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sweetlittlegingy · 2 years ago

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What If

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☑︎ Pairing: Jake Seresin x Y/n Seresin (Mitchell)

☑︎ Word Count: 4 k

☑︎ Warnings: Infertility, IVF, Adoption, Dad!Jake, Teacher/Mom!Reader, Kindergarteners, bad foster parents, child neglect, fluffy dagger squad, Poppa Mav

☑︎ A/n: Holy shit, I had the hardest time writing this. Life has not been kind lately in the school sense and health sense, but I still wanted to give you guys something. I hope that my month long stent has made it so you won't read it. I really appericate the love that you all have been giving me. I can't promise that updates are going to become a regular thing as of yet, but will be trying my hardest. Love you all ♥︎

☑︎Library (Follow for updates! I no longer have a taglist.)

The pitter-patter of feet running down the hallway has you looking up from the fruit bowl you're curating, to glance over your shoulder and catch sight of Laine running toward you as Bradley chases her. Her tiny body clings to your bottom half as she tries to squish in between you and the cabinet.

“Chicken, nooooo!” her small form shakes in laughter as he bends down at your side and pokes at her.

“I was promised a princess.”

Bradley’s voice tries to lower an octave though does the complete opposite and rises to a high squeak that makes you break out in laughter. Your heart swells at the sight, Bradley would make a wonderful uncle. He was already the best brother you could have asked for and since yesterday on base, he had quite literally had Laine on his hip or playing together at every moment.

Gray was never far away, though he tended to stay at neither Bob, Jake, or Javy’s side. You were so used to Gray being attached to you that seeing him interact so much with the squad was startling. You miss your little shadow, though seeing the way that he looked at Jake now was something that you would love to witness daily. Jake had told you that they just talked about planes, but you could see that it meant so much more to both of them.

The munchkin between your legs moves again, darting from Bradley’s outstretched hand as she giggles in excitement.

“I’m Jakey’s princess,” The reply stumps Bradley momentarily, long enough for her little hands to find your own. “Miss CeCe save me!”

Her hands pat at your tummy in a little rhythm as she bounces lightly on her toes. You gently slide the fruit bowl back and lower down to grab the munchkin before Brad can make another grab for her. Her small form bounces in your hold as she wraps her arms around your neck and nuzzles in.

“Run Miss CeCe!” She eyes you in excitement and you drop your gaze back to Bradley, before giving him a smirk. Your hips swivel as you turn and your arms clutch onto a giggling Laine as you run away.

“Get the fruit bowl, Chicken!”

You hear a playful huff at the name, though you’re past the hallway entryway and heading for the back deck before Bradley has a chance to yell back at you. The dimness in the hall is lit by the shining sun outside and you can see the rest of the squad lounging around in chairs while Javy and Jake bicker about grilling.

You hadn’t planned to have a BBQ, though this morning when Bradley and Nat showed up banging on the door with coolers and dessert you didn’t have any other choice.

No, you really had no other choice.

The pair had pushed through the door before you could even question them and told you that they were only here to see the twins. They then followed that up by saying that everyone was coming by, well everyone but Javy, he had spent the night after having a movie fort/sleepover night and had yet to leave. The pair had ushered you that you didn’t need to worry because Bob and Mickey were making sure to grab all the required fixings from the store so you wouldn’t have to worry.

Though you had instantly started making a fruit bowl with the strawberries, grapes, kiwi, and pineapple that you already had. The twins had helped you wash them and then used small star cookie cutters to cut shapes in the pineapple. Though once everyone had finally arrived the pair had automatically gravitated toward the outside. Bradley had also casually thrown in the fact that your dad, Penny, and Amelia were coming over as well. After your dad had met them, he instantly wanted Penny and Amelia to meet the twins.

You brush a small strand of hair from Madelaine’s face, which causes her to give you a sweet smile and then kiss your cheek. That had started last night when you were putting the twins to bed, even though they ended up in yours again during the night. The two of them were in a late-night Disney movie hazy that left them half asleep, which in turn led them to tell both you and Jake that they loved you. It had made your heart stop. You knew that you should be placing boundaries, but so many were already crossed, and Jake and you both loved them so much already.

Your hand comes up to shield your eyes as the sun nearly blinds you. You didn’t know how it was 78 degrees at the beginning of December, but you weren’t complaining one bit. Your hold on Laine loosens as her small form wiggles until she’s free of you to run across the deck.

“Pop Pop! Ms. CeCe fought Chicken off.” She squeals in delight as your father catches her and tosses her small form in the air. That was also new, Jake had called your father Pops last night and Laine ran with it from there. Now both Gray and Laine were calling him Pop Pop, and neither your father nor anyone else had even spoken of the possibility of having them stop and having them call him Mav instead.

Your glance leaves the pair as they sit down next to Penny and Amelia, the mother and daughter duo instantly fell in love with the twins. So much so that your little sister had asked if she could babysit them sometime. She had been so happy and excited that you couldn’t tell her that you didn’t know if they would ever be back to the house.

A sigh leaves your chest as you cast your eyes around the deck to look at the group of important people in your life, though you can’t seem to find one of the most important ones. Gray wasn’t anywhere in your line of sight, and while you knew he was somewhere in the yard, that didn’t stop your breath from hitching. A pinch to your back makes you jump, while Bradley laughs and moves passed you with the fruit salad. You bat your hand at him, playfully glaring at him as he passes.

You’re still looking for Gray when you catch Jake’s eyes, he then gives you a small tip of the head out to the lawn and causes you to venture over to look out at the yard. A smile rests on your face as you lean against the railing of the deck to watch Bob, Mickey, Nat, and Gray as they lay on the lawn watching the sky. Gray’s hand shoots up causing your own eyes to shoot to the sky as a jet passes overhead. You only hear pieces of the conversation, something about cloud coverage, altitude, and flight pattern prediction, but it makes you smile all the same. Gray finally had people that would understand and listen to him, instead of brushing him off and not believing a word he said. Because as Janice had so kindly told you during a conference, “Children aren’t that smart, stop feeding into his fantasy.” The woman had riled you up to the point where you skipped over the last half of the packet, already knowing that she wasn’t listening to a thing you said about Grayson, and practically pushed her out the door.

The hands that wined around your waist and grasped onto the railing in front of you, have you relaxing back into the familiar chest. Jake’s chin settles on your shoulder after giving your cheek a small kiss causing the weight of your body to sink further into the comforting hold. You both sigh, and the mutual feeling of peace and fulfillment passes through the two of you.

“They blend in seamlessly.” Jake’s breath heats your neck, and you can’t help but to smile at the comment because it was true. They fit into your little family perfectly, and you were going to soak up every moment you had this weekend.

“I don’t want it to be over.” Jake’s hands wrap around you as you say it, and squeeze you gently. “I don’t know how I’m just going to let them go back there.” Your voice is heavy with pain that neither one of you acknowledge, instead, hoping to remain in this moment.

The tightness in your chest relieves, as neither of you can comment when you hear a whistle ring out that causes everyone to look over at Javy. He stands by the grill, with Laine on his hip as she silently waits for everyone’s attention. Javy smiles down at the small girl as she watches the group of you bouncing from excitement in his hold. Her eyes move from the group and up to Javy as the group quiets down to listen. He gives her a tiny nod that has a smile breaking out on not only her face but yours as well.

“The food is done.” Laine’s voice rings out through the backyard, but before anyone can make their way to the grill Javy whispers something else in her ear to say. “Ummm... Javy said he cooked everything, and Jakey didn’t help and that he’s the best cook.”

The comment causes everyone but Jake to laugh. A dramatic sigh falls from his lips as he steps out from behind you, only taking one step closer to the pair. You giggle as Jake clutches at his heart, eyes wide and never leaving Laine’s, before slipping to his knees beside you.

“You wound me, little darlin’.” His voice is strained and causes the surrounding group to gently smile at him. It didn’t go unnoticed how much Jake loved the twins already, and while they never mentioned the fact to you or Jake, it didn’t stop the squad from talking amongst themselves.

Jake barely has time to catch Laine as she runs into his arms and clutched onto him. She leans into his ear and whispers words that you can’t make out that have the both of them smiling. They must be good if the mega smile not resting on Jake’s face can tell you anything. Jake slowly rises to stand up while the pair laugh together, both of them looking at Javy in a teasing manner.

“You two keeping secrets now?” Your voice is questioning and has Madelaine leaning into you.

“I didn’t wanna hurt Javy’s feelings, Ms. CeCe. Jakey is still the best.” A giggle bubbles from you as she gives you a toothy grin, before you both then look at Javy and you can’t help but laugh even more at his wondering stare.

A weight settles against your leg and causes you to glance down to find Gray, already looking back up at you. His blonde locks house a few pieces of grass that you pick out, while his finger wraps around your belt loop.

“Hi, Sweetpea.” His blue eyes sparkle in the sunlight as a quiet hi is said back to you. “You ready to eat?”

You get back a small nod as he stays attached to your hip, watching the surrounding crowd from the designated safe zone. While Gray had opened up immensely to the group, he still ended up at your side whenever the group became too much. It wasn’t that he was uncomfortable, but his social anxiety and depleted self-esteem caused him to doubt his worth, especially around people he didn’t know well.

You hadn’t noticed that Jake put down Laine, though as his hands come around Gray to lift him in the same manner, he had with Laine just moments ago your heart swells. The sound of his laugh echoed through the yard as the group milled around getting food and talking, though your eyes could leave to pair.

A perfect father-son duo. You could have told anyone that the twins were your kids, not just from how they were almost identical copies of Jake. But anyone that saw how they interacted, and the amount of love that passed between them from minuscule actions and words alone.

“Come on you two, before Roos eats everything.” Your voice is teasing as you pull the pair along with you to grill to follow Laine, who already had your dad piling a mountain of food on a plate for her. Your eyes don’t miss the two different pieces of cake and brownie that cover most of the surface of the plate. You shake your head at your father, just now realizing how tightly Laine has him wrapped around her finger.

Your comment finally gained a reaction from Bradley, as a small kid playing ball lands against your back and makes you yelp before turning. You give him a smile that only a little sister can give to her older brother, followed by your tongue peeking out in a taunt.

You would give anything to stay in this moment with this group of people, your family, forever.

...

You finish putting the last dish away from the washer and wipe down the counter as the clock strikes 8:00. Signaling that it was in fact the twin’s bedtime, well the one that you had given them. Neither Janice nor Ed said if they had a nighttime routine, though you were sure that it wasn’t that they forgot to mention it. No, from what you knew, the pair of them didn’t care so long as the twins didn’t disturb them and stayed in their room.

Wiping your hand one last time, you slowly make your way down the hall in search of the three individuals that consumed your every waking thought. You glance at the guest room and the perfectly made bed, knowing that the twins wouldn’t be sleeping in there tonight either. Only to venture future down the hall when you hear the near-silent humming coming from your bedroom. The dimming sun no longer lights your house and the warm glow coming from the lamp in your room just barely reaches your outline as you settle against the door frame.

Jake sits in the middle of the bed wearing a pair of sweats and tee-shirt that he had slipped on earlier when you sent him to take a shower while you did a couple pages of homework with the twins. He then had the duty of wrangling the two of them into the bath and making sure that they didn’t flood the bathroom floor like they had on you last night. You had disappeared at their request for bubbles and when you came back, nearly half of the tub water was on the floor. You had tried so hard to appear cross with them, though, at the sight of the sheepish smiles they gave you, your heart had overflown with love. You weren’t going to stop the pair of them from doing something that wasn’t dangerous, because it made a small mess. You knew that the carefree spirit that encased them wasn’t something that they were normally allowed to do.

From the looks of it though, tonight had defiantly gone in Jake’s favor. Not only from his dry pajamas but the fact that both Madelaine and Grayson had both found their places in bed next to him without a second thought. That they both felt a sense of peace and protection from Jake’s presence.

The three of them were a sight that warmed your heart beyond compare and made you curse yourself for leaving your phone on the kitchen table, missing the picture-perfect moment. In the middle of Jake’s lap, Laine sits as he braids her hair into two little French braids that just reach her shoulders. While Gray lays behind them cuddling your pillow, eyes fluttering open and closed as he tries to stay awake.

“Your sisters would be happy to know you can still braid hair.” Your voice floats through the room; Gray just barely looks at you only to give you a tiny smile, as Laine twists the finished braid around her finger trying to hide the yawn that slips passed her lips.

“I would hope that ten years of braiding their hair for volleyball whenever mom was late for a game, would have stuck with me.” His laugh makes you smile as you watch the pair of them momentarily. Jake had fallen into the dad role easily, and while you both were so happy to have the twin, you worried about how they would handle having to go back to Janice and Ed’s house Monday.

Jake's eyes lift to you while his fingers work seamlessly back and forth, he could always tell when something was on your mind. The snap of the final tiny elastic getting wrapped around the end of the braid, has you looking back up at the flawless braid. Jake’s arms softly wrap around Laine to lay gently squeezes at her waist, as her small hands rub tiredly at her eyes. She leans back in his hold, snuggling up to him as her eyes start to droop like Gray’s.

“I think Roos and Nat tuckered them out with that last game of tag.” You laugh lightly thinking about the sight of Bradley holding each of the twins in an arm, and running away from Nat.

“I’m sure that they’re just as tired, Rooster probably fell asleep on his couch and didn’t even make it to his bed.” You laugh at Jake’s comment because you know for a fact that Bradley fell asleep on the couch from the picture Bob sent you an hour ago.

Jake glances down at the weight against his chest, Laine turns slightly as she sighs and fully relaxes to cuddle in closer. She holds onto Jake’s black tee shirt with one hand while to other grasps onto her ocean blanket, falling into sleep like it was a warm hug. Jake slowly lifts her, which causes both of her hands to wrap around his neck and his to rub at her back. He whispers soothing sounds as his hand glides up and down her back, helping her relax again. Jake is quick to move her before she can settle in too much though, not wanting to wake the munchkin up from setting her down. He easily turns around with her in his hold and lays her down against his pillow across from Gray.

Her small body lays encased by the surrounding blankets as she snuggles in closer and sighs as Jake tucks the duvet under her chin and kisses her forehead. Jake moves over to tuck in Gray as well as you gently brush the stray baby hairs from Laine’s face and gently kiss her head. Followed by you then tucking and kissing Gray as well, before you sneak into the bathroom to change into your PJs while Jake heads to the living room.

You find Jake laid out on the sofa, hands behind his head with two steaming cups of tea sitting on the coffee table. He gives you a dopy smile that makes your heart beat just a bit faster, before crawling into his open arms. Your legs rest around his waist and your head settles on his chest to listen to the steady rhythm of his heart.

Neither of you moves as you watch the sunset through the massive living room window that faces the Pacific. Jake’s hand slowly slips into your hair and runs his fingers through it gently without even realizing it. Though the small moan of relief causes him to chuckle in realization, before kissing the top of your head and resuming.

“We could do it you know.” His voice is tired and there’s a deep sound of longing intertwined with the words. You hum in question, happy to listen, but far too comfortable to lift your head from his chest and have a conversation.

“The twins; we could apply for adoption.”

His words hang in the air, sure you both had thought and talked about it over and over. Though there was something in Jake’s tone that was different this time. This wasn’t your Jakey that you could tease and easily rial up. No, this was Jacob. The man that got in a fistfight with one of your mother’s ex-boyfriends after he made a backhanded comment about your lack of pregnancy. The man that would protect the people that he loved, even if it meant putting himself in danger. He was serious, so serious that you half wondered if he had already been looking into the adoption process that the state of California had in place.

“Baby –”

“I’m serious darlin’. They are in every single thought I have about our future; I can’t even fathom a life without them anymore.” Jake’s hand slips from your hair and now both of them wrap around you. He clings to you, and you slowly realize that his tense chest and tight hold on you are in fear of your reaction to him wanting to adopt the twins. Your heart aches, you knew how much both of them meant to you. But hearing Jake tell you out loud that he didn’t see a future that didn’t include the twins, officially confirms just how much you both want the twins.

Knowing that is conversation deserved more than just your muffled words against Jake’s chest you slowly sit up, still on Jake’s lap but now able to see each other’s faces. You both could read each other like an open book and though you were positive that Jake was being sincere, you had to see the look in his eyes. You had to be absolutely sure before you let the idea blossom into a reality.

“Adopting them isn’t going to be easy, Jake. Janice and Ed are going to throw a fit because they want to keep getting their monthly check.” Your voice is gentle but firm, “And I hate to even say it, but we have to think about the fact that there are two of them. We planned for one baby, Jake. Can we financially even take on them and give them the life that they deserve?”

Jake's hand moves from your waist to brush against your cheek and causes you to lean farther into him. He knows that your reluctance is only because you’re afraid that you aren’t good enough to be their mom, a mom in general. You didn’t have the breakdowns a lot, but when you did, they were bad. And no matter how much he assured you, you were terrified that the universe wasn’t giving you a child because you weren’t worthy.

Jake’s other hand finds your cheek as well to tilt your head back up. Your chin and eyes had fallen, but Jake needed you to realize that you deserved a child more than anyone.

“Darlin’ we are more than financially stable to take them on. I’m teaching now and missions are rare. I want them to be ours.” Your head nods in his hold but he can feel the cogs in your head turning.

“Honey, look at me.” Your eyes lift and Jake’s heart cracks to see your waterline filled with tears. “You deserve to be a momma more than anyone I know. Maybe things worked out the way they did because some higher power knew that there would be two twin terrors that would need us just as much as we need them.”

A tear falls from your eyes and Jake is quick to brush it away. “You think?” Your voice is small and broken, though you trust Jake more than anyone else and if he said this was the family that both of you deserved and needed, you would believe him.

“I know, darlin’.”

Your face tucks into Jake’s neck and the tiny laugh of joy you give him, makes his arms tighten around as a smile forms on his lips. Your voice is muffled, but Jake hears you perfectly. “We’re gonna make them ours.”

“They’re already ours, darlin’. We’re just gonna make it official now.”

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bahngnxxx · 1 month ago

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FORGOTTEN DYSTOPIA

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CHAPTER 1

PAIRING. Bangchan x !F! reader

GENRE. Thriller, action, horror(?), eventual smut, angst(?)

WORD COUNT. 4.2k

WARNINGS. 18+ mdni — explicit content, gore, knives, use of weapons, smut (in later chapters MUAHAHAH 👅👅), violence obv, fighting, all the action movie jazz.

NOTES. Oh my god. Tuck yourself in rn, this is gonna be one of my first ever actual plot lined stories, yall will love it i swear. And thank you SO much for the likes and views I got on my last post, i did not expect that much when i woke up, i really appreciate you guys. I've been having a really rough day so excuse any mistakes or drousy shit, police and stuff waaah. (im gwenchana gang 💔) i luv yewz. Enjoyzers !!

Waking up to the wrench of dust and grime was an everyday thing, it was like a daily smoke for free, not like the cannabis shops you used to drop by to daily, those are for the past. Thats what you would call a dystopia, a land not achievable, an alternate universe where we were once able to thrive the earth. Long gone to the crumbled houses around and mutant blobs that would thrive the creaky floors of the house.

one you, and eight men left in this barren town.

One might call it fate, but what use is there of such a hopeful word when hell is what we’re living in right now? It isn’t destiny, It’s a curse.

You stretch a long stretch, trying your best not to take too deep of an inhale or you’d go into a coughing fit, adjusting your eyes to the fogged-up haze around the shared bedroom.

There were 2 other men still asleep on the floor draped with jagged blankets, ones that were probably someone's childhood. Jeongin, second youngest but still your ‘hyung’ was wrapped up in a strawberry shortcake blanket, content as a ray of green sun streaked through the broken musted plastic blinds, particles of dust apparent in the rays. Opposite to him, with a leg over the younger man’s butt was Hyunjin, one remotely similar to a ferret, always sniffing and sleeping with his tongue bitten between his round teeth. He once had black hair that would tousle overtop of people, but now he remains bald, a kiwi. A new tease for his fuzzy hair.

You lean up against the creaky bed, being kind of spoilt because you were a female, one that came from afar and ended up here. Looking around the room, you find the usual set up, a sorry sight to behold. The previously brown painted wooden walls are now peeling off due to the moisture damage, curled like little shavings, the ceiling caved in, in some parts, leaving only streaks of sunlight to illuminate the room. The only few pieces of furniture in the room is an old worn bed that is pushed up against the wall which you rest in, and a table that is on a support beam with two legs, shoved to the side. The two males are curled up in different shapes on the floor, a split mattress underneath them, topped with thin blankets. The only disadvantage to you being up on a slightly more comforting bed is the loss of heat, but its alright, you already have enough to your advantage. The floors are littered with old bits of carpet and the window is slightly cracked up, allowing a cool, yet unbreathable breeze to seep in, slowly. The room overall was small and dingy, a faint unpleasent smell of something decayed lingered in the damp and stuffy air, but like how every house has their own scent, we are accustomed to it and breathe it like it is our own air.

A few moments of staring out at the grey-yellow sky outside thanks to the pollution, and you were up and adam, carefully gliding across the men so you wouldn’t step on them like the numerous times you had before. You still pout at the sight of stepping on the younger male, IN, poor thing looked like those toys back in the days where you would squish it and their eyes would pop out.

As you make your way out to the small grimy layout of the house and to the kitchen, your met with the deep voiced early riser, Felix, his eyes staring blankly at the tablet in front of him. Looking but not seeing. He rubs his eye and pops a pill into his mouth, catching sight of you and handing the bottle to you. “Here, breakfast. Eat up, we’re out of stock, ‘its hunting day.” he croaks in his deep morning voice, as Chan would say, a dragon man with an even dragon-ier voice. You glance up from his shoulder and to the countertops, narrowing your gaze to see the empty old water bottles laying in a pile on the floor. Great, your out, now you have to resort to dry swallowing. You squint your eyes and quickly take the pills up in your mouth, gathering up as much saliva as your weak body can before gulping them down.

Felix is always the mother hen – having the same routine every morning, Felix will check the pills to make sure he’s taken all of his then keep watch of the others to make sure they’ve downed their amount as well. It seems redundant, and a tad bit excessive, but he always insists. He then shuffles out to the kitchen window, gazing outside the fog and to the barren lands, watering the indoor plants. Even the few that your able to keep alive will die eventually—there's only so much you can do against a dying word like this.

“One for nutrients, one for vitamins,” Changbin hums from his spot at the table, tapping his hands on the wood. He’s already taken his dose for the morning, always the first one to snag all of the supply. You're assuming he’d finished all the water for some sort of punishment, as always. The male was previously a muscular one, one with a loud laugh that echoed across the hut, but nowadays he’d been a bit more silent, distant. All the men complain about feeling fuzzy due to the intake of the pills, even bangchan, despite him being one known to be strong and upholding.

Eventually, a slender man sneaked up from behind you, making the hairs on your back stand up, a familiar peach fuzz skimming your neck followed by that hum he’d always do once satisfied with his scaring. Dramatic ferret, hyunjin is up, finally, but not his newborn, not yet atleast. He tickled a trail down the crack of your back, blowing a cool breeze of breath to your ear, to which you whipped back and ruffled up his non-existent hair for. He let out a playful chuckle.

“Someone’s up early. Finally.” You scoffed out, eyeing him up and down, making sure you weren’t having hallucinations or anything. Speaking of hallucinations, the shorter boy jeongin peaked up from behind him and blew another breeze of air for revenge to him. This was a daily routine for you three, and since the younger one wasn’t into skin ship- this is the closest you could get to touch, letting out those ominous “hee hee hee’s” as he scurried away to munch down some nutrients with a grimace on his face. They tasted remotely similar to soap and vinegar with a hint of.. Old soggy sponge, but you’d bared up to custom to the taste, although you couldn’t hide the way your nose crinkled up when you swallowed them, and the taste would linger for a couple of hours after that until a new taste of grimey pills entered your throat, routinely.

