#Niall Horan Blurb

[ameliora-j]

CAN YOU PLEASE DO ROUGH DOM NIALL. i’m actually begging. maybe the reader acts up on purpose for attention because niall is busy with his new album and he has to put her in her place 🫢 btw i love ur work, your like my fav author on this app xx

pls ur gonna make me cry :’) thank u angel ♡

content: mean dom!niall, fem!reader, brat!reader, edging, cumplay, impact play (flogging, slapping), spitting, humiliation, degradation, tummy bulge, creampie, breeding kink, lots of pet names, dominant/submissive themes, no aftercare written but it happens!, THIS HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY DRAFTS FOR SO LONG I’M SO SORRY BAE DODOWNEN, THIS IS AN 18+ BLOG MDNI !

you’re grumpy—and you have been for the last week and a half. had niall been paying any attention to you at all, he’d have realized as such earlier. however, he is deep into the finalization stage of his new album. you’re proud of him—more than proud of him. niall turns your world that much is obvious. you praise any and everything he does. so of course you’re overjoyed he has a new album coming, and so proud of all his hard work.

you just can’t help but feel a little… jealous? neglected? you’re not a hundred percent sure exactly what you would call it in truth. it feels like a big dark cloud of grump is sitting above your head and you can’t do anything about it. niall is your boyfriend, the love of your life… but first and foremost he is your dominant. he keeps you in check, makes sure you’re always on track, and fucks you into oblivion every night.

the problem is that with his new album, he hadn’t fucked you in almost two weeks. to go from having sex every day—multiple times a day—to none at all for a whole two weeks was really taking a toll on you. it’s niall’s own fault, anyway—your sex drive wasn’t nearly this high before you’d met him. you don’t realize that your sexual frustration is building up until you’re already on the brink of an explosion. waking up in the morning with only one thing on your to-do list: be the biggest brat known to mankind.

unbeknownst to you, niall had taken the day off. he realized that he was neglecting you a bit—it’d been too long since he saw your pretty face when you were awake. you’re surprised to see niall still laying in bed beside you, sleeping peacefully when your eyes flutter open. you look to the bedside table and read the numbers on the alarm clock before pushing his shoulder.

niall wakes with a grunt, gasping a bit as he turns to look at you. “wha’s a’matter?” he mumbles tiredly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“you’re late” you mumble grumpily as you move to get out of bed. “wouldn’t wanna keep the love of your life waiting” you slightly grumble as you walk to the bathroom.

“love of my life? what’re you on about, pet? you’re right here” he chuckles softly, shaking his head as he sits up. “come back to bed, i took the day off. wanna cuddle.”

your heart flutters at the statement, nearly blowing the grump-cloud away, but it’s already hard-set on remaining there for the rest of the day. “i can’t i have things to do.” you say simply as you move to walk downstairs.

niall frowns a bit, clambering out of bed to follow you. “hey wait a second, where are you going?” he asks. you’re never out of bed this quick—even if you do have plans for the day. furthermore, no matter if you’re late, you’re always keen to lay down and have a cuddle with niall.

“since when does my life interest you?” you snark. niall’s jaw clenches. it’s barely been fifteen minutes and he’s already fed up with your attitude. he takes a breath to calm himself, wanting to get to the root of the issue before taking things too far.

“your life always interests me. you’re my girl, don’t be ridiculous” he shakes his head. you simply scoff, rolling your eyes and shoving past him and going to take a shower.

niall is quick to grab your wrist, dragging you back to his chest and squeezing your jaw. “listen here you little brat. i took the day off to spend quality time with you but i can just as easily spend it beating the brat out of you. so what will it be?” he growls lowly. you seal your fate when you suck in your cheeks, pursing your lips and spitting on him.

his eyes go dark and he chuckles lowly, slapping his palm against your cheek roughly. “i’m gonna make you regret that” he murmurs.

niall all but drags you back to the bedroom, shoving you roughly onto the bed. you whimper a bit, squirming in anticipation as he walks over to the closet, grabbing his duffel bag full of toys, ropes, and all of his ‘dom essentials.’ “what are you doing?” niall asks when he turns around—noting you hadn’t moved from where he put you.

“sitting” you hum, snark still lacing your tone. niall chuckles, shaking his head a bit as he walks over to you. he grabs you by your neck, forcing you to stand before tearing your nightgown from your body—practically tearing the flimsy fabric in two.

you squeak as niall spins you, forcing you down onto the bed before pulling your hips up so you were on your hands and knees. you hear rummaging before one of niall’s hands rubs over your ass. “pick a number between one and five.”

he’s angry—really angry—he usually always adds a pet name even if you’re in trouble. you bite your lip, thinking hard about what number to pick. you knew how niall’s spankings worked. you would pick a number, and if you got it right then that’s how many spanks you got. if you got it wrong, then he’d double whatever number he was thinking of. you squeeze your eyes shut tight, going with the safest option smack dab in the middle. “three?” you say hesitantly.

niall smirks, rubbing his hands over your ass. “oh, princess” he hums in a sickly sweet tone—and you nearly smile before realizing that you’re being mocked as his hand strikes your ass cheek. “it was five” he says lowly.

the number is the only warning that you get before niall winds up his flogger and slams it down on your ass. you practically scream into the comforter, tears already pricking the corners of your eyes. he doesn’t start off gentle or work his way up, and he gives you no respite as he continuously whips his flogger on different areas of your backside.

you make sure to call out numbers clear and concise—not wanting to start over with niall in this mood. by the time he’s finished with you, you’re a wet mess—in more ways than one. tears spilling down your cheeks, drool falling from your lips, and cunt sticky with arousal.

“okay okay okay” niall hums as he turns you around. “i know baby, i know. you’re okay… you’re fine” he coos tauntingly as he pulls you to his chest. “‘s okay, i’ll give y’what y’want… quit y’tears” he mumbles as he tugs his sweats down. he lays you back on the bed, making sure you’re comfortable on top of the pillows before kissing your head.

“oh there’s my girl” he smirks as he runs his cock through your sticky folds. you whine softly, arching towards him before he pushes your hips down. “stay still, y’brat” he grunts, slapping your cunt a few times. you shriek with each hit, your legs wiggling in an attempt to get away as you look at him tearily. “jus’ lay there and take my cock.” he mumbles as he slowly pushes into you.

the both of you moan as he bottoms out, you gripping niall’s shoulders as he holds your hips tightly. “fuckin shit babydoll” he groans, pressing down on the bulge of his cock your tummy. “forgot how goddamn tight you were” he gasps a bit, slowly pulling his cock out before thrusting back in.

niall is in heaven… he’s practically pussy drunk off one stroke alone. his head falls back and his eyes roll as he feels your gummy walls gripping him. you’re like a vice, almost as if you wouldn’t let go even if he begged you to. your pussy is sucking him in, leaking around him like a fountain of eternal youth and he’s so close to busting that he has to take a deep breath and distract himself. “this what you needed baby?” he mocks. “just a big cock to fill up your tight little cunt?” he hums.

“ni…” you whine softly and he simply chuckles before setting a pace. once he’s adjusted to your tightness and calmed himself down, he’s able to fuck you how he wants. he holds your hips down against the mattress setting a brutal and punishing pace in your cunt.

“that why you had an attitude? haven’t fucked you properly lately?” he laughs at you. actually laughs at you, and you can’t even bring yourself to care. “you’re so pathetic” he mumbles, spanking your clit. “all it takes is some dick n you’re all smiles again.”

“yeah daddy” you moan in agreement, nodding dumbly as your eyes fluttered closed. you barely even register the words niall is saying to you—all you know is that they’re mocking and unkind. but, this is all you wanted—what you’d been dreaming of for so long so you had not a care in the world. not a thought bouncing around your skull other than more more more.

more love. more affection. more close. more cock. more niall. he engulfed you, not just due to his much larger stature. he had you pinned between the bed, your bodies so close that you could feel the beads of sweat dripping off of his forehead and onto you. he was everywhere—on top of you, inside of you, touching you, his scent engulfing your nostrils as you lay on his pillow.

your head was swimming in a pool of niall and you were content to drown in it until niall forces your leg up over his shoulder. he reangles his hips and slams his cock back directly into your gspot. “daddy!” you shriek out loudly, your back arching high off the bed.

“yeah baby, daddy’s here” he mumbles, reaching to rub your clit. “daddy’s right here baby. jus’ lay pretty and take my cock, yeah?” he flashes a bright smile your way, winking at you—his hips never breaking rhythm as he punishes your cunt with his cock.

you can barely choke out a response your cunt pulsing around him as your orgasm dangles so close, yet so far away. “are you gonna cum baby? i can feel you squeezing me” he hums, fucking you faster. “do you want to cum princess?” he mocks.

“yeah! yeah, yeah, yeah!” you chant, nodding rapidly as your hips begin stuttering against his. “oh fuck yeah!” you whine.

“awh… ‘s too bad i didn’t say you could then, isn’t it?” he hums, slapping your clit once more and laughing meanly. you whine in frustration, tears wetting your lashes as you force your orgasm back. “jus hold it baby, you can do it” he teases, but begins rubbing your clit in small, deliberate circles. “right? for daddy?” he smirks.

you gasp, nodding dumbly as your eyes roll. “f-f’daddy” you nod, your legs beginning to shake. you feel niall’s cock give a twitch at that, his hips stuttering a few times before he finds his pace once more.

“daddy’s gonna cum baby” niall moans in your ear, beginning to nip and suck the skin of your neck. “gonna fill this tight cunt… give you m’babies you want that?” he smirks.

“yeah daddy… yeah gimme your babies please” you whine, beginning to rock your hips in time with his.

“then cum with me, princess” he whispers, squeezing your throat just as your orgasm starts. you moan loudly, unable to stop the spasming of your body as you cream around niall’s cock. you distantly register his slew of swears through loud moans as you feel his seed painting your walls. you moan softly as he pulls you into a hot and heavy kiss—filled with love and passion.

niall pulls away breathlessly, smiling down at you in adoration as he gently pushes your hair from your face. “is my good girl back yet?” he hums softly, gently peppering kisses over your face.

the airy giggle you let out is enough to let niall know he’d fucked you nine ways from sunday and you were now deeply submerged in a submissive headspace. if that wasn’t enough for him, then your soft: “yeah daddy” as you nose against his neck seals the deal for him.

he hums a bit in relief—pride maybe?—before kissing your neck again. “good… you keen for a cuddle now?” he smirks softly at you.

[justmeinatree]

please please please (NO PRESSURE BUT) (IM BEGGING YA)

something extremely smutty where like niall is working out: (literally need nothing else completely go ham its up to you but just like LOOK:)

the little jerk as he lifts up yk what im talking aboutt lets not pretend we're not *respectfully* looking.

as if i could say no to this 😅 it’s not the smuttiest thing, but if we’re open to a part 2, there’s a lot of room to play 😏

Word Count : 1.3k

it was the breathy grunts that first got your attention. 

you’d never cared much for niall’s workouts, always preferring to have the quiet time, enjoying a cuppa, maybe a book or tv show. but as you were just getting cozy with your tea, pulling the blanket over your legs, you could hear him from down the hall.

it piqued your interest, the sounds he was making having reached your ears, and for some reason, shooting down to your centre, leaving a little tingle of interest.

and for that same reason, you were now leaving your warmth and comfort, flinging the blanket back over the arm of the couch, trudging down the hall. 

once you pop head around the doorframe though, eyes coming into contact with your boyfriend, the tingle of interest in your cunt quickly turned to a dribble of excitement.

because fuck, was this the scene you’d been missing out on all these years ? you’ll have to remember to scold yourself for that one later, but for now, your brain was short wiring. niall was currently laying on his exercise mat, legs bent up at the knees, slightly spread, his arms straight up above his head, doing some sit ups with an exercise ball in his hands. and, since the universe wanted to punish you even more, with every flex of his abs, his hips would thrust up just a bit with the force of the movement. 

he was glistening, a sheen of sweat all over his skin, torso bare for your eyes to ogle. and when did your drip of excitement turn into a full fledged puddle of arousal ? how long had you been watching ? why are you quite literally feeling yourself leaking down your inner thighs ? 

it’s once he lays back down, taking a moment to breathe between sets, that you make your presence known. you weren’t exactly trying to, but a small whimper managed to escape your throat without permission. but really, his entire body was stretched out, muscles flexed, and if you look really closely, you can see the outline of his cock through his shorts. you really can’t be blamed.

niall’s eyes flick over to the door, noticing you, quirking his eyebrow, “what is it, love ?”

you bite your lip, heat rising on your cheeks at the prospect of being caught. however, niall was your boyfriend, had been for a long time, and moments like this don’t much embarrass you anymore, “d’you always look this good while you workout ?”

a loud breathy chuckle erupts from niall, echoing through the room, “gonna start joining me, sweet girl ?”

you squint at him, tilting your head to the side, looking at him with a playfully untrusting look, “was this your plan all along ?”

and so maybe he wanted to see if being a little louder than usual, a little more grunty than usual, would make you come over. and maybe he chose to forego his shirt, and maybe he spread his legs a tiny bit more than usual, in an effort to keep you around. “does it really matter now ?” he smiles innocently, “can see how wet your thighs are getting.”

“i hope you plan on doing something about that,” you smirk, shaking your head at your boyfriend’s antics.

“can’t do anything from way over there,” he hums, nodding his head in a come hither motion, “c’m’ere.”

as you finally step into the room, waltzing over to niall, he quickly reaches out for your ankles, his sheer strength taking over your moment of weakness, making you stop with your feet spread on either side of his head, eyes locked straight up between your thighs.

it was still early enough in the day, you hadn’t changed from your sleep shorts, tiny piece of fabric without any panties, something niall typically likes to tease you about, “why even wear anything if you’re gonna put those on,” he always drones on before bed.

but for now, he’s not complaining a bit, a fairly good view of your sopping cunt, peaking through the drenched fabric, arousal coating your inner thighs, “s’a good thing i’m parched,” he groans, hands gliding up your calves, stopping behind your knee, abruptly giving a tug, making your legs buckle. you squeak loudly, echoing through the room, as you were caught off guard, knees colliding with the mat underneath niall.

with your cunt sitting right above his face, niall groans, feeling the hot hot heat radiating off of you, “christ, and i thought i was warm,” he mumbles, his tongue darting out to lick along your skin.

he swirls around your thigh, taking his sweet time, lapping up any bit of arousal that’s made it way past your shorts, before moving onto the other thigh.

your legs were trembling, head tipped back, as your breathing accelerates. he was avoiding any area near your pussy, every ounce of your being aching for more. more tongue, more touches, more niall. more, more, more.

but once your skin was cleaned up, he pats your legs, groaning, “perfect post workout snack. think m’gonna jump into the shower now, baby.”

your eyebrows furrow immediately, because absolutely the fuck not, “like hell you are,” you quip, shuffling yourself until your centre is hovering right above his stiffening member. “you clean me, i clean you,” you murmur, leaning down over him.

and just like he did for you, your tongue slowly laps up the beads of sweat over his stomach and chest, feeling the ridges of his abs with every stroke. 

your eyes flutter shut, the musky, heady scent of sweaty man wafting through the air, the salty taste on your tongue, it was doing things you never could have imagined. not once had you really given workout niall a chance like this, something he always does much too early in the morning for your liking. but the more you were delving into it, the more your brain was swirling with want. with need.

you couldn’t stop, too caught up in licking as much of him as you could, tongue flicking over his nipples, mouth attaching to his pulse point. 

and it was working. you were teasing him right back. his telltale little breathy pants huffing against your ear whenever you were close to his neck, fingernails indenting your hips, his cock now painfully hard.

you’re not even sure niall’s noticed that his hips have started rolling, searching for any sort of relief, something you’re not too keen on giving into quite yet. 

so a moment later, you pull away, coming to a stand, “better get that shower going, we have some things to do today.”

niall scrubs his face in his hands, groaning loudly for a moment, before getting up with you. and as quick as a flash, he’s got you scooped up in his arms, running off.

you squeal again, laughing loudly, as he whips down the hall, around the corners, and into the washroom. he quickly closes the door behind himself, setting you down on your feet, pinning you against the wall, “can forget about all those things you have planned today. gonna be too busy.”

you hum, your body melting against the wall, as niall’s mouth leaves a trail of open mouth kisses over your shoulder and neck, teeth nibbling on the shell of your ear, “hmm tell me. tell me what we’re gonna do.”

“gonna start by showering with me,” he murmurs against your ear, “and if you’re a good girl, i might use the shower head on you.”

you whimper, nodding quickly, “please, fuck. what else ?”

niall tuts, shaking his head, “depends how good you are for me. now how about stripping down and washing me off in the shower ?”

“yes, yes anything. m’a good girl, i promise.”

……

Masterlist

[harrywavycurly]

Summary: While you’ve known him for a few years you have only been able to call the Irish heartthrob Niall Horan, your boyfriend for almost a year. Now every relationship has issues, and dating someone who is in the spotlight as much as Niall can sometimes cause quite a few if you’re not willing to put in the work. But luckily for you Niall knows a love like yours is worth fighting for and you know you’ve never been happier. This series follows you and Niall’s relationship as it progresses from the early stages onward and how the two of you deal with everyday things like making a grocery list all the way to scheduling FaceTime calls and booking time to see each other when he’s half way around the world✨

Pairing: Niall Horan x fem!reader

Tag List: Open

CW: Language

A/N: I just love Niall fics and feel like we could all use some more boyfriend!Niall in our lives!

Instagrams: here

Conversations: here

Extras: here

*this is a texting series but you’ll find everything in the correct order down below*

Part 1: You’re Lost?

Part 2: Lunch

Part 3: Pizza

Part 4: Rabbit Hole

Part 5: Home

Part 6: Ten Minutes

Part 7: Flowers

Part 8: Package

Part 9: Dates

Part 10: Garden

Part 11: Book Club

[lovintasteslike]

Tiktok Live

One where Tiktok betrays Niall, the millenial.

a/n: This is my first time writing fanfiction (idk if I'll ever do it again lol). I saw a tiktok of him fighting the filters and found it funny.

...

"How do I turn this shit off"

You walk into the room seeing Niall squinting at his screen, a disapproving look on his face. Unbeknownst to his situation, you pout your lips and lean against the door frame, examining his frustrated demeanor.

He shakes his head, "This is ridiculous."

You furrow your eyebrows and tilt your head in question as he looks up from the screen. Niall lets out a puff of breath, making eye contact with you and immediately mouthing a, help me. You bite your lip to hold back your laughter as you realize he's live on tiktok for Meltdown promo.

"Pleeease, come onnn guys" He shakes his head in a disapproving way, begging the fans to cut him a break, only increasing the volume of the gifts, and thus filters.

You roll your eyes, smiling, as you head out of the room, taking a glance back at him. A small frown is set on his face as he plays with the ends of his hair. Trying to read the comments, a flower crown appears on him, once again adding to his frustration.

You hear Niall sigh, remorse flowing through his veins of even thinking about doing a tiktok live (and you know his publicist, Jen, will 100% be making him do more). In an attempt to ignore the filters, or perhaps to show the fans his supposed "carelessness," he starts talking about Meltdown, putting himself back on track towards the purpose of the live.

"Yeah the idea of the song came from- look at this fucking thing!" He exclaims, once again distracted by a filter, this time a cowboy hat. Exasperated by his fan's antics, you see him actually tilting the phone away from his face, hiding, from the filters while he attempts to act nonchalant talking about the song. You clasp a hand over your mouth to hide your amusement, taking quite the piss out of his frustration, but your body shakes in laughter.

"Are you lau- Stop laughing at me" You act shocked at his confrontation and turn away from him, bending over your knees as you try to catch your breath, now audibly giggling. Niall's eyes fall to the comments as the fans realize the humorous exchange between him and his girlfriend.

"See her being no help at all." Sarcastically he lets out a sigh, "So mean she is, really." Rolling his eyes, he too finally gives in and indulges in the fun of it, snickering at himself.

"Yeh take your pictures, have your fun." He says, framing his face with his free hand.

After posing for a few seconds, Niall decides they've seen enough. "Alright I'm out, thank you for all the love and support on the new single, save it, stream it, tell all your mates. Umm I'll be in touch, thanks for everything. See you soon." He blows a kiss to the screen, "love you lovers," then takes a moment to end the live.

You push yourself back up, walking towards him.

