STEADY / NOW.

crack GLASS against the wall and revel in the shards, this is your heart on the ground, sharp edged glory and linoleum. you are mismatched, mistaken, misled. you are whole and apart and inbetween. break your own bones, bend them into stars and the shape of the sun. know that they are beautiful, bend them into concrete brick and stone wall, know that they are strong.

[flvnts-blog]

—      LAVENDER .

       tears stain her cheeks and when he catches up with her, she scoffs. “i just want ONE OF YOU TO FINALLY REALISE WHAT THE REST OF US ARE GOING TO GO THROUGH – TIMES FUCKIN’ INFINITY!” her voice raises again and she’s trembling a little. “j-just one of you. i thought you were the s-smarter one out of the group, but i apparently got that one wrong, too. you can do something about it… you just choose not to because it’s for your own good,” she whispers, her gaze flickering over his features. “imagine this was on the hand of someone you love, marcus… just imagine it.” lavender breathes out and she shrugs her shoulders. 

        he’s lucky it’s lavender brown trying to convince him — someone he’s never particularly gotten along with, much less cared about. it makes it that much easier to school his features into their typical mask of cool indifference, barely batting an eye at her tears, or the emotion in her voice. “ well, congratulations, brown. you did guess wrong. maybe try your luck with crabbe or goyle — they’ve always been the brains of this little operation. ” he raises an eyebrow at her, as if to say, you should know better. “ no one i care about would be stupid enough to blatantly put themselves in harm’s way. better luck next time. ”

[flvnts-blog]

—      ANAIS .

      she hopes the kiss lasts long enough, but then he’s pulling away and it makes her lose her breath. his words make her swallow the lump in her throat before she grips onto his jaw and presses another kiss to his lips while her free hand slips into his jeans. “i always break you,” she whispers into his mouth as her fingers squeeze his jaw and she pulls him flush against her.

        the electricity of her fingers on his jaw isn’t any normal touch — he shivers at the feeling of magic along his skin, and clucks his tongue gently at her in admonishment. “ not fair, ” he laments with a groan, cursing softly under his breath when she reaches into his jeans. “ really not fucking fair, anais. ”

[flvnts-blog]

—      ANAIS .

         her body trembles against his, beneath his hands. anais inhales sharply and she pouts when he suddenly tells her no. “fine. i’ll go ask someone else for a kiss.” but she doesn’t move from his lap. her nails dig into his scalp and they drag down the back of his neck. anais doesn’t wait and she leans in to crash their lips together.

        “ no, you won’t, ” he murmurs, voice barely a rumble from somewhere deep in his chest. leo entertains the kiss briefly, lips parting beneath hers for a short moment before he abruptly pulls away. “ what’d i just say ? no affection. stop trying to make me break. it won’t work. ”

[flvnts-blog]

—      LAVENDER .

      lavender can hear the tone in his voice when he brings up harry potter and his friends. but then she can see him continue to look at her hand. tears burn her eyes and she laughs, “i talked to her!” she shouts, slamming her hand down on the table suddenly. it startled people around them and she was quick to apologise before she’s chewing on her lower lip. with a shaky sigh, she pushes out of her chair and walks out of the library, knowing full well madame pince would make marcus leave, too.

        “ okay, ” he says after a beat too long of silence. “ okay. ” not even a minute passes before marcus spies madam pince making a beeline for him out of the corner of his eye, and he decides to make both their lives a little easier by removing himself first. it isn’t long until he catches up to lavender, and he struggles with what to say. “ i don’t know what you want from me, ” he blurts eventually, sounding vaguely combative. “ i don’t... understand why you keep talking to me. it’s not like i know what to do any better than you do. ” 

[flvnts-blog]

—      ANAIS .

         her back arches and she grips onto his shoulders as he holds her closer in his lap. “nooooo. that wasn’t a challenge!” she laughs and hides her face in the crook of his neck. “you’re a horrible human,” anais whispers and digs her teeth into his shoulder before she tangles her fingers in his hair. “kiss me, leo…kiss me.”

        his hands wander, fingertips dipping beneath the hem of her blouse even as he maintains a semblance of distance from her. “ too bad. ” he shrugs, teeth digging into his lower lip as she tries to convince him. he leans close, enough that their lips very nearly touch when he speaks: “ no. ”

[flvnts-blog]

—      LAVENDER .

