I have a timeline for this couple in my head that has now spilled out onto paper for you. Solely because I adore the idea of a forbidden love and a woman’s strength and an unforgiving family.
For me, Andromeda Black is emerald stones, leather-bound journals, birch lane flowers, an unbreakable will. Ted Tonks is a wooden cottage with a burning fire, honeysuckle and lavender, never-ending kindness.
Enjoy.
“You made flowers grow in my lungs and although they are beautiful, I cannot breathe. “ breaking up
She pulls back
Once they had so comfortably melded together
Fingers intertwined, bodies flush, lips brushing against skin
He had barely even mapped the planes of her ribs and the freckles on her shoulders before she was gone
“I fell in love with you; now we can never die.”
memories of falling in love &realizing it can’t be
And she’s exhausted by it
Because lying there
With a beautiful boy
Trying not to tell him how hopelessly you love him
“I promise I will kiss your wounds when they’re hurting. Even if they’re in your soul.” pureblood marriage and final words
She had been staring at herself in the mirror when he walked in
Sitting at the silver vanity set that her mother, and her mother’s mother had sat at before her
She wondered if they had loved another when they were married
If they had touched another that there family would not approve of
“I had to leave. I was tired of allowing you to make me feel any less than whole.”
a life that never came to be
“Would I see you too? Would I say hello in this future?”
Andromeda’s voice kept calm, her lips turning upwards at the thought
“Never. You would be with a family, your family. Your wife always made me feel like she was the sun.”
She turned her eyes back out to the barren landscape before them
“I promise I will kiss your wounds when they’re hurting. Even if they’re in your soul.”
What if Andromeda had chosen pureblood marriage? What would Ted do?
The third piece in a timeline of four pieces I wrote for Andromeda and Ted.
Inspired. Title.
Enjoy.
“You’re drunk”
The words come off her lips like a slap
Smooth, quick and blinding
Just as she’s always been for him
Just like she was before they left school
But she doesn’t look like that girl
She doesn’t look like Andy
The dark curls aren’t drifting around her cheeks the way willow branches wave in the wind
His fingers don’t have that familiar itch to brush them back, to push them away
To see her eyes, the million shades of amber and chestnut that he always seemed to get lost in
Her eyes can already be seen
They are a walnut colour now, a deep unmoving brown
This must be Andromeda, he thinks
“Three or four drinks will not make me drunk Andy”
Her nickname falls from his lips and he thinks he sees her brace the vanity behind her
Her knuckles are stretched thin
The blueish veins that climb up her wrist, a place he used to place his lips, are visible
Yet, she’s still standing in front of him stoic and otherworldly
Trying not to let him see how the sound of his voice makes her flinch
“You don’t look like you”
The white gown is old and stiff around her small frame
Her arms bound in the thin lace fabric
Her hair pinned by silver clips, ears heavy with emeralds
Her neck choked by the heavy pearls that seem to chain her
She sneers at his comment
Her hands smoothing out the non-existent bunching of fabric at her hips
“What do you want.”
Now its his turn to flinch
Maybe she has disappeared, he thinks
Maybe there’s no point in this
But then she moves to twist the black diamond ring around her finger and for the faintest moment her jaw clenches
But he sees it
“I needed to see you.”
Even though it hadn’t been all that long since he had seen her
But a lot had changed since the last time they spoke in that compartment on the Hogwarts Express
The ring burning a whole inside him for one
The wedding dress, number two
They had gone weeks without talking back then
He had decided he couldn’t be the man who only got to love her when it was dark
It cut him up inside to watch her walk away from him night after night
Nothing but whispers and the soft trailing of her fingers
It cut him up even more to wait with bated breath on a floor no one came to, in a corner no one came to
But then, when the door swung shut behind him that night, he couldn’t bear the thought of leaving it like that
Leaving her in that classroom with that bottle between her knees was one of the hardest things he’d ever done
She however seemed utterly unperturbed at the thought now
“Mission accomplished then, will that be all?”
It was like she was shooting pins and needles into his chest with every spiteful word
But it didn’t feel like all that spite was directed at him
“I needed to see you because I needed to say this before you go out there and slip that damn mask back on”
Maybe that came out a little more snide than he intended
Maybe he was a little drunk after all
But how do you ask the woman you love to run away with you sober?
“Excuse me?”
Her eyes narrowed at him
But he could see the dividing line between the actress on the stage and the one pulling the strings behind her eyes
“You’re in there Andy, and if I don’t try this now, I may never get you out”
She had been staring at herself in the mirror when he walked in
Sitting at the silver vanity set that her mother, and her mother’s mother had sat at before her
She wondered if they had loved another when they were married
If they had touched another that there family would not approve of
If they thought of them when their new husbands branded their hands, their lips, their mark on iron skin
She had been so lost in this thought that she had barely noticed the curtain slip open
But as her eyes fixed on the face in the mirror she felt all the air in her lungs turn to heavy ash
Broad shoulders, broad chest
Teddy
Even in her mind his name came out breathlessly
She would know those eyes anywhere
She had always wondered how a man of such light could have eyes so dark
She wasn’t sure how her legs got her standing upright when they were shaking that hard
She was sure the harsh imprint in her hand from gripping the vanity had something to do with it
She wondered again if this had happened before
How often had this vanity given the Black women an extra spine?