The phone falls from his grasp onto the surface of the table, his head dropping into his hands as he lets out a deep breath.

"God almighty, I'm never doing that again.."

"Really? Personally, I think the 'grandpa from Up' glasses suit you very well" You say with a smirk, only half-joking, while he glares at you, clearly unimpressed.

"Hmmph." He brushes past you, retreating into yours and Niall's bedroom.

You pout. "Oh come on, I was only joking....don't have a meltdown over this."

A load groan comes from the bedroom, making you burst out in laughter again.

[stellatekintsugi]

Niall Horan

[strawnarrries]

Niall fluff PLS

dad niall pulling out his dad skills on his wife

Squeezing the water out of your hair, you swung open the glass door and stepped out of the shower, onto the soft, white rug in front of the door. You grabbed your towel on the hook against the wall and wrapped it around your shoulders. Your husband stood in front of his sink on his side of the bathroom counter, washing his face. You looked up at him once you heard his thick, Irish accent echoing throughout the bathroom.

“Baby, why are ya bleedin’?” he asked frantically, ignoring the foamy face wash dripping down his neck.

You looked down at where he was staring and saw a small cut just below your kneecap, blood pooling at the opening and leisurely trickling down your leg, reminding you of your mistake a few minutes ago, “Oh, I accidentally cut myself with my razor.”

“Ya got yourself good didntcha?” he asked before preceding to aggressively rub the soap into his face.

“Yeah, it hurt so bad,” you replied while drying off your body, avoiding wiping the blood on the towel.

“Gimme a sec and I'll help ya” he hummed before splashing his face with water, washing away the soap.

"I'm okay," you giggled at him, heart swelling at how sweet he was to you.

While you squeezed the water out of your hair with the towel before wrapping it around your body, Niall patted his face dry with a washcloth before bending down and grabbing a bandaid out from the bottom drawer.

"Niall, I don't need a bandaid, it's just a little cut," you protested but he didn't listen. It was like he never heard you in the first place.

After grabbing a tissue, he walked over to you, crouched down, and was now face-to-face with your wound.

"Niall," you giggled at him, looking down at watching him.

"My poor baby," he pouted, pressing a sweet kiss to your kneecap.

He wiped away the blood with a tissue before quickly sticking the bandaid against your cut. He pressed a kiss over the bandaid before standing back up with a popping sound from his knees and throwing away the wrappers.

"All better. I even kissed your boo-boo," he grinned, wrapping his arms around your waist covered by the damp towel.

"You're so dramatic," you giggled at him.

He gave you a peck on the lips before replying, "Am not. My girl is crippled. Can't walk now, can she?"

He knew you were right, but he just liked seeing you grin.

"C'mere, baby girl," he grunted, picking you up bridal style, "I've gotcha."

"Becoming a dad to a toddler has got you all babyie," you giggled.

"That's not a word," he replied with a chuckle.

He walked into your shared bedroom, gently setting you down on your bed while you squealed, "Niall, I'm not even dressed yet, I'm still wet."

"Two of my favorite versions of you," he smirked, punching his eyebrows up at you, "Naked and wet."

"Oh my gosh, stop," you giggled, immediately getting off of the bed, "You're gonna get my side of the bed wet and then I'm gonna have to sleep in the guest bedroom."

"Look whose bein' dramatic now," he teased.

"You don't get me naked or wet now!" you teased back before storming back into the bathroom.

"Wha-Y/N, c'mon!"

You couldn't help but giggle.

~

i cant figure out if i think this idea is cringy or cute lol lmk what you all think

[horansqueen]

i read your “spitting & bj” oneshot all the time 😅 i would love if you could write some more oral (m receiving) with niall! love your writing!

thank you! i havent written in a year. so im sorry i know this isnt really good but it was about time I got back to it! hopefully some of you enjoy this! 1.4k smut!

"This traffic jam is fucking annoying." my boyfriend mumbled with a groan. "I swear it's like that every fucking afternoon."

I turned my head slightly to look at him, my eyes roaming up and down, from his face to his thighs before a small smile drew itself on my lips despite myself.

"Okay grumpy."

He groaned once again and I chuckled before moving closer to him and grabbing the side of his face, my palm rubbing gently on his growing beard as I imagined how it would feel on the inside of my thighs if he would eat me out.

"Baby, calm down, it doesn't matter. All that matters is that we're together, don't you think?"

Slowly, he turned my way and his eyes met mine, making my smile grow bigger immediately. I could never be tired of watching him, and as cliché as it could sound, every time our eyes met, I would feel butterflies hit the inside of my stomach, threatening to escape.

I leaned my head against the seat, my eyes never leaving his, and let my hand slip from his face to his neck and down his chest. I had to move a little closer to reach between his legs and it made him raise his eyebrows, a smirk appearing quickly on his face.

"You seem surprised." I pointed out with a chuckle as I moved my upper body even closer. "We're stuck in traffic, the car barely moved in the past 10 minutes, perhaps you need something to entertain yourself?"

"You're my favorite entertainment, petal, you know that." he laughed a bit. "And if you want to distract me with your hands, I'll never say no."

I licked my lips and held my bottom lip with my teeth as I carrssed his cock over his pants, something moving down to his balls. I could feel him get harder and harder the more I touched him and it turned me on too. I let out a short whimper, making him thrust his hips up despite himself. I pressed my thighs together, trying to resist the urge to touch myself and when someone behind us honked, we both jumped and I took my hand back.

"Fookin' asshole." my boyfriend muttered, moving a bit on his seat before driving the car over the few feet separating us from the car ahead. "It's not like it changed anything."

Without wasting time, I brought my hand back to his dick and my heart jumped on my chest when I realized he was still hard. Immediately, he moved on his seat to get a better position and I kept touching him gently.

"You know it's literally impossible to concentrate on anything else but your hand on my cock, pet, don't you?"

"Mmhm." I admitted, biting my bottom lip again. "What would you say if I used both hands?"

"I'd say I'm all yours, you can do anything you want, angel."

My other hand reached for his zipper and without thinking, he moved his ass up to help me. I could feel my pussy throb as I took his hard dick out of his pants without even caring who could see us. I was turned on by the fact that I could easily arouse him and quickly grabbed his cock with both hands, stroking him gently. He let his head fall against the seat, his eyes closed and I glanced at the windshield to make sure we didn't need to drive again.

"Petal, you're such a tease."

I felt his fingers run in my hair and suddenly, he grabbed it and brought my head closer to his cock. My lips brushed on his tip and that simple contact brought my whole body on fire. He seemed to enjoy it too as he let out a moan.

"Use your lips and tongue baby, be the good little slut I know you can be."

I didn't even think a second about protesting. When Niall asked me something like that, there was nothing I wanted more than to please him. I stuck my tongue out slightly, running it on the soft tip of his dick, trying to resist the urge to suck on it right away. I loved teasing him but most of the time, I was even more impatient than he was to taste him, and I couldn't stop myself.

This time, though, I took my time, licking the head of his cock slowly and gently as his fingers slipped in my hair again. I pulled the skin of his cock down, running the tip of my tongue right around the base of his head and his hand gripped my hair so tight I felt tears in my eyes. My pussy started throbbing harder and I whimpered again.

"Just take it in your mouth now, or I swear you're going to regret it when we get home."

This time, it took me a second to react. I wanted to know how exactly he would punish me when we'd get home, but I was also avid for the taste of his precum on my buds. He pushed on my head and I just opened my mouth, feeling my lips slide around his cock, pressing them on his length to turn him on even more.

"Mm, fuck, stay there."

I tried to breathe from my nose but gagged a few times before choking and when he let go of me he pulled again on my hair, his eyes meeting mine this time.

"D'you think you can make me cum before I need to focus on the road again, petal?"

I nodded quickly, more eager to please than I had ever been, and it made an other smirk take shape on his lips. I was expecting him to bring my head back to his hard cock but instead, he moved his hand between my thighs, rubbing my pussy through my pants with the side of his hand. It didn't seem to satisfy him and in a swift movement, he slipped his hand in my pants, over my panties, and gently pressed the tip of his middle finger on my clit.

"I love how wet you get from sucking my cock." he whispered, moving his finger so slowly that it made my body tremble. "If you make me cum good, I promise that when we get home, I'll suck on your cunt until you beg me to stop."

"What if I never want you to stop?" I asked innocently, tilting my head.

"Then I'll never stop."

Quickly, I undid my seatbelt to be more comfortable and moved back down on his cock, taking it completely in my mouth and running my tongue on it at the same time. He kept moving his hips up and down, fucking my mouth the best he could, and when I felt his dick twitch in my mouth, I knew he was close. I moved my head away and closed my eyes, feeling his warm cum spurting all over my face, landing on my lips, cheeks and even some in my hair.

"You're such a fucking little minx, I swear." He complained with a grunt. "I wanted to cum on your mouth and you knew it."

He pulled me up by my hair and our gazes met again. His eyes roamed on my face, probably looking at his cum covering my face, and he shook his head slightly. I licked my lips, finally tasting him and moaned low, making the left corner of his lips raise up. He brought one of his fingers on my cheek to gather some of his cum and brought it back to my lips. I quickly sucked on his finger until he took it back and he smiled more.

I brought the bottom of my shirt up to wipe the rest of his orgasm off my cheeks but he stopped me.

"Don't. Keep it." he ordered. "That's the price to pay for not doing exactly what I wanted. And buckle up, we're finally moving."

I remained silent and did what he told me to do as I started to remember where we were.

"Do you think anyone saw us?" I asked, not daring to look by any windows.

"Probably. I hope they enjoyed the show." he laughed, putting his dick back in his pants and zipping them again. "Too bad for them, they won't say what I'm gonna do to you when we get home."

[agoddamnbeautifulidiot]

Flicker of Hope

Epilogue One: Madison Square Garden - Night One

A/N:

Hey bitches. Bet you never thought you’d see me again.

That’s right. Flicker of Hope is back…sort of…

So, I’m sadly never going to be able to finish this story. A lot has changed for me and a lot has also changed for Niall. It’s also been 7 years since I started this story (and isn’t that fucking wild, like 7 years!?!) With that being said, I’ve decided, mostly because Sarah @harrywavycurly drunkenly asked me on our first Niall show in Raleigh, if I was ever going to finish it. So here is an epilogue to let you know what Niall and our main character are up to in the present day at his two SOLD OUT Madison Square Garden shows AND how they got there. This will be two parts.

Only real warnings are that this is EMO because I was so very emo seeing Niall at MSG, and that it might’ve gotten a little spicy. Nothing explicit, just implied.

Thank you so much for all the love on this. I hope you enjoy ❤️

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

There’s nothing like seeing Niall perform.

Even sitting at sound check, you’re in awe. Niall has always been an energetic artist on stage, even with his knee issues. But this particular performance, this venue, he’s hyped like never before.

He’s played Madison Square Garden before, several years before the two of you had met. This time, though, it’s his name on the marquee. Only his. And while the thought of that has given him quite a bit of anxiety over the last year, he’s also been bouncing off the walls waiting for this moment to arrive.

Standing next to the mix, you laugh watching Niall and John wiggle their bodies at each other as they run through “If You Leave Me”. You quickly open your phone camera and record them, laughing harder as Niall’s hips move ridiculously.

“Such a dad dance,” you mutter, shoving your phone back in your pocket. You make your way through the floor, nodding and smiling at the crew members still working, and stand at the end of the catwalk just as the song ends. The band all congregates for a moment, Niall facing the drums as they talk. Smiling, you cup your hands around your mouth and shout, “Play ‘The Tide’!” Ducking down quickly, you can hear the band laughing and the sound of quick footsteps.

Over the lip of the stage, Niall’s face appears, eyebrow raised as he smirks at you. “You gon’ interrupt every sound check, love?”

Smirking back, you stand, bracing yourself against the barrier. “If you ever took my requests seriously, maybe I wouldn’t have to.” He laughs, eyes crinkling.

“I took ya request that one time.”

“Niall,” you scoff. “I suggested ‘San Francisco’ in Raleigh as a joke. It made absolutely no sense to debut it there and you know it. You just like being chaotic.” He just grins cheekily.

“Hey, lovebirds!” You both glance back to center stage at John, arms resting on his bass, the band watching you both. “Be nice to finish this and get some lunch if ya don’t mind. You know how Jake gets if we don’ keep him fed.” Rolling your eyes, you flip him off, everyone laughing when Jake throws a pick at him.

Niall turns back to you, hands on his hips and winks before turning and striding back up the catwalk. Leaning further against the barrier, you smile, watching how happy each and every one of them is at this moment.

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

Two hours before Niall goes on, you’re starting your pre show ritual. The doors of MSG have just opened and you know in a few minutes the area will start to fill with chatter. Triple checking that your pass is visible and you have your phone (neither you nor Niall has ever forgotten the anxiety of you getting lost in Boston almost seven years ago), you head out the backstage door and onto the floor.

When you’d first started following Niall, during his Flicker Sessions, the idea of being in the crowd had honestly been kind of terrifying. Niall’s fans were great, but you’d seen the mania of One Direction, so you hadn’t known what to expect. Later, during the tail end of the Flicker World Tour, you’d decided to start walking around the crowd, passing out picks and accepting gifts from the people who loved him.

When Niall had announced The Show Live on Tour, you’d seen quite a few TikToks of his fans making friendship bracelets and decided to do it yourself. Niall had laughed when the Amazon order of beads, letters and string had arrived.

“How many bracelets are ya planning on makin’ there babe?” He’d asked as you organized your purchases on the dining table.

You’d shrugged, mentally counting your letter packs. “I don’t know. I was thinking like 75-100 per show depending on how hard it is.”

Niall had thought you’d gone absolutely mad. “But…there’s 96 shows.”

“That’s why I’m getting started now.”

In the end, you’d managed to make 5,000 bracelets. Well, you, a few friends and even Niall had made a few, despite how frustrating he found the art. So, at each show, you grabbed an already counted out bag full and headed out into the arena, handing out a few in each section. Having been around Niall so long, most of the fans knew who you were and were incredibly nice. Sometimes though, you’d walk by a crowd and no one would really seem to recognize you. Those were fun. You’d give out a few bracelets and then, later on Instagram on TikTok, find out someone had told them who you were. Niall always got a good laugh out of those posts.

As the crowd started filtering in, you headed to the elevator to start at the higher seats. The elevator attendant happily took you all the way up to the top, accepting a bracelet as payment and offering a fist bump as you left. Even with your massive fear of heights, this view of the stage was incredible. You could see people filling in the seats below, laughter and screaming already floating up into the rafters.

You notice people filing into the bridge and made your way in their direction. Laughing slightly, you shook your head at the photo queue forming behind Harry’s banner. You and Niall had come up here earlier and done the same, taking silly photos and videos to send to his friend and former band mate.

“Oh my god! Y/N!” Smiling, you turn and wave as a group of younger girls comes in your direction.

“Hi!” You offer them bracelets, accepting some from them in return, and take a few photos, pointing at Niall on their shirts. Wishing them a good time, you start making your way around to the other side and back into the rest of the arena.

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

You finally make it backstage about halfway into Del Water Gap’s set. The bracelets had run out a while ago, but you enjoyed hanging out with the fans and lurking on them.

The band is chilling as you come into the doorway of the green room. Your eyes search the roof for that familiar face, and you frown slightly when you can’t find him. Emily looks up and smiles at you. She points to her right and you look down the hall at the door to Niall’s room. She laughs and catches the kiss you blow in her direction and several others look up and laugh as you disappear down the hall.

His door is open and you stick close to the doorframe as you watch him. He’s in his pants and tank top, vest hanging on the back of his chair. Standing there, you take a minute to admire him. Niall has always, always been attractive to you. Blonde, brunette, scrawny, now more filled out, it’s never mattered to you. He just has this energy, this joy and confidence that makes him so easy to love, even when it once used to be in secret.

“Uh oh, don’ be gettin’ dat look in your eye.” Your eyes meet and you shake your head at him.

“And what look is that?”

Niall wiggles his eyebrows, shoulders shimmying slightly. “Like ya wish ya could ravish me. I hate to say it, love, but we just don’t have time right now.”

You snort and roll your eyes, fully coming into the room and walking over to his chair. He turns to face you better and even with his silly grin, you can’t help but reach out to cradle his face in both hands. Leaning down, you feel him tilt his head up to you, his eyes shining. Your lips brush against his lightly, and you can feel the twitch of his body when you pull just slightly out of reach after so little affection. With a sigh, your fingers brush the short hairs at the nape of his neck. “Hate to break it to you, Horan, but we aren’t all slags like you. Some of us can keep it in our pants for a whole concert.”

Niall jerks slightly back from you, slightly shocked for only a moment before he smiles and his hands grab your waist to drag you onto his lap. He grasps you firmly, fingers digging in as he tickles you. “Oh ‘m a slag am I? Gotta talk ta whoever is teaching ya language like that, babe.”

You laugh, pulling at his fingers in an effort to make the torture stop. “It was Deo! It was Deo!” Niall laughs at your shouting, finally ceasing his assault on your sides and just winds his arms around your middle.

“Always knew that guy was trouble.” He mumbles, humming slightly as your fingers massage his neck.

“Well,” you draw out the word. “I’d say trouble honestly runs in the family.” Niall snorts, rolling his eyes. His hold on you tightens and his head drops forward to rest on your sternum. “Also, I feel like I’ve been letting you watch too much Bridgerton if you’re using words like ‘ravish’.”

You both laugh lightly, your embrace and the moment becoming softer. “I don’ know about lettin’ me since you’re the one who always turns it on.”

“Debatable.”

In a regular day, you’d expect more of a silly fight with Niall. Tonight, however, it’s not shocking that he just huffs out a laugh against your skin and murmurs, “Whatever ya say, love.”

Your fingers continue to massage his neck and Niall’s arms tighten a bit more around you. The music from his opener plays faintly in the background and you can hear his band milling about in the other room. In this moment, it’s just the two of you, wrapped around each other, content.

“Hey,” you say softly, gently pulling his head up to meet his eyes. “I’m gonna be sappy for a few seconds, and then we’re gonna move on because we do not have time for tears right now.” Niall huffs out a laugh, but says nothing. Staring into those striking blue eyes of his eyes, you take a breath. “I am so, so, so incredibly proud of you, Niall James. You are so talented and you’ve worked your cute little ass off to get here. You are the most amazing person in my life and I’m so lucky that I get to be here with you. I’m so lucky that I get to stand beside you while you live your dreams. There is nowhere else I’d ever want to be then here with you.” There is a burning right behind your eyes and you know they’re shining with the possibility of tears. Niall isn’t much better as he listens to you, hands gripping your sides. You smile and crinkle your nose, trying to lighten the mood. “Plus, like I said, that’s one cute little Irish ass you got there, so I’m pretty much the luckiest girl on the planet.”

He laughs and shakes his head. Leaning in, he pulls you closer and you hum softly at the touch of his lips on yours. The kiss is firm, but short and soft, as the door is open and the two of you know you can get carried away.

Drawing back, Niall just looks at you, enjoying the way your cheeks tint slightly pinker at his staring. “Ya know,” he says, clearing his throat. “I do agree that me ass is cute, but I don’ know about little.” He smirks, throwing his head back in laughter when you roll your eyes and shove his shoulder. He opens his mouth to say something else, but a knock on the doorframe interrupts. Nodding at the crew member who tells him it’s time to get on stage, his eyes meet yours and you can see the nerves returning.

Grabbing his face, you kiss him one more time, pouring all of your love and pride into it. You rest your forehead against his and breathe him in for just a moment. When your eyes meet again, he looks less nervous and more determined and you lean in. “Go give them a fucking show, Niall Horan.”

The smile he gives you is almost blinding.

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

It’s emotional watching Niall perform.

You’ve seen him play so many times at this point, but you know this one is special. Everyone in the room knows this one is special.

Niall is looking around the packed arena, eyes shining as he takes it all in. From your spot at the side of the stage, you can see how crazy the fans are going. It’s a contrast to the first time you saw him on tour by himself, flying to Dublin to surprise your best friend. It’s crazy to think about your life back then. To think about how far not only Niall had come, but how far the two of you had come together.

You’d thought your life had changed the day you and Niall had admitted having feelings for each other. And, in a lot of ways, it had. But it had really started to change after Orlando. After Robbie.

"I guess I'll take this as my queue to back off then, love?" He chuckles, eyebrows moving suggestively as he looks between the two of you. "Don't think you'd be too keen on sharing, eh Horan?"