       “no. i was just curious if she put you all through the same shit she puts us through or if you were truly golden children in her eyes…” lavender says quietly and rolls her eyes. “i already spoke to her, she said there’s nothing she can do about it. it’s dark magic.” her stomach turns and she rubs at her eyes before looking down at her hand again, tracing the letters with her fingertips.

        “ golden children, ” he repeats, sounding disdainful. “ thought that title belonged to potter and his little gang. ” he sighs, eyes unwittingly drawn to her wound. “ what about scamander ? her whole thing is DADA, maybe she’d be some kind of help. or know someone who could be. ” he’s grasping at straws, but marcus knows he shouldn’t say much more if he plans on appearing like he’s standing by the squad.

[flvnts-blog]

—      ANAIS .

     “i’ll test you all i want,” she whispers and jumps up into his arms, knocking him over onto the couch. “i can’t bribe you with kisses?” anais pouts as she rests their foreheads together with a quiet sigh. “ – leopold chamberlain, you can’t deprive me of affection.”

        “ i’d like to see you try. ” he braces for the impact, knowing her full well enough by now to be prepared. leo gathers her into his lap, humming thoughtfully at her question as if he truly needs to consider his answer. “ on second thought — is that a challenge ? watch me. ”

[flvnts-blog]

—      ANAIS .

      her cheeks flush when she feels his lips against her neck. anais’ eyelashes flutter to a close and she hums, “aw, why do you have to ruin my fun? it’s literally RIGHT there with your house ‘n everything, leopold!” she whines and turns to peck his lips.

        “ don’t test me, scamander, ” he tosses back playfully, raising an eyebrow that doesn’t even matter once she’s momentarily. “ and don’t try to bribe me, either. i’m a pinnacle of virtue. ”

[flvnts-blog]

—      LAVENDER .

       “do we see this fucking – thing?” she asks, holding her hand up in front of marcus’ face. “has she subjected you to this yet? do you know that she made sure these NEVER heal?” lavender asks, canting her head to the side before she sits down in one of the chairs at the library table. “i thought it would have healed by now.” she pretends she didn’t break down in front of him after that detention. / @flvnts·

        marcus sets his jaw, a worried tic appearing as the only sign that he’s affected by the hand she’s shoved into his line of sight. “ do i really strike you as someone who’s a candidate to face umbridge’s wrath ? ” he replies coolly. apparently peace is no longer a possibility for him, not with what felt like the entirety of gryffindor house constantly lurking around. “ go talk to madame pomfrey. she’d probably be more help than me. ”

[flvnts-blog]

—      ANAIS .

      “whilst you rub my shoulders? are the pheromones rolling off of me in waves?” she asks, quietly, laughing over the smile on his face. “you are the actual definition of a dork.”

        “ mhm, exactly, ” he responds eloquently, leaning down to press a kiss to the exposed skin of her neck. “ call me a dork again, i dare you. this massage ends immediately. ”

[flvnts-blog]

—      ANAIS .

we still love one-liners | @flvnts·

    “my shoulders are much higher than where you’re aiming for, leopold.”

        “ ... huh ? what ? ” he startles, a goofy-looking smile gracing his features like an excuse. “ got distracted. you just have such an incredible effect on me. ”

[flvnts-blog]

—      GINNY .