They stood in silence for what felt like ages
Andromeda’s fears of someone walking in, hurting him, swirling like whirlpools in her head
Constant and never-ending
So her eyes pierced him, veiling the semblance of feelings she had buried
And yet he could see everything
He always could
“You need to go”
She didn’t want to plead, she didn’t want to beg
But she hoped he would see the worry in her eyes
“I can’t watch you get married”
“You don’t have to, just go..”
“... I’m still in love with you”
And there it was
The last chip to crumble from the mountain of strength she thought was so unwavering inside her
She could feel the rumbling deep down
The power of a volcanic eruption, more like a rock-slide
“You can’t do this to me right now, not now, not after everything, Ted don’t make me do this again”
Her tongue ran away with the words spilling out of her
Her voice trembling, clinging to any resolve she had that didn’t want to be broken
She felt her hand clutch her stomach trying to calm the twisting and churning
“You left me!”
The words that had been living in her throat since the day she walked away ran wild
Since the day she had pried his hands from her own and braced the wall on her way out to hold something that would hold her back
His eyes go wide at the accusation
But his voice is gone at the way her eyes water
They’re glossy and horrified that she would ever utter a true emotion just as when they were in that compartment on that train all those months ago
“And I let you”
He’s sure someone is bound to come into the dressing tent at the sound of her
But then he reminds himself who he’s with
Andromeda Black, purveyor of all things secret
She surely has wandlessly silenced them already
Keeping him hidden again like she always had
And it makes his blood boil
Until the sound of her breaks him
“I tried to keep you from ever coming back!”
Her eyes flutter closed
“Why did you have to come back?”
He tries to quiet the urge to hold her
But how overwhelming it is to want to feel her pressed into him, to feel wholly himself
So he treads forward, slowly but surely
The back of her still resting against the vanity
And he lays his fingers against the side of her throat, her pulse racing against his palm, his thumbs brushing away the tears that have fallen
His fingers tickled by the few curls that rest there, that have always rested there at the base of her neck
She closes her eyes at the feeling
This is how she should be touched, she thinks
Every day, soft and tender, just like this
“You should know by now I’ll always come for you”
He had told himself over and over again, your voice should be strong and coarse, should never waver
Before he entered the white tent outside the Manor he had wanted her to feel how he felt every time she brushed him aside like some frustration
Especially on a night after she had wrapped her fingers in his hair and bruised his lips with her own
But he can’t
“I had this plan. I wanted to tell you I love you. That I was sorry for ever walking away from you. I wanted to ask you to pick me but I can’t do that anymore. Not to either of us.”
Staring into her eyes makes him feel like he’s in front of a firing squad
Each unspoken word that he sees inside her a bullet
“I just want to apologize now. I won’t ask you to choose me again Andy.”
Her eyes go wide
The thought of this becoming a reality, this marriage, this future, is crashing into her all of the sudden
Its rushing towards her like the wave of a tsunami but her feet are being swallowed by the sand of the beach
She can only stand and watch as she is washed away
Wait
But she doesn’t hear the sound of her voice
Just feels the way her eyes plead
“I just want you to be happy”
I won’t be, she thinks
Not without you
She feels his hands tense, sees his arms flex
“It always was hard to let you go”
The soft air that escapes him, the exasperation, is supposed to be a laugh she thinks
But they are both much too exhausted for that
Then don’t, she thinks
“Goodbye”
The words reverberate in the lining of the skin
And suddenly she can’t breathe
There is a weight on her chest
And the pearls are tightening around her neck
And she’s grasping, scratching, tearing them away from her
“Andy what’s wrong?”
But the words are stuck to the side of her cheek and ground between her teeth
“Andy let me help”
But he can’t
He’s leaving
He’s leaving
“Andy just breathe”
And she’s crying
“I can’t do this Teddy, how did I ever think I could do this?”
She peers up into the golden rays of his eyes
“How did I ever think I could stop?”
She wonders how she didn’t notice she had been starving this whole time
How she didn’t notice she was homesick
“It’s you. It’s always been you. It was always going to be you.”
So she grips his hand tightly
“Let’s go”
His arms feel more like home than any house ever did
She is eleven when the bathroom becomes her first source of refuge. Her knees imprinted with the tiles from where she sits, cold to the touch. She lets the tears that run down her cheek bounce off her skin and she wonders if you can cry of joy and sadness all at once. Because she’s magic. And oh she could burst from how right it feels, how real it feels. Everything about the tingling in her fingers and the rumbling fire inside her make sense now. But she’s a freak, she reminds herself. A freak, the way her sister had spat such hate makes her skin crawl. Doesn’t she love me? Lily wonders. Doesn’t she see the light and good that still bubble inside me? Yet the look of disgust, runs cold through her. Freak, she whispers. And pats the tears dry from her freckled cheek.
