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tea-moon-ster · 18 days

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My Happy Ending Stood Me Up

One year after Kasey's trade to the Lions, him and Natalie meet Alex at the All Stars after party. When Natalie and Alex have a long-waited talk, a call he can't refuse comes in.

inspired by this amazing art and chapter 3 of Vaincre, have Alex and Natalie's first confession. Filled with angst. pre-Sweater Weather.

art and characters belong to @lumosinlove. a huge thank you to @kindofspecificstore for brainstorming with me and beta-ing it! So glad to have you as my O'Darwin partner in crime.

read it on ao3 here.

February 2016

Hockey parties after parties were always an informal, messy thing. Players shouting, chugging too much beer at once–Natalie had seen it all in the past years. But that night was different, and she was glad. For the All Star’s after party, the hosting magnate had imposed a strict Black-Tie dress-code, that sat well with the elegant atmosphere of the rooftop overlooking the concrete jungle. Broad shoulders fit into carefully tailored suits, and shiny dresses glittering at their sides.

Natalie remembered what the old, elegant man welcoming everyone had told her when she’d thanked him for the invitation. He’d smiled a polite, wrinkled smile, giving Kasey a shoulder pat after shaking their hands.

Everyone who is someone in hockey is at this party, my dear.

She’d linked her arm with Kasey’s. He must be doing something right, then.

A few players had approached them, tilting their glasses together and chatting. The shyness was slow to leave Kasey’s smile though, and Natalie held onto his arm as if to steady him. It was his first convocation at All Stars, and it had seen plenty of tensed muscles.

Most of the people eventually headed out to the open part of the roof, where strings of warm lights mixed with the colourful glow of the city and dark bushes assured privacy. They still hadn’t been. Natalie knew Kasey was waiting—well, they were both waiting for him to arrive.

They enjoyed the night. Natalie led them to the dance floor, where they swayed to the slow jazz of the band, smiles close to each other. She loved the way his smile dimpled as he looked down at her.

“You don’t usually dance this much, Mister Winter,” Natalie said as the fourth piece started.

Kasey simply smiled, making her do a spin. “You simply look too good for me not to, Miss Darcy.”

Natalie giggled, without shaking her head at the compliment, as she would have done years ago. Her ivory dress was a soft, elegant embrace around her body, and the earrings were one of the very first gifts Kasey had bought her with his NHL paychecks. She felt great that night.

She let Kasey pull her close, tilting her face up to meet his lips halfway.

“We’re the hot couple here,” she informed him, placing a hand on his chest and flattening a crease there. Night blue suit and hair brushed back, away from his face. Kasey always had something regal about his attire. He blushed every time she said it.

“You do know that Fleury and his wife are just outside on the balcony, don’t you?” he grinned.

She laughed. “You’ll have to update me on the All Star’s ass situation now that you’ve seen them in the locker room.”

She took in Kasey’s blush with pleasure. “Well,” he whispered, looking around, “We weren’t wrong about some.”

Natalie knew the moment Alexander O’Hara walked into the room without having to turn around. Looking at Kasey’s face was enough. The way his smile grew and opened was rare among that many people–Alex was one of the few who could make it happen.

She turned anyway, and found she could do nothing about the warm feeling that invaded her chest.

Alex O’Hara was a sight to behold. She’d always thought so, even before complicated emotions got in the way, and the feeling skyrocketed at the sight. The perfectly tailored black tuxedo, crashing with the mess of red wisps, was enough for her to feel her own smile grow. Freckles wrinkled in a smile as he shook hands left and right, charisma flowing out of him in a natural stream. Natalie guessed that everyone felt special when Alex O’Hara’s attention was on them, but she couldn’t help it. When he spotted them, she felt like they were more special than everyone else on the roof.

Kasey’s hand stilled on her shoulder for a second, a firm and gentle grasp. Then he was stepping forward, and crashing in an embrace with the redhead. The way they hugged was like a well-practice dance, or an action on the ice. Alex always got on his toes to reach Kasey, and always let the blond place his arms around his neck. And no matter how many times Natalie had seen them hug, the way Kasey’s back relaxed at the contact would always melt her.

“Kasey Winter,” Alex announced once they parted, jostling the goalie’s shoulder a few times. Then his eyes fell on her, and his grin grew impossibly more. “And Natalie Darcy.”

She felt her cheeks hurt from the smile.

The next second, she was engulfed in a hug of their own, her feet leaving the ground for a second as Alex’s delighted laugh rumbled against her shoulder. Her arms held on as tight as she could for what was only a hug with her boyfriend’s ex-teammate.

“Fancy seeing you out of your goalie cage.”

“Fancy seeing you out of the penalty box.”

“Walked all the way over here, Alexander?”

“Is that even a question, Natalia?”

“Not really, as you’re late.”

Natalie let herself relax into the comfort of their own little bubble. God, how she’d missed this.

Kasey got them drinks. Alex challenged Natalie to a jazz dance battle. Kasey and Natalie posed for pictures as Alex frowned in focus. Kasey and Alex told Natalie stories of their past roadies and wild nights out until she spilled her drink.

Kasey and Alex.

Nat and Kasey.

Alex and Nat.

KaseyandAlexandNatandKaseyandNatandKaseyandAlex-

“You can’t tell me you’re not cold in just that.”

Natalie turned from where she was looking at the tiny, busy streets at the edge of the balcony. Alexander was there, a hand stuffed in his pocket, another holding a glass of whiskey, head slightly tilted to the side. The lifted corner of his mouth had the same, dim glow of the string lights above their heads.

He stopped at her side, joining her silent watch for a few minutes. Mesmerising neon and a hundred horns and messy lines of cars. The circular motions of the glass in Alexander’s hand. The cold rail against her bare forearms.

It was getting late, and the cold February temperatures had pushed everyone back inside. The band was still playing some slow songs, and the air had shifted from electric to relaxed.

“There aren’t this many skyscrapers in Gryffindor,” Natalie heard herself say after a while. “It’s not bad. Just different.”

Alex nodded.

He’d visited. Gryffindor was familiar now. But it had also meant trade, goodbyes, and things they’d slowly let go of as they built a new life. She’d never forget those first days, before she could join Kasey, in which he wouldn’t talk or answer his phone much. She always felt like she should put a good word on Gryffindor with Alex. There had been a long period of radio silence after Kasey’s trade.

A finger poked her arm slightly, distracting her from her thoughts..

“Yep,” Alex said, “You’re freezing.”

Natalie looked up at him.

There were some things Natalie would one day say she’d change about that moment. At the same time, she never wanted it to end.

When she realised she’d been staring at his lips for a while, she turned to the city again, shrugging.

“Well, it is February, Alexander. But I don’t feel cold.”

“Hmm. Wonder if those four cocktails have anything to do with it.”

“Maybe it’s just my strong constitution.”

“The cold never bothered you anyway.”

They stared at each other unimpressed for a moment before breaking into giggles together. Natalie leaned in a little, and their shoulders touched. Oh, his jacket was warm.

She pressed herself more against him. She liked that warmth. She’d missed it.

An arm circled her shoulders, moving up and down for some friction. The other brought the glass to her hands.

“Have some. It’ll warm you up.”

That, Natalie thought as she relaxed more into Alex, she would never change about that night.

The whiskey burned down her throat, and maybe her heart pounding in her ears had to do with that.

Alex seemed to become very aware of their position as well. She felt him look up, then to the side, then down to the tiny cars again. His hair brushed against her cheek in a light tingle.

She wondered where—

“Kasey’s inside.”

Oh.

“His captain finally made it to the party. Really serious, that Black.”

Natalie groaned. “Oh God, you did not.”

“I’m afraid I just did,” Alex sighed. He looked in the distance. “That boy just needs to grow into his gear. Like Kasey did.”

Natalie nodded. She pressed imperceptibly more into Alex’s grip.

“Kasey’s alright,” she said softly.

Alex’s nose was against her hair, and his chest close to her shoulder. So, she didn’t miss the way his breath hitched a little. Then, a gentle inhale. A nod.

“I know. I know he is.”

Silence lasts longer that time, so long that she began to worry she’d said the wrong thing. She parted from him enough to look up. But his expression was peaceful, a small smile glowing with the rest of the city. His eyes, half hidden by the messy hair, dropped on her lips.

“I know he is,” he repeated, almost in a whisper. “He’s with you.”

Natalie felt on fire.

She looked at him, looked for him, for any hint or suggestion of what was going to happen next. It’s like they already knew, though, as they’d always both known, and arrived at the edge of the cliff just then. Natalie felt her eyes widen, her breathing stopping. Alex was a solid, warm force against her. Keeping her close and warm. But at the same time, like he couldn’t help it, letting himself be at her mercy.

They stilled in that moment, studying each other’s face for any sign of false alarm or joke intentions. But Alex wasn’t backing down or downplaying it. He showed his cards. It was Natalie’s turn to find that courage in herself. Her hands were itching and her head felt light. Is this really happening, echoed in her mind.

She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times before managing a few words out. Delicate and vulnerable.

“You’re in love with my boyfriend, Alexander.”

“Yes.”

“You need a haircut.”

“Yes.”

Her breath faltered. “You’re in love with me.”

“Yes.”

Oh.

His voice was even, like he didn't have much of a fight left inside him. A criminal finally confessing his crime after a night of interrogations.

Natalie looked at him with half-parted lips, speechless with the confirmation of what had navigated in her mind for far too long. Alexander remained silent and still, probably waiting for a reaction on her part –well, he’d just spilled his heart out to her. His eyes were big and vulnerable, without any grin or funny face to shield himself.

She had no words, and too many at once. She’d prayed for this moment to come with a mix of hope and guilt that had left her feeling like a sinner heading to confession..

She didn’t know what to say, but she knew what she felt—God, what Kasey felt, what they both felt for Alexander. And he feels the same way. What she’d feared the distance would erase had only made it clearer. And he feels the same way. She smiled hard, and started nodding, looking for his eyes.

Alex looked up at her in surprise, eyes big and brows up. He nodded back once, a timid question, a confirmation that exposing his heart hadn’t been in vain.

Natalie kept nodding, her smile grew, and had to grasp his forearm. She opened her mouth, ready to let it all out.

I’m so happy. I’ve wished for this moment for so long. Kasey loves you, too.We talk about you every day. I think I love you, too, or I will, soon, it’s inevitable—

The notes of Bad Romance filling the air were the comedic prelude of the tragedy.

Natalie didn’t have to look down at where Alex’s phone was vibrating in his pocket and turning on with an upcoming call. That song had been his ringtone ever since they’d met, born as a lost bet against his brother and then stuck because he “actually didn’t mind it”.

Lady Gaga screamed in between them, but the silence was still deafening, toning the moment down, bringing them back to earth, to an open roof in New York City. Alex closed his eyes in a flinch, probably half cursing himself, half pretending his phone wasn’t ringing.

He opened and closed his mouth a few times, looking embarrassed and lost at the same time. He let it ring for a while, hoping whoever was calling would give up, but in the end he had to reach for the phone. His eyes as he took it in hand were almost outraged. Natalie could have sworn they were once again thinking the same thing—throwing the damn phone over the balcony. The cold light of the screen made his frown glow.

“Fuck, it’s my agent. He’s been trying to call me all day, it must be something—”

Natalie blinked, still dizzy from what the call had just interrupted. But the mortified expression on the redhead’s face made her reach out to his arm. She tried for a smile.

“Hey, of course, don’t worry. I’ll be here.”

Alex let out a sound of frustration, and he took his jacket off to place it on Natalie’s shoulder. Warm.

“Here, to keep you warm. I’m so sorry. Fuck. I’ll, I’ll be back in a minute. Don’t think that this call is more important than—”

Natalie smiled. “Go, Red.”

Alex sprinted a few steps away, before turning again. “I’m sorry, I feel like I’m fucking this up, I’ll try and—”

Natalie wanted to kiss him. “Alexander, I’m not leaving. Go.”

Alex nodded, and grinned over his shoulder when he turned again.

“I’ll come get you, Natalia!”

Maybe she would.

She smiled, shaking her head. With her gaze on Alex’s back, she tilted her head to inhale the cologne on his jacket.

“Alex?”

“Hey Robert, hi. Sorry I haven’t replied, it was a crazy day…”

“Alex…”

“And now I’m having, ah, a moment, kind of an important talk…”

“Alex.”

“So, if I can call you back later, or tomorrow morning, that would be…”

“Alex.”

Alex stopped his pacing, eyes stilling on the skyline.

Robert stayed silent.

And that’s how he knew.

He looked at the silhouette of his city for a second more. Millions of lights and voices and dreams. Man, he loved his city. He…he would miss it. He silently thanked Rob for conceding him that second.

He inhaled, and it came out a little shaky. He turned to look at where Natalie was waiting for him. She was stunning, in her silk dress, looking like a muse, and wearing his jacket in a way that was just right and natural. She met his eyes and smiled.

It felt egoist, looking at her just to find the courage to force that single word out of his mouth.

“Where?”

Natalie looked at Alex as he paced fastly around the open roof, a hand pressing the phone to his ear . The little jump in his steps made her smile.

Her fingers unconsciously went to brush her lips, where Alex’s intense gaze was still burning.

An involuntary smile crossed her face. They’d almost kissed. And Alex would come back, and they’d kiss for real this time, and they would find Kasey. They would turn this into something. God, the face Kase would make. The realisation hitting him and finally peace, release, the three of them, together—

Alex turned, and Natalie’s smile died the moment their eyes met.

Red eyes stared back at her for a long moment. The next, he was gone.

Natalie was still staring at the wall Alex had disappeared behind when she felt a hand on her back.

“Nat, I was looking for you,” Kasey said, his smile on her. “What happened? Weren’t you with Alex, where…”

Natalie just stared at him, not sure what to say. Or where to start.

Kasey frowned, hand going to her cheek. Warm. “Nat. Baby, you okay?”

Natalie looked back at the wall.

It was Kasey who found him.

It was a dark, hidden part of the terrace, with a few bushes left out of display..

He stopped in front of him, looking down at where Alexander was sitting on the small step before the balcony. Kasey said nothing for a while, waiting for him to lower the hands from his face. His phone was in between his feet. Kasey wanted to throw it away with all his force. But he stayed still.

He heard a harsh sob and had to look up at the sky so not to do the same.

He breathed in, bracing himself for the inevitable hit.

“Where?”

“Florida. Tampa Bay Lightning.”

It knocked Kasey out like a punch to his stomach. The air forced out of his lungs, the nausea. But the adrenaline that softened the hits on the ice, mentally if anything, was nowhere in sight. What had proceeded, and what followed, was the sensation of the floor crumpling under his feet.

He nodded a few times, mostly to himself. He was glad for the dark. He didn’t know what his face was doing, but it was out of his control.

“Fucking bouncy ice, eh?”

It came out too shaky to sound like a joke, but it made Alex look up at him. Kasey watched him pass a hand on his face to dry his cheeks.

