#I might be persuaded to write more if I get the right song

[in-amor-veritas]

Hello!!

For the Spotify Drabble, I’m going for 29 with Wilmon of course

Hiii since someone already asked for 29 I randomized it and got 69 which is

The Bitch of Living: Spring Awakening OBC

Which made me giggle a bit bc it’s a fitting song for the number 69 but mostly bc of divorce fic. But I think it’s too obvious to write a drabble about that one esp when I’m halfway into chp 6 sooo I guess let’s continue the scene from the cheating university au that I couldn’t finish last night.

read more below

Wilhelm can’t keep his eyes off of him.

Simon knows it’s a little mean, because he’s trying so hard to play the perfect boyfriend card, but when they are under the spinning colors of the dance floor, surrounded by the energy of moving bodies and the vibration of bass he makes sure Wilhelm can see what he’s doing.

Maybe it’s a little bit of a power trip, knowing that he can command this kind of attention from him. Maybe he is being a little insane taking things this far but the full brunt of Wilhelm’s attention is like a drug in his system and he’s not able to rationalize it.

He almost feels a little bad even, when he sees the other man staring, a hand on his girlfriend’s waist as she drinks something from the bar. They are swaying to the music, but Simon knows Wilhelm is too distracted to pay close attention to her.

Feeling bad is stupid though. This is the Crown Prince, it’s not like he doesn’t have plenty of opportunities to sleep with whoever he wants. He’s sure Karolina isn’t exactly monogamous either considering how all of these people spend so much time drinking and doing party drugs at exclusive VIP events.

Rich kid problems don’t exactly garner much sympathy from him.

It kind of makes it seem like all of Wilhelm’s friends are assholes, but Simon thinks he likes Felice who is his best friend. He hasn’t spent enough time with her to really know, but she’s been nice to him—extremely nice which could be fake for all he knows considering how the others regard him. Madison is kind of cool, she’s disgustingly wealthy as well but somehow gets away with not caring about showing it off. Maybe it’s because she’s foreign or maybe it’s because she’s a little …odd anyway. Simon doesn’t know.

What he does know however is that Wilhelm is staring right into his soul at the moment and he feels completely on display. His top is translucent but he might as well not be wearing anything with the way Wilhelm is undressing him with his eyes.

None of these people here know. None of his friends know what they’ve been doing the past few weeks. And they never will.

This kind of anonymity is hotter than he had expected, it almost him feel like they could do anything—get away with anything at all.

One day Wilhelm will move on to someone else to fuck in secret, and Simon will be left with a hilarious story and blackmail material if he ever needs to use it. (That’s a joke. Kind of) but for now Simon doesn’t want to wait around for an appropriate time. He feeds off of the fact that Wilhelm wants him in the present, it’s heady and addictive and it’s so satisfying to see how he’s got him wrapped around his finger.

Simon lets the man that’s been eyeing him closely come closer, lets him spread his large hands over his hips and waist and pull him in tight. Keeps eye contact with Wilhelm as they grind on the floor.

He knows he’s shameless, but it’s worth it to see Wilhelm’s reaction, the way his eyes widen. Simon wets his lips and leans his head back just for good measure as the man rocks into him, says something inaudible in his ear.

Simon doesn’t care. He only cares about the vein in Wilhelm’s jaw when he clenches it. The way his Adam’s apple moves as he swallows like he’s parched. He feels a smirk curl up the corners of his own lips, imagines the lips on his neck as if they were the others.

That seems to be the limit. Once the stranger Simon is dancing with starts to slide his fingers under his shirt and kiss his neck.

He watches as Wilhelm inevitably excuses himself from Karolina, who leans in to say something and strides off toward the bar.

Wilhelm waits all of three seconds before he makes a beeline for them, reaching out to take Simon’s arm. “Can I talk to you?”

The touch lights a fire in his stomach, turned on but mostly annoyed. Yes he’s been teasing him, but that’s not an okay to grab him. Simon isn’t his.

“Um what are you doing?” He says, pushing away from the man who gives a vicious look in Wilhelm’s direction before his eyes widen in recognition. Simon looks between them and feels the tension, Wilhelm’s eyes are dark, his mouth set in a tight line.

The stranger decides it’s not worth it, especially when he notices the black suit in the background. Simon raises an eyebrow as he slinks off.

“You can’t just grab me—“

The other man frowns, “Sorry but—can we just…can I talk to you somewhere quieter?”

Simon focuses on his face. His brow has a light sheen of sweat and his hair sticks to his forehead in places. There’s a flush on his cheeks and Simon sees the way his chest is rising and falling. “What do you have to say Wilhelm?” The words are a challenge, waiting to see how far the Prince will go.

Wordlessly he reaches out and grabs Simon’s wrist, stepping into his space as he pushes Simon’s hand against him. Simon’s eyes widen, stomach swooping with a twist when he realizes.

He’s hard.

There’s something so purely euphoric about knowing he’s this worked up just by watching him. Simon finds himself smiling, a short laugh caught in his throat as he looks around. No one is looking at them, it’s too full and their bodies are too obscured by the crowd. He presses against him pleased to hear the hiss from his lips. “Wow. You really should be careful. Anyone could notice.”

Wilhelm’s expression is unreadable but Simon sees the way he lingers on his lips, the stutter in his breath. He wants to kiss him, Simon knows, but he won’t do it here.

Not where everyone can see.

“VIP room.” Wilhelm groans, “Come with me.”

He almost wants to roll his eyes. Of course the Prince would have access to one of those. Simon was fully prepared to fall into one of the bathroom stalls. The idea of hooking up in some plush party room at an exclusive club, with hundreds of unsuspecting people in the vicinity is very appealing though.

“Lead the way then.”

[sylviathejester]

TIRED.

maybe it’s time to say goodbye, ‘cause i’m getting pretty fuckin’ tired.

PLATONIC!JOHN PRICE x TEENAGER!GN!Y/N

warnings: mentions of death, foster care (this is my first time writing about foster care, excuse me if there’s any imperfections), attempted suicide, slight swearing

author note: this is separate from the poll. please tell me if the spacing is a turn off, it’s for aesthetic purposes in this oneshot, slowing your reading like Y/N’s world momentarily stills at the thoughts.

word count: 859.

Death. You’ve been thinking about it for days on end, what does it feel like? Your foster father, Jonathan (or as everyone calls him, John), says it’s Cold. Chilling. Scary. But what if it isn’t? Some people die with a smile on their face, so perhaps it could be the same for you?

Foster family after foster family. Abusive, neglectful piece of shits who only foster for the money. You’re afraid John might be the same.

The poor man, however, actively tries to convince you he isn’t like them. He does movie nights every Saturday, he actually listens when you talk, every word you say doesn’t go unnoticed. And his efforts don’t go unnoticed by you, not at all. He’s gentle. He’s a gentle man.

But you’ve had enough.

You’re scared shitless, some families acted like they were “mental health advocates” until you showed signs of burnout, depression, and even a tinge of anger issues, that’s when they threw you away.

And you’re just at your limit with John. The mask is.. slowly.. cracking.

John’s been a sweet guy, and he does everything in his power to make you feel okay, safe, happy. But you don’t budge. But you don’t show that you’re not budging, you show him a happy person, someone you’re not. And you’re getting tired.

”Mama was a bit naïve, and her daddy was a blinded thief. He went and stole away what was left of the remains of a family. “ Another Empty Bottle by Katy McAllister plays, you forgot the last time you heard this song, but it was one of your favorites when you were younger, more innocent, unaware of the shit going on between biological Mom and Dad. Unaware of the abuse. Perhaps your soul always felt like something was wrong, and your brain caught up later.

You sit on the couch, the TV on. You briefly look at the movement, the show must be some silly romcom, how cute.

Your phone’s music and the TV served as background noise, initially done to shut away the thoughts, but they’re.. lingering..

John was out of the house, buying groceries. He tried to persuade you to tag along; “You haven’t been out the house for a couple of weeks now, Y/N. you better go out!” He said, in that sickly sweet and kind voice of his. But you insisted on staying. Being tired from staying up was your excuse, and he let you off.

You paused the music and turned off the TV, and laid down on the couch, staring at the ceiling. It wouldn’t hurt to.. at least try. If he comes back before you actually do it, you can act like you never even tried, it’d be fine.

And if you succeeded?

But wouldn’t he be upset? Sad? He’d feel like he failed you. He never did, he never will.

He’d understand, surely he will.

Suddenly, you find yourself in the kitchen, in front of the knives John kept hanging on a shelf. For some reason he leaves them out in the open.

You grab the sharpest one, or rather, the newest knife. You look at it, and your reflection stares right back, as if to plead with you to not do it, think about it.

You ignore its pleas.

You slowly place the knife right under your wrist. Your breathing’s heavy, your heartbeat’s accelerated.

Should I do it? Should I do it?

Should I-

Warmth, but not from your wrist.

Your shoulder? Is it the grim reaper paying a visit?

You look over slowly, and your stomach drops. It’s John.

You look behind him, the grocery bags are on the floor, the different things he bought scattered across the floor.

“Hey.” He speaks a little louder, which causes you to look at him. He puts two fingers under your chin, keeping it in place.

He slowly takes the knife from your hand, sliding it across the counter; away from your hands.

“Are you okay?” Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Warmth, but not from your wrist.

Your eyes? You must be going blind.

Warmth, but not from your wrist.

Throughout your body, are you in Heaven?

No, you’re in John’s arms. Maybe that’s your own, twisted little version of Heaven. Isn’t Heaven the place where you feel eternal peace? John gives you peace, albeit not as eternal as Heaven, but he’s your Heaven on Earth.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry-“ You sob into his chest. He merely shushes you, running his hand up and down your back.

It’s 11PM. You and John are on the couch, you’re holding onto him like a koala hugging a tree. It’s been silent.

“What made you want to do it?” He breaks the silence as he whispers the dreaded question.

“John, do you- will you still want me here?” You look at him.

Silence.

“Pardon?” He raises a brow.

“Will you still want me here? You won’t- give me back, right?” You look at him: expectant, hopeful.

“Of course not, Y/N.” He hugged you a little tighter. “You’re stuck with me.”

Maybe he won’t leave like the others did.

At the realization, the world felt a little brighter.

[berenwrites]

Late Again? - Stranger Things - Steddie - PG

Rating: PG | cw: mentions of sex | tags: fluff, rich Steve, post Vecna

Prompt: Love is being late to work because you can’t ever say goodbye in a reasonable amount of time (@sharpbutsoft)

A/N: Written for @steddielovemonth day 14. Happy Valentine’s Day everyone. Hope you are having a great day full of love be it platonic or romantic.

Also on AO3 soon | All My Other Stranger Things Fic

Late Again?: Love Is Too Compelling!

“You should just quit,” Eddie said, doing his very best to drag Steve back to bed.

“And leave Robin alone?” he replied, slipping out of his boyfriend’s grip. “I couldn’t. She took a year out so she could earn some money for college, and I won’t leave to her deal with Keith on her own.”

“Let me guess, you offered to give her the money and she said no,” Eddie said, flopping back onto the pillows.

“Yep,” he said, searching around for his work vest. “She’s being stubborn, wants to earn her own way. I’ve tried explaining that since my Grandpa died I have more money than I know what to do with, but she keeps telling me I might need it in the future. It was hard enough to get her to let me pay for some proper driving lessons. Her dad is great, but good at teaching driving he is not.”

“I’ve seen her dad drive,” Eddie agreed, “he’s almost as erratic as his daughter.”

“They do take after one another sometimes,” Steve said, holding his prize aloft when he finally found his vest down the back of the nightstand.

They might have been somewhat enthusiastic the previous evening given how their clothes seemed to be in very random places. Not that Steve would ever complain. His sex life with Eddie was amazing, which went right along with how much he had fallen in love with his metalhead boyfriend.

“Please come back,” Eddie whined. “Just for five minutes.”

“You mean like yesterday’s five minutes?” he responded. “If I am late again, Robin might actually tell Keith, and I’ll have to sit through another one of his lectures about company loyalty and responsibility.”

He was very glad to find he still had plenty of clean underwear in the drawer when he pulled it open. Laundry day was a way off yet, thank heavens.

“Am I not worth it?” was Eddie’s next gamble in the dragging him back to bed game.

“Of course you’re worth it,” he said, leaning down for a quick kiss on the way to the bathroom, “but I happen to have the keys today.”

“I shall lay here and pine away thinking of how I have been abandoned,” Eddie added with huge drama.

“Write me a new song,” Steve shot back, sticking his head back into the bedroom after grabbing his toothbrush. “You know how hot I think that is.”

“I feel like an old-timey bard with a rich benefactor,” Eddie replied.

“Yeah, well when you and the band are rich and famous, I’ll be your kept man, okay?” he said with a laugh.

Eddie had tried to find a job in town after he had been begrudgingly allowed to graduate, but no one would hire him. Even though he had been completely exonerated and even made into a bit of a hero by Owens’ carefully created cover story, Hawkins was slow to believe. After Steve’s grandfather had died and he’d inherited a ridiculously large amount of money and the house in Hawkins, which it turned out his parents had never owned, Steve had offered to give Eddie the time and space to chase his dream.

It had taken some persuading, but neither of them planned to go anywhere until the kids were graduated, just in case it wasn’t as over as everyone said, so Eddie had finally acquiesced. Eddie had a set up in the basement where the band could also practice and, these days, he’d just about moved in permanently too. Technically he and Wayne had a house thanks to government hush money, but Eddie spent most of his time at Steve’s, and they had Wayne over whenever Wayne was free.

“Stevie,” Eddie called from the other room as Steve started the shower.

“Yeah?” he called back.

“Have you ever actually told Robin how much you inherited?” Eddie asked.

“Um,” he said as he thought about that. “No,” he realised, “but I did tell her I had so much I didn’t know what to do with it.”

Throwing around numbers had felt kind of wrong.

“You do realise you don’t exactly live an extravagant lifestyle these days, right?” Eddie said and Steve turned to find his boyfriend now standing in the doorway.

He shrugged.

“Guess I got used to budgeting,” he replied.

“Which is very noble, gracious knight,” Eddie said with a grin, “but are you sure she gets just how filthy rich you are now? I didn’t until you showed me the numbers.”

Steve had never thought of it like that. Throwing some of the paperwork he’d been given by the lawyers at Eddie had been part of his last-ditch attempt to convince his boyfriend to take him up on his offer.

“Ah, maybe not,” he had to admit.

“Then I shall return to bed and mourn your parting quietly today,” Eddie said, back to his dramatic flair, “but give Robin the numbers and invite her to be your live-in lesbian of leisure.”

“Our,” Steve corrected as he laughed at Eddie’s choice of words.

This was why he was sure Eddie had more than enough talent to eventually go global. One day Eddie’s words and music would be famous, he had no doubt. Using the money he had never expected to receive to give Eddie the time and space to realise his dream, seemed like the perfect plan.

“I still don’t know if she’ll say yes,” he said, pulling back the shower curtain to climb in, “but I will tell her. Now shoo before I’m tempted to be late again, because if she’s mad at me she won’t even give me the chance to talk.”

“As my liege orders,” Eddie said and bowed, which was hilarious given he was naked.

Steve gave himself a stiff mental talking to and refused to look too long. After all, he only had so much will power.

All My Other Stranger Things Fic

[eclipseaotters]

The funny thing about Jungkook’s live and all the other lives he’s had recently is that—

It’s all so Seven MV-coded 😂

Listen, I’m not here to assume that the Seven MV took some inspiration from Jikook’s relationship, especially for one, Jungkook didn’t even write the song. For sure, he’s had more input in the MV making but I still don’t want to liken it to Jikook in any way because Seven Jungkook is just one big simp and Seven Sohee is very stubborn and dismissive right until the last bit.

It’s comical and funny if we don’t deep it! But I don’t want to feed into the toxic Jungkook simp agenda that runs around shipping circles. It just sucks that he’s always the ultimate simp, regardless of who he’s shipped with, and the simping is often imbalanced.

Now that that’s out of the way, I really just wanna let out a laugh at how Jungkook’s live birthed a new genre of Jikook tweets in relation to this.

We know what this is reminiscent of (cue in: Weight of the world on your shoulders—), but I can’t even perceive these takes negatively because these are actually based on True Events SO maaaaybe we can limit the Jungkook simp culture to…getting Jimin to do a live? 😭

Okay, great!

Now, Jimin isn’t exactly Seven Sohee. He’s just…a different kind of evil. Libra evil? Because why the heck would you respond to your little bro (asking fans if they can handle him coming out from under the blanket) by commenting, “In my case, I can handle it.”????

It doesn’t help at all that Jungkook visibly melts and downright agrees.

What the heck.

And then, like clockwork, Jungkook starts convincing Jimin to come and do a live. And the King of Babygirlism has the audacity to respond with “Seems like you’re gonna hit me!” How in the world am I to read that it a non-flirty tone?

Jungkook’s convincing persists and it’s not a one time thing. When translations were coming in, I really thought he only says it once, but no. He repeats it multiple times throughout the entire live. Seven MV levels of persistence.

[Trans by: verritaee on Twitter]

Somewhere along the way, Jungkook even leverages on ARMYs, which is really smart and sneaky. Use ARMYs as bait to lure the ARMY-pleaser. You know how public proposals bring about this social pressure to say yes to the proposer? Yeah, Jungkook’s the only public proposer I’d forgive, probably.

Can you imagine him doing this to his other hyungs? I truly can’t, not in a million years.

And then, amidst the giggly persuading, Jimin in Seven Sohee-coded fashion says, “I’m not that easy.” which, of COURSE, gets deleted by God (because we’ll never truly know who deleted it, right?)

How am I supposed to take this, really?

Somewhere along the way, there’s also a mention of a picture being sent. And honestly, it’s not the selca sending that gets to me—I already think that they’re a couple so naturally, for me, they’d have hundreds of bed selcas of each other. It’s the fact that Jimin commented it on a live. That, and the 2 o’clock thing, which has multiple translations but implies something fruity either way.

And it’s all capped off with Jungkook ~coincidentally~ flexing his arm right after he says goodbye to Jimin. I genuinely found it so endearingly funny because it was just sooo random. What are you doing, you little peacock? 😭

And while that might be enough to convince Jimin to come, it’s definitely not enough for a live. That one’s gonna take a lot more prodding.

Because we know Jimin’s the kind to want to feel in control of the situation, especially in a live, real-time setup. Going live at Hybe instead of at home, doing scheduled lives instead of spontaneous. A new live with Jungkook—after having THAT jikook birthday live, that vminhopekook live in October and the recent idgaf lives that Jungkook has done—is not the kind that Jimin can control and he knows that.

So Jungkook might just have to do something more elaborate than a fake funeral to get Jimin to say yes, because Jimin is not that easy!

[ididntseeurbag]

b-side

pairing: lee felix x idol!fem!reader

genre: fluff

warnings: mention of stressed out reader, mentions of coffee

in which y/n, the leader and producer of her group at jyp, makes a b-side and shows it to a very special person.

a/n: i made this a while ago, so my writing style might have changed a bit, but felix is one of my ults so i needed to post this!

y/n had just finished producing and writing her last, but most important, b-side track of her solo mini album and was just sitting in her studio, trying to calm herself after being in constant stress. while she turned around in her chair, she was thinking of ways and ideas to promote the album and make it as original and authentic as possible.

she had thought of everything from the music video for the title track to the album cover, except just one thing: what was she going to do with her most precious b-side? after much pondering and with nothing planned, she decided to let it go for the time being and go get an iced latte. it may or may not have been almost one am, but her sleep schedule was already messed up, so one more coffe wouldn't hurt, right?

she was walking down the halls of the company building with the objective of going to the jyp cafe when she heard music coming from the pratice room where stray kids usually were. she was curious about who of the eight of them was still there dancing, so she opened the door and took a peek, only to be surprised about the fact that it was felix, since minho was the one that stayed most days.

she quietly watched him dance to the slow and soft melody coming from the speakers, remembering the tune from the day that changbin had showed the track to both him and y/n a few weeks before. the more y/n watched him dance, the more she fell for him, and each time she was more aware of it, the smile on her face giving it away to even the most oblivious people.

felix finished dancing and dropped down on the floor, completely exhausted. y/n quickly snapped out of her trance and walked inside towards him, grabbing the water bottle that was next to the entrance on the way. she softly tapped him on the shoulder to let him know she was there and handed him the water bottle, softly smiling at him when he looked up at her with his beautiful brown eyes.

“thanks,” he muttered with the little strength he had left, but still managing to smile fondly at her.

“woah, be careful there bubs,” y/n started once felix started chugging the water, slowly lowering the bottle so he didn’t drink too much at once. “we don’t want to have a silly accident here,” felix giggled at her comment, and y/n swore she could’ve melted right then and there had she not been leaning her body on the wall.

after a few seconds, the australian boy got up to play the song and start dancing once again to perfect the choreography that one of the group’s choreographers had tasked him with learning. y/n knew he was too tired to continue, so she got to the speaker first and stopped him before he could press replay. felix looked at her with a pout, and even though y/n found it hard to resist it, she stood her ground. “no,” she told him. “you’re gonna rest even if you like it or not.”

“oh, come on,” he wined, but she didn’t budge. “please?” he tried to persuade her again, but to no avail, so he sighed and walked away to get the hoodie he had discarded on the sofa hours ago. “what do you suggest we do, then?” he asked while turning off the lights and closing the door of the practice room, y/n trailing right behind him. as he was turning around, an idea popped into y/n's head, one worth trying to make it work.