She is thirteen when she decides James Potter will never be her friend. Could never be her friend. He is unkind. He reminds her that her favourite place, her home, can still be touched. That it is still, despite all the magic around her, all the beauty in the casting of enchantments, there is still an unkindness that festers. And she wonders if it will seep into skin because it is more than James Potter. More than silly pranks and the way he yells her name across the Great Hall. They are worse. They are friends with Severus, with her Severus, and although she will turn flowers into pocket watches and fly so high the clouds become home and she doesn’t know how much longer she can be kind. She feels her teeth grinding closed to stop the wave of fury. So when she goes home and her mother brushes back her hair and her father rubs her back and her sister turns up her nose at her stories, she knows the itch beneath her skin will no longer be kind.
She is fifteen and she finds that the smell of the lake and the feel of grass makes her calm. She sits there for hours and days, in snow and rain and sunshine, she sits there. And Remus finds her with his soft eyes and his gentle soul. He sits next to her in silence but it doesn’t always feel so silent. His eyes say everything she ever needed to know. They tell her hate is not a reflection of you. That foul words do not brand you, they are turned to ash by the way your flames lick the sky. And she smiles. She remembers the little girl on the bathroom floor who found solace in the sparks that left her fingertips and she smiles. There is still kindness in them, Remus. Even when they cannot see it, there is beauty. And even if Severus is not her friend anymore, even if it is him who unhinged her jaw and let the black hole inside her pour out, she smiles. It is not an unkindness to remind them you are not dirt to be stepped on or a bag to be punched.
She is seventeen and the way he whispers her name causes her shoulders to roll back and her lungs to lust for air. His hand brushes the lingering hair back over her shoulder and she can see that his lips want to trace the way freckles run over her shoulder and dapple her neck. You know Evans, her skin tingles with him so close, I should have been more kind. Her eyes flicker to his, the firelight around them making him glow. I should have been more kind. And her lips find his suddenly, her hand finds his neck and she wants to swallow every word because there he is. James Potter. Yes he has always be handsome and he he has always been frustrating but this is the first time he has ever been grace. And she fears that if she does not reach inside him and let the honey of his words cool her skin she will burn up. Her world has been a harsh place and the stake they tied her to, the martyr she fears she might become, makes her spine feel stiff. They make her shoulders feel heavy. And it is James, James, that makes her feel it is okay to be carried.
She is nineteen and oh god, oh god, how is she supposed to do this, how is she supposed to be this? She isn’t a mother, she’s hardly even a person yet. And her mind feels like its overflowing and her body is filled to the brim and her toes are pressing against the tile and her hands shake as they grip the counter but she pauses. And she sees her eyes reflected back at her. The thick emerald swirl of her eyes and there’s this pulling down in her core, a magical force not entirely her own but it is pulling. And she is brought back to a moment she hardly even thought was a moment when she was in it but its there. She’s standing on a bridge hoping the wind will wake up her mind, relieve the itch under her skin, but it is calm and she is left in sudden silence. The world is a terrible place, she thinks, a terrible horrible unearthly place and she wonders how there can be so much darkness. But then, somewhere inside her she remembers that darkness is only the absence of light. And when she comes back to the bathroom, when she comes back to her green eyes, she finds her palm flat against her stomach. That was you.
She is twenty-one and she hadn’t prepared her last thoughts, she had barely readied herself for the rest of her life. But here she was, time cascading through her mind, like the ebb and flow of water when the moon is pulling it home. Into the past, into the future. And now she can only think of one thing. Harry. She will never see another smile. She will never know which tooth it is that will first make way for a new smile. A smile that will entice his soulmate, that will be the reflection of his father, a smile she would fall in love with over and over and over again. She will never see him in his robes, in a suit, wrapped around his children. And as she grips him she thinks of James. Of the last image in his mind. Of the last words on his lips. I love you Lily, I love you, I love you, I love you. And she thinks, yes, the world is a terrible place. And she wishes they had years. She wishes magic wasn’t everything she ever wished for and then swallows the thought before it can leave her because magic is everything she ever needed. Magic gave her this life. And she pours all of it into Harry, this gift she was so blessed to have, this gift she was happy to have. She swaddles him in all the magic that courses through her veins until nothing is left inside her and she turns, ready to shatter this home, shatter this world, shatter the last bit of hatred that tried to take her. With blinding light she shatters.
