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#I am so slow we scored two goals while I made these
zetterbabe · 2 months
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he's back (02.27.24)
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respitelocklyre · 6 months
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I made the cheer squad!!! I have a lil more to say but that's the important bit- updates under the cut like always ✨
Cheer tryouts were waaay different than i expected!! I kind of thought it'd be a big ordeal but it was just me and one other freshman who tried out, so we were obvs accepted lol Not that we wouldn't have made it in anyways since we both looked fucking great!! Especially considering I haven't even done any of those moves since last fall. The squad is pretty small and i don't think they do competitive stuff but that's fine, we never did in high school either. I'm more interested in getting to know the rest of the silkball team we'll be cheering on, if the try-outs were any indication of what's to come 🤭 There's this cute owl-guy I might have my eye on- i think he works at the tavern too!!
Oh yeah, i also got the work-study at the tavern! I figure i'll just quit if i don't like it lol but anyways come say hi if ur on campus- i promise you'll recognize me on sight. I'm pretty easy to spot hehe
Oh oh oh and congrats to Mire for getting on the team too!! and for scoring some points with their crush (they can thank me later~). I wonder if they're gonna be able to play well while being cheered on lmaaooo
Classes have been fine, but tbh i haven't rlly been able to pay attention to them since i've been busy partying, meeting new people, and adjusting to life on campus! It's kinda overwhelming, my contacts have like doubled since i got here. And everything is like...way different, yknow? Obvs I didn't think it'd be the SAME as high school, but the vibes are soooo different is all. idk what to make of it all yet but i know that im LOVING being away from home and enjoying my freedom so far <3 Cathy told me the first month or so would probably be rlly hard but idk what she was talking abt bc no one grounds me for waking them up when i get home at 2 am and not even the raven queen can stop me from eating icecream for dinner now.
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In reality, this party was kind of lame, even as Respite typed otherwise to his friends— they'd opted to ditch him for a studying session, so he sure as hell wasn't going to let on that the party was anything but lit. They had a feeling most of them probably wouldn't care, but Willow might feel a touch regretful, so the lie was worth it.
After sending the message to the group chat and briefly checking tinder for any new DMs or matches— maybe he could escape this place and turn the night around— to no avail, they pocketed their phone. How annoying. They rolled their eyes and leaned against the wall, taking a slow sip at the drink they’d been nursing for the past hour. Respite wasn’t really a fan of drinking on the best of nights and all they had to offer here was shitty beer. After a moment of pouting and observing the dimly lit room, they turned and parted the dusty, moth-eaten curtain to look out the window again.
If anyone had noticed the way Respite kept flitting out to the porch or the front window, no one said anything. They did try to keep it discreet, at least, and simply worked it into the way they naturally made the rounds every now and then to talk to different people or get another drink. He liked to move around a lot at parties anyways to make sure that he saw everyone's faces and said hi to them all.
On the opposite side of the spectrum was Mettie, who, shortly after arriving and greeting a few people, had taken an edible or something and parked himself outside on the porch. From there, he seemed to be spending most of his time at the party smoking with other people who needed some fresh air and enrapturing (ensnaring?) them with his long-winded conversation. Respite wasn't sure if this had been his goal when agreeing to come to the party, but it had been the result.
It dawned on Respite slowly that they hadn't really seen Mettie at a party like this before. Well, okay— they'd seen Mettie at one or two big house parties in passing, but they'd never actually spent much time watching him. He’d been the dealer for about 75% of their high school (it was a devastating loss to the community when he’d done his year abroad), so it was hard not to run into him from time to time at parties. But in high school, he was mostly regarded as weird and off-putting. People got what they wanted from him and were generally polite, but it wasn't like he was always invited to stick around. And when he was, it did usually end up like this— he'd put himself in a less populated corner somewhere and make puzzling conversation with those willing to listen.
In their hometown, it had felt like everyone else tolerated it because Mettie was a valuable resource. They knew his penchant for rambling, though, and tried not to engage— Respite himself included.
They couldn't place the feeling as they watched Mettie from the window now, with a handful of people gathered around him, held captive by the way he spoke. These people weren't just being polite, either. They were listening— sometimes even smiling and laughing with him. Sure, they were probably stoned too, but that hardly mattered. It's not like this was the first time it had happened since he’d learned Mettie was also attending Strixhaven. At their cafe shift, during orientation, and at the career fair...things were clearly different here.
A couple of years ago, Respite never would've invited Mettie to a house party with him. It would've been social suicide— he knows; he'd thought about it once early on and didn't even get far enough to invite Mettie before the ridicule started up— and though it had taken a lot to fight against their instinct, they needed to test their theory: Did people here actually like Mettie's company? This party seemed to confirm it for the positive.
In Respite's mind, the jury was still out on whether or not Mettie was cool, but at the very least it seemed like no one was going to corner him in the bathroom and interrogate him about why they saw him talking to the freak who looked like he was one bad day away from shooting up the school (untrue, of course, and tasteless in a way only teenagers could be, but Respite had forced out a laugh at the time).
There was a feeling of relief in that. In knowing that neither of them would be under constant scrutiny from peers and adults alike. Being unknown was freeing in some ways.
But there was a dread in it, too. In losing the structure Respite had spent years delicately building the pieces of their identity around.
A memory from when they were kids came to mind unbidden, of the time Respite had accidentally knocked over one of Mettie's earliest sculptures. It had been unsteady and the base made of air-dry clay toppled easily when Respite bumped the dresser in a fit of energetic excitement, sending it crashing to the ground. The roughly attached bits and bobs came loose and scattered across Mettie's bedroom floor, transitioning from art to disjointed pieces without purpose or clarity in an instant.
For what it was worth, Mettie had taken it in stride even as Respite desperately crawled under his bed with a flashlight to gather everything, apologizing and promising to help him glue it back together. After staying quiet for some time, he'd declared it an act of fate that only added to the piece and gave it new meaning. Respite didn't understand, but they'd been so terrified of being yelled at that they nodded in agreement even as their cheeks were pink from crying. They still attempted to fit some of the pieces back together until Mettie insisted they just put it in an empty shoe box so that he could make something new of it. To this day, Respite had no idea if Mettie had ever fixed it, restructured it, or simply left it as a memorial in his closet.
They wrinkled their nose up at the unwarranted assault of a flashback. Clearly they'd been hanging around Mettie too much already if their thoughts were starting to get this metaphorical. He downed the last of his warm beer, hoping the bile on his tongue would force him to refocus on the party.
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Guy Ritchie's The Covenant -Explained
It has been a while since my husband and I have had a night in to watch a movie together, so I decided to pick out the film for us to watch today; the title of the film is "Guy Ritchie's The Covenant."
The Covenant tells a story that unravels an incredible tale of survival, sacrifice, and redemption. It is a story about the strong bonds and deals made through blood, which can be described as a male melodrama.
The setting of the movie takes place in Afghanistan, where the United States is stationed, amidst the conflict with the Taliban. Rather than exploring the distinctions between who is right and who is wrong, military and political tactics, the director, Richie, emphasized the human morality during times of war. The film speaks to the immense sacrifice and the enduring pain that result from the war. The initial hour of this movie was an excellent war-action film, giving an immersive view of the dangers hanging over all involved. During the opening scene, John Kinley (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) and his team, who specialize in recovering explosives or weapons of mass destruction, are conducting roadside checks. During an attempt to get an Afghan truck driver to open his payload, the translator and two other soldiers were killed when a bomb was detonated. At this point, Ahmed (played by Dar Salim) makes his entrance and takes the vacant role. At first, it crossed my mind that Ahmed's motivation for accepting this job was purely financial gain and the opportunity to obtain a visa to the United States. But then, I came to realization that Ahmed shared the same goal as John Kinley in destroying the Taliban, as his son had been murdered by the group. The most crucial part of the movie is the last hour, which showcases two rescue missions carried out by Ahmed and John. This section of the film showcases superb cinematography, a spot-on score, and an exceptional music (I humbly pay respect to Christopher Benstead for his creation of Score - a magnificent and exquisite musical composition). The casting is also stellar, with outstanding performances by everyone, especially Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim. John's team was attacked by the Taliban, resulting in the deaths of almost all members except for John and Ahmed. John was severely injured and unable to walk or remain conscious. Despite the fact that it would have been easier for Ahmed to flee alone, he chose to stay with John. Ahmed made the decision to remain and carried John all the way back to the US troop. He had to avoid taking the trail or a car since it would be too conspicuous, and the Taliban could easily trace their whereabouts. Ahmed had no other option but to place John on a wooden trailer and pull it along a rough road, with only the bare essentials of food and drink. Ahmed did not abandon John even though they were in a dangerous situation and were being threatened by the Taliban. He made a commitment to John, saying "We are going home." My initial impression of The Covenant was that it was just a film about American exceptionalism; yet, with further inspection, I realized that it was much more than that. In spite of the chaos of war, Ahmed stood by John's side, refusing to abandon him in his time of need. However, despite his contributions and heroic actions in saving John's life, Ahmed found himself without any assistance from the U.S Army, he has become the top of the Taliban's list of targets, causing his family to run away in order to avoid danger. Upon Kinley's return to the US, he is unable to recall anyone or anything from his in Afghanistan except for a few fleeting memories and the recollection of Ahmed reassuring him, "We are going home." He began to experience feverish dreams that were chaotic and disorienting. The images were captured from unusual angles and the frames were alternately sped up and slowed down, creating a chaotic and overwhelming sensory experience.   “You think he blessed you. Well, he cursed me. I am the man who gets no rest.” - John Kinley This is the moment when John conversed with his wife. He does not believe that his survival is a result of God's blessings. He believes that he is under God's curse for abandoning the person who rescued him. Kinley gradually had a vague recollection of his experiences while suffering an injury. He can now recall how Ahmed put his own life in danger to rescue his. Then, in an effort to return his debt of gratitude, Kinley then started to make numerous attempts to obtain visas for Ahmed and his family in order to repay his debt of gratitude. But despite many phone calls from Kinley, the document and procedure were like pain in the ass. This shows how apathetic the system is toward Afghan translators. “I'm lying in this bed. I kiss my children before they go to school. And he's hiding in a hole somewhere. A hole he can never get out. The hole we put him in. And that wasn't the deal. The deal that we offered his family sanctuary. Then we tied a noose around his neck, and kicked the stool out from under him. I should be in this hole.” - John Kinley This situation is unjust and morally wrong. I have been thinking about the title of the movie, "The Covenant". What is the reason for the covenant? "The Covenant", which may also be translated as "the commitment" or "the promise." This commitment might be considered the unspoken connection that exists between Ahmed and Kinley. And for me, the word "commitment" holds great weight. It signifies more than just a written agreement signed with ink on paper; it represents a promise and an agreement that is sealed with blood. Ahmed fulfilled his obligation to this commitment; he made all effort possible and put his life in danger to save Kinley. But once he was saved, Kinley took a plane back to his house in the middle of the war, and Ahmed was left to face the consequences of the heroic deed he had performed by saving Kinley's life.  “That is not how this debt works. It demands a result, not an appeasement.” - John Kinley So, it is now Kinley's responsibility to save Ahmed and the rest of his family. Kinley makes his way back to Afghanistan with his wife providing moral support. He must fulfill his obligation under the covenant he signed with Ahmed, not through appeasement, but by returning and fulfilling his part of the covenant. “30 August 2021, the U.S Armed Force completed their departure from Afghanistan, marking the end of the 20-year long campaign. One month later, the Taliban seized back complete control. More than 300 interpreters and their families have been murdered for collaborating with the U.S military. Thousands more are still in hiding.” - Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant Through the narrative of Ahmed and Kinley, Ritchie describes a world in which the United States of America promises one thing, only to use up its ally and then cast them aside when they are no longer of any use to the United States. It's a tale that began unfolding around two years ago, when the United States withdrew its forces from Afghanistan, leaving behind a large number of collaborators who were at the mercy of the Taliban. In the bigger picture of director Ritchie, Kinley symbolizes the United States, Ahmed represents Afghanistan. Afghanistan fulfilled its obligations under the covenant, but in exchange it has gotten nothing but desertion from the United States. Did the war in Afghanistan come to an end when Kinley returned to the United States from Afghanistan? No, it has never stopped. Have people in Afghanistan like Ahmed, who collaborated with the U.S. army, been able to return to a peaceful and normal life? No, they have never had the opportunity.  “That is not how this debt works. It demands a result, not an appeasement.” - John Kinley For me, the movie serves as an emotional tribute to the selfless acts of Afghan interpreters and their family, emphasizing the significance of fulfilling the commitments made to them by the United States government. The film also effectively portrays the harsh reality of war, highlighting the brutality that both sides endure. There are no clear winners in such conflicts. And I personally believe that there is a hidden message conveyed throughout the film. If you noticed well, Afghans and even Taliban soldiers use an Arabic saying to greet each other. "As-Salaam-Alaikum". This is a common Islamic greeting that translates to “Peace be with you brother”. Peace. Peace. Peace. Throughout a movie about war, this greeting is frequently repeated that conveys the collective hope for peace and happiness among individuals of diverse races, countries, and religions.
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f1 · 10 months
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Bottas encourages Alfa Romeo to continue to take 'steps forward' after well 'executed' P10 finish in Canada
Valtteri Bottas was “pleased” to finish 10th in Canada this past weekend, as he lauded the “progress” made by Alfa Romeo in recent races – although his team mate Zhou Guanyu was left bemused by the team’s strategy that left him 16th. Starting in 14th, on the hard tyre, Bottas made a slow start which saw him drop down to 16th. However, he moved up into the top-10 after opting not to pit under the Safety Car, while the drivers ahead of him made their first stops. POWER RANKINGS: One driver scores a perfect 10 as the judges scores come in from the Canadian GP The Finn was running in P8 when he was called in for his first – and only – stop of the afternoon. He later found his way back up to ninth, but lost places to Lando Norris and Lance Stroll across the line – although he moved back up to 10th after Norris, who had a five-second penalty anyway, ran wide at the final chicane on the last lap. Reflecting on his performance, Bottas said: “I am pleased with our race today. I made up four positions during the race, and it’s always a good day when that happens, especially when you get a top ten finish, which had been our main goal all weekend long. “It could have been P9, but my tyres began to wear out towards the end of the race, and Lance got me on the finish line. Still, I think it is safe to say we executed a solid race today, and a good strategy as well.” This feature is currently not available because you need to provide consent to functional cookies. Please update your cookie preferences 2023 Canadian Grand Prix: Norris and Ocon, and Stroll and Bottas battle to the finish line This was Bottas’ first top-10 finish since the season-opener in Bahrain in March, and while the Finn was full of praise for the continuous improvements Alfa Romeo have made, he knows there is still more work to do. “Since Monaco, we have been making decent progress, and it’s proof of all the hard work put in by the team back home in Hinwil,” said Bottas. “Even though we are bringing home only one point, it’s a reward and a motivation boost to keep hunting for more. HINCH'S HEROES: Who made Hinch's list after a fascinating weekend of racing in Canada? “Now, it will be important to keep working in this direction and focus on improving our Saturday performance. There are still some steps forward to make, and I am confident we can achieve this all together.” Zhou, however, was not as happy as his team mate, believing that Alfa Romeo had squandered an opportunity to get both cars in the points. Despite starting the race down in 20th, he felt they could have done better than P16. This feature is currently not available because you need to provide consent to functional cookies. Please update your cookie preferences ‘The chance was there for us and we gave it away’ – Zhou reckons points were there for the taking in Canada “No absolutely not,” said Zhou, when asked if 16th was the best he could do in Montreal. “To be honest after the first pit window, which was really good with the Safety Car, we were just two positions behind Alex. And I think the guys around me still had to do an actual pit stop with their tyres. READ MORE: Max Verstappen’s Canadian GP race win suit to be auctioned for Wings for Life on F1 Authentics along with exclusive Meet & Greet “Then, I don’t know why we decided to box again, and then the pit stop was very slow, and the race was over there. Quite frustrating that, even though it is difficult starting at the back, the chance was there for us and we handed it away.” He added: “It was a good set. The tyre was fine. I wasn’t over pushing. Everything was in the window. The box decision came from the team so I went for it, but clearly it was completely the wrong choice.” via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com
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fruitcoops · 3 years
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Hi!
It's the anon of the Remus knockout fic. Could you write a mirror fic?
Yep! For anyone who is curious: a mirror fic is when you take the premise of one fic, then translate it to a different character with minor alterations. This one has the same theme as Knockout, where Sirius was knocked unconscious after a bad hit. This is also the first half-and-half commentary fic I’ve ever written!
SW credit goes to @lumosinlove!
TW for injury, minor blood, fighting, and unconsciousness
“Lee, are you seeing this?” Frank asked, excitement building in his voice.
“I am, Frank! There’s a melee on the ice—it looks like the Lions and Snakes have finally let their cork pop after that dirty check on Lions captain Sirius Black! Oh, what a hit on Malfoy by O’Hara! That’ll leave a mark,” Lee laughed. Several whistles blew, loud and shrill over the roaring fans. “Let’s get a playba—wait. Hang on a second, Frank, is that—?”
“There’s a player down,” Frank confirmed, sobering immediately. “Lee, I think that’s Lupin, but he’s not moving.”
“Black is waving medics over and it looks like the Lions have put their fists away for the moment. Snape tries to start something again, but—oh, shut down by the refs. Right to the bench for him.” They fell quiet as another person hurried onto the ice. “That’s Hestia Jones, Gryffindor’s newest addition to the training team. Lupin always speaks highly of her, so he should be in good hands.”
Noise rippled over the stadium after a period of suspended silence. “Is he moving? He is! Lupin’s conscious again, and nobody is calling for a stretcher, which is a great sign.” Frank paused for a moment as Hestia and Sirius helped pull him upright. “And Lupin’s heading toward the locker room with about half the team on his heels, mostly under his own power.”
“I think we can all breathe a sigh of relief after that,” Lee said. “I don’t know about you, but I never like seeing fights go bad. How do you think it happened?”
“Let’s take a look.” The jumbotron picked up just after number 8 on the Snakes collided with Sirius in a late hit, nearly knocking his helmet clean off; in mere seconds, the two teams were on each other in a pack of fury. Remus went after number 8, one of the enforcers—they tussled for a moment before a hard hit from his opponent knocked him flat on the ice.
“Lupin’s fiery, but he was well out of his weight class there,” Lee said, shaking his head. “It seems like no permanent damage was done, though. We’ve got enough Lions and Snakes in the boxes that both teams are going to their second strings, Frank! Back to you!”
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Sirius’ heart pounded in his ears as they headed off the ice, moving as slow as possible to avoid damaging Remus on the off-chance something serious had happened. Hestia’s arm was a steel bar around his lower back; Talker, James, and Leo flanked them until they reached the boards, and each of the Lions put a gentle hand on Remus’ back when he passed them.
“I’m alright,” Remus said as they stepped into the tunnel, his head drooping forward. “ ‘m okay.”
“Can you help him get his pads off?” Hestia asked quietly, finally making eye contact with Sirius while they helped him sit on the PT table.
He nodded and gently guided Remus’ hands away from the straps and buckles, undoing them from muscle memory as he kept a careful eye out for anything they may have missed. Remus half-smiled, though more pain had overtaken the dizziness. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” Sirius winced at his voice crack, but removed the heavy pads without missing a beat. “How’re you feeling?”
Remus shrugged one shoulder. “Hurts. Nothing out of the ordinary, though. Can you call my mom?”
“They’ll be here soon, I bet.”
“Did you see them?”
“Earlier, yeah. They’ve got seats in the middle.”
Hestia tapped Sirius’ hip and he reluctantly moved aside to let her run through the concussion protocol, though he didn’t let go of Remus’ hand and grabbed a nearby paper towel to clean up some of the blood on his lip. “You look good to me,” Hestia said after a few minutes. “A little banged up, but nothing scary. Get some rest and water, and you’ll be good as new.”
The paper covering the table crinkled as Sirius sat down, rubbing small circles on Remus’ lower  back. “Do you want to stay here or head back to the bench?”
He made a face. “Stay here, I think. I’m kind of wobbly.”
“I’ll grab your water and be right back, okay?”
Remus nuzzled Sirius’ collarbone with a sigh, then kissed his cheek. “Thanks, hon.”
As soon as Sirius was out of the PT room, he leaned against the wall and blew out a shaky breath, running both hands through his hair. He had been too preoccupied with recovering from the late hit and shoving Snape to stop Remus from engaging with the Snakes’ enforcer; all he could do was watch as they traded one, two, three hits before Remus dropped. Dropped like a stone, and took Sirius’ heart with him.
Nobody else noticed at firs—both teams were a brawling wreck at that point, and for all of his hard work Remus was still one of the smaller guys out there. It was a miracle Hestia had even heard him calling for a medic as he gripped Remus’ hand and fumbled through hoarse pleas for him to open his eyes. He had been so pale when Sirius pulled his helmet off, save for the blossoming reddish-purple mark across one side of his face.