       ❛  i  can  imagine  well  enough  !  ❜  she  prods,  visualizing  (  to  the  best  of  her  ability  )  the  flint  manor  .  it’s  cold,  she  thinks  .  grand  !  double,  triple  the  size  of  her  family’s  burrow  .  she  imagines  the  anticipatory  echo  of  footsteps  in  a  stark  hallway,  contrasting  the  constant  clamour  of  her  childhood  home  .  most  of  all,  she  imagines  it  must  be  a  lonely  place  to  be  .  poor  little  rich  boy,  is  what  she  might  think  if  she  didn’t  know  any  better  .  but  she  does  .  and  as  much  as  she’d  like  to  deny  it,  knowing  changes  everything  .  

        he’s  right,  ginny’s  not  a  good  liar  .  the  redness  of  her  face  always  gives  her  away  .   and  he’s  right  about  another  thing  too:  everything  does  look  good  on  him  .  his  smugness,  his  arrogance,  his  rage  …  but  it’s  his  sudden  softness  that  does  her  in  for  good  .  it’s  his  sincerity  that  throws  her  off,  and  makes  her  forget  who  he  is  .  where  he  comes  from  .  it’s  his  eye  roll  that  snaps  her  out  of  it  .    i  don’t  know  how  you  manage  to  fly  with  that  big  head  of  yours  .  ❜  ginny  sighs,  sitting  up  .  she  moves  to  the  edge  of  the  bed,  bringing  her  dress  of  sheets  with  her  .  ❛  what  time  is  it  anyways  ?  maybe  it’s  time  to  head  back  .  ❜ 

        “ seeing is believing, ” he replies with narrowed eyes, feeling for all the world like this is some sort of playground fight, but he doesn’t mind. this moment isn’t the scene for their usual knock-down, drag-out kind of fights; the insults are light, and the commentary is hardly more than surface level. as much as he feels strangely calm about his spontaneous confession, marcus can’t help but idly hope that it doesn’t mean she starts treating him with kid gloves. the last thing he needs is ginny weasley pitying him everywhere he goes.

        “ i fly incredibly well, don’t pretend you don’t know that. ” he gives in for the briefest of moments, shifting his weight to one arm as he leans toward her, pressing a swift kiss to her lips. maybe not his smartest move, considering their usual relationship once their liaisons draw to a close, but he’s tired of resisting when she’s right there. trying not to draw much more attention to his actions, marcus lifts himself up and out of bed, stretching for a brief moment before he begins the hunt for his clothes. “ dunno what time it is, but it’s probably late. here, ” he grins, tossing her bra her way as he threads his arms into his shirtsleeves. “ you’re right. we should get going. ”

[flvnts-blog]

—      ANAIS .

      with christmas around the corner, anais had extra work for herself. running her fingers through her hair, she hunched over a large old book and she was furiously scribbling down notes for a younger student’s study-syllabus. glancing up at the clock, she noted it was just about the time where a certain slytherin would show up for some extra reading. or just to ask questions. anais wasn’t someone that would say no to allowing a student the right to study, but she wondered if this was all a good idea or not considering the background of his family. she wasn’t going to judge because her own family was odd enough. pursing her lips, she placed her glasses up on top of her head and smiled when marcus walked into her office, “are you sure you actually enjoy this? the one person i could ever think of wanting extra reading material ever, would be miss granger…” anais arched a brow and points to the seat across from her.

      “i have a couple of books for you that i found, though, that you might be interested in. it’s good over christmas holidays reading.” a hum escapes her lips and she leans back in her seat, crossing her legs and glancing back down at her notes. “there’s a board up, too, if you wanted to practice some defensive spells. umbridge doesn’t know about it. i’m really good at hiding it.” her lips curled up at the corners and she winked at marcus before flipping through her book. / @flvnts·

        as much as he’d be loath to admit it, marcus loved defense against the dark arts. loved it. enough that it was beyond embarrassing, it was dangerous. he appreciated the irony, at least — pureblood son of a death eater, slytherin through and through, wholeheartedly embracing the class that was basically a beacon for the light side of the brewing war. but, then again, the professor herself was a former slytherin. if nothing else, that made him feel like he wasn’t completely insane for taking the same, measured steps that would lead him to her office. it’s not his first time there, not by a long shot, and it won’t be his last. 

        once he reaches his destination, a cursory knock on the already-open door is all it takes to get her attention as he strides in. “ hi, professor, ” he greets, a little sheepish, as tentative as if it’s his first time in her office. marcus slips easily into the seat across from her, looking much more relaxed now that he’s made it here unscathed. “ you know, most professors would be thrilled they have a student other than granger asking for more reading. ” he raises an eyebrow, as if to say this is your cue to express such gratitude. instead, he leans forward a little, an almost uncharacteristic smile tipping up the corners of his mouth. “ any recommendations ? i mean, you saw me run through the spells in class with everyone else. i’m sure i had some weak points. ”

[flvnts-blog]

—      GINNY .

