his very core. Weasley was charming but a fool and sooner or later would get into trouble - and would get Ava in trouble with him.

"Anyways, the potion won't brew itself, so I'll be on my way. I should have all the ingredients now, but if I encounter an issue with it later, I might have to ask you for help again. That is, of course, if I'm fortunate enough and you are feeling generous again," Ava chuckled, "Otherwise, I suppose I'll have to settle for someone with less expertise in breaking school rules."

"I suppose I have no choice but to keep helping you," Sebastian crossed his arms, "Otherwise, if you get in trouble and get expelled, how will I ever collect on your promise about fighting trolls and goblins and - what was that - inferi?"

"I suppose you don't," Ava replied, "Truly, an unfortunate position to be in."

"Things I do for you" Sebastian shook his head, letting out an exaggerated sigh.

Ava chuckled, then took a step closer. Sebastian's gaze dropped down to her lips for a split second before he forced himself to look her back in the eye.

"You are a good friend, Sebastian," Ava smiled, "I'll see you later in the Astronomy class."

As Sebastian watched Ava leave, a conflicting whirlwind of emotions raged inside his chest. He needed some air - or, perhaps, a butterbeer or two - to gather his thoughts and clear his head. While he did not know what that encounter in the greenhouse meant for them, one thing was for certain - he had no intention of sharing Ava's affections with anyone.

#sebastian sallow x mc #OC: Ava Rosier

[glynnisi]

ShieldShock Holiday Fic 2020       FOR  @ava-rosier      

At Ao3:  Snowbound Christmas

Prompts:

-There's only one hotel room left and it's a blizzard outside and There Is Only One Bed.

-Either at a Mall or an Airport during the busy holiday season, a villain is trying to steal/ruin the holidays and Steve and Darcy, who are both there for Reasons, team up to foil the dastardly plot.

-When Darcy wore her new, risqué Captain America xmas/holiday sweater to work that day, she didn't expect that he would actually...y'know...SEE it.

---

So, it’s been a while since I wrote. Hi, friends!!! :)  But I adore ShieldShock still and will always adore @mcgregorswench and the ShieldShock Holiday Fic Exchange.  I tried to capture the feel of your prompts, @ava-rosier .  I’ve done holiday in the airport before but can NEVAH get too much of THERE IS ONLY ONE BED.  Hope you’re having a wonderful holiday, enjoying seeing 2020 finally end, and that you’ll enjoy your ShieldShock holiday fic gift!!! :)

---

Snowbound Christmas

Darcy startled as the car door scraped open over deep snow and a gust of wind blew in to steal her breath. It was even colder than the previous times. Steve could move fast, but not faster than the blizzard winds. He shook his head as he slammed the door closed behind him, sealing them in the relative calm. The only sound at first was the rustle of her shivering. He turned the car on again and they both savored relief as the air around them warmed.

She shifted position in her seat. “Steve, my friend! No room in the Inn?” Darcy tried to sound upbeat rather than weary. “I’d so hoped the eleventh try would be the charm. I mean, those two were raved over in Google as ‘simple’ and ‘budget’. You wouldn’t think that would draw a crowd.” She continued to watch the snow fall, eyes going out of focus.

Steve shook his head and pushed his snow-damp hair back. “I tried all five places in the village. Cut across town on foot rather than wasting gas.” He frowned. “I’m too stubborn. Should ‘a stopped twenty miles back where there were more possibilities. I’m sorry, Darcy.” He kept his eyes on the road as he started slowly moving. The snow was falling hard, gusting winds whipping it around them with abandon. Even with four-wheel drive, good snow tires, and perfect reflexes- Steve didn’t dare go more than fifteen miles per hour. Driving was hazardous, more by the minute.

Darcy shrugged her shoulders. “The forecast was off. I thought we had more time before it got bad, too. I swear! I only closed my eyes for like twenty seconds. When I opened them again it looked like I’d missed seeing three inches fall. You must be freezing. The other motels are two miles away, aren’t they?” She shivered, both sympathetically and because the car was still warming up.

“I’ll be fine.” Steve sighed again and glanced at Darcy’s phone before staring ahead of them again. “Any other ideas?”

Darcy squinched up her features, “well…” She was glad Steve focused his attention on the road. She worried that her idea wouldn’t be well received. “We could ask the others for suggestions? Surely Tony owns something between here and the City.” Darcy held her breath. She’d seen Steve and Tony clash at the Avengers Upstate Base enough to know that he didn’t want to ask Tony’s help.

Steve reached in his jacket pocket and handed his phone to Darcy, groaning in resignation. “Had the same thought. See if he’s replied?” He steeled himself.

Darcy laughed merrily as she read his incoming texts.

“That bad?” Steve’s frown lines deepened.

Darcy’s lips twitched. “Nah, buddy-o. Tony’s busting your chops about being a damsel in distress. He reminds you that he’s been away from Pepper for a week and has injuries to rest up from. Says to cool your heels at a summer lake cabin of hers. Coordinates and key code provided. And to resist the urge to crash dramatically into the lake as it wouldn’t be very festive of you. Cabin can be drafty, but was cleaned recently. Which, yay! They were going to come up last week for a dating anniversary celebration before the weather changed and he took that mission.”

Steve nodded and blew out an impatient breath. He glanced at Darcy again, “does anyone other than Jane know you’re with me?” His tone sounded wary.

Again, Darcy shrugged and avoided his gaze. “I dunno. If the local mechanic didn’t have sick kids at home, I’d be driving myself through this like I planned. Probably would’ve crashed in a snow drift by now or be caught in the sadly-parked madness on the interstate you were smart enough to skip. Why? I’m sorry that coming for me put you behind schedule. You’re too kind, putting yourself out for little ole me. You probably have plans with close friends, or something.” She trailed off, uncertain if that was a fair assumption regarding Steve. As much time as they’d spent together since they met over a year before, he seemed to always be working.

Darcy frowned, sad for Steve. And for herself. She’d tried in vain to shake the crush she had on the loneliest Avenger. He seemed determined to stay lonely and fill his time almost entirely with work. Whenever he came to Jane’s lab, she struggled not to let her extreme thirst for him show. She ended up babbling most times, griping about stuff and talking nonsense. He came by the lab a lot, so she had many embarrassing memories to cringe about.

“Not really. And don’t apologize, Darcy. I wanted to help you. I’m glad you’re with me rather than stuck, or worse.” Steve chose to ignore part of her question for the moment. “I was just going by Tony and Pepper’s party at the Tower to keep some peace between us. Then I figured I might go to Brooklyn to see the crazy lights they put up there these days, and then maybe head down to D.C. to see Sam. Nothing firm. No big deal.” He turned into a skid and eased up on the gas. Anyone else would have registered alarm at the need to maneuver like that. The majority of drivers would have wrecked. Sleet mixed in with the precipitation.

