#I was in for the shock of MY life when I found out

[hitlikehammers]

(not your average) seven minutes ⏰ ♥️

or: what if Steve had been ‘playfully’ locked into a room by his drunken not-friends at that infamous Halloween party in 1984, for 💕Seven Minutes in Heaven💞!

…and no one realized Eddie Munson was already hiding inside 🫥

Steve just wants to get the fuck out of this place, this party, this fucking…bullshit life he’s found himself in. He’s not at his best, under-fucking-standadably, so when the drunk-ass Halloween masses push and shove and giggle as they lock him in an upstairs bedroom for—oh god, Seven Minutes In Heaven, what are they, goddamn twelve—he’s going to fucking scream, he— “Not quite what you were expecting behind Door Number One?” Steve spins, a little jump in it when he looks for the source of the voice which sounds familiar and then also, not, because Steve thinks he should know a voice like that, because it’s a good voice, a really good voice, it’s not too deep but it’s smooth and it’s— It’s a good voice, basically. And when he finds its owner, shadowed by the curtains in the corner, well. The leather jacket would’ve given him away if the mess of frizzy curls weren’t kind of an automatic tell: Eddie the Freak. Half-hidden as he flips a clear antique of a lighter too fucking close to the gauzy drapes and it…it does something. To Steve. It does something to Steve.

rating: t ♥️ tags: s2 era, alternate meeting, that ONE HALLOWEEN PARTY (you know which one), steve meets eddie immediately after nancy does her drunken bullshit thing, seven minutes in heaven meets truth or dare, (weirdly more effective than you’d think), first kiss(es), fluff, humor, boys being boys, climbing out of windows (like a ninja🥷), getting together (?) ♥️

again: originally a fill from @eddiemunsonbingo forever ago, and I’m only bringing it over here NOW because it’s going to have a sequel show up soon for @steddielovemonth—which I thank profusely for giving me the kick in the ass required to revisit and actually try to finish this series!

“Oh my fucking god.”

Steve honestly doesn’t know if he’s going to start crying or throwing up quicker, like which one’s closest to the surface; keeping his balance as the shock, the jagged parts that draw blood when your heart gets crushed to shards leaving him susceptible—pathetic, fucking pathetic— to the pushing and pulling and grabbing of the throngs of trashed partygoers shoving him away from the front door, pushing harder every time he tripped up the stairs, laughing and yelling and chanting and fuck, fuck he doesn’t need this, he doesn’t want this, and he doesn’t even know what the fuck it is, just that it’s not his car, and then his house, and then his bed where he can…let it all come crashing down and not have a fucking audience, just: goddamn.

As soon as a door’s thrown open and she’s shoved to stumble hard, catch his nails to bending, bleeding against the light switch as the lock clicks behind him—well fuck.

He gets it now.

Fuck.

“Not what you were expecting behind Door Number One?”

Steve spins, a little jump in it when he looks for the source of the voice which is familiar and then, not, because Steve thinks he should know a voice like that, because it’s a good voice, a really good voice, it’s not too deep but it’s smooth and it’s—

It’s a good voice, basically.

And when he finds its owner, shadowed by the curtains in the corner, well. The leather jacket would’ve given him away if the mess of frizzy curls weren’t kind of an automatic tell: Eddie the Freak, half-hidden as he flips a clear antique of a lighter too fucking close to the gauzy drapes but…it does something.

It does something Steve doesn’t want to dwell on, the kind of thing he’s kinda been working really hard and doing pretty fucking well and not dwelling on but then…maybe like, any other night, any other hour of any other night? Steve maybe would have turned, and at least tried to force the door open; maybe he’d have pushed it down like he’s been getting real good at, almost to the point where he doesn’t even have to think about it, the thing itself or the pushing it down: in fact he’s absolutely sure he’d have done just that. Any other night. After any other fucking night.

But it’s all bullshit anyway, so like, why even bother, what does any of it even matter, Barb’s dead, blood’s on his hands apparently for a pool he doesn’t even fucking pay for, his love’s fucking nothing and the voice from the corner, hell, even the jawline the flame’s casting sharp every other second, every flip open then stealing away with every flip closed: that’s something and so, like.

Any other night. It’d be different.

But it’s this night.

“I wasn’t expecting any door except the one on the front driver’s side of my goddamn car, man,” Steve sighs and throws his weight against a dresser—plain. Really plain—kid’s room. Not too young. Boy’s room. Little brother of…fuck, Steve can’t even remember whose house they’re in.

“I can see where this would definitely count as,” Munson’s tongue runs almost contemplatively over his lips as he tips his head; “a deviation from the plan.”

Steve snorts; he means it to sound amused, because he is that. Honestly he is.

But it sounds like it get halfway there, before it nosedives a little into a half-stifled sob.

Goddamnit.

“You okay, Harrington?”

Oh. So not only is he recognizable, he’s also recognizably not fucking okay.

That’s just great.

��My girlfriend says I’m bullshit,” Steve has no fucking idea what makes him just say it, to basically a stranger at that, and fuck, no, not a stranger: this stranger, who Steve knows enough of but who Steve’s pretty sure knows too many things about him for comfort, just—he doesn’t know what makes him say it. “That loving her is bullshit.”

Actually: probably that’s it. Bullshit, versus something. Munson’s eyes stay fixed on him the whole time, even as he keeps flicking the lighter.

“Does,” Munson starts, and in his good-voice, he sounds almost, like, hesitant. Which isn’t a way Steve really associates with the guy, if he associates anything with him at all but apparently yeah, he does, because he’s absolutely certain this shit’s out of the norm: “like, not to be a dick, seriously,” yeah, yeah: this is like a gentle voice. Careful. Care…caring?

And, like…why?

“But does that mean she’s still your girlfriend?”

Oh. Pity might be why. That’s fun.

“Shit,” Steve rubs his hands over his face, fucks his hair up even more than it’s been which is possibly not even possible. “Probably not.”

Munson lets out a breath that’s almost a whistle, and looks genuinely regretful—again, why, most of the people he hangs out with would probably celebrate Steve’s suffering, so like, what the fuck—

“That sucks man,” Munson says, honest, like, really honest as he para down his…surprisingly tight jeans until he extracts a pre-roll from the front picked and holds it out in offering: “on the house.”

Steve needs that shit bad enough for it to be maybe the only thing he doesn’t question in all of this.

“Thanks,” he says as Munson holds out a light and Steve leans in; the guy smells of party sweat and too many bodies, of Kate autumn air and cheap cologne. He smells…

It’s a good smell. It matches his good voice.

“You wanna?” Steve offers on impulse after he takes a lungful and maybe a little more, maybe a little too much—greedy, needy, bullshit—and holds it back to Eddie as he breathes out slow, tries to keep it all in as long as he can but not…not in a pushing-it-down kind of way. More a making-the-most kind of way.

“Do you wanna?” Munson asks, eyes so wide, like a baby animal or something. Like a cartoon character. Steve just keeps holding the joint out to him, close enough that his lips will touch Steve’s fingers if he wants them to, and in Steve’s head he feels like he’ll call him Eddie, in his head, if his mouth brushes his skin.

It does.

Eddie it is, then.

And Steve’s real good at shoving down things like the way his heart skips and fucking jumps, runs a little—he’s good at it.

But not tonight.

“They always double the time, ‘specially when they think they’re being funny,” Steve licks his fingers where Eddie’s mouth had touched because why the fuck not, and he slides down the simple preteen dresser and leans back on the palms of his hands as he sighs out the words and the remaining smoke in his lungs, but let’s go of none of the taste he’d lapped off the skin around his knuckles. Not that. “Probably longer than that if they’re as drunk as they looked.”

“Ah,” Eddie kinda, almost, hums through the purse of his lips before he offers the smoke back Steve’s way, and if Steve makes sure his lips drag over Eddie’s fingers, what fucking of it. It does make the space between his inhale and Eddie’s willingness to say any more words out loud a long quiet pause where Steve’s pulse runs high between his collarbones but it’s…it’s not bad. And Steve kinda wants to keep that in his back pocket, for later: the thing he’s gotten so good and pushing down might not feel so goddamn bad, up near the surface where it’s still able to breathe.

Huh.

“So you’re up here on a mission,” Eddie finally says, a little choked but not like you choke on a weird drag, y’know? Different choking. Steve feels the urge to smirk and while he doesn’t give into it?

It’s definitely there.

“As far as they’re concerned,” Steve says with…Steve doesn’t know what he says it with. How he says it. How he means it.

“You don’t look drunk,” Eddie saves him from dwelling on that particular unknown, lets him course correct with a little scoff.

It also distracts him from how Eddie sits next to him. Not too close, but still pretty fucking close.

“I know my limits.” Which is why he takes back the joint without a single thought and does the maybe-too-much thing, because it feels good, and lets himself look for the taste of Eddie on the paper: salt and a tang of something and then sweetness, like fucking candy.

It’s a good taste.

“I’m probably a little drunk,” Eddie declares without sounding it at all, and taking to the eeed again without a secondly hesitation; “more like tipsy, really, if that, but still, totally not my style,” he frowns, like it really isn’t, like he’s disappointed in himself. It’s kinda…cute.

Fuck.

“I don’t touch shit at these parties but I was thirsty as fuck,” Eddie gestures with his free hand, and it’s the first time Steve’s notices how his run at glint: good hands; “haven’t eaten all day and thought I’d beat the punch spiking.”

“Aww, man,” Steve moans on Eddie’s behalf, sympathetic; “the punch is always pre-spiked.”

“Duly noted,” Eddie nods, holding the joint to Steve’s lips straight on this time, and Steve thinks nothing of breathing in without touching it himself, letting Eddie decide when to pull it back. “Point being, on an empty stomach, even one such as myself,” Eddie gestures broadly at his person with the nearly-spent smoke: “is not immune.”

Steve huffs a little laugh; he kinda wants it to be bigger but he’s feeling…soft. Nice.

Good.

“So we’ve got somewhere between seven and…” Eddie glances at his wrist as if he’s expecting a watch there; Steve wants to know if he forgot one he normally wears or if it’s all for show: “thirty minutes, by your estimation?”

“Thereabouts,” Steve shrugs. You can never really know for sure.

“You umm,” Eddie ventures after a few seconds; “you want to talk about, umm,” and he trails off, but the implication is clear.

“Not,” Steve’s saying before really thinking;“not really.” It’s actually kind of weird how much he means it, too. “I was trying to get home.”

“Drown your sorrows?” Eddie surmises, but Steve shakes his head.

“Wasn’t even gonna bother,” and his asshole father’s got the good shit, too; Steve probably could have managed a decent bit of wallowing with minimal hangover. “Just wanted to get out, clear my,” he clears his throat, though he’s not sure why, doesn’t really thing he needs it: “head.”

Then Steve turns to look at Eddie only to find Eddie already looking straight at him.

That’s…that’s something.

“Then they shoved me in here because they’re all fucking assholes,” Steve chuckles a little, does his damn best to make it clear he’s only calling the dickheads downstairs assholes; not…not Eddie.

Like it was an asshole move to shove him in here but, not because of Eddie.

Like, at all.

“And drunk off their asses,” Eddie grins, a very good grin, and Steve matches it as best he’s able because it means his comments landed okay, the right way; “swear I didn’t sell anything hard enough to be the culprit.” Steve snorts, and Eddie matches that and all the matching feels…it feels.

“It’s funny though,” Eddie comments, a little idly once the laughter’s echoed out. Steve tilts his head, all question.

“No one knew I was in here,” Eddie gestures to the whole of the not-very-big room. “It’d be one thing to prank you and shove you in here with me, ha ha,” he tosses his head back and forth and sticks out his tongue like Steve knows he’s done on the tables in the cafeteria more than once but it’s softer, here, it’s almost warm or playful and maybe a little self…deprecating? Steve thinks that’s the word but whatever the word is, Steve doesn’t love that it’s there alongside everything else.

“I mean, insulting as shit to you, so they probably wouldn’t have done that to you,” and Steve frowns because yeah, these parts are thinks he loves at all; “you’re still royalty,” and Eddie pops on an accent and bows his head and it’s not mocking like it would be in school, but.

Steve doesn’t fucking love that either.

“Fuck that,” Steve’s quick to kind of…bite out. Like, hard. “And hell, if I am fucking royalty,” he air-quotes the word because fuck it, fuck it all; “it’s not for much longer.”

Eddie settles, and watches Steve almost…careful. Like maybe he’s looking for something. Or else, he’s taking the time to really get something from whatever he does see.

It’s weird. Steve doesn’t know what to do with being looked at to be seen.

“Think I’ll be glad to be rid of it, to be honest,” Steve says, picks at the beds of his nails a little, something he’s learned from all the girls he’s dated for a few days here and there—distraction.

But he means it, he realizes that for absolute certain as soon as he says it.

“Huh,” Eddie finally says, and it’s said…like it means something.

Something maybe…good. Or like it could be. Can be.

Huh.

“Anyway, they would have thought the room was empty,” Eddie picks back up, stretches a little and oh. Oh wow, he’s got a long neck when it’s all stretched out. It’s…it looks good.

Then Eddie cuts his gaze sly toward Steve and smirks: “Who were you supposed to fucking have your seven heavenly minutes with?”

Steve rolls his eyes and smirks lazily back in Eddie’s direction.

“My hand?”

Eddie’s eyes widen a little, and they’re…they’re really close, like, either Steve didn’t notice before or they’ve gotten closer.

Eddie’s lips are…really close.

“Oh, well,” those close lips are saying, but that good voice is kinda too-soft for the tease: “don’t let me interrupt.”

Steve blinks a couple times, to make sure he heard right.

“Sorry, that was—“ Eddie starts to walk it back but once Steve’s done with his blinking?

He fucking busts out laughing. Like…the embarrassing, snorting, pitchy kind of laughter.

“Funny,” he gasps a little, waving Eddie’s concern away because it was, it was: “That was funny, man.”

Maybe Steve thinks it’s too funny. But once Eddie shifts from shocked to something more like pleasantly surprised?

It feels like it was the perfect level of funny.

“Okay,” Eddie says as his grin grows but gets ducked into his chin, as his hand fumbles for a stand of his hair like he can hide behind it, which is silly, and weird.

And…endearing. Steve wants to see what that strand of hair feels like.

Also weird. Maybe silly. Maybe too much, maybe bullshit—

“Hey,” Eddie’s leaning toward him, and if Steve thought they were close before, that was a fucking lie in comparison because holy fucking wow, is Eddie close. He’s got freckles on his nose. Steve never would have guessed. “Want me to be funny some more?” He asks, a little loud, a little too bout any and bouncy and…like he means it, like he wants to be this thing but not so much for himself, or else not just for himself, but for Steve.

No one does shit like that for Steve.

“Your eyes are too pretty to be sad.”

Steve’s eyes aren’t too fucking pretty to nearly pop out their goddamn sockets when those words register in his ears, in his brain, make his chest tight in a kinda fucking terrifying way but such a good way and Eddie looks so scared, and Eddie’s eyes are too pretty to be scared and, oh shit.

“Truth or dare?”

The question kinda just pops out, which is…not ideal but better than his eyes doing that, so: win. And Eddie’s eyes shift from scared to stunned, confused—both better options. Double win.

“What?”

Steve clears his throat this time because you genuinely fucking needs it. “Gotta do something to pass however many minutes they leave us here, don’t we?”

Because it was definitely a seven-minutes-in-heaven set up. And Steve doesn’t know how long they’ve passed so far but he wants it to be a while longer that they’ve got left and distractions, distractions to keep from dwelling—

“Truth.”

Oh. Alright.

“Just my eyes?”

That, Steve clocks right after saying it, is the exact opposite of not fucking dwelling. He feels a little sick.

But his heart’s leaping like it’s never been free of a fucking cage until this moment, so it’s confusing.

Eddie looks confused too, so on top of it: Steve’s not even alone. In being confused.

And Steve’s alone so much. This is…kinda nice.

Kinda good.

“Is it just my eyes that are too pretty?” Steve says, for clarity. And Eddie swallows so hard Steve can hear it; fuck, he swallows hard enough it has to hurt.

“No,” Eddie says, tiny and faint before he straights his spine and looks Steve straight on: intentional.

Bracing for impact.

“Truth or dare.”

Steve’s kinda tired of being daring on principle. Generally. He’s terrified of the truth but…shit.

“Truth.”

“Are you fucking with me right now?” Eddie doesn’t say it mean. But he does say it in a way Steve couldn’t have lied to him about if he wanted to even try.

He doesn’t though. Want to try.

“Literally or, like, figuratively?”

The implications of that answer hit a little belatedly and Steve feels his cheeks go read as Eddie’s breath punches straight out of his lungs:

“Jesus H. Christ—“

“No, to both,” Steve answers quick before he loses his nerve, because maybe the truth was as daring, more daring even, than anything else. “Not even a little bit. For either.”

Eddie’s throat works around words he doesn’t say for a long stretch of seconds. Steve’s heart’s in his throat so, he thinks he kinda gets the feeling.

“Truth or Dare,” he forces out. Because it’s his turn.

“Dare,” Eddie barely breathes. Steve wasn’t expecting that, but the ready response makes it clear that deep down, he was hoping.

“Give me my seven minutes.”

Eddie freezes. Coughs. Pales a little before he stumbles over words less like he’s avoiding anything and more like he’s really that unbalanced. Shocked out of sync.

“With your hand?” he asks, a little squeak in the pitch of his voice. “Like, turns my back, cover my ears?”

