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randomshyperson · 3 years

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THE SCARLET WITCH PROPHECY - Chapter VII - The Fifth Year (Part Two)

Gif is not mine, blessed are the gif makers.

Summary: As the youngest daughter of Howard Stark, you have ordinary expectations for your years at Hogwarts. Little do you know what adventures await you when your destiny is intertwined with the legendary Scarlet Witch.

Warnings: +16. Adaptation of the Harry Potter Saga, Magical Thematic, Prophecies, Mentions of Violence, Torture and dark magic, Language (swearing and minor/major offenses), manipulation of will, Underage kissing, insinuation of smut with minors, Smut (overage), descriptions of death, aggression, obscurity, angst, fluffy, soulmates analogies. | Chapters Warnings: Sexual insinuations with minors, kissing, light mention of death and grieve, mentions of dark magic (nothing explicit i'm not there yet haha) jealously and slight dominance dynamic (really light); slight angst.

A/N: Hey everyone, here's chapter 8 (can't believe i wrote this much tbh) and I just let you guys know that next might take a while (i'm gonna be writting and updating others works this week, so this one will only received a new chapter after (or luckily during) the weekended. I hope you everyone enjoy this, and by the way, the kiss scene was approved by my wifey @abimess. And we have crossover with DC again, i hope you guys like it.

Series Masterlist || Read on AO3 || All Works Masterlist

//-// - //-//-//

Chapter VII - The Fifth Year (Part Two)

Things were strange at Hogwarts, and you could already tell the moment you stepped onto the school grounds.

On the way out of the express, properly uniformed and laughing lightly at Mantis' comment about the way Quill was behaving around Gamora, you walked with your friends to the carriages that were taking the students to the castle and stumbled with fright when you noticed the huge black horses in the vehicles.

"Wow, what are those things?" You asked immediately, looking at the almost ghostly figures. They resembled horses, but were completely black, including the deep-set eyes. Besides being very skinny, as if their skin had grown very thin against their bones.

"What are you talking about, Y/N?" Mantis questioned confusedly at your side, trying to figure out what scared you.

"The horses, of course." You say. "Since when do we have horses in the carriages?"

"We don't." Mantis retorted confused, looking at you with a frown. "Are you feeling well?"

It took a few minutes for you to understand that only you of all your friends and possibly the vast majority of the students, was able to see the horses.

You were considering pretending you never said anything, but then Harley Quinn, your housemate, commented beside you:

"I can see them too." She said gently. She was sitting in the carriage you were going up in, and had watched your entire conversation. Quill, who was already seated as well, giggled, and Gamora nudged him with her elbow. You didn't know Harley exactly, but she had a certain reputation at school for being a bit crazy, not that you liked gossip. But judging by the way Quill grimaced, he seemed to think it was funny that you and Harley saw things no one else did.

"R-right." You mumbled clumsily, taking a seat next to Gamora in the carriage. Mantis followed you and sat down next to Harley, in front of you.

"You're Harley Quinn, right? From the same year as us?" Mantis asks tenderly, smiling at the blonde.

"Yep." She says and looks at you next. "I know you. You always hold up the portrait for the others to pass in the communal hall."

You scratch your neck awkwardly, not quite knowing what to say. Harley is still smiling, and you think it best to introduce your friends.

"This is Quill, Gamora, and Mantis." You count, and the teenagers smile politely. You look around to see if anyone else is going to get on the carriage, but no one makes mention, so you close the compartment, and the magical horses begin to move. Quill stretches his feet out on the empty seat. You wonder where the hell Nebula has gotten to, but you remember that she stayed behind to talk to Tony. "How was your summer, Harley?" you ask politely, and the girl looks surprised that you want to continue talking to her at all.

Harley told briefly about having had a difficult summer with all the things that happened, but what really surprised you and your friends was learning that her best friend, Pamela Isley, who had been your classmate for the past few years, was not going back to Hogwarts this year because her parents did not trust the castle's security after what happened at the tournament.

"I realized they had fewer students on the train too." Gamora added once Harley stopped talking. The group agrees in unison, and you want to ignore the way your stomach flips at hearing them mention your father's death next, but you force yourself to smile briefly.

"That doesn't make any sense at all, you know?" Harley then comments. "Dad often says there's no place safer than Hogwarts."

"I hear there are all kinds of protection around the castle grounds." Mantis reasons as well. You murmur in agreement, saying that in the book Hogwarts, a story, this is also mentioned.

The group is silent for a moment, then Quill is saying that he is excited for the Quidditch cup between the houses, and you get excited to talk about it.

//-//

The beginning-of-the-school-year announcements are interesting, to say the least.

Principal Harkness is wearing a very nice purple cape with gold details, and has such a stern posture, challenging any student to talk during her speech, and that can only be described as scary.

You sit down next to Harley at the table, feeling guilty that somehow your father's death is the reason she is alone at school this year. Your gaze immediately seeks out the twins across the room as you sit down, and you have to mentally repress yourself for doing so.

[...] it is because of the untoward events during the tournament, that the minister of magic has decided to recommend the presence of the ministry's aurors in the castle." Announced the teacher to the students in the hall, who didn't risk booing. You, as well as everyone else, had already noticed the unknown witches around the halls, and that they were now at the entrance to the main hall. You figured that if you were lucky, you would see Carol Danvers in the castle too. "Also, I want you to welcome Professor Kaecilius, who will take over the Astronomy subject in place of Professor Odin, since he retired last summer."

You follow the chorus of applause from the hall as soon as Agatha nods, and that professor Kaecilius, a man in a ponytail and yellow cloak, thanks her briefly for the introduction. You wonder if everyone who teaches astronomy is as mysterious looking as Odin and Kaecilius.

It's not long before dinner is served, and though you're not that hungry, you force yourself to eat, thinking that you'll need the energy for the training sessions with Professor Erik that would begin the next day.

You were surprised when Harley nudged you in the ribs to get you to pay attention to the conversation of your two Hufflepuff classmates, and even more surprised at the angry expressions of some of them as the gossip circulated around the table.

"They are saying that Professor Kaecilius was a death-walker." Mantis explained softly as she noticed your confused expression. Harley looked away from Peter Parker, who was complaining about how busy his parents had been this summer with so many raids on the ministry, to look at you. You widened your eyes.

"Do you think that's true?" Harley asked Mantis. "I mean, no one ever proved that he was a follower of Mephisto."

It wasn't just the Hufflepuff table that plunged into buzz about it. You noticed that the vast majority of the hall was talking among themselves, and the glances they cast at the teachers' table made you realize that everyone was talking about Kaecilius.

Usually, gossip was ignored at Hogwarts, but everyone was surprised when the professor stood up, whispered something in the principal's ear, and then walked to the front of the hall, waiting for the crowd to quiet down before he spoke.

Now that he had stood up and was so visible, you could see his face clearly, and were impressed by the dark large spots around his eyes, wondering if it was cultural or something to do with magic.

"Good evening, everyone." The professor began. "I must say that I am honored to be part of the Hogwarts faculty, and as Professor Harkness made clear, I will be teaching Astronomy in Professor Odin's place." The man paused momentarily, and you swallowed dryly when he met your gaze briefly, before looking forward again. "I believe you should know that the Ministry of Magic has always considered how the education of young witches and wizards as something of vital importance. And although Professor Harkness has brought something historic to this school... "He pauses to nod to the principal. "Progress for progress's sake should be discouraged."

The professor's words made some people frown, and he gave a little smile before continuing:

“Let us preserve what must be preserved, perfect what can be perfected and prune practices that ought to be prohibited.”

The crowd applauded softly, and you followed along grudgingly. After the dinner was over, you and the other Hufflepuff students were quite unhappy about the whole thing. You were not the least bit anxious about what the ministry perceived as practices to be forbidden.

//-//

Fortunately, you didn't keep having nightmares for the time that passed.

And on the first day you had slept very well, even though you were not in the least bit excited for class.

After having coffee with your friends at the Slytherin table, and ignoring the way your chest tightened when the Maximoff twins sat at the other end and Wanda didn't even look over to your side, you followed Mantis and Harley to charms classroom, which would be first period.

Since the first dinner, you sympathized with Harley, and didn't mind her joining you. In fact, Mantis also seemed to like the girl, and they seemed to have quite a lot in common. You thought they were both sweet in the same way.

You sat at the same table as Mantis, while Harley sat at the next table, smiling briefly at you before looking forward.

You, as well as the rest of the room, were quite surprised that Professor Strange was late. And things didn't get any better when he arrived, hurriedly walking between the halls, two stacks of bewitched books on his back as he mumbled softly to himself.

"Good morning, everyone!" He announced the next moment, waving his wand so that the books landed on the tables. You frowned slightly as the item landed on your own spellbooks. "I have just been advised by Mr. Kaecilius of the new teaching measures approved by the ministry of magic." Told the professor, and despite his impartial face, he looked quite upset. "These are your new books. You will notice that all the other subjects have received the new approved content."

The room erupted into a buzz, and you heard some people complaining that they had spent too much money on this year's material, while others seemed pleased with the ministry's action. You frowned as you leafed through the book, noticing that the vast majority of the incantations were related to household chores, and there were no defensive spells of any kind. Before you could comment, Bruce Banner, your Ravenclaw colleague, was raising his hand.

"Yes, Mr. Banner?" Professor Stephen asked as he noticed.

"Professor, are you sure that is correct? We're having our O.W.L.'s this year, and we barely have any content for the tests." Complained the boy, and the room murmured in agreement. Stephen looked discontented.

"I imagine the tests will be adapted for content, Mr. Banner." Clarified the professor. "I am sure the ministry still wishes for all of you to get your O.W.L'S to become good employees of the wizarding world. Now please, let's begin."

When you had to spend the next hour reading about cleaning spells, you were very thankful that Professor Erik was going to teach you real magic that year.

//-//

When the last period of History of Magic was finally over, you carried your new books to the dorm, and said good-bye to Mantis and Harley, saying that you needed to talk to Professor Erik about the subject.

You would still have to think of a better lie to explain why you would start disappearing into the dungeons every day, but you hoped the professor would have some idea, since he was the one who determined that it would be a secret.

Ignoring the curious glances of some Slytherin who were in the hallways, you made your way to the professor's office, and knocked on the door twice before being answered.

"Good evening, Miss Stark." You greeted the professor from inside the room, having used magic to open the door. You walked in and closed the door.

"Good evening, professor." You muttered half-heartedly, watching the professor move around, concentrating on brewing some potion. "Please don't tell me you are also making polyjuice potion."

Your joke draws a short laugh from the professor, and he mutters in denial. You put your hands in your pockets, waiting for him to tell you what you are going to do.

"How was your day, miss? I imagine you weren't happy with the new curriculum at school." He comments casually, finishing preparing the potion. You notice that he keeps it in one of the compartments in the main cabinet, and understand that it must be the solutions for the next day's classes. You hope that you are not in the way.

"I don't know if we can call that a curriculum, professor." You reply. "We're learning how to do the dishes with magic now."

Erik laughs lightly, and then removes his cape. You notice that his shirt sleeves are buttoned up tightly, and wonder if it's because of the walker's mark on his arm. Noticing your gaze, the professor clears his throat.

"We'd better get started before dinner."

It doesn't take long for you to be able to memorize the incantations Erik teaches you. After all, spells have always been your best subject. The teacher insists that you find a place to practice, and asks you to be careful with the notes you made on the incantations, since only the approved curriculum must be found in the students' notebooks.

Slightly out of breath from your training, you nod in agreement, but before you can thank him, the teacher is asking you about Wanda.

You quickly lower your head.

"I-I'm not talking to her sir." You say. "As you asked."

Erik sighs lightly.

"And how have you been feeling? Any dizziness? Nightmares?" He asks and you deny with your head. "Are you sure?"

"The only thing I do feel is that I miss her, sir." You retort annoyed, and Erik looks at you with pity, causing you to look away immediately.

"I promise this is temporary, Miss Stark." He assures you then, taking a step toward you. "I asked because it's important to monitor, but also because Wanda has her own private lessons now, and she might go through some stress that you also might experience."

You look at the professor with curiosity.

"What kind of lessons, sir?"

"Well, you know how exceptional Wanda's magic is." He says. "And as she grows, her magic becomes more powerful. From the first year, Wanda showed an aptitude for spells, but Strange must not know the real nature of her magic. And there was only one person I would trust besides myself." He declares. "Professor Harkness is someone the order can trust, and she was happy to help Wanda learn to control her magic while teaching her about Ancient Runes, and ritualistic magic. All of these subjects are her specialties, and are necessary to better understand the power of a Scarlet Witch."

You mutter in understanding, putting your wand away as the professor moves to pour some pumpkin juice for you both.

"I thought you were the one to teach, Wanda, professor." You comment.

"Oh, I tried, child." He counters. "But Wanda's powers are exceptional, and their nature is beyond my control. Harkness was happy to help, and ensured the necessary secrecy. In fact, she didn't seem surprised when I told her about Wanda, having told me that she had already noticed the potency of her magic during Runes classes."

Nodding in understanding, you accepted the glass of juice and drank in silence for a few moments. Then you let out a low exclamation.

"Professor, I forgot to ask, would you have any ideas about what I can say I'm doing while I'm here? My friends will be curious if I keep disappearing every night."

Erik is thoughtful for a few moments, and then walks over toward one of the closets, and when he comes back to you, he has a small brooch in his hands, which he hands to you.

"That will do I imagine." He says. "Welcome to the Potions club, Miss Stark."

You frown, looking closely at the golden brooch that has a silver flask engraved in the center. You had never heard about it before.

"I think I am offended, sir." You comment with a smile. "I am very good at potions, but you never invited me to participate in this before.”

Erik chuckles lightly.

"Well, in my defense, I didn't have time to organize the meetings last year with all the tournament events, plus I usually only invite students from sixth grade on, so feel honored, miss." He jokes making you smile. You keep the brooch in your cloak pocket, thanking the man for the drink and the item. "Miss Stark, remember to let me know if you feel anything regarding Wanda, okay?"

You nod before leaving the room, understanding that he would obviously want to know about the bond and not about your love for her that made your heart break at having to be distant.

//-//

It took exactly six months for you to feel anything. The time was really a record.

Maybe it was related to the way that all the subjects now taught the most idiotic and least dangerous kinds of magic, and nobody at Hogwarts was taking any kind of risk.

By now you knew how to duel much better than any of your classmates, even the older ones.

You told your friends that Professor Erik had invited you to join the potions club, and they weren't surprised. What was surprising was that you managed to stay awake, since with each training session you seemed to become more exhausted.

Professor Lehnsherr taught you several combat spells, and wouldn't let you stop until you could execute them perfectly.

He managed to change the size of the office magically, and keeps the door locked to prevent anyone from seeing you. The teachers thought you were taking private potions lessons, and that was enough.

It wasn't until the first lesson about the Patron spell that things began to change for you.

Professor Erik had told you that Wanda missed you, and that she was doing very well in class with Professor Harkness, and was no longer losing control of her magic. You kept asking about Wanda over and over again, wishing that the day when the professor would tell you that you could see each other again would come soon, but it never did.

It was on a Thursday night, just as the teacher finished explaining what exactly the Patronus Charm was, and you commented on how useful it would have been to know this spell in the third grade when you faced the dementors, you felt a sharp twinge inside your head, and had your first vision since the school year began.

You lost your balance and stumbled against the cupboard, your body buckling from the pain as you closed your eyes tightly.

The vision was just like the dream you had during the summer, but this time it was very clear. The long dark hallway, many bookshelves with shiny objects in each part. Hooded figures walking in front of you, while you looked for something. You were going to find it, and when you raised your hand to touch the orb on one of the bookshelves, the vision ended.

Professor Erik should have been calling you a few minutes ago judging by his worried expression.

"S- sorry, professor." You gasped feeling the pain disperse quickly. "Damn, that was awful."

"Come, sit here." He asked guiding you to one of the chairs in the corner of the room. You tried to normalize your breathing as he brought you a glass of water.

When you calmed down, you hurried to tell him quickly before you forgot what you had seen.

Erik turned pale.

"Please, Miss Stark, if you don't mind, I would like to look at your memory."

You frowned in surprise.

"R-right, professor. Be my guest."

"Don't worry, I'll just look at the vision. I won't pry into your other memories, I have no intention of seeing you kissing my daughter."

You laughed at the comment, relaxing briefly. The professor placed a chair in front of you, and then looked at you.

"Ready?" he asked, and waited for you to confirm. He muttered an incantation you didn't know as he looked deep into your eyes, and the next moment, you saw the vision again.

And he watched the memory twice before pulling away, looking really worried. You ran your hand over your face for a moment, suddenly feeling tired.

"So, Professor, what do you think it means?" You asked, watching him stand up.

"Not good news, Miss Stark." He replied seriously, waving his wand to get the materials you would be using for that class back into the cabinets and making you frown in curiosity. "The patronus spell can wait." He clarified as he noticed your expression. "The place you saw, Miss Stark, is the department of mysteries in the Ministry of Magic. And I'm afraid to say, but you seemed to be inside Mephisto's head."

You gasp in disbelief at the information, but nothing on Erik's face says he's joking.

"I know that sounds terrifying, but I'm sure it has to do with him being the wizard who cast the bonding spell on you." Professor Erik adds as he turns to you again. You notice the parchment in his hands. "My theory is that now that he has been resurrected, the loose ends of his magic are coming back to him. Like the bonding spell, calling him."

"Professor, I don't understand."

"Necromancy is a very dangerous dark magic, Miss Stark." The professor says gravely. "As dangerous as it is mysterious. What I can explain is that now that Mephisto lives, the remnants of his magic on earth work like a magnet for his body. I fear he could get into your head through the bonding spell."

You widen your eyes in surprise, and the professor moves around the room again, seeming to look for something.

"I will write Miss Danvers and Fury, and if I am correct, you may be the key to us finding Mephisto's location and organizing an order attack on the walkers." He declares making you gasp in surprise, but Erik continues speaking. "And it is important that I teach you to block his mind immediately, before Mephisto becomes aware of this connection."

"Professor, what are you talking about?"

"Occlumency, Miss Stark." He replies as he finds the stamp for the letter. After finishing, he turns to you. "I will teach you the essentials of blocking your mind from intruders, and then we will return to normal classes. If these visions keep happening, you must come to me immediately."

"O-okay."

"That's all for today. Go back to your dormitory." He announces and you get up, but before you leave, he calls out to you. "Don't tell anyone about this vision. You see, if I'm right, not all people were comfortable knowing that you have access to the mind of a dark sorcerer like Mephisto."

You swallow dryly, and nod in understanding. The professor rummages through the cabinets, and then hands you a small vial, "This will keep you from having nightmares. Good night, Miss Stark."

After accepting the item, and stowing it in your cloak, you leave the room.

//-//

Feeling really bad about the whole thing, you decide to skip dinner, and not wanting to be approached with questions from your friends, you walk around the castle, ignoring the curious looks from the aurors scattered around the place. You keep your hands in your pockets, feeling slightly intimidated, but there is nothing they can say, since curfew is not yet active.

It is on the second floor that you bump into Harley, and are surprised to find the girl barefoot.

"Hey, Harley, what's up?" You ask slightly concerned, and the girl looks at you for a moment before looking up.

"You should be having dinner." She comments with a smile. You follow her gaze, and frown as you notice her shoes hanging high on the wall, attached to one of the school's crests.

"I'm not hungry." You say. "What happened to your shoes?"

Harley lowers her gaze back to you.

"Some people have a questionable sense of humor, I guess." She replies. "They thought it was funny to steal them while I was looking at Thestral, and make me search for them during the night."

You swallow dryly, feeling suddenly irritated.

"Who did this, Harley? Tell me, I know a bunch of new spells to take them out."

Harley smiles, shaking her head.