Darcy nodded, silent. She clicked on the coordinates Tony had sent and turned up the volume on the phone directions. When there was a pause, she spoke up, “still sorry to keep you from your party, lights, and Sam. I’m relieved that you weren’t just planning to ignore the holiday at the Upstate Base again this year, though. No offense, but hearing you did that last year made me mad at you.” She let out an indignant huff and blinked back tears.

He raised his brows, but didn’t reply at first. Finally, not wanting to seem rude, Steve asked, “mad? Why?” He fought against both flickers of hope and melancholy.

Steve tried not to wish for what he believed he couldn’t have. He’d found that Darcy won friends easily, but rarely let anyone get close enough to know her the way he’d like to know her. She kept things light and funny, using her humor as a shield against intimacy.  He admired her ability to deflect when she used it with others, lamented it when she used it with him.

The first day they met, Steve fell hard for the brash, strong-willed, funny, gorgeous dame. And then he met her boyfriend, Ian. Even after that relationship ended, Darcy made it crystal clear that she saw Steve only as a friend. Her emotional shield pushed him back like the strongest of force fields. She bristled if he held a door or pulled out a chair for her. She acted like it was weird if he did anything for her- like bringing her coffee when he was getting some for himself in Jane’s lab.

Also, there was Darcy’s apparent dislike of soldiers. She cursed agents and soldiers as ‘jack-booted thugs’ every time a piece Jane’s equipment misbehaved. He’d overheard Darcy rant to Jane about her sister’s hard life with a military guy Darcy disdained as ‘Soldier Boy’. Steve was a soldier. He'd never regretted it until it came between him and the only 21st century woman he’d met who captivated him.

Her tone as she spoke next brought Steve out of his reverie. “I know that those you love from your time were more like family to you… that you still mourn all you lost.” Darcy avoided looking at Steve, “But, I consider you a friend and I don’t like for anyone to treat my friends bad… especially, themselves. Thinking of you doing busy work and walking echoing halls alone. Imagining you eating frozen dinners and training alone while the rest of the world celebrated? Too sad. Awful. I wish you would’ve let me, I mean, someone, anyone, know that you didn’t have plans.” Darcy swallowed hard around the lump in her throat. She’d held that in for the better part of a year and was terrified that she’d overstepped enough to anger Steve. If her voice sounded brittle, she couldn’t help it. Her feelings for Steve ran deep. She’d taken one look at Steve Rogers and lost her heart irrevocably.

Steve shook his head and joked to offer one correction, “I hardly ever eat frozen dinners.” He cleared his throat. “What did you do for Christmas last year?” Steve’s tone was mild, unreadable. He’d spent a lot of the previous year’s holiday week reliving the pain of seeing Darcy being kissed by Ian under mistletoe. It was a harsh blow since he’d heard rumors that they’d broken up and dared hope for a chance with her. Thinking of that terrible moment still filled Steve with potent jealousy.

Darcy cut a glance Steve’s way. “I went to the usual lame lab holiday party, complete with joke gifts and too much mistletoe. Then, un-fun family time. As soon as I could escape my dumb sister Beth and ‘Soldier Boy’, I got back to Jane’s. I made Thor watch Christmas cartoons while I struggled to explain the pop nuances of them to him. We drank eggnog. I exchanged joke gifts with him and Jane and Erik. Then we all helped serve Christmas dinner at homeless shelter. And I ate too much and fell asleep on the couch at Jane’s place that night. I ‘peopled’.” She glared at Steve and repeated in an accusing tone, “’Peo-ple-d!’”

Darcy frowned as she also remembered Ian cornering her under mistletoe before Christmas. He tried to get back together with her until she threatened to tase him. It had cast a pall over Darcy’s entire holiday.  That was one interaction with people she did NOT look back on fondly.

Steve chuckled weakly, “and you’re mad at me for not ‘people-ing?’”  

“You never want anyone to pity you in any way, but then you do stupid stuff like that! I mean, I was drunk when Thor told me, but it made me CRY.” Darcy shook her head and looked away, frowning, angry. “Sorry. Said too much. Not my business. I know. Sorry.” She hunched her shoulders as though concerned he might offer a rebuke.

Steve's face fell into a sad grin. “No need to… It’s nice that you worry about me, Darcy. Thanks for that.” He resisted the urge to cover her hand with his. “I’m sorry I made you cry.” Genuine distress filled him, that she’d cried and that he had no right to offer comfort. Something in her reaction brought out his deepest protective instincts.

Careful to avoid distracting Steve from driving, Darcy poked his rock-hard bicep. “Pfft. Silly. You’re not alone, even if you try. You have friends. I’m your friend. You know that. Right?”

“Friends.” Steve nodded, grim. “Yeah. Thank you for being my friend, Darcy.” He sighed, long and low.

Darcy nodded, unable to speak around the lump in her throat.

---

 Soon, they arrived at the coordinates. A tiny cabin nestled in the deepening snow. It was dark, but for a dim light visible through its large windows.

Darcy moaned, “finally.”

“I could carry…” Steve’s voice trailed off as Darcy threw her door open and jumped out into the knee-deep snow. She almost fell, but righted herself. The winds swirled snow and sleet all around her.

“Shit! Cold!” Darcy trudged with purpose towards the cabin. “So cold! And, eww, wet. Oh!” She input the code Tony had sent for the front door lock and shoved inside. Darcy kicked off her snow-covered boots and dropped her coat inside the front door. She scurried to the bathroom. “Some of us don’t have super bladder capacity!” Her brief view of the cabin interior was minimal. Dark shapes stood out against the eerie snow light through the windows.

Steve slammed his car door and followed. He shook his head and yelled back, “nobody has that” as he picked up Darcy’s coat, shook snow off, and hung it on a hook. He toed off his boots and set them and Darcy’s boots near the fireplace. Then, he peeled off his snow pants and hung them on a hook near the door. They’d kept his jeans dry.

“Don’t get your tights in a twist. I’m hurrying!” Darcy called from the bathroom.

Brows raised; Steve surveyed the cabin. He flicked light switches and swore under his breath as low, golden light bathed the tight space. The room was dominated by a low bed and floor to ceiling windows. A Christmas tree decorated with lights stood by the bed. There were at least a dozen pillows and a sheer hanging canopy laced with warm string lights over the bed. There was no sofa, only two reading chairs and a small table in front of the fireplace. A kitchenette took space along one wall. It had a well-stocked wine rack.

Mostly, there was the ridiculously romantic-looking bed. Face prickling with heated anxiety, Steve found a thermostat and started the heater. Then, he began to build a fire in the brick fireplace. The cabin was cold and the windows were more suited to airiness than warmth. The back walls were brick, attractive but cold in winter weather.

“Uh, Steve?” Darcy sounded sheepish; voice muffled by the bathroom door. “Can you hand me a blanket or look for a robe or something? I’m sorry to trouble you. My pants are soaked up to the knees and I can’t put them back on. They’re freezing. Wet with snow.”

