#I need to finish that last book and then gather up all the cats for sorting into allegiances
Note
I personally like Thunder's prosthetic. Explained it to my friend (who does use a mobility device, a cane and wheelchair, and listens to me rant and infodump about BB) and they agreed, it's important to know that not every person needs what someone wants to give them. It's another example of "bad ableist person does a thing that hurts a disabled person because they are bad and ableist".
Clear Sky got Jagged Peak killed and would have killed Sunlit Frost! He would absolutely force his disabled son to be "normal" and present it like a privilege. "I wouldn't do this for anyone else, it's special, why don't you want to be helped?"
Thunder Storm should toss it in Clear Sky's face. (I would say toss it into the river but we do not pollute waterways in this house)
Thank you for telling me this, and tell your friend I'm thanking them too! If they have anything else to add please forward what they have to say
Since BB!DOTC tackles some of the heaviest topics in the entire series because its canon equivalent is so dark, I think very carefully about what I do here and how I show it. I take feedback on its sensitive aspects very seriously. If I'm understanding the criticism properly, it's that I should avoid stigmatizing prosthetics by making sure Thunder Storm's not the only one with it-- which he's not! And I'll add even more.
I don't want to avoid something only because it's uncomfortable if the topic is important, and my portrayal is respectful. Ableism IS uncomfortable! There are some situations where a prosthetic is not wanted! I think the rejection of this particular one is both a good opportunity to show a type of ableism and ALSO is very fitting for the characters.
In BB!Clear Sky's mind, the villain, he's fixing an old mistake. He can't admit that he got Jagged Peak killed or take REAL accountability for it (though he will, occasionally, apologize insincerely), but deep in his bones, he knows what he did was cruel. He'll never tell anyone this because he doesn't really cognate it himself, but Thunder Storm NEEDS to take his gift.
If Thunder doesn't take it, it blows a hole in his newest story. You see, throwing Jagged Peak out was All That Could Have Been Done back then. It was a Tragedy and he simply Made A Hard Choice. He regrets it very much, But You Have To Understand.
But now? Now? Well, behold. Look at what he's accomplished since the tragic death of his little brother. His cats are well-fed, cared for, and stable enough to make such incredible advancements. If only Jagged Peak had been able to hold on longer, if only he could be here now, I could fix him.
Just like I can (MAKE YOU JUST LIKE ME) fix you.
"Everything I've ever done is for Jagged Peak. For Fluttering Wing. For you." Thunder Sky is SPECIAL, but if he rejects any gift, tries to turn down the "privileges" offered to him, in an instant that becomes ungratefulness and arrogance. He both forces him to be special, and then leverages it against him if it's rejected. "Spoiled brat, doesn't appreciate what I've worked so hard to give him."
It all goes back to him and his own guilt. He can NEVER be wrong. He can't accept his family doesn't have to be "normal" or reflect his own ability. He won't see himself as a bully, let alone a murderer. It was never about his son's comfort or finding out what Thunder Storm wants or needs, it was about his own ego.
...All that said I'm still taking feedback if there's anything else I should keep in mind, or if anyone has a counter point, especially if you also have experience here.
(In the interest of having a link trail for posterity, here's the critique/call for feedback this is in response to)
#ALSO also I will take suggestions on other characters who should have prosthetics#Sunlit makes sense and it will make a really nice character moment later for him to have one built#There's also an amputee in RiverClan few people talk about called Stonestream#I can give him one and bump him up into a bigger character. In BB he is the sibling of Willowshine#BB!DOTC#better bones au#Also just as a side note... I love writing BB!Skystar. My ire for the character comes from his redemption arc so I feel like I get to--#--write the character I WANTED to see#Same with Bramble in other BB arcs#cw ableism#tw ableism#ableism#They're fascinating in that they always have to see themselves as the victim or the hero#They believe every lie they tell.#If you ever catch them in a contradiction they will still try to find some way to turn it on you and YOUR lack of understanding.#Interestingly both of them are ableist. Sky's is just more obvious because he's LOUDLY bigoted.#But BB!Bramble is *notably* less close to Jay for a very sad and very subtle reason.#Jay just doesn't serve his ego like the others do until much later in his life.#unfortunately most bigotry is like that.#the type you have a hard time calling out because it's a deniable bias. the constant gaslighting of being part of a marginalized group#Maybe I need to address the criticism by adding a character with a prosthetic to THIS arc even earlier#Problem is that like... Thunder's small merc group is already full of disabled characters and their THING is forming in response to ableism#OH maybe I'll put someone in the Forest Cat group which is lead by Slash?#I need to finish that last book and then gather up all the cats for sorting into allegiances
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Homecoming (one-shot)
Synopsys: When Y/N goes missing during a simple supply run, she comes back with world-shattering news for Astarion. News he never thought to hear, and now he has a decision to make, one that will shift his life on its axis once more.
Set after the main events of BG3
Pairing: Astarion x fem!Reader
Genre: angst, fluff, a bit of SMUT, but nothing explicit
Warnings: talks of blood, injuries, swearing, mentions of abuse, but nothing explicit, kidnapping
Word count: 8397
A/N: I have not played Baldur's Gate 3 (I don't own a PS or a PC where to play it. all of this is based on the info gathered online and through Neil's own gameplay etc. Please be kind :) )
Part 2(ish) - Love Conquers All (one-shot)
A home was not something to ever be taken for granted, that much they had learned during their adventures.
A home was a fire slowly crackling in the hearth, warmth expanding through the living room. A home was Astarion sitting on a loveseat, a book in his hands while he waited for his love to finish puttering around in the kitchen. A home was drying tea leaves and making preserves for the coming winter as she shooed him out, saying that his fussing would only hinder her process.
He’d huffed, puffed and whined, trying to make Y/N pull away from her plans just so they could curl up and read together, but she was adamant.
“I’ve already started.” She dropped an orange peel and pressed some lemon juice into the steaming pot. “It’ll be wasted produce if I just leave it now.”
“But it will take you hours!” Astarion whined like a child and even stomped his foot, making her snort.
“And it will take me twice as long if you don’t stop annoying me.” Y/N threw him a saccharine smile over her shoulder, batting her lashes at the pouting vampire. “Now, be a good boy, and quit pestering me. We’ll have all the time in the world, once I’m done.”
Astarion just groaned, going up to her and wrapping his arms around her waist, the incisors he usually sank into her neck now nipping at her lobe. “I can be a very good boy if you only let me prove it.”
“My love, you will be getting absolutely no sex from me, if you don’t let me at least finish this batch.” A shiver rushed down her spine as he licked at her neck, so close to that sweet spot he always used as a place to bite and drink from. But she had to be strong. The jams wouldn’t make themselves. “Every additional minute you keep me from this will be an additional day of your dry spell.”
The vampire spawn jumped back from her as if he’d been scalded, scarlet eyes narrowing in on her. “You wouldn’t dare. You wouldn’t last an hour!”
Y/N turned around, crossing her arms as a devious smile bloomed on her lips, a brow raised in challenge. “Would you like to test those waters?”
Astarion stood, staring her down. His crimson gaze was blazing from underneath his lashes, but she didn’t budge. They’d played this game for close to three years as a couple now, and she’d learned very quickly – Astarion was very much so a cat. But especially – he was a cat that liked to knock things over while keeping direct eye contact with you, though the second you placed a palm underneath whatever it was he wanted for to fall, all his need for chaos disappeared. It just wasn’t fun anymore.
For twenty long seconds, Y/N and her pale elven lover didn’t break, hoping the other would crumble and be announced as the loser, but part of what he loved about her, was her stubbornness. It was because of that part of her personality, she’d stuck by him when his doubts had crept in, when his own mind called him worthless and not good enough for her, almost as if to spite those vicious words in his mind. She didn’t give up on the people she loved, and as luck would have it, Astarion owned her heart.
But Y/N also knew how to handle a cat like him, so just after a few more tense moments, his eye twitched, and he huffed in defeat.
“Fine,” he scoffed. “But if you are not done by sundown, I shall have no other option but to drag you away from the stove. Kicking and screaming preferred.”
Y/N simply shook her head, and went to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling the man into a deep, breathless kiss, but not before nipping at his bottom lip, dragging the piece of flesh between her teeth and making him let out a desperate moan. “I’ll even let you tie me up if you wish to do so.”
Astarion’s pupils almost swallowed the red irises in a matter of seconds, as he threw his head back in a groan. “My love, you’re absolutely killing me here.”
“Then I hope whatever punishment you deem fit for me, will be just oh, so sweet.” Y/N stepped back, untangling herself from him, but the mischievousness in her eyes didn’t lessen.
She could see how the words tortured him, how it took every single last piece of his fraying self-control, to not rip off her apron and the clothes underneath and just lay her down on the kitchen table, legs spread with his mouth licking into her until she orgasmed.
With eyes holding nothing but pure lust and hands clenching and unclenching, Astarion retreated. Y/N would be lying if she said she wasn’t hot and bothered and absolutely dripping between her thighs, and the thought of finishing those jams was the last thing on her mind, but she did have to do it. If only to keep him waiting longer, knowing whatever his beautiful brain was cooking up would leave her screaming and shaking for hours.
They’d been growing their own vegetables and fruits, Y/N tending to them during the nights to spend more time with Astarion as he fussed over his flower gardens, so it would simply be wasteful to leave their berries to rot. The year had been very generous and offered a variety of things to gather, so a while back, she’d decided to pickle some of the tomatoes and cucumbers, turn another batch of peppers and tomatillos into sauces while the sweeter things would be turned into syrups and jams.
Y/N shook her head, trying to clear it from the haze of lust, as the aroma of lemons and cranberries, raspberries and oranges wafted all around, encasing her in the scent. She was just about to add the sugar when the tin rattled with the sound of the last grains left.
Her brow furrowed as she opened the lid and looked inside. Sure, enough it was empty.
The woman huffed. She was absolutely positive she’d gotten the right amount during the last trip, but somewhere along the way it seemed a miscalculation had happened, and now she had to get more. Y/N would have asked Astarion, and had the sun dipped below the horizon, he would have jumped at the request, but alas his little vampiric predicament forbade him from walking during the day, the sun still high in the sky from what she could see through a tiny slit in the shutters.
Quickly, Y/N snuffed out the flame below the pot, untied her dirtied apron and grabbed a basket from the pantry, tying a pouch of coins to her side. She only needed sugar, but maybe she would grab some other necessities as well. They were low on Astarion’s favourite wine, one he claimed didn’t taste like vinegar at least.
“I’m off to the market really quick,” Y/N announced as she peeked into the living room, taking in Astarion as he flipped a page in a book. “Do you want anything?”
“No, my love.” He looked at her like a love-sick puppy. “Just your darling self back as quick as you can. I have picked up some… inspiration for your punishment if you will. Just as you suggested, of course.” He closed the book, showing the cover to her.
Heat crawled all over her body as she read the title, one of her smuttier romances she had started to read, and when she could do nothing but gulp and nod, his smile turned from a sweet one into a wicked-fanged thing. It was all she needed to know whatever awaited her once she was done would leave her unable to walk. Gods, she needed to finish this whole thing up as quickly as she could.
Y/N was out the doors like the wind, the usual stroll to the market cut from half an hour into a brisk fifteen-minute jog, the thoughts of the man waiting back home for her at the forefront of her mind.
The needed sugar, some coffee beans, a loaf of fresh bread, Astarion’s wine and some sour cream were all bought in quick succession, Y/N didn’t even try to haggle. Her eyes drifted across various stalls and merchants and she almost deemed it done when her gaze caught onto a rose seedling. It was a beautiful bloom with blood-red petals that whitened at the very tips. She smiled and went to buy it. Astarion would love the symbolism even if a bit too on the nose.
Once satisfied with everything, Y/N marched across the market and was back on the road to home. It was a humble little house they’d purchased with whatever had been left in their pockets after all was said and done with the tadpoles, but Astarion had bigger plans. This was only a temporary situation.
“I want a whole room full of books. Nothing but books from one end to the other and then some,” he’d confided in Y/N one night after both were panting and spent from multiple rounds of bringing the other to ecstasy.
“And a large ballroom,” he continued, and Y/N couldn’t help the loud laugh that escaped her.
“A ballroom? And what will we do with that?”
“Why, have grand balls, of course!” He threw his hands up in the air as if her question was preposterous.
“Star…” Y/N tilted her head to look up at him from where she was lying on his naked chest. “You hate people. A ballroom full of them – it would be your literal nightmare.”
“I don’t hate people.”
“I don’t count.”
“Alright,” he conceded, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer. Y/N placed her palm atop where his heart was and rested her chin on it, looking deep into his eyes. “I hate most people, simply dislike them, but I wouldn’t be opposed to a get-together, from time to time. Maybe… maybe see our friends. Catch up on how they’re doing. I absolutely despise to admit this and will say you are lying if you ever mention it to anyone, but I – I miss them… even Gale…”
A gentle smile lifted her lips as she brushed a wild curl out of his face and tucked it behind his pointy ear. “I think I’d really like that too.”
His eyes were so soft and full of love, that Y/N swore she could feel his heart beating once more in his chest, thudding against her palm in a confession of adoration.
She was almost out of the city by that point, already on the small, secluded road leading to their house which lay on the outskirts of Baldur’s Gate right by the edges of the woods, so Astarion had easier access to game in between feeding on her when her attention was drawn back by someone calling out.
“Miss!” the voice, male she made out, yelled after her. “Miss, please wait!”
Instantly, her guard was up, but when a breathless man, looking to be in his late sixties appeared from behind a copse of trees, she somewhat relaxed. Y/N was still cautious, but if anything, she had a dagger holstered against her thigh. She was always prepared.
“Miss,” he gasped out, leaning his hands against his knees to catch his breath. “Miss, you are a quick one. I’ve been calling for you since by the rose stalls."
“Oh, I – I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you!” Y/N said but didn’t move forward. “How can I help?”
He huffed, as if regaining her breath, before fishing out a piece of fabric from his pocket, and extending it towards her. “You dropped this by the flowers.”
When she took a closer look at what he was holding, it seemed to be some sort of a silk scarf. She narrowed her eyes at him. She didn’t own silk scarves and definitely hadn’t worn one on such a warm day. “You must have mixed me up with someone, as it’s not mine. Sorry, for you to have troubled yourself like this.”
“No.” The man furrowed his brow, taking a step closer. “I am fairly certain I saw you drop it. Such a fine piece… didn’t want you to lose it.”
Y/N took a step back, angling herself in a defensive position with the basket in front of her. She didn’t like the tone he was speaking in, nor the way his eyes seemed to be appraising her. “No,” she asserted. “It’s not mine.”
His back stiffened, eyes growing cold, the grip on the scarf tightening as he hummed. “Well… a pity then.”
She took another step back, but he was already lunging at her.
Dropping the basket to the ground, she reached for the knife strapped at her thigh, but he was quick as a viper as she hadn’t even noticed when a rope appeared in his hands, lashing it at her. Years of having fought had kept her agile and aware, but years of domestic bliss with Astarion had dulled her senses a bit.
The rope caught and wrapped around her ankle, knocking her to the ground. Y/N’s teeth clattered and snapped, her tongue almost in between them, but as he rushed to pin her down, she twisted her leg around the rope and pulled, making the man lose his balance and stumble.
It was enough for her to swipe her leg underneath his, and send him sprawling. It was enough for her to untangle her legs and roll away as he snapped it at her head. Her clothes were dirty as was her face, but it didn’t matter. She’d cover herself in blood if needed.
It was almost animalistic how she pounced – teeth bared, a snarl ripping from her throat and hands forming claws as if she would gouge at his face with just his nails, but as her palm brushed her thigh, unclipping the holster for her dagger, Y/N didn’t see the man had crouched on his knee and swung the cord.
It knocked the air out of her, as it wrapped around her chest, and he pulled her down, hard. Her ribs were screaming as the tether tightened and tightened with every pull, but as she thought this would be it, something strange happened – instead of offering her the killing blow, he opened a palm, now covered in a leather glove, and blew the contents of it onto her face.
Y/N coughed and sputtered, but whatever it was, was fast-acting and her lungs, still incapable of proper breathing due to the rope couldn’t expel it. In just a few seconds, the bright day around her turned into darkness.
She didn’t know how long she was unconscious for, but enough time had passed to dry out her throat. Or was that a side effect of whatever was blown into her face? In any case, as she slowly came to, Y/N noted there was a soft mattress under her body, which was an oddity for someone kidnapped. She could even tell the dagger was still by her thigh, the comforting weight of the blade pressed under her. Even weirder, if you asked her, to not disarm your victims.
Darkness still encompassed her, but the soft cloth against her cheeks told her she hadn’t permanently lost her vision, but with her sight obscured, she had to rely on her ears. That’s when voices invaded her senses.
There were three people somewhere further away, most likely in a different room if taken by how muffled the words were. She focused harder on what they were saying.
Two men and a female, Y/N differentiated, when the woman spoke.
“This is not what we agreed upon!” she hissed, and a grumbly-sounding man scoffed.
“You said to get her to you. I did. You never specified how.” It was the same man who’d knocked her out.
“We want her to help us!” A different male voice, this one softer, even kinder, rebutted. “I highly doubt kidnapping is a good incentive for that!”
“Look,” her assailant said. “I fulfilled my end of the deal. She is unhurt, maybe she'll sport a couple of bruises and a headache, but that is her own fault. She could have come willingly but didn’t. Other than that, though – she is completely fine. Now you do your part!”
As the trio argued between themselves, more angry whispers than shouting, Y/N started to shimmy her hands which had been bound, out of the restraints. She had a good inclination they needed her alive but had no want of staying as a prisoner.
Though her fighting skills seemed to have mellowed, which she was not happy about, even a couple of years without mortally dangerous adventures, hadn’t changed how quickly she could slip her wrists from their bindings. Astarion might need to get more creative during their debauchery.
Y/N froze the second she heard a door open and shut, two pairs of footsteps moving closer and closer to where she was. Her breathing was shallow and almost imperceptible, as she tried to make it look like she was still unconscious.
She could sense two bodies enter the room and one move to stand where she faced, the other going to her back.
Y/N tensed. In just a few moments, whoever was behind her, would notice her undone binds. But she’d be ready.
“Darling, please be careful,” the woman said, a tremble in her voice.
Good. Let them be scared.
“Don’t worry,” the man replied. “I’ll just make sure she’s – what in the -”
But Y/N was already up, the blindfold off and ready to pounce. This time, she’d have the upper hand.
For a second, the light in the room blinded her, but her sight refocused fast enough to take in her captors’ faces.
The woman was beautiful, with high rosy cheekbones, and jade green eyes so vivid they looked like actual gemstones. Her hair was long and dark, down to her waist while grey strands seemed to have invaded the brown tresses in some places, but she was still ethereally gorgeous, her pointy ears covered in piercings.
Y/N snapped out of the shock quicker and using this to her advantage, she was behind her in a matter of a blink, her dagger pressed tight against her throat.
A gasp entered her ears, but she just pressed the blade harder, making her whimper.
“Please!” the man made her look at him, but instead of bracing for an attack, he had his hands up in surrender. “Please don’t hurt her! We just want to talk.”
“Funny way of having a conversation you’ve got there.” Y/N tightened her grip on the knife, surveying the man. Again, those same pointed ears, but his eyes were the most brilliant blue she’d ever seen and his face was marred with more age lines than the woman’s, yet he still was as gorgeous as she. “Typically, only my enemies would knock me out and tie me up before spilling their grand plans. But I will be kind and give you a choice – what would you like to be – friends or foes?”
“Friends! Friends! Please! We – we’re looking for our son!” the elven man pleaded. “And we – we heard a rumour that you might know him. Have even seen him.”
Y/N narrowed her Y/E/C eyes, piercing his with her gaze. “I’ve known and seen a lot of people. Usually, others just ask me about them, they don’t have someone kidnap me.”
“And we’re sorry, we’re so very sorry, but we had to make sure you came. It went too far and we apologise, but please…” He took in a deep breath, worried eyes flipping between his partner and her. “Our son – his name is Astarion. Astarion Ancunin. Have you – do you know of him?”
Hearing his name, knocked the breath out of her as if they’d snapped a rope around her chest again, making her stumble back. Her grip on the woman released, and she used the moment to leap over to her partner, using the bed as a buffer. He instantly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her half behind his back, but not before checking if Y/N’s dagger had pierced the skin.
Tears brimmed in the eleven woman’s green eyes as she looked at her, not even caring that just a moment before she was so close to having her blood dripping on the floor. “Please,” she whispered. “I – I know we didn’t go about it the right way, but please… is it true he’s alive?”
"I,” Y/N stammered, her gaze snapping back and forth between the two.
Astarion.
They were Astarion’s parents.
Even after all this time, they were searching for their missing son.
Y/N should have noticed the details – how the woman had a small mole on her cheek right where Astarion did, how the shape of the man’s eyes was the exact same as his son’s. Astarion even had the same high cheekbones as his mother while his sharp jaw was that of his father.
What had his eyes been like before? Green like his mother’s or the sky blue of his father's? What had he been like as a child? No doubt as mischievous and scheme-prone as he was now, but who had he gotten it from? So many different questions rattled through Y/N’s brain as she kept glancing back and forth, before shaking her head and pulling her out of the shocked stupor.
“You – you’re Ancunins?” She had to ask. Had to make sure she hadn’t overheard them or maybe hallucinating because of the powder she’d inhaled.
“Yes.” The woman nodded, brushing tears from under her eyes. “Our son has been missing for more than two hundred years, and we almost lost hope until… until we heard about you and your company a few years back. How one of the party members resembled our little Star so much.”
They hadn’t been inconspicuous, though they had tried, so it shouldn’t have come as such a surprise that tales of their adventures had gone far and wide, especially after saving Baldur’s Gate, killing Cazador and the absolute, and Gods know how many other evils along the way. But she never thought Astarion’s parents would have heard of it.
In fact, Astarion had barely even mentioned them over the years, and, for whatever reason, Y/N had concluded they must have passed, despite knowing elves lived extremely long lives. Had he maybe tried to find them on his own and couldn’t? Or had he forgotten about them?
Until Astarion and Y/N had become an official couple and she’d commissioned a portrait of him as a gift on an anniversary, he hadn’t even seen himself in two centuries. He’d forgotten what he looked like. It didn’t seem too crazy to assume, the memories of his parents’ names or their faces, might’ve slipped away as well, or even the love they had for him. Especially knowing how deeply Cazador had ruined that notion for him.
She needed to get home. She needed to see Astarion, and then she could figure out what to do.
“I need to go.” Y/N nodded to herself, muttering under her breath. “I need to think.”
“No, please!” the woman lunged, trying to grasp at her, but she had a knife pointed at her chest in an instant, making the elf shrivel back, but still, she pleaded. “Please help us. You’re the hero of Baldur’s Gate! If you can’t help, who will?”
“I promise I will do my best,” Y/N said. “But I need time… I – I need to figure all of this out.”
Her mind was swirling like a hurricane, but the man interrupted her breakdown as she realised how pretty much her in-laws, had kidnapped her. “At least tell us this – is – is it true he is alive? Or have we travelled across Faerun under the pretences of false hope?”
In truth, Y/N wanted to take them by the arms and drag them to her house, but whether Astarion wanted to reach out and reconnect, was up to him. That sort of a choice was not hers to make, but she could grant them this one request.
“He is.” Y/N nodded.
And then she left as quickly as she could because if she had to stand there and watch as the elves crumbled into one another, cries of relief and joy escaping into the slowly setting day, she would crumble too. Their faces were already permanently burned into her mind, and she needed a moment to process everything.
By a stroke of luck or fate, Y/N instantly recognised she was in the woods on the other side of Baldur’s Gate, so retracing her steps to the market was fairly easy even though the whole way back home, she was pretty much stumbling around in a daze, knocking into people and tripping over her own two legs.
Her discarded basket was right where she’d left it, gold coins scattered around it. The pouch must’ve broken during the struggle. Y/N made sure to pick every single piece up and was more than relieved to see, that the rose bloom was still intact.
By the time she arrived, the sun was starting to dip below the horizon, and as the last rays warmed her back, she extended her palm to open the door, though she didn’t even get to touch the handle as it was ripped open by a visibly distressed Astarion.
His eyes looked like he’d been crying, his hair as if he’d been relentlessly raking his fingers through the locks and his lower lip so bitten, there was a small hole where one of his incisors had gone through.
“Oh, thank the Gods!” Astairon instantly grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her in a bone-crushing hug, burying his nose into the crook of her neck. “Thank the Gods!”
Y/N dropped the basket over the threshold and closed the door with her foot, her own arms weaving around his middle, a palm soothingly brushing along his side, as he soaked her in.
“I’m alright, Star,” she said, kissing his temple and didn’t even make a noise as he gripped her waist tighter, right where bruises were forming. “I’m sorry I was gone so long, but I’m alright.”
“What happened? You said you’d be quick, but you were gone for hours! And you know what the worst part was – I couldn’t even go out looking for you because of the damned fucking sun!” Astarion cupped her face, turning it this way and that way, trying to find any injuries, but the biggest one would be in her head as she tried to figure out how to explain to him what had happened. “Gods, I am never letting you out of my sight again!”
Y/N indulged the vampire in the hug he pulled her in, holding him against her chest, trying to comfort him, but she was way too consumed with her new findings. Too quickly, as evident by the frown on Astarion’s face, she untangled herself from the embrace, anxiety immediately flashing over his handsome features.
She slid her arms from around his waist to take his palms into hers. “I – I don’t even know how to say this… How do you say something like that?”
Worry instantly marred his brow, and Y/N pressed a practised thumb between them, trying to soothe them away.
“Shit…” he muttered. “Did I do something wrong?”
“What? No!” She cupped his cheeks. “Astarion you’ve done nothing!”
“Then – then what?” He was tentative, still, scared Y/N might be angry at him. Or worse – wanted to leave, but her next words erased all that doubt.
“I…” She took in a deep breath. “Astarion, I met your parents today.”
Whatever he had expected, clearly that hadn’t been it. Probably a confession she’d met a past love, that their feelings were reignited and she wanted to go with them. But definitely not that.
He blinked once, twice, trice, completely and utterly stupefied before a small whisper of “What?” passed his lips.
“It’s why I’m so late,” Y/N explained. “They’d heard a rumour, that I knew you and had travelled with you during our tadpole situation, and came to me. Astarion, your parents are looking for you…”
A million thoughts seemed to swirl in his head, but Y/N held onto his hand through all of them.
“What,” he cleared his throat, “what did you tell them?”
“That I’d find them once I figured out what to do?”
“Which means?”
“Which means I would come home, give you this information and let you figure out what you’d like to do…”
So many emotions flashed across his face, but Y/N no longer needed that mind flayer tadpole connection it created – Astarion was an open book for her to read.
Joy. Such indisputable joy shone in his scarlet eyes before being consumed by confusion. Then anger and disgust and love, but by the end of it all his heart settled on one feeling – fear.
It’s what it knew best, though Y/N had tried her hardest to reduce it to ashes, yet still it lingered. She understood it, despite not being happy he ever had to feel it.
He feared what to do, what would be the right choice to make, he feared their reactions and what they would say of his disappearance or of his newest… condition. Would they accept him? Or would they be repulsed by him?
“What – what would I even say to them?” Astarion searched her Y/E/C eyes as if they held an answer, but when one magically didn’t appear, he hung his head, a tear rolling down his cheek. “I can’t even remember what they looked like. Their names, the house we used to live in… it’s all a fog.”
Y/N tried to give him an encouraging smile. “Well, your mother – she has the most beautiful green eyes. Like that dress you made for me for Summer Solstice, that same shade. And – and she has a little beauty mark on her cheek.” With a gentle thumb, she brushed over the mole. “Right in that same spot.”
His brows furrowed in concentration; his lips pinched tightly. “I – I remember blue eyes. Not green.”
“That might be your father's. His are azure I’d say. Like the summer sky. Gods, Astarion,” Y/N breathed out. “You look so much like them, but… honestly, the only thing you need to know right now is that they looked relieved.” Her voice was soothing as he tried to find lies in her words, but there would be none. “I didn’t tell them anything apart from the fact that you’re alive, and all I saw was complete and utter relief.”
Y/N placed a strand of hair behind his ear as he pondered. His carmine eyes slid to hers. “Do they want to see me?”
“Yes. It was the whole reason they sought me out because I might have a single scrap of information on you.” She’d mention the kidnapping later. Or maybe never, depending on how everything went. What he didn’t know couldn’t hurt him.
“Is it,” he hesitated, as if ashamed to be asking such a question. “Is it alright if I think this over for a bit? I’m just – there’s so much going on in my head…”
“Of course, Star!” Y/N cupped his cheeks and placed a reassuring kiss on his forehead. “Take all the time you need.”
“Thank you,” he sighed, his shoulders dropping, but she just shook her head.
“Nothing to thank me for. Not for this.”
And so, they continued on like that for a few days – Y/N didn’t bring the subject up, but she made sure Astarion knew, she’d be there whenever he needed to talk. Yet her mind couldn’t help but worry about the two elves in that little cottage on the other side of the town. How horrid it must be to wait for an answer that might never come, but her love was her first and only priority. When he decided it would be time, she’d support him no matter what.
It was a week after the revelation (and subsequent freakout on Astarion’s part when Y/N had removed her clothes before him, and he saw the raw skin and bruises on her ribs. She spent the whole night convincing him it was fine and talking him down from hunting the mercenary and bleeding him dry. She didn’t mention it had been his parents who’d hired him but rather said it had been an unfortunate coincidence), when Astarion awoke with a certain determination, shaking her awake.
She swatted at him like an insect buzzing by her ear. “Leave me be, you blood-sucking, elf!” Y/N grumbled, burying herself under the duvet. “It’s too early. And stop hogging the covers!”
She was just about to elbow him in the ribs if he didn’t let her sleep more, but what he said was like cold ice being poured over her, waking her up completely.
“I think I want to see my parents.”
Y/N was sat in a second. The sheet dropped down, exposing her naked chest, but she didn’t even feel the chilly air biting at her skin, even though Astarion’s gaze immediately dropped down to her breasts, eyes blazing with want.
Rolling her own eyes, she pulled the cover so that it obscured her indecency. Though it was his favourite outfit of hers, they needed to focus on the important things. “Are you sure? You can take all the time you need. There is no rush to this, and it’s a huge decision to make.”
“I’m sure,” Astarion sighed, running a hand through his moon-white locks and dropping back onto the pillows. “It’s pretty much all I’ve been thinking about.”
Y/N worried her lip before sliding back down next to him, letting him wrap his arms around her body. She knew in moments like these, Astarion needed reassurance, and he craved being close to her. Holding her grounded him, and made his scattered thoughts into something solid.
She kissed right above where his heart lay. “If, you’re sure.”
“I am… I just… Will you be there?” Astarion looked down at her.
The woman gave him a smile. “Nowhere I’d rather be than by your side.”
Gently, he brushed a finger against her cheekbone and leaned to kiss her, thankful he’d found someone to walk the world with, especially during the moments he feared he might break.
The day before they’d decided on meeting, Y/N ventured out to the cabin to inform the elven couple of Astarion’s decision. Once they’d seen her walking up through the window, they were out before she even managed to get to the door, faces full of hope.
“Astarion, he wants to come and see you, but there are some… conditions…”
His mother’s brow furrowed, the grimace so familiar it sent a pang through Y/N’s heart, but she swallowed it. “Whatever he needs. Whatever you both need. Anything for our little Star.”
“So… please just don’t question this, but umm… physical contact – I know I can’t possibly understand how you feel, but let him come to you first. It might not make sense, but it’s important that he is the one to make that step.”
“Of course,” Astarion's father nodded, his mother eagerly agreeing.
“And umm… he’ll be different. He might not look like the elf you remember him being. The world wasn’t kind to him for a long time… Please don’t mention this.”
Pain flashed across their faces at her words. They must have assumed something horrible had happened to him, but to have it confirmed was a different kind of agony. But as Y/N had asked – they didn’t question, simply nodded, holding onto one another a bit tighter.
“Alright.” Her heart was somewhat settled. “Thank you. We – uh- we’ll see you later tonight then.”
And with that, she left only to find Astarion pacing the inside of their hallway upon her return.
“Is it sundown already?” He snapped his neck to her as she removed her cloak, visibly upset when Y/N shook her head.
“A couple more hours, I’m afraid,” she said, taking his hand and kissing his palm, placing it against her cheek. “Please stop worrying. It will all be alright.”
“But what if I’m making a mistake?”
She raised her brow. “Do you think you’re making a mistake?”
“N-no?” Astarion huffed. “I don’t know. I know I want to see them at least once, but what if it’s best to leave the past in the past? Why torture myself and exhume it, so to speak?”
“You can leave it all behind if that’s what you wish. But, Star, you also have the rarest of opportunities people get – a second chance.” She stepped close to him, pulling his head down by the nape of his neck so they could rest their foreheads against one another. “But you can always leave. You can always say “no.” And if someone doesn’t get that, no matter who they might be, I will gut them navel to throat.”
Astarion chuckled, brushing his nose against hers. “My knight in bloody armour, always ready to ride into battle for me.”
Y/N pecked his lips in response. “As long as I get my kisses at the end of it – without a second to spare.”
They spent the couple of hours waiting until the sun went down cleaning up around the house and then it was time to go.
As Astarion took a deep breath before closing the door, Y/N squeezed his hand. “We can turn back whenever you want to.”
But he seemed determined, only giving her a reassuring smile and twining their fingers together, her hand in his solid hold.
They walked slowly, enjoying the warm night gracing Baldur’s Gate, and soon enough they were through the city and past the woods, a small log cabin coming into view.
He stopped them a few feet away, taking in a moment to gather his thoughts and emotions.
Y/N glanced at him encouragingly. “Are you ready, Star?”
Astarion took in a deep breath, held it in for a moment and then exhaled, nodding. With this confirmation, she released his hand and ventured to the door, gently rapping her knuckles against it, immediately returning to stand beside her lover.
Instantly his palm was back into hers, as if he needed her to ground him, reassure him everything would be alright as nervous energy coursed through his veins while they waited for the inhabitants to come and see them. And though it was probably no more than ten seconds since she’d knocked, it felt like time had stood still. Once the doors opened, even nature quieted down.
The breeze shushed the tweeting birds and seemingly even the worms digging underground stopped their burrowing as finally, after two hundred years, the lost Ancunin son returned.
They stood like that for what seemed like ages, just taking one another in, before a small sob of Astarion’s name from his mother’s lips broke the spellbound silence.
It’s when he rushed for her, the elf already on her feet, meeting him halfway. Her arms wrapped tight around his body, hands smoothing down the back of his head as all the while she kept whispering “My Star, my little Star, you’re home.”
Y/N was on standby, ready to rip her away if Astarion became overwhelmed. She’d asked them to allow him to be the one to make the first step, and they had, but with such all-encompassing feelings, she just wanted him to be safe.
Though all that anxiety dissipated like ice under the blazing hear of the sun when Astarion practically melted against his mother, his fingers digging into her shoulders and back as if he never wished to be let go, both of them crumbling to their knees, still in each other’s embrace.
Tears welled along Y/N’s bottom lashes and when his father joined them, wrapping his arms around his family, they fell like rain on an autumn evening. She had to press a hand against her mouth to not sob out loud, but it didn’t seem like anyone would care, as Y/N noted Astarion’s shoulders shaking while his mother and father were freely crying, all the while touching and caressing his face, trying to ingrain the memory of having their son back in their arms.
She couldn’t imagine that feeling, didn’t ever want to, of finally being reunited with a family which you were so brutally ripped away from. Y/N almost wanted to resurrect Cazador, just so she could drive a stake through his heart again, but that might’ve been a bit too morbid of a thought in such a tender moment.
“You’re home.” His mother pulled back, cupping Astarion’s cheeks and smiling from ear to ear. “Our little Star is back home.”
“I’m sorry it took me so long,” he choked out, but his father shook his head.
“Doesn’t matter. You’re here. That’s enough for us.”
Y/N watched as he took in the people who’d searched for him relentlessly. He never knew they’d never given up. She wondered if there would be a time, he’d believe he was worth all it. She certainly hoped so.
“Thank you,” the elf with eyes like jade said, snapping her eyes towards Y/N. “You have no idea what kind of a gift you’ve bestowed upon us. We will never be able to repay you.”
She could only wave them off, a knot in her throat. “You owe me nothing. Seeing this – this is enough for me. I’ll – uh – I’ll leave you to it then.”
Just as she was about to turn around, Astarion jumped to his feet, untangling himself from the limbs of his parents, eyes full of concern. “What? Why? What’s wrong?” He was by her side in an instant, pulling her hand to rest against his chest.
“Nothing!” Y/N shook her head. “I just – I just think maybe I should take my leave. I can be back in a few hours if you’d like, but this just all seems like – like a private family reunion.”
Astarion scoffed, his free arm weaving around her waist, completely offended. “And what exactly do you think you are to me if not family, my love? Arguably, you might be the most important part of it.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say that -,”
“Hush now!” he scolded her. “You promised to be by my side through everything. Are you breaking that promise?”
“No, I just,” she stammered. “Are you sure you don’t want me to leave you to it? This just feels awfully personal.”
“My love, you are the keeper of my heart. You are my true home.” Astarion cupped her cheek, resting his brow against hers, chest against chest, not caring who might see. “Without you, none of this would have happened. I could still be on that beach with a mind flayer tadpole wriggling behind my eye.” He took her hand, and kissed her knuckles, sighing as they brushed against his jaw. “I don’t want to do this without you. I want to relearn who my parents are, and I want them to get to know me, but a non-negotiable part of that is you. That is if it’s alright with you?”
A tear slipped down her cheek, as she looked deep into those ruby eyes that once held nothing but fear and pain, only to now show love and compassion and happiness. When she smiled, her grin could have rivalled the sun itself. “I’d be honoured.”
When they glanced at the two elves by the threshold of the house, they noted the horrified looks on their faces. Astarion’s guard was immediately up, but his mother beat him to it.
“My Star, I am so sorry!” She put a hand over her mouth. “We swear we didn’t know you two were lovers! We just...” She glanced at her husband in desperation, but it seemed the little scene they’d put on had rendered him speechless. “Had we known, we would have never…”
Astarion squinted at her, a dangerous note appearing in his voice. “Never would have what?”