"Don't worry." She says. "I thought it was fun. I've always liked treasure hunts."

You bite the inside of your cheek, giving Harley a short smile. In these last few months, you had gotten to know her a little better, and you thought it was absurd how people in the castle treated her. She had a very sweet and innocent personality, as well as being a lot of fun.

"I don't like people treating my friends like that, Harley." You contradict, and the girl looks at you curiously. "If anyone ever does anything like that again, let me know. It's always good to practice jinxing."

Harley laughs softly, and you stop looking at her to take your wand out of your pocket, and take a step toward the hanging shoes.

With one movement, they detach, and fly gracefully to you. Once you have them in your hands, you hand them over to Harley.

She has stepped aside to sit on one of the benches along the corridor, and you wait for her standing.

"Those Thestrals you mentioned earlier, what are they?" You asked next, and Harley looked away from her shoes to you with a smile.

"It's the animals that take the carriages." She says. "I can take you to visit them if you want. They stay in the forest during the school year."

You nod, but then bite your lips.

"And... why are we the only ones who get to see them?"

Harley finished shoeing her right foot before answering.

"I think a few other people can see it too, but they're not comfortable telling." She replies, and sighs lightly. "Thestrals can only be seen by those who have seen death."

"Oh." You sigh in surprise. Harley finishes shoeing her other foot, but doesn't get up.

"I'm sorry about your father, Y/N. I don't think I've had a chance to say that yet."

"Thank you, Harley." You mumble still slightly surprised. You wonder if you should ask her how she can see them, and as if guessing your thoughts, she adds.

"It was my grandfather." She says. "He had a heart attack in the middle of dinner when I was in second year. When I came back to Hogwarts, I could see."

"I'm sorry."

"Oh, no, it's okay." She assured with a smile. "He was a jerk if you ask me. One minute he was screaming about blood purity and the next he was choking on his own anger. I was certainly more impressed than saddened. But I witnessed him die, so I can see the Thestrals."

"Got it." You mutter and take a step back as soon as she stands up, and you begin walking together toward the main hall.

"You don't have to keep up with me, I understand if you want to get back to your friends." She comments suddenly, and you let out a surprised giggle.

"But you are my friend, Harley."

The girl doesn't seem to expect this response, and you laugh at the way her cheeks flush.

Your smile dies though when you turn the corner, and you bump into Wanda.

It's completely oppressive her presence actually. Your heart races all at once, and your eyes widen. Of course you would see her occasionally around the castles, but having her in front of you, close enough to touch impacts you completely.

"W-Wanda." You gasp in surprise, and the girl looks at you the same way. But when she looks at Harley, her expression changes.

"What are you two doing here?" she asks almost angrily, and you swallow dryly, still surprised.

"We... we... I..." Your lack of ability to answer correctly seems to irritate Wanda even more. You have no idea what you have done wrong, but the girl clenches her jaw and crosses her arms.

"She was just helping me with something." Harley replies next, seeming completely oblivious to the whole situation, her tone content, and almost shy, probably from your words earlier. The problem is that Wanda seems to understand everything differently, and you find her eyes flash red for a second.

"Oh, I see." She retorts looking at you. " Something, isn't it? You two alone in a deserted hallway at night."

You sigh in surprise.

"N-no, Wanda, that's not what...wait a minute. What are you doing here alone at night?"

Wanda rolls her eyes and lets out an incredulous laugh.

"My class with Professor Harkness ended later." She answers and then closes her eyes for a moment. "What I'm saying, I don't owe you any satisfaction." She then declares, and you clench your jaw. "You clearly have other priorities."

"I don't..."

"Good night to you." She cuts in before moving on, bumping into you as she turns in the hallway. You rub your shoulder, completely confused.

"What just happened here?" You grumble and Harley shrugs, both of you looking at Wanda walking away along the corridor at a steady pace.

"I think you did something wrong, but I don't understand what it was." She adds and you sigh.

"Good." You mutter wryly before turning around, nodding for Harley to continue on her way to the main hall.

//-//

If things were already strange before, they got worse after dinner.

You didn't find your friends, figuring they had already finished eating when you joined the Hufflepuff table, and you had no sign of them. Harley sat next to you, and you were distracted by the interesting comments she shared with you before you returned to the Hufflepuff's communal hall, which was quite full despite the hour. You weirded out the stares you received, frowning suddenly as if you had entered a particular moment of the conversation of the people there before the moment passed.

"That was weird." You commented softly to Harley, and she murmured in agreement. She then said goodbye, saying she was going to sleep, and you wished her goodnight before walking to the corner of the room, where you saw Mantis talking to Peter Parker. You frowned as they exchanged quick glances and the boy hid a piece of paper inside his cape as soon as he saw you.

"What's up, people?" You asked hesitantly and Peter smiled awkwardly before waving goodbye and hurrying to leave. You turned to Mantis next. "What was that?"

"N-nothing." Your friend replied, clearly lying. She barely kept her gaze on you. Groot, now the size of a four-year-old, was fast asleep in the armchair next to her. "Mantis, come on. You're a terrible liar. You can tell me, I won't tease you if you're flirting with Parker."

Mantis giggles awkwardly, and you put your hands in your pockets. She looks around and then signals for you to sit down.

"I'm going to tell you something, and you promise not to freak out that I didn't tell you sooner, okay?"

You definitely weren't prepared to hear that your brother had spent the last four months organizing clandestine classes with various students at the school, something he called the Avengers Army, for the purpose of teaching what the school wasn't and preparing the students for the war that was coming.

"[...] and we just haven't told you, because you've been so busy with the potions club and Tony doesn't think you would agree, so he decided not to invite you and..."

"He's lost his mind!" You interrupt still shocked by the whole story. "But thank you for telling me, now excuse me."

And before Mantis adds anything else, you are getting up and leaving the communal hall.

//-//

"You shouldn't be here, Miss Stark."

Your short walk to the Slytherin communal hall was interrupted in the worst way.

Two hallways after you left, you bumped into Headmistress Harkness.

"S- sorry, professor." You muttered quickly, your heart racing. You needed to think of an excuse soon. "I was going to see my brother. I...I didn't see him during dinner and I wanted to make sure everything was okay."

Agatha appraises you for a few seconds, and you remain static.

It looks like she's about to say something to you, but then there are the sounds of footsteps, and her expression drops completely. You're not exactly happy to see Professor Kaecilius approaching, either.

"Good evening, ladies." He greets, seeming surprised to see someone in the halls after hours.

"Hello, professor." Agatha says, looking at you for a moment. You don't understand what she is trying to imply.

"Is everything okay around here?" The man questions looking at you, making you nervous at the intensity.

"Yes, professor." Agatha assures with a smile as she moves and practically covers the view Kaecilius has of you with her body. "The Stark girl just wanted to know if she could join the Runes class with me, a belated but valuable interest."

You do your best to follow the lie, but you don't need much, as Professor Agatha quickly adds. "And she is already going back to her dormitory."

The principal was shoving you lightly by the shoulders before you could even think to object. You murmured goodnight quickly before hurrying to leave.

Your conversation with Tony would have to wait.

//-//

The professor's potion actually helps you sleep better, and you don't have nightmares, which is very good, because you wake up with enough energy to yell at Tony before eight in the morning.

You approach him in the Slytherin dormitory, having woken up half an hour early, feeling angry already. Surprised by your furious look, Tony's two roommates hurried quickly to leave while you pulled the covers off the bed of your still sleeping brother, who began to grumble.

"Wake up, you idiot! I am so angry with you right now!"

At some point during the discussion, you started cursing in French, and Tony laughed incredulously, but didn't interrupt.

"Are you done?" he asked as soon as you sighed. You threw yourself onto the empty bed.

"I can't believe you kept that from me."

"Don't be such a hypocrite, little sister." He accuses next, stretching to get up. You look at him in surprise. "I don't know what you've been doing with Professor Erik, but it certainly isn't potions."

"Tony..."

"Actually, I think I do know." He cuts in with a wry smile. "From your lack of concern about studying for your O.W.L.'S it's pretty easy to deduce that he's teaching you more than bezoar antidote."

You look down at the floor, and sigh. Tony is right. You've been lying to him for months, you have no right to be angry that he's keeping things from you.

"Professor has been teaching me how to defend myself." You say after a moment. "It's because of Wanda, he doesn't want me to be vulnerable."

Tony mutters wryly, shaking his head.

"And the rest of us can be?"

You bite your tongue to keep silent. Tony can't know about the prophecy. He certainly wouldn't like the idea of you running off to protect Wanda either. So you just swallow dry, and look away, and your brother looks disappointed.

"I didn't know you were this selfish." He accuses, but you don't respond. Tony starts to take off his pajamas to put on his uniform. "Just so you know, I am doing something about what is going on here. I couldn't stand by and watch the ministry completely destroy the magical ability of everyone here."

"I get it, Tony." You mumble but he continues to blurt out.

"I wish you were by my side." He adds looking hurt. "But this whole time we've been hiding to try to learn the basics for surviving on a real battle, you've been taking private lessons and ensuring only your own safety."

"Tony, it's not like that..."

"It is fine." He cuts off looking disappointed. You almost tell the truth. But you think of Wanda. She is more important than proving anything to Tony. "Just, don't tell anyone okay? Neither Kaecilius or the ministry can't dream that we're doing something like this."

"I won't."

Tony looks at you a moment, then turns away. You understand your cue to leave.

You just hope your brother can understand when this is all over.

//-//

In Herbology class, you keep thinking about this Avengers Army thing.

You'd like to help them, but your trust with Tony is clearly broken, and you barely have time between classes, studying, Quidditch, and seeing Erik, so it's very unlikely. Besides, a feeling that you were only going to get in the way of things settled in the back of your mind, and you started to believe it.

Classes like Herbology used to be a lot of fun, but now that the ministry had interfered with the curriculum, you were stuck with uninteresting activities. Besides, Mantis was distant, probably imagining that you were against the whole Army thing since you didn't join them, and you were too tired to explain yourself to anyone.

It didn't take long for you to realize that the rest of your friends seemed to have deduced the same thing, and even Nebula and Gamora seemed more distant from you.

At least you had Harley. Completely oblivious to all these plots, her company was really enjoyable.

You hadn't yet discovered why Wanda seemed to want to kill you with her eyes whenever her gaze met yours around the castle, but you didn't ask.

At least your lessons with Erik got more interesting.

"Are you ready to conjure the patronus, Miss Stark?" The professor asked as soon as you entered his classroom, just after your last period. He looked tired, and you wondered if he had already talked to the order members about your vision.

"I thought we were going to practice that occlumency thing, professor."

"We're going to do both, actually." He replied as he closed the door, and you moved to the center of the room. "As I explained before, the patronus charm requires a powerful memory to conjure, Miss. I want you to produce the spell, and prevent me from seeing that memory."

You frowned slightly, already imagining the difficulty. Murmuring in understanding, you watched the professor roll up his sleeves and lean against the table in the corner of the room.

"Repeat the charm, miss." He asks. "Expecto Patronum."

You repeat it four times until the teacher is satisfied with your pronunciation.

"Now I need you to choose a happy memory, miss Stark." He directs and you frown. "Happy and powerful. So powerful that it can conjure a protector."

You swallow dryly. Okay, happy memories. It's hard to pick one exactly. You try to think of your childhood, sunny days playing with Tony and your father. But then you remember the argument with Tony and his disappointed look and the death of your father, and your stomach sinks. Shaking your head, you think of something else.

Rainy afternoons with Gamora in the Slytherin dormitory make you smile, but then you remember the recent distance between you and sigh in annoyance. The same happens when you think about playing chess with Nebula, or practicing Quidditch with Quill, or visiting the kitchen at night with Mantis.

Clenching your jaw, you start to feel terrible. Your last resort is to think of the Maximoff twins, and the thought of playing against Peter in Quidditch leads you to think of him not looking at you during dinner because he's keeping his sister company, and well, the thought of Wanda warms your body at once, only to break your heart next when you remember that you're separated and she still thinks you don't really love her.

"I can't do it, professor." You declare annoyed, sniffling slightly. "Nothing seems strong enough."

Erik looks at you with a frown.

"Miss, I thought I was clear when I said that if you feel anything you should tell me."

You blink in confusion.

"I didn't feel anything from the bond, Professor."

"Not being able to find a single happy memory to conjure up the patron is something relevant, Miss." He adds. "What is upsetting you? You can tell me."

You look away to your feet.

"N-nothing, professor." You say. "I'm just stressed about everything lately, it must be the exams. I'm having a hard time concentrating, but I'm fine."

"I've noticed that you haven't been spending as much time with your siblings and friends anymore." He retorts next, and you twiddle your fingers nervously. "I worry that social isolation is not the best way to cope, Stark. I do not wish for you to be unhappy during your school year."

"T-thank you, professor. I guess." You mumble half-heartedly. "I'm fine, I promise. I just need to find my pace again."

Erik sighs slightly, and then straightens his posture, drawing his wand.

"Allow me to help you with your memory. You'll need it for the spell." He asks, and waits for you to take a deep breath and nod in agreement before pointing the wood at you. "Now, try to think about what makes you happy."

You think about too many things at once. It's almost suffocating actually, until it's quiet. Many memories flash through your eyes at once, but Erik mutters a few words, and your mind focuses on one. The first Christmas with all your friends and Tony's friends at home.

It's the best you've felt in a long time.

"Hold that thought, and repeat the charm."

You think it will work, because your wand vibrates and a beam of white light escapes, but it is very brief, and disappears at the same speed as you remember that Christmas happened a long time ago and now Tony doesn't even talk to Bucky or Steve anymore.

Gasping slightly, you stumble backwards, ignoring the bad feeling in your stomach.

"S-sorry, professor."

"Breathe and try again." He asks.

It takes four frustrated attempts for him to ask you to stop.

"You're not succeeding in holding the memory, Stark." He informs you as you sit down. You are angry and frustrated.

"Obviously."

"Don't be impolite, it's not my fault you fail."

You laugh dryly.

"Oh, honestly, I think it is." You retorted angrily, surprising the professor. But you don't hesitate, suddenly feeling all the anger go to your head at once. "If you hadn't kept me away from Wanda, I wouldn't be feeling this way!"

Erik frowns and blinks a few times. Then he gives a short laugh.

"Oh, really?" He asks putting his wand away. "And how does Wanda make you feel then?"

You let out an incredulous laugh.

"Really? Pretty fucking good if you ask me!" You squirm, feeling your chest heat up. Your whole body was boiling with a mixture of anger, frustration, and longing. "I love her so much it feels like I'm going to die. When she laughs, Merlin, I can hardly breathe. And her eyes! When she knows what I mean just by looking at me, or even when she is simply looking at me, it feels like my heart is going to explode."

You gasp in a tearful laugh, the anger gone. All you can think about is your deep love for Wanda.

"Try it now." The teacher commands and you repeat the enchantment immediately.

This time, a white light explodes out of your wand, and takes over the entire room at once. You gasp and lose your balance, the intensity of the spell catches you off guard, and you lose your concentration. The light then disappears, but the professor lets out a celebratory laugh.

You rest your hands on your knees.

"Here, have some of this." The professor hands you chocolate, and you don't think to question. "Very good, Miss Stark. I am proud of you. It' ain't no corporeal Patronus yet, but it's strong enough to take on Dementors."

"Thank you." You sigh half breathlessly, feeling quite tired.

"Try to calm down a bit, I still need to teach you how to block your mind."

You wished the professor would let you rest, but you didn't complain. He decided to give you a little cheer potion when he realized that the spell tired you enough, and waited for the mixture to take effect before proceeding.

"I'm sorry for yelling professor." You ask as soon as you feel better. Erik doesn't seem the least bit upset. "I know you are trying to help me."

"No problem, Stark." He says. "I remember what it was like to be young and in love. You must feel like you're living hell, but things will get better, I guarantee it."

You don't think you have much to say, so you remain silent.

"Do you think you can focus on your feelings for Wanda instead of the feeling of loss to produce another patronus?" He asks, and you swallow dryly before nodding. "Okay, but let's do it differently now. You're not going to say the patronus incantation. I want you to just focus on the good memories you have of Wanda, you can pick the one you like best. And then I'm going to try to look at your head, and you're going to repeat the occludere incantation to keep my away."

You nodded in understanding, trying to follow the instructions correctly. As soon as you observed the wand raised in your direction, you knew you would hate this lesson.

//-//

It takes a whole week for you to get Erik blocked in your head.

All previous attempts have ended in very embarrassing moments of Wanda's father having to watch you kiss her on your head, too personal memories. You think it's the shame that motivates you.

You're no expert in occlumency yet, but it's better than having no protection at all. The teacher assures us that practice makes perfect, and in Friday's class, he seems very pleased not to have to watch you kissing Wanda again.

On Saturday, the trip to Hogsmeade is supposed to happen again, and judging by your friends' nervousness, they have an Army meeting. You don't want to butt in, so you decide to leave them alone. So when Gamora and Nebula remark that they are going to visit the town bookstore without explicitly inviting you, you force a smile and say that you have agreed to buy some candy with Harley.

This is how for the first time since you went to Hogwarts, you go to Hogsmeade without Gamora at your side. It feels strange, but you try to ignore the feeling as you hear Harley's story about little creatures called Wrackspurts, and you laugh lightly when you agree that your head must be full of them, since you feel down and confused all the time. You are surprised that Harley offers to look for the Wrackspurts in your head for you.

"P-perhaps later, Harley." You say. "How about we go to the three broomsticks?"

The bar is full when you walk in, and there are no empty tables. You feel your stomach sink when you notice the table at the back, all your friends and Tony's friends squeezed into the seats and around, talking to each other.

You look away quickly when Nat catches you looking across the room.

"Don't you want to sit with them?" Harley asks confused as she sees you turn to face the bar.

"I guess they're the ones who don't want me there." You mutter before nodding to the bartender. You don't mind paying for yours and Harley's drink, and quickly hand her the glass as soon as the woman at the bar serves you. "Tell me some of your other stories, Miss Quinn." You ask next, deciding to enjoy the company of the friend you still have.

Harley smiles as she takes a sip of her buttery beer. She begins to tell a story from her summer vacation, and you laugh at her jokes.

//-//

You are on your fourth glass by the time the afternoon comes around. It is a good thing that the butterbeer is non-alcoholic.

Laughing at Harley's imitation of Professor Kaecilius, you almost choke when Professor Erik enters the bar accompanied by his children.

It was amazing what a complete mess you became every time you saw Wanda.

By this point, Harley is used to it, and she gives you a little smile when she sees you trying to disguise how affected you are.

The twins walk their father to one of the empty tables in the back of the hall. And you don't want to stare, so out of the corner of your eye you notice Pietro gesturing and then moving out of your field of vision, supposedly joining Tony's table.

"She's looking this way." Harley declares a moment later, and you roll your eyes slightly. You don't have to turn your head to know that she is talking about Wanda, so you just keep your gaze on the glass in front of you.

"Is she?"

Harley murmurs in agreement.

"Does she look okay?"

Your friend laughs at your question, and you feel your cheeks flush.

"Sure, she does look quite pretty if that's what you're asking." Harley teases before taking a sip of her beer, making you giggle awkwardly. You look at her next.

"I meant if she looks good, like I don't know, does she look happy?"

"Why don't you ask her that?"

You shrug, looking down. Harley sighs lightly.

"You never told me why you two broke up." She comments and you clear your throat softly.

"I-I don't like to talk about it." You lie. Harley doesn't press, and you sip your drinks in silence for a moment. You are distracted when Harley lets out a giggle and you look at her with confusion.

"Here, you have some..." She informs you before raising her hand to your face. It's completely platonic, but maybe it doesn't seem that way to those looking in from the outside. "Here you go." You laugh shyly as she wipes the foam off the beer with her fingers, and Harley comments something about you being as clumsy as Ivy before you two jump in fright when the glass of beer you've placed on the counter suddenly explodes.

