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ailelie · 1 year

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Rec List: Long Time Travel Stories

I tend to read by tag rather than by fandom these days and one of my favorite tags is 'time travel.' These are all lengthy complete stories that feature time travel. This list is multifandom and only contains fics I enjoy, many of which I've read multiple times.

All of these stories are over 100k and complete, have happy endings, and, with two exceptions, involve canon characters traveling to and changing the past. One exception is a time loop and the other uses time travel to change canonical relationships without otherwise changing canon.

Some of the stories on this list do belong to the Harry Potter fandom. I do not support J. K. Rowling, but I do appreciate the creative works people have made within the Wizarding World. I have separated the Harry Potter fics out into their own section at the end, however, so that you can avoid them if you so wish.

These are in no particular order.

Time Flies Like an Arrow by Katlou303 (Naruto; 240k)

I re-read this fic frequently. Sakura, age 4, starts having dreams of a future in which she died. Eventually she learns that her future self has traveled to the past and taken up residence in her mind, replacing Inner. Sakura, emboldened by her dreams and by the knowledge she gains from them, decides to change the future one new friend at a time. Sakura is absolute sunshine in this and watching everyone react to her is gold. Instead of going grim, this story veers hard into optimism and Sakura makes changes by being friendly and open to everyone. While this story does have an unfinished sequel, the main story is complete and enjoyable on its own. This story is gen and Sakura’s primary friendships are with Naruto, Ino, and Shisui.

leaves too high to touch (roots too strong to fall) by OllieoftheBeholder (The Magnus Archives; 299k)

Jon and Martin travel back to the first year of the podcast and share the secrets of the future with their younger selves, Tim, and Sasha. After hearing about the horrible future, Tim turns full on caretaker mode and all of the assistants start helping with the statements to lighten Jon’s burden. They never realized that, by doing so, they’d start to collect some Archivist powers of their own. This is a fantastic take-down of Elias. The primary romances are future!Jon/future!Martin and a slow burn Jon/Martin/Tim.

Hunting Pains by Ragga (Teen Wolf; 230k)

After everyone else dies, Stiles crafts a desperate ritual to turn back time and heal the nemeton. He ends up in the past before his younger self is even in school yet. After stopping two hunters from killing a couple of werewolves, Stiles ends up the official mentor of a teenage Kate Argent who he is tasked with taking on an educational road trip. Along the way, he and Kate pick up a couple more of his future enemies. This story includes a slowburn Stiles/Peter Hale (quick initial attraction that is immediately diverted followed by slow developing friendship and relationship) and a Stiles dealing with survivor’s guilt and PTSD.

Viper in the Grass by elegantflipflop2 (The Untamed; 130k)

This fic also involves a bit of dimension travel. Jiang Cheng travels back to before classes in the Cloud Recesses. The only catch is that he has traveled into a world where Jiang Cheng is a cis woman. I’ve talked about this story before and I think it handles his body dysphoria rather well. Plus, as family members and close friends learn of the time and dimension travel, they start referring to him as a man where others not in the know cannot hear. This is a Jiang Cheng/Lan Xichen romance.

Cursed Couple by shorimochi (The Untamed; 121k)

This fic has Lan Qiren accidentally traveling back to his youth when he trips over an unfinished array Wei Wuxian had been working on. His nephews are not yet born; his brother hasn’t even met his wife yet. After a chance meeting with Wen Ruohan, who isn’t how he expected, Lan Qiren confides in Wei Changze. Wei Changze suggests seducing the potential enemy to keep him from becoming the monster of the Sunshot Campaign. Lan Qiren is appalled by this plan, but ends up unintentionally following it. This story is crack. It is absolute, OOC crack, but it is incredibly fun to read. The primary romance is Lan Qiren/Wen Ruohan.

Let’s Stop the Time Warp (Again) by lettered (MCU; 113k)

This is technically part of a series, but you can read this one by itself. This is also the sole time loop story on this list. Steve Rogers keeps repeating the day. The reason I included this is because, instead of Steve having to find some way to break the loop on his own, everyone else gets involved. It becomes a huge project with all the scientists working together and the non-scientists coordinating the build efforts. I like this story because it is all about problem solving and people being good at their jobs. All romance is background.

Focus, then Refocus by jimmythemystic (Naruto; 193k)

After Kakashi and Sakura die, Naruto sends Sasuke to the past to fix the future, but he overshoots and Sasuke lands shortly after Sakumo Hatake’s death. Sasuke ends up basically adopting Kakashi as he plots how to overthrow Danzo and stop Madara. This story does have a period of torture, but it isn’t gratuitous. Instead, the author focuses on Sasuke’s thoughts and the aftermath. There is also one child death. All that said, this story does end happily. The primary romance is Sasuke/Sakura.

Back from the Future: Episode VI The Clone Wars by Ariel_Sojourner (Star Wars; 108k)

Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader return to the Clone Wars era and end the war, basically by just declaring peace. No one knows how to react to Luke and Vader. This is a really fun story to read. Ships are Padme/Anakin and some Obi-Wan/Satine.

The Desert Storm by Blue_Sunshine (Star Wars; 1,144k across 24 works)

This epic (and complete!) series has Obi-Wan traveling back to his youth and taking himself as a padawan learner. The older Obi-Wan poses as Ben Naasade, a Mandalorian Jedi, returning to the temple after a long time away. He holds his younger self to a high standard, leading the younger Obi-Wan to grow in ways his older self never did. This is also a great series because Shmi Skywalker becomes a Jedi and teaches the younglings how to survive. Romance is mostly background, but there is Obi-Wan/Satine, Shmi/Tholme, Ben/Jango (FWB), and Ben/Fay.

Lynchpin by ShanaStoryteller (The Untamed; 103k)

Nie Huaisang discovers a way to travel to the past. As he has to manage the array, he cannot go back himself. Instead he sends Jiang Cheng on the condition that Jiang Cheng saves his brother. Jiang Cheng travels back to when Wei Wuxian returns from the Burial Mounds the first time to help with the Sunshot Campaign. This time, with the knowledge that he has Wei Wuxian’s golden core and his lack of support led to Wei Wuxian being isolated and vilified, Jiang Cheng stands by and supports his brother. Some Wei Wuxian/Lan Zhan and Jiang Yanli/Jin Zixuan and a touch of Jiang Cheng/Wen Qing at the end. The focus, though, is really on the bond among Jiang Cheng, Jiang Yanli, and Wei Wuxian.

Teach the Padawan. Save the Galaxy. by alexjanna91 (Star Wars; 387k across 4 works)

While this series is not complete, all four works within it so far are. This is another story in which Obi-Wan travels to the past and becomes his own Jedi Master. You’d think this would get repetitive as a conceit, but it really does not. In this, older!Obi-Wan returns to the past shortly after Obi-Wan has been abandoned by Qui-Gon Jinn on Melida/Daan. He helps the Youth win and returns to the Temple as Obi-Wan’s master. The fourth story covers the first film of the prequel trilogy.

To Fix Your Twisted Reflection by Dgcakes (The Untamed; 173k)

This is actually the first fic that I read in this fandom. I have not consumed any of the canon for this fandom either, so this was my very first taste of it. And, naturally, I started with a somewhat rare threesome story. In this Lan Xichen sends the spirits of Jin Guangyao and Nie Mingjue back to before Meng Yao was kicked down the stairs of Koi Tower. Together they work to minimize the damage of the Wens and form a healthier relationship between themselves and Lan Xichen. The friendship then shifts toward romance. The romance is Nie Mingjue/Meng Yao/Lan Xichen.

The Fifth Act by Sinnatious (Final Fantasy VII; 161k)

Cloud Strife accidentally travels back to the past and decides to make a better future by killing Sephiroth. But nothing quite goes to plan, even if it all works out in the end. Ultimately, he does bring down Hojo and prevents Sephiroth’s corruption. This story is mostly gen, but does include Zach/Aeris.

reverse by blackkat (Naruto; 386k)

Naruto sends Kurama to the past to change the future. Kurama, now bound within his own mortal body, is furious about Naruto’s sacrifice. He travels to Konoha, posing as Naruto’s uncle. When he is denied contact with Naruto, though, he steals the young boy and goes on the run. After that he keeps collecting jinchuuriki to protect them from the villages that mistreat them and the nascent Akatsuki that would destroy them. This story is filled with light moments and hard battles. The first half of the story focuses on Kurama collecting and protecting the kids. The second half focuses on stopping Zetsu and Madara. Though mostly gen, this story does include Kurama/Kakashi and some background romances.

A Narrow Bridge by FrameofMind and Jo Lasalle (The Untamed; 700k)

Before Wei Wuxian returns via Mo Xuanyu, Lan Zhan finds a way to return to the past to undo one of his greatest regrets--letting Wei Wuxian go into the Burial Mounds with the Wen without him. Traveling back to that moment, instead of stepping aside, Lan Zhan joins Wei Wuxian. This journey to the past is not without its cost, however, but I won’t spoil what exactly Lan Zhan pays. Lan Zhan knows he is in love with Wei Wuxian, but is uncertain of Wei Wuxian’s feelings toward him. The relationship is a slow burn with much mutual pining. With Lan Zhan’s support, Wei Wuxian handles the future better, ensuring that both Jiang Yanli and Wei Wuxian live. Lan Zhan finds an unlikely ally in Jiang Cheng. The primary romance is Lan Zhan/Wei Wuxian, but there’s some Jiang Yanli/Jin Zixuan and Jiang Cheng/Wen Qing as well.

Don’t Look Back by acuteneurosis (Star Wars; 460k across 5 works)

This series is incomplete, but the first two works in it are complete and the third was most recently updated on 12/3/2022. The other two works in the series are tumblr prompts for AUs and alternative povs. In this series, Leia travels to the past, saves her grandmother, and becomes an aide to Padme. Leia is exceptionally competent and does her best to outthink Palpatine at every moment. The series is well-written with an excellent Leia characterization. While mostly gen, Padme/Anakin is a key romance in this.

Reprise by Elfpen (Star Wars; 548k across 4 works and 1 short scene)

While this series is incomplete, the fourth and final story was last updated on June 2, 2022. This is another story in which Obi-Wan travels back to his padawan days, but, in this one, he doesn’t become his own master. In this story, the younger Obi-Wan knows from the start that Ben (as the time traveling version goes by) is himself from the future and always has to consider who he could become as he tries to figure out who he is at all. This story is gen.

Harry Potter Recs

Hero of the Story (364k)

In a future where they never found the last two Horcruxes and Ron died, Harry finds a Dark spell to be reborn in the past. When they’re ready to leave, Harry ends up protecting Hermione so that she can travel backward alone. Hermione wakes up an infant and the baby sister of Peter Pettigrew. This story features a sympathetic Peter who remains in the light thanks to his little sister. Hermione grows up, planning how to stop Voldemort in the future, and ensure a good life for Harry. She never planned on falling in love with James. This story features a one-sided James/Lily, James/Hermione, and some Lily/Severus. This story also always makes me crave some Regulus/Hermione, so I often chase it with Oblivion below.

Have Your Cake and Eat It by Cunegonde (120k)

Remus Lupin dies and then wakes up in his dormitory at Hogwarts. Believing it to be a dream, he decides to change some of his old regrets. After a few days, though, he realizes he isn’t dreaming and he has changed the future. The primary romance is Remus Lupin/Severus Snape.

Silhouettes by nauticalparamour (109k)

In a future where Harry Potter didn’t win, Hermione Granger decides to go to the past, infiltrate Pureblood society, and take the Deatheaters down from the inside. To help her navigate Pureblood society, Theo Nott agrees to become her husband. This is a spy story with a slow-burn fake/pretend romance. Hermione and Theo never return to the future (other than by aging into it) and their presence doesn’t stop their younger selves from being born. The romance is Hermione/Theo, though there is a little bit of Hermione/Lucius thrown in.

Oblivion by nauticalparamour (103k)

Kreacher tosses Hermione into the past so that she can save Regulus and destroy the locket. When Regulus takes Hermione to his home after she saves him at the cave and they get caught, Hermione lies about being a Pureblood to his parents and everything begins to snowball. This story focuses on destroying Horcruxes, killing Voldemort, and developing the romance between Hermione and Regulus.

Falling Through Time by wittyhistorian (353k)

After winning the war as in canon, Hermione goes skiing with her parents and, during an avalanche, accidentally falls into the past, waking shortly after Sirius’ death. While she initially tries to adhere to the timeline, she keeps accidentally changing the past, including starting a relationship with Fred Weasley. The primary romance is Hermione/Fred.

No Difference by attackfish (102k)

This is another one of the exceptions. In this, Harry travels to the past, but rather than changing the future, his actions change the tenor of relationships in the present. Basically, Harry, in his seventh year, goes back to 1959 where he falls into a relationship with Eileen Prince. The time travel all happens within the first few chapters. The rest is dealing with the fallout. Relationships are Harry Potter/Eileen Prince and Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley.