“Oh Gods, we had your partner kidnapped,” his father finally got out, eyes only widening in more shock as it settled that Y/N wasn’t just a travelling companion or a friend, but just what she really meant to Astarion.
“You did what?!” His head snapped to Y/N who now retreated to stand between the two shocked elves, and her quite furious boyfriend.
“Astarion, it’s alright,” she tried to calm him down. “They didn’t know! Besides, I heard them arguing with that mercenary. They didn’t hurt me. In fact, I,” she let out a nervous chuckle, “I held a knife to your mother’s throat. So, call it even and let’s move past it?”
His gaze was hot like the flames, as it burned into her. “We will discuss this later.” He pointed an accusatory finger at her before taking a deep breath and exhaling. “This is absolutely not how I ever imagined a family reunion to go, let alone the introduction of my partner.”
Y/N’s shoulders dropped as he broke the settled tension, but something in his eyes told her she’d pay for her omissions. And oh, how delicious that punishment would be.
His mother still seemed to be all nerves as she invited them inside, spouting apologies in Y/N’s direction, but when she took the elf's hand in hers and gave a comforting embrace, she relaxed a little. “Let’s let the bygones be bygones.”
“I’d appreciate that,” she smiled, and wrinkles of age and time appeared around her eyes.
It was awkward at first, two centuries of hurt laying between them, two centuries of torture on Astarion’s end, of lost love and people, but slowly they opened up. And when his mother mentioned how he always used to bury his nose into strawberry fields, because it reminded him of his mother’s hair care products, it was like a damn had been opened.
The memories were still there, buried under layers of pain and horrors, but there. Maybe a little jumbled up and out of sorts, but with every hour spent together, locks were being broken and a light long lost lit up again.
Astarion had changed, but so had his parents. He let them know of his adventures, how he met Y/N and how she had turned his world upside down but abstained from the more gruesome parts. He wasn’t ready for that. Not yet. Maybe not ever, but if he so wished, she knew his parents would be there to listen and welcome his vulnerably with open arms.
An hour before the sun resumed its place in the sky, Y/N nudged Astarion, telling him it was time to leave. She had little doubt in her mind, his parents had caught onto what he was, even if they hadn’t mentioned Cazador. If not for the shape of his elongated canines, or the colour of his eyes, which Y/N had found out had been a beautiful shade of pale green, then because of the brutal scars on his neck. But they still pulled him into a hug with such vigour, it was like they feared they’d never see him again, which was probably a thought always haunting their minds.
“Would – would you like to come over to ours?” Astarion asked, still holding onto his mother’s hands. “It’s a bit of a mess, our place, but if you come after the sun’s down, I’m sure we can have it proper enough to take on guests.”
It was an odd request, but thankfully, neither his mother nor father said anything about the specific time request, simply hugged him once more and promised to be by their door the second the sun dipped, wine and lemon cakes in hand.
As they waved their goodbyes, Astarion slipped his palm into Y/N’s and made sure they walked all the way back like that. Once behind a closed door, he pulled her into his chest relishing in the way their bodies melded together – two puzzle pieces finally connecting and forming the most magnificent picture to exist.
“What is it like to be finally home?” Y/N asked as he swayed them to a tune only, he heard.
Astarion shook his head, pulling slightly back so he could cup her jaw. “My love, I have been home for a long time now. I’ve been safe and cared for, all thanks to you.” His eyes were so full of love and adoration, she almost choked on a breath. “Now… now it just feels complete. So thank you… thank you for being my home,” he muttered that little confession against her skin, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Thank you for keeping me safe.”
“Always, my love.” Y/N didn’t hide the tears rolling down her face and he brushed them away with a soft thumb. “Always.”
When their gazes locked, all she could see was excitement for what the new day had to offer, and she knew whatever was in store, as long as they were by one another’s side, there was nothing they couldn’t overcome.
But for all that, there was an important thing she was unaware of.
As Y/N entered their living room, talking to herself and making a list of what they had to do before his parents arrived, Astarion stood and watched her, leaning against the doorframe, all the while his hands rested in his pocket, where in one of them, a beautiful ring was being twirled between his fingers.
Before they’d left, his mother had slyly pulled it off her own hand, pressing it into his palm, and whispering to him while hugging that she didn’t want to see Y/N without it the next time around.
Astarion had no intention of living his life without Y/N as his fiancé for a second longer.
When she turned around to find him on one knee, he didn’t even get to ask the question before she responded with a shout of “Yes!” and jumped on him, pulling him into a kiss he swore breathed life into his still chest.
He couldn’t wait to reintroduce Y/N to his parents as his intended.
Now all was as it should be. He was finally home. And somewhere in the garden, a rose bloomed in full.
Tags:
Everything tags: @palaiasaurus64 @supernaturalbaesduh @thatawkwardlittlefangirl @sea040561 @staryeyedgirl @deathbyarabbit @m-a-t-91 @maladaptive-ninja-returns @averyrogers83 @gallifreyansass @dewy-biitch @avxgers @unlikelygalaxygiver @magicwithaknife @ollyoxenfrees @bnhvrdy @tvwhoresblog @thatkindofgurl @sj-thefan @lestersglitterglue @im-squished @strangersstranger
Astarion tags: @spacebarbarianweird
A/N: This idea was inspired by that one post of a painting Astarion's parents probably had of him, but had put away somewhere just so they didn't have to look a the son they lost, so I rectified it (Link to the inspo pic :) :( Now they have a portrait of Astarion and his love right above their fire place :)
P.S. my tags are always open :)
P.S.S. please don't plagiarise or repost on other platforms.
#astarion#astarion ancunin#astarion imagine#astarion x reader#astarion smut#bg3 astarion#astarion my beloved#baldurs gate 3#baldurs gate#bg3 fanart#astarion x reader fluff#astarion x y/n#astarion x tav#astarion x you#astarion ancunin x reader#astarion ancunin x you#astarion ancunin imagine#astarion angst#astarion romance#astarion bg3#neil newbon#astarion fluff#astarion fanfic#astarion fanfiction#bg3
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ResidentEEL Business
After Yuu gives up your dorm as collateral, Floyd invites you to stay in his room instead. Given the housing circumstances, how could you possibly refuse?
gn!reader (you/your), reader is NOT yuu (+ yuu is a seperate character, is referred to using they/them), reader lives in ramshackle, book 3 spoilers ig??? still gonna put a warning just incase... 1.3k+ words
characters; floyd leech
notes; haii hello i decided to write another fic, hehe ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡ i have floyd favouritism....
“You’re WHAT?”
Jade smiled, “If you want it in a more simplistic way for you to understand,”
“We’re taking your house for three days — and maybe even more — if you guys don’t complete that contract in time, Lil’ Fishy!” Floyd grinned.
This was quite the dilemma. Yuu smiled awkwardly at you, while Grim frantically rushed to fetch his things (would tuna really count if that’s all he might be saving?).
All if this had came to be a surprise. To think that you were just taking a nap, when suddenly you opened the door to two big eels, one cat and a Yuu. Since when did they get to make all the big decisions, exactly?
“Better get packin’, Shrimpy. You too, Fishy!” Floyd said, “Otherwise, we get to keep whatever you have lying around once the contract is over.”
As if there was anything of interest for him to keep. Still, rather than deciding to argue, you decided it was best to gather your things. However, this wasn’t even the main problem at hand—
For the next 3 days (and hopefully not any longer), where would you even stay?
“Look, I’m really sorry,” Yuu sighed, helping you pack up a box. It was basically all you really needed, seeing it was just your clothing, school supplies, and a few personal trinkets. I mean, it’s not like you could pack up your entire bed into a cardboard box.
You shrugged, “It’s fine, but couldn't you have at least called me first?”
“Next time, I promise.” they nodded.
As Yuu finished sealing up the cardboard box with some frail tape, they surrendered it over to you. Not surprisingly, it wasn’t so heavy. They took one last look at you before they left your room, leaving you alone with your thoughts and the semi-vacant room, just for a bit.
You flicked off your room lights and took one good look at your room. It looked only a little less bare than before, but it still looked like your room, nonetheless. You’d miss sleeping on the slightly terrible mattress of your bed, or the floorboards that creaked in the middle of the night whenever you got up to get a glass of water.
If you could, you would reminisce all night about the tales of your dorm room, but that wasn’t possible. In fact—
You felt two pairs of hands slam down on your shoulders, and a breath on your ear as a loud voice shouted:
“Boo!”
On instinct, you dropped the box and screamed, stumbling away as your body tensed up. It took a few deep breaths and even fewer moments to realize that there was no threat: it was only Floyd.
Floyd laughed, “Gotcha! C’mon, we don’t have all night, Lil’ Fish. You gotta get out sooner or later. Shrimpy and Baby Seal already left ya, y’know.”
Groaning, you picked up your box of items and clutched it tightly to your body, slamming the door to your room behind you. You internally grimaced as you heard the door reopen gently, footsteps trailing behind as Floyd followed you.
“That wasn’t very nice, Fishy. What’s wrong?” Floyd walked beside you, escorting you out of your own home with a casual grin on his face.
‘Everything’s wrong,’ you wanted to say, but you didn’t. Where would you even go? That question struck your mind again as the two of you dragged on your mini—stroll around Ramshackle Dorm. “It’s nothing.”
“You don’t have anywhere to stay, do ya?” Floyd caught you by surprise.
You shook your head, “How did you know?”
“I mean,” he continued, “It’s written all over your face. Besides, Shrimpy has the same problem too!”
You didn’t reply to him afterward, nor did you plan on going to; it was too tiring to carry on a conversation at the moment. The hallways only seemed to get longer as both of you walked beside each other, floorboards creaking with each stride you took. Only, Floyd’s steps made heavier creaks than yours did.
Floyd decided he had enough of this silence, interrupting the awkwardness between you two: “Say, you can stay with me if you want, Lil’ Fishy.”
“You know I don’t have that kind of money, Floyd.”
“No, no! Fishy’s got it all wrong,” he smiled, “I want you to stay in my room, and you play with me for a bit in exchange.”
That sounds a bit… fishy, if you will. What choice did you really have, though? It was either search for a nice empty room (which they might not even have) in another dorm for 3 days, or stay with a menacingly tall eel—mer.
Sometimes it would help if your options were more open, huh?
“Do I really have a choice?” You asked, looking at Floyd. Did he always have this nice pair of mismatched—coloured eyes?
He shrugged, “I dunno, do ya? It’s not like I’m forcin’ you, right? So I’d say yeah!”
As you both reached the entrance (or, exit) to Ramshackle Dorm, you couldn’t help but to make up your mind so suddenly:
“Fine. Hopefully only for 3 nights, though.”
Floyd beamed as he held the front door open for you, “We’re gonna have so much fun together.”
As soon as both of you had arrived in Floyd’s bedroom, he seemed to be much more… burnt out? The moodiness from him was so sudden as he flopped on his bed, face digging into his pillow. He must be tired.
It seemed both the twins shared a single room, which was slightly awkward given your circumstances. By the looks of it, Jade wasn’t currently there, and thank goodness for that.
“What’re you waitin’ for? Turn the lights off and go to sleep, keep the lamp on if ya want.” Floyd grumbled, lifting his face from his pillow to look at you so sullenly. What happened to having ‘so much fun’?
You put your box of things down in a corner of Floyd’s side of the room neatly, and look around the floor for a nice place to… get comfy. Maybe you should have packed your pillows and blanket.
However, Floyd seemed to take notice and shot you a look of confusion, “You gonna sleep on the floor, Fishy? Just come sleep on the bed with me, I don’t mind.”
“No way,” you shook your head.
“Why not?”
“Well, isn’t it awkward to share a bed?”
Floyd grinned, “I already said I don’t mind. What, scared I’m gonna bite ya in my sleep?” He narrowed his eyes, “or are you gonna sleep with Jade or somethin’?”
You frowned, “I’m not sleeping on anybody’s bed!”
Rolling his eyes at you, he shuffled around the bed. “Fine, but I gotta show you something…”
Curiously, you flicked off the room lights and walked a bit closer to him, “What is it?”
“Closer,” he smiled.
Everytime, each step you took closer to his bed, he kept telling you to come even closer. You were practically standing over him by now (which is kind of funny, considering how tall he is), crossing your arms. What could he possibly want?
“Bend down,” Floyd smiled.
As you did, it was almost as if your life flashed before your eyes. Floyd had taken the opportunity to grab you and pull you into his bed. Even while you struggled, you were definitely no match for how much he squeezed you.
“You’re kinda silly, Lil’ Fishy! I didn’t think you’d fall for that so easily,” he laughed.
You huffed, “You’re kind of squishing me.”
Floyd only shrugged as he hugged you even tighter. His grasp wasn’t bone-crushing or suffocating; it was quite warm. Somewhat gentle, surprisingly.
It was quiet, silent, but peaceful. All your thoughts wandered as you were being used like a human body pillow; to Yuu, to Grim, to the contract— it was all so odd.
Before you spent the whole night reflecting even more, you decided to get comfortable and get some rest instead.
Closing your eyes, you took one deep breath in, and one deep breath out.
“Good night, Floyd.”
“Night, Lil’ Fishy.”
( due to be edited at anytime )
#scrib.bles🫧#twisted wonderland#twst#floyd leech#twisted wonderland x reader#twst x reader#floyd leech x reader#floyd x reader#octavinelle#floyd#twst floyd leech#twisted wonderland floyd leech#twst floyd#book 3 spoilers
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The Punishment 2
Note: second part to this fic. This fic was supposed to go way differently, but I had a huge mood swing while writing. Instead of deleting the whole thing, I actually thought it showed a lot about their relationship so I decided to keep it. A 3rd chapter will follow, don't worry ;)
Warnings: 18+, suggestive.
pairing: Modern!Sihtric x you (f) (x Modern!Masema)
summary: your revenge plan did not go as you had hoped
wordcount: 2k
Masterlist
'I love you, princess. Behave for us today,' Sihtric said sternly but sweetly.
'Yes, daddy,' you smiled, 'I love you too.'
Your soft dom patted your head and kissed your lips before he grabbed his car keys, then left for work. Masema was quick to come over to you as well, after he had tied his boots and grabbed his leather jacket. He took your chin as you sat at the kitchen table early in the morning, and he made you look up at him.
'Heard what he said?' your hard dom raised his eyebrow.
'I will be good, Sir,' you batted your eyelashes innocently, 'I love you.'
'Good,' Masema smiled and gave you a few quick pecks on the lips, 'I gotta run now, sweetheart. I love you too,' he said and grabbed his own car keys before he rushed out the door, running late for work.
It had only been a few days since your last punishment, the bruises on your buttocks still visible from the spankings you had received. Masema and Sihtric had taken good care of you afterwards, as they always do, and you were showered with love by them every day as usual, if you weren't being a brat obviously. And you had truly behaved for them since that last punishment, but your good girl behaviour was only a facade, for you had been plotting your revenge ever since. And today, as it was friday, was finally the day to get back at your doms, who you loved so dearly. So you jumped up after Masema had locked the door behind him and you sprinted to the living room.
Your doms both had a key to the metal cabinet that was located in your bedroom, which kept every sex toy safely locked away from you, so you could never use them on your own as you did not have their permission to pleasure yourself without them. But you had been observant and kept an eye on both your boyfriends last time they had used their keys, resulting in figuring out their hiding spots. Sihtric kept his key on top of the bathroom cabinet, which you couldn't reach unless you grabbed a chair, while Masema kept his key hidden between the pages of a book, which he always placed back in the huge book cabinet in the living room. And Masema was smarter than Sihtric, because he'd change the book to hide the key in after every play time, but he didn't know you had seen which book it was hidden in this time. Masema's key was easier to retrieve than Sihtric's, so your eyes scanned the books with haste and you snatched the title out of the cabinet once found.
'Oh, silly Sir,' you sighed with a grin as the key fell out.
You picked up the key and ran into the bedroom, unlocking the cabinet, and a satisfied gasp left your mouth once the doors opened, for you suddenly had access to everything forbidden by your doms. You fought the urge to pleasure yourself right away with every toy you could grab, as you knew your pleasure would surely be satisfied later, so you stuck to your masterplan and grabbed only what you needed; a flogger, a ball gag, two handcuffs, some rope, nipple clamps, two collars with their leashes, and two headbands with fluffy cat ears.
'They're going to look so cute with these,' you squealed as you held the ears, and you threw everything you had gathered on the bed.
You looked at your tools with a satisfied smirk and hid them where you could easily reach them. And now all you could do was wait for your doms to come home while you went over your plan again. Sihtric was always the first one to come home, as he finished work about an hour before Masema did. And that was good for your plan, because Sihtric was such a push over and had the biggest soft spot for you. Not that Masema wasn't weak for you or loved you any less, but he was a hard dom for a reason, Sihtric could simply never keep that up and he was easier to lure into a trap than Masema would be.
Hours passed and finally your soft dom stepped through the front door.
'I'm home!'
Sihtric's voice sounded through the quiet home, which was too quiet for his liking for a moment, but his heart made a little jump out of excitement when he heard your footsteps approach towards him from the bedroom.
'Princess,' he almost sighed and allowed you to jump into his arms, 'you were a little quiet there, weren't you? What were you doing?'
'Nothing,' you lied and kissed his lips, 'how was work?'
'Just a regular day,' he shrugged, 'how was your day?'
You took his hand and led him slowly with you towards the bedroom. 'Just a regular day. I missed you,' you said with a pout.
'Well, I missed you too,' Sihtric smiled and cupped your cheeks, kissing you lovingly while you pulled him onto the bed with you, 'play time already?' he hummed with a sly smile as you climbed on top of him.
'Mhm,' you smiled and took his hands, pinning them teasingly above his head and, as you kissed him, you carefully reached for the rope you had hidden behind one of the pillows.
The rope was prepared with a knot, which you only needed to pull to tighten it once slipped around your target. And so you managed to take Sihtric by surprise as you slipped the rope swiftly around his pinned down wrists, pulled at the loose ends and tightened his hands together within the blink of an eye. Before your boyfriend realised what had happened, you already moved up and quickly tied the rope to the metal bed frame.
'Hey- what-,' Sihtric stammered, confused, and he blinked rapidly as you were fast to handcuff him with pink leather cuffs and chained them to the bed, along with the rope he was still tied with, for extra security. 'Wait!' Sihtric said with wild eyes as he rattled the cuffs, 'what is this?! How… when… how did you get these?!'
You giggled as you climbed off him and stared at him as he was tied up, then quickly grabbed one of the cat ear headbands and placed them on his head.
'Hey!' Sihtric tried to stop you, but to no avail, and he huffed when you 'awwed' at him.
'I know your key is in the bathroom,' you smiled innocently at your dressed up boyfriend.
Sihtric's face fell and he swallowed hard.
'But Masema's key was easier to get,' you added quickly, to which Sihtric seemed almost relieved, 'so I took his.'
Sihtric sighed and shook his head, then couldn't help but chuckle. He always knew you were smart. And a smart brat was a dangerous brat, so he knew this day would come eventually.
'Anyway,' you shrugged and grabbed the ball gag from underneath the bed, 'now it's my time to punish you.'
'Oh, no,' Sihtric shook his head again as you neared him, 'you will not silence me, princess! Just wait until Masema gets back. You know you will get punished for this!'
'I hope so,' you giggled and gagged him, to which Sihtric could only react with a muffled voice, and for a second your tough brat act dropped and you took his face, 'you know the safe signals, right?'
You saw a twinkle in Sihtric's eyes, and you could tell he smiled slightly despite the ball gag in his mouth and he nodded.
'Good,' you smiled and kissed his forehead, 'now let's get rid of these stupid clothes.'
You took your time taking off his shoes, his socks and his jeans, knowing you had enough time to strip Sihtric off everything before Masema would come home. But it wasn't all that easy, as Sihtric liked to kick with his legs every now and then to give you a hard time undressing him, but you fixed that by grabbing another rope and tying his ankles to the bed, to which he huffed and looked at you with a fury in his mismatched eyes.
His fury quickly left him though and made room for panic in his suddenly widened eyes, when he saw you near him with the nipple clamps, and he aggressively shook his head at the sight of those. You could only giggle when you cut open his shirt first, he had enough of those boring plain white shirts so surely he wouldn't miss this one, and you enjoyed his muffled scream when you clamped his nipples. But your joy was cut short when he groaned loudly again and you saw his fingers tap the bedframe fast twice, followed by two slower taps, which was the safe signal you had all agreed upon a long time ago.
You gasped, startled, and quickly pulled the ball out of his mouth and you took his face. But before you could ask if he was okay, he opened his mouth already.
'Take those fucking clamps off me!' Sihtric grunted hoarsely, 'Masema is the one who likes that,' he hissed in pain, and your heart skipped a few beats when he groaned again, 'he likes those, not me! Fuck!'
'Oh, no, I- I'm sorry!' you let out a sob and quickly removed the clamps, to which Sihtric nearly shuddered and gritted his teeth at you, 'I'm so sorry, I mixed that up!' you sniffled and kissed his face all over, heartbroken that you had made him raise his voice at you. 'I'm sorry, daddy, I'm so s-sorry-' you stuttered and reached to take off the handcuffs.
'Don't,' Sihtric breathed, and you stopped moving, 'you don't have to stop. Just… just don't use those clamps on me,' he said calmly again.
'Are… are you sure?' you wiped a tear away before it could roll down your cheek.
'I'm sure,' he whispered, 'I'm sorry I shouted at you. I'm not mad at you, love, I promise,' his eyes darted all over you, 'those things just hurt like a bitch, and not in a nice way.'
'I- I'm sorry,' your voice began to tremble again and tears welled up once more.
'Hey, don't cry, sweetheart, there's nothing to be upset about,' he reassured you, 'look at me.'
You fought more tears as you looked at him, and an embarrassed blush took over your cheeks.
'You can have your fun. You caught me by surprise, so you win this round. Go on,' he tried to urge you, but you shook your head.
'No… I- I don't want to do this anymore,' you whispered and uncuffed his wrists, then untied the rope around his hands and threw it all on the floor with a devastated look.
Sihtric was quick to sit up and he wrapped his arms around you, pulling you tightly against his chest while he kissed the top of your head and stroked your hair slowly.
'It's okay,' he cooed as you sniffled again, 'you had me good though,' he sighed and earned a soft chuckle from you.
'It was a stupid idea,' you mumbled, ashamed and upset.
'No, it was a good idea, actually,' Sihtric said and wiped your tears, 'and I'm sure you'll have more luck next time, princess,' he whispered and kissed your lips.
You shrugged lightly and, as you both had completely forgotten about the time and were so caught up in the moment, you both nearly jumped when Masema suddenly appeared at the bedroom door. His eyes were huge and confused as he took in the sight of you and Sihtric, holding each other on the bed while Sihtric's bare legs were tied down, his shirt cut open, his nipples bright red and a ball gag hanging around his neck while fluffy cat ears sat on his head. And when Masema saw your tear stained face he was even more puzzled at the entire picture.
'What the fuck is going on here?' Masema asked, bewildered.
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* ੈ✩‧₊˚ Aura of Temptations ᙏ̤̫’’ .(‘♡°༘,*)
✧Rating: Smut + Fluff + Comfort
✧Characters: Asmodeus
✧Word Count: 5’4k
✧Summary: You find yourself suddenly pulled into Asmo’s room for an all intensive pampering session after days of not sleeping or taking care of yourself. At first you blissfully believe he’s just trying to help, but you begin to pick up on some more sexual undertones. He uses the mask of pampering to cleverly hide his true intentions of getting to third base before his brothers using some of the tactics he’s all too good at. Can you resist his seductive nature or will you tangle yourself in his velvety spider web of pleasure and have his way with you?~ ♡
“Ughhh… finally, I’m done,” You groan in relief as you close the last heavy book and place it onto a tall pile of other books, “After three fucking hours… I’ve finally done it! I’m freeee!!”
You threw your arms into the air with a tired cheer, arching your back while you’re at it to ease the aching feeling in your back. You’ve been hunched over these dusty books for what felt like a century; reading them over, writing down notes, rereading them, writing more notes, and rereading once again just in case. This so-called “academic training” Lucifer is putting you through is really testing your mental and physical capabilities. If it wasn’t for Mammon sweet talking you into a “fun family study session” just to run off, leaving it to you to pick up his slack, you would probably be out enjoying the fresh, hellish air, living your best life. But it didn’t matter to you anymore! After pulling a few all nighters and stealing a few caffeine patches from Lucifer while he was busy yelling at Satan’s cat for scratching the curtains, you completed two essays on the history of magic in Devildom, a data sheet comparing the changes in climate to the local impact of the town, and a cross word filled with all kinds of buzz words related to human culture. Lucifer explained to you how these exercises would not only strengthen important studying, reading comprehension, memory, and information gathering skills needed in everyday life, but would also help you learn more about the unfamiliar place you’ve found yourself in. And no matter how hard you begged on your knees to get out of it, he only doubled down, stating clearly that if you couldn't complete a basic essay, there was no way you were fit to be their assistant. You had to bite your tongue to stop yourself from mentioning that the only tasks you have been given so far are either simple errands that require little to no brain power or basic chores you’ve already done religiously back in the human world. But once again, none of it matters now that you’re free! You quickly carry your finished work into his office and set it in the designated basket. After peeling off the caffeine patches and taking a nice, big, well deserved stretch, instead of being filled with joy once again, you’re filled with a sense of overwhelming discomfort.
“I feel I aged twenty years… guess I should just go to my room and hibernate for the next few years,” you laugh to yourself as you try to hobble back to your room. But suddenly, something stops you. You tilt your head in confusion at the strange aura coming from the stairs. After rubbing your delirious eyes, you stealthily hone in on the target, hiding strategically behind the various tables and pillars in the hallway. As you take a peek up the stairs you notice the aura seems to be coming from upstairs, trickling down the steps like an ominous cloud of smoke. What in the world could be going on up there? Isn’t everybody out taking a stroll around Devildom? At least that’s what Lucifer told you before ditching you… grrr, you’ll get him back one day. Him and Mammon, too! Anyways, back to the problem at hand. If the house should pretty much be left just to you, then what’s with all this strange aura stuff you’re seeing? You rub your eyes again, just to make sure your exhausted brain isn’t playing tricks with you, yet the aura is still there. Summoning all the courage you can muster, you carefully tip toe up the stairs. If it couldn’t get any stranger, after reaching the fifth step, the aura suddenly dissipates.
“What the…? It’s… gone?” You scratch the back of your head and shrug, “Guess it was nothing. I really need some damn sleep before I seriously start to hallucinate.”
Turning around, you begin to make your way back to your room. As soon as your hand wraps around the doorknob, you feel a sudden, light grasp on your shoulder.
“Ohh MC~ ♡” A voice draws out your name with a pleasing tone.
“GAAHHHHH!!!!” If it wasn’t for physics, you would have probably jumped 12 feet into the air. Your body spasms in surprise as you almost fall limply to the ground if it wasn’t for this mysterious intruder catching you.
“Oops! I guessed I scared you. I’m sorry, MC, hehe~♡ How did your studies go- AGHH!!!” Your tired eyes open just enough to watch Asmodeus’s face twist into a look of absolute horror, “Oh my God!! MC, You look like you haven’t slept or been outside in years!”
“I feel just as bad as I look right now…” You chuckle miserably.
“Oh my poor dear, don’t you worry! Asmo’s got you now. I’ll nurture you back to your sweet, adorable self in no time!~” He giggles to himself before sweeping you up in his arms and carrying you up stairs and to his room. The gentle yet firm hold is almost enough to make you fall asleep already. When your eyes blink open yet again, you’re greeted by the comforting atmosphere of Asmo’s gorgeous room. Such a welcoming sight… you feel your body carefully placed on a plush chair.
“Now, what to do, what to do… hmmm… ah! I have just the idea!” He exclaims and smooths a hand over your head, “I was actually planning on giving myself a pampering session today, but I think you might need it a bit more than me right now. Would you like that, MC?~ ♡” He smiled down at you and rubbed the side of your head.
“God, That would literally be so perfect… thank you so so much, Asmo,” You nod enthusiastically like a kid who’s offered a mountain high pile of toys.
“That’s great to hear~ ♡” his thumb brushes over your cheek for a few seconds before he leans even closer.
“The bath will take a few more minutes to fill up. Is there anything specifically you want me to do to pamper you?” You feel his body hover over yours, whether it’s intentional or not is beyond your mental capacity.
“I’m up for anything, really. Just something that will help me relax,” you sighed, looking up into his eyes to catch the faint glint in his eyes.
“That can certainly be arranged, no worries. I’ll do everything I can to make you feel nice today after working on all those assignments for Lucifer. Mmm, maybe you even deserve a small kiss? Hehehe, I’m just kidding~ unless you want one?” He inches his face closer to yours, laughing softly at the blush it’s beginning to develop.
“Blushing already?~ ♡” he teases.
“You’re… really close, is all,” you murmur and look away. You gasp slightly as he grabs your chin and turns you to look at him again.
“Is that really all…?~” his warm breath brushes against your skin. What was he up to… before you could get even more overwhelmed, you gently pushed him back by the shoulders.
“A little too close. Aren’t you supposed to be taking care of me, not doing… whatever this is,” you try to laugh it off but in reality your mind is racing a mile a minute.
“You’re right, my bad~ The bath should probably be ready now. There’s just one more thing left to do…” Your sleepy eyes snap open as his hands rest on your waist. He notices your reaction and softly shushes you.
“Shhh~ You’ll let me take care of you, right? In your state, I doubt you could do this on your own without falling over. May I do the honors?~ ♡” he asks with a sickeningly sweet voice that has your body strangely getting hotter. Well… he was kinda right. You wouldn’t be surprised if you toppled over just trying to stand up. He just wanted to do you a favor, and yeah, being undressed would probably be really embarrassing, but if it meant you got your needs taken care of, maybe I will be a worthy sacrifice.
You once again gathered your courage and nodded as a sigh of consent, “Yeah… just don’t get frisky or I’m telling Lucifer.”
“You have my word, even if it will be a bit hard to resist~ ♡” he chuckles softly as his fingers dip under the waistband of your shorts. There’s a certain look in his eyes, one that seems to read ‘Sit back and relax, I’ll pamper you to your heart’s content~’ but that might be what he wants you to know… either way, you couldn’t help but let out small whimpers as he slides your shorts off your ankles.
“Mmmm… these are quite pretty~♡ I’ll keep on for now,” his hungry eyes fixate on your exposed panties. Just as you’re about to swat and push him away, you sense something. That aura from before, you can feel it again, clear as day. Was that aura… coming from him all along? There’s no doubt in your mind he’s the source of it. But why? What could it be? While you’re busy deciphering the strange aura, you fail to realize your shirt is already off and folded off to the side. You come back to reality as he whispers in your ear.
“You look absolutely gorgeous like this, it’s getting a lot more difficult to restrain myself… but I can tell you’re slowly feeling the same way too, am I correct?~ ♡” he giggles devilishly.
“What do…” you don’t even have to finish that question as you feel his touch return to your sides, ever so lightly sliding up and down. The touch causes you to shiver.
“Mmm? Are you a bit sensitive, hon?” He asks in an innocent voice as his fingertips trail down to a much less innocent area. You have no idea what he’s up to but it could be sleep deprivation or the building needs pooling inside of you, whatever it is, you feel your self restraint easing away. Your face felt progressively hotter, your breathing becoming more shallow, the obvious hint begging the poor spot between your gets growing needier by the second.
‘Come on, brain! I know you’re almost dead, but please let me use a few more brain cells!’ You pleaded to yourself, ‘Think, MC, Think! Use Lucifer’s teachings as an example. What does it have in common? The aura is caused by Asmo… these symptoms happened after his touch… and… he’s the Avatar of…? That’s it!’
“Asmo, are you trying to sedu-“ before you could even admit your findings, he suddenly lifts you up into his arms once again.
“We better hurry before the bath overflows!~ ♡” Such a beautifully innocent expression… he’s hiding something, that’s for sure. You just have to stay conscious a little longer and… your breath is completely taken away as you enter his oasis of a bathroom. It looked like something you’d only see in magazines. Magnificently smooth marble pillars, cascading, translucent curtains tied back with pink roses, intricate patterned tiles all surrounding the main centerpiece of the bathroom. The bath. And it was nothing short of luxurious. It was decked out with foamy bubbles and scattered with pink rose petals. You pause for a few seconds to take in the senses around you. There’s faint, jazzy music playing from a small speaker on a vanity, the unique scent of what you could only describe as hints of strawberry and vanilla, and the soft gurgling of steamy water filling the tub. He glances over at your fascinated expression and chuckles in amusement. He steps closer to the bath and sits you down at the edge.
“Does that cute expression mean you like it?” He reaches over and turns off the tap. All you can manage is a nod, which is enough to satisfy him.
“One moment, let me prepare everything I’ll need to make you feel like your refreshed self again,” he walks over to the vanity and begins taking some things out of the draws. The moment apart gives you the chase to finally breathe. There’s something about him right now that’s both overwhelming and exciting, it’s honestly rather intiscing, but you’d never admit that. You begin to regain your ability to have rational thought. He’s definitely up to something and using his aura and physical advances to accomplish it. You gulped nervously. If his aura really is what you think it is, you don’t know how much longer you’ll be able to resist it. And if the rest of the guys even just find out about the fact he undressed you, you’d never hear the end of it. You jump as Asmo happily strunts back to you, laying a tray of numerous goodies on the edge of the bath. You whine internally as all your rational thoughts seem to go back out on vacation, right when you needed them most.
“Hon, can you look into my eyes for a second?~” His alluring voice causes your dilated eyes to meet his equally, if not even more, dilated eyes. Everything about this felt like a fever dream…
“I know it’s all going pretty quickly for you, but I want to pause for a moment to ask for your permission to take the rest off. I’ll only do it if you want me to,” his voice has a new sense of worry in it that has your heart skipping a beat. This is your chance, you can finally confront him on his sneaky actions! You can remind him how upset everyone would be with him for seeing you in nothing but your bra and panties. But instead… you say, “Yeah… I want that.”
His gaze is unwavering, searching for any major signs of appreciation. After a few seconds, he relents and returns to his cheeky smiling self.
“Thank you for this opportunity… I definitely won’t take it for granted~ ♡” He leans over you and runs his hands in circles over your hips. This tease, it’s like he could read you like a fucking picture book. How did he know your hips were sensitive? How did he know you always shiver when he whispers into your ears? How did he know the effect his prolonged gaze on your body has on your heart? Oh, he wasn’t just a tease, he was the Avatar of Lust. He knew how to get people worked up and he was clearly exploiting his knowledge to use it against you.
“Mmph!” You bit your lip to hold back your noises as he began to pull down your panties. Was this really happening? Was this even okay? You felt like you were at a boiling point. If he caught even a glimpse at the absolute mess you were down there, you’re absolutely sure his little teasing game would only get worse. And worse it did.
“Wooowww~ ♡ look at that…” He licked his lips at the strings of liquid desire that clung from your aching cunt to the wet spot left in your panties. If humiliation was a grain of samd, you were a fucking desert right now. You whined in embarrassment but couldn't hold back how your pussy twitched.
“You’re even wetter than I could have ever hoped you’d be… mmmm… and how you keep twitching, I think you like this too. What a naughty girl you are… ♡” he kisses your cheek and traces a finger down your lower stomach, “but, I like that about you~ ♡”
Just as his finger gets mere inches away from your swollen clit, he feels your hips twitch away. He smirks and takes his hand away.
“Your gorgeous body almost made me forget why I brought you here~ Silly me, can’t have this getting wet, either~ ♡” you gasp as he lips your bra and sets it to the side. When he looks back over at you, he sees your hands desperately trying to cover your breasts. He finds it both amusing and adorable.
“Go ahead and slide into the bath. Tell me if it’s too warm or cold for you and I’ll adjust the temperature if needed,” he gives you a playful wink as you turn your back to him and hop in the bath. As soon as the warm, soapy water envelops your skin, you’re unable to suppress your moan in time. How could you not, this water felt incredible to your poor, sore muscles and aching body. You let your body rest against the edge as the intoxicating smell made you dizzy.
“Ahhh… hah….” You panted.
“Does it feel good?~ You definitely look like you’re enjoying yourself. Mind if… I join?~ ♡” You heard his sultry voice whisper in your ear as he joins you in the bath. You glance over at him. He’s… he’s n-naked too? As if this situation couldn’t get any more lewd, he sits down in front of your spread legs.
He strokes your cheek softly, “Your mind looks like it’s not quite here… how cute. ♡ I think you’ve waited long enough for your promised pampering. Just sit back and relax~ You’re in capable hands~ ♡”
That’s the last thing you remember hearing from him as your exhausted brain finally takes a well needed break, just for a while. You have just enough consciousness left to feel the numerous amounts of face masks, creams, rollers, and much more he uses on you. Compared to his touch from before that was practically quaking with desire, his touch now was a lot more gentle and loving. He fussed over each and every detail of your face mask, adjusting them to fit your face perfectly. Sooner or later, he began to soak some rich soap into your messy hair and gently scratch at your scalp. It felt so nice to be taken care of, to be loved after putting yourself through hell and back. You weren’t surprised in the slightest when you opened your eyes to see him presenting you a cup of tea. Did you just… fall asleep?
“Good morning, darling. You fell asleep while I was washing your hair so I decided to give you a break while I made you some tea. It should give you back some of your missing entertainment,” he set the teacup in your heads and rubbed a hand over your shoulder, “I know this has been a lot for you, so please take it easy. I wouldn’t wanna push you past your comfort zone,” he cooed sweetly.
You didn’t even realize how thirsty you were until the tea slipped down your throat. It tasted wonderful, like a flurry of peaches and mint. It wasn’t long until you finished the whole cup and sat it down on the tray with the leftover supplies.
“Heheh, good. How do you feel? A little less tired, I hope?” He soothed.
“Mhm… yeah, I’m feeling a lot better, actually,” you rub the sleep from your eyes.
“That’s wonderful, I’m glad~ now that you’re awake, it might be time to move to the main event~ ♡” he chucked.
“Main event…? What d-does… that mean?” You shivered, fainting innocence.
