When you looked at your messages, you smiled at the messages. Picking up your phone, you couldn't help but laugh at the screenshot that Teo had sent you.
'Awww, poor you.'
Your response prompted a crying face emote from Teo. Amused, you followed up with a few more messages.
'Your luck is just as bad as mine lol'
'Do you want to call?'
'I always want to hear your voice!'
Before you could even click out of the chatroom, your phone started playing your ringtone song. The moment you picked up, the familiar sound of your boyfriend's whining came through.
"Honey..."
"Hi Teo," you greeted.
"Why do I keep getting so many of them...?" He complained. "I already have them in all the colours."
"Moon bunnies need to stop reproducing," you said with a laugh. "I have all the moon bunnies at this point too."
"But honey! You saw my screenshot, I just got five more with my last creature boxes. At least you managed to get a space sheep recently."
"Aww, sweetie, do you want to trade?" you teased. "I'll take your moon bunnies in exchange for my love?"
"You could take all my moon bunnies," Teo agreed with a laugh. "What would you do with all of them anyways?"
"Release them into space," you replied. "I could get lucky and get a new creature box.”
"What?!"
You paused, taking in the shocked tone of your boyfriend. A feeling of disbelief settled in.
"Wait... Teo, you didn't know?”
"I... Yeah, I didn't know.”
Even though he had been using the app longer than you had, you were still surprised at times when he never took the time to figure things out. Especially since Teo had taken the time to explain the Sunshine Shelter and creature boxes to you.
"Honey," you slowly said. "How many moon bunnies do you have...?"
Teo awkwardly laughed.
You sighed.
Despite it all, you still loved this man. Even if he had a million moon bunnies sitting inside a fridge.
A smile immediately appeared on Teo's face when he saw who was his incoming call. Even though he had just been messaging with you mere minutes ago, getting to hear your voice always made him perk up.
"Good morning, honey!"
"Hi Teo," you replied. "Are you still getting ready for the day?"
"Mmhm," Teo hummed as he navigated around his apartment. "I'm also ready - I'm really hoping to find the app's developers today."
"You should tell them that I demand a paycheck like you," you joked.
The sound of your laughter made Teo's smile grow even wider. He never thought that he would ever meet someone through a messaging app that would end up as the love of his life.
"I'll be sure to tell them, hon," Teo said with a chuckle. "It's so strange though, neither of us have heard from these developers in forever..."
The other side of the line went quiet.
Having expected some response, the brown haired man was confused by your lack of response.
"Sugar?"
The sound of a shaky breath coming through his phone put Teo on alert.
"Teo?"
"Yes, sweetie?"
Even though he couldn't see you, Teo could sense the hesitation you had before saying your next words.
"I... I was reading our previous messages. What if... you're right and there's trouble with the app?"
"That's why I'm going to look for the developers."
"I know. But, Teo..." You bit your lip, wondering if you should hold back your worries. Despite how long the two of you were dating, you clung on this relationship just as much as Teo did. While you knew your man had his phone with other people at times, your worries would be minimal because you knew Teo would find a way to get it back. But the if the app was at stake...
"You could lose me," you whispered.
Your words made Teo freeze. You were the reason he kept using this app. You were the light of his life. The harsh truth of reality made him anxious.
He could potentially lose you.
"I could lose you," you murmured. "I'm scared."
While it was usually you who was reassuring him and offering him kind words no matter the situation, Teo knew that you were the one who needed that today.
"I'll do whatever it takes to find them," Teo vowed, putting his hat on as he headed towards his door. "You mean everything to me, so don't give up on us."
Jack Frost x Reader | ☁️ + ☔ + 🌠 | 7.7k | Grim Reaper!Reader
Warning: mentions of death, lots of angst
You quietly sat there, staring at the chess pieces deep in thought. The occasional breeze caused the slight creaking noises from the metal décor in the dimly lit space.
Something about the silence brought you a sense of a comfort. Compared to the cries of despair that had recently filled your ears, sitting in front of a very slow strategy game was something you preferred.
“Going to just stare at the pieces all day?”
The deep voice caused you to look up at the yellow coloured eyes that pierced into your own (E/C) eyes, you merely shrugged.
“Perhaps.”
“Not all of us have time to spare,” he responded.
“Time is irrelevant when you’re immortal,” you commented. You rested your chin on your palm as you looked straight into his eyes. “You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t have the time.”
Pitch let out a hum of acknowledgement but made no further comment. As your chess partner, you knew he had grown use to your slow pacing. What you lacked in speed made up for in strategy though - it was enough to keep you and Pitch to play chess ever since the two of you had met.
Sliding a piece across the board, you let out your breath as you leaned back in your chair.
“Good game,” you softly said.
Pitch frowned as he leaned forward to check your move. As the results dawned on him, he gave a small nod.
“Good game,” he echoed.
The King of Nightmares turned his attention to you, looking at you as if he were trying to figure something out.
“Something on your mind?”
Your constant poker face was a difficult expression to read, but somehow Pitch had a way of telling when there was something on your mind. As a grim reaper, your life was pretty monotonous. You learn about the next soul put under your care and you bring them to the afterlife when the time comes. When that was done, the cycle would repeat itself.
From serial killers to the rare newborn infant, you had seen souls at every stage of their life leave this world.
You lived your life among humans, even though you had not been human for the past couple hundred years. Many people who lived around you didn’t see you unless you chose to be seen, letting you live your peaceful life of solitude easier.
After having this role for so many years, you thought that things would get easier. To live with humans, watch them experience grief and pain.
From the few social gatherings with other grim reapers you had attended, you had soon realized you were softer than the others. Your job records were beautiful, but something always stuck with you.
It wasn’t easy experiencing death all the time.
It never got easier.
While this was a common experience for many new grim reapers that would eventually be accustomed, you still found yourself struggling sometimes.
“You’re too kind, (Y/N). All we need to do is make sure their soul moves on. We’re not doing anything bad.”
Even though all of that was true, the fear in the eyes of some people you were assigned to made you wonder how terrifying you were. What you resembled clearly brought a myriad of emotions, but fear was the most common one.
“Nothing new,” you finally replied.
Pitch gave you a look of inquiry but didn’t push any further.
He stood up, walking over to the globe in his lair. Little lights glittered across the world, showing the children of the world who believed in the Guardians.
“If the balance of the world were to change, would you be on my side?” Pitch asked.
Tilting your head, you let his words simmer in your head.
You had never met any of the Guardians, but you recognized their role in the world. From knowing Pitch, you also knew he had a role to play in the world as well. While some saw fear as a bad thing, you recognized that some people grew stronger from their fears. Not everyone, but some rare cases.
Having heard about the last time Pitch had challenged the Guardians and failed, you knew there was bad blood between the Guardians and the Boogeyman.
If you had a to pick a side though...
You knew your role was one that would be forever bound to your duties. Wars could be fought and whatever decision you made would be insignificant.
“Death takes no sides, Pitch,” you answered with resolve. “So, I would not choose a side either.”
“Is that so?”
Even though he didn’t turn around to look at you, you gave him an uncertain small nod. Some things were inevitable, whether you desired so or not.
Sitting down on your couch and peering out the window with a warm cup of tea in your hand, you watched the rain pour down from the sky. Snuggled into your blankets, you listened to the pattering of raindrops against the glass.
Today was one of those dreary days - one that brought out sad emotions among people. The kind of day that had people mourning their lost ones.
Luckily for you, you had the day off. Or at least, you thought you could afford the day off.
A letter appeared on the coffee table before you brought a sigh to your lips.
Setting your cup down, you lifted the letter up carefully and checked the name.
Amber Miller.
Carefully inscribed under the name were the date of when they were born and the death.
Noting the death date, you paused. Doing some quick calculations, you realized that Amber was still young - a child. A frown appeared on your face as you stared at the simple card.
Most of the time, you received names of those who experienced life longer than this. Chewing on your lip, you wondered if it was a good idea to go check in on this young girl now. Usually you appeared a few days before their death to see if you should make contact with the person, but with younger ones... You tried to spend more time with them so they wouldn’t be scared when time came for them.
When your eyes flickered back to the world outside your window, you noticed the rain had become little snowflakes dancing their way around the sky.
Weather permitting or not, perhaps it would be good to step out of your house to do a check in. Amber had a week to live.
Pulling on your closet open, you stared at the various dark coloured pieces of clothing staring back at you. Like other grim reapers, your clothing mostly consisted of black, to be respectful to the dead, to not draw attention to yourself and follow the policies in place for grim reapers.
Slipping into a simple black knit sweater and skirt, you made yourself presentable. Finishing off the look with some boots, you grabbed a jacket just in case. Having gone through the process of getting ready to meet your next assignment so many times before, you weren’t too concerned.
Taking a deep breath, you opened your bedroom door and walked out of the bus shelter. The power to transport yourself through doors was one that all grim reapers had. No one around you noticed you, making everything go smoothly.
Following your instincts, you walked towards the nearby hospital. Walking past the receptionists and other patients, you immediately recognized the young brunette who was pressed up against the glass staring at the snow in awe.
Something about her soul seemed familiar to you, but you weren’t sure why.