Steve huffs a nervous little laugh. Nervous but…undeniably fond.

“No, dipshit.” The implication is…pretty fucking clear.

“You’re heartbroken,” Eddie points out.

“Maybe less that I thought I’d be,” Steve answers honestly, surprises himself; and maybe that’s for a damn good reason, too. “You’re ‘tipsy’.”

“Increasingly less so by the goddamn second,” Eddie confesses, his eyes fixed to Steve’s lips before flickering back up, so so wide:

“Harrington,” he whispers, sounding kinda lost; “I don’t—“

“It’s fine, if you,” Steve’s quick to regroup, even though his pulse is trying to choke him—stupid, needy, idiot, too much, greedy, dumbass, fucking bullshit; “you can forget it.”

Steve would like to forget it, kinda immediately; letting himself want. Letting himself try.

“I don’t,” Eddie starts again, but Steve can’t stand it, can’t beat it: that good good voice trying to make this anything but a goddamn catastrophe.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t like, mean to,” and fuck, Steve’s not only clearly suggested some very dangerous things about himself he’s only starting to even be willing to think about coming to grips with but what about what he’s assumed, implied about Eddie, guys don’t take lightly to that shit, oh fucking hell; “I don’t, you know, like, do this,” he tries to salvage, and even he knows it’s a pathetic attempt; “like this—“

“I don’t fuck around with straight boys as a rule, see,” Eddie blurts out in a rush, color high on his cheeks; “keeps my poor squishy gay heart from bruising.”

And Eddie; oh, oh—

Those eyes are too damn pretty to look so scared.

And maybe it’s less about truth being safer than a dare, maybe both are a risk in their own way and maybe…maybe both just require that you’re brave.

Steve can try to be brave, maybe. Just this once. This one night that’s different, where he’s not pushing it all down.

“If I told you,” he says slowly, so slowly because it’s hard to fight what he knows so we’ll; “if I said I didn’t know, yet, how much of a bend there might be in my kind of…straight?” Steve frowns, brow furrowed; that came out so goddamn weird, but he makes himself look at Eddie when he asks:

“Would that change anything?”

Eddie gapes at him, a little like a fish, and Steve goes back to the beginning: he’s equally likely to start sobbing as he is likely to throw the fuck up—but Eddie blinks, and his head tilts and he reaches slow, tentative, like he doesn’t know if he’s really allowed but also like he wants to make sure Steve can cut and run before his hand meets Steve’s cheek.

He is allowed, though. He’s…Steve is pretty sure he’s fucking welcome.

“Would,” Eddie murmurs incredulously, thumbing Steve’s lower lip before he does the slow thing, leaning while leaving an out but Steve doesn’t want a goddamn out.

He moves forward in a blink and kisses Eddie with all the skill and know-how he’s woven together into making the people he kisses feel good, and he puts his whole self in, all the concentration and focus and investment he’s got to make it…great, if he can.

But then something kind of wild happens.

Because it kinda feels like Eddie is…doing the same thing. Like Eddie wants Steve to feel all those things just as big and sure.

Steve doesn’t…Steve’s never been kissed like this. Like that. Like his half of the deal isn’t just a given.

Eddie’s tongue in his mouth, though: Steve has to run on pure instinct; his partner never does that shit first.

It’s fucking amazing. And given the moans he gets, the wet sucking sounds and the panting before they reconnect again, then again: Steve’s willing to bet his instincts are pretty solid.

They finally break for more than a second and Eddie’s hands come to Steve’s chest for balance as he gasps, as his hair falls in a curtain between them and Steve’s barely got the breath in him to speak yet when he covers one of Eddie’s hands with his own and half-whispers.

“Come on,” and he’s tugging Eddie to standing, both of them a little wobbly on their feet for a second or two before Eddie stills.

“We’re locked in,” he seems to remember in real time, like the whole kissing thing—not quite seven minutes; maybe more than seven minutes; not e-fucking-nough either way—knocked reasonable thought out of him for a second, there.

“The window,” Steve’s prepared for it, leads him over with their hands still kinda just covering each other, kinda holding one another, kinda a lot of things. “I’ve been here before, we can get out,” because yeah, he knows the house even if he still doesn’t remember who it belongs to; “and you haven’t eaten,” Steve remembers that clear as day, frowning at Eddie, almost scolding him.

Eddie lights up, though. Like maybe there are things no one’s really ever thought of for Eddie, too. Like, maybe Steve wasn’t the only one finding out someone could…pay attention.

Like he was worth paying attention to.

And like…Eddie? Steve doesn’t know exactly what to do with all the things that are tied up in everything he pushes down, where they’re bubbling up and seeping from his pore or some shit, but what he does know, without a doubt?

Eddie Munson is very much worth paying attention to.

“What the hell’s even open,” Eddie says, and Steve takes a second to add it up—food, he needs food—and he grins, and like…he kinda can’t help it? He definitely doesn’t think about it before he kisses Eddie, hard and quick and more smile in it than…he kinda remembers having, or giving, like…

More than he remembers. At all.

Huh.

“Benny’s if we’re quick,” Steve breaks off and pushes the window open; “otherwise the kitchen at Casa Harrington makes a hell of a TV dinner this time of night,” he tosses a grin Eddie’s way that’s nothing like he uses on the girls, he can tell, can feel it: it’s goofy and sincere and…yeah. “Probably got like a Salisbury steak one.”

It’s Eddie who leans, quicker and more like he’s stealing it, like he’s sneaking it and jumping back quick just in case he gets caught and it’s in doing that exactly that Steve has the incredibly clear sense, amidst all the unclear shit in his chest and his brain and his everything, that he…wants to catch Eddie.

“Fancy,” Eddie grins, and oh fuck.

Oh fuck, those dimples.

“Only the best for my honored guests,” Steve pokes one of those heavenly fucking dimples and oh.

Oh.

Steve’s making sure the window won’t fall on them as them climb down when Eddie leans close, looks down, and talks really close to Steve’s ear:

“They’re a reason we didn’t bail from the get-go?”

Steve wouldn’t hide the way he shivers if he tried.

“Honestly?” Steve chuckles, light with it, maybe…and he’s not sure okay, he could be making shit up and talking out his ass but, like, maybe he’s…

Free with it. Free with it?

He looks at Eddie who’s still grinning, dimples and all.

Free’s close enough.

“I don’t know, wasn’t really thinking,” Steve admits, and then tries the brave thing one more time: “truth or dare?”

Eddie’s answer is immediate, leaned close again against Steve’s shoulder, close at his ear:

“Truth.”

“Will you be angry if I said I wasn’t mad,” Steve turns, and their lips are so close: “that I didn’t think of leaving from the start?”

“Oddly enough?” Eddie grins so near that just the motion brushes their mouths. “Not even a little bit.” Then Eddie leans closer, means to, and doesn’t run like he’s stealing anything this time when he kisses Steve like he means it.

Then he’s speaking straight against Steve’s lips: “Truth or dare?”

And fuck it; everything’s been mixed up, shattered, rebuilt, turned inside out tonight. So far it’s turning out way better than Steve could have guessed. Definitely so much better than it started.

Might as well keep running with it.

“Dare.”

Eddie grins but there’s a heat to it, but then alongside, there’s something…mischievous. And then Eddie’s bumping his head into Steve’s and murmuring close:

“You climb down first and catch my ass when I inevitably fall halfway,” he issues his challenger; “I’m uncoordinated as shit.”

And Steve was wrong before.

The kiss he gives Eddie has more smile in it than he’s ever had, or shown, or shared before; not once in his whole goddamn life.

He could get used to it.

🧡

also on ao3

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divider credit here and here

[gothamite-rambler]

Duke Thomas when he found out about the "Test" performed on Tim and he sticking up for his buddy/brother along with his other brothers.

Duke (on comms during a mission): When I see you stand by Selina, I believe you see two bad bitches. I believe you don't like women, it's real competition, you might pop ass with 'em.

Batman (exhausted): Excuse me?

Duke (rapping): Let's speak on percentage, show me your splits, I'll make sure I double back with you. You were signed to a trigga that's signed to a trigga that said he was signed to that trigga.

Jason and Dick listening in are too stunned to speak.

Barbara (eating cheese puffs while working, impressed): Nice switch up there.

Duke (rapping with ease while decking a goon in the face): Put your eldest son through hurtles, you're a douche bag. Throwing a weapon at your second son's neck that's a jackass move. And putting the third to a test, that's hoe shit-

Batman (enraged, gritted teeth): Oh, you are not doing this! I already have to deal with the others doing-

Duke (interrupting while rapping, enjoying this): You got a son to raise, but I can see you don't know nothin' 'bout that. Wakin' him up, know nothin' 'bout that. And tell him to pray, know nothin' 'bout that. And givin' him tools to walk through life like day-by-day, know nothin' 'bout that-

Batman (shouting to the point it startles the villains in front him): ALRIGHT I GET IT!

Jason: Nah, he's not finish yet.

Dick (in the corniest way, bless his heart): Let him cook.

Tim (amused): We may have... Told Duke stories about you while his arm was healing.

Duke: Yeah and it's good thing Robin isn't on patrol for the night, I was holding this in. I respect you B, but you... I'm tired! What did these boys do to you? Huh? Huh?!

Dick covered his mouth, smiling but also shocked. Jason was laughing. Tim smiled while on patrol with Duke.

Batman: I said... I was sorry! And I am not a bad bitch! I'm Batman!

Barbara (joining in): Bitch Man.

Batman: He's only acting like this because I said Castlevania is dumb! Which it is! That's just my personal opinion!

Tim: B ... You sent him a PowerPoint as to why it's bad.

Duke (shouting): Castlevania isn't a stupid anime just because you didn't understand Dracula as a character! Keep talking and ooh I'll start with Not Like Us! I may listen to country more, but I am team Kendrick for life!

Stephanie (laughing): B's gonna need Aloe Vera for those burns.

Batman: Okay, laugh it up! When I'm back home all of you are on punishment!

Batman cut off his communication device as Mad Hatter and Riddler watched the entire exchange after being defeated.

Riddler (watching this entire spectacle): I have no idea what's going on, but I'm enjoying it.

Mad Hatter (drinking tea): Seeing the bats angry is quite entertaining.

Riddler (complimenting his friend): I swear you always say the right thing.

Mad Hatter: So do you, pal.

Batman: Oh shut up!

[0nlythrowharrybeaux]

Twelve Days: Part 5 **^

Here's the next part! Sorry it took so long 😭 But A LOT happens in this part and it might make y'all a little angry but I think the ending makes up for it!

Full Series Masterlist

WC: 10.5K

Warnings: Infidelity, mentions of slight germaphobia, mentions of unkept/untidy home life, fear of abandonment, sex (unprotected, penetrative), mentions of divorce.

It didn’t take as long as you had been expecting to hear back from Harry. Just another few days, you had just gotten into your car after a dinner service at a client’s home when his call came in. You were excited but feeling a bit nervous regarding the purpose of the call, it could be very casual but given the precarious situation you all found yourselves in, it could also be a call about things getting even more complicated. Regardless of what it was, you wanted to hear his voice.

“Hello?” You answered as you started to take off.

“Hi, how was your day?” He asked and you smiled.

“It was alright. And yours?” You asked.

“Busy. I had two lectures today, I’m just getting my things together before going home.” He shared.

“Okay. I am just heading home myself.” You shared.

“Good, I’m glad we get to accompany each other on our drives.” He said and you smiled.

“So how was it when you got back home?” You asked.

“We had a fight…she AirTag-ged my car.” He disclosed and your features twisted in concern.

“What?!”

“Right? Said she needed to confirm that I would go see you. I told her that I would’ve been honest about my plans if she asked.” Harry explained.

“It’s not like we did anything bad.”

“That’s what I told her. She seemed surprised for some reason.”

“Maybe because I’ve always been the more…liberated of the two.” You explained and he chuckled a bit and you smiled. “This would also disprove her theory that you’ve been spending time with me to make her jealous. I feel like that pisses her off more than anything.” You explained. “She’s always been first choice…” you said, “I get it though. She just puts herself out there more and whatnot, she’s easier to notice. I don’t mind that. I’m definitely more of a background girl, it’s where I thrive and feel comfortable so I’ve never competed her for it and I think she might…sense this…us as me trying to compete with her.” You explained.

“Well that’s shitty for me.”

“It is. And I promise you, I’m not trying to compete for you.” You assured him.

“I know, love. It just sucks thatshe is…” he said solemnly.

“I’m sorry.” You whispered.

“Don’t feel bad for me, love.” He hummed.

“I do because you don’t deserve it. No one does! I just hopes she…gets some clarity soon. This is getting so insane.” You sighed.

“I don’t want to…create a bigger divide but she’s being pretty harsh towards you. She thinks it’s stupid of me to invest all this time in you because according to her, you’re a flake.” He said and you pouted.

“A flake?” You asked for clarification, you were shocked.

“Yep…she’s just saying things at this point.”

“Yeah.” You hummed.

“Well, I’ve given her a month, in my head. To just get her ducks in a row, meet with the lawyer, figure out what she’s going to do…if she doesn’t, I’m going to talk to your parents and ask them to please…reason with her.” He shared and you hummed, “Do you think they would?” He asked you.

“I think so…they love you so much. My mom has always said you’re the son she never got to have.” You shared and he chuckled.

“Did she?”

“She did! Has actually said it on multiple occasions.” You reassured him.

“Well that does make me feel better.” He hummed.

“Good.” You grinned.

After getting that over with, it was just some light conversation about the good and bad parts of your days until he had arrived home. You were going to do some grocery shopping before getting back to your apartment but assured him you’d let him know when you’d made it home. 

Thankfully, Ash hadn’t shown up again. You half expected another visit and had been feeling on edge arriving at your apartment the last few days, but with each passing day you  tried to let the anxiety diminish. You were loving your quiet life alone so far. You also liked your apartment and were sad that you might have to move if he ever showed up again, but you just needed to not see him again. It was disrespectful really, his inability to honor your wishes after he had left you the way he had. You were feeling even more upset by Bea telling him where you had moved to. You let her know that what she had done was completely unacceptable and just blocked her on everything. You’d observed the way she always got a little more flirty when Ash was around but didn’t think it’d get to the point where she’d share your private information just to get on his good side. Especially when she knew you wanted nothing more to do with him. Hopefully, you’d seen the last of him so that you could actually focus on the dilemma at hand. Your sister. 

You were genuinely feeling really worried over what Julie’s next steps would be. You wanted to talk to her but she wasn’t answering your calls or responding to any of your texts just yet. Of course she had the right to be angry with you, but to think you were just using Harry for attention or to make her jealous? That wasn’t in your nature at all. To call you a flake? You were steadfast as can be, she knew this. You were raised the same. You were definitely hurt by her remarks, but you founds some solace in the knowledge that she was projecting her own insecurities about Joe onto you. This was the man who she had personally told you had some commitment issues! The man who undoubtedly made his way back into her life when he saw the seemingly perfect life she was leading with Harry via her social media, through the outlet she had used to allow him back into her life. 

You wanted to correct this narrative Julie had made up of you so badly because she ought to know you better than what she was choosing to believe of you. You had never had the type of sister relationship that made you best friends, like you’d mentioned to Harry, there’d always been an air of competition. Being just three years older than you, you’d coincided academically on a few occasions and you really didn’t start to “fight back” until high school. Naturally, you were a bit more likable because you were more laid back . You were great in your classes without imparting as much effort, which surprised your teachers. You soon learned that they expected you to be a little more of a wooer as she had been but when they learned you weren’t they eased up on you, the other students did too. Comparison was a killer and after one awful fight she told you that you had ruined her senior year. She had been cold towards you after that until she was off at college. And well, you decided not to go that route, you went to culinary school instead. And that gave her enough of the sense of superiority that she needed to have over you to placate her.

It had been a week after your conversation with Harry that you had your appointment with your therapist and had gotten to speak to her about what your sister had been saying and how you were feeling about it all. She had been supportive of you trying to go speak with her and so you had done just that. It was the end of her workday and though you felt like a stalker for being parked next to her car waiting for her…this was the only way you’d get anything from her. When you saw her approaching the car you hopped out of yours. As soon as she caught your gaze she noticeably became deflated. 

“What are you doing here?” She asked you and you offered a slightly nervous smile.

“Hi.” You greeted Julie. “I was just hoping we could go for dinner and talk?” You asked hopefully.

“About?” She asked cooly.

“What you saw.” You said and you saw her lips purse a bit as she gnawed the inside of her cheek pensively.

“I don’t know…I mean…I know what I saw, I don’t think we need to rehash it.” She stated as she crossed her arms.

“Well you’re still not talking to me so…”

“Because you kissed my husband!” She scowled.

“I know and I’m sorry-”

“No you’re not.” She cut you off.

“I’m not sorry for kissing him. I’m sorry that my actions upset you and angered you.” You clarified.

“So you’re sorry you got caught?” She asked.

“Not necessarily…I mean, I know that you actually don’t care that I kissed him. You don’t love him, so I know that it didn’t hurt you.” You said and she glanced away, “So I’m here to figure out what exactly you’re still so offended with me over.” You said and her gaze found yours again.

“You couldn’t have gone for anyone else?” She asked.