She is twenty-three or she should be. The dress that flows around her legs should be scratching at her ankles but it doesn’t. The cotton should be too warm on her sensitive skin but it isn’t. And she feels different. There is no familiar rumbling in the pit of her stomach, no fire burning and aching to be released, no tension in her back. She turns and there are brown eyes looking out at her. Brown eyes and that smile and warm sunshine and fields of soft grass beneath her toes and vast oceans that smell of salt. But she wonders, she wonders where the ache is in her bones that knows she shouldn’t be here yet. That they shouldn’t be here yet. Then he touches her. Flat palm against her cheek, he touches her. Lily. His skin is holding everything, is pouring everything into her. It is familiar. But there are no callouses from years of flying, no scar from the night he tried to cook for her, no permanent singe on his palm from years of infamous pranks. James. He is glowing. She is glowing. She wonders what this light that wraps around her is doing, why it is making her eyes flutter closed, but then she sees him. He is bundled in a blanket at first. Harry. But then there are flashes, flashes of never ending fear and she wants to reach for him but she can’t. When he is seeing her face and running his small fingers against a scrapbook, she can’t. When he is brandishing his wand and pieces of his soul are breaking, she can’t. When he is knocked down and afraid and waking in cold sweats from the darkness inside him that tries to poison his blood, she can’t. Harry. She breaks. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Baby I’m so sorry.
Because I’ve always wanted to get inside Lily’s head the moment everything ended for her, well, in the physical life anyway.
“And she knows he’s mouthing the words back to her as she tears up the stairs. As she clutches Harry to her chest. She can’t hear anything but this is the end. And Harry’s crying in her arms now at the screaming.”
Inspiration.
Warning: major character death
Enjoy.
And she thought
Maybe in another life
Maybe in another time
They could have this
This life she dreamt up but never dared to speak of
This life she had hated herself for wanting so bad
Wanting so much
There was warmth there
In that small cottage of cobblestone and bird baths and windows that were never really clean
In knit blankets over couches and mugs of tea littering every surface they could find
Toes squished into thick rugs and skin going numb from lying in bed for far too long
The pitter-pattering of small feet and sparks of magic outside the kitchen window and snowy days where their eyes just couldn’t stay open in front of a fire
But it hadn’t ever become that
They hadn’t ever become that
The couple she so badly wished they could be once more
The one that had danced to no music in the common room because the only way he could see tears cover the freckles of her face were when it came from laughter
The one that had held an all-out week long whole Gryffindor tower prank war because James had dare utter the words “Marauders do it best”
The one that drank until they were dizzy and left bruises on collar bones, down the columns of each others throats
The one that took bets on whether Moons would ever cave in to Pads’ puppy dog eyes
The one that kissed frantically, earnestly, romantically
The one that couldn’t bear to be parted
But maybe
Maybe it was never supposed to
Maybe this destiny was the only destiny she had ever had
And she wishes in some small part of herself that it had never happened
That she had never let herself see him as more than a snotty nosed git with two left feet and eyes too big for his face
That she had never let herself see the planes of his chest as a place to rest her fingers
Or the sharp line of his jaw as home to her lips
She wishes he had never crawled under her rib cage and taken home in the curves of her heart
Never dappled the back of her neck with stars
Never ruined her for another
Because then maybe they would be alive
Maybe he would be off soaring thousands of feet in the air
Wind in his hair, in his jersey, on his skin
The sun glinting off him bringing an entirely new meaning to the word gold
James Potter would be a household name for an entirely different reason
Lily knows it
And merlin she wants that for him
Wants to see him come to life again the way he did at school
Hear a laugh that isn’t weakened by the state they’re in
Isn’t fearful of being too jovial, too loud, too careless
Not just see a flicker of it in his eye when he’s laying Harry down
And then watch it extinguish as he turns away
Because god he deserves it
Wholly selfless and kind and incredible James Potter deserves everything
That’s what she had said as he slipped the ring on her finger
You’re so much more than anyone will ever give you credit for
So much more than I could have ever known
But she can’t
Not anymore
Not with the sounds of the door exploding
The cold magic that now envelops their home so unfamiliar and dreadful that her skin crawls, her heart breaks
Its the sounds of James’ voice that pierces every nerve ending in her body
Lily go
Take Harry
I’ll hold him off
But she can’t see a wand in his hand
Her eyes to focused on pushing every ounce of everything she had ever felt for him into one last look
Burning the image of his face into her mind
Soft eyes, soft lips, strong hands, strong heart
I love you
I love you
Jamie I love you
And she knows he’s mouthing the words back to her as she tears up the stairs
As she clutches Harry to her chest
She can’t hear anything but this is the end
This is the end
Oh god this is the end
And Harry’s crying in her arms now at the screaming
At the sound of a curse so unforgivable Lily feels herself uncontrollably weeping
And her whole world, even her dream world, is unreachable now
There will never be another day where she sees her own eyes looking back at her through thick lashes and smooth black hair
Never be another moment to wrap James up in her arms
To feel the way his lips graze her skin and his fingers clutch at her waist
The will never be another second to pepper Harry’s chubby cheeks and giggling face with kisses
Never be a tomorrow where they were together
And she can’t help but remember James words
Lily I need to say this
I need you to hear me say this
She had cried and clung to him as he clung to her
She had never felt so old, never felt her life so incomplete than right there
Lily
He had whispered it like a fleeting promise
Like a promise he knew he’d have to keep sooner than they hoped
If ever there is a tomorrow when we're not together
I need you to know
You are so much braver than you believe
So much stronger than anyone could conceive
And just as smart as than you know you are
But the most important thing is that even if we're apart...