Steve closed his eyes, still for several seconds. He looked around for a closet and saw instead a wardrobe. He grabbed a black silk robe, frowning at the sheer and gauzy red alternative hanging beside it. The top shelves held baskets of swimsuits, shorts, and other summer clothes. He took the black robe off the hangar and walked to the bathroom. He knocked and held out the robe, eyes averted. Then, he went back to work on the fire.

“Thanks, I didn’t think. Just ran to the bathroom. I…” Darcy stopped as she got a good look at the cabin. “Oh, holy… uh, night.” She cut a careful glance Steve’s way.

Steve shook his head and chuckled. “Something like that. Don’t worry. I can sleep on the floor. I’ve done worse.” He arranged another log in the growing flames and warmed his hands.

“You can NOT! Don’t be stupid. I won’t attack you. Promise. We both need to sleep and there’s room for two if we remove a few hundred pillows.” Darcy’s tone sounded more certain and stubborn as she talked. She rolled her eyes at him. “Make a line of pillows down the middle of the bed as a dividing line if you want to keep me away. Or, I can do it.” She frowned at him, set her jeans near the fire to dry, and moved to the kitchenette. Darcy opened the refrigerator, freezer, and cabinets to see what they had to work with. “Sorry about my coat and boots. I was gonna get them, I swear.”

Steve frowned, disliking her urgent anxiety. “No problem.”

Darcy opened a bottle of water and drank it. “I didn’t dare drink much water while we were stuck in the car, but I still needed a bathroom for at least the past hour.” She offered him a bottle, which he accepted and downed before returning his attention to his work. Darcy moved food from the freezer to the refrigerator to thaw. She opened a couple of cans of soup and put them on to simmer, and sat in a reading chair. “I checked the weather forecast while I was in the bathroom. We’re not getting out of here on our own power before tomorrow night at the earliest.” She tightened the belt on the robe and leaned towards the fire, hands outstretched. “Nice. Getting a little warmth there. Thanks.”

Steve excused himself to the restroom. On his return, he sat in the other chair. He watched the fire’s progress, then turned his attention to the deepening snow visible through the windows all around them. “Quieter now. Slowing down, or a lull before more blizzard.”

“Lull, according to radar. Fresh snow absorbs sound. Something about air between the flakes dampening vibrations.” When Steve gave her an impressed look, Darcy grinned, “I saw it in a meme on the Internet. Must be true.” She winked at him.

Steve returned her grin. “Internet. So helpful.”

“Except when it’s REALLY not.” She made a face, both sad and angry. “Beth met ‘Soldier Boy’ online. And, of course his worst notions get amplified there. Bleurgh.”

Careful, Steve dared, “what branch of the Military is your brother-in-law with?”

Darcy choked on water. “Br... Whaa?” She shook her head, hard. “God, no! Don’t say that. It might come true if you say it.  Eww! Grandma Esther'd roll right out of her grave to beat the ever-living sh… heck… pardon me, out of Beth if she marries that Nazi wannabe.” Darcy shuddered dramatically. “Crud. They’ve been dating more than a year. And, Christmas… You may be right. Ugh.” She spoke as she texted into her phone, “‘If you marry him, I’ll give you kitty litter as a wedding present, used kitty litter. Dumbass. BTW I hate him. He’s awful.’ Ugh. Delete. Delete. Delete.”

Steve digested all this and stayed quiet. He noted with interest that Darcy’s cheeks reddened as though with embarrassment. In his experience she didn’t embarrass easily. Her plush lower lip jutted out in a pout. “Beth’s dating a racist faux-militia-type lunatic. She’s decided she’s Sub to his Dom and overlooks his politics and crazy behavior. It’s nauseating.” Darcy frowned, sad, “I don’t see the attraction. Mom says the sex must be great, cuz she doesn’t understand the attraction, either.” Darcy twirled a piece of her hair nervously on one finger. “Mom thought she had the worst taste in men in the family, but Beth’s making her wonder.” She shook her head. “Sorry. Nothing to you. You don’t know them. Crazy family of a sorta friend.”

“I know you… some. I care more than you think.” Now Steve’s cheeks reddened. He hadn’t meant to say that aloud.

Darcy gestured as though to bump shoulders with him. “Nice.” She arranged the robe over her legs, both from cold and modesty.

Hesitant, Steve ventured, “you never mention your father.”

Darcy’s gaze turned his way. “Nope. Long gone.” Her expression hardened. “Thank goodness.”

After an awkward silence fell between them, Steve went to the stove and spooned soup into two bowls. He returned to his place by the fire. He handed Darcy her soup, noting her mild surprise at being served. They ate without speaking. When they were done, they both took their bowls and rinsed them in the sink.

Darcy walked over to the bed and started moving pillows. “Do you want a dividing line?” She didn’t try to meet his gaze.

“Not necessary. Let’s put the pillows by the windows. They’ll block some of the cold that’s coming in and making it hard for this place to warm up.” Steve pressed pillows along the bottom edge of one window. He glanced back as Darcy slid beneath the covers, still wearing the black robe. The warm light brought out red and light brown highlights in her long hair. She looked even prettier than usual in the golden glow. And he thought she was always beautiful.

Darcy shivered hard. “Sheets are freezing!”

Swallowing hard, Steve sat on the far side of the bed from her. “Want the decorative lights off?”

“N…n..not unless you do. They’re p..pretty. Make me think warmer thoughts.” Her shivers shook the bed.

Steve shifted so that he could lift the covers and lay underneath them. They were icy cold against his pants. He imagined the chill was worse against Darcy’s bare legs. He lay back and closed his eyes, feeling the motion of the bed from Darcy’s shaking. The winds began to wail again, harder than before. He opened his eyes and turned to look out at the raging blizzard. “Wanna lay back-to-back? I run warm.” As she shifted so that she faced away from him, he rolled to his side and moved back against her. He cursed himself as a masochist.

“Ohhh. Fuck, yes!” Darcy swore under her breath and whispered, “sorry. So sorry!”

“I know what you mean and you don’t have to avoid cursing around me. We’re not on a mission communicator in an official capacity. That ‘language’ thing they joke me about is nonsense. I don’t give a damn about how people want to talk in regular life.” Steve closed his eyes again, trying to keep his tone even as Darcy wriggled against his back. He heard her mutter thanks a few times. Making her feel good pleased him.

Five minutes later, Darcy rolled over and pressed her cold nose against his shoulder. She spent several minutes trying to figure out where to put her hands. She ended up crossing her arms over her chest and tucking her hands under her chin. Within minutes, she was asleep.

Listening to the sound of Darcy’s breathing as it evened out and deepened lulled Steve to sleep soon after. His face settled into a small smile.

---

 Steve supposed it was a slight change in the blizzard-muted light of day that woke him next. Languorous, sensual dreams dissipated through his hazy thoughts. Dream images of Darcy, kiss-swollen lips and bared creamy skin, heated his blood.