Everyone in the bar looks at you in surprise, but you have no idea what has happened. The object simply exploded from your side, and wet not only the counter, but some of your clothes as well. Harley is quick to dry you off with her wand.

"What the fuck...?" You start mumbling in confusion, looking around to understand what had broken the glass, but then Professor Erik is emerging on your side.

"Let's have a word outside, please, Miss Stark." He asks and you don't even have time to return Harley's confused look before the professor pulls you out.

The bar seems to return to normal noise when you leave.

"What happened there professor?" You ask once you are outside, but Erik continues to push you into a secluded corner. "Professor?"

"Sorry about that." He asks quickly as soon as he stops. "I called you to tell you that Professor Fury and Danvers will be meeting us in ten minutes near The Shrieking Shack."

"Wait, what?"

"Make up some excuse to your friend and meet me out here." He says. "We need to talk about your vision."

And then you are being pushed again, but this time the professor does not enter the bar. You are still frowning as you walk back inside, and you realize that the beer has been cleared away, but you can't find Harley.

"Excuse me, have you seen the blonde girl who was sitting here?" You ask the teenager who was sitting next to you before, he looks at you for a moment.

"She just left, I think. Looked kind of loony if you ask me." He spoke pointing to the other end of the bar, where the door was that led to the other avenue in town. You thanked him and turned to go in the same direction, but ran into Wanda on the way and almost fell backwards in surprise.

"H-hey!" you exclaimed, and the girl looked at you angrily. You were about to ask what you had done wrong, but Wanda grabbed you by the forearm and pulled you toward the restrooms. Her touch on your skin suddenly electrified your body all at once, and you were surprised that you were able to follow her at all. "What happened?" you asked worriedly when she stopped walking and let go of you, looking nervous.

She turned her face to you, and you felt your stomach sink when you noticed the tears in her eyes.

"Are you dating that girl?"

"W-what?"

"Don't lie."

You could laugh. But being alone with Wanda again overwhelms you. You can barely concentrate on your own words, but the question is so absurd that you don't even know what to answer.

"Are you serious?" You retort with irony. Wanda clenches her jaw, and you actually laugh.

"Tell me." She says. No, she commands. Her tone is a clear order, and you look at her incredulously.

"Of course not!"

But Wanda clenches her eyes at you, as if she doesn't believe you. That was the most absurd conversation you have ever really had.

"Where did that came from?" You ask impatiently and Wanda steps forward with her finger raised in your direction.

"Don't lie to me!" She angrily accuses. "You are with this girl all the time, and you are always laughing. And touching. And I hate it."

You stare at Wanda in shock.

"So don't you lie to me when I ask." She continues angrily, her face close to yours now. "Are. you. dating. her?"

She punctuates each word with her finger against your collarbone and when she finishes you surrender. Moving forward, you bring your lips together, bringing your hand to her waist. Your whole body heats up at once. Wanda gasps against your lips, grunting something that sounds like rage before she corresponds, kissing you back as she moves her hands up to your neck.

It is completely intoxicating. You slip your tongue into her mouth and when it touches hers, you moan softly. Merlin, you have missed this with all your heart. Wanda whimpers against your mouth losing her balance because you throw your body forward. Fortunately there is a wall behind her, and you continue with your mouths together as you press her against the concrete.

The air is needed, but you don't want it to stop. When you break the kiss for breath, your foreheads are still pressed together, and Wanda's hands are firm on your skin while yours hold her in place as well. She kisses you again, as intense as before, without even waiting for permission, her tongue dancing on yours sensuously.

You feel that your whole body is on fire, and every cell is screaming Wanda's name.

Your hand on her waist tightens the fabric before slipping down and making contact with the skin of her hip, and upward. Your touch against her left breast draws a loud sigh from Wanda, and awakens you.

Gasping in shock, you pull away as if you had been slapped. What were you two doing? You completely surrendered to the attraction you felt all at once. The intensity took your breath away.

You stumbled backwards, quickly bracing yourself against the sink, fearing that if you didn't have something to hold you would fall to the floor. Wanda remained leaning against the wall, her breathing as uncompensated as yours.

"Fuck." You gasped completely affected, your lips tingling like all the parts Wanda touched. You raise your hand to your chest, feeling your heart hammering at high speed. Your mind speeds up next.

You start thinking about Wanda, but faster than you can keep up. What does this mean? You can't be together. You don't think you'll survive, it's all more intense now. You can't remember ever feeling your chest hurt so much. Suddenly it's hard to breathe and your eyes are filled with tears. You love Wanda with all your heart, and you can't have her.

You sob, your eyesight blurred from your tears. Wanda approaches you at the same second, worried about your reaction.

But her gentle touch destroys you. All you can think is that it isn't fair that you have to let her go, and you begin to cry more. Wanda doesn't mind you burying your face against her neck, as you hug her around the waist. You breathe in her perfume, and she slips her arms around your shoulders.

"I'm sorry." She whispers to you, and repeats and repeats. You keep crying because she is saying goodbye again, and you squeeze her tightly in your arms, your tears wetting her shirt. "I'm so, so sorry."

"I love you." You whisper against her skin.

"No, you don't."

You laugh humorlessly against her neck, tightening your grip on her when she makes mention of pulling away.

"I love you with all my heart." You assure her and Wanda sobs.

"No."

"I do."

Wanda sobs again, and then she is pushing you lightly. You break the embrace, but before she pulls away, you raise your hands to her face, and stare her in the eyes.

"I love you, Wanda." You repeat earnestly. "I promise you I do."

Wanda just stares at you, looking as exhausted as you are. You use your thumbs to wipe away her tears.

"I'm not going to date anyone." You add moving your head. "I just want you. I only love you." You confess as you close your eyes, resting your forehead against hers, and feeling Wanda sigh against your lips. "I am yours."

Wanda breaks the distance, kissing you intensely but calmly. You melt.

"Mine." She whispers against your lips between kisses, and all you can do is nod in agreement, your mind blank.

She continues to kiss you until your legs are wobbly, and you mentally thank for the sink you're sitting on. "Mine." She repeats again, her fingers caressing the back of your neck as her mouth returns to yours.

A moan escapes your throat as Wanda's leg fits between yours, but she makes no mention of pulling away. Your head is spinning, and all you can do is respond to the kiss that takes all the air out of your lungs.

Wanda slips her tongue across yours, and then she pulls the hair at your nape softly, biting your lip and making you whimper with your eyes ajar, missing her mouth.

"Say it again."

You gasp softly, feeling your cheeks flush.

"I am yours."

"Yes, you are."

She agrees, a smile playing on her lips. She brings your mouths closer only to lick your lips, making your whole body tremble with the touch. You pursue her mouth, but Wanda does not kiss you. "And I am yours." She declares in a husky voice and you feel a strong tightening at the pit of your stomach. Wanda smiles, "You know that, right?"

But you can't answer right away, your mind completely clouded by the liquid attraction and the tension in the air.

Wanda firmed the grip on the back of your neck, making you groan.

"You have to remember that I am yours." She speaks against your lips, her breath hot as her other hand reaches over to your neck. "And I will remember that you are mine." Wanda eases the grip on your hair to guide your face back to hers, kissing you slowly, and tearing out a hoarse moan from you. She pulls away too quickly in your opinion. "You won't forget this. Promise me?"

You think you will agree to anything Wanda wants. You nod with your eyes ajar, and Wanda smiles. But then she is letting go of you completely and taking a step back, biting her lips to avoid the smile.

"W-what..." You start to ask but the noise at the bathroom door catches your attention. It is only at that moment that you remember that you are in the three broomsticks, in a public restroom. Everything had been hushed until that instant, and you feel your neck heat up when you realize.

An older witch enters next, and she looks at you quickly before entering one of the booths.

Wanda shifts her gaze to the floor for a moment, taking a deep breath, before looking at you again.

"I'll see you back at the castle." She quickly declares before leaving.

You blink in confusion, so surprised by her sudden departure that you wonder if you imagined the whole thing.

It's only when the unknown witch comes out of the bathroom and gives you a suggestive look that you look away from her to the mirror and notice your sloppy appearance, and your puffy lips.

You clear your throat, trying to cover up your flushed face and improve your appearance before you leave looking for Professor Erik, with no idea whether you had been in that bathroom for thirty seconds or two hours.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/

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otp-holic · 3 years

Text

Stucky Week: 21st Century

A Fanfic + Pics inside for @stucky-week

Nothing is scarier than posting writing, TBH. It's already in my AO3 where i will probably edit it to death. As I do.

Thank you @moonykat because the anger at all the Bucky!erasing yesterday was the seed for this. And sorry, too because I wish I could do better, haha.

A COUPLE OF KIDS FROM BROOKLYN

Bucky comes back home after a few days out on a mission and finds Steve in the middle of a research of its own.

PG. Established relationship, fluff, lots of books, 1ks

When Bucky opens the door after four days of helping Sam out with some crisis in Portugal, he has to do a double check because he doesn’t remember their living room being a library when he left.

There are books, comics, and notebooks everywhere: Floor, table, countertops, over the couch… and upon a closer look they are not just random books. They are all books about Captain America. And no sign of Steve… This doesn’t look promising.

“Steve?” he asks as he takes off his jacket.

“Buck, you are home!”

The voice from the bedroom is clearly happy Bucky is back and, yes, a second later a smiling Steve Rogers comes into view and walks towards him dodging all the books on the floor: crazy hair, un-showered, and very very gullible.

“I missed you,” he says, planting a kiss on his lips and hugging him tightly. God, he’s such a sap but he missed him, too.

“Mmm… Steve,” he ventures as he untangles himself from the hug. “Care to explain…. this?”

Steves looks behind himself and onto the floor and his expression changes into a frown.

“Buck, what year is it? Are we really in the 21st century?” Bucky panics and instinctively takes his hands to Steve’s head, searching for any indication of a concussion.

“What…”

“No, Bucky, I’m ok, it was an hypothetical! But hear me out!” he talks with passion and anger, so whatever it is, it is important. This was not the welcome Bucky was expecting.

He walks towards the piles of books and takes a couple of them with him.

“Don’t know how it started… but I was bored and I’ve been doing a little research.”

Bucky takes one of the books Steve is handing him “Man of Many times: Updating Steve Rogers”, the title says.

“Research… on yourself.” Bucky has so many puns that he has to bite his tongue. “Didn’t know you got so lonely without…”

“Leave the masturbation jokes for later, this is important!”

He takes a stall from the kitchen and sits down on it, putting the book on the counter right by another one called “Steve Rogers: The Official Biography. 1982”. They are really everywhere.

“You’ve got not only my whole attention but also the best part of my curiosity.”

“Do you know how many books about me there are? No, don’t answer, I will tell you because I know now! There are at least three biographies published every decade, plus comics, cards, books on tactics, about my fucking body changes, official thesis, scientific articles, and everything translated into different languages!” Bucky is impressed. “A little digging on Wikipedia and Amazon… and I concluded there are about 594 books. About me. Every fucking aspect of me.”

He stops for a moment to take a breath and Bucky stays there looking at him and experiencing all kinds of emotions. Passionate and almost enraged Steve is an instant turn-on, but he’s also pretty intrigued about where all this is going. He honestly has no clue.

“Please, please go on before I start with the narcissistic and masturbatory jokes again. I beg you.”

“Buck!” He is full-on outraged now. “There are almost six hundred books about me… some of them apparently “official”, and I haven’t been able to find a single one that dares to hint or even question the nature of our relationship.”

There’s a two-second silence while the gears inside Bucky’s brain start processing the turn of the conversation. Faulty.

“So, you are all worked up because the world doesn’t have a clue that we do the wild thing between the sheets?”

Bucky knows he’s said the wrong thing when the hurt reaches Steve’s eyes in an instant, and he wants to punch himself for trying to release some tension at the worst moment.

“That we’ve been together since the ‘30s, you heartless punk. That we are fucking married, Bucky. That you would have married me at 16 if that would have been an option. And this is the 21st century, somebody should have at least made a book chapter or a fucking thesis just maybe raiding the question. I had to go into some obscure corner of the internet to find a single post from 2014 wondering if there was something hidden between us.” He stops and laughs a bit. “I almost wrote back with a thank you message!”

“I understand. I really do, and I’m sorry about my response just now, I didn’t mean to downplay you, just… ”

Steve briefly touches his face in reassurance as he leans on the counter and starts talking again. Calmer now.

“There is a Collector’s Captain America Encyclopedia that just came last year to cover all my… career as Cap,” he keeps looking at Bucky straight in the eyes, this is clearly what sparked it all. “It is 10 fucking volumes long, and I went to the “B” I couldn’t believe the entries for ‘Battle’, ‘Brooklyn’ and even ‘Banner’ were longer than the one for ‘Barnes’, and… Let me show you something.”

He walks towards the couch, retrieves a book, and comes back to hand him Collector’s Captain America Encyclopedia: Volume 3.

“Page 159, it has a marker,” Steve says.

He uses the little yellow marker to see the page and suddenly he’s angry and a little sad, too.

It’s the entry for “Bucky” and it says: “Bucky: see ‘Barnes’”. And that's it.

The silence is heavy where it was light before, and Steve takes the book out of his hands and comes closer placing his forehand on Bucky’s.

“I cannot let history erase you, Buck. Not as a whole and especially not from my story. None of it makes sense without you, so it’s either nobody or both of us there, pal. And, spoiler alert, but it might be a little too late to take me out of it.”

Steve looks for approval on his face by taking a step back and Bucky nods to whatever it is Steve has on his mind because how could he say no?

“I should have never married an international superhero whose tour de force spans more than seventy years.” Steve laughs. They are back to relaxed now. “Now, out with it Rogers,... I know you have a play-by-play plan for what to do next.”

Steve escapes to the living room and starts piling up books to make room on the couch, not answering Bucky’s question. Bucky can see a mischievous smile even with his back to him.

“We are writing our own book. Well, you are writing, since the Smithsonian got it right about your excellence in the classroom even if they missed on your birthday.” He says and he is glowing. “I might just bother you with important facts, deadlines, and little drawings.”

Bucky is speechless again. And tired. And he knows he is going to say yes, so why bother arguing?

He decides to just give up instead, and walks towards Steve, pushing him onto the couch and, after removing “Steve Rogers’ Lovers: An Unofficial Biography of Caps’ Love affairs” from under his elbow and throwing it towards the kitchen, cuddling him.

“I bet you picked the title already.” He says closing his eyes and taking a deep breath full of Steve.

“Yes, but I’m not telling you just yet,” Steve answers as he kisses his forehead. And Bucky doesn’t care, he can wait.

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peachy-beomie · 3 years

Text

Fellas, is it Gay to Kiss The Homies? <TEN-CENTRIC>

Genre: Light Hurt/Comfort

Pairings: Kunten (Qian Kun x Ten Lee) and implied (Ten x Everyone) [ALL SHIPS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE PLATONIC]

Word Count: 1455

Warnings: Fluff overdose, might give you diabetes /t

Synopsis: Ten just really likes kisses and he wants to give them to his friends. That’s it.

A/N: I wrote this wanting it to be Platonic!Kunten but tbh it may have gotten away from me a little bit so believe what you want ig

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30021543

Ten has always been overly affectionate. In the eyes of Weishennies, Winwin and Yangyang bear the brunt of it. On variety shows and lives Ten can sometimes be found floating around one of his two didis or entirely attached to them. It’s become a joke among fans and members, the way Ten calls Yangyang baby while the maknae responds with countless protests and whines. But something fans are unaware of is that off-camera, the Thai male’s affection extends to all the members. Ten is known to demand touches from most any friend in reach. Even Kun, despite the pairs’ constant bickering. The WayV members have grown used to Ten’s insatiable need to hold and be held. There’s a silent understanding between the 7 roommates. All the boys know that comforting Ten is just more of a physical thing. Each member understands, and some have even become fond of the actions. Most surprisingly Winwin. Though he seems like a total skinship anti, he’s all smiles whenever Ten envelopes him in a hug.

For the endless love and acceptance of his bandmates, Ten feels so incredibly blessed. But even in such a wonderful situation, there are things Ten can’t have. And lines he dare not cross.

To Ten, there’s nothing inherently romantic or sexual about his lingering touches. To him, spooning with his friends is his way of showing platonic affection. Obviously some things are reserved for romantic/sexual partners: making out and things of the like. But the lines between friendship and partnership are far thinner to him than most. He hasn’t told his friends about his affinity for kisses, having only recently come to terms with it himself. All through his life he’s had these fleeting urges to kiss his friends, and he’d always passed them off as intrusive thoughts. But lately, these urges have become more persistent. When his members are especially kind to him, he feels his attention float briefly to their lips, wishing to give them a small peck. It’s always a peck. A forehead kiss, eskimo, cheek, knuckle, nose; always something innocent. A mere grazing of lips to skin. No matter how innocent the intent or the action, Ten can’t help but feel completely and utterly ashamed.

Friends aren’t supposed to want to kiss each other, he chides to himself. The dancer already feels like enough of a bother asking to cuddle and hold hands, he fears that by taking the extra step, he’ll lose all 6 of them entirely. So he pushes these feelings deep down, and continues on, hoping the others don’t notice his worry.

Unfortunately for Ten, Kun prides himself on being in tune with his members’ emotions. Kun first realizes something is wrong during one of the group’s rare off days. He and Ten had opted to stay home, the younger practically BEGGING him to continue watching Doctor Who with him. The two eldest boys have been watching it together for a couple months, and have already plowed through 2 seasons (that’s quite impressive considering how packed their schedules are). Since it’s nearly impossible to refuse Ten anything, Kun finds himself lazing the day away on the couch, carding his fingers through the soft brown locks strewn across his lap.

“Fuck. Everything,” Ten says after they finish the season 2 finale. “Whoever made this episode is a monster.”

Kun giggles, leaning down to wipe stray tears from Ten’s cheeks. “You knew it had to end eventually Tennie.”

“YEAH BUT THAT WAS SO M E A N!” Ten removes his head from Kun’s lap as the older laughs harder. “It’s not funny!” The Thai man pouts, only eliciting more laughter.

“Aw you poor thing,” Kun teases, pushing himself off the couch and holding a expectant hand out to the pouting brunette. “C’mon you big baby. Let me make you something to cheer you up.”

Never one to turn down free food, Ten trudges to the kitchen and sits down at the table while his ge gets to work. Ten watches Kun work for 15 minutes before turning to the table and placing a bowl of noodles in front of Ten. The younger looks up at the singer then, an almost indecipherable look on his face. In those few seconds of silence, Kun sees hesitation in Ten’s eyes, an uncharacteristic moment of pause. It’s like Ten wants to do something but he’s restraining himself. Then all too quickly, the look is gone. Ten thanks Kun for the meal before scarfing it down.

Kun doesn’t bring it up then, or when he sees the same look directed at Hendery the next night while they’re playing Monopoly. He waits a week before finally confronting the boy, having seen the same hesitant gaze 5 or more times by now.

He decided to confront him after their biweekly Just Dance tournament. Kun and Ten were on a team together and kicking everyone else’s asses. After winning their 4th consecutive battle they’d hugged victoriously. When they pulled back, Ten had “the look” written all over his face. And without warning, he pecked Kun on the nose.

Oh.

Ten stood straight in horror, he didn’t even give Kun a chance to say anything before bolting out of the room. The 5 other members followed him with eyes full of worry and concern. They’re only semi-placated with Kun’s promise of “I’ll talk to him.”

Kun opened the door to Ten and Hendery’s shared room to see Ten facing the wall dejectedly, curled tightly into his blankets. The older made sure he moved softly and quietly, not wanting to spook the boy. He sat himself on the bed across from Ten’s huddled figure, not missing the other boy’s flinch. Kun lays down behind the boy, wrapping his arms around his middle.

