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greensagephase · 2 months

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Alondra I just read part 13 and I'm screaming!

Life have been very hectic for me lately as I started my new masters, and I needed the time to sit down and properly read the thing that I know now that is my favourite thing to wait for

Its currently 3am, I'm sleepless just like Miguel, chronically staring at my screens as I go through coding and other complex stuff (fr my O'hara era) but I needed comfort and I was like you know what? F this, I'm reading NVC, idk I was gonna stay up late anyways.

After all my rant here are my thoughts, in order probably of how I felt about the fic:

-First of all the SCARF are you kidding me?!? The fact that Miggy keeps it for comfort and reader knows and decides to trick him out on wearing it so her scent lingers on it, fixing it around her aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaghhhhhhhhhh i mean come onnnnnnnnnnn kiss already

-And then Miguel just casually putting the scarf on her cause whatever YOLO just do it, my heart exploded

-AND LORD HAVE MERCY SEND HELP I'M GOING CRAZY ABOUT WEARING MIGUEL'S JACKET

-istg I felt it around me, like a thousand sizes bigger than me, being cozy like a blanket? My heart aches!

-Miguel telling reader to be careful and then she sayind "I'll see you at home" I literally had to bite my arm not to scream and wake up my roomates LOL

-This part got me sooooo longing, cause this is istg my brother and I dynamic with my mom and grandma, is latino coded that I love it, it filled my heart to remember those days.

-AND ALSO HELLO NOT YOU REFERRING EDUARDO YAÑEZ LOOKING LIKE MIGUEL IM HISTERICALLY LAUGHING OMGGGGGGGGG (gotta say destilando amor is an amazing novela lol)

-I can't… are we saying we have a crush on him? Cause… sighs I do.. I long for him -I'm sorry I'm making this notes as I go and I'm ranting but this..

-Miguel… you can hug me any day baby you don't need to stuff a pillow.

-The blanket, the canelita, the talk in the couch… the yearning for physical touch, the new playfulness of Miguel… I was in tears for at least 20 min before I could continue reading.

-Little side note on this… phrase… my mind started to go places where it didn't need to be about my theories on spiderverse lol,please SONY IM BEGGING, I need for 2025 to come asap, I need answers and more Miggy.

-Anyways know that I'm writing this as a live reaction and I just stood up from my chair to go scream at mi pillow when I saw the word

GARIBALDIS, you finally did it I love so much MY HEARTTT IS GONNA EXPLODE!

You have no idea how happy this just made me! AAAAH!

-And in this angsty part… OMG… I swear I needed like 20 more minutes to recollect myself...meanwhile I'll give you this gaby doodle

-Okay add like another 20 minutes after you mentioned that Gaby sang Luna de Xelajú on the guitar, this whole Gabriella convo has my heart aching more, I need this little girl in my life...

-Not Miguel telling reader about his dreams of her interacting with Gabi and Gabriel, I'm on the floor once again, and telling her that they love her and she admitting she loves them too

-So for the next part when reader and Miguel hold hands while sleeping… I'll just share my doodle with you.... I went insane...

-The image of this alone will have me dreaming all night of him i swear, this became to much for my heart to quickly, I can freaking assure you that this is the best piece of FF reading of my life I'm not even kidding, I'll hold your hand as miguel did 🥺

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST

OMG WE ARE OFFICIALLY BEST FRIENDS THIS IS NOT A DRILL PEOPLE

I had to doodle them both, cause hello they for sure were so cute admitting it to each other, and Miguel laughing... AAAAAAAAH!

My friend you ended up killing me with the Chilaquiles part AND YOU MENTIONING IT WAS FOR ME AND THE GARIBALDIS TOO?!?!

ISTG I LOVE YOU, it means a lot to me 😭😭😭😭😭😭

I want Miguel to cook me some spicy chilaquiles!!!! awww! this was just perfect I swear!!

Well my rant ends up here, I'm so sorry it has taken me so long to get to you, but life has been chaotic! I'm so glad I took my proper time to read and enjoy this because I felt so many things reading this chapter, it was amazing as always and can't wait for what's next!!

Sending you pinky finger hugs!

Hola, Ana!! I'm so happy you got to read part 13 despite now busy you are!! Congrats on starting your new masters!!!!!!!!! 🥳🥳🥳 I'm so proud of you!!!! Also, I'm screaming about you being in your O'Hara era, haha!! You're truly embodying him with all the screens and staying up!! But in all seriousness, I hope you're doing well and taking some well deserved time off, at least a few minutes for your mental health :)

Also, I loved reading all your reactions as you were reading the part, haha (I hope you didn't wake up your roommates)!! But now, time for me to rant about this chapter, too, because it's been one of my favorite to write so far!!

The scarf moment - the way reader tricked Miguel so she could wear it and keep her scent on it, him placing it on her the next time!! He was bold for that and playful which skjksjh, I love this side of him !! But | agree, need them to kiss already !!!! (currently fighting thoughts on them kissing and doing more 🫣🫣 the thoughts are just too much)

Reader WEARING MIGUEL'S JACKET, I'M SO GLAD YOU MENTION IT BECAUSE I WAS SCREAMING ABOUT IT AND MIGUEL'S REACTION - mans brain was buffering 💀 but also imagine wearing his jacket?? I need it 😮‍💨 imagine how comforting it would feel? And his SCENT (I'm normal about this, I promise)

sjshJSsk reader telling Miguel, " I'll see you at home" - just me being silly, and giving you guys and myself a little taste of the future 😌 (once again, the thoughts are consuming me)

Okay for the telenovela part, I was like gotta include this because this was also an evening thing for my siblings and me with my parents. I also love thinking about Miguel having these Latin experiences, so I was like imagine Miguel and Gabriel sitting at the dining table doing homework while Conchata watches the telenovela? Plus, it gave me an excuse to include Gabriel because I seriously love him so much!! So, I'm so happy that this little scene allowed you to reminisce on your childhood!! 🥺

ANA I WAS HOPING SOMEONE WOULD MENTION THE EDUARDO YAÑEZ REFERENCE - THANK YOU!!! I had to after seeing people on tiktok saying Miguel kinda looked like him months ago lol and well, me personally, I had the biggest crush on him growing up 🤭 (and real! Destilando Amor is one of my favorite telenovelas !!)

About reader maybe having a crush on him because she realizes she's found someone like Peter in Miguel....um, no comment. But I definitely have a crush on him (I love him)!!!

And Miguel stuffing a pillow into reader's sweatshirt - SAME!! I'm like, just come and hug me, Miguel, no need for the pillow (imagining things right now)

The whole moment with the blanket and canelita to have this talk about Miguel's past - I wanted the moment to be as comforting as possible for Miguel with how heavy and sad the talk was going to be. 😭 And then, both of them yearning for physical contact (because Miguel is definitely yearning for it, if it's not clear!!) I just really loved it because now we have not only reader but also Miguel wanting more physical touch!!! I can't wait for them to finally hug fr!!!

Ana, I would love to know about your theories regarding the multiverse and universes collapsing because it's something I've been thinking about. I literally think about it and then just stop because I feel like I'm losing my mind over it. I NEED ANSWERS!! And more Miggy content, too 😭😭

THE GABY DOODLE HAS KILLED ME - SHES SO CUTE!!! LOOK AT HER CHEEKY SMILE - THE WAY I WOULD'VE CRIED IF I SAW THAT PIC LIVE WITH MIGUEL !!! The Luna de Xelajú mention with Gaby - I hurt myself with that one ngl and I feel you!! I know Gaby has little screen time in the movie but I just love her so much and I wish we had more content of her and Miggy (Sony I'm begging for more content of them happy plssss)!! But no, seriously, I would love to have her in my life and look after her (I would even raise her, let's be real) She's such an angel 🥺🥺

The part with Miguel telling reader about his dreams and her being part of them, and how she interacts with Gaby and Gabriel and how they love her !! And then you also have reader revealing that she loves them, too - AHHH!!! It's like, you guys should marry already pls (Gaby and Gabriel are probably watching from somewhere like, "éstos dos..." 🫠 Gabriel probably tells Gaby that, "Your dad has one of the brightest minds of all time, but he's never been good at this romance thing. So, I guess we need to give him time.")

OK OK OK OK YOUR DOODLE OF MIGUEL SLEEPING AND HOLDING HANDS WITH READER AHHHHH!!!!

He looks so dreamy and cute 🥺🥺🥺 I love it so much I'm just staring at my screen (again) with heart eyes!!!! Thank you Ana ❤️❤️❤️ I'm so happy you liked this moment because I was screaming and ventilating the whole time while writing it!!!!!

AND YES, IT'S HAPPENING, WE OFFICIALLY HAVE THE BEST FRIEND TITLE (almost 200k words later) BUT WE GOT HERE!!!! And we had some hand holding action (I've been waiting for this for months ngl!!!) I'm so proud of them finally admitting it!!!

MIGGY AND YOU, ANA -IM- THEY'RE SO CUTE AND MIGGY LAUGHING 🥺😭I LOVE THIS!!! You guys look so cute!!! I hope you draw your spidersona with Miggy more because they just look so cute together!!!!!! (when do we get a spidersona reveal fr?) BUT SERIOUSLY LOOK AT MIGGY !!! NEED THIS MAN TO SMILE AND LAUGH

Omg and the food and mention- I told you I was going to add the garibaldis and chilaquiles!! I was planning on including them in part 12 but then the flow of the chapter changed, so I decided to leave it for part 13!! I'm glad it made you happy!!! I thought it would be nice since you've told me you love both things (and I also love chilaquiles with all my heart), so I'm happy you loved it!!!! And girl, me, too!!! I want to sit down and drink coffee with Miguel and eat pan dulce, and then have him cook spicy chilaquiles - PLSSS !!!

I'm so so happy you enjoyed this chapter, friend!! I enjoyed reading your live reactions to it hehe, it made my heart explode with happiness!! And please don't apologize, I understand completely about being busy!! I hope school, work, and life in general is going smoothly for you!! I'm rooting for you and again, CONGRATS ON STARTING YOUR NEW MASTERS!!! I'm so, so proud of you 🥹

ALSO NOT YOU SIGNING OFF WITH PINKY FINGER HUGS !!!! AHHHHH I LOVE THAT AND YOU!!! THANK YOU FRIEND!!!!💖💖

Sending you pinky finger hugs back!!! <333

#non violent communication fan art #miguel o'hara #nonviolent communication #miguel ohara #nonviolent communication fanart #asked and answered #the doodle of Gaby - my heart is still hurting from that but in a good way!!!#Thank you for the support Ana ❤️

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pepper-up-potion · 3 years

Text

Humor me (George Weasley x fem!reader)

Summary: Reader can't stand George Weasley but over time she realizes he might be a good addition to her life.

Warnings: crying, angst, let me know if I missed any.

Word count: 5.5k (this is my longest fic so far!)

A/n: I still don't know how to feel about this. A part of me likes it and a part of me feels it could be better. This is my first enemies to lovers and it was very very fun.

———

“Thanks (y/n)! I can always count on you, you’re a lifesaver.” Shouts Neville as he runs down the hall and towards his next class. (Y/n) had helped him put healing salve and a bandage on his cut hand.

“Anytime!” She smiles as she watches him stumble away. She pulls out her book and sits back down on the windowsill.

“Humour me.” Says a foreign voice.

She looks up frowning. “I’m sorry?” She asks politely.

“When was the last time you did something for yourself?” Asks the red-haired boy.

“What are you talking about? I’m doing that right now.” She points to her book: Charms for first years

“That’s weird because I could’ve sworn you were in my charms class and not in first year.” He argues, shoving his hand in his pockets and clicking his tongue.