He looked exhausted.

His mouth opened and closed a few times. Then he shook his head.

“Nat and I, we…”

“I know,” Kasey interrupted softly, because he knew that repeating it out loud would have killed them both. “She told me.” He almost whispered the words that followed. “I..I love that you two..were talking about it.”

You’re both braver than me, always have been, he couldn’t bring himself to add. Every word burnt too much, and he simply had to hope that Alex was reading his mind as he always did.

The redhead shook his head.

He opened and closed his mouth again, only for no sound to come out.

Kasey saw the monumental effort it took him to try for a smile. But it crumpled before reaching his face.

“I…I thought I finally had you. I…I feel so stupid now.” He sobbed, and Kasey looking down at him with wide eyes, was left with no air. “I feel so, so stupid.”

The party was over.

The terrace slowly emptied, and no chatter could be heard from inside. The three of them had been sitting on the cold steps for what felt like hours, staring at the wall in front of them without a word. That’s how Natalie had found them. Sitting next to each other, with dishevelled expressions and suits. She’d taken Alex’s other side, a hand immediately finding his back. A small kiss on his shoulder, Kasey’s hand finding hers for a second.

And now, elegant clothes on concrete, staring at a grey wall at a party, Natalie couldn’t help thinking how deeply unfair it was. How it should have gone entirely differently. Hell, how young they were.

In the back of her mind, the sparkle of hope that her talk with Alexander had ignited was slow to die. They could have been talking, a mile a minute, of their feelings, and all the times they’d wanted to kiss, and laugh in relief. Alex would have taken them on a walk around the city, smiling smitten and relaxed. Natalie had seen a glimpse of the euphoria that Alexander would have been wearing on his face for days and weeks, just before the phone rang. Nothing close to the thin line his lips were now. They could have spent the night together, unable to sleep, and they would have figured something out. New York and Gryffindor weren’t that far.

Tampa and Gryffindor…that was an entirely different story.

“It’s…” Kasey started after a while, voice too hoarse. Natalie could feel the tears at the back of his throat. “It’s not that…it could be worse—”

“Kase,” Alex sighed, a hand going to the blond’s shoulder. “Not now.”

Kasey closed his eyes shut, nodding hard.

“There’ll be time for that,” Alex said softly. “Just not now.”

Kasey kept nodding vigorously. A harsh inhale took him by surprise, and a sob shook his shoulders. Natalie felt her heart break for the hundredth time that night. She itched to lower his head on her shoulder or take his hand in hers. Instead, she watched him bring them to cover his eyes, and finally let go in a way that Natalie had only seen once before. Not a silent, still tear crossing his face on its own, but a breathless, desperate cry for someone to tell him that it wasn’t really happening.

Alex pulled him close, leading Kasey’s head on his shoulder. His eyes were a vague, glassy stare at the wall in front of them. Puffy and red from crying, without any trace of the sparkle or warmth that Natalie had fallen for.

She laced her arm with his. She wanted to lean against him like she had just an hour ago, and close her eyes, but she couldn’t. Alex was already holding Kasey, and she didn’t know how long he could resist before collapsing on the floor.

She pressed her cheek against his shoulder, a second too late to realise her melted makeup would stain his white shirt—it was cold, Alex was cold. She considered giving back his jacket but found that she couldn’t. Just like she couldn’t think of moving at all, or of the moment they’d have to part, each on their way, with Alex muttering “I have to start packing.”

When would she smell his cologne again? The thought made her grip his arm tighter.

She couldn’t break the spell—no one could, no one wanted to. Life would continue as if three broken hearts weren’t holding each other as long as possible before miles would pour in between them. And all they’d be left with would be a sense of smallness, like dice scattered around a board game. It wasn’t bliss, what they had right there, but Natalie still would not dare to break it.

So, she pressed her check against a cold, stained shoulder, and let her own sobs mix with two different rhythms.

When goodbyes eventually had to be said, words were nowhere to be found. Natalie made Alex promise he’d call once he was all settled in. And no one felt like it was right, but Alex’s jacket returned in a bundle to his hands.

They hugged. First Alex and Natalie, after sharing a long look and a small kiss on the cheek. Then she left them for a few minutes. It took Kasey just a glance to understand they were both thinking about last year. That single kiss at the airport. Long cries before and after. The feeling of the universe taking pleasure in bringing them close and then throwing them in opposite directions again. God, they’d worked hard to share friendly smiles again without the bitterness creeping in. Kasey shook his head to himself, almost surrendering to that destiny.

It took them a while to even look at each other. And, God, they’d cried that night, but Kasey felt the familiar burn build up behind his eyelids again. He tasted blood in his mouth for how long he’d been torturing the inside of his cheek.

“Hey.”

Alex was smiling. Eyes red, cheeks still wet. Hands stuffed in his pockets again. Kasey threw himself at him hard enough to feel the breath forced out of him. But less than a second later, arms were gripping back twice as strong.

Feeling each other’s raspy, destroyed sobs was a comfort and torture at the same time.

“’M getting snot on your shirt,” Kasey mumbled after their breaths calmed down.

Alex’s grip tightened. “’S okay. I have your snot and Nat’s mascara.”

“Please wash that shirt or throw it away.”

“Don’t tell me what to do.”

When they parted after one last squeeze, Kasey was able to smile back. Trembly, sad, but a start. They stood there, unable to move, until Alex’s hand unconsciously started dangling back and forth. His fingers caught Kasey’s in a soft hold.

But it lasted less than a second.

Kasey took a step back, as if burned, and stuffed his hands in his pockets like Alex always did. He broke his own heart the moment he did it. He watched Alex blush, eyes dropping to his feet, and nodding. Kasey cursed himself, and he didn’t need to go on with his life to know he’d continue to do so for many years.

Alex had to look away to manage a smile, and he tilted his head at him.

“See you on the ice, Blizzard.”

Before Kasey could say anything, he was gone.

Natalie needed to see him leave. Kasey couldn’t.

She turned to watch him leave the terrace. If she’d seen their interaction, she didn’t mention. Kasey squeezed his eyes shut, cursing himself, Alex O’Hara, hockey, and agent calls. He cursed Florida, airports, and himself again for not conceding to themselves the last act of grace Alex had been willing to give him before losing him for the second time.

The party was over.

#lumosinlove #lou's writing #o'darwin #vaincre lumosinlove

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tea-moon-ster · 1 month

Text

Baby Fever

Three times O'Darwin experienced baby fever and one time they talked about it. enjoy!

all characters belong to the wonderful @lumosinlove. read it on ao3 here.

Alex watched in awe as Kasey sat with Katie on the carpet, letting the girl braid his hair and attach colorful hair clips everywhere— including a few on his t-shirt and ears. The kid was entertaining what seemed to be a very serious conversation about hockey unicorns with Kasey, who nodded along to everything she said.

Alex was simply melting on the couch, watching the pair, and letting himself picture the same scene in his head, but with a different kid. A kid of their own. With Kasey’s soft hair and Natalie’s big eyes, and her smile, and his nose. They’d poked the topic a few times, and they were gladly all on the same page: big yes to kids, but not for another few years. But that didn’t stop Alex’s heart from pulling at the sight of his boyfriend with a kid, who was now climbing on his broad shoulders to get a better grip on the space buns she was making.

Alex sighed, slowly turning to where Nat was scrolling her phone at his side, and batted his eyes at her. And stared. When Natalie looked up from the itch of the insisting gaze, her eyes went from Alex to Kasey to Alex again.

“What?”

Alex sighed again, glancing at their boyfriend before going back to Natalie again.

Realizing what was happening, Natalie’s eyebrows shot up, panic on her face. She started shaking her head, in between alarmed and amused. But the redhead didn’t lose his composure, batting his eyelashes more insistently, as if it would make her magically change her mind.

“Alexander, no! Not yet!” she laughed, bringing a hand to his cheek.

He sighed dramatically, dropping his head on her lap. Natalie smiled, stroking her fingers though the soft hair in slow circles and returning to her phone. Not yet, but soon, she thought.

Harry Potter was growing up fast, Kasey thought as he watched the two-year-old running wobbly on the grass.

It was a sunny Sunday, and the Lions had opted for a picnic in the town’s Central Park. It had been a good day, with sandwiches and muffins, laughs and NHL players doing stunts on the soft grass. Remus and Logan were napping under the big tree they’d camped under, Adele was teaching Kuny and Thomas how to make flower crowns, and Lily had gone for a walk with Noelle and Finn.

Kasey let out a pleased hum as Nat’s fingers stroked through his hair. His head was on her lap, Alex sitting at his side and scratching his arm lightly, and he began to doze off as a soft breeze moved the green brunches above them.

Then, a soft thud.

He opened his eyes to find Harry on his hands and knees on the grass a few feet from them, a startled expression on his face.

A few seconds of complete silence passed, the whole team holding their breaths as the toddler pondered whether to ignore the fall and keep wadding around or to start crying. Then, the little face crumpled in a frown as a long wail filled the air. Second option was it, then.

Kasey sat up to look for James. To his horror, he found him on the other side of the green area, racing Sirius in a back and forth. Shit. And Lily was on her walk…

And Harry was crying.

A chorus of cooing noises raised in their little settlement, and a few got closer to them in case Harry wanted to be picked up. Instead, after looking frantically around for a parent, the toddler got on his feet and made a beeline towards a bewildered Alex, who had sat up to check on him, and crushed against his chest.

The redhead’s brows shot up as he put a hesitant hand on the little back, stroking softly up and down.

“Er. Hey, buddy, it’s okay. You were doing good.”

The kid sniffled into his chest, little fists grabbing the t-shirt as he calmed down. Alex sent an alarmed look at his partners, who were watching the scene in between confusion and amusement. As the kid reached for a strand of red hair, hums of understanding raised from the team.

Kasey had to suppress a laugh as Alex looked at them in a pleading help me look. A warmth sensation quickly spread in his chest as he watched Alex busy with the kid. And by the stillness of Nat’s fingers through his hair, she was feeling it, too. He looked up at her, and saw a softened smile, probably the mirror of his own, and returned his gaze to their man.

Alex raised an eyebrow at their smiles, then his focus returned to the kid. He gently checked his hands and knees for any sign of injuries, and let a sigh of relief when all he found was some mud.

“Would you look at that, you didn’t even get an ouchie,” he tried with the most soothing voice Kasey had ever heard him use. “Like a real pro.”

That made the kid giggle, and that was when James arrived, scooping him up into his arms and blowing a raspberry on his neck, before checking him.

They were in a hurry. The supermarket was about to close, and it would stay that way for the next couple of days for the upcoming holidays. And of course, they were out of milk. And of everything else they needed for the dessert they were supposed to bring to Dumo’s for the team’s holiday dinner.

Kasey was pushing the cart with long strides, Natalie jogging at his side. Alex was…somewhere, looking for milk. They’d split to get all the stuff they needed as fast as they could, and now just a few items remained unchecked on the crumpled list in Kasey’s hand.

“Alright, we just need chocolate chips and…cocoa, c’mon,” he read. “They should be this way. I don’t remember the quantities, but your dad always says to add a little more, for the flavor. We should be fine with two packs each, don’t you think, Nat?” He got no response. “Nat?”

Kasey turned, only to find shelves full of cookies facing him, and Natalie nowhere to be seen.

“Nat?”

The blonde’s head peeked from two aisles back, a touched pout arching her lips downwards. Then she disappeared again, and Kasey suppressed a small huff at how late it was getting, turning the cart to follow her. When he approached her, he found himself surrounded by…baby dresses, and baby shoes, and baby socks. Shit, the baby clothing aisle. Not this late in the evening.

Natalie was browsing the shelves up and down, hands already full of impossibly small clothes, pout still on. When she noticed him, she raised a pink onesie with little strawberries to his face without a word.

He took a deep breath.

“Nat,” he started. “Yeah, it’s very cute. And yeah, I get it, I call Alex Berry. But we don’t have a baby to put in there, and the store will lock us in if we don’t hurry. We need to go.”

“Just a second.”

She ignored his groan and let out a soft squeak at all the socks for newborns.

It was at that moment that Alex joined them with a quick jog.

“Hey, got the milk,” he said. “What else do we-oh.”

His eyes widened at the sight of the baby clothes. He let the milk fall into the cart as Nat turned to hand him a few pairs of tiny socks, and Kasey saw the exact moment he zoned out, studying the items that seemed even smaller in his hands. He raised his amazed gaze on Kasey.

“They’re so small.”

“Oh, no, you have to be kidding me,” he groaned. “Alex, please, I need your back-up here. We really need to go, it’s late.” Neither of them seemed to hear him as Alex joined Nat’s browsing with eyes open in wonder, holding hands. “Please. I can’t carry you two and the cart.”

Alex gasped. “Babes, come look at these mini-Converse.”

Natalie let out a cooing noise. “We must get them.”

“I think we do.”

“No, we don’t,” Kasey said, taking all the items from Natalie’s arms and putting them back hastily. “We absolutely don’t. Come on.” He heard two identical suffering sighs. “We don’t even have a child!”

“Not yet.”

“It’s for when we have one!”

“That’s really not how it works!”

They were all in bed, enjoying the comfortable silence. Natalie was reading her novel, Kasey had put his phone away and was now passing light fingers on Alex’s back, the redhead sprawled over him. His own fingers were drawing imaginary lines on the goalie’s neck, and his foot was touching Natalie’s just because. But Alex couldn’t stop thinking about his two and kids.

“You looked so good today,” he murmured at Kasey at one point, lifting his head. “With Katie.”

Kasey shrugged, a finger going to poke the redhead’s cheek. “She’s nice.”

“You’re nice. It was adorable.”

Nat snorted, without lifting her eyes from the page. “You should have seen him, Kase. He was sitting there, staring at you two like a fish, then looked at me with those big puppy eyes of his, basically saying please.”

Alex groaned, burying his face in Kasey’s neck as the goalie snickered and hugged him tighter.

“Way to sell me out, Darcy.”

“Shut, it, O’Hara, it was adorable.” She patted his head lightly. “One day, babe, just not yet.”

“I know, I know,” Alex sighed dreamily, making her smile.

There were all serene with the last few words. They loved each other, and they all felt that for a few years it had to be just about them and finding the right balance.

A few minutes passed. Natalie turned another page, Alex’s head returned on Kasey’s shoulder, and Kasey was slowly closing his eyes.

Then Alex cleared his throat.

“So, would you prefer a boy or a girl?”

Kasey’s laugh rumbled under his head. “You’re gonna talk about it all night, aren’t you?”

“Just until three, don’t worry. So? Boy or girl?”

“Well, I need a girl,” Nat reasoned, keeping the sign with a finger as she tilted her head to look at them. “I can’t be the only one with, like, you two and more.”

Alex felt Kasey nodding, the hand through his hair stroking stopping just for a second before returning to the rhythm, if a bit softer. He already knew that Kasey would have liked a little girl. Alex knew he would’ve loved Kasey with a little girl. Then Natalie looked at him, a big smile stretching her lips.