Then, awareness hit him hard. He and Darcy clenched in a lover’s embrace. Their legs entwined and her head was on his chest. Her sweet, feminine scent filled his senses. Her amazing breasts pressed against one side of his chest. One of her hands was against his arm and the other warmed the skin of his stomach, inside his shirt. It all felt so good and right that it stole his breath. His body’s natural response to his dreams, to her, and to waking was extreme. He was afraid to move lest any friction push him past sanity. A small, low moan sounded in her throat as she shifted against him. He tensed.

Her voice was raspy with sleep. “I know it’s awkward, but I’m way too comfy to regret it. You feel good, Steve.”

“Right back atcha’, Doll,” he whispered. Wishing himself back in his dreams, he kissed her forehead and squeezed her even closer. He wanted her so much he could hardly stand it.

Darcy made another small sound in her throat as she wriggled against him. The realization that he was aroused sparked her passions, but she didn’t dare to presume too much. Maybe it was only an impressive sign of morning. She followed his example and placed a chaste kiss below his jaw. She felt his heart pounding more quickly and closed her eyes again. She flexed her fingers against his ridiculously-cut abdomen and felt him jolt. She debated if any of his reactions had anything to do with her in particular. She wished they did.

Both of them were awake, but neither admitted it.  Each of them savored the embrace and the feel of the other’s body. They each fantasized about the other.  They fantasized about passionate first moves, expressing affection and desire. Want. They became lost in imagining more and more.  Time passed. Their emotions swirled like the blizzard winds that trapped them together.

They lay cuddled and simmering with unspoken desires until Steve’s phone rang. It broke the spell. He moved away from Darcy and answered the phone.

She watched the play of muscles under the back of his shirt and struggled to stifle her lust.  Darcy closed her eyes.  It was futile.  Her lust for Steve had been growing for over a year.  In this circumstance, lust was inevitable.

While Steve talked with Sam, assuring him that he was fine though the storm prevented him reaching the City, Darcy left the bed and went to the bathroom. She snagged her dry jeans on her way there. She took a shower and did what she could with toothpaste she found in the medicine cabinet and her finger. When she came back out, she hung the robe in the wardrobe and put on her Christmas cardigan. She looked through the wardrobe and giggled at the sheer red robe. Then, Darcy took a step back. She buttoned and straightened her sweater by her reflection in the wardrobe mirror.

Steve paused in his conversation, a gob-smacked look on his face, “what…?!”

“Oh! Yeah. I know. Gaudy, isn’t it? Well, last year Tony gifted the ‘ugliest sweater at his party’ winner $10,000. I know what he can be like, so I thought I’d stand a better chance of catching his wallet’s attention if I went a little on the sexy side. And I sewed in lights.” Darcy twirled and turned on the LED lights that adorned the sweater. Her dark green Christmas cardigan had bauble Avenger emblem buttons. A Captain America Shield button strained to hold the sweater together over Darcy's breasts. Silver and gold trim around the hem resembled tinsel. Red and gold lighted and embroidered ornaments dotted the sweater at random. It was a bit gaudy rather than ugly, but sexy most of all since the fabric hugged Darcy’s ample curves. She wore it over a tight red top and skinny black jeans. The ensemble played up her natural assets.

Steve could only nod in reply. He tried to turn his full attention back to his conversation, but didn’t do well.

By the time Steve was off the phone and had made the bed, Darcy found waffles in the freezer and syrup in the pantry. She had coffee brewing and was downing another bottle of water when Steve began stoking the fire embers and adding wood. They shared a quiet breakfast. Steve tried not to look at Darcy’s figure and failed again and again. He tried not to fantasize as Darcy licked syrup from her lips. He failed.

As they finished breakfast, Darcy looked around the cabin. “Aw, man. No TV?”

“Actually, there’s one over the bed.” Steve swallowed the last of his coffee.

“Over?” Darcy gave him a disbelieving look and went over to look up inside the bed canopy. “You’re not kidding.”

He chuckled and shook his head, “at first I thought it was a mirror.”

Darcy lay on the bed, on her back. She looked around for a remote control, finally finding one in the nearby window sill. “Icy remote.” She pointed it up and sighed, “but it works!” Channel flipping and streaming services browsing occupied her for some time.

She hoped rather than believed that Steve was looking at her with lusty interest.

Steve was. The intimacy of their situation and Darcy’s sensual appearance were a potent combination. He could hardly speak. He excused himself to go get a quick shower. He came back out a few minutes later, dressed again but still toweling his hair dry.

Darcy didn’t meet Steve’s eye as she offered, “you’re welcome to join me. Just friends watching television, ya know. I’m watching a silly Christmas movie. ’Scrooged.’ Okay?”

Steve shrugged as he made his way back to the bed. He shuffled, awkward, as he drew nearer.

Darcy shifted towards one edge of the bed, not meeting his gaze. “Plenty of room. Don’t mind me.”

He smiled as he sat on the other edge of the bed and forced himself to speak up. “Sam said that they’re busy helping first responders deal with stranded motorists. Hundreds of them all across the state. A lot of people didn’t have our luck and find shelter. I had to agree with him that it’s more important that they help them than us. I’m sorry you won’t have the chance to win the sweater contest.” He eased onto his back beside her, folding a pillow behind his head.

“Of course, they need to help people who’re stuck!” Darcy shuddered. “It’s super cold out there and the storm got out of hand so fast. I can only imagine. We’re fine here.” She grinned and turned to him. “You really think I’d win?”

Steve was struck by how pretty her green eyes were. He blushed. Her look turned quizzical. He nodded and spoke a thick reply, “yeah. Definitely.” Steve forced his gaze up to the television mounted above them. “I assume that ‘Scrooged’ refers to the Dickens novella?”

“Yup.” Darcy shifted further to the edge and lifted the covers so that she could get under the blankets. Once under there, she groused, “darned lights and ornaments are poking me.” She frowned, and unbuttoned the sweater again and lay it aside. Buttons and lights made a clicking sound on the floor by the bed.

After debating for what felt like an endless time, Steve got under the covers and shifted closer to her. “Can’t let you freeze.”

Darcy rolled up on her side and looked him in the eye. “It would be rude to let me freeze. I’m glad you’ve seen the light.” She winked at him, trying to seem playful. She thought that he was looking at her lips, but dismissed it as wishful thinking.

Steve assured her, “I’ll do my best to keep you from freezing. Wouldn’t want to be rude.” He put one arm around her, hand spanning the middle of her back. “I’m a polite guy.”

“You’re the nicest soldier I’ve ever met. Have I ever mentioned that?” Darcy ducked her head as a blush filled her cheeks. The way his hand covered her whole back made her feel tiny. Did things to her. Made her want his hands on her in other places. The fire she tried to play with was backfiring spectacularly, leaving Darcy breathless with desire.

“No. But I’m glad to hear it.” Steve gave her a squeeze.

There was a loud noise onscreen. Darcy rolled onto her back so that she could see the television again. She hoped Steve wouldn’t notice that her breath was racing.