She was dressed in the typical patient attire with a paper wristband on, confirming your suspicions around why you were here. Amber was sick.
Walking over until you were standing next to her, you turned to watch the snow with her.
“I wish I could go outside and feel the snow,” she commented.
With no one else around, you decided to check your suspicions.
“Would you like to step outside with me for a bit?” you asked quietly.
Amber’s brown eyes looked up at you with excitement. “Really?”
You nodded, offering your hand out to her. “Really, we’ll only be out for a moment, so nobody will even notice we’re gone.”
The enthusiastic nod and hand now in yours confirmed things. She could see you. While most grim reapers didn’t like showing themselves before it was time, the fear of growing emotional attachments was common, you made the effort.
“I’m Amber. What’s your name?”
“I’m (Y/N). Nice to meet you.”
Walking down a quieter hallway, you lead the two of you towards the small outdoor space on the side of this hospital wing. No one would step out in this weather, so it’d make it easier for the two of you. Taking Amber outside, you shrugged off your jacket and slipped it around her shoulders the moment you two were outside.
“Will you be cold?” she asked, eyes wide as she slipped her arms into the sleeves.
You shook your head. “I’ll be okay.”
The oversized jacket on her made you smile as she excitedly tried to catch snowflakes on her tongue. The sight of someone who was still so hopeful towards life, you could feel a deep sense of sadness within you. As you looked up at the sky, the sound of another voice surprised you.
“You don’t look dressed for the winter weather.”
Attention immediately moving towards the source, you found yourself staring at a boy with beautiful blue eyes and silvery white hair. An amused quirk of a smile graced his lips as he held onto a wooden staff in his hands.
“Jack!” Amber excitedly called out as she threw herself his way. “You made it snow!”
“Ahaha, I did. I’m glad you have the chance to step outside to see it today.” Jack responded, ruffling her hair.
Your brain raced to figure out an explanation for what was happening. Amber called this newcomer Jack and associated him with the snow. Somehow this sounded familiar. As your brain tried to make a connection between the information you just received with what you knew, Jack turned his attention to you once more.
He looked you over, taking in your black attire.
“Who this with you, Amber?”
You straightened up. “I’m (Y/N).”
“Oh, so you can see me,” Jack said with a surprised tone. He held out his hand to you. “Nice to meet you.”
You hesitated but shook his hand.
Sensing something happening inside the hospital, you pushed the door back open. “I think we should head back inside, Amber. Make sure no one noticed us sneaking away.”
“Oh, okay!” The brunette jumped up and hurried to your side. She turned around to wave at Jack. “Bye Jack!”
You looked at Jack once more, information finally clicking in place.
Jack Frost - the Guardian of Fun.
Ducking your head, you let the door shut behind you before escorting Amber back to her room. The energetic girl was about to pull off your jacket, but you stopped her.
“Keep it,” you encouraged. “It looks better on you than it does on me.”
“Thank you!” she responded gleefully. As she sat down on her bed, she looked up at you.
“Is there anything you want to do this week, Amber?” you asked, sitting down next to her.
The young girl thought about your words and responded with a small shrug.
“I’m not sure.” Her honest words brought a small smile to your face. “Will I see you again, (Y/N)?”
You nodded. “I’ll come by and visit again tomorrow, how does that sound?”
Amber nodded. “Okay.”
Getting up, you gently pet her head. “Be a good girl for the nurses, okay?”
“I always am!”
You smiled. Slipping out of the room, you glanced back once before moving to leave the hospital.
As you stepped out of the hospital, you weren’t paying attention to the person rushing towards the doors and didn’t have any time to react. Shutting your eyes, you felt a breeze as they ran through you.
It was moments like these when you were reminded of your place in the world.
Not alive but living as if you were.
Just as you walked away from the hospital, a cool breeze ruffled your hair and someone fell into step beside you.
“So you’re a spirit as well,” Jack commented.
You looked at him. “Is... there something I can help you with?”
Surprised by your question, Jack shook his head.
“No, it’s just, we haven’t met before and I was curious about you.”
Stopping in your tracks, you turned to face him. Eyes shifting to meet his, you could see the confusion on his face.
“I’m a grim reaper.”
This new information startled him.
Walking away, you spotted the same bus shelter and headed towards it. Having met Amber now, you had a lot on your thoughts and wanted to go home. It took a moment, but you heard Jack hurrying to catch up to you.
“Really?”
“Most people don’t want to interact with me when they know that,” you said, stopping by the bus shelter door.
“Well, you’re the first grim reaper I’ve met,” Jack responded. He paused and his voice dropped to a whisper. “Amber... there’s a reason you’re visiting her, isn’t there?”
You nodded.
Hoping to end the conversation there, you pulled open the bus shelter door and stepped through.
“Wait - !”
As you appeared back in your own house, Jack appeared from behind, coming through the same door you had.
The surprise the two of you shared came from very different reasons.
You had no idea anyone could follow you through the doors. Meanwhile, Jack had no idea where you had transported the two of you to.
“Where are we...?” Jack asked, speaking up first.
“Home. My home,” you clarified as you pulled your boots off and put them aside. Letting out a sigh, you sat down on your couch before deciding to address Jack. “Amber has one week left - I don’t plan on taking her until her time ends.”
“Why did you visit her today then?” Jack moved to sit on the armchair perpendicular to you. His tone was genuine - encouraging you to speak.
You curled up, wrapping your arms around your legs. Trying to make yourself smaller, you tried your best to pull your words together. “Life’s... not fair and death doesn’t discriminate. She’s so young... I want to make sure her last days go well at least.”
There was a blanket of silence that fell over you two. As Jack took in your words, you blankly stared at the envelope that rested on your coffee table. With how many letters you had received over the years, you had lost track of how many cases you had dealt with.
“Maybe I can help?”
Jack’s offer caused you to look up.
“I’m not sure what I can do, but I want to try to help,” Jack elaborated.
“That’s nice of you, but... are you sure?” You could tell he had good intentions behind his words but you knew the choice he was making was one with difficulties that he wouldn’t realize until the pain weighed down on him.
You were too familiar with that feeling to wish it upon anyone.
Death took a toll not only on the person who experienced it, but everyone around them as well.
The confused look on Jack’s face indicated that he didn’t know about these effects.
“Losing someone isn’t easy,” you explained. “Do you really want to put yourself through that kind of pain?”
Your words seemed to reach him in some way as Jack’s shoulders slumped and he looked down at the ground. His silence filled the air, and you didn’t know what to do or say.
“I know, I’ve lost people in my life before,” Jack softly responded, his words coming out slowly as he formulated his thoughts. You could tell what he experienced weighed down on him.
It made you wonder if he had what it took to be grim reaper.
Honestly, you weren’t sure you were cut out for this line of work either. Yet here you were, a couple hundred years in and still going with no end in sight.
“If I can do something about it and make a difference, I think it’s worth the pain.”
His optimistic answer had you turning your gaze back outside to watching the snow fall outside the window.
“If that’s what you wish, I cannot stop you.”
“I look forward to working with you then, (Y/N).”
When you had tried to sleep that night, the sound of crying from your past kept you up.
“Time to go,” you softly urged the crying soul.
They looked up at you, tears still streaming down their face. In the brief moments of realizing their own death, they still carried the burdens of life they experienced.
“There were still things I wanted to do. It isn’t fair,” they wailed. “Can’t I.... Can’t you do anything about it?”
Regrets.
Almost every soul had them.
You waited. It was difficult to communicate with anyone when they were this emotional. Once the crying had been reduced to sniffles, you finally responded.
You shook your head, looking over at the unfortunate accident that left them lifeless. “You are no longer part of this world, don’t worry about things like that.”
“A little more time... I wish I had a little more time to do the things I wanted to do...”
The clear skies above held promise of a good day ahead. You stifled back a yawn as you made your way to the hospital. Restless nights were common but it never affected your work.
Once you arrived, you paused by the reception. When the receptionist looked up, their eyes met yours.
“I’m here to visit Amber Miller,” you said. “I’ll be taking her out a bit.”
"Alright,” the receptionist spoke in a trance. There was a cloudy look to their eyes.
When you turned away, you could hear them resuming to their work as if the encounter between the two of you never happened.
Walking into Amber’s room, you could see her face light up when she saw you.
“(Y/N)!”
“Hi Amber,” you greeted. “You ready to go?”
She bobbed her head enthusiastically. After you reminded her to dress for the weather, she quickly bundled up before standing in front of you.
Taking her hand, the two of you walked through the hallways unnoticed and made your way outside.
A figure showed up with a chilly gust before the two of you.
“Jack!” Amber exclaimed.
“Sorry for running late,” Jack said with a smile. His blue eyes flickered over to yours, trying to get a read of your placid expression but unable to do so. He turned back to Amber. “The snow is perfect for building snowmen, you up for it?”
“Yeah!”
“Let’s go then.” You acknowledged Jack. With him leading the way, your (E/C) eyes wandered back, noticing another grim reaper leading a soul away.
Hospitals were always a busy place for grim reapers.
“Here we are!” Jack cheered as you all arrived an untouched patch of snow. “The perfect spot, if I do say so myself.”
