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thebestofoneshots · 5 months

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Gilded Constellations | (wolfstar x reader)

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Pairing: Wolfstar x Reader Word Count: 7.5 K Warnings: Graphic descriptions of violence. (Reader discretion is advised). Prompt: We need to talk. This IS a wolfstar x reader fic, but it's incredibly slow burn. They won't start all dating each other until we're very deep into the story, but I promise the long wait will be worth it.

Chapter 24: Peace of Mind

10:00 November 24th, 1976

You waited for the girls to fall asleep and used a combination of spells to sneak out without being noticed. Lily had changed your bandages before bed and you had gladly let her, Sirius’ words reverberating in your head as she did “ Don’t be so stubborn and let us help!”

Perhaps you’d have to use those same words with Remus later on. Little after telling him you were sorry for hurting him so bad and asking him to please not hate you for the rest of his life. As you walked towards the infirmary with the disillusionment charm, the same charm you had used so often since you arrived at Hogwarts that you had pretty much mastered it. Your charm was almost as deceiving as James’ invisibility cloak, logically you knew it’d never match its greatness, but you could definitely get close.

At least enough to sneak past Peeves who was busy rearranging all the portraits on one of the halls so they were all upside down, you heard the paintings complain as he shook them about for good measure. You winced, I wouldn’t want to be any of those portraits, you thought, but continued on your way to the infirmary. As you walked you pulled the sleeves of your quidditch sweater over your hands, the temperature had dropped a little that night and you felt a stark contrast between the cold you felt then and how hot you had felt earlier in the passages with Sirius, you flushed a little when the images came back you your mind, the hunger you had felt had been so overwhelming it felt like a dream.

You took another breath, still feeling cold. Was being sensible to temperature changes also because of the bit of lycanthropy running through your system at that point? Did poor Remus have to deal with them so often? Maybe that was why he always carried around some kind of sweater, in case it got chilly and he felt it a little more strongly than the rest.

Once you arrived at the big infirmary doors you looked at them for a minute and waited, taking a deep breath as you stared. You had gotten word that Pomfrey usually retired to her chambers at 11:30 PM, after curfew and once she made sure all the children in the infirmary –if there were any– had fallen asleep. Her chambers were close enough so she could rush back in, in case of an emergency with the children, and she had some house elves check on the children often.

You were thankful you had made friends with Myrtle since she had been the one to provide you with so much detailed information. Information that she had eavesdropped out a couple of years ago when Sirius, James and Peter were planning how to get into the infirmary since no one allowed them to visit Remus.

You had also gone to talk to Numbletwist earlier that day, to try and figure out if there would be any elves in the infirmary that night. She shook her head, telling you that they were often called off when students got sick around the full moon. She said it was probably because Poppy liked to stay extra attentive of things. You had nodded and thanked her profusely for the information. Scurrying away with the excuse of needing to rest before she asked why you wanted to know.

You heard a bit of rattling and then one of the doors opened up, she walked outside, using her wand to illuminate her path, and you sneaked in and hid behind one of the beds, even if you still had the disillusionment charm, you knew it was better safe than sorry. And Poppy definitely had better eyesight than most witches her age. She turned off the rest of the lights in the infirmary and closed the door behind her, but you stayed crouching behind the bed.

You stood there, breathing steady as you slowly pushed yourself up to peer over the bed and check whether Remus was asleep or awake. He seemed to be waiting for Poppy to leave too, since a couple of minutes later he lifted himself up, accommodating a pillow and pulling his wand out. He used Lumus to see better as he looked through the drawer of his night table, grabbing onto a book and settling it over his lap.

Great, Remus really had no plan to sleep soon then, you shrank into Vixen and walked over to Remus, sneaking in below his bed and onto the other side, where you could keep an eye on the door just in case. Once you manage to collect your thoughts you sprung back into human form. Remus jumped from his spot in the bed when you appeared out of nowhere.

“Sorry to startle you,” you whispered with a bit of a frown, regret evident in your tone.

“Little Witch?” he asked as he blinked a couple of times, trying to decipher if the way the low blue light from the stars and the waning moon shone behind your figure was all part of a dream or whether you really were there again. In truth, he had smelled you minutes earlier, but he assumed perhaps he was just picking up your scent from the chocolates you kept bringing over, or he was so drudged with potions that he was now smelling you like you really were there. And it wouldn’t be uncommon, he had dreamed of you so often lately that you standing there might really just be yet another one. But the way the light cast a halo behind you was too realistic to be part of his imagination “What are you doing here?”

“You’ve been avoiding me,” you said simply.

Remus stiffened and froze as if he had seen a basilisk, but then shook his head “I wasn’t… I didn’t–”

“–It’s ok,” you cut him off “I get it, I understand why you wouldn’t want to see me, and I’m sorry, I’m sorry I was stubborn and I’m sorry I jinxed you and I’m sorry I had the Whomping Willow throw you to the side and I’m sorry Prongs had to gore you, several times because I couldn’t run fast enough and I’m sorry I–“

Remus reached for your hand, and your breath caught in your throat as you felt a small shock of electricity, “hey!” he said softly “I wasn’t avoiding you because I’m angry at you.”

Remus’ hand was warm and soft, not as soft as Sirius’ but not as tough as you imagined it would be. “Then why?”

“I– I thought you wouldn’t want to be my friend anymore,” he admitted, his hand on yours tightening “After the moon I was terrified the reason you’d come to see me was… to say goodbye. Because the friend that you thought you had was a monster, and because I couldn’t control myself as a wolf and because I’m bIoody dangerous to be around.”

That was the second time Remus called himself a monster in front of you, you’d have none of it, “Remus,” you said, leaning in a little closer “You’re not a monster.”

“I’m pretty sure werewolves fit in the category damn nicely,” he responded bitterly.

“I give three fucks if they fit in the monster category, in the extra dangerous being category or in the beasts section of the library. You, Remus. My Remus, are not a monster.”

Perhaps Remus would have realised the way you had used his name had it not been with how wrapped up in his own head he was “I could’ve killed you.”

“You didn’t.”

He averted your gaze “Could’ve bitten you. That’s what the wolf wanted, you know? To bite you. To turn you.”

“But you didn’t,” you insisted. “And even if you had, we would’ve found a way to deal with it.”

“Like how? After a bite there’s no way back, trust me, I would know.”

“I didn’t say we’d find a way to revert it, I said we’d deal with it. Remus, I’d rather be a werewolf than lose you.”

“You don’t know what you’re saying. I’m awful.” I’m crushing on your boyfriend, and on you for fucks sake, he thought “You’d be better off–“

You wouldn’t let him finish that phrase “–don’t bullshit me like that,” you said sternly “There isn’t a bIoody universe in which I’d be better off without you, on which any of us would. Not one!”

“But I hurt you. Even as you ran, I chased behind you and then I dug my claws on–“

“–It was a scratch.”

“Stop cutting me off, damn it!” he spat, a little annoyed. “And it wasn’t a scratch, Peter told me how you shivered all night.”

“Well then stop saying stupid shit and I will stop cutting you off!” you responded exasperated. Then you sighed, placing one of your hands on your temple. The hand that wasn’t glued to Remus’ “freaking little Wormtail ratted me out.” you mumbled.

“I literally kept pushing until my claws broke your soft skin, Moony could have broken your arm.”

“I would have survived.”

“You don’t know that!”

“Remus. You can’t make decisions for me,” you said slowly “I knew you were a werewolf for a couple of weeks before this happened, and I never even once considered to stop being your friend.”

“That was before…”

“And it’s the exact same thing now,” you responded with a thin smile. “I don’t care if you’re a werewolf, I don’t care if Moony scratched me and made me hungry, and sensitive to temperatures and thirsty. I don’t care if my arm hurts or if I have to change my bandages every couple of hours and add more of Lily’s magic mixture or take painkillers. And that’s because, no matter what, you’re still Remus, and I wouldn’t want you to be any different,” you gave his hand a squeeze “I’m not gonna let you push me away because you’re terrified I might be scared of Moony.”

“But you were terrified of me! The nightmares, the boggart, the…”

“That was before I met Moony.”

“What?”

“He’s beautiful Remus, you’re beautiful.”

“What?!” he repeated, a little louder now.

You took a deep breath “Yes, the nightmares, the beast. I was scared because a huge thing chased after me, squashing me and throwing me around countless times. But Remus, I had never gotten to see it, not really, I was too busy running away from it to pay attention. Did you know he has your eyes?” Your kind eyes, you thought. “The golden specks that are more present near the moon? I could see them, and I wasn’t scared anymore.”

“And that was dumb, leaving my wand on the ground–“

“–I said I would stop interrupting if you stopped with the stupid comments.”

“It’s the truth.”

You wanted to argue, but it really had been a stupid thing to do, you had been so mesmerised by the wolf, that perhaps you really weren’t thinking straight. Not that it would be expected, especially after everything you had gone through previous to that. “Fine then, one part brave, three parts fool, I’m a Gryffindor after all. Regardless, I’m not scared of Moony, not anymore, not now I know It’s you.”

“That’s stupid too,” he added, you could feel a slight change in his tone, he was a lot more relaxed now, he’s joking, you realised.

“Well you have a very stupid friend, get over it,” you joked with a smile, “Are you going to stop avoiding me now?”

Remus sighed “How could I abandon my potions partner?” he asked, a small smirk drawing itself on his lips.

You chuckled, your hands, the ones that were still intertwined with each other, dangled as your shoulders shook, “That’s the spirit,” you said, your sight flickering towards his hand, and the way it held yours. You brushed your thumb gently over a particularly thick scar on the back of his hand. Remus shivered, but you were so cold you assumed it was for the same reason that you would, werewolves were clearly more sensible to temperature.

“Your hand is very cold,” he said as he tightened his grip.

“It’s freezing here,” you responded, “you feel it too, don’t you? You shivered.”

He cleared his throat “Yeah,” he lied “kinda cold.”

“Your hand’s nice and warm tho,” you acknowledged.

“I had it under the covers,” he lied again. He wondered why you hadn’t separated your hands, not because he wanted you to do it, but rather because he was dreading the moment you did, “how’s the arm?” He asked, nodding towards it.

You shrugged, “It’s healing… your ribs? I broke them didn’t I?”

“It was the Whomping Willow.”

“Yeah, the tree, and my carefully executed plan.”

That had him shaking his head in amusement “How did you know it would work?”

You swallowed, you could lie and say you used maths or highly advanced magic to calculate things to the tea, but enough secrets had been held between you and Remus already “I didn’t,” you admitted “The idea just came to me and I used my instinct to know when to jump.”

“You’re insane,” he said with a shake of his head, he was half pissed, half amused you had managed to pull it off “and brilliant.”

You frowned, a small smile playing on your lips “I’ll take that as a compliment,” there was a silence and you leaned in to sit on the edge of the bed, careful not to hurt the boy as you sat, your head still turned to him “Tom said you’d be out tomorrow.”

“Is that how you found out I was avoiding you?” he asked with an arched eyebrow.

You nodded “Yeah, that and Poppy looking at me so pitifully, even Sirius seemed like he was suspicious after a while.”

He winced “Sorry ‘bout that… But yeah, she said I could leave tomorrow, she kept me here tonight just in case.”

“Well, thank Godric she did, this would’ve been an awkward conversation to have in front of the boys,” you teased “especially when I didn’t even let you speak.”

“I was being twat.”

“Yeah, you were,” you agreed, a small teasing smile on your face. He scooted slightly to the side to give you more space to sit, then pulled your hand so you moved in a little bit more.

There was silence, a rather comfortable one, but Remus broke it, he was now rubbing circles on your hand “You were here when Pomfrey gave me the Skellegro,” he said, and then turned his gaze to you “Weren’t you?”

You nodded “Sirius and Lily brought me over for dittany and silver dust, the scratch wasn’t healing until Lily made some a paste.”

“So you were bleeding all night…” he said, guilt filling his expression.

You sighed “It’s fine, I heal fast.”

Remus looked to the side, barely spotting the bruise on your neck “Is that from when they…?” he asked, pointing towards it.

You opened your eyes wider and pulled the collar of the sweater you were wearing up, blushing at the memory of Sirius kissing your neck as he had you flushed against the stone wall of one of the passageways “Um… I… no it’s…”

Remus understood a sour expression playing on his face that he masked with disgust “Ugh you and Pads are gross.”

You hit him on the arm playfully “As if you’d never done it,” you chastised “Oh.. by the way, what’s with you and Alice?” you asked with an arched eyebrow and a suggestive smile.

Remus felt a pang in his chest, the cause was in the way you’d asked, so casually and playfully. You were clearly teasing him, and also clearly not into him. And then he cursed himself for feeling jealous, of course, she’s not into me, she’s into Sirius, her boyfriend. “We… I mean…” how the fuck do I tell her we’re only having fun without sounding like an ass? It's not like I can tell her I’m using Alice as a distraction, that’d be way worse.

“You’re not in love with her, are you?” you asked, with a rather apprehensive tone.

“Does that make me an asshole?”

You shook your head “I’m sure she’s not in love either,” you said with a sigh “Todd told me she likes to have fun and then… Well, I don’t think that makes her a bad person per se, as long as she’s honest about it.”

“She is,” he reassured, “she’s fun too.” Remus wasn’t sure fun was a very accurate description, not even close to distracting, but it seemed like the right thing to say.

“That’s good. You deserve to have fun,” you said with a smile “Though I’m sure you’d easily find someone for a deeper connection if you were looking for it.”

Remus scoffed, shaking his head “Yeah sure, until they find out I’m a monst–“

“–We’re not going to keep calling you that, Remus,” you interrupted. “And I think they would. Just think about it, all of the people who know are still there for you, no matter what. We’re here, and if someone really loved you, they would be there for you too. And if they weren’t then they don’t deserve you.” He gave you a look of disbelief “Honest, if I were dating you, and then I found out. Even if I had gone through the same thing I went through that night, I’d still date you.”

Remus wasn’t sure whether to be happy or cry at your statement “But you’re dating Sirius.” It was almost bitter the way he said it, but it slipped past you.

“Well duh, but hypothetically, I’d love you either way. And I mean, how many people can say they’re dating a sexy werewolf, that’s gotta give you some points…”

Remus grabbed one of the pillows from his side and threw it at your face, he didn’t wanna talk about depressing shit anymore.

“Oi! What was that for?!”

“You were getting too sappy with me,” he said with a diverted smile.

You narrowed your eyes at him, a mirroring smile on your lips “Oh you’re a twat,” you said as you hit him on the side lightly, he groaned and you winced, brows instantly furrowing in concern “Sorry…” He nodded, but a small smile showed on his soft lips, like he was holding back a laugh. You quickly realised he had faked it and hit him again in return “That’s a nasty trick, you shouldn’t take advantage of your hurt state.”

“The one that you induced?” he said as his grin widened, teasing you again. You gasped in shock, and laughed afterwards, hitting him again a couple more times.

“Oi, oi, that’s enough…” he said as he grabbed onto your hand, laughing along with you.

He had been soft when he grabbed you, but he was so strong even if you had wanted to, you wouldn’t have been able to move your arm, but instead of dwelling on the boy’s strength, you just laughed merrily, leaning in so far down that your hair brushed over his chest. He could smell it, and it was as delightful as ever, perhaps a bit more now that he knew you wouldn’t avoid him just because of his condition. He took a deep breath as you laughed, almost feeling guilty for enjoying the moment so much.

You cannot love her, it is sin, said a voice in his head as he listened to your giggles, but why does it feel like heaven then?

“Can you turn back into the fox?” he asked, despite himself. Perhaps he was already so drunk on you, and your laughs that he wasn’t thinking straight. You turned your gaze to him, as you let your laughs die out. An arched eyebrow looking at him questioning “You got to see Moony, but I only got to see the fox through his eyes. I wanna see her with my eyes,” he reasoned, although he wasn’t sure if he was actually reasoning.

“Seems fair enough,” you said with a shrug “It’s Vixen, by the way.”

“Who’s Vixen?”

“Me,” you said as if it was obvious “I mean… the fox, she is. Wormmy and Prongs chose it, Sirius said it fit.”