“i’m glad you ask that, lixie, because just now i finished a track and it want to show it to you,” she tried to make it look like she was just searching for validation, when she had a bigger plan in mind. felix, of course, bought her half thruth and flashed her one of his warm smiles.

“sure,” he paused to yawn. “but can we get coffee first?” y/n immediately agreed to that and they both went to the cafe.

lattes in hand, the pair went to the girl’s studio, felix sitting on the sofa and y/n on her chair so she could have it easier to search and play the song. as it boomed from the speakers, she anxiously looked at her crush and close friend, since she was actually kind of seeking for approval, especially from him. it was one of the songs that she was proudest of, mostly because it was different than the ones she made for her group and even from the other ones in the album, but she thought it was the best b-side she had ever made and she feared that someone wouldn’t like it. thankfully, felix wasn’t one of the people who hated it, and the way his eyes shined during and after the song made it clear.

silence came back again, and he slowly looked at y/n with nothing but adoration on his face. he knew y/n was really good at making songs, but that one outshined all the others she had made. “wow,” he managed to utter. “it’s so good y/n, oh my god,” he chuckled. “this could perfectly be your title track, you know that right?”

y/n giggled, then nodded. “i was debating on wether it should be this or the current one, but the other one has more range for the music video, choreo and such,” at her words, felix hummed, understanding her point of view. “still, i want to ask you something regarding this song,” y/n told him, and he looked at her, waiting for her to make whatever question. “i was wondering if you wanted to make a choreography for this song, so they could then film you in a set and turn it into some kind of music video?”

felix’s eyes met hers. “you trust me that much that you want me to be in one of your music videos?”

y/n shook her head in affirmation. “well, you would technically be the only one in the video,” she hesitated, but then continued with a whisper. “and it would only make sense if it were you.”

the australian was confused. “what do you mean by that? why only me?”

y/n looked at him and wondered if she should tell him, but ended up deciding that he had the right to know. “well...the song is kind of about you, as a thank you for everything you’ve done for me and helped me with after all this time.”

to say felix was shocked was an understatement, but he was trying to wrap his head around the fact that y/n, the girl he had fallen head over heels for, had made a song about him, and that it was probably her best composition yet. his eyes glistened, tears threatening to fall from happiness, but he didn’t let them fall and instead took y/n's hand and pulled her to him so he could properly hug her. “thank you,” he whispered, smiling from ear to ear. “i will put my everything into this choreography.”

y/n smiled and nuzzled her face into the crook of felix’s neck. “i know you will, lixie, i know you will.”

masterlist

[bluebunnysart]

(Chimera Teto x Android Miku WIP, another one, yeah, another one lol)

I may not finish WIPs but I can definitely start new drawings!! 😂Hahahaha ! I always try to make them chibis (for simplicity) but I also want to draw details/the full body, so of course it turns into a double full-body drawing that takes forever.... This isn't even the final lineart obviously but it's almost 5 AM again and I know I'm gonna fuss with this some more, so I guess here's a WIP so I can show off what I did at least tonight xD In case I decide to do other things in the meantime...

Tell me why I literally spent like 2 hours (fr) trying to draw Miku 'cuz Miku is hard asf to draw and challenges me to draw better 😂😂😂😂 Anyway (a long-ish) explanation of stuff under the read more 'cuz I don't want to take up people's dashboards. When I finally finish this drawing or the other one, I won't have to yap as much in the post too. xD

A series of things happened today that led to me creating this drawing. (Miku's prefinal lineart is done too btw, I'm just not showing her to you 'cuz no point spoiling the whole drawing lol, plus I might make changes.)

I went to the store for a brief moment 'cuz all my pens kept running out of ink and I was annoyed I didn't have any reliable pens and I wanted a pen to write a continuation to this AU, right.

When I went to the store, there was a song playing and I thought it sounded nice, what little I heard of it before I had to return to work. So once I left the store and was able to look at my phone again, I looked up this song through the lyrics I heard and I found it. And the whole song was even better than I thought: the lyrics and music are INCREDIBLY sweet and now I really like it. xD

Besides liking it in general as a song (this genre of song), I was ALSO super into it because I thought, "This is super End of the World AU-coded (Android Miku x Chimera Teto)" and it made me so happy, excited, and giddy lol.

Like, listen to this...

"When the cloud's above your head / And the sun's not breaking through / You know I'll be there to sing this song for you. / And it goes: / La la la / la la la la la~..."

This is absolutely something the Miku in my AU would sing. This is absolutely a song she and Teto would listen to together-- like, I could draw them listening to it together and that's actually practically what my drawing is lol. I could draw an animatic or make an MV to this song about them... I could make a comic where Miku is singing this directly to Teto and persuades her to sing it with her, especially the chorus (la la la) parts. I smile because in the first fic, Miku also goes "lalala~" (idk the number of la's lol), and it's not like what she sings is this or anything, but it's a small connection that I like. xD I literally discovered this song only today but this is absolutely a song Teto would have in either one of the cassette players or in the MP3 player. This song matches them and the AU too so Miku would absolutely sing it and like it a lot too. This song made me think of my AU and I was already excited/trying to keep writing more so I could get to the good parts, so finding this song made me really excited, ok. xD

Also I'm not sure how you WOULDN'T adore Miku if she sang something like this, especially directly to Teto (her only audience).

All the sweet lines and stuff made me super soft, so I put this song on loop and literally played it for hours. The whole time I was drawing too. It's just so cute and fitting and it's what made me create art for this AU again instead of making Turing Love fanart or one of the other dozens of ideas I have and whatnot. xD

That was a lot of words to explain what prompted this drawing in the first place when it wasn't planned in the slightest, but now I'll talk more about the drawing itself.

I was inspired by all the fanart I've received so far! It'll show in the final drawing. c: But when drawing this, I was looking at Slyvasta's art since I wanted to draw Slyvasta's version of Teto too. Teto is easiest to draw imo, so we've got the scarf, horn, wings, and tail. The pupils were actually added at the very end 'cuz Slyvasta's has sharp pupils and I thought that was cool and a good idea lol: this Teto's eyes can have sharp pupils (dragon/reptile-like) while Miku's eyes are more round yet robotic.

I was thinking about the flavor of tsundere that Teto is (in my AU) and this drawing was partially inspired by me wanting to clarify stuff about that. xD I did call her "cool, gruff, indifferent, etc." which is all true and does apply, but she's still playful and can be lively, even if she's been beaten down by exhaustion and gloominess, as I've mentioned. In other words, she never was a complete downer or anything (I know I said that before), but I wanted to clarify that she's not, like, the cold type who's ONLY frowning or who's grumpy either.

If I think about it, the "trying to act cool/indifferent" thing is mostly an act I think, yeah. xD Like, of course she'll frown or have a neutral uninterested expression if she's bored or she's been through annoying experiences (like starving or encountering various issues), but she's still kicking, if that makes sense. Like, the enthusiasm and zest for life isn't exactly there, but she's doing what she can to get by. I guess she's more of the type to distract herself and focus on other stuff so she doesn't get too existential? So it's not like she isn't lowkey depressed-- she's just the type to make jokes about it. She's basically original mischievous Teto but with some baggage she's carrying.

This might seem like a weird post now based on the stuff I'm writing LOL but I really did think about it, ok. xD The way to characterize her. And she has really valid reasons to be sad and everything, but she's not as harsh and edgy as her appearance implies. That's something that I really like about her: the gap moe lol.

So what does this mean in relation to Miku? Well, Teto is a pretty normal girl who's cool and nonchalant. She's probably arrogant in a cute way too, judging from her catchphrase and how she likes acting like a know-it-all and being praised/appreciated. But basically, the tsundere mainly comes out whenever she gets embarrassed.

The Teto in my AU can smile and has a couple of times, and she's nice because she helps Miku out before she even knows Miku that well. So....

She's probably the type to send Miku soft smiles without even realizing it. Like, she relaxes a lot and is happy or something and then her expression will turn so warm or gentle, I'm pretty sure. 🥰 Her tail and body language already gives her away, so I love the idea of her expression changing into a really affectionate one before she even notices or realizes it. She realizes she's been smiling the whole time after 5 whole minutes pass or Miku points it out and then she's like, "I-I wasn't smiling or anything?! (unsure why she's immediately denying it)" lol.

Anyway, THAT'S when the tsundere comes out. She isn't tsundere towards Miku unprompted, and even though Teto doesn't know how to deal with Miku YET, that doesn't mean Teto walks on eggshells around her or is curt/cold to her. Teto acts very naturally and herself-- she only gets tsundere whenever she's NOT acting like herself, aka being really weak or soft for Miku at different moments.

Her tsundere is a weak kind of tsundere too (unlike Neru, who isn't in this AU anyway), so she'll just get embarrassed or lie or act kinda awkward or prickly to hide her embarrassment (maybe a sharp word or two, along the lines of "Shush" and "Shuddup"), but in the end, she's a very cute and kind girl. 🥰 They both are 🥰🥰🥰

It might take me one or two more iterations before I'm finally satisfied with the final lineart, but this time, I made the time lapse longer, so you'll be able to see how I struggled to draw Miku for like 2 whole hours. xD

This, too, I want to color. I actually wanted to color my first drawing first, but then I discovered the song I mentioned earlier and it made me so hyped up that I wanted to create a whole new piece about it. Along with the other two songs that I associate with this AU, I was really happy to find yet another one. This song is cute in general too, so it was immediately added to my Motivation playlist. xD

With how hard Miku is to draw and how long drawing takes in general, it makes me even more impressed with Miku artists lol. Like, Miku is so demanding but I love her so of course I'll push through until I do her justice... I'm slow because I care a lot and want to do these two right, ok... xD Lineart and the like is more in my comfort zone, but I'll definitely tackle coloring soon; tonight's session only proves that it'll take longer than I expected/5 hours lol.

I'm not only planning to create stuff for my AU only-- I want to make all kinds of Mktt stuff. But I was really inspired by other people's art and this time, I even drew with their art in mind lol.

I have no idea how long it'll take, but I'll continue to make more art! To me, it's the clearest way I show/understand my love lol. I've been inspired seeing other people's art too, so I definitely wanted to draw my own....

Anyway, time to go tf to sleep. (it's 6 AM 😅)

[stellerssong]

WKFJSA your WIP Wednesday post is an absolute delight to read, thank you 😂😂😂 can I hear a bit more about #6 and perhaps persuade you to share a snippet if I ask very very nicely?

i'm glad to hear it! the thing i have really missed about being on tumblr is being fucking sillygoofy about my own fic. you have to be an adult in the comments, y'know, and there's only so much room in an author's note for Japes and Goofs when you have to make time to outline non-tag warnings and link song attributions and thank your prompter and/or beta and flash an In Tonight's Performance The Role Of X Will Be Played By card as necessary and—

anyway.

#6 was indeed begun in my evernote drafts while waiting for the Fall Out Boy concert to begin and slowly sinking under a dose of unprescribed downers. i think maybe Pat Stump and Pete Wentz are not good at writing, like, "music"—many of those melodic lines are 100% reliant on "i have the range, stamina, and lack of understanding of what constitutes healthful singing of 23-year-old Patrick Stump" in order to function—but some of their word salad lyrics do make great titles, and except to dream sweet of me was kind of a banger from first principles. but then i was like "oh maybe this is my chance to drop while you're orbiting, might i? a potential fic title i've been holding in reserve for a few years now." but THEN i was like "in the spirit of continuing to tick boxes on my nonexistent List Of Languages I've Used For A Fic Title, and also in the spirit of what actually happens in the fic, why not trína chéile, le chéile, claochlaithe?" vote now on your phones!

okay but what is the fic actually ABOUT. right. what the fic is actually ABOUT is, i believe @tickldpnk8 commented on suffer that hurt that they wanted to see Lucienne tell Dream about her "pleasant" "conversation" with Desire, and to know how that would go. for my part, i didn't want to end revisionsverse without at least one more tender moment between Dream and Luce, because as much as i joke about this being the "Dream talks to all the women in his life au," the Danny/Luce relationship is really the heart of the thing. i also wanted there to be some reciprocity for Luce's courage in suffer that hurt (and during the years of Morpheus' captivity).

something that i think is not super important to fandom at large, but which is very important to ME, is the acknowledgement of female characters of color's emotional labor—not just "wow! you are so girlboss and yass kween and Greta Gerwig Barbie, just like we always knew you were!" but like, "you were brave and strong and i know you didn't really have a choice, but it matters that you endured, let me help you hold that for a while. i see you and i love you." it's the seeing that matters the most to me. not the assumption that She's Always Got It In Her, not the unbroken fortitude, but the acknowledgement of the person underneath. and like, Luce has seen the person underneath all of Dream's competing positionalities so much in this series—has helped shape that person for the reader in a lot of very real ways—so i wanted to get Dream looking back at her, through his own eyes, and showing us the person he loves.

"okay but i'm asking what HAPPENS in the fic. what is the PLOT" THEY CUDDLE IN BED WHILE DREAM CASUALLY HAS A SERIES OF VIVID HALLUCINATIONS. THIS IS A NORMAL DATE NIGHT FOR THEM.

“Where are you now, love?” You are drifting weightless and silent through the soft-edged dreams of a floating cnidarian, the constant pulse-pulse-pulse of your meandering path through space the only defining line between your body, your mind, and the vast careless collective of the open ocean— —and you are stalking along at the side of one of the lesser nightmares as it pursues a child through an alien, twilit forest, tasting fear-sweat smeared over the flat violet plane of a teardrop-shaped leaf, marking the depth of footprints in the leaf-litter, listening for panting breath and for the impact of a small body against the ground as your quarry stumbles for the final time— —and you are stone, molten and white-hot, the burning heart at the core of a newly formed planet which dreams of cooling rains and columns of cloud and the first trembling breath of a living thing that might one day tread the ground of you, the world of you— “I am here with you.” “Well, I know that’s not true,” Lucienne says with a sleepy chuckle. “Or not entirely, anyway.”

[shefanispeculator]

For every new star on the recording scene, there is at least one unheralded industry drone without whom that star might never have shone. In the case of Blake Shelton, who is about to receive his well-deserved Hollywood Walk of Fame star after more than two decades as one of country music’s best, there are probably more like a dozen heroes who made Blake’s incredible career possible.

One of those heroes is your humble Nashville correspondent, me. No, that’s the truth. Once or twice in your life the impossible hits you between the eyes and you need to be prepared if you want to turn it into pure sunshine before the inevitable eclipse drifts in.

One day in 1995 or 1996 I got a call from Jim Sharpe, then publisher of American Songwriter magazine.  He had found this big kid from Oklahoma, best singer he’d ever heard, would I like to come by the office to hear him sing?  “Why?” I asked. You see, I was trying to dodge what the gods were hurling at me.  I was done with the music business. I would just be a waste of this kid’s time.

But a week or two later found me in Sharpe’s office shaking hands with this kid, six-foot-four, great looking, with a big, black cowboy hat, big black Takamine guitar, a voice so huge it shook the walls of Sharpe’s office, and a laugh to match.

I was hooked, and soon we were writing songs together every Tuesday.

But nothing further happened until a couple from California hired me to run their music publishing company. We signed Shelton to a publishing deal. And then nothing more happened. I learned that he’d already been turned down by labels all over Music Row, talent be damned.

Now comes the big twist in the story.

I’m not the hero, after all.  The hero is a guy I’m about to call. Bobby Braddock has written or co-written many of country music’s biggest hits, including “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” “I Wanna Talk About Me,” “People Are Crazy,” “Golden Ring,” “Time Marches On” and “D-I-V-O-R-C-E.”  He also produces terrific demos and he’s always wanted to produce records.

The call goes like this:

“Hello, Homer (his phone name is Homer, and mine is Jethro). I’ve got something I want you to hear.” I’m holding an old microcassette tape recorder in my right hand, and a telephone receiver in my left. This phone call is high-tech. I push the recorder flush against my telephone mouthpiece and press the start button. Homer listens to Blake sing for a little more than two minutes.  When the tape has finished playing, Bobby speaks.

“The song is OK, but who’s that singer?”

“He’s 20 years old and we signed him a couple of months ago,” I reply.

“He sounds like a young Hank Jr. Can I meet him?”

The three of us met at Braddock’s house and Braddock and Shelton hit it off immediately. Braddock agreed to produce Shelton, and Braddock persuaded his publishing company, Sony/ATV Music, to pay for the session. That’s a big deal, to get a producer and publisher to put time and money into a session.  But the hard part is not cutting the session — it’s getting a record company to love the session and sign the artist.

Armed with the fresh recording, Braddock hit the pavement. One label at a time. Fortunately, in 1998, there were still a lot of record labels left in Nashville.

“I took Blake’s CD all over town,” says Braddock. “RCA showed some interest, but they passed. Arista Records showed enough interest to request a showcase, and we gave it to them, then they passed. I was running out of record labels. The last label I went to was Giant Records, an affiliate of Warner Bros. Doug Johnson listened hard. And he said yes.”

Now life got tougher. Braddock produced an album by Shelton. Virtually everybody at the label loved it. Braddock, Shelton and a whole lot of other people waited for the album to be released. And they waited. People wondered why they waited.

Then Debbie Zavitson, a stalwart of Giant Records’ A&R department, received a CD from publisher Jana Talbot of a special song called “Austin,” written by David Kent and Kirsti Manna. Braddock, Shelton and a handful of great session players went to Sound Stage recording studio on Music Circle South and cut “Austin” and two other songs. Braddock recalls that the label had picked another song for the first single, but he had sent copies of the session to several friends and they felt that “Austin” was the hit. He took this new information from “the people,” and, he says, convinced the label to go with “Austin” instead. Then they waited, and while they waited, rumors circulated that Giant Records might soon be closing down.

“It took Giant three years to put out Blake’s record,” says Braddock, his brow furrowed in puzzlement over the memory. “And it never would have gotten out at all, if it hadn’t been for Fritz Kuhlman!”

Braddock would later refer to Kuhlman as “the promotion man who committed mutiny.” Kuhlman had heard the rumors about Giant, and while he was not a powerful executive at the label, he did have the ability to send out copies of “Austin” to country radio stations all over the country. And that’s just what he did, because he believed in “Austin.” 

Stations began to play “Austin,” but Giant closed its doors anyway. By this time it didn’t matter. “Austin” was hot with or without a label. Giant’s parent company, Warner Bros., picked up the record and ran with it, and thanks to Kuhlman, “Austin” became a multi-week No. 1 country smash. 

Country music had a brand new star. Over the next two decades, Shelton would pump out hit after hit, and become a national TV icon on the worldwide hit show “The Voice,” as well as a member of the venerable Grand Ole Opry. I can’t help but think of the many heroes it took to make it happen for Blake Shelton.

Of course there’s Shelton, with all that talent, heart and personality. Then there’s Bobby Braddock, one of Nashville’s greatest songwriters, listening to hundreds of other people’s songs in search of that special one for Shelton. And Braddock in the studio, hour after hour, with some of the world’s best studio musicians, background singers and studio engineers, pursuing the perfect record. Then cruising from label to label, determined to find a yes among all the inevitable no answers. And then there’s me, playing a cassette over the phone to my friend Braddock, who I thought was a genius in a recording studio.

And gutsy Kuhlman, on his own, mailing out CDs on a wing and a prayer.

Lots of other heroes, too, braving the stiff competition: promoters, publicists, A&R people, bookers, roadies, managers — and nobody outside the business knows their names. It took a lot of skill and experience to make a music industry in those days, and I like to think it still does.

[shiningwonderland]

Reiji Kotobuki (All Star)

Translator: Belen (Twitter: reiharus)

Proofreader: Raine (Twitter: amagiyas)

Editors: Mae (Twitter: itoshikimaegirl), Noemi (Twitter: dreaminbeyond)

Chapter Three — Christmas Dolcemente

Reiji Kotobuki: This is the request of my life! I need you guys to cooperate. Let’s write the lyrics together! Now!

Haruka Nanami: Please, I also ask this of you….

I bow my head low, feeling their gazes piercing through me.

Camus: I thought I told you that I do not want to waste my time on unnecessary efforts….

Camus-senpai’s cold voice resounds in the studio.

Reiji Kotobuki: It's true that you wouldn't need to hurry so much if this were a normal situation. I know it's a lot to ask, but pretty please~

In a last ditch effort, we've been attempting to persuade everyone with all our might.

Since the president approved Otonami-san’s proposal, I have no choice but to participate in the song battle with Kotobuki-senpai.

Because the condition is that we have to enter the competition with a new song, Kotobuki-senpai suggested that our best bet is to use the unit song as a solo song.

Otonami-san is a professional and an excellent composer.

And then there's me, the amateur composer who hasn't been able to debut.

Senpai’s suggestion makes sense.

It's true that this song has already been partially developed, so it should be the obvious choice, but….

Reiji Kotobuki: Sorry that it’s all going so fast since I have to sing it for this project, but it’s a song that the four of us will sing together in the end. Don't you want to write the lyrics together?

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Ain’t it all just for your sake? There's nothing that I hate more than being forced to do something. 'Sides, even if that weren’t the case, I don't feel like it.

It’s true that Kurosaki-senpai and Camus-senpai have nothing to do with the song battle.

Ai Mikaze: I’ll be participating in the project too. Do you want me to help my opponent write the lyrics for his song? That doesn’t seem fair.