Niall goes rigid in front of you, nostrils flaring slightly as he releases a breath. "Don't think I would, no, mate." He practically bites the end of the last word and your mind returns to you as you wrap your hand around his bicep.

"Let's just get back to the group, alright?" You ask softly, fully aware that while Niall isn't a violent man, he'd do just about anything to protect you.

"Yeah Nialler," Robbie says, and you catch his smirk again when Niall's jaw clenches. "Let's just put this behind us and get back to the party."

Niall pushes off the door, grabbing your hand in his. He pulls you past Robbie, who shrugs with that stupid smirk on his face and shoves his hands into his pockets before he follows behind you both.

Robbie had not only been a creep, but he’d also ended up being an absolute asshole. It had been a shock to you, but sadly not to Niall when it had come out that Robbie had been using you. He’d known you were close with Niall. He’d spent weeks figuring out a way to get close to you, practically stalking you. And when you and Niall had finally had your first real kiss, Robbie had been hiding down the hall, filming all of it.

The video had dropped during Niall’s Atlanta show. While a grainy video of a celebrity making out with his best friend wasn’t a huge deal, the fans and tabloids had blown the story up. Every part of Niall’s life and every part of your life had been scrutinized. It hadn’t made for the best beginning to a relationship and, in the end, you’d left before the tour bus had reached Chicago, the two of you agreeing that some separation was a good idea.

It had been hard on you. And you knew it had been hard on Niall too. The different ways you’d both handled it had kept you apart even longer. You’d buried yourself in work, taking assignment after assignment just to avoid thinking about all of it. Niall had returned to the road for his Flicker World Tour. Neither of you had reached out to the other.

And then there had been Hailee.

Now that…that had hurt.

Even though you and Niall had never made any promises to each other at the time and hadn’t had any discussions about dating, it had been hard to see when the news hit. But you knew Hailee, at least casually. And you knew she and Niall had been in a somewhat similar situation to the two of you. Despite how short their relationship was, if you wanted to call it that, it had been all anyone around you could talk about. They’d only been together a few months during the early days of his World Tour, but even then it had wrecked you. After it was over, Niall had reached out. The two of you spent days talking, back and forth, phone calls, texts and FaceTimes. Niall had confessed that he’d leaned heavily on her because he felt lost without you and it had all spiraled a little out of his control. He’d apologized a ridiculous number of times and you’d finally had to tell him to stop, because what truly did he have to apologize for? So the two of you kept talking. And then, slowly but surely, your friendship repaired and when Niall asked you to join him for the last few weeks of his tour, you hadn’t been able to say no.

Things hadn’t immediately felt normal. Everyone could tell you and Niall were awkward around each other. They all tried to play it cool and diffuse the tension, but it was definitely difficult all the way around. After the tour had ended in September that year, the two of you had decided it was time to sit down and really talk about everything. The talk ended up with the both of you holed up in Niall’s LA house for over a week. There had been screaming, crying, every emotion possible, but it had all culminated in the decision to try again.

Your second beginning had been much easier. Well, as easy as dating in the public eye can be. It had been agreed that you would actually take it slow. So, you’d moved your stuff out of Niall’s house and stayed with some friends. He’d come to pick you up and taken you out on real, slightly normal dates. It had been really nice to sort of get to know each other again. Heartbreak had changed both of you, but in the end, it had been for the better because it had led you here. Four and a half years later, everything was different.

You watched Niall walk over to the piano, ready to play his first ballad of the night. The crowd was going absolutely wild and you could see from the look on his face just how unbelievable this all was to him. He sits down and just looks around for a minute and the roaring intensifies.

“Good evening Madison Square Garden,” He says, leaning against the piano. The crowd shrieks. Niall laughs sightly. “What is life?” You laugh at that, already feeling the sting of tears as you watch him try to contain his own emotions. He welcomes them to the show and then raises his arms. “We made it!” All he can do is look around in awe as the crowd starts screaming again. He’s shaking his head and it takes everything in you to stay in your spot when all you want is to hug him tight. It gets even more difficult when he actually leans over and you can tell he’s letting some of the tears flow. It’s amazing how much Niall’s fans love him and how much he truly appreciates everything they do for him. He tells you all the time that he still doesn’t believe his life is real.

“Scared ‘m gonna wake up one day and it’s all gonna be a dream.” His head is on your chest, arm gripping tightly at your hip. Your nails lightly scratch his scalp and he nuzzles into you further. “What could I have possibly done ta deserve all dis? Just some kid from Mullingar.” He mumbles the last part into your skin.

With a frown, you look down at him and shift slightly onto your side and shuffle down the bed. He lets out an adorable whine that he’ll deny later, but adjusts with you and you end up facing each other. Burying your hand in his hair, your fingers tug just slightly and he looks up at you. “Just some kid? You’re Niall Motherfucking-Boss-Babe Horan.”

“That’s not me middle name.”

You ignore him. “You deserve everything good in this world and anyone that says any different will have to deal with me.”

He grins at you, visible only by the moonlight streaming in through the window. “And what would ya do about it, huh? Know how you feel about violence, love.”

“Well, in order to defend your honor, I’d do whatever necessary.”

His hand glides up your side and over your shoulder to tangle in your hair. “Whatever necessary, huh?” You hum and nod. “So, ya’d get in the ring for me? Duke it out?”

“If I had to.” He tugs lightly on your hair and your head falls back.

Shifting closer, Niall plants a kiss on your exposed neck, rubbing his stubble against you just how he knows you like. “Hmmm, would pay good money to see you duel for me, darlin’.” Letting go of your hair, he skims his hand back down your body, squeezing your thigh as he pulls it up over his hip. He moves even closer, pressing himself against you as his lips trail over your neck. “Maybe you could challenge my enemies to some mud wrestlin’. Wouldn’t mind dat at all.”

You snort, one hand on his back, the other back in his hair. “You’re such a guy, Ni.”

“A guy who’s utterly mad about ya.”

You both laugh, eyes meeting as you hold each other. Then, after a few moments, you pull Niall’s mouth to yours, whispering against his lips as you roll until he’s hovering over you. “Prove it.”

You smile at the memory now, arena lit up as the crowd audience all hold up their phone lights. As the piano fades out, Niall smiles out at them and the stage lights go dark.

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

The curtain drops as the band prepares for their encore. Every one of them is bouncing in excitement, looking at each other and just laughing as the crowd goes wild just beyond the piece of fabric. Niall stands in the middle of the stage, shaking his hands out and smiling so wide that you just know his face hurts. There’s barely any light back here, but you can see the moment he spots you. Always drawn to each other like magnets.

He rushes over to you, impressively not stumbling a bit in the dark. Strong arms reach for you, pulling you in and he tucks his face into your neck. His body is practically vibrating, he has so much energy. The roar of the crowd is deafening and you can hear them chanting his name. Your hands rub at is sweaty neck and the back of his soaked tank top. The band starts getting ready to play again and you lean in the plant a kiss on the side of Niall’s head. His lips against your neck curve in a smile and he squeezes you one last time before he pulls back and runs back out into the middle of the stage.

You smile, bouncing around in the wings as the curtain opens to the sounds of “Heartbreak Weather” and thundering cheers from the crowd.

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

“I am exhausted in da best possible fuckin’ way.” You laugh as Niall plops down on the couch in your hotel room. “Could sleep for ten years.”

Walking over to him, you force him to sit up, helping him shrug off the grey vest and chucking it into the empty side of his suitcase nearby. “Well, you definitely can’t do that considering you have another show to play tomorrow night.”

Niall groans, lifting his arms slightly as you strip off his tank top. “And anoter one after dat. Why did I agree to dat?”

“I cannot help you figure that one out, babe. No one asked me what I thought about your schedule.” You laugh when he flops back on the couch again, arms flung dramatically over his eyes. “Ok, come on big guy, let’s get you in the shower and then ice your poor knees. You have got to stop kneeling on stage.” Niall resists as you attempt to pull him up. “Niall!” You laugh, pulling his arms off his face and attempting to pull him off the couch.

His face scrunches up, eyes glinting at he mock glares at you. “Ya can’t be mean to me. I just played da most famous arena in the world.”

Staring at him for a moment, eyes narrowed, you just shake your head and let go of his arms. “Alright,” You comply, stepping back only a few inches. “If you don’t want to get up and shower and take care your knees, you don’t have to.”

Niall nods, slumping further into the soft cushions. “That’s what I thought.”

“Guess I just won’t be able to give you your present for being so incredible on stage tonight.” With a sad shrug, you tug at the bottom of your shirt, looking at the floor for a second. “Oh well.”

You move as if to walk away, but Niall sits up, hand grabbing your arm before you can go too far. “Wait.” He’s looking at you intently now and it’s all you can do to keep your giggles at bay over teasing him. “What’s me present?”

“No, no, you want to lay on the couch, all sweaty and smelly, so I’ll leave you to that.”

“But!” It’s only how tired he is after the show that lets you pull out of his grasp and walk into the bedroom. Once in there, you wait a minute, biting your lip to hold in your laughter. Niall finally calls out to you. “Babe!”

Slowly, you move to lean on the bedroom doorway, looking at him as innocently as you can. “Yes, honey?”

Niall’s glare is probably slightly more real now, but his eyes are still shining with amusement when he holds out his arms. “Come help me up so I can shower and me hot, amazing girlfriend can give me a present.” You raise your eyebrow, then crinkle your nose as if in thought. He groans again, huffing out a short laugh. “Darlin’, please!”

You push yourself off the doorway. “Oh fine. I guess you did earn it.” He lets out a real laugh and it’s your turn to groan as he makes you do most of the work pulling him up. “Let’s go superstar.” Turning to lead him, you shriek as he presses himself against your back, fingers tickling your sides and starts walking you both quickly towards the bathroom.

“Dat was not very nice love.” He breathes out against your neck as you both stumble into the bathroom and he shuts the door. He’s grinning at you when you manage to get away from him, leaning back against the sink.

Smirking back at him, you shrug. “Just trying to get you motivated, babe.”

He nods, stepping towards you. His rough fingertips find your hips, pushing up and under your shirt, just above the top of your jeans. Leaning in to you, he squeezes the flesh of your sides. “’m pretty motivated now. Any chance I could get me present a little early?”

You run your hands down his chest, admiring the way his heart is beating and the shaky breath he takes in when you reach for his belt. “I mean, I guess I could give you part of it now. Since you were so amazing on stage tonight and you managed to get off the couch.” Niall nods, eyes tracking your lips with his eyes right before he leans in. Your fingers make quick work of his belt and the button on his pants, swallowing his groan when one of your hands disappears beneath the fabric.

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

Later, you’re both tucked into bed, skin against skin, just listening to the sounds of the city outside. You know it’s late, but neither of you are asleep just yet. Head on Niall’s chest, you listen to his heartbeat, feel the rise and fall as he breathes. The hand on your back slowly taps, something Niall only does when he’s thinking hard.

“Ni.” You say softly, rubbing your hand over his chest. His other hand reaches for yours, fingers intertwining as he hums in acknowledgement. “I know I’ve already said it, but I’m so proud of you. Honestly, I don’t know when I’ll stop saying it because you continue to amaze me every single day.” His chest hitches just slightly under you. “Watching you perform, seeing you on stage…” You breath in, attempting to quell your own emotions. “I’m reminded every single day how truly amazing you are. How much you love what you do and how much you appreciate everyone around you. This incredible, talented, humble, beautiful man that I am so lucky that I get to even be on the planet at the same time as him.” A few tears slip out and you sniffle lightly.

“Love.” He whispers, the hand on your back reaching up to stroke your hair.

You shake your head and move to sit up, face him as he lounges on the pillows. Smiling at him, you wipe the tears off your cheeks. “Ugh, I’m always a blubbering mess around you, Horan.”

Chuckling, he reaches up and runs the pad of thumb under your eye. “Yeah, but you’re my blubberin’ mess and I wouldn’t have it any oter way.” That makes you giggle and you lean over to kiss him, pressing against him, needy for the feel of him against you. “I love you so much.” The words are whispered against your lips.

“I love you too.”

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

Part Two Coming Soon

[take-a-cchonce]

I FINALLY HAVE THE COVER MADE Y'ALL

I plan to have the first chapter up by Saturday (Sunday at best)

I'll post it here and on Wattpad! same user id 🤗

I don't wanna reveal a lot as of yet but...

It's a grumpy x sunshine fic. (he's not the grump hehe)

Oh also, i made this using AI and can I just say it's so fckn scary like 😭I asked it to put some guinness on the table and it did it so accurately istg its so scary. but anyways can't wait for y'all to read it 💕

[ameliora-j]

— favorite girl 𐐪𐑂 niall horan

𐐪𐑂 summary -> you accidentally push yourself too far into subspace and soft dom!niall takes over

𐐪𐑂 content -> fem!reader, smut, masturbation [f!receiving], overstimulation, squirting, subspace, toy use, dominant/submissive themes, personal assistant!reader, crybaby!reader, soft dom!niall, daddy kink, praise, casual dominance, lots of pet names [pet, petal, princess], tooth rotting fluff and a bit of domesticity, basically an aftercare fic, 18+ ONLY MDNI

𐐪𐑂 words -> 2.6k

The sexual frustration had been bubbling in your core for as long as you could remember. Niall didn’t mean to neglect you, truly… But with The Voice, and then his album release, and merch, and tour dates bleeding together with festival dates, his schedule had become hectic. And as his assistant, so had your’s. It’s not like you could put ‘dick me down’ into his calendar either.

Well, you could… But you felt that it’d be quite immature. So now here you lay, sprawled across the bed you shared with him, a thick toy plunging into your g spot over and over. You’d lost count of how many times you’d made yourself tip over the edge, each orgasm bleeding together with the last. Tears of overstimulation prickled the corners of your eyes and you were nearly ready to give up.

The problem isn’t that you needed release—clearly that had already happened more than enough. However, no matter how big or thick the toy is, or how many times it plunges into that spot that makes you see stars… Nothing is Niall. Nothing would ever compare to the way that he made you feel, thus you were now bordering along orgasm number six and still weren’t satiated.

Not for lack of trying, however. You’d been at it for the better part of three hours, starting off slow and teasing yourself the way Niall always did, then slowly picking up the pace until you were blindly overstimulating yourself, your hips chasing the toy subconsciously in search of that spark Niall ignited inside you. Unfortunately, it never came. And that’s how you became a mess on the bed.

Tears streaked down your cheeks as you gasped and wheezed for breath. The stimulation of your cunt was beginning to hurt. Slowly bleeding in from pleasure to burning pain. You wanted nothing more than to get away from the overstimulation, but your hips couldn’t help but chase the feeling as you searched for something only Niall could give you.

For a moment, everything stopped. Your leg was lifted in the air, arm beginning to cramp as you continued to shove the toy into your cunt. The world began spinning slower, and your vision slowly faded until it was completely blocked by a milky white cloud of euphoria. Your legs shook violently, your body convulsing as the toy slipped from your hand.

You lay in the middle of the bed, panting quietly as you tried to catch your breath while your body shook atop the comforter. Beneath you was a puddle of your own arousal and sweat, and only when you noticed how wet your body had become did the reality of the situation begin to daunt on you.

You just touched yourself. You just used a toy. You just made yourself cum… Multiple times—all of these without Niall’s permission. You broke so many rules. He’s gonna be so mad at you. Your heart began beating faster in your chest, now out of fear rather than exhaustion. You bolted from the bed, quickly getting yourself cleaned up and into one of his shirts before taking the sheets down to the laundry.

Your legs were unsteady as you walked around the house, and your mind unfocused. Niall would be home soon, and likely expecting dinner on the table the way you’d always had. So, that’s what you did… Or rather, that’s what you attempted to do. Your mind was so fuzzy, and your brain so unfocused that you ended up burning the pasta for your chicken fettuccine. The chicken baked improperly, and ended up tasting rubbery, and the garlic bread was too garlicky.

Nothing came out right, and you were so overwhelmed that by the time Niall was opening the front door, tears had begun spilling over your visage. “Hey Pet. I’m ho…” Niall cut off his own sentence, freezing in his tracks as he saw your state. “Pet? What happened?” He asked, panic and worry laced in his voice.

“I’m sorry” you whined out quietly. “I’m sorry Daddy, I burned dinner. And I messed everything up” you hiccuped out. “I was so bad I’m sorry, I’m sorry” you rushed out, now borderline sobbing.

Niall’s heart cracked, and his arms wrapped around you tightly. “Oh baby, it’s okay” he murmured. “It’s okay, princess. We can just order a pizza, yeah? Daddy’s not mad” he whispered softly, gently stroking your hair. “Not mad at you, jus please stop crying. Hate it when you’re so sad” he frowned softly.

“No, I broke the rules!” You sobbed roughly. Niall’s frown turned to one of confusion now, rather than pure sadness. He rubbed your back gently, pulling back a bit to gaze properly at you.

“What are you on about, Petal?” He hummed gently, squeezing lightly at your hip. He did everything he usually would, working to calm you down so that he could fully understand what was going on and why his girl was so distraught.

You took a deep breath, wheezing a bit as you struggled through your tears. Niall cooed at you in encouragement as you did your breathing techniques. Once you had calmed down, you began to divulge how you'd been so bad, breaking his rules. “I’m sorry, Daddy” you sniffled. “I was so needy and you were so busy. Know ‘s against the rules but I used my toy. Came so many times but it wasn’t the same. Needed you” you whined quietly, knuckling at your eyes. You took another breath, attempting to keep your tears at bay. “Touched myself, used my toy, ‘n made myself cum. Didn’ ask Daddy if I could, that's bad,” you finished. “I’m sorry for being a bad girl, Daddy… I’ll take whatever punishment you give me” your whispered.

“Oh, Petal…” Niall whispered softly. He pulled you closer, gently running his fingers through your hair. He lifted you then, carrying you to the couch and sitting with you on his lap. He pulled you to his chest, rocking gently with you in his hold to aid you in relaxing. “Daddy’s not been good to you lately, has he?” He asked softly, gently moving your hair away from your face.

You stayed quiet, afraid that he was taunting you after you’d broken so many of his rules. Nervous that he was trying to trap you into making your own punishment worse as he so often did. But you couldn’t handle that right now, you were too soft. Niall, being the oh so attentive and loving dom that he is, recognized that. He saw the unfocused and glossy look in your eyes, the distraction and frustration the moment he stepped into the door and watched you cooking dinner. Only, he didn’t realize how bad it was until you finished explaining what had tipped you to this point.

“‘S okay Pet, you can be honest” he hummed. “Been ignoring you, haven’t given my Princess the proper attention she deserves” he continued on. “Wasn’t a very good Daddy, was I?” He asked gently.

“No, Daddy…” You whispered shyly, gently nosing against his neck in search of more comfort. He squeezed your hip lightly, humming as he held you closer. You sighed in content, closing your eyes as your body fully relaxed against him.

“There’s my girl” he whispered, stroking your hip with his thumb as he felt you become malleable in his hold. “I’m sorry I haven’t been payin’ attention to you, sweetheart. I’ve been so distracted by work. That’s no excuse though, is it?” He asked. The question was rhetorical, and you knew as much when he continued on to answer it on his own. “Should always have time to take care of the prettiest girl in the world” he smiled softly, gently kissing your nose. “I love you, sweet girl. My good girl” he smiled softly.

“Good girl” you echoed quietly, nodding as you held him tighter. He smiled softly, pressing another kiss to your head.

“What do you say we have a bath and then cuddle a bit, hmm?” he asked softly. “I’ll get your hair all done, get you nice and comfortable for bed” he murmured, kissing across your shoulders. “Can order a pizza and put on that show you love so much, that sound good baby?” He asked softly.

“Sounds good, Daddy” you whispered, bobbing your head gently in a nod.

“It’s okay princess, ‘s just Niall now, hmm?” He smiled softly, kissing your head. “Think you’ll be okay if I go and clean up the kitchen?” He asked softly. You nodded once more, and with that he stood. He tucked the throw blanket around your slightly-shivering form and went to the kitchen. He was quick to clean up the mess before coming back to carry you into your shared master bathroom.

° 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ° 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ ° 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ

Once in the bathroom, Niall set you down on top of the counter. He kissed your head before he turned and ran the water, making sure that it was the right temperature for you. He shot you a charming smile as he went back over to the cabinet you were sitting on top of. “What kind of bubbles do you want, Pet?” He asked softly, planting a gentle kiss to your calf as he kneeled between your legs in front of the cabinet.