Remus hummed in response “It certainly does,” he said as he looked at you, the blue moonlight was still illuminating your features, and you certainly looked as charming as ever, tantalising, beguiling even. And the small cut on your lip? The one that he had noticed since the day at the Shrieking Shack and hadn’t disappeared from your face yet, along with the hickey Sirius had left on your neck, made you look as fierce as ever.

Remus wondered for a second what it would feel like to leave a matching one on the other side of your neck, what would it feel like for Sirius to leave one on his? He knew he was yearning for something he couldn’t have, alas, he had yearned for a normal life so often, he was already used to the feeling. But his fantasies about being normal were never as sweet as his fantasies of you, of Sirius. Of either of your lips attached to his neck or his lips attached to yours, to Sirius’s silky pale skin or to your soft velvety neck. To your collarbone, to the indents that made it almost impossible for him to look back at your face. He remembered you in your Halloween costume again, he remembered Sirius’s devilish smile and matching outfit, and he had to adjust the bedsheets underneath, clearing his throat as he tried to get back on earth.

It’s Moony’s fault, It’s Moony’s fault! Did she notice? Will she buy it if I tell her that?

“Is it really a good idea for me to turn into Vixen here? Isn’t it like… dangerous for your wounds and stuff?”

Remus frowned, buffing diverted “You’ve got rabies or something?”

You gasped again “Of course I don’t! How would you feel if I asked you the same thing?!” He shrugged in response and you considered hitting him again. “Fine then,” you said “but I will bite if you try anything weird.”

“Define anything weird…” he teased.

“I’d rather bite instead,” you retorted “It’ll be my payback for the scratch,” you said with a diverted smile before shrinking into Vixen. You were still on the bed as Remus looked at you. You were small, smaller than normal, and certainly smaller than Padfoot, a good deal less than half as tall as him.

“So you are a little witch in the end,” he teased as he looked at you, you bared your teeth at him for a second, and turned your head, “Aww… don’t be like that!” You shook your head and walked a little closer to him, feeling the soft bed give way under your paws.

You stared at him curiously, and you understood why he wanted to see you as a fox so much, it was completely different, the way in which you perceived someone being animal or human. Remus, for example, seemed a lot bigger when you looked at him from the eyes of Vixen. You could also feel the heat radiating from him, which is why you had almost instinctively walked closer. And just like you had been lured by Moony when you left the wand on the floor, Vixen seemed to somehow be lured by Remus.

You wondered if you were to lose your mind, and be more fox than human, would you still feel just as beguiled by the boy?

Remus was still looking at you when he extended his hand as if he wanted to pet you, but he pulled it back seconds later when he remembered Peter had once straight up bit him when he tried to do it for the first time, and you had threatened to bite. But what you did instead was surprising, since you walked closer and placed your head underneath his extended palm, nuzzling into it like a cat would.

When Remus started brushing his fingers over your head you leaned in closer, allowing him to scratch just behind your ears, which had you relax so much you almost allowed yourself to lay on the bed. When he pulled away his hand you nuzzled his arm with your nose, so he would come back “Needy, aren’t we?” he teased. You didn’t even care to respond. His hands were so big they almost covered your entire head, and so warm too, it was like having a heated blanket that also gave massages.

Maybe it was the canine side of you, but he started scratching a particular spot that had you wagging your tail like a small puppy. Remus laughed when he noticed “You still cold?” he asked when he felt your cold paw brush against his forearm. You nuzzled closer to his hand in response. “Wanna come here?” he asked, patting his chest. You tilted your head, looking at his chest rise and fall, still feeling the heat coming from it.

Maybe it’s weird, shouldn’t have aske– Remus didn’t get to finish his thoughts, you had already climbed all the way up to his chest, fast and careful, trying to avoid the side where you knew the Whomping Willow had hit him. He smiled as you nuzzled your entire body against him, allowing your tail to almost wrap itself around you, bringing a little more warmth into the equation. You then bumped your head against his chest softly.

“What’s that little witch? You want me to pet you some more?” he asked, but he wasn’t teasing this time, the cocky undertone you’d heard earlier completely gone this time around. You allowed your head to rest and closed your eyes as you moved up and down along his every breath.

Eventually, he brought his hand over you again, this time resting it over your back, and moving it softly along your fur, with soft strokes from your head to your mid back, your only reaction was to close your eyes and enjoy the way his fingers intertwined with your fur. You wondered if cuddling with Sirius as a fox would feel just as nice and decided you’d have to ask him to try, even if you had no idea how you’d put that into words.

Either way, Remus was awfully good at cuddling: big, warm, heavy hands, and a total people pleaser. You realised when he figured out the spot that made your tail waggle and focus his scratches there from then on. You had been so comfortable with the boy, that you didn’t even notice the moment you fell asleep. He did see you; and was extra quiet for a while, the only sound being the one of his breaths and your light snoring, or what sounded like snoring at least, Remus wasn’t sure if foxes actually had the ability to snore.

He had been admiring the way you slept, so peaceful, and so beautiful too, he was sure all the foxes would fall for you in the forest if they met you, not that he would allow any of them to lay a paw on you. Which he then realised might have been one of the stupidest things to ever cross his mind. But at least he wasn’t thinking of you and Sirius. Except when he was and he forced himself to look back at Vixen, letting his anxiety melt away as he continued to brush his hands over your soft red fur.

And as his anxiety left, so did most of his negative thoughts, and he was engulfed in this ever so peaceful stance that he was sure to cuddle Vixen for the rest of his life had he the chance. After some time, he too started feeling sleepy, his eyelids heavy and his stroking slower, lazier, he too fell asleep. And you must have stayed like that, sleeping on top of him, your slight weight comforting him the same way a weighted blanket would, for at least a couple of hours. Since next thing you knew, there was a high-pitched scream and you felt yourself being pushed off Remus with the force of a spell.

You fell on your leg and let out a cry of pain, you were rather confused when you noticed the woman that had used a spell against you had been no other than Madam Pomfrey.

“Wait no! Poppy, stop!” you heard Remus say, panicked and sitting up on the bed to get the woman’s attention. You shook your head and attempted to stand, only for your leg to give in again. You huffed, and while wincing, forced yourself up. You saw Pomfrey approaching you, her wand still in her hands as she pointed it at you.

You took a couple of steps back, feeling a sharp pain whenever you moved your front leg. “She’s my pet!” Remus said, “Don’t hurt her.”

Pomfrey seemed distracted by the boy’s words and you took that as a chance to scurry under one of the beds and then all the way to the door.

Every step was agonising, but the adrenaline kept you going all the way to the door that seemed to have shown up out of nowhere. You looked to the sides of the hall to make sure there was no one around before springing back into your human form and pushing the door open, getting in and closing it behind you. You could feel the stickiness of your arm.

Evans is going to kill me, you thought as you leaned in on the door, allowing yourself to rest for a second before turning to look at the place you had ended up in. And when you did you were surprised, since it looked just like the infirmary, you frowned, and opened the door to see if you had run to the same place that you’d left, but it was positively a different hallway. Different paintings, different statues, different doors, it’s definitely not the same place, you thought.

You went back in after a second and looked around again, now clutching your wounded arm, and tilted your head as you stared. Upon closer inspection, it was most definitely not the same infirmary either. In fact, near the back, there was a rather large mirror and a supply closet near it, the infirmary had large windows instead. You walked near the middle of the room and looked around you, there weren’t many beds either, and the place seemed to be filled with things that could be useful. From warm blankets to a sink and clean rags close to it.

You blinked a couple of times, taking it all in, the usefulness, the door that seemed to have shown up out of nowhere, you let out a short breath, realisation hitting you “The Room of Requirements,” you whispered.

Then started nodding, hyping yourself up for what you’d have to do next. You turned around to see if there was a clock somewhere, which there indeed was, a huge grandfather clock near the door, it was 4 am, and you had just enough time to clean things up and go back to your room, change and get back to class.

You took your shirt off and winced when you realised the bIoody bandage, if you kept acting so recklessly, you weren’t sure it was ever actually going to heal. You walked towards the sink, and wet one of the rags before passing it over the broken flesh. You winced as the warm piece of cloth passed over the open part of the wound. You stared at it for a second once it was clean, even after all the misadventures, it certainly looked better than it had done the previous night. But it hurt just as much as it had, the painkillers might have been wearing thin by then.

You walked towards the supply closet, your vision a little blurry due to the sharp pain. Luckily the first thing you spotted was some painkillers, you instantly drank a bit of it and placed the rest in your pocket. You kept rummaging through it and found dried dittany leaves and some silver dust. So you grabbed a mortar, and some beeswax and mugwort, which were the few things you remembered Lily had used to make her green paste, and recreated it to the best of your abilities. With your dominant arm incapacitated -and drowning in pain since the painkillers hadn’t done their thing- you clenched the mortar handle in your other hand and started to mix.

Once the paste was ready, you washed your hand and with trembling fingers, you gingerly spread the paste across the open wound. A couple of tears started streaming down your cheeks as you did. You must have missed something when you made the paste since instead of making you feel instant relief, it stung like hell for what felt like an eternity before gradually numbing the pain.

Once you had gone through most of the scratch you used the back of your hand to wipe your tears and sniffed as you took some more in your finger, hesitating for a second before biting your lip and finally placing the paste on the parts that you hadn’t covered yet.

When you finished with it, you felt utterly drained. The pain was still there, your arm had even started to throb. You let your head fall back and considered just throwing yourself on the floor, the temptation to just rest almost agonising, but you knew you still had to wrap a bandage around your wounded arm. You were fumbling with the ends of the bandage roll when you remembered Sirius’ words “Don’t be stubborn and let us help!”

You swallowed, he probably would have run off to help you had you asked, but Sirius must have been just as tired as you were, and even if he hadn’t been hurt physically, you were sure the events of the night had taken a toll on his mind, heck they clearly had done it on yours, so, despite his command, you decided to deal with it in your own. You continued trying for a couple of minutes, and after what felt like an eternity –and in a fit of desperation– you hurled it against the mirror. It bumped down and rolled off, one of the ends staying behind as the rest of the roll continued unravelling.

You sighed and went to grab another one from the supply closet and started trying once again. This time around you actually managed to open it after a couple of minutes and brought your arm up. You held the end against your arm with your chin and you started wrapping. Eventually, you switched your manual labour for your wand and used a simple spell to levitate the roll of bandages around your arm, making sure that it was just tight enough to seal the wound but not so tight as to cause additional pain, mirroring the way both Sirius and Lily had done it earlier.

When you were done, you turned to the watch again, you’d hoped you had enough time to lay in one of the beds of the infirmary but when you realised you had spent over an hour there you cast a quick disillusionment charm and sneaked back to the common room. You did consider staying in the Room of Requirements and not going back, but your friends would probably worry if they didn’t see you at all in the morning, Lily would be panicked and the boys, especially Sirius, would cause a mini-scandal. You could almost hear Sirius ask something like “How the hell did you lose my girlfriend Evans?” Which is why, in the end, you decided against it.

You picked up the mess with a wave of your wand and put your shirt and sweater back on, giving a once over to the room before leaving and walking through the halls and passageways trying to make as little sound as possible. Once you arrive at your common room you let yourself fall into one of the single couches by the fire. Not bothering to counter your disillusionment charm, as you used your wand to kindle the fire. You sank deeper on the couch and sighed, closing your eyes for a snooze when you heard footsteps.

You turned to the side and spotted Sirius and James walking down, you waved at them, and when they didn’t respond, you remembered you were still kind of invisible. You were about to cancel the spell off when you saw Sirius was already leaning to sit down, on the exact same spot you were. You moved your wounded arm to the side and allowed the boy to sit “Hey babe,” you whispered as you wrapped your arm around his waist, Sirius pretty much jumped off and turned around looking mortified.

You just laughed at his reaction, “Vixen?!” you heard James ask as he squinted his eyes in your direction, you just kept laughing as you finally waved your wand over yourself again, allowing the spell to vanish, the painkiller potion was finally doing its thing and you already felt a lot better.

“Hey Prongs!” you said with a smile.

“What the hell was that Stashine, are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

“Don’t you get one of those whenever you look into my eyes?” you asked with a playful pout, James laughed again, and your boyfriend just looked at you surprised.

“How did you know it would be Sirius the one to sit there?” James asked.

“I was already here, I just took the chance,” you said, scooting to the side to allow Sirius to sit by your side, even in the small space. He didn’t think about it twice and sat beside you, pulling you by the waist half over one of his legs so you’d be more comfortable.

“Absolutely brilliant!” James complimented, Sirius threw him a look “And you disillusionment charm too, I’d never seen one so good.”

“Thanks!” you said with a smile “I’ve been using it a lot recently.”

“You do know you can just take the Invisibility Cloak, right?”

You nodded, not if I have to tell you what I need it for, you thought. “That’s very nice of you Jammie,” you said with a smile.

“How’s the arm?” Sirius asked.

You looked at him for a second, a tight smile on your lips before you nodded “Great.”

Sirius frowned, not quite buying it, but didn’t press further. “Why were you out here, luv?” James asked “I’d assume Lily would rather be checking on you instead of having you here by yourself.”

“Couldn’t sleep,” you said pointing to your eyebags “And the fire seemed tempting… and also I went to check on Remus who was avoiding me.”

“You noticed?” Sirius asked about at the same time James said something like “You went to see Remus by yourself?!”

“Of course I noticed! I went to check on him like 5 times and he was asleep all of them. Tom comes up and says he had a chat with him seconds after we went to visit. It was suspicious enough. And then there was Pomfrey’s pitiful look whenever I showed up…”

“He sometimes does that… I assumed he was doing it when we went before lunch. Did you get him to talk to you?” Sirius asked.

You nodded “Yeah, we’ve sorted things out, had to call him out on how dumb he was being though.”

Sirius laughed at the casual way you said it, and pulled you a bit closer to him “That’s my girl!”

You were distracted for a good second, remembering the way Remus had pulled Vixen closer and how similar it had been to the way Sirius had done it, you wondered if it was a Brit thing, to be so touchy –which you already knew Sirius was- or if instead it was something very particular of the boys.

“It’s kinda late for flying, isn’t it?” James asked as he looked at the clock, clearly the messy sleepless nights had also taken a toll on him.

“Who are you and what have you done to James Potter?” You teased.

“Don’t mess with him, Kit, he might change his mind.”

“Kit?” You asked, turning to him with a raised eyebrow.

He shrugged “If you can call me Puppy I can call you Kit,” he said simply, to which you laughed, it wasn’t that you didn’t like it, rather you were a little surprised. And really, the more you thought about it, it was rather endearing.

“Does that mean we’re not flying then?” you asked, turning back to James, “even if the next game is on Sunday?”

James groaned, placing a pillow over his head to muffle the sounds. “Now that’s straight-up torture,” Sirius said with a teasing smile as he pointed at James.

“Either way, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to play, we might have to move the–“

“–Don’t even joke about it Potter!” you said in a serious tone.

James winced, you didn’t call him James, not even Prongs, you were not happy about his suggestion, but he was the captain, and he had to look out for his team, he had to look out for you, “You’re hurt.”

“It was barely a scratch!”

“You keep saying that, but I see the way you clutch onto your arm when the painkillers wear off–“

“I’ll be like new by Sunday!” you argued again “I heal fast.”

“Sunday is in three days!”

“Back me up on this?” you asked, turning to Sirius, who had a small frown on his face.

He couldn’t find a way to say what he wanted to say without upsetting you “Darling, maybe Prongs is right…”

You turned to him exasperated “Don’t block me like this James! We’re playing Slytherin, I want to show those assholed that they didn’t–” You cut yourself off, not being able to finish the sentence either.

James’ face seemed to soften at your words, Sirius and Remus had somewhat told them what happened that night, or at least what they knew, and what they assumed. You hadn’t talked to them much about it, let alone go into detail, but either way, he understood. He got why you were so desperate to prove that you could still fight -or fly in this case–, you needed to show them that no matter what they did, they wouldn’t bring you down, “We’ll think about it,” he conceded. You were still looking at him with a frown, “Listen if your arm really is better off by then, then you’ll play.”

“You promise you’ll let me?”

Sirius was looking at James reproachfully, as if he wasn’t happy with his answer, but didn’t say a thing. He could try to convince you of dropping it later, although he was pretty sure you wouldn’t change your mind about it, not unless you were bedridden or something.

