#BUT! I’m finally off! On a proper weekend! And I’m sure I’ll still be overwhelmed & recharging the next few days-

[inga-don-studio]

I’ll brb - narrowly made it to my weekend and I can barely keep my eyes open, so I’m going to pause the queue so I can sort it when I don’t have scrambled eggs for brains.

[fruitcoops]

Hello lovely! Just a request if you would like: coops lazy morning / late night smut? Like not full blown sex but like thigh f*cking? Just worshiping each other slow and passionately like they have all the time in the world (because they do <3)

Oh, what an interesting prompt! This is a continuation of Valentine's Day (found here and here), kind of a slice-of-life in the middle of the night. Coops credit goes to @lumosinlove!

TW for smut

The darkness wrapped around them, a cocoon of soft shadows and shared breaths. Sirius closed his eyes and soaked in it as he lost himself to the lips tracking paths across the skin of his neck and the teeth dipping to scrape his collarbone whenever he got too comfortable. “Oh, baby,” Remus murmured against his pulse point when Sirius began grinding his hips up. Just two words were enough to make him shiver and melt.

“Je t’aime,” he said softly, tilting Remus’ chin for a proper kiss. He could feel the weight of him on his thigh and shifted, hearing Remus’ breath catch around a small noise before he hid his face in Sirius’ neck again. “There?”

He was still sore from their pre- (and post) dinner activities, but honestly couldn’t be bothered to track down his thigh highs again, not even to see that wonderfully debauched expression on Remus’ face from the silky texture around his shaft. Sirius had been forgiven for his earlier antics, but it had taken an apology blowjob and having to ask—ask!—to come during round two.

Not that he minded, of course. That’s what Valentine’s Day was for.

But it was late, and he was horny, and Remus was so handsome in the streaks of moonlight through their blinds that he thought he might burst from it. His thighs stung in the best way from their rings of pretty bruises, and he was fairly sure he wouldn’t be able to engage in a proper fucking without coming in three-point-one seconds.

He pushed his leg up again and Remus moaned into his jaw. Well, maybe three-point-two seconds.

“How do you want me?” he asked, running his hands flat along the ridges of Remus’ back. The strength he carried never failed to take Sirius’ breath away.

Remus kissed him again, more desperate as he licked into his mouth and gripped Sirius’ hips. Interest flared in the back of his mind and cleared out some of the muzzy bliss from before. “My—fuck—my thighs?” he panted, breaking away for only a moment. “Please? We haven’t—not for a while—”

Sirius sank back against the pillows and held Remus’ face in his hands. “Talk first, kisses later.”

He made a grumbling noise and kissed the side of Sirius’ thumb. The fiery dominance from before had given way to simmering arousal, the kind that drove Sirius out of his mind with its wide-eyed pouting glory. “Kisses, then talking, then more kisses?”

“Okay.” Remus leaned down, but he guided him back up. “We already did the first kisses. Start talking, and maybe you’ll get—hey!”

Remus scrunched his nose up around a smile as he poked Sirius gently in the ribs again until they were both laughing. “That’s not a nice thing to do on Valentine’s Day.”

“It’s after midnight, so I can do whatever I want.”

“Like hell.”

“What’re you going to do about it?” Sirius challenged, biting his lower lip.

“I already did something about it, and I’ve got the sore muscles to prove it,” Remus laughed. “At least I know where the lube is this time.”

“Are you sure?”

“You’d better hope I am, or else you’re not getting anywhere near my thighs for round three.”

Sirius’ heart skipped a beat. “Oh?”

Remus settled on his chest and nudged their noses together with a soft kiss. “Please?”

“Since you asked so nicely…” The lube was in his hand before he could even reach for it. Remus kissed him twice more, slow and mind-melting, before shifting to lay on his side with his back pressed flush to Sirius’ chest. He was already warm, and his heartbeat raced under Sirius’ palm as he slid an arm around to hold him close.

A quiet moan slipped through his swollen lips as Sirius slicked his upper thighs, taking a moment to run a finger from his shaft to his still-sensitive hole. Remus reached down to stroke himself, but Sirius took his hand and laced their fingers together, pinning it to his belly. “Come on—”

“Not yet.” A shudder ran through him and Sirius smiled. “Nice and slow, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Remus sighed, burying his face in the pillows when Sirius finally slipped between his legs.

Don’t come, he thought immediately. Don’t come, don’t come, don’t come. Some small, pathetic sound worked its way out as Sirius struggled to keep a hold on himself at the slick warmth of Remus’ thighs—the tight ring of muscle was absent, but the feeling was absolutely overwhelming. Why don’t we do this more often? he wondered as he rolled his hips forward and they both moaned.

“God, that’s good,” Remus said, breathless. “Oh—yes, there.”

Sirius pulled him impossibly closer and picked up the pace, drowning in the noises he could only pull out when Remus was well and truly relaxed, and too tired to check himself. “I love how loud you are like this,” he panted, giving his hand a squeeze and his shoulder a light bite. “I really, really do.”

The bedframe creaked and Remus grabbed the headboard with his free hand. “Fucking Christ, Sirius.”

“I should make you wait.” Remus tensed with a shuddering exhale. “I should. I should make you beg for it. It’s only fair, isn’t it?”

“If you’re looking for an apology—” A gasp interrupted him as Sirius’ shaft slid against his own. “—you’re not getting one. It’s not my fault you sound pretty when you beg.”

“I’m not looking for anything.” His abs were starting to burn from the rhythmic motions, but he pushed it out of his mind to focus on the tremors rocking through Remus’ brilliant legs. His right hand was still occupied, but his left was free to run along the smooth skin and grip, just below his ass.

“Oh my god,” Remus whined, leaning his head back against Sirius’ shoulder.

“Are you close?” A frantic nod was his only answer. It took a moment, but he managed to disentangle their hands. Remus got the hint and wrapped a palm around himself, moving slow and steady while Sirius poured more lube into the apex of his thighs. “Any time, sweetheart.”

“Wasn’t looking for permission,” Remus gritted out. His muscles clenched and Sirius’ vision went speckly for a moment. “I’m so sore and it’s so good.”

His breaths were coming in short bursts with a cut-off keening sound at the end of each one; Sirius increased his pace, ignoring the exhaustion of his muscles, and wrapped both arms tight around Remus’ chest. “I love you, I love you—”

Remus jerked at the change in angle and his palm slid down over the head of Sirius’ dick, striking every thought from his mind with a burst of white. Some sort of loud, desperate noise escaped his throat, muffled by the back of Remus’ shoulder as he came over his hand. “Come on, baby, please.”

He didn’t have to ask twice. Through a haze of holy fuck and ouch, Sirius fumbled a hand down to close around Remus’ shaft. It barely took three tugs before Remus spilled over the sheets, shaking and struggling to catch his breath. “Happy day after Valentine’s Day,” Sirius mumbled around half-numb lips after a few seconds of scrambling to collect his scattered braincells.

“New national holiday,” Remus agreed, groaning as he rolled onto his back. “I’ll take first shower if you change the sheets.”

“Deal.” With great effort, Sirius leaned up on his elbow and kissed him. “Honestly, though, happy Valentine’s Day. You’re the best.”

Remus socked him lightly on the bicep with a grin and a blush. “Stop it.”

“Nope.”

“I love you, too. Thank you for today.”

“I’ll never pass up an opportunity for you to dom the shit out of me,” he teased, earning himself a bark of laughter.

“You’re ridiculous. Hilarious and sexy and sweet and beautiful, but ridiculous.”

“Didn’t look ridiculous in those thigh highs, did I?”

Remus’ flush spread to his chest and he tapped his nose. “If I wasn’t about to fall asleep right here and now, I would absolutely make you track those down again.”

“In the morning, then.” Sirius closed his eyes as gentle kisses scattered his face. “We’ve got all weekend to enjoy them.”

[aliwritesfic]

The Night Shift part 8 (F!Reader x Frankie Morales)

Summary: It's time to do what's best for you . . . also fuck Kurt

Warnings: physical violence, emotional abuse, brief mention of trauma

W/C: 2.2k

AN: So.... I'll be honest, I was quite sick when I wrote this (and I'm still not 100% but I'm at like 75% which is good enough) but I have a mentality of not editing or revising my work otherwise I embarrass myself and convince myself I'm The Worst(tm), but I hope this makes sense and the pacing is good <3

Spotify

Part 1 Part 9

Frankie was glad to see you finally opening up. Even if that meant tears he couldn’t wipe away, or a hand he couldn’t hold. The last thing he wanted was to put you in a position where you thought the only reason he was helping was to swoop in while you were vulnerable.

You sat next to him in his truck, your eyes were puffy and red from tears that once they started seemed to come in waves of intensity, from a few sniffles to shoulders heaving, gasping for air sobs. Manny sat beside you, holding your hand, which Frankie was grateful for. He was glad to see that you had people that cared about you. When he had messaged Manny that morning, it was more to find out if his suspicions were correct about the ‘friend’ you had talked about while drunk was you.

“You don’t have-“

“We want to,” Manny interjected for the fifth time. It occurred to Frankie that you weren’t used to people wanting to help you. “I’ve been praying that you’ll let me help you.” That made you sob again. You gave another apology, chest heaving as you tried to breathe.

Truthfully, Frankie was also glad that this was an excuse for him to skip talking about his own feelings. His own mind was a muddy mess of flashbacks and night terrors and bouts of anxiety that became so crippling he forgot how to breathe. How well would that have gone down in the little group he now found himself apart of? If he had to guess, about as well as it went down with Portia – pitying looks and urges to see a proper therapist, and a new distance that neither was willing bridge.

Manny answered a call as Frankie drove back. He wasn’t driving anywhere in particular, but when it had become clear you wanted to be anywhere but that bistro, he had suggested the three of you pile into his truck and see where the road took you.

“Mateo, honey, I need to ask you a few things,” Manny said into his phone. Out of the corner of his eye, Frankie saw you lean your head back and squeeze your eyes shut. Frankie wanted to reach out and squeeze your knee, take your hand, do anything to show that he was there, that he wasn’t going anywhere so long as you wanted him around.

Manny’s voice faded into the background as you turned to look at Frankie. He pulled up at a small nature reserve, which was just an algae slicked pond and a few oak trees surrounded by recently mowed grass. Frankie noticed how bloodshot your eyes were.

“You okay?” he asked, realising it was a stupid question.

“I will be,” you said, your voice hoarse. You cleared your throat with a wince. “I’m not upset . . . I’m just overwhelmed. Like, I’ve been holding this all in for so long that once the lid was opened it was impossible to put back on, and now I’ve just gotta let it all out. Does that sound stupid?”

Frankie shook his head. “Not at all.” You smiled weakly at him.

“Bet this is the worst lunch you’ve ever had,” you said.

“Nah, I think it ranks pretty highly,” Frankie said. “Mainly because of the company, though.” You rolled your eyes and Frankie could see the corners of your mouth twitch in an effort to keep a smile away.

“It’s not your fault, you know,” he said softly.

“What isn’t?” You asked, but before he could answer, Manny interjected.

“I’ve found you a new place,” he said. You shot up, confusion written on your face plainly. Manny smiled the type of smile when someone knows they’ve basically saved the day. “That was my dear friend Mateo on the phone. He is taking his first steps towards being a real estate mogul and recently brought a one bedroom apartment to rent out. And because he is such a dear friend and owes me like, a billion favours, I told him the minimum of what your situation was, and he has told me that he’s willing to rent the place to you for lower than market value. A hundred and twenty a week, including water.”

You’re silent for a few moments, and Frankie watched you carefully.

“When can I move in?” you said finally, and Frankie felt an invisible weight lift off your shoulders. He could only imagine how difficult this would be for you; making decisions that would change how you lived in a matter of hours, basically upending your life.

“He can get the keys to us on Wednesday, he’s just got to replace some fixtures and finish painting some walls,” Manny said. You nodded slowly.

“So, I just need to last till Wednesday,” you said.

“You can stay at my place, if you want.” Frankie said quickly, not exactly comfortable with the idea of you staying with Kurt. You had said he was never physically violent, but Frankie also knew how quickly a man could change when they didn’t get their way.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to impose,” you said carefully. Frankie nodded.

“Of course, you’re my friend, and friends help each other.” Just friends. Only friends. He wasn’t going to take advantage of you in this state just because he had a stupid crush. He had once had a conversation with a pissed off Eve Miller, who was ranting about the guys she thought were her friends instantly making moves the moment she became single. That had solidified Frankie’s resolve to not make moves on women he was friends with – it wasn’t fair to them or to him.

Before you could answer, your phone was ringing loudly. Your face crumpled as you looked at the contact, and Frankie frowned.

Kurt.

You took a deep breath and hit answer. “Hey! What’s up?” Your light and airy tone was at odds with your sombre expression. “No, I have lunch with Manny on Sunday, remember? You’re home already? But –“

Frankie listened to the angry buzzing coming from your phone, his revulsion growing.

“My phone died – no I just went out with Sara last night, she wanted to go to fight night . . . it’s not that short . . . No I didn’t fuck anyone else, Jesus Christ, Kurt! No! Look, I’ll be home soon, we can talk about this then.” You hung up with a shaking hand, your mouth twisting with effort to contain the tears.

Manny met Frankie’s eye over the top of your bowed head and gave a small nod.

“We’ll come with you to get some of your clothes,” Frankie said. “And anything else you need.”

“You’re really too sweet for this,” you muttered with a hiccup. “I’m sorry for dragging the both of you into my shit.”

“I crawled willingly into it,” Manny said breezily, “which I would only do for about five people in this world.”

The trio remained silent for several minutes, interrupted only but the sound of your occasional hiccups. Frankie reached out and patted your shoulder awkwardly, cringing internally while he did. Inexplicably, you leant into his touch, your damp cheek brushing against the back of his hand.

“Can you drive me home so I can get my stuff?” you asked softly. Frankie nodded and turned on the truck.

~*~

You were a ball of anxiety as Frankie pulled into the complex’s parking lot. Kurt’s car was already in the spot reserved for your apartment, sending you to the verge of a full-blown panic attack. You squeezed your eyes shut and counted to ten, then backwards from ten. Distantly, you felt Manny take hold of one of your hands.

“You’ve got this.” Manny’s voice sounded far away. “Francisco and I are behind you one hundred percent.”

“You’re calling the shots,” Frankie said, touching your arm. His hand was warm and calloused, and you didn’t know why that observation seemed to be at the forefront of your mind, but it was. You opened your eyes and met Frankie’s warm brown ones, suddenly feeling infinitely stronger.

You told them what you wanted to do – for you to go in by yourself and for them to wait outside the door, plug their ears if necessary, only come in if they felt like you were in any actual danger. Frankie’s face darkened at this, but to your relief he didn’t protest your plan.

You felt stronger with the two of them behind you. Every single step towards your apartment door solidified your resolve that this was the right thing, that this relationship hadn’t made you happy, fulfilled, in years. The click of your key in the door felt like one of finality.

Kurt sat on the couch, glaring at you. You left the door open a crack as you walked in, hovering by the dining table. You took him in fully and came to the conclusion that you were no longer attracted to this man at all. His skin was reddened by the sun, pale patches around his light blue eyes. His thin mouth was curled into a sneer.

“Care to explain what the fuck you’ve been doing while I was gone?” he said.

“Not really, no.” You replied. “Here’s the thing, Kurtis, you don’t get to go out with your friends for the whole weekend doing who-knows-what then turn around and get angry at me for spending time with the only friend from school that I still have! That’s not fair.”

“And who’s fault is that? You’re the one who pushed them all away!” Kurt stood up and advanced towards you. Normally, you would have taken a step backwards, given him space, but this time you stood your ground, clenching your fists tightly to stop them shaking.

“I’m still allowed to have a social life,” you said, struggling to keep your tone even. Kurt rolled his eyes.

“If you wanna go out and act like a fucking whore-“

“Think what you want, Kurt,” you said, “it doesn’t matter anymore. I’m leaving. You can’t stop me.”

Kurt spluttered for a moment, turning a shade of deep red. “Like fucking HELL you’re leaving me, you bitch!”

“I am!” you shot back. He was only a few inches from you now, so close his breath was hot on your face. “I’m miserable, I don’t love you anymore, and I’m done. I’ve been done for so long I can’t remember a time I was fully invested in this relationship! I deserve better! I deserve love that doesn’t make me so sad it hurts, and I can’t have that with you.”

Kurt’s face twisted into an ugly contortion of the features you once found perfect. “No. Nobody can love you the way I do! Nobody can understand you like I do! If you leave, I won’t want to live anymore. Don’t you remember? I can’t live without you!”

“Then go to a fucking hospital!” you snapped, moving to get past him. Kurt grabbed your wrist tightly. His grip was like a vice, cutting off blood supply to your fingers.

“Let go!” you begged. Kurt tugged you closer, spittle forming at the corners of his mouth, your noses almost touching. He’s going to kill me. Oh my god, he’s actually going to kill me. You saw movement by the door out of the corner of your eye, and your heart swelled.

“You heard her,” Frankie said, “let her go.”

Kurt didn’t let go, but instead gripped harder. He’s completely lost it, you thought dimly, the expression Kurt wore sending true fear into your heart.

“And just who the fuck are you?” Kurt demanded.

“Let her go,” Frankie repeated. He didn’t raise his voice, but you could still hear the power it held. Kurt scoffed and spat at Frankie’s feet.

“This is an issue between me and my girlfriend, now get out of my apartment before I make you.”

Frankie didn’t reply, instead, he strode forward, pushed the sleeves of his flannel over shirt up as he did. Kurt didn’t wait. He pushed you hard against the kitchen bench, knocking the breath out of you and sending a shot of pain through your back, and moved to meet Frankie in the middle of the room.

It happened in an instant, blink and you miss it. Frankie swung, his fist connecting with Kurt’s jaw with a sickening crunch. Kurt went down like a lead balloon, howling as he collapsed on the floor. Frankie stood over him, breathing hard through his nose.

Manny ran forward to help you, holding you to him like the protective brother you had always wished for. It took you a few moments to realise you were shaking, out of fear or adrenaline you didn’t know.

“Come on,” he whispered soothingly, “we gotta get your stuff.” You nodded and let him help you up. You didn’t feel like you were connected with your body like you were watching the whole thing through a separate set of eyes. You saw Frankie standing over Kurt, arms crossed and boot pressing into Kurt’s chest.

Manny held your hand as you walked to your bedroom. You were distantly aware of the aching in your body, your back, and wrist especially. It was Manny who packed your bag for you, grabbing anything he thought you might need. The whole thing was done in less than ten minutes. Before you left you turned to face Kurt.

“I’ll be back sometime this week to get the rest of my stuff. Do not contact me.”

You felt your strength returning to you as you left with Frankie and Manny with you. For the first time in a long time, you felt like you could breathe.

Taglist: @hnt-escape @sharkbait77 @1800-fight-me @annathewitch @darnitdraco @frankiecatfish @punkerthanpascal @nakhudanyx @gracie7209 @quica-quica-quica @pintsizemama @phoenix-of-loki

[atlafan]

Office Neighbors - Part Thirteen

a/n: WEDDING!!! (reblogs and feedback are super helpful!) not proofread, sorry!

warnings: FLUFF! Smut (a little bit of bum stuff, but don’t get too excited, it’s not what you think...yet)

words: 16K

masterpost

You and Harry needed to go down to Boston a few days before the wedding. You needed to go over things with Julian, and he needed to be there for when his family and friends flew in. Andy was extremely excited. Brandon’s parents would be sending him down on the bus the day before the wedding, so Andy would have a buddy during the rehearsal dinner.

It was nice to have a few days off from school, but Andy was sad to be away from Brandon. They hadn’t been able to really discuss everything that happened at the Halloween party like he had hoped. Every time he saw him he just blushed and smiled. They’d hold hands a little underneath the desks in class, and that was about it.

You were off with Julian, Phil, and your parents while Harry and Andy went to the airport to pick everyone up. Harry was somehow able to get everyone on the same flight.

“Six hours with these two buggers behind me. They were worse than the kids!” Gemma says as she hugs Harry, and then Andy. “I needed to take something to fall asleep.”

“Oi, we weren’t that bad.” Niall says.

“Yeah, it’s not our fault there was a football match on the tele.” Louis says. “You should be paying us babysitting fees for keeping those two entertained.”

Gemma glares at the guys before they rush to hug Harry and Andy. Anne hugs everyone as well. She looked pooped.

“I know, long flight and all that, but you’re here now.” Harry says.

Lizzie and Ritchie chat with Andy as they all wait for their luggage to come through baggage claim.

“How are we all going to fit in the same car?” Gemma asks.

“Oh, we rented a van for the weekend. Make things easier to get to and from the commons, so I just drove that here. You’re gonna love the hotel suite Julian’s put you lot in.”

“And you’re staying with us?” Niall says.

“Yeah, about that…” Harry rubs the back of his neck. “Nothing we’re doing is traditional, so I was sort of thinking I’d just stay with Y/N.”

“Nope, no way. Can’t have a proper bachelors night out if we send you back drunk to your fiancé.” Louis says. “You will stay with us.”

“You’re gonna sloshed the night before your wedding?” Anne asks.

“No…we’re all going out tonight. Tomorrow’s the rehearsal, and then the wedding.” He looks at his friends. “M’not spending two nights away from her.”

“You will, and you’ll like it.” Niall says.

Everyone grabs their luggage and heads out to the van, and climbs in. Harry drives back to the hotel. He helps everyone get checked in, and shows them to their suites.

“Oh, this is perfect!” Gemma says. “Look, Mum, two queens in a room for us, and two queens for all the kids, this’ll be great.”

“Andy, your friend Brandon’s coming tomorrow, right?” Anne asks him.

“Mhm.” He smiles.

“Good, it’ll be nice to see him again. He’s such a sweet boy.” She pats his head and puts hers things down. “Well, I need to take a bit of a nap. Are we all going to have a meal together later?”

“Yeah, we’ll all get together for an early dinner. Take some time to rest. Kids, there’s a pool if you feel up to it.”

“Uncle Harry, I’m pooped.” Lizzie whines. “Need a nap too.”

“Alright, darling.” Harry chuckles.

“I’ll take ‘em down later.” Gemma says. “Andy you’re staying with us?”

“Yeah!”

“Fantastic. Do you wanna stay here with us or go with Dad?”

“I’ll hang out here.” He shrugs. “Everyone they’re all doing is boring.”

“Where is Y/N, anyways?” Anne asks.

“She’s getting some last minute stuff together. Her bridal party will be here tomorrow, so you’ll meet just her immediate family tonight, and then everyone else later.”

“Sounds good.” She yawns. “Okay, off to bed for me.”

Harry heads down the hall to Louis and Niall’s room. Harry met his two best friends his first year of uni. They all played football (soccer) together on the school’s team. Harry obviously didn’t continue on with the sport once he came to the states. Louis had a serious girlfriend of his own, but she stayed home to give the boys their fun, and Niall was in-between relationships at the moment.

“So, how’s Holly.” Harry asks Louis.

“Ah, she’s fantastic. Just FaceTimed her quick. She sends all her love.”

“Tell her I send mine right back. And what about you, Casanova?” Harry smirks. “No ladies awaiting your return?”

“Nope.” Niall grins. “I’m a free man once again. I swear I have all the luck. The women I keep dating are absolutely batty. Wouldn’t mind finding a woman of my own to settle down with.”

“Y/N’s friend Nora is single, and she’s awfully sweet.” Harry says.

“Mm, a long distance relationship isn’t in the cards for me right now, but I’ll keep that in mind if I feel like getting laid this weekend.” He winks at his friend.

“Holly and I did the long distance thing in the beginning, remember? Wasn’t all bad. I had a cool place to visit, we never fought, and it was always hot.” Louis smirks. “It’s still hot, but I certainly don’t like it when she gets mad at me for not getting me knickers in the hamper.”

“Maybe get your knickers in the hamper, and she wouldn’t get mad at you. Just a thought.” Harry says.

“No shit?!” Louis says with a laugh. “Fuckin’ genius over here, it’s almost like you’re a doctor or something.”

“Come on, let’s go get your shit from your room and bring it here.” Niall says.

“Fine.” Harry sighs. “But I’ll need to hog the pillows.”

“Are you still a clingy sleeper?” Louis asks. “You’ve got psychological damage, I swear to god.”

//

After everyone had time to get situation, and rested, Harry eventually caught up with you. He explained that his friends are basically forcing him to stay with them.

“You’ll have more fun, Har.” You chuckle. “It’ll give me more time to be with your mom and sister.”

“I suppose that’s true.”

“What are you guys even doing tonight?”

“Think they just wanna take me out to get drunk.” He shrugs. “Wanna come meet them?”

“Yeah!”

You hold hands as you make your way to their room. Harry knocks, and Niall opens the door.

“Hey!” He beams and hugs you immediately. “So this is the lovely lady our Harry’s just been tickled pink about.” You giggle at that and step into the room. “He hasn’t give you enough credit, you’re gorgeous, you know?” Niall keeps his arm around your shoulders and you blush.

“Oi, stop flirting with my fiancé.”

“Why? Not like you’re married yet. Still plenty of time to back out, love.”

“There she is.” Louis says with a smile and hugs you. “It’s so great to meet you. Don’t pay any attention to Nialler here, only rubbish ever comes out of his mouth.” You blink at Louis. “What?”

“You’re…you’re gonna have to speak a little slower.” You chuckle. “Your accent is a little…thick.”

“Maybe yours is thick! Didja ever think o’that?” He looks at you seriously and then laughs. “Only teasing, love, only teasing.”

“How long have you all known each other again?”

“Since we were eighteen.” Harry says as he sits down on the couch in the living area of the suite. “We were all on the soccer team together, and we lived in a triple. It was great.”

“I’m sorry, did you say you were on a sports team?” You were shocked.

“I only played my first year. I’m a better coach than a player.”

“Yeah, the lad here told us there were better opportunities here and left us.” Louis says. “But we all stayed close.”

“We usually get together whenever Harry comes back to London.” Niall explains.

“And where do you both live?”

“I live in London, not too far from Harry’s family, actually.” Louis says.

“Same here, actually. The city was calling my name.” Niall says. “You’re from this area, right?”

“Yeah.” You smile. “Born and raised. It’s the perfect sized city, in my opinion. I never felt overwhelmed or small. I like going to New York once in a wall, but I always get so anxious.”

“London should be fun for you then. You’re coming for the holidays, yeah?” Louis says.

“She sure is.” Harry says as he puts his arm around you, kissing your cheek.

“So, what are we doing for dinner tonight?” Niall asks. “M’getting hungry.”

“We’re all going to this amazing Chinese buffet. You’ll love it.” You say and look down at your watch. “Should probably head down to the lobby soon to meet everyone.”

“Good thinking.” Harry says. “You both ready? We’ll probably leave for our night out from the restaurant.”

“Yup, got everything we need.” Louis says. “Don’t worry, Y/N, we won’t get him too loaded.”

“I’m sure you’ll take very good care of him.” You say with a smirk.

//

You were a bit nervous as you approached the lobby. You had been on a number of FaceTime calls with Gemma and Anne at this point, but it was still wild to be seeing them in person.

“Oh!” Anne exclaims when she spots you, and you smile. “My god, it’s so nice to finally meet in person.” She says as she hugs you.

“Same to you.”

You hug Gemma next, and introduce yourself to Lizzie and Ritchie. Your parents, Julian, and Phil come strolling into the lobby, and everyone else gets acquainted. You all make your way to the restaurant, and are brought to the private room in the back for large parties. A buffet was set up, and the kids sit together while all of the adults co-mingle. You take in everything. Your parents were chatting up Anne as Phil and Julian were talking with Gemma. Louis and Niall were keeping Harry pretty preoccupied. It was nice to see him interacting with them. He had this boyish smile on his face, and it filled you with so much joy.

“Y/N, who’s officiating for you two?” Gemma asks

“My old rabbi is coming.” You smile. “He’s going to do a few prayers for us since that was important to me, and Harry didn’t seem to mind.” He places his hand over yours. “And then our friend Janette is going to step in and do the rest. She was over the moon when we asked her. She works with us as well.”

“That’s great! Harry’s always told nice stories about Janette over the years. Will everyone else from your department be coming?”

“Yeah.” Harry answers his sister. “They’ll be coming to the reception. The ceremony is going to be everyone in this room, plus Y/N’s bridal party. Very small.”

“I like it.” Anne says. “I mean, having a big wedding is great and all, but I like that this will be much more intimate. It makes it more special, in a way.”

“I still can’t believe how quickly you were able to pull this all together.” Your mom says. “I’m happy, don’t get me wrong, but I was shocked when you said it would be happening so soon.”

“We just figured what was the use in waiting a year when we knew it was going to be small. It’s not like we needed to book a large venue, and thanks to Julian, we were able to squeeze into that smaller ballroom for the reception.” You say.

“How will everything work out at the commons?” Niall asks.

“We’re having two small tents set up, one for me and one for Harry, and both parties to hang out in. I’ll be brought over in the van beforehand to take pictures and all that, and then we’re going to do a first look.” You explain.

“We really wanted that moment to be private between us. Andy’s gonna be involved in it too, it’s gonna be great.” Harry says.

“Our admin, Lucas, is taking all of the photos, he’s so talented.” You say. “We’re paying him, of course, but he’s not charging as much as a full-time professional would.”

“It’s nice you two have so many people in your corner to help out.” You dad says. “Makes me feel better about you living so far away, honey.” He gives your hand a squeeze and you smile at him.

You had never felt more blessed in your life. You were with a man your family approved of, and they were happy for you, genuinely! Your parents had been not so great to your past boyfriends, but they took a liking to Harry right away. You wondered if Andy had anything to do with it. They were skeptical, you noticed, at Thanksgiving, but it was like once they met Andy they knew you’d be alright with Harry. It must have something to do with the fact that he’s been able to keep a kid alive and safe. They knew they could trust him with you.

Dinner was great, and everyone felt plenty full. Harry tells Andy to be good and to listen to the adults taking care of him since he’d be mostly likely going to the pool at the hotel with his cousins.

“Have fun you three.” You say to the boys before you all head your separate ways. “Bring him back in one piece.”

“We’ll do our best.” Niall winks.

Harry rolls his eyes at his friends and gives you a hug and a kiss before he leaves with them. You head back to the hotel with Harry’s family after saying goodbye to your own. You meet them all down at the pool to hang out while the kids swam around.

“Have you two been to Boston often?” You ask Anne and Gemma.

“A few times, yeah. We usually fly in here, but we’ve only explored a couple of times.” Gemma explains. “We usually have to hop on the bus up to New Hampshire to get to Harry’s.”

“I think we’re planning our next visit for Andy’s fourteenth birthday since he’ll be done with middle school.”

“And that’ll be when his next birthday party will be at Harry’s house.” Gemma says. “No offense, but I have zero desire to party it up at Paige’s.”

“Oh, please.” You laugh. “I don’t blame you at all.”

“She’s a lovely woman and all, great mum to my grandson, but I’ll never forgive her for hurting my son.” Anne says as she crosses her arms and leans back in her chair, glancing over at the kids in the pool. “I was so shocked the day he called me and told me she was pregnant. He wasn’t done with school yet, and I could tell he was panicked.”

“I had to talk him off the ledge. He was so close to dropping out to find a job. Thankfully Paige had the good sense to remind him he was just about done with school and she was already working full time. I already had the twins, so I was able to give him some pointers.”

“Ah, so they’re about a year older than Andy, then?” You say.

“About, yeah, like a year and half. They all get along great, thank god. At the age they are now, it can feel like such a big gap, you know?”

“Y/N, are you and Harry hoping to have a kid, or are you leaving it with Andy?” Anne asks. “I know it’s not really any of my business, but I had always hoped he’d have more.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine.” You smile. “Yeah, we plan to have a baby at some point. I’m hoping to finish up my doctoral program before we start trying. It’s a lot of stress, and I’d be scared of something happening.”

“Perfectly understandable.” Gemma says. “I was happy with my two for one special.” She laughs. “Got one of each in one go, and that was plenty for me.”

“Have you two talked to Andy about him potentially being a big brother? I know he has Rachel, but that’s a little different. Feel like they’re more like buddies.” Anne says.

“We haven’t talked to him about it, no.” You sigh. “I feel like he’ll be okay with it, but sometimes we don’t really know how he’ll take things. He was awfully upset last year when Paige got engaged. He took ours much better, for whatever reason.”

“He’s a mumma’s boy, just like his father, that’s why.” Gemma smirks. “Harry used to throw a fit anytime Mum went out on a date.”

“Only when Dad and I first divorced, he got over it eventually.” Anne shrugs.

“Yeah, he started dating and said, ‘hm, maybe Mum was valid for wanting to go out’.” Gemma laughs.

“I’m glad Harry having such an older kid didn’t scare you off.” Anne says to you. “It’s one thing when you meet someone and their child is young, basically still a baby, but Andy was, like, ten when you met him, right?”

“Yeah, I think so.” You smile and think back on his chubby cheeks. He’d grown so much in just a couple of years. “I actually think it made things easier. He was able to warm up to me as a friend first, you know? Plus, I think Harry would talk about me to him.”

“He talked about you to everyone.” Anne laughs. “He was smitten before he even knew he was smitten.”