Felix was busy eyeing out and noting down who’d taken what until a creak of the second bedroom from the ominous light revealed the curly haired alternative aussie, the one you favored the most—bangchan, or Chris is what you’d call him. It’s a name that much of the other men had sort of forgotten, but the name stuck to you. He didn’t exactly look like a bangchan anyways... Not anymore. He used to have kind sparkling eyes, always being thumbnails for performance videos but those were now long gone. They went from 8 teenagers with a dream, to 8 men with a crowd, and now 8 friends trying to survive with their wits burnt to a crisp. He’d given up on his passions and youth only to be succumbed to being stuck with them for eternity, not that he was complaining, he’d rather spent the rest of his days with his dearest boys then die alone in this hell.

You flashed him a smile and he bowed down slightly to give one back, running his pale, pink calloused hands through the kinky locks, examining the exchange between the two aussie brothers. He leaned down and flexed his arms in the wrong directions like a spider due to his.. Flexibility, discussing and mapping out things on the tablet for gathering, but as you eyed in the distance... Great. Just as you thought you had a day off, you were next on the list to seek out, and this time you were out at hick’s mall center. One of the most dangerous centrals around this time, filled with all sorts of things.. Just the thought sent shivers down your spine and a shudder to your throat. Luckily, your pair was Chan, the man you could always hide behind and sacrifice to the shadows just incase... but jokes aside you’d hoped it would be an easy trip, aside from the empty bottles on the floor nothing else seemed to be missing... But a holler followed your train of thought, those deep grumbled yells that came straight from the core, lee know.

You followed along the screams only for them to come to you, a soapy soaked male with a towel barely hanging off his body, bubbles covering half of his face, red eyes panicked and irratated with cleanser.

“What the fuck happened? Loose your rubber ducky?” you groan.

“I DROPPED THE TIN OF BATTERIES IN THE WATER BUCKET.” he cries.

“...” silence. What else did you have to say? You pushed the wet boy aside and stomped to see the tin filled with wash water now having floating components in them. Not only were the amazing stock of batteries changbin and hyunjin found previously drowned in it, but the extra emergency flashlights were too. It was an electronic soup you didn’t dare to touch, unless you had a death wish. Great.

“WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?? WHY ARE THE ELECTRONICS IN THE BATHROOM??” you yelled.

“I-I’M SCARED OF THE DARK, OKAY?? I- I HAVE AN IRRATIONAL FEAR OF THEM RUNNING OUT A-AND I-”

BAM. A slam to the wall is enough to silence his blabbering as you stomp out of the room, everyone is unfocused on the ruckus but Chan glances back at you and cocks a brow. “What’s botherin’ you? ‘seem stressed.”

“leeknow dropped the batteries. In the water. All of them.” with a slow turn, everyone in the room is twisting their head almost animatedly, hyunjin is turning from his head in the cab nits, jeongin laying on the floor in a haze is now snapping his neck to you, Felix is.. Concerned and balling his fists, Chris is scoffing, barely containing a swear, and changbin is.. Zoned out. The first to speak up is the leader, walking past you wish a gush of wind, broad shoulders skimming past your unbrushed hair as he examines the doom soup, for sure the water is salvageable but the electronics? Not so much, no. Drying won’t do the trick, and he rubs his temples together in frustration.

“Yah, Minho I.. cant deal with you.” he mumbles as the red cheeked embarrassed boy stands shivering outside the bathroom. He’s frozen, hasn’t even washed off the soap and still has one eye squinted shut as the bubbles slowly make their way down his face to his shoulders. Chris walks out the room with a hand on his hips and lets out a light disappointed nod to confirm the news, but you two are the main ones who let out a groan. Now two things on the list, water, and batteries. What else could go so wrong? A squeal can be heard from the bedroom Chan emerged from, followed by the sudden thumping of a burritoed han, only then do you realize what he’s covered in. Gauze, a heck load of gauze, he's mummified and not to mention, dirtied with it too. The menace and maker of the crime scene walks out, only to realize his fun has resulted with the first aid kit being used up. This couldn’t get any worse, we’re running out of things quick and everyone is fucking everything up. You let out a deep, shakey huffed breathe, barely containing your anger as you speak in a slow voice.

“Kim seungmin. Now why would you do that.”

“a-ah well.. It was a joke..?” he speaks in an unsure, sing song voice, trying to lighten the number of daggers being stared into him but that clearly is ineffective, and the anger clarifies it as he guiltily like a sad puppy slips out of the room and swallows down his take of pills too. Hyunjin works on cutting apart the dirty gauze from han so the poor timid boy can go around his day, but that only adds to you and Chan's platter. All nessacities are now to a waste, and the main location being stacked of is a dangerous place, so your out for a ride for sure.

Looking around the room is almost nostalgic, really. It feels like a fever dream but it really has become an unfortunate reality. It all started with some sort of sick prank that aired on television, you’d came out fresh from a tiring day of university and to your shared dorm with your best friend, jung-hae, life was chill, honestly. You two were peas in a pod, you couldn’t loose her, you’d grown up with her, she was your life and only source of happiness keeping you alive, something you’d look forward to, someone that would put the spark in your eyes, light up your dark life. It all came to soon, came to an end too quick. You used to think the world would end with a bang, some dramatic explosion or a cataclysmic meteor. You never imagined it would start with a joke.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been late that night when the broadcast aired. You and Jung-hae were curled up in your shared dorm, textbooks scattered across your desks, half-eaten snacks littering the floor. The television flickered with a news alert: some supposed "leak" from an experimental lab, acid seeping into the rivers, mutating the wildlife. At first, you both laughed. Some sick joke, a prank blown out of proportion. Until it wasn’t.

The reports kept coming. Footage of amphibians crawling onto land, their bodies grotesquely stretched and twisted, eyes bulging, teeth too sharp. Then the bugs—bloated mosquitoes the size of birds, cockroaches with exoskeletons so thick they crunched under bullets but kept moving. The infection spread to mammals next. Stray dogs foaming at the mouth, deer collapsing with necrotic flesh with a bright blood red seeping through the crevasse of their eyes, clotting and building up a bubbling liquid that spewed in toxic sprays, enough so to sting the skin, the air thick with the scent of rot and something worse: something alive.

Jung-hae had always been the rational one. "We need to leave," she’d said, her voice firm even as her hands trembled. The university was too close to the river. Too exposed. You packed what little you could, stuffing clothes and food into your bags, shoving notebooks into your arms like they could somehow save you. But the roads were already blocked, the highways choked with abandoned cars, people screaming in the distance.

The infection spread fast.

Barricading inside your dorm became the only option. Nights passed in a blur of dim candlelight, hushed whispers, rationed food. The campus grew quieter—no more frantic running, no more desperate cries. Just the sound of something moving outside, something clicking against the pavement, searching.

Then one day, Jung-hae was gone.

You woke up to silence. The spot beside you on the mattress was cold. Her bag was still there, her shoes by the door. But she wasn’t. Panic clawed at your chest as you searched the hallways, whispering her name, begging for this to be a mistake. But the door to the stairwell hung open, the lock broken, and outside—

Blood. Smears of it along the wall, a trail leading down to the courtyard where the grass had turned black, where the trees had wilted, where the bodies of students lay twisted in unnatural positions, mouths frozen in silent screams. And in the center of it all, Jung-hae’s bracelet. The one you had bought her on your first trip together. The one she never took off.

You dropped to your knees. You should’ve stopped her. You should’ve—

A noise behind you. A rasping breath, a gurgling sound like something drowning in its own throat. You turned, your heart hammering, your fingers curling around the knife Jung-hae had given you, the last gift she had ever pressed into your hands.

And there she stood.

Or what was left of her.

Her jade eyes, once bright, flickered between life and death, pupils dilated in an eerie, unnatural glow. Her body was a twisted mockery of itself, half-decayed yet still moving, her limbs stretched unnaturally as if her skin struggled to keep her bones in place. Flesh hung from her in torn, rotting sheets, her ribcage exposed through a gaping hole in her torso. And yet—her heart still beat, pulsing weakly in its cage of bone, a sickening rhythm that did not belong in something so destroyed.

Her mouth opened, lips cracked and bleeding, revealing teeth that were too sharp, too jagged. A strangled noise escaped her throat, something between a gasp and a growl, and her fingers twitched—longer now, nails blackened and claw-like. She took a step forward, her broken ankle bending at an impossible angle, but she didn’t fall. She wouldn’t fall. Not until the infection finished its work.

A sob tore from your chest. This wasn’t Jung-hae. Not anymore. And yet, some part of her still lingered, trapped in the decaying prison of her own body, suffering, breathing, existing when she shouldn’t be.

You raised the knife. Your hands shook. She made a sound—half a whisper, half a plea. You didn’t wait to hear more. You couldn’t. The blade sank into her chest. Right where her still-beating heart was.

Jung-hae shuddered. Her eyes, wide with something that could have been pain or relief, met yours one last time. Then, finally, they dulled. The glow faded. Her body slackened, no longer caught in that grotesque state between life and death. She collapsed at your feet, her blood pooling around your shoes, hot and thick—a sick mix of her own and some sort of black tar. You had killed her. Or maybe—just maybe—you had set her free.

The world around you blurred, but the horror remained. The bodies, the rot, the infection—it would continue. It would spread. And you would have to keep running. You had no choice now. You wiped your blade clean and turned away, leaving Jung-hae behind.

The apocalypse had already begun.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You ran. Branches lashed against your face as you tore through the underbrush, lungs burning, legs trembling. The screams behind you were inhuman—guttural wails of creatures that had once been people, now twisted into something monstrous. The infection hadn’t stopped at the flesh. It had seeped into the air, the soil, the very bones of the world, turning everything into a nightmare.

Something skittered too close behind you. The sound of clicking jaws, the rustling of too many legs. You pushed yourself harder, your vision blurring, the weight of exhaustion pressing down like lead. The forest was endless, a maze of shadows and tangled roots. And then—

Your foot caught. Pain exploded through your knee as you crashed into the dirt. You scrambled to rise, but it was too late. A shadow loomed over you, a shape barely human, its fingers elongated into clawed horrors. Its mouth split open too wide, revealing rows of jagged teeth, a gurgling laugh spilling out—

Hands grabbed you. You screamed, struggling, but the grip was firm. Steady.

And warm. An unfamiliar feeling of which you haven’t felt in around... Two weeks? Three? You had lost count already, but you knew it had been a while since you’d have some sort of company. Your limbs were numbed out, you had lost all sense of touch and the ability to distinguish what's real or what's not, until now, and for certain this wasn't the cold grasp of a creature.

Your breath caught as you were yanked backward, strong arms wrapping around you, dragging you into the thickets. You fought, twisting, expecting death. Instead, darkness took you.

When you awoke, pain was the first thing you noticed. A dull, throbbing ache spreading through your body. Your fingers curled against rough fabric—a blanket. The scent of earth and metal lingered in the air. You blinked. Light flickered from a lantern, casting shadows against cracked walls. A shelter. A safehouse. Your body screamed in protest as you tried to move, and that’s when you saw them.

Two figures. Watching.

A man sat beside you, his gaze unreadable, his arms resting against his knees. His dark eyes flickered with something cautious, something measured. His cresented eyes ran up and down your figure, seemingly assessing your state—or maybe to tell apart a creature of human. He lets out a subtle nod, running pale and calloused hands through his ruffled hair. Not too ruffled, just right, atleast for you-- personally. Another man stood nearby, arms crossed, face tight with tension, but strong bulked up arms even tenser, hair messed in curls, thick glasses with no rim sitting at the edge of his nose, small doll-like lips perked up into sort of a pout. Neither spoke at first. The silence stretched, thick and uncertain. Then, finally, the one closest to you leaned forward, his voice low, steady.

"You shouldn’t be alive," he murmured. "But here you are." You swallowed; your throat raw. Questions burned on your tongue, but you couldn’t force them out. Not yet.

Outside, the night stretched on. And somewhere in the distance, the screams had not stopped.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The scent of burning wood brought you back to the present. Ah, they had lit a fire in the broken pit for some sort of warmth despite the humidity in the area. There was enough smoke already, but this type of fire didn’t necessarily emit any harmful things. It was a new apocalyptic type of invention. You sat in the corner of the room, curled up on a tattered couch, watching the fire flicker in the makeshift fireplace. The old world was long gone, swallowed by its own mistakes, and yet the warmth of the fire, the low hum of voices, made it feel like something close to normalcy.

Across the room, the others lounged in a heap of blankets and discarded jackets. For as long as you had been zoned out and staring, the bored boys had already found something to do, and you let out a faint smile. Laughter rang out, soft and tired, but genuine. The kind that hadn’t been heard in a long time, and for once even changbins loud echoing laughs returned, alongside the dynamic of hyunjin.. Husband and wife, or wife for wife for that matter. For a moment, they weren’t survivors. They were just people, talking, bickering, existing together in a world that had tried to tear them apart, but 8 is fate. It always had been. Discluding you, you didn’t wanna ruin their happy moment.

Alongside you, Bangchan stood with his arms crossed, leant against the wall, also previously lost in thought like your brains were interconnected, surveying them like a father watching over his unruly children. You let out a soft, nostalgic hum. "They act the same as they did before."

"Yeah," he murmured, his gaze distant. "Like nothing ever changed."

You glanced at him, the firelight catching in his tired eyes. "But everything did."

A small smile ghosted his lips. "Yeah. It did."

The memory of your first meeting lingered in the back of your mind. The chase, the fear, the moment his hand had closed around your wrist and pulled you from the jaws of something inhuman. He had saved you that day. And now, here you were, still standing, still breathing, still watching over the only family you had left. The laughter continued. Someone threw a pillow. Someone swore. Someone tried to sing.

For a brief moment, in this ruined world, you let yourself pretend it was enough.

But you had something else to worry about, a devil that eased its way into your moment of joy. It was getting late; you needed to restock back up on supplies. Now wasn’t the time to rest, not when you were running out of things and fast.

Along you shot a glance to Chris and he knew what you meant, standing up and prepping yourself for the smokey outdoors, bringing up the last of the supplies were more important for you two then them, and there you both walked off into the murky air in search for supplies in a risky place.

Heres where the chaos begins.

--TO BE CONTINUED!!

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hollysoda · 1 year ago

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THE PLUSHIE POST PT. 2 (the little guys)

The small but still very important fellas

Tango - Jellycat Bodacious Beak Toucan

Bought January 24 in a closing down sale. I actually wanted him for Christmas but didn’t ask for him in the end, so when I saw him in the sale I was like “hell yeah £5 off”. He’s so silly and cute. Bird plushies go hard

Maple - Wrendale Designs Fox

Bought April 2023. Honestly it was love at first sight with her. She’s really soft and has got a lil pudgy tummy. Also her fur actually looks like the artists, Hannah Dale’s, art style?? If you know who I’m talking about then you’ll know what I mean. My fave fox related item, and I have a lot of fox things lmao (also her name is officially Autumn but like that’s my cats name, it’s gonna get confusing, so I call her maple)

Sebastian - JellyCat Bashful Tiger (Medium)

Bought June 2022 as a reward for finishing my A Levels. He’s usually the plush I take with me on holiday to sleep with, since Cookie Dough is a bit too big. He’s very soft and I love his long tail. A handsome boy :)

BASTARD aka Toon Link Plush (Wind Waker HD edition)

The absolute creature of creatures. A Christmas present from 2022. His peak moment was when I put the tip of my pride flag under his tunic and carried him around at the local Pride Parade. I hate him, I want to cherish him. Also my cat hates him for some reason it’s so funny

And now, for the final plush, the one the only…

KWEEBLY - JellyCat Fabulous Fruit Kiwi

The smallest here, but he’s had the biggest impact on my life. I bought him on a whim around the 28th August 2021 and he proceeded to be the biggest comfort I could have ever asked for. I carried him around in my bag for most of Year 13 when my mental health hit rock bottom. He’s been squeezed, thrown at walls, bitten etc etc but I love him dearly. I don’t need his assistance as much now, as I’m in a better place, but he still sits in my bag just in case. Any of my irls mutuals on here know the absolute icon that is Kweebly, dude was a mini celebrity in the sixth form common room. Also my acnh island is named after him

I love my plushies smh and obviously I have more but these are the ones I usually cuddle or take with me to places

#plushies #soft toys #plush #plushblr #jellycat #jellycat plush #toon link plush #hollysoda speaks

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lady-wildflower · 2 years ago

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I have genuinely never been prouder to be a Kiwi than I am today, and frankly I am kicking myself for not going because it conflicted with a prior engagement.

So, today, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland was set in the sights of that awful fuckin antifeminist anti-trans fascist bigot activist Kelly-Jay Keen-Minshull, or Posie Parker. And you know, I was worried that we’d find out that bigotry has a much stronger presence here than we’d thought. But I shouldn’t have been.

Keen-Minshull was met with a thousands strong counter-protest that drowned her out, utterly humiliated her, and sent her running. She got souped, juice thrown on her,* was escorted out by police, and her bigot rally in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington has reportedly been cancelled. Today, Aotearoa rebuked bigotry and sent the anti-trans wing running, and showed that where the UK will tolerate her rhetoric, we will not. Today was an incredible demonstration that her rhetoric is not welcome here. I’m just sad I was busy, though I did ask a couple friends of mine who went to throw in some hearty shouts for me.

Thank you, Tāmaki Makaurau, for putting a little bit more hope in this little trans woman’s heart. Kia kaha, Kia māia, Kia manawanui.

*Also if any of y’all overseas people think souping and juicing her is some kind of egregious sin, you guys don’t know how we protest here. That’s normal. The amount of transphobes handwringing about it being “assault,” mates, if the counterprotest had wanted her assaulted they’d have thrown the flask itself at her head instead of pouring the soup over it. In 2016 our at-the-time Finance Minister had a dildo thrown at him out of protest and it got onto John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight where he was dubbed “Dildo Baggins” and it was fucking hilarious.

#trans rights are human rights #trans rights #aotearoa #new zealand #aotearoa new zealand #queer community

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thepolyamorouspolymath · 11 months ago

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Ok, so I may have buried the lead there on my life as to why no one has heard from me in forever -- first thing is because my every weekend is being spent with the guy that every guy I've ever gushed about pretended to be. I'm going to call him Bard, bc he will LOVE that. Yes, this guy is great enough I am even giving him a loving handle here.

It's not even like big huge shit -- he's just honest, and reassuring, and considerate, and respects me, and he listens and he coddles me on the shit that's not really important to make me feel secure while standing up to me on the shit that is to find a compromise (like his schedule sucks, and his two days off he hosts DND every other week and has band practice the other, and I'm like there's no time for me, just fitting me in -- didn't drop either but we agreed to pause them for 6 weeks to give us time to spend together to make me feel secure, and then I could come with or hang out in the other room if I chose, and non DND weekends or sometimes Saturdays can be spent at my place, not always his. Like he wants us both to have our lives but he gets I'm scarred and so willing to show me first -- with a clock -- that I matter by giving me a window to settle in). He met my older kids and brought Oldest a birthday present, and Boy Thing had been giving shit about the last guy who wanted to impress him sent a fruit basket. This adorable man had no clue what goes in a fruit basket (his first thought were melons) or what fruit baskets were so he bought the apples and oranges and kiwis and put them in a medium laundry basket. Boy Thing straight up laughed out loud at the sight, it was perfect. Every time he left my room, he'd be gone like at least half an hour -- the bathroom is like a 90 second walk max -- bc he and Oldest would get chatting about gaming.

He tells me I'm sexy and I'm beautiful but he also compliments things like how I make him feel understood, how I communicate. He knows I'm perfectly capable of defending myself if insulted or offended but also doesn't think I should ever have to.

And yes, the sex is fantastic and in a way that's fucking revelatory. He tries my kinks even if he's internally a bit iffy on the idea, bc he trusts its OK if he stops as soon as he doesn't like something (thankfully he's liked them all so far, initiating them at times now.) I had to red bc of something he said while I was going down on him, after trying to convince myself I was overreacting (bc honestly it was nothing bad, and would normally not have even fucking blipped my radar) and when I did, he immediately dropped out of the scene and sex and into taking care of me and what was it that triggered me and what came up and not only did I not get any pressure but not even any guilt -- like I knew he meant every word that all he cared about was me. I can initiate with him without feeling paralyzing fear of rejection bc there's zero mind games, zero manipulations.

The first weekend, we hadn't decided to spend the whole weekend together -- we were just going on a bookstore. We spent it all in bed, but not just fucking, we were talking. And the fucking? He couldn't cum. Even had a tough time staying hard. And for the first time in my life it was OK. Normally a guy can't, and it fucks with my insecurities so much that like no, I don't even want to be there. But instead we did everything we could and both reassured the other that it was fantastic -- bc it truly was -- and not an issue. Problem resolved but he's said like he wouldn't even think to mention orgasms if anyone asked him about that weekend that it was like 4 days of the best sex of his life, like how it can be hard to cum while rolling but the sex is amazing.

After I red'd out during the first time I was giving him head (it's a thing for him, but I'd been refusing bc he'd eaten asparagus and I warned him every such occasion would be followed by at least 5 days before his dick came in contact with my mouth again bc it makes semen taste just the worst). Going another round later in a roleplaying scene, he broke character a bit to ask about head, I said I didn't want to risk another round of sex derailed bc I got triggered since it'd just been earlier that day, he's like yeah totally get that, and both back into character and having a blast. I'm completely comfortable naked around him even if my legs have stubble, but in a sexy way, and never ever boring!

He's a musician, guitarist and bassist. He's a nerd. I recommended a book, and he immediately was going to buy a copy and I offered to loan him mine (a fave book of mine) and he has been slowly but diligently reading it and says it's better bc it's my copy and looking at it's broken to shit spine and pages that have been dog eared a million times just makes him love it more bc I love it. He wants me to come to band practice (if I can behave lol) and to join the party at dnd (if I can behave lol -- to be fair, those are my caveats, not his) but also wants to paint with me and take pottery class with me, and write a metal track that can be belly danced to (bc metal is very masculine in the tantra vibe sense, not the gender roles way, while belly dancing is pure divine feminine -- never meant to seduce, it was by women for women -- and I think that juxtaposition would be fucking amazing if we get it right) and likes hanging out with my kids (Oldest made him a dice set) and respects my relationship with B, and tells all his friends about me and wants me to meet everyone and is more worried that I like them than that they like me. He makes terrible jokes that crack me up. He sits through my storms with me. He understands that I push people away and am the poster child for trust issues and hangs through all my bullshit.

He would never want to hurt me, like truly, but also never lies to me to spare me.

We will literally spend hours past when he should be in bed for work on the phone, to the point that I, Little Miss Time is a Construct, have started watching the clock for time so he can get his sleep and I don't resent it bc he's so great about setting the boundary of he wants to stay up with me but has to sleep or will be late for work, and when we go over never blames me or resents me, but owns that he chose to do so bc he was loving it.

Yeah, I might be more than a little gone over him.

#new bf #new relationship #bard

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patrickpatrovichluxury · 3 months ago

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POOL,BEER & FRIENDS.

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I started mine rafting career on one of the world's top 10 rivers for water activities,ranked CLASS V,the highest.

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We are looking for rafting guides,junior and senior,tripleaders,hydrospeed guides,safety kayakers,safety managers,mountain guides,outdoor instructors,technicians,dealers/sellers,suppliers,travel agents/agencies available/interested for the sale of our tours,journeys,services and activities and any one expert in outdoor events,sports,nature,adventures;moreover,influencers and content creators with experience in rafting and outdoors,available as a freelance or other.