Ai Mikaze: What's that saying… showing mercy to your enemy? Besides, I also have to work on my song, so I’m busy.

As for Mikaze-senpai, helping his opponent in an all-or-nothing battle isn't an appealing idea….

Reiji Kotobuki: That might be true~ But I keep thinking we have to help each other out, right? And I want to work on this song with all of you as well.

Haruka Nanami: W-We're relying on you.

I bow my head next to Kotobuki-senpai once more.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: I’m done with this talk…. Gotta go prepare for my next job, see ya.

Reiji Kotobuki: Wait! Time out! I'm really, really begging you now!!

Kotobuki-senpai kneels on the floor and bows down, blocking Kurosaki-senpai’s path.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Damn you! That’s dangerous.

Ai Mikaze: ... I get it. Well, Reiji does have somewhat of a point, so let's give in and get it over with. Also, this has suddenly been forced into our work schedules.

I quickly take out my phone and check the schedule from the office.

Reiji Kotobuki: I mean, I knew you guys wouldn't help me out otherwise. I asked Ryuya-senpai to back me up. Leader's authority!

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Seriously…? You can be so underhanded. Whatever, if it’s work, I gotta do it….

Kurosaki-senpai also checks his phone and finds that Mikaze-senpai’s remark seems to be correct.

I don’t know if I should feel admiration or amazement, but it seems like they’re willing to help now.

Ai Mikaze: Camus, this is fine with you too, right?

Camus: ….

Looks like he's understood everything just by listening to the conversation. Camus-senpai nods without saying anything.

Camus: Let us hear the song for now, child.

Haruka Nanami: Y-yes….

Although it’s not perfect, they need to assess the song in order to write the lyrics…. At Camus-senpai’s words, I nervously play the song.

SONG: "QUARTET NIGHT" (A RANK)

Ranmaru Kurosaki: It’s got a few problems, but I’m feelin’ fired up. It’s a little rock….

Camus: Quit judging every single thing by how “rock” it is….

Ai Mikaze: Whether it's “rock” or not is irrelevant now. As a unit song for the Christmas Live, it barely gets a passing score. Just barely, though.

Haruka Nanami: Yes.

Reiji Kotobuki: That means we’ve got the OK to write the lyrics, right? Everyone, do your best!!

Kotobuki-senpai smiles sweetly as he says that.

Camus: I’m doing it against my will, but I suppose I have no choice.

Camus-senpai reluctantly picks up a pencil.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Dammit, that geezer giving the OK to annoying stuff….

Ai Mikaze: ….

Mikaze-senpai runs his pencil through the sheet music silently.

As if he has surrendered as well, Kurosaki-senpai also reaches for the score.

Select the phrase!

Thank you very much (+15 Love)

Haruka Nanami: Everyone, thank you so much, really.

Camus: Stop talking, child. You’re distracting me.

Haruka Nanami: Ah, I'm sorry.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Five syllables here…. Five syllables.... Tch, I can’t think of anything….

Reiji Kotobuki: O-YA-KO-DO-N, how’s that?

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Oyakodon… huh? That’s good. Grilled, right? Delicious, without a doubt. You can't go wrong with it. There’s also gyudon though….

Are they hungry? Kurosaki-senpai also seems pleased for some reason.

Ai Mikaze: Will you two keep quiet? If you have finished reciting the dinner menu, that is. Reiji, if you’re not going to take this seriously, would it be better if I quit?

Reiji Kotobuki: SHOWWY! I'll charge ahead, max power!

After saying that, he rushes to glide the pencil through the score at tremendous speed.

With a word from Mikaze-senpai, everyone goes back to concentrating.

He may be very severe when he speaks, but he’s also very cooperative.

At last, about an hour later….

Ai Mikaze: Done.

Mikaze-senpai raises his head and waves the sheet music in front of his face.

Haruka Nanami: A-already….

Camus: I have finished as well.

Reiji Kotobuki: A little more and I think I’ll be done too. After all, I want to wait until all the parts are done….

Ai Mikaze: All of them...? That’s going to take a long time, especially because of Ranmaru…

Ranmaru Kurosaki: What are you…? I'm putting my soul into each and every word.

Ai Mikaze: That’s all well and good to say, but look: in actuality, you haven’t finished filling it out.

Haruka Nanami: Eh…. There are lyrics for Kurosaki-senpai’s part on Camus-senpai’s sheet….

Camus: Indeed. I added them in his place since who knows when he will finish.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Didn’t I say I’m not slow? And what’s with these lyrics? They’re not like me at all.

Camus: They are; I just put in words that sound like something you would say.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: What, ya wanna go? Huh?

Kurosaki-senpai scowls at Camus-senpai.

Camus: Heh…. Bring it on, then.

Reiji Kotobuki: Hey, hey! No fighting. Ranran is concentrating on his lyrics. That's a very good thing.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Ya got a good eye, don’tcha.

After Kotobuki-senpai’s encouragement, Kurosaki-senpai takes the pencil and starts writing.

Reiji Kotobuki: Myu-chan, you wrote it thinking that you wanted to help Ranran? As if you're helping a damsel in distress?

Camus: Don’t be absurd!

Reiji Kotobuki: Right? If you don’t want me to think that, wait for a bit. Kouhai-chan, can you make Myu-chan a very very sweet coffee?

Haruka Nanami: Yes! Of course.

Kotobuki-senpai manages the situation and somehow restores peace.

Dealing with these three with their strong personalities, it’s just as I thought. Kotobuki-senpai is amazing!

I need to learn from his communication skills.

While we wait, Camus-senpai drinks his coffee and Mikaze-senpai gives me some advice for the song.

And then, one way or another, the four of them finish writing the lyrics….

Ai Mikaze: We’ve been waiting because of Ranmaru….

Camus: Indeed, because of Kurosaki….

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Shut up! It's done so it's fine, isn’t it?

Reiji Kotobuki: Seriouslyyy guys, thank you! The lyrics are amazing! I want to sing them right away!

Ai Mikaze: It’s not like I'm doing this for you, okay? Well, do your best singing it alone.

Seizing the opportunity of Mikaze-senpai's words, the three senpai leave the studio.

Haruka Nanami: Doing what you have to do without fail. That’s what a pro does, right?

I have learned one more thing watching all of you!

A feeling of happiness comes over me when I look at the newly-written lyrics.

My song now has lyrics. It's an unparalleled feeling of joy.

Reiji Kotobuki: Well, there was endless complaining. But… I think the lyrics are amazing.

He says that and we both smile as our eyes meet.

Reiji Kotobuki: So… shall we establish the direction and measures for the singing battle?

Haruka Nanami: Yes.

I sit in a chair in the meeting room, facing Kotobuki-senpai.

Haruka Nanami: The backing track will be a recording. The winner will be chosen by a special jury from the program and the audience’s online votes…. So it's like the Song Festival.

I check the document with the project outline.

Reiji Kotobuki: You’ll need to have the backing track ready day-of. Kouhai-chan, is that okay?

Haruka Nanami: Yes… I’ll try.

Reiji Kotobuki: And since it was going to be a unit song originally, we’ll need to adjust the scale and melody for a solo version.

Kotobuki-senpai casts his eyes on the sheet music.

It's true... I’ve been working on this song for three months, so I have no choice but to participate with it.

But….

Haruka Nanami: Um… Kotobuki-senpai, I’m sorry….

Since it's still bothering me, I bow my head to Kotobuki-senpai.

Kotobuki-senpai looks at me in confusion.

Haruka Nanami: I'm sure Otonami-san is going to participate with a proper solo song.

And yet, I was only able to prepare a unit song….

I regret not having a proper stock of songs.

Reiji Kotobuki: Kouhai-chan, didn't you promise not to say things like that?

Haruka Nanami: But….

Reiji Kotobuki: Besides, the one who should apologize is me. I’ve gotten you involved in my problems. The time before debuting is important, and I’ve burdened you with so much. But there’s no point in thinking about what might have been; we have to focus on what we can do now.

Kotobuki-senpai smiles bitterly as he says that.

Haruka Nanami: Right….

Even if Kotobuki-senpai says that, my heart still feels clouded.

I understand that he's doing what's best for me.

But, is this really alright…?

Reiji Kotobuki: Okay, what else.... How about we discuss the set and the choreography? For this song, maybe something like this?

As he speaks, Kotobuki-senpai starts to draw the set on the back of the piece of paper.

Incredible….

Select the phrase!

You’re skilled (+15 Love)

Haruka Nanami: Kotobuki-senpai! You’re so good at drawing!

Reiji Kotobuki: Yup! Well, I did want to be a manga artist when I was little.

Haruka Nanami: Oh, is that so?

Reiji Kotobuki: Yeah! Just like “Odorokiman,” I was hooked on “Kenka no Ouji-sama” when I was little. I’d draw manga in my notebook to imitate it.

While saying that, Kotobuki-senpai smoothly draws the hero of “Kenka no Ouji-sama,” King Ken, in a corner of the paper.

Reiji Kotobuki: Oh, I made him look like Ryuya-senpai without realizing it, ahaha.

Haruka Nanami: It’s amazing! It looks a bit more realistic than manga, doesn’t it?

Although he’s just drawing casually, it looks so technical.

Haruka Nanami: I’m sure Hyuga-sensei would love it if you gave it to him as a present!

Reiji Kotobuki: Nope, that could be kinda embarrassing. But if you’re that impressed, then I guess being a jack of all trades isn’t so bad.

Kotobuki-senpai smiles sweetly.

Reiji Kotobuki: So, the set looks good like this. Let’s discuss it with the staff next time. Now for the choreography, a difficult yet smooth…

Saying this, Kotobuki-senpai does a jump and turns in the narrow room.

Select the phrase!

So cool! (+20 Love)

Haruka Nanami: Amazing, so cool!!

I say that loudly without thinking, and Kotobuki-senpai responds with another spin.

Reiji Kotobuki: I LOVE YOU! MY GIRL.

I… I'M DYING!!

Reiji Kotobuki: What’s up? Why the red face?

Haruka Nanami: D-doing that here is way too thrilling. I feel like I’m going to collapse.

The room is full of pheromones!

Haruka Nanami: Haaa…. But Senpai, you really can do anything.

Reiji Kotobuki: Because being an idol is a very complete art, if you ask me. It’s not only about singing, it’s also about dancing, expression, and production. Entertaining your audience with all of it, that’s what being an idol is all about!

Reiji Kotobuki: That’s why I want to be particular about doing as much as I can, and why I don’t really know how to convey my image.

Reiji Kotobuki: All the elements are important. None of them should be missing. I think that when everything comes together, an idol shines best.

Haruka Nanami: None of them should be missing…. All the elements are important.

I repeat Kotobuki-senpai’s words.

Reiji Kotobuki: That’s right! It's not about skill; what matters is the heart. If you put your heart into it, that will be conveyed to everyone. Besides, we only live once, so we have to do the best we can!

Haruka Nanami: Not skill, but the heart?

As I listen to Kotobuki-senpai’s words, the clouds in my heart start to fade away and I begin to notice its true colors.

Haruka Nanami: That’s right….

This is…. It might be a gamble but….

If I don’t do this and lose, I’ll regret it my whole life.

Haruka Nanami: Um… Senpai, I have a request….

Reiji Kotobuki: Hm? What’s wrong, Kouhai-chan? You’re making a serious face….

I face Kotobuki-senpai and speak resolutely.

Haruka Nanami: Do you think you can give me three days?

Ten days later, I head to the recording studio for “Welcome to Idol Las Vegas!” with Kotobuki-senpai.

Reiji Kotobuki: Kouhai-chan, are you alright? Those are some dark circles under your eyes….

Haruka Nanami: I-I’m fine….

I manage to answer despite how hazy I am. I feel like I could fall asleep at any moment.

Reiji Kotobuki: Do you want to take a nap? I’ll wake you up when it’s time, so….

Haruka Nanami: No, I still have to do the final adjustments, check the acoustics….

Reiji Kotobuki: Weeell…. That's it theeen…. Still, going full power huh! That’s what I call youth, youth!!

Kotobuki-senpai says that in amazement and laughs softly.

Reiji Kotobuki: It reminds me of my graduation audition in a way. At that time, we were like you are now.

His expression is a faint mix of loneliness and nostalgia.

I wonder if he’s remembering Aine and the others.

Haruka Nanami: I did this as well. Working all night, not getting any sleep….

But….

Haruka Nanami: At that time I was alone, but now that I’m with you, I feel very reassured.

After graduating, I can write songs for idols.

I’m truly happy that I can have the job of my dreams.

Of course, there’s harsh reality that time is running out, but right now I want to enjoy life as much as I can.

I think those words from the bottom of my heart.

Reiji Kotobuki: I see…. Yup, me too. I’m reassured because I’m with you.

Reiji Kotobuki: I have to follow your example. To be honest, I wanted to run away until I got here.

Kotobuki-senpai’s expression is suddenly gloomy.

There’s the trouble with his old friends.

The song Otonami-san made will be sung by Mikaze-senpai, who resembles the missing Aine-san.

This is leading up to a confrontation, and it might be painful.

Select the phrase!

We only live once so… (+20 Love)

Haruka Nanami: We only live once, so…. We have to do our best! Just like you said.

Of course we can’t change the past and it’s hard to forget.

But you are moving forward! So everything will be okay!

Reiji Kotobuki: I’ve been defeated. You’re lecturing me with my own words, for real. But, since it’s you saying it, I've got no choice but to do my best…!

Reiji Kotobuki: Thank you! You’ve really cheered me up. And since I’m with my cute goddess of victory, everything will be alright, I’m sure.

And so, I head to the recording studio with Kotobuki-senpai.

While Senpai meets with the staff in the waiting room, I enter the studio.

My song will be sung here. Thinking about how it will reach the entire country feels strange.

But I’ve done the best I could, so I have no regrets.

Now I just have to wait for the performance and believe in Senpai!

Kei: Nice to meet you. How are you? Did you like the song?

That’s Otonami-san’s voice!

I follow the sound of his voice and see him speaking with Mikaze-senpai, standing not far from where I am.

Ai Mikaze: Well, it’s decent enough. Likewise the tune and composition.

Kei: I’m glad to hear that. You can sing on key as it is too. I was surprised someone other than Aine could sing this song, since I composed it specifically for him.

Ai Mikaze: ….

Kei: When I look at you this closely, you look even more like him. Are you really not Aine?

Otonami-san grabs Mikaze-senpai’s shoulders with a serious expression.

He looks at Mikaze-senpai with nostalgic eyes.

Ai Mikaze: You’re getting too familiar with me. Will you let go?

Mikaze-senpai brushes Otonami-san’s hand from his shoulder and rearranges his costume.

Ai Mikaze: You’re just the composer of the song planned for this show, nothing more and nothing less. That’s all I know.

Ai Mikaze: And you said “nice to meet you” yourself, didn't you?

Kei: … Aine.

Ai Mikaze: My name is Ai Mikaze!

Reiji Kotobuki: Morning, everybody! G'mooorning to Ai-Ai and Ke-chan too. Kouhai-chan, don't just stand there. Come here!

Kotobuki-senpai appears in the studio as if breaking the air.

Haruka Nanami: … Senpai!

Ai Mikaze: Reiji… so noisy.

Otonami-san suddenly turns to the other side.

Reiji Kotobuki: Whaaat, Ke-chan, what’s wrong? Are we falling out as friends now? Isn’t the air heavy?

Kei: This has nothing to do with you.

Reiji Kotobuki: You planned this because it does have something to do with me, right? Don’t lie.

Ai Mikaze: ….

Hearing that for the first time, Mikaze-senpai fixes a suspicious gaze on Otonami-san.

It seems like he hasn't explained anything to Mikaze-senpai.

Reiji Kotobuki: All of this will be for nothing. If this makes you two feel better, that's fine with me. I'll accept whatever you want to do to me. But I can’t forgive you for involving Ai-Ai and Kouhai-chan when they have nothing to do with this. That’s why I won’t go easy on you today.

Kotobuki-senpai hits his chest with his fist.

Assistant Director: Everyone, we will start recording soon. Thank you for your cooperation.

The assistant director’s voice resounds in the studio.

We each move to our places as indicated by the staff.

I’m a bit concerned about Mikaze-senpai and Otonami-san, but I have to focus on the show now!

The performances will be streamed online and then voting will happen in real time.

The one with the most votes after tallying the special jury’s votes and the ones from the audience will be declared the winner.

Ai Mikaze: Okay, I’m up first. Everyone, I'll be relying on you.

Mikaze-senpai greets everyone with a smile, lowers his head, and walks to the set.

Otonami-san watches the scene from a distance.

Next to him is Katagiri-san. I don't know how long he's been here, but he's watching in a similar way.

Before long, Mikaze-senpai stands facing the microphone and the melody begins to flow through the studio.

The intro is a wonderful piano arpeggio.

Soon after, Mikaze-senpai’s clear voice resounds in the studio.

Reiji Kotobuki: This song....

Kotobuki-senpai gasps from his place next to me.

Haruka Nanami: Hm…?

Reiji Kotobuki: This is Aine’s song… from the graduation audition….

Aine-san’s….

It's just like waves breaking against the shore gently, a peaceful and delicate tune.

It’s not only beautiful, but also extremely elaborate and polished.

When I glance at Otonami-san and Katagiri-san, they're watching Mikaze-senpai without showing any emotion.

Mikaze-senpai sings the refined melody with precision and intensity....

Before long, as if the tide which had risen has gone out, the song ends quietly.

Ai Mikaze: Thank you very much.

When Mikaze-senpai finishes singing, he slowly bows his head and the studio applauds.

What should we do…?

Can we win against that song…?

I clench my fist without thinking.

Reiji Kotobuki: As expected, Ai-Ai is really good. He sang this song so well in such a short time. He’s truly a brilliant opponent.

While I'm fretting, I hear Kotobuki-senpai’s calm voice beside me.

Haruka Nanami: Ah… um….

Reiji Kotobuki: But Kouhai-chan… I’ve got this.

Kotobuki-senpai gives a double thumbs up.

Haruka Nanami: R-really...? But my abilities can’t compete with this….

Reiji Kotobuki: It’s alriiighty! Your decision was on point, so that will come across for sure.

He pushes his raised thumbs against his chest.

It’s the heart that matters.

That’s what Kotobuki-senpai taught me.

Assistant Director: Now, next is Kotobuki-san, please.

Reiji Kotobuki: Now then, I'll be counting on your support. Okaaay, oko-okaaay, Rei-chan is coming!

Kotobuki-senpai heads towards the set while waving his hand.

Reiji Kotobuki: Ai-Ai’s song was totally amazing, right~? But, so I don't lose, I'm gonna get you all buzzing!

Reiji Kotobuki: Everyone, are you ready? Let’s get fired up! Set, ready, LET’S GO!!

At Kotobuki-senpai’s call, the flashy intro of brass instruments starts.

Ai Mikaze: What…? A new song? He’s not singing the song for the Christmas Live?

I can hear Mikaze-senpai muttering.

Yes, that’s right, I composed a new song just for Kotobuki-senpai.

It was done in three days, and then came the lyrics and the choreography. It was completed just this morning.

Matching the quality and polish of the song for the Christmas Live was not possible.

Kotobuki-senpai also bothered the other senpai to write the lyrics for the unit song in a rush, but….

I really wanted to participate in this challenge with a song made for Kotobuki-senpai specifically.

An idol shines best when all the elements become one.

You can’t leave one out and we have to challenge each with all of our strength.

That’s what I’ve learned from Senpai.

As Kotobuki-senpai stirs the studio up by throwing kisses and winks, smiles start to spread in the audience.

Eventually, they start clapping along to the music and Kotobuki-senpai smiles.

The production and choreography of the song are exciting, and the audience is drawn in by the dance that matches the lyrics.

Reiji Kotobuki: Thank you!!

At the end of the song, Kotobuki-senpai says that and does a splendid jump turn.

Suddenly people start cheering and the studio is filled with applause.

This is the complete art that Senpai meant.

The moment an idol shines the most…. It's like a dream.

Then, when both performances have come to an end, it's time to vote.

Host: So, people in front of the monitor, which song lingers in your heart?

Ai Mikaze, Reiji Kotobuki. Please, click on one of the names. Now, let’s click!

The voting begins at the host's signal and the number of votes is displayed on the studio’s monitor.

The votes for both of them keep rising, competing for the win, and then….

Host: Wow, this is….

Haruka Nanami: What…?

I can’t believe my eyes when I look at the screen.

Reiji Kotobuki: Whaaat!! A t-tie?!

Host: I-it’s a tie…. W-what should we do…?

The host looks around the studio, troubled.

The rest of the people inside the studio begin to grow restless at the result too.

The staff begins discussing the dilemma.

Otonami-san stares at the result calmly.

Hibiki: Hey, is the count correct? This can’t be possible, right?

Next to Otonami-san, Katagiri starts questioning the staff.

As time goes on, the studio becomes more and more turbulent.

I wonder what’s going to happen….

Just as I think that, I see Mikaze-senpai stepping forward.

Ai Mikaze: Excuse me.

Host: Oh, yes….

The people in the studio turn their attention to Mikaze-senpai.

Ai Mikaze: Is it correct that everyone who has been watching the show has the right to participate in the audience vote?

Host: Well, yes, I think so….

At Mikaze-senpai’s sudden question, the host gives a baffled answer.

Ai Mikaze: If that’s so, then….