“(Y/N),” Amber said with a tug on your hand. “Can you help me build a snow bear?”
“A snow bear?” you asked, a smile on your face. “It’s been a while since I’ve built anything in the snow, but sure!”
“Yay! Let’s build a super big one! You and Jack are in charge of the head then.”
You exchanged a look with Jack as Amber scurried off to start her snowball.
“You heard her,” you said, tilting your head at Amber. Pulling out gloves from your pocket, you slipped them on. “I’m going to need your expert help if we’re going to make this the best snow bear.”
“Alright, let’s do this.”
After letting Jack start off the snowball (he had made the bold claim that yours wasn’t good enough and that was thrown at him with a feigned cry of offense), the two of you worked together in creating a head for Amber’s snow bear.
With a lot of playing in the snow between you, Jack and Amber, the day passed by quickly. Letting Jack do the heavy lifting, the snow bear was nearing its completion.
Watching Amber giddily bounce around the two of you, you couldn’t help but smile.
“We’re still missing the face,” you commented.
“I got it!” Amber exclaimed, holding out some rocks.
You crouched down and held your arms out to Amber. Her eyes lit up when she realized what you were offering. Moving into your arms, you lifted her up so she could have a better reach of adding the face to her snow bear.
As she added the final touches, your (E/C) eyes met a pair of blue ones. Jack had moved to stand next to you without you noticing. While it had not startled, you were suddenly aware of how things were feeling like an intimate family moment.
“Ta-da!” Amber cheered as she put on the final rock.
You and Jack let out some cheers as well. Considering the fact that you had never made a snow bear before, this one was pretty cute.
“Looks amazing.” Jack commented.
You nodded in agreement. “It does. Great work, Amber.”
Amber turned so she could look at the two of you. “Thanks for helping!”
“Nah, you did most of the work,” Jack modestly said.
Noticing rosy cheeks, you bopped Amber’s nose. “You look like you’re getting cold.” Before the girl could protest, you offered her a smile. “Shall we grab some hot cocoa and head back?”
Your proposition immediately brought a bright smile to her face.
It was moments like these that you weren’t sure whether or not that you should be happy or sad.
Almost as if he sensed your uncertainty, Jack clapped his hands.
“Let’s go.”
“(Y/N)! Jack!”
Amber’s delighted cheer greeted the two of you as you arrived the next day.
“Hi Amber,” you greeted.
“Hey,” Jack chimed in.
Amber climbed out of her bed and gave you both a bright smile. “Are we going to do something fun again today?”
You nodded. “Can you go get ready? There’s somewhere cool that I want to show you today.”
She excitedly nodded and hurried around the room to get ready.
Meanwhile, you turned to look at the winter spirit standing next to you.
“Did you know I was coming now?” you teasingly asked Jack. “I don’t remember telling you when I was coming by again today.”
Jack gave you a charming smile. “I had a feeling. Looks like I was right though.”
He took the time to look around the room, but he found himself watching you in the end. Adorned in all black again, Jack still thought that there was certain aura about you that made you less scary and more caring. He wouldn’t have pinned you as a grim reaper with your personality.
“What are the plans for today?” Jack asked, lowering his voice so Amber wouldn’t hear.
You pretended to zip your lips.
“Aw, no hint at all?”
You laughed. “I can give you one hint.”
Walking over to Amber’s bed, you straightened up a few of her animal plushies and gave a pointed look to Jack.
“That’s all you’re getting.”
Jack made a face at you. “You’re terrible at giving hints. That could mean so many things.”
You playfully stuck your tongue out at him.
“I’m ready!” Amber called out, pulling on an oversized black jacket.
“Let’s go then,” you said.
As you went to open the door and lead your trio out on a trip, Jack took a moment to chat with Amber.
“The jacket looks a little big on you,” he commented.
Amber nodded. “It’s from (Y/N)! She let me have it.”
Jack let out a hum of understanding as he walked beside Amber towards the door. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of appreciation towards you, even if he wasn’t the one who was receiving the kindness from you.
You were someone special, Jack could feel it.
Once you all went through the door, Amber let out a squeal when she realized where you all had been transported to. There were animals and families everywhere, the air filled with chatter of all the living beings.
“I know you like animals, so I brought you to a petting zoo,” you explained to Amber. Your (E/C) eyes noticed the bright smile on Jack’s face as well. Looks like the Guardian of Fun approved of this trip. “Ready to meet some animals?”
Amber clapped her hands happily. “Ready!”
Taking the time to see all the animals, you heard Jack chuckle when you guys approached the bunny enclosure. When he noticed your curious gaze, Jack smiled.
“They remind me of a certain spirit I know,” he explained.
“The Easter Bunny?” you guessed.
“Yeah, although, he seems more kangaroo than bunny sometimes.”
You giggled at his comment. “I would love to see him one day.”
“You’ve never seen him?” Jack asked, surprised.
“You don’t get to meet many other spirits in my line of work.”
“Ah.”
You waved your hand to brush off his comment. Sometimes, as much as you felt alive and hopeful, deep down you knew that being a grim reaper was part of who you were now. Getting to spend time like this with others and Jack... you would cherish this.
After you dropped Amber back off at the hospital and had her settled back down, you and Jack lingered around for a bit. Amber had been so happy today, it was hard to believe that this little girl only had a numbered amount of days left to live.
You turned to Jack to say something, but the sound of approaching voices made you stop. You thought about leaving, but something kept you in place. One of the voices belonged to Amber’s nurse. The others... sounds familiar.
“She’s been fine lately.”
“Is there a chance her condition will improve?”
“The chance of that happening is rare - young patients like her in our long term care unit with her conditions...”
You completely tuned out the nurse when the sight of a tired looking couple walked towards you and Jack. Looking at the couple intensely, you then turned back to catch a glimpse of Amber.
That feeling from before.
The familiarity of Amber’s soul.
Everything seems to click for you when you saw her parents. You’ve seen them before.
“(Y/N)?” Jack called out to you as you stepped back in almost a retreating manner.
“I...”
The memory of a blank letter page held in your hands brought you a sense of uncertainty.
“I should go,” you decided. “Thank you for spending the time with me and Amber today, Jack.”
With that, you turned and disappeared through a door before the Guardian of Fun could do anything to decipher your stranger behaviour.
When you got back home, a memory from a few years ago vividly resurfaced.
Having just finished delivering one soul, you had found another letter waiting for you to deal with. Work had been relentless for you for the last few days. While there was always work to do, this week in particular had been non stop work.
After glancing at the name in the letter, you turned back around to deal with the soul left in your care.
They were expected to leave today.
Finding yourself in the hospital, you let out a sigh as you looked around. Your eyes paused as you looked at the couple, presumably the parents of the soul you were here to take. They sat outside the operation room and looked anxious.
Understandable.
You moved on, moving closer to the operation room. Sounds of the doctors and nurses working relentlessly, trying their best to help the young girl in the room reached your ears. You could sense her soul hanging onto life.
Human life in situations like this always felt so fragile.
The heartbeat monitor let out a shrill noise and the energy in the room grew frantic. Although you were supposed to get ready to seek out the soul you were here for, something felt off.
There was an unshakable feeling that something wasn’t right.
Pulling out the letter, you checked it once more.
Only to find the page blank.
Your (E/C) eyes narrowed as you flipped the page over to make sure you weren’t seeing things.
Still blank.
Listening carefully once more, you could hear the regular beeping of the heartbeat monitor again.
A miracle.
It was extremely rare, but sometimes the letters were wrong if something miraculous happened and the soul was not ready to leave.
This meant more paperwork for you to do, but the girl would live for now.
Turning away from the operation room, you left.
The girl that you had originally meant take a few years ago.
Fate had you back again for your unfinished work.
You took a few hours to let yourself process the new found information and rest but then pushed yourself to get back to it.
If Amber only had a limited amount of time, you wanted to have her spend days well. Seeing her again the next day without Jack, you had brought her to the hospital cafeteria and let her enjoy her favourite foods.
Perhaps it was because of your strange visiting hours, but you tried not to bump into Jack. Sure, he was understanding the first time you when you explained your line of work to him. But what if he found out that you were here a second time for this young girl? What would he think then? Would he still want to hang around you? He would probably be like everyone else and believe that you were the indirect cause to her death.
Regardless, from what you heard from Amber, Jack still made the time to visit despite you not being there.
It only took another day or two before you started noticing the signs of fear and worry from Amber.
“(Y/N)?” Amber called out to you as the two of you sat by the window in her room. You turned to look at her, watching her wide eyes stare at you as she clutched her stuffed toy tightly. “I’m scared.”
“What’s scaring you?” you asked quietly.
“Mommy and daddy seemed worried... a lot more than usual.” The sadness in the young girl’s voice broke your heart. “They keep talking to the nurses and doctors... I think they know something about me that’s making them sad.”
You let her words sink in as you tried to find the right words to say to comfort her.
“Adults are always worried about things. Amber, it’s okay to feel the way you feel, but I hope you remember that you can also make your parents the happiest.”