#fanfic #recs #rec list #time travel #long fics #naruto #tma #the untamed #star wars #final fantasy vii #teen wolf #mcu #harry potter #ao3

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cant-think-of-a-good-one · 1 year

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i just watched the first episode of mahoyome season 2 and i loved everything about it

im gonna just ramble about it

under the cut tho. cuz i want yall to enjoy the episode

KASJHDKJALSHDKLAHDKASSHDJAKDHA

okay okay okay

that was fuking ccrazy awesome

this is only the first episode so everything is so mysterious about everyone. ilove it so much

also the new music gaaahhhh

that fukin intro before the intro i dont know what that was but that was the sickest animations ever

and the episode as a whole has awsome animation

but also especially those super sick close ups. like those are so cool.

its just so beautiful and exciting.

ok im not gonna talk about the things in the thing in order i just wanna point out the neat things.

first one is those fukin cats like holy shit what are they. like i think the closest harry potter equivalent of it is the houses? but this is much cooler i think. because. cats. the music in this part is pretty cool too again, they are so so mysterious. i love all the cats they are so smug lookin lmao. what are they up to

and then the part after that with chise just standing in front of the door is me fr.

ooohh my also want to point out the animation on the caterpillar ladyy. cant believe they actually animated her funny caterpillar legs.

wait i forgot. THE INTRO AND OUTRO. those were so cool. the new junna song is so fukin cool. i think theres also some notes from the season 1 intro in the new one. like a leitmotif thing at the end. thats a nice touch. auggghhhhh i love the thorn animation and all the animation ilove animtion

wawawawawawa

i could go on forever

im gonna end it with a random thought. i think elias might be agender or nonbinary since they're a fukin ancient beast that doesnt understand gender lol. also from the promotional material they're gonna take a form of a woman ??? does that mean this is a yuri anime now XD

well, anyways thats it

i cant wait to watch the next episode

#the ancient magus bride #ancient magus bride #tamb #mahoutsukai no yome #mahoyome #rambly cally

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cyarskj1899 · 1 year

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These quotes need to be studied in schools someday

TVLine

YEAR IN REVIEW

2022 in Review: Quotes of the Year!

By Team TVLine / December 18 2022, 9:00 AM PST

Best TV Quotes 2022

Courtesy of Prime Video; HBO; HBO Max; Netflix; Peacock

Anthony Bridgerton confessed his true feelings for Kate Sharma. This Is Us‘ Rebecca Pearson got well-deserved kudos. Viktor Hargreeves introduced himself to his Umbrella Academy siblings. And The White Lotus‘ Tanya McQuoid realized something very important… just a little too late.

All year long, we’ve been collecting TV’s best sound bites in our Quotes of the Week compilations, which honor the dialogue that made us laugh and cry — sometimes simultaneously. But as 2022 draws to a close, we’re now looking back at the Quotes of the Year, highlighting 60 of the funniest, most poignant or most wonderfully meta moments from the past 12 months.

Best TV Shows of 2022 | Stranger Things, The Boys, Andor, More

0 seconds of 3 minutes, 52 seconds

In the list below, you’ll find Robin Scherbatsky sharing her romantic past with How I Met Your Father‘s Sophie, Ellen DeGeneres reflecting on how much has changed since her talk show began, Westworld‘s Dolores-Hale uttering a powerful one-word command, and Andor‘s precious droid B2EMO lamenting a major loss.

Of course, some shows — like ABC’s Abbott Elementary and Netflix’s Stranger Things — were just too quotable this year to select only one line, so they’re among the series making multiple appearances on our list. And it’s not just the scripted fare that made our cut: Unscripted programs like American Idol, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Big Brother are in the mix, as well.

As with all of our year-end lists, we should issue a quick spoiler alert for several of this year’s plot twists, romantic confessions and heartbreaking sendoffs. But if you’re ready to dive in, peruse the list below, then drop a comment with the lines that would make your cut for Quotes of the Year.

HARRY POTTER 20TH ANNIVERSARY: RETURN TO HOGWARTS

Photo : HBO Max screenshot

“I killed you, didn’t I? I’m sorry. Had to be done.”

Helena Bonham Carter apologizes to Gary Oldman for what Bellatrix Lestrange did to Sirius Black in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

WOMEN OF THE MOVEMENT

Photo : ABC screenshot

“I want them to see what was taken from me.”

Mamie Till (Adrienne Warren), before the doors are opened for the public viewing of her son Emmett Till’s body

STATION ELEVEN

Photo : HBO Max screenshot

“You walked her home.”

Kirsten (Mackenzie Davis) assures Jeevan that his 20-year-old goal was met

OZARK

Photo : Netflix screenshot

“I shot your d—k off. For that, I apologize. I went to the drug store to look for a card. No such card exists.”

Darlene (Lisa Emery) takes the first step at burying the hatchet with Frank Jr.

GHOSTS

Photo : CBS screenshot

“I cannot believe Elias is back. Till death do us part — it’s right in the vows.”

Hetty (Rebecca Wisocky) laments the return of her dead husband

GHOSTS (Bonus Quote!)

Photo : CBS screenshot

“A travel agent booking other people’s holidays while going nowhere himself.”

“Hey, we went to Epcot, buddy! That’s the whole world all at once!”

Pete (Richie Moriarty) defends himself when the actor (Mathew Baynton) portraying him in a “Dumb Deaths” recreation says Pete was pathetic

THE GILDED AGE

Photo : HBO screenshot

“I may be a bastard, Mr. Thorburn, but you are a fool. And of the two, I think I know which I prefer.”

The women of The Gilded Age may be experts at throwing shade, but they’ve got nothing on literal robber baron George Russell (Morgan Spector)

THE RESIDENT

Photo : Fox screenshot

“Hi, Mommy.”

Gigi (Remington Blaire Evans), upon hearing her late mom Nic’s donated heart beating in another patient

9-1-1: LONE STAR

Photo : Courtesy of Fox

“I always imagine the world of politics to be really smart people walking briskly down corridors, talking real fast and all sort of sounding alike.”

In other words, Owen (Rob Lowe) learned everything he knows about the political world from watching himself on The West Wing

THE RIGHTEOUS GEMSTONES

Photo : HBO screenshot

“Look, I know you may be a backwoods simpleton, who scrubs her dresses on tree bark and stinks up the entire house with roadkill stew, but Godd—n if I wouldn’t miss the pitter-patter of your filthy-ass bare feet, or the way you chew shrimp tails with the ice like an animal — you’re family. And the thought of you running away on this bus right now is making my gooch pucker.”

Judy (Edi Patterson) pours her heart out to her aunt Tiffany to deter her from leaving town

ARTHUR

Photo : PBS screenshot (2)

“Hey, this shows you how to draw an aardvark! I never knew their noses were so long. Weird!”

It took 25 seasons, but Buster (voiced by Daniel Brochu) finally addressed the fact that Arthur looks nothing like an actual aardvark

GREY'S ANATOMY

Photo : ABC screenshot

“… and your plan was to leave without saying goodbye?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Because if I say goodbye to you, Grey, I might not actually leave.”

Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Cormac (Richard Flood), giving us a taste of what might have been

GREY'S ANATOMY (Bonus Quote!)

Photo : ABC screenshot

“When Leo said that he was an owl, did you feel the need to call him silly and correct him?”

“No.”

“No. You just loved him. You just let him explore. Let’s just love Leo, Teddy. Let’s listen when he tells us who he is.”

Regardless of Leo’s gender identity, Owen (Kevin McKidd) refuses to let himself and Teddy (Kim Raver) become the child’s bully

SNOWFALL

Photo : FX screenshot

“Little late for this, but I’m sorry for shooting you and all. I’m glad you… didn’t not make it.”

Stripper-turned-hitwoman Black Diamond (Christine Horn) awkwardly apologizes to Louie for trying to kill her last season

THE GOOD DOCTOR

Photo : ABC screenshot

“Let’s run her bandit ass out of town.”

Dr. Audrey Lim (Christina Chang) vows to take Salen Morrison down, once and for all

HOW I MET YOUR FATHER

Photo : Hulu screenshot (2)

“I once had a guy who said, ‘I love you’ on our first date.”

“Wow, you win! Dude sounds like a real piece of work.”

“You have no idea. But a good piece of work.”

Robin (Cobie Smulders) recalls her very first date with Ted

BRIDGERTON

Photo : Netflix screenshot

“You are the bane of my existence… and the object of all my desires.”

Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) breathlessly tells Kate how he truly feels for her, despite being engaged to her sister Edwina

THE 94TH ACADEMY AWARDS

Photo : ABC screenshot

“I’ve been getting out of that Spider-Man costume. Did I miss anything? There’s, like, a different vibe in here.”

Co-host Amy Schumer masterfully eases the tension after Will Smith’s now-infamous slap of Chris Rock

THE WALKING DEAD

Photo : AMC screenshot (2)

“[Hershel] doesn’t exactly trust me, you know.”

“But I’m starting to.”

Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan) reach a turning point as she asks her husband’s killer to babysit their son

THE WONDER YEARS

Photo : ABC screenshot

“Gwendolyn, but he called her Winnie.”

Bruce (Spence Moore II) reveals the reimagining’s unexpected connection to the OG series — that his friend Brian, who died in the Vietnam War, is also Winnie Cooper’s brother — and breaks our hearts in the process

ABBOTT ELEMENTARY

Photo : ABC screenshot

“Let me see these permission slips to the zoo, and they better be real, ’cause I can tell if you faked a Herbie Hancock.”

“Oh, it’s John Hancock.”

“Girl, I know. I just say whatever I want.”

Ava (Janelle James) doesn’t play by the rules

ABBOTT ELEMENTARY (Bonus Quote!)

Photo : ABC screenshot

“We’ve watched Nightmare Before Christmas but only the Christmas parts, Practical Magic without the witchcraft and Hocus Pocus without Sarah Jessica Parker.”

Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) describes her church’s Halloween movie screening tradition

KILLING EVE

Photo : BBC America screenshot

“I did it, Eve.”

“Don’t you mean ‘we did it’?”

“Yeah. But mostly me.”

Villanelle (Jodie Comer) lets Eve (Sandra Oh) know she’s taking the credit for taking down The Twelve

AMERICAN IDOL

Photo : ABC screenshot

“Noah, I feel like maybe you should Wikipedia me.”

Katy Perry, famously an ex-girlfriend of John Mayer’s, balks at Noah Thompson’s suggestion that Perry picked a Mayer song for him to sing

GIRLS5EVA

Photo : Peacock screenshot

“#AlbumMode is a state of mind that started when our deal was announced and ends when I’m at the Met Gala in a catheter because my dress is too complicated.”

Wickie (Renée Elise Goldsberry) has a very clear vision of how the girls’ new album release will play out

STATION 19

Photo : ABC screenshot

“My name is Matt, Mom. This is me. I’m sad for you. I’m sad that you don’t want to get to know me or the man that I’ll become. I’m sad that you’re going to miss out on loving me when I feel the most me.”

“But honey, I love you… I’m trying to save you. Honey, you’re a child. You don’t know what’s good for you.”

“I know that when you call me Mary, it makes me want to die. Do you think me wanting to die is good for me, Mom?”

Whether his mom (Romy Rosemont) wants to hear it or not, transgender youth Matt (Hollidae Livingston) speaks his truth

YOUNG SHELDON

Photo : CBS screenshot

“Wow. I might look too cool.”

Sheldon’s (Iain Armitage) first graphic tee is a total game-changer

THIS IS US

Photo : Courtesy of NBC

“You’re as tough as they come, Rebecca Pearson. And you, my dear, have earned a rest.”

Dr. K (Gerald McRaney) gives Rebecca one last (sniff!) pep talk

THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW

Photo : Warner Bros. TV Distribution (2)

“When we started the show, I couldn’t say ‘gay.’ I was not allowed to say ‘gay.’ I say it at home a lot — you know, ‘What are we having for our gay breakfast?’ or ‘Pass the gay salt,’ or ‘Has anyone seen the gay remote?’ — but we couldn’t say ‘gay.’ I couldn’t say ‘we’ because that would imply that I was with someone. Sure couldn’t say ‘wife,’ and that’s because it wasn’t legal for gay people to get married. Now I say ‘wife’ all the time.”

During her last show, DeGeneres acknowledges how much has changed since 2003 — and calls attention to wife (and front-row audience member) Portia de Rossi

STRANGER THINGS

Photo : Netflix screenshot

“I don’t want to talk about it. I’ll punch you so hard in your face that your teeth’ll fall back out.”

“Whoa. Too far.”

Steve (Joe Keery) instantly regrets the way he tells Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) to stop pointing out his lingering feelings for ex Nancy

STRANGER THINGS (Bonus Quote!)

Photo : Netflix screenshot

“You’ve grown.”

“You shrank.”

Reunited, Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Hopper (David Harbour) compare the effects of adolescence vs. the Kamchatka diet

THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY

Photo : Netflix screenshot

“Who elected you, Vanya?”

“It’s, uh, Viktor.”

“Who’s Viktor?”

“I am. It’s who I’ve always been.”

Viktor Hargreeves (Elliot Page) introduces himself to his siblings for the first time

OBI-WAN KENOBI

Photo : Disney+ screenshot

“I am not your failure, Obi-Wan. You didn’t kill Anakin Skywalker — I did.”

Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen), reinforcing what Ben Kenobi tells Luke Skywalker in A New Hope — that Vader did, indeed, kill his father

THE BOYS

Photo : Prime Video screenshot

“How long have you been f—king it behind my back?”

“OK, it’s not an ‘it.’ It’s a ‘her.’ Get your pronouns right.”

Cassandra (Katy Breier) and The Deep (Chace Crawford) discuss his relationship with Ambrosius the octopus

TYLER PERRY'S SISTAS

Photo : BET screenshot

“Bitch, you’re f—king Black Panther and Eddie Murphy all rolled into one?!”

In case you couldn’t tell, Danni (Mignon) is pretty excited about Sabrina dating an African prince

THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF BEVERLY HILLS

Photo : Bravo screenshot

“2020 was bad for a lot of people, but I also think it was kind of like a spiritual awakening. This is going to sound crazy, but I made peace with my vagina.”

“Were you at war with your vagina?”

Not to discredit Sheree Zampino’s epiphany, but Dorit Kemsley poses a valid follow-up question

EVIL

Photo : Paramount+ screenshot

“Boop.”

