“No one needs to know,” Draco offered, a dull flush on his cheeks, eyes focused on the floor.
“No one needs to know,” Hermione repeated, panting, still trying to catch her breath.
What the hell was Draco talking about? Hermione’s brain was still offline, her skin humming, her heart pounding, her thighs sticky. She slumped against the wall with a frown.
“If you want to… I would understand,” Draco muttered and ran his left hand through his hair, exposing his fading Death Mark.
Oh.
“Don’t be stupid, Draco,” she huffed at him.
“Right.” Draco blinked at her, his lips twitching.
request by anon: you have a tattoo of what your soulmate is most passionate about. prompt from here.
title: A Heart Half Open
words: ~1600
rating T for language
pairings: nalu & gajevy
“I don’t even know what this means still,” Lucy complained, prodding at her shoulder where a strangely shaped red marking stood. “Do you think we should ask someone else?” The last person she asked about the tattoo had laughed themselves silly when she told them it randomly appeared one morning, but Lucy was fast running out of ideas.
She couldn’t quite figure out what it was, not even when Levy had snapped a myriad of pictures for them to research. It had led to a whole lot of zilch. Notta. Error. In other words, every book they picked up mentioned nothing about random tattoos appearing in the middle of the night except for two. One thought it was an elaborate prank by a friend and the other suggested something absurd. Something that still made Lucy scoff days later.
Magic existing was as likely as poisoned water causing it or, or, or the Heartfilia’s somehow losing all their collective money. It was ridiculous, inconceivable -- impossible -- to even consider her new tattoo to have magical beginnings.
Levy didn’t respond, fiddling with the water bottle in her hand. Lucy fixed the strap of her shirt lest she flash a passing stranger on accident. That would only improve of her father’s mood, which had been irritable ever since he found the tattoo. He certainly hadn’t thought it was magic and even though she was twenty-one, she still cowered before her father’s disapproval.
“Levy?” She prodded after a few minutes of silence. Levy’s soft face was unusually solemn and contemplative; it was almost unheard of to see her bookish friend ignore a challenging research subject. The moment Lucy hesitantly told Levy what happened, she had tied up her blue hair and traded her plaid pajamas for jean shorts, demanding Lucy to recap her entire day as they hurried to the library. As their days of research came up more and more empty, Levy’s excitement had only increased to outrageous levels, but Lucy wondered if the lack of answers had finally dried Levy’s well. “Are you okay?”
“Lu, do you think there’s such thing as magic?”
“Pah,’ Lucy said, nose wrinkling. She smiled in thanks when Levy handed her a water bottle from the depths of her backpack, though she didn’t drink it. “If there was magic, someone would have found evidence of it. No, I don’t mean eye-witness accounts, we both know those can be biased very easily, but I mean cold, hard facts.” She smacked her hand into her palm for emphasis, but regretted it as a sting ran up her palm and to her elbow. They had just left the library after a grueling ten hour research session and her arms were sore from scouring book after book. Levy, used to devouring eight books a day, didn’t flinch.
“Your tattoo isn’t?” She asked, her arms crossed, tugging her elbow-sleeved shirt tight across her shoulders where Lucy could just barely make out the edge of a bandage. Levy dropped her arms a second later to allow an impatient gentleman to pass them on the sidewalk and Lucy forgot all about it as they struggled to escape the flow of people escaping the train.
Once a safe distance away, they slowed and stopped in the shadow of a book store. Lucy bit her tongue to keep from groaning as Levy came to a stop, hurriedly adding before Levy requested going inside. “No, one is coincidence --”
“But two might be true,” Levy interrupted, shifting on her feet. Her eyes darted around, waiting to see if someone might be listening or watching, and then put her back to the crowd.
Lucy narrowed her eyes, scanning Levy’s face for an answer to her friend’s strange behavior. Like all her attempts at research, she found nothing concrete. For all she knew, it could be Levy adapting to an unexpected shark week or the stress of school classes in the coming month. “We don’t exactly have two of these to study. Not unless someone else has one to match... for... me.” Her words slowed, mouth falling open as Levy tugged on her shirt, lifting her arm out of one side and shoving the top up. A yellow tank top shielded her from the world, but Lucy focused on a white bandage on her shoulder. “Levy, did you get a tattoo or something?”
“Or something,” Levy replied in a mutter, so low that Lucy didn’t think her friend had expected her to hear. She took a moment to unwind the bandage and Lucy stepped forward to shield her from anyone’s view, but quickly lost sight of her goal as a screw came into view. It was about two inches long in varying shades of grey, a stark contrast to the bright colors of her wardrobe.