“And there I was totally oblivious to the whole thing.” You shake your head. “Well, not totally, I think I was pretending not to notice. I wasn’t totally into the idea of dating a colleague. I was so new, I didn’t want to seem unprofessional.”

“I get that.” Gemma says. “I met my late husband at work, and we definitely discussed the implications of dating before we actually went out. It can make things really complicated if it doesn’t work out.”

“That’s why I’m kinda glad we started dating in the summer time so we could ease into it a bit.” You say as your phone buzzes. You take it out of your pocket and see a message from Harry. It was a picture of him, clearly one of the boys took, drinking through a funnel. “Oh, god.” You laugh and show them. “They do this often?”

“They’re bad influences.” Gemma says. “They act like little boys when they all get together.”

“They better not make him sick, Harry promised to take us out for some fun during the day tomorrow before the rehearsal.”

//

“Why’d you send her that?!” Harry slurs as he grabs his phone from Niall.

“Thought she’d appreciate you checking in.” Niall smirks.

“Not funny.” Harry says as he tries to text you.

Harry: sooo sorry about that, I’m being good, promise

Y/N: don’t worry about it, I’m glad you’re having fun

“You’re lucky she’s easy going.” Harry says to the two of them. “No more funnels, m’too old for funnels. I’m almost thirty-four for fuck’s sake!”

“You’re, like, three months away from that, chill out.” Louis says and Harry pouts at him. “Fine, no more funnels, let’s do shots instead.”

“Good thinking, Lou, tequila sounds excellent.” Niall says and asks the bartender for three shots.

“Can we sit down? There’s a booth right over there.” Harry points to it and the boys nod. They do their shots at the bar, and Louis orders three more so they can have them at the booth. Harry sighs as he sits. “Much better.”

“Alright, so, you’re really ready to get married? Make that big leap?” Niall asks.

“Yup.” Harry smiles. “I like her a lot.” He takes his phone out. “I mean, look at how cute she is, she’s perfect.” He shows them a picture of you out in the garden, wearing one of Harry’s bucket hats and some dirt on your cheeks. “That’s my baby right there.”

“You did well, Har.” Louis chuckles and pushes Harry’s phone back to him.

“She’s amazing with Andy too, like, she always knows what to say to him. I didn’t realize how much I was doing on my own until she started coming over more and helping out. I feel like I really have someone I can lean on now.” He sniffles and Niall starts laughing.

“Please, don’t get all emotional on us, mate.” Louis says.

“I just can’t believe out of all the people in the world she’s choosing me.”  

“Why wouldn’t she?” Niall says. “I’ve never seen a guy treat a woman as well as you do. Not to mention you’re one of the funniest fuckers I’ve ever met. The key to a woman’s heart is laughter, I swear.”

“it’s true, we laugh a lot.” Harry smiles. “Although, sometimes she tells me I’m not funny even while she’s laughing.”

“That’s because you make really stupid jokes.” Louis says. “They’re so bad they’re funny.”

“Oi, I’m a dad, I get to make dad jokes.” The three do the round of shots Louis had gotten.

“Alright, I’m done with this place.” Niall says. “Onto the next one.”

“And what’s the next one?” Harry raises an eyebrow as the boys grin. “No.”

“C’mon, H.” Niall says.

“Nope, not doin’ in.”

“We have to.” Louis says. “It’s an upscale place, we checked.”

“I don’t wanna watch a bunch of women I don’t know take their clothes off and shake it all around.”

“We’re not goin’ to a strip club, we’re going to a club where there will be some bottle girls and some exotic dancers.” Niall explains. “Nothing overly risqué.”

“Ugh, fine, but let’s do another shot before we go.”

The boys do another shot, and then head to the other club. Harry was feeling loose, so he wasn’t exactly uncomfortable, but he knew he’d feel guilty tomorrow when he was sober. There was loud music playing, and girls in booty shorts and crop tops walking around with drinks. Louis and Niall speak to the bouncer, and they’re brought over to an area that was roped off for them. Harry just felt thankful he could sit for a bit.

“Alright, who’s the bachelor over here?” A girl comes over with a cart.

“That would be this lad here, miss.” Louis says.

“Great! You get a rum bucket.” She grins at Harry as she starts putting the drink together, and Louis and Niall put some bills down on the cart as a tip for her.

“A rum bucket?!” Harry grows wide eyed. “That may be a bit much, I’ve been drinking tequila all night, and-“

“So you’ll nurse it, sweetie.” The girl finishes mixing the drink and hands it to him. “Whoever’s marrying you is a very lucky lady.” She smirks as she looks him up and down. “My name’s Lucy if you need anything, just holler. I’ll be covering your party tonight.”

“Thanks, Lucy.” Niall says. “This cart staying with us?”

“It sure is.” She smiles and walks away. Niall and Louis make their own drinks.

“How’s it taste, Har?” Louis asks.

“Mm, really good, actually.” Harry smiles. “Like…tastes like I’m at the beach.” He takes another decent gulp. “Refreshing.”

The rest of the night is…fuzzy for Harry. Lucy had come over a few times, she tried to flirt with him a little, but he explained not only was he probably way too old for her, but he explained, through slurred words, that he was marrying you, and even showed her some pictures. Louis and Niall got him plenty drunk at the club. Niall offered to buy him a lap dance, but Harry refused profusely. He drank two of the rum buckets, so needless to say he had no idea how he made it back to the hotel in one piece.

//

The next morning Harry wakes up with his head swimming. He almost felt drunk still. He wanted to take a long hot bath, or something. He knuckles at his eyes and sits up. He blinks a few times and jumps when he sees you sitting next to him with a book in your hand.

“Morning sleepy head.” You smile at him. “The boys let me in, wanted to check on you.”

“What is it?”

“Around 9:30. You gotta get up soon, your mom is adamant about spending the day with you before the rehearsal.”

“I know.” He yawns. “She wants to see some of the freedom trail.” He pushes you down onto your back and lays his head on your chest. You giggle as you card your fingers through his tangled hair. “I drank too much.”

“Get sick?”

“Don’t think so. Feel gross now, though.”

“You’ll feel better after some coffee and shower. I got you a small black.”

“You’re an angel, thank you.” He nuzzles further into your chest and then he looks up at you. “I have to confess something.”

“What’s that?”

“The last place we went to was, like, basically an upscale strip club, I’m sorry. I told them I didn’t want to, but they made me. I didn’t do anything though, I even showed the bottle girl pictures of you, and I refused a lap dance.”

“Harry.” You suck your bottom lip into your mouth. “I have to confess something too.”

“You were the bottle girl in disguise!” He gasps and you laugh, petting his head.

“No, baby. My friends took me to see male exotic dancers. It was a show, really, and they all stayed on the stage so it wasn’t like there was any touching or dollar bills flying around, but I did see some skin.”

“Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“I didn’t want you getting jealous.” You say softly. “It was good, clean fun, just like I’m sure last night was.”

“There was a lot of skin showing last night.” He sighs. “Wish it was yours.” He tugs at the hem of your shirt and slides his hand up underneath.

“Oh! Cold hand!” You swat it away and pull it out from under your shirt. “None of that now, we have a lot to do today.”

“Shower with me?” He pouts.

“Can’t, I already did, but I’ll wait in here while you do if you want.”

“Sit in the bathroom with me so we can still chat?”

“Okay.” You chuckle.

Harry takes a few sips of coffee, and you let him use the toiler before hanging out in the bathroom with him as he showers. He tries to recall more events from last night, but he explains a lot of it still feels fuzzy.

“Didn’t take you for someone who would chug from a funnel.” You say to him, and he rips the curtain back to show his face.

“What?”

“One of the guys sent me a picture from your phone. It’s okay, it was funny.”

“Buggers.” He mutters as he gets back to washing up. He gets out and you hand him a towel.

“Better?”

“Much. I don’t know what I’d do if Andy ever saw me that fucked up. I’d me mortified. Where is he, anyways?”

“Down at breakfast with your family. I picked up Brandon from south station earlier, so they’re catching up. They practically leapt into each other’s arms, it was so cute.”

“Sorry I missed that.” Harry sighs as he gets dressed. “Cold out?”

“Not too bad, might wanna wear a sweater.”

He nods and throws one on. He puts some mousse in his hair and scrunches it up so his curls will be more defined.

“Alright, I’m a person again. Breakfast sounds really good right now.” He finishes up his coffee and walks out of the room with you. Niall and Louis were waiting in the living area.

“There is he, and you don’t even look half bad.” Louis says.

“Gee, thanks.” Harry rolls his eyes. “We’re heading to breakfast, you lot joining?”

“Yeah, mate, we were waiting for you.” Niall scoffs.

You giggle as you all had down to the small restaurant the hotel had. You spot everyone right away, and tell Harry to go sit so you can make up a plate for him at the buffet table. He presses a kiss to your lips as a thank you and he goes to sit down. Gemma smirks at him.

“What?”

“Nothin’, have a nice time last night?”

“I did, thank you.” He pours himself some coffee and looks over at all the kids chatting and getting along. “I’m gonna go say hello to my son, if that’s alright with you.” He turns his nose up at Gemma, which makes her and Anne burst out laughing. “Hey, buddy.” Harry says as he sits down next to Andy.

“Hey.” He smiles.

“Hi, Mr. Styles.”

“Hey, B, how was the trip down?”

“Good, I slept for most of it.” He shrugs.

“Pretty brave to go on a bus like that by yourself.”

“I was nervous at first, but Andy told me all about his first time flying alone and it made me feel better.”

Harry smiles at that and looks at his niece and nephew.

“You two behaving and all that?”

“When do we not?” Lizzie scoffs.

“Yeah, Uncle H, give us some credit.” Ritchie says.

“How was the pool?”

“So much fun!” Lizzie says. “And Mum let us use the hot tub, it was so cool.”

“That was nice of her.” Harry smiles, and then feels a hand on his shoulder.

“Sitting with the kids, huh?” You chuckle and place his plate in front of him. “Got you fruit and potatoes.” You kiss the top of his head.

“Thank you, darling.”

“Dad, what time is the rehearsal going to start?”

“Around three this afternoon, gotta do it while it’s still light enough out.” He pops a grape into his mouth and looks at his watch. “Plenty of time to go out and enjoy the city. Got walking sneakers on, B?”

“Mhm.” He nods. “Where are we going?”

“Well, my mum loves history, so we’re gonna walk along the freedom trail for a bit, stop at some of the different landmarks, and then we’ll grab a quick bite to eat somewhere inside Quincy Market.”

“But don’t fill up.” You warn them. “Phil’s preparing an incredible dinner for all of us tonight.”

“You’re not coming?” Andy asks you.

“No, I have to stay here to make sure the room is put together, and be here for when my friends check in. A lot of our friends are going to be coming tonight, so I wanna be a good hostess when they check in.”

“Can’t believe you trust Dad to get us around with you.”

“Oi.” Harry says with a mouth full of potatoes. “I’ve got my wits about me, I know what I’m doing. I’ve gotten you around London in piece, haven’t I?”

“Yeah, but you grew up there.” Andy remarks.

“I’ll tell you what.” You say. “If you feel like you’re lost, just call me, yeah?” You wrap your arms around Harry and rest your head on the top of his chest.

“I’m not a buffoon, we’re not gonna get lost.” He sips his coffee. “Why don’t you lot go to the bathroom before we get going?”

The kids all giggle and stand up to do as he says. You take the opportunity to sit down next him. He rests his head on your shoulder as he continues to eat, and you giggle.

“What?”

“Nothing, you’re just so fucking cute.” You kiss his cheek. “We’re getting married tomorrow.” You nuzzle your nose to his cheek and he turns to look at you.

“Oh, is that why we’re here? Thought we were just having a little family time.” He shrugs and you nudge his shoulder as smile pulls at his lips.

“They’re really cute together.” Louis says to Niall and Gemma. Anne had gotten up to go to the bathroom as well.

“I’ve never seen him like this.” Gemma says quietly. “Even when he was with Paige, like, yeah he babbled about her, but with Y/N you can really see the adoration he has for her.”

“I was gonna say the same thing!” Niall says. “He really truly adores her.”

“Paige was a first love for him, I think.” Louis says. “Which can be nice and meaningful, but that’s true love right there if I’ve ever seen it.”

“I agree completely.” Gemma says. They all smile as they see you scratch at Harry’s head and kiss his cheek. “I like her a lot, so does our mum. Harry’s chill, but he can get worked up easily, you know? Paige can be so high strung, I feel like Y/N brings a nice balance to his life because she’s also equally as chill.”

“Yeah, he said she only really stresses about her doctoral work. He never sees her fret about her classes or grading.” Louis says. “She’s just a genuinely nice person.”

“Seem like a great fit, honestly. Couldn’t want more for him.” Niall says.

Anne comes back with all the kids.

“Alright, I’m itching to get outside. It’s such a beautiful day.” Anne says.

“Tell your son.” Gemma says. “We’re waiting on him to wake up a bit more.”

You and Harry walk over to the table where everyone was waiting for him.

“Okay, let’s hit it. Everyone all set?” He asks. He gets a collective yes and he nods, then looks at you. “Call me if you need me for anything.”

“Won’t be necessary, got everything under control. I’ll meet you at the common at three.” You peck each other’s lips and off they go.

//

You get to the common with your friends and parents around 2:30 just to help them all visualize everything. You point out where the tents are going to be set up, and where the shuttle vans will be dropping everyone off when the time comes. The rabbi arrives you give him a hug. Harry and everyone else come strolling over to the spot.

“Harry! You remember the rabbi.” You say.

“Hi, yeah, nice to meet you in person.” He shakes his hand. “Thanks again for marrying us…I know it’s a little nontraditional.”

“Please, I love, love.” He scoffs. “And I’ve known this woman since she was a little girl, I’m honored to do it.”

“This is my son, Andy.” Harry grabs Andy’s elbow and has him stand in front of him. “Andy this is the rabbi that’s going to be blessing us tomorrow before Auntie Janette does the rest.”

“Hello.” Andy shakes the rabbi’s hand and he smiles at him.

“What a polite young man. You’re very lucky, getting such a lovely step-mom.”

“Yeah.” Andy smiles. “She’s pretty cool.”

“Is everyone here? Shall we get started?” The rabbi asks.

“Yeah.” You say.

You all block out how things will go tomorrow. You and your dad chuckle as you he quickly walks you up to where the alter will be. You and Harry hold hands as the rabbi explains the prayers he’ll administer and then Janette stands in his place and pretends to give her little speech. Once it’s all done you all make your way back to the hotel for dinner. You were ravenous from all the running around you did.

“How was it today?” You ask Harry as you sit down next to him.

“A lot of fun, actually. All the kids behaved, my mum was in heaven with the history, and my friends annoyed Gem, it was fantastic.” He chuckles. “Also…”, he leans in a little closer to your ear, “think something’s going on with Andy and Brandon, like, think I saw them holding hands a couple of times.”

“Oh my goodness, really?” You jaw drops as you smile.

“I think more happened at that Halloween party than he led on, but I’m choosing not to ask about it for now.”

“Probably for the best. He’ll tell us when he’s ready. They both seem to be in pretty high spirits.”

“Yup, they’ve been their usual hyena selves.”

Phil comes in dressed in his chef outfit, and few waiters follow him in with the food. He wanted to give you a plated meal since it was a smaller group tonight. Tomorrow would be the buffet.

“This looks amazing, Phil!” You beam at him. “Thank you so much.”

“Of course.” He smiles. “I hope you all enjoy.” He sits down at a seat Julian left open for him near the door so he could scoot if needed to.

Everyone mingles as they eat. You loved getting to see everyone getting to know each other better. You look at Harry and smile as he speaks with your mother. Then you look over at the kids, the four of them were enjoying mac n’cheese. You notice how Andy and Brandon keep stealing glances of each other. All around, it was a pleasant evening.

“Okay.” Nora says to you. “We’re taking you out of the hotel tonight for drinks. Don’t worry, we’re not going crazy. We don’t want you looking all tired tomorrow.”

“No ma’am.” You say. “The hair stylist should be at our suite around ten in the morning to do everyone’s hair.”

“Perfect.” She smiles. “It’s gonna be amazing. You’re gonna so fucking cool in your ensemble.”

“I’m very excited to strut my stuff.”

After going out for a few hours, you and your friends go back to your hotel suite to get some sleep. Harry had stayed in, well, he went to the hotel bar with Niall, Louis, and Gemma, but he hadn’t drank to excess like he did the night prior.

“I just wanna say goodnight to him.” You tell your friends as you put your robe on. “Be back in five minutes.”

“Mhm, right.” Mark rolls his eyes. “You’ll be back in thirty minutes, freshly fucked.”

“Well…obviously.” You scoff. “It’s the last time I get to call him my fiancé.” You wink and slip out the door and down a few hallways to his room. You knock on the door, and Louis opens it. “Hi.” You smile.

“Hello, love, what can I do for you?”

“Came to tell my fiancé goodnight.”

He grins at you and turns into the room.

“Oi! Harry, Y/N says goodnight!” He turns back to you. “Anything else?”

“Would you get out of the fucking way?” Harry yanks Louis away. “Both of you should go into the other room.” He runs a hand through his hair and tugs you inside. “Hey.” He smiles.

“Hi.” You giggle and quickly go into his room with him. “Thought it might be fun to have one last go as two people who aren’t married.”

“Always thinking, aren’t you.” He pulls the tie on your robe and lets it fall open. You had a simple silk pajama set on, nothing overly special. “Cute.” He smiles and cups your jaw.

He pulls you towards him gently and kisses you. You wrap your arms around him and drag your tongue along his bottom lip, and he opens up for you. He walks you back to the bed, and you both fall on top of it. He tugs your pants down your legs, and you shiver when you feel his hand caress your thigh.

“Don’t leave any marks tonight, I don’t want them showing up in the pictures.” You say as he mouths at your neck.

“What about between your legs?”

“Don’t think a camera will be going there.” You chuckle.

He kisses down your body and parts your legs open. He kisses from your knee all the way to the sensitive skin of your inner thigh. You gasp when you feel his teeth nip at you.

“Harry, don’t tease, it’s not like we have all night…”

“Teasing’s the best, though.”

“For you, maybe.” You pout. “Please, just want you to fuck me.”

“Did you bring any condoms?”

“No…I thought you’d have some with you.”

“You packed them in your bag, remember?”

“Jesus Christ, okay, so just pull out I guess?”

“Can I fuck you from behind?”

“Yes.”

He grins and gets all of his clothes off and so do you. You get on all fours in front of him, and he runs his hands down your back soothingly before giving you bum a smack.

“Oof!” You look behind you, started, as his second smack was against your cunt. “Harry.” You say sternly. “I can’t stay quiet if you do that, and I’d rather not put on a show for your friends.”

“Okay, okay, m’sorry.” He leans forward and pecks your lips.

He pushes his length between your folds to coat himself before he pushes inside you. You groan softly as he bottoms out. He pulls out almost all the way, and thrusts back in. He does this a few times before getting a rhythm going. He reaches forward, and pulls you back to him so you’re flush with his chest. He licks into your mouth as he rubs your clit. You were falling to pieces in front of him. You wanted it quick and fast, and that’s exactly how he’d give it to you. You were his angel, his princess, no, his queen. He’d make you happy no matter what. You were moaning into his mouth and panting all at the same time. You could feel your orgasm approaching. You tug at his hair in he moans right back into your mouth. You bite his bottom lip harshly as you come around his cock. He pushes you off him and onto the mattress. You barely had time to catch your breath before he was coming onto your back.

“Sorry, that was a close one.” He breathes. “One second, baby.”

He hops off the bed and grabs a towel to clean you up with. You use the toilet and then get dressed. He throw his sweatpants back on and pulls you into his lap as he sits on the edge of the bed. You hug him, and he cradles your head to his shoulder. You nibble on his earlobe and smirk to yourself.

“I can’t wait to feel you come inside me when we’re ready to start trying.” You say into his ear and goosebumps raise on his skin. “Bet it’ll feel so good and warm.”

“Y/N, I will fuck you again.” He says almost warning you to behave. “Be good for me, yeah? It’s hard enough I can’t sleep next to you.”

“Sorry.” You peck his lips a few times. “I’ll behave.”

“Thank you.” He kisses you again. “I can’t wait for that too, just so you know.”

“Good.” You smile and get off of him.

“Want me to walk you back to your room?”

“No, just to the door is fine, I can make it.”

He nods and leads you out to the main area, and to the front door of the suite. You kiss one last time, and say goodnight. This time tomorrow he’d be your husband, and you were absolutely buzzing.

//

The next morning you have room service ordered for you and your friends. You have your nails, hair, and makeup done over a couple of mimosas. Anne, Gemma, your mom, and Lizzie all join in.

“So you’re wearing slacks and a jacket, and then you’re changing into a little dress?” Your mom confirms.

“Yes, and I’m really glad I’m doing that because I won’t freeze outside.” You chuckle.

“Your hair looks gorgeous.” Janette says.

“Thanks.” You smile.

You had the hairdresser make two, really nice buns, sort of like the ones you make on your own. Your hair had gotten pretty long, so she was able to make them look full and loose. She took out some pieces in the front and curled the ends. You knew how much Harry liked your poofs, so you thought you’d have them made elegantly. It was perfect.

The time comes for you to put everything on, and your mother has to blink a few tears away. You both giggle and hug. Mark and Darcy walk in front of you out of the room, and Nora and Claudia walk behind you. This way no one would accidentally see you. You all climb into the van, your father, Phil, and Julian were all waiting for you. They tell you how beautiful you look.

Lucas was there waiting for you. Nora goes into the small tent for the bridal party and grabs your bouquet. You take pictures with Mark, Nora, Darcy, and Claudia, then just you and Nora, then you and your parents, then with you, Gemma, and Anne, and then just you and Anne. Then you take one with Phil and Julian, and then one of just your immediate family. Once all that is done you head inside the tent to keep warm until everyone else shows up.

The other van pulls up; Harry, Andy, Brandon, Ritchie, Louis, and Niall all come out. Harry’s suit was magenta, and it really brought out the green in his eyes. Andy, Ritchie, Louis, and Niall all had tan suits on, and Andy was given a special pocket square that was magenta. Louis, Niall, and Ritchie’s were blue. They all go wait inside the tent while Harry goes to the spot he was told to wait for the first look with you. Lucas takes a few pictures of him standing there with his back turned. You take a peek outside, and bite your bottom lip as you see Harry’s back turned. You take a deep breath and make your way out. Everyone was told not to watch so you two could have your moment.

Lucas takes plenty of photos of you walking up to Harry. You get about three feet away and stop. You take a moment to admire his features: his broad back, the way the material stretches over his bum and thighs. You take a deep breath before speaking.

“Hey, neighbor.” You say softly.

“Hey, neighbor, can I turn around now?”

“Yeah, I’m dying to see the front of that suit.”

Harry smiles as he turns around, and his eyes grow wide when he looks at you. His eyes rim with tears. He covers his mouth with one hand, and the other goes to his hip.

“You…you look…I mean, you’re breathtaking.” He says to you. He steps forward and wraps his arms around you. You were trying your hardest not to cry because you didn’t want your makeup to get messed up.

“So are you, you look so handsome.” You chuckle as you hold each other. You cup his cheeks and he grips your hips and squeezes you. “I have a dress for the reception too.”

“Sneaky.” He pecks your lips. Lucas captures everything, and takes a few photos of the two of you. “Alright, it’s our son’s turn, be back in a tick.” Harry goes back to the tent and grabs Andy. He has him cover his eyes as he walks him over to you. “Ready to see your mum, buddy?”

“Yeah.”

“Please, I really don’t wanna cry and you’re making it so hard.” You laugh.

Andy takes his hands away from his eyes and he gasps.

“You look so cool!” He throws his arms around you and you hug him back.

“Andy, you look so incredibly handsome.”

“My pocket square matches Dad’s suit.”

“I see that, very clever.”

Lucas takes some pictures of the three of you, and then everyone else is allowed out. Every combination of photo is taken for each wedding party, as well as every combination of family photo. Everyone goes to wait in the tents as the guests start to arrive. Lisa, Mateo, Sandra, and Andre all take their seats. Some of your other family comes, and a few old colleagues from both yours and Harry’s previous institutions show up.

Janette and the rabbi get into position. Anne walks Harry and Andy up to the alter, and Ritchie, Louis, and Niall follow behind. Brandon was sitting up front and he gives a small wave to Andy. Andy blushes and waves back.

Lizzie walks down the aisle first, putting out rose petals. She hugs Harry briefly, and then stands in her spot. Your mother walks arm and arm with Phil and Julian, and then they sit down. Next comes Mark, Claudia, Darcy, and Nora. Harry takes a deep breath when he sees you and your father. Your smile grows wider and wider, and Harry tears up again. Your father kisses your cheek, giving you away, and you stand hand in hand with Harry. He even wore a yarmulke for you. The rabbi addresses everyone, and says a few prayers before stepping aside to let Janette speak.

“Thank you, Rabbi.” She smiles. “I am so honored to be here today doing this for the two of you. I’ve known Harry for a long time, and I’ve been grateful for our friendship. Y/N, you and I became such fast friends, and I honestly don’t know what I would do without you. Please, don’t ever leave.” You and Harry chuckle at her. “I know it’s a little chilly out, so I’ll try to keep things brief, especially since these two have their own vows. Love is a really crazy thing. We love our friends, our family, and once in a great while we find someone that fall in love with. Watching Harry and Y/N fall for each other was fascinating. It was slow, oblivious, and all of a sudden. They left for summer break as a good friends, and came back a couple. None of us were surprised, of course, but sometimes you just gotta let the kids figure it out for themselves.” A few people laugh. “And I’m so happy you two figured it out. Now, I think the time has come for you to talk, Harry, I believe you’re first.”

“Right, thanks.” He clears his throat and looks at you. He squeezes your hands in his. “Y/N, the day we met I was just excited I was going to have an office neighbor again. Things had been quiet, and I felt bad for always bugging Andre and Sandra.” You laugh at that. “We bonded over not eating meat, and then we won a game of charades, and suddenly you were all I could think about. I wasn’t quite sure why because I hadn’t felt like that in a long time, and I almost forgot what it felt like to be so into someone. I liked you, and so did my son…who’s ours now. It’s not easy dating someone with a child, and you made it seem so natural. You…made me believe in love again.” He blinks away a few tears, and you smile. Janette nods towards you.

“That’s tough to beat.” You squeeze his hands. “When I first came to the university, I was pretty much focused on getting my doctorate. The last thing I expected was to fall in love with my colleague, as charming as he was. When we all went out to dinner that night, you said you had someone at home waiting for you, and I felt weird for feeling relieved when I found out were a single dad. I was so used to being independent and doing my own thing, that I didn’t realize how good it could feel to have someone want to take care of you. I also didn’t realize how good it could feel to want to take care of someone else, and their kid.” You lean and wink at Andy, who was beaming at you. “I’ve never felt like this before, and I’m so happy that I get to keep feeling this way.”

“Andy, the rings please.” Janette says, holding out her hand. Andy drops them into her palm. “Thank you.” She hands one to you, and one to Harry. You each slip a ring on each other’s finger. “By the power vested in, and the state of Massachusetts, I now pronounce you husband and wife!”

Harry steps on the glass, and grabs you by the back of the neck to kiss you. He dips you slightly as everyone cheers. You and your parties make your way to the vans to head to the hotel. All of your guests enjoy a cocktail hour while you change into your dress. Lucas takes a few pictures of you and Harry.

“This is nice, baby.” Harry says to you.

“Thanks, I thought it would be fun to have an outfit change.” You peck his lips. “Hey, I’m your wife.”

“I know, I’m your husband.” He squishes his nose to yours.

“And for the first time as a married couple, Y/N and Harry!”

“Think that’s our cue.” You say to him and giggle. You hold hands and go into the small ballroom.

Everyone cheers as you both come inside. Groove is in the Heart starts playing, which you both chose as your first dance. It was an inside joke between the two of you. You didn’t have a lot of time to plan it, but you were able to choreograph a silly dance to it. Everyone was hollering and clapping as you hit every step. You mouth the words to each other. ‘I couldn’t ask for another. No, I couldn’t ask for another.’ It was a lot of fun. You both hug and kiss at the end, and then giggle. You were so happy Lucas had gotten everything on video.

The song for Harry’s mother-son dance starts to play, and he extends his hand out to her. Andy comes up to you and taps your shoulder. You gasp and smile endearingly at him. You dance with him as Harry dances with Anne. You weren’t expecting this from Andy at all. Next up is your dance with your father, and Harry takes the opportunity to dance with your mother, who was overjoyed.

Nora gives an incredible maid of honor speech, making everyone laugh hard. You almost snorted your champagne through your nose. Louis and Niall give a short little speech before turning the microphone to a nervous Andy. He didn’t love public speaking.

“Um, hi everyone. Th-that’s my dad.” He points to Harry and a few people chuckle. “He’s, like, the best dad in the world. He never really brought his dates around, I didn’t even know he dated. I remember when I first met Y/N…my new step-mom…I thought she was really nice. I asked my dad about her one night, and he pretty much didn’t shut up about her after that.” Everyone laughs. “But that was okay. My eleventh birthday was coming up, and we really wanted to invite her, but he was nervous. So we invited her on a hike to ease to into it. Dad was taking too long, so I asked Y/N to come to my party, and she said yes. After that she kept saying yes to us. I thought my favorite yes was when she agreed to move in, but I think today’s my new favorite.” He smiles and clears his throat. “I…I love you both.”

Everyone cheers for Andy as he comes over to you both to give you each a hug. You both tell him you love him too before he sits down. Brandon gives his shoulder a squeeze. After that, everyone makes their way to the buffet and bar area to enjoy everything. Phil had put an incredible menu together. You and Harry make your way around the room to say hello to the guests who weren’t at the ceremony. Mark was killing it as the DJ, and playing lots of music that everyone could enjoy. A slower song starts to play, so you and Harry make your way to the dancefloor so you can enjoy it.

“I think we really crushed it earlier.” You say. “No one was expecting a fun, choreographed dance.”

“I agree, blew everyone away.” He chuckles and kisses your cheek. “It’s been an incredible day.”

You nod and smile as he leads you around. You rest your head on his shoulder, and let your eyes flutter closed for a bit. You were married, you were actually married. You had the papers to prove it and everything. Sure, you weren’t Mrs. Styles, you’d be keeping your last name, which Harry had absolutely no problem with, hell, he had offered to change his own for you, but you said it wasn’t necessary.

“You know what’s gonna be super sexy of us?” He says and you look up at him with raised eyebrows. “Going on the same insurance plan.”

“God, love it when you talk dirty to me like that.” You giggle and so does he.

The song fades into a faster one, and Andy comes running over to the two of you. He tugs on Harry’s hand so they can dance together. You couldn’t stop smiling if you wanted to. At one point you and Phil share a dance as Harry and Gemma share one. Harry even dances with Julian. You weren’t sure if you had ever seen Harry have so much fun.

“Are you having fun?” Andy asks Brandon as they take a water break.

“Yeah, this is awesome. I had a lot of fun exploring yesterday too. Your family is really nice.”

“Thanks. I’m really glad your parents let you come for this.”

“Me too.” He rests his chin on his palm and smiles at Andy. He reaches with his other hand to fix the collar of his shirt. “Tan’s a nice color on you.”

“Thank you.” Andy blushes.

“Andy!” Lizzie says. “They’re gonna play the cha cha slide in a second, will you come do it with us?”

“Yeah!” He grabs Brandon’s hand to go back to the dancefloor. Everyone gets into position as the song starts.

The music was a lot different than the music that Paige had her wedding. She had more of a generic playlist. You had worked with Mark to play things everyone would like, but you also made sure to have songs on there you knew you’d be able to jam out to. So when Yeah! comes on, you and your friends squeal and all run to dance together. The kids knew the song too, but Andy had never really seen you dance the way you were right now.

“Y/N really knows how to have fun!” Brandon says.

“Yeah!” Andy says. “She really is the coolest!”

Andy knew this wasn’t his dad’s favorite kind of music so he laughs when he sees you drag him over to your friends to dance to the song. You dance up on him in a silly way, and it makes everyone laugh.

“Are they going on a honeymoon or anything?” Brandon asks Andy as they both go to grab cupcakes.

“Mhm, they’re going to Miami during Thanksgiving week. I get to stay at my mom’s for an extra couple of day which will be nice.”

“You won’t mind going back and forth?”

“Nah, it’s only for a couple of days.” Andy shrugs.

“How come her and your step-dad and Rachel aren’t here?”

“I don’t really know. My dad said he didn’t really want her here for this since they wanted to keep things really small. I guess he didn’t want to think about her or whatever.”

“Do you think Y/N and your dad are gonna try to have a baby?”

“I have no idea. I wouldn’t mind if they did, I know my dad’s always wanted to have more kids. He loves babies. Anytime we’re at a party and there’s a baby, he has to hold it. It would be cool to be a big brother, even if I’ll be a lot older.”

“My aunt is, like, ten years older than my dad, and they get along really well. I don’t think age gaps really matter when you’re older.” Andy nods as he finishes his cupcake. Another slow song starts. “Do you, um, wanna dance?” He rubs the back of his neck.

“Yeah.” Andy smiles and takes one of Brandon’s hands.