After a few minutes, Steve nudged her. “Tell me about other soldiers you’ve met? There are good and bad apples in any group, you know.” He felt Darcy tense.

Though she didn’t look at Steve, Darcy decided to answer. She told him about Puente Antiguo and the SHIELD agents and soldiers who took Jane’s research- and their computers and even Darcy’s personal iPod. SHIELD ran a strange, temporary military base near the town and Erik worried about their absolute power. She told him about the shifts in those soldiers’ attitudes after Thor returned to Asgard. First, they were obsequious, but gradually more restrictive. They coveted Jane’s research and tried to control them all. After a long pause, Darcy shared, “some of them reminded me of my dad. He was military, Marine. Not a nice guy, especially to our mom.”

Steve rubbed Darcy’s arm as she talked. He felt that it was a privilege that Darcy was telling him something so personal. He didn’t want to break the spell, rather hoped that she might open up to him more.

Darcy blinked back tears. “He found fault with everything she did. She couldn’t do enough fast enough to avoid setting off his temper. Then he… well, you know.” Darcy ducked her head.

Realization dawned on Steve. “So, he never served her a dish or coffee even if he was getting something? He never held doors for her or pulled out a chair? You never saw him treat her with respect?”

Steve stilled as Darcy sat up on one elbow and stared at him, eyes wide. “Respect? No. No respect.” She grabbed the remote again. “Let’s look for something else. I saw…” Darcy glanced at Steve. “’White Christmas’ is about to start on this channel. I remember liking the dancing and pretty outfits and thinking it’s sweet. The story starts in your time, though. Do you mind?  Will that make you too sad?”

Steve shook his head. “I’ve heard good things about it. I’ll be okay.” He wanted to say that he was more than okay with Darcy next to him, but was too tongue tied.

As the classic channel announcer talked, Darcy shifted closer to Steve again. “I want you to be okay. The 21st century’s not all bad, ya know.”

Again, Steve kissed Darcy’s forehead. “Yeah. Thanks, Doll.” He stroked her hair as they began watching the movie. “This okay?”

Darcy nodded, wondering if he was only being nice because he felt sorry for her or if there was another reason. “Yes. Very okay. Feels nice.” As his fingers trailed down her back, she shivered with pleasure. She wondered if he had any idea what his touch did to her. She savored the feelings, the want and heat, for a long time. Other thoughts ran through the back of her mind while she tried to ignore them.

Most of the way through the movie, the 'pretend-engagement' conspirators confessed to Bing Crosby’s character. Steve commented, approving, “at least they fessed up and set him straight. Too many times in romantic comedies the people avoid saying what’s on their mind until it’s too late. It's silly.” He stilled as Darcy pushed back from him and stared at him again. “What?  You okay?”

Darcy nodded.  “I… yeah. Sorry.” She sat up on the edge of the bed, paused the movie, and grasped her phone. After a moment, she nodded. “I’m gonna do this. I’m gonna make this call before I chicken out. Wish me luck.” She grabbed the green sweater from the floor and slipped it on over her red top again.

“Luck.” Steve got up and walked around the bed so he could sit next to Darcy. She looked up at him with a grateful warmth that transfixed him. He nudged her shoulder to offer comfort as someone answered her call.

“Beth? Hi. It’s Darcy. Merry something or other.” Darcy’s knee bounced, betraying her restlessness. Steve could feel tension fill her frame. After a moment, she continued, “yeah. Fine. I found a place to stay. I’m with a friend. And, Beth?” She took a deep breath, “He treats me with respect. Caring and respect. Even if he were…” Darcy paused. She rushed the next words out all at once, “well, if he was my Dom? He wouldn’t embarrass me or push away you or Mom by making me say ‘Meow’ and only ‘Meow’ to you at his whim. He wouldn’t think that's funny. He wouldn’t call me a ‘dimwit’ or a ‘bimbo’. He… Beth? I’m sorry to criticize your choices. But you deserve better than that kind of stuff. I hate the way Chad treats you, the way he talks down to you and tries to change you. You don’t need changing. I don’t know if it’s just me that Chad can’t stand. But, if it’s not? If he treats you like that in front of other people? I mean, would he demean you in front of your kids like Dad did Mom? Would he hurt you? How much like Dad…? Scratch that. Sorry. He’s not Dad. I’m not trying to be an unfair bitch to Chad, whatever he says. I worry that…” Darcy gasped, “don’t cry! I’m sorry! No! You… what? He what? He didn’t… What?!?” She shook, both in her body and voice. There was a long silence on Darcy’s end as her sister talked and cried. Darcy only interrupted the flow of words to utter sounds of disgust and disbelief.

Steve went to the kitchenette and got more water. He opened a bottle of wine and made thawed meat into fried burgers and baked French fries in the oven. He took Darcy water and returned to work on their lunch. The smell of good food soon filled the tiny cabin. He stayed busy, but most of his attention was on Darcy and her conversation.

Finally, Darcy rasped, “Well, that’s… What?! You’re thanking me? No. What? I thought you’d tell me to go to Hell, not take my call as a divine sign that you should say no and leave him. Oh, thank Baby Jesus!” Darcy laughed through tears. “Yes! I know I’m a bitch and I’m causing you to throw yourself on Mom’s mercy at Christmas. Enjoy her cookies for me. If it makes you feel better, I don’t have baking ingredients. Oh, fine! Hm? My friend? Awesome like you wouldn’t believe. Uh, I don’t know. It’s… pffft. I need to talk straight to him, too. Wish me luck?” Darcy wiped tears from her eyes. “Yes! I love you, too. Now, go. Text me when you’re safe at Mom’s and tell her I’m safe and I’ll call later. Merry Christmas.” Darcy hung up from the call and stared at the phone, rocking in place until she received a text. Then, she collapsed backwards onto the bed and stared up, unseeing.

Steve stayed quiet, letting Darcy calm from her talk with her sister. When the food was ready, Steve returned to her side and offered her a hand up, leading her towards the fire.

Darcy stumbled to a chair. “Thanks. You’re the best.” She drank more water.

“So, did he propose?” Steve began eating again and gave Darcy time to answer.

Darcy ate a bite of hamburger with a few fries and shook her head, “nope. TOLD her she was gonna marry him. Told her!” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “Jackass! Good riddance.”

Wry, Steve shook his head. “Not very romantic. Not that I’m an expert in that department, but…”

Darcy only nodded as she devoured the rest of her food and sipped wine. “I had no idea how hungry I was.” She looked at Steve, thinking how lucky she was to be trapped with a good person who exuded calm and kindness. She especially appreciated that after the intensity of her conversation with her sister. Darcy sipped the wine as she focused on Steve. Being with him settled her, made her feel safe. And looking at him was always a delight. Steve Rogers was handsome, to be sure. He’d rolled up the sleeves on his green and blue flannel shirt. Unfair of him to subject her to sexy forearms on top of all the rest. Like every shirt she’d ever seen him wear, this one struggled to cover his muscles. She’d given up trying to think of adjectives that could convey how attractive Steve was. And nice. He didn’t call her out for staring at him like a weirdo, mooning after him. He didn’t even press her to speak up now, when she was sure he must be curious about the ‘straight talk’ she’d mentioned. He gave her the space she needed to regain her equilibrium.