“I didn’t go for him, Julie! We were literally just talking about the things that we were dealing with. I mean, we’ve always had a good relationship as friends, you know that! But through these experiences we’ve been through we bonded on a new level. The attraction was just…there. It wasn’t on purpose. It wasn’t a plan of any sort! And the fact that you believe I would do something like that…” you said sadly, “I’m not calculating like that. You know that. And to be quite honest with you, I feel like…your anger actually has nothing to do with me. It’s just being directed at me and that makes me upset.” You said and her jaw clenched a bit. “Well…that’s all I wanted to say so…” you trailed off and she just nodded but said nothing else. 

After standing there in silence for a few seconds you just got into your car and left. You had done your part and now, the ball was in Julie’s court. You hoped that she would give what you’d said some honest thought and consideration. You had only been on the road for a few minutes when a call came in from Harry.

“Hey.” You greeted him.

“That was enthusiastic.” He chuckled sardonically and you couldn’t help but smile.

“Sorry. I’m just heading home from ambushing my sister.” You informed.

“Ah…I take it didn’t go too well?” 

“Not really…” you confirmed. “She didn’t say much apart from the usual accusations of me interfering in your marriage.” You sighed. “I also presented to her the idea that maybe the things she’s been saying of me are actually her displacing her anger with her situation with Joe onto me. That one did upset her, I saw it in her eyes.” You elaborated.

“Yeah, she doesn’t love to be in the wrong…” Harry chuckled. 

“Yeah. And have you made any headway with her?”

“I don’t know…we’ll see tomorrow. She has an appointment with the lawyer. I’ve already asked mine what I can do if she refuses to sign.” 

“And what did the lawyer say?”

“I can petition through the court for them to serve her the divorce papers. If she does’t sign within a certain timeline then the judge can make a default ruling to dissolve the marriage. So there is a way to proceed if she doesn’t abide by my timeline. I just…I don’t want to put her through that humiliation because the only place I know where to find her apart from our house would be her job.”

“Yeah, that’s low…” you agreed. “I mean, you can AirTag her…” you chuckled and he laughed.

“I could…that low has been reached.” He hummed in amusement. “We also have to get a court date if I go that route and who knows how long that would take.”

“Yeah…let’s just hope she does the right thing and comes around.”

“Yeah.” Harry agreed. “I’d like to see you again soon.” He said after a beat of silence.

“I’d like to see you too.” You hummed.

“Been seeing those videos of the couples painting each other…” Harry shared and you giggled.

“Is that what you want to do?”

“Yeah! I think it’d be fun, don’t you?” He asked and you giggled some more.

“Yeah, I think so too!”

“And I can cook for you this time.”

“Love that.” You hummed.

“And we can ask each other all the questions we have for each other over dinner and the painting.” He added to his suggestion.

“Yeah! That sounds like such a fun evening!” You agreed excitedly.

“Good! So let me know when you’ll have at least two days in a row off so that we can also have a little extra time the day after.”

“Okay, I’ll check my work calendar when I get home.”

“Perfect.” Harry smiled. “How are you holding up? Did Ash show up again?”

“I’m alright, still feeling a little…annoyed, I guess. But no, he didn’t come back.” You shared.

“Would you want him to come back? I mean, just so you can clear the air?”

“The more I give it some thought, not really. He’s said what he wanted to say…that he made a mistake, that he loves me and wants me back…” you said with a sarcastic, sing-song-y cadence. 

“Do you want to say anything to him?”

“Just how much he hurt me but if anything, that gives him more power over me and I’d hate that.” You confessed.

“I’d hate that for you too. But if you need that for your closure then it might be worth thinking over before completely disregarding it.” Harry advised, as much as he really did hate the thought of you giving Ash another morsel of your time and attention. He wasn’t jealous, more protective than anything. You were still a shell of yourself and he hated that Ash had done that to you. 

“Maybe you’re right…but I mean, just saying it out loud is enough for now.” You said, “Thank you for…making me feel comfortable and safe enough to be able to say it.” You thanked him.

“Of course, love.” Harry replied. 

Harry was happy that he could make you feel safe and looked after. But he also wanted that same reassurance from you. He understood why you weren’t leaning into that 

and into your feelings for him just yet though. You had every right to feel wary about what you two had going, especially with the stance Julie had taken. But that also meant that right now he had no one to really talk about his heavier and darker feelings. He knew for a fact that if he communicated that to you, you’d be there for him but he also didn’t want to overburden you while you yourself were struggling.

“And what about you? I know that maybe your feelings for Julie are not what they used to be but…it also can’t be easy for you.” You said and he bit his lip as he gave some thought to what he wanted to say.

“You’re right about that…It hasn’t been easy. I mean, because of my family and all, it’s created this…fear of being left behind.” He explained. “That weekend that I went to see you?”

“Mhmm?”

“She didn’t come home until Monday afternoon and when I got in she’d left her suitcase by the garage door and I was just filled with dread that she was leaving without saying anything to me.” He explained. “It felt…confusing…because, while I know that the love isn’t there anymore I still…invested a lot in her. In our home…”

“Yeah, I get that.” You assured him.

“And again, it was just that fear of not having a family again. That after everything I did to build a happy home life for myself, I’d still end up…alone.” He disclosed. After a few seconds of quiet he cleared his throat. “Sorry, that was a lot.”

“Don’t be. I was just…processing, empathizing…” you said and he hummed, “If anything, I’d like you to say all of this to me as it comes. You’re always here for me. I want to be here for you too.”

“I want to tell you more but I don’t want to put more on your plate.” He explained.

“I appreciate that but I am feeling better…mentally.”

“Yeah? Since when?”

“Since…you.” You said and Harry smiled.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Honest. It’s nice to have a friend and someone to care for with reciprocity.” 

“It is. And for the record, I know that you’ll always be in my life. But a part of me is also scared that we won’t be able to have more down the line. Like, what if that gets ruined?”

“So my same fear?” You asked and he hummed.

“Guess so.” He confirmed.

“Well, there’ll always be space for you in my life. I mean that. I feel good when I’m with you and I can only imagine that it’ll only get better if we…are more.” You said timidly.

“I think so too.” Harry hummed and you smiled. “I understand that we both have things to heal from though and that it might take some time to get anywhere near where we might want to get eventually…” he trailed off and chuckled, “I don’t know if maybe I’m getting ahead of myself but I really like you and I like that I can fully be myself around you.” He explained.

You could feel your heart pounding so hard at what he was saying. You could feeling a warmth growing inside of you and spreading all throughout your body. This crush you had on him had you so affected. To hear him saying this was more of a relief than a cause for anxiety. You hadn’t allowed yourself to think that far out of fear that maybe it was intense for now but would fizzle out at some point down the line. But to hear him say that he wanted to give you two an honest shot when things got better, it made you feel a little less delusional. You loved his vulnerability with you. You could also be yourself around him in a way that was so pure. You knew he wouldn’t judge or make you feel bad for it. There was a baseline safety with him that helped your closeness grow quickly. 

“Ummm…sorry. D-did I lose you?” He asked nervously and you shook your head quickly. 

“Oh my god, no sorry! I was just…so happy to hear you say that.” You giggled.

“Thank god…” he chuckled in relief.

“So sorry.” You laughed through an apology again and he joined you as well. 

“Ummm…a-are you far from Santa Barbara?” He asked and you bit your lip.

“Like…almost 30 minutes?”

“Hmmm…do you work tomorrow?” 

“I actually don’t…” you shared.

“Can I come see you?” He asked.

“Now?”

“Yeah!” He chuckled, “If you don’t mind the company, it’s gonna be a long weekend. I won’t have class until next Wednesday.”

“You want to spend a whole ass week with me?”

“Yeah. If you’ll have me.” He hummed.

“What about Julie? I don’t want to instigate any bigger issues.”

“She hasn’t really been staying at the house since she returned from her weekend getaway.” Harry shared, “So…I think she’ll be fine.”

“Well then, I’d love to have you over.” You confirmed happily.

“Great! I’m just getting home so I’m gonna get showered, pack, and head over to you.”

“Perfect! See you soon!” You chirped, not even bothering to minimize your excitement. 

“Alright, I’ll be seeing you soon.” Harry chuckled.

 ***********

It was nearing 8pm when Harry was calling to tell you he was outside of your building. You hurried down with your visitor’s badge to ensure his car was safe while parked there and soon enough you were heading back up to the warmth of your apartment.

“Have you eaten?” You asked him as he followed you in.

“Not yet. Do you want to order in?” 

“We can but I’m not too hungry to be honest.” You explained.

“Has that been constant lately?” He asked as he set his luggage against your couch and his tote down on the couch.

“No, it’s actually been better. But I’m just…coming off my anxious wave after I ambushed Julie. I feel like it was alright but maybe I’ve made things worse.” You explained your concern as he came up to you and grabbed your hands.

“I get the anxiety but I must say that I’m proud of you for making an effort. And well, you know your sister, and whatever she does with what you said is out of your hands now, love. So try not to be too worried about it.” He advised you and you exhaled and nodded. “I know it’s a lot easier said than done, but you’ve said what you needed to and done your part, yeah?” He asked you and you nodded. “That’s all there is to it.” He said with an encouraging smile.

“I know…” you sighed and glanced down as his hands ran up your arms and rubbed over your shoulders soothingly a few times.

“Y/N?”

“Yeah?” You asked as you turned your gaze back to him.

“I’m really proud of you for doing that. I know it wasn’t easy for you.”

“Thank you.” You whispered happily.

“Can I kiss you?” He asked next and you smirked a bit.

“Of course.” You hummed as one of his hands grabbed your chin gently and angled you up, “Kiss me whenever you want.” You said softly and he smiled.

“I don’t think you know what you’re unleashing…” he responded and you giggled.

“Show me then.” You smirked and he leaned in the rest of the way until your lips were meeting.

You loved to kiss Harry and thought of it often when you’d get lost in your day dreams. The shape of his lips fit so nicely against yours. The pressure of them pressing to your own, the eagerness and need that you could feel flooding the atmosphere between the two of you was addicting. If only he knew how much you were affected by this. Your mouth parted easily to let him in as his tongue swiped against your bottom lip. He moaned in relief in perfect unison with you when his tongue smoothed against yours. He had been longing for your taste as much as you had been longing for his. You grabbed his hands and guided them around your waist and he was quick to hug around you, pulling you even closer to his body as your kiss deepened. It was so easy to get lost in the moment with Harry. You were not sitting on your counter with him standing between your legs as you made out. His hands were up your shirt and yours were feeling over his biceps. You hadn’t ever been with someone as muscular as he was. He didn’t even have to flex for you to feel how strong and built he was. 

You were suddenly startled apart by your phone ringing loudly across the counter indicating that it was time for you to begin your “no screen” time. It was easy to find yourself doom scrolling, especially when you struggled to sleep, so you’d made the resolution to cut down your screen time starting at 8pm each night.

“Can you grab it for me?” You asked Harry, your lips smearing into his as you asked your question and he nodded.

“Sure.” He responded and slid his hands from beneath your shirt and walked around the counter to grab your phone before bringing it back to you.

“Sorry, I’m trying to stop using my phone by 8pm each night.” You explained as you stopped the alarm and proceeded to turn on “Do Not Disturb” mode for the night.

“Smart!” He said as his hands landed on your thighs.

“It’s hard but research says cutting off screen time before bed helps.”

“Well, that’s true.” He assured you and you smiled. “And it’s 8 already? I should order something in.” He said before stuffing his hand down his back pocket and pulling out his phone. “Are you hungry now?” He asked you with a smirk.

“Yeah, more now.” You chuckled.

“Hungry for anything in particular?”

“Tacos?” You suggested.

“Ooh, perfect! What’s good in your area?” He asked and soon you had selected a little mom and pop, hole in the way a couple miles away that had never failed you before. 

After placing the order you suggested Harry get into something more comfortable and then get settled in.

“Sorry, I don’t have any space for your toiletries.” You mumbled, “But you’re more than welcome to put your clothes in a drawer! The one of the top right should be empty.” 

“It’s fine. As long as you don’t mind the bag staying up here. If not I’ll just keep it in my soot case.” He said with the Baron Trump meme accent. You looked to him and burst into laughter at this.

“I’m dead! I love that video!” You cackled.

“It’s funny!” He laughed along, “One of my students showed it to me…s’been stuck in my head ever since.” He explained with a smile.

“It is a gem…well, I don’t mind you having your things out for easier access!” You assured him.

“I’m tidy. I promise.” He chuckled and you rolled your eyes playfully. “Tell me what your pet peeves are in a shared space, so that I can avoid them.” Harry requested.

“Ummm…just don’t be gross. Ash used to do this ridiculous thing where he’d leave his dirty laundry beside the hamper…” You recalled and Harry chuckled, “That pissed me off. Like it’s right there!” You expressed.

“Yeah, that’s stupid.” He chuckled.

“Or leave his towel on the ground, like he was in a fucking hotel.”

“Oh god…” Harry grimaced, “The smell…”

“Yeah! Mildewy and ugh…thinking of it is giving me the ick.” You frowned. “One time he did not unpack it from the gym and-”

“I know where it’s going, you don’t need to tell me.” He said and you giggled.

“I discovered it, so I have to tell you.”

“Fine. Go on.”

“It grew mold. The whole bag! And who discovered it in the garage?”

“Not Ash!”

“Exactly! And it was so humid that week…God, that was horrifying. Then he had the gall to be pissed at me for throwing away his Alo gym bag…ridiculous.” You huffed.

“If he cared so much about it why did he leave it in that state? What a prick.” He said and you nodded in agreement.

“Exactly what I said…he probably left it in his trunk, encountered the smell and just left it in the garage for me to find and wash.” you rolled your eyes. “And like, he wasn’t like nasty apart from those things. Like, you could tell his mom would do those things for him and his brothers.” You explained and he nodded. “What about you?” You asked.

“Ummm… well growing up my house was very neat until my mom met that prick of a man and then it was pretty unkept. I did a lot of the cleaning up so uh…I guess just clutter and dishes in the sink. That invites ants and cockroaches, which I detest. And well, one time I was going to treat myself to some biscuits and was met with a mouse in the packet so uh… yeah, I’m a little bit of a clean freak.” He explained. You could see that when he talked about these things he got a distant look in his eyes. Like he had to remind himself that, that wasn’t his life anymore. “Also, no eating in bed.” He added, “Because that is literally inviting bugs.” He explained and you nodded.

“Noted. Though I must admit, I have eaten in bed…specially when I’ve gotten sick and no one’s around to look after me.”

“Well you’ve got me now so…no need for that.” He said and you smiled.

“Yeah.” You hummed. “But being in the valley, there are just critters around so it is important to keep things extra clean. I haven’t had any encounters, thankfully! I’m very averse to them.” You explained.

“Yeah, they’re gross.” He agreed.

“Anything else?” You asked.

“Oh! Getting on the bed in outside clothes.”

“Okay, yes!” You agreed, “There are “safe” spaces for me though, I don’t know about you? But like if I visit my parents or friends that don’t have pets, I wouldn’t mind a quick sit on my bed, not gonna roll around in it either…” you said and he chuckled, “But that’s not as gross as if I had gone out to a restaurant or the movies, for example.”

“Well, wouldn’t your car seats have all the germs from everywhere else? So when you sit in the car that gets on your clothes, even if you were in a safe space…” you pouted after he explained.

“Oh god…we could be laying in filth right now…” you said with feigned concern.

“When did you last wash your comforter?” He asked, you knew he was trying to come off pretend-horrified but his eyes said otherwise.

“I’m messing with you! Literally over the weekend. I promise!” You laughed as he looked at you skeptically.

“Pinky promise?”

“Yeah!” You said as you extended your pinky out to him and he wrapped his around yours.

“If I get pink eye, we know what happened here.” He joked and you rolled your eyes at his dramatics as he sniggered. He then interlaced his fingers with yours and just held your hand in his. You could see that there was a lot going on in his mind and you wanted to help however you could.

“Is there anything you want to talk about?” You asked him tentatively.

“Tons! But ummm…time and place.” He said as he glanced down at your hands. You squeezed his hand and he glanced up at you.

“Tell me.” You insisted and he sighed.

“Just that…when your sister leaves, for good, I was thinking about how long I’d have to be alone in that house. Like…I saved up a lot for that with the hopes of having a life and a family there, you know?” You nodded in understanding. “I don’t know if I could be there as comfortably if I were alone. I’d hate to sell it but…what would be the point in keeping it?” He asked and you hummed. “And you really don’t have to say anything about it, I just…am a little nervous to be all alone again. And like, I know that I wouldn’t be totally alone, but in a way I haven’t been in a decade you know?”

“Yeah, I get that.” You assured him.

“Like things would be missing that have been there since we moved in together…half of the things would be gone…and well, I couldn’t very well ask or expect you to be able to visit as often as I’d probably like…” he added. 

“I get it. It’s scary.” You said and he nodded.

“How’d you do it?” He asked and you smiled.

“Well, I’m in the middle of that and well, I am depressed!” You chuckled and he smiled, “So…still learning how to cope, I guess. This, with us? It’s helped. I don’t feel so alone anymore.” You explained.

“Good.” He hummed. 

“Yeah, so if you… need me to go out there and hang out you can ask. Whatever the reason in your brain is that’s holding you back from asking me for reciprocity? It’s wrong. If being there and enjoying the home you worked so hard for is important to you, then it’s important to me too.” You assured him with a sincerity that he hadn’t seen from anyone in years and you saw his lips turn up a bit.

