#like you can act like it's cute but i can be increasingly horrified

[yellowlikelemons]

Ok but are you going to show me the spot you'll bury me and then fuck me atop it or

#in like a cute way #like you can act like it's cute but i can be increasingly horrified #but like i also kind of think it's cute #like i'll think it's cute if you tell me it's cute #sorry this is getting 5 billion tws #death tw #violence tw #implied violence tw #implied death tw #dubcon tw #threat tw #threats tw #fuck or die #i mean it's not really 'fuck or die' but simlar vibes #horrordynamic #i'm sorry my desires are getting increasingly dark and unhinged #hard k1nk #t4t nsft #fear play

[rollinouttahere-writes]

Can i request Dark Chocolate and 20 for Zoro?

And Happy Valentines Day <333

I'm only two requests in and I've already broken my 'keep it under 1k words rule'. If anyone needs me I'm going to be putting on my clown make up for ever thinking I would be able to abide by that.

Yandere Roronoa Zoro x GN!Reader

1.4k words

Prompt:

I wanted to get something that reminded me of you. The problem is that everything reminds me of you.

At first you could explain away a missing item or two as simply forgetfulness on your part, or possibly getting swept away in the day to day chaos of being on the Thousand Sunny. As time went on and more and more things kept disappearing, those explanations seemed increasingly less likely. Someone had to be deliberately taking your belongings. 

What bothered you most was what was missing. Whoever was doing this wasn’t taking anything particularly valuable. You’d even left a wad of berry in your nightstand as a test of sorts, but it didn’t appear to have been so much as touched. They weren’t doing this for the sake of monetary gain.

For whatever reason, they were stealing more… Personal items. Clothes, mostly. Specifically clothing that had been worn like a tank top you’d worked out in or your recently slept in pajamas. It was the missing underwear that particularly disturbed you. That’s what officially escalated this from bizarre to creepy.

The most obvious culprit had been Sanji, but you doubted it was him after your confrontation. You’ve seen how he acts when he’s been caught doing something he isn’t supposed to be doing. He acts like a dog that got caught chewing on a new pair of shoes, and you’re sure that if he had a tail, it would be between his legs whenever Nami yells at him for doing something weird. But when you asked if he had anything to do with your recent bout of theft, he had been outraged. He seemed horrified and furious at the idea of someone stealing such intimate apparel from you and had vowed to pulverize whatever scum would do such a thing.

It could have been an act to throw you off, but that seemed unlikely. The reaction came off as entirely genuine, so you shelved the idea of your missing clothing being his doing. You were going to have to do something nice for him later to make up for the accusation.

With Sanji crossed off your suspects list, it was now empty. You had no idea who else could possibly be doing this to you. At this point, it was just as likely that some stray ferret had made itself at home on the ship and was stealing your clothes to make a nice den for itself. Frankly, that was the best case scenario. Anything outside of a cute, albeit mischievous, animal would be deeply concerning.

Feeling like you had no other option, you concocted a plan. While you were supposed to be training by yourself, you would instead hide in your room and wait for the perpetrator. It was typically after these training sessions that your belongings went missing, so this seemed like your best shot at catching them in the act.

Hiding yourself in your laundry hamper had proven itself to be a bit of a challenge. With how much clothing you were missing, you had to get really strategic in stuffing what was left around you to keep yourself hidden. When you were content with the placement, you lowered the lid of the hamper and waited. You couldn’t see a thing now that it was closed, but it would be easy enough to crack open the lid and peek out if your thief made an appearance. This was far from comfortable, but it was going to have to work. You couldn’t let whoever was stealing your damn underwear get away with it. Though you hoped that they would show up today because you would feel ridiculous if this effort was all in vain.

The sound of footsteps coming down the hall made you perk up. You waited with bated breath to see if they would pass the room or enter it. The steps stop in front of the door, and then the knob rattles as it’s opened. There’s a pause, then someone steps in and closes the door behind them. This has to be the person, but you decide to wait for them to do something incriminating before outing yourself. Given that your worn clothes were a favorite of theirs, they should come right to you so long as you didn’t give yourself away.

This person’s footsteps were heavy, and the sound of metal on metal accompanied their every move, like they had several things on them that kept crashing into each other. It sounded familiar, but you couldn’t narrow down which crew member it was just from that. Lots of them carried various things on them at all times.

Your nightstand’s drawer was opened, and the contents moved around as the intruder looked for who knows what. The drawer was slammed shut, and you can only assume that they didn’t find whatever they wanted in it.

Finally, you could hear them approaching your hamper. Your heart thrummed in your chest as you got ready to chew out whoever had been doing this. Them being caught attempting to rifle through your laundry was the most red-handed way to catch them, there would be no denying it.

The lid is thrown open and you make direct eye contact with…

“Zoro?!”

The swordsman stumbled back in shock, “Shit! What the hell are you doing in there, (Y/N)?!”

“What am I doing?! What the fuck are you doing going through my laundry?!” You scrambled to get out of the basket so you could confront him in a more dignified manner. As soon as you were on your feet you got up in his face, “And more importantly, why have you been stealing my shit?”

To his credit, Zoro at least had the decency to look embarrassed. His face and ears were tinted red and he couldn’t look you in the eye. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, I haven’t stolen anything.”

“Oh, bullshit! My clothes have been going missing left and right, and now I’ve caught you trying to go through my laundry when you thought I was training. Cut the crap and stop lying.” You crossed your arms over your chest and glowered at the man in contempt. How could Zoro of all people do something like this? You felt disgusted. Betrayed, even.

He sighed and dragged his hand down his face. “Alright.” He mustered up the courage to look at you again and hardened his expression. “Maybe I borrowed a couple of things.”

You scoffed, “A couple? I barely have anything left to wear. And why, praytell, have you felt the need to steal my fucking underwear? Why would you possibly want to do that?” You laughed in disbelief, “That’s something that I thought only Sanji would do, but apparently you’re more of a pervert than even him.”

His eye twitched, “Do not compare me to that damn love cook, I’m nothing like him.”

“Yeah, like I said, even HE isn’t this bad. You know what? I’m done talking to you, I don’t even want to look at you right now. I’m going to go tell everyone what you’ve been doing and they can deal with your creepy ass.” You shove past him, no longer wanting to breathe the same air as him.

Before you can make it far, his hand wraps around your wrist and yanks you back. You try to break free but he’s locked onto you like an iron shackle. Zoro pushes you up against the wall, caging you in with his arms and pressing his chest against yours to keep you from squirming away. This is closer than you would have liked to be to him even before this awful reveal. Now it felt suffocating and intimidating.

“Do you want to know why I took what I did? It’s because I wanted to get something that reminded me of you. The problem is that everything reminds me of you.” Zoro ducked his head down, his mouth was right by your ear to ensure that you would hear every word, “I wanted something that smelled like you. Everything kept losing your scent, so I needed to get more.” To emphasize this need, he pressed his nose into your hair and took a deep breath.

You writhed and tried to push him away but he wouldn’t budge. As strong as you were, even you weren’t a match for the strength of Luffy’s right hand man. You were entirely at his mercy, and you had no idea when someone else would come in and be able to help you. If they even could.

#one piece #yandere one piece #one piece x reader #one piece x y/n #one piece x you #roronoa zoro #roronoa zoro x reader #sanji #black leg sanji #yandere #reader insert #x reader #3v37773 #valentines day event

[angelgarden-posts]

Can I request Yandere Malleus with a Female Tanjiro reader who’s exactly like Tanjiro from KNY, kind, empathetic, selfless and helpful yet absolutely scary when enraged (Which is rare to do) with how his Child of Man was put under a ‘Dream to Nightmare Curse’ by some bullies (It’s a Spell I made up that’s similar to Enmu’s Blood Demon Art, that puts the Victim in a Deep Slumber, giving them their greatest dreams, wishes and desires of their Lives but will only go into the Nightmare part if the Victim tries to escape their ‘Dream’, by changing the scenery into the Victim’s worst fears, regrets, shame and guilt, until they give up and accept being stuck (Because they’re the only ones that are able to free them from their prison)

Malleus learns more about his Child of Man through this Curse, (Hearing her thoughts and seeing her memories) and is ENRAGED and HORRIFIED by all the pain she’s been through (And LOST his mind when he saw her cut her neck, bleeding out, dying- why is he awake all of a sudden?!? WHERE IS HIS CHILD OF MAN?!? ) and already has plans for her to NEVER go back to her homeland rather will stay with him and be apart of his family, and the can make a family of their own in the future (His Dragon Instincts are Roaring, she’s his most valuable treasure and he will NEVER let her go)

Bonus, Nezuko is with Female Reader in NRC (Nezuko actually likes Malleus since he’s nice to her and is a Tall Version of Muichiroc especially when it comes to looking cute especially, vibing with Nezuko)

Yandere Malleus x Female Tanjiro Reader (TWST x KNY)

TW/CW: violence, verbal abuse, possessive/obsessive behavior, kidnapping

A/N: Thank you so so so much for including descriptions of the characters and the scenario in your ask, I haven’t watched Demon Slayer in a while (plus I haven’t even finished season 1 lol-) and this is very helpful in terms of writing! (I kinda forgot about the Nezuko part, so she appears after the dream.) Also I’m sorry if Malleus is OOC 😭

A/N #2: First part consists of your dream, second part delves into Malleus’s part! (Under the black line.)

You watched your life flash before your eyes, frozen and unable to act on the overwhelming emotions sending ice through your veins.

All of your past mistakes had come to haunt you following your reunion with a happier, better, unrealistic version of your family since you had been transported to NRC. Your friends from both dimensions and family were displaying behaviors that you were used to and found endearing, and it felt… So. Wrong.

Nothing had ever been this perfect for you ever since you had traveled inter-dimensionally, and while you couldn’t imagine fitting in with the students in NRC, you had never felt more at home and accepted until now. It wasn’t right.

After enjoying yourself for what felt like a couple hours, you decided to excuse yourself from the loving grasp of your fake family.

You walked out of the building funny, you couldn’t tell if that was your home or Ramshackle and stood outside under the cover of the trees, slightly surprised that it was still your favorite time of day, but not dwelling on it was you took in the fresh air. You didn’t feel like yourself, and suddenly realized what the implications of the unchanging time meant.

Just then, the voices of your parents rang into the open air.

“Y/n, where are you going?”

You whirled around and stared at them with widened eyes. You forced an easy smile onto your face and laughed, unable to keep a trace of anxiety out of your voice.

“I was just enjoying the scenery,” you replied, bringing your hands behind your back as you turned to face them. “I thought of staying out here for a while. I’ll join you guys in a bit.”

They approached you, both of their arms extended as though they were about to give you a hug. Inadvertently, you stepped back with an increasingly strained smile trembling on your lips.

Noticing this, they both strode forward and questioned you in an ominous harmony. “What’s wrong, y/n? Don’t you love us?”

“Of course I do!” You said, now firm in your belief that this was a dream. These loving parents of yours in this dream would never ask that question after showering you with affection that radiated unconditional love.

But, as soon as your resolve to leave the realm solidified, your surroundings suddenly dimmed considerably and you looked up to see a red moon, dark as blood, illuminating the cloudless sky.

Immediately you lower your head to cast a glance at your parents.

Or, who your parents would be if there weren’t demons in their place.

As the man-eaters made a dash in your direction, you whisked out of the way just in time to avoid them, then cursing yourself as you remembered that they could’ve been your ticket out of your dreamscape.

Now, your parents mocked you and reinvoked memories of your duty as a demon slayer.

“You killed so many innocent people.”

“They didn’t deserve their fate—and you brought it upon them because they were different.”

“But you can’t kill us, can you? That bias is pathetic.”

“You’re pathetic, y/n.”

“You couldn’t save us.”

“Look at what we’ve become.”

“It’s all your fault.”

They had stopped attacking you, but now circled you with contempt and resent. They didn’t try killing you, so the option of allowing them to kill you was out of the question. You despaired at the fact that you couldn’t tell them that you didn’t mean for this to happen, but their voices echoed in your mind as they repeated those words over and over and over again.

Instinctively, your hand wandered to your side, where you were surprised to find your katana still in its sheath. Eyeing it, you understood that there was a way to get yourself out of this place without harming your family members.

You pressed your katana to your neck, hand firmly clenched on the hilt of the sword. Their words of hate ceased and then they begged you to stay, weeping promises of becoming better in your name, how they felt so betrayed and unloved that you would just leave them like this. Then, they lunged at you, aiming to disarm you to keep you from dying.

You prayed that you would return to the normal world, screwed your eyes shut, and sliced the blade clean through your throat before they could reach you.

Your eyes flew open and you shot up. You looked around you, relief sending a quiver in your limbs when you recognized Ramshackle dorm.

“You’re awake!” Grim exclaimed, and suddenly a ball of gray consumed your vision as he embraced your head. Then his eyes widened when he realized what he was doing and slipped off, coughing a little and looking at you through one eye in mimicry of a haughty glance. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” you chuckled, throwing your legs to the side of the bed and wobbling a little as you rose. “I think I’m going to get some fresh air… See you in a bit.”

Even though it was nighttime, you didn’t want to fall asleep again in the event that you were forced back into that dream world, and so proceeded to exit the dorm with trouble occupying your mind.

Unbeknownst to you, someone familiar had also noticed that you had woken up, and proceeded to follow you out of Ramshackle.

Malleus awoke, sweat coating his forehead and trembling with a foreign paranoia and rage elevating in his chest until he could contain himself no longer.

Unleashing a hideous, bone-chilling roar of fury, he immediately vanished from his room, using the most effective means possible to find you instantaneously.

His poor, innocent y/n at the mercy of ruthless monsters. And he could do nothing to stop them—to preserve that beautiful smile that had graced your face in your dream.

However, he was much too grateful and relieved to have you back into reality than to dwell over one smile.

And he may or may not be feeling terribly jealous because your beaming faces was being directed towards someone else.

There was more than enough evidence for the need to hoard you—after all of your past battles, you were still troubled by humanly concepts such as morality. You were going to allow yourself to be killed by people who do not deserve to breathe in your vicinity. Where was your self-preservation? Why must you force him to go this far? Especially since your anger had proven to be more than effective in righteously slaying those who stood before you.

He isn’t complaining about keeping you to himself, though.

His view of your weaknesses and incapability to exist in the world safely was proven to him again when you nearly jumped out of your skin after he found you and put a hand on your shoulder, seemingly out of nowhere.

“M-Malleus!” You said a little loudly, pressing a hand to your chest and sighing shakily after confirming that it was one of your friends. You smiled weakly at him and asked, “What are you doing here? You scared me out of my wits just now!”

“I was just passing by to verify that you’re feeling alright,” he said, grinning and unable to keep his lips from revealing an ominous appearance. “After lunch, you hadn’t shown up to our classes—but I’m glad that you seem fine as of now.”

It was then that you realized that he hadn’t relinquished his hold on your shoulder, and you eyed him quizzically.

“Yeah, I’m doing alright now,” you said, hesitantly placing a hand over his as a sign for him to let go, but he only took your encompassing warmth as a gesture of acceptance and tightened his grasp on you.

“Malleus…?” You asked when he retained his silence. “Are you okay?” Then you thought over your sentence and quickly apologized for seeming rude. “Oh, my mistake! Sorry, I didn’t realize that this was your way of worrying. Really, I’m fine!”

“Ah, I’m sorry, y/n,” Malleus drawled, reclining his arm to pull you in closer, but, feeling uncomfortable, you shrug his hand off and turn around to face him.

“What are you trying to pull, Malleus?” You said, your voice close to a snap with the tension building inside you after your experience with that nightmare.

Don’t tell me I’m inside another insane dream, you thought with gradually increasing anxiety.

“Don’t worry, y/n, I’ll make sure you never have to go through that again,” Malleus said, faux sympathy dripping from his voice and masking the desire and possessiveness that clawed at his throat which begged him to let the world know who you belonged to.

The look in his eyes terrified you, a mad glint in those green depths that sparked the same rebellion in you to fight.

Reaching to your side, you unsheathed your katana slowly, never taking your eyes off of Malleus. His quaint grin only widened after you had your weapon displayed in front of you, goading you on.

A couple uncomfortable moments passed with the both of you at a standstill before he sighed and said, “You really are too good for this world, aren’t you?”

In the next second, he lunged at you, preparing to incapacitate you with a spell that required physical contact, but you had already jumped out of the way of his attack and landed smoothly on the ground, readying your blade and then ducking out of the way from his magic.

You could see the avaricious look in his eyes, and was stunted by confusion for a second before leaping out of the way again as he came at you, concentrating on staying alive.

Don’t worry, he would never hurt you purposefully.

As soon as you landed, you used that momentum to push off of the ground and hurled towards him, a fire ignited in your eyes.

You brought your arm up and sliced the bottom of the hilt through the air vertically, hoping to knock Malleus unconscious, when someone suddenly took their place in front of the fae and stood with their arms outstretched in a protective gesture.

Immediately you directed yourself to a random side, and ended up colliding with NRC’s historical apple trees, collapsing from the unforeseen impact.

Nezuko? What is she doing here?! You thought, clutching your right arm close to your body in pain. And why the hell is she protecting that bastard?

Malleus also sported a startled expression, before it devolved into one of smug satisfaction. It would’ve been impossible to tell if you had seen his face from anyone else’s perspective, but the subtle change was noticeable to you, as you had spent a majority of your time around him without realizing it.

Nezuko grunted and huffed through her muzzle, glaring at you questioningly because she was hypnotized to believe that all humans are good, so why are you attacking Malleus?

No, he is not human, Nezuko.

Just as you channeled energy within your core to stand up, Malleus had appeared right in front of you, a gust of wind causing strands of your hair to flutter behind you.

You looked up with defiance and dread to confront him, but you didn’t register his hand slipping underneath your line fo sight. There was a light prick of his nail on your finger, and you were falling forwards and into his arms.

After watching you fall unconscious, Nezuko looked from your resting face to Malleus, and then back again. The fae merely laughed and flipped you into a princess carry. The demon, oblivious to what was happening bounded over leisurely and gripped Malleus’s pant leg, asking for the same treatment later.

It seemed to him that one of the biggest threats to his relationship with you was resolved with your sister’s affection for him.

He thought about heading immediately to Briar Valley to marry and consummate you as soon as possible, as possessiveness reared in his head, but decided to take it slow, for the night was still young and he had the approval of your sister in his grasp.

As Malleus looked over your sleeping form, his feet automatically started wandering in the direction of his homeland, though he knew that the easiest way for him to go back home was through flight or magic.

It amused him, thinking about how you were never going to go back to your original world.

You were truly home with him now.

#yandere #yandere male #male yandere #yandere twisted wonderland #yandere twst #not beta read #yandere imagines #yandere oneshot #yandere malleus x reader #yandere malleus draconia #female mc

[carrot-gallery]

i NEED to rant about how badly andrew haigh whiffed the ending of All Of Us Strangers

spoilers ahead

WHAT THE LIVING CHRIST

Okay so not only is Harry dead, but he’s been dead the entire time since right after their first meeting and the whole relationship, the one that supposedly HELPED ADAM MOVE ON and ACCEPT LOVE rather than self-isolating forever was a fucking fever dream???

This movie really had something to say about how new love can make you finally feel the grief of old losses and make you vulnerable and it almost said it SO WELL and allowed Adam to find catharsis and grow and fucking join society

BUT THEN they were like haha sike!! It was ghosts all the way down!! Fucking ghost party motherfuckers!! Nobody was ever alive after minute 10 of the movie except for the increasingly unwell main character!

And the fucking nonsensical ending acts like this is some happy moment of catharsis and unknotting Adam’s trauma— NOT IF ALL THAT SHIT WAS FUCKIGN FAKE IT’S NOT!

You’re telling me a terminally lonely person has a chance encounter with a cute guy who talks about his own loneliness and jokes about suicide and is drinking and asking for company. Okay, not inviting him into your apartment is totally reasonable. But to later find out he KILLED HIMSELF THAT NIGHT????? And ROTTED ALONE THERE FOR WEEKS???? Immediately after you closed your door in his face???? No sane person on Earth wouldn’t be fuckign devastated by that. You would blame yourself. You would be horrified. You would beat yourself up for not at least offering to call someone or having a conversation with him or SOMETHING.

Now is Harry’s death actually Adam’s fault? No, Harry clearly had his own mental health issues. But to go cuddle with his GHOST instead of CALLING THE POLICE????? After you DISCOVER HIS BODY and significantly disturb an ACTIVE CRIME SCENE where he DIED????? That tells me that Adam is deeply, deeply unwell and needs to go to the hospital. This is no longer about his personal journey, he is someone who is NOT OKAY and not in touch with reality.

All the stuff with his parents could have been so beautiful and poignant and moving if at the end Adam had returned to the real world and worked on overcoming his loner tendencies and becoming a part of society. Even if he & Harry hadn’t ended up working out!!! The impact of the relationship would still have had an impact & taught him something & helped him grow. (You know how the characters in Weekend (2011) did, remember that one Andrew?? That movie that YOU ALSO FUCKIGN DIRECTED???)

But to reveal that Adam was never actually having this relationship at all?????? The relationship that his dead mom’s last words were about???? That makes the entire movie pointless to me. Because he didn’t let love into his life & learn & grow & move on. He ends the movie back in a delusion, holding another ghost, asking another figment of his imagination to stay with him a little longer.

Combined with the fever / coughing imagery i GENUINELY wondered at one point whether it’d be revealed that he has like a brain parasite, or he’s actually in jail or a mental asylum imagining this entire thing, or maybe he’s been dead the whole time and is living in some purgatory or a fucked up version of heaven or something.

Andrew Haigh clearly wanted my takeaway from this movie to be “wow he finally let love into his heart” NO!!!!! My takeaway is that he needs to get professional help because he spent the entire runtime of the movie in a state of ACUTE psychosis.

I’ve heard the movie described as having “magical realism” NO!!! That only applies when some parts of the story are ACTUALLY CONCRETELY REAL for everything else to bounce off of! And for 90% of the movie they did this so so so so well and then in the final 10 minutes it’s like!!! Okay well I guess he didn’t go to the nightclub and try ketamine! I guess he didn’t have sex or watch shitty tv or open up to someone about his life! I guess he didn’t heal! For all we know he didn’t even take the train to his parents’ house! Maybe he never even left the apartment! Maybe he doesn’t even live in London!

SUCH a compelling premise with absolutely piss-poor execution. This rivals my disappointment in the final half hour of the Green Knight movie from a few years ago. Let’s just take this carefully constructed story and throw it in the absolute trash so it completely loses the message it was created to tell in the first goddamn place. And for what!!!! For a twist ending???? To be edgy?????? I’m gonna physically fight Andrew Haigh ESPECIALLY because Weekend (2011) was SO GOOD and actually delivered the message its story was intending to tell so I KNOW he can do better I KNOW that fucker can do it right but instead he chose to write Yurtle the Turtle but with Ghosts. The movie didn’t even get any big awards nominations so WHAT was the point TELL ME what the fucking point was of having Harry be dead the whole time. Give me an explanation aside from “ooh spooky” I swear to god *flips table*

#rant #all of us strangers #andrew haigh #andrew scott #film rants #sometimes i wish i could get my film major ex back for like 2 hours so we could swap opinions about movies like this

[newwwwusername]

John Lennon & Me - Jeff/Star - Pride Month Prompt 10 : Asexual

Cw not smut but there is a lot of talks of sex and I know this is a smaller work so people might not know the characters are both underage. I myself am a minor so I think it's fine for me to write this sort of thing but I'm just putting that out there as a content warning Prompt : Write either an M/M, F/F, F/M, or Other (to include nonbinary folks) fic (can be fluff, hurt/comfort, whatever you see fit) in which either one or both of the characters in that pairing are asexual OR a gen fic in which an ace character (can be a canon or headcanoned character) is coming out to/being comforted by/otherwise talking about sexuality with their friend(s) Headcanon : Asexual!Jeff

It was a good few months into her and Jeff's relationship when Star realized the two of them hadn't done it.

Of course, that wasn't her main focus. She loved kissing him, she loved hanging out with him, she loved him.

Still, it was a little odd to her that he hadn't tried to advance things considering that he was the one who really made the first move right at the start of everything by really kissing her, even though their relationship was all an act at the beginning.

So, she figured he just needed a good nudge.

"You know, Jeff" she said with a coy smile on her face. Her fingers were tracing his stomach in a motion that was growing increasingly lower. "You're really cute"

"Okay" he said, his tone a bit uncertain. He wasn't stupid- He had a hunch as to where this was going. "Star-"

"You know" she cut him off and her hand was inching lower and lower still. "I really think I could show you some-"

"Star" he said firmly and she quickly retracted her hand. "No"

"Jeff, we've been together for months" she told him, a bit annoyed. He frowned. "Why haven't we done anything? Is it cause of your insomnia? Cause we can wait until you have more of the energy to-"

"I don't want to, Star" he told her. "Ever" he added and her face fell. Fuck, he thought. This is it. She's gonna break up with me.

"Do you not like me anymore?" she asked and his heart just about broke. "I mean... I thought-"

"I love you, Star" he told her earnestly. "Honestly, it has nothing to do with you"

"What is it, then?" she asked, clearly still a bit upset. He sighed.

"I don't get the... Urge" he told her, going a bit red at the admission.

"Do you have erectile dysfunction or something?" she asked. "We're in a hospital. I'm sure you could get some medication to-"

"It's not a medical issue" he cut her off, though he didn't seem annoyed. He looked more sad than anything. "I'm asexual"

"Oh..." Star replied. A tense moment passed and then she sighed. "I'm sorry"

"For what?" Jeff tilted his head in confusion.

"Guilting you, I..." she shook her head. "That was pretty selfish of me. I didn't realize... I mean, you never told me-"

"I thought you wouldn't wanna be with me if you knew" he admitted. Star looked horrified.

"Oh, Jeff" she said, kissing him on the forehead and pulling him close to her. "I'm not gonna leave you. It's not that important to me"

"So, you're okay if..." he swallowed thickly. "If we never do it?"

"I love you" she told him with finality. "More than anyone else I've ever met. And if being with you means not having sex, I'd take that any day over being with someone who's more into it, okay?" A small nod. "Now, how about we just watch a movie or something? Scott mentioned earlier that we got some more DVDs"

Jeff smiled and kissed her. "Yeah" he replied. "I'd like that"

Do not repost on other sites! If you want to participate in this month's challenge, there are 30 LGBT-centered prompts that you can find here

#fanfiction #fanfic #fanfic challenge #fanfic prompts #prompts #john lennon & me #john lennon and me #jlam #jl&m #pride month #pride #lgbtqiia+ #lgbt #lgbtq #asexual #asexual jeff levine #theatre #theater #asexuality

[vrishchikawrites]

Anon asks - There was another idea I had seen on @crossdressingdeath's tumblr where JC's reputation was ruined because of his behaviour and WWX's attempts to protect him from the consequences of his behaviour. The concept happens pre Qiongqi Path where JC attacks WWX to the point it injures and frightens him. A passerby sees WWX startled and asks him what's wrong but WWX dismisses it as nothing. Said bystander ends up thinking that JC had sexually assaulted him resulting in the cultivation world gossiping about JC being a rapist when really he isn't. Overall, the cultivation world gossips about the other shitty things JC had done and because he did alot of pretty bad things, he can't defend himself and resorts to victim blaming WWX. That however only has him dig a deeper hole for himself. WWX, on the other hand is left confused as to why everybody was pitying him all of a sudden when they used to hate and/or fear him. By the time the truth comes to light, the cultivation world thinks JC had deserved it anyway with it ending with JC hated just for him being himself and public opinion on WWX flipping. If you don't mind, can you make it light-hearted?

(Probably not as light-hearted as you would wish. It is a bit complicated. Be a little gentle because I wrote this twice and ended up fleshing it out much more. Is this a short prompt or a long one? who knows. writer is tired. she will sleep now.)

Everyone has personal boundaries, even people who are usually tactile and social. Boundaries exist even between family members who love and trust each other.

Wei Wuxian is a veteran fresh from war. He has survived bloody battlefields, spent days dealing with one hostile enemy after another. Even before that, he had spent his days constantly battling resentful ghosts and monsters in a place he can’t bear thinking of now. Before that, he had survived torture at the hands of the Wens. And before-

Better not to think about it.

So, when Jiang Cheng presses up against him threateningly, his face twisted and eyes furious, Wei Wuxian can’t help but flinch. He takes a step back and puts some distance between them quickly. Jiang Cheng has grown increasingly bitter and discontent in these past few months and Wei Wuxian is getting tired of dealing with it. He doesn’t want to be in such close proximity with a man seething with fury.

Unfortunately, that reaction proves to be a mistake because Jiang Cheng follows him, “What? Are you too big for us now? Turning away from me in disgust now that you’re a war hero and the best of us?” Jiang Cheng is so close, their noses almost touch and Wei Wuxian feels his hair stand on end in response.

“Jiang Cheng,” He says lowly, something unsettling stirring in his chest. He feels almost anxious. His heart is racing and the proximity makes him feel like he’s trapped, “Back away.”

“Back away?” Jiang Cheng snarls, “Who are you to command me, Wei Wuxian? Do you know what people are saying about YunmengJiang? Do you know who-”

“Back away,” Wei Wuxian says tightly, his skin crawling, “Now.” His hard-earned instincts are sounding alarms. He feels threatened and provoked. He feels the resentful energy in him respond to the danger.

“What are you going to do? Send a few ghosts at me?” He sneers, “Try it! We’ll see how brave you are under the wrath of my Zidian.”

No. Wei Wuxian isn’t going to just stand here and let Jiang Cheng pick up Yu-furen’s habits, He’s just about to react, to give Jiang Cheng the thrashing he clearly desires when he realizes they are outside. He glances beyond his Sect Leader’s shoulder and sees a small group of three clad in bright white looking at them with wide eyes.

He bites back his angry retort and masters himself. He’s not going to squabble with Jiang Cheng in front of Lan disciples. His relationship with Lan Zhan is strained as it is.

“We’re in public,” He says, hoping that concern for his Sect’s reputation would move Jiang Cheng if concern for Wei Wuxian doesn’t.

Jiang Cheng looks over his shoulder and sneers at the Lan disciples before rolling his head, “Lans, of course.” He snarls and pushes Wei Wuxian away roughly, “I’ll deal with you later.”

Wei Wuxian takes a deep breath and watches his brother leave.

The Lan disciples are still looking at him with heartwarming concern. He waves at them with a smile and watches as they start like little ducklings and bow to him before fleeing.

Cute.

---

“We have to do something!” Lan Zhanxiao insists, “Did you see how he looked? Wei Wuxian was clearly trying to-”

“Shh! Keep your voice down!” Lan Lishan reprimands.