“Um…” You hummed softly as you thought, chewing gently on your nails. “The lavender one” you finally decided, looking down at him with a shy smile.

“Take your fingers out of your mouth, beautiful” he mumbled, kissing the inside of your knee as he said it. He was firm in his words, but gentle in his kiss—speaking to you in the way he always did in this state of mind. This way, you knew it was an order, but you also knew he wasn’t mad at you. You murmured a quick apology, pulling your hand away from your mouth. He simply kissed your leg once more, letting you know all was okay before grabbing the lavender bath salts and bubbles.

He stood again, kissing your gently puckered lips and causing a giggle to spill past your lips. The sound was music to his ears, especially after hearing your heartbreaking sobs just minutes ago. He couldn’t help the smile that broke out onto his face as he saw your happiness return. “I love you, Pet,” he smiled softly.

“I love you too, NiNi” you whispered. The nickname let him know that you were slowly returning to your usual self, though the fog in your brain hadn’t fully cleared up yet. He turned, pouring the bubbles and salts into the water before returning them back to their rightful place beneath the sink.

Once the bath was full, Niall turned to you. He saw you nod, and knew you wanted him to undress you rather than do it yourself. He smiled in adoration, walking the short distance to you once more. He kissed your head, unable to stop himself from adorning your skin with his gentle lips for what felt like the hundredth time since he got home. Niall was soft as he unbuttoned his shirt, pushing it from your shoulders to leave you bare before helping you out of your underwear. “Do you want me to sit in with you or stay out here, Petal?” He asked you gently, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear so he could get a better look at your pretty face.

“In please” you answered softly. And Niall would never say no to you anyway, but with that pretty pout and those wide eyes, he was already a complete goner; unbuttoning his shirt and pulling it off of himself as he got ready to bathe with you. Once he was bare, he lifted you from the counter and sat in the bath with you in front of him, between his spread legs. When buying a house, Niall had taken into consideration your love for baths after he fucked you into oblivion—and right now he was thankful he remembered so as the two of you sat comfortably in the hot water.

° 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ° 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ ° 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ

The bathing part of your bath was over quickly, washing you off always being the first thing Niall did. He noticed how sweaty your body had become from your overstimulation earlier on through the thin cotton of his white shirt you wore—thusly, he washed your hair for you as well. Even with Niall washing your hair, and cleaning your body of your sticky arousal and multiple orgasms, the bathing was over within fifteen minutes.

Your body still wasn’t fully calmed down by then, and therefore when Niall asked if you were ready to get out yet, you simply whined in protest. It had now been at least forty minutes since Niall had put the two of you in the bath. The water had begun to cool, slowly losing its relaxing aura the colder the water became. This time when Niall asked you if you were ready to exit, you nodded sleepily and yawned quietly.

Niall gently moved you, climbing out first and wrapping a towel around his hips. He unplugged the bath, grabbing your fluffy towel and lifting you from the water, wrapping it around your body. “Want me to brush your teeth for you, Princess?” He hummed softly.

“No, I can do it” you nodded softly, smiling at him. “Thank you, Ni” you murmured. He smiled, kissing your nose as he grabbed your toothbrush and toothpaste for you. He let you know that he was going to get new sheets on the bed while you brushed, and you nodded in reply. While Niall made the bed, you brushed your teeth and got your skincare done. By the time you were walking out of the bathroom, Niall was putting the pillows back on the bed.

“Hi, pretty girl” he smiled softly, walking over to you. He wore sweatpants now, foregoing a shirt as he wrapped his arms around you in a hug. “Feelin’ better now?” He asked softly.

“Yeah, Ni” you whispered, nodding softly. You puckered your lips once more, and he obliged your silent request, leaning down and kissing you softly. “I love you” you whispered as the two of you pulled back.

“I love you, Petal” he echoed, kissing your head. “Let’s get you comfortable, hmm?” He smiled, carrying you over to the bed. He sat you down, going to your drawers to grab panties and one of his white t-shirts. He gently put them on you, helping you to put lotion on before detangling your hair.

He finished getting you ready for bed and got you beneath the covers, climbing in with you and pulling you close. He reached over to the bedside table and grabbed the remote, handing it to you. “Thanks, Ni” you whispered, turning on the TV and flicking to your favorite show as he took out his phone to order a pizza.

“Food’s on the way, baby” he murmured after a while, kissing your temple.

“You’re so good to me, Ni” you whispered softly, gazing up at him from where you were cuddled into his side.

“Only the best for my favorite girl” he smiled softly, kissing your nose gently.

° 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ° 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ ° 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ

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[justmeinatree]

Let Passion Get Too Much

Summary : niall x louis x reader threesome. that’s all it is.

TW : smut, threesome, anal, double penetration

Word Count : 3.2k

the timing could not have been worse. and why the fuck do connecting doors to hotel rooms not come automatically locked ? neither niall or yourself ever even thought of checking. assuming, for obvious security purposes, that the door would absolutely be locked.

maybe it was the fact that you knew louis was staying on the other side, the fact that actual danger wasn’t present. 

but now, you wholeheartedly wished one of you had checked. because niall was laying on the bed, back sitting slightly up against the headboard, stark naked. and you were on your knees, next to him, hand rolling down niall’s rock hard length, spreading a bead of precum, also stark naked. 

with a bit of pressure on his cock, niall’s eyes closed, a breathy whine could be faintly heard from the back of his throat, making you literally dribble arousal onto the mattress beneath you. 

and that’s the moment louis comes waltzing in, “did i leave my smokes here ?” he asks, looking around the room, not having looked up at you yet.

both you and niall do nothing but stare at louis, frozen into position, your hand wrapped around the base of niall’s cock, one of niall’s hands gripped into your ass. 

but then louis looks up, takes in the scene in front of him, eyes wide, “fuckin hell, please dont cover up on my account,” he exclaims sarcastically.

“teach you to fuckin knock mate,” niall’s hand leaves your body, scrubbing over his face, groaning, “could you please hurry up. we’re kind of busy, yeah”

louis shakes his head, keeping his eyes down, looking around the seating area of the hotel room, where you’d all spent the evening passing joints around, and catching up.

“can’t fuckin find them,” louis mutters to himself, loud enough to make niall groan again, “c’mon louis.”

but you look over at niall, and christ, he knows that look all too well. you want something. something that surely isn’t going to necessarily be in his favour, judging by the size of puppy eyes you were flashing.

and then it dawns on him. a conversation you’d had a long time ago. about wanting to have a threesome. you wanted to try it, finally felt comfortable enough with a partner to know that you’d be totally safe. and with that in mind, other than niall, louis’ the next person in line, in terms of comfort.

“you can’t be fuckin serious,” niall blurts out, eyes locked on yours. “s’him you want ?”

because you’d never explicitly mentioned a name, just said that you’d know it when the time was right. and honestly, what could be more right time than this ?

“hey, you said you wouldn’t judge,” you pout at him, puppy eyes getting bigger, as you look down at him.

“christ, m’not judging, just- c’mon, it’s louis,” niall groans, scrubbing his face again. this was not how niall imagined his night going. he never imagined you’d pick louis of all people. although the more he thinks about it, the more it seems fairly comfortable for everyone. 

but louis’ ears perk up at the mention of his name, looking over again, keeping his eyes up by your faces now that he knows he has to. “sorry, sorry, fuck, they’re not here. i’ll leave, sorry again.”

“louis, wait,” niall calls out, making your eyes go wide, figuring this means that he’s agreed.

louis turns around, looking over at niall, “what is it ?”

niall takes a deep breath, looking over louis with a bit of a chuckle, “christ- “ he cuts himself off, looking at you again, “sure about this ?”

you quickly nod, looking over at louis, “join us ?” you ask lightly, as if it was the easiest thing in the world. because to you it was. by now, you’d become really close friends with louis. you were incredibly comfortable with him, there was no shame or awkward discomfort for you in this conversation.

“you- what ?” louis laughs, “are you serious ?”

“please, louis,” you look over at him, biting your lip, crawling off the bed, leaving niall to sit up straighter against the headboard, watching the interaction between you two.

louis’ eyes roam the expanse of your exposed self as you approach him, he was only human afterall, but your body is quickly shielded from his gaze, as you step right up to him, body pressed against his.

his eyes flick over to niall, as his hands instinctively went to your hips, checking in with him, only to find niall nodding back at him, giving him the okay, “s’her you should be checking with.”

as louis’ eyes land on yours again, he finds you smiling back at him, “s’okay to touch. i want you to. will you please join us ?” at the flash of hesitation in his eyes, you add softly, “no shame, louis. if you don’t want to, just say, we’ll never mention it again.”

you watch as his gaze flick between you and niall, two of his best mates, whom are dating and have been for quite some time. but he doesn’t want to say no. he’s curious. 

“what are the rules then ?” louis asks softly, smirking down at you, a wide smile taking over your features, as you make your way back to the bed, pulling him behind you.

you crawl back up onto the mattress, your hand colliding with louis’ chest as he attempts to follow you, his eyebrows furrowing. “gotta strip first,” you smile at him, wanting him naked.

louis chuckles, stripping his clothes off quickly, not wanting to think this through too much, going on feeling, joining you and niall on the bed, looking at you both expectantly, “anything i shouldn’t do then ?”

you look over at niall, having a silent conversation with your eyes, niall shaking his head, “for tonight, nothing’s off limits. we just go with the flow. if anything’s ever not feeling good, we speak up.”

at that, you nod, looking over at louis, who’s nodding as well, his fingertips gliding down your backbone, following the dip in your back, rounding out over your bum.

niall reaches for your hand, pulling you close again, to lock his lips with yours, his cock still incredibly hard.

you groan, getting momentarily lost in the kiss, swinging your leg over his, straddling his thighs, as your hands tangle into his hair.

louis comes up behind you, both hands gripping into the swell of your ass, spreading you apart, his hardening length gliding between your cheeks, biting his lip as he watches.

“think you’ll be able to take us both, love ?” louis asks, watching the head of his dick catch on your puckered hole. watching your body clench every single time.

you whimper against niall’s lips, pulling away momentarily to answer louis, “fuck yes, please. want you both. wanna be so full.”

“such a good girl hmm ?” louis murmurs, pulling his member away from you, in favour of watching his thumb roll around your hole, pressing gently, massaging your tight ring of muscles. “just want to please, dont you ?”

“she’s the fuckin best,” niall hums, biting on your lip, his fingertips tickling over your tummy on their way to grope your breasts, thumbing over your pert nipples. “can’t wait to show off what she can do.”

your hips roll down against niall’s cock, listening to them talk about you as if you weren’t right there, a glimmer of pride from your boyfriend, an intense turn on you seemingly didn’t even realize you had.

“getting a bit needy aren’t ya petal ?” niall groans, having been so hard for what feels like forever now. he watches you nod, your cunt dripping down onto niall’s length steadily, as he passes a bottle of lube over to louis. “she’s done this plenty. shouldn’t take too too much.”

you instantly feel the heat rising up your neck to your cheeks, embarrassment evident in your features now that louis knows you’ve enjoyed anal a bit more than you’ve ever cared to admit.

but niall knows you well, catching the look etched on your face, fingers darting out to smooth over your cheek, as you feel the dribble of cool lube leaving the bottle and hitting your hole.

you flinch slightly, feeling yourself clench, hiding your face in niall’s neck, feeling his hands run up and down your back in comfort, hearing him coo against your hair, “dont need to be embarrassed, pet.”

louis’ eyes flick up at the mention of embarrassment, just as the tip of his middle finger breaches your hole, a breathy moan now fogging up niall’s neck, “s’just me lovie,” louis hums, the tightness around his finger not going unnoticed. “fuckin love that you wanna take us both. love that you’re ready for it.”

louis works his way up to 3 fingers, twisting them around inside you, petting your inner walls, learning what it is that makes you moan loudest. so far, he’s absolutely obsessed with all your pretty sounds, loves that he’s the one able to elicit them from you too.

“think you’re ready, beautiful,” louis coos, his fingers slipping out of you, both hands now gripped into your bum again, watching the gape he’s created. “who’s going first ?”

“ni, please,” you whimper, blinking at niall, watching him nod, needing to feel some sort of relief, your cunt absolutely weeping for it.

“help me, petal,” niall hums, not having the best angle as you’re straddled onto him. without a second though, you reach down, sitting yourself onto his hard length, a loud relief filled moan echoing through the room, from both you and niall.

you work your hips over him a few times, head tipping back onto louis’ shoulder, biting your lip as you breathe in his musky scent. it was so different from niall, yet incredibly comforting as well.

louis’ face dips down to kiss along your shoulder and into your neck, leaving tentative licks as he does, getting a taste at your sweet self for the first time. he couldn’t deny ever having thoughts about you, he always thought you were gorgeous. but he’s met you as niall’s girlfriend, and learned to push the thoughts aside because of it.

but this moment, now that he’s gotten the okay, and he’s slowly pushing into you, his mind goes completely blank.

with your head still leaned on louis’ shoulder, your body starts lightly trembling, breathing getting shallow as you’ve never felt so incredibly full in your life, “fuck, fuck,” you whimper breathily, bottom lip quivering.

louis’ arms were wrapped around your body, holding you up against him, niall’s fingers digging into your hips, as louis’ cock slowly starts thrusting in and out of you, niall staying completely seethed inside you, feeling the drag and pull of his mate’s cock.

“christ, fuckin hell,” niall groans loudly, “can feel you. fuck, can feel you moving,” he whimpers, the overwhelming tightness of it all not only affecting you, but also both men. “gotta fuckin feel this, lou,” niall moans, hands darting out instinctively to grip into louis’ hips, stilling his movements inside you.

as niall starts to roll his hips, you moan louder, if at all possible, a shiver running through your entire body, the head of his cock grinding into your sweet spot deliciously hard, tucked into you with so much less space than usual. 

louis moans as well, one hand reaching out for niall’s arm, the glide of his friend’s cock adding to the intense pleasure, “christ mate, fuck. weren’t kidding eh ?” 

niall shakes his head, all three of you working through breathy pants, niall’s cock thrusting slowly, the overwhelming pressure, overwhelming sensitivity, overwhelming pleasure taking over all of your bodies.

it all starts to unravel for you when you feel louis’ hand gliding down your body, stilling over your stomach, and pressing down, making him feel the head of niall’s cock bumping into you with each thrust. “s’he filling you up good ? fuck, can you feel him in your tummy ? being so good for us, sweet girl. so fucking good.”

as he catches you nod, whining and biting your lip, your brain a little too lost to properly answer him, his hand keeps gliding down, fingertips flicking over your clit, you now really start to lose it. 

your head peels itself from louis’ shoulder, forehead resting on niall’s, your hands gripped tightly into his hair as some sort of anchor. your body starts steadily shaking, gasping for air, your body clenching with every passing flick of louis’ fingers on your sensitive button.

a loud guttural moan rips through you as your body seizes, intense pleasure coursing through your bloodstream, both louis and niall’s lengths pressed up deep inside you, feeling you clenched up tightly on them.

unable to hold himself back, with the tight vice grip you have on his cock, niall’s head drops to your chest, groaning, as he cums, spurts of hot white coating your inner walls, his grip tightened on louis’ hips.

“fuck, are you cumming too ?” louis groans breathily, peering over your shoulder to catch a glimpse of him.

“christ, how are you not ?” niall moans, another tremor wracking through his body, as your head falls back onto louis’ shoulder, panting for air, bottom lip trembling as silent tears falls from your eyes, wetting louis’ neck. “so fuckin tight, fuck, fuck,” niall adds, working to catch his breath.

he can hear louis chuckle, feel him slowly pull out and thrust back into you, niall whining loudly as he feels the drag against his overly sensitive prick, reaching back without thinking, fingernails dug into louis’ ass to keep him in place, “don’t you fucking dare.”

“sorry mate, sorry,” louis giggles, resting his head against yours, his hand gently petting your tummy, “feeling alright love ?” as you nod, taking a shuddering breath, making louis coo quietly, “s’a lot yeah ? feeling a bit overwhelmed ?”

“yeah,” you whisper, not trusting your voice entirely, as niall gains some composure, looking up at you, kissing the underside of your chin, “lemme pull out, petal.”

his hands glide from louis’ bum, back onto your hips, holding you steady as he pulls out of you, a large dribble of cum following suit.

you feel your body buckle, muscles going limp, louis being the only thing truly holding you up, as niall pecks a series of kisses over your chest.

“want me to pull out as well ?” you hear louis ask, immediately shaking your head, no. 

“want you to cum inside me too,” you murmur, no more embarrassment present, completely lax with the moment. 

“can i move then ?” he asks quietly, feeling you nod, as he hooks his finger under your chin, turning your face towards his, lips crashing onto yours in your first kiss, beginning to work his cock inside you again.

you whine, a bit sensitive, a quick shiver running down your spine, feeling niall drop down on the bed, shimmying himself further between your legs, his tongue taking a tentative lick at your folds, collecting some of his cum.

you moan louder against louis’ lips, one hand reaching down into niall’s hair on instinct, body relaxing further into louis’, your muscles rendered completely useless. 

louis’ eyes flick down, catching a glimpse at the dark brown tousle of hair between your legs, groaning, “you fuckin tasting yourself ?”

you can feel niall moan, nodding against you, the languid strokes of his tongue collecting each drip of his cum.

“always knew you were fuckin dirty,” louis chuckles breathily, feeling your body start to clamp down again, obviously overly sensitive. “s’ni making you feel good, love ?”

you nod, moaning out a series of yeses, your other hand, the one not in niall’s hair, reaching above you to bring louis’ face back up to yours, kissing him deeply, tongue quickly slipped into his mouth.

“s’louis making you feel good ?” niall asks, breath fanning over your abused cunt, his thumb coming up to swipe repeatedly from your entrance to your clit as he settles further, playfully taking one of louis’ balls in his mouth, pulling away with a pop.

“yes, yes, yes, fuck. everything’s so good,” you groan loudly, gasping for air, completely lost in the feeling of them.

louis groans louder as well, one hand leaving your body to grip into niall’s hair alongside yours, nails scratching at his scalp.

niall shudders, his cock starting to gain interest again, his hand working over himself as he licks his way back up to your clit. his other hand slides behind you, gripping into louis’ ass again, making his hips move faster, harder, working you up more.

“fuckin christ, so fuckin good,” louis groans, head tucked into your neck, arms wrapping around you tighter, thighs starting to shake.

as niall slips his tongue inside you, flicking it over your sensitive walls, louis shudders harder, teeth digging into the skin of your shoulder, whining loudly, “can feel your tongue. fuck, dont stop ni.”

so niall doesn’t stop, his tongue keeps flicking inside you, catching on the underside of louis’ cock through your walls. your body starts convulsing, louis sucking over the bite mark he’s left on you, thrusts growing more and more erratic, the more he feels. feels niall’s tongue. feels you squeezing down on him.

“gonna cum again pet ?” niall hums, mouth still pressed to your sopping cunt, his entire face stuffed against you, struggling to breathe, and not caring one bit, too caught up in the overwhelmingness of it all.

“mhmm, fuck,” you groan out loudly, another orgasm ripping through you, a string of curses coming from behind you, as louis finally lets go, filling you up to the brim.

as you start to come down, louis pulls out of you, niall giving your cunt one last kiss, shimmying his way out from under you, helping you lay down next to him, louis following suit.

“remind me to lose my smokes more often,” louis jokes, a breathy laugh escaping his lips, one hand up in his hair, working at regulating his breathing.

“only one thing left to do,” niall hums, leaning on his elbow to be propped up, looking over you at louis. “after all that, think i deserve a little smooch,” he smirks playfully.

“fuckin hell,” louis laughs, shaking his head, leaning up as well to press his lips to niall’s, both of them laughing through it all.

you hum, laying under them, smirking up at the scene before you, “definitely making a note to steal your smokes sometime.”

Part 2

……

Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist

[harrywavycurly]

Texting Boyfriend Niall Horan Part 2: Lunch

Masterlist: Here

CW: semi spicy if you kinda squint, mentions of sexual situations

A/N: I got asked for Niall being spicy and this is where my brain took it and I hope y’all enjoy and that it makes you giggle✨

[lovintasteslike]

Stone Cold Under Your Feet

One where drunk actions have harsh consequences

Word count: 700+

a/n: now whyd this actually take me so long. the ending is so trash. also I just saw a pic of niall getting kfc with basil standing behind him idk why that's so funny to me. anyways send me requests plsss

You wake to a sharp ringing and a glow illuminating the room from your bedside table, interrupting your dream of...who knows what. You think it must have been a good one as your brain tries to grasp onto sleep again.