Harry just felt this sudden rush of warmth overcome him. He definitely wanted you over more, he just felt a little bad about it right now while things were still up in the air. He wanted to live there forever, he hadn’t committed to buying a home thinking that he would one day grow sick of it. It was heaven on earth to him. He could step out onto his balcony and see the ocean from it! Of course he had made compromises along the way to accommodate Julie like in decor, in paints, upgrades…but he still loved the house. And to know that you’d be willing to make the drive out and spend time with him there simply because he loved it and was comfortable there, well, that was almost more than he could ever ask for. So he was really glad that you had offered it.

“I’d actually really like that.” He finally said and you smiled.

“Okay. Then we’ll make it happen.” You assured him and he smiled and let go of your hand but only because he was pressing himself up to kiss you again. And as your new normal seemed to be, you got lost in it until the delivery person’s call was interrupting you.

You had initially been concerned that maybe you’d pushed him too far or said too much but by the way he was acting now, it seems you had said the correct thing. Harry was a protector, he always had been that way. He was very concerned for your sister, for you, your family… it was never in a way that made you feel incapable, but he just liked to show you all that he would take care of you all if shit hit the fan. You knew that it had been hard for him not to be able to do that for you in the last year, even when he was going through his own stuff. So now, you wanted to allow him to make up for lost time and as you had said, you wanted to reciprocate the way he made you feel and were glad that he felt like you were.

“M’afraid you’re not gonna get a turn, love…” Harry practically slurred with his cheek smushed up against your stomach. You were currently laid on the couch, longways of course, and had put on “Miss Congeniality”. But you had agreed to give each other massages. However, Harry had elected for you to massage his head and it was putting him to sleep.

You giggled, but kept on going. “S’alright.” You responded softly. You could feel him growing heavier against you. “Maybe we should move to the bed though. Don’t want you to have a rough night.” You explained.

“In a minute.” He mumbled.

“Okay.” You agreed. 

Soon enough you’d made it to your bed and as soon as you got under the covers he was reaching for you and pulling you against him. You smiled as you snuggled in against him. You felt him kiss your shoulder before he exhaled and you knew it would be so easy to fall asleep tonight.

*************

When you woke up the next morning it wasn’t because of your alarm, it was just a force of habit. But you were shivering from the cold and were pleased that it was apparently raining. You could heard the soft patter against your bedroom window. And then, you heard Harry humming along to John Mayer just a few feet away in the kitchen. Despite wanting to stay tucked away in the warmth of your bed, you got up and hurried into the bathroom to relieve yourself and freshen up a little bit. When you emerged, Harry was back in bed, topless and smiling at you.

“Morning.”

“Good morning.” You smiled.

“You were snoring.”

“I was not…” you mumbled bashfully as you headed back over to the bed.

“You were! But not like, loud or scary, it was just soft.” He described with a grin. “It was cute! Like a cartoon.” He assured you and you rolled your eyes as you got back in bed. “I just put on some coffee.”

“Thanks.” You hummed as you turned on your side to face him.

“Course.”

“Now, c’mere, please. It’s cold.” You requested and he smiled and hurried over into your side. 

“What do you wanna do today?” He asked.

“Be lazy.” You said and he chuckled. “I do have a client to cook for tomorrow, s’just dinner prep, so I should be back around 6-6:30 the latest.” 

“Would you be up to doing something after?” He asked.

“Yeah!” You hummed.

“Something lowkey, yeah?”

“Yeah, that sounds good.” You confirmed.

“Perfect. Now, I’m gonna kiss you.” He mumbled.

He moved closer and leaned in until your lips were meeting slowly but still eager and saturated with passion. Your hand landed on his chest and slid over his shoulder, tugging him into you, inviting him to settle over you. Your legs tangled momentarily as he started to straddle you. He was holding your jaw as your kiss deepened even further. His hands were sliding up your body, dragging your top up as he went. You sat up to help him pull it off and as soon as he was able, he was back on you, his lips littering your chest in kisses and delicate but playful nicks to your breasts. Your fingers combed through his hair, relishing in the sensations he was giving you. You were absolutely desperate for him and your skin was tingling, you were desperate to feel the warmth of his hands over your arms. You wanted to kiss him again and so you tried to tug him up and he quickly got the hint and kissed up your chest, neck, and jaw before kissing you sloppily. You ground up against him to feel the bulge in his thin pajama pants against you. He grinned and ground down against you with more intent. 

“Is that what you want?” He asked and you blinked up at him.

“More.” You whispered and his gaze softened.

“You sure?” He asked you and you nodded.

“Yes. Please.” You beseeched and Harry smiled before kissing you once more. In moments, he was helping you undress. You were both moving impatiently and albeit a little clumsily, but you were absolutely desperate for each other. And as his naked body hovered over yours you finally felt a little bit better. Relieved. “Please get inside me.”

“Okay.” He hummed and kissed your lips once more, “Didn’t think to bring condoms. D-do you have some?” He asked and you huffed.

“No.” You muttered in slight irritation. You hadn’t planned to ask him to have sex with you, if you had, you would have stocked up, just in case.

“Would you care if we didn’t use one?” He asked and you bit your lip pensively. “Obviously, we don’t have to if you’re not comfortable with it. And well, I can go buy some really quick and give you some time t-to really think about if you really want to do this. You know, in case you maybe have s-some doubt?” He asked.

“I don’t have any doubts.” You assured him with a smile, “D-do you?” You asked and he shook his head, his little smirk mirroring your own. 

“No. I can go get the condoms.” He said again and you bit your lip for a second.

“Ummm…that’s alright.” You assured him and as happy as he was to hear you say that, he gave it a few seconds to let you change your mind.

“Sure?” He asked again and you nodded.

“I’m so fucking sure.” You whispered through a nervous chuckle and he smiled and kissed you again.

“I’ll be mindful to pull out, okay?” He mumbled into your lips.

“Yeah.” You agreed as you raised your leg over his hips to give him space to get inside of you. You could feel the heat and weight of his cock pressed up against you. “I want you so bad.” You whispered.

“I do too, baby.” He hummed as he ground down, letting his cock settle between the sticky and swollen folds of your pussy. You shivered when his tip kissed at your clit with his soft thrusts. “Right there?” He asked and you nodded frantically.

“Yeah, that feels good.” You confirmed breathily and he smiled as his eyes bore into yours.

“Go on then, get what you need.” He hummed lowly and you wasted no time in grinding along with him at your desired pace. You whined lowly as you started to feel the pleasure escalating from the friction. Just when you were getting close you stopped yourself.

“Want to stop?” He asked you, looking into your eyes to ensure everything was okay.

“No, but I don’t want to come like that.” You explained a bit bashfully. 

“Oh…I see.” He hummed with a smirk on his face that made you blush. “Get me inside then.” You smiled and reached down between your bodies. You grabbed a hold of his cock, he was so fucking hard. You raised your hips a bit as you guided him down to your entrance and when you felt that slight dip you rubbed him over your slit a few times. Your eyes flickered up to his only to see his brows furrowed together at the feeling of being just on the edge of slipping inside of you.

“Do it.” You whispered and he let his weight drop down to his hips and just like that he was being swallowed up by your hot and wet muscle. The two of you moaned in unison when he sunk in all the way and collided with your back wall. He held inside for a few second before groaning as he drew back and sunk in again. You exhaled shakily and grabbed his face to kiss him deeply. “Harder.” You said and he nodded before fucking into you with more force and that was absolutely what you were after. You moaned in relief and he kissed you deeply again.

“Good?” He asked.

“Yeah, it feels so good!” You whined and he hummed in satisfaction.

You were already so close, but you wanted to be closer, as close as was physically possible. You wanted to feel overwhelmed by him in the best way possible. And when he delivered his next thrust harder than before you couldn’t help the moan that fell from your mouth. Harry groaned and went again and again, relishing in the satisfied, little grunts you were making. You were absolutely drenching his cock but you couldn’t help it because he was thrusting up against the most sensational spot inside of you. It was almost too deep for you but you welcomed the feeling, you wanted to feel the ache after he was gone in a few days. And it’s almost like he could read your mind as he thrust in and held himself inside of you, grinding into you, watching as your eyes squeezed shut and you shuddered at the sensation of him fucking you that deep.

“Fuck y’feel so good!” You whimpered as you squeezed your legs around his hips and he grinned as he watched your brows pinching together.

“Not as good as you feel, baby.” He hummed lowly, “So fucking wet and hot…” he grumbled, “Shit…gonna need you so fucking badly. All the time. Gonna be dreaming of how nice it feels.” He muttered against the column of your throat. 

You were completely covered in goosebumps, you were trying to stop your legs from trembling but you wouldn’t be able to hold that off for much longer. It just felt too fucking good…he was hitting a part inside of you that even had your clit tingling, if you rubbed on it, it would truly be too much. As badly as you wanted and needed to come, you wanted him to keep fucking you. For him to be your first fuck after all this time, it was well worth it. You could hear the wet squelches of your arousal slicking up his cock and helping him fit inside of you. His girth and length were to die for and absolutely addictive.

“Fuck, you’re gonna make me come!” you warned him and he grinned down at you, very pleased with himself for how fucked out he had you already.

“Already?” He gloated slightly and you smiled and nodded. Your vision was even blurry at this point as tears of ecstasy and joy welled up in your eyes. “You’re already so fucking gone f’me, S’gonna wipe you out.” He said smugly and you hummed with a slight smile.

He was right, this orgasm would absolutely ruin you and melt your brain. He was literally fucking you better, quite literally forcing your brain to flood your body with that deliciously and slightly terrifying cocktail of oxytocin and dopamine. You swore your skin was tingling, every single cell in your body was going to contribute to this orgasm. But the longer you held off the more intense everything felt. Your walls were throbbing uncontrollably and you were trying so hard to just hold off for a second to make it last longer but it made it worse, as you squeezed the deep plunges of his cock became even more pleasurable and your legs started to tremble and your breathing to shallow.

“Come on, baby. Give it t’me.” He encouraged you and you nodded before pulling him down to kiss you and as your lips met urgently in a messy kiss you started to come. You emitted these pathetic whines and whimpers you’d never ever made before as the ecstasy took over every single part of your body. You were trying not too make too much noise but you were on fire and it had never felt like that before, it was almost too much! Harry’s lips parted from yours so that you could breathe and properly release your sounds as your hips ground up into his to keep the pleasure going. One of your hands pressed down on his butt, holding him close to you and the other was tangled in the curls at the back of his head. He groaned as you squeezed hard around his cock. Your tight, hot muscles were suffocating and contracting around his girth, he nearly fucking drooled from how delicious it felt to be buried in you like this. “M’gonna come.” He panted.

“Come inside of me.” You slurred and he moaned at the mere idea of getting to flood your hot, little pussy with his sperm. He got goosebumps as he thought about how good it would feel to have you take it all. To pull out and see it dripping from your swollen and wrecked little hole only for him to push his cock back into you and get his load back into you. “Please, come in my pussy.” 

“Fuck, baby…” he chuckled as he pressed his forehead to yours, “I’m gonna come so hard.” He panted, “Gonna drown your little pussy.” He mumbled as his abs started to clench and his toes to curl. And moments later he was grunting through three hard and pointed thrusts before stilling. He pressed right up against you and moaned deeply in satisfaction as he came undone. He felt his muscles spasming, struggling to hold his weight as he started to gush inside of you. You could feel the dramatic twitches of his cock lodged up deep inside of you as he filled you up, just as he promised and it was so good, his hips were moving by his own accord at this point and he was enslaved to the feeling of being inside of you, no matter how sensitive it was starting to feel for him. “Fuck…” he panted lowly. 

You could feel his arms trembling and just hugged him tight, encouraging him to drop his weight over you and he did easily. Your fingers danced and tickled over the heated and slightly damp skin of his back as he came down from it. You were finding comfort in his deep inhales as he continued trying to catch his breath. After a few more moments of this he was still completely silent. You knew there was nothing wrong because he was practically melted against your body, and you smiled and kissed the top of his head as he started to sponged a few sloppy kisses along your jaw. With the little strength he had built up again, he pulled you both onto your sides. He slipped from you with the change in position but you draped your leg over his hip and his hand immediately ran up your leg soothingly while he rested his head over his other arm. You were smiling as you just watched him, he still had his eyes closed as he regulated his breathing.

“You alright there?” You inquired, your voice was a whisper but he could hear the slight hint of smugness in it.

“Just a little light headed.” He chuckled his confession and you giggled and reached for his face. You caressed the side of his face lovingly with the backs of your fingers.

“Want me t’get you some water?” You asked.

“No, stay here with me.” He responded and you smiled.

“‘Kay.” You whispered. You just watched him for a few seconds until he slowly blinked his eyes open. You smiled as he squinted a bit.

“Jesus, I’m seeing spots.” He laughed lowly through his admission and you started to giggle along with him. “Don’t laugh at me.” He griped and you leaned forward and smooched over his pouted lips.

“M’not. I’m laughing with you.” You mumbled against his mouth and he quickly kissed your lips back.

“Sure…” he hummed and finally opened his eyes and met your adoring gaze.

“We’re going again later, right?” You asked and he laughed for a moment before kissing you again and nodding.

“Oh absolutely. I might not be able to walk but it’ll be worth it.” He mumbled into your kiss-swollen lips.

“God…but good.” You giggled, completely satisfied with his response.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of you.” He whispered and you glanced away bashfully and instead focused on the swallow tattooed over his left pectoral.

“Neither do I.” You admitted and he smiled as you leaned closer and buried your face into the crook of his neck and took a deep inhale before placing a kiss at the base of his throat. 

There was only one thought at the forefront of his mind right now and it was that there was absolutely no world in which this didn’t end with him falling absolutely and hopelessly in love with you. He loved everything about you and what he’d seen of your life so far, he couldn’t wait to experience it for the rest of the days he’d be here with you.

Several Days Later…

You didn’t want to verbalize just how perfect the last several days had been with Harry in case you were to jinx it, but you were certainly thinking about it with each passing minute. You had clients that day so you had to leave Harry at your place for but it was  so lovely to return to a clean home and a meal. As soon as you walked in you could smell the lingering fresh scent of cleaning products but were mostly overpowered by what you were kind of hoping was a bolognese sauce. Thankfully, you were able to make off from your last client with a little extra dessert, so you had something to contribute for tonight.

“Smell’s amazing!” You announced your arrival as you slipped out of your shoes. 

Harry didn’t respond so you figured he was in the shower or something. And as you walked further in you saw that the table was set and two long stick candles were lit, giving the setting a more intimate feel. You bit your lip to hold back your excitement. It was your last night together, so you weren’t surprised that Harry was pulling out all the stops until the next time you got to be together. You headed towards your bedroom to change into a fresh and more comfortable outfit and when you stepped inside you saw Harry just standing at the window and glancing out towards the busy street below.

“Harry?” You called in question and he sniffled and turned around. 

“Sorry, I was trying to collect myself-”

“What happened? What’s wrong?” You asked quickly as you let your purse drop to the floor and rushed over to him.

“Your mom called,” he said and you immediately though the worst, your heart dropped, “Julie told them that she’s pregnant.” He said and you stopped right before you reached him. Not as terrifying as you thought but still incredibly fucking awful. Your features furrowed in disappointment and your stomach turned as the information processed. Harry hurried over to you, “Baby, it’s not me. It couldn’t be, we haven’t slept together since like August!” He explained and you nodded and let him take your hands. “But they don’t know that.”

“Ask for a paternity test.” You said right away.

“I will.” He assured you. “I guess she said she wasn’t feeling well so your mom drove her to the urgent care and they found out. Your mom called me all excited about it… I just don’t want to humiliate her.” He explained.

“And that’s very noble and considerate of you, Harry. But you do realize that she’s trying to put you in an impossible position.” You said and he frowned. “You deserve to do this. To have a family on your own terms, Harry.” You said and he nodded.

“I-I don’t even know what to do about this.” He stammered, still in shock.

“This is going to sound awful but…tell your lawyer.” You said and he sighed. “She’s willing to force you into this situation when you had nothing to do with it. If she has to prove paternity she will have to be honest. She loves Joey and she did this with him, they need to figure this out together.”

“You’re right.” He conceded. “Ummm… I’m not feeling too hungry any more. I’m sorry.” He said and glanced down at the floor.

“That’s alright. I understand.” You assured him. “I also understand if you…need some space.” You said and he glanced into your eyes again.

“Yeah… I ummm…I should go.” He said and you nodded, “They’re expecting me to look after her since she isn’t feeling well. And the drive’ll help, I think.” He muttered, but he was quite absent.

“Okay.” You said softly and he just walked around you and into your closet to grab his suitcase. You just watched silently as he robotically and haphazardly just dumped his things into the luggage before shutting it and wheeling it out. You followed after him as he headed to the entrance and slipped into his sneakers. 

“Harry.” You said and he glanced up at you. You could see his eyes welled up with tears. “Please be safe.” You said and he nodded before rushing out. As soon as the door shut your own tears started to trickle down your face. 

You were relieved when he texted you that he’d gotten home and assured him that if he needed to talk at all that you’d be there for him. But you felt so angry at your sister for this one. How could she do this to him? It was awful and selfish behavior. You wanted to call her but this wasn’t your battle to fight.

Harry’s POV:

Harry felt completely blindsided by Isabel’s phone call about Julie. He felt sick to his stomach as he parked in the garage because Isabel was still at their house, her car was up front and he had no idea how he would swallow down all that devastation and dread he was feeling. He didn’t want to ruin Isabel’s excitement but pretending that he was happy about this…having to hold and kiss Julie, congratulate her for something he had nothing to do with, it made him sick to his stomach. He texted you to let you know that he’d made it safely and you immediately loved his message and with that he made it inside. 

