#also got a new phone - my mum was an angel

[moonwoodhollow]

Winter‘s coming // time to cosy up.

[hatsbuckets]

John teaches his kids how to drive early.

Headcanons

WC: 615

He starts getting them behind the wheel in his lap when they're toddlers, starts letting them actually drive by the time they're ten, they're fully capable of getting around by the time they're 13.

He only does this out on the private property he owns of course. It's not a big plot, but it's enough to drive a car around in. He sets up fake obstacle, traffic cones, and even spray paints the grass with lanes. Eventually he's driving the second car so they can practice merging.

To the kids it's a game, to John it could save their lives or someone else's. It's in the case of emergencies, when someone needs to be driven and no adult is able, when a call to emergency services is out of reach, when they need to get out of a tight spot and John's not there- God forbid.

He explains this to them at some point, making sure they understand that this is for emergencies. This is just in case. They should never have to. And when his son is able to repeat it back to him, John simply says "That's a good man."

His kids would beam when they finally get that stamp of approval. They know their dad just wants to keep them prepared, but come on, this is so much fun.

Fun until it wasn't...

John's wife had taken their two kids out to their little plot of land-a little farm in its own right by this time-one day for the fresh air though. Thing is, she's very pregnant with the third, and there is no cell service way out in this part of the country.

And she goes into labor.

John's son would be scared but motivated by his mother's calm urge to get into the truck, and trust what he's learned. Their daughter would hold her mom's hand in the back of the truck, nearly crying at the pain the woman seemed to be in.

Their son would drive, shouting at his sister to keep trying the phone. Call Dad. Tell Dad their baby sister is on the way. Call Dad. Tell Dad they're going to the hospital. Call Dad. Tell Dad they're scared, he doesn't want to drive into town, not really.

John doesn't answer. He's not done with his mission. Somehow though, in the light traffic of the early afternoon and with the training engrained into him, his son gets his family to the small-town hospital.

They take their mom in and one of the nurses is nice enough to stay with the kids. He'd console John's son as the adrenaline makes way to tears.

Finally, John calls them back. His daughter answers, barely able to explain what's going on through her tears, but John gets the idea. She passes the phone to her brother, and John's voice would be as calm as it could be.

Easy, son. That's a good man. You're mum's okay yeah? Yeah. You're okay yeah? I'm proud of you. I'll be there as soon as I can, yeah?

He was lucky not to miss the arrival of his first two, he'd be damned if he missed the third. He'd be there as soon as he could.

And his kids are waiting, both- all three of them- sleeping near their mother. She'd smile when John enters, the man sleep deprived and barely hosed down for a clean. He'd silently creep into the room, kneeling at her side and pressing a kiss to her forehead. He'd lean against her arm, staring at their newest little angel.

I'm so proud of you, love. I'm so sorry I wasn't here.

She'd smile and shush him gently, tilting their new joy just a bit so he could see her. You're here now. And so is she.

A/N FUCK I don't know where this came from, but I got possessed, cried, and wrote. Inspired by the fact that my friend really did this when he was younger, and his mom went into labor while he was alone on their family farm. (also to my knowledge it's not illegal in most places for children under the legal driving age to drive in emergencies? but fuck if I know or care.)

[b3ach-bunn7]

CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST

Texts with your best friend Touya (who’s a little bit in love with you)

no quirk au <3

—————————————————————————-

January 9th

8:47 pm

You: OH TOUYAAAAA

You: it’s nearly ur bd 😁 what shall I get u

Touya: Nothing

Touya: Just Ur love 😍

You: ew

You: shall I get u some new earrings

You: OH I COULD PAY FOR ANOTHER PIERCING

Touya: Literally where

Touya: I think I’ve pierced every available location on my face

Touya: Unless… You meant somewhere else 😳

You: EWWWWWWWW

You: UR SUCH A FREAK

Touya: I meant my belly button?

You: stfu

Touya: Get your head out the gutter

You: shut up pooya

Touya: Wow you really got me there!

You: HUSH

January 12th

8:39 am

You: bruh where r u

You: homeroom started like ten minutes ago

Touya: I just woke up

Touya: Leaving onw buy shoti is lissing me kff

You: okay English!!!

Touya: Kys

You: but you can type that right…

January 12th

1:40 pm

You: Touyaaaaaa

You: can we go get food

You: the canteen stuff is rubbish today

You: plz I’m so sos is so hungry I’m dying

Touya: Fatty

You: HEY

You: SO MEAN

Touya: I’m only joking sweetcheeks

You: gross

Touya: You love it

Touya: Shiggy wants to come 2

Touya: Is that Ok

You: sigh fine I guess

Touya: Shall I tell him he’ll be third wheeling if he does 😳

You: yes 🥰🥰🥰😍 he just can’t interrupt our time together my sweet

Touya: Ew

You: you love it

January 13th

7:40 pm

You: GST ON MINECRAFTTT

Touya: I’m doing homework

You: I’m doing your mum OHHH

Touya: Woah

Touya: Telling her u said that

You: PLZ IM JOKING

You: I’ll tell her ur telling porky pies

You: Rei would trust my word over urs anyways 😈

Touya: Lowkey she would

Touya: My own mother 😢

You: I’m just better ig

You: how long r u gonna be

Touya: Give me like fifteen mins

You: BOO

Touya: Bro Aizawa is up my ass rn

Touya: If I hand one more piece of work in late he’s gonna acc kill me

You: idk why u hate him so much

You: i love him

You: and he has that sexy teacher look🤤 those luscious locks

Touya: R u sure u can get off his dick long enough for us to play

You: HAHAHAH

You: STFU

You: ur just jealous

Touya: So very

Touya: Why aren’t u hyping ME up like that

You: cause u smell?

Touya: I’m not playing

You: IM JOKING

You: U smell so good and yummy

You: like cigarette smoke 😍

Touya: 🙄

You: sassy 💁‍♀️

Touya: Stop distracting me so I can work

You: okay smelly

January 15th

2:30 pm

Touya: Y/N

Touya: Y/n

Touya: Y/NNNN

Touya: Queen

Touya: Sweetheart

Touya: Angel

You: if you throw one more piece of paper at my head I’m blocking u

Touya: You won’t check ur phone

Touya: How else can I get ur attention from across the room

You: WE R I. CLASS

Touya: So?

You: think I figured out why Aizawa doesn’t rate u

You: pay attention

Touya: But I miss u

Touya: And I’m bored

You: U LITERALLY SAW ME LIKE HALF AN HOUR AGO

You: AT LINCH

Touya: Ur point?

You: omfg

Touya: So what’s up

You: I’m gonna kill you

January 17th

6:50 pm

Fuyumi: Hi Y/N

You: hey fuyumi!!

You: everything okay?

Fuyumi: Yeah, it’s great!!

Fuyumi: Just wanted to tell u that everyone needs to be at ours for Touya’s party at 5:00

Fuyumi: We’ll tell him to come home at like six so that gives us some time to get everything ready

You: beautiful

You: do u think he has any idea were throwing him a party 🤭🤭

Fuyumi: I don’t think so 😆 we have been very careful

Fuyumi: Even shoto has kept his mouth shut

You: yeah I had to threaten twice a couple times before he promised to not tell

You: IM EXCITED

Fuyumi: Me too!!!

Fuyumi: Can’t wait to see u 😊

You: I can’t wait either!!!

Fuyumi: I hope he’ll like it

Fuyumi: We’re getting mum to drive all across town to get him that cake he loves

Fuyumi: I really want him to have fun

You: don’t worry babe he will have fun

You: and if he doesn’t I’ll force him to 😈

January 17th

7:00pm

Touya: U guys r throwing me a surprise party right

You: what?

Touya: For my bd

Touya: Fuyumi is being all suspicious

Touya: Told me I have to leave the house tomorrow but also come back at six oclock??

Touya: And the little brat keeps giggling at me

You: uhm don’t call little shoto that

Touya: Ur deflecting

Touya: They r throwing a party aren’t they

You: they aren’t

You: idk why you think that

Touya: Y/N

You: WHY DO U HAVE TO RUIN EVERYTHING

Touya: Lol

You: please please don’t tell them you know

You: they’re so excited for do this for you

You: [screenshot attachment]

You: look what Fuyumi said to me

Touya: Oh

You: please don’t spoil 😔

Touya: Don’t worry your pretty little head

Touya: I won’t

You: YAY

You: LOVE U

Touya: Ly2

January 18th

12:00am

You: [audio messsage]

You: enjoy me whisper singing happy bd to u

You: HAPPY BIRTHDAYYYYYYY WOOOOO

You: LOVE U THE MOST

You: okay I need to sleep we have school tomorrow

January 18th

3:07am

Touya: Thank you y/n

Touya: Ly the most too

January 18th

6:15 pm

You: Touya where tf r u

Touya: I’m On my way!

You: we’ll be On your way! FASTER

Touya: STFU

You: U STFU

Touya: U TOLD ME TO MAKE THIS BELIEVEBE

Touya: MY FAMILY WOULD NOT BELEIWV I GOT THERE ON TIME

You: wait ur right lowkey

Touya: exactly

You: well walk faster

Touya: I’m not walking

Touya: I’m driving

You: HOW TF R U TEXTING ME

Touya: Imd riving one handed?

You: GET TF OFF UR PHONE 😭

January 19th

12:04 am

Touya: Y/N

Touya: Thank u for gifts

Touya: The strap for my bass

Touya: And the necklace

Touya: I lowbe them

Touya: and the aprty was so fun

Touya: I lovwd it

Touya: and I lobe you

You: that’s okay 😁

You: are u drunk rn🤔

Touya: Snuch out with bawks

Touya: Hrwks

Touya: Hawks

Touya: Raided fathers liquoye supply

You: you went to your dad’s house????

Touya: NO

Touya: never

Touya: stolen from when he was gere

Touya: fukcing loser 😂😂

You: where r u guys?

Touya: hawks house

Touya: his oarents arent home

Touya: u wanbawcome over

Touya: I’ll kuck him out

You: u can’t kick hawks out of his own house 😭

You: why do u even need to kick him out we’re friends

Touya: he flirst with y so much

Touya: flirts

Touya: pisses me off

You: awwwww r u jelly 🥺

Touya: yes

You: LOL

You: yeah maybe lay off the the drinks buddy

Touya: I live u

Touya: love

Touya: I loved the gifts u got me rhwnks

You: you already said babe

Touya: sorry baby Im so drunk

You: okay I’m going to go before you say something you’ll regret in the morning

You: goodnight birthday boy

January 19th

1:05 pm

Touya: Please erase last night from ur memory

You: last night was a movie 😍

Touya: Yeah a fucking horror

You: HAHAHA

Touya: My head is killing me

You: painkillers?

Touya: Idk where they r and Hawks is sleeping

You: did u guys just wake up 😭

Touya: I think I slept like at like five am

Touya: It’s nice smoking inside a house and not in some alleyway so mum doesn’t catch me

You: BOO

You: ur lungs hate u

Touya: I hate them back

Touya: It’s why I smoke

You: LOL SHUT UP

Touya: Fuck my HEAD

You: that’s what he said

Touya: Ew man

You: you love it

You: go drink some h2o

Touya: Enough chemistry in too tired

You: sigh fine

You: go get some WATER 💦

Touya: Fine

You: bye baby 🤪

Touya: I’ll kill you

You: but I thought you love me??