      ❛  oh  yes,  you  flint’s  with  your  tacky  manor  and  snooty  ancestors  are  far  superior  .  ❜  she  mocks,  prodding  him  with  her  elbow  .  ❛  that’s  not  what  i  meant  at  all  and  you  know  it  .  i  was  only  saying  that  in  your  world,  where  fancy  knick  knacks  and  archaic  attitudes  curiously  equate  to  royalty,  flint  doesn’t  have  anything  to  worry  about  .  no  one’s  calling  you  by  your  name  to  knock  you  down  a  couple  pegs  .  luckily  for  me,  care  very  little  about  what  your  lot  thinks  or  prizes  .  ❜  if  this  was  any  other  day,  any  other  time,  her  would  be  sharp  .  but  despite  the  seriousness  of  the  conversation,  ginny’s  timbre  is  relatively  light  .  and  by  light,  i  mean  she’s  only  itching  to  smack  him  a  little  .  

       ❛  you  don’t  have  to  thank  me,  marcus  .  ❜  now  her  voice  is  serious,  energy  shifting  so  quickly  once  again  .  but  she  smiles,  warm  eyes  assuring  him,  comforting  him  that  she’s  not  going  to  break  his  trust  .  ❛  i’m  just  doing  what  any  friend  …  anyone  would  do  .  you  don’t  have  to  get  all  soft  on  me  .  ❜  she  muses,  poking  his  face  .  ❛  it’s  not  a  good  look  .  ❜  it’s  a  very  good  look  .

        “ tacky ? tacky ? you haven’t even been there ! ” he protests. it isn’t as if he even enjoys being home in the cold, drafty family estate, but there’s still that odd, ingrained response to defend his family’s name — even when they’ve done nothing to earn that kind of support from him. “ either way, your family could probably learn a thing or two about the power of reputation, ” he responds primly, the airs of his elite pureblood son expression lingering like a ghost on his features. it’s not as if he doesn’t know that their names carry different connotations out in the wizarding world — he, himself, helps perpetuate that status quo all the time. it’s different, though, to hear ginny explain it herself. unsettling, even.

        for a strange, single moment, he’s almost overwhelmed with the urge to kiss her. not with intent, pushing her back against the pillows like he’d done before this all had gone down — just something simple and sweet, totally unlike the way they usually did things. marcus wills away the urge before he does something rash, covering up his momentary hesitation with an overdramatic eye roll. “ you’re not a good liar, you know. everything is a good look on me. ”

[flvnts-blog]

—      GINNY .

       ❛  i  did  .  ❜  she  agrees,  timbre  light  and  unbothered  .  ❛  but  i’ve  called  you  marcus  before,  and  flint’s  not  as  deprecating  as  weasley  can  be  .  ❜  if  people  knew  the  truth,  maybe  his  family  name  would  become  more  abhorrent  than  hers   .  but  weasley  has  always  carried  a  trunk  full  of  undesirable  baggage  .  ginny’s  learned  to  wear  her  name  like  a  badge  of  honour,  but  she’s  well  aware  that  when  a  fellow  sacred  twenty  eight  spits  WEASLEY  at  you,  it’s  not  akin  to  respect  . 