“But you,” she passed a hand through crimson hair. “You with a baby boy.”

Kasey made a soft sound, suppressing it in a kiss through his hair. Alex smiled.

“I can’t believe we’re talking about it. I love this,” he gestured between all three of them. “Alright, how many?”

Natalie laughed, finally giving up on finishing the chapter that night as she placed it on the nightstand. She then rolled to look at her boys, feet dangling in the hair.

“What I know,” Kasey said, “Is that we won’t have an only child. Like, out of question.”

“Yeah, that won’t do,” Natalie agreed. Both she and Alex knew that Kasey had hated growing up alone, with just a few older cousins he got to see occasionally, and that solitude had felt impossibly heavy on him as a kid.

“But not too many,” Nat warned. “I don’t want us to be…outnumbered.” The other two laughed.

“Two should be about right, don’t you think?” Alex said. “A boy and a girl, close in age. Like me and Finn? Even less space in between.”

“We don’t really get to choose the gender, sugar,” Natalie chuckled. “But sounds nice.”

“Let’s stop at two, no matter what. I don’t want us to end like Coach and Molly, still insisting on a girl after six boys,” Kasey added. “Do we want them biological?” he asked after a while. “You know, there are options, and all of them are valid…”

“I think I’d like to carry a baby,” Nat said carefully, and suppressed a smile as she saw both her boyfriends tense up at the words, eyes going unfocused for just a second. “At least once. We’ll think about it, see how it goes. Also, in any case, I’d like a newborn. The baby shoes.”

Alex blindly patted Kasey’s shoulder as he suppressed a yawn. “You heard her. The baby shoes.”

“Fine by me.”

He left a peck on the other man’s forehead, and then leaning forward to give one to Natalie, too. He couldn’t stop thinking of how small a newborn would look in Alex’s arms, or about the endless possible combinations of their traits mixed into one small, already so loved person. And more.

A few moments into the darkness of the room, Alex turned his head to Natalie.

“I don’t want to rush anything. I’m so happy with what we have now. I just love knowing that’s the direction we’re going to. Together.”

“Sap,” she smiled delightedly, running a finger over his cheek.

“Simp,” he replied, kissing her hand.

Kasey groaned.

“Sleep.”

#o'darwin #lumosinlove #vaincre lumosinlove #lou's writing

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tea-moon-ster · 1 month

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Help me decide what to post next!

I love them all equally, I just want something to focus on <3

#lumosinlove #sweater weather lumosinlove #vaincre lumosinlove #lou's poll

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tea-moon-ster · 2 months

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Love is in the Air

hello! this is a sickfic from your sick Lou. I wrote and published this all in one hour, don't ask questions. it contains major Vaincre spoilers, you've been warned!

have a sick Alex O'Hara and his partners taking care of him. this is set after Vaincre, and therefore features a retired Kasey.

all characters belong to @lumosinlove. read it on ao3 here.

“I gotta go to All Stars.”

“No, you don’t.”

“But I do. I can’t miss it.”

“Alex, All Stars was three months ago.”

“I gotta go.”

“No.”

Kasey smiled despite the situation. A sick Alex O’Hara was…something. A helpless bundle of blankets and tissues that insisted he could do everything on his own. I’ve lived on my own for years, Winter. His scowls would have been more convincing if not followed by a series of sneezes every time.

Natalie entered the bedroom with a bag of candy in hand. She popped one in her mouth.

“What is he on about?”

“He absolutely has to go to All Stars.”

Her eyebrows went up with a smile as she approached the bed. “Wasn’t one enough for you, big boy?”

Alex mumbled something, burying himself deeper into his nest.

Natalie sat on the bed next to him, shooting a glance at Kasey, across the infamous pile, who was chewing his lip. Alex sighed in relief as soon as a cool hand touched his forehead.

“His fever went up,” she stated.

Kasey nodded. “Yeah. He’s been talking nonsense since he woke up from his nap.”

She hummed. “I called Ramsey. He and Haley are in Gryffindor for Finn’s game but he asked me to keep them updated. He doesn’t get sick often, he said. Or at all.”

Their fingers met mid-stroking red hair, and held on to each other for a moment.

It was just a fever, nothing to panic about. But it was the first time they got to take care of Alex together, and he was taking a while to get back on his feet. The doctor on the phone had mentioned the stress of the season, that didn’t mix well with the constant moving around of roadies. Alex had scrunched his nose, looking elsewhere, in a silent this has never happened before. Kasey had taken his hand in a firm grip. If there was someone who understood the frustration of your own body beginning to act differently, that was him. And just like Alex was helping through it all, Kasey was ready to do the same. For a fever or an injury, he would be there.

The bundle of blankets stirred.

“Nat,” Alex called without emerging from his nuzzle. “Will you be my date at All Stars?”

Natalie smiled, shaking her head. “Alexander, I was your date at All Stars. Three months ago.”

Alex sighed. “Kasey is sabotaging my presence at All Stars.”

“Is he now?”

“You’d think he’d be more supportive, wouldn’t ya.”

“So much hate,” she agreed, looking at Kasey with a grin.

He shook his head, bringing another blanket up to the redhead’s shoulders to stop the trembling. And left a kiss there, as if to trap the heat. When he noticed the candies on Natalie’s lap, his eyebrows shot up.

“Speaking of hate, aren’t those candies supposed to be for the weak?”

She took another one, looking at Kasey. “Alex, baby, do you want your candy right now?”

A low groan answered.

“Yeah, how about later,” she said softly, bringing a third one to her mouth. Point taken.

Kasey scoffed. “Yeah, if there’ll be any left for later.”

One of the few pillows survivors of the blanket nest hit his shoulder weakly, and they laughed. Alex scooted closer to where Kasey was lying at his side, getting comfortable on his chest. Big arms kept him close, drawing a happy sound from under the blankets.

Natalie stared at them for a moment before getting up. “Okay. I’ll go check on the soup. Should I bring it here?”

Kasey looked up at her. “I’ll investigate.”

They shared a quick kiss, and Natalie left a soft peck on Alex’s back before leaving the room.

Silence lasted…longer than usual. It was a rare thing, with an O’Hara in the room. The raspy breaths and the mix of stirs and trembling were a strange comfort against Kasey, a moving presence that kept Alex from falling into quietness.

“She was stunning.”

He said it so quietly that Kasey had to ask him to repeat.

“At All Stars. She was stunning.” He sniffled against his hoodie. “She, she was wearing that dress. That silk dress. It was wow. How did she call that kind of blue?”

Kasey smiled. “Light steel blue.”

“Light steel blue,” Alex repeated to himself. “She’s always so wow. ’nd so are you.”

“Thank you. You’re pretty wow yourself.”

Alex huffed. “Yeah, I bet. ’specially right now.”

Kasey shrugged. “You are to us.”

He felt a head shaking in disagreement somewhere below his neck. “’M all sweaty and sick and stinky.” Then the head finally emerged. “Why are you here? You shouldn’t be here. You’ll get sick, too.”

His face was red, radiating heat at the mere sight. The weekend scruff had turned into a week-old scruff, and messy hair was in every direction. His eyes were a glassy gaze, and just below, purple circles from sleepless nights were slow to fade. Kasey brought the hair back from the pearly forehead and left a careful kiss there. A fever kiss, half temperature check, half concern.

“Nah,” he replied softly. “I’m fine here.” He gently brought the burning head to rest on his shoulder, chest expanding at the way Alex’s fists grasped his hoodie.

Truth was, it was the first time in years he had the possibility to stay close to Alex with one of them being sick. No coaches or team doctors warning to limit contact with sick players, or roadies and games keeping them apart. Kasey found he missed many things about the League, but there was also a long list of discoveries and relief that didn’t end with letting his body rest. Finally being able to take care of Alexander and being close to him was a wonderful, new thing. And not just for the time of a weekend, or a home game. It was their new life. It was amazing.

He gathered the man closer to him, keeping his voice down to reduce the wincing Alex couldn’t help with too loud noises. We’re going to take care of you. You’re going to rest, and I can give you a massage later. I know your back is still hurting. Dinner will be ready soon. We can have it here or on the couch, if you feel like moving. Then you’ll have your candies. And your meds. And I’ll be here the whole time. I’ve been waiting for this, Berry.

Alexander stirred some more, head buried in Kasey’s neck. “Love you, Winter. In sickness’n’health’n’all.”

Kasey smiled in his hair. “Yeah. ’n all.”

#o'darwin #alex o'hara #kasey winter #natalie darcy #lumosinlove #vaincre lumosinlove #lou's writing

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tea-moon-ster · 2 months

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Courage, dear heart

hello! have some Kasey/Alex angst set during SW. that ginger took rainbow tape out at All Stars and you can't tell me Kasey didn't have a little crisis when he saw. read it on ao3 here. all characters belong to @lumosinlove.

The night of All Stars, Kasey’s brain switched off the moment he saw Alex skate around with rainbow tape around his stick, opening a line of colorful players behind him. And it was unfortunate, because it happened right at the beginning of the night. Kasey hadn’t thought about much else for the few hours spent at Remus’ place, only offering vague comments every now and then. Natalie’s eyes finding his over the Cubs’ heads had been the one thing keeping him at bay.

Then Logan had called his boys, and that’s how they found out. The tape had been Alex’s idea.

Kasey wanted to say something, anything to him. He wrote ten texts or so on his phone, feeling stupidly self-conscious as he erased them all. Hey, Al, nice tape. Hi, loved your idea. Hey, Alex, good gesture. He sighed, wondering how did he always make everything so complicated. And why he’d never had the courage to do something similar.

And now there they were, in Dumo’s backyard, with the Lions’ team and their families surrounding them.

The Lions were going to the finals, and they felt invincible.

The air was electric even outside of the rink, following them everywhere and rising every time they met. Kasey could see it in Thomas’ grin, in the little jumps Finn made any time he was on his feet. Leo told him it was a mixture of things for him. We’re so close, and my parents are here, and I have two boyfriends, can you believe it? Because I can’t. I feel like I could climb the Everest in one morning. Kasey shared that excitement, but he had to admit that it was nowhere near to the thrill of his first seasons in the league. It tasted bitter in his mouth. Most things about hockey did, now. Leo’s sparkling eyes had brought fresh air in hockey, at least for Kasey, and he was glad for it. A little push to go on until he couldn’t.

And Alex was there.

I wouldn’t miss it, he’d said. How ever it goes. He was standing by a bush with Timmy and Olli, and Kasey couldn’t hear their conversation, but they were laughing and shaking their heads. He never failed to make people laugh.

Kasey saw the moment Alex’s eyes spotted him, leaning against the wall. He watched him excuse himself with a warm smile and one last joke. His eyes followed him to the drinks table, and saw him grab two beers. He came to lean next to him and handed him one without a word.

Kasey took a sip as they watched the sun go down, drawing golden stripes on the surface of the pool. It was still too cold to jump in, but just standing next to it built the vibrant energy of the beginning of summer. Air of anticipation really was everywhere, these days.

Kasey stole a quick glance of Alex.

The same man standing in front of him had convinced half the players at All Stars to wear rainbow tape relying on sheer force of initiative, and a great deal of courage. Even if Kasey had been surprised to see it, he realized, looking back, that there really was no reason for it. Everything about Alex translated into actions, and watching him skate around and wave his hand at the fans with pride tape, he couldn’t see a difference between him and the boy he’d fallen in love with. The boy he’d shared playful glances in the locker room with, that made him laugh loud and messy, with the little snort, and that took him for long walks on the beach every time he played in Florida. Seeing colorful stripes on his stick had moved Kasey more than he cared to admit. What does it mean, and were you thinking of me?

Of course, Natalie had noticed, too. Natalie noticed everything and she was good at not making a big deal out of things. Kasey loved how she’d immediately understood whatever was going on between him and Alex, and how she’d kissed him gently after. It’s okay if you have love for both of us. Gentler than he could ever be with himself.

That night, they’d shared a surprised look as everyone commented the tape and the players, and he’d seen her gaze going from him to Alex-in-the-TV as she tried to figure it out with him. Was it a message? Or simple support? They’d held hands in silent reassurance, wondering what it all meant.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence—Alex was good at those, too- Kasey cleared his throat. He stole a glimpse of the redhead’s golden profile against the setting sun, serene and warm.

“Sick tape,” he blurted out. “At All Stars. Logan said it was your idea.”

Alex’s eyes darted on him, as if looking for something. But it was just for a moment. Then the usual lively grin crept in, for him to relax into.

“Yeah. I thought your captain could use some support, you know?”

Kasey turned to glance at Sirius, standing on the other side of the garden, smiling at something Adele was telling him. Remus was there, holding hands in a newfound sweetness that was delightful to see. Kasey swore it had all seemed impossible until it happened.

“He really did,” he nodded. “I’m glad he had it. It meant a lot.” Kasey stopped before adding to Cap, because they both knew that it wasn’t just that. It meant a lot to me.

Alex nodded, maybe not sure on how to answer. He looked around, and his smile softened when he found the Cubs over the snacks table. Finn had an arm around Leo’s waist, talking a mile a minute, while the other two were looking at him smitten happy. Kasey studied the redhead in front of him as he looked fondly at them.

“And, you know, it wasn’t just for Sirius. For Finn, too. And his boys.” He shook his head, smiling. “You know, Finn called me the morning of All Stars, all excited, saying Alex, big ass news, I’m so happy I’m gonna die, and told me everything.” He took a sip of his beer, eyes returning to Kasey with a raised eyebrow. “Well. I already knew something was up between him and Logan, like, ages ago. I was waiting for him to tell me. And he did, so I felt like I needed to show him that it was okay. On and off the ice.”

Kasey thought back at All Stars night, when eight people had crumpled into Loop’s living room. How Finn had shouted That’s my big brother, and the way his eyes were shining in front of the tv. Kasey had allowed himself to linger on those eyes for a few moments, while everyone else focused on the screen, thinking about the twin pair that Alex bore. He remembered their warmth on his skin, shining like a jewel in the sun. Kasey thought about those eyes a lot.

Bring your eyes on me and I’ll wear your stares like the most precious stones, an old song played in his mind. He didn’t remember the name.

Alex bit his lip, sobering, and those wonderful eyes moved to his shoes. His voice came out lower this time, a vulnerability that people didn’t get to see often.

“And—you know. I had to do it for myself, too.”

Kasey felt a wave of heat rushing to his head, his heartbeat growing faster. He tightened his grip around the beer, only for the icy glass to send shivers down his spine. But Alex looked calm—like he always did.

“I just thought, what’s the point, you know? ‘S not my problem if someone cares.”

He paused for a moment, and everyone else would have thought that he was waiting for a reply from Kasey. But Kasey knew he didn’t. Alex never expected anything from him. And in that moment, Kasey was glad, because he felt petrified.