“I’m not mad Yongqin, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Kun uses Ten’s Mandarin name, knowing the younger loves the way it rolls off his tongue. “I just want to understand, ok?” The older rubs soothing circles on Ten’s arm with his finger.

“I’m sorry,” Ten whispers, almost imperceptibly quiet.

“Qinqin I told you there’s nothing to be s--”

“No but I am sorry,” Ten says, turning himself in Kun’s hold to face the older, but still not making eye contact. “I-I shouldn’t have done that.”

“I could tell it was bothering you.” Kun says, raising the eyebrow of the dancer.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Kun confirms. “So do you have a crush on me?”

“Not at all,” Ten says honestly. He fiddles with his fingers between their parallel chests rather than meet Kun’s gaze. “I just… hhh I don’t know how to begin to explain it.”

“Take your time.” Kun assures which Ten is exceedingly grateful for. Kun has always been patient and level-headed that way.

“It’s kinda like… you know how you hug your friends? To show them you care about them?” Kun nods easily. “Well, for me… kissing is kinda equivalent to a hug with a friend. It’s just...my way of showing affection I guess,” Kun nods again, taking in every word Ten says. “It became apparent a few months ago. But I didn’t want to bother you guys with it, so I kept quiet. And I know it’s weird and it’s really no big deal if you don’t want to I can--”

“Ten.”

“Yeah, It’s too much isn’t it? Can we just pretend this never happened? I’m really sor--”

“Ten.”

“Look Kun don’t worry about it. It’s really fine. I just want to--”

“Yongqin.”

Ten finally ceases his baseless ranting. Kun rubs up and down the boy’s upper arms.

“Ten it’s fine. I never said I disliked it. If platonic kisses are something you want… something you need,” Kun smiles lightly. “Then I don’t see a problem with that.”

This time Ten actually does look Kun in the eye, cat-like eyes wide with disbelief. “What?”

“Just explain to me what you need Yongqin,” Kun whispers understandingly, and for some reason it makes Ten blush a little. “I’m all ears.”

Ten was left completely dumbfounded. He had just proposed something… crazy.... and yet Kun isn’t running. He doesn’t seem weirded out, or scared, or disgusted. He’s still there.

“U-um…” Ten starts. “Just… small ones, I guess. Like cheek, nose, knuckles, forehead, hair, that kind of stuff,” Kun processes all this again. “A-and pecks on the lips are nice sometimes… i-if that’s not too much.”

Kun shakes his head and smiles, “Sounds good to me!” And to punctuate it, he places a small kiss on Ten’s forehead, setting the boy’s cheeks aflame once more.

“T-Thanks,” He says genuinely.

“Of course Tenten,” The older contemplates giving him another kiss for assurance, but he decides that he shouldn’t overwhelm Ten too much just yet. “Anything for you.”

KUNTEN PIC OF THE DAY:

I call this one: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

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f0xfordcomma · 3 years

Note

Hello!! Happy FFWF!! Is there anything in particular that you find hard to write? Are there any WIPs that you've just absolutely given up on cause you think it'll go nowhere?? (would you share a bit of it? :D)

Croisty! Happy ffw tuesday (which tbh is earlier than I thought I'd be able to do these, so be proud of me lol)

I wish I had more to go off of in my writing portfolio to answer this question, but I think the thing I have the hardest time writing/ have avoided writing in my wips is just unfettered angst or like horror/ violence. Like character death? Gore? Fight scenes? (ooooh baby I SUCK at fight scenes) all of /that/ is just not really my forte as a writer. Don't get me wrong, I am not opposed to hurting my characters, but hurt/comfort is more where its at for me. You've read my stuff, so you know how emotionally driven a lot of my writing is. I think I would have a hard time writing more graphic/ heartbreaking/ violent *stuff* in my style. Idk, it would probably be a good thing for me to practice.... but.... I don't wanna (hands on hips) sooooo I'm not planning to really do anything quite like that anytime soon.

As far as abandoned wips go, I've got plentyyyy (or just verrrrrrry dusty wips that are not quite abandoned but are sitting very patiently on the shelf waiting for me to have the time to get back to them) Violent/ angsty/ deathy/ fighty abandoned wips though? Not so much.

But for you, mon petit croissant, have a bit of a miraculous ladybug reveal fic that I wrote one night after having a little ~ouid~ and convincing my husband to put on a sheet face mask with me that I now have no intention of finishing (oops, rip me).

okaaaaayyy so this is actually pretty dang long lol but I'm going to share the whole thing with you because I just re-read it for the first time in months and its pretty funny ~if you ask me~ so anyway... under the cut <3

NIGHT OFF

Okay, so maybe it wasn’t a totally crazy idea to take a night off.

Besides, Shadowmoth’s akumatizations had slowed down considerably in the past few months, and he rarely ever sent out two akumas in one day. The battle that she and Chat had fought that morning was brutal, but they’d come out victorious against HoneyBadger. Still, the fight had left her exhausted and wound up. Shadowmoth was planning something, she was sure of it. She just couldn’t, for the life of her, figure out what it was.

Ladybug was stressed.

Add to that, the fact that end-of-term exams were starting up next week and she’d not had nearly enough time during dead week to actually cram. Something about black butterflies and cranky kwamis and a cheeky cat (who, in recent weeks, had been considerably less cheeky.) Not to mention, she had been receiving an awful lot of memes, seemingly without preamble, from Paris’ favorite male model. Nino thought it was hilarious. Alya thought it was suspicious. Marinette thought it was confusing.

Marinette was stressed.

All of it was stressful.

Alya knew when her best friend was stressed. She could usually gauge the amount of Marinette’s exasperation by the frequency with which her bangs went flying from her face, propelled by a huff and a heavy sigh. Right now, Marinette’s bangs were a mess.

“Okay, girl. You need a night off.”

“What? No, I’m fine! Really! Plus, I can’t really afford to take a night off right now, Alya… I don’t know what Shadowmoth ha—”

“Yeah, no. I’m stopping you right there. For the next twenty-four hours, this space is a Ladybug-talk free zone,” she gestured vaguely around her bedroom, which was scattered with printouts and pictures that Marinette had brought over to work on nailing down Hawkmoth’s possible location using Alya’s beloved akuma-map. “I know, I know. It pains me more than it pains you, truly. But I’m doing this for you. Tonight: you, me, drinks, distractions. You are taking a night off.”

“But Alya! What if—”

“Hush, you know that’s incredibly unlikely. And, in the event of this IF you are so set on, you know that cat boy and I will have your back. Even drunk ladybugs can purify akumas when they have the clawed crusaders on their side.”

“I can’t believe you gave in to his silly nickname.”

“It is a badass nickname and you are just jealous that we bonded.”

“I’m not jealous. I’m annoyed.”

“Mhmm… keep telling yourself that, girl. Now, back to the matter at hand: what kind of drunk do you want to get tonight? Classy or trashy? I still have that peach stuff from last month, but if we are thinking classy I might need to call in the reserves to get us some decent wine.”

“You won’t need to call in anybody, Al, because I am definitely not getting drunk tonight.”

“Night off, Marinette. Drunkenness is a prerequisite.”

“Can’t we just watch movies or something? I really don’t know if that’s too good of an idea…”

“Girl, we watch movies every night. This is a night off. Don’t think I don’t see you stressing all throughout movie night every week, anyway. You need to take your mind off Ladybug,” she gestured at the mess that had consumed her bedroom. “And get your mind back on Marinette. Superhero or no, you’re still a teenage girl who is supposed to be enjoying the last few months of college.”

Marinette pouted.

“Stop pouting. You know you deserve to have normal girl fun.”

“But Alya I—”

“No buts.” An unnervingly devious look crossed Alya’s face. “Unless it is your butt in that pair of skinny jeans that you and I both know you-know-who loves. Boys will be here in twenty. Get to it, girl.”

Marinette just gaped at her. She didn’t even notice that Alya had grabbed her phone, but alas, there was the tell-tale ping.

Alya Cesaire → Akuma class OGs chat

Alya: anyone down for a little last minute get together—my door is open and my bar is stocked

Nino: HELL YEAH babe!

NL: got a new mix i’ve been meaning to show you… so entertainments on me fam!

Alix: This thing got an itinerary or just drunkenness for drunkenness sake?

Alya: the latter, natch.

Alix: Sick! Count me in.

Kim: same!

Rose: Do you need us to bring anything?

Alya: anything you feel like sharing

Alya: otherwise, just yourselves!

Alya: Agreste~you better bring us some of that expensive shit that i know your pops keeps somewhere in that castle of yours

Alya: no fancy wine, no admittance

Alya: the rest of you peasants just bring wtvr

Adrien: uhhhhhhhhhh

Adrien: ALYA

Adrien: dang it! You know I feel obligated to steal wine from my dad’s cellar now

Adrien: do you know how scary my dad is!!!??

Nino: DUDEEEE

Nino: DO IT you wont!

Adrien: shuddup Nino

Marinette: Adrien you totally don’t have to! Alya is just being **extra** Alya today

Alya: i plan a night off for this girl

Alya: and this is the thanks i get??????

Alya: can ya’ll believe this?

Alya: ridiculous

Zoe: UTTERLY RIDICULOUS

Adrien: utterly ridic

Adrien: dangit

Zoe: lol first! sorry adrien

Marinette: ugh ty I guess Als xxxxx

Alya: awe she DOES care, youre welcome babe!

Alya: so sunshine… about that wine?

Adrien: yeah yeah yeah

Adrien: use my people pleasing against me why dontcha

Alya: gladly <3

“Alya, stop bullying Adrien.”

“No way, girl. Giving that boy a task is the only way to ensure he shows up. Speaking of which… butt, jeans, go, now!”

The doorbell rang. Nino had perfected the quickest route to Alya’s house from every part of Paris years ago. Yes, he was whipped; and yes, he was proud of it.

“ALYA! I have to clean all of this up and I have to go home to get those jeans that you’re so dead set on and…”

“No you don’t. Kaalki?”

“Right here, Ms. Rouge.”

“YOU USED VOYAGE TO BRING ME JEANS?”

“No way girl! Don’t be silly. Kaalki and Roaar just volunteered to be my errand kwamis.”

“You guys do realize that I am the guardian, right?”

“Of course, that’s why we worked so hard to get everything that you need for tonight.”

“I—you… wait is this my good bra? How did you—”

“Us kwamis pay attention, Marinette.” Tikki cuddled up to her cheek.

“Et tu, Tikki?”

The ladybug kwami just giggled and made her way to the pile of papers scattered across Alya’s bed, starting to organize them back into neat stacks.

“Night. Off.” Alya punctuated each word with a shove and a smack on the bum, directing Marinette toward the bathroom and shutting her in to get ready while she got the door for Nino.

#foxford just casually drops an entire dang chapter of a fic for your ffwf enjoyment #oops #miraculous ladybug #foxford writes #ml #ml season four #aged up adrienette #ffwf #ffwtuesday #thanks for asking!!#<3 #foxford answers #thatcroissantgurl #a moment of silence for my wip graveyard #cw: mentions of drunkenness #(they are old enough in france okay)

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nightowlfandom · 3 years

Text

Anime! Fictional! BTS x Real World! Reader- Welcome To My World~ Episode 1

HEY HEY! IM SO EXCITE! Btw who here plays BTS World? This is very loosely based off that.

I need to download it again tbh.

CHECKOUT MY MASTERLIST HERE!

Leggo!

...

What does it mean to escape? To get away. If it means leaving behind all you know, all you’ve been raised to know, all you’ve been led to believe, with just yourself and the clothes on your back. Scary, but thrilling. Terrifying, but inviting. Unbelievable, but definitely possible....

...

On a early Tuesday morning where the sun was barely grazing the orange sky, you sat by your windowsill. You were dreamily staring out into the halo that was a mixture of red and orange. The halo of greyish clouds matched your mood to a complete tee. The aesthetic beauty of nature wasn’t enough to make you smile or even blink twice, however. It was always like this though. Yet something about this scene made you go sour.

Releasing a sigh, you stepped away from the window, shutting the curtains. Another day, the same thing. All you could do was attempt to power through.

As you lazily pulled your shirt over your head, you had managed to dodge that annoying dog. The little brat wasn’t even yours, but your oh-so loving step-sister’s. He always had a affinity for making your room a hot mess. Only yours in particular.

“Get out of here you little-.” you chased the dog out of your room, slamming your door as it scurried off. “What did you screw up this time?” you curiously scanned the room. Everytime that little fluffy beast rammed his little head into your personal space, something would end up broken, ripped, shattered, or completely destroyed beyond repair.

You almost screamed when you saw a familiar book cover on the floor. You instantly dropped to your knees, praying to yourself that it wasn’t true. The cover had a pretty violent looking rip along with the first few pages.

Your absolute reason for waking up in the morning was tarnished. A signed cover of BTS Universe Issue #1. Probably your one and only favorite series on planet Earth. You gingerly picked up the book, trying to inspect it with hopes that the damage was minimal. As little as this was, you almost felt like crying. However there was no time, you needed to tape up the pages and fast! Who cares if you missed breakfast.

...

“Morning Y/N!” Your step-dad greeted you in the kitchen. “You were upstairs an awful long time, I was about to send your mother to see if you were still up playing that game of yours!” he smiled warmly.

“Thanks Mr. Chai.” you replied politely. “I’m sorry I’m so late.”

“You know...Y/N...you could call me Dad.” he set a plate down on the table. “I know I’m not your father, but I want to be the best father-figure for you because I know...you haven’t really had that.”

You had to stop yourself from saying anything else. You haven’t had the best parental relationship, and your new step-dad really was trying. Maybe it was just his daughter that drove you nuts.

“Thank you.” you replied, smiling. “...Dad.” you winked, making finger guns. “Geez! You made a lot of food for just the four of us”

“ Well you ain’t see muffin, yet!” he winked. “You and Nari have a busy day today. She auditioning and you, my friend....well I don’t know exactly what you have planned for the day.”

“I’ll tell you if we can skip the food related puns.” you sat down at the table. It was a rule that everyone waited for everyone else. Even though you had taken the extra time to repair your copy of BTS Universe, you had seemed to be the first person down the stairs. In all honesty, you were just going to hang out at the comic store until Nari called to tell you she was done.

“Hey now, Donut kill my vibe!” he continued, laughing. “I have a million more of these, come on. Don’t go bacon my heart, Y/N.”

“Good job Y/N, you’ve gotten him started.” You mom came down the stairs in her little blazer and pencil skirt. “Whatever will we do now.”

“He did it himself, the guy’s an animal! You married a wild child, mom.” you joked. “He might just be a serial killer.”

“Don’t you mean...cereal killer?” he held up a box of Raisin Bran to make his point. You could only shake your head as your mother and step-father laughed together. Food related humor so early in the morning had to mean today wasn’t going to be a horrible as it started, at least for you.

“WHERE ARE MY THIGH HIGH BOOTS!” you heard a screech from upstairs. “THEY BETTER NOT BE IN YOUR ROOM, Y/N!”

“...WHY WOULD I WANT TO WEAR YOUR SHOES!” you yelled back after taking in a deep breath. “NARI, IF I WANTED TO BREAK MY ANKLES, I’D HAUL MYSELF DOWN THE STAIRS.”

“When will you two get along?” your mom shook her head. “It’s been three years.”

“We don’t not get along.” You shook your head. “Not my fault she’s difficult.”

“I can think of a few times you’ve been difficult yourself, young lady.” you mother pointed a stern finger at you. “Like when you locked yourself in the room to read that silly cartoon of yours.”

“It’s not silly.” you defended yourself.

“Oh come on!” Nari’s voice voice could be heard alongside some loud footsteps. “I think it’s cute to be honest. Y/N here actually has a hobby besides stalking celebrities online.”

“Shut up, Nari.” you grumbled. “And keep your dog out of my room! He ruined my signed copy of BTS Universe!”

“Dorie got out again?” she seethed, looking annoyed. “I really have to put a bell on that dog.”

“Yeah.” you sighed, you bummed mood returning. Everyone knew just how much you loved that edition. You kept in in a super special display case, you cleaned the case every week, you kept your other issues on their own bookshelf along with your figurine and digital visual novel editions of the series. You were even on the buyer’s list for the special early anime release. You LOVED this series. Not even Nari dared to disrespect something as important as that, and she loved getting under your skin.

“I’m sure you’ll be able to find another one.” your mother set down a bowl of cereal in front of you along with a muffin. “Now eat, you have a big day today.”

“Yes mam.” you replied, helping yourself to some cereal.

“If you want, you can take a muffin or bagel with you.” your step dad said.

“Dad! I can’t, I have to be super focused remember? Breakfast will just slow me down!” Nari scoffed.

“Not having breakfast will make it even worse, dummy. Dude, you’re gonna pass out on stage.” you threw a tiny cereal piece at her. “Eat something.”

“I’ll eat later, I just have my eye on the prize and nothing is going to stop me.” Nari stood up determined.

“Will you at least eat some toast, crazy girl.” your mother said. “Y/N’s right, you need to at least have eaten something to calm your nerves. Y/N make sure Nari eats something before you two go your separate ways.”

“I’ll try, no promise.” you shrugged. “Nari, if you’re done, then get your stuff and let’s go.” You promptly finished your cereal and went to go back upstairs. “You got ten minutes.”

“What’s her deal?” you could hear Nari ask, followed by an sudden whispering of your mom stating exactly what she thought was wrong with you. Your bet was on ‘everything’.

You walked back into your room, grabbing your purse from your desk. You eyed your taped up issue of BTS Universe #1. There was no way you were going to find another issue like that, and that damned dog just treated it like a loved toy. You grabbed your phone and shoved it into your purse. You went over to where the issue was and placed it on your desk.

“NARI LET’S GO!” you shut the bedroom door behind you as you walked out the room.

...

You sped to a stop outside the building. Nari was shaking in her shoes. She seemed hesitant to even open the door.

“Call me when you’re finished so I can pick you up.” you said, getting ready to unlock the doors.

“You’re leaving me!?” Nari looked like she was about to explode.

“Hello?! It’s idol trainees only?” you raised an eyebrow. “I can’t go in there with you. Nari what’s the problem?”

“...Um...I’m nervous alright! I’m giving up almost everything and if I don’t get chosen...I’ll just prove my dad right. I need this.” she stared down at her hands. “I’m not used to being a reject. I don’t know how you-”

“You wanna leave here with two working legs, I suggest you don’t finished that sentence.” you cut her off. “I’m not a reject.”

“That’s not what I was gonna say. I’m saying I don’t know how you deal with nerves like this.” she looked like she was gonna pass out.

“...You just do.” you nudged her shoulder. “You just go for it and hope. Go for it.”

“...Okay, I’ll try.” she opened the door. “...Thank you.” she stood up. “I’ll call you when I’m all set.” she shut the door.

“I’ll literally be at the store around the corner.” you replied before driving off. You watched in the rear view as she took her sweet time going into the building.

...(Later on)

You trudged behind Nari as she ran through the door. She seemed happy, so that must have meant the audition went well.

“I’m gonna take a nap.” you called to your mom and step-dad. “See you guys at dinner!”

You didn’t wait for them to reply before you closed the door. As you walked over to your bed, you noticed a disc laying on your bed. Just a random DVD. The closer you got, the font on the front got clearer.

“BTS World?” It didn’t look familiar in the slightest. “It’s called BTS Universe, Nice try Nari.” you wrote it off as a stupid prank by your oh-so-loving Step-Sister. It was only then you realized Nari was with you all day.

You took another look at it, gently taking it in your hands. It looked like it was glowing.

Call it curiosity, but you needed to know.

Your laptop was sitting at the edge of the bed, so you put the disc in.

“State your name.” a voice came out of nowhere.

“What?” you looked around in shock. The voice sounded like it came from right behind you.

“Please state your name.” the female robotic voice repeated.

“Y/N.”