Andy keeps Brandon’s hand in his, and puts the other on his upper waist. Brandon puts his free hand on Andy’s shoulder. Ever since their kiss, Andy had this confidence about him, not that he wasn’t confident before, but he was certainly less shy now that he knew how Brandon felt about him. No one really pays too much attention to them as they dance. You and Harry notice it and just find it to be sweet.

As the night comes to end, you and Harry thank everyone for coming. Andy and Brandon head up to the hotel suite with Lizzie, Ritchie, Anne, and Gemma. You say goodbye to your family, and your friends go to their suite. Yours and Harry’s things were set up in the room you’d finally be spending the night together in. He laces his fingers in yours as you stand in the elevator. As soon as you get off, you squeal as he picks you up and carries you bridal style to your room. You giggle as you swipe the key card, and he carries you inside. There were rose petals on the floor and a bottle of champagne over ice.

“I don’t think I’ve ever felt more special.” You say and he kisses you.

He sets you down gently, and gets his suit jacket off. Harry pops the champagne and pours some into a couple of glasses. You smile as you take the flute from him and take a sip.

“As if we needed more to drink.” He jokes as he takes a sip. “Did you have fun?”

“So much fun, it was perfect. Couldn’t have asked for a better wedding.” You set your glass down and kick your heels off before wrapping your arms around his neck. “I’m gonna be really busy before we go away.”

“I know, it’s alright. You promise to work while we’re gone, right?”

“I promise.” You nod and he pecks your lips.

“Are you tired? We can wait to consummate if you want.” You laugh at that and shake your head as he squeezes your hips.

“No, baby, I’m not tired. Are you?”

“Not at all. Caught a second wind, actually.”

“Mm, well, let’s put it to good use then.”

You slot your mouth over his, and nip at his bottom lip. His hands slide up under the skirt of your dress to squeeze at your ass, kneading your plushy skin. You start unbuttoning his shirt, and tug it out of his pants. You push it off his shoulders and run your fingers up and down his chest and torso. He grips the hem of your dress and pulls it off in one swoop. You grab at your breasts because you had to use an obscene amount of tape to keep them up.

“What’s all that for?”

“I couldn’t wear a bra with that dress because the back is open, and my boobs are too big to let them just bounce around so I had to tape them up. Give me a second to go take all this off. I honestly forgot about it.” You pout slightly. “Not very sexy.” You say as you walk towards the bathroom.

“I don’t about that, your ass looks great in that thong.” He smirks and you shake your head at him.

He takes the time to get out of his shoes and slacks, leaving himself in a pair of black boxers. He sits down on the edge of the bed as he waits for you. He hears you wince a couple of times, and then you come back out.

“They’re all red now.” You pout for real now and straddle him.

“You and your sensitive skin, poor thing.” He pouts back at you and then kisses on your chest. “Let me make it all better.”

Harry swirls his tongue around your tender nipple, and does the same to other one before gently sucking. You run your fingers through his soft hair as you whimper affectionately. Your hips jut forward against the bump that’s growing in his boxers. He kisses up your throat and to your mouth as he holds you close to him.

“Get back on the bed.” You say against his lips.

You get off of him and he shifts further back on the bed so he can sit up against the headboard. He spreads his legs for you as you tug at the band of his boxers. He lifts his hips to help you take them off. You also take a moment to get your thong off so you both could just be naked.

“I wanted to do that.” He pouts.

“Well, it’s a good thing we’re married because we have the rest of our lives for you to take my clothes off.” You smirk and open his legs back up.

You kiss on his inner thigh, a spot where he was extremely sensitive, and suck a bruise into his skin. He grunts as you do so, and he watches your mouth works up his shift, kitten licks and kisses, up to his tip. You suckle on him and his mouth falls open with a sigh. You slobber all over him so you can pump what you can’t fit into your mouth. Your other hand goes to his balls and he moans as you massage them. You could practically feel them throbbing. You pop off his tip and continue to pump him slowly. You lay flat on your stomach and lick the flat of your tongue over one of his balls, causing his hips to buck up. You carefully mouth at his balls before bringing your mouth back to his tip, swirling your tongue around him.

“Y/N.” He groans. “Let me do you now.”

You give his tip one last harsh suck before you do as he says. You lay back on the bed, but he flips you onto your stomach. He pulls your hips up and you gasp when you feel his breath on your center. He licks into you from behind, and you clench your fists around the comforter on the bed. The noises he was making as he slurped and sucked on you were obscene, but you couldn’t find it in you to care because it felt so fucking good. He briefly sucks on your clit before he drags his tongue all the way back up to your other hole. Your body shudders when you feel two of his fingers slip inside you. His thumb works your clit while his tongue swirls around your other sensitive area. Your eyes nearly pop of your head when you feel his tongue enter you.

“Jesus, fuck.” You cry out. You look over your shoulder at him and see he’s totally lost in you.

His fingers were working wonders against your g-spot, his thumb was rubbing your clit in just the right way, and his tongue…Christ. Your senses were totally overwhelmed. He was moaning and groaning against you, and that’s what makes you totally lose it. You have to grab the pillow to scream into as your orgasm washes over you in waves. He lets go of you slowly, feeling your body shake under him. You carefully roll onto your back and look up at him. Your chest was heaving.

“What?” He asks as he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.

“N-nothing, that just felt really good.” You bite your bottom lip. “I think I’m warming up to the idea of doing more…down there.” You swallow as his eyebrows raise. “Not tonight, obviously, but…I still think it’s only fair it happens to you first. I’ve been looking into it.”

“You have?” He reaches to stroke your cheek and you press into his touch.

“Yeah, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious. There’s a lot of prep work that has to be done. Are you sure you’d feel comfortable with me doing it to you?”

“Mhm.”

“You wouldn’t feel emasculated?”

“I think I was, like, sixteen the last time I cared about being masculine or not.” He smirks. “I think doing something like that with each other is so intimate and special because it just proves how much we trust one another. It really excites me.” You nod at that. “We can talk more about it later…got condoms in here?”

“Yeah, I put them in the bedside table.”

Harry nods and opens the drawer to grab one. He rips the foil packet open and slides the rubber onto his length. His runs his tip through your folds and around your clit. He pushes inside you and you both sigh out in relief. He comes down to you so you’re chest to chest and you wrap your legs around him. You wanted to make love with him tonight, and he knew that. One of your hands gets lost in his hair while the other grips at his back and shoulder. He rocks in and out of you with precision and care. Soft whimpers leave your lips as he kisses on the skin just under your ear.

“I love you so much, Y/N.” He says into your ear.

“I love you too, Harry.”

He picks up the pace a little and his tip hits your g-spot over and over. You weren’t going to last much longer, and judging by how sloppy he was getting, he wouldn’t be lasting much longer either. Your nails scratch down his back as you cry out, and he spills into the condom shortly after. Once you’re both cleaned up, you flop onto his chest so he can hold you. He wraps his arms around you and kisses your forehead. He pulls the covers over the two of you, and you sigh peacefully. You felt like a big, toasty cinnamon bun, and you couldn’t have asked for anything better, honestly.

//

When you woke up the next morning, you realized you slept with your buns in. You sit up and start taking out the bobby-pins that were used to keep them together. You shake out your hair and moan with relief as you rake your nails through. Harry was sleeping soundly next to you. You reach over on the nightstand for an elastic to put your hair up in a high ponytail. You leave the same pieces out in the front. You realize you didn’t bother to take your makeup off either. How irresponsible, you think to yourself. Harry’s arm was strung across your lap, and he squeezes your thigh when you try to get up.

“Babe.” You say and he grunts. “I desperately need to wash my face, please let me get up.”

“No.”

“Harry.”

“Just a little longer.” His eyes flutter open and he looks up at you. “I don’t feel like being a dad, a brother, a son, an uncle, or a friend just yet.”

“And what would you like to be then?”

“Just your husband.”

You chuckle softly and lift his hand to your lips to kiss his knuckles.

“As sweet as that is, unfortunately, now that you’re awake you’re all of those things. You’ll love the brunch Phil’s preparing. I swear breakfast is one of his specialties.”

“Is that why you’re so good at cooking it too?” He asks as he sits up.

“Mhm, I used to practice recipes with him. It sort of helped us bond as I was getting older.” You stretch your arms out and then get out of bed. “I left all my makeup on, I feel gross.”

He lets you do your thing in the bathroom before going in himself. You throw on a sweater with some leggings, and a comfy pair of knock-off uggs. Harry puts on some joggers and a sweatshirt. You both work to pack up all your things. You sigh as you zip up your dress bag.

“You really did look stunning yesterday, in both outfits.” He says as he wraps his arms around you from behind.

“Thank you, baby.” You lean into his embrace for a moment before he lets you go. “Did you see Andy and Brandon dancing last night?”

“I did.” Harry nods with a smile. “Think they’ve got a secret little thing going on?”

“Possibly…”

“I have a feeling they’re not saying anything because they didn’t wanna have any issues with the hotel room.”

“Why would they have issues?”

“Andy’s smart, Y/N, he knows there are certain dating rules, he’s watched enough movies with me to know that two kids dating usually means they can’t sleep in the same room, let alone the same bed.”

“So if they are dating, are you going to ban sleepovers?”

“Nah, they’re only twelve.” Harry shrugs. “But…they’ll have to keep the door open. Brandon doesn’t usually sleep in Andy’s bed anyways since he only has a little twin. I’m not too worried about it.”

“You’ll have to talk with him a little, though.”

“About what?”

“The birds and the bees.” Harry grimaces at that and it makes you laugh.

“You’re his mum now, you do it.”

“Harry.” You laugh harder.

“Please, I can’t get through a conversation like that. I don’t even know what I’d say to him. He can’t really be thinking about that kind of stuff yet can he?”

“I don’t know, kids today are doing things at younger and younger ages. They could easily be kissing and making out. He should know that he really should be doing anything below the belt just yet. And like you said, he’s twelve…aren’t things a little hard to control down there at that age? He needs some guidance ahead of time in case he gets a little too excited.”

“Shit.” Harry says in agreement.

“We can wait until he tells us what’s going. It could easily be nothing still.”

“True.” He kisses your cheek and grabs a good chunk of the bags.

You both head downstairs, and into the small function room you had the rehearsal dinner in. Your nostrils are hit with coffee and waffles. Phil had set up a waffle bar, pancakes, and crepes! There was also eggs, breakfast sausage and bacon (regular and vegan), oatmeal, and yogurt. Your mouth waters from all of it, but you’re snapped out of your daze when you hear other in the room clap and holler at you and harry. You both bow and curtsey. You say your hellos and good mornings before you both pile up your plates.

“Morning.” Andy comes over to the two of you.

“Hey, buddy, how’d you sleep?” Harry says.

“Good, I conked right out, I was tired. Is everyone going back to London today?”

“M’afraid so.” Harry sighs. “We’ll see everyone again real soon though.”

“Yeah.” Andy looks over at Anne. “I’m gonna go sit with Grammy then.”

“Go ahead.” You say. “Enjoy the time with her.”

Andy nods and goes to sit with Anne. Brandon sits on his other side, although he was deep in conversation with Ritchie about the complexities of soccer versus football. Gemma was busy braiding back Lizzie’s hair.

“So, how is it?” Phil says as he plops down in the seat next to you.

“Amazing, I can’t thank you enough.”

“We’re hoping to do more catering events, so we made sure to take a lot of pictures of everything. This was like a test run.”

“Happy we could help, mate.” Harry says. Louis and Niall sit down next to him.

“Sleep well?” Louis asks Harry.

“Like a rock since I had my girl next to me.” Harry smirks.

“You two officially married now?” Niall says.

“Very much so.” Harry’s smirk grows.

“Hey!” You snap your head in their direction. “None of that at breakfast, please. My parents are right over there.” Your cheeks were beat red.

“Y/N, you and Janette have had such vulgar conversations in front of other people before-“ Harry starts, but you cut him off.

“Not in front of my fucking family.” Your gaze is warning and he nods as you turn back to speak with Phil.

The morning goes on, and everyone enjoys their breakfasts. You wait with Harry’s family and friends as their cabs to the airport would be arriving any moment. It was hugs and kisses all around. You already couldn’t wait to see them for the holidays. After wrapping things up with Julian, you, Harry, Andy, and Brandon all head to Harry’s car.

“Now, boys, this is a momentous occasion.” He turns to look at them in the backseat. “Y/N is actually letting me drive through the city.” You glare at him and he laughs.

“Keep it up and I’ll make you switch right now.”

“How come you’re not driving, Y/N?” Andy asks.

“I have a bit of a headache. The sun is a little bright for me today.” You had a pair of sunglasses on to prove it. “This is a test for your dad.”

“And I’m going to pass with flying colors.” He retorts. “Everyone buckled up?” He hears a yes from both boys and he off he goes.

Andy’s hand creeps over to Brandon’s, and they subtly latch their pinkies as they sit in the back. They look at each other briefly to smile before looking out their respective windows. Andy notices you mindlessly reach your hand out to Harry’s. Harry takes your hand in his, kisses it, and rests it in his lap as he continues to drive. It makes Andy smile softly before his eyelids become too heavy, and he drifts off.

//

“Ugh, I do not wanna go to work tomorrow.” You groan Sunday night as you go through your emails. “So many of these questions could be answered if these fucking kids just used Google, like what the actual fuck?!” Andy and Harry both blink at you. “What?”

“Maybe…close your laptop.” Harry says as he gently closes it. “You can catch up tomorrow morning like how I plan to. Just relax, yeah?”

You nod and put your laptop on the coffee table.

“What movie are we watching?” You ask the boys?

“One of my favorites.” Andy says. “Home Alone.”

“A bit early for Christmas movies, no?”

“Y/N, once it’s November, it’s Christmas.” Andy says.

“You’re just going to skip over Thanksgiving?’

“Dad doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving, so it’s okay.”

“Fair enough.” You chuckle. “Throw it on.” Harry puts his arm around you as Andy queues it up.

“Before we do…can I talk to you both about something?” You and Harry share a glance with each other before looking at Andy. You both sit up straight to look at him. “Don’t freak out…but I’ve sort of been keeping something to myself…about me and Brandon?”

“Oh?” You say. “Like what?”

“Well…so…at Mum’s wedding, we almost kissed, but his dad called him so we got interrupted, and then nothing happened for a while…until Caroline’s Halloween party.” He swallows. “I mean, obviously that whole thing at school happened with Greg, and sometimes we’d sort of, like, flirt I guess in class, and so at the party we were all playing truth or dare, and we got dared to go into the closet together.”

“Oh my god.” Harry says and pinches the bridge of his nose.

“It’s not what you think! We just talked while we were in there. I didn’t wanna have my first kiss to be in a closet with a bunch of people waiting for us to come out afterwards…and I told Brandon that, and then I told him I wanted him to kiss me, and he said he wanted to kiss me too, so when we came out I asked Caroline if there was somewhere he and I could go where there wouldn’t be a ton of people around and she let us go outside.” He chews his bottom lip. “I…I asked Brandon how he felt about me and we both said that we really liked each other, and then we…well, we kissed for a little while.”

“Has…anything happened since?” Harry asks carefully.

“No, well, we hold hands a lot, but that’s been it. We didn’t wanna say anything until after your wedding.”

“Why?” You say. “You can tell us anything.”

“I was scared you wouldn’t let us stay in the same room, or something. I mean I know we were with Ritchie and Lizzie, but I didn’t know if you’d make one of us sleep on the floor.”

“Are you two planning to date? I mean…does he only like boys, or does he like boys and girls like you?” Harry asks.

“I don’t really know how he feels about people one way or the other. I think he’s still figuring it out, but he knows he like likes me, and I like like him…so yeah, I think we’re gonna date. Is that okay?”

“Of course it is.” Harry says quickly. “I mean, in the grand scheme of things I think you’re too young to be getting into a relationship, I felt the same way with Caroline, but I’m not gonna tell you no. However, some rules will have to be put into place, the same ones you had with her. Door open if you’re in your room and stuff like that. Also, if you sleep at his place, I’d prefer it if you didn’t sleep in his bed. I’m sure his parents will feel the same way.”

“Is Brandon going to tell his parents?” You ask Andy.

“Yeah, we both promised to tell tonight. He’s supposed to text me after he talks to them. His parents, luckily, are really cool about this stuff. His aunt has a wife, and she and Mr. Stewart are really close, so he doesn’t really have anything to worry about.”

Times like these you wished all kids had it as easy as Brandon and Andy.

“Alright.” Harry nods. “Then it’s all good. I’m, um, glad you two have figured things out, I know it was a little up and down for a bit.”

“Me too.” Andy smiles.

“Oh my goodness.” You sniffle and they both look at you. “You had, like, a fairytale first kiss! I’m so jealous.” You laugh and so do they.

“Why, what was yours like?” Andy asks.

“God, it was so awkward, I can’t even get into it. It wasn’t with someone special I can tell you that much. I’m really happy for you Andy.”

“Thanks.”

“You and I will need to have a little chat about…things.” Harry says to him. “But not right now, it can wait.”

“What kind of things?” Andy’s face scrunches.

“Just… things…” Harry clears his throat. “Is there anything else you wanna tell us?”

“No.” Andy shrugs and takes his phone out of his pocket to text Brandon that everything went well.

“Okay, let’s get the movie started then.” Harry grabs the remote and hits play. Andy gets up and hugs the both of you before sitting back down on the loveseat, curling up with his blanket. “Andy?”

“Yeah?”

“You plan to tell your mother right?”

“When I see her Friday I will on the car ride.”

“Good. I’m sure she’ll be just as happy for you.” Harry smiles and turns to look at the TV.

Brandon: all good over here too, my mom teared up she’s so lame lol

Andy: lol Y/N did too. Wanna meet at our lockers before homeroom tomorrow?

Brandon: definitely : )

Andy sighs happily and puts his phone down so he can pay attention to the movie. He was on cloud nine.

//

Being newlyweds was a lot of fun. As if Harry couldn’t already keep his hands off you, it was like he was jumping you every second he got. In the morning, in the shower, sometimes he’d sneak you home quick when you should be eating lunch, and if it was a weekend Andy was at Paige’s, god, he didn’t let you leave the bedroom. However, he was good about staying away from while you worked. He respected that you were in desperate need to get things done. The paper itself was just about complete, but you still needed to edit the entire thing, and work on your dissertation defense which was slated for April.

Andy sat down with Paige and Noah and told them what was going on with Brandon. He told Rachel as well. Everyone was happy for him. He said he didn’t want Lydia to know just yet. He knew she was old fashioned, and he was nervous she’d take it the wrong way. Paige completely understood, and she said she’d keep it between them.

The Ariana Grande concert was incredible, beyond incredible. You had to stay back with Caroline while Andy got to do the meet and greet, but his face said it all. He went on and on about how nice she was. Andy was so thankful you were able to take him. He made sure to wear his concert tee over a long-sleeve shirt the following Monday at school.

“Morning.” Brandon says as he meets Andy at his locker.

“Hey.” Andy smiles.

“So, how was it?”

“Amazing, like, I knew she’d sound good live, but holy shit, she was incredible.”

“What was meeting her like?”

“She was a lot shorter in person.” Andy chuckles. “But she was really nice, and she said she liked my nails, and my hair. It all happened really fast. They emailed the picture to Y/N, I’ll have to show you next time you come over.”

“I’d like that.” Brandon leans against the closed lockers as Andy gets the books he’ll need for the first half of the day. “We have that history test in a couple of days.”

“Mhm.” Andy nods, a smile creeping on his lips.

“Do you wanna come over and study together? We could order pizza and stuff.”

“Mm, so like a study date?” Andy smirks.

“If you wanna call it that, yeah.” Brandon nods.

“I’ll text my dad and see if I can come over after school.”

“Cool.”

“Cool.” Andy slots his fingers through Brandon’s so they can hold hands down the hall.

There were a few broken hearts at Thomas Hamilton Middle School. There were quite a few girls that had crushes on both Andy and Brandon. Obviously those close to the boys knew something was bound to happen between them, but anyone on the outside just thought they had a wholesome friendship.

Harry gives the okay for Andy to go over Brandon’s after school. Selfishly that meant he could fuck you when you got home from work before you needed to go up to the loft to work.

“Hi, Andy.” Mrs. Stewart says as she picks the boys up from school.

“Hello, Mrs. Stewart, how are you?”

“I’m good, honey, thank you. How are your dad and Y/N?”

“They’re good, they really like being married.”

She chuckles at that and gets the boys home. Brandon asks if they can have pizza later, and Mrs. Stewart says yes before they both go into his room.

“Uh, boys? Leave the door open, please.” She says shyly and they both nod.

“Her and my dad are still getting used to it.” Brandon explains as they both set up on his floor.

“My dad says my door has to stay open if you come over too. I had the same rules when I was with Caroline.” Andy shrugs.

“Same for when I was with Molly, now that I think about it. I don’t know what they think we’re gonna be doing in here, we’re just studying.”

“I don’t know either, parents are weird.”

After going over their notes, and quizzing each other a bit, the boys enjoy some pizza, and then decide to play some video games. It was the same as it ever was.

“Do you feel like watching TV until your parents come to get you?” Brandon asks him.

“Sure.” Andy shrugs.

Brandon switches the TV to Nickelodeon. Some reruns of Full House was on. Brandon had beanbag chairs in his room, so that was what he and Andy were sitting on. They start holding hands, and slouch into the chairs. They look at each other. Brandon’s eyes glace to the door to make sure his parents weren’t creeping around. He nods, and Andy leans in to press his lips to Brandon’s. They slouch a little further down, and Brandon cups Andy’s cheek. Andy tugs on the collar of Brandon’s shirt to pull him a little closer.

“Andy!” Mr. Stewart yells from the kitchen. The boys jump off each other. “Your dad’s here!”

“Jesus.” Andy catches his breath. “Scared the shit out of me.”

“Thought you’d be used to him yelling by now. He’s just as loud on the court.” Brandon smirks and stands up. He puts his hand out for Andy and helps him up. “I’m glad you came over today.”

“Me too, thanks for having me.” Andy cleans up his things and gets his backpack together. He leans in and kisses Brandon’s cheek before they walk out of his room. “Thanks again for dinner Mr. and Mrs. Stewart, goodnight.”

“You’re more than welcome, tell your folks we say hi.” Mr. Stewart says as Andy leaves.

He gets into the backseat of Harry’s car.

“Hey, Dad.”

“How’d the studying go?”

“Good, I’m feeling really prepared for Wednesday. Where’s Y/N?”

“Oh, she, uh, she’s a little tired so she’s in bed reading.”

“Why’s she so tired? It’s only 7:30.”

“She…” You convinced Harry to let you work uninterrupted until dinner time. He agreed, and then he fucked you on the kitchen counter while dinner was in the over. Then he fucked you again. Bent you over the bed. So, yeah, you were a little too tired to go out with him and pick Andy up. “She worked a lot today, so she just felt like staying in, that’s all.” He clears his throat.

“Can I ask you something sort of personal?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“What do you do…like…I don’t even know how to explain this, um, you know when your pants get tight?”

“When your pants get tight?”

“Yeah, like, in the front?” Andy twiddles his thumbs.

“In the…oh…oh! Yeah, is that, uh, starting to happen to you a little more often?”

“Yeah, usually if it happens in class or something, I just put my book over my lap, but I’m afraid it might happen when I’m hanging out with Brandon. It would be so embarrassing if we were kissing, you know?”

Harry takes a deep as he tries not to crash his car. These were the conversation he was dreading, but he supposed he was happy Andy felt comfortable enough to bring it up on his own.

“Yeah, I know what you mean. It’s pretty tough to control at your age, but something you can do to help yourself out is to think of something gross or sad.”

“Like what?”

“Um…I don’t know, what grosses you out?”

“When people sneeze into their hands.”

“Alright, so think of that.”

“It works?”

“For the most part. Your head gets distracted so other parts of you don’t get as excited.”

“Alright, I’ll give it a try I guess.”

“Do you two, uh, kiss a lot?”

“Well, not really since we feel like we’re being watched every two seconds. Can’t do it at school because of the teachers, and we have to keep our doors open so…” He rolls his eyes.

“That’s so you two stay respectful.”

“You know what’s interesting? Never, not once, have you and Y/N kept your bedroom door open when you both go in there.”

“We’re adults.”

“So that means you deserve privacy more than me?”

“Not necessarily, but there’s an emotional maturity that she and I have that you don’t yet. If your door’s open, you’re not gonna get any funny ideas.”

“Like what? It’s just kissing.”

Harry pulls into the garage and turns the car off. He sighs and turns to look at Andy.

“Kissing can lead to other things sometimes.”

“Like…making out?”

“Yeah.” Harry nods. “And then that leads to more serious things that you’re really not old enough for, but sometimes things happen when you’re not properly supervised, and I wanna keep you safe, as I’m sure Brandon’s parents wanna keep him safe too. Someday, when you’re older, I probably won’t make you keep your door wide open, maybe just open a crack, because you do deserve privacy, but right now you’re twelve, so.”

“Okay.” Andy sits there for a moment. “So, adults get to do whatever they want with each other whenever they want?”

“No, not at all. Self-control is a thing, asking for permission is a thing. You should always ask before you touch, and if someone says no you have to listen and respect that. You can’t take it personally.”

“Do you and Y/N ever say no to each other?”

“Sure! More often than you think, actually. I know she and I can be pretty touchy, but there are times either of us aren’t in the mood to cuddle or whatever. Communication is really important in any relationship. She and I do a pretty good job of communicating our feelings, I think.”

“Well, I would hope so, you both teach classes about it.” Andy laughs.

“You’d be surprised how dense people can be, even when they study something for years. Just make sure you and Brandon continue to communicate. You should be doing things you both feel comfortable with. There’s no need for you two to rush anything either.”

“Alright, thanks, Dad.”

“Any time.”

They both get out of the car and head inside. Andy says he’s going to take a quick shower and then get ready for bed. Harry goes into your shared room to see you still reading.

“Did he have a good time?”

“Yeah.” Harry says as he sits gets changed into his pj’s. “We had an interesting chat in the car.”

“About what?”

“Guy stuff.” You scoff at him. “What?”

“What does guy stuff entail?”

“He asked me what he should do if he accidentally gets a stiffy while kissing.” Your eyes widen and your jaw drops. “He didn’t word it like that, obviously.”

“Did that happen to him tonight?”

“No, but he’s scared that it could.”

“What did you tell him to do?”

“I told him to think of something that grosses him out.” He shrugs, and sits next to you on the bed with his own book.

“Gotta be so tough being a boy.” You pout sarcastically. “Having to hide your boners all the time.” Harry side eyes you. “It’s what you get for having everything else in your lives be so easy. You’re sitting there dealing with that while us girls are sitting there hoping we haven’t randomly started bleeding.”

“Yeah, I remember Gem coming home from school a few times to change her clothes.”

“It’s literally the worst! You can’t tell if it feels like discharge or if you’re just randomly a little wet, so you panic and run to the bathroom, and then you’re relieved when it’s nothing. Plus, you’re crazy irregular at that age, so even if you’re tracking it, it can still be random.”

“That really does suck.” You hum your response. “Am I good to you when you have your period? Is there anything you’d like me to do?”

“Oh, Harry, don’t be silly.”

“M’serious! Should we keep more dark chocolate in the house? Oh! I could get one of those hot water presses to put on your back, or-“

“Babe.” You put your hand on his shoulder. “You do plenty, thank you very much.” You lean over and kiss his cheek.

“I’m kinda glad you got it tonight so you won’t have it on our trip.”

“Me too. Would have been a pain in the ass for sure.” You bite your bottom lip. “I’m very excited for Miami.”

“Same here, the weather’s looking good. We’ll be able to go to the beach, and go to bars, all that fun stuff.”

“Mhm.” You smile and get back to your book.

You had a few things up your sleeve for your week away, but you wanted it to be a pleasant surprise for your husband, so you were doing your absolute best to keep it to yourself.

[missjanjie]

Taste of a Poison Paradise | Chapter 8

Title: Taste of a Poison Paradise Summary: Life at Jackie Cox’s strip club, Poison Paradise, isn’t just lapdances and g-strings. There’s enough drama, lust, and heartache to rival any soap opera. None of the girls know what to expect on any given shift, especially while navigating their torrid, complicated relationships. Word Count: ~3k (this chapter) / ~24.2k (total) Relationship(s): Lemyanka (Lemon/Priyanka), Crygi (Crystal Methyd/Gigi Goode), Sportsdoll (Jan Sport/Nicky Doll), Jaidie (Jaida Essence Hall/Jackie Cox), BVK (Brooke Lynn Hytes/Vanessa Vanjie Mateo/Kameron Michaels), Rosnali (Rosé/Denali Foxx) Rating: E

Read on AO3 | Ko-Fi

Chapter Summary: Things seem to be going well for Lemon until they go really bad really fast. Things are actually going well for Jackie and Jaida.

-

For the next couple of weeks, it seemed like Lemon was on the mend. She had finished her finals, gotten through her senior year, and now it was time to celebrate. Hers and Gigi’s graduations were only a couple of days apart, so the group decided to combine their graduation party that weekend.

It was one of the rare times the club was closed on a Saturday, but Jackie wanted to make sure everyone could celebrate together and turned the main room into their party space. “Cheers,” she said, raising her glass, “to Lemon and Gigi, college graduates!”

The group clinked their glasses together and drank, everyone resuming their casual conversation, relaxed, and enjoying one another’s company. With the exception, of course, of Lemon and Priyanka, who were still trying to avoid each other like the plague.

“Look, I love those two as much as the rest of y’all, but I’ve stopped feeling sorry for them — at this point, it’s just annoying,” Kameron remarked as she watched the way they behaved with a grimace. “Not that it’s any of my business, but it kind of is considering how often I have to witness them, but how long were they hooking up for anyway?”

Vanessa furrowed her brows as she counted on her fingers. “Dunno, like four months?”

“Shit, that’s like a lesbian year,” she murmured, sipping her drink. “This isn’t gonna fix itself is it?”

“Not as long as Pri’s got that rock on her finger.”

“It could be worse,” Brooke Lynn chimed in, her lips pursed around the straw in her glass, “at least she doesn’t wear it to work, can you imagine the fit Lemon would throw if she had to stare down a diamond every day?”

The three of them looked at Lemon, who, at least for the moment, appeared to be enjoying herself, then at Priyanka, who was talking to Crystal and looking stressed.

“So, dress shopping is happening on Wednesday?” Crystal asked. “Does she know?”

“Of course she doesn’t know,” Priyanka scoffed and shook her head, “I have no idea how to keep her from knowing, no one can keep a secret in their family.”

Crystal winced but nodded. “Well, good luck,” she offered before Gigi made their way to her side and her attention immediately became divided.

“Thanks,” Priyanka mumbled, her gaze drifting to Lemon, who was talking animatedly to Jan and Rosé, “I’ll need it.”

------

By the time Wednesday rolled around, Priyanka’s nerves hadn’t quelled in the slightest. Lucky for her, at least, those with her — her mother, sister, and future mother-in-law wrote it off as pre-wedding jitters. Scarlett knew better, but there was no need to blow up her best friend’s spot like that.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go to a more traditional store?” The mother-in-law asked, “I know Mark doesn’t want your culture to be ignored.”

“It will be two separate ceremonies,” Priyanka’s mom cut in before she could speak for herself, “she will be wearing her grandmother’s sari for that.”

Priyanka had to fight off the pained expression that tried to twist its way onto her face. It was only when she had broken the news to her family that she remembered what a big event weddings were in her family. She wasn’t about to get off lightly with this. Instead, she let the assistant at the shop lead her to a rack of dresses and suggested a few. She agreed to them without giving them a proper look, figuring she would let a majority rule.

Once she was in the first dress, she returned to the main room and stepped up on the platform in front of the mirrors. Right away, the women began discussing and debating the pros and cons of the dress — where it fit right, where it’d need to be taken in. But she couldn’t bring herself to focus on anything, instead zoning out to the song playing through the store’s speakers.

I'm living for the only thing I know I'm running and not quite sure where to go And I don't know what I'm diving into Just hanging by a moment here with you

Normally, Priyanka would roll her eyes at this sort of song, at the cheesy love in the lyrics. But with her only alternative being actively participating in shopping for a wedding dress, she listened to the music and let it resonate.

Desperate for changing Starving for truth I'm closer to where I started I'm chasing after you

She winced but blamed it on accidentally being stuck with a pin. They didn’t have to play a song that hit so close to home, she thought. It made it that much harder to ignore the feelings that bubbled up inside her. It was only then that she realized someone was talking to her. “Huh?”

“I asked if you liked the dress,” Scarlett replied.

“Oh,” she cleared her throat. “Yeah, it’s fine.” She then realized she should have been more convincing because she found herself ushered back into the dressing room to try on dress number two, which she would then force enthusiasm for so the day would end as soon as possible.

“Are you okay?” her mother asked with sincere concern.

Priyanka nodded as she stepped off the platform. “Just a little lightheaded, I didn’t have breakfast.”

“Well, let’s get this dress taken care of, then we’ll go get something to eat.”

She nodded again as she went back to change into her regular clothes. Maybe she did just need to eat, she thought. Maybe some food or a nap would bring her back into reality. The reality where she was preparing to get married. The reality that Lemon could no longer be the main character in, no matter what some stupid song was trying to tell her. Or even worse, no matter how much she wanted her to be.