“Well I’m helping out a first-year next period but I enjoy doing that so I am doing something for myself.” She explains, slightly irritated.

“You can’t be serious?” He waits but she offers no response. She only lifts her nose at him. “That is not taking time for yourself. That’s preparing to help someone else.”

Her nostrils flare as she abruptly snaps her books shut. She shoves it into her bag before swinging it over her shoulder. She steps towards George. She suddenly realizes how tall he is. She gulps before placing a hand on her hip and pointing a finger at him.

“Listen here, helping other people is a very noble thing and if I wish to spend my free time doing that, I should not have to explain myself.”

“Ah, so you admit that you spend your free time helping other people rather than doing something for yourself?”

George smirks at her and she wants to slap it off his stupid pretty face.

“Wha-? No.” She huffs. “I don’t know why I’m arguing this with someone I hardly know but what I mean to say is that yes, it’s demanding and tedious but it’s also rewarding and the most gratifying thing I could ever do, so I believe I am doing something for myself. You just don’t get it because you spend all your time playing stupid pranks on everyone.” She snaps before pulling the strap of her bag further onto her shoulder and walking away. Normally she would feel bad for saying something like that to someone but for some reason she felt George could take it.

“So when will I see you again?” George shouts down the hall.

“I have to go!” She shouts back.

“I’ll see you in class then. Or maybe in the halls again.” He continues.

“Goodbye!” She turns the corner and speeds as far away from George as possible, steam practically fuming from her ears.

———

“Hey (y/n) could I just copy your homework before class? I didn’t have time to do it what with quidditch practice and all.” Asks Angelina.

(Y/n) nods and pulls out her answers, stands and walks to her seat, passing them to her. As (y/n) walks back she sees George slide into the spot next to hers. She grunts before stomping to her seat.

“ ‘Morning.” He sings, kicking his feet on the desk. She rolls her eyes and pushes his feet off, offering no other greeting. Now this is saying something, (y/n) always greets everybody. He laughs a little before turning to his bag and pulling out his textbook.

“Ark, couldn’t you go sit somewhere else?” She asks with a look of disgust.

George shrugs his shoulders. “Yeah, I could, but I’d like to think we’d make a good team and I’d like to test that theory.” He waves a pointed index as if to emphasize his point.

She shudders at the thought of having to work with him. It’s very likely they will, it often happens in potions class. (Y/n) is at the top of the class and she doubts Snape would have any objection to George working with her since she could easily bring up his grade. She sighs as Snape walks in and starts the lecture portion of the class.

“You will have the remaining hour to make your hiccoughing solution. Work with the person next to you.” With a wave of his arms everyone starts opening their textbook and discussing the potion.

To her surprise, George is really good at potions. Logically it makes sense because him and Fred are always creating new things but she never really thought it transferable to school. She watches, a little stunned as George quickly and skillfully goes through the steps of the potion. For the first time since she can last remember, she sits back instead of running the group. George occasionally asks her to cut something or extract oil from a root. She doesn’t argue, it’s sort of nice being told what to do rather than making all the decisions. She doesn’t tell him and refuses to think more of it because that’s not her proper role. She’s the leader, she’s the helper. Maybe this once she’ll let it slide, give herself a break.

Once the bell rings they gather their books and George finally speaks of other things than the potion.

“Relaxing isn’t it?” She tilts her head in confusion. “Not having to take care of others for once.” He continues.

Oh no he didn’t. He just ruined it. He took her small guilty moment of peace and crushed it. “You hardly let me do anything! What was I supposed to do? Fight you?”

George shrugs. “You could’ve.” He winks at her and she lets out an angry moan.

“Ark!” She turns on her heels and walks out of the class without another word.

“Same time next week?” She hears him shout but she’s already in the hallway and simply ignores him.

———

“You know you could give that to a house-elf and they could take care of that for you.” Says George as he leans into the door frame and watches (y/n) clean the chalkboard in the defence against the dark arts classroom.

“Well I don’t need to be taken care of, I’m perfectly capable of doing things on my own thank you very much” she spits back at him.

George and her are acquaintances at best. It’s been a month since they’ve first spoken to each other. Since then he seems to always be around her. Sitting next to her in class, offering to help her with her books in the hall. She’s never asked for him to be there or to share his opinion. Yet he’s there and very verbal about his thoughts.

He steps into the class and sits in the front row. He bounces his leg under the desk and leans back into the chair. He looks nervous but she can tell he’s trying to cover it up.

“What are you doing here?” She asks, curiosity getting the best of her.

“Waiting for Umbridge.” He points up the stairs at the closed door of her office. “I got detention.” He adds.

“What did you do?” She stops cleaning the board and sets the cleaning potion on the desk next to George.

“Gave a ton tongue toffee to Filch. His tongue was four feet long when Umbridge found him.” He chuckles to himself, remembering Umbridge’s reaction.

For the first time ever, (y/n) laughs in front of George. She tries to hold it in but it slips past her. George first looks surprised but soon he’s laughing with her.

“Glad to see someone is standing up to them.” She shakes her head. “Umbridge really is a horrible person. I can't believe all the mean things she’s doing to the students.” Her face is sad. George can see how much she cares for the other students.

“Well, would you look at that? We actually agree on something.” He crosses his arms and smirks at her. “Does this mean we're friends?” He asks.

She barks out a loud laugh. “Don’t get ahead of yourself Weasley.” She grabs her bag and walks out without another word. She can feel George’s gaze following her until she steps into the hall and out of sight. She wonders why her cheeks feel so hot suddenly.

———

(Y/n) is tutoring Seamus Finnigan in the library. They’re whispering over a book when George spots them. He smiles and beelines for their table.

“Mind if I sit here.” He asks, holding onto the chair in front of them. They both look up at him. Seamus smiles and reaches out his hand for a fist bump. (Y/n) rolls her eyes and sticks her tongue out.

“Yeah mate, it’s no problem.” Says Seamus.

“No, you may not. It is very much a problem.” She hisses. Seamus looks at her, shocked by the bitterness in her voice.

“Blimey (y/n), I’ve never heard you so angry before.” He stuns.

She laughs nervously. He’s right, she normally doesn’t talk to people like that. The only exception to the rule is George. She grits her teeth and pastes a smile before looking at George.

“Of course you can sit here George. Any friend of Seamus is a friend of mine.” She somehow manages to sound sweet and somewhat sincere. George raises his eyebrows in surprise. He quickly recollects himself and takes a seat before she changes her mind.

“So, going back to charms. Can you tell me the definition of the substantive charm?” She asks Seamus.

“How long have you been doing this?” George interrupts.

Seamus grabs (y/n)’s arm and reads her watch. He whistles dramatically. “Crickey, it’s been an hour and fifteen minutes. I think we should call it a day.” He grabs his book and bag and gets up. “Thanks again (y/n). See you next week.” And with that, he was off.

(Y/n)’s jaw clenches as she looks from the now empty chair to George.

“Why?” She groans. “Why would you do that?”

“This is great. He got his help and you get a break. What do you say we go down to the dungeon and pull a prank on Malfoy?” He beams at her, pleased with his idea.

She gets the sudden urge to scream. Who does he think he is? Coming into her life and ruining everything. It is quite likely that Seamus won't do as well on the quiz as if he had stayed for the extra fifteen minutes she had planned and now she has to go deal with Hermione who wanted to rant about Ron. Something which she had very much been putting off. She takes a long, deep breath before looking at George again. The urge to scream has faded with the breath but the look on his face makes her see red.

“Could you please, please, find someone else to annoy. I don’t have time for this and you’re really starting to test my patients.” She pleads.

George’s face drops, evidently displeased by her response. He stands from his chair and puts his bag strap over his shoulder.

“Alright, I’ll leave.” He surrenders. There is a pause like he’s debating between leaving or adding another word. To (y/n)’s dissatisfaction, he continues to speak. “Anytime you need someone who doesn’t need help tutoring or homework to copy or healing salve, you know where to find me.”

She laughs loudly making everyone turn to look at her. “Pff yeah okay.” She dismisses, and with that George is turning away and walking out of the library.

She hates the sad feeling that settles in her chest. It’s like it’s telling her she wants him to stay. She rolls her eyes and swears to herself, gathering her things and heading to Hermione’s aid.

No matter how hard she tries not to, she spends the rest of the day thinking about George. His stupid face keeps popping into her head. What does he know? She likes when people ask for help. She is happy being the person people can turn to. She can’t understand what George thinks is wrong with that. Maybe he’s just a horrible person. It’s much easier to tell herself than to think there could be something wrong with her.

———

A week later (y/n) is knocking on Susan Bones’ door and stepping in before hearing a welcome.

“Merlin! I can’t stand him!” She shouts once in her best friend’s dorm room. Susan looks up from her book with her brows knitted.

“Who?” She asks while shutting her book and sitting up.

“George!” She states looking at Susan like she should have known. She shows no sign of further understanding (y/n)’s dilemma.

“Why?” She asks hesitantly. (Y/n) stomps to Susan’s bed and plops onto it.

“First he’s everywhere meddling into my life like it’s his business and now, radio silence.” She adds nothing more, leaving Susan even more confused.

“And that’s a problem because…”

(Y/n) sits up and flails her arms in the air. “Well, why did he make me question myself like that and then just vanish?” She exclaims exasperated.

Susan gapes, further confused. “But, didn’t you ask him to leave you alone?”

“Ark! That’s not the point!” She gets up and stomps out of the room. Susan blinks and looks around the room stunned even though there is no one to share the confusion with.

A moment later (y/n) is back into the room. “What on earth did he mean by if ever you want someone who doesn’t need help, you know where to find me?” She puts her hands on her hips and waits for her friend’s answer. Susan’s eyes light up and she smiles slightly. Now it’s (y/n)’s turn to look confused.

“He said that?” Asks Susan with a hopeful tone.

“Wha- I- Well yes he did but-.” She stops. Susan has left her stunned, she’s too confused to debate.

Susan’s smile grows wider. “Have you heard about Dombledors army?” She asks.

(Y/n) scrunches her nose. “No. What does that have to do with this?”

“Well I think you should come to our next meeting.” Her smile is mischievous, (y/n) hates it.

———-

The next day Susan takes (y/n) to the seventh floor. She stops in the middle of the hall and passes back and forth in front of a stone wall. Soon a door appears in front of them and (y/n) smiles, amazed by the castle's secrets.

Susan is the first to walk in waving at a few people near the door. Once (y/n) follows through the room goes silent. Harry finally walks up to them, hand stretched out.

“Welcome to the army.” He says confidently. She looks to Susan who gives her an encouraging nod. She finally accepts Harry’s hand with a small yet nervous smile.

As she looks around the room she feels a pair of eyes on her. She turns to find George looking at her with a neutral face. She lets out a little screech and turns back to Susan.

“You didn’t tell me he was going to be here!” (Y/n) whispers with a panicked tone.

“Well if I did you wouldn’t have come.” She states simply before walking off to talk with one of the other girls.

“Alright everyone. I think we’ll get started.” Announces Harry. Everyone goes quiet and they quickly form a half-circle around him. She sees a tall man settle next to her in her peripheral. She can just make out a flash of red hair. Her heart starts beating at an unruly pace.

“Today’s focus is on stunning. Nigel and I are going to do a demonstration so watch closely.” Everyone moves to the sides of the room whispering excitedly.

(Y/n) claps her hand over her mouth as she watches Harry fly backwards after being stunned by Nigel. She lets out a relieved sigh when Harry sits back up.

“I’d like to see you do that.” Whispers George into her ear. She jumps a little as his hot breath on her neck sends a shiver down her spine.

She turns to look at him. She has no snarky answer. She just gapes at him in surprise.