Later that night, Amber had fallen asleep listening to a story you were telling her. As you stood nearby watching her sleep, you couldn’t believe how fast time was moving by.
There wasn’t much time left now.
It was like an unspoken truth that everyone including Amber seemed to know.
“I didn’t expect to see you here tonight.”
The deep voice startled you.
Coming out from the shadows of the room was Pitch, his eyes gleaming on the little light that came from the night light in the room.
“Pitch,” you greeted. “What are you doing here?”
“I sensed fear,” Pitch responded, moving closer to the bed. He looked at Amber, then his eyes flickered back to you. “I’m sure you sense it too.”
You nodded. Pitch knew your profession, he would know exactly why you were here.
Although the two of you had not played chess in a while due to his choice in actions, the strange relationship between the two of you still existed. Neither of you would cease to exist as you were both immortal.
“Her nightmares would be powerful,” Pitch commented.
You immediately frowned and defensively moved towards him. “No.”
“Do you intend to stop me?”
“For her, I’d do anything to stop you right now.”
Pitch stepped back, then took a few steps around the room. “I thought you said you wouldn’t take sides.” He moved closer to you, fingers touching your chin and tilting your head back to stare into your (E/C) eyes. “What is happening now, little miss grim reaper?”
The door to the room opened slightly and someone slipped in.
Turning to see who it was, you immediately froze.
“Pitch! And... (Y/N)?”
Jack looked at the two of you with a mix of emotions. It was clear enough that he was in disbelief though.
“Ah, the Guardian of Fun,” snarled Pitch. “Did you come here to play?”
Hearing this, Jack immediately raised his staff and pointed it at Pitch. It wavered though, when he realized how close to Pitch you were.
Regardless, it didn’t stop the rough tone of his voice when he directed his words to you.
“(Y/N), you know Pitch?”
“Know me? Of course she does,” Pitch responded. “We’ve known each other for hundreds of years.”
Jack’s eyes questioned you, waiting for your response.
You didn’t want to lie, but the truth was probably one he didn’t want to hear.
“We’ve known each other for a long time,” you acknowledged.
Betrayal flickered on Jack’s face and Pitch seemed to notice that.
“Ah, I see you must of have met (Y/N) just recently,” Pitch commented. He moved towards Jack despite the staff being point his way. “Death and fear, what a combination, am I right?”
“Leave. Now.” Jack demanded.
The sound of frost crackling on the windows seemed to remind Pitch that he wasn’t as strong as the Guardian before him. His yellow eyes met yours and he could tell that he had no advantage here.
Wordlessly, he disappeared back into the shadows, leaving you and Jack behind.
“Jack - “
“You should leave too,” Jack coldly said. “I don’t even know what to say to you right now.”
His words hurt. But you knew that now wasn’t the time to explain yourself. The enemy he had fought a few years ago with a girl he met only days ago who was a grim reaper. Even you knew it was a strange sight. You didn’t owe Jack any explanation, but you wanted to explain things to him later on.
Ducking your head, you moved around him towards the door.
“She only has two days left,” you said as you reached the door. “I will be back, whether you like it or not. I have a job to do.”
With that, you opened the door and went through.
Amber’s condition was getting worse.
When you had the chance, you would pop by and check up on her. At this stage, you could not take her out to go out and play anymore. But you made the effort to bring her surprises and chat with her.
Time was running out.
You still had a job to do.
During those next two days, you didn’t see Jack at all. After the encounter with him and Pitch, you weren’t sure what more you could say to the Guardian of Fun. You had told him almost every from the beginning.
What did he expect?
Hopefully, he would have taken some time to realize that death did not take sides. It was simply a part of life. To live and to die. The chance of you taking sides with Pitch was never going to be a reality.
Regardless, you tried not to bump into him if you could.
It seemed like the two of you needed space.
But that evening of the second day, you had a strong feeling that things were drawing to a close and you stuck around. If Jack showed up, then so be it.
He wasn’t going to stop you from doing your job.
He couldn’t, even if he tried.
“(Y/N)?”
You turned look at Amber, reaching out to hold her outstretched hand.
“Are you and Jack fighting?” she asked. “How come you two don’t visit me together?”
You gave her a bitter smile. Children. They always sensed when things were different much sooner than adults. They caught onto emotions so easily. They were always the most innocent when it came to death.
Giving her hand a gentle squeeze, you pat her head.
“We just had a misunderstanding, Amber.”
“Do you need to talk to him?”
“I probably should.”
Amber pointed to the space behind you. “Maybe you should talk to him now then.”
Turning, you spotted the Guardian of Fun. His blue hoodie pulled up as he stood there, leaning against the wall and watching the two of you. You weren’t sure how long he had been there, but you knew Amber had a point.
It was now or never.
If you let this chance pass you by, you might let this misunderstanding stay between the two of you forever.
The sound of voices outside in the hallways made you tilt your head slightly, trying to better listen to who it was. Recognizing them as the doctors and Amber’s parents, you knew this was your best chance to step aside.
“Yeah, I’ll go do that.” You leaned in closer to Amber. “Make sure you take the time now to say what you want to mom and dad, okay?”
“I’m running out of time, aren’t I?” Amber asked, voice quivering.
You hesitated, but only for a moment. Every part of you knew that these would be her last moments. She deserved to know.
“I’m sorry,” you softly whispered back. “I’ll be here to guide you when it is time though, okay?”
Amber nodded. “Thank you, (Y/N).”
She opened her arms out to you for a hug. While you were holding onto her embrace, you felt another set of arms wrap around the two of you. The cool presence you recognized had to belong to the only other spirit in the room.
Once the group hug was done, Amber shooed you and Jack out to talk just as her parents made their way inside her room.
“Let’s go this way,” you said, leading the way to a quieter hallway. Jack silently followed behind you.
Standing in the empty hallway, you and Jack stood there for a moment before you knew you had say something.
“Do you really think Pitch and I had something between us?” you asked, gauging for a reaction.
“It sounds like the two of you have known each other for a long time,” Jack pointed out.
“We have,” you agreed. “We play chess together sometimes. But that’s about it.”
“You never told me.”
“You never asked.”
Jack paused, but could only nod his head. “Fair enough.”
You fidgeted with the bracelet on your wrist as you gathered your thoughts. You didn’t need to tell Jack everything, but you felt like you should. You had grown to care and perhaps even like the Guardian of Fun, you didn’t want to lose him over something that felt as trivial as this.
“Not many people would ever befriend a grim reaper,” you explained, voice quiet. “It’s a lonely existence. Even among other grim reapers, its hard to fit in when I carry the weight of every soul I take like someone who was turned recently when I’m one of the most experienced reapers out there. Most of the other grim reapers have grown numb to the task, but that’s something I just can’t do.”
“(Y/N)…” Jack reached out to you.
When his fingers brushed up against your cheek, you looked up at him and Jack could see your glassy (E/C) eyes. You carried a lot more than what you were willing to show.
“Death takes no sides,” you recited. “What Pitch was implying... Its not something that could ever happen.”
“I’m sorry,” Jack said, pulling his hood down and taking a step closer to you. “I...”
Before he could finish forming his thought, there was a commotion from the direction of Amber’s room.
You knew immediately what was happening having experienced it so many times before. It never got any easier. Wiping at the unfallen tears in your eyes, you straightened up and brushed your clothes down with your hands. Hopefully you looked presentable enough.
“It’s Amber, isn’t it?” Jack asked, worry evident on his face.
“It’s time,” you murmured just loud enough for him to catch.
Walking towards the room, you stood a short distance away from the door. Jack had followed you, hovering nearby. He reminded you of the new grim reapers that you mentored a long time ago. Nervous and scared.
A light figure of a soul stepped out of the room. When her eyes caught sight of the two of you, a smile appeared on her face as she approached.
“(Y/N)! Jack! Did you get the chance to talk?” Amber asked.
You nodded, crouching down to her height. “We did. Did you get the chance to tell mom and dad everything?”
“Not everything...” Amber said, looking back at the room. The muffled sound of crying came from the closed door. “Do you think they know?”
“Of course,” Jack reassured her. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder. “Moms and dads always have a way to know what you can’t say.”
This brought a smile to Amber’s face.
For someone who never had to experience this, Jack was doing fine. Seeing them interact made the bubble of sadness inside you grow. Now was not the time to show how you felt. You reached into your jacket pocket and pulled out the letter. It fluttered out of your hand and landed on the door at the end of the hall.
A light glow emitted from the other side of the closed door.
You held your hand out to Amber. “It’s time for us to go.”
“Bye, Jack,” Amber said as she took your hand.
Jack gave her a small wave. “Bye, Amber.”
Giving Amber one last moment to linger, you led her towards the door. Like every child that you were responsible for, you hoped that if Amber had another chance at life, may she live a long, healthy and happy life.
Opening the door, you took a deep breath, looked down at the little girl you were with and stepped through it together.
The next few days were quiet for you luckily. After Amber, it was like the someone knew you needed time to recover and gave you a break.
You took the chance to hole up at home, hiding under blankets as you tried your best to manage your sadness.
Your tears had dried up, your heart still felt heavy, but you were still here.
Being a grim reaper was tough.