My rafting company run summer season,9 weekend destinations in Europe,9 montly journeys in the world and 76 countries/wild cards around 5 continents.If interested,send copy front/rear of two identification documents,the river/sport resume with life history without photo,where you explain also how many languages you speak,copies of the certifications,company profile if exist,the logbook,if used,and your photos in action.Will be requested,later,if in case,sporadic availability or long term collaboration,on weekends,seasonal basis or travels and journeys,to be determined by agreement between the parties.We are looking also for those interested in our rafting franchising

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alyjojo · 2 years ago

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Advice to Work on Yourself 🪁 in June 2023: Pisces

10 Cups - The World - 5 Wands

Regarding: 3 Pentacles rev

Half of you are dealing with a whole family or household of people that don’t help do their share, and you are expected to do everything, regardless of how many times you’ve said so. 10 Cups shows you having a very happy home with whoever is in it, while shuffling I kept seeing The Empress and kids, maybe a partner that’s in and out but not reliable. Everyone is distracted with life and no one is prioritizing their own laundry, type of argument. Or cleaning up after themselves. This advice is needing to set ground rules, FIRM ones. You all have gone through a major transition, something has ended, something new has begun, but no one has learned the lessons from the last time in regards to the home and everything being on YOU. No more!

In your case, 5 Wands doesn’t have to be conflict. You need your partner’s help, being a united front together, and with both of you…take on the children 😆 or roommates, family members, whatever you’ve got going on. Don’t let these things weigh you down or put you in a bad mood, it’s everyone’s job to have something to do in the home, not just one.

The other half of you, there is a partnership with someone who is always trying to leave the connection, or maybe threatening that? They’re emotionally immature, act like they have options, and when things aren’t working out, they’re not eager to confront those issues and work together to fix them. They’ll just leave. That’ll fix it. Except…they don’t learn the lesson, miss them whole point, which shows them having to repeat, repeat, repeat, until it gets through their head. Assuming this is your person, you’re starting to wonder if there is anything stable about this person, whether you should give them *another* chance, because they’re really taking the wind out of your sails with this bs, and you’re thinking long-term, so maybe knock it off eh? There are no other options, it’s me or goodbye, right?

This person does make you happy, and in both stories either way there is a need for you to stand up for yourself and set boundaries. Settle for nothing less than what you know you deserve. Kiwi shows a walking meditation being good for you, helping you clear your mind of the daily stress, annoyances, worries, so you’re not taking those out on people too - so you can focus on the bigger issue, the point. Titian says to speak nicely, but firm, all of these showing this 9 Wands has you in a state where this *could* become DRAMA, but doesn’t need to be, keep it chill, walk, breathe, then address things in an organized way. A chore board? For kids. A stop threatening me with other options or I’m gonna walk and they can have you - tallly board for your person. Just off the top of my head. The point is needing full cooperation from everyone around you, everyone has a job to do whether it’s being *your* lover, or running a home, put your clothes away etc. And if any of this is switched, then that’s the issue they’re having, and no one should be losing sight of or devaluing 10 Cups, that’s a pretty big deal 💙 You guys just need more cooperation, all of you vs. the problem, rather than one of you vs. another one of you and it goes back and forth with nothing being accomplished in the end.

Animal Oracle: You have two

Falcon 🦅

“Act on the opportunity that’s before you, and commit to it without equivocation.”

Providence is on your side, and the opportunity that has been presented to you is congruent with your soul’s purpose. Even if you don’t feel fully prepared or have doubts in your ability to manage the complexities that are inherent in tackling this venture, dive in anyway. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the support that will come to you in unexpected ways. All it takes is the willingness on your part to continue on a steady course wholeheartedly, while at the same time being open to changes in the direction that the winds are blowing.

It’s important to stay focused on the goal that’s ahead of you, while also remaining mindful of the purpose of your mission. Commit to your mission 100% and fulfill that commitment to the best of your ability. This isn’t a time for analysis, introspection or retreat, but a time for action. As you respond to the opportunity that’s before you, be willing to adjust your course of action as the need dictates, while at the same time moving steadily towards your goal. You can deal with whatever comes up without being distracted by them and without straying from the path that you’re on.

Kiwi 🥝🐦

“Do a walking meditation each day for the next week.”

Most of the time, walking is a way to get from Point A to Point B, often in a rush and without regard for what’s going on around them. Meditation is typically viewed as something people do while sitting cross-legged for several minutes; however that’s only one form of meditation. Walking with awareness and intention is another. Find a place where you can simply walk for for 10+ minutes each day for the next week. Walk more slowly than you usually do. Be aware of the sights, smells, and sounds around you as you walk, as well as the breathing in your body. Whatever pace you set, be sure to breathe consciously and consistently with full awareness. Doing this makes walking a meditation.

Artist Oracle: TITIAN

- Go viral, not bacterial.

- A flattered client is a repeat client.

- Your personality can be as colorful as your canvas.

Advice:

- Create a Career Vision

- Practice Daily Reflection

Charms:

Half Cloud ☁️ on 5 Wands shows either fighting, drama, competition, the *need* to stand up for yourself in the first place really knocks the wind out of your sails, and the faith from your heart on whether this is even the right thing for you. Pisces is a sign that expects to not have to speak their needs sometimes, and it’s like the others around you aren’t being perceptive at all to your quiet hinting for help, suggestions, things like that. Especially when it comes to a partner, if it’s them too it’s like you’d rather give up on the whole thing than have to deal with the drama of discussing these things. Probably again. You feel drained by this.

Locked Heart 🔒 on Practice Daily Reflection shows you don’t have to reveal everything you’re feeling, keep your feelings close to your chest and try working on them in private, daily. That way sudden frustrations from one thing are still being worked on without being pent up and maybe taken out on the wrong people later on. You’re needing to sort and organize, even your own feelings sometimes. Time to clean house Pisces, literally, and in your own head. With lots of help, everyone has a job to do.

#pisces tarot reading #advice to work on yourself #June 2023 #Pisces #tarot

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mysticaltora8276 · 2 months ago

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OK, let’s get one thing out of the way. First of all, I did not like Ahsoka‘s original attire. I thought was wildly inappropriate for a 14-year-old because what kind of person allows a 14 year-old to go around a tube top. It’s not cute. It’s kind of odd especially in a battlefield or kind of creepy at worst. However that’s the style they chose and eventually I just learned to roll my eyes and get over it. This on the other hand? No this is straight up misogynistic. Because of the fact that he’s taking on a “paternalistic“ tone. That’s not even getting to the fact that Anakin Skywalker her master isn’t even there. And he where is he? Messing around with his wife and making an offensive trans joke.

Also, this guy is not an admiral. When she brought up admiral Yularan that should’ve been the end of the discussion. Because admiral out ranks, captain. Therefore, if the admiral of the Republic fleet has no problems with her attire that he should shut his mouth and just let her go her way. Also, you forgot to mention the part where this so-called not Gilad because I refuse to believe that he is Pellaeon in any sense the word offer him a drink. On duty. Which is wildly inappropriate between a commanding officer to a subordinate commanding officer. While on duty.

Anakin would not send her alone. Even when he had missions or other stuff that required him to be away from his Padawan, he sent her with adults. It wasn’t until later in the war that she started going alone and doing things by herself. In fact in Cannon material it’s indicated that your apprenticeship doesn’t stop till you’re in your 20s so hell no they would not be sending 14-year-old Padawan who’ve just been assigned all by themselves not even with their captains. This indicates that this is around the beginning of the war when she just first got assigned to him. He would not be letting her out of his sight like that. Not even for Padme and Padmé of all people would understand why.

And I’m with you I liked that character when introduced in the Thrawn saga. Gilad was a cool character made to be the sort of every man to admiral Thrawn sort of Sherlock Holmes. In this novel, he’s just a stand for one my most hated character in all of legends. Why couldn’t she just make up her own character? Why does she have to bring in a fan favorite character for her to butcher? Also a little bit of a correction this is written before Disney took over so this is under the preveiw of Lucas films alone not Disney with Lucas films working on it. But yeah, you would think that at this point the editorial staff, knowing her reputation would’ve been leaning over her shoulder. Then again this was the TV series that caused her to rage quit and not work with them again because her precious Mandalorians were changed. That makes me very happy and warm inside thinking that Star Wars the clone wars were the thing that chased away Karen Traviss, because her beloved Mary Sue Mandalorians got changed into a awkward unintentional stereotype that kind of border line on. “Did no one think of the implications of making all the good guys in the pacifist faction white? While the only other example of a Mandalorian was a Kiwi Māori man of darker skin who is portrayed as a ruthless bounty hunter? Did no one stop them and go hey guys can we just not?“

And it’s not getting into the description of the planet that they are heading towards which someone referred to as space Africa. Which I’m inclined to agree with because she makes it as degrading and miserable as possible, and fulfilling every single racist stereotype about Africa as you can imagine. So we can add racism when with her misogyny.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: No Prisoners, Chapter One

Hi, Rex. I’d be more enthusiastic, but I know who’s writing you, so I’m mostly just apprehensive.

(I’ve gotten my hands on PDFs of the books, which is very nice. Lots of new options.)

You know, if Traviss stuck exclusively to the clones instead of constantly embellishing her Mandalorian OCs and bashing the Jedi, I feel like we’d all be happier.

Please appreciate Traviss writing something I actually like. It’s so rare that I feel I must point it out every time.

Oh, I’ve heard of this scene. Excuse me while I brace myself.

Somewhere, Alpha-17 is growling, “I did not fucking raise you to think like that.”

…

Pardon me for a moment.

Okay. Okay. I’m calm. I’m fine. I’m calm.

Firstly, why is Pellaeon acting like Kal Skirata? Described as paternal, condescending, sexist… Traviss really can’t keep her OCs out of every single thing she writes.

Connected to that, thanks for ruining the character of a reasonably well-liked individual. When Pellaeon showed up in the Thrawn Trilogy, he was very much a military man, straightforward, and decent enough for someone working for the Empire. He was intended as the Watson to Thrawn’s Holmes, and his entire personality was very Watson-like. Now? He’s Traviss’s watered-down version of her most(in)famous Star Wars character and I hate it.

Secondly, I would be less angry if there was just one thing missing from that little excerpt. Can you guess?

“We do not expose flesh in this ship, not only because it’s unbecoming, undisciplined, and distracting, but because a ship is a dangerous place.”

Distracting.

She’s fourteen years old. Why, exactly, Not!Pellaeon, are you insisting a young girl cover up like that? If it was just “The ship is dangerous, please cover up,” I’d be annoyed by the way it’s done, but I could at least understand the reason. Traviss, what the hell were you thinking when you wrote this?

Also, why is Ahsoka just going along with this? This is the girl who was talking back to Mace Windu and the rest of the Jedi Council. Now she’s just rolling over? Traviss, you didn’t bother to watch a single fucking episode of the show, did you?

I already know the answer to that question.

Rex, your older brother-father combo is extremely disappointed in you. Alpha-17 is going to put you through your paces the next time he sees you.

Anyway, that’s that. There’s some other stuff about Pellaeon’s ex spying on possible Separatists, but there really wasn’t anything interesting in it, and that scene took it out of me.

First impression? I’m not impressed. Pellaeon and Rex have both been turned into assholes and Ahsoka’s OOC. Traviss, you’re hired by Disney to write for them. It’s one thing when fanfic is out of character, but you were brought on professionally. Your editor should have checked for their personalities and for continuity. You should have read and watched the media the characters you’re using come from. I mean, you didn’t watch the damn movies when you were hired to write for the franchise, so I’m not surprised, but still.

#star wars: the clone wars: no prisoners #star wars #anti karen traviss #gilad pellaeon #captain rex #ahsoka tano

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charliethecandyeater · 3 years ago

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I've been thinking about this a lot, but like. The mercenaries sexualities? Yay or nay? I did try to take their Canon personalities into account, but this is partially me rambling.

♥️⚾🎖️💣🔧🔥💪💉🏹🗡️💙

•Scout⚾:

apprehensive questioning, though he's not entirely opposed to the idea of being attracted to men. I mean, he grew up in a moderately Christian family, but his mother raised him right! There are different things about people, things that some folks don't figure out until later on in life. Hell, his mom was attracted to a few chicks. So the idea that Jeremy might be Bi and not know it isn't too strange of a concept. He was taught to respect people's differences, but he knows just how awful the world can be to someone if they were to come out as anything close to homosexual. So he's a bit apprehensive to find out yet. That being said he has caught himself eying down a rather nice looking dude from time to time.

•Soldier🎖️:

AMERICAN this man is AMERICAN!!! This man is in no way homophobic because he is AMERICAN!! And in case you didn't know, there's a little thing called FREEDOM in america! Soldier sees homophobia as a *very* un-American thing. As for what soldier is? Fuck it if anybody knows, let alone him. He just cares if you're someone who fights for freedom. Doesn't matter what's under the britches, so technically Pansexual? He doesn't care.

•Demoman💣:

Canonically he is straight. Definitely not homophobic. There's an in-game voice line where he says "If I weren't the man I was, I'd kiss you." He's very confident about himself and his sexuality, and he lives to build his fellow teammates up. Will not tolerate homophobia. He'll beat you up. He's very open minded and the cool uncle.

•Engineer🔧:

straighter than a ruler. Brought up a god-fearing Christian man, and he's very respectful. He's pretty sure he's figured himself out, after a questioning period in his younger years. He had to politely turn down a former band member when he started flirting with him, and bought a couple beers for him because he felt bad. Make no mistake, this Texan will beat the shit out of anyone stupid enough to be bigoted or homophobic within his line of sight. His Mama didn't raise a bitch, he will lay hands.

•Pyro🔥:

literally nothing is known about pyro. Well, besides the fact that their pyro vision really lets them see everything in rainbows. Pyro does not give a flying fuck! They just want to have fun! They want to have fun with their significant other, and it does not matter who the hell they are. Terry was straightforward like that, they wore their heart on their sleeve and they take everything at face value. That being said Terry does not understand homophobia in the slightest. Why are you being mean to that person? Just because he likes that other guy? Well that's stupid! That's not nice at all, and you should apologize! They might either be questioning or pansexual.

•Heavy💪:

*questioning* questioning. big man from Mother Russia. Big Man squash tiny enemies. Big man respect little man. Misha is many things, but he's not discriminatory in any way. Though he's definitely getting on in years, he has begun questioning some aspects about himself. It doesn't matter to him if he is gay or not, he only cares about providing for his family.

•Medic💉:

DID SOMEONE CALL FOR A BI DISASTER BECAUSE HERE THE FUCK YOU GO WHETHER YOU WANT IT OR NOT!!! Crazy man is crazy, this German man is beyond cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. He's flamboyant, extreme, and does not give a flying rat's ass. That being said, he doesn't care if you know he's swinging both ways like a barefoot tap dancer elegantly crossing a room with broken glass scattered across the floor. He likes women, he likes men. That's all he knows, and it's pretty straightforward.

•Sniper🏹:

Babe he does not know much. Mick is a reserved person. He knows how to survive alone in the bush, because that's just how the Australian kiwi is. He's a loner. And that's completely fine. He used to being alone, so he really doesn't have much experience with people. That being said he knows how to pick up on certain social cues. he's not completely hopeless. Thing is, he hasn't really spent much time in a *relationship* relationship. As a professional sniper, his life is mostly him observing other people's relationships. Most times ending them. So he really hasn't spent much time thinking about himself. Is he gay? Is he asexual? He doesn't know, and he doesn't know if he wants to know. He's just focused on the job right now, no Scout, get the fuck away.

•Spy🗡️:

He's French.

Okok, that ain't an answer. He's about as straight as severe scoliosis. Old man. He knows himself, he knows who and what he likes. He knows when to hide it and he knows when it's safe to show it. He's been AROUND. Men, women, non-binaries, the unaffiliated, he's loved and lusted after them all. His language of love is very diverse. And honestly? In his younger years he was quite the wild one. (Think adrenaline junkie but it's polyamory romance.) Point is, Spy knows he is the fruitiest pastry in the confection basket known as "those nine jackasses that live in the fort off in the desert."

#tf2 #team fortress 2 #team fortress 2 head cannons #tf2 scout #tf2 soldier #tf2 demoman #tf2 engineer #tf2 pyro #tf2 heave #tf2 medic #tf2 sniper #tf2 spy #GAY #i guess #lgbtq+

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watchmegetobsessed · 4 years ago

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Flatmates - Harry Styles

i listened to kiwi while writing it so i strongly advise to listen to is while reading as well. without any further ado, i present you this flatmate!harry fic with some steamy smut!

word count: ~9k

warning: smut

masterlist

You were desperate to find a place to live, to say the least. You’ve always had trouble remembering deadlines and important dates, and thanks to this charming trait of yours, you successfully missed the deadline of the college dormitory applications. After a day of solid panic you started looking for cheap apartments, but living off campus seemed to be something only rich people could afford. Rents were ridiculously high and you were certain you couldn’t afford to spend thousands of dollars for a room smaller than your pantry back at home. You watched ad after ad, making calls all day for a week straight, but at the end, you always went to bed with the thought that you’ll have to live under a bridge through the first semester of your freshman year.

It was until a friend of yours, Rita, who was mature enough to apply to the dormitory in time called you with the best news you could receive.

“This friend of my future roomie is looking for a flat mate. You gave me his number, maybe you could give him a call and see if the room is still available. Just tell him Kimberly gave you his number, I’m sure he’ll offer you the room on a nicer price.”

“Oh my God, you just saved my life!” you gasped, almost feeling like crying. “I owe you big time, Rita!”

You called right away, not wanting to waste any time and maybe have the room already rented by then. A deep, male voice answered the call in a soothing British accent.

“Harry Styles,” he said in a calm tone.

“Hey! My name is Y/N and I got your number from Kimberly. I’m looking for a place to live from September and I was told you have a room to rent?”

Harry sounded a little hesitant at first, asked a few questions about you to have a better picture of you, but eventually offered the room. You quickly agreed that you’d be able to move in at the end of August. You were thankful you had one less worry about school finally.

August rolled around the corner faster than you expected and in no time, half your life was packed up into boxes and suitcases as you and your dad drove two hours on a Saturday to get you all settled in your new home. Up until this point, you hadn’t seen Harry just yet. Though you did search up his name, but he was the kind to never post about himself, but mostly about guitars, landscapes and animals. His Instagram was dry, no trait of what he looked like or even the slightest hint about himself. There was only one photo that featured the outline of a guy, which makes it clear that the person was fully naked, no trace of any clothes hanging on his body, but it was completely dark, so nothing could be really seen. However the tag on the figure made you think it wasn’t him, so it didn’t matter. His Facebook seemed even sadder, barely any posts, not even a decent profile picture. You were surprised to see there are people who don’t really use social media, but you didn’t take it as a bad sign. Harry must be a private person and you had nothing against that.

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to move in with a guy you’ve never met before?” your dad asks as the two of you are unloading the car in front of the apartment complex. Glancing up you shrug your shoulders with a little excitement, knowing that you are only minutes away from finally seeing the person you are gonna spend your next months living with.

“He sounded like a decent person, and I really don’t have any other choice, dad. Or do you want me to sleep in a park or something?”

“God, no. You really should be more careful about those deadlines next time,” he sighs kissing the top of your head before shutting the back of the car once everything is set on the ground.

“Don’t worry, I already bought a calendar so I can keep better track of everything.”

When you first told your parents that you’d be living with Harry, they didn’t seem to be a fan of the idea, but they realized you weren’t really swimming in options at the moment so they eventually come to peace that their daughter is going to be living with a guy. They didn’t make a big deal out of it, knowing well you were an adult now practically who can make choices for herself.

The two of you manage to bring everything up to the third floor and you ring the doorbell since you don’t have your keys yet. You immediately recognize Harry’s British accent as he calls out a “coming!” from the other side of the door and a few seconds later it opens, revealing him.

Your first thought is that he is tall. Very tall and oh my! How handsome! His green eyes find your gaze and his dimples come out as he smiles at you happily. This man is surely a nice sight, you think to yourself, but you quickly bring yourself back to reality as he takes a look at all the stuff surrounding you.

“Y/N, why didn’t you call me that you were here? I could have helped you!” Taking a step outside he stretches his hand out for your dad. “Nice to meet ya, you must be Mr. Y/L/N. I’m Harry.”

“Nice to meet you,” your dad nods at him shaking his head before Harry grabs a box from the floor himself, holding the door open for you.

“Come on in!”

The three of you quickly bring everything inside from the hallway and you finally have a moment to look around. It’s not a big apartment, but seemingly perfect for two people. Walking in you have a small kitchen on the left and a little dining area on the right with a simple table and four chairs around it. Further inside is the living room, it’s nicely furnished very bright thanks to the large windows across the front door. On the left there’s a door that leads to the bathroom and on the right there’s a small hallway, two doors on each side. The two rooms are exactly the same size, so there was no need to have a discussion about who is getting which room. Not that you were gonna go against Harry when he literally saved your life with letting you stay with him.

The place seems tidy and neat, it’s clear that Harry takes good care of his home and that is for sure a relief.

Your room has a double bed, a desk with a chair, a dresser and a built in little closet. Everything is white or a light beige color, nothing extreme and you already have plans about how you want to decorate it to make it cozier.

“I left two shelves free for you out of the three. I have a few hair products, but I figured you’d need more space,” Harry tells you when you put a smaller box into the bathroom that has all your toiletries.

“Thank you, I appreciate it,” you smile at him.

Your dad sticks around a little longer helping you unpack some of the bigger boxes, then you walk him down to his car before he leaves.

“Please call your mother often. You know how much she worries about you,” he asks as he pulls you into a quick hug.

“Will do.”

“And call us anytime you need help. Two hours is not that far away, I can always come and get you.”

“I’ll be alright, dad, but thank you.”

You watch him climb into the car and he rolls down the windows waving in your way as he leaves from the parking lot. You stand there until he disappears on the corner and then go back up to your apartment.

Harry is sitting in the living room when you get back, some quiet music playing from the Bluetooth speaker as he reads a book. He glances up at you and you flash him a smile closing the door behind you.

“Your dad seemed quite okay with you living with a guy.”

“He had time to get used to it. They’re not that strict though.”

“That’s cool. I was thinking, maybe we could order some food when you’re done unpacking and just get to know each other a little more.”

“That sounds great!” you smile, but can’t ignore how fast your heart is beating in your chest. Harry surely has an effect on you that you’ll need to gain control over if you don’t want to make living together hard for yourself.

It takes quite some time to unpack everything and find the right place for your stuff, you don’t even finish by the time the food arrives so you decide to leave the rest for tomorrow.

The Chinese food is all set on the table when you walk out and Harry is getting two plates for the two of you.

“Settled in?” he asks as you take one of the chairs and he sits across you.

“Not fully, but I’m getting there,” you chuckle as he hands you your order. “Thank you.”

You talk over the food, just getting to know each other and you finally get a better picture of Harry. It’s his third year of college, he is studying music and pedagogy, intending to one day use music as a helping tool for kids who have learning difficulties. He is a big fan of collecting vinyls and quite passionate about trashy rom coms.

“Really?” you chuckle when he mentions how his Netflix queue is filled with romantic movies.

“Guilty pleasure,” he nods smirking.

You tell a little about yourself too and he seems genuinely interested, which feels nice. You would have hated if he found your interests boring and negligible, but that’s not the case.

“How come you couldn’t find a roommate for so long?” you ask the question that’s been in the back of your mind for quite a while now. Both of you are done eating and you’re cleaning up the table.