“Well, how can I call this a true pampering session until I give you… a little bit of a massage, hm? Would that feel nice on all your aches and pains?” His tantalizing touch drifted all the way from your shoulders to down on your thighs, “I’m assuming your body has been aching for some touch for quite a while, hasn’t it?”
Your breathing grew more and more uneven as his aura filled your mind with a desire… a desire for him. For his touch, “yeah… I… I feel strange...”
“Oh? Strange how? Does it hurt?” He hum’s curiously as his thumbs massage the muscles of your thighs.
“N-no, it... Aghh…you… you know what it is…” You look away out of embarrassment from his blatant teasing.
“Mmm? Could it be… a need, of sorts? ♡” His thumbs circle over your inner thigh.
“Hahh… agh… yeah… like… a need… a strong need,” you felt your pussy fluttering around nothing as his touch only got closer, “why… are you… doing this…?”
“It’s simple… It's because I love you, hon. More than anything I can name… more than I can even understand. I have this urge inside of me whenever I see you. It wants you, all of you. And now…” a strange pink smoke begins to swirl around him as his eyes glow brightly, “I get you all to myself~ ♡” You watch helplessly as he sprouts wings and horns, grinning sinisterly at you. Your breather quickens as he more roughly squeezes your thighs just to hear you whine. He leans in, so close you might just lose your mind, “I know how badly you need me too. I can practically smell it~ want me to help you? Relieve that desire that’s burning under your skin?~ ♡”
His dirty words made you whine. There’s no way you could resist him, not in this form. You’ll just have to deal with the problems later because right now you just want this demon in front of you to do whatever he wants with you.
“I think I know a certain spot that’s been begging for my attention ever since I saw those cute panties~ ♡ let’s see if I can fix that…” his wild eyes look below the crystal clear water as his delicate fingers spread your pussy wide open. Your shift around uncomfortably at being so open to the water swirling around you. As soon as you feel the sinful press of his pointer finger and middle finger against your clit, you stifle a moan and twitch your hips eagerly.
“Oh, someone’s excited, hm? Is it because of me… or maybe the spell I’ve cast on you? ♡ Maybe both~” he giggles to himself.
Spell? Is that what all the aura was- Your train of thought vanishes completely as his fingers rub small circles against your swollen bud.
“Nghh… ahh.. oh fuck….” You whine as you pussy clenches even more. It already feels like so much, but you so desperately wanted to beg for some stimulation to your cunt too. Your wish would soon be granted as you feel his two fingers slide down to your cunt and rub it up and down, making sure to continue rubbing circles on your clit with his thumb.
“Is that better?~ Even in the water I can feel how slick you are. You must like this a lot, hm? Hehe, I don’t think I even need to ask~ ♡” his fingers slowly and carefully pushed inside your twitching hole.
“Aaghhh… f-fuck… oh god, Asmo.. agh…” you’re reduced to a whining, shivering mess as his fingers explore the insides of your pussy. And they were so talented too. They immediately knew the exact gummy spot inside of you to rub to make your eyes roll back. It just felt too good, you couldn’t do anything but moan and twitch. You wanted more but you were also scared of what more would feel like. His wrist started to quickly flick his fingers in and out of your trembling pussy, jabbing right against your g-spot and pressing harder on your clit. You felt like your body wasn’t even your wit control anymore, you were totally at his mercy.
“Mmmphhh… you’re clenching on me so tightly, and it’s so warm~ ♡ I could just do this forever…” he sighed dreamily as his motions sped up. How could he keep such a relaxed face while you were fucking fighting for your life? It felt like your senses were on fire, like your cunt was ready to cum at any second.
“Ready to cum so early? Hehe, I don’t blame you, I’m quite good at this. After all, I’m the Avatar of Lust. I can make you feel things no other demon can ever dream of making you feel. Hehehe~ ♡ How about I make a deal… I’ll let you cum as many times as you want if you chose me and only me instead of my brothers. How about that? Doesn’t that sound fantastic~ ♡♡”
It does sound rather tempting, but you could care less about deals right now. The only thing you want is to cum, cum around his skilled fingers. If that meant being his forever, then that’s just a plus.
“Aaghh p-please… I’m yours, only yours. Please Asmo, I need to cum so badly… I can’t hold it much longer..” you cried out.
He smiles devilishly, “Perfect answer, my love… go on, let go of everything and release all that cum for me…♡ cum for your demon~ ♡”
The final thread of restraint snaps as you moan desperately, squeezing on his fingers so good he feels his dick twitch in anticipation.
“Aghh… hahhh… oh god… that… that was amazing… felt amazing….” You heaved in between each word as you lay limp against the edge of the bath. The post orgasm bliss felt like heaven but it was quickly ripped away from you as Asmo’s fingers contributed to thrust you open.
“Gah, w-what, n-no hurts please, please no more… Aghh…” it didn’t take long for the pain to melt into mouth watering pleasure as he stimulated your poor little clit over and over again.
“Mmm I think you’re pretty much ready to take me now… that is if you wanna. I can keep fingering you if that’d make you feel best, cutie~” he playfully licked the outer shell of your ear.
Even though his fingers felt like heaven, you could only imagine how good his dick would feel. Would it feel even better? Oh you just had to give it a try~ You lean back and wrap your legs around his waist.
“Hehehe someone’s eager, huh? Aghh… I’ll try to be gentle… just don’t squeeze too hard or else I might break that promise~ ♡” He snickered as he lifted your hips up and angled his throbbing dick to your overstimulated cunt. You mind raced with ideas of how big he could be but as soon as you felt his head rub against your entrance you could already feel your legs beginning to give out. He’s… pretty big…
He smirked at the worry in your eyes, “Are worried I’ll hurt your tight little cunt or I’ll make you feel so good you won’t be able to get off without my dick?~ ♡ just i’ll have to figure it out as me go~ ♡” without very much of a warning, you felt the head slip in past your entrance to right against that sweet spot of yours. And holy fuck we’re you enjoying it. Even though he warned you, he was too big, you had no choice but to squeeze him like your life depended on it.
“Aaghhh… p-please sweetie, loosen up or else I can’t go deeper… damn it I wanna fuck you so bad… ♡” he grit is teeth in agony and pleasure. He brought a quick finger to your clit and gave it some deep rubs, thankfully coaxing a moan out and letting you loosen up for him a little. His hips snapped forward again and again and again, each time he made sure to hit your g-spot straight on.
“Aaaagghhh Asmo I can’t I can’t it’s too much!!!~” you wailed as you felt another orgasm approaching.
“My dear please… you’re squeezing so fucking hard you’re going to… drive me crazy!~ ♡♡” he dug his nails deep into your plush hips and thrusted into you at such a fast rhythm it left you right at the edge.
“Aghhhh I’m going to break… s-slow down, my pussy is going to die!!!~” you cling onto the mable for dear life as the demon drilled into you from behind. It felt so lewd but it also felt like heaven~ yet you still needed more, “pleaseeee Asmo I’m begging you I need more!~”
“Still need more?~ ♡ can’t wait to get to that edge?” He teased in your ear with a chuckle.
“Pleaseeee I’d do anything please make me cum again~” You cried out, unable to even process the words fully before they left you mouth.
“I.. agh… think I got just the idea.. brace yourself… for the might of the avatar of lust~ ♡” He stayed thrusting into you even faster but that wasn’t the main focus. No, because when you began to feel a strange vibration sensation emerge from his dick, tremouring right against your cervix you were just wailing, you were screaming.
“Oh gods, oh gods this can’t be real… asagghhhhhhh!!~ why is it vibrating so hard?!!~ how.. how is it even doing that?!!” You didn’t know if you were more scared or excited by this new discovery. All you knew is your pussy was twitching like crazy against the sinful vibrations wracking through his clock and right against your sensitive walls and clit.
“The avatar of lust has more than a few tricks up his sleeve to make just about anyone come undone on my dick~ ♡ you’ll find out soon enough if you’d like, hon~ ♡ Ahh… just… let me fuck that tight pussy nice and hard~ ♡” your back arched on command as he growled in your ear. Moans and grunts left your lips like a constant prayer, it’s just too fucking good, way more than a human like her should be able to handle. That was until Asmo finally snapped and flipped her around so ass was in full display for him. She didn’t even bother asking what was going on, just moaning and begging for more of his vibrating dick. He mounted her and quickly remained fucking her pussy into oblivion. The change of position allowed him to directly assault her poor, poor absurd cervix. Each snap of his hips against her ass sent electricity straight to her pussy which was dying to cum from all the extreme vibrations.
“Aaghhh Ahh Ahh AGHHH AGHHH!!~” Her moans grew louder and louder as she got closer to cumming, “I’m close so fucking close please just ruin me-“ suddenly, there was a series of stomping footsteps and opening and slamming of doors. They were all home already?! Shit, why now!? Right when you’re on the brink of one of the best orgasms in your life!! As you turned around to give Asmo a sad look, you were greeted with a smirk. Don’t tell me. His thrusts went faster and faster and faster until the water started to splash out of the bath and onto the floor.
“Waaaittttt we're gunna get caught aaghhhh!!!~” your eyes roll into the back of your head.
“Don’t matter to me… I’ve been aching for sex with you for way to damn long to stop now~ ♡ Come on, give them a nice loud moan~ let them know who you belong to~ tell them who fucks you’re beautiful, tight pussy the best!~ ♡” He bends your back into a perfect arch, only applied by the intense lust magic he forces into you.
“Aaaagghhh!~~ AAAAGGHHHHHH ASMOOOOOOO DOESSSS!!!~” You released a loud scream as you came yet again, shivering pathetically. Your eyes screwed together as his passion fucking didn’t even hesitate. You were losing your damn mind and basking in it.
“Let’s keep going… until we finally get caught~♡” he laughed wildly, clearly getting drunk off your pussy. But you were just as drunk off of his dick too.~ You nodded in agreement and continued moaning like he’s rearranging your guts. It felt so good, so, so deliciously good. You never wanted this to stop.
Sure enough, the door creaked open, revealing the first unlucky person to witness the lust-filled display that the two of them were putting on. Their jaw dropped open at the sight of a wildly out of control Asmo practically bending you in half and slamming into you at such a furious pace you just couldn't stop cumming. His erotic magic surged through your veins as you kept shouting, moan after moan, dirtying the water with your combined cum. Your face was permanently twisted into a lewd expression as you felt your whole body alight in a constant explosion of pleasure from his none stop fucking and overwhelming magic.
“Agaghhhhhhhhh~” You sobbed out in bliss.
“If… you want us to stop… you’re going to have to kill me~ ♡” Asmodeus flashed the intruder a spine chilling death stare and groaned in pleasure as he plunged in deeper.
Reblog + Like + Comment if you wanna see even more obey me or Asmo in specific posts (hehehehe I had a lotta fun writing this I’m such a simp for asmo I hope I did him justice <3)
(I’ve been writing for like 8 hours with no hours of sleep I think I might take a break tomorrow. I’ll make a poll for my next post in a few days or so, I need to recharge)
#obey me#obey me smut#obey me x reader#obey me x mc#asmodeus#asmodeus x reader#asmodeus obey me#writer komaru#fem reader#afab reader#obey me fluff#obey me comfort#obey me nightbringer
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toeing the line | sebastian sallow
BRIEF DISCLAIMER: THIS AUTHOR DOES NOT SUPPORT OR TOLERATE TRANSPHOBIA OR DISCRIMINATION OF ANY KIND
Summary: a game of cat and mouse sequel | You may have lost the battle, but you’re determined not to lose the war. Just moments after you’d met him, you already felt close to him, like he was someone you could deeply trust. Even when a troll comes to Hogsmeade, or when Rookwood seeks you out, he always stands by your side, toeing the line between friends and something more.
Word Count: 3,706 words
Author’s Note: just a very light-hearted dabble into some Sebastian cuteness, warning it is unedited bc I spilled juice on my usual computer. OOps lol edit 1hr after posting: hi guys I appreciate all the love you’ve shown me so so much throughout all my fics--I will be more active today bc I will not be going to work. I hit someone with my car and now I am emotionally traumatized. Pls enjoy
Content Warnings: fluff, brief fight but nothing too graphic or magically violent :)
a game of cat and mouse
Sebastian’s heavy hand on your shoulder and warm breath on your ear still burned with his absence, and for every second you spent actually thinking about getting your supplies, or your classes, or precisely anything else, you spent 3 more seconds thinking about Sebastian’s voice, or your duel, or his wit that you felt you would never catch up to.
You felt--quite constantly, in fact--that you and Sebastian were competing for an unknown prize, continuously attempting to best the other in this war that conspicuously looked to everyone else like shameless flirting. The worst part that he was so talented at this sort of game, always managing to play the one card that caught you off-guard but never crossed the line into being too forward, too obvious that it showed you his hand.
After browsing only the necessary stores to complete Weasley’s shopping list, you practically booked it to the square near Honeyduke’s and the Wizardwear store, the meeting place Sebastian had designated. It was bustling, many people gathered around tables or sauntering between shops, enjoying the blue skies and the warm sun that warmed the skin of your cheeks.
A large smile broke out on your face as soon as you spotted Sebastian across the cobblestone square, leaned casually against the large tree with his legs crossed at the ankles. He seemed to be briefly skimming one of the potions textbooks, occupying his time while he waited patiently for you to come back home to him.
There was something so enchanting about that moment, you being able to watch him from afar. He looked so content, peaceful in his mind that was able to lay dormant briefly, not needing to work overtime to calculate just when to brush his hand against your knuckles or conjure a witty remark to stun you with. He was just naturally stunning, without ever needing to try.
At this point in the day, just the first day of knowing him, you’d already grown accustomed to the butterflies that awakened every time he was within 50 feet of you. You jogged lightly over to him, and as soon as your footsteps were within hearing distance, he looked up, as if he could sense your presence. When you came to a stop in front of him, he smiled so radiantly that you had forgotten the greeting you’d rehearsed on the way.
“I’ve finished my rather extensive shopping list,” you landed on instead, almost frowning at how you couldn’t immediately come back from the last interaction swinging. You held your wand up, proud of your immediate connection to what felt like the most stunning wand you’d ever seen.
He could sense your satisfaction, smiling, “Excellent.” The word just rolled off his tongue so simply, but for some ungodly reason, you felt your heart swell.
You didn’t bother allowing yourself the time to get flustered at his brief praise, and instead tried to show interest in him, too. “Did you get what you needed for your sister?”
You’d hoped that this would open a new avenue of conversation, but he didn’t open up more than he needed to. “I did,” he nodded. “I suppose the world is our oyster now,” and you held your breath as a smirk crawled up his face, “let’s see what mischief we can get up to.”
Sebastian saw you briefly glance over to Honeyduke’s. “Perhaps I can treat you to some desserts like I’d promised on the way over,” and there is a question, a near undetectable longing hidden by your smile, but it didn’t matter, because it was present in your eyes, too.
His smirk grew into an endearing smile, “Only if you promise to let me treat you to butterbeers at the Three Broomsticks afterwards.”
“I’ll keep it under consideration,” you pursed your lips, dangling the small burlap bag of galleons you found on the trail over between your pointer and thumb. “But I’m afraid one of us has a knack for treasure hunting and happens to be a few galleons richer.”
Sebastian shook his head, seemingly defeated, “I’m afraid your ‘knack for treasure hunting’ has very little to do with my proposal.” There was that twinkle in his eyes, and you knew that he had something prepared, as he always does. “Don’t you know that the gentleman always pays on the first date?”
You worked hard to contain your fumbling, internally swearing at him because somehow he always just has one comment locked and ready to fire. It was so difficult to try and play a game of charm and wit because he truly was the master.
All you could do was scoff, hoping that when you opened your mouth again, the most brilliant retort would fall out on it’s own. Before a word could fall out of your mouth, though, the ground began to rumble, loud thumps coming from behind the quaint village and exponentially rising in volume. As the thumps grew larger and larger, harsh sounds of crashes, breaking wood, and screams joined into the mix.
Out of seemingly nowhere, a fighter troll clad in armor glowing similarly to the dragon’s collar or Ranrok’s magic ran into the village, smashing stalls under it’s feet before launching into the air and smacking it’s large club into the ground before the pedestrians.
It didn’t matter to Sebastian that you had beaten him so swiftly and brutally in the earlier Defense Against the Dark Arts class--the single event that had him watching your every move with a close eye; Sebastian was not thinking logically when he put his arm out in front of you, fingers grasping onto your ropes as he shuffled to block your body with his. He acted solely on instinct, his need to protect overwhelming every sense and clouding every thought.
You peeked out from behind his shoulder as he slowly pulled his wand out, and you did the same, watching the troll’s line of sight slowly change from the adult villagers to you and Sebastian. The screams slowly got more distant as most of the villagers who were too scared to fight the troll ran for the exit, or for any cover at all.
The troll took a second when looking in your direction, as if registering who you were, but as soon as those few seconds were over, your eyes widened as the troll began to charge at the two of you. Sebastian flung at him with his wand, but it was to no avail. Only when one of the aurors of the village cast bombarda right at the troll’s head did it stop, going after the villagers instead of you two.
Sebastian’s grip on your robes loosened, his frame still blocking your body slightly, but he finally let go when he’d felt the area was clear. Precisely at the moment that Sebastian had turned to you, almost blushing as to excuse himself for grabbing onto you and forcing you behind him, a second troll came smashing through a house and now the pair of you were the sole targets, no backup to save you now. It charged at you quickly, but like clockwork, both you and Sebastian ducked and rolled.
There was such a simplicity to duelling with Sebastian, and despite it being your very first fight as a duo rather than opponents, the flow was seamless. The fighting ability and teamwork came naturally, like he was the thunder to your lightning. Sebastian used confringo quite a lot, which you’d noted to ask him to teach you later. You found your new power in some sort of powerful non-verbal magic, only discovering it out of fear and instinct when you saw Sebastian get corned by the troll.
Although Sebastian helped quite a lot, your newfound ability was what ultimately made the troll collapse, having one final box thrown at his head finally knocked the monster to his knees, and as Sebastian caught his breath, he glanced up to watch as you held your wand to your palm, a bright glow gathering before you threw a ball of who-knows-what at the troll. The giant shattered into shards, dissipating into thin air, and when Sebastian looked back at you, he caught a glimpse of a small, triumphant smile on your face.
He felt something churn so deeply in his stomach that he’d wondered what the elves had put in his tart this morning, but it only took seconds for the realization to cross his mind, and he finally realized what it was that made his heart feel full and his cheeks flush--pride.
Aurors and adult villagers all gathered around you amidst the rubble, Sebastian only standing back to watch as you were praised for your bravery. Jealousy was absent from Sebastian, and all his mind was filled with was your sly smile and the memory of his hand tugging on your robes, desperate to protect you without realizing that it was you who would protect him.
As an officer was congratulating you, all that was stuck in Sebastian’s mind was the terrified look on your face when the troll had him cornered, and how without effort or thought you moved to save him, power flowing through you with ease. For you, saving him had no contest in your mind and there was no second-guessing, no hesitation. It was instinct for you, but for Sebastian, having someone care so deeply with no reservations was so foreign that he didn’t register time passing until you were stood in front of him, having repaired all the buildings and broken stalls in the square. You’d also been awarded a new robe that wasn’t marred with scratches and dirt from the battle, which Sebastian recognized fit you incredibly well.
“Sebastian,” his name rolled off your tongue like a prayer, and a smile grew on your face as soon as he met your eyes. “I’d say we earned a butterbeer or two, how about you?”
He sighed dramatically, hoping you’d find humor in it. “It might help me forget that I was almost pulverized by a troll.”
Sebastian was quickly rewarded by a laugh that tumbled out of your mouth, warm and honey-like and after so long of simply being able to smirk, revelling in the satisfaction of you being so unmistakenly smitten by him, he now had to face that you’d called his bluff. There was something deeper between the two of you, and he could feel it when you spoke to him, “Not if I have anything to say about it.”
You grabbed out your small pouch of galleons, begging Sebastian to escort you to buy some chocolate frogs from Honeyduke’s before heading over to the Three Broomsticks. Just as you plopped the package down on the counter, Sebastian wordlessly took out his spare change and set it neatly next to the chocolate frogs. You froze, fingers still reaching into your pouch as you looked to him with furrowed brows.
He grabbed the chocolate frogs off the counter, smiling at you and then at the storeowner, before guiding you away. He opened the door for you and passed you your chocolates, “What’s some spare change in exchange for not getting wacked by a troll club?”
You scoffed, “Are you trying to bribe me, Sallow?”
He shook his head, smirking. “No,” he flung his arm around your shoulder, leaning into your ear once again. “You’re just incredible.” His warmth was engulfing now, and you were so close to the salvation of him really holding you that it started to make you dizzy. You felt ridiculous, childish smile and feverish flush taking over your whole face, and he was so close.
You felt like you were just about to close the distance, wrap your arm around his waist and squeeze enough for your hips to meld together when something in the tone shifted, your stomach dropped and the hairs on the back fo your neck stood up perfectly straight.
You looked around, watching a peculiar looking man wander down into an alley, and then you caught it, a glimpse of Ranrok standing, and he looked rather angry. Sebastian’s arm dropped from you immediately, the two of you seeking cover to eavesdrop, and this time, it was you who stood in front, and Sebastian’s heart fluttered at your innate need to protect him.
Your heart constricted, Sebastian’s confusion over the situation palpable behind you. Ranrok had sent the trolls to Hogsmeade in an attempt to get to you, underestimating your abilities by far. Sebastian felt even more intrigued by you than before, his eyes watching the side of your face closely as he tried to gauge your reaction.
You made brief eye contact with Ranrok, and you were so startled by the look in his eyes that you immediately grabbed Sebastian by the sleeve of his robe, only bothering to whisper a hurried “We should go,” before tugging him away and into the more populated street.
“Did they see us?” Sebastian questsioned worriedly, eyes scanning all around the street, your fingers dropping from his robe as you tried to hasten your pace, deciding it would be best for the two of you to hide out in the Three Broomsticks. “What was that goblin doing with Victor Rookwood?”
You mumbled something about a goblin named Ranrok and a rebellion, but Sebastian was barely paying enough attention to not stumble over his own feet, let alone try and decipher your ramblings.
“Ranrok?” Sebastian’s face quickly dropped, turning into one of harsh realization, “You mean the goblin from the Daily Prophet? I knew I’d recognized him from somewhere, I--” and his face managed to get even stonier. He lightly grasped your arm, trying to guide you to walk in front of him as he watched Rookwood emerge from the alley, searching the streets. “Quickly,” Sebastian muttered in your ear, glancing behind him and all he could think of was keeping you safe.
Sebastian practically busted open the doors of the Three Broomsticks, the attention of all the patrons turning quickly to the two of you. A goblin passed you on the way in, but you were so focused on trying to be inconspicuous you barely thought anything of it. Sebastian’s hand was still resting on your upper arm, bringing you to a seat. His arm only dropped when he went to pull out your stool for you, and you found yourself wanting him to put it back, to comfort you with his touch again.
You almost wished you’d find yourself in more danger when he was around if this was what it led to--his warmth lingering and his smell clouding your senses and better judgment. His hand reached up to his hair now, tangling in it as he glanced from you to the barkeeper to the door in rapid succession, repeatedly.
Sebastian relaxed quickly after Sirona started talking though, making brief introductions and offering the first two butterbeers on the house. You took a sip quickly, your eyes peeking just enough over the rim to stay alert. “I heard about the attack,” Sirona began, and the cockiest of grins creeped onto Sebastian’s face. “I’m glad to see you two escaped injury.”
“Thanks to this one,” Sebastian laid his heavy eyes on you, and you nearly rolled your eyes at just how smitten he looked, huge smile adorning his face. “Single-handedly took down a troll!” he praised, raising his mug high in celebration.
Sirona shared a knowing smile with Sebastian, as if she could read him like a book, “Is that right? Well done.” After brief conversation, she left the bar to attend to other guests, allowing you time to break open your chocolate frogs and pop them in your mouth.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Sebastian teased, noting your glare at him just a few seconds prior.
You shook your head, trying to finish your chocolate frog quickly so you could answer him. “Must you embarrass me with your praise everywhere we go?”
He hummed, “I’m the type to brag about my closest friends. I can’t help it.”
Just as you were raising the mug to your lips, nearly finishing off your first cup of butterbeer, the large doors creaked open to reveal Rookwood and Harlow, a much stubbier sidekick. Sebastian sat up straighter in his seat, looking you in the eye as you both hoped that the pair wouldn’t notice you. Sirona quickly walked over, asking them to leave.
As the tension in the room escalated, Sebastian’s face leaned ever closer to yours, looking you sternly with his eyes cloudy, filled with danger. You could hear Rookwood’s sneer in his voice, “Come now, no need for theatrics.” You looked to Sebastian as he watched Rookwood in the corner of his eye. “I’m only here for this one, anyway.”
You squeezed your eyes shut if only for a second, turning around and stepping off your stool, Sebastian quickly following you, standing as close to you as possible. If you’d ever glanced down, you’d see his hands in fists hovering over his pocket, his legs planted in the ground, like he was ready for a fight. “My friend is enjoying a well-earned butterbeer.”
“I only want a quick word,” and he tries to prowl towards you, head closer to you than his feet. Every patron stands up and draws their wand, and Sebastian, rather than tugging you behind him like he did in the past, steadies himself by your side and draws his wand quicker than anyone else in the entire tavern.
Your eyes leave Rookwood’s if only for a second, glancing at the side of Sebastian’s face, his jaw hardened and eyes stone cold. Rookwood backs away, still threatening Sirona as he takes slow footsteps backwards. Just as he turned, about to open the door, his eyes glanced back at you and Sebastian. He smirked, “Can’t drink butterbeers forever.”
When he left, you decided to return to your seat, grabbing your mug and finally taking your last swig. Sebastian grabbed his stool, pulling it slightly closer to yours before settling down, also finishing off his butterbeer. “You’ll be telling me about this later,” he stated matter-of-factly, and all you could do was let out a chuckle, silently agreeing.
You ordered three more rounds, your stomachs nearly caving in on themselves from the sheer amount of butterbeers the two of you drank. You talked about anything and everything--classes, Sebastian’s plan to duel as a team, his previous adventures with Anne and Ominis--you were chatting, snacking on chocolate frogs, and sipping your complimentary drinks until well after the sun went down.
As time passed in the Three Broomsticks, the two of you kept unknowingly scooting your stools closer together, upper arms pressed against one another, necks sore from constantly looking to the side. Even as the patrons came and went, the one consistent sound was the laughter of you and Sebastian, childish and playful.
Your fingers brushed, eyes barely leaving each other’s faces, and it felt like no time had passed at all. Only when you heard brief whispers about a curfew did you glance out the window to see how late it’d gotten. You almost didn’t want to leave the safety of the Three Broomsticks, remembering Rookwood’s threat that seemed to imply he’d be waiting for you as soon as you left.
When you got out of your seat and headed for the doors, Sebastian’s hand brushed over the small of your back so briefly you weren’t sure if you’d imagined it, but you saw his hand fall back to his side out of the corner of your eye. After you reached the crisp night air of Hogsmeade, looking at the twinkling lights that hung over the streets and the stars they were reminscient of, you never got that gut feeling you knew so well.
You walked down the street, returning to Hogwarts with Sebastian in comfortable silence. As you glanced down the street, you saw one Theophilus Harlow slumped over, sitting against a wall on the ground, fast asleep. Sebastian’s eyes followed yours, and he had to stop himself from letting out a chuckle at the sight. As you passed the bridge to Hogsmeade, far enough that you were sure you were safe, Sebastian leaned over to you again. “Maybe we can drink butterbeers forever.”
Your smile was bright enough, Sebastian noted, to compete with the moon. He felt rewarded by your happiness, and worked hard to contain the joy that felt like it was pouring out of him. “Maybe not forever,” you remarked, “but we can drink butterbeers together long enough to put the whole world to sleep.”
He silently agreed, but still felt the need to counter anyways, just to continue the game that he felt you’d both already lost. “The volume of our laughter might just be enough to wake the whole world up.”
You shook your head, finally ready for a response off the cuff, having learned from the best. “I’m sure the world has grown used to it by now.”
And finally, you decided to be the one to push instead of him, never growing impatient of the game but rather reveling in it. Your hand reached for his forearm, grasping around his bicep and holding it lightly. His eyes caught yours, his lips curled into a smirk, and you felt you could push further.
Your hand snaked down, gliding along his silky robes, and both of your hearts beat faster, in tandem with one another. Sebastian felt dizzied by your touch, all alarms sounding off in his mind, knowing that you were about to win this game you’d been playing. Your hand grasped his, fingers that had been chilled from the night air finding solace in one another. Your thumb rubbed circles on the back of his hand, toeing the line between harmless flirting and something more.
Sebastian’s hand squeezed yours, and you resisted the urge to hold your breath, only looking up at him through your eyelashes, lips curved only slightly into the smallest of smiles. The two of you continued the rest of the way to your common room in a comfortable and warm silence, pathway illuminated by the moon and the stars.
#hogwarts legacy#Harry Potter#harry potter fandom#harry potter fanfic#harry potter hogwarts legacy#sebastian sallow x reader#sebastian sallow#sebastian sallow x mc#sebastian sallow x you#sebastian sallow x gn!reader#welcome to hogsmeade
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I finished The Mars House last night and have been trying to gather my thoughts beyond ADJFAWEHDHA; and AHHHHHHHH. Let's see how this works out.
In a lot of ways this is a pretty typical Natasha Pulley book, which makes you love complicated people who have done bad things, possibly for good reasons and possibly not. The love interest is to all appearances a xenophobic nationalist, but you better believe I loved Gale pretty much immediately.
In other ways this book is different from her past work—obviously there's the far future setting, but it's pretty clear that Pulley wanted to Say Something about gender with The Mars House. This book is a response to and shots fired at the terf ideology and it is not at all subtle about it. And of course, it's a Natasha Pulley book, so there's still empathy for the far-future Martian terfs.
So I would definitely call it the most...political? of her books, which for me was not at all a bad thing. It has everything that I love about Pulley novels—her gorgeous use of language, her ability to wring beauty and pathos out of the small and ordinary, the gay pining, the morally dubious main characters. I've seen reviews say both that the science is ridiculous and that the book is hard science fiction, and I would come down on the side of the science probably being a bit ridiculous, since it's definitely not hard science fiction (lol at the reviewers who are throwing that term around and not knowing what it means). I actually have no idea if the science is plausible or not and I honestly don't care, because that's really not the point of the book.
Anyway, now I'm just going to list things. Doing a read more for spoilers! And I'm not joking, I'm going to spoil the whole book under here so really, if you haven't read it and you care about that, don't keep reading.
The worldbuilding was so good. I mean, this is one of Pulley's strengths, but I had wondered how it would stack up in a sci fi novel versus her historical fiction. As usual, everything was so visceral and textured. Tharsis and Songshu feel like real places I could visit.
THE MAMMOTHS OMG OMG. When they decided to ask the mammoths for help pulling up the gravity train, I almost jumped up from the couch yelling (I would have, but I couldn't disturb my cat who was on my legs). The entire idea of communicating with mammoths and studying mammoth society almost made me cry. Having spent even a tiny amount of time around elephants in the wild, all of that rang 100% plausible. And true in my heart.
I need a sequel where River and January go to Alpha Centauri to talk to the aliens that the Penglai mission is going to find there.
I'M ABOUT TO SPOIL THE ENTIRE BOOK SO DON'T READ ANYMORE IF YOU DON'T WANT THAT.
Speaking of River, yeah I guessed that "Aubrey" was actually River. The clues were well done and I felt smug when I was right.
But!! I actually thought River knew more than they did! A literal chill went up my back when River revealed they had NO IDEA AUBREY WAS LITERALLY IN THEIR ROOM WITH THEM.
The scene in River's bathtub had me screaming crying throwing up.
Is Natasha Pulley working through something re: waifish orphans? I knew Yuan was going to end up being adopted into House Song within pages of their (his?) introduction.
I love that we never find out if River is biologically male or female. I love that January says it doesn't matter and he means that and never tells us.
Speaking of gender abolition, can I have that please for myself.
All of the animals were, as always, a delight. Shoutout to the puffin at the beginning who we never see again, as well as Shuppiluliuma in her basket.
The ancient Mediterranean references littered through this book (see above) were also a delight.
When you think about it, both of Aubrey's consorts fell for River, and that's funny.
The flashes of love between River and Aubrey were devastating.
The haptic implants are a dystopian nightmare and absolutely a realistic prediction of where we're going to end up.
Mori and Daughter!!
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Bet that Saber tries to book as much time as he can while being flabbergasted that somehow Clyde always has one booking specifically at the end of Y/n's shift lol
"Y/n~ Let's go see a movie together after you get off work."
Saber lays spread out in the private booth of the cafe; head propped on his palm as his torso sprawls across your lap. You treated the needy cat to a whole day of your attention after a recently hectic schedule, but still left that last spot open for that lonely little bunny waiting for you now.
"If you don't leave before then - then sure, kitten."
Saber frowns; mood ruined so badly that not even you running your fingers down his spine all the way to his tail makes him feel better.
"Do you really have to see whoever it is? We have so much fun together that you shouldn't need anyone else."
He finally purrs as you kiss his forehead. "I may not, but other people still need me. Mary's free this afternoon. You like her right?"
"Mary just has the same eye color as you.. they're not the pretty." Saber grumbles.
"What was that?"
"Nothing- just, please stay with them." His claws hook on the fabric of your sleeve as he sits up, nicking your skin. He slowly leans in. "I'll do anything to make you stay."
As his face rests inches from yours, the timer signaling his time is up goes off. You gently push him off of you, cupping his cheeks in your hands.
"Sorry, Saber. Our time is up. I do feel bad that you weren't able to finish your treats due to your temper, but I have a solution. Be a good kitty this week and I'll take you to a nicer place this weekend, okay?"
Saber shoots his gaze to the corner of the room as he folds his arms. He couldn't say no when you called him that. "P-promise?"
"I promise." You kiss his ear, smiling as he blushes. Such a stubborn one, but easy to get through to.
You gather your things and return to the main area to put the clutter away, before heading to Clyde's room right across from the one Saber had been in. He peaks out as he over hears your voice, watching as you pat the rabbit's head. Clyde had been waiting for you - like any good pet would. Jealousy boils in the latter's chest. How dare that overgrown rodent take you from him? At least Saber had the comfort of seeing you this weekend, but as their eyes meet - Clyde smirks; mouthing a single word.
"Mine."
#Cafe tag#yandere#yandere oc#yandere x reader#yandere scenarios#yandere x you#yandere imagines#yandere insert#male yandere#yandere headcanons#Yandere hybrid#yandere teratophilia#yandere blurb#yandere drabble#yandere monster#yandere x darling#yandere x y/n#yandere harem
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When the protectors are gone Part TWO
PART 1 PART3
Hello again!
This part is not violent and quite self-indulgent. It was nice to write stuff I have been feeling but dealt with a long time ago.
Warnings: Talk of injuries, nightmare, some lightly suggestive stuff, some angst I think that's it.
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So, Lucifer announced at breakfast that it would be Satan who would stay at home with me. I nodded and looked at the Avatar of Wrath. He stared at me, some guilt shining through his green eyes. I smiled at him. He hadn’t been the worst of the brothers, he would still talk to me sometimes or share books but otherwise he didn’t have any interest in my protection.
After breakfast, the rest left to go to RAD. Satan walked past me and went straight to his room. That’s what I thought: Awkward… I sighed, I wanted to get to my room but STAIRS! I held myself to the ramp and started my trip, it took me about five minutes to arrive at the last step. I was sweating and panting when Satan came running to me. “I am sorry! I forgot you struggled earlier going down the stairs! You should have called me.” I looked at him with wide eyes and laughed. “Satan. If I need help, I will call you”. He stood there speechless while I started limping towards my room. All the wounds started to hurt again. The demon left to go back to his room. I entered mine and I had received a message from Simeon, telling me to apply the balm before it starts to hurt again. Well, I guess it’s too late. I looked at my injuries and I am repulsed by them. I don’t think I could touch them, let alone applying something on them. I grabbed the balm and shuffled towards Satan’s room, embarrassed. So I would need his help then…
I knocked on the door and waited patiently for him to answer. He opened the door but just stared at me. “Can you… I…” I sighed, so ashamed to ask “Yes?” “Can you please help me? With the balm, I… I can’t bear to touch my wounds nor can I look at them…” I lowered my head, cheeks red from embarrassment. His face softens “Of course, enter”. He opened the door wider for me to go inside. I shuffled past him and sat down on his bed. “Thank you Satan. I really can’t do it yet.” He walked towards me, taking the balm from my hands and opened it. I was wearing a tank top and some shorts, I didn’t want the fabric rubbing on my injuries. Satan stood in front of me, wondering where to start. “Where should I start?” I thought about it and my legs were where it was hurting me the most. “My leg please.” He nodded “Of course, lie down on the bed” I moved and he settled between my legs. He took some of the product and warmed it up between his hands then started to apply it on the top of my leg to my toes. After a few seconds, the balm started to work and I felt better. Once he finished on my leg, he straightened and looked at me, I moved up my top a bit to show the carved letters. My heart was beating faster when I saw his face frowning. He probably wondered what they were going to write. He applied the balm again and then stopped, waiting for me to show him where to next. I showed him my armpit then my cheek. He stopped and looked at my chest covered in deep marks, he blushed a bit but applied the last of the product. I stood up, thanking him and walked towards the door. He grabbed my wrist. “If you are not busy, you can stay with me and we can read some books.” I smiled and said “I’d love to but I think I prefer to be in my room. You can come and if you are lucky my cat will come onto your lap”. His eyes lit up and he nodded rapidly. We gathered a few books and headed back to my bedroom. We stayed the whole day snuck away on my bed with my cat between us. Satan went a couple of times to the kitchen to grab some food.