During her hearing, Sister Andrea (Andrea Martin) subtly reminds Dr. Boggs that he knows firsthand how present demons can be in the world

THE ORVILLE

Photo : Hulu screenshot (2)

“I enjoy spending time with you. You are a male, and yet you possess many prominent female traits. Which I find appealing.”

“Oh.”

Topa (Imani Pullum) puts her crush on Gordon (Scott Grimes) into (awkward) words

BETTER CALL SAUL

Photo : AMC screenshot (inset: Everett Collection)

“Crazy? I’ll tell you what’s crazy: Fifty-year-old high school chemistry teacher comes into my office. The guy is so broke he can’t pay his own mortgage. One year later, he’s got a pile of cash as big as a Volkswagen. That’s crazy!”

Gee, to whom could Gene (Bob Odenkirk) be referring…?

WESTWORLD

Photo : Courtesy of HBO

“Chair!”

Dolores-Hale (Tessa Thompson), the “bored” god, summons herself a place to sit

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS

Photo : FX screenshot

“Trust me: Gay is in. Gay is hot. I want some gay. Gay it’s gonna be.”

Laszlo (Matt Berry) thinks faking a relationship with Nandor is a sure-fire way to get Colin into private school

LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER

Photo : HBO screenshot

“We let the [monkeypox] vaccine sit unused on a shelf in our reserves like an expired Chobani — or a $90 million movie on HBO Max. By the way, hi there, new business daddy! Seems like you’re doing a really great job. I do get the vague sense that you’re burning down my network for the insurance money, but I’m sure that that’ll all pass.”

THE BACHELORETTE

Photo : ABC screenshot (2)

“Tino’s being a real baby back bitch.”

Ethan accidentally comes up with an alternate jingle for Chili’s while slamming his romantic rival

HARLEY QUINN

Photo : HBO Max screenshot

“I don’t trust clowns with secrets.”

“I am barely clown-themed anymore. I just think I look hot like this. I mean, check out how good these booty shorts make my ass look, right? [Off Bruce’s confused look] Never mind, you’re 8.”

Harley (voiced by Kaley Cuoco) tries to earn a young Bruce Wayne’s trust

ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO

Photo : The CW screenshot

“I think I might just take these as a reminder of my time in Roswell. … Fits like a glove!”

Seeing Allie (played by Shiri Appleby, aka the Liz of the original Roswell series) put on that alien headband was a full-circle moment we won’t soon forget

74TH PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS

Photo : Kevin Winter/Getty Images

“When I was a little girl, all I wanted to see was me in the media: someone fat like me, Black like me, beautiful like me. If I could go back and tell little Lizzo something, I’d be like, ‘You’re going to see that person, but bitch, it’s going to have to be you.’”

THE GOOD FIGHT

Photo : Paramount+ screenshot

“Mother f—ker. Oh, I’m sorry, you didn’t hear that? Mother f—ker. F—k you and your moronic defund the police bulls—t. Why? Because you’re putting Trump back into the White House, you stupid f—kin’ tai-t lick. You never heard me swear before? Well, aren’t you in for a treat.”

After six seasons of watching his mouth on CBS’ The Good Wife, legendarily blunt political strategist Eli Gold (Alan Cumming) wastes no time taking his pent-up potty mouth for a spin in the Paramount+ spinoff

BLOOD & TREASURE

Photo : Paramount+ screenshot (2)

“So we are saying ‘Jeng-his’ now.”

“She does.”

“It’s the right way!”

Chuck (Mark Gagliardi) points out the Season 2 characters’ different pronunciations of Genghis Khan’s name

BIG BROTHER

Best TV Quotes

Photo : Courtesy of CBS

“Monte may have more blood on his hands than me, but as someone who has sat on this eviction block six times on eviction night, I have bled out the most in this game. But I have bandaged myself together every single time and gotten up and continued to fight, because like so many other women in the world, that is what we have to do to get to the end… I have overcome so much in this game, and I have come to understand that I am not a shield, I am a sword. I am not a victim, I am a victor… Jury members, I am challenging you to make the hard decision and change the course of this game. Choose progress for the course of this game. I can be the winner of this season, and I promise you will not do it in vain if you choose me tonight.”

Taylor clinches the game-winning vote with her epic final plea to the jurors

CHICAGO P.D.

Best TV Quotes

Photo : NBC screenshot

“You’re the love of my life, and if I’m yours, then you’ll know that you have to let me go.”

Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer), breaking our hearts in his tearful goodbye to wife Upton

SHE-HULK: ATTORNEY AT LAW

Photo : Disney+ screenshot

“That’s what Hulks do. We smash things. Bruce smashes buildings, I smash fourth walls and bad endings… and sometimes Matt Murdockkkk.”

Jen (Tatiana Maslany) reminds K.E.V.I.N. of her particular set of skills

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER

Photo : Prime Video screenshot

“When in doubt, Elanor Brandyfoot, always follow your nose.”

The Stranger (Daniel Weyman), giving off serious Gandalf vibes while leading the way for his new adventure with Nori

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON

Photo : HBO screenshot

“He can keep his tongue.”

Before King Viserys can cut out Vaemond’s tongue for publicly questioning Rhaenyra’s sons’ parentage, Daemon (Matt Smith) slices the accuser’s skull in two — but leaves the offending appendage attached

THE HANDMAID'S TALE

Photo : Hulu screenshot

“Hi, June.”

“Hi, Serena.”

“You got a diaper?”

Serena (Yvonne Strahovski) and June (Elisabeth Moss) are in the same boat — er, train — at the end of the Season 5 finale

CHUCKY

Photo : Syfy screenshot

“You think I’m scared to go to hell? F—k that. I’m from Jersey… Jersey!”

Chucky (voiced by Brad Dourif) doesn’t have much love for his home state, it seems

ANDOR

Photo : Disney+ screenshot

“I d-d-don’t want to be alone. I want M-M-Maarva.”

B2EMO (voiced by Dave Chapman) isn’t ready to mourn

CRIMINAL MINDS: EVOLUTION

Photo : Paramount+ screenshot

“You’ve never pulled your gun in the line of duty, have you? Never faced down a psychopath…. You’re a hedge fund manager with a badge.”

Prentiss (Paget Brewster) calls ’em — in this case, FBI Deputy Director Bailey — as she sees ’em

TITANS

Photo : HBO Max screenshot

“This is insane.”

“Compared to what? Two hours ago I was in [Conner’s] stomach trying to kill a ghost snake.”

“And two hours before that we were fighting zombies.”

“And I kissed Bernard.”

Tim (Jay Lycurgo) experienced a different kind of pre-fall finale action

YELLOWSTONE

Photo : Paramount Network screenshot

“How ya feeling?”

“Like I got hit by a truck. How about you?”

“Like I got hit by a Prius.”

Beth (Kelly Reilly) offers Summer (Piper Perabo) faint praise the morning after their brawl

THE WHITE LOTUS

Best TV Quotes

Photo : HBO screenshot

“These gays! They’re trying to murder me!”

Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) has an unintentionally hilarious lightbulb moment about the men with whom she’s been spending her Sicilian vacation

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tanoraqui · 5 years

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me, 2/3 of the way through the first Temeraire book: okay so how do I fit dragons into every other fandom I like

#temeraire #okay so first off gil HAS a dragon; as of course does agatha #we don't know if gil's can talk but he DOES ride it and this is a CANON FACT that we DO NOT SUFFICIENTLY ADDRESS #either in fanon or in canon tbh #meanwhile over in the magnus archives #jon would make a great dragon #weird nerd; attempts to aggressively look after His people? yes good #georgie is the only qualified captain l e t ' s b e r e a l #elias isn't allowed anywhere near this bc fuck off; it's just jon and his assistants/crew and they have adventures and maybe fight pirates #hm...i'm pretty sure i've read homestuck aus where dragons #though not quite the style of temeraire where there's a full crew #harry potter with dragons must exist but i haven't seen it. but it must.#man you know what'd be so goddamn valid? the west wing with dragons #the issue with this sort of au is you need to pick a character to be hte dragon #bc you can't just make up an oc for it #...leo. it's leo

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nickavalens · 6 years

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Has anyone else noticed that the second you do something good in Harry Potter Mystery, your avatar gets this shit earing grin and does a weird sway and flash of teeth that looks more like a guilty pupper than a smug human? No? Just me? I'll shut up.

#harry potter mystery #elias talks

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cwfprophet · 3 years

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BREAKING NEWS - BLACK RELEASED AS MINISTRY ISSUE WARRANT FOR NEW ARREST IN BAGNOLD CASE

21 November 1982

THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC, WIZARDING LONDON - Another week of investigation has turned up new leads in the Booker Bagnold case, including a whole new murder suspect. Offically clasifying Mr Bagnold’s death as potential homicide, it seems the Ministry are scrambling to get someone in court for the slaying of the Minister’s son and are turning to anyone who fits their modus operandi. The Ministry’s statement, published this evening, confirmed that Mr Bagnold died in a werewolf attack on the night of his death, with both crime scene investigators within The Auror’s Office and medical experts at St Mungo’s confirming Mr Bagnold died due to extensive bloodloss as a reuslt of deep claw marks on his chest thought to have been caused by a werewolf.

The latest person the Ministry are looking at is thirty-eight year Silas Crump, a petty criminal and former barman act at Le Cirque Des Rêves. Our sources report that before the inquiriry into Mr Bagnold’s death, Mr Crump was not known to the Ministry as a werewolf, though he had been on the Ministry’s radar for petty crimes which had taken place in the late 1960s. According to our source inside the Ministry, Mr Crump was discovered as a werewolf after failing to collect a vile of wolfsbane from a potioneer who wishes to remain anonymous, placing him inside the Ministry at the time of Mr Bagnold’s death but his whereabouts inside the Ministry remain unknown. Mr Crump was one of two werewolves in attendance at the Halloween ball the night of the killing, though the second werewolf was accounted for and provided a substantial alibi according to our insider.

With a warrant now issued for Mr Crump’s arrest for the murder of Mr Bagnold’s, Bellatrix Black has now been released and will no longer be question further in relation to the crime with photographs taken by our press photographer Edward Tonks helping to exonerate Miss Black and causing further embarrassment for the Ministry as they try and figure out this case.

ELIAS SPENCER-MOON, SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER

#harry potter rpg #marauders rpg #supernatural rp #city rpg #town rpg #daily prophet: breaking news alert #journalist; elias spencer-moon #tw; blood #tw; medical talk #tw; mention of death #tw; death

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cannibalizedyke · 1 year

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❤︎︎ about me ❤︎︎

hi!!! i’m meredith, but you can also call me lottie, steph, briar, or elia <33 i use she/lil pronouns and i’m bi, demiromantic, and aceflux. i’m neurodivergent so be patient with me if i don’t understand things/talk too much!! i’m a writer and i used to have over 200 fics on this blog, but i’m starting from scratch bc tumblr broke my links <//3 hope you have fun here!!

currently reading: i kissed shara wheeler by casey mcquiston

currently watching: yellowjackets

currently listening to: preacher’s daughter by ethel cain

❥ my favorites

movies/books/tv shows:

steel magnolias, 10 things i hate about you, the corpse bride, marvel cinematic universe, mean girls, pirates of the caribbean, puss in boots: the last wish, the princess bride, monster high, tangled, edward scissorhands, easy a, colette, ella enchanted, the princess and the frog, barbie movies, beetlejuice, coraline, summerland, ever after high, six of crows, the school for good and evil, the hunger games, harry potter, if we were villains, edgar allan poe, the lunar chronicles, miss peregrine’s home for peculiar children, dc comics, shatter me, the folk of the air, lore, the arc of a scythe, percy jackson, new girl, avatar: the last airbender, a series of unfortunate events, winnie the pooh, teen titans, the amazing world of gumball, the good place, brooklyn nine-nine, community, newsies, yellowjackets

artists:

marina, lana del rey, lorde, børns, mother mother, poppy, studio killers, twenty one pilots, wallows, hozier, aurora, florence + the machine, phoebe bridgers, arctic monkeys, the neighbourhood, conan gray, harry styles, taylor swift, the smiths, zella day, declan mckenna, my chemical romance, fin, flower face, cults, melanie martinez, boys world, clairo, bad suns

things to do:

write, sing, read, listen to music, go on picnics, watch tv, swim, take walks, spend time with people, talk

❥ my comfort characters

patrick verona, peter parker, briar beauty, dexter charming, kitty cheshire, madeline hatter, lizzie hearts, darling charming, daring charming, jesper fahey, nina zenik, anadil of bloodbrook, hester of ravenswood, peeta mellark, johanna mason, finnick odair, harry potter, george weasley, cedric diggory, mary macdonald, lily evans, pandora lovegood, luna lovegood, sirius black, regulus black, remus lupin, james potter, meredith dardenne, millard nullings, hugh apiston, emma bloom, tim drake, stephanie brown, cassandra cain, bart allen, jason todd, harley quinn, poison ivy, aaron warner, kenji kishimoto, cardan greenbriar, percy jackson, leo valdez, hazel levesque, jessica day, zuko, klaus baudelaire, violet baudelaire, sunny baudelaire, the hook-handed man, isadora quagmire, quigley quagmire, winnie the pooh, robin, starfire, beast boy, chidi anagonye, troy barnes, abed nadir, jack kelly, nat scatorccio, jackie taylor, lottie matthews

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moonlit-sunflower-books · 3 years

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writing narrative foils

[@/moonit_sunflower_books on ig]

elias veturius and helene aquila invented narrative foils in this essay i will-

hey y'all! today we're going to be talking about narrative foils and why they're such an awesome literary technique + how to use them when you write. most of this knowledge is from english class last year combined with my own experience reading and writing. i hope this helps!

disclaimer: i am not a professional writer, just a student who writes for fun, and everything here is a combination of research and experience. i'm always open to debate and/or constructive criticism!

what are foils? why use them?

narrative foils are essentially two characters that have contrasting personalities and values. when a character and their foil are in close proximity, it makes the characters' contrasting personalities and attributes. essentially, it makes the differences between the two characters stark and makes them seem more dramatic.

foil v/s antagonist

an antagonist is someone working directly against the protagonist, who tries to hinder the protagonist's progress and ultimately propels the plot forwards. a foil, on the other hand, exists purely to emphasise the protagonist's character traits. they don't necessarily provide more conflict or opposition.

how to use foils

one of the main ways in which foils are used is to show the different paths that characters can take. for example, in an ember in the ashes, elias chooses to run from blackcliff while helene remains to serve the emperor - the two paths they take are direct contrasts and show the different futures that someone from blackcliff could possibly have.

foils are also used to show different choices that characters make. in the musical hamilton, the songs "my shot" and "wait for it" are direct contrasts to each other. in the former, hamilton talks about how he will go looking for opportunity and not pass any up, while burr talks about how he will wait for his time to come and not make stupid rash decisions.

coming up with foil characters

like any trait, the fact that the character is a foil should not be their entire personality. the fact that draco and harry* are foils isn't their entire personalities - they each have their own unique motivation and subplot as well, but the fact that they contradict each other gives their characters more depth.

also, don't contrast every single character trait. for example, if your protagonist is loyal, confident, and naive, don't necessarily make your antagonist untrustworthy, cowardly, and sceptical. choose the traits that serve the story the best and emphasise those!