“Don’t say his name!” Lan Guan whispers urgently, looking around in a panic. There are already a few curious and interested eyes glancing in their direction. Wei Wuxian is a notorious name, after all. Even non-cultivators are interested in the man who had just a material impact on the war. It is hard to tell if they would’ve won without that powerful unorthodox cultivator on their side.

“We can’t just stand by and do nothing,” Lan Zhanxiao, always the righteous one, continues. He doesn’t care about the people around them, “If Wei Wuxian is hurt and we do nothing to prevent it, aren’t we culpable as well?”

“This is Wei Wuxian. Who would dare?” Lan Guan asks incredulously, “He is one of the most powerful cultivators in existence.”

“Is he?” Zhanxiao demands, “Doesn’t everyone know he’s very loyal to Jiang-zongzhu? Would he take a step against him? Even if it meant saving himself?”

“He should be building his own sect,” Lan Lishan says reluctantly, “He’s the Grandmaster of his cultivation form. It may be an unorthodox method, but it is still something new and entirely unique.” He would know. Lan Lishan is an avid student of history and cultivation theory. He knows that most cultivators with unique abilities tend to form their own sect to pass their teachings down.

He shudders at the prospect of cultivating resentful energy but Wei Wuxian has mentioned it is a technique people with absent or damaged Golden Cores can use.

The potential is almost limitless.

“See what I mean?” Lan Zhanxiao points out, “Hasn’t he been isolated from other cultivators because they fear his methods? If Jiang-zongzhu is really hurting him or…” He grimaces and lowers his voice, “That expression, Shan-ge, it reminds me of jiejie. What if Jiang-zongzhu is… doing something inappropriate?”

They all exchange alarmed glances, “You don’t think…?” Lan Guan breathes, horrified.

“He was scrambling to get away,” Lan Zhanxiao says, “And Jiang-zongzhu kept pressing-”

“We can’t talk about this here,” Lan Lishan says firmly, “Come, let’s leave.”

Unfortunately, they leave chaos behind.

---

Rumors are a powerful entity in the cultivation world. They are born in tea and wine houses, spread from one tradesman to another and spread to the far reaches of cultivation society in a matter of months.

The rumors about Jiang’ Wanyin’s treatment of a war hero are no exception to this rule. People gossip about it with their friends and neighbors, share the news with vendors while on errands, and the rumors continue to grow. With every retelling, the story changes, growing increasingly distorted and vile.

“The entire business is unpleasant,” A small clan cultivator says to one of his tradesman friends, “Jealousy really alters a man.” He speaks about old rumors then, speculations about Wei Wuxian’s parentage, Madam Yu’s wrath, and the Jiang heir’s relatively lackluster growth in comparison to his prodigious shixiong.

“Surely not,” Another cultivator scoffs, “Who would dare raise a hand against Wei Wuxian? Did he not decimate a large Wen battalion with just his flute and some music?”

“Merchants at Lotus Pier say Wei Wuxian always looks wan and tired these days. He has grown pale.” One woman whispers to her companion, “He spends more time in wine houses with ghost maidens than in the comfort of his rebuilt home.”

“It seems so improbable!” A young cultivator protests, “Why would Jiang-zongzhu provoke the sleeping dragon like this? Wei Wuxian is stable now but who knows when he will give into resentment?”

“Lan disciples saw it.”

And that’s the crux of the matter. If the rumor didn’t originate from Lan disciples, it might not have traveled so far. Lans are known for their honest and forthright nature, after all. What cause did they have to lie? And no Lan spoke carelessly, so their words must be the whole truth, without any exaggeration.

Because Lans are the source, everything they say is taken as fact. If one Lan disciple finds Jiang-zongzhu’s behavior horribly inappropriate then it must be. If another Lan is worried about Wei Wuxian’s safety, there must be a just cause.

The rumors spread and propagate, and soon almost the entirety of the cultivation world is aware of them.

---

Gossip is forbidden at Cloud Recesses. Disciples are usually discouraged from meddling in other sect business. Rumor-mongering is punished severely, with all parties involved facing the wrath of the disciple whip.

But Lans are raised to be righteous and compassionate. If someone is in trouble, a Lan must act. He must offer a helping hand and take the victim away from danger.

When the rumors reach Caiyi Town and land on the ear of one Lan Ruyao, he hesitates. He asks around, gets more information, and then rushes back to Cloud Recesses, intent on knowing it all.

Lan Ruyao seeks the three disciples that are the cause of it all and demands an explanation, his mind disturbed with worry. What he hears gives him no comfort for he cannot discard their concerns. The behavior they describe is alarming and their observations are precise, without any emotion clouding their judgment.

Lan Lishan narrates the incident in detail, describing every action with no embellishment or exaggeration. He speaks of Wei Wuxian’s retreat, of Jiang Wanyin’s insistence, the threat of whipping, and words spoken with cruelty and disrespect.

Lan Ruyao’s mind is disturbed as he retreats, absentmindedly assigning some lines to the junior disciples. They have erred by being so indiscreet but their cause is righteous. They don’t deserve severe punishment.

He meditates on the matter for an entire morning, trying to decide on a course of action.

You see, Lan Ruyao is Lan Wangji’s peer. He has known the Second Jade for many years, and while they are not close, they are of the same clan. The entire cultivation world may believe Lan Wangji hates Wei Wuxian, but Ruyao knows better. The Second Jade wouldn’t have been so insistent on bringing Wei Wuxian to Gusu if he didn’t care.

Lan Ruyao suspects both of them hold each other in some esteem. They have saved each other’s sides many times and seem to get along well when they’re not quarreling. He believes that they are friends.

It would be unwise to keep this from Lan Wangji.

Decision made, he quickly requests a private meeting with the Second Jade. The request is granted promptly and soon Lan Ruyao finds himself before his peer, readying himself for a difficult conversation.

The Second Jade listens to his piece without any interruption, his expression blank and beautiful as white jade. But his golden eyes are twin chips of flint, coldly furious.

Indeed, they are friends.

Lan Wangji summons the three junior disciples and questions them thoroughly. His demeanor becomes frostier as the interview progresses, his spiritual energy gaining a deadly edge when the juniors murmur of ‘inappropriate behavior.’

“You have my gratitude,” Lan Wangji says finally, bowing to him and nodding to the juniors, “Rest assured, I will address the matter directly.”

---

“Lan Zhan, wait!” Wei Wuxian protests as Lan Zhan drags him away by the elbow, his uncharacteristic behavior taking him by surprise, “Don’t take him so seriously, Lan Zhan! You know he’s a temperamental brat.”

Lan Zhan doesn’t say anything until they are a fair distance away from Jiang Cheng and the Lotus Pier. Wei Wuxian tries to get an explanation for such unusual behavior but his companion is entirely silent, guiding him towards a crop of trees that offer some semblance of privacy.

“How long have you borne this?” Lan Zhan asks once they stop walking, his golden eyes bright and fierce, “How long have you endured without speaking a word to me or your friends?”

“All my life,” He rolls his eyes, “You know Jiang Cheng has a temper and says careless things, Lan Zhan. Don’t worry, I know how to handle him.”

“All your life?” Somehow, Lan Zhan seems stricken, “Wei Ying!”

“Aiya, Lan Zhan,” Honestly, he is moved by Lan Zhan’s concern for him. They have spent so many years just quarreling and being distrustful towards each other. The concern is a pleasant distraction from the wretched state of their relationship, “Don’t worry about it. I can deal with everything Jiang Cheng throws at me.”

“How can you be so callous about your own well-being?” Lan Zhan asks, his tone betraying his dismay, “Do you not care-” He visibly bites back those angry words and calms himself, his voice taking on a gentler note, “Did you think I would not help? That your friends wouldn’t offer you shelter or protection?”

Really, this is a bit of an overreaction, isn’t it?

“Do I really have any friends left, Lan Zhan?” He asks casually but the reaction he receives is anything but casual. Lan Zhan’s eyes widen as though he has been struck, “Aiya, please don’t look like that,” Wei Wuxian feels a stir of panic because Lan Zhan looks almost hurt, “I’m just being a brat.”

“Have a care,” Lan Zhan says, “Your dismissal of this matter doesn’t put me at ease.”

“Lan Zhan,” He sighs, “I’m used to it. You saw how we were at Cloud Recesses. Did I look unusually troubled then?”

“You’ve become… accustomed to it?” Lan Zhan asks, once again looking uncharacteristically stricken. Wei Wuxian feels a stir of concern in his stomach and reaches out, placing a hand on the Second Jade’s arm, “You’re accustomed to it.”

Not knowing what to do in response to such open emotion from Lan Zhan, he looks for something to distract him. Immediately, his mind remembers an old promise, “Let’s focus on something more pleasant. It’s about time you saw Lotus Pier in its full glory, Lan Zhan! I want to show you all of my favorite places, including all of the trees I climbed!”

“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan’s voice is low and pained.

Wei Wuxian’s smile softens as he tugs on the Second Jade’s arm, “Don’t think of unpleasant things, Lan Zhan. It’s a beautiful day and we haven’t seen each other in months! Let’s be happy, alright?”

Wei Wuxian feels a jolt of surprise as Lan Zhan raises a hand and covers his fingers, squeezing gently. The touch is warm and reassuring, and it sets Wei his heart racing.

Lan Zhan studies him for a long moment before dipping his head elegantly, his grip on Wei Wuxian’s fingers still firm and steady, “If Wei Ying wishes it,” He promises, “I will make it so.”

Oh.

---

It all comes to a head at the Discussion Conference. Wei Wuxian is accustomed to being the center of attention these days but the quality of that attention is different now. Instead of wary glances, he sees eyes filled with sympathy and tentative smiles of welcome.

Wei Wuxian being Wei Wuxian, ignores the nagging suspicion that lingers at the back of his mind and smiles brightly back at them.

That seems to make things worse because the looks of sympathy seem to somehow intensify. He even sees a few women blink their limpid eyes and turn away, as though disguising tears. Somewhat alarmed, he glances at Jiang Cheng and winces.

His martial brother is bristling with anger. There’s a thundercloud-like expression on his face as he meets every eye in the room with a clear challenge.

If glances towards him are filled with sympathy, those towards Jiang Cheng are filled with contempt and disapproval. Between that and Lan Zhan’s protective hovering, Wei Wuxian is at the end of his patience.

He needs answers and he needs them now before the situation can escalate somehow.

Baffled by the situation, Wei Wuxian looks around and finds the most reliable source of gossip he can find. “What is going on?” He demands as soon as he is at Nie Huiasang’s side, “Why are people glaring at Jiang Cheng like he’s a fierce corpse?”

Nie Huaisang waves his fan, his expression a strange mix of amusement and grim satisfaction. For one, his old friend doesn’t hide behind his usual prevarications. He glances around the room and seems to catch someone’s eye. Wei Wuxian follows that gaze only to blink as Lan Zhan walks sedately towards them, expression stern and disapproving, “Do you know what’s going on, Lan Zhan?”

The Second Jade remains silent, his eyes fixed on Jiang Cheng. Wei Wuxian sighs in frustration and glares at Nie Huaisang, “Nie-xiong, what?”

His curt tone is enough to snape Nie Huaisang out of his musings. The man smiles wryly behind his fan, “Ah, Wei-xiong,” He waves his free hand, “There has been some speculation about your relationship with-”

“Why don’t you speak up?” A loud voice asks and Wei Wuxian turns around, “Why don’t you defend Wei Wuxian, Jiang-zongzhu? You’re going to let people slander your loyal Head Disciple so boldly?”

It’s Wang Jin, the Sect Leader of Runan Wang Clan. The man’s face is twisted in rage and disgust as he stares at Jiang Cheng. Wei Wuxian frowns, ready to step forward and stand by Jiang Cheng in such a hostile environment.

Lan Zhan’s hand on his arm stops him.

He looks at the Second Jade questioningly but the man just shakes his head, “Wait.”

“Why should he defend him?” An annoying Jin pipes up, his voice sharp and mocking, “We know what Wei Wuxian is! He may pretend to be loyal on the surface, but he is nothing but a faithless dog-”

“Jin Zixun!” Nie Mingjue snaps, “I will not have you insult one of our men in my presence! He fought and bled on our side.”

Nie Mingjue’s words silence him and Jin Guangyao speaks up soothingly as Wei Wuxian frowns, studying the scene with keen eyes, “Let us all calm down. I’m sure Wang-zongzhu means well.” He smiles placidly, “There have been rumors, just a bit of gossip about Wei-gongzi speaking ill of Jiang-zongzhu.” Wei Wuxian tilts his head to the side, mind whirling.

He refuses to be angry. There’s something about this situation that has his instincts rattled. He needs to focus.

“The Hanguang-jin himself said they were lies. Wei Wuxian has never spoken ill of Jiang Wanyin!” Well, that’s not entirely true. He is certain he has called Jiang Cheng a temperamental brat in Lan Zhan’s presence more than once. “Jiang-zongzhu should know better than to-”

“Why does Jiang-zongzhu need to do anything for that man?” Jin Zixun demands and Wei Wuxian feels a stir of amusement. All of this drama on his account? He’s honored.

“What kind of Sect Leader is he?” Wang-zongzhu asks, fuming, “If he doesn’t even defend his own Head Disciple? Has he not brought glory to YungmengJiang? Doesn’t the Sect owe him a debt of gratitude?” Wei Wuxian winces and Jiang Cheng’s expression turns stony, “If you want to talk of rumors, why not discuss the other rumors?” Wang-zongzhu turns to Jiang Cheng with a scowl, “Is he not your brother in all but blood? Didn’t the former Jiang-zongzhu raise Wei Wuxian as his nephew? Is this how YunmengJiang treats its brightest disciple? How will you face Jiang Fengmian, Jiang-zongzhu?”

Wei Wuxian bites back a groan as Jiang Cheng’s expression darkens with fury. This is the absolute worst thing to say to his martial brother.

“Why is he so concerned about this?” Wei Wuxian asks, almost to himself.

Nie Huiasang leans in and whispers in his ear, “His sisters were… assaulted by the Wens.”

Wei Wuxian feels a shudder crawl down his spine and shakes his head. Those disgusting wretches deserved the death he inflicted on them.

He still doesn’t understand what this has to do with him.

He glances at Lan Zhan, he is looking at the scene with his usual frosty expression, giving nothing away. He looks ahead to see Jiang Cheng ready to erupt and frowns. “Lan Zhan, I need to… help, somehow.”

“Wei Ying needs to do nothing.”

He’s about to protest when Jiang Cheng finally snaps, “Glory to YunmengJiang? He has brought nothing but devastation to it!” Wei Wuxian flinches and Lan Zhan steps forward and to the side, pointedly placing himself between the two Jiang Sect cultivators, “YunmengJiang has always been glorious. My ancestors bled and fought for it! We earned our glory through centuries of cultivation and diligence! I owe him a debt? Wei Wuxian owes me the lives of my parents! He provoked the Wens to save Lan Wangji’s life and I lost my family because of it!”

“Jiang-zongzhu, perhaps-”

“Shut up!” Jiang Cheng interrupted Jin Guangyao, “How I treat my Head Disciple is none of your business.”

“It is very much our business if you’re abusing him,” Nie Mingjue says and it silences everyone.

Wei Wuxian is… dumbfounded. He feels like he’s just a mass of confusion at this point because nothing about this situation makes sense. “Abuse?” He whispers harshly to Nie Huaisang, grabbing his arm to drag him away to a quieter corner, “Nie Huaisang, what is going on? Jiang Cheng doesn’t abuse me!”

“Does he not?” It is Lan Zhan who speaks, his expression solemn, “Truly, Wei Ying? Does he not abuse you?”

“Of course, not-”

“So he didn’t threaten you with Zidian?” Nie Huaisang asks, “Or try to physically intimidate you while you were clearly trying to step away?”

Wei Wuxian frowns, “Well yes, but that is just him being angry! He does that all the time.”

“That is no comfort to us.” Lan Zhan says stiffly.

“Didn’t he push you away several times? We have accounts from people who saw you fall to the ground.” Nie Huaisang’s expression is unusually stern, “Didn’t he seek to isolate you from everyone? Didn’t he keep telling you Wangji-xiong hated you?”

“Wangji-xiong gave every impression of hating me.” Wei Wuxian firmly denies, “Let us not attribute that particular error to someone else.”

“Indeed,” Lan Zhan nods graciously, as expected. He wouldn’t be Lan Zhan if he didn’t accept his own mistakes without hesitation.

“Wei-xiong,” Nie Huaisang tucks his fan away and he sees Lan Zhan focus on that, his eyes suddenly sharp, “He has been saying the same thing since you were at Cloud Recesses. He has always dragged you away from Lan Wangji. You saved Lan Wangji and Jin Zixuan’s lives. Why is he so intent on our Second Jade, hmm?”

Wei Wuxian shakes his head, “You’re making this unnecessarily complicated.” He says, “On the surface, all of these actions appear wrong but the intent behind them isn’t cruel.”

“Your love for him blinds you.” Wei Wuxian narrows his eyes sharply at his old friend, “If er-ge treated Wangji-xiong like that, you’d be furious. Just the threat of da-ge whipping would have you reaching for your flute.”

“Huaisang-”

“Did you think we wouldn’t feel the same way?”

Wei Wuxian studies him and Lan Zhan, realizing they are utterly serious. Concerned and a bit baffled, he looks at Jiang Cheng over his shoulder, only to find him nose to nose with Wang-zongzhu. “Heavens,” He breathes and steps forward, determined to intervene.

“You think what?” Jiang Cheng’s voice is full of disgust, “You… you think I have… that I’m some disgusting cutsleeve?!”

Wait, what?

“How dare you?! I would never touch a man!”

“Is that what he’s focusing on?” Nie Huaisang asks incredulously.

For once, Wei Wuxian has nothing to say.

---

It takes a few weeks for fresh rumors to make their rounds. People now know that Jiang Wanyin hasn’t behaved inappropriately with his martial brother, but that doesn’t make much difference.

The cultivation world, in general, still believes that Jiang Cheng’s behavior is abhorrent. Wei Wuxian is tempted to point out the hypocrisy of their words but knows it is futile. Once the masses make up their minds about something, few can persuade them to think otherwise. Jiang Cheng’s reputation has been tainted forever and there’s little they can do about it.

Unfortunately, this issue has also cemented the break between Wei Wuxian and his Sect Leader. There’s nothing that can repair the relationship now. He feels a pang of loss but he had already resigned himself to that when he had given away his Golden Core.

Fortunately, it seems he has some options available.

“Come to Gusu with me,” Lan Zhan says, his tone softer, his voice imploring, “Please.” This time, Wei Wuxian can’t mistake his intent. Lan Zhan’s reaction to the entire mess made one thing very clear to him.

Lan Wangji cares about him.

Isn’t that something? Never in his life did Wei Wuxian think he would be in such a position. He had always assumed Jiang Cheng would be by his side and Lan Wangji would stand against him. But everything is different now.

Wei Wuxian thinks of his childhood home, thinks of a life that has been irrevocably changed, and sinks in those memories for a brief moment. Despite what everyone thinks, there have been some good times. He doesn’t regret the course his life took when he was welcomed to the Lotus Pier by Jiang Fengmian.

He lingers, briefly, on regret,

Then, he shrugs it off and looks into the golden eyes of his future with a grin, “I’ll come to Gusu with you, Lan Zhan.”

And that’s that.

#short prompts #wei wuxian #lan wangji #mentions of abuse #anti jiang cheng #nie huaisang #too tired for tags

[writings-of-dumpy]

George Weasley AU: Cedric’s Sister

A/N: THIS IS THE GOD DAMN MAGNA CARTA. This mother fucker is 19k words, so strap in, bitches.

Warnings: Swearing, violence, major character death, and smut at the end.

Summary: George Weasley is not honest with his feelings for his longtime friend Claire Diggory, but the challenges they face at the end of their schooling pushes them to be closer than ever.

Fred and George were always flirts. With almost every girl they knew, it was a constant game of flirting for them. They came by it so naturally, but reserved the sweeter pet names for their closest friend, Claire Diggory. Only a year younger than her brother, Claire fell into Ravenclaw house the same year Fred and George were placed in Gryffindor. Their fathers had gotten along wonderfully over Arthur Weasley's time at the Ministry, so Fred and George were fast friends with both Diggory children, but were especially close to the youngest who was just their age, Claire.

“Good morning, petal,” Fred greeted her every morning with a wink. It never failed to make her blush, which George found incredibly cute.

“Good morning you bozos,” she greeted. They alternated which table they'd have breakfast at because it was only required to sit with your house on the first and last meals at Hogwarts. Most of the Great hall was a mix of colored ties and robes as well as the few seventh years who wore casual clothes to breakfast because their mornings were clear.

“Here comes the post,” George noticed as owls flew over their heads. A large package landed in front of Ron, who looked stunned.

“Mum and dad sent me something!” he said excitedly.

“Oh no,” Fred teased and the trio looked toward the younger Weasley. Ron opened up the package and his face soon turned horrified.

“They're not for Ginny, they're for you!” Hermione mused after a few moments of teasing from Harry. The twins laughed at their brother's bewildered face. “Dress robes!”

“Dress robes? For what?!” Ron asked.

“The Yule Ball of course,” Cho Chang said from the other side of George. “Come on Claire, Flitwick's expecting us.”

“Of course. Can't let my dance partner Thomas down, now can I,” Claire said sarcastically and shared a look with Fred and George. “I'll see you guys in potions.”

“Yeah, see you...” George said and waved as she and Cho walked out of the Hall. “Dance partner?”

“Attention all of Gryffindor house. A mandatory house meeting will be held in the adjacent classroom to your left in fifteen minutes. All Gryffindor students must attend this meeting or will face severe consequences,” McGonagall's voice rang out. Fred and George looked at each other in confusion.

“Must be pretty serious for the whole house to need to attend,” George surmised. He soon realized that McGonagall valued the reputation of Gryffindor higher than her competitiveness during quidditch.  

After the dance lesson concluded, Fred and George headed to potions class.

“That was a terrible waste of time, but I'm so glad she picked Ron to dance with her,” Fred chuckled as they walked toward the dungeons.

“Oh I wish I had a camera!” George said.

“Hi guys,” Claire said with a smile as she met up with them in the hall.

“Hello, petal. How was your dance lesson?” Fred asked. “Were you a swan?”

Claire laughed and shook her head. “Far from it. Thomas was ever so kind when I stepped on his toes so many times, though.”

George smiled and thought about how adorable she must have been.

“So, I suppose we'd better scout some dates out, eh?” Fred suggested.

“Yeah, I just hope nobody asks me before I can ask them, it'd be really embarrassing for a girl to ask me,” George said nonchalantly.

“Why's that?” Claire asked. George shrugged.

“Call it toxic masculinity,” he said. Claire smiled and nodded her head.

The air around the students in the month leading up to the Yule Ball was becoming increasingly frantic, but Claire wasn't worried. If someone wanted to go with her, they'd ask. She was perfectly happy going alone. Well, not perfectly. She very much wanted George to ask her, but she'd never let on about it.

“So, here's all the ingredients we need for this potion, right?” George said and set down the armful of various bottles and boxes on the desk.

“I think so,” Claire said after looking at the items. They had been paired for their potions project and had spent the afternoon together in the library getting their assigned potion ready for presentation tomorrow.

“Are you alright? You haven't said much,” George said after a beat. Claire looked up from stirring the potion in the cauldron and furrowed her brows at him.

“Yeah, I'm alright. Suppose I'm just worried is all,” Claire said with a shrug.

George leaned on his elbows and peered at her from across the table. His eyes shone of mischief and concern. “About what, flower?”

Claire smiled at the name. “About Cedric. The FIRST task was to fight a dragon... Who knows what the second task will be.”

“I'm sure he'll be alright. He's smart and strong. Not as smart as you, though, darling,” George said with a wink. Claire blushed slightly. George often said things like this and it gave Claire hope that maybe he on some level returned her feelings, but she wouldn't act on them... Not before she knew he felt the same. George was a dear friend and she needed him in her life one way or another.

About two weeks before the ball, study hall was well underway for the whole school. Cho and Claire sat next to each other at the Ravenclaw table, but Claire could very clearly see Fred and George who were sat opposite them at the Gryffindor table. Each time Claire looked up, Fred or George sent her a small wink and Claire shook her head with a smile. At this point she had finished almost all of her notes that Snape had assigned, so she was stalling and waiting until her best friends were done so they could all walk together. Claire noticed that George's face fell after a moment and he chewed his lip. He and Fred shared a look and Fred gestured towards Claire. Claire was confused but starting to get nervous. Why were they talking about her? George then shot Ron a piece of paper. Ron was bad at whispering, so Claire could hear everything.

“Who'll you go with, then?” Ron said. George smirked and wadded up a piece of paper, then threw it at Angelina to get her attention. She looked slightly annoyed, but then George gestured dancing and then pointed to himself while asking her to the ball silently. She looked flustered and then said yes, of course, and George smiled proudly. Claire watched and felt her stomach drop. Fred looked impressed and Claire felt like she was going to cry. George looked up and made eye contact with her, so she quickly pushed her heartbreak down and smiled at him with a thumbs up. He had a neutral expression and smiled back at her.

“Would you like to come to the dress shop with me, Fleur and Hermione tomorrow night? I'm sure they won't mind the company,” Cho asked after seeing Claire's face fall once George had looked away.

“I'd love that, thank you,” Claire said, grateful for such an observant friend. She felt tears threaten to well up and fall from her face and the aching in her chest grew worse. “I'm gonna go...”

Cho gave her a sympathetic look and gently patted Claire's shoulder. Claire got up and turned her notebook into Snape, who gave a curt look and snatched the book from her. She didn't dare look at Fred or George even though she was sure they were confused since they had all agreed to meet up afterward. She walked out of the Hall using all of her strength to fight back the tears and sobs that were threatening to escape her throat. She was so focused on getting back to Ravenclaw commonroom without being seen that she wasn't watching where she was going and bumped into someone.

“I'm so sorry, I—oh, hey Cedric,” she said relaxing when she didn't have to apologize to a potentially rude stranger. She was impressed that her words weren't whimpers, but she assumed the momentary adrenaline rush helped her sobs subside.

“Are you alright?” he asked. “You seem... flustered.”

“Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry. Just a busy week,” Claire lied to her brother.

“Those Weasley boys aren't giving you any trouble are they?” he said with a smile. “I heard George was going to ask you to the ball.”

Claire let out a small laugh and blinked tears away as she was reminded of her most recent heartbreak. “Well that rumor was false because he asked Angelina Johnson... Just now.” Cedric's face fell.

“I'll kick his ass,” Cedric said and started toward the Hall. Claire gripped his arm.

“No, Cedric! No, it's fine. It's not like we ever talked about it, it's fine,” Claire pleaded. Cedric calmed himself and patted her on the back.

“Well, I'm glad I ran into you. Would you be willing to give this to Cho for me? Like, leave it on her pillow?” he asked and handed Claire a card. She let out a breath and smiled.

“Sure, I will creepily put this on my friend's pillow,” Claire said slowly and took the card.

“You're the best,” Cedric said and gently touched the tip of Claire's nose which caused Claire to roll her eyes.

~*~

“So... Angelina, huh?” Fred asked George after study hall concluded. “Thought for sure you would have asked Claire by now.”

George felt slightly guilty and swallowed thickly. “No, um... I wanted to ask Angelina.”

“Well you won't mind if I ask Claire then, would you? Make a show of it?” Fred said with a sly smirk.

“You're not serious,” George asked with a lower tone. George had never been honest about his feelings for Claire and never admitted them even to himself, but this made his blood run cold in jealousy. He never considered Fred maybe felt the same way he did about Claire, and he felt like a knife was plunged into his stomach.

“I definitely am serious. So I'll take her to the ball. I mean since you have no romantic interest in her,” Fred said with a sly smile.

George swallowed, then clenched and unclenched his jaw. He stuffed his feelings down as he always did and didn't dare give Fred the satisfaction. “I, um... Yeah, okay. Show her a bloody good time. Shag her for all I care!” George began to walk away in embarrassment and heartbreak. He did it to himself, of course, but that didn't mean it hurt any less.

“Oh, you'd be so mad if I did,” Fred chortled.  

“Nope! Very happy for both of you!” George shouted with a wave behind him with his back turned as he climbed the stairs leaving Fred laughing maniacally.

~*~

The following morning, Claire came down to have breakfast and found a red enveloped howler note  placed where she usually sat at the Ravenclaw table. She wasn't in the mood to be yelled at after yesterday's events that left her in her dorm crying for the remainder of the afternoon and well into the evening.

“Go on, open it!” Cho encouraged with a smile. Claire bit her lip and gently opened the red envelope. A musical melody played for a few seconds and the howler transformed into a rose. Claire had never seen such a clever way to make a howler.

“My dearest Claire, would you please do me the honor of attending the Yule Ball with me as your very romantic date? I promise to be a perfect gentleman the entire night. Love, Fred Weasley,” the howler said in Fred's voice as loud as the Great Hall would allow. “PS, turn around.”

Claire, shocked, turned around and saw Fred stood there with his longer hair flowing and a rose extended to her. He wore a hopeful and innocent smile on his face: a look Claire hadn't seen often on Fred. Remembering the promise she made to move on from her deep-seated feelings for George, she laughed and took the rose from him with a nod.

“Yes, I would love to,” Claire accepted with a slightly embarrassed smile.

Fred held his fist up in the air and they went to sit at the Gryffindor table next to George and Angelina. Fred beamed proudly and allowed Claire to sit before he did and sat close to her. Claire smiled and blushed at their proximity.

“How exciting!” Angelina gushed and smiled brightly at Claire. George's face was unreadable and Claire felt slightly guilty for playing into the show that Fred put on, but then remembered that George was the one who didn't ask her, and she didn't owe him anything. She decided last night after her heart was broken that she would stop pursuing him—he clearly didn't want her. Fred, however, seemed to show at least a little bit of interest. She hadn't thought of Fred that way, but maybe he was lurking under her nose this whole time. She smelled the rose he had given her and looked up at him with a smile. He winked at her and took a sip of his pumpkin juice.

That night, Claire, Cho, Hermione, and Fleur were all trying on dresses for the Yule ball at a shop in Hogsmeade. Fleur had helped each of them (especially Hermione) pick out a dress that best suited them and Claire couldn't lie, the pick she had for her was stunning. A floor-length navy blue a-line dress with silver jewels along the neckline and straps and a blue shift overlay made her look incredible. She felt confident and beautiful in the dress and stepped out to show her friends, who were also changed into their potential gowns.

“So, wait... I thought you fancied George? Forgive me if I'm overstepping, Claire,” Hermione asked once they had all seen each other and gushed about how lovely they all looked.

