returnofthegray
Recent works
-
The Popcorn Thief by returnofthegray
Fandoms: Keeper of the Lost Cities Series - Shannon Messenger
12 Aug 2023
Tags
Summary
Fitz didn't really want to go to camp. He'd only gone because Biana wanted to (his parents forced him to), and even then, the only things that made it worthwhile were the Volleyball Court and the snacks. He'd also somehow managed to become the leader of all the Odd numbered cabins, which meant that under No Circumstances, was he to interact with anyone from an Even cabin.
But on a hot summer Tuesday, he finds that his beloved snack has been taken away from him, and a note had been left in his place. His friends thought he had a secret admirer. The note claims that they want to be Fitz's friend.
So Fitz replies. He really enjoys his playful banter with the Popcorn Thief, almost as much as he enjoys it when the blonde boy from the Even cabins bothers him, a grin bright on his face.
But as the conflicts increase between the two teams of cabins, Fitz finds that associating himself with an even cabin member is getting riskier and riskier. His feelings for the popcorn thief have grown, and only continue to, which means Fitz has to make a choice: the thief, or his cabin. -
the spark before the blaze by returnofthegray
Fandoms: Keeper of the Lost Cities Series - Shannon Messenger
13 May 2022
Tags
Summary
fourteen year old fitz vacker has a secret. he is a telepath, and has a unique ability to hear the thoughts of everyone around him- something that he’s never known how to explain, and has made him an outcast, even in his own family.
but everything changes the day he meets sophie, a mysterious girl who appears out of nowhere and figures out his secret within a matter of seconds. he discovers there’s somewhere he does belong, and staying where he is will put him in grave danger. in the blink of an eye, fitz is forced to leave everything behind and start a new life in a place that is vastly different from his own.
fitz has new rules and skills to learn, and not everyone is thrilled with his “homecoming”. there are secrets buried in fitz’s memory, secrets that other people desperately want.
would even kill for...
Recent bookmarks
-
Harry Potter and the Welcome to the World of Grey by sobsicles
Fandoms: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
17 Dec 2020
Tags
Summary
When Harry fails to keep his anger at bay and Voldemort possesses his mind, the events that follow lead him down a long road to realizing the world isn't as black and white as it seems.
Chaos, hilarity, and tragedy ensue with a Dark Lord being honest all the time, a rival becoming something else, and a world demanding to be saved. Featuring frightened Death Eaters, deep conversations with a monster, Pureblood traditions being ridiculous, and the fight to do the right thing with no true options.
Harry's life just gets more and more bizarre with each passing moment.
~~~
Or, the one where Harry's life gets split in half, and he has to figure out how to bring it back together.
Series
- Part 1 of Absence of Simplicity
-
Tags
Summary
barty accidentally texts the wrong number. evan just happens to be the victim.
please note that i wrote this not expecting many people to read it and it was more a "spur of a moment" than me actually wanting to contribute to the fandom. that aside, i am not in it anymore and i am debating deleting both this and bloody motorbike, so if you want to save them, do so as soon as possible, as i am not sure whether i want to orphan the works or wipe them off the face of the internet completely, nor do i know when that's going to happen since i am still thinking about it. and in regards to that, please do not reupload this or my other story on any other platform. this isn't a threat, just me kindly asking you not to distribute it.
i do NOT own any of these characters and this is a work of fiction!
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 101,981
- Chapters:
- 31/31
- Comments:
- 631
- Kudos:
- 2,460
- Bookmarks:
- 465
- Hits:
- 60,288
Bookmarked by returnofthegray
15 Sep 2025
-
starry eyes (sparking up my darkest night) by wrongcaitlyn
Fandoms: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
14 Oct 2023
Tags
Summary
Regulus Black ✔ @regulusblack
There will be no further explanation. There will just be reputation.
or
regulus’ reputation era (ft. a marauders’ world tour, sketchy record labels, delicate relationships, and lots of snakes.)
Series
- Part 1 of reputation (regulus' version)
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 113,000
- Chapters:
- 16/16
- Collections:
- 1
- Comments:
- 857
- Kudos:
- 2,505
- Bookmarks:
- 814
- Hits:
- 85,815
Bookmarked by returnofthegray
11 Sep 2025
-
this natural thing that you've undone by delusionaltogether (Whyyyyy)
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
26 Apr 2025
Tags
Summary
“Do I,” Will starts, haltingly, eyes darting back and forth between Mike’s own like he’s already searching for the answer, “make you nervous?”
Mike exhales, his shaky breath too loud in the space between them. It’s hard enough to sort through his own feelings where Will is concerned; it’s another thing entirely to attempt to explain them to Will himself. He looks at Will’s face, the planes of it softened in the darkness, and tries to draw forth the answer closest to the jumbled mass of the truth. “Yes,” is what he lands on, followed by, “maybe. I don’t know.”in which will visits mike at college and mike has an agenda that yields... mixed results
Bookmarked by returnofthegray
06 Sep 2025
-
filling in the blanks as we go by delusionaltogether (Whyyyyy)
Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
04 Feb 2023
Tags
Summary
Today, though, is different, because today, Will is feeling incredibly grateful to have this job. All of a sudden he doesn't mind the sweeping and the dusting and the restocking shelves with books that, quite frankly, aren't to his own taste in any way whatsoever, aside from the tiny comic book section tucked away in the darkest part of the store. He's grateful for the silence and the boredom and the wasting his phone battery scrolling through the Instagram accounts of people he doesn't know or care about.
Because the thing is, if Will didn't have this job, he would have never had the opportunity to lay eyes on the very attractive guy that just walked in, and that, in and of itself, is enough to make him feel, vaguely, like his entire life is complete.
in which will works at the bookstore, and is charmed by a certain customer
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 17,669
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Collections:
- 2
- Comments:
- 92
- Kudos:
- 832
- Bookmarks:
- 244
- Hits:
- 7,225
Bookmarked by returnofthegray
24 Aug 2025