*i do not support jk rowling in any way, i'm just using her characters as examples

examples of foil characters

elias veturius and helene aquila from an ember in the ashes

romeo and mercutio from romeo and juliet

harry potter and draco malfoy from harry potter

sherlock holmes and john watson from sherlock

mr darcy and mr wickham from pride and prejudice

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rogue-durin-16 · 3 years

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HIS WARM EYES

Summary: Some members of the Order are reticent about letting in a Lestrange, specially after Snape's betrayal. Whilst taking Harry to the the burrow, an ambush has place. Everything points to Y/n, right?

Pairing: George Weasley x Slytherin!Lestrange!Reader

Genre: angst

Tags:

George Weasley: @meph1stophelian

Permanent taglist: @elia-the-bibliophile @randomparanoid @karlthecat15722 @thebutchersdaughtersblog @amourtentiaa @just-here-to-escape-from-reality @skarlettmikaelson

Warnings: blood, injuries, death

A/N: OH MY GOD THIS IS SO LONG AND BAD— I AM GENUINELY SORRY BUT I HAD TO

Rogue-durin-16 masterlist

Lestrange wasn't a good name.

It wasn't a good name in the streets, nor in close-doors, let alone amongst The Order.

That's why I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that they had accepted me— well, maybe 'accepted' was a strong word; they had let me in, reticent, weary, but still they had done it. Plus, after Snape's betrayal and Dumbledore's death, no one would think there was a vacant for a Slytherin and a Lestrange.

It wasn't until I found myself exiting the abandoned Grimauld's Place along with the rest of the volunteers to go to Privet Drive, that it dawned on me; they were short on people.

They were so short on people that the Order would have to swallow my name, my family and my House.

That didn't mean they would quiet down their opinions about me being there.

"I'm gonna say it." Fred announced, taking a spot in the living room's corner while Shacklebolt, Arthur and Lupin searched the place.

"Again?" Fleur groaned.

Fred had already spoken his mind about my presence before we reached Potter's house.

His and George's shocked looks had been on me since the very first moment I had walked into the old Black's home, which was understandable; last time they saw me I was joking about joining the death eaters.

Although the shock on their faces had been accompanied by very different emotions on each.

Fred's held reticence. During our school years, he had never liked me; I would dare to say he was scared of me, even.

George's gaze, on the other hand, held hope —maybe even excitement— which was comforting.

In our first year, I had managed to draw George's interest, and for three years he was adamant about Slytherins not being 'all that bad'.

George's friendship was the thread I was hanging on; he was the only thing stopping from taking the easy way and live up to my name.

The thread was cut after he asked his mother to bring me over during Christmas, which ended up in her forbidding him to talk to me. He, being George Weasley, ignored his mom's pleads and twin's scolding and still tried his best to stay close to me, so I did what was right and, at the end of our fifth year, I cut ties with him.

It hurt more than I would dare to admit.

After our drifting apart, I was forced to completely rely on Slytherins. And you see, Slytherins, as 11 year-old George would say, aren't all that bad, but the ones my name attracted were.

They were bad sort —the worst—, and keeping that company around after our sixth year wasn't the best record to have, but Merlin's sake, I was there, I had volunteered— people change.

"Son." His father warned Fred, well aware this wasn't the time, though he obviously wanted to side with him. "Don't start again."

"Someone has yet to tell me why is she here?"

"She has a name." I hissed, unable to stop myself.

"Which is why you shouldn't be here, Lestrange." The name rolled out of his tongue like poison. "She's not one to trust."

"Oi, she's willing to risk her life, isn't she?" George's words seemed to be meant to calm his twin's temper, though his warm eyes did land on mines with a reassuring look.

"Yeah but for whom?" I tried to stay quiet as Moody had asked me too, but Fred was making it quite difficult. "If something goes wrong—"

"Weasley!" Mad-eye's tone was dry as he bursted into the room. "Are you questioning my judgment?" Fred scoffed, but stayed quiet.

"If we're throwing in the surnames, you're gonna wanna know her mum's my auntie." Tonks spoke, folding her arms.

"But you're a Hufflepuff." He was quick to respond, giving me a disgusted look. "She's a Serpent."

"And you're still a mouthful, aren't you?!" I snapped, stepping forward, though Tonks gave me a lazy tug before I could get to Fred.

"Wanna fight, Lestrange?" He had taken a couple of steps in my direction already when George yanked his twins arm.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" He yelled, giving his brother a push. "She's here for Harry! She's helping! What else do you want?!"

"Oh my gosh, Georgie— get over your teen crush already, she's not on our team!" George's knuckles went visibly white, unlike his cheeks, which turned red.

"Are you done making a scene? The three of you." Bill questioned in a calm tone, resting against the window's bench. "I don't fancy the idea either, but we need help, Fred, so shut your mouth because we have things to do."

"Pity, I was enjoying the teen drama." Moody teased before grabbing his flask and the ones who would take the Polyjuice potion moved to stand in line.

"Y/n." George's hand brushed my hand, drawing my attention to him as we stood besides one another. "I'm glad you're here." He whispered with a side smile.

"Missed me much?" I couldn't help but grin back, bumping his arm with mine. I stole a proper look at him and thought I might as well ask before the mission. "So... Teen crush huh?" I wiggled my eyebrows at him, though I could feel my own face flushing.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't fancy George —could someone blame me?—, and the idea of those feelings not being unrequited was very appealing.

He only threw his head back and looked away, the half smile growing wider and more bashful. "We'll talk about it at the Burrow." He assured me, taking the flask with his right hand and squeezing mine with his left.

"If we don't die before that." I was joking, but fear was shaking me to the core.

"We won't." He looked at the potion disgusted and gave me a peeked at me saying, "You have to hear me embarrass myself first." And with a wink, he drank the potion and passed it to me.

Gosh, I couldn't get over the mission to hear him 'embarrass' himself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

GEORGE'S P. O. V.

The first five minutes were calm, despite all of us being on edge. We kept checking on each other, dreading if we lost sight of someone, that someone would banish.

The storm came when we had to dive into the dark clouds.

Funnily enough, I did think it was a literal storm before entering; oh, what I would have given for it to be a literal storm.

Black, cloaked intruders flew among us, making us divide in the pairs we had been assigned to.

Lupin started casting protegos and hexes to everyone that got too close while I tried to take down as many enemies as possible.

A couple of yelled warnings were heard when both Moody and the real Harry had entered the ambush.

"WATCH OUT!" Tonks screamed, flying past me with Ron at her tail. "REMUS!" She made a signal to her husband "ESCORT!" I got the hint; we were supposed to clear Moody's and Y/n's way so it would confuse our attackers while Tonks and Shacklebolt made sure to get Harry out of there.

"ON MY LEFT!" Lupin shouted over the chaos, changing to my right for me to be by Y/n's side.

"WE'RE FUCKED!" She yelled dropping her flight to dodge an Avada Kedavra.

"WE'LL MANAGE!" I automatically dropped my flight with hers too, which was a bad decision, since we had gotten rid of the protection provided by Lupin, Mad-eye and Bill and Fleur.

Soon enough three death eaters came flying towards us.

"STUPEFY!" another Harry with the voice of Fred passed by us, closely followed by my dad.

"GO BACK UP!" Y/n was quicker than me following my father's instructions; when I did though, I realised the little formation we had going on was gone.

Suddenly, all we could hear were screams; it felt as if someone was missing but I blamed it on everyone flying around like a chicken with its head cut off.

Tonks almost crashed against me on her way down; Ron was nowhere near me, nor Lupin.

We were outnumbered, and instead of moving forward, we were stuck in the grey clouds, trying not to die.

It took me a hot second, a crash against a death eater and a couple of hexes to get to Lupin, and even when I did, it was a hard task to keep track of him.

I had just taken out someone in my way when I caught a glimpse of something my eyes refused to believe.

Snape.

Our bloody professor was trying to kill us.

I felt the need to laugh at the situation.

"GEORGE!" It was Y/n's voice snapping me out of it, although her actions shocked me even more.

Y/n casted a spell on me, pushing my broomstick to the left and consequently making me crash against Lupin and lose balance.

Then something happened, something my mind didn't quite process.

At first it felt like a slap, but the pain stung my side as if someone had sliced me with a blade.

I didn't hear my own cry, nor Lupin's desperate 'help'; I didn't feel his hands struggling to take a firm hold of me, nor my own shakily reaching to my side, searching for an injury I didn't want to find.

A second after that, everything was black.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

FRED'S P. O. V.

As soon as my father and I apparated in the fields of our home, I ran into the house. For some unexplainable reason, it felt as if something wasn't right.

A couple of steps into the house were enough for that 'something' to strike me. George had been laid on the settee, barely conscious; blood was covering the side of his face, neck and left shoulder, making his hair and clothes stick to his skin.

I was left speechless at the sight, my eyes welling up while I dragged my feet towards my twin.

"Mad-Eye is dead." Bill's words, despite sounding far away, made the gears in my head turn.

Lupin was quicker than me, though, "I told you we couldn't trust a Lestrange!"

"Remus! we don't know—" Tonks tried to calm him down, just to be cut off by Bill.

"Mad-Eye and Lestrange traveled between us and" he gestured at our wounded brother, "Remus and George." His jaw twitching let me know that he was desperately trying to stay calm. "Mad-Eye is dead and my brother just lost an ear, who is it if not bloody Lestrange, Dora?"

"Bill..." Fleur held onto her fiance's arm in an attempt to ground him.

"Did you see her disapparating?" Tonks's point was logical and hopeful.

George would have sided with her.

My eyes fixed on my wounded twin again. He was as pale as a corpse now, and the absence of his ear was way more noticeable now that my mother had begun to remove the blood.

George would have sided with Tonks because he wanted to trust Y/n, and he couldn't even speak because of that same reason.

Since everyone was arguing, they missed the flash of someone apparating near the front door.

I didn't.

Before I knew it, I was running outside with my wand in hand, Lupin and Bill following me instantly when they realised what I had just seen.

"EXPELLIARMUS!" Y/n's wand flew to my hand even before I could properly see her.

My rushed march came to a halt when I was a couple of feet away from her, making Bill bump into me; she was as pale as George, maybe more.

She took a seemingly calm, deep breath before attempting to walk.

Luckily, I saw the pools of blood on her shirt and stepped to reach her before she could touch the ground.

"Oh my..." Lupin covered his mouth with both his hands and Bill stood frozen at the sight of the girl in my arms. "MOLLY!!" my old professor yelled at the top of his lungs, going as livid as me.

We shouldn't talk on impulse, I told myself, rushing into the kitchen with Y/n in my arms. A series of gasps and regretful whispers broke the silence while I laid her on the dining table.

"Y/n?" George's trembling voice was heartbreaking, and, as my dad forced him to stay on the couch, I prayed the girl in my arms would survive.

"Oh Lord..." My mother muttered, examining her. It wasn't only her shirt stained with blood; her left leg and arm were too. "Oh dear..."

"She took the blow." Lupin ran his hands through his hair, understandably stressed. After a couple of seconds, her turned to my dad and commanded, "Get him up. Quick— go get him up." His eyes stared right into my soul and I dreaded the worst, but still obeyed and helped my dad drag George to the dining table.

I heard Lupin telling Bill something about Sectumsempra, and my heart sunk.

She took the blow.

"No..." George's murmur was close to a cry, but it was enough for Y/n's eyes to snap open.

"George." tears were effortlessly streaming down her cheeks at the sight of him. "You're... A-alive..."

"Please stay" My brother fell on his knees, reaching for Y/n's bloody hand with his own. We all looked away to give them some kind of intimacy, except from my mother, who was still trying to fix the poor girl.

I heard them both whispering sweet nothings with shattered voices until only one of them died out. I looked over to Tonks, whose eyes were gleaming with tears, and then to Lupin.

I couldn't bring myself to look at George.

After a moment of intense sobbing, my dad managed to pull my twin away from the corpse, and we carried him back to the settee.

I stayed with him the night, holding his hand and assuring him it was not his fault, but I knew my words would have little effect on his state; after all, he had been in love with Y/n for years.