“It's okay. I mean... It's clear that George doesn't have those feelings for me and I'd rather be with someone who wants to be with me, you know? Fred is a bolder choice, but he knows me well and we get along great. And it seems like he might actually feel something more than friendship towards me.. Who knows? Maybe I'll start to feel the same,” Claire answered.

Cho nodded. “I know what you mean, but don't settle. It'll never make you happy.”

Claire smiled at her friend and nodded. “I know. Thank you.”

The night of the Yule Ball, Claire felt incredibly nervous. She and Cho walked out of Ravenclaw commonrrom, then followed the mass of students dressed to the nines towards the Great Hall. She and Fred had agreed to meet in the foyer and she had hoped she wasn't waiting too long for him or vice versa. Once they reached the last staircase to the Great Hall, Claire spotted two tall gingers standing off to the side in front of the doors to the Great Hall. She made eye contact with George, whose face fell in awe. She blushed at his gaze and admired how nice he looked in his dress robes. Claire smiled and waved at him shyly, then looked at Fred, who then trotted up the stairs to meet her. Fred also looked handsome and she noticed that the twins were wearing matching robes.

“My lady,” he said and offered his arm to her. She giggled and took it with a bright smile.

“Thank you, Fred,” she said. She still felt George's eyes on her as they proceeded into the Great Hall. Claire looked up at the decorations in wonder.

“It's so beautiful in here,” she said.

“Doesn't hold a candle to you tonight, darling,” Fred said with a sly smirk.

“I see I get full-on charmer Fred tonight,” Claire laughed.

Fred winked at her. “Couldn't pass that one up, petal.”

Claire stole a glance at George and saw his jaw tensed and his eyes cast down. She wondered why he looked so upset. Maybe these sorts of gatherings made him uncomfortable? She hoped he'd be able to have fun anyway. They stood off to the side as the champions and their dates entered the Great Hall and walked onto the dance floor. Claire waved to her brother and Cho, who both sent her beaming smiles. The music began to play and Claire watched as the champions waltzed for a few bars, then Dumbledore led McGonagall out onto the floor, quickly followed by a very eager Neville Longbottom and Fred's sister Ginny.

“Aw, Ginny's got a date,” Claire said to Fred.

“Yeah, I'll let him live,” Fred began after a huff.

“For tonight,” George completed. Claire laughed and shook her head at their protectiveness.

Fred stood closer to Claire and bowed slightly. “May I have this dance, petal?”

Claire bit her lip in embarrassment and blushed. She placed her hand in his and let him lead her to the dance floor. They joined the group and Claire did her best not to step on Fred's toes, but when he put her back down from the lift they were taught, her toes came into contact with his briefly.

“I'm so sorry,” she muttered through laughter. Fred laughed with her and shrugged.

“It's fine, darling,” he said. When the music became more raucous, so did their dancing. At one point Fred and George switched partners and Claire felt sick with butterflies when George took her hand and spun her around a couple times. She felt dizzy but not from the spins and she felt George hold her close to him as they danced. He smiled widely at her as they swayed to the music and Claire couldn't help but smile back.  

“You do look beautiful tonight, doll,” George complimented with an almost sad tone.

“Thank you. You're very handsome,” Claire responded. George's cheeks went pink. Claire smiled and they danced for another moment before Fred pulled Claire back to him.

Fred was a very exuberant dancer and Claire tried her best to keep up, but found herself mostly watching him and him twirling her a few times. During a break that the band was taking, Fred gently gripped her hand and pulled her off the dance floor to a table.

“I'm going to get drinks,” Fred said.

“Yeah, I'm so parched. Want one, George?” Angelina said and fanned herself.

“Um, yeah, thanks. We'll hold the table,” George said with a smile. After a small pause, Claire decided to cut the tension and speak up.

“Are you having a good time?” she asked.

“Yeah, lovely time. It's a good night. You?” he asked.

“I'm having a great time! Everything is so fun in here,” Claire gushed. George looked as though he was hanging on her every word.

“You really do look incredible tonight, dove,” he said after a beat.

Claire blushed. “Thank you.”

“Alright, a punch for the lady,” Fred said as he returned to the table. The four of them sat down and the music started up again. The refreshment table cleared out as many of the students that were there went to dance more.

Claire drank the blue liquid down slowly and admired how fruity it tasted. She looked between Fred and George for a moment and suspected they may have put something in it to liven the night up, but then remembered that they'd probably get expelled for a prank that dangerous.

“You two didn't put anything in this, did you?” Angelina asked after taking a sip.

“Too late now. The whole school will be in love with us by morning,” George quipped with a sly smile and gave Fred a high five. Angelina's face dropped.

“They're not serious,” Claire explained with a slight shake of her head and eyes rolled.

Angelina looked slightly worried and looked between them. “How do you tell..?”

Claire shrugged and smiled at her best friends. She finished her punch and placed the cup on the table once more. When Fred finished his, a slow song began to play and he looked at Claire with a large smile.

“Care for a dance, my dearest?” Fred asked and offered his hand to her. Claire blushed and took it. As they made their way to the dace floor, Claire felt George's eyes on the two of them. Fred smoothed his hands around her waist and pulled her close to him and Claire draped her arms around his neck. The two had hugged before, but only briefly. This was the closest Claire had been to Fred ever, she thought. It was nice. He felt sturdy supporting her, and he was warm and soft to the touch. His arms were solid around her but not overbearing and she rested her head on his chest as they swayed back and forth. She thought about when George had held her earlier this evening and did her best to not compare the two. She enjoyed being in Fred's arms like this, but something about the way George's hands felt on her was more intimate and deliberate. Very briefly, she looked over and saw George looking in their direction. His face was unreadable and Claire surmised that he and Fred were having some sort of nonverbal conversation. Claire felt the softness of Fred's lips on her head and her stomach flipped. George cast his gaze down and looked away as Fred's lips kissed Claire's head once more. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, his lips, and it did make her nervous, but mostly because nobody had ever been this close with her before. She had a very brief affair with a boy named Frank last year, but that was no more than a peck or two here and there for the month they were seeing each other. Claire's cheeks went hot and she looked up at Fred.

“What was that for?” she asked in a soft voice. Fred shrugged.

“Just felt the urge. You're alright with that?” he asked earnestly.

Claire nodded and curled her lips upward slightly. “I liked it.”

Fred's cheeks turned slightly pink and for a moment Claire grinned with pride. As the night wound down, Claire and Fred decided to retire. She looked around for George to bid him good night, but didn't see him or Angelina anywhere. The thought of George with her alone somewhere sat in her mind like a moment-ruining goblin, but she was pulled from her bad feelings when she and Fred reached the Ravenclaw commonroom.

“I had a wonderful time with you tonight, petal,” Fred said as they faced each other. Claire hadn't noticed until now, but their hands had been interlocked the entire walk from the Great Hall to Ravenclaw tower. She smiled at his hands holding hers and then looked up at him.

“I did too, Fred. Thank you for a magical evening,” she said. Fred tucked his lip between his teeth and pulled her in for a hug good night. She gently embraced him and his strong arms encased around her with his hand supporting the back of her head. When they pulled away, their cheeks brushed together, which sent a jolt of nerves down Claire's spine. Neither Fred nor Claire pulled farther back. A beat fell between them before Fred's voice spoke barely above a whisper.

“I guess we should snog now,” he said. Claire's cheeks were lit aflame and she nodded, now curious about how Fred's lips would feel against her own. Fred's lips connected with hers and the sparks that Claire expected to feel fell short. She didn't feel any emotion in their kiss, it was merely two sets of lips moving together. It wasn't unpleasant, though, and Claire thought it was actually quite nice. Fred was a damn good kisser, but without any emotion fueling it, Claire didn't feel much.

Their lips parted and their grip on each other loosened. They were both flustered and let out a few nervous laughs before Claire said good night and entered the commonroom.

~*~

George didn't know why, but he felt a pull to Ravenclaw tower. He felt guilty for not saying good night to Claire, but Angelina seemed tired and he wanted to be a good date for her. He walked her to the commonroom and bid her good night and told her he was going to find Fred. She smiled and waved at him and now here George stood in the corridor before Ravenclaw commonroom. He saw Fred and Claire at the entryway sharing a hug and before he could greet them, Fred's lips were attached to hers. George had never wanted to punch his twin so much. Jealousy and pain filled him to the brim as he watched them share the moment. He felt like his world was crumbling and he refused to understand why. The entire evening his eyes kept wandering in a longing gaze towards Claire, who mostly wore a brilliant smile tonight, and that made this interaction between her and Fred all the worse for him.

“What are you playing at? You don't fancy her, do you?” George challenged Fred after Claire was behind the door.

Fred turned and looked at him, then wiped his lower lip clean of her lip balm color. “I could be in love with her for all you know.”

George took a step back and his face furrowed and he felt like he had the wind knocked out of him. “You're in love with her?”

Fred rolled his eyes and looked slightly angry. “No, you idiot. YOU are, but you're too bloody blind to see it.”

George frowned and they walked back to Gryffindor tower in silence. Fred didn't know what he was talking about, George was only interested in friendship with Claire George told himself over and over. It didn't matter that she was the object of his thoughts nearly all the time, and it didn't matter that he ached to be the one kissing her just then, no. He was just tired, that's all. He'd feel better in the morning...

~*~

“Hey you,” Fred greeted Claire one morning.

“Good morning to you too. Where's George?” she asked, thinking it unusual that Fred approached her alone.

“He'll be along. I wanted to ask you something,” Fred said. Claire motioned for him to continue with a nod of her head. He continued, “Would you go on a date with me to The Three Broomsticks tonight? Seven o'clock sound good?”

Claire's heart flipped in her chest. Her mouth hung slightly agape in shock as it had been a few weeks since their kiss and Fred hadn't made much in terms of moves toward a relationship. Claire supposed that this was his move and agreed.

“Um, yeah, sounds lovely,” she said with a  smile. Fred beamed and squeezed her hand, then sat down across the table from her as George joined them for breakfast. Claire smiled at George and he smiled back. Things had been pretty normal since the Yule Ball except Claire had expected her feelings for George to go away by now. She had hoped that going on a date with Fred would set her mind straight, but she also feared that she was in for more hurt.  

That evening, Claire walked into the courtyard before the entrance to Hogsmeade and found Fred standing there waiting for her. He smiled when he saw her and offered his arm to her and they made their way into the village.

“Are you excited about St. Patrick's day?” she asked him as she took note of the shamrock decorations and remembering his affiliation with the Irish quidditch team.

“Oh yeah. Georgie and I've got a few good pranks up our sleeves,” he winked. “None aimed at you, of course, petal.”

Claire laughed. “Thank goodness.”

They arrived at the pub and Fred pulled out Claire's chair for her before sitting down across from her. He smiled and ordered two butterbeers to start as the waiter handed the menus out. Their evening was filled with jokes, laughter, and an all around good time. Much like their time at the Yule Ball, Fred was an absolute gentleman.

“We have fun together, don't we?” Fred asked.

Claire smiled and nodded. “I think so, yeah.”

“Do you trust me?” Fred asked in a more serious tone as they walked back into the courtyard. Claire looked at him quizzically.

“Of course I do, Fred,” she said.

Fred nodded and looked to be in thought for a moment. He then turned to face her head on and took her hands in his.

“Close your eyes,” he instructed. Claire looked at him suspiciously, but after a moment she let her eyes close. She wondered what Fred was up to. The silence of the courtyard weighed heavy on her in that moment and she wondered if maybe Fred had left. Suddenly, though, she felt a familiar pair of lips on hers. Fred kissed her with a bit more fire than their first time, but Claire felt the same. She tried, she really did... but Fred didn't spark any feelings in her. Claire pulled away from him and cast hear head down.

“We're better as friends aren't we?” Fred asked. “I mean don't get me wrong, you're one hell of a snog, but...”

“No magic in it,” Claire said. Fred smiled and nodded.

“Well at least it's mutual and now that we've gotten it out of the way we can move on,” Claire shrugged and they walked back to the corridors inside the castle.

Fred chuckled. “George is a lucky man.”

Claire stopped dead in her tracks, then looked at Fred, who stopped a few paces ahead of her.

“Why would you say that?” she asked innocently. Fred rolled his eyes.

“I know how you feel about him and how he feels about you, it's obvious,” Fred shrugged. Claire tilted her head away from him and looked at him through a side-swept view.

“So what, you just went out with me to make him jealous?” Claire asked with a soft and slightly broken voice.

Fred's eyes went wide and he closed the space between them. “No, no... Make no mistake, I wanted to take you out because I had a crush on you. Seems George and I have similar taste.”

Claire relaxed a bit and Fred continued, “But... There's nothing but a cherished friendship between us. You're honestly more like a sister to me now. But George... his feelings are much deeper. He'll come around.”

~*~

On the day of the second task, Fred and George were too busy collecting bets to notice Claire's complete absence from breakfast and lunch. George had wondered for a brief moment where Claire was between both meals, but after he and Fred got into their zone at the docks as students headed to the second task in the mid afternoon, he had forgotten that this morning was unlike the others he'd had.

“Hey, where's Claire?” Cho asked from behind them once the stands were full and the task was about to begin.

Fred and George shared a look, then turned back to Cho.

“She's not with you?” Fred asked. Cho shook her head. George had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“Is she up there next to Cedric?” George asked in hope.

Cho shook her head once again. “I was just there, no sign of her. Cedric's worried sick... She never came back to the dorm last night either.”

George felt similarly. If she wasn't here and she wasn't near Cedric, where could she have gone? Before George could think too much, the cannon fired and the champions were off. He, Fred, and Cho decided to spread out and look more thoroughly for Claire while they waited for the champions to resurface. George searched the stands for almost thirty minutes before he circled back to where he was standing before. He met up with Fred and Cho and neither of them had found her.

“There's no way she wouldn't come to support her brother,” George concluded aloud. His heart sank into his stomach and he searched his thoughts for a way to find Claire.

Just then, two heads breached the water. The three of them were stood close enough to the jumping off point that George could clearly see that Cedric had resurfaced and won the task. The crowd cheered as Cedric swam to the docks with a huge winning smile on his face. George was pushed closer to the edge than he'd like, but then he saw the other person that had surfaced: Claire. Something wasn't right, though. Unlike Cedric, she hadn't moved. In fact, George couldn't see any sign of life from her. He panicked when he saw her floating and nothing being done about it, and without another thought, he rid himself of his jacket and plunged into the ice cold water.

“George, no!” he heard Fred yell as he leapt in, but George didn't care. He needed to make sure that Claire was okay. Every force in the universe was screaming at him to dive in and pull her to safety. He didn't have to swim very far to reach Claire's floating form and for that he was grateful. The icy waves that splashed on him and surrounded him were none other than wholly brutal. He understood Fleur stopping prematurely in her task and he wondered how Cedric had stayed down there for so long, then panicked more at the prospect of Claire being down there for even longer. He grabbed her around her waist and pulled her to the ladder where Cedric helped her limp body back onto dry land.

Cedric appeared to be in a state of composed panic as he looked to Dumbledore and Barty Crouch, who were standing behind him with worried expressions.

“Is this part of the task?! I need to know NOW,” Cedric demanded of them. George made quick work of checking to make sure Claire was still alive. She had taught them this skill set in their fourth year when the threat of coming upon a poor soul who'd been petrified was high: how to check for a pulse and breathing. Luckily George was able to find both of these, but he was sure they were weaker than they were supposed to be. His hands didn't feel the warmth of her skin like he expected—she was practically frozen. George felt a blanket placed around his shoulders, but he immediately wrapped Claire up in it.

“No, the task is over for you, she should be conscious,” Barty blubbered.

“It seems the unpetrification spell wasn't as powerful for her. Miss Granger came out just fine,” Dumbledore observed and looked over to where Viktor Krum had just rescued Hermione from the depths.

“To hell with this, I'm taking her to the infirmary,” George said and scooped her up in his arms. He hadn't felt the additional blankets that were placed over his shoulders and only noticed them when he lifted her and they fell. He hurried to a boat and ignored Cedric's complaints as the judges held him in place to accept the results of the task. Fred and George boarded a boat as fast as they could to the shore and George did his best to keep Claire from getting colder. He looked down at her face as the boat floated across the lake at a seemingly agonizingly slow pace. Her lips were a blue tint and she looked pale. Her eyes were shut and if George hadn't known better, he'd say she was sleeping peacefully. His heart was beating out of his chest with adrenaline, but that didn't stop it from swelling with worry for the girl he held so close in his arms.

When they arrived at the shore, they made a mad dash for the hospital wing of the castle. George was careful not to jostle Claire too much, and he doesn't think he's ever run faster in his life. If he weren't so cold from his dip in the lake, he probably would be sweating bullets. They reached the wing and burst through the doors.

“Madam Pomfrey!” George bellowed. She poked her head out from behind a curtain and George saw her eyes grow wide. She silently directed him to place Claire on a large and empty hospital bed in the corner of the room.

“What happened?” she asked.

“It was the second task. She was in the Black Lake for Cedric and Dumbledore mentioned a petrification spell,” George said and reluctantly placed her on the bed. Madam Pomfrey's eyes squinted and she looked between George and Claire. She placed a hand on Claire's cheek and nodded. She muttered something and waved her wand above where Claire was lain before her and various numbers appeared in translucent blue letters for Madam Pomfrey to read. Pomfrey then nodded and the letters floated above them and mostly out of sight.

“We need dry clothes. For both of you,” Pomfrey said.

“I'll go get some,” Fred said and ran out of the room toward Gryffindor tower.

“Thank you for volunteering to keep her warm, Mr. Weasley,” Madam Pomfrey said with a gesture to George's wet clothes and hair, then began riffling through the cabinets above and beside Claire's bed.

“Pardon?” George asked.

Madam Pomfrey pulled out a small brown cup that looked like it had been in a furnace several minutes too long. She poured a black liquid into it from an equally charred bottle, then handed it to George.

“The best way to cure hypothermic shock is with body heat. Drink this, it'll prevent you from getting to Ms. Diggory's state. In other circumstances—were she conscious—I would give her some of this, too, but since you also require heat support, why not kill two birds with one stone, eh? Go on, drink up,” Madam Pomfrey said and gestured for George to drink the contents of the cup.

His stomach flipped and he looked at Claire, then drank the cup down. It felt like lava going down his throat, but the burning subsided almost as quickly as it arrived. Shortly thereafter, he felt a warmth radiating from his stomach that spread throughout his whole body. It was slow, but noticeable.

“Okay, I've got some clothes. Sorry, George, she's going to borrow a couple things,” Fred said as he reentered the infirmary.

“Excellent. Garmentus replaccus,” Madam Pomfrey said and waved her wand over the new clothes. In an instant, George felt dryer and was wearing the t-shirt Fred was previously holding as well as a pair of sweatpants he had picked. Fred looked confused as he held not only George's wet clothes, but Claire's as well.

“Good, now get under that blanket and hold her tight. Get comfortable, looks like you're in for a long night,” she instructed. George's eyes went wide.

“Uh... um...” George stammered. “The night?”

“Yes. I'm assuming you want to help her?” Madam Pomfrey said. George nodded, and without another word, he cautiously crawled under the blanket and held Claire in his arms. It was a nice feeling and one he didn't know he needed until now. His arms looped around her shoulders and the other around her middle. He looked down and noticed Fred had pulled out an older quidditch jersey that Claire was now wearing. George smiled to himself at the sight of her in his clothes. He liked it and thought maybe she could keep the jersey. Fred's expression went from worried to slightly smug as Madam Pomfrey walked away.

“Need anything?” Fred asked with a smirk. George brushed it off.

“Well dinner would be nice,” George said and adjusted himself so that he and Claire were cocooned together in the puffy blanket. Fred chuckled.

“You know, we can take turns cuddling her,” Fred said with a shrug.

George's head snapped up to look at Fred. “What?”

Fred laughed and rolled his eyes as he turned to leave. “You're impossible, Georgie. I'll get you something from the Great Hall.”

“Is she here? Is she okay?” George heard Cedric's voice say from the other end of the long room.

“She's stable. Mr. Weasley kindly volunteered to watch over her and keep her warm,” Madam Pomfrey said calmly. “I have her monitored and will keep her here tonight until she wakes up.”

“Can I please see her?” Cedric begged. George heard Madam Pomfrey sigh and then a pair of footsteps grew closer until Cedric and Madam Pomfrey appeared into George's vision. Cedric's eyes widened and he rushed to Claire's side.

“Has she woken up? Has she said anything?” he asked George.

George shook his head apologetically.

“She probably won't wake up for a long time,” Madam Pomfrey said. “The Black Lake is usually cold, but this time of year it's a good day when it isn't frosted over. She's lucky to be alive.”

After a moment, Cedric spoke lowly, “She was down there all day...”

George's breath was caught in his throat. The severity of what had happened to Claire had dawned on him like a tsunami. The entire time that she had been missing—from last night through most of the day—she had been petrified in the bottom of the Black Lake. Madam Pomfrey's words rang out in his mind and he instinctively pulled her closer to him.

“She could have died,” George said mostly to himself.

Cedric bit his lip. “I know... I saw her and swam as fast as I could to get her.”

“Why didn't you make sure she was okay before heading to the docks? I jumped in and got her, Cedric,” George said with a slightly accusatory tone.

“And I can never thank you enough for that. I assumed that the magic to petrify her had been done in the lake, so once she breached the surface, the spell would break, like most magic under water. I was wrong... Look, I know how you feel about her, and I want you to know that I think you're a good match for her, especially since you're willing to risk your life like that,” Cedric said.

George felt flustered. “No, I... We're just friends. She'd do the same for me.”

“Exactly. Just don't break her heart, okay?” Cedric said. George shook his head and wondered why Cedric felt the need to say this to him. Had Claire told him something? George wondered if maybe Claire... No. You're just friends, George thought purposefully.

“Alright I got some soup and mashed potatoes with a couple rolls and for dessert some cherry pie,” Fred said as he entered from the other side of the dividing curtain. Once he looked up, he saw Cedric and his face fell. “Oh, sorry... I didn't know you were here, otherwise I'd bring you some too.”

Cedric smiled and shook his head as he stood up. “That's okay. I should probably head to dinner anyway—Cho's probably worried.”

“Alright, well, see you then,” George said. “We'll let you know when she wakes up.”

“Thanks,” Cedric said with a smile and then left.

It wasn't until Fred left that evening (more like kicked out as he would have stayed all night had it not been for Pomfrey's insistence) that George felt a cramp in his side. He looked down at Claire, whose face was now only dimly lit by the small amount of blue light from the numbers above her and the moon shining through the window. She looked slightly better and her lips were only a fair shade of purple now. He placed a hand on her cheek and it was significantly warmer than a few hours ago, and for that he was grateful. Careful not to pull the blanket from her, he turned to his side and pulled her with him. With her pressed against him and his arm around her waist, he looked at her face once more before drifting to sleep.

His dreams were full of her—her laugh, her smile, her eyes, everything—and he wasn't upset by it. He enjoyed seeing her laugh at his jokes and wave at him from across the Great Hall. He imagined her in places she hadn't been in a long time like his house during the summer and Christmas, then longed for those visits to be real. In his dream, he could hold her when he wanted and moments before he woke up, his lips were locked with hers in a passionate action. His heartbeat quickened and he felt his pulse in his throat. His chest heaved to accommodate the wave of breathlessness he felt and as he traced small circles on her back, and he knew what had become of him. He couldn't deny it any longer, and no matter how hard he tried to push his feelings for her down, they would always come back tenfold. He remembered the night he found her and Fred together and he filled with jealousy and regret. He wanted that to be him. Dumbledore had mentioned that a treasure was stolen from the champions to retrieve yesterday, and George couldn't think of a better way to describe Claire to him.

George felt Claire shift next to him and rest her head on his chest. He let out a breath and pulled her closer to him. He looked out the window and noticed that dawn was approaching. The peacefulness of the morning made him smile and he looked down at Claire, who made a soft groaning sound.

“Claire?” he said with his voice barely above a whisper. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him.

“George? What happened?” she asked in a weak voice. George smiled widely and hugged her close to him.

“I'm so glad you're okay... You were petrified for the second task. They had you at the bottom of the Black Lake... He saved you, but the spell malfunctioned and you went into hypothermia...” George said and then released her from his embrace to look at her face.

“Oh... how did you get here, then..?” Claire asked.

“I um... I jumped in to help. You weren't moving, so I went in...” George admitted sheepishly.

Claire's expression changed to slightly shocked but thankful. “Wow... Thank you, George...”

“I couldn't just let you float there and have all the fun, you know,” George said with a smirk and wink.

Claire let out a weak laugh, then asked, “What time is it?”

George bit his lip and looked around for a clock. He craned his neck and looked at the large one above their heads, then read to her, “It's about a quarter after six in the morning. Breakfast should be appearing soon, you must be starving.”

Claire nodded. “Yeah...”

George nodded and tore himself from her. “I'll go get you something to eat and send Pomfrey here to make sure you're okay...”

Claire nodded and started to sit up. George didn't want to leave her, but he knew she couldn't make the walk on her own. He hurried to Madam Pomfrey's office to find her already wide awake and making notes.

“Um, Madam Pomfrey? Claire's awake.. I'm going to go get her something to eat,” George said. She nodded and smiled at him, then headed in Claire's direction.

George made his way to the Great Hall and was among the first of the students to arrive. He didn't think he'd ever been in the Hall that early, but he didn't mind if it was for Claire. He picked out a few pasties for her as well as some oatmeal and apple juice. He brought the plate carefully back to the infirmary where he saw that the numbers had disappeared from above Claire's bed and she was sitting up completely. She smiled weakly when she saw him and he hurried to place the tray before her.

“Did you get anything?” she asked him. George nodded and held up a breakfast sandwich full of egg, bacon, and cheese.

Claire smiled and started to nibble a few pasties and drink her juice. George found himself staring at her while he ate and found that the intensity of his feelings hadn't died down. Every move she made had him swirling with intense and deep care for her. He wasn't sure he hated it, either.

~*~

In the brief month between the second and third task, Claire noticed George being much more attentive to her. She wasn't sure if it was because he was afraid something would happen to her again, but she wasn't entirely mad at it either. At every opportunity, he would give her a small touch of his hand on hers or a hug to hold her close for a moment. It was nice, and no matter how hard she tried to forget her feelings for George, she couldn't. They plagued her day and night and knowing that he didn't feel the same made her feel even worse. Cho had told her to just enjoy the time she has with George and eventually she'd find someone else, and Claire tried, but it was challenging to say the least. Especially when her mind brought her back to the morning she woke up in his clothes (that he let her keep) and he was cuddled against her. She remembered the sleepy and worried look on his face as she opened her eyes and how warm and comfortable he felt against her. It was a beautiful memory and one that she cherished.

On the day of the third task, Claire's father came to support Cedric and the three of them were beneath the bleachers waiting for Dumbledore to lead them out and greet the crowd.

“Are you feeling okay?” Claire asked Cedric.

“Nervous, but ready. I'm just glad this one doesn't put you in any danger,” he said with a slightly apologetic look. Claire shook her head.

“It's alright, Cedric. What's important is that you focus so you can make it out of this tournament,” she told him and gently patted his back.

“And win! Win, my boy, I know you can!” their father boasted emphatically.  Cedric looked slightly uncomfortable, but nodded.

Claire heard the fanfare begin and Dumbledore ushered the Diggorys to enter the arena. Claire and Cedric walked beside each other and Amos led them with a big wave to the crowd. He presented his son to them and reveled in their cheers. Claire smiled and followed Cedric to his spot at the entrance to the maze. Dumbledore began to speak and Amos held Cedric's arm high in the air (much to Cedric's embarrassment) when it was mentioned that Cedric held first place. Claire scanned the crowd and found Fred and George sat in the second row from the front with a space between them that she assumed was for her. She made eye contact with both of them and waved.

“Good luck, son,” Amos said with a proud smile and hugged Cedric.

“Good luck, Cedric! Be safe in there,” Claire advised. Cedric hugged her close and they separated as the cannon fired. Once Cedric entered the maze, he took off in a slightly quicker pace than walking and the trees closed around him so that he was out of sight. Claire and Amos headed back to the stands where he took his seat toward the back and Claire found Fred and George.

“Thanks for saving me a seat,” she said to them.

“Of course! Wouldn't want to wait with anyone else,” Fred teased. George nodded in agreement.

The crowd clapped and cheered as Krum entered the maze next. A few minutes later, Fleur had entered. Claire took a deep breath and sighed. There was nothing to do now but wait. She vaguely heard her father boast about how Cedric would be coming out with cup in hand in relatively short order so nobody get too comfortable.

“Impressed with your brother, he is,” Fred said.

Claire hummed and nodded. “Always has been.”

“You're just as amazing as Cedric, you know. Probably even more,” George said and gripped Claire's hand that sat in her lap. She smiled at him and Fred who agreed. She didn't make a move to pull her hand away from George's and he didn't either. She enjoyed the feeling of his fingers twiddling and playing with hers as they waited well past dusk. The three were involved in a competitive game of eye spy before red sparks were seen in the sky high above the maze. Claire's attention was drawn to the rusting of the bushes and trees as the maze rolled Fleur out onto the ground. After a beat, she stood up and dusted herself off as a few girls from Beauxbatons helped her up. She looked rough and beaten down in her jumpsuit, and Claire hoped Cedric was faring a bit better.

“Wow... she looks rough,” Fred said. George nodded. Claire didn't realize it, but she was holding George's hand a little bit tighter now. She felt him place his other hand on hers in reassurance. About a half an hour later, Viktor Krum was ejected from the maze. He appeared to be unconscious, but alive, and woke up after about five minutes. Claire bit her lip and looked for any sign of Cedric. This meant that he and Harry were the only ones left, right? Either way Hogwarts won the tournament, but who exactly would earn the title was to be determined.

“They have to be getting close,” Fred concluded. Claire nodded.

It was quiet for a while, then suddenly a whooshing sound was heard and Harry appeared with the cup in hand. Fanfare played as the crowd stood and clapped, and Claire ran to greet her brother, but as she got closer she heard Harry's sobs and Cedric was unmoving.

Dumbledore was first to get to Harry, who refused to let go of Cedric. Claire pushed past the judges, needing to see her brother. She could hear Harry's sobs, but a ringing in her ears began as her face fell upon seeing Cedric up close. His face was expressionless and his eyes that once shone in happiness were void of light and life. Claire sunk to her knees next to Cedric and she felt a wave of shock stem from her chest and throughout her body. She placed a hand gently on his chest and her eyes welled up with tears. She was barely aware of her surroundings as time had seemed to stop. She wasn't sure what had happened, but she was pulled from her trance of grief by her father's howls and cries. She looked at him for comfort and did her best to console him, but he would have none of it. He was caught up in his despair just as she was.