Alex sent him a small, reassuring smile. Why was he reassuring him and not the opposite, Kasey wasn’t sure.

“I’m not gonna do a big coming out. I’ll just…stop hiding, I guess.”

Then he looked up, and snorted, shaking his head as he’d just told the most amusing joke. He took another sip. Kasey could see his ears blushing as he ripped off a corner of the beer’s label.

“I mean, nothing’s really gonna change, and there’s nothing to hide. But still.”

He said the last words with his usual calm, nonchalant serenity. He threw Kasey a helpless smile, and then returned to watching the people around them as if the conversation had never taken place.

That was what Kasey had never understood. What he’d never comprehended, what he could never do.

How Alex could appear, bright and warm and wonderful, throw a few smiles and jokes around, be what people needed him to be, and then drop bombs like that. Nothing’s really gonna change. There’s nothing to hide. And then he returned to normal, like his own words, his feelings, didn’t matter more than chitchats about the weather.

Kasey just looked at him.

Nothing’s really gonna change.

Alex had never been one for holding back. He’d never been afraid of what he felt, and at the same time he’d never expected anything in return. He just felt, and loved, in his warm and easy way, without taking or holding anything against him.

Kasey was the reason nothing would change. He knew it in his heart.

He knew it every time someone tried to ask Alex about eventual partners, or dates, hookups even, and he just shrugged and smiled. Nothing significant. Not really my thing.

He knew it every time they met or talked on the phone, and Alex inevitably asked about Natalie, but then he’d stay quiet for a bit.

Alex hurt quietly, and Kasey knew, and hurt even more quietly, and none of them would do anything about it.

Alex loved Kasey. He wouldn’t need to come out if it wasn’t Kasey at his side, simply because he didn’t want another man. So, nothing would really change. And the redhead looked like he didn’t mind.

Kasey could swear he was going to go crazy.

Did he know Kasey loved him back? They’d never spoken about it enough for the goalie to understand it, let alone about Nat’s feelings, or their deep conversations about love and guilt and pain the middle of the night. Did he know they watched all his games, traced his helmet on the screen with their fingers? That they whispered his name, like a secret just for the two of them?

Kasey just looked at him, even if it hurt to stare at a soul that didn’t know how to love without hurting. Or how much love and sleepless nights bore his name.

After a moment of silence too long, Alex must have felt Kasey’s stare on him, because he turned, and his smile softened.

“Oh, Kase, don’t look at me like that. I’m fine, really. I just meant…there’s nothing to notice, you know? But it’s fine.”

Kasey looked at him with pleading eyes, even if he didn’t really know what he needed from him. To stop talking, to stop caring, to stop being so nice about it.

Alex sighed, rolling his eyes back, his expression dropping for a second. He took a breath before wearing his smile again.

“Listen, let’s forget it. I just wanna have a good time with my friend, alright? Haven’t hung out in forever, you and I,” he said, nudging their shoulders together. He paused for a second, before taking another sip. “Hey, what are you doing at the end of the month? You know, after you and your team get your hands on that shiny thing.”

Kasey hurriedly looked around for some wood to knock on, but had to settle for the wooden piles under their feet, forming a path to the pool. He gently tapped one with his shoe a few times, ignoring Alex’s disbelieving scoff, and shrugged.

“Dunno,” he said, a small smile returning to his face. “Nothing planned yet.”

Alex grinned. “Well, in that case,” and Kasey rolled his eyes at the old joke, “I have the house at the Hamptons to myself for, huh, a long time. If you wanna come, with Nat of course, I’d be happy to have you two.”

Kasey looked in the crowd by the pool for Natalie, and found her with her feet in the water, talking to Katie as the she moved her tiny feet energetically, sending splashes all around them. The grip in his throat loosened a bit. He nodded.

“I’ll ask her, but you already know the answer.”

“Great,” Alex grinned, leaving a pat on his shoulder. “I’m gonna go grab another beer, want one?”

Try four or five. “I’m good, thanks.”

He returned the smile as Alex walked away, taking away with him a bit of the warmth in Kasey’s body. He let out a sigh, gulping down too much beer at once, and then looked around for a bit. There was something in spring nights that always made tears burn more as they sat stubbornly still at the corner of his eyes.

He glanced at Natalie again, and realized she’d been looking at him for a while, a frown worrying her brows. He bit the inside of his cheek, maintaining eye contact. He didn’t feel like shaking his head and scrolling it off. He didn’t have it in him, not that night. Not after that conversation. And in all honesty, he was tired of dismissing pain like nothing could scrap him.

So, he just shrugged helplessly and made a discrete hand gesture that meant later. She nodded, not fully convinced. Love you, she mouthed. He mouthed it back, and she finally focused on Katie again when he sent her a little smile—more like an imperceptible raise of a corner of the mouth, but she knew him.

He then glanced at the Cubs, still by the snacks table, where Finn was trying to make Logan dance to the rhythm of a low background song. Tremzy looked like he was protesting, but he let the redhead move them, nevertheless. Leo, leaned on the table, was filming them with a smile of his own.

They looked so happy, Kasey thought, glancing back at Natalie, and then searching for Alex, now chatting with Noelle and Thomas.

Kasey looked at the Cubs again, and then at his girlfriend, and then at the man he loved, and decided there was something he could do. Or at least try. He’d talk to Natalie that night, in the quiet comfort of their bedroom. They would figure something out.

Something could change.

#lumosinlove #lou's writing #sweater weather lumosinlove #o'darwin #alex o'hara #kasey winter #kasey/alex

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tea-moon-ster · 3 months

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Close your eyes and I'll come to you (in a dream, or not)

Hiya! Here's 1.9k of O'Darwin fluff (mostly Alex/Kasey). In long distance relationships, even just a few days together mean the world. And Alex knows it well.

Contains minor Vaincre spoiler. All characters belong to @lumosinlove.

read it on ao3 here.

Kasey checked his phone before shoving it in his pocket. 4:38 pm. He was right on time.

He quickly put his worn, Rangers-blue sweater on before peeking into the bedroom. Natalie was getting comfortable in the sea of pillows she insisted on keeping on their bed, with two or three blankets involved in the process. The tv, that had been on some period drama the last time Kasey checked, was now a black screen. A slim finger pressed the button just above their bed to lower the blinds, creating the perfect mood for a nap.

Kasey couldn’t quite put a finger on it, but in the last few days Natalie had been a bit under the weather. Tired, sad, cuddlier than usual. She said it was just a bit of stress, and that she was missing Alex. At that, Kasey had prepared her comfort food, rubbed her back, and almost spoiled the surprise he’d been working on for three weeks. He would have to keep it a secret for just another hour.

“Nat,” he called softly, making her look up from her phone. “Going to the store real quick. Need anything?”

Her brows furrowed, as she probably scrolled a mental checklist and wondering what was it that Kasey needed, but it was gone a second. She shook her head, and sent him a small smile. “No, thanks baby. Be back soon, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

She blew him a kiss, that he caught, and then he was gone. He flew down the stairs and got into the car in record time.

The Gryffindor airport was busy with the long weekend in sight. Tourists flying in, locals allowing themselves a few days out. Kasey checked the time and terminal number for the third time, bouncing a little on his feet.

The big screen showing arrivals lighted up with the JFK-GYF flight. People started to come in from the doors in front of him, and he resisted the urge to get on his toes to see better. Alex wasn’t exactly difficult to spot anyway.

As if summoned, the redhead appeared, smiling and talking to a fellow passenger. He didn’t spot Kasey right away, and this gave the goalie a moment to just look at him. It had been a while without a screen or his hockey mask in between them. Kasey distinctly felt the temperature in the room rise, the day becoming sunnier and, sue him, life turning a little sweeter. Alex looked good. The freckles that invaded his face and shoulders were turning more visible again, and he was wearing a sweatshirt that would probably end on Kasey or Nat in the next hour. Messy auburn hair was kept back by a backwards cap, and the worn backpack, the only thing he bothered to prepare for weekends in Gryffindor, was eased on a broad shoulder.

He came to an alt, still talking to the fellow passenger, and shook his hand with a big smile and one last pat on the shoulder. Then he turned, the attentive gaze he always wore on the ice as he led a puck towards the net, now looking for Kasey. His eyes softened the moment he found him, and Kasey felt the urgent need to whisper I missed you, I missed you, even feet apart. Alex would know. The space in between them had to know. Alex reached him in long strides, then engulfed him in a tight hug. Strong arms found his shoulder blades as Kasey’s automatically curled around his neck.

They stood like that for a while, absorbing the other’s presence and swinging slightly, letting the busy flow around them clear out a bit. Alex let out a happy hum against his ear, tightening the hug for a few seconds. Tense muscled finally finding peace. They parted, only for Kasey to find a bright smile, all for him to lean over and kiss gently.

“Hm, happy to see me,” Alex mused, a finger stroking Kasey’s cheek lightly.

“I’m always happy to see you,” he retorted, making Alex chuckle and nod.

“I know you are. Lead the way, Winter.”

They walked to the exit of the terminal in silence. Kasey’s two-inches advantage was perfect for Alex to keep his head on the blonde’s shoulder, an arm around his back, as the goalie took the backpack from him and swung it on his other shoulder. Not because it was heavy -Alex had probably thrown in only a t-shirt and a snack as usual, everything else he might need already at their loft. But Kasey could. It was sensational.

“Made another friend on the plane?”

“Yeah, Juan. Great guy. He’s vising his family for the weekend. Owns a fusion restaurant in Soho, made me promise we’d go sometimes.”

Kasey hummed, suppressing a smile. Every time Alex sat next to someone for more than five minutes, he would make new friends. The goalie could still recall Agnes, an old lady they’d met on another plane that ended up giving them half the muffins she’d baked for her grandkids. That had been a few years ago, and Alex still had semi-regular coffee dates with her.

“We will.”

Kasey slid the key into the keyhole carefully, trying not to make a sound. He and Alex got into the loft quietly, stopping for a second to listen, but the house was quiet. Natalie was still sleeping. They lost their shoes, a satisfied hum coming from Alex, as if to say here I am, as he tiptoed his way to the kitchen. Kasey followed him, and smiled as the other man opened his backpack. Of course. He began to take boxes and boxes of the butter cookies from the boulangerie at the corner of his apartment. The ones that Natalie loved and had for breakfast every time she visited.

Alex smiled back at him with a raised eyebrow, and his hand emerged with three more boxes, colorful tins and elegant letters. He shrugged, looking down at them.

“Went to this Russian bakery in the West Village, and the owner said-” he cleared his throat, putting a terrible Russian accent on, “-oh, your tea-lover boy must try this. Give you some blends, you come back for more.” He snickered as Kasey shook his head fondly and studied one of the boxes. Bergamot and cinnamon. His favorite blend. “I don’t think it was a suggestion. Sounded more like a threat.”

Kasey didn’t try to hide a smile as he examined the other tea tins. He couldn’t, not really. You talk to people about me. Alex was a black coffee drinker, and only indulged in tea when Kasey was having it. Kasey could see him, leaning on the counter of a bakery, talking to a huge Russian man about his boyfriend and how he only drank tea, not coffee.

Kasey didn’t know what to say, so he tilted his head and opened an arm for Alex to fit under. And he kissed him, sweet and slow, because the weekend was long, and they had all the time in the world, and Alex talked about him to Russian bakers. They took their time, one of Alex’s hands going for his hair and drawing a happy sound from Kasey, who slid on one of the stools by the counter. Even after they parted, they stayed there, recharging with the other’s presence, reminiscing of times when all that could only have been a bitter fantasy.

Kasey looked for those sweet brown eyes, and passed a gentle finger under one of them, absorbing Alex’s soft smile and gentle hands on his hips. He just looked, trying to convey what he was feeling. I love you. I love how you put your love for us in every action. Thank you for the teas. I feel so lucky to have you. I didn’t think I’d ever get to have you like this.

“I know,” the redhead murmured, leaving a soft kiss at the corner of his mouth. “Me too.”

They spent another few minutes in a soft hug. Swinging in silence, hands moving in circles on the other’s back. Kasey focused on the shoulder he’d watched get slammed against the boards during the Rangers’ last game. It drew more than a few relieved sighs from the redhead melting against him.

At some point Alex parted to squish his cheeks. Kasey indulged him and all the Baby, Baby cheeks, Sweet Snowflake, Winter Seal he received, letting him do. It came to an end when Alex patted his chest a few times, then stood straight.

"We didn't hide the whole visit to Natalie only for her to walk on us cuddling in the kitchen," he claimed. "Let's go, Sweet Storm."

The shades were still submerging the room in a dark and drowsy silence. Kasey could still see Alex’s smile as the man slid next to the bundle of blankets and pillows that still hadn’t moved and threw an arm around Nat’s waist.

He began to move slow circles on her back, delicate but firm enough for her to stir a little, drawing a soft hmm from under the plaid. Alex put a finger on his mouth, and Kasey got the message, crossing the room to sit quietly at the other end of the bed, facing Natalie.

Alex continued his strokes, solid and warm against her back, and when she mumbled hm, Kase, they both hid their laughs in their hands. The stirs grew more impatient, until a blonde cascade of messy hair appeared. A dark eye peeked in the direction of Kasey. He smiled, stroking her cheek.

“Hmm, Kase, keep doing that,” she mumbled, reaching for the hand on her back and bringing it around her waist again.

Alex’s eyebrows shot up in amusement at the same time as Kasey’s, who snorted a laugh out. The redhead pressed more firmly to the girl’s back, and she kept his hand on her waist. The other shrugged, and they waited in silence for Natalie to become more awake and notice whose hand she was trapping.

She stirred a few more times, letting a happy hum out as Alex left a soft kiss on her shoulder, and then slowly began to open her eyes. She looked puzzled at Kasey, who was smiling, and her brows furrowed. Without breaking eye contact, she started feeling the hand on her waist, running her fingers up and down the forearm surer and faster.

She let out a sob. “No.”

“Yes,” Alex whispered back, leaving a peck behind her ear.

It was all it took for Natalie to scramble to a sitting position and jump on Alex, arms going tight around his neck. He grasped her back immediately, strong arms clutching the large t-shirt for a long moment. He buried his face in the nook of her collarbone as he eased them both gently in a lying position. He could hear her sob as she left a series of quick kisses among his hair, and smiled against her neck.

“You fucker,” she sobbed, holding him in a suffocating grip. “When did you…how…Kase, did you…”

“Yep,” Kasey replied softly. He crossed the bed to fall into the arm Alex opened for him, and let out a happy hum against his chest. “Surprise.”

It took a while for Natalie to detach herself from Alex enough to form a sentence. “All weekend?” she asked as she passed a hand on her wet cheek.

Alex kissed her forehead, her nose, her cheeks before stroking them gently. “’Till Tuesday.”

That got another series of sobs out of Natalie, but it mixed with a watery laugh, that glittered more than every prize the two players could win.