“I promise we’ll think about it.” You nodded, that was probably as good as it would get. Now all you had to do was play the part of someone who was not affected at all by the hit and you’d be able to play on Sunday.

“Aren’t you hungry luv?” Sirius asked.

And strangely enough, you weren’t that hungry, in fact, you hadn’t been hungry since you went to visit Remus, which made you assume it was a Lycanthropy thing. Regardless, a warm cup of tea, along with some toast did sound incredibly good, so you nodded, motioning to stand up when you saw Remus walk in, he looked visibly relieved when he spotted you, even as you were almost sitting on Sirius’ lap.

“Good to see you’re all right, after the fall I thought you might have–“

“–What fall?” Sirius asked, turning to you.

“That?! It was nothing…” you said, “I had turned into Vixen and Pomfrey saw me, and was probably horrified since I was close to Rem, and then she pushed me off with a spell. I mean it hurt a little but it was nothing…”

“You were thrown in the air and fell to the ground, and it was nothing?” Sirius asked as he toyed with the hem of your sweater’s sleeve, to see if he could lift it enough to check on your wound.

“Yes, Pomfrey wasn’t trying to hurt me, and Remus stopped her from following.”

Remus was sure he’d seen you break the fall with the same arm that was hurt but decided not to press any further, since you clearly didn’t want to go too much into detail. He plopped down next to James on the sofa and turned to Sirius “How’s the plan going?” He asked the long-haired boy.

“What plan?” you asked with furrowing your eyebrows just a little bit.

“The revenge plan.”

Series Masterlist | Next Chapter

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A/N: Rem is finally back yay! How are we feeling? Personally, I love cuddles, wish I could actually transport into this universe to get some od Moony's warm cuddles. Thoughts?

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ariestarfairy · 7 months

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Did Mystra Groom Gale?

My answer to that is, it's complicated, or perhaps not in the conventional way that people tend to think grooming happens. When I see posts about Gale being groomed it's accompanied by the assertion that Mystra found Gale when he was a child and was his mentor first. From a timeline perspective this doesn't make sense, we would have to throw out so much lore. Mystra was murdered by Cyric in 1385 initiating the Spellplague, she didn't come back until the events of the Sundering, so around 1479. Baldur's Gate 3 takes place in 1492. The earliest she could have met Gale would have been 1479/1480 which gives us a time frame of their relationship possibly being around 11-12 years. If we conclude that Gale is ~30 years old then the youngest Gale could have been is 17. If we conclude that Gale is ~35 years old then the youngest Gale could have been is 22. This lines up with Gale referring to himself as a very young man, not a child, when the events of their relationship took place. Also Gale makes another comment that suggests that he likely wasn't a child during his relationship with Mystra. If you romance Gale, he remarks that he had lovers before Mystra, but not after. If we assume that Gale met Mystra as a child then Gale would have to be much younger than we think he is. Now onto the subject of Mystra and Gale's relationship, adult grooming is a thing and the power imbalance is very real. A teacher getting into a relationship with a student is also problematic in any relationship where there is a teacher and student dynamic. Mystra has a history of changing and removing abilities from her servants and chosen, often times without their consent. This clearly illustrates an exploitative relationship. Also Gale, in all of his naivety of youth, perceived his relationship with Mystra way differently than Mystra did. Mystra has many chosen and most of them do not know one another. He thought she loved him, but he was amusement for her for a time until he messed up and she denounced him. Not only that but in order to maybe, possibly, earn her "forgiveness" Gale has to kill himself and even then forgiveness isn't assured. That's a steep price to pay. If you think Mystra is a good soul and Gale is a horrible person who stomped all over her boundaries, then you you need to learn more about Mystra's gross meddling with mortals. She is by no means innocent and has not only stomped on boundaries, she has done things that cross way over into non-consensual. The Gods are gross, Mystra is not an exception because she's a Goddess and presents as a woman, she's not vulnerable nor is she helpless. She is in the position to exploit and demand and she does it frequently. What also really gets me is how Gale gets labeled as being manipulative and abusive and Astarion is a beacon of perfection. He's not, he targets your character just to manipulate them, and that is his MO for a huge chunk of the game. His tragedy and changing over the course of the game doesn't reverse that, but it's somehow overlooked? Of course you have to view a person in terms of a snapshot. Looking at Gale based on a snapshot within his relationship with Mystra does not make him toxic and it does not mean that he was the abuser. Of course because Astarion was abused by a man, it's a different story, but Gale is a male character stepping on a woman's (Goddess) boundary, so he's necessarily toxic. It doesn't occur to people who play BG3, who have very little knowledge when it comes to the Gods in Faerun that Mystra is truly toxic and that a man can be abused and manipulated by a woman (Goddess) . Don't misunderstand, I love Astarion just as much as I love Gale, but I think it's a double standard to vilify Gale (who WAS mistreated by Mystra) and lionize Astarion while ignoring his machinations towards you in the beginning. Astarion is a classic case of hurt people hurt people, it explains his behavior but it shouldn't be ignored in criticisms of other characters. He's not perfect, if he were he would be boring and not nearly as interesting.

#gale of waterdeep #gale dekarios #bg3 gale #baldurs gate gale #grooming?#astarion #astarion ancunin #astarion bg3 #baldurs gate 3

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zelenchai · 1 month

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The devil keywords – temptation, corruption, your shadow self

The devil is one of the 22 Major arcana cards. The one in the Rider-Waite deck has an image of the devil sitting on a throne with a man and a woman chained at his feet. It looks like a dark version of the lovers (and the two are connected thematically and numerologically since the lovers is card no.6 and the devil no.15 – 1+5=6). To put it simply, the devil represents the obsessive pursuit of material goods/physical pleasure which, in the end, leads to the corruption of your spirit. It’s associated with the sign of Capricorn whose dark side can manifest as an obsession with money, social status and power (also fun fact - according to the novel Vegas’ birthday is December 31st which makes him a Capricorn sun according to western astrology). So, what does any of this have to do with the lovers and VP? The devil is also associated with dark sexuality and everything taboo. Also, as I mentioned above, it represents your shadow self aka everything you feel ashamed of and try your best to repress. In VP’s case on one hand, we have Vegas who uses his sexuality as a weapon, is interested in BDSM and enjoys torturing people. On the other hand, we have Pete, probably the most repressed character on the show, who suddenly has to come to terms with the fact that he is a person with desires and that those desires are pretty dark and unconventional. And all of this happens while he’s being held captive by Vegas in the safe house sex dungeon. Vegas, who tortured him almost to death and is now trying to seduce him with his little monologue and a lot of chin grabbing. Do you see where I’m going with this one? We can interpret Vegas as the devil figure from the card – he’s the one trying to make Pete take off the mask he wears around everyone else and stop hiding his dark side. Vegas has seen glimpses of Pete’s true self after all – first in ep. 7 and later in ep. 10 and 11, and is fascinated by it. He wants to see more of it and uses one of his preferred methods – sex, to achieve his goal (and probably starts to regret that decision after he sees Pete’s smile in ep.12 – is Pete truly someone he can handle? But that’s a discussion for another time.) Pete is one of the chained figures and he’s there because he chose so himself by forsaking his personhood and letting himself be seen as nothing more than a weapon by the main family, someone who fades into the background the moment he isn’t needed (is he real if no one can see him?). If you look carefully at the Rider-Waite card you can see that the chains are loose enough that the two figures can free themselves at any time if they wish so. Vegas is trying to make Pete do just that – drop the act and live his life as his authentic self, without shame. He’s also trying to set Pete free so he can put a chain on him himself. And we all saw how that plan backfired on him.

There's also another reason I chose this scene – when the devil shows up in a love reading (surrounded by positive cards) it can mean that the people involved have amazing sexual chemistry. And there are literally chained people drawn on the card. And we all know what happened 30 seconds later in the episode.

*I decided to retouch my old devil card a little to fit my new template instead of drawing a new one :))

#kinnporsche #vegaspete #vegas theerapanyakul #pete saengtham #artists on tumblr #kpts tarot #zelen chai's art tag #as always you're free to disagree with my interpretations as they're based on my personal opinion/experience with tarot #also i feel like everything there was to be said about this scene has already been said a 1000 times better by someone more eloquent lmao #at least i can offer you a little picture to go along with it?

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blackopals-world · 1 year

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Could I have part 4 for The Way to A Man's Heart series with Riddle, Trey, Cater, Jack, and Kalim?

~Oh boy, this Au is getting bigger and bigger. God help me. Come eat you filthy animals~

"The Way to a Man's Heart" (part 4)

(Part 1) (part 2) (part 3)

Notes:I spent a day on this. It's not proof read.

Riddle

I was confused on what to do for him to first but inspiration struck like lightning. This is way too long so if you like Riddle come get yall food.~

Yuu loved tea parties. She had thrown her fair share in her homeland with different themes and styles. With her talent for cooking and knowledge of many cultures she was booked to host events as a host and caterer just like her mom and dad. It was her pride and joy.

But cooking for her friends seemed to be enough. Until it wasn't.

For the past few days she had begun putting ideas in Riddle's head about hosting her own party.

She needed participants for this specific tea party but the problem was it required people who stuck to the rules. No other dorm could be as complaint as Heartslabyul expect maybe Draconia or Pomefiore but they might be too perfect if that makes sense. In reality Yuu just wanted to see Ace and Deuce suffer.

Riddle of course was very enthusiastic about party and added it to the schedule and making attendance mandatory.

Yuu couldn't help smirking knowing just how strict she was going to be.

The following Saturday Yuu rolled out tatami mats on the Ramshackle lawn. She had planted a few trees with help from Malleus and Leona for the event. Sakura trees that had a spell to keep them in bloom. Everything must be set up perfectly.

The Heartslabyul boys showed up at exactly 11:30 as instructed. Each had to wear traditional hakama.

Riddle had trouble following instructions for once. Yuu had specified that their attire be undecorated or plain. It could be colored but not bright or flashy so no red. When he had asked Yuu about it she made quite the face, one he imagined he had made many times at rule breakers.

"Red, is unacceptable. What? Are you getting married or showing off? It's not permitted to wear that unless your the host or a royal. Even then it's unseemly. This is a formal party Riddle not a informal tea." Yuu sounded unlike her usual soft and endearing self. Every word was deliberate and pointed. She took this seriously.

Riddle felt a bit chastised himself. He found that he wanted to follow her directions to the letter because of just how fervent she was. They had something in common now that she was making the rules and he had to forget his own to follow her's.

The group arrived in muted colors with minimal patterns but very well made. Of course they looked rather out of place in Ace, Cater and Riddle's case due to the ban on red. Cater chose yellow, Ace got orange and Riddle had pink. Trey had olive and Deuce had on navy blue.

Grim answered the door with a red and white rope tied around his neck and a gold bell that rang as he walked. He wasn't happy about the bell but he didn't make the rules.

Speaking of rules Grim was ordered to invite everyone inside. Shoes had to be removed and any unneeded items put away. Grim pointed to the scroll on the wall for everyone to read.

Riddle remembered that the scroll depicts the theme of the party.

He couldn't read the symbol on it. Why did she writing in another language?

Everyone took a seat as Grim rolled out a little cart with cups of tea on it. It was rather adorable as the cat served tea to the best of his ability. Yuu must had taught him. Grim was rather proud of himself as he explained that he chose this tea and made it himself.

Cater took plenty of pictures of the cat acting like a little butler. Grim was made into a meme by the magicam community instantly.

Riddle was very impressed as Grim told the group that the first tea was Sakurayu. A tea made from cherry blossoms pickled in plum vinegar though he chose to fargo salt in the process do to the aftertaste except in Carter's case.

It was a very different to the tea Riddle usually drank but it was very good. The blossoms unfurled in the hot water making a beautiful display. Everyone seemed to enjoy it but Ace and Deuce didn't have a taste for tea.

The group had to wait for Yuu's arrival as she entered wearing a pink kimono with a white obi and haired tied neatly an updo with cherry blossom tasseled hair sticks placed into her hair.

She greeted everything in a formal bow and made sure everyone in turn bowed as well. When Ace messed up and didn't bow properly at the waist a paper fan wacked him on the shoulder.

"Ace, try again." Yuu said with a smile but her eyes where clearly issuing a threat.

Yeah, Yuu and Riddle are alot alike.

Riddle in turn didn't say a word as. She watched her in astonishment.

Yuu instructed everyone to go outside to use the tsukubai to ritually wash their hands and mouths out before entering the tea garden.

Trey believed that every tea should begin like this. Everyone else but Riddle found it tedious.

Soon enough Grim escorted everyone outside to the garden to wait for the ceremony to begin.

Each of them had to sit in order of prestige. Riddle was seated first closest to the head followed by Trey, Cater, Deuce, and Ace. Ace complain about going last, but Deuce is still older by two months.

Ace began complaining about having to sit uncomfortably in seiza-style. Everyone was uncomfortable but Ace at least said it.

Riddle wouldn't dare admit his discomfort especially so early in the event. This was traditional and Yuu expectations were high. If he failed to meet her standards how could he expect her to meet his. If he can't do something so simple, she'd never trust his judgment again.

The event officially began with the audible closing of the door to the garden and Yuu entering and sitting down last.

"You guys are doing well. Seiza takes alot of practice. Your blood flow should improve overtime to make it easier." Yuu smiled as she turned down the outdoor burner for the water boiler. She neglected to mention how seiza isn't practice the same way since the Japanese government recognized it as a form of punishment considering the pain it caused. But her part her rules. "I hope you guys remember the ceremony takes about 4 hours to complete."

The audible groans that came from the group where hilarious. Yuu believed that the Riddle could use the humbling seeing the stained expression on his face.

"I don't know if I can do it." Deuce said, his face downcast and his teal puppy dog eyes on full display "I'm sorry, Yuu."

Her heart wasn't made of stone and Deuce her poor dumb-dumb was her her weakness.

"If that's the case we have seiza stools for you. It'll look like your sitting in position while taking the weight and stress of your legs." Yuu said giving in.

The boys took the offer, even Riddle knowing he wasn't expected to sit unassisted for 4 hours. He face was red with embarrassment when her noticed Yuu didn't need the aid of a stool.

As it was custom Riddle was promoted to ask questions about the ceremony for the group. The questions were written by Yuu before hand to help Riddle.

"What was the meaning of the scroll?" He asked.

"The theme is cherry blossom viewing. I thought it was best to be held outside." She answered in a rehearsed manor.

"What have you prepared?" He asked again.

"We shall begin with a meal with a watered down plum sake reserved for festivals. It's not strong enough to get drunk off of unless you have an entire bottle. Then we will take a break for a walk or play games. After that the tea ceremony begins. After we can go back to more casual fun." She said casual in an a different manor. She had plans.

After that Yuu presented the meal she had made. The meal served stared with a simple miso soup, rice, and salmon sashimi.

Ace and Deuce ate greedily with Grim and only stopped when Yuu gave them the evil eye. They reluctantly slowed down so they didn't suffocate on their food.

Cater was posting pictures of the food and laughed when the only pictures Vil would like had Yuu in them. Jealous much?

Trey feigned any acknowledgement of his surroundings as he enjoyed the scenery food. Truly an unbothered king.

Riddle fumbled with his chopsticks trying to pick up the fish before a helpful hand folded over his.

"Hold it like this." Yuu said her head over his shoulder and her cheek brushing against his. She moved his fingers into the right position and showed him how to pick up the fish. Before finishing her demonstration she pinched the fish between the wooden sticks and moved them to Riddle's mouth, feeding the headwarden the soy sauce soaked food.

Riddle turned ten shade of red as she pulled away.

Carter watch slack jawed as he dropped his chopsticks.

"Yuu? Can you help? I don't know how to use these." Cater whined calling for her.

Jealous much?

The next dishes where served with a nishime soup with bamboo shoot, lotus shoot and shiitake mushrooms. It was served with pork filled gyoza.

The first year boys loved the dumplings but didn't want to touch the veggie soup until Trey snapped out of revelry and eyed them both. Cater was also picky but knew he should just eat it.

Riddle actually liked the soup, it had a good soy sauce and sake based stock.

After everyone was already getting full, Yuu served dessert. Wagashi. It was a sweet made from mochi, sweet bean paste, and fruits.