Claire felt a gentle hand around her shoulder and she looked to see George with a sorrowful look on his face. His brown eyes were swimming with tears that threatened to fall and he knelt down with Claire. She leaned onto him and sobbed into his chest. She wasn't one for crying in public or letting her feelings be known always, but right now she was overwhelmed with grief and didn't care. George held her close and whispered his condolences and comforting words.

The following morning, an assembly was called for the entirety of the school. The candles were dim and black curtains hung from the ceiling of the Great Hall. The teachers and students sat on the benches that faced Dumbledore, who was sitting in his own solitary chair before them behind his podium. Claire and George sat near the front and George had noticed that Claire's eyes were puffy, bloodshot, and slightly sunken in. He wondered if she had slept at all last night. He looked over to Cho, who looked only slightly better, but not by much.

After everyone had settled into the uncomfortable and somber aura of the room, Dumbledore began to speak from his chair. “Today we acknowledge a really terrible loss,” he began. “Cedric Diggory was, as you all know, exceptionally hard working, infinitely fair mind, and most importantly a fierce, fierce friend. Now I think, therefore, you have a right to know exactly how he died.” He got up from his chair and stood at the podium where he rested his hands. He spoke louder, “You see, Cedric Diggory was murdered by Lord Voldemort.”

Claire inhaled sharply at the mention of You-Know-Who's name. Until now, George had no idea how Cedric had died, and he was sure that Claire didn't either. He hadn't dared ask her if she knew and he didn't want to pry, but she seemed just as surprised as he was. George reached a comforting hand out to her and she gripped his fingers in hers as Dumbledore continued to speak.

“The Ministry of Magic does not wish me to tell you this, but not to do so I think would be an insult to his memory,” Dumbledore announced. Claire looked up and then over at Harry, who was sat not far from them. George saw Harry make eye contact with her and nodded apologetically. Their silent conversation went unnoticed for the most part and Dumbledore finished his speech emphasizing what Cedric valued most: friendship and family. George couldn't think of a time that Claire wasn't crying during the speech.

When the students were dismissed, Fred and George followed Claire in her pursuit of Harry. She found him walking with Ron and Hermione in a relatively empty corridor.

“Harry?” she asked in a small but strong voice.

He turned around and his face turned from relaxed to a mix of skepticism, sorrow, and discomfort. “You're Claire, right?”

“Yes. I'm sorry, I just... I have to tell you that I don't blame you and I wanted to thank you for bringing him back. You must have gone through really awful things, and I'm just... Thank you,” Claire said with a broken voice. Harry's face relaxed once more and he nodded, then stepped forward to speak.

“I'm sorry for your loss,” he said. Claire nodded in appreciation.

“Why don't you come stay with us for the summer?” Fred suggested. “For a little while anyway.”

“You mean it?” Claire asked through tears.

“Of course, darling. Don't want you to be alone and mum loves it when you visit,” George said.

Claire considered for a moment and then nodded. “Okay, I will. Thanks, guys.”

George was overjoyed that she would be staying with them over the summer. It was their first summer that they could use magic at their leisure and they were developing all sorts of prank treats and sweets. George was counting down the days until Claire came to stay with them. She wanted to be with her parents for a couple weeks after Cedric's funeral, then she would come stay with the Weasleys. Fred was excited, too, George could tell. They both made sure that Claire would have enough room with them and placed a soft mattress between their beds for her. There was only a small gap between the mattresses, but they hoped she didn't mind.

“Everything ready? She'll be here any minute now,” George asked Fred, who was packing the basket for the picnic they were taking her on.

Fred nodded. “Yep. All packed. Blanket, waters, sandwiches, crisps, strawberries, champagne, sex toys, lube...”

���FRED!” George gasped. Fred laughed maniacally.

“Only kidding. But we do have butterbeer,” Fred said with a smile.

“Her favorite,” they said in unison.

Timed perfectly, there was a knock at the door. George felt nervous. He had seen her a month and a half ago and they had been friends for their whole lives, but something about Claire staying with them for an extended period of time made him nervous and excited.

Fred opened the door and there stood Claire with her trunk in hand and a small smile on her face.

“Hi boys,” she greeted. Fred and George rushed and hugged her tight to them. After everything she had been through, George wanted to welcome her in the happiest way he could. He knew Fred felt the same and they both squeezed her for a moment, then let her go.

“Safe travels?” Fred asked. “Allow me to take your trunk.”

“Yeah, apparating is pretty intense, but I got the hang of it I think. I've still got all of me, right?” Claire asked and let Fred set her trunk inside.

“Hmm, now that you mention it, you are missing something,” George smirked at her. Claire's face fell in confusion. Both George and Fred leaned in and kissed either side of her face quickly, which sent her lips upward. George felt butterflies at the contact, but made it seem as platonic as possible.

“Thank you,” she said with a smile. “You cut your hair.”

George blushed. “Yeah, do you like it?”

Claire smiled and nodded. “You look very handsome.”

They helped her get settled into their room and she greeted the entire family including Hermione, who was visiting.

“Now I'm sure the boys told you that we're going to Grimmauld Place tomorrow, yes?” Molly said casually.

Fred and George looked at each other in panic, then back at Claire and Molly.

“Oh, yeah. I don't mind as long as you guys don't,” she said without skipping a beat.

“We're always happy to have you, dear,” Molly said with a smile and patted Claire's cheek. As she walked away, Claire looked at the twins with an accusatory and baffled expression.

“We forgot to tell you,” Fred said.

“But we do have a surprise for you. Are you hungry?” George asked trying to lighten the mood and maybe make up for their mistake.

Claire smiled and shrugged. “Yeah, I could eat.”

“Excellent!” George said and directed her to follow them into the back yard, and then out onto a small meadow by the lake.

“It's beautiful here,” Claire commented.

George smiled. “I'm glad you like it. Now, surprise! We made you a picnic!”

Fred and George magically set up the blanket and food with a wave of their wands and the three of them sat down. George handed Claire a butterbeer and her eyes lit up.

“My favorite!” she said, excited. She opened the bottle and started to drink it with a soft smile on her face. “Thank you guys...”

They enjoyed the sunshine and their meal and George was anxious to ask her how she was doing and how her parents were, but decided against the notion until she brought it up. He did his best to try and cheer her up at any sign of sadness and made her laugh as best he could. Soon enough, the time came for them to go to bed as they had to be up relatively early in the morning to travel to the Black residence.

“I usually go for a stroll before bed, so...” Claire said hesitantly.

“I'll go with you, no worries,” George volunteered immediately. George saw Fred smiling out of the corner of his eye. Claire's face softened and she smiled appreciatively.

“Thank you... I found it helps with... well,” Claire said and shrugged. George didn't press her and nodded in understanding. They walked out of the house and George led her to the pathway around the lake that they had. They walked in comfortable silence for a while before Claire spoke up.

“Thank you for having me this summer. It's not been easy at home,” she said. His heart fell hearing this. George nodded and gave her a gentle look to hide his growing concern.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” he asked her.

“It's just... Dad never really paid much attention to me, and now that Ced's gone... It's silly, I just feel sometimes like I'm unwanted and like I'm not cared about,” Claire confessed as they walked. George's heart nearly broke hearing that.

“Well I care very deeply for you,” George said without thinking. He didn't make any attempt to clarify what he had meant and decided to let Claire interpret it how she needed to. He couldn't imagine the pain of losing one of his siblings, so he needed to be extra gentle with her. Claire looked up at him with wide and glassy eyes.

“I care about you too, George. You're my best friend,” she said. George's panic subsided and was replaced with a the icy sting of rejection. She didn't mean it, of course, it's very easy to misinterpret caring about someone, and that's exactly what Claire had done. George wanted to correct her and confess everything he'd been feeling, but after careful consideration, he decided against it. After all... how could she feel the same?

~*~

The arrival at Hogwarts for her seventh year made Claire extremely uncomfortable. The last time she had been at the school, everyone was giving her looks of pity and it made her feel unpleasant to say the least.

“It's alright, we're here with you,” George said with an encouraging smile.

“Yeah, we'll even pose as Ravenclaws. Dye our hair brown and be the Yelsaw twins,” Fred said with a laugh.

Claire laughed and shook her head. “No, it's okay. Thank you, though.” She made her way with the twins to the Great Hall and sat next to Cho, who looked happy to see her. They had only shared a few letters over the summer, and the last time they were face to face was at Cedric's funeral.

“Hi, Cho, how are you?” Claire asked. Cho opened her arms for a hug and Claire accepted with a smile.

“I'm okay. Hard being here, but we'll manage. Good summer otherwise. You?” she said with a sigh.

“As good as it could have been,” Claire said. “Spent the last half with Fred and George and you know how they are: always making jokes, so...”

“Are you and George...?” Cho asked expectantly with a sly and slightly suggestive smile.

Claire shook her head. “Just friends...”

Cho nodded and then turned to watch the sorting ceremony. Claire thought about George (as she often did) and her heart sank. Over the summer they had both been alone several times and Claire wanted to scream at him how much she felt for him, but she held back when she remembered Cho's advice that she'd find someone different after George's rejection of her. She and the twins shared almost all of their classes, so at least she wasn't alone the whole time. That became especially helpful when Defense Against the Dark Arts came about and Umbridge started talking about Cedric.

“Now children, it has come to my attention that the rumor floating about the school is that a certain defeated dark wizard is once again lurking in the shadows and is responsible for the tragic death of Miss Diggory's brother. This is a severely misguided lie,” she said in a sickeningly sweet and high-pitched voice. Claire's blood boiled. She knew the truth—Harry's eyes were enough to tell her the horrors he had seen that night and his regret for Cedric's death.

“How do you suppose my brother died, then? If you have answers, I'd love to hear them,” Claire said holding back tears.

“Claire, no,” Fred whispered. Umbridge took a deep breath and ignored her question, then went about sending the books to each student's desk. Claire scoffed and shook her head.

“This is bullshit,” the three of them whispered in unison. Claire stifled a laugh under her breath.

By the day of the first Quidditch match was upon them, Umbridge had already sunk her stupid heels into the curriculum. It was annoying and boring to learn defense against the dark arts this year, but Claire had always enjoyed seeing Fred and George play quidditch, so she looked forward to this afternoon. She went to every one of their practices and matches and cheered for them even if they were playing against Ravenclaw. This match was against Slytherin and it was an especially complex game. In the end, Harry caught the snitch after a face-off with Draco. Claire ran down to congratulate the twins as she always did along with other close friends and significant others of the team and she found them both sweaty and joyful.

“Congratulations!” she cheered and hugged Fred first.

“Thank you, petal,” Fred said and wrapped an arm around her briefly.

“Our little good luck charm you are,” George said and hugged her for slightly longer with both arms secured around her waist. The mood was quickly soured by Draco Malfoy's derogatory words that Claire could hear from a few feet away.

“Although you probably don't remember what your mum's house smelled like so even the Weasley's hovel—” Draco began, but was interrupted by a few Quidditch team members holding Fred back from wailing on Draco. George started to charge the blonde and Claire could only hold him back so much. George angry was not something Claire saw often, but when she did it was never a pretty sight. Claire and Harry did their best to hold George back, but as Draco continued to insult him, George became impossible to contain and Harry was even persuaded into beating the Slytherin seeker to a bloody pulp. Draco didn't fight back much—coward, Claire thought—but managed to get a few good hits in, mostly on George, who was much more aggressive than Harry was.

“Fuck you, Draco! You and your whole bigoted family can kiss my ass and die in a hellfire,” George roared. “Keep my family's name out of your shit mouth, asshole!”

“Impedimento!” Claire heard Madam Hooch bellow above the bone-crunching punches and kicks Harry and George delivered onto Draco.

George and Harry flew backward and Claire came to their side. George's lip was swollen and bleeding and Claire could tell a bruise to his jaw and eye were forming. He stood up from the blast with his jaw clenched and Fred managed to get away from Angelina's hold to stand next to Claire.

“All of you to your Head of House's offices! NOW!” Hooch ordered sternly.

Claire waited patiently outside McGonagall's office with Fred for Harry and George to emerge. Claire was worried about George's head injuries more than anything. He had detention before, many times. After a few more minutes, the door opened and out came George and Harry looking dissatisfied, but calmer.

“Well?” Fred asked.

“Detention tomorrow night with her,” Harry mumbled. “Both of us.”

“Well it's better than expulsion,” Claire said. George nodded and looked up to display a growing purple bruise around his left eye. She reached her hand up and gently placed her fingers on his jaw. He leaned into her touch slightly and his face softened.

“Yeah, it just sucks that Malfoy's probably getting off with nothing when he's been spewing this shit for ages,” George said.  Claire nodded.

The first few months of the year were tough, but Fred and George made life a bit more bearable for Claire. She was often the test subject for flavors of sweets as she refused to be made ill and George told her he wouldn't allow it anyway. He'd become very protective of her, and Claire would be lying if she said it didn't make her feel special. When word got to Claire about a meeting to discuss a real Defense Against the Dark Arts class, she let Cho in on the secret.

“Thursday at The Hog's Head. Three o'clock. Don't tell anyone you don't trust,” Claire said to her. Cho smiled and nodded with excitement.

That Thursday, Fred, George, and Claire headed to The Hog's Head on a cold day. She quickly realized why this was the meeting place: it was cold and damp and completely empty. The room soon filled with students from all four houses, but mostly Gryffindors were entering the bare pub. Once the clock showed five past three, Hermione stood up to speak.

“Harry could tell us more about how Diggory got killed,” a Gryffindor boy said from next to where Ginny sat. Claire could sense George's frustration and he gripped her hand nd was ready to stand up to confront the boy when Harry stood instead.

“I'm not going to talk about Cedric, so if that's why you're here, you might as well clear out now,” Harry said insistently with a small look toward Claire.

“Is it true you can produce a Patronus Charm?” Claire asked loud enough for the room to hear, remembering a rumor she had heard in her fifth year. She wanted the subject off of her dead brother, but also wanted tot ell Harry that she believed in him and wanted to learn from him, not just reminisce about what was probably a highly traumatic night for him—Claire knew it was for her at least.

Ron sent her a small smile and George's hand squeezed hers gently.

“Yes,” Hermione spoke up. “I've seen it.”

“Blimey, Harry! I didn't know you could do that,” Dean Thomas spoke up from the other side of the room. Neville then spoke about the Basilisk Harry slayed in his second year to save Ginny, and Ron chimed in saying Harry fended off hundreds of Dementors. Hermione closed out the discussion with another confirmation that Harry fought Voldemort in the flesh, which sent a jolt through Claire. She could only imagine how Cedric must have been feeling. She never asked Harry what his last words were or what exactly happened, and she probably never would. She must have spaced out during Harry's speech because she was soon pulled from her seat with the help of George's hand and stood in a line to sign up to be a part of what Harry was affectionately calling Dumbledore's Army. Claire didn't understand why Harry looked up to Dumbledore so much. He was a great wizard, sure... but his manipulative behavior toward Harry made her question the Headmaster's motives.

“Over the next few days, we should each try to find a place to practice, alright?” Harry said to the small group that had stayed with Harry.

“On it. See you later, Harry!” Fred said as he, George, and Claire went to test more product.

“Hey, Claire...” Harry called after her. Claire was surprised and looked at him.

“Yes?” she asked.

“Can I have a word with you..?” he asked. Claire felt George and Fred inch closer to her. Harry paid them no mind, though.

“Um, sure. Is everything okay?” she asked him. He swallowed hard.

“I-I know I said I wasn't going to talk about Cedric, but if you ever do... I think you'd be the only person I'll talk about it with. You've got a right to know what happened to your brother,” Harry said with a look of sincerity.

Claire was touched by the notion and opportunity that Harry extended to her. She nodded at him and smiled faintly. “Whenever you're okay telling me, of course I want to know.”

Harry looked slightly relieved and then his face turned more serious. “He was braver than I could have ever been. He was ready to fight, but never got the chance... Voldemort was quick, I don't even think Cedric knew what was happening. And when our wands—mine and Voldemort's—connected, Cedric asked me to bring his body back to you, specifically. He said 'take my body back to Claire and tell her I love her'.”

Claire felt her tears begin again and she heard the sorrow in Harry's voice. She put and hand on his shoulder and nodded. “Thank you, Harry.”

~*~

George was awoken in a start by Professor McGonagall. He was dreaming peacefully about an afternoon over the summer he had with Claire and was very displeased to be woken up. He knew something must have been terribly wrong, however.

“George, Fred, wake up. Your father's been attacked. You and your siblings will be going to St. Mungo's by portkey,” she instructed. George's adrenaline rushed through him and he and Fred shared a frantic look. They grabbed their robes and hurried with McGonagall towards Gryffindor commonrrom where Ginny was waiting anxiously.

“What about Claire? She's just as much his child as we are,” Fred said as they headed down the stairs out of the boy's dormitory.

“I took the liberty of having Professor Flitwick alert Miss Diggory. She will be joining you in the Headmaster's office,” McGonagall said.

“Thank goodness,” Ginny sighed and the four of them hurried along the corridors. Fred and George shared a worried look as they entered the extravagant office. George noticed Harry and Ginny share a small look and as much as George wanted to smirk, he was preoccupied with worrying about his dad and looking for Claire's face. He found it sat in a large armchair across the room. She and Ron were already in the office and appeared to be listening to Dumbledore, who appeared to have just been speaking to them. George didn't think he'll ever get used to how Claire looked after just sleeping. He remembered the first night she spent at the Burrow and how soft she looked under the covers in the bed next to his. He probably spent a solid five minutes just looking at her before he pulled himself away to get ready. It was a stark contrast to the last time he had seen her wake up after she had been frozen nearly to death. Even after waking up, she had looked exhausted. Today she looked worried, but still held a slight tender restfulness about her that made his stomach flip.

“Good, you're all here. This way,” Dumbledore said. He ushered them all to gather around an old and tattered top hat. George stood next to Claire, whose eyes still appeared puffy from sleep and she wore George's old quidditch sweatshirt that he had allowed her to keep. He smiled to himself and they all took a hand on the portkey. After a bit of dizzying travel, they landed in front of St. Mungo's hospital. They were greeted by a nurse with her hair pulled up in a tight and neat bun.

“You must be the Weasleys. Your mother is already inside. Follow me,” she said in a sweet but stern voice. They followed her into the building and up several floors, then turned toward one that said “Intensive Care” and George's stomach dropped. His dad must have been hurt badly to need intensive care... He felt Claire's hand grip his and he looked to her as they walked. She offered a reassuring smile and he was grateful for the contact.

“My babies,” George's mum gushed as they all entered the empty waiting room. She gave each of them a hug and kiss on the cheek.

“How's dad?” Fred asked.

She shrugged with a teary expression. “No news yet, but he'll be glad you're all here.”

“What happened?” Claire asked. George slipped his hand back into hers, which she accepted and gripped onto him gently.

“A snake, they think...” Molly responded.

Ron looked slightly uncomfortable and spoke up once the nurse had left, “Harry had a dream... It was You-Know-Who's snake... Sounded brutal,” Ron said.

George's grip tightened on Claire and she stepped closer to him. The group fell silent and Molly nodded, then took a seat.

“Do you need anything, mum? Water, food?” Fred asked.

“I'm fine, dear... Good thing Harry thought to tell someone,” she said. George and Claire took a seat across from her with their hands still joined. Fred sat on the other side of Claire, who offered her hand to him and he took it with a small smile. George felt a twinge of jealously, but noted that Claire's holing of his hand was different than how she held Fred's. He felt a bit better when he noticed that Claire's fingers were locked with George's but not with Fred's. He thought the gesture more intimate with him, but still wanted to pull Fred's touch away.

It was probably close to an hour before they were allowed to see Arthur. They filed in one by one and saw him heavily bandaged and looking worse for wear. George's heart beat faster and he was grateful to Harry for alerting to possible danger. He was sure Harry may have felt silly being worried over a dream, but he was grateful.

“How are you feeling, dad?” Ginny asked with a soft voice. George, Claire and Fred stood off to the side with hands still joined.

“Much better now... the doctor said that there wasn't any venom, so that's good,” Arthur said.

“Just big teeth, then,” Fred mused. Arthur smiled and nodded at his son.

“I'm glad you're all here,” he said and smiled. “I'm alright, though. Don't want you guys away from Hogwarts for too long.”

George nodded and they each took turns giving Arthur a hug. He watched Claire give his dad a tender embrace and he saw Arthur whisper something to her. She nodded and all but Molly left the room. George felt the rest of the night go by in a blur. He was utterly exhausted the following morning and he noticed that Fred, Claire, Ron, Harry, and Ginny seemed to be equally as tired. This was only the beginning, though, and the danger of what they were going to have to face loomed above them all. George couldn't help but become even more protective of Claire after that. The threat of someone he loves being torn from him was mounting and he practiced hard in each DA meeting to do his best to prevent that from happening.

~*~

The next time George saw his father, it was Christmas Day. He, his siblings, Harry, Hermione, and Claire had all gathered at Grimmauld Place for the holiday along with the other Order members. Arthur looked better, but still horribly bruised and still had a few staples on various cuts. After dinner, George overheard a discussion Harry and Remus were having by the fireplace, about Snape's involvement in the Order. George tended to agree with Harry, but decided to not get involved, but instead give Claire her Christmas present. He wanted to give it to her when they were alone, just the two of them, because what he had chosen for her was extremely sentimental. He knew her year had been harder than most and it killed him to watch her face the picture of Cedric every day in the Room of Requirement's mirror. He hadn't even told Fred about his plan to give her such a heartfelt present, which was rare.

“Claire?” George said as he approached her. She was sat in a small alcove in the windowsill on the landing between the first and second floors. There was no one else in sight, and George seized the opportunity.

Claire looked up from her book and smiled. “Hi, George.”

“Mind if I join you?” he asked. Claire smiled and shook her head, then beckoned him to sit next to her. The sill was spacious enough for both of them, so he sat down next to her and pulled out a small red wrapped box.

“What might that be?” she asked him.

George's cheeks heated up. “It's a present. Your present. From me.”

Claire looked at him in awe and slight shock. “You already got me something, Georgie...” she said gesturing to the book she was reading.

George nodded, but handed the package to her anyway. “I know, I know... That was from both me and Fred... This one's from just me, though.”

“You didn't have to do that, George. That's so sweet,” she said and began to unwrap the paper.

“Nonsense. I wanted to, dove,” he said in a soft voice. Inside the wrapping was a small box and George's heart quickened as she got closer to revealing what he had gotten for her. She flipped open the box and her mouth dropped open. She looked up at George in shock.

“George, this is... this is too much,” she said and shook her head. George smiled knowing that she would say that. He shook his head.

“Open it,” he said. She looked at him quizzically and then pulled out the small heart-shaped silver pendant. The design was simple and delicate with a small diamond in the center, and the locket opened up to reveal a picture of the two of them. It was a picture Fred had insisted on taking during their picnic over the summer, and George was glad he did.

Claire's eyes welled up at seeing the two of them laugh up at the camera inside the locket. She looked up at George as she held it in her hands. George gestured for her to hand him the locket and she gingerly passed it to him. She turned her back to him and pulled her hair to the side to allow him to see better, then he gently placed the necklace around her neck and clasped it in the back. Once he rested it back against her skin, she turned to him with a grateful expression. Their faces were much closer now, and neither of them made a move away.

“Do you like it?” he asked lowly.

“I'll never take it off... I feel bad, I don't have anything to give you...” she said.

George chuckled and shook his head. “You give me everything.”

Claire's face softened and dropped in slight shock when she realized what George possibly meant when he said that. George's cheeks turned pink and hot. His heart was pounding with their unspoken words and they got closer, both feeling the undeniable pull toward each other. George gently placed a hand on her cheek and smoothed the skin with his thumb. His gaze flicked between her eyes and her lips that he desperately wanted to feel on his. He felt Claire start to lean in slowly and he copied her speed not wanting to push too much. He could feel his heart beating in his ears as his eyes fluttered shut and his lips landed on Claire's gently. George's heart soared and he felt like fireworks had been set aflame in his chest. George's hand reached up and he held her cheek gingerly as their lips moved together. Her lips molded against his perfectly and in that action George knew that they were made for each other. Their kiss was short and left George wanting more, but he hadn't expressed his feelings for her precisely so he couldn't be sure she felt the same. After all, she had kissed Fred before. Claire's face looked flustered and she looked like she was maybe about to apologize, but George never wanted her to apologize for kissing him.

“There you two are! Dessert is just about ready, and Mum's got crackers for all of us!” Ron said from the bottom of the stairs just as George was going to tell Claire exactly how he felt without the need for her to infer: an action he had been craving for an excessively long time. George let out a short breath of mild irritation.

“You absolute moron,” Fred scolded their younger brother from behind him as the pair of them walked toward the kitchen. Claire laughed nervously and pulled away from George while tucking a stubborn piece of hair behind her ear. George mimicked her laughter and internally cursed Ron for ruining their moment. After trying a few more times to move the strand of hair, George reached his hand out and moved it for her gently.

Claire looked at him and smiled. “Thank you.”

George smiled and then heard the crack of the toys and cheers from the kitchen. He licked his lips and smiled at her apologetically.

“We should head in,” Claire said and started to get up.

“Yeah... yeah, we should,” George said and stood up with her.

~*~

“Fantastic, Ginny!” Harry applauded as the room erupted in various enchantments. Ginny had made a full-bodied patronus in the shape of a horse. It pranced around her protectively. Claire watched in awe and then thought of the happiest memory she could think of. She remembered going to a muggle theme park in her youth and did exactly as Harry instructed.

“Expecto patronum!” Claire said and out from her wand flew silver ribbons, but no patronus.

“The happiest memory you can think of. It has to be the happiest because just happy won't be enough,” Harry instructed. “You can even make it up, if it evokes a strong enough feeling, it will work.”

Claire nodded and she took a deep breath. She glanced across the way to see Fred and George grinning happily with their identical bird patronuses. Claire became acutely aware of the metal locket that had been around her neck since Christmas. She thought about that day and how she and George had kissed and didn't let any doubts stop her. She remembered how she felt opening the locket and seeing the image of her and George smiling and laughing with his arm around her, and the feeling of his lips on hers. They hadn't spoken of the kiss since it happened, and it almost felt like a dream, but she didn't care. Even if George meant the kiss in a totally platonic way, it was a memory that Claire cherished.

“Expecto patronum,” she said. In almost an instant, a silver dolphin shot out of her wand and swam around her in happiness. She smiled at it and it danced in the air above her.

“Incredible, Claire!” she heard George say as he approached her. The dolphin dissipated and George lifted her up around her waist and spun her slightly.

Claire laughed and hugged him back, “George, put me down!”

Their laughter was broken by a loud thumping from the entrance to the Room of Requirement. The room fell silent and the patronuses disappeared. Another thump and the room shook. Nigel, a small Gryffindor, went to investigate. Harry quickly pulled him away, and then the wall exploded inward. The group scattered across the room and Claire felt George pull her to the wall and cover her with his body. Once the dust settled, in marched Umbridge followed by a few Slytherins wearing Inquisitor Squad badges.

“You could have killed someone, are you joking?!” Claire yelled at the teacher, whose face was almost as pink as her blouse.

“Detention! All of you! Tomorrow evening from five to seven in the Great Hall! Potter, I knew you were behind this, come with me now!” she shrieked through the room.

The room emptied quickly and Claire, Fred, and George all headed toward the corridors leading to Ravenclaw and Gryffindor tower. Claire was enraged. She wanted to hex Umbridge with any number of spells that she'd learned and kick her a fw times for good measure.

“It's just detention, Claire. Fred and I have had it loads of times, it's no big deal,” George said in a calming manner. Claire sensed that he could feel her rage welling up.

“It's not just detention, George! She's ruining the school! She and her bureaucratic bimbos at the ministry have to stick their noses in everything and deny the truth! It's infuriating! They aren't helping, they're actively hurting people this way and they're too proud to admit it! Cedric died for NOTHING! And the worst part is that dad doesn't even care about me. Every letter is all about how honorable and fantastic Cedric was an how much he misses him,” Claire screamed at him, then sunk to her knees in tears. “He didn't even notice I wasn't there for Christmas.”

“Oh, Claire...” George said in a small voice.

She couldn't remember a time when she'd felt so helpless, and it had been a long time since she'd had a good cry. Fred and George sat down with her on either side and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She leaned into one of them and felt the other move with her. She looked up and saw George's kind eyes and concerned expression and his arms were holding her close.

“He didn't die for nothing, love. Harry's alive, and the Order's eventually going to put their faith in him. He'll be avenged, my dear. I know it hurts now, but... It'll be okay,” he said.

“Yeah, and in the meantime we're here. And we care about you a great deal. Hell, you're practically the Weasley triplet! I know this past year's been so hard on you, but don't ever think that Cedric's death was inconsequential or that you aren't loved,” Fred added. After a moment, Claire's tears stopped and she nodded.

“Thanks, guys,” she said. She felt them both give her a kiss on each cheek briefly, but her focus was on George's lips and the tingling sensation his kiss had left.

~*~

The following day, Fred, George, Claire, and the rest of Dumbledore's Army met in the Great Hall at exactly five o'clock. Word had gotten out that Umbridge would be taking over the school as of today because Dumbledore was being investigated. George feared the worst for the school now that she was going to be in charge of it.

“You will all write lines. Exactly what is on the board. 'I shall not disobey.' Begin,” Umbridge instructed in a disgustingly chipper voice. George picked up the provided quill and rolled his eyes as he began writing. It wasn't until he was about four lines in that his hand started to sting. He looked to see what was causing the pain and his eyes went wide. There, in his own handwriting, were the words 'I shall not disobey' carved into his skin. He looked over to Claire and saw her rub her hand in pain and George filled with anger. He was going to get Umbridge for this. Thoughts ranged from puking pastilles to stabbings as the two hours wore on. By the end of it, he figured out an incredible plan. Not only would he be getting back at her, he would be leaving Hogwarts. He and Fred were ready to start their business in Diagon Alley, so there wasn't anything keeping them there. His hand was nearly numb at the end of the two hours. The students stood up and not a word was said amongst them as they exited the Hall. George waited for Fred and they walked out together and met Claire outside the hall, who looked like she was about to burst.

“Let me see, darling,” George asked and Claire held out her bloodied hand to him. George inspected it and his heart swelled. “Come on, let's clean us all up.”

They all went into the abandoned bathroom that Myrtle haunted and washed their hands. The three of them were just about the only ones that used the bathroom, and George briefly wondered how Myrtle would feel about having the bathroom entirely to herself again.

“I've got a plan,” George said with a smile.

“A plan?” Claire asked as she dried her hand and held pressure on the wound that wouldn't stop bleeding.