Nothing really stood out about Harry just yet, it’s quite a mystery for you why he couldn’t find someone to live with him.

“Well, you could say I’m a little picky in this field. Lived with my best mate first year, and though I absolutely love him, he was horrible to live with. Felt like his personal maid the whole time. When Niall moved in with his girlfriend and I had to move on my own I promised myself I would choose carefully. Lived with a PhD student last year, he was pretty great, but he moved out when he graduated, and I couldn’t really find someone I liked since then.”

“Glad I passed then,” you chuckle as you take the dishes and start washing them while Harry stands next to you, leaning against the edge of the counter.

“You seemed like a decent person to live with, I hope I won’t be wrong about that,” he chuckles, but you can tell he is still a little scared you might turn out to be a total asshole.

“Don’t worry, I won’t be too much trouble. I’m quiet like a mouse and clean up after myself.”

“That’s all that matters,” he smiles. “Alright, I have some things to finish, I’ll be in my room if you need help with anything.”

“Thank you, Harry.”

He waves in your way before disappearing in his bedroom.

You spend most of your Sunday unpacking what was left and running errands, buying groceries so you don’t have to go to the store every other day during the week. You occasionally meet Harry in the kitchen or the living room, but you both just do your own thing and it’s totally fine by you.

School starts quiet smoothly, Harry was kind enough to give you a rundown of where you’ll find your lecture halls so you don’t really get lost around campus, easily finding your way.

Friday afternoon you and Rita are sitting at a café near campus to discuss the first week of school. You don’t have any classes together, so only grabbed lunch two times all week, but didn’t have more than twenty minutes together before one of you had to run to a class. Now you are both comfortably sat in a booth with two cappuccinos and plenty of time to talk.

“So, how is living with Harry?” she curiously asks.

“He is great! Though we don’t meet that much. He has a band so he has practice three times a week, spends the rest of his time at home reading or watching TV.”

You ate dinner together twice this week, but you haven’t really had the courage to join him in the living room when he was watching TV. It sounds stupid but you figured maybe it would bother him if you were out there with him. And since he didn’t invite you either, you just stayed in your room mostly.

“Kimberly told me he is hot, is that true?” she asks with a smirk as she takes a sip from her hot drink. You immediately feel your cheeks heating up.

“Well, he surely is a good looking guy,” you breathe out.

“Lucky you! There’s not much of those in an all girls dorm,” she pouts and you chuckle. “So are you gonna make a move on him?”

“That’s not gonna happen,” you shake your head laughing.

“Why not?”

“Because we live together and if he rejects me that would be so awkward for the rest of our time living together.”

“But you can’t know for sure if he would reject,” she points out, but she can’t bring up one thing that would change your mind.

“It’s better not to take the odds. I don’t want to end up on the street.”

As the days go by, things start to get busier in your everydays. Assignments and papers start to pile up so you have to start working on them if you don’t want to leave everything to the last moment. You become a regular in the library, the atmosphere is great for you to get into the flow and get a lot of work done.

It seems like Harry is in the same shoe, he is often in and out of the apartment, sometimes only spends home just a couple of minutes before he leaves again. However they slowly get accustomed to each other, learn the ways the other likes things and work up a schedule for things. Harry learns that Y/N likes to take a shower twice a day and washes her hair usually on Wednesdays and Sundays, so he doesn’t try to take too much time in the bathroom on those days. He also notices how she doesn’t have time to wash the dishes after herself on Thursdays when she just runs home to have a quick bite before she has to leave for another lecture, so they came to a silent agreement where Harry cleans up after her on Thursdays while she takes up on the dishes on Saturday when Harry leaves to band practice at eight.

They work well together and soon enough all of Harry’s doubts about Y/N fade into nothing and he realizes he has made the right choice with her.

Usually she stays at the library until seven on Mondays, but this week they are closing early because they are rearranging a whole department, so Y/N leaves a little after five. She pays a quick trip to the grocery store before she heads home. Opening up the door she immediately hears the music playing, one of Harry’s vinyls is twirling around in the record player and she hears the water running in the bathroom. Setting her bags on the counter she starts unpacking the groceries.

The music and the running water pushed the sound of her arriving down, Harry didn't realize that you were home early when he opens the bathroom door, singing to himself wearing absolutely nothing as he wants to go and grab a pair of clean underwear, but he is shocked to see you standing in the kitchen.

“Shit!” he snaps, hands immediately flying to cover himself as he sprints back to the bathroom quickly grabbing a towel to wrap around his waist.

Your cheeks are heating up immediately even though you didn’t see anything you weren’t supposed to, the counter top covered him just right above the critical line, but it’s the first time you’ve seen his upper body completely naked.

Even though it was just a spit second, the sight of his many tattoos and the defined V-line leading down to his crotch burned straight into your mind, leaving you flustered and shy all of a sudden.

“Sorry! I should have let you know I was coming home early!” you call out turning around, as if he was about to walk out naked again. Harry chuckles lightly as he returns, this time a towel wrapped around his waist.

“Don’t be silly, you don’t have to check in when you come home. It was my fault, I shouldn’t just walk around naked assuming you wouldn’t be home.”

You should, you think to yourself gulping as you turn around and dare to look at him again. You don’t see less than just a few seconds ago, his chest is glistening from the dampness, his curls are still wet and you are having a hard time not to stare at the tattoos on his lower stomach, so you busy yourself with the rest of your groceries as he walks into his room and returns in a pair of sweats and a white t-shirt.

“Any plans for the weekend?” he asks disappearing in the bathroom, but he leaves the door open and you hear him shuffle around, probably fixing up his hair. He uses some kind of mousse that keeps his curls perfectly and also happens to smell like mango and some kind of citrus.

“Um, not really.”

“We’re playing at this bar with the band, wanna come and watch us?” Walking out of the bathroom he switches the light off before walking to the couch and opening up his Netflix account on the TV. His invitation surprises you, but it also feels nice he wants you there.

“Oh, sounds fun! Can I bring someone?”

“Of course! I can have a table reserved for you, if you’d like,” he smiles at you before turning his attention to the screen.

“That would be great, thanks.”

You feel like after your little encounter it’s probably not the best day to join him at the TV, especially because you can’t stop yourself from blushing every time you look at him. The sight of his naked torso pops up in your mind every time and there’s no way you can just casually sit on the couch with him without your body lighting up on fire.

Rita is excited when you tell her about the invitation, you don’t even have to convince her to go with you since she is dying to finally meet Harry. When he leaves in the early afternoon on Saturday he assures you that there’s gonna be a table reserved under your name, and off he goes to practice, leaving you alone for the rest of the day since he tells you he won’t be back before the concert tonight. Rita comes over around six and the two of you get ready together.

“You have to wear something spicy,” she wiggles her eyebrows at you while you sit at your desk applying mascara to your lashes.

“I don’t want to overdress, it’s just a bar.”

“Yeah, but Harry invited you. I bet he wants you to see him play.”

“Of course he wants, why else would he invite me?” you ask with furrowed eyebrows.

“You don’t get it,” she chuckles turning to you, hands on her hips. “He wants you to see him play because it feeds his ego. Maybe even turns him on.”

“Stop acting like there is anything between us. We are flatmates and that’s all.”

“I think he wants to be more, you’re just too pussy to make a move yourself,” she shrugs turning back to your closet.

“Stop calling me a pussy for not wanting to make it awkward for the two of us to live together. I’m pretty sure Harry doesn’t see me as anything more than just the person he lives with.”

“Then we have to change that. And I think this is the perfect dress for that.”

Rita pulls out a little black dress you bought about a year ago, but never really got around to wear it. It’s so tight, pushes your tits up way too much for your liking, you’re not even sure why you bought it in the first place.

“I’m not wearing that,” you shake your head.

“Are you afraid he might get a boner from you in it?”

“Rita!” you snap at her, but she just chuckles.

“Look, if you’re so sure he doesn’t want you like that, why does it matter what you wear?”

She has a point. It’s not like this dress will change anything and it would be nice to wear at least once in your life this stupid dress if you bought it.

Grabbing it from her hands you throw it to the bed and start undressing as she claps in victory.

You remembered right, the dress leaves close to nothing to the imagination when it comes to your figure. The fabric hugs your figure tightly, and you put on a lacy bralette that peeks out at the top of the dress, kind of covering some more from your skin, since the dress doesn’t do much in that field itself. Rita tries to convince you not to take a jacket, but you throw your denim jacket on, feeling the need to have something give you the slightest sense of being covered.

You arrive at the bar twenty minutes before the concert starts and it’s a good thing Harry reserved a table for you, because the place is packed. You’re not sure if it’s because of them or it’s just a regular Saturday evening.

The little stage is all set up, but you see no sign of Harry anywhere as the two of you settle at your table with a drink. Luckily, the bartender did not ask for an ID, he was too busy looking at your chest. At least there’s one good thing in this dress.

The drum set at the back has the name of the band on it and you smile reading it. The word ‘Stylish’ is printed on it with bold blue letters, referring to Harry’s last name, who is most likely the front man of the band.

The place is buzzing and the two of you enjoy being out at a bar concert. When the lights go down you finally spot him walking out of the back followed by a guy and two girls.

“Welcome, folks,” he greets the audience, his accent filling up the place over the chatters. A round of cheering answers him, making him smile. “Thank you for coming out tonight, we hope to entertain you in the next hour. Our name is Stylish and now let’s get down to business,” he smirks and just as he takes a step back from the mic, the band starts playing. Harry grabs a guitar himself before stepping back to the mic and then he starts singing.

They play a mixture of covers and original songs, the transition between them is so smooth you sometimes forget it’s a whole different song that’s playing. Harry is clearly enjoying the spotlight, his presence on the stage is so natural and capturing, you often catch yourself forgetting about the rest of the band.

One song follows the other and you don’t even realize how fast this hour passes by. Harry sometimes stops in-between songs, entertaining the audience with small jokes and just casually interacting with them.

“Our last song is up next, so let me take a moment to introduce the band,” Harry speaks into the mic while softly playing the guitar so it’s not completely quiet as he talks. “At the drums, the amazing and talented Sarah Jones!”

A round of applause fills the bar as Sara waves around smiling widely, before Harry moves on to the next member.

“Playing the piano, the wonderful Charlotte Clark!”

Charlotte plays a short melody on the keys matching up with what Harry has been playing, before she also waves at the audience.

“The guy who is a way better guitarist than me, Mitch Rowland.”

Harry’s comment makes the audience laugh and Mitch just nods shyly, a smile pulling on his lips under his mustache.

“And this handsome Brit who sometimes acts like a comedian,” Sarah starts leaning closer to her mic. “Harry Styles.”

It’s no surprise that Harry gets the biggest cheering and he smirks sweetly, his fingers still strumming on the guitar. The clapping and screaming slowly dies down and as Harry steps back to his mic they start the last song.

It’s quite an upbeat, funky song, you just can’t resist dancing around on your chair and seemingly Rita is enjoying herself as well, cheering with her beer in her hand. The song comes to an end and they all line up at the front of the stage bowing down together as the whole bar cheers on them as one person.

“Woah, this was… something else,” Rita breathes out once they disappear at the back and chatter fills up the place once again and the lights come back.

“They smashed it!” you nod in agreement. You figured they are good if they get asked to perform, but this was way beyond what you were expecting.

Looking around you are hoping to see Harry somewhere, but they must be celebrating somewhere at the back. Maybe he won’t even come out, you think to yourself as you finish up your beer.

“I’ll get us another round,” you tell Rita as you make your way to the bar.

There are quite a few people waiting to be served, so you squeeze yourself into the crowd and hope to get to the front soon.

“So how did you like it?”

You jump in surprise when you hear Harry’s voice coming from behind you, and turning around you see how close he is standing to you.

“Hi! I didn’t even see you sneak up on me,” you chuckle making him smile as he squeezes himself next to you. The two of you finally reach the front, but the bartender is serving someone a little on the left so you have to wait. “I loved it, you were like a proper rockstar up there!”

“Thanks,” he chuckles and his dimples show up on his cheeks. The bartender finally gets to you and Harry is quick to order for the both of you. “’S probably better if I place the order since you’re not twenty one just yet.”

“Didn’t have any problem ordering the first time,” you smirk smugly and Harry raises his eyebrows at you before his eyes wander down your body for a second.

“I bet you didn’t in this dress.”

Suddenly, you’re very aware of how daring your outfit looks, so out of reflex, you pull your jacket tighter on yourself, Harry’s smile quickly fades as he realizes that he made you uncomfortable with his comment.

“I meant that you look really pretty. Definitely makes you appear a little older though.”

“My friend wanted me to wear it, I would have been fine with something else,” you admit as the bartender places your order in front of you and Harry pays for the whole thing.

“Glad she convinced you,” he grins down at you and you can feel your cheeks heating up once again.

He helps you carry the drinks to the table and Rita quickly puts her phone away when she sees who you are returning with.

“Harry, this is my friend, Rita. Rita, this is Harry,” you introduce them and Harry shakes her head smiling.

“Nice to meet you,” he nods kindly.

“Oh, same goes for you,” Rita smirks and you roll your eyes at her.

“I’ll go get the rest of the band, do you mind if we join you guys here? There are no empty tables.”

“Sure,” you nod smiling before the crowd swallows Harry.

“For fuck’s sake, you have to make a move on him, Y/N!” Rita turns to you as soon as he is gone.

“Would you stop?” you chuckle.

“No! This dude is so hot I forget my name when I look at him! And you live with him! You can’t miss this chance, Y/N.”

“I’m not missing anything. We live together, it’s not worth it.”

“Not missing anything?” Rita looks at you as if you were mental. “You are literally missing everything!”

“I’m done with this conversation,” you tell him just when Harry appears again, this time with two of his bandmates, Sarah and Mitch are following him smiling, hand in hand.

“Charlotte had to leave early, but this is Sarah and Mitch,” Harry introduces them as they join the two of you at the table. “And this is my flatmate, Y/N and her friend Rita.”

You all shake hands as Harry sorts out the extra beers he has ordered so everyone has a drink on their hand.

It’s no surprise, but Sarah and Mitch prove themselves to be just as cool as they seemed up on the stage. And the best thing is that they don’t shy away from sharing funny stories that include Harry.

“So have you been looking for a new place to stay, Y/N?” Mitch jokes. “I’m sure you’ve had enough of Harry by now.”

“Very funny,” Harry laughs at his bandmate’s comment.

“To be honest it’s pretty fine so far. He is a pleasant person to share your home with,” you say with a soft chuckle.

“What’s one thing you hate about living with him?” Sarah asks and Harry pretends to be hurt over the question.

“Who said there’s anything she hates?”

“Shush, I was asking her!” she hushes at him making you laugh.

“I really can’t point out anything in particular. Maybe he has been very careful, luring me into believing that he is the perfect flatmate so I get stuck with him.”

You stay for a while, just chatting and having a good time until the bar starts to empty out and you decide it’s better if you head home as well.

“We have to take care of the equipment, are you leaving or do you want to wait for me?” Harry asks you.

“We’ll just call an Uber, don’t worry about it,” you smile at him.

“Alright, see you at home.”

You say goodbye to Sarah and Mitch and part your ways with them as you and Rite head outside.

“I hope you noticed how Harry was looking at you,” Rita smirks at you when the two of you are sitting at the back of the Uber.

“What are you talking about?” you sigh leaning your head against the seat.

“I caught him staring at you quite a few times.”

“He was just probably looking at me when I was talking. Don’t try to talk something into it that’s not true.”

“Alright, I’ll stop,” she replies holding up her hands. “But I still think you are missing out on some amazing dick.”

You awkwardly glance at the driver who is hearing everything you say, but Rita seemingly doesn’t mind that you’re not alone.

“You know what? We should give Tinder a try.”

“What? Why?”

“If you don’t want to make a move on your hot flatmate, we need to get some satisfaction from others.”

“I’m fine, thanks.”

“Oh, you are not,” she chuckles. “But you will be when you match with the hottest guys on campus.”

You let Rita believe that she convinced you to sign up for Tinder, but you get out of the car with the intention of never downloading the app, like ever.

Walking into the apartment you grab a clean, oversized t-shirt and a pair of panties since your sleeping shorts are all dirty, but you were planning to do the laundry tomorrow. You decide it’s not a big deal and the shirt will probably cover enough of your body.

You take a quick shower to get off the thick smell of the bar that’s stuck on your skin, taking your time moisturizing yourself once you’re done. When you get dressed you see that the shirt does cover your bum, but if you lifted your arms up it surely shows a big portion of your ass, so you’ll have to be careful if Harry arrives.

You’re lounging on the couch watching a rerun of House M.D. and scrolling through your phone when Harry arrives.

“Hey there, rockstar!” you greet him teasingly and he just chuckles shyly.

“Is it gonna be my new nickname?”

“Well, you really were one tonight, so I think yes,” you nod making him laugh. Walking further inside his eyes stop on your bare legs and he is quick to notice that you’re not wearing any pants, like you usually do. You immediately tug on the end of the shirt to cover more of your skin, but it’s not really working.

“Ehm, I’ll go and take a quick shower,” he informs you before disappearing in his room first and then rushing into the bathroom.

Looking down at your attire you decide it’ll be better if you threw on some sweats. Harry clearly got a little uncomfortable seeing you so bare, so it’s better to cover up. You’ll just take them off when you go to bed.

Harry doesn’t take too long in there, and when he joins you on the couch you are pretty sure he took a cold shower since no steam followed him when he left the bathroom. His eyes flicker to your now covered legs, but he doesn’t say anything, just makes himself comfortable next to you.

“You like it?” he asks nodding at the TV.

“Yeah, he is such an asshole, but it’s funny,” you huff. “Hey, I took a few pictures tonight. Wanna see if you like any of them?”

“Sure,” he nods pushing himself up a little as you unlock your phone and show him the photos you took of him and the band while performing.

Some of them ended up really cool, you were able to catch the lights and their movements just the right way, especially one stands out where he was holding out a note, basically screaming into the mic, he really looks like a rockstar on that one.

“Can you send me this one?”

“Done,” you smile at him and glancing over you see that he opens the Instagram app on his phone. You watch him crop and adjust it a little bit, then tag his bandmates and finally, he posts it.

“Wow, this is the first picture on your page with you actually on it,” you tease him.

“So you’ve been stalking my profile?” he smirks at you.

“I wanted to check you out before I moved in, but your social media was no help in that.”

“Yeah, I’m not a fan of posting that much, but this was a cool picture.”

“It’s an honor to know that I took the first one featuring you.”

“Actually, this is the second one, but it is the first one where my face is visible,” Harry tells you before turning his attention back to the TV, but the gears start to turn wildly in your mind, trying to remember which picture could be the other one.

Later, when you’re lying in your bed with your door closed, you pull up his profile and stat scrolling down. Most of the pictures fall out, because they have absolutely no trace of any human being on them. But then you stop at the one that features a black silhouette of a man, the one you thought wasn’t him.

Opening up you tap on the tag and see that it leads to Mitch’s profile, but now that you’ve met him, you’re pretty sure it’s not him in the picture. So you take a closer look and as you go over the small details, like the line of his neck, how wide his shoulders are and the untamed curls, you soon realize that it is indeed Harry in the photo.

You push down a moan when realization sets in, because that means that you’re staring at the naked silhouette of Harry and it immediately starts a fire between your legs.

“Jesus,” you whisper as you let yourself stare at the photo a little longer. You weren’t expecting it, but it’s surely making you feel some kind of way.

Locking your phone you throw it to your nightstand before you bury your head into your pillow. You have to press your thighs together quite tightly to make the throbbing sensation stop so you can finally fall asleep. Well, it takes some time before that happens and it’s quite torturous.

Unlike how you planned, Rita finally gets you to download Tinder and give it a try. She helps you set up your profile, and though at first it feels incredibly awkward, you slowly adjust to being out there on the virtual market.

You start swiping left and right whenever you are bored during classes or you’re having a break from studying. Your matches start to pile up and soon enough you start getting messages as well. You reply to the ones you like or find funny and creative, giving them a chance, but not many end up going too far. Somehow the conversations always die down and you lose interest in the person.

Only one guy gets as far as asking you out and getting a yes as an answer. Jordan is a physics major and seemed like a nice and funny guy through the messages, good-looking too, so you decided to give it a go.

So Friday evening you dolled yourself up, put on a nice blouse with your favorite skinny jeans and black heels, ready to head out to your first ever Tinder date.

As you walk out of your room you find Harry in the kitchen in his basketball shorts and a simple black t-shirt making himself a cup of tea. The shorts are hanging low on his waist and as he reaches up to get the hones from the cupboard you get a glimpse of the soft skin on his lower waist. You quickly look away before you could have any further thoughts about what else is under the waistband of his shorts.

“Oh, where are you heading all dressed up?” he asks, eyebrows raised.

“I actually have a date,” you admit nervously as you grab your keys and put it away in your purse.

“Lucky guy,” he smiles and you can feel your cheeks heating up again. There’s just something in the way he compliments you, it makes your knees go jelly.

“Thanks. I’ll see you later? I’m not sure when I’ll be back,” you tell him grabbing your jacket from the hanger next to the front door.

“Have fun,” he nods before you walk out.

Jordan proves himself to be quite frankly the same guy you got to know through messages. He takes you to this Mexican themed bar and you are just chatting over some exciting looking cocktails, but you find yourself zoning out sometimes.

What is Harry doing right now? Is he staying at home? I should have asked if he had any plans. Maybe he is hooking up with someone right now.

You find yourself thinking about way more than you probably should and it’s making you lose your shit. So maybe this is why, or because Rita told you to just go with the flow, but when Jordan asks if you want to go up to his place you say yes.

It’s as awkward and bad as you were expecting, unfortunately. There’s a reason why you don’t hook up with every random guy you go out with once. You are totally on different pages, but when you are lying under him on his bed, you just know there’s no way out.

It’s not that he forces you, because you’re sure he would have stopped if you asked, but it would be so awkward to just walk out because you weren’t feeling the vibe. So at least one of you should enjoy it.

You should deserve an Oscar for that orgasm you fake, it’s so believable. Jordan doesn’t seem to notice that you felt absolutely nothing, just frustration and impatience, he tries to make you stay the night, but you save yourself with a lie that you have to wake up early in the morning so it’s best if you head home.

Your frustration just grows on your way home. You were really hoping to get laid tonight, so maybe that could stop you from fantasizing about Harry, because your thoughts have been wild since you found out that he is the one on that Instagram picture. It doesn’t help that he has been walking around shirtless quite a lot.

Shameful or not, you even touched yourself once thinking about him. You were home alone after a particularly boring day so you thought you’d just get yourself off. Before you could realize where your thoughts have wandered, you were moaning his name as you came hard. You couldn’t look into his eyes that day when he came home, he probably thought you were nuts, basically running away from him.

It’s almost midnight when you get back home, you were expecting Harry to be asleep by now since he has band practice in the morning, but you are surprised to see light coming from his room. As you close the front door, kicking your heels off he walks out, of course, without a shirt, his glorious body on full display.

“Hey, how was your date?” he asks as you step to the fridge to get yourself something to drink. You’ve been so damn thirsty since Jordan was… done with you, you could have asked for some water at least, but you just wanted to leave as fast as possible.

“Ugh, don’t even ask,” you whine, leaning against the counter.

“That bad?”

“Worse,” you roll your eyes and Harry chuckles softly.

“Come on, it couldn’t be that bad if you came home so late.”

“Well, it did start off nice, but I shouldn’t have said yes when he asked if I wanted to go to his place.”

“Oh.”

“Worst sex of my life, I wanted out the moment we arrived, to be honest,” you honestly say, feeling a little weird that you’re talking to Harry about it, but you just want to get it off your chest.