Your arm remains sprawled onto your right hand side of the bed, Niall's side, as your brain processes the noise coming from behind you.

Once the ringing subsided, your eyes start to droop, breathing slowing, until you perk up, finally realizing that Niall hasn't come home from his night out with the boys.

Thought finally enters your brain as you reach your hand back in the direction of your phone, mindlessly trying to find it in the dark of your bedroom. You brush your fingers along it, then grasp it, bringing it to your face. Your eyes squint to adjust to the light. As you click on the 'missed call' notification, Deo's caller id returns to the screen.

You slide your finger across the screen to accept the call.

"Hello," You speak first, your voice groggy.

"Ya gotta come down 'ere, y/n."

"Hm? Whaddya mean..."

"They're saying Niall broke his foot. We're at t'emergency room by Queen's Arms. Y'might wanna see this."

The remaining drowsiness quickly drains out of you as you hear the words, "emergency room," out of Niall's cousins mouth. You throw the comforter off your body and rush to find some clothing, grabbing the first thing in sight. His beloved Speak Up sweatshirt.

"The emergency room- wha- why hasn't Niall called me." In a scramble to start the Range Rover (which you hate driving because of it's enormous size), your phone falls beneath the seats.

"Ah mate, he's completely out of it a' t'moment"

"Like you're any better," you mumble under your breath. "I- just- I'm coming, okay? I'm ten minutes out. Don't do anything stupid, I'm begging you."

Before he could even take a breath to respond, you hastily grab your phone, ending the call to focus on the road in front.

...

The emergency room practically empty this late at night, or...early in the morning, whatever it may be, the doctor leads you to your boyfriend. He pulls the curtain back to reveal Niall laying on the bed, eyes shut and tugging his fingers through his hair. His leg is propped up at the foot of the bed where a nurse stands, wrapping his leg with cloth.

She looks back towards you.

"Are you the spouse?"

Niall's eyes shoot open, lifting his head just enough to be able to make eye contact with you. Your lips tug slightly at the sight of Niall's distressed position, but you hold back. You look back to the nurse, sarcastically sighing.

"Unfortunately so," you let out humorously.

The kind nurse smiles. "I'll excuse myself to give you two some privacy."

You nod at her, mouthing a thank you.

Niall sits there with his hands in his lap, one resting on his thigh. You look at him with a sympathetic glance before moving closer, taking a seat beside him. His head falls onto your shoulder and your hand subconsciously comes up to play with his hair, offering him whatever comfort you can give.

Niall, glossy eyed either from the pain or the pints, looks up at you.

"Did they tell y'what happened?"

"Had to pry it out of Capaldi, but yea..."

A beat of silence goes by before he starts again. "Why'd ya come 'ere?" You look down at him, raising your eyebrows. "You'll be tired when ya go t'work tomorrow."

You click your tongue and nod your head side to side, telling him no. "Your foot is one step away from dangling off and you're worried about my sleep."

"Ya wanna see it?" He asks, grabbing the X-ray papers from the side of the bed. "It's gnarly stuff."

He opens the folded paper and you grimace in disgust at the sight of ligaments torn and misaligned from his foot.

"'M not leaving you alone at home while you're like THAT"

"Yer gonna stay home for me?" The puppy dog eyes stared lovingly at your face. "Awww," he says, placing a hand over his heart. He squeezes you tight in a hug. "Love ya so much, petal."

You groan. "God, you're so insufferable," rolling your eyes, dramatically.

"Ya love me. Want to take care of me. Ya love when 'm a li'l stupid after a few pints."

You cross your arms over your chest.

"Keep at it and I'll whack you so hard, you'll stay stupid."

"Oop- yes ma'am"

You raise your eyebrows at him, a breath of laughter escaping both of your lungs as Niall's head falls onto your shoulder. Peace consuming the both of you, despite this ridiculous situation.

[stellatekintsugi]

Niall Horan

[jezebelblues]

𝐈𝐍 𝐁𝐎𝐃𝐘 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃 | 𝐇.𝐒 ݁ᛪ༙ ꫂ ၴႅၴ ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

ᝰ.ᐟ 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐮𝐭.

𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐧—𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐰𝐧, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲.

pt. i, pt. ii

𝐂𝐖: fem!reader, blood+blood drinking (bro is literally a vampire there's going to be blood) 1700s!harry, mentions of death

𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓: approx 7.3k

❏ yall this excruciatingly long so i just figured it was better to split this into four parts. it starts off kinda slow i knowwww but i feel like it fits his character. anyway I hope u will like. mwah :* also YES his heart beats idk i took creative liberty in assuming the blood he drinks would give him some sort of circulation and YES i drew inspo from tvd i like their vamp lore the most ok bye

Fourth of November, 1701

The English flag thrashed wildly in the biting wind, its edges snapping above the clank of chains and the groan of wood as boats were fastened to the harbor. Hooves clattered against the cobblestone, mingling with the grumble of cart wheels as townsfolk hurried homeward, eager to escape the deepening chill of evening.

Winter crept in with an ill-fated air, a shadow over the town. The fishermen’s hauls dwindled to nearly nothing, their nets coming up bare. Squash and pumpkins, once abundant, softened and rotted on their vines before they could be harvested. Livestock, struck by a strange sickness, perished too soon, their spoiled meat no longer fit to eat. Lately the townsfolk scraped by on what little they could hunt—rabbits, mostly—a meager fare that barely stretched to sustain a family for more than a few days.

YN stood at the end of the dock, the sea’s bitter wind pulling at her hair. A basket woven by her mother dangled from her arm, half-covered by a cloth beneath which a few herbs and stunted vegetables peeked through. She waited for Niall, a fisherman she’d known since childhood, to come ashore. His face was grim, his knuckles pale as he secured his boat. “Any luck?” She asked over the wind, though she already knew the answer.

His mouth twisted into a scowl as he wiped his hands on his trousers and approached her. “Lucks got nothin’ to do with it. s’the new king, swear it. God turned his back on us ‘cause of him.”

She winced and swatted his arm lightly as they started toward the stone walls encircling the town. “Don’t say such things, not out loud.” She kept her voice low, though she too had her doubts about the new ruler. “Best not to tempt fate with those words.”

He rolled his eyes and took the basket from her arm, letting it hang from his own so she could tuck her hands into her sleeves. “You agree with such things. S’pose God does as well from the lack of bloody fish.”

They passed under the worn stone archway marking the entrance to town, their footsteps echoing against the ancient stones. Dover was nestled between the English Channel and rolling green hills, hemmed in by rocky shores and the stark rise of the cliffs, standing watch like grim sentinels over the troubled little town.

As YN and Niall made their way up the winding path from the square, the quiet crept in around them, settling like a thin mist. The evening was thick and gray, heavy clouds stretching over Dover and flattening the light into a cool, uneasy dusk.

Each face they passed, they recognized. it was impossible not to, in a town so small. There was old mrs. Harris, hunched beneath a weathered shawl, who gave them a knowing nod as they went by, as if she alone were privy to the day’s secrets. And mr. James, pulling his cart toward home, who offered a quick tip of his hat, but avoided meeting their eyes too long, as if a weight hung over all of them that no one cared to mention.

Niall, walking beside her, held his silence longer than usual, and there was a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes when he finally turned her way. “You’re still makin’ that stew, yeah?” He hummed, nodding toward the basket swinging lightly in his hand. His tone was casual, almost lazy, yet she sensed something else beneath it, like he was testing the waters of a conversation he couldn’t quite bring himself to start.

“Mum has already started it,” YN replied, keeping her voice as light as his. “Cabbage, onion, bit of thyme. barely a stew, more a broth.” She cast a sideways glance his way, catching the faintest hint of a smile pulling at his mouth.

“No doubt you’ll have your sister servin’ it, then?” He asked, as though it were an afterthought. “I hear she has a way of makin’ anything taste finer.”

YN’s lips twitched, a hint of humor flickering in her eyes. She knew well enough where this was going, but she didn’t indulge him outright. “Oh, she has her charms, but she’s picky ‘bout who gets to see ‘em.”

He laughed quietly, a low sound that seemed to carry on the breeze, soft and uncertain. “She's got the whole town near dreamin’ of her, from what I hear. never seen her eye stray toward anyone, though.”

YN glanced away, her gaze drifting over the clustered rooftops, the narrow chimneys stretching into the dimming sky like spindly fingers. “You’d need more than a bowl of stew to catch her fancy, Niall. You’d best hope for a rich merchant or a duke comin’ ashore.”

His chuckle died off, and for a few quiet moments, they simply walked, the soft scuff of their shoes blending with the distant murmur of the sea. Yet something hung between them, unspoken, like the faintest shadow shifting at the edges of their conversation.

It was Niall who broke the silence, his voice lower this time, his words careful. “Have you heard the talk? About the old watchtower?”

YN’s gaze drifted to the far side of town, where the dense stretch of forest gave way to a steep rise, the silhouette of the abandoned tower just barely visible through the trees. “Folk say all sorts of things,” She muttered, almost to herself. “Been empty as long as I can remember.”

Niall’s eyes narrowed as he looked out toward the darkening line of trees, his jaw set. “Empty, maybe, but someone’s taken to hauntin’ it now. The lads swear they’ve seen a figure up there at night, just a shadow movin’ about, like he’s watchin’ the town from that high window.”

She felt a faint chill that wasn’t from the cold, and she pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders. “They say a lot of things,” she repeated, her tone steady but soft. “Could be nothin’ but the wind playin’ with shadows.”

He tilted his head, the edge of a smirk softening his face. “Aye, that’s what I'd think, too. But seems each person’s got a different tale to tell. Some say he’s a protector, sent to keep us safe.” He shrugged, his gaze still fixed on the distant woods. “Others say it’s somethin’ darker—maybe one of the king’s men, sent to spy on anyone who dares breathe a word against him.”

YN’s lips parted, but she hesitated, the words hanging unspoken as her gaze lingered on the watchtower. Her grandmother had told her stories of that tower once, years ago, when she was still young enough to believe in the old tales without question. But she’d since brushed them off as the ramblings of an old woman long passed. Now, though, the stories flickered back to her, sharp and vivid as they’d once been.

“I heard some folk say it’s not a man at all,” She murmured, so quietly that her voice nearly vanished into the chill air. “Gran said it’s a spirit—a demon.” she let out a breathy laugh, sending a glance his way. “You believe my ol’gran true?”

Niall made a sound, halfway between a scoff and a chuckle, though he didn’t argue with her. “You don’t seem the sort to believe in demons,YN.”

She didn’t answer him, and for a moment, they stood in the gathering dusk, looking out toward the distant, looming shape of the tower, as if something there had caught them both in its thrall. A strange, unsettling weight hung in the air, pressing down around them, and neither seemed willing to break it.

The faint toll of the chapel bell echoed across the town, marking the evening hour. The sound seemed hollow, almost mournful, as it resonated through the narrow streets, slipping into every crack and crevice, lingering like a warning in the growing dark.

The path wound through the clustered homes of their town, each one narrow and stacked close beside the other, the rooftops tilting like old friends leaning together to brace against the coming winter. Flickers of candlelight peeked through small, thick-paned windows, casting brief glows over doorsteps worn smooth by years of footsteps. Voices drifted out faintly as neighbors settled in for the night, the low buzz of comfort after a long day’s labor.

As they neared her door, YN glanced sideways at Niall, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “Well, no use lettin’ the stew go to waste with just me. You might as well come in and help make somethin’ decent out of it. And,” she added, with a playful glint, “my sister will be there, too. Might be the only chance you get to impress her.”

Niall feigned indifference, though she caught the hint of a flush in his cheeks beneath the dimming light. “Well, if it’s to spare you from that sorry excuse of a stew, I s’pose I could lend a hand,” he said with mock reluctance, yet his steps quickened as they approached the small wooden door.

Inside, the house was simple and small, with a low ceiling that sloped slightly, forcing even YN to duck beneath the beams as she led him in. A narrow hearth crackled with a weak but steady fire, casting warm shadows across the modest room, which served as both kitchen and living space. The scent of herbs, drying in bunches along the walls, mingled with the faint tang of smoke from the hearth. A single table stood in the center, its edges worn smooth, surrounded by a handful of mismatched stools and chairs, each one slightly wobbly but bearing the marks of care and countless meals.

“Is that you, YN?” Her mother’s voice came from the corner, where she was bent over a pot, stirring with steady, practiced hands. She looked up with a gentle smile, her face flushed from the warmth of the fire. “And Niall too! Just in time. I was about to send Arthur to fetch you, but he’s off fiddlin’ with somethin’ in the corner.”

Ten-year-old Arthur looked up at the mention of his name, a wide grin splitting his face when he spotted the blonde. “Niall!” He called, scrambling to his feet and darting over, a wooden sword in hand. “You’ll stay for supper, won’t you?”

He placed the basket next to the older woman before he tousled the boy’s hair, giving a wink to YN. “That depends—will your sister cook, or will your ma have mercy on me?”

YN rolled her eyes as her mother chuckled, stirring the stew with a knowing look. “I'll make sure to keep it fit for eatin’. Now, why don’t you both make yourselves useful and set the table?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Niall replied with a quick bow, flashing his best charming smile, though his eyes lingered on the slender figure by the fire.

YN’s older sister, Ella, sat with her needlework in hand, her fingers nimble as she embroidered a delicate pattern into the edge of a linen cloth. She looked up as Niall approached, offering him a nod and a faint, polite smile, though a flicker of amusement danced in her eyes.

“Ella,” Niall greeted, taking the opportunity to lean a bit too casually against the edge of the table. “Now there’s a sight finer than any supper, if I may say.”

“Oh, you may say.” Ella sighed, her tone as mild as her smile. “But sayin’ doesn’t make it so, does it?” Her eyes sparkled with a touch of mischief, and she kept her gaze on her stitching as if he hadn’t said a word.

YN snorted, reaching past Niall to set the bowls on the table. “She’ll need more than empty flattery to be wooed, Niall. You’ll be talkin’ all night before she so much as bats an eye.”

“Empty flattery?” he echoed, feigning shock as he helped with the cups, placing them with exaggerated care. “This is pure honesty, YN. Your sister’s a vision, though I'm not sure she sees it herself.”

Ella finally looked up, one eyebrow arched. “Perhaps that’s ‘cause it’s hard to see with all the bluster in here. Is it flattery or just another of your tales, Ni?”

Arthur laughed as he climbed onto his chair, his wooden sword clattering to the floor. “Tell a tale, Niall!” He urged, his eyes bright.

He obliged with a grand sweep of his arm. “Ah, tales are easy to tell when the company’s fine.” His gaze drifted meaningfully to Ella, who only smirked, clearly unbothered.

“Enough of your foolishness, Horan.” YN’s mother cut in, though her tone was warm as she dished the stew into the bowls. “There'll be time for tales when your stomach’s full. Now, all of you—sit, before this stew turns cold.”

They settled around the table, the simple meal set before them steaming in the flickering firelight. YN ladled out servings, keeping her own expression solemn as she dished out the rather grayish stew. Niall took a tentative sip, raising his brows in mock surprise.

“Well, I'll be,” he declared, setting his bowl down as if astonished. “Tastes just like stew!”

YN kicked him under the table, rolling her eyes. “Don’t sound so shocked, else we’ll make you eat the scraps.”

Ella, watching them from across the table, hid a smile behind her hand. “It's better than you deserve,” she teased, offering Niall a faintly teasing look that sent Arthur into a fit of giggles.

As they settled into their meal, the conversation turned to the familiar rhythms of the day—the fish hauls, the scarcities at the market, the latest mischief Arthur had managed, and the townsfolk they’d seen along the way. Laughter bubbled up around the table, filling the small room with warmth as the stew slowly disappeared, their bowls clinking softly with each spoonful.

It wasn't until they’d nearly finished eating that YN’s mother’s voice turned low, a faint shadow crossing her face as she glanced at arthur. “Arthur,” she said gently, “I don't want to hear any more of you playin’ outside the town walls.”

The boy frowned, his spoon paused halfway to his mouth. “But ma, I’m careful,” he protested, glancing between her and YN as if hoping for support.

“She's right,” Ella added, her voice calm but firm. “The woods aren’t safe, especially with winter comin’ on.”

He looked to Niall, his face a mask of confusion and a bit of defiance. “Niall plays near the woods, don’t you?”

He shifted in his seat, his smile fading just slightly as he glanced at YN. “Aye, lad, but it’s different. I'm older, and I keep my wits about me. Besides,” he added lightly, though his voice held a trace of something darker, “there’s been talk of someone wanderin’ near the old watchtower.”

YN’s mother sighed, folding her hands on the table. “Too much talk.” She said quietly, her gaze drifting toward the narrow window. “I don’t care if s’only lore, you’ll be safe rather than sorry.”

A hush fell over the table, and Arthur's wide eyes darted from face to face. “Who is it, then?” He whispered, his voice trembling slightly. “A man?”

Ella reached over to ruffle his hair, her voice soft. “No one knows. could be a man, could be no more than shadows. But some say it’s best not to linger too close to it, just in case.”

Niall, watching Arthur's reaction, leaned in with a grin. “There now, it’s probably nothin’ more than a lonely ol’ fox. But best stick close to home, eh? Can’t have you disappearin’ on us.”

YN tried to keep her voice light as she chimed in, though she felt the faintest prickling unease beneath the laughter. “You heard him, Arthur. best keep to the town, else you might end up a story yourself.”

The boy’s eyes grew even wider, and he gulped, glancing nervously toward the window as if expecting to see the mysterious figure standing just beyond. He fidgeted, his hand reaching instinctively for his wooden sword on the floor beside him.

With a faint, tired sigh, YN’s mother rose and began clearing the table, signaling the end of the meal. The warm glow of the evening seemed to have dimmed, and even Niall’s usual cheer was muted as he helped gather the bowls, his gaze drifting back to the light flickering along the walls.

Outside, the wind picked up, brushing against the windows and rattling the latch ever so slightly, a whisper against the warmth of the firelight. The small house was silent for a long moment, each of them lost in thought, each glancing occasionally toward the dark window where the night gathered, close and watchful.

Morning seeped slowly into Dover, pale and cool, bringing with it the damp scent of the sea and the faint call of gulls overhead. YN was awake early, as was her habit, slipping quietly out of bed while the house still lingered in the soft dimness of dawn. The fire in the hearth had died to embers, and a chill clung to the air, but she moved quickly, tucking a shawl around her shoulders as she crossed the small room.

Arthur, already up and dressed, was tugging at the latch on the back door, eager to start his morning chores. He looked back when he heard her steps, his face lighting up with a grin. “Thought you’d sleep through it, lazybones.” He teased, though his eyes sparkled with mischief.

She snorted softly, pinching his cheek as she passed him. “Cheeky lad,” she muttered. “Come on, then. Let's get to it.”

They stepped out into the brisk morning, their breath puffing in the cold, and began making their way down the narrow stone path that wound through the small patch of yard behind their home. Frost clung to the grass, glinting in the pale light, and the chickens shuffled restlessly in their pen as Arthur went to check on them.

“Careful now.” 

He bent down next to them to scatter their feed. The hens fluffed their feathers, clucking contentedly as they pecked at the ground, and Arthur kept one eye on the rooster, who strutted about with his chest puffed, keeping watch over his domain.

“Look at him,” he whispered, stifling a laugh as he threw a handful of seed. “Thinks he’s king of all creation, that one.”

She grinned, crouching beside him. “Well, he’s a rooster. not much else to do but look important, is there?”

The boy giggled, tossing a bit of feed toward the rooster, who eyed him warily before puffing up even further. YN kept watch as he finished the feeding, carefully securing the pen’s latch when he was done.

They moved on to check the small patch of herbs and vegetables that clung to life in the early cold, though the frost had already done its damage. The leaves hung limp and dark, and YN  frowned, brushing a thin layer of frost from a withered cabbage leaf.

“S’not lookin’ good, is it?” Arthur said, his voice dropping to a murmur as he followed her gaze.

“No,” she replied softly, her fingers brushing over the leaves. “But we’ll manage. Always do.”