------

“You don’t normally ask me to make house calls,” Jaida remarked as Jackie let her into the apartment, “is everything okay?”

Jackie exhaled deeply. No matter how many times she had rehearsed what she was going to say, she still ended up tongue-tied the second she laid eyes on her. But she was determined to work her way through this and not let nerves get the best of her. “I watched the video you did with Denali. I… I watched it more times than I’d like to admit,” she confessed. “And I can’t get the image of you fucking her out of my mind. But more specifically… I can’t stop picturing myself in her place.”

Jaida had to put all of her mental energy into fighting off a smug grin. She wanted to choose her words carefully, not wanting to overwhelm an already anxious Jackie. “Since we’re being honest here, that’s kinda what I was aiming for,” at Jackie’s confused reaction, she continued, “you could have been less obvious with your username and how you talk online. Maybe it’s ‘cause I know you so well, but I could read all of your messages in your voice.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

She shrugged. “I didn’t want you to feel pressured to confront how you felt, considering your coming out was still fresh for you. I just wanted you to know that the option was there whenever you were ready.”

There was a silent beat before Jackie swallowed thickly and told her, “I’m ready.”

“Then tell me what you want, baby.”

“I want you to fuck me.” The words felt foreign for Jackie to say, the phrase has never left her lips with any sort of sincerity before. But at the same time, she had never been more certain in her life about what she wanted and how badly she wanted it.

Jaida moved to Jackie, wrapping her arms around her waist and kissing her deeply. “I’m gonna take good care of you, okay?” she promised as they made their way to the bedroom.

And Jackie trusted her, she trusted her more than she would have anyone else in this position. She let Jaida take her to bed, let her take her time undressing her and pressing kisses to every newly exposed inch of skin. She eagerly helped her clothes off as well, letting her hands roam her body in ways she had only fantasized about.

“I don’t want you to be afraid of being loud,” Jaida told her. “I wanna hear you, wanna know how good I’m making you feel.” As she spoke, her fingers glided down Jackie’s body, stopping between her thighs before starting to rub her clit in small, firm circles.

Jackie’s head tilted back into the pillows, soft moans spilling from her lips. Her body yielded to Jaida’s touch and her moans grew louder as the other woman eased one finger into her, thrusting and curling it before adding another and picking up a steady rhythm.

“Good girl,” she praised, trailing kisses down her body. She then slowly eased her fingers out and replaced them with her tongue, licking and thrusting at a similar pace while her fingers moved to rub her clit in tandem.

It wasn’t long before the sensation became overwhelming and Jackie’s hips started to jerk erratically. She barely managed to squeak out a warning before she came harder than she ever had before, her body trembling when she was spent. “Oh my god…”

Jaida came back up and laid beside her. “Are you okay?” she asked softly, pushing the hair out of her face.

“I’m good,” Jackie assured. “I just… I haven’t… it, um…”

“Jackie…” she furrowed her brows and sat up a bit, “have you ever been with a woman before?”

Jackie’s face turned a deep shade of red. “I have, kind of. It’s been hard to work through so many years of repression and internalized homophobia, you know? I’ve made out with girls, fooled around a bit. But I guess no, I’ve never properly had sex with another woman before. I wouldn’t have wanted to put that pressure on you anyway. Besides, I couldn’t have asked for a better first time.”

Jaida exhaled deeply, suddenly becoming aware of the weight that’d built upon her chest. “Then that’s all I needed to hear.”

------

“There’s a birthday party out there tonight,” Gigi remarked offhandedly as they and Lemon got ready in the quick-change room. “I know how much you love those,” they added with an overly exaggerated eye roll.

Lemon groaned. Birthdays and bachelor parties were tied for the worst groups of men to deal with as clients, the only exceptions being the ones that take it as an opportunity to go all out and tip well. “And you’re on the stage next?” she let out another disgruntled whine when they nodded, finishing off her cocktail. “Gonna get a refill, gonna need it for doing rounds.” Naturally, when she went to the bar, she went right to Crystal. The downside was Crystal knew to cut her off after three drinks and she had to flirt with men to keep the drinks coming.

“You’re getting your third one this early?” Crystal questioned as she mixed it for her. “Something on your mind?”

“Nope. Just got a birthday party that’s probably all gonna want lap dances,” she replied, taking a swig as soon as she got the drink in her hand. Sure, it didn’t help that she had seen Scarlett’s instagram post of Priyanka in her wedding dress earlier, but she wasn’t about to hash that out, especially not with the bride-to-be all of four feet away.

And Crystal wasn’t entirely convinced, but she knew there was no use in pushing further. “Well, good luck,” she offered.

Lemon set her empty glass on the counter before making her way through the crowd. It took a little while before she ended up in the vicinity of the group of men, and not long after that, they flagged her down. At first, it was business as usual, though she couldn’t shake the feeling that one of the men seemed familiar.

“Hey Mark,” the man celebrating his birthday remarked, “maybe we should come back here for your bachelor party. I bet Priyanka won’t mind!” he laughed.

That made Lemon freeze in her tracks as it all clicked. She saw red and her blood boiled with a wave of anger and loathing she had never felt before. Something inside of her took over, she hadn’t even realized she had thrown a drink in his face and screamed at him until Kameron was pulling her away and all eyes in the club were on her, including Priyanka’s, who had dropped everything to run over the second she heard Lemon scream.

“Who the hell are you?” Mark asked incredulously.

“I’m who your fianceé thinks about while you’re fucking her,” Lemon snarled while locked in Kameron’s grasp.

It was then that both Mark and Lemon realized Priyanka was right there. “What the fuck is she talking about, Pri?”

Priyanka felt her heart drop into the pit of her stomach as she prayed for the floor to open up beneath her so the ground would swallow her whole. She knew she had been playing a dangerous game, but she could have never predicted that it would blow up in her face this badly. “I-”

“She’s never gonna love you,” Lemon continued with disdain in her voice. But then her tone softened to a calm, albeit distant one. “But don’t worry,” she looked towards Priyanka, their eyes meeting, “she’s never gonna love me either.”

Other than the music playing in the background, the room was silent as Lemon let Kameron take her upstairs to the common room. “How are you feeling?” she asked gently as she sat at the other end of the couch, resting her hand on the smaller girl’s leg. “You really caused a scene back there.”

“Whatever,” she mumbled. “He was gonna find out eventually. You can’t live a lie forever,” she hiccuped as she sprawled her barely-dressed body out. “I need another drink.”

“The only thing you’re drinking is water,” she said sternly, getting up and grabbing a water bottle from the fridge and bringing it back, propping Lemon up enough so she could drink. “I’m gonna call Rosé and have her take you home, I don’t think you should stick around tonight,” she told her as she fished her phone from her pocket.

Lemon nodded and pushed herself to sit up properly. She hung her head down, intentionally hiding her face from Kameron as she sniffled quietly. “Pri’s gonna hate me now, isn’t she?”

Kameron winced, unsure of how honest she should be with someone both drunk and emotionally unstable. “I think once the dust settles, you two are going to have to have a long talk. It’s not gonna be easy, but it’s gonna be the only way you two have a shot at healing.”

“I ruined her marriage.”

She shook her head. “She ruined her marriage the moment she said yes to someone she didn’t want to be with. She probably would’ve gotten cold feet and left him at the altar,” she mused, both out of her honest belief and the hope that she could get Lemon to crack a smile. And once she did, she felt comfortable getting back up and calling Rosé, warning her of exactly what happened.

“I got here as fast as I could,” Rosé announced once she made it upstairs. “Three different guys tried to buy lap dances off me on the way, sorry,” she added before rushing to her cousin’s side. “You’ve done it now, huh, Lem?” she shook her head as she helped her to her feet.

Vanessa emerged from the locker room with the rest of Lemon’s belongings. “Here, you might wanna get her changed before you take her back outta here.”

Kameron furrowed her brows. “You know her locker combination?”

“Um… yes?” she tucked a bobby pin into her back pocket. “This ain’t about me,” she was quick to change the subject and helped Lemon get changed.

Rosé effectively ignored the entire exchange, saying her goodbyes to the other women before driving Lemon back home and getting her changed again, this time into pajamas. “Mik isn’t home, you can sleep in her bed,” she offered.

Lemon chewed her lip for a moment, then shook her head. “Can I stay with you? I just… I don’t wanna be by myself.”

“Of course, baby,” she assured and tucked her into bed. “Do you need anything? Water? Something to eat?”

“Need to wake up in a world where none of this happened.”

Rosé sighed sadly. “Fresh out, unfortunately.” She changed as well before joining her in bed. “Just wake me if you need anything, okay?” When she got a nod of confirmation, she turned the lights off and called it a night.

But that wasn’t the case for Lemon. No, she wouldn’t be so lucky. Even though she had been drunk, the incident replayed in her mind in great detail no matter how many times she tried to shut it off. That, coupled with struggling to sort through the mix of emotions still swirling through her, kept her awake for another hour or so before exhaustion took over and she passed out.

And back at the club, everyone else was left to pick up the pieces of the explosive incident. But as much as the clientele was willing to move past what they’d witnessed, none of the employees could get themselves to carry on. So, with Jackie’s blessing, they called it an early night and nearly everyone went back home.

Priyanka hung back, seeking solace in Jackie’s office, knowing her boss might be the only one that could understand the gravity of the fallout. “What the fuck am I supposed to do now, Jackie? This is effectively outing me to everyone. And I look bad too, they’re gonna find out I’m gay and a cheater in one go. What should I do?”

Jackie sighed, her heart truly breaking for her. “I wish there was an easy answer for this. I think, for now, you just need to get through the night.”

And Priyanka would, though she was afraid to fall asleep, overwhelmed with the need to postpone tomorrow as long as she could, because she had run out of ways to hide or lie her way out of it.

[hyuniepot]

enigma || qian kun

e·nig·ma • /iˈniɡmə/ • noun

a person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand.

pairing || kun x reader

genre || college au

word count || 2,715

warnings || mentions of alcohol and smoking

author’s note || tbh this started out as a longer fic but... something in me really wanted it to end when it did. but maybe there could be a part 2 someday idk idk (also apologies for repeating text again, tumblr is rlly out to get me)

You’re annoyed.

It’s cold. Your shoes are soaked from walking through puddles left behind from the rain showers earlier in the day. Your best friend, Hana — the one who begged you to come to this party — was talking your ear off. Usually, dealing with her chatterbox self was easy, but you weren’t in the mood to talk.

“I think I’m nervous,” she says. “I feel like if I stop talking I’m gonna start freaking out! I mean, how am I supposed to be calm going to a party like this?”

You furrow your brows. “Don’t you go to parties like this every weekend?” you question.

You roll your eyes. “Sure,” you sigh. You spot a huge house coming into view with lights flashing from the inside and floods of people entering. “So, whose house is this?”

You roll your eyes. “Sure,” you sigh. You spot a huge house coming into view with lights flashing from the inside and floods of people entering. “So, whose house is this?”

You roll your eyes. “Sure,” you sigh. You spot a huge house coming into view with lights flashing from the inside and floods of people entering. “So, whose house is this?”

“Johnny’s,” Hana replies. “His parents own this place, but whenever they’re out of town, he uses it to throw the best parties at least once a year.”

“How cliche…” you mumble.

You finally enter the house alongside Hana. The loud music and all the smells immediately send you into sensory overload. Hana grabs onto your hand and leads you into the kitchen.

“Oh, hey!” A guy with brown hair greets Hana as soon as she walks in. “I’ve been waiting for you!”

“Johnny!” she grins. “Sorry for the wait, I took way longer getting ready than I wanted.”

“No problem, the party's just getting started! So I’m assuming this is the friend you were telling me about?” Johnny turns his attention to you. His gaze is intense.

Hana nods. “Yep, dragged them here with me. I just knew I had to, parties like this are always the best.”

Johnny nods, grinning slightly. His eyes are still burning into you. “She’s right. You’re gonna have a blast.”

You nod and smile just to be polite. Your eyes dart around the room trying to avoid Johnny’s. They’re like daggers. Hana grabs two drinks and before either of you have a chance to say anything, nods to a nearby doorway.

You follow her into the other room and take a seat next to her on an empty sofa. It doesn’t take long before she gets distracted again.

“Oh! Doyoung! Yuta!” she waves to two boys across the room. They both turn to her and smile before making their way over to where you were both sitting.

“Hey,” Doyoung says. You knew him pretty well, you had a class with him and a few mutual friends as well. “Didn’t know you guys would be here.”

You shrug. “Always expect the unexpected,” you joke, taking a red cup from Hana’s hand. You take a sip, cringing from the overwhelming taste of alcohol. You’re not sure why you expected it to taste good. But you had to tough it out and wait until you were buzzed enough to think the alcohol tastes good.

“You guys playing beer pong later?” Yuta asks, sitting down next to Doyoung. “I mean, we need a team we know we can beat,” he says, laughing.

Hana rolls her eyes. “Thanks for the invite, but no. We’re both terrible,” she says. “I don’t want to embarrass myself.”

Speak for yourself…

Out of the corner of your eye you see the front door fly open. A tall guy enters, both hands carrying cases of alcohol. Two other people are behind him; you only recognize one — Ten. He was known as “the hot exchange student from Thailand” for a few months before anyone you knew got the guts to talk to him just to find out he was a sweetheart. You had only talked to him a handful of times.

Everyone cheered as the person entered. You assumed it was Jaehyun since multiple people yelled his name. He beamed from all the cheering, dimples appearing on either side of his cheeks; he looked cute, there was no denying it.

Ten weaves his way around Jaehyun and makes his way to where you were sitting, the other boy following behind. Ten picks up a cup from the table. “God, finally I can drink. Jaehyun made me his designated driver as soon as I got here.”

“Is that your drink?” you ask. You were really hoping he didn’t just grab a random cup.

Ten takes a drink, shrugging. “Should be. Looks like it. I told Lucas to guard it but,” he sighs. “He’s nowhere to be seen. As usual. I should know better, asking Lucas to stay still at a party is impossible.”

He puts his arm around the boy standing behind him. “This is Sicheng, by the way. I think you know him, right Yuta?”

Yuta nods. “Yeah. We have a few classes together. Hey.”

Sicheng grins. “Hi, Yuta.”

Sicheng didn’t look like a party person. He looked like you; someone who was dragged to this party by their much more outgoing friend.

“Anyways. It was nice seeing you guys. We need to go find Lucas and Kun.” Ten says. And like that, Ten disappeared into a pool of people surrounding the area where you sat.

You didn’t know either of the people he listed; you were getting more and more used to that.

Jaehyun finally makes his way towards you, still carrying the cases of alcohol. He looks at Doyoung and Yuta and nods towards a group of people behind him. “Beer pong’s starting. Taeyong and Taeil want to take you guys on first.”

Doyoung downs the rest of his drink. “Got it. Let’s go win our first game of the night, Yuta!” They both get up and run out of the room.

“Hey, Jaehyun,” Hana smiles.

Jaehyun smirks. “Hey. It’s been awhile since I saw you last, how are you?” he asks.

“Oh, you know. The usual. Trying to survive my classes. This is my friend by the way, the one I was telling you about.”

They really must enjoy talking about me, huh?

You smile. “Hi.”

Jaehyun nods. “Nice meeting you finally. I’d give you a proper greeting, but,” he raises his arms. “Kinda busy.”

“Right!” Hana says. “Sorry for holding you up.”

He shakes his head. “It’s okay. I’m kinda stalling going back into the kitchen, Johnny’s an hour ahead of me. He’s on the road of getting shitfaced,” he chuckles. “I’ll see you guys later, maybe.” he walks away from you and Hana and into the kitchen.

“Okay, let’s go.” Hana stands up and grabs your hand, almost spilling your drink in the process.

“Where?” you ask, getting up from your seat. It takes you a few seconds to collect yourself from almost tripping and spilling your drink.

Hana drags you through a group of people. “To watch the beer pong game! I’ll bet you five dollars that Yuta and Doyoung will lose.”

Everything went as per usual.

You weren’t even surprised as you stumbled up the stairs and through an unfamiliar hallway, praying to find an empty room you could lay down in.

After the first beer pong match (which Yuta and Doyoung lost, so you owed Hana five bucks), you lost Hana, but you stayed with Doyoung and Yuta for a while. You drank too fast and it all hit you at once. You felt nauseous and your head was pounding from the loud music that had been blaring for hours.

You open the first door you see. You see two people in bed. You slam the door shut. “Sorry…” you apologize, squeezing your eyes shut.

You shake your head and continue your way down the hallway. One door is open. You poke your head in, looking around to make sure it was empty and that no one was in the bed. It was empty. You enter, turning on a lamp next to the bed and sitting down on it.

You close your eyes in an attempt to try and soothe your head, but it’s pointless. You were burning up. Were you running a fever?

There’s a balcony connected to the room. You make your way to it and open the doors, the cool air instantly hitting you. It feels amazing. You close your eyes and take a deep breath. You smell something familiar in all of this unfamiliarity; Cigarette smoke. It’s unmistakable.

You open your eyes, nearly jumping out of your skin when you see a figure standing on the leftmost side of the balcony. “Shit!” you cry out.

The person just looks at you, cigarette in between their fingers. They blow a puff of smoke before turning their head.

You put your hand on your chest. “Sorry. You scared me.”

“Don’t worry.” they say, sighing.

You step onto the balcony and go to the right, sitting down on a chair. “Um… and sorry for… intruding on you, I guess. I just needed some air.” you say softly. You look towards them.

“It’s alright.” they reply. They turn their head towards you, taking another puff from his cigarette. “I’m Kun.”

The name was familiar. “Kun…” you repeat. “You know Ten, right?”

Kun nods, chuckling a bit. “Yeah. That asshole brought me here knowing I absolutely hate parties.” he sits at a chair identical to yours on his side of the balcony. “I’ve been up here the whole night. I took my chance to hide once he left.”

You grin. “Nice. I don’t blame you. I’m… not much of a partier myself.” you say.

Kun taps his cigarette, small ashes falling from it. He catches you still looking at him. “What? Want a smoke or something?”

You shake your head. “No, no thanks… I don’t smoke.” you tell him.

“Hm,” Kun shrugs and takes another puff. “What are you scared of?”

You raise an eyebrow. “Cancer.”

Kun scoffs. “I’m not talking about the cig. I don’t care that you don’t smoke. I’m asking you what you’re really scared of.”

“Oh,” you say. He actually wants to have a deep conversation within five minutes of meeting. That might be a record. “I don’t know…” you cross your arms. Now that you had cooled off, the air was no longer relieving. “What are you scared of?”

“There’s a reason I asked you,” Kun replies, dropping his cigarette and putting it out with his shoe. “I’m not scared of anything.”

“Oh, come on.” you laugh. “Everyone has a fear, tough guy.”

“Really? Then why won’t you tell me yours?” Kun asks.

You pause. “Because I can’t think straight,” you admit. “And… I have a lot of fears,” you add softly.

“Like what? Death? Bugs?” Kun leans back in his chair.

“I’m scared of death.” you admit. “I don’t really like needles either… or the dark.”

“You have pretty reasonable fears.” Kun replies. “A lot of people tell me they’re scared of those things.”

“But not you, right?” you joke.

Kun shakes his head. “No. I’m still trying to figure out what I’m scared of. I’m not scared of death. I’m a smoker for God’s sake. Needles are gross but I wouldn’t say I’m scared of them. And I have no problem with the dark.” he explains. “Are you scared of the dark or the things in it?”

You think. “I guess the things in it. It’s the unknown.”

“Is that why you got scared when you saw me?” he asks.

You hesitantly nod. “Yeah. That’s the shit I hate.”

It falls silent. “Do you wanna go home?” Kun asks.

You almost get whiplash from how fast he changed the subject. “Depends,” you reply. “Are you trying to get me to come home with you, or…”

Kun chuckles and shakes his head. “No. I’m being serious. I can walk you home, I was planning on leaving after that cigarette.”

“Oh,” you feel your face get hot from embarrassment. “I guess… I live on campus though.”

“I do too,” Kun says, standing up.

“You do?” you join him. “I’ve never seen you.”

“I have morning classes and I don’t do much besides homework in the afternoon so… I’m not out of my dorm a lot unless I’m in dire need of food. Maybe that’s why?” Kun steps back inside and you follow. He closes the balcony doors.

“Yeah,” you had afternoon classes and you had the same schedule as him when it came to after school activities. You had probably passed him without realizing it. “That sounds about right.”

You follow Kun out of the room and down the hallway towards the other side of the house — there was a way to the back door from another staircase. You and Kun were able to leave the house without anyone noticing. Hana would be pissed if she found out you decided to ditch, but you knew she’d be too drunk to get mad. That was for tomorrow.

“Do you know Johnny or Jaehyun?” Kun asks. The party atmosphere slowly fades away.

“Not really. Mutual friends,” you reply. “I came with my friend who knows them pretty well.”

“Ah,” Kun nods. “I’ve known Johnny for a few years now… but you know, every college kid wants to be friends with the party animal so… I don’t get surprised anymore when everyone I meet somehow knows him.”

You chuckle. “I had no idea about all these parties…” you tell him.

“Lucky you,” Kun pulls a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and lights one. “I’m always dragged to these things, I end up enjoying them but sometimes but other times, like tonight, I’m just not in the mood. I just wanna sleep.”

“Ditto.” you reply. “Those things are bad for you, you know.” you tell him, as if he hasn’t heard that phrase a million times before.

“Really?” Kun asks, exhaling. “I had no idea.”

The smell of the smoke makes your headache return. But at the end of the day, it’s his body; there’s no point in shaming someone’s addiction.

“Sorry,” Kun sighs. “I know it’s rude to smoke on your face.” he takes one finaly drag before dropping the cigarette and putting it out.

“It’s okay.” you reply. “I’m sorry if I made you feel bad.” you didn’t know why, but you felt the need to apologize.

“Nah, don’t worry about that,” Kun laughs. “I’ve heard much worse from strangers. Ten is so dramatic about it I have to shower before I see him or he’ll tell me I smell because of the tobacco smell. I’m kinda used to it,”

You giggle. “Sounds exactly like Ten.” you say softly.

The walk back to campus was much shorter than the walk to Johnny’s — at least, it felt that way. Maybe because Kun wasn’t talking your ear off and making your blood boil at the same time.

“I’d love to chat more but, I think this is where we part ways.” Kun says, opening the doors. “I really gotta get to bed because I know Ten’s gonna call me in the morning and yell at me to come pick him up, so…”

You grin. “I’ll probably be in the same predicament,” you tell him.

He nods. “Goodnight.”

You return his nod and start to make your way back to your dorm, but something stops you. “Wait,” you turn to ask Kun if you could have his phone number or if you two could see each other again soon, but he was completely out of sight.

That is when you realized you didn’t want Kun to be a stranger.

[pagesfromthevoid]

It Takes Time | 6 | g.w.

George Weasley x Tonks!reader

Word Count: 1,781

Warning: Mentions of suicide, depression

A/N: Not me, posting after like two months of being absent. Absolutely not. 

Do not repost my work without my permission

*              *               *               *               *

It didn’t take long for George to become a staple part of Y/N’s life. In only a short few weeks, he spent much of his time at their flat with them and Teddy. They enjoyed each other’s company, and the two would spend every night talking until Y/N reminded him that they needed to sleep too. The two never talked about Fred or Dora, but they talked about other things. Their families, their time at school. They’d reminisce about their Hogwarts lives. At one point, Y/N admitted to having a brief crush on him in their third year, but it didn’t last longer than a week or so. There were a few occasions where they almost kissed; almost moved past the “will they, won’t they” phase. But it never did, and neither one of them seemed keen on ruining what good thing they had. 

It made more sense for him to go to them --less breaking up Teddy’s usual routine and more to get the baby accustomed to George’s presence. Though Teddy didn’t seem bothered by George being in his life; on the contrary, the child adored George and the little toys he’d bring by. Y/N also quite enjoyed his presence too, though. While they worked and minded Teddy in between baking, George spent most of his day cleaning and handling the shop. And then, in the evenings, he would walk down the road to join the two for dinner. Sometimes he’d cook, sometimes they would. It was a nice new routine for the three of them.

Tonight was no different. 

George was the one cooking this round, humming to himself as he stirred a pot of pasta. Y/N was in the living room, rocking Teddy in his little swing as the baby giggled. The child was mimicking George’s hair and freckles once again, clapping his hands together happily as his aunt played with him. Every so often, George would peak around the corner to see the commotion, and it made his heart lurch to see Y/N and Teddy, looking like a proper Weasley. What a sight; it was like seeing a future without a teacup. But the thought was always pushed aside because George wasn’t trying to rush into a marriage or into fatherhood. No, no. He needed to get the shop opened before he turned his attention to any of that.

But dating...dating was okay. At least, whatever he and Y/N had currently was. They hadn’t labelled it but he didn’t mind so much. It made life easier, and he had someone who didn’t look at him and start crying. Really, there wasn’t much more he could ask for at the moment. He hadn’t told anyone they were seeing one another, though Lee had a pretty good idea. But Lee was good at not asking questions unless he really needed to. George wasn’t quite ready to make the world --or more specifically, his family --aware that he was seeing anyone. Not yet, anyway.

You don’t usually go this slow, Fred teased as George moved throughout the kitchen looking for spices. The living twin rolled his eyes. Not even a kiss; a proper gentleman, aren’t you?

“Shove off,” George murmured back, keeping his voice low to avoid Y/N hearing him. “I’m enjoying myself. They’re good company.”

Pretty company too, mate. If I were alive…George’s stomach dropped at the comment and Fred’s disembodied voice disappeared. If I was alive, he said. It was such an innocent comment, but it caused George’s limbs to go limp at his sides. His vision tunnelled and he couldn’t breathe.

Fred was dead.

Fred was dead and George was hearing his voice in his head while cooking in the kitchen of the first person to show George positive attention since the war.

Merlin’s beard, he was drowning suddenly. 

He gripped the counter for a moment, trying to ground himself back into reality. But George felt sick; it had been so long since he had properly thought about Fred and his death. He hadn’t been sleeping as much but he wasn’t having nightmares when he did. He was blissfully ignorant and distracted by Y/N and Teddy, and the sudden reminder that Fred was dead just threw everything into a tailspin and he couldn’t breathe. Hot tears spilled down his cheeks and onto the countertop as he tried to keep his sudden despair quiet. Y/N was still laughing in the living room, they were still playing with Teddy and everything was still there. Everything but his brother, and the sanity that George was slowly losing.

After a few minutes that felt like hours, George took a deep breath and finally was able to stabilize himself. The pot had boiled over and he stared at it for a moment, blinking slowly as he considered how to clean up the hot water. Running a hand over his face and through his hair, he took another breath and turned off the stove, moving the pot aside. The water ran over the burner and sizzled, but enough was left over that he needed a towel still. 

He’d become familiarized with Y/N’s kitchen pretty easily, but his head was spinning and he couldn’t think of where to find towels. So he simply started opening drawers until he found them. Most of their towels were little dish towels on top, and he wanted something a little thicker to keep the water from burning him. He dug through the drawer absently until his hand hit something cold and hard, and his brow furrowed as he pulled out a glass vial from the towels.

It was clearly hidden in there, and he wasn’t quite sure what it was --a potion, obviously, but he wasn’t familiar with the color. Distracted by the vial, George tossed the towel on the counter and popped the top open. It didn’t need to get too close though, because even a foot away, the stench was overwhelming and caused George to dry heave. The smell was hard to describe; something like burning hair and that iron smell of blood. And the sickness that George was overwhelmed with only got worse as he realized what it was.

Baneberry.

Baneberry Potion was a very poisonous concoction, one that caused almost instant death if the entire thing is consumed and one that caused unimaginable pain and illness if even just a drop was taken. George stared at the vial in his hands, slowly coming to the realization that Y/N had the potion in the cupboard for themselves. That they had the poison to end their own life at any given moment. It made him angry --genuinely enraged, actually. How could they promise him that they’d never kill themselves, that they’d never leave Teddy alone but have bloody Baneberry Potion just sitting in their cabinets? He could feel his cheeks heating up from anger as he heard them coming into the kitchen.

“George, how’s dinner coming?” they asked, running a hand through their hair as they walked into the kitchen.

The wizard turned, holding the vial in his hands as he looked directly at them. Y/N’s eyes fell on the vial in his hands and they felt the blood drain from their face, their mouth opening slightly.

“Why?” He asked through gritted teeth.

Their mouth opened and closed, unable to respond. George set the container on the counter and stepped towards them in one long stride. “Y/N, why? After dinner that night…I thought that everything was okay, I thought you were fine...I thought…” His anger slowly faded back into the despair, and now concern for their wellbeing. He just got them; he couldn’t lose them.

Taking a deep breath, the other wizard looked down and swallowed hard. “The first few months...they were so hard,” they murmured. “I let Harry take Teddy for the weekend...I just...I didn’t think I could do it…” Slowly they looked up at him, eyes watering and tears threatening. “But I didn’t. I couldn’t. Because of Dora. Because...Because of that little boy.”

“Then why keep it?”

“I...I don’t know.”

George picked up the vial carefully and held it out to them. Y/N stared up at him, tears in their eyes and confusion clear in their expression, not making a move to take it from him.

“Take it,” he commanded, pushing it into their hands. “Pour it out.”

The distraught wizard before him stared for a long moment before slowly reaching out to pour the potion into the sink. They watched each other as they did so, never taking their eyes off of each other. 

“If this...if this is going to work, Y/N, we need to be honest. We need to try to get better and not just pretend we’re okay,” George explained, turning on the water to ensure that the potion was cleared away entirely. “I...I care about you a lot and I don’t know what this is, or what we’re doing, but I don’t want to lose it. I don’t...I can’t lose you too.”

He watched their E/C eyes drop to the floor and tears began hitting the ground. Without a second thought, George pulled them into his arms and hugged them tightly against his chest. He needed this. Y/N  needed this. They needed physical contact, from anyone or anything, and this embrace meant more to him than anything else could at that moment. Y/N hugged him back immediately, as if their life depended on it, thanking him over and over again. The redhead rested his chin on top of their head, holding them there just a little bit longer before finally letting them go. Y/N wiped their eyes and sniffled, looking down once more. 

“I think I ruined dinner,” he murmured as they pulled apart, though his hands rested on their hips. Y/N’s hands were on his biceps, and they gave them a gentle squeeze. 

“I’ll send for take out, then.”

George moved to pull away but Y/N’s grip on his arms tightened. He looked down at them, to ask if they needed something else, but Y/N’s lips were on his without warning. It took a moment to process but George returned the kiss with excitement, returning his hands to their hips to pull them closer to him. He pushed them back against the sink gently, as a way to keep themselves steady. Y/N’s hands slid up, resting now to cup his cheeks as they shared a proper first kiss.

When they finally pulled away, they kept close to one another, holding each other with eyes closed and basking in the afterglow of the emotional roller coaster they had just experienced. Y/N opened their eyes, looking up at George with a small smile.

“I don’t want to lose you either, George.”

—————————

Taglist: @l0vege0rgie @sunles

[nebraska-is-a-myth]

Who lives and who dies - Part 11

Angst, nothing but angst here, sorry folks but no soft hugs today. Slight trigger warning for self sacrificing thoughts and lots of mentions of death so make sure you take care of yourself when reading. Slight title changes to the previous chapter might be made because this chapter, the previous chapter, and the next chapter are going to be sort of a 3 parter. Also all relationships in this are strictly platonic unless I specify otherwise. Comments and asks are always welcome :)

Masterlist 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Four, Five, Six.”

Dream doesn't want this. He can't kill Tommy, he can't. Despite the young boy's protests, Tommy’s only a child, he’s got his whole life ahead of him. He’s supposed to grow up and go to college and have a good fucking life away from all of this violence and chaos. He’s supposed to have a family and a home and find somewhere where he feels like he belongs, because god knows Dream wants those things. He wants to have a life that isn't threatened by someone elses greed or power hungry revenge plots. He wants to have a home for him and his cat where he can watch movies and grow plants and not have to worry about being shot in his sleep. He wants friends that care more about his well being than what bank they're going to rob next. He wants to go back to before any of this ever happened, when sapnap was kinder and didn’t carry a gun with him every time he left the apartment, when George and him would sit up on the roof until 3am stargazing and talking about George's dream to become a streamer. But now he feels like those people he knew are gone, replaced with violent and destructive tyrants that he can't even recognise.

Dream wants to turn around and give Tommy the biggest hug, he wants to comfort his friend brother and just let Sapnap and George rip him to shreds with their bullets and words. He wants to choose Tommy, he wants to punch George in the face and scream at him for hurting someone he considered family.

But wasn't George his family at some point?

It feels like a lifetime ago, but he knows that they are supposed to be close, closer than they have been in months. The stress and pressure forced a divide between all three of them, with dream on one side and George and sapnap on the other. They haven't had a proper conversation that didn't end in a fight in weeks, let alone actually be nice to one another. Dream can barely remember the last time any of them said they loved one another.

No, that's a lie.