Respect. Steve treated her with respect. She had a wonderful friend who treated her with respect. She ought to be forever grateful rather than daring to wish for more.

Steve finished his glass of wine and poured himself another.

Darcy held her glass out for him to top off, then sipped it again. “This is good stuff. I never spend more than $10 on a bottle. I’d bet the cork on this stuff costs that much,” she giggled, “or even the label.”

“I’ll give Tony money to cover it when we get back to the Tower.” Steve shrugged.

Darcy glanced outside. Snow and sleet fell still. “That’ll be a bit yet.”

Steve nodded, not sure what to say. He felt happy trapped with Darcy, to have a chance to talk with her and hold her close. Even if she only saw him as a friend who kept her from getting too cold. Silence fell between them again.

“Wanna finish the movie? Sorry I shut it off without asking.” Darcy needed more time to gather courage.

Steve nodded, “no problem. Yeah. I’d like to see the ending.”

They took their dishes to the sink and then returned to the bed. There, Darcy took off her Christmas sweater. She threw back the covers and snuggled next to Steve under the blankets. He put his arms around her while she used the remote to restart the movie. Finally, the lovers in the movie sorted out their misunderstanding, kissed, and made plans for their future. Fierce longing overwhelmed both Steve and Darcy. Unconsciously, he stroked her back.

There was no one and nothing to distract them or come between them. Nothing except for their own emotional shields. But it was a day for dropping those.

Cheers and strains of the song ‘White Christmas’ sounded behind the words ‘The End’. Darcy ducked her head so that she didn’t have to look Steve in the eye. “I wish…”

Steve interrupted, “I wish that you didn’t dislike soldiers so much, Darcy. I’m a soldier and I can’t change that, never could.”

Darcy pushed back from him, “what? Change? You? No! I don’t… Oh! No. I only dislike the bad ones. I don’t like jack-booted thugs who steal Jane’s research and my personal stuff. I don't like Nazi wanna-be’s or, well, mean soldiers. I like… I like you, Steve.” She swallowed hard and jutted her chin out. “I wish that your work didn’t take pretty much all your time and that you didn’t miss your good old days so much. I wish…” She blinked back unshed tears. “I really wish you wanted to be here- in this time- with me, Steve. I’m sorry. I know you only want to be friends. And I won’t say anything more to make you uncomfortable, friend.” She smiled a small, watery smile. “Friend. I’ve done that for you all this time. I can keep doing it. I want any relationship we can have, even just friends.”

Confusion filled Steve’s expression. “Is that why you say ‘friend’ to me so much? Because you think that’s all I want?”

“Uh huh.” Darcy nodded miserably.

He inched closer. “And you like me even though I’m a soldier? And you want to be more than friends with me? Darce?” He whispered, “do you… want?”

Darcy looked up at him, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry to make things so awkward when you’re stuck here with me. Yes. I want! I wish that you wanted to be more than fr…Mmph!”

Steve kissed her.

He pulled back and stared at her as he cupped her cheek with one hand. “Sorry. I should ‘a- May I kiss you? I’m crazy about you, Darcy. I’ve wanted you for months and months. Want you so much I can hardly stand it. Not just friends, please. More, Doll.” His eyes gleamed with fervor.

Darcy nodded, stunned.

Steve chuckled, kissed her forehead and kissed her cheek again, with reverence. “Darcy, Doll… can I get a ‘yes’ to me kissing you?” He shifted so that his lips were a hair’s breadth away from her lips. Charged air shook the space yet between the two of them. He waited.

“Yes!” Darcy closed the distance between them and met his kiss with her own. They both trembled into it, a feather-light exploration. They each absorbed the idea that they’d misread what the other wanted. She murmured again, “oh, yes, Steve.”

He grinned as he kissed her again, deepening the kiss. He nibbled at her plush lower lip as he’d fantasized and dreamed so many times. Reality was a million times better. Darcy shuddered against him and groaned with pleasure. Steve stilled and closed his eyes. “Oh, Doll.” Darcy teased at his lower lip and he groaned, “gonna be hard as hell to be a gentleman with you doin’ that.”

Darcy chuckled, “who says you have to be a gentleman?” She shifted her leg to brush against his hardness. “Mmm. You were saying?” She nibbled at his lip again and played with the top button of his shirt.

Steve jolted and cursed under his breath. He kissed her quiet, again deepening the kiss and learning how they fit together. Steve savored Darcy's lips and tongue and throat while also exploring what she liked best. Sensitive spots. Sweetness. Eagerness. It was pure bliss. Darcy was becoming short of breath. Steve lay back and looked up at the next movie that had started while his Christmas dreams began to come true.

Darcy glanced at the Santa onscreen and panted. “I no longer have anything to ask Santa for.” She undid Steve’s top shirt button and kissed at the base of Steve’s throat. “I can think of a few things I’d like to ask you for, though.”

Steve grinned down at her, “same, Doll.”

“Oh?” Darcy undid another button on his shirt and kissed the exposed skin. She looked up at him and held his gaze as she undid the next few buttons.

Steve pulled her up for a long, slow kiss that set Darcy’s every nerve ending afire. She undid another few buttons on his shirt. When he shrugged it off, Darcy stilled, staring at his naked chest. “Holy…”

“Night?” he suggested. She snorted a giggle. He shifted her so that she sat astride him. He asked with his eyes if he could lift her shirt.

She nodded. “I may freeze, but yes. Please do.” She lifted her arms.

He shook his head. “Not gonna freeze. Haven’t you heard? I’m the man with a plan.” His voice tightened as he pulled her shirt up over her head. He shifted another pillow behind him and sat up some, pulling her towards him. He kissed her breasts as he reached around and undid her lacy red bra. “Damn, Doll. You’re a fantasy come true.” As he began to tease at her breasts with his lips and tongue, Darcy shivered and moved on him. He groaned, “here.” He pulled his shirt out from beneath him and helped her put it on, open at the front but warming her arms and back. "Looks much better on you than Tony's robe."

“Ahhh.” Darcy tried to talk, but Steve returned to tormenting her with his insistent lips. “G...good plan. Ohhh.” She squirmed in his lap, grinding against his erection with abandon. He let out a lusty groan that made her proud.

Steve pulled her chest against him for warmth as he moved up to kiss her lips and face again. “You’re shaking.” He looked concerned, but couldn’t resist kissing Darcy again. And again. He plucked and teased at her with his dexterous fingers. He loved the frantic sounds she made in the back of her throat.

“Not cold.” Darcy pulled back, then kissed him again and again. “Just want. Want you. Want so much.”