Hestia had let him stay while she worked, speaking clipped and clear by the side of Remus’ head until he mumbled “hear you” and “hurts”. It took another half-minute before he looked at them, and a dozen lifetimes before his breathing went back to normal under Sirius’ palm.
He’s okay, he told himself for the umpteenth time. He’s okay. He’s awake. Hestia’s got him.
Sirius walked to the bench in a daze, hardly glancing at the game while he collected their waterbottles and braced himself on the back of a chair for a moment. “How is he?” Arthur asked, worry lacing his tone.
“He’s okay. Bruised and dizzy, no concussion.”
“Deep breaths, Cap. Deep breaths.” Sirius inhaled slowly, then exhaled with a shiver. Arthur gave his shoulder a light squeeze. “There you go. Everything’s alright.”
“That was fucking terrifying.”
“Sit down for a second, yeah?”
Sirius shook his head. “Gotta get him some water. Christ. Okay, I’m okay. Don’t know if you want me back out—”
“No,” Arthur said firmly. “We’re ahead, and your boys don’t look like they’re going to let the Snakes take it back.”
“Thank you.” Sirius pressed his lips together as the delayed fear rocking through him began to abate.
“Go on, son. I’ll update the others if they ask.”
He scrubbed a hand over his face before heading back down the hall with both waterbottles, trying to calm his racing heart to the sounds of quiet voices coming from the PT room.
“Sirius!”
“Hey, buddy.” Sirius bent down to catch Jules in a hug and felt tears prickle back up in his throat as his ribs were nearly crushed beneath skinny arms. The second he straightened, Hope and Lyall pulled him close in a flutter of worry.
“Is he still awake?” Lyall asked.
“Hestia’s got him,” Sirius confirmed, running a steady hand through Jules’ hair. “He’s up and talking, no concussion. I was just getting him some water.”
Hope looked like she was on the verge of tears, but she nodded. “Thank you. Can we see him?”
“Yeah, sure thing.” Sirius lifted Jules onto his hip—the kid wasn’t letting go of him anytime soon—and led them down the hall, then knocked before pushing the door open the rest of the way.
Almost immediately, Remus was mobbed by both his parents. “I’m fine,” Remus assured them as Hope inspected the bruise on the side of his face. “I should know better than to start fights with—”
“You didn’t start it,” Lyall interrupted. “That was a late hit and the refs should’ve called it before things went that far.”
“Oh, lovey,” Hope murmured, cupping his face in her palms. “We are so happy for you, and we one hundred percent support you, but please think before you punch people twice your size.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Remus laughed as she kissed his forehead. “Where’s Jules?”
“Here.” Jules wiggled free of Sirius’ arms and crept over, then clambered up onto the table and tucked himself against Remus’ ribs with a sniffle. “Don’t do that anymore.”
“You got it,” he promised; Sirius lingered on the outside of their group hug before Remus reached out and dragged him into his other side. “Family hugs include you now, remember?”
“I need all my boys in one spot,” Hope added, giving him a light jostle.
“You guys are welcome to stay as long as you like,” Hestia said from the doorway as she propped it open. “Cap, Loops, coach might want to see you after the game.”
“How much time do we have?” Sirius asked without extracting himself from the net of affection.
“Eh, maybe five minutes? We’ve scored two goals in the past ten, so I don’t think it’ll drag on too much longer.”
“Sirius, how are you feeling? That hit looked pretty hard.” Hope gave him a concerned look, as if she was expecting him to also drop unconscious.
“I might be a little bruised in the morning, but I’m fine,” he said.
Lyall narrowed his eyes, then nodded. “Good. We need you.”
“I won’t be in for the rest of the—”
“We need you here,” he clarified, patting Sirius’ back. “Right here.”
Remus caught his eye and smiled softly; Sirius swallowed around the lump in his throat and relaxed into the hug, resting his temple against the top of Remus’ head. He was okay. They both were. They all were.
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dirtykpopsnaps · 3 years
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Tiny and Feisty - Johnny Suh smut
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Warnings: This fic contains 18+ material. Anyone under 18 seen interacting with this fic will be blocked!
Contains: tiny!reader. feisty!reader. bulge kink. size kink.
Requested: yes
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Words: 2, 367
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I stare in the mirror, taking in the sight of my slightly baggy t-shirt and ripped jeans. My hair is thrown up in a ponytail and it’s all over the place, but there’s not much I can do about that. I nod once at myself and head out of the bathroom, into the living room of the dorm. Several of the boys are all gathered in the living room, waiting for me to get back. Doyoung and Jaehyun are having a comfortable conversation, Taeyong throwing in comments here and there. From the kitchen, I hear my boyfriend, Johnny, clattering around. “You guys ready to go?” I ask. They all look up at me and Johnny pokes his head out of the kitchen.
“Just grabbing some waters,” he states.
In the living room, the other three boys get off the couches and stand by the door. Johnny comes back a moment later with five waters and hands one to me, throwing his arm over my shoulder. In his other hand, he’s holding a leather football (American). Earlier, we all decided that it would be nice to get out of the house and go for a walk to the nearby park. It’s not usually too crowded where the dorm is, so we’re hoping not to get mobbed. I move Johnny’s hand off of my shoulder and take his hand in mine, instead, entwining our fingers. Doyoung makes a gagging noise and I glare at him, smacking his shoulder. Jaehyun and Taeyong both laugh heartily.
Together, the five of us make our way down the flight of stairs and out onto the street. As predicted, not too many people are out and those who do just ignore us mostly. There are a few stares here and there, but we aren’t asked for any autographs. The walk to the park is fairly uneventful. We’re all just walking along, trying to bring as little attention to ourselves as possible. Obviously, a few eyes are drawn to us since there are so many of us, but we’re mostly able to go unnoticed.
At the park, it’s pretty quiet. There are a couple families scattered here and there, some people ride their bikes along the patches. However, the large field is open and almost completely barren. Johnny looks around at his friends, smiling. “Anyone wanna play football?” He asks, holding up the football in his hands. I look up at him happily and nod.
“Yeah, football would be fun!” I say excitedly. Johnny’s eyes drift down to mine and he has a look on his face that I can’t quite decipher.
“Uh...Y/N...are you sure you wanna play? You’re kinda...” he trails off. However, I know what he was going to say. I cross my arms over my chest and narrow my eyes at him.
“Suh Young-ho, are you actually saying that I can’t play football with you guys because I’m *short*?!” I ask heatedly. Johnny stares at me with wide eyes, looking around at his friends for help. He knows that I only call him by his Korean name when I’m very upset.
In our group, Jaehyun cringes lightly at my tone. “John...it might be best to just let her play,” he advises softly.
“Ah, o-okay, yeah, sure. You can play with us, Y/N,” he laughs awkwardly, trying to brush off what he just said. I roll my eyes, taking the ball out of his hand and heading over to the open field. Johnny and the others follow soon after. Taeyong looks around the group, furrowing his eyebrows.
“How are we going to play? There’s an odd number,” he comments. Just as Johnny is about to say something, Jaehyun backs out.
“I don’t mind watching for a little bit,” he shrugs. Johnny’s eyes flit over to me and I smile sarcastically at him. I know that he was going to suggest I sit out.
“How about we do teams? Taeyong and Johnny versus Doyoung and I?” I suggest.
Instantly, Johnny gives me an betrayed look. Just by those team suggestions he can tell how frustrated I am. “Y/N, I—,” he starts, but I hold up my hand.
“Young-ho, I suggest you shut up before I get more upset,” I say sharply. Johnny snaps his mouth shut, walking a little ways off into the field with Taeyong. Doyoung and I talk a little bit about tactics before we walk back over to Johnny and Taeyong.
“Okay...those trees at the end there, and the edge of the picnic area are the two goals,” Taeyong says, pointing in either direction. I nod my head softly and cradle the ball in my arms.
After a few moment of talking, we set up to start the game. Doyoung and I start with the ball, and Doyoung is directly behind me. “Hut hut!” I call, throwing the ball through my legs and back to Doyoung. For the most part, the game goes pretty well. Everyone is working pretty well together and, after about half an hour, the score is 2-3, Doyoung and I. At around the 45 minute mark, something happens that makes me leave the game. Doyoung had just thrown the ball to me and I was running down the field toward our goal. Taeyong was right in front of me and I was about to swerve when he accidentally tripped and fell on top of me.
Instantly, I’m crushed to the ground, the ball still in my arms. “Y/N!” I hear Johnny shout. Taeyong is pulled off of me and I see Johnny kneeling next to me. “Are you alright?” He asks, giving me a very worried look. I sit up from the ground, groaning at the aching all over my body.
“Yeah, I’m fine, John,” I say plainly.
“Are you sure?” He asks, helping me stand up and then checking me all over as if looking for any injuries. I furrow my eyebrow and push him away a little.
“Yes, Johnny, I’m fine,” I say, firmer this time. Johnny finally stands to his full height and turns on Taeyong, glaring at him.
“Taeyong, you need to be more careful!”
“I didn’t do it on purpose!” He says, holding up his hands in defense. Johnny sighs, wiping his hand over his face.
“I know you didn’t, Tae, but she’s so—,” Johnny stops mid-sentence, his gaze flirting over to me. I narrow my eyes at him, crossing my arms.
“I’m. So. What?” I ask, gritting my teeth.
“You’re so...so...so...” Johnny stumbles for words, trying to think of what to say.
“So. Tiny,” I fill in.
Johnny tries to correct me, but finally sighs and hangs his head, nodding. I groan again and stomp my foot on the ground. “God fucking dammit, Young-ho! Just because I’m small doesn’t mean I need to be protected!” I exclaim. He starts to say something, but I just drop the ball on the ground and walk off.
“Jaehyun, fill in for me. I don’t feel like playing anymore,” I say coldly. Jaehyun jumps off the ground, obviously trying to avoid my wrath.
Taking deep breaths to try and calm myself, I walk over to the swing set and sit down. For a while, I sit and swing, keeping an eye on the game from afar. I slowly allow myself to calm down as I swing. After a while, someone comes up to the swing set. I slow down and look up at them. Standing at the edge of the swing set, his head hanging low, is Johnny. I sigh softly and stand up, walking over to him. Calmly, I cup his face in my hands and look up at him. “It’s okay, Johnny. I know you just want to protect me,” I say softly. He leans into my touch, sighing quietly.
“Let’s go home, okay?” He asks, looking up again. I nod my head, taking his hand in mine and entwining our fingers. Johnny smiles softly and we make our way over to the group.
On the walk back, everything is completely silent. The boys know that I’m not upset anymore (I made sure of that), but we don’t have much to talk about and none of us mind the silence. Heading back into the dorm, everyone breaks off to do their own things. Johnny leads me back to his bedroom and closes the door behind us. As soon as the door closes, Johnny stands close to me and kneels down, pressing his ear against my stomach. I giggle lightly, pulling my fingers through his hair. He looks up at me with wide, brown eyes. “Can I make it up to you?” He asks. I nod my head lightly, smiling down at him.
“As you long as you don’t treat me like I’ll completely break, we can absolutely have some makeup sex,” I giggle.
Looking up at me, Johnny shakes his head and stands up to his full height. “‘Like you won’t break’? Let’s be honest. The first time we were together, I nearly split you in two,” he says. I laugh loudly and hug him tightly.
“Not my fault my boyfriend is a 6 foot skyscraper,” I point out. Johnny shrugs it off, smiling proudly at his comment. Slowly, he leans down and connects our lips, resting his hands on my waist. I sigh into the kiss, leaning up on my tiptoes to kiss him properly.
After a few seconds we pull away and I pull my shirt over my head, throwing it across the room. Johnny stares down at me, my breasts almost completely bare to him. He leans down and unhooks my bra with ease. I let it fall off my arms and down to the floor. He sighs happily, reaching out and taking my boobs into his large hands. He rubs his thumb over my nipples and I sigh contentedly, leaning into his touch. Seconds later, his touch leaves my breasts and I peel my eyes back open in confusion. I’m just able to catch a glimpse of his shirt flying across the room to join mine.
Johnny steps forward, moving me back towards the bed. When I feel the bed dig into the back of my knees, I flop down on it. He chuckles and kneels down between my legs. I open them to accommodate his body. “I’m sorry, babygirl, I really am. I know I shouldn’t be treating you like you can’t take care of yourself,” he sighs, hanging his head. I smile softly, cupping his face again.
“It’s okay, John, I understand. It’s just frustrating sometimes, that’s all,” I admit. He nods his head softly.
“Honestly,” he mutters, “I kinda like how small you are compared to me. It’s hot.” I raise an eyebrow at him.
“It’s...hot?” I ask skeptically. He nods his head enthusiastically.
“Absolutely! And when I fuck you, I can see the bulge of my cock going in and out of you. I can’t watch it for too long, or I feel like I’m gonna blow my load right there.” I giggle lightly, opening my legs wider.
“Well, why don’t you show me what you mean?” I smirk. Johnny groans softly, his head falling back.
“What are you doing to me?”
Quickly, Johnny and I shed our jeans on the floor. I love further up the bed and Johnny joins me, hovering over me. He rubs his cock through my folds, gathering the essence there. A few seconds later, he lines himself at my hole. “Okay, just watch for a little,” he says slowly. I nod my head and he starts pushing into me. I feel the familiar stretch and my immediate instinct is for my head to fall back against the pillows. However, I keep my eyes open and trained on my lower stomach. Johnny slowly works his way in, taking shallow and shaky breaths as he goes. Finally, he bottoms out. “Th-There, s-see?” He asks, holding back a moan.
Looking down my lower stomach again, I see a small raised bump just were his cock would be. I give him a shocked look, looking up. “Oh, wow! I didn’t even realize that that happens!” I say honestly. He laughs shakily, his hair plastered to his forehead as he begins sweating.
“Y-Yeah, it does. E-Every time, sweetheart,” he stammers. I hum sweetly and wrap my arms around his neck, looking into his big brown eyes.
“Johnny, fuck me, please,” I say softly, pouting at him. He immediately pulls back and slams back in. I moan loudly, my head falling back against the pillows.
Slowly, Johnny’s rhythm starts building up. He progressively becomes faster and faster and I hold tightly to him. Once he finds my g spot, he aims for it and hits it almost every time. “J-Johnny, please, I need more. Play with my clit, p-play with nipples, please, something!” I whine needily. Johnny leans down and takes one of my nipples into his mouth, sucking hard. It takes all of my effort not to scream out in pleasure. The knot in my stomach keeps winding tighter and tighter until it’s about to snap. “Johnny, I’m gonna come!” I exclaim.
“Come for me, babygirl. Be a good girl,” he growls, pulling one of my nipples back into his mouth.
With one last suck, waves of pleasure crash over me. I can feel my cunt squeezing around Johnny’s cock and he groans loudly, throwing his head back in pleasure. “F-Fuck, Jesus Christ!” He moans, quickly pulling out. Over my stomach, he pumps his cock quickly and, seconds later, his load spills out and over my stomach. He takes in deep, shaking breaths as he slowly comes down from his high. I sit up a little and pull him in for a kiss.
When we pull back, Johnny grabs a t-shirt from off the floor and uses it to wipe of his cum. When cleans his cock a little, then comes back to bed and we both climb under the covers. “Johnny?” I ask softly.
“Yes, sweetheart?” He asks, grogginess starting to makes it’s way into his voice.
“I love you...a lot,” I say, pressing a kiss to his temple. He chuckles, nuzzling his face into my chest.
“I love you, too, babygirl...a lot.”
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robininthelabyrinth · 3 years
Text
Spilled Pearls
- Chapter 4 - ao3 -
“Qishan Wen has sent the invitations for the discussion conference,” their father said. “They will be holding a competition.”
The elders murmured thoughtfully in response.
Lan Qiren wasn’t sure why, since the Wen sect always held some sort of competition when it was their turn – the other sects tended to vary the main event, feasts and hunts and academic discussions, but the Wen sect loved competitions. Although perhaps it was just Wen Ruohan himself who did; since he’d been the sect leader for so long, it was impossible to tell the difference between his preferences and his sect’s.
“Qingheng-jun can lead the disciples,” one of the sect elders said, and Lan Qiren’s brother stood and saluted respectfully before sitting back down. “As for the rest…what skills should we select for?”
“Equestrianism,” their father said. “And music.”
“Music?” one of Lan Qiren’s teachers – an old man who usually all but slept through these meetings, but respected enough that no one commented on it – asked, blinking awake and rubbing his eyes in a way that suggested he thought he was being discreet.  “Since when does Qishan Wen appreciate music?”
Lan Qiren's teacher in music, who'd clearly been about to ask the same question, shut his mouth with a poorly-hidden smile.
“They don’t have to appreciate it,” another teacher, this one of swordsmanship, said, his tone distant and cynical. “They just have to have someone in mind that they think will win. Qishan Wen values victory over all else.”
“And they are crafty," yet another said, nodding. "Including it in the listing might be a stratagem to get us to send more disciples talented in music and fewer in other areas, to reduce our chances of winning the main event –”
“Both riding and music are listed as the main events,” Lan Qiren’s father said, his cold clear tone slashing through the others’ voices and putting an end to the debate. “Let us proceed in selecting disciples to attend.”
The list was quickly settled, and for once Lan Qiren was nominated to go. He hoped it was on account of his musical talents, which he was pretty proud of, although he acknowledged it might very well be due to his heritage. He made plans to go to visit the library pavilion at once, thinking about what scores might be appropriate to study in preparation – based on the description in the invitation, there would be a technical challenge, in which they would all play the same piece, and then an individual selection where each player could show off their personal skills…
“Looking forward to showing off for your lover?”
Lan Qiren slowed to a stop. It was one of the wittier, more personable disciples, a distant cousin of his named Lan Ganhui – one of the ones that thought they were funny, and others seemed to agree.
“Are you talking to me?” he asked, puzzled. It seemed as if he were, but at the same time... “I don’t have a lover.”
“Really?” His cousin was smiling. “But we’ve all heard how highly Sect Leader Wen thinks of you.”
Lan Qiren blinked. “He complimented me once. Three years ago. When I was thirteen.”
With the benefit of hindsight and age, it was clear to him that his father must have been right about Wen Ruohan’s motives: he had only been making trouble deliberately, trying to stir things up. A test of his brother’s mettle as the prospective new leader of the Lan sect, no doubt.
Occasional teasing aside, what were the chances that he'd actually found Lan Qiren to be interesting?
“You’re far too modest, Qiren-xiong. Everyone knows how picky Sect Leader Wen can be – you must have done something to get his attention.”
Lan Qiren was not good at understanding people and their subtleties as a general rule, but he had sufficient practice at childish taunts to understand the implication, and he felt his ears burn.
“Do not speak ill of people,” he said, putting his hands behind his back to hide how his fists clenched. “You should report to the discipline hall for violating the rules.”
“Violation excused,” his brother said from behind him, voice calm – even cold – as always. “Don’t take things so seriously, Qiren; it’s only joking between friends.”
Lan Qiren was not friends with Lan Ganhui, but he probably should be. It was his duty as one of the heirs of the main clan to be magnanimous with the other disciples of the sect.
As irritating a task as that might be.
“Walk with me,” his brother ordered, and naturally Lan Qiren obeyed.
They went in silence for a while, their path the familiar one used to make the rounds of the Cloud Recesses – it was a task they were all assigned once they were old enough, and Lan Qiren recognized the twists and turns of it at once. He wondered what that meant, if anything.
If he were with one of his teachers, he would be able to extrapolate that the subject of imminent discussion was not a serious one; that they felt they could both fulfill their duties and speak with him meant that it was not a subject that required their full attention. But somehow, despite their closer relation, Lan Qiren sometimes felt as if he did not understand his brother anywhere near as well as he understood his teachers: it was possible that in this case the subject  was  important, but his brother more capable than their teachers of splitting his time and attention, or maybe simply didn’t care about one of the two tasks he was performing.
That was one of the things Lan Qiren had never really understood about his brother. His brother was the great hope of their Lan sect, the bright light of their generation; when he finally became sect leader, it was expected that he would help lead them to an ascendant position in the cultivation world and allow their clan to flourish, one andall. Yet sometimes it seemed as if he saw his duties as merely a burden, to be completed as quickly as possible – he was always trying to do more than one task at a time, trying to finish and put them aside, as if he had compared them to some ideal in his mind and found them wanting, purposeless, and therefore irrelevant, even if the task were key to the well-being of their sect.
Their teacher in swordsmanship – one of the few people his brother seemed to really like, though of course he was properly filial to all his teachers – said that he had the best chance of any in their generation of becoming a true immortal, if only he devoted himself, and Lan Qiren supposed that that was his brother’s goal. After all, hadn’t Wen Ruohan raised his sect higher and higher simply on account of having been there longer than anyone else…?
“This will be your first discussion conference in several years,” his brother said, drawing Lan Qiren’s attention. “Will it not?”
“Since the last time our sect hosted,” Lan Qiren agreed. It had been the Jiang the year after, and at fourteen he was too young to go to an official conference; then the Jin the year after that, and the Lan sect never sent too many people to suffer the rush and bustle of Lanling City. If he had had some extraordinary achievements, they might have sent him, but he didn’t.