Dream remembers the night perfectly, he thinks about it every time he storms off from another one of his and Georges fights. All three of them were together, sat in a comfortable silence with bellies full of fast food and blankets draped lazily over themselves. Dream is sat in the middle of the other two boys after a super intense pillow fight that Dream had been forced to put a stop to. Sapnap has his feet in Dreams lap, his head is rolled back and every now and again little snores escape from his mouth. George jokes about how much of a child Sapnap is and it makes Dream chuckle. They sit in silence for a while, just letting the movie George chose entertain them for a while. George's head sets itself on Dreams shoulder and Dream shuffles so he can lean into George more. 

“I’m tired.”

Dream laughs and tugs the blanket he and George are sharing further up their body's.

“Go to sleep then stupid.”

George minorly attacks Dream for the comment, but it’s a very lazy attempt.

“Don't wanna.”

“Go to sleep George.”

“Fiiiiiiiiine, goodnight Dream, Love you”

“Love you two moron, g’night.”

George moves slightly so he can get more comfortable before raising his voice slightly.

“Love you sapnap.”

Sapnap gives a small snore in response and the two boys fall into a hushed fit of laughter.

But as Dream looks at his best friend ( Can he even call him that anymore ) he doesn't even know who he’s looking at anymore. Sure maybe Sapnap was always a bit unhinged, a bit too trigger happy, but when everything's said and done, when everyone goes home and tries to pretend that life is normal for a short while, Sapnap takes off the mask ( Quite literally ) and Dream can see that he’s still the same Sapnap underneath it all. But as he looks at George, he can only see his own reflection in the tainted glass of his goggles. Maybe this is God mocking him for what his friend has become. Maybe this is his fault, his fault he dragged George into his own twisted fantasies. Who was he to catapult an innocent person into this life, George had barely even learnt how to shoot a gun on their first heist. He wishes he had just let George stick to hacking, there was no need to bring him into the limelight. He could have stopped this. He could have stopped George from becoming this monster. He could have

Fuck

Dream considers what would happen if he just let Tommy kill him. Sure he would be dead, but other than that was there really a downside? It sounds so morbid when he thinks about it, in any other circumstance maybe he would be worried about his self sacrificing behavior, but maybe this was just what he had to do. If Tommy shot him and he died, then yeah Tommy would be devastated, he would be sad for a while but at least he would be safe. The boy would finally have a home, somewhere he could be safe. He thinks he trusts Wilbur enough to take care of Tommy, he’s done okay so far in Dreams books anyway. Who knows, maybe one day Techno would return and put a stop to all of this nonsense, he would scoop Tommy up and take him away from all this, away from this wretched place. 

But he knows that’s just a fantasy. He doubts George would just willingly give the l’manburgians the eastside, if he thought George would have been that kind then Dream would have stepped down a long time ago.

Fuck why is this so hard

He should let Tommy kill him. It’s the easiest option, he can't kill Tommy, he doesn't want to. Nothing will be fixed if the kid is dead. So why is he hesitating? Maybe it’s because he knows that no matter what he does, Tommy will be hurt. If Dream dies George will take over and make everybody's lives a living hell, Tommy will most likely be killed anyway and all of his friends will either follow down the same path or be run out of their homes with a target on all of their heads. Maybe, if he...

Shit

Maybe if he did kill Tommy, he could make it up to the kid some way. He could make sure his friends are taken care of, make sure George doesn't go anywhere near them, give them independence. He could make sure Tubbo grows up to be smart and make something of himself, if he wanted to go to college then Dream could fund it, make sure he went to the best school, or whichever one Tubbo liked best. He could help Wilbur with his music career, Tommy said he had always wanted to become a musician, so maybe he could rent out one of those fancy recording studios people like The Beatles had. He could help Fundy when he gets into trouble coding and help Eret set up an lgbt youth center or something like that. He could bring Tommy flowers every other day, and then every weekend if he really couldn't make it. Maybe he could get a bouquet of some of those wildflowers he said were pretty when they went out adventuring that one time. 

What the hell is he talking about

This is insane

He needs to focus

Come on dream, focus

“Seven, eight, nine.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It’s almost sunset and Tommy is barely thirteen. He hasn't had a warm meal in weeks, not that anybody else knows that, but the glowing light on his face makes him feel full. It’s nice being away from the city like this, just looking out across fields of wildflowers and long grass that makes his nose itch. Nobody knows he’s out here, but then again is there really anyone out there to care? Maybe he’s just destined to be alone, to roam through places like this and drift off into the wilderness never to be seen again. If every moment was like this one then maybe it wouldn't be so bad, if it were then at least he wouldn't be so pale. 

He sits there for a while, just letting the light blanket his body. It's...calming. Tommy misses this. What he misses exactly he’s not sure of, but the feeling of being embraced makes him nostalgic, and it hits him with a wave of overwhelming sadness. The saying ‘Tommyinnit doesn't cry’ is rarely actually the truth. He misses being around people, actual people that don't want to try and mug him or steal his spot in the alley with the least rats. Sure maybe he speaks to Technoblade every now and again, but it's not like the anarchist actually cares about him. Tommy only speaks to Techno when he wants something from him, like if he needs the blond to squeeze into small spaces or spray paint some symbols on a corporate building. Tommy always gets a cut of whatever profits they make that day and then he gets to sleep in a warm bed at the shitty motel for a day or two. It’s fine though, like he said, maybe he’s just destined to be alone. He basks in the light for a little while longer, until suddenly theirs a voice behind him

“It’s late.”

Shit, shit, shit.

Tommy quickly wipes away his tears and hunches over on himself.

“Uh yeah um, I guess I lost track of time.”

“Do you even know what time it is?”

“Uh yeah it's like seven ish.”

“Nine.”

Nine! Shit, all the god spots by the fast food place are bound to be taken by now.

“Shouldn't you be getting home.”

Home, what even is home anymore. The alleyway sure doesn't feel like home. But what else has he got. Phil probably hates him by now, he took that home for granted. None of the other foster families before that had even come close to becoming a home, and he can barely remember what life with his parents was like. So what is home?

“Tommy.”

“Oh uh, yeah sorry Technoblade. I’ll just be going now.”

Tommy gets up to leave but Techno grabs his arm firmly and holds him in place.

“About today.”

He's going to get shouted at, he can feel it. It was his fault they almost got caught, he just couldn't shoot that man. He’d never been in the action directly before, only ever doing menial tasks from the sidelines. But today Techno wanted help in the field and who was he to say no to the blade. It was his fault, he couldn't kill someone and now Techno is going to abandon him and he’s going to starve to death in the shittiest fucking alleyway know to man.

“It's okay if you're not ready.”

“What?”

“It's okay if you're not ready to kill people yet.”

“I- It is?”

“It’s okay to not want to kill people Tommy, but sometimes you don't always have that choice. When the moment comes, and it will come one day, you have to decide in that moment who lives and who dies, you or them."

"W-what if I don't want to die."

"Then make sure the other person does."

Tommy waits for a while, and lets a breath escape from his lips. Maybe there's still time to find a good spot for tonight, if he leave now he can-

“Now come on, I’m making pasta.”

Technoblade turns to leave and Tommy just stands in place, his mouth agape and eyes wide.

“Hurry up child before I change my mind.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tommy gets a warm meal and comfy bed that night, and the night after that, and the night after that, and every night leading up to his sixteenth birthday before there's no one left to cook him pasta or pay rent. Before he meets the next criminal willing to give him a home and keep him safe, before he finds friends and a family and a home. Then someone else cooks him pasta and keeps him company, until he starts a war and gets people killed and all of a sudden Tommy realises that the moment Technoblade had warned him of was coming to a head. 

He has to decide in this moment who lives and who dies, him or dream

And he has to do it now.

“Ten paces, Fire!”

[sadaboutniall]

Without Fear

masterlist | tag | wattpad

sorry I suck at updating. happy valentine’s day, here’s a new chapter!! 💕💕 have a lovely valentine’s 

Chapter Eight. May.

When all of this is over, I; Love me like there ain’t another day, lead with the heart, ain’t that the only way? Keep thinking ‘bout how much I changed today.

It’s surprisingly easy, then, for Niall and Lu to figure things out. It’s easy to fall into the routine of two people who can’t get enough of each other—for Niall to swing by the cafe every day after work, and for Lu to clear her weekends to watch Niall coach. They have dinner together more often than not, Ruairí sleeping at Niall’s feet while he sits at Luna’s kitchen table. They kiss on the couch and fuck on a wool blanket in front of the fireplace, Niall’s lips at Luna’s neck, Luna’s fingers clawing down his bare back. Afterwards, she likes to lie with him and trace the scratches with her own fingers, caressing the patterns that mark him as her own. 

Niall tells her that if they don’t keep it on the downlow news of their relationship will travel the island fast, and Luna will never escape questions about it—it makes her think back, so far back, to that night on the roof, when he mentioned how much Inis Mór loves its gossip. She remembers watching him that night, freezing cold on the roof of her unfamiliar flat, wondering what it would be like to truly know Niall. All she’d wanted to do then was reach out and touch his hand, feel his skin against hers—now, she does it nearly every night, without thinking twice. 

It’s one of those nights, in early May, when things change forever. 

She’s lying all over him in her bed, the way they both like to after sex, his hand tangled up in the curly mess of her hair, her fingers tracing patterns against his bare chest, the smattering of chest hair starting to bloom out across his freckled skin. Luna has the windows open and the smell of spring is delicious through the windows, even this late in the night. As a gentle breeze billows her curtains, Niall slides one hand up Luna’s bare back, from where he’d been resting it at the curve of her ass, coming to a gentle stop between her shoulder blades. She glances up at him, feeling his chest rise as he takes a deep breath, ready to speak. 

“Do you remember my mate Conor? From the Paddy’s Day party?” 

As if Luna could forget the way Conor’s brother had cornered her in the kitchen. She nods, and Niall exhales quickly. 

“Well he works at this pub down  in Dublin, helps manage it actually, and he rang me this morning while I was at work to ask if I wanted to come down and do a bit of a gig at the weekend.” His eyes are trained on the ceiling, his chest still as he holds his breath, waiting for Luna’s reaction. 

“Niall,” Luna sits up in bed, and, finally, Niall looks at her. She can’t quite figure out why he looks so nervous. “This is fucking amazing.” 

Niall breathes out a giggle, hands coming up to cover his eyes for a second. When he moves them and looks at Luna again, they’re sparkling wet. “I know it’s nothing big, just a mate doing a favor but I—my first gig in Dublin, Lunes.” 

“It is something big,” Luna doesn’t even try to temper the excitement in her voice—Niall never makes her feel embarrassed about how she reacts to things, not the way Ida, the way her old job, used to. “It’s something massive, actually, Niall. I’m so proud of you.” 

Underneath Luna, Niall flushes beautifully, his pale skin warming up with pride, love, a little embarrassment. Luna feels an impossible swell in her chest, a balloon of pride that she can’t keep from flying away, that makes it impossible to act like the chill, unbothered, cool girl she’d tried so hard to be in New York. Instead, she cups Niall’s cheek with her hand, feeling the way his skin burns up under her fingertips, and leans in for a kiss. 

-- 

And so, Luna takes her very first trip to Dublin. 

Niall can’t wrap his head around it, the fact that Luna’s been living on Inis Mór all this time and has never been off the island—not even to Galway, the closest mainland city—and Luna can’t quite figure out how to explain to him that nothing off the island is of interest to her when the island has him. Instead, she tells him it’s all for the best, anyway, that he’ll be the best tour guide or her first foray into the rest of Ireland. He smiles, and  wraps his arms around her middle on the ferry over to Galway, his body sheltering her from the violent wind and the bitter cold. Spring is tantalizing in the air, Luna can smell it in her every breath, but winter clings on nonetheless, biting and threatening. 

On the train ride from Galway to Dublin, Luna and Niall sit across from each other, Niall’s guitar at pride of place in the seat next to him. Niall takes the seat travelling backwards,  so Luna can get a proper view to  watch out the window as the Irish countryside blows past her, a blur of impossible green and infinite horizon. He falls asleep somewhere near Mullingar, in the middle of the country, and Luna finds herself watching him more than the passing landscape—the way his eyelashes cast shadows on his cheeks, the tangle of freckles on his neck, the gentle parting of his lips, the constant, comforting rise and fall of his chest as he dreams. 

They arrive in Dublin late that night, the city illuminated by golden street lights and car headlights in a way the island never is, and as they board the Luas on their way to Conor’s flat Luna finds that she’s not taking in the sights around her, but staring instead at the sky above, squinting, strangely desperate to catch a glimpse of any of the stars that make the Inis Mór nights so bright. 

All she can see are lights from planes, taking their passengers far away.

— 

In the morning, Luna wakes up to the sound of Niall’s laughter. She’s on the air mattress in Conor’s living room, where she and Niall had fallen asleep the night before, and she can tell from the sound of his laugh that Niall’s only in the kitchen, a room away, chatting with Conor. But for some reason, it feels like a million miles. 

She stretches out in bed, the air mattress creaking and deflating underneath her, and lets the sounds of the city wake her up, too, so that if she closes her eyes she can pretend this is New York—can feel like she’s back in Williamsburg, Ida next to her, the city bustling below them. As much as she denies it, as much as she loves her life on Inis Mór, Luna can’t shake the fact that there’s a part of her, small it may be, that misses living in a city. But then she hears Niall again, his giggle from the kitchen, and the feeling slips away without a second thought. 

Niall is where she wants to be. 

She pads into the kitchen, the sleeves of Niall’s sweatshirt pulled down over her fingers, and stills in the doorway for a second, the morning’s first smile working its way across her face as she watches Niall and Conor laugh over some video on Conor’s phone, their heads close together so they can both look at the screen. It hits Luna like a pang in the stomach, the fact that Niall is so far away from his friends all the time—the fact that, by staying where he is, he’s losing out on all of this. 

She thinks about herself, too, her early days in New York, before things got so bad. The late nights out with her friends and Ida, crashing at whoever’s apartment was closest to the bar they’d ended the night at, waking up in the afternoon in a pile on the couch, heads throbbing with hangovers and someone, the least hungover usually, standing with her phone out, writing down everyone’s order for the bagel place. Looking at it now, a million miles away, a whole ocean between it all, Luna knows that those moments were the most precious: those exhausted mornings, giggling over Snapchat stories from the night before, splitting bagels so everyone could get at least one bite of every flavor. There was no better feeling than that—nothing more intimate than the morning after the night before. 

Standing in the doorway of Conor’s flat, Luna realizes that Niall hasn’t had the chance to have any of those mornings. 

He hasn’t let himself. 

“Hey, petal. You’re up!”

Luna shakes herself out of her thoughts, eyes focusing on Niall, who’s looking at her with a smile on his face that makes her heart flip the same way it did back in January, when he walked into the cafe for the first time, wind blown and nervous. “We made a fry up, I put yours in the oven to keep it warm.”

“Thank you,” she tells him, her voice coming out a little croaky from lack of use. “That’s nice of you.”

“Wasn’t gonna leave you starving,” Niall smiles, standing up and making his way over to the coffee pot. “Sit down, lover, I’ll get your coffee ready too.” 

— 

Despite Luna’s dreams of spending the afternoon wandering around the city hand in hand with Niall, she finds that they hardly have any time to sightsee before they find themselves packed into the pub, Niall sitting next to her on a barstool, jiggling his leg up and down anxiously. It feels to Luna like there are more people in this pub alone than on the entire island of Inis Mór. She puts her hand on Niall’s knee, and feels him calm down, just a notch. 

She’s only on her second Guinness (and Niall’s barely managed to get halfway through his first), but it’s been a long time since Luna’s been drunk in a bar, and she can feel the effects of it—the alcohol coursing through her in a way it only does when you’re surrounded by other drunk people, the heady smell of the bar adding to her intoxication. She’s overwhelmed, like she knew she would be, but it’s not as bad as she anticipated—not scary and claustrophobic, but fun, something new and different and familiar, all at the same time. She drops her head onto Niall’s shoulder and closes her eyes, safe and sure here, with him by her side. 

— 

Niall gives, without a doubt, the best performance Luna has ever borne witness to. 

He starts playing to a loud, rowdy, packed pub, his voice barely carrying over the sounds of friends chatting to one another, their laughter flitting across the room—but by the time he’s three songs in he’s got the whole place captivated, all eyes on him, smiles on faces and pints raised in the air. By song five people are shouting out requests and Niall’s taking them, slinging a few jokes in between songs, and Luna could swear her heart has never felt so swollen, her stomach never so full with butterflies.  

It’s midway through his set, when Niall makes the ground fall out underneath Luna’s feet. 

“I wasn’t planning on doing this tonight,” he says into the microphone, “because I wasn’t sure anyone would be interested, but you lot seem like a kind enough audience. I wrote this tune myself, if you don’t mind me playing it? It’s called This Town.” 

— 

This Town is about Cormac. Luna can tell from the first lyric. It plays in her head on repeat for the rest of the night—through the rest of Niall’s set, through the heart-stopping smile on his face when he sits back down next to her afterward, through the unfathomable hour of strangers coming up to them and offering to buy Niall a pint for his performance, clapping him on the back and letting him know how much they enjoyed listening. It plays on repeat while Luna tells Niall how proud she is of him, leaning in for a kiss and tasting the Guinness on his lips, the lyrics on his tongue. It plays on repeat through the end of the night, too, Niall helping Conor put away some of the glasses after they lock up, Luna feeling like she’s watching herself through someone else’s eyes, spilling beer everywhere when she tries to help. 

Niall cleans up her mess without a single complaint, but Luna can’t stop feeling sick to her stomach. 

This Town still plays in her mind late that night, when Niall goes down on her in Conor’s living room, the air mattress rocking below them, and it plays in her mind the next morning, when they finally do walk hand in hand through Dublin, Niall stopping for selfies every time they pass a tourist spot. It plays on her mind when they board a train to Galway in the early afternoon, and, still, on the ferry back to Inis Mór late, late that night. Niall drives her home and they make out in the car for ages, his hands up under her sweater, windows open to let the spring air in. It smells like Niall and newness—the coming warmth, the longer days, the hope and life and breath that spring brings to everything. 

It smells, to Luna, like everything thawing away. 

— 

Luna’s grateful for work on Monday, the constant orders and customers a distraction from the feelings that she knows are out of line. Niall adores her, she tells herself as she brings Mr. O’Keefe his usual coffee, a song is just a song, and nothing more. 

But it’s hard to shake, Niall’s voice, “over and over, the only truth, everything comes back to you.” For so long, Luna realizes, Niall’s voice has been something special for her—something she hears in her cafe, in her bedroom, in her bathroom when the shower is on. Niall’s voice is the soundtrack to her washing dishes, to her curled up on the sofa reading while he plays guitar across the room. It’s the soundtrack to long car rides in the middle of the night, the moon and stars illuminating the cliffs ahead just for them. It’s the soundtrack to them, to Niall and Luna, and it hurts her more than she thought it would—more than it should—to realize that she has to share that with the rest of the world. 

When Niall bustles into the cafe that evening, Luna can’t hide her excitement. It feels like a million years, a million miles, since last night, when he pulled her in for one more kiss before driving home to his mom’s house. His cheeks are redder than usual when he comes up to the counter, despite the warm spring day outside. 

“Hiya,” Luna leans over the counter for a kiss, her anxieties melting a little when Niall’s lips meet hers. “You alright?”

“Lu,” Niall’s breathless, handing his phone to Luna across the counter. “Look at this.” 

She glances down at his phone, open to the YouTube app, and her hands start to shake before Niall speaks. She knows exactly what’s happening—it used to be her job, to help make things like this happen. 

“Someone recorded my gig down in Dublin,” he’s telling her, his voice so distant that it sounds muffled, distorted, in Luna’s ears. “It has a million views on YouTube, Lu. It’s—I’m going viral. People are asking if it’s on Spotify, I even had to take my Instagram page off private. Conor says I should come back down for another gig, people have been asking after me. I—Lu. I think we made it.”

####

taglist: @emmathefantomes @kara-246 @niallsguitarthings @crocodileniall @niallberry @thelifeofbo @adoremp3 @tinyfelthat @niallgolden @theresnooneheretosave @kare38 @youretheairibreathe @okaaayniall @bopbopstyles @ficnarry @nannav47 @coconutdawn @antisocialsocialclub5 @missy14us

join the taglist here.

[aethelflaedladyofmercia]

Coming Soon - Absence of Words

Great news! The new Sawdust of Words fic is finally ready! I’ll be posting it some time this week (likely Friday, but I might manage to swing it sooner if I have a day where I’m not too exhausted after work).

“Absence of Words” will pick up shortly after the ending of “Finding the Words” - with Aziraphale and Crowley having freshly established that yes, they love each other, that can definitely be a thing going forward.

However, Crowley’s difficulties communicating (as discussed in “Finding the Words” and demonstrated in “Three Little Words”) quickly land them in trouble, as the miscommunication rapidly goes from “kind of amusing” to “annnnngst.”

I mean, it’s me. Was it ever going to be not angst?

The full fic will be a little over 13k. Excerpt below (2 scenes, one of which I posted an early version of...dang...more than a year ago?!)! Feel free to leave a comment/ask/private message with your thoughts!

(Note: because some people prefer to know what kind of ending to prepare themselves for, I’ll give a brief description after the excerpt, as well as CWs for the fic as a whole).

--

They walked for more than half an hour, hands still twined together.

Aziraphale spoke the whole time, more animated with every step, and Crowley drank it all in. He paid no attention to where they were, how far they walked, how late it was getting. All that mattered was they were here, they were together, really together.

They’d done it. They’d done everything.

Stopped the Apocalypse.

Fooled their sides.

Won their freedom.

And then, in the garden…Crowley’s lips still tingled, recalling the brush of Aziraphale’s. He almost couldn’t believe it had happened, couldn’t believe he’d dared. His breath caught in his throat every time he remembered that he now lived in a world where he had kissed Aziraphale. A world where nothing would come between them ever again. Each time Aziraphale’s eyes drifted over to him, Crowley was certain he’d discorporate on the spot.

The angel waved his arms as he talked. He pulled Crowley’s hand along with each gesture – sudden jerks ahead of them, tugs across his chest, complicated circles as if trying to draw what he described. More than once he nearly pulled Crowley off balance; Aziraphale didn’t know his own strength.

It would have been easier to let go.

He probably should let go – his palm was warm where it had been pressed against Aziraphale’s for half an hour, his fingers stiff and itching, longing to move again. The chills running up his arm, almost more than he could bear, were the most exquisite torture he’d ever suffered. Every time their palms shifted, finding a new position against each other, it pierced him like an arrow, tore through his heart, leaving it fluttering and juddering and palpitating like nothing else ever had. Crowley really, really needed to let go.

“Are you all right, my dear?” Aziraphale asked, glancing over.

“M’fine.” He gently squeezed the soft fingers locked through his, starting another wave of bliss that threatened to overwhelm him even before Aziraphale graced him with that smile…

Yeah. He wasn’t letting go any time soon.

--

Crowley’s hand was in his.

Aziraphale could hardly believe it had happened, hardly believe he’d dared. This seemed, somehow, the most momentous thing to have happened all weekend, though an outside observer would probably disagree. Well. That observer didn’t understand.

They’d started walking, the impulsiveness had come over him again and he – Aziraphale – the angel who dithered over every choice, every action – the angel who likely hadn’t taken the initiative on anything within living memory – he’d run his hand down Crowley’s arm and…

Well. Here they were.

They hadn’t spoken about it. Hadn’t really acknowledged it. But neither had let go.

Once he had his bearings, it shouldn’t have taken long to get back to his shop. But Aziraphale put it off as long as he could. They paused in front of dozens of shop windows, remarking on the pastries or clothing or sports equipment on display, but in truth Aziraphale was just looking at his own reflection, a fussy old angel, anxious and overeager, standing beside an exquisite demon radiating suave confidence. Quite the mismatched pair and yet, that’s what they were: a pair.

Perhaps even a couple.

Oh, dear, that seemed far too bold.

Aziraphale stumbled over whatever nonsense he’d been saying, and quickly turned away from the window. He glanced up to see if Crowley had noticed his distress, and oh, through those black lenses he could just catch a glimpse of golden slit-pupil eyes watching him directly, not just a glance from the corner of an eye. He’d been nodding along to everything Aziraphale said, that smirk hovering on his lips, threatening to turn into an actual smile. Crowley squeezed his hand, gently, as if to make sure it was still there, and it sent Aziraphale’s heart racing again.

Finally, after forty-five minutes, they ran out of detours and excuses and reached the last intersection: Soho to the left, Mayfair to the right.

His footsteps slowed as they approached. Aziraphale didn’t want to let go, not yet, didn’t want to relinquish the warmth, the feeling of the uneven heartbeat against his palm, the tiny shiver he felt whenever Crowley’s thumb brushed the back of his hand.

They paused at the corner, Aziraphale looking left, Crowley glaring straight ahead.

“Well.” Aziraphale cleared his throat. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.” He glanced down at their hands. Oh, dear. He didn’t seem to know how to let go.

“Nh,” Crowley said.

“Come now, dear fellow, you know this is the quickest way home for both of us. Twenty minutes. Fifteen, if you drive like you always do.”

“Nnnnnnh,” Crowley elaborated.

Aziraphale ordered his fingers to let go. Traitorous things, they only held on tighter.

“I could walk you back to the shop,” Crowley pointed out. “Or we could pick up the Bentley together, then drive over. Quicker that way. We can grab whatever you need…”

“What part of it’s a surprise are you having trouble with?” He meant it to be teasing, but Crowley’s lips went tight anyway. Aziraphale put a bit of extra cheer into his voice. “Look, as I understand, it’s proper etiquette for the individual with the car to pick up the other, when two people are…” He trailed off, considering in fascination all the words he could use to complete that sentence. “And…it wouldn’t hurt to have a moment to, I don’t know…”

He honestly didn’t know.

But the longer he stood in Crowley’s gaze, the more certain he was that he needed to step away. A thousand emotions were bubbling up inside him, and he needed space to process them, privately, before they burst out in the most unseemly—

“Aziraphale.” Crowley turned, and his fingers hovered by the angel’s face, as if not sure where to touch. “Do you…want to be alone right now?”

“That’s not…” He swallowed, finding he couldn’t look away from Crowley’s mouth. His lips. Did he want to kiss them again? Or be kissed? Both were terrifying. Both were tempting.

Crowley took his other hand, leaning closer.

“Yes. I do.”

Crowley went very still.

He thought his heart might burst; Aziraphale couldn’t tell one beat from the next. His hands started to tremble, and he stepped back, wiping them anxiously on his waistcoat, tugging it straight. “Don’t be – this isn’t about – it’s nothing like that.” He straightened his tie. “I just – perhaps I could use a few minutes, yes, and there’s nothing – nothing of note about that, I’m sure you could too, but all in all this is the simplest solution, that’s – that’s all there is to it.”

It could be very hard to read Crowley’s expression, but just now his lips twisted, his jaw went tight, and Aziraphale felt his heart begin to ache. The demon circled him, fingers jammed in his pockets, and started towards Mayfair as fast as his long legs would carry him.

“Wait! Crowley, don’t—”

“Fifteen minutes, Angel. Be ready.”

He watched the dark figure until it disappeared around a corner. And only then did Aziraphale realize he’d let go of Crowley’s hand

----

NOTES AND SPOILERS

CWs: Mentions of past abuse (physical and emotional, very brief/implied); emotional manipulation/gaslighting (from the POV of Aziraphale, still believing what he’d been told); anxiety (low-level but constant, and building across the fic); miscommunication, accidentally hitting another’s triggers. Very brief G-rated discussion of attraction. Swearing.

Ending: This will have a happy ending. Not all communication issues will be resolved in this story, but groundwork will be laid. Future stories will deal with developing healthy communication/trauma coping strategies.

[artificialqueens]

Taste of a Poison Paradise, Chapter 8 (Multi) - Joley

Chapter Summary: Things seem to be going well for Lemon until they go really bad really fast. Things are actually going well for Jackie and Jaida.

ao3 link

For the next couple of weeks, it seemed like Lemon was on the mend. She had finished her finals, gotten through her senior year, and now it was time to celebrate. Hers and Gigi’s graduations were only a couple of days apart, so the group decided to combine their graduation party that weekend.

It was one of the rare times the club was closed on a Saturday, but Jackie wanted to make sure everyone could celebrate together and turned the main room into their party space. “Cheers,” she said, raising her glass, “to Lemon and Gigi, college graduates!”

The group clinked their glasses together and drank, everyone resuming their casual conversation, relaxed, and enjoying one another’s company. With the exception, of course, of Lemon and Priyanka, who were still trying to avoid each other like the plague.

“Look, I love those two as much as the rest of y’all, but I’ve stopped feeling sorry for them — at this point, it’s just annoying,” Kameron remarked as she watched the way they behaved with a grimace. “Not that it’s any of my business, but it kind of is considering how often I have to witness them, but how long were they hooking up for anyway?”

Vanessa furrowed her brows as she counted on her fingers. “Dunno, like four months?”

“Shit, that’s like a lesbian year,” she murmured, sipping her drink. “This isn’t gonna fix itself is it?”

“Not as long as Pri’s got that rock on her finger.”

“It could be worse,” Brooke Lynn chimed in, her lips pursed around the straw in her glass, “at least she doesn’t wear it to work, can you imagine the fit Lemon would throw if she had to stare down a diamond every day?”

The three of them looked at Lemon, who, at least for the moment, appeared to be enjoying herself, then at Priyanka, who was talking to Crystal and looking stressed.

“So, dress shopping is happening on Wednesday?” Crystal asked. “Does she know?”

“Of course she doesn’t know,” Priyanka scoffed and shook her head, “I have no idea how to keep her from knowing, no one can keep a secret in their family.”

Crystal winced but nodded. “Well, good luck,” she offered before Gigi made their way to her side and her attention immediately became divided.

“Thanks,” Priyanka mumbled, her gaze drifting to Lemon, who was talking animatedly to Jan and Rosé, “I’ll need it.”

——

By the time Wednesday rolled around, Priyanka’s nerves hadn’t quelled in the slightest. Lucky for her, at least, those with her — her mother, sister, and future mother-in-law wrote it off as pre-wedding jitters. Scarlett knew better, but there was no need to blow up her best friend’s spot like that.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go to a more traditional store?” The mother-in-law asked, “I know Mark doesn’t want your culture to be ignored.”

“It will be two separate ceremonies,” Priyanka’s mom cut in before she could speak for herself, “she will be wearing her grandmother’s sari for that.”

Priyanka had to fight off the pained expression that tried to twist its way onto her face. It was only when she had broken the news to her family that she remembered what a big event weddings were in her family. She wasn’t about to get off lightly with this. Instead, she let the assistant at the shop lead her to a rack of dresses and suggested a few. She agreed to them without giving them a proper look, figuring she would let a majority rule.

Once she was in the first dress, she returned to the main room and stepped up on the platform in front of the mirrors. Right away, the women began discussing and debating the pros and cons of the dress — where it fit right, where it’d need to be taken in. But she couldn’t bring herself to focus on anything, instead zoning out to the song playing through the store’s speakers.

I’m living for the only thing I know I’m running and not quite sure where to go And I don’t know what I’m diving into Just hanging by a moment here with you

Normally, Priyanka would roll her eyes at this sort of song, at the cheesy love in the lyrics. But with her only alternative being actively participating in shopping for a wedding dress, she listened to the music and let it resonate.

Desperate for changing Starving for truth I’m closer to where I started I’m chasing after you

She winced but blamed it on accidentally being stuck with a pin. They didn’t have to play a song that hit so close to home, she thought. It made it that much harder to ignore the feelings that bubbled up inside her. It was only then that she realized someone was talking to her. “Huh?”

“I asked if you liked the dress,” Scarlett replied.

“Oh,” she cleared her throat. “Yeah, it’s fine.” She then realized she should have been more convincing because she found herself ushered back into the dressing room to try on dress number two, which she would then force enthusiasm for so the day would end as soon as possible.

“Are you okay?” her mother asked with sincere concern.

Priyanka nodded as she stepped off the platform. “Just a little lightheaded, I didn’t have breakfast.”

“Well, let’s get this dress taken care of, then we’ll go get something to eat.”

She nodded again as she went back to change into her regular clothes. Maybe she did just need to eat, she thought. Maybe some food or a nap would bring her back into reality. The reality where she was preparing to get married. The reality that Lemon could no longer be the main character in, no matter what some stupid song was trying to tell her. Or even worse, no matter how much she wanted her to be.

——

“You don’t normally ask me to make house calls,” Jaida remarked as Jackie let her into the apartment, “is everything okay?”

Jackie exhaled deeply. No matter how many times she had rehearsed what she was going to say, she still ended up tongue-tied the second she laid eyes on her. But she was determined to work her way through this and not let nerves get the best of her. “I watched the video you did with Denali. I… I watched it more times than I’d like to admit,” she confessed. “And I can’t get the image of you fucking her out of my mind. But more specifically… I can’t stop picturing myself in her place.”

Jaida had to put all of her mental energy into fighting off a smug grin. She wanted to choose her words carefully, not wanting to overwhelm an already anxious Jackie. “Since we’re being honest here, that’s kinda what I was aiming for,” at Jackie’s confused reaction, she continued, “you could have been less obvious with your username and how you talk online. Maybe it’s ‘cause I know you so well, but I could read all of your messages in your voice.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

She shrugged. “I didn’t want you to feel pressured to confront how you felt, considering your coming out was still fresh for you. I just wanted you to know that the option was there whenever you were ready.”