“I’d like to see you stand up for yourself for once.” He adds. She huffs in shock.

“I-“ She starts but Harry cuts her off. “Who wants to go next?” He asks.

“(Y/n) and I will go.” Announces George. She freezes as everyone eyes them curiously.

“Maybe someone else would like to go before us.” She tries.

“Nonsense, go on (y/n).” Says Harry enthusiastically. “No one here will judge you.” He adds thinking that’s her concern.

It’s not that she didn’t want to defend herself, it’s just she felt sort of bad stunning someone. She wasn’t sure she had it in her to do it. She walks to one end of the room and George to the other. He stretches out his arm, wand at the ready. She looks at Susan with a pleading look. Susan gives her an impatient nod and (y/n) reluctantly lifts her wand.

Neither of them moves, the room is completely silent. Soon there are whispers in the crowd. George is looking at (y/n) with a challenging eye. She gulps, trying to convince herself to stun him. She thinks that maybe if she does nothing he’ll grow impatient and stun her. That way she wouldn’t have to do it and he wouldn’t get the satisfaction of getting what he really wants.

“Right, any second now. Go ahead.” Says Harry slowly.

Nothing happens. George slumps out of his stans and raises his arms in the air. “Oh c’mon (y/n) stun me!” He exclaims.

She looks at the crowd as they all stare back at her. She suddenly feels weak in the knees. She begins to sweat nervously and looks at Susan. She looks a little concerned, maybe thinking this wasn’t as good an idea as she first thought. She still gives her a weak encouraging smile and a little thumbs up. (Y/n) looks back at George who has his arms stretched out taunting her.

“Oh for once in your life be mean!” He shouts. The words echo in the room.

“I can be plenty mean!” She disputes. “Last week, I ate Susan’s cookie.” She adds, puffing her chest.

George tries to hold back his smile. She hears a couple giggles in the crowd.

“That is not mean.” His tone is adoring and she hates it.

“It was her favourite brand.” She adds trying to make it sound more horrific. She’s the only one in the room with a serious face. Everyone else is smiling enjoying the tense exchange between the two.

He clicks his tongue and shakes his head. “If it’s anything, it’s cute.” He says with a wink. There it is. There’s the final straw. She can feel her blood boil. Everyone holds their breath as they watch her face contort into an angry pout. George smiles wide thinking the pout is possibly the cutest thing he’s ever seen.

She lets out an angry grunt. “It is not cute! You wanna see cute? Watch this.” She flicks her wand and shouts: “Stupify!” The spell sends George across the room. Everyone exclaims as he hits the ground with a thud.

“Excellent! Really good (y/n)!” Exclaims Harry.

Across the room George is whooping. He runs over to her with arms wide open. His smile is contagious, she can’t stop hers from pulling at her cheeks. Laughs spill from her lips as he wraps her tightly into his arms. Fred helps George throw her over their shoulders. Everyone gathers around them and cheers. (Y/n) feels her cheeks go hot suddenly, very aware of George’s hand on her thigh keeping her in place. She looks at everyone’s happy smiles and she can't help but join in. She hates to admit it but George might have been right. Standing up for yourself can feel good.

———

It’s a Wednesday evening. Most people were already back in their common rooms. (Y/n) was walking back from the library, having finished another tutoring session with Zacharias Smith. The halls are practically deserted when she suddenly hears quiet sobs further away. She speeds her pace and turns the corner finally spotting a little boy crying quietly while holding his hand. Two older boys are kneeling next to him. Her breath hitches when she spots him. George hasn’t talked to her since their duel. She would sometimes catch his eye across the classroom or in the dining hall but this is the first time she’s run into him. George is rubbing circles on the boy's upper back as he whispers sweet comforting phrases to the crying boy. As she steps closer she recognizes the boy to be Michael. She has helped him countless times after he has gotten detention from Umbridge.

Looking at George now she questions how she once called him a horrible person. She sighs accepting she might have been too quick to judge. She steps between the Weasleys and kneels down at Micheal’s feet so they're at eye level. She looks through her big bag before pulling out some gauze and a small glass jar of healing salve. Micheal gives her his hand, remembering the drill. She quietly applies the salve and wraps his hand. She listens to George explain to Micheal how soon the pain will subside. She notices he never stops rubbing circles on the boy's back. There’s something reassuring about the movement and she’s not even the one receiving it.

Micheal takes a deep breath, recollecting himself. He looks between George and (y/n) before smiling mischievously.

“Thanks mom, dad.” He tips his head to each before getting up and walking to his dorm. George’s hand stays frozen in the air even if there’s no longer a back to rub. (Y/n) stops screwing the lid to her salve as she looks at the now empty seat. They both jump when Fred starts howling with laughter. His laughs echo down the hall as he doubles over himself, holding his aching stomach. He wipes at his eyes and sighs loudly.

“Good one kid.” He shouts though Michael is much too far to hear it. “Ah! That’s golden.” He adds before he walks off in the same direction as Micheal did before.

George and (y/n) remain frozen. (Y/n)’s face is pale and George's cheeks are tomato red. (Y/n) is the first to move, she finishes screwing on the lid and shoving it into her bag. She’s in a hurry to get out of this very awkward situation. She shoots a look at George who moved from the floor and onto the bench. He’s leaning back onto the wall with his arms crossed. He smirks when she meets his eyes.

“We would have some cute kids.” His tone is teasing but there’s still something soft and affectionate in the statement.

“Oh honestly George, get a grip.” She rolls her eyes and walks away quickly. It takes all her willpower to hold in her smile until her back is turned to George. He’s not wrong she thinks to herself.

——-

She knocks lightly on the dorm room door. She can hear George’s loud laugh on the other side. She hopes he won’t be mad at her for interrupting the fun. Lee opens the door and the smile on his face is quickly replaced by a look of surprise.

“(Y/n)?” He stuns. The laughter in the room stops abruptly. She hears shuffling and soon George is peaking his head over Lee’s shoulder.

Lee quickly moves out of the way and George looks at her with a concerned look.

“(Y/n)? What are you doing here? Is everything okay?” He asks looking around to make sure there is no one else listening.

“I’m sorry to bother you, I know you were having fun there.” She feels pretty stupid now that she’s actually standing in front of him. George shakes his head vigorously to tell her it’s no problem.

“I just-“ she runs a hand through her hair. “I sort of need someone who doesn’t need help with tutoring or homework or healing salve.” The offer is months old. They haven’t even talked in weeks. She never thought she’d actually take him up on it but she didn’t know who else to turn to.

His shoulders drop and a natural smile spreads across his face. “Well then I’m your guy.” He closes the door behind him and guides her down the stairs and into the common room. It’s late, most students are in bed. George asks the few left if they could give them some privacy and they all retreat to their rooms.

“What’s up?” He asks, shoving his hands into his pockets.

She sighs and walks over to the big red couch. She sits down and buries her head into her hands. “I- I’m so tired George.” Her voice is laced with despair. “There’s just so much to do and I’m trying, I really am but I just don't know if I have it in me.”

George sits next to her, so close that their knees touch. “What are all the things you need to do?” He asks softly.

“I have to run the potions club and make that banner for the Ancient Runes Club. I have to tutor Hannah and Seamus and Zacharias and so many other people. I have to make sure Lavender is okay and that Luna found her socks. I have to listen to Hermione and Ginny talk about their boy problems and then give them advice. I have to write back to my parents and help them with their problems. I have to help McGonagall with the rat problem because no one else wants to. Madame Pomfrey said I could intern with her but that means I have to spend ten hours a week in the hospital wing. I told professor Sprout I’d help her extract pus from Bubotuber. I promised Colin I would look out for Dennis and I haven't even seen him in weeks.” It all spills out. For the first time ever she is totally transparent about her problems. “And then I have to worry about my own studies and try and keep my grades up and there’s the stress of Dumbledore’s army, what if we get caught?” She’s panting by the end suddenly feeling much lighter.

“Well maybe you could say no to a couple people. I’m sure the Ancient Runes Club can wait for a sign, Mcgonagall can take care of the rats on her own. You can say no you know.” He places a hand on her thigh and looks deep into her eyes.

“But- I can’t George! I can't say no. Those people are counting on me. What if the clubs fall apart or Seamus’ grades drop or Luna never finds her socks.” Her face is panicked.

“Let me help you.” He says it so softly. She feels a dry lump in her throat. Her jaw suddenly hurts and she feels tears well up in her eyes.

“I don’t want your help George!” She jumps off the couch and onto her feet. George’s hand slips off her thigh and onto the couch. It looks limp and sad without her leg to hold it. “I don’t need you, I was doing perfectly fine before you came around and I’ll be fine without you moving forward.” There’s a pause. “ I didn’t come here for you to save the day.” There it is. She doesn’t want to appear weak. She thinks asking for help makes her weak.

George stands up, towering over her. “Fine. If that’s how you feel then I’ll leave. I will go for good and you won’t have to worry about me meddling in your life anymore. I just want you to know that I’m offering to help because I can see how hard this is for you and I think you deserve more than what you’ve granted yourself.” George steps forward closing the gap. “I think you deserve to be taken care of for a change.” They’re inches away from each other. His face suddenly turns soft as he looks into her tear-filled eyes.

There’s a silent pause. She looks into George’s eyes and she sees the honesty, the care, the love. George is there for her when no one else is. He’s right, she is having a hard time and he’s the one offering the help. No one else. All the other people she has sworn would help her, be there for her, aren’t there. But how could they have known? She never tells them how hard it is, always caring for others. She never asks for their help. It’s not that those people don’t care. She just never opens up to them. She never permits them to be anything else than people she could help. All she ever did was give and give. She never believed she should do anything else. George is the first person who wants her to take, not give. It finally clicks. Everything that George has been trying to make her see is crystal clear now.

A tear spills from down her cheek and she feels her knees go weak. She cups her hand over her mouth trying to hold in a sob. She takes a step back shaking her head in denial. George’s face remains soft but there’s concern in his eyes.

“Hey.” He tilts his head, maintaining eye contact as she tries to look away. “It’s okay.” He pulls her towards his chest and she welcomes it. She falls into his arms as more tears fall down her cheeks. “Let it out.” He says.

With that permission (y/n) cries. She cries like never before. Loud sobs slip from her lips as her body shakes in George’s arms. She cries about all the sad secrets people have confided in her. She cries for all the days she sacrificed for others. She cries for all the “I love that you never say no”. She cries for all the grades she sacrificed to keep others high. She lets out years of pent-up tears, of hurt.

He rubs small circles on her upper back and remains quiet. She was right, there relay is something reassuring about those little circles. She cries for an hour and George never moves, never speaks, never stops her.

Finally, she sniffles her last tear and steps out of George’s arms. He reluctantly lets her go but takes her hand in his. She pulls it away to wipe at her eyes.

“Thank you.” Her voice is so delicate she would be embarrassed if it weren’t George in front of her. She laughs suddenly and George looks shocked. She soon starts crying of laughter and George gapes unsure of what to do.

“Are you okay?” He asks confused.

“I just, I hate you.” She laughs again. George looks stunned. He takes a step away from her and opens his mouth to say something but she cuts him off.

“Or so I thought. You have bugged me every day for months yet there’s no one I want here more than you.” George takes a tentative step forward. The words seem to give him confidence. “As crazy as it sounds I’ve had some of the best times talking with you because I actually said what I wanted to say. You can handle me better than anyone else. You challenge me in a way that I absolutely hate but I know why you’re doing it. You’re helping me learn to take care of myself and that’s hard because it’s something I’ve never done before.” She stops for a moment. The look in her eyes changes. First, there’s shock as she realizes. Then there’s a soft and happy glow. “I think I’m falling in love with you George.” She gasps. It’s almost a whisper. She barely wants to admit it.