#lou's writing #lumosinlove #vaincre lumosinlove #o'darwin #kasey winter #alex o'hara #natalie darcy

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tea-moon-ster · 3 months

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big dreams for the future and they aren’t all about hockey anymore (aka the cure for colds is Logan with a baby)

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tea-moon-ster · 4 months

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He could still feel him. He saw him everywhere.

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tea-moon-ster · 4 months

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Punk librarian Finn

forgot about this one! have a Logan simping for a librarian Finn with tattoos and piercings. all characters belong to the wonderful @lumosinlove except for Lucy.

Logan stopped in front of the public library of their new neighborhood and just looked at it. It wasn’t a pretty building, grey and with fading letters on the front. But Logan now knew that it hid a lovely garden, soft armchairs, and the most handsome librarian he’d ever seen.

Finn was…funny. Smart. Beautiful. Probably too loud to work in a library. Most certainly Logan’s second husband.

It had been Leo to present them, two weeks ago, which made it all even better. He’d come home to their -their!- new apartment two hours after he’d left to explore the area, with too many books for his tote bag and arms. Blue eyes wide in shock and awe. Darling. Me. You. Library, tomorrow morning. Hot librarian. A deep breath, eyes closed. Knuckles tattoos.

So, the next day, they went. And that night, as they ate their dinner on the floor, they talked about Finn, and his smile, and freckles, and tattoos on his knuckles and forearms. Suspenders had never been sexier. Leo and Logan talked and talked and talked, holding hands as they stared at the freshly painted ceiling. They decided, around never enough kisses and smiles, that they wanted Finn. They’d try.

And that’s how the wonder of discovering a new, shared life with Leo had mixed with the magic of Finn being Finn. It was a casual, polite flirt, that Finn could get out of if the interest wasn’t there. But he wasn’t exactly backing out, making Logan snort-smile and filling Leo with books that, as the blond stated, were gay and bi declarations of love, Logan. “The picture of Dorian Grey”. “Orlando”. “Maurice”. “Love you two”.

So, Leo and Logan started visiting the library more often as the days went by. And the joys of living with Leo and getting to know Finn were second only to the electric wave of seeing them together. Logan felt invincible.

But today it was just him. Him and the muffins Leo had deposited in his hands as he got ready for his college classes. Go and make him fall with you and my banana muffins. Neither of you is hard to love, sugar.

And so, there Logan stood. Muffins in his hands and indulging on the library’s front door. Finn had mentioned a storytelling event a few days ago, and Logan just knew he had to go in there and listen to Finn’s sweet, smiling voice read something to him. And to other people, too, he guessed, but he’d pretend it was just for him. And maybe they could share the muffins later, and discuss whatever Finn had in mind.

Logan hoped that one day he’d get to say, and the rest is history.

With a deep breath, he finally stepped into the library. Finn wasn’t at the counter to welcome him with a flashing smile, and so Logan walked to the back of the building. From a closed room, he heard laughter, and one among all drew him towards the door. What he found inside was…well, unexpected.

The first thing he saw was Finn, of course. His smile was blinding, and his red mullet was styled in soft curls that day. He was wearing a pink and green jumper, with the sleeves rolled up -merci, mon Dieu, Logan thought. He needed the sight of those freckled, tattooed hands and arms. Finn beamed and waved at him, getting up from his impossibly small chair and making his way to him, careful to the many kids sitting on the floor.

Because the room was filled with kids.

It did make sense, Logan thought as he mentally kicked himself. Storytelling. The room was colorful, filled with toys and all kinds of chairs and pillows thrown around. A few parents were chatting in a corner. What was Logan thinking? What exactly had he pictured in his head, except for a Hot Finn lustily reading love poems in a candlelit room?

Logan wanted to disappear.

But Finn was now in front of him, and he looked excited. He didn’t seem to mind the chaos created by kids around them. Logan lost himself in between his smile and the silver nose ring that almost touched it.

“Logan! What a nice surprise, I didn’t expect to see you this afternoon! But come in!”

Logan felt himself blush as he stepped inside. “Er, hi. I thought I’d drop by to say hi. Hi.”

Finn’s smile grew. “Hi.”

“Hi.”

They stared at each other for a few seconds. When Logan realized he should have said something, a little sniff came from the floor.

“Mister Finn?” They both looked down, where a little girl was clutching Finn’s pants with big, shy eyes. “Will you, will you do the voices like last time?”

“Why else would I be here for, Lucy?” Finn answered with a wink that made the kid giggle and throttle back to her seat. Logan couldn’t hold his hearth from the little jump it made at that. They watched her for a moment before Finn let out a small laugh.

“So, er, yeah. I do Storytelling for kids on Fridays? It’s okay if you don’t want to stay.”

Logan found himself shaking his head before he knew what to say. “No, I want to. If it’s alright. I, huh, I like kids.”

Something sparkled in Finn’s eyes. “Do you?”

“Ouais. Oh, and—here. Leo made these for you. They’re—”

“Banana muffins,” Finn gasped as he took the box from Logan’s hands. He passed a reverent finger on top of it, and Logan found himself staring at the letters and flowers that covered his hands. A sweet, freckled smile was growing more and more.

“I mentioned last time that I don’t like chocolate and that these are my favorites and he—okay. Oh God. Wow. Well, you say thank you from me to him, yeah? Aw, man, he’s the best.”

“He really is.”

Logan saw Finn looking for something in his eyes, anything that could have passed as jealousy or possessiveness. But he soon relaxed into them and nodded. “Yeah.” He then turned to study the room full of kids and parents, a hand going to his hip. “So, will you help me do the voices?”

“I-quoi?”

“Please? It won’t be embarrassing, it’s just kids and they want to have fun. They’re great, I promise.”

“But I’ve never—and I’m not that good at reading aloud, especially in English, Leo usually—”

“I know, I know.” A hand squeezed his shoulder. “Nothing you don’t wanna do, of course. But it could be fun? You can try and see how it goes. Or you can sit in the back—or next to me, really. You decide.”

Finn’s expression was open, and calm, and serene. Logan knew he would be alright even without his words. He tried with a smile. “Leo won’t believe it.”

Finn grinned back. “He’ll be shocked.”

“Then let’s go.”

Logan accepted Finn’s hand as he was guided across the room, careful to all the kids on the floor, ready for the show to start. Logan felt a similar kind of anticipation as he squeezed back. A new part of his own story was about to begin, after all. Hopefully, Finn would be there to write it with him and Leo. Doing the voices and all.

#lumosinlove #o'knutzy #logan tremblay #finn o'hara #leo knut

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tea-moon-ster · 4 months

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Random snoops with no context from fics I'm writing

Because it's been a while! All characters belong to @lumosinlove .

Pre O'Darwin

Kasey shook his head. “I’m good, thanks.”

At that, Alex frowned slightly, moving on his feet. “Why not?” he asked softly. “We haven’t done something like this in forever.”

Kasey opened and closed his mouth a few times, watching Alex’s expectant smile falling in a frown. What could he say that wasn’t I can’t stand that girl being all over you?

When I grow up

“Jules,” Remus called, trying to mask his amusement by clearing his throat, “Tell Dad what you’re doing, buddy.”

The kid didn’t even look up from his toys, too focused. “Hafta get ready.”

“Oh yeah? And where are you going, champ?”

“With Rey. We goin’ to school tomorrow.”

Lyall’s heart was about to explode, and he had to lean on the doorframe and suppress the strangled noise coming from his chest. “Is that so? You’re going to college?”

“Yes.”

Lyall shared a look with Remus, both making a valiant effort not to laugh. He crossed his arms in mock concern. “You’re leaving Mom and I all alone at home?”

“Yes."

“Isn’t it a little early for college, buddy?”

“’s okay, Dada, I’ll be with Rey.”

Indiana Cubs!

He lowered his gaze to the maps. God, how long had it been since one of their adventures? Bonfires in the jungle, climbing mountains and running from authorities or native tribes. The tremor in his palms, the looks of pure adrenaline they exchanged and the grins just for the two of them. Finn traveled to retrieve ancient treasures. Logan followed because of those private moments.

A hand covered his own, just in the middle of the yellowing Atlantic Ocean.

“Hey,” Finn whispered softly. “Come on. We’ll be careful. I have everything under control.”

…

Logan ducked his head to avoid another series of arrows coming from the walls, trying to run faster than the giant stone behind them, getting closer and closer.

“Finn, you have nothing under control!”

Social Media O'Knutzy and O'Darwin

Finally, Finn and Alex were grinning at the camera in an identical lopsided smile. “The last ingredient for the perfect throuple,” Finn started, “Is a pretty, cuddly shortie with a spicy side. A hobbit, if you will—”

He was interrupted by a hat entering the frame and hitting him right in the face, followed by various insults in French. Finn doubled and groaned, a hand going to his offended forehead as Alex watched the scene unimpressed.

He turned to the camera with a raised brow and shrugged. “As he was saying, with a spicy side.”

From Hazel's Zombie Au...

Just…just do what I asked you, yeah?

Remus patted the pocket of his vest, where two letters were secured. All that was left of the man. He hadn’t wanted to tell him his name. Easier for both of us, he’d said. Remus had died to insist, but he couldn’t. The man was already doing so much, by simply letting Remus inject what was a first try of the cure, a draft and nothing more, in his failing body.

A small smile, and warm eyes.

Call me Mars.

#lou's snoops #lumosinlove

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tea-moon-ster · 6 months

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Fic-O-Ween Dat 9: Sugar Rush

Hello! Here's another tremendously late work for Fic-O-Ween. Life really got in the way and I was not able to participate as I had planned.

This work is not part of the Fantasy Magic Au I've been posting during the fest. Instead, here's some slices of life of older Cubs managing a café and safe place for youth! The general idea is that as life got less busy, they opened a library-café that is open 24/7 to everyone. Here are just some random slices but I'd love to come back to this idea in the future!

Note: This work is takes inspiration from a conversation in the server and many ideas are not my own.

Credits to @lumosinlove for the characters (except Helias, Elise and Aramaiah) and to @noots-fic-fests for hosting and prompt! read it on ao3 here.

Sometimes nights the café was busy. Those were the nights of book presentations, cultural themed events, study groups at the end of terms, all sorts of clubs -Finn had founded the book club, and Leo could swear that Regulus had attended multiple crochet sessions. Sometimes they simply put on music and danced. Then there were quiet nights. A few people minding their businesses here and there, on the tables or couches in the low lights of the late hours. Logan in his office doing the math for the shop. Finn reading quietly on his favorite armchair and Leo either at their side or already beginning to cook for the following day.

That was one of those nights. A mid-week, cold night with no planned events or full tables. Leo didn’t mind the quiet nights; he needed them as a break from the eventful ones, who had considerably grown in numbers over the years. The café had become more popular, and every member of their stuff or costumer was invited to add suggestions, and that’s why they had a monthly movie night, theatre night, karaoke night, art night, and so on.

Quiet nights were perfect for when sleep couldn’t seem to find Leo. He would silently make his way out of bed, careful not to wake Finn or Logan -who’d become only more sensible to one of them missing from his side with time- and join whoever was at the café that night.

Leo peeked in the kitchen to say hello to Amy, yet another chef assistant they’d hired. There hadn’t really been a need to hire her per se, because the café was only so big, and their staff was at full capacity. But she was a young mother and student who needed a job, and who were they to deny her that?

The long, full days and nights when it had been just the three of them managing everything were now a memory. But for how fondly Leo could remember those times, he was secretly glad that didn’t have to stand for longs periods in the kitchen anymore. His hip had begun to make itself heard, an injury from 2027 that hadn’t bothered him in a few decades and was now sporadically back. Go figure. Finn claimed it was normal.

Leo went to the counter to make sure everything was in place. He spent some time organizing new recipes and what to include in the spring menu. It was once he made his way to the vinyl recorder to put some background jazz on that he noticed one table was occupied.

A young boy was sitting there. A hand supporting his chin and a mildly resigned face in a sea of books and messily written math exercises. Oh, am I glad those days are over, Leo mused as he opted for some low, relaxing music instead so not to disturb him. He smiled at the boy, who looked up at him as he walked back to the counter, and received a small, shy wave of a hand in return.

Leo decided to let the kid study in peace, even if ‘peace’ wasn’t the word he would have chosen to describe the situation. He snooped from his cooking books from time to time, only to see the poor boy writing furiously or turning pages frantically. When the third long, suffering sigh filled the room, Leo decided it was time for him to step in.

He smiled when even his steps getting closer didn’t make the boy look up from the books, and gently cleared his throat. Two big, dark circles -oh, and some eyes, too- were on him as he took a seat in front of him, placing a fuming mug carefully away from his books, and offered a smile.

“Hey, I’m Leo. Care for an herbal? Chamomile and lavender do miracles for stress.”

The boy, after the initial surprise, accepted the cup with a thankful nod. A shy one, then.

“What are you struggling on?”

The boy bit his lip, a light red coloring his cheeks. “Maths.”

Leo made a face. “Aw, hun. I’m sorry, I’d help you if I were able to. But I’m gay, good at sports and I know how to drive. There was no place left for math.” The boy sighed again, shaking his head at the open books.

“I’m gay, too.”

“Oh, shoot.”

The next half hour saw Leo and the young boy, Helias, really trying to make sense of the numbers and letters mixing without apparent logic in the books. Four pages of failed exercises, two additional herbals and various swearwords later, Leo stated that enough was enough. That’s when he saw Logan’s messages. He was awake, as predicted. He dialed his number.

A misty, heavy accented mumble replied seconds later. “Mon soleil,” he yawned. “Où are you? Ça va?”

“Hey lovey, I’m at the café. Tout va bien, I’m with Helias, we’re trying to do…calculi. We have a test tomorrow. Please come here and make it make sense?”

“J’arrive.”

Helias was quite worried about Leo calling his husband in the middle of the night to join them and help him with calculus. Sure, the friends that had introduced him to the café had mentioned the owners, ex-hockey players so sweet and helpful to make the whole neighborhood melt. But wasn’t expecting this. He tried to politely refuse, saying that there was no need, he really didn’t want to bother- who was he to make a grown man move in the middle of the night to help him with calculi, goodness. But the blonde man dismissed him with a hand, affirming that his Logan was already up and would have joined them in a matter of time anyways. And he never minded helping.

So, Helias let Leo push him on a beanbag as they waited, and he closed his eyes to soothing music coming from the vinyl recorder.

Logan arrived twenty minutes later, sitting down at the table covered in books and sheets of paper after a soft hug with his husband -Helias tried not to stare, he really did, but he’d never seen adult queer people interact in sweet domesticity as they did. Logan’s hair was messy, and his face was still drowsy with sleep, but he threw a reassuring smile at the boy as he took a pencil in hand. “Alors, let’s see what we have here.”