There was a silent beat before Jackie swallowed thickly and told her, “I’m ready.”

“Then tell me what you want, baby.”

“I want you to fuck me.” The words felt foreign for Jackie to say, the phrase has never left her lips with any sort of sincerity before. But at the same time, she had never been more certain in her life about what she wanted and how badly she wanted it.

Jaida moved to Jackie, wrapping her arms around her waist and kissing her deeply. “I’m gonna take good care of you, okay?” she promised as they made their way to the bedroom.

And Jackie trusted her, she trusted her more than she would have anyone else in this position. She let Jaida take her to bed, let her take her time undressing her and pressing kisses to every newly exposed inch of skin. She eagerly helped her clothes off as well, letting her hands roam her body in ways she had only fantasized about.

“I don’t want you to be afraid of being loud,” Jaida told her. “I wanna hear you, wanna know how good I’m making you feel.” As she spoke, her fingers glided down Jackie’s body, stopping between her thighs before starting to rub her clit in small, firm circles.

Jackie’s head tilted back into the pillows, soft moans spilling from her lips. Her body yielded to Jaida’s touch and her moans grew louder as the other woman eased one finger into her, thrusting and curling it before adding another and picking up a steady rhythm.

“Good girl,” she praised, trailing kisses down her body. She then slowly eased her fingers out and replaced them with her tongue, licking and thrusting at a similar pace while her fingers moved to rub her clit in tandem.

It wasn’t long before the sensation became overwhelming and Jackie’s hips started to jerk erratically. She barely managed to squeak out a warning before she came harder than she ever had before, her body trembling when she was spent. “Oh my god…”

Jaida came back up and laid beside her. “Are you okay?” she asked softly, pushing the hair out of her face.

“I’m good,” Jackie assured. “I just… I haven’t… it, um…”

“Jackie…” she furrowed her brows and sat up a bit, “have you ever been with a woman before?”

Jackie’s face turned a deep shade of red. “I have, kind of. It’s been hard to work through so many years of repression and internalized homophobia, you know? I’ve made out with girls, fooled around a bit. But I guess no, I’ve never properly had sex with another woman before. I wouldn’t have wanted to put that pressure on you anyway. Besides, I couldn’t have asked for a better first time.”

Jaida exhaled deeply, suddenly becoming aware of the weight that’d built upon her chest. “Then that’s all I needed to hear.”

——

“There’s a birthday party out there tonight,” Gigi remarked offhandedly as they and Lemon got ready in the quick-change room. “I know how much you love those,” they added with an overly exaggerated eye roll.

Lemon groaned. Birthdays and bachelor parties were tied for the worst groups of men to deal with as clients, the only exceptions being the ones that take it as an opportunity to go all out and tip well. “And you’re on the stage next?” she let out another disgruntled whine when they nodded, finishing off her cocktail. “Gonna get a refill, gonna need it for doing rounds.” Naturally, when she went to the bar, she went right to Crystal. The downside was Crystal knew to cut her off after three drinks and she had to flirt with men to keep the drinks coming.

“You’re getting your third one this early?” Crystal questioned as she mixed it for her. “Something on your mind?”

“Nope. Just got a birthday party that’s probably all gonna want lap dances,” she replied, taking a swig as soon as she got the drink in her hand. Sure, it didn’t help that she had seen Scarlett’s instagram post of Priyanka in her wedding dress earlier, but she wasn’t about to hash that out, especially not with the bride-to-be all of four feet away.

And Crystal wasn’t entirely convinced, but she knew there was no use in pushing further. “Well, good luck,” she offered.

Lemon set her empty glass on the counter before making her way through the crowd. It took a little while before she ended up in the vicinity of the group of men, and not long after that, they flagged her down. At first, it was business as usual, though she couldn’t shake the feeling that one of the men seemed familiar.

“Hey Mark,” the man celebrating his birthday remarked, “maybe we should come back here for your bachelor party. I bet Priyanka won’t mind!” he laughed.

That made Lemon freeze in her tracks as it all clicked. She saw red and her blood boiled with a wave of anger and loathing she had never felt before. Something inside of her took over, she hadn’t even realized she had thrown a drink in his face and screamed at him until Kameron was pulling her away and all eyes in the club were on her, including Priyanka’s, who had dropped everything to run over the second she heard Lemon scream.

“Who the hell are you?” Mark asked incredulously.

“I’m who your fianceé thinks about while you’re fucking her,” Lemon snarled while locked in Kameron’s grasp.

It was then that both Mark and Lemon realized Priyanka was right there. “What the fuck is she talking about, Pri?”

Priyanka felt her heart drop into the pit of her stomach as she prayed for the floor to open up beneath her so the ground would swallow her whole. She knew she had been playing a dangerous game, but she could have never predicted that it would blow up in her face this badly. “I-”

“She’s never gonna love you,” Lemon continued with disdain in her voice. But then her tone softened to a calm, albeit distant one. “But don’t worry,” she looked towards Priyanka, their eyes meeting, “she’s never gonna love me either.”

Other than the music playing in the background, the room was silent as Lemon let Kameron take her upstairs to the common room. “How are you feeling?” she asked gently as she sat at the other end of the couch, resting her hand on the smaller girl’s leg. “You really caused a scene back there.”

“Whatever,” she mumbled. “He was gonna find out eventually. You can’t live a lie forever,” she hiccuped as she sprawled her barely-dressed body out. “I need another drink.”

“The only thing you’re drinking is water,” she said sternly, getting up and grabbing a water bottle from the fridge and bringing it back, propping Lemon up enough so she could drink. “I’m gonna call Rosé and have her take you home, I don’t think you should stick around tonight,” she told her as she fished her phone from her pocket.

Lemon nodded and pushed herself to sit up properly. She hung her head down, intentionally hiding her face from Kameron as she sniffled quietly. “Pri’s gonna hate me now, isn’t she?”

Kameron winced, unsure of how honest she should be with someone both drunk and emotionally unstable. “I think once the dust settles, you two are going to have to have a long talk. It’s not gonna be easy, but it’s gonna be the only way you two have a shot at healing.”

“I ruined her marriage.”

She shook her head. “She ruined her marriage the moment she said yes to someone she didn’t want to be with. She probably would’ve gotten cold feet and left him at the altar,” she mused, both out of her honest belief and the hope that she could get Lemon to crack a smile. And once she did, she felt comfortable getting back up and calling Rosé, warning her of exactly what happened.

“I got here as fast as I could,” Rosé announced once she made it upstairs. “Three different guys tried to buy lap dances off me on the way, sorry,” she added before rushing to her cousin’s side. “You’ve done it now, huh, Lem?” she shook her head as she helped her to her feet.

Vanessa emerged from the locker room with the rest of Lemon’s belongings. “Here, you might wanna get her changed before you take her back outta here.”

Kameron furrowed her brows. “You know her locker combination?”

“Um… yes?” she tucked a bobby pin into her back pocket. “This ain’t about me,” she was quick to change the subject and helped Lemon get changed.

Rosé effectively ignored the entire exchange, saying her goodbyes to the other women before driving Lemon back home and getting her changed again, this time into pajamas. “Mik isn’t home, you can sleep in her bed,” she offered.

Lemon chewed her lip for a moment, then shook her head. “Can I stay with you? I just… I don’t wanna be by myself.”

“Of course, baby,” she assured and tucked her into bed. “Do you need anything? Water? Something to eat?”

“Need to wake up in a world where none of this happened.”

Rosé sighed sadly. “Fresh out, unfortunately.” She changed as well before joining her in bed. “Just wake me if you need anything, okay?” When she got a nod of confirmation, she turned the lights off and called it a night.

But that wasn’t the case for Lemon. No, she wouldn’t be so lucky. Even though she had been drunk, the incident replayed in her mind in great detail no matter how many times she tried to shut it off. That, coupled with struggling to sort through the mix of emotions still swirling through her, kept her awake for another hour or so before exhaustion took over and she passed out.

And back at the club, everyone else was left to pick up the pieces of the explosive incident. But as much as the clientele was willing to move past what they’d witnessed, none of the employees could get themselves to carry on. So, with Jackie’s blessing, they called it an early night and nearly everyone went back home.

Priyanka hung back, seeking solace in Jackie’s office, knowing her boss might be the only one that could understand the gravity of the fallout. “What the fuck am I supposed to do now, Jackie? This is effectively outing me to everyone. And I look bad too, they’re gonna find out I’m gay and a cheater in one go. What should I do?”

Jackie sighed, her heart truly breaking for her. “I wish there was an easy answer for this. I think, for now, you just need to get through the night.”

And Priyanka would, though she was afraid to fall asleep, overwhelmed with the need to postpone tomorrow as long as she could, because she had run out of ways to hide or lie her way out of it.

[hold-my-hand-kuroo]

four seasons with akaashi

wow i think i’m starting to see a pattern of not knowing what i’m writing???

pairing: akaashi x reader

genre: fluff

i.

Spring comes with many firsts: the first year of high school, first cherry blossoms, and first love.

Akaashi is quiet, but not opposed to interaction. You realize this when you join Fukurodani’s volleyball club as the manager and watch in awe as the silent setter dealt with Boktuo in such a calm manner. You momentarily forget that the two of you are the same age. He’s calm, composed, and quick to put a stop to Bokuto’s antics; you’ve even heard him go through the wing spiker’s long list of weaknesses in passing. In short, you think Akaashi is amazing.

In fact, he’s so amazing that you find it hard to get closer to him although the two of you were in the same class. It’s not that you feel that he’s cold toward you, but it’s difficult to strike a conversation up with someone who seemed to dislike the loudness of Bokuto so much. You’d hate to disturb him, especially since he already has his hands full, but you can’t help catching your eyes landing on his figure from time to time.

Sometimes during classes, your eyes wander toward your right where Akaashi sits studiously, writing down careful notes from each and every lecture. You notice the light pen callus on the side of his ring finger and how he miraculously keeps his paper straight on his desk when he’s writing. He’ll never openly volunteer to answer or read, but whenever the teacher calls on him, his answers are correct, and you can’t help but feel soothed by his voice.

When you’re not looking at him, you don’t catch the stray glances that Akaashi also sends toward your way. He doesn’t understand why but opts to justify it with the fact that the two of you had volleyball in common, and that the volleyball jacket you wore frequently stood out specifically from the rest of the uniforms. Sometimes he’ll break into a smile when he sees that your papers end up shifting, tilted at a ridiculous angle when you’re concentrated on writing or when your brows furrow at a particularly tricky problem. He thinks it’s secretly amusing, endearing almost.

“I’ll help,” Akaashi offers quietly one day, reaching toward the basket carrying the bottles that you had just filled. It’s the first thing he has said to you ever, aside from the casual ‘hellos’ and ‘thanks’ he spared whenever you managed to make eye contact with him. It’s so foreign that you think you’ve done something wrong, but the fact that he’s merely a few inches apart from you makes your thoughts stop.

“Sorry if I was being slow,” you murmur finally, a little embarrassed, and hang your head low. Akaashi lets out a rather affronted noise that startles the both of you, and you turn to look at him, confused.

“No, I just thought it looked heavy,” he tries again, seeming to struggle with his words. Rather than following up, he lets the topic drop and takes a water bottle, not noticing Bokuto smiling rather smugly behind him.

“Don’t mind him, Y/N!” the owl-like boy laughs. “That’s just ‘Kaashi trying to be friends with you! He’s been mulling over it for days now! Whenever we’re in the changing rooms, he’s always like, ‘I wonder if Y/N dislikes me. We’re in the same class and club, but we don’t talk often’—“

“Bokuto, please shut up,” Akaashi says pointedly, trying to cover the taller boy’s mouth. He’s uncharacteristically flustered, and if you squinted, you could see the pink rising on his cheeks along with his frustrated furrowed brows. You almost laugh too; even the stoic setter could have his feathers ruffled sometimes, and in full honesty, it was such a refreshing sight to see.

“Actually,” you start shyly, chuckling slightly, “I was under the impression that I was disliked by you. I guess we both misunderstood.”

Akaashi shifts his attention from Bokuto to you, looking rather surprised. He’s sure that greeting you frequently would do well to break the ice, but he can’t believe that he gave you such a cold impression. It wasn’t lost on him that his silence usually came off unwelcoming, but he decides then and there that he should try harder. For what, he doesn’t really know.

“Isn’t that nice, ‘Kaashi? You made a friend!”

And so, Akaashi returns to scolding Bokuto about interrupting conversations and saying too much while, as promised, helping you hand out the bottles. The banter is lively and nice, the most emotion you’ve seen the setter express, and you think that you could get used to the chaos that is the volleyball club.

Spring is when the first seeds of love are planted, waiting to bloom.

ii.

Summer is hot with the buzzing of cicadas and the smell of sweat mixed with freshly-cut grass. It’s a little nauseating.

Hosting training camps were literal hell; in between making sure that there are enough clean towels, extra bottles, and an abundance of food, you find most of your summer dedicated to manager work. It’s torturous under the beating heat of the sun, and it makes you think about leaving the club forever. Of course, you don’t and never would, but the thought’s there.

Bokuto’s practically bouncing off the gym walls during the days leading up to the big event. For days on end, he’s talking about Nekoma-this or Nekoma-that, and by the time the team of stray cats actually arrives, you’re sure that you already know their names. You note that he’s the closest to the one with messy hair and a cackle louder than Bokuto’s yells. It’s overwhelming, especially for Akaashi who has to be there to calm Bokuto down, but also keep his spirits up for three days straight.

“Tired?” you ask during one of the breaks, handing him a bottle filled with chilled water and a plate of sliced watermelon. He accepts it graciously with a simple nod.

“With the way Bokuto keeps playing, we’re bound to be doing more diving drills,” he sighs. You giggle a little at the exasperation in his voice, but you still feel a little bad. Running around with towels was already tiring enough, so you can’t imagine working up a harder sweat under this relentless heat. “Are you busy?”

“Yeah,” you respond, stretching out your arms. “I thought setting up the sleeping area was bad, but cooking for a thousand volleyball players is absolutely the worst.”

He nods sympathetically and slides over on the stair step that he’s been sitting on, a silent invitation for you to take the spot next to him. You’re touched at his kindness and want nothing more than to accept the offer and just talk for hours on end to Akaashi, but you shake your head. There were things that needed to be done, and you’d hate for Yukie and Kaori to be the ones doing your share of the work. Akaashi seems to understand.

It’s a little disappointing to see so little of each other during the day even though the two of you were at the same location for the same reasons. To Akaashi, you’re a nice and fresh breeze that counters the loud arguments between Bokuto, Kuroo, and the delinquent-looking guy from Nekoma; you’re calm and can read him like an open book. With you around, he doesn’t feel the need to struggle over finding the proper words, and even when he does speak, it’s not a scolding. He’s at ease when you’re there with him.

Much to Akaashi’s luck and yours too, nighttime is when things calm down. You find him sitting quietly at the sidelines of the gym, making sure that Bokuto doesn’t break anything out of sheer excitement as he works on blocking with Kuroo. He’s working on his summer assignments, and it’s expected from him, but you’re quite amused at how even after a grueling day’s practice, he still finds it in himself to study. This time, you’re free and take the spot on the floor next to him.

“Mind if I join?” you ask, waving your math assignments around. He’s more than happy to have you there and nods not once, but twice. “Aren’t you tired?”

“If I don’t do a little bit every night, it piles up,” he mumbles, writing numbers neatly into his notebook. “It helps me go to sleep better, too.”

“I’m usually the night-before kind of person,” you laugh, opening up your booklet as well. “This is the first time in my life that I’ve done my summer work early.”

He hums, which is how he reacts when he’s surprised, you’ve learned. The two of you sit in silence, exchanging words once in a while for help. Akaashi’s way ahead of you, but you’re glad that he doesn’t find you too annoying when you ask to compare answers for the first few exercises that you’ve done. The yelling and crooning of Bokuto and Kuroo become white noise; you’re only fully aware of Akaashi right now and the fact that your shoulders are so close to touching. Five centimeters. Maybe six, but nothing more than that.

Even now, after months of getting to know him, you find your eyes glancing at him from time to time. You’re distracted, and you want to beat yourself up for it, but it’s almost instinctive. His side profile and his concentration are mesmerizing, his silence giving him an air of elegance. You’re so tempted to move closer, to fill those few centimeters and come into physical contact with the boy next to you, but you get flustered at the exact thought. The two of you were friends. Setter and manager. Classmates. Nothing more.

Unsurprisingly, your progress is poor, and you’re a little ashamed to say it’s because you were distracted by Akaashi. Even when the training camp is over, you still haven’t managed to make a large dent into your math work, and you’re ten times less motivated to continue it once you’re home and without Akaashi. It’s a blessing that the boy is an angel and is at your door during the last weekend of your well-deserved summer break.

“I was wondering if you needed help,” he says simply with a bag filled with cold drinks and ice cream in hand. He’s an angel. “I mean, it’s fine if you don’t-“

“No I do!” you answer quickly, heart beating fast. “I still have three more subjects to do, so I’m in a little trouble.”

Akaashi blinks at your outburst, and then breaks into one of his rare smiles. He lets out a laugh, a genuine, hearty laugh that you’ve never heard before, and you think you’ve finally discovered what angels singing sound like. You’re so mesmerized by Akaashi himself that it doesn’t exactly hit you that you’ve invited him into your room until much, much later, when he’s again, five or six centimeters away from you. Leaning on his elbow, he reaches over to your paper to point out errors or little tips, but they’re just noises to you. Lovely noises, but you don’t register a thing he’s saying. His mouth is moving, and you’re aware that you should be paying attention, but whether it’s this cursed heat or own nervousness that’s making you heat up and your heart throb like crazy, you’re mind is anywhere but on your work.

“Is something wrong, Y/N?” Akaashi asks, looking toward you.

“No,” you play off cooly, or as cooly as you could. “It’s just a little hot, don’t you think?”

“I have ice cream if you want,” he offers kindly, moving away from you and rustling through his bag. You let out a breath.

Summer is hot, and it’s when you realize that your little interest with the team’s setter is something a lot more than a small crush. It terrifies you.

iii.

Autumn brings in a refreshing chill that replaces summer, and before you know it, the leaves have turned into beautiful reds, oranges, and yellows.

Days have grown shorter, and by the time you leave the school, juggling between manager duties and the cultural festival, the sky outside is practically pitch-black. Walking home alone is a problem, which is why Akaashi takes it upon himself to walk you back home. Him and Bokuto, that is. Akaashi’s aware that he isn’t the scariest or strongest guy around, so he figures that with Bokuto’s large build and even larger voice would provide extra security.

The first time the two walk you home, Bokuto’s talking a mile a minute about how cool his class’s haunted house is coming out and making every effort to invite both you and Akaashi to check it out. Akaashi only comments about how he’ll be busy with his own class, even though you know well that he has free time in the afternoon. You stifle a giggle and nod, encouraging Bokuto to continue and hyping him up out of kindness.

It bothers Akaashi more than he thinks it would, and he almost feels silly for feeling so sour whenever Bokuto had your attention. It’s becoming a more and more frequent thing, he realizes that night. Even during practices, he preferred it when you were talking to just him rather than the other players, and it makes him disgusted with himself for being so selfish. He’s typically not the type of person to tape his fingers, but whenever you walk toward him and offer to help with tape in hand, he never turns you down.

There’s just something about the way your hand radiates a comforting warmth. When your fingers brush against his digits, carefully wrapping the white material around his damaged fingers, he finds it too quick, almost to the point of teasing. There are days where you’ll be so focused on the bandaging that you don’t notice the fondness in his eyes, scanning over your figure and wishing that your fingers would just intertwine with his. Akaashi wants something permanent, something longer than just brief encounters, and he secretly wishes that you’d give him all your attention.

But of course, he can’t say that to you. He find his wishes ugly. You’re Fukorodani’s manager, not his, and it was wrong of him to think otherwise. Still, he can’t help but feel a little bit bothered whenever Bokuto leaned a little too close to you whenever he spoke, shaking your shoulders or patting you on the back out of enthusiasm. Akaashi figures that he wouldn’t be bothered if you weren’t bothered, but it eats away at him when he doesn’t see you rejecting any of Bokuto’s energy.

“Let’s go,” Akaashi says to you one night. You look at him, tilting your head.

“But what about Bokuto?”

“Coach wanted to talk to him,” Akaashi informs before turning toward the door. He makes a motion, so you shrug and follow. The coach part isn’t a lie, but Akaashi leaves out the part about Bokuto nudging him in the ribs and telling him to spend some “quality alone-time” with you, since it’s too embarrassing.

The two of you walk home with you chatting about the day and how busy it is. Akaashi listens to your lovely voice, and he thinks it’s the most beautiful thing sound there is; it’s a stark contrast to Bokuto’s yelling, and he swears that he could listen to you talk about anything and still be emotionally invested. That being said, he’s not exactly paying that much attention, because as you continue rambling about how making the costumes for your class play is just too difficult, Akaashi becomes increasingly aware of the space between the two of you. Or rather, the lack thereof.

He estimates a few centimeters. Maybe three or four. He’s not sure, but he’s so tempted to reach for the same fingers that had danced around his countless of times during practice. He wants to feel your hand in his, and instinctively, he moves his hand closer to yours. He wonders if you’ve noticed too, if you’re just as aware of him, as he was of you. Maybe then, he’d feel more confident about his feelings.

Akaashi’s no fool. He knows that he’s in too deep when it came to you, but he also knows that those feelings were already there long before autumn started. Even during the summer, he’s curious to know if you noticed how he was sweating bullets when he entered your well-cooled room, or if you saw how often he found himself looking for you during the training camp. He wants to know if he catches your eye in any sort of way, and he needs the reassurance that in some sort of miraculous way, he makes a stronger impression on you than Bokuto does.

Autumn is when the leaves begin to wither and die, much like Akaashi’s self-confidence. He retracts his hand.

iv.

Winter is when the first snow falls.

Akaashi’s still walking you home, much to your pleasure, and although you’re not entirely sure why Bokuto has to stay after to see the coach so often now, you can’t really complain. It’s a little mean, and you do like Bokuto platonically, but you’re grateful for every second alone that you spend with Akaashi. You’re even more delighted when he becomes more involved with your conversations, speaking more and more. It’s like he finally opened up to you, and you’re ecstatic that you’ve become his confidant.

“It’s getting colder and colder, huh?” you say, bracing yourself as a particularly strong gust of wind blows. You grasp at the hood of your jacket to keep it from blowing off, but you’re still freezing nonetheless.

“Should we stop for hot tea?” Akaashi asks, frowning. “The convenience store is just around the corner.”

“Last one there has to treat!” you declare and break into a dash for the store. He follows behind, jogging rather slowly. You knew that in any circumstance, even if given a thirty minute handicap, Akaashi would probably be able to outrun you, so you know that he’s letting you win when he isn’t instantly right past you.

“I guess I’m treating,” he says, walking toward you when you reach the destination, and you roll your eyes. “Not happy?”

“You didn’t have to let me win, you know?” you chuckle as he opens the door for you. “I can well afford two teas instead of one.”

“But I wanted to treat you,” he answers simply. He grabs two bottles of lukewarm tea, his preferred brand and your favorite brand that he has committed to memory.

Even with the tea in your hand, you still find yourself freezing again the moment you step outside the shop. You try to hide it, but your shiver gives you away, and Akaashi is immediately back to frowning.

“We should get you home quickly,” he decides, picking up his pace. Now it’s your turn to frown; it’d only get colder from here, and if that meant rushed walks every night, you’re devastated that your time with Akaashi would be shortened. It’s silly, and you know that you should put your health first, but you wish that there could be another way. You lag a few steps behind him, hoping that he’d notice, and of course, he does.

He takes a peek behind his shoulder, and while still frowning, matches your pace. The two of you walk in the same comfortable silence that you’ve enjoyed for the past months, and you aren’t thinking about anything particular until you feel something warm against your hand that isn’t the tea. You almost stop breathing but choose to keep quiet as Akaashi’s hand maneuvers itself slowly around yours. He’s painfully deliberate about the entire thing, hesitating at each action and stopping every so often as if fighting with himself. Gently, he rests his finger in between yours, and the grip is so loose that you think your hand might slip out. He braces himself for you to fling your hand away, but when you don’t and instead look at him in shock and confusion, he’s out of words for a proper explanation.

“I thought your hands looked cold,” is the best he can manage, because even if you asked him what he thought he was doing, he doesn’t have a good answer. He’s not thinking straight; if he was, he would’ve asked for permission. “Sorry-“

“Yeah, they are,” you answer quietly, looking at the pavement and coming to a full stop. “Thanks.”

When Akaashi feels your fingers wrap around his hand, he almost thanks the weather for being the way it is, so that he can blame his reddening face on the cold. He gives you a light squeeze, which you return along with a smile from ear to ear and a flush just as severe as his. He feels a little dumb now for being jealous over Boktuo.

“Now we can walk slower, right?” you ask, looking shyly toward him, but are dismayed when he shakes his head.

“We still have to get you home, so you won’t catch a cold.” Always ever so responsible. “But I wouldn’t mind giving you a call after.”

“A really long call?”

“Yeah,” is all he says, smiling too. He’s not sure if he can put what love feels like into proper words, but he supposes that it’d be similar to the feeling of your hand wrapped around his, swinging happily as the two of you walk under the light snowfall.

Winter is cold, really cold, but you’ve found the perfect person to keep you warm.

[sugakookielix]

Calico: Chapter 3

Summary: It has been two weeks since Mika came to live with Yoongi, and it’s time for her to finally meet his friends

Pairing: CEO Yoongi x Calico hybrid OC. 

Mentioned Pairings: Hinted potential Bunny hybrid Jungkook x Calico OC (but not really, this fic is Yoongicentric only). Other implied pairings for the future. 

Rating: PG

Warnings: Extremely brief mention of mistreatment/abandonment, occasional swearing

Genre: Fluff

Word Count: 5.4k

Calico Masterlist

Credit for header goes to a friend. Original character used in the fic belongs to me. Do not copy, translate, or repost my work onto other sites without my permission. If you find my work has been reposted, please let me know asap. 

AN: This update took forever, and I know that a lot of you were waiting for it. As an apology, I have decided to make this chapter longer than my others. For future updates, please let me know if you guys prefer the longer or shorter chapters. I also would like to note (Since some people have asked) that this series started off as a commission to a friend who then decided to hand over character rights and rights to finish the fic as she left the fandom. If you would like to commission a fic such as this one, the link to my commission info can be found in my masterlist. Now, before I continue rambling, hopefully you guys enjoy the update!

It had been just over a week now and Mika seemed to be adjusting perfectly. As promised, Yoongi had taken her shopping and let her grab anything she wanted to help her feel more at home. Not the easiest task, given she would grab anything he looked at or recommended but never anything by herself. Eventually, he had given in and stepped back so she would have no choice but to pick things on her own, replying “If that’s what you want,” whenever she showed him something. It concerned the male a bit that she was so dependent for everything, but he assumed it was a result of her previous ownership and hopefully she’d snap out of it over time. Not that he minded having her cling to him, but it would be extremely tricky to get anything done if Mika always asked his permission to do something as simple as watch TV. 

Another recurring issue was the obvious separation anxiety whenever Yoongi had to leave for work. Hoseok had kept his promise and came over every morning to keep an eye on her so Yoongi could leave, but it was clear the hybrid was already attached to him. Mika would whine and cling onto him until he gave her a pat on the head and promised that he would return home before dinner. Otherwise, she had to be pulled away from him physically which caused its own set of problems. Yoongi would never admit it, but it broke his heart a bit to have to leave her while she was still adjusting, but there wasn’t much else he could do. It wasn’t like he could just not show up to work for a week or two to spend time with her, and he wasn’t confident with bringing her to the office yet given how shy she was. All he could really do was promise he would return until he determined if it would be a good idea to start bringing her to work. Hell, he hadn’t even introduced her to his friends yet. 

Thankfully, it was Friday, and Yoongi could spend the weekend focused on his new hybrid instead of the new business plan he was working on. His normally organized desk was now cluttered with various documents and files, some of which he hadn’t been able to open yet. It was that time of year where the male found himself flooded with potential changes to lead the business into another successful term and it was honestly overwhelming. Partnership offers, marketing plans, managing finances, looking over reports for all of the departments; it was a lot to handle, and yet here he was forcing as much of it as he could into his shift so he didn’t have to take work home with him. Not when there was a young calico cat waiting at home that deserved his attention on his days off. Especially since weekends were the only time she was actually calm, knowing Yoongi didn’t have to go anywhere without her. Yoongi had about an hour left before he could head home, and he was determined to complete as much of this paperwork as possible, having already worked through his lunch break as well.  

A knock at his door pulled the male away from his thoughts, barely looking up from the paper in his hand as he groaned out a forced, “Come in.” 

“You’re still working on that?” Yoongi looked up to see none other than Kim Seokjin, dressed and proper as always. If people thought that Yoongi was always professional, they probably hadn’t seen his business manager. Jin always dressed to impress, with well-tailored suits that molded to his form, hair brushed back with not a stray in sight, and the subtle touches of makeup to hide any potential imperfections. It was a very stark contrast to the way the older male acted, and definitely a contrast with the way Yoongi looked at the moment. His jacket discarded on the back of his chair and a few strands of his hair falling out of place from the number of times he’s run his hand through them in the past few hours. Jin took one look at the younger male and sighed, pulling up a chair to the other side of Yoongi's desk. “You’ve been looking at these since this morning,” he said, skimming through some of the papers, “why don’t you take a break before you burn out?” 

“I want to get as much done as possible,” Yoongi replied, “it would be nice to not take work home with me again.” 

“Because of your new hybrid?” Yoongi only grunted in response, but it was all the confirmation that Jin needed. “When are we going to meet her by the way? It’s been over a week now and everyone's dying to get to know the new member of the family.” Yoongi groaned and set down the document he was holding, pinching the bridge of his nose with his other hand. He knew the question was going to pop up sooner or later but now was not the time. 

“Don’t you have work you should be doing?” he asked. 

“Given it’s the end of the day and you have most of the work, not really. Besides Yoongichi, you look like you could use the distraction.” Yoongi groaned again, but he knew that Jin was right. He probably wasn’t going to finish this in an hour anyway so a break was probably what he needed. 

“I don’t know when you’re going to meet her,” he admitted, “she’s really shy right now and still getting used to her new home, crowding her with new faces is probably the last thing she needs.”

“Well she's going to meet us sooner or later,” Jin replied with a shrug, “what's the worst that could happen?” 

“A terrified calico cat and my house getting destroyed,” Yoongi said with a deadpan tone. Jin laughed a bit at the youngers' expression before shaking his head. 

“You say that as if we are barbarians, I’m sure everything will be fine,” he tried to assure, though his boss didn’t seem too convinced. 

“It’s not you I’m worried about, or even Taehyung, since I know you’ll be gentle, it’s the other hybrids I’m worried about. Jungkook is hyper and practically twice her size, Jimin is physically affectionate, and when Namjoon isn’t accidentally breaking everything he can be very intimidating. Does putting them in a room together with a very anxious kitten actually sound like a good idea to you?” Perhaps Yoongi was being overprotective, but he had seen first hand how scared Mika gets by the tiniest of sounds, so her being scared by other hybrids was inevitable. Still, Jin seemed dead set on convincing him that letting them meet her was a good idea. 

“Aish, you’re overreacting,” the older chided, “no ones going to pounce on her. She’ll have to meet us at some point, better sooner than later.” Yoongi sighed and shook his head. 

“I’ll think about it,” that seemed to be enough to please the older, as he quickly excused himself before leaving Yoongi's office. The blonde sighed and ran his hand through his hair before looking up at the clock, it seemed that their conversation took longer than he thought as it was about time to pack up. His eyes glanced at the scattered papers on his desk before sighing, organizing them into one pile and placing them in the top drawer of his desk, already dreading having to come back to all of that work on Monday. Still, he promised himself that he wouldn’t take work home and would enjoy his weekend, so that’s what he was going to do. With a tired sigh, he stood from his chair and stretched, feeling his back pop a bit from staying in one spot for too long. Flinging his jacket over his shoulder and grabbing his things, he quickly scanned his office to make sure he wasn’t forgetting anything before stepping out, locking the door, and making his way down the hall. A few of his workers paused to bow and tell him good evening, but he only gave them a slight bow of acknowledgment in return. Yoongi wasn’t really in the mood for conversation right now, he just wanted to go home and rest. 

It was silent when he finally stepped through the door of his apartment, kicking his shoes off and calling out a soft, “I’m home.” Another few seconds of silence passed before Hoseok popped out from the kitchen. 

“I was getting hungry so decided to make dinner, hope you don’t mind!” he said with a soft smile. Yoongi smiled back and shook his head. 

“Not at all,” he walked over to his friend before pausing and looking around again, “where’s Mika?” 

“Taking a nap on the couch,” the younger replied, returning his attention to the stovetop, “she’s been out for a while though so she’ll probably wake up in a few minutes.” Yoongi hummed in acknowledgment and took a seat at the counter. He groaned softly as he rested his elbows on the counter and his head in his hands. “Rough day?” Hoseok asked without looking back. 