“Oh good! You’re home!” Isabel greeted him excitedly as soon as Harry made it inside from the garage. He put on a smile and nodded, approaching her to greet her. 

“Yeah, sorry it took me a while. I was out in LA.” He explained.

“No problem, as long as you made it safe!” She said as she opened her arms and he ducked down a bit to hug her and kiss her cheek. “Congrats, mijo.” She hummed happily as she gave him a firm squeeze.

“Thank you.” He responded as they pulled away slowly.

“I’m just making her some ginger tea, she’s been very nauseous.” Isabel explained.

“Thank you, I’m gonna go see her now.”

“Yes, please!” She insisted, beaming from ear to ear and he smiled and made his way out of the kitchen. 

Every step he took up towards the bedroom made him even more sick to his stomach. He hoped there was extra of that ginger tea because this was getting to be too much. When he made it to the top landing he saw the bedroom door open and he made his way over to see Julie scrolling through her phone. 

“Hey.” She greeted him solemnly.

“Hi.” He said quite cooly.

“Look-”

“What the fuck is the matter with you?” He cut her off and she frowned.

“Not while my mom is here, Harry.” She sighed.

“No. We’re doing this right now.” He insisted as he pushed the door back leaving it slightly ajar.

“Then close it all the way.” She said.

“Then we won’t hear her coming. I won’t raise my voice if you don’t.” He said and she sighed. “There is no way you didn’t know.” He insisted, “When did you find out?” 

“On Monday.” She said, “I missed my period last week and I took two tests on Monday. One positive and the other inconclusive. Sometimes it can be stress or other things that impact so I figured I should go and find out.”

“And you had to take your mom to do that?”

“I was scared!” She defended herself.

“Then you should’ve asked Joe.” He retorted.

“I didn’t want him to freak out!”

“But you’re okay with your mom thinking that I got you pregnant?!” He asked angrily and her eyes started welling up. “You have to tell your parents now, Julie.” He said.

“Harry, please-”

“No! I’m not going to take responsibility for this!”

“And what if he leaves me?” She asked and Harry’s eyes softened for a moment.

“I-I don’t know but you have been cheating on me for months! We haven’t slept together since last year! This has nothing to do with me, Julie!” He was trying not to raise his voice but he was so hurt and angry at her. “You don’t love me and I know for a fact you don’t want this with me.” Harry finished and she started to sniffle as her tears fell. “You have to tell your family the truth!” He urged.

“Do you know how humiliating that will be!?”

“If you had agreed to the divorce when I brought it up not as much as it might be now! If you don’t come clean to your parents about this I will involve my lawyer and demand a paternity test! And we both know what the result will be.”

“I need more time.” She said softly.

“You have until the end of the month.”

“Harry-”

“You tell them or I do.” He said sternly.

Isabel’s POV:

She hadn’t meant to eaves drop, she just wanted to come ask Julie if she would want some toast with her tea to settle her stomach when she heard the hushed argument.

“Harry, please-”

“No! I’m not going to take responsibility for this!” She heard Harry respond. She almost intervened when she heard this, feeling so much anger rising up in her at the sound of her son-in-law being so disinterested and cold after finding out he would be a father!

“And what if he leaves me?” Julie asked and she stopped from reaching for the door. She was momentarily frozen in shock as she processed Julie’s concern.

“I-I don’t know but you have been cheating on me for months! We haven’t slept together since last year! This has nothing to do with me, Julie!”

Isabel could hear it in his voice that he felt bad but if this was not his child, he truly had no obligation to her. Especially if she had been having an affair for who knows how long.

“You don’t love me and I know for a fact you don’t want this with me.” Harry added. “You have to tell your family the truth!” 

“Do you know how humiliating that will be!?” Julie cried quietly and Isabel frowned and started to back away, hearing faintly about previous discussions of a divorce. This was very private and she had heard more than she probably should have. 

She was completely taken by surprise and immediately felt so bad for Harry and the situation that she had unintentionally put him in. She could only imagine how devastated he felt knowing that his wife was pregnant with another man’s child. A man that might not even stick around to help her or support her with this. Obviously she would always love her daughter, but it didn’t mean that she would always support her choices and this choice…to have an extramarital affair. To not grant Harry the divorce he had seemingly asked for before when she didn’t even love him anymore. The gall to ask him to stick around if the other man didn’t… it did not sit well with her and made her feel so frustrated at her. She hoped that Julie would say something soon because there was no way she could keep quiet for too long. Harry had been so good to all of them and he did not deserve that.

FINAL PART...

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[daeniradraconis]

The Leafs Legacy - Auston Matthews

Okay, so @tonyspep you gave me the sweetest idea with your comment! I know you were hoping for a more gentle Auston teaching his daughter to skate, but I thought the first game could be way more exciting! Hope you still love this take though!

So, here's daddy Auston being the proudest coach at his baby girl's first game. A few Leaf players make an appearance too. It's all about the fluff and cuteness! I just needed to write something like this today to make myself smile, and I hope it does the same for you! 💕 For more fun: masterlist❤️

—-

The arena buzzed with excitement—a lively mix of proud parents, devoted fans, and an entire section filled with Toronto Maple Leafs players, all gathered to witness history: the very first game of the newly established Leafs Girls' Program. And at the heart of it all, standing tall behind the bench in his team-issued jacket, was Auston Matthews—head coach of the future generation of hockey stars.

You still remember the promise Auston made when Clara was born. At the time, you thought he was joking about starting a Maple Leafs girls’ team, but that stubborn fool never let it go. For nearly a year, he hounded the directors and senior managers, relentless in his mission. You’re pretty sure they only gave in just to stop him from spamming their inboxes with proposals and cornering them with passionate speeches. But now, seeing the pride in his eyes as he watched his team, you knew—he had won.

From the stands, you held little Auston Jr. close, his tiny Maple Leafs onesie making him look impossibly adorable. At just three months old, he had no clue what was going on, but nestled in your arms, surrounded by the bright lights and the roar of the crowd, he was completely content. And in that moment, so were you.

You and Auston had talked about having more kids after Clara turned one, but life didn’t unfold as expected. Months turned into years, and despite your best efforts, nothing happened. Eventually, you both quietly let the topic go. But then, just as you were getting ready to settle into your life as a family of three, at nearly 36 years old, you found out you were pregnant. It was a shock—a miracle.

When you told Auston, he cried like a baby, overwhelmed by emotion. And to be honest, you were a hot mess too, crying and laughing at the same time.

You may not have ended up with enough kids to fill a hockey team, but you were surrounded by love—cherished by your little ones, who meant the world to you. The small moments of chaos and laughter, the sleepy snuggles, and the endless hugs were all you needed. And as for Auston, he never let you forget, that he was right about one thing: you were an absolute smoke show MILF.

But then, your attention naturally shifted. You glanced over at the ice, where Clara stood, her little figure tiny against the rink. She wore an oversized Leafs jersey, her pink and purple helmet snug on her head, and her tiny hands gripped her stick with surprising confidence. She looked so small out there, but the look in her eyes? That was all Auston. You could see the fire, the determination—just like her dad. In that moment, you knew she was going to make her own mark, and maybe even take after her father in more ways than one.

Auston paced behind the girls on the bench, hands on his hips, barking out encouragement like he was coaching a Stanley Cup Final.

Mitch, sitting right next to you, burst into laughter, nudging William. "Oh my god, look at him," he snorted. "He’s gonna lose his mind before the game’s even over."

William grinned, shaking his head. "I’ve never seen him this hyped, and we’ve played playoff games with him."

The rest of the guys joined in, chuckling at Auston’s visible excitement. Your heart swelled with warmth. You knew how deeply Auston loved his team, so seeing them here—supporting him, even if they were absolutely going to tease him about this later—meant the world to him.

You laughed along with them, bouncing little Auston Jr. in your arms. "He’s ridiculous," you said, shaking your head. "But you all know you’re going to be just as bad in about two seconds." You shot them a teasing grin, but Mitch and William both shook their heads in disbelief, eyes wide with exaggerated innocence.

And sure enough, the game finally started.

"Alright, ladies! Keep your sticks down, eyes on the puck! Clara, get ready!" Auston called out.

Clara looked back at her dad, giving him a firm nod before turning her attention to the faceoff. You couldn’t help but smile—she was only five, yet she carried herself with the same intensity Auston did before a big game.

The puck dropped, and the game was on.

Clara skated forward, her tiny legs working overtime as she chased after the puck. The other girls scrambled in every direction, but somehow, she managed to gain control. She took a few unsteady strides before taking what could only be described as the most adorable shot attempt ever. It wasn’t the hardest shot, and it wobbled a bit, but it went straight into the tiny net.

The arena erupted into cheers.

Auston lost his mind.

"YES, CLARA! THAT’S MY GIRL!" he shouted, jumping up and down. He turned to the Leafs players in the stands, waving his arms wildly. "DID YOU SEE THAT?! GOAL SCORER GENES!"

And as you predicted, Mitch and Willy shot up from their seats, cheering like maniacs.

"Future first-liner!" Mitch called out, clapping his hands.

McMann grinned and joined in. "She’s got her dad’s shot. Go, Clara baby!"

You shook your head, laughing as Auston continued his excited antics on the bench. Clara, meanwhile, looked up at her dad, her little face beaming with pride beneath her helmet.

She skated back to the bench, nearly tripping in her excitement, and Auston scooped her up the second she reached him. He lifted her high in the air, twirling her around.

"You did it, baby girl! First goal of many!"

Clara giggled, throwing her arms around his neck. "Did you see, Daddy? I scored!"

"I saw!" he beamed, pressing a kiss to her helmet. "And I think that means ice cream after the game. What do you think?"

Clara gasped, her little eyes going wide. "With sprinkles?!"

"With all the sprinkles in the world," Auston promised, setting her back down on the ice. "Now go get another one, superstar."

She grinned and skated off, ready for her next shift.

Back in the stands, you turned to the guys beside you, only to find them still on their feet, cheering as if Clara had just won the Cup.

Mitch was cupping his hands around his mouth. "SIGN HER TO AN ELC RIGHT NOW!"

William was whistling, and Bobby nodded approvingly. "She’s a natural."

You smirked. "And here I thought Auston was the only one who’d lose his mind over this."

Mitch turned to you, completely serious. "Are you kidding? That was ELITE."

William grinned. "We should be scouting her already."

You just shook your head, laughing as they continued their proud-uncle act. Meanwhile, Auston stood at the bench, hands on his knees, grinning from ear to ear as he watched his daughter—eyes filled with pride—like she had just scored the game-winning goal in the Stanley Cup Final.

Little Auston Jr. stirred in your arms, and you glanced down at him, brushing a soft kiss against his tiny forehead. "Looks like you’ve got some big skates to fill, little guy."

The game continued, filled with more adorable chaos, but in that moment—watching your husband on the bench, your daughter on the ice, and your newborn son in your arms—you knew one thing for sure.

This was happiness. This was everything you had ever dreamed of—and more.

Note: ELC = Entry-Level Contract. An ELC is the standard contract given to rookie players entering the NHL, typically when they're signing their first contract after being drafted.

[lucy90712]

CAN U DO A JELOUS KENAN

I smoothed down my dress in the mirror and double check to make sure there was no lipstick on my teeth. I've already checked about a million times but I have to look perfect, tonight I'm going to an award ceremony with Kenan for the first time which is a big deal. We've been together for two years now but we prefer to not be always be seen together in public so our relationship stays pretty private but tonight that changes. Kenan invited me as soon as he found out he was nominated for the golden boy web award but told me I didn't have to go if I didn't want to but I agreed straight away. We may like to have privacy in our relationship but that doesn't mean I don't want to go and support him no matter how much I know I'll hate it and how much anxiety it causes me I will be there. 

"You look beautiful love" Kenan said walking in from the bathroom where he was doing his hair 

"Thank you you look very handsome too" I said 

"No one will be looking at me when you look so amazing in that dress" Kenan half joked 

"You're the one who's nominated I'd hope someone looked at you" I said 

"Well I'll definitely be looking at only you" he flirted 

"Stop being such a flirt" I said 

"No can do not when my girlfriend always looks so hot" he smiled 

All I could do was shake my head but he still wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed behind my ear. He kept kissing me all over my face anywhere but my lips as I wouldn't let him ruin my lipstick that I spent so long perfecting. Eventually we had to stop as our car was downstairs ready to take us to the venue. Kenan held my hand as we walked out the hotel to we were staying in despite the ceremony being in Turin to the car. The driver went to open the door for us but Kenan stopped him and opened the door for me instead. The whole drive he kept me distracted as I think he could tell that the nerves were really starting to kick in even if I tried not to show it. As soon as we arrived Kenan helped me out of the car and stood in front of me so I could sort my dress out before we were in front of people and cameras.

We walked down the red carpet together and straight away there was cameras flashing blinding me but I had Kenan guiding me to stop me walking into someone or something. We were made to stop and pose properly for pictures which really made me feel uncomfortable as I've never been great in front of a camera but luckily I'm not really the one they are looking at which makes it a little better. Soon they wanted interviews from Kenan which I took as my chance to get out of the spotlight and inside the venue where hopefully there will be less eyes on me. 

Just as I got settled in my seat out of the corner of my eye I saw someone walking towards me but I knew it wasn't Kenan. I was right it was some random guy who I didn't know and honestly don't care to know but I think I'm going to have to talk to anyway. 

"Hi I'm Tom" the guy introduced himself 

"Hey I'm y/n" I replied trying to be polite 

"It's a lovely venue right" he said making small talk 

"Yeah lovely" I said awkwardly 

"I'll leave you be but I'll catch you later" he said 

Once the guy has left Kenan came and sat next to me but he said nothing so he must not have seen me have the most awkward interaction of my life. The ceremony started not long after and I forgot about Tom as I watched all the awards be presented. Then it got to the award that Kenan was nominated for and instinctively I grabbed hold of his hand to calm his nerves or mine I'm not really sure which. Then they announced Kenan's name as the winner and to say I was shocked was an understatement. I wanted Kenan to win and I believed in him don't get me wrong but there was so many amazing players nominated I wasn't sure that Kenan would win. Watching him walk up there to accept the award made me so proud to be his girlfriend and have been here to watch him as he's grown as a player. There are so many amazing young players around at the moment that sometimes I feel like Kenan doesn't get enough recognition but now hopefully he'll get the recognition he deserves. 

His little speech made me a little emotional but I held it together until he came back to his seat and I had to give him a quick kiss to stop myself from letting a few tears escape my eyes. As the rest of the ceremony went on Kenan showed me his award which was so cool it's going to look great on his shelf with the other trophies he's won. I don't think I paid much attention to the rest of the ceremony as I was just thinking about how proud I am of Kenan. 

After the ceremony there was an after party organised for everyone who attended which originally we hadn't planned to go to but I told Kenan we had to go seeing as he won it would be rude not to. What I didn't anticipate was that everyone would want to speak to Kenan so he was very quickly taken away from me as he was moved around groups of people wanting to congratulate him. It didn't really bother me I found somewhere to sit on my own and no one really noticed me which was fine by me as I prefer to not talk to loads of new people all at once. At some point I got a drink given to me but I didn't touch it as I have classes in the morning so I don't want to be hungover at all. Just when I thought I could relax until Kenan was released back to me the guy from earlier decided to sit next to me. He had clearly been drinking so I moved away from him slightly feeling a bit uncomfortable by his presence. 

"Hey pretty girl I'm glad to see you're still here" he said leaning towards me again 

"Aren't you going to talk to me?" He asked when I didn't respond 

"I just want to get to know you tell me about yourself" he added 

"There's not much to say" I replied wanting to end the conversation 

"I can't believe a beautiful girl like you at an event like this doesn't have much going on in her life" he said 

"Well it's true I'm just a student I'm here with my boyfriend" I said 

"I don't see a boyfriend" he teased 

"Well he's here he's just talking to some people" I said 

"Leaving me free to talk to you" he said 

He continued to try and flirt with me while I didn't respond which only seemed to make things worse as his arm then slid round my waist so he could try and get my attention. 

Kenan's POV

Going to this after party was an awful idea from the second we entered the door I've had people pull me into different conversations meaning I've left y/n on her own the whole time. I've tried to escape a few times but every time someone else wants to talk to me so instead I've just been checking on y/n from a distance. For most of the night she's been sat at a table by herself with a drink she hasn't touched until some guy went and sat next to her. From what I could tell she didn't really want to talk to him so she moved away but then my view was blocked so I just had to trust that she'd be able to stand up for herself. 

After what felt like forever the people blocking my view got out the way allowing me to see that the guy was still sat next to y/n. She looked just as disinterested as before but she was talking to him so I just made sure to keep watching out for her. Then he leaned in closer which immediately made me mad but I let it slide until his hand went round her waist. That was too much for me no one gets to put their hand on my girlfriend especially not under my watch. There's nothing I hate more than watching people flirt with my girlfriend which happens far more than it should but I never like to show how much it annoys me as I don't want y/n to think I'm jealous as I don't trust her. I can keep my mouth shut watching a waiter or classmate flirt with y/n but having another guy hold her waist is beyond where I draw the line I don't care if I look jealous or crazy I can't just watch this happen. I excused myself from the conversation I was involved in and made a beeline straight for y/n. 