I fell asleep while reading, I woke up, startled by a knock on my door. Satan was still there and opened the door. I heard him gasp and I looked to see Lord Diavolo standing there. I sat up and greeted him “Hello Lord Diavolo, what brings you here?” He ticked at the title I used and my formal greeting, I would call him just Diavolo before as I thought we were friends but I was so disappointed in him I couldn’t pretend that nothing happened. He forced a smile “I just wanted to see you and to make sure you were feeling better, Barbatos made you a cup of tea to help with the healing.” I nodded but didn’t say anything else. “And is there anything else I can do for you?” My head perked up “Yes. I don’t know if you remember, just before I was attacked I asked you to go back to the human world but you denied me for whichever excuse and next week it’s my mother’s birthday. I want to celebrate it with her and my family. Would that be something you can do for me?” I said all of that with a bit of poison in my voice. I was not one to hold a grudge but it’s been going on for so long now that I couldn’t control my anger anymore and I didn’t care that they were all powerful demons. The three demons flinched at my voice, they weren’t used to me being cold when talking to them but I didn’t care anymore. Diavolo laughed, impressed by how I made my demand. “Yes, it is something I can do for you. Also, we came to tell you we are organising a birthday party for you as it was last month if I remember correctly and we didn’t do anything so we’ll do it before you leave”. I scoffed “Yeah thanks for remembering it now. Do whatever you want.” And I turned my back to them signalling that the talk was over. I heard the door closing then I felt the mattress of my bed dip. Satan touched my shoulder “Do you want me to leave?” I shrugged and before I could say something, there was another knock. I sighed and Satan stood up to open the door again. I turned back around and saw it was Simeon and Solomon. I sat up and smiled at them. “Hey guys! I am glad to see you!” Satan was still by the door when the two entered and I saw him looking down at the floor, guilty at my words and left. I felt bad for him but the two men were always there for me and I was genuinely happy to see them.
Solomon sat down next to me and grabbed my hand. “How are you feeling today?” I squeezed his hand. “It still hurts but I’m okay.” He nodded and looked at Simeon who moved his head back. He went to the bathroom and I heard the water flowing. I hummed, happy to be taken care of without asking for it. Simeon came back and put his hands under my legs and my back to pick me up. I laughed and let myself be carried away by the handsome man. He undressed me and placed me inside the tub then sat down behind me after undressing himself. This time we didn’t enjoy the bath as Solomon was waiting for us. Simeon explained to me, while helping me clean myself, that the sorcerer concocted a new balm more potent than the precedent and that it should help me heal quicker. I nodded, enjoying the touches of the angel. After rinsing the soap, he lifted me up and wrapped me in a towel then brought me back to the bedroom, lying me down straight away on the bed. As last night, both of them knelt on each side of my body and started to rub the product. I didn’t know why they would do my whole body as not all of it was wounded but it was so soothing I couldn’t care the second I thought about it. I started to fall asleep when I felt their touches lingering around the wrapped towel as if they wanted to sneak their fingers underneath it. I opened my eyes and they finally stopped, I smiled at them. I sat up and kissed them on the cheek to say thank you. I yawned and they said it was getting late so they should go. I nodded and asked them to help me to dress myself at least for my top then I went downstairs with them to send them off.
I could smell food being cooked so I went to the kitchen. I saw Mammon cooking and smiled. I went silently behind him, wrapped my arms around his stomach and gave him a hug. He got startled and turned around, relieved but flustered to see me so close to him. My arms were still around his waist when he turned and I put my chin on his chest, still smiling. “What do ya think ya doing, human?”. I hugged him tighter “I am hugging the great Mammon, my saviour” He started to talk but froze, realising what I was saying. Finally, he wrapped his arms around me, cheeks flushed and mumbled “of course ya’d like to hug me. I AM the great Mammon after all”. He nuzzled my hair and we stayed like that for a few seconds. I pulled away “Mammon, cooking.” He fumbled around a bit and returned to his cooking, cheeks still flushed. I knew he was one of the brothers who let me down because of Amelia but he saved my life and couldn’t bring myself to hate him. Also, since I first met him I had a weak spot for him. “Go and sit at the dinner table, it’s almost ready”. I nodded and sat down. Everyone came one after one around the table. Nobody talked to me nor did they look at me. I sighed and waited for Mammon to bring the food so I could eat quickly and go back to hide in my room. Satan was last to join us, he walked past me and kissed me on the cheek. He sat in front of me and started speaking to me. “How do you feel?” I smiled, glad that someone took an interest in me even though I guessed it was kind of forced. “Solomon made a new potion and it’s supposed to help me heal quicker. I can feel it working already.” He nodded with a kind smile, happy with my response. I looked at him fondly then Mammon arrived and served me some food. I thanked him, ate quickly and stood up “Lucifer? I know you don’t like it when we leave the table early but the tea Barbatos made and the potion are working right now and they make me sleepy. Can I, PLEASE, leave?” I glared at him, he looked at me, pride shining through his eyes and despising my tone but he caved in “Yes, you can.” I nodded sharply and left.
I didn’t remember how or when I fell asleep but I woke up drenched in sweat face down across the bed and on top of my sheets. I dreamt I was being attacked again and I could feel every bite, every cut. I could smell my blood which was flowing abundantly. I could hear their every word and I saw their demon form distorted and monstrous even more than they were. I still had my D.D.D clutched in my hand and I used the flashlight feature to find the switch for the light. I turned it on and sat down on my bed, shaking from my nightmare. I took my phone from the human realm and put some videos I had saved to stop thinking about my bad dream. My cat came over and laid down on my lap, his purring calming me down slowly. I had watched a couple of videos when I heard footsteps coming from the corridor then they stopped in front of my door. Someone knocked softly on it and I stopped the video which was playing as I was unsure of what I was hearing.
The knock came again a bit louder, there was someone at the door. Shakily, I said “Come in” Lucifer opened the door slowly and stood there watching me, with an angry stare. We looked at each other for a few seconds and his gaze softened by the second as he saw my scared face, the bags under my eyes and my shaky form. He finally stepped in and closed the door behind him. He approached my bed and stopped in front of it as if he was asking for my permission to sit. I shuffled to make some space for him and he sat down on the edge of the bed. “Why are you still awake? I thought you were tired?” I sighed, hoping my shakes would stop. “I am but I had a horrible dream and when I have bad dreams I need to get up and do something else before I try to go back to sleep.” He nodded “What kind of dream was it?” I scoffed and replied angrily, annoyed by his stupid question “What do you think had me traumatised like that?” He gasped silently and his expression moved to one being hurt “Yes, I understand. Can I get you anything else or help you in any way?” I looked at the demon and frowned, I didn’t like the fact he was being nice. “Lucifer… There is no need for you to be nice to me. I got used to being ignored by all of you, I needed your help before now it’s too late. I didn’t even need your help, I needed all of you as my friends, as you all were before Amelia arrived. You broke my heart and all that’s left is the attack that I suffered to remember all of you.”
Tears started to fall from my eyes, I was crying for my broken heart, for the attack, for my friendships, for my phobia of now seeing any of them in their demonic forms. While I spoke, he lowered his eyes. I didn't imagine one day seeing the Avatar of Pride looking shameful but I was glad. A sob escaped my mouth and he looked up, his crimson eyes widening as he realised I was crying. He held his hand out to wipe my tears and I let him. I had no more energy, mentally, to fight him or anyone else for that matter. Basically anyone could have taken advantage of me, physically or mentally.
He moved and leant against the headboard. He grabbed my hand carefully then waited for me to do something and when I didn’t, he stroked the back of my hand with his gloved thumb. We stayed silent for a few minutes as I was still crying. I was mad at myself for being weak in front of him, not that I was ashamed of it but that the demons didn’t deserve to comfort me when I needed it. He turned his head to me “Do you want me to stay with you?”. I looked at him, curious by his question. “Why would you stay?” He stared into my eyes intensely, he looked hurt and I smirked at his expression. “I don’t want your pity or that you think you MUST be there for me. I might still need your protection so I am not being eaten by demons but for my emotional needs I don’t. I have a few years of experience and I am used to finding myself alone because my supposedly friends preferred the new girl but I suppose it’s kind of my fault because I am not cute, nor sweet, nor extroverted, nor promiscuous.”
I shrugged and he squeezed my hand “I don’t feel any pity for you, you know. Actually, I feel pride when I look at you and true you are not as cute or sweet as Amelia can be but you have always been honest and genuine when you were showing your love to us. You are such a strong human being, I know many who would have descended into madness after what happened to you but here you are, being angry at the most powerful demons in the Devildom and at the Prince himself without flinching or mincing your words. I know an apology won’t cut it but I promise to make it up to you one way or another. It was my fault to think you were fitting in nicely and didn’t need as much attention as Amelia anymore.” He lifted our hands to his lips and kissed my knuckles. My heart started to melt at the attention and at his words, I was still mad but his words comforted me as he showed me a part of him I haven’t seen yet. I smiled at him “Okay, I will hold on to your promise. BUT if you fail I will make your life a living hell.” I winked at him, laughing. He chuckled, “Oh, I know.” “Good, you have been warned Lucifer Morningstar! If you are staying, do you mind if I carry on watching my videos?” He shook his head and let go of my hand then opened his arm so I could snuggle up his side. I took the offer and settled under his arm, my head on his shoulder, my right hand on his chest holding my phone and my leg on his. I was careful to not rub too much on my injured limbs. I put the video on and a few minutes later I fell asleep.
When I woke up, I was alone but at least I didn’t have a bad dream again. I looked at the time and saw it was the middle of morning. Everyone already left for RAD and I wondered who stayed behind. Before I decided what to do, the door opened widely and violently and I saw Mammon walking purposefully towards my bed. He plopped down on top of me, nuzzling my hair “Ya’re lucky, today, the great Mammon is staying with you and ya’re having me all to yaself the whole day.” I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him. I whispered “I am lucky to have ya to myself but first I need you to do something for me.” He looked at me and waited for me to carry on. “Can you apply the balm on my body please?” I could see his brain stopped working as he stared at me without blinking and his cheeks getting red. I smiled and waited patiently for him to speak again. After a few seconds, he blinked and stuttered “Of…Of course, ya’d like me to do that!” He struggled to get up and picked up the potion. I took the sheets off my body and he looked at my body. First he was flustered and then he was worried about the extent of the injuries. I didn’t think he looked at them properly. He sat down near me and started applying the potion. His face became redder the more he touched me. I stared at him the whole time and when he finished, he went to the bathroom to wash his hands. I stood up and waited for him to get some breakfast.
We went downstairs and before we reached the bottom of the stairs, there was a knock on the entrance door. Mammon opened the door and Barbatos was at the door. He had a box in his hands. He walked towards me while greeting us and handed the present to me. I looked at him, confused. I saw there was a card on it and I read it to myself.
“Today is the day I start fulfilling my promise. Wear this for tonight and be ready at 8 PM”
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THE END
I might or might not be sorry about Lucifer as I know some people don't like him but I kind of like him even though he is not my favourite.
Nevertheless, I hope you like it and would like more :)
Thank you for reading till the end!
Much love to everyone
NEXT
#obey me simeon#obey me mammon#obey me swd#obey me fandom#obey me fanfic#obey me satan#obey me lucifer#obey me solomon#obey me angst#obey me fluff#obey me x reader#obey me#obey me shall we date#obey me one master to rule them all
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My episode 3 thoughts are you won't believe how fucking gay I am for Morgan. She can do unethical magic on me anyday. Holy shit. I adore her. And I like this interpretation of Vivian! Very interesting. Excited to see more :)
Happy wedding day, Jennie! Hopefully nothing Bad happens in it
The women in this show in general are all very good. I'm very used to being let down by shows like these when it comes to the women dslkfjdf but they're handling all of them very well! Each has a very distinct personality (except for Ms. Ector, RIP queen you will never be forgotten), and they all have desires. They all have wants. It's honestly fascinating to watch their arcs progress, I'm so excited about it. And, of course, I'm so very gay for all of them.
The building of Camelot as the place of legend we know today, literally from ruin and dust, is FASCINATING. The people flock there desperately wanting to get help, Arthur barely knows how to handle them all, the gates are open for everyone... And they all stay INSIDE the castle walls still, there isn't a town forming around them. They barely have enough resources to rebuild everything, but they all hope so much for things to be better than they were. It's quite sweet.
Squints at whatever that scene with Merlin and Morgan was. I could find the deeper meaning in that for sure if I looked but I'm not going to look.
GAWAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY BOY!!! WHAT A WRECK!
"...Lot's dead." Yeah.
I love this interpretation of Arthur, because they I can see the clear arc they're making with his character and I'm so excited for it, but also... You buffoon. You clown. You fool. And GODDAMN this show is horny, I was not expecting this lol
Sorry I have loving Gawain disease and it's terminal. Please return my books to the library if I don't get the chance by the time I finish this show because it will kill me.
Oh Jennie, my love, what a mess you've found yourself in. Don't worry. According to the 20 minutes of that last episode I watched by accident I know all will end well.
....I got distracted halfway through and started watching warrior cats maps and Darktail is basically Mordred but as a cat? sfjdskfl I haven't read up to that point but if what I've gathered from fandom is accurate then uh. Lmfao.
I'm sorry these are so long I just. Need to share my thoughts as I watch things with other people. It will happen again, until the end of the series. 7 more to go. Thank you again for the wonderful recommendation
i would absolutely believe how gay you are for morgan bc i am gay for her. eva green is my favorite ever. she was great in penny dreadful also.
yeah i have to agree, kay's mom notwithstanding, everyone else feels fully realized. the point i try to make when discussing arthuriana is that having a female protag in a retelling does not automatically denote feminist, the story can still be incredibly misogynistic. but i don't get that from starz camelot, it truly stands apart in my eyes. it treats igraine, morgan, guinevere, etc with respect (regardless of morality, which is key, as morgan could easily be narratively abused to make a point about "evil" women while the men do whatever they want without consequence). each lady has equal narrative weight to merlin, arthur, kay, etc. its so refreshing.
love the way they just piled everyone in without any long term plans. another thing i like about the writing here is it shows arthur is inexperienced without making him obnoxiously obtuse. he has no idea what he's doing but offers his good will to the people, yet they haven't got the infrastructure to see his vision realized. its naïve, not stupidity. which is important to keep us invested in him as a character! he is making mistakes, but they're not horror movie protag bad, so we stay engaged. he remains sympathetic.
GAWAIN TIME!!!!! it only gets better.....he is so......unwell<3
every arthurian character is extremely varied so it's impossible to know whether darktail is reminiscent of mordred. its like "which mordred?" there are a million of that guy. he and gawain exist on a wild spectrum. there is a version of them for everyone. so darktail both is and isnt mordred. its beautiful really.
don't apologize for long messages! you're talking to someone writing an arthurian epic bc a trilogy wasn't enough words for me. thank you for sharing your viewing experience. now everyone go watch this show.
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Update on my Warrior Cats reading. I just read Chapter 15 of Starlight (The New Prophecy #4) and I have all the feels.
First off, let me start off with the post I meant to make, but never did. Lol. I was so disappointed that we didn't get to actually see a scene of Firestar saying goodbye to Princess in the last book. Like how dare you guys do this to me 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 That's his sister who he had found and bonded with and you give me nothing. Not to mention not including a scene of Princess meeting Firestar's kits. Argggghhhhh.
With a scene not being included of them saying goodbye, I get it since the forest was being destroyed and with it being too dangerous to get close to where the humans live, not to mention Firestar had the responsibility to look after his starving clan; though I read in the wiki that they did say goodbye as well as Princess meeting Firestar's kits, but arggggh I would have liked to actually have read it in the book. My Fireprincess heart 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 I'm sad they'll probably never see each other again 😭😭😭😭😭😭
Anyways, with that said back to Starlight. I just finished reading the part where it's the gathering every full moon. The first one since the four clans arrived to their new home. And just after Brambleclaw had that shared dream with Hawkfrost and Tigerstar which abanmwnqnwmkqkwk That scene was so exciting and all the omg.
So, the feels I'm having is how Brambleclaw wants to get to know his half sibling Hawkfrost. They seem to get along relatively well and Hawkfrost for sure is taking an interest in Brambleclaw. But ofc, we know that Squirrelflight has never liked Hawkfrost because of his obvious ambition and previous animosities. And me who does like Brambleclaw x Squirrelflight is just here like stahp the pain!! She just stated at the end of ch. 15 that both could never work out seeing as Brambleclaw insists on talking to and being friendly to Hawkfrost. And ofc, I'm having all the sibling feels too because I can understand Brambleclaw wanting to get to know his sibling. Like why does he have to choose between the cat he loves and his half brother 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 Why can't they all just be happy and get along 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
Which also, I'm hoping Hawkfrost doesn't end up being the villain due to his ambitions, but I'm not holding my breath 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 We need more positive portrayal of ambition, tbh. It's tiring to always see ambition potrayed as a bad thing in all sorts of different media every single time.
Which also, I'm liking Brambleclaw showing ambition in wanting to be deputy. Like, I think he definitely could be more patient and shouldn't be so willing to fight, BUT I have always liked the idea of him being deputy. Sure, hope Firestar isn't still holding Brambleclaw's heritage over him cause it sort of feels that way, but this is Firestar and he's fair. Well, I'll just have to see how everything plays out 😭
Oh, and about Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost. So, where are my shipcest shippers at 👀 I may like the idea of shipping them together. Bramblehawk anyone? 👀
Though, in previous posts I also said I like Squirrelflight x Leafpaw. So, what about a poly square with Squirrelflight x Leafpaw x Brambleclaw x Hawkfrost? Anyone else like the ideas for these ships? 👀
#warrior cats#proship warrior cats#fireprincess#bramblesquirrel#bramblehawk#the new prophecy#starlight#leafsquirrel#firestar#princess#squirrelflight#leafpaw#brambleclaw#hawkfrost
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Onestar (Warrior Cats)
Today I’m gonna rant about Onestar from the Warrior Cats series.
Let me just begin from what point I started to hate Onestar to the point where I could break the book whenever I see his name on the page.
So before Onestar was Onewhisker. We saw him appear in the books when Firestar (Fireheart then) arrived at the Gathering. Onewhisker and Fireheart became friends shortly after and everything seemed to be going smoothly.
But after Tallstar left the chat and Mudclaw having a temper tantrum because good ol' Tallstar had a last minute decision that Onewhisker should be leader and Mudclaw as deputy, Mudclaw led a rebellion against his leader. And then Firestar supported Onestar as they announced the news to WindClan.
But Onestar just had to lead an attack, yes, AN ATTACK, against ThunderClan just to prove himself?! Um, hello, Onestar? Where did your memory cells go? Firestar literally supported you, helped you, and even lost a life just to save your pathetic ass, you dumb shit! And now you’re leading unnecessary raids and attacks and what-not against Firestar and his Clan!
You literally said it yourself in Fire and Ice: “You would have died for us. WindClan will never forget that.” Well, did those words even matter anymore? Like I said, where are you memory cells?
Heck, maybe Mudclaw would be more sensible than Onestar. Tallstar, you should have just let things be because Onestar is just a useless pile of horseshit. He just acts like he can rule the world because he’s leader.
Firestar was the best of a friend you could ask for and you just go out of your way to harm him and his Clan. You could mention Firestar and before you even finish the word he’s already hissing, his fur is bristled, his claws are out.
Onestar… you went from a very cheerful and actually enjoyable character to an annoying and hostile-for-no-reason twat as a leader.
Erins. I need a word about this character.
Honestly, I don’t think anybody will even choose Onestar as their favourite character anymore. He doesn’t even seem redeemable from this shit.
He exiles Crowdeather just for calling him out. He eats his words from Fire and Ice. His son almost fucking destroyed the Clans. He endangered his Clan.
I am very, very, very concerned for the future of WindClan.
Erins. You just fucked up a good character to a monstrous brown thing. And yes, I called him a thing because he doesn’t even deserve to be a cat anymore.
When he dies (better be soon), Onestar better rot in the Dark Forest. I fucking hate him so much I’m tempted to reach into the book and stab him.
WindClan ain't gonna be popular if their leader is just a crazy bitch attacking others for no reason, Onestar.
Yeah, yowl all you want.
But you’re just another annoying twat and remember that.
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Reader’s Corner: Cat + Gamer, The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady, and When a Cat Faces West
You Like Me, Don’t You? Vol. 1
This high school romcom is…wildly uneven in terms of quality. On the one hand, it’s got: the stereotypical loser guy (Soukichi) and popular girl (Kasumi) combo in a literature club; cliché, forced romcom scenarios; wonky or missing punctuation; sentence fragments; capitalization errors; ambiguity; tacky emphasis on the female lead’s breasts; misspellings; and awkward phrasing. On the other hand, this story is sometimes cute, funny, genuine, and thoughtful. The two leads are both bookworms, and Soukichi also has a published novel. This opens the doors for some interesting discussions pertaining to writing, editing, and publishing, as well as the enjoyment and evaluation of books. There’s also an amusing section where they talk about how Japanese and western dating conventions compare (or at least what they believe about “western” dating). But in the end, as much as I want to be fair to this book’s good points, You Like Me, Don’t You? felt like a slog that I had to force myself to finish reading. I can’t really recommend it. ~ jeskaiangel
You Like Me, Don’t You? is published by Tentai Books.
My Dress-Up Darling, Vol. 5
After the anime dropped last season, it felt like everyone was talking about My Dress-Up Darling. As someone who has been reading the manga for a while, I feel like Aslan yelling at the White Witch about how much I already know about it. But, anyway. Volume starts starts with Marin and Wakana finishing up one cosplay and moving on to another. Marin wants to play a succubus character from a cute chibi slice of life series, and Gojo is wracking his brain to come up with a good design for the costume. Along the way, the two spend more time together, leading to so many cute moments, including a lot of I wuv him‘s in Marin’s head. It is just adorable. However, much like the anime and the previous volumes, this is still a bit of an ecchi series, with Marin modeling some tight and/or skimpy outfits. Despite the drawbacks, the series is special for the slow burn chemistry between the leads, which is incredibly sweet and so much fun to read. I was shocked at how much I enjoyed volume one, and am equally shocked at how much I am still enjoying the series. Looking forward to volume six dropping this summer! ~ MDMRN
My Dress-Up Darling is published by Square Enix Books.
I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss! (Manga), Vol. 2
If I could, I would give this volume a glowing 10 out of 10 stars! I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss! feels like peak fiction for the villainess isekai / otome game subgenre, though I am absolutely blown away at how original this story is! Truly, this second volume swept me off my feet with its unpredictability and fun. Aileen continues to avoid all the “red flags” so that her bad ending won’t come to pass, but as she is kicking off her new business and gathering information on different events around her, she doesn’t realize that another character also has memories of a past life. Things definitely just got a whole lot more interesting! I love so many things about this volume. For starters, the “lackeys” (especially Isaac!) made the beginning so enjoyable, and Isaac is such a great character that I would have no qualms about him and Aileen becoming a thing—they make an excellent team! Also, the slow burn “romance” between the main leads is so good! I’m hoping that this manga will end on a happy note because I really don’t know what is going to happen, but I need this ship to sail! (King Claude is just so soft!) Again, I am just head over heels about this series. I definitely recommend it as a must-read! ~ Laura A. Grace
I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss (manga) is published by Yen Press.
When a Cat Faces West, Vol. 1
If you enjoy workplace slice of life with a fantasy/sci-fi twist and a dash of mystery, detailed backgrounds celebrating down-at-the-heels urban chic punctuated by tropical plant life, and toe beans, then this is the series for you! In less niche terms, this is a delightful new series from Yuki Urushibara, the creator of Mushishi, set in a Japan where a nebulous shimmer known as ‘flow’ wreaks havoc on reality, descending on a place and causing it to double, mirror, travel backward in time, or disappear altogether, and often doing the same to the people who stumble across its foggy bounds. Although it’s not clear whether flow is scientific or spiritual in origin, what is certain is that it plays off the unconscious thoughts and emotions of people, and that cats are quite sensitive to it. Hirota is an underemployed flow detective of sorts who helps people navigate the sporadic wrinkles in reality. Flow naturally dissipates after an unpredictable period of time (though Hirota is actually pretty good at predicting its lifespan), but a return to normalcy can also be sped along if the emotions that partnered with it to produce the weird and wonderful are dealt with. Hirota is aided in his work by Shacho, his (unfaithful) white cat, and new hire Chima who, although aged thirty-five and a former OL, looks instead to be a rather severe twelve-year-old, thanks to the effects of flow. The emphasis of the storytelling in this first volume is on the relationships between the three flow experts (human and feline alike), and the people they meet. The artwork is gorgeous and compelling enough to lose yourself in, while the characters are very well fleshed out and ring true—even (or especially) Shacho! Also, the bonus pages at the end of the volume are hilarious. In all, this is a charming, gently humorous, and relaxing series, with enough intrigue to convince me that I’ll be following this one for some time to come. ~ claire
When a Cat Faces West is published by Kodansha.
The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady (manga), Vol. 1
In the great mix and match in the world of isekai stories, this particular one pairs a young woman—the princess Anisphia, who regains her memories after being reincarnated in a fantasy world and who uses them to create advanced technology in her new life—with another—Euphyllia, who does seem to belong to this world, but is in a perilous state after being publicly rejected as the betrothed of the crown prince. There is no male harem awaiting Anisphia or Euphie; instead, the former is singularly focused on the latter, whom she rescues from the prince’s false accusations, literally flying off with her and turning her into a research assistant. That bit there is the “new” element that the writer brings into this work. No, it’s not much, barely a novelty really, and unfortunately, the writing isn’t particularly sharp or comedic in the manga either. Although Anisphia is incorrigible, she doesn’t stand out from other heroines. Euphie manages a little better, however, and particularly toward the end of volume one when readers are privy to her self-reflection on how she’s bottled away her emotions. Still, these early chapters are bland, and the would-be yuri romance isn’t compelling either. Perhaps the light novel on which this manga is based fares better, though that would surprise me, for the best element of this particular volume are the wonderful illustrations. Otherwise, this is one isekai you can skip—though not to worry: With all the (mostly) same storylines and character types out there in the genre’s landscape, I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to find a story about a character reincarnated into another world that’ll hit you just right. ~ Twwk
The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady (manga) is published by Yen Press. Volume one releases on May 24th.
Cat + Gamer, Vol. 1
Riko has gained a reputation at work for doing exactly what she needs in an efficient manner and not an iota more, completing all her assignments and leaving by 5:00pm on the dot each day, often at a mad rush. While her co-workers wonder what the reason could be, we nerds all understand: Riko just wants to get home to game! But her routine is about to be shaken up when she agrees to take in a stray kitten, and through ownership of her first pet, Riko will learn and grow in unexpected ways, shaking up her usual plans of applying RPG stratagem to real life. After the initial framework is set, volume one of Cat + Gamer takes place almost exclusively in Riko’s apartment as she plays with and cares for her new kitty. There’s a fun balance between her gamer personality / way of thinking, and the ways she has to adapt her thought patterns, learning all sorts of new things as she cares of her new cat (in bonus chapters, the action of the preceding chapter is hilariously reframed from the cat’s perspective). A simple series—both in composition and art—Cat + Gamer is just three volumes long, which seems to be just about right for a manga that is meant to evoke a peaceful feeling and deliver cute humor. It’s the perfect series to basically do with what Riko herself does with games: take a break from the world and relax. ~ Twwk
Cat + Gamer Volume 1 (manga) is published by Dark Horse Manga and releases May 24th.
Satoko and Nada, Vol. 3
While Satoko and Nada is a fun series, I also appreciate how the mangaka doesn’t shy away from addressing questions and concerns that I think are commonly voiced not only in Japanese society, but also in America. In volume three, this is achieved through two new characters that we meet (briefly) as they raise what I think are valid concerns about who Nada will marry one day. Nada’s own apprehensions (and those of her friends as well) about her fiancé are well handled and thoughtfully addressed. I was worried for Nada, too, and while I love her cheerful self, I have also liked seeing her more reflective side. I also thought it interesting that Christianity is a lot more present in this volume than the previous two. While it’s been shown that one friend, Miracle, attends church, this time Satoko is also shown volunteering at a Christian camp and experiencing Christian community. This series is deeply respectful of the various religions and cultures it depicts, and I honestly think this is one of my favorite things about it! I’m nervously excited for the next volume because it’s the final one, and I am really hoping that it will not end on a sad note. While I am happy for Nada and her fiancé, and about how Satoko has made new friends, I don’t want these ladies to part and go their separate ways, so to speak. Can’t they just continue to be happy roommates forever?! ~ Laura A. Grace
Satoko and Nada is published by Seven Seas.
Modern Villainess: It’s Not Easy Building a Corporate Empire Before the Crash, Vol. 1
Have you ever wished for a reincarnated-as-a-villainess light novel that trades all the customary romance / comedy / fantasy elements for a tale of corporate and political intrigue set in 1990s Japan? Well have I got good news for you! Protagonist Runa is the scion of a powerful zaibatsu (a wealthy business-conglomerate-owning family, defunct in our world but still around in the game’s), as well as an otome game’s villainess. Her story is heavily grounded in late twentieth and early twenty-first century economic and political history, and the author provides helpful notes at the end of each chapter to explain various terms and references. Now reborn and living as a child in the 1990s after having died sometime during or after the 2008 recession in her first life, Runa proceeds to use her knowledge of the world’s future to try to change the course of history and save her game-world Japan’s economy from collapse. Between a lecture on the nature of money, business dealings involving billions of yen, her Swiss bank account, shell corporations, mergers, hedge funds, elections, the Russian mob, and kindergarten (among other things), Runa just doesn’t have time for the content you probably expect from the villainess genre. This volume held my interest, but just barely. If a story about big business and international commerce based on recent history sounds good, check out this volume. Just don’t go into it like I did, expecting it to be anything like other books in the reincarnated-as-a-villainess genre, because you’ll be thoroughly disappointed. I think I’ll set it aside, give it another chance sometime in the future (this time with more accurate expectations), and see if that makes the story less off-putting to me. Then I’ll decide then whether I want to continue the series. ~ jeskaiangel
Modern Villainess: It’s Not Easy Building a Corporate Empire Before the Crash is published by Seven Seas.
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Reader’s Corner is our way of embracing the wonderful world of manga, light novels, and visual novels, creative works intimately related to anime but with a magic all their own. Each week, our writers provide their thoughts on the works their reading—both those recently released as we keep you informed of newly published works and older titles that you might find as magical (or in some cases, reprehensible) as we do.
#Manga#Light Novels#You Like Me Don’t You?#Kimi tte Watashi no Koto Suki Nandesho?#My Dress Up Darling#Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru#I’m the Villainess So I’m Taming the Final Boss#Akuyaku Reijou desu ga Kouyaku Taishou no Yousu ga Ijou Sugiru#When a Cat Faces West#Neko ga Nishimukya#The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady#Tensei Oujo to Tensai Reijou no Mahou Kakumei#Cat + Gamer#Nekogurashi no Gamer san#Satoko and Nada#Satoko to Nada#Modern Villainess: It’s Not Easy Building a Corporate Empire Before the Crash#Gendai Shakai de Otome Game no Akuyaku Reijou wo Suru no wa Chotto Taihen#Reader's Corner#Articles#Author: Jeskai Angel#Author: Laura A. Grace#Author: Claire#Author: TWWK
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Dancing With Ghosts in Your Garden~ Year 3: January (Part II)
Ao3 link
If Obi-Wan’s face had been tinged a little pink before entering the locker room, it was nothing like the tomato red it turned when he entered to cat calls and cheering from Ravenclaws Quidditch team.
“So it is true that you’ve gone and got yourself a girlfriend,” Eeth commented as a couple of their 2 nd and 3 rd year backups made kissy faces behind him.
“I have,” he admitted, trying to push the goofy smile off his face. He didn’t need to look like a lovestruck idiot, even if that’s a bit how he felt.
He was met by a chorus of “Ooooos” and some calls of “Kenobi has cooties!” as he pushed his way, still blushing madly, towards the back of the tent where a few of his Quidditch things resided.
“Finally went and got your Amata, Sir Knight?” Aayla goaded him with a wink.
“Is that what you were going for?” Obi-Wan asked, a little surprised, his mind flashing back to the events of his first halloween bonfire.
“A lady doesn’t tell,” Aayla answered, ruffling his hair with more force than necessary.
“Okay! Okay!” Eeth put out his hands trying to placate his team. Obi-Wan took the sudden change in conversation to quickly gather his quidditch gear, “The other captains and I have decided we’ll play our usual rotation which means we’ve got some time to prepare a strategy while Gryffindor and Slytherin face off,” A collective groan was echoed through the room by most everyone. Even he, himself, felt a little miffed about missing out on watching his friends play.
“It’s just a little tournament,” Nahdar Vebb, Obi-Wan’s personal backup, complained. He never seemed much for playing and certainly Obi-Wan wasn’t planning to end up out of action today if he could help it, so listening to such a plan wasn’t going to do him much good.
“Just a little tournament!” Eeth seemed offended by the very notion, “May I remind you that this is the last time we’ll all play together,” The statement was laid across the room like a blanket and suddenly all conversations and murmurings fell silent, “Especially for us,” Eeth continued into the new morose quiet, “Nahdar, Aayla, Obi-Wan, and me,” The four of them looked each other with a sort of soft disbelief, “This is the last time we’ll get to play for our house,” The room had grown near somber, and it was one of the few times he had seen Aayla without a smile.
“Way to boost morale, Koth,” Cin Drallig called, breaking the silence with an eye roll.
“Hey!” Eeth complained, “This is the last time I’ll be captain. I think I’m due for a little somberness.”
“Wait,” Luminara cut in, she’d finally looked up from the book she’d been reading in lieu of listening to them, “If we’re playing our usual schedule that leaves us and Hufflepuff with a disadvantage,” Everyone turned to look at her before Bultar swore softly.
“That leaves us both to play back to back games while Slytherin and Gryffindor will get breaks in between,” She finished Luminara’s thought and suddenly the mood in the room turned charged as everyone started yelling over each other. Obi-Wan however stayed quiet, gaze sweeping across the room as he considered their predicament.
“It shouldn’t be too bad for us,” He said quietly, hands going up to rest on his chin as strategies started to bounce around his head. Had he been a little more aware of things he would have seen the whole team pause what they were doing and look at him, “Hufflepuff isn’t a strong team, and although their seeker tends to have speed, they’ve missed the snitch when it’s practically drifted in front of their face,” Eeth’s eyes were suddenly shining as he practically leapt over a bench to better hear Obi-Wan, who had started pacing.
“Hufflepuff still is the weakest link,” Cin agreed.
“We should be able to play defensive,” Obi-Wan continued on, not noticing the interjection at all, “That will save us plenty of energy to face Slytherin in a full-on offensive.”
“Yes and?” Eeth was grinning now, leaning into Obi-Wan’s space which is when he finally looked up and realized he was being observed rather closely.
“Oh- I- Well,” He straightened up before catching the end of his previous thoughts before they floated away and continued, “Slytherin’s ruthless and we’ll need as much of our energy as possible,” He tapped a finger on his chin, looking around the room thoughtfully, “I think we should play all our alternates if we can’t capture the snitch from Hufflepuff within 10 minutes,” There was a roar of noise that greeted this suggestion. Some offense taken by their starter players, and some excitement from the ones who never really got a chance to play, Nahdar just looked at him with an eyebrow raised.
“I think Kenobi’s right,” Nahdar spoke above the noise, and as he was one usually without an opinion the team stopped to listen, “We’ll need our starting players in their best shape for the match against Slytherin and it should be enough to shake Hufflepuff’s confidence,” Ravenclaw’s team debated between themselves.
“I checked the rules and there’s nothing against it,” Luminara announced, waving a rulebook around lightly.
“What about when we face off against Gryffindor?” Eeth was looking at Obi-Wan with stars in his eyes and Obi-Wan paused.
He knew a lot of Cody’s Quidditch plays, both from playing against him for 6 years and from listening to him talk about the sport constantly. He’d never betray Cody’s trust if he had guessed his plan, but truthfully Cody was a bit of a firecracker and changed up his strategies more often than he pestered Ben into helping him with his homework.
“I have no idea what Cody’s planning,” Ben answered honestly and Eeth looked a little disappointed, “It’s probably best that we watch their games to get an idea of their strategy,” Eeth looked a little disappointed by the prospect of having to watch instead of plan, but the rest of Ravenclaws team chattered in excitement.
“Hey Koth!” A loud, and familiar, voice yelled in warning before sticking his head inside without waiting for an answer, “Ravenclaw’s not just going to sit in here and miss us wiping the floor with Slytherin are you?” Cody smirked and Eeth blanched.
“Of course not!” He spat, as if that hadn’t been his plan the whole time, “There’s more to Quidditch than just planning!”
“Well good!” Cody laughed, “We’ve got a section roped off for all of us to watch while we’re not playing,” Obi-Wan smiled as Eeth crossed the room attempting to look unbothered and unintimidated by the other captain.
“We’ll be there,” Eeth promised, crossing his arms.
“Oh and Kenobi,” Cody grinned, looking right at him so Obi-Wan could see the fire in his eyes, “Try to survive until our match. I’d be a shame if you missed it,” Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes almost playfully.
“I wouldn’t dream of it, Cody,” He quipped, “Try to keep your head away from any rogue bludgers, Satine and I would hate for you to lose it,” Cody’s grin grew wider with his words and he cackled gleefully as he ducked out of the room.
He had not only surprised himself by his newly found calmness, but evidently his team as well. Aalya crossed the room to press a hand to his forehead.
“Are you feeling okay, Obi-Wan?” She said with real concern, but he waved her off, “You’re never like this before a match.”
“Well, it’s just a game,” Obi-Wan pushed down a twinge of nervousness that tried to build at her words. Satine flickered into his mind again at the thought and he felt his face heat up and he looked away, suddenly very interested in smoothing down his Quidditch robes.
“You’ve been wound up over this ‘game’ for seven years and all it took was a kiss to set you straight?” Aayla teased and his face really did go red then.
“Had I known that was the key, I’d have kissed you myself,” Eeth lamented.
“That wasn’t it!” He hissed at them, but Eeth just slapped a hand on his shoulder before dropping the subject and calling towards his team.
“Let’s get up to the stands before the other captains wonder where we are,” Their captain announced, snatching up his broom before watching the rest of them follow suit.
“You mean before the other captains start calling you a nerd again?” Cin corrected and Obi-Wan ducked out of the room with his broom in one hand and protective gear in the other before he could hear the retort.