“Are you sure that you want Y/N as your name?”

“Um Yes?” you raised an eyebrow. You still didn’t know what the fuck was going on.

“Would you like to start a new game? You don’t appear to have any saved filed under the name Y/N.”

Maybe you were sleepier than you thought, but you ran with it. “Yes.”

“Starting new game....now”

Your screen began glowing a bright blue, a vivid, saturated blue. It was like your screen had turned into a flashlight.

“What the fu-” you suddenly stared at your hands, the very tips of your fingers turned pixelated. “MOM!!!” You tried to scream, only to have it come out in the form on an echo. You felt your feet leave the ground as tiny little pixels moved towards your computer. You could see the color draining from your walls, leaving everything white. It was like an earthquake ran through your room...only through your room.

Then...everything went dark.

...

(Why hello there...LET US PREPARE. I’m gonna go through with it this time, I swear on my bacon! The guys are coming next chappie!)

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honey-hippie-harper · 3 years

Text

The Day Gatlon Fell

(TW: VIOLENCE)

IT’S VALENTINE’S DAY AFSGHJAFSGHJA. I should’ve done something nice but I don’t seem to be physically capable of doing that, sO IF YOU WOULD BE SO KIND TO PLEASE FORGIVE ME AFGSHAFGHAJ. I guess from the title it’s...kinda clear what this is all about, because I like to write about my imaginary complex relationships in Renegades. Yet, I wrote it with love and I hope you like it :’)

This fic is actually a present for those who want to accept it (If you don’t, I understand tbh). But I’m going to dedicate it for the ones who constantly pretend they tolerate me and like my writing, which are my fellow Reneweys: @healing-winston-pratt @obsidianfr3sk @alecjamesartino @nodrianbcyes @everyone-has-a-nightmare . I love you guys SO much. Thanks for being a safe space full of people who share the same mother tongue and laugh at my stupid jokes.

Also @all-weather-is-bad whom I love very much. Thank you for tolerating me to :’) <3 and @ifyouhadntbutyoudid bECAUSE FELLOW LATINA <3 (also your art for HCTTR still makes me cry and I know you like Leroy).

And idk if this matters or not, but, for the ones who understand Spanish, this fic was heavily based upon this (yes, the contemporary dance and everything don’t judge me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaaVpaE1XGA

Alec called them the Anarchists, because he called himself Ace Anarchy. And, in a world where prodigies were hurt, mistreated and killed, he also called them hope.

Hope called themselves the Anarchists, and they reunited at the outskirts of the city, and then they marched towards Gatlon when it was still dawning. There were many, many of them, creating a huge mass of people. Some of them were only wearing masks in order to protect their identity, but others, like them, the main circle of Anarchists, were in full costume, including Alec, Ace Anarchy, who was marching at the back of the crowd, for Alec Artino had faked his disappearance (and possible assassination) less than two weeks ago.

As an act of symbolism (in Alec’s own words) the Queen Bee was at the lead, while him, Leroy (Cyanide), stood two steps behind her, with Gerard Hoffman, Atomic Brain, at his right, and Lincoln Palmer, Brimstone, at his left. Behind them were Dexter Hartley, Rat, and the Thompsons. Then, everything was too much, and there were too many people to name them all, when he barely remembered his own name at the moment.

Every distance looked moderately short until you had to travel it by foot, or when you were too anxious to arrive at your destination. Leroy, personally, didn’t consider himself to be anxious per se. At least, that wasn’t the word he would’ve used to describe his situation.

For the first time in forever, Leroy’s mind was making too much noise, and he didn’t know how to make it stop, nor did he know how to decipher what it was trying to say to him. While he marched, Leroy was surrounded by sounds. There were the distant, faint movements of the awakening city, the ring of keys, the dragging of boots, the hasty breaths, the silent prayers, Honey humming to an inexistent melody, while her dress danced to her voice, hanging from her body.

Honey was easily one of the best dressed out of the bunch, which was a very typical Honey attitude from her part. The most meaningful thing in his own costume was the lab coat and the scientific pun, but it was more than enough for him, knowing that, after today, many of the people here wouldn’t be alive anyway, and he wasn’t even sure whether he would make it, either.

By the time they started reaching the city’s main entrance, the sun was covering half of their bodies, announcing they might have “nice” (hot) weather today. For a while, at least. And the heat was so extreme it made Leroy’s temple sweat, as well as the rest of his face, behind the mask. However, he resisted the urge to remove it, as his mind started making too much noise again, when it forced him to remember Alec’s words.

“And, remember, that you are the pain, you are the fire, and I am the courage.” He said, while they were sitting around the campfire, one messy night, running away from the police. “Because courage comes from the same place as fear.”

Leroy didn’t agree with some of Alec’s ways. Hell. He really didn’t. Nevertheless, he was also aware of his own position. He was aware he was a prodigy, and he was aware people were exhausting.

Even before he became…special, people were already picking on him. Leroy had been a punching bag the entirety of his life. First, for being too ordinary.

There was always a defect they could find in him.

When he admitted his father had abandoned his mother not long after he was born, he became the fatherless kid who wasn’t important enough to make his father stay (as if his father being an asshole had been his fault); when his mother met Claire, his other mother, he became the outcast who lived with two insane and sick women who dared to say they were in a serious, romantic relationship (even though they were evidently in love); when he discovered he enjoyed science, he became the weird kid who liked Thursdays, because that’s when Mr. Ruiz used to take them to the lab; when he discovered he was good at school overall and teachers offered him to move him one grade ahead, he became the ugly, creepy and fat nerd kid who lived with dykes and had no life.

And so, Leroy was murdered by his classmates in eleventh grade, in the lab. And when he came back as a prodigy, he became the burden. The fucker. The freak. The disgusting prodigy who should’ve stayed dead.

Because, when it came to people, it was never enough.

It really was never enough.

When they didn’t like you, there wasn’t a limit they wouldn’t reach in order to let you know. They hated you when you were too ordinary, but they hated you more when you were extraordinary.

Being a prodigy meant being your own fight. It meant being out there, in a minefield where everybody was chasing after you, and nobody stopped to help. People were often afraid of the things they couldn’t understand.

But courage came from the same place as fear.

And it was a dark, messed up place that, in the rare cases where it didn’t drive you crazy, it ended up killing you.

Alec’s ideas were extreme and a little twisted, even, but nobody had ever seemed to care as much as he did, and Leroy had to give him that.

He strongly defended that, if nobody did, then there would be a time where somebody would have to, and he had to give him that too. Because, one day, he just decided that person would be him. Because, if not him, then who?

“I’m my own fight. We’re all our own fight. And you should just face that and shut your ass, before you get killed.” Leroy told him the day after he personally met him, when Honey called him, saying the wound in his calf had gotten uglier and he was banned from the majority of the hospitals in the city. At first, Leroy didn’t know why that should’ve been a matter of concern to him, but he ended up showing him at the apartment anyway. When he realized Alec hadn’t learned anything from the previous experience and was already planning the next riot, he felt the burning desire to cauterize him out of spite.

So Leroy cauterized him, with no previous warning. Alec screamed so loud he thought he was going to pass out. But when he was done, Alec thanked him, because, sure, he had nearly fainted thanks to the pain, but the wound was closed and no longer bleeding.

“I won’t get killed.” Alec declared, as if he were some type of almighty god. “But if I do, it will be defending my place and my rights. You say we’re all our own fight. Correct. But, as prodigies, we have to stick together.”

“And why is that, exactly?”

“Because somebody has to fight for us.”

“You want to fight for us.”

“I want us to fight for us.”

At that moment, Honey came into the room, carrying a tray with a steaming cup and a plate with French toast with honey.

“They can’t kill us all.” She said.

“Oh, but they can.”

Before she could answer, Alec spoke again.

“Then how come we’re still here?”

As the hours, days, weeks and months went by, Leroy, beneath all his cynicism and incredulity, realized he cared. And, once he was invested in the cause, he decided he cared enough to believe them.

They couldn’t kill them all, but they could kill some of them. Yet, they would die caring and believing, and defending their legitimate right to having lived in the first place. There were some things they couldn’t take back, but there were others they could stop them from taking away.

Because somebody had to.

And, if nobody wanted to fight for them, then they had to be their own fight.

Leroy had already gone down once, and that was the reason why he was willing to do it again if necessary. There were Alecs out there, who had been born prodigies and judged, mistreated and pointed at because of it; there were Honeys out there, who had suffered from fatidic accidents that had left a mark in them forever; there were Leroys out there, who had been bullied for not being a prodigy, but also for being one.

As long as he was alive, there would be no more Leroys. No more Honeys, either. No more Alecs.

They were their own fight, but they were also each other’s fight.

So, as they marched towards the city, they were carrying tons and tons of weight, even from the pain that didn’t belong to them. Even from pain that had already been silenced.

Silenced like the inert body of a murdered prodigy.

Silenced like the city the moment they saw them come.

Needless to say, they were coming in with previous instructions to show no mercy in case anything went wrong, knowing these people had already been attacked right at the heart of their system (their mayor), but when they saw them walk, they showed no resistance to let them through.

Gatlon City met the Anarchists in a moment that remained suspended into the air, while some of them dispersed to block the entrances and exits, and others stood in the middle of the traffic, creating a human wall that prevented the cars from moving forward.

Traffic lights exploded, as well as display screens, just like the days when authorities were trying to censor a violent riot. Doors became locked, just like the days when citizens were being notified of a group of violent prodigies marching through the city, except this time citizens weren’t the ones locking themselves in. Telephone lines became cut, just like the days when they did that so agonizing prodigies wouldn’t say a last goodbye to their loved ones who lived far away.

They were many. Too many.

And they couldn’t kill them all.

When they realized that, panic started spreading among them.

Queen Bee was still taking the lead, but the lines began to become blurrier and blurrier with every second, as some of the prodigies had to leave the formation in order to silence those who dared to try to oppose.

Gatlon City was a bold, intimidating place, with huge buildings, blinding lights and overwhelmingly wide streets that could swallow you whole if you weren’t careful enough. Yet, it welcomed the Anarchists in a scene that was as surreal as it was fascinating. Out of a sudden, it seemed to shrink before them.

To the elemental prodigies’ hands, the sky started to look as if split in two, fragile and breakable like the green leaves hanging from the trees, which were swaying like Honey’s blonde curls that day at the beach.

It was a public music festival, which they had attended while the Thompsons babysat David, out of pure and classic peer pressure coming from Honey herself.

Leroy showed up late at the beach, after waking up from a seven hour nap (the result of not sleeping at night), given that, despite living together, Honey expressed she hadn’t woken him up because she thought it was only an excuse to stand them out.

Beneath the loud chattering, the live music and the crowding, their presence became as irrelevant as a single grain of sand before it was taken away by a wave, but they still managed to get a decent spot, where they could see the stage from the blanket they were using as seats.

Out of the few bucks they were carrying with them at the moment, they managed to gather enough for a bucket of fish and chips from the food trucks, so they sent Alec to go get it, which left Honey and Leroy alone (though surrounded by people) in the blanket.

It was about time she said something about it, but when she did, Leroy still felt the need to roll his eyes at her until they rolled out of his face.

“You’re the only two people I know who dress like that to come to the beach. It’s honestly embarrassing.”

She was referring to the fact Leroy was wearing jeans, sneakers and a black hoodie, while Alec was wearing jeans as well, and a black T-shirt he had gotten for free at an event in his faculty.

“What are you? A vampire or something?” Upon saying that, Honey got her hands in the cooler and took a can of lime flavored soda from it.

“I don’t like leaving the house without my hoodie.” Leroy responded above the clic and the hissing produced by the carbonation. “It hides my rolls.”

It’s not like Leroy was ashamed of his body. In fact, he didn’t give a damn about it, for he wasn’t one to take care of his physical appearance that much. Nevertheless, having people pointing out defects he already knew he had was annoying and an inconvenience he rather preferred not to go through.

“What are you trying to say to me?” Honey let out a screeching laugh, shaking her head to get her hair off her face, before taking a sip from her soda, very slowly, staring directly into Leroy’s eyes, with an arched eyebrow, not mad, but a little malicious and suggestive.

Whatever she was trying to do, it worked perfectly well, because Leroy could tell the exact part of his sentence where he had gone wrong and dug his own grave. Despite his efforts to conceal it and pretend he didn’t regret saying it, he still felt his face burn a little.

Honey was wearing a two-piece swimsuit that day. A yellow bikini top with white polka dots (“Hope you’re getting a great view because this is the only time you’ll ever see me wearing a bra” “You really are a hippie pothead” “So what?” “Honey Hippie Harper” “Great name, Lery”) and a tight, also yellow with polka dots skirt. The top had a huge white bow tie that fell all the way towards her stomach area, but it’s not like it covered much, and Honey wasn’t exactly the size of a Barbie doll herself (though everybody in Gatlon agreed that, somehow, she still managed to look like one).

Good thing her self-esteem was as high as Everest.

“You’re just jealous I’m so hot it feels like my entire body is catching flames while you look like a poor man’s Dracula.”

“Your lexicon is above the clouds today. Did you teach yourself how to read? And you read Dracula, just by chance?“

“You’re such a comedian. I’m dying. My lungs are aching from laughing so much.” Honey laughed sarcastically, in a flat tone, before taking another sip from her soda. “I had a pretty productive and nurturing self-teaching session yesterday.”

“I see.”

“I did teach myself how to read though, but, just so you know, I read Carmilla and not Dracula, because she came first.”

Being that said, she winked.

By that time, Honey didn’t attend as many feminist movements as before, nor did she lead them, but she still looked pretty invested in her cause and beliefs sometimes, and those were the moments when she looked more like herself.

“The more you know.” Leroy said, between his teeth.

Knowing she had won, Honey didn’t respond anything else on the matter, and reached for her sunglasses instead, putting them on. Then, she kept singing along to the song played by the band, about how the world was going to end soon.

Which was fitting for their current situation.

The entire world wasn’t ending today, but maybe it would, in case they succeeded. Leroy wasn’t the most positive person to have ever stepped on Earth, but, if one thing he knew, was that he was completely able to read and accept facts and get to the truth, and said truth was that Gatlon didn’t have much on its part. A bunch of regular citizens, against a bunch of prodigy citizens, whose mere existence was an advantage over them. And it’s not that Leroy thought prodigies were superior, but, objectively, prodigies could do things normal people couldn’t. That’s what made them prodigies in the first place, and it was part of the reason why they didn’t like them, too.

The terror in their faces made Leroy straighten his back. Above his head, he could already hear the helicopters and planes, both from the press and the government. Still standing in his place, he saw Honey stop. She didn’t hesitate or flinched, but she did stare directly at them. Her lips shimmered, as well as her eyes and the bee hanging from her neck, when the remaining morning sun reached and caressed them. Her expression remained serene, until it wasn’t, and her lips started arching into a sideways smile. With the whole crowd waiting behind her, Queen Bee clicked her tongue and giggled. Then, she waved at the sky, with her eyes grinning as well, behind the mask. Leroy could almost visualize the picture in a History book, in the chapter that talked about the day Gatlon fell.

When he took one step forward, he also saw himself in the frame. Honey, for sure, acknowledged his presence before she continued walking, squeezing his wrist a little, as a reassuring gesture he thought he didn’t need.

With two Anarchists at the lead, the weight of the protest became more evident, but the rest of the recruits were keeping them grounded. Flying prodigies were above their heads, keeping themselves at a prudent distance from the planes and helicopters, becoming an emergency signal for the others. They barked orders, so their companions knew where to aim.

The cocky individuals holding guns while standing in the sideway were attacked from behind and killed on spot. Some others didn’t have it that easy, for they were grabbed by extra arms or tentacles and smothered to death. Others were stabbed by flying pieces of glass or other sharp objects. And the one man who thought he was clever enough met Leroy’s palm, and while he tried not to step on his agonizing body (like Honey did) with a face now looking like a melted candle, he didn’t feel anything when he heard him wail in pain.

In fact, Leroy felt so blinded by adrenaline he couldn’t feel anything at all.

The only thing that managed to make him snap back into reality for a short while, was the warmth that later turned into almost unbearable heat and left them with a lack of oxygen for a short while.

Aracely Thompson, Dome, stepped forward and, with a stomp of her foot, translucent, golden chains rose from the ground, trapping the main Anarchists (plus Jerome and her) in a wide intangible circle, which chains melted into each other once the area was delimited, and turned into a see-through bubble. The ones from the outside could see them, but not hear or touch them, let alone harm them.

Leroy wondered why they hadn’t thought about that before, but he figured they had just thought about how Alec would manage just fine on his own at the back.

Fearless and merciless, they kept on walking the cracking pavement, through the growing chaos, trapped in their bubble with recycled air.

With the traffic suspended, the streets looked empty, as if naked. People had already gotten the message, and they were running like scared roaches, trying to get out of their way. Some were holding their children, some were holding their pets, and others were holding both.

“Where’s Ingrid?” Leroy asked in Honey’s ear, upon seeing a mother run away with her child, who looked around Ingrid’s age.

“At a daycare for single mothers…” Aracely was not a single mother (but she was only married through the eyes of religion. Jerome and her weren’t legally married, and, in theory, her name was still Aracely Brito, but she preferred to be called Thompson, and it was the only last name Ingrid had in her fake birth certificate) “In front of a lawyer firm by Trinity street. So, no matter what happens, don’t touch that building.”

They would have to warn Alec about it, or take Ingrid out before he could reach that daycare.

Some years ago, before Alec arrived to Gatlon, there had been an incident, where a daycare for prodigy children had been destroyed; it wasn’t considered legal, of course, and, through the eyes of the government, it didn’t exist. So, when they contacted the owners to ask them to close it and they refused, one of the gas tanks of the daycare conveniently exploded, resulting in a fire and the death of several prodigy children, which meant that, among a lot of other things, Alec would show no mercy for daycares for regular children. In other words, the entirety of daycares in Gatlon, including the one Ingrid was in.

Alec never forgot, nor did he forgive, and he had a wide knowledge in regards to the crimes Gatlon had committed against prodigies.

They continued on walking through the main street, which led to the main bridge, from which cars were falling like little ants. Nobody truly knew what Alec was planning to do, because he was as pragmatic as he was unpredictable, and the more you hung out with him, the looser the thread your life was hanging from became.

He just said Gatlon would fall.

And when he said something would happen, it usually happened.

Upon reaching the bridge, they were greeted by familiar faces, with familiar uniforms, who maybe thought this would be just another routine intervention. That they would be retouching a line they had already painted some time ago. That they had another chance.

There were uniformed men and women, some in cars, some in tanks, some in patrols, holding their guns and pointing at them, the ones who had made it into the bridge instead of staying in the fight below.

Leroy was starting to suspect a part of them knew it would be useless, because this time they weren’t giving them an option, but, still, in their eyes he could see they were desperate enough to try.

Due to the fact there were so many prodigies stepping on the bridge at once, the ground seemed to be buzzing, as well as the air, and the clouds, and the sky, and the life surrounding them, filled with the distant cries and the echoes of the ones they had lost in the way.

In that moment, when they had already arrived, Leroy drifted away.

He heard the bullets.

Bang, bang, bang.

It was a couple of months ago. They had just taken a government building with brute force, and they had locked it from the inside.

They stayed there for almost a week, until the police finally decided to cease fire and left the area. They had no food apart from some crackers and cheese sticks, they had no water (and no water elementals whatsoever), no electricity and no running water either. If that wasn’t bad enough on its own, some of them were injured or losing blood, and the bullets kept hitting the walls on the outside.

Bang, bang, bang.

Honey had always hated being unclean. Even when she wasn’t in the mood to take care of herself, she kept complaining about how much being dirty disgusted her. Hence, after two days, she sat in a corner and refused to move, until the day they were finally released. Everybody was at the verge of going crazy by then, and so, she decided to stand up and join Alec’s motivational speech about why they were doing this in the first place, in which Leroy was also involved.