Touya: Ur dead to me

You: HAHHA

January 21st

7:06 pm

You: Touya

You: can I come over plz

Touya: Erm what 😳😳😳

You: seriously

You: can I

Touya: Yh ofc

Touya: You okay?

You: yh

You: well no actually

You: my dads being my dad again

You: I just can’t be in this house rn

You: I need to get away from him

Touya: Yeah u can anytime

Touya: Yk my family loves u

You: thanks

Touya: You want me to pick u up?

You: nah I wanna walk

You: thanks again

You: love u

Touya: Ly2

January 29th

5:28 pm

You: [image attachment]

You: BRUH HOW DID I LOSEEEE

You: I ATE SK BAD

Touya: Bruh get off dress to impress 😭

Touya: U r beefing ten year olds rn

You: idgaf

You: ten year olds who can’t fucking dress

You: I actually hate this game

You: that is NOT STEAM PUNK WHAT THE FUCK

Touya: Maybe get good

You: maybe kys???????

Touya: Words hurt 😔

You: man up?

Touya: Woah

Touya: Okay just perpetuate gender norms..

You: define perpetuate?

You: YH that’s what i thought

February 6th

7:06 pm

You: bro

You: all my friends have valentines apart from ME

Touya: Get good?

You: okay and where’s urs?

Touya: texting her rn 😍

You: omg 😳

You: but on a real I feel horrifically left out

You: Toga keeps flaunting it in my face

Touya: That little freak got one?

Touya: Who

You: yk that girl in 1-A with the chubby cheeks

You: they r so cute omg

You: how come toga has a lesbian lover and I’m jobless and hoeless 😔

Touya: I can help with one of those things

You: u hiring???

Touya: I’ll be ur valentine

You: I can’t tell if ur joking

Touya: I’m not

You: do u have one romantic bone in ur body

Touya: I can think of one 😳

You: LMAO EW

Touya: Nah fr I’ll be ur valentine

You: okay…

You: ask me properly tho

Touya: Okay

Touya: Hey Y/N

You: oh hi Touya! What’s up

Touya: Will u do me the great honour of being my valentine?

You: 😊 yes!

Touya: Thank you 😊😍

February 10th

2:02 pm

Touya: Omg

Touya: Y/N guess what

You: don’t text me in class lil bro

Touya: Someone asked me to be their valentine 🤪

You: what

You: Who

You: is she in our homeroom

You: did u tell her ur mine

Touya: Woahh

Touya: Jealous much

You: no I just don’t want to be a side piece 😔

Touya: No Dw I told her I’m urs 🥺

You: shush

You: yk what I meant

You: who was it tho

Touya: Idk some girl in my maths class

Touya: She seemed pretty sad when I said no

Touya: The ladies love me

You: she’ll get over it!

Touya: LOL

February 14th

8:03 am

You: OMG

You: ARE THESE FLOWERS MINE

Touya: No I got them for ur dad actually

You: TOUYAAA

You: THEYRE MY FAVS

You: THANM U SM

Touya: Anytime Valentine

February 14th

1:20 pm

Touya: Meet at my car

Touya: I’m taking u out for lunch

You: thank gosh

You: they’re selling some mystery meatloaf type deal and I’m no happy

You: hawksy wants to come too

Touya: No

Touya: Just u

You: girl he’s not gonna do anything

Touya: No this is like

Touya: Hold on

You: okay hawks is looking at his phone and typing

You: r u texting him

You: okay he magically doesn’t wanna come along anymore

Touya: Aw :((

Touya: I’m waiting outside

You: see u in a bit smelly

February 14th

1:50 pm

You: ur such a child

You: IM RIGHT IN FRONT OD U JUST TALK TO ME

Touya: NO

You: WHY

Touya: IK SCARED

You: I can see u smiling

Touya: Shut up

Touya: Okay listen

Touya: If u don’t like what I’m about to say we r going to act like this never happened okay

Touya: I will delete the message out of existence and thus out of ur mind

You: okay…

Touya: Okay so I kind of like actually asked u to be my Valentine not just because ur lonely

Touya: And I like really like you

Touya: As in like like

Touya: But I don’t wanna ruin our friendship because ur the best friend I’ve ever had and will ever have

Touya: So if u don’t feel the same we can just pretend this never happened

February 14th

8:00 pm

You: I’m home safe xxx

Touya: Don’t care

You: okay mr message me when ur back

You: okay mr parked in my driveway to make sure I got in okay???

Touya: Shut up

You: wait hold on

You: is that why uninvited hawks

You: so that u could ask me out

Touya: Yeah and the sky is also blue

You: SHUT UL

Touya: He’s so stupid yk

Touya: It was his idea ??

Touya: And he forgot

You: hey three’s a party!

Touya: So you would’ve kissed me as aggressively as you did if Hawks was there?

You: wait ur right..

You: Oh well

You: it was about time anyways

You: took u like three years and u did it over DMS

Touya: I’m shy 🥺

You: EW TF

You: I take the kiss back

Touya: These hickeys tell me a different story

You: HSUTUP

Touya: You love it

You: I love YOU 🫵

Touya: Yeah

Touya: Love you too

—————————————————————————

This was NOT supposed to end with a confession but I physically cannot help myself 😅 I love these text posts they’re so fun!!

Hope u all enjoyed <3

[writingforstraykids]

He sounds like an asshole

Pairing: Chan x fem!reader

Word Count: 1290

Summary: Chan has trouble sleeping and searches for comfort in you as you're reading one of your favorite books once again.

Warnings/Tags: fluff, cuddles, mention of sleeping pills

A/N: I hope you like it😊~Moon🌙

You adjust the blanket covering your feet and glance out of the window as another thunder ripples through the air. The rain hammers against the window and paints its patterns down the glass. Your eyes follow a few drops before you pull yourself back to reality and check the time on your phone. Your boyfriend got home two hours ago, saying something about going to take a nap. Chan looked exhausted, and you know it's because of his busy schedule and clear lack of sleep over those past two weeks. Sometimes, you worry about him when he comes home like that, all pale and whiny, unable to keep his eyes open. You sigh softly and turn the page of your book, continuing to read. Only a few minutes later, you hear him opening the door to your shared bedroom and walking toward you. "You slept alright, love?" you ask, not looking up yet. Chan doesn't answer and stops in front of the sofa. You frown and slowly raise your eyes. The sleeves of his sweater cover his hands almost fully, and once you meet his eyes, your heart sinks. His own are full of tears, some making their way down his cheeks, and his full lips tremble as he exhales sharply. "Hey, what's wrong?" you ask worriedly and put your book aside, pulling your blanket back and patting the spot between your legs. 

"I can't sleep," he presses out, clearly frustrated, and messily wipes his cheeks with the sleeve of his sweater. You gently take his hand and pull him toward you. He lets you and sits down between your legs, resting his head on your chest with a soft sniffle. "I'm so tired, Y/N, but I can't fucking sleep." 

"Oh, Channie, angel," you say softly and wrap your arms around him, soothingly fondling his hair. "Did you take your pills?" 

"Yes," he nods and curls up in your comforting hold. "They're not working." 

"When did you take them?" you ask gently. 

"Half an hour ago," he answers, and you hum softly. 

"You know they need some time to work," you remind him lovingly. 

"I don't have time," he groans. "I should be able to work tomorrow and finish everything. I also need to meet with Min and Felix to discuss the new dance and Hannie needs help with-." 

"Chan," you stop him gently but firmly. "Maybe that's exactly the problem here. You worry too much about what needs to be done instead of letting yourself relax for a moment." 

"So it's my fault now?" he asks, sulking, and you fight the urge to roll your eyes. 

"That's not what I meant," you sigh softly and rub his back. "Is there something that might help you relax and support the pills working their magic?" 

Chan cuddles into you and sighs softly. "This helps a little," he says, and you chuckle. "Hey, I mean it," he pouts. 

"You're adorable," you smile and plant a soft kiss on top of his head. He looks up at you and chases your lips, humming softly as you give him what he wants. You can taste his tears on his lips and cup his face, thumbs wiping his cheeks. "You know what my mum used to make me when I couldn't sleep?" 

"Milk with honey?" he asks sweetly, and you gently bop his nose. 

"How does that sound?" you ask, brushing back his loose curls. 

"Lovely, but then you have to get up," he sighs and looks adorably helpless. "And I'll be alone."

You can't help but laugh at that. "Channie, come on," you protest, and he giggles softly, his beautiful dimples appearing. You cup his face and kiss his forehead. "I'll be right back, okay?" 

"Okay," he sighs dramatically with a mischievous glint in his eyes. 

You shake your head and get up, walking over to your kitchen space to prepare it for him. You watch him as he wraps your blanket around his shoulders and stares into the distance, trying to calm his thoughts. You're back with him only a little later, and he sits between your legs, leaning back against you as he sips his milk. You pick up your book again and rest your chin on his head, knowing it would help him feel like he didn't distract you. 

Chan smiles softly and rests his hand on your knee, his thumb painting mindless patterns on it. Having you there with him distracts him from the fact that he can't sleep and gives him some much-needed peace. He starts reading along but soon gives up since he can't follow the plot without knowing the characters or any of the previous scenes. "He sounds like an asshole," he comments after a moment, making you giggle. 

"You think so?" you ask, amused.

"You think so?" he echoes and turns a little to look at you. "You'd kick my ass if I talked to you like that." 

"That's a little violent, but you might have a point," you snort. 

"Of course I do," he snorts back and shakes his head. "I'd hate him." 

"Well, thank God you're not the protagonist," you chuckle. 

"Is she going to fall in love with him?" he asks disgusted. 

"People can change," you remind him. 

Chan grabs the book to look at the title and bites back a groan. "Again?" 

"Yes, again," you chuckle. "Just like you perform the same stuff over and over again and don't get bored." 

"That's something else every time, baby," he protests. 

"Maybe this is too?" you laugh. 

"I doubt that," he frowns and takes another sip of his milk. 

"I've never read this while your insomnia kicked in, and you sat between my legs drinking milk with honey before, though," you think out loud, and he turns to look at you. You can see how ridiculous he thinks you are and have to laugh. 

"You're so stupid sometimes, I love you," he giggles. 

"I love you too," you smirk. 

He huffs softly and sinks back against you, putting his empty mug aside. "Gosh, I really wanna sleep," he mutters softly. 

You shift on the sofa with him, and he gets comfortable on top of you, his legs intertwined with yours. His head rests on your chest, and you gently run your fingers through his hair. "I could read to you, you'll find it so boring it'll make you fall asleep," you suggest, and he giggles. 

"Fine, it's worth a try," he says, knowing that your angelic voice and not boredom will make him sleep if this would work. 

You start reading out loud and subconsciously play with his hair as you do, enjoying the comforting warmth his body spends. "I recall that your hands were on her, but her eyes were on me, Cardan returns."

"Asshole," Chan comments convinced, and makes you laugh. He smiles softly and listens to your voice, which slowly pulls him in. Your steady heartbeat beneath him helps him calm down, and feeling you breathe beneath him makes him adjust his own. He closes his eyes, focusing on you only, and slowly notices the pills kicking in as they should. Combined with the soothing movement of your hand in his hair and your presence, he finally relaxes. 