“What the... Why do you have a screw on your shoulder?”
“Why do you have a splotch on your shoulder?”
“It’s a fairy,” Lucy argued, pouting. Where Levy’s had depth and shadows, Lucy’s could be described best as a paint splatter; if there was a shape to it, she wasn’t sure what it was yet. The only thing that possessed any depth was the cord of fire that jutted from one of the thinner, line-like splotches. Like a fairy dancing in fire. “And I don’t know it just-- Oh, no. Oh, no, Levy!” She grabbed Levy’s wrist, leaning closer to her. “Did it just appear for you too?”
“I found it a few days ago,” Levy admitted, fixing her top. Lucy had a sudden revelation about Levy’s unstoppable studying after weeks of confusion. It had little to do with Lucy’s own tattoo or a breakthrough on their part, but the arrival of Levy’s own weirdness.
“Like magic?” Lucy whispered, fingers digging into Levy’s skin.
“Like magic.”
“Well, shit.”
Lucy unscrewed her water bottle and -- to the befuddlement of Levy -- dumped it into a nearby planter bush.
And -- to both their astonishment -- a pink-haired figure yelped midstride and yanked the near empty bottle from her hand, dumping the remaining water onto his flaming sleeve. The water doused the small fire, a black singe and the flabbergasted look on all three of their faces the only evidence that it existed.
His face twisted into a snarl and he whirled around. Levy and Lucy took a large step back, grasping hands. The look on his face was almost feral, but when his voice came out, it was more akin to a whine. “What did you do to my lighter, huh?” He demanded of a long black-haired man who had approached in those brief seconds of Lucy’s inattention.
“Nothing. You’re just an idiot,” he deadpanned in response, a smirk curling on his lips. The words were cold, but his eyes were alight with excitement that the pink-haired man echoed.
“WHAT?” The pink-haired man sprang into action, leaping at his friend, and in the sudden blur of fists, Lucy spotted a pink splotch on his hand. A splotch with something like a quill resting beneath it. Like a fairy holding a pen.
She squeezed Levy’s hand so hard that there was an audible creak from her fingers. Levy squeaked, wiggling her fingers. “Lucy,” she whispered, taking a large step away from the brawling boys. “Let’s just go...”
The pink haired man stiffened, his fingers clutched tight around the collar of his friend’s shirt. The shirt rode up and Lucy spotted the edge of a tattoo with a sharp blue edge and a script that Lucy couldn’t translate.
She shook her head. “Levy, he’s...” She didn’t finish because both men dropped the other like they were burnt, eyes wide with shock.
“Natsu--”
“Gajeel--”
Lucy flinched at the sudden flash of knowledge, not in words, but in feelings. The type that crashed over in slow moving waves, washing over her, a roar in her ears consisting of his name. She blinked rapidly, her lips parting till the feeling disippated as quickly as it arrived and she knew, without needing to say it, that their tattoos matched just enough to matter.
She let out a shallow breath and broke into a disbelieving smile. “So, pink hair huh? Is that why your tattoo is pink too?”
Natsu snorted. ‘It’s salmon. -- and only if yours is yellow.”
“It’s red, I’m afraid.”
He grinned -- and she would be a liar if she said that it didn’t make her want to smile as well. “Red’s my favorite color.”
“And pink’s mine.”
And before they could say more -- though what they would stay remained a mystery to Lucy to this day -- they heard Levy began to chortle. A great big laugh that brought tears to Levy’s eyes and a frown to the other man’s face as he studied her with such an intesnity that it wouldn’t surprise any of them if she suddenly combusted.
“What are you laughing about?” Lucy asked, a warmth filling her cheeks as she broke eye contact with Natsu.
“I have an unexplainable screw tattoo on my shoulder now.”
“At least ya don’t have a damn book with words you can’t even read,” the man -- Gajeel, Lucy remembered -- grunted.
Without any qualms of where they were, Levy tugged the bottom of his shirt up to stare at the tattoo on his stomach. Like Lucy suspected, it was a blue book, upright with a peek of white pages, and words that Lucy didn’t understand. Levy did, a wide grin spreading across her face.
“Well?”
“I don’t know what it says,” she said cheerfully. “So I guess it means we’re going to have to find out. To the library!”
“Oh, no. Not again.”
With glee, Levy dragged the reluctant trio towards the library, whose tiled roof was visible down the street still. Lucy laughed as Natsu’s fingers caught hers, pulling her along in a race with Gajeel, and mentally considered a trip to the library well-worth it if it meant it would be with new friends.