Fred looked at his brother. “For what?”

“We're getting out of here, and we're getting revenge at the same time,” George said. “Think about it: we're all done here. Nothing is keeping us. Fred, we've already got the shop picked out, we just have to set it up. And Claire, your magical creature knowledge will be a huge asset for the puffs. Come on, think about it,” George pleaded. Claire and Fred shared a look, then looked back at George.

“Well, I'm in,” Fred said.

“I never thought about what I'd do after Hogwarts. May as well jump in with you two,” Claire joked and George was overjoyed.

~*~

“You're staying here, I'm not having it,” George said to Claire.

“No, I'm going and you can deal,” she argued back.

“I need you here, okay?” he said.

“Why? What good am I here?” Claire protested. They've had this conversation before, but tonight was the real deal. They were moving Harry tonight and George agreed to take polyjuice potion and impersonate Harry for the flight from the Dursley's house to the Burrow. Claire wanted to go as well to help the team out, but George would absolutely not let her. It was too dangerous and he couldn't risk losing her.

“You're SAFE here, that's what matters,” George said and gripped her shoulders and peered into her eyes. He looked into her eyes and saw unwavering determination. “I need you safe, okay? I can't keep you safe when you're flying in the sky.”

Claire looked at him and they made eye contact for a long moment. George's frantic expression and desperate tone in his voice were accented by his hand softly resting on the side of Claire's face with his thumb resting on her jaw.

“George, I'm going. I need you safe, too,” Claire decided. George shook his head in frustration.

“PLEASE stay here... For my sanity, please,” George begged.

“My own sanity is at stake if I don't go with you. I can help,” she said and followed George downstairs where the rest of the moving party was.  

“George, let's go,” Bill's voice said. “You'll both be fine, and we could use the extra hands.”

Claire smirked, satisfied with her victory and George looked downright angry with his brother.  They mounted their brooms and sped off. Just as George was about to turn away, she gently held his face and planted a deep kiss to his cheek, just beside the corner of his lips. George looked back at her with a dazed expression that still held a bit of frustration, but he ceded and mounted his broom with Lupin nonetheless.

The sky battle was chaos. Curses, counters, jinxes, and stuns were flying everywhere. Claire did her best to stay above the group to fend off attackers from above, but she was soon forced into the thick of it. She lost count of how many flashes of green and red she dodged, and made sure that she defended herself. She sent a few Death Eaters plummeting from the sky, but didn't have time to deal with her emotional repercussions; it was a battle after all.

“Apparate!” she heard Lupin scream. The Death Eaters' actions became erratic and without another word, she apparated back to the Burrow. She appeared to have been the first to arrive and rushed inside to make sure.

“Ginny!” she said as she entered and saw the younger girl sitting on the long and expansive couch they had.

She smiled when she saw Claire and ran to hug her. Claire was surprised, but hugged her back.  

A few minutes later, a loud crash and splash was heard from outside. Ginny sprinted to the door and flung it open. Claire followed closely behind her as they raced out the door to see who had arrived.

“Harry!” Ginny said with a sigh of relief. She and Harry met partway to the Burrow's door and shared a few words that Claire didn't hear. She was searching the skies for any sign of Fred and George. She let Hagrid and Molly pass her and head into the house when a loud pop was heard from a few feet away from Harry and Ginny.

Lupin had just arrived and he was helping someone to walk. As the polyjuice potion wore off and they grew closer, Claire saw George's nearly unconscious face with blood dripping from the left side of his head. Her adrenaline kicked in and she made way for George to be placed on the couch Ginny had been occupying. She ran to the bathroom and grabbed any sort of bandage material she could then rushed back out to see George sprawled out on the couch. His legs dangled limply on the cushions with one partly off and touching the floor. His left side was up and his ear appeared to be hemorrhaging blood. Claire did her best to quiet the panic that was growing in her and rushed to his side next to Fred.

“Saint-like... I'm holy. Get it, Fred?” George said weakly.

“Of all the ear-related humor in the world and you go with 'I'm holy'... Pathetic,” Fred joked.

“Reckon I'm still better looking than you,” George teased. Claire knelt down next to Fred, who looked happy to see her, and started cleaning George's ear.

“Claire...” George said breathlessly. He gently placed a hand on her cheek as she cleaned the fresh and dried blood from his ear with a relieved smile. Once she was sure the ear had stopped bleeding actively, she cleaned the dried and darkened blood from his hand gently.

“Mad-Eye's dead,” Bill said as he entered the room. George's face fell and Claire bit back tears and focused on George's bandages. She wasn't sure when or how it had happened, but suddenly she was the only one in the room with George as she bandaged his ear. She noticed his expression become sadder the longer she worked.

“You okay?” she asked him warily.

He looked at her with an unreadable expression. “I'm alive.”

Claire let out a breath and nodded, then finished his bandage in silence. She could feel his eyes on her, but she couldn't meet them or she'd start to cry. She removed her hands from his face, and George examined her features with furrowed brows and his gaze landed on a spot above her eyes. He lifted his hand and gently touched the spot his eyes had found. Claire winced when she felt a sharp stinging and burning sensation. George immediately withdrew his hand and shook his head.

“I knew you shouldn't have come. Why didn't you stay here?!” he said appearing to be enraged.

“Do you know how many spells I deflected up there so that Ron and Hermione wouldn't be hit by them?! That's why,” Claire shot back. “Why are you so angry?”

“I'm not angry, I'm frustrated,” George grumbled. “I lost an ear tonight, and Moody, the finest auror of the age, died. Do you know how easily that could have been you?!”

“Of course I do! I'm lucky it wasn't and I'm glad you only lost an ear rather than your life,” Claire responded with tears in her eyes and finally met his. “You didn't answer me, though: why are you frustrated?”

“Because you didn't stay safe! Because I couldn't keep you from coming on this venture, which doesn't bode well for the next one and I need you to stay safe. It's maddening how worried I was for you up there, Claire!” George said.

“Why does that matter?! You went!” Claire retorted and gestured to him briefly.

“Because I'm in love with you! I know you don't feel that way about me, but that's why I need you safe and out of harm's way, okay?! I'm ridiculously and hopelessly in love with you!” George confessed as he advanced toward her and gripped her shoulders with their eyes locked together.

Claire was silent for a moment as she took in George's confession. George's face looked on the verge of tears and he went to walk out of the room. Claire quickly reached out and gripped his hand to keep him from leaving and he looked down at her with a pained expression.

“You're everything to me,” she whispered. George's eyes met hers and the distance between them was quickly closed when Claire leaned up and kissed him feverishly. She felt this kiss much different from the last that they'd shared in that their lips were completely merged together as George's hand snaked around her waist. His other hand landed on her jaw, then moved to cup the back of her head and he pressed further into her. Claire felt slightly dizzy, so she broke away from George's mouth to catch her breath. He remained close to her and their foreheads rested against each other.

“We never did talk about that last time,” George said with a grin.

“I suppose we probably should now that it's happened twice,” Claire suggested.

“It's simple: I love you. I did then, and I do now,” George said after a deep breath.

Claire's heart jumped and she smiled with red hot cheeks. She could barely speak, but managed to whisper out, “I love you.”

George's jaw clenched and unclenched, then his face softened into a smile. He leaned in once more and their lips melted together gently but purposefully. Claire pressed herself against George and he pulled her close so there was nearly no space between them. Claire's heart swelled in her chest and she let go of any inhibition about her feelings for George. All this time, he had felt the same for her and her biggest fear was that he didn't. George's lips parted slightly and Claire felt the wetness of his tongue graze her lips to beg for more. She obliged and as their kiss deepened, George's grip on her became impossibly close and strong.

“Will you have me? Tonight, and always?” he asked in a breathless whisper when they finally broke their lips apart. “I have to know before we...”

“Yes,” was all Claire could say. She felt like she was flying in the best way possible as they let their passions act for them. She had only seen George shirtless a few times, mostly in the summer when they went swimming and once when he had just woken up and they crossed paths in the hallway at Grimmauld Place, but Claire's stomach knotted and she felt herself biting her lip and burning to touch his bare chest. He smiled and placed her hand over his chest and she felt his quick and strong heartbeat.

George made quick work of undressing them both, but still took the time to admire Claire. She felt vulnerable under his gaze, but once his lips were on her, the anxiety was replaced with security and bliss. He kissed all down her chest, and left a few red and purple spots on her stomach and breasts. His hands moved over her skin with grace and tenderness as though if he squeezed too hard she'd shatter below him. Claire's lips found his once again and she went to gently press him down against the couch, but George switched their position and her back was against the cushions.

“George, you're hurt...” Claire protested. George shook his head.

“I don't care,” he said and kissed her neck and nipped at her earlobe playfully. Claire uncontrollably let out a small whine and gripped onto George with her nails in his back.

“Oh...” he moaned from his throat and gently sunk his teeth into her shoulder. A shock went through Claire and she repeated her action. George let out a sound Claire had only heard from animals and he looked at her with a mischievous smile and a dark look in his eye with lust-blown pupils.

“My love, you're heading down a dangerous path,” he warned and leaned down to smirk against her ear. Claire smiled and shrugged.

“Maybe I want to,” she said into his. She felt him smile against her and he spread her legs and seated himself between them. Claire bit her lip and George slid himself into her after a nod from both of them.  Claire felt him stretch her out and her head fell back in pleasure.

“George,” she gasped with a dry throat. She felt him completely sheath himself within her and he let out short pants as they settled for a moment.

“Fuck,” George swore under his breath and began to pulse himself in and out of her. Claire's hands found George's neck and she pulled him down to meet her mouth with his. Their kiss was rough and passionate and Claire met his thrusts with her own. Her fingers snaked along his neck and knotted in his short hair. Instinctively, she gripped hard and tugged. George's reaction was one she hadn't expected. He moaned out into her mouth and copied her actions and grabbed a fistful of Claire's hair. With a sharp tug, Claire's neck was exposed to him completely and her back was arched, which sent her body mostly limp with pleasure. She moaned out and she could feel George smirk against the skin of her chest.

“I tried to warn you, darling,” he said. Claire couldn't speak as George's tongue laved over the skin of her breasts, then down her stomach. He slipped out of her, which caused Claire to whine in protest, but his lips then found their spot between her legs. Claire looked down at him and did her best to keep her thigh from hitting his fresh wound. George hungrily dove into her and Claire could feel herself starting to come undone. His tongue danced over her clitoris expertly as if this were the thousandth time he'd done this on her.

“George, please don't stop,” Claire begged. George continued and soon Claire's vision went blurry and her release took over her. She shook and moaned his name as if her life depended on it. George's lips left her for a moment and was replaced with vigorous thrusting in and out of her. He leaned his chest against hers and kissed her. She could taste herself on him for a moment, but his lips then moved to whisper praises and calls of her name. Suddenly, he pulled out of her and his seed spilled into his shirt that he had grabbed.

George helped Claire get dressed and they walked hand-in-hand up to Fred and George's room in the Burrow. They hadn't stayed there since Christmas with all three of them sharing a flat above the shop, but it was nice to spend time in a familiar setting. Claire noticed Fred fast asleep in his bed and while all three mattresses were nearly touching, George must not have thought Claire's bed was close enough. In a swift move, he pushed his mattress into hers and pulled her down to cuddle with him. George laid on his back and Claire put her head on his chest and the blankets wrapped around them snugly.

“I love you,” George told Claire as she let her eyes flutter closed against him.

She hummed in response and pulled herself closer to him before falling asleep.

~*~

George woke up the following morning and found his arms and legs tangled around Claire's sleeping form. His heart jumped and his skin tingled at the memory of the sex they'd had last night. They didn't define their relationship last night, but George figured he could do that t a later time. They were in the throes of their passion last night and George held the memory safe in a mental treasure chest.

“How are you feeling?” Fred asked. He was already standing and half-naked, getting ready for the day.

“I'm excellent,” George said and smiled down at Claire.

“Did you two have fun last night?” Fred asked suggestively and winked. George's face got hot and he kissed Claire's head.

“That is private,” George responded. Fred scoffed.

“About time,” Fred said. “Better start planning your wedding soon.”

George carefully got up and rolled his eyes. As he stood up, he noticed the bloody bandage on the side of his head had shifted in the night and now laid on the pillow he used. Fred grimaced at the wound.

“Ouch...” Fred commented. “Does it hurt?”

George shrugged. “A little... I'll bandage it. Anyone else up yet?”

“Mum, but I think she's been too focused on breakfast to wake anyone else up,” Fred said and buttoned his vest.

“I'm awake,” Claire said from behind George. His heart skipped a beat and he turned to see her sitting up slowly. He smiled and walked over to her side.

“Good morning, my love. Did you sleep well?” George asked.

“Yeah, really well,” she said and rubbed her eyes.

“Big surprise,” Fred muttered, and George threw a pillow at him.

Before long, George found himself dressed for the wedding with Claire bandaging his ear once more in the bathroom. They were mostly silent until George found the courage to ask her the question that had been burning inside him all morning.

“Do you regret it?” he asked her once she had finished.

Claire raised a brow at him. “The bandage?”

“No.. no... last night. With me,” George clarified with a blush.

Claire's cheeks turned pink. “Um... no.. not at all. Do you...?”

“Not in the slightest. In fact, I wouldn't mind if we did that more regularly,” George said and cupped her hands in his. “Exclusively...”

Claire held his hands softly and smiled up at him. George's eyes met her and he felt like he could fly without a broom when she nodded her head. He felt like kissing her. He often felt like kissing her, but restrained himself, but now he didn't. He cupped her cheek and kissed her lips gently. He was thrilled to bits to be hers and to know that she's his.

“Ahem,” he heard a familiar throat clear. They broke away and saw Ron standing in the hallway. George's face got hot and he could see a small blush on Claire's cheeks. They exited the bathroom and before George had a moment to think, he was thrust into various tasks to help get the wedding and reception area ready for guests to arrive. He snuck glances and longing gazes and Claire all day, but it wasn't until the first dance of the evening that he could get alone time with her.

“May I have this dance?” he asked her with an outstretched hand. Claire smiled and took the floor with him. He smoothed his hand around her waist and then intertwined their fingers and held their hands to his chest. He wanted her close to him, as close as she'd let him get.

“Hm, reminds me of the Yule Ball,” Claire said after a few moments of swaying to the slow music.

George chuckled. “I suppose I should have asked you to that one.”

“I would have said yes,” Claire said. George tried not to think too hard about how foolish he had been and all the time they could have had together. Instead, he remembered that she had agreed to be his and only his and smiled.

“I love you,” he told her.

“I love you,” Claire echoed.

George smiled and leaned down, then planted his lips on hers in a sweet and passionate kiss.

#george weasley x oc

[suntumarchive]

A commission for @belly-flu ! Thank you so much~!

Fandom/s: Hercules Character/s: Phil (Whumpee), Hercules (Caretaker) Kink/s: Upset stomach, vertigo, sneezing, burping, emeto

Plot: During their daily training, Hercules notices that Phil is acting odd... it’s pretty obvious that he’s not doing well, and yet, he tries too hard to hide it. But it affects the quality of his lesson...

___

"A bit higher! You won’t make it like this!", Phil demanded. His voice had this natural, harsh undertone to it that could make a person instantly feel subordinate – perfectly fitting for his authoritarian personality, in Hercules’ opinion. He respected him quite a lot, and tried to follow his orders as best as he could, despite his occasional clumsiness. Other people probably wouldn't take Phil half as seriously, due to his tiny size and strangely cute appearance, but that’s a thought the young man barely allowed himself to have.

"Like this?", Hercules asked, and raised his bow and arrow a few centimeters. As he got ready to shoot, his eyes focused on the target; A bright red apple, high up in a tree. He was merely waiting for Phil's cue. But a few seconds passed, and there was still no response…

"… Like this??", he repeated a little louder.

"... Oh! Yes, yes...", Phil finally replied and cleared his throat. For some reason, he sounded kind of… hoarse.

Shoot! The arrow went flying, and... missed the apple by far. It didn’t even get close. Oops. This arrow will probably not be found again anytime soon...

Disappointed and confused, Hercules straightened his back and looked over to Phil with a frown. Had he even been watching him? He just stood there, quietly, with his eyes closed and propped up against a tree trunk. Soft sighs and grunts came out of his mouth, and Hercules could have sworn he saw sweat glistening on his forehead. The demigod didn't really know what to do or say, but it was obvious to him that something must be wrong with him. Phil simply didn't look well at all.

"Are you... uhm.. alright?", he asked, sounding concerned as he walked up closer to Phil.

"Uh, what…?", Phil seemed startled for a second, and quickly tried to regain his composure.

"… Well done! You get better with every time you try!", he frantically looked back and forth, as if he’d passed out a few seconds and didn't know what date or time it was. Now Hercules frowned again, rubbing the back of his head a bit awkwardly.

"You seem a bit… weak today", he dared to comment.

"Weak? Me!?", Phil’s eyes flared up, their usual intensity coming back for a moment.

"I'm fine! I’ve never felt better in my-", before he could even finish his sentence, he suddenly began to squint. The itch from his sore throat had begun to wander upwards, into his nose, and he grimaced as he inhaled forcefully. The sensation was all too familiar-

HERRKCHOO!!

An intense sneeze exploded out of him - and was quickly followed by a second one. Even though they both sounded dangerously wet, nothing seemed to come down… In fact, his sinuses seemed to be even more clogged than before, making breathing awfully difficult.

"Bless you, um… Do you need to sit down?", Hercules asked, noticeably worried, which only caused Phil to blush from how awkward he felt.

"No! We have to continue with your training! Don't you get lazy now!", he was quick to reply, and cleared his throat once again in an attempt to pull himself together. Fine, if he said so… Hercules went back in his position, but there was still that expression of concern on his face. Phil stood up straight and tried his best to act as if everything were alright, but with every passing second, he looked sicker and sicker to the young man...

It was getting increasingly harder for the Satyr to keep control over his body, let alone concentrate on his surroundings. He almost seemed like a newborn foal, stumbling around as if none of his four legs wanted to carry him any longer. And yet, he attempted to force himself to carry on regardless, since he'd feel way too embarrassed to admit how much he was struggling. He was the authority figure here after all, the teacher with a task of high importance, and being seen as 'weak', as Hercules had called it before… that hurt his ego.

"Alright", Hercules gave in, even though he raised an eyebrow at his stumbling.

"Can you show me how to aim it the right way?"

"What do you mean…”, there was an intense ringing in Phil’s head… it suddenly felt like he was being lifted off the ground…

"Uh… the bow? The arrow?", Hercules tilted his head.

"Ohhh, right…! Of course, you mean the arrow!", Phil nervously laughed it off.

"Of course, I know what you're talking about!"

What unusual behavior for him… He swallowed down the wave of nausea that had begun to build in his middle. The embarrassment was written all over his face, but poor Phil tried to hide it with a strict expression.

"Give them to me! I’ll show you how it’s done!", he demanded and pulled the bow and remaining two arrows out of Hercules' hands. The goat man got into the right position, despite his shaky legs, and took another deep breath to try and keep his body from crumbling.

"I'll show you one last time. Now watch carefully!", Phil drew the bow violently, almost threatening to snatch the arrow in half. His anger was honestly directed towards himself, or rather his own state… when he wasn’t acting strangely, he came across as especially rude. Hercules couldn't help but feel flabbergasted due to Phils odd behavior. Just how was he supposed to react?

"Look, you hold it in this angle. Never too low. You have to stretch it far enough. Alright?"

Hercules nodded quickly, but all he could focus on was how much his hands were trembling.

"Good! All you need to do now is to let go and don't move a muscle!!", however, he did not shoot the arrow, instead he handed the bow back to Hercules.

"Try again", Phil prompted, and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He started to feel nauseous all over again... Probably because he’d moved too quickly, and because the world around him began to spin. For a short moment, he held his breath in order to prevent the nausea from building any further, but sadly it didn’t seem to help. Right as the demigod was about to shoot, a loud, painful sounding gurgle erupted from Phil’s chubby belly, making him gasp audibly… Especially as an airy belch forced its way up his throat, Hercules’ attention was on him again. No… he simply couldn’t focus on his training when he knew that Phil was so sick.

“Maybe we should-“

“No…! Mrrp… Stop-”, Phil’s voice broke without him realizing it… his hind legs suddenly gave in, and he sank down, plopping onto the ground. White and purple dots were dancing in front of his eyes, and he began to whimper as his stomach seemingly moved in circles inside him… at least that’s what it felt like…

“Phil-“, Hercules widened his eyes in shock, and he bent down to reach for his arm.

“Don’t touch me!!”, the Satyr hissed, roughly slapping his hand away, but in all honesty, he feared he could throw up all over him… that would be awful. That would be the only way for this situation to get any more humiliating than it already was. The confused demigod could only stand there and watch as Phil pressed his eyes shut, trying so hard to somehow calm his agitated insides, and stop his head from spinning…

As much as Phil had hoped for the pain and dizziness to slowly fade away, instead, more and more sour tasting saliva began to pool underneath his tongue. The fear of what was about to happen made him whimper again… and before he knew what was happening to him, it began with a wet belch, and suddenly, he expelled the contents of his stomach right in front of him. There went his breakfast… it didn’t taste half as delicious coming back up. Hercules stumbled backwards in shock, and simply watched… it was a horrifying and concerning sight to see his teacher throw up like this.

“Phil…!”, he gasped… No, this time he wouldn’t let him turn him away. The young man approached him, and slowly knelt down next to him so he could rub his back.

“Kid… get away from me…”, even  though the Satyr said that, he sounded like he wanted the opposite really… he couldn’t keep his façade up a second longer. Now it was all over anyway… What he’d wanted to avoid so badly had already happened. Hercules had seen him vomit. And worst of all, he was trying to comfort him, too…!

“Shh… hey, it’s alright…! I also get sick sometimes…”, Hercules smiled a bit shyly.

“Do you want to know what helps me a lot then?”

“What…”

The demigod gently reached over to Phil’s big belly… because he was such a tiny creature, his student could easily rub both his back and his middle at once. Surprised, Phil shifted a little, his small goat body quivering… His face was so red, he almost looked like a squished tomato.

“H-hey…”

Hercules hushed him softly… for now, it might be better if Phil simply didn’t speak at all. It was unusual to see him so… quiet. So stiff in Hercules’ embrace. The warmth of the man’s touch felt very nice to the creature, but it was also incredibly awkward and strange… even more so when it coaxed several small, wet belches out of him. He feared he could have to throw up again, but it seemed like there was simply nothing left inside… which was good, in a way. But admittedly, Phil was pretty upset about letting his breakfast go to waste. No matter how much he’d fought it, there was just no way he could keep his body going a second longer…

“… Sorry about that…”

“Please don’t apologize… You can’t control how you feel…”

Phil turned his head away… His nose was starting to itch again, and he felt a sneeze coming up. Why? Why did this have to happen? Why now? Why in front of Hercules? He was so frustrated… after another deafeningly loud sneeze that made his ears pop, he began to whine. It almost looked like tears shot into his eyes for a moment.

“Maybe you should lie down”, Hercules suggested, with a soft tone in his voice.

“It’s no use to push yourself even more…”

“And what about you?”, Phil mumbled. He was slurring his words, it was like his tongue didn’t want to listen to him anymore. A thick tear rolled down his cheek – no, he wasn’t crying! It’s from the itch in his nose.

“Who’s gonna teach you how to shoot that arrow?”

“I can practice alone”, Hercules insisted.

“The things you already taught me! Revision is good, isn’t it? And if I learn it on my own, it’ll stick better.”

“I suppose…”

Finally, Phil allowed Hercules to help him back onto his feet. Even though his knees were still shaky, he somehow managed to stand on his own again now. Admittedly, getting everything out of his system made him feel a little bit better, but still – far from well enough to continue teaching. The Satyr sniffled, trying to get some air into his nose… but his sinuses were still so clogged, all it did was make his throat and ears tickle. As much as it annoyed him, he had to continue breathing through his mouth, which only further agitated his sore throat.

“Come on, take it easy for today… I’ll get you to bed”, Hercules offered.

“NO. … No, thanks. I’m fine on my own.”

There was his pride again… Hercules was honestly pretty happy to see it, for once. That could only mean he’d be fine, right?

“If you’d like any tea or-“

“I’m sick, not a baby”, Phil hissed, and almost stumbled over his own feet. He hated that Hercules had to catch him again… His hooves felt like they were too big for his body somehow. Maybe still from the dizziness… he really had to get some sleep…

“… Thanks.”

The demigod chuckled softly as he watched him stagger off… well, hopefully he’d feel better by tomorrow. He already knew it would get pretty lonely without his nagging. Once again, Hercules took the bow and arrow – and shot. This time, he managed to hit the apple.

“Phil! I did it!”, he grinned proudly.

“Do you want the apple??”

“HURK” – well, that loud gagging noise was enough of a response for Hercules…

#writing #commis

[ice-cream-nekogirl]

Imagines with Taromaru (BNHA X Reader)

I couldn’t resist! This doesn’t even make sense I just had to write something with Taromaru! >.< 

Taromaru’s the cutest anime dog I’ve ever seen! So think of it as a bit of a cross-over? Sorta... anyhoo... I couldn’t resist lol this is also inspired by that Teen Titans episode “Can I Keep Him?” and also just think of if it as like 1-A having a tiny puppy instead of a wolf-dog and these are all headcanons with you, the reader, having the sweet little puppy as a pet and 1-A getting to share the experience whenever you bring him over!! 

And partially based off of my own puppy who has a bad habit of stealing... certain articles of clothing...

With this one! I will also make separate works with Taromaru as your pet~! 

Living in the dorms meant a few things, and one of those was ‘No pets’, obviously.

Except you weren’t always one to pay attention to the rules, but especially not when you found this little puppy just wandering about all by himself, looking so cute and happily barking at you. He was the cutest little Shiba Inu puppy that you had ever seen in your life. And he let you pet him as he gave a happy whine when you gave him little head scratches.

You didn’t see a collar on him or anything, so you decided to give him a name. Taromaru sounded like a good name.

How could you not take this precious little baby with you home? You couldn’t resist as you brought him to your house with you and he quickly became your new pet. Taromaru was so cute though that there were times where you just couldn’t resist and sometimes took him to the dorms, by sneaking him in of course whenever it was lunch and dinner time and took him out whenever he wanted to go outside. You quickly learned that Taromaru was a very smart little puppy as he seemed to quickly adapt to the surroundings of UA and understood that this is where you lived.

You were a lot more cheerful because of this sweet little guy, and your classmates all noticed the change in your demeanor, especially your closest friends Izuku, Shinsou, Uraraka, Todoroki and hell even Bakugo noticed how annoyingly happy you had been lately.

“Hee-hee I just got a really good feeling lately… it’s a new year, and sure some shit’s happened and it’s only the beginning of the new year but still! I have a good feel about it now!” You brushed it off to Izuku, Shinsou, Uraraka and Todoroki, and they didn’t entirely buy it but gave you the benefit of the doubt.

“Mm-hmm.” Shinsou clearly didn’t believe you, but for some reason didn’t wanna press on it.

“Okay, I suppose you have a point.” Izuku believed you a little bit more though as he gave you a smile and as you smiled back at him nervously, thinking that you had successfully lied about Taromaru. Why were you lying about him? Well it was more because of the fact that he at times was IN the dorms and now some of your friends were wondering why their shoes were found outside and then there was last week’s incident with the trash bag suddenly being found spilt in the kitchen.

Iida was furious and there was no way you could come clean about that, but you were acting weird lately and it didn’t go unnoticed by your friends even though you were trying so hard to keep this a secret.

He was your secret pet. Was it against the rules to bring an animal into the dorms? Absolutely. Iida was going to kill you with lectures if he ever found an animal in the dorms, but you couldn’t resist. And it was only sometimes, not all the time! Just on the days where he was being too cute for you to resist and on the days where he actually followed you to school…

One day was one of those days and you realized that he was barking at you as you entered your dorm-room. “Taromaru?! Shhh…! You were supposed to stay home boy… oh… they’re still suspicious about the last time you were here…” You quietly scolded the happy puppy, who was just loving the way you were petting him on the head.

“I can’t just leave you in my room… but I can’t let you run around either…” You whined a little bit as you thought outloud on what you could do for the puppy, and the only option you could do that would be the best possible thing since you knew the puppy would make some kind of mess if he was left inside a building all by himself. “If I let you run around outside… you’d come back right?”

Of course, you could trust the pup to actually listen because he did know to stay within the school grounds, but you weren’t sure just how MUCH you could trust him.

On top of that…

The second you and everyone arrived back to the dorms they were met with a HUGE mess… there was food all over the floor, spilled milk and orange juice, the trash can tipped over and the pillows from the couch were chewed up…

You turned white as all of your classmates took this horror in, “W-What in the world has happened to our dorms?!” Iida was the most horrified as several others also chimed in to express their shock and confusion.

“This looks like the aftermath of a bad party…”

“Looks more like a miniature tornado hit…”

“This tornado has teeth apparently.”

But then the wiser Jirou pointed that out as she picked up a pillow that had been chewed up with the felt and plush exposed and spilling out of the open seams that had been torn open with a sharp pair of jaws.

That made you increasingly nervous as you broke out into a sweat and tried to not say anything, “I-Is it a rat?!”

“Or a raccoon maybe?”

Others started to speculate that some kind of creature was probably lurking about though since some of the food was eaten.

“That’s likely. Given that this has happened before, so classmates please be on the lookout! We’ll have to seriously sanitize this entire building if that’s the case… ” Iida shuddered in disgust at the thought, but he started to think that there must have been some kind of creature, probably a raccoon, in their dorms and they would have to clean the place after they find it. And he put Kouda in charge since he could probably call the creature and urge it to leave so that way they wouldn’t have to savagely kill an animal.

This completely unnerved you though because you had a feeling that Taromaru was still in the building, and now everyone knew that SOMETHING was in here, and it was one thing when only one student was aware of having a small animal in the building with no one else knowing. But now the other twenty-one students knew there was probably a small animal in the building and now the chances of finding him were bigger.

“What’s up with you (Y/N)?”

While you were sweating bullets Shinsou seemed to catch onto how nervous you were, as if you knew something that the others didn’t, “W-What?! What are you talking about?!” You shouted, and suddenly felt more than one pair of eyes on you. Bakugo, Izuku, Uraraka and Todoroki all to be precise as they looked at you for an answer.

“You seem anxious…”

“Is everything okay?”

“You’re acting strangely lately.”

“So spill it already, stop fucking hiding.”

Izuku, Uraraka, Todoroki and Bakugo each asked you respectively, but you couldn’t just tell them straight-up because you knew one of them might tattle. Maybe not Uraraka though, her you could trust. Maybe even Todoroki too since he wasn’t one to follow ALL the rules, although considering his last interaction with a ‘mutt’ you weren’t certain how he’d react to a little puppy.