“Then why didn’t you just leave?”

“Dunno, I just… I was hoping for just a little satisfaction, but I guess I asked for too much,” you sigh finishing up your water and you walk past him with the intention to grab your pajamas and have a shower that would wash away the happenings of the night, but Harry’s voice stops you.

“Not everything is lost just yet.” Turning around you give him a puzzled look.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

He bites into his bottom lip and lets his eyes travel down your body, his intent gaze sends a shiver down your spine. When his eyes return to your gaze your heart is wildly beating against your chest.

“I mean that… I can make you feel good, if you want.”

Your mouth hangs open and your eyebrows shoot up at the blunt offer he just made. At first you’re not even sure you heard him right, but as you replay his words you realize that you indeed heard him crystal clear.

“Are you messing with me right now?” you ask, feeling like it’s all just a joke. He did not just offer to satisfy you because you complained to him about how bad your date was.

Harry takes a few steps closer to you, a small smirk tugging on his lips.

“Not really. You want to get off and I would love to be the one to help you with it.”

“But… we live together,” you say and realize how stupid this just sounded, but you hope he gets what you were trying to say.

“So? Does that mean we can’t fuck?”

The way he said that makes your legs go weak for sure. You’ve been fantasizing about things similar to this, but those were nowhere near to actually hear him propose the idea of fucking.

“But… it’ll be weird, won’t it?”

“Only if we make it.”

He walks closer, closing the distance between the two of you and he cups your cheek in his hand as his eyes flicker down to your lips.

“Harry…” you breathe out, but you already know you gave in. There’s no way you can say him no, not after weeks of dreaming about the exact same thing.

“Just stop thinking,” he tells you before pressing his lips against yours.

He kisses you hard and you gladly let his tongue push into your mouth within a second, kissing him back with the same passion. You wrap your arms around his neck as his hands travel down on your sides until they reach your ass and they give it a bold squeeze, making you moan into his lips. You feel him grin as his hands move over to your thighs and he urges you to jump and so you do, wrapping your legs around his waist.

Though you keep your eyes closed, kissing him hard, you can tell he brings you to the couch, laying you down to your back, holding himself up above you. He starts kissing down your jawline and neck, sucking and biting on the sensitive skin. His hands grab the hem of your shirt and you lift yourself up a bit so he can pull it off, throwing it away to somewhere behind the couch. While his lips are sucking on your breasts wherever they are bulging out from the lacy bra, his hands work fast on your jeans, undoing the button and the zipper, tugging them down until you can just kick them right off.

“Matching set? You were really counting on having a good time tonight,” he mumbles against your tummy as he kisses his way down on your body.

His right hand reaches up and cups your breast before it slides under you and easily unclasps your bra. You quickly slide the straps off and throw it to the side, so now you are lying under him only in your panties, whimpering and panting at every kiss he leaves on your body.

“What do you want, Y/N?” he hums glancing up at you, sitting between your legs as he slides just one finger over your soaking wet panties, running it along your throbbing center.

“Fuck, I want you,” you breathe out.

“How exactly do you want me?”

“Jesus, just eat me out, Harry!” you shamelessly moan and he smugly smirks before he hooks his fingers into your panties and pulls them down, throwing it to the ground.

Now you’re lying completely naked in front of him, and he pushes your knees farther apart, looking down at you with lustful eyes.

“You have no idea how long I’ve been wanting to do this,” he growls as he gets closer and without a warning, he licks into you.

You moan in sensation as he starts sucking on your clit, his tongue working perfectly against your bud. Your hands find their way into his hair and you grab a handful of it in each. Oh, how many times you’ve thought about doing this!

“Harry!” you cry out when you feel him push a finger into you, slowly pumping it in and out a few times before he adds another to it. He quickly picks up his pace as he keeps sucking on your clit, getting you closer to your orgasm with every lick.

“Fuck, I’m so close!” you moan, your chest rising and falling rapidly as you struggle to even breathe.

“Cum for me, baby,” he mumbles against your wet clit and just a few more pumps later you came, screaming his name.

“Fucking hell, Harry!” you breathe out when he climbs up on you smirking.

“You think you can handle another one?” he asks, pecking your lips softly. Looking down you see how hard he is and even if you were on the verge of dying you would have said yes. There’s no way you let him get up from this couch unsatisfied after the orgasm he just gave you.

Instead of saying anything, you push on him until he is sitting on the couch and you have your knees on his sides.

“I think you are a little overdressed, aren’t you?” you ask teasingly as you bring a hand down to his erection, cupping it through his shorts and underwear.

Harry cranes his neck so his lips could meet yours again as he lifts his hips up, pushing his shorts down along with his boxers. You sit back down to his lap and his erection presses against your wet folds making you moan into his mouth.

“Do you want me to suck you off?” you ask breathlessly, but Harry shakes his head.

“I would last, I just want to fuck you,” he growls and you swear to God that was the hottest thing you’ve ever heard.

“Condom, we need a condom,” you tell him, still kissing his lips.

You get off him and he quickly runs into his room, shortly returning with a condom between his teeth. He rips the package on his way and falls back to the couch, rolling it on carefully. When he is done you swing your leg over him and get on top again, holding onto his broad shoulders. He grabs the base of his cock and lines himself up to your center and you give yourself a moment to admire his naked beauty right in front of you.

You look into his sparkling eyes and leaning down you kiss him hard as you slowly ease down to his length, his cock slowly filling you up fully.

“Oh fuck!” he moans at the feeling of you around him. His fingers dig deep into your waist as you stay still for a few moments, adjusting to his length. “You alright?” he asks breathlessly. Your eyes meet his and you nod a little before you start moving.

It takes a few moments to find the right pace and get yourself comfortable, but when you finally do, you just can’t stop. His hands are on your ass as he guides your hips a little and you feel the rings on his fingers against your heated skin. He buries his face into your neck nibbling and kissing on the soft skin wherever he reaches.

“Fuck, you look so fucking hot, Y/N,” he grunts when you let your head fall back, feeling your orgasm slowly building up again.

“Harry, I’m gonna cum again,” you pant, picking up a faster pace, desperate for release.

“Cum for me, baby. Let me make you feel good!” he moans wrapping his arms around you as he holds you still, stopping you from moving, but instead he starts thrusting into you, his cock buries so deep into your pussy, your eyes roll back into your head from the feeling.

“Yes! Don’t fucking stop!” you scream as he keeps fucking you hard.

It doesn’t take too long until you fall completely apart and cum again, your legs basically turning into jelly. Just a few thrusts later Harry cums as well, thrusting deep into you a few more times as he moans into your neck.

You lie completely numb on him, his fingers gently stroking your naked back as you try to come back to reality. When you lean back and your eyes meet again you are still speechless.

“I’ve literally wanted it since the day you walked into this place,” he admits with a soft chuckle.

“Really?” you giggle shyly.

“Oh, really. Seeing you around, sometimes without a bra under your shirt completely killed me most of the time.”

Your cheeks are heating up, you didn’t think he noticed when you weren’t wearing a bra.

“Don’t be so shy, you have amazing tits, you are not allowed to wear a bra anymore around here,” he teases you grinning as you laugh and leaning down you kiss him shortly.

“I had quite a few fantasies about you too,” you admit making him raise his eyebrows.

“Really?”

“Mhm, especially after you walked out of the bathroom naked, even though I didn’t even see your dick then.”

Harry chuckles lightly as he pushes his hair back from his forehead, resting his head against the back of the couch.

“So…” you shyly start, ”what now?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that… we live together and we just fucked. What does this mean for the future?”

“Well, I thought that next time we could do it the right way. I could take you out on a proper date, and then fuck you on the kitchen counter.”

You laugh at how blunt he is, but you love the idea he just proposed.

“Okay. Sounds fine by me.”

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chickwiththepurpleguitar · 4 years ago

Note

For the prompts and because now I need it: Willex + Kangaroo 💕

- sunsetsandcurves

Okay! So, I know your official prompt was Willex, but I decided to do Reggie Outsider POV cause I don’t write him enough, and then it... got away from me... And I accidentally wrote Julie/Luke/Reggie again (and apparently I’m only capable of writing in Reggie’s POV if he’s pining...) but I also wrote he/they Willie on purpose this time! Anyway, hopefully you like this, but if it’s not satisfactory just drop another ask in my box and I’ll write a part two that actually has more Alex and Willie in it.

Also I kind of inadvertently referenced your last Willex flower ficlet in this lol. Anyway, enjoy :)

“Hey, Hotdog. Kangaroo.”

Reggie’s head snaps up from where he’s been peering suspiciously at a wagon of precariously-stacked apples, trying to see if he can knock them over with his mind (so far, he’s been unsuccessful). Across the aisle, Willie has just plucked a bundle of radishes (bushel of radishes? Reggie’s not well-versed in the collective nouns of vegetables) off a table and hands them to Alex, trailing obediently along behind them. Alex rolls his eyes, stuffs the radishes in his fanny pack, and leaves a couple dollars on the table.

They’re all at a Farmers’ Market by Julie’s school. She had to go to do research for an Economics project, and she graciously let her ghosts boys (and Willie) tag along. They’re having one of their “visibility to lifers is hard” days, so (as Willie has continuously reminded them) they could probably steal whatever produce they want and get away with it. But Julie gave them each a stern talk and twenty dollars at the entrance, so Alex has put it upon himself to pay for everything Willie tries to convince him to smuggle away in his fanny pack.

Alex and Willie move on to a station selling flowers, and Reggie abandons his apple staring contest to bound along behind them. He hopes Willie will say again what Reggie thinks he just said, because Reggie might have just imagined it but he doesn’t know how to ask.

Luckily, he doesn’t have to wait long. Willie plucks a pretty purple flower out of a pile and tucks it behind Alex’s ear (Alex wrinkles his nose out of instinct, but it’s not like he still has hayfever as a ghost). Then, Willie grabs a handful of seed packets, stuffs them in Alex’s hands, and says, “Kangaroo.”

Reggie’s mouth drops open. So they did say it! He scans his surroundings, craning his neck to see all the way to the entrance of the Farmers’ Market, but there’s no sign of an Australian marsupial anywhere. Not that Reggie had really been expecting to see one in the middle of Los Angeles, California, but why else would Willie be talking about them unless he’d seen one?

Reggie spins in a full circle until he catches sight of Luke and Julie over by the baked goods. He spares one last glance back at Alex and Willie (who seem to be bickering over the ethics of stealing flower petals out of the trash now) and then poofs across the market, appearing next to Luke and Julie by a stand selling bread and cookies.

“Hey, Reg,” Luke says without looking up. He’s got a chocolate chip cookie in one hand and a frosted sugar cookie in the other, and he’s looking back and forth between them like they’re the players of an extremely entertaining tennis match.

Reggie shoots Julie a questioning look. She rolls her eyes fondly and explains, “I told him he can only have one cookie. He’s been trying to decide for the last twenty minutes.”

“I’m narrowing it down,” Luke insists.

Julie laughs, and the sound sends a burst of fluttery happiness through Reggie’s chest. He grins, and almost forgets what he came over here to say in the first place, until Julie says, “Anyway. What have you been getting yourself up to, Reggie?”

He rocks back and forth on his heels. “Not too much. Bought some kiwis. Had an altercation with an apple cart. Mostly just third-wheeled Alex and Willie.”

He tries not to sound too bitter about it, but he’s not sure it works. He loves his friends, so much, and of course he wants them to be happy, but he can’t deny he feels a little left out sometimes, when they all pair off for date night, or hold hands on the sidewalk, and Reggie’s just… there.

(Part of him wants to find someone for himself, so that they can be three couples instead of two. Another, much more repressed, part of him wants there to still only be two couples, just… one of them has three people in it. He doesn’t know if that’s something he’s allowed to want, though, or even something that’s okay to think about, so he tries not to, and he doesn’t say a word about it to anyone, especially not Luke or Julie.)

“Aw, Reg,” Julie says, drawing him back to the present. She puts a hand on his arm, and Reggie beams, hoping he’s not blushing too visibly. “Well, I don’t know if third-wheeling us is any better, but you’re welcome to hang out!”

Reggie deflates. Right. Still third-wheeling. Because they’re still LukeAndJulie. And Reggie’s just there.

He pastes on a grin and deftly changes the subject. “Anyway, I wanted to ask you guys—you haven’t seen a kangaroo around here anywhere, have you?”

Luke finally looks up from his cookies to give Reggie one of his patented Hey, Reg, you’re a dumbass looks (they used to be insulting, but considering Reggie’s been on the receiving end of them since literally 1978, he’s used to them by now).

Julie, ever the angel, just settles for a politely confused frown and repeats, “Kangaroo?”

“Yeah,” Reggie says. “Willie kept saying stuff to Alex about a kangaroo, but I didn’t know if they meant, like, a real kangaroo or a stuffed one or something, but I didn’t see either, so I figured I’d ask you guys.”

Luke frowns thoughtfully. “Are you sure it’s not a gay thing? Maybe it’s a gay thing.”

Julie whacks him with her purse. “It is not a—who are you?” While Luke rubs his arm with a pout, she asks Reggie, “What was the context for this?”

“There wasn’t any!” Reggie insists. “He just kept handing Alex stuff to put in his fanny pack and saying, ‘Kangaroo.’”

Julie pulls her phone out of her back pocket, muttering, “Hold up. Maybe…” She types for a second, Luke attempting to slip both cookies in her purse while she’s distracted (she swats his hand away without looking up), and then exclaims, “Here we go!” and holds her phone out for Reggie to see. “In some countries, that belt bag Alex wears is referred to as a kangaroo! Cause it’s a pouch, I guess.”

“Definitely a better name than fanny pack,” Luke muses, guiding Julie by the wrist to turn the phone around for him. They bend their heads together, giggling over whatever article Julie found, and Reggie’s enthusiasm fades into a hardened pit in his stomach.

He mutters an awkward goodbye and poofs back across the market, not bothering to wait for Luke and Julie to notice.

An hour later, Reggie returns to the bakery stand and buys the last chocolate chip cookie (since Luke eventually chose the frosted one). When he catches up with his friends at the exit, he sidles up between Alex and Willie, holds the cookie out, and says, “Hey, Alex! Can you please put this in your…” He pauses dramatically and winks at Willie. “Kangaroo?”

“Oh, my god,” Alex sighs, dropping his head into his hands.

“Eyyy!” Willie cheers, giving Reggie an enthusiastic fist bump. “I knew it’d catch on!”

Reggie grins. He’s okay being the third wheel on good days like this. He just loves his friends so much.

Taglist: @whenweremarried @sunsethimb0s @pink-flame @penguin0613 @fighttoshine @sunsetcurvecuddles @nickalicious @reggiescrookedteeth @brightattheorpheum @queenmolina @spidergirl0325 @jandthephantoms @lexilucacia @sapphossidechick @acnhaddict @cest-la-vie-de-la-lee @sunset-bobby @lenacarstairspotterstewart @conversationaltreestump @burntchromas @sunsetsandcurves

#jatp #julie and the phantoms #jatp fanfiction #fanfiction #my fics #prompt fills #asks #500 follwers aaah!!!#reggie peters #julie molina #luke patterson #julie/luke/reggie #willie nolastname #alex mercer #willex

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mandoalorian · 4 years ago

Note

Praying ...

🕯 🕯

🕯Max and her having 🕯

🕯 a baby and adopting 🕯

🕯Maxine on next year's 🕯

🕯 Christmas . 🕯

🕯 🕯

🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

To Build A Home [Maxwell Lord x Reader]

READ PART ONE HERE.

Rating: PG

Warnings: mention of orphanage, adoption, birth.

Word count: 2.7k

Permanent taglist - let me know if you want to be added: @supernaturalgirl @phoenixhalliwell @ah-callie @luvzoria @stardust-galaxies @wickedfrsgrl @goth-topic @nerdypinupcrystal @wonderfulfluffer @kiwi-the-first @pedroepascal @honeymandos @castiel-barnes

Masterlist (PS— if you like reading Maxwell as a father as much as I like writing him, I also have a cute one shot where he has a daughter AND a cat called ‘Soulmates’. You can read that here.)

Maxwell Lord didn't know what true love was until he held his newborn daughter in his arms. The delivery was peaceful and the child was born awake, her big brown eyes sparkling as she let out the gentlest of cries. "It's a girl," Maxwell announced, his voice croaking as the midwife took your daughter to clean her up.

"A girl?" you sniffed. "Just like you wanted." You beamed, leaning over and hugging Maxwell.

Maxwell let out a choked sob. "She's beautiful," he whispered and your heart melted in your chest. "She looks like you. Not much hair and a little red, and she has my eyes but… she really does look like you," you had never heard him speak with so much joy and delight. "We have ourselves a daughter." he confirmed and you giggled happily as he pressed a comforting kiss into your cheek and smoothed out your messy hair.

Having a newborn baby was not easy. You didn't expect it to be easy, but even with the many house staff coming and going… the butler's and the maids and the nanny’s… it was still a struggle. She would wake up at the most ungodly hour demanding to be fed. She would throw up in the morning all over Maxwell's thousand dollar suits right before he had to head to work. Maxwell swore the diaper changing was the worst, but he loved her unconditionally and he wouldn't change a thing.

In fact, he wanted more. Maxwell Lord always wanted more— no matter what it was. But never did he think he'd want more children, that's for sure. You had just put little Isabella down in her cot, after nursing her and praying she'd actually settle this bedtime. You got undressed, slid into your silk pajama set and swaddled yourself with plenty of blankets in your king sized bed, next to Maxwell. The nights were getting colder, but the warmth of laying next to your fiancée provided you with just enough comfort.

You tore the office paperwork from Maxwell's hands and set it on the nightstand before taking off his reading glasses and kissing him slowly. "Are you nervous for tomorrow?" you asked, in between breathy kisses.

Maxwell nodded. "I know I want this… it's just, I want what's best for her too." Maxwell admitted sheepishly. You rubbed your nose against his and laid your head in his lap. "Isabella was born only three months ago… do you think we're ready for another?"

You smiled. "We're an unstoppable team Maxwell, I know we're ready. It's not going to be easy, but we can do it. I know we can. And I love you."

"I love you too," he sighed, pressing his lips into yours and dropping his hand to caress your body over your pyjamas. You giggled into the kiss as he touched you and moved your head away from his.

"You still got the Santa costume?" you asked, smacking your lips together.

"Mm," Maxwell mumbled, leaning in to kiss you again but you pulled away. "What? It's in the back of the closet. Let me kiss you."

You laughed and nodded, leaning back in to kiss him. He pushed you into the bed sheet and tugged at your silk shorts as he hovered over your body.

Like every morning, you awoke at dawn to Isabella crying for her breakfast. Nursing her, you gave her a bottle of milk and greeted the nanny. "Hey, you sure you don't mind watching Isabella while Maxwell and I head out?" you asked with a pleasant smile.

"Of course not, she's a little darling. It would be a pleasure." the nanny smiled as you passed Isabella over.

"Daddy's little darling." Maxwell said, appearing in the kitchen in his Santa costume… minus the hat and beard. You padded over to him and put your hand on his tummy, a blush creeping over his cheeks as you looked up at him with doe eyes.

"You know, this is kinda sexy." you smirked, pressing down the red fabric and making sure he looked neat and tidy. Maxwell rolled his eyes.

"Go get your elf dress on. We're going to be late." he told you, flicking his wrist out and checking the time on his gold Cartier watch. You nodded, heading back into your bedroom. Maxwell turned to the nanny. "You feed her again at 12, and then at 2, but we should be back by then. She likes to play with her felt books and rattle… they’re in the-"

"Nursery," the nanny finished Maxwell's sentence with a gentle smile. "I know Mr Lord, please don't worry about little Isabella. She's in safe hands, I promise."

Maxwell hesitated but looked down at his daughter who was already looking up at him, her big brown eyes sparkling. She reached out to her father, making little grabby fists as a smile appeared on her face. "I love you princess." he mumbled, kissing his daughter on the forehead.

Maxwell set the sack of presents down under the orphanages Christmas tree, the children clambering and squealing excitedly as they raced over to pick out what Santa (or you and Max) had got for them. "Batman!" A young boy yelled, jumping up with a plastic Batman figurine and showing it off excitedly.

"Really?" Maxwell sighed, leaning into you. "A Batman toy?" he tutted and you laughed, smacking him playfully in his broad chest.

"Princess Jasmine!" A younger girl exclaimed, holding a turquoise Princess Jasmine costume to her body and showing it off in front of the other girls. "I'm going to wear this everyday."

You went to whisper something into Maxwell's ear but noticed that he must've sauntered off somewhere. Your gaze flicked around the living room as you tried to search for him but he was truly nowhere in sight. "Where did Santa Claus go?" a little girl asked, pulling on the hem of your green elf dress.

"I'm not sure," you told her, biting your lip. "Let me go have a look. Wait here, okay?" you told her and she nodded, turning back to open some more presents.

"Where is Maxine?" Maxwell asked the head social worker at the orphanage. "She wasn't with the other kids."

The social worker, Stacey, frowned. "She's in her bedroom. It's been a tough Christmas for her." Stacey explained.

"Can I ask why?" Maxwell prodded curiously.

"We thought she had found her forever home. A family had taken a liking to her but, just the day before Christmas Eve they decided they didn't want her anymore. It came completely out of the blue. She's devastated."

Maxwell's heart sank in his chest at the revelation. "You don't know why they changed their mind?" he asked sadly.

"I'm afraid not," Stacey shook her head. "Maxine is uhm… quite a lot to handle."

"May I go see her?" Maxwell asked.

"Sure, her bedroom is three doors down and to the left." Stacey informed him, pointing her finger down the corridor.

Maxwell sauntered off, finding the room and giving it a brief knock on the door. "Go away!" he heard a little voice cry out. Maxwell couldn't help but smile when he heard Maxine's familiar voice. He didn't think he would have missed her this much, but he did. Maxwell hesitantly opened the door.

"It's Santa!" he called out, grinning when Maxine turned around with teary eyes.

"S-Santa?" Maxine whispered timidly. "You came back?"

Maxwell sat on the edge of Maxine's bed and Maxine crawled over to him. Maxwell pulled the little girl onto his lap. "I promised didn't I?" he smiled.

"You did." Maxine returned the smile. She had stopped crying for the first time in days.

"Have you been a good girl this year?" Maxwell asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow. Maxine nodded excitedly.

"Very good!" Maxine squealed, nuzzling her cheek into Max’s chest. Maxwell felt his heart grow warm at the affection from the child he had grown to care so much about.

"Your friends are out in the living room opening their presents… don't you want to go see them?" Maxwell quizzed, nudging her slightly. Maxine shook her head 'no'. "Well, I know you've been a good girl. That's why there's someone here to see you. Could you give me five minutes?" Maxwell asked, a huge grin painted on his face? Maxine nodded, shuffling off his lap and picking up her teddy, hugging it tight to her chest.

Maxwell left her bedroom, walking down the corridor and pulling off his Santa hat and faux beard before bumping into you. "Hey, I was looking for you everywhere!" you hissed. "Put your hat and beard back on before a kid sees!" you looked around anxiously in hope that nobody was around.

"I spoke to Maxine." Maxwell smiled, tears pooling in his eyes. Your face softened.

"Oh," you were speechless. "And?"

"Get out of your elf dress and meet me by the main entrance. I'm going to speak to Stacey and have her draft the adoption papers for us to sign." Maxwell said, planting a kiss on your cheek. You choked back a sob and hugged your fiancée tight.

"We're getting another daughter?" you asked, the news finally settling in.

"Yeah, we're getting another daughter." Maxwell confirmed, unable to contain his excitement. "Okay, you have five minutes! Quick!" He ushered you back down the hallway and into the living room.