MASTERLISTS | PROMPT LIST | GUIDELINES

You smile to yourself as he grows heavier on you and snuggles up close, almost leaning into your touch. You lean down and lovingly kiss his head. "Night, Channie love." He only manages to mumble something back drowsily, and you know the pills are working now. You continue reading loudly for another while until you're sure he's deep asleep and put the book aside. You smile softly at him clinging to you in his sleep and soothingly rub his back, allowing yourself to rest as well.

do not repost, translate, or plagiarize my works in any way here or on other platforms. ©️writingforstraykids 2024 -

Taglist: (Please let me know if you want to be added to/removed from the taglist!)

@soullostinspaceandtime @brownieloved @rebecca-johnson-28 @euphoric-univers @hyunniebunni @mal-lunar-28 @malfoygalaxies

[heyidkyay]

And I'm petrified of being alone, now |

Part Eleven

Matty Healy x reader

Summary: She’s just trying to get by, really. What with being a single parent to her four year old son whilst simultaneously trying to kick start a successful career as a radio presenter. She’s got everything she’s ever wanted though, friends close by, a mum who’s merely a phone call away, and of course her baby boy. What else is there to wish for? But then, it’s not long before her relatively normal life gets upended and turned on its head, and she’s suddenly forced to deal with situations she’s never even thought to imagine.

What happens when one mention of a certain controversial singer on her show sends a flood of unexpected challenges her way? 

Authors Note: Hiiiiii, it's been a while:) Sorry, had a lot going on tbh very hectic and stressy but I had most of this written out before life got all messy and so I just tried my best to finish it! Hope you all had a happy holidays, whether you celebrated anything or just had a lovely few days, also wishing you a very happy new year!! Here's hoping it'll be a good one x Alsooo, a big thank you to @procrastinatinglikeapro who's an utter angel and without this part wouldn't have been finished!<3

Onto part eleven I suppose!

Masterlist

It’d been too long a day, though it had only just gone eleven. So Matty had decided to take a well earned break that no one else seemed to be fully aware of. He’d left George and Adam to themselves, the pair caught up in a heated discussion about a particular opening to a new song they’d been working on, and Ross was off in the booth playing something or other just to escape the rest of them. He’d had a late one the night before and was feeling the effects of it, poor prat.

Matty reckoned that he probably had a good while before Jamie strolled in though, or before George started getting aggy about the current chord progression, so he’d taken to one of the far corners of the studio to slink into the small sofa there and pull out his phone.

Messages now Squeaks I’m meant to be prepping for recording!! Stop distracting me.

Matty grinned to himself at the most recent text he’d received. They’d been at it since six this morning, but he’d yet to grow tired and so was already typing one back. 

Messages now Ditto babe So it would seem that you are the one now distracting me

He shook his head at the next reply that came through, but had to agree with her point; Adi seemed a whole lot scarier than the three twats he’d been burdened with. Even so, he couldn’t let her know that, could he? Or have the last word either. It was a matter of principle now.

See, it’d been a few weeks since that night at the club and the morning after in the quietness that was her flat- a place that still swarmed his thoughts during moments of the day when he felt his mind drift. He’d been so caught up in the moment back then, in her and in being allowed that close, that he hadn’t paid much mind to everything else. Too focused on watching, observing the way she behaved in a place so full of comfort. He only wished now that he had nosed around a bit more, her bedroom hadn’t given much away and neither had her kitchen, but those had been the only two places he’d been able to linger.

Still, afterwards he thought that the whole situation might’ve stirred things up for them, what with her dickhead of a mate and his waking up in her bed. Because most girls either fell arse over tit wanting to get into his trousers, or rather a chance in the spotlight, whilst others ran headfirst through the nearest fire exit door. 

Mouse though, she was something else.

She kept him at arm's length, that was for sure. Made it clear she had boundaries, even if she was open to a bit of harmless flirting here and there. But he’d just put that down to her being more mature than most of the women he’d met. She was also dead set on them just being mates, and he could do that, really, he could. He had tons of female friends, ‘cause why not, right? So he knew he could hold back. He could.

Saying that though, Squeaks hadn’t just stuck around for a short time to live within the confines of his fame-covered umbrella and, honest to God, it was refreshing just how much she didn’t seem to mind the headlines nor the fans that came along with him. She loved his music, yeah, she’d made that part known- or at least their older stuff, bit mean- but that was it. She asked for nothing but his company. 

And even then, that had been all down to him. He had sought her out. Not the other way around. So he was always wondering over it, over why and over her.

Usually, people like that were hard to come by these days, or were simply playing the long game. He’d seen it happen plenty times before, not just with himself, but with his parents too, and other people within the industry. It didn’t feel that way with her though. It was why he’d been so reluctant to share her anymore than he already had, ie. Jamie and now Danny too, he supposed. Although the latter hadn’t really asked much after her since their night out, on the low now that he feared Jamie was after his head. Matty couldn’t muster up any sympathy. 

And during the last few weeks, he had practically forced his way into her life even further. Too scared that if he didn’t, if he relaxed, that she would just play it safe and walk away, and he wouldn’t have that. So, they’d gone from texting at all hours of the day to phoning most nights now that he had a set routine in London for a short while. And sometimes, if he was lucky, they would facetime and he’d feel his heartbeat pick up at the sight of her tired smile.

It was nice. 

New.

Made him feel like a kid again, in truth. As though someone liked him just for being himself. His pushy, egotistical maybe, but simple self.

She’d probably rib him to bits if she could hear him now, all soppy like. But even so, he couldn’t find it in himself to take any of it back.

“Oi, loverboy! Gonna tell us what new model’s got you grinnin’ like that then?”

Matty’s head snapped up at the familiar lilt of George’s teasing voice, who was still seated in the cushy chair he’d long ago claimed but had since turned in to glance over at him.

“Nothing like that, dickhead.” And at George’s disbelieving hum, Matty rolled his eyes and tacked on, “Believe what you like, man. You finished sorting that section or not?”

George mimicked the action, though with less of his usual irritated flare, and cocked his head in the direction of his laptop. “Just about. Only gotta tune shit up now.” Then he glanced back at him, leaning in the chair with his hands linked across his front, “So are you going to finally tell us what’s had you so distracted lately? Feels like every time I see you you're glued to your phone. Not back on Twitter, are you?”

Matty glared at the mention of the app, because yes he was, but who the fuck was George to judge him for it? So he lied.

“No,” He scoffed just as his phone buzzed once more in his hand, it really was a great fucking struggle for him not to just go ahead and quickly check it. “Just scrolling. Why don’t you mind your business, egghead?”

It was a cheap shot, but all the questions had left him flustered. He was only fucking human, yeah?

“Ah, leave him be! It’s nice not to have him in my ear constantly.” Hann, the backstabbing twat, laughed and shot Matty an amused smile, as though that would lessen the blow. Matty rolled his eyes once more.

“Yeah, yeah. Can we get back to work now?”

George’s eyebrows rose a tad but he blew out a long breath and simply shrugged, “Whatever. Just let us know if it’s anything serious.”

Matty withheld the petulant urge to get all huffy with the lot of them and instead shoved his phone into his back pocket so that he could grab the neck of his guitar and not succumb to the overwhelming urge to have a peek.

Fucking overbearing glibs. Always wanting in on everything. 

Though he supposed he couldn’t blame them, not really, seeing as he’d kept them on the outskirts of his life for so long now. Always keeping secrets, that it was practically now his trade. But well, a drug addiction would do that, and it wasn’t like he could go back and alter things. 

This was a real change of pace for him, sure, but after all the crap that had come with the past year, Matty guessed that this couldn’t be easy for any of them either. It was definitely a shift.

He’d leave it. For now, at least. They could let him have this.

“Nah, nah, go and play that again.” Matty spoke up once he’d made his way back on over, listening to the loop Hann had just hit play on, “Who put that shit in? Sounds fucking awful!” And in turn, received a notebook to the head.

***

“... So yeah, Ads ended up putting the fire extinguisher to good use- our first go of it, too!” I felt the need to tack on, grinning at the very reminder of it as I filled up a pot to boil. “There was a crap ton of foam everywhere-”

“Language!” The woman admonished me from down the phone and I rolled my eyes around a faint chuckle.

“I’m twenty-three, mam! You can't scold me anymore and besides, I could have said a lot worse than crap, you know?”

She still tutted, displeased, “And what if Teddy were to hear? You wish for him to be spouting that the next time he’s at garderie?”

Shaking my head in amusement, I flicked on the hob and turned to pick the phone back up. “Nursery’s probably already heard it all.” I snorted, remembering the most recent mishap made by Teddy’s friend, Issie, when she had sworn in front of the entire school last assembly. “Anyway, he’s not even here! He’s been hypnotised by the tele.”

“I don’t think I will ever understand the charm behind that invention. It rots brains, ma mie!”

“Eh, so they claim.” I retorted with a meagre shrug whilst shuffling across the kitchen floor to find the pasta I'd left on the other counter, “But all it’s doing right now is keeping him out from under my feet whilst I make a start on tea.”

Even through the phone I could feel her exasperation.

“Et encore,” The woman stressed and I smiled mostly to myself as I propped my phone up against the wall again so that I could measure and still see her. She seemed to let the subject go though, because her next question was, “What are you making anyway?”

I told her and whilst I allowed her to direct me (and berate my cooking skills- even though I was her best student! As well as her only, I supposed) I prattled on about the rest of my day spent at the studio and then down at the shops after having picked up Teds from school. The little weirdo had tried to lure a pigeon in after us and failed helplessly. 

So it wasn’t too long before she finally interrupted my ramblings, in fact I’d almost finished with the sauce I was mixing.

“You’ve been glowing lately.” I heard her say and I grinned around the finger I had popped in my mouth, having just tasted the creamy béchamel.

“I am?”

She hummed quietly whilst I chanced a glance over at her, “Hm, it’s new, nice.”

I snorted, unsure on how to take that. “Thanks?”

My mum merely rolled her eyes mirthfully, a small smile flickering at the corners of her mouth, “Have you thought about Noël much more?”

Pursing my lips, I leant forward to check on the still boiling pasta- not long now, I deemed. “I dunno if we can make it, mam. Last time we took the boat out Teds was ill for days after and I don’t want him spending Christmas like that, especially seeing as I have to be here up until the twenty-third, the second if I keep praying!”

“Okay.”

I paused instantly and rocked back on my heels to frown at her, having expected more of an argument. “Okay? What do you mean, okay? Do you not want me home or something?”

Mam just shook her head, chuckling quietly, and I felt the crease between my brows deepen. “Non! It just means that the plane ticket I bought won’t go to waste.”

Blinking, I spluttered out, “Hang on, plane ticket?? Since when do you fly!”

“Since I realised that nearly a whole year has passed since I last saw my family! Too long, mon cœur.” She shot straight back at me and I felt myself chuckle softly at her, feeling my heart swell enough to override the evident guilt that stirred.

“I’m sorry, maman. I didn’t mean for it to be so long, just…”

“Life, mon cher, life carries on and it keeps us busy. You most of all, with your show and the baby.” She consoled, her face so full of warmth.

“Hardly a baby now.” I felt the urge to mumble but she simply waved me off.

“As well as this new glow of yours!” She added, confusing me enough to laugh a little and question what she meant. “Don’t play me for a fool, chéri, I raised you! There is someone, isn’t there?”