Then, when it all went quiet, they just stayed there, with the question “Now what?” floating in the air.

One important part of Alec’s motto as a visionary, was reminding others that prodigies were people too. That they had rights. That they had feelings. That they had needs.

Honey, being herself, started singing Rivers of Babylon out of the blue, and while everybody in the room stared at her like she was crazy at first, suddenly, Alec started harmonizing with her, singing as loud as he did on Sundays, at Mass, dehydrated, hungry and everything.

Leroy just stepped aside, looking in the opposite direction, as if that would make everyone believe he didn’t know those two.

It was useless, because many people had already followed them by the second chorus.

Leroy still remembered the one line he had to drag out of his mouth when Honey placed the lipstick tube she was using as a fake microphone very close to his mouth, and everyone suddenly went silent, waiting for him.

“… When we remembered Zion…”

They went ballistic, almost as if they hadn’t been the ones to take this same building in the most violent way one could think about.

After two or three more cheesy songs that Leroy hated, there was a period of two or three minutes where nobody dared to take a turn in the invisible karaoke, and they realized there was something new there.

Absence.

There were no more bullets.

They were alone.

“I’m not very fond of Miss Harper’s taste in music.” Alec told him later that day, back at his apartment, where they had gone together to check on David and shower. “But it’s exactly what our revolution needs in its darkest times.”

“Because it’s obnoxious and loud?”

“No.” Alec told him, smiling sideways. “Because it’s vibrant. When choosing the head of a revolt, Leroy, everything’s about balance. You are serious, she is vibrant and I am versatile.”

“I thought we were talking about her music taste.”

“Are you implying that a person and their music taste aren’t deeply connected?”

That had been forever ago, compared to now, when the triggers were clicking loudly, and they were staring at their companions from sideways or from above.

Sirens screaming in the distance, along with the citizens. There was pain. There was death. There was blood. There were prodigies.

There was anarchy.

And through the confusion and anxiety, something started moving.

They started moving, at the sides, one by one, to let him through.

Now leading the crowd of Anarchists, stood Alec Artino, Ace Anarchy.

His costume was simple, with the boots, the pants, the navy blue sweater, with the golden A, the gabardine…

And the coppery helmet, made by David himself, shining on his head.

If Leroy didn’t know him well enough, he could’ve sworn he was losing his mind and that his mental health was in an extremely dark place.

Alec used to say David was one of the most powerful prodigies that had ever existed, and that this helmet would be the one thing that changed everything, once and for all. Leroy, who had never finished understanding what David could do, often doubted his words, and, to him, the helmet, if anything, only made him look ridiculous.

But he said Gatlon would fall today, and everyone believed him.

Hard as it was for him to admit it, Leroy did too.

“REMOVE THE HELMET AND IDENTIFY YOURSELF!”

If Honey had been able to speak instead of being completely frozen, she probably would’ve said the man at the front looked, plain and simple, like a cop. Light skin, brown eyes, dark brown hair combed to the side, gun in a trembling hand, afraid of the unknown.

The unknown, meaning Alec standing in front of him, with his hands laced behind his back, and his gabardine flowing with the wind.

“I SAID…!”

“I believe it was clear enough I heard you the first time.” Alec declared, tilting his head to the side. “Isn’t a person entitled to decide what questions they desire to respond to by sorting them according to their level of relevance?”

The man gulped so hard Leroy could almost hear him, and then Alec smirked.

“Can you drop your gun or is it attached to your hand? Because if it is, then I will not bother you again. But if it is not, I am going to need you to put it away so we can have a civilized conversation, like normal people do.”

“You’re… y-you’re not normal. Any of you are! YOU’RE NOT NORMAL, YOU MONSTERS! DROP YOUR WEAPONS, NOW!”

Honey’s bees were starting to present themselves at the scene, flying around her, a little uneasy. Leroy, from his part, felt calm, because this, sadly, wasn’t anything they hadn’t seen before.

“Yeah. That is exactly the problem.”

“STEP BACK!”

Alec refused to obey, and remained firm, right there where he was. Slowly, as if he were trying to mentally torture them, he lifted his right hand up. His fingers were in a very specific position, like he was about to make the sign of the cross on somebody.

It was Alec, meaning that, if he had done that, Leroy wouldn’t have been surprised.

But he didn’t.

Besides, if he had actually been planning to, they didn’t give him time for that, for the very second they saw him move, they shot, and many emergency alarms went off.

The bang was so loud Honey covered her ears, and her bees started trying to shield themselves by hiding behind her, beneath her hair or landing on her skin, never stinging her.

Leroy, from his part, felt his fingertips dripping with acid, preparing himself for the impact.

The impact never came.

Right in front of their eyes, the shower of bullets stops. The smell of gunpowder was still filling the air, and the bullets were still there, as present as ever.

However, they were suspended into the air, and one of them was almost touching Alec’s nose, who just smiled, before saying, in such a low volume Honey and him were the only ones who could hear:

“So be it, then.”

Being that said, he lifted his chin.

The bullets turned around.

Then, they were shot in the opposite direction, at full speed, to Alec’s will.

The man at the front of the formation fell first, followed by many others, with the bullets they had shot themselves, in an attempt to kill them.

They fell, one by one, and soon there were puddles of red on the floor, and other voices barking orders.

Shoot the canyons, they said.

But the canyons fell too.

Bring the bombs, they said.

And Alec waved them away as if they were some type of insignificant thing.

The planes, they said.

And they spun and flew out of control, before falling straight into the water or exploding midair.

Bullets stopped again and killed their shooters.

There was blood.

Tons of blood.

That’s when Leroy felt his heart pounding, upon coming to the maybe horrible realization that never had Alec been so strong.

His powers didn’t act like this.

His telekinesis was a hundred times more powerful.

It was…

It was the helmet

“GET THEM!” He shouted then, snapping Leroy back into reality, making him wonder how much time Alec had waited to say those words out loud.

To use those putrid words, the ones they always used before attempting against prodigies, against them.

If he wanted to be honest, hearing them felt good, but Leroy didn’t react immediately.

First he saw the chaos, when the mass of uniformed men and women melted between the prodigies in costumes, stepping on the dead and the dying, sometimes accidentally.

The massacre began in the rest of the city, as the sky became wilder, the tide started to roar and the screams became the type of symphony one would hear when entering the gates from Hell.

Gatlon City was starting to look red.

But the red wasn’t coming from the prodigies, but caused by them.

“You two stay with me.” Alec commanded, looking both at Honey and him. “I need you to clear the path.”

“Clear the bridge?!”

“Did I make myself understood, Queen Bee?”

Honey flinched the very moment she heard her own alias, and Leroy watched her as she tried to process everything.

“Clear the bridge.” She repeated. “Yes. Clear the…”

Leroy hoped that didn’t include the bodies.

He guessed it didn’t. Alec, after all, didn’t seem to care about that.

“Clear the bridge. Got it.” Leroy nodded.

“Excellent.”

Alec didn’t stare at them, and he didn’t move either, standing in the middle, with his hands into his pockets, and his face held high, feeling the movements all around him, prepared to get rid of any threat as soon as he spotted it.

Honey and Leroy rarely talked about their tactics before putting them into practice, but, just for once, Leroy wanted to do it.

And, of course, it wasn’t possible, because just as Leroy was preparing to grab her by the wrist and drag her aside, she got herself out of his reach.

“Wait! Wait!” she screamed, not because she was desperate, but because she wanted to be heard above the rest of the din.

Fortunately, in an almost surreal scene to watch, her voice caught Alec’s attention, and his green eyes caught hers, listening.

Leroy stared at Honey, both incredulous and speechless.

“A—” She stuttered. “… Acey.”

Acey.

Fucking Acey.

Leroy arched an eyebrow sharply, but Alec nodded, as if approving the nickname or acknowledging she was talking to him.

“I… “

BANG.

An explosion.

A loud, very loud explosion, followed by the smell of smoke and gunpowder. Maybe, if they were at a lower spot, they would’ve smelled the burnt flesh too.

Good thing they weren’t.

That didn’t make Alec less mad, though, for he unnecessarily adjusted his helmet and straightened his back.

“Acey, wait, I…! “

“Maybe not right now, Queen Bee.” He declared, plain and cold, but solemn.

Somehow, Leroy already knew what she wanted to say, and he also knew she would never say it after today, because he knew her well enough.

And maybe he knew him well enough too.

“Later.” He promised, empty.

Then, just like that, sitting in a cross-legged position, Alec levitated, perhaps to have a better view of the city.

Leroy took Honey by the wrist, this time for real.

Alec made the tank shoot in the opposite direction, and then came another explosion.

Back to back, Honey and him waited for the ones who came and tried to attack. Leroy started feeling his own heartbeat in his ears, and his whole body was vibrating, while Honey’s hasty breaths tormented him, trying to convince himself that they were doing fine, and that they were right.

Because they were.

They were just fighting back.

Leroy saw the scene as if he were out of his body.

The two of them, below Alec, but higher than the city, which was in flames; the body to body fights, with a considerable unbalance of power. The Anarchists were annihilating them with not a drop of mercy, nor remorse. The fights were on top of cars. On top of buildings. Through the streets. Pipes were leaking. The sky was roaring and wailing at the same time. Bullets were flying. Cables were hanging. Trees were moving as if made of paper.

Leroy could still feel Honey’s back against his’, and they only separated when they had to meet the officials who were coming into the bridge, before sending them to the top of pile of bodies.

A man came in, and he was a little taller than Leroy, with his head shaved and a bulletproof jacket. He wasn’t holding a gun, but a metallic tube instead. In posture and enraged expression, Leroy could tell he wasn’t a cop. Maybe a veteran, or some dumb fuck who enjoyed hunting season.

First, Leroy got rid of the tube, melting it with his hand, and next thing he knew, he was attacking him, trying to put his whole body weight on him. Leroy resisted and grabbed him first by the wrist and then by the cheeks, which made him wail in pain. Leroy pressed his palms harder against his skin, and it was only then that a swarm of both bees and wasps came in and started devouring the man’s face, gathering together into the burnt cheeks and wrists.

Honey grabbed Leroy by the arm and tried to pull him up, grunting and gasping, until Leroy was lucid enough to help her and got up himself.

At that very moment somebody kicked her back and made her trip forward. Fortunately, Leroy was able to catch her, but his blood started to boil, and, then, he just knew he had gone in a blind assault of rage.

Out of a sudden, he didn’t feel like himself. He could feel his pores dripping, and the acid was so strong he felt his whole body itching; getting into a fight position, he asked Honey to get behind him with a hand motion, which she obeyed, though also in defense mode.

It was a female official this time. Light brown hair tied in a small ponytail and muscular body. Leroy waved his hand, and that was enough to send the acid flying towards her, straight into her eyes and different spots of her skin.

She screamed in pain.

Honey was already fighting another man, but still, Leroy felt the bees surrounding him too, and there was a very specific group that stayed even when Honey moved towards another position, and they buzzed loudly all around him, notifying him when somebody was coming.

“They’re like an alarm.” He recalled Honey saying once, standing in the middle of the kitchen, taking the groceries out of the bags. She was covered in bees, as if they were children asking their mother what she had gotten for then. “They usually see the enemy before I do, so they buzz in their direction. From the outside it looks like I have outstanding reflexes but… Baby, you’re too close to my lashes and it’s giving me the heebie-jeebies, would you mind? Thank you.” A bumblebee flew away from Honey’s eye, to stand above her brow instead.

“What was I saying?” She tapped her chin, making the bees go away for a second. “Ah. Yes. I do have good reflexes, but yeah, it’s usually thanks to them, as well.”

Leroy remained leaned against the door frame, with his arms crossed over his chest.

“So.” She pointed at the counter, now full of groceries. “You’re gonna help me or what?”

Leroy wasn’t scared of bees. He had never been. Not particularly. But when he met Honey, he became immune to them and decided he would never be, either. Sometimes, when he was alone in the apartment and saw a swarm by the door, waiting for Honey to come back, he would even try to talk to them, which was useless and, judging for how they always stung him, they didn’t like it.

Maybe the bees didn’t like him whatsoever, but right here, in the bridge, they were pretending they did, because Honey had asked them to do so.

And yes. Hard as it was for him to admit it, they were useful.

Very useful.

On the other hand, it also made him feel dumb, because he didn’t know how desperate you had to be for your powers to respond to you through another prodigy.

Leroy was stabbed during one of the (very violent) riots. It wasn’t by a cop, but by a regular, non-prodigy civilian instead. It was a deep cut, and Alec got so mad he ordered to kill as many as they had to until they found the one who had done it. While Hell was breaking loose, Honey dragged him like a human crutch towards the park, hiding him behind the bushes.

“Don’t fall asleep or move unless you really need to, and don’t try to cauterize yourself because that shit hurts and you might pass out. Wait for Rina. I’ll send her to you.” Rina was a healing prodigy, and by the time Honey was saying that, she had already been killed, so they ended up sending Gwen instead. “You understand? Now it’s not the time to be the stubborn piece of shit you usually are. That’s not how we’re rolling. You understand?”

Leroy understood, but he didn’t answer. Not directly. Instead, he reached for the small blade he always carried in his pocket and, before he handed it to Honey, he tried to release his power in it.

She stared before grabbing it.

“Don’t let go, Leroy.” She asked, whispering, as she placed the blade in her own pocket. “For all you care, don’t let go.”

And when Honey’s skin touched it without her screaming in pain, he thought maybe it hadn’t worked at all, but a few days later, when Alec came to the apartment and tried to remove it from the dining table (because David was there too and he liked to touch everything), it hurt his palm.

The blade had become poisoned, and it burned everyone except for Honey and himself.

She still had it to this day, and right there, fighting in the bridge, he witnessed the exact moment when she took it out, while he stood behind her, with her bees, that she had lent him.

The sudden war seemed to have gone on forever when Leroy felt the breeze at his feet, produced by Alec’s body cutting through the air. He looked like a ghost. A very tangible and imposing ghost, who stood like a stone looking at the destruction he had caused himself, with his arms behind his back and his eyes closed.

Honey and Leroy came to his encounter, with the “Now what?” floating above their heads, like that time Honey and him had harmonized to Rivers of Babylon.

With sweat rolling down his face through the helmet and mask, Alec smiled sideways, and held his hand towards them, with his eyes showing a mild fuchsia tonality. None of the two, needless to say, knew how to react to that at first, but Honey believed him enough to try, and she wrapped her hand around his’, like a shell protecting a pearl.

And Leroy believed Honey enough to try, and wrapped his hand around hers’, like he was the sand or the water protecting the shell that protected the pearl.

And there they were.

The three of them.

Like the day Leroy met them for the first time. Like the days they travelled together, hiding from the police or not. Like all the days Alec forced them to go to Mass. Like the days they had to sleep under poor conditions, in motels or abandoned buildings, and Alec and him woke up with back pain because Honey always had to have the most comfortable place they managed to get. Like the days one of them was so injured they didn’t know he or she would wake up the next morning, and so they started praying they would.

Repressed memories started coming back, and Leroy managed to dodge every single one of them, although a part of him didn’t want to.

Then Alec stared at them. They were very close together, with their foreheads touching, while the three interlocked hands remained in the middle.

“Courage comes from the same place as fear.” Alec reminded them.

“And the day we decide to burn, they will all come with us. “ Ace Anarchy said.

And then, he lifted.

Honey was the last one to let go of him.

Next, he was gone.

Ace Anarchy stood above it all, like the burning sun, with both his arms extended to his sides, towards the emptiness, and, at the same time, towards the everything.

Leroy took Honey by the arms, putting her aside, as they stared. Maybe in awe. Maybe in fear.

Ace Anarchy looked up at the sky, then at the front again.

All the guns were pointing at him. All the lives were hanging by the thread he was using to sew his way in, and also his way out.

The Earth trembled in fear, and then it shook in pain.

Honey screeched, shoving her nails into Leroy’s arm to recover her balance, though Leroy was also on the verge of falling.

They tried to hold the other up. To force each other to remain standing.

Gatlon City left the ground, light as a feather. The buildings fell, the bridge started to crack, the sea escaped from the place it belonged to, people screamed, screamed, screamed.

Everything was in flames.

The light became brighter.

The wails became louder.

Time became slower.

Time became torture.

Time became endless.

And Gatlon City remained suspended into the air, shattering into little pieces, leaving a trace of blood and flesh.

Then, just like that, it fell.

Gatlon City fell, like a sinking boat.

Like it was nothing.

Like it was made of paper.

And it fell.

And, just like Ace Anarchy prophesied, they all fell with it. And with him.

#renegades trilogy #marissa meyer #Dawnie Writes #Leroy Flinn #Cyanide #Honey Harper #Queen Bee #Alec Artino #Ace Anarchy #Im not an ace apologist #not even a honey apologist #even though i love them i also want them to choke and die bc thats what they deserve #does that mean im only and exclusively a Leroy apologist? yes #yes absolutely #hes my grandpa #Las crónicas de gatlon #el viejo rancio la patrona y el 100tifiko #theres two mexican references here because mexico is so wild i base Ace's movement upon it lmao #TW: VIOLENCE

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2ndblogg · 4 years

Note

Hey! Just read your hot take on novel!wangxian and I absolutely agree. I'm gonna have to say here that I believe it boils down to the fetishization of homosexual men in a lot of the fandom culture that surrounds mlm shipping, as you said it's a space for a lot of women to experiment with their desires and whatnot, but I think therein lies the breaking points between reading novel!wangxian as a good, healthy relationship vs. reading it as a very flawed and toxic one. As an LGBT person, reading the way the author dealt with their relationship made me extremely uncomfortable, it just really feels like something that is written by someone who is more invested in using her queer characters for satisfying her and her reader's own pleasure than a well-built, strong relationship between two characters. Not to take away from the novel in some other aspects, I believe that novel!wwx is a much better, much more nuanced character than what he is in cql, but when it comes to wangxian, I think the intentions are very different for each of them. To each their own, I guess, but I do find it very troubling that some people in the fandom have a really hard time admitting that novel wangxian is not even remotely healthy.

Absolutely.

And can I just say how glad it makes me to see that not everyone is praising this book for it’s lgbt representation...

But I guess that’s also why I just occasionally feel the need to scream my frustrations into the void or try to make sense of the novel.

And why I try to be understanding and accepting of people’s opinion of the novel and not take it ‘personally’ (in the sense of sitting there thinking “holy shit this is how they view ME, this is what they think of ME” etc).

I was in fandoms back when they were really a place dominated by straight (homophobic) women and realism or lgbt representation wasn’t on anyone’s mind (and the occasional dude butting in to say that’s not how sex works or bottoming is experienced was ignored or told to get out). I experienced this change to fandoms being more of a lgbt space, of people becoming aware that media can shape your views of groups of people, of people becoming aware of their fetishizing of fictional gays vs. their prejudice against real life lgbt people etc.

And tbh MXTX just writes like one of those, she writes wangxian like everyone wrote their gay relationships around 2005 and earlier; clear power imbalance, clear roles and attributes that are divided into ‘manly’ and ‘feminine’, certain physical attributes (like the female self insert character aka the bottom being pretty and slight and weaker and shorter), men/the penetrating partner can’t really be raped so anything the woman/bottom tries isn’t really ‘bad’, the male love interest is forceful and self centered but ONLY because he’s so in love and since he’s emotionally stunted he has to express that through sex, men/tops NEED sex and it’s rude/mean to deny them that, the girl/bottom isn’t THAT horny or in charge of their own sexuality but wants to please their partner and what they really get out of it is the emotional aspect, decisions need to be made for them because the dude/top just knows better, the girl/bottom is childish and flirty and the guy/top suffers through it until he finally snaps and shows the girl/bottom who'sboss etc etc. (honestly homophobia and misogyny is so tightly knit in this kind of fiction, if it wasn’t so frustrating it would be very interesting).