The sound of knocking on your front door was what dragged you off your couch. Cracking the door open, you were surprised to see a magical snow bunny dance in front of you before turning into a small shower of sparkling snowflakes.
“Surprised?”
You turned to see Jack watching you from the side, casually leaning against his staff.
“Jack,” you said, looking at him. “How’d you find me?”
“I came by one time, remember?” Jack approached you. At the sight of your still swollen eyes from these last few days, his expression softened. “Mind if I come in?”
You nodded, letting him inside.
Jack left his staff by your entrance, propped up against the wall.
He came into your place with a bit of familiarity, yet still looked around as if this were his first time here. His eyes settled on the pile of blankets on your couch.
As you trailed after him, you were startled when he turned around and swept you into a hug. Despite being the bringer of winter and cold, Jack’s hug felt warm and comforting. His breath tickled your ears as he held you close.
“I’m not very good at saying the right things to comfort people,” he admitted softly. “Is this okay?”
You nodded, snuggling into his embrace. Your response drew a relieved sigh out of Jack as he pulled you in closer. He gently pet your hair as he let you hang onto the much needed comfort you needed the last few days. There were no more tears left inside of you to cry and having someone here for you was more than enough.
After some time, you shyly stepped back from Jack. He was reluctant to let you go though, hands still placed on your shoulders.
“Thank you. For being here with me.” You mull of your thoughts for a moment before ultimately deciding to voice them to the man in front of you. Meeting his eyes, you try your best to not let any emotions show in your words. “Jack, perhaps you shouldn’t spend any more time with me.”
Confusion settled on his face. “(Y/N)...”
“Being a grim reaper is like being surrounded by sadness and death. No spirits like interacting with us. Humans think we’re a bad omen. It just comes with the profession - we’re not meant to get attached to anyone.”
“That’s not true,” Jack gently protested. His hand caressed your cheek, causing heat to rise to your face as he looked down at you. “I see you, (Y/N). After everything we’ve been through this last while, I have a pretty good understanding of who you are. You can’t let your job define you.”
He gazed into your eyes, checking for any signs of rebuttal or conflict. It was the glimmer of hope he saw from you that gave him the confidence.
Jack leaned in, pressing a soft kiss on your forehead.
“Give yourself a chance,” he murmured as he leaned his forehead against yours. “And if you feel the same way as I do, give me a chance too.”
While his confession surprised you a little, you knew deep down, you had felt the same connection he was feeling.
Raising a hand, you touch Jack’s cheek. It felt as warm as how your own were feeling.
“Okay,” you agreed. “As long as you help me along the way.”
Crush x Reader | ☁️ | 1.4k | Cat Hybrid!Reader | Magic AU | Familiar AU
(C/N) watched the black cat nimbly walk along the ledge of his balcony, seemingly on the brink of a risky fall from his apartment, but somehow maintaining its balance as they casually hopped off.
Pawing at the glass, their (E/C) eyes peered up at him as he continued to sit there on his couch with his textbook open in his lap. He thought about pretending to ignore the cat and simply study, but something in him told him otherwise.
Expecting to hear her meow, he soon realized there was a small bundle of herbs in the cat’s mouth. Pushing his textbook aside, he got up and opened the balcony door.
"Where's Teo gone to?" one of the participants of Muse of Musicals asked, looking around for a certain pink haired male.
His friend nodded to his right. "There he is."
They watched as Teo stood a ways off, busying chatting away on his phone. Despite how stressful the competition was getting for the show, the other participants had come to notice that Teo would take a lot of time slipping away whenever he could. He would always be on his phone whenever possible, whether it be texting or calling, he always had a warm smile on his face whenever he was on his phone.
The reason was simple.
Teo was smittened.
Although everyone was stuck living together for the duration of the show, Teo seemed as if there was something else that kept his spare time preoccupied. And as fellow participants, it didn't take much detective work to find out that Teo was always reaching out to his girlfriend.
Early in the mornings when he first woke up, stilling rubbing the sleep out of his purple eyes, he would be checking his phone.
"Good morning, honey," he whispered in the chill of the morning air.
Quickly consuming his meals, Teo would be seen slipping off to be on his phone again. He was known to be a bit of a workaholic. Once Teo put his mind to it, he would giving the task all of his attention. Despite all of that, his phone was a common distraction. If anyone asked who he was chatting with, it would almost always be the same answer.
"My girlfriend," Teo would reply with a smile. "She likes to make sure that I'm doing okay. And I like to do the same for her."
It wasn't an uncommon sight to see him multitasking, phone in one hand while another task taking up the rest of his attention. Although it wasn't always the best idea, Teo would still be doing that.
"He's probably talking to his girlfriend as usual," the guy murmured.
"Probably," his companion agreed. "He's lucky to have a girlfriend. None of us are dating. I'm not sure if I'd be as attached to my phone as he is if I were dating though."
"You never know," the other guy said. He stood up, stretching. "I'll go tell him it's time for us to practice again."
As he approached the pink haired man, he could pick up snippets of the conversation.
"Please make sure you're careful not to strain your ankle again, Teo," a sweet voice said. "I really want you to make a full recovery."
"I'll be careful," Teo replied. "Can't have my honey worrying about it forever."
A soft giggle came back as a response.
"Hey Teo!" The guy called out.
"Oh, just wait, hon." Teo rested his phone on his shoulder and looked over at him. "Yes?"
"Time for us to get back to practice."
"Oh, okay. Be right there!"
Teo turned back to his phone. "Sorry honey, I have to get back to practice already."
"Aw, that's okay! Give it your best, I'll be cheering you on!"
"Thank you, (Y/N). I know it'll go well because I have you."
"I love you~"
Teo's face lit up at the sound of those words as he eagerly responded.
"I love you too!"
If there was anything that was certain about Teo that the other participants knew, it was how much he valued his spare time, because to him it meant a chance to be on his phone to hear from his loving girlfriend.
And for Teo, his girlfriend was worth every spare moment he could find her. She meant everything to him.
“The Honorary Knight?” Amber asked. A frown appeared on her face as she broke the news to Bennett. “Oh, she was in an accident.”
The words made Bennett pale immediately. Having been asked to hang out, he had been excitedly anticipating today. When you had yet to show up though, that was when he started getting worried.
He had every reason to worry now after hearing what Amber said to him.
“Where is she?” he demanded.
Amber pointed towards the cathedral. “She went to get help there -”
Without letting the outrider finish her sentence, the green eyed boy took off immediately towards the church.
Amber could only look on at the worried boy’s disappearing figure with a small smile. It was clear that he had some sort of feelings towards (Y/N). Hopefully he would recognize them.
Despite almost crashing into several people and losing his balance a few times there, Bennett had somehow made it to the giant statue of Barbatos without sustaining any injuries.
He paused to catch his breath, hands resting on his knees.
He couldn’t help but worry about what kind of accident that you could have gotten yourself into. Bennett knew for a fact that you were a seasoned adventurer. Everyone in the Adventurer’s Guild knew how amazing and capable you were! But with that, it also meant that you were often commissioned with harder tasks that not everyone would be able to accomplish.
Could it be that you were severely hurt from going out on one of these highly dangerous expeditions?
The blonde haired adventurer could feel his concerns for you grow.
Whenever the two of you had an opportunity to catch up, Bennett loved hearing about what treasures you might have discovered or monsters that you managed to fight off.
You were even as kind as to offer to go adventuring with Bennett.
Hearing that alone had made his heart race faster than finding treasure.
Thinking about that now... Bennett could feel his cheeks heat up a little. You were someone important to him and he really, really hoped that maybe, just maybe, you also felt the same way.
He didn’t want to have his hopes up too high with his luck though.
Just as he straightened up to continue his search for you, a voice caught his attention.
“Bennett!”
The familiar sound of your voice made his green eyes go wide as he quick scanned the area.
Coming down from the steps leading up to the cathedral, you waved to the pyro user with a smile. Even from where he stood, Bennett could see that you had one of your arms wrapped up in a bandage.
“(Y/N)!”
Bennett ran towards you as quickly as he could. In his eagerness, he nearly bulldozed you over, barely catching you in his arms in a tight embrace.
The moment your thoughts caught up on the action that happening before you, you wrapped your arms around him as well.
“I heard from Amber that you got hurt,” he murmured into your hair. “Are you okay?”
You hummed in response. “I’m okay, Bennett. Sorry for worrying you, it’s actually nothing to worry about though! Just a scrape.”
Bennett pulled back to look at you. His eyes were still filled with worry.
“From what?” he asked.
You awkwardly laughed. “Just a few hilicurls. They caught me off guard.”
Bennett let out a sigh of relief.
“Are you okay?” you asked, checking in on him. “I’m sorry for being late to our meet up.”
“No, no, not at all! And, I’m okay,” Bennett responded. He cast his eyes downwards. “I... I was just worried about you.”
You could tell there was more to what Bennett wanted to say, so you quietly pulled him towards the benches. Once you were both sitting, you patiently waited for Bennett to say something.