Slowly, things began to follow a logic. A contorted, full of exceptions and formulas logic, but a logic, nevertheless. Helias felt the lump of anxiety in his throat gradually detangle as he followed Logan’s patient voice through the equations. At some point Leo joined them again, with a mint tea and a kiss on the cheek for Logan, and a plate of oven-hot cookies that he placed in between them.

As the topics were covered and exercises began to be correct, Helias could feel a warm feeling expanding in his chest. It couldn’t be the sugar rush from all the baked goods Leo was filling the table with. No, it was something else. The way both men had not hesitated to help. Their untold understanding of each other and the kindness transpiring from every gesture. The way they always used we, we have a test tomorrow, we’re gonna try this method and see how it goes. The hands on one’s leg or shoulder and the feather-light kisses. Helias wanted that, someday. With a husband or two or three, it didn’t really matter. But he wanted that love and he wanted to help as he could, like they were doing.

When the clock reached two in the morning, Logan closed the books gently and looked at him in the eyes. Helias almost gulped when being studied by those eyes. They were tired, and small wrinkles framed them, but they were also deep, and intense. Helias hadn’t been warned that he’d need to get a grip in front of senior men in that café.

“I think you’re ready,” Logan nodded. “Now you need to catch a few hours of sleep to do well tomorrow, okay? Do you know how to get home? We can give you a lift.”

“I have my bike,” Helias replied noncommittally.

Leo shook his head as he placed a brown bag in front of him, raised eyebrow and hand on his hip. “Nonsense. You’ll come get it tomorrow, but it’s not safe this late, and you’re already falling asleep. Here’s something for breakfast tomorrow. Your brain needs sugars to give a top-notch performance.”

Helias wanted to cry a bit as Logan helped him gather his things and Leo went to the kitchen to say they were leaving. The drive home was silent with sleepiness and the warm air coming from the AC. In his exhausted state, Helias hadn’t remotely worried about accepting a lift from two random adults. But, he reasoned, if the ex-NHL players with a city-famous little business kidnapped teenagers, someone would have heard of it in all those years.

When they reached Helias’ house, both men turned to look at him, and the boy had to stop himself from pretending they were his parents, concerned and loving. At least not too much.

“You get home and sleep, don’t worry about the test,” Logan said gently. “You know everything you need to know. And it’s a test, anyways, so however it goes, you’ll do great because you did your best.”

Leo nodded, smiling softly. “And you let us know how it goes, yeah? It was a team effort.”

Coming from ex-NHL players, that phrase was something valiant and fierce.

Helias turned the lights off that night without a single worry about the test. He repeated himself what Logan had told him. You’ll have a long and full life, and you’ll remember nothing about this topic or the test. It doesn’t affect your life whatsoever. Tomorrow, you go to school thinking this. Except, he would forever remember that night. Even if math and formulas had nothing to do with it.

There was an old vinyl player in the corner, and a messy mountain of old custodies at its side. Finn and two girls were dancing chaotically to Abba’s, Leo smiling as he dried clean mugs behind the counter, but the moment Angel Eyes came up, Finn jumped the counter to come and get him to dance with them. The two girls laughed as they watched the two men swinging their shoulders in a well-coordinated choreography. Finn put a hand on Leo’s waist, moving them gently back and forth, nose against nose. Finn made him spin once, twice and ended it in a casqué, grinning, cheeks red with the dancing. Leo shook his head fondly, allowing a soft peck on the mouth from the man, before he was pulled up. His hip protested a bit, but it was fine. He went to sit on one of the stools by the counter and watched his husband mouthing the words of Dancing Queen with Aramiah and Elise.

When the last song slowly died down, they returned to the open books on one of the tables nearby. They had an English class to pass, after all. In the following hour, they did much of the work the two girls had been anxious about- Finn got on the table to recite Hamlet, explained everything they needed to know and made them analyze the texts on their own.

Leo supplied pieces of chocolate cake when they made another break.

“Whatcha making?” Logan asked, in a tone that was all Finn and made them both laugh. Leo smiled, a sweet memory on his lips as he chopped strawberries and put them in a bowl.

“Strawberry shortcakes.”

When Leo was met with silence, he raised his head to find Logan smiling at him smittenly, and he knew. They were both remembering the first time he’d made those for them. A smile so radiant, so happy and in love, after thirty years together, that made his heart ache. Leo could still see it all if he closed his eyes. The summer sun on their faces, wind, and splashes of salty water against their bodies. Him leading the motorboat with Logan pressed at his side, and Finn taking pictures and pictures and smiling so hard. Candle lights in the quietness of the bayou, kissing and feeling high on each other, on their first Cup, on their first summer together. Leo remembered feeling invincible.

The present Logan came to tuck himself under his arm, pressing his nose against his neck, just like he had all those years ago. Leo leaned to kiss the soft, greying curls.

Now those pictures were hanging in their hallway, together with many others. Logan had a copy in his office, and Leo had lost track of all the pictures crumpled in Finn’s wallet, almost round with yellowing polaroid’s. The café’s kitchen walls were full of smiling faces, too, because Leo liked to remember what had kept alive his cooking passion for all those years.

“Je me le souviens comme si c’était hier », Logan murmured, bringing a hand to Leo’s chest. I remember it as if it were yesterday.

“Moi aussi, mon doucet,” Leo smiled, putting the knife down to hug Logan properly. “Moi aussi.”

They remained in silence for a while, content in the embrace and reliving the memory. How many boat trips had followed. On their own, then with their kids, and with the team, at dawn and in the middle of the night to escape the heat of New Orleans. Leo sighed happily, tugging Logan closer, a sudden lump stuck in his throat. When he sniffed, Logan parted to bring a hand to his cheek, mesmerized green eyes studying him. But Leo only smiled, and when had that not meant that Logan would smile, too?

#fic o ween 2023 #fic fest #lumosinlove #lou's writing #fic o ween #fic-o-ween

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tea-moon-ster · 6 months

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Fic-O-Ween Day 10: Spellbound

Hello! Apologies for the delay. Here’s the sixth part of the Fantasy Magic Au, and it's a long one! (3.6k words) Featuring too many coincidences, reunions and chaos.

characters credits to @lumosinlove. prompt and hosting credits to @noots-fic-fests. read it on a03 here -notes at the end.

Leo and Logan spent the rest of the morning talking about everything and nothing, dancing around each other’s stories with the delicate grace of the falling leaves in the garden. Logan was curious.

When did you know you’d be a witch?

I was born with it. It runs in the family.

Did you choose your core?

No. A ceremony revealed it.

How does it feel to do spells?

Every single one is different.

The way he wandered around the house was funny to Leo. It reminded him of Roux, in a certain way; polite curiosity with a pitch of sugar and spice here and there. Logan insisted on helping around as a payback for the hospitality, and Leo couldn’t bring himself to point out that chores were a thing he could get done with a snap of his fingers. Not in front of those big, expectant eyes. The traveler washed a few cauldrons, took the wood for the fireplace inside and dusted the bookshelves. He was about to finish when he frowned.

“Leo, where did you get this book?”

The witch looked up from the herbs he was stocking away. What Logan brought him in quick strides was one of the clothbound books Kasey hadn’t wanted to part from when he retired. It was just on loan for a few weeks. Leo studied the golden letters of the title and the intricate decorations on the spine of the book. He looked up at Logan and was taken aback by his alarmed expression. He looked like he’d just seen a ghost.

“Er, my master lent it to me. It’s about the discoveries humanity owes to witchcraft. Why?”

Logan opened the book to the preface, pointing at a fading stamp that indicated the bookshop it came from. He tapped it urgently. “O’Hara Brothers’ Books and Parchments. Leo, it’s Finn’s bookshop. It’s—it’s from home.” He turned it again, his eyes widening even more. “His brother wrote it.”

“What?”

“Here. A. A. O’Hara. Alexander Aodhán O’Hara. It’s Alex.”

Leo stared at the name shining in gold under the light and then at Logan, now grasping the book as if it would fade any second. Not daring to look away. Leo realized that the book must have been the closest thing to home, to Finn, that Logan had in months.

“Logan,” he said slowly. “Are you sure?”

Green eyes darted on him in a violent ocean wave. Leo felt their strength crashing against him. It was the way Logan simply stared, not letting a sound out, and bringing the book to his chest, that answered for him. The book had once belonged to Finn. Leo nodded a few times, suddenly not knowing what to do with himself.

“Okay,” he managed. “Okay. I’ll—I’ll contact my master—well, ex master, but we’re friends—but that’s not the point, but yes. He’ll tell us more.”

Logan nodded sharply, following him to the living room, where Leo sat down in front of the fireplace. A vague flick of his wrist, and a fire was warming their already heated faces. Leo took a deep breath and put a hand in front of the flames, repeating the spell under his breath. But the room remained silent. Leo tried again, but no response came from the other end. He cursed under his breath.

“It’s the storm,” he sighed, getting up and starting to pace the room. “It must have broken the connection, and I can’t repair it on my own. If we want to talk to him, we need to go to his house.”

He expected Logan to be on his feet in a second, running to grab his cloak. But the traveler was still staring at the flames. “Leo,” he murmured. “Where does your master come from?”

Leo stopped his pacing to look down at him. “Up north, originally. Krios Kepék like you, but I don’t remember the village.”

Logan nodded slowly. “Does he travel a lot?”

“Used to, from what I hear. Not that much now.”

Logan took a deep breath. “Is he a winter witch?”

Leo frowned.

“Is he?”

Leo nodded. Logan sat against the armchair. “We need to go to his place. Now.”

Leo nodded, but then a string pulled at his heart. Roux. He didn’t want to leave if Roux still hadn’t made it home. He looked out of the window. The sky was darkening. It had been almost two days. Logan caught his hesitation, stopping the jumping to put on his boots.

“Leo, Roux knows the way home. You said it yourself.”

Leo shook his head, crossing his arms in a self-hug to soothe himself. “I know. I know that, but…”

Logan nodded, without insisting further. “D’accord. I understand. I couldn’t leave the village for weeks when Finn…” he trailed off. Then shook his head and sent him a reassuring half-smile. “Point me the destination on a map. I’ll go there on my own.”

After some protests from Leo and promises from Logan to be careful and be back soon, the traveler left the cottage. Leo put a protection spell on him, just in case, and placed the book and a map in his sack. When he disappeared behind the curving trail, Leo felt the stillness of his house overwhelm him.

The sense of alert caused by the sudden noise outside died after a second; he’d recognize the sound of Kasey’s cart and his horse everywhere. The moment Leo peeked outside, relief melted him, and he couldn’t help the incredulous laugh he let out. Kasey and Natalie were there. Logan was going to their house. Everyone just needed to sit down and talk.

It didn’t last long, though.

He ran to open the door just in time to see Kasey getting down with a bundle in his arms. Natalie jumped down swiftly, a fox trotting after her. Kasey reached the door in long strides and adjusted the blanket he was carrying. Something inside shifted.

“We need to talk. Now,” he urged.

Once they were all inside, Leo threw a questioning look at Natalie as the fox followed them inside, but she held his gaze. Okay then. The fox is invited to tea. Kasey gently placed the bundle on the kitchen table, uncovering red fur. Leo felt the clenching around his stomach finally relax.

Leo blinked. It took him a moment to nod. “Yeah. Yeah, I think we do.”

“Roux!” he exclaimed, hurrying to the cat’s side.

“He’s alright now,” Kasey reassured him. “Just cold and tired from the night out in the storm. I found him this morning on the doorstep.”

“He came to you?”

Kasey shook his head. “Nah, even weirder. The fox carried him to our cabin. Must have found him in the forest last night.”

Leo blinked. “A fox brought Roux to you,” he deadpanned.

The man nodded. “I don’t even know. This fox is…well, doesn’t matter now. He won’t leave your cat’s side.”

Leo peeked at the fox, sitting elegantly at Natalie’s feet. Sharp, yellow eyes were fixed on the cat on the table, now up and accepting the scratches behind the ear Leo was giving him.

“There’s something about this fox,” he muttered. “Some sort of—”

“Lock.”

Leo turned to look at Kasey, gaze stern and arms crossed. “The same could be said about your cat.”

Leo just stared at Roux, now purring against his hand and keeping his head low. In the back of Leo’s mind, something reminded him that he could understand what they were saying. He shook his head.

“Leo,” Kasey sighed, sitting next to him. “I’m not mad. No one’s mad here. I just want to know what’s going on, and that you’re safe. This has been going on for a while.”

Leo sighed, scratching Roux’s chin. The calm, brown eyes that had warmed him for five months were calm, just like before every spell Leo had tried on him. I trust you.

“I found him on my doorstep five months ago,” he started, voice low. “I knew right away he wasn’t a cat. He would…sit on chairs to eat, and was confused on how to clean himself.” The memory made him smile. “The way he loves books, and how he was trying to tell me something. He must have thought that finding a witch would be the solution, that I would solve his problems.” He rolled his eyes at himself when he felt a grip in his throat. “And I’ve been trying. Really. And I know he’s human. Something or someone trapped him in this body, he’s spellbound, but I feel it. He feels it. Merlin, Kase, you feel it, too.” He blinked rapidly. “And time is passing, and he trusts me but all I give in return is failures.”

At that, Roux made a protesting noise, getting closer to push his head against Leo’s wet cheek. The intensifying of the purring made Leo smile. When he felt like he could open his eyes again, he found the most confused faces he’d ever seen.

“Your cat is a human,” Natalie repeated. “You’ve been living with a human-cat for five months.”

Leo nodded. It took him a while to look at Kasey. When he did, he found he was studying the cat with an open, worried expression. “Leo, transfiguration curses of this level would be hard to undo even for the wizards of the High Council. Especially without knowing the source, or how much time passed. You can’t expect to do it on your own. It’s not fair for you.”

Leo felt some of the tension leave his shoulders. He nodded. “I know. I thought about asking for help, but…” he looked at Roux. “Someone out there did this to him. He’s not safe, and I don’t want to put him even more in danger.” He watched Natalie and Kasey exchange a complicated look. “Now, would you please tell me why a fox is in my…” he trailed off, looking at the spot where the fox had been sitting until a moment ago.

“Fucking fuck,” Kasey muttered.

They started looking around. Under the table, in the cauldrons, even in the living room. Then, a noise came from the guests’ room Logan had been occupying. The fox was there, sniffing the undone bag Logan had left on the floor.

Natalie sighed. “Come on, boy. I gave you some food before we left, there’s nothing in there.”

“Whose stuff is this, anyways?” Kasey asked, looking around at the mess.

Leo felt heat coming to his cheek, and simultaneously he cursed under his breath. Logan. “A traveler came here last night. He left not too long ago to see you. But I showed him the path in the forest. You didn’t meet him on the way here,” he guessed.

Natalie nodded. “Yeah, no. With the cart, we had to take the external route.” She frowned, looking at the fox with an alarmed look. “Hey, you put that down.”