Riddle found his favorite food so far and loved the taste of the floral peach.

Trey was in a similar boat and asked for her recipe. Yuu was happy to share as the made plans to make and serve more of these.

Yuu called for a break as everyone had to rest after such a meal. Full and satisfied they walked about viewing the flowers. Riddle took note of how well he and Yuu matched while standing under the cherry tree. A literal cherry tree not the cherry blossom trees.

Yuu showed the boys a few of the old games played during these event. Haiku writing, scripture reciting, origami, music, and dancing.

They didn't know that Yuu could do more then cook, she was actually good at playing the harp of all things and singing.

Trey was really good at tea ceremonies apparently. He truly understood its purpose. Distressing from everyday live and enjoying peace and tranquility. He had grown past simple earthly desires and was in touch with his innermost self and was finding the answer to who he was as a person.

"Okay, someone go get Trey. He's been staring up into the trees for way too long." Yuu said to Carter while watching Trey from a distance.

Trey's journey of enlightening had to end before he accidentally achieved nirvana after eating a bean bun. Honestly, what did Yuu put in that thing?

Yuu refocused on her flower arrangement preparing the actual ceremony. When she finish she rang a bell to signal the boys to come back and sit after washing up again.

Yuu began serving the tea as she poured the Macha power and water and whisked it into thick tea. This is where the rules must be followed to the letter.

Yuu movement must be precise as she prepared and poured the tea. Then she poured the tea into a bowl and bowed to Riddle who in turn bowed to her. He then raised the bowl in respect to her as a host.

He took a sip of the herble mix and complimented her tea as he wiped the rim before passing the bowl to Trey who did the same. On and on they all had to to it. Ace once again complained avout everyone elses lips touching the bowl causing a paper fan to go flying for his forehead this time. Yuu wasn't letting him get way with that one.

The formal part of the tea was just about over as Yuu removes the formal equipment and makes several cups of thin green tea to enjoy with light sakura cakes. She let the boys relax and recalin on the pillow cushions now.

"I was fun right?" She asked as they talked and drank.

"It was scary." Ace said rubbing his red forehead.

"I liked it." Deuce said wolfing down a cake. "The food is really good"

"I got so many pictures. The other dorms are practically green with envy." Cater smiled wickedly as he scrolled through the comment section. Vil was still being petty, and now Neige was paying attention.◇Drama!◇

Trey was still heading for inner peace so he was having a good time. Actually Yuu checked the sake and his might of been stronger then intended. He might actually be a super lightweight and is currently sloshed.

Riddle was sleepy after a big meal and all the activities. He leaned his head on Yuu's shoulder and dozed off. Her kimono was really soft and she smelled like fruit and flowers.

It wasn't exactly what Yuu imagined when she threw this party. She had intended to give Riddle a taste of his own medicine but seeing everyone even somewhat enjoyed the event was fun. It wasn't for everyone, at least not Ace who was the only one to complain. With a few changes here and there the others could really like this. Unfortunately, Yuu wasn't going to just change everything for westerners. Tradition was tradition and she already compromised enough.

She waved them off in the evening as she praised Grim for doing so well today. Trey and Riddle had to be carried back.

Trey

Trey recovered pretty well after the tea party. He thankfully didn't get sent to the heavens after achieving the 6th sense and becoming God.

They still had plans to cook desserts together. Yuu came over to the dorm with a bag full off something special.

She gleefully placed it on the counter as Trey eyed her with suspiciously.

"Guess what I got?" She said in a sing song voice.

"Something you want us to cook I'm guessing." Trey answered attempting to peer in the bag.

"Well yes, but that's not what I asked." Yuu pouted as she scooped up the bag to keep it away from Trey.

Trey wasn't going to play her game so he when back to making tarts as Yuu realized she wasn't getting anything out of him.

Trrreeeeyyyyy!" She whined as she pulled on Trey's apron.

Trey ignored her as he stirred the raspberry jam filling. When Yuu continued to whine he reached over to pat her head like a toddler who was demanding attention. Yuu reluctantly gave in and showed Trey the ingredient.

It was Hakuhou peaches. They were a top of the line peach known for its sweet, floral taste and soft texture. It made great treats.

Trey cut up slices to try so he could best see how to cook it.

Yuu showed him her recipe for peach tarts and the intended crowning dish for the day, peach flan.

Flan was difficult to get right, the consistency was hard to get right, the glaze must be glassy and just thick enough. The bigger the mold the harder to get it out with it falling apart.

Of course Yuu used a big mold and got it out without trouble.

"Oh my God, fuck you. Of course you did it perfectly the first try." Trey said exasperated with no real heat. Yuu laughed as he pouted now.

Yuu cut a slice of the flan and offered it to Trey to eat. Trey feigned reluctance and took a bite.

"It's really good." He sighed.

Yuu gently encouraged him as he took a napkin and wiped the caramel from the side of Trey's face.

"We can try something different."

Cater

Cater was a spice hound and was foolish enough to challenge Yuu. His idea was to do a live video of him trying Yuu's spiciest dish from her homeworld in a bid to make a new internet challenge.

Yuu almost immediately told Carter no. He wasn't ready for that. Cater wasn't listening though and insisted. He eventually wore her down and live on the air she placed a bowl of black dried ghost pepper noodles.

She advised him to be careful so he doesn't burn a hole in his stomach. She went easy on him by removing the seeds from the pepper for his own good.

"Thanks to our lovely chef Yuu, we have the best possible food for our challenge made hot and fresh. " Cater said pulling Yuu into frame why the hip. Because the camera perspective was at Cater level while sitting the audience couldn't see above Yuu's bust.

The viewers didn't mind as the made comments about wanting her "hot and fresh."

"Well that's enough fan service. Let's eat!" He said grabbing his chopsticks.

It went downhill fast as tears where shed and his nose was running. This didn't stop him because he wouldn't stop eating because it was, too good.

At some point Yuu took the bowl away and gave Cater a glass a milk. He was in too much pain to be cohesive now as he rested his face in Yuu's apron.

"Sorry, everyone but we need to cut here. We exercise personal safety in what we eat and seeing as Cater is in no condition to continue this is the end." Yuu said comforting her stupid friend by stroking his head but she was still as mischievous as always.

"This is what happens when you dont listen. Say goodbye Cater." Yuu cooed.

"Goodbye Cater." He moaned in pain, his face red fr the heat.

"Good Boy." She said cutting the feed.

When Cater finally recovered he got the internet fame he wanted. The trending tags were #ChefMommy, #Spicynoodechallange, #ChefYuu, #hotandfresh, #HeNeedsSomeMilk, and #bisexualmoment (yall better not use these. I will not be held responsible for making these tags.)

There were clips everywhere of the video. Memes of his face crying in Yuu's clothes that read "Me when my biwife says no more chicken nuggies"

Fans demanded Yuu to come back or for her to make her own channel.

Jack

Jack was probably the most normal person to feed. When he wanted something, he asked. No trick or games.

That is until Yuu had another fight with Leona and Leona banned Yuu from the dorm and giving food to Savanaclaw members.

Ruggie didn't listen and was staying at Ramshackle until it blows over because he wasn't giving up Yuu's food for anything.

Jack was caught between a rock and a hard place. He didn't like it but he complied.

It didn't help watching Ruggie all his fellow first years eating her lunches. She even made pear parfait for him and he couldn't have any.

Yuu thought it was painful to watch as he gave her puppy dog eyes.

Jack came up a convoluted work around. He would just sneak over to Ramshackle in his wolf form and eat there. As long as someone other then Yuu gave it to him then it wasn't "Yuu's" food.

He didn't feel guilty wolfing down a waygu steak and potatoes, lick his chops in satisfaction.

He still urged Yuu and Leona to call of their feud to no avail. He had to give up and chose a side. To bad Leona didn't nearly enough for Jack to side with him. Yuu was his classmate, gave him good food, cared about him alot, and smelled better.

It helped that Yuu loved feeding him more in his wolf form.

Epel

Epel walked back to Pomefiore with his arms full of takeout containers. Yuu made a Sunday dinner full of souther comfort foods.

Fired chicken, greens, Mac n' cheese, mashed potatoes with gravy, and a cinnamon apple pie.

Epel felt like he could sleep for days.

He had told Yuu that he missed home and when he talked about his grandmother's food their was a glint in her eye. She had gone behind his back to send a letter to his grandma and they began sharing recipes.

Yuu cooked everything to the letter.

When Epel took his first bite he almost cried. I was just like gram's but it reminded him of Yuu as well. He could taste a seasoning only she used.

He made sure to take back as much a possible and keeping his envious dorm mates from taking it. He knew Rook and Vil were snagging his food even if they were playing innocent. They could get their own. Yuu made this for him.

Around the holidays Yuu was at his house with Professor Crewel and Headmaster Crowley. She was cooking with Epel's grandmother who made not so subtle hints about her joining the family in the future.

Kalim

Yuu actually had no interest in cooking for Kalim. He made it clear he didn't eat anything that Jamil didn't make. Why step on someone else's toes.

She understood that everyone has preferences and fears are valid. She trusted Jamil to know what Kalim likes. She just cooked food for Jamil instead.

One evening while Jamil was cooking Yuu was in the kitchen feeding him bites of the lunch she made him that he forgot to eat since he was busy. Most people stared clear watching the affectionate scene but Kalim was too interested to say put.

He wanted in on this much to Jamil's annoyance.

"I want some." Kalim popped up, mouth open to a bid to be fed like a baby bird like Jamil.

"No, I couldn't eat earlier because I was so busy. It's mine." Jamil growled as he cooked Kalim's dinner. "Besides you'll spoil your appetite."

"He's right, Jamil is working hard to cook for you. You don't want to ruin that." Yuu said half heartedly. It's not like she didn't want to give him any, it's just that she respected Jamil.

"Not even a little bite?" Kalim said pitifully pulling on Yuu's sleeve.

"I'm sorry." Yuu sighed.

Still when Jamil's back was turned she spooned a serving of chicken Tajine into Kalim's mouth. Kalim was elated and gestured for more. He really liked it.

Yuu felt guilty but she couldn't help herself. She gave him more whenever Jamil wasn't looking, all the while feeding Jamil.

Was this cheating or betrayal? Probably not. If Jamil knew he didn't say anything.

Kalim got used to being fed after this and when Yuu was around he only wanted her to give him food. This made parties difficult as everyone watched Kalim being served by hand.

Jamil only sighed at Kalims spoiled behavior but he didn't have to cook every single day now so the break was a relief. This is why he told her not to give him food. Kalim was like a stray cat once you feed him once you can't get rid of him.

Crowley

Crowley knew he was being left out. Everyone in the teacher's lounge eagerly ate Yuu's cooking. The staff actually forced him to bankroll the operation to increase student moral which was working very well.

But where's his lunchbox? What about Crowley and his hunger? Was his child so cruel to leave him starving?

Yes. Yes, she was. If he was a better guardian then maybe he'd get food.

This actually did show Crowley just how bad his relationship with Yuu was. He was the only one left without anything.

He tried to get close, but she was always too busy for him. He hung around Ramshackle with the excuse of fixing up some stuff. When he did she asked him to focuse on the portal back to her home.

He eventually gave in and made some progress and made a small portal he could manage. I would be a long time before he could do any more then that. She could use it to send letters and talk to her family as well as grab small items from home. I was more then enough for Yuu who cried hugging him.

Crowley wasn't lying to her, he was looking for a way back for her but he had doubted his ability to do it it takes a lot of magic and required the aid of lots of people. He outdid himself by creating a stable portal that could stay open constantly. Yuu could even use it to get ingredients from her realm.

He had to promise her family to take care of her no matter what and made his guardianship offical with their consent.

He forgot about the lunchbox thing eventually due to caring more about her than the food. When he visited Ramshackle one evening he saw her making something and decided to join her. He wasn't good at cooking but he enjoyed that atmosphere. He messed up a few times but Yuu laughed and showed him how to fold the dough.

They placed the toppings on their pizza and put them in the oven. His came out a bit sad but at least Yuu's tuned out fine. They cute it up and sat down for a dinner of pizza, salad and pasta.

He could be a better parent but he was making progress.

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chronicbeans · 1 year

Text

Human Illustrator Wally x Reader (part 4)

Howdy's Place! Howdy's Place! Howdy's Place!

TW: Mentions of Varying Mental Illnesses and Medication, Hallucinations

🐻 You hum, looking at the question list you made up as you sit in the cafe area of Howdy's Place. It kind of reminds you of how the bookstore nearby has a cafe, too. You look around, waiting for Me. Darling. You made it here early, much like the last time you went somewhere to meet him. You don't want to make a poor second impression. After all, the first one you made with your staring? Must've been awful.

🐻 To your surprise, Howdy casually strolls up to you. He usually never leaves his cash register, so it is a surprise to see him not only leave his post, but single out YOU. Does he know you are here to see Mr. Darling?

🐻"Morning, (Y/N)!" You giggle, pointing to the clock "It is afternoon, Howdy. But, I appreciate the thought. Afternoon, Howdy. Do you need something?" Howdy chuckles, placing his hands on his hips "This is my store, and I say it isn't afternoon until it hits 12 on the dot. It's only 11:30. Anyways, I gotta talk to you about something."

🐻 He sits across from you, looking out the window as he asks "You work with a lot of kids, yeah? How many of them have what can be considered mental illnesses. I am not asking for me, or for any specific names. I just want to know for a friend. They are thinking of bringing their kid there, but couldn't find anything on the websites or flyers." You tilt your head, thinking, before saying "A lot of them, actually. A few have what could be considered childhood depression, for a variety of reasons. A lot of them have some sort of anxiety, these days. Is there anything in particular they want to know about?"

🐻Howdy looks back to you, then down at the table, as if thinking on how to word his question. Then, he speaks again, in a very quiet voice "Well... I already know that you have cared for children on the autism spectrum. It's just that... Umm... My friend's kid has hallucinations, too. They don't know why, yet. They want to know if they would be in a safe, nonjudgmental place at the daycare."

🐻 Oh... OH. You got it, now. You smile, shrugging "Well, we have had kids with hallucinations, before. It was caused by a head injury, so if your friend's kid went through that, I also have direct experience with their case. Do they have any medications?" Howdy shakes his head. "Nope. They took some for a bit, but they said that they didn't like the side effects. They tried a few more, only to decide to try talk therapy on its own for a bit. They have been doing better, now, but it still gets to them from time to time. They are good at hiding when it does." You nod again, thinking for a bit. "There have been some cases where children went without medication because the ones they tried didn't work and the remaining options were restricted to a higher age. Your friend's kid should be fine."

🐻 Howdy nods, looking outside the window again. He gets up as he sees a specific car pull into the parking lot. You grab his sleeve to get his attention. "Let your friend know that, even if there are a few problems along the way, I will be by their kid's side to help them through. I believe that every child should be given a chance to succeed." Howdy smiles, nodding. "Thanks. I'll let them know. They are just outside." With that, he quickly leaves.

🐻 You sit back, looking at the clock. It is about... 11:55? You have never been the best at reading analog clocks, even though you know how. You look back to your list of questions, trying to think of which one you should ask, first. Time and date sounds the most important, yes, but it would be a relatively quick thing to figure out compared to activities. So it could be asked at the end. Then there's the question if-

🐻"Hello." You look up, seeing Mr. Darling. He looks a bit tired, but his grin is still there. He also seems to be wearing a... Disguise of some sort? He's let his blue hair down from its normal style, allowing it to fall down into a waterfall of slightly curly, coarse strands. He is also wearing a dark sweater, with a hood over his head. You grin, waving "Hello! You look nice, today?"

🐻 "Yeah..." His face turns a slight pink as he says that, before he sits down. "You don't look so bad, yourself... Um... What should we talk about, first?" You look down at your papers, before looking at the bottom of the list. That should be relatively quick, right? "Well... Before the main stuff, I was just wondering how you knew my name, yesterday? I don't remember telling you it." He chuckles, letting out a very odd, but charming sounding laugh. He grins lazily as he says "I asked Frank, the library owner. He is a good friend of mine! He saw you running out, so he walked over to me and asked if I had anything to do with it. That's when I asked. Sorry if it scared you."