Tbh I disagree with novel!wwx being more nuanced (despite a lot of ppl whose opinions I really respect also feeling this way), because I simply cannot seperate him from the wangxian relationship. All I see are tropes and stereotypes applied to make him ‘work’ in the context of the wangxian relationship instead of an actual personality...

To me, in CQL WWX is clearly the main character and you love his interactions with LWJ and want more of them and value them, wheras in the novel most of the time WWX plays second fiddle even when a scene should technically be about him and LWJ’s presence is incredibly suffocating, because he’s always being controlling or at the very least influencing WWX.

I also don’t feel like WWX has much of a character arc/growth. We’re essentially told he had one but the only thing that really actually changes is him hating himself a bit more and letting LWJ smash..., and I guess: he’s less independent than ever, he’s more isolated that ever...

I’ve called novel!wangxian a relationship between an abuser and his victim, because you can find evidence of that in the text. Not because I think the author wanted to portray an unhealthy gay relationship. Like you said, she was fetishizing and wrote for a similar crowd. But to me that ‘realization’ helped...I still don’t see how people can call it a masterpiece but I can at least understand hyping something you like up...

And like, badly written gay relationship or not; gay/straight,man/women, I see how people can find it hot. Exploring your sexuality through fictional characters isn’t necessarily a strictly straight girl phenomena. I probably have read fic that was exactly like this, I can’t judge anyone for it. But no one prints out the last PWP they read and goes, “this is ideal lgbt representation and nothing will ever be this good, the fact that it includes rape makes it so realistic” like????

(Is that part or an effect of the woke and purety culture? you can’t say ‘i like this book but it has flaws’ or ‘i’ve enjoyed this but it’s not up the feminism or lgbt acceptance that i preach/live’ so you have to pretend it’s flawless?)

And like, I do think novel!wangxian is a nightmare when it comes to lgbt representation and I do believe this is largely due to a cishet woman writing about gay men and fetishizing them (the fact that a lot of peoples arguments why novel!wangxian ‘is better’ boils down to ‘there’s kissing and sex’ is also pretty telling). And I am frightend and worried by some peoples response to it.

But is it really fair to see it as just that? It’s a problem sure, but that same thing happens in straight media (which I am admittedly not well versed in). Stephanie Meyer didn’t set out to write Edward Cullen to be a creep and non of the teenage girls that went crazy over him viewed it as such...Reylo fans (aside from some of them proclaiming Finn to be the real villain and saying it’s racist and misogynistic to not find Kylo Ren hot) found a way to view him threatening her as romantic and sexy, Loki fans that didn’t ship him with Thor usually fell into the camp of “he would be a perfect boyfriend” or “what if this OFC was his slave and he raped her everyday <3″... like ignoring/glorifying/romanticizing behaviours or exploring what kinks you might have through the safety of fictional characters and fictional settings isn’t JUST happening when it comes to ‘the gays’...

And not just specifically in fandom spaces either, a lot of ‘romantic’ movies include inappropriate touching, the boy/guy knowing better than the girl what she wants etc. And I absolutely do believe that that’s something that normalized these things for a lot of young girls and guys (I don’t want to get into this too much, I’ve really seen a change in the past few years, but before that it was pretty common for young boys to believe they need to keep pursuing and pressuring a girl that has said no, girls truly thought boys could die of blue balls, girls thought it was their duty as good girlfriends to let their boyfriends fuck them even when they weren’t in the mood, that they couldn’t talk about what they want in bed or what they don’t find enjoyable because ‘sex is for boys and girls get a relationship in exchange’ etc.).

And in much the same way movies have only relatively recently begun being called out for that, it’s also still pretty recently that they’re being called out for having their one queer coded character be a pedophile and a murder or whatever...Like, society as a whole becoming aware of these issues.

But do authors that publish their work with a specific target audience in mind have a responsibility to think about the effect it might have on them? (And I can already hear loud screams of ‘no way, it’s not your fault if your audience isn’t smart enough to understand that this bad thing is bad’, but I actually do believe in a way they do. That doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t write whatever you want, just maybe take a look at HOW you bring your point across. (We do KNOW people are influenced by what propaganda they’re consistantly fed. I mean, you wouldn’t write a pro-drugs childrens book...) )

What if the author isn’t aware of their bias and prejudices? Or their target audience isn’t their actual audience?

And do we, society and media, judge female and male authors differently when it comes to romance and sex in fiction? (The answer is yes btw) But also, where do we draw the line at calling something ‘badly written’ and calling it toxic? Can it be both? As I’ve said before, a lot of people claim that only the physical intimacy scenes of novel!wangxian are bad, because they’re badly written and OOC, some say the book as amazingly written and only the wangxian relationship is bad because the author doesn’t know how to write gay men. In my ‘hot take’ I essentially said that’s not necessarily bad writing so much as it’s simply an (okay, unintentional) toxic relationship. And would this relationship still come across as toxic (or badly written, whichever you want) if we didn’t know the author to be a cishet woman? Or if a gay man had written it? (my personal, eloquent answer for this is: yes, but differently.)

Which was really all just a rambly way to get to my point of: it’s not just fetishizing of gay men, it’s also the homophobia and self-inserting in a safe situation.

You can literally replace WWX in the novel with a female character and it wouldn’t change a thing. The author takes such an effort into building up this power imbalance in every aspect of their life that if WWX were a heroine nothing would change in this (sexist/ancient society) setting.

(And clearly this is something that appeals to people if you look at the amount of female!WWX fics...)

Not even the sex scenes. There are maybe two allusions in all of them combined that WWX might also have a dick but like, you can’t be sure and it sure as hell doesn’t need stimulation.

(and again, that could be written as a kink...but it’s just not.)

CQL is a gay love story. MDZS at it’s core is none of that.

But I also very much agree with your ‘to each their own’, like here I am criticizing and trying to find explanations and whatever, but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter why someone might like (or write) a book like this, I vastly prefer CQL!wangxian but people have their own reasons for not doing so.

The ‘problem’ really only lies in, as you said, people not being able to accept that it’s not a healthy relationship. Or claiming it to be perfect lgbt rep.

And because my brain can’t shut up today:

I also can’t stop thinking that the way some people ‘glorify’ the book as due to their age and ‘inexperience’.

When I was a pretty young kid and got into fanfiction, there was nothing but completely OOC!whump to be found in the first two fandoms I was in. And I loved it. It was YEARS later that I thought I might like to read something with the characters being...in character. What I’m trying to say, in different stages and phases of your life you might enjoy different things, for different reasons...and obviously, in that moment, you won’t think about ‘what appeals to me here/should this appeal to me/etc’.

I don’t mean inexperience as ‘sexual inexperience’ here, though of course that could be part of it, but also like, inexperience with this genre (is this the first book like this you read, or did you just read 50 in a row that all had the same unhealthy vibes?), with lgbt people and issues (do you know any lgbt people or is your only image of them either the cute boy you can’t have and don’t want to see with another girl or grown men in full kink gear in front of children during CSD? and also: do you think ‘i like this’ and that’s the end of it or do you notice how many people idolize this objectively unhealthy relationship and won’t allow critique on it...)

I...just wanted to say thanks really.

I just can’t stop rambling apparently and I know I mostly just repeated what you said or what I already said but in longer... I just really do feel very strongly about novel!wangxian and the perception of them and have actually at times felt very personally...worried/affected, by people’s acceptance and love of them and I just... have to try and make sense of it...

#i'll be honest rambling like this is very therapeutic and I'm glad some of you read the last one and send asks and agreed #and it's why i'll (try to) put this in the tags too...i like discussions but seeing ppl NOT going 'it's true love/perfect rep' love that #mdzs #mdzs meta #mxtx critical #i guess

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acrobaticcatfeline · 4 years

Text

Of Books, Brothers, and Broadway (Creativitwins College AU) Chapter Three!!!

Word Count: 6875

TW: Remus, Janus, cursing, ocean critters, think that’s it

Pairings: dukeceit, logince, I think mentioned moxiety, familial creativitwins, platonic everyone else with everyone else, a nice bit of parental Remus and Thomas.

Notes: It gets gay!!!!! Finally!!!! Also skirts!!!! We learn more about Thomas, who is baby TBH hes just like, Remus good boy and I agree. these two have a very close mentorship, Remus has been there for for several years and Thomas has pretty much adopted him. They have one of my favorite dynamics in this. A lot of angst comes shortly after this so enjoy the soft gays while you can.

Summary: Remus is gay and smitten. Roman is as well. The two battle to woo their brothers best friend and both succeed. Soft boys going on dates and being in love. Remus rants a bit.

By the time that they all finish dinner, Remus is more than a little excited to show Janus his lizard friends. Janus is so nice and cute and he has an interest in reptiles, and the book he wrote for the musical in progress, and god he's in love. Roman gives him permission to run off without him while he and Patton engage in ‘civilized’ conversation. So he shows Janus his room, and heck he's bringing a cute boy into his room god this is filthy, disgusting worse than the worst most cuddly pornos that he's ever sat through, this is intimate and Remus feels like his blood is going to boil. He smiles instead though, because Janus is squealing and bouncing and looking at all the little guys in the tanks and he so desperately looks like he wants to hold one but he bounces in place while sounding like a balloon with a leak.

“You want to hold one?”

“More than anything!”

Remus walks over to the tank and tries to pull out a small gecko, but his only snake slithers out and coils his arm before he could. He laughs at it, petting its little head softly and he's almost knocked unconscious by the pure joy on Janus’ face. His eyes are damn near sparkling, his bouncing has stilled as his jaw dropped.

“This little guy is a Kenyan sand boa, he's actually the only scaly friend I've ever gotten from a rescue, the rest of these guys are just local pals. His name is Amadeus. Wanna hold him?”

“Yessssssss!!!!”

Remus guided Amadeus to slither up Janus’ arm. He ended iup coiling around his neck loosely and Remus could see the effort Janus was exerting to not get too excited. He petted the snake gently, stars in his eyes as the snake seemed to lick him.

“I love him!”

“He seems to like you too”

“I’m sorry I’m being so childish heh, I just, I lose my composure with animals I guess. And theater. I suck at keeping up this uh, facade I guess I can call it”

“Why would you? You're cute like this”

Janus froze and Remus nearly backpedaled on his words before Janus broke out in a huge blush with a matching grin. He swept the bangs that were sticking out from his beanie to the side of his face as he looked back at Remus.

“Do you want to go get coffee at some point? I mean uh, we can, we can talk about the musical some more and uh, maybe I can convince you to strike up a deal of some sort?”

Remus blinked and smiled back at him. He pulled out his phone and looked at something before changing it and handing it over to jay.

“I've got a class tomorrow and then work, and I'm bringing home an octopus so I probably can't do coffee tomorrow, but how does dinner sound?”

Janus took the phone and saw a new contact page pulled up. He smiled as he entered the information and sent a standard text and handed it back.

“That sounds even better! I'm free after 4 tomorrow!”

“How does 7 sound? I'm technically back at 5:30 but I want to be here for a bit in case shit goes sideways with Cephy”

“Sounds like a date! Er, um, a plan! Sounds like... a plan..!”

“God you're gonna have to stop being so adorable before I turn myself in to the police preemptively. Anyways, Roman might be getting annoyed from having you stolen for so long, so hows about we put back Dee and pick up this convo later?”

“Great idea!”

By the time that they leave the room, Patton is ready to leave, and as jay was his ride, he had to leave as well. The four said their goodbyes, and when he thought Roman wasn't looking, Janus mimed a little ‘call me’ motion to Remus and he nearly melted as the two left. Remus flopped onto the couch, and subsequently Roman, when the door closed with a sigh.

“You've already stolen him haven't you?”

“Were going to dinner tomorrow”

“Of course you are. I'm going to have to help you get ready aren't i?”

“Yup. and I'll make dinner on Saturday and Sunday as a thank you”

“And as payment for skimping on your original day”

“Yeah sure”

Remus wasn’t panicking, of course not, he was totally chill. It's just that he was bringing home an octopus at the end of his shift and then he was going on a date with a cute boy and he just wasn't used to so much happening in one day. He refocused however. He was wearing his lab coat and was sitting next to the institute's recreation of the coastal ocean with pen and paper in hand. He was recording some behaviors in the dolphin they just got, and its differences in behavior compared to their other inhabitants. It was moving slower, and did not seem to like getting close to the walls. He had many questions as he continued to note its peculiarities. Thomas walked in and squatted next to him with a smile.

“You have your inquisitive look on, whats up kid?”

Remus continued to watch the dolphin intently.

“Why is she so scared of the walls?”

“Oh, she was abused by her human caretakers, she's afraid of us still. She also doesn't like our feeding rods, or when we get in to do maintenance. She's just people shy, which isn't too terrible for her or us for the time being. She hasn't lashed out, and it's only a mild inconvenience during feeding times. The longer she's here with the others, the easier it will be, animals are great at encouraging trust in others, its key for survival. But isn't she just so beautiful?”

“Definitely! Hey, weird question, do you ever get transfers from different parts of the world?”

“Sometimes, not often though, they only transfer out of country or state if its a true emergency for the most part, and we aren't really in the hierarchy for those things”

“Hmm. I really want to see an amazon river dolphin. They're so fricken cool!”

“Well, if that's something you want to see about, and you're serious about it, I have some connections with the dolphin research center as well as Clearwater, and I think they both have some that were serious rescue cases. I might be able to set you up for a summer stint if you want?”

“Oh no, no that's fine I just, it's just one of the things that made me want to pursue marine biology. It was an episode of Go Diego Go if you can believe that. They were just, so magical, and I learned more about the ocean and like, the ocean is filled with magic that we don't even know about, and it's just, I dunno. Its a bucket list thing I guess”

“Fair. mine was jellyfish and sea turtles. Finding Nemo”

Remus chuckled at the image of the doctor as a child getting starry eyed at Finding Nemo. He nodded distantly and Thomas fully sat, giving Remus a nudge on the arm.

“What's eating at you kid? You're acting distant today, is something up?”

Remus finally looks at Dr. Sanders at this, a little shocked and confused. He looks back at the water and curls his legs up close to him and lays his head on them.

“A lot is happening and I’m scared I’m going to mess something up”

“Talk to me Re”

“Well, ok so my brother is real into theater, always has been, and he asked me when we were younger to write a musical with him. And, and it's fun, don't get me wrong, but I hate hate hate showing people my writing. And now I'm showing him it regularly, on top of my writing assignments for my creative writing minor. And like, I don't know how to feel about it. But like, it's not just that. Like, I'm a full time worker here now, not an intern, but I'm not even working full time hours, and I feel like I have to prove to you and everyone else that it was worth it but I don’t have the time to put in more hours and it makes me feel so guilty because you're losing money by upping my pay and I don't know, I feel like I'm not doing enough but I know I can't do any more. And then! I'm getting Cephy and like, I know she's gonna be a lot of work, and I'm so ok with that but I’m worried I’m gonna mess up and hurt her or something! And I've got a date with a cute guy tonight and he's my brother's friend and he's so cute and we mesh so well, but I could ruin it, like I always ruin my relationships, and then what if he holds it against Roman? He’ll hate me forever and I don't know what I would do if I lost my brother too, I drive him crazy but I know he still loves me but it makes me want to die thinking about how conditional it could be, even though he's never shown me that that would ever happen it still eats at me and god I'm a mess. God I talked too much I’m sorry boss, I'll shut up now, you didn't need to hear all of that”

Thomas hides the shock and concern on his face, choosing to nod as he rubs a gentle circle in Remus’ back. The two were very very close, they were basically family at this point, Thomas having chosen to be his mentor the moment he met him. He waits a moment to choose his words before speaking.

“I can't pretend that I totally understand your problems, but I'm aware that that isn't what you're looking for. So lets start with something easy. Cephy will not get hurt with you. There is not a single doubt in my mind that you won't be able to, while you were the only applicant, if we didn't know you were responsible enough to care for her with complete certainty and confidence, we would have sent her home with one of our older scientists. This was a long discussion and I know that you will do exactly what you have to to keep her safe. Two, you were not promoted because we needed you to work more. As I've said since you've started here, your studies come first. You were promoted because you did amazing work with what little you are allowed to do as an intern, and we could see that you would do even better with less restrictions. This was meant to give you the ability to learn more and aid in your work ethic. We don't need you to spread yourself too thin so you can work more, we have enough people for you to only work part time”

Remus nodded, he was trying to believe him, he really was, but his head kept turning them around with what ifs. He stayed silent as Thomas paused again.

“Your writing is personal, creative work always is, it is a bearing of your soul and its reasonable to be hesitant in sharing it. Even more so when it's to an overly creative person. But if I know anything about your brother, it's that he is a kind and uncritical person. You don't seem to have any reason to distrust him with it. I know that sometimes your head makes you nervous and casts doubt over others intentions, but it isn't healthy for you to be unable to trust even someone as close as your brother. And, if you let him know your feelings on it all, I'm sure he would be willing to work on it with you. This ties in with the other bit. If you have no reason to believe that something like a break up would cause your brother to hate you, then it's likely not the case. Trust that he values his relationship with you enough to endure the small likelihood of a break up between you and his friend. His friend is a bit of a wild card to you right now but just, give it a shot. It might go better than you can imagine”

Remus felt like he was about to cry. He pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes and took deep breaths. He pulled his hands away and looked at Thomas as he leaned slowly into a hug with the older man. Thomas smiled and wrapped his arms around the other and they sat there a moment in silence.

“Thank you Dr. Sanders”

“This is an emotional moment, call me Thomas”

“... thank you Thomas”

Remus had calmed down and felt far better after his conversation with Thomas, he was pretty zen as he drove home with Cephy on his passenger side. He parked outside he and Roman’s house and dialed Roman’s number. Roman picked up on the second ring.

“You back?”

“Yup. can you get the door for me, I don't want to set Ceph down on the ground”

“On it”

Remus got out of his car, opening the passenger door and lifting the rather small tank carefully in his arms. He felt bad for her getting stuck in such a small carrier tank. He got to the door and saw Roman in the doorway. Roman held out his arms.

“I imagine if I hold the tank I won't have to transfer her into the big one? So hand her over.

Remus chuckled and did so. He slid past then, opening the door to his room and lifting the cover on the big tank. He pulled on plastic gloves and did the same to the carrier. He laughed as Cephy’s arms immediately swung over the side of it. Roman nearly screamed and dropped the thing when one of her tentacles stuck onto him. Luckily he just hummed loudly and squeezed his eyes shut. Remus carefully picked Ceph up, placing her oh so delicately on the little rock shelf near the top before he released her and she dove to the depths of it quickly, swimming around happily, likely glad to have room again. Roman rushed to the bathroom, shouting as he went.

“REMUS CAN I DUMP THIS???”

“GO AHEAD! IF SHE NEEDS TO TRANSFER AGAIN I’LL JUST PUT HER IN IT WHEN ITS EMPTY, SHE CAN SURVIVE OUT OF WATER FOR A BIT”

“WHY IS SHE SO FUCKING SLIMY???”

“SHE'S AN OCTOPUS WHAT DID YOU EXPECT???”

Remus pulled off the gloves and tossed them, placing the tank lid on again before going back to the car to get the rest of her supplies. When he finished unloading, Roman was back out of the bathroom with the tank now placed under the other one in the living room. His hair, which was about shoulder length, was tied up in a hair tie, his bangs pinned up and he was wearing a black crop top with golden print of a crown and shorts. He had a makeup bag in one hand and a hair brush in the other. He had the most sinister smirk on his face.

“K, go take a shower and change into shitty clothes so we can try some faces. Go on! Its 5:45 and I need an hour to get you in order”

Remus opened his mouth and shut it, knowing that Roman was right. He sulked to his room, grabbing some pjs and heading to the bathroom.