This year, though, he was sixteen – just under the official age of eligibility for those not in the main families of the Great Sects, which was seventeen – and known to have some talent in one of the areas in question, so it would be a loss of face for their family  not  to send him. Otherwise, he suspected they would have waited another year until the discussion conference was held by the Nie sect, who as a close ally to the Lan sect would offer a much safer way to be introduced to the cultivation world.
“I see,” his brother said, and continued walking some distance. “You will need to be mindful of your actions, of course.”
“Of course,” Lan Qiren echoed, and despite his best efforts he felt some dissatisfaction. Beyond the resentment he bore him on account of their mother’s death, his brother had never really paid him all that much attention; Lan Qiren had been assured by several of his teachers that he was merely imagining how much his brother didn’t like him, or at least that the irritation would pass as he got older and more accomplished, less of an embarrassment. Most of the time, his brother’s gaze was turned inside to himself and his own cultivation efforts just like their father before him, so it made sense for him not to know too much about Lan Qiren, but…still. It wasn’t exactly like Lan Qiren was a known troublemaker that needed to be taken aside and especially warned to be on his best behavior.
He idolized his brother, Lan Qiren reminded himself. Just like everyone else. It was only the itchy emotionality of adolescence that was causing him such frustration.
“You understand what you did wrong, then, and will not repeat it.”
“…what I did wrong?” Lan Qiren ground his teeth together, realized he was doing it, and stopped at once. No one else had ever said he had done something wrong during that discussion conference, but perhaps they were only being polite. “Xiongzhang, I am too ignorant, and do not understand. Please tell me what you mean.”
His brother looked at him sidelong. “In connection with Sect Leader Wen.”
“Xiongzhang! I didn’t –”
“You are old enough now to understand how dangerous he is,” his brother said, cutting him off, and Lan Qiren fell silent, because that much was true. When he’d been thirteen and even more single-minded than he was today (and truly, how could he condemn his brother’s disinterest in so many things when he himself was similarly focused on his own interests?), he had been ignorant of the rumors that swirled around Wen Ruohan. It was said that beneath his seemingly composed countenance, he could be violent and moody, impulsive and selfish and cruel – how he had to have the best of everything for himself, and would stop at nothing to obtain whatever it was, no matter who it harmed. And then there were the stories of his mysterious Fire Palace, where he was said to collect implements of torture and to enjoy sating his bloodlust by practicing them upon those unfortunate enough to be his prisoners –
How much of that was true and how much merely rumor, Lan Qiren did not know, but he knew that it was well-accepted enough to be considered news rather than frivolous gossip.
"Yes, xiongzhang," he muttered, and dropped his eyes to the ground. "I know."
"This isn't like last time. We're going to be in the Nightless City, on his ground, not ours - you're not adept at politics, so you might not know it, but Sect Leader Wen's arrogance is beyond belief; he only sometimes considers himself to be bound by the laws and customs of the cultivation world, not like the rest of us. If something happens, I won't be able to protect you."
Lan Qiren nodded. He appreciated his brother's concern for him.
"Try to avoid him entirely," his brother instructed. "And if you do end up seeing him, don't pester him this time! Think beyond yourself: our sect cannot afford to draw his ire, if it turns out that he does not find you as amusing as he did before.”
It hadn’t been Lan Qiren’s fault that Wen Ruohan had found him amusing the first time. It wasn’t like he intended on spending time with the man – it had just happened!
“And what if he approaches me?” Lan Qiren asked, more to be contrary than out of any actual belief it would really happen. Wen Ruohan had seen him as a tool to needle his brother, nothing more, and had probably put him out of his mind long ago - it'd been three years, after all, and Lan Qiren was very young still; if it hadn't been for the Wen sect's selection of music as a main event, he probably wouldn't be going along at all.
“If he starts speaking with you, then you are to respond gracefully, and comply with his wishes until such time as someone can come to collect you.”
Lan Qiren frowned. “Are you sure?"
His brother stopped and frowned at him.
"I just mean, we've met in person before," Lan Qiren explained. "He won't mistake me for a servant; he'll know who I am. And the Great Sects are all equal, so isn't there a chance that we might lose face if one of our main bloodline yields to everything he wants at first request, as if we were some nameless clan beneath his…”
“Are you questioning me?”
Lan Qiren faltered. “No, xiongzhang.”
“I don’t want anything disturbing the discussion conference,” his brother said, his gaze already sliding away and his fists tight at his sides. Lan Qiren thought over his words and was ashamed of himself: he shouldn't have reminded his brother that he was part of the main bloodline, same as him; he knew it was a painful subject for his brother, and to bring it up anyway probably came across as arrogant and tactless. “I am acting as leader for this trip, and the responsibility for everything that happens is mine. Do not make me lose face. Do you understand?”
“Yes, xiongzhang. I won’t lose face for the sect.”
“Good. Dismissed.”
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puckngrind · 3 years
Text
Leave Her Wild: chapter 3 - N. MacKinnon
Summary: MacKenzie heads to Washington and cashes in her bet with Nathan.
Warnings: swearing, fluff and stuff
Word count: 2,565 (swear they will get longer)
Series masterlist / Puck ‘n Grind’s masterlist
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Washington.
The two texted back and forth over the week. Mostly randomness with a splash of real life. A friendship was blooming with the text conversation but what else could come of it? Neither one seemed to want to touch the subject. Kenzie wasn't even sure what to make of the attention from Nate. She threw herself into work as she normally would.
MacKenzie spent a few days in Colorado Springs for work but took advantage of her time off by hiking the Garden of the Gods. She was was halfway through Palmers trail when she feels her phone and decides to stop for water and take in the view plus check her phone thinking it was work. She laughs to herself realizing it was in fact not work.
Nate: how’s Colorado Springs?
She snaps a picture of her view and sends it.
Kenzie: gorgeous as always
Nate: holy shit are you hiking alone?
Kenzie snaps a selfie where you can see she’s alone and sends it.
Kenzie: don’t worry not anything too dangerous today. Lol
Nate: ok… not worried. Anyways, thought maybe dinner could be in DC since we will both be there next week.
Kenzie thinks about it and starts walking again. She realizes dinner out of town may in fact make things less awkward.
Kenzie: depends on my schedule but that should work
Nate: good. Enjoy the rest of your hike.
MacKenzie did just that. One thing most people knew about her was she loved adventures and trying new things. She rarely goes to the same vacation spot twice. Always wanting to try new restaurants and really only frequents Gus’s place in Denver. She liked to be free which drove her mother insanely crazy but MacKenzie didn’t seem to care. Her dad was her biggest supporter. Constantly sending her wanderlust Instagram posts after she taught him how. At least her mom had home in Kenzie’s brother, Cameron. Cam was doing everything he was expected to do including recently proposing to his high school sweetheart which Kenzie thought was dumb as seniors in college. His life was his life that was for sure, well and maybe their mother's life too. She couldn't control Kenzie which meant Cam got all of her energy.
The flight to D.C. was a breeze but busy would be an understatement as MacKenzie met her client at the end of the week. The demands were insane in the time frame. She spent almost all weekend in her hotel room working and talking with her team back in Colorado.
Nate: would you want to come to the game? I have tickets.
Kenzie: I would love to but I don’t even know if I can do dinner I’m so swamped
Nate: you need to eat right?
Kenzie: I mean, yeah. I’ll order in
Nate: how about you come to my hotel, we have an amazing restaurant here. You can work and eat
MacKenzie thought it over as she looked out her window. Walking the block and a half to Nathan’s hotel tomorrow night seemed doable. He had a point that she needed to eat and could work while they ate. It would complete their wager from the card game in the same instance. Wondered if Gabe or one of the other players would be around to ensure the dinner happened. MacKenzie thought she wouldn’t have the awkwardness of it feeling like a date this way. Plus, she wanted to try the restaurant out since last time she was in town and another client mentioned it. Mosi was all for the dinner when she called ensuring Kenzie her condo's mail was indeed checked. She thought this was the perfect arrangement and MacKenzie couldn’t find a reason to say no. Thinking Nate would already be at the arena for the game she sent a text.
Kenzie: Yes, to dinner at your hotel if you are still up to it after the game
She starts typing away again and laughs when the ping is almost immediate.
Nate: Perfect. I'll text you when we are back on the bus.
MacKenzie decided to turn the game on while she worked. She normally would have something on as background noise while she worked. She knows she can get lost in work and wanted to make sure she knew to pack up her laptop and such waiting for Nathan's call. She hears his name and looks up to see him score with less than a minute left. The Avalanche was already been leading but that goal ensured their win. She decided to change then couldn’t decide if she should pack up her work yet. “How sure how much time would he take between the game and the bus?” Kenzie asked her reflection. She texted him nice game to see if he would respond. He did a few moments later so she packed up slowly. Kenzie walks down to the street turning to head over to his hotel, humming to herself trying to not over think this very simple dinner. She slows down as she sees the charter bus in front of the hotel. Fuck.
"MAAAAC! Good to see you!" Gabe's voice comes booming out of the bus with some others chiming in as the stepped off the bus. MacKenzie awkwardly smiles at the team and then catches Nathan out the side of her eye. He’s staring at her as he walks down the step.
"Did you walk?" Nathan looks down at MacKenzie puzzled.
"Well, hello. Nice game. And yes. Just two blocks." MacKenzie pulls at her loose curl and then slides her finger down her messenger bag.
"Ready for dinner? I see you brought your work." Nathan taps her bag with his knuckle. MacKenzie nods and follows Nathan into the hotel. She awkwardly stops and he realizes it. “Whatcha doin’ there?” Nate walked back so he was standing in front of Kenzie.
“Isn’t the restaurant that way?” She points in the direction of the sign she stopped next to.
“Yes but they deliver to the room and I’d rather change into sweats and let you work in comfort.” He pulls at his tie. “Less eyes too. Come on.” Nathan placed his hand briefly on MacKenzie’s lower back to lead her to the elevator.
“I normally take the stairs.” MacKenzie looks around Nate for the steps.
“My room is on floor 12 and I just had over 20 minutes of ice time. Can we please take the elevator?” Nathan looked into MacKenzie’s questioning eyes.
“Fine. You have a point.” She smiles but gets lost calculating if that time is high or low for him.
They make their way to Nathan’s room. MacKenzie is surprised how nice it is. She’s not sure what she expected but it wasn’t this. Nathan’s suits neatly hanging up. Sweats sitting in his open luggage next to the closet. She realizes he hasn’t moved from behind her.
“Everything okay?” He moves to grab a pair of shorts and shirt.
“Yeah. Just not what I was expecting. You literally live out of suitcase don’t ya?” She watches him take off his suit coat and gulps at how his shirt is sticking to him.
“Some trips it feels like that. This one we won’t be home until the 26th… then a home stand with a few games on the road… and I’m boring you. Set up wherever you want and I’m gonna go change then will be right back.” He heads to the bathroom shut the door softly.
MacKenzie stares at the uncomfortable looking desk chair in a moment of indecision wanting to be set up so she’s working when Nate returns, she decides the bed was a better option for her to sit. Getting out her laptop Kenzie starts typing as soon as she hears Nate opening the door. He smirks when he sees Kenzie on the bed and moves to the desk to find the menu. She cannot help watching him. His muscles easily seen in the shirt and shorts he picked. He hikes up his pant leg exposing his thigh. Kenzie coughs focusing back on her work again.
"Here it is." Nathan turns around and walks towards MacKenzie handing her the menu. She stares at the menu then her finger lands on a cheeseburger and fries. Nathan moves to the other side of the bed, sitting to call in the order. He hangs up and starts to move.
"You can stay here. That chair is horrible looking." MacKenzie looks over at Nathan and he stops moving then looks down at his feet before swinging them up and adjusting to sit on the bed.
"Thanks." He looks over at her screen. "So what exactly do you do?"
"Simple description... I am a social media consultant." MacKenzie giggles. "Speaking of... your social media..." "Is non-existent." Nathan finishes her statement.
"Yeah, only two posts. That’s shocking for someone your age. Nate, do you know how you could amplify your earnings post career?" MacKenzie moves her computer and shift so look at him. He rubs the back of his neck and rotates on his hip to look at her better.
"Yeah. No, yeah. I get it. Just not my thing but you looked at my socials?" He bites his lip.
"I did after we ran into you at the bar post-game. Would've felt funny giving you my number if you had a girlfriend." MacKenzie admits.
"No girlfriend. So did you say you watched the game?" Nate changes the subject which Kenzie made a mental note of.
"Background noise while working. You can turn the tv on now or just talk to me. You scored." Kenzie looks over at Nathan.
"Empty netter but yeah. Nice win." Nathan says softly. The knock on the door stops their conversation. "Oh, dinner!" Nathan pops up and answers the door.
Dinner was delicious. The two shared backgrounds such as where they were from, college for MacKenzie, boarding school and early days of hockey for Nathan. They were laughing at each other's stories which lead to both laying on their stomachs watching a video for MacKenzie's work on her laptop.
"Kenz... Kenzie. Wake up!" Nathan whispers and MacKenzie's groggy self pops up and lands on Nathan's naked torso.
"Holy fuck!" She yells out. Nathan's hands steady her.
"Hey." Nathan backs up and bends to look her in face. Panic written all over her face. "You okay? We fell asleep talking." He looks at her.
"Why didn't you wake me? What time is it? Fuck. Sorry. I'm on a schedule." MacKenzie pulls away and looks for her bag realizing Nathan plugged her computer in at some point.
"It's 6:30. We just slept. I sleep shirtless and, uh, must've taken it off in my sleep. Sorry, should've put in on before I woke you. Hold on." Nathan moves to the other side of the bed and throws his shirt back on. "Let me call you an uber." He grabs his phone.
"I can walk. I don't have a meeting until noon so I'm fine. Thank you." MacKenzie points to the bathroom and Nathan nods.
She stands in front of the mirror for way too long just looking at herself. Pinches her cheeks and starts ranking her fingers through their loose blonde curls making them manageable enough to put up in a high ponytail. She grabs Nathan’s toothpaste and brushes her teeth with her finger.
“Well, Mac. This will have to do.” She bobs on the balls of her feet to psych herself up. Returning to the room she notices that Nathan had changed and slipped on some shoes. “Whatcha doin’ Nate?”
“I’ll walk with you. I wanted to grab coffee from down the street before we leave for the airport.” He grabs his wallet.
“You don’t have to.” Kenzie whispers as she heads to her bag.
“I don’t, but I wanna.” Nate smiles at her. She notices those soft eyes again. Almost gray but then again blue.
They head out of room to the steps. MacKenzie took a deep breath not realizing she was holding it until they got to the door.
“Why good morning you two!” Gabe’s voice comes from around the corner with a bag and coffee in hand.
“Mornin’” Nate answers and pushes the cross walk button.
“Glad to see you Kenzie.” Gabe nods and starts whistling while heading back to the hotel.
“Don’t mind him.” Nate breaks the silence after crossing the street.
“I’m assuming he’s thinking you got lucky last night.” MacKenzie tries to control her racing heart.
“I’ll talk to him.” Nathan assures her. She stops and looks up at him.
“Did you want to?” She puts her hand on her head not sure she really said it out loud.
“What?” Nathan stops and looks at her confused.
“Did you want to sleep with me?” She looks to see if anyone could hear her.
“No. Well… damnit. Hi. Let me start over.” Nathan looks deep in her eyes and cups her face.
“Go ahead.” She’s not sure if the words actually could be heard or not.
“I like you. You are easy to talk to. In the short time I’ve known you I’m constantly wanting to know more. I’m just bad at dating.”
“Why do you say that?” She moves closer to him without thinking.
“I’m not romantic. Plus my job isn’t the easiest for most of the year to maintain a healthy relationship. Plus, there is those who just want me for what I could give them.” He drops his hand to her hip. She sees his chest rise and fall.
“Who says you aren’t romantic?” MacKenzie questions.
“Every girl I’ve dated.” Nathan grumbles. This makes Kenzie laugh. “Well, they have.”
“I like you too, Nate. You intrigue me.” She feels the heat in her cheeks.
“So to answer your original question, yes. I would very much like to be physical with you but I also want to date you. Like not to fuck it up by…” She stops him by pushing herself to her tip toes to softly kiss his cheek.
“Well, saying all that is a start in how not to fuck it up.” She smiles at him. “Let’s get me back to my hotel then we can visit this whole dating thing when you return to Denver.” She starts walking and he quickly grabs her hand to walk with her.
“Here we are.” He stops at the doors of her hotel. “So, I’ll see you in two weeks, Kenzie.” Nathan drags out the two while contorting his face.
“It’s not that long plus you will be busy and I have this plus another project to finish before then.” She rubs the back of his hand with her thumb realizing how large his hand was in comparison which could crush her hand if he wanted. “Thanks for dinner Nate.”
“Can I?” He starts and gulps. MacKenzie watches his Adam’s apple bob. “Can I kiss you?” He asks with a quiver in his voice. She nods her head yes. Nate brings his hands up to her jaw holding her face up while he leans in pressing his lips to hers. Kenzie kisses him back and cannot remember a first kiss quiet like that. He releases while sucking in a deep breath.
“I…” Kenzie touches her lips.
“Well, see you soon Kenzie.” He kisses her forehead then turns quickly to head back down the street leaving Kenzie wanting more.
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blouisparadise · 3 years
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Here is a list of amazing bottom Louis fics that were posted or completed during the month of January. Between the third month of the Bottom Louis Fic Fest and all the other fics that authors posted throughout the month, it’s clear that this was a great way to start off the year of bottom Louis fics!  Happy reading!
1) Leave It All Here In This Bed | Explicit | 1071 words
One of Louis’s many sleepless nights.
2) Games Are Only Fun If You Win | Explicit | 1554 words
Louis and Harry have a bet. If Louis wins that means he's off laundry duty. If he loses well.
Let's just say Harry won't be complaining.
3) If It Makes You Feel Alive | Explicit | 1691 words
Louis is horny one night on the tour bus so he and Harry fuck while trying not to get caught by the others.
4) Beg Me Silently | Explicit | 2140 words
“So, your boyfriend…is he planning a magic night for you at home?”
Louis snorts. “He’s not, actually. He’s pretty hardworking, you see, so he comes home late.”
“Such a shame.” Harry walks towards Louis, so close that they’re sharing the same space. “You’re so beautiful, Louis. If you were mine, I wouldn’t make you wait for me.”
5) Birthday Wishes | Explicit | 2895 words
Note: This is part 3 of this series.
The one where Harry takes Louis to dinner for his birthday, and gifts him with a vibrating butt plug he wears to the restaurant. Fluffy birthday sex follows.
6) New Year, New Beginnings | Explicit | 3577 words
Note: This is part 4 of this series.
The one where Louis and Harry unexpectedly end up at the same New Year's party. Louis makes Harry jealous, and Harry shows him just how bad of an idea that is.
7) Heaven In These Sheets | Explicit | 3557 words
Bunny Hybrid Louis has it out for his boyfriend’s phone.
8) Pits Of Love | Explicit | 3934 words
Harry smells Louis' sweat for the first time after they've moved in together. His alpha goes a bit wild.
9) First Blow Hits You Cold | Explicit | 3986 words
Louis wears a shirt with a big ass H on it for his livestream, and Harry really, really likes it.
10) Close Your Eyes And Surrender To Me | Explicit | 4209 words
Note: This is the sequel to this fic.
Harry hummed and pressed his lips to Louis’ forehead. “I am very stressed, but I also know you’re stressed and tired too.” He glanced to Louis’ face seeing the confirming nod. “But, if you’re sure you’re up for it.” Harry smirked, waiting for Louis to say it was okay before he laid the boy down on the bed and hovered over him. “I really love this color on you. You look so pretty. Always do.” He spoke quietly, rubbing his hands over Louis’ soft thighs and moving them to his tummy. He then moved his hands up to Louis’ hair. It had been a while since Louis’ last haircut and it was now long enough that he could tie it up in little ponytails and even little braids. Louis currently had two hair clips in his hair. One was gold with little stars on it and the other gold with a moon. “I love your hair princess. Do you feel pretty?” He asked.
11) P Is For | Explicit | 4349 words
Note: The pairing for this fic is Louis/Pedro Pascal.
Louis and Pedro, winter in New York, a coffee machine, and bilingualism.
12) Pull Out Your Heart | Explicit | 5028 words
He wants to apologise, the five letters sit on the tip of his tongue but he does not. It means nothing to either of them.
13) Loving You's the Antidote | Explicit | 5070 words
Note: This fic was written for the Bottom Louis Fic Fest! Check out the full collection here.
Prompt 302: Alpha Harry & Omega Louis are divorced but still spend each other’s heat/rut together because they only really trust each other but things get complicated when Louis (or Harry, author’s choice) spend it with someone else. Cue angst with a happy ending.
14) Sweet Talk With A Hint Of Sin | Explicit | 5095 words
“What the hell are you wearing?” Harry had the nerve to ask, and Louis bristled slightly.