All those years he had spent trying to convince all of us that Y/n was a good person, that we should give her a chance; all those years begging our mother to bring her over because she wanted to see our home.

Now her body was lying on our kitchen and I knew none of us would forgive ourselves for misjudging her.

READER'S P. O. V.

"Nervous?" A tall, redheaded kid appeared besides me; I supposed he didn't know my name by the warmth and curiosity with which his eyes stared at me.

"Aren't we all?" I replied with an anxious laugh.

He seemed to think for a moment before nodding. "Fair point, though I'll probably go into Gryffindor." He assured me with a proud smile, causing my head to cast down. "What is it?"

"Oh nothing," I shrugged, aware I would not be able to befriend that sweet boy with warm eyes. "I think I'll be sorted into Slytherin."

"Nonsense!" His intentions had been obviously to reassure me, but when he realised his response only made it worse, he added. "It'd be wicked to have a Slytherin friend, though." My eyes widened at his words; did he just— "I'm George, by the way."

"I'm Y/n."

"That's a very pretty name." Professor Mcgonagall led us into the Great Hall, and before I knew what was happening, George's hand was holding mine. "It'll be fine."

The lighting of the Castle changed once the Great Hall's doors opened; a bright, white light seemed to be coming out of it.

"Wait!" My hand gripped George's before he could leave my side. "Can you hold my hand? I-I'm scared." My voice no longer sounded like a 11 year old.

For some reason I didn't comprehend, my eyes were watery, making the view in front of me blurry.

"Don't be scared, darling." When I turned to George, I didn't see a kid; it was him, in the expensive suit I had seen him mere hours ago. "I'm here."

I just nodded and, swallowing my fear, took a step ahead, and then another one, and another, until I reached the Great Hall.

#harry potter fanfiction #george wealsey x reader #george weasley x y/n #george weasley #george weasley x reader #george weasley fanfiction #george weasley fanfic #george weasley angst #george x y/n #george x reader #george x reader angst #george weasley one shot #the seven potters #deathly hallows #deadly hallows part 1 #hp fic #hp dh

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ceriseo · 2 years

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gonna totally nerd out for a second and talk about the carstair sibling’s names. vibe-wise, they go together wonderfully, and they also have similar celtic origins.

cordelia is from cordeilla, a character in the original king leir, probably adapted itself from the welsh name creiddylad, which could possibly mean ‘heart of the sea’. meaning-wise, it suits cordelia perfectly, but cordelia is the name of the youngest daughter in king lear. cordelia is the only one of her sisters to remain truly loyal to her father, which provides some obvious parallel to elias and by extension alastair. popularity wise, cordelia was actually fairly popular at the time, and therefore historically accurate as well.

alastair is a scottish variation of alexander, which means ‘defender of men’. alexander is the name of a) alexander lightwood, famous shadowhunter gay, and b) alexander the great, famous historical gay. (also anna and christopher’s little brother? probably not relevant.) and maybe this is just personal taste but Alastair is such an evil sounding name. like harry potter villain or some shit, possibly representative of his introduction into the story as an antagonist. also the fact that his name alaSTAIR carSTAIRs maybe implies that his name wasn’t as well thought out or chosen with much care... mayhaps symbolic of his relationship to his parents? or mayhaps he was never meant to have the last name carstairs...

i love their middle names too. ‘cordelia katayoun’ and ‘alastair esfandiyar’. katayoun and esfandiyar are both characters in the persian epic shahnameh. (i’ve not read it so i can’t properly compare the characters but i know katayoun is esfandiyar’s mother.) both of the siblings love literature and stories, and given the the fact that their middle names, almost certainly chosen by their mother, show a love of literature makes it clear that they get that love from their mom. additionally, esfandiyar isn’t a common spelling of that name, a fact that is also true for alastair’s first name.

#tlh #tsc #alastair carstairs #cordelia carstairs #i know esfandiyar has an accent thing over the last a but i don't know how to make it with my laptop

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lumosinlove · 4 years

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Sweater Weather

part xvii

A/N:

Hey team!

I just want to pop in before the chapter to say a HUGE thank you to those who sent me letters!

Thanks to Hannah for your letter and O’Knutzy necklace! It’s AMAZING.

I want to thank Giana for your gorgeous letter (I’ll answer your questions in a separate post and I’m so glad you’re writing again!)

Thank you Kennedy for the painting, earrings, shark sticker (yay marine biologist!) and letter with the dried flowers :)

Thank you Alba for your SW art and your letter—yay to being there from the beginning!!

Thanks to Sophie for your kind words and letter!

Thank you Stephanie for your letter (and beautiful handwriting wow) and of course your gifts! I love the bookmarks and pin!

And last but certainly not least thank you to Alaena! I love that you included what asks you sent in XD and the STICKERS. I can’t decide if I want to put them on things or hang them all up on my bulletin board :) They’re incredible.

Thank you everyone, you’re all so thoughtful and kind!!

With SW ending soon (at least this fic, but this universe will never be over for me!) it is so incredibly lovely to hear what it means to you all. I feel so luck every single day that you guys love this team as much as I do. You thank me for this story, but I think the best part of fiction is that it expands and evolves differently in each mind it touches. Tumblr is such a freakin gift because I get a little glimpse into how you all think about these characters. So, I’m saying thank you to YOU. It’s truly a privilege to hear from you all. <3

If you feel like sending me anything, there is a link to my P.O. Box in my tumblr description! <3

Okay my mushy rant is done. Here’s chapter seventeen :)

Remus forgot his own birthday.

Lily had to remind him, bringing out a cake while he and Sirius had spent the day playing with baby Harry. Harry Potter. Harry James Potter.

The team adored him. Remus would never forget the sight of an entire team of hockey players, fresh off a plane, and crammed into a hospital room to peer at the small head of dark hair in Lily’s arms.

Minus one. Minus two, if what Sirius said was true, and Remus was part of the team. Remus had looked at the picture that Pascal had sent him from beside a sleeping Sirius and a heart monitor.

He had looked at the picture, and then at Sirius, and the relief doubled.

Four broken ribs. Bad, but it could have been worse. So much worse. A few days in Vegas to be monitored, just in case. Then, home.

Home for Remus’ birthday, home and in pain, but smiling none-the-less. Harry was a welcomed distraction from it all—the press, the hurt, the uncertainty. Lily seemed to know this without it needing to be said. Remus had told her she had enough going on without worrying about a cake, but Lily had just waved him off and cut them all large slices of the chocolate fluff.

Sirius, meanwhile, had somehow slipped a simple golden necklace around Harry’s neck, and when Remus looked down next, there it had been. A shining gold star pendant. The message had been clear. Sirius’ name-sake and Sirius himself—something to make a wish on.

Remus took a weeks off of work, all that he could.

Road-trips were a blur. Practices were anxious. The team was anxious.

March 27th.

Eight weeks. Sirius had been out for eight weeks. Resting, and stuck in his big house. Remus never thought he would be so thankful for Regulus.

“I’d rather be here than Slytherin any day, even though he whines like a baby when you’re gone.”

“Non,” Sirius would protest.

Regulus would raise an eyebrow. “Yeah.”

Remus would sneak into Sirius’ bedroom whenever he got home late, press one, two, three, four gentle kisses across his chest, and take his place on the other side of the pillow, carefully placed so that Sirius didn’t roll over during the night.

Sirius whined a good deal about that, too. And getting back on the ice.

“I just…I want to be back in case we make it to…” the playoffs.

The team was close. So close.

Sirius had only recently been allowed to come to the rink, suit and all, for home games to sit in the team box. It was strange, looking up from the bench at the jumbotron and seeing the image of Sirius there, standing with his arms crossed, sometimes with a beanie on, making his eyes look intense as he focused on the game in front of him. He was completely unreadable—to everyone but Remus. Remus could tell when he was happy with the team’s playing, when he was annoyed at their opponents. The internet was crawling with gifs of Sirius’ stormy eyes. Remus had more than a few saved, and they frequented the team group chat.

Remus looked up now, but all the jumbotron was showing was James, who had been taking lead in Sirius’ absence, talking quickly to Finn. Remus could see his own legs in the background.

The Stars were up 4-1, and there was ten minutes left in the second period. If they won this game, and they won the next game, they were in. And Sirius would be back the week after that—hopefully in time for the first playoff game, and not for an all-too-long summer vacation. Although, honestly, right then, Remus thought Sirius deserved either one. A chance at the Cup, or a break, a chance to rest up. To be together.

Leo was in net, Kasey resting up his thigh that continuously bothered him. Leo was skating a slow circle after the Stars scored yet another goal, tracing the blue crease with his stick. Remus could practically feel his furious calm.

“Big Rig may experience different weather up there, but he sure as hell has more gravity. Tremzy,” James knocked his helmet with his glove. “Don’t let him catch you, eh?”

“We gotta come back from this shit,” Finn said as he followed Logan over the boards. “For Leo. Leaving him out to dry out there. No.”

“For Cap,” Thomas said, coming back over the boards and breathing hard.

“Gotta put my baby in that silver crib!” James followed his wingers, a center for now.

“Cookie, Bluey, Ringer, be ready,” Coach called. “You’re on deck.”

“The oven is hot tonight,” Elias Cook said, pouring water over his neck.

“Stop saying that,” Kasey shook his head. “Jesus.”

“He can’t help the heat, Baby Bliz,” Thomas said.

Kasey just shook his head and looked back to the game.

Remus leaned in over Thomas’ shoulder. “That was a hit, Talkie, you good?”

“I’m hot,” Thomas said around his mouthguard.

Remus snorted, patting his shoulder pad. “You sure are.”

James lined up for the face off, Finn and Logan jostling against Benn and Perry. Logan dug his skates in when the ref dropped the puck and James whipped it back to him. Logan darted forward into the Stars’ zone, tailed closely.

“C’mon, Tremz,” Remus murmured.

Logan shot the puck off to Finn who got battered against the boards almost immediately by Benn, but got it smoothly to Olli, who sent it sailing back towards the Stars’ net. James was there behind the crease, Khudobin pushed out the wrong way—

James curled it in from behind and the Gryffindor goal horn blared.

“Fuck!” Thomas rose to his feet, knocking his stick against the boards. “Atta boy, baby-daddy!”

4-2 until the buzzer sounded and they were heading back down the tunnel. Remus glanced up at the screen one more time, and only just caught Sirius, smile plastered on as he was shown shaking the hands of a few older men. Remus suppressed a smile, and followed the team off of the ice for second intermission.

The locker room was subdued, and Sirius came in while Remus was crouched by Logan, taping up a jammed finger. He walked up to Coach first, leaning his elbows on the podium where he controlled the projector. Remus watched as he pointed to a few of the plays drawn up on the whiteboard, Coach nodding along.

“I can do this,” Logan said. “Leave with your moon eyes.”

Remus rolled his eyes, but tore off the tape and rose. “You’re all set. Try and keep it safe during third.”

“Oui,” Logan said, already sliding his headphones back on. Finn rose to get a fresh jersey, brushing a palm over the back of Logan’s neck on his way. Logan’s eyes followed him as he went to Leo next, who was sitting with his elbows on his knees in his stall, head down and airpods in. Finn squeezed himself in beside him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. He leaned in to press a few kisses to his neck, murmuring soft words. Leo closed his eyes and pressed into him.

“Hey.”

Remus turned away from the two to meet Sirius’ eyes. He was smiling, a good break from the grimace Remus had become used to.

“Hi,” Remus said and pressed a hand over the familiar bandage, thick beneath Sirius’ suit and shirt. “Feeling okay?”

“I’m good,” Sirius leaned down, right in the locker room, and kissed him. His mouth was gentle, leisurely. “I feel good.”

Remus smiled into it, and took his hand. “Good. Come on.”

Sirius followed him, hand in Remus’, into the training office.

“Ten minutes until show time,” Remus said in the dim space and wrapped his arms around Sirius’ neck. “Are you really feeling okay? Been on your feet for a while, I’ve been watching.”

“Loops, I come back soon. I’m healed, I’ve started light exercise. It’s just a matter of insurance.” Sirius leaned into him, lips brushing his. “You seemed to think I was fine last night.”

Remus grinned. “Yeah, I definitely think you were fine last night.”

Sirius smiled, but then his expression turned more grave. He bit his lip, and ran his hands up and down Remus’ sides a few times, almost as if to comfort himself. “Fuck, I want this for the team so bad.”

Remus nodded. This was a conversation they had been having more often than not. “I know. And they know. You want it for them, but baby, they want it for you. They’re out there doing their fucking hardest for you. I don’t think you should start preparing for the worst. Not yet. Hockey’s a fast game.”

“We’re just—we’re so close. And fucking Grayback and…and if we win this game, we just have to beat Vegas again and we’re in. And I won’t get to fucking be out there because of fucking Grayback. And he’s not even suspended anymore—”

Remus kissed him, and Sirius mumbled for a moment into it before relaxing.

“Two games,” Remus said. “Home. Then Vegas. We beat Grayback, take a chance at the cup away from him. That’s the best we can do.”

Sirius looked at him for a long moment. “How are you so okay with all of this?”

“What’s the alternative? Obsessing over him? He’s not worth it. At all.”

They looked up at the sound of the team noisily making their way back down the tunnel, shouts and whistles, trying to psych themselves up for a come back.

“Third,” Remus said, then tucked his fingers into Sirius’ hair and kissed him again. “You’re competitive. I love you for it. But, baby, you’ve already beaten him. You beat him a long time ago.”

Remus kissed Sirius’ slowly smiling mouth again and again before rushing out the door.