🐻 Giggling, you shake your head "Not at all. You could never scare me. You seem too nice to do anything bad." He taps his fingers against the table. "Really...?" You nod slowly, before picking another question to ask.

🐻 After that conversation with Howdy, you find yourself noticing the odd little things about Mr. Darling that make you go "hmmm". His odd way of looking at you for long periods, before suddenly looking to the side or making a strange expression for a moment is one thing. Then, when he takes out a few items to show you ideas for activities, he stares at a sketchbook for a few moments, as if something is wrong with it, before placing it with the other items. You had noticed these before, at the book signing, but didn't think anything of it.

🐻"Ah, this one is easy. I live a few hours away from here. About two, I think." Your eyes widen. You ask, just to be sure "Like... You live a few hours away from here permanently? Or is it a summer home, or...?" He lets out that laugh, again. "Permanently. I don't need to live somewhere fancy or anything. This small town is great for atmosphere and I'd rather just live with my best friend and help him get his comedy club off the ground." You write it down, saying "Wow! That, alongside the other stuff, makes you pretty available at all times! This is great!"

🐻 You smile, getting to the last question "So... I was wondering, what really made you interested in illustration and art? This one is just something I put in for fun." He looks around, growing quiet. "Well... um... I just always liked it. I got a lot of inspiration from things people said and the um... scenery around me. You know?" You place your papers down and your chin in the palm of your hand, leaning against the table as you look at him.

🐻 "Look... if you aren't going to be honest with that, it is fine. You don't have to tell me. You don't seem like the type of person to lie, though. Are you okay? You have been acting a bit off." He waves his hands, quickly saying "No- I mean... I just... I have been thinking about what you said earlier. To Howdy, you know? It was so sweet, I-" His eyes then widen, before he places a hand over his mouth.

🐻 You get it now... "You're Howdy's friend that has that kid, aren't you?" You ask, pointing at him. He shakes his head, sighing, before pointing to himself. "Nope! Guess I just can't hide it. No use in doing so, either. It is probably pretty obvious. I am that kid. Like... I hallucinate." You sit up straight, as you notice him tense up.

🐻"Well, why didn't you say so? Actually, I probably know why, considering Howdy's questions... Scratch that." You clear your throat, starting again "I hope nothing I said gave off the impression I would judge you for it. Were you up all night worrying about it? Is that why you are so tired looking?" He lets out a tiny "ugh", before saying "Yeah... Is it that obvious? I tried to cover it up with makeup." You nod, smiling as you point over to the cafe's ordering station.

🐻"Let's go get something to drink. You said the milk tea was good, right? We can try it out while we talk about how this all might affect your visit. Don't worry, I am sure it will be fine. We'll do our best to accommodate you!"

#welcome home #welcome home arg #welcome home au #wally darling #wally darling x reader

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happiest-hotch · 1 year

Text

Midnight

Summary: You definitely should not be in your married boss's office, but you're not unhappy about it based on: Hotch and the reader fucking in his office late at night after a case. (Both of their marriages are failing) Yet that doesn’t excuse the fact that hes railing you over his desk any papers that where on the desk is now on the floor and subtle creeking can be heard down the hall in the empty BAU floor

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x Fem!Reader (Smut)

Word Count: 1.5k

Content Warning: mutual cheating, SMUT 18+ (rough-ish p-in-v)

This is not where you should be.

On a Thursday night at 11:30, after coming back from a five-day-long case where you only slept a few hours a night with all your reports done, you should be at home.

There's only one reason why you're still at the BAU, and that reason just walked into his office.

"Does he know you're here?" Aaron asks, barely looking at you as he throws his briefcase on his desk chair. He locks the door, so he definitely knows why you're there.

"Are we going to do that, Aaron?" You ask nonchalantly, uncrossing your legs.

It doesn't bother you any more to discuss the reality of your relationship. Aaron, however, doesn't share the same sentiment. Talking about Haley upsets him, and mentions of your husband are hostile or intended to hurt you.

He has complicated feelings about it. He knows his wife cheats on him every chance she gets- emotionally and physically- yet he still feels bad for going behind her back, even though it's only physical stress relief. Although maybe there is an emotional connection... as bad as it sounds, you elect not to inquire about his feelings every single time.

"No." He decides, running his hand through his hair. He'll bring it up again, though, you know it. You've been doing this for too long not to be able to read him like a book.

"Good." You smile, preferring when he's not argumentative since he was a prosecutor. "Because I wanted to tell you that your shirt looks nice."

He scoffs, looking down at his attire. "It's a dark blue shirt." He says dumbly.

"I know, but it makes your eyes look pretty." You explain to him.

"But my eyes are brown." He says in the same confused tone.

It's no secret that he's terrible at taking compliments- you're guessing it's not a common occurrence- so you give him them just for his amusing reaction... and because it probably makes him feel good. "I know that, too. I just think blue suits you."

He dips his head, but you can still see his smile. "Thanks."

"Ready then?" You ask, standing up and stepping out from behind the desk.

"Don't do that." He requests softly. You know what he means, but you frown, feigning innocence. "Act like this is just... sex."

God, sometimes he is so emotional. "Take your pants off." You instruct.

Thankfully, his chattiness has calmed down, and he follows your instructions, putting his gun in his gun safe and undoing his belt while you pull your top off.

You're getting started on your skirt when he stops you, placing his hands on your hips. "Wait, wait."

"For what?" You ask, letting him maneuver you.

"You just look hot in pencil skirts." He admits with a smirk as he checks you out, and there's no bigger confidence booster than that.

You grin, noticing an obvious sign of his arousal. "Unfortunately, too tight for you to fuck me in."

"It's too tight for that, but it is not too tight in general." He assures you with a wink.

You wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him into a heated kiss. You feel much worse when his lips taste like strawberry lip balm, but they don't today. They feel soft, molding with yours so perfectly you can't imagine kissing anyone else. Those glorious big palms of his travel to your ass, expectedly, and he squeezes until you're moaning into his mouth.

His pupils are darker when you pull back to get some air. "Fuck me, Aaron." You say, your legs too weak for him already for it to be a demand but feeling too intense for it to be a request.

"How do you want it, doll?" He asks. "On my lap, sitting on my desk, or bent over my desk?"

"The latter." You respond, overclouded with lust.

That cocky look takes over his face again. "Want it rough, huh?" He asks smugly, not waiting for verbal confirmation before tightening his grip on your hips, spinning you around, and all but throwing you onto the desk. You prop yourself up with your hands, pushing some of the paperwork on his desk aside.

You press your ass back into his crouch when you feel him behind you, and he groans before stopping you so he can yank your skirt down your legs. Your panties are off a second later, which you've learned not to step out of, knowing he'll snatch them.

Then his hands are off you, and you feel a little empty without them, so you take your bra off and look over your shoulder at what he's doing.

He's so attractive. Even without his shirt taken off, you can see his bulging muscles, and his hand wrapped around his dick makes it look delicious.

"Aaron, hurry up." You insist impatiently.

"Do you have somewhere else you need to be?" He asks arrogantly. "I told you you're not allowed to think about anyone-" He punctuates the word by running his finger through your folds- "else while we're doing this."

His touch melts you in a second. "I'm not. I promise."

"I'll make damn sure of that, doll." He vows, and you're not prepared for it, but he lines himself up and pushes his dick into you.

"Aaron." You whimper, tucking your chin down. "Feels so good."

He nods in agreement. "Mm-hmm." He agrees, stilling inside you.

It feels wrong to have him inside you raw. It's probably the only thing about this whole thing that feels wrong, but knowing you're meant to be squeezing your husband's dick like this, and his wife is meant to have him inside her without a barrier, makes it immoral.

"Move, please." You request, leaning back to tap him to emphasize your ask.

Aaron does what you ask, also not in the mood to tease tonight. It's less common than him teasing you, and it's hard not to prefer it when he's thrusting in and out of you with speed and strength.

Your fits grip on his desk as he continues pounding into you, the obscene sound of your skin slapping against his filling the room.

He's in total control, like always. It's second nature to him and you don't mind one bit.

"Fuck." You curse when he adjusts his hips and hits inside you at the perfect angle. It's dizzying, and it makes everything inside you feel like it's on fire.

"Yeah? Am I giving you what you want?" He presses, a sucker for praise as well. Your answer comes out through broken moans. "Not thinking about anyone else?"

You shake your head quickly. "No. No one but you."

His grip on your hips is bruising, and you're thankful there's no one to notice them. "Good." He huffs, no doubt throwing his head back as he groans.

"I'm c-close." You moan, squeezing around him and grinding back against him as you chase your orgasm.

"I know." He assures you. "Come around me, doll." His fingers move to your clit to get you closer even quicker, and it doesn't take more than a few more strokes for you to be screaming out his name as you reach your high.

Aaron's quickly after you, pumping his cum deep inside you and making you moan. He falls forward, kissing your bare shoulder sweetly. A mistake? Yes. Do you like it? Yes.

He pulls out after a moment, making you wince at the overstimulation. "I know, I'm sorry."

You shake your head, assuring him it's okay and standing up as he moves from behind you. You're always quick to redress, even though it's so late that it's closer to people arriving in the morning than when people left at night.

"Sorry about your desk." You remark, looking at the paperwork everywhere.

He's working on the buckle of his belt as he looks up at you. "It's okay."

"So what excuse are you giving your wife for not being home?" You ask, probably pushing the boundaries but why not?

"What's hers?" He asks rhetorically, dancing around a vital piece of information. You raise your eyebrows, waiting for an explanation. "She left."

"With Jack?" You interrogate. It's not meant to sound so captious, but it comes off that way. You're not one for chatting after having sex with him, but you have to this time.

His jaw clenches, and his nostrils flare. He hates discussing Jack with you. In fact, you're the only person on the team he refuses to speak about his son with.

"Yes." He answers.

"I'm so-"

He cuts you off. "Don't." He says firmly, back in a Unit Chief tone. "It's not your business."

You chuckle lightly, feeling really stupid because the one time you offer a discussion about feelings, everything goes terribly. He says it unconsciously himself every time he calls you doll, that you’re only a toy to use and someone to talk to on his terms.

Alright." You grab the coat that you left on the chair. "Goodnight, Hotch."

#aaron hotchner #aaron hotchner x reader #aaron hotchner x you #aaron hotchner x y/n #aaron hotchner one shot #aaron hotchner fanfiction #aaron hotchner fic #aaron hotchner au #aaron hotchner angst #criminal minds #criminal minds fandom #criminal minds fanfiction #criminal minds fic #criminal minds angst #aaron hotchner smut #criminal minds smut

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hihomeghere · 7 months

Note

Hello my new favorite creator! I just saw your response to my last request (the soft y/n dom one) and I'm deffo going to formally request you turn it into a story (if you're not doing that already) I've been reading more of your content and it's quickly becoming an addiction 😅 any way I'll be a big supporter from the shadows <333 -🧛 anon (Naming myself lol)

Routine | Five Hargreeves / F!Reader

Part of the Tesoro series (Can be read as a one shot)

Word Count : 2.3k Summary : After the confession, Five and reader head back to a hotel room. Soft dom y/n. Aged up!Five Warnings/Tags : Smut, handjob, masturbation, piv, cursing, fluff at the end, this is filth enjoy <3 ( I do not own the umbrella academy or any of it's characters )

If Five was anything, he was a creature of habit. His father had ingrained that in him from a young age. Chores, training, studies, hell even his meal times were scheduled. His entire life was based on routine.

Then he was stuck in the apocalypse, and even though there were millions of things Five could be mad at his father about, he had to appreciate his sense for routine. It kept him alive, he still had a set time to eat (if he had anything to eat), but instead of training he was scavenging. Picking through a wasteland for anything edible, along with trying to find a sustainable source of clean water. While picking through for food, he would also collect anything to help conserve his energy. Things like his bike or wagon, etc. His definition of ‘resting’ was mainly anytime he could sit down. During those periods he would work on equations, trying to find a way out of there and back to his family. And although it wasn’t strictly in his routine, mental breakdowns always seemed to weasel their way into his day.

Thankfully, both of those routines were a thing of the past. Now his routine consisted of reading up on case files before going into the field. He’d kill whoever he had to and afterwards he’d reward himself with fucking his fist until he fell asleep. Did it make him feel a bit disgusted with himself, yes, but masturbation had been the only stress relief he’d ever had. Again, just another one of his constants throughout the years. What he hadn’t accounted for was you. At first he had marked you off as a nuisance. Like the cockroaches that somehow managed to survive alongside Five, although you were much nicer to look at.

Five knew he was in trouble when he started subconsciously adding your routines into his. You would start getting hungry around 11:30 every day, like clockwork. So he had started planning his lunches for around 11:30, not because the thought of you eating alone made his heart seize in his chest, just to make his work more efficient. It aggravated him to have to wait for you to be finished with your lunch, only for him to get hungry once you returned. So out of convenience, he started eating lunch with you. Little things like that.

He couldn’t exactly say he was surprised. You were always one to throw wrenches in the works. Although he didn’t account for a deviation of this size into his plan. When he kissed you, a silent confession on his feelings, he knew there would be no going back. You were it for him. He loved you and you seemed to share those feelings. Your lips crashed against his as he fumbled with the key to the hotel room. You giggled into the kiss, something so sickly sweet. His hands were back on you as soon as the door swung open. Pulling the key out of the lock and throwing it onto a side table as he kicked the door close behind you. His hands were everywhere, touching and squeezing. Your breasts, oh god, your tits. He couldn’t get enough of them, his hand flew under your blouse, pinching your nipple through your bra. You gasped softly, your hands threading through his hair. He stopped, admiring your flushed face as he kicked off his shoes. Your lips parted slightly, hot breath fanning across his face, a light splattering of blood across your cheek.

You pulled away, and he almost whined at the loss of contact. What was happening to him? Did you really have such a hold on him? He was taken back to his younger years, when his father would read from Homer’s Odyssey. He had never paid much attention to the sirens, that was more of Diegos and Luthers interest. He wished he had listened to Circe’s warnings like Odysseus, now he was sure he had met a siren in person. He was bewitched by you, drawn to you like iron to a magnet. Five was sure you were more beautiful than Helen of Troy, hell even Aphrodite would be jealous of your beauty.

“I’m going to take a shower.” You smiled, pushing him back onto the bed before kissing his cheek. Another one of your routines, always showering after a mission. You made a show of undressing yourself, slowly unbuttoning your blouse. Then shimmying out of your trousers. You hooked your fingers under your bra strap, pulling them down at an agonizing pace. You unhooked your bra, throwing it onto the chair. Five’s eyes never left your body until you were behind the bathroom door. He gulped, his cock painfully pressed against the crotch of his slacks. He hurried to pull himself free, the buckle of his belt clinking metal against metal. He started to get frantic in his movements, unzipping his pants and kicking them off along with his underwear. His cock sprung up against his stomach. He let out a sigh, spitting into his hand. He grabbed himself, lubricating his dick with his spit. At times like this he wondered if was seriously fucked in the head. But normally once he ran his thumb over the slit on his head any negative thoughts would be tucked away. He arched his neck, letting out a shaky breath as he started to stroke himself. His mind wandering to you, always you. “Fuck,” he sighed squeezing the base of his cock. Your flushed face, a blush painting your cheeks. That slutty fucking skirt you wore, tight around your hips, he didn’t know how you got that little thing over your ass. He groaned, his eyes rolling back as he picked up the pace. How your lips felt against his throat as you ordered him to cum, your tits bouncing with each of his thrusts. His hips jolted up into his hand, he craved more, his other hand gently cupped his balls. He was close, his breath getting caught in his throat. “Y/n.” He whined, his eyes fluttering close.

“Starting without me?” You asked leaning on the doorway to the bathroom. Clad in only a towel, tightly wrapped around your body. He froze, caught red handed with his pants down. Fuck he was so close. He tugged on himself, chasing after his high as it slowly slipped away. You stopped him, swatting his hand away from his dick. “Excuse me?” You scoffed, your arms crossed above him. You stared down at him, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

“What?” He asked, his eyebrows knitting together. You grabbed his face, your fingers pressing his lips together, his skin dimpling under your grip. His breath hitched, his eyes going wide. “Y/n, what are you doing?” He said through squished lips.