He gave her a solemn nod, but she could see the worry in his eyes, the way he seemed to glance toward the woods, as if he might glimpse the shadowed figure their mother had warned him about the night before. She reached over and squeezed his shoulder, offering a smile.

“No need for lookin’ so glum, Arthur,” she said, keeping her tone light. “We've plenty to keep us busy, and I'll wager you’ll see that rooster crowned king before anything happens to us.”

He managed a faint smile, his spirits lifting just enough to reassure her. They finished up quickly, making their way back inside, where the warmth of the house greeted them. YN set about preparing a quick meal for Arthur and her mother, who was just beginning to stir, her tired eyes softening at the sight of her children.

Once breakfast was sorted, YN returned to her small room to ready herself for the day. She tugged off her worn nightdress, slipping into the fresh linen undergarments she’d set aside, and carefully pulled on a plain woolen dress that hung neatly from a peg beside her bed. It was a simple dress, but a neat one, its modest collar and long sleeves making it suitable for the chilly weather. she straightened the fabric, adjusting the waist so that it lay just right, and wrapped her shawl back over her shoulders, pinning it at the front with an old, weathered brooch that had once belonged to her grandmother.

She caught her reflection in the small, scratched mirror by the window—a young woman with steady eyes and a hint of determination in her gaze, her hair braided behind her, a few strands slipping free to frame her face. After a moment, she tucked a few stray wisps behind her ear and gave herself a brisk nod, turning to head out.

The streets were beginning to stir as she made her way down to the docks, the early morning light casting a soft, muted glow over the cobblestone. A few shopkeepers were already sweeping their doorsteps, preparing for the day’s trade, and a handful of townsfolk passed by, nodding their greetings as she walked.

When she reached the docks, she found Niall already there, standing by his boat, his hands working quickly to secure the ropes. His coat hung loose over his shoulders, and his hair was tousled from the morning breeze, but there was a contented look in his eyes as he glanced up and saw her approach.

“Well, if it isn’t the queen of the cabbage patch,” he greeted her, a grin breaking across his face. “Come to see if I've hauled in a king’s feast for ye?”

YN rolled her eyes, crossing her arms as she stopped a few feet away from him. “I wouldn't go that far. but I'll settle for a decent fish, if you’ve managed one.”

He laughed, giving the rope a final tug before stepping back, wiping his hands on his trousers. “Oh, a decent fish, she says. Well, lucky for you, I've got just that.” He reached into a small wooden crate and held up a plump haddock, its scales glinting in the early light. “Not a king’s ransom, but it’ll do for stew, won’t it?”

She eyed the fish, unable to suppress a smile. “Aye, it’ll do. Might even save us from havin’ to wrangle another cabbage.”

Niall chuckled, tucking the fish back into the crate. “Couldn’t have that, now, could we? I’m doin’ my part to keep your cookin’ passable.”

“Passable?” She laughed, nudging him lightly as she stepped up beside him to peer into the crate. “You’re just glad to have an excuse to come round, steal our bread, and charm my sister.”

He gave her a mock-offended look, though his eyes glinted with humor. “Now, that’s hurtful, YN. I'm here for the food and the fine company, naturally. If your sister happens to be nearby, well, that’s not my fault, is it?”

She rolled her eyes, unable to help the small laugh that escaped. “Poor Ella’ll need more than a fish to be impressed. Best not get your hopes up too high.”

“Aye, she’s a hard one to please,” he admitted, a faint, wistful smile crossing his face. “But I'll manage somehow. or at least, I'll keep tryin’.”

They both fell silent, their gazes drifting out over the water, where a thin mist clung to the surface, casting an eerie calm over the harbor. The other boats rocked gently in the quiet, and the gulls called out above them, their cries echoing faintly across the empty stretch of sea. Together they turned back toward the town, the mist curling softly around them as they walked, side by side, in the quiet of the morning.

The midday lull brought a hush over the town, as folk took their brief respite between the day’s labors. The soft light of afternoon slipped over the rooftops, and YN found herself winding her way down one of the quieter streets toward Maura’s, a modest little cottage that doubled as the gathering place for the women in town. Here, around a crowded table of mismatched cups and chipped saucers, town gossip simmered as steadily as the tea.

Maura's door was open, the sound of voices spilling out into the cobbled lane, and YN slipped in quietly, greeting the women with a polite nod before finding a seat near the end of the table. The familiar faces of neighbors turned to greet her—Maura herself, with her cheeks flushed from the warmth of the kitchen, mrs. Harris with her ever-watchful eyes, and a handful of others who paused only long enough to give YN a quick nod before returning to the subject that had clearly held their interest long before she arrived.

“I'm tellin’ you,” mrs. Harris was saying, her voice low and edged with certainty. “There's somethin’ in that tower. maybe it’s a spy, maybe it’s worse.”

Maura scoffed, shaking her head. “If it were a spy, we’d know by now, wouldn’t we? why bother lurkin’ about if there’s nothin’ worth seein’ here?”

“There’s plenty to see, Maura,” the older woman sighed, leaning forward, her teacup nearly sloshing over the rim as she gestured toward the window. “Who’s to say he hasn’t been watchin’ us all along, takin’ note of who’s loyal to the new king and who’s not?”

Maura snorted, but one of the other women, Anna, leaned in, her voice barely a whisper. “or worse—what if it’s no man at all?” Her gaze darted to the others, her eyes wide with a kind of fearful excitement. “There are tales, you know. Of things that wander the woods. Spirits that linger in dark places, things that only come out when the days grow short.”

Mrs. Harris crossed herself, nodding solemnly. “Aye. folk say it’s a night creature—a demon, even.“

YN listened quietly, her fingers tracing the rim of her teacup, but she held back a smile. as the women exchanged anxious looks, she leaned back, sipping her tea, the warmth of it calming her nerves. To her, the stories felt like little more than old wives’ tales—a way for folk to pass the time when the days grew cold and bleak. A lonely man, perhaps, who’d taken to the tower for solitude, a soul with nowhere else to go. Nothing so sinister as the women here believed.

“You've a skeptical look about you, dear” Maura said, catching her eye with a wry smile. “Don’t tell me you’d walk up to that tower yourself, would you?”

She met her gaze calmly, setting her cup down. “I'd sooner believe it’s a wanderer, Maura. Maybe one who wants peace more than anything else. Don’t see why we should fear him.”

“Peace, or no peace, he’s still up there, watchin’ us all.”

YN didn’t reply, only nodded politely as the conversation swirled on, the voices around her swelling in speculation and rumor. After a while, she quietly rose, setting her cup aside and offering Maura a grateful nod before slipping out the door and into the fresh air.

The chatter of the women faded behind her, and she took a deep breath, the cool air filling her lungs and clearing her thoughts. She knew she was unlikely to shake their unease or convince them of her view, but as she thought of the lonely figure up in the tower, something tugged at her—a kind of curiosity that gnawed gently at the back of her mind.

Without a second thought, she made her way home, moving quickly and quietly, her mind already set. She slipped through the door, pausing only to grab her small woven basket from its hook. Her mother glanced up, but YN offered her a calm smile, murmuring something vague about a quick errand before supper.

IN the small corner of their kitchen where they kept their stores, she selected a handful of berries from the last of their foraging, a few slightly bruised carrots, and a small bunch of herbs tied with a thin scrap of cloth. Modest offerings, but enough, she hoped, to serve as a token of peace, a sign that she meant no harm.

She took a deep breath and headed toward the edge of town, her footsteps light as she made her way past the familiar lanes and toward the narrow path that led up to the old watchtower.

The path leading to the watchtower was narrow, winding its way up the hillside in gentle, uneven curves. YN had walked these woods many times before, though never with the purpose she had now. Above her, the sky was beginning to darken, clouds gathering in ominous clumps, casting long shadows across the land as the sun slipped lower.

Her heart thudded in her chest, not from fear, but from a strange mixture of curiosity and anticipation. The stories she’d heard that morning lingered in her mind like faint echoes, each warning a small reminder of the mystery ahead. But she felt something else too—a quiet resolve, an odd certainty that she had to see this figure, whoever he might be, with her own eyes.

The watchtower loomed before her, its crumbling stone walls climbing into the sky, weather-worn and scarred by time. She could see now why the townsfolk feared it; it looked like a relic from another era, half-hidden by the dense growth of ivy and the creeping fog that clung to the base of its walls. It was silent here, too silent, as if even the birds dared not sing in the shadow of the old tower.

Steeling herself, she moved forward, her footsteps muffled by the damp earth. The closer she got, the more the watchtower’s age showed itself in cracked stones and vines, a darkness that seemed to pool between the stones, deepening the gray of the twilight. At the base of the tower, a narrow door sat slightly ajar, barely wide enough for her to slip through. She paused there, glancing up, feeling an odd twinge of nervousness as her gaze drifted to the upper windows, dark and empty.

Drawing a deep breath, she pushed the door open, stepping into the dim interior.

The inside of the tower was colder, the air thick and still. Faint light seeped through cracks in the walls, just enough to reveal the sparse furnishings—a wooden table, books, a chair beside the hearth, long since gone cold. Dust motes hung in the air, catching the dim light like fragments of stars, and a faint, earthy smell lingered in the space, as though the room hadn’t seen another soul in years.

Yet something else lingered too, something that made the hair on the back of her neck prickle—a sense that she wasn’t alone.

A figure stepped forward from behind a wall, emerging so quietly she almost missed it. He was tall, with dark curls that tumbled around his face, shadows clinging to his features as though he belonged to the darkness itself. His eyes met hers, a piercing green that seemed to hold an entire century’s worth of secrets, and for a brief, unsettling moment, she felt as though he could see straight through her.

“What brings you here?” His voice was low, quiet, each word clipped and precise, yet holding a softness that surprised her.

YN swallowed, her hand instinctively tightening around the basket she held. “I–I thought you might be hungry,” she stammered, offering the basket forward with a hesitant smile. “Folk talk of you up here, you know. Thought it might be nice to see if you wanted some company.”

He raised a brow, a faint trace of amusement softening his gaze. He didn’t reach for the basket, but instead continued to watch her, as though trying to make sense of why she would come here, alone, to his solitary refuge.

Didn’t seem exactly the safest thing.

“People rarely visit me,” he said finally, his voice barely more than a murmur, as though he were speaking more to himself than to her. “Especially not with offerings.”

“Well, it’s no great feast,” she laughed breathily—nervous, setting the basket down on the table. “But it’s enough for a quiet meal.”

He looked down at the basket, his expression unreadable. The shadows seemed to deepen around him, and for a brief moment, she wondered if he would turn her away. But then his gaze shifted back to her, gentle, as though something in her gesture had reached him in a way she couldn’t quite understand.

“I don’t need much,” he breathed, finally stepping closer, his movements careful, almost tentative. “But thank you.”

The silence stretched between them as Harry’s eyes lingered on her, his regard tracing every movement of her face, the subtle rise and fall of her shoulders, the way her lips pressed together as if searching for words. He could feel it—her pulse thrumming in her neck, the warmth radiating from her skin, the soft, steady rhythm of blood rushing through her veins. It was maddening. The sound alone clawed at the quiet corners of his mind, stirring that old, cursed hunger he’d worked so hard to bury.

But he couldn’t let her see that. Couldn’t let even a flicker of it touch his face.

With a composed nod, he turned his attention to the basket, using the small action to steady himself, to pull his focus away from her and fix it on the modest offering she’d brought. Herbs and roots, earthy and clean, none of it touched by blood. He forced his breath to steady, aware of her watchful eyes on him as he sorted through the items, careful to keep his hands stable.

“Are you here… often?” She asked softly, breaking the silence in a voice that felt almost hesitant, as though unsure whether it was allowed. Her gaze darted around the room, taking in the sparse surroundings, the thick shadows that crept into every corner.

Harry let his fingers linger on a sprig of thyme, keeping his voice level as he answered. “Yes,” he confided simply, his tone giving nothing away. “I find it… peaceful.”

“Peaceful,” she echoed, a faint smile touching her lips as she looked back at him. “It doesn’t frighten you, being all alone up here?”

He allowed himself the smallest of smiles—him—frightened? How sweetly ironic. “Sometimes solitude is easier than the alternative.”

She studied him, and he could feel the weight of her eyes, searching for something beneath his answer. Her heartbeat quickened just a bit, a small, steady thump that seemed to reach straight through him, its warmth coiling like a spark inside his chest. He could almost taste it—the sweet, heady pull of her pulse.

But he forced the thought down, burying it beneath years of restraint. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, redirecting the focus onto her. “And what about you?” he asked, his tone soft but steady. “Doesn’t it frighten you to come all this way, alone?”

She gave a small laugh, shrugging one shoulder. “Maybe it should. But I suppose I don’t scare easily.” She paused, her gaze slipping to the narrow window where the trees outside swayed gently in the wind. “It’s quiet here, almost like a different world. Sometimes it feels like our town is shrinking, like it’s closing in. Out here, it’s–it’s freer.”

Harry’s gaze softened, though he said nothing. There was something in her words he understood, something that echoed faintly in his own memories of why he’d chosen this place—this forgotten, lonely tower—to escape. A life he could no longer live, a curse he couldn’t risk unleashing.

She looked back at him, curiosity bright in her eyes. “People say you’ve been here a long time—I mean, they say the tower’s been abandoned forever. But you don’t seem…” She trailed off, biting her lip as though she didn’t quite know how to finish.

“Don’t seem what?” he asked, his voice low, inviting her to continue.

She waited, and he watched her carotid flicker in her throat as she searched for her words. “You don’t seem like someone who belongs in a place like this,” she murmured. “Like you’ve got more in you than—than just seclusion.”

He felt a tug deep in his chest at her words, something he hadn’t felt in a long, long time—a faint longing, a half-forgotten ache for a life he’d once dreamed of. But that life was gone. He’d buried it the night he’d been turned, when the world as he knew it had collapsed into a semblance of hell.

“It’s strange,” he replied carefully, his eyes drifting toward the flickering shadows on the wall. The hunger gnawed at him, unrelenting, every second reminding him of how close he was to her. She was standing barely a foot away, her warmth filling the small space, her heartbeat a steady, maddening drumbeat that drew him closer, closer…

He straightened slightly, pulling himself back. “Solitude,” he said quietly, almost as if reminding himself, “sometimes feels simpler.”

She nodded slowly, but her eyes stayed on him, and he could see the spark of curiosity still there, unquenched. She was brave, this girl. Far braver than most. And something about that bravery—the quiet way she stood her ground in the face of shadows and rumors, in the presence of a stranger—intrigued him. She wasn’t running away. And a part of him, despite everything, wanted her to stay.

“Thank you,” he mumbled—almost a dismissal, gesturing to the basket, his voice softened with a touch of genuine gratitude. “Not many would bring gifts to a stranger. Especially not one so isolated.”

She smiled, her cheeks flushing faintly in the dim light. “Well, maybe I’ll bring something better next time,” she replied with a small laugh. “If you’d want that.”

He paused, her words lingering in the air between them. Next time. It felt dangerous, allowing the thought of it, letting her return. But as she looked at him, her smile warm and unguarded, he found himself nodding almost without thinking.

“Yes,” he murmured. “I’d like that.”

But even as he spoke, he felt the old thirst stir beneath his words, a dark reminder that she was flesh and blood, and he was anything but.

Harry watched her retreating figure until the last of her shadow disappeared down the winding path. The silence settled thick around him once more, yet it felt different now, charged with the lingering warmth of her presence. The faint echo of her heartbeat still pulsed in his mind, like a phantom drum that refused to fade. He drew in a slow, deliberate breath, pushing down the hunger that had clawed so violently to the surface, fighting a void that had nearly overpowered him the entire time she’d stood there.

He had always been a weak man for the living.

Turning back into the tower, he closed the door and leaned against it, his hand flexing as he grappled with that old, familiar agony, the ache that thrummed through his veins whenever he was near a human. After all these years, after countless nights spent mastering his restraint, he still struggled. The curse was unrelenting—an obstinate thirst that he could never truly silence, only suppress.

Memories rose in him unbidden, dark and sharp, clawing their way out of the places he kept them buried. He could still recall the crisp air of that autumn night in 1601, back when he was alive, when he’d believed his life was bound for something beautiful. He’d been a poet then, a young man enamored with language, eager to make something of himself. He’d had dreams of attending university, of pursuing a life dedicated to literature and ideas, a life where he could spend his days wrapped in thought and art.

But all of that had been shattered in a single night. He had been walking back from a small tavern in London, tipsy and laughing, still reciting lines of poetry in his head, the night air filling him with a light, exhilarating hope. He remembered it so clearly—the dimly lit street, the damp chill creeping into his coat, the rough hand that had seized him by the throat and dragged him into an alley. He’d thought it was a robber at first, maybe a cutthroat from the docks looking for a quick coin.

But then he’d seen his attacker’s face.

The man’s eyes were inhuman, glinting with a feral hunger, and his skin was pale, almost translucent in the moonlight. Harry had fought, struggling against the impossible strength of those arms, but it had been useless. The man had pinned him down with a brutal ease, baring his teeth—a flash of something razor-sharp, malevolent—before sinking them deep into Harry’s throat. The pain had been excruciating, and then everything had gone dark, his life draining away into a cold, endless void.

He hadn’t known what had happened to him for days afterward. He’d awoken alone, hidden in the dark recesses of a forgotten basement, his body shuddering with an unholy thirst that tore through him like wildfire. The transformation had left him a half-mad, hollow shell, consumed by an insatiable need he didn’t understand. He’d stumbled through the streets, eyes wild, hunting without even knowing what he was hunting for. And when he’d finally cornered a man in the dead of night, tearing into his throat with a frenzy he could barely comprehend, he’d learned what he had become.

The first months were a blur of blood and horror, a nightmare he hadn’t known how to escape. He had been controlled by an ache, a greed—enslaved by it, a wretched creature lost to bloodlust. He’d fought it as best he could, but each time he tried to resist, the thirst only grew stronger, until he was reduced to a brutal, savage need that erased everything else.

It had been a year later, in 1602, when he encountered another vampire. His name was Thomas, a wily, unrepentant creature who fed freely and without remorse. Thomas had found Harry alone and ravenous, nearly mad from weeks of starvation in an attempt to restrain himself. He’d taken Harry under his wing, teaching him how to survive in this new, cursed life, how to hunt, how to kill cleanly. But while Harry had been grateful for the guidance, he quickly saw that Thomas reveled in the whispers of the devil, that he viewed humanity as little more than prey. He was malignant. 

His own heart was too soft for such cruelty. He’d hated the feel of human flesh beneath his hands, the way his victims’ eyes widened in terror as he held them down, the way their life drained away in his grasp. He hadn’t wanted this life. But the need was too powerful, too all-consuming, and he had been too weak to fight it.

And then, in 1643, came the night that shattered him completely.

Her name had been Beatrice—a young woman from Manchester, one of the few souls who’d looked past his oddity, his quiet reserve, and seen something in him worth knowing. She’d been kind, curious, always showing up at his door with a warm smile, her laughter lighting up his otherwise bleak existence. For months, she’d been a balm to him, her presence a brief reprieve from the loneliness that gnawed at him. He’d been so careful around her, so painfully restrained, never allowing himself to get too close. But one night, after days of starvation, he had faltered. She’d come to visit him, concern etched on her face, her hand reaching out to touch his cheek.

And in that moment, he’d lost himself.

The memory of that night was burned into him like a scar, the scent of her blood, the warmth of it cascading from his lips and developing him whole— the sound of her heart slowing as he drank from her—all of it haunted him, even now, decades later. He had tried to pull away, tried to stop himself, but the hunger had overpowered him, consuming her life, taking everything she had. When he finally came to his senses, she lay cold and pale in his arms, her eyes staring up at him, empty and accusing.

After that, he’d fled, haunted by the horror of what he’d done, determined never to let it happen again. He’d hidden himself away in this tower, learning to feed from the animals that roamed the forest, forcing himself to endure the hunger rather than inflict his curse on another innocent soul. He would never again allow himself to feel that agony, that terrible loss.

And yet tonight, with her presence in his small, empty world, something had stirred in him, a strange, aching reminder of what it meant to be human, to crave connection, companionship. It was dangerous, foolish to even entertain such thoughts, yet he couldn’t deny the faint spark she had left behind.

He closed his eyes, forcing himself to breathe slowly, steadying the wild, restless energy that surged in him. She couldn’t come back. He couldn’t risk it. He would have to find a way to make her think the tower was haunted, or evil—something to scare her off for good. Because he knew himself, knew that he was a creature of hunger, bound to a curse he couldn’t escape.