“Roman I’m going to look like a clown with all this makeup, why are we even doing this?”

“Because you want to look nice, and you'll look better if you do a little bit of makeup to accentuate your features. And also because you suck at shaving so I'm hiding the welts you gave yourself. He won't want to kiss you if you look like you've been eating out a beehive. Now sit still! We still have to choose your outfit and deal with your hair!”

Remus did as told, pouting as he did so. Roman finally, finally put down the makeup brush. He pulled up a mirror and Remus gasped at his reflection. His face looked clear and smooth, and his cheeks had color. But his eyes were stunning. They were black on the lid, but it faded into a sparkly green shade and gosh Remus loved it.

“I’ll put some lipstick on you when you're done changing. Don’t want to accidentally stain anything”

“Ro I love it!!!!”

“Good. ok clothes next. Where are you guys going?”

Remus blinked and felt himself flush and Roman rolled his eyes. He walked into Remus’ closet with a sigh.

“Typical. Ugh, men. Jay likes anything, he's pretty basic on that, I'd say go to olive garden. Mid Range price but nice aesthetic. Plus he eats bread sticks like an actual snake. He’ll love it. Maybe plan your next date a little more though”

Remus nodded, eternally grateful for the suggestion. He followed Roman as he flipped through his clothes. Roman sighed again.

“You're so lucky I saw his outfit and know it isn't too regal, otherwise I would make you push it to later and buy you new clothes. Here, how about this?”

He pulled out his skull shirt, some ripped jeans, his leather jacket, and his fingerless gloves. Remus smiled.

“He's not against punk?”

“Of fucking course not, did you not see his outfit yesterday? He's a baby pastel punk. He thought you looked good yesterday, he’ll think you’re the sexiest mother fucker tonight if I do this right so get changed”

Remus did so, not caring enough to be modest as he changed in front of his brother. They'd seen each other in less, it didn't matter. He grabbed some socks as well for the outfit, pulling them up before tugging on his jeans. He carefully pulled his shirt over his head, keeping it from hitting his face. He was swinging his arms through his jacket when Roman grabbed his arm and dragged him back to the proper part of his room. He sat down and Roman ruffled his hair before grabbing his hairbrush.

“Ok so we’re making this look decent. Ok so you’ve got the fucking fade done, so how about the nice swoop?”

“I have no idea what language you're speaking”

“Okay it was a rhetorical question anyways. Lemme grab my gel”

Roman poured a decent heap of gel into his hands, rubbing them together before raking them through Remus’ hair. He then took his comb and moved his hair all over to the right. He pulled a few strands free to fall in his face then pulled away and smiled as he wiped the excess gel off with some wipes. He gestured to the mirror next to Remus and once he looked at it, Remus was once again astounded.

“Roman what the fuck kind of sorcery?”

“I'm a theatre major, I dabble in makeup and hair”

“Dabble???”

“Oh honey you should see Patton at work”

“Roman, grab my docs”

“Which ones?”

Remus knew that while a valid question, it was also meant to tease and he narrowed his eyes at him. He pointed at the ones still on his shelf that had skulls. He rarely wore them, and was ecstatic at having the chance to. Roman brought them to him and he slipped them on with practiced ease.

“I think you owe me for this”

“If I give you Logan's number will we be even?”

Roman sputtered and blushed but nodded shyly. Remus grinned. He texted Logan to get his ok, which he got instantly, then sent the number to Roman.

“There you go! Now, I have a date to get to!”

“You have his address?”

“Of course not”

“You fucking spoon. I’ll text it to you”

“At least I’m not gaysexual”

“What the absolute fuck did you just say?”

“Spoonsexual?”

“Leave before I break your fucking neck”

“Fair, have a nice day”

Remus pulled up to Janus’ dorm room expecting many things. None of which he got. Janus was dressed in a black crop top with a turtleneck, a high waisted pastel yellow skirt that reached his mid thighs, and soft yellow thigh high socks. He was wearing bright yellow converse and had a golden flower headband. Remus thinks he might’ve died and gone to heaven. When Janus gets in his car he finally tears his eyes away as he goes to start driving again.

“You look nice Jan”

“As do you”

Remus avoids speaking, hoping that Janus will start talking and getting more anxious as he doesn't. Janus is playing with his skirt wait, his? Is his still a thing?

“Might I ask if you're still using he him pronouns?”

Janus looks up suddenly and smiles as a blush forms on their? Face.

“Oh, yeah, he/him all around, they them is good as well, but yeah”

“Ok cool”

“...I’m sorry I’m being so awkward, I'm a little on edge”

“Want to talk about it?”

“Not in the slightest actually. Um, where are we going?”

“My two brain cells fucked off and didn't think of that until about an hour ago, but Roman told me you liked olive garden so we’re going to olive garden”

Janus giggled and god if Remus wasn’t already gay, he wouldve been the ambassador of queerland to hear that again. He smiled and sent him a quick look, feeling his cheeks darken as he saw Janus looking at him.

“That sounds great! So um, how's the musical going?”

“Hm? Oh, it's going well. Uh, sort of. I've gotten a bit stuck on the script, and Roman’s hit a roadblock in the songs. I'm a little uh, let's say bad, at writing things like this. It's uh, it's far more tame than my usual stuff, but Roman isn't one for my more graphic shit, you know how it is. He's all unicorns and rainbows and im blood and porn, so writing something he would like is tricky to say the least. It's far easier to just translate all my night terrors and intrusive thoughts to paper than to actually be creative”

“Well, your night terrors and intrusive thoughts may be you know, normal or whatever to you, but I'm sure your writings about them are just as good! Creativity takes many forms and seeks different inspiration! I would love to see more of your writing, if it's ok with you?”

“Oh, no they're, they're shitty, you don't want to see them. They're about eldritch monsters and serial killers and they're really bad, I don't want to subject you to that”

“Nonsense! Like I said, I'm sure they’re amazing! But if you're uncomfortable showing me, then that's ok too”

Remus shuts up, avoiding the end of this conversation. Except he digs absently in the back seat and pulls out a notebook, handing it to Janus.

“It's filled with them. It's my last notebook, I suggest you just borrow it and not try and read them over dinner. Some of them make me a little sick to read. But uh, yeah. Go ahead”

Janus looks at it, the little doodles that are sprawled over the cover, and then looks at Remus with his eyes filled with stars. And Remus almost crashes, he’ll admit it, but that is a look that no one has ever given him before and he might actually die this time. They're at olive garden though, so he gets out and rushes to the other side to open the door for Janus who giggles again.

“So where'd you come up with the idea for the musical?”

Remus looked up from his food at Janus. Janus had his hands pressed together and he looked insatiable for answers. He smiled, licking his lips before explaining.

“When me and Roman were kids one of our favorite movies was the nutcracker. Around the same time that he said he wanted to write a musical, our uncle took us to the ballet of the Nutcracker live, it was our Christmas present from him. It was, well it was magical. So that was part of it. But like, as a kid I always loved reading. I found that I had loved some characters more than I had loved anyone outside my family. I had crushes throughout my life, but none of them really worked out, so I ran back to stories, it gave me something permanent and I dunno, I had a recurring dream where I would wake up and the hero or villain of my favorite books would be there and would love me. It's uh, it's a bit pathetic now that I say it out loud”

“No! Its, cute”

Janus was leaning on his hand as he stared and listened to Remus, moving to be more attentive in his posture, both arms on the table, with an insistent look on his face at Remus’ last words.

“It's not pathetic to want to be loved! It's hard to feel like you aren’t. I used theater as my escape from my shitty situation, and now I'm in college spending more money than I will ever use on anything else to pursue my escape as my reality. Sometimes it seems silly, but it makes me happy, so it's not useless. I mean, what other group would look at some guy with scars enough to play Deadpool who wears frilly skirts for fun and accept him? Definitely not any group from my home”

Remus frowns a bit.

“Anyone with half a brain”

Janus smiles at him.

Remus was dropping Janus off. He did not want to be dropping him off, he wanted to be taking him home and talking mindlessly for hours about nothing and everything, but Janus had to go, he had a shift in the morning. And Remus did as well, but all he could think of was how wonderful the night had been, and he didn't want it to end. They were standing outside, had been for a while, both of them trying to drag this out. Janus shivered and Remus immediately toar off his jacket and wrapped it around his shoulders. Janus was blushing again.

“You don't have to do that, I'm right outside my door!”

“Yeah, but this way I have an excuse to see you again”

Janus smiled and shuffled slightly. He mumbled something incoherent and Remus’ eyebrow rose.

“What was that?”

“I would really like to kiss you, if that's alright?”

Remus felt his skin burning at the question. He nodded, leaning down to kiss him. It wasn't fireworks. It was a chocolate fountain, soft and sweet and smooth, and they were pulling away and Janus looked completely blissed out. Remus felt the same way as he leaned back against the car again. He smirked and gestured to the dorm.

“You should probably head in, it's getting late”

“Yeah. yeah I should. I don't want to but I should. Um, I'll see you again?”

“That jacket is too expensive to leave with someone I don't plan on seeing again”

Janus smiled and nodded. He finally turned to go inside, and Remus waited until the door shut behind him to get back in his car and drive home. He starts the ignition as his phone rings.

“Roman holy shit Roman I’m in love help”

“Of course you are”

“Roman he wanted to read my stories”

“Well yeah, he's already shown interest in your writing-”

“No but the dark shit Roman, the nightmare fuel the terrors and murderers and the dark gritty shit I never show anyone”

“Yeah, he's really into that kinda thing. He's a fan of that genre”

“But he's, he's so soft!”

“Yeah, you only just got to his second layer of that, he's got a bunch of soft covering up the gritty fucked up interior. His words not mine. He's got some shit buried, Patton knows a bit more than me, but he really tries to keep that hidden. I knew you two would hit it off, you're very similar”

“I want to know it all Ro. I want to know everything about him, I want to know what he's afraid of and what his parents told him before bed and what dreams he has and what makes him tick and god I want to kiss him forever and never stop”

“That is the sappiest thing you've ever said. Want some coffee?”

“It's almost midnight”

“Did I stutter?”

Roman was distracted. He was at work, so he really shouldn't be, he didn't really have the time, but he and Logan had been texting since Remus sent him his number, and Roman had caught feelings hard. He was super hot honestly, which was unfair Roman thought, he's half his size he shouldn't be allowed to be so attractive. But they had been sending selfies back and forth, mostly because they were both too occupied with their hands and Roman fucking adored it. There was one of Logan in a tie that was slightly loosened and he was giving the camera some sort of smoulder. Roman had decided after that to explain that he was working and turn off his phone. He went to the back of the shop to grab some replacement baked goods to bring up front and he thanks his years in dance that he didn't fall when he saw Logan at the counter. He was still in his polo and tie, but the tie had been tightened and he looks significantly more innocent than he did in the photo. Roman set down the boxes and moved to greet him.

“Howdy hot stuff, haven't seen you around here, what are you craving?”

Logan smirked back. Suddenly Roman was grateful the shop was in a lull, and he's sure Logan was too as he looked him up and down.

“Well, if we’re honest I'm in the mood for a tall cup of sexy, but it doesn't seem like you're on the menu, so I'll go with a salted caramel mocha. I think its a close second in sweetness”

Roman is completely red, very unprepared for any of what was said. Logan's smirk breaks into a smile and he laughs. And Roman quickly gets to preparing his drink before he combusts. He mutters the price quietly as he makes it.

“Aren't you supposed to have me pay first? Or am I being treated by a knight in shining armor?”

“You're going to give me a heart attack, I hope you know”

“You can't expect to tease me and get away without consequence can you? You'd have to take me to dinner first to get away with that”

“I did not tease you, if anything, you were teasing me, you foul beast!”

“Oh so me sending a picture of me in full clothes is teasing, but you in your gym outfit is just the norm?”

“Of course!”

“Mhmm. keep telling yourself that hot stuff. I suppose if I did the same, you would find no problem then?”

“Wha, you go to the gym?”

“Yes, it is healthy and I attempt to keep a healthy lifestyle. In a word… duh”

Roman felt warm all over again, far more attracted to the idea than he was consciously ok with. The two had been flirting incessantly, and Roman may have teased the poor nerd a bit, but he still didn't deserve this!

“So then if the price of free teasing is dinner, then how about dinner tonight?”

“Hmm, irresponsible to wait until the day of to ask someone to dinner, but I am free tonight, so consider yourself lucky. 7 work?”

“Absolutely. I’ll be waiting for your fine ass at 7”

“Oh dear, how have you ever wooed a woman? How dare you objectify me like I'm a hunk of meat?”

“You're definitely a hunk, that's for sure. A true himbo”

“Falsehood, I have a functioning brain, you are the himbo between the two of us”

Logan grinned at him as he finished paying and took his drink. He waved as he walked away.

“Seeya tonight sweetcheeks!”

Roman didn't know what he signed up for but he was so in.

“Yeah so you don't have to worry about dinner tonight, I've managed to seduce Logan into dinner with me”

“Is that how it happened? Logan told a very different story”

“Ok no, but don't let the truth get in the way of a good story!”

“Yeah sure whatever, I guess that means I'm getting the house to myself?”

“Yup! If jay comes over please try to remember our agreement and dont fuck in the common areas?”

“What? One, of course not, I’m not a heathen, and two, we’ve been on one date, I’m a gentleman, no sex until at least the third date!”

“Mhmm. likely story”

“Oh, and one last request, if shit happens with you two, don't tell me anything you wouldn't say in a pg13 movie. If it's worse I don't want to know, I still have to go to class with him on Monday”

“Deal”

“What's cooking good looking?”

Logan was stepping in the car and rolled his eyes at the line.

“No idea, you're the one in charge of food if I can recall”

Roman thinks it's very rude how easily the nerd can manage to take his breath away. He pouts a little.

“Why were you so shy when I first met you, cuz you obviously aren't”

“Nerves. I wasn't expecting to meet someone attractive when dropping off Remus’ belongings and I startle easily”

“Attractive huh?”

“Don't get too excited, if there's nothing else other than good looks I don't imagine this will go anywhere”

“Fair, I could say the same to you”

Logan sent him a sideways glance. He was also ungodly attractive. He was wearing a black v neck shirt, black jeans, and a blazer and Roman didn't think anyone could pull off a nerd look and be hot but counter evidence was sitting in his passenger seat. Roman was wearing white jeans, a simple gryffindor t-shirt, and his letterman jacket from his high school that was a nice red and gold. He also had simple makeup done, as well as his hair being tied back, leaving his bangs to frame his face purposefully. He was really hoping this went somewhere.

“So, where are we going, might I ask?”

“Depends, do you like Japanese cuisine?”

“Yes, I'm a fan of it, why?”

“Well it was between cheesecake factory and Benihana, and we have now decided”

“Benihana? Roman, that's really expensive, we don't have to go there, I know I joked about you buying the ability to tease, but you don't have to pour a fortune into a first date!”

“Nonsense! As you said, I teased you unfairly, consider it an apology and a bribe”

“...I can already tell that you're even more stubborn than your brother”

“We came by it honestly!”

“So you're a theater major right? So you do the big three, acting, singing, and dancing? I imagine you aren't a fan of writing considering Remus is writing for your musical, but do you do any traditional arts?”

Roman was mid bite of sushi when the question came. He set down his chopsticks and grabbed his napkin to cover his mouth as he finished chewing. He finally set it down and smiled.

“I am and I do, but I do enjoy writing, but it's garbage compared to what Remus writes. As much as I'm not a fan of his subject matters, his writing is undeniably amazing. My writing is very ah, fluffy. Not much sustenance. And like, fanfiction, but that isn't like, real writing-”

“Fanfiction is real writing. Every idea is based and influenced by countless things, sometimes without realizing it. Besides, it takes a lot of the most menial and boring part of the storytelling process out. Exposition is just as difficult to write as it is to read, in fanfictions you get to start right where the interesting part starts, no boring history that means nothing to the plot other than for throwaway lines. Sorry for interrupting I just have uh, I have strong opinions on the subject. Continue, please”

Roman might’ve gone red again but he was shocked at Logan's response. It felt… nice to have the validation in the writing he enjoys. He did however, go back to the original question.

“Um, and uh, yeah I do traditional art, I don't really get? Digital art? It's just confusing to me so I just do the bare sketchbook. I think I have some pictures of them on my phone if you'd like to see them?”

“I'm actually quite intrigued. May i?”

Roman grabbed his phone and pulled up his gallery, choosing his art folder and handed Logan the phone. He went back to eating as Logan scrolled through.

“You and Remus have such similar styles in art, I'm surprised. Definitely different tastes in what you draw, but the style itself is almost indistinguishable. Did you learn together?”

“Hmm? I mean, yeah sort of. We both drew a lot when we were little, but other than the little doodles in his musical notebook I haven't seen any of his art in years”

“Hmm. I suppose that makes sense, he's very secretive and protective of his creative works. I wasn’t ever allowed to see his writing until we were paired for a writing project. Creativity is incredibly personal, and while many seek validation and approval, he seems to fit the other type that fears rejection. I can assure you, his art looks a lot like yours but far more ah, violent. And usually a fair amount of tentacles”

Roman smiled softly, he was happy to know that Remus hadn’t stopped drawing. Logan was still swiping through, eating rather absentmindedly. Suddenly Logan sat up and Roman swore that his eyes glittered.

“Is this the Marquis de Carabas???”

Roman looked at the phone and indeed it was an image of his version of the character. He nodded and smiled as Logan smiled back.

“Yeah, I was messing with plague doctor masks, and I had just finished the book. He was always very birdlike to me, so I thought it fit”

“Roman this is incredible! His coat is perfect and, and his hat? Goodness, this is so pretty!!!”

“Meh, it's not my best. I drew Door as well, I think she's a better piece personally”

“I didn't take you as someone who would like Gaiman”

“Remus loves him and he's another talented author. Besides, Terry Pratchet was one of my favorite authors and I fucking love Good Omens. Oh and I grew up on Doctor Who so that also helped”

“You like Doctor Who?”

“Hell yeah! It's probably in my top favorite TV shows I've ever watched”

Roman was walking Logan to his door and they were still chatting when they reached it.

“This was nice Roman. Thanks for taking me out”

“My pleasure. I got to spend a nice night with a radiant man”

He smirked and was ready to watch Logan step inside when Logan grabbed his jacket and yanked him down into a kiss. He stood there with his arms awkwardly floating for a moment before he wrapped them around Logan's waist. It was quick, Logan pulled away.

“I’m sorry, I should have asked first I-”

Roman leaned back in, crashing his lips against Logan’s,and it felt like a forest fire. Logan wrapped his arms around Roman’s neck and smiled into it. It was passionate and wild and warm and Roman felt like every inch of his skin was burning and he never wanted to let go. They did though, and Roman stared a moment at Logan's face, admiring the blush that colored it. He knew he wasn't any better. They stayed there until Logan finally spoke.

“Do you um, do you want to come inside?”

Roman released him, and had to hold back a chuckle at the sad whine that left Logan when he did so. He leaned back in, placing a small kiss on his nose before stepping back.

“Sorry doll, not on the first date. ‘Sides, I have work in the morning. Maybe next time though. Text me”

Logan nodded and watched longingly as Roman got in his car and drove away. He sighed softly before stepping inside of his home, reminding himself to get another date with Roman, and soon.

Roman was about to shout about how his date went when he walked in, but he saw the lights in the house were all off. He walked to the living room and cooed at the scene he was greeted by. Remus was sprawled over the couch, one leg on the floor and one arm over the back of the couch, and Janus laying on top of him, curled up small with his head over Remus’ chest and Remus’ other arm wrapped protectively around him. The two were both passed out and Roman chuckled. He went to his room and came back with a blanket to cover them with before going to his room to sleep as well.

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Thank you for reading I will see you later ladies lords and nonbinary royalty!!!

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