“Well, what the bloody fuck does it look like?” Louis snapped, breaking his seductive demeanor momentarily because he was wearing this ridiculous get-up for Harry. He had thought that this would go over well.
And now that the moment was here, it was going anything but.
Harry’s brain seemingly malfunctioned, completely unbothered by the fact that he was now standing in an actual pool of red wine, or that there might even be broken glass directly next to his feet. He was focused solely on his boy splayed out on their bed. “Are those ears?”
“Yes,” Louis mumbled, reaching up to finger the burnt orange fur of the fox ears. “And a tail,” he said, shifting to lay on his stomach so that his perky ass was on display, showing the way his lube slicked hole had been prepped and was now hugging the impressively sized plug attached to the fox tail.
15) New York's Beauty | Mature | 5274 words
Note: This fic was written for the Bottom Louis Fic Fest! Check out the full collection here.
Prompt 104: AU where Harry is an alpha wolf and Louis is a hybrid kitten. They were roommates. While they were arguing about something stupid, Harry wanted to bend Louis over the kitchen table and knot him right there. He slowly accepted his feelings and extreme desire for Louis, so he started to tease the hybrid until he would beg Harry to fuck him. They fall in love.
Louis needs to feel comfortable with the camera so harry fucks him until he is blushing and calm and gentle.
16) I Went Astray To Make It Okay And He Made It Easy | Not Rated | 5537 words
Note: This is a sequel to #17 on this list.
Harry makes sure to put on his blue truckers hat that has 'if you ain't a fisherman, you ain't shit' printed on it to hold back his hair out of his eyes. He remembers when he came home after buying it and Louis went on for days about much he looked like such a Dad. He made sure to fuck him hard that night and show him that he's a fucking DILF not just a Dad. 
17) You Make My Heart Beat Like The Rain | Explicit | 6611 words
Note: This is the prequel to #16 on this list.
"You're stunning, eh?" Harry whispers, his Canadian accent thick with lust. It usually slips out when he gets horny because he knows it turns Louis on. Harry presses his lips into the curve of his neck. His hot breath makes Louis shiver. He opens his eyes and sees Harry's bigger, tattooed arms wrapped around him, completely engulfing his smaller frame—and, fuck, maybe he is up for it.
Why does his boyfriend have to be such a fucking DILF? He blames it on a twitter thread he read a few weeks ago.
18) Baby, Let Me Love You Goodbye | Explicit | 6837 words
Harry and Louis are going through a divorce after being together for 10 years, so Louis comes over to collect his things, and, well…what’s a little goodbye sex, just one last time?
19) A Place To Call Home | Mature | 8113 words
The thing is, he’s pretty sure he’s found home in a person in his life, someone who’s been essential in everything he’s done since he was seven years old. Through every broken bone, through every breakup, through every failure; through every triumph, personal and professional, and every goal he has scored in his time in Man U, there’s been someone there for it all.
That’s his best mate. Harry. A twenty-two year old with the kindest heart known to man, a slow drawl that is entirely too endearing, with the dreams to open up his own flower shop. A quiet and earnest boy with those he doesn’t know, and open and honest and absolutely lovely with those he loves.
It all hits him, really, the night of their final game of the Premier League. Again, timing is not his forté. They’re gearing up, ready to hit the field for the second half against Liverpool that determines their ranking in the League, when his brain decides to come online (after seventeen years, apparently), and conveniently supply him with the revelation that oh yeah, you’re kind of in love with your best friend.
20) To Love Without Reason | Explicit | 8854 words
Note: This fic was written for the Bottom Louis Fic Fest! Check out the full collection here.
“Come on in, soldier,” Louis pats Harry’s chest and walks away, leaving Harry to follow behind.
Harry stands in the living room, looking around at Louis’ dwelling. Family pictures placed high on a shelf, certificates of Louis’ practice, and other trinkets that make Harry entirely too nostalgic.
“I have to warn you,” Louis says as he puts the kettle on, the water droplets from his hair trickling down the golden skin of his back. “The door jams if you lock it so you'll have to leave it ajar.”
Harry acknowledges with a soft hum, too entranced by Louis’ glistening skin to form a coherent reply.
21) It's A Game We Play In The Sheets | Explicit | 9426 words
Note: This fic was written for the Bottom Louis Fic Fest! Check out the full collection here.
“Louis is… He’s a boy I’ve been talking to.” He bit his lip, grin evident. “After I watched one of his videos during a Harry Reacts a few weeks ago I messaged him and…”
His sentence was cut short by the sound of a timid little “Hi” being whispered into his ears.
Harry closed his eyes for a second, pausing to take in the online presence of the real-life fairy, before he opened them and smiled. “Hey Lou. Ready to play with me?”
22) One Track Mind | Explicit | 9911 words
“You have a lot of friends, huh?”
Harry nods again. “A few.” The muscles of his bicep flex under Louis’ touch, and the alpha looks a bit drunk from the feeling, his eyes blinking slower and lips quirking at the corners. He’s leaning in, his alpha scent surrounding Louis from all sides.
“Mm,” Louis hums, squeezing his fingers tight, just to hear the sharp way Harry inhales. Then, when Harry is least expecting it, Louis returns the earlier sentiment—leaning up on his tiptoes and pressing his weight into Harry for balance, drawing his lips up close to Harry’s ear, and whispering, “Why don’t you go tell them goodnight.”
23) See You When I Get Home | Explicit | 10308 words
"What are you thinking about?" He repeats Louis' question from earlier.
"You." Louis' reply comes out in a moan. It shocks Harry, and his brain scrambles for the right thing to do, the right thing to say. He doesn't even know how to feel, or if he even heard Louis correctly.
"Me?"
24) Floating | Explicit | 10435 words
Note: This fic was written for the Bottom Louis Fic Fest! Check out the full collection here.
The one where Louis has control over water in every form but he doesn't know what to do with it. Harry is here to guide him.
25) I'm At Your Mercy Now (And I'm Ready To Begin) | Teen & Up | 10552 words
Where Louis' soulmark was leaked, Harry keeps his private. They're both famous popstars. Louis is waiting for his soulmate, Harry has a feeling it's him but Louis is completely oblivious.
26) You And I 'Till The Day We Die | Explicit | 10807 words
Note: This fic was written for the Bottom Louis Fic Fest! Check out the full collection here.
Prompt 124: A fic inspired by Groupie Love by Lana Del Rey, where Harry is a Rockstar and Louis is his cute little boyfriend who tries to hide himself in the middle of the crowd. (Preferably set in the 80s)
27) Moonlit Sky Over Gentle Waters | Explicit | 11377 words
Harry left his hometown to sail the seven seas and returns seven years later, yearning for something — or rather, someone — that he isn't sure he can have.
28) Late Night Devil Put Your Hands On Me (And Never, Never, Ever Let Go) | Explicit | 11524 words
Note: This fic was written for the Bottom Louis Fic Fest! Check out the full collection here.
Harry is a demon that feeds off of people’s nightmares. He finds his next meal in Louis’ dreams where he changes and molds them to become scary nightmares. Soon harry learns Louis is a lucid dreamer- he can act on his own in his dreams. They interact in the real world and have sex in the dream world. when the demon catches feelings for louis, he wants to live.
29) If You're Feeling Lonely | Explicit | 12807 words
The guest list is on the desk. Louis runs through it and stops a third of the way down, a familiar name catching his attention.
Harry Styles.
All he needs to do is confirm whether Harry Styles is the same Alpha whose scent left such a memorable impression on his body.
30) Want You To Play With Me | Explicit | 14335 words
"I'm quite not finished with you yet." Harry whispered right on the shell of his ears and squeezed the girth of his cock, making Louis shudder a sloppy puff of air as the tickling sensation ran through his spine, Harry was intoxicating. "Let me play with you a little more, Lou. I promise I'll give you what you want. Be my good boy, hm?" He slowly annunciated every word and licked a warm line on the nape of Louis' neck — Louis curled in his arms at that. Submitting himself a little bit more.
"Always wanna be your good boy." Louis whispered back and enveloped Harry's hand in his.
31) No Good Unless It's Real | Explicit | 17021 words
Note: This fic was written for the Bottom Louis Fic Fest! Check out the full collection here.
Louis is a very busy farmer who’s just trying to make it to his next nap and Harry’s the new hot vet that’s determined to infiltrate every area of his life.
32) Tennis Court | Explicit | 18285 words
Louis and Harry are co-workers and Louis is sure Harry hates him because he always refuses to help him with his heats.
33) Joker Is Wild | Explicit | 18444 words
Note: This fic was written for the Bottom Louis Fic Fest! Check out the full collection here.
Prompt 390: A reality show AU where Louis, Harry, Liam, Zayn and Niall are selected to stay at confined in a luxury mansion for 1 month, where they are required to have explicit, graphic sex at all times, like a porn Big Brother kind of show. Every week there are several different sexual tasks and trials that they must overcome together, which all ends in orgasms for all of them. When the boys all discover Louis is strictly a bottom, and a slutty one at that, they all can’t wait to get their hands on him. Bonus if other hot celebs are there too, like Shawn Mendes, for example. Includes lots of hard gay sex, rimming, blowjobs, gang bangs, ass worshipping (Louis ass, of course) and double penetration.
34) Baby, Let Me Love You Goodbye | Not Rated | 20249 words
Louis almost calls Harry daddy. Cue denial, feelings, and way too much dirty talk.
35) Give So Much (Not Enough) | Mature | 24610 words
Note: This fic was written for the Bottom Louis Fic Fest! Check out the full collection here.
“For my little lion,” Louis slid the smoothie bowl in front of Oscar, letting him dig in with his little hands. “And for daddy.”
He didn’t process the bowl in front of him, the push across the table causing a raspberry to roll off and fall on his lap, because Louis calling himself mummy may make him feel all sorts of mushy emotions, but Louis addressing Harry as daddy was suddenly having a very different effect on him. Since when did Louis saying daddy out loud render him speechless?
“Daddy’s still sleepy, but we’re up bright and early right Ossie?” Louis’ cooing shook him out of his daze. The man coughed, picking the raspberry off his lap and swallowing it with unintentional, and very unnecessary, eye contact with Louis. “Well, is it better than your protein smoothies and why?”
Harry chuckled, spooning another heap of the strawberry banana goodness into his mouth, “Way better sweetheart.”
A friends to lovers au with tons of mama Louis and domesticity.
36) Short And Sweet | Explicit | 29658 words
Note: This fic was written for the Bottom Louis Fic Fest! Check out the full collection here.
Louis is a shy university student in a world scarce of male omegas. He's always dreamt of having an alpha despite his sheltered upbringing, fantasizing about being loved and cared for. He's immediately smitten by the mysterious alpha with curly hair, broad shoulders, and the addictive coffee scent.
37) Under Thorn And Bramble | Explicit | 31931 words
Note: The pairing of this fic is Louis/OMC. This fic was written for the Bottom Louis Fic Fest! Check out the full collection here.
Prompt 445: A historical AU where Louis is working as a servant on a farm. The family that owns the farm is exceedingly cruel to him and he is often exhausted and in pain from his work. A mysterious stranger boards at the farm and is very intrigued by Louis, but Louis doubts his interest in genuine. Any pairing fine.
38) Pink In The Night | Explicit | 32324 words
His finger was tapping on Louis’ chat before Harry could even think about it, eyes reading over the last text he’d sent Louis. I miss you. Do you miss me?
Harry had felt so pathetic that December night, alone in the dark room of the Japanese apartment he’d been staying at, the strong smell of alcohol clinging to his clothes.
Louis hadn’t replied, but Harry wasn’t surprised; he had texted Louis a few times before while he’d been away, but there had never been a response.
It pained him to admit that this was their new normal.
39) Coeur De Pirate | Explicit | 34207 words
Note: This fic was written for the Bottom Louis Fic Fest! Check out the full collection here.
He tilts his chin up as the Captain strides across the deck, his footfalls falling loudly against the planks. The crew watches them from afar.
Stepping into his space, the Captain wraps an arm around Louis’ waist and pulls him in. He lowers his head to breathe his words against Louis’ cheeks. “I won,” he whispers, “I’ve come to claim my prize.”
40) If The Sun Don't Shine | Explicit | 36330 words
In a world where you meet your soulmates in dreams, Louis has spent the last three years going to bed hoping to finally meet his, only to end up disappointed time and time again. It all changes with a violin.
41) The Pirate And The Piper | Explicit | 38396 words
Note: This fic was written for the Bottom Louis Fic Fest! Check out the full collection here.
The one where Harry is Hook, Louis is Pan, and nothing is what it seems.
42) Begged And Borrowed Time | Mature | 40198 words
Prompt 60: Time travel AU where Louis somehow gets thrown back in time and ends up in the dark ages, during the reign of the Styles family.
43) I Ain’t Gonna Fence You In | Mature | 40645 words
Louis Tomlinson is a 18 year old city boy who is forced to spend his summer before his senior year at his aunts farm. There, he meets Harry, a 19 year old country boy his aunt hired to help around the farm.
Maybe the farm isn't the worst place to fall in love?
44) Don't Want No Other Shade Of Blue | Explicit | 43285 words
Note: This fic was written for the Bottom Louis Fic Fest! Check out the full collection here.
Prompt 339: it was foretold that Alpha Prince Harry would be mated to a beautiful male omega with eyes that could rival the stone amethyst, but Omega Prince Louis refuses to believe it.
45) No Easy Choice, But You’re Mine | Explicit | 44963 words
Note: This fic was written for the Bottom Louis Fic Fest! Check out the full collection here.
Louis is an omega hitman with one last job that goes a little sideways. Harry is the alpha bartender that looks a little too closely and cares a little too much.
46) Sedative Duty | Explicit | 46588 words
Note: This fic was written for the Bottom Louis Fic Fest! Check out the full collection here.
Pop-star of the moment Louis Tomlinson is on his third-world tour. He decides to hire renowned professional dominant Harry Styles to unwind while on the road. In an effort not to raise suspicion by the crew, fans, and press, Harry pretends to be his bodyguard. He ends up being far more than that.
47) Just Always Be Waiting for Me | Explicit | 46837words
Note: Please be sure to check tags for any trigger warnings.
Harry Styles is a librarian at a private school who is not very devoted to his job but is very devoted to Louis Tomlinson, the resident English teacher, and has been ever since they met six years ago beneath a lonely streetlight.
Louis Tomlinson is a self confessed bookworm whose passion for Peter Pan, the literary classics and Harry Styles' happiness knows no bounds. He's self sacrificing, somewhat self loathing and haunted by a trauma he can't talk about.
Mutual pining abounds in this fic where a Peter Pan quote is never just a Peter Pan quote, caretaking is a love language and a platonic nude is never actually platonic. Louis has a kiss that belongs to Harry but he also has a painful past that might end up hurting them both.
48) Since The Future | Explicit | 48947 words
Note: This fic was written for the Bottom Louis Fic Fest! Check out the full collection here.
"It's done."
The words were barely above a whisper when they left Harry's mouth, but they hit Louis with the force of a freight train. It was done. Holy fuck. They had created a time machine. And tomorrow, they were travelling to the future.
49) Dirty Laundry Looks Good On You | Explicit | 50581 words
Note: This fic was written for the Bottom Louis Fic Fest! Check out the full collection here.
When Louis Tomlinson finds his clothes lying in a sad soapy mess on top of the washing machine in which they are supposed to be, he acts upon his anger and retaliates. What he doesn’t expect is having to deal with a six-feet tall, curly-haired and dimpled man in return, who seems to arouse confusing feelings within him and to make his life take an unexpected turn for the better (or worse?).
50) Hamartia | Explicit | 66970 words
Note: This fic was written for the Bottom Louis Fic Fest! Check out the full collection here.
Six years is a long time for Louis to mend his heart back and erase every lingering, stubborn memory of his ex-lover, Harry Styles. But when news of the war being over spreads across the world like wildfire, and he stumbles upon the alpha he vowed himself to never see ever again, he realises that not even a lifetime will be enough for him to pick up the scattered, broken parts of his soul. He's far from expecting the alpha he loved to be struggling in the same way.
All the ointments in the world might never soothe the pain out, but it doesn't take long for them both to come to the conclusion that, maybe, the only medicine to their heartbreaks are what caused them in the first place.
51) Feeling Borrowed, Always Blue | Explicit | 68214 words
Note: This fic was written for the Bottom Louis Fic Fest! Check out the full collection here.
Louis has been dreaming of his wedding since he was young - he just never expected it to happen like this. words
52) Mind Over Matter (You Under Me) | Explicit | 73825 words
Note: This fic was written for the Bottom Louis Fic Fest! Check out the full collection here.
It’s dark outside when Harry finishes practice for the day.
53) Rogue | Not Rated | 94992 words
Louis is a rogue Omega who's suffered through rejection and abuse for the biggest part of his life. He stumbles onto the Styles pack, quite possibly the kindness one he's ever met.
54) Chandeliers And Fake Smiles | Mature | 145010 words
On the brink of winning their first Grammy; up-and-coming rock band One Direction find themselves in the midst of the biggest scandal of their career - right before tickets for their world tour go on sale. in order to save their reputation, Louis Tomlinson must find it in his heart to forgive pop singer and heartthrob Harry Styles after his first impression rubbed him entirely the wrong way. after all, they cannot sell a relationship if it looks like they hate each other.
Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.
You can find other monthly roundup fic rec lists here.
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luxekook · 4 years
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ego | jjk | harry potter au
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⇥ pairing: gryffindor jeongukk x hufflepuff reader
⇥ genre: harry potter AU, smut, fluff, angst
⇥ summary: in which jeongguk is a cocky lil shit and the reader has to take him down a few pegs 
⇥ warnings: 18+, dirty talk, light smut, cursing
© luxekook. please do not repost, modify, edit or translate.
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The wind whirled around me as I careened towards the glistening goal posts, imagining the opposing team’s Keeper darting back and forth in hopes of blocking the Quaffle that was currently tucked under my arm. I feigned left and the imaginary keeper followed suit. I threw right – Quaffle sailing through the rightmost gold hoop.
I smiled and dove down past the posts to catch up with my own throw. Even though it was still the first week of the new term, I was determined to prove my newly acquired captain-status. Hufflepuff hadn’t had a female captain in ages; and, paired with that, I was only a 6th year.
Luckily, I had a strong team behind me with mostly returning players who I knew would fiercely support me. Us Puffs stuck together. It was inherently in our blood to be loyal as hell to our own, and I thanked Merlin for that every day since receiving the captain’s badge.
As soon as I had hopped on the Hogwarts’ Express a few days prior, I had immediately been swept up in a giant bear hug by Jeong Yunho, one of the Hufflepuff beaters.
“Oh, captain! My captain!” he had dramatically cried, spinning me around. His Dead Poet’s Society reference was not lost on me since I had a muggle parent with excellent taste in movies. Similar reactions from the rest of the team followed suit over the course of the train ride and the Welcoming Feast.
Trials for our only open position of Seeker would take place this weekend with practices immediately starting Monday. We had high hopes for redemption this season after being crushed by Slytherin’s team of goons early on in the Cup tournament.
The Slytherin team’s head hooligan Kang Dokyun led his team with a nasty blend of intimidation and violent tactics. I was convinced that Slytherin didn’t even hold trials and that they just lined up the Slytherin boys, picking out the biggest of the lot. Basically, Slytherin was strong, but slow and slightly uncoordinated. We could beat them by exploiting their weaknesses – of that I was certain.
Ravenclaw would be a bit harder to conquer. Their team played with a level of elegance and intelligence that was so utterly Ravenclaw that even us Puffs got annoyed. Ravenclaw’s captain Yoon Jisoo constructed tactical plays so tricky that she was already recruited to play for Puddlemore next year. Their team was smart, but not completely unbeatable. The Ravenclaws sometimes got so ingrained in their methodical maneuvers that they failed to notice some of their opponents’ counterattacks. That was how they lost the Cup last term to Gryffindor.
Gryffindor was our toughest competition. Winning the Cup last term, the Gryffindor team was a nauseatingly perfect balance between brains and brawn. Their captain Jeon Jeongguk, now a 7th year, was renowned for his tyrannical practice regime that he put his team through. We’d only played Gryffindor once in the regular season last year, and we had held our own for a while until we started getting tired and they didn’t. Seems like Jeongguk knew his shit when it came to conditioning. Something that I was determined to emulate with my own team.
Jeongguk was also the best damn Keeper that Hogwarts had seen in a long time, a fact that didn’t go unnoticed by the looks of the professional Quidditch scouts that avidly attended his matches. He was way bigger than a typical Keeper – extremely tall with broad shoulders and giant paws for hands. However, the only thing bigger than his stature and talent was his fucking ego.
He carried himself like he was the king of the school, and, unfortunately, most people treated him like it. Girls especially flocked to him – mainly for two reasons: 1) Jeongguk was undoubtedly hot, and 2) he held the promise of a rich future. Personally, I cared for neither of those traits considering his appalling personality and pride.
That damned ego would be his downfall this season. I would make sure of it, I thought as I circled around the stadium and then landed to get a drink.