“Come here.” Is all he says. She doesn’t move. Her brows knit themselves as she searches his face for an explanation. She takes a deep breath. The step towards him feels like a trust fall. He gently pulls her closer by the waist. He presses his forehead to hers. (Y/n) pushes her nose to his, bringing their lips closer to one another. He repeats the movement.

They tease each other a couple more times before George whispers “Can I kiss you?” She nods slowly and whispers a yes. He tips his head so their lips connect. His soft lips send sparks down her spine. George wraps an arm up to her back and pulls her closer quickly deepening the kiss. She wraps her arms around his next and soon her hands tangle into his fiery red hair. It feels like rain after a dry summer, like the cold side of her pillow, like the warm fire after coming in from the cold, it feels like heaven. Nothing has ever felt more right than their lips pressed together and for once, she’s giving in to what she wants.

When George pulls away she finds herself chasing his lips. She pouts a little missing the kiss. George runs a hand over her hair and looks at her adoringly.

“I’m falling for you too (y/n)”

#george weasley #george x reader #george weasley x reader #george weasley x fem!reader #george weasley imagine #george weasley x y/n #george imagine

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luvlyrv · 3 years

Text

Our Songs | pt. 6 | Wendy x F!Reader SM!AU

Word Count: 2.7k

A/N: I hope the word count marginally makes up for the fact this series has been on a three month hiatus lol, don't worry though it'll finish soon!

Date: 6/10/21

Series Masterlist

Ever since you and Wendy exchanged numbers you find your hand unconsciously reaching out to your phone throughout the day. You hope to find a notification from her when you turn it on. Thankfully she always seemed to respond back, but even when she didn't you'd put your phone down to repeat the loop. You tried your best to make sure it didn't interfere with your work, but still, your day was marked by Wendy. Although she wasn't there physically your conversations always carried through day and night.

You've known her to be a warm person, always friendly and comforting. You hope you're not reading into things too much, but sometimes you read her messages and your heart skips a beat. The way she would talk about you would make you flustered. It would force you to put your phone down for a second, unable to comprehend the positivity. Then the thought that maybe she was flirting would creep into your head.

The idea that you're just imagining things always comes back to fight it though.

Shaking your head you decide not to contemplate the idea further. After all she was going to come over soon and you needed to focus on finishing your songs. Thinking about any possible romantic feelings was the last thing you wanted to do. Especially with her in front of you.

Luckily the thoughts dissipate as you zone into the work in front of you, scrutinizing every detail you possibly could. You let yourself sink into the feeling of the songs, letting it help guide your decisions in mixing. As quickly as you get focused though, you're broken out of your zone when you hear knocking on the door. Before answering you run to the mirror and take a quick look while trying to make sure you look presentable. When you rush up to the door to open it you act like nothing happened.

"H-hello! Welcome again to my humble abode!" You say it with a smile, trying to suppress the sudden fluttering feeling in your stomach.

"Hey!" She says while looking up and down at you. "Looks like we're accidentally matching today, huh?" Wendy walks past the door and you close it behind her. You take a moment to look at her outfit and then at yours. The both of you had a very blue color palette.

"Well, way to steal the spotlight. You look way cuter than me." You don't sound as confident as you'd like, your voice bordering on the softer and quieter side. You realize you haven't felt this nervous in a while.

"As if that could ever be possible!" Wendy turns her head back at you as she walks towards your room. She rolls her eyes and sticks her tongue at you, only to quickly smile at your remark. "Now stop being silly and let's work."

You follow her into your bedroom and sit down in front of your computer. She sits on a familiar stool and the two of you immediately start working. You share what you have so far, all you do is record some more vocals, including harmonies and adlibs. You polish things with Wendy by your side to help make some stylistic choices. It took a few hours that only felt like mere minutes.

The sun is still out, unlike the first time the two of you had worked together. This leads you to ask Wendy something before she would leave.

"While we're here we should just record the collab video, yeah?" Wendy's eyes light up in recollection of your previous conversation.

"That sounds good, how about we do the Q&A type video today? I can just message Yeri for some questions."

"Sure, I'll ask Seulgi to make up some interesting things for us to answer too."

The two of you didn't have to wait long as both of your friends replied fast, excited to help out and excited to have some questions answered. You situate yourself next to Wendy in a comfortable position and get the camera ready. After getting the camera in position you take the time to fix the lighting in your room, making sure to have a soft and natural feeling with the lights.

Finally, the red light begins to blink on your camera and you wave. Wendy follows along and flashes the camera a friendly look. You give a quick introduction for the video.

"Hey everybody! I'm here with Wendy today to do a little Q&A type video for you guys! We've both gotten some questions from our friends and it's just to share a little about us, how we feel about our collaboration, behind the scenes type of stuff, you know?" Wendy tilts her head and looks at you as you talk, nodding to your words.

"I really can't wait to answer these questions with you." She says with a smile. She looks back at the camera as she pulls her phone out and looks at her messages with Yeri. "Neither of us have prepared any script or anything. We've barely even looked at the questions they've sent us!" You nudge Wendy with your elbow and laugh at a thought.

"What if they sent us something inappropriate?"

"Oh god, Yeri totally would." You both giggle before Wendy prompts you to start reading questions first.

"Alright we'll stop wasting our audience's precious time now. My dear Seulgi's first question is… "what were your first impressions?" Wendy doesn't hesitate to answer the question as soon as it was asked.

"Oh! Whenever Y/N entered the café we were meeting in I was kind of surprised! She doesn't post a lot of pics of herself so to see someone as talented as her in real life was an honor. She's really cute, right?" She reaches out to pinch the cheek of your so-called cute face. You strain a smile of embarrassment at her antics.

"Yeah yeah, I don't record myself a lot." When she stops her assault on your face you follow-up with your opinion. "For Wendy… I was also really surprised… I think I'm really lucky. You guys should know that a camera really doesn't do her justice! When I first met her she certainly gave off a very approachable demeanor too."

"Why do you think that?"

"I don't know? I was really nervous meeting you, yet when I saw you and when we got to talk the atmosphere turned into something really comfortable fast. Let's just move on to the next question." You take a look at your phone again to see Seulgi's question. "What's your favorite thing about the other? Well, Wendy has always been so sweet, it's been wonderful working with her. I appreciate the care and dedication to her work that she has shown me. Her musicality really helped pull everything together, and when I was stuck she was always there to give me a fresh perspective."

"Aww, that's so sweet of you." Wendy says with a blush on her face, her hand covering her face as she laughs a bit. "It's strange to be talking to you like this, I feel like. I think you're a really straightforward person but we haven't really talked about our opinions to this extent! Especially to a camera. Ah… well I think I could really say everything the same for Y/N." Wendy nods a bit in thought before continuing on. "To add to it though, I think Y/N has just always been so considerate to me. Like, beyond being a great musician she has been a good person to me. I think if you've seen some of our interactions on Twitter you'll know that she ended up cooking a wonderful meal for me on our first meeting. I think that if she wasn't as nice as she is, we wouldn't have had this much fun together… wait, this has been fun for you too, right?"

"Oh my god, yes it has. How could you doubt that?" You punch her arm with a fake upset face. You turn back to the camera. "Guys, we've hung out and have talked soooo much outside of our collab. I literally don't understand how she can have a single doubt in her mind about us having fun."

"It doesn't hurt to clarify! Anyways, next question now! And stop punching so hard!"

"Oh hush, it wasn't that hard. Oh hmm, to go along with that Seulgi wonders what our least favorite thing about each other is."

"That's an easy one!" Wendy says all too excitedly. You make a shocked expression, worry flooding your system as Wendy points at you with a smile. "I hate how you're absolutely brimming with talent! Your work is impeccable! Musical genius!"

You groan as your body crumples. "You nearly gave me a heart attack…" Your voice is muffled between your knees.

"It's true though!" Wendy says in a sing-song voice, her face smug in satisfaction to see your scared reaction. "Otherwise there's nothing I can really say."

You gather the strength to get back up and face the camera, then Wendy. Your face is still filled with disappointment but you take your time to stare at Wendy. As you stare at her she seems to come undone as she nervously looks away.

"What are you doing?" A red color subtly creeps up her neck.

"I'm just thinking. I'm thinking that… You also have nothing wrong with you." Wendy can't help but to roll her eyes at your comment. "Except for being awfully cheesy. It makes me wanna go bury myself in a ditch so I won't have to hear your stupid cheesiness again."

"Whatever, whatever. It's my turn to read the questions. Now… this is a good one, "what has the work process been like?"

"Well that's obvious, I do all the work and Wendy leeches off of me like a parasite."

"Hey! Just because it's true doesn't mean you have to say it to the world!" Her response throws you into a fit of laughter, turning you into a mess.

"Oh my, no no! It's really not like that. I would say we have an equal workload, or a workload that makes sense between our respective positions." Wendy shakes her head in disagreement.

"I don't feel so. I feel like Y/N always does so much work, and she does it so quickly too. It makes me feel kind of bad when I sit beside her and see her work her magic. When she's focused and working so hard it's quite amazing."

"Ah geez." You shyly scratch the back of your neck. "Wendy's always like this, complimenting me. Like I said earlier though, she really helps bring me new perspective when I'm stuck and her musicality is like nothing else. She always takes the time to sit next to me and monitor things too. It's not like she's a third party to the process. Not only that," You take the time to send Wendy a smile in an attempt to reassure her that you're not burdened with work. You want her to know that you appreciate her part of the creative process, "but nothing really feels like hard work when I'm with you."

Wendy has a hard time processing your words, so instead of addressing it she decides to just further elaborate her answer to the question.

"Well, I'll just lay down the process for everyone. Obviously, Y/N produces and I sing. Although after enough convincing from me you'll hear her singing on the tracks as well, so say thank you! It all started when Y/N took the time to reach out to me, which I was really excited about by the way, and then we both agreed to meet up at a local place. We just talked about concepts and our availability. We both ended up writing songs and worked together on what we wanted to keep or change. Everything productive happens here," Wendy opens her arms to gesture to the area around her, "at Y/N's place. Even though I have audio equipment at my place too we just record things here."

"Yeah, everything she said is true. I have a little set-up here in my room. I don't think I've ever really shown you guys it? I mean, I've shown my guitar collection before but not all my other equipment yet. I'll film that another time though. Next question?"

"Oh this is kind of interesting to think about, "what do you think the reception of your mini-album will be?" The both of you take a moment to think about it. Recalling many of the things you've read on social media you decided to speak first.

"Well, I think it'll be extremely beneficial to the both of us in multiple ways. I mean first off, I guess by our genre of music we have a lot of overlap between fans. There's been an overwhelming amount of support from fans who are excited to see the both of us collaborate and interact. I have no doubt that it'll do well since it's so highly anticipated by our fans. It'll be even better if you guys manage to stream and share it!" Throughout your explanation you begin to give Wendy shy glances. "I think that even if we drop our music and it doesn't meet much success, I would've gained a lot. I think working together with Wendy has helped me grow as a musician and anything that I learn here I will utilize in the future."

At your last comment Wendy seemed to get excited and she quickly added on.

"Exactly! If anything the most important part about all of this is the fact that I have gained skills as a musician and gained a friend. That greatly outweighs any potential of success." Wendy has a bright smile on her face, happy to be able to call you a friend.

"That doesn't mean we don't want you guys to go ahead and share our music by the way." You joke light-heartedly. "It would mean a lot if you did."

"Now final question for this video! We've been talking too much." Wendy looks at her phone, unlike before she takes a couple seconds before reading the question aloud. "Uh, I think this should be fun to answer. "What do you want to do in the future together?" I think that obvious answer is to make more music!"