“Someone?” I quipped right back, very much bewildered by this whole new conversation we were now having. “What are you getting at?”

She clucked her tongue at me, as though she thought I was just playing at being dense, and so I watched on as she lifted her eyes towards the ceiling. “Someone new! A mystery man, peut être?”

I gawped, spluttered, and then shook my head, “No, non! Far from! God, can’t a girl just glow? I’m just happy, maman!”

“Ah, so I am right! You’re blushing.”

“Am not!”

My mum merely laughed at my petulance in return. “You are, Souris! It’s nothing to be ashamed of, if you don’t want to tell me more then I will leave it, for now. It looks good on you though.”

“Maman.” I groaned, “You couldn’t be more wrong about this.”

“I know my own child, crois-moi.” Was all that she replied, shrugging simply whilst I stood frozen in my kitchen hundreds of miles away from her. I knew she wouldn’t budge though. “But I want to know more soon! Maybe when I visit.” She proposed.

My eyes widened and it took everything in me not to pester her any further on what the hell she’d meant by it all. Seeing someone? I mean, she was out of her mind. I hadn’t spared even a glance at anyone in that way since, well since Teddy! And she knew this.

“Now, you should probably do something about that pot, amour. It’s bubbling over.”

That was all I needed to force myself back into the present and I swore up a storm as I rushed over to save the pasta on the stove. 

–

“Did you see it? Did you see it? Did you see it?”

I reeled back at the sudden presence of an overwhelming Adi, who had shot up to greet me at the studio door as I walked in, curls bouncing every which way. I laughed, more than a little surprised by the intrusion as I attempted to step around her and get further inside. It didn’t work as well as I hoped though, seeing how she scuttled after me like a baby duckling who’d just learned to walk.

“Christ, Ads! At least lemme put my shit down.” I told her, all but skidding around the settee to throw my bag onto it. “Only just about managed to escape a Teddy Tantrum on the way in.”

Even with the mention of the almost meltdown from the monster that was my toddler she still powered on, bouncing on the balls of her feet, phone clutched tightly in the hand she held close to her chest. “But did you see it!” She pestered me, the stress and excitement of the situation evident in the pitch of her voice.

Looking at her, I knew I just had to put her out of her misery. “Yes, I saw it.” I smiled slyly, shaking my head fondly whilst I moved over towards the kitchenette. “Brew?” I wondered aloud and she shot me the most scathing look.

“Forget tea! There’s no time for tea! Are we doing it, or not?!” Adi immediately fired back, eyes now as wide as dinner plates.

I tried so hard to keep my growing grin from view, messing with the cups atop the fridge, but she was nothing if not adamant.

“Mouse!”

Breaking, I laughed at her and glanced over to where she stood an arms length away, practically ready to explode. “Why wouldn’t we be?” I asked and her mouth dropped open at the insinuation of my words and the hope she’d been attempting to hide blossomed into pure elation. 

“You’re serious? You’re not just messing with me? Because I will strangle you right here, right now!”

My eyebrows rose, but I was still grinning away. “I go down fighting, babe.”

“Don’t I know it- still have the scar from when we wrestled over who got to say the first hello to Bono!”

I grinned proudly but did remind her, “And I still have nightmares about your teeth buried in my left thigh.”

“Oi, that healed!”

I snorted, “And? The trauma didn’t.”

Adi rolled her eyes and then smiled over at me. “I can’t believe you’re actually agreeing to do this.” She breathed, watching me ever so closely now.

I shrugged, feeling a little sheepish but mostly just trying not to think about the circumstances of it all. “It’s for charity- and besides, they asked. I couldn’t say no, could I?”

A crease formed between her dark knitted brows, “You could. I know I’m excited and all but, if you’re not comfortable with it…” She trailed off and I hated seeing her all mopey and concerned, it rivalled Teddy’s best set of puppy-dog eyes. An art he’d mastered since before he’d been able to sit up on his own.

“I know.” I assured her kindly as I propped myself up against the counter, “I want to do it though, Ads. It’s for a good cause and whatnot. Plus, I’ll have you there with me and it’s not like we’ll be in front of any cameras.”

“Maybe not you, but I'm soaking it all up, babe!” Adi immediately retorted and she flicked her hair over her shoulder for dramatic effect, “A face like this was made to be seen.”

I smirked and continued with the task I’d set of refilling the kettle, “And who would I be if I denied the world that chance?”

“Exactly.” She said, then chuckled, moving across the floor to shoot two tea bags into the mugs I’d gathered. “Now, all we need to do is work out what to wear.”

“And what questions to ask! They said they’re still unsure on the lineup this year. What with it being all new and whatnot.” I mentioned, having been thinking on that specific issue since the ask had come through the previous afternoon. 

It wasn’t a huge gala type event, nothing like the Met or the Brits, but it was going to be a big showcase in the leadup to Christmas. Something that was going to help provide a lot to those who were going without this year. From what I’d gathered, there would be variety acts, musical performances, comedians, dancers and the like, and it was meant to be broadcasted across the entire country. So, to say this was a big deal for us. A radio show I’d started in my bedroom! Was a massive understatement.

“I mean, an actual red carpet, Mouse!” Adi finally squealed, letting loose all the obvious excitement she’d been holding in. “Come on, even you’ve got to be looking forward to that!”

I nudged her hip slightly as I went for the milk, silently rebuking that comment, but she just laughed in turn. “I am, to be fair. It’s going to be a whole lot different from what we’re used to though.”

Adi merely flashed me a bright eyed grin, “Exactly why we need to dress to the nines, babe! Gotta show these haughty celebs that we can roll with the likes of them.”

I cackled when she did and then shook my head, extra careful not to go spilling any of the hot tea we’d brewed as we made our way back over towards the settee. This was definitely going to be one for the books.

***

“You got all that?”

The others all gave their own variation of a confirmation to their stressy manager whilst Matty’s attention deferred, eyes jumping ever so quickly from one thing to another.

“Matty mate, you hearing me?”

A barge shook him in his stance and he turned towards Jamie and the rest of the guys with raised brows before he huffed.

“Yeah, yeah- album, smiles, don’t be a fuckhead.” He listed off, already glancing away.

Ross snorted over Jamie’s head, who in turn rolled his eyes at Matty’s blatant tone. “Don’t fuck this one up, it’ll be good for your image, alright?”

“We won’t.” Hann promised him with that gentle smile of his just as George clapped the older man’s shoulder, “Try not to have a heart attack before we make it to the end, man.”

“I’ll be fucking lucky.” Matty heard Jamie mutter under his breath just before they were herded off towards the start of the carpet where a shit ton of fans and a horde of cameras waited.

“You doing alright though?”

Matty hummed at the quiet question, dipping his chin ever so slightly. He was alright. It just felt different, being at something like this stone cold sober. It had been too long, in truth. Actually, he’d begun to wonder if he’d ever not been on something since they’d first shot up to fame and been forced to attend shit like this. He lingered on that very thought even as he replied.

“Fine, just thinking over the opening.” He clasped his hands before him to keep himself from fidgeting any more than he had been. He was always fucking doing it, drove people crazy, or so he’d been told.

“You’ll ace it.” Ross whispered to him around a conspiratorial grin, squeezing Matty’s upper arm once before they were all called into the onslaught by an usher. “Show time, boys!” He added and with it, Matty forced out a breath.

Stepping onto a carpet always felt like entering a whole other reality, whether it was a black tie event or something sweet and easy. There was just nowhere that you could possibly hide to escape the cameras or the shouts and cries of people vying for your attention. It was easy to follow their directions though, ‘Over here!’ or ‘To your left!’, but it was much harder to tune out the other shit that got thrown their way.

“Matty! Matty! How was rehab?” One shouted, “Are you lot breaking up then?” Went another. “George, where’s Charli? And the after party, what about the after party?”

Matty bared his teeth and grinned through it, knowing he’d only be making things more difficult for himself if he gave them any inclination that he’d heard, let alone a real reaction.

By the time they made it off the first half though, away from all the blinding lights and constant flashing, Matty didn’t even get a chance to regroup before he felt himself already being steered towards the next horde of press.

He dragged a helpless hand down his face, bracing himself as best he could, before dozens, if not more, interviewers came into view, all eager to get their questions in, maybe find a way to have someone slip up and earn themselves a column in some crappy rag or paper. 

Typically, he didn’t mind this part. Here he got to work his magic, charm and woo whoever it was standing behind the camera and then swiftly move on. It was everything he enjoyed in an interview; three, four questions max and then he was gone. Like smoke in the wind.

Matty smiled at the notion, then stepped up in between Hann and Ross to greet the first bloke who’d reached out for them.

Somehow he managed to persevere on through and make it nearer to the end. Normally it was there that they could evade most of the microphones stuck their way and make a swift exit into the awaiting building. But just as Matty opened his mouth to suggest it to the others, his eyes caught on something in the corner, or rather someone.

“Oh shit.”

“Yeah, it’s been a bit mental. But it’s over now though, mate.” Matty heard one of the others say in response to him as they clapped his shoulder heartily, but they obviously hadn’t realised that he hadn’t been moaning about the whole ordeal, not even moaning at all actually. No, he’d just been fucking shocked to the core and all but rooted to the red carpet in surprise and that was all the words that he could let escape.

Before he could think to correct them, or let them know, he somehow managed to unstick his feet and start hurrying in a whole other direction. They called out when they noticed but he paid them no mind, flicking at his blazer sleeves and then wiping his hands discreetly to get rid of that clammy sheen they always managed to create whenever he was on edge.

Because how could he not be? When Mouse was standing there at the very skirtings of the crowd, just behind a staged barrier. Her of all people. And Matty couldn’t quite manage to tear his gaze away. Sights set as he bulldozed on through people to get closer and closer. 

She looked incredible. There was no denying that. Different to whatever he’d gone and made up in his head- something to do with a romantic dinner and them being all dressed up- but beautiful nonetheless. He found it difficult not to wonder over how no one else seemed to be lured towards her, how nobody else had gone over and asked why she was standing on that side of the barrier and not with the rest of this sorry lot on the carpet. Because-

Fuck, she was just stunning in that getup. Wasn't she? All red and pretty. Cheeks matching the sleek colour of her dress, smile unapologetic and wide. It was honestly so fucking hard to chance a blink let alone look away, worried she might not be there at all if he did.

She was talking with someone though, who had their back to him, eyes flickering up every now and again to check on the celebs heading their way. Actually, it was just as she did so once more that those eyes of hers spotted him through the small crowd near the edge, making her stutter in her stance and blink as though he was a mirage.

Matty grinned, unable to do much else, except manage a hurried jog the rest of the way, just needing to be near, to talk to her.

“The hell are you doing here?” Were the first words to spill from her painted lips, causing his grin to slip on into a full-on beam. 

God, she sounded so startled, so sweet. He realised then that he’d actually missed her voice- and it’d only been a day since they’d last phoned. A short thing, before she had gone and fallen asleep to his senseless prattling, leaving him to watch her for a minute, or sixteen, before he’d finally hung up.

“Me! How about you?” Matty immediately countered, shaking his head at her cheek, “You never mentioned it.”

She smiled brightly, mouth moving but unable to form any real words, before she was swiftly interrupted, “You never mentioned it?!”

Her head snapped over towards the voice’s owner as did Matty’s, and he was rather bewildered to see Adi stood there, looking lovely in a white ensemble.