I tried to look calm as I slid in next to her and took the guys hand off her waist so I could replace it with mine. Y/n looked at me with pure relief in her eyes which told me I'd made the right decision to come over. The guy looked at me like he was about to say something until he seemed to realise who I was and he shut his mouth. He still looked mad that I'd taken the girl he was flirting with but I don't care one bit he can hate me if I want I'm not letting him try and steal my girlfriend. 

"Dude don't try and steal her I was here first" the guy slurred clearly drunk 

"I think you should leave my girlfriend alone" I said as calmly as I could manage 

"She's not your girlfriend she didn't mention you" he said 

"I told you I had a boyfriend" y/n said 

"She told you she had a boyfriend and you still tried to get with her dude just leave us alone or I'll ask security to kick you out" I said getting mad 

The guy rolled his eyes but he got up and walked away anyway. He looked back a few times so I took the liberty of kissing y/n while he was watching and right in front of everyone else so that no one else tries anything. I thought she'd be a bit embarrassed kissing me in public as she's not one for pda but she happily kissed me back. When we pulled away she had a smile on her face but I could see in her eyes that she was thinking about something. 

“What’s on your mind?” I asked 

“Its just I liked seeing you jealous I appreciate that you don’t get jealous over little things but it’s nice watching you get all protective over me” she admitted suddenly getting a bit shy 

“I will always be protective of you I’m never going to let another guy touch you like that but I wasn’t jealous” I said 

“You were jealous I can tell by the look in your eyes it’s the same look you have when waiters flirt with me but it’s ok I’ll always be yours you’ve got nothing to worry about” she said 

“Good because I’m never letting you go” I said 

We’d both had enough of the after party by this point so we just left without saying goodbye to anyone and went back to our hotel so I can show her how much I love her and why I’m better than any other guy. 

[paranoiddreams]

Long Live the Queen - Prologue

Eden Sukuna is the daughter of the Queen and King of Curses, Y/n and Ryomen Sukuna. After her mother dies when she’s only 7 years old, she’s immediately put under the pressure of continuing her mother’s legacy, and becoming a great leader as she once was; but Eden doubts she’s ready for this, having dreams of her own she believes her mother would want her to chase. But her father is unwilling to let go of his expectations for his daughter, and the memory of his wife that comes with them. Unbeknownst to both of them, y/n is unlike the monarchs that once stood in her and her husband’s place, she’s here to fight for her family in life and death; Long Live the Queen, they said…

Warnings!! - Major character death, parental grief, monarchy, swordsmanship, none in this one really :D

WC!! - 570

A/n!! - after asking whether I should post this or not, I got a really good response!! I’m so excited about this, I love this story. If this post preforms well then I may continue the story. Lmk what you all think! Disclaimer, this is VERY inspired by The Cruel Prince, and basically the whole Folk of the Air series by Holly Black, she is my one of my many inspirations for writing hehe. Definitely check out her books if you’re interested in royalty, fantasy, folklore, and Fae😌

Ever since y/n, the Queen to the King of curses, died in a crossfire between a group of enemies infiltrating the Sukuna kingdom, the land she once ruled has never been the same.

The village people sung and held vigils for weeks, sometimes months, after she perished. Murals of her regal beauty were painted all around the village. The plant life seemed to change to a sad gray-blue color that could only mean that even the physical land of her kingdom was grieving as well. But no one, not even the royal land they stood upon, grieved as astoundingly as the king and princess of the Sukuna kingdom.

At just seven years old, Princess Eden had to stand in front of the people her family honorably ruled for centuries before her existence, and listen to her hell bound father tell them that their Queen had died. As she watched an uproar of anguished cries break out over the crowd, she found herself unable to comprehend how she herself should react in the moment. 

Eden is her father's daughter after all, so how could she be expected to portray herself as anything but fearless and cold-blooded?

It is still said that the news of Queen y/n’s death brought upon a great storm that lasted weeks over the land, and the rage of the king was felt by all of the village; like a shock wave that destroys everything only a few seconds after the bomb drops. 

This brewing storm only mirrored the storm growing inside of Eden; as the years went by and her father became more bound to his mission of hunting down his wife’s killers, it grew even more disastrous than the day before. 

But she poured every ounce of herself into the royal training the king insisted on her attending at the early age of ten, hoping to console that part of herself that has remained a distraught seven year old girl. 

Eden still practices for hours on the gray hills of grass behind the kingdom, learning to parry, riposte, and feint attacks with a wooden practice sword, just as she did under her father’s supervision in the start. 

Sometimes, she catches herself fighting as if she were the Queen in her final moments.

Did she feel the adrenaline Eden does as she slams the side of her sword against her imaginary opponent's? Did she also get bruises on her knees and shins? Queen y/n was known as the most skilled Queen with a sword in all of Sukuna history; did she remember that title in her final battle? 

If she did, Eden imagines that it must not have meant much in the face of death.

Sometimes, for a few moments, Eden believes that if she could go back in time with all that she knows now, and fiercely fight for her mother's legacy, she’d be able to save the once thriving kingdom her family created over centuries. 

But at the end of training, even if Eden is knocked down to the ground, or standing in triumph over her opponent, nothing she can do will bring her mother back; and nothing she can practice or dedicate herself to can distract her from that.

Despite all of this, Eden still goes back to the kingdom at dawn everyday, whether she's ready to face her father and the constant reminder of what she once had or not.

[sturniololuvz]

Could you write a reversed version of “Scarring Family Memories” so its reader and her boyfriend instead of chris and his girlfriend ??

yesss! sorry i haven’t been getting to these , probably gonna stay up late doing them , even tho i have to wake up at 5am tmr 😭)it’s 10 already 😞

“No That”

Sturniolos x sister

Warnings : yelling,

The Sturniolo household was always loud—whether it was the boys messing around, arguing about something dumb, or just their natural chaotic energy filling the space. Tonight was no different. Chris, Matt, and Nick were all in the living room, sprawled out on the couch, engaged in some heated debate over which fast food place had the best fries.

“I’m telling you, McDonald’s fries are elite,” Matt argued, waving his hands dramatically.

Nick scoffed. “Bro, no. Wendy’s fries with a Frosty? Unmatched.”

Chris rolled his eyes. “You guys are both idiots. Five Guys fries? Game over.”

They continued bickering, but Chris found himself zoning out. Something felt… off. The house was never truly quiet, but for the past few minutes, there had been an unusual silence coming from Y/N’s room. Their little sister, at seventeen, was usually blasting music or FaceTiming friends, yet now? Nothing.

Chris sat up, listening closer. That’s when he heard it—faint whimpering and hushed moans. His stomach twisted uncomfortably.

“The hell?” he muttered, furrowing his brows.

“What?” Matt asked, glancing over.

Chris held up a hand to silence them, tilting his head toward the hallway. The noises weren’t loud, but they were there—and undeniably suspicious. His protective instincts kicked in immediately.

Without another word, he got up and made his way toward Y/N’s door. His heart pounded as he reached for the handle, hesitating for only a split second before pushing it open.

And then he froze.

His brain short-circuited as he took in the sight in front of him—Y/N tangled up with some random guy, both half-dressed, their bodies way too close for comfort. His eyes widened in pure shock.

“WHAT. THE. ACTUAL. FUCK?!” Chris shouted, his voice echoing through the house.

Y/N and the guy jumped apart instantly, scrambling to grab their clothes. The boy—who Chris didn’t even recognize—looked like he had just seen a ghost.

Chris turned on his heel so fast he nearly tripped over his own feet, slamming the door shut behind him. His heart was racing, his face twisted in a mix of horror and fury.

He stormed back to the living room, his hands on his head. “Dude, I did not just see that,” he muttered to himself.

Matt and Nick looked up, confused. “See what?” Nick asked.

Chris ignored him, pacing. “What the fuck was that?” he mumbled, running a hand over his face.

About two minutes later, there was a loud shuffle from the hallway, followed by the sound of footsteps sprinting. The boy—still fixing his shirt—bolted out of Y/N’s room like his life depended on it, not even bothering to look at anyone as he rushed out the front door.

Chris clenched his jaw, shaking his head in disbelief. And then, a moment later, Y/N appeared in the hallway, her face flushed with embarrassment. She looked like she wanted to sink into the floor and disappear.

Before she could say anything, Chris exploded.

“ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME, Y/N?!” he yelled, throwing his arms up. “A boy? IN YOUR ROOM?! WHILE WE’RE HOME?!”

Y/N winced, hugging her arms around herself. “Chris, I—”

“NO. NO ‘CHRIS, I—’ WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!” He ran a frustrated hand through his hair, turning to Matt and Nick for backup. “Guys, please tell me I’m not the only one losing my damn mind right now.”

Matt looked just as shocked, but he was trying (and failing) not to laugh. Nick, however, shook his head and sighed. “Yeah, Y/N, what the hell?” he said, his voice calmer than Chris’s but still firm. “That’s so reckless.”

Chris was still fuming. “Like, you couldn’t have waited until we weren’t home? Or, you know, never?”

Y/N’s face burned hotter. “I didn’t think you’d hear anything!” she snapped, defensive.

Chris let out a sarcastic laugh. “OH, WELL, GUESS WHAT? I DID. AND NOW I’M TRAUMATIZED.”

Y/N groaned, covering her face. “Can we please just not talk about this?”

“OH, WE’RE TALKING ABOUT IT,” Chris shot back. “Because if you think for one second that this is ever happening again, you’re dead wrong.”

“Chris—”

“NOPE. No boys in your room. No sneaking around. And DEFINITELY no… no that when we’re home.” He made a disgusted face, shaking his head. “Holy shit, I’m gonna need therapy.”

Matt finally lost it, bursting into laughter. “Dude, your face right now is priceless.”

Chris whipped around to glare at him. “Oh, shut the hell up, Matt.”

Y/N, still mortified beyond belief, groaned again. “Can this conversation be over now?”

Chris exhaled sharply, his anger still bubbling under the surface. “Fine. But if I ever catch a guy in this house again, I swear to God, Y/N—”

She held up her hands. “I get it! I get it! No boys, no sneaking around, no ‘that’ while you’re home.”

Chris narrowed his eyes. “Good. Now go back to your room and think about how stupid that was.”

Y/N rolled her eyes but didn’t argue, quickly retreating back to her room, slamming the door behind her.

Chris stood there for a moment, still trying to process everything. He turned back to his brothers, shaking his head.

“I need a drink.”

Nick smirked. “Or therapy.”

Matt grinned. “Probably both.”

Chris groaned, collapsing onto the couch. “Worst. Night. Ever.”

[astracora]

Broken Core

Characters: Sylus x gn!mc

Warnings: Hurt/No Comfort, MC dies

Written: 9th February 2025

Notes: Don't ask, I don't know. It's not even poetry I just could NOT sleep it's midnight and my brain wouldn't behave. So have this. It's flowery, so like... yeah. This isn't what I intended for this fic idea but whatever scoob. I hope this releases me so I can snooze.

Masterlist

Nightmare greets you in cold night, it shocks the soul. Trembling and shaking, limbs paralysed against the onslaught, as it leaks into the waking.

An influx of voices and of scenes you do not recall, but intimate and familiar. The oceans' great tides, showers of meteor, fields of flowers, tall ice walls and the cold metal table.

They crash against you, and drag you further, noisy and known, to remind you of who you are, what you have been.

A traitor, a killer, a liar, a fool, a monster.

You are all and you are nothing and it will never stop.

When the wave leaves, so will you, and it will begin again. A cycle unbroken, a game midplay.

The realisation is a cold shock, a deep settling in the seat of soul, that there is no end in sight for a game you never once agreed to play. A torment you did not ask for. Every life cut short and every cycle to end in suffering.

And in your hand, another, dragged into the darkness, and broken upon rocks. Doomed as you are, but for love and for loss.

There is nothing else, no question, you cannot wake once more and twist for the answer.

If twisted core and rotten heart poison, the roots are pulled and fields are freed.

Letters sent and hearts delivered, a vista found for sunrise glitter, you lay against the sea of red, and tear through the skin to rip out the gem.

There's silence on the glowing hills, the sun sets and air chills, when dragon's heart is found again, it is unbeaten and torn to shreds. He sinks to knees and begs for change, but fate has finished playing its game.

He's lost and empty, broken winged.

A beloved soul, his true treasure, there's nothing left but crystal aether.

[meowkwisis]

sᴇᴀ sᴏᴀᴋᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ sᴀɴᴅʏ

_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐ ┊fem!reader x lee felix ┊ warnings: language,not fully proofread, ending is lowk cringe, fluff, a lot of fluff, fluffy!┊tropes: childhood bff to luvrs!, friends to lovers..┊a lot of ocean and beach refs and lit devices<3┊if u cant tell i luv this trope sm.. enjoy! ┊ ˚✧

y/ns voice spread out, as she and felix ran out on the sand. The granules of sand coursing between their toes as they ran out towards the horizon, the only thing on their minds is childish wonder and curiosity. With their hands linked tight, their feet wade through the shallow water, until a wave comes crashing back among shore. Crashing them both along with it.

The sunset was beautiful, the hues among them like a melting pot of wax, all gooey and stuck together. The shades of warm tones, the oranges, and the pinks reminded felix of y/n.

Of how warm she was, how when they were together she warmed his soul until she was all he knew.

the coughing and sputtering of y/n pulled felix from out of his thoughts.

“oh my- “ as she let out another cough, standing up, water licking at her ankles. felix sat and sprawled back onto the sand, sighing and spluttering water like a leaky engine.

“..you.. you okay?” felix was laughing in between his words, as if getting caught under the waves was something hilarious to him.

y/n coughed once more, and plopped down besides him.

linking her hand with his once more.

“i should be asking you that, lix. you got dragged under faster than me!”

felix laughed at that, leaning his head on her shoulder as they both looked up at the sky.

“ooh- wanna go dive for shells? please? or else im gonna tell your mom..”

felix gave her a shocked face, “you didn't have to threaten me, sunny. come on.”

everyone called felix sunny, because it's what he was. he was so bubbly, such an uplifting person to be around. His entire existence seemed to brighten the earth.

who would ever think the sun was orbiting another?

y/n kept felix sane. she kept him who he was. She was the only reason that he was able to be the ‘sunny’ that he was.

that's why y/n was felix’s sunny. and why she would always be.

y/ns entire face lit up when she realized felix said yes, and she quickly got up. Dusting herself off, and offering her hand to felix.

obviously felix took it, even when they were eight years old, he was ready to give up his world for her.

even if he didnt know it himself yet.

felix thought that was his best friend forever. And of course, she was, to this day. That was going to be his everything for the rest of his life, but he was so painstakingly unaware at the fact that he loved her.

maybe it was more he could realize?

present day

“felix. please im begging.”

“how am i supposed to know if i want to if you wont tell me?” there were breathy laughs in his voice as he talked. not because he found the fact that you facetimed him asking him to accompany you somewhere, no. Its because you are hell bent on not telling him where you want to go.

“just trust me! do you not love me anymore? damn. i remember little felix would always go with me wherever i wanted to go…”

y/ns voice was teasing, on the verge of laughing, but because felix could see her face, she had to hold it in. Overall making the situation amplified in amusement.

“no- nononono, you know thats not why!” his voice was littered with laughter, putting a hand on his mouth to stop laughing.

“no its okay, i get it you just hate me. ugh- “

“fine. i'll go with you, okay? just to prove my love to you. ‘kay sunny?”

y/n eventually smiled upon hearing that sentence from him, as if she wasnt waiting for it to come.

“kay! meet me at the boardwalk- thingie- and wear a swimsuit.”

“y/n. sweetheart. its a decking. for my sake.”

“lixxie!”

felix instantly looked in the direction of the nickname that he loved only when it came from a specific person. and sure enough, he saw her, in all her glory.

the sun was beating down upon her face, causing her eyes to squint the slightest bit. Her hair was blowing in the gentle wind. as if the sky knew how delicate and beautiful she was, as to not hurt her. she was waving enthusiastically at him, her hands only holding her phone by its keychain, and a water bottle. she was wearing a big t shirt overtop her swimsuit, and he could tell because he could see the beads of her bikini strings poking through. she seemed to glow in the eyes of felix, but that may just be because she could be glowing at her worst moments. it didn't matter to him.

he didnt even answer, but instead, instantly lifting her in a hug. one of her flip-flops sliding off her feet in the process.

“dude- if we were going to the beach you could've just told me.”

y/n answered in a fabricated annoyed voice, perfected by the amount of times she's done it to felix.

“when was the last time we've seen a proper sunset, huh? we never have time anymore. its sad.”

as felix put her done, there was also a faint look of pondering on his face. he knew she was right. as they grew much older from when they were kids, they never went to the beach as often anymore. something that was a crucial formation in their friendship.

“you do have a point.. come on, i miss it.”

he motioned for her to walk, and they eventually settled into the calming rhythm of walking in the sand once they descended the steps down the decking. y/n put her things in the little net bag she always brought to the beach, and set them at the bottom of the wood decking along with her flip flops. felix followed, setting his phone in the same bag as hers, and putting his busted up beach crocs next to hers.

their arms were linked before they even reached the water.

when they did, the sun enhanced the features of the water heavily. making it glitter, and the water was warmed by the sun, like it was a relationship that brought out the best in both of the people.

the sun danced upon felix’s face, his freckles seemingly becoming more enhanced every second y/n stared at him, and as she peeled off her shirt to dive into the water, felix wasnt being subtle either.

“you ready?”

y/ns voice brought him out of his trance, and surfaced him. like she always did.

how did she always manage to catch him like that?

“don't kick me again, i remember you used to do that all the time as kids. the bruises i got were unreal.”

the smile in his voice was undeniable, and the way he was looking at her with such pure awe was as well.