Cody reentered the Gryffindor locker room to his three younger brothers roughhousing with Anakin, and the rest of his team placing bets on the victor. He didn’t bother to break it up, knowing that the four of them had enough energy to play practically into the night if they needed to do so. He passed by them, slapping a hand on his Keeper, Caleb Dume’s, shoulder as he went. He paused though by his broomstick and turned to scan the room again.
“Where’s Moteé?” Cody suddenly felt something akin to nervousness as he looked around once more to see if he was missing something. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked around as well, but she did not appear.
“Oh right!” Anakin spoke suddenly and Cody felt a little bit of dread creep into his unshakable confidence, “Padme told me she’s sick. They have her holed up in the hospital wing,” The Gryffindor team lapsed into a silence that rarely ever percolated through their locker room as Cody’s brain started spinning.
“Okay,” He started and then stopped, before starting again, “Okay, that’s fine,” It wasn’t fine given that they were really banking on last year’s skills and the whole team gave Anakin a side eyed glare for failing to mention this earlier, “I want everyone out of this room and prepared for the match,” Cody commanded and the Gryffindor locker room went right back to its usual chaos.
“Rex,” Cody called to his youngest brother, and Fives, who had him in a headlock, dropped him instantly. Rex trotted over to his older brother and waited quietly next to him as the team filed out of the room. Anakin was the last to exit, lingering a moment longer with a look towards his friend, before a stern look from Cody had him out the door following the team out towards the field.
Cody knelt down next to Rex so he could more easily look his brother in the eye.
“Rex, you’ll be playing seeker today,” Cody said seriously and Rex rolled his eyes.
“I know, Cody. I’m her backup, it was obviously going to come to this,” Rex made to move away, but Cody caught his wrist to stop him before dropping it again.
“Rex I know you’re extremely talented,” Cody told him suddenly, “The only reason I didn’t make you a starter this year was because the season got canceled,” Rex blinked in surprise.
“But Moteé-” He tried, but Cody shook his head.
“Yeah she has a year on you, but you know that’s not how I do things,” Cody grinned at him, “I just thought you should know before we went out there.”
“Well, thanks mate,” Rex acknowledged with a growing smile and Cody pushed himself back into a standing position and grabbed his broom.
“Now Rex,” Cody glanced down at him, “let’s go out there and stomp Slytherin into the dust!”
Anakin and the rest of Gryffindor’s Quidditch team were huddled just out of sight of the stands. The crowd was already cheering and Anakin basked in it. He squinted his eyes across the field trying to make out the Slytherin team at the other end. He didn’t much care who they’d decided to play, because either way, his goal of knocking them out of the air was rather unchanged. He felt more than saw Rex come up behind him and he turned to his friend as Cody pushed his way out and into the center of the field.
“What’d he want with you?” Anakin asked, mildly interested as he watched Ventress appear from the shadows.
“Oh, you know Cody,” Rex sighed, but there was a hint of fondness in his voice, “He’s always got to remind me which one’s the snitch,” Anakin chuckled, that did seem like a very Cody thing to do.
“Do you think he’ll call heads or tails?” Anakin thought out loud and Echo scoffed from beside them.
“He’ll call heads,” He answered and Fives nodded wisely, a bit of orange jersey was peeking out from the collar of his shirt and Rex motioned for him to fix it, “That’s his lucky call.”
“He’ll want Slytherin to be downwind, despite the fact that there really is no wind today,” Fives continued, adjusting his uniform to hide his favorite jersey more adequately, “He’s convinced it’ll slow them down,” Sure enough they watched as Cody managed to win the coin toss and pulled out his wand, with a well-practiced flourish the banners at one end of the field became red and gold. Though they couldn’t see her very well, they were sure Ventress was sneering as she pulled out her wand and flourished it, turning the other end green and silver.
Cody waved a hand at them and on cue they marched out onto the field. Their alternate players filed off to the side to sit on the bench and wait to see if they’d be needed and the starters lined up just as Cody had made them practice hundreds of times. As if Cody could hear his thoughts, he turned around from his own position to grin at Anakin.
“Now we look just as professional as we’ll play,” He reminded them.
“Let’s have a clean game now,” Professor Tiin reminded them before motioning for them to mount their brooms and take to the skies. Taking off was always a rush for Anakin, but he tried not to get caught up in it and instead watched intently for the bludgers to be released, adjusting the bat in his hands.
The Quaffle was tossed up and the game began. Cody was already halfway down the field with the ball, so Anakin whacked a bludger towards the Slytherin keeper without a second thought, though he ended up having to dodge it as the opposing beater hit it right back.
Fives had better luck, managing to hit a bludger right between his older brother and a Slytherin chaser. Cody didn’t even blink but the Slytherin chaser veered violently out of the way.
“Cody’s been hit by too many of those,” Fives commented with a frown before they both sped off hoping to get another good hit in as the bludgers started changing course again.
The Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff captains were sitting side by side, complaining about the unfairness of the tournament, but Obi-Wan was actively trying to tune them out to quietly cheer for Gryffindor.
When the Fetts all got to play together they were quite a formidable opponent. Obi-Wan knew they liked to play a lot of backyard quidditch games and were all generally good with any position. He knew from many of Cody’s quiet discussions with him that he’d very carefully selected each position for his brothers when they’d joined the team despite them all being jack of all trades. Fives had a little bit more energy and strength than Echo so he’d been good to match up with their resident prodigy and his former mentee, Anakin. Echo had more speed so he joined Cody as a chaser. Obi-Wan had been surprised when Rex had joined them on the field, because Cody had already expressed his remorse for not being able to swap out his seekers with such short notice. When he noticed she wasn’t on the bench though, he figured fate had given Cody a gift, though he quite hoped the girl was alright.
Rex was an incredible Seeker, he’d been told countless times, Cody was very passionate about his speed and agility as well as his tendency to do whatever needed to be done, which was a trait he shared with Cody. Cody had grown into his role as chaser. It hadn’t been his first choice, not that he was picky at all. He played it so passionately that they’d decided to play him right from the start and since then he’d only ever missed one game.
Their third Chaser was Rush Clovis and it was clear why Cody liked to start with him. Rush could be ruthless and while he didn’t always have the quickest speed, he was strong and had the longest throwing range. This, he knew, Cody liked to use quite frequently in his more daring plays.
The oddball on their team was Caleb Dume, their Keeper. Obi-Wan felt he couldn’t say much on the subject as a mediocre Keeper himself, but Caleb did often feel like the weakest link on their team. He did think that it may have something to do with the fact that he was surrounded by immense talent that really overshadowed much of what he tried to do.
Although, as Obi-Wan squinted at the Keeper, he seemed to have just flubbed a rather easy block. Caleb had been staring off at the Beauxbatons section rather than keeping an eye on the Quaffle, but it seemed a quick reprimand from Cody was enough to get him focused on the game once more.
It was a little odd, Obi-Wan realized, to be watching one of Cody’s matches without Satine. He and Satine always made it a point to go to Gryffindor’s games to support him even in the midst of an argument, but this was the first time they’d watched apart. Still, he was having a good time with Aayla yelling out all her opinions on the game and Bultar making much quieter comments on possible strategies they could use against both teams.
Even the complaining from the captains was fairly humorous, considering they were to be each other’s opponents in only a matter of time. He glanced over at Luminara who was still quietly reading her book, mostly uninterested in the sport unless she was actively playing it. She did glance up at him and smile when she caught him looking.
“Apologies, I was just wondering what you were reading,” He gave her a half smile and she returned it.
“Unfogging the Future,” She answered, showing him the cover.
“Ah, divination,” He confirmed.
“Yes,” she nodded.
They lapsed back into content silence, save for Aayla trying to scream instructions across the field. Yes it was rather fun to watch the game with his team, though he couldn’t deny it would be better if Satine was there with them.
Rex was hovering over the field, eyes narrowed in search of any glint of gold. Slytherin’s seeker was watching him closely, Rex was their wild card this game since he’d never officially played a match before, and if he wasn’t so practiced, he’d feel rather nervous.
A flash of motion drew his eye, but it wasn’t golden. A bludger had been rocketed towards Cody who had to swerve to miss it, but it still managed to throw him off balance. Had that been Rex, or even Echo or Fives they’d have fallen off, it was a testament to his brother’s skills that not only did he manage to stay on his broom, he also managed to catch the Quaffle Echo had tossed his way.
He saw Cody dart between a couple of Slytherin chasers before tossing the ball back to Echo without even looking. Echo scored and the crowd cheered. Rex moved his eyes away from the match, tempting as it would be to keep watch and instead did another scan of the field.
There it was. His breath caught as his eyes narrowed at a glint of gold hovering close to the ground. It was fluttering around near the canvas walls of the stands and Rex didn’t plan on wasting any time. The score was close enough that either team could catch the snitch and it would be the winning hand. He breathed out trying to fake an air of calm before shoving his broom handle down and speeding towards the ground. The Slytherin seeker must have been fooled by his calmness because he was not immediately on Rex’s tail. Rex didn’t wait for any of the other players to get out of his way, Gryffindor’s team automatically moved while Slytherin’s were forced to practically leap away.
The ground was fast approaching now and Rex didn’t take his eyes off the little golden ball as he adjusted his positioning slightly so he wouldn’t ram into the ground. Slytherin’s seeker was behind him now, trying to pick up speed to race Rex, but feet away from the canvased edge of the field, he seemed to get a little wary and subconsciously reduced speed. Rex however, didn’t get into Gryffindor for nothing and reached out with his hand, feeling it close over the snitch before he tore a hole through the canvas and was knocked off his broom. He rolled a few more feet, never once letting go of the little golden ball. He sat up and looked at the delicate wings fluttering desperately between his fingers. Underneath the bleachers the light was dim, but the snitch still shined brightly and it caused Rex to grin.
The next moment the canvas walls suddenly disappeared and he looked through wooden beams to see Professor Tiin and Cody, who must have landed in record time, running towards him. Rex lifted his hand and shook his fist around showing off his catch. It didn’t slow either of their paces, but Cody’s look of worry was suddenly replaced by a wide grin.
Cody ended up outpacing the professor and swept Rex up in a hug.
“Way to go!” Cody adjusted his hold on Rex until he’d climbed up on his older brother's shoulders. Professor Tiin did not look happy about it, but Cody ran them both back on the field so Rex could hold the snitch high up for everyone to see.
“Nice catch!” Echo called as he and Fives landed next to them, followed closely by Anakin and Rush before finally Caleb. The crowd was cheering loudly and the whole team was chanting Rex’s name. He caught Anakin’s eye and his best friend gave him a thumbs up and a grin.
“Yes, yes,” Professor Tiin was still staring nearby looking displeased, “Now put down your Seeker, Captain. He’s going to have to be checked over by Madam Nema if you were planning on playing him again,” And as suddenly as Cody had picked him up, he’d set Rex back down and pushed him in the direction of the professor.
“He’s all yours, Professor!” Cody called and then moved to collect Rex’s broom from underneath the stands.
“What a dangerous catch,” Luminara commented quietly as both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff descended the staircases to set up for their own match.
“I concur,” Obi-Wan spoke with a frown, and then cut off Aayla before she could begin to disagree, “The first match is hardly a place for such a risky move.”
“It’s Gryffindor,” Aayla groaned, “That’s just how they are! You both could use a little more risk-taking. Then maybe we’d have a shot at beating them,” Obi-Wan shook his head with a smile.
“I think you’re underestimating us, Aayla,” He tsked, but she just rolled her eyes, “We’ve beaten Gryffindor before and often it’s because they use a risky strategy that doesn’t end up paying off.”
They exited the staircase and the two teams split each going a different way to their respective entrance onto the field.
“Okay! Are we still clear on the plan?” Eeth stopped them the moment Hufflepuff was out of earshot.
“We know the plan, Eeth,” Cin grumbled.
“I’ll keep an eye on the time for us,” Obi-Wan held up his wrist where he’d swapped his watch around so it wouldn’t get damaged.
“Excellent, Kenobi,” Eeth nodded and led them to the edge of the field, “Just give me a sign when it’s time and I’ll call time out,” There was a whistle emitting from the middle of the field and Eeth glanced over his shoulder, “Time for the toss, I’ll see you all out there.”
Ravenclaw team fell into soft chatter as Obi-Wan pulled on his chest guard over his robes. The Keeper position had the most padding in the game and although he knew it likely made Satine feel better, it tended to remind him that it didn’t do much to cushion the blow.
“Do you want me to tie that?” Luminara suggested, taking the two laces attached to the back in her hands.
“I’ll do it!” Before he could respond Aayla planted one foot on his back and pulled the strings tight enough he felt every last breath leave his body.
“Aayla, you’re going to kill him,” Bultar pulled her away from him as Obi-Wan desperately tried to regain oxygen.
“It’s padding, not a corset,” Luminara reminded her, gently loosening the ties, “There! Can you breathe now, Obi-Wan?”
“Yes thank you,” He managed in a rather breathless tone. He had just enough time to strap on the helmet before they were called to the field. Their alternates were walking a little stiffly, but still managed to keep up appearances from a distance.
Obi-Wan watched his team closely until it was time for them to mount their brooms. He glanced down at his watch subtly as they took flight, 10 minutes and counting.
Something seemed off about the way Ravenclaw was playing. Satine really wasn’t a Quidditch expert, and the lack of Cody’s narration wasn’t helping, but Ben kept glancing down and she was starting to wonder if something was wrong. The few times she removed her eyes from Ben she’d seen Aayla playing much rougher than usual, nearly knocking one of the Hufflepuff chasers from her broom. It was something she expected from Cody, but Ravenclaw usually employed a little more grace in their maneuvers.
“Are you listening to me, Satine?” Stass was looking at her.
“I’m sorry Stass,” Satine apologized, “I was just-” but before she could continue, she stopped. Her eyes had drifted over to Ben again, who was now making some sort of gesture to their captain and she felt her heart drop like lead.
“What’s going on?” Stass asked and she wasn’t alone as murmurs spread across the crowd. Eeth Koth had called timeout and the entire Ravenclaw team had soared down to the field. Hufflepuff landed a moment later also looking rather confused.
“Did something happen?” Satine raised a beautiful set of spectator binoculars Cody had gotten her one Christmas and trained them on Ben.
Ravenclaw had just broken their huddle and Ben was looking quite serious, standing next to his captain. She waited for them to move back onto the field, but they didn’t.
“They’re switching all of their players?” Stass gasped and Satine immediately dropped the binoculars and sure enough, though Ben and Koth hadn’t moved, all their alternate players had moved onto the field and were in position. Upon closer inspection, even Professor Tiin looked baffled, but still started the game back up.
She watched in surprise for a few more moments along with the rest of the audience as the game progressed once more before she trained her eye back on Ben.
He was watching the skies with a calculated expression, Koth was still next to him in a similar state. She felt a bit of relief in the knowledge that whatever was going on, Ben seemed fine. Aayla had come up behind Ben and Koth and threw her arms around them, practically choking the two unsuspecting players out. Satine lowered the binoculars once more to watch the game with mild interest.
“Look at Hufflepuff,” Stass whispered to her, “They keep messing up,” and sure enough as soon as she’d said that, one of the Hufflepuff Chasers dropped the Quaffle right into Ravenclaw’s hands.
“I don’t know what they were thinking,” Satine admitted, “But whatever it is, it does seem to have its advantages.”
Eeth was practically in tears watching the alternate Ravenclaws secure the snitch right from under Hufflepuff’s nose and even Obi-Wan had to try his best not to laugh at him.
“They did it! I can’t believe they did it!” Eeth wiped at his eyes furiously.
“Did you really have such little faith in us?” Nahdar questioned dropping out of the air.
“It’s hard not to have faith in you, Nahdar,” Cin commented, “Considering how many times you’ve had to sub in for Kenobi.”
“Yes, quite,” Obi-Wan responded stiffly.
“I don’t really want to play anymore today, Kenobi,” Nahdar told him pointedly.
“I wasn’t planning on falling off my broom if that’s what you’re insinuating,” He said with a glare.
“That’s a first for you,” Aayla poked him in the chest. Obi-Wan scoffed good naturedly, but was saved from further teasing by the approach of the rest of their team. Hufflepuff was walking off the field, looking far from comfortable by their loss.
“Next up we’ll be going against Slytherin,” Eeth reminded them as if they’d had time to forget, “I want a full-on offensive! Ropal I need you to catch that snitch as fast as you can, unless it will jeopardize our win,” The team nodded just to give him the satisfaction of an agreed upon plan before they all wandered onto the field. Ventress chose heads and won so she made Ravenclaw switch sides as if it would throw them off. Since they didn’t bother to leave the field they quickly swapped sides and were in position by the time Slytherin walked in. They were back in the air with the game started before he knew it.
Slytherin was one of the more aggressive teams, it was only natural with their level of ambition, but it still never made Ben feel particularly good about facing them. Or perhaps it was because they were the first team he ever faced in Quidditch and that unease still tended to permeate his thinking about them. His thoughts briefly flickered to Satine again, but he kept his eye on the ball, managing to catch Slytherin’s attempt at a goal and flinging the ball as far as he could towards Cin.
Ravenclaw hadn’t managed to score yet, but he’d also prevented Slytherin from scoring any points either. They were really in a bit of a stalemate, which was only proven true by the frustrated anger he could dimly see pouring off Ventress whenever he took stock of her position. He’d made the mistake of discounting her momentarily in favor of keeping an eye on the Chasers when suddenly something black and heavy pinged off his head.
He found himself dangling from his broom with one hand, ears ringing and practically seeing stars. He was too shocked to even notice the danger he was in, and instead looked up to take stock of the match once more. The Slytherin with the Quaffle had just managed to shove Luminara roughly away and he was lining up his shot. Ventress was still above him, too busy laughing to do any more harm. Eeth was looking his way in mild horror.
Noting the trajectory of the ball and knowing he had no real time to struggle his way back onto his broom, he instead paused for a moment as the Chaser threw. The ball left his hands and headed right where Obi-Wan had deduced and in a moment of strange calmness he used his one hand to direct his broom to suddenly point straight down. As he’d hoped, the tail end of his broom made enough contact with the Quaffle that it was thoroughly blocked and it fell towards the ground with no one in position to catch it.
Finally, able to have a moment to think he quickly pulled himself onto his broom, clinging on a little tighter than necessary. The crowd was cheering and in an exciting turn of events Luminara had managed to scoop up the Quaffle from its descent and put it through the Slytherin hoops with a little help from a bludger nearly knocking Ventress off of her own broom.
“Alright, Kenobi?” Eeth had flown up next to him, voice shaking a little bit.
“Yes, I seem to be fine now,” He decided but his grip on his broom was still rather iron tight.
“Good man,” Eeth put a gentle hand on his shoulder before zooming off to steal the Quaffle from a Slytherin catch.
Satine’s heart was in her throat as she clutched the railing, pressing the binoculars so tightly to her face it would probably leave a mark.
“Satine he’s fine,” Stass sighed, but Satine couldn’t tear her eyes away from the game to look at her, “He made it back on the broom and he’s still in one piece!”
“He could have fallen!” She managed to hiss, “And he looks a little jarred from the experience. What if Ventress gave him a concussion?”
“Look,” She pointed as if Satine wasn’t already glued to the field, “Eeth talked to him and he’s not calling time out, so it’s fine! What are you, his mother?”
“Of course not because I actually care about him!” Satine spat, before remembering herself. She managed to take her eyes off of him for just a moment to give Stass an apologetic look, “I’m sorry Stass, but I just got him and I really don’t intend to lose him. Especially over such a barbaric game,” She tacked on the last part with enough venom that Stass actually laughed.
“That’s fair-” She cut off with a gasp and Satine turned back to the game fast enough to give herself whiplash. Ben was fine, however, still floating in front of the hoops at the end. Glancing around further she saw Ravenclaw’s Seeker streaking across the sky with his hand outstretched. Slytherin’s Seeker was trying to push poor Bolla off his broom, but he must have been extra determined today, because he managed to cling on and wrap his hand around the golden ball despite nearly ending up in a spiral towards the ground. Cheers erupted around Satine who let out a breath as Ben descended from the sky to celebrate with his team.
The next match was Cody’s though and she was rather certain that if Ben didn’t give her a heart attack today, Cody might.
The Gryffindors thundered down the stairs ahead of the Hufflepuffs to get onto the field first. They ran across the Ravenclaw team, attempting to leave the field and weaved through them like a stampede of hyper cattle. Cody had just managed to scoot past Koth when he ended up colliding with Kenobi who he knocked to the ground with an “oof.”
“Oh! Sorry mate, didn’t see you there,” Cody offered a hand and Obi-Wan took it allowing Cody to pull him back up.
“Thank you, Cody,” He answered with a smile.
“That block was awesome by the way!” Cody suddenly remembered, grinning widely, “I didn’t think you had it in you to do something like that,” Obi-Wan looked a little surprised by the praise, but was quick to turn his head to hide a smile.
“Well, I’d prefer not to have to do it again,” He told him, “Ventress can actually hit fairly hard,” Obi-Wan removed his Keeper’s helmet at the thought.
“You’re alright though?” Cody checked with him, eyes searching for any sort of injury, but thankfully finding none.
“Nothing a little ice can’t solve,” He confirmed before they both heard the warning whistle from the field, “That’ll be your cue, Cody,”
“Sure is!” Cody said excitedly, jogging down the hall with a little wave back towards Obi-Wan.
“Have fun!” His friend called after him and Cody smiled.
By the time Obi-Wan made it up the stairs, the game had already started. He’d been practically jumped by Madam Nema, who refused to let him go before she gave him a once over. In her defense though, he didn’t have a great track record involving trips to the hospital wing.
The Gryffindors were already pulling ahead of Hufflepuff who seemed to be playing quite poorly. He reclaimed his seat between Luminara and Aayla while gazing across the sky trying to figure out what was going on. It seemed Rush had possession of the Quaffle and they were likely about to pull some risky stunt given Cody’s current positioning. Rush tossed the Quaffle high into the air, but it fell short of Cody and into the hands of a Hufflepuff chaser. It didn’t seem to matter though because it was snatched back rather quickly by Echo.
“What did I miss?” Obi-Wan asked, adjusting his hold on the ice-cold towel that Madam Nema had insisted he take.
“Hufflepuff decided to try our strategy,” Luminara explained and Obi-Wan’s eyebrows shot up.
“That’s really not a good move for them,” He turned his gaze on Breha who was doing her level best to keep Cody from scoring.
“They did adjust it,” Bultar leaned over to add, “As you can see, they decided to play half their starters and half their alternates this game. It’s still not very smart, but I can’t blame them.”
“Going against Gryffindor and Slytherin back to back, was trouble for them from the start,” He considered as Breha managed to block Cody’s attempt to score.
“I see the snitch,” Bolla pointed towards the Hufflepuff’s end of the field and sure enough, hovering just above the center ring was the game-ender itself.
“Where’s their seeker?” Nahdar scanned the crowd to see the Hufflepuff Seeker looking in the opposite direction.
“Breha’s seen it,” Obi-Wan said. Sure enough the Hufflepuff Captain seemed to be trying to subtly get the attention of her seeker. Before they had much of a chance for communication though, Rex shot through the sky and secured Gryffindor’s victory.
“Tough break for Hufflepuff,” Aayla cringed, watching as Breha approached her seeker, no doubt to say a few words about their lack of direction.
“It’s a shame really,” Eeth sighed gazing down at the Hufflepuff captain on the ground, “She’s really quite a talented player. Hufflepuff just hasn’t had much luck with recruiting recently.”
The Ravenclaw team broke out in quiet conversations as they waited for Slytherin to join Hufflepuff on the field. It only took a couple minutes before Ventress made her appearance.
“Didn’t even want to watch that last match,” Cin huffed in annoyance, “I always get the feeling that Slytherin thinks they’re better than us.”
“You don’t say!” Aayla responded with sarcasm coating her voice.
The next thing they heard though, was the thundering of feet as the Gryffindor team approached the stands.
“Switch seats with me, Kenobi?” Luminara asked politely. He knew she wasn’t asking for her own benefit as unsurprisingly once the Gryffindor team burst in, Cody ran down the bleachers, ignoring the stairs entirely to sit down right next to Obi-Wan right on the line between the two sections.
“What’d ya think?” Cody asked him, still clearly riding off the high of another win.
“I think you ought to take a shower after the tournament,” Obi-Wan answered with a rather underhanded look.
“And miss out on the after party? Wouldn’t dream of it!” Cody punched him lightly on the arm.
“Hey Cody, we’re placing bets,” Fives dropped down next to them, “How long do you think Hufflepuff will last before Slytherin destroys them?”
“Well that’s rather rude, Fives,” Obi-Wan responded before Cody could, “I’m sure Breha and her team will try their best, and I certainly wouldn’t want them to lose to Ventress.”
“Someone’s a little salty about getting hit in the head,” Cody teased, poking Obi-Wan in the cheek.
“Oh come on,” Fives pressed, “What do you guys think? We all know that Slytherin will win.”
“I’ll bet on 10 minutes,” Cody decided. Obi-Wan took in the field and considered their positioning.
“13 and a half minutes,” He deduced and Fives wrote it down with a laugh.
“The specifics are what will get you,” Cody pointed out with an eyebrow raised, but Obi-Wan just shook his head.
“Feel free to tell me, ‘I told you so’ if I lose,” He told him, pressing his fingers together and observing the game with laser focus.
13 and 3/4ths minutes later the snitch had been caught by a silver glove and Cody was looking anywhere, but Obi-Wan’s smug face.
“You were still off!” Cody tried, but knew he’d already lost.
“But the point of a bet is whoever guesses closest and I do believe that would be me,” Obi-Wan was looking rather pleased with himself and Cody scrutinized him closer.
“Are my eyes deceiving me or are you actually having fun?” Cody fought the urge to remove the ice from his hands to ensure he hadn’t gone and landed himself with brain trauma, but Obi-Wan was staring across the field towards the Ravenclaw section with a look just short of awe.
“I’ve been told I need no reason to worry today,” He said finally, but Cody was sure there was a little more to it than that, especially considering the moon-eyed lovestruck gaze sweeping towards where they both knew Satine would be sitting.
“Satine snogged him once and suddenly it’s like he’s a new man,” Aayla interjected, a little too loudly as Gryffindor team heard easily and started turning towards them. Cody gave them a look before they could make any teasing remarks; he’d waited seven long years for them to get together, he didn’t want to take any chances.
“That’s not it, Aayla!” His face was beat red and Cody really had to bite down a laugh.
“Sure mate,” Cody grinned, and really, he’d earned his ability to tease them.
The warning whistle sounded from the field and suddenly both Quidditch teams were staring at each other in surprise.
“The match!” Koth was scrambling up the bleachers while the rest of his team followed his lead.
“Come on team!” Cody shouted, floundering in the absence of Ravenclaw, “We can’t let them beat us to the field!” So they raced down the stairs, and around the pitch, Cody just managed to sprint onto the field a few steps before Koth did.
“So we’re tied for first!” Cody grabbed the opposing captain’s hand and although the run hadn’t affected him much, Koth was panting and holding onto Cody’s hand a little longer than necessary as he tried to catch his breath.
“So we are,” Koth managed.
“I call heads!” Cody turned towards Professor Tiin who didn’t look surprised in the slightest.
“Tails for us then,” Koth finally managed to straighten back up, still looking frazzled.
“It’s heads,” Professor Tiin told them and Cody pulled out his wand and decorated his side of the field.
Cody would never say he was as thoughtful as a Ravenclaw, but when it came to Quidditch he strived to learn every possible advantage that he could. Fives and Echo often thought it wouldn’t help, but Cody figured it couldn’t hurt .
As soon as Koth had decorated the Ravenclaw side of the field, the two teams approached from the edge of the field and they lined up.
“Just like we’ve practiced,” Cody turned to his team, the dawning realization that this was it, his last game at Hogwarts, echoing in his mind.
“As planned,” He heard Koth murmur quietly to his fellow Chasers and then they were off.
When the Quaffle was thrown, Cody resorted to his usual strategy to rush it. Cody didn’t try to knock anyone off their brooms, but he could be intimidating enough that they might think he would. Ravenclaw however had observed all their other matches and had managed to steal the Quaffle right out from under him. He swore with a grin and fire in his eyes as he tore after Koth. Ravenclaw over the years had become a fine matchup for Gryffindor and while their rivalry with Slytherin would always be stronger, Cody was happy that his last match would be one that really challenged him.
Cody reclaimed the Quaffle from an intercepted pass rather quickly and raced towards the other end of the field, his eyes focused on his friend who was stealing himself to block whatever stupid move Cody was going to throw at him. Cody had always been aware what a disadvantage it was to be best friends with the person who would be blocking all his plays, but after six years of playing against him, it was one of the things that pushed him to be a better Chaser and he was very proud of the progress he had made.
Cody dipped right in front of Obi-Wan and whipped around to toss the Quaffle through one of the side hoops, but it was tapped off course by straining outstretched fingers as Obi-Wan fed him a calculating look.
“Going easy on me, Cody?” He asked lightly as he readjusted his balance on his broom.
“Wouldn’t dream of it!” Cody yelled back as he was racing away back down the field after the Quaffle.
Obi-Wan adjusted his grip on his broom, which really was just a nervous habit after years of being tossed off in varying degrees. Practically everyone was down at the Gryffindor side of the field fighting over the Quaffle, but he knew it was only a matter of time before they would be heading towards him.
This whole game was stretching on much longer than any of the others had. While Gryffindor surely had an edge on them in skill, Ravenclaw was good at strategy and those two things seemed to occasionally cancel each other out.
Cody hadn’t stopped grinning the whole game and in fact looked happier every time Obi-Wan managed to block one of his rather stupid attempts at a goal. He wasn’t the best Keeper in the world, but he knew Cody liked to play against him, based on his knowledge of Cody, alone.
Speaking of, Cody was racing towards him with Echo following closely on his right. He just managed to dodge a bludger sent by Anakin that surely would have taken his head clean off, before he had to make an educated guess and block the hoop on the right. He managed to stop them from scoring, but Echo got possession of the ball and was racing towards the left side. Ben moved to block him, but it was the wrong choice as instead the Quaffle flew over his head and into Cody’s outstretched arms.
10 more points to Gryffindor then.
“Good try, mate!” Cody called to him before racing off.
“I should have seen that coming,” Obi-Wan spoke quietly to himself, a little frustrated, but it was hard to be mad when he knew he was outmatched.
“Kenobi,” Eeth had zoomed over to him rather out of breath from the skirmish over the ball, “It’s just a matter of time before the snitch shows. Do not let them score!” And he zoomed off without waiting for an answer.
Eeth made an attempt to snatch the ball from Cody who was approaching once more, but he failed and spun out leaving just Cody and Obi-Wan facing off against each other.
Cody tried dipping down, but he didn’t fall for it. So when Cody flew hard to the right and Ben positioned himself to block he was surprised at the angle of the throw. Looking backwards quickly he saw Echo, hands outstretched to catch the ball and score.
Time was moving slow and he knew he wouldn’t make it, but Eeth told him to block the ball so he was going to block the ruddy ball. Ben pushed himself up, dropping hold of his broom; it gave him just enough elevation to slap the ball down and away from the goal. He was suspended in the air for just a second too long seeing the flabbergasted expression on Echo’s face before he fell, barely managing to catch hold of one of the foot holds at the base of his broom. He struggled to pull himself back onto the broom for the second time that day, but it had been enough of a shock for the Gryffindor team that Ravenclaw managed to score not once, but twice.
“Bolla’s seen the snitch!” It was announced to the arena just as Cody had gotten hold of the Quaffle once more.
Obi-Wan was still shaking with the latent fear of almost falling to his death, but tried to steel himself. Cody was flying too high though and Obi-Wan didn’t know how to match him. He surely had something up his sleeve, but he hadn’t tried this maneuver on him before. He finally moved up to meet him and Cody dropped faster than he could follow corkscrewing to the right and managing to score a goal. Cody hadn’t stopped moving though and he realized much too late what was about to happen. Cody had reclaimed the ball and before practically anyone else on the field could move he’d score one last goal before the crowd was cheering and red and gold swept the banners around the whole field. Both boys looked up to see Rex, out of breath holding up the snitch for the third time that day.
Obi-Wan was first to land on the field, his hands were still shaking from adrenaline as he dismounted his broom.
“You’ve been holding out on me, mate!” Suddenly he found himself in a headlock and Cody was grinding his fist on the top of his head hard enough he could feel it through the thick helmet padding, “That was an absolute Gryffindor block if I’ve ever seen one!”
“I prefer being on a broom while in the air,” He managed to say, worming his way out of the hold, “You clearly were too, how long have you been trying that last move for?” Cody put a finger to his lips.
“Trade secret!” He said gleefully, before wrapping an arm around his friend and dragging him towards where the other Ravenclaws and Gryffindors were landing.
“When I said not to let them score,” Eeth pulled Obi-Wan away from Cody, “I didn’t mean to take such a great risk,” He chided him, but Cody tossed an arm around both of them.
“Come on, Koth! It was a great move!” Cody said proudly.
“You’re one to talk!” Eeth huffed.
“Rex!” Easily distracted, Cody turned away from them to scoop up his little brother, “What a catch!”
“You’re okay?” Eeth checked with him once more, before leaving him alone after a nod.
Though Ravenclaw was a little sore about losing, it was hard not to be wrapped up in the joy exuding from the Gryffindors. Cody was heading their little pack as they walked off the field and Obi-Wan couldn’t help the smile creep onto his face.
He knew Cody wanted to go pro after they graduated. In fact, he knew Cody would go pro after they graduated, whether his friend could see it or not. No one he’d ever met was so passionate about the sport than Cody Fett.
“Obi-Wan Kenobi,” He turned his head at the ice-cold voice to see Satine, practically spitting fire, who had clearly run all the way down the moment the match ended.
“Satine,” He greeted, and despite her anger, he felt his heart soar higher than any broom at the mere sight of her. She grabbed his arm tightly and pulled him away from the rest of his team, both of them easily ignoring the “Oooooo’s” as if he was a first year about to be sent to the headmaster’s office
“When I said, not to worry,” She was glaring a hole through his eyes, but he still couldn’t seem to stop smiling at her, “I didn’t say, give me a heart attack!”
“Now Satine, that's hardly fair. Ventress was the one who knocked me off my broom after all,” He skirted around the topic she’d been speaking about a little more cheekily than he normally would, but the adrenaline hadn’t quite worn off yet, and looking at her really wasn’t helping.
“That’s not what I’m referring to and you know it! I expect these kinds of things from Cody, but I really thought you were less of a risk taker,” She hissed, before her features softened just ever so slightly, “I really thought for a moment that I might lose you,” The smile slipped off his face rather quickly which seemed to make her own frown deepen.
“I do apologize. I didn’t mean to make you worry,” He looked more worried than she did now and she sighed, reaching up and smoothing a thumb across his temple.
“Still,” She spoke softly and he leaned in a little closer to hear her, “You did play wonderfully.”
“It seemed you were right after all,” He admitted and she raised an eyebrow, “There truly wasn’t anything to worry about. Now that it’s over I’m starting to realize I may have been overthinking some things the past several years,” She looked deep into his eyes, still cupping his face before continuing.
“Perhaps,” She started carefully, “But it’s not your fault,” He suddenly felt a bit like he was under a microscope and changed course.
“A shame we lost today,” He sighed with a smile, “Perhaps otherwise I could have gotten a kiss for winning,” He said it rather shyly, looking at her through his eyelashes and trying not to blush madly. She rolled her eyes at him, her hand dropping to his shoulder. He was a little disappointed she hadn’t taken the bait, but he was new to all this so he was just happy she wasn’t too angry with him.
“Ben, this isn’t some fantasy,” She confirmed and he nodded, about to pull away from her when she stopped him with a hand on the back of his neck, “Good thing too,” She pulled him down and met his lips with a smile.
After everyone was showered and dressed, it didn’t take long for students to gather in drones to form an unofficial celebration to commemorate Gryffindor’s victory. Naturally, true to the form of the other various parties that had occurred at Hogwarts, it was a bonfire, as apparently all things must be. Thankfully, this bonfire had been charmed by Professor Tahl to keep everyone warm within a certain perimeter. Given that it was still January, this was a relief. Still, Anakin didn’t mind the predictability of it, because his heart still soared with pride to be in Gryffindor house, alongside some of the best of them.
Especially Rex, who had essentially been their saving grace in catching the snitch so they could narrowly beat out Ravenclaw’s Bolla Ropal, who proved to be more of a force to be reckoned with than previously assumed. He’d learned not to assume a lot of things that day, including just how good his own former mentor could be when he put his heart into the sport. It was undeniable that Obi-Wan had been instrumental to Ravenclaw’s unusual success that day and his team seemed to be basking in it.
The star Keeper in question looked more outgoing than Anakin had ever seen him. He hadn’t been spending as much time with Obi-Wan thanks to the tournament, but he had to admit it was good to see him handle losing so well. It was a skill that he had to admit he didn’t have.
He, like most of the players, had bathed and switched out of his uniform and into his team jacket and a Ravenclaw t-shirt. He opted for black trousers as opposed to the sweatsuit pants that were likely given to him, but it was still the most casual he’d ever seen him. It was no secret that one of the biggest pluses of being on the Quidditch team was the perk of getting your own cool clothes.
Even for a team like Hufflepuff, who never really took off.
Breha didn’t look sour about the turnout for today either, instead she and Bail chatted amicably with Obi-Wan and Satine.
More strange wizard music blared around them and some took to dancing like Caleb and Hera, who apparently hadn’t gotten enough of it at the Yule Ball, while others like Hondo stuffed their faces with s’mores.
“Weirdly, it feels like they’re celebrating just as much as us,” He’d said to Cody, who patted him on the back. Cody, unlike everyone else, still wore his full Quidditch regalia. It seemed he was too starry eyed to make the switch and seeing how hard he’d worked for this over the years, Anakin could hardly blame him.
“Anyone who plays and enjoys the game has cause to celebrate, Skywalker,” He ruffled his hair and though Anakin would normally object as he was getting too old for such things, he couldn’t help but laugh. The happiness in the air was infectious and he was glad to have contracted it.
“Shouldn’t we be getting pictures with the trophy?” He’d really wanted to see it in person, especially after years of only catching glimpses through pictures from the Quidditch display case near the great hall. After all, Slytherin held firm custody of it all year and Ravenclaw had it the year before.