"Um, guys!" you called, the little bell on your elf hat jingling as you tried to get the attention of all the kids. "Guys! Father Christmas has had to leave to go see some more children, but he wishes you all the merriest Christmas and the happiest new year. And he told me to tell you that you all better be good, and he'll come again next year." you said with a cheery smile and the children horray’d.

"What do you say to the elf?" a member of staff encouraged.

"Thank you Mrs Elf." The children all said in unison before turning back to their presents.

You smiled, nodding in contentment before racing out of the living room and outside. You pulled out a plain woollen dress and some tights from the back of the car and quickly changed out of your elf dress, not forgetting to reapply your lipstick and fasten the laces of your winter boots. Deciding you looked like you were back to your usual self, you re-entered the orphanage. A few of the children gave you a confused stare, but it was short lived.

"You're… you're…" it was the same boy from last year, who had shoved the tabloid in your face. You giggled, sinking down to his level.

"Shhh." you smiled, placing a finger over your lips. "What's your name?" you asked.

"Eric." he said excitedly. "I've seen you on the television… you're like. Famous."

You laughed, shaking your head. "Eric is such a lovely name. Like a prince. Have you seen my husband? He's supposed to be here." you asked Eric, who's jaw dropped.

"M-Maxwell Lord the fourth is- is here?" Eric was starstruck. "Wait, I'm not even wearing my best clothes. You know I study business in school? It's my favourite subject. And I- I really look up to your husband, I- I watch all his infomercials. I…"

You placed a hand on Eric's shoulder. "You study business?" you raised an eyebrow. "What do you want to do when you grow up?"

"I want my own company." Eric grinned excitedly.

"You do?" you gasped. "You know, it's hard work. You think you could handle it?"

Eric nodded furiously. "I know I could."

"Never stop believing." you told him, before raising back to his feet.

"Darling?" you heard Maxwell call. You smiled when you saw that your fiancée was back to wearing one of his high end business suits with the floral print tie and matching pocket square, his Armani heels clicking against the floor and his sunglasses perched on the curve of his nose.

"Oh! Max!" you gasped. "There's someone I'd like you to meet. This is Eric. His favourite subject in school is business and he wants to have his own company when he's older."

Maxwell turned to face Eric, reaching out to shake his hand. "Nice to meet you buddy." Maxwell charmed, taking off his sunglasses and clipping them to his shirt. "It's a pleasure."

Eric was speechless, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. "Uh… Eric is a big fan." you explained to Maxwell.

"I've always wanted to meet you." Eric blushed, enamoured to be standing before his idol.

"Eric, how old are you? Thirteen? Fourteen?" Maxwell asked, folding his arms over his chest.

"Fourteen." Eric smiled nervously.

"Black Gold Cooperative offer an apprentice scheme for kids like yourself who have an interest in one day building their own business. It's very competitive but… I'd love to offer you a position during the summer."

"M-me?" Eric stabbed a finger into his own chest, his eyes wide and teary.

"Come on buddy, don't let me down. I'd love to have you work with me on some projects. I bet you have some brilliant ideas." Maxwell gave Eric his iconic television smile as he charmed the young boy.

"I would be honoured." Eric beamed and Maxwell leaned in to give him a hug.

"That's great." Maxwell laughed, patting Eric on the back and standing back up.

"Mr Lord? I- I also have an interest in geology. Could I show you my rock collection?" Eric asked nervously, fumbling with his thumbs.

"You know Eric, I have my own rock collection myself. But I am here on business at the moment. Eric, I'd love to meet with you sometime during the new year and we could have a chat. Is that okay?" Maxwell asked and Eric nodded happily. "Brilliant, have a great Christmas." Maxwell wished before heading down the corridor and on his way to Maxine's room.

You smiled at a still starstruck Eric. "Merry Christmas." you whispered and he looked at you with the biggest heart eyes.

You followed Maxwell to Maxine's room and entered behind him. "Hello." Maxwell said timidly. Maxine may have met Santa plenty of times, but she had never met Maxwell and he wasn't sure how she'd react. Maxine furrowed her eyebrows, glancing between you both.

"You look like a princess." Maxine gasped, sliding off her bed and walking towards you with huge, glistening eyes.

"No, you look like a princess." you told Maxine who smiled happily. She turned to Maxwell.

"I recognise you." she said bluntly, tapping her finger on her chin as she pondered.

"Uh, do you watch television?" Maxwell asked curiously.

"No." Maxine replied. "I recognise your eyes."

You gasped, realising she must've recognised Maxwell from when he was Santa and made an attempt to divert her attention. You introduced yourself to the little girl. "Me and my husband have been keeping a close eye on you for about a year now," you revealed. "We'd like to adopt you, Maxine. If that's something you wanted. I know it's out of the blue but-"

"Do you have a cat?" Maxine squealed.

"N-no?" you replied.

"You want a cat?" Maxwell asked, kneeling down to face the little girl who he had become so acquainted with and taking her hands. "We can get a cat."

Maxine burst into tears. "I thought I would never find my forever home. Please, promise me you won't ever ever leave me."

Maxwell Lord's father had left when he was 16 and he lived with an absent and abusive mother throughout his entire adolescence. He knew how it felt to be alone, unwanted. He knew better than most people would ever even believe. He pulled Maxine into his chest, who was now sobbing hysterically, dampening his suit. Maxwell shed a tear himself.

"You are my daughter and I love you," he whispered into her hair. "Let us give you a home."

#maxwell lord #maxwell lord x reader #max lord #max lord x reader #pedro pascal #pedro pascal x reader #ww84

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kissinginkitchens · 4 years ago

Text

You Bring Me Home—Chapter Nine: Friday

a/n: happy friday lovies!! I am soooo excited for y’all to read this one bc it was my favvv chapter to write and I still get emo over it :’) also I think I should maybe let you all know that we only have two more chapters left in this series, and I can not thank you enough for all of the love and support you have shown it. It has been such a blast hearing your thoughts and sharing Halani with all of you lovely people, and I can’t believe the fun is almost over :( BUT we still have some time before we have to think about that soooo without further ado here is the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it :) Much love, Mel <3

Pairing: Hawai’i!Harry x Original Character (Halani <3)

Warnings: swearing, some suggestive humor

Word Count: 9.5k

catch up on parts one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, and eight

Monday

Harry takes a deep breath and raises his arms above his head, feeling every vertebrae stretch as he lies flat against the surfboard. The beaming sunlight warms him down to the bone and it threatens to lull him to sleep, but his attention is too occupied with the various sounds coming from each direction. Out of his right ear, he hears the waves lapping against the shore and the faint sound of children’s laughter. From his left, Mitch and Tom engage in a serious conversation about sharks. He lets one foot slide off the edge of the board and wade into the water below, all the while resisting the paranoia that he will be the next victim of Jaws thanks to his friends’ discussion.

“I’m gonna go switch out the camera.” Paul says beside him, already swimming back to the shore.

Harry gives a thumbs up in acknowledgement and lets the back of his hand rest against his forehead. He floats for a moment longer before swinging his other leg into the water and sitting up. His feet gently tread below the surface and he studies the area for any fish sightings, but his shoulders slump in disappointment when he doesn’t find any.

“I just think,” Mitch defends, legs crossed on his own surfboard. “That I would survive way longer than you,”

“It’s not a fuckin’ zombie apocalypse, survival rate depends on how severe the attack is,” Tom shoots back.

“Not if you’re smart,”

“Right, good thinking, mate. Just yell the Pythagorean theorem and swim away while the bloody thing tries to solve it,”

“You just don’t get it.”

“Stop bein’ a coward, then, and put your feet in the water.”

Harry shakes his head in amusement and continues scanning the scene for something else to occupy his attention. His eyes momentarily land on a couple in the distance, the pair facing each other on their shared surfboard and laughing. He smiles softly and glances back to the shore where his group has set up camp for the afternoon. Squinting, he tries to determine the time of day using the sun’s position overhead, but quickly gives up and swims back to the beach. The sand clings to his wet toes as he jogs over to his bag and digs inside for his phone. The time reads 2:37–Alani’s shift will be over soon.

She stifles another yawn and punches in her customer’s order, re-typing it when she realizes that it’s littered with errors. Her mind had been in a permanent fog since she woke up at 6:45 this morning. Harry had already slipped out by the time she reached over for him, but he left a note on his pillow this time.

GOOD MORNING SWEETS!

SORRY I HAD TO JET SO EARLY :( I’LL SEE YOU AFTER WORK.

H ☼

P.S. ALREADY MISSING YOUR LITTLE SNORES ♡

As if on cue, Alani’s phone vibrates in her back pocket and she slips it out to read the new text.

Harry: Meet me at Honoli’i after your shift?

She really wants to, but she’s also in desperate need of sleep.

Alani: Gonna take a power nap first, but I’ll be there

Harry: Can’t wait xx

********

In the distance, Harry hears The Cure blasting from a car in the parking lot. He hums along and picks at his bowl of fruit, saving the kiwis for Alani who once said they were her favorite. Jeff and Paul laugh about something between the two of them before the director catches Harry’s attention.

“How long you planning on staying here?” he asks.

Harry checks his phone again and the time reads 4:35. He wasn’t entirely sure how long Alani’s nap was supposed to last, but just as he’s about to answer, a text comes through.

Alani: Heading over. See you soon, sunshine💗

He smiles softly and shuts his phone off. “I actually have a surfing lesson at five. But I’ll meet you guys at the house after.”

Paul, the two Jeffs, Mitch, and Tom bid Harry farewell and decide to take a drive along the coast before heading to dinner. They mention the name of the restaurant they plan to go to, but Harry knows he’ll probably skip it and take Alani somewhere else. He sits back on his elbows, watching the palm trees sway in the breeze, when suddenly his vision goes dark when he feels hands over his eyes.

“Guess who,”

“The Queen of England?”

“Yes and I’m here to colonize your land and steal your jewels,” Alani jokes in a posh British accent. She leans over his head so they partake in an upside down kiss before settling into the sand beside him.

“You’ve already had my family jewels,” he teases with a suggestive wiggle of his brows.

Alani scoffs, rolling her eyes. “You are so insufferable sometimes, I swear to God,”

Harry lies back and rests his head in her lap with a shit-eating-grin plastered to his face. The damp locks along his hairline are curled and Alani twirls the pieces between her fingers.

“Saved y’some kiwis,” he informs her, nodding in the direction of his tote bag.

“Aw thanks, baby,”

“How was your day?”

Alani removes the lid and pops a slice of kiwi into her mouth. “Long, boring, tiring. A lot better now,”

“Feel the same way,”

“How’s your project going?” she questions, curious about his recent, mysterious whereabouts.

He shrugs. “S’fine, yeah,”

“What exactly is it, again?”

“It’s a,” Harry starts slowly. “Video thing… kind of,”

Alani narrows her eyes and lifts another piece of fruit to her lips. “Meaning?”

“It’s like—following uh.. the album ‘n stuff,”

“Ah the elusive album,” Alani nods. “Will I ever get to hear any of it?”

“Yeah,”

“When?”

“Dunno,” he blinks. “When’re you gonna let me read that article of yours?”

She smirks and taps her fork against her lower lip. “When it’s ready,”

“Then I’m withholding my thing ‘til it’s ready too,”

“That’s not fair,” she objects. “My article is contingent on your music,”

“One song,” Harry bargains, holding up his index finger. “In exchange for one paragraph. Seems fair to me,”

“Deal,”

He sits up suddenly and opens his mouth as an unspoken request for a kiwi. Alani tosses it in his direction and to her surprise, he catches it effortlessly.

“You really are a freak of nature,” she marvels. “What can’t you do?”

“Stay away from you, apparently,”

“Ditto,”

“D’you wanna head to the water for a bit?” Harry asks, his eyes landing on the board cast to the side.

Alani nods. “Sure thing,”

She strips down to the pink two piece underneath her clothes and accepts his outstretched hand. They shuffle through the sand, joint hands swinging, but Harry stops and scans her face when they reach the edge.

“What?” Alani asks, already dipping her toes in the water.

He runs his thumb over hers and starts hesitantly. “I know the water is kind of…”

“Oh,” she finishes when he trails off. “Yeah. I mean, for the most part I’m okay with it. Last time was just—I wasn’t expecting it,”

“I’m really sorry for that.” Harry apologizes with a somber look in his eye.

Alani reaches her free hand out to his cheek and offers a comforting smile. “No, it’s okay. I actually used to be pretty good at surfing,”

“Oh?”

“Haven’t really done it in years, though. I’m probably really rusty now,”

“Well maybe it’s time to get back on the horse,” Harry urges, pressing a gentle kiss to the inside of her palm before leading them further into the waves. Alani gets up on the board first and it's clear that she’s a natural despite the lack of practice. Her muscles fall into a mesmerizing rhythm as they repeat the very motions she had done thousands of times before her accident. Harry’s eyes carefully study the precision of her determined arms slicing through the water and the way her feet gracefully meet the board once she’s found a strong enough wave. She glides back to the beach and revels in the familiar feeling of the ocean breeze against her skin. Harry whistles from the distance as she reaches the shore, turning back to him with a wide grin and two thumbs up.

“Your turn,” she calls, paddling towards him on her stomach.

Harry replaces her on the board and winces. “Maybe I should’ve gone first,”

“You’re gonna do great,” Alani insists. “Tighten your core muscles. Oh! And bend your knees, not your back. Just trust your instincts and follow through,”

He follows her advice and to his surprise, does well, though not nearly as graceful as she had. Despite this, Alani cheers from the side as he glides back to the beach. Harry takes a bow once his feet have safely met the sand below.

“I knew you could do it,” she beams when he swims back to her.

“Couldn’t have done it without my amazing coach,” he shoots back, leaning down to press a salty kiss to her lips.

With Harry’s help, she swings her leg over the board and sits so that they face each other. Their legs paddle gently below the surface and his hand finds the top of her knee, giving it an affectionate squeeze.

“You were incredible out there,” he muses. “Can’t even tell that you’re out of practice,”

She wrings her hair out and fastens it into a low bun at the base of her neck. “Guess it’s like riding a bike—the muscle memory and all that,”

“You’re a great coach, you know. Cause I usually just wipe out,”

“That’s normal,” Alani nods. “You have to get used to falling. And wait for the right wave,”

Harry admires the way the afternoon sun sets her aglow, skin shimmering and golden under the rays. “How d’you know when it’s the right one?”

“You just feel it I guess. It’s like a gut instinct that you have to follow. And no second guessing yourself, either, cause that’s when you mess up,”

“What if you do go for it and you still wipe out?” He questions, something besides surfing in the back of his mind.

Alani sighs. “Then you wipe out,”

“You just have to trust?”

“You just have to trust,”

Harry hums as he considers this. Three burning syllables bounce around in his skull, but he suppresses them for the time being. Carefully, he lifts himself to his feet and motions for Alani to do the same. It takes them a second to find their balance on the board, but eventually they do and Harry brings her closer with a protective hand on the middle of her back.

“D’you trust me?” he murmurs.

Alani studies the different shades of green in his irises and feels a flutter deep in the pit of her belly, so she decides to take her own advice and presses a soft kiss to his warm lips before responding.

“Yes.”

Carefully, Harry takes a step back and twirls Alani before pulling her flush to his chest and swaying to the music stuck in his brain. As best they can, the pair dances on the surface of the board but Harry’s foot gets caught in a slick spot and he tumbles backwards, bringing Alani with him. When they emerge, his heart races in worry, but the knot in his chest eases when he hears her laughter.

“Y’okay?” he checks.

“Yeah,” she assures him, her legs snaking around his torso under the water. “I’m alright.”

The sky turns pink as they continue to wade peacefully in the water, and the entire time Harry finds himself fixated on the weight of the three little words nagging at the back of his brain.

********

Tuesday

“Say it again,”

“No,”

“Please?”

Harry shoots Alani an unamused look through the corner of his eye. “Dunno what’s so funny about it,”

“Just say it one more time,” she pleads with a mischievous glint in her eye.

“Tuesday,”

“Chews day,” Alani mimics and Harry rolls his eyes.

“You’re so clever,” he huffs. “Really, a true comedian,”

She giggles and leans over in her seat to press a kiss to his cheek. “It’s cute!”

“Yeah, whatever,”

“Okay, just one more—”

“Alani,” Harry chuckles, more endeared than irritated. “Don’t make me turn this car around,”

She pouts playfully and returns to watching the trees and passing cars. “At least I’m not asking you where we’re going,”

“You are so stubborn,” he shakes his head. “I told you we’re almost there,”

“I just don’t understand what it is with you and keeping secrets,”

“It’s about the mystery, darlin’, it’s romantic! Just trust me, okay? Have I ever steered you wrong?”

Alani nibbles at the skin on her lower lip and folds her arms. “No,”

“Okay, then,” Harry says finally. “Now change the song. I let you have fun with one Taylor, but it’s getting old,”

“Hater,” she grumbles, shuffling through the rest of her playlists before settling on Madonna.

Harry’s finger taps along to the beat against her thigh and his lips turn up when he hears Alani singing along. Her eyes are focused on the road ahead of them as she pretends to be in a music video of her own, creating hand gestures and choreography to accompany the lyrics. The chorus builds and she belts out the words as if her life depends on it.

“I’m crazy for you!” She performs, squishing Harry’s cheeks between her hands. “Touch me once and you’ll know it’s true. I never wanted anyone like this, it’s all brand new. You’ll feel it in my kiss,”

Alani presses a slobbery smooch to the side of his face and he groans, laughing when she continues melodramatically. The song goes on for another minute and Alani sings passionately out of tune, but it makes Harry’s heart swell. He briefly considers joining her, but decides to let her have her moment, too amused by the way she’s caught up in the emotion. When it’s finally over, she slumps down in her seat with a dazed look in her eye.

“Gotta love the 80s,”

“Maybe I should let you join the band,” Harry suggests.

“Really?

“No,”

Alani gasps in mock offense, her eyes wide. “Hey!”

“Yeah,” he smirks. “Doesn’t feel so good, does it?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she dismisses offhandedly. “I’m a sweetie,”

“A sweet pain in my arse,”

“Arse? Did you really just say arse?”

“I take it back, you’re just a regular pain.”

The two of them drive for another forty-five minutes taking playful jabs at each other and watching the lush greenery whizz by. Harry had been characteristically cryptic in his instructions the night before, an idea suddenly popping into his mind when Alani reminded him of her day off. He had told her to wear something comfortable and practical, nothing that could flow easily in the wind. Furthermore, he revealed that he would pick her up at exactly 7:00 a.m. which made her eyebrows shoot up.

“Seven?”

“It’ll be worth it, promise,”

“Can we at least get McDonald’s hash browns for the road?” Alani had bargained.

Harry chuckled to himself, too excited to deny her. “Sure thing, sweets.”

Welcome to Waikōloa Beach, the sign read and Alani wondered what could possibly have possessed Harry to drag her out of bed and across the island at the crack of dawn. Her question was quickly answered when they turned onto Keana Place where a lot full of helicopters were lined up and waiting.

“‘Big Island Tours’,” she reads aloud. “Wait a minute, we’re not—”

“Surprise!” Harry beams, reaching behind her seat for a bag.

Alani scoffs, her mind still trying to process. “Are you trying to kill me?”

“Come on,” he pleads. “Been dying to do it since I got here,”

“So bring Mitch! Or Jeff, or Tom or literally anyone else,”

Harry gives her a pout and bats his lashes. “But I’d rather be with you. Please?”

“Harry,” she sighs, taking another glance at the helicopters before her. They did seem secure enough, enclosed on all sides, and he had driven an hour and a half just to surprise her with something fun and totally outside of her comfort zone.

“Trust me?” he asks after a minute, kissing her knuckles gently.

Alani takes a deep breath and nods. “Fine.”

They exit the SUV and Harry takes her hand, slinging his bag over his shoulder. There’s a short, stocky man with dark sunglasses standing in front of one of the helicopters with a clipboard. He checks his watch when he sees the two of them approaching and reaches out a hand.

“Mr. Styles?”

“Harry,”

“Nice to meet you Harry, I’m Matt,” the pilot says with a firm handshake. “Is this your guest?”

“Alani,” she greets. “Is this…”

“It’s very safe,” Matt assures her with a warm smile.

Harry squeezes her hand gently and looks over their mode of transportation. “How long’ve you been doin’ this?”

“Almost ten years,” the pilot explains. “I was a commercial pilot for twenty-five and then started this when I retired,”

“I’m sure you’ve had your fair share of nervous fliers, then,” Alani speaks up, attempting humor to mask her jitters.

Matt nods with a knowing smile. “Oh yeah. Plenty of anxious girlfriends who kick their boyfriends for dragging them into it, but they always enjoy themselves in the end,”

Alani’s cheeks warm at his assumption of their relationship status, but neither her nor Harry address it. Instead, Harry clears his throat and asks his next question.

“So when can we go up?”

“Whenever you’re ready,” Matt offers.

Once the three of them have settled into the aircraft, he hands Harry and Alani each a headset and goes over the basic safety rules. Her heart races and stomach turns, but she takes a deep breath and wills herself to give it a chance. Beside her, Harry is enthusiastically chatting up Matt and being his usual charming self; his confidence is reassuring and she finds herself sinking deeper into his side for comfort. He drapes an arm over her shoulders protectively, sensing her nerves, and presses a firm kiss to her temple. After a few minutes of discussion with the air base over the radio, Matt gives them a thumbs up and signals that they’re ready to go. Another deep breath and they’re off, the ground growing smaller and smaller below. They skim over Waikōloa Village and head west to Waiulua Bay where the water is so clear and blue, Harry has a hard time believing it’s real. Alani peers down at the tiny people all along the coast and in the water and her throat goes dry. She feels Harry nudge her shoulder lightly and looks over to where his finger is pointed.

“Down there you can swim with dolphins,” he says. “Looked it up last night,”

“And we’re not doing that because...?”

Harry flashes a dimpled grin and laughs softly to himself. “How are you not enjoying this?”

“I am,” Alani insists, which is steadily becoming true. She watches in amazement as they hover over the expanse of the lush, green landscape along the coast.

Over the headset, Matt points out some key landmarks and answers more of Harry’s questions. They pass over an active volcano and Alani momentarily feels a rush of terror, but her curiosity takes over as she snaps a photo of the molten lava below. She captures another one of Harry looking out his window before flipping the camera to selfie mode and making a peace sign. He turns to tell her something, but flashes a cheesy grin and presses a kiss to her cheek when he notices the camera. Alani writes a mental note to make it her lock screen later.

After half an hour in the air, Matt points to the cliff on their right hand side and says they’ll be landing there for a bit as part of the tour. A 200 foot waterfall feeds into a small pool and he lands them on a ledge across the way. The three of them exit the helicopter, but Matt says that he needs to check in with the base and lets them explore the site alone for a few minutes.

“This is incredible,” Alani marvels, looking over the edge.