Sirius made his way back up to the box. He watched the other members’ eyes follow him as he slipped back into the private room. There was an absurd array of food and drinks on a table, designed to impress members and investors. Sushi rolls and miniature hot dogs, popcorn in Lions colored cardboard boxes. Red-frosted cupcakes and lion head cake-pops. Sirius took a cupcake. He’d already beaten Grayback. Remus had just kissed him. His ribs had healed well. It all called for a cupcake.

“Really letting yourself off, eh?”

Sirius looked up at a man. He was wearing a white collared shirt under one of Sirius’ jerseys. Obviously a fan, obviously nervous, obviously important given the way one of the managers was looking at him talking to Sirius.

“No,” Sirius said plainly. “I’m having a cupcake.”

There were laughs from around him, as if Sirius was the funniest guy in the room. Sirius didn’t feel funny. This guy was making him miss puck drop.

The man held out his hand. “I’m Mike. Real doozy you slapped the world with.”

Sirius took it tightly, cupcake in his other hand. “I wasn’t aware that I did the slapping.”

“Probably broke a lot of hearts though.”

Sirius looked at Mike the way he looked at opponents on the ice. He watched him blink, watched his body language change.

“I was thinking about my own heart. Désloé, how do we know each other again?”

“Oh. Well—”

“Right,” Sirius nodded. “Enjoy the game.”

Sirius walked towards the box’s edge, unwrapping his cupcake. He could see the entire stadium from up here, the teaming mass of red and gold, the team readying themselves on the ice. A tiny glimpse of Remus on the bench. Coach was gesturing and talking. He watched his own face on the jumbotron as he took a bite of the dessert. He found the camera and flashed it a thumbs up, waving his arms upwards and listening to the crowd’s cheers roar in time with his hands. He caught glimpses of rainbow flags in the crowd, signs with number twelve decked out in the colors. It was a nice contrast to the signs that Sirius saw on his way into the stadium. Defaced number twelve jerseys, slurs, people jeering at his window as he drove through security. Interesting, to see who was inside, and who was not.

The puck dropped and James won it. James who, despite them being down, was hot tonight. No doubt riding the adrenaline of Harry and Lily at home, of being named temporary captain, of being so close to what they all dreamed of.

Sirius couldn’t think it, not even in his head.

The puck seemed to be frozen in the central zone, both teams battling too hard. A stalemate in aggressive trench warfare. Back and forth, back and forth with no progress. Sirius crumpled the cupcake wrapping between his fists and cupped them together, shoulders tense.

“Allez…” he whispered to himself.

The camera was on him again, and he looked stony even to himself. He raised his eyes to it and pointed a finger down at the game. Show that, he mouthed.

The Lions goal horn blared. Logan had scored.

Sirius knew the camera caught his reaction on camera. He put his fists up, relief bubbling out of him in a shout.

“Allez, Tremzy!”

The crowd was going wild. Finn slammed Logan into the boards in celebration and the jumbotron replayed the beautiful tip-in. 4-3. Things weren’t so impossible anymore.

Sirius squeezed the wrapper in-between his hands again and set his elbows on the ledge.

“Play Kuny, play Kuny…” Sirius muttered under his breath. He would match Oleksiak. Sure enough, Coach sent Kuny’s line over the boards a second later. Nado and Evan Kane followed him, Fox and Sunqvist on defense.

“No power plays,” Sirius prayed. “Come on, Nado, no stupid penalties.”

“Do you always talk to yourself in French while playing?”

Sirius stiffened. Mike was back.

“Non, parfois je parle en russe.”

Mike blinked. “What?”

“Laisse-moi tranquille, homme intrusif,” Sirius grinned sharply. “I said only sometimes. Usually on the bench.”

That seemed to make Mike happy. “Hey, you’re really superstitious, right?”

“Yes.”

“Like what?”

Like being alone in the team box, Sirius thought bitterly. Like getting a blowjob from my boyfriend before a game, you know, that doozy I slapped the world with?

“There’s a lot of them,” Sirius said. “If you’ll excuse me, I really have to watch this.”

Mike nodded quickly. “Oh, of course, of course.”

Sirius shifted away a little when he didn’t move, tried to focus on the ice. The puck had dropped and it was on Evgeni’s stick. He was carrying it quickly up the ice, seeming to cut through the players with his broad shoulders. Sirius imagined he could hear his deep voice, calling for Nado to look alive. The pass connected, but Seguin tapped it out of Nado’s hands from behind and sent it up the ice quickly to Benn.

“Merde,” Sirius said. The Lions were changing and then it was Pascal’s line with Elias and Brady, Olli and Timmy on defense. Benn managed to get around Olli, and then—

Leo was pushing far out of the crease and aggressively jabbed the puck right from Benn’s stick and onto Pascal’s waiting one. Leo slid back into the crease like a water snake. The stadium was chaos.

Knutty, Knutty, Knutty, was the chant. It filled the air itself. The jumbotron showed the bench briefly, Logan and Finn and Thomas grinning up at the stands. Pascal still had the puck.

His solid form darted up a clear channel, catching the Stars in a slow shift change. He was in front of the goal, Sirius squeezed the wrapper between his palms. Pascal faked by lifting his left leg, Khudobin went for it, and Pascal slid it right between his pads, neat and tidy.

They tied the game. They tied up the game. Sirius pushed back from the railing with a long breath as a TV break began. The Lions ice crew came out to some pop song and began their sweep. Sirius looked down at his bench and yearned to be with them. He rubbed his hand absentmindedly over his ribs. They were healed. He had a few more sessions with Remus left and then he would be back. He would be back.

He thought of the hit.

He hadn’t known what was wrong. There had been no air in his lungs. But Remus had been his first thought. He knew who hit him, he had seen his face before he hit the ice.

Remus.

This would hurt Remus.

“Wait, has a what?”

His own voice over the jumbotron drew him out of his thoughts. It was a pre-recorded interview, one of the fluff ones that they played for fun to entertain the crowd.

Marlene’s voice from off screen repeated the question. “Which one of your teammates has a life-sized Stormtrooper, R2-D2 and C-3PO action figure in their apartment?”

They showed his own face again, laughing and thinking. “Oh. Um.”

It switched to James, arms crossed and actually thinking about it. He pushed his glasses up his nose and laughed. “I don’t know, Finn and Leo? That seems like a weird Harzy thing.”

It cut to Finn. “That’s not weird. I wish it was me. I’ll convince Nut, don’t you worry.”

Pascal looked unimpressed, sitting easily in the chair. “There is only one person this could be, and that person spent the first two months of his time in the U.S. with only the phrases, You’re my only hope, and I’m your father, to his vocabulary. Oh, and the word no.”

Sunny was laughing. “I know exactly who this is.”

Nado looked pained. “Do you have any idea how many times I’ve seen Star Wars now? Do you have any idea?”

Finally, the screen cut to Evgeni, smiling, tongue jokingly between his teeth. “Good for English, you know?” He held up his hands. “I am Force.”

The video ended with a swoop of the Lions’ logo, and even Sirius could help but smile. There was eight minutes left in the period.

Eight minutes to pull ahead.

They would do it.

The Stars had called a time out, and so James, Logan, and Finn were milling around the ice together, keeping their muscles warm. Leo was looping around the goal.

They were ready.

Seguin faced off against James, both of them leaning forward.

Seguin won it.

There was a fleury when James was pinned to the boards by Oleksiak, but Logan was there to steal the puck from beneath his feet.

The clock had dwindled down to four minutes when a whistle blew with a slashing penalty on the Stars. Pascal and Thomas joined James on the ice for the power play unit.

Sirius could feel the energetic restlessness of the crowd. They all knew what this could mean. Sirius let out a shaky breath and looked at the wrapper in his hands. He thought of Remus. Remus, and his long list of superstitions. But what pulled him through had been himself. Sirius held it anyway, but he held his Lions closer.

They were ready.

They set themselves up in a triangle, a tic-tac-toe, in front of the Stars’ goal. The sent it to each other quickly, boxing the defensemen in. Finally, James got it to Evgeni, who slapped it with a one timer and—

The goal horn. 00:24 seconds remaining.

The crowd was already singing with victory. The Stars tried for one last push, but Leo snatched the puck right out of the air with his glove.

00:03.

Done.

Sirius pushed his hands through his hair in relief. “Merde.”

Sirius was out of the box before anyone could even think about congratulating him, jogging down the private staircase and towards the locker room. He made it to the player’s hallway before he was stopped by a smiling Alice.

“I know, I know,” she said. “Can we just get a few questions in?” She gestured over to where Marlene was standing with a microphone, talking to a dark haired girl holding a camera. Alice raised an eyebrow. “It’s only Marlene.”

Sirius rolled his eyes. “Sure.”

Alice patted his arm. “Congrats, by the way.”

“Thanks,” Sirius said and shoved his hands into his pockets while looking at Marlene expectantly.

“Okay, McKinnon, let’s go.”

Marlene scoffed. “Nice to see you, too. Hi Cap, how are you? Ribs, mind, in general.”

Sirius relaxed a little. If he had to do interviews, he preferred Marlene above all else. “I’m healing well. Ready to get back on the ice.”

Marlene narrowed her eyes at his short response and he smiled. That made her smile. Those were rare for the press, and she had just caught one.

“Any thoughts you want to share about how the majority of the world is responding to you lately? By my calculations, you’re quite the icon and inspiration—not that you weren’t before of course.”

Sirius laughed a little. “Oh yeah? Um,” he cleared his throat. When he looked up he could see Remus down the hall a little ways. He was talking to Kasey who was still fully dressed. Remus looked beautiful and strong and…And Sirius just… He hated questions like this but he just—

“Someone is always going to find something wrong with you,” Sirius said. “With what you say. With what you do. My job is not to please, you know? My job is to play hockey, sure, but, really, my job is to be the person I want to be, do the things I believe are right, do the things I love. With the people I choose to love. I think that’s everyone’s job,” Sirius found Remus beyond the cameras again, along with everything he had ever wanted. He looked back to Marlene. “That took me a long time to learn. They say, have a thick skin and an open heart. Before, all I had was a thick skin. Now, I’ve found someone who can help me have both. I didn’t even realize how much I needed that.”

“And that was an interview with a surprisingly heartfelt Captain Sirius Black,” Lee Jordan broke off in a laugh. “Earlier this game we also got to see him telling the cameras, show the game, show the game. Pointing down at the ice. Outstanding. That’s a layer of the Captain that I don’t think we see very often. From what I hear, the dude’s funny, though, Dean. Now, let’s take a look at the Lions’ top scorers. With the Captain out, that would be Logan Tremblay, James Potter, and, that’s right, one of the oldest in the league, Pascal Dumais…”

“What is that?” Remus said, appearing in front of Sirius where he was waiting in the PT room and drawing his attention away from the television. Remus peered at his hands.

“Oh,” Sirius felt himself flush as he looked down at the cupcake wrapper, more like a tiny ball of oily paper now. “I was holding this when Logan scored, so…”

Remus laughed. “So, you had to hold it the entire period. And now it’s practically falling apart. You’re not keeping that.”

“But it—” Remus grinned as Sirius surrendered the wrapper. “Fine.”

“Hey,” Remus said, and Sirius looked up. Remus was flushed from the game, eyes bright with the win. He leaned up and kissed him hotly, then softly. Sirius had to blink a few times when he pulled away.

“You always had an open heart,” Remus said. “That’s obvious to anyone who knows you. Who loves you.”

Sirius smiled. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Someone cleared their throat. “Sorry…”

They looked up to see Kasey, now in just some basketball shorts. “Hi.”

“Hey, Bliz, I’m ready for you,” Remus said, then looked up at Sirius. “I can get the subway back if you wanna go home to Regulus.”

“Non, non, I’ll wait,” Sirius said, and bumped fists with Kasey on his way out.

Remus smiled after him for a moment, then at Kasey. “So, thigh?”

Kasey nodded, eyes shifting downward, then back to Remus again. “Yeah.”

Remus paused, brows drawing together. “Kasey, are you—”

“Hey, Kase?” Natalie appeared in the doorway. She had her long blonde hair drawn back in two dutch braids and a Blizzard jersey on over a gray sweatshirt with the hood spilling out. Her smile wasn’t as bright as usual.

“Hi, Remus,” she said. “Baby, I’m gonna go say hi to Marlene. Just text me when you’re all set okay?”

“Hi, Nat,” Remus said slowly.

Kasey nodded, accepting a kiss on the cheek. “Okay.”

He hopped up on the table and lay on his back while Remus got ready.

“Just the thigh that’s bothering you?” Remus said carefully. He pushed Kasey’s shorts up his thigh to get at the tense muscle and carefully began kneading the muscles. The post-game played softly on the television while Remus waited for Kasey to speak.

“Will it always be like this, Loops?” Kasey asked quietly after a few moments.

Remus looked up at where Kasey was reclining on the padded table with his fingers across his chest. Remus, if he was being honest with himself, had been waiting to have this conversation with Kasey for a while.

Kasey looked back at him. “It acts up more often than not. I can’t play if I can go down, I…I can’t—”

“I know,” Remus said softly. “I know, Kase. Look.” Remus moved down to his knee, smoothing the muscle firmly. “This injury…it’s a tough one. It takes a long time to heal. It takes time and endurance. So, my answer is no. It won’t always be like this. It just takes time.”

“What if I don’t have time?” Kasey’s voice was even quieter. “I’m a goalie. Sometimes we have less—”

“Kase,” Remus looked at him. “You’re twenty six years old. You do.”

Kasey groaned as Remus pressed his knee out to the side, loosening the muscle slowly. “Fuck.”

“We’ll do some strength training next practice, okay? We’ll make a schedule, I’ll work with you. And we have a day off tomorrow. I’ll send you some videos to do at home if you want, or you can rest.” Remus smiled a little. “Or Natalie can help you stretch.”