You chuckle at her answer before responding as well. "Going to each other's places to have a jam session doesn't sound bad, but hanging out in general is good. We'll definitely continue being friends, and if the reception for our collab is really good we might do another one? That is, of course, if Wendy is okay with that."

"I would be more than happy to do that. I was also thinking of forcing you to binge watch more shows and movies with me."

"Only if you stop hogging the popcorn. Anyways, I think this should be the end of our video. I highly encourage all of you to check-out Wendy's channel in a couple days. The day right before release we're going to be dropping one more video together! Bye-bye!" You wave a goodbye to the camera with a smile. Wendy joins you in your outro.

"See you guys soon!"

You go to turn your camera off as Wendy goes to gather her things. After turning off your lights you go to sit back down on your seat, importing the recently filmed footage to your computer. Wendy takes this moment to sit down next to you again.

"Again, thank you for your hard work!" She says it with a smile as she brings her hand on your arm. "I'm always amazed with the quality of your work and how quickly you can do it."

"No problem, I'll send the songs to you later for your feedback. We'll be able to post everything soon." You smile back at her and give her hand a comforting squeeze. A part of you wishes you could keep your hand there forever.

"Alright, well see you at my place soon!"

When you finally hear the click of your door closing you let out a sigh. You don't want to think about it. You don't want to face it.

You don't want to face the possibility that you've fallen.

#wendy x reader #son seungwan #rv x reader #red velvet imagines #red velvet scenarios #kpop au #kpop imagines #son seungwan x reader #rv wendy #girl group imaines #girl group scenarios #social media au #red velvet

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impaladolan · 3 years

Text

Capture - Grayson Dolan [5/-]

summary: a flash from the past, present, and future, Y/N is startled awake from her almost too-real dreams by her one and only capturer, whose similarities to the boy in her dreams are uncanny... or are they...

warnings: fluff, kinda

a/n: how are we liking the continuation so far?

"It's only a couple more minutes from here." Grayson says, trudging through the dewy grass while I follow in suite behind him. I wasn't sure where we were going, or why, but I faintly remember talking about a nighttime adventure earlier this morning.

I just didn't know he meant so soon.

But I trust that boy with all my heart, no questions asked. He’s been my neighbor for years and frankly, my first love. Although, he doesn’t know that yet.

I watch him as he walks in front of me, his head held up high that only one of his small little smirks could hold. He seemed so brave and unafraid, while I was frightened by the trees around me. They were tall, drooping, and overall spooky. But the subtle warmth from just the thought of Grayson being here with me, faded all my worries away.

“Here, hold my hand.” He suggests, stopping in his tracks and reaching his hand out for mine. I gladly take it, a small blush decorating my cheeks. Luckily it’s too dark to see. “Be careful, we’re almost there but this path is tricky.” I coherently nod my head to his words, gripping his hand a bit tighter and watching my steps a little closer.

I keep quiet, focusing on all the rocks and branches that surround the area. It’s seems like Grayson walks with so much ease while I struggle to keep up. “Grayson! Slow down!” I giggle, wrapping my other hand around our combination of skins. He quickens his pace, chuckling as he looks behind to see my struggle. “Grayson!” I trip over what almost looks to be a boulder, my body flying forward. I scream, starring at the sharp rock I’m about to come in contact with, and I know I’m doomed.

Before the sharp and pointy piece of the rock hits between my eyes, I feel a warm grasp wrap around my abdomen and pull me upwards. My yelling subsides as my body is pulled back to a stable and stationary position, in front of the luckily strong Grayson himself.

“You’re an Asshole, Grayson.” I frown, crossing my arms. His grip slid to my hips as he assured himself that I was steady, but his small touch did send a plethora of tingles down my sides, and it made me feel so gitty and forgetful of the moments before.

“Sorry, but we’re just about there, princess.” My heart fluttered at the name. Whether it was meant to be an insult or not, it sounded nice rolling off his tongue. He rewraps his hand around mine and walks slower than before in the same direction we were walking. I throw back a yawn as I reminisce on the late hour at hand, but the excitement still swirls through my body.

I truly don’t know where he’s taking me.

Our feet soon collide with a much more smooth path, rather than the rough one I almost fell in before. We come to a sudden stop, complete darkness shuttering the moon’s brightness around me. “Wait right here, I gotta check something.” He whispers, letting my hand go and walking a few steps in front of me. He seemed to be peeking through a branch of leaves, but I couldn’t exactly tell.

“Okay now, close your eyes and walk a couple steps forward.” He directs, his voice still only above a whisper. I shake my head and cross my arms in fear. “I’ll fall again, Gray.”

“No you won’t, it’s only a couple steps.” His soothing voice calms me immediately. I largely sigh, slowly stepping forward, like he told me to, and I come in quick contact of him. I hear shuffling of branches and leaves, and I could feel his excitement from underneath my eyelids.

“Okay, open.” I quickly open my eyes, adjusting to the new light and surroundings.

Wow.

The full moon shown on the beach front, the waves crashing softly and the breeze running through the trees slightly. I travel my gaze down to the large, checkered blanket on the sand, an already lit lantern sat there and food spread around.

“G-Grayson, how-how did you do this—“

“Ethan did help me, but I’ve been planning this for awhile.” He shyly smiles, taking my hand to guide me to his creation. We both take off our shoes and settle down, as I remain speechless and overjoyed.

“Grayson, this is wonderful.” My eyes couldn’t stop wandering around, taking in all of this detail. Every romance movie or book I’ve ever read or watched to this day could never compare to this.

If there was any moment to tell him that you loved him, the time is now.

“Can I, uhm, admit something to you?” I wearily ask, fidgeting with the ends of my pajamas.

“Of course, Y/N, I need to too..” He does the same as he begins to move around a bit, in what seemed to be a mixture of nervousness and excitement. I swallow a deep breath, exhaling slowly and rerunning the words in my head.

“Grayson, I think I love you. And, I have for the longest time. Ever since you’ve been neighbors with me, I’ve always had feelings. Oh god, I’m embarrassing myself, aren’t I?” I facepalm my forehead, shutting my eyes tightly.

“That’s funny, because I feel the same for you.”

"Y/N?"

"Y/N, wake up." A hushed tone spoke in your ear, like an orchestrated melody in an empty room. Your eyes slowly opened, darkness still surrounding you but the warmth beside you made it relaxing. "What were you dreaming about?" He asked with a childish curiosity, tucking a hair soothingly behind your ear. Your heart skipped a couple beats and the hairs on your arms rose, but you remained composed.

"I can't really remember, something about the moon." You reply, yawning during the process. It was too normal feeling, like the two of you were used to beaming up in each other's grasp. You can't even remember when he had even gotten in your bed, but you didn't necessarily mind it..

You look up into his eyes, a striking similarity to someone that you’ve known before, but you just couldn’t recollect who, exactly. “What’s you name, Capturer.” You gaze upon him, his warmth and protection all too familiar as well.

“Capturer, huh? I kinda like the ring of it.” He looks up, smiling at the name you’ve given him, though it was initially an internal one. “But, you should know my name.” It seemed so dark the way he said it, like he was the villain in a movie. Which, isn’t so far fetched.

“Could you possibly give me some sort of hint? Anything that could help me?” You almost plead, watching as he lifts himself from your designated bed. In silence, he walks to your bedroom door, stretching his hands above his head in a yawn. He turns around, attaching his hand to the doorknob.

“I’m from your past.”

to be continued...

#dolan twins smut #dt #grayson dolan smut #grayson #dolan twins #ily #ethan dolan #ethan grant dolan #grant #grayson dolan #grayson dolan fanfic #smut #capture #Dolan #graysondolan!capturer #graysonbailey #graysonbaileydolan

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meenah-chan · 3 years

Text

Quintessence

A Lucifer x MC's Over-protective! Sister fanfic

3.17k words

Genre: Angst

Trigger warnings: mentions violence, self-inflictions; read at your own discretion.

Chapter 1: click here

Chapter 2: click here

"If there's anyone who will understand her, it's you. So I'll leave her to you..."

"Don't touch me, you monster!"

Chapter 3

*scribbles scribbles*

" ...I could never forgive myself for what happened."

*scribbles scribbles*

"Let's just say that a drive to protect MC and a drive to live are two different things. And I've been searching for the latter to no avail." Lucifer sighs from the lack of focus on his work. Her words replays on his thoughts countless of times already. He couldn't seem to take her off his mind this past few days.

Since that morning, she acts like her usual self. It is a good thing. It is a good thing that his forceful interrogation didn't cause trouble.

He shouldn't bother dwelling on it anymore. He shouldn't be, but... Acting like nothing happened is far more disturbing... He combs his fingers through his locks, deep in thought.

"...fer... Lucifer!" A sensation on his shoulder brought him back to reality. "Are you okay?" His orbs, traces the hand atop his shoulder to the aquamarine eyes, observing him.

"...No, it's nothing. I was just thinking about something." He massaged between his brows.

"You should rest if your tired." Her worry shows between her brows.

"I'll finish this. We're almost done anyways... More importantly, do you have any concerns?"

"Ahh, I already finished my part. Please do check it." He picked up the papers she gave. Despite what happened, she actually continued helping him with his works, which made everything easier.

"Hmm, you did well. You may leave now. I'll take a break once I'm done."

"Then, how about having a tea? I prepared some cookies a while ago." She placed her palms atop his desk, as if persuading him.

"Cookies?"

"Yeah, as an apology and thank you gift." A light shade of pink tinted her cheek for a second didn't went unnoticed by the demon.

"Huh? Did you do something I'll get angry for once?"

"I just felt bad I doubt you when we first met. I even tied you with me in a pact. And I'm glad you and your brothers are there to keep my sister safe. Thank you." She smiled at him sincerely. The one he could only see her flash for her sibling.

"That's fine by me."

"Then, I'll be waiting by the garden." Once a thud of the door was heard in the room, another sigh escaped his lips.

It's reasonable she's always on my mind, I've been spending more time with her after all. And I have less work to worry about that she took over its spot... Propping his forehead on his clasped knuckles, he tried to make sense of his current sentiments.

"... Let's get this all done or the tea might get cold." He moves his hands to work faster. Spending a bit more time alone with her is not so bad anyways...

-----

Spending time alone with her is not the right term. As soon as he arrives at the garden, the rowdy bunch was already in there, surrounding a sizable table.

"Alexandria, I see you didn't inform me that everyone will be here." With twitching eyebrow, he held the teacup to his lips, trying to ignore the crunching and chattering noise.

"But I did say I want to thank you and your brothers so it's only natural that they are here." She casually sip on hers, sitting adjacent to the eldest.

"Alexa *crunch crunch* your cookies is *crunch crunch* so good." Beel grins beside her as he stuff his face with his share of cookies.

She shook her head. "I wouldn't say it's my cookies. MC and Luke also made that."

"But most of it is made by you. And we just followed your recipe." MC contradicts before stuffing a whole cookie in her mouth.

"Well, that's true... Oh, Beel, try this one. This is my favorite." She extended out a cookie cream tart towards him. Having both of his hands full of cookies, Beel ate directly off her finger.

"Hmm~!" Alexandria giggled from the blissful face the orange demon is making. "Your face is full of crumbs." She proceed wiping his cheeks with her handkerchief.

"..." Feeling as if two ominous orbs bore behind her skull she glanced back, confirming her suspicion. He's angry...

"Uhh, Lucifer. Here, have some more." She filled his empty plate with cookie cream tarts. He gaze at the plate before looking back at her.

"I'm good." Yeah... He's angry... I guess thanking him with everyone is a wrong move. I have graver offense to him than others after all.

"Ahh! How about some eclairs? I can make you one right now." She learned his preference a few days ago when he made a big fuss of Mammon eating his eclairs, and tried coaxing him to a good mood.