“Just busy,” The older mumbled, hearing his friend hum in acknowledgment. Hoseok knew better than to pry on work matters, which Yoongi was grateful for. He didn’t want to talk about it, or at least the actual work part of it. The conversation with Jin replayed in his mind, and Yoongi questioned if he should bring the idea up to Hoseok. After all, he knew more about hybrids than any of them, so his advice could be useful. “I spoke with Jin-hyung today,” he said, easily grabbing the younger attention. 

“Oh yeah?” Hoseok replied, “what about?”

“Mika,” when he didn’t get a reply, Yoongi took that as a sign to continue, “he said everyone's getting pretty anxious to meet her and that I should introduce them soon.” Hoseok hummed softly in thought, turning off the stove and beginning to fill three plates so they could all eat together. 

“What did you tell them?” he asked after another moment. 

“I said I wasn’t sure,” Yoongi lifted his head to properly face the younger, “I mean, I know they have to meet her at some point but she’s so shy that I don’t really know if it’s a good idea.”

“I’m guessing that you are asking because you want my advice? I mean, Hyung does have a point that she will have to meet them eventually if you want her to stick around, and she seems to be adjusting well to living with you. I’d say that as long as you are right there with her, and she has a place to escape if she gets scared, then it should be fine.” He didn’t even have to look at Yoongi to know the older still wasn’t convinced, shaking his head as he walked over with two of the plates, having to make a second trip for the third. 

“Thanks,” Yoongi said softly, beginning to pick at some of the vegetables as Hoseok took a seat beside him. 

“Why don’t you just ask Mika what she thinks?” Hoseok asked, “explain what will happen to her and let her decide when she is comfortable enough to meet them. If you do it on her terms then it will probably have a better outcome.” Yoongi shrugged softly. 

“I guess,” as if on cue, he felt two small arms wrap around him from behind, a soft tuft of white and orange fur tickling his cheek as the young cat curled up against him. 

“You’re home!” Mika purred, nuzzling her head against Yoongi's neck. Said male chuckled and reached to scratch at her head for a moment. 

“Why hello sleepy head,” Yoongi teased, “have a nice nap?” Mika yawned softly and nodded, still half asleep. It was very obvious that she had just woken up; eyes partly closed, hair falling messily in her face, and her tail swaying lazily under the oversized sweater she was wearing. As soft and precious as always, it was a wonder Yoongi hadn’t completely melted in her presence yet. She stayed curled up against Yoongi for a bit longer before he reluctantly pulled away. He was slowly opening up to how physically affectionate she was, but it still made him feel awkward at times, especially when someone else was around. “Why don’t you sit down before dinner gets cold, I need my arms to eat after all.” Mika pouted a bit but nodded and quickly climbed into the chair next to him, not hesitating to dig into her food. Both males laughed at her before returning to their own food, the conversation between them forgotten. 

Hoseok left shortly after dinner, patting Yoongi on the shoulder and giving Mika a side hug before bidding them a good night. The pair migrated to the living room shortly after, Yoongi scrolling through the tv channels while Mika distracted herself with one of her toys. The soft jingle of a bell echoed through the room, coming from the soft ball that she was pawing at and pushing around the rug, letting her cat side start to take over. Occasionally, Yoongi would glance down at her and just watch silently, thinking about what Hoseok said. Would she want to meet the others? The more he thought about it, the more it couldn’t hurt to try his luck. “Hey Kitten,” he called softly, “come here for a moment.” Mika perked up and immediately made her way over to the couch, taking a seat beside him. “How would you feel about possibly making new friends?” 

“New friends?” Mika asked, cocking her head to the side and giving him a confused look. Yoongi couldn’t help but chuckle a bit as he nodded. 

“I have a few close friends that would love to come and meet you. They own hybrids as well so you could have new playmates. They are a bit hyper though so I wanted to make sure you were ready before inviting them over,” he explained. Mikas' ears twitched slightly and she looked down for a moment. Yoongi frowned when he saw that, immediately thinking the worst. 

“What if they don’t like me?” not the response Yoongi was expecting, though he probably should have. 

“Of course they’ll like you,” he assured, “I’m sure once you get used to them they’ll love you.” Mika looked up at him to try and see if he was lying. He wasn’t, he was sure that they would like her, the issue was whether or not she would like them. After seeing that he was being honest, the hybrid softly nodded. 

“Okay,” she said softly, “when are they coming over?” Yoongi felt like a weight had been lifted off of his chest, letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. 

“I’ll talk to them tonight and see, probably sometime this weekend,” he was already pulling out his phone to text Jin, knowing he would pass the news onto Taehyung for him. Mika watched him for a moment before deciding that she wanted his attention again. A soft huff left the female as she slid closer to Yoongi, gently tugging at his arm and successfully getting his attention. 

“Cuddles?” she asked. Yoongi bit his lip to keep from smiling as he lifted his arm so she could snuggle up against him. Mika immediately curled into his side, resting her head on his shoulder and wrapping her arms around his waist. The male could feel her purring against him after a few seconds, shaking his head as he let his arm fall around her. 

“You’re very clingy you know,” he mused. The response he got was her nuzzling her head against the crook of his neck, mumbling something he couldn’t quite hear. “What was that? I can’t hear you.” He expected her to move and repeat herself, but she made no effort to do so. Her tail brushed against his hand as she relaxed, purring continued as her eyes fluttered shut. Yoongi realized that she was falling asleep and shook his head. If he was being honest, he envied the cat hybrid for being able to fall asleep when and wherever she wanted. He was lucky to get five hours of sleep on any given day with how hectic his schedule was. Yoongi quickly finished up his text conversation and set his phone down. After a brief debate on if he should stay or wake the sleeping hybrid, he carefully wrapped his arms around Mika and stood up. It was a bit of a struggle to lift her since he wasn’t the strongest, but she was thankfully light enough for him to carry to bed without much issue. Yoongi gently set the Calico down on the mattress and placed the blankets over top of her before going and getting ready for bed himself, making sure the doors were cracked a bit so Mika could wake him easily if she needed anything. 

After texting Taehyung and Jin, they all decided to come over for dinner the following evening. Hoseok had to work, but he said he would stop by for a bit if he could. Yoongi had spent the day cleaning so his place would be presentable for their guests while Mika ran around and did her own thing. He had also decided to just order takeout for everyone so he didn’t have to spend hours cooking for potentially eight people. Plus, he wanted to avoid going to the store at the moment and leaving Mika alone in the house. She still didn’t have a proper collar, only a standard black one that he doubted was comfortable given how often she picked at it. Yoongi felt bad and tried his best not to take her out in public too often until he could get her one that was of better quality. Since most higher quality collars were more expensive, many people just bought simple ones and only made their hybrid wear it in public. Money wasn’t an issue for Yoongi though, and he knew when the time was right that he would get Mika one that was special. 

The sound of knocking snapped Yoongi's attention to the door, apparently catching Mikas as well since she was clinging to him in an instant, hiding behind his slightly larger frame. He knew she was nervous, but hopefully, she would calm down once she saw them. “Relax,” he muttered, reaching behind himself to pat her head softly, “everything will be fine.” That didn’t seem to help much as the calico was still clinging to his arm when he opened the door, revealing Jin and Namjoon. 

“I know we’re a bit early, but I was too excited,” Jin said with a smile. Yoongi nodded and opened the door further to let them both in. 

“Figured as much,” he replied, closing the door and trying to pry the scared cat from his arm. If it was physically possible, Mika had curled up even more when she saw the new guests. Not that anyone could really blame her though, since there was now a large and intimidating wolf hybrid standing a few meters away from her. As sweet and as clumsy as Namjoon was, he could be very scary upon first glance. He knew it as well since he was actively trying to distance himself from the pair while Jin tried his best to get a look at the young girl. Yoongi had already explained how she might act to them so they would know how to better act around her. At least until she got comfortable with their presence. 

Jin bent down a bit so that he was eye level with Mika, waving and giving her a soft smile, “Hi, I’m Jin and this is Namjoon, it’s nice to finally meet you.” She stayed silent for a moment before Yoongi gently nudged her. 

“I’m Mika,” she whispered, so quietly that even Yoongi struggled to hear her. Jin couldn’t help but coo a bit at how adorable she was.

“Aren’t you precious, don’t worry, we don’t bite,” he assured. It was easy to notice now Mika's eyes darted to Namjoon for a moment before hesitantly nodding. Still, her grip on Yoongi never loosened and he was starting to worry that she would accidentally rip his sleeve. 

“Come on, let’s go sit down in the living room while we wait for everyone else,” he urged, already beginning to walk. He knew Mika would move with him and Jin and Namjoon would follow after so there was no point in waiting. It was another struggle to get Mika to let go so that he could sit down, but they eventually managed to get her to sit without trying to cling to him. Even if she was still curled up into a ball; her ears pressed against her head and her arms wrapped around her legs. Jin remained standing while Namjoon made himself comfortable in another chair. It was barely noticeable at first, but he was doing his best to remain calm so that he would be seen as approachable. With their advanced senses, hybrids could easily pick up scents that went unnoticed by their human companions. It was oftentimes how they picked up on certain emotions or detected threats. Namjoon was also still keeping his distance, wanting the cat hybrid to approach him first. This seemed to work as she relaxed after a few minutes, staring at the wolf curiously. Yoongi and Jin were so caught up in their own conversation that it shocked them when Mika finally spoke up. 

“What do wolves do for fun?” she asked, causing the two humans in the room to stop and stare at her. Namjoon thought over it for a moment before looking up at her. 

“Well, I can’t speak for all wolves, but I like to read in my free time. I also accompany Jin-hyung to work a lot so I’ll help him there when I can,” he said. 

“Namjoon is a pup at heart,” Jin cut in, “don’t let him fool you, he’s also very playful.”

“And clumsy,” Yoongi added. 

“Yah! It’s not like I try to break things, it just happens!” Namjoon whined. Yoongi rolled his eyes and chuckled a bit in response. Mika seemed to get bored with this conversation and decided to change the subject. 

“Does Jin work with Yoongi?” she asked. 

“I do,” the male in question replied, “he is my boss.” Mika looked up at him in awe when he said this. 

“Yoongi is really the boss?” the shocked tone in her voice caused the blonde to pout. 

“I told you I was the boss the day I met you,” he reminded, “did you not believe me?” Mika blinked up at him for a moment before shaking her head. Jin held a hand to his mouth as he tried not to laugh, Yoongi giving him an unamused expression. “Why exactly would I not be the boss?” he asked.

“Because normally bosses are mean and scary, and you’re too nice!” At this, both Jin and Namjoon burst out laughing, confusing Mika and annoying Yoongi. 

“Yoongi? Nice? That’s a first!” Jin teased, causing the other to roll his eyes. 

“Oh hush,” he groaned before turning back to his hybrid, “you know that not all bosses are mean right? Hobi is the boss at the shelter, and he isn’t mean.”

“But Hobi is fun and doesn’t wear suits to work every day,” Mika pointed out. This effectively confused Yoongi as he tried to process what exactly she was implying. 

“I’m guessing she doesn’t go out much?” Namjoon asked. 

“Not yet, no,” Yoongi confirmed, “Obviously I can only speak for the past two weeks, but we haven’t gone out much.” Both Jin and Namjoon nodded, knowing what he was implying and not wanting to bring up a potentially touchy subject. If Mika did realize, she probably didn’t understand properly as she spoke up again. 

“I was told hybrids weren’t supposed to go out much,” she said, referring to her previous owner, “the last time I went out we went to the park and then I ended up at the shelter.” Everyone froze at what she said, not knowing what to say. Thankfully, they didn’t have to worry as another loud knock echoed through the house, followed by another series of loud knocks. Yoongi sighed softly and excused himself as he went to answer the door. The second he opened the door, he was almost knocked over from the force of two hybrids pouncing onto him. 

“Hyung!” both males shouted, nuzzling against Yoongi who was still trying to regain his balance. 

“We missed you,” Jungkook said. 

“Yeah yeah, you literally saw me two days ago,” Yoongi muttered, “get off.” He pushed both males off of him as Taehyung stepped inside, giving his friend a huge smile. 

“Doesn’t mean we can’t be excited to see you!” Jimin argued. 

“Whatever,” Yoongi straightened out his sweater before closing the door, “come on, everyone else is waiting in the living room.” When they entered the room in question, everyone was in the same position they had been left in. Jin was busy laughing at something, likely another one of his awful jokes, Mika was looking at him confused, and Namjoon was trying not to laugh himself. At the sound of footsteps, both hybrids' ears twitched as they turned to the source of the sound. Namjoon waved at the group while Mika gave them all a shy smile. 

“Awe,” Taehyung cooed as he dropped to his knees in front of her, “aren’t you adorable? I’m TaeTae!” Mika flinched back a bit but nodded in acknowledgment. At least this time she didn’t immediately try to cower behind Yoongi. Well, that was until Jungkook and Jimin excitedly bound over to her, quickly jumping up on the couch. 

“Hi, I’m Jungkook!”

“Hi, I’m Jimin!” both hybrids spoke over each other, their energy immediately startling the smaller feline as she yelped and rolled off the couch. Within seconds, she had dashed past the group and back over to Yoongi, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her head in his shoulder while muttering something about being too loud. Yoongi sighed heavily, ‘not again.’

“Yah!” Jin scolded, “we literally just got her to stop hiding and you had to come in and scare her again!” The two in question pouted a bit and lowered their heads, Jungkooks ears flopping down a bit. 

“Sorry Mika,” Taehyung apologized for them. 

“They’re just excited,” Namjoon explained calmly, “don’t worry, no one's going to hurt you.” Yoongi wrapped his arms around the girl softly before whispering to her. 

“They’re idiots, just ignore them and they’ll calm down eventually.” 

“We can still hear you!” Jungkook exclaimed, making the other roll his eyes. Still, the laugh he got from Mika was worth it. 

“Come on,” Yoongi encouraged, “we still have a few hours before dinner, why don’t we sit down and you can meet everyone properly.” He waited for confirmation from Mika before he pulled away enough to lead her back to the couch. The others would definitely tease him for being soft later, but he didn’t care. 

After a few hours, everyone calmed down enough and Mika actually felt comfortable being around the group. She was still a bit on edge and didn’t engage in conversation very much, but she did occasionally speak up or ask questions. Hoseok had decided to drop by as well which helped a lot, helping push Mika to interact more and not be shy. At one point, she had even allowed Taehyung to pet her, nuzzling into his hand a bit as he ran his fingers through her multicolored hair. They had all just finished dinner and were now winding down to watch a movie and relax before calling it a night. Yoongi, Jin, and Taehyung were tidying up in the kitchen, while the hybrids and Hoseok were playing in the living room. It was really just Jungkook and Jimin though since Mika was too shy to move and Namjoon knew better than to try and wrestle the younger boys. 

Mika was on the floor with one of her bells, tossing it around softly as the others did their own thing. Jungkook and Jimin were play fighting a little bit away, having already failed at trying to throw the bell with her. Hoseok was leaning on the back of the couch as he watched, about to say something when he heard his name being called from the kitchen. 

“I’ll be right back,” he said, “try not to break anything while I am gone.” He heard a mutual hum of acknowledgment as he walked away, leaving the hybrids alone. Jungkook watched for a moment to make sure he was gone before making his way over to Mika with a smirk. Of course, she noticed, looking up at him with a questioning glance. 

“Can I see the bell?” he asked, causing the felines' expression to shift. 

“No,” Jungkook pouted a bit, trying to reach for the toy as Mika pulled it back. 

“Why not?” 

“Because it’s mine and I don’t want to give it to you.”

“That’s mean, I just want to see it.” Mika huffed and held her hand out to show off the bell. 

“There, now you see it,” she said with a smirk of her own. Jungkook glanced at her before chuckling. Moving faster than she could react, he snatched the item from her hand and darted back to Jimin on the other side of the room. Mika blinked in shock for a few moments before realizing what just happened, “Hey! That’s not fair!” 

“Not my fault you weren’t quick enough,” Jungkook teased, laughing a bit as Mika glared at him, “if you want it so badly, why don’t you come get it?” The catgirl hissed for a moment before crawling over and trying to grab the toy from Jungkook, who only held it higher in response. “Really Jungkook?” she was clearly unamused by whatever game the bunny was trying to play. 

“Jungkook-” Jimin tried to interject but the younger only shook his head at him. 

“I already told you, if you want it then take it,” he pushed, dangling the toy over Mikas' head. She tried to grab for it again, only for him to pull it away at the last second, causing her to groan. Her tail began to sway behind her as she backed away slightly, ears pressing back against her head. Jimin, who realized what was happening, quickly tried to interject and grab the bell back, only for Jungkook to push him away as well, glancing at him and mouthing ‘Trust me.’ Namjoon had also picked up on what was going on and began to get involved as well. 

“Jungkook…” before he could get his full warning out, Mika had pounced onto the bunny hybrid, successfully knocking him back. Jungkook gasped as the wind was knocked out of him, but regained himself before she could grab the bell out of his hands, tossing the item to the side as he flipped their position so he was the one pinning her down. The commotion immediately alerted the attention of those in the kitchen who immediately ran out. Yoongi and Taehyung panicked and immediately tried to run over and break the two up. They were stopped however by Hoseok holding his arm out in front of them. 

“The hell Hoseok?” Yoongi hissed, to which the younger shushed him. 

“Relax and watch,” Hoseok whispered back. Yoongi huffed but did as he was told, biting at his nail to calm himself down. Sure enough, Mika quickly regained herself and managed to push Jungkook off of her, dashing after the bell once she was free. The bunny was still quicker though and beat her to it, hitting the toy away so they were both chasing after it. After a minute, the sound of laughter filled the room as both hybrids wrestled and chased after the small object, Jimin getting involved shortly after. Both owners immediately relaxed when they noticed this, Hoseok smiling at them proudly. “See, they’re just playing! Nothing to be worried about.” Yoongi couldn’t help but smile at the sight in front of him, happy that they seemed to get along. 

“Looks like we’ll be over for playdates a lot more,” Taehyung whispered. 

Yoongi's smile widened as he nodded, “Looks like it.” 

Twitter: SugaKookieBias

AO3: SugaKookieBias

Tag List: None ATM. If you want to be added to the tag list, comment or message me

[niksixx]

Patience

~Part 2. Please read part 1 first~

Pairing: Axl Rose/Vince Neil x Female Reader 

A/N: Keep up those comments. It motivates me! 

*Picture is not mine; Found on Google. Creds to the owner*

Tag list: @littlemisscare-all @ginny-baker-sixx @metalheartofgold @madamsixx @curly-hudson @headlight-queen @julessworldd

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At twenty-seven years old, you had finally managed to piece your life together. Although your small business was just beginning and wasn’t generating as much money as you would have liked, you were happy.

Baking was a hobby that you turned into a full time job. While the process could be long, you never found it tedious. Every measurement, every smell, every pastry decoration and design, was satisfying. And by the reviews from your customers, they were impressed by your craft. They say if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.

Just as you check the clock on the wall above the shop door, a loud growl sounds from your lower belly. Glancing down at your stomach, you shake your head and chuckle, grabbing your wallet and keys to lock up the store. It is a slow day, and usually you bring lunch to work, but closing the shop for an hour won’t hurt. You’d only had four customers since opening at nine.

As you walk down the strip, you glance at all the different shops that once started out at the bottom, smiling as hope fills your heart. Plenty of the stores started out as tiny businesses, now flourishing. There was never a doubt in your mind that your store, your pride and joy, would succeed.

The smell of pork fried rice hits your nostrils as you push open the doors to a nearby Chinese restaurant. Behind the counter you spot Lei, one of the first friends to welcome you to LA years ago.

Lei’s eyebrows crinkle. “I thought you were working today! How are you?”

“Well for one, I’m starving,” you say, patting your stomach. “And two, I am. I closed up for an hour just so I could come and see you!”

Lei rolls her eyes as she punches buttons on the register, already ringing up your order from memory. “Papa! I need an order of sweet and sour pork over white rice and a spring roll to go, please. You know what? Make that two spring rolls, it’s for Y/N!” Lei shouts, turning back with a sneaky grin. “Free of charge just because I love you.”

Tipping generously, you sit by a table and wait for your order. Lei’s family owns the restaurant, one of the most well known on the Strip. You frequent her business as she did with yours, always making sure to buy a slice of red velvet cake each week. A day ago, she’d put in an order for fifty cupcakes for her son’s ninth birthday party that weekend, which reminded you to check the cabinets at your home for all the proper ingredients.

A vibration rumbles in your purse and you retrieve your phone, holding it to your ear. You weren’t expecting a call.

“Hello?”

“I need another bottle of Jack.”

The sound of your boyfriend’s slurred voice had you frowning. On the other end of the line, Vince Neil sits in the recording studio, half empty bottle of whiskey in his lap while Tommy Lee aimlessly toys around with his drum set, cigarette hanging from his mouth.

“Hi, babe. Are you still in the studio?” Lei makes a gesture with a take out bag, and you give her a nod, rising to your feet while cradling the phone between your ear and shoulder.

“Yeah, Doc gave us a ten minute break so I figured I’d call you. Did you hear me? I need another bottle of Jack. I’m almost done with the one I took this morning.”

“Wait, what?” You ask, forehead creasing. The man was building up his tolerance day by day, slowly but surely killing his liver. “Vince, that was a brand new bottle. I just bought that yesterday.”

“And it’s almost finished,” Vince remarks, rolling his eyes. “Just pick up another bottle on your way home.”

“Vin, you need to watch,” You warn, shaking your head. The last thing you needed was your boyfriend spiraling out of control like his heroin addicted bandmate, Nikki Sixx.

“I’m fine, stop worrying. I don’t need you pissing me off before I get back in the studio,” he spits back. “Just get the bottle.”

Sighing, you mouth a thank you to Lei before heading toward the door. “You know, the word please goes a long way--.”

The phone crashes against the tile floor as you collide with the door, or something that feels just as hard. Blinking to clear the stars from your eyes, your breath hitches in the back of your throat, lips going dry. Long, shiny red hair is the first thing that catches your eyes, followed by a pair of thin pink lips that look downright sinful, and soft gray eyes that hold a familiar warmth in them. The figure stares back at you, equally as stunned, unflinching as his hand holds open the door.

When you find your voice, it’s weak, just like your knees. “Axl?”

“Hey sugar,” his mouth quirks, and you blink again, positive that you’re hallucinating. There’s no way your old best friend is staring at you right now. It can’t be real. “Long time no see, huh? I see you’re still clumsy as ever.”

A hand covers your mouth and for a split second, you’re overwhelmed with the urge to cry. It doesn’t stay, and is soon replaced by sheer amazement. “Oh my God!” You throw yourself into his arms, almost knocking him off balance. Axl beams, catching you in his embrace, squeezing you against his chest. “I thought I was dreaming!”

His laugh is light and airy as he sets you on the ground, readjusting the bandana that keeps his hair off his face. “How have you been?”

Any feelings of irritation brought on by the lack of customers in your store and your pushy, intoxicated boyfriend fly right out the window. “Well, I was having a pretty crappy day, but I think you just made it ten times better,” you say, shaking your head in astonishment, bending down to retrieve your phone. Vince yells on the other line, but you quickly hang up before stuffing it back in your purse.

You give him another look, and his smile captures your breath, holding it hostage. It’s him. It’s really him. “My gosh, look at you. You are definitely not an eighteen year old boy anymore, Axl Rose.”

You couldn’t help but notice how handsome he’d become. He was taller now, and had thinned out. Pale skin was littered in tattoos, giving him the edge he lacked in high school, from what you can remember. A face that was once hard and rigid, now gentle, just like his eyes.

“I’d hope not,” he says lightly, cocking his head to the side. His eyes trail over your body, slowly. “Twenty five has been good to me, and it appears twenty-seven has been kind to you.”

“I’ll say,” you breathe, drawn to his playful grin. The boy that never liked to show his teeth turned into a man that couldn’t stop smiling. “Are you stopping in for lunch?”

“I am,” he nods, noticing your take out bag. “Do you want to have lunch together? Are you busy?”

You shake your head quickly, eager to spend time with an old friend. “Nope! Slow day at work today, unfortunately. And besides, I’ll never be too busy to have lunch with you.”

~~~

A huge smile spreads across Axl’s face when you unlock the door to your bakery shop. The colors, the decorations, were all so inviting. Before bumping into you, he’d always pondered about what you were doing with your life. You’d turned yourself into a business owner, and as Axl glanced around the store, he felt a sense of pride wash over his bones. The woman he loved continued to amaze him.

“This is incredible, Y/N,” he says, nodding in approval, dragging his fingers over a metal chair situated at a circular pastel purple table. “So, how long did it take your indecisive ass to figure out what you wanted to do with your life?” He teases, fake pouting when you push his shoulder. After all these years, you were still so comfortable around each other. Maybe it would be easy to win your heart after all.

“Hey, I wanted to make sure that whatever I planned on doing for the rest of my life would make me happy,” you argue, setting your food down on the counter. Axl stands on the other side of the counter, aimlessly toying with his chopsticks.

“Are you?” He questions in a serious tone, waiting for your answer.

“Always,” you reply with a smile.

It doesn’t reach your eyes.

And Axl notices.

~~~

Hours pass by, with only a few customers straggling in and out of your shop. You’d only sold a few pastries, but you plastered on a smile to hide the pit of devastation that had formed in your heart. It’s five-thirty, and you’ll give it another half hour before you lock it up, hoping someone else would notice your shop and drop by.

“So, Guns N’ Roses, huh?” After spending hours discussing your new life in California, the conversation turns to Axl. You want to know everything about him, everything you’ve missed the last seven years. Everything you couldn’t be a part of.

He nods, taking a sip from his water bottle. “I still can’t believe we made it.”

“There’s five of you, right?”

He nods again. “Yes ma’am. I’d like you to meet them sometime when you’re not busy. They’d love you. Especially Steven, probably a little too much,” he winks, keeping the atmosphere light. “I’ll tell him to keep the flirting minimal, only because that’s my job.”

Cheeks warm, you gather your trash and head to the bin in the front of the store, avoiding Axl’s lingering gaze. He didn’t know. Of course he didn’t know. No one did. “I’d love to, but that’s probably not the best idea.”

“How come?”

Biting your lip, you lean your elbows on the glass counter, clasping your fingers together. “My um...my boyfriend...he’s not a big Guns N’ Roses fan. He won’t even let me listen to your music. Probably would kill me if I ever did.”

Axl’s heart sinks. Let you? What the fuck? “Who’s your boyfriend?”

It’s not the answer he wants to hear. In fact, Axl’s face hardens when the name comes out of your mouth. “Vince Neil. I’m sure you’ve heard of him,” you say with a wave of your hand. You weren’t in the mood to talk about your boyfriend, especially to your male best friend. Men didn’t like to talk about other men.

“Time out,” Axl says in annoyance. You want him to drop the conversation, but he presses on. “You’re dating Vince? You had your choice out of all those Mötley Crüe bastards, and you went with Vince? How--How did I not know about this?”

You shrug, biting the corner of your mouth. Cat’s out of the bag, might as well keep going. “No one does. I stay out of the spotlight. Vince has an image to keep up, you know? The player. The bad boy. It’s entertaining. A girlfriend ruins that. You’d think the label would want to contain him, but quite the opposite, actually.”

The floor sways beneath his feet as the words process in his head. If Axl knew anything about the pompous blonde asshole, then he knew you weren’t being treated right. “How long have you been together?”

You contemplate telling the truth, but if you didn’t, he’d pull it out of you. Sighing, you lean your forehead against your hands, mumbling, “Three years.”

His legs almost give out. Three years of hiding. Three years of pretending. Three years of wasted fucking time with a man that didn’t deserve you. Three years with his competition, his enemy.

“I knew you were in a band, Axl. Although I haven’t listened to any of your songs, I’ve heard your name on the radio, seen you at award ceremonies when I watched from home. And I...I wanted to reach out. I just didn’t know where to find you. Vince doesn’t even know that you and I grew up together. I’m too scared to tell him. It would just give him another reason to hate you.”

“And you don’t think you deserve better than that?” Axl asks, mouth twisting in anger. “Because I know you do.”

“Well…”

The door to the shop slams against the wall, and in stumbles a visibly inebriated Vince Neil. His blonde hair is stringy, matted against the side of his head, and the stench of alcohol fills your nostrils, lingering on his spiked leather vest. An empty bottle of Jack Daniels occupies one hand, while the keys to his car dangle in the other.

Eyes blazing, you step out from behind the counter. “Vince, what the hell? You drove here? Drunk?!” The evidence was in his hands, but you refused to believe your boyfriend could have done something so wild, so reckless.

“You...y-you didn’t come home with the...with the booze,” he slurs, throwing the empty  bottle in the trash bin. He trips forward, reaching out to steady himself on the purple table. “I was scared something ha-happened.”

“Something did happen, Vince! You could’ve killed someone!” You scream, tears blurring your vision as you fight back the urge to shake some sense into his body. How could he have been so careless? So selfish? “You could have fucking died!”

“Don’t raise your fucking voice--,” And Vince’s eyes go black when he sees Axl standing behind you, stonefaced, hands shoved in pockets. He doesn’t know why the redhead is here, with his girlfriend, but he doesn’t like it. “Rose.”

“Neil.”

Vince straightens, puffing out his chest.  “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“Free country,” Axl retorts, eyes flickering to your face. The tears from your eyes are sliding down your cheeks. Even if he wants to bash Vince’s perfectly symmetrical face in, he holds back, not wanting to scare you. “And I was just leaving.”

“Axl, wait, no you don’t have to go.” You plead, grasping his wrist, voice thick with emotion. You didn’t want him to leave, not after you’d just gotten him back again.

“Yes, he does,” Vince says, more sober than he was a minute ago. Loosening his grip on the table, he toddles over, prying your hand from Axl’s wrist. Axl’s teeth clench, and his fists ball together in an attempt to keep the anger at bay.

“You’ll be going now,” Vince glares. “That’s not a request, either. I’m taking a piss, and by the time I come out, you’d better be gone.” He stalks off to the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

In a panic, you snatch a sharpie from the pencil holder on the counter, uncapping it with your mouth, before grabbing Axl’s wrist, scribbling digits quickly but legibly.

“What are you doing?” His voice is a hushed whisper as he tries to decipher the numbers.

“My phone number, my address.” you answer back, signaling to each one. Grabbing a piece of paper from your notepad, you quickly scrawl out Axl’s phone number and apartment address, stuffing it into your purse. He nods before pulling you in for a hug. “I want to see you again, Axl. It’s been too long.”

And he would see you again. There was no way, no way, that Axl would let anything come between you.

[tamakiamajikistentacles]

Let Me {Katsuki Bakugo}

Quirks were just like any other physical ability in that overuse lead to strain. Training was always the preferred method of avoiding that strain, extending the limit to which pain or side effects would begin, but support items were also a viable option for the modern pro hero. Oftentimes, support items were used in conjunction with training so that if the item were to be lost or damaged during combat, a hero would still be able to perform their duties.

Katsuki Bakugo had spent years training his body to push past its natural limits for his quirk, and his mind to withstand the pain of overdoing it. He wasn’t stupid, though, he knew that adding in the bracers for his hero costume were an excellent idea to help him fire off explosions larger than what he could handle on his own. It worked well for him, and he had put a lot of villains behind bars thanks to the combination of skill and enhancement.

Even when the bracers were destroyed, disintegrating right off of his wrists and forearms, he got the job done. Ground Zero was a pro who did not take kindly to losing.

Which is exactly why his wrapped arms and shoulders were throbbing painfully as he stood on the platform of the train station near his agency, the late afternoon sun at his back. His messenger bag felt like lead as it dug into the muscle of his right shoulder. Every so often, his fingers would twitch from the strain throughout his arms.

He stepped on to the local train to head home, his mind only fixated on resting for the rest of the night and for the weekend upcoming. As he sat down, he let out a soft sigh of relief at the fact that the train car was essentially empty, allowing him to let his bag rest on the seat next to him. He legitimately didn’t think that he could manage moving it onto his lap.

Eyes half-lidded, he watched the LED screen scroll through the stops until his own displayed. With a deep breath to ready himself for the weight of his bag once again, he stood to exit the train.

“Shit,” he mumbled tiredly. He continued out of the station and trekked the final three blocks home, grateful that only his arms were out of commission; he could at least make it home without them.

That thought was immediately rescinded when he came to his apartment building and realized that he needed to scan his keycard to enter the lobby. His keycard that was in his wallet, which was somewhere in his messenger bag.

He glanced down to his bag, defeat overtaking his features as he stiffly moved his arm to dig around the main compartment. He fumbled through the contents, his muscles awkwardly uncooperative as he bumped against his empty bento box and the tangled headphones he could’ve sworn were neatly put away after his morning commute. Once his fingers felt the smooth leather of his wallet, he plucked it from the depths of the bag, slowly tapping it against the reader to enter the building.

Pushing the door open with his hip, he sped to the elevator and jammed his finger into the buttons hard, his arms tingling uncomfortably. The numbers ticked higher until settling on 17, a quiet ping sounding out when the doors parted. Stepping out onto the blue carpeted hallway, he moved towards the apartment marked 1701 at the opposite end of the hall.