“She never mentioned it??”

He blinked at Adi’s almost screech, realising then that the girl had been speaking to him, and so he nodded hurriedly in answer, still grinning away at the eccentrics. “No, she fucking didn’t! So imagine my surprise, hey?”

“You cow!” Adi tutted, elbowing Mouse who looked a tad affronted by it all. “How could you not tell him?”

“I didn’t tell anyone!” She immediately countered, rubbing at her arm, “And anyway, I didn’t know he’d be here! Why are you here?” She looked at him then, eyes narrowed and nose wrinkled in angry confusion.

Matty couldn’t stop the soft snort that escaped him whilst she merely rolled her eyes in turn.

“Fine- stupid question. But you never mentioned it either!” Was her semi-sort-of-valid retort. He hadn’t mentioned it by name, he could admit that, just that he’d be busy tonight doing crappy promo shit.

“I did!” He argued anyway, because he couldn’t not with her.

“Did not!”

“Oh, and what have we wandered into here then?” Came George’s familiar lilt just as the rest of the band’s steady presence followed behind him, “Not starting catfights already, are you?”

Matty thinned his lips into an exaggerated smile when he turned to look up at him, “Hilarious. No, as it turns out I do have mates outside of you lot.”

George feigned a look of scandal then snapped his gaze over towards where Ross and Hann were standing, “You hear that? He’s gone and made friends all on his own!” Then, being the condescending prick that he was, he reached out to ruffle Matty’s previously styled hair.

Matty was quick to smack his arm away, huffing at the thought of what storm would now surely follow when their stylist finally caught a glimpse at the pictures of him looking a state. “She’ll kill me, you dick.”

Knowing just who he was referring to, George barked out an uncaring laugh. “Oh give over, you’ll survive.” Then he appeared to remember what had brought them over in the first place, looking away he asked, “And who might you be?”

Matty’s eyes instantly tracked Mouse, who got all flustered at having everyone’s attention suddenly on her. Her cheeks flushed further and her eyes skirted everywhere but them before they finally found his, he tried to flash her an apologetic smile. Thankfully, Adi was able to save her before Matty could think of a way out of this whole shitshow.

“Adeline Wells,” She was quick to introduce, heavy gaze flitting over George’s tall form before trailing back to the two stood behind them, “We’re from Mouse On A Mic.”

Hann appeared to blink in recognition, a flash of surprise donning his usually stoic features, but it was Ross that replied, “The radio show that rinsed Matty?”

“That was you?” George piped up, eyebrows reaching his hairline as he stared down at Adi.

“No actually, that would be me.” Mouse felt the need to clear up with a strained smile, lifting her hand as though her admission hadn’t captured all of their attention. 

George’s face wrinkled further and so Matty was hasty in his move to slip in between them, closing the distance between him and Mouse so that now only the sodding barrier separated them.

“And isn’t she just lovely?” He intervened with a grin, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and settling there even though the harsh metal prodded into his hip unforgivingly. 

George frowned in confusion whilst Hann smiled politely, dipping his head in a silent hello to both of the women. Ross on the other hand was a whole other story, he just started laughing.

“Oh shit!” He called out, hand falling to the top of his stomach whilst his mouth and eyes widened in amusement, “This is her, isn’t it?”

Matty’s own eyes grew as he shot Ross a warning look, feeling Mouse tense a tad beneath him.

Adi was having none of it though, eager to know more. “What about her?” She pivoted on a sleek heel to stare the pair of them down, eyes narrowed enough to instil a bit of fear into Matty himself.

Ross raised his hands up in a way that intended he’d meant no harm by the comment, “Nothing! Well, nothing bad at least.”

Adi raised a carved brow in retort whilst Mouse just turned to glance up at him, he humoured the thought of pretending not to notice it but couldn’t bring himself to even try.

“What’s he mean? I thought we moved past all that.” She murmured to him, looking so small under him now that he fought to wave all her worries away.

“No, no we did. Ross is just being a pillock, babe. In’t that right, Ross?” Matty’s words were pointed and direct enough that when the twat looked back over at him he saw the urgent look that headed a warning. 

Ross, though, simply rolled his eyes. “Nah, I just meant, you must be the model.”

Matty swore he was slowly losing it, was he being serious?

Meanwhile it seemed that both girls had taken to just blanching at the massive muppet. “Sorry?”

George tutted, shaking his head as he finally righted himself, and put on a charming smile, “Ignore him, that one’s on me.” He admitted and was quick to continue further when his words showed no signs of reassurance, “I figured Matty had to have been speaking to someone, seeing as he’s nonstop on his phone.”

“Well, er- no, no model, just me.” Mouse replied almost sheepishly, then chuckled faintly, “Or maybe there is a model and he’s just not mentioned it.” She teased, earning a few laughs.

“As if.” Matty rolled his eyes, squeezing her arm as he somehow managed to tug her in even closer.

“And oi! You’re ten times fitter than any model Ned Flanders here could pull.” Adi said, putting her two cents in.

Mouse merely rolled her eyes, obviously used to her mate’s brashness, and Matty found himself agreeing with Adi before-

“Hang on, Ned Flanders? Bit harsh, ain’t it?”

It was either Ross or George that snorted, could’ve been Hann too actually, but Matty was too preoccupied in his bemusement to steal a glance away from a very obviously smirking Adi. 

“Nah, she’s pretty spot on there, mate.”

“No one asked.” Matty sniped back before pointing over at the girl. But before he could get another word in edgeways, Mouse was there, patting his chest softly.

“Ah, it’s alright. Could’ve been worse actually.” She smiled at him, tittering ever so slightly that he didn’t feel too disheartened by it, “And besides, Flanders was fit! Had abs and everything hidden under that jumper of his.” Mouse tried to comfort him, though it was immediately spat on by Ross’s next sentence.

“Not gonna find that here, love.”

He was just shy enough to escape Matty’s swiping hand, jumping away with a gleeful grin to hide behind Adam. The coward.

Matty didn’t find much sincerity in the rest of them as he turned to glance them over, the guys all snickering to themselves, whilst Adi gave Ross an appraising look accompanied by a mirthful grin. 

He was only soothed by the action Mouse had made, having hidden her face in his shoulder. He was so transfixed on it that he practically forgot that the rest of them were even still there, especially when she lifted her face up to flash him a happy smile.

“Abs are overrated anyway.” She whispered to him, her chin propped up on the jut of his collarbone.

His eyes danced between hers and he found himself smiling stupidly in return. It was then though, that they were interrupted, “So come on! Ask us a question then!”

Matty watched her blink and then look away, whilst he only wanted to rewind and stay there a moment longer. Instead, he found himself swallowing around the lump in his throat and following her move.

“Yeah, go on!” He heard himself say and was almost regretful when Mouse stepped away to switch their camera on, feeling the wind more forcefully now that she wasn’t shielding his side. But then she was grinning again, eyes twinkling as she peered over at him, quirking her head to direct him further into the frame.

“Alright rockstar, this had best be better than our last interview.”

And Matty could only grin as he shouldered in closer to the rest of the lads, his eyes never once leaving hers.

[canirove]

In The Name of Love | Chapter 13

Previous chapter | Next chapter

Masterlist

"And when are you going back to work?"

"Next week."

"Why so soon?"

"I'm just following the doctor's orders, mum" I sigh.

"But which doctor? The one from the team? What does he know about broken ribs? Muscles and feet, ok. But ribs?"

"It was a doctor at the hospital, mum. One specialized on this type of injuries."

"Oh… good. Good. Anyway, when are you introducing me to Ferran?"

"Mum…" I sigh again.

"It's your first boyfriend since Marc, Val. I'm excited!"

"He isn't my boyfriend, mum. How many times do I have to tell you?"

"And how many times do I have to tell you that I don't believe you?" she says over the phone. "A friend doesn't do what he did."

"Whatever."

"So, when are you coming? Maybe on Sunday for lunch?"

"Mum!"

"What?"

"I'm not going to introduce you to Ferran because he isn't my boyfriend, so stop asking!"

"There is no need to yell at me, Valeria."

"Then stop it! I need everyone to stop!" I say, trying not to cry. Again. Because the past couple of weeks have been… too much. 

As expected, people had filmed what had happened at the Camp Nou, the video becoming viral not long after the game was over, the news opening with it the next day and showing my face to everyone.

Barcelona and Real Madrid had released statements condemning what had happened, Barça saying that they had identified the man and forbade him to set foot in the Camp Nou ever again. They had also contacted me to apologize and say that if I wanted to report him, I had their legal team at my disposal. 

Real Madrid also reached out to me, saying that I was invited to any game I wanted at the Bernabéu, that they would pay for the tickets, the trip and my stay. And to be honest, leaving the city and spending a weekend away sounded like the perfect plan right now. 

Because if the video of the man harassing me had made it to the news, the one of Ferran jumping the billboards and carrying me away had become viral all around the world. 

The views on the accounts that had posted it were crazy, same with the number of comments and likes. According to Marina, people were already writing fanfic about what had happened, some even shipping us. Though like my mother, most believed Ferran and I were already dating. 

On the video you could see him calling my name, pushing people to get to me, making it clear that he knew me. And then there was my face. 

I was looking at him as if he was an angel sent from the heavens, my knight in shiny armour, my arms wrapping around his neck as if my life depended on it. Which it kind of did.

A couple of days after the incident, I started to get lots of follow requests on Instagram. Someone who knew me had created an account just to reply to all the comments asking who I was by tagging me on them, and it had blown up. Thankfully, Marina had quickly seen it and helped me put all my social media private and delete anything that could lead them to me and to know more about who I was. Emma told me that there was a lot of gossip at the school too, all the parents talking about me, and I can already see the teenagers camping outside just to see me in person and God knows what else. Which has made me think about me and Pedri. 

He is way more famous than Ferran and has more fans than him. If things are this crazy now, what could happen if our relationship got more serious and someone found out that we were together? What would they say about me? Not only online, but at work and my friends and family too. My mum had already mentioned that Ferran was young and…

"Valeria! Valeria, are you listening to me!"

"What?"

"Val… Are you ok?" 

"I'm fine."

"Then why can I hear that you are about to cry?"

"I'm not."

"Val, I'm your mother. I know you. What is it, darling?"

"Nothing, mum."

"Valeria…"

"I need to go, mum. There is… something I need to do."

"Something like what?" 

Like balling my eyes out, for example.

"Work. I'll call you tomorrow, ok? Bye" I say before hanging up, not being able to contain my tears anymore.

I need to disconnect. To forget about everything that has happened and that is happening. I need to even forget who I am. And only one person is capable of doing that.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"Val? What are you…"

"Shut up and kiss me" I say, throwing myself at Pedri and kissing him, barely giving him time to close the door before I push him against the wall. 

"Val…" 

"No talking" I say before starting to kiss his neck, my hands moving under his shirt, pulling it up.

"But…"

"Arms."

"What?"

"Lift your arms, Pedri. You are wearing too many clothes."

"Val…"

"Urgh, shut up" I say, kissing him again, one of my hands moving down and inside his joggers.

"Val, don't" he says, stopping me. 

"What?"

"Don't."

"Since when you don't want to have sex?"

"Since you only want to do it because something is upsetting you and you want to forget."

"I'm fine" I say with a nervous laugh.