He stared at him for moment before replying, "Make it some other time." Coaxing failed... "It'll be made for me alone." ...or maybe not. She smiled.

"Hmph... Selfish demon." The seventh-born huffs.

"Are you saying something, Belphegor?" The eldest and the youngest brother glared daggers.

"Now, now... The tea will turn sour." Alexandria tried settling the tense atmosphere she just mended before it get worse.

"By the way Alexa, MC, they released the anime adaptation of 'The Great Detective from the Pits of the Underworld' today! Let's watch it after this." Amidst sitting beside the growling Belphegor, sparkles filled Leviathan's background as he enthusiastically spoke.

"No, Alexa is coming with me. She still hasn't finished briefing me of the best books she read on the human realm." Satan interrupted.

"Alexa~ I bought a new salamander hydrating mask. It's a must-try product! Let's use it right now!" Sitting across her, Asmodeus reached for her hand, completely ignoring the already-fighting otaku and bookworm.

I guess a peaceful afternoon tea is impossible with everyone. Bickers and commotion fills the big table, only to be interrupted by a buzz of a phone.

"...Yes! Oi Alexa! 'Ya see this?" Mammon waves the screen of his D.D.D. "I hit a jackpot! It says it'll increase my investment by tenfold in just 3 days if I register right away! I'll pay MC, just 'ya wait." He return his attention back on it and moves his fingers across the screen.

"Name... Bank account... Passco... Hey!" Just before he completed filling up the form, his device elevates off his grasp. Glancing behind, he saw the older female, his D.D.D on hand.

"What'cha doin'!?" He struggled snatching his D.D.D back only to fail.

"Fixing your mistake. You're one click away from being scammed, you idiot."

"Gimme back–"

"My bad guys. I can't tend to your requests right now. This idiot needs an Investment Crash Course."

"What?" "That's unfair!" "But... TSL..." Bickers and squabbles start flying everywhere yet again. But this time, it's all directed at her and the second-born.

"What a mess..." Lucifer sighed.

"Mess you say, Lucifer? You're the one to talk. You've been keeping her all to yourself." Satan glared at him. The eldest of the brothers just facepalmed as he watch the already rowdy garden went even livelier than before.

"Isn't she bizarre?" The little sister suddenly spoke beside him. "She's a charismatic, thoughtful and a wonderful person. Yet she still have no boyfriend... If only she became more open with anyone after me."

"Really?"

"Will you believe she pushes me away during our first meetings?" She laughed. "I was so young I have no much recollection but... I do remember I bugged her alot, and she suddenly go all mushy after some time."

"... She is caring and everything but sometimes I feel she's suppressing herself, like she's protecting me from something. Like, it's something I shouldn't know. She's similar to you, don't you agree?"

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"Hmmp, tsundere."

"What did you just say?"

"I guess she won't reveal it to me, I'm her pure, beloved sister she'll protect to the end of the world after all. If there's anyone who will understand her, it's you. So I'll leave her to you, her demon and soulmate."

"Just so you know, having pact doesn't make her my soulmate."

"No, she is. She is alike to you in so many ways, you have natural affinity and you got along despite such repulsive first meeting. To top it of, you have that indestructible bond with each other. You are soulmates."

"..." With no rebuttal he stared at the young female. He then glance at Alexandria who is busy with the noisy bunch to hear what they are talking about.

An enigma she is. With more things MC mentioned him, he knew she won't leave his mind anytime soon.

-------

Basked under the crimson dusk atop a hill, two young girls sat a few feet apart another.

"Stop bothering me. I don't have plans of befriending anyone." radiating with annoyance, one of the girls interjects.

"But I want to. And I don't see any problems in doing so." The second girl shakes the spark off as if it's nothing.

"You wouldn't dare to, if you ever knew."

"Know... What... You mean, that..." The younger girl, point a finger not far from her direction.

As soon as the older girl whisked her head towards the direction, the sky, the hill... Everything melted into night.

The pavement blanketed with snow. The murky, ebony sky. The familiar, gaping door. A grip on her arm returned her attention to the girl with her. "Alexa, I'm scared."

And then a creak reverberated. "Wha... No! Don't look!" She pulled her, covering her eyes with her hand.

And as she suspected, it's the same scene as that night.

"Look, what do we have here." Taking the man's grip off the neck of his brother's lifeless body, he march towards her. "My beautiful, genius Alexandria. My protege."

"..."

"Oh my, look at that blazing blue eyes you got from me." Touching her face, caressing her cheeks with his thumb.

"Don't touch me, you monster!" She brushed his bloody hands from her and tried pulling the girl behind her, only to hold onto air. When she look back, the child was nowhere to be found. "Where...Ump–!" The man grabbed her face and forced her eyes on his.

"Monster you said? Don't forget you and I are the same. You inherited everything from me, that's why I kept you alive."

His eyes. His dead, cold eyes took her own, as if gobbling her whole. She felt like running away. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. She want to, but she couldn't. She just stand in there horrifiedly, in front of the monster that hunts her almost every single night. Her monster.

"Me, your monster? Don't make me laugh! Aren't you a monster yourself? After all you..." Alexandria's eyes snapped open. Breathless. Drenched. Beads of cold sweat trickles down from her skin as she sit up.

No matter how many times she was visited with the same nightmare, she will never get used to it.

Knowing she won't get another blink of sleep, she rise from the beddings. She left the room for the balcony of the planetarium, bringing with her a small container from her purse.

Opening the small case, she took out one of the white sticks and pressed it's tip between her lips. After lighting it, she took a deep breath and puff a cloud of smoke.

The smoke swirls in the bleakness of the night, together with her dreary thoughts.

"Can't sleep?" She flinched from the unexpected deep voice. She's too caught up inside her head that she failed to feel the man enter the balcony.

"Well, kind of."

"I admit, your surprised face is quite entertaining." Lucifer smirked as he moves beside her.

"Yeah, yeah. As long as you're happy." Alexandria scoffs.

"I never knew you're fond of things like that. That brand isn't even available here." He glanced on the ember on her hand.

"Not really. It's more of a ritual." Lucifer raised an eyebrow. "They say that a stick of a cigarette can shorten the human lifespan by 11 minutes, if you know what I mean." Lucifer's forehead scrunches in comprehension of her so-called 'ritual'. She only laughed bitterly at his reaction.

"Don't be so irked. Or would you rather see me full of cuts and holes?" She took another puff off the smoke.

"It's really a surprise you're still... alive." A lump he couldn't really explain blocked his throat for a second.

"It sure is. I've tried throwing it away countless of times already when I was young. Until MC came to my life."

"But MC said you really hated her that time. I don't see any consistency with your stories."

"Really?" She look faraway before glancing back to the demon.

"And I see you're more open with me than with MC, are you not?" He smirked playfully.

"What a chatterbox..." She glance away for a second. "Let me tell you a tale instead."

"Dunno. I just felt you'll understand and won't judge me. Maybe you're my soulmate?" Hearing the word from the person herself taken Lucifer aback, which then earned a chuckle from Alexandria. "... or maybe not."

"I'm scared I might taint her if she learn my past. I want her to grow without any fear and guilt, to mature the way she is." She paused as if hesitating if she'll continue with the story, but she carry on after a few moments.

"Long time ago, there is an annoying idiot in a form of a young philanthropist, much like her family. One day, she and her family plans a month-long stay in an orphanage for fund-raising and to help in any way. There she met a crazy psycho, who have failed attempts of suicide and plans to hung herself in the forest without any interference. Of course she never knew about her plan, she's a big idiot after all." Cool breeze blew on the balcony, taking the ash of the cigarette between her fingers.

"Day after day she bugged her, hindering her plans again and again and again until the crazy psycho got tired and postpone her plans until the night the annoying idiot leave the orphanage." Lucifer looked at her through his peripheral vision, earning a huff from the lady.

"Finally the day comes. Minutes after the annoying idiot left the crazy psycho on the hill, she was called by a stranger. Since she is a big idiot of an unsuspecting naive, she ate a candy from the man and lost consciousness. The crazy psycho witnessed this and convinced the man of bringing her too. She followed the idiot without thinking. Miraculously, she saved the idiot unscathed. The idiot left the orphanage safely. The crazy psycho was adopted not long after. And the two never cut ties with each other again. The end... Or not."

That's weird... "So you're telling me you chose to live because you save her? Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

"Not really. More like her naivety and recklessness girl made me want to protect her. I... just can't leave that angel alone on her own. Without any assurance that she'll be fine." A conflicted face reflects on Lucifer's eyes. He could saw nothing but a suffering person... a damsel in distress.

Does he empathize with her since they're in similar situation? Or is her sorrow contagious? Either way, he couldn't help but feel her sufferings. His eyes couldn't leave her form at all, watching every gestures she make.

"Is it really hard to forgive yourself of the things you didn't even do?" Extinguishing what's left of her smoke, she looked at him.

"It's easy, if I'm truly innocent, that is." She gave him a bitter smile. "I am not."

She faced him. "My father commit suicide after killing my mother and siblings... The stranger kidnapped MC and I, who is in the right age to identify him. How come we are able to leave unscathed?" A pair of jaded blue orbs met his.

"My father didn't commit suicide... That stranger also didn't let us leave like it's nothing... I took their lives with my own hands. I killed them."

"... You?"

"I stabbed my father with the knife he used to my family and the stranger, I strangled him to the head rest with the rope I'm supposed to be using to myself. And I dumped him with his car on a nearby cliff."

The moonlight shines on them, reflected by a single teardrop forming on the corner of her eyes. The wind brushed her hair gently as the single tear rolled down her rosy cheeks, never to be followed with another one. Bitter smile never left her face. Her skin is like a porcelain, pristine and unblemished. It was as if she was an angel... A fallen angel, with tattered wings like he is.

"I am... a monster." She took his breath away. He witnessed it. He is captivated by an unbearably beautiful creature.

Before he knew it, he already reached out, replacing the wind from caressing her hair.

She flinch from his touch, as if a bashful mimosa folding and drooping from a light stimulus. She is too vulnerable at the moment. Should he continue with such gesture, she might indulge with it. She shouldn't. A monster like her doesn't deserve such kindness. And thus, Alexandria chose to step away from him.

"I-I told you everything. Then, I'll be taking my leave." A hasty bow is followed by her brisk walking. She grabbed the knob. I need to leave.

He didn't know why but he felt it. Her flame is waning.

If he let her be by herself again, he never knew what she will do with herself next. What if the next time he saw her, she'll be full of cuts? What if she'll be so injured she won't be able to leave her room? What if... What if the next time he saw her, she's not breathing anymore?

But that's not possible. She won't leave her sister alone.

And then her words awhile ago flashed his mind."I'm glad I can trust you and your brothers are to keep my sister safe. Thank you I could be at ease."

That's not only as an apology or gratitude. She's... entrusting her sister with us and planning to die soon?

A loud thud echoes off the balcony as the door return to its frame. She didn't close it. He did, as he wrap his free arm around her.

A bloody Alexandria. Pale. Cold. Lifeless.

That's not gonna happen. I won't permit it. I need something to suppress her from her self-destructive tendencies... Something concrete. Anything...

"...you have that indestructible bond with each other."

... I see...

"Let it be me..." The words left his lips. That's his answer, their indestructible bond— the pact that bind their souls together.

"W—What do you mean?" The confusion and and perplexity in her eyes didn't stop him. If he stop right there, tomorrow she might be there no more. It's now or never.

" Alexandria, I'll be your reason for living."