For a brief moment, Cody’s face darkened, “Because it’s not a regulation season, Ventress is claiming it’s not a legitimate win.”
“What?” Anakin and Rex both burst at the same time. That didn’t make sense. Headmaster Yoda had agreed to apply the usual amount of points to whichever team came out on top, so clearly it was viewed as official to the most important judges.
“So, they’re not giving up the trophy?” Anakin reiterated.
“Nope,” Cody grimaced.
“And… You’re alright with that?” Rex asked slowly, clearly trying to read his older brother’s face for any signs of being broken. Anakin had to admit, he’d expect Cody to freak out a lot more too. He’d been waiting for this for years and now wasn’t getting his big victory portrait with the trophy.
“We’ll get it eventually,” He said, “Windu was a Gryffindor, so I’m sure he’ll push the issue. It’s been a while since we’ve won the cup, after all.”
“You’re relying on Windu?” Anakin groaned, “Good luck.”
“He will if I harass him enough over it anyway,” Cody smirked and rested a hand on both of their shoulders, “Hey, enjoy this night. The most important trophy is the memory and satisfaction that it happened.”
From there, he went off to join Obi-Wan and Satine, who’d found themselves in the midst of a heated debate over the proper usage of Aguamenti vs Aqua Eructo. Even with how intense their points seemed to be, regardless of how menial the subject matter was to Anakin, their style of banter had changed, even if subtly, as they seemed to be poised much closer and their anger less palpable.
If anything, it almost sounded like they were flirting , even if their words didn’t quite match the tones for such a thing. Then again, Anakin knew very little about flirting to begin with. Caleb and Hera were a little more on the money with what he would expect: excessive touching, giggling, soft teasing met with compliments.
It was really gross, actually.
“I can’t believe he’s completely unbothered,” Rex echoed aloud.
“Yeah, well, I’m not exactly in the business of waiting for Windu,” Anakin rolled his eyes, looking off to where the Head of Gryffindor house amicably chatted amongst the other leaders, more out of place than ever at an event that was designed to be fun.
“So, what are we going to do?”
“I appreciate the “we”, Rex.” He grinned and slung an arm around his friend’s shoulders, “Because I was going to loop you in anyway.”
“Like I didn’t already know that,” Chuckled the youngest Fett as they approached where Ventress stood with her gaggle of Slytherin followers. Shu Mai and Faro Argyus shot them scathing glares over the rims of their cups when within earshot. Even though many of the other schools intermingled with Hogwarts’ students, Slytherin remained on the outskirts as the most salty over Gryffindor’s victory.
“What do you want, Skywalker?” Sebulba crooned before Anakin could reach Ventress.
“I didn’t realize your name was Ventress,” He said.
“You want to mess with one of us, you mess with all of us.” He gritted.
“One of Slytherin or Sith sympathizers?” Anakin asked.
“Don’t bring politics into this,” He scoffed, spitting a bit on Anakin in the process, though it was almost worse that it wasn’t intentional.
“This is a chat for the big kids, Sebulba, so why don’t you move aside?” He snarked and pushed past him.
“Bold of you, seeing as you’re still a little pip squeak.” He grabbed him by the arm and twisted him back around, forcing him to look upon his long brown snout with little sharp teeth that had clearly never been brushed once in his 15 years of living.
“Did I say big? I meant relevant.” Anakin retorted, shaking him off, “Watch where you put those claws, I am a dragon wrangler, after all.”
A few snorts from the surrounding crowd seemed ready to dispute this, but no one stepped up to argue. Slytherin was clearly finding Gryffindor’s true champion a hard pill to swallow, which Anakin simply only further took in stride. It was especially damaging to them that they’d lost their precious Quidditch tournament, one that they clearly assumed they would have won.
“More like a dragon kisser, since that’s what you looked like you wanted to do,” Groff, one of Sebulba’s very unhelpful friends, cut in.
“At least it would have wanted to kiss him, unlike you foul blokes,” Rex also wasn’t on his top game in terms of taunts this evening either, it would seem.
“Thanks, Rex,” He grumbled and slipped from Sebulba’s clutches while he chastised his henchmen, “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to talk to Slytherin’s actual players.”
Did he get a bit more satisfaction by further pissing Sebulba off? Absolutely. It wasn’t his fault the idiot got himself kicked off the team his first year playing. Anakin hadn’t even been around for such a stunt!
“Ventress, give up the trophy!” He demanded. “We won it fair and square!”
“Someone should have you checked for head injury, Skywalker,” Looking ever the unimpressed shrew that she was, she tapped a bony finger against her pointy chin in mock contemplation, “For you to ever believe I’d do such a thing could only be explained by near critical condition.”
“You would have liked that,” Anakin said.
“Why would you ever say that? I’ve been nothing but supportive for your victory in the tournament as of late?” She was smooth, he would give her that, and was rare to lose her temper over anything she deemed less than worthy. Instead, she sipped at her glass of punch as though it was the finest of wines and looked down at him enough to make their height difference feel like more than it was.
“That’s all for show and you know it! Just like your scam of a marriage to Obi-Wan!” He accused, “Which I see is going so well.”
She narrowed her eyes at him a fraction, “You should learn quickly not to involve yourself in other people’s business, Skywalker. You might get to keep that big head of yours a bit longer if you do.”
“My business is with the Quidditch trophy,” He said, “Which, like Obi-Wan, doesn’t belong to you!”
A few people oohed and aahed like any proper heckling crowd would, much to Ventress’ disapproval and her sharp glare silenced many of them, but not Anakin’s unwavering determination. They’d worked hard for this, dammit! And even if Cody wasn’t letting on to it, having that trophy tonight meant a lot to him. It was obvious he dreamed of it even back when he’d trained Anakin on how to play.
“Mark my words, Skywalker,” She leaned close enough for him to realize how sharp her teeth were when bore like a wild animal, “You will not get your greasy little hands on that trophy so long as I’m leader of this squad.”
She shouldn’t have been, according to the fallout of the previous year, but it seemed they never actually found her replacement.
He held her stare for a moment longer before Quinlan Vos stepped between them.
“Hey now, this was a fun day, right?” He laughed a bit in his usual whimsy. Ventress didn’t take her glare off of Anakin despite his efforts.
He placed a hand on her shoulder, a move that surely should have sent him to the grave, but surprisingly, did not. In fact, some of the tension melted away from Ventress, even if her gaze was still venomous. He placed one on Skywalker’s shoulder soon after, but the change in current did not go unnoticed. It had originally bummed Anakin out that Quinlan had chosen to support Slytherin over Gryffindor today, but he never actually took the time to wonder why.
“Walk it off,” He said to the both of them, “And Asajj, maybe you should give him the trophy. They did win, after all.”
She snapped her attention to Vos and shook off his hand with the sort of bite that Anakin would have expected to begin with. “Do not presume to understand how things work around here, Vos. This is my turf.”
And with that, she stormed away, disappearing to the end of the clearing, near the woods. No one paid it much attention, as dramatic exits were hardly unusual for some of Slytherin’s finest. Instead, everyone pretty much resumed what they were doing and cranked whatever music had been playing louder.
“Well, I tried,” Quinlan laughed lightly and shrugged at Anakin, “Good playing today, kid.”
“Thanks,” He said, “But I’ve got a few more tricks up my sleeve.”
“Glad to hear it. That’s the only way to best these Slytherins.” He said, “By beating them at their own game.”
“Hey, we already did it once today,” Anakin smiled, “What’s one more time?”
“It’s a shame Moteé couldn’t play today,” Sabé commented as the girls all sat with their legs stretched out over the grassy hill beneath them. All had s’mores and hotdogs on their plates and wore various representations of Gryffindor regalia, save for Rabé, of course, who still represented Slytherin house.
“I know, but she was practically vomiting toads this morning.” Cringed Eirtaé as she wiped chocolatey fingers off on her napkin.
“Poor thing,” Padmé agreed, “By the way Rex played tonight, I wouldn’t be surprised if he starts soon.”
“Or they alternate.” Yané suggested and then grimaced, “Still, she’s not going to like that.”
“I’m sure she’s still happy Gryffindor won,” Her girlfriend supplied happily from Yané’s other side, still starry eyed from the victory. Between Anakin’s lead in the tournament and their win today, their entire house was practically walking on air. Even those who didn’t care too much about Quidditch were happy. They needed the school spirit.
“Of course,” Rabé said, “A bit of a pity Ventress will never give up the trophy.”
“She’s a bitch for that,” Sabé growled.
“She a bloody bitch in general, it’s Ventress,” Rabé had a particular and justifiable distaste for Slytherin’s most publicized, seeing as she’d turned her to stone the previous year. “None of us should be surprised. I’m sure Headmaster Yoda will make her give it up.”
“Speaking of the wicked witch of the eastern seaboard.” Muttered Eirtaé as Ventress cut through the crowd and stepped through the barrier designed to encase them in a comfortable temperature, and into a clearing of trees.
“Probably off to commit more human sacrifice,” Snorted Rabé.
“I should hope not,” Padmé said, “I think she’s done enough at this point.”
Strangely enough, after a few long minutes of waiting for her to reemerge, she didn’t. Instead, Quinlan Vos, though attempting to appear casual and aimless in his walk, followed her. Each girl looked at each other in equal parts confusion and curiosity.
“You don’t think…” Sabé started, meeting Padmé’s own conclusions with her own. They’d always been connected in a way few people were. As children, they used to swear they could read each other’s minds.
“It’s a horrendous thought.” Padmé agreed and then shook her head, “But anything is possible. That much we should know by now.”
“What are you two conspiring?” Saché asked. “That Vos is her next target?”
“There’s only one way to find out,” Rabé said as she was the first to stand and walk down the hill, breaking through the protective bubble with considerable ease. Padmé looked both ways, assessing that they weren’t being watched, before leading the others in her wake.
“I’d hate to learn that Quinlan is actually evil,” Sighed Eirtaé.
“Gee, I wonder why that’d break your heart,” Teased Yané.
“Wouldn’t you be upset if Saché was actually partaking in the she-devil’s cult practices?”
“Yeah, but that’s different,” Yané insisted, “For one thing, Saché actually knows I exist.”
“That’s a bit unnecessary, thank you.”
“Ladies, hush,” Sabé hissed, “Some of us aren’t exactly looking to be put on the menu this evening.”
Padmé had to agree with that. While spying on anyone could easily be frowned upon, spying on Ventress and getting caught was practically a death sentence on sight. At the very least, she’d probably turn all of them to stone too.
She’d be instantly caught by the likes of Windu, but that wouldn’t save Padmé or her friends.
Still, drawn by curiosity and the need to know in the event that Quinlan was up to shady dealings that could affect the tournament, she was propelled in her quest of knowing. Quietly, but swiftly, they crept up to the edge of the forest, kneeling behind some large shrubbery to remain unseen.
“I thought I told you not to speak to me in public,” Ventress said in a low voice.
“I didn’t say anything that would tip anyone off,” This voice, darker than usual, belonged to Quinlan. “I was trying to help.”
“You were butting in,” She insisted, “Which I do not need or want.”
“I’m sorry,” He said, “But you were being a bit harsh. You looked about ready to strangle the boy.”
“I was, you should have let me,” Though she didn’t sound nearly as threatening as usual. If anything, it was the closest thing Padmé had heard to humor from Ventress.
It was most unsettling.
Sabé shot Padmé a concerned glance that she could feel burning through the side of her face, but she kept listening, waiting for any indication that they were planning anything harsher than what apparently occurred earlier.
“I never took you as the type to care that much about school Quidditch.” He said.
“And you? This isn’t even your school.” She parried.
“I have my reasons,” He said. “Even if you did try to decapitate Kenobi on the pitches earlier.”
“He walked it off,” She said, a shrug in her tone, “Someone like him could use a little scare every now and then. He’s far too comfortable these days.”
“Well, you are scary,” He said.
“I thought you liked that about me.”
“Sometimes,” He admitted, “But in the right circumstances.”
“So, tell me what those are.” She said, her voice smooth like velvet and nothing like the rough tones that Ventress typically used to get what she wanted. There was a breathy quality that could only mean she was going in for the kill or...
“Well, you can strangle me if you’d like,” He said with a smile that they couldn’t see, but could hear through his words, “Bind me to you entirely.”
“Don’t mind if I do, pretty boy.”
This time, it was Padmé’s turn to shoot a shocked look to Sabé, who like all the other girls, was right there with her in incredulousness. Still, they were painfully rooted to their spot until the obnoxious sounds of wet kisses followed by deep moans caused them to scurry away, their cheeks burning brighter than their shirts.
“No, no, no , that cannot be happening.” Gagged Eirtaé once it was safe to do so.
“I caught a glimpse during our escape,” Rabé wrinkled her nose, “And you couldn’t pay me to touch that tree ever again.”
“Not a million galleons,” Asserted Yané.
“A billion.” Promised Saché, who looked a bit green.
“This… This doesn’t make any sense,” Sabé said looking at all of them, completely rid of any appetite for perhaps the rest of the year, “Vos and Ventress?”
“Shagging in the woods,” Rabé said, shaking her head, “Sad to have seen this day come upon us.”
Eirtaé grimaced, “That’s not the only thing that’s com-”
“-Stop!” Padmé held out a hand, stopping that thought before it could be finished, refusing to visualize any of the dirty details of what they’d been exposed to. She released a breath, trying to clear her thoughts of all things seedy, “I suppose it’s not too far fetched… He was showing support for Slytherin today.”
“I thought he just liked the color green,” Saché sighed.
“That’s what I was hoping,” Eirtaé said sadly.
“And weren’t they seen arguing together after the Yule Ball?” Padmé asked.
“Who doesn’t Ventress argue with?” Rabé asked.
“Not like that,” Sabé added sardonically, “Not with her tongue down someone’s throat.”
“I might be sick,” Yané clutched her stomach. Saché rubbed her back soothingly and they all moved to take a seat again on the grass.
“I guess she has been far too calm and collected over Obi-Wan and Satine getting together,” Padmé said thoughtfully, tapping her chin with her finger, “I mean, why else continue to keep it a secret from his parents?”
“That’s true,” Sabé agreed, “You’d think she’d want that stamped out.”
“But if she’s busy hooking up with someone she shouldn’t be, that’s all the more reason to remain quiet,” Rabé said, “Wow, I just never thought she even had feelings.”
“It could just be physical,” Eirtaé suggested.
“Let the dreams die, girl,” Yané sighed heavily, “And accept your life with Hogan Tinmar.”
“Oh come off it!” She scowled.
“Well, whatever is going on between them, we shouldn’t tell anyone,” Padmé said, glancing back to the cursed forest, “After all, if Obi-Wan and Satine lose this leverage, even if they don’t know they have it, that could be the end for them.”
“And we certainly don’t want that,” Saché said, “It’s about time.”
“I’ll drink to that.” Sabé said.
“I’ll drink to anything right now, I need to have that erased from my brain,” Rabé said.
“I think Hondo was trying to turn the punch into rum earlier, but had limited success,” Padmé said teasingly. “I’m pretty sure Windu put a charm on it.”
“Yeah, I’m not that desperate anyway.”
“Windu is totally going to catch us if we try to sneak off,” Rex said warily as he shot a look over to their Charms professor, “Especially after that confrontation with Ventress.”
“Nothing happened because of it,” Anakin waved him off, “And don’t worry about that.”
“What are you planning?” Rex asked suspiciously, because not only did Anakin look far too comfortable for anyone else’s peace of mind, but he seemed very sure that Windu wouldn’t catch onto their plans. Then again, Rex truly could plead ignorance in this case, since he still had no idea what those plans were.
Normally, he’d be just as fine enjoying the bonfire for what it was. Music was playing and kids danced around the large multi-color flames, food was available in the form of items best consumed when heated over a campfire, and lawn games in the form of dodge-quaffle and toss the jelly slug were offered. Unsurprisingly, the twins were ensconced in a match of Exploding Wizard Skittles.
Normally, the game didn’t explode, but that was just the Fett touch.
“Wait for it…” Anakin smiled and before Rex could even open his mouth to offer a rebuttal, a very flustered Nute Gunray came running across the field and over to Professor Windu.
There was so much commotion that Rex couldn’t hear what he’d said, but he had been able to read his gray, lipless mouth, as he anxiously relayed how a snake climbed out of the toilet in the professor’s bathroom and wound up in an unfortunate spot.
“Did you-” But once again Rex didn’t have the option to exchange words because Hondo Ohnaka’s loud laugh immediately gave him away.
“Ohnaka!” Boomed Windu and he stormed in the opposite direction of them, making his move towards seizing the squirming Weequay. Hondo was making quite a show of his escape, shooting off green and silver streamers into the air and using various other students as obstacles to be avoided.
“Come on, Rex!” Anakin grabbed him by the sleeve and pulled him through the reasonably distracted crowd.
In a flourish that was no doubt somehow planned by his mischievous friend, the two young Gryffindors slipped seamlessly from the event, completely unnoticed thanks to Hondo’s eccentricism.
“How the bloody hell did you manage to plan that?” Rex asked as they hiked the big walk up and over the hill where the castle was nestled. “And how did you get Hondo to take that massive fall for you?”
“I really didn’t have to do much. I found him at the right time and just nudged him in the right direction with the prank. Gunray had just failed Hondo for his essay on protection spells.” Anakin laughed, quite pleased with himself.
“What was wrong with it?” Rex asked.
“You know, he didn’t say.” Anakin said, “Something about them having different ideas of the sort of “protection” being implied. He was pretty pissed, so I suggested he make Gunray cry about it.”
“Not sure Neimodians can cry,” Rex thought aloud.
“Still, he came pretty close, eh?”
“I’ll say,” It was Rex’s turn to laugh, “I don’t even wanna know how close that snake got to his bum.”
“There’s already a big stick up there, so what’s a snake?” Anakin asked.
The two boys laughed as they walked back into the castle as though it was their own, interrupting a few annoyed ghosts that thought they’d have the night to themselves.
“Alright, hotshot, well what next?” He asked. “We’ll never get into Slytherin’s common room without someone from Slytherin to let us in.”
Maybe Anakin should have used his newfound bribery skills to simply have Hondo let them inside. That would have been a lot less showy. Then again, neither Anakin nor Hondo did much the normal way.
“Remember when I said I had some tricks up my sleeves?” He asked coyly, slipping from the inside of his left sleeve…
“The map?” Rex gasped, his voice echoing off the stone walls around them, startling the enchanted pumpkins that were perched above them on a windowsill. “How the hell did you get that back? When the hell did you get that back? Why the hell-”
“-I think that’s enough,” Anakin held out a hand, a smirk on his lips, “I have my ways, Rex, isn’t that enough of an explanation?”
“Er, no? Absolutely not?”
“Fair,” He said after some thought and led them along their way, “Because they did a lot of rebuilding and reworking after the Maul incident last year, many of the tunnels have completely changed for safety purposes-”
“-And to likely keep you out of them,” Rex added.
“Sure, sure, but clearly, that didn’t last long,” Grinned Anakin as he kept his eyes on the map, “One thing they didn’t account for, is that just as Hogwarts updates, this map does too, unlike that other shoddy one we were using. This one was made by Palpatine, after all, and he’s about as powerful as he is old!”
“Interesting,” Rex nodded, “That doesn’t explain how you got the map. Remember? You lost it in the tunnels when you ran into Maul.”
“But I didn’t run into Maul if you recall,” He seemed quite pleased with himself about that rhyme, but only continued on, “I ran into Ventress.”
“So… Oh .” It was all becoming quite clear to Rex, “So this entire time…”
“I don’t know how she’s been making use of it,” Anakin went on, “But I think everyone can agree that it’s in much better hands with me than it is with her.”
“That’s why you confronted her.”
“I knew she had to have it on her,” He said, “If I got her angry enough, she wouldn’t have noticed a little light pick-pocketing.”
Rex had to admit, Anakin might have a bit of mischief in him, but at the very least, he was becoming a great deal smarter with his plans than he had in their first year at Hogwarts. He still shivered when he thought back to how Anakin essentially willingly wandered into what was supposed to be a sacrificial chamber for him .
“I’d ask where you learned that, but I really think it’s better I don’t know,” Rex retorted and allowed Anakin to lead them down the path to the new entryway to Slytherin’s common room. This time, it was found in a potions’ closet, which was actually unlocked.
“That doesn’t seem safe.” Rex commented passively.
“Neither do swinging staircases that could knock you off and send you to your deaths at any given second,” Anakin said, “Or a giant tree that attacks people on sight. Or a forest with-”
“-Point taken,” He said and followed Anakin through the little door behind the shelves, which was just big enough for the two of them to fit and inch their way down the very dark space. Idly, Rex realized he’d never actually been in Slytherin’s common room. It wasn’t exactly the most sought after place for him to visit, not when its occupants had a tendency to be so foul or troublesome. Even still, he found he’d much rather deal with them than those Durmstrang blokes.
They entered from the floor, actually, just beneath a very dusty gray rug that made the both of them cough hysterically. Clearly, it hadn’t been moved in quite some time.
Surprisingly, it resembled less of a dungeon than what Rex had always suspected, considering their proximity to actual dungeons, but the green reflection from the black lake cast the entire space in an eerie glow. It was too dark to see any creatures, but a twinge of fear sprung within Rex of a beady eyed shark being on the other side of the glass.
If it was even still in the lake, he reasoned.
Like their common room, they had a fireplace, though it was decorated in more ancient artifacts and regalia associated with Salazar Slytherin’s greatest triumphs. Their walls were adorned with the many Quidditch victories by House Slytherin through the years and their library was quite extensive. Judging by the layers of dust, he had doubts that they actually read much of them.
He was most surprised to see a large portrait of a cat off to the right. He squinted as he leaned in close. It didn’t have any fur and had a rather bored look on its face. Evidently, it once belonged to one of the Headmasters at Hogwarts.
The little tag on its collar read, “Madame Killer III”, which go figure for that one.
“Do you think it would be too obvious if I charmed some Gryffindor banners to spruce up the place?” Anakin asked.
“Yes,” Rex laughed, though he wouldn’t deny he enjoyed the idea of Ventress and company’s faces when they walked into a red and gold themed Slytherin common room. “Where do you reckon the trophy is hidden?”
In Gryffindor’s common room, there was a display case for the trophy to be held should they win. When it was empty, it was instead filled with pictures and plaques of the great wins of the past. Anything to improve enthusiasm. Proudly, Cody had a few pictures and awards on display in the case.
“Ventress is probably selfish enough to keep it for herself.” Anakin said thoughtfully, “But she’s not exactly team captain anymore.”
“She basically is, just not officially,” Rex said. “We ought to be quick, though. This is the last place I’d like to be caught lurking and stealing.”
“We’re not lurking, we’re perusing with the intent of reclaiming what is rightfully ours.”
“Sounds like lurking and stealing to me,” Rex said, but walked up the stone stairs that wound their way up to the bedrooms. “I don’t suppose we’ll be able to get in here. They’re supposed to be charmed.”
“We wormed our way into Ravenclaw’s.” Anakin shrugged and pushed him aside. Low and behold, he was nearly blasted backwards by the force of a strong protective charm, knocking him on his arse and on the floor. Still, the blond boy looked rather unperturbed considering he was about to have a hearty bruise on his bum.
“Well, maybe Slytherin updated their charms.” He said.
“Probably because of what happened in Ravenclaw’s.” Rex rolled his eyes. “Well, now what?”
“I find it really hard to believe that the girls would be able to just hoard the trophy,” Anakin said, “It’s a co-ed team!”
“Wait a second, you can speak snake!” Rex snapped his fingers.
“Only in dreams,” Anakin reminded him, “And really only a handful of times.”
“That’s a handful more than anyone else can.” He said, “But that’s Slytherin’s big gimmick right? Salazar Slytherin used to communicate in secret that way.”
“What’s your point?”
“My point, is that getting into the Slytherin common room is supposed to be about whispering to walls and stuff, passwords and all that, what if some of those passwords include speaking like a snake?”
“But when I spoke like that, everyone was shocked. I thought no one else could.”
“Maybe not naturally, but it’s possible they know the exact intonation of the password,” Rex pinched his chin and walked around, coming back around to the wall of quidditch portraits, noting that there was only one portrait that was completely still. It was a random sketch of Salazar Slytherin, himself, very detailed but unmoving all the same in his quidditch regalia. He couldn’t deny that it was a bit out of place amongst the rest. “Just say something, anything, in that snake language.”
“Pretty sure it has a more refined name than that, Rex.” Anakin said.
“Oh? And what is it?” He raised an eyebrow at his friend.
Anakin gave it some thought, but they both knew he nor Rex was going to come up with it, and gave up. With an exasperated sigh that Rex most certainly did not deserve out of the two of them, Anakin followed his lead and stood beside him.
“I’ve never just… Spoken like that before.” He clarified. “Intentionally.”
“In your sleep you do,” Rex said, “Sometimes, anyway.”
“You listen to me while I sleep?” Anakin wrinkled his nose.
“It’s either that or Echo and Fives’ synchronized snoring.” He said, “Why can’t any of you be bloody quiet sleepers?”
“I don’t know, I’m asleep,” Anakin said. “What should I say?”
“Anything! Just get on with it before Ventress comes back and skewers us one by one!”
Knowing that was definitely a possibility, Anakin took a deep breath and centered himself, likely reminding himself of some of the things he heard whilst asleep. Rex had to admit, more times than one, hearing the whisper of hisses was far more alarming than he led on. He always hoped they weren’t an indicator of nightmares, but Anakin always seemed quite peaceful if he checked on him.
“Ayaeehaaahssssseyythaasssseythasssssssseythahaassssehhhssss” A voice that would have been completely foreign to Rex’s had he not witnessed it a few times at night, uttered, sounding completely unlike Anakin and more like a spirit whistling through the wind. In fact, Anakin looked a bit haunted as he spoke it, like it was taking over him entirely.
He only looked away from him when he heard the sound of stone grating against each other and sure enough, the stone behind the sketched portrait began to rotate. When turned entirely, it revealed a small shelf with the House Quidditch Trophy in its place.
“Thatta boy!” Rex smacked him on the back, “What’d you say?”
“Open Sesame, I think.” Anakin shrugged.
“And Slytherins are supposed to be quick,” He rolled his eyes. “Come on, let’s get out of here!”
Obi-Wan had to admit that it was nice getting a night off from research and homework and losing sleep over the meaning behind the blank golden parchment. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever suspect that relief would come from a quidditch-related outing. Not when the previous six years had involved dreading such events.
Still, it was rather impossible to deny that it was a beautiful night to celebrate hard-earned victories amongst friends quite literally encased in their own bubble of merriment. Ventress wasn’t enacting torture on any of the other happy students, Cody was free to speak on as much quidditch as his heart desired, and Satine was sat between his legs while toasting a marshmallow over the presently purple campfire.
All was well.
He sighed contentedly, intent on basking in the glow of this moment for days to come, especially should things get dark again. With Dooku’s recent silence, that darkness seemed imminent and foreboding, but Obi-Wan could not give it any care for right now.
All was somehow made even better when Satine carefully raised the now-golden marshmallow up towards him, quite literally waving it around on a stick for the taking.
“For me? You shouldn’t have!” He said happily as he plucked the fluffy treat free from its skewer.
It certainly helped his spirits that such fine sweets were included. There was a simplicity to s’mores that he could appreciate, particularly because they involved such essential tenets to the dessert world all in one basic package of: chocolate, marshmallow, graham cracker. Add heat and it was immeasurable gooey goodness.
“Get any of that marshmallow in my hair and that will be the end of that, Obi-Wan Kenobi.” Satine craned her head to look at him, a stern look on her face that could only draw a laugh from him. He would never dare, but couldn’t pretend that he hadn’t accidentally spilled worse on her in the past.
“Of me or us?” He asked cheekily.
In response, she grabbed his face with the hand not still holding her marshmallow stick, squishing his cheeks lightly between her thumb and fingers. Though she was mocking appraisal for his wit, he could feel no fear nor retribution due to the mirth in her eyes.
“Both,” She laughed a bit at the end of it, clearly finding his face in this position to be quite funny, before releasing him promptly to place another marshmallow on the tip of her stick.
“Oh good,” He said, not quite giving up on the schtick, “Because I needed a bit of clarity on the subject, seeing as it would involve me haunting you for the remainder of your days.”
“I see,” She pondered that thought, “Yes, that would be quite terrible. You’d be a very annoying ghost.”
“Are you calling me annoying?” He laughed.
“Yes,” She deadpanned before breaking into a coy smile, “But in all fairness, it would be quite difficult to get anything done with you hovering around trying to debate me at every turn.”
“Is that not how we are now?” He asked.
“I can silence you with a kiss as a corporeal being,” She smirked, “As a ghost, I’d be left to listen to all your incessant thoughts on whether or not cavemen were wizards.”
“There is plenty of proof supporting the claim that-” But she’d proved her point and pressed a quick kiss to his lips, one too swift for any prying eyes to catch wind of. He delighted in the fact that she tasted like chocolate and marshmallows, yet was resolute to know that he found a new way to appreciate s’mores. One that he had to admit he liked more.
“That is a very unfair advantage,” He countered.
“Really? Because I’d argue we’re very equally split,” She said, “You could easily do the same to me.”
“I don’t find you annoying in the slightest,” He raised an eyebrow at her, “Not even when you find yourself on your pacifistic tirades.”
“Tirades, my dear, Ben?” She chuckled, “Well, far be it from me to subject you to such anger, not when you make me feel so sweet.”
“You’re just sucking up because you called me annoying.” He shook his head.
“Au contraire, have you ever considered that I like you because you’re annoying?” She tapped his knee aimlessly and he smiled, lacing their fingers together. “Because I do.”
He pretended to give that some thought, completely unaware of what anyone was getting up to around them. It was as though within this temperature sealed bubble, there was another bubble and it was reserved for just the two of them.
“I suppose I can live with that,” He raised her fingers to his lips, “With the condition that you promise never to relent on that stance.”
“I haven’t so far,” She said, leaning back so her head brushed against his chest, “And with seven years down, I quite like those odds.”
“I do too,” He said softly.
Any sense of peace that had been gathered between the two of them had effectively been shattered by the raucous chants and cheers that came from Gryffindor house when none other than Anakin Skywalker took a bold stance atop a large tree stump to wave the Quidditch House Cup proudly in the air.
“Something tells me Ventress didn’t give that up willingly,” Satine murmured as she disentangled herself from Obi-Wan to stand up. He followed without question in case prefect support was necessary and knowing how Slytherin could react to this, it very well might be.
Cody was in the heart of it, unsurprisingly, and had effectively been lifted by his team to stand beside Anakin on his makeshift stage. It was practically a sea of red that surrounded them and it was nearly impossible to hear what Anakin was cheering, but judging by the movement of his lips, it was something along the lines of “Gryffindor! The true champions!” and was devoured by the crowd.
Obi-Wan would have felt joyful and participated with the excitement had Ventress not been practically breathing fire from where she stood off to the side, appearing a bit disheveled, but angry no less.
“And now!” Anakin called, his voice suddenly loud enough to be heard, likely in thanks to an amplifying charm, “I present this trophy to the person who deserves it the most. Without them, I wouldn’t even know what quidditch is, let alone be part of a winning team. So, I’m proud we did him right today. So, I think it’s high time this be in the hands of the person who earned it.”
He’d shot a rather scathing look towards Ventress, who only scowled more with arms crossed tightly enough to cut off blood flow. He’d be worried if it was anyone else but Ventress. A few others, like Krell and Sebulba, were also a bit salty, but most, even the majority of Slytherin house, were on board.
“Our captain, the best of Gryffindor…”
“My big brother, Cody!” Rex completed for him, thrusting his older brother’s arm in the air with the influx of cheers and screams from the crowd. This time, Obi-Wan and Satine both participated in full, like they were excitable school girls catching a glimpse of a celebrity. Then again, Cody was bigger than a celebrity to them. He was their best friend and Anakin was right. It did belong in his hands.
Cody, for his part, seemed a bit dazed, as though in absolute shock that any of this was happening, even after years of hard work and dedication to the sport. He’d essentially centered his entire life to his squad and his love for it and them. Obi-Wan sincerely hoped that it was everything he’d ever wanted, because he deserved it and so much more.
“I…” He was at a loss for words, staring in both parts adoringly and in disbelief at the trophy in his hands, likely catching a glimpse of his own reflection as he’d always dreamed to. For a moment, Obi-Wan thought Cody might cry.
The crowd fell just quiet enough to allow for their captain to speak and it was good to see at least most of his house backing him again. Anakin’s own verbal support had likely been helpful in cementing that loyalty, but either way, it was about time everyone saw Cody for what he was: the truest of them all.
“I don’t know what to say, honestly,” Cody admitted, a bit of uncharacteristic self consciousness creeping in, “I believed this day would come, because I believed in my team, but while I always dreamed of what it would feel like, it was nothing like this.”
He looked out at each of them, starry-eyed and slowly gaining vigor with each second, “But what made it worth it, what made it amazing, was playing along the best bloody squad in the entire world!”
That earned him hoots and hollers from no doubt said squad, including Rex and Anakin, who still stood on either side of him.
“Some of which were my blood, my brothers, my family,” He said, finding each of them, “Who will always be my lifelong teammates.”
“Yeah!” Fives or maybe it was Echo cheered, eliciting a wry smile from Cody.
“Just because you’re done with me on the school field doesn’t mean you’re done at home.”
“Boo!” The other twin called and everyone laughed.
“And for my other friends, who always supported me, regardless of house and regardless of how I never shut the hell up about it.” Obi-Wan and Satine exchanged a knowing glance, boiling over with happiness and Satine, a bit misty eyed.
“I love you guys,” He said with a grin and looked at the trophy again, “And I’m honored to house this for a year and look forward to seeing it stay with Gryffindor for quite some time, even without me.”
And that, for some reason, was quite sad to imagine. They all knew they were graduating, but Obi-Wan couldn’t quite picture Gryffindor without Cody. Yes, Fives and Echo and Rex would still be happy to take up the mantle, but it suddenly dawned on Obi-Wan that there would always be a new rendition of students, each who brought their own special contribution to tradition and to living history.
Hogwarts would always go on, well beyond their time.
But Cody didn’t look sad, he looked emboldened and overwhelmed by the joy on this night.
“And I promise you all, this won’t be the only trophy you see in my hands, just you wait.” He said with a slow nod, earning the largest amount of applause of all.
“I’m holding him to that,” Obi-Wan said.
“Yes, you and me both,” Satine grinned back at him, wiping away stray tears from her eyes, “But for now, I’d say he earned hugs for this one.”
“Why are you up so early?” A groggy voice startled Rex from quietly (or so he thought) wrapping his winter layers around his body. He turned, spotting Anakin, whose head was peeping through the curtains of his four poster bed. His friend’s eyes were still droopy and full of sleep, hardly recovered from the late night they’d all had thanks to the big Gryffindor win.
No, the festivities certainly hadn’t ended at the bonfire, at least not for their house. Windu had been specific in ordering them all back to their common rooms, but he was certain it wasn’t just coincidence that he hadn’t bothered to come check that they were all asleep.
Maybe, the authoritarian Charms professor was starting to come around.
“Er… Just taking a morning walk to visit my brother,” It was the truth, but not the entirety of it. Rex didn’t like keeping secrets, not from his best mate, but it was for the best that Anakin not have himself dragged into more trouble. It seemed he was finally getting a bit of a break this year.
“Oh, I can come if you want,” He said sleepily and moved to push his curtains the entire way aside.
“No!” Rex hissed, far too harshly, causing Anakin to freeze in place, eyes wide and definitely a bit more awake. “I mean, it’s early, and I think he just wanted to talk about brother stuff.”
He hadn’t meant to make that sound so exclusive, because Anakin flinched a bit at the dismissal, trying as he might to hide his disappointment, “Okay, is everything alright?”
“Yeah, yeah, everything’s completely fine!” He waved him off, still trying to keep his voice soft to avoid waking up any of the other boys. Luckily, the festivities had run into the very early morning and many were out cold. “I’ll be back soon. We’re just getting tea.”
“I hate tea,” Anakin grumbled and then nodded a bit more at ease, “Well, we’re still going to investigate that symbol from my parchment later, right?”
“Of course,” Rex nodded, happy to be able to make an honest promise in the midst of his evasive escape. “I’ll meet up with you and Padmé later.”
“Did she seem a bit strange last night?” Anakin whispered before Rex could free himself from their bedroom, “Like, after we got the trophy? She seemed a bit shaken.”
“I think everyone was in new form last night after that win,” Rex said with a shrug, “But we can ask her about it later.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” He yawned, “Well, enjoy your tea time with Ninety-Nine. I’m going to get some more sleep if it’s all the same to you.”
Rex would have happily done the same if he hadn’t already promised to watch Rotta the Hutt while Ninety-Nine cleaned the classrooms in preparation for school on Monday. It was the only real time allotted for it this week, since the castle was still in full swing on Saturday.
There had been an unexpected snow storm in the wee hours of the morning, which completely covered the front lawn and all the walkways, not giving enough time for Ninety-Nine or anyone else to perform a charm to clear the path just yet. This only added to Rex’s delay as he trudged through the mess discontentedly. However, he was anything but sleepy at this point as the cold was biting at his cheeks every second of the way.
The sun had just barely crept above the horizon, causing an orange shadow to brim beyond the castle and appear almost angelic if it weren’t so damn chilly.
He’d expected to find Ninety-Nine inside with the baby, but was surprised to see his eldest brother bundled up and with a scraper in his hand as he painstakingly removed something from the sides and windows of his house. From a distance, it looked like an awfully feeble practice of snow and ice removal, but when he got within a proximity where the icy wind no longer blinded his sight, the picture became clear.
“What happened?” He shrieked, appalled at the sheer amount of eggs that were frozen solid to Ninety-Nine’s once pristine exterior. It looked like an onslaught had occurred, pelting just about every square inch of the surface and solidifying overnight. Knowing how much care Ninety-Nine had put into making this hut feel like a home, Rex felt all of the cold melt right off of him, instead replaced by a burning sense of pure rage that sustained him.
“Either a really big chicken stormed through here or someone played a joke,” He sighed, a puff of cold air encircling his head. He was more resigned than anything else, but Rex couldn’t really bring himself to be humorous about this.