Reiji Kotobuki: Huh...? Ai-Ai?

Then, Mikaze-senpai strides towards the computer in the studio.

He clicks on “Reiji Kotobuki” without hesitation.

Haruka Nanami: Wha—?

At the same time, one vote is added to Kotobuki-senpai’s votes.

Host: Reiji Kotobuki… wins? But….

Kei: Why….

Ai Mikaze: The levels of both our songs and our singing were high. There’s no doubt about that. Regarding the songs in particular, the levels of production and skill were the highest.

Mikaze-senpai faces Otonami-san and slowly opens his mouth.

Ai Mikaze: … But my song was not written for me, and I couldn’t get into it as if I was the person it was written for.

Kei: ….

Ai Mikaze: Songs that match their idols are what move people’s hearts. In that sense, even if Reiji’s song was incomplete, it was the winner. Anyway, I think you should look at the person before your eyes properly. I don't know who that person is, the one you keep assuming I am.

After the vote from Mikaze-senpai, Kotobuki-senpai is declared the winner and the recording finishes without issue.

Ai Mikaze: Good job today.

Kei: Wait, please….

As Mikaze-senpai turns around to leave the studio, Otonami-san tries to stop him.

Ai Mikaze: What?

Kei: I apologize. I may have known deep in my heart, but I… still wanted to see it. While I understood that you were different… your voice and appearance were so alike, it was as if Aine had come back.

Just like Kotobuki-senpai, Otonami-san can’t forget the past. That may not change in the future, either.

Still, it seems as if Otonami-san is moving forward, even if it's just a little.

Kei: Can I ask one more thing? Are you happy?

Ai Mikaze: I don’t know. I don’t know what happiness is.

Kei: I want you to be happy. I pray for that.

Ai Mikaze: … Thank you.

Mikaze-senpai gives a gentle smile that doesn’t look like his usual self.

Kei: …!

The same face and voice as Aine-san.

I wonder if those few words could save Otonami-san.

Ai Mikaze: I wonder why. I suddenly had a strange urge to say thank you. Happiness…. It’d be nice if this is it.

He bows slightly and leaves the studio.

Haruka Nanami: So, Mikaze-senpai voted to help us because of what happened with Otonami-san?

Reiji Kotobuki: No, I don’t think he’s the type to do that. I think he really thought that our song was better.

When the recording ends, we go home in Kotobuki-senpai’s car as usual.

Reiji Kotobuki: But, as expected from Ai-Ai, he got angry and told me that there was no point in rushing the lyrics for the Christmas Live song!

Haruka Nanami: Aaah! I'll apologize for that. I was the one who changed the song so suddenly.

I need to apologize to them, since I took time from their busy schedules….

Reiji Kotobuki: Hahaha. It’s fine, it’s fine. Instead, we should be happy that the lyrics we wrote won't be for nothing now.

Haruka Nanami: Yes, I’m so glad.

Since Kotobuki-senpai won, I can participate in the Christmas Live without a problem.

Nevertheless….

Haruka Nanami: Haaa….

I unexpectedly let out a loud sigh.

Haruka Nanami: I wonder if Otonami-san will be alright.

After what happened, Otonami-san vanished from the studio without saying anything to anybody.

Reiji Kotobuki: It's painful, but this is something he has to overcome on his own….

Haruka Nanami: You could say that….

The car glides down the nighttime road.

Haruka Nanami: Yawn….

Since the tension of the past few days has been released, a yawn slips out.

Reiji Kotobuki: What’s up? Starting to feel sleepy?

Haruka Nanami: Ah, I-I’m sorry…. I’m sleepy from relief….

Reiji Kotobuki: Then feel free to sleep for a bit. I’ll wake you up when we get there.

Haruka Nanami: No, I can't do something like that.

Reiji Kotobuki: Don’t hesitate! Though, your sleeping face could be too cute and I might not be able to restrain a kiss…?

Haruka Nanami: Wha—!! That… would be troublesome.

Reiji Kotobuki: Eh? Do you dislike me that much? I’m sad~

Kotobuki-senpai gives me a quick glance and murmurs that in a joking tone.

Select the phrase!

I don't dislike you (+30 Love)

Haruka Nanami: … I don't dislike you.

Wah!

Even I'm surprised at the words coming out of my mouth.

What are you saying, Haruka….

I feel my face getting hot and I look down so Senpai doesn't notice.

Reiji Kotobuki: Should I take you seriously, then?? But wouldn't a kiss be too exciting and wake you up in the end?

Haruka Nanami: That! You can’t…. That’s….

In a panic, I lift my face and try to rectify what I’ve said.

Reiji Kotobuki: I’m kidding! I’ll have to endure it with this for now, mwah!

Haruka Nanami: …!!

Kotobuki-senpai puts his index finger to his lips and blows a kiss at me.

He adds a wink to top it off.

I struggle to suppress the palpitations in my chest, which are getting more and more intense.

Reiji Kotobuki: But really now, I won’t do anything, so just rest at ease. We still have a ways to go.

Haruka Nanami: But to fall asleep and leave you alone driving would be….

Reiji Kotobuki: Don’t push yourself. You haven’t slept well for a while, right?

Haruka Nanami: Right….

Certainly, I haven’t slept much in the last ten days due to composing and producing the song and the preparations for today….

Reiji Kotobuki: Don’t worry about me. I’m so thankful for the great efforts you've been making lately. Rest at ease, I’ll get you home without fail.

Kotobuki-senpai’s voice seems farther and farther away….

Ah, I’m really falling asleep. My body can’t resist….

Ah… but….

I still haven’t said what I wanted to say….

Haruka Nanami: Kotobuki-senpai….

Reiji Kotobuki: Yes…? What is it...?

Haruka Nanami: You were… so cool….

I'm so full of happiness and soft feelings…. It feels so good….

Reiji Kotobuki: Hnnn, saying such a thing and falling asleep defenseless next to me…. This is bad in so many ways….

I can hear Kotobuki-senpai’s voice in my dreams.

Reiji Kotobuki: Good night, my girl. My dear partner.

He giggles and the car starts to slow down.

And I feel Kotobuki-senpai’s lips touch my forehead lightly.

When I wake up the next morning, I notice I went to sleep in my bed with my clothes still on.

I hurry to the living room and find a note from Kotobuki-senpai.

“Morning! This is a reward for working hard. Your breakfast is in the fridge, so make sure to eat well.

Take a good rest. Also, I put the keys to the room in the mailbox.”

I open the fridge and see that breakfast has indeed been prepared, just as the note said.

Omelet with salad, fruit yogurt, and also a croissant and danish.

Kotobuki-senpai made all of this just for me? To think that he cares this much makes me so happy.

Haruka Nanami: OK! Let’s do our best from now on too!

From that day on until the Christmas Live, I'm Kotobuki-senpai’s assistant and spend busy days finishing the unit song.

The other senpai complain a lot because we didn't go with the unit song for the show in the end.

But even if they keep complaining, they make time in their busy schedules to meet and practice the song and choreography.

And then, the day of the Christmas Live arrives.

Just before the performance and while waiting for the senpai in the wings of the stage, I hear voices calling from behind me.

Otoya Ittoki: Hey, Nanami, looks like you’re in good shape.

Haruka Nanami: Oh, Ittoki-kun... and Ichinose-san too.

When I turn around, the two of them are standing there, smiling.

Otoya Ittoki: It seems like you and Rei-chan have gone through a lot. You holding up?

Haruka Nanami: Yes and, thanks to him, I’ve made it to the Christmas Live.

Tokiya Ichinose: Kotobuki-san was looking much better too. I’m glad.

Otoya Ittoki: We met Rei-chan on location and it looked like he was going through a lot, so we were worried.

Haruka Nanami: Is that so….

Kotobuki-senpai seemed fine in front of me, but with the sudden work on the new song, it must have been very hard on him as well.

Otoya Ittoki: But it looked like Rei-chan was having a lot of fun too. I’m sure he loved your song.

I hope that’s the case….

If it is, I’m happy.

Haruka Nanami: You guys came to cheer him on today?

Tokiya Ichinose: Yes. It might not look like it, but we’re indebted to him for the Master Course. We’ll support him.

Otoya Ittoki: And it’s your big moment too! We graduated in the same year, and now we’re super proud and really looking forward to this!

Haruka Nanami: Thank you so much! I’m very nervous, but happy.

Otoya Ittoki: Well, we’ll be watching from the audience.

Tokiya Ichinose: I pray that everything goes well. Give our best regards to the other senpai as well.

Haruka Nanami: Yes!

Then, the two of them head to their seats while waving.

Hehe, judging by the fact that they’ve come to support Kotobuki-senpai, they really adore him after all.

It makes me happy somehow.

Camus: What are you smiling about? It’s creepy, child.

Haruka Nanami: Oh, Camus-senpai. And everyone else is here too. You all look so cool!

As soon as Ittoki-kun and Ichinose-san leave for their seats, the senpai come into the wings.

They're always beautiful, of course, but they look fantastic when wearing costumes like these.

Ai Mikaze: What’s with that mundane comment? Try to think more before speaking. Your articulation skills are lacking.

Haruka Nanami: S-sorry!!

Reiji Kotobuki: Wait, Ai-Ai! Don’t say such mean things to my partner. She was praising you!

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Making a racket again. Stay focused. But with this, the unit business will finally be over, huh? What a relief.

Camus: Seriously.

Reiji Kotobuki: No, no, we don’t know that yet~ Maybe we’ll become more and more popular from now on! I don't think we're done yet.

Ai Mikaze: Well, I’m not so sure.

Ryuya Hyuga: Are you guys fighting again? And just before the performance, too. Try to get along a little.

Reiji Kotobuki: Waaah, Ryuya-senpai, morning! Don't tell me, even you came to support me too?

Kotobuki-senpai runs up to Hyuga-sensei, who's come to the stage wing.

Ryuya Hyuga: Idiot, what are you saying? I’m here for work, just work. I’m accompanying the old man.

Reiji Kotobuki: Whaaat, I was a little happy. Oh well~ You're trying to act all tough~ It's okay, don't be shy! You silly~

Ryuya Hyuga: “A little”.... Nanami, how have you put up with this for three months?

Haruka Nanami: It’s not like that! I’ve learned a lot.

Always concerned about making the workplace bright and exciting. Taking action and tackling his objectives head on. Always thinking positively and facing forward.

And he’s also a leader who brings everyone together with his communication skills.

I’m still lacking in a lot of those areas, so I want to learn even more from Kotobuki-senpai.

Ryuya Hyuga: Hmm, I don’t know what you have learned, but your songs during this time aren’t bad. I voted for you as well.

Haruka Nanami: Oh, is that so?

Ryuya Hyuga: Yeah, I’m sorry for Mikaze, but you were much better in terms of matching the song with the singer. You’ve grown.

Haruka Nanami: T-thank you very much!

Hyuga-sensei suddenly looks at his watch.

Ryuya Hyuga: Ah, it’s time. I’ve gotta go pick up the old man. You guys do your best. Bring it on!

Reiji Kotobuki: Roger, leave it to us. Guys, let’s do our best. C’mon, EY EY OOOH~!

Ranmaru Kurosaki: ….

Ai Mikaze: ….

Camus: ….

Reiji Kotobuki: NUOOOooo! W-wait guys. What? How? WHY? We’re a special unit, so be more excited!!

Kotobuki-senpai, who had slid down to the floor, rises again while objecting.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Do us a favor and be quiet. This is a waste of stamina before a performance.

Ai Mikaze: You're like a child who gets tired the night before a field trip because he's too excited.

Camus: Heh…. At your age you should know better.

Reiji Kotobuki: What's with my age! You’re all so mean! Kouhai-chan agrees with me, right? Right? Right?

Haruka Nanami: T-that’s right.

Staff: Um, Kotobuki-san, could you please keep quiet? We’re about to begin.

Reiji Kotobuki: Oh…. Sorry.

As if saying “we told you so,” everyone jabs Kotobuki-senpai with their elbows.

Watching this scene play out, I realize that there truly is a bond between the four, despite what they say.

And above all, it always ends up being fun when they're together like this.

I’m so happy these lovely people are going to sing my song!

Then, it's time to begin the show.

Once the lights go down, the audience momentarily goes quiet and then a big cheer follows.

Reiji Kotobuki: Aaah, this is looking good. The excitement is in the air. Now, everyone, let’s go! One, two, OOOH!

Ranmaru Kurosaki: OH!

Ai Mikaze: Oooh!

Camus: Oh….

Whoa, they did it together!

Haruka Nanami: Everyone, I’m counting on you.

I lower my head a bit and Kotobuki-senpai waves at me.

They all approach the stage together.

Before long, the lights go up and the audience begins cheering loudly.

The live is fired up from the moment the four of them enter the stage.

Kurosaki-senpai and Camus-senpai compete for the center in the middle of the performance.

In the momentum of a back flip, Kotobuki-senpai does two turns and fails to sing in time, resulting in Mikaze-senpai glaring at him and following up instead.

As one would expect from them, when mistakes happen they resolve them quickly and smoothly.

The heat in the audience rises during the climax and doesn’t cool down.

The Christmas Live is a big success, and thus, the curtain closes.

Once the live ends, everyone returns.

Haruka Nanami: Good job, everyone.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Hey you, don’t shove yourself into other people’s positions to steal the center.

Camus: Same goes to you. You were supposed to be symmetrical to me, so why did you keep moving towards the camera?

Reiji Kotobuki: Ah…. Um…. Sorry, Ai-Ai. I always lose the timing when I turn too much.

Ai Mikaze: ….

Ryuya Hyuga: Hey, good job; that was a good live.

Haruka Nanami: Oh, Hyuga-sensei. And the president is here too.

Shining Saotome: Everyone, good job! The live was a great explosion of excitement!

Everyone’s faces relax at the president's words.

Shining Saotome: And YOU. You’ve done very well despite the difficulties. GOOD JOB!!

Haruka Nanami: T-thank you very much!!

Shining Saotome: BUT, the true match beings now. From now on, YOU will face many trials.

Shining Saotome: But there’s no difficulty that can’t be overcome with true passion and love for music. PASSION AND AMORE!!

Then, the president draws a big heart shape over his head.

Haruka Nanami: Passion and amore….

Reiji Kotobuki: Whoa, Shiny-san, that sort of pose doesn't suit you…. You're not the cutesy type....

Shining Saotome: Keep quiet over there!

The president glares at Kotobuki-senpai, then turns to me once more.

Shining Saotome: I expect a lot from you, Nanami. Keep on growing~

Ryuya Hyuga: Yes, do your best!

The president and Hyuga-sensei leave after saying that.

A while after the big uproar of the opening, the event ends.

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Well, I’m headin’ out. I still got work and it takes time to dress up as Santa Claus and stuff.

Ai Mikaze: I’m a little tired too. I should go get some body maintenance done.

Camus: I have to investigate…. No, forget about it…. Anyway, if you'll excuse me.

Reiji Kotobuki: Okay... then, good job, everyone! Thank you for everything you’ve done for me!

Ranmaru Kurosaki: Don’t screw with me!

Ai Mikaze: Don’t be ridiculous!

Camus: Don’t mess with me!

And so, the three of them depart.

Reiji Kotobuki: Phew… It’s really over, huh…? So, Kouhai-chan, do you have some time to spare?

Haruka Nanami: Oh… yes….

Reiji Kotobuki: Then, will you go out for a drive with me?

Saying that, Kotobuki-senpai takes the keys to his car out of his pocket.

He gives me a ride in his car, but strangely, doesn’t talk much as we head straight towards the suburbs.

And then we arrive at a moonlit, sandy beach where nobody else is present.

The cold wind feels good in my body, which has been fired up from the live.

You can see the Christmas lights beyond the sea.

Reiji Kotobuki: Ta-da! I thought we could toast together.

Kotobuki-senpai gets out of the car and takes a bottle of champagne and a pair of glasses from the back seat.

Reiji Kotobuki: I used the air conditioner to make sure it’s cold enough, y'know. Nooow!!

Kotobuki-senpai gives me a glass and takes the cork off the bottle with a pop.

Haruka Nanami: Ah, but I’m still underage….

Reiji Kotobuki: It’s alrighty! See, it’s non-alcoholic champagne for kids.

Haruka Nanami: Oh… for kids, I see….

Kotobuki-senpai grins playfully while saying that he has to drive today too, and pours champagne into the glasses.

Reiji Kotobuki: Hahaha, don’t look at me like that. I’ll give you something to make it up to you.

Kotobuki-senpai takes a small, shining object from his other pocket as he says that.

Haruka Nanami: Whoa, so cute….

It's a golden necklace with a small key charm….

Reiji Kotobuki: I’ve given you so much trouble lately that I wanted to give you this Christmas present. Turn around; I’ll help you put it on.

Kotobuki-senpai puts the necklace on me from behind.

The golden key shines brightly on my chest.

A present from Kotobuki-senpai, I’m so happy….

Haruka Nanami: It’s so pretty. Thank you.

Reiji Kotobuki: It looks very good on you, very cute.

He whispers from behind as he looks at me.

Haruka Nanami: ….

His sweet voice tickles my ears, and although it’s cold, my body heats up.

Reiji Kotobuki: That’s the key to my heart…. I entrust it to you. It’d make me happy if you could open its doors.

Haruka Nanami: S-Senpai!

Kotobuki-senpai giggles as he leaves me for a moment.

Reiji Kotobuki: How was it? I poured my heart into those words. Did you like them? Merry Christmas…. Here’s to your happiness!

Haruka Nanami: Merry Christmas….

I'm filled with happiness when Kotobuki-senpai’s sweet words capture me.

When the glasses come together, they make a small sound.

A sweet scent wafts up when I bring the glass to my lips.

Delicious….

We go quiet for a while as we drink the champagne.

And then….

Reiji Kotobuki: Hey, aren’t you disappointed with everything that’s happened lately? You know, the monster that betrayed his best friend~

Senpai says that all of a sudden as he pours himself another glass of champagne.

The things with Otonami-san, Katagiri-san, and Aine-san.

Reiji Kotobuki: I wasn’t trying to deceive you, but I didn’t want you to know. I’m sorry.

Haruka Nanami: Please don’t apologize to me. Besides, it’s not all Kotobuki-senpai’s….

Kotobuki-senpai stares at me and slowly opens his mouth.

Reiji Kotobuki: This place… is where Aine disappeared.

Kotobuki-senpai says that and looks at the sea.

Haruka Nanami: What? Aine-san?

Reiji Kotobuki: Yes. He was last seen here before he disappeared….

His whereabouts are still unknown.

Reiji Kotobuki: You're always comforting me because you are kind, but the result is all that matters. Aine is not here anymore. And it was because of me. I’m a disgusting adult, really.

As he says so, he looks at me again.

I can hear the sound of the waves distantly.

The night sea is reflected on the edges of his eyes, and shines like glittering stars.

We look at each other for a while without saying anything.

And then….

Reiji Kotobuki: … The party's over. It's getting cold. We should get home.

Haruka Nanami: Ah… yes….

Reiji Kotobuki: It’s still a long way from now, but I'll be counting on you for the Song Festival too.

Kotobuki-senpai bumps his glass against mine once again and then drinks.

He has his usual expression instead of the cloudy one from before.

The more time I spend with him, the more things are revealed.

There's still a Kotobuki-senpai that I don't know. I want to keep watching him in order to understand, but the feelings can turn out to be scary and complicated.

I want to know his true feelings someday.

I wish I could open the door to Senpai’s heart….

I touch the shiny necklace on my chest as I ask the starry sky for that….

Chapter End

[heliads]

Hello!!😁 I've just seen your post in which you said you would like to write about characters from the hunger games and I'm here to provide a request, if you like the idea🥰

Finnick × reader: It's kinda of a crazy idea and a bit long so sorry in advance:)

Reader is from district 5 and they won their games the next year after Finnick, them being the same age. They are close to Finnick, having travelled back and forth between district 4 and 5, due to reader's relative(maybe a brother that settled there because of marriage or some other reason). We know what happened to Finnick after he won :( and something happens to reader as well, but it's entirely different. They are an incredible singer and songwriter, and after singing an original piece during the games (because of fear and loneliness), Snow wants them as a personal entertainer (reader reminds him of Lucy gray if you've read the ballad of songbirds and snakes :) )

So, reader having been a prisoner, a sparkling jewel for Snow and the capitol, performing at parties and events, they get even closer to Finnick, him being the only one who understands the meaning behind each song they write, to the point of something romantic. They can't be together, especially in public, because of their conditions, so right before Peeta and Katniss win, a party is held and everyone can finally see their undeniable connection to Finnick, when the two find a rare moment to dance.

I want to leave the ending up to you, so will they just confess in front of everyone or continue to suffer (if you choose this one, maybe snow announces a marriage between the reader and some snob from the capitol, and the two lovers find out on the spot? and maybe they find a way to persuade snow into thinking that a marriage between Finnick and reader would be better? - this is just because I'm a sucker for a happy ending😭)

Thank you so much for listening and if you don't like it then that's okay, or if you do like it but want to change it, then that's also okay💛

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS

thank you for sending in a hunger games request!!! also fandom aside this is AMAZING, your requests are always so creative and fun to write 😭😭

masterlist

You’re not entirely sure what’s real and what isn’t. On some surface level, you are smiling and beaming as if you might believe the emotions you’ve taken such care to display, but deep beneath your skin and bone, you’re back there, in the arena once more. Your eyes see different visions, one past, one present. Nothing seems to stick around long enough for you to be sure of it.