The fox turned to look at her, a green sock in his mouth, then left the room. The three of them followed him hastily to the kitchen, where the fox jumped from a chair to the table, placing the sock in front of Roux. With a delicate nudge of the snout, the cat opened his eyes. He looked at the sock, then at the fox. A silent conversation went on, with a more than clear I’m not sniffing a dirty sock by the cat, and the fox pushing it closer to him. Finally, Roux leaned in and sniffed. His eyes widened. He looked at the fox, then sniffed again.

Hell broke loose.

Roux jumped down the table, starting to meow louder than he’d ever been, with alarm in his eyes. The tail stood straight as he ran to the living room, looking for something or someone, then to the other rooms. Natalie and Kasey threw a questioning look at Leo, but all he could do was shake his head helplessly. Roux had never behaved that way. The screams weren’t stopping, and in between those, the fox on his table, and the door opening, Leo didn’t know what to think.

Logan…was not having a good day. Not a good month, not a good year. The day had started in a good way, though. For the first time in weeks, he’d woken up in soft, clean sheets, in a room all to himself, and the smell of apple cake coming from the kitchen. Oh, and Leo. Leo was the reason the day had stared nicely, and the reason the previous one, despite the most violent storm of the season, was now special in his mind. Leo and his dimply smile. His eyes, and the curls falling into the blue when he kept his head down while cooking or laughing. The sweet ease he moved around in his cottage with, all warmth and love.

Wait. The door opening?

Logan didn’t know what to think of it all. He’d been looking for Finn for months, now. He missed him every day. He missed the voice who read books to him and the glasses he put on while working at the bookshop. The way he always knew what book the clients needed-even when they themselves didn’t know. Logan’s love for Finn was an intricated, decades-old vine, that had planted its roots in their childhood and had mixed with friendship for all of their lives. Logan remembered Finn’s hands dirty with the berries he’d pick for him in the woods, and the runs after stealing books to bring to him, back when he didn’t have any.

Logan shook his head from those memories. They would only hurt the more he thought about them, he’d learnt. But after weeks on his own, the only thing pushing him to go on being ghosts from the past, Leo had arrived. Sweet, caring Leo. He didn’t mind Logan’s questions, or the way he’d flinched during the storm. He’d taken him in without hesitation, so careful to make him feel at home. The slow dance they’d fallen into that morning, between chores and the most disparate conversations, was the best thing that had happened to Logan since Finn disappeared.

Or maybe longer than that.

Because Logan remembered the feverish obsession Finn had developed after Alex went missing. He would reply sharply to anyone who told him to let it go, arriving to a few fights in the village’s pub or closing the shop to focus on the research. To hiding things from Logan. That had never, never happened. When he left to find the truth without telling anyone, was the day a piece of Logan left with him. And now he didn’t have Finn, nor that piece of himself. Just a bag with his belongings and the clothbound book in his hands. And maybe Leo. He didn’t know if he could risk thinking that. It was guilt and confusion on his head, pushing the warm sweetness Leo radiated in a corner.

He hoped that the sight of Leo would soothe and cheer him up like it had last night. He needed that, after not finding the Winter Wizard at home. That had been a huge inconvenience, by the way. If the wizard was who Logan believed him to be…that would be huge. He didn’t remember a face, or a name. But he remembered a long, blue cloak, and Alex leaving the store to a younger Finn for long walks in the woods with one of two strangers coming from far away. Sometimes he’d bring ink and parchments with him. Sometimes just flowers.

Not that it mattered now. If the wizard wasn’t there, Logan wouldn’t have answers. Another fruitless day of research, he noted as he approached Leo’s cottage. When he opened the door, it was to a commotion.

Leo’s cat was back, what was for sure. He was screaming like a madman in the living room, with two strangers trying to calm him down and a fox running around -was that his sock in its mouth? If it wasn’t for the sight of a panicked Leo, Logan would have thought he’d walked into the wrong house.

Before he could say or do anything, three things happened at once.

One, the fox stilled to look at him.

Two, one of the two strangers cursed under his breath.

Three, the cat stopped meowing and stared at him for a long moment before running in his direction and jumping on his chest. The now softer meows mixed with violent purring, and all Logan could do was stare at Leo in confusion as the little head pressed hard against his chin. He almost jumped when he felt the fox -a fox, a whole, big, wild fox- nudging his leg.

“Logan,” Leo murmured. “Come sit down.”

Once they were all sat, a few puzzled looks were exchanged. The cat wouldn’t leave Logan’s lap, and the others’ eyes his figure. The fox, apparently too excited to stay still -or not used to closed spaces, Logan thought- resumed its trotting around the room. After brief introductions, Logan placed the clothbound book on the table.

“This book was on Leo’s shelf, and he says it belongs to you,” he nodded at Kasey. The wizard hummed, taking it with careful hands and passing a hand on the cover. “What’s strange is that…the stamp inside. I know that stamp, and I know that bookshop. I know the man who wrote it, in fact.”

From his lap, Roux perked up, big eyes on the book. He meowled, jumping on the table. The woman sat next to the older wizard- Natalie, it was- bit her lip. “Yeah, he was a great writer,” she said, placing a hand on Kasey’s leg. The wizard’s eyes were fixed on the book.

“I grew up with him and his brother, Finn,” Logan blurted out. “The O’Hara brothers. They own the bookshop. They went missing about—”

He was interrupted by Roux jumping on the table, close to where Kasey’s hands were holding the book. A gentle paw tried to open it, and Natalie, after a nod from Leo and Kasey, complied. The cat turned to look at Logan, then at Leo. He touched the stamp and meowed.

Logan frowned. That cat was weird, loud and messy. Even worse, he was making Logan’s heart beat incessantly, for some reason. Like hope was something he could afford. At his side, Leo shifted on his seat. He heard him mutter there’s no way before he quickly got up, starting to pace the room.

“Okay,” he said, a tremor in his voice, pointing at the cat. “Okay. I’ll try something, but I’m not exactly sure…yeah, here goes nothing.” He looked at the fox, then at the cat. He offered his hand, and Roux went immediately, licking gently. He inhaled. “Finn.”

The cat looked up at him like he’d just been hit, and Leo repeated. “Finn.”

Logan was about to retort that—that it was insane. It was a cruel joke, and it couldn’t be, and how could it possibly be that Finn, his Finn, was a cat, in the same room as him—

But the cat meowed back. And then again and again, and then it was looking at Logan.

The tears prickled before Logan even understood what was going on. He opened his mouth a few times, only for no sound to come out. But the cat came to him all the same, until he was sitting in front of him.

“Finn?” he asked faintly.

A few hours later, Logan eventually stopped crying. Natalie too, while Kasey was getting there. Leo smiled to himself. It had all been very confusional for a while. Logan had cried, and cried and cried, never letting the cat down. Not that Roux- Finn, it was Finn now- had other plans. A broken mantra of I can’t believe it and I thought I’d never see you again filled the room for some minutes, while Leo still struggled to understand what had happened. Why he’d said Finn’s name. How had the idea come to him?

The cat jumped in arms before he could even finish the name.

Then, they’d turned to the fox. Or better, Kasey and Natalie had been staring at it for a good while, in between scared and hopeful. Leo had seen a few tears before he even tried to pronounce Alex. They’d all taken a scare when nothing happened, and the fox didn’t seem to recognize the name. Then Natalie had kneeled, and her voice worked better than any spell. Alexander. She’d been basically attacked by the animal, and then she was crying, and the fox was yelping in her arms, and Kasey fell to the floor, pale as a ghost, before he joined the embrace.

The three of them were now in the guests’ room. They all needed a moment. Leo didn’t know a lot about what had happened before Kasey’s retirement, a year ago. They just lost someone very, very close to them, was all Remus told him when he asked. As close as they are. Natalie and Kasey had grieved. They’d looked, and looked, like Logan had, but without finding traces. A year had passed. And then there Alex was.

Logan was in the living room with Finn, on one of the armchairs in front of the fireplace. He was gently petting his head as the cat purred on his chest. A low murmur of how Logan had been looking for him the whole time could be heard from the kitchen, where Leo was preparing dinner for everyone. They all needed some soup and then a good night of sleep, after such an intense day.

In the aftermath of it all, normally Leo would have been thinking of how, in the great scheme of reunions and love, he would be left out. Because Kasey and Nat had found Alex, and Logan had found Finn, and he would be alone once the spells were broken.

Would have been.

Because a few things kept those thoughts away. A cat nudging his head against his legs. And a tired, but now smiling traveler, coming to hug him.

#fic o ween 2023 #fic fest #lou's writing #lumosinlove #sweater weather lumosinlove #fic o ween #fic-o-ween

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tea-moon-ster · 6 months

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Fic-O-Ween Day 7: Pumpkin Spice

hi! here we are with the fifth part of the Fantasy Magic Au. Leo and Logan spend a morning together, and Kasey receives unexpected visitors.

character credits to @lumosinlove, prompt and hosting credits to @noots-fic-fests. read it on ao3 here.

The following morning Leo felt strange. He didn’t know if it was for the consuming worry about Roux, or the things that Logan in a loose shirt washing the dishes after breakfast were doing to him. The sky was still grey, but no more thunders menaced the return of rain. Logan’s shoulders under the loose shirt -almost transparent, really- were relaxed, and for Leo it was almost enough. But waking up to no purrs or pile of orange fur at his side had made his stomach sink.

Logan was kind and sweet, when he didn’t have to worry about storms or weeks without proper food or rest. A cascade of merci’s and oh, you didn’t have to had been flooding Leo since Logan had woken up, and the witch didn’t really know what to do with all the kind words and the messy chocolate curls. They fell on big, green eyes with the same grace and ease as smiles and compliments from his lips.

What touched Leo even more was how fast Logan had caught his apprehension. It must have been the constant glances outside of the window to betray him, or the absent moving around his left hand always did when he was anxious. It was one of the first spells he’d learned, and now the motions resurfaced every time anxiety prickled in. The traveler was careful not to pry, but Leo could tell he wanted to ease the worry. Maybe in exchange of the support he’d been shown, or maybe because an untold solidarity had been forged on the notes of thunders and the howling wind the previous night. Or maybe he just wanted Leo to feel better. The witch liked to think that.

Leo had been lighting a pumpkin spice candle -for worry, stress, and comfort- when Logan finally asked him what was wrong. It took him a while to get to the point, because the same stranger had just dropped on him the most tragic story he’d ever heard. And here Leo was, complaining about his cat. Well, Roux wasn’t really a cat. And he wasn’t his. But his absence was digging a hole inside Leo, an empty hole that maybe had always been there, and Roux had only temporarily filled. He didn’t know how to explain the feeling to himself, let alone to Logan.

But the sweet, considerate stranger whom he’d known for less than a day surprised him again. A concerned frown, hands covering Leo’s. I’m sorry. I hope he’s alright. A shrug. Sometimes we just find the perfect fit for us -a soul, my maman always says. And it doesn’t matter if it’s a cat or a human or a werewolf. If you miss them, you miss them. The candle’s flame rose a few inches when Leo blushed at that, unable to look away from the forest inside his kitchen, looking back at him.

In another life, Leo would let himself enjoy it all. The compliments, the sweet vowels of a distant language, the strong shoulders washing the dishes in a transparent shirt after he’d fixed breakfast. But Leo had seen the way Logan’s expression changed every time Finn was brought up -and how often it happened, too. The way he talked about his supposed ‘friend’ with a nostalgic smile that had nothing and everything to do with friendship. In another life, Leo had the luck to find a way, maybe. But in this one, he was happy with smiling back at the shy traveler looking for his lost love, and helping as he could. It could be enough. For Leo, it could be everything and enough at the same time. He just had to find the way to shrink his heart to the little space it could take -not too much, never too much. But he could still enjoy what Logan was willing to give.

He could have a cat, that wasn’t really his and wasn’t really a cat, and a friend, who was neither his nor looking for him.

But Leo could help both, or at least try. He could be enough.

Well, the forest was a right mess.

Kasey didn’t have to take more than a few steps from his porch to come to the conclusion. The storm had been fierce, violent, angry- something was disturbing the elements. The same, eerie vibrancy he’d sensed the morning of the first frost had been whistling in his head all night, as the ancient oaks creaked harshly, and Natalie pulled herself closer to his back under the blankets.

Something was at move.

Something was coming.

Something was…at his door?

Kasey listened to the hushed knocks on the door just a moment longer, before grabbing his old magic staff. He shared a quick glance with Natalie, and then she was running down into the cellar, where his axes were stored, in a well-practiced dance. Kasey would be damned if he couldn’t protect her either. The noise coming from outside was a swept, scratching sound, growing more and more urgent as he approached. Kasey took a deep breath, with a defense spell ready on his lips, before slamming the door open.

In front of him, the forest stood exactly how he’d left it.

Is this some kind of joke, he was about to mutter, when the same padded and scratching noise came again. He looked down and had to take a step back.

“You have to be kidding me.”

The fox stared back at him. Behind it, an unconscious, orange cat was shivering.

#fic o ween 2023 #fic fest #lou's writing #lumosinlove #sweater weather lumosinlove #fic o ween #fic-o-ween

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tea-moon-ster · 6 months

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Hello! Welcome to the fourth part of the Fantasy Magic Au (that still doesn't have a proper name!)

I think it's time for some québécois sprinkles. So, enter Logan.

Characters credits to @lumosinlove, prompt and hosting credits to @noots-fic-fests. read it on ao3 here.

It was a dark and stormy night.

Except that it was noon. And it was only raining slightly. Leo just read too many books.

But it was still a rainy day, with a strong wind coming from west that brought black clouds onto the Lion Shire. The forest waved and danced in the distance, a black and moaning mountain that did nothing to calm Leo’s nerves.

He had no idea where Roux was. He just knew that he was outside, and that an actual storm was coming that night. Roux never spent too much time outside with rain, and always made a point to come back during his longest wanderings, as if to tell Leo, see, I’m fine, don’t worry.

But Roux wasn’t coming back. And Leo didn’t know what to do.

That day, the cottage had been stormy even before the rain arrived. Leo woke up already tired, on the verge of tears for how little he’d slept that night. And Roux had been restless. For the weather or the birds outside or his own frustrations, growing with each day, Leo didn’t know. Then Leo had tried and failed another potion for Roux, with seaweed in it. Needless to say, it had been a fiasco and Roux had started hissing at it, before running outside and not coming back for hours.

Now.

Leo knew seaweed couldn’t taste good. And he knew that each fail made their cause feel more hopeless, useless, and pointless. It mustn’t have been easy for Roux to keep up with all the recipes, spells and incense baths Leo had put him through -or to trust Leo, still. Even more, the witch could see how disgruntled Roux would turn every time he caught himself behaving more and more like a cat. Truth was, he’d been in that body for months, and he was forgetting how to be anything else. That scared him more than all the failed attempts Leo threw on him.

Still, it had been hours. And he wasn’t coming back.