-------

It took so long ( like, reaaaally long (๑°౪≦)ゞ) but I posted it at last heehee. I revised it like tons of times until I'm satisfied. (I also did two short reads along with this cuz inspiration and it'll be a waste not to write it (~￣³￣)~

I learned my lesson. If I don't wanna rewrite the story, I should fix it until I'm satisfied or it'll pile up and It won't leave the back of my mind as ling as I haven't fix it.

And I never thought it'll be this long (maybe there's 2 chapters more)

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

MASTERLIST

16 notes · View notes

heavensenthearty · 3 years

Note

Hi, Angel!

2, 20, and 25 for the meta asks!

(I hope you're doing well and I see your gift fic. It's on my to read list!)

❤️❤️

Hi, Ever!! 🤗🤗 Thanks for the ask, and no rush to read the fic, I just hope you'll like it when you get the chance to read it! 💖

2. Tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing – in your current project, or a future project

Oh, well, that'd be a LONG answer because there are so many things I am excited to include in my current main fic, and at the same time I can't wait to continue the other WIPs I've left on stand-by 😅 Just a moment ago, I was planning a scene for a future chapter of Book One: Wind (my Avatar!Zuko AU) that featured some of my favorite myths from Chinese mythology, but if I had to pick a part of this AU that I'm the most excited to share, it'd the final chapters of Book Two and overall Book Three (and yes, I've planned that much ahead 😅)

Ever since I got the idea for the AU, I so wanted to explore different relationships and dynamics between characters that didn't get to interact much (or at all) in canon, and that's exactly what I'm planning to do throughout those books in my series. I'm also giving the characters new inner conflicts. By that point they've already endured lots of things and development, some of them are still questioning their own strength and identities, and some of them wonder if these new people into whom they have turned are their real selves or if they indeed are the kind of people they want to be.

As for my future projects, I'm so eager for continuing my Avatar!Katara AU!!! 😍😍😍😍😍 (and yes, I always wonder how things would be if there were different protagonists 😅)

20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)

Do on-going projects count? Because I consider my finished projects a bit insignificant to answer this question. Besides, I've always felt myself pretentious if I get too invested in something I made, and it might make me see things a bit less objectively.

But if there's something I'm very excited to write is Zuko's mental health in Book One: Wind!! 🤩🤩

I'm a very character-driven kind of writer, I aim for the conflict the characters have between each other and with their own selves to be what keeps the story going; and I am a VERY critical reader. In general. It doesn't matter how much I love a book or a character, the second I see a cliche-y move coming or that I feel the author is only taking the easy way out to increase the tension, I roll my eyes. I have a VERY hard time connecting with certain characters because of that, even in my own fics because I know the characters I'm writing about will sometimes (a whole lot of the time) do stupid things. But I'm happy with how it is turning out to write Zuko in the position of the Avatar, because he is reflecting on a lot of stuff that he is doing and that are happening to him in a way that is relatable to a lot of people I know, even after he does one of his "only Zuko would" stunts:

I want to sigh and pull at my hair at the same time. Everything is so confusing lately, I try to keep everything and everyone at arm’s length, but I can’t! Things continue getting to me! Memories, feelings. I get triggered at the smallest things, and then I can’t properly articulate what is happening to me. I can’t make sense of anything! Because nothing has any sense! Every day I go on being assaulted by these weird sensations, by old recollections and new emotions, and I don’t know how to act, what is it even that I should do or say.

— Zuko POV, Chapter 22: Separated

I sigh resignedly and squeeze the bridge of my nose. I continue being cornered into these situations where my only option seems to be making reckless decisions. I try – I really try – but nothing that I do appears to be enough to safeguard others and then myself! I continue hurting myself! I can’t find better solutions! Everything I try comes back to slap me in the face!... But I am not giving up.

— Zuko POV, Chapter 23: Loneliness

Zuko already is a relatable character, and one of the things that I like the most about him is that he is so filled with emotions but he doesn't know how to express them properly. Lots of people feel that way after they have gone through trauma and are starting their way to healing, I know I felt that way when I was... a different person. And even now that I've gotten better, it's so refreshing to see characters go through similar struggles and actually describe what they are feeling, because most of the time, after going through a traumatic experience, people don't know how to say that something is wrong. They don't know what exactly is wrong, they just know that something feels that way, and when you grow in such an abusive/gaslighting environment like Zuko, sometimes you don't know if you're just imagining the feeling, if you're even a reliable source to tell how your own feelings, if whatever was it that went down was because an specific event you went through or if there was something inherently bad within you. It's so cathartic to see a character experience that and put those feelings into words.

What I'm saying is probably something not much people will relate to, but like I said, I am very happy with how that part of his character development is turning out in this AU, and it's easier to explore complex topics you know about through the perspective of someone else because it makes you realize how necessary the difficult questions and hard-to-hear answers are.

25. What part of writing is the most fun?

Listening to my playlists!!

No joke. Sometimes I feel like I'm the weirdest writer in the world because I listen to the songs right before I start writing, I stop them when I get to a part that needs lots of concentration or for me to get really deep inside the character's mind, but then I put the music on again because... there is something in the music that I want to get into the atmosphere of the scene I'm writing, not in the character's narration or personality, and I really need to get in sync with that feeling for making the scene work.

Sometimes it takes me more time than it would if I could only write in silence, but it is so fun and it helps me envision the setting and the emotion so much better! 💖💖

Writer's meta asks!!

#zutara #atla #zuko #angel writes 🖋️

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7r0773r · 3 years

Text

In Love by Alfred Hayes

Did I want her? I thought to myself. Suppose, now, she were to change her mind: did I want her? Of course not, I assured myself. Was her loss important? How stupid to imagine it was. Nothing of any significance had happened. It was simply that my own life was so barren, or seemed so barren; the temporary possession of her had given me the illusion that it was not, while I had her, barren; now that she was gone, the barrenness that she had temporarily helped conceal lay exposed. It was because we thought so much that love could save us, that having nothing else but the dry labor of our work we looked so anxiously toward love. It was our ridiculous phoenix. Somebody had reported that its nest had been discovered. We were waiting for the apparition, for the feathered resurrection, for the bird of endless hope with the imperishable plumage, quite sure the bird did not exist, eager for the slightest rumor it did. To suffer, or to experience a suffering for the loss of a girl who had no importance, was absurd; I was absurd because I was suffering; it was something that required hiding away because of its absurdity.

It was becoming painful to think. There seemed to be inside me whole areas I had to be careful of. I could feel my mind, like a paw, wince away from certain sharp recollections. I contained, evidently, a number of wounded ideas.

So, with the only face I had, I continued to walk uptown, imitating a man who is out for some air or a little exercise before bed.

Had I lost her because of cowardice? Because of too little desire? Was I unable to hold or possess anyone ?

Sad and preposterous, I thought. It seemed to me that was what I was most: sad and preposterous. It was not that I had been happy with her; I was quite sure I had not been happy. But there were images of her which turned stiffly in my mind as though they were little lead figures attached to a mechanism: images of her on the green daybed, images of her combing her hair. I knew that she had wanted what I was not prepared to give her: the illusion that she was safe, the idea she was protected. She had expected, being beautiful, the rewards of being beautiful; at least some of them; one wasn't beautiful for nothing in a world which insisted that the most important thing for a girl to be was beautiful. Perhaps now, I thought, she would have some of the things she imagined she wanted: the cocker spaniel, the nursery with the wallpaper that had little sailing boats on it and flying fish, the lawn with an automatic sprinkler, and somebody else to do the dishes. And it wasn't only the money. Possibly the money was not so important to her as I contemptuously told myself it was. She was tired. At twenty-two she was tired. They tired young nowadays. They were willing to call it quits at twenty-two. She had been a little too young for me, and a little too desperate. Women in their blossoming thirties were better for what I wanted women for; a little more experienced, a little less intense; women for whom a love affair wasn't any longer so desperate an enterprise. What there was of it, I told myself, I'd had; what I was entitled to I'd got; I'd never get more, being the man I was, and living the life I'd chosen for myself.

A clock in a jeweler's window said eleven. I had walked all the way uptown. I was again at that familiar corner with its subway kiosk, her tenement with the bar and grill on the street level, her delicatessen with its imported groceries, the great bulk of her office building. I looked up: the windows were dark. She was still not home; or was she home?

Once around the block, I thought. Give her until midnight.

In the bar and grill, there was a communal shabbiness of a sort. The customers ranged along the bar, almost looking as though they knew each other, almost looking as though they were there together. You ought to get drunk, I said; at least that would be a place to be, the bar. But you can't, I said; you get ill, you know that, it's your stomach, you can't get drunk even if you want to. I really didn't have a good vice. Liquor in moderate quantities. Love on the installment plan. Wouldn't it be nice if I could really cultivate some impressive vice? Some excessive cruelty or some astonishing sacrifice. But not even that. Instead, we complain in small voices. Complain we've married the wrong girl, taken the wrong job, lived the wrong lives.

And what pitiful attempts we make at cures: we raise vegetables in ridiculous gardens, we apply for membership in athletic clubs, we promise ourselves to read again all the important books we've neglected. We think that what we want is a simpler life, and a more active, a more external one, and every Wednesday we diligently attend the square dances at the local schoolhouse imagining that a Virginia reel is the way back into a friendly community, and that denims and a checked shirt will restore communication with the stranger who lives next door.

The only thing we haven't lost, I thought, is the ability to suffer. We're fine at suffering. But it's such a noiseless suffering. We never disturb the neighbors with it. We collapse, but we collapse in the most disciplined way. That's us. That's certainly us. The disciplined collapsers.

Suicide quietly with sleeping pills in a tiled bath. Neat gassings in a duplex. No trouble to anyone; the will notarized and the floor swept and the telephone on its hook.

Your only vice, I thought, is yourself. The worst of all. The really incurable one.

It was twelve o'clock. There was a light in the windows. I went into the bar. As I went toward the telephone booth, the phone rang. I answered it. It was somebody wanting somebody named Eddie Cohen. I said to the bartender: is there somebody here named Eddie Cohen?

The bartender called: Eddie Cohen here?

There was no Eddie Cohen.

I told whoever it was at the other end of the phone that there was no Eddie Cohen. He's there every night, the voice said, and then hung up. I dialed her number. (pp. 94-100)

#alfred hayes #book quotes

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alka-di-kijarr · 3 years

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Disclaimer. The following part of the hunters journey was connected to my #CallOfThePharah on deviantArt in april2021. English is still not my native language, but I wish you a lot of fun reading the next adventure of Nero, Vaas and all the other hunters.

Vazemi species is a closed species. If you want to get your own, please contact me.

The winner of this design - and so the new owner is - TwistedLunatic

Hunters Journey - 019

It was the sound of a violent crack, which caught Vaas’ attention, while he was screening the surrounding area carefully. His view focused on Nero, who was riding on an ostrich-like creature.

"By the gods, ya shoulder sounds terrible."

Nero, actually trying to do some stretching exercises, just gave him a dull smile.

"Is this still from the accident with Pisces?"

"I guess so. Since the invasion I can't sleep for long or deep any more and often wake up with sore joints and muscles. But it gets better during the day, most of the time at least."

Vaas lowered his eyebrows, in grim recollection of the day when they encountered the Pisces in the iced sea of the north. And every event that followed until the very day. Being the old hunter he was, Vaas straightened his back and lifted his chin. This was not the time to fall back into this deep hole he climbed out so laborious over the past weeks. But he had to admit that he could only hope for calm winds during their expedition to the borderlands of Padunay.

The group which was following him and Nero was formed by "anyone they could spare" and unlike other expeditions, those were not the glorious heroes, the old hunters or the veteran seekers. It was a small group of 15 people, most of them were young blooded and without any experience in combating creatures. Vaas rubbed his temporal muscle.