She had pressed her lips against his as he spoke
I'll always be with you
And Lily thinks
Well
Thank the heavens there had been a yesterday
Without his ridiculous scheming and embarrassing flirting and gorgeous smile Lily would never have known what it meant to fly head first into something without looking
Would never have understood what the word soulmate truly meant
She wouldn’t feel a love so immense, so unbound, so uncontrollable that the moment the door in front of her shattered she felt anger
The fear and ache in her stomach was no match to the unadulterated hatred she felt
No one could take this life from her
No one could ever make her step aside even when her wand was downstairs and her husband’s barely cold form laid vacant on the stairs of their home
Harry was all this world had left of James’ smile, of his fierceness
Was all this world would have left of her
So she pleads one last time with the hooded coward before her
Please not Harry
Take me
Take me
Please take me
Please don’t touch Harry
Not my Harry
And when his laugh pierced her skin she knew how much of a fool he was
Knew he had never known the gift of a mother’s love
The blessing it is to feel so immensely that not even death itself could tear her away from Harry
Could tear her away from James
And the moment the scream tore from her throat she felt the magic inside her burst
She felt the world in her mind collapsing around her
The physical planes of this life disappearing
Part of her soul fluttering away to a new place, a lighter place
The other part stayed behind
Wrapped itself so tightly around Harry that no harm could ever touch the softness of his skin, would never break the love inside him
And when she felt her eyes flutter open again
When familiar tousled hair and bright brown eyes came into view she smiled
The Republic City Gala is coming up and Jinora is hoping that he’ll finally realize what he’s been unable to see all along.
Part one here.
Warning violence
Enjoy.
In the last few weeks Kai and Jinora had been so swept up in helping Tenzin and Korra prep for the Gala they had barely anytime to breathe. They had finally gotten the afternoon off today and they were going to go down to the beach but, of course, Pema snatched Jinora up right after breakfast to get her to try her new dress on.
“It’ll take like 20 minutes’ tops, how about I meet you on the steps in an hour?” Jinora stood up from the table and Kai nodded at her with his mouth full of food.
Jinora followed her mother through the temple to her bedroom and saw the dress hanging in a plastic bag from her closet door. As her mom unzipped the packaging she saw the beautiful reds and oranges and yellows the ran all over the dress. Her face must have shown her admiration because her mother chuckled, “And to think you didn’t even want a new dress.”
As Jinora slid into the dress she felt a lot older and much more beautiful than she had ever felt before. She looked at herself in the mirror she suddenly couldn’t wait for the Gala to come and for a certain someone to see her. When she turned to her mom she smiled brightly, “I love it.” Her mom grinned back, “You look stunning Jinora, it fits you perfectly.”
Jinora slipped out of the dress and got into her bathing suit to go down to the beach. She tried not to let her mind drift to the Gala but having finally put on that dress she felt elated. She had been having dreams about it for a while and although she was definitely not excited to have her father parade her around the room to visiting dignitaries and spiritual leaders but the dreams were never about that. She always imagined some fairy tale moment where Kai might ask her to dance and as they spun around the room she would finally be able to say the things she had always wanted to say.
They had been friends forever and she thought many times that something would happen but whenever it got to the brink of something, one of them backed down. They hadn’t spoken about that night in the temple when she had been giving Kai his tattoos. They had just rubbed it off like it was nothing more than because of the seclusion and meditation but she knew it wasn’t. It wasn’t nothing to her anyway, she didn’t exactly know how Kai felt.
He got very closed off when she got too close or too personal and although when she was younger she didn’t mind; she was getting older now. Bolder even, and she could feel herself gaining the confidence to tell him that he meant so much more to her than as just her best friend. Unfortunately, she had never found the time or opportunity to say what she was thinking about this to him and she always felt this overwhelming fear it would just push him away. She felt like she was just stuck in an endless loop of this.
Hopefully it would break soon.
Once she had finished getting ready she threw her beach items into a bag and ran down to the steps. As she walked through the temple doors in her halter style bikini and sheer cover-up that wrapped around her hips she saw Kai. He turned as her heard her, he was wearing a pair of swim trunks and had nothing else with him. Good thing she had been in charge of packing.
They were laying in the sand and watching the sun set towards the west over the city. They had worn themselves ragged taking the day to just be liked the kids they once were. It was a nice break from being their usual twenty-year-old selves who had lots of duties and responsibilities. Apparently they came with the territory once you had mastered an element that had almost gone extinct.
Jinora spoke without turning her head towards Kai, “You know, I don’t tell you this a lot but I’m really glad I have you around.” Kai turned to look at Jinora, her eyes were closed but she had a slight grin on her face. He moved his hand over and squeezed her hand that was laying on the sand next to him, “Me too Jin.” When he touched her hand her big brown eyes fluttered open and she turned to look at him, he could see the faint blush that rose on her cheeks.
“Are you two coming to eat?!” Both were startled off the sand and looked behind them to see Meelo standing on the steps up to the temple. Kai realized he was still gripping Jinora’s hand and let go swiftly, “Yeah Meelo, coming now.” His hand felt cold where hers had been, he missed the warmth.