The sight of his girlfriend lounging on the couch greeted him once he opened the door and between that and the knowledge that he could finally rest, he felt his aching shoulders sag in relief as he dropped his bag to the ground by his kicked off shoes.

“Welcome home,” she greeted quietly, sitting up to make room for him next to her. “I have the heating pads ready for you if you want those first, but I can grab some ice packs if you prefer. Oh, and your compression sleeves are clean and sitting on the night table.”

He stared at her, not registering her words at first, but when she stood up and crossed over to him, her soft hands cupping his face, he snapped back to the moment.

“You did good today. I’m proud of you,” she said, pecking him on the lips. “All thirty-five hostages rescued and not a single casualty other than the bank building about to undergo renovations anyway.”

Bakugo’s brows furrowed. “I don’t need a reward for doing my job.”

“Katsuki, I’m not rewarding you for doing your job, I’m giving you what you need to feel better since you overused your quirk. My plugging in two heating pads and pulling your compression sleeves out of your drawer was to save you five or ten minutes of dealing with your pain. Forgive me if I’m not interested in seeing my boyfriend suffer any longer than he has to,” she said coolly, lips pouting slightly.

He sighed. “That’s—I’m not trying to be an asshole. The last few hours have been hell, but I really do appreciate you helping me. Thank you.”

That allowed the pout to reform into a smile.

“You really have to learn to let me take care of you. You’d think after three and a half years together you’d get it through your head,” she teased, tapping two fingers against his forehead, secretly tickled that he couldn’t swat her hand away. “Now, heat is usually what you prefer first, so do you want me to grab those heating pads to put on your shoulders after we unwrap your arms and put the sleeves on?”

“Yeah,” he grumbled in agreement, watching as she disappeared into their bedroom. He crossed over to the couch, the plush cushions encouraging his body to relax as he sat down.

She reappeared with his compression sleeves in her hands and plopped onto the couch next to him, setting one sleeve to the side as she reached for his arm closest to her.

“You need to fire whoever wrapped your arms for starting at your wrist and going up. It’s usually easiest clipping the end at your wrist so your shoulders aren’t limited in their mobility,” she explained, gently pulling his arm out towards her and letting his hand rest on her thigh as she set about unwinding the fabric from his arm. As she worked, she could feel the tightness of his tendons and the heat of overuse, his muscles twitching every so often beneath his skin.

Once he was finally free of the bandages, she slid the compression sleeve up his arm and adjusted it to the proper position before standing and moving to his other side to repeat the process on the opposite arm.

“Shoulda been a nurse,” Bakugo mumbled as the second sleeve was put in place.

“Nah,” she disagreed. “You know I’m not good with blood. Plus if I were a nurse, who knows if Ochaco and Izuku’s wedding would’ve actually happened, honestly.”

“Got that shit right,” he said. “I still don’t know how you got green and pink to look nice together.”

She waved a hand flippantly as she got off the couch. “The right shade of mint and the right shade of blush aren’t that hard to come by; any good wedding planner knows that. It just takes some time. I’m gonna grab the heating pads for you.”

He watched her leave the room once again, gingerly bending his arms now that the compression sleeves were securely in place. They still felt heavy as he moved them around to try and work out some of the soreness, and he grimaced at the pull of his tender muscles.

“Now that pink on your cheeks would make a good color for my clients,” she mused from his left, startling him. “Maybe we should save the stretches for after dinner, yeah? Rest up with the heat on your shoulders and I’ll get cooking.”

“You don’t have to cook,” he said, reaching for the heating pads. “We can just get takeout from the ramen place on the next block.”

She held the heating pads out of his reach. “Nope, I’m making stir fry while you rest your arms. Now pick a comfortable position and let me take care of you, asshole.”

“You sure you’re quirkless?” he grumbled as he settled down into the couch cushions and she arranged the pads on his shoulders, the heat making him relax slightly. “They had to have missed your stubborn ass attitude when they diagnosed you.”

“The extra joints in my toes don’t lie; your girl’s quirkless,” she chuckled, kicking her foot up and turning to the side, wiggling her toes within her sock.

He grunted, allowing his head to tip backwards to rest on the back of the couch.

“Rest up,” she murmured, running her hand through his hair. “I’ll take the heating pads off in about ten minutes and get you when the food is done. If you wanna fall asleep, I’ll wake you for stir fry.”

An overwhelming part of him hated being told what to do to feel better, like he was some little kid who needed his parent to watch over him so he didn’t hurt himself even more. But he paid attention instead to the smaller voice within his mind that told him to listen to her, to let her take care of him. It wasn’t that she thought he was weak, he reasoned, but just as she’d said when he had snapped when he came home, she wanted to help him feel better because she cared about him.

Sighing as her hand fell away from his hair, he blinked up at her. “You gonna make it spicy?”

“I’ve got everything to make the Szechuan style we saw on that cooking show. Sound good?”

“Yeah,” he muttered, closing his eyes and allowing the heat of the pads to soothe the ache in his shoulders.

He heard her soft footsteps retreat into the kitchen, and then the quiet bangs of cabinets opening and closing. The background noise lulled him to sleep before long, the comfort of being home and knowing his girlfriend was nearby making it that much easier to relax.

The next thing he knew, the heated weight of the pads had disappeared from his shoulders and the spicy scent of dinner was hanging thick in the apartment. Blinking open his eyes, the first thing he saw was a familiar, warm smile.

“Dinner’s ready,” she said happily. “I hope you enjoyed your cat nap.”

He hummed, sitting up straight and assessing his arms’ condition. Stretching didn’t hurt as much but it still wasn’t pleasant; at least eating wouldn’t be painful.

Rising to his feet, he followed her to the chabudai that was already set with a bowl of stir fry and chopsticks for each of them.

Bakugo had never been overly impressed with mealtime gatherings that seemed to only be had to make small talk and have the “how was your day, honey?” questions he’d been a reluctant party to when he was growing up, but when it was just the two of them alone in the apartment, he liked it. It was enjoyable to recount his day’s events and watch her reactions to the gritty details of his job that he admittedly only threw in to get a rise out of her, and even better when she’d stroke his ego with praise. Listening to her tell of her days planning the arrangements of who knew how many weddings was something he looked forward to hearing, too. With as many roles as he played and tasks he had to complete at the agency, there were moments where he was in awe at everything she managed to accomplish for the people who hired her.

Quirkless as could be, she was one of the most sought-after wedding planners in the country because of her involvement in executing both the Shinto and Christian ceremonies of Deku and Uravity. With the endorsements of two new, rising heroes on her resume, she had attracted a lot of attention of other pros who were willing to pay a handsome amount for her services. Bakugo’s attention was also caught during the planning phase and the actual ceremonies, but not for her wedding planning services.

Three and a half years later, he was grateful that the damn nerd had brought her into his life, but he would be absolutely damned if he’d ever admit it out loud.

Even as she waved off his loud insistences of helping clean up their dishes, he was grateful.

“For heaven’s sake, Katsuki, it’ll take me like five minutes to get the leftovers cleared away and our bowls washed!” she sighed. “Go wait for me on the couch, I’ll be right there. Queue up that movie about the spies we need to watch.”

Grumbling the entire time, he set to work arranging the few throw pillows on their couch into a small pile that he would inevitably end up draped over while she curled against him. He grabbed the fluffy grey blanket that he knew she would want too despite the heat in the apartment and the natural warmth his body produced.

With the remote in hand, he took his place on the couch against the pillows he had set up, the blanket to the far side so that she had room to press against him, which is exactly what she did as she came in from the kitchen. She pulled the blanket around herself as he tucked her under his arm, the blanket over his arm and partially covering his chest. A quiet mumble to begin the movie came from her and he obliged.

The plot, he quickly realized, was predictable and stupid. He should have expected that really since it was Kirishima and Kaminari who had suggested the movie during their last get-together and of all the movies they had suggested to him since their time at UA, he had only ever enjoyed three. So, he checked out of the scenes on the screen and let his mind wander—the day had been long enough that he probably deserved some more time to not do or think of anything important.

His eyes closed as he moved to lay more on the pillows he had gathered earlier, but his face contorted into a grimace as it sent twinges down both of his arms.

Her weight against him disappeared, gingerly guiding his arm from around her shoulders. “Are you alright, Katsuki?”

“Yeah,” he gritted out, the dull throb that had appeared distracting. “Kept them in one position for too long. They locked up on me.”

“You want me to grab ice this time or should we go with heat again?” she asked. “I can try massaging your arms if you think that’ll help?”

He shook his head. “No, its fine, just… keep watching the movie.”

“This movie sucks, the guys were full of shit when they said we’d like it, so let me help you instead.”

“You don’t—”

“If you’re about to tell me that I don’t need to take care of you or do something that’s going to help you, I will fucking scream,” she warned, cutting him off. “Can you just let me do what I can to take care of you? I don’t like seeing you in pain and if there’s something I can do to help alleviate it, I’m going to do it!”

He took a heavy breath before speaking. “I swear that I’m not trying to piss you off, I just… you know I’m shitty at asking for help or whatever. And I’m supposed to be the one taking care of you, not the other way around.”

She sighed, lifting a hand to thread through the hair at the base of his neck. He was a complicated bastard on the best days, but he was her complicated bastard and she couldn’t ever imagine a time when she wouldn’t want to make their relationship work.

“I know that you’re able to take care of yourself, Katsuki,” she said softly. “You’re great at taking care of me and I appreciate it more than you know, but sometimes I can help you too. Relationships are a two-way street; we take care of each other, you know?”

He felt her tug on his hair lightly, small zings of pressure a better feeling than the pain he’d been experiencing so far that night.

“Maybe a massage would help,” he relented, voice quiet.

She smiled, leaning up to kiss his cheek. “Let’s leave the tidying up for the morning and head into the bedroom where you can sprawl out more.”

Bakugo hummed, once again ignoring the large part of him that was uncomfortable with being tended to, and stood up, stretching his back before heading into their bedroom. He fell face first onto the mattress, the once-pristinely made bed flying askew with blankets rumpled under him and the two throw pillows flopping over sadly.

“What a view,” he heard followed by a low, playful whistle.

He turned his head so that she could see his exaggerated eyeroll, a few giggles escaping from her as she moved to climb on the bed with him.

She tossed a leg over his torso and settled into the dip of his lower back, her hands splaying out across his shoulders. The tension was still radiating through him like it had earlier and she was determined to help ease his pain however she could.

“I’m gonna take the compression sleeves off,” she said, hooking her fingers into the band at the top of his left arm. When he gave a quiet hum of consent, she peeled the sleeve down as gently as she could and slipped it off of his wrist. Repeating the process on the other arm, she tossed the sleeves on the bedside table and traced the reddish indents on his skin softly.

After a moment, she returned her hands to his shoulders and started to knead into the muscles there, working up the amount of pressure she used to work out the tightness. His skin still felt warm from the overuse of his quirk, but it was much better than when he had first come home.

She worked methodically to massage down his arms, varying the pressure she used when he would wince or suck in a breath, unable to let himself show the pain and soreness she knew he had to be feeling. Once she reached his wrists, she started at his shoulders and repeated the process again, happy to not have as many signs of discomfort from her boyfriend. The tension beneath his skin was considerably less when she finally pulled her hands away from his wrists for the second time.

“I hope that helped a bit,” she murmured, leaning forward to press a kiss to the back of his neck.

He let out a content breath. “Sit up.”

She straightened back up and raised up onto her knees from her sitting position on his back. Bakugo flipped over onto his back beneath her and she settled back down to sit on his thighs while his hands came to land on hers. His arms were still sore with a dull ache, but the soft touch of her massage had helped soothe the pain to something more than manageable.

“That definitely helped,” he told her, looking up at her through the hair that had fallen into his face. “I should be good after getting a decent night’s sleep, but you worked out most of the tightness. Thanks for that. Thanks for everything you did tonight.”

She brushed the hair out of his eyes with a tiny smile. “I told you, I don’t like seeing you in pain. I love you way too much to let you suffer if there’s something I can do to help.”

Bakugo sat up at her words, one hand sliding up to her hip and the other going to the back of her neck as he kissed her. Her hands wrapped loosely around his neck and she kissed him back, feeling him relax even further.

Breaking apart, he let out a happy sigh and rested his forehead against hers with both of their eyes still closed. “I know I probably don’t say it enough, but I love you too.”

“I know you do, even if you don’t say it out loud; you say it when you let me take care of you like you did tonight,” she said quietly, nudging her nose against his. “You’re a man of action, and I wouldn’t have you any other way.”

He smirked, then pressed his lips back to hers. Curling his arm around her waist, he used the placement of his hands to gently maneuver her off of his thighs and down to lie with her back to the mattress, his body covering hers. He braced himself on his forearms and continued kissing her, deepening it with a soft bite to her bottom lip and feeling his skin heat for a different reason when she allowed him into her mouth. It was short lived, though, because his arms started to tremble, and before they could completely give out to make his full weight fall onto her, he rolled off of her and onto the other side of the bed, their kiss breaking far too soon for either of their tastes.

“Damn it!” he snapped, the tremors fainter without needing to hold himself up.

She grasped his hand in hers as they laid side by side. “Katsuki, it’s okay if you need to rest. We can pick right back up with this tomorrow when you’re not as sore.”

“After having a shit day like this and coming home with a piss poor attitude, you did all this shit to make me feel better and I can’t even thank you by taking care of you in bed,” he ground out through gritted teeth. He glared off to his left, not wanting to show his disappointment in himself. “Some man of action I am.”

He felt the bed shift and a hand cup his jaw, slowly moving his head to turn and look at her. Their hands still clasped together between them, he realized that she had moved to lie on her side and face him.

“Have I ever told you how goddamn self-depreciating you are?” she asked with a pout to match the one he had unknowingly adopted in the past minute. “Because it’s definitely one of those things we need to work on.”

She then sat up and once again tossed a leg over him, settling herself down firmly in his lap, causing a low groan to slip past his pout. Eager to hear it again, she smiled and began to slowly grind against him.

His eyes fell closed and his hands landed back on her thighs. “Is this about to be another moment where I’m supposed to let you take care of me?”

“My man is so smart,” she praised, leaning down to kiss him and pick up right back where they had left off moments ago.

He lifted his hips slightly to gain more friction, her slow motions not nearly enough for how worked up he was feeling, and his fingers found the hem of her shirt, pushing it upwards until she had no choice but to break the kiss to toss it aside.

With her bare skin exposed, he ignored the heavy feeling in his arms to run his fingertips across her stomach and up the expanse of her back, popping the clasp of her bra with more precision than he expected from his formerly fumbling digits. He then worked the straps down her arms and threw the fabric aside easily, his kisses moving along her jaw with the intent of finding the best patch of skin to mark as his hands came up to cup her chest, kneading the soft skin.

“Your shirt too,” she gasped out as he scraped his teeth across the side of her neck. Her hands snuck beneath his t-shirt and glided up his torso, the ridges of muscle all too familiar under her fingertips. Within a minute his shirt joined hers on the floor and she pressed their bare chests together as he continued to create a mark on her neck, her small whines filling in the silence of the room.

He pulled back once he was satisfied with the mark he had left, smirking when she let out a soft moan as he moved his hips harder against hers. The quiet, breathy moans she let out were all the encouragement he needed to tuck his fingers into the waistband of her leggings and underwear, tugging them down slightly.

Pushing herself up and off the edge of their bed, she slipped both pieces of clothing down her legs and kicked them off to the side before climbing back onto the bed as Bakugo stared at her, his joggers and underwear also shed in the time she took to stand up and discard hers.

She reclaimed her place in his lap, feeling his excitement against her thigh as she leaned down to mold her body against his, cupping his jaw to reconnect their lips in a hard kiss that only became deeper when his tongue ran across her bottom lip. Her hands threaded through his hair as they continued to kiss, a low whimper escaping her when one of his hands left her hip to press between her legs.

“Katsuki,” she panted, breaking the kiss and burying her head in the crook of his neck as she felt two of his fingers rub her clit with slow but firm strokes. His pace could almost be called lazy, but she knew that he was anything but when it came to their intimate moments, ever generous and attentive.

Her heavy breaths changed to quiet whines as he worked his fingers lower, gently easing both of them past her folds to get her prepared. The noises she let out were perfect to him—even though they had the freedom to be as loud as they wanted in their own home, it just wasn’t how either of them expressed their pleasure. Low murmurs and breathless moans were their language in those moments, only the other able to hear and understand.

“You’re the best part of bad days,” he whispered, rhythmically curling his fingers in search of the one spot he knew would cause her whimpers to become even sweeter. “Coming home to you means I fuckin’ won, no matter how shit the day was.”

The end of his sentence was punctuated by a higher pitched moan when his fingers hit just right.

“Please, I’m ready, Katsuki,” she said quietly, shifting to kiss below his ear as her hips bucked into his hand. “Let me have you.”

Bakugo groaned as he withdrew his hand and she sat up to position herself over him, thankful that they had taken their precautions that made condoms unnecessary. Each time they were together, he felt closer to her, but once they were intimate without any barriers, he had no desire to ever go back and risk the newfound level of closeness discovered when it was only the two of them and their passion.

His hands went to her hips to guide her into place, and she moved to lower herself down onto him, each of their eyes falling closed at the feeling.

“Fuck,” he breathed out as she took him completely, his already waning self-control growing even thinner, “I… you feel so good.”

She let out a choked laugh, placing her hands on his stomach for stability. “You do too. But I can make it feel even better.”

Lifting her hips almost completely off of him, she paused for only a moment before dropping back down with a gasp. She rolled her hips to start a rhythm as she began to ride him, every few movements lifting up and dropping back down. With the firm grip on her hips and the placement of her hands on his stomach, she kept her balance to make sure her movements remained uninterrupted.

Bakugo began to buck his hips up into hers as she brought herself down onto him, both of them moaning at the new rhythm’s intensity. His right hand left her hip to once again apply pressure to her clit, knowing she needed just a bit more to reach her orgasm.

“Y-you always know what I need,” she said breathily. She was close, and she knew he had to be too.

He smirked, his half-lidded eyes making it that much sexier, and let his fingers make fast figure eights to get her closer to the edge than she already was.

“Cum before me or with me, your choice,” he said lowly, feeling his muscles tense, coiled and ready to reach the high he was desperately chasing.

Her cheeks flushed, she rushed out, “I’m-I’m c-“ but cut herself off with a whimper of his name as she bent forward to press her body against his tightly as her orgasm shook through her, drawing out his release at the sudden tightness around him. After a few moments when the initial sensitivity began to disappear, she pulled off of him and lowered herself onto her side to face him. Immediately, he turned to her and his arms came around her back to pull her close as hers curled around his biceps, his skin prickling slightly at the feel of her nails digging into him and concentrating the dull ache in one area. They were both panting heavily, her body trembling against his. The afterglow was starting to hit them both, and as their breathing came more slowly and evenly, they sank again into slow, deep kisses that were sure to extend the time they could float on their own cloud nine.

Uncurling her now-loosened fingers from his biceps, she ran a hand through his sweat-damp hair and pulled back slightly to look him in the eyes. He watched her, one hand tracing an easy up and down pattern on her back.

“I love you, Katsuki.”

“I love you too,” he returned quietly. “Thank you for always being here to take care of me. I promise that I’ll always be here to do it for you too.”

She smiled. “How do your arms feel?”

“Still sore, but I’ll be alright,” he replied with a shrug.

Hugging him to her, she pressed a kiss to both of his cheeks and his forehead before giving him a lingering kiss on his lips, one he eagerly tried to chase when she finally pulled away to stand up. He grunted in annoyance but couldn’t deny that the image of her in front of him looking very blissed out and sporting a red and soon-to-be purple love bite on her neck was one he would be happy to stare at for the rest of his life.

“I gotta clean up,” she said as she walked into their bathroom.

Bakugo took the moment alone to reflect on his day. He would for sure chalk the work part of his day up as shit, no two ways about it. Any time he overused his quirk was a bad time, but also the paperwork he had to submit to get his spare bracers upgraded so that the same situation didn’t happen again in the future was frustrating and repetitive. Well, that was most paperwork he had to do, but his extremely sour mood didn’t do much to help.

But then he came home. He came home to a beautiful, hardworking, and thoughtful girlfriend that did every goddamn thing in her power to help him and make sure he was okay after overworking his power to the point of pain. She took care of him in quite literally every way possible and fuck, was he just so damn grateful.

Her voice stirred him from his thoughts as she came out of the bathroom and announced, “Your turn!”

Throwing his legs over the side of the bed, he bent down to scoop up his underwear and sweatpants from earlier to place in the laundry hamper on his way to the bathroom. As he crossed the short distance, he watched her grab his discarded shirt from the floor and set it aside on the bed. Typically she would wear his civilian clothes to sleep in, and he would bet any amount he had in his wallet that those were her intentions.

After cleaning up and brushing his teeth, he shut off the bathroom light and made his way to his drawer to find a pair of shorts to sleep in, easily plucking them out and slipping them on as he threw himself back into their bed. He settled down into his pillow and watched her put her hair into her preferred sleep style, naked still except for a pair of tiny shorts.

“Anything you need me to grab before we turn in for the night?” she asked, turning around to face him as she slipped on the dark shirt he had worn home to sleep in.

Fuck, she looked so good in his clothes and for heaven’s sake, he couldn’t take it any longer.

He raised a single finger from where his hands laid on his stomach. “Just one thing. Can you go into the closet and get my UA blazer?”

She leveled him with a curious gaze, brows furrowed in confusion.

“Please?” he added with a pout.

“Now I was told that fantasy was going to be a one and done type of deal,” she teased, walking towards their shared closet to retrieve the blazer.

She easily found it, slightly dusty from being smushed against the wall with the rest of the uniform he hadn’t touched in years. Maneuvering it off of the clothes hanger, she draped it over her arm and turned back to him. When she started to shift it over to him, he stopped her.

“Look in the right-hand pocket.”

Dipping her hand into the pocket, she felt smooth leather at her fingertips as they curled around the object.

“C’mere. You can toss the blazer.”

She kept her palm closed around the black box as best she could as she shakily set the blazer aside. When she turned back to him, he gestured her towards him, and she complied, slowly moving back onto their bed. Gently, he took her free hand and pulled her closer so that she was sitting on his lap once again.

“I’ve had this in that pocket for two months,” he said, tapping the exposed side of the box from where it lay in her hand. “Been trying to think of the best way to go about this because you plan weddings for a living and hear so many engagement stories… I wanted ours to be perfect so that anytime you hear your clients tell theirs you just think ‘yeah, but ours was better.’ Knowing you, though, you wouldn’t want any of that fancy or elaborate shit, you’d just want something us and honestly, what’s more us than stir fry and sex on a Friday night? So, after talking about letting you take care of me and me taking care of you, how about we just take care of each other until we’re old as fuck? Marry me?”

[purplesurveys]

1279

Are you and the last person you kissed in a relationship or just friends?  I don’t keep contact.

Has anyone ever pointed out that your laugh was unusual?  Hmmmm, I don’t think so. I feel like that would be the type of comment that would get to me so I definitely would’ve remembered it.

Would you get a lip piercing?  I don’t plan on getting any piercings.

Nose piercing?  Nopes.

What are you currently waiting for?  For this fucking day to end so I can be closer to Thursday and to the weekend.

Do you have feelings for anyone?  Nah.

Have you ever run over an animal?  Nope. I’ve had extremely close calls with animals who suddenly dart into the road, but fortunately these have all been situations wherein I got to hit the brakes with nobody behind me.

Have you chewed gum after someone else already has?  That’s disgusting, no.

When people sneeze do you say ‘bless you’?  Sure, out of habit and just to be polite.

When was the last time you were on a bouncy castle?  I don’t think I’ve ever been on a bouncy castle, but I’ve been on a lot of bouncy other things haha, like inflatable slides, soccer balls, Anpanmans, etc. The last time would probably be a nearly a decade ago; I definitely haven’t been near one in a while.

Have you ever went on a bouncy castle whilst drunk?  Well no, because the ones I’ve been on were situated in school fairs, which is the last place I would want to be drunk in.

Have you ever entered an art competition?  No, I have no justification to join one haha.

What is one thing you will never do? Try hardcore drugs. < Same. 

What is one food that you detest?  Pineapples.

Did you have a rebellious phase growing up?  Yeah I was a bit of a handful to raise, but I’m in firm in my stance that it had a lot to do with the way I was raised. I grew up mostly without a father figure because my dad worked abroad and I felt neglected by my mom who had her own shit to deal with. There was no stable support system to lean on, so I ended up lashing out a lot in my puberty years. Unfortunately everyone else just saw a rebellious child and not a plea for help.

These days when I show off my achievements on social media, I’ll see congratulatory comments from my mom’s friends and she’ll usually go on about some “late bloomers grow with time” narrative and it pisses me off because nobody knows how much I’ve had to grow and mature and learn how to be happier all by myself, all from scratch. If I had just received the proper care and attention early on, I wouldn’t have had to do any catching up to begin with.

What religion were you brought up with? Roman Catholic.

Are you still that religion?  Jesus no. I darted out of there as soon as I gained the consciousness to think about these sorts of things.

Do you often find yourself questioning your future?  Sometimes, but I do my best to not let it get to me.

How many friends do you have on Facebook?  Over 670.

What sort of music did you listen to when you were in high school?  I started with punk rock in the first half of high school, so I had my Rancids, H2Os, Against Me!s, Cro-Mags, etc on my iPod. It evolved a little bit towards more indie, folksy sounds towards the latter half - Banks, alt-J, Hozier, Twenty One Pilots - which I largely attribute to the crowd I was part of at the time.

What pet names do you use with your significant other?  I’m pretty straightforward so baby works out for me. Other, more specific pet names just grow naturally with the relationship, I think.

What’s the name of the store you usually get your groceries?  S&R.

Have you ever seen a theatre show?  Yeah. Most of them have been required.

What’s your favourite vegetable?  Broccoli or bell peppers.

Have you ever missed a flight?  Never. I’ve experienced several delayed flights, though, which is always such a hassle especially if the delays happen in provincial airports since they never have any recreational offers to keep passengers from getting bored other than TVs that run the same damn five ads.

Do your neighbours have any pets? Have you ever met them?  Yeah, a lot of have dogs. I’ve met some.

What color is your bedroom door?  Brown.

If you were ever to become famous, would you grow annoyed at fans?  Only towards obsessive ones who wouldn’t give me time to breathe or would go so far so as to stalk me or my loved ones. But I am a fan too, so I imagine I would actually be understanding of those who would ask for pictures or whatever as long as they were polite and not at all intrusive.

Have you ever met your favourite band/singer?  Nah. I am terrified of meeting celebrities HAHA so I’ve always shut down the chance. I’m pretty sure I would actually turn down the chance to meet BTS if I hypothetically suddenly got the magic keys to that door.

Are you embarrassed by any of the songs/singers/bands you like?  No. I feel like that sort of thing just happens in like high school, when your friends are still a bit judgmental. Nowadays I don’t see why I should be embarrassed of anything I like, especially if it’s not hurting anyone.

Have you ever written a story?  I’ve made attempts but was always terrible.

Think of the last poem you wrote: What inspired you to write it?  My homework that required me to write said poem hahaha.

Do you have a chance with the person you like right now? 

What’s the weirdest thing you were scared of as a child?  Watching commercials at night. It’s still a slight fear of mine but it’s mostly dissipated now.

Are there any embarrassing stories your family tells about you?  About me? No. I don’t have a lot of those since I was a really shy kid who barely moved a finger anyway.

In your opinion, what is the funniest TV show?  I have a *really* soft spot for Perfect Strangers, which I actually revisited yesterday :) The show was never super popular so it’s near impossible to find clips online, but when I checked YouTube I did see a slight increase in short snippets from the show so I had a really fun time binge-watching yesterday.

What is the maximum number of children you’d ever have?  Three, but that’s pushing it. Ideally, I’d have two so my first would have company.

Have you ever been concerned you had a serious illness?  Mental ones, yes.

Are you comfortable with who you are?  For the most part, yes.

Would you date someone even if you knew you’d get made fun of for it?  No. Why would it be any of their business?

Does popularity matter to you at all?  I mean, yeah in the sense that I honestly aspire to be well-liked by as many people as possible. But I don’t necessarily want to rub shoulders with popular kids.

Would you ever consider homeschooling your children?  Continued from sometime this week ider. No. I don’t think I’m capable of teaching, and generally I’d want them to be able to learn in a more open environment where they can have regular contact with different kinds of people.

Who told you about the band/singer you are currently listening to?  Well Angela got into them first and since we’re best friends, there was a certain point where she just decided to loop me into conversations that involved them. I was impossible to sway for a long time, but then one day a video compilation of them showed up on my feed, and for some reason I actually watched it, and I watched all the way through, and I was immediately intrigued – particularly by J-Hope haha. I then asked Angela to tell me more about them and the rest was...financially irresponsible history HAHAHAHA

Do you ever read fanfiction?  OMG yes. Funny you should mention that because my favorite author uploaded a brand new fic this morning, which I obviously couldn’t get to all day because I had to go to work. I’ll be reading it in all its 44,000-word glory tonight :D

Would you rather die in a plane crash, ship wreck or fire?  Plane crash. Instant and mostly painless.

What are your top five favourite TV shows?  Breaking Bad, BoJack Horseman, Friends, The Crown even though I was never able to continue it since...andddd that’s all I got.

What is your favorite superhero movie?  Not a fan of superhero movies.

If you died next week, what would be the cause of death?  Stress from overworking. I’ve FINALLY started to consider taking a leave for the first time this year because I’ve just realized just how fucking exhausted, burned out, and overwhelmed I actually already am from having no rest at all in the last 13 months.

Have you ever taken a break from Facebook or other social media? Why?  Yes, I do mass deactivations when I’m severely depressed. These days I can’t really afford to that anymore, though, since my work is closely tied to social media.

Who is the most talented person you know?  Probably Andi.

Are you currently platonic friends with anyone you’ve had sex with?  No.

Where did you and your current interest go on your first date? 

Have you ever experienced two people fighting over you (physically or mentally)? What happened?  Nah. I’ve had two people like me at the same time, but there was never any tension to watch out for since they mostly didn’t know each other.

Have your parents ever thought you were gay? What happened?  I think they know I dated Gabie and that we broke up because they’ve stopped asking about her. Everyone knew we were best friends, so the fact that they’ve avoided her as a topic for a whole year is able to tell me something.

Are your parents more liberal or conservative?  Dad’s on the liberal side, mom dances around on the spectrum a little bit. I know she’s fine with things like tattoos and having LGBTQ+ co-workers, but she’s also conservative especially towards matters like religion.

What year are you going into at the beginning of the next academic year?  No longer in school.

How far away does your closest family member live?  A few footsteps away.

If you’ve seen both, did you prefer the Disney version or the Tim Burton version of Alice in Wonderland?  It’s not my type of movie/genre to begin with.

Would you have sex before marriage? Why or why not?  Yes. I don’t see the big deal; I’ve already done it anyway.

Are you more liberal or conservative?  Liberal.

Who is your favorite Harry Potter character?  Ooh not sure. I haven’t gone back to the books in a while, so I don’t remember if there was anyone I had an attachment to.

What’s the worst that could come out of letting gays marry?  Nothing.

What’s the most sexual thing you’ve done?  Had sex...I guess? And a bunch of stuff that comes with it.

Name something that you are against.  Racial discrimination.

Why are you against it?  Because it is infuriating to see, and it shows me the very same treatment can happen to me or my family as well and that scares me, especially since some people turn particularly violent towards people of color.

Have you ever played the Tomb Raider games?  No.

Do you like it or hate it when your partner is clingy?  I imagine I wouldn’t enjoy it if I’m not as into whoever my next partner would be.

Beatles or Rolling Stones?  I don’t listen to either.

When was the last time you changed your opinion on somebody?  Not so sure about a whole change in opinion because that hasn’t happened in a while, but I grew more grateful for my manager today because I finally mustered the strength to tell her that I’m begin to struggle mentally with work and she not only encouraged (read: begged) me to file a damn leave for once, but she also got sushi delivered to my place.

What was the last thing that made you feel proud and why?  Andi was telling me about their day today and how they handled being misgendered by a prof, who then proceeded to throw a fit when he got corrected, and how they, again, maturely handled said fit. I was proud of them because there are a million ways that incident could’ve turned out, but they dealt with it in an extremely mature and calm manner considering they were the one who was wronged.

Do you feel uncomfortable when people you hardly know confide in you?  If it was about an extremely personal problem I would probably be taken aback at first, but I still would definitely make some time for them and help in however way I can, since they apparently trust me enough to confide.

What was the last thing to fascinate you?  The music video for My Universe! Super cool to watch and I love that they made a short film out of it too.

Is there a certain noise/sound which scares you?  Doors being slammed shut, because that’s what my mom does when she’s furious. She did that when I was a kid and she does it to this day, so I get extremely nervous when I hear the sound, even if it happens by accident.

Do you have a favourite microorganism? Nope.

Out of the people you know, whose birthday is next?  My cousin Bree.

If you have pet fish do you bother to name them?  I did when I had them as a kid.

Do you keep your eggs in the fridge?  Yes?

Have you ever owned chickens?  Nope.

When did you last listen to music?  Like five minutes ago. I tried to have a jazz playlist on but I realized I wasn’t in the mood for music so I changed my background noise to have a random VLive on instead.