“Me?!” You pointed at yourself with a nervous grin, “Yeah! Everything’s fine! Why wouldn’t it be?!” Lying was something you weren’t as good at as you thought, now Shinsou and Bakugo were just leering at you for answers… until you screamed so suddenly to try and distract them.

“AHHHHHHH! I SAW A TAIL!! A TAIL!!” You quickly pointed forward so that way they could hopefully believe you as the five of them immediately whipped their heads around to see if there was something there. And with your telekinesis quirk you lifted yourself away from them fast to run around the corner.

“HEY! Where are you going?!”

You could hear Bakugo calling out for you the second you disappeared, he knew it! He knew you were hiding something! But you were going to deny, deny, deny, even if you got caught. Except you weren’t going to get caught, you weren’t!

“Does this belong to you (L/N)?”

You jumped, screamed and flinched when you heard a very calm voice, and saw that it was no one other than Shouji, carrying the tiny little puppy in a pair of his arms. Taromaru looked very comfortable and happy, like he trusted the large boy as he barked happily at you.

“Taromaru!” You didn’t mean to excitedly exclaim his name, because now that more or less was a way of saying ‘yes’, he belonged to you.

“I’m not sure if Iida’s going to like this.” Shouji was concerned and while he certainly liked seeing such a cute little dog he knew that the uptight class rep was NOT going to like this very much. “Okay, okay I know, I know you’re right… Taromaru trashed the place… he didn’t mean to, and I swear I didn’t take him with me! Today… he just… followed…” You nervously giggled as Taromaru jumped out of Shoji’s arms to make his way into yours, panting happily as you pet him.

“Guess he didn’t want to leave you.” He was oddly understanding, and it was clear he was going to keep your secret, for as long as you wanted to keep it that is. “Shouji you’re a life-saver, thanks for finding him, I honestly wasn’t sure if I was going to find him later on once I found out he followed me and-“

“(Y/N)! Where the hell are you?!”

Bakugo’s voice made you freeze and stop mid-way into your sentence as Taromaru whined upon hearing such loud volume, and quickly he jumped out of your arms to run off, “Taromaru don’t-!” You called out for the dog but he took off running fast. Man that little guy was fast…

Shouji wasn’t sure what to say once Bakugo showed up, so he had no choice but to hold his tongue as you tried to look innocent and crossed your arms, “What the hell was that?! Just running off on me like that!”

It wasn’t just him, Todoroki, Izuku, Uraraka and Shinsou had followed because they were concerned for you. And didn’t find that thing with that tail that you claimed to see, but were certain that you had to have seen it.

“We’ll need your help finding that thing you saw.” Todoroki wanted to be polite to you though since Bakugo was just screaming at you.

“And who the hell is Taromaru?!”

Oh fuck, Bakugo heard you say his name?

“Taromaru? What a cute name!” Uraraka couldn’t help but chirp though, even though she was wondering who that was, as was Izuku and Shinsou. They didn’t know anyone named ‘Taromaru’.

“Who’s Taromaru?” You kept your arms crossed and looked away and feigned innocence but all it did was piss Bakugo off. “I heard you! You said it!” He pointed at you angrily, but you kept denying it.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” You uttered as Bakugo practically screamed in annoyance, “DAMMIT (Y/N) STOP LYING TO ME!”

“AHHHHHH!” 

Another scream suddenly and thankfully interrupted as it urged you and your friends to rush forth to find a very scared Aoyama having jumped into a startled and struggling Mina’s arms. “I felt something brush up against my leg!” He practically cried as Mina grunted from how heavy he felt in her arms, “I couldn’t see it… he just suddenly jumped in my arms…!!” She exclaimed, being brought down to her knees because Aoyama was a bit too heavy for her…

“Dammit Aoyama…” She whined as they hit the ground and you tried not to snicker, “So it is a creature.” Todoroki believed you now when you said you saw something, but he, like everyone else, assumed it was a raccoon or even a rat. And Uraraka was starting to believe you too, but Bakugo, Shinsou and Izuku knew better than that.

“That’s right! I thought it was! I know what I saw!” You claimed, ignoring the small sigh coming from Shouji. He didn’t recommend deception but knew you didn’t want to give up your puppy so he didn’t say anything.

“Who’s Taromaru?” Bakugo asked you again, he wasn’t going to let you not answer his question as you swallowed, “A new friend…” So you answered him, and it wasn’t a complete lie so that came off a little bit easier but Bakugo was still skeptical.

“Oh yeah?” He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at you while Shinsou was also giving you a look while Izuku just looked worried for you.

“Hey! Look a puppy!” Kirishima suddenly exclaimed, and rather happily when he actually saw Taromaru come his way, especially when the little pup stopped to happily pant up at him. “Oh God! There’s a dog… it’s a dog, hey it’s a dog!” “Awww… look how little he is!” And Kaminari and Sero quickly noticed once they heard Kirishima say that there was a puppy here.

“Arf arf! Arf! Arf!”

“Awww he’s so cute!” Kirishima couldn’t help but fawn over how cute the tiny dog was, kneeling down to pet and scratch the little doggy’s ears as Taromaru happily whined and let himself be pet and scratched. “Aww… he is…” Sero and Kaminari couldn’t resist him either, Taromaru was being so cute that they had to pet him.

Oh no, you thought, hoping that your loud classmate didn’t catch Iida’s attention, although you were glad that at least it was Kirishima that Taromaru ran into. “Puppy…?” Izuku wasn’t sure he heard right, and hoping he didn’t. “Puppy?! Where?!” But Uraraka hoped so, and she quickly ran to where Kirishima was, with you following quick and an irritated Bakugo in tow while confused Shinsou, Izuku and Todoroki followed, as did an exasperated Shouji.

“Oh my goodness! It is a puppy!” And Uraraka promptly beamed when she saw the doggy being pet by Kirishima, “He’s adorable!” Yet the redhead and his friends didn’t seem to stop to think and wonder why was a dog in here and HOW did he get in here?

“HI!” Uraraka just cared about saying hi to the cute little thing as she gave him a sweet little pat on his head as he barked happily, earning a huge ‘AWWWWW!’ from her, Kirishima, Kaminari and Sero.

“What’s a dog doing here?” Finally, the sensible Todoroki pondered outloud when they saw the dog and that’s when he, Izuku, Shinsou and Bakugo began to think that THIS was the reason the dorms got trashed. However, then those four immediately turned to look at you and made you flinch and freeze in fear.

“W-Why are you guys looking at me like that…?” You asked them very nervously even though you crossed your arms to try and look innocent.

“Oh look! His collar says his name’s ‘Taromaru’!” You shut your eyes in frustration when Kirishima read the collar and gave away the puppy’s name which made Bakugo growl and glare at you. You lied… he knew you did but still!

“It’s nice to meet you Taromaru!” Uraraka happily greeted the excitable puppy who was loving all the attention he was getting from everyone, “A new friend huh?” Bakugo asked you in a very irritated tone as you sighed, “I was technically telling the truth… he IS a new friend… that came with me without any permission, I need to take him back home now-.” Rather than explaining yourself, you had to make your way over to get your little puppy before he runs off again…

“You’re not off the hook!” But Bakugo made sure to let you know because he was still pissed at you for lying to him. How could you not tell him you got a dog?! And on top of that you got a dog! A dog!

“Okay, okay! Just let me take care of it!” You exclaimed in mild annoyance, going over to Kirishima, Sero, Kaminari and Uraraka to retrieve the little dog. “So he’s yours (L/N)? He’s so cute…” Kirishima asked you, almost unable to really stop paying his attention on the happy puppy. “Hee-hee, yes he is… I just got him… he kinda stowed away though so… that’s why the place is a mess…”

“Ohhh little naughty guy… wait a minute, so YOU chewed up my shoes?! Aww man…” Kaminari thought it was cute until he realized that Taromaru had to have been the one who chewed up his shoes. “Hehe yeah and Iida’s, and Ojiro’s, and Bakugo’s, and Aoyama’s…” Sero then listed off several ruined shoes that apparently Taromaru had to have chewed up and ruined over the past week.

“HEY! You mean that little shit’s the reason why my favorite shoes are completely fucked?!” But Bakugo was furious when he found out that apparently Taromaru demolished his favorite shoes. “B-Be nice now Katsuki he didn’t mean it… he’s just being a puppy…” You had to defend your pup though especially when Taromaru started whining.

“Aww… well we have to make sure he leaves here without Iida seeing him, he’s going to lose if if-“ Uraraka wanted to help you get Taromaru out of here, but right at that moment is when Iida arrived to see all of his classmates huddled up for some reason.

“What’s going on here?!” He asked somewhat sternly, since they were supposed to be finding the intruder that trashed the dorms, but then he saw said intruder. “Ah! I-Is that a dog?!” Iida didn’t mean to freak out, but animals weren’t exactly his forte since for some reason they didn’t like him…?

“Woof! Woof! Woof!”

“I-Iida! Y-Yes he’s… please don’t be upset, h-he didn’t mean to-.” Izuku knew how much you loved Taromaru, he could see that you really adored the puppy and didn’t want you or him to get in trouble so he defended you and him. “Who does he belong to?” Iida kept his voice level even though frankly, he was furious.

You sighed heavily and raised your hand, “Before you get mad… I just wanted to say that I didn’t bring him here on purpose… today…” You mumbled that last part quietly, “You let him in here on purpose before?!” But based on what you were implying, Iida came to the conclusion that apparently you let him in here OTHER times deliberately, which explained some of the messes and trash littered all over the floor from last week…

So you had no choice but to explain that you didn’t MEAN to let him make a mess, and that it just happened because you let him wander about the school grounds, but that he somehow got in the dorms because Taromaru was VERY smart.

However, naturally you had to endure a lecture from both Iida AND Aizawa and now you had suspension along with a full day of cleaning the entire building top to bottom to make up for Taromaru’s damage. On the bright side, at least you had miraculously gotten permission from Aizawa to bring Taromaru over under the promise that you keep him under wraps and don’t let him make anymore mess. You were more than happy to take up that promise as Taromaru basically became the ‘mascot’ of 1-A.

Taromaru was a sweet dog, and he had a LOT of new love for his new friends, but especially if it was you, and Midoriya, Uraraka, Kirishima and Kouda. 

“A-Ah…! Taromaru! Don’t lick me!” He tended to lick Midoriya’s face in the morning to wake him up, even though the wet tongue felt kind of strange. Still Midoriya always smiled at him and pet him, because he took a fast liking to the puppy. He was sweet and cute, and Taromaru kind of reminded him of you because you always made him happy too...

“I can see why (Y/N) took you in…” Giggling a little bit, he found the puppy adorable and was honestly happy to have him as their class’s mascot.

Although he was a little bit difficult for some, particularly Todoroki who was hopelessly awkward with most people, and that included animals. Such a tiny little thing, Todoroki would sometimes just stare at the dog curiously, wondering and almost envying what an easy life he had. Didn’t have to worry about having a quirk, didn’t have to please anyone, all he had to do was sleep and eat, and get pet…

Then when the dog barked at him happily he wasn’t sure what to make of that, “Do you want something?” Like the dog was going to answer him, it was a dog. Yet Taromaru still barked at him, tail wagging as he ran a circle around the bewildered dual-haired boy.

“He wants you to pet him…” You chuckled in amusement at poor Todoroki’s cluelessness. The poor thing’s probably never had a pet though, so of course he didn’t know how to react or respond to a tiny animal. “I see…” Todoroki’s never had the chance to be around many animals, that was true, and obvious.

“Arf! Arf!”

So it felt kind of strange to kneel down for the first time, but you helped him by telling him to offer his hand out for the puppy to sniff. Taromaru sniffed the hand and happily started to lick at it vigorously, an action that made Todoroki visibly cringe as he instinctively retracted it as you snickered and laughed.

“Hey! He licked you! That means he likes you!” You chirped rather happily, which didn’t ease Todoroki’s confusion but when he saw that happy, dopey look on Taromaru, he felt strange. In a good way that It was his right hand that he used, but still. If that little puppy actually liked him enough to give him a lick, then that meant he had to have been good right?

And then the puppy jumped and even put his paws on his legs, which made him flinch a bit, but he still smiled at him, and decided that maybe this puppy wasn’t so bad.

He wasn’t the only one who thought so, almost the entire class quickly took a liking to Taromaru, and Taromaru liked them too. Kouda loved to play with him and talk to him, which made it easy to give him commands, and Satou and Shouji also really enjoyed the dog because Taromaru was very friendly to them both. Something that surprised Shouji because most animals found him too scary-looking, but not Taromaru. So it was nice to have a little puppy rest in his lap and wag his tail at him happily.

And the girls ADORED him and thought he was the cutest little thing ever, along with Kouda’s bunny of course. Yaoyorozu, Uraraka, Mina and Hagakure especially cooed over how sweet and cute little Taromaru was and always pet him whenever he was in the room.

“Arrroooo~!”

“He is just too cute (Y/N)! I love him!” Uraraka had the little puppy in her lap as he leaned up to lick her face, “Ah no!” She playfully squealed as Mina had to lean in to pet him, “He’s too cute! I’m so glad Mr. Aizawa let you let him have him on some days!”

“I know! I just adore him that I can’t help myself… thank goodness for that…” You smiled as it was Yaoyorozu’s turn to pet and love Taromaru. “Oh Shiba Inu are so cute, you’re so cute~.” She was babytalking him, and Taromaru instantly took a liking to her as he nuzzled into her, climbing up her chest so he could lick at her face. “Oh my!” And she giggled happily as Jirou, Tsuyu and the other girls found it absolutely endearing.

“Adorable…”

“Tell me about it…”

Tsuyu and Jirou both smiled as Uraraka, Hagakure and Mina all exclaimed “AWWWWWW!!” at Taromaru’s cuteness, but the guys…

“That dog is so lucky and he doesn’t even know it!! How can that be fair?! Why is he the one getting so close to the girls?! Just because he’s a small animal?! I wanna be the one tasting Yaoyorozu’s face and in her lap!” Mineta vented to Kaminari and Sero with tears in his eyes and a clenched fist, wishing it was HIM in Momo’s lap and licking her face with his hands on her chest while also being loved by the other girls… that should be him! Not some dog!

“Cuz he’s actually cute AND sweet you little creep…” Sero was a nice guy, but didn’t really put up with Mineta being disgusting like this. “Yeah but… I AM a little jealous of that pup…” Kaminari didn’t approve of Mineta being extra gross, but he WAS kind of jealous at how a small dog got so much attention from the girls.

That being said, not ALL the guys were crazy about Taromaru. Especially not Mineta, Bakugo or Iida. “Taromaru! Sit down and no licking!” He often scolded him at dinnertime whenever the dog crawled under the table and licked at everyone’s feet as Ojiro, Midoriya, Hagakure, Kirishima and Sero had jumped due to the dog licking at their legs. 

Taromaru always came out whining whenever he was scolding. Iida didn’t necessarily dislike the dog, but he didn’t have the best luck with animals and was a little uncomfortable around them. Taromaru was especially willful as he didn’t really obey him unless you were there. “No likcing Taromaru.” You had to make him stop as Iida slumped in slight defeat.

“I’m not sure having a hyperactive puppy in the dorms is a good idea (L/N)…” Iida had to vent his slight frustrations to you while you were holding Taromaru in your lap after dinner. You stuck your tongue at him while your puppy happily whined and wagged his tail.

You understood where Iida was coming from though, “He’s a bit of a troublemaker I know but don’t worry Iida, I got this… besides… he brings a little excitement don’t you think? Look at him.” You held up your puppy and waved his little paw at your class rep.

Iida HAD to admit, the puppy WAS quite endearing, but he just wished he was a little more of an obedient dog. “Will you be a good boy and start listening more Taromaru?” He leaned in to ask the puppy, and Taromaru barked happily in reply and then gave him an affectionate lick across the nose…

“GAHH!! Dog germs!!”

Ever the germaphobe Iida ran off in horror to find the nearest bathroom as a means to wash his face and get the ‘germs’ off of him as you laughed your ass off and held your confused puppy. “Hee-hee good boy Taromaru!” You had to praise him for that. As much as you adored Iida, seeing him get so flustered and rattled up especially over something like germs.

“Of all the animals it had to be a dog…?” Shinsou knew you were hiding something, but why did it have to be a dog? Now Shinsou didn’t really have anything against dogs, he was just more of a cat person. “I couldn’t resist his face when I saw it! I mean look at him!” You beamed as you showed him Taromaru in your lap as he seemed REALLY comfortable before perking up to look at Shinsou.

“ARF!” He happily barked at the brainwasher, who just gave him a look in return, because Taromaru WAS really cute, but Shinsou was a devoted cat person, and would never admit it because he thought cats were cuter, “Your puppy dog eyes won’t work on me...” Shinsou spoke to the dog as if he was going to get a response, and to his shock, Taromaru jumped out of your lap so he could lick at a disgusted Shinsou’s face.

“Gah! He’s got… dog breath…!” He exclaimed as you burst into laughter at his expense. Shinsou did pick him up so you could have him back, and also wash his face because man that dog did NOT have pleasant breath… and now THAT was the class’s mascot?

Yes. Yes he was.

Taromaru was actually really good for the class, because petting him actually eased the classes’ stress at times, and somehow the dog knew how to be comforting to someone who was having a bad day. And having a little puppy to pet and play with made the students of 1-A feel better and a little happier, especially if it was Kirishima, Uraraka and Kouda, three of the most prominent dog-lovers in the class, aside from you of course.

“Who’s a good boy? You are! That’s right!” Next to you, Kirishima seemed the most attached to Taromaru because he was so cute and so sweet he adored the pup. “Yes he is~!” You sang-songed and baby-talked which infuriated the HELL out of Bakugo.

Unlike the rest of his classmates, he didn’t take to the puppy nearly as fast. In fact, he didn’t seem to like Taromaru much at all. But the puppy returned the feelings because Bakugo yelled at him and now he growled at him and avoided him at every turn.

“What are you looking at mutt?” He would ask the puppy, who angrily barked and then growled at him, which actually provoked Bakugo to growl back at him, until Taromaru barked again and ran off. “Oh sure run away!” He didn’t care if the dog liked him though, not really. It was just annoying that everyone in this damn place, especially you, loved him so much.

Even when he was being a little shit and causing trouble for everyone still, as he was constantly playing about with everyone. And still had an issue with taking shoes… Again. “Uwah! Non! Non! Taromaru!” Aoyama had nothing against the puppy though, but he really didn’t want to have to get another pair of shoes again…

“Ah! Taromaru! No!” Ojiro actually loved the dog, but Taromaru had a fixation with his tail and always caused him pain whenever he felt those little teeth dig into it…

“I’m gonna get you!” Dark Shadow actually really liked the puppy, and Taromaru always wanted to play with him and the puppy ran away with a happy bark as he jumped away from the shadow’s arms. Tokoyami didn’t have a problem with the puppy, even if Taromaru often barked at him (by dog instinct) and constantly tried to ‘attack’ him which resulted in just jumping and putting his little paws on his legs.

AROOOOO!

WOOF!!

ARF!!!

He loved being chased, and you were often the one to chase after him so he didn’t cause anymore trouble for anyone. Right now you were chasing him down because this time it wasn’t shoes he stole…

“Taromaru! Drop it!” You called for him and had him cornered as he had something in his teeth, growling at you playfully as you tried to take back the article of clothing. It was definitely a cloth of sorts, and a light shade of grey, but Taromaru took off running before you could make out if it was a sock or something. And once he took off you could hear your classmates shouting in the common room.

“Taromaru!”

“Don’t look!”

“What is that?!”

You ran back to see Taromaru, having a match of tug-o-war with Sero, but the latter didn’t want to hurt the little puppy’s teeth. “Ohhh please! Just… let it go…!” Oh God why did some of his classmates have to be here?

“Taromaru! Drop it!” Finally, Taromaru got the message and let go, but sent Sero tumbling backwards as he let out a small shout and felt the puppy jump on his chest and then take off running again.

You, Mina, Kirishima and Kaminari were snickering at poor Sero’s expense before you tried to see what it was that Taromaru took and picked it up. “Eek! No don’t touch that!” Your embarrassed classmate cried out as you dropped the cloth, and once it hit the floor you saw it… a pair of briefs…

“Ah it’s underwear… it’s underwear… again…” You blushed quite heavily and averted your eyes as Sero quickly picked up and hid it behind his back, “I-It’s not!” He exclaimed in embarrassment and blushed madly while his friends were all just laughing at him.

“Guess Taromaru likes your underwear…?” Mina asked the mortified Sero who quickly yelled back at her, “It’s not just me! I saw him take some of the others too!” It was true, Taromaru gained a habit of stealing underwear so he could chew it up…

You sighed and shook your head, “I’m sorry Sero, I need to make him not do that…” He already stole a VERY mortified Izuku, Iida and Ojiro’s undergarments, and it was bad enough when he was biting shoes. This became a quick and new bad habit…

“Kouda! Please get him to come back!”

“Taromaru! Don’t go that way!”

Your eyes went wide when you heard Tokoyami and Kouda’s voices calling out to the puppy, who came back quickly with an article of dark purple clothing in his mouth. Something you could only assume was underwear and you had to hold back ANY snicker that wanted to leave you, especially when you saw Tokoyami arrive, looking unusually irritated and partially humiliated.

“Don’t. You. Dare. Laugh.” 

He outright warned you AND everyone else in the common room, as Kaminari already closed his mouth with his hands when Taromaru barked happily with the underwear still in his mouth.

As much as you wanted to make a joke, you knew that this had to stop, and thankfully Kouda managed to convince the puppy to let go of the undergarments… but then he went back to run in another direction to find someone else’s…

“AH! Taromaru!!”

The trouble neverr stopped and the fun (and humiliation for some) never ended...  

Taromaru was much too quick, and just seemed to be a troublemaker by nature, however, he ultimately didn’t do anything too-too bad. And honestly still served to entertain and put your classmates at ease because he made them all happy.

“You’re a handful boy… do you know that?” You asked the puppy in your lap at the couch of the now peaceful common room, with your closest friends Izuku, Shinsou and Uraraka with you. Taromaru only barked in response as he nuzzled you lovingly, earning a chuckle from Izuku, an “Awww~!” from Uraraka, an ‘ugh’ from Bakugo who just leaned against the wall of the room and a scoff from Shinsou.

“Maybe… but… I’m glad we have him now.” Izuku said exactly what you were thinking, “Me too!” Uraraka quickly agreed with him, and you knew that the rest of your classmates could agree that Taromaru made a wonderful addition to the class. Even if Bakugo wasn’t crazy about him, at least he made you happy…

“So am I…” You smiled softly as you pet the happy and relaxed puppy as Taromaru gave you a very happy ‘ARF!’

BONUS:

“Kaminari…” Mineta was grinning widely as Kaminari perked up to see his tiny friend in the empty common room, along with the tiny puppy staring right at him with a pair of… briefs in his teeth? “Ohoho… are those….?” Kaminari was aware that the puppy had a habit of stealing underwear, but were those really…?

“They are!! This little guy helped me find the motherload!” Mineta happily exclaimed, cheeks red as he held all the underwear in his arms as Taromaru barked at him with his tail wagging. Taromaru knew those scents very well, and was happy to steal them, albeit without any idea of what Mineta intended to do with them…

“Whoa... those are... actual underwear.... you really just... took them huh? Ehehehe... uhhhh… are they at least… clean…?” Kaminari was visibly uncomfortable and flustered just seeing this, his friend really had no standards did he? And had no idea why he even asked that question, but if Mineta was really going to do what he was afraid he’d do he hoped they were at least clean since he was certain that this was definitely crossing a line...

And he cringed as soon as he heard a rather loud, firm SNIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIFF…

As Mineta pressed his nose against the crotch of the red fabric, his entire little body shuddering in pleasure as he gave a huge, trembling sigh, “They are not… no… they’re very not clean…” He gave Kaminari a huge, nauseating grin with blood running down his nose which kinda made him back away ever so slightly.

“So many panties so little time…” The little pervert drooled as he had several other briefs among him that he was shamelessly sniffing and it honestly unnerved Kaminari. Man, that little dog loved underwear, and it wasn’t even for perverted reasons unlike Mineta here…

“I love this dog… he can stay, he is the real hero here…”

“I dunno man… I don’t think-.”

“What are you little perverts up to?!” You sharply and somewhat angrily asked the two boys as Mineta and Kaminari jumped in horror when they saw you with your hands on your hips, looking quite pissed, with an equally pissed-looking Shinsou with his arms crossed.

They were caught in the act, along with Taromaru just barking happily at you as your pissed look quickly melted and you knelt down to pet the puppy, “Aww you’re the only innocent one at all here Taromaru.” You cooed at the little guy which made Shinsou roll his eyes.

“Innocent you say? That’s not true actually (L/N)! He’s the one who’s always stealing everyone’s underwear! I’m the one who caught him in the act and he stole all of these panties!” He claimed, pointing at the pup and then at all the briefs that you DID recall Taromaru stealing, but at least he was just being a curious, innocent dog, Mineta was being a perverted, disgusting dog…

You just glared at the little creep, “Oh yeah?” Might as well punish him by scarring him for life, “I don’t get you Mineta… why are you so vile? I know Taromaru did take the underwear, but that’s just him being a dog, dogs are curious about the scents left on by people they’re comfortable with. You… you’re just being disgusting, humans are NOT supposed to smell each other like that, or at all…” Even though you were trying to chastise him, he was STILL sniffing each of the undergarments he held in his arms while you had to hold it in as you watched him practically inhale the smell of the red briefs, the dark purple briefs, and then the orange ones and grey ones and white ones with a glittery lace…

“Panties sometimes have fallen pubes in them you know that right?” You wondered if he had ANY standards at all, but he just grinned at you disgustingly with blood on streaming down his nose and getting on all the underwear. “Oh I know… but I don’t mind…” His words and expression made Shinsou sneer at him in absolute disgust.

But then he saw you smirking, “Mineta I’ve been around during laundry day, and had to stop Taromaru because he has a habit of taking underwear so… I know whose is whose and… those belong to Kirishima, Tokoyami, Aoyama, Ojiro and Sero.” You finally revealed whose underwear it was Mineta was sniffing as the little pervert’s eyes went wide as he stared at the undergarments he carried in horror…

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!”

And screamed bloody murder as he promptly dropped them all to the floor, falling to the ground and staring with the most distraught look you had ever seen on him and practically foaming from the mouth as if his soul were about to leave him as you burst into raucous laughter and pointed, “AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!”

Kaminari and Shinsou were both mildly horrified, disgusted and amused when they realized that it was apparently some of the GUY’s underwear that Mineta had, and somewhat relieved but still disgusted by what their classmate had done. “Ohhhhh dude…! HAHAHAHA! That is SICK!” It was still gross and perverted but Kaminari still laughed at his friend’s expense and pointed at him along with you, and Shinsou couldn’t hold in his snickers or the laugh leaving him especially when he saw you with your phone out, having recorded the whole thing.

“You’re bad (Y/N)…” He complimented you with a smirk as you shared a fist-bump with him, “I know~.” Giggling you recorded Mineta’s expression and then at Taromaru who was innocently panting, “Good boy Taromaru~.” You smiled as you knelt down to pet your sweet, happy puppy who barked at you, all the while Mineta was still trembling and looking quite nauseated and horrified…

“That dog is evil… pure evil…” The grape boy shuddered, and didn’t even notice the rest of his classmates come in. Including the VERY angry, VERY humiliated owners of the underwear who quickly snatched their undergarments back from the ground, only to cringe when they found blood and drool on them…

“Great... he touched it, now I have to burn it…” Sero muttered and shook his head as the other embarrassed and flustered males nodded in agreement, and you made sure to go and tell Iida what Mineta’s intentions were to do and that you were kinda happy that it ended up being the boy’s underwear instead of the girl’s.

“Iida… I think Mineta could use some detention, or ideally expulsion?” You asked the class rep now that you showed him some bonafide proof of Mineta smelling your classmate’s underwear. “Effective immediately…” The taller male muttered as calmly as possible even though he was visibly shaking with annoyance, disgust and anger.

Aizawa didn’t trust to leave Mineta alone in the dorms and clean everywhere, so he gave him at-home suspension for about a week along that required him to tend a one-hour ‘respect women’ class on each of those days. “Atta boy Taromaru.” All you could do was praise Taromaru though, even though you had a feeling the dog didn’t know what he was doing, he nonetheless gave you and the other girls a week off from that pervert.

“Very good boy!” And Yaoyorozu, Uraraka, Tsuyu, Mina, Jirou and Hagakure all surrounded you and him so they could pet the puppy for being such a good boy and gave him praises such as “Good boy!” “You’re such a good boy!”

You could tell the puppy loved it as he would get on his back to let all of the girls pet him and he gave them sweet little kisses, much to the guys amusement and Bakugo’s annoyance.

“Hee-hee… Taromaru~. I love you~.” You giggled as you pet the little puppy on the top of the head as he happily panted and wagged his tail.

“ARF!”