That is the problem with the Capitol, after all, they get into your head once you’ve spent too long amongst their bright lipsticked masses. Their eyes stare at you unblinkingly, pupils stretched and dilated as they watch you sing upon their stages. You have been their favorite plaything for quite some time now, no matter how much you wish they would just forget about you. Their favor shifts like the tides, surely it should leave you soon, right?

Despite all of their attention, you’re not sure that any of the legions of wealthy watchers have truly seen you in quite some time. Otherwise, they’d start to notice that the songs they love to examine don’t seem as happy or sweet as they thought. Lyrics are the only way for you to speak your mind, after all, even if the true message has to be hidden beneath a layer or two of literary fluff.

It’s their own fault, you decide. You should have been left to rot in peace after you won your round of the Hunger Games. You shouldn’t have had to return to the Capitol time and time again, until your house in the Victors’ Village in District Five goes empty more often than not. They like to have their darling little music box available at a single call, especially now that the latest round of the Hunger Games has begun.

You would have had to be here anyway, to act as a mentor for all of the tributes from your district who are about to die. You’ve been able to secure a good amount of gifts for your surviving girl, although her male counterpart died the first day during the initial bloodbath. You’d warned him to stay away from the Cornucopia, but then again, no one ever wants to listen. That’s as common amongst the citizens of the Panem districts as the gilded classes of the Capitol.

Still, you’re trying. On the occasions that you’re actually able to break away from the stage to send aid to the remaining tribute from District Five, you’re pleased to see that she’s doing well, for the most part. She’s only fourteen or fifteen, but she sparks with wit. She might be able to win if she’s able to outfox everyone else, but enough fame is growing around those two tributes from District Twelve that you can only hope she’ll last long enough to make it out.

Already, though, you think she might be a lost cause. No matter how many compliments you lay on her to all available sponsors, you can tell one thing that they can’t. There’s a look in the girl’s eyes that tells you she’s going to give up soon enough. It might not happen for hours, maybe even days, but at one point an accident will come and she’ll stop fighting.

No one else knows it, you think, except perhaps the other mentors. There’s no way to recognize that complacency unless you’ve been in the arena and seen it on the faces of the other tributes. You swore to yourself the second you were reaped that you wouldn’t be a murderer, that you’d win by keeping yourself alive and letting the others take each other out. If you were going to win the Hunger Games, you wanted to do it right.

That, of course, was just a dream. You’re not going to let yourself think about how many people you did kill, what it felt like to plunge a dagger into someone’s chest and watch their breathing slow. You know exactly what it looks like when someone gives up on living because they always stared at you like that in the split second before they died, like they accepted once and for all that they were never going to win.

Instead, you were going to win, but at what cost? The residents of the Capitol love to applaud your songs, to read between lines and think of themselves as proper detectives for figuring out all of the red herrings you throw at them. In truth, not a single song of yours has been about love. How could it, when you haven’t been human enough to feel something like that since the day you appeared in the arena?

Instead, each song is about a tribute. The record-toppers are usually about the ones you killed, because even the harshest critics can’t deny that there’s strong emotion in them. Sure, it’s because you lie awake at night wondering if there was another way, if perhaps you killed all those kids because you wanted to, but who in the Capitol wouldn’t applaud real feelings in a place where anything other than falsehoods is a sin only found with the children dying onscreen?

Dimly, you hear the song winding down, and come back to something similar to reality just in time to hit your last nights. You’re hit by a wave of applause, and let it sink into your skin like hooks. Every standing room only show means one thing:  another month before they let you go. At some point, you accepted that you’ll never truly be able to leave, but you still like to pretend otherwise.

You depart the receiving room of the Capitol as soon as you can. You’re not allowed to set foot onto Capitol streets without an armed escort. Supposedly, this is to make sure that no crazed fans try to kidnap you, but you harbor a suspicion that it’s actually a guarantee that you can’t try to run for it.

Still, they let you have the illusion of freedom by letting you walk wherever you want under the surveillance of only a dozen or so security cameras. You pace through the corridors until you find a high balcony overlooking the streets surrounding you. They’re busy tonight, likely because Capitol residents, when they’re not holding gaudy watch parties so they can bet on which teenager will be the next to bite it, do something they affectionately refer to as faux reapings.

Basically, they’ll send out gilded invitations on thickest cardstock to all of their wealthiest friends so they can ‘rough it’ by watching the Games outside instead of the safety of their climate controlled penthouses and mansions. They’ll have servants and waitstaff set out exquisite venues in neighboring parks or gardens, with the token plant or supposedly extinct animal on hand to prove their mettle at wilderness survival.

In reality, it’s nothing better than a floral soiree, but to the citizens of the Capitol, it’s far more immersive than a simple holographic display. It’s like they’re in the Games, or so they claim. Being in the Games is the last thing you’d want to do, but you suppose it’s easier for them to enjoy it when they’re never living in fear about what it would be like to be a twelve year old dying at the hands of a starving friend, so they cluster outside anyways.

“That might have been the most depressing performance I’ve seen all year,” a voice next to you says matter-of-factly.

You turn, surprised, to see the Capitol’s other favorite golden tribute coming to a stop beside you. Technically, you’ve met Finnick Odair before, but it was never personal, always some Capitol debutante wanting to see how many tributes they could convince to retreat together to their personal chambers.

At this moment, however, all you can think about is that he is decidedly less charming than you’d heard. “That’s a wonderful compliment, Odair,” you reply, “I’ll be sure to keep my melancholy attitude at bay next time I’m dragged before the Capitol again.”

Finnick nods somberly. If he’s affected by your sarcasm, it’s only to entertain him further. “You should. If anyone dares open their eyes a little more, they’d realize that you’re not actually here for your own amusement. Appearances are all we’ve got, sweetheart. It would do you good to keep yours intact.”

You lean back against the balcony so you can look him dead in the eyes. “Oh, and I’m supposed to believe that your dashing good humor is just an act, too? You’ve had that going on for far too long. At some point, you have to have believed in it at least once.”

Finnick takes a fast step forward, just out of range of the watching cameras. All of a sudden, his smirk drops, and the look in his eyes is soulless and dead. “You tell me. Does this look real to you?”

A second later, the teasing grin is back up in full force, as if it had never left at all. “Don’t look so shocked, Y/N, we’re supposed to be having a fun conversation.”

You roll your eyes. “Alright, then. You’re unhappy. We all are, that’s no surprise. Name a single victor who’s ever been grateful to the Capitol for anything except that they don’t have to starve anymore.”

Finnick arches a brow. “I would have thought you’d be alright with the whole deal. Your singing gets you out of the less palatable uses for victors.”

You look away. “Yes, President Snow has an affinity for his songbirds. He enjoys dragging them out before crowds to hear their voice, but most of all, he likes to keep them in cages. At least you get to keep your secrets, Finnick. There is no part of me that isn’t on glaring display for everyone else to see.”

Finnick inclines his head solemnly. “I don’t think that’s true, though, is it? You know, they should be able to tell that your songs aren’t quite so pro-Capitol as they believe, but that isn’t the case. Not even Snow seems to have a problem with it.”

“Snow doesn’t have to know,” you shoot him a warning look, “and he won’t, will he?”

He just chuckles. “Relax, sweetheart. I’m not going to tell on you. That wouldn’t do well for my image, would it? I’m just glad to know that I’m not the only one here about to lose their minds.”

Out of some impulse you don’t think you could name if you tried, you reach out and place your hand gently on the balcony beside you. It’s close enough to Finnick that he could take your hand if he wanted to, and after a moment of staring, he does. 

“You’re not alone in this,” you whisper, and he nods.

“Neither are you.”

Thus begins what might be the happiest time of your life. Sure, you don’t have many good memories to compete with, but still. Finnick is at the Capitol almost as often as you are, and suddenly, your new songs start to have meanings outside of just tallying up the bodies you can’t stop seeing whenever you close your eyes.

You didn’t think you had it in you to love. You shouldn’t, at any rate, you’re more monster than man and have been for quite some time, but Finnick makes you believe that you could heal after all. There are conversations to be had in the midst of loud rooms when no one else can overhear, clandestine meetings skirting security cameras. Even as the 74th Hunger Games progress, the truth remains clear to you:  you love Finnick Odair, and he loves you.

The only problem is that you’re not the kind of person who can be loved half so easily at Finnick. You make a mistake soon enough in wanting to have more with Finnick than just secret conversations. There’s a gala to mark half the tributes killed, and both you and Finnick are invited, along with most of the other mentors and everybody who’s anybody in the Capitol.

One dance. That’s all it took to get on Snow’s radar. It was supposed to be nothing. Finnick had taken your hand and led you to the floor when a particularly good song started playing. You have long since accepted the fact that you would follow him anywhere, so you went with him. It was just a waltz. It should have been nothing out of the ordinary, you dance with other victors all the time.

The issue is that you don’t feel the same way about other victors as Finnick, and it showed. Suddenly, all the major news sources were talking about how Finnick Odair and Y/N L/N were definitely in love. Victors aren’t supposed to have feelings of their own, so President Snow’s claws latched around you with a fervor even more intense than usual.

Suddenly, everyone was talking about the fact that Snow might lose his favored songbird to the Capitol’s favorite victor from District Four. It’s a double loss for the Capitol, of course, not only would you be off the market forever but Finnick would be as well, at least for a month or two after the supposed future wedding.

Snow couldn’t have that, could he? Not when he seems obsessed with making sure that you, his chosen singer, would never truly be able to leave his clutches. There’s another story buried there, deep within the copper stained roses showing up mysteriously in your quarters and the scheduled appearances. Snow has not always won, but he’ll never lose again. He would sell anyone out to make sure of it.

To chase the news that you might love Finnick, Snow announced something far more grand within twenty-four hours of that ill-fated dance. All of a sudden, you weren’t in love with Finnick, you couldn’t possibly, because you were already engaged to a man you had never met. 

According to the news sources already salivating at the thought of a true love story, Umber Meadowberry is a wonderful man, but even the most delightful savior would forever be scarred in your eyes for one reason and one reason only:  he is not be Finnick Odair, and thus he is worthless to you.

Finnick tried to talk to you the second the news of your phony engagement came out, but all of a sudden the guards at your door were keeping adoring fans away and him as well. You tried to sneak out to find him, but no luck. You are being followed even more than you ever were.

You’re allowed one last performance before the wedding. The whole affair is terribly rushed, but anyone who dares comment on it suddenly goes missing or immediately starts talking about how they were wrong to ever doubt Snow’s choices. You go onto the stage dressed in white, and the entire audience rises to their feet to cheer. Who cares about Finnick, when you are now forever linked to one of them?

Your supposed fiance, Umber Meadowberry, is in the front row. He smiles at you, a greasy sort of smile that reeks of centuries of old family money and partners who had best sit down and shut up when they’re not on display. You will spend the rest of your life in a glass box, perfect for all who dare approach, then left cracked and bleeding when nobody can see.

Caesar Flickerman bounds over to you, grinning ear to ear so hard that it must hurt. He tells you that he’s bleached his hair in honor of your wedding festivities, and he gestures to it excitedly. Will you be singing your most popular song, he asks, the one about the boy in the meadow? Everyone knows it’s such a romantic song.

In truth, it’s about the last boy you killed, but only one Finnick has ever known that. They’ve dragged him here too, sat between two men who are definitely soldiers in case you try something. You lock eyes once with him, and see straight through the polished exterior to someone who has just had their life’s purpose dragged from him. Finnick nods once when he sees you looking. Whatever you need to do, he’s giving you permission to do it. Even if that involves marrying Umber Meadowberry to make sure you survive.

Instead, you turn to Caesar and say that you’re actually going to be playing a song that you wrote just last night. The man jumps into the air, clapping his hands together in sheer thrill. Everyone in the audience titters and whispers about what it could be about. Obviously, your fiance must be the topic, and you watch as he leans from one side to the other, shaking hands and receiving compliments on his upcoming trophy.

The music starts, and you begin to sing. This time, you don’t bother to hide the true message of the song beneath metaphors and figurative language. The story is plain and bare, yet somehow the most beautiful thing you’ve ever written in your life. Before your eyes, the Capitol audience quiets and grows cold as they realize the truth of what you’re saying.

The song itself is relatively simple. There’s a songbird, you sing, a caged bird who found love even when their hands were stained red with blood. They’ll do anything for that love, even if it was taken from them. Even something drastic, like cut out their own tongue to ensure that they would never sing for anyone but their love.

The song fades, and the eyes of the Capitol are upon you as you reach inside a jeweled pouch on your belt to draw out a small knife. You open your red-dyed lips and place the knife against your tongue. The message is obvious, and the audience rises to their feet in unison, clutching themselves with horror as they realize what it is that you mean to do.

The metal is cold against your mouth, but your resolve is firm. It is horrifying, but after all that you’d done in the arena, the Capitol should know that you’re not going to back down from a little blood. They made you a monster, and now they get to find out that their darling songbird has claws.

Just before you can start to cut, though, the background behind you changes from a view of Caesar desperately trying to stop the live footage to a scene of President Snow sitting at his desk. There’s a vial of white roses on the far corner of the mahogany, although you swear they’re not sitting in water, instead something shadowed and wine-dark.

He claps, slow applause ringing through the video. The Capitol residents in the audience look amongst themselves nervously, then start to clap as well at the sight of their beloved leader.

Snow allows the jubilation to continue for a full minute longer before he starts to speak. “What we have here is a beautiful display of love. Is that not what we treasure here in the Capitol, the dedication to do whatever it takes for those our hearts desire?”

He gestures to you, and you feel your blood run cold. You have forced his hand, and whatever Snow chooses to do will no doubt have consequences far more severe than one mere round in the arena.

However, Snow would do many things before he loses his songbird, and even allowing you to follow your heart is less damaging than having you cut out your music once and for all.

“I believe I speak for all of us when I say that I am impressed with Y/N’s spirit. For that reason, why not have a wedding after all? Our victors are dear to us in the Capitol, and there could be no greater union than between two of our favorite winners. I say now, let Y/N and Finnick wed. I look forward to seeing how they repay us for such an excellent opportunity.”

You slowly remove the knife from where it still presses against your lips, and stare at Finnick, who has risen to his feet across the crowded amphitheater. He looks just as terrified as you, but slowly, surely, he starts to smile. Yes, there will be consequences. There always are. For now, though, you have Finnick at last, and he is all that you have ever needed.

requested by @zaypay, i hope you enjoy!

[gucciwins]

All A Dream

welcome to new york...the city that would determine if you and harry would move past 'friends'

Word count: 11908

A/N: hello friends, thank you so much for the love on this story. i'm having a great time writing it. we've made it to a pivotal point in their relationship and i'm excited to share that with you all.

warnings: oral pleasure (male receiving), sexual activity

please reblog!!! and let me know what you thought :)

love on tour series // previous part

Walking the streets of New York feels like coming home. It’s where you got your first apartment, it’s where you found out you were Emmy nominated, also the first place you didn’t feel like you were drowning when you were alone. That’s how you were spending your day alone, taking in the city and how it felt more crowded than usual.

Harry had decided to stay in Nashville with Tyler, who helped create his Grammy-winning song. He tried to convince you to stay, but you said no, promising to see him as soon as he arrived. The drive to New York was great; your bus mates had you laughing the entire way. No one was heading to bed until you were two hours in.

You were creating memories with people you had met two weeks ago. They had now felt like friends you could call if you were ever in any trouble (you wouldn’t be). It was nice to enjoy; they made you feel like Y/N as if you had never graced the big screen. You were their friend, and it felt nice to say that.

New York was full of dreams, and well, you wondered what it would bring.

New York City, New York Night One

It was eight am, and Jeff had gotten you up early saying he wanted to talk to you about your interview, and like a fool, you listened. He had treated you to breakfast, someplace a little hidden but close to your hotel room. You tried persuading him to eat in because you loved the view of the city from your room. You couldn't bear leaving; it was too mesmerizing; food was his only way to get you to agree.

Breakfast was fine; he wanted to know what you were asked and if you were comfortable being associated with Harry. You answered honestly and told them you owed them nothing. You promised Jeff that no matter what you'd say, you're friends because it was easier that way. Also, it was no one's business but yours and Harry's.

You knew there was one conversation awaiting you when Harry arrived, but you didn't mind. Well-- you did, but that's okay. You'd tell him your side of things, and hopefully, he'd agree. If not well, then it seems you and Harry might have your first argument.

Harry was a private person, and you knew that. After your first public breakup at nineteen, so were you. There was not much you offered except photos of events and press. There was very little about your family, but one google search and everyone would get some kind of information about you. Never all of it. You'd never allow that; they could know where you grew up and what school you attended, but not about how your grandparents came to raise you.

You're shaken out of your train of thought as Jeff waves at a person behind you. Probably, an old friend, you think as you drink your cranberry juice. The person blobs down next to you, and that familiar scent of woodsy cologne hits you.

"Missed me, darling?"

You snap your head to your left, and there he is, dressed in his bright pink hoodie, yellow tote bag on his lap covering his shorts. "H, you're back." You throw your arms around him, holding him tight. Before remembering you're inside someone and more than likely caught a few people's attention. "Right, cool, nice to see you," you try to playoff.

Both men burst out laughing, causing you to join in as well.

"Smooth," Jeff comments.

"Shut it, Jeffery." Harry and you say in unison.

Jeff groans, "going to have to deal with the lot of you all day."

"Glenne's coming, so I think not."

You perk up at the name of Jeff's wife. You'll finally get to meet the woman he never stops speaking about. "When will we be meeting her?"

"At the arena, eat quickly. We're stopping at the hotel and then going to the garden."

You perk at the chance of getting to tour the famous arena, it's not like you haven't been to shows there you have, but something about supporting Harry, who has five sold-out shows to play this month, fills you with so much pride.

Finally arriving at the arena, there were lots of people already outside waiting and dressed up. You knew this night would be just as special to them as it would be for Harry. As soon as you entered, some staff greeted Harry and properly welcomed him for the next two days. On your walk to the dressing rooms, you stopped in your tracks at the sight of lots of rainbow arches, and the floor was a pink reading "Harry Styles presents love on tour 2021. October 3, 4, and 16. Sold out." It repeated over a few times as it covered a long distance. You were quick to push Harry in for a picture no matter how much he insisted it wasn't necessary. You thought it was; these were memories you wanted to have whether he complied or not. It didn't take long for him to crack a smile for you.

You set up your stuff next to Harry's outfit that's hanging up perfectly covered. He told you it's something he's nervous about but really excited to wear. Harry has shared how much he's grown and how he feels a lot more comfortable in his skin, yet there are times he still gets insecure. You understood that, hell, it still happens, so you did what you do best, wrapped him in a hug, and let him know that you thought he was amazing and that no matter what would stand by his side.

"Do you want to see something?" Harry asks you, standing by the door waiting for you to take his hand and follow him.

"Course, H. Is it food?"

He chuckles, making sure your hands are linked together. You pass many people all wishing you a good day and Harry good luck for the night. He stops in front of a door that reads "stairs," and you figured that meant you'd be going up.

You could see how excited he was, so you decided to keep quiet and let him continue to drag you along to whatever it was you needed to see. There's one final door that Harry opens, and that's when you know. The New York air has hit you, the sun shining brightly and the person becoming your favorite person at your side.

Harry had brought you to the roof of Madison Square Garden.

You walked forward, a look of awe on your face. You didn't dare let go of Harry's hand as you kept walking forward. The view was breathtaking; you saw all of New York. The city was alive, and you were essentially on top of it. It made you feel small, allowing you to remember you were simply a person in a city of thousands.

Though you were special, because you got to be here in this moment with Harry, the man who was slowly but surely driving you crazy with how much you were beginning to develop feelings for him.

"It's gorgeous." You finally spoke after a few moments.

Harry squeezed your hand, "I know."

You feel like you know Harry well enough to know he's looking at you and not the view. He's a romantic like that, but you can't fault him; it's one of his sweetest traits.

Harry pulls you in close; you lean your head up, knowing what's coming, and it's so sweet. You hum against his lips. It's only been a day, but you can happily say you missed his taste. He pecks your lips several times, causing you to giggle, and he joins. The sweetest sound in the world is his laughter mixed with your own.

New York has always felt different, but now this time with Harry has changed your entire view of the city; anywhere you go, you'll see the mark he made on you and this city.

"Thank you for bringing me up here," you look away from the view to grant him a giant smile, and in return, he shines his dimples. You let go of the hand he's holding and wrap your hands around his waist, turning your head to the side to rest on his chest as you continue to stare at the view for a moment longer.

A phone rings, and you know it's not yours because you left it down in the dressing room. Harry sighs quietly, knowing your moment has come to an end.

"Yes?" He mouths Jeff to you as you peek over the ledge when Harry pulls you back with a shake of his head, leading you back over to the stairs. "On our way."

"Where are we going?"

"Glenne just arrived."

Your eyes widen, sad you missed her arrival but know they're waiting for you or, well, Harry. He hurries down, knowing you were about to leave him to go find Jeff and Glenne on your own. It seems you do know each other better than you thought.

Harry walks in first with a smile on his face as Glenne turns and pulls him in for a hug. There are little whispers, and you know Harry is just as excited to see her as Jeff, but not more, of course. She opens her eyes about to pull away when her eyes land on you behind Harry. You offer her a small wave as you see the recognition set in.