Kasey smiled and it seemed easier. “When you say stretch…”

Remus laughed. “That’s the point. Look, you will heal, but you also have to enjoy the rest of your life. Hockey’s everything, and not everything at the same time. I’m gonna give you some salve, okay? And then you’ll be good for the night. Rest.”

Kasey nodded. “How’s Cap doing?”

“He’s okay,” Remus said, warming up the muscle salve between his palms. “Wants to be out there with you guys.”

“We want him there,” Kasey sat up on his elbows and watched Remus’s hands. “What about baby Black?”

Remus snorted. “Good. I mean, happy he’s here. The whole Snake runaway thing is sort of up in the air. The Snakes have their lawyers on his ass about his contract, and Minnie thinks he might have to go public with some pretty horrific stories to prove that they breached it.”

“Horrific stories…”

Their eyes met somberly. “I know.”

“Jesus,” Kasey sighed as he sat up. He pushed his hair out of his face and looked down at his leg. “That feels better. I…I feel better.”

“Good. Try and stay off it as much as you can, okay? Nat loves you to death, don’t tell me she won’t get you what you need.”

“Oh, she will,” Kasey smiled and eased himself carefully off the table. “Thanks, Loops.”

“Bliz,” Remus said, and Kasey turned to look back. “You have time and life and everything else. Really.”

Kasey nodded. He smiled a serious sort of smile. “You’re right. I get in my head.”

“You’re a goalie. That’s part of the job.”

Kasey laughed, flipped him off, and closed the door behind him.

Sirius was waiting for him on one of the couches in the player’s lounge, eyes closed and beanie on his head. His shoulders looked broad in his dark winter coat and suit.

“Hi, handsome,” Remus said, leaning over Sirius with his hands resting against the back of the couch on either side of his head.

Sirius’ eyes opened and he smiled. “Salut.”

“Ready to go home?”

“Regulus says he’s out with Leo. Day off and all that,” Sirius tilted his chin up, silently asking. “House to ourselves.”

Remus pushed himself back upright. “Let’s go.”

“I’m glad Regulus had Leo,” Remus said as he stood in Sirius’ massive but mostly empty closet. He picked out one of Sirius’ t-shirts and sweatpants and pulled them on. “They’re both eighteen and both have a lot of pressure to deal with, even if it’s, you know, different pressure. It’s nice.”

“Yeah, I’m happy,” Sirius said as he came back into the bedroom from the bathroom. His torso looked lean in his his sweatpants, the bruising finally faded. "And thankful to Leo. He didn’t have to reach out, you know?” Sirius collapsed onto the bed with a smile, bouncing a little. “Now, let’s stop talking about my brother.”

“Nope, no bed yet. Come on.”

“Loops.”

“You want to play next week, you do this with me now. Let’s go.”

Sirius let Remus wrangle him downstairs and into the gym. Sirius put on some music and then Remus lay him out in just his sweatpants on a soft mat and led him through the breathing exercises and some of the light core work that was on his recovery plan. Sirius kept his eyes on Remus the entire time, the two of them laughing as his hands wandered to Remus’ hips. Remus had to admit that, now that Sirius wasn’t in pain, watching him spread out on the mat like this got him. His softly moving chest, his hard muscles, the shadowed curl of his hair on his temples. He let it get him, there in the privacy of Sirius’ basement. Sirius noticed.

He smiled the next time he raised up in a crunch, abs working, hands behind his head. “Maybe I could use some incentive.”

Remus raised an eyebrow from where he was by Sirius’ bent knees. “Oh?”

Sirius pushed up and held there until Remus bent so he could kiss Remus lightly, then lowered back down.

The next time he came up, he brought Remus down with him. He parted his knees so Remus could settle between them. Sirius’ chest was warm from the exercise, his heartbeat even. Remus sighed into his kisses.

“We should go easy, we have the party at Pascal’s tomorrow—”

“I’m perfect,” Sirius said, and rolled them gently so that Remus was on his back now, Sirius hovering over him. “I feel perfect. I want you so bad.”

It had been a bit of a challenge. They’d been on strict no-sex orders, given to them rather sheepishly by Sirius’ doctor while he was still in the hospital. It had been a lot of Remus trying to sneak a quick jack-off in the shower, trying not to make things harder on Sirius, only to come out of the shower to a glowering, turned-on boyfriend.

Getting the all clear had been spine-melting, and it had sort of been that way ever since. Still, sex was few and far in between. Regulus was in the house more often than not, and even if it was a big house, Remus didn’t think it was the best idea to invite him to stay only to sneak off to Sirius’ bedroom.

Regulus had received the message quickly though, and told them clearly enough when he would be out for a while.

Remus shuttered when Sirius’ hardening cock dragged across his own.

“Fuck, are we really doing this in the gym?” Remus panted out a laugh. He was already so turned on that it ached. His dick pressed insistently against the band of his sweatpants, and when Sirius next dragged his hips down, the loose fabric pulled away to expose the shiny head of his cock. Remus moaned. “Sirius, fuck…fuck, I—”

“No lube,” Sirius said. “Shit, I…”

Remus just pushed Sirius’ sweatpants down over his ass, making his cock fall free, bobbing and stiff, and tugged his own sweatpants down until his hips and thighs were exposed. Remus pushed their hips together, mouth open. It was plenty wet, Sirius cock already beginning to shine at the head.

Sirius fucked his hips forward steadily against Remus, the friction making him squeeze his eyes shut. Remus felt Sirius’ lips against his neck, and wrapped his arms around him. He felt sort of frantic with it, lazily happy with how much he loved this.

“Love you,” he murmured as Sirius pushed forward with a well-aimed thrust. “Fuck, baby, yeah…”

“Not bad for a core workout,” Sirius said into his skin.

Remus laughed, even as pleasure sparked at the edges of his vision. His cock felt heavy and sensitive against his stomach.

“Don’t overdo it,” Remus said. “Here.”

Remus pushed at Sirius’ shoulders until Sirius groaned and rolled onto his back.

“I’m fi—”

His complaints died on his tongue when Remus pressed up all along his side, cock trapped between them, and wrapped a hand around Sirius. He kept his strokes even and tight, running his fingers down over his full balls, the vein on the underside. Sirius was hot in his hand, precome thin and leaking over the back of Remus’ hand. Remus kissed Sirius, tongue sliding into his mouth, and more heat trickled over his fingers. Remus felt like he could come just like that. It was almost—surreal. He was so turned on, especially for not even having done that much. He had just been taking Sirius through his exercises one moment, and then Sirius had taken him between his thighs and he was done for.

“Re, let me,” Sirius breathed, and his fingers found his own cock for a moment before wrapping around Remus’ shoulders to reach behind him, rubbing over the swell of his ass.

Heat pooled in Remus stomach and made his hand stutter, gripping Sirius tighter. “Fuck, yes…”

Sirius’ fingers were soft and slow as they worked their way inside of Remus. It was a little dry, but Remus let his temple pitch forward onto Sirius’ chest as Sirius fingered him. He stroked Sirius slowly, dazed by the contrast between his own pale fingers and the darker, flushed skin of him. He wished he could see Sirius’ hand.

“There,” Remus gasped suddenly. “Ah—”

Sirius pressed him in gentle, slow strokes. It was different, being touched there and not his cock. Remus pushed into the feeling, his cock trapped and still between them. It wasn’t enough to do much except let Sirius’ fingers build a painfully slow pressure inside him. His eyes were lidded as he stroked Sirius’ cock until it was rock hard in his palm. He threw a leg over Sirius’ thighs so that Sirius could push into him deeper, finger curving against his prostate.

Remus just moaned.

“I’m gonna come soon, mon loup,” Sirius panted, hips straining up once, twice. “Loops—”

Remus sped up his hand, swiping his thumb over the swollen head, and then Sirius’ hips jerked. Come dripped lazily over Remus’ fingers, more and more of it, in thick white pulses. Remus’ dick throbbed at the sight, at Sirius’ fingers, tense from his orgasm, pressing hard inside of him. He squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them, gasping. His hand had stilled against the base of Sirius’ cock, and he could feel him pulsing there, cock throbbing through his orgasm. Sirius’ head had fallen back against the mat, his chest rising and falling quickly beneath Remus’ chest. It was a mess on his hips and Remus’ fingers.

“Fuck. Oh—” Sirius moaned as Remus started stroking him again. His cock strained valiantly, but it was spent and softening. “C’mere, Loops, fuck.”

Sirius turned into Remus, fingers twisting inside of him. It gave him a better angle, and when he moved next, he doubled down.

Remus could only hold onto his shoulders, pliant against the mat.

“Can you come like this, sweetheart?” Sirius said gently. “Just on my fingers?”

Remus already felt like he was coming. There was sweat on his temples and chest, and he felt Sirius’ kiss the salt away. His cock was taught against his stomach, an angry red now. Sirius stroked inside of him evenly, but in quicker time. Remus didn’t even have time to catch one breath before the next was stolen.

“I’m coming—” Remus said, but he knew he wasn’t. Not yet. But he was sure he was. He groaned and Sirius kissed his exposed throat, his back arched up, pressing down on him.

“C’mon, baby,” Sirius said. “Fuck, look at you.”

“I’m coming,” Remus said again, voice breaking, and the calloused pad of Sirius’ finger pressed against him hard, and then he really was. It tore out of him forever, spilling against Sirius’ tan skin. Sirius cradled Remus against him, saying soft things in French until Remus could open his eyes again. Sirius took Remus’ dick gently in his hand, easing a last shiver of pleasure from him. Remus smiled a little deliriously and curled closer to his warmth.

“Bath?” Sirius whispered.

“We gotta clean this,” Remus laughed. “Fuck, I feel like my brain is gone.”

“I’ll clean,” Sirius said, and tilted Remus’ head up for a kiss. “Go get the hot water going.”

That sounded fine to Remus.

Lily opened the door to Pascal’s house with Harry cradled in her arms.

“Sirius fucking Black I swear to god you triggered my labor.”

“You say that to me every time you see me.”

She stepped aside. “And will continue to do so.”

Remus stepped through the door first and took Harry from her, holding him close so that Sirius could press a kiss to one of his chubby cheeks. He wasn’t heavy, but Sirius wasn’t suppose to lift very much. Harry smiled at him and Remus watched as Sirius smiled back, murmuring in French.

“Where’s Regulus?” Lily asked.

Sirius shrugged, still making faces at Harry.

“Out with Leo,” Finn’s voice suddenly said. He was sitting on the couch with Logan tucked up against his side. “Yeah, uh-huh, Leo’s replacing us with your brother.”

Logan rolled his eyes. “That’s not true.”

Finn raised his eyebrows, as if to say he wasn’t so sure about that. Logan nudged his jaw with his nose until he pressed a light kiss to his lips. Remus smiled.

He could see the long road that was behind them and the long road ahead at the same time. It was better that way.

Most of the team was there. The living room had a huge banner that read Congratulations Logan! and beneath it a smaller one: for finally moving out of my basement!

Sirius laughed hard. “I didn’t get one of these!”

Pascal shook his head from where he was playing cards with Sergei. “I knew you would leave eventually. This one, I wasn’t so sure.”

“Hey,” Logan groaned.

Remus laughed and snapped a picture of Sirius in front of it.

“Can I have that for my instagram?” James asked.

“Baby, too much instagram, okay, I love you so much, but…” Lily winced.

“But I have a baby now,” James stood to Remus’ other side, and then Remus had two fully grown hockey players making baby talk surrounding him. “That’s what instagram’s for. Isn’t it, my little lion?”

Harry laughed delightedly at his father.

Kasey and Natalie were sitting on the couch beside Logan and Finn. Natalie had Kasey sitting between her legs on the floor, fingers running through his hair as she talked to them. Kasey seemed to be talking very seriously about something with Katie, who seemed to be wearing three princess dresses at the same time. She was sitting in his lap and he was nodding along, responding whenever she waited for him to.

Remus handed Harry back to Lily when they went into the kitchen to get drinks. Celeste was in the kitchen with Anya, and Thomas seemed to be helping, too, along with Noelle.

When Sirius said he was surprised to see her, she waved him off, taking a sip of her wine. “I’m the resident Tremblay sister representative. We were all pretty worried about Lolo for a minute there, but…” she smiled. “If only we knew. Not one boy, but two. Plus,” she looked over at Thomas, who was focusing intently on what Celeste was saying and stirring on the stove. “I have my own reasons.”

“Talkie’s a good one,” Remus said. “You lucked out there.”

“Right?” Noelle laughed, then nodded at Sirius. “I’m really glad you’re okay.”

“Me too,” Remus and Sirius said at the same time.

Noelle laughed again, and then her expression became more mild. “And…” she looked towards the living room, where they could distinctly hear Logan’s laugh. “I know none of this was easy for you two, but I’m happy you were there for my brother. Maybe not in the way you wanted to be…in the way any of us wanted…but you showed him it was okay to be who he is. I think Finn would have gotten to him eventually but I think it would have taken a lot longer. I’m glad he’s happy now. And that’s largely thanks to you two.”

“The delicious smells of success,” Thomas suddenly sang out, slightly off-key. “Breathe in the delicious smells of success, hey, Christmas, come over here and look at this goodness.”

Noelle laughed. “Oh, I’m already looking at it.” She sent Remus and Sirius a last smile. “Anyway, I said my piece.”

Remus laughed as she returned to Thomas’ side, tucking herself against him.

“That was sweet,” he said and rubbed his hand gently over Sirius’ chest, sort of out of habit by now. He could feel the bandages there.

Sirius kissed Remus’ temple. “Yeah.”

“Sirius, mon cher,” Celeste kissed Sirius’ cheek when she came over from the stove. “You are okay? Of course you are, Remus is with you. No more big empty house and take out meals, oui?”