“Knew you’d like it,”

She turns to him and snakes her arms around his shoulders, leaving a small peck to his lips. “Thank you,”

While she had been almost one-hundred percent sure that she would never enjoy a helicopter ride, Alani is glad that she was wrong. She is even more grateful that Harry had encouraged, but hadn’t pushed, her to try it. If Alani had been absolutely against the idea, she knows that he wouldn’t have pressed it any further and would have taken her to do something more her speed, hence the dolphin back up plan. It sometimes felt like they were from entirely different worlds, Harry being more sure of himself and adventurous while Alani was careful and preferred to have things planned. But he made her feel brave and spontaneous without pressuring her to change anything about herself. Harry had seen something special in her and wanted the whole world to see it, too. So he encouraged her to break out of her comfort zone and let her true self shine, but only at her own discretion. Over the course of the past few weeks, Alani had noticed herself opening up to new experiences and loving every minute of it, but this transformative feeling was far from one sided; because of their relationship, Harry learned the value of trusting his own instincts. For so much of his life, he felt like a member of an overcrowded democracy allowing himself to go with the majority rule even if it didn’t particularly please him. From their earliest moments spent together, Harry was inspired by Alani’s determination and self-confidence. He had always cared deeply about other people’s opinion of him and felt that it was his greatest weakness, but she seemed so unapologetically herself at all times. And though Harry sometimes worried that he was simply playing a part for the rest of the world, he never had to question who he was with Alani. She understood him, she grounded him, and amidst all of the unfamiliarity in his new life, she felt familiar and safe.

“You deserve it,” Harry says gently. “To see beautiful things.”

Alani presses their foreheads together and studies his emerald eyes like they’re the rarest gems she’s ever seen. “Well I’m looking at the best damn view right now,”

“Although, I wish you would’ve told me we were going to Jurassic Park, I would’ve prepared my Laura Dern outfit.”

Harry laughs softly and slots his lips between hers, those three, pesky little words nagging at him again. Not yet, he thinks, but almost there.

********

Wednesday

Alani takes an extended lunch and heads over to the recording studio with food for Harry and his friends. He had warned her beforehand that there would be filming, so they agreed to pretend, just for the afternoon, that she was his assistant. However, their true relationship was as much of a mystery to the both of them as it was to everyone else. Alani had considered, on many occasions, asking him to officially be her boyfriend. She didn’t know how else to refer to him when her mom had started inquiring about the Range Rover mysteriously parked across the street every morning. Each time Alani had gotten up the nerve to ask, however, she secretly worried that it was too soon, or worse, that he would say no. Much to her oblivion Harry had also wrestled with this question, and many others, but also feared her response. What they shared was undeniably strong and completely foreign, so they had independently decided not to put too much weight on the situation in fear of bursting the bubble too soon. Neither of them were prepared to deal with the fallout if it all came crumbling down.

“Lunch is here!” Jeff calls from the doorway as he escorts Alani inside.

He motions her over to the table in one corner of the room and helps her lay out the food, thanking her warmly when she declines payment.

“It’s on the house,” she reassures him.

The crew all take turns grabbing their lunch, Mitch ruffling Alani’s hair in a display of gratitude while he swipes his burger, and settle into various chairs and comfortable spots around the studio. Harry is the last one to claim his food and he lingers around the table as he does so.

“Thank you, Ms. Hale,” he offers politely, itching to give her an appreciative kiss.

She nods and returns the professionalism. “You’re very welcome, Mr. Styles,”

“How’s the weather?”

By now, Alani has come to recognize this as his go-to inquiry when he’s really asking for her attention or affection.

“Full of sunshine,”

“Glad to hear it.” he smiles softly. The casual slip of his nickname isn’t lost on him.

“Hey Harry,” the director calls. “Show Jason that Bob Dylan thing you were doing—watch, you’ll love this.”

Harry musters up a pleasant smile and quickly glances at Alani, wanting nothing more than to escape with her for the precious few moments she has left to spare.

“Occupational hazard.” she shrugs as her cue of permission. His fond look turns apologetic before he saunters over to the rest of the group.

Alani watches, amused, as he lifts a guitar and starts strumming a tune that she hadn’t heard before with a Dylan-esque lilt in his voice. The crew all laugh and encourage his impression, but she still wonders what the song is and reminds herself to ask later. After a few moments with the rest of the group, Harry’s eyes wander to Alani munching on a french fry and scrolling on her phone. Jeff notices this too and decides to help his friend out.

“Hey Alani,” he calls. “Come sit with us,”

She looks over to Harry and he grins eagerly, making room on the couch between him and Mitch.

“Alani makes the best smoothies in the world.” Jeff comments to the film crew.

“It’s true,” Mitch adds. “Harry loves ‘em.”

A subtle glare radiates from the singer, but Mitch simply winks in response.

“Well, you guys are my favorite customers,” Alani offers. “But don’t tell the others,”

The whole team makes Alani feel welcome and she’s endlessly thankful for it, making an effort to engage every crew member in some sort of small talk as evidence of her gratitude. Harry enjoys her presence among his friends and how easily she fits in. It serves as further proof of what his gut already knew: she was a missing puzzle piece in the image of his ideal life slowly coming together before his eyes. Alani checks the time an hour later and starts bidding farewell to the group, much to their disappointment. As she slips out the door and over to the Bronco, a familiar accented voice calls from behind. Before she has time to respond, a pair of warm lips meet hers and she hums.

“They’re all goin’ out for dinner at 5,” Harry explains gently. “Come back to the studio then, I have somethin’ I wanna show you.”

********

It’s 5:10 when Alani makes her way back to Napua. Harry had texted her beforehand to say that the door would be open, so she lets herself in and scans the quiet room. She hears the soft keys of a piano, but the room is dim and she has to get closer to see that it’s Harry seated there. Candles are perched around the room and Alani watches her step, reaching a hand to Harry’s shoulder when she reaches him. He stops playing and flashes a soft smile, inviting her to join him on the bench.

“Digging the ambience,” Alani remarks lightly, not entirely reading his mood.

He shrugs. “Just felt right,”

Harry’s fingers return to the keys and he starts with a somber chord that makes Alani’s breath hitch. His vocals are raw and gritty, but stronger than she had ever heard him sing and it nearly moves her to tears. She hangs on every word and burns them into her mind for safe keeping, though she doubts that she could ever forget this moment even if she tried. Harry picks up into the chorus and leaves nothing behind, diving straight into the wave without fear of wiping out. Alani tries, but she can’t contain the tears that spill over her cheek. It’s as if every ounce of apprehension and anxiety, every doubt and moment of insecurity is cleansed from her soul right in this very moment. When the song comes to an end, she immediately wishes to relive it and tries to find the right words in response.

“That was incredible,” Alani clears her throat. “What’s it called?”

“Sign of the Times,” he responds. “Not really sure about it,”

She furrows her brows in confusion, but quickly realizes that he’s being honest and not fishing for compliments.

“Why?”

“It’s… different,”

“Than?”

He thinks for a moment and chooses his next words carefully. “Anything I‘ve ever done before,”

“And why’s that bad?” Alani questions with a comforting hand weaving its way into his hair.

“Dunno,” Harry sighs, leaning into her touch. “I just don’t wanna get it wrong,”

At this moment, “it” isn’t just the song. Everything about his new solo career, and his life in general, is a toss up, and one that he isn’t sure will land in his favor. Alani has no doubts, though, not when it comes to her faith in Harry’s abilities.

“Are you happy?” she asks.

He looks over to her and thinks that he couldn’t possibly be more content. “Yeah,”

“Then you’re already succeeding. If you’re happy with what you’re doing, then no one can tell you that you’re not successful,”

Harry feels his own wave of emotions pooling at the bottom of his lash line and he’s grateful that the low lighting conceals it. He closes the gap between their lips, palm secure against the side of Alani’s face as he keeps her close.

“There’s somethin’ else I wanted to talk to you about,” Harry says gently and Alani feels her heartbeat pick up.

“Okay,”

He isn’t sure how to approach the subject, despite the fact that it’s been the only thing on his mind for days, so he decides to trust his gut and speak from the heart.

“These past few weeks with you,” he starts slowly. “Have been the best of my entire life. When I’m with you, it’s like nothing else in the entire world matters, and nothing bad could ever happen to me because there’s you,”

Another tear rolls down Alani’s face and Harry wipes it away with the pad of his thumb.

“All I asked for was a chance,” he continues. “And it feels like you’ve given me the entire world. Do you remember the day when we saw that rainbow?”

“Yes,” Alani nods, voice small.

“You told me to wish for something, and I did. I wished for a home. I didn’t know why, but that word wouldn’t leave me alone after you said it. But I think I understand it now, because I’m in a place I’ve never been before, physically and in my life generally, but you make it feel like home. You bring me home,”

Alani feels as if all of the air inside her lungs has been sucked out, and her grip on Harry’s wrist tightens because she worries that if he lets go, she’ll float away like a helium balloon.

“I know I’m not perfect,” Harry continues, voice wavering. “But this thing we have feels like it could set the world on fire, and I’d gladly walk in the flames for you. So would you please say you’ll be mine and let me prove it?”

“Yes,” Alani breathes, tears of relief and joy still streaming down her face. “But I need a moment to compose an appropriate girlfriend acceptance speech,”

Harry grins and presses their lips together as if she’s the only source of air.

“Seriously,” Alani chuckles when they pull apart. “Cause how the fuck could I top that?”

“Y’don’t need to. Saying yes was all I needed,”

She unclasps her fingers from his, draping her arms around his shoulders instead, and takes a deep breath. “You’re everything, you know that? You’re the sun and the whole universe revolves around you.”

“And you’re the most heavenly moon,” Harry responds thinking back to the meaning of her name. “Mahealani.”

********

Thursday

When Alani’s father had asked for her help setting up a wedding that was taking place at the resort this weekend, she jumped at the chance. It wasn’t often that she got to be involved in the events at Honu, but she adored the luxurious five star hotel and all of its amenities. She had helped her dad cater numerous events over the years and weddings were her absolute favorite, especially because of the beautiful gowns and all of the blissfully happy couples. It felt like a privilege to glimpse into the most special moments in the lives of strangers she would probably never see again. Alani had been tasked with meeting the bride and collecting any last minute meal cards or notes of dietary restrictions from guests. The wedding was to take place the following night, but all the food prep would begin that afternoon in order to adequately prepare.

“I think that’s all. There were just a few last minute adjustments,” the bride, Mila, says pulling out an envelope from her bag.

“No offense,” Alani starts. “But shouldn’t you be resting? I mean isn’t the maid of honor supposed to do all this? Or a wedding planner?”

Mila sighs, an embarrassed smile spreading across her rosy lips. “I know, I’m just a bit of a control freak. I like things done a certain way,”

“Totally understandable,”

“Like the music thing,” Mila rolls her eyes. “It was my fiancé’s idea. He said that DJs were boring and wanted to let the guests choose their own songs, instead. So that was my compromise. I’m trying,”

Alani offers a chuckle and shuffles the last of the cards into her stack. “Sounds like you’re already mastering this whole marriage thing,”

“Are you married?” the bride asks, curiously.

“Oh, no I’m not,”

“Got a boyfriend?”

Alani’s cheeks warm and her lips curl. “Yes,”

“Knew it,” Mila comments with a knowing smirk. “You’re too pretty to be single. And you’ve got the look,”

“What look?” Alani questions.

Mila flutters her lashes and sighs. “The ‘I’m in love and I don’t care who knows it’ look. Like a Disney princess,”

Alani laughs shyly and focuses her attention back to the envelopes in front of her.

“What’s his name?” the bride pries.

“Harry,”

“That’s a good one,” Mila considers tapping her lower lip. “Like the Prince of England. Maybe you will be a princess, after all,”

Alani is amused by the irony of her statement, but she chooses not to disclose the fact that her boyfriend actually is British, albeit, not a Royal. Instead, she chooses to deflect the attention back onto the bride.

“And what’s your lucky guy’s name?”

“Chad,”

“Like the country,”

“Yeah,” Mila giggles. “Like the country,”

“And what’s he like?”

Mila rests her chin in her hand and a dreamy look settles into her hazel eyes. “Funny. He wanted to be a comedian, but he became a lawyer, instead. That’s how we met— law school,”

“What kind of law do you practice?”

“Ironic enough,” Mila chuckles. “Family and divorce law. I never thought I’d get married, I mean I literally hear about people falling out of love every day. But the thing about love is that it’s effort, and a lot of people aren’t willing to put in the work. It doesn’t feel like work when it’s the right person, though. Just feels like ‘how can I be the best possible partner to this human that I love so much?’”

Alani considers this, her mind immediately wandering to Harry and all of his thoughtful gestures. “Makes sense,”

“Chad is a patent lawyer,” Mila continues. “He’s the more creative, outgoing one, I guess. He makes things light when it gets too heavy, you know? It’s good to have someone like that,”

“Yeah, definitely,”

“What’s your guy like? What does he do?” Mila asks with a flirty grin.

“He’s, uh,” Alani thinks for a second trying to be as vague as possible. “A musician,”

Mila gives an approving nod. “Dreamy. Bet he writes lots of songs about you,”

“Maybe,”

“Don’t be shy,” Mila urges. “Come on, it’s just us girls. Spill,”

Alani thinks for a moment and imagines that the same dream cloud must be present over her own features.

“Well he’s kind, thoughtful, romantic, and wise. Really funny, too. I don’t know he just—he makes me wanna be a better person, really,”

“Wow,” the bride marvels. “Sounds like a hell of a guy,”

“He is,”

Mila leans in conspiratorially and Alani does the same. “Speaking as an expert, I think it’s gonna last forever,”

“You think?” Alani asks.

“Oh yeah,” Mila assures her. “When you’re so used to studying fake love, you get really good at recognizing the real deal,”

Alani offers her an appreciative smile and nods. “Thank you,”

Mila’s eyes light up suddenly and she grabs Alani by both hands. “Hey you should bring him! Yeah, you two should come, I insist,”

“Oh, I—”

“Please, say you will! Maybe he can throw in some good music recommendations to offset the terrible ones,”

Alani chuckles and she knows immediately that Harry would leap at the chance to do so. “Okay, sure.”

“Yay!” Mila cheers, reaching into her planner and jotting a note down. “Harry and Alani at the lovebird’s table.”

********

“Hey, sweets,” Harry beams, pulling up to the front of the hotel in the Cadillac. “Waiting on your boyfriend or are you just in the habit of standing on sidewalks lookin’ cute?”

“The former,” Alani responds coyly. “He’ll be here any minute,”

“And he’s got a pretty girl like you waiting outside like this? You should dump him,”

She shrugs and turns on her heel for a stroll while Harry gently eases off the breaks to follow. “I don’t know, I’m kinda fond of him,”

“S’that so?” he continues with a smirk.

“Yup,” she sighs. “He’s kind of a dork, but I like that about him,”

“Heyyy—”

“And he’s a good kisser. The best at cuddling, too,”

“Sounds like a catch,”

“He is. You two should meet sometime,”

The car comes to a halt and Alani slips inside, scooting all the way down the bench seat next to Harry.

“Funny, you should be a comedian,” he quips.

Alani’s brow furrows and she shoots him a doe-eyed look. “What’s the joke?”

Harry laughs dryly, ignoring the pang of irrational jealousy that strikes him in the chest. “You’re a little too good at this bit, it’s starting to feel like we're not talkin’ about me anymore,”

“Oh, were we supposed to be talking about you?”

His head whips over to Alani who clutches her stomach with laughter. “I’m kidding, baby, of course I’m talking about you,”

“No, who is he?” Harry demands playfully with a deep furrow between his brows. “Tell me, I’ll hurt him,”

Alani slots their lips together and his pout eases into a grin.

“Hey what are you doing tomorrow night?” she asks, feeling the ocean breeze through her hair.

Harry flashes a dimple in her direction. “Anything you want, s’long as we’re together,”

“Will you be my plus one?”

“To?”

“A wedding,” Alani explains. “The one my dad’s catering at Honu,”

His eyebrows raise and he smiles wide. “Are we crashing it?”

“No,” she laughs. “We were invited. I was hanging out with the bride today and she added us to the list,”

“‘Kay, but I’m still gonna pretend we crashed it,”

Alani drapes her arms around his shoulders and leans her head against his. “Where are we going?”

“Damn, I thought I had you distracted,”

“Boyfriend rule #1: You have to tell me where we’re going always,”

Harry narrows his eyes. “That’s not a real rule because surprises are romantic,”

“Too bad,” Alani shrugs.

“But don’t you enjoy my surprises?”

“Usually,”

“Then I’m adding a new rule,” Harry bargains. “The girlfriend can not ask the boyfriend to disclose the location of a date if they’re already in the car,”

“That’s not fair, I was already in the car when the rule was made!”

“Too bad.”

Alani pinches his cheek and slinks back into her own seat. She tells him about the bride and the groom, what she knows, at least, and about the decision to have their guests RSVP with a song of their choice to play at the reception.

“D’you know what you’re gonna pick?” Harry asks.

“Yeah,” Alani nods. “I Wanna Dance with Somebody by Whitney Houston, obviously,”

“Obviously,” he agrees.

“You?”

“Dunno, yet. Have to narrow it down,”

Alani admires the heart-shaped glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. “Well you better make it good, cause Mila knows that you’re a musician and she’s expecting you to balance out her friends’ shitty music taste,”

“You were talkin’ about me?” he teases.

“Well, yeah, how else do you think you got invited?”

“You have such a crush on me, s’cute,”

Alani playfully pokes his cheek. “We’re literally dating, dummy,”

“Don’t get defensive,” Harry jokes. “Cause I’ve got a crush on you too.”

“God, we’re so annoying.”

Harry grins and presses a kiss to her temple. They pull into the Port of Hilo and he magically produces a picnic basket from the backseat, a bottle of Moët et Chandon rosé peeking out. Alani slips her fingers between his and follows as he leads them to a sizable speed boat anchored and waiting for them.

“The Carolina,” Alani reads, admiring the golden cursive on the side.

“Like someone else I know,” Harry winks.

He escorts her onto the vessel and she waits to see when the captain will join them, but confusion washes over her when she sees Harry poking around with the equipment.

“What are you doing?”

“As much fun as it would be to eat at the dock,” he begins. “I think it would be more fun to take ole Carolina for a spin,”

“You mean you’re gonna drive this thing?” Alani questions, though she doesn’t know why she’s surprised by him anymore.

“Pilot,” Harry corrects. “But yes,”

Alani blinks and tries to wrap her head around the idea of Harry piloting a boat. “And you’re allowed to do that?”

“Sure.”

“Wow,” she marvels to herself with an incredulous laugh. “I’m dating a sailor.”

Harry flashes Alani a wink over his shoulder and before she knows it, they’re heading away from the dock. She carefully stands from the lounging area at the back and sneaks over to Harry, arms wrapping around his torso with her chin propped on his shoulder. He steers with one hand and extends the other, recreating the iconic Titanic boat scene.

“I’m flying, Jack!” he calls over his shoulder and Alani giggles, responding with her best improvised rendition of My Heart Will Go On.

They sail out for a bit longer before Harry stops the boat and turns to her. “Ta da!”

“By jove, he’s done it!” Alani praises.

Harry takes a bow and reaches over for the picnic basket, pulling out the rosé and two champagne flutes. He hands them to Alani and spreads their meal on the lounging area at the back: vegetable stir fry and noodles with chocolate covered strawberries for desert.

“You did all this?” Alani muses.

He takes each flute from her hand and fills them halfway. “It’s a special occasion,”

“I feel like an asshole for not knowing what it is,”

“Don’t,” Harry chuckles, handing her the wine. “I mean it’s not really like—I just realized it,”

“What is it?”

Harry raises his glass and clears his throat. “Exactly three months ago, I got off a plane and I stumbled into a little café where the most beautiful and funny and smart waitress served me about twenty glasses of water until I nearly pissed my pants in front of her,”

Alani giggles at the memory, disbelief settling in when she considers how fast the time had flown.

“And despite all of the embarrassing and idiotic things I’ve done since,” he continues. “She agreed to be my girlfriend, for reasons I have yet to understand. So today I celebrate her, and us, and all of lucky stars that brought our paths together,”

They clink their glasses together and Alani presses a cool kiss to his lips. “Cheers, baby,”

“There’s one more thing,” Harry says, holding a finger up.

Alani scoffs. “It’s like fucking Pandora’s box in there!”

He pulls out a velvet box and her heart stops.

“Wait, what are you—”

“It’s not what you think,” he explains quickly. “Sorry, maybe should’ve thought this through better,”

Harry opens the lid and lifts a gold chain with a crescent moon pendant and a smaller sun in the center.

“Saw it in a shop this morning,” he says softly. “Seemed like fate, so I got it,”

“Harry,” Alani breathes, eyes already glossy.

“D’you like it?”

“I love it! It’s beautiful,” she says, pressing a sweet kiss to his lips. “Thank you so much.”

He fastens the necklace for her and she admires it with gentle fingers. The sun and the moon, a piece of them cast in gold and resting against her beating heart forever.

********

Friday

“Wow,” Harry gawks, his eyes raking in Alani’s appearance. A baby pink tulle dress falls just above her knee with puffy sleeves and a sweetheart neckline, all cinched at the waist with a small bow. Tiny velvet hearts are speckled all over the dress, in true Alani fashion, and a pair of sparkling, pink heels accentuate her toned calves.

“Wow yourself,” she counters, drinking in the peek of exposed skin behind his cream colored blazer. The blue dress shirt underneath is unbuttoned just above the butterfly on his stomach and a cross is nestled in the valley between his pecs. He holds out a bouquet of sunflowers between his ringed fingers and Alani accepts them gratefully, moving to the side so he can step into the house.

“These are gorgeous, thank you,” she says, lifting them to her nose.

“Welcome,” he smiles softly, swiping the pad of his thumb against her chin. “You are gorgeous,”

Alani presses her rose tinted lips to his carefully and pulls back to admire him again. “And you are so good looking it actually makes me mad.”

Harry laughs and pulls her closer for another sweet kiss before he hears the clearing of another person’s throat.

“Have her back by midnight,” Pua teases with her arms crossed. “Or I’ll hunt you down.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Harry salutes before bending down to address Freddie.

Alani passes the sunflowers to her sister with a kiss to her cheek before hooking an arm under Harry’s and heading out. They hop into the convertible and the sun catches the golden pendant around her neck, bringing a soft smile to his face.

“Hope those are your dancin’ shoes,” Harry remarks. “Cause we’re goin’ full Dirty Dancing tonight,”

“Lift and all?”

“Lift and all,”

She runs her fingers over the silver rose on his ring finger. “You know, I think we’re finally gonna nail it this time.”

“Oh yeah,” Harry agrees. “They won’t know what hit ‘em.”

When they arrive at Honu, the other guests are shuffling from the parking lot and onto the private beach where the reception will take place. Alani plucks a card from her bag to drop into the box at the entrance while Harry pulls a medium sized box from behind his seat.

“You got a real gift?” Alani questions, a light laugh erupting. “We don’t even know these people,”

Harry tucks the gift under his arm and shrugs. “I put your name on it too, don’t worry,”

“Well now they’ll have a giftcard to Ikea and whatever’s in your mystery box.”

“It’s also a giftcard to Ikea, but wrapped in a big box.”

Alani nudges his shoulder playfully and scans the groups mingling and flocking to the mini bar. She waves to a member of her dad’s kitchen staff attending to the hors d’oeuvres before they are greeted by the manager of the guest list.

“Alani and Harry,” she says to the tall woman behind the podium.

“Ah yes,” the woman responds. “The Lovebirds table, number 9.”

“Guess Mila wasn’t joking about that.” Alani chuckles lightly, taking both of their name cards.

Harry locates their table and to his surprise, no one else is present yet, but he pulls Alani’s chair out for her and pushes it back in once she’s seated.

“Champagne?” he asks, nodding to the bar.

“Oui, s'il vous plaît."

He plants a kiss to the top of her head and makes his way to collect their drinks. Alani’s eyes follow the stringed lights overhead and she quickly realizes that they lead to a disco ball hanging above the center of the dance floor. Well done, Mila. She thinks to herself with an approving nod. The colors, she gathers, are lilac and periwinkle, incorporated into all of the floral arrangements and cloth details. They match the color of the sky above and Alani knows that the bride must be ecstatic over this detail. Harry returns with their drinks and sets them down gently onto the white tablecloth.