“You started without me.” You repeated, a wolfish grin spreading across your face. He scoffed, rolling his eyes. You turned his face so he was looking at you, his green eyes wide. He let out a surprised sound, “Now, would you like to finish?” You asked with a commanding voice. His eyes flicked all over your face.

“Y-yes.” He stuttered, his adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed. You let go of his face, walking backwards until the back of your knees hit the plush chair. You sank down onto the chair, slowly undoing your towel, letting it pool around your body.

He stared at you, his eyebrows still furrowed. You chuckled to yourself, his expression taking you back to the first night you spent together. So unsure of himself, his hands twitched against the sheets. His dick stood at attention, brushing against his white shirt. His angry red tip made a wet spot on his shirt.

“Take off your shirt first,” you said, leaning back in the chair, spreading your legs. It was like he had been frozen until your command. His eager fingers moved to his shirt, unbuttoning the buttons quickly. He tore it off of him, throwing it onto the floor. He turned to you for his next instructions, a newfound glint in his eye. “You can touch yourself.” You cooed, immediately his hand wrapped around his cock. Stroking himself with fever, he wet his bottom lip, his hips jolting against his fist. Five was so pretty like this, not that he wasn’t a gorgeous man, but he was so vulnerable. Pride bloomed in your chest knowing that you were the only one allowed to see Five like this. His head fell back, giving you a gorgeous view of his neck. He let out a strangled whine, his lips parting. You sat up, unable to help yourself. You stalked towards him, your hands holding his shoulders. Your lips attacked his neck, nipping and sucking on his neck. Dark spots adorning his pale skin.

“Fuck,” he moaned, leaning into your touch. You reached down, pulling his hand away. He let out a frustrated whine, biting his lip as he stared into your eyes. You smiled sweetly, kissing his cheek over his two freckles, before squeezing his shaft. You began to pump him harshly, sucking a deep mark on his collarbone. His hands flew to your hips, holding them with a vice like grip. “I’m gonna cum.” He said through his gritted teeth, “please let me cum.” He squeezed your hips, his fingers digging into your soft skin.

“You can cum baby,” You chuckled, licking a stripe up his neck. He cried out his hips jolting against your hand as ropes of cum shot out onto your fist. You grinned, working him through his orgasm. A pained expression painting his features. As he came down from his high, he softly rubbed circles onto your hips.

“That was…” He trailed off clearing his throat, his hands drifting upwards on his body. You giggled, wrapping your arms around his shoulders, pulling him flush against your body.

“Never would have guessed Mr. Five Hargreeves would be so obedient.” You laughed, kissing him. He pulled away from the kiss.

“Are you trying to get a rise out of me y/n?” He said, cocking his head slightly. A smug smile spread across his face, his eyes darkened. You felt like the prey instead of the predator under his gaze.

“I would never dream of it.” You smirked, feeling him get hard against your stomach. “Already?” You chuckled, rolling your eyes.

“I can’t help that I have the most gorgeous girl in front of me, naked.” He mused, raising his eyebrows. You pushed him back, his back hitting the mattress with a soft thud. He smirked, propping himself up on his elbows. You crawled on top of him, setting yourself over his waist. He leaned his head forward, his lips covering your right breast. You lowered yourself onto him, moaning as he pushed through your opening. He let out a pained cry against your breast.

“Are you alright?” You asked, stalling your movement.

“Mmm,” he hummed, his eyes shut tight, his hands gripping your hips, stilling any movements you would make. “Just sensitive, tesoro.” He chuckled looking up at you through his heavy eyelashes. You grinned, you wanted nothing more than to have Five under you a blubbering mess. And you were gonna have it.

You rolled your hips against him, his fingers digging into the soft skin of your hips. He let out a choked gasp, his head falling back against the bed.

“You like that baby?” You asked, dragging your hips up and down against him.

“Fuck yes.” He whined, arching his back off the bed, wrapping his arms around your waist and burying his head into your chest. You rocked back and forth, Five’s fingernails dragging down your back. You moaned, pushing him back against the bed. You leaned back, propping yourself up on his thighs as you jutted your hips forward again and again. That familiar coil tightening in your stomach. “F-fuck.” He cried, his hips jolting against your pelvis, his pubic hair rubbing at your clit. His eyes shone with unshed tears as he bit his lip, his hands gripping the sheets beneath you.

“You feel so good, you make me feel so good Five.” You huffed, struggling to keep up your pace. He whimpered a tear falling down his cheek. Suddenly his body jolted, his hands gripping your waist holding you down onto his hips as he came with a cry. You grinned against him, reaching your own orgasm. You moaned, high pitched and breathy as his cock twitched inside you. His cum painting your walls as you clenched down on him

“Christ woman.” He sighed, his arm covering his eyes. You pulled away his arm, wiping away a stray tear.

“Glad to be of service.” You asked sweetly, kissing his cheek before pecking his lips. You slowly got off of his lap, his softened cock slipping out of you. You laid down beside him, lightly trailing your fingers over his chest. He wraps his arm around you, pulling you closer. Your head laying on his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart against your ear.

“I love you.” He says, breaking the comfortable silence.

“Are you thinking of someone else?” You tease, staring up at him through your lashes.

“No.” He says, rolling his eyes feigning annoyance. He sits up, you prop yourself up on your arm. “I’m serious,” he cups your face, “I love you so goddamn much.” He says kissing you. You were sure you had died and gone to heaven. His hand against your face, with his soft slightly bruised lips against yours. You sighed into the kiss, feeling like a love sick teenager.

“I love you.” You giggled wrapping your arms around his neck, “I love you, I love you.” You kissed the corner of his lips, his cheek, his forehead. He chuckled softly, as you met his eyes. “I love you Five Hargreeves.” You whispered, resting your forehead against his.

“And I you.” He smiled. Five would happily add anything pertaining to you into his routine any day.

#the umbrella academy #tua #five hargreeves #klaus hargreeves #diego hargreeves #luther hargreeves #viktor hargreeves #alison hargreeves #five hargreeves smut #five hargreeves x reader #five hargreaves x reader #five x reader #number five #tua x reader #hihomeghere

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hockpock · 7 months

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Glasses Review - Firmoo

Hello vision impaired friends, I bring you the gospel of Ordering Your Damn Glasses Online

I have previously ordered from EyeBuyDirect (luxotica/lenscrafters'/America's Best in disguise, sorry.) and Zenni Optical ( most well known online provider, A+ would recommend) and have seen lots of ads for free pairs from a competitor, Firmoo. I have too much prescription for the free pair offers to ever work out from ANY provider, but their fun designs put them on my list.

When my current glasses broke, I was dinking around and saw their current promotion is Buy One Get One Free PLUS 20% off lenses and as lenses are the real $$$ I jumped on that like tigger on crack. I am VERY nearsighted with astigmatism and the average pair of glasses from lenscrafters used to cost me $300 minimum.

After much deliberation with a million tabs open and a poll I ignored the results of for Reasons, I ordered a pair of clear frames and a pair of purple steampunk-y wireframes . Two pairs of HIGH PRESCRIPTION glasses for $87 shipped. I could cry, y'all.

Note: I have an up to date prescription and a nifty app that measures Pupillary Distance or 'PD'. you will need both these things accurate to have the best experience buying your glasses online.

I ordered them 9/22, they shipped 9/25, I received them 9/29 with regular shipping. They came well packed - each pair was in a bag made of cleaning cloth material inside a sturdy plastic case and they come in a foil bubble mailer.

Both pairs feel well made, with lots of attention to detail-

however I did not pay attention to detail or pay extra money for the Re-he-heaaallly thin lenses. So the clear ones are slightly too big and I hate the way the nose pieces sit, while the purple ones are a wee bit small across the temple and heavy to boot. I haven't had dents in my nose like this since I was 12.

the website lists their exchange policy as 30 days, the pamphlet that came with the glasses says 60. Either way it was pretty painless to go into my order history and select "exchange". The form I filled out with my reasons for dissatisfaction promised me I would be contacted within 24 hours.

My 'personal Firmoo consultant', 'Karen', emailed me with a code for the full price before discount of both pairs + standard shipping, as well as the usual customer service canned answers about checking the sizing information and did I know I could upgrade the lenses?

Also I could keep the failed pairs 'FOR NOW', here are some places that accept glasses as donations. (mixed messages, Karen, but sweet!)

New friends are April006, round anodized wireframes with a cute dingly gem thing, and Sandy020 , literal tortoiseshell cat eye frames.

This time I used the site's search terms to cut the temple width and earpiece length options down and double checked the weight of the base frames. (14g vs 24g for the round wireframes before my coke-bottle lenses. RIP my nose. )

New order was placed 10/5 and they arrived 10/17 . (last time I checked the tracking estimated arrival had creeped from the 19th up to the 23rd so grain of salt. This may be a tactic to make the order feel like it got here faster or legit delays. In my case there was a federal holiday involved.)

Complete disclosure I'm gonna grab a pair of pliers and take the little dangly off the wireframes. It makes a noise when I move my head and if I don't fold the frames in the right order when I take them off it'll scratch up the lenses. I ain't gonna remember to avoid that, so off it goes.

The Good:

Large selection, Good Quality, Good Communication. Lots of Off the Beaten Path options for internet weirdos. Firmoo p much always has a promotion going.

My wallet is so happy. SO HAPPY. Frames run $20-30ish to start. lenses will vary with your prescription and options.

If y'all want 50% off your first frames and to give me a $10 credit they have a referral program and my code is T4Z8I2. BOGO20 is a better value but it expires 11/01/23.

The Bad:

Not flexible about lens options- you go down one track and pick your options within that. If there was a way to put tinting on a pair of glasses other than blue light blocking I couldn't find it. (in contrast I believe Zenni lets you choose a range of colors and tint depth on any pair, designed as sunnies or not)

You Will Get Emails. Firmoo REALLY wants you to buy more glasses and post about it and tell your friends and HERE THIS CODE IS ONLY GOOD FOR 3 DAYS, GO BUY NEW GLASSES. They are marketing themselves to fashionable young influencers who change styles every month. Unsubscribe with impunity.

like Zenni, this is a company with the majority of it's functionality based overseas. It's cheaper because you're ordering directly from a factory and not paying Luxotica's markups to itself. Customer service is mostly English as Second Language speakers and there may be delays.

Not For Emergencies. I was able to coast on a pair of glasses from a prescription or 2 ago but it's gonna take time for your order to be made and shipped.

Overall I'm very happy with them and will probably order again.

Next time I have spare money I'm aiming at Wherelight because y'all. they are next down on the list of reputable to shady AF but they have the most amazing WTF designs.

#glasses #low vision #review #pock posts a thing #firmoo.com #vision impaired #long post

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basiatlu · 7 months

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Thanks everyone for taking part in my poll yesterday! Here is the curated and then randomly sorted prompt list for my Harry Potter Drawtober! ✨ oooooooh~ aaaaaaaah~

You can view all of my prompt drawings also on Ao3 [here] - I would greatly appreciate the spare kudo, there ♡

Here is the list typed out in case the graphic is difficult to see:

1.) Necromancy 2.) Moon 3.) Scarf 4.) Possession 5.) Cauldron 6.) Cat 7.) Shiver 8.) Constellation 9.) Potion/Poison 10.) Memory

11.) Ghost 12.) Devil's Snare 13.) Nightmare 14.) Trick o' Treat 15.) Misfortune 16.) Bones 17.) Ritual 18.) Stuffed 19.) Leaves 20.) Blood

21.) [House] Elf 22.) Thestral 23.) Werewolf 24.) Feast 25.) Lost 26.) Melt 27.) Costume 28.) Pumpkin 29.) Pollen 30.) The Veil 31.) Sickening

Alternative Prompts: The Grim, Hallow, Party, and Vision

Please tag me here or elsewhere @basiatlu -or- @ boshspice on Ao3 if that’s where you so choose to share! And use the hashtag “boshhptober2023” so we can all share. That’s what I’m using on mine.

Open to any media/medium/maestro- honestly it’s fine if no one else takes part I just wanted a list for myself HAHAHA 💖✨ mine will mostly be drarry related but we will see where the list takes me. Oh oh also my bday is on Friday the 13th soooo if you were to do one please do it then and of course you guys can hop around and just do a couple days and not be crazy about it. This is so casual my dudes.

#boshhptober2023 #that’s 2 h’s yes #drawtober #drawtober 2023 #Harry Potter drawtober #prompt list #drawing challenge #Harry Potter art #drawing #artists on tumblr #harry potter #boshhptober

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delicateflowerss · 1 year

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Don't Worry, Darling: Three

After marrying the love of your life, Rafe Cameron, you thought you couldn't be happier. But when a murder shakes the island, you learn you don't know your husband as well as you thought. When does Paradise become Hell?

Warnings: 18+, eventual NON-CON, verbal/domestic abuse, dark!Rafe, mentions of murder, mentions of pregnancy/having kids, kook!reader, non-canon ages

Word Count: 3.9k

Series Masterlist

“So, let’s go over that again. You left the office around 11:30, correct?”

Shoupe’s stare is set on Rafe, almost like he’s waiting for your husband to blink at him wrong, anything to show he isn’t telling the truth.

“It was around that time. I don’t remember exactly.”

You can tell Rafe is fighting the urge to tell the police to fuck off, given the heavy annoyance lacing his tone. You worry he might, his impulse control only lasting so long.

Their incessant questions don’t help, going over every detail of the night Rafe last saw Chase alive.

It’s a strong case of déjà vu for you, Shoupe and the same officer as last time, sitting in the exact same spot on your couch. Except, you can feel the gravity of the situation now. A man you know has been killed.

“And nothing struck you as odd about Chase that night? All he said was bye as he was leaving?”

“That’s all I remember. How many times do I have to tell you I barely saw him that night?”

Whatever Rafe was holding back, he isn’t anymore, his anger getting the best of him. It doesn’t sit right with either officer, their meaningful glances toward each other telling you more than they’ll ever say.

As your eyes rake over your husband, you don’t know why he seems nervous, unable to stop the shake in his leg.

You reach your hand out, the denim of his pants rough under your skin as you stop the uneasy movement.

“I think what Rafe is trying to say, is he’s answered all of your questions, more than once,” you placate. “You seem to be wanting an answer he just doesn’t have.”

Rafe watches you, an appreciation shining in his eyes that he wouldn’t know how to voice to you.

“We would love to help any way we can. But he’s told you everything he knows.”

Shoupe mulls over your words, seeming almost annoyed that you’re making a good point.

“Fine,” he concedes, looking over both you and Rafe. “But if there’s anything you could possibly think of, you know where to find us,” he adds, standing up.

“Of course,” you reply, showing them the way out.

“It’s important to us you find whoever did this,” you say, giving Rafe a pointed look, motioning toward the officers, needing him to show his support.

When he spots this, he nods. “Catch this guy before something else happens. Don’t put our tax dollars to waste.”

He keeps his eyes on Shoupe, his mouth fighting a smirk.

You don’t understand the exchange between the two men, Shoupe’s stare also heavy.

“That’s what we’re trying to do,” Shoupe finally retorts after a few tense moments. He’s the first one to look away, nodding toward you. “Have a good day, Mrs. Cameron.”

Once they’re gone, your eyes find your husband, brows pulled together.

“What was that about?” You ask, trying to find an explanation for his rude behavior.

“What?” Now his unpleasant mood is aimed at you, lips parted, brows matching yours, and you almost regret saying anything. “He’s wasting his time with me. He’s wasting my time. He could actually be out there, catching the person who did it.”

You take in his explanation, arms crossed, eyes glancing to the floor before meeting his.

“I get it. But they’re just doing their job,” you explain. “I mean Chase was murdered, Rafe. You know, the guy you used to see at work every day and liked to invite us over for dinner.”

You try to make it clear to him why he should think about someone besides himself.

He swallows at that, now it’s him who can’t meet your gaze.

You sigh, deciding it’s best to drop it. You know how Rafe is, how difficult it is for him to not only process his own emotions, but others as well.

You step closer, your hand finding his by his side, fingers threading together. You feel the cool touch of his gold, signet ring against your warm skin, along with his wedding ring.

He doesn’t move away, and you can’t help but think he looks like a scolded little boy as he finally looks up at you, hair failing into his eyes.