I was definitely above average on the Quidditch talent scale. Holding the current school record for most assists in a season, I considered myself the glue of the Hufflepuff team – a fact that our Head of House obviously agreed with. However, no one really talked about the glue of a team, they talked about the flashy glitter and the gold stars. I was fine with that. Being the underdog was nothing new to a Hufflepuff, and I planned on using that to our advantage this season. Who said Puffs couldn’t be a little devious?
I smirked to myself as I grabbed my broom, ready to get back to practicing. This would be our fucking year.
“Hey,” a deceptively sweet voice rang out from above me, “You mind sharing the pitch? I need to practice.”
My mood soured. I knew who that was. Kicking off the ground, I flew to face him, “Sure thing, Jeon, just stay out of my way.”
It was almost as if I’d slapped him across the face, “Excuse me?” he choked out, “Do I know you?”
Unbelievable. Jeongguk’s head was evidently so far up his own ass he couldn’t recognize opponents he’d been playing for years. “I guess not,” I countered. And with a flick of my ponytail, I took off towards the opposite end of the pitch.
Unfortunately, he followed, “Are you a Gryffindor? If so, you should come to tryouts tomorrow. You’re pretty fast and we need a new Chaser.”
“Not a Gryffindor,” I called out, dipping low to the ground to scoop up my old practice Quaffle, “But I am a Chaser.”
Jeongguk was still tailing me, and I pulled to a stop to face him, “I thought you had to practice?”
He mirrored my position and crossed his arms. I tried (and failed) to stop myself from noticing how his biceps flexed and how a hint of his famed phoenix tattoo curled up his neck. Merlin, even I couldn’t deny he was hot as fuck. The recent summer months seemed to have blessed his skin with a glowing tan that accentuated the warmth of his dark eyes. It also seemed like he forgot what a haircut was as I watched the wind tousle his slightly curling hair.
“I do,” his eyes were narrowed as he cleared his throat, “I just have to make sure you’re not spying for another team.”
All thoughts of him being fine flew out the Owlery as I scowled. I refused to be intimidated by some arrogant asshole, “Did you not hear me when I said to stay on the opposite end of the pitch, Jeon? What kind of self-respecting spy would ask that?”
“You’re a Slytherin,” Jeongguk declared, his tone too sure for my liking.
He was really aggravating me now, and it took a lot for a Puff to get pissed off, “So, just because I have a semblance of a backbone, I’m a Slytherin? You need to brush up on your House knowledge.”
He was quiet, his expression contemplative, his jaw clenched. His eyes were scanning me with an intensity I was not sure I liked. And then he did something I liked even less: “I propose a game,” his mouth twisted upwards in a smirk, “You say you’re a Chaser?”
I gave a slight tilt of my chin in affirmation. He resumed, “Well, then you must know I’m a Keeper.” He paused, grinning wickedly, waiting for me to react to the double entendre. Eyebrows raised at my pointed silence, he continued, “And we both need to practice… So how ‘bout you try to score on me and for every shot I block you have to answer one of my questions.”
This motherfucker right here. I summoned my inner Helga to give me the strength to deal with this Gryffindor prick, “Say I was to agree to this, what would I get if I score on you?”
The laugh I got in response made all thoughts of remaining a kind and patient Puff evaporate faster than a weak Patronus.
He was still laughing when he noticed I looked ready to Avada him wandless, “Okay, okay. What do you want if you score?” He barely got the words out in between chuckles.
“To come to a Gryffindor practice.”
That shut him up real fast, “No fucking way. I don’t need you distracting my players.”
My nose crinkled, “Distracting? I would just be sitting in the stands, you prick.”
His jaw ticked as he rolled his eyes, “You could be on the furthest corner of the pitch and you’d still distract them, jagi.”
“Don’t call me that. And, pray tell, why I would distract them?” Our brooms were now practically touching as we had instinctively moved closer to one another. I could see the sweat glistening on his brow and the shadow of stubble on his jaw. Merlin, he was potent.
“Because,” Jeongguk paused, acting like this was the most obvious answer in the world, “You’re hot.”
I blinked. And blinked again, “Are you serious?” He opened his mouth to respond. “Nope, don’t answer that, Jeon,” I brushed right over his attempt to answer my rhetorical question, “So, do we have a deal or not? If you’re the esteemed Keeper that you clearly think you are, it shouldn’t be a problem for you to block all my shots, should it?”
My words echoed around us. He looked conflicted, but I knew his ego would not let my challenge go, “Deal. Five shots from the penalty mark.”
He flew towards the goal posts, “Looking forward to getting my questions answered, love,” he bellowed back at me.
I mentally flipped him off as I took off after him, clutching my Quaffle.
Sending out a plea to Merlin, Helga and everyone in between, I pulled to a stop at the penalty mark and pondered how I wanted to play this. He obviously thought he would save all five attempts. I spared him a glance and glower as I notice he was slouching on his broom with a lazy smirk, clearly not taking me as a serious threat.
Fine, I would just have to hustle him. He was asking for it at this point.
I got into formation. As much as it would pain me to mess up this shot on purpose, I knew that I had to in order to make my plan work.
Taking off towards the posts, my movement caused Jeongguk to finally move into a somewhat defensive position. I feigned right, doing so in a way too obvious manner. Hurling the Quaffle towards the top hoop, I watched expectantly as he deflected it with just a slight flick of his hand.
“Come on,” Jeongguk laughed, “You can do better than that, jagi.” He flew over to me and when I stretched to take back the Quaffle he now held in his hand, he shifted it out of reach, “Uh-uh, nope. It’s question time. What’s your name?”
How predictable. “It’s (y/n). Now give me the Quaffle.”
“Last name?” Jeongguk kept the Quaffle out of my hands.
“That’s a separate question, Jeon. You never specified that I give you my full name.” It was my turn to smirk as he threw the Quaffle back at me and headed back to the posts mumbling about loopholes and how I must’ve been a Ravenclaw.
I lined back up for the second shot. I had to make this one a little bit better than the last to show that I was trying, but not too much better that he’d be prepared for my final shots.
I ducked down, twisting around to head towards the right post with my full focus on the hoop. I launched the Quaffle. Jeongguk swooped up to catch it in a way that was entirely too elaborate for such a lame throw. He was clearly showing off – an action that I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the meaning behind.
Jeongguk made his way over to me, grinning, “Second question, jagi. Full name, please.”
“(y/f/n) (y/l/n),” I muttered, eyes scanning his face for signs of recognition and hands grabbing the Quaffle away from him.
He looked puzzled, “(y/l/n)? Why does that sound so familiar?”
Before he could think on it further, I pushed his shoulder, “Back to the posts. You got your answer.”
Well, I had attempted to push his shoulder. He didn’t even flinch at my shove. His eyes darted to where my hand now laid on his chest. I removed it faster than a Wronski Feint, trying to ignore the tingles that shot up my arm.
Our eyes connected and his were blazing as his mouth crept into a slow smile, “Like your hands on me.” Before I could formulate a reply, he flew off and I resolved that I would make this next shot as if my life depended on it.
We faced each other. I shifted the Quaffle from hand to hand and took off towards him. I gave him no tells, no feints, nothing. This seemed to throw him off for a split second, but that second was all I needed to send the Quaffle sailing through the bottom hoop.
“What the fuck was that?” Jeongguk yelled as he got all up in my face.
I bit back a smile. “Beginner’s luck?” I quipped, loving how his face had darkened perceptibly, “Don’t worry. I’m sure I can pick up some more tips at your practice.”
Unable to keep my grin in check any longer, I smile widely as he lets out a stream of curses that would make even my old crotchety aunt blush.
We resumed our positions. This time he seemed more alert and watchful. He was getting wary of me, despite my claim that it was just luck. Maybe he knew better after all…
“That won’t happen again, (y/n). Don’t get used to it!” he shouted from the posts.
…Or not.
I took off. Luck be damned. I zigzagged back and forth towards him. Throwing the Quaffle up in the air, I quickly rolled off my broom, sharply grabbing its end and swinging it up to hit the Quaffle mid-air through the center goalpost. A perfectly executed Finbourgh Flick. Regaining my seat on my broom I sailed back to the penalty line and turned back to face Jeongguk.
He looked utterly gobsmacked, “Beginner’s luck? Beginner’s fucking luck? Who the fuck are you?”
I grinned victoriously at his wounded ego, “You know my name, Jeon. Now you can use it at two practices.”
“(y/f/n) (y/l/n), (y/f/n) (y/l/n)… fucking hell,  you’re the new Hufflepuff captain,” he gawked at me.
“Bingo, Gryff,” I laughed, “Took you long enough.”
“Why did I think you were a bloke? I would have remembered such a—” he cut himself off, “You hustled me! There is no way I’m letting you into my practices now.”
We were nose to nose now as I responded, “A deal’s a deal. I thought you Gryffindors were all about honor.”
His face was thunderous, “And I thought you Hufflepuffs were all about fairness.”
“We are,” I said plainly, “We just don’t take lightly to intimidation. Now come on, we’ve got one round left.”
A range of emotions moved across his face to settle in a heated look that I couldn’t quite decipher, “Fine, jagi,” his molten gaze darted to my mouth, “Give it your best shot.”
Swallowing hard, I shook my head, trying to clear my brain of entirely too inappropriate thoughts of me and Jeongguk. As much as I attempted to refocus on making my final shot, my attention wasn’t fully there.
And I fucked it up. Jeongguk dove to catch my throw mid-air, and he sped towards me triumphantly, “Slipping already? What was that?”
I blushed. He noticed.
“Come on,” he said, “I need a drink and then you need to answer my last question.”
I followed him to the ground, cursing my treacherous body for reacting so obviously. My subconscious battled:
‘He’s a player!’ the imaginary Dumbledore on my right shoulder boomed.
‘Kiss him. Now!’ hissed the fictitious Voldemort from the other side.
However, all thoughts evacuated my brain at the sight of Jeongguk peeling off his shirt and taking a long sip from his water bottle. My traitorous eyes flew over his torso. I took in his defined abs, his chiseled arms and his fucking beautiful phoenix tattoo that spanned the entirety of his left shoulder, left upper back, and a portion of his neck.
Then I noticed his eyes were watching me right back. And they were all to amused to be innocent… “Are you seducing me?”
He spit out his mouthful of water, laughing, “Why? Is this working for you?”
My eyes now resembled slits as I glared at him, “Is that your last question?”
“No!” His response came so fast I jolted back on impulse, “No, it’s not…”
He trailed off as he prowled towards me. I stepped back. He kept coming. I stepped back further.
“Why are you running, jagi?” his words were too soft and too intense for my liking. I took another step back and bumped up against the stands. His grin in response was predatory as he caged me in between the stands and his body, his arms on either side of my head.
“Nowhere to run now, little Hufflepuff…” he dragged a finger along the hollows of my throat. He definitely felt the rapid pounding of my pulse, his eyes darkening to the point that they almost seemed black.
I glared defiantly at him, refusing to be daunted by his size or his words. He smirked, “Your last question: do you want to kiss me as much as I want to kiss you?”
I stopped breathing. He waited, a look of uncertainty flickered on his face so briefly I almost thought I’d imagined it.
That little flare of vulnerability – that should not have been as appealing to me as it was – helped me to regain some of my bearings, “And how much do you want to kiss me? I need a scale of reference.”
He smiled crookedly as he leaned in even further, lips brushing against me as he whispered into my neck, “So fucking bad.”
His tongue darted across my skin as he dragged it up towards my ear. Biting it softly, he murmured, “Well?”
Fuck it all.
My hands latched onto his shoulders and his head snapped up. Raising to my tiptoes, I kissed him. He let out a rough groan, sounding like I was killing him. His hands slid down my body to squeeze my ass before hoisting me up. My legs circled his lean hips as his teeth caught my bottom lip in a faint bite. My hands tangled in his hair, pulling slightly. His hips pressed into mine, drawing a moan from my lips. He smiled against my mouth.
I nipped his lip now in retribution, but it seemed to only urge him on. One hand came up to remove my hair-tie, flinging it over his shoulder. I made a noise of protest, but he just kissed me harder.
How the fuck was he holding me up with one hand?
I prided myself on being a pretty thick bitch, and he was over here acting like I weighed nothing. My fingernails slid down his back, raking over the hard muscles and feeling how they flexed and shifted under my touch.
I don’t know how long we spent making out against the stands, but soon enough we heard voices coming from around the corner. Ripping my mouth away from his, I jumped out of his embrace, landing on shaky legs.
His arm wrapped around my waist as he steadies me. He was breathing just as hard as me and I could feel his heartbeat racing. I tugged away from him to retrieve my hair-tie from the ground and put my now wild hair back into its ponytail.
I could feel Jeongguk’s eyes on me all the while. I looked at him. His lips were swollen, his hair was a disheveled mess, his neck was displaying a rather nice hickey that I was sure was mirrored several times over on my own neck. A rare feeling of pride shot through me, and as he opened his mouth to say something, I shook my head and placed a finger over his lips.
“I’ll see you at your practice, Jeon.” I placed a quick kiss on his cheek, grabbed my broom and walked off.
As I strode away, I heard him grumbling under his breath: “Everybody warns you about the Slytherins. Nobody fucking warns you about the Hufflepuffs. Fucking hell…”
I smiled all the way back to the Common Room.
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izumiyagami14 · 3 years
Text
longing
enlightenmonth // [day 5-8] hug or longing Summary: While waiting for Taichi to come back from his soccer game, Koushiro fights a feeling unknown to him. Hikari, on the other hand, decides to keep him company.
Discordant clicks and taps of the keyboard tuned out the television broadcasting in the background. The tedious ticks of the laptop were coming from the boy sitting criss cross on the couch. Koushiro continued to type, preoccupied by tonight’s lingering thoughts.
He was asked to stay the night by Taichi to work on something “Digidestined” related, but he was running late from his soccer game. He stopped typing for a second to look at his watch. It was 8:26pm. What is taking him so long? How is he still out at this time of night? He thought to himself as he continued back to his work.
Being an introvert, Koushiro enjoyed the silence that rested peacefully upon the room, knowing that it will instantly change the moment his friend came barging through the front door. The background noise from the television was a nice reminder that he was alone with his work. Or so he thought...
Soft, cushioned footsteps slowly patted on the hallway floor and into the kitchen, causing his heart to jump a beat. He instantly stopped working on his computer to listen. Inaudible mumbles were carried from the kitchen to the living room the boy was sittting in. How could I forget she was here? She let me into the house in the first place.
Staying on the couch, he straightened his hunched over back and peered over to the direction of where the sound was coming from. He saw the silhouette of the girl reaching for a something on one the cabinet shelves and pulling down two completely different shaped mugs. She then took the mugs and turned to the tea kettle next to the stove. As she started preparing the tea, she hummed an unrecognizable tune to herself.
As he continued to quietly observe what Hikari was doing in the kitchen, Koushiro’s heart started pacing. He felt his hands get clammy when she grabbed the tea kettle of freshly brewed tea. As she continued to hum the song that was stuck in her head, she swayed left to right, pouring the tea into the two mugs. The sight caused a smile to unknowingly grow on Koushiro’s face.
It was then when Hikari turned her head to meet his lingering gaze. She smiled and gave him a small wave. Instead of simply returning the wave, Koushiro’s heart stopped, fumbling with his laptop and adverting his eyes downward. His heart rate drastically increased when he heard her footsteps grow louder. He was too nervous to look up at the girl who entered the room, but he quickly glanced up anyways.
Hikari was standing there in an oversized pale pink shirt that was partially tucked into her purple pajama shorts, holding a mug in each hand. His breath hitched, deciding it was best to look back down at his computer. She slowly shuffled with her fuzzy socks to where the boy was sitting and placed one mug on a coaster from the cofffee table in front of him. “Here,” she giggled. “I made us some tea. I heard it is good Koala-tea.”
Koushiro gave her a puzzled look until she turned the mug so he could see the design. It showed a happy little koala holding a mug with the play-on words at the bottom. “Oh, I get it. Koala-tea. Quality,” He responded stiffly, trying to keep his focus on the laptop in his lap.
“Yes, and mine is tea-rific!” She exclaimed, gesturing to her mug. It had a image of a giddy mug, shouting how terrific the tea was. Before Koushiro could respond, she changed the subject. “Taichi’s game went into double overtime so he should be a little late coming home.”
Koushiro hummed in response, not wavering his attention on the computer. And with that response, she scooted away, back into the bedroom, leaving him back to the silence and his wandering thoughts.
He took a sip of the tea that was made and then rested his hands on the keyboard. His hands were supposed to take control of his work, but his mind started to overcome his actions. The silence that now rested upon the room felt different. It once gave him peace a minute ago, but now it felt like a piece was missing. He scratched his cheek with his hand. How could the mood of the room change so quickly? He looked around the room to see if there were any variables to cause it to change.
He still sat criss cross on the couch. The television was still broadcasting the news. The laptop was still open, ready to be used. Maybe it’s the tea? He thought to himself as he picked up the mug and took another sip. No, that’s not it... He didn’t know why, but he had a different feeling from before. At first when he started his work, he yearned for silence, but now, he craved for something else. The dilemma in his mind now was that he didn’t know what this feeling was for.
He moved his laptop from the middle of his lap to one of his legs. Raking his hands through his frizzy red hair, he grumbled to himself. Not knowing the unknown was frustrating.
“You okay, Koushiro?” A voice came from the end of the hallway. He looked up to see Hikari wrapped head to toe in a fuzzy blanket.
His heart jumped again. He guessed that he didn’t hear her go back to the kitchen to put her mug back. He sighed to himself and looked back at the computer. “Yeah, I am fine. Just a little frustrated.”
“Why is that?”
“I honestly don’t know. That’s probably why I am.”
“Is it alright if I join you?” She asked, moving the blanket from over her head to around her shoulders.
The typing of the keyboard slowly started up again when he hummed in response.
She trotted over, blanket in hand, and gently sat down next to him on the couch. She took a deep breath and let out a long yawn. Adjusting the blanket to wrap around her small body, she proceeded to lay down, resting her head lightly on the boy’s lap.
Koushiro’s whole body tensed up and he held his breath. His mind went into overdrive, thinking about the situation, his options, and the scenarios that could play out if her brother was to walk through the door. “What are you dong?” He managed to muster.
“Keeping you company, silly. I thought that was obvious.” She said quietly.
He couldn’t think of a good response to that. He was too focused on his heart racing from her close proximity. The scent of cherry blossoms hit his nose and he was sure that his brain officially malfunctioned.
“Relax. It’s just me,” She whispered as she closed her eyes. “Go back to your work. I won’t bother you.”
Koushiro let out his unknowingly held breath and looked down at the girl next to him. She was slowly breathing in and out, drifting to sleep. He tried to follow suit with her breathing to calm his accelerated heart rate. He was certain that Hikari could hear it from where she rested her head.
He accepted his fate and slowly adjusted his body so he could type on his computer on one leg and leave Hikari undisturbed on the other. After twisting his body to a better position, the discordant clicks and taps of the keyboard started up again.
The ticks of the wall clock harmonized with the taps of the keyboards and the shallow breaths of the sleeping girl. After a while, Koushiro’s shoulders loosened and his heartbeat slowed. He felt his body relax, even with Hikari laying quietly next to him. Eventually, he stopped typing and looked down at her to she how she was doing. Her brown hair rested delicately on her angelic face as she laid there peacefully. A small smile found its way to his face as he admired the sight.
Out of impulse, he reached down and started brushing his hand through her soft hair. Slowly and carefully, he continued small and smooth strokes that caused Hikari to smile in her sleep. “That feels nice…” she mumbled.
Koushiro’s heart fluttered from her words, but that didn’t stop his movements. Instead, he nervously chuckled and continued to gently play with her hair with one hand while using his computer with the other.
Soft chirps of crickets and cicadas outside joined in the clock’s and computer’s harmony. The distant news report on the television quietly came to an end and a new program projected on the screen. The two souls in the living room of the Yagami residence stayed there on the couch. Hikari’s peaceful presence set Koushiro’s mind at ease as he continued to multitask. He only stopped stroking her hair when he heard a buzzing sound from his phone and answered the call.
“Hey, Koushiro! Just the man I want to talk to!” Taichi exclaimed through the phone.
“Hey, Taichi. What is all the noise in the background?” Koushiro whispered though the phone, trying desperately not to wake the girl sleeping next to him.
“We won! We won! We won! Scored the winning goal! The whole team is going out to celebrate!” Taichi continued to scream.
“That’s great. So I’m guessing you’re going to be even later then?” He continued to whisper. Koushiro moved his laptop to the arm of the couch so he could switch the phone to his other ear, away from Hikari’s face.
“Yeah! I hope that is alright with you! We can just work on what we need to more tomorrow,” he replied. “Why are you whispering?”
Koushiro started to stutter. “Well, I. I-I don’t want to wake up your family.”
“Is Hikari there?”
“I, uh. Uh, yeah. She is. She’s on the couch while I am working at the dining room table,” he lied, looking down the girl asleep on his lap. He noticed that a piece of her hair was out of place and covering the corner of her eye. Before he realized what he was doing, he began to reach his hand out toward her head and delicately brushed it away. She unknowingly smiled at his action, causing his heart to flutter once again.