Leo tried to give him his own space, letting him have his well-owed existential crisis. Then he panicked and, with the excuse to go put a few protection spells on the oldest trees of the forest against the upcoming storm, he looked around for the cat. But nothing. He only gave up when the darkness became too engulfing even for his magic lantern and made his way back to the cottage. He felt silly for thinking that he would’ve found Roux waiting for him on their armchair.

Hours later, the storm was in full force, and Leo a nervous mess. He busied himself with potions, cleaning, cooking soups. He jumped at every small noise against the windows, already picturing a wet, red mass of fur and two big eyes looking up at him just like all those months ago. The memory made the weight on his chest even heavier.

Leo almost dropped the spoon in his hand when he heard knocking on his door.

He didn’t have the time to consider himself silly for thinking it could be Roux -cats don’t knock- as he reached the door in a few, long strides. But it could be a villager who’d found him or needed help. There could be damage caused by the storm, or the forest could be in danger. Instead, he found a man under a dark cloak -a traveler, then- trying to fit under his entrance and repair himself from the heavy rain.

“Yes?”

The stranger nodded from under the soaked cloak and, despite the storm, revealed his face to Leo. The witch didn’t say a word- he certainly didn’t expect to have his breath taken away by a pair of deep, green eyes. The vagabond squinted against the rain.

“Hello, I’m Logan.”

In the distance, a thunder rumbled, and Logan flinched.

“I’m looking for my friend.”

Leo tried not to stare too hard at the stranger in his living room. He was now engulfed in a warm towel, staring at the fire in front of him -or the soup heating on top, Leo couldn’t tell. The brown hair was curling more and more as it dried, and his cheeks were less pale, but he still flinched at every thunder.

When the soup was ready, Logan nodded a quick merci, and ate quickly. “Thank you,” he repeated once his bowl was empty. “Haven’t had a proper meal in days.” Leo filled it again, of course.

Logan emptied the bowl in silence, and Leo studied him as he looked around the room. The décor gave him away: a few cauldrons were stacked in a corner, and his pointy hat was hanged next to the window. Piles of books on the table, maps of the stars and the planets on the walls. The witch shifted on his chair. In this land, witchcraft was widely accepted -protected, even- but he knew that in foreign countries it was a controversial topic. That’s why he was so far from home. But the traveler didn’t seem bothered.

A tentative, kind smile made Leo relax in his chair. Logan was clearly exhausted, but the way he carried himself, the hesitant politeness, the endless nods at every scoop to let Leo know the soup was good, did more to the witch’s nerves than all the remedies he’d tried that day. Logan cleared his throat as he put the bowl down.

“I know the rules of hospitality say to take care of a stranger before asking any questions, but thanks anyway. Haven’t found this kindness in many miles.”

“You must be coming from the Slytherin kingdom, then,” Leo guessed, and Logan nodded. He didn’t look happy about it, but no one ever did. Leo had been at the border a few times, accompanying Kasey during his apprenticeship. It was a strange, cold land. And extremely dangerous, many said. Especially Kasey. He didn’t want Leo to go there on his own.

“Ouais,” Logan continued. “I’ve been travelling for two months now. I come from Krios Kepék, and I’ve crossed the lands of Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. We’re still in Hogwarts now, yes?”

Leo nodded. “That’s a long way you’ve come.” He didn’t mean to push, but wanderers were rare, and Leo had never hosted one. Even if the rules stated that Logan now owed him his story, Leo could see how tired and worn out he was.

I’m looking for my friend.

“Yes,” Logan nodded again, looking down at the carpet. He traced the pattern with a socked foot. “Someone very important to me disappeared six months ago, and I still haven’t found any trace of him.”

“I’m sorry.”

The traveler shrugged. He took his time before continuing. “His name is Finn. He comes from my village, and we’ve been friends since I can remember. He’s in every memory I have, somehow, somewhere. He owns this bookshop with his brother, he loves books. They both do. His brother disappeared a year ago, and Finn was warned, because…well, we don’t exactly know what happened, but it’s said that dark magic was involved. That he upset someone. But Finn didn’t listen- of course he didn’t.” A frown was bothering his face now, green eyes fixed on the dancing flames.

“Was his brother a witch?” Leo asked softly.

“Is,” Logan corrected sharply. Leo bit his lip. Then Logan sighed, shaking his head. “No, no magic in their family. But he’s a writer, and he was doing research about witchcraft when he disappeared. Against the stigma, he said. But he did…he did see a witch, quite regularly. A native, who either visited or hosted him. But they were friends, worked together. No one would curse Alex if they knew him. And same goes for Finn.”

“Finn was trying to find his brother when he disappeared. Some—” he blinked rapidly, glancing down at his hands, “Some say he came too close to the truth. But no one would look too deep into it, not after two villagers vanished in so little time.” The traveler leaned towards the fire. Leo did that too, sometimes. When nothing would warm him, or heat was the only thing he was able to feel. “My…my family, our friends, they all told me to keep my head down. To keep working, worry in silence, stay safe. But after four months, I couldn’t take it anymore.”

A loud thunder, closer than the others, made Logan jump in his chair. Leo watched him close his eyes and inhale deeply. When green eyes slowly opened again, they were more tired than before. Leo didn’t have to look too deep to see the heartbreak in them. The fear, the sorrow. He wondered under how many storms had Logan walked, looking for his friend.

“There’s a guest room you can use for the night,” Leo murmured. And for the next, and the one after tomorrow. “I’ll get it ready for you. You really need some rest.”

Logan gave him another one of his polite nods, but before Leo could get up from his chair, a loud rumble made the windows tremble, and a firm grip stopped him by the wrist. The thunder echoed in the valley after a flash of white light. Logan was now breathing harshly, eyes shut in a deep frown and crouched on his seat, as if to make himself smaller against the storm. Leo immediately sat back down, taking both hands in his, and waiting for the boy to relax. When Logan did, his eyes were rimmed. From exhaustion, for his friend, the storm or being so far from home, Leo could only guess. He passed a reassuring thumb oh the back of a big, calloused hand.

“How about you help me fix the bed?” he asked softly. “And then we drink something hot to relax a bit.”

Logan looked up at him for a second before nodding. He got up with a deep breath, one last glance at the fire. He didn’t look like he would let go of Leo’s hand any time soon.

“Hot chocolate?” he asked hopefully.

Leo laughed quietly. “I have no cocoa in here, I’m sorry. But I have just the thing for you. No poison, I swear.”

Logan laughed too, and Leo decided to take it as his victory for the day. “D’accord. Lead the way.”

Outside the safe warmness of the cottage, the storm was still in full force.

Roux was still not home, and Logan’s friend was still lost.

But, as two pairs of hands flattened the blankets in the low candlelight, it was easier to think that even the darkest, rainiest days would pass.

#fic o ween 2023 #fic fest #lou's writing #o'knutzy #lumosinlove #sweater weather lumosinlove #fic o ween #fic-o-ween

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tea-moon-ster · 6 months

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Fic-O-Ween Day 5: Ritual

hello! here's the third part of the Fantasy Magic Au. follow the characters into their routine and find out what is bugging them. character credits to the amazing @lumosinlove , prompt and hosting credits to @noots-fic-fests. read it on ao3 here.

Everyone has their own rituals. In everyday life, it’s part of the little things that keep the same old cadence from sulking into soulless. You build your life, and rituals grow in the little drafts of what you worked hard to have. And when you can’t find the way back to yourself, they remind you that not everything is lost. Roux had always had his own series of rituals. Many dating back to when he bore another name, and the world was different.

Take a walk first thing in the morning.

Read a book during breakfast.

Check that everyone in the house is safe before going to sleep.

While some of them had needed adjustments, Roux sticked to many of his habits. He went on little adventures when the sun was still shy and cold, and Leo was still sleeping. Their cottage was close to the village, but also to the forest. That’s where Roux liked to go. Though, Leo didn’t appreciate when, on sheer instinct, the cat brought small prey back from his strolls. The hysterical screams stopped once Roux switched to fallen leaves -he’d tried to bring flowers, but it was harder than it looked, really. Awful business, flowers. Leo kept them all, though, and thanked Roux for the gift every morning. That was a new ritual Roux couldn’t bring himself to mind.

Also, Leo read to him every morning and every night. The witch has caught on his love for books without questioning it -not that Roux could have provided an answer, anyway. He now had a little nook on a bookshelf all to himself, with a soft pillow and a crocheted blanket. He liked that it was in the middle of books- Roux couldn’t get enough of books. He missed his own terribly. But Leo always read to him -spells, recipes, romances, Roux took it all. It was so easy to let himself purr against the wizard’s chest as it vibrated with a careful sweetness.

He also made sure Leo was safe before bedtime, even if the witch often struggled to sleep, deciding to read or cook instead. Those nights, Roux would follow him silently until the boy was too tired to delay his sleep any further, and then he’d curl up at Leo’s side and purr until he felt his body relax. And he knew Leo performed many protection spells on their cottage -he meticulously renewed them once a month- but maybe they could protect each other. Maybe he could be useful all the same.

New rituals were born, too.

Leo liked to sit in his armchair, ready for Roux to jump on his legs and listen to him read or talk. The boy would rant for hours about the most disparate topics, sometimes. After months spent together, Roux now knew that he missed his parents, and that he felt the pressure of a village relying on his powers, and not on the Winter Wizard’s anymore -he talked about that guy an awful lot. Sometimes, Leo would just stay silent and run long fingers down Roux’s back. And while no words were said, those were the saddest times. Roux didn’t mind his new life, not one bit. But sometimes there was nothing he wanted more than to speak reassuring words to the human who had taken him in. The frustration of only being able to meow or purr in response was swallowed down, together with all the other things Roux missed. If he could have spoken, he would have asked Leo a spell against feeling so helpless.

All in all, Roux was happy with what he’d found. He enjoyed the books, the chats, and the slow mornings. Those were rituals that worked better than magic on them both, when it came to feeling better and less alone and more human.

But Leo had other rituals, too, old ones that didn’t involve Roux. That stung a little, he noted as he studied Leo easing his blue, pointy hat on his curls and grab his cloak. He watched him place some vials in his basket and check twice if he had everything with him.

Roux felt abandoned.

“Roux, you’re not being abandoned.”

If Leo had thought that behavior might disappear after the first few weeks spent together, he’d been wrong: the cat had been living with him for five months now, and he was still as dramatic as the day he took him in. Weren’t cats supposed to be independent? Why did this one put on a show every time Leo left the house without him? Because he’s not a real cat, Knut, Leo reminded himself. And it’s your fault he’s still like this.

“I’ll be back in the afternoon,” he mumbled as he busied himself with his sack. “Don’t bring animals inside.”

The cat sighed. Sighed. Cats didn’t sigh.

Leo rolled his eyes in fond exasperation. “How about…I buy some fish at the market for you?”

The cat immediately perked up, ears turning in attention. He let out a luxurious meow as he rolled on his blanket, then stared at him like a kicked kitten. The bastard knew he could get more out of it.

Unfortunately, Leo knew it, too. “And go to the library to see if they have something new to read?”

Ah, that’s more like it, the cat’s seemed to say. He purred as he stretched in his little nook, ready for a nap. Leo snorted. “You’re ridiculous. A ridiculous little man. And I feel like I spoil you too much. I really think I do.”

Roux didn’t argue with that. He seemed too pleased.

“Bye, you dramatic little creature.”

As we were saying, Leo had his own rituals.

A village depended on his powers now that his magic had reached maturity. That’s how things were. He’d joined an older wizard after his studies to be his apprentice, and now he was expected to take care of the little town of Gryffindor. The whole thing had been a bit unusual- his master didn’t bear his magical core: Kasey was a winter witch, and Leo a sun one. Even more absurd, while he should’ve moved once his training was over, Kasey had retired after a trip that lasted weeks -that had caused voices, too- only to become a lumberjack once he’d returned. Leo had simply taken his place.

But Leo didn’t mind the details, or the voices. Kasey had been his master, yes, but he was also one of his closest friends. And the villagers were kind and loyal. A tight knitted community who’d welcomed him warmly two years ago, and had eased the homesickness the cold always brought with a sense of familiarity.

Before running his errands down at the village, the young witch took the old path down the forest. Because the first stop every morning after a full moon was, unfailingly, Remus and Sirius’ house. It was a big, red thing, hidden by a spell that made it appear as an abandoned shack to everyone who ventured into the woods without invitation. The spell had been created by Kasey, but it was Leo who kept it running, these days.

The morning after the full moon was an intricate series of rituals, at the Black-Lupin cottage. Leo would drop by to leave the healing potions he’d prepared the days before; James and Lily would close their tavern at the village to come help; Sirius wouldn’t leave Remus’ side.

The night had been uneventful, thankfully. The dog and the stag had kept the werewolf busy enough not to let him harm himself, and the injury at his shoulder was getting better. Kasey would later quickly visit to see it personally -retirement or not, he was determined to help Remus how he could.

The witch left the cabin to its rituals, so that he could go on with his own: he visited the village’s market, met with a few clients to perform spells and sell potions, and made a quick stop to the library. After a moment of hesitation, he also walked into the apothecary’s. He didn’t need anything per se, but the urge to see if some ingredients would inspire him to try new solutions was too big. Soon, his basket was full. A silver snake’s skin for change. Fig tree roots for protection. Burnt sand from the East for guidance.

The fact that looking for solutions was turning into a ritual wasn’t welcomed like the other many, familiar habits. But Leo wouldn’t give up on Roux, and was ready to keep him safe no matter what. A hint of pride warmed his chest. He was nowhere near to finding a solution more than he was months ago, but he was determined to figure it out on his own. Sure, having Kasey to help him would have been easier, especially since he knew so much about metamorphosis- he’d been trying to find a cure for Remus for years now. But Kasey had grown more cautious of magic ever since his retirement. More hesitant, even hostile towards magic he didn’t know well, despite his calling and his love for it. Leo didn’t want to involve him if there was a remote possibility that the winter wizard would stop him. He wouldn’t risk that.

Rituals didn’t retire, that was for sure.

Kasey still enjoyed his cinnamon tea in the morning, and still put on his left boot on first. He’d never stop kissing Natalie before she left for work.

A new ritual was tapping his axe on the ground twice before starting to chop the wood for the day. Another one was leaving a slice of bacon on a plate just at the border of the forest, a few steps from his house.

He would do it every morning, waiting for the fox to appear.

Sometimes it’d come. Sometimes it wouldn’t.

It never let Kasey come too close, and the number of times it’d actually taken the meat could have been counted on one hand.

But Kasey had seen the fox stare, at him or the house or Natalie. It would only look, as if to check on them, before vanishing into the dark green again. None of his knowledge of fauna, signs interpreting, and witchcraft could explain it. But Kasey swore that there was something in that fox that was familiar.

Maybe he was just delusional. Maybe he just didn’t know how to let go.

But it was just a ritual, and he had nothing to lose.

#fic o ween 2023 #fic fest #lou's writing #lumosinlove #sweater weather lumosinlove #fic o ween #fic-o-ween

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