“Sometimes I’m worried that my bad luck might rub off on others,” Bennett confessed. “My adventuring team fell apart because of it. I’m scared that my bad luck might get you hurt one day too, (Y/N). I’m used to getting hurt, but I can’t stand the thought of you getting hurt. That’s... that’s probably why I got a bit scared when I heard you were hurt earlier.”
You reached over to squeeze his hand. “That’s fine.”
“But, I really like you, (Y/N). I don’t want to lose you to my bad luck.”
His words made your heart flutter.
“Bennett.”
Hearing his name come from you, Bennett looked at you. Your (E/C) eyes were looking at him so warmly.
“You won’t lose me to your bad luck. I want to be with you.”
You stood up in front of him and held out your hand shyly.
“Instead of hanging out... do you want to go on a date with me instead?”
Also posted on the app in the Canals of Sensitivity planet. :)
When Teo woke up in his hospital bed that morning, he couldn't help but feel anxious. He had been staying in the hospital for the past few week or so, recovering from his motorcycle accident, but hurting from his worries.
Even though he had been here for days, it was something about this day in particular that seemed different for him. He knew there was supposed to be something special associated to this date, but he couldn't remember why.
Shrugging that feeling aside, Teo rolled over and picked up his phone. Looking at the apps, he opened up the The Ssum.
He had agreed to test out the app, although he didn't remember getting much of a description of what the app was meant for. After a very brief introduction with the AI Piu Piu practically a month ago, he had a feeling they had just abandoned him.
He would shoot an occasional message out to try to reach out to the developers but came back with nothing. Looking at the past messages, he frowned. Should he just uninstall the app?
(Y/N) has entered the chat room.
The notification startled him, causing him to drop his phone with a cry of surprise. His roommate looked at him with a funny look.
"Sorry," Teo apologized before reaching out to grab his phone with his good hand.
Staring at the words that appeared in the chat room, he wasn't quite sure how to respond. This was the first person to show up in the chat room since the AI.
Sending out a few messages, he soon realized that he was chatting with someone. Meeting another person on a mysterious app - Teo had his suspicions, but if this was his way of meeting someone new, then so be it.
'I was looking for special someone, but this is where I ended up.'
Her response made him pause. She was looking for someone through this app?
'Someone special?'
'Uh...'
'Who do you mean?'
'I'm the only one here.'
There was a pause in her responses. Teo could only stare at his phone and wait while she got back to him. The waiting was making him impatient, but he didn't want to scare off (Y/N) by sending her too many messages.
The bubble with dots indicating she was typing showed up on his phone. Sitting up, he eagerly waited to see her response.
When the message came, he tilted his head, in hopes of understanding the meaning. It was today's date.
'Does that mean anything to you?'
His fingers hovered over his keyboard as he stared at her messages. A few more came before he could even type anything back.
'I installed this app hoping to meet my soulmate.'
'I was supposed to meet them sometimes today and this app caught my eye.'
'Piu Piu promised me that it would let me meet my special someone.'
'I'm sorry if this is coming out weird, I didn't think the app would reach out to the wrong person...'
The word soulmate stared at Teo.
His eyes were immediately drawn to his arm wrapped up in his cast. How did he forget?
Currently covered up was the black ink with a very special date on his arm.
Today.
Having gone through so much recently, he almost forgot about his soulmate. Even though he couldn't see the numbers, he had it tattooed to his memory.
That explained his feeling earlier.
His fingers flew across the keyboard.
'I'm sorry!'
'I've been in the hospital for the past few days.'
'Wow.'
He looked at the question marks that came back to him and chuckled.
'I never thought I'd meet my soulmate through an app,' he replied. 'You caught me off guard.'
'Oh?!'
Teo smiled.
'Nice to finally meet you, (Y/N)! I can't wait to get to know you.'
Tom Riddle x Reader | ☁️ + 🌠 + ✨| 1.3k | Slytherin!Reader | Sequel to Misunderstandings
“So, baby sister, what have you been up to today?”
The familiar voice reached your ears as you were sauntering back to your dorm room. Slowing in your steps, you turned slightly to see your older brother sitting at one of the desks.
“Alphard,” you greeted as you walked over his way. “Not much, just spent the day with Tom.”
“Where is our head boy?” Alphard asked, looking around you as if you were hiding Tom behind your back. His eyes flickered back to yours, and you could feel the protective older brother vibes coming off him in waves. “Did something happen? Do I need to teach him not to mess with my baby sister?”
If he had been talking to anyone else with his hushed threatening voice, they’d be scared off right away. However, he was talking to you and you’ve known since you were born. Scared? Never. He was your favourite brother – sibling, if you had to be honest – and there was no one who could ever even come close to competing with that position.
You scoffed. “I love you, Al, but you know I fight my own fights.”
When bearing the prestigious family name of Black wasn’t enough to keep the bullies at bay, you knew your older brother had your back. However, even Alphard knew that you were a force to be reckoned with. Anyone who made the mistake of messing with you were often slapped with regret. Hard.
“Are you two official yet? Or you just stringing the boy along?”
You shook your head. “We’re moving slowly – why?”
“Just checking.”
“Anyways, Tom had something to take care of and I am more than capable of walking back to the Common Room by myself,” you explained with a wave of your hand. Deciding to switch the direction of the conversation around, you asked, “What have you been up to?”
Your question made Alphard’s lip quirk upwards.
“I wish you had been around to see,” he said with a chuckle. He leaned closer to you and dropped his voice to a whisper. “Walburga bumped into Orion this morning while being hung over.”
An amused grin appeared on your face. “No way!”
“For someone we should probably notice more often, I surprised how easy it is to forget Cousin Orion is in our house,” Alphard mused. “Walburga completely didn’t realize it was him when she came stumbling out of the dorm rooms. She walked into him and sent the two of them flying. You could tell she was going to snap at him and make her usual big scene until he said her name. Ha! I’ve never seen her sober up that fast and run away like that ever.”
Hearing your ever annoying, prideful older sister fleeing from the scene made you laugh. Walburga despised you and the feeling was mutual. Getting to hear any dirt on her was always fun.
This incident with Orion was going to be weaponized the next time she irks you – it’d be especially potent since she was going to be engaged to Cousin Orion this coming summer.
A familiar blonde haired boy caught your eye when he entered the Slytherin Common Room. It wasn’t hard when he carried a particular presence wherever he went. Despite being the same black robes as everyone else, Abraxas Malfoy held an air of confidence that made him all the more appealing.
As if he knew your eyes were on him, his steel grey eyes swept across the room until they met yours. The corner of his lip shifted upwards as he flashed a wink your way.
You rolled your eyes, but the smile never left your face.
It seems like the last encounter with him never created any awkward tension.
Lucky you.
As Malfoy continued to walk off to the male dormitories, you turned your gaze back to Alphard, who looked rather amused.
“My, my,” he commented. “Popular as ever, I see. Keeping your options open?”
“Perhaps,” you quipped as you waved your wand. All of Alphard’s textbooks straightened up as a small bag appeared on top of everything. “Some sweets for my favourite brother – don’t tell Cygnus I said that though.”
Alphard’s eyes lit up as he accepted the candy. It took him no time at all to pop a candy into his mouth.
“Cygnus already knows.”
You feigned surprised as you started walking away. “What?”
The sound of Alphard’s laugh filled the air behind you as you headed to your room. With all of that behind you, your thoughts drifted back to Tom as you pulled at and loosened your tie. So far, the head boy had managed to keep up his promise – no more misunderstandings.
Perhaps, you thought, he deserved a chance with you soon.
He would need to prove himself worthy first.
A plan to test your best friend began to formulate in your mind. This was going to be fun.
As you were walking down the hall, you felt someone grab your wrist and pull you around the corner. A cheeky smile appeared on your face as you observed the perfect looking Head Boy standing before you.
“Anything I can help you with, Tom?” you asked, batting your lashes innocently.
Tom looked absolutely upset as he peered at you with a frown. Although he didn’t show it, you knew there was anger bubbling within your best friend.
Looks like your plan worked out just the way you wanted.
Moving towards you, Tom backed you up against the wall.
“You can tell me what was going on between you and Malfoy earlier, (Y/N) Black,” Tom quietly said. “Explain what I saw.”
“Oh, that?” you responded with airy tone. “Abraxas and I were just chatting with each other. Did you hear about the test that Professor Slughorn has planned for us?” You intentionally waited for a moment to gauge Tom’s reaction. That frown wasn’t going anywhere. Perhaps you could lead him on a little bit longer. “Abraxas was also wondering about my relationship status.”
If he wasn’t tense before, Tom was tense now.
You definitely had to thank Abraxas for the performance he put on with you earlier. While the two of you had not done anything at all, you were able to appear as if there were something going on between the two of you. In no way did you want to hurt him in anyway, not badly.
But you did want a bit of pay back for the misunderstanding that happened recently.
Tom’s reaction was surprising to say the least.
“You didn’t tell him about our relationship?” he asked, leaning in towards to you.
The sly smile on your face told Tom everything.
“I thought I should get back to him once I confirmed things with you,” you murmured. “Can you blame a girl for being a little insecure?”
Tom scoffed.