“Okay, just tell her that I will be home really, really, late. You’re still welcome to stay. Just kick my sister off the couch if you need to,” Taichi laughed.
Koushiro huffed a bit, wondering how in the world he could do that. He’ll think of something. He always does. “Alright, I’ll try my best. To be honest, I will probably still be awake when you get home. Just be safe and I’ll see you soon.”
“You’re the best! Bye, Koushiro!” And with that, Taichi hung up the phone.
Koushiro took in a deep breath and analyzed his options. He didn’t mind staying like this all night, but eventually, Taichi will come home. He waited a good twenty minutes deciphering the available options before he decided his next move.
He sighed and slowly craned his head over the girl laying beside him. “Hey, Hikari…” he whispered as he lightly rubbed her arm. She grumbled his name and pulled her blanket up to her face. Koushiro’s heart skipped as he continued, “Your brother won his game. He won’t be home until much later. We need to get you to your room.”
Hikari shifted and grumbled again. “Nooo…”
He frowned at her attempt. “Yes, we do. As much as we want to stay like this, it’s better for you to get your sleep in your bed,” he quietly admitted, hoping Hikari was too tired to comprehend.
She lightly groaned at his point. “Okay,” she whispered, but put no attempt into getting up.
Koushiro moved his laptop to the coffee table in front of them. He cautiously lifted Hikari’s head and placed a pillow under it as a substitute. Slowly, he got up from his spot and looked down at the sleeping girl. With all the courage he could gather, he carefully picked her up, blanket and all, bridal style and started to carried her into her room.
As they made their way down the hallway, Hikari snuggled her face into the crook of his neck. Koushiro tried his best not to react to her action, afraid her might drop her in the process. When they made it to the destination, he slowly placed her down on her bed and brought the blanket to her shoulder.
He brushed a stray hair out of her face and said, “Goodnight, Hikari. I’ll see you in the morning.”
When he started to turn away, he felt a hand grab his. Turning back around, he saw Hikari’s eyes lock on his. “Thank you. Goodnight, Koushiro,” she whispered with a smile and let go of his hand.
He silently shut her door behind him and walked back toward the living room. When her sat back on the couch and placed his laptop back on his lap, he realized what made him frustrated before. Yes, at first when he started his work, he yearned for silence, but now, he craved for someone else. Her thoughtfulness. Her angelic face. Her happy mood. Her presence.
Koushiro realized he longed to have Hikari next to him… always.
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theweasleysredhair · 4 years
Text
Falling For You [J.P.]
Character: James Potter
Word Count: 1572
Requested?: Yes/No
Summary: soulmate au: feeling each others’ pain
Disclaimer: Gif isn't mine, credit to whoever made it
A/n: not much happens in this really, I just had a storyline idea I couldn’t shake (we all know I’m a sucker for soulmate aus) and this is what happened - enjoy!
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You knew from a young age that your soulmate was prone to injury. Scratched knees, a broken arm (multiple times!), a dislocated shoulder, shattered ribs (that hurt) - you’d had it all and more before the age of 10.
Your mother always said your soulmate must either be an athlete, extremely clumsy or always fighting. You hoped for either of the formers, however with your luck, you were expecting the latter.
It was worrying sometimes, as there was no way to reach out to make sure your soulmate was okay, however you knew that as long as the pains kept coming through, he was alive. Sometimes he’d go long periods of time without hurting himself and you’d forget how clumsy he was, until you’d suddenly get winded or suffer stabbing pains, making you curse him under your breath.
As soon as you found out who he was, he’d be getting an earful from you about the pain he’d put you through. Especially considering the worst you’d done to him was a sprained wrist or twisted ankle now and again.
Well, that wasn’t strictly true. There was the time Snape “accidentally” dropped some of his potion on you, leaving your skin burning and peeling. You hadn’t done anything to warrant the action, you just happened to catch him on a bad day - something about him falling out with a friend and being hung upside down outside.
It was now your final year in Hogwarts and the Quidditch season was just beginning. Whilst you didn’t play, you did enjoy watching the games with your friends, especially when it was the final game of the season, which it was - and thus meaning the winner of the Quidditch Cup would be revealed today, based on the scores.
Gryffindor vs Slytherin, always a nasty game, lots of house rivalry and players that would do anything to get the opposing teams’ players away from the snitch.
“Who do you think is going to win?” Y/f/n asked excitedly, grabbing ahold of your arm as you followed the masses of students heading toward the Quidditch pitch, all waving their banners and yelling in support of their chosen team. “(Y/fave/team), obviously! That is, if they all play fairly... which we can’t exactly count on,” you said as you pulled your scarf around your neck - the sun may be shining but it would be windy and cold stood outside in the stands.
“That’s true... last time Gryffindor and Slytherin played, Malfoy hexed Gryffindor’s brooms. Busy day for Madam Pomfrey...” Y/f/n trailed off in thought.
“I’m sure it won’t be that bad this time,” you said as you took your place in your house stand, “I mean, McGonagall checked the brooms thrice over and Dumbledore is supposed to be keeping an eye out for any cheating off either side.”
You were silenced by a loud cheering rippling through the stands as the players took their place in the middle of the pitch. You faintly heard Madam Hooch’s voice announce the beginning of the match as the brooms raised into the air and the three kinds of balls were released.
The first half of the match was pretty uneventful - a couple of goals per team, nothing extraordinary. It was only when the teams flew higher - where it was harder to spectate - that the crowds began to whisper amongst themselves. The match was clearly getting more aggressive, with bludgers being hit towards chasers on both sides at an alarming rate. At one point, the Gryffindor seeker must’ve caught sight of the snitch as there was a sudden movement on his part, before he was hit out of the way by the Slytherin seeker, who mustn’t have been able to see the snitch himself and resorted to distraction instead.
Then suddenly there was the sound of two players crashing into one another, a plethora of gasps and a few screams, as a body started to descend from the air, followed quickly by an empty broom.
You saw Dumbledore quickly stand up from his place and hear him yell out a spell to limit the momentum of the fall, however the dark haired boy still hit the floor with force.
Then you heard more screaming, louder than before and you wondered where it was coming from until you realised it was coming from you, as you collapsed to the floor, writhing in pain. “Y/n! Y/n are you okay? What just happened??” Y/f/n called out, the last thing you heard before blacking out.
***
The room was silent when you finally opened your eyes and the only light was from the end window, the others having curtains pulled across. The last thing you remembered was a Quidditch player falling off their broom and considering the pain you felt, you could only draw the conclusion that he was your soulmate - the one who had been causing you pain your entire life. It made more sense - you figured it wasn’t the first time he’d fallen during training or games, but you knew that it was never this bad.
You could still feel faint aching around your body, giving you confidence that your soulmate had in fact survived. As you swung your legs out of the bed, Madam Pomfrey bustled through, “You’re awake dear! Nice to see you’re okay. I assume you must be feeling a bit run down, so take this potion, quickly now, and you’ll be right as rain in no time.”
You gratefully took the glass and sipped it, your face contorting at the taste.
“Madam Pomfrey? Could I ask... who was it that fell from the broom?”
She gave you a knowing smile, “Ah yes, you’d be referring to Mr Potter, dear. Nasty fall, dreadful it was. It was lucky Professor Dumbledore slowed the fall - wouldn’t want to imagine the damage if not. If you want to see him dear, he’s two beds over.” Madam Pomfrey took the empty potion glass you had drank and quickly made her way back down the Hospital Wing, as you stood up and slowly moved towards the bed she had referred to.
Mr Potter.
James Potter.
James fucking Potter was your soulmate.
You pulled the curtain back that was separating him from the rest of the room and couldn’t help the gasp that left your lips as you took in the sight of him. There was a nasty cut on his forehead, a trail of bruises down his jawline and towards his chest, one arms was in a sling, the other bruised and battered, and his legs were reclined upwards - you assumed he’d been given multiple potions at some point, judging by the empty glasses and syringes next to his bed.
You took the seat beside his bed and gingerly took one of his hands in yours, your fingers slowing running over the cuts on his knuckles.
“James Potter, once you survive this, I’m going to kill you,” you whispered as you gazed at his face, his soft eyelashes fanning down onto his cheeks.
‘Why was it fair that boys got naturally nice eyelashes?,’ you wondered, frowning, side tracked by that thought just as a raspy voice spoke out, “L/n?”
“James!” You locked eyes with him and he looked confused, his gaze floating down to where your hands were joined.
“Oh! Oh um... you’re probably wondering what happened and why I’m here instead of your friends and why I’m holding your hand and oh Merlin, I’m holding your hand? And well... you fell off your broom and hit the floor with quite the momentum and I can only imagine how much it hurt - well actually, that’s not strictly true, seeing as I also felt it - very much in fact as I’ve been here in the hospital wing as well overnight - and-“
“Y/n?” James whispered, effectively cutting off your rambling. “Yes?” You winced looking down. “Are you my soulmate?” He asked softly, running his thumb across the back of your hand.
“Well... yes. Yes, I do believe I am. And if I’m correct then I have a bone to pick with you because you’ve caused me a right amount of pain over the years... but I’ll wait until you’re better to get mad about that,” you told him with a nod (and a blush at the feel of him squeezing your hand tighter).
James chuckled, pulling his hand from yours momentarily as he reached up with his bruised arm to tuck a piece of hair behind your ear, before returning his hand to you, “Can’t wait for that love, I promise I’ll get better as quick as I can. For now though... what’s an injured guy gotta do to get a kiss from his soulmate?”
You returned his grin as you leant down carefully to press your lips against his soft ones. He kissed back immediately as his hand held the back of your head, pulling you towards him to close any kind of gaps and deepen the kiss as he ran his tongue across your bottom lip, nibbling gently and eliciting a gasp from you, making him grin and attempt to pull you on top of him.
It was the perfect first kiss that would be followed by many many more...
and if Madam Pomfrey found you both snogging in his hospital bed a little while later... well, it definitely wouldn’t be for the last time, that’s for sure.
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spookyceph · 3 years
Text
Pull Test
Summary: Shigaraki and Kurogiri meet with the League of Villain's newest candidate.
Rating: Gen Fic, SFW
Relationships: Shigaraki & Magne
Characters: Shigaraki Tomura, Magne, Kurogiri, Giran, mentioned Dabi, mentioned Toga Himiko
Words: 2,732
Warnings: Implied/Referenced transphobia and deadnaming when Magne's background is mentioned, swearing
The manila folder dropped from the air like a dead bird, hitting the bar top with a slap. Tomura jerked back, stool wobbling beneath him, and grit his teeth as he heard the staccato sounds of his fighter taking damage in his game. Recovering balance, he hit the pause button before glaring at the warp gate that swirled into being across the way.
“Another one already?” he snapped the moment the tall figure of his caretaker stepped out of the darkness.
Kurogiri straightened both his tie and metal gorget. “I was quite impressed myself. Giran is proving to be as professional and efficient as advertised.” He motioned to the folder he’d air dropped in. “Shall we consider this new candidate together, Shigaraki Tomura?”
Tomura wasn’t in the mood to consider shit. He hadn’t been hanging around the bar for going on two hours hoping for work to come along. One of his hands strayed to his pocket. He touched the lump that was the jar of salve he’d taken to carrying at all times. The serpentine ridge of a friendship bracelet (I used red, white, and black string so it would match you, Tomura-kun!) had joined it a week ago. Of course, he’d die before admitting to lurking just to catch a glimpse of Dabi. Or that he’d agreed to let Toga show him her favorite otome games as soon as she came back from her shopping trip. He definitelycouldn’t tell the smug old ink splatter to fuck off and let him get back to his goal of a high score—not without having how wrong he’d been about those same two people rubbed in his face.
That left being a responsible leader as the only option.
Tomura growled and set his game aside. He flicked the folder open. “Fine. What’s this new asshole’s name?” Giving in didn’t require him to be gracious about it.
“Ah. About that. I believe there’s a conflicting issue in her files about that point. Her family name is Hikiishi, however, her given one, or both, may require an update.”
A look at the top of the file filled in the blanks. The picture Giran had included showed the candidate flashing a bold smile at the camera. Shoulder-length auburn hair framed prominent cheekbones. Slightly darker fuzz lined her jaw and chin. Tomura couldn’t tell what color her eyes were behind her sunglasses, but they locked with his through lenses and stock paper alike. Hikiishi Kenji, read the first line of information on the page beneath the photo. A police report, by the looks of it.
“I see. Well, for now let’s just call Hikiishi by her alias until she confirms with us.” Tomura skimmed through the info again. “Magne, right? Related to her quirk, I assume.”
The currents of Kurogiri’s mist slowed and relaxed into looser coils. “Correct.”
Tomura frowned. “What? Did you think I’d have some sort of problem with the name thing?”
“After the misunderstanding with Dabi—”
“Dabi and I talked.”
The yellow eyes glowing within the darkness widened. “Did you now?”
Fuck, he wasn’t turning red, was he? Was he? “We’re adults. We worked shit out, okay? Not everybody has a stick up their ass about being polite all the time.” He scooped up his game, more than ready to retreat into something he could control. “When are we expecting Magne?”
“Giran can bring her by tomorrow evening.”
“Fine. Let’s get the stupid meet and greet crap over with.” When only silence followed, Tomura raised his gaze from the screen to glare at Kurogiri. “What?”
The wisps curling from the smoggy bastard’s head looked suspiciously like smiles. “Nothing, Shigaraki Tomura. Nothing at all.”
-
Taptaptap.
Tomura’s finger rose and fell on the bartop fast enough to give a sewing machine needle a run for its money. The ball of his right foot bounced on the stool’s crossbar in time with it.
Taptaptap.
Giran had promised he’d be there between 9:00 and 10:00. The clock by the door pointed to 9:51.
Taptaptap.
Lots of people would be riding the trains on a Friday night. Or roaming the streets, looking for food and alcohol, karaoke, strangers to stave off loneliness. Heroes would be out in force as a result, watching for any predators stalking the herds of humanity. Tomura didn’t know how to calculate exact probability rates for shit hitting the fan, but he got the sense they were on the higher end under such conditions.
Taptaptap.
Why couldn’t he just run into party members along the way as needed, like in games? Each one would specialize in a skill, forming a well-rounded team. Everyone would follow him to the bitter end because they believed in him and not some ass goblin named Stain. Why they believed in Tomura wouldn’t matter, though money would be a reasonable guess. Idealism didn’t pay much from what he could tell.
Taptap—
“Be calm, Shigaraki Tomura. This meeting will go well.”
He bared teeth at Kurogiri. “There has to be a meeting for it to go a certain way. And I am calm, damn it.”
“So I see.” He finished wiping down the glass he held before setting it on the bar and grabbing another. “My apologies.”
Tomura twisted on the stool to give the smart ass shadow a piece of his overthinking mind.
Knock, knock, knock.
Without missing a beat, Kurogiri stuck his free hand through a small warp gate and turned the handle of the door across the room. He went back to polishing as two figures entered the bar.
For someone who charged such high fees, Giran went out of his way to look cheap and kitschy. Little round tinted lenses pinched to the bridge of his nose. A scrunched scarf like someone’s guts slung around his neck. One front tooth missing in his low-key sleazy smile. The woman following right behind him and surveying her new surroundings made for a more welcome sight. Sunglasses (her and Giran both, for fucks’ sake) hid her eyes just like in her picture, but her lips held a hint of a smile.
The essence of good manners, Kurogiri bowed to their guests. “Good evening. Welcome to our humble home.”
Tomura, to balance the scales, snorted and folded his arms across his chest. “Took you long enough.”
Giran shrugged and twirled his hand, leaving behind a smoke spiral from the tip of the cigarette between his fingers. “Our train was delayed by some prankster threatening to blow up the tracks.”
“Doesn’t sound like a prank.”
“It wouldn’t have been if the lazy bastard hadn’t been trying to pass off children’s clay as plastic explosive. One of the cops noticed the stuff was bright yellow and they rushed him. They didn’t even call in a hero.” The broker shook his head. “What’s this world coming to? People can’t be bothered to find and pay for real weapons anymore. It offends my pride as a businessman.”
Behind Father, Tomura grimaced. His short-lived venture with Stain had indeed moved people to lash out at society. The problem was most of them were fucking morons. He doubted any decent candidates the League managed to net would make up for all the secondhand embarrassment he’d suffered in the past couple of weeks from watching the news.
“Oh, I don’t know,” the woman said, tapping her chin. “I felt kinda bad for the poor guy. He looked like your average office wage-slave. I thought he was going to break down in tears when they hauled him off.”
“Serves him right for cutting corners. No conviction, no integrity these days I tell you.”
She hid a grin behind her hand. “You’re heartless, Giran.”
The broker snorted smoke from his nostrils like an exasperated dragon. “I’m practical.”
“And yet you still haven’t introduced me.”
Posture straightening, Giran tugged at his weirdly anatomical scarf. “Sorry, got sidetracked. Magne, Shigaraki Tomura and Kurogiri of the League of Villains.”
“Pleased to meet you.” Slipping off his stool, Tomura gave her a short bow. The way Kurogiri swayed slightly, as if he’d swoon from shock, made the display worth it.
“I take it I’ve earned my fee?” chimed in Giran.
Kurogiri’s misty form shuddered as he roused himself. “Of course. We’ll hear from you again soon?”
“I’ve got a few candidates lined up.” The broker sketched them a mock salute before turning and closing the door behind him.
“Please, have a seat.” Tomura motioned to the row of barstools beside him.
“Thank you. Don’t mind if I do.”
While Magne approached, he studied her movements. She strode across the hardwood floor, work boots making minimal noise with each step. Grace as well as power. She knew how to use the muscle under her shirt’s rolled up sleeves rather than relying on pure size. Although, that didn’t hurt either—Tomura put her at over ten centimeters his own height at least, and she definitely outclassed him by weight. He wondered whether she had speed to go along with strength. She slid into the next seat over and rested her chin in her hands.
“Would you care for something to drink, Miss Magne?” Kurogiri asked, jumping at the chance to play host.
“Oh, my. So formal. Sure, I’ll have whatever you recommend.”
Tomura waited until a small glass of something amber-colored had been set in front of them both (ginger ale for him) and she’d taken an approving sip before getting things rolling.
“You have quite a record, Magne.” Though he’d already memorized the relevant bits, he flipped open the folder container her information.
She glanced over, shades slipping down her nose as she scanned the first page of the police report. “Twenty-nine attempted murders, huh? Is that what they’re calling those? I’m surprised you guys bothered having me come in after reading that garbage.”
“Why?”
Like a small bird, Tomura’s stomach dipped and fluttered when Magne looked at him over the edge of her glasses. Not quite in the same way it did when he caught Dabi watching him from across the room, but close enough to classify the sensation as pleasant. Her irises shone like polished agates, made up of rich layers of browns from a starburst of mahogany around her pupils to flecks of burnished copper. Tomura suddenly understood her hiding them behind lenses. Such a beautiful detail would stick in anyone’s memory.
“Somebody who tried and failed to kill that many people would look pretty incompetent, right?” she replied. “Or like they chickened out at the last second. I don’t enjoy killing. I’ll tell you that up front. But…I didn’t hesitate with the three I did put down, let’s just say that.”
Tomura, a multiple murderer himself, examined the square set of her shoulders, the twist of scorn to her mouth towards her accusers, and found no reason to doubt her. He nodded.
“The so-called attempts were from the robberies you pulled off then?”
“Mostly, though I’m sure a few of the bullies I smacked around exaggerated just to prove what big, strong men they are.” She harumphed and took another sip from her drink.
“And the actual murders?”
Her lips puckered, as if she tasted something more bitter than whatever alcohol Kurogiri had given her. “Personal matters.”
“I see.” Tomura turned the page and ran his finger further down the information. “Your quirk has some unique parameters.”
The lines of Magne’s face eased into a smile. “Oh, the gender thing? A theory really. I haven’t had much opportunity to test it seriously. It might be nothing but my own perception…but I guess that doesn’t make it any less real, does it?” She lifted a hand from her glass and reached halfway toward him. “Care for a demonstration?”
Tomura caught himself drawing away from her, his nails latching onto the sides of his neck. Cowering—great way to display his leadership skills. “What’re you going to do?”
“Oh, just tug on your arm a little. Go ahead and put it down by your side for me.”
Resisting the urge to look to Kurogiri for reassurance, he did as asked. For safety’s sake he curled his fingers into a fist.
Magne smiled. “Ready?”
According to the knot in his stomach, no, but he nodded anyway. His arm jerked and leapt up as if it were tied by a string. Tomura gasped, almost slipping off his seat. Magne caught and steadied him.
“Sorry, honey! Got so excited to show off I put a bit too much oomph into it.” She patted his shoulder as if there weren’t dead, gray hands clutching it.
“’S’alright,” he mumbled. And it was—his skin showed no marks, his muscles and joints registered no pain. He readjusted the delicate hand decorating his wrist. Cold, waxy, and pliant. Nothing like Magne.