And if she returned—he wasn’t sure how long he could resist.

[narrycherries]

ivy: how’s one to know..

(enemies to lovers) harry is just an ass and (Y/n) is just a stranger

masterlist // ivy series

word count: 8.6k

warnings/tags: enemies to lovers, harry x reader, fem reader, angst

[before you start: I wrote the female character with a description (blonde, blue eyes, short, thicker build) but of course feel free to change the descriptors to whatever you prefer!]

The holiday season had wrapped up a handful of days ago and things were slowly starting to go back to normal. The sparkling strings of lights decorating neighborhoods and businesses all around the city were being taken down and shoved back in their storage boxes until the last month of the year circled around again. The weather was staying consistent, though. The gloomy overcast skies and chilly wind that whipped through the streets were enough to keep people bundled up and wishing for spring to arrive.

Most people she knew enjoyed the holidays a lot more than she did. Sure, she loved to see the colorful lights lining roofs and windows of boutiques and restaurants along the main strip. There was something so juvenile, so innocent about the giddy feeling that would fill her stomach as she saw a pile of fake presents and a decorated tree in a shop window. Somewhere deep down inside of her heart, she still had that spark that a child would have.

When she was growing up, she sought happiness during the holidays by admiring other people’s outdoor decorations or gazing in awe at the displays put up in her schools. She didn’t have what most people had that she went to school with, but she tried to be grateful, even as a young chlid, and appreciate what surrounded her.

A strong sadness was building in her chest as she slid the ceramic Santa Claus into his box to pack him away with the other Christmas decorations. She thought about the many years she questioned if Santa was real. There were so many nights when she’d squeeze her eyes shut and whisper out loud, her knees on the floor as she put her elbows into the mattress. There was so much hope in her. She believed that if she wished and prayed and dreamed enough, Santa would leave a present or two on the coffee table next to her dad’s stained coffee mug. There wasn’t a tree most of the years of her childhood, but her dad give gift her things (there was no magical Santa though). There were no twinkling lights outside of her window, hanging down from the roof with a clumsy droop. There were no ornaments to place on the branches of a fake tree, lined with a dusty skirt that would be covered with presents. There were no fresh baked cookies and steaming hot chocolate topped with marshmallows. The television never displayed joyful Christmas movies and specials. The radio on the kitchen counter never once sang a tune of a wintery song about snow and ice. No, none of that. It was just her dad, her brother, and herself for a while.

“Did you keep the box for this guy?” Emma’s curious voice snapped her from her trance.

She cleared her throat and looked up from her spot on the living room rug. Her ‘new’ roommate was holding a ceramic snowman who’s decorated style matched the Santa she just put away. She reached into the plastic storage container and grabbed the box, passing it up to Emma.

“Here you go.”

“Thanks, (Y/n).” She smiled back, noticing that there was a glimmer of disappoint on her face, but she didn’t mention it to her. “You didn’t have to put everything away so fast. I would’ve been fine with it for a few more weeks.”

Emma had just moved in before Christmas. Her things were half way unpacked throughout the small house they now shared.

“I didn’t want it to crowd you. Besides, Christmas is over.” (Y/n)’s tone was partially rough as she began to pack away the miniature houses placed across the console table that the television hung above.

“I’m so excited to actually be here, like, full time. Niall’s a bit upset.. but I told him he’d survive.” She said with a laugh as she started to collect the small figurines that went with the village.

“I’m excited, too. I’m glad you’re actually up for decorating the space and not just.. letting me do it all. My last roommate was not particularly outgoing.” (Y/n) snickered at the thought, knowing she wouldn’t be missing that person at all. The girl was nice and all, but she was quite boring.

“Oh, totally! I’ve already got some stuff I want to show you in my room. Maybe we could put it out here or something.”

“I’m fine with anything as long as it’s cute.” She shot her friend a grin.

Emma wasn’t a new friend by any means. They met early on while they were both at university. Emma was actually her first partner for a project in one of their biology classes. They met on the third day of class and became friends very quickly. Their chemistry went far beyond the confines of the science lab. Emma was joyful and adventurous and offered (Y/n) that motivating spark to actually go out and have fun. Not that (Y/n) couldn’t match Emma’s energy once her veins were filled with alcohol, she just didn’t go out as much.

“Speaking of Niall, I haven’t seen him a while. How’s he doing?”

A proud smile crept to Emma’s lips. “He’s been good. But he’s been super busy with the store.. almost never get to spend time during the actual day with him.”

“But it’s going well, the store, I mean? Like he’s having success?”

Emma nodded. “It’s been great. I told him it would do good around here, especially with the college students. And besides, people are always looking for music lessons. I’m glad he took my advice and decided to offer those through the business.”

Niall was an excellent musician, or so (Y/n) has been told. She hadn’t actually seen him play anything in person, only through recordings and videos Emma had shown her. She knew Niall was talented, though. He played the guitar and the bass, both of which seemed entirely too complicated in (Y/n)’s mind. When they started dating last year, Niall was in the midst of finalizing a business plan and opening his music store. Emma told her all about it, including her fears and anxiety about the situation - but only because she was afraid Niall would get so caught up in the store that he would abandon their relationship. Niall ended up not doing that, obviously, and was able to balance everything in his life. He and Emma would be celebrating their one year anniversary on Valentine’s Day - which (Y/n) thought was particularly sweet and romantic.

“I’m glad everything’s working out.”

The store opened back in the summer, and (Y/n) had only gone by once to see the place. It was in a part of town she didn’t frequent very often, so the opportunity to casually stroll in was rare. It wasn’t like it was Emma’s store. While she did know Niall well enough to refer to him as a friend, she wasn’t close with him. She was supportive, of course, but not overly involved.

“He’s coming by later to help me put together the dresser. Well.. he’s going to do it for me, not help me.” She snickered as she joined (Y/n) on the floor to start gently laying the mini figurines in a small cardboard box they knew as home.

“I can make dinner if you’d like. Niall likes that pasta I make, right?”

“Yeah! He actually asked me about that a few weeks ago. He said I have to get your recipe.” She grinned back, rolling her eyes at the thought of her boyfriend’s obsession with food.

“He’s only had it like twice.. but it’s flattering to know I’m such a good chef.” (Y/n) laughed under her breath. “I’ll give you the recipe.”

The rest of the afternoon was spent on putting away the last of the decorations and moving them into the hallway closet. The box fit perfectly in the bottom of the closet. Emma disappeared into her room to continue unboxing her belongings. (Y/n) was mostly occupied with dusting the wood furniture and wiping down the kitchen. She liked a neat, tidy home and she was very glad to know that Emma did as well. She checked the cabinets to make sure she had the ingredients required for the pasta she’ll be making later on.

Every now and then, she’d hear a crash of something hitting the floor come from the hallway, presumably from Emma’s room. She would just giggle to herself as Emma’s dramatic cries of curses and sighs would fill the small home. Despite being friends for a handful of years, they had never lived in the same space before. Even while at university when it was mandatory for them to live on campus, they lived in different dorm buildings. Emma was in a sorority and definitely more comfortable with herself than (Y/n) was. She kept to her small dorm with her roommate, whom she didn’t have anything in common with but she was kind to her. If she were being honest, she thought Emma would try to move in with Niall once her old lease had expired. But, Niall was comfortable where he was in his apartment and he already had a roommate. As much as Emma wanted to live with him, it was just too soon anyway. They tossed around the idea, but (Y/n) mentioned to her that perhaps she needed to wait, just in case. Niall wasn’t upset with Emma’s decision to move elsewhere, as long as she was in the city close to him. (Y/n) was also informed that Niall’s roommate wasn’t too keen on letting someone else share their space. She had never met him before, didn’t even know his name, but she couldn’t blame them. She wouldn’t want her house to be permanently crowded either. Niall let Emma stay over there a lot, though, but spending the night for the weekend or on a random weekday when it was too late to drive back home was different than staying full time. And of course, Niall was allowed over whenever he wanted and she made that clear to Emma before she signed the lease. As long as he respected their home and didn’t leave a mess behind, he was welcomed.

A gentle sigh slipped past her thick lips as she trailed back to the living room. The open concept of the front of the home meant the living room was attached to the kitchen with no barrier other than the island. She sat down on the end of the couch, the damp kitchen towel she used to wipe down the furniture sat on the side table. She picked it up, along with the framed photo that was next to the pretty gold lamp. The gold of the frame didn’t quite match the lamp, but it was still beautiful to her. The ornate metal that decorated the frame was cold as she carefully rubbed the pads of her fingers over it. She stared at the photograph locked behind the glass, the speed of her heart beating increased only slightly.

The image was of her and her mother when she was around three years old. It was Halloween, she was dressed in a pink dress that was modeled after Princess Aurora, and her hair was curled and a little makeup playfully swept over her features. Her mother was dressed in a Cinderella themed costume, her matching golden blonde hair curled, too, and pinned up. It wasn’t the last holiday they spent together, but it was one of the only ones (Y/n) remembered. She doubted herself at times about the memory - she was only three and a half, did she actually remember it or was she imagining it? Despite always doubting herself, she knew too well that the memory was burned into her brain. She can remember the smell of the burning iron as her mom curled her hair. She remembers getting tickled by the fluffy makeup brush as a bit was applied to her face just to add to the illusion. She remembers the taste of the mini chocolate bar her mom unwrapped for her in the car in between neighborhoods - the night was full of trick or treating and giggles and squeals. She even remembered the way her mom’s hand carefully adjusted her curls when they got caught in the zip of (Y/n)’s costume. It was a memory she held dear to her heart, one she prayed she’d never lose. (Y/n) had always tried her hardest to find things to fill in the void of not having her mother around. But no matter how determined she was, nothing ever seemed to be enough. She found joy in little things, like collecting whatnots and trinkets that reminded her of the ones that littered her house when her mom was alive. She enjoyed searching for squirrels and birds in the park, collecting odd looking rocks during her walks, listening to her favorite songs on repeat, and a plethora of other things. But nothing could really fill the space in her heart.. It was quite a big space, after all.

That evening, after the sun nestled below the horizon and stars littered the dark winter sky, Emma invited Niall over for dinner. It was third day of actually staying here, since she opted to spend two weeks with Niall for Christmas between her parent’s place and his. (Y/n) was working on preparing the ingridents for the pasta when Niall knocked and was let in with a grinning Emma planting a kiss to his mouth. He laughed and brushed her off, not a big fan of showing affection in front of other people, even though he knew (Y/n) wasn’t watching.

“Hey, long time no see!” Niall said with a smile as he followed Emma into the kitchen.

(Y/n)’s eyes glanced over her shoulder. “Hi, Niall. It’s been a while, yeah?”

“I think you guys haven’t seen each other since the day we moved my crap in.” Emma said with a slight unsure tone.

“Your crap that still isn’t unpacked.” Niall sighed as he leaned against the counter, his arms crossing on his chest.

(Y/n) chuckled to herself as Emma began to give him excuses for why her things weren’t put away and in their new spots yet. The list included things like being busy with work, having errands to run, and of course ‘spending all my time with you’ that made Niall smack his lips and give her a sarcastic ‘okay, sure’.

They kept up their banter for a bit while (Y/n) rinsed her hands at the sink. She had finished everything she needed to do before actually cooking the food. When she turned towards them, Niall was peering his eyes into the pot of boiling water, frowning as he saw it was empty.

“She’s making the pasta you said you like.” Emma said as she grabbed his forearm to tug him away from the oven.

“Oh, really? That stuff was so good.” Niall’s eyes shot to (Y/n)’s. “I want a whole pot of it for my birthday, please and thanks.”

She shook her head in disbelief as a laugh rolled out of her mouth. “Isn’t your birthday in September?”

He shrugged. “Yeah, just don’t want ya to forget.”

“C’mon, let's start with the dresser, Niall. Let (Y/n) cook.” Emma said after checking the time on her phone. “We’ll clean up the kitchen after dinner, okay? Don’t worry about it!”

“Alright, that’s fine. I’ll let you know when it's done.”

And just like that, she was alone in the kitchen again. It didn’t bother her to be alone, she had been for most of her life, especially her late teenage and adult years. Finding something to occupy her bored mind was not a new task for her to learn. She opted for sitting at the small dining table after setting the timer on the oven in case she forgot to check the time.

(Y/n) pulled her phone from the pocket of her sweatpants and started to maneuver through the notifications that had come through since she last checked. One was a message from a random company that was offering a sale this coming weekend, there were two texts from Niall - the first asking if he needed to bring anything, the second saying Emma told him not to and to just ignore the text - the rest were random notifications from different apps.

Her attention went to her photo app as she scrolled to a few days ago, just a day or so after the New Year began. She went for a walk in the park close by one day during lunch when she had nothing else to do. She snapped a few photos of little random things, like a wild flower that had somehow managed to survive the low temperature, a bird that was perched on top of the black metal fence that lined the park, and a snapshot of the sky with the clouds parting in such a way that made it look like heaven. After having lost so much in life, she learned and forced herself to appreciate the little things that were around. Details of daily life, like the fall of a leaf to the ground or the chirp of a bird in a tree, were almost therapeutic for her.

Dinner didn’t take too long to cook, but the dresser was seeming to take much longer than Emma had expected it to. When (Y/n) knocked on the bedroom door and stuck her head in, she grinned as she saw Niall sitting on the floor with his head thrown back and Emma pacing the room with her fingers pinching the bridge of her nose. Her once neatly fixed dark hair was messily tied in a bun on the back of her head. The instruction booklet for the dresser was laid out in between Niall’s legs, along with a torn bag of hardwear.

“Food’s ready.” She said with a singsong voice that made Niall pop his head up.

“Finally.” He quickly rose to his feet and grabbed Emma’s wrist, tugging her behind him as they followed (Y/n) down the hall and towards the kitchen.

“Eat as much as you want, I made plenty.” She said as she let them make a bowl first.

“Don’t have to tell him twice.” Emma’s mouth shaped to a smile as Niall practically pushed her aside to be first.

“Guests eat first, right?” He joked as he gave them both a quick glance, a smirk on his face as he grabbed the serving utensil.

Once the three of them had fixed what they wanted and claimed a spot at the table, (Y/n) offered to grab everyone something to drink. Emma and herself chose a glass of ice water while Niall requested a Coke. Emma had just brought home a box this morning after her quick run to the grocery store. The food appeared to be a big hit as Niall scarfed it down, spitting out compliments and satisfied hums that made the girls giggle and roll their eyes jokingly at him.

“Em told me the store is doing great.”

Niall nodded as he sipped his drink. “Yeah, it’s been good, actually. I’m glad.”

“I’m glad you do the lessons. I told her that people are coming in pretty much all day long.” Emma said.

“Yeah, if it’s not someone who’s into music already or just curiously out shopping.. The sign about the lessons really brings people in. And even if they don’t go through with it, they end up looking around and finding something.” Niall told them with a pleased smile, he was relieved his business was staying crowded and people actually enjoyed coming to the store.

“Did you end up finding someone to teach the guitar lessons? I know Emma said something about you were looking for someone else, since you got so busy with your bookings.”

“Yeah, my roommate actually. He’s decent at guitar and he’s just working with the beginners. I’m sticking to the people who sorta know how to play around that just wanna get better.”

(Y/n) nodded as she took another bite. “That’s good.”

The cooking had made the kitchen a bit warmer than it was before, so she pushed her sleeves up to her elbows. The exposure of the small tattoo on the inside of (Y/n)’s elbow caught Emma’s eye.

“Oh!” She chirped suddenly, making Niall flinch. “I forgot to tell you, (Y/n), I’m getting a tattoo in a few weeks. Already got my appointment.”

“Oh, really? Where at this time?” (Y/n) asked with genuine curiosity.

“On my foot. Just a cute little flower. Niall says it's going to hurt.”

(Y/n) squinted her eyes and pursed her lips. “You don’t have any, do you?”

Niall chuckled. “No, but I’ve been told the foot is terrible.”

“I’m not a baby, Niall. It’s not my first one. Besides, Zayn said it would be fine since I’m used to the feeling.”

“Zayn is lying to you to spare your feelings and get your money. He is my friend, I think I'd know when he lies.” Niall was only teasing her, but it brought a flush to Emma’s cheeks.

“Shut up.” She mumbled through a pout.

(Y/n) was amused by their interaction, but she chose to move on with the conversation so Emma wouldn’t get too sensitive. She wasn’t over emotional or anything, but sometimes she would get embarrassed if Niall playfully taunted her in front of other people.

“Zayn.. is that the guy I met that time at the bar?” (Y/n) couldn’t remember the person’s name, but she was sort of sure that it was the same person they’re referring to.

Niall nodded to her. “Yeah. The one with all the tattoos.. I would say the one with the black hair but right now it’s platinum blonde.” The lift of Niall’s brows made her think that maybe he didn’t approve of the look, but he had no choice but to accept it.

“I thought that was the same guy. I’m pretty sure he told me he owned a shop.”

“He’s the best around.” Emma said with a laugh. “Plus.. he gives me a discount.”

“You’re welcome for that.” Niall puckered his lips and leaned her direction, demanding a kiss that he knew he wouldn’t get.

“Hush.” She pushed her fingers to his mouth and gently shoved his head back.

He laughed at her reaction. “Just saying, Em. He’s my friend.. like I said before.”

Emma ignored him and turned her eyes to (Y/n). “Anyway, Niall can’t come with me.. so I was going to see if you wanted to go.”

“I can see if I can.. just let me know the date and time.”

“Alright. I will. Niall, don’t be a pig.” She groaned as she saw he had slipped from the table and was at the stove, piling his bowl full again.

“Let him eat it. That way we won’t have to worry about leftovers.”

Emma shook her head. “He’d eat the actual house if you’d let him.”

—•—

(Y/n) was puckering her lips in the mirror of the car visor as she applied her lip balm. It was chilly outside and the weather wasn’t being kind to her skin at all. She huffed as she saw the patch of dry skin right in the middle of her forehead. She had just applied her moisturizer before they loaded in the car to drive to the tattoo shop. Emma was driving, and every now and then she’d glance (Y/n)’s way and notice she was still staring in the mirror.

“What’s the matter?” She finally asked as (Y/n) slid the cover over the mirror and flipped the visor up, her back hitting the seat as she felt defeated.

“My skin is horrible right now.” She rolled her eyes to herself, upset that it was bothering her this much. It was just a bit of dry skin and chapped lips, she shouldn’t be so affected by it.. but she was. “Even my lips are dying.”

Emma smiled. “I’m sure lots of people are struggling right now. I’ve got a dry spot on my cheek. It’s been there for a few days. Just the weather.”

“But it's annoying. Y’know my hormones are whacky sometimes.. feel like as soon as I get it under control, I break out or have something like this happen.”

“When we get home, we can look up some different products. Maybe we can find something better for seasonal dryness. My cream isn’t working either.”

(Y/n) shrugged and took out her phone to mindlessly look through one of her social media apps. “Yeah, we can do that.”

Even though the shop wasn’t too far from where they lived, Emma didn’t want to walk in the cold and she didn’t want to have to cover the tattoo with thick, tight shoes afterwards. So, (Y/n) agreed to drive back after they left, and after they grabbed some food. The shop was right around the corner, and it caught (Y/n)’s attention as they turned onto the street. It was just off the main road of the downtown area. The street was lined with different restaurants, stores, thrifting spots, boutiques, and a few law firm offices and an emergency clinic that stayed open during the weekend. She was familiar with the area, and had actually looked towards the tattoo shop’s sign plenty of times. They pulled into a spot and Emma took in a deep breath before pulling the keys out.

“Are you nervous?” (Y/n) said with an amused grin plastered over her lips as she opened the car door.

“What if Niall’s right? What if it hurts real bad?”

“You’ll be fine. You got one on your ribs and your spine. You can take it.”