Thinking that maybe you should consider a different approach, you were suddenly startled when Tom leaned forward and pulled you into a searing kiss. You could feel Tom’s heartbeat racing as he pressed you into the wall, conveying his feelings for you through his kiss. The way he gently weaved his fingers through your hair yet stole the air from lungs – it was endearing how the dark-haired boy in front of you expressed his love.
When he finally pulled away to let the two of you breathe, he leaned in, forehead pressed against yours.
“Is it clear now?” he asked, voice husky. “You’re mine, (Y/N).”
You hummed in response. “Almost.”
Tom raised an eyebrow.
“One more kiss would definitely clear things up,” you cheekily replied.
Tom laughed. “That’s it?”
He immediately leaned in once more, pulling you close.
Although it wasn’t much, you were glad there was a bit of pettiness in you. Because if it could spark moments like these, it was worth it. Especially now that you were free to tell the world, Tom Riddle was your boyfriend.
You browsed through the shelves of Honeydukes, adding another sweet to your basket, as if the candies in your basket weren’t already enough. It was one of those weekends that you had decided to stock up on sweets while visiting Hogsmeade.
Eyes skimming over the various colours and designs that covered the shelves, you reached out for another that caught your attention. You frowned when you realized that the candy was just out of reach due to your height.
A hand reached out above you and grabbed the package you were hoping to get.
“Is this the one?”
You turned and smiled when you saw Alphard. The sight of his charming smile brightened your mood and you could tell that he had caught the attention of several other girls in the shop as well with the hushed whispers nearby.
“It is, thank you.” You took the candy from him and added it to your basket.
Pleased, Alphard peered into your basket. “That’s quite a lot you’ve got there, are you sure you don’t have enough?”
You flashed him a look of disbelief. “You tell me.”
The dark haired wizard laughed. He leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss on your forehead.
“Thank you, love,” he murmured.
A warm feeling washed over you from his simple act of affections. Alphard was probably as sweet as everything he snacked on from Honeydukes. His sweet tooth was a side to him that you had found rather endearing when you had gotten to know him.
“Everything go okay with your friend?” you asked.
Alphard waved his hand to brush off the matter. “Yeah, it’s fine. He’s hopeless though.”
He leaned in closer to you, quietly adding, “I think some of my friends are jealous of my luck. I’m keeping you all to myself.”
If your cheeks weren’t pink before, they had to be red at this point.
Tilting your head, you gently bumped it against his shoulder which made him laugh at your cute response.
“I think we have enough sweets now,” you mumbled as you moved towards the register.
Having been dating him for a while now, you had come to learn a lot about the middle child of the Black family. While he didn’t naturally put himself out there for attention, he was good looking and had a naturally charming personality.
You weren’t sure how you had caught his attention, but you were glad you had given this Slytherin boy a chance.
Your relationship had been a quiet affair initially, as Alphard explained how strict his parents were. They cared too much about blood status and, if Alphard was honest, he didn’t care about that at all.
He preferred to be happy. And as he had bluntly put it, you made him happy.
Recently though, after hearing a few confessions were directed your way, Alphard was becoming a little more affectionate with you in public and let those closer to him know of your relationship.
Effortlessly, Alphard immediately reached out and picked up the bag of sweets for you and used his other free hand to hold yours.
“Is there anywhere else you would like to go?” he asked as two of you left the store.
You let of hum of contemplation. Before you had the chance to respond, a voice seemed to catch both of you off guard.
“Alphard?”
Turning, you immediately recognized who it was.
“Walburga,” Alphard greeted. His voice was flat, neither showing kindness nor hostility. For now. “Out shopping as well?”
“Who’s this with you?” Walburga asked, her attention directed on you.
While you knew of Alphard’s older sister, you had never actually met her. Your eyes flickered over to Alphard, and he merely squeezed your hand gently in response, his eyes still on his sister.
“This is (Y/N),” Alphard curtly introduced.
“(Y/N) (L/N)?”
Immediately understanding the tone that she was using and the potential words that would come next, Alphard dropped your hand and step closer to his sister.
Because you were behind him, you weren’t able to see the dark expression on Alphard’s face. The Sorting Hat wasn’t wrong when it sorted him into Slytherin. His expression was enough to get Walburga to flinch, but she held her ground as Alphard dropped his voice into a harsh whisper.
“Don’t even think about it.”
“If anyone hears about this, it’s not from me,” Walburga scoffed. Her eyes flickered from you and then back Alphard. She looked as if she was going to say something else, but decided against it and just walked away.
“Alphard?”
He turned back to you with a soft smile.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, don’t worry about it. Come on, let’s go do something fun, (Y/N).”
Giving him a bright smile, you took his hand in yours and followed his lead. Although you knew that Alphard had a darker side to him, something about the way he behaved reassured you that it only came out when someone he cared about was threatened.
While you were still learning about Alphard, you could tell that he cherished your relationship very much.
Tom Marvolo Riddle x Reader | ☁️ + ☔ + 🌠 + ✨ | 2.8k | Slytherin!Reader
“Hey (Y/N)!”
You turned, spotting your siblings in the Slytherin Common Room, lounging on the couches. Maintaining your poker face, you approached them, loosening your sliver and green tie on your way.
“How’s our baby sister doing?” Alphard greeted with a fond smile.
You pouted. “I’m not the baby anymore, Alphard.”
He chuckled. “You’ll always be the baby to me. At least, until Cygnus grows up.”
As you huffed, you made eye contact with your oldest sister Walburga. The moment your eyes met, sparks fizzled about before you both turned away simultaneously. Alphard looked at the two of you and awkwardly chuckled.
“Why am I here?” you asked, crossing your arms. “I promised Tom I would help him with Charms.”
“We just wanted to check up on you,” Alphard explained.
“Not we, just Alphard,” Walburga tossed in as she rolled her eyes. “I couldn’t care less about you and your little play date with the half-blood.”
When you had woken up this morning, you had felt sore everywhere. It was the kind of feeling of having pushed yourself too hard while doing a physical activity the day before and all your muscles hurt the next day kind of feeling.
Which you had done nothing of that sort yesterday - having spent the day studying at the library.
So this could only mean one thing.
Letting out a groan, you rolled over in bed, trying to find a comfortable position. Looks like this weekend was going to just be trying to recover from the pain that wasn’t yours.
Whose pain were you experiencing you may ask?
Your soulmate’s.
After your first year of studying at Hogwarts, the feeling of being sore or even in pain at times was a common occurrence for you.
It took a while, but you had soon deduced that your soulmate was an athlete. There was no other possible explanation besides them being a big klutz. But even then, who periodically gets hurt like that on a timely manner?
Having deduced this, you had always made sure that you were always careful not to add to their existing constant soreness.
It didn’t mean you were happy with this situation though.
The frown on your face deepened as you sat up.
As you slowly moved around to get ready for the day, the sound of knocking on your door halted your actions.
“Good morning, (Y/N)!”
Tracey stuck her head into your room, her signature bright smile adorning her face.
“Not a good morning,” you responded, shaking your head a small smile on your face.
“Whaaat?” Tracey asked, bouncing her way in. She immediately made herself at home in your room. “Is it your soulmate again?”
You nodded. “I’m literally sore everywhere. Maybe I should have stayed in bed today.”
“You promised to come with me to watch the Quidditch match though!” Tracey protested. “Should I beat up your soulmate when you find out who they are? They deserve it for putting you through so much pain.”
“Appreciated. But then I’d feel it too,” you said.
Tracey made a face. “Unfortunate. Well, we should get going!”
You stifled back a yawn as Tracey looped her arm around yours. “Where do you get all your energy from?”
Tracey just laughed as she pulled you off.
Through the flurry of breakfast and chatting with other friends, the morning went by quickly as your soreness faded. Lucky for you, your soulmate must have decided they had enough training from yesterday.
It wasn’t long before Tracey and your other friends noticed the time and hurried you all off to the Quidditch field where the match was going to take place.
Slytherin vs Hufflepuff.
Pulled into the already busy stands that were filled with yellow and black, you looked around. You honestly weren’t too big on sports, so in the first few years of Hogwarts, you would drop by to watch the odd match. Ever since finding out your soulmate was potentially an athlete, you began to show up more frequently.
You knew enough of the game to tell when a team scored, and that was good enough for you.
A blur of robes flew by the stands, causing everyone around you to erupt in cheers.
“Here we go!” Tracey exclaimed, hanging onto you.
With the excitement in the air, you watched the game in quiet awe as the players soared around the field. Points were being scored and the game was looking rather close.
It was drawing close to late game when a sparkle caught your eye - the golden snitch.
Clearly that was when the seeker of the Hufflepuff team noticed it as well, as he went after it quickly.
Cedric Diggory - the Hufflepuff prefect, Quidditch team captain, and the ideal student.
Someone like him always felt pretty distant with how much he was accomplishing despite how friendly he was with everyone.
Sure, he was captivating and managed to catch a lot of attention. And right now, he had your full attention.
Or at least the attention you could manage after feeling like you’ve been punched in the stomach and the wind knocked out of you.
“- and Diggory is hit by a Bludger, yikes, that one looked rough...”