She shoves Harry off her and to the side, giving you a big smile, but it drops as soon as she looks at a smirking Harry and Jeff, who is on the verge of laughter phone in hand recording.

"Jeff, why is Y/N Belmonte here?" She asks in disbelief, her eyes back on you, taking you in.

"H is holding her hostage." Jeff jokes.

"It's true, you got to help me, Glenne." You decided to follow along.

Harry scoffs, throwing an arm over your shoulder, "oh, sod off. Here on her own free will."

You mouth help me, knowing Harry would see.

"Hey," he's pouting now.

"Hi," you wink, and just like that, he's a blushing mess.

You step forward, offering her your hand, "It's lovely to meet you; Jeff speaks so highly of you."

"Wow, umm…you as well." Glenne freezes, "to meet you. He doesn't speak of you."

"Now, Jeffery, that's rude."

Jeff comes to stand next to his wife, who now has a small smile on her face. "If I did, she'd leave me for you in a second."

You glance at Glenne, reaching forward to squeeze her hand. "Where you wanna go? I can get a plane in thirty."

"No one is going anywhere. It's my night." Harry interrupts.

You lean in to whisper to Glenne, "a drama queen."

"Totally."

Harry decides not to comment, knowing you were just as excited to meet Glenne as she was you.

"As lovely as this was, we've got a soundcheck." Jeff begins to push Harry out the door, knowing he'd do something to take longer.

"You coming, querida?"

"Yes, I want to see the stage already. You coming right, Glenne?" She nods, "great, you can tell me about the best place to take a photo. Make Naomi jealous."

"You're best friend, right?"

"Yeah, she's the best." You link your arm with Glenne's and begin walking to the stage. Forgetting about Harry and Jeff, who now have fallen behind. Both men sigh, not expecting for both of you to hit it off so well so fast, but really both are glowing with glee.

Soundcheck was over before you knew it, and as much as you liked seeing Harry perform, you spent most of the time chatting with Glenne. She told you how she met Harry when she and Jeff had got together, then how he officiated their wedding and was a total softie. She shared just how much Harry has done for them and that she wishes him nothing but the same kind of love she has found. You shared how you loved jumping from place to place, never a set place to land, until recently and how you were looking for something permanent in London.

As Harry finished, he interrupted your conversation that was now on where you loved buying boots that Harry called you both on stage. That's when you noticed everyone was off recording videos or having their photo taken. It made you smile because everyone was so happy to be there. Niji had been the most joyous; it was his home show. He shared how each time he had the honor to play was beautiful, but now with his family would be even more special.

You walked around all the instruments knowing Harry had not taken his eyes off of you as you made sure to get close, but enough to keep a distance wanting to keep him on his toes. You stopped in front of Niji's keys and sighed as you ran your fingers over them. It's been a while since you played. You looked up and spotted him chatting with Elin.

"Niji," you called out.

"Yes, Y/N." His voice was gentle, as if he knew you were nervous about the question you were about to ask.

"Can I please play your keys?"

"Yes, of course."

You nodded and took a deep breath. You looked up at Harry, who was standing in the center of the stage with a smile on his face nodding for you to go ahead.

As soon as your fingers were on the keys, it was as if they had a mind of their own. You played a short lullaby you learned early on when you first started playing. Everyone had now gathered around, and it was making you nervous. You looked up, locking eyes with Harry, and just like that, all your nerves went away. He had set a calmness around you with just one look of those emerald eyes.

You started playing a familiar tune, one everyone should recognize. It wasn't until you were a quarter into the song did you look up to see Harry smiling in awe of you. Everyone watched on in silence, letting you finish the last notes before applauding. You grew flustered knowing that everyone had heard you play and liked it.

"Well, wasn't that something." Pauli comments, coming over to give you a high five.

"Need a keys player?" You joke, looking at Harry, who was now standing at your side, hand resting on your back.

"Yeah, we can fit one more person up here." You nudge his side playfully.

"Why'd you learn to play cherry?" Harry asks the question everyone had been dying to know.

"It's a sad song, and I like sad songs. Also, Sarai is a big fan. They made me learn in order for them to make me macaroons."

"Worth the macaroons?" Glenne asks

"Always."

Just like that, you all move past your keys moment and begin to take more photos once again. Harry drags you down with him to recreate an iconic photo he has done each time he plays at the garden. Anthony, Harry's photographer for some shows through the tour, was there ready to document the moment, and so were you with your iPhone.

Harry was glowing, you felt; there was whole new energy around him. It was being in this arena knowing so many of his friends were coming to see his show.

After Anthony assured him he got many photos, he pulled you in for your own where you spread out next to him, hands out wide looking up at the glowing words. He then surprised you by pulling you into his side; his arm was thrown over your shoulder, taking in the moment with you, forgetting there was a camera behind you taking a photo of your every movement.

"Thank you for being here."

"Thanks for having me. Hell, I just came into your life, and to experience this with you feels like a huge honor."

"Don't say it like that," he chastises.

"Like what?"

"Like you shouldn't be here. Time with you doesn't feel real, I honestly feel like you've been a part of my life forever, and if I have it my way, you will be."

You lean your head on his shoulder to look up at him, "I want to be here, for as long as you'll have me."

He leans down, lips pressed together in a short kiss, but enough to leave you breathless. "Then expect to never leave."

You stayed with Harry as Ayae did his hair; he always wanted a second opinion, although he didn't need it. Ayae has not failed to make his hair look beautiful each night; you loved when you were on set the stylists would play with your hair complementing how pretty and luscious it always looks. Honestly, you like getting your hair played with, simple as that.

Then Harry made you promise not to come into his dressing room until he sent someone for you, so you agreed. That's how you ended up with glittery white hearts on your cheekbones, completing your look for the night all because Harry volunteered Ayae to distract you. Then she did the same to Pauli, who took a photo with you wanting to remember the moment. You promised Ayae you'd be fine on your own and went to prep the others in the band, leaving you to get ready.

You stood in front of the full-body mirror and looked at your outfit, trying to decide if you liked it or not. You had changed from your leggings and sweater into something you thought was fitting for the night where Harry was going to look amazing. You wanted to look good next to him as if you were always meant to be there. You're wearing pastel pink flares and a black silk button-up, except for this time you've knotted the bottom, unbuttoning a few buttons to show off your pink bralette that matches your pants perfectly. You've got white low heels opting out of boots for the night.

"If you're trying to decide if you look nice, the answer is you do. Like holy hell, if I wasn't married, I'd wife you up." Glenne gushes as you do a small spin for her.

"Thank you, you look amazing." You gesture to her entire look and just take it in. So effortlessly beautiful.

Glenne blushes, "right, H called for you."

"Did he? He's being very suspenseful."

"Has he seen your look?"

"Nope."

"Oh, he ain't ready."

You knock on the door expecting a come in except you hear a lot of shuffling around and muttering, before finally he responds, "come in, eyes closed."

Not one to fight him, you open the door with one hand, the other covering your eyes, "you better not let me run into the couch."

"Few more steps...and stop."

You freeze, having no idea where you're standing, just that the door shut behind you.

"Right, well be hon-"

"-what? Why'd you go quiet?" The silence continues. "I'm going to open my eyes."

That snaps his right back, "no shit, sorry. You caught me off guard. You look bloody magnificent, and I needed to take that in."

"Dork, you scared me."

His laugh fills the room, "sorry, it was your fault for dressing this pretty for me."

"Can I see you now?" Your voice pleading.

"Yes, baby."

You begin to move your hand down, blinking slowly so that light doesn't overwhelm your closed eyes. Once your eyes focus, you see Harry standing in front of you; he's looking down at his boots, a timid look on his face.

He's nervous, and you think it's so precious because he's told you he loves what he does, but at the end of the day, he will always be the boy from Holmes Chapel who sang to his mother and sister from behind a bathroom door. That's when you noticed how similar you and Harry really were; you grew up timid because you didn't have close family members to grow up with besides the elders in your neighborhood and the few friends you made in school. You understand what he meant, shining bright in front of a room of people chanting your name or shooting a film being an award-winning actress. Yet, at the end of the day living life as if none of that prior happened.

You love that in this room together, you both can be one hundred percent yourself, meaning every single wall is down, allowing you to get a glimpse of who Harry really is.

You don't force him to look at you; instead, take in his appearance. He's wearing a black double-breasted suit. The trousers are fitted and make him look taller. The top is what leaves you breathless; he's purposely left it unbuttoned for you. You're stepping towards him as you touch the feathered sleeves of the suit jacket. This is something you've never seen before, but he pulls it off so effortlessly. His tattoos stand out in contrast to his tan skin.

"You're gorgeous," you whisper as you run your hands down the sleeves until you reach his fingers, pulling him in closer to you. "I'm honestly the luckiest person to get to see you in such a gorgeous outfit."

"Others are going to see it."

You shake your head, "not like this, not like me and you. No one will get to experience this private moment where you open up to me and let me take in all your beauty because you value what I think."

Harry's eyes mist over, and you know it's because of your words. "You're perfect, and never forget it."

"Only perfect in your eyes, I feel." You tell him, tracing over the butterfly, giggling as you see him clench his stomach making his abs more prominent.

"Then so be it; I'll remind you each and every day."

"Alright, rockstar, I hear you have to head to the stage soon, so pucker up."

Harry doesn't have a moment to prepare as you lean up to place your lips on his. He's quick to respond; he sets a hand on the nape of your neck to hold you close. You feel him swipe at your bottom lip, and you're swift to let him in. You could never get enough of him, how much he's beginning to mean like home to you, and you know you're in danger.

He pulls back breathless, lips red and plump as he moves down to your neck, leaving a trail of kisses, and he doesn't hold back on leaving a mark right over your heart. You know he can feel how fast your heart is beating, all thanks to him, and you know he's enjoying it.

There's a knock on the door interrupting you, and you're grateful because you're not sure you have said no to anything he would have asked for you even if he had to go make his way on stage. Harry pulls away reluctantly but keeps you hugged to his chest as he yells at whoever knocked to come in.

"It's time, boss man," Luis tells him, shooting you a smile when you peek your head up to look at him.

"Okay," he lets you go slowly. "I'll have my eyes on you. Dance for me."

You feel your gaze soften, knowing he means it, "course I will."

Harry walks out a soft kiss to your hairline, and he's out, leaving you with Glenne, who you did not see appear. Well, it looks like you found yourself a new dance partner for the night.

Standing there in the sold-out arena of night one of five at Madison Square Garden, you take it all in, take in how Harry has gathered everyone in a room where everyone is free to be who they want. And so you dance, you dance with Glenne to the intro of Golden, you get Tommy to dance with you through adore you, and everyone cheers the loudest during 'she' for Mitch's fabulous solo. You sway on your own as you listen to the sadness that falling brings, and once again begin to go crazy with Glenne as sunflower begins with your favorite intro with Harry and Niji. Jeff takes his phone out to record you and Glenne as you sing to each other, taking turns spinning each other around. You all laugh as the intro to 'to be so lonely' begins, and the crowd yells in joy screaming back the lyrics to him.

There's so much laughter and happiness as you all watch Harry shine as the star he is. All the joy is radiating off of him. You know you're going to look back on this day for years to come as one of your favorite days.

You've seen Harry perform fine line a few times now, but his closing speech for the night and hearing the crack in his voice always gets you because you know how much each person in this room means to him. That they want to share this with him, and he's always so grateful. So yes, you cry to fine line as always, but not for the same reasons, but because you're so proud of Harry and who he is as a person and how lucky you are to be here to get to experience it by his side. Your heart softened as you watched Glenne hug Jeff from behind as they swayed side to side, looking up at Harry with so much love. He really had amazing people at his side supporting him.

It's the final song of the night, and the literal ground is shaking. You hold on tight to Glenne as you look around you in shock. There is not a single person not dancing, you even spot a mosh pit happening, and you know this is what true happiness is. To be surrounded by strangers and you allow yourself to dance and sing with them, there is nowhere else you'd find it.

Hell, maybe falling in love isn't so bad if this feeling of happiness never leaves you.

You rush over to the dressing room as soon as the band is off the stage; you find Harry standing there, jacket wide open, and rush into his arms, catching him by surprise as he stumbles back a few steps before getting his balance back, wrapping his arms around your waist.

"You were phenomenal." You mutter into his neck, holding him tight. "I'm so in awe of you. How you do this every night and how you manage to make each person in that arena feel seen."

"Thank you, baby." His voice was barely above a whisper. "I like knowing I can look out into the crowd and find you."

His words make butterflies flutter in your stomach; Harry never fails to make you feel special.

"Think I have got to let go of you now. Lots of people here to congratulate you."

Harry sighs into your hair, "give me another minute. I need a shower, then I'll meet everyone." You nod, having not made a single move to leave his embrace.

He pulls back, making you lift your head up, and that's when you see the cheeky smile on his face and know what he is asking for. You give him a slight nod, and he kisses you with so much passion that if he wasn't holding you, you'd be sinking to the floor.

"Go on, I'll be there soon, querida."

There are many people you don't recognize when you get into the communal area where everyone is going to be hanging out for a while before heading to the hotel and rest to prepare to do it all over again. You stick with Glenne, a bit nervous about all the people that clearly know Harry. Jeff says he can take you around introducing you, and you hesitate before nodding. These are close friends of Harry, of course, you should take a moment to meet them. You are Harry's friend meeting his other friends, and it sets a funny feeling in your chest because he isn't just a friend, but truthfully that is what you are until you and Harry have that talk, you never seem to have time for it.

Jeff bounces you from person to person, introducing you both chatting for a bit before moving on. There are only a few who tell you how much they like your acting, causing you to flush. It makes them smile, with Jeff throwing in the occasional "she's shy" or "she's an introvert," causing everyone to laugh and break the ice, allowing conversations to flow much more effortlessly.

A cheer overtakes the room as the man of the hour walks in; he's quickly wrapped in a hug before the next person continues. It goes on for a while, and you know it's best to give him the time with his friends. You find Sarah hanging out in the back with Mitch, who happily tells you to join them. Sarah tells you how insane it is to play there because you feel the entire stage move, even how she had to reach for the drums as she felt them moving forward.

Before you know it, the whole band is around you, talking about the show, which leads to their favorite arenas they've played, followed by their favorite cities visited, where they are eager to hear your answers. As Pauli speaks about how New York holds a special place, you look up and catch familiar eyes staring at you. You flash him a smile and get an even wider one in return. He gestures his head to the bar asking you to meet him there. You excuse yourself from the band, who all have matching smirks on their face knowing that Harry has finally come back to get you to be by his side.

You lean on the bar seeing it surprisingly empty, and take in the room that is beginning to clear up. A drink is slid in front of you; you eye it suspiciously before taking a sip and humming at the familiar flavor of a Shirley temple.

"Thanks, H."

"You avoiding me?" He questions, his body getting close to you until there is no space left between you.

"No, you're a busy man. Lots of people wanted to see you."

"Darling, how can I introduce you to my friends? When you're hiding out with my band."

"Jeff did introductions," you squeeze his hand in assurance.

He grumbles something before turning his entire body to face you. He sets both your drinks back on the bar. Harry reaches for your hand, bringing one up to his lips leaving a gentle kiss before repeating the same to the other.

"I wanted to introduce you. Show off that I've got the kindest and most beautiful girl at my side supporting me." He confesses.

"H, we need to talk about what we want."

"Then let's do it."

You sigh, knowing he won't stop, so you continue. "It's been only two weeks."

"Yeah, but we've spent every day together since then. We're way past the basics; I've even met your best friend."

"It's not that simple."

"It can be. I like you; you like me. Let's be in a relationship."

"But it's not that easy. I've got a career to get back to soon, I've got interviews and auditions, and I won't be by your side forever."

This makes Harry frown, but you need him to understand, to make him realize you're not living in a fantasy.

"I get that, but you're here now, and I love every minute of it."

You're not sure why you're so defensive of being girlfriend and boyfriend. You're not sure if it's yourself not wanting to get hurt, and you'll prevent that by not labeling anything, but also know your feelings are well past that.

"I'm here now, but what about when I'm not."

"My feelings won't go away," Harry states, pleading for you to understand him. "I know this won't be easy. I know the industry was made for us to fall apart, but I promise I've never felt this way in my life. It is crazy how much I care for you, and I promise to fight for you every day." You've never seen him look so vulnerable and open with you, and you know that you're going to be saying yes.

Just won't be saying it in a room with his crew.

"I care for you too, mi amor. We'll sleep on it; finish this off tomorrow, I promise." Harry nods, knowing he won't get anything more out of you tonight.

"In the same bed?" He replies cheekily.

You chuckle, "yes, Harry. We'll sleep in your room now."

"Go say goodnight. I'm tired." He ushers you as he goes on to do the same.

You did not expect to have this conversation, but a good night's rest will allow you to see this in a new light, and who knows, by the end of tomorrow, you just might be Harry's girlfriend

New York City, New York Night Two

Harry had woken up early as he does most mornings to prepare for the show with his morning workout and now snuggles for you, except he woke up alone. Your side of the bed was cold, meaning you had left him for a while now. He picked his phone up with a huff hoping you'd be coming back soon, but that's when he spots the note attached to the back of his phone.

Hi darling,

Sorry to leave you, but Viola called me early and told me I was needed for a few interviews and to talk over my schedule for next year. Please know it was hard to leave you in bed all alone. I'll make it up to you. Now I'll be in the hotel's conference room.

I'll meet you at soundcheck.

Your, querida xxx

Harry's heart clenches at the sweet note you took the time to write him and makes sure to tuck it safely in his notebook that he has not had time to open and write in due to the busy past two days. He knows he's lucky with the limited amount of work you've had to do, but he misses you. He likes knowing you're close and watching him just as he watches you.

He goes on with his morning without you. Mitch invites him for breakfast, and he accepts only for the chance to see the young bub, only to find out Sarah took him for a walk as he was a little fuzzy. It's safe to say it makes him sad, he just wants a cuddle, and it's the reason why Sarah finds them on the couch with Harry with his head in Mitch's lap as they watch a documentary Mitch had been trying to watch. Sarah knows better than to ask, instead letting them know they'd have to head out soon to the venue.

Harry gets up, knowing he needs a few things to get ready, when his phone chimes signaling he received a message.

Belmonte 💛

Good to know, I'm replaceable. xx

Attached is a photo of his head in Mitch's laugh, with Mitch's hand playing with one of Harry's curls. It's a nice photo, and he gives props to Sarah for being so sneaky about it.

Harry

Yes, because you didn't give me a good morning kiss or snuggles. xx

Harry can picture you laughing at him, and gosh, he misses the sound.

Harry

Miss you xx

Belmonte 💛

Miss you too. See you soon xx

Not soon enough, Harry thinks to himself. He's tempted to go find you in whatever room you're in but knows better not to in the chance he interrupts you. He grabs his bag that holds all his essentials and leaves most of his stuff unpacked as they wouldn't be heading to Florida until the day before, wanting to enjoy their time there also because he wanted to spend time with you outside a venue.

Harry arrives and is greeted once again by most of the staff. He admires all the hard work they put in to make sure he has a good show and knows his crew is working just as hard to do the same. He knows he has the easy job to get on stage and entertain but knows he wouldn't be able to do it without every person on his team who makes it possible.

Jeff pushed up his soundcheck, meaning you were going to miss it as you had an hour before arriving, and it bummed him out. Harry knew there was nothing he could do, but he missed you. He had created a routine, and you were involved. You'd sit on the stage of the steps as he sang out a few songs, then would head to the dressing room together where you sit and meditate with him.

It's safe to say the day has gone by much slower without you by his side, it's nearing lunchtime, and you're still not here.

Glenne

With Bel, all is well. We'll be there soon.

Harry

You nicknamed her. It's cute.

Glenne

Yes, she's a fan of it as well.

Harry

Won't be mad if I use it?

Glenne

I'm honored.

Bel.

His Bel, he's called you all the sweet pet names he likes, and you called him H; it was only fitting for you to have one as well. He's a bit mad he didn't think of it himself.

Now he waits for you to arrive.

It's an hour before showtime, and Harry is angsty, unable to sit still because he's yet to see you. Glenne arrived ten minutes ago and offered no words as to why you weren't here. He didn't want to seem like a bother, so he didn't call.

There's a knock on his dressing room door, and he thinks about ignoring it for a second but decides against it when he finds you standing there with two plates of food in hand, an apologetic smile on your face.

"Dinner?" He nods, stepping aside letting you come in.

You set the plates down on the counter where a few of his hair products remained when Ayae came in earlier.

You turn to look at him, an apologetic look on your face. "Sorry, H. I really am. I know how important today is your second sold-out show, and I promised to be here, but Viola and Emerson failed to mention all this stuff for the start of the week. Then I had to plan out outfits with them for the red carpet appearances I have at the end of the year." Harry smiles at you, ramble on about your day, and he can tell how draining it was as you let out a sigh shooting him a smile as you see he made his way across the room to you.

Harry pulls you in for a much-needed hug on both parts. You wrap your arms tight around his waist, and he relaxes as he feels you let out a deep sigh letting him know that you were allowing yourself to forget everything else and just be with each other.

"Here now. Missed you, Bel." He kisses the top of your head repeatedly as you haven't allowed yourself to pull back just yet.

"Bel, like when you say it."

"Yeah, still just as special."

"Mhm, Glenne might have coined it, but pretty coming from you."

"Gosh, you really are the sweetest."