Attempting to work my way through a prompt list for the month of October (and have already fallen behind).
Star Wars: Poe Dameron/General Hux
Warnings: None
“You weren't ever allowed sweets?” Poe asked, nearly shocked that Hux was in his mid thirties and never had indulged in something that was so commonplace in his own childhood.
“Father never allowed it. Never thought I was deserving of it”.
Poe gave Hux a grim look as he opened the bag, the thick brown paper rustling between his fingers as he tipped the contents out to spill onto the table between them.
“Well that's going to change. Wasn't sure what you might like, so I got a little of everything”.
Hux stared down at the table. Confections of every shape and size, from every corner of the galaxy lay before him. He'd had typical desserts before, even now as an adult, he allowed himself a slice of cake or a pastry if he felt like it, but even then, it was a rarity. He much preferred a glass of strong whiskey or bitter ale over some sugary concoction at the end of a long day.
“Cavaellian creams” Poe said as he plucked a small gold package from the top of the overflowing mountain of sweets and offered it to Hux. “Try this one first”.
Taking the candy from the pilot, Hux broke the foil, revealing a soft candy inside. Ever so slowly, Hux took a small bite, hesitating for a moment as he began to chew. It was overwhelmingly sweet with a hint of spice. Struggling against the overpowering amount of sugar, he forced the bite down, his teeth stinging.
“Too sweet” Hux grimaced as he set the rest of the uneaten sweet down on the table.
“Okay. Try this one” Poe said as he selected another item, this time a small paper wrapped square.
Hux picked at the paper until a corner loosened, examining the contents skeptically. The candy was neon pink, clearly a color that did not occur naturally in nature. Taking a breath, he tried not to think of all the artificial ingredients he was about to ingest.
Nibbling slowly, he was met with a strong fruit flavor, one that reminded him slightly of muja juice. It wasn't bad, good enough for him to bravely peel away the remaining bit of wrapper and finish the small confection.
“How's that one?” Poe asked, popping a figda of his own in his mouth.
“Better than the first. What else is there?” Hux asked curiously. This wasn't all bad. Clearly it held more a nostalgic factor for Poe, but he enjoyed seeing the pilot excited to share something dear to him.
Poe rifled through the pile. His eyes lit up as he plucked out another sweet for the General to try.
“Can't believe you've never had one of these”.
“One of what?”
“Fizzer sweet” Poe replied with a smile, handing over the candy before pulled another from the pile for himself. Hux looked lost as he held the candy in his hand. “Tear off the top of the packaging and pour some into your mouth”.
Hux did as Poe instructed, watching as the pilot tipped his head back before following suit. The candy was solid and small, resting idly against his tongue. He debated chewing, but it seemed too hard and he was hardly about to break a tooth. His lips were parted as he waited for a cue from the pilot, unsure of what to do with mouthful of the strange sweet.
“Give it a second” Poe mumbled through a full mouth, a smirk on his face.
Hux nearly jumped up, his hand immediately covering his lips as his mouth snapped shut trying to contain the sudden eruption. The candy was crackling and popping, pinging against his teeth and off the sides of his cheeks as he tried to make sense of what was happening. Squeezing his eyes shut, he wondered how long it would last. It felt as though someone had set a thermal detonator off within his head, the fizzing and popping ringing in his ears. He could hear Poe laughing, the own sound of exploding candy echoing from across the table.
As quickly as it had erupted, the noise subsided, leaving Hux only with a faint taste of sugary sweetness that was anything but unpleasant as the final pieces dissipated. Relaxing that the worst was over, he cracked open his eyes. Poe was grinning, most likely trying to suppress another round of laughter at his expense.
“People find that amusing?” Hux asked flatly, the novelty of it lost on him.
“Lighten up, Armitage. Your expression was priceless”.
“Consumable food shouldn't explode”.
Poe let out a chuckle as he shifted in his seat, leaning across the table to close the space between them. Carefully avoiding the pile of candy between them, his lips pressed against Hux’s in a kiss.
“You’re so sweet” Poe mused, relishing in the sticky taste lingering on Hux’s mouth as he pulled away.
“Only because you've fed me enough sugar to last a lifetime” Hux scoffed lightly, letting his rigid demeanor relax slightly, something he only would do in private with the pilot.
Poe smiled, gesturing to the pile of candy on the table between them as he relaxed back in his seat. “We've only just begun”.