“I know this has been a lot for you,” you start. “You know you can always talk to me. About anything.”

You watch him, hoping he’ll finally open up to you about this whole situation.

Instead, he just nods, his hand falling from yours before he walks to the kitchen, finding his phone.

You have to stop yourself from sighing, showing your disappointment.

“I talked to my dad earlier,” he calls out, walking toward you with his phone in his hand. “He wants us over for dinner on Sunday. Something about wanting everyone together since Sarah’s back for the summer,” he mumbles the last part, and you can tell he’s trying his hardest not to roll his eyes.

“Oh, that should be nice. We haven’t been over there in a while.” You keep your tone optimistic, hoping it will influence his own outlook.

But by the look on Rafe’s face, it’s not working. He seems more distracted than anything else.

“I gotta take this,” he holds his phone up, excusing himself to his office upstairs.

You’re more than aware of Rafe’s strained relationship with his family. Part of you wants to tell him to forget about his father, thinking it would be best for him to release himself from the shackles of desperately vying for his father’s approval.

But you also know that this house didn’t pay for itself. Even if the name Cameron holds weight in certain places, you’d be lying if you said Rafe could get a job anywhere, especially as good as the one he has now.

You thought Rafe having to work for his father could only help the relationship, and it does seem like they’re friendlier to each other, Ward seeing his son as somewhat competent. But the pressure still lies on Rafe to be good enough.

So, all you can do is keep the peace.

Maybe you have your own motives to keep things nice between Rafe and his family. Sometimes, they feel like the only family you have, even if it’s a bit dysfunctional.

You’re an only child, and your parents decided when you moved out that they were going to spend most of their time on vacation, seeing the world they didn’t get to when you were growing up.

Right now, they’re on a Caribbean cruise, the last time you saw them being your wedding.

You miss them, but you don’t really blame them. Maybe you’ll feel the same one day, when your own children are grown up and married.

They were always extremely supportive of your relationship with Rafe, never seeing any issues. Their happiness at the possibility of their daughter marrying into the Cameron’s blinded them.

You’re glad they didn’t see the things you saw because they might not have been as forgiving. You saw firsthand how hard Rafe worked to clean up his addiction, and to stop the tendency to get into fights with Pogues.

But you wonder if they had known, would they have even batted an eye?

JJ doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to sitting in your kitchen. He thinks you’re only pretending not to notice how much he stands out, because you never seem bothered by it. You just smile as you hand him an ice-cold drink. This time, it’s iced tea.

You were folding laundry when you heard JJ slip into the backyard. This time, he didn’t put up a fight, letting you invite him in.

“So,” you say, sitting across from him at the kitchen table. “I heard Sarah’s back for the summer. Is she still with John B?”

“I thought you were her sister-in-law or whatever, wouldn’t you know?” He asks, taking a long sip of his drink.

“Yeah, well, Rafe and Sarah don’t really talk.”

JJ raises his eyebrows, humming, an understanding washing over his face.

“They’re still together. She’s over at The Chateau almost every day now,” he answers.

You smile, nodding. “So, you still see your friends a lot?”

You were pretty removed from the people Sarah started hanging out with during her high school years. They were younger…and they were Pogues. But you cared about her enough to want to know about her friends.

You also knew them for other reasons, ones having to do with a dumb rivalry stemming from your husband’s hatred of Pogues.

You never got to know any of them, talking to John B the most out of all of them.

Until now.

“Yeah. Everyone’s doing their own thing now, but we get together all the time,” he casually says.

“I’m glad to hear that. I remember you all being so close.”

“Hm.” He stops, his brow furrowing. “You remember that before or after we would get the shit kicked out of us by Rafe?”

Your smile falters, eyes finding the surface of the table.

Before you can say anything, he continues, “but he’s different now. So, I should just forget about it.”

Sarcasm drips from his tone, using your own words against you. He raises his eyebrows again, taking another sip, making his point.

“I never said you should forget about it,” you scoff. “I know what Rafe did was wrong. Do you hold what he did against Sarah too?”

“You can’t choose your family,” he shrugs. “I mean she barely talks to him as it is. You married him.” He pauses, blue eyes staring into you. “That means you looked at all that, and thought, I want to be with this guy for the rest of my life.”

He immediately begins to feel bad when you frown. He sighs, realizing he took it too far.

“I’m sorry, okay?” He apologizes bluntly. “You seem nice and all, I just can’t trust someone who’s married to Rafe Cameron,” JJ explains.

“You don’t have to trust me,” you level with him. “And I can apologize for all of Rafe’s wrongdoings over and over again, because I am sorry. But is that really going to make you feel better?”

He looks to his lap, bottom lip between his teeth. He knows you’re being sincere, your eyes genuinely curious.

“You’re right, there’s no point in holding it against you,” he admits quietly.

You nod, taking a moment before saying, “Good, because I actually like talking to you, for some reason,” you add the last part with a smile on your face.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say that to me before,” he says with a smile, the same joking tone.

You’ve been to Tannyhill more times than you could count, and it never fails to impress you.

Rafe has told you more than once, usually when he has a few drinks in him, that one day it will be “ours.” You think it’s somewhat morbid that he’s waiting for the day his father can’t physically have it anymore. But you also can’t help but feel a glimmer of anticipation about being able to call it yours.

As you walk side by side, you can feel the nervousness radiating off of Rafe, even if he tries his hardest to stamp it down.

You say his name, stopping a few feet from the front door, turning toward him.

He looks at you, a question in his eyes.

Before he can say anything, you bring your hands to his firm chest, smoothing out the black polo shirt he’s wearing. You feel him let out a sigh.

“Babe-.”

You cut him off with a kiss, lashes fluttering against his cheek.

“I just wanted to do that before we went in there,” you quietly say against his lips when you break apart.

You get your satisfaction when his lips turn up into a smile.

But your attention is quickly moved when you hear the door creak open.

“Dad said to get the door,” Wheezie says timidly, eyes shifting around.

You meet Rafe’s eyes again, both of you hiding your laughs.

“Hi, Wheezie,” you greet, walking into the cool air of the house.

You hear Rafe say the same right behind you, shutting the door.

“Are you still taking me shopping before Midsummers?” She doesn’t waste a second to excitedly ask you. “Sarah’s too busy and I’d rather go with you than Rose.”

She grimaces at the mention of her stepmother.

“I’ve been looking forward to it. Why don’t we go sometime this week?”

You don’t notice how Rafe watches you make plans with his little sister, an indescribable emotion swimming in his blue eyes.

“We were wondering when you’d get here,” a booming voice announces.

Ward walks into the room with a grin on his face.

“How you doing, sweetheart?” he asks, pulling you into a hug.

“I’m doing good. Nice to see you, Ward,” you reply, still smiling.

As he steps away from you, you notice how Rafe shifts a little, standing up straighter.

“Hi, Dad.”

“Son,” is all Ward says, patting Rafe on the back, his smile more tight-lipped now.

They share a look, something wordless between them before Ward turns to you.

“Rose is in the kitchen, getting dinner ready. And Sarah should be down soon. I’m just going to borrow Rafe for a few minutes. I hope you don’t mind,” he checks with you, eyebrows raised.

“No, go ahead,” you nod, watching them head toward his office.

“I’ll go see what Sarah’s doing,” Wheezie says, also going upstairs, leaving you to wander into the kitchen.

It’s not uncommon for Ward to pull Rafe aside to have a conversation, usually about work. But the glance they gave each other was tense, a seriousness there that you don’t know the reason for.

“This looks delicious, Rose. You’ll have to give me the recipe,” you comment, staring at the sauce she’s stirring.

“My mother used to make this all the time. One of my favorites,” she remarks before being interrupted by Sarah barreling her way toward you.

“There’s my favorite sister-in-law,” she calls out, wrapping her arms around you.

“I’m your only sister-in-law,” you say, laughing, squeezing her back.

“Well, I still think if you really wanted to see me all the time, you didn’t have to marry Rafe to do it.” Amusement dances on her lips. “You could’ve saved yourself a lot of trouble,” she says, trying not to burst out laughing.

“What? You mean, I didn’t have to do that.” Your tone matches hers, and she’s the first one to laugh as you step away from the heat of the kitchen.

“So, tell me all about your first year at UNC?” You ask, eyes on her.

“It was good,” she says with a lack of truthfulness, her furrowed brow giving her away.

“Are you sure?”

She shakes her head, looking around to make sure she’s out of Rose’s earshot.

“I don’t know. I’m just not sure if college is for me,” Sarah says quietly. You nod and she continues, “I just would rather be doing something else with my life. Not being stuck in a classroom with a bunch of other rich kids who are just going to end up working for their fathers.”

You raise your eyebrows, the implication of her words not lost on you.

“Sorry,” she draws back. “That was harsh.”

“No, I get it. You want something different.”

“Yeah. And I want to be with people I actually like.”

“Like John B?”

An involuntary smile makes her lips twitch as she looks down, her cheeks turning rosy.

“Yes, like John B,” she admits, not fighting her smile anymore. “And before you say anything, I know what it sounds like,” she pauses, staring directly at you. “But I won’t be dropping out of college for a boy. It’s for a lot of reasons.”

“I mean, even if that were the case. I can’t really judge you, can I?” You ask, thinking of your own past, and how picking a school was completely dependent on Rafe. “I think you should do what makes you happy.”

“Can you explain that to my dad now?” She jokes, but her smile is appreciative, like it’s all she needed to hear.

Rafe didn’t say much by the time he came back from his dad’s office, just sitting down for dinner like everyone else. You want to ask him about it, but you know it’s best to let him tell you first.

You all eat under incandescent lighting from the chandelier, shining off the silverware and fine china. There has been slight small talk, but things shift when Ward clears his throat from the head of the table, setting down his fork.

“I just want to say, how grateful I am to have the whole family here, together. The year’s not even close to over, and I don’t know if I can express how proud I am.”

Emotion seeps through his words as his eyes rake over the table, everyone intently listens.

“Sarah just completed her first year at college, with straight A’s,” he adds, his smile only growing bigger. Sarah returns the expression, but you can see the slight insincerity to it.

“We also, officially, welcomed Y/N to the family. Of course, I would say she’s been part of this family for years.”

You sheepishly smile, catching Rafe’s eye.

“And Rafe,” he pauses, staring at his son. “Rafe has been working very hard in his position at Cameron Development. Harder than almost anyone, and I’m not just saying that.” He laughs a little. “That’s why, I’ve decided to make him Cameron Development’s new Chief Operating Officer.”

Your lips part with surprise, quickly turning into a smile as you put an arm around Rafe’s shoulders, placing a kiss on his cheek.

“I’m so proud of you,” you whisper, catching the happiness in his eyes.

“I won’t let you down,” he tells his dad.

Wheezie smiles, thinking it must be a big deal, Sarah doesn’t look impressed, and Rose just casually sips her wine.

“Now, I’m not saying I’m expecting any, but maybe an announcement about a grandchild before the end of the year would be nice,” Ward says, half-jokingly.

Your first instinct is to tense up, even if you try not to, your arm moving so just your palm lies on Rafe’s back.

“I think that very well could happen,” Rafe practically promises.

Your face falls a little, trying to keep a sense of lightheartedness in your voice.

“Well, maybe not this year.”

Rafe turns to you at that, giving you a look only you can see. But he bites his tongue from saying anything.

Ward doesn’t push further, saying he’s happy as long as he gets a grandchild. But the damage is done, Rafe not meeting your eyes for the rest of dinner.

Another silent car ride, this time, you can feel the minutes pass by. Rafe doesn’t say a word to you, and honestly, you’re grateful, knowing you don’t want to argue while he’s behind the wheel.

You dread the moment you get home, but at this point, you should be angrier than he is.

He’s still not talking to you when you get home, setting his things down before going upstairs.

He’s almost casual in his actions, but you can tell by the tightness of his jaw and how he can’t look at you, that he’s upset.

You follow him upstairs, repeating his name.

“Rafe,” you call out. “You’re going to have to talk to me. You can’t just give me the silent treatment.”

You find him in the bedroom you two share, slipping off his shoes.

He finally looks at you, and his eyes are ablaze.

“Did you have to say that?” He bitterly asks.

“Say what? The truth?” Your tone matches his. “I just don’t understand why you’re mad. Do you really not want your family to know we’re waiting?”

His teeth sink into his bottom lip, like he doesn’t believe what you’re saying.

“It’s embarrassing, Y/N,” he spits out.

“Embarrassing?” You ask, unsure if you heard him correctly. “It’s embarrassing that your wife gets to decide when she wants to have a baby?”

“That’s not what I meant.” He shakes his head but doesn’t explain further.

“Then what do you mean?” You press.

“It-It’s embarrassing that it looks like we’re not on the same page,” he finally explains, flexing his fingers.

“I agree, Rafe. Then why did you say that? Why did you agree with him when you know I want to wait?”

“Exactly. You want to wait.”

You’re left speechless by his implication, lip almost trembling while you take in his words. This is the first time you’re hearing of this, but you realize certain comments you brushed off might have meant he wanted a baby sooner than later.

“Honestly, it sounds like you don’t want kids at all,” he continues. His face is twisted up, pacing back and forth away from you.

“What?” You ask, your brows knitted together. “I do, you know I do. I just want to be able to grow my career before we have any. You know that.”

“What career?”

You start to feel your chest getting tighter.

“What?”

“You sit at a computer a few times a week. How is that stopping you from having a baby?”

You can feel your eyes starting to sting, not being able to remember a time where Rafe said something so hurtful to you.

“Rafe…” You start.

He shrugs his shoulders. “It sounds like an excuse to me.”

You shake your head, eyes getting glassy.

“Just because you got promoted, doesn’t mean you get to tell me my job doesn’t mean anything.” Rage runs through your voice. “And I hate to say it, but you only have that job for one reason. At least I got my job through my own hard work.”

As soon as the words leave your mouth, regret fills you.

Somehow his eyes harden even more as he steps closer to you.

“You mean the job you barely get any money from?” He asks, getting closer until you have no choice but to step back, your body hitting the wall behind you. “Remind me, who paid for this house? Or for your clothes? Or for-for that stupid soap you insist on ordering from France?”

He’s almost spitting in your face as you feel your shoulders dig into the wall.

“Who paid for all of that?” His voice is loud as he asks again, his fingers still flexing and unflexing as you look up at him with tearful eyes.

It feels like an eternity before you answer.

“Your father,” you rasp out.

You watch in fear as he takes a step back from you, his breathing getting rougher before his fist collides with the wall next to your head.

You flinch, moving your face away as you feel his arm almost graze you.

Tears fall freely from your eyes as he tries to steady his breathing, glancing at his red knuckles.

Finally, you see the realization hit him, his eyes softening at your cowering figure right next to the hole in the wall he made.

“Y/N-.” He begins, stepping closer to you.

“Don’t,” you yell, holding up a hand and stopping him.

He tries to say something, but you speak instead.

“Just go away,” you urge him, and after a moment, he does, leaving you at the scene of the crime.

Tags:

@fangirlwithlou @thebuttofcaptainamerica @lovedetlost @kkmstblog @whorefordrew @gillybear17 @alinaharlow @coriellesmarya

Let me know if you want to be added or removed from the taglist for this series!

#rafe cameron #rafe cameron x reader #obx #outer banks #dark!rafe cameron #dark!rafe cameron x reader

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kellykidd · 9 months

Text

Baby Severide - Chapter 2: Good Genes

*Gif belongs to its rightful owner, it is not mine*

Pairing: Kelly Severide x reader

Summary: You and Kelly finally get to tell 51 the news

Words: 946

Warnings: medical terms, hospitals, still not great writing, Kelly Severide being sensitive (who knew he could do that)

Read on Ao3 here

Next Chapter: Chapter 3

Notes: I really love where this is going tbh. Anyone who reblogs any chapters of the fic will now be tagged in the remaining chapters to make sure they can come back and keep reading if they so choose (this includes those who have reblogged chapter 1)

Tags: @district447 @keabbs @storiesofsvu @marvelcharactersxreader @carnationworld @witchywinchester99

——

Holding your hand as you walked up the driveway, Kelly kissed your forehead.

“Ready for this?” He asked.