Sirius laughed. “Way to sell me out.”

Remus snorted. “Like everyone didn’t already know.”

Celeste laughed. “C’est vrai.” She sighed, patting Sirius’ chest, near his ribs. “I am still so angry about Grayback, honestly.”

“Aren’t we all,” Pascal said, coming over. Celeste wrapped an arm around him.

“You and me both,” Sirius said, taking a sip of his wine. “But it’s over. I have to let it be over or else I’ll go insane.”

“You’ll be back out there soon,” Pascal said.

Sirius smiled. “Only thanks to Loops.”

Remus rolled his eyes. “It’s you who does the hard part.”

Pascal laughed. “As if getting this boy to do what he’s told isn’t the hard part.”

Remus laughed. “Hm, true.”

“Celeste, the goodness looks ready to me,” Thomas called over from the stove.

Celeste laughed and leaned back towards the doorway to the living room.

“Dinner, everyone!” she called.

It only took a few moments for the kitchen to become crowded with people lining up with their plates.

“Hey,” Evgeni bee-lined between them for the wine bottle, but stopped on the way to give Remus a kiss on both cheeks. “Get Captain laid, no more grumpy.”

“Kuny,” Remus said.

Nado, behind him as always, cracked up. Sirius laughed, too.

“Merde, Kuns,” he said. “Subtle.”

“Very,” Regulus’ wry voice suddenly said from behind them as he and Leo entered the kitchen.

“Just in time!” Celeste said, handing them both plates. “Where have you boys been?”

Leo shrugged. “Just—hi, sweetheart,” he cut off as Finn wrapped his arms around his waist. “Just touring around Gryf. Got lunch.”

“Yeah, Sid’s is the best,” Regulus said.

Sirius spluttered mid way through serving himself dinner. “I told you that.”

“So?”

“So, you believe Leo and not me?”

Leo grinned. Regulus shrugged.

Remus spent most of dinner holding baby Harry and watching Sirius tickle his tummy while he laughed. James looked ready to cry at the sight. Lily took him back to be fed when they moved to sit around the living room with dessert, but Remus didn’t mind. He just leaned back into Sirius’ chest, happy with his team around him.

Logan looked red in the face from all the jokes implying why he was so eager to move in with Leo and Finn. Adele had stuck close to him all evening, sitting on his free side. Logan had his arm around her. Remus had overheard him assuring her that he’d be over to visit all the time, which he thought was unbearably sweet. Leo looked resigned and amused to the teasing, and Finn just looked thoroughly pleased, sitting between them with an arm around each.

Remus felt a kiss being placed on his neck.

“Maybe we could celebrate more than one move tonight,” Sirius said into Remus’ ear.

Remus held Sirius’ arms across his chest, turning to look at him. “What?”

Sirius just smiled and pulled Remus out of the living room and into the butler’s pantry of the kitchen. He took Remus’ hands in his warm ones. “You should move in with me.”

Remus took a slow breath in.

Sirius slid his hands up Remus’ forearms. “I want you to move in with me.”

“Baby…”

“Besides,” Sirius smiled. “Your mom will be coming to town soon with any luck,” Sirius knocked gently on the wooden cupboard behind Remus’ head with a smile. “Better not to disappoint her.”

Remus laughed, reaching up to press his hands to Sirius’ cheeks. “Better not.”

Sirius leaned down to nudge their noses together. “Live with me. You sort of already do, and I…I love it so much. I love having you near.”

Remus nodded. “Yes.” He kissed him once, and again, and again. “Yeah, I want to.”

Sirius smiled into their next kiss, and that was how Logan found them.

“Alors,” he said, hands up. “Sorry. Just got sent in for some more wine. God knows I need it.”

Remus flushed and laughed as Logan reached down for a bottle from the wine fridge.

“Carry on.”

“Oops,” Sirius snorted when they were alone again.

“I’ll have to get a car,” Remus mused as Sirius hugged him against his chest. Sirius lived just outside the city center. “No more subways and city walking from out here.”

“I’ll buy you whatever car you want.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Sirius squeezed him closer. “It’s what I said. I want to. What else do you want? Tell me.”

Remus smiled and tilted his chin up to look at him. “You.”

It had been hard, saying goodbye to Sirius for the short road trip to Vegas. It was strange going without him.

“Force him to keep doing his exercises,” Remus had told Regulus firmly.

“Will do,” Regulus saluted.

“Miss you already,” Sirius had said softly when he dropped Remus off at departures.

“Just a few days,” Remus kissed his across the seats, and then kissed his new star necklace. “They’ll win.”

“Shh,” Sirius laughed gently.

Remus just smiled. “You’ll see."

Remus was in the visitor’s PT room, making sure it was well-stocked. Just in case. Moody was already in there, leaning against the table and watching the pre-game. He greeted Remus with a nod, and Remus pulled out a box of supplies to sort through while listening.

“—first time the Lions will be on the ice with Fenrir Grayback who, as we all know, received a two game suspension after a hard hit on Lions Captain Sirius Black, breaking four of his ribs. We know that the Lions organization was especially not happy about the lack of severity shown by the League. I suppose we may see what the players have to say about this tonight. I expect the Lions will push especially hard for a win in honor of their wounded Captain—not to mention that winning this game would secure them a spot in this year’s Stanley Cup play-offs. Marc-André Fleury is back with his rainbow stick tape, his second time showing support for Black. It’s nice to see. Let’s take a look at who else we’re watching tonight. First, we’ll talk about Logan Tremblay…”

“One game,” Moody grumbled. “One game.”

“One game,” Remus repeated. “Sirius really wanted to be out there tonight.”

“I don’t think Grayback knows what’s coming for him now that he isn’t,” Moody laughed gruffly. “You saw those boys when he took Sirius out. They’re fresh out of a day-off now. Rested, furious, determined.” Moody tilted his head. “I feel good things in my leg.”

Remus laughed. “Well, thank God.”

Sirius was sitting with his brother on the large, leather couch in his TV den, anxious and waiting for the second period to resume. The commercials were muted and he was waiting for Regulus to work his way up towards saying whatever it was that he was holding back. Sirius could tell there was something.

“Your house is ridiculous,” Regulus said around his Chinese takeout—not for the first time.

“I was young,” Sirius said defensively. “I thought buying a house like this was, like, required.”

“Stupide,” Regulus snorted.

“—a nasty hit on Finn O’Hara by Ryan Reaves, but he seems okay,” the commentator said, replaying the hit, and Sirius tensed. He didn’t need a replay of that. They cut back to commercials again.

“Do you think they can actually force me to go back?” Regulus said suddenly.

When Sirius looked over he was poking mildly at his noodles.

“I won’t let them do that.”

Regulus rolled his eyes. “You’re Sirius Black, not God.”

“I won’t let them do that,” Sirius said again. “Tu comprends? I will not. And Minnie won’t either.”

“Maman says—”

Sirius sat up. “You’ve been talking to her?”

“I have to sometimes,” Regulus grumbled. “Legal stuff. Minnie’s always there.”

“It doesn’t matter what she says. She is—”

“Yes, I know what she is,” Regulus snapped. “I’ve been living with her—until a few months ago, in case you forgot.” He glowered around the room. “While you were in your big fancy house…”

Sirius blinked. “Reg…”

“I’m not—mad at you. I was, but I’m not. I mean, I’m doing what you did, aren’t I? Making a better life, damn the consequences?” Regulus sighed. “There are other Snakes who want out, you know.”

Sirius sat up. “Like…witnesses? Reg, you could compile a case.”

“They’re worried they’ll never get back into the League,” Regulus said. “I’m trying, but…I don’t know, Sirius.”

Sirius’ heart ached. He looked down at his chicken and rice. “I wish I could tell you what to do.”

Regulus looked at him, gray on gray, and nodded. “I know.” He glanced at the TV. “We’re back.”

Sirius secretly liked that. Looking at the Lions play with his brother, and hearing him say we.

“O’Hara didn’t need any help getting up, even if he looked a little rattled. Now, speaking from experience, I don’t know about you, Lee, but I was waiting for O’Hara’s line mate, Logan Tremblay to have something to say about it…Tremblay did not challenge Reaves, though.”

They were lining up for puck drop, James at the center against—

Grayback.

“You know, Dean, I think that’s a testament to these young Lions, really all the Lions. They call them the cubs, you know. You can tell how much they want this. They band together, they listen, they work…I think it’s pretty rare to see such fine communication in an entire team.”

Grayback won the face off.

“Fuck,” Regulus breathed.

Sirius wished he was there, standing beside Remus, on the bench, jumping the boards—anything. Instead, he was sitting on the couch, eating take-out. Helpless.

The entire first period, and the majority of this one had been back and forth. The score was still 0-0. They were fighting. Hard. Fenrir passed it to Tuch, who knocked it over to Engelland. Engelland took a hard shot, and Leo caught it in his glove.

“Another amazing save by Knut,” Dean said. “Rookie goal tender Leo Knut has blocked 29 shots in this game so far, most of them with his glove. I love seeing that sort of technique from the younger players, you know?”

“Absolutely Dean. And it looks to me like Coach Weasley is giving the Blizzard, Kasey Winter, a nice long rest as he looks ahead to hopefully a long and successful playoff run.”

Sirius leaned forward as play started up again. Evgeni barreled against Reaves and Fenrir, evading a two-on-one with a slick pass to Nado. It was hard hockey—it looked a little like play-off hockey. Brutal, hard-hitting, and determined.

It stayed like that until half way through the third.

“Fucking hell,” Regulus said. “How does this game still have no score?”

Sirius shook his head. His heart was in his throat. He had texted Remus at the second intermission.

Boys are fired as hell, Remus had said. Good feelings. They don’t even seem tired.

Harzy okay? he had said.

Yes. Then, a minute later. Boasting that you’re checking on him XD

That reassurance was the only thing keeping Sirius sane.

“We have to break their defense,” Sirius was half watching the battle on the ice and half running through plays in his mind. The clock read twelve minutes.

Sirius could have laughed. He pressed his necklace pendant between his palms, his steepled fingers against his mouth. He wasn’t religious. He just wanted this. For all of them.

Pascal’s line was out.

“Come on Dumo,” Sirius said.

Sirius watched Pascal and Fenrir line up for the face off with tense shoulders. He waited, and waited, and then the referee was straightening again, looking at Pascal and pointing away.

“Fuck,” Sirius cursed. “He’s kicking Dumo out of the circle.”

“I wonder what he said.”

Sirius silently begged Pascal to be careful.

Brady took Pascal’s place. He won the face off, and Sirius and Regulus shouted.

He passed it easily to Pascal, who dragged it along the boards.

“What’s he going so slow for?” Regulus demanded, fist hitting the couch.

Sirius only saw what was coming next because of the TV angle.

Pascal had his head down, and Fenrir was skating hard towards him on the ice.

Sirius and Regulus were on their feet in a second, shouting at the television. They couldn’t warn him.

Sirius couldn’t even breathe properly. It seemed to go on in slow motion, all of it. Pascal, his—his father, really, his protector. The man who had taken him right from under his mother’s grasp. Pascal who knew him better than anyone. Maybe even Remus.

Fenrir was obviously going in for the hit. He was probably confident that he could get away with it again. Just like he had with Remus. With Sirius. If he so much as touched Dumo—

But he underestimated Pascal Dumais just like had last time.

Pascal, puck on his stick, let Fenrir get closer, and closer, and then deked right. He spun on his right blade harshly and kicked off the boards like a goalie did on a goal post. The effect was that he went rocketing out of the way, right towards the Golden Knights’ goal, and Fenrir slammed into the boards with his own full-force.

The game didn’t pause for him. It only stopped when the goal lit up red as Pascal shot a clean line into the top left corner of the net.

Six minutes and three seconds remaining. 1-0, Lions. The Lions bench was on their feet, sticks banging against the boards as Pascal skated down for glove taps. The TV showed his familiar face, smiling. He looked into the camera for a moment, and Sirius swore Pascal was looking right at him.

He won’t get you again, the look said. Pascal tussled Remus’ hair with his glove. Or any of us.

Six minutes felt like six hours, longer and longer with each one of Leo’s saves. They showed his face during an offside whistle. He tilted his helmet up for some water. His blonde hair was darkened and drenched with sweat, but his blue eyes were fierce. He tapped his mask back down, and went back into a crouch. Sirius had never been so proud of Leo fucking Knut.

Shots were traded ferociously, the puck practically bouncing between the zones. Leo saved it with his blocker, a few bouncing off of his helmet, some dangerously close to his neck guard. He pushed off one post and dropped into a full split, the puck sliding snugly against his pad until he scooped it up like a hawk.

“Fucking hell, Leo,” Regulus mumbled.

“Right,” Sirius said. “Merde.”

Three minutes. James had four shots that very nearly went in. Logan had five close-calls. They were panting on the bench, squirting cold water down their necks, but they were keeping the score. They were protecting their lead.

Two minutes.

The Golden Knights pulled their goalie, the net was empty, and still no one scored again.

When the buzzer finally sounded, Sirius was breathing like he was on the ice, too.

The bench exploded, spilling out onto the ice. Finn threw his gloves into the air right before Logan crashed into him.

They had won the game with one goal, and three periods of sheer will-power.

Sirius hugged Regulus hard. He watched as his boys jumped on each other against the boards, knocking Leo’s helmet for his shut-out and grinning. They were clinched.

They were going to the playoffs.

#sweater weather #lumosinlove #sweater weather lumosinlove #lumosinlove sweater weather #coops #wolfstar #wolfstar fic #lumosinlove oc #lumosinlove ocs #o'knutzy #Thomas walker #Kasey winter #harry potter #Harry Potter fic

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