It was the day of the Gala and unfortunately Tenzin had swept Kai up early to go help him set things up in the city. He hadn’t even gotten a chance to eat breakfast let alone see Jinora before they flew off on Tenzin’s sky bison. When he went to bed after the beach that night he started to get a nervous feeling in his stomach and his mind was going a mile a minute. Maybe there was something in Jinora for him. Something more than friendship. T
hose thoughts made him start picturing her at the Gala; he had overheard Asami and Pema talking about Jinora’s dress and how much it made her look like a grown woman. He had obviously noticed both of them were changing and he could kind of ignore it up to now but the thought of Jinora in this dress was driving him crazy. Definitely a restless night.
When Jinora woke up that morning her mother informed her that she would be helping around the temple preparing some items that would be taken to the conference hall before the Gala. Her mom saw her looking around and notified her that her father had already taken Kai into the city for the day and that they would meet them downtown.
She spent the whole day and night thinking about their moment at the beach. Her heart froze when she felt him grip her hand because he had never done that before. She thought that might have been her moment but of course Meelo interrupted them before she could say anything and Kai had nearly jumped into the air at the sound of Meelo’s voice. It was confusing being in love with your best friend; what was him loving her and what was him falling in love with her?
Asami was helping her with her hair for the evening and could see the gears in her head grinding a thousand miles a minute. “You know Jinora, the first time I really acknowledged I had fallen for Korra was the day of Varrick and Zhu Li’s wedding.” Jinora popped out of her head and looked into the mirror at Asami.
“When we all went to get ready, usually I knew exactly what I would wear but when I opened my closet I felt worried. I wanted to wear something that was going to make her think I was the most beautiful woman there, that would make her see only me.”
Jinora laughed, “Asami, Korra would love you no matter what you wore.”
Asami chuckled too, “That’s what I finally realized after I had tried on my entire closet. Korra and I had built a really solid friendship and that’s how I knew, no matter what I wore or what I said, she would always care about me. That’s what best friends do.” Jinora looked down into her lap when she realized that Asami was trying to help her with her feelings for Kai.
Korra walked through the bathroom door in her outfit for the evening and leaned against the doorframe, “Don’t overthink it like I did Jin, trust your feelings. You’ll regret it if you don’t.”
Asami placed both her hands on Jinora’s shoulders, “Your all done, go put that dress on and meet us downstairs.” She wrapped up her hairstyling tools and grabbed Korra’s hand as they left her room. Before they closed the door Jinora could hear Korra faintly, “You’re always the most beautiful woman in the room you know.” She smiled at the compliment.
Once she had slid into her dress she looked at herself in the mirror, time to go.
When they were walking up the street from the dock to the grand conference hall Jinora looked up to see all the big flashing lights. The hotel was lit up in gold, there were photographers everywhere with their camera flashing blinding white lights and people came in droves.
She was walking with her mother, Asami and Korra towards the building when she could her the crowds of people behind the barricades yelling their names. She turned to see little kids holding signs with Korra’s name on it and some even had hers. She waved to them and they all started smiling brightly and cheering her name.
Kai was standing with Tenzin in the large hall. The whole place was marble, there were hundreds of round tables everywhere for the dinner portion of the evening and a massive floor laid out for dancing. There were decorations, floral arrangements and a very large band playing soft music as people came.
Bolin and Mako had arrived pretty early to help them set up and it wasn’t too long after that that all the Beinfong’s arrived. Of course, Lin was in charge of the security so she was busy running around most of the day but Suyin and Baatar spent their time with Tenzin.
Although he liked had some people his own age around as the time grew later he found he kept his eyes more and more fixated on the grand staircase. More and more people came in wearing all different sorts of regalia from each of the nations just not the one he wanted to see. Suddenly, however, Tenzin put his hand on his shoulder suddenly and when Kai turned to look at him, “They’re here.”
He turned back to see where Tenzin was looking and he saw Pema descending the stairs with Korra and Asami, arm-in-arm behind her. Once they had descended most of the staircase that’s when he saw her following behind Korra and Asami.
Her hair was a lot longer now than when they were younger but she was wearing part of it pulled up away from her face and the rest in waves cascading down her back. The dress was a deep red and fitted tight against her body; it was sleeveless to expose her blue tattoos with an orange band that wrapped around her waist and tied into the back.
The ends of the band draped behind her with the train of the dress as she walked. As she walked down the stairs Kai watched the dress sway with the movement of her hips and slide smoothly over the marble of the steps as she walked towards him.
Once she had gotten to the bottom, her eyes still fixed on Kai, she moved around everyone to stand with him. He was wearing a sleeveless yellow tunic with a high collar and a slit from his chin to his chest over tan pants and brown boots. The tunic was wrapped with an orange sash across his body and tied along the waist with a red band.
He had a traditional air nomad beaded wooden necklace on with the air element symbol pendant handing just as she did. He looked much older with the soft stubble on his sharp jawline and his freshly shaved undercut.