“The 51 love? Always,” you laughed.

Sylvie and Matt were the first to greet the two of you.

“You’re glowing!” Sylvie exclaimed, “how much longer until we get to meet this little one?”

“Well, that’s why we’re here,” Kelly started.

“The doctor is worried that the baby is too big and may cause some risk to the baby. We’ve scheduled a c-section for Saturday morning at 11:30,” you announced, excited.

“That’s amazing!” Sylvie smiled.

“You ready for this?” Matt asked Kelly.

“Yeah, I’m ready. She’s gonna do great,” he replied, “I’ve got to go talk to Boden about extending my furlough though.”

“He’s between meetings right now. Now is your best bet to talk to him.”

“Come with me, I want some opinions on my replacement.”

Matt followed Kelly into Boden’s office.

“Mind if I have a listen?” Sylvie asked.

“Go ahead, Doctor said she’s got a strong heartbeat. Been kicking like crazy too,” you laughed.

Grabbing your hand, Sylvie led you to the back of 61.

“Two days away, huh?” Sylvie asked, grabbing the stethoscope from the jump bag.

“Yeah, the timeline was a bit of a shock, but more time Kelly and I can spend with the baby together, so I’ll take it,” you smiled, rubbing your belly.

Sylvie put the earpieces in her ears and brought the chest piece up to your belly.

“Magical, isn’t it?” You giggled.

“She’s so strong. Maybe she’ll be a firefighter like her daddy,” Sylvie laughed.

“With a family like 51, she’d kick ass at it for sure.”

“Should we go see the boys?”

“Make sure Kelly isn’t trying to get back on shift today,” you laughed.

“Here I’ll help you up,” Sylvie offered, reaching out her hand.

As she helped you back on your own two feet, you started to feel a little woozy and Sylvie could tell.

“Hey, you okay?” She asked, gripping your forearm.

“Yeah I’m fine, just a little head rush.”

“You should sit down.”

“No no I’m okay, really Sylvie. Thank you. Let’s go see Kelly and Matt.”

“Okay, but I’m gonna bring the stethoscope just in case.”

“Fine by me,” you smiled.

Walking over to Boden’s office, you saw Kelly with a few tears on his face through the window.

Sylvie knocked on the door and you followed her inside.

“What’s wrong?” You asked.

“Nothing baby, I’m okay,” he replied, wrapping his arms around you.

As you used your thumbs to wipe the tears from his face, more streamed along behind them. His mouth with a slight smile.

“What did you do with my husband?” You asked, looking at Matt and Wallace.

“He was talking about the baby and how happy he is to be becoming a dad,” Matt laughed.

Boden, Matt and Sylvie quietly left the room as you cupped Kelly’s face in your hands.

“Baby I love you and I love this little girl so much,” he laughed, wiping the tears from his face.

“I love you too babe. I didn’t know you felt thi-“

Kelly caught you off guard with a passionate kiss.

“Let’s get you home,” he smiled.

——

“Can you believe we get to meet our daughter tomorrow?” You asked, smiling from ear to ear.

“You ready?” Kelly asked, packing the rest of his things for the hospital.

“As soon as we finish packing for the baby. Then, yes,” you laughed.

“You pick out the outfits for her and I’ll pack the rest. You need sleep baby.”

“I’ll be fine. I don’t want to forget anything.”

“Five more minutes then I’m tucking you into bed. We’re having a baby tomorrow, baby,” he smiled.

——

Kelly dropped you off out front and went over to the lot to park. You found yourself a bench to sit on while waiting for your husband. An older man was sat down beside you a moment later.

“What are you here for, young lady?” He asked.

“A c-section. My baby is too big so I’ve got to have surgery. You?”

“Bad heart. Getting a new valve today.”

“That’s exciting, why aren’t you in there?”

“Could say the same for you.”

“I guess that’s true,” you laughed.

“Truth is, they’re putting a pig valve in me. I’m going to be 1/200th part pig by the end of the day. That don’t sit right with me. My son already doesn’t talk to me, why would he talk to me when I’m part pig?” He grumbled.

“I’ll tell you what. Once they do my surgery and say I’m all good, I’ll come by to see you, let you meet the baby.”

“You’d do that for an old guy like me?”

“Hell yeah I would. What’s your name? I’ll have one of my nurses look you up.”

“Aaron Whitley.”

You saw Kelly parking the car and walking towards the hospital.

“Looks like I’ll have to let you go. My husband is walking up,” you laughed.

“With a good looking husband like that, I’d leave me too,” he chuckled, “he looks really strong, what does he do for work?”

“He’s a rescue squad lieutenant with the CFD.”

“Good genes.”

“I guess so,” you smiled.

Kelly walked over with your bag.

“Kelly, this is Aaron. He’s having surgery too today,” you announced.

“Nice to meet you Aaron. I’d love to get to know you, but I’ve got to get her upstairs,” he replied, “thanks for taking good care of her, Aaron.”

“I’ll see you soon,” you smiled.

Kelly shook his hand and you waved behind you as you walked in the front doors to the hospital. Today was the day.

#kelly severide x you #kelly severide x reader #kelly severide fic #kelly severide imagine #kelly severide #Chicago Fire #chicago fire fic #one chicago #baby severide fic #one chicago fic

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character-fan19 · 2 months

Text

So I calculated the exact screen time for the love square ships in season 5...

I'm back again with the latest season of Miraculous and it's definitely different but not as much as you would expect. But firstly for the newcomers...

Some Ground Rules

Both characters of the ship must be present in the scene to count. So none of that kissy kissy meow meow talk.

At least one of the characters must be interacting with or reacting to the presence of the other character or both characters must be doing something together for it to count.

If one of the characters believe that they are talking to the alter ego of the other character, it will be counted as screen time for that ship so Adrien and Marinette talking to each other through the wall in the sewer will be counted as Ladynoir. The scene with Adrien holding Ladybug will count as Ladrien though, since Ladybug isn't conscious.

In case of group interactions, the screen time will only count if the interaction is specifically between the two characters.

If you want to check out my previous post, you can find it here. Now onto the distribution.

Screen Time Distribution

Despite all the Adrienette we had this season, Ladynoir was still able to come out on top, even a season which is supposedly Adrienette-centred, although it still took a huge hit took a huge hit in terms of percentage of screen time, having had 56.4% of the love square screen time this season rather than it's usual range of around 70% and Adrienette had a huge increase in screen time this season as well both in terms of percentage and actual screen time, having 37.4% of the total love square screen time rather than it's usual range of 18-25% which is a total of 45 min 57 sec when it usually remains under half an hour ever season.

Maricat this season got a pretty fair 5.8% of the screen time while Ladrien got the short end of the stick as predicted with not even 1% of the screen time which is even worse than last season.

In terms of its effect on the overall screen time, Adrienette has increased from last season by a good 3.6%, Ladynoir decreases by a slightly less 3.2% which is percentage than it has ever decreased before, Maricat increases by a small 0.3%, and Ladrien decreases by 0.7%.

This leaves Adrienette with a total screen time of 2 hr 34 min 8 sec, Ladynoir with a total screen time of 7 hr 28 min 54 sec, Maricat with a total screen time of 30 min 59 sec and Ladrien with a total screen time of 23 min 11 sec which around the same length as an episode of Miraculous itself. This isn't their final total screen time though, at least not for Ladynoir, 'cause we still got the Paris Special. But in the mean time, let's move on to the screen time trend.

Screen Time Trend

Ladynoir started off strong this season with 7 min 50 sec in it's first episode. It never reaches this high again but it remains pretty high until the Adrienette part of the season starts after which it remains under the Adrienette screen time for the most part and only got more screen time than Adrienette in 6 episodes most of which are only by less than a minute.

Adrienette had a handful of episodes in the first third of the season giving it a good amount of screen time but nothing compared to Ladynoir but it starts getting screen time in every episode from the Kwamis' Choice two-parter onwards aside from "Representation" and "Conformation" which were the first ever episodes in love square screen time history to not include screen time for any love square ship. After "Perfection" though it only seems to get no more than 3 min of screen time every episode with "Protection" being an exception that is aside from the final three episodes it is a part of, those being "Revolution" and "Re-Creation" and "Action".

Maricat and Ladrien, not being the major ships this season, only got spikes of screen time in 2-3 episodes, Maricat predictably having the larger spikes with its largest spike being it's designated episode of the season "Elation" and Ladrien having two small spikes of a few seconds in "Passion" and "Deflagration".

Conclusion

Well, that about wraps this up. Well, almost, since like I said before, we still got the Paris Special, after which we will get the final screen time distribution for all the love square ships, at least until we get more seasons and that changes up the distribution. Feel free to make your own observations based on this data. Until next time!

#miraculous ladybug #ml season 5 #ml love square #adrienette #ladynoir #maricat #ladrien #ml analysis #love square screen time distribution

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levitiquee · 8 months

Text

Birthdays? (Levi x reader)

Cw: small mentions of negligent parent and sibling's death.

Note: Omg, reader is almost disgustingly optimistic here I'm almost cringing 😭. I found this as an old WIP and I'm too tired to even edit it lol. So it's kind of ew.

"Birthday?" Levi stared at you sceptically, unsure where the curiosity came from.

"Yes, sir. Birthday."

When Levi had stared at you silently, you looked up. Actually horrified. "Wait, no way. Tell me you know what birthdays are–"

"Of course I know—what the hell do you think of me?" He huffed defensively, scowling at you in annoyance.

"Yeah well, just in case you don't, it's the day when you're born."

"Shut up," he groans. "What do you actually want?"

"What? I'm just curious." You leaned back on your chair, raising an eyebrow at his accusation.

"Why would you want to know that? Why would you even care?"

"I don't know. I just do. Go on, tell me."

"No." He replies flatly. "You tell me what's actually your intent. You're always up to some shit. I don't trust you, this has to be a trick of yours of some sort."

"Ouch?" You gasp in mock offense.

Levi stared at you, searching your face. Then he sighed. "I'm not sure"

You were surprised. You didn't expect that answer. "Like..at all? You don't remember at all? What did you put in the forms when you joined the military?"

He hesitated, thinking about it. "....I remember. Sort of. Just..not sure." He shrugged. "I remember my mom doing something special for me on a certain day every year but it was so long ago I can't pinpoint which day it was."

"Pick a guess, go on." You leaned forward excitedly, eyes shining.

He scoffed at your eagerness, but then shifted his eyes downcast. And he was deep in thought, in a time long gone. "I mean.." He spoke in a low voice, his tone unsure. "If I had to guess, I'd say late December. The weather would be cold. And...a lot more people would come down here from the surface to for...entertainment because of new year holiday."

You remembered that his mom was a prostitute. You waited a few seconds, closely observing his face for any hint of uneasy or that he was uncomfortable before continuing again.

"So...like 30-31 December?"

"Nah." He shook his head. "A little earlier perhaps. Like around 25th I think. At least that's what I submitted in the papers."

You thought about it for a few seconds, eyes on him as he stared of to somewhere distant.

"So.." You said. "You've... never celebrated your birthday since..right?"

"Are you joking?" He huffed frustratedly, almost affronted that you even thought of it. "Look at my life, this seems celebratory to you? I try not to die everyday."

"Yes but...that's no reason not to celebrate a birthday." You spoke slowly, shrugging.

Levi shook his head. He couldn't even believe you thought he would celebrate such a... thing like a birthday. As if there wasn't enough shit in his life.

"What am I? 11? It's just a day. It's nothing special. The sun rises in the east, sets at the west. There are 24 hours and the clock ticks just regularly. Why should it be any different?"

"But.." You seemed almost surprised about how he viewed it. "That's not true. Birthdays are special."

He raises an eyebrow, unamused.

"Well, I mean," You add almost defensively, but also in an attempt to make him understand." It means that..many many years ago, a life was created right? In this very day, a heart started to beat and a pair of lungs took their first breath. A whole damn human being... how is that..how is that not special, captain?" You say, resting your head on your folded arms above his desk, staring at him.

He frowned at you, as if he can't quite understand why you're so insistent to convince him. Also slightly confused to hear the way you thought about it. "...you romanticize everything."

"That's because the world is a beautiful place."

"Not for people like us. For you perhaps."

"No, sir. You just need to know how to see." You grinned, rising from the chair. You walked to the window that was behind his chair, leaning over the edge as fresh air caressed your face gently. "Have you ever seen the sunset? And the sunrise? That smell when the first rain hits the ground, soaking up earth? The soft little sounds, and maybe if you're lucky a rainbow too? When stars glitter all over the sky and it's a full moon night? You see it everyday, and yet it's everyday you're left just as mesmerized than the day before."

"I don't like it when you're being philosophical"

You sighed. "Look..I'm not saying it's not cruel." You turned your head so you can look at him. His head was turned, eyes on his paperwork. "But..that's the price to pay. Being alive is a wonderful thing, sir. Being born, even more so. You may think your existence is a small thing comparatively, but that's so wrong, captain. Because just think for a second, what would the world do without you? What would've happened to humanity?"

"There would've been someone else to replace me." He replied nonchalantly, not even bothering to look at you.

"No, captain." You say softly. "Everyone has a reason. No one comes here without one. Being born.. that's a gift. That's a chance to live, love and laugh. And birthday's are a way to remind that to yourself when life becomes unkind. That many years ago, your mother held you in this very same day for the first time." You paused when you saw his shoulders tense, considering if you should say the next words. You hesitated. Would it be okay for you? Would that be crossing a line? Then after several seconds of silence, you parted your mouth, the next words soft but firm. "And I don't know how I know, captain." You sigh. "But believe me, and I assure you, you were the best thing that happened to her."

Somewhere in the room a clock ticked away, your heartbeat beating along with it. And with every second of silence, it got harder to breathe.

Have you crossed the line?

"..you've put a lot of thought into this." He finally responded. The same bored, monotonous tone, not a single hint that your words had affected him in any way.

You exhale in relief. "Not really." You said, shaking your head. "It's my little brothers birthday today. A reminder that he existed once."

Levi shifted this time, just the barest turn of his head towards you.

"...I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be. I'm not." You tell him, waving him away. "Perhaps it's better this way, the world wouldn't have been any kinder to him had he survived."

You stared at your feet. It had been years since you've watched your family die in Shiganshina. The pain was less now, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. You swallowed.

"...so," Levi asked suddenly. "When's your birthday?"

You were surprised, completely caught off guard by the sudden question. He's the last person you thought would ask such a question. "Mine?" You thought. Then smiled. "I don't know." A nervous laugh.

"...you're joking." He turned to fully look at you this time, eyes narrowed.

"Yeah no." You say sheepishly. "I just randomly selected a date when I had to fill out the papers. I have no idea what my actual birthday is. I don't even know my age."

"How do you not know?" He says in disbelief. He didn't expect to hear this.

You shrugged, flexing your arms absent mindedly. "My mom wasn't ever really sober for me to ask such casual things. And I was too busy trying to keep us alive to care."

Levi observed you quietly. There was a strange sort of shadow in your eyes. Not quite sadness..it was more melancholic really.

"So all that shit, and you don't even know it yourself?"

"That's fine, captain. It's everyday I wake up and am grateful because I was born." You leaned back from the window, turning to look at him, your eyes gleamed in the sunlight.

"...I will honestly never understand where you get that energy from." Levi shakes his head, almost mortified hearing your answer. He never understood how someone could be this unbelievably hopeful.

I grin. "Look outside, captain. It's a beautiful day to be alive. Live it."

Levi hadn't thought much of the conversation. He had almost forgotten it. Until it was the 25th of December and he found a package of his favorite tea placed on his desk.

A note was scribbled on a post-it on top of it.

'Thank you for existing. I hope you smile a little today, captain.'

He did. Just a little.

He stood stiffly, staring at it, eyes going over the short lines and the small words over and over, memorizing every little curve. He almost snorted when he saw the little balloon you drew in a corner.

Maybe life wasn't so bad after all.

Perhaps the world was indeed, as beautiful as you had said.

How could it be not when you existed in the same world, right beside him?

#aot #captain levi #levi #snk #levi ackerman #levi heichou #aot fandom #aot fanfiction #snk fanfiction #lev Ackerman #captain levi x reader #levi x reader #levi x you #captain levi x you #levi fluff

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