"No, you aren't fine, Valeria. Talk to me."

"I'm fine" I repeat.

"Val" he says, putting his hand under my chin and making me look him in the eyes. "Talk to me."

"I can't" I whisper.

"Yes, you can. You know you can tell me anything, that you can trust me. I'm here for you, Val. Please talk to me."

"I… I can't."

"Of course you can."

"No, I mean… I can't deal with this anymore. With people constantly asking me if I'm ok and reminding me of that night, with the gossip, with my mother annoying me… I just want to move on and forget, to go back to my life. But they don't let me." 

"And you thought fucking me would help because I make you forget?" 

"Yes… No…"

"Yes or not, Val?" he chuckles.

"Yes, I wanted to fuck you because you literally manage to leave my mind blank when we are doing it. I just feel, there are no thoughts. It's just us and that's what I need right now. Us. But when I tell you that you make me forget, it's more than that."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know how to explain it, but just hanging out with you, watching a movie or laying on the sofa eating something together and talking about the most stupid things, makes me forget about all the noise around me. It's like… When I am with you… You make me feel like me. With you I can be who I really am. Not the disgrace of my family, the teacher, the girl who got harassed at the Camp Nou, the girl who supposedly is dating Ferran. With you I'm just Val. And I can't remember the last time I was able to feel like that with someone. Or if I've ever felt that free with anyone. And… Why are you laughing? I just opened myself up to you and you are laughing?"

"I'm laughing because you've described exactly how I've felt since the moment I met you, Val" Pedri says.

"What?"

"You've always seen me as me, as Pedri the kid/teenager/young man, not Pedri the football star."

"Football star?" 

"See? You teasing me like that is something that none of the other girls I've been with ever did because that's what they liked, the only side of me they saw. But you see beyond that. You see me, the real me, and this honesty with no filter is what I need in my life. Because it keeps me grounded, it helps me not forget who I really am and what truly matters. And you do that, Val. You don't let me forget who I am by letting me be who I truly am." 

"And you are making me remember who I truly am by making me forget about everything else."

"It's a bit of a tongue twister but we understand it" he smiles. 

"Yes" I smile back. "But I just… I just wish it could be like that right now. You and I. I wish… I wish we could disappear and be just Val and Pedri."

"Maybe we can."

"How?" 

"Leave that to me. For now go home and look for some summery clothes, nothing fancy. And a bikini. And sunscreen."

"You are not making any sense, Pedri" I laugh. 

"Do you trust me?" 

"I do."

"Then go back home, do as I say, and leave the rest to me. I'll call you in a few hours, ok?"

"Ok."

"It's gonna be just you and I, Val. Us" he says before kissing me. 

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"I can't believe you managed to do this" I say while we wait for the plane to take off.

"You wanted to disappear, and your wishes are my commands" Pedri says, kissing my head. 

"We also got a bit lucky, didn't we?"

"You choosing to have a breakdown the weekend I was out because of yellow cards was very helpful, yes."

"Idiot" I say, hitting his chest. "But thank you. I seriously needed this."

"You're welcome. Though I think I also needed it."

"To disconnect?" I ask, moving to look at him.

"Seeing everyone talk about Ferran dating my girl and how amazing he was when he rescued her isn't a nice feeling, to be honest."

"Your girl?" I laugh.

"I mean… How am I supposed to call you? We've never discussed it."

"I like not having a label or whatever you call it. We know we like each other and are fine like that, aren't we?"

"Yeah… I guess" he shrugs.

"Pedri, do you want me to be your girlfriend?" I ask, arching an eyebrow.

"I don't know…" he says, his cheeks turning bright red. "Do you want to? Are you ready for that?"

"I'm not sure… yet."

"Yet?"

"Let's focus on this trip first. We are gonna spend a whole weekend together away from home just the two of us, and maybe by the end of it you've annoyed me so much that I don't want to see you ever again."

"Or maybe you have annoyed me" he smirks.

"We'll see" I smile, resting my head on his chest again. 

"Though you were the first who said that I was yours, you know? Your annoying kid/teenager/young man if I remember well."

"Yes, annoying. You said it yourself" I say. But an annoying I like very much.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"This place is beautiful, Pedri."

"Do you like it?" he says, hugging me from behind.

"I love it" I smile.

Tenerife. His surprise had been to take me to his hometown for the weekend, to a house in a small town near the beach where no one will bother us, where we can be us and not care about anything else. And it is perfect.

"And I love that you love it" he says, kissing my cheek and making me giggle.

"How did you find this place?"

"Through someone my parents know. I was looking for a house where I could relax and not worry about people following me around or giving a shit about who I was, and they mentioned this town and this house."

"So no one here knows you are Pedri, the football star?" I tease him.

"They do, but they don't care" he shrugs.

"How many girls have you brought here?"

"Just one. You" he says, kissing my shoulder.

"Is this one of your secret places too?" I ask, moving on his arms until I'm facing him, my hands resting on his chest.

"Yep."

"And you've brought me to it. Like happened with the rooftop or the beach."

"Yep" he repeats.

"Why?"

"Do you really have to ask why?" he chuckles, caressing my cheek.

"I'm special" I say with a shy smile.

"The most special girl I've ever met."

"And you've met a lot of girls, haven't you?" 

"A few, yes."

"A few" I laugh.

"Hey, what are you implying? That I am some sort of Casanova?"

"More like a slutty Casanova" I smirk.

"Valeria, Valeria, Valeria…" he says, pulling me closer.

"Pedro, Pedro, Pedro" I giggle, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"What am I going to do with you?"

"Kissing me sounds like a great idea."

"And after that?" 

"More kissing."

"And after that?" he says, his lips brushing against mine.

"I don't know. We have a whole weekend together to find out." 

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"And… I win again."

"That's impossible."

"Sorry" I smile.

"You have to be cheating."

"I'm not cheating, Pedri."

"Then how do you explain winning the five rounds of Uno we've played?"

"I'm better than you" I shrug.

"Nah, you are cheating. Where are you hiding the cards?"

"I'm not hiding anything!"

"Yes, you are" he says, slowly moving towards me.

"Pedri, I'm not. And where would I hide them? I'm wearing a bikini!"

"And?"

"There is no place to hide cards on something so small" I laugh.

"I don't believe you."

"And I don't care."

"I'm gonna have to check for myself" he smirks.

"Pedri…" 

"Yes?" he says, his face now very close to mine.

"We are at the beach."

"And?"

"We are not going to have sex on a public beach."

"That isn't what I was thinking about."

"And I'm the Queen" I snort.

"You are the queen of my heart."

"And now he goes all cheesy" I laugh again.

"Don't you like it?"

"You know I don't do cheesy."

"Then what do you do?" he says, the way he is looking at me making me blush. 

"I… I…"

"You what?"

"I… I need to go home."

"What?"

"I need to go home so you can take off this bikini and do unspeakable things to me."

"And what if I don't want to?" he smirks.

"Then I'll do it myself" I say, somehow managing to move away from him and get up from my towel. 

"You can't do to yourself what I can do to you."

"Watch me."

"Is that an invitation?" he asks, now smirking and lifting one of his perfect eyebrows at the same time. 

"Maybe" I shrug, picking up my dress and my bag and starting to walk.

"Val, wait." 

"I can't, I'm sorry. Got something to do."

"Wait for me, Val" Pedri says while picking up all his things.

"I'm too horny, I can't wait."

"Val!"

"Sorry!" I say before I start running.

"Val! Valeria!" he calls after me while I just run.

"C'mon, Pedro! You are a professional athlete!" I laugh.

"I'm wearing flip flops! What if I injure myself?" 

"Then good for my team!" 

"You evil woman!"

"Sorry" I laugh again. "Oh, fuck" I say when I make it to the door.

"Looking for this?" Pedri says behind me, the key of the house in his hand.

"Give me that."

"Nope" he says, hiding it behind him.

"Pedri…"

"No" he grins.

"Give me the key, c'mon" I say, trying to reach for it.

"You tease me, I tease you" he smiles.

"Will you give it to me if I say sorry?"

"Umm… no."

"Oh, c'mon!" I complain.

"I'm sorry, Val" he says, moving past me and opening the door.

"Pedri!" I say when he closes it in my face, not allowing me to go inside. "Let me in!"

"Are you still horny?"

"I'm pissed!"

"And horny?" 

"Open the fucking door, Pedri!"

"Ok, fine" he sighs, finally opening it and letting me in. "We are so lucky we don't have neighbours… Imagine what they would think."

"Fuck you."

"No, I am going to fuck you" he says as he hugs me from behind, one of his hands moving down on me. "And when I'm done, you'll be thankful we don't have neighbours." 

"Sure" I reply, my voice almost a whisper. 

"You wanted me to do unspeakable things to you, and that's what I am going to do. We have to make the most of our time here" he says before biting my earlobe, his fingers now inside my bikini bottom. "We have to enjoy our time together, alone, just the two of us."

"Pedri" I gasp when his fingers touch me, my knees already feeling weak. 

"It's just the two of us, Val. Just you and I" he whispers against my neck before kissing that spot he knows drives me crazy, that feeling mixed with the one of his fingers touching me making me moan. Loudly. 

So lucky we don't have neighbours indeed…

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[mydyspraxiablog]

Well going on two holiday but have wait till come back not tell where I going yet one Holiday is Camp other Holiday is taxi and coach trip but that all tell you at movements you have wait till get back holiday.

As camping but worry if should bring hearing aids or leave then home because might not be any where recharged but if don't bring hearing aids might not hearing night time but see when going camping.

When going coach trip I know no assistance for me on this coach trip so going have stay close to mum because I got NO MOBILE Phone I not use it.

Having Dyspraxia and half deaf it really hard to make won't I also Coelic my gluten free diet is too expensive so don't think hotel will do Gluten free diet it be like Turkey all over again.

So bit worry if wear hearing aids might bullying because hearing aid always full out and upset me but if don't wear on coach I might not hear what say on the coach it really upset 🤔 😕 but do like holiday but sad things I don't want return home with no pets and I want move away from Stafford noughting for me in Stafford part Pruegym dancing,New Northfield centre cath up on art crouse animals crouse and church up Youth and community church all sing and dancing and can't use bus pass till after 10am so Stafford, cannock college are out question unless book taxi anywhere don't worry about it.

In meantime I looking for Engish crouse and keep fit because am fat I would like ladies gym isn't that in Pruegym but can join two gym just have wait and see if got enough money.

Today I decided going Penkridge Market but got there bit later and no cake and no gluten free biscuits with wasn't any so could not buy any naught and nice cakes and biscuits yum yum.

So went to have Jacket potatoes with cheese and beans but there dogs 🐕 everywhere people making lot of dogs big dogs but mum wasn't happy and move away from seat moading dog hair going in jacket potatoes with cost £3,90 and €1 for cup tea 🍵 ☕ 😀 😊 and broken nail thought mum acting like Princess 👸 " I got bad news for you pet allow in camp in Penkridge more dogs hairs in hot 🌭 dogs in camping or bacon sandwich but could not find cheese man and could not find fruits man so just brought clothes for holiday.

Brought Next clothes for £8 cheep then next shops ,load other clothes only went Penkridge Market get fruit and cheese 🧀 wasn't any there this week so think might try Lichfield Market in future if still bus service run?