"Especially for you."

"Sweet enough to kiss?"

Harry feels you pull your head away from where you were resting it against his chest. You look up, locking eyes with him, and that's when he notices your makeup; you've got a darker eyeshadow, and on top are small stars scattered on both eyes.

"Baby, you got stars on you." Harry rests his hands on your cheeks, rubbing his thumbs back and forth over your skin.

"Just for you."

"Take a step back. Need a full look at you."

You do as he says, stepping back slowly in your red heeled boots. His eyes scan you up from your legs and up; he's tempted to ask what you have under but stops himself knowing he won't have time to enjoy that. You're wearing a black short silk dress, and as he scans your neck, he sees you wearing a necklace with several star charms.

"Gorgeous," he rasps out. "You're a dream, baby."

"Harry," you mutter, taking steps back over to him.

"What, just being honest."

You look up at him and pucker your lips, letting him know you want a kiss. He happily obliges, giving you a few pecks until you slipped a hand to the back of his neck, holding him still, and smacked your lips together in a steamy kiss. Harry squeezes your hips enough to leave you gasping when you feel him dig in, allowing him to slip his tongue inside. You don't fight him, letting him lead the kiss bringing you much-needed pleasure. You sigh against his mouth, pulling back as Harry chases after you.

"Let's eat." You lead him over the couch, sitting him down, and then bring over the two plates you'd be sharing.

Harry knew you were exactly what he was missing because being in here with you, he felt calm and relaxed. As if he wasn't frantic and stressed the entire day with you away. He cares for you so deeply; at one point, he was scared to be feeling all of this so fast, but a talk with his mum set him at ease.

She had asked him to imagine his future without Bel by his side, and it tore him up to think she might not be there. His mum, always the wise woman, told him that was his answer and to fight for you every chance he got, and that is what he will continue to do.

"I need to get dressed," he says after picking up both their plates and taking a look at the time of his phone.

You nod, standing up, "I'll head out then."

"No," he reached for your hand, not wanting you to take a step away from him. "Stay with me."

You don't even fight him on it, and he's grateful. You sit back on the couch, hand over your eyes to give him some privacy.

"Don't need to do that," he chuckles as he gets his polka dot trousers from the hanger.

"You want me to look at the goods?"

Harry removes the cream wrap blouse and slips it on. He secures it, looking in the mirror at how you can see his tattoos through the material. You're going to love it.

"Yes, besides myself, only you can see."

"Why is that?"

"Well, you let me see your goods, figured you deserve the same," he replies cheekily. "Open your eyes, querida."

You move your hand quickly as soon as he gives you the go-ahead.

He stands there, arms open to the side, giving you jazz hands, and he gets the reaction he wanted because you burst out laughing.

"This is definitely something," you lean forward, resting your elbows on your knees. "Can see your tits straight through."

"No shit." He sasses.

"Oh, you want them to be seen, such a tease."

"You know it, baby."

You stand up and stop in front of him, you gesture for him to spin around, and he does so with no questions asked. Your eyes are trained on his butt before lifting up to look at the smirk on his face.

"Well-fitted trousers are a look, H. Your ass chef's kiss," you bring your hand up to your lips and make an exaggerated kissing noise.

"So, you like my ass?" You nod; stepping closer, he narrows his eyes at you, not sure what you're going to do. You reach behind him and squeeze his perky bum. "Oi, Bel was not expecting that."

You're smirking, arms crossed as if you didn't just grope his bum, and you know he liked it as well by how his eyes have darkened. "You said I could look at the goods and figured touching was alright."

"It's always alright and encouraged." He tells you, leaning close to you and pressing a small kiss to your nose, making you scrunch it, not at all expecting that.

"Noted."

Harry pulls you in, hugging you, letting your laughter fade out until all you can hear is each other's breathing, and that's how you stay, you're not sure how long you hold each other until there's a knock on the door asking Harry if he's ready. There are five minutes for him to get to the stage.

"I'll see you after, right?"

"As soon as the band is off the stage, mi estrella."

He nods, grinning at you, and walks out behind Jeff as they walk him over to where he needs to be to get under the stage unseen. Harry stops in his tracks when he realizes he didn't do something and turns around, rushing to where he left you. He found you slipping the lanyard over your head, fixing your hair so that it didn't get tucked under.

"Bel, baby," you turn in surprise, knowing he had left but don't have the chance to say anything as he crashes your lips together. It's fast and hot; you grip his shoulders to stay upright. He pulls back breathless, smirking at your smeared lip gloss. "I need my good luck." And just like that, he's off again.

Harry feels on top of the world.

The crowd was terrific, from the moment he got on stage singing 'golden' everyone sang with him. Every lyric being sung with him had him feeling like nothing could stop this. He felt how much the stage was shaking and knew there was a hint of fear in the band, but nothing they all couldn't handle.

Harry took a moment to walk around the stage, waving and blowing kisses to everyone he could. He took a deep breath as he scanned the crowd right before 'cherry' he looked down to where he knew you'd be standing with Jeff and Glenne. He could not stop the smile that overtook his face when he spotted you as you all held up individual signs. It started with Jeff and Glenne to you and ended with Tom. Your signs together read, "I adore Harry!" He loved that Tom was the exclamation point, but what he loved most was how well you got on with friends. This had you and Glenne written all over it.

He pointed at you all, screaming 'my best friends' then blowing you all kisses that you all happily returned. Harry made sure to lock eyes with you as he made a show of catching your kisses and pressing them over his heart.

Harry knew there were cameras all over recording but did not care one bit. These were his people, and he'd show them all the love he could.

The show continued on, pausing every so often to cheer out for New York. He appreciated every place he got to visit and perform, but it's this arena that he felt he really made it all those years ago when his life was changing.

"Every time I play in this building feels so special. I was very lucky to play here the first time on December 3rd, 2012." The cheers get even louder, and he chuckles into the microphone. Hopefully, he'll get to come back for years to come.

The end of the show comes all too quickly after an emotional 'fine line' performance; he was gone for a few minutes to relax before the real ending. He feels like he flies through the last three songs quickly. He's dancing his heart out and really belting out the lyrics to 'kiwi' when he feels his world freeze because he spots you easily behind the crowd with Glenne hand in hand dancing. You're laughing without a care in the world; you don't notice the cameras pointed at you. You look up at the stage a lot, always making sure you have an eye of where he is, and fuck, it makes his heart skip a beat.

Harry wants to end tonight knowing they're something more. He knows what he has to do once he gets off stage.

After the show, Harry feels his adrenaline pumping, and it's not because of the end of the show; it's because he needs to find you. He spots you entering, trailing behind Jeff and Glenne, who he is quick to brush past. He takes a deep breath at your shocked reaction to him skidding to a stop in front of you. He holds your face gently with both hands making sure you're looking at him needing to know you're focused solely on him.

"All cards on the table. I'm putting everything out there for you. I'm all in."

Your eyes widened; you clearly weren't expecting this, especially somewhere so public, neither of you realizing that Jeff has made it, so everyone keeps walking, not letting them linger.

Harry wants you. It won't be easy, but you think of right now, at this moment, there's nothing else you want more. You want to be his; you want to be called his. You want to show him off to your made family.

"I'm all in. I'm all yours."

He looks into your eyes, searching for any hint of hesitation, but all he finds is warmth.

Harry leaned in and pulled you in as he kissed you softly. His full lips lightly moved over your's needing the contact. It meant more than any other moment he had the last two days. It was moving forward in their relationship. It was one step closer to a forever love.

He knows it's too soon to say he's been in love, but this feeling is so overwhelming he's sure if you weren't here keeping him grounded, he'd be floating off to become one with the universe. He understood it now, how much you could care for someone, and he hoped to never lose you.

"Girlfriend," He starts with the cheesiest grin on his face, "wait for me in the dressing room, please. Then I can introduce you to all my friends."

"Sure, H. I'll sit alone in your dressing room as you shower and everyone else parties," you sass jokingly, but let him lead you back to where he left you earlier in the night.

"Bel, come on."

"Alright, I'll wait."

"Thank you,"

He pecks your lip grabbing his bag with his change of clothes and towel. "Twenty minutes tops."

You know he's going to push thirty, but you can't even be upset about it, he's your boyfriend, and well, nothing can ruin that. As you wait, you decide to send a text to Naomi, who you're surprised hasn't called you as much but texted just the same, always making sure to check in with you and remind you that you've missed.

Y/N

So guess who's got a boyfriend.

You know she's sleeping, having had a full schedule at grad school today, but I can't wait for her to answer you in a few hours.

Y/N

It's me! I'm a girlfriend.

A girlfriend, it's been a while since your last relationship, and although you had your fears, it's like they all washed away knowing Harry feels the same as you. You're going to do everything to keep Harry in your life, and you know he's going to do the same.

Harry doesn't introduce you to everyone in that room but never explicitly says 'girlfriend' he told you the label was for you two and no one else. There would be no declaration on social media as so many people tend to do. This is yours, and even though Harry trusts everyone in that room, he's still selfish enough not to share you. Although, you're sure they all assume as Harry never lets you leave his side. You have so many conversations apologizing for not remembering names, everyone telling you it's alright even though in your head you're repeating over and over something they've told you with their name to not forget. Harry tells you to relax, that it's okay, but you like remembering people. You always love that moment; when they see you remember them, a glimmer of joy enters them.

All his friends speak highly of him, mentioning how he's one of the best people they know and how much he's helped or even reached out just to check how they were doing. Harry ends up doing a lot of blushing as his friends talk him up. There are also a few who cheekily mention why you're hanging out with Harry. You shock them all by joining in on the teasing, saying you almost rejected hanging out with him, but who could say no to those puppy dog eyes. That's when everyone realizes how perfect you are together. Not to mention that you both gave each other heart eyes the entire night.

You're finally making your way back to the hotel and are no longer tired. The entire night, you and Harry have been teasing each other with sly touches. He had his hand resting on your waist most of the night, slowly trailing down when you'd find a spot to sit together or at the small of your back where he'd rest it on your ass with a smirk on his face as you made no move to remove it encouraging him more. You gave it back just as much, letting your hands graze his arms, occasionally slipping a hand to the back pocket of his Gucci jeans as you let your other hand rest on his stomach, occasionally slipping your fingers up his shirt to graze his abs.

Harry followed you up to your hotel room, not even having to ask if you'd be sleeping together because the answer would be yes, but you both had something else in mind to do in bed, and it was not sleeping.

You slip out of your boots, rolling out your ankles as you wore them all night. You took a seat on the queen-sized bed as Harry roamed around, stopping at the window to admire the view as you do each morning.

"Your friends are great."

He hums, "they loved you."

"Oh, did they?"

"Yup, told me when you were saying bye to Mitch and Sarah."

"Hmm... I've never thought I was good with people, but with you by my side made everything so easy."

"Guess you have to keep me around."

"I guess so. Doesn't seem so bad to me." You share.

"Why's that?"

"You're hot for one," you say as you head to the restroom to remove the makeup you had one wanting to do your night routine to feel a little more refreshed.

"Go on," he says, intrigued.

"You're filthy rich, and you're funny. The full package." You lock eyes through the mirror, and you catch how his mouth falls open.

"I do sound perfect."

That makes you break your stare as you laugh out loud. Harry is always great at surprising you.

You wash your face with your cleanser, then reach for your next item as Harry comes to stand next to you, handing him the cleanser without a word letting him copy your previous action. You end it by rubbing the hydrating moisture onto your face and neck, looking over at Harry, who looks relaxed and smiley. That felt very domestic, and you loved every second of it.

Harry sits on the edge of the bed where you were seated earlier, legs spread open, and you go to stand in between them, your hands resting on his shoulder as you play with the small curls that are wrapped low by his neck.

"Hi baby," He whispers, looking up at you.

"Hello, sweetheart." You lean down and place a gentle kiss on his nose, "how you feeling?"

"Good, amazing with you in my arms."

"I'm proud of you."

"Bel, angel." His voice is soft.

"Can I show you how proud I am?" Your hands move down his chest to rest over his hardening cock. He hisses at the contact as you squeeze him, not all expecting this but enjoying every second of what you'll give him.

"Yes, querida. I'm yours." He breathes out.

You push your lips against his. Harry responds eagerly, pushing you down to sit in his laps as he enjoys the taste of you. Your lips move in perfect sync as your hands begin to roam every part of his body. Harry bites down on your bottom lip, pulling a gasp from you as you slip your hands up his shirt, needing it off, wanting to see him exposed to you. He slips it off, throwing it to a corner of the room, bringing you back to his lips; you break away when you feel his hands pushing up your dress to your waist, giving you more room to move freely.

You trail kisses down his neck, sucking harshly as you pull a loud moan from Harry before soothing it over with your tongue. He doesn't stop you because he knows he has a few days before the next show. He is giving you permission to mark him as yours. Just as he had done before. You stand up, your dress stuck on your hips as Harry takes in your pink satin panties as you sink down to your knees in front of him. It's a true sight to behold, lips full and plush due to all the kissing; he groans as he can see straight down your dress, and you smirk, knowing you have all the control.

You lean in, pressing kisses on his chest, treating each swallow delicately before stopping at his nipples. You move forward, feeling bold, and lightly licked one pebbled nipple. Harry sucks in a breath. You smiled against his skin and licked him again. When you hear him hiss out a breath, you kiss across his chest and deliver the same treatment to the other nipple. You sucked the hard little peak into your mouth, and at the same time, added pressure with your friends to the moist little peak you left behind.

You look up at Harry. He inclined his head, urging you to keep going. You run your hands down his body, over his firm broad chest, down the ridges of his abdomen, and over his hips. You stop right over the button of his pants waiting for the go-ahead, and after a nod of his head, you're unbuttoning and lowering the zipper. Harry raises his hips to help you get it down past his thighs, and you notice his cock standing straight; you smirk, seeing he was bare the entire night and even then decided to tease you.

You click your tongue, "Sweetheart, your cock's so big, H. So hard. All for me?"

"All for you."

You smirk, "You're naughty, bet you thought of me in the shower, wishing I would have jumped in with you, that I had given you my mouth sooner."

"Baby, please." He moans out as he feels your hands on his thighs, not once touching his cock that's hard and leaking just for you.

You leaned in close, pressing kisses to his thighs, stopping at his tiger, kissing it longer, looking up, locking eyes with Harry as you sucked, grazing your teeth over, enough to leave a bruise behind.

Just as you were about to kiss his tip, Harry stopped you.

"You don't have to do this?" He tells you, holding his hand under your chin, stopping you from moving forward, wanting to make sure you're listening and that you understand that he doesn't need this if you don't want it.

"Good thing I want to. Now lie back and enjoy, mi estrella."

You pause, the tip of his cock poised right at your lips. The sight is so fucking pretty to Harry; he wants it engrained in his head forever. His beautiful girl, in your silk dress with a flush face, is ready to pleasure him. Harry feels breathless and a lot turned on; he imagined this sight but never thought it would be much better than he ever thought.

"You okay?" You check one last time.

Harry lets out a deep breath and smiles, brushing your hair back, and your mouth lifts in a grin. Your tongue laves over the head in one broad stroke, and his eyes sink close.

"Fuck," Harry growls, pushing his hands into your hair.

"You like that?" you say, teasing him, your tongue flicking over him seductively.

"Very much, lovie." Harry feels as if you're spoiling him and enjoys the moment. "Take me deeper, my angel."

You obey, opening wide and sliding your lips all the way down his shaft.

"Y/N…" Harry groans, thrusting his hips up to meet you on the downstroke.

Harry watches every movement you make, licking and sucking. Occasionally, you open your eyes to meet his for a moment before those mesmerizing eyes sink closed again. You make little sighs of bliss as if the act of pleasuring him brings you pleasure.

Harry feels like the luckiest person alive to be sharing this with her, something so intimate and special. You continue to move up and down, and Harry feels his release start to build. Fuck, he needs you to stop. As much as he loves how well you take him, he needs more.

"Love." Using three fingers under your chin, Harry lifts your mouth. His cock slides out between your lips with a soft sucking noise, and he groans at the loss of suction. "I need all of you." His voice comes out in a ragged pant as he watches your expression change from a slight frown to one filled with lust hungry for more.

Harry helps you stand up; you're still all dressed compared to his naked form. You smirk, knowing you had the upper hand here, but not for long. You don't say anything, only reach to your side, slipping the well-hidden zipper down, allowing the dress to pool at your feet. Harry lets out a groan at your exposed breast, revealing you had no bra on all night in that gorgeous dress.

"You want the honors?" You gesture to your panties.

Harry doesn't need to be asked again as he slips them down your legs. He is quick to have you sitting on his lap only to flip you around, finally having you under him. His eyes take you in every curve and freckle; you've never felt so vulnerable yet so wanted. The lust shining in his eyes only ignites more.

He bent down and put his mouth on your breast, covering the nipple and sucking it into his mouth. Your back arched as you gasped, the sensation so sharp. You reached for his head, sliding your fingers into his hair to hold him to you. The soft strands felt like silk against your palm. You wanted to have him this close, always. You sucked in much needing air and pressed his head closer. Harry took direction well; he bit at you and sucked at your nipple, then blew a cool breath across it to make it pucker. He moved to do the exact same thing to your other nipple and, for the next several minutes, proceeded to drive you more than a little crazy.

Harry's tongue flicked at your nipples, which you never considered sensitive. Tonight...they ached with sensation; you squirmed so much, you failed to realize he moved his hands to your ribs to hold you down.

You liked that. Oh, fuck, you liked that a lot. Harry began to kiss his way down your body, your hands dropping to his shoulders. Harry had one thing in mind. He slipped his fingers between your thighs, checking to see how ready you were, and you were soaking for him. A large smile fell on his face; he pressed a kiss to your stomach, getting off of you. Before you could say anything, he pulled a condom out of his jeans pockets. You reached your hands out for him to come back, and he took it, pressing a kiss to your palm before dropping it back to your side.

You needed him, but he stayed just out of grasp. And made sure you watched as he rolled the condom down his length. His intense focus made your lungs struggle for air. You've never been this affected by a man and knew Harry was going to ruin you for life.

You saw the way his expression tightened when he leaned forward again and rubbed the tip of his cock against your clit. Biting back a moan, you reached for his forearms, fingers digging into taut muscles as the ache between your legs built. Your hips rose to meet his, and his lips covered yours again for a kiss that fuzzed your brain.

You needed him inside to fill the aching void and make you come. But he wouldn't move; you were at his mercy.

His kisses were amazing. You cherished each one, but you needed more. You slid your hands up his arms as he worked his mouth over yours; you stopped for a few seconds to pet his shoulder before gliding down his back.

His skin heated beneath your psalm, so smooth. You felt all his muscles and released a moan as you felt each one as your hands smoothed down to his thighs and then up again, teasing closer to the seam splitting his cheeks; you felt his groan rumble in his chest as his hips rocked forward.

Yes, this is what you wanted.

Hands-on his hips, you tugged Harry closer. Except, he wouldn't budge. With a moan, you pulled away from his lips, one hand rising to sink into his hair; you tugged, not hard to hurt, but enough to get his attention. Except, Harry didn't falter. No, he was letting you know he was in control.

Instead of connecting your lips again, he bent to put his mouth on your neck. He laid a string of kisses down your neck to your collarbone then followed that to your shoulder. And then he bit you. The sting made you gasp and lit your entire body on fire, a blazing hot lust eating you up from the inside. And then you felt his fingers rubbing between your thighs once more, testing your readiness.

"Oh god, Harry."

"I like you saying my name. Do it again."

"Harry, please. Harry."

He smirked, "Now you're going to scream it."

You did as soon as he ripped his hand away but replaced it immediately with his cock as he slid inside, slowly allowing you to adjust. You know he was holding back for you. You urged him on as he slid more and more until he was in all the way.

You felt so full, you couldn't stop moaning his name as he began to move his hips. He started off slow, allowing you both to get used to each other, but soon all you needed was more.

"Harry," you moaned, "more, please."

His hips thrust with a controlled speed, fuck, you felt wound tightly knowing you were close. Harry knew that as he felt you squeeze him, he kept you close to the edge. You were close to coming when he would adjust his pace or angle to get you to the edge again. Fuck, he truly loved his edging.

Harry lowered his body until you were pressed together; he held himself up on one elbow to not rest all his weight on you, not that you would have noticed. You were too lost in the pleasure to care or notice. You came with a shudder and moan, sinking your teeth in his pec as he rode you through it. Only when you let your head fall back, gazing into his eyes, did he thrust one last time before holding still and letting his cock pump inside you.

He sighed, dropping his head to rest on your neck, pressing several kisses as you both tried to catch your breath. You've never felt so in tune with someone else; felt as if he knew exactly what you needed. You turned your head, nudged his head with your nose, needing him to look at you, and it's when he lifts his head do you see his emerald eyes staring at you soft, full of, dare you say, love and admiration.

"Hi, mi amor."

A lazy smile takes over his face, "Hi, love."

"You good."

"I'm marvelous, you, love?"

"Good, you're wondrous." You whispered, gazing into his eyes. You see the blush on his cheeks, and it's not because of what you just finished doing.

"You're perfect. Treat me so well."

"Ditto."

You lean forward, giving him a soft peck, "let's get you cleaned up." He leans up and slowly pulls out of you, and you kiss at how sensitive you are. He gets up and gets rid of the condom in the bathroom before coming back with a damp, warm towel. "Got to open up for me, baby." You spread your legs open as Harry cleans you up carefully, knowing how sensitive you are after you hiss at first contact. Harry has his eyebrows furrowed as he focuses on cleaning you, you reach forward to brush his hair away, and he lets out a sigh. "Darling, alright?"