Steve shifted, rolling Darcy down onto her back. “Good thing, Doll.” He kissed her. Long, slow, passionate kisses that she met with a fervor that lit him up more every second. He palmed her breast and continued his exquisite torment. Darcy arched up against him, writhing. He lowered his lips to her breasts again. First one, then the other. Kissing and nibbling and sucking. She cried out and bucked as he swirled his tongue, hard. Darcy wasn’t sure if she would be embarrassed to come just from his attention to her breasts or impressed. Possibly both. Likely both.

He resumed teasing her nipples with his fingers. He placed open-mouthed kisses all along her belly. Steve took his time. “Beautiful.”

Darcy whimpered and began to shove her pants down. Steve stilled her hands. “I got you.” He undid the snap on her black jeans and kissed the exposed skin. Then he lowered her zipper and kissed her more. Darcy held the covers up with one hand and ran the other covetously along Steve’s shoulder. Steve pulled her pants and panties off and then moved back up her body to kiss her cheek and lips again.

“Pants!” Darcy begged him between kisses.

Steve huffed a laugh and unbuttoned his jeans. Darcy pressed against him, skin to skin. She wore only his shirt and warm red socks. Finally, he pushed down his pants so that he wore nothing.

Darcy’s eyes went even wider. “Oh, my. You go commando?”

He shrugged. “Habit. The uniform requires special briefs.”

She reached for him eagerly and wrapped her fingers around his shaft.

“Fuck,” Steve hissed.

Darcy's grin had a wicked glint. “Something like that.” She kissed down his chest and abdomen until she finally took him in her mouth. Then, Darcy delighted in taking Steve completely apart.

When he’d caught his breath again, Steve gave Darcy a smile unlike anything she’d ever seen from him before. It was both delighted and full of mischief that caused her pulse to race. He again pulled her astride his legs so he could taste and tease at her breasts. He left lingering kisses along the column of her throat and over her wrists. He disappeared under the covers and kissed her thighs and the backs of her knees. Darcy squirmed and unseeingly stared up at the movie. Steve didn’t tire, didn’t cramp- only focused on Darcy's pleasure with single-minded, super-strong drive. He had her writhing with pleasure long before he let her come. Another Christmas movie was playing onscreen and halfway over before Steve came up for air.

Finally, when Darcy begged, Steve slowly slid home. She realized that he’d been prepping her so long because of his size. She felt stretched wide as he twisted to hit her G-spot just right. She came quickly and felt as though she continued coming again and again as Steve pounded into her. He twisted her around so that he could plunge in from behind while rolling her swollen clit between his calloused fingers. After he came, he laid his fingers flat, soothing. He cradled her body tight back against his. Aftershocks left her spasming with pleasure. Steve kissed Darcy’s head again and again, murmuring, “sweet Darcy. Crazy about you.” She dozed in his arms, warm and loved and completely satisfied.

Dinner that night was steak and vegetables from the freezer, paired with an exquisite red wine. As they lay in bed afterwards, cuddling and teasing each other, Darcy felt Steve’s arms tighten around her. He buttoned a few buttons on his shirt to cover her and murmured, “company.” Soon, Darcy heard the sound of Iron Man landing outside the front door of the cabin.

Tony threw the door open and sauntered in, “I’m here to rescue you.” He stared, looked around and saw the open wine bottle and two pairs of pants on the floor by the bed, and shook his head. “Or, not. I guess Pep can stop crying about you being lonely on Christmas again this year, Cap. And I can stop wondering why you’re not answering texts. Nice shirt, Lewis.” Tony was blinking hard, slack-jawed with surprise.

Darcy laughed, “you should see the sweater I was gonna wear to your party. It’s around here someplace.”

“Lights up, sparkles, and hugs her curves to perfection. I’m sure she would ‘a won your contest,” Steve grinned, enjoying Tony’s shocked expression.

Tony smiled, “I bet. Well, Mazel Tov! Thanks for popping Cap’s cherry, Lewis. ‘bout time.” He pretended to wipe away a tear of pride.

Darcy snorted, “no way was that his first time. Orgasm hall of fame. All my Christmas dreams have come true.”

Steve ducked his head against her hair. “Good to hear, Doll. Right back atcha’.”

Tony shook his head. “Good reviews all around then. Well, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays kids. I’d guess you’re all set here ‘til it’s safe to drive again?”

Steve looked down at Darcy and she looked up at him. They both nodded emphatically and turned to Tony, “we’re good.” Tony laughed.

“Merry Christmas, Tony,” Steve beamed. “We’ll see you in a day or two.” He repressed a shiver as Darcy began teasing him under the covers again.

Darcy called out, “Merry Christmas! Thanks for dropping in.”

Tony shook his head and waved back at them as he went out the door of the cabin.

Steve pinned Darcy on her back and began ravishing her again, mock joking, “naughty girl!” He pushed into her again and set a slow pace as he rained kisses over her breasts.

Darcy looked up at him and batted her eyelashes. “Your naughty girl.”

Steve kissed her hard. “And my nice girl. Merry Christmas, Darcy.”

Gasping with pleasure, Darcy answered him, “Merry Christmas, Steve.”

 Fin

#glynnisi #shieldshock holiday fic exchange 2020 #avarosier #mcgregorswench #shieldshockficchallenges #shieldshockfanfic #darcy lewis x steve rogers #avengers au #thor #captain america #darcy lewis is a queen and don't you forget it #christmas shieldshock #starcy #ava-rosier

[friendlyneighborhoodcapricorn]

HAPPY STS!

If your characters has children, how many do they have all together? Are they planning to have more in the future? The children can be biological and/or adopted.

Hi! Happy STS and thanks for the ask :D

I answered this for The Realm Beneath The Sea already, so this one will be for How Not To Be A Necromancer

Ivy doesn’t want kids of her own, but she’d like to become a foster parent. She feels very strongly about providing for kids who are already there rather than bringing kids of her own into the world.

Blaine has never really given it much thought before. He thinks he’d like to be a father someday, but he’s more concerned with the present than the future at the time of the story.

Ava wants kids! She’s always wanted to be a mother, and she and Frankie have talked about it. If their relationship lasts, they’d like to adopt.

Quinn is happy to be the fun uncle to his friends’ kids. He never really thought about having kids of his own before, until Evan casually mentioned that he would want kids someday.

And Evan, as mentioned, would like to have children one day. Similar to Ava, he’s always wanted it.

#answered asks #asks #writing asks #writeblr #sts #sts asks #storyteller saturday asks #storyteller saturday #storyteller sunday lol #wip how not to be a necromancer #wip hntban #ocs #my ocs #ivy mason #blaine cooper #quinn beckett #ava rosier #frankie pérez #evan aquila

[friendlyneighborhood-writer]

For the random song oc ask:

Eyes by grayskies?