Hello! I love your writing so much!! I always look forward to it! Also, Are you still doing the Tattoo &marks promet? If you are not then that's okay but if you are still doing them could you please do "Tattoos that change color depending on what your soulmate is feeling" for nalu? Have a good day :D Sorry for any mistakes , English isn't my first language
I don’t get prompts that often so they are always open to me :) Thank you, have a good day as well and your English was fine, a few typos, but nothing that wasn’t understandable still!
title: hearts aplenty words: 900rating: F for fluff and I guess domesticity~ pairing: nalu, smallest comment about gajevy and mystana.prompt from here
It’s convenient that he knows her so well that the color of his tattoo is near insignificant – mainly because its always a hassle to look at his shoulder to tell what the color is. Today, it’s a bright, shiny red that seems to flicker out of the corner of his eye and if he hadn’t spent half a decade knowing her, he would have assumed all was well. Red meant passion and the brighter, the more intense.
Nobody said when these soulmate markings appeared that the colors could mean more than what they said though. He would have taken it at face value if he couldn’t see the little tilt of her head and the scrunch of her brows. Her face said curiosity, his mark said passion – but Natsu knew the truth. He could read it in the slight twitch in her right eye and the little tip of her lips, more down than usual: Lucy was pissed. So passionately mad about something that Natsu would run away from it if he wasn’t positive it was directed at someone else.
He was rather fond of mad Lucy, too. Her face always got red when she was mad and her eyes would always narrow into slits as she prepared her worst. When it wasn’t directed at him or endangering her, he was quite content to see it play out; he trusted her, see, and Lucy knew, usually, when her anger was going too far. Who was he to stop her?
Oh, right, her boyfriend.
His lips twitched at the reminder. Their last job might have backfired spectacularly, but it had shown them – and a few others, though he wasn’t sure why anyone was surprised that Levy and Gajeel were a thing; he thought the bigger surprise was that Mystogan and Cana were as well – just what the other meant to them. Boyfriend was still a foreign word to him, he didn’t half of anything that one of those was supposed to do and even less after he ninja stalked Gajeel for a little while. It was pleasant though and his heart always gave a strange sort of thud when he thought it or said it. Calling her his girlfriend was even worse, something that Lucy took great pleasure in knowing.
Speaking of Lucy, though, he stopped lounging inside the bathtub and let himself out. It spoke of her irate mood that she didn’t comment on his exit, her eyes only flickering to the still locked window with a tiny frown.
“I went through the door earlier,” he said, grinning. His hands dipped into the pocket of his pants, wiggling around the small key she had given him a few weeks prior. He couldn’t remember the reason, possibly something about her tired of taking a gamble every time she left her window unlocked for him. If that was the case, he thought she could have just locked it in general and kept him out.
Oh.
He tucked the key away with such gentleness that the little furrow in her brow dissipated entirely for a second. It was all the time he needed to stride across the room, plopping himself on the couch beside her and drawing her legs across his lap. Lucy tensed for a moment then relaxed down, watching him, and asked, “What are you doing here?”
“I was coming to steal the meatloaf out of your fridge,” he admitted. Natsu laughed as she pulled a foot away to kick his side, the movement too slow and soft to do anything. “Then I saw this and figured that would be a bad idea today. I’ll just do it tomorrow.”
“Maybe I’ll eat it tonight out of spite,” she said not entirely sourly, her one leg hanging off the couch as though she were too lazy to move it back. He reached over and tugged it up, setting it down in his lap beside the other.
“I guess I’m staying for dinner then,” he said cheekily, fingers running over her calf absently. (Actually, he was trying to find the spot that made her snort with laughter, but casually enough that she wouldn’t kick him for real). He hadn’t thought it could be peaceful to just sit with her and let the days stress leak away; she must have thought the same because he peeked at his shoulder and he could see the red beginning to dull with each passing, peaceful moment.
She scooted closer till she was sitting in his lap, tucking her face into his neck. He shifted from the coldness of her nose and drew a blanket from the sofa, dragging it over them both. She hummed thankfully.
“So… what were you doing in my bathtub?” she asked, lifting her head up.
“Hiding.”
“…Do I want to ask?”
“Well, if Gajeel comes, just tell her I fled the country and everything should be fine,” he said after a long pause. She tensed in his lap, more statue than girl, and then groaned, dragging his arms around her with effort.
“I’m not even going to ask why.”
Probably a good thing, he thought, grinning victoriously as his hand found her ankle again. “And why were you mad?”
“Ugh, can you believe– aha! Ack! No!” She wiggled, trying to escape, a bubbling laugh escaping her. The colors of his mark flickered and danced, jumping between the bright red of her fury and then deep blue of her laughter. “Stop tickling me! How are you even doing this? Natsuuu!”