“So, can you manipulate people’s movements? Turn them into your puppets?”
She hummed and pushed her sunglasses back into their proper place. “Not really. I can move someone with the proper amount of push versus pull, but it’s such delicate work that they could break free pretty easily. Hold out your arm and I’ll show you what I mean.”
Still making a fist, Tomura followed her suggestion. Magne positioned her hands on either side of his forearm, spread about half a meter apart. Concentration dug a V between her brows. A thrum jolted through Tomura’s bones. He startled at the rush of tingles in his elbow and shoulder but kept his balance. Something like a low electrical current pulsed along his arm, raising its pale little hairs. Eyes wide, he watched as the limb drifted from one side to the other, then up, down—anywhere the poles of Magne’s palms guided it. He could even see, feel his skin being tugged and pressed by her quirk. Taking a deep breath, Tomura drew his fist back. He met some resistance, but didn’t have to put up any real struggle.
“Weird.” He shook his buzzing fingers out. “But kinda nice. Tingly. Like an electrical field.”
Magne tilted her head and smirked. “Oh? That’s a new one. Then again, maybe I’d have heard it before if I used my quirk for something besides bashing jerks.”
What would he have done without Father hiding the fact he blushed at the slightest fucking thing? He’d never get used to talking to people at this rate.
“Your skills would be a great asset to the League, Miss Magne,” Kurogiri said, saving Tomura from having to pretend he could be witty. “I presume Giran discussed the expenses we cover? Upon joining, you would also be welcome to claim a room upstairs, should you wish.”
Magne went still. Even her breathing stopped for a moment. “You’d let me stay here?”
Tomura knew right then he’d never live down being wrong about not letting League members move into the hideout. Kurogiri would never be crass enough to say it out loud, of course. He didn’t have to. Tomura sighed, accepting his fate.
“Two members live here already, including another woman. We can introduce you to them both before you decide.”
Gaze aimed at the ceiling, Magne touched fingers to her pursed lips. “I’ve already made up my mind.” She met Tomura’s eyes, a smile lighting up her face. “Sign me up.”
Well. He had no clue whatso-fucking-ever how they’d convinced her, but results were results. Besides, she hadn’t mentioned Stain once. She deserved free room and board for that alone.
“Ah, wonderful. We’re so delighted to have you, Miss Magne.” Kurogiri steepled his fingers. “Please let me know if you require any assistance in moving your belongings. I can warp them to whichever room you choose.”
A soft laugh huffed out of her. “No need, honey. I travel light these days. Would tomorrow evening be too soon?”
Tomura shrugged. “That’s fine. I’ll make sure Toga and Dabi are around so you can meet them.” Even if he had to staple the latter to a chair to make him comply.
“Sounds like a plan.” Magne raised her glass. “To new friends then?”
There was that word again. Offered with the same ease Toga had shown. And Dabi…he’d never said it maybe but his gift had implied…well, something. Tomura touched his pocket. The weight and shapes of the items inside it. With the same hand, he picked up his own glass and clinked it against Magne’s.
“Sure. I’ll drink to that.”
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tigerkirby215 · 3 years
Text
5e Aphelios, the Weapon of the Faithful build (League of Legends)
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(Artwork by Pan Chengwei. Made for Riot Games.)
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(Shit meme by yours truly.)
Yes I hate Irelia so much I’m genuinely making an Aphelios build before her.
But I really don’t get the “Aphelios too confusing 200 years” memes. Don’t get me wrong his kit’s weird and certainly overtuned but it doesn’t take that long to figure out what his guns do. Calibrum has long range and fires a skill shot, Severum has lifesteal and attacks fast, Gravitum slows and roots, Infernum attacks in a cone for AoE damage, and Crescendum attacks very fast and creates a turret.
Just because I understand this does it mean I can play Aphelios? Fuck no. Did I learn all this from Legends of Runeterra by playing Labs with Aphelios? Yeah kinda. But all I’m saying is that if my stupid support-main ass can do midway decently as Aphelios on free-to-play rotation I really think the hype around him is overblown.
That’s enough hot takes from me. He’s the point where I list 5 goals for this build instead of 3 and make 200 years jokes.
GOALS
Calibrum - We’ll need a long-ranged weapon to harass our foes and pick them off when they try to run.
Severum - If enemies get too close or we get too low we’ll need a way to keep ourselves alive in a 1v1.
Gravitum - We’ll need to control our foes to always stay in an advantageous position.
Infernum - AoE damage is always useful to deal with crowds.
Crescendum - To take down the toughest of foes we’ll need to unleash all our firepower and even get our weapons to fir themselves.
Basically we need literally everything, all packed within 20 levels of D&D and 200 years of game design.
RACE
Aphelios is a human... but ellipsis means that another race makes more sense. Aphelios has his sister advising him wherever he goes in life, so to play two spirits in one a Kalashtar is a good choice! Your Wisdom score increases by 2 and your Charisma increases by 1. Alune’s Dual Mind grants you Advantage on Wisdom saving throws, and her Mental Discipline lets you resist Psychic damage. Alune also keeps you Severed from Dreams, meaning that you’re immune to spells that require you to dream (like the Dream spell) but not spells that require you to sleep (like Sleep.)
Aphelios doesn’t talk (unless you want him to) but Alune can make a Mind Link to speak telepathically with others! You can speak telepathically to any creature you can see that’s within a number of feet of you equal to 10 times your level. You don’t need to share a language with them, but they must be able to understand at least one language. You can also use your action to give that creature the ability to speak telepathically with you for 1 hour or until you end this effect as an action. To use this ability, the creature must be able to see you and must be within this trait’s range. You can only give this ability to only one person at a time however, as it ends when you give it to someone else. Oh and speaking of languages you know Common, Quori (which no one is going to have outside of Eberron lol), and one other language of your choice: Celestial probably makes the most sense but you can pick whatever you fancy.
ABILITY SCORES
15; CHARISMA - You’re a kpop pretty boy, because Aphelios has more guns than body types in League of Legends.
14; WISDOM - I mean you get advantage in Wisdom saves anyways: may as well make the skill good too?
13; DEXTERITY - You are a marksman but we aren’t really using DEX for combat. So in other words: something something Medium Armor.
12; CONSTITUTION - You are one of the squishiest ADCs in the game but you do have enough sustain to keep yourself alive.
10; INTELLIGENCE - You were trained spiritually, as opposed to academically. That being said Religion is an Intelligence skill for some reason.
8; STRENGTH - I mean look at Aphelios’ arms; kid’s a freaking twink.
BACKGROUND
Aphelios fights for him and his sister’s faith in the Lunari... bit unorthodox, but you’re certainly quite the devoted Acolyte. As an acolyte you get proficiency in Religion but I’d replace your proficiency in Insight with Medicine, which you’re probably used to after drinking so much poison. You also learn two languages that you won’t use because Aphelios is mute. (But yeah pick whatever you think will be useful and if you want to feel free to swap your languages for tools or something. A Herbalism Kit or Poisoner’s Kit actually works rather well given your favorite drink to keep close to your sister.)
Alune may be in the Shelter of the Faithful but you can return to the temple from time to time for solace. You and your adventuring companions can expect free healing and care at a temple, shrine, or other established location of Lunari faith (you have to provide any material components for spells though.) The Lunari will support you (but only you) at a modest lifestyle in the temples.
If you’re near your sister’s shrine you can ask the chosen Lunari priests for assistance, provided the assistance you ask for is not hazardous and you remain in good standing with your temple and your sister.
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(Artwork by SixMoreVodka Studios. Made for Legends of Runeterra by Riot Games.)
THE BUILD
LEVEL 1 - SORCERER 1
Starting off as a Sorcerer for proficiency in CON saving throws lol, but also for proficiency in Arcana and the Insight skill we skipped from our background. But Sorcerers get to choose their subclass at level 1 and to get closer to the Aspects grab a touch of the Divine Soul. As a Weapon of the Faithful you are Favored by the Gods, letting you add 2d4 to a missed attack roll or saving throw once per Short or Long Rest for a touch of Alune’s guidance. I’m going to mention now that a death saving throw is technically a saving throw, and I mention it because your AC is 11 and your health is 7. Level 1 ADCs, am I right?
Anyways: Divine Souls get Divine Magic for one extra spell from the Cleric spell list: technically you’re supposed to take one of the ones they suggest to you but I’d recommend Guiding Bolt for Calibrum’s Q: a long ranged shot that lets you shoot the target more easily afterwards.
And of course being able to cast spells implies that you have Spellcasting! You can learn four cantrips from the Sorcerer or Cleric list which means you can grab Guidance for a bit more of your sister’s help. You can also grab Word of Radiance to attack everyone near you with Severum’s Q, Acid Splash for some AoE damage from Infernum (should it be doing fire damage? Yeah probably), and Light to see with your dumb Kalashtar eyes. You can also learn two leveled spells like Sanctuary to protect yourself or your allies as long as they act peacefully, and Ice Knife for a more ranged AoE blast from Infernum.
If you want you can grab Mage Armor or something because your AC and HP are kinda uhhhhhhhhhh... trash?
LEVEL 2 - WARLOCK 1
Hopefully you didn’t die as a level 1 Aphelios with 7 HP and 11 AC; we didn’t even get 200 years of damage yet! Warlocks get to choose their subclass at level 1 as well which means you can shape yourself as the Fiend the Solari see you as. Dark One’s Blessing grants you temporary hitpoints equal to your Charisma modifier plus your Warlock level whenever you slay a foe for Severum’s lifesteal and passive shield.
You also get Pact Magic, which is like regular Spellcasting but your spell slots are funny! You can learn two cantrips from the Warlock list like Eldritch Blast to blast while you eldritch, and Chill Touch for some Grievous Wounds. You can also learn two Warlock spells like Burning Hands from the Fiendlock list to blast your foes with Infernum, and Hex to mark your foe for death under the moon.
LEVEL 3 - WARLOCK 2
Second level Warlocks get access to Eldritch Invocations like Agonizing Blast to agonize your blasts, and Lance of Lethargy to slow your foes with Gravitum. You can also learn another Warlock spell like Unseen Servant for some extra sisterly help. I mean, you’re probably going to replace these all next level anyways.
LEVEL 4 - WARLOCK 3
Third level Warlocks can choose their Pact Boon and truthfully? Just about any of them work. Pact of the Blade would be the most “in-character” but your Strength and Dexterity are both kind of bad and you don’t need to use weapons. Pact of the Chain will let you personify Alune on your person and get a shitty version of Crescendum’s turret but Aphelios doesn’t have a pet. Pact of the Tome lets you get Aspect of the Moon which is funny in its own right and more cantrips are universally useful. And hell: even Pact of the Talisman is useful for your sister to lend her aid to someone else in the party. Basically this is an elaborate way for me to say that your Pact Boon doesn’t matter much for this build, as we won’t be using any of the abilities or invocations from your Pact Boon much. So pick what you think will be useful and fun and make your own Aphelios!
With that being said: you can also learn second level Warlock spells now! Shadow Blade will serve as Crescendum’s blade that you can throw at the enemy, but it is based on your DEX which is kind of... bad? Well at least you can replace Unseen Servant with Misty Step, because a summoner’s Flash is more useful than your sister’s unseen help.
LEVEL 5 - WARLOCK 4
Man isn’t it fun to wait until level 5 to not die when the enemy support breathes on you? That uneven Dexterity score was done so you could grab the Moderately Armored feat for +1 to your Dexterity and proficiency in Medium Armor and Shields. Grab both to get hit less, basically!
You can also learn another spell like Hold Person for Gravitum’s root. And another cantrip like Minor Illusion for your sister to summon some props that you can hide behind.
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(Artwork by Jennifer Wuestling. Made for Riot Games.)
LEVEL 6 - WARLOCK 5
Hey that Medium Armor doesn’t really fit your outfit: how about the Mask of Many Faces invocation to put on some skins?
Third level spells are also useful! Vampiric Touch will let you heal in close range by damaging your foes with Severum.
LEVEL 7 - WARLOCK 6
6th level Fiend Warlocks get more guidance from Alune. The Solari may call it the Dark One’s Own Luck but all it lets you do is add a d10 to an ability check or saving throw once per Short or Long Rest. I mean hey: if you want a load of saving throw insurance this plus Favored by the Gods basically means you’re adding +10 to a saving throw!
You can also learn another spell but the only ones I’d want have very expensive components. Basically I want a Tasha’s summoning spell for Crescendum’s turret, but you’re going to be replacing it with...
LEVEL 8 - WARLOCK 7
4th level Warlocks can learn Summon Aberration which is a little more than just a turret! You can choose between a Beholderkin turret, Slaad tank, or Star Spawned Aspect! I’m not going to go too deep into this spell as you can read up on it for yourself but the point is you’ve got some backup now!
Alternatively if you want I think your sis could use some friends: Banishment will send them up to the temple where they’ll have to sit around and chat peacefully with Alune. Or if they’re not from the plane you’re in they’ll just be sent home.
Oh and you can also get another Eldritch Invocation like Eldritch Spear to keep your range with Calibrum.
LEVEL 9 - WARLOCK 8
8th level Warlocks get another Ability Score Improvement: you should probably increase your Charisma for more damage and accuracy with your weapons.
Speaking of weapons Dimension Door will let you head back to fountain to buy more weapons, or get out of danger and in range to use your weapons.
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(Artwork by SixMoreVodka Studios. Made for Legends of Runeterra by Riot Games.)
LEVEL 10 - SORCERER 2
We’ve gotten all of out basic auto attacks: now I want some of Aphelios’ finer abilities. Second level Sorcerers get a Font of Magic for Sorcery Points which currently do nothing other than let you get more spell slots. You can melt down your Warlock slots however to get more Sorcery points, which will be useful later.
And of course you can learn more spells, but we’re going to wait for...
LEVEL 11 - SORCERER 3
Third level Sorcerers can finally learn Metamagic to empower their spells! You can take Quickened Spell for some Attack Speed, or Seeking Spell for some armor penetration to deal with higher AC enemies.
You can also learn second level spells like Icingdeath’s Frost (UA soon to be in Fizban’s hopefully) to blast foes with Infernum then Gravitum, or Dragon’s Breath to blast Infernum all throughout the fight.
LEVEL 12 - SORCERER 4
Would be good to cap off that Charisma, so go ahead and do so with your ASI.
You can also learn another spell like Spiritual Weapon for a turret you can move around a bit, and a new cantrip like Mage Hand for your sister’s help reaching the top shelf.
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(Artwork made for Riot Games.)
LEVEL 13 - SORCERER 5
5th level Sorcerers can get some Magical Guidance from their sister to reroll ability checks, because she’s been reading up on Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything.
You can also learn a new spell like Fireball... I mean I really shouldn’t need to justify this. It’s Fireball. Blast them with Moonlight Vigil for a burst of Infernum’s fire!
LEVEL 14 - SORCERER 6
6th level Divine Soul Sorcerers can use their Sorcery Points for Empowered Healing... wait you have healing? Well whenever you or an ally within 5 feet of you rolls dice to heal from a spell, you can spend 1 sorcery point to reroll any number of those dice once, as long as you’re not incapacitated. This technically doesn’t work with Vampiric Touch (since that spell does damage and then heals you based on how much damage it deals) but if your support heals you or a nearby ally there’s no reason not to give them an extra pick-me-up!
You can also learn another spell but I’m going to hop back to second level real quick for Mirror Image. It perhaps doesn’t fit as well (which is why I didn’t take it until now) but it’s very good to keep yourself alive, and as a squishy Lunari boy it’ll be very helpful to make it harder for the enemy to hit you.
LEVEL 15 - SORCERER 7
7th level Sorcerers can learn 4th level spells like Guardian of Faith for a turret that actually stands still! It shoots at anyone who comes close, and when it runs out of ammo it disappears. But what’s cool about this spell is that it lasts for 8 hours, which is plenty of time to rest through the night while your sister watches over you.
LEVEL 16 - SORCERER 8
8th level Sorcerers get another Ability Score Improvement or Feat: seeing as you’re mostly casting War Caster would be a good pickup to keep your Concentration with your bad Constitution and also hit those who come too close with magic. Or you could just get better Constitution maybe since it’s a bit late for War Caster tbh...
You can also learn another spell like Death Ward, for a Guardian Angel that you’re probably going to need seeing as you still have less than a hundred health.
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(Artwork by Francis Tneh and West Studios. Made for Riot Games.)
LEVEL 17 - SORCERER 9
9th level Sorcerers can learn 5th level spells like Teleportation Circle to recall back to base or to your sister’s temple. If you know the sequence of sigils to go back to a teleportation circle you can use this spell to link yourself back to it. You can also create a new circle over the course of a year. (And by spending a lot of gold.)
Basically this is my way of saying that we got all we wanted after level 16 tbh and I’m kinda just going through the motions of grabbing your last few levels.
LEVEL 18 - SORCERER 10
10th level Sorcerers get their third Metamagic option! Hurrah! By this point you have enough spells that force saving throws that Heightened Spell is a good option to make it a lot harder for your opponents to resist 200 years of magic!
You can also learn another 5th level spell like Hold Monster for Gravitum’s root against a ganking Fiddlesticks. And another cantrip: I somehow didn’t take Prestidigitation until now, so grab it for all sorts of basic Lunari magic.
LEVEL 19 - SORCERER 11
11th level Sorcerers can learn a 6th level spell! This is going to be your final, highest level spell; your ultimate ability! And I’d consider an ultimate from a fed Aphelios to be a Circle of Death. It’s a huge AoE that does a lot of damage: a simple nuke for a simple ADC that isn’t remotely confusing.
LEVEL 20 - SORCERER 12
12th level Sorcerers get one last Ability Score Improvement or Feat... I’m going to be honest: this doesn’t fit Aphelios but you likely have around 100 HP. Do yourself a favor and grab the Tough feat for 40 extra health.
FINAL BUILD
PROS
For every phase, a weapon - Wow who would’ve guessed building for versatility makes you versatile? You have a huge variety of spells for just about any occasion: AoEs to deal with crowds, single-target spells to take down big foes, crowd control to keep enemies in place, summons to keep enemies targeting them instead of your allies, and of course more than enough damage to shake a stick at.
In your hand; from my heart - Sorcery points also give you plenty of flexibility, notably in your ability to greatly increase damage output thanks to Quickened Spell on Eldritch Blasts and Seeking Spell to reroll missed Eldritch Blasts. But being able to turn your Warlock slots into ammo for your more useful guns is extremely useful and allows you to better adapt to various situations.
I am with you... shining above - Medium armor goes quite a long way! A Breastplate and Shield gives you a solid 18 AC, and if you’re willing to have Stealth Disadvantage upgrading to Half Plate gives you a respectable 19 AC!
CONS
You make yourself a weapon, so you do not have to feel - Skill proficiencies are reserved for those who don’t spend 200 years on damage. You have two skills from your background and two from your class and none of them are particularly great. Sure your Insight and Medicine skills are fine enough but you’re going to be beaten in Arcana by a Wizard and Religion by a Cleric also a Wizard, because Religion is an Intelligence skill for some reason.
Your life upon the altar, brother... - Even with the Tough feat your health is extremely poor. d6 hit die hurt and anyone with Power Word Kill can easily execute you. While I did give you good Wisdom for roleplay’s sake you could (and probably should) opt for Constitution instead.
An omen in your grasp - Your low health is kind of a problem when a lot of your spells force you into close range. There are ways to use spells like Burning Hands, Dragon’s Breath, Shadow Blade, and Vampiric Touch without getting too close (those methods being the Distant Spell Metamagic which we didn’t take; you could totally replace Seeking Spell if you wanted though) but Severum and Infernum are balanced around their low range. There’s no reason you can’t throw balance out the window to take spells that will likely be more useful.
But you are a weapon, sworn to carry your faith and show the world the light in the darkness. Your task is to slay those that deny the right of your people before they even know you are there... Sure confusing them as to what you are even doing is also effective, and I guess it doesn’t matter if your abilities make sense if they’re all dead. They’ll have 200 years to figure out how you killed them: I’m sure that’s plenty of time to read your ability descriptions.
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(Artwork by @NAOMM29 on Twitter.)
19 notes · View notes
fruitcoops · 3 years
Note
for the jules stay with coops, would you be able to do something where jules kinda just messes around on the ice with a stick n puck n the team just kinda watch in adoration? 🤧
This is the final installment of Adventures in Babysitting! Thank you to everyone who stayed interested in this idea, which is the longest series I’ve ever written for SW fanfic (about 15k words total! Wow!). This is my favorite part so far, I think. Hope you enjoy!
Intro 1 2 3 4
Credit for Sweater Weather/ Jules goes to @lumosinlove!
“Can I watch again today?” Jules begged, tugging on the strap of Remus’ duffel bag as they walked to the car. “Please? Please please please please—”
“Yes, you can watch,” Remus groaned, hefting their gear into the trunk. It seemed extra heavy today. “Though keep asking like that and I’m going to say no.”
“The plane doesn’t leave until six thirty, so we’ll be able to hang out with the guys after practice, right?”