I trying the Bible app easy read Bible but can't find it maybe it me maybe not looking at right app but life is hard at movements I going through different time just feel right time move out Stafford out Staffordshire because Staffordshire don't want be volunteer because of mum.

So just upset when Darcy my pet dog 🐕 die my little lamb tail had Richmond fellowship help me but when Annabel my pet cat one my little angels Annabel die I had Sydnee help me

Sydnee die before Turkey holiday really didn't want put her down Sydnee and regret that now because going home looking garden no cats and my heart is full off emptiness that how feel and feeling just time move on

[harryssatellitestompers]

Stolen Time

A/N this is united, and probably has a lot of false information as I don't know anything about Cancer

Pairing: Harry Styles X Reader

Where Harry is sick and y/n is an angel

Waring: major character death, suicide , little bit of alcohol addiction

4th February 2009

Dear Diary, Four days ago it was my 16th Birthday. My mum (Anne) got me a diary for my birthday. She told me to write everything down, so that one day when I'm older I can show my kids--and grandkids--what life was like when I was young. I don't see the point because I always get bored when my grandparents talk about life in the stone ages but it doesn't matter. Here's a bit about me: I have a mum called Anne, a sister Gemma and a dad Desmond. My parents broke up when I was 7. Zayn and Liam are coming over soon so I'm gonna go. Bye!

8th February 2009

Dear Diary, Writing that sounds strange since I'm not writing a letter to someone called Diary, It's more future me. There was a new kid in my class today. Y/n. She's really pretty and has super bright eyes. She sat with Louis and his group of friends today, I don't think I'll get to talk to her since she's a "cool kid" and I'm not but she seems really nice. Gemma left for University a few days ago, I really miss her but she calls most days. Liam and Zayn are coming over now byeee!

1st March 2009

Dear Me, I haven't written in a while, that's cause there's been nothing interesting to say. But today the best thing happened. Y/n got partnered with me for a Hpe project. We need to create a game and show it to the class. She's super nice and invited me over to work on it tomorrow. If I've forgotten--which i highly doubt--I have a huge crush on Y/n. Wouldn't it be funny if I married her one day and we were showing this to our kids. Niall Horan is also friends with us now, he used to be with Louis 'group but he got kicked off the Footy team for his bad knee, now none of the pops want him. He's alright though, mainly quiet and only talking to Zayn. X Harry

4th March 2009

I was wrong. Niall is not quiet. He is loud and DOES NOT shut up. he's like a giant, happy, loud cloud floating around and making people laugh. Apparently its because he's Irish. I just think he does it cause he's sad and doesn't want people to know. Y/n has a really nice house. Her parents are super cool too. I think she's rich rich. I'm middle class but she lives it a mansion. She had an older brother but he left a while ago. I think he might be dead, I didn't want to ask. She even sat with us at lunch today. I don't think her other friends liked it very much cause they kept glaring over at spread rumours about me. - H

11th March 2009

I've been at hospital for the past two days. We had a fire drill and I passed out in the field cause the sun was too hot. You'd think that I'd be allowed to go home but the doctors kept me overnight to do some tests. Niall recons its cause I'm dying. Zayn said its cause I'm pregnant and Liam is just worried. Y/n came to visit me earlier, she brought a card, some flowers and Louis. I don't know why she brought him cause he doesn't like me. It doesn't matter though cause he left to get food a few minutes after. Y/n was sitting on my bed beside me and the BEST thing happened. She KISSED ME. Y/N KISSES ME. it was only on the cheek but it was still awesome. I might ask her to be my girlfriend soon. xx Harry

14th March 2009

Y/n and I are dating. She sits with me at lunch now. It's really fun. We have our Hpe game due tomorrow and I think were gonna get an A, Y/n doesn't think so, she doesn't like the written report. Reckons its got to many "flowery" words for an essay, I dunno what that means though. Y/n is on her way here now, we're gonna watch some movies. xx Harry

16th March 2009

Hi, I woke up in the middle of last night. Mum was crying through the phone to dad. I think it was about me. Mum's been really strange lately, she's always letting get whatever I want, but she's extra coddling than usual. I asked y/n about it and she said it might be cause we're getting older and she doesn't want her last kid to leave home. I don't know tho. - Harry

18th March 2009

I have cancer. That's why mum was sad. Cos she knew I was gonna die. I haven't told anyone else, it's only me, mum and Gem who know. I want to tell y/n but I don't think she'd want to be with a sick kid who's a ticking time bomb. I'm taking her on a date soon. To this little park with ducks. She's always loved feeding the ducks. We also got an A on our assignment which was cool. See you soon! X Harry

3rd April 2009

I've learnt a bit more about what's wrong. I have stage 4 Leukaemia. The doctors said that I'd be able to make it if I took my treatments and didn't exhaust myself. I'm starting chemo in a few months. Apparently it'll make all my hair fall out and I'll get real skinny. The day I fainted apparently had something to do with it, cos I'd been feeling really tired and weak, the sun didn't help either. There'd no cure for what I have, but most kids who get it are usually don't die. I went on the date with y/n, she had a really pretty blue sundress on. I kissed her, proper this time we've only been together for a few weeks but I really like her, it's like she's this super bright glowing star. Louis Tomlinson also started hanging out with us, he's y/n's step cousin or something, he nice when he's with her but still a dick when he's with the other pops, he doesn't pick on me as much though which is good. Xx harry

13th April Today was y/n and mine 1 month anniversary, we went to the park again and ate some pizza from this little Italian restaurant it was really nice. We even got to get gelato afterwards. I like spending time with her. Whenever we're alone it's like nothing bothers us. We're in our own little world. She feels like home.

23rd June 2009

Hey, I haven't written in a while cos I've been busy. I started chemo. Its been going alright, I've gotten a lot skinner and my skins kinda pale cause I don't get to go outside as much. I think Y/n knows something wrong. I threw up in the middle of class last week, and again when her and I were studding at my house. She's been really nice about it though, didn't ask too many questions. Louis found out I have cancer. He was visiting his mum or something and ran into me at the hospital, he didn't say anything though, just gave me an awkward side hug and hurried off. After I was finished with my treatment, it took 1 hour and 25 minutes this time, I saw Louis crying on a bench in the garden part of the hospital. I went over and gave him a hug. He stopped crying after a while, mum ended up taking him home with us. He played footy for a while outside with Niall, Liam, Zayn and I, it was pretty fun. See you later!

30th June 2009

I told Y/n today. We were at the park, watching the baby ducklings and it just kind of fell out. She hugged me and we both ended up crying alot. She told me I wouldn't die, cause I'm a fighter. We sat at the park for a few hours before my mum called and said I had to come home. Y/n stayed that night, we didn't do anything, we just sat up all night talking and watching movies. She told me I should tell Niall, Liam and Zayn, I don't know how though.

July 2nd 2009

Today my hair started falling out. I woke up and there was some of it on the bed. I freaked out and wouldn't let mum in my room, she called y/n cause she knew I'd let her in. When she saw me she just hugged me and waited till I told her what happened. She just brought her hands up to my hair and said that she could shave it off for me if I didn't want it to be slowly falling out for the next week. I said yes. After it was done she kissed my head and said I looked beautiful. We didn't go to school today. She's in the shower now. Mum said she could stay for dinner.

July 4th 2009

I told the guys about my cancer yesterday. Y/n was there when they got to my house but went to talk to my mum when I was telling them. Liam got really sad and started crying, Niall sat and listened to everything I said. Zayn sat there in shock. after I told them mum said we could all have a sleepover, y/n left then. The guys were really supportive about it, I told them the chances of my living where really high but they were still sad, We played on my Wii most of the night. Zayn and Niall eating about 20 packets of chips and 3 boxes of pizza between them. Around 2am Liam was passed out on the floor, Zayn and I drew on his face. It's 9 am now, Niall's starting to wake up. Bye!

July 22nd 2009

They put me on new meds cause the old ones stopped working I've been getting weaker, kids avoid me at school and Louis started hanging out with us. His old friends were making fun of me cause I had cancer, he got upset cause of his mum and left. His mum has cancer too, I don’t know if I’ve already said that. I'm at the hospital now, I've got a special private room that I stay in when ever I need to do treatments. I don't think having my own room is a good sign, Niall and louis like it though cause they get to eat the jelly and moose the nurses give me.

August 5th 2009

Hello!

Today was super fun, I went to go see y/n's eisteddfod. In LONDON! She came 3rd and got highly commended. She sang a song called "Salvation" its really sad. But I like it. She has an amazing voice. After her performance I went over and kissed her. She went really red and started blushing. When we got home, we went out to Maccas with the boys for dinner. She also introduced me to one of her friends Zoe, she's nice but kind of intimidating. Liam has a crush on her. Also Niall's getting knee surgery tomorrow morning, he's staying at the same hospital as me, two floors down. I told him I'd sneak in a visit him when it was done.

August 23rd 2009

Happy Birthday Y/N! She's 16 now, same age as me. She had a party at her house with heaps of people. She introduced me to her family (extended as well) and they all seemed really nice. She also introduced me to her brother, he's 19, studying art somewhere. Not dead. He doesn't like his parents much and they don’t like him but y/n seems to adore him. I had no idea what get y/n fir her birthday. I asked Louis and he took me shopping. I ended up getting her a really pretty snow globe. It had what looked like our park in winter, with a frozen pond and two people sitting on a bench. It also plays music, the Disney one about wishing on a star and dreams coming true. I started to feel really tired part way through the party. Y/n dragged me to her room and told me to sleep. Then she went back downstairs to kick everyone out. I kissed her when she got back and called ger and angel, she just rolled your eyes and smiled down at me.

November 14th 2009

Hi!

Yesterday was mine and Y/n's 8 month anniversary. We went to our spot at the park again, and she took me to the ice-skating rink. It was really fun, but I fell over alot. When we were walking home I had a coughing fit and threw up on the path. Y/n called my mum and she took us to the hospital. The doctors did some tests and apparently the Cancer spread to my lungs, they said I'll need new ones as soon as possible, the waiting list is really long. Y/n stayed at the hospital the whole night with me and mum. Gemma's also flying home to visit. Mum left to pick Gem up a few minutes ago, and Y/n is painting my toenails. I don't know what colour, she said it was a surprise. Last night, when the doctors were talking to mum about me, I figured it's highly unlikely that'll I'll ever get to read this when I'm older, let alone to my future kids. I still want to write everything down though. I think I might start writing it to you, y/n, instead of me, all our happy moments so that when I'm gone you can read over it and remember all the good stuff, and that stuff I'm too scared to tell you. It's not Christmas yet but I've already bought you a gift. It's a silver locket of a star, with the word angel engraved in the back. Cause that's what you are to me. You're my Angel. There for me when I'm lost in the dark.

10th December 2009

Hiiiii,

I've been in hospital for the past few days, the doctors said I could go home on the 24th and stay there till new years. I'm really weak now and have to use a wheelchair. They keep putting me on new meds, cause they stop working after a month. I get to go home for Christmas now, until New years, then I'm back at the hospital. Gemma's back again. She’s flying back and forth alot, it'd be costing her a fortune, but I think she's worried about me. You're asleep right now, lying curled up into my side. The nurse came into check up on me before, but left when she saw you there, we're lucky is was Abby and not Rosalind, she would have woken you up and kicked you out. I think you're waking up now, Byeee!