"Mhm, thank you, mi amor."

"Course, love."

You make grabby hands at Harry, wanting him to come lay with you; he laughs, leaning in to kiss you before pulling away, keeping you content for a few seconds.

"H, come here. Time for bed."

He chuckles, "you want something to wear, love?"

You look down before looking up at him shaking your head no, and slip under the covers after Harry strips off the top one. He comes around and climbs in behind you, pulling you in close. Harry has you turn to let you rest your head on his chest as you both relax, taking in the quietness of the moment. It was a magical moment together, and you both know no words are needed because you have each other.

"I'm falling hard, darling." He confesses after a while of laying in bed together after he cleaned you up, knowing you're both close to falling asleep.

"Me too, mi amor."

"Will you catch me?" His voice is soft; you can hear the vulnerability in asking.

"I'm going to try, as long as when I do, I don't lose you."

"Never," Harry assures you.

And that is enough for you.

You sigh, letting yourself relax and let yourself be lulled to sleep to the steady beat of his heart. An arm wrapped around your waist, keeping you close to his side.

You're traveling city to city with a man you're falling in love with. If it's all a dream, you hope you never wake up.

thank you for reading <333 i adore you

it means a lot when you leave me an ask or tags in the reblog. i promise i reach each one. feedback keeps me writing :)

taglist: @alienorknight @harry-is-my-sunflower @myfavfanficsever

orlando part five

[polutrope]

Saeros and Daeron (and semicolons)

So probably the most incriminating charge against Daeron isn't his betrayal of Lúthien's trust, but his friendship with Saeros. At least, it's the character detail that I feel most obligated to explain and defend him against, because yeah - the legendarium really has nothing good to say about Saeros.

Here's the passage from Children of Húrin (emphases mine):

[Saeros] was proud, dealing haughtily with those whom he deemed of lesser state and worth than himself. He became a friend of Daeron the minstrel, for he also was skilled in song; and he had no love for Men, and least of all for any kinsman of Beren One-hand. 'Is it not strange,' said he, 'that this land should be opened to yet another of this unhappy race? Did not the other do harm enough in Doriath?'

From Chapter V, 'Túrin in Doriath'

That semicolon is doing a lot of work ('.. was skilled in song; and he...') Tolkien loved using semicolons to connect clauses that have a causal relationship. The Silmarillion text has dozens if not hundreds of examples.

So - Saeros hated Men. One reason: he had been friends with a guy whose life was rather negatively impacted by a Man (Beren) -- Daeron made his own choices, of course, but that's not what we're talking about right now. Saeros is not necessarily right to make the connection, but the implication is that he blamed Beren for the loss of his friend.

[If you're not yet persuaded but want to be, I ramble some more below the cut...]

I am quite convinced that that is why Tolkien introduces this odd detail to Saeros' biography. Not because he wanted to disparage the character of Daeron (and I could talk another time about how Tolkien's narratives about Daeron really aren't aimed at making us dislike him), but because he is giving Saeros a motive as part of his backstory.

This reading is reinforced in the 'Narn' text published in Unfinished Tales from which (among other things) Christopher Tolkien put together CoH. In this, we also get the point about Saeros being one of the Nandor (Green-elves) who were known for being the 'unfriends' of Men. So that's two reasons that Saeros is prejudiced against Túrin (again, not saying they are good reasons, but they are reasons).

Now, being friends with Saeros might not say much for Daeron's ability to judge character (aside: the quote makes clear that the reason for their friendship was their 'skill in song' - I think we've all been 'friends' with someone because of a common interest without necessarily admiring everything about them). It's obvious that Saeros has a lot of people deceived about his personality, including Mablung and Thingol (Mablung -- whom I think we can agree is an upstanding guy -- despite witnessing Saeros' provocation of Túrin at the dinner table, still gives him the benefit of the doubt up until Nellas' testimony). I don't think we should be hating on Daeron just because he happened to be friends with a guy who did some really awful stuff over two decades after Daeron disappeared from Doriath.

And yeah, Daeron was absolutely not there at the time of these events. He was gone. Daeron, who had been a friend of Saeros, had no opinion on Túrin because he wasn't there. And he had no confirmed opinion on Men as a group, either. (Did he like Beren? Ah, hard no based on the canon evidence - though Tolkien was making alterations to Lay of Leithian to make Daeron less hostile towards Beren ... but I digress once again).

Okay, but if Daeron is not there, some may ask, who is Saeros talking to? The dialogue ('Is it not strange...' etc) has no obvious interlocutor. As with the 'causal semicolon', there are also many examples in Tolkien's writings of this kind of direct quotation that isn't meant to be taken as literal dialogue, but is rather summarising a sentiment held by a person or group of people (if anyone wants examples of this or the causal semicolons, I'll dig them up, but that would make this post even longer and duller).

[lovewithasideoffries]

soullmate au with Peter with the writing on the arm thing. Like they write something and it shows up on their arm and when Peter and El escape (cause they both need good things in life) they end up meeting somehow?

Happily Ever After

hi anon!!!!! sorry i took so long i wasnt sure how to make y/n and peter meet 😭 tysm for the request ilyyyy

Summary: it's in the ask basically

Pairing: peter ballard x fem!reader

Warning: swearing maybe? at this point its not a warning

Word Count: 1k

As Peter sat with 011, he felt a strange sensation on his thigh. Strange but familiar. It was the feeling of his soulmate sending him a message. He was thankful that she had heeded his request of communicating to each other on only their thighs, because that was a spot that would surely not get exposed to Dr. Brenner, and Peter could not deal with getting punished again for simply talking to his one true love. 

Did he truly believe that this random person he shared a connection with was his one true love? Of course not, but it was fun to humour the idea. He was excited to go for lunch break so he could see what she said. 

But the feeling continued, spreading from one leg to the other. Peter checked the time. Oh, it’s because his soulmate is in biology class. He chuckled to himself. He had quite the artistic soulmate. She was always doodling over herself in pen, the simple drawings usually very good. 

He complimented her on her skills often, he was impressed. His strong suit (which was still not very strong) in art was colouring, so it was interesting to him to watch small lines appear on his body to form something amazing.

 As soon as his break started, Peter rushed to his room (more like a prison, really) and pulled his white work pants down enough to expose the black ink decorating his pale skin. Not only were there doodles and sketches, probably song lyrics as well, but a little note was left for him. 

helloooo how ya been? 

He smiled down at the now familiar, messy handwriting scrawled across his thighs. Peter quickly grabbed the black pen Brenner had given him for one of his birthdays, only because one of the children had asked him when it was and when the day arrived, some of the kids made a big deal of it and Brenner hadn’t wanted to seem like he didn’t care. 

Not bad, and yourself?

It only took a couple minutes for her to reply. 

i’ve been kinda stressed lately, just got a lot of homework

What subject?

ugh like all of them

You’re really not a fan of school huh?

gods no, the only bearable part is that theres this cute little cafe right by my school so i can go and get some coffee sometimes before or after school

And conversations like that occurred almost everyday. Messages by default stayed permanent until one partner made an effort to get rid of it. This meant that he had to make the effort to scrub off whatever was on his body before going into the shower room, a shared space with cameras in it, unlike his room. 

He was lucky that Brenner wasn’t interested enough in what he did during his free time to install security cameras in his room. 

But soon enough he wouldn’t have to worry about Brenner at all. Once his plan was in motion he’d never have to worry about stupid Dr. Brenner again. 

“Peter, where will we go now?” 011 asked him as they walked out the back door of Hawkins Laboratory. It was absolutely crucial to his plan that the young girl never found out about that massacre. Somehow, after all this horrible place had done to her, 011 would still have felt some remorse for them. Certainly enough to persuade her not to join him. 

“You needn’t worry about that Eleven, I have somewhere we can go,” Peter reassured her. He was lucky that his soulmate lived in Hawkins. They had arranged the meeting a couple weeks ago. He was aware that she might not take kindly to the fact that he brought along a child with him to stay at her house, but he’d cross that bridge when they got there.

Now that he thought about it, his soulmate would certainly have many questions for him. Questions he could not answer, not without revealing his powers. Was he ready to tell her about those? Not yet, but… maybe someday. 

As he neared the shitty gas station close to the lab that he agreed to meet his soulmate at, he stopped and crouched down to 011’s height. “Okay, Eleven, there will be a girl in there that we’re going to meet. But she can’t know about our powers. Or anything about the lab, okay? So I was wondering if you had a name you wanted to go by? We can’t be calling you Eleven.”

“I need a new name?” 011 repeated, not sure she understood. 

“Yes, it can be anything you like.”

“I… don’t know.”

“Well how about El, hmmm? Like the first part of your name, just without the even part.”

“El,” she said, testing out how she felt about it. “El is nice.”

“Wonderful, let’s go meet our friend now, shall we?’

The two entered the tiny variety store next to the gas station, Peter searched for whoever felt like his soulmate. It sounded stupid, but he had heard stories about the instant connection one was supposed to feel upon meeting their other half for the first time. 

And sure enough, the minute he locked eyes with her, an intrusive happiness filled his mind, yet strangely he wasn’t upset about it. He hurried toward her, holding El’s hand and pulling her along. 

“Hello soulmate, my name’s Peter,” he smiled at her, instantly amazed at her beauty. Her eyes seemed so bright and filled with joy, something he was not used to seeing. 

“Hi Peter, I’m Y/n. And who’s your friend?”

“This,” he gently nudged El toward Y/n, “is my sister. El.”

“Hi El! I’m Y/n. It’s nice to meet you.” Y/n bent down, so her eyes were on the same level El’s were. 

“Hello, who are you?” El asked, timid about meeting someone new. Especially someone dressed in such bright colours as the ones Y/n wore. It was strange. Good strange. But strange.

“I’m a friend. You and Peter are going to be staying at my house,” she smiled at the small child. Peter’s heart warmed at the sight. It seems his worries for El had been over nothing, Y/n was very welcoming to her. 

“Speaking of, we should get going.”

Y/n drove the two back to her cosy little home on the edge of Hawkins, making conversation with the both of them. 

“Well, here we are! Home sweet home.”

“Thank you for this, Y/n, really. I realise that despite the whole soulmate thing, El and I are complete strangers and I appreciate you letting us into your home.”

“Of course. We are meant to be after all. And that makes you and El my family. And I’d go to the ends of the world for family, so letting you stay over is nothing. Besides, we’re like… together now. Aren’t we?” Y/n smiled shyly at him, staring into his pretty blue eyes. 

“If we are, does that mean I get to kiss you?” Peter asked, looking down at her lips.

Y/n leans in, pressing her lips softly to his. “Does this answer your question?”

[pink02]

request: softy carlos? fluff? i rlly want to read smth with kissing rn :-) maybe also can include song lyrics?

Love Like You

Carlos Madrigal x fem!reader

Genre: Fluff, songfic

Summary: When he first saw your bright smile and kind heart, he wanted to know how you did it. How you made it so simple, simply being you.

Trigger warning: None

A/n: it's been a while.... I know this is not in the original Masterlist but I just wanna write this so bad. Also, I don't know how to summarize plots now.

Ignore any grammatical errors, still working on that.

♡♡ Masterlist ♡♡

If I could begin to be

Half of what you think of me

"I know you're not all mean, Carlos," You giggled as you caught him attempting on making a fool out of you.

You would already know he's a bully. Despite being in the same age, he always tries to be bigger so that he could mess with the other kids. The 12 year old mennace is one of the shapeshifting boys that always looks for trouble, though he's more cunning and destructive than his other twin. Carlos would be the one that gets scolded the most out of all the Madrigal grandkids.

I could do about anything

"What do you even mean?! I'm nothing but mean!" Carlos shouts as red crept up to his cheeks and ears from embarrassment and frustration.

This made you giggle more which made his shoulders stiffened, pursed his lips and clenched his knuckles. His plan back fired him resulting to now being the one who was made fun of.

"I don't believe in such, tonto," You held your had over you mouth to sniffle down your giggles. "I could see right through you,"

"What?" This stunned him, wide eyes staring back at you.

"You just wanted to do something fun! Though there are many other ways to have fun not just by pranking and fooling everyone, you know," You grinned brightly and pulled him by his hand to which he was taken aback. "Come on! Let me show you."

I could even learn how to love

.

.

When I see the way you act

Wondering when I'm coming back

Ridiculous, this is so ridiculous, Carlos thought. To think that you actually persuade him on hanging out with you just to have "fun".

The red ruana boy scoffed, arms folded in front of him as he leans on an alley wall looking over you from afar.

I could do about anything

You were with your friends happily conversing with each other, giggling and smiling. This made his heart skipped a beat just by hearing your laugh, his cheeks suddenly turn red.

I could even learn how to love like you

He paused when he heard his name called out but when he gazed up looking for the voice, he saw you looking over at him waving your hand. He abruptly turned his head and walked away with a scrunched up blushing face.

"Is he okay?" One of your friends asked curiously which made you raise a worried brow and shrug in confusion.

I always thought I might be bad

Now I'm sure that it's true

Carlos was again alone leaning against a wall. But this time he is in a social gathering, a party that his own family held to which another year of celebrating the birth of their family's miracle.

He wasn't really a fan of crowded places or parties. He wasn't a fan of people in general to be honest since they would always avoid him. His bad reputation already made people label him as the rebel of the most respected family. Though he didn't mind, if people thought of him like that then so be it.

'Cause I think you're so good

And I'm nothing like you

And again, the shapeshifter was looking at you from afar. Gazing at your pretty face and beautiful dress, you were dancing gracefully to the beat of the music. Your hips swayed as you turn and slide, he was entranced by your swift moves.

Look at you go

I just adore you

He wavered his gaze away from you, covering his red tinted cheeks. You always look so pretty, it made him question how you always look so flawless. It always made his stomach flip whenever you smile, whenever you call his name.

I wish that I knew

"Carlos, Come on! Dance with me!" He was startled at your sudden appearance. One moment you were in the middle of the dancefloor, now you're right in front of him asking for a dance. Before the Madrigal boy even say a word, you pulled him by the hand smiling brightly just like five years ago.

What makes you think I'm so special

.

.

If I could begin to do

Something that does right by you

"This is for you," The young man held a bouquet of flowers in front of you, his head turning away as he scratched his neck nervously.

"Is this not another trick, amore?" You asked mischievously, smirking when he whipped his head back at you with a perplexed look.

"W-what?? No! Of course not!" His cheeks burned.

"I'm kidding! Thank you, Carlos," You giggled and pecked his cheek. "You still look so shy, mi amarido," You smiled as you smelled the sweet fragrance of the flowers.

I would do about anything

I would even learn how to love

"Still not used to hearing that," Carlos laughed breathlessly as he held your hand. You giggled with him feeling his thumb caressed the back of your hand softly.

"I know you will, one day," You replied.

When I see the way you look

Shaken by how long it took

"Carlos..." Your lips trembling into a slight smile, tears forming on your eyes. You layed on the bed exhausted and sweating, he rushed by your side shortly as he heard you call his name. "I did it..." Carlos kissed the top of your head, leaning down to rest his forehead on yours making you both close your eyes slowly.

"I'm so proud of you, amore," He gently held your cheeks and hushed you softly as he heard your sobs. "You did well," A small cry was heard making him open his eyes and gazed down by the sound.

I could do about anything

I could even learn how to love like you

"There there, my little one." He gently lift the child to his arms and caressed his soft cheek. "Tu papi is here," the now father rock his new born son gently making him quiet down.

Love like you

"We're parents now..." You said between soft sobs. Carlos turns his head back to you just as your child now falls asleep. He wiped your tears with his thumb and gently leaned down to kiss your lips softly.

"Parents.." He echoes.

Love me like you

Taglist: @belladonna271 @sunnth @dai-tsukki-desu @ale-creates-worlds @camilos-mivida @nothearts4yu @bxbykayla join my taglist here!

A/n: Dad!Carlos? Ehhhh? Ehhhh?? This had been in my mind for so long and I just want to put it here.

It has been two months... hahahaha I have missed so much.

[allieebobo]

i thought you might find it fun that i stumbled onto this tiktok and went "oh that's my Enby On The Men's Team!MC for College Tennis. their dance moves are their Big Guns of a weapon for flirting - Oooh Look At Me, You Know You Want Me And Nobody Can Blame You, Watch My Body, Wish Your Hands Were On It, WOOOH" like. imma multishipper so im just going. Dayum. Imagine Them And Tobin Showing Everyone Up And Their Teammates Fake-Gagging When They Dance Again On The Way Home. Imagine Them Dancing While Rayyan Watches Until Rayyan Finally Stands Up To Claim Their Partner. Imagine Them And Sam Giggling While They Dance Ridiculously. Imagine Them And G At Another Party And Then Again In Private. Just Imagine Their Team Going "OOOOOHH!!" During MC's Smug, Adrenaline-Fueled Victory Dance.. Bonus Points If They Can Get Their Doubles Partner To Do A (Far Easier) Little Coordinated Jive With Them

just. thanks for the ability to make the MC a dancer. i really like all the opportunities to show how much music means to MC (singing with their dad in the car, their mom's mix-tape, dancing at the resteraunt and the party, so on and so forth). it's a detail i really like and now have headcanons about how theyve learned and what music means to them (and, yes, their major is related haha). and, bRUH, you KNOW i am playing a Lead Singer (who got late bc of a work emergency as Nat sighes that they are a workaholic) and selecting Kareoke As The Family Tradition for Merry Crisis, and taking that Qiu Listening To MC Sing headcanon as canon. i cannot wait to see more of music playing a recurring role in both games, you know what ill be picking for my MC to be doing every time music/dancing is available, theyre both now experts forever and always haha sending you lots of love and inspiration, all the respect to you and your craft ❤️❤️❤️❤️ hope you enjoy the lil dancey tiktoks hahaaaa

OH MY GOD I forgot to actually reply to this!!

Sorry, I absolutely 100% LOVED this, because bruh, you've got a whole universe of CT:OS headcanons in the form of tiktok dances here. (How very, very '21st century modern art' of you).

I especially especially loved the idea of Tobin and MC dancing/jiving to music at Valentina's in public (or wherever, really, at a party, maybe during a random lunch stop as they drive to an away game etc.) just for fun, and just being ridiculously good at it and being cheered on by everyone watching, and then driving back from somewhere and finding some little pocket of time to dance for just themselves, with everything/everyone else melting away. Also that one with Sam dancing ridiculously with MC: I can 100% see that happening with those jokers.

I am also 1000% in love with the idea of a coordinated doubles partner victory dance, and it is absolutely canon that Tobin would do that with MC. In fact, it's so canon that I'll give you my word to write that in. Rayyan will be... far more difficult to persuade, though :P

Also - you are absolutely right (that was some high level literary analysis you did on Merry Crisis HAHA) I didn't even realise I'd jam-packed so many music-related scenes/concepts/choices into (both) IFs. Super cool how you've got so many threads linking Qiu and Nat and your family in one playthrough alone. You're going to think this is absurd but Shay is also (and this is canon) a drummer in a band? I'm SORRY I PLANNED IT ALREADY, BEFORE I READ YOUR ASK!!

I guess it just happened because for me, music has always been so intimately entwined with memories (both good and bad), and spending time with people I love (family, friends, romantic partners). I don't think there's been a big moment in my life that I don't associate with some song or music.

Thank you so much for sharing this :) Also, p.s. this is not helping my CT:OS/Merry crisis blog divorce, at all :P I don't even know how to tag this.

[sweetrabbit]

ah! i am completely inlove with you already!

pairings: Bill Denbrough x asian!fem Reader 

sort off based off of this song:

genre: unrequited 

summary: it’s hard to watch him fade away, but there seems to be a new light coming into view 

warning/s: envious bill?? (no warning that i know of) 

note/s: part 2 of “look at you auburn boy’ ! reader works at a diner??!! some filipino rep WOOOO and blooming wlw relationship. aged up by a few years, maybe 17-18 

a/n: sorry this is so short or that it feels rushed/unfinished, but if i feel like it i might as well write one more part ;)

part 1 ! part 3 !

“hey y/n, can i order another strawberry shake, pretty please?” richie pleads, his already large eyes, growing bigger trying to create puppy eyes to persuade the girl.

“really? this is your 4th shake today! my manager will yell at me if we run out..” she twirls around, the blue skirt following her movements.

“thanks sweet cheeks!” the raven headed boy yells out, the losers giggle as eddie goes on ranting about how he’ll get a tummy ache if he drinks too much.

ding

there seems to be more customers. going to look, y/n locks eyes with a girl whos smile was as bright as the sun, her aura illuminating walks along the beach, or rides with ones love. her sweet laugh ringing across her ear.

the girl was Elisa Castro, a filipino who was recently welcomed around ben’s street.

every time y/n would pass by elisa, a warm fuzzy feeling would flourish inside.

but that’s nothing like how she feel’s about bill… right?

✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:

the losers watch her stumble and stutter with her words, her unusually high pitched voice and hands scrambling to write down what the family of three ordered.

elisa smiles at the girl in front of her, giggling at how cute she was being, proclaiming she would pinch her cheeks if given a chance! 

bill watched from across the diner, grudge in his eyes as y/n laughs at every ‘stupid’ joke that castro would produce.