      maybe  that’s  why  she’s  holding  so  tightly  onto  the  fact  that  he  called  her  by  her  first  name  .  not  that  she  thinks  he  insults  her  every  time  he  calls  her  otherwise,  barring  that  heinous  nickname  she-weasel,   but  she  does  think  this  is  the  first  time  he’s  recognized  her  without  it  .  ginny  never  expected  to  care  about  what  marcus  flint  thought  of  her,  or  if  he  thought  of  her  at  all,  but  she  can’t  help  that  little  happy  turn  her  stomach  makes  when  she  realizes  he  did  .  even  if  it  was  only  in  that  moment  .  ❛  but  don’t  worry,  you  can  add  that  to  the  your  tab  of  secrets  i’m  keeping  .  i  won’t  let  anyone  know  that  marcus  flint’s  calling  people  by  their  first  names  .  ❜ 

        “ ah, what’s that ? you do recognize my superiority ? merlin, never thought i’d see the day, ” he teases. he props himself up on one elbow, a smug look firmly planted on his features when he gives ginny a gentle poke, as if to physically prod her into speaking. “ go on, tell me again about how much better flint is than weasley. i’m waiting. ” leave it to him to be given an inch and take a mile — it’s less about the actual words and more about his inexplicable urge to get on her nerves. 

        with her sanctimonious little promise, marcus shakes his head in disbelief, dropping back down onto the bed into an overdramatic sprawl on top of the sheets. “ you are incorrigible, ” he says vehemently, but there’s — surprisingly — no real heat in his words. “ my ancestors are rolling in their graves. the portraits back home in the manor are probably rioting as we speak. ” he turns his head to look back over at her, suddenly serious and pointedly not looking at the marred skin of his still-exposed chest and arms. he doesn’t necessarily want to return to the heaviness of the room from before, but he can’t help the uncomfortable ball of emotion that’s built up in his chest. “ thank you, though. really. ”

[dailylucifernetflix]

[ustridss]

( @flvnts )

[flvnts-blog]

—      GINNY .

       she  plays  along  for  his  sake  .  there’s  a  lightness  to  him  that  she’s  never  been  privy  to,  but  she  knows  he’s  suffering  on  the  inside  .  there’s  no  way  he’s  let  go  of  what  he’s  revealed,  but  she  doesn’t  want  to  add  to  his  discomfort  .  so  she  smiles,  and  tries  to  savour  the  moment  of  complete  and  utter  denial  .  the  adorable  way  he  scrunches  his  nose,  clueless,  so  unlike  his  typically  ruinous  self,  she’ll  save  it  for  a  rainy  day  .  there’s  no  way  they’ll  be  able  to  avoid  the  storm  that’s  approaching  .  but  for  now,  they’re  safe  .  for  now,  she’s  just  happy  to  be  with  him  .  happy  to  feel  the  familiar  urge  to  smack  when  he  digs  against  her  team,  happy  to  a  have  a  moment  of  normalcy  .  even  if  it’s  completely  artificial  . 

      suddenly,  hues  brighten  in  recognition  of  something  he’d  said  earlier  .  something  they’d  both  been  too  upset  to  probably  notice  before  .  she  sits  up  on  her  arm,  a  devilish  glint  in  her  eyes  .  ❛  you  called  me  ginny  .  ❜  she  recalls,  her  voice  amazed  .  ❛  before,  you  actually  called  me  by  my  first  name  .  i  don’t  think  i’ve  ever  heard  you  call  me  that  before  .  ❜  

        when she accuses him of daring to address her as something other than weasley or blood traitor or she-weasel ( something he believes malfoy is probably responsible for having spread charmingly throughout slytherin house ), marcus’s mouth drops open from pure shock. “ i did no such thing, ” he counters, sounding scandalized. it isn’t until he replays the moment back in his mind that he realizes he did, and marcus idly wonders at the concept for a moment. he almost wants to laugh, at this point, at the situation he’s found himself in; snuggling up to ginny weasley after revealing one of his most closely-guarded secrets. it’s not exactly how he’d planned to spend his night. 

        “ if you tell anyone, they won’t believe you, ” he tacks on after his moment of reverie, unwittingly admitting to the fact that he had actually used her real name it in the first place. “ and you called me marcus first. ” it seems like he can’t get his mouth to stop running, no matter how hard he tries — he resists the urge to cast a silencing charm if only to get himself to shut up.