“Who did this?” He demanded, storming around the house to inspect for more damage beyond just the eggs.
“I don’t know, I slept right through it somehow, but it really doesn’t matter, Rex,” Ninety-Nine said, leaning against his snow shovel to take a breather, “What’s done is done and it’s not like I can have Headmaster Yoda or any of the other professors come investigate.”
Looking through the small window to see Rotta happily sucking on a rubber duck on the couch, the reasoning why became very apparent.
“Arseholes,” He cursed under his breath.
“Clearly, some kids had a bit too much fun last night,” Ninety-Nine shrugged, placing a hand on his shoulder, “There’s nothing to get worked up over. There are bigger risks at play. I’m just glad they didn’t find Rotta in the process.”
“Yeah, I guess,” He said, but couldn’t wrap his head around why anyone would choose Ninety-Nine’s little house as a target for a mean spirited prank. Not anyone from Hogwarts anyway. There had always been an unspoken respect for those who took care of the school, as it was considered bottom-tier to mistreat them.
Then, it was as if a spotlight had been shown on the answer in the snow. He bent over, retrieving a silver rectangular belt buckle from where it had previously been covered in snow. Dusting it off, he could make out the unmistakable dual headed eagle that was often synonymous with a symbol used in Tsarist Imperial Russia.
“Krell,” He said in a low voice, grasping the buckle so tight in his gloved fist that it very easily could have punctured through material or bent at his will- which ever came first. Rex didn’t care in the slightest, only cultivated more disdain for the contemptible Besalisk. He doubted he did this alone, thinking back to how Krell’s Durmstrang friends had watched and laughed when he slid snide insults towards Ninety-Nine, thinking they were all the better when it only proved how weak they really were.
“Rex?” Ninety-Nine shook him from his daze, a concerned look on his wrinkled face.
“Krell did this,” He spat, “I told you he wasn’t going to stop! He’s just going to keep tormenting you! We’ve got to do something!”
“He’s a child,” Ninety-Nine shook his head, “I will not be enacting revenge or buying into a prank war with a child.”
“He’s a seventh year! Very nearly an adult and he can’t just keep getting away with this!” He argued. Out here, in the snow, their voices were practically drowned out and he didn’t care if it carried all the way up to Headmaster Yoda’s tower.
“And I’ll happily relay what happened to Headmaster Tiure so he can be dealt with,” Ninety-Nine said, “But really, no harm was done. Rotta is safe, I’m safe, and there’s nothing that a simple schoolyard bully can do to break my spirit.”
“As if Ziro is going to give him detention!” Scoffed Rex, “Why do you think he transferred to that school? Because there’s no consequences for those pigheaded pricks! They do as they please and their Headmaster is a perfect example! He was gambling on Anakin and Obi-Wan’s lives in the tournament and nothing can be done about it!”
“I think you’re generalizing a little bit there, Rex,” Ninety-Nine said calmly, “I’ve met quite a few students from Durmstrang who were quite nice.”
“Probably faking it,” He said, “They’re the Slytherin of the wizarding schools: always up to something.”
“And I’ve met plenty of good-hearted Slytherin students as well,” He narrowed his eyes at him, “I must say, I understand why you’re upset and I don’t disagree that Ziro is shady, but I do not appreciate this side of you.”
“What side? The honest side?” Laughed Rex, “Because that’s how I see it!”
“The prejudiced side!” Ninety-Nine snapped and he’d never seen his usually relaxed brother so stern, “Our father did not raise us to have preconceived notions about anyone based on where they come from.”
“He hardly raised me at all,” Rex shook his head, pushing his way through the front door, “Whatever, you can lay down all you want about this, but we have to do something to prevent them from seeing Stinky! You’ll get arrested for something I’m pretty sure Durmstrang is responsible for.”
“Why would Durmstrang steal their own Minister’s son?” He asked.
“Because… I haven’t figured that part out yet, but why would anyone from Hogwarts?” Rex asked, “That would be the stupidest crime ever.”
“I’d argue that stealing a child for any reason is foolish and evil,” Ninety-Nine deduced.
“Yeah, well so is picking someone else while they’re down.” He said and whether it angered Ninety-Nine or not, he would ensure that eggs would not be the only thing cracking around here.
It was a rather boring morning without Rex around. Anakin had failed to fall back asleep after his friend had gone off to Ninety-Nine’s hut. Perhaps it was a still lingering, faded memory of a nightmare or simply the light streaming through the window, but hanging around the dormitory didn’t seem so appealing.
The common room was always quiet in the mornings, most students aiming to get as much sleep as they could before breakfast. Gryffindors as a collective usually tended towards staying up later, whether it was because they started some sort of tournament or were frantically trying to finish procrastinated essays. Anakin was really no different. But on the occasion when he woke early and couldn’t find sleep again, he didn’t mind sitting on the couch and paging through a few of his well worn comics.
His few Spiderman comics were practically falling apart at the seams for how much abuse they’d been given, being dragged all over the place ever since he had the ability to read. Still he refused to part with them. Every time Spiderman, or rather Peter Parker returned home to his Aunt May it reminded him of someone else . And he still missed her. An unending feeling of a broken heart that he longed to fix, if anyone would actually do anything about it.
In fact, that was a big inspiration to doing this stupid tournament in the first place right? To bring some awareness to his mother’s situation. Yet the press clearly was just as unbothered as the ministry seemed to be. Most in fact had stopped even looking at him with pity and although he certainly appreciated it, had they forgotten? Had they forgotten that he was still missing a rather large piece of his heart that had been stolen and hidden away somewhere?
He turned a page in his comic, Spiderman was sneaking out again to save the city. They probably had forgotten, after all, who was Shmi Skywalker to them? Who was she to anyone else besides Anakin? She’d kept them away from the wizarding world and if she had any friends besides Qui-Gon he’d never found them.
He was jarred from his reading, his thinking really, by tired heavy steps coming down from the boys dormitory. Half asleep and still donning his Quidditch robes, Cody appeared trudging towards the portrait hole. He likely wouldn’t even have noticed Anakin if he hadn’t shifted on the couch, the movement catching the chaser’s eyes even as they were mostly still shut.
“Anakin? It’s a bit early isn’t it?” He mumbled, voice nearly gone from all the shouting yesterday.
“Rex woke me up when he was getting ready to head to Ninety Nines-” Cody’s eyes widened just slightly, like Anakin had revealed something that he shouldn’t have, “Anyways I couldn’t go back to sleep. But I’m surprised to see you up, I thought you wouldn’t sleep at all,” Cody had, in fact, still been dancing on top of a table by the time Anakin excused himself for the night.
“I’m supposed to meet Kenobi,” He ran a hand down his face, “You didn’t go with Rex?”
“No he said it was brother stuff, didn’t seem to want me there…” Anakin tried not to let it get to him. He knew Rex didn’t mean anything by it, probably just wanted a chance to chat with his brother alone.
“Oh good, good,” Cody said distractedly, before ducking through the portrait, “Don’t make friends with Ravenclaws who think it fit to meet so damn early,” He warned and with a roll of his eyes he was gone.
Anakin shrugged, not something he had to much worry about, his best friend was a Gryffindor after all. Though he still found that Padmé had a bit of similar talent at getting him up and working at a time where he would most certainly prefer to be at breakfast. Today at least, they hadn’t planned to meet until at least a few hours afterwards.
There was a tapping on the window and Anakin turned to see Artoo peck at the window expectedly. Anakin jumped up and popped open the latch quickly. Artoo swooped around the room before dropping himself down on the couch and sticking a leg out to Anakin who raised an eyebrow.
“Artoo? Is that the prophet? I’m pretty sure I don’t pay for that…” His owl just gave him a firm look and waited until Anakin grabbed the rolled up parchment. Artoo then moved, a few flaps of the wings took him towards the still burning fire. Anakin didn’t bother to watch him make himself at home and instead opened the paper with a frown. He was greeted by a picture of him, hair slicked back and in horrible, uncomfortable dress robes from a Kenobi summer party that he’d attended. He was quite sure no one had taken his picture there so it was a bit off putting to see grace the front page.
“Anakin Skywalker,” it said in bold letters atop the page, “Who is he really?”
“Who am I?” Anakin sat further up, still staring, “They didn’t ask me!” He hadn’t received even an invitation to an interview in a couple weeks and none of the ones he’d gone to were for the prophet.
“Anonymous sources speak the truth,” He read aloud quietly.
Receiving such a surprisingly open and honest letter about the young champion Anakin Skywalker was not what I expected on an early Friday morning, but the work of a journalist truly never stops. I wasn’t to believe it without searching for the truth myself, but everything checked out and although our source remains quite anonymous we assure you they are truthful in their letter.
Anakin Skywalker grew up above a seedy muggle bar in London with his mother, Shmi Skywalker, who seemed to have renounced the ways of the wizarding world for a supposedly quiet life with her son. Anakin however it seemed was never suited for such a quiet life and instead allowed trouble to follow him quite far and quite often.
It is true in fact that upon his first year at Hogwarts he released the wild and strange Zillo Beast from under the school. Yet was easily kidnapped by the notorious Dooku. Later he broke into the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic and discovered that he may in fact be the Chosen One.
But what sort of Chosen One is the type to bring so much trouble onto those around him? But we’re talking about more than childhood pranks such as putting some trick soap into the girls bathroom. Our anonymous source says that when Maul stormed Hogwarts that fateful and tragic day, it was Anakin who went to face him. It was said he didn’t last too long in the fight if it wasn’t for others coming to his aid, notably his former mentor and fellow champion Obi-Wan Kenobi, would the chosen one truly be here with us.
Despite being a third year he allowed his fellow students along with himself break the rules in order to enter into such a dangerous tournament as the Triwizard Tournament surely is. Our source confirms that several younger students were able to surpass the barrier and place their names inside. What if another young student had been chosen, would they have lasted so long or would their death have brought just another tragedy to Hogwarts?
Anakin blanched, they were what? Blaming him for stuff he couldn’t control? He hadn’t released the Zillo Beast on purpose . Not really . It was that or get murdered by Dooku and he really didn’t have to think twice about his options. And Maul? He… well he had gotten in over his head, but he wasn’t the type to sit back and let anyone pick the school apart piece by piece. His heart still panged when he thought of Qui-Gon, but Obi-Wan had assured him always that it wasn’t his fault… Obi-Wan.
Anakin turned the page and skimmed another section of the article. There was one more picture, it was of Anakin in his pajamas reading comics in the Kenobis’ massive library.
Anakin may have fallen into life with the Kenobis since, but he certainly hasn’t let go of his more muggle upbringings. Pictured here in a one piece pajama set of a muggle superhero and reading picture books of similar origin. He’s also been spotted playing with action figures in his new bedroom. Is this the work of traumatic experiences or is this simply a boy, not yet grown up?-
Anakin dropped the paper, face pink in embarrassment, as he stared blankly across the room. He turned back to the paper, skimming it even quicker. Words flickered past his eyes with hardly any time to acknowledge them.
Skywalker still finds himself sleeping with stuffed animals-
When he’s not doing schoolwork, which is often, you can find him asleep in the library.
Generally unmotivated, hard to believe he managed so well in the first task.
The article ended, the same way it began, “So who is Skywalker really? A child playing at a hero, perhaps.-” He didn’t bother to read the other closing remarks.
He sat there, listening as the clock on the mantel ticked quietly and the fire crackled and the paper in his hands slipped to the floor.
It left him more with the question of why than the question of who.
Why was he being torn down, his embarrassing quirks aired for all to see, to read? His eyes drifted towards the comic sitting next to him on the couch and he felt that warm self-conscious feeling burning through him as he quickly stuffed them back in his school bag. What did it matter that he still played with action figures or liked to keep his food separate on his plate? What did his distaste for sand have to do with how well he would do in the tournament?
The article was written like he was a child who didn’t know what he was doing, but he knew exactly what he was doing! Had he or had he not come out on top in the first task! He was winning! He was in the lead! He’d just helped win his house the Quidditch cup too. He’d grown a lot from his first year; they all had to see that.
But he didn’t have to ask who had submitted such delicate information. Because the answer was still clear enough. Palpatine’s voice echoed in his head at the very thought. Obi-Wan Kenobi, his own mentor, had turned against him.
Anakin looked back at the picture of him at Kenobi manor. He didn’t like what he was perhaps considering, that his mentor was the anonymous source. But it was true that he wasn’t sure who else had so much information on him. Rex surely did, but that didn’t explain the picture and he didn’t talk much about what had happened with Maul. But Obi-Wan knew because he was there .
Obi-Wan had practically been following him around all summer, he would know all of Anakin’s embarrassing habits, he knew well enough now about Anakin’s comics and he’d explained his favorite TV shows. He racked his brain hoping he was wrong, but could come to no other conclusion.
Obi-Wan was playing the game for real now, playing dirty and Anakin was surprised, hurt, and angry. With a clenched fist around the prophet he snatched up from the floor he stormed out of the portrait hole.
The halls were clear and any ghosts lingering around this morning seemed to see his expression and flee. It saved him valuable energy that he was saving to possibly ram his fist into Kenobi’s surely smug face. He passed the boys bathroom and ignored Cody’s rather horrendous cover of some pop song Anakin wasn’t familiar with as it drifted out from the showers. It was probably good the other 7th year wouldn’t be present during this conversation.
The library doors were shut, but Anakin didn’t bother to knock, just pulled them open, if Madam Nu let Obi-Wan in at all hours she would have to do the same for all students. It was only fair.
And there he was. His former mentor sitting serenely at his usual table pouring over some ancient, musty tome that likely hadn’t seen the light of day since even Yoda was born. He looked relaxed and at peace and that made Anakin feel even better about shattering an otherwise perfect morning. He stomped up and tossed the prophet onto the table, face still heated and hands shaking.
“Anakin?” Obi-Wan blinked slowly in surprise, eyebrows coming together, “What are you-”
“You know when I told you not to help me out with the tournament, I didn’t think you’d resort to some stupid blackmail!” Anakin spat.
“Blackmail?” Obi-Wan’s eyes drifted to the prophet and started skimming immediately.
Anakin scooped the paper back up and shook it towards the other boy's face, “Don’t act like you don’t know! There’s no one else it could have been!” He hissed, tossing the paper at Obi-Wan, who caught it and with one more surprised and cautious glance at Anakin turned back towards the text and read it at a speed that really shouldn’t be possible.
“Anakin, I-” Obi-Wan frowned looking up at him in concern, “You think I did this?”
“Look here,” Anakin pointed at the picture from their summer party, “And here,” He ran his fingers across the bit about Maul and the bit about his action figures, “And here and here and here!” Anakin pointed at every bit of personal information he could find.
“Anakin,” Obi-Wan started, his tone just at the edge of lecturing.
“Don’t ‘Anakin’ me!” He growled, “After all the help I did getting rid of your embarrassing interview, and this is the thanks I get?”
“Anakin, I didn’t have anything to do with this article, it was likely-” Obi-Wan started with infuriating calmness.
Anakin scowled, “They really were right about you, you are more like Ventress and those slimy Slytherins than I thought.”
Despite the slightly nauseous look that flashed across Obi-Wan’s face he continued with calmness, “It’s just an average smear campaign, they try to undermine you with information they shouldn’t have about you,” He sighed, “Pretty much all purebloods get an expose done on them at one time or another-”
“So what you thought you’d teach me another dumb lesson this way?” Anakin picked up the prophet again, glaring at the words as if he could catch them on fire.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t able to prepare you for one of these,” Obi-Wan spoke softly as if Anakin was some spooked creature, “They prepared a similar one on me my fourth year, I thought you might have gotten to avoid the whole thing, being in the tournament and all.”
“I’m not hearing a no,” Anakin huffed.
“Anakin be serious!” Obi-Wan scoffed, a spark of irritation glinting in his own eyes, “If you don’t let it get to you it’ll go away in a weeks time-”
“Oh boy,” Anakin rolled his eyes, “A whole week.”
“I’m only saying-”
“I think you’ve said plenty ,” Anakin balled up the prophet and stuffed it in his bag.
“I haven’t said anything at all,” Obi-Wan gave him a sharp look, “And you should know that I’d never betray your trust like that,” He said as his eyes softened just a touch.
“Do I?” Anakin meant to say it with more force, more anger, but it came out sounding small, unsure. So before he could hear another response he spun on his heels and hurried out of the library, ignoring his former mentor- former friend’s calls behind him.
Obi-Wan was stressed to say the least. The next task was only weeks away and he seemed no closer to finding the answer to the stupid golden scroll than he was to be passing his NEWTs with flying colors. He’d been kept afloat largely by the happy feeling that seemed to flood out every negative thought whenever he was near his girlfriend . Even he could tell though that the spell was starting to wane. Not that his affection for Satine had lessened at all, it would always be the part of him that burned the brightest. But instead it was simply reality checking in to remind him that his future and quite possibly his survival hung in the balance.
“Mate, it’s too damn early for this,” Which is in fact why he’d invited Cody to join him in the library this morning. He winced, a bit of guilt swirled through his chest as he took in Cody’s haggard expression; he doubted his friend had gotten much sleep after the tournament win. Cody may have been doing his level best to scrub the sleep out of his eyes with a damp towel, but Obi-Wan still felt the need to apologize.
“Ah Cody,” He started, as his friend dropped into the seat across from him, “So sorry to ask you here so early-”
“Ugh it’s fine,” Cody complained, pulling a wrinkled shirt out of his bag and wrangling it over his head, “I’m late, I should be the one apologizing, I did promise to be here.”
“Only by a few minutes,” Obi-Wan added unhelpfully, “And really it’s best you were, Anakin was just here-”
“Anakin?” Cody raised an eyebrow, “Saw him in the common room before I left, but he looked pretty occupied reading those picture books he’s been showing Rex.”
“There’s been a bit of gossip released about him in the papers,” Obi-Wan frowned, “I tried to tell him it was a standard affair, I mean you remember fourth year-”
“Mate, this kind of stuff isn’t normal to us ‘regular folk’,” Cody was giving him that look again. The one that said ‘Mate wake up, you’re rich and your family’s infamous.’ Obi-Wan fought the urge to hide behind his textbook. He was done hiding.
“I’ll have to talk to him again,” Obi-Wan sighed, “I should have warned him, when he entered the tournament, or perhaps when the prophecy was exposed.”
“Or when your parents decided they needed another ward?” Cody prompted.
“Perhaps,” Obi-Wan had done his best to keep an eye on his parents' relationship with Anakin, but he could only do so much in that house.
“Eh, don’t worry about it,” Cody brushed the whole thing off. He had that ability, to push away whatever was weighing on Obi-Wan’s shoulders, “You don’t always get it right with brothers, but that’s when you just make up, preferably over a nice Quidditch match, but I’m sure talking it out will work just as well for a bookworm like you.”
“Thank you Cody,” He was hard pressed to resist the urge to roll his eyes.
“So, what’s the reason for meeting so early? I hope you’re not submitting me to reading more dull books,” Cody rested his head on his hand and Obi-Wan simply closed his textbook and instead pulled out a piece of parchment.
“Of course not,” He scoffed, “Satine would be mad as a cut snake if we were to start reading without her.”
“Aw, young love,” Cody snickered, “I’ll be sure to tell her you think she looks like a snake.”
“Shut up,” Obi-Wan refused to take the bait and instead dipped his quill in ink, ignoring the feeling of warmth that was slowly creeping up his neck, “Plus this isn’t about something as horrendously boring as reading ,” He tried and failed at mimicking Cody.
Cody laughed, “Now you’re speaking my language, what took you so long?”
“Well to be honest?” Obi-Wan tapped his quill anxiously on his fingers, “The threat of imminent death.” Where Cody had such a gift to bring the spirits in a room up, Obi-Wan often had quite the opposite, plunging the room into uncomfortable silence, “Of course I believe that knowledge is the ultimate power, I wouldn’t be a Ravenclaw if I didn’t,” He tried to bring back a bit of lightheartedness into the room, but Cody didn’t bite.
“It’s just that with the second task coming up,” Obi-Wan was forced to continue, “I thought that perhaps, focusing a bit more on strength of the physical kind might help me last long enough in any situation to think my way out of it.”
Obi-Wan had been thinking about this for a few weeks now actually. It was a sound plan, he thought. If he could simply run fast enough or climb far enough, he’d survive long enough to come up with a plan. He knew that Satine would hate this line of thought and he didn’t like it much himself, but with the days rapidly leaving him, he decided it might be best to start the discussion before it was too late.
Cody didn’t seem to like this plan much if his silence was any indication. His eyebrow twitched angrily and he crossed his arms over his chest, “You’re not telling me you’re giving up?”
Obi-Wan shook his head so quickly he thought it would send him into a dizzy spell, “Heavens no!” That wasn’t the idea of this at all, “I plan on redoubling my efforts with Satine as well, and honestly I’m sure Professor Gunray wouldn’t even notice if I didn’t show up for his class.”
“Now I’m sure you’re ill,” Cody was giving him a warning look.
“Cody please,” Obi-Wan set his quill down and crossed his own arms, “I’m covering my bases nothing more. With or without your help.”
“Oh I’ll help,” Cody huffed, “But we’re already doing workouts, what did you intend to be your plan here?”
“Honestly, I was hoping you had some ideas,” Obi-Wan picked his quill back up, “I tend to yield to the experts.”
Cody frowned, but more in the way that he was thinking, than in disapproval, “Alright,” He gestured for the quill and parchment, “I’ll work on it, your only job is to be committed to what I give you.”
Obi-Wan more than happily relinquished his writing utensils, “Perhaps I can do something to help?” Obi-Wan spoke after a moment of silence, “Did you finish your DADA essay?”
“I’m not letting you do my work for me,” Cody didn’t bother looking up, “I don’t need to be bought you know.”
“I never said I would,” Obi-Wan argued, “But I could edit it perhaps or something else if you’d prefer-”
“Kenobi,” Cody rolled his eyes, “It’s fine. Have you seen the assignments in DADA? It’s the same as our third year, I practically copied my old essay. That’s what everyone else did.”
“That’s not a terrible idea,” Obi-Wan sighed.
“You can’t tell me you didn’t do the same,” Cody looked up at him then, hand paused mid writing and eyebrow raised, “It’s the exact same lesson plan.”
“Truthfully I haven’t started yet,” It clearly wasn’t the answer Cody was hoping for as his best mate put down the quill rather forcefully and gave a hard stare across the table.
“Well let’s both get to work then shall we?” Cody waved a hand towards him and Obi-Wan just stared at him a moment more before dragging out his third year DADA textbook and some more parchment.
They fell into silence as both of them scratched away at the parchment. The sun rose as they worked, going from just peaking over the horizon to revealing itself from behind a rather towering hill. Obi-Wan tried his best to be focused on his paper, but his mind continued to wander. It wasn’t often he found himself so uninterested in a topic, but he knew all about boggarts.
Though certainly interesting at the time of reading about them, they were just mysterious enough that without a lot of time and study there wasn’t anything new there to discover. They clearly reacted to your own fears as a defense mechanism to make them seem powerful, but were actually quite harmless. He’d had a few unfortunate run-ins in his own home. Not something he was really looking to document anyways.
He found his eyes wandering around the bookshelves around them, comforting as always though he’d read every title in the area. It was like his mind was begging for something a little more stimulating, he couldn’t really blame it. As he glanced towards the rest of the library he caught a flash of black and gold as a Hufflepuff entered his cone of vision. Her black hair fell forward to block her face, but by the way she was clutching at her textbook she must be worried about something.
He sat up further to watch as she made her way across the library before disappearing from his sight. Something about it was suspicious, not that he alone owned the rights to the library, but Sunday mornings were often unintentionally reserved for him.
“What?” Cody prompted drawing Obi-Wan’s attention back to where Cody had turned to watch him.
“It’s probably nothing…” Obi-Wan started, but he still felt himself stand. Whether it was for his own desperate pursuit of knowledge of any kind or general concern he still moved, “I’ll just be a moment.”
“Kenobi-” But Obi-Wan moved quickly and quite easily out of earshot.
Hogwarts library was large, and Obi-Wan was quite sure it expanded on its own when new shelves were needed, but Madam Nu would neither confirm or deny his theory, only saying he ought to find out for himself. Still he knew where every table ought to be and where students were likely to hang out, so he followed the most obvious path. It didn’t take him long to catch up to the Hufflepuff and he placed himself easily behind a shelf so he could peer through and observe without being spotted.
There were 3 students, the Hufflepuff girl, an older looking Slytherin boy, and a Ravenclaw sullustan named Tyanna.
“I’m not sure about this Stridus,” The girl spoke, “I’m all for pushing our studies further, but maybe we should start smaller.”
“No better place to start than the top wouldn’t you say!” Stridus grinned, “Plus it wasn’t my idea anyways…”
“I’m the one who came up with it,” The sullustan spoke smugly, “And it’s going to work.”
“You see Alara?” Stridus wrapped an arm around the girl who sent him a glare that was just icy enough for him to step back, “Tyanna knows what she’s doing! Ravenclaw’s are always good at coming up with a plan.”
“So what? Your Slytherin ambition isn’t strong enough?” Alara huffed.
“My ambition leads me to people who will help me succeed,” He grinned, “Why do you think I always hang around with you? I have a good feeling about you.”
“And I have a good feeling we’re being watched,” Tyanna cut in, “So mind what you say why don’t you.”
“Madam Nu?” Alara dropped her voice to a whisper.
“Not quite,” Obi-Wan knew when to make himself known, stepping out into the open.
“The Head Boy?!” Alara hissed to Tyanna, “I thought you had good hearing, why didn’t you warn us?”
“Because you’re as oblivious as a doormat,” Tyanna’s cold eyes fell onto Obi-Wan, “It was you he followed,” Alara gaped like a fish.
“Now, now,” Obi-Wan fell into his role as a prefect so easily, “Your plans have been foiled so why don’t you go ahead and tell me what you were up to?”
“Why would we do that?” Tyanna crossed her arms, “I’ll take it to the grave.”
“Well you can hardly blame us,” Stridus stepped up leaving Tyanna to shoot Alara an incredulous look, “The best books about the dark arts are in the restricted section and I’m sure a top student like yourself would be hard pressed to stop us from learning.”
“What are you saying?” Tyanna hissed angrily.
“What Stridus means ,” Alara cut in quite quickly, “Is that we’re simply trying to pass our tests.”
“Care to tell me what that has to do with reading about the dark arts in the restricted section?” Obi-Wan crossed his arms, his left hand sliding into his robes to reach for his wand in case they decided to run.
“Cause that old codger Gunray probably couldn’t even name the three unforgivable curses!” Tyanna growled, clearly mad about not only being caught, but by her accomplices being far too willing to sell them all out, “Can you blame us?”
“You’re not learning anything yourself are you?” Stridus moved towards him, “Come on! Maybe if you join us, you’ll have a chance to pass those NEWTs! Don’t be like me, failed my OWLs and now I’m right back to where I started,” Stridus tried slinging an arm around Obi-Wan’s shoulders but the 5th year was too short even if he was a year older than he should have been.
“I have no trouble admitting that Gunray’s teaching is failing those taking his classes,” Obi-Wan admitted, shaking off the Slytherin’s arm and stepping away, “But I still cannot allow three 5th years access that they should not be granted.” He was met with groans and curses he purposely pretended not to hear, “Tell me what are you struggling with? Maybe I can be of assistance?” Obi-Wan offered, gesturing to a table just a little ways away and they walked past him to sit down.
“What aren’t I struggling with,” Alara clutched her textbook, “He keeps assigning us the same reading over and over, it’s not even from a third year book. It’s stuff we learned last year.”
“I tried to go over my notes from last year,” Stridus winced, “It was hard enough trying to learn it all the first time and now I can’t seem to get it at all,” In an clearly uncharacteristically quiet voice he added, “I don’t want to have to repeat 5th year again.”
“I thought we’d learn something useful at least,” Tyanna pulled out what was clearly their latest essay assignment, “But if I have to write one more essay on cursed artifacts or potions, I’m going to scream.”
Obi-Wan took a moment, standing over these three fifth years he was reminded of his own frustrations, his own worries about the upcoming NEWTs. He was to be an Auror and yet his curriculum was probably the furthest thing from helpful. These kids were being wronged by the school and honestly it could put them in danger with Dooku at large.
“Alright,” Obi-Wan said sitting himself down next to Alara and across from Tyanna, “I think it’s best to start with the most practical of things, I’ll teach you about hex deflection-”
“Now there’s something useful!” Tyanna interrupted at the same time Stridus looked up from his old notes and Alara sat up straighter.
“I won’t teach you to cast it today though, theory is just as important in magic as ‘winging it’ as my former mentee would say,” Ah and Anakin, he would have to make a point to speak to the boy later. But first-
“But you will teach us to cast it?” Alara prompted. Obi-Wan looked between the three hopeful students and found himself stuck, it was rather impossible to deny such a request in the name of learning.
“Yes, but we can’t do it in the library, Madam Nu will have my head and I’d quite like to keep that til graduation.”
Anakin was having one of the worst days of his life. Maybe that was a little dramatic. He’d had worse days, specifically when his mum had gone missing and when Qui-Gon had died. Definitely when he got kidnapped by Dooku and that time he’d almost been sacrificed below the school.
But even after all of that there was something still so horrible about people whispering behind your back. He knew they’d all read the paper. He wasn’t dumb and they weren’t being very subtle. Still he stalked his way angrily into breakfast and made sure to sit between the Fett twins. They had teased him for a lot of things in the past, but didn’t say a single thing about him that morning.
It was nice to be shielded in that way, just those who refused to bring it up and would let things settle back into the dust when they were done. He wished Rex was closer, but he’d been late getting to breakfast so he found himself forced to sit at the very end of the table. It was just as well Anakin felt, then at least his friend could hear about what was going on and Anakin wouldn’t have to talk about it.
After breakfast Rex caught up to him and they walked the halls towards the common room in silence. Every person they passed in the hall stopped whispering the second they saw him and shuffled papers quickly out of view.
“You don’t really think Obi-Wan did this?” Rex prompted, as they turned a corner and glared at a few watchful 4th years. Anakin had of course caught Rex up on his suspicions, but the other boy didn’t seem to be as sure, “He’s stuck his neck out for you so many times it seems a bit unlikely.”
“And he’s also the only person I know who was at the Kenobi manor this summer,” He shot Rex a look, “The pictures are pretty good proof if you ask me.”
“I guess so,” Rex frowned, “I just find it so hard to believe.”
“Yeah and I found it hard to believe that Dooku was with the Sith, but here we are,” Anakin groused.
“Look who it is !” And if there was one, one person Anakin was not in the mood to see it was Sebulba .
“What do you want, Sebulba?” Anakin took a deep breath before spinning around, hand itching for his wand to just blast the guy’s stupid mug down to the other end of the corridor.
“Aw aren’t we just so mad that the truths finally come out about what a baby you are?” Sebulba crooned, grinning madly. He turned to his cronies and waved the paper about, “He plays with dollies, you know!” They snickered and Anakin sneered.
“I’m pretty sure they’re called action figures,” Rex cut in unhelpfully, “And what do you know about muggle toys anyways?”
“Clearly enough,” Sebulba barked a laugh before flipping pages in the paper, “Lookee here boys, says he’s a child playing the part of the chosen one. Are you even sure that’s your title?”
“I’m sorry I didn’t see you get sorted into the triwizard tournament, Sebulba,” Anakin ground out about to spin around and storm off.
“Maybe if you didn’t claim such false glories your mum would still be around,” Sebulba’s words halted him in his tracks, “It says you still call for her in your sleep, is that why you still have stuffed animals?”
The cogs in Anakin’s brain screeched to a halt and it took quite a lot of self control to not unleash a rather strong blast of unfiltered magic, but instead he took a small shaky breath, “Maybe!” He shouted, “What else does it say in there Sebulba? Since you seem so keen on reading the whole thing out loud!”
“It says you’re lazy, sleeping on the job more like it,” Sebulba was happy to take the opportunity to continue, “Not sure how you of all people got in this bloody tournament, they usually pick people who have a chance!”
“Is that all?” Anakin prompted and Sebulba’s eye twitched in confusion before continuing.
“Haven’t you read it yet?” Sebulba smirked, “Well no matter I can fill you in. It has an embarrassing picture of you in your pajamas, covered in some muggle hero,” He snickered, “And apparently the first time you went to the beach you cried because you got sand in your eye.”
“Does it?” Anakin felt an unnatural level of calm flood across him as he faced his foe in the hallway.
“Sure does,” Sebulba grinned.
“Why don’t you show it to me?” Anakin felt his heart beating out of his chest because he was pretty sure-
“Okay I will!” Sebulba flipped a page. Then another. Then another. His face lost a little color as he looked up to meet Anakin’s steeled blue gaze.
That had never made it into the paper to begin with.
“So it was you,” Anakin kept his voice level, only a little bit of anger shadowing his words.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Sebulba snapped, fingering through the paper again, “I must have just heard something and-”
“You must have heard a lot of things,” Anakin took a few steps forward, wand pulled out and extended towards the bully, “But the real question is where.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about-” He repeated, but his eyes gazed down at the wand and he seemed to think better of his answer. He pushed Anakin’s wand out of the way before he snarled an answer, “I don’t know, I just found them and thought that the world might be interested.”
“Well you thought wrong,” Anakin pushed his wand back into the dug’s neck and Sebulba let out an unconscious squeak before retreating a few steps, “Most of that’s not true anyways,” He wasn’t stupid enough to deny it all, many of his fellow Gryffindors had seen him reading comics or wearing that particular pajama set after all.
“W-well, how was I supposed to know,” Sebulba spat as he turned to retreat once more.
“Not everything you read is real you know, maybe it's a good thing you’ve never read a comic!” Anakin shouted after him. Lowering his wand slowly, and not without a small twinge of regret that he didn’t get to use it. Sebulba really deserved a visit from karma and if Anakin had to do it himself he would.
“So it was him,” Rex swore, “Bastard never seems to cut you a break.”
“Sebulba’s slimy,” Anakin tucked his wand away, “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but then where did he find all that?”
“Some of it is common knowledge,” Rex pointed out, “Even Padme’s seen your comics.”
“And some of it isn’t,” Anakin tried to keep the red from pooling in his cheeks, “He’s not wrong about the sand thing,” Anakin hissed under his breath, “But I didn’t think anyone knew that, but my mum…”
“She wouldn’t sell you out,” Rex assured him, though Anakin didn’t need it. He knew his mum would never, wherever she was…
“At least it wasn’t Obi-Wan,” Anakin felt both relief and guilt at the thought, “He writes his diary in cursive with a little old english in there and I’m positive if I can’t read it, neither can Sebulba.”
“So you’re sure then?” Rex raised an eyebrow, “Because just a few minutes ago you were likely on a vendetta to blackmail your mentor.”
Anakin sighed, truthfully he didn’t want Obi-Wan to be the bad guy. Tensions were high this year though, and they were in such a fierce competition, “I like to think that I trust him,” Anakin spoke after a moment, “And I do, it’s just, how can I trust anyone anymore?”
“You trust me,” Rex pointed out, “And Padmé as far as I’m aware.”
“You guys have always been there for me,” Anakin pointed out, “And Obi-Wan…” He thought back to his first year at Hogwarts, Obi-Wan was a good mentor yes, but he’d also hurt him by keeping things from him. Qui-Gon had asked Obi-Wan to mentor him and although it was clear now that it was a mutual decision, it had still hurt to have such a thing hidden, “Obi-Wan’s a bit unpredictable,” Anakin settled on.
It was kind of true, he was mysterious which made him hard for Anakin to follow and oftentimes it felt like he was testing Anakin unnecessarily like this morning. He could have simply been there for Anakin, but instead he brushed it off and said it happened to the best of them.
It was frustrating and Anakin felt himself constantly falling into the gap between child and teenager.
“I’ll go apologize,” Anakin decided, because in the end he had been wrong and that’s what his mother would want him to do, “But I’m worried Rex.”
“And I’ll be here for you, no matter what,” Rex reminded him.
Anakin turned and walked his way towards the library. The whispering still followed him but somehow it was less noticeable. Sliding easily off his back now that he knew where it had come from. Still he tried not to listen.’
Approaching Obi-Wan’s table however, he realized quickly that the Ravenclaw wasn’t there and instead there was Cody, scribbling away. Obi-Wan’s things still sat there abandoned and Anakin frowned.
“Where’s Obi-Wan?” Anakin asked, and Cody looked up in surprise. Whatever he was working on had to be related with Quidditch because Cody was rarely ever so deeply into his work that he’d miss the opportunity for a distraction.
“He went towards the back of the library,” Cody checked his watch, “Oh I dunno an hour or so ago?” He looked around like he’d finally come to and he frowned, “At this point I’m starting to think a better question is where Satine is.”
Anakin didn’t stick around to follow that line of questioning.
He walked around the library, which was pretty quiet and while that wasn’t out of the ordinary, he thought he’d see a few more students studying. He walked past the restricted section and a group of huddled students caught his attention. He approached and it was pretty clear by the tones of lecture that floated his way that he’d found who he was looking for.
“And that’s why Salvio Hexia was created in the first place,” Obi-Wan’s voice droned on and Anakin shoved his way through the other students, there had to be at least 10 surrounding the table, many were 5th years, but some other years had joined as well, “The important thing to note is that-” Obi-Wan trailed off when he saw Anakin in the crowd and he paused, his wand still raised, painting shimmery pictures in the air that demonstrated his points as he went. Anakin did take a moment to wonder why none of their professors did that and instead relied on blackboards that were quite boring.
“Ah Anakin,” Obi-Wan acknowledged him and Anakin suddenly felt all eyes fall on him and he shifted, “One moment, I just need to have a word,” he gestured at Anakin, the magic in the air fell and covered everyone nearby in what looked like extra sparkly glitter, “I’ll just be a moment, perhaps until then you can practice the incantation… words only! ” He emphasized, “I’m not trying to get myself booted from the library!” He sounded a bit more panicked at the thought than anyone else would.
“Anakin,” Obi-Wan started once they had walked a fair bit away, “I wanted to say-”
“I’m sorry,” Anakin interrupted, “It wasn’t you, it was Sebulba that fed information to the prophet.”
“I- what?” Obi-Wan frowned.