Emma was still nervous as she followed (Y/n) to the door. She grabbed the handle and pulled the door open, allowing Emma to slip into the building first. It was warm in the small lobby of the tattoo shop. She was unfamiliar with the specific shop, but not the reality of one. It looked like the others she had been to and the place she got her tattoos done at. The walls were dark grey and decorated with interesting pieces of artwork and posters. There were rock band posters, most of which she recognized, on the wall behind the dark wood desk that acted as a check in counter. Nobody was at the counter, though. There was a small sleek, black leather couch pressed against the side wall, above it hung a large canvas with what appeared to be an original artwork painted on to it. She saw the signature in the lower left corner and smiled as she read over the name she had heard Niall use a few weeks ago during dinner. So this Zayn character was more than just a tattoo artist? She was intrigued by the brush work on the canvas, the beauty of the image was breathtaking. The muted colors stood out oddly bold against the stark white and midnight black areas. It was nothing like she had ever seen before. Although she didn’t partake in any form of art herself, she was an admirer. She enjoyed frequenting art galleries and museums and contributing to artists as much as she could. She once got a commissioned painting of a bouquet of flowers from an older woman in the area who was a somewhat known artist. The piece lives on the wall near the hall closet.

“Zayn?” Emma called out suddenly as she grew impatient with standing in the middle of the lobby.

(Y/n) sighed to herself as Emma disappeared through a door. It lead to the main tattoo room, with three different stations placed in it. The back room was Zayn’s private room that his clients were able to be secluded in. Emma knocked on that closed door and waited patiently. A few moments later, Zayn opened the door with a smile, happy to see her.

“Hi, Em.” He said, his accent thick as it rang through the small building.

(Y/n) heard them chatting, so she decided to peek through the door, a nervous smile on her face. Zayn’s eyes caught hers as he towered over Emma. He offered a friendly wave and gestured for her to join them. She nervously stepped over the threshold and swallowed gently.

“Zayn, do you remember (Y/n)? You guys met a while back.” Emma said with a gesture of her hand as (Y/n) approached them.

Immediately, she recognized his features - from his dark eyes to his nearly fully inked arms. His tattooed sleeves wrapped over his shoulders, around his neck, crept over each wrist and wiggled around his fingers. He was covered, to say the least. She could only presume the rest of him looked like that. Colorful tattoos mixed with jet black ones littered his skin. And she noticed, of course, that his hair was blond now like Niall had mentioned.

“I think so, yeah. You’re the chick Niall said could outdrink me, right?” Zayn asked with a laugh.

“I don’t drink that much.. but yeah, that’s me.”

Emma gave her a nudge of her elbow. “She can out drink anyone when she actually lets loose.”

Her eyes rolled as a smile toyed on her lips, still slick from the lip balm. “Yeah yeah.”

“Let me get my chair cleaned off and you ladies can come back here.” Zayn said just as he grabbed the knob to his private room.

They heard something hit the floor and then a shuffle of shoes moving against the tile. Emma furrowed her brows and gave Zayn a curious look.

“Someone in there?”

“Yeah, I just finished a piece.”

He opened the door and went inside, shutting it behind him again. (Y/n) turned towards Emma and gave her a smile, unsure of what to do next. Emma grabbed her hand and nodded towards the open lobby door.

“We can wait in here.”

They returned to the lobby, where (Y/n) was easily distracted by the art on the walls again. There was a print of a skull near the door. It had flowers pouring over the crown of it, which then melted to puddles as they hit the imaginary ground. She thought it was interesting and quite cool. From what she could tell about Zayn’s vibe, it fit it well. The music playing from the speakers in the ceiling was loud enough to be heard but not too invasive. She could tell it was a curated playlist going, because the song that just begun seemed to be sung by the same person as the one before.

“Zayn just texted me.. he said we can come back.”

“I thought someone was-“ (Y/n) stopped speaking the second a body appeared in the doorway. “Oh.”

“Hey, Harry.” Emma said with a friendly tone as she stood up, motioning for (Y/n) to follow her.

“Hey, Emma.” The stranger replied with a quick lift of one corner of his mouth.

(Y/n) was slightly confused because it obviously appeared that the two knew each other. She had never heard Emma refer to anyone by the name of Harry, at least not that she could recall. She licked her lips and let her eyes fall down his tall, broad frame.

“What did you get?” Emma asked with her usual curious voice.

(Y/n) was listening, but she wasn’t paying that much attention. She couldn’t help but be taken aback by the appearance of the person in front of them. He was tall, much taller than Niall but probably close to Zayn’s height. He looked like a sky scraper standing in front of Emma and herself, both of which were shorter than average. His long, dark hair shaped into curls that were messily laying on his shoulders. He suddenly swept his hand through his roots the second she realized he had such long hair. The motion caused the lights above them to ricochet off the rings covering his fingers.

“This.” He said as he extended his right arm to them, well mainly to Emma.

There was a freshly inked snake curling around his forearm, each scale placed perfectly on his tanned skin. There were remenents of blood speckled across his skin, and a deep redness that hazed over the entire tattoo.

“Wow! That’s so good.” Emma beamed at the delicate work.

“Yeah, took two sessions. Zayn got a bit tired last time.” He smirked gently at the girl he knew, completely ignoring the one he didn’t.

“Well, it was cool seeing you! Are you headed home?”

He shook his head. “Gonna sit here for a while. I’ve got to be at the store in an hour to help Niall.”

She checked the time. “Yeah, he said he was the only one closing tonight.”

“Emma?” Zayn called from the back room, his head looking around the doorframe searching for her.

“Coming!” She hollered back, taking one last look at Harry’s freshly inked arm. “It was good seeing you. If you leave before I get out of here, I’ll see you later.”

(Y/n) didn’t even realize she was tracing her eyes over his body. His arms were like tree trunks, muscles taut under his skin and veins popping out, rolling around as he moved. His legs were tightly wrapped in a pair of dark jeans, she could tell through the fabric that they were toned as well. It wasn’t until he suddenly walked past her, not even sparing her a glance, that she realized she had been standing frozen.

Emma started towards the back room, (Y/n) in two as she felt an embarrassed blush cover her cheeks. She didn’t know this Harry guy, but she hoped she wasn’t staring too hard at him. It definitely wasnt polite to just stare at a stranger, especially when she was blanking out. What if she was making a face at him? Something nasty, or something rude looking? She was unsure, but chose to ignore it. He didn’t seem bothered by anything as he took a spot on the couch.

Zayn’s office was just as she expected it to be. It was a deep shade of green, the walls coated in framed prints and a few smaller canvases of what she figured was his work. There was a small accent chair placed in the corner for guests. She sat down and started darting her eyes around the room. The type of work that Zayn had pinned to a board on the back wall caught her eye. He seemed to be good at everything, but most of it was bold color work or extremely detailed realism, sort of like the snake she saw on Harry’s arm moments ago. She wondered if Zayn had given himself any of his own tattoos or if he went to someone else. Surely, not every place on his body was accessible by his own hands, but maybe some of them were done by him. She felt like an amateur compared to him. She had a few tattoos placed on her body, but nothing quite as big or detailed as what she saw on the board or on Zayn’s skin.

“(Y/n) is your new house mate, right?” Zayn asked Emma as she got comfortable on the chair.

“Yeah. I moved in before Christmas.”

“But.. you’ve known each other for a while, right? I can’t exactly remember.”

Emma nodded. “Yeah, since we were in college together.”

“Zayn.. do you mind if I look through this?” (Y/n) asked politely as she picked up the small binder off the console table next to the chair. A few figurines of characters she recognized, an hour glass with black sand, and a plant lived on the table as well.

“Of course not, that’s why it’s there.” He gave her a chuckle, but kept his response nice.

She opened the book and started to slowly flick through the pages. She saw his signature on the bottom of the designs. They were all so perfect. Some were executed with such detail and precision that she could've sworn they were fake, others were more loose drawn in a free handed style or just more whimsical in nature. She saw a sketch of a few bees on one of the pages. They were in black and grey, mostly realistic with subtle, soft shading and delicate lines. The drawing was pretty and neat. She glanced to the corner, searching for his signature, but she didn’t find it. Instead, in the corner opposite of where Zayn favored to sign his name was a small H. She hummed to herself, curious to know why Zayn had someone else’s drawing in his book. She quickly shook the thought out and reminded herself that there three other stations in the front. They were not abandoned by any means, she could tell people worked at them based on the different things displayed and the personal trinkets and objects adnoring the areas. Maybe this was one of his college’s work or maybe it was random.

For the most part, the book was filled with things Zayn did. Some of them were his own creations while others were common tattoo designs just drawn by his own hand instead of being pulled from the internet. She liked the way he had a bunch of his own things offered in styles that were more popular. He appeared to be a well versed artist with the talent to create just about anything.

As Zayn prepped Emma’s skin for her tattoo, he was talking to her about Niall’s store. He asked how it was going and if she had heard any horror stories yet of Niall messing up payroll or forgetting to stock an item. She only laughed and said she was surprised he was staying so calm and organized. Everything about the store was going more than according to plan, as at least as much as (Y/n) could tell from what she’s heard. She was still so happy for Niall. His hobby had turned into a passion and a business and he was able to share it with others, it was like a dream come true she bet.

“Alright, are y’ready?” Zayn said with a deep breath of his own as Emma grew more and more nervous in the chair.

“I think so.”

“You’ll do fine, Em.” (Y/n) encouraged from the corner, her eyes now focused on her friend.

“Just take some deep breaths. Tell me if it’s too much.” Zayn told her as he pulled the stencil paper off her foot. The flower wasn’t that big, but there were lots of tiny details that Zayn knew would probably hurt her more than anything else she’s gotten. “Just a tattoo.”

“If I cry, you can’t tell Niall. I told him I could handle this.” Emma mumbled out with a frown as she stared at her foot.

Zayn smiled and leaned back, the gun still buzzing in his hand. “Before I start, is it in the spot you want?”

“What do you think? Is it good?” She asked him, twisting her foot to a different pose.

“It’s not my foot, love.”

She groaned and looked over towards (Y/n). “Can you check?”

(Y/n) laughed a little but nodded as she stood up. Just as she was about to step towards them, Emma called for someone else to take a peek at the design.

“Harry? Are you still in there?” Her voice echoed through the room, she hoped that it spilled into the lobby so he could hear her. After a few seconds, she grunted and pulled her phone out to shoot him a text. “I’m so nervous.”

“It looks fine to me.. but it’s your decision.” Zayn told her with a gentle sigh.

(Y/n) looked down at the placement of the tattoo, her arms behind her back with her hands locked. “Yeah, it’s cute.”

She gave Emma a hopeful smile before turning around. The door opened just as she moved her body, the stranger that wasn’t a stranger to anyone but her, walked in the room, chuckling as he saw Emma fanning her face, the heat swelling her skin with sweat and her eyes with tears - she was nervous.

“You always do this.” Zayn couldn’t resist laughing as Harry walked to them.

(Y/n) was back in her seat now, her eyes fixed on her phone as she waited for Emma to decide her fate. She could hear snickers coming from Zayn and Harry as they talked about the tattoo and Emma’s apparent hesitation that always came out when she was in Zayn’s chair.

“It’s fine, Emma.” Harry said, giving her a smile before looking to Zayn. “Make sure it hurts.”

“Harry, shut up!” Emma groaned and tried to kick at him. He laughed and took a step back. “You guys are bullies.”

“You’ll be alright, Em. It’s not like it's your first.” Zayn reminded her.

She shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest. “Whatever. Go ahead, then. Thanks, Harry.”

“Welcome.” He said lightly before disappearing out of the door again.

(Y/n) wondered why he didn’t stay in the room with them. Was he not interesting in hearing the painful grunts Emma would sure be letting out soon or watching Zayn draw his design perfected for Emma into her skin? Maybe he was tired of being near the tattoo gun since he spent however long getting his own. She pushed the thought aside entirely the moment she heard Emma groan, curses falling form her lips but not directly towards anyone.

Zayn leaned over her foot, his fingers pulling her skin tight as he worked the needle into it. It didn’t look like it was much fun, and (Y/n) became grateful that she had no intention of ever inking anything onto her foot.

—•—

There was a freshness in the air as she looked around Niall’s music store. It smelt like freshly picked lemons, probably because he had just sprayed down the counter before she came in following behind Emma. Niall was in one of his usual band tees and a pair of jeans as he sat on a stool with a guitar resting on his thigh. He was talking with a customer, comparing the similarities of two different guitar brands. Emma found herself busy with the items on the checkout counter - dropping loose pens back into their cup and adjusting the pile of papers Niall had pushed to the side.

(Y/n) stayed curious as she looked around the store. It was very easy to get caught up in the different items, especially since she had little to no idea what some of the accessories were for. Niall provided more than just items for guitars. She didn’t try to decipher every thing on the shelves, just simply moved her eyes across the packages, curiosity settling in her instead of blurting out questions to Niall. The girls came by to bring him some lunch before they did some grocery shopping for the week. Niall was appreciative, but he was unable to entertainment right away.

Emma smiled as the customer approached the counter, the one Niall had been chatting with. She stepped aside and let Niall take over the register. He had another employee here, but he was in the back room looking for a specific thing they needed to restock on one of the shelves. (Y/n) waited near by as Niall scanned the guitar music book the customer wanted to get and told him that he’d see him when he returned for the guitar - the customer hadn’t made his decision just yet.

When it was just the three of them at the counter, a few customers were lingering around the store just browsing, Niall gave them both a warm smile before wrapping his arms around Emma for a quick hug.

“Thanks for lunch. I’ll eat it when Josh gets off his break.” He said with a sigh, folding his arms and leaning them on the counter.

“The store is so nice, Niall.” (Y/n) complimented as she glanced around.

“Thanks.”

Emma walked from behind the counter to where (Y/n) was standing. She was about to ask her something about their plans for the day when her eyes fell on the few pieces of paper taped to the front edge of the counter. One was the refund policy, one was about the instrument lessons, and the other was new since the last time she was here.

“Oh, a flyer? That’s unusual.” Emma suddenly said as she pressed her finger against the pink dyed paper. “For the show?”

“The show?’’ (Y/n) asked with a drop of her brows as she read over the words printed in bold black letters.

“Yeah, Niall’s band. They play at a bar across town every couple of weeks.” Emma told her.

(Y/n) remembered as soon as she heard it. Emma had told her before, long ago when she first started dating Niall, that he was in a cover band. It wasn’t anything serious, not trying to search for record deals or gain stardom, it was just him and his friends having a good time. They got decent money for it, including tips from audiences, and it allowed them to play the instruments each member enjoyed. She wasn’t sure who was in the band as Emma never got to that detail before.

“Oh, right.” She nodded as the memory returned to her brain. “That’s cool.”

“Can’t believe Emma’s never brought you to a show.” Niall said with a somewhat surprised expression.

“I invited her a few times but she’s usually busy with work stuff.” Emma defended herself, even though there was no issue with it.

(Y/n) smiled at her and shrugged. “I remember you asking a couple times.”

“Well, you’re more than welcome to attend if you’d like.” Niall offered as he pushed himself off the counter the moment the bell jingled above the entrance door.

He went to greet the customer, someone he actually was used to seeing come in the store, leaving the girls alone again.

“Yeah, it would be fun if you came! You could finally meet Alyssa. She’s usually just home with her and Zayn’s kid.. she doesn’t go out much anymore, but she loves the shows.” Emma exclaimed with a sparkle in her eye.

“I dunno.. when is it?” She asked, glancing at the flyer.

“Next Saturday night. It would be cool, (Y/n)! We haven’t went out since Halloween.”

The stress building up at work during the holidays definitely set her back from enjoying a lot of things, including several invitations from Emma to join her and Niall at a bar or go out for dinner with just the two of them. It truly felt like forever since she got to have fun with her friend. She thought about it for a moment, but only lifted her shoulder at the idea. The mention of meeting Zayn’s fiancé was intriguing since she had heard so much about her from Emma, but she doubted that would be enough to pull her out for the night.

“Maybe.. depends on how the week goes.”

Emma gave her a partial smile. “Okay. I really hope you can go with me.”

“Yeah, you should definitely come, (Y/n).” Niall said as he appeared next to them, the customer gone to look for the item they asked him about.

Once again, she let out a small sigh and faked a smile for them. “I said I’ll see how the week goes, but no promises.”

He gave her a fake, dramatic frown. “C’mon! Live a little!”

“I live a lot.. at work.”

Emma grabbed her elbow and gave it a squeeze. “I’ll convince you before the week ends.”

“M’sure you will, Em.”

After spending a few more minutes talking to Niall, and then waiting in the car as he and Emma disappeared into his office to say a private goodbye, (Y/n) was ready to get the grocery shopping over with. The store they frequented was near by, so the drive was short and easy. It wasn’t close to their shared house, but the prices were better than anywhere else. Emma offered to take her car, so that left (Y/n) in the passenger seat with her eyes glued to whatever passed by the window.

“Are you okay, (Y/n)?” Emma asked as they strolled through the fruit section in search for the items on their list.

She gulped gently, distracting herself by collecting a few apples for the cart. “M’fine, just tired.”

Emma watched as she walked towards the basket of lemons and grabbed two, she’d need them for a receipe she was going to try later in the week. (Y/n) was normally not this quiet. She enjoyed the task of grabbing their groceries and checking things off their combined list while Emma pushed the cart and double checked everything. Something about doing such a mundane thing made her feel content and comfortable, even if they decided randomly to try a new store they’d never been in. But today was different, Emma was growing concerned with her unusually quiet friend.

“If you’re irritated with me and Niall pushing you about the show.. I’m sorry. You don’t have to go.” Emma said with a soft frown as (Y/n) returned to the cart with a handful of bananas.

She sat them down and lifted her hesitant gaze to meet her closest friend’s. “I’m fine, Emma. Just tired.”

She shook her head gently. “No, you’re too quiet. What’s wrong?”

“You and Niall didn’t bother me, I swear. The bar thing is.. whatever. I’ll think about it, I promise. It’s just.. one of those days.”

Emma wasn’t believing it all the way. Sure, maybe (Y/n) was being truthful about the role her and Niall played in her newfound mood, or didn’t play - but something else was up. She licked her lips and decided to stay quiet as (Y/n) busied herself with grabbing the rest of the fruits before moving onto the fresh vegetables.

Although she didn’t want to press it any further, Emma couldn’t stop thinking about what could’ve happened at the music shop or on the way to the grocery store. Her worry was growing quickly and it wasn’t very long before she was asking another question.

“(Y/n), please tell me. Are you alright?”

She received a sigh as a response, a couple of tomatoes and a bag of baby carrots joined the cart. “Emma, please.. I’m fine.”

“Something is wrong with you. I don’t want to see you so down.”

(Y/n) walked towards the next section of the store, knowing that Emma would follow her with the cart no matter if they were talking or not. She held her breath as she thought about what was bothering her. She was too caught up with her racing mind to realize she was actually expressing her emotions on the outside. Emma noticed everything, so clearly she wasn't doing well at hiding it. There was no real issue, really, nothing that anyone caused by saying or doing anything. A lump slid down her throat, Emma was her friend - there was no need to keep anything from her.

Just as they turned down the aisle where the bread was, she stopped in her tracks and turned towards the cart, her hand reaching out to stop it. Emma froze, a lift of her brows offering confidence like a good friend should.

“The guy that walked through the door right before we left.. at Niall’s store..” She started with a strong voice, but it slowly faded to almost a whisper.

Emma nodded, encouraging her to continue. She looked down to the floor as the moment replayed in her memory. It wasn’t an unusual thing for her to experience, in fact it was more common than not. One little thing, one random glance from a passerby, one glimpse of someone with a similar shade of hair as her own, one note from a list of songs she knew were special..

“He reminded me of my brother. I.. I don’t wanna talk about it.”

Her response made Emma’s stomach turn to knots. She knew that the conversation was over then, and there wasn’t anything else she could try that would break (Y/n). The forbidden topic had been brought up, and quickly dropped back to the vault she kept it locked away in. Emma didn’t mention it again..

[a/n: this is a series! It’s a lot longer per part than my other stuff so I hope you enjoy! This is just the intro so it will be more interesting and exciting as it goes on! reblog, like, do all that lovely stuff!!]

-> this is a temporary message I will delete later on::: if it bothers you that I did not name this character and you think I should based on how I’ve written her so far, feel free to vote on a name change.. if you don’t care about it, also feel free to select that and submit your vote! Here

-> well this is a second message I’ll delete, I’ve had a lot of anxiety over this so pls go read this post too!

taglist: (notified for all // if you want to join a taglist for this series, lmk in a comment or message and I’ll start one)

@walkingintheheartbreaksatellite @victoriasigaard @ariiscringe @harlowsgirl @lomllover @haniaaa04 @sideboobrry11 @tenaciousperfectionunknown @fangirl509east @fruity-harry @sassamanda77 @lizsogolden