Legal Disclaimer: I own my stuff, but not the original source material. That belongs to whoever. Also, the opinions and interpretations I use here may not reflect the same in said whoever that owns the source material. Look, I'm just a poor college librarian. Suing me isn't going to get you anything but tears.
Warning: This work may be offensive to some readers. Feel free to back out if need be.
Author's Note: Have I mentioned lately that I love these two? Also, mazing (repeating words/phrases) is a type of stuttering. Specifically, it's the more common type, especially if the cause is anxiety or nerves. And yes, that's the phrase that me & my friend group uses for "I know it's not real but my anxiety is screaming". We use it like a mantra.
Submitting Info:
Stacked with: Hogwarts (Term 13); MC4A
Individual Challenges: Inevitable; Shadow HP Bribery (Y); Writing with Music; Gryffindor MC; Slytherin MC; Magical MC (x2); Neurodivergent; Rian-Russo Inversion (x2); Ethnic & Present (x2); The 3rd Rule; Ship Sails; Hold the Mayo; Gender Bender; Do It For Howard; Lunar Era; Old Shoes (Y); Skittles [Bi Butch]; In a Flash; Bucket Listing (Y); Two Cakes (Y); Eating Cake (Y); Green Ribbon; Greatest Gift
House: Slytherin
Assignment No.: Term 13 – Assignment 03
Subject (Task No.): Healer Studies (Task#2: Write about someone who stutters.)
Other Hogwarts Challenges: Insane Prompt Challenge [516](Hurt/Comfort); 365 [07](Adoring); Herbology Club [4-5](Relaxing); Auction [13-3](Indian Tacos); Back to School Shopping [Uniform](Daily); Tell a Joke Day [06](Someone Traveling)
Other MC4A Challenges: Su Bingo [3A](Cookout); Hunt [Su Con](Indian Tacos); Chim [Kinzie](Hurt/Comfort); Ship (Heroic Shadow)[Sp Med 2](Indian Tacos); Fire [Med](Sapphic Shades); Garden [Rose Types](Who Watches Over You)
Representation(s): Desi & Autistic Harry Potter/Blaise Zabini; Always Fem Harry & Blaise
Primary & Secondary Bonus Challenges: Lyre Liar; Abandoned Ship; Second Verse (Bechdel Test; Ladylike; Not a Lamp; Found Family; Nontraditional; Spinning Plates; Unwanted Advice; Clio's Conclusion; Lock & Key; Deadliest Catch; Lovely Coconuts); Chorus (Wabi Sabi; Fizzy Lemonade; Delicious Lie; Tomorrow's Shade; Larger than Life; Unicorn)
Tertiary & Generic Bonus Challenges: T3 (Terse; Tether); SN (Rail; Ameliorate); FR (Satisfaction); O3 (Oath); TY (n/a)
Word Count: 983
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Who Watches Over You
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Harini tore apart her frybread with unabashed delight while on the bench beside her, Blaise watched with a bemused expression on her face. Undeterred, Harini used a section of frybread to scoop up a bite of meatless chili before popping it into her mouth. A forkful of the lettuce, chopped onions, and diced tomatoes that had been mixed with the spicy salsa and sour cream followed. Harini hummed in delight as she continued eating what had to be one of the best things she had ever tasted.
"I've never seen Indian tacos eaten with such pleasure," Blaise confessed. Harini felt her cheeks heat in sudden embarrassment. Blaise hurried on to reassure her girlfriend. "It is nothing to be ashamed about, love. I adore watching you discover new sources of pleasure. I especially enjoy watching you eat. I must admit that I had never thought that would be a source of enjoyment, but—"
"Yeah," Harini agreed, happy that Blaise had decided to not mention the names of any Dursley on their trip. As it was, she felt her interest in eating wane despite how her hunger lingered as did her desire to devour the delicious food. She began mixing her salad into the chili. Blaise frowned just slightly, and Harini couldn't stand looking any longer. Instead, she focused on the food on the paper plate in front of her.
Blaise laid her own hand over the one Harini was using to hold her fork. Harini couldn't help the aborted flinch. Her stomach soured even more at the thought of how unfair she was being to Blaise. The other girl had never shown any inclination to do anything that might hurt Harini. She didn't even seem to have the same rough and tumble type of affection that Harini had grown familiar with thanks to Hermione and the Weasleys.
Yet Harini couldn't control herself enough not to flinch? When would Blaise get tired of Harini not trusting her and decide she's not worth the effort? What would Harini do when that inevitably happened?
"Shh, love," Blaise soothed with the same gentleness she always used with Harini. Carefully, she pried the plastic fork out of Harini's hand. Then she transfers the fork to her other hand before interlacing her dark brown fingers with Harini's lighter brown ones. "Whatever your anxiety is screaming about now doesn't matter nearly as much as your anxiety thinks it does. Take a deep breath and tell me what we're supposed to remember about it?"
"Anxiety is—Anxiety is a lying liar who—who lies," Harini answered dutifully after taking her breath. She shivered despite the heat of the day. Blaise stroked her thumb over the backs of Harini's knuckles. After taking another deep breath, Harini repeated the phrase, trying to focus more on getting the words out without the stuttering than the way her stomach was twisting. "Anxiety is—anxiety is a lying liar who lies."
"Better," Blaise praised. She raised their joined hands so that she could press a chaste kiss to the back of Harini's. "One more should do it, love."
"Anxiety is a lying liar who lies," Harini managed. She let out a gusty sigh in relief before smiling goofily at her girlfriend. "Anxiety is a lying liar who lies."
"Yes, it is," Blaise agreed. Harini frowned as one of the anxious thoughts intruded again.
"I don't know why it's all suddenly happening," Harini fretted, feeling suddenly close to tears. "This has—has never been a problem before."
"And I will continue to take that as the compliment it is," Blaise promised. Harini tilted her head to the side. The corner of Blaise's eyes crinkled as she smiled. Setting down the plastic fork, she brushed her knuckles against Harini's cheek. "You feel safe enough to process what those monsters did. How could that be anything except a compliment, my love?"
"You do," Harini told her, because it seemed very important that Blaise knew that all of a sudden. "You do make me feel safe. You make me feel like I'm worth something—Like, like, like I'm precious."
Blaise clenched her jaw for a moment. Her purple eyes glittered with a hint of the rage she suppressed whenever Harini hinted at the way the Dursleys had always made her feel. Despite how most expressions of anger made Harini feel, some secret part of her felt a little vindicated whenever she saw Blaise getting angry on her behalf.
"You are precious," Blaise stated as if it were a simple fact rather than just her very biased opinion. "You are so precious that a price could never be determined. You are my treasure, and I shall guard you as a dragon does her nest."
"Not her territory?" Harini teased with a watery smile. Blaise had a way of making her feel overwhelmed in all the best ways. "Maybe I need, need the reminder that I'm yours, you know."
Blaise turned her hand so that she was cupping Harini's cheek. She leaned in to press a kiss gently to Harini's forehead, followed by one to each of Harini's eyelids and cheeks. Finally, she lingered over the one to Harini's slightly chapped lips.
"If you need the reminder of my love," Blaise whispered there like it was a secret between just the two of them, "then I will make certain to do so at least twice daily. You deserve to never doubt how much you mean to me. You are my world, my universe. My heart beats for no other, not even myself. You have become as the first blooms of spring in the bleak winter of my life."
"Flatterer," Harini accused before pressing up into another kiss. She felt Blaise smile. Even with all the headaches and stress that came about with this little tour of the world and its many, many cuisines, Harini thought the moments like this were worth it.