Hi anon! Thank you for the ask :)

I associated this with Ava Rosier from Red Palmer Psychic

#asks #answered asks #song association #ocs #my ocs #ava rosier #wip red palmer psychic #wip rpp

[ssloansabbith]

college au, it's basically that spin-the-bottle game that leads to seven minutes in heaven in a closet at a house party, except where the bottle lands is not super clear so it ends up being veronica/betty/jug all together in the closet. (rd sideblog is lilibetts)

ooh, I loved this one, thank you!! I didn’t manage to get to the actual seven minutes in heaven, but hopefully it suffices!featuring bff bughead, baby bi betty, and sexy enigma veronica 

“Lodge and Cooper, that’s hot.”

“No way, it landed on Jughead.”

“He’s never going to actually play, just spin again.”

Betty sighs, leaning back on her hands while everyone else bickers over how to make this decision of utmost importance. If you asked her, the bottle was clearly closer to her knee than Jughead’s. But maybe that’s just wishful thinking, hoping against hope that she’d end up playing the not-so-juvenile edition of seven minutes in heaven with this mysterious Veronica Lodge who’d been making eyes at her for the better part of an hour.

Plus, Jughead probably didn’t want to play considering she had to drag him to this party in the first place.

(She loved her best friend dearly, but sometimes he could be a real stick in the mud when it came to their debaucherous rites of passage, and she was not above shoving a beer or three his way until he loosened up enough to have some fun.)

“No, it’s clearly both,” Veronica pipes up, catching Jughead’s eye, before cocking her head and doing the same with Betty, who feels her breath stuck in her throat. “I want both.”

She can’t even turn to look at Jughead fast enough before he’s shooting back a breezy, “Okay,” straight and to the point.

Mouth gaping at him, she’s frozen as Veronica gets to her feet and holds out both of her hands to them. Jughead stands easily and all she can do is rake her eyes over the pretty picture they make - flushing when she realizes she could see right up Veronica’s skirt if she looked long enough.

The irony isn’t lost on her that she’s not having a sexuality-tinted crisis, rather one for her best friend. It’s the sudden shock of wanting him, too, that has her frozen in place, until he nudges her calf with his shoe, and she sees he’s holding a hand out to her now, too. “C’mon, Betts, stop thinking so hard. Don’t keep the lady waiting.”

It’s ultimately the comfort she knows she’ll find in him - knowing that at any moment she could change her mind, they could leave and go back to his dorm room to play Mario Kart - that has Betty reaching up and taking their hands.

Veronica’s grinning like the cat that caught the canary as they pull Betty to her feet. “Just trust me, we’re going to have a lot of fun.”

The words spoken quietly, just for the three of them, not a show for the rest of the party, give her a different, new kind of comfort that wraps around her and makes her feel safe. And as Veronica makes her way toward the closet, pulling the pair along behind her, Betty thinks she would probably do anything for them.

#ava-rosier #lilibetts #betty x jughead x veronica #riverdale fic #veronica lodge #betty cooper #jughead jones

[randomestfandoms-ocs]

Oh no you can't reblog that much crossover ask games I'll be tempted to send you thousands 😭🥺

🔁

well since you asked (also be tempted do it my inbox is open ask limit is fake)

but this list is still too long to it's under the cut!

I did the super mega long version that I sent you that was head empty just vibes, this one is slightly less head empty but still all vibes (still down for any of those but this is based a bit more on knowing more about the ocs now! also took off the ones we've talked about more bc they're set in stone now no escape)

Mike Lore & Jem Skeates

Mike Lore & Cressida Brantley

Mike Lore & Crystal Solace

Mike Lore & Victoria Blofis

Mia Barnes & Evelyn Rogers

Mia Barnes & Mia Pierce

Mia Barnes & Tyler Barton

Elliot Walker & Betty Fabray

Elliot Walker & Demi July

Elliot Walker & Jeremy St James

Elliot Walker & Joy Schuester

Elliot Walker & Kendall Pierce

Elliot Walker & Savannah Evans

Nathaniel Simmons & Abbie Hudson

Nathaniel Simmons & Betty Fabray

Nathaniel Simmons & Jeremy St James

Nathaniel Simmons & Joy Schuester

Nathaniel Simmons & Kendall Pierce

Nathaniel Simmons & Savannah Evans

Victoria Vill & Alvina Strange

Victoria Vill & Ava Potts

Victoria Vill & Diana Moore

Victoria Vill & Wendy Parker

Victoria Vill & Jaden Jameson

Victoria Vill & Pippa Ross

Elys Herondale & Adina Lightwood

Elys Herondale & Alya D'Angelo

Elys Herondale & Annabelle Bane

Elys Herondale & Ariadne Blackthorn

Elys Herondale & Astrid Roseflare

Elys Herondale & Cassiel Fell

Elys Herondale & Clem Wayland (if I can ever find a Clem fc that reinspires me)

Elys Herondale & Evanna Garroway

Elys Herondale & Hannah Dawnwell

Elys Herondale & Rebecca Wayland

Kayla Winchester & Elle Winchester

Kayla Winchester & Esther Colt

Kayla Winchester & Phoebe Winchester

Kayla Winchester & Trix Stilinski

Kayla Winchester & Rachel Winchester

Eden Rosier & Adriana Flores

Eden Rosier & Eurydice Crouch

Eden Rosier & Gemini Black

Eden Rosier & Holly Evans

Eden Rosier & Rosalind Greengrass

Rosalind Potter & Adriana Flores

Rosalind Potter & Eurydice Crouch

Rosalind Potter & Gemini Black

Rosalind Potter & Holly Evans

Kit Barton & Anya Barton

Kit Barton & Bianca Davis

Kit Barton & Cora Royce

Kit Barton & Dominique Barton

Kit Barton & Elizabeth Barton

Kit Barton & Ezra & Nicholas Barton 

Kit Barton & Kassandra Maximoff

Kit Barton & Peyton Parker

Kit Barton & Sabina Maximoff

Kit Barton & Sammy Barton

Kit Barton & Tyler Barton

Jess Hearts & Eliane

Jess Hearts & Hannah Westergaard

Jess Hearts & Harley Hook

Jess Hearts & Raina Gold

Jess Hearts & Rosabelle Legume

Jax Hearts & Beatrice

Jax Hearts & Eliane

Jax Hearts & Fitz Rider

Jax Hearts & Gloria Gothel

Jax Hearts & Hannah Westergaard

Jax Hearts & Harmony

Jax Hearts & Hero

Jax Hearts & Keto Jones

Jax Hearts & Raina Gold

Jax Hearts & Rini

Miles Henderson & Angelica Hopper

Miles Henderson & Camila Nelson

Miles Henderson & Heaven Orella-Munson

Miles Henderson & Jacob Hopper

Miles Henderson & Jessica Wheeler

Miles Henderson & Kaylie Hopper

Miles Henderson & Kimberly Harrington

Miles Henderson & Rhiannon Ballard

Miles Henderson & Serena Brenner

Miles Henderson & Sidney Hopper

Miles Henderson & Stacey Byers

Miles Henderson & Valerie Rush

#ask #answered #ginevrastilinski