She smiled at him as she walked up to him, “You look great Kai, like a true Master.” She could see his face get red, “Thanks Jin, you-you look incredible.” She blushed and did a small twirl in the dress, “What this old thing?” They both started laughing. It felt normal, more comfortable, not they were at a Gala with a million photographers and people around them.
The night moved forward with a lot of pictures being taken, people being talked to and foot being eaten. Her father had moved her and Kai around the room more times than they could remember. He wanted everyone to meet the youngest Masters in a generation and it seemed, a lot of them wanted the opportunity to meet them.
They asked them a lot of questions and Jinora hadn’t realized how many people knew of her spiritual powers. Many of the spiritual leaders gave her helpful advice and discussed their own experiences in the spirit world.
When it was finally time to sit for dinner Kai had thought he could finally get a moment to talk to Jinora but people were still mingling around the room and she seemed to be a hot spot. Once dinner had finished there were a few speeches and dessert was served.
As the speeches finished and announcer came forward and welcomed everyone onto the dance floor. Jinora turned to Kai when they announced dancing and before he could open his mouth someone beat him to the punch.
“Master Jinora.” They both turned to see a young man wearing the military uniform of the Fire Nation, “I was wondering if you would like to dance?” Jinora looked up at him and then looked towards Kai, she was hoping he would but in and tell the man he was taking her dancing but Kai said nothing.
“Uhm, sure.”
She placed her hand out for the gentleman to take and he led her to the floor. Kai watched her walk away but had to tear his eyes away when the man grabbed her hand in his and placed his other hand on her back.
Asami nudged Bolin who was sitting beside her and motioned towards Kai with her head. Bolin jumped out of his chair and walked over the sit in Jinora’s previously occupied seat, “Hey buddy. How’s your night going?” Kai looked past Bolin at the dance floor and could see that Jinora was laughing as the man spun her around the floor then he looked back at Bolin. “It’s good.” Bolin turned around the see what Kai had been looking at and realized what Asami was referencing.
“You know; I remember when I tried to get Opal to notice me for the first time. Mako gave me some horrible advice about being a sly smooth talker but what she really wanted was for me to just be myself. She told me that that’s what she liked most, that she felt we were going to be really good friends, even before she knew I had feelings for her. So I just stopped trying to be something I wasn’t and just went for it.”
Kai smacked his hand on Bolin’s bicep, “You’re right.” Kai got up from the table and walked towards to the dance floor just as the song was coming to an end. He walked towards Jinora and with eyes locked on hers reached out his hand, “Mind if I have the next dance?” Jinora bowed her head to the gentleman in front of her and placed her hand in Kai’s as the music started up again.
This time it was much softer so Kai pulled her close to him and placed his other hand on the small of her back. He felt her other hand gently rest on his chest and he looked down at her, “Enjoy your dance?” She laughed, “Oh yeah, if you enjoy talking to someone who wont stop talking about great battle strategies they’ve carried out. I don’t think I got a word in!”
Kai felt a wave of relief settle over his chest and the muscles in his shoulders began to unwind. His eyes were still locked with hers and he couldn’t help himself. He leaned down towards her and he could feel them both stop dancing. He kept inching towards her face and he could tell that she was moving her face towards him too.
Their lips finally interlocked and he closed his eyes as this rush ran through his body. He released her hand and placed it on the side of her face and she moved her newly freed hand onto the other side of this chest. With his other hand still on her back he pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. When they both pulled back he opened his eyes to see her own flutter open.
Their faces were still very close together and before he could speak, she did, “God I’ve been waiting for you to do that.”
Kai smirked and leaned forward again. He whispered, “Me too,” before intertwining his lips with hers once more.
Soooooo today is my birthday and I’ve decided to post a little gift for you guys for being so wonderful and so kind.
This blog is coming on its year anniversary faster than I thought it would and I just wanted to say how ridiculously grateful I am for the endless love and support you all have offered me. My heart is so full today and your kind hearts clearly know no bounds as you continue to show me more love than I could ever deserve.
A lil headcannon about Lily becoming an animagus for Remus too because their friendship is my absolute favourite.
Part one here.
Warning: violence
Enjoy.
She caught the eye of the buck as she did so
Evading Remus’ lunges without effort
Just as she had practiced all those nights beneath a starry sky
She circled around him
Her hooves dancing along the forest floor as she led him towards the trees
He was running after her with more speed than she expected
But Lily knew if she gave the boys long enough to turn back, fix themselves up and come after them than everything would be okay
She kept him looping around the forest; she bounced off trees and slipped through fallen logs
He was gaining on her but not enough to be life-threatening
Not yet anyway.
That was until the noise of his claws hitting the forest floor fell silent and she spun around
Ears perked and eyes wide.
Where had he gone?
The thought barely let her mind when he dropped in front of her and swung.
The nails of his claws were long, sharpened from years of transformations, and painful in her flesh
He ripped across her shoulder, the four lines spouting blood as she pounced backwards.
The blood was dripping, the cuts stinging from the cold autumn air, but she couldn’t stop now.