“Yeah you know, Sebulba, tall and gangly, ugly mug can’t miss him,” Anakin added a bit of his anger painting his words.
“Where did Sebulba-”
“I don’t know,” Anakin cut in, “I don’t know, but I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions.”
“Honestly, I can’t say that I blame you,” Obi-Wan deflated a little, “A lot of that article seemed rather personal, from what I could glean. It only makes sense that you would think of the person who spent the most time with you over the summer,” though even as he said it, he didn’t look like he fully agreed.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you,” Anakin grimaced, “I just have a lot of people out for me.”
“I understand, and for what it’s worth. I’m sorry,” Obi-Wan cringed, “I blew you off this morning and it may have come off unreasonably harsh. I had a lot on my mind, it wasn’t that I didn’t care.”
“Let’s just forget the whole thing happened,” Anakin hurried them along, it was awkward enough to stand in the library talking about feelings, he’d rather let them both get back to the task at hand… literally.
“If that’s what you want, but Anakin I would never-” Obi-Wan started, but before he could finish there was the very distinct sound of a spell backfiring and it had Obi-Wan on a mad dash back to his impromptu lecture.
Anakin watched him go, he felt a little better about the whole thing, but he’d be even more grateful for the whole thing to blow over. Obi-Wan had said to give it about a week, so that’s what Anakin would do. One last piece of advice from someone who was supposed to stop mentoring him years ago.
It wasn’t that Cody cared much about what Satine was doing with her Sunday, but it was quite odd that she hadn’t shown up to the library. She knew full well that was the best place to find Obi-Wan and the two had been even more inseparable since they'd gotten together. Obi-Wan had yet to return to their table, wherever he’d gone off too, but it surely wasn’t Satine because he wouldn’t have left the library without picking up his stuff.
Cody set down his friend's quill and folded up his new workout plan, tucking it inside Kenobi’s DADA textbook. He set off towards breakfast first. The halls were crawling with students given that it was indeed a Sunday and any excuse to not be found in their common room or a classroom was good enough. The Great Hall was emptying out with breakfast almost finished. He snuck up behind Koth and stole a croissant off the Ravenclaw captain's plate.
“Oi!” Koth tried to snatch it back, but Cody was faster, “I was saving that for last!” He complained and Cody shrugged.
“You snooze, you lose mate,” He shrugged, “You haven’t seen Kryze around anywhere have you?”
“Kryze?” Koth looked to his fellow Ravenclaws all who shook their heads, “I haven’t.”
“Haven’t seen her yet today,” It didn’t seem to concern anyone in the vicinity, but they didn’t know Satine like he did. She was rarely absent from anything.
“I saw Satine,” He turned eagerly towards Padmé, who had happened to be walking past at the right time, “I ran into her this morning and we had a bit of a chat,” She shrugged, “Nothing out of the ordinary, but the next time I saw her she was heading outside. She looked a little ill, her face was all white. I do hope she’s alright.”
Cody frowned, it was a rather cold day, the good weather had only lasted long enough for the tournament. It even looked like it may rain soon and Cody sure didn’t want a friend outside wandering the grounds. He was sure she didn’t have rounds today either.
“I’ll go check it out,” He decided, plans already whirring into motion as he finished off Koth’s croissant and hurried towards the entrance.
It was windy, definitely enough to blow someone small away, but to his well earned credit, Cody was not someone to be toppled over so easily. He started exploring the grounds, looking down towards his brother’s hut, but no one was to be seen.
It was a long walk across the grounds. The Quidditch pitch was empty, but even so, he made it a point to check every room hidden under the pitch. He paused a moment more in Gryffindor’s locker room to grab his broom out of the locked box. If he couldn’t find Satine on foot, he was sure he could find her from the sky.
He continued on foot a bit longer, walking all the way around the side of the castle until he got to the sheer cliffs that led down towards the docks. He hadn’t been down there in quite some time, no need really. But it was lucky he thought to check anyways because as he scaled down the stairs he started hearing voices picked up by the wind.
“But if-”
“Maybe it’s not-”
“-whole thing-”
“Do you-”
“-surely Ben-”
Even without being able to clearly hear the lilt in her voice, he knew it would be Satine at the end of the steps. Cody edged further down feeling the need to be stealthy. A skill he picked up after living with brothers for so long and it certainly came in handy a lot in recent years.
“I wouldn’t worry your pretty little head,” Cody froze, finally he caught a glimpse of Satine’s blonde hair, windswept as it was. And in the other voice, he certainly had an inkling, “It’s going to be alright.” Satine shifted her weight just enough for Cody to catch sight of Quinlan’s locs and he quickly backed up so he’d stay out of sight.
Cody hesitated. He’d made a big deal about this sort of thing before and been wrong, but he still felt like a secret meeting between Satine and her Yule Ball date was maybe something that should be reported to Obi-Wan. It was only right! The bro code! So Cody backed up a few more steps before taking off quickly and carefully on his broom. He kept low until he was sure she wouldn’t catch the tail of his broom and he swooped quickly towards the library.
He peered through the window, Obi-Wan had returned to their table and was working on his essay once more. Cody banged on the window swiftly and definitely a bit too loudly. Kenobi nearly jumped out of his skin and did in fact fall out of his chair before standing swiftly. He marched towards the window with that lecturing gleam in his eye and threw open the window so forcefully he nearly nicked Cody.
“What on this green Earth are you doing?!” Obi-Wan placed a hand over his heart which was surely racing, “Scaring me half to death. Shouldn’t we save that for the tournament?”
“Heh, sorry mate,” Cody apologized despite the fact that it was really funny to see Kenobi so flustered. He grew a bit more serious as he brought up the topic at hand, “I just thought you should know, I went looking for Satine-”
“I was wondering about her whereabouts,” Obi-Wan had that gooey look in his eyes again and Cody rolled his eyes, “Not that she’s meant to be anywhere of course.”
“She’s having a secret meeting with Quinlan down by the docks,” He blurted out and Kenobi’s face grew blank as he processed that information.
“Quinlan?” He asked as if Cody wasn’t clear enough the first time.
“Quinlan,” He confirmed.
“It’s probably nothing,” Obi-Wan ran a hand through his hair, messing it up a bit.
“Probably not,” Cody agreed.
The conversation hung in silence for a moment before Obi-Wan, careful not to look at the ground below them, stepped onto the window sill clutching the sides of the window frame with white knuckles.
“Don’t you dare let me fall,” He threatened as he climbed onto the back of Cody’s broom, his nails practically digging into Cody’s shoulders.
“Wouldn’t dream of it mate!” Cody confirmed before he adjusted his position and they zoomed across the grounds.
Satine had already found her morning quite dreary having woken up far too early and not been able to fall back asleep. She’d still opted to have a bit of a lazy morning, spending a bit of extra time in her bed, reading a bit of muggle fiction that her mum had sent to her in the last care package she’d received. As much as she loved life as a wizard, sometimes it was easier to drown oneself into the mundane drama of a couple of muggles struggling to fall in love with one another.
She took her time getting dressed, combing her hair and slipping a headband on. She found no reason to try anything fancy today, but she didn’t want to go out looking like a rat had attacked her in her sleep. She opted for more casual wear though she made sure her Head Girl pin was clear and easy to see, she would not be taking any nonsense from younger years.
The hallways were clear with it still being rather early. Ben hadn’t been in the common room much to her disappointment. But he was likely in the library so that’s where she set off towards. She ducked under a ghost that didn’t seem keen to move out of her way and ended up face to face with Padmé on the way up.
“Oh Satine!” Padmé smiled, it was a rare day indeed because even Padmé hadn’t opted to do anything rather wild with her hair. She was likely up quite late the night before given the party that had surely drug itself into the night.
“Padmé,” Satine greeted, “How are you?”
“Doing quite well,” She replied and joined Satine in walking through the halls, “Gryffindor’s in mighty high spirits.”
“As they deserve to be,” Satine smiled proudly thinking of her best friend, “The Quidditch team worked hard for that win.”
“You Ravenclaws aren’t at all perturbed by your loss?” Padmé asked with the tilt of her head.
“Not at all,” Satine shook her head, “Ravenclaw’s team played the best they have in seven years. I’d say it would be hard to be mad at being outmatched in that case.”
“Are you sure that’s not just you?” Padmé nudged her with her elbow and Satine laughed.
“While Ben and I are extremely proud of Cody, I don’t think any member of our team holds any hurt feelings,” Satine added after a moment of thought, “Ravenclaw’s focus is never about the act of winning, but the path that takes you there. They get enough of a kick about planning great strategies as they do when they come out on top.”
“I guess that’s a pretty big divider between our houses,” Padmé hummed, “Gryffindor is about glory.”
“As is Slytherin,” Satine pointed out, “It’s not a bad thing to strive for a goal and to be happy when you get there. But I don’t think our houses are as different as you think they are,” Satine thought back to all the Quidditch talk Cody had had with her over the years, “Cody’s more of a strategist than he’d have you or anyone else believe.”
“That may be,” Padmé agreed, “Are you on your way to meet them now? Cody and Obi-Wan?”
“That’s right,” Satine nodded, “And what about you? Meeting up with Anakin and Rex? I know you’ve been working on solving that scroll.”
“Oh, maybe a bit later,” Padme considered, “But we’ve already solved the scroll, or rather Anakin solved it.”
Satine tripped.
“Oh are you alright?” Padme put a hand on her shoulder, but when Satine brought her face up it was painted carefully neutral.
“Loose cobblestone,” Satine brushed it off with an awkward laugh, “You were saying?”
“Just that Anakin solved his scroll,” She continued as if nothing had happened, “He said he was inspired by something he overheard in the library. Something about a wash of sorts.”
Satine measured her breathing easily and let her thoughts jump three kilometers ahead of the conversation, “Oh good, I had hoped you’d solve it soon enough.”
“We’re maybe not as quick as you three, but we won’t fall behind you!” Padmé joked, completely blinded to Satine’s racing thoughts.
“Oh damn,” Satine cursed as she halted in her tracks.
“What is it?” Padme looked at her with concern.
“I left my history textbook in my dormitory,” She rifled through her bag, shoving said textbook further down so it wasn’t visible.
“Oh no,” Padme frowned, “Do you want me to go with you to get it? I’m not doing much else at the moment.”
“No,” Satine shook her head, “That’s quite alright, I’d hate to accidentally wake up Stass,” She turned and started walking in the opposite direction.
“I’ll just head down to breakfast then,” She heard Padmé say before the girl was out of earshot.
Satine felt bad about lying to Padmé, but she wanted to be absolutely positive . She turned and headed towards the Gryffindor common room.
Cody should still be there, that’s what she hoped at least, but upon entering through the portrait, which she shouldn’t be doing, this wasn’t prefect business. She didn’t see her friend anywhere.
“Have you seen Cody?” She asked Echo, or maybe Fives.
“He left ages ago,” He answered, “Didn’t see him when I woke up.”
“Did you need something?” The other one asked and Satine hesitated.
“I think he has one of my textbooks,” It sounded too unrealistic so she continued, “We might have gotten them mixed up,” It had certainly happened before, and Satine had a bad habit of sticking her notes between the pages.
“Well you can go up to his room,” Echo (maybe?) shrugged, “No one else is there.” Satine nodded and climbed the stairs. She paused outside of a different door. Upon hearing only silence she peeked inside, empty. She felt a bit bad, walking into the room, but also was reminded that a certain someone had broken into her room a mere month ago and sprayed her with water. She crossed the room quickly.
Anakin was predictable, his golden scroll lay out in the open on his bedside table. She was quick in pulling her wand out and taping it gently on the parchment, “ librum, ” She whispered. It unrolled revealing indeed an image. It was some dark figure that had no meaning to her, but that wasn’t what mattered. She tapped her wand to it again to roll it up and booked it out of Gryffindor’s common room.
Satine headed outside and was immediately buffeted by the wind. It was cold out and she didn’t have on her robe, but her heart was beating fast enough to keep her blood flowing. She hurried to the docks, descending the stairs quickly, but carefully. She needed confirmation from someone else. Had Quinlan been able to solve it? If he hadn’t, she’d have to ask Hera.
She knew Ben would likely disapprove of essentially asking for the answer. Both of them really were more the type to love a good riddle, a good mystery, but when it came down to Ben’s life she was willing to put all of that aside.
Durmstrang’s ship was quite massive, only a plank serving as an entrance and an exit. She scaled the thing quickly and was greeted by quite a few sets of eyes as it seemed its students liked to hang out on the deck in the mornings. Satine went to the first person she could find and respectfully asked for Quinlan. That got her a few interesting looks, a few whispers, but she didn’t bow to them. She simply walked down the ramp again and waited a few minutes. Quinlan appeared at the top of the ramp, despite the cold he still wasn’t wearing a shirt which seemed a bit too much even for him.
“Satine!” He greeted her with a wide grin, “Wonderful to see you, but I am surprised nonetheless.”
“I need the answer to a question,” She said firmly, “I believe Ben may have been sabotaged again.”
That wiped a smile off Quinlan’s face quite quickly, “Sabotaged?”
“Did you solve your scroll?” She asked and he looked at her with a carefully guarded look.
“I don’t think-”
“Did you solve it?” Satine pressed, “I don’t need to know what's on it, but this is important . I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t.”
“I did,” He answered seriously.
“How did you solve it?” She asked softly.
“A bit of washing soda-” He said more, but Satine’s ears still felt like they were ringing.
“Are you sure?” She pushed rather forcefully.
Quinlan frowned, “What?”
“You’re sure it was washing soda?”
Quinlan nodded, “Yeah one of my buddies had a muggle magician phase, not sure what his deal was, but he told me it would work and it did. So what’s the problem?”
“I tried that,” Satine wrapped her arms around herself, “But if you're sure that’s what you did… Ben’s parchment is still blank.”
“Blank? Well maybe it’s not the same for everyone,” Quinlan suggested, “It could be an additional challenge”
“Yeah except Anakin solved it too, the whole thing,” She gestured with her hands, “Revealed. After he heard about my method.”
“Do you really think he’s being targeted,” Quinlan lowered his voice, “I mean I heard about the shark, it’s fishy, but not entirely out of the ordinary?”
“I do,” Satine said calmly, “Because surely Ben would have solved this thing by now if it was anything magical.”
“Have you spoken to Syndulla yet?” Quinlan asked, crossing his arms, “She’ll want to know about this too, or maybe she had a different way to solve it.”
“Yeah maybe…” Though Satine wasn’t convinced.
They walked towards the Beauxbaton carriage. Satine was rather silent, thinking over and over about how she tried the wash on Ben’s parchment trying to see if she’d missed any step, but it was unlikely. Quinlan was much more chatty, talking about his parchment, it showed a picture too. Of someone walking away, he said. He seemed to not like that train of thought anymore because he started talking about the Quidditch match.
“Durmstrang could have beat any of your teams I’m sure,” He was saying, “Not that Fett didn’t play a solid game, never seen that last move before-”
There was a flash of movement as something dropped right in front of them. Satine fumbled for her wand and Quinlan quickly threw out an arm to keep her back, but once her eyes caught up to her she found herself staring incredulously at Obi-Wan Kenobi. She glanced up to see Cody hovering a few feet over her head looking just as surprised, before she turned back to her idiot boyfriend.
“Ah Satine, there you are,” Ben swiftly moved around Quinlan’s still stretched out arm to greet Satine, “We’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“ I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” Cody corrected as he landed next to him, “This guys been writing his dumb essay for DADA.”
“What in heaven's name made you think you could jump out of the sky at me?!” Satine had barely blinked before the lecture practically ripped its way out of her chest, “ Obi-Wan Kenobi , you just about gave me a bloody heart attack! And what if you’d have gotten hurt, you idiot!” He didn’t seem to hear her entirely as he was in the process of removing his cloak and throwing it around her shoulders.
“You know it’s cold out here right?” He admonished, “You shouldn’t leave the castle without a cloak, honestly Satine-”
“Don’t you ‘Honestly Satine’ me!” She still clasped the collar of his cloak around her neck, “And what’s this about your DADA essay? I thought you had that finished already.”
“It’ll get done,” He waved a hand to brush it away, “I had a lot of other things on my mind you know-”
“As did I before my boyfriend decided to jump out of the sky,” As she brought this back up she turned, remembering Cody was also there, “And you let him?!”
“He told me not to let him fall, I didn’t expect him to jump !” Cody complained, looking to Quinlan as if the other man was an out. Quinlan just burst out into laughter halting any further discussion between the three of them.
“Man and you were worried about him,” Quinlan lightly punched Satine in the shoulder and Ben moved to put himself in between them.
“Worried about me?” Ben looked over at her inquisitively and she gave him her iciest glare.
“When am I not these days?” Satine huffed, but she let her fury drain away for now, “I have bad news.”
“What’s new around here?” Cody sighed, leaning against his broom.
“Remember when I tried the washing soda?” She prompted and Ben’s eyes lit up.
“Oh yes! The science,” He said at the same time Cody frowned.
“The what?”
“Well I was right,” She looked to Quinlan, “Anakin and Quinlan have already solved theirs and they did it the way we did.”
Ben blinked, gears certainly turning behind his eyes as he put a hand to his chin, “It- They solved it?”
“ Yes ,” Satine confirmed, “Once you apply the wash and the heat it reveals an image.”
“But mine didn’t,” He looked a little shaken by the thought, “I really am going at this blind.”
“No, we're bringing this up to the Headmaster!” Satine stepped towards him, “We can’t let this go unchecked.”
“Satine,” Ben looked up at her, “We don’t know that this is anything to be concerned about, maybe, maybe I’m missing something.”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” Satine growled, “I will not have you die because of some clear oversight! This isn’t fair!” She felt a couple tears threaten to well up, but she pushed the feeling down, thankful for the cold that dried her eyes before she could worry about him seeing them.
“I think I agree with Satine,” Quinlan hesitantly joined the conversation, “I don’t think it’s fair.”
“It’s like going into a Quidditch game where you’re the only one wearing a blindfold mate,” Cody added, “I think we have to say something.”
“That might not be the case,” Ben frowned, “It must mean something.”
“It means ,” Satine grit her teeth, “Someone wants you out .”
“Fine,” He met her energy with his own, “I’ll write a letter to Headmaster Yoda, for you . I still think there’s something we’re missing, I’m missing,” He hummed, “I think I’ll head back to the library, are you coming Satine?”
She took his cold hand in her own, “I’ll join you later, I want to confirm with Hera.”
“I’ll go with you,” Cody and Quinlan both said at once. Quinlan volunteering out of his own interest likely and Cody seemed to be volunteering for whatever reason possessed Ben to jump out of the sky for her. Ben didn’t seem to mind anymore, deep in thought and already heading towards the castle.
Though absent of any actual desire to see him, Sidious had entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom with the intention of catching up with Professor Gunray. He’d heard many reports from his students, including Anakin, that they weren’t learning much in the ways of actual magic this year. This level of incompetence was to be expected when he was brought on board, but for the sake of image and to remind him that there were certain students that necessitated actual dark arts training, it was time he have a chat with him professor to professor.
Sadly, this meant he’d have to leave behind any methods of punishment or threats, and would have to appear like the concerned professor that Palpatine had become known as.
It was agonizing, really, to pretend as though he cared for the growing minds of the imbeciles that called themselves witches and wizards. However, Gunray’s lack of productivity and menial taskwork only proved just how incapable this current state of Ministry was. To allow such an unqualified being to spread knowledge of defense against evil was like tying hands behind backs in a fist fight.
And while this would theoretically provide something of an advantage to Sidious down the line, he needed to prove that his Hogwarts wouldn’t be like that. It would be strong. Formidable. Deadly.
He tried not to smile too hard on that thought. Oh, to actually use the dungeons for their intended purpose. That was a day he dreamed of at night.
However, he needed to snap on the professor's act even firmer when he bumped into Obi-Wan Kenobi as he exited the otherwise empty classroom, a large stack of papers beneath his arm as he moved to put away his wand.
“Obi-Wan! My, my, still staying late after class I see!” He tried to be cheerful, even as he felt a rush of scorn towards the boy. Once again, he was getting in the way of Sidious’ plans.
Sidious wasn’t the only one surprised in this exchange, though, because Kenobi looked as though he’d been caught for a moment. Doing what, he wasn’t sure.
“Oh, Professor!” He straightened, gaze flickering for a moment as though he was contemplating whether or not he was going to lie about his whereabouts. He shrugged rigidly, “I was just editing this DADA essay that’s due Monday.”
“Without your professor?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at the boy.
“Well, as you have likely noticed, my grades have slipped a good deal. I need as much quiet time as allowed to bring them back up.” He said and Sidious almost scoffed. No, he hadn’t noticed whatever minutia of a point Kenobi had dropped in the ranks, nor did he care. There were bigger things at play.
If only he could see just how limited his days were.
Then again...
They were standing alone in the corridor, completely absent of watchful eyes. He could snuff out the pitiful flicker of light he provided in Skywalker’s life, thus sealing his fate. Gone would Obi-Wan Kenobi be from the world and he would no longer unknowingly carry on the same problematic edge that Qui-Gon Jinn did to Sidious’ plots and ploys.
No one would know the difference, and he doubted very many would care.
In a moment of weakness that not even he was immune to, his fingers flickered towards his wand, imagining the shock that would color the sad excuse for a Head Boy’s face as he realized he was about to die. There would be a lovely flash of green, one that had gone far too long from erupting from Sidious’ wand, and then slowly before all at once, the life would drain from him. Behind, would only remain an empty carcass that never met the potential handed to him.
When the boy showed him his essay as though detention was the punishment he’d debated on relaying, the minimal logic behind this plan seeped in quickly. Though it was bitter and left the cooling sensation of a burn, he knew it was just as well. No, the death of one of the Champions would certainly draw some suspicion, especially in Hogwarts.
Plus, as he spotted one of the ghosts drift through the walls of Gunray’s classroom, he sighed. It wasn’t as though he could very well bribe or barter with the unliving, not again.
So, he took the essay and read over it, moderately impressed with Kenobi’s craftsmanship with words as ever. Though a rather useless skill to have, it had projected him to the top quite easily, no matter how much tension rolled off his shoulders. Still, there was something different about him, just as there had been ever since the new term started. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, nor did he care enough to give it much thought.
His time would come.
“Well, I don’t see how this wouldn’t make top marks,” He said with a smile as he handed the essay on the history of Obscurials, “I was actually stopping in to discuss the curriculum with Professor Gunray. Have you felt as though you’ve been learning a lot? A ministry perspective must be quite different.”
“Oh… er, well it has been different,” Kenobi winced, “But I’ll be honest, we haven’t done much in the means of physical magic.”
“So my concerns have been confirmed,” He shook his head mournfully, being sure to separate himself from the invasive ministry officials.
“It’s certainly not ideal,” He said, clearly uncomfortable with speaking out of turn against a professor, even if it was a sham like Gunray. “The fifth years haven’t even begun to learn patronuses yet and that, in my experience, has always been the most difficult to master.”
“Really, someone of your caliber?” He was suddenly thankful to the fates for having arranged this impromptu discussion. In fact, it took everything in him not to grin wickedly as he recalled the details of Maul’s intrusion last year and just how Kenobi was too weak to thwart him in full before it was too late.
“Every wizard has their weaknesses,” He justified, “But I have struggled in the past with it.”
How lovely.
Sidious nodded, placing a hand on his shoulder- a far cry from wrapping it around his neck like he’d initially wanted to, “Though I hope the day never comes where any of you must use it, there’s nothing quite like seeing the very symbol of your soul immortalized for the first time.”
While quite competent in shielding his emotions from others, he was not quick enough to escape Sidious. He knew the fear of incompetency when he saw it and relished in this display of weakness.
“I imagine it would be,” He nodded just barely, his eyes searching elsewhere in hopes of evading this conversation entirely. “What’s yours, Professor?”
“An Adder, dear boy,” He said, though he hadn’t cast such a spell since he was a child, “Power, determination and a renovation to mankind.”
“I’ve been patient, Aveross,” Dooku’s deep voice rumbled as he crouched in front of the fireplace in the far corner of the White Wyvern, “Some would argue, too patient. Now, where is the child?”
Rael, like Dooku and his master before him, kept his head bowed and his hood hanging low so that a shadow of obscurity shielded him from view. Likely, he was in Scotland, gathering intel and resources to spread their cause to a wider range. He’d certainly seen the news where a muggle bank had been lit to flames.
That wasn’t even Dooku or Rael’s doing, which meant progress was being made. Slowly but surely, they were gaining their desired following.
“Apologies, my Master, but there have been some… Complications with our contacts.”
He cursed under his breath, silently damning Lord Sidious for bringing that foolish Gunray aboard in the first place. The moron was nothing but a hazard to their plots and was proving as such every day.
“And how will you fix this?” Dooku wasted no time placing blame, not when they were dangerously close to blowing this entire mission up in their faces.
“I have received reports from my own resources of where the child is located.” He said, “I have not made any move on retrieving him just yet.”
“And why not?” Dooku gritted. He hated playing these waiting games, especially when they seemed so trivial. Their largest conquest took time, that he understood, but to have to sit around and twiddle his thumbs while he waited on every piece to slide into place was agonizing at best.
“Instead of heroically returning the child, master, how do you like the proposition of catching its kidnapper?” Rael had always been a helpful student, one that Dooku quite liked and took on as a protege of sorts, even before Qui-Gon. He was powerful, knowledgeable, but experimental with the rules in a way neither Dooku nor Qui-Gon ever were.
It was part of what made him so useful to have as an ally. He hadn’t expected him to turn, not so easily, but after the tragic loss of Nim, Rael was but a shell of what he once was in spirit. Luckily, Dooku didn’t really need much of that.
He stroked his beard, considering this option, “And who have we chosen as the perpetrator of this heinous crime?”
“Who would you like it to be?” He asked.
“I’d like for it to be Yoda,” He said, but shook his head, “But I fear he’s not a convincing sell. It should be someone important, but not quite so analyzed.”
“I know I would like to blame Gunray.”
“We all would, but that hardly proves our point,” He said, hiding a smile at the thought of how surprised the Neimodian would be if the tables were turned so sharply back at him. It would certainly serve as a reminder that he really isn’t as necessary or important as he believed he was.
“I think I have an idea,” He said.
“Be creative, Aveross, but be quick.” He said, “When I brought you on, I expressed that this was a time sensitive area.”
“Indeed, but I’m sorry to say that your other allies do not understand.” He said.
“I’ll ensure that they are… Handled… After all of this. Just do the job and do it right. I will concede to going along with this change of plans, just this once.”
“Understood,” He bowed, “I will notify you when the time is right.”
“Please do,” He said.
And like that, he disappeared into the flames, but was instantly replaced with the green hue that took shape when Master Sidious contacted him. The entirety of the dark room was instantly replaced with a ghoulish light that inspired even the shadows to hide from the lord of darkness, himself.
“Master, this is unexpected,” He bowed, tucking his head so the grimace could be well-hidden from his face.
Was he ever to receive a break?
“I have been trying to reach you all evening, Lord Tyranus,” Sidious’ scratchy voice scowled at him disapprovingly, “I should hope you aren’t plotting without me again.”
Dooku flexed his hand, “No, Master, I was conversing with Aveross regarding our Huttlet predicament.”
“I see,” He grunted, “Another former servant of yours to do your bidding.”
“It is not as though I can be everywhere at once,” He said, “Is that not the point of gaining resources?”
“You are doing well enough in that regard,” He admitted begrudgingly, “But we must have something to show them, something to prove our superiority.”
“I believe you will be most satisfied with the outcome of this Hutt fiasco, Master.” Dooku said, “To prove our superiority is to dismantle theirs.”
“I wish not to be corralled in such a tired scheme, Tyranus, not when I’ve larger fish to fry.” Sidious said and Dooku bit down on his tongue, anger flowing through him at such carefree dismissal. Did he not recall that it was his lackeys that were making this process tiresome in the first place?
“Shark-sized fish?” He couldn’t help but jest, feeling secure in knowing that no harm could befall him here, but he knew that wouldn’t be the case if they were closer in proximity. Though he couldn’t make out anything on his face except his wrinkled chin and orange eyes, he could practically feel the flicker of sharp acrimony.
It felt good.
“Your wit is sharp, my apprentice,” He said in a ghostly voice, “But not sharper than the blade I could so easily drive through your heart without so much as lifting a finger.”
“You wouldn’t.” He dared.
“Don’t try me,” Sidious said slowly, “No one is irreplaceable, not even you.”
Thinking back to Maul and just how easily he’d slid in his place, Dooku straightened his posture and stuck his nose up to appear nonplussed but obedient. He didn’t speak out of turn again, this time waiting for Sidious’ lead on the matter. His master did not just make house calls to check in.
“My apologies, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I’ll admit, I believe I was misguided in my decision to allow Gunray to drive Kenobi to his grave,” Sidious said, “He has proven himself to be stronger than I thought.”
“I assume you are referring to the boy,” He clarified, “Not Gunray.”
“Of course,” Scoffed Sidious, “It turns out, I will be requiring your assistance with ensuring the second task goes our way.”
“Given the confines of it, I suppose I could implement traps to ensnare-”
“-Oh no, Lord Tyranus, nothing of that realm,” He chuckled, clearly delighted in what he perceived as his own brilliance at being the only one to see what should be done. “We shouldn't interfere with the placement of the contestants, not this time.”
“No? But Kenobi-”
“-I think the boy will perform exactly how we want him to,” He said, “Entirely on his own.”
“So, what will you need from me?” Dooku asked.
“It is not a monster or beast that shall consume Kenobi. We should have learned from Maul’s mistakes last year.”
That didn’t answer his question in the slightest, but it seemed Sidious was intent on receiving a response of his own first.
“I’m assuming you’ve found an alternate solution on the matter.”
“Oh yes,” Sidious bore all of his sharp teeth, cackling with giddiness at the visual suffering that would incur. Dooku was more interested in the results than the pain they caused along the way. “Why hold the boy under when he can do that himself?”
“If not consumed by a monster or foe, what shall destroy him?” Dooku asked.
“Fear.”
#obitine#Obi-Wan Kenobi#Anakin Skywalker#Satine Kryze#anidala#the clone wars#tcw#star wars#magical forces au#hpau
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We've hit Winter Monday in the Chill Valicer Save with this update, still racing to try and fill up the last shelves in the store so we can actually OPEN Van Liddelton Groceries at some point! Let's start right where we left off, with the gang working on making product and getting through their morning chores on the farm --
-->In fact, we are starting almost exactly where we left off, as right after Alice decided to curl up for a wolf nap on the floor of the barn, Kelly wandered in and started meowing in her ear, waking her up. XD A very annoyed Alice lectured the cat on not doing that, and to my surprise, Kelly not only listened, but actually learned Not To Wake Sims Up! So that was nice, at least. However, as she was already awake, Alice dragged herself over to the bulk processing machine to make some boxes of strawberry and raspberry jam, then used her werewolf super-speed to go have a REAL sleep in her and Victor's bed. A lot more comfortable than the barn floor, that's for sure!
-->While this was going on, Smiler finished off another chatterbot, then got sent out on a different mission -- mainly, they got exiled to the nearby pond to fish on the pier! No, I did not care that it was snowing at the time, Smiler's a vampire and thus immune to temperature. XD My goal there was to load up on fishies because I'd abruptly remembered that there was a product on the bulk processor that I hadn't even TRIED to make before -- namely, cans of processed fishcakes! And of course, for fishcakes, you need fish, and Smiler is the Sim who has the most experiencing fishing, so. . .they basically spent the rest of the morning on that dock, doing their best to stock their inventory with as much fish as possible. And as you can see, they made some impressive catches -- in the end, they ended up with a beautiful tuna, a couple of sturgeons, a couple of common upgrade parts, some perches, a minnow, and no less than FOUR catfish, who apparently REALLY like the chamomile Smiler was using as bait. Not bad at all, huh?
-->Victor, meanwhile, spent a good portion of his morning molding candles in canary yellow and shale gray shades -- which, as you can see, involves a lot of boring standing around. Like, seriously, can we speed this process up a little? *sigh* He did eventually complete both candles and headed over to the greenhouse to tend the plants -- I do have to admit, it is always kind of amusing to see him using that giant weed vacuum to suck the dandelions right out of the garden patches. XD His needs were looking like garbage after the initial tending, though, so -- after realizing he didn't have any Potions of Plentiful Needs in his inventory -- I grabbed him some Moodlet Solver so he could get himself back in tip-top shape and get on that harvest! Can't let the plants remain unpicked, after all!
-->Alice woke up in good time thanks to how great her and Victor's bed is, and quickly rejoined the productivity train -- after cleaning the litter boxes, cleaning herself (with the power of werewolf licking), and feeding Toothy, she was back on the bulk processor making boxes of cheese with the milk I'd preloaded in there! She also made some more bulk bags of sugar for canning purposes, which, hilariously, unlocked the Simple Living Cookbook as a book she could write. I -- I don't think making an industrial-sized sack of fruit-based sugar on a giant yellow bulk food processing machine is QUITE in keeping with the spirit of the Simple Living lot trait, game! Even if it DOES require Alice to have all the necessary ingredients. XD
-->With the crops harvested and the cookbook unlocked (and Smiler still very much on fishing duty), it was time to tend to the animals. Alice cleaned the chicken coop, made sure everyone was fed, and gathered the eggs (four normal nonhatchable ones, yay), while Victor checked up on Moory and gave her a good milking. Alice then hopped back on the bulk processor to make the first box of canned fishcakes from the fish Smiler had caught so far while I dumped a bunch of the wrapped white meat from the chickens she'd "sold," some custard, and some blueberries in her inventory for transport to the store. And got HER a Moodlet Solver as well as her own needs were starting to flag. She then made a bit more cheese and did a quick Somber Howl while Victor cleaned up all the various plates around the place (surprising me when he did so in the greenhouse -- I'd forgotten the sink that's on the decorative "potting bench" I put in there is actually, you know, a legit sink)...
And then, after a brief dance break in the living room, it was time to get Smiler back and send everybody off to the store! Because, as previously stated, we have SHELVES TO FILL, DAMN IT. No fun allowed until that happens!
#sims 4#the lazy save#victor van dort#alice liddell#smiler always#hi yes trying to get through the entire morning in one shot here#I mean you guys don't mind me getting through all the same farm chores as usual in one go right?#fun fact the fishing was originally so I could make some meat MREs for the store#as they require fish to make#but then I spotted the 'processed fishcakes' option and was like 'oooh let's do that'#because I needed fish either way#very pleased with Smiler's work on the pond#four catfish I was not expecting that#at least they have chamomile to spare to catch them!#and very glad to have Kelly learn not to wake Sims up#that is an important life skill for a cat#now we just have to hope those Talkative kittens don't start yowling in Victor and Alice's ear#but yeah other than that pretty standard morning at the farm#always gotta get the harvest done and the animals tended and all that!#I'm sure the REAL farmers on tumblr are nodding and going 'you don't know the half of it'#queued
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warriors: super edition: firestar's quest
date started: 23/07/2022 | date finished: 31/07/2022
i like that the book starts off as pretty much a direct sequel to the darkest hour despite it being published two years after the actual sequel, “midnight”.
it has follow-ups to the battle versus bloodclan and references that sandstorm had helped mistyfoot train stormpaw and featherpaw (now stormfur and feathertail in this book) and they are said to have become good friends after that and sandstorm goes to talk with mistyfoot at the gathering. i just thought that was sweet :)
also some dustpelt sass was unexpected but appreciated. especially because he’s being sassy to firestar who is his leader, i don’t think most cats talk like that to their leaders. firestar got a random vision of skyclan leaving a gathering and he stops walking towards fourtrees and dustpelt just says (well actually he grumbles) “for starclan’s sake, do you have to stop dead like that? any cat would think you’d forgotten the way.”
hehe i just thought it was funnie xD
also i totally forgot that this is the book where longtail loses his vision. i thought he was a warrior for way longer than that. in my memory he still had his vision at least until the power of three. i guess i just forgot. poor boy :(
i was a little disappointed that bluestar was against trying to help skyclan and used the “four trees = four clans” argument again. only the last time she said it, she meant that a clan shouldn’t be driven out of the forest. i do understand a little because there isn’t room for a fifth clan and the clans all end up leaving the forest to go to the lake anyway. and i do think a clan leader leaving their clan for such a long time and potentially not making it back is a bad idea. like in the new prophecy when young warriors/apprentices are sent on a journey it’s a bit more believable.
i do like that skyclan being driven out by the twoleg developments goes right with the story of the series it precedes. even though this book was written after the new prophecy, it does make the story feel more connected somehow. i just like it!
when firestar asks sandstorm to come with him it made me realise that despite being his partner, they have barely talked to each other this book. sandstorm always seems to be the one checking in on him and he’s cheating on his wife with a dead cat kinda. plus the fact that she knows she’s his second choice is really sad. and he just randomly says hey come with me after she confronts him about that and everything is okay now? ugh, and firestar never has to change and be a better cat husband and can still go talk to his egirl on discord woohoo.
skywatcher giving firestar the prophecy about the three was unexpected.
spottedleaf’s presence in this book (and every book) is annoying and mostly doesn’t warrant itself existing. like when she comes to tell them that burdock root can treat rat bites and it causes conflict between firestar and sandstorm. she tells sandstorm that their relationship could never be and that firestar loves her. but after sandstorm can’t hear her, she tells firestar that she wishes things could have been different. like what a big fuck you to that moment and to sandstorm. firestar and spottedleaf need to stop. i’m looking forward to the new povs in the next books and won’t have to deal with firestar anymore haha. also the cats had totally figured out that they needed to take down the leader of the rats but spottedleaf found it necessary to give a dumb prophecy “not many, but one” like thanks but we knew.
i love leafdapple as a name, it’s just so pretty and totally puts an image of her in your head. it’s almost sad that she loses that name when she becomes skyclan’s leader, but i of course support her being leader.
i liked the epilogue just surprising me with firestar going to see sandstorm in the nursery with their two babies. it was a sweet scene.
i’m just looking forward to skyclan’s destiny and when i finally read the new series and skyclan joins the other clans at the lake.
#my reading journal#author: erin hunter#series: warriors#series: warriors: super edition#genre: fiction#genre: fantasy#genre: xenofiction#year read: 2022
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