“None of our fellow lovebirds have arrived yet, huh?” he muses, taking a sip of his champagne.

Alani shakes her head and brings the glass to her lips. “Must be too busy making out in the parking lot,”

“You told me we didn’t have time for that.”

“I’m not gonna ruin my lipstick before we’ve even arrived.”

Harry shakes his fist to the sky and Alani giggles. They both admire the view and the children in the wedding party who are testing how close they can get to the water before an adult drags them away. The sky turns to a shade of cotton candy above them and someone announces that the bride and groom are arriving. Harry and Alani stand and welcome the newly weds with applause and whistles. Mila and Chad share a sweet kiss and the crowd goes wild. One man, most likely a friend of the groom, shouts “I love you Chad!” and laughter erupts. They take their seats and the rest of the wedding party follows suit, which means that the rest of the guests are free to return to their chatting and socializing.

“I’m beginning to think we were put in the time out table.” Harry jokes when they are still not joined by any other guests.

A light laugh escapes Alani’s lips and she looks around. “Yeah I guess so.”

The servers arrive with their meal and the pair eat happily, exchanging witty banter and observations of the scene around them. Harry sucks a piece of linguine between his lips and turns to Alani with a mischievous smirk.

“No,” Alani says, already knowing what he’s up to.

“Don’t leave me hangin’,”

“Eat your food.”

“Alaniii,”

She shakes her head gently and rolls her eyes, but decides to indulge him anyway. Their lips meet in the middle of the shared noodle and Harry smiles.

“Always wanted to try that.”

A few moments later, he notices a card in the middle of the table and lifts it.

“‘Trivia,’” he reads. “‘Test your knowledge of the bride and groom and win a prize.’ Let’s play, shall we?”

“What’s the first question?” Alani asks, peering over to read the small font.

“‘What year did Mila and Chad meet?”

Alani hums, thinking back to her previous conversation with the bride. “They met in law school, that’s all I know,”

“2009,” Harry guesses. “Who said ‘I love you’ first?”

“Definitely Chad,” she replies firmly. “Mila didn’t think she’d ever get married,”

“I thought you said you didn’t know these people,”

“I guess I was wrong,”

Harry squints at the next one. “What are their zodiac signs?”

“I wanna say Virgo for Mila,” Alani suggests. “Maybe… Aquarius for Chad?”

“That’s my sign,” Harry comments, writing down her guesses.

Alani’s brows raise. “No kidding. Makes a lot of sense,”

“What’s yours?”

“Taurus,”

“I don’t know anythin’ about astrology. Are we compatible?”

“Probably not,” Alani teases.

Harry shoots her a disapproving look and reads the next question. “Where did they go on their first date?”

“The movies,” she predicts. “Safe bet,”

“‘Akaka Falls,” Harry writes. “That was ours,”

Alani’s head tilts. “We weren’t even dating then,”

“Yeah but I was tryin’ to win you over, so it counts,”

“Sneaky.”

“Who is the bride’s celebrity crush?” Harry continues. “Hopefully not James Marsden or this guy’s fucked.”

Alani laughs and she pulls him in for a playful kiss to his cheek. The pink sunset dims into a deep navy and the stringed lights twinkle above, setting the whole scene in a romantic, golden glow. Guests walk past their table holding strips of photo booth pictures and Harry’s neck cranes to search for the source. His eyes land on a small line at the other end of the beach and he stands quickly.

“Let’s go,”

“Where?”

“Photo booth!”

To Alani’s surprise it’s an actual booth, curtains and all, and not just some poor sucker tasked with operating a polaroid camera the whole night. They stand in line eagerly behind two groomsmen and brainstorm poses. Once they’re inside, Alani settles onto Harry’s knee and watches as he operates the machine. The screen counts down from ten and they decide to flash a proper smile for the first one. After it’s snapped, Harry sticks his tongue out and Alani widens her eyes in mock surprise. The third one is a candid, slightly blurry one of them laughing after she accidentally poked him in the eye. A lipstick kiss is stamped to Harry’s cheek in the fourth one, but the pair innocently look away in opposite directions. The fifth and final image captures their affection mid kiss. They swipe the two sets of photos and Alani awes, admiring the black and white film strip. Before they make it back to their table, Alani feels a hand on her arm.

“Alani!” Mila beams.

“Hi!” Alani greets, pulling the bride into a hug. “You look gorgeous,”

“I’m so glad you came! I love your dress,”

Mila turns her attention towards Harry and gives him a warm embrace, too. “You must be Harry! So nice to meet you,”

“Thank you for having us!” he says over the music.

“I see you guys put the photo booth to good use,” Mila comments. “Now go dance! There’s an ipad next to the stage, just queue up your songs.”

Alani and Harry bid the bride farewell, but before they leave, Mila leans into Alani’s ear and whispers “he’s a hottie!” with a wink. They set their photos down inside Alani’s purse and Harry leads her towards the dance floor. She punches in her request and he secretly types the song that’s been stuck in his head all week. Fantasy by Mariah Carey is already playing when they reach the floor, so they join in excitedly. Alani’s hips sway and Harry’s head bobs, both of them mouthing the lyrics. The song fades and Alani’s pick begins, which makes the crowd roar.

“The people have spoken and they love Whitney!” she cheers.

Harry twirls her and shuffles his feet. Alani shimmies and sings along, the lyrics falling from her lips like a prayer.

I wanna dance with somebody

I wanna feel the heat with somebody

Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody

With somebody who loves me

The dance floor is flooded with bodies jumping and swaying, and the disco ball shimmers above the euphoric scene. Alani and Harry spin, making their way through the crowd and letting the music sweep over them like a magical spell. Beads of sweat form at the back of her neck and she lifts her wavy locks to let the ocean breeze cool her down, but her feet don’t stop moving. Eventually, her song peters out and a familiar guitar fills its place.

“I love this song!” Alani cries, immediately recognizing The Cure.

Harry pulls her closer, despite the warmth radiating from both of their bodies, and presses a passionate kiss to her lips. They are surrounded on every side, but in this very moment under the full moon and shimmering disco ball, Harry and Alani feel like the only two people alive. Their foreheads meet and they sway gently, his hands secure at her waist while her fingers toy with the hair at the base of his neck.

It’s Friday, I’m in love.

#harry styles #harry styles imagine #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fic #harry styles writing #ybmh #ALSO i would just like it to be known that I wrote this before *those* photos so harry get your own romantic gestures >:(#kidding bae <3

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thenerdytomboy · 3 years ago

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I had fun making the Sp.Ex one so have another!

Mals relationship status with others!

Cana- He's a mama's boy, everytime he's visits her its like he's a kid again. Not uncommon for her to just pick him up and hold him like a baby because he's so small compared to her.

Archimedes- Arch is his older brother, they have the classic siblings relationship of annoying the hell outta each other one minute and driving down the highway to get Starbucks the next.

Kris- Adoption on Sight. Tries his best to be a good role model.

Susie-adoption on sight. Shes the reason he has trouble being a good role model.

Pink,Blue,Yellow&Orange- He doesn't interact much with the Gen 1s, kinda goes off of what Sp.Ex has told him. Regardless he treats them with politeness and respect.

Ralsei- Adoption on Sight. Talks him outta the stupid plans him and Susie cone up with.

Lancer- Doesn't see him much, but thinks he's silly from what the Fun Gang has told him.

Click- Partner, loves and respects the hell outta him. Showers them with gifts and praise to help combat their self esteem issues. Absolutely adores them.

Video- they're good friends. They often meditate or hang out at city cafes to people watch and talk about interests.

Popup- Partners in Crime. They fuckin destroy everything in their paths with their shenanigans. They've gotten into a few street fights together.

Survey- Good friends. Mal often acts as their model for their newest clothing since he has experience. Mal often gives Survey the extra cloth-making items his store gets sometimes, as a way to help out.

Sneo- Mal despises Sneo, seeing them as nothing but a beast of rage and bloodlust. But also feels guilty, knowing they played a part in his creation and therefore his suffering. Leaves them alone unless they attack first.

Sp.Ex- views him like a brother. He opened his home up to the guy after their first few meetings and they've been inseparable ever since. They also have a common enemy.

Lav- Views them as a really annoying older brother who babies and dotes on them alot. But trusts them with his life and often seeks them out when in need of comfort. Also acts as a comforter when Lav is having an Episode.

Ender- Mals view on Ender is slightly mixed. On one hand, they recognize that Ender is an alternate version of himself, but on the other, he almost views them as the Father he never had. Regardless, he still views him with great respect.

Kiwi- Considers her one of his best friends. He finds her abilities fascinating and enjoys talking with her and hearing about the Fae world.

Forgotten Kiwi- Sees her as his niece, loves to spoil her with good food, toys and affection. Hurt her and he'll bust your kneecaps.

Prisma-sees him as a great friend and protective figure. Almost a role model, as Mal greatly respects him and his ability to protect those he cares for. Despite their rough first meeting, Mal trusts prisma with his life.

Neo- Mal greatly respects Neo and has come to view him as a member of his flock, as Mal does with the other two. He's still confused as to how the hell he wound up in Neos hair the first time they met.

Ex- Sees him as like that funny uncle. Mal has for sure scared the shit outta him multiple times by accident with how quiet their walking is. Regardless, they respect him and takes his advice seriously.

Primal- Mal hasn't interacted with Primal yet, as Lav refuses to let him get anywhere near them. They want to try being friends.

Swatch- He's good friends with them, along with many of the swatchlings, and often visits the café to hang out and enjoy macarons.

Queen- feels awkward and nervous around her, their first meeting did not go very well

Syte,Ruby,Azul- If Mal sees any of these three he'll make the beaches of Normandy look like a family vacation.

Kiwi and Forgotten Kiwi belong to @hahadeathgobrrr

The SpamSquad belongs to @alex-finechi-is-back

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babyboy-cody · 4 years ago

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‘ ‘ chapter | 01 ’ ’

complex desires. ( prologue ) ( masterlist )

SUMMARY: It’s the first week of classes after winter break, but you’re not exactly used to seeing new faces - teachers and students in between.

WARNINGS: explicit language, mentions of mental disorders, anxious thoughts, anxiety attack

WORD COUNT: 2.8k

NOTES: i’m currently writing this chapter while drinking a big ass mug of hot cocoa. also, hunter’s pronouns are they/them! this series is one i’m most excited for. hope you kiddies enjoy <3

It was still early when the clouds gave off their rain to the grass and trees, when the road became alive with more splashes than your eyes could appreciate. Yet together they brought such a soothing sound, a natural melody every bit as beautiful as a mother's soulful hum. You felt each splash that touched your skin, watching as your cardigan become a deeper, more rocky hue. It was as if earlier the street had been a matte photograph, only to be washed as glossy as any magazine page.

Each raindrop is a kaleidoscope, if people could only see more closely. You wonder as you walk how it would be to stop time, to suspend this watery gift and peek through each one. Perhaps it would be fun to sit inside those raindrops and take that gravity propelled ride to the earth, as you imagine it you feel your inner self laughing – a little at the crazy daydream and a little at your own silliness. You see the rain beads upon the cars, upon each leaf and washing your outstretched fingers. Soon they will pull together, forming the puddles, opening up a whole new avenue of rain-related fun. Perhaps it isn't normal to love a rainy day so much, but who cares about normal anyway? You’re pretty sure "normal" is a made up thing.

Upon the umbrella come the playful sounds of dancing drops, and from it's rim comes the sight of their more relaxed cousins, dripping as if their soul purpose was to bring a sense of ease and calm to the day. And as the rain became more intense, it began to soak the bottom of each dark blue jean leg, deepening the denim to a stronger hue, bringing your brown boots to a glossy water-shine, becoming a kind of natural cocoon.

Each raindrop is a doorway into nature's heart, an invitation of sorts, a request for your soul to rejoin creation. In the rain there is a serenity, a sense of peace that offers to resonate with the peaceful elements of the soul. Walking among those drops is your meditation, a way to fully become present in the moment, a way to feel free.

There was a vibration coming to life in the back pocket of your jeans, cutting you out of your peaceful daydream in the rain. You stepped to the side to allow a cyclist to pass by and gave him a brief smile when he nodded his head in thanks. When you pulled out your phone to read the contact, you instantly smiled when seeing Mickey’s name on the screen.

“Okay, first off, hello. Second off, where the hell are you? Me and Hunter – okaayy – Hunter and I have been in the cafeteria since 7:15 in the goddamn morning,” she immediately went off as soon as you put the phone to your ear. “Also, did you take your meds today? My alarm went off as a reminder.”

“First off, hi back, Mick. Second off, it’s been 15 minutes and I’m five minutes away from the school. It’s fine if we don’t have breakfast today just once,” you laughed as you heard her scoff. “And thirdly, yes mom, I did take my meds. I actually have to get another refill for my BPD meds. Thank you for asking.”

“Yeah, yeah. Well, you better hurry. We have the last of your favorite yogurt and Hunter’s close to eating the damn thing,” you heard Mickey laugh as she shushes her significant other. “Also, be careful coming around the usual entrance. The school is doing some bogus construction to add a statue of the principal.”

“You’re shitting me!” You exclaimed, earning a dirty glare from a tiny senior citizen as she slowly walks passed you with her small cane. “What the hell did this prick do to earn that? Also, can you grab me a fruit cup too? I’ve been craving kiwi’s for some odd reason.”

“Well, he’s wicked rich and can basically do anything in this school and get away with it, literally. And there’s no fruit cups today, but there’s a bag of sliced apples and tangerine slices,” Mickey told you as she huffed, which you assume is her getting out of her seat to go back to the assortment of breakfast foods. “Ooh, there’s bagels too. I think they just added these.”

“Jesus Christ, this statue is stupid as hell,” you groaned and stood in front of the half built statue, your principal’s name on a gold plated plaque attached to the marble. “This guy really needs an ego boost, huh? And just tangerine slices then. I’m heading inside.”

“Alright, see you soon, baby doll.” She annoyingly kisses into the phone as you snorted and rolled your eyes at her antics.

Sliding your phone back into your pocket, you stood outside the entrance doors and shook the leftover raindrops from your yellow umbrella before closing it. You inhaled the fresh rain water for one last time before grasping onto the freezing cold and disgustingly wet doorknob and pulling it open to head inside. There was a small litter of students here and there; some reading new announcements on the bulletin board in the main hall; some sitting in the lounging chairs with laptops or textbooks open on their laps; some sitting on the ground with a half empty bottle of water beside their laps and phones in their hands, headphones in their ears. You terribly, annoyingly, and oddly missed this. You missed the bustle of students laughing and running down the halls. You missed it all, even if it has been two weeks.

You hear loud chatter coming from just ahead, so you know you’re about to enter the cafeteria area. Just as you’re about to do so, you stop in your tracks in front of a bulletin board. There were a few posters for new clubs, as well as study groups, upcoming announcements, room changes, and more. But one that really struck out to you was a new story writing group, specifically for writers or English majors. You felt a burst of excitement spread throughout your chest and settle into the pit of your stomach. You made sure to take a quick photo of the sheet beforr moving on into the cafeteria.

Almost immediately, you spotted Hunters straight platinum blonde hair and fiery streaks on one side while the other was icy blue. Sitting in front of them was Mickey, her hair curly and unruly, making you wonder if she rolled out of bed, threw some clothes on, and called it a day. You felt your cheek mucles twitch as your lips pulled up into a bright smile. Hunter was the first to notice you. They looked up at you passed Mickey’s shoulder and smiled so brightly that it made you reciprocate. They adorned bright orange eyeshadow with white eyeliner, making their eyes pop out even more. You loved how they didn’t cake on makeup, they kept it simple, yet so drop dead gorgeous.

“There she is, the man of the hour,” they announced and got up from their seat to pull you in for a warm, tight hug. “I missed you so much. I’m so sorry for not messaging you the entire break. We didn’t have any service whatsoever.” There was a crestfallen look on Hunter’s face and you held their cheeks so they wouldn’t look away.

“Look at me, don’t stress about it, okay? Did you at least have fun?” They nodded with a pout. You grinned and gave their forehead a kiss before pulling them in for another hug.

“Okay, first you’re late. And now you’re stealing my person. I see how it is,” Mickey smirked as you gave her the bird behind Hunter’s back as you both pulled away from the hug. “Hi Y/N.”

“Hi Michelle,” you responded in the same tone as you sat in an empty chair around the table. “Give me my tangerine, please.” She passed you the small cup of tangerine slices with a grin when you began eating them.

“You been eating three times a day?” She asked you, looking at you through her mane of curls rather than pushing her hair away. You shrugged and kept your eyes on the half empty cup in your hands. “Y/N..”

“I’m doing it little by little, Mick. And I’m starting to drink water too,” you blushed and laughed softly when her and Hunter began praising you. Praise was something you weren’t used to, but hearing it every now and then really gave you butterflies. “It’s nothing..”

“Are you kidding me?” Hunter laughed and reached over to lay a hand over yours. “This is amazing. This is progress and we’re both so very proud of you.”

“You’ve come a long way,” Mickey lightly bumped your shoulder with her knuckles as Hunter pulled away. “You should do a meal plan like I did when I had to get my weight back up, so that way you don’t forget to eat three times a day.”

“I don’t know.. I don’t exactly have the funds to buy a lot of groceries. I had to use over $100 of my food stamps cause almost everything in my kitchen was old,” you huffed and popped another tangerine slice into your mouth. “Plus, I’ve been busy with finding a job and paying for my therapy appointments and doing school work, and it’s all so fucking overwhelming.”

The first bell rang, signaling students to begin their walk to class with only a few more minutes to spare. You grabbed your shoulder bag and stood beside Mickey while she held onto Hunter’s hand. The three of you passed by a swarm of students; freshman’s and sophomores running by to get to the lecture halls early; juniors having their books and laptops already out and pressed to their chests; seniors loitering in the halls with their friends. Thankfully, you, Hunter, and Mickey had your first English class together.

“How about this?” Mickey began. “Hunter and I will help pay for your groceries.” She hushed you as you began to lightly protest. “Listen, you already got a lot on your plate. I’d be a really shitty best friend if I allowed you to deal with all that. So every week, we’re gonna swing by your place to drop off some stuff, okay? I’ll create a meal plan for you with your favorites, so that way we’re taking that worry for money off your back.”

“Mick, you don’t have to do that for me. Like I said, I’ll find a way,” you mumbled and shrugged as you walked up the long staircase to head up to the lecture halls. “I couldn’t do that to you guys.”

“Y/N,” Hunter stopped you three in the middle of the hallway. “We care about you and we don’t want you going down that negative route alone. We both have jobs and enough money to cover Mickey and I, and it’ll seriously make me the happiest if you let us do this, please.”

“Two more minutes until class begins,” the voiceover on the speaker spoke.

“Fine,” you sighed, feeling a smile pull your lips as you all continued walking to the English room. “I love you both. And I’m very grateful for you to do this for me.”

“We know,” Mickey told you as she kissed your cheek obnoxiously, causing you to groan and Hunter to laugh. “But in all seriousness, don’t be a stranger to asking, okay?”

You nodded and gave her a reassuring smile as you made your up the steps to your seats in the bottom middle row. Mickey sat in between you and Hunter as more students filled the class. There was light chatter and soft clatter as seats were pulled down and the folding desks were pulled up. You set your bag between your feet, being cautious of not getting it dirty from your boots. Pulling out your spiral notebook that had four sections, you neatly wrote the course name, your name, and the date. Nervously clicking your pen, you tried to block out the noise that had started to get a little too loud. Nibbling on your bottom lip to distract yourself, your feet began tapping on its own while you tapped your pen on your book. Mickey and Hunter were having a conversation of their own, so they didn’t notice the early signs of a small anxiety attack.

An invisible hand clasps over your mouth; an equally ghostly hypodermic of adrenaline pierces your heart, unloading in an instant. You feel your ribs heaving as if bound by ropes, straining to inflate your lungs. Your head is a carousel of fears spinning out of control, each one pushing your mind into blackness. You want to run; you need to freeze. Sounds that were near feel far away, like you’re no longer in the body that sits paralyzed in the cold seat. Your breath comes out in rapid, shallow breaths as you shake your head at yourself.

“No, no, no,” you harshly whisper as your bobbing knee gets almost frantic.

You felt the panic begin like a cluster of spark plugs in your abdomen. Tension grew your her face and limbs, your mind replaying the last attack. You held onto the sides of your head, your elbows digging into the hardness of your desk. Your only movement was the trembling of your limbs and salty tears darkening your sleeves. There you stayed, unaware of the numerous eyes watching you until Mickey turned and noticed your frantic state.

“Shit,” she hissed and slung her arm across your desk as the other wrapped around your shoulders. “I’m here, Y/N. It’s okay.. sshhh.. I’m right here.” She noticed a few students staring, to which she narrowed her eyes and snarled, “What the fuck are you looking at, dipshits?!” They immediately looked away after being caught. She turned her attention back on you. “What’s going on, huh?” Her voice was soft and soothing as she smoothed her hand down your hair.

“It-It’s so.. loud,” you hiccuped and covered your face even more when a sob escaped your lips, spit flying onto your hands as you felt your neck, cheeks, and ears heat up out of embarrassment and shame. “I can’t stop it, Mick. I-I can’t!”

Hunter sat on the other side of you, reaching down to get your back, shuffling their hand inside to pull out your earplugs and inhaler. They handed the earplugs fo Mickey while pressing the opening of the inhaler to your lips. “Come on, babe,” they quietly told you and tucked a few strands of hair behind your ears, lightly blowing on your flushed skin to cool it down. “There we go,” they gently said when you took two deep puffs of your inhaler while Mickey made sure your earplugs were snug inside your ears. You felt your lungs open up as the cold, bitter medicine settled on your tongue.

“I��m sorry,” you whisper and shook your head, wiping away the last of your tears. You sniffled and looked at Mickey and Hunter. “I-I don’t know what happened.. it just... happened.”

“It’s always unexplained, but don’t be sorry for something you can’t control, okay?” Mickey told you firmly while making sure you were looking into her eyes. “This doesn’t make you any less of a person.”

Hunter smiled and sat your bag back between your feet before moving to their seat next to Mickey. All the students had settled down, their conversations now a quiet murmur. You felt relieved as you pulled your earplugs out and slid them inside your protective case, making sure the lid was closed tight before shoving it into your bag. Mickey kept an eye on you the entire time, making sure no one triggered you. She sat with an elbow resting on the back her chair with her legs lightly spread.

“You’re man-spreading,” you quietly told her, laughing quietly when she flipped you off.

Suddenly, the metal doors opened and a man hurriedly walks in with an expensive looking leather messenger back over his shoulder. Your lips parted and you sat up straight in your seat when he gave the class a guilty smile. You’ve never seen him in the school. Not even before break. He must’ve been in a different department and just got transferred to the English center. He deeply intrigued you. You noticed the other girls in the class twirling their hair in a cliché way with the tips of their pens between their teeth. He wore all black, and it was so very different compared to what other professors wore. There was no sweater vest or button up shirt. He just wore a comfortable and soft looking black sweater with black jeans and black boots. His dirty blonde - almost brunette - hair was perfectly styled. He looked devastatingly handsome.

“Hello, my name is Professor Shepherd and I’m going to be your English teacher for the rest of the semester. Professor Winifred recently had her baby during winter break and shall be back for the next semester,” he gave another knee-weakening grin as he clapped his hands together. “Shall we get started?”

#AAAHHHH FIRST CHAPTER IS OUT!!!#we’re just getting started 😏#duncan shepherd x reader #bill skarsgård x reader #professor!bill #professor!duncan #love triangle #complex desires series

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