“Well, yeah, but we should be at the airport by five just in case,” Remus said. “And it’s an open practice, so the media will want to ask some questions afterward. You can probably hang out with them between interviews, though.”
Jules bit his lip. “Oh. Okay.”
“We’ll figure something out, don’t worry.” He watched Jules buckle in through the rearview mirror while Sirius turned the car on. Most of the snow had melted the previous day, leaving a clear and crisp morning that Remus could feel through the windows as they drove to the rink; he felt a little bad for everyone who wouldn’t be moving around to keep warm for the next few hours.
Moody wasn’t by the door when they arrived, nor was he in the PT room. Remus checked the clock quickly and frowned—they didn’t have a lot of time to spare before they needed to get ready to go. “Coach!” Sirius called, waving down the hallway.
Arthur looked up at them and smiled. “There you are! Got your skates, Lupin?”
Remus blinked. “Uh, yeah?”
“Not you. Little Loops, did you bring your skates?”
Jules and Remus turned to Sirius at the same time and he hid a smile behind his hand. “Got ‘em right here, Coach,” he said without looking at them, holding his bag up.
“What?” Jules whispered and turned to Remus, who shrugged. “What’s he talking about?”
“You’re number…24?” Arthur squinted at his clipboard and walked closer to them. Jules nodded silently. “Alright, I think we can figure something out. You play center, right?”
Jules squeaked out a ‘yes’; Remus could feel him trembling with excitement. “I get to play?”
Arthur raised an eyebrow and bent slightly to his level. “Your brother never stops talking about how you’re the best center Wisconsin has ever seen. I wanna know if it’s true.”
“Sirius, what did you do?” Remus murmured as Jules struggled to take a deep breath.
“I may have possibly told Coach it was his last day here. Perhaps,” Sirius whispered back.
Remus shook his head. “You are the most incredible person on the planet and I’m going to kiss the daylights out of you as soon as humanly possible.”
“Love you, too.”
“Re.” Jules yanked on his arm as he jumped up and down, ramping up with every passing second. “Re, I get to skate with the team! I get to skate! With the team!”
“Looks like it,” Remus laughed. “Come on, practice starts in twenty.”
Not only had Sirius packed Jules’ skates, but somehow he had snuck all his gear into their duffels without either of them noticing; all the guys brightened when they walked into the locker room and Kasey waved to him from his stall. “Hey, Little L—”
“I get to skate!” Jules blurted as he gripped Remus’ hand hard enough to hurt.
James shared a look with Sirius—so you were in on it, too, Remus thought as he led Jules to his stall. “That’s pretty exciting,” he said with a low whistle. “How’d you swing that?”
“Coach Weasley wants to see me play.” If Jules made it through the next three hours without fainting from happiness, Remus would be shocked.
“You must be pretty good, then.” Leo grinned as he buckled into his pads. “Think you can score a goal on me?”
Jules hesitated, then nodded. “I’ll give it a shot.”
“That’s the spirit,” Finn laughed, ruffling Jules’ hair. “You got a jersey yet?”
“Nope.”
“Hmm. What’s your number?”
“24.”
“Yo, Ringer, you got an extra?” Evander Bell dug around for a moment before tossing him a clean jersey. Finn grabbed some stick tape out of his bag and tore two pieces off; when he shook it back out, a decent ‘24’ had replaced the previous ‘21’. “There you go. You might have to tuck it in a bit.”
Jules threw his arms around Finn’s waist and squeezed him tight, mumbling ‘thank you’ over and over again. Finn rubbed his back and looked up at Remus with pleading eyes—can I keep him? he mouthed, pouting when Remus shook his head. Logan and Leo ‘aww’ed in the background.
“Okay, bud, let’s get your pads on so you can enjoy your last day here.” He put a slight emphasis on the final three words and the rest of the team perked up, trading glances between their stalls as Jules hurried to change into his gear.
Thankfully, he already knew what to do, and within ten minutes all three of them were on the ice. Several fans pointed to Jules and waved; he seemed surprised by the attention and shyly smiled back. Coach’s whistle snapped them all to attention and Remus laid a hand on Jules’ helmet to keep him close, just in case. “Cap, you know our drills for today. We start our scrimmage at 12:30 and you get twenty minutes for a lunch break.”
“Yes, Coach,” they chorused. Jules’ answer was a little delayed and Remus caught several half-hidden smiles beneath visors.
“Over here, 24,” Logan said, guiding Jules to the starting line with his stick on his back. “You wanna be on my team?”
“I want dibs!” Talker called as he skated past. “Jules, who’s your favorite? Me, or Shortie Pants over there?”
“Uhhhh…” Jules looked quickly to Remus. “I don’t have a favorite.”
“Sucks to be you guys, but he’s on my team.” Sirius held his hand out for a fist bump that Jules happily obliged. “Right, buddy?”
“Totally.”
“Hell yeah.”
The drills were far easier than usual, even for an open practice, which gave everyone a chance to show off. They went through the motions, adding little flourishes here and there that the slowly-gathering crowd ate up; even Jules started having fun with it, tapping pucks back and forth with Pots between rounds and shooting goal after goal toward Kasey and Leo. He shone with joy.
When the lunch whistle blew, Remus tapped the back of his helmet lightly. “Remember that trick I did to knock Harzy over?” he asked under his breath. Jules grinned. “Want me to show you how to do it?”
“Duh.”
“Alright, c’mere.” Remus skated over to the far end of the rink, keeping an eye out until Finn was safely out of sight. “Plant your leg like this, yeah?”
Jules frowned, but did as he was told. “I thought you went right.”
“I did. You have to fake him out with the left. He falls for it every time.”
“Really?”
“Dollars to donuts. Give it a shot.” Jules wobbled a little. “Keep your balance steady…there you go!”
“Cool!” he whispered, looking up with a bright smile. Remus leaned down so they could knock their helmets together. “Cool.”
“Okay, time for lunch. You can try it out in the scrimmage.”
Jules practiced the motions all the way back to the bench, muttering instructions under his breath as Remus kept him from knocking anyone over on accident. He scarfed down a sandwich and downed a few gulps of Gatorade, which Sirius confiscated in case he drank it too fast and made himself sick.
“We’ve got a game to win, buddy,” he said. “Take it slow.”
“Scrimmage list is up!” Coach called from the doorway, tacking a sheet of paper to the wall. Everyone immediately crowded it; Remus shouldered his way through Kasey and Logan to get a good look.
He laughed out loud when he saw it. “Jules, you better square up!” he shouted over his shoulder.
“Am I playing against you?”
“Yep. You’re up against Sirius for the face-off.”
Jules’ eyes got huge in his head. “No.”
“See for yourself, buddy.”
“Does that mean we’re on the same team for once?” Sirius murmured as he leaned against the side of Remus’ stall.
“Looks like it.” He tilted his chin up for a quick kiss and Sirius tugged the edge of his shoulder pad lightly.
“Love seeing you in these.” He tapped the wooden shelf above them and grinned before straightening. “Alright, boys, let’s go!”
It almost felt like family skate again, except for the overarching vibe of genuine competitive spirit that spread through the team. Jules and Sirius skated to the center and braced for the drop; Jules dug his blades in, and not for the first time Remus was struck by how much they looked alike.
Sirius tapped the front of his skate, but Jules didn’t flinch from his laser-focus on Dumo. “He’s got his head in the game, Cap,” Dumo said with a grin. “Ready?”
“Ready.”
The puck dropped. In a flash of movement, both lunged for it; Sirius won, but Jules was hot on his heels as he skated toward the opposite goal, his face lined with pure determination. “Twelve!” Remus called, tapping his stick against the ice.
Sirius passed it, but Jules didn’t falter from his tail, moving to shadow his every moment. Remus passed James easily, but Talker stole the puck and turned it around for a quick move toward Leo, who dropped into a lunge and blocked his shot. The pace picked up after that and Remus heard the telltale click of press cameras going off along with the whoops of fans who had come to watch.
And then Jules started tailing him, the little shit. Remus did a lazy loop around the outside, then darted in to shake him—Jules reappeared moments later, a bit out of breath but otherwise fine. Remus took the puck out from underneath Logan and raced for the goal as a beautiful line opened up for him, but he heard the familiar shush-hush of Jules’ skates and braked hard.
He should have known it wouldn’t work. Jules dodged sideways at the last second, just barely missing the puck with his stick, then spun back around and chased Remus in a sharp curve through the defense. He heard several people start laughing as he lowered his center of gravity and took a hard turn; the chill of the ice burned his cheeks, but Jules didn’t leave him alone.
“Come on, Little Loops,” he taunted, grinning over his shoulder. “Come and get it!”
Jules grumbled something under his breath and pushed off harder, skating right at Remus with single-minded intensity. He saw his left foot lift and internally shook his head.
With a couple quick taps, he was behind him again. “You can’t use my own tricks against me!”
“I can try!” Jules shouted back as they flew up the ice once more. Kasey caught his shot. “Nice one, Loops.”
“Better luck next time, eh?” Remus knocked on his helmet as he skated past, still panting. Arthur was laughing so hard he had to lean against the glass while Moody patted him on the back and winked at Remus.
“Eight more years,” Moody called with a grin. “Then we’ll have two Lupins out here.”
“Wouldn’t that be something,” Remus laughed.
They stayed on the ice for a while after the scrimmage ended, losing 2-1 to Sirius’ team. Jules shadowed anyone he came within five feet of and was harder to shake off than a piece of duct tape—Remus had never been prouder.
“Harzy! Harzy, I gotta show you something!” Jules waved to Finn, who looked over in amusement from Leo’s goal. “Skate toward me like we’re in a game.”
“Sure thing, bud.”
Jules kept his eyes on Finn’s feet as they grew closer, mouthing something under his breath. No, Remus thought. Is he going to…?
He did. In one perfect motion, he picked up his left skate and pushed hard in the other direction, zipping beneath Finn’s arm and sending him in the other direction. “No!” Finn shouted immediately as Jules burst into maniacal giggles. “Absolutely not! Remus Lupin, get your ass over here!”
“That was perfect!” Remus held his hands out for a double high-five and Jules jumped to reach his palms. “Excellent form.”
Shaved ice coated them both as Finn snowed them, still scowling. “I can’t believe you!”
“Have you tried saying ‘no’ to the puppy eyes?” Remus asked, turning Jules by the shoulders and sticking his own lower lip out.
Finn scoffed, but he could hardly hide his smile. “You’re both ridiculous.”
“Indeed.” He squeezed Jules’ arms briefly. “It’s about time to head out, J. Do you want to say goodbye to everyone while I check in with Marlene?”
The unbridled excitement on Jules’ face dimmed a bit. “Do I have to go?”
“You’ve got school in a couple days.”
“I could stay until it starts again.”
“Mom and Dad miss you a lot.”
“Remus!” Marlene flagged him down from the boards and he skated over with Jules in tow, pulling his helmet off and swiping sweaty hair out of his eyes.
“What’s up?”
Before she could speak, a skinny man with large glasses pushed to the front of the group; Remus disliked him instantly. “Mr. Lupin, can you tell us—”
“Excuse you, I think she was trying to talk,” he interrupted, giving the man a stony look. “Hey, Marley, how’re you doing?”
“I’m doing fine. This is Craig Stearns, from the Hockey Daily…magazine.” Her smile was slightly forced. Tabloid. “He has a couple questions for you.”
“Hi, Craig.”
“When were you going to tell the media about your secret child?”
Remus raised an eyebrow. “My what?”
Craig’s eyes flickered down to Jules, whose grip tightened on the hem of Remus’ jersey. “Your son.”
“You mean my little brother?”
“You’ve been seen with him an awful lot this week—”
“Because he’s my little brother.”
“—and he appears to be living in your house—”
“Because he’s my little brother.”
“—and several photos show you walking hand-in-hand—”
“Do you have siblings?” Remus cut in. “I’m going to assume you don’t. My parents visited for the holidays, during which time there was a death in the family and Jules stayed with Sirius and I for the week. He was living in our house because I’m not about to put my ten-year-old brother in a hotel, and I was holding his hand so that he didn’t run into the street. Are we done here?”
Craig paused. “Can we get a picture—”
“No.”
Jules tapped his elbow and Remus bent down. “Can we go home?” he asked quietly.
“Yeah, buddy, we can go home.” Remus gave him a gentle nudge toward the boards. “Go find Sirius, okay?”
“Okay.”
Remus watched him skate across the ice until Leo caught him and swung him into the air before turning back to Craig with the coldest glare he could muster. “You can say whatever the hell you want about me, but keep my little brother out of your fucking gossip column. He’s ten. I better not see his face on some tabloid, got it?”
“Crystal clear,” Craig said with a harsh gulp.
“Good.” Remus looked over to Marlene and smiled, giving her a fist bump. “See you tomorrow, Marley. Say hi to D for me.”
“Will do.”
--------------------------------------
After endless hugs and a standing offer to play from Coach, they finally made it to the car just before four pm. They practically had to crowbar Jules and Moody apart—Remus was half-expecting the grouchy old man to run out after their car waving adoption papers, and letting Kuny figure out Jules was ticklish may have been the worst mistake of Remus’ life.
It was cute, though, seeing the puppylike love on his teammates’ faces whenever Jules entered the room. Jules clearly had a good time; he passed out cold in the backseat within two minutes of leaving the parking lot, still damp from his shower.
“Is it bad that I don’t want to give him back yet?” Remus asked.
“I was just about to say that,” Sirius laughed, glancing into the rearview mirror. “We could tell your parents the flight was cancelled.”
“They miss him.”
Sirius sighed. “I’m sure they do.”
“I still don’t want to put him on a plane alone.”
“He’ll be safe.”
“One of us could fly with him…?” Remus shook his head. “Never mind, he’d think we were treating him like a kid. Ugh. I already miss him.”
“We’ve still got an hour or so to pack.” They turned into the driveway and Sirius parked, but neither of them moved to get out. “This was really, really fun. I’m glad we did it.”
“Me, too.” Remus sighed and twisted around to shake Jules’ knee. “Jules, we’re home. You can sleep on the plane, okay?”
Jules took a deep breath and blinked awake, scrunching his nose up. “I don’t wanna pack.”
“I’m not doing it for you, so you better get a wiggle on unless you want to go home in just your underwear.” Jules was out of the car in a flash and both of them dissolved into laughter. “Oh, fuck, I didn’t think that would work.”
“Come on, he’s about to break the door down.” Sirius snorted and got their bags out of the trunk, then tossed Jules his keys. “It’s the one in the middle, buddy.”
“The blue one?”
“No.”
“The yellow one?”
“Are either of those in the middle?”
“…is it the silver one?”
“There you go.”
Jules got it open after a moment of maneuvering and they tumbled inside in a heap of hockey gear, locking the door against the cold wind that was starting to blow. Packing wasn’t difficult—Remus had put Jules’ laundry into the dryer the previous night and threw it into his backpack as Jules collected his books and leftover socks.
They were in the car by five; Remus was a little nervous about getting to the airport on time, but traffic was light and they arrived with more than an hour to spare. Check-in was easy, they made it through security without any issues, and before he knew it, they were standing in front of the gate.
“You have everything, right?” he asked for the thousandth time as Jules rocked on the balls of his feet. “Books, clothes, everything you brought?”
“I’m fine, Re,” he said.
“You’re not hungry?”
“I had a sandwich before we left, remember?”
“It’s a four-hour flight.”
“I’ll be okay.” Jules looked up at him and smiled. “I’m ten, remember?”
I know, that’s why I’m worried. “Boarding for first-class passengers and unaccompanied minors,” a smooth voice called over the intercom. Remus’ heart leapt and he saw Sirius stiffen slightly.
“That’s you, bud,” he said around the lump in his throat, crouching to give him a proper hug. He buried his face in the side of Jules’ neck and gave him a tight squeeze. “Love you.”
“Love you more,” Jules mumbled. Remus let go after a moment and Jules moved to Sirius. “I’ll miss you.”
“Oh, buddy.” Sirius kissed the top of his head. “I’ll miss you, too.”
“Say hi to mom and dad for me, yeah?” Remus added as Jules walked over to a stewardess in a blue dress.
“I love you!” he called again. Just before they reached the gate, he stopped in his tracks. “Wait!”
“What?” Remus’ stomach dropped to his feet as Jules shrugged his backpack off and ran back to them, flinging himself into Sirius’ arms.
“I didn’t think of a nickname for you!”
“That’s okay,” Sirius assured him. “I don’t need one.”
“Nicknames are for people we care about, and I care about you,” Jules insisted. He narrowed his eyes in thought before breaking into a wide grin. “Siri.”
“Like the phone app?”
“Exactly. Might need some workshopping, though.”
“Go catch your plane,” Sirius laughed, setting him down after a final hug. Jules ran back to the stewardess, who gave them a quick smile while she helped him get his backpack on again. They stayed in their spot, hand-in-hand, until the plane was nothing but a speck among the clouds and their feet started to ache.
“They’ll come visit soon, right?” Remus leaned his head against Sirius’ shoulder as they headed for the exit.
“They will.”
“How much do you want to bet Jules left at least three things behind?”
“He probably left half his clothes under the bed, but there are so many other things we’re going to be doing tonight that don’t include tracking down a kid’s lost sock.”
“Oh, really?” Remus raised an eyebrow at him and kissed his knuckles. “I like the way you think.”
“We already earned our Oreos, mon loup. I think we deserve a reward for surviving three weeks of constant family time.”
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miamarie1960 · 3 years
Text
Blowing it out of proportion
What are two cents worth today? Not much but here is mine!
Ali Krieger’s decline is not a thing! She is still one heck of a defender!
People talk alot of nonsens! The goal against Louisville is not on her. The way that ball came up to Salmon; the transition through 3-4 players that didn’t put any kind of pressure on the player. And when it reached Ali’s area she was actually a step behind but she caught up and as she is right beside Salmon (they are now right inside the box) she gets a little shove and stumbles and Salmon scores. If Ali would have done the same it would have been a pk for Louisville. She did everything she could to catch up, and she did but Salmon is a power package and muscled her out but the ball shouldn’t have been there in the first place! Lost high up on Louisville side of the pitch and no one put pressure on the ball and Pressley was out of place and slow to react, it was her mark, and then Salmon scores. How on Earth is that on Ali?
I don’t know how many posts I’ve seen, both here or on Twitter about how bad Krieger has been doing, and I scratch my head over it! In the Challenge cup I saw her AND the whole defence make mistakes and they were also out of sync. But in the league they were solid until McClernon got injured. Against Houston and the first half against NCC the defence were once again making silly mistakes, playing really bad actually. But again is that on Ali? I didn’t see anything she could have done to prevent any of the goals. She is just one person and can’t be everywhere! She is hold to another kind of standard, just like Ashlyn. But why? What is all this? I have no idea!
Dan Lauletta’s comment on Twitter is not at all surprising to me. He and Tannenwald has in the past been writing very derogatory and petty things about Ali. And Ashlyn! Probably something personal going on there. But why all these critical posts about Ali?
I can actually remember only one occasion where I think Ali made a real bad mistake that caused a goal; in one of the games against Washington, Hatch beat her in an air duel and scored. I just don’t get why people are so super critical of Ali. Is she slower? Maybe, but I’ve seen her outrun most of the players in the league. So she still has speed. And she very rarely lose an 1v1 or airduel. And she leads those young players, tries to teach them how to be good defenders and sets an example for them to follow.
The problem is elsewhere for Orlando, not only in their defense. They had chances to score but failed. And they drops the ball in transitions when the whole team are pushing forward and are vulnerable to counter attacks. Their midfielders are simply put not good enough. Gunny is maybe the only one who has been consistent at least and she is a real fighter and never gives up. But where is the creativeness? Where is a type of player who finds the passages that leads them forward? Where is the defensive midfielder that shield the defence?
Pride has to many mediocre players; Thomas, Dougherty Howard, Tymrak and even Viggiano, who I liked very much but as been miserable this year. Plummer and Pressley have a very impressive physic but are way to slow for this league. Have seen to little of the others; Kim, Washington etc to have an opinion but since they don’t get more than minutes my guess is that they just doesn’t cut it! Jade Moore didn’t impress me while she was playing so I don’t see her adding anything when she comes back.
It will be interesting to see if Turner and Strom can bring something new and better to the team. My hopes for Jodie Taylor are nonexistent!
I would like to see Ali play higher up on the field actually. She has excellent vision and we have all seen her deliver dimes to players. She could be that defensive midfielder; the link between defense and midfield and provider to the offense. And I think it would be beneficial to her, not trying so hard to be there for everyone in that defense line! I would like to see Kornieck actually use her height as an advantage in the box. She is a very good player but seem to be lacking in that one thing that is her big advantage : airduels! I see her lose out to shorter player in every game which is totally baffling to me.
I think Portland will blow the Pride out of the water, I think it will be really bad. I wish and hope that I am wrong but I doubt they can take Sydney’s late goal and turn this around. They lack not just the right players but conviction, and a real game plan and tactics! Ashlyn has saved them so many times this year so far but she can only do so much!
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