27th December 2009

I made it home. Niall, Louis, Liam, Zayn and you came over for boxing day, we played alot of board games together, Mum and Gem played too. Dad called as well, to wish us a merry Christmas, he doesn't want to see me though, Mum said it's cause he thinks if he doesn't see me when I'm sick, I'm not sick. I gave the necklace to you, I think you liked it. You also gave me a polaroid camera, so that I could take pictures of all the things I love and put them in my hospital room when I weaker than usual. We went for a walk to the park, going extra slow cause I get tired really easily. I told you I loved you, and you said it back. Now that we've said it for the first time we don't stop. Niall and Louis keep teasing us about it. Liam and Zoe are dating now, you and her want to go on double dates. Gem, mum and I are going to watch home alone now. xx Harry

1st January 2010

I'm back at the hospital. I accidentally took some of the alcoholic punch instead of the normal one at your parents new years party, it didn't mix well with my meds. I still got my new years kiss, even if it was in an ambulance. I woke up about half and hour ago, Abby, my nurse, said that your parents had taken you home not long before, I think they’re worried about you, you're hardly ever at home now. I don't know if you know this but you looked really scary last night. Still beautiful but really scary. Screaming at the medics while red and blue lights flashed. I think you thought I was gonna die. You can't get rid of me that easily though.

1st February

I'm 17 today. You took me to the park, I was in a wheelchair and everyone was starting at me. Probably wondering why an angel like you was with a freak like me.

We stayed there for hours watching the sun set. You look so beautiful when he light shines on you like that. We spent the evening planning our future together. You want three kids because you hate even numbers. You also gave me a ring. With the word angel engraved inside and the date I asked you to be my girlfriend. You have one too. You said it was a promise ring. Meaning that we will always love each other. When I asked you why you put angel in my ring you told it was because I saved you. I know it sounds silly, but maybe were soulmates. Wouldn't that be awesome. Gotta go now x H

10th February

I'm getting better. The doctors don't know how but I feel a lot better, I can walk by my self now. You cried when you saw me standing near the fish tanks at the entrance and wouldn't stop hugging me, neither would my mum. I'm at home now. I was even able to shoot some hoops with the boys. It was fun. Until Niall made everyone play chubby bunny, I threw up then. Gem left a few days ago, she was really happy when I told her I was getting better. Mum said that we might be able to go visit her at uni next time instead of her flying out to see us. Also I decided to use my wish. I'm getting us tickets to go to Disneyland in March, we'll be there on our 1 year anniversary. You, me, Gem and mum. It'll be super fun, we also have passes to skip the que, and a three night stay at the resort. I haven't told you yet, I did tell Niall, Li, Zayn and Louis though, they were pretending to be jealous that I didn't invite them. They're excited for me though, they also think I'm gonna propose to you on the teacup ride. I think we're still too young for that. Maybe one day we will get married though. I'd just want our families and a few friends there nothing to big. I know you want that too, not until you've graduated though.

20th February 2010

Hey Y/n, I'm at the hospital again,  My head hurts, and my skins going all blotchy. The cancer is back, which sucks, the doctors said I'm still fine for Disneyland. Mum talked to your parents and they organised that we're not gonna tell you where we're going. Your mums gonna pack your bag and It'll be a surprise.

I gained a few pounds when I was feeling better which was great, I don't look as sick now. The chemo isn't as strong as it was before, and doesn't work as well but that doesn't matter because were going to DINSEYLAND. It makes everything worth it. I don't know how I would have done all this without you, you're always there supporting me, you're my angel. You just walked through the door now. Byee! x H

3rd March 2010

I'm sorry. This was not the way I wanted it to end. We had so much planned that we didn't get to do. I'm sorry for being sick. This is shit. I can see you over in the corner, you're crying, so is mum and Gem. Can you tell them that I love them so much, and I never wanted to hurt them. And that I'm sorry for saying Gem was the worst sister ever when she left for uni.

I know you'll read this soon. Maybe tonight, maybe next week, I wish it was never. This book that was meant for my future self has now turned into one sombre long letter to you.

I like to think that you won't be sad if I go, but I know that's probably not right. You love me, and I love you so, so much. Promise me something. That no matter what you'll never stop smiling. Your smile saves people, you saved me, you're my angel. I know why we met--even if sometimes I wish we didn't, so you wouldn't have to go through this pain--but I think God sends people like you into the lives of those who need cheering up. And one day in the future you'll meet your angel too. They'll find you in whatever dark place you are in and save you, even if you don't realise it. So please angel, keep smiling. Thank you for sticking with me, and I'm sorry I couldn't be a better boyfriend. Who knows maybe we'll meet again someday, as strangers, maybe the we can get the fairy-tale ending we deserve. I'm blessed to have you in my life, and please never forget how much I love you. I'm sorry for letting you down, for not being able to give you the dream life you've always wanted. I know this will be hard, angel I know. You'll feel like your drowning , but eventually you'll learn to swim, and from then on life will be easier, you'll be able to see the time we spent together as a happy memory cast in sunlight, no a sad tragedy. I'll always remember we have had the time of our lives together. But now our chapter is over. I know it's hard to walk away, but it has end, no matter how much we wish it didn’t . Say goodbye to Liam, Zayn, Niall and Louis for me. I love them all. I don't think I've ever cried this much. This sucks. I will miss you so, so much. I'm sorry for everything. I'll be waiting for you, in another life. Hopefully we can meet again somewhere, somewhere far away from this mess. Don forget to smile. I love you. Its time to le

13th April 2010

H,

Happy 1 year baby.

Nothing's the same without you. Even a school it's like a veil of shadows is draped over everything, like the world's lost it's colours. Your funeral was last week.

I hated it.

The people that would bully and whisper about you were crying and talking about how you were their best friend. I know it's selfish but I hated it. I ended up breaking down during your eulogy, Liam and Zayn had to step in.

I met your dad. He hates him self, he's been self medicating since he heard the news, he's not the only one. Anne and Gemma are doing okay, they've got each other to work through it though.

I tried to do what you said, to smile and be happy. I don't know how though. Everything hurts, even breathing, everything I try to talk or do something it's like I'm being strangled. I'm so sorry I couldn't save you, I tried H, I really did.

I guess you really are an Angel now huh? Up in the sky. I know you told me to let you go, that everything will be fine eventually, but how is that possible when my other half is gone? I think I've made you wait long enough, I can already start to feel my body shutting down. I'll see you soon angel.

Love Y/n

[wee-english-fella]

osemanverse x taylor swift songs

(ft. some excellent literary analysis of these connections because i got an A* in english lit)

(spoiler warning for every osemanverse book)

solitaire

this is me trying: this represents tori deeply struggling with her mental health but being unable to vocalise it, culminating in the rooftop scene which i felt was a good parallel for the first verse.

miss americana & the heartbreak prince: this one is for tori's sense of social isolation and feeling like michael is the person who really gets her, plus the "whole school rolling fake dice" and "playing stupid games" is everyone becoming obsessed with what solitaire is doing.

(honourable mention to ivy; yeah, it's a fire, it's a goddamn blaze in the dark and YOU [lucas] started it!)

this winter

'tis the damn season: generally in terms of lyrics this isn't an exact parallel but it's about The Vibes of what christmas is to charlie in this year, and there's the line "the holidays linger like bad perfume/you can run, but only so far", which corresponds with his desire to escape.

heartstopper

because this is the longest osemanverse text, and the most explicitly romantic, i could pick a lot of songs for it and vic already did an excellent breakdown of her "nick is a swiftie playlist", but here are some of my thoughts.

fifteen: charlie does indeed hope one of those senior boys will wink at him and say 'you know, I haven't seen you around before'", but equally it's about having a shitty first relationship (fuck ben) and not realising it at the time, and the story starts with him walking in on the first day of a new term with a new form, so yeah! fifteen!!!

i think he knows: the parallels between this and the final panels of heartstopper volume 4 have been pointed out in this post and it's just a very Them song, because they're very connected and understand each other.

nick & charlie

betty: okay, so while neither of them cheated on the other, i think this song perfectly encapsulates the drama of their reunion post-breakup. if nick shows up at the tennis court, will charlie have him will he want him? charlie's only 17, he doesn't know anything but he knows he misses nick!!!!

radio silence

mirrorball: frances is a mirrorball, changing everything about herself to fit in! the song's more about celebrity performance and how that's changed in 2020, but emotionally that's how frances feels trying to keep up her facade of Study Machine. also this is on my autism playlist and i think frances is autistic so Yeah.

seven: let's hear it for daled!!!!! aled's mum is always mad and he should live with daniel and they can be pirates and they won't have to cry or hide in the closet!!!!!! and just like a folk song, their love will be passed on!!!!!!!!

i was born for this

superstar: parasocial relationships baybey!!!! while angel isn't in love with jimmy, she definitely uses her connection to the ark to cope with her underlying loneliness and lack of direction, and she feels like no one special, just another wide-eyed girl, she's invisible and everyone knows who he is!

the lakes: this one's for the jimmy side of the dual narrative. poor boy just wants to run away to the lake district away from all those hunters with cell phones and have a social media break.

loveless

it's nice to have a friend: yes this song is technically romantic, but all the imagery in the first verse about the high school connection between the two people... it's georgia and pip your honour. and the marriage imagery is about their college marriage! they love each other! also "feels like home, stay in bed"... "we kept the beds together" vibes!!!

you are in love: georgia @ pip and rooney!! the relationship itself is very piperooney, but this song also maybe shows how georgia feels left out of relationships as she won't have romance?

thanks for reading y'all, stream red: taylor's version from november 19th ❤️

[aro-is-gay-af]

The Midnight of Despair | Volturi Kings x fem!reader

As you all can see, I got carried away just a little with this one. It was supposed to be a one-shot, but I'm planning at least part two, since this part got soooo long.

Anyway!

I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing. Sorry for any grammatical errors, as well as any confusion with syntax. English isn't my native but I always try my best! Constructive criticism is always welcomed.

Please, pay attention to the warnings. If you are uncomfortable with any of the topics, simply do not read.

I pictured here Aro from the films (as Michael Sheen is perfect for this part), Caius from the films (maybe a little bit older) and Marcus from the films but his younger self (maybe 20?). Also, I wrote at one point that [Y/N] has blonde hair and blue eyes but it just helped me with the descriptions. Obviously, you can picture characters according to your wishes.

Warnings: Rape (graphic description!), Depression, PTSD, Swear words, Forced Pregnancy

Word count: 7816 (!)

Summary: [Y/N] and Bella are childhood friends. They were always there for each other. [Y/N] had tough times and struggles with everyday life. Bella faces depression after Edward had left her. [Y/N] tries to get her going and alive. One day [Y/N] is raped and gets pregnant with the rapist. Not long after that it turns out that Edward got himself into the mess with Volturi. [Y/N], even traumatized and in pieces, will not let Bella go without her supervision to Italy. What is going to happen when [Y/N] will stay at Volterra? Is she really predestined to be Kings' mate? Is she going to have her baby or abort the pregnancy? Will the trauma go away or is she going to struggle for a long time?

You thought that the death of your parents was enough to break you. As they say, if you’re not willing to bend, you’ll break. And you did. After all.

Ever since you’ve been born, everything went downhill. You were a weak child and within your first five years of life, you’ve gone through countless surgeries. Something was terribly wrong with your spine and the doctors were worried