She lunged backwards, the sound of him tailing her loud and clearer than ever now.
She was fearful; she didn’t want to have to hurt Remus, not even in this state when he wasn’t himself.
However, that didn’t stop James and Sirius.
They lunged at him before she even knew they were there and when she turned back Remus was unconscious.
He was curled in a ball on the forest floor, the pine needles below them a make shift bed and his stomach rising slowly signaling he wasn’t dead
They must do this all the time
She could see the faint bruising and cuts on his head, a deep gash where a hoof brought him down.
She could see the Shrieking Shack from their position but was brought back to the animals around her when a small rat squirted before her and began its transformation.
They all did.
She was nervous to transform, what if Remus awoke before they had time, he would never forgive himself if he hurt them
But she trusted them.
They had done this more times than she ever had or probably ever would
When was standing before them in her now tattered Hogwarts uniform she winced and clutched at her collarbone.
She felt her fingers become sticky with blood that was still dripping down her skin.
The pain was tolerable but her adrenaline was coming down and with each moment the throbbing got worse.
She had heard werewolf injuries were much different, not healed by simple first aid magic
They needed the tending of a professional healer.
Great, she thought, how do I explain this to Madame Pomfrey?
“Are you insane Evans?” she could hear Black’s voice but she couldn’t focus on it.
“How the fuck did you find us?”
It was Peter now, concern oozing from his lips.
“You could have gotten yourself killed! Why the hell are you out here?”
There was James, at last.
He was rushing towards her the words coming out of his mouth a million miles a second and she felt dizzy trying to focus on him.
He clutched her arms as she spoke and she felt her eyelids getting heavy, “James I-”
The world went dark.
The last sound ringing in her ears as she slipped from conscious, “Lily!”
The angry whispers that surrounded her brought her back to consciousness.
“She’s a bloody animagi!”
“How did she find us?”
“When the hell did she hold that stupid mandrake leaf in her mouth?”
“How did we not notice!”
“How long do you think she’s known?”
And then the soft weakened voice that met her ears
“If she doesn’t wake up-”
“Remus don’t. Of course she’ll wake!”
“It’s Evans, she’s going to need to yell at James about this.”
She smirked
“You lot talk too much.”
Her eyes fluttered open to see three stunned faces and gaping mouths.
All but Remus, his eyes completely averted and his hands clutched in his lap
His knuckles whiter than she’d ever seen
She smiled gently and turned to him
“Rem”
She could see the tears falling from his eyes, his hands tighter
So she sat up, her brow furrowing at the pain shooting up her shoulder.
James hands were on her back, helping her adjust so that she could grab Remus’ hand.
He slipped in behind her to keep her up; her skin tingled at the touch
She bit her lip and focused on Remus
“Stop being such a prat and look at me.”
He lifted his head steadily, his eyes glazed, a large bandage fashioned down the side of his face.
She could see that saddened look in his eye, the dark circles and newly placed markings decorating his skin.
She raised her finger to swipe the tear drops from his cheek that Sirius had yet to blot away
She could see him opening his mouth, she could see an apology forming on his lips but she silenced him.
“I wanted this. That’s why I followed you, I wanted to help you. I refuse to sit in the hospital wing at your bedside once a month when I can be out there making sure you tossers keep it together.”
The tears kept falling from Remus’ eyes but he kept his gaze steadily focused on her as she spoke
His hands losing their grip on one another as Sirius’ hand circled his back
She felt James tense up against her before
She turned to look over her shoulder at the hardened expression on his face
“Not happening.”
She nudged back into him and squeezed Remus’ hand
“If you think you can make me stay behind Potter you have another thing coming. I’ll leave that to Remus, if you want me there, and it doesn’t have to be all the time, you just say so.”
Sirius had his arm clutched to Remus shoulder as Remus spoke
“I would have killed you if she wasn’t there James. Both of you.”
His voice shook but it was stern and strong as he wrapped his fingers around Lily’s hand.
“Thank you for stopping me”
“That wasn’t you Remus, you didn’t hurt us.”
Remus raised his eyes
“Of course I did, look at your shoulder, those marks will never leave your-”
“Stop it. You didn’t hurt me, you would never hurt me.”
Sirius rubbed his palm into Remus’ back
“One, she’s right Moons, you didn’t hurt us at all. And two, she’s fast Prongs, faster than both of us.”
James was still tense against her as she leaned into him
“I don’t care. I’m not- I can’t- It’s just-”
His voice was raspy; the air in his throat seemed to hitch
He rested his forehead against her head shoulder as she spoke
“Now you know how I feel”
His eyes fluttered open and he leaned to look at her face over her shoulder
“What?”
Lily released a soft sigh and then laughed
“You really are daft Potter.”
She moved her eyes to Remus, a soft smile etched on her lips
“I’m coming next month, every month, whenever you need me. I’ll always be there for you Remus”
She could feel Remus’ grip tightening on her hand
“And just like you said to me all those months ago when I lost my parents, I’m your family now. I promise.”