#boku no hero academia #my hero academia #boku no hero academia x reader #my hero academia x reader #bnha x reader #mha x reader #boku no hero academia x reader fluff #bnha x reader fluff #mha x reader fluff #my hero academia x reader fluff #fluff #taromaru #taroumaru #school live! #gakkou gurashi! #gakkou gurashi taromaru #school-live! #school-live! taromaru #izuku midoriya x reader #midoriya x reader #bnha bakugou #katsuki bakugou #katsuki bakugo x reader #bakugo x reader #bakugou x reader #todoroki x reader #todoroki shouto #todoroki shoto x reader #kirishima x reader #Kirishima Eijirou

[luna-rainbow]

2021 winter jdorama (2)

Tengoku to Jigoku | Heaven and Hell Stars: Ayase Haruka, Takahashi Issei Synopsis: Mochidzuki is a hot-blooded policewoman who is frequently at heads with her coworkers because she's a stickler for rules. She's keen to prove herself after a recent botched-up arrest, but in her confrontation with a suspected serial killer, they accidentally swap bodies. This was the published premise as soon as the drama got announced, but it took the entire episode for the story to get there, and it was a bit of a drag for one reason only - Mochidzuki is kind of annoying! I don't know if it's the direction, or the script, or Ayase's acting - I feel like it's a combination of all 3 i.e. the director wasn't sure how a strong career woman should be, the script needed to manoeuvre through all these logical pits to get to the final clash and so had to get Mochidzuki making some stupid choices, and Ayase is not used to hot-blooded roles. She's kind of like an annoying shonen manga protagonist stamping around with clenched teeth, vowing she's gonna win the next round. The last 5 minutes, though, when the swap actually happened, made up for all of the episode's shortcomings. Takahashi Issei was absolutely pitch-perfect in this, capturing Ayase's mannerism perfectly in every horrified flutter of his lids. In fact, even though the mannerisms are very girly, you don't think he looks "gay", just that Mochidzuki is in his body. Ayase didn't quite get Takahashi's mannerisms, but she was also amazing as she slammed him against the wall and taunted him like a cat playing with its prey. Ayase plays too many good girl characters, and after this scene, I wish she had started playing evil characters earlier! Wow! I still remember when I thought of her acting as a bit bland, but she's really grown in the last 10 years and both she and Takahashi blew that scene out of the water. The script is written by Morishita Yoshiko, who has worked with Ayase on multiple previous dramas - I saw someone say this is their 4th together, but I actually counted more: Sekai no Chuushin de Ai wo Sakebu, Byakuyakou, Mr Brain (2 eps), Jin, Watashi wo hanasanani de, and Gibo to Musume no Blues. All of those had Ayase Haruka in either main role or a major secondary role (Mr Brain and Jin). This genre is a bit of a departure for her, as she seems to specialise in adapting a lot of human stories or tragic love stories. I'm suspecting that there will be some sort of twist to Hidaka's role and identity. It seems odd to have a psychopathic serial killer as a protagonist, and in the body of a policewoman, no less. I feel like the discussions about the meaning of justice in the first episodes will become more pertinent as the episodes move on. She's also not afraid of killing major characters off, so it'll be interesting to see the fate of the people surrounding Mochidzuki, most of which are filled by respectable actors. Really hoping this doesn't turn out to be some dark twisted mess where Hidaka tries to get the other policemen killed while Mochidzuki tries to hide from justice, because that would just be disappointing. Kakenai?! | Can't write? Stars: Ikuta Toma Synopsis: A little known scriptwriter gets hired to fill a last minute vacancy and come up with a script with increasingly ridiculous demands. I really wanted to like this, it's got Toma, Kichise Michiko who I think is gorgeous, Okada Masaki, and Koike Teppei. It started off cute, and then...I was just sort of waiting for the first episode to end. Some people might find this brand of humour hilarious, but it gets a bit old after the 3rd appearance of the bald guy and I can see from the next episode's previews that it'll happen again. I mean...at least this is a late night drama, because the amount of ridiculousness definitely belongs there, and the actual progression of the plot is excruciatingly slow. After an entire episode he still hasn't written the script for the first episode. I'm not sure I can persist with this, as much as I want to see more of the guys I listed.

#jdrama #jdorama #ikuta toma #ayase haruka #takahashi issei #tengoku to jigoku

[husbandomail]

May I please request cute headcanons for my fav two alien boys’ reactions being able to finally touch their S/O? Like maybe the person figures out a way to get in the key with them and ecstatically discover that the boys don’t just phase through them there? Thank you ma’am Jo madam miss♡

I love thinking about things like this t b h,,

Astral:

Astral is generally in control of himself— he’s just accepted the fact that he’ll probably never be able to touch you unless he’s fused with Yuma, and while that’s unfortunate, that’s just how things are. He tends to space out whenever the topic is brought up; he’s not intending to be rude, but thinking about it does make him sad.

Whenever they’ve formed Zexal together, Astral always takes the chance to touch you, however briefly. Since you’re generally in front of people, even though he’d love to do some exploring with human anatomy, he generally restricts himself to briefly grabbing your hand or your wrist— he’s always amazed by how warm you are. But he’s also well aware that he’s half-Yuma during those moments, and the idea of anyone else’s hands on you makes him the tiniest bit uncomfortable.

Under most circumstances, Astral is overwhelmingly interested in properly understanding everything in the human world— but when you surprise him by materializing in the pocket of space that exists within the Emperor's Key, he’s absolutely not listening as you try to parrot back the technical explanation that your friends had given you. While you’re rambling, he slowly drifts closer, almost not believing you’re really there; he reaches out, expecting to phase right through you like always, but his hand gently makes contact with your face and you both freeze. His knowledge of human etiquette goes straight out the window and suddenly his hands are everywhere.

Dark Mist:

96 is the type to act like he doesn’t care; humans are gross anyways, so why does it matter that he can’t physically touch you? Ew, gross, stay away from him with your weird corporeal form. He says that, but there’ve been quite a few times where you turn around and phase through him because he was a bit too close to you— he won’t answer when you ask what he was doing.

Despite his facade, it becomes increasingly obvious that he’s frustrated he can’t touch you; he’s always moving to nudge you away from the edge of the water before you fall in, and he automatically reaches out to tug on your sleeve when he has a question or wants attention, but the most you both get is a numb tingling as his hands go right through you. There have been several points during duels where he’s been able to briefly touch you— something about the Barian spheres or whatever, you weren’t listening— but he’s always quick to pull back and pretend he’s horrified by the contact.

He refuses to spend his time in the Key with Astral, so it isn’t until your smarter friends build a semi-permanent replica of the Sphere Fields that you can really get your hands on him. He acts completely uninterested by the revelation that here, in this small space, the two of you can finally touch each other— but when you wrap your arms around him for a real hug, the patterns all over his body start glowing and flashing randomly because he’s so flustered at the chance.

#yugioh #zexal #astral #dark mist #headcanons #imagines #jkdiamondgold

[theseerasures]

Frozen 2 Reaction Post

surprisebitch.gif

this is 5000% because i don’t wanna do other stuff, but is it not poetic justice that i should come back to the tumbls for Frozen 2: Elsa Runs Away Some More

i’m gonna prologue this by saying that by and large i enjoyed the film tremendously; of course since this is 2019 i would have enjoyed anything that didn’t end with Elsa committing nonsensical war crimes before being put down like Old Yeller or pulling a no-homo to transcend time and space (that’s right, i’m hip enough to know about TWO of the biggest media fiascos this year, you jelly?), but the film was enjoyable even beyond that, mostly in how it affirmed my own opinions about the universe

HOWEVER, there were also huge problems that really have to be addressed, and we’re gonna start with those

cut for length and a truly immense amount of spoilers

things i didn’t like:

so the Iduna being Sami All Along thing was, um. bad! it was bad, and really reads like the team trying to cover their asses after the blowback from the first movie. why was it such a big deal for ~a Northuldran to love an Arendellian~ when Arendelle was 100% at fault in the conflict? were the spirits just like “oh the indigenous tribe that has cared for us and lived alongside us for centuries are fine i guess but OH LOOK the whitest among them just made googly eyes at the son of the guy who wants to colonize and enslave us, let’s root for those crazy kids and make their firstborn the avatar”

making Iduna a White Sami and leaning on the excuse that in real life the Sami people are linguistic and ethnically diverse and some of them can pass as white would have been fine if they didn’t EXPLICITLY RACIALIZE EVERY OTHER TRIBE MEMBER ON SCREEN. come on guys, just admit you liked Last Samurai but knew that that exact premise wouldn’t fly anymore

why couldn’t it be just a nice person who saved Agnar? why did we get yet another version of the old Pocahontas fetish?

why did Iduna being Northuldran REMAIN such a big deal to the point that she never told her kids about it and she and Agnar had to tell separate but equal bedtime stories about the same event??

whew i’m so glad this all happened so Elsa, the whitest non-anthropomorphic-snowman character in the movie, could save those savage natives with spears! They Needed Her Guidance

the songs this time mostly...felt like they didn’t really want this movie to be a musical but were contractually obligated to write songs for Disney until the heat death of the universe

case in point: Some Things Never Change was going for the Happily Ever After vibe that the Steven Universe movie had, but it...didn’t really feel earned. we obviously needed a place-setter song, but it didn’t really establish anything about what the characters have been up to or what might be still bothering them, because apparently everything is great! this worked for Steven Universe because it came off of five SEASONS of character development, but Elsa’s last big character revelation that we the audience saw was “wow guess i’m not the worst scum on earth after all.” the timeskip can only do so much, is what i’m saying

Kristoff got NOTHING to work with. i’m not like, horribly broken up about it since i know they had to keep it tight for the kids, but fucking OLAF got a heavier arc than he did, and it feels like a missed opportunity that they didn’t link HIS backstory to the Northuldrans, what with him being orphaned/abandoned/raised by trolls already set up. it doesn’t have to siphon into the White Savior main story at all, just have--i dunno, a few more scenes with the Northuldrans and him realizing that he’s probably descended from refugees who got cut off from the forest

the proposal thing was cute until i realized that they were going to just hit the same beats over and over again with each scene. it should have been resolved in act 1 instead of Kristoff disappearing for half the movie and then tacking on the proposal at the very end. not every subplot has to be stretched out to the end! in this case i feel like stretching it out actually REGRESSED aspects of Kristanna, since it relied on Anna misreading so many signals that it strained believability even for Anna. we’re supposed to think they’ve NEVER talked about this, despite having dated for 3 years and consistently trading off on being the most Extra person in the room?

the confirmation that Olaf’s fingers can wiggle will haunt my dreams

me when the stone giants interrupted Elsa’s conversation with Honeymaren: yOU COCKBLOCKERS

i find myself growing increasingly weary of the now token Disney Wink at Camera, and Elsa rolling her eyes and her past self doing Let It Go was probably the apex of that particular antipathy. showing that you’re so Over the song that made you billions in a movie that you’re shilling to the EXACT SAME CROWD is the most obnoxious humble-flex i can think of

as much as i liked Elsa jumping into the Pit of Past Misdeeds and freezing to death, i think the scene happened waaaaaayyyy too fast, especially if you compare it to how long it took for Anna in the first movie. she’s not really given any time to process what’s happening, and it kind of lessens the emotional impact.

Olaf is gone!! he’s gone, i miss him so much!! i cry myself to sleep!!!! OLAFFFFFFF!!! false. i do not miss him

i distinctly recall liking Olaf just fine in the first movie and actually found him tolerable here too, but wow i was not happy when they resurrected him, even though i knew it was a sure thing

maybe it’s because NOTHING had consequences in the end and even Arendelle, the place that all the characters have been treating like a thoroughfare for two movies, had to get saved at the last second!! Arendelle the place??? we were supposed to care enough about that to want it to be saved?? it’s not the fucking GALACTICA guys! there weren’t even any people left in the town! it’s bizarre that they tried to go so hard in the reparations route and then swerved at the last second. let Arendelle drown you cowards! let the Northuldrans offer help in solidarity if you really wanted the “bridge between worlds” angle, but come the fuck on! didn’t something like this happen with Life Is Strange already?

why didn’t Elsa go to her sister’s coronation is it just like a thing now for her to miss the major life events of her family members

the statues they unveiled at the end were horrifying

things i liked:

a lowkey thing that i’ve always appreciated about the first movie was its willingness to Go There when it came to depicting well intentioned parents who are still mired in various character flaws and wound their kids deeply, so it was nice to see that return and get expanded with parents who had Lives separate from their kids which made them That Way, and the consequences of those Lives often come back to influence subsequent generations no matter how much they try to keep it contained. it’s a good, logical extension from what happened with Elsa in the first movie.

and it’s another Steven Universe vibe, but they can go further with it faster because Elsa and Anna are the hegemony in this movie. they’re the history-makers, so their family drama very easily becomes political, and the lessons they pick up from family memories immediately end up changing the fantasy history landscape. it’s dope

baby Anna’s lil feetsies

Anna wanted to marry everyone and Elsa thought kissing was gross

everyone does feel palpably older! the first movie had a very teen feel insofar as everything was We Have to Do This or We Will All Die Immediately, but this time around all the characters feel much more comfortable in their own skin throughout the movie

everyone getting more than two outfits and all wearing pants

the revelation after so many headcanons of Elsa being a ruthless pragmatist, Elsa always being two steps ahead politically, Elsa being a literal and metaphorical chessmaster that Elsa is...actually just kind of spacey and weird was for me extremely welcome. i think part of this was done in service of Anna becoming queen at the end, but it makes sense. “attack it with ice powers” and “run away” are still pretty much the only two strings to Elsa’s bow. this is not to say that she was a bad queen, or that she didn’t try her damndest to be a fair and just ruler--when it comes down to it i think Elsa still knows more Facts about how to rule a kingdom than Anna ever will, it’s just that she’s also horribly averse to conflict and “pacing in place while blaming herself” is pretty much the extent of her productivity under serious pressure.

what sets Elsa apart (other than the ice powers) isn’t that she’s prodigiously talented, but that she’s kindhearted and extremely sensitive to the emotions and fates of others. (she’s the one who asks what happened to the spirits when Agnar is done with his half of the story.) she agonized over hurting Anna one way vs. hurting Anna another way for THIRTEEN YEARS and still couldn’t make up her mind until she was literally backed into a corner, and even that decision was “run away but FARTHER.” Anna wanting to reconcile with Elsa even after thirteen years wasn’t just because Anna’s love eclipses all; Elsa also left that door open for her, because she could never be quite as ruthless or even SELFLESS as to send her sister away for good. (”then leave! actually jk i’ll leave instead”)

but Anna wasn’t ever the exception for Elsa, either. Anna wasn’t the only corner of Elsa’s heart that she left open--Elsa’s like that with EVERYONE, even people she just met, or disembodied voices in the wild. Elsa can never do quite as many Right Things as she thinks she should, she can never be quite as driven, as strong, as single-minded as she thinks she needs to be, to fully commit to making decisions for other people. she feels too deeply and wants too much, even after all those years of trying to scour herself out with a lathe. it’s what ruins and saves her.

Anna and Elsa being horrible at charades in diametrically opposite ways was the most life affirming thing to happen to me this year

Elsa couldn’t act out ice

the two of them had MULTIPLE conversations with each other that didn’t immediately result in mortal peril!!! what a world guys

Into the Unknown fucking slaps but i’m now REALLY confused about the diegesis of the songs in this movie. i’d assumed they were all happening in story, what with the Voice and the multiple references to Let It Go, but Elsa literally bays at the moon in the middle of the night here and no one woke up??? maybe they’re all just really heavy sleepers who knows

or maybe the staff just take it in stride at this point--oh, Her Majesty is singing and crying again

Kristoff and Anna CANONICALLY FUCK, and not even in the typical cartoon “look they have kids, they canonically fuck” way in the “hey my sister and her snowchild that we’re all coparenting together are asleep on the sled, shall we fuck a mere three feet away without even putting up a divider or something” way

gotta give Jen Lee kudos for making the “Elsa has ice powers because she’s the fifth spirit” retcon make thematic sense. the most obvious way to go about this WOULD have been the avatar direction, but Elsa isn’t the union of the four elements but the union of the spirits and humanity, which is to say that she witnesses them and keeps their memories, bringing them to life and solidifying them with her powers. she’s obviously the best person for the job, since y’know. she spent thirteen years on one memory alone.

wait does this mean Elsa is basically the Resurrection Stone?? buhhhh i don’t wanna think about it

of course Anna’s sword just came from her grabbing it from an ice statue i don’t know what else i expected

i laughed at both of Olaf’s reenactments i don’t know what to tell you

i feel...Some Kinda Way about the discourse saying that Mattias being black is problematic because it suggests black collusion in indigenous genocide, but it’s not my place to comment on that, so i’ll just say that it was a pleasure to see Sterling K. Brown having fun in a role instead of his usual gravitas and misery

Elsa first making eye contact with the icemander, or Two Feral Creatures Recognize Each Other As Such--i can’t believe i thought Hiccup would be the weirdest horse girl i’d ever encounter in fiction when it’s OBVIOUSLY Elsa

ELSA COULDN’T ACT OUT ICE

what a novel concept to have Elsa charging forward while Anna tries to pull her back, telling her to slow down, that she’s climbing too high

appreciated the subtle seeding they did of Anna’s political savvy, what with her actually talking to the lost Arendellian soldiers and restraining herself from making outlandish promises to everyone she meets

Kristoff made a friend!

Elsa met one (1) girl that wasn’t her sister and immediately decided she had to live in the woods forever

Tribe Leader Lady’s reaction to Kristoff’s proposal

can’t believe Lost in the Woods invented cinema and music videos

the sisters at the shipwreck is hands down the best scene in the entire movie, aided by the drastically different palette they used to color this scene--all grays, browns, and blacks, even the surrounding environment, like Agnar and Iduna’s despair polluted the whole landscape. Elsa and Anna look horribly out of place here, like they can’t possibly be real in a world that looks like this.

it really snuck up on me how much this scene is a pivot for both of their characters: Anna’s instinct here is to look forward, to find clues that will point them to the next step; Elsa’s instinct is toward grief and, after the reveal, self-blame. for all her growth there’s still a part of Elsa that sees her existence as the catastrophe that keeps hurling the wreckage of the world at her feet. it’s something that i don’t think she’ll ever be able to completely move past.

Elsa, looking at Anna like she’s the only real thing in the world as Anna tells her that she believes in her, more than anyone or anything

“i just don’t want you dying trying to be everything for everyone else!” jesus fucking CHRIST guys

Olaf’s growing up crisis was mostly just...kinda there for me, but i will say the cut to his horrified expression when Anna said the word “dying” really did get to me

Anna switching between a Formal Court hairstyle and an Athleisure hairstyle is Bi Representation, Elsa getting increasingly more disheveled over two movies is Lesbian Representation

do i Get horse movies now

Elsa happy crying when she sees her mother in the cave made ME incredibly happy--her face is so much more dynamic this time around!

i wanna make fun of her for her stupid Dance Dance Revolution ice magic during Show Yourself but honestly..........fucking superb you funky little lesbian

aw Elsa you stood up to...an ice hallucination of your racist grandpa! in another three years (six years in production) you might be ready for Thanksgiving dinner

Elsa in the last movie: i’m never going back, the past is in the past!!!!

Elsa in this movie: brb gotta go hurl myself into a Pit of Past Misdeeds and turn myself into one of the embodied memories

Anna immediately understanding what went down at the forest before and that even if she wasn’t directly complicit in the violence she benefits from it every day, deciding to rip down Imperialism Dam without hesitation

The Next Right Thing didn’t really do it for me musically but as a core concept for Anna’s character and ethos it fucking ROCKS (pun obviously intended). i was so worried going in that they wouldn’t know what to do with Anna after the first movie other than give her powers, but instead we got confirmation that this IS her superpower: her ability to forge ahead with whatever life has given her has ALWAYS been her greatest strength.

this also explains why she felt so aimless and intent on protecting Elsa and nothing else before this point; Anna isn’t interested in delving deeply into the past, not when every other member of her family was consumed by it. with this she’s finally able to convert memory into action, and she shines.

(of course she couldn’t have GOTTEN to this point if Elsa hadn’t been so convinced that the past was worth pursuing, confirming my belief that the two of them share exactly one brain cell)

OBVIOUSLY action for Anna translates into “make myself bait for stone giants and STAND ON THE VERY DAM I WANT THEM TO RIP APART” Anna you fucking walnut

Anna threw the first brick at Imperialism Dam, actually

the understated moment when Kristoff just pushes aside his own insecurities and just asks Anna what she needs

the shot of Elsa falling into the water after she’s thawed nearly did me in

Elsa horseback riding over the water is. wow it’s the gayest thing i’ve ever seen

Anna’s coronation outfit made me kinda wistful. she looks so grown up! she looks like her mother

(i mean she always looks like her mother they literally have the same face but whatever you know what i mean)

me on my deathbed: eLSA COuldN’T aCT oUt ICE

stray observations:

is Arendelle just a tourist town where one day the guy who owned the largest house was like “this is a KINGDOM NOW I’M THE KING” and the 50 other townies who lived there were just too polite to argue

i mean it’d explain why the queen, her heir, and the heir’s consort could just waltz out of there for a week long trip and leAVE THE TROLLS IN CHARGE

when they first started getting chummy with the Northuldrans i lost my god damn mind and was like “are they gonna give Kristoff a boyfriend and Anna a girlfriend what’s happening”

is it required that female Disney protagonists have to go to a blue tinted place to realize that the magic answer was in them all along now the same exact thing happened to Moana and Rey

Elsa’s ice creations are confirmed to fade away if she dies, which...is a confirmation we needed i guess

why didn’t Mattias and Yelana fall in love to make the Chosen One instead, they had chemistry

(i mean. i know why)

i hope Anna got to yell at Elsa for at least five minutes and maybe slug her for pulling that “i’m going to Mordor alone!!!” bullshit

for a second at the end i was like “are they gonna do the HTTYD thing where we flash forward to ten years later and Anna and Kristoff take their kids to visit Elsa IS KRISTOFF GONNA GROW A DAD BEARD” but no we just had lesbian wind and origami instead

whatever your take on the movie i think we can all agree that the scene where Olaf calls the Irish “a plague on this planet which is slowly rotting it down to the rind and which must be excised” was NOT okay

#'wow i wonder how many words this post is--actually maybe i don't wanna know' #frozen 2 #disney #helen writes meta

[into-crazy]

Man Under the Makeup Pt. 3

Arthur Fleck/Joker x Female Reader series

Warnings- Cursing, mention of carrying a weapon for protection, sad conversation

You can find the other parts RIGHT HERE and through the “Man Under the Makeup” tag lovelies!💘

Come 6pm, you were strolling to meet up with Arthur. Around this time, the sun normally sets, allowing you to walk just before the darkness of the night hits. How thoughtful of him not to have you roaming around too late. He of anyone would know these streets, after all. Although you can handle yourself, never leaving your home without your blade and some mase.

Few people seem to be making their way home after a grind filled day. Also those, who for a fact are heading straight to the bar. Judging by their distressed faces, they're in for a large amount of drinks throughout the night.

You're going through the route you normally take for work, keeping an eye out. Walking around the large piles of garbage scattered on some parts of the side walk. Covering your nose from the wretched odors which littered the air. These streets were disgusting! No wonder everyone in the city is pissed.

As you're nearing the spot you and Arthur encountered, you find him standing there waiting. Still dressed and with make on, Joker stands there with a flower bouquet. You find it quite cute how he's patiently awaiting your arrival.

"Y/n, you made it!" He starts excitedly.

"Of course I have," you reply, "why wouldn't I? Hope I haven't kept you waiting too long."

He offers you the flowers. "Not at all."

"For me? Why, thank you." Taking the bouquet made of various roses and lilies, you catch glimpse over at the crew he has behind him. About 15 members, gathered a few feet back. "You brought your men, I see."

"I did," he nods in their direction, "they're just for precaution. I got a lot a heat on me these days." He states anxiously shifting the weight between his slender legs.

"So I've heard." You reply waving at the crew who acknowledge your arrival. It's only polite to greet those who would be joining you, even if it's from a stretch away.

"I'll have them keep their distance. They won't interfere with our time." He assures pushing his green hair back.

"Oh no worries," you assure, "I have no issues with it."

The place wasn't far from where you'd met. It was a nice, quiet bistro. Well, maybe it was peaceful right now considering everyone left spooked when you and Joker walked in. His men also made sure the staff wouldn't try to leave or call the cops. So you weren't surprised when your waiter was practically trembling coming over to your table every now and then.

"So, Joker," you emphasize the name, "seems like you've made quite the image for yourself."

He chuckles, "It appears so. Ya know you don't have to call me that, right? We're by ourselves over here." Hinting towards his crew behind him- sat on the complete opposite side of the small eatery. They were doing their own thing, giving you both your respective privacy. Seated directly across him in the corner of the place. So you felt comfortable no one was eavesdropping in on your conversation.

"I'm aware," you tell him, "I'm simply addressing your new persona." Smiling, you take a sip of your drink.

"Right," he adds, "I've got so much to tell you."

"Hm, clearly." You reply removing your large coat, as it was increasingly warmer indoors. Revealing a red satin dress that hugged your body nicely.

"Wow." He was momentarily at a loss for words. "I gotta say, you look amazing my dear." Taking your sight in, admiring the beauty beaming off you. Not eyeing you like a hungry dog waiting for a treat- but genuinely appreciating what he's seeing. You're gorgeous inside and out, he couldn't help but think why you had agreed to dinner with him. Dressed up all so nicely, for him. "Red is definitely your color."

"I'm flattered," you accept his admiration, cheeks growing hot with delight. "You're quite charming yourself, Mr. J."

"Charming? Me?" He questions the word, seemingly confused. Unable to grasp the concept of anyone ever thinking such. He's been deemed the worst insults, in addition to horrifying and intimidating. But charming? And what about.. Mr. J? Oh, he can't deny loving the sound of that.

"Yes, you are. It's- you're different and I like it." You tell him. "But I have to ask, what happened since the last time I saw you?"

He sighs placing his hand on the table. "See before, I've got tired of being pushed around and stepped on. People are so awful, I finally hit my breaking point. This city's lost it's way. So I decided to do something.. differently."

"And what is that?" You give him your full attention as the topic becomes more serious.

"To show the people of this city what life really is." He amusingly states. "See, most haven't quite gotten it yet. They believe I'm doing it for a change in who's running the city. That I'm going to fix everything that's wrong." The sarcasm in his tone may try to sound amusing, but his eyes show something else. His eyes are dark with that last statement. Cold and dark.

"And you're not?" Briefly pondering his words. "No. No, you aren't." You say, shaking your head slightly.

"W-what was that?" He asks scanning your face.

"Of course that's what they believe. It's what they want, right? Some bold new guy comes around to make a difference. But from my perspective, that's not your intention."

He taps his fingers on the table, fighting the urge of a laughing fit. Rising up from the pit of his stomach- catching it in his throat, before it has a chance to emerge. "And m-may I ask what you think?"

"I haven't figured it out yet," you start, "but I know fixing the city isn't the case. The riots, the mobs, the brutality- which happen to be chaos you helped reign. I understand that the wealthy politicians and citizens have their fair part in it, too. But one does not simply seek for so called better change, when that's how they choose to take a course of action."

Joker adjusts himself so now he's leaning forward on the table. Closer to you, trying to show he's not intimidated. "That's a good observation," he acknowledges, "and it's got you wondering the real reason, right?"

"Yes," you reply softly. "Look, I'm not judging. I'm interested is all."

He embraces your curiosity. "I want to show them the funny side of the bigger picture. The world.. this terrible city, this life we're living-" he pauses, "It's a joke. And the sooner people realize that, the happier they could be. It's all simply for laughs, my dear." Shrugging his shoulders at the last statement.

All for laughs? Somehow you thought that wasn't entirely it.

Something else had to have happened. How could a man's eyes that once carried so much emotion go completely dark? Grasping the fact he wasn't telling you entirely why. Maybe it was this "Joker" persona, currently preventing him from letting you in. You'd have to ask these questions when you're speaking entirely to Arthur.

"And to make that work, you had to change?" You recall. "Adopt a new identity?"

"Yeah," he confirms. "As Arthur, I could never have it off. They wouldn't take me seriously and use everything to their knowledge against me- Gotham PD, politicians, those that disagree. But not with the Joker."

"No one knows who the Joker is," you almost whisper looking down at the table. If only the rest of the world could see him as you've seen him- still see him. Maybe if everyone wasn't so shitty with sticks fully up their asses, then perhaps they could've seen the man you thought him to be. Could things have turned out differently? Honestly, who knows.

"No one," he adds, "accept you." He brings your face back up to his- which is intensely close. The heat of his body enticing you further into him. The scent of cigarette smoke and soap strong on him. Gazing onto his bright red lips, you thought he was going to kiss you.

Only to be left surprised when he quickly shys back, leaving you in a bit of a haze. He sits completely back in his seat- seemingly entertained with your response to his withdrawal. You scold him for it.

"Nice to see you're so interested." He implies with a short laugh, flashing a killer grin.

Embarrassed, you lean back into the bar seat. Damn him. How could he make you feel so vulnerable when you'd least expect it? Along with the audacity to gloat about it with his ridiculously gorgeous smile. He knows. He knows exactly what he's doing.

"What makes you so sure of that?" You playfully question him crossing your arms.

"Well for one," he states, "you agreed to meet up with me."

"Yeah, and I was half expecting a man with a lot less makeup on then myself." You tease leaning onto the table.

"And yet, here you are. Sitting across, having dinner with me." He winks putting a cigarette in his mouth. "See the point I'm getting at?"

You huff at the remark. He's toying with you, he's gotta be. "Alright then, fair enough. I'll give you that. But don't sit there and act like I'm the only one."

"I didn't say that," he sneers flicking the lighter until it lights the stick. "I know you're wondering what it is about you that's captivating me."

You hum waiting for a response, "I am."

"I like how you're not afraid to say what you need to say. Mindful for others, but you don't take shit from anyone. I admire that. And also- don't mind me saying- your fascination with a freakish man like myself."

"I don't think you're freakish," you interject. "Different yes.. But I don't perceive you as a freak."

"You don't?" His reply comes out softly. His whole demeanor eases- relaxing his shoulders. It reminds you of that shy man he's holding inside. What a shame to think he might not fully come out anytime soon. Joker could not be seen as too much of a "softie" by the public or his loyal crew. Noo. It wouldn't be good for his image. You need to be completely alone with him if that were to happen. For now, your quiet corner conversation will have to do.

"I never have." You make it very clear to him. "I never thought of you as a freak Arthur. Not before. And not now." You lay both of your hands above the table. He melts with you calling him by his name for the first time tonight. Even more so when he's started coming out of it. He puts the cigarette butt out in a small ashtray by the side.

You take his speechless silence as a sign to continue. "I've noticed you were absent lately.. As I walked by that same spot everyday, and not seeing you there- it concerned me."

He moves his hands closer to yours atop the table. Hesitant in getting too close. "You.. looked for me?" Arthur's heart flutters at your caring words. The fact you noticed that he was gone. No one has ever paid attention to his existence like such- before the Joker that is.

"I did," you continue, "and I grew even more nervous after seeing that clip they played of you on the television.. with Murray making fun of your stand up performance.."

He gently lays his rough hands on top of yours, lightly squeezing with awe. Needing to feel that you were real. To know you are really here, and not an illusion of his mind.

You need a second, looking off to the side briefly before continuing. "I had hoped that it didn't destroy you."

"Y/n.." Realizing he doesn't have to put on this persona to impress you. You look past the clown- past the makeup. Because you've already admired him from the beginning, as Arthur. Heck, even as Carnival, because that's how he'd met you. You care for his well being and feelings. He cherishes your shared moment of silent intimacy. Which is he hasn't had the chance to experience before. It feels nice, refreshing. Like he's finally being seen.

He's the first one to break the stillness. "Well, let's not make this evening all about me," he rests back comfortably. "Please, y/n. How about we talk about you?"

He is all questions and ears for you over the next hour. You inform that you're an office secretary, often working the usual 9 to 5. Which is the only thing going on in your life right now. Having moved here some time ago on your own- no friends or even family. Needing to get away from your life before. However, you'd be lying if you claimed to love it here. You feel alone, trapped. Not just in Gotham, but trapped in your own state of mind. There was nothing in your life, you were simply existing. Only staying because you felt you were part of the few inhabitants that brought some form of color into this cold grey city. But things have only gotten worse for you since. Until now it seems.