Concerns sprouted deep inside him. It was the first time in all those years he was part of the BlackBestia-HuntingGuild, that he was unsure about which place would be safer. Inside the HQ, or on an expedition. Whatever they would find out here, it better be useful for the problems they had to fix. And Seth should get his hands on a solution to prepare for another invasion. The retired knight was sure there would follow another attack. It was just a question of time.

Behind Vaas a chattering talk became louder and louder, so the old man tilted his head in interest.

"No way! Are you telling me there were books in our own library about this dimensional thing?!"

"E-eh, yes?" Lauriel raised her arms in disbelief and the poor young man next to her lifted his hands in defence.

"How can it be we never talked about that in the tutorials? Or during the preparation meetings?"

"Nobody of you guys ever came to the lib and asked for one of those books...I guess."

The young huntress was filled with so much anger, it really surprised Vaas seeing her in this condition.

"Seth excluded those things...sometimes."

"Sometimes? How about we never had this topic on the table?!"

Vaas sighed and a few of the other new hunters joined the talk. Clara, a huntress from a small village, checked on her dual blades, while a hunter with a double-bladed axe made a grim impression.

"Maybe they did not want to make it more complicated?"

"Or they are scared." Clara raised her right eyebrow and Vaas felt as if everyone's eyes were resting on him, waiting for an answer.

The old man let his view roam the landscape they were passing through. Sand. Sand everywhere. Rock formations, huge and spiky violet-blue crystals and the burning sun above them. His ostrich companion walked relaxed, saving energy for the upcoming part of their journey.

"I don't know what ya guys want to hear from me, really..."

"The reason." For sure, the reason. He knew that. But speaking about this made it hard to even breathe.

"Please Master Vaas, tell us what happened, so we can understand and maybe help in making things better." The axe hunter caught up to Vaas and Nero, while most of the group was coming closer, so everyone could hear the retired knight.

"You must promise to me, that you won't storm Seth's office and pinpoint him after what I will tell you now." Agreeing mumbling was heard.

"It happened many, many years ago. Seth, Tahorn and I were ordered to work together. I was still a kings guard at this time, but a gigantic beast was causing a lot of trouble in the kingsland and many people lost their lives due to it. The crown of Camulada ordered us to work with the hunters, and also Tahorn, part of the crown of Peara, joined in.

It was a huge squad with over fifty hunters, swordsmen, knights and every person you could imagine that was dumb enough to confront this beast. We searched for weeks, following one track after another, but we were always behind.

It took us two months to catch the monster in the act.” Monster? No word Nero was used to hear from Vaas very often.

It was a preposterous creature, sitting on the roof of a house, which belonged to some farmers, munching on a cow between its skull-like jaws.

It was a chilling sound, you could already hear from afar. We moved closer and I spotted that another cow right-wingwas caught between his right wing claws, and one under his left foot. It was still in the middle of its lunch, not noticing us getting closer and closer, through a forest part. Seth and Tahorn were in disagreement about the further steps, but I told them, that we needed to act now, before it would finish its meal and fly off again.”

Nero could see how Vaas mimik was freezing. His mind was there, back at this place all the years ago. When another hunter wanted to raise his voice and tell Vaas to continue, Nero threw a hell of an angry view to the guy. He silenced immediately.

"What...happened then, Vaas?"

“Since our two leading stubborn kids couldn’t figure out a better plan in time, we went with a simple surrounding tactic. We spread in a circle, ready to attack from all sides at once. The basilisks (hunters with huge crossbows and shrouds) tried to fixate the monster, pinning it down and dragging it off the roof. It worked for the first part, and we could land some painful strikes. I cut both hamstrings of the creature deeply, believing it would make it hard for it to stand and fight in this condition, but…

The very moment when everyone gathered around the beast and Tahorn was ready to land a fatal blow on the head,...well, I should have listened to my guts. It hadn’t fought back at all. And I asked myself why.”

"Was it waiting for help?" Clara asked carefully from the side.

"Pff, no. This monster would not need help, even if we would be more than those fifty lost souls we were at that time. We were just so blind. But this was the moment Seth broke with everything that contains weavers and magic potential. The creature lifted its head, and you could see how its body was breaking the light, as if the dimensions were scattering right in front of us. There were other heads, screaming in anger and pain, yet the ‘real head’ remained in silence.

The heads appeared and disappeared as if it was made from aetheric fog. The legs, the back, the wings, everything transformed back and forth, back and forth, and green gas was flowing out of its jaws and its entire body, crawling over the grass. I tried to walk away, but it felt as if someone was grabbing my heart, holding me close to the scenery. One of the hunters right next to me said one word. One atrocious word….yperite.

I felt as if a lightning struck my spine. I swiftly ran towards Seth and Tahorn, grabbing the back of their coats and dragging them away as far as possible, but it was too late. I saw this….I saw this ugly grin on the face of this monster, before I heard whispering words rushing through my mind.”

Vaas fell into silence, and Nero straightened his back just realizing how silent and tense the group was right now.

“What...what did it say?”

"Burn."

"...It opened its jaws and released a giant fireball hitting the ground right in front of Tahorn and Seth, luckily its force thrust us away. Seth and Tahorn both lost their eyesight on one eye, caused by the gas they landed in with their faces. I grabbed them yet again and dragged them deeper into the woods. I..I couldn’t watch back. I couldn’t take care of those poor souls I left behind. I did as my order had been. I protected the brothers. The next thing I remembered was the moment I heard the scream of the creature while it was flying away, high above us. Trying to ease the burns I threw both of the brothers into a small creek. Ripping off my own leg pieces I kneeled beside them. We had more luck than anything else this day.

Just the sheer pressure of the fireblast was the reason why we were not burned by all the gas around us. The first explosion rapidly threw us far away, so that the exploding gas on the ground only touched us shortly. I still don’t know how we managed to survive and find a way home. I…..I should have done more. I should have gone back to the others. I heard their screams every night, for years. Melting and burning in their of armours, unable to rip them off fast enough.”

Neros heart was sinking, heavy like a shipwreck. He placed his hand on Vaas shoulder, seeing this good friend of him as old and weak as never before.

"Vass, we are with you. You are not alone. And you have done everything that was in your power at this moment." Lauriel caught up and placed her hand on Vaas hands.

"Without you, they would have been dead. And none of us would be on this trip." Vaas remained silent, his view empty, laying on the sand in front of them.

"We never caught this monster. But it got a name." he snorted. The group listened up.

"Rangakai, the Artefact." The young archivist behind them gasped, but Nero shook his head and signalled them to back off and remain silent for now. Vaas was drained and deep in his thoughts. Nero wouldn’t be surprised if this was the first time he ever had talked about this.

The group followed the lead and by the end of the day they reached a stone formation and Nero decided to stay here for the night. Vaas was still in his thoughts, but at least he tried to organize everything and everyone. Work seemed to bring him down into reality again, yet Nero could see how the shadow of grief, despair and anger was hovering above him.

A while later the group had fed the ostrich, built up sleeping places and over a fire several small animals were cooked.

Lauriel left the ostriches after checking for any wounds or problems they might have after this long trip, but there was no way she could go to sleep or eat now. Questions were racing in her mind and there was only one person she believed could have an answer. The young man, son of a tea merchant and now the keeper of the archives, had made his place on top of the stone formation, the view fixated on the stars above them.

"May I take a seat?" the young man nearly jumped off the stone plate, before he nodded fast.

"You...the moment Vaas called us the name of the beast. Ranga…."

"Rangakai."

"Yes. You seemed as if you would know more about this creature. Can you share your knowledge with me?"

The young man seemed to hesitate, but she used her best smile on him.

"I just want to understand what made this creature so special."

"Creatures."

"Pardon?"

"Rangakai is not only one creature." He sighed and closed his notebook, causing Lauriel to feel a bit bad about asking for his time, now that he was right into crafting a new star map.

"The old,...the forbidden books,...tell that were weavers back in the old days, the days of the mad fireking, who were so eager to rise from their unpopular social standing, that they started to experiment. In this time golemantic magicians were the top tier of arcane masters, but weavers were frown upon. Y-you see, the work of a golemantic can be seen by everyone.

Some of our best weapons are a masterpiece between blacksmiths, rune smiths and golemantics. But the work of a weaver can only be seen by people who can see into the Kahoré or have a weaver potential themselves. Both nothing you would want to tell someone back in that time. The results are intensive and often blew up the horizon of many people, leaving them in fear and despair for the works of the weaver."

The young man started to nibble on a part of his scarf. Lauriel remained silent.

"Rangakai is the product of many,...dozens of failed experiments before. They robbed children who had a beast potential and ripped them apart, just in hope to try and combine their ‘beast souls’ with the ‘soul of a human’."

"A chimaera, you mean?"

"Y-yes, basically. Or more like an abomination, conjoined with parts of other living beings who needed to die for these cruel experiments.”

"What made them fail in the first place?"

"According to a book with a title I cannot tell you - or else I might lose my own head - they failed because the emotional parts of all creatures AND the one living, which they tried to weave them onto, collapsed. Causing outbursts of anger, uncontrollable behaviour and sudden deaths."

"Unstable…"

"Exactly. Like a glass of wine, with the thinnest layer of glass you can imagine. And Gemini standing on it."

"So there was no chance this could work, and still they...made it work?"

"Sadly, yes. Many centuries later the crown of Camulada found a hidden village in the middle of the mountains, during their patrols. The village was filled with children, but not a single one was able to speak, nor did they express any feelings. The notes I found describe them as puppets. Hollow inside. To the shame of the crown, one of their own great weavers had become schismatic, joined the cult and planned to attack Camulada with this army of...beasts."

"They all were already...manipulated?" Lauriel felt a stone in her chest, her throat was dry and her hands shaky. Those things were humans? Her mind couldn’t process this.

"What did they do with the children?" The young man kept silent for a while.

"There were...rehabilitation programs, in different kinds and manners. Some tried to unweave the beasts, some tried to teach them normal human behaviour. But nothing worked. Sometimes, all out of a sudden, the kids turned into their beast-forms and went on a rampage. At the end the crown ordered to execute all of them.”

Lauriel had tears in her eyes. How could someone be so cruel? The weavers in first place. Both hunters fell into silence, before Lauriel decided to leave and see for Vaas.

"Before I go. Tell me, how did they first find out about the chimaera aspects. The dimension cracking also could be a hallucination.”

"The yperite gas. This attribute belongs to only one known creature. A Methabran-Dragon, who can only be found at the very last spot of the world. No other creature can use it, and we would know if a creature would use it anywhere on Saigon, because of its disastrous impact on the environment and people." Lauriel nodded, before she left in silence.

The young hunter stayed at his place for a little longer, watching and studying the stars.

// Holrun, the Pharaoh of the black sand. What a wonderful star formation… What a tragic story. // Now that he came to think about the pharaoh, who was killed by his own right hand, at a very young age, a very bad feeling invaded his heart. He remembered....

//… And so I - Kladan the magician - imprison you, Holrun, son of the pharaoh Nuftep -thief of the throne - into this statue.

As that no god of the underworld will ever be able to welcome your soul to the afterlife, as long as you are captured inside the beast, which I have mummified, as your grave….

A soul, weaved into the body of a creature you shall be.

Mummified for eternity.

Garnished with gold, and in the colours of the kingdom, so every mortal soul can prey to you, but nobody will ever know your real fate.

The cruel fate I have chosen for you. Chosen for the son of a throne thief.

May your suffer last eternally. //

The young man gulped, closed his notebook and laid down on the stone.

The stars remained silent.

#daily story #magical stories #story writing #story telling #story idea #story of the day #storrytelling #story of tumblr #worldbulding #dragons #demons #rangakai #alka #hunters journey #fantasy #dark

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