“shut up, come on- the water looks so good.”

and of course, she dived in without a second thought. Immediately vanishing under the surface with a feasible amount of bubbles and froth.

felix followed soon after.

the cool water hit him hard in contrast to the blazing hot sun on that day, and it seemingly washed all his troubles away with it.

as he resurfaced, y/n was already up, pushing her clumped up locks of hair out of her face, and slapping her face with water.

“i forgot how good this felt.”

she said to him, in a sweeter voice that nearly threw him back years to when they were kids. He could've sworn that he was eight again, yelling and laughing as they dove into the waves as many times until their bodies were more tired than their minds were now.

growing up hurts.

felix’s eyes were swelling with tears as fast as the ocean was swelling with waves, his mind was in the midst of remembering, and of course y/n noticed. she always noticed it when it was felix.

“lix?-.. what-?”

before she could even finish her sentence, he snatched her. just like he was a queen conch at the bottom of the ocean floor, holding her delicately and quietly crying into her shoulder. the water was still hip deep, a bit ,higher on y/n due to their gap in heights, and the water was still swirling around them.

y/n reacted as quickly as it happened, wrapping her arms around his drenched torso, pushing a hand into his sopping wet hair. She subtly kissed his neck in the process, hoping to offer him some nostalgic comfort.

felix was nearly about to fall apart in her hands, feeling the weight of change in his mind, and his mental in general. The minute that he felt the little piece of heaven caress his neck, he felt faint. and not in the type of way where he wanted it to end, but it was in the way where he couldn't get enough.

if he wanted to fall apart, he could. he could do anything and she would still love him, and thats why he loved her. he loved her more that could be represented audibly, but for one, he could show his true self with her. he could bear his feelings out in the open, and she would love him, care for him, and do anything for him.

y/n led him out of the water, onto the sand. and as they both sat down on the sand and as he retracted his head out from by her shoulder and looked at her, she stared back.

he looked beautiful.

she reached out to wipe the excess tears falling from his eyes, and kissing a freckle on his nose. her gentle touch was enough to soothe his aching heart.

“y/nnie…”

felix was talking between sniffles, and the way that he looked at her was enough to melt the coldest heart, and obviously, y/n wasn't the strongest.

“its okay lix.. i'm right here.”

and, once again, she reached for his hand.

and once again, he reciprocated.

“isnt the sunset so pretty?”

that, said by y/n, took both their attentions, and directing it on the sky. the beautiful warm-toned sky. it was familiar for some reason, and invoking a sense of nostalgia in the both of them.

“not as pretty as you.”

it took felix a second to realize he said that out loud.

“…huh?”

he could've sworn y/ns eyes had stars in them. her gaze was so hopeful, it hurt him. she was so beautiful.

“sunny i-.. i don't think i can keep going like this anymore.”

he wanted her. and he couldn't control it. he felt like a tidal wave that was building up for so long, the current was overtaking him. he couldn't deal with it.

“what-? felix what do you-”

there wasn't much time to register what happened-

it was the salty contact of two waves crashing along shore, it was the feeling of connection after being deprived of it for so long, it was like finding the perfect shell.

it felt like home. it tasted like it was long overdue, and the sun was basking them in light as if it was enchanted.

it happened.

the crashing of felix’s lips onto hers.

the deepening of the kiss, something that should've happened so many moons ago.

as her hand was shoved deep into his hair, tugging softly, as if she wanted him closer.

of course, felix just had to breathe after that transformative moment.

“did- did that just- did i just kiss you?”

felix’s shaky breaths in between his words were the telling factor that he didnt know whether to laugh or cry, but upon seeing y/n smiling and on the verge of laughing, he made his decision.

the waves crashing in the background were overthrown by the sounds of their laughter, finally finding each other after all this time.

after inhaling a deep breath and calming herself, she noticed the sun around ten minutes from dipping below the horizon, and looked over at the boy next to her.

“lix..” “yeah?”

“would you believe it if i say i fell in love with you on this very beach?”

felix’s eyes widened upon hearing that, his gaze locked on you more than it ever had before.

“no way. how old.”

y/ns smile was irrevocable when she said-

“eight.”

felix clapped a hand over his mouth to prevent his jaw from falling off in literal pure shock.

“y/n y/l/n. say you're lying.”

“Im not! why is that so hard to believe?”

her giggles came out between her words, her eye contact with felix unwavering.

“i fell in love with you when we were eight. on this beach.”

now it was y/ns turn to be shocked.

she instantly put a hand on his shoulder, and started laughing, kissing what seems as every single visible freckle on his face.

“i- love- you- lix-xie!”

hs response came sea soaked and sandy-

“i love you too, my sunny.”

[nczennie]

full sun.

Pairing: Reader x Haechan AU: Disney, Emperors New Groove Genre: Angst, Fluff Preview: You hum, “Someone must’ve snuck into your room. So either your guards failed you, or it was an inside job.” “Nonsense, I have the best guards in the world.” “And yet here you are.” You snap becoming frustrated, you wanted him to be safe but he was making it difficult. Words: 5.1k

You curse the emperor with every step you take up the hill to the palace. Choosing to ignore the burning in your lungs from the steepness of the walk in order to keep your fast pace.

“Who does he think he is? Ungrateful, privileged,” you trail off as you see the gates of the palace approaching. Everyone in the village knew of the kind of behavior that could be expected of the younger Emperor, but you had never had to deal with it first hand. 

Taking a deep breath, you walk towards to two guards standing watch at the gates. Showing them the letter you carried you explained, “I have a meeting with the Emperor.” They spare each other a glance before nodding you in. You hesitate just slightly, not expecting it to be this easy to walk in. You catch sight of another guard by the doors of the palace and make your way over to him. Before you could speak he opens motions for the large palace doors to be opened, “Follow me.” The deepness of his voice causes you to become nervous, finally realizing the situation. 

You were going to meet the Emperor for the first time, he was the all-mighty ruler. You may have had your annoyances with him, but the reality that he could do whatever he wanted to you if you angered him lingered heavily in your brain now. 

Following the guard down mazes of hallways, you look at the decor around you to distract yourself. Never in your life had you seen anything so extravagant. Gold detailing filled the place from top to bottom in endless depictions of the sun. There was nothing even close to this in the village where all the people lived, and though amazed, your annoyance grew even worse as the apparent money spent on the palace. 

The guard finally stops in front of two large doors, unsure of what to do, you stand there until given instruction. Just moments later you jump with a start as the doors open, looking on with horror as an elderly man is escorted out by guards. “You’re up.”  Gulping you walk slowly through the doors. Only the sound of your footsteps could be heard, echoing in the emptiness as the only piece of furniture is the large gold throne in the front of the room.  Your eyes stay focused on the ground as your afraid to look at him. Was there a proper way to greet him? You’re not sure, you’ve never even seen him before as he is not one to interact with the villagers. 

Finally you let your eyes slowly wander to the Emperor, he sits with a bored expression on his face. Head resting against his fist, elbow on the armrest. You knew he was a young Emperor, around your age, since the death of his parents, but looking at him now he seems too young to be ruling an Empire.  Perhaps that’s why he’s so bad at it. 

“Well?” he finally speaks and you find your annoyance growing in your chest once again.   

“I received this letter this morning, regarding purchasing my land.” You state, holding up the letter you found nailed to your door when you woke up. He seems to recall it as he perks up at the mention, sitting up straight, a small smile coming to his face.  “Yes, I will pay you 100 gold coins.” He motions for the guards, maybe to get the money but you have no interest. 

“No,” you simply state, heart thudding in your chest as you take in the amount of armed guards in the room. There’s a silence that follows, the Emperor obviously shocked at the reluctance. He finally throws his hands up, shaking his head, “What would you require then, 400?”

“It is not a question of gold,” you will your voice to stay firm, “I have no desire to sell my land, no matter the price.”

He blinks slowly at you, “I don’t recall the letter asking for your permission.” He was right. The letter was not an offer, but a demand. Either way, you had to fight it. 

“I am the village’s only healer, my home is where I do my work. If you take it from me there goes my home as well as the only place where I can help people.” He huffs, rolling his eyes at you, “With the gold I give you, you can buy a new home. You could even buy a home and a seperate place for your work. Therefore you should be thanking me.”

You become flustered, face burning red, “My land is more than that.” Taking a quick breath to keep you from stumbling, you continue, “All on the land of my home is fields full of growing plants that I use for my work. As I mentioned, I am a healer and I use all of these to make medicine for my patients. Without my land I can’t do as such.” 

Maybe you were expecting to strike some sort of cord within the Emperor, but you watched as he merely shut his eyes and took a deep breath. “Let me show you what I am planning to do with your land,” he snaps and a person comes wheeling out a 3D diagram with what you assume was your land.  The Emperor motions you to come forward so you do, slowly, looking at the 3D model. Your eyebrows furrow, “A community pool?” you question him and he laughs, “Community? No, this pool is for me. I had all the land surveyed and I noticed the land you own is obviously the best spot for me pool. It gets the most sunlight since it is slightly west of the mountains unlike the rest of the town.”

You want to argue with him, of course you know this, how else would you be able to grow all of your medical herbs and plants. But instead you merely stand your ground, “I’m sorry, but I will not sell my land, even if it is the perfect spot for your pool.” The Emperor is quick to glare at you, “500 gold coins is for your final answer, take that or else I’ll-” The young ruler is unable to finish the threat as a woman moves forward to interrupt him, “Now Haechan, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.” You look at the older woman, slightly doing a double take at her farfetched eye makeup. 

Watching on as the Emperor groans, leaning back in his throne you look confused. “Yzma,” he speaks, “We already talked about how much I needed this land for the pool.” She gives a condescending smile to the boy, “I understand, but let’s not scare the girl off,” she turns to smile at you, “The Emperor offers you 500 gold coins for your land, I hope you understand how great that offer is. Now take the night to think it over, yeah? Come back here tomorrow afternoon.” 

You want to argue that no matter the amount of time you will not accept any offer, but you worry about the unfinished threat from the Emperor earlier. So instead you nod, bowing at the Emperor before taking your leave. 

That night you wander through the fields beside your house, using the light from the moon to help you harvest the peppermint leaves. You’ve spent the day tending to your patients; stitching an arm up, helping a young girl with a fever, and even delivering a baby. It was a busy day that left you little to no time for think about your encounter with the Emperor.

But now in the quietness, you can’t help but stress.  You were supposed to return tomorrow with your answer, however you had a feeling it was either agree or they force you out one way or another. Sure with the great amount of money they offered you could relocate, but no place could replace the vast fields of plants and herbs that you used daily or the sentimental value. Even if you were to replant some, your supply would drop drastically. Especially seeing as the Emperor planned to totally demolish the land. 

You tredge to the stream, kneeling to pick some chamomile when you notice something floating from the corner of your eye. Turning your full attention to it, you let out a gasp, standing and tumbling across the water to where it washed ashore. 

Gulping as you come closer, you notice you were right. It was a human floating in the water. Using all your strength to pull them fully on dry land, you move to flip them over. 

“Oh no,” you cry out as you see the face of the young Emperor. You quickly check his pulse, relieved that it was still there but you quickly began pushing down on his chest. Who knew how long he was in the water and how much got into his lungs. “C’mon.” You groan continuing your pulses before leaning to breathe into his mouth, hand covering his nose.  

Finally as you pull away for the second time, he jerks coughing, water spilling over his lips. He breathes heavily as you move him to his side but does not fully regain consciousness. Now you must figure out how to drag him back to your house to tend to him there.

The birds chirp in the morning light as you sip your tea, walking back into your house from collecting the newspaper. 

‘EMPEROR MISSING’ it reads in large print and you sigh closing the door behind you. Walking to where the young emperor sits in your bed barely noticing your presence he’s so busy eating his breakfast. 

He had woken up about an hour ago confused and hungry, but thankfully no sign of memory loss. “Everyone is looking for you.” You say walking beside him and handing him the newspaper. He looks up at you, mouth full of food before grabbing the paper. “Yzma to act as Empress until further notice...” Haechan reads before scoffing. “She’s not even of royal blood, I’ll be back in an hours time.” He states before returning to his food, clearly having no concept of how far the palace was from the town.

“Who is this Yzma anyways?” You ask moving to clear the kitchen. “My advisor.” Haechan states with a full mouth causing you to grimace. “She served on the council for my father so when my parents passed they assigned her to be my advisor until I came of age. But she does all the hard work so I keep her around even now.”

You stay silent, pursing your lips. “Well, that was delicious. I’ll be off to the palace now.” He places his dishes on the nightstand before standing. You rush beside him, unsure of his condition. “You’re just going to go back?” You look at him like he’s crazy but he gives you the same look back. “Of course I am. What else am I to do? Surely not stay here in town.”

Rolling your eyes you ignore the comment. “I mean is it safe? Clearly someone intended to kill you back at the palace and you don’t even know who.” Haechan blinks slowly, as if it just dawned on him how he ended up here in the first place.

“You really think someone did this on purpose?” He says and you raise your eyebrows. “I treated your wound. Someone obviously hit you in the back of the head before dumping you in the stream to die.” 

He scratches his cheek and you can’t tell if he’s thinking or zoning out. “You’re sure you don’t remember anything?” You ask him again and he nods. “Like I said I was in my room about to get into bed and that’s the last I remember.”

You hum, “Someone must’ve snuck into your room. So either your guards failed you, or it was an inside job.” 

“Nonsense, I have the best guards in the world.”

“And yet here you are.” You snap becoming frustrated, you wanted him to be safe but he was making it difficult. “Well what do you suggest I do?” He throws his hands up. “Is there someone in the palace you trust the most? Maybe we can get you to them and tell them what happened.” You try.

“It has to be Yzma.” He says, “She’s been with me since I was a kid, since my parents passed.” You nod, “Okay, perfect. We’ll find a way to get you to her without anyone else seeing so she can help figure out who did this.”

Haechan nods, licking his lips in determination. “Right, okay. How do we sneak in though if there are guards everywhere?” You take a moment to think. When you walked to the top of the hill yesterday the whole trail was covered with guards. But you remember as a child taking a trip with your grandfather. “We’ll go the back way. There’s a secret trail on the back of the hill we can take. It just might take longer.”

“How long exactly?” He asks with a frown. “A day.”

“What?!” He sounds esaperated, “You wanted me to spend a night outside?” You roll your eyes at him, “You have a head injury, you can’t push yourself that hard. We need to take our time.” He runs his hands over his face before sighing, “Alright, fine. But we need to leave as soon as possible.”

Sighing as you tie your bag up you look at Haechan who looks unamused from where he sits. “Alright, we can head out.” He rolls his eyes, “About time.” You send him a glare as you place the bag on your back, “We have to be prepared, it’s a long journey. We need food, something for shelter, your medicine..” You trail trying to make your point. 

You follow the emperor outside, closing your door behind you, placing the note you wrote on your door. It was the only way to let anyone know you’d be out for the day. 

Quietly he lets you take the lead and you head further into the lush jungle and towards a tiny trail that rarely sees anyone but animals. You both trek quietly until the boy finally speaks, “Why do you think someone wanted me dead?”

Blinking harshly as you continue your pace, you don’t look back at him. “Well you’re the emperor, they could want power. Or maybe you did something to make them angry.” You say knowing a lot of town people don’t exactly agree with the reckless ruling and spending of the young ruler. 

“Nonsense.” He says loudly, “There’s no one who would disagree with me. Except you of course.”

You stop abruptly turning to face him and he nearly stumbles into you, “Excuse me?” 

Haechan frowns at you, “Yeah, you won’t willingly give me your land.” You shake your head, “You don’t realize how important my land is.” He merely rolls his eyes so you speak again, “I can’t be the only one who disagrees with you.” You know it’s true, you hear what the people say around town. 

“You are. Except two others who I had to have imprisoned but everyone else knows my power and it’s something you should learn too.” You raise your eyebrows and he continues and starts to walk in front of you down the trail, “I am of royal blood, descended from the sun god himself. I was made to rule over this land, over these people. What I say goes and what I say is correct. There is no other way.”

Your cheeks burn with anger and your mind flashes of what would have been if you left him in the stream last night. But you take a deep breath before continuing on the trail. 

“Then why do you think someone tried to kill you?” You ask and you see him shrug in front of you. “Don’t know. Can’t think of any reason why.”

It’s been a long day of travel with Haechan, from the humidity and steep hills to Haechans constant whining and insisting on stopping and snacking. 

Now the sun was nearly setting but you were more worried about the rumbling of thunder and the dark clouds that were rolling in at an alarming pace. After a particularly close strike of lightning, you look around before dropping your bag to the floor. “We need to set up shelter here.”

The emperor frowns looking around, “You said we would be there in a day. Can’t we keep going?” He looks up, the top of the hill where the palace was at didn’t seem too far. 

You don’t even spare him a glace, working on getting one of the tarps out of your bag instead. “No.” You say bluntly, “It’s going to rain- to storm. We need shelter, it’s not safe to keep going now.”

The wind starts to pick up making it more difficult for you to move the tarp the way you want it. You spot a tree branch that nearly reaches the side of the hill where a small ledge pokes out. It seems like the best placement, so you drag it over and start to throw it over the branch. 

“I’m not staying here.” Haechan speaks up over the wind and thunder, “I’ll walk the rest of the way myself if I have to.” 

“Don’t be stupid!” You call out, blinking as it starts to drizzle. “Bring me some rocks, big ones. We can place them on the ridge to keep the tarp in place.” You grab some string from your bag tying down the edge to the branch. 