"What about you, have you got any family here Arthur?" You ask him curiously.

His smile slowly drops while he thinks of an answer. "No.." he shakes his head, "no one." How? How is he supposed to tell you he killed the woman he grew up thinking was his mother? Who only turned out to be an enabler of his previous ongoing abuse.

No. Bringing her into discussion will only put a damper on such a great night. Eventually he might indeed tell you, but not at the moment. He's having an amazing time with you. Listening to the way you talk, hearing your sweet laugh. Why ruin it?

Towards the end of dinner, you notice Arthur has hardly touched his food. His plate looks as if he picked at it a couple times. Not that it was particularly strange. Perhaps he was too caught in conversation to eat.

"Hey, what do you say we get out of here?" He suggests needing a change of atmosphere. "One of my men over there could drive us. We'll get away from the rest of the crowd. Ride through the town?"

"Sure," you freely agree.

Before you leave, Joker pays the check. Actually pays. Leaving an overly generous tip for the waiter who served you both. Criminal or not, he feels that a gentleman should pay for a first date. Mean, come on, you know the money's stolen. But hey, it's the thought that counts, right?

End of part 3.

#Man Under the Makeup #joker #joker 2019 #arthur fleck #arthur fleck x reader #arthur fleck x y/n #arthur fleck x female reader #joker x reader #joker x y/n

[chuffyfan87]

An Offer I Can't Refuse. Part 4a

Cowritten with @fairheads.

-x-

They'd managed to get through Christmas without anyone else discovering their little secret. Charlie was getting increasingly frustrated with the distance Duffy had insisted on putting between them.

They were both working the new year's day shift and Charlie decided to take advantage of the fresh year to attempt to show her that he was serious in his intentions.

Entering the staff room, Charlie saw Duffy standing by her locker. “Morning,” He said cheerfully.

"Hi. You sound very cheery for someone nursing a hangover." She remarked.

“Well it’s a new year and it’s going to be a good one!” Charlie explained.

"Is that so?" Duffy shook her head indulgently as she turned and lent against her locker, her arms folded loosely across her chest.

“I bought you a New Year gift...” He passed her a badly wrapped box.

She raised an eyebrow as she took it from him. "Is that even a thing?"

“It is now,” He smiled.

She chuckled at the cute puppy like expression on his face. She eased the paper off the gift and opened the box. "Charlie..?"

“I hope you like it...” Charlie all of a sudden felt unsure of his grand gesture.

"Its... Unexpected..." She replied, taken aback.

“Sorry, I...” Charlie was embarrassed, he’d bought her gift to show his commitment, but perhaps in hindsight it was too much.

"I'm not saying it's a bad thing..."

“But...?” Charlie probed.

"Its just a little early that's all. Call me superstitious if you like..." She shrugged, blushing slightly.

“It’s okay, I understand, I can keep it for a while..."

"Its ok, I can put it with Peter's old stuff that I hadn't gotten rid of yet."

“Also got you some of these..." He grinned, passing her some sweeties in a paper bag.

"Charlie!" She giggled.

“Don’t want you fainting again hey,” He smiled, referring to a previous shift, where she’d become lightheaded.

"You're such a fusspot Charlie!"

He shrugged, “Probably?”

"I have done this before..."

“I know... I just care, that’s all,” He reached for her arm.

"I'm not going to do anything to risk the baby's health, if that's what you're worried about..?"

“No, not saying that at all. I... Doesn’t matter.” Charlie didn’t want to get into another argument with her.

She turned to place the box in her locker. She was about to place the sweets next to it but then changed her mind and placed the bag in her uniform pocket.

Their shift was fairly uneventful until the end.

Duffy's head shot up as she heard hollering and screams from across the department.

Without thinking she dashed in the direction of the noise.

A group of men had started brawling in the waiting area.

Approaching them she raised her voice. "This is a hospital not a boxing ring!"

This didn’t seem to phase them and they continued to try and fight each other.

"Call security!" Duffy shouted over to the receptionist.

A couple of other nurses had come over to try to help split up the fight.

Charlie finished with his patient in cubicles and hearing a commotion, ran to the front desk.

He quickly took in the melee that was kicking off in reception, immediately horrified to discover Duffy right in the middle of it attempting to break it up.

“Duffy! I’ve got this,” He shouted at her, with a mixture of concern and authority.

"I don't need your help!" She yelled back, blocking the hand of the bloke nearest to her. "I told you to pack it in!" She warned sternly.

The man growled and lunged at her. “Duffy!” Charlie shouted again.

She blocked the shot again but stumbled backwards slightly as she was knocked off balance.

Charlie reached out as if to catch her.

She regained her balance and glared at him just as security finally turned up.

Charlie stood between Duffy and the men, until security had chance to take them away.

Duffy sighed, brushed herself down and turned to head back to the office, annoyed with Charlie.

Once everything had been sorted, Charlie went to find Duffy.

She barely looked up from the file as she heard him enter. "I didn't need your help, I could handle the situation quite fine by myself."

“Whoa!” Charlie held his hands up. “Are you okay? Did you need checking over?”

"I don't need checking over, he barely touched me!"

“Duffy... You could have been really hurt...”

"I knew what I was doing Charlie!"

"I know, it’s what you’ve always done and I love that about you, but right now, it’s probably best for you to stay away from those kind of situations. I don’t want you or the baby to get hurt.”

"Do you want to say that a bit louder? I think there's some people in xray who didn't hear you!"

Charlie lowered his voice to a whisper. “It’s my job to ensure the safety of my staff and right now, your situation means that there are new risks.” He was getting cross with her.

"So now you're pulling rank on me?!" She stood up from the desk, her hands planted firmly on her hips.

“If that’s what it takes, yes.” He argued. “Look I care for you and this baby, more than you know, and something awful could have happened out there. I know you wanted to help and I have no doubt that you could have handled those three men at once, but you’re pregnant and all it would have taken is one shove, one punch and...” Charlie’s voice petered out at the realisation of what he was describing.

Duffy sighed. "I don't need, or want, a bodyguard so please stop acting like that's suddenly your job. This..." She placed her hand on her slightly rounded belly, "...is not a disability. I'm perfectly capable of doing my job still."

“So it would have been okay for you to get hurt then? To end up in resus? To lose the baby to break up a stupid fight?” Charlie was turning red, he felt so angry .

"If I'd known you were going to be this dramatic..." She sighed, folding her arms which just served to further highlight her changing figure.

Charlie thought she looked gorgeous, she had that pregnancy glow about her and those curves! “Duffy... Am I just expected to stand by and watch you and bump get hurt? Is that what you want?”

"I'm not going to get hurt."

“But how do you know? It’s not you, it’s the other people...”

"At this rate you'll be chaining me to that desk..!"

Charlie raised his eyebrows at her turn of phrase. “It’s only because I care...” He wished she’d understand, how much his heart beat seeing her in the middle of that fight, fearing for her and their baby, it was terrifying.

"There's a difference between caring and smothering."

“Point taken.” Charlie was resigned to the fact she didn’t get it and probably never would.

"Thank you." She replied, softening slightly.

“You got any of those sweets left? Think I could do with one!” He laughed.

She rolled her eyes as she grinned at him and reached into her pocket. She held the bag out towards him.

Charlie took his time rummaging for the ones he wanted, pulling his hand out of the bag, he brushed her arm tenderly. “I am glad you’re both okay, I’ll try not to smother...” He smiled.

She chuckled as she checked to see if there were any left in the bag.

“Do you want to come round tonight?” Charlie asked, with a mouthful of jelly babies.

Duffy briefly hesitated. "I'd have to bring Peter with me... Mum's on holiday..."

“Up to you, you’re both welcome.”

"Are you sure..?"

“It would be nice to see you...”

"To make sure I don't get up to anything dangerous?"

“Ha!” Charlie laughed, a little too loudly. “Yeah, exactly that.” He winked.

"I'm not sure what you think I can get up to with a ten month old in tow..."

“Seriously though, I just thought it might be nice for us to properly catch up, it’s been a while.”

"Sorry, I meant to call you over Christmas."

“It’s okay, you can tell me all about it later? I can come to yours if it’s easier?”

"If that's OK?"

“Sure, save you carting Peter’s stuff to mine anyway. 7pm okay?”

"Yeh, that's fine."

“See you then!” Charlie smiled and went to finish his shift.

By the time it was almost 7pm Duffy had managed to work herself up into a right tizz but she couldn't work out why. It was only Charlie coming over afterall.

Charlie ended up being a little late, but he did bring with him some chocolate and strawberries.

She shook her head at him when she saw them in his hands but she couldn't help giggling. "If you keep giving me treats I'm going end up so fat by the time this baby arrives!"

“You won’t, you’re gorgeous.” Charlie hadn’t thought before he spoke and flushed red.

She snorted a laugh. "Get inside before my neighbours start gossiping."

Charlie followed her in, she might not believe it, but she was positively blooming and he was enjoying the sight out of uniform, where the bump was much more noticeable.

She headed into the lounge where Peter was giggling in his walker, still wide awake despite the late hour.

“What are you laughing at little one?” Charlie bent down and tickled Peter’s toes.

Peter babbled, a big grin on his face.

Charlie continued to play with Peter, he noticed Duffy sit down with a sigh, out of the corner of his eye.

"Have you eaten?" She asked, watching them play.

Charlie shook his head. “Fancy a take away?”

"You really do have the worst eating habits Charlie!" She giggled.

Charlie looked sheepish, “I can try and cook you something...”

"I am not letting you set fire to my kitchen. I'll rustle something up if you can entertain Peter? He's refusing to be tired out."

Charlie stood up as she did. “Are you sure?” He touched her arm.

"I'm not an invalid!" She grumbled.

“Hey, I didn’t mean that, you could put your feet up and I could do it?” He held her hand.

"You're not going to let this go are you?"

“Would it help if I said to you I’d be the same even if you weren’t pregnant?”

"You are such a worrier."

“You got me!” Charlie looked sheepishly at Duffy.

"Its sweet if irritating..."

“Sorry, I’ll just shut up and play with the little man...”

"Good boy!" She giggled before wandering through to the kitchen.

Charlie shook his head, she was impossible sometimes. He took Peter out of his bouncer and held him tenderly. “Are you going to sleep for us little man?”

Peter reached out his chubby little hands and squished Charlie's cheeks.

Charlie began to walk around the lounge, stroking the little boy's hair. Slowly Peter calmed and snuggled into Charlie's neck and shoulder.

Sometime later Duffy came back through from the kitchen. "Di..." She stopped abruptly as she noticed Charlie stood by the window, Peter fast asleep on his shoulder.

Charlie turned around slowly. “I think this little one’s finally asleep,” He whispered.

Duffy's eyes glistened slightly. "You've clearly got the magic touch." She replied, her voice thick with emotion.

Charlie smiled at her. “Shall I go and put him down or did you want to?”

"You take him up, less moving him around then."

“Okay, be back shortly.”

"Thanks. I'll dish up dinner."

By the time Charlie had placed Peter in his cot and made sure he was settled, around ten minutes had passed.

When she finally heard his footsteps on the stairs she scooped the food into bowls and set them on the table.

#chuffy #charlie and duffy #charlie fairhead #lisa duffin

[moonlightreal]

Winx club Season 8/14

In which Sky doesn’t quote Thor

14 The Wishing Star

This episode opens, where else, at a concert at Alfea!  The other students whisper and ooh and aah.  So the Winx are famous pop stars but also hold concerts here like every other week and go to school here?  They should be treated more like when the choir performs, I mean it’s cool but not a super big deal.

sigh this pop star thing.  It feels a little less weird than it did in WoW since the girls are younger so the blatant wish-fulfilment version of being a professional musician isn’t as jarring I guess.  But I still can see so many opportunities for characterization—whose idea was it to form the band?    Who decided Bloom wis lead singer rather than Musa?What happens when Musa writes a song and loves it but the others hate it?  What happens when there’s a concert but the girls are busy with schoolwork?  Why don’t the minor fairies also form bands?  Why do only Alfea students come to these concerts?  When do they practice?  Do they ever perform at other places in Magix and who sets that up?  Where did they get the transforming instruments?  Are some of the girls thinking of ‘musician’ as a future career?  How will that conflict with ruling their planets?  And adventuring?

So. Much. Wasted plot & characterization opportunity.

Girls sing.  Cute shots of the minor fairies dancing.  Knut waltzes Faragonda.  Kiko crowd-surfs on the minor fairies.  Stella kisses the screen.  

The girls go to meet their boyfriends.  Stella is adorable.  

But Sky’s missing, he’s on Eraklyon.  “His dad wants him to spend more time at court being a crown prince and all while Sky would rather be a professional hero.”  The other specialists and Bloom express sympathy for Sky.

Season 8 timeslide: Sky is no longer king… if he ever really was, that whole thing was retconned pretty much right after Secret of the Lost Kingdom when we all realized we were going to have more stories.  Also there’s no mention of Brandon being Sky’s squire as he was in season 1.

Meanwhile on Eraklyon!  Cool shot of the palace!  Nice landscaping?!

Yikes, Sky is yelling at his dad, “I’m a Specialist, my place is at Red Fountain!”

Erendor: “You need to put the good of the kingdom first, that’s what princes do.”

Sky: “I put the good of everyone first, that’s why I go on missions with the Specialists!”

So clearly the dubbing department hasn’t seen Thor: Ragnarok because they missed sliding in, “Because that’s what heroes do.” and having me fall over laughing.  Also this situation is very much caught in the timeslide; is Sky a student still learning to rule the kingdom, or a graduate ready to begin his duties?

But as Sky walks away I see someone peering from behind a pillar… a familiar blonde head… oh no, not the number one source of couples drama in all Winx-dom! D: T_T

Diaspro’s done well by the new art style, she’s got gorgeous golden eyes and a nice braid. Her face is really wide though, she looks like an Ever After High doll.  She’s hoping to take advantage of the fight so Sky “will finally be mine.”

Yeah, you tried to kill his girlfriend two seasons ago, why are you not in jail?

Diaspro plots bug me.  Strap in y’alll.

Gorgeous nighttime shot of Alfea.  In Bloom’s room the girls are saying how great their concert was.  Then Stella goes into how hard it is to spend time with their boys when they’re busy saving the magic universe. The other girls try to shut her up before Bloom gets sad, but Stella is oblivious and just rambles on.  Brandon’s planning to take her to the “magic enchanted theater” sometime soon.

Musa yells at Stella.  Stella: “What’d I do this time?”  And there’s Bloom, sad now.  But Bloom says it’s not Stella’s fault; Sky didn’t say he was going to Eraklyon.  The girls talk about boys, with a side of Grumping at Stella.

“Brandon and I always talk.”

“When Riven left we stopped talking, and that didn’t go well.”

“Sometimes Timmy doesn’t call or text but I know he’s just thinking about his projects.”

But the good news is, Valtor’s gone so everything’s going to get better!

Bloom goes outside to make a wish on a star and there’s Sky!  They talk a little about not having time, and Bloom suggests Sky wish on a star for more time.

And now to what I’m really curious about!  The Trix!  We cut to Valtor’s asteroid and I kinda want to see him showing the girls around, but instead he’s on his throne meditating or something while the Trix float in front of him.

Exposition time! Only three witches like them can get the Wishing Star aka the Comet Star apparently, which grants wishes.  It’s made of Sparks (Sparx?) The energy that gave birth to the magic universe, the stars themselves.  So… Dragonfire?  “the magic of fairies, and witches.”

Flashback to Valtor trying to grab the comet and getting knocked for a loop. Incompatible magic.

Icy does the, “And why should we help you?” and it turns out Valtor’s mark is on their hands—they belong to him.  Just now or still from season 3, I wonder.  Also once Valtor becomes the most powerful sorcerer he promises to give them immense power.

Icy, apparently forgetting every other teamup they’ve ever done, thinks this sounds like a good deal, “Am I right, sisters?”

The Wishing Star hurtles through space, quite close to Valtor’s asteroid.  Our villain team warps outside and…

...And we cut to the wishing Star, which is a person of the same species as Queen Dorana, but with a more snowy theme.  She comments, “Valtor’s palace.  Hasn’t changed much in the last thousand years.  Still creepy!”  That was kinda random and cute, and also, Valtor’s had that palace for a thousand years and space people just know where it is?

...And THEN the Trix appear and the chase is on.  Stormy’s storm powers seem to be able to cause a meteor storm in space.    Darcy summons the illusion of a black hole which actually draws things into it.  Then icy succeeds in catching the comet girl in a block of ice.  The Wishing Star is caught!  Valtor is pleased!

But then she sends out her power in a blast of colored lights and a star-shaped box.

Valtor goes, ‘Noooo!”

The colored lights fly away but the star box flies straight at Lumenia and nearly beans Twinkle.  She flees, with the star box chasing after her!  Twinkle flies to the palace for help, where Argen is admitting to his sister that he thought being king of Lumenia would be more exciting.  Heh. Then in comes Twinkle, chased by a star box!

Queen Dorana recognizes it: the star case.  (so, book version rather than movie version of Escape to Witch Mountain?)  And it’s a bad sign!  We need the Winx immediately!  Twinkle goes to fetch them.

Bloom and Sky are having a peaceful evening looking at the stars… when Diaspro texts. Sky makes a horrified face.

Bloom: “Who’s messaging you?”

Oh just my ex who always teams up with villains and tried to murder you back when…

Diaspro keeps calling and Bloom says Sky should answer it.  Then Twinkle arrives. Saved!  Bloom and Sky must say goodbye as the Winx leave on an urgent mission!

In the Owl Sky ignores a few more increasingly irate texts then calls Diaspro back. She’s got a super secret mission from Sky’s dad!  They gotta go find the “lost locket of Eraklyon, one of the most poerful items in our kingdom.  And the two of us have to find it!  Together!”

Sky is not down for this together stuff.  He tries to tell Diaspro the mission might be dangerous, but she is undeterred.  Then the other boys turn up with a new Specialist mission, that Sky has to turn down since he’s got thiss mission with diaspro.

“Diaspro?  That crazy girl who won’t give up on you?”

“Yes Brandon, that’s the one.”  

“Come on Sky, the Specialists aren’t afraid of anyone, even broody aristocratic girls from Eraklyon.”

In case you were wondering how the boys talk about Diaspro.

And honestly, I was sympathetic for Diaspro, she and Sky were engaged and then Sky started falling for Bloom and instead of working things out he did nothing and let both girls find out the truth by surprise in public and Bloom attacked Diaspro thinking she was Icy.  Diaspro was kinda more sinned against than sinning, at that point.  But the heartbreak apparently caused Diaspro to go over the edge and she started teaming up with villains, cast a love spell on Sky, and pushed a magicless Bloom into a fiery pit.  My annoyance at all things Diaspro isn’t really with her, it’s with everyone who acts like Diaspro is just an annoying ex instead of a dangerous criminal.

Things from Diaspro’s perspective would make a great fanfic.

But now we’re going to Lumenia to learn about the star case and the Winx’s second mission of the season!

The Winx arrive on their hoverboards, showing those off so kids will buy the toys, then we arrive at the palace.  They meet Argen, who recognizes them from his days as Obscurum but they don’t recognize him so he explains what happened to him.

Then, star case! It contains the essence of the wishing star.  Tecna remembers hearing about it from Miss F in a “cosmomagic lesson.”  It’s the most powerful star in the universe and it’s made out of “Sparx, a magical radiance that is the source of all fairy powers.  And witch magic!”  So, Dragonfire.  Which is why I shall keep spelling it Sparx.

So the girl in the comet was herself a star and to defend herself she “split herself into the seven prime stars.  But her essence remained inside this case.”  The Winx have to find the seven stars and put them all back, so the Wishing Star can pull herself together again.  But they need the star compass, which is in the case—but it won’t open.

Bloom has an idea: go inside the case!  Using our Enchantix powers!

The view pulls out to show our villains watching and I want them to say something about how the Winx are still using Enchantix like last time...

But no.  Valtor orders the Trix to find the compass first.

Enchantix!

And it’s… all right.  I can complain about the pink creep—aka everybody is wearing more pink than the first time around—but that’s about it. It’s not a terrible redesign, but not brilliant.  Musa’s translated best, I think, maybe just because her color is already pink so it’s not jarring like Aisha’s or Bloom’s.

The girls miniaturize and poof into the star box, which is like a miniworld of decorative gears.  They find a ballerina figure—the star case is a music box.  They find the star compass easily, and Tecna says “achievement unlocked!” again.  But then a cold wind starts to blow and a familiar laugh echoes...

“The Trix they’re back!”

“I hope you like this place, because you’re never leaving.”

Cliffhanger!

How did the Trix get miniaturized, hmm?

I have a suspicion that when a season of Winx is made, both halves are made at the same time by different sets of writers.  So things don’t completely match, like the Wishing Star being a person of the same sort as Dorana and Argen who are not stars.  Stars were lots of things, but they weren’t people until now.  I bet we’ve seen our last staryum, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Valtor uses a lot fewer portals.  I’m hoping we haven’t lost Orion because stolen design or not, I really like him.  And I prefer legit villain Valtor to the wimp who did nothing but pick on Obscurum for twelve episodes, so please keep him threatening to destroy the planet, ok?

#winx season 8 #winx club

[audreysjensens-blog]

bi-curious and the new girl {part I} - zombie hickeys and theater pranks

you’re new in a town that’s recently been wrecked by the piper shaw murders. when you go to the movies to ease your mind before the first day of school, you meet audrey jensen, and then both of you are the victims of the prank that took place at the beginning of season two. accidentally holding hands during the aforementioned livestreamed prank totally doesn’t mean anything, right?

set at the beginning of season two!

~~

“Jesus Christ, I’m never gonna get this off,” you say to yourself, patting at the ink mark on your collarbone. You’d left a pen in there during the movie, and now you were left with an increasingly mottled-looking stain that looked like a zombie hickey.

The Zenith Theater was closing soon, you knew, so getting the mark out became less urgent the second you saw your watch.

“Shit. Fuck. Shit,” you say, buttoning up your shirt and pulling your necklace over the top. You had miscalculated how long the bathroom excursion would take. The theater closed at 10. It was 10:05. The last thing you wanted to do was delay workers going home because of your mistake.

Shrugging your bomber jacket back on and turning off the sink, you push the door open and start to make your way back to the lobby, cursing yourself all the way for all of the weird looks you were certain to get for being in a theater late. It was a Sunday, after all, and you had just gone in to ease your nerves about starting at a new school the next day.

Your dad was out of the picture, so when your mom needed to relocate from Pennsylvania, you had to go with her. Especially since it was a promotion; she’d gotten assigned to head of surgery at Lakewood’s hospital.

Good thing, you thought to yourself. All this murder stuff, there’s got to be someone around to help-

You were so lost in your thoughts that in turning the corner, you slammed directly into one of the theater attendants, dropping your phone and your entire bag in the process. The girl, short, dark hair pushed to the side of her head, starting apologizing profusely, her broom and mop bucket pushed into the side wall.

“I am so, so sorry,“ you sputtered out, picking up all of your belongings and slipping them back into the leather bag. “I’m such a dumbass, I was in the bathroom, and… Sorry. Sorry,” you continued, looking up to find the girl staring at you.

Pretty, was your first thought. Like an idiot, your next word was-

“Audrey.”

The girl, already smiling out of sheer curiosity, handed your chapstick back to you.

“You know my name?” she says, standing back up as you slowly try to recover. Wow, your brain said, stupidly. She really is prettier than she was on the news. Then, the other side of your consciousness kicked in. Speak, dumbass!

“Uh.. Yeah. I just moved here. My mom’s working at GW General. Before I moved, I did some research on what was, you know, going on here. Saw you on the news. DIdn’t think I’d slam into you at your place of work, which, again, I’m super sorry about,” you said, tucking your hands into the pocket of your skirt.

“Nah, it’s cool,” she says, smiling still. “Surprised that after all that research you still decided to move here,” she says, pointing up at the banner that proudly declares Happy 100th Murderville!

She was funny, and nicer than you had expected someone working the graveyard shift on a Sunday to be. Not to mention pretty, but that was besides the point.

An awkward silence started between you two after you giggled at her joke, adding along a, “Well, I’m officially a Murderville citizen. Hopefully it stays that way.”

She was still looking at you, getting flustered by just talking to a cute girl that worked at a movie theater. You crossed your arms in front of your chest, and, grinning, looked at your feet. Extending your arm in front of you, you said, “I’m Y/N. If I see you again, hopefully it’s under less creepy-ass circumstances.”

She shook your hand thoughtfully, her rings a cold touch on your palm. “Hopefully I will see you again,” she said, tucking her uniform vest back in properly and confidently pushing a hand through her short, black tresses. “Maybe at school?”

“Yeah, maybe,” you said, trying to hide your already flushed cheeks. Holy fuck, she’s flirting with me, kept crossing your mind, and out of sheer fight or flight (and the desire to not say something that would make her see you as weird), you turned to leave. “I’m gonna head out,” you said, thumb flipping to the front door.

“Oh,” she says, looking mildly disappointed (or maybe that’s what the masochistic part of your brain wanted to see). “Front door needs a key.”

“Oh. Got it. I hate getting cucked by locked doors.”

She snorts, turning back to the snack bar, hands lightly skimming the surface of the table. A confused look crosses her face, then immediately replaced by a look of somewhat curiosity. “A key, which I can’t find? I’m always misplacing my stuff, sorry. I can walk you out the back?” she says, turning towards the theater’s entrance.

“Sure,” you say, exchanging a small-smiled glance before she steps in front of you, leading the way into the theater you were in about fifteen minutes before.

A few steps down into the aisle, Audrey speaks again, and you desperately try to push down any embarrassing feelings or thoughts out of your head.

“Ugh, it’s gonna be a bitch to clean up in here,” she says, eyeing a spilled popcorn bucket in the corner of the room. “You’d think on Sundays people would be more careful.”

You glanced at your watch, thinking about your 11:30 curfew.

“You know, I could stay and help you clean,” you say, shrugging your bag higher on your shoulder as you pass the screen. “I don’t have to be home for a while. Plus, it’ll take my mind off the first day tomorrow. And if I go home now, I’m just going to be watching Arrested Development til three a.m.”

Audrey broke out in a timid grin, turning to you, which you returned. “It’s…. It’s really nice that you’d offer, but-“

Suddenly the lights in the theater blinked out, bathing you and Audrey in complete darkness except for the small lights in the booth. You were scared for a second, shifting awkwardly while Audrey yelled for whoever was messing around to “Cut it out!”

Almost instantly, the refreshments commercial started to play on the screen, the echoing jingle sending shivers down your spine. Audrey looked shaken too, turning to you.

“Were you here with anyone?” she whispers, looking around for whoever could be doing this. “If they’re pulling a prank or something-“

“I was here by myself, I swear,” you say, putting your hand on your heart. Audrey looks reproachful, but seems to believe you the more you elaborate. “I just got nervous with the first day tomorrow. I thought maybe seeing some old movies would take my mind off of it.”

“Okay,” she says, turning to you again. “We’re going to have to get out of here-“

The second she speaks, her vision lines up with something on the top rafter of the balcony. You match her line of sight to find a cloak-adorned body and that Brandon James mask. Oh, my God, you keep thinking. I’m gonna die in here. What the fuck! I’m gonna die in here-

“Come with me!” Audrey yells, grabbing your hand and sprinting with you back into the lobby. If it wasn’t such a tense situation you’d have butterflies, but right now gigantic moths were taking over your stomach. You reached in your bag and brought out a taser while Audrey ransacked the snack bar looking for her keys, panicking all the while.

“Shit! They’re not here!” she yells, just as the killer emerges from the doors, keys in hand and camcorder strapped on. Fuck.

Acting on instinct, you throw a bucket at his head and sprint down the hallway, Audrey’s hand still in yours. She knocks down boxes laying near the bathrooms, buying the two of you more time as you burst into the entranceway.

“Noah!” Audrey yells, seeing a gaping blond boy standing in the doorway, screaming. “Call the cops, now!”

There’s another killer standing there, not to count the one behind you. Out of sheer panic, your hands sweating and legs quaking, you step in front of Audrey and face them both.

Taser brandished, you point it at the knife-wielders and take a menacing step forward. “Come any closer and I’ll shoot.”

The killer on the left starts to close in, you and Audrey backing up behind the counter. “Duck!” she yells, and you’re down in an instant, watching Audrey blast one of the masks away with a fire extinguisher.

The second she’s done, you grab it and shatter the glass on a display case with it, grabbing a screwdriver and handing it to Audrey.

“NOW!” you yell, while she stabs the other in the stomach.

He goes down, sirens blaring as you and Audrey stand horrified against the display cases. “She stabbed me,” you hear muffled, as one of the killers removes their mask, revealing a sweaty boy’s face. “She stabbed me!”

The other mask comes off to reveal a girl’s face, mouth agape in horror. “What?! Why the hell would you do that?!” she yells at Audrey. “It was a prank!”

“What?!” Audrey says, looking downright furious.

“A prank!” the girl says, showing how her knife was fake. “A prank!”

“Fuck you! That’s not a good prank, Jesus Christ!” you spit, stepping into the girl’s space. “You’re lucky you’re not dead right now. Try some shit like this again and I promise you will be,” you growl, taking a step back and watching the girl glare at you with dismay.

Immediately, the doors are kicked open and police rush into the lobby, pulling the masked girl and boy away. Relief enters your mind, and you collapse against the side banister, not even noticing until you do that you and Audrey’s hands are still connected.

You pull your hand away as if electrocuted, panicking. “Sorry, sorry, I-“

“Don’t worry about it,” Audrey says, looking right at you with an odd expression on her face. You couldn’t really pin down what it said.

“Oh my God!” says who must’ve been Noah, pushing past the police and to you and Audrey, engulfing his best friend in a massive hug. “I thought for sure you were a goner, and, uh,” he looks up at you, nervously smiling. “You too.”

Audrey looks between the two of you, slowly making introductions. “Noah, this is Y/N. She’s new in Lakewood, and looks like those kids really wanted to welcome her. And me by proxy, I guess. But I wasn’t expecting such a badass in my midst. You really told that girl,” she says, lightly laughing and stroking her arm.

You let out a small, nervous giggle, exchanging another look with Audrey.

“Yeah, I don’t really know where the whole Jason Bourne act came from, so… I’m going to give my statement and then head home,” you say, turning to leave. “Unless you want to walk me out the back again?”

Audrey laughs and leans back against her hands, grinning at her shoes. “Oh, you wish.”

Leaving to go, you and Audrey only had one thought on your mind. And that was how long before you’d see each other again.

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