“(Y/N)?” Tracey asked, noticing you bent over and hugging your stomach. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” you wheezed, keeping an eye on the Seeker. He had placed a hand on his stomach and had a grimace on his face, but was already getting himself back into the game. “I think I found my soulmate.”
“We won!”
“Woohoo!”
The cheers of the Hufflepuff house filled the entire stadium and continued into the Common Room as everyone celebrated the victory.
Cedric felt his teammates clap his back as they congratulated him for catching the snitch that helped win the game.
“Sorry about the Bludger, mate,” Anthony apologized. “You feeling okay?”
“Yeah, don’t worry about it,” Cedric reassured.
Anthony shook his head with a smile. “Your poor soulmate.”
Cedric awkwardly laughed. Caught up with Quidditch practice and games, he often let it slip past his thoughts that his soulmate experienced his pain too.
Making his way through the Common Room with quite a bit of trouble from the excited Hufflepuffs, he managed to leave the room only to bump into someone else.
The figure in front of him had moved back and the sound of them banging into something filled the air.
It wasn’t the noise that caught Cedric’s attention. Rather, it was the jolt of feeling as if he had run his elbow into something.
“I’m so sorry,” he apologized, reaching out to stabilize the girl he bumped into.
She looked up, (E/C) eyes meeting his. “It’s fine, Cedric, I wasn’t really looking where I was going either.”
Just out of the corner of his eye, he could see she was cradling her elbow.
The same elbow he had felt hurt - even if it was temporarily.
You awkwardly waited as Cedric still held onto you at an arm’s length. Accidentally bumping into him was not part of your plan. In fact, you weren’t sure what your plan was let him know you were his soulmate.
After apologizing to you, the head boy had simply frozen in front of you.
“Um, Cedric?” you quietly asked.
Your voice broke him out of his trance as he took one of your hands in his own.
“Come with me.”
Without any additional warnings, he pulled you off. You could feel your cheeks heating up as you noticed others were noticing the situation you were in as the two of you maneuvered through the hallways. If this kept up, everyone would soon be talking about how the Hufflepuff Quidditch captain dragged a girl - you - off somewhere after winning the match.
Once the two of you were away from everyone else, Cedric took a step towards you.
Flustered, you halted, watching the situation unfold.
“Your elbow...” He quietly gestured towards the elbow that you had bumped earlier with a nod of head. “Sorry about that.”
Hearing this made you immediately realize that he knew. He had felt it too.
He knew.
“I’m sorry about before as well - you felt that during the game, didn’t you?”
You were hesitant, but you gave him a small nod.
“It’s okay though,” you immediately reassured him with a wave of your hands. “I know to expect these feelings.”
You could see the downward tug on his lips that made his charming face look sad. Before you had the chance to even think of another way to reassure the Hufflepuff Head Boy, he pulled you into a warm embrace.
“I’m sorry I put you through all that,” he murmured.
The sound of his heartbeat racing and the genuine tone of his voice made you melt. Slowly lifting up your arms, you held onto him. Once Cedric felt this, you could feel him relax as well.
Perhaps finally finding and being with your soulmate stirred up feelings in you, but at the moment, there was no where else you would rather be. Being so close to him, you could smell his sweat from just winning the Quidditch match, along with something else you couldn’t name, but whatever it was, it was very calming.
“Have you known long?” Cedric asked.
You shook your head. “That Bludger today was actually what made me realize it was you.”
Cedric made a mental note to thank Anthony later.
“Take it easy during practices please,” you mumbled into his chest. “I was so sore this morning.”
Your soulmate leaned back so he could look at you properly. You were his soulmate and nothing could make him happier. Even though he had just met you, Cedric knew that this was going to be the start to something beautiful. The smile he had on his face - one you would soon learn that it was meant only for you - lit up the dim hallway.
I know it’s been forever since I last posted. It’s been an overwhelming year - I’ve been working and stressed over life. Although I can’t promise that I will be consistent, I will try to be a little more active on tumblr. I’ve been organizing my blog so everything should be working and ready as I get back into writing.
I will be eventually getting back into my unfinished stories soon! In the meantime, please feel free to support me via kofi, send me asks and poke through the work I already have.
I can’t wait to share my new work with you guys! 💕💕
Thought I should give you all a quick update. I will be taking a break for the next while as I drown in responsibilities. Life is doing its best to beat me up right now - and its winning. I'll try to share more work when things get a little less busy. I promise my unfinished works will be completed eventually!!
In the meantime, thanks for all the support! I hope to write again soon!! 🥰
Walking down the street, the brightly dressed food soul ignored the sight of the cowering townsfolk everywhere he went. Tugging at his already opened collar that revealed his collarbones and upper chest, he let out a quiet grumble about the heat he was experiencing. Flames flickered behind him, right next to his large pincers. The cool spring air was hardly enough to bring his temperature down.
Keeping an eye on the particular girl he was following, he made sure she was still within a safe distance from him. The last thing he wanted was to lose her in the crowds.
Or lose her at all.
Having experienced that once was more than enough for the fiery food soul.
There was a lot of things he didn’t like but only a few things he feared - losing his current travel companion being one.
Making eye contact with one of the villagers, he noticed the fear in their eyes as they hurriedly turned away.
‘Foolish humans,’ he thought, a scowl appeared on his face. ‘Scared of everything.’
“Boston Lobster!”
The sound of his name caught his attention as he turned back to the girl he was with. Bright (E/C) eyes and a warm smile greeted him as she waved for him to join her. Her (H/C0 hair was being gently blown by the breeze. Some soft pink petals had fallen from the trees and landed on her had without her noticing.
She looked absolutely beautiful in his eyes.
(Y/N) (L/N) - a young chef aspiring to travel the world while experiencing the culinary arts.
His master attendant.
Boston Lobster walked over, villagers all darting out of his path immediately as if they would somehow get burned by being close to this red attired visitor. Paying them no mind, he moved to stand next to her. The merchant who had just been assisting her seemed to have frozen with his presence. (Y/N) didn’t notice this though, her attention on the item in her hands.
“Look how pretty this carving is!” she exclaimed, holding up a wooden handcrafted art piece. The carving had been made to look like one of the many flowers that were in bloom there in Flowerwood Village. “Do you think it’ll look good in the restaurant?”
She watched as Boston Lobster eyed the wooden item with a frown on his face, the look of indifference clear.
"You know I don't care about things like that," he pointed out bluntly. His eyes shifted over to meet hers. "You have a better taste in things like this than I do, (Y/N)."
His gentle words brought a smile to her face as she looked at the object in her hands considerately.
"If you want, take it, for free," the merchant spoke up after seeing how the girl admired his work. "Think of it like a souvenir, since you are visiting Flowerwood Village for Flower Day."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely!"
"Thank you so much!"
As the merchant bagged the wooden sculpture up, (Y/N) turned to Boston Lobster.
"Is there anything you want to see or do, Boston?" she asked. "I know this trip was a bit spontaneous, but I'm glad you're here with me and I want to make sure you're enjoying your time too."
It had only been a week since the decision to visit Flowerwood Village had been made. Having heard about the Flower Day festivities from a customer, the young master attendant had made her mind up - she wanted to go. And wherever (Y/N) went, so did Boston Lobster.
Since being summoned by her, Boston Lobster was almost always close by her side. Especially since he was her only food soul. As much as he didn't like humans, there was something about (Y/N) that made her an exception. While she was capable, she also gave off vibes of someone that needed protecting - at least in Boston Lobster's eyes. Not once did she ever show any signs of fear around him, rather, it was quite the opposite. Although the summoning contract stated that he was her food soul and she was his master attendant, she never pushed her authority onto him. Boston Lobster was welcomed to experience freedom if he chose it since the beginning of their contract. She made this very clear to him straight away. She cared the fiery red food soul dearly, and over time, when he finally accepted her kindness, he returned the gesture in his own way.
When they arrived in Flowerwood Village, they managed to find a nice older couple that had a spare room for them to stay in. Although sharing a room could elicit certain thoughts, (Y/N) and Boston Lobster were accustomed to sharing their space with one another - as there were times where they would end up fast asleep cuddling with each other.
Before Boston Lobster could respond, the merchant handed the bag over to her and she quickly thanked him once more before turning back to the food soul.
Met with his hand ruffling her hair and cheeks a bit red, his response was, "I am. I'll let you know if anything comes to my mind."
Taking his hand with her free one, (Y/N) beamed at the white haired male.
"Let's see what else this village has to offer then," she said.
He wordlessly let her drag him off to anywhere she pleased.
Caught between the different lines of relationships, Boston Lobster stared at the back of her head as he made a choice. With Flower Day marking the beginning of another new year in the Light Kingdom, perhaps it would be a good opportunity to clarify what relationship this was, because the feelings shared were beyond the typical food soul and master attendant contract.
"Attendant," he softly murmured as (Y/N) admired some flowers. Despite his quiet tone, she had heard him and hummed on acknowledgment. "Let's talk about us sometime, okay?"
(Y/N) turned around to look him in the eye, the light tint of pink on her cheeks.
“Sure. But I hope that you know as long as you’re happy with me, it’ll be you and me forever.”