“Don’t forget who you speak to!” Haechan shouts and you pause to look at him, raining now falling harder. “I am the emperor! I will not take orders from someone like you! If I say we keep going, we keep going!” 

You pull the knot tightly, letting the branch snap back up, ignoring Haechan as well as the annoyance growing in your chest. Instead you move to gather rocks, grabbing as much as you can before moving to the tarp again. 

“Listen to me!” Haechan shouts again, moving closer, “Why do you insist on disobeying everything I say!” His voice is dark, seeming truly angry now causing you to look at him. “Leave all this, we are going! Now!” 

Another clap of thunder rings out and you break. “Look around, we are not going anywhere! You’ll die before you even get to the palace. Stop acting like an incompetent leader and grab the damn rocks!” You scream over the rain. 

He freezes staring at you as the rain grows harder. Without another word he grabs the rocks and silently helps you place them on the ridge, keeping the tarp in place. 

You both move under the shelter and you pull out a blanket from the bag placing it on the ground and you both sit. The rain and wind continue to roar loudly and you take a small towel you packed. “Let me see your head, I need to reapply your medicine.” You speak. 

He hesitates but moves, allowing you to dry and apply the salve to his wound. Once done you both sit quietly again until Haechan finally speaks up. “I’m not as stupid as they say I am you know.”

You keep your gaze on the thread of the blanket you’ve been messing with, suddenly feeling guilty. “I didn’t-” You start but he interrupts. 

 “A little naive, yes. But you have to realize they only tell me what they want me to hear. I’m not allowed to leave the palace.”

You turn to look at him surprised by this, “Why?”

“I’m the only living heir to the throne, the last blood connected to the sun god. Since the accident with my parents they needed to keep me safe. At least until I have an heir of my own. The blood line could end with me.”  

You pause, listening to the rain as you take in your words.  You’ve never thought, you you doubt the people in town did either, that Haechan staying cooped up in the palace was anything but his choice. 

“Do the people really hate me that much?” He asks and you can hear the sadness radiating from his voice. “They don’t hate you, it’s just...” You stop yourself trying to think of the right words to say. “They’re frustrated Haechan. We see the amount of money being spent on the palace but most of town is struggling to pay for necessities. They just don’t feel like they’re being heard.” 

Explaining it as gently as you can, you hope he sees where you’re coming from. Minutes pass of silence, nothing but the rain hitting the tarp could be heard. But the emperor finally speaks again. “I didn’t know people were struggling. They don’t inform me about anything. Yzma says I don’t need to worry about that stuff.”

“Whenever I asked to build something in the palace, they would do it without a question. I guess I just thought if there was a problem with the spending they would have suggested I don’t. I’ve never been told no.” He rants running his hand over his face. “And anytime someone from town would come to see me, they would introduce them in a way that made it seem they were only out for trouble. Like it was weird for them to even be visiting me. I never once considered they really needed my help. Maybe I really am incompetent.” 

He sighs and you frown. “We didn’t know, Haechan. No one knows that they made you stay away from the town, we all just figured you thought you were too good for us.” His lips form a pout. 

“But I’m sure we can fix that, you can send an announcement to the people and tell them the truth. They’ll surely understand then.” You try to brighten his mood. Suddenly you feel bad for the young emperor who was forced to stay in the palace, not knowing an ounce of truth about his empire in hopes of keeping him safe to continue the bloodline. Perhaps he is misunderstood afterall. 

“Maybe you can help me!” Haechan suddenly says brightly, turning to face you. “You probably know the towns people better than anyone else. You can let me know what I can do to fix it!” You look at him hesitantly, “Maybe.” You simply say. 

The rain continues for the next couple of hours as you and Haechan lay side by side on the blanket. The temperature as dropped dramatically and you both wordless moved as close as possible to each other to find a source of warmth. 

“I hate the rain.” Haechan suddenly says and you try to find his gaze in the dark. “Why?”

“It was raining when I found out about my parents accident.” He says nonchalauntly causing you to gulp. You vaguely remember the incident, both you and the emperor were merely kids then. But you remember the whole town mourning when they announced the emperor and empress has died an accident after visiting the town over. 

“I’m sorry,” You say, “Were you close to them?”

“Very much so. I loved them and they loved me. It was the last time I probably felt love. Before I was pushed onto the throne as a child who only wanted his parents back.” 

You can imagine a young Haechan sitting in the cold throne room, struggling to understand what was happening. Your stomach turned at the thought and you let yourself reach down to hold his hand giving it a squeeze.  He doesn’t pull away. 

“Are you close to your family?” He asks.

Swallowing, you answer slowly. “My mother died giving birth to me and my father died a couple years after your parents. He got a sickness from one of his patients and never recovered.”

You think you see him turn to look at you but you can’t quite tell in the dark. “I’m sorry.” He says. 

“It’s okay. I was raised by my grandparents. They taught me all about healing and medicine to continue the practice. Unfortunately they both passed a couple of years ago, but they were quite old.”

You feel Haechan squeeze your hand that still rests in his. 

“Perhaps we understand each other more than we think.” He says and you both fall asleep to the sound of rain, hands remaining intertwined. 

The morning air is crisp but the sky is blue as you and Haechan pack up the shelter you created for the night. Unlike before, he willing helps you fold the tarp and blanket before placing them into your bag. 

As you both continue on the trail Haechan talks excitedly about a newspaper he plans on printing. One that would inform the town people of the misunderstanding between them. Of how he had ideas to create a new budget for everyone to use. 

The palace was now in view but you both stopped to quickly eat before making it up the last of the hill. 

“I don’t think I ever told you thank you.” Haechan looks at you, “For saving my life, for bringing me back. For telling me the truth.” 

You smile genuinely at him. “Of course. Thank you for listening.” You say back and he smiles too. “Hopefully with Yzma’s help I can quickly figure out who did this to me and why they did it.” Nodding along you start to worry that bringing him back here would only put him in more danger. 

But Haechan doesn’t seems to worried as he goes back to rambling about his future plans. “And of course I’ll see you again when I come to properly buy your land. I’ll actually have the right paperwork.”

Your stomach drops and you look to see if he was joking, “What?” You say and stand to your feet, “You seriously still want to buy my land, after everything?” 

He frowns at you, “No, no. You see it won’t be just a pool for me anymore. It’ll be for the community. They’ll see how I can change and spend for them too.” He nods optimistically at you. 

Furrowing your eyebrows you feel your face start to burn, “I can’t believe you’re still trying to buy my land after everything that’s happened! I told you I need my land Haechan. It has everything I need for healing, it’s been in my family for generations, it’s the only thing I have left of them! You can’t just take it from me!” You confess feeling tears starting to burn your eyes. 

Haechan blinks at you but there’s no time to argue as a group of palace guards come from around the corner. “There!” A lady, Yzma, as you recognize her shouts. “There is the emperor! Take that girl quickly into custody.”

You look at her in shock, “Me?” you ask confused as she makes her way to Haechan and the guards walk towards you. 

“Didn’t you hear her!” She says, “She refuses to sell the emperor her land and has taken him in retaliation!” 

“No!” You panic as the guards roughly grab you, “That’s not it! Haechan!” You shout trying to look at him as they pull you away but you only see a lost look on his face.

Haechan sits in the large dining room eating a warm meal, only Yzma across from him and some guards posted on the door. 

“Thanks for taking over while I was gone.” He says simply, staring at his food. She gives him a familiar smile, “It was my pleasure.” 

There’s silence again and Haechan thinks of you. He doesn’t believe you were the one who did this of course, but Yzma refused to release you, saying it wasn’t safe. Haechan insisted on starting an investigation after telling her someone dumped him in a stream but she claimed there was no reason to with you locked up. 

Haechan has full power over her as emperor but there was something about her that made her hard to say no to. She has been telling him what to do since his parents passed. 

“I’m not that hungry, I’ll head to my room now.” He announces standing from his chair. She nods not looking up at him, “Of course, I’ll send the healer in to look at your head injury.”   

Haechan freezes in his place. 

When telling her the story of what happened, he merely said he was dumped in the stream. He didn’t once mention the injury on his head.

His stomach fills with dread as he realizes the betrayal. Memories flashing of when he found comfort in the woman when he was a young boy, crying over the death of his parents. Yet after it all, it was she who tried to kill him. All for some power. 

“It was you.”

“Thank you! Please enjoy the festivities!” Haechan shouts over the crowd as they cheer for him. You smile, clapping along with the crowd as you stand beside the emperor. 

The town was holding a celebration for your healing center, as Haechan has invested in digging waterways in order for easier managing of your crops. Now you didn’t have to do as much work to maintain the fields. 

It was one of many steps Haechan as taken in healing his relationship with his people and showing them what he was really capable of.  They all adored this new and improved leader and looked up to him and all he’s done. 

“Congratulations.” He speaks turning to you with a smug smile. “I know you really just want me to congratulate you.” You tease him and he shrugs, “It would be appreciated.” 

You laugh softly, stepping closer, leaning to placing a lingering kiss to the corner of his lips. You pull away noticing the reddening of his cheeks as you whisper in his ear, “Congratulations Haechan, and thank you.”

“I don’t know why you’re so shy, we’ve kissed before you know.” You state and he only turns further red. “What? No we haven’t! When?” He’s flustered and confused as you laugh.

“When I saved you of course, I had to give you mouth to mouth to get you breathing again.”

His mouth opens and closes as he thinks. “That-that doesn’t count.” He whines which only causes you to laugh loudly. Continuing to giggle as he grabs your hand to pull you closer, placing his hand gently on your cheek in order to pull you in for a proper first kiss.

Copyright © 2025 by nczennie. All rights reserved.

[jackobbit]

Woof, god, sorry it’s been like, nearly a month since I’ve uploaded any DCA art

Engaging with fandom stuff has just kinda been tough this past month especially

I can’t believe it took me so long for it all to really set in how much fandom culture and such has changed and just how negative it’s become, and it’s been starting to take a huge toll on me. I’ve been really discouraged from drawing stuff lately because of it

That’s neither here nor there, though, I’m going to see if I can’t bounce back by just stepping away from internet spaces and focusing on drawing and such instead

I’m still going to see if I can’t continue my comic, I’ve worked too hard to let it fall into nothingness now, I’ve written too much story, thought about it too much, etc

I’ll still be uploading art and such but scrolling and looking at other stuff is a no go for the time being

[guqin-and-flute]

Something about the fact that these shots are all grouped together, one after another, visually giving them equal weight just gets me. The narrative knows what's going to happen between JGY and Huaisang at this point, knows how it's going to treat JGY at the end of everything. And it still takes time to show Meng Yao instinctively and immediately going in front of Huaisang and Huaisang instinctively and immediately hiding behind him. It takes the time--literally, showed it in the background and focused on it with the same general amount of time as the other shots--to show that this act of protection and trust are just as real and true as Jiang Cheng defending his sister, as Wen Qing defending her younger brother.

Like, I dunno! There are other Nie juniors there! They have swords and shit! Huaisang could have gone and hid behind the wall, but he hid behind Meng Yao! And Meng Yao could have moved back with Huaisang, but he steps directly in front of him!

There's a lot CQL did to JGY's character and narrative that I don't like and that flatten or just straight up erase his full complexity. But I really appreciate the lengths that it went to in Episode 4 to explicitly tell us that he does not hesitate to protect Huaisang, even though at this point he does not have a sword and definitely does not have anywhere near the same cultivation power (if any) as any of the rest of the people in the room.

Right now, after being publicly humiliated, unarmed and definitely outclassed, he is brave. Along with the rest of the characters, he's allowed to be uncomplicatedly young and loyal and just as innocent as any of the other students there.

[bmpmp3]

finding out ur coworker is way older than you thought and having to very quickly reorient how you talk to them

[milliumizoomi]

Was nobody gon tell me Jacob scipio smokes???

[necrotic-nephilim]

Do you have any more ideas about the dead dove vampire!dickxtim au you wrote a while ago? It's lived in my head ever since and I'd love to know more.

first of all thank you so much that's so sweet! second of all, i have SO many ideas you have no idea. that fic ate at my brain for like a month before i found the time to write it so i had plenty of ideas i didn't fully explore. i'm adding a read more just bc. that was one of my more fucked up fics so i don't want to subject anyone to a necro kink jumpscare

so one of the big ideas i've thought about with that fic is Tim dealing with the aftermath of it, right. bc he's of course going to hide it from everyone. the Batfam all just neds to hold onto the hope that they can save Dick somehow, and knowing what Dick did would kill any lingering hope that there's anything left of Dick Grayson in the walking husk that he's become. so Tim has to deal with the worst of it alone, probably not even mentioning he ran into Dick.

the fun part tho is that above everything else, Tim wouldn't be able to let go of Dick's comment about fantasizing about Tim before being a vampire. Tim knows the comment was made just to get in his head, but that doesn't stop it from working. he spends hours pouring over old footage of him and Dick training, hanging out, on patrol, anything he can find. just to like. try to find evidence of Dick's gaze lingering. it eats Tim alive not knowing one way or the other if it was a lie. if it's true, at least it makes it easier for Tim to move on from the memory of Dick. but not knowing is worse. and he never finds anything that satiates the question so like. that'd destroy Tim the most. (the real answer is that Dick genuinely didn't feel attraction to Tim before being a vampire, *but* Dick is convinced he did bc being a vampire fucked him up so badly that he's become his own unreliable narrator. so it's both true and untrue, and in the end, it doesn't matter either way bc Tim is fucked up by the thought of it and even if they "fixed" Dick by curing him, i think Dick's romantic feelings would linger in the horror of what he did.)

i'm really just. in love with Dick's feelings toward Tim in the fic. the most difficult part of the fic was figuring out how to end it, bc sure as a sexual fantasy Dick is obsessed with killing Tim, but he's also deeply in love with Tim, so it's difficult to follow through on. Dick wants to make Tim a vampire more than anything, but he is genuinely worried about how well it'd take for Tim. the fic doesn't really go into who's on Dick's side as a vampire, but i personally believe he's turned most of the Titans. probably some of his own rogues as well, i could see him turning Slade. i can't explain why, those are just the vibes.

it is important to me just how much of Dick's feelings for Tim are based in him not wanting Tim to live under Bruce's thumb. like the whole vampire brain has convinced Dick that Bruce is somehow the villain in this, and it was Bruce's control keeping Dick from being the person he wanted to be. it's a very warped reality and if i continued the fic i'd love for the second part to be from Dick's perspective just to have fun with the unreliable narrator of it.

back to the porn tho. Dick would seek TIm out again. probably in Tim's own apartment, just bc he wants to destroy every safe space Tim has. getting into Tim's head is an important part of breaking TIm down. the fear of Tim fighting back against being a vampire is one that Dick is trying to figure out how to manage and his current plan is to break Tim mentally. it's why he brings up wanting to sleep with TIm before being a vampire. he *knows* it's gonna fuck up Tim. and the more he puts these little cracks in Tim's psyche, the more he's sure he's breaking Tim down enough to be able to turn him. so going to Tim's apartment and proving that at any point, Dick can easily find Tim and fuck him. always holding the threat of killing Tim over his head. and Dick knows Tim didn't tell anyone when days pass after their first meeting and no Bat comes after him so like. Dick really just pushes the limits. i think he would brand Tim just bc he can. i also got a comment on the fic that mentioned Dick stabbing Tim and fucking the wound and i canNOT get that image out of my head either-

and the necro/snuff kink just. Dick playing the long game, so it takes maybe months of stalking Tim, going after him. sometimes he fucks Tim, sometimes he just fights and taunts him. and all the talk about killing Tim fucks with Tim's head a little bit. i think it'd be fun if it killed Tim's ability to have vanilla/normal sex with someone else, like Kon. it's hard for Tim to understand anyone being attracted to him in a way that doesn't involve him being a dead body. i don't think he develops the kink fully, but he does end up convincing himself being a corpse is the only way he's attractive bc of all the things Dick has said to him. it all plays into Dick psychologically breaking Tim.

i am a lover of fucked up/unhappy endings so. for me. the ending would be Dick following through on his plan to kill Tim and turn him. it'd take months for Dick to work up the courage bc TIm was absolutely right when he pointed out that Dick was too scared to actually follow through on his fantasy. Dick tries, multiple times. he convinces himself no less than five times that this is going to be the one. this'll be the time he really does it. but just as Tim starts to die, Dick panics. i think it's especially fun if once Dick even gives Tim CPR bc of his cold feet. so Tim does "die" for a second and has to brutally come back while Dick is buried inside of him.

but when Dick does it, his fears manifest in that Tim does *not* take being a vampire well. he's constantly trying to kill himself (in the time it takes for Dick to break Tim, Tim probably does figure out what poison can kill a vampire) and Dick ends up having to keep Tim locked up so Tim doesn't kill himself. would truly love to try to write Tim as mentally shattered as possible. part of him loves Dick, but he's fighting himself so hard he's not even sure if it's the vampire side that loves Dick or the human side. he's kept like a human pet, bc Dick is convinced he'll get Tim to accept it sooner or later. just a very fun, very fucked up sort of ending. i say this about all the fics i write but this one specifically i do *really* want to continue someday. i know exactly the direction i'd take it, and it could turn into a pretty long fic with a lot of fucked up porn, a lot of unrequited love, and an eventual mind break for Tim.

[girlivealwaysbean]

it's not sinking in that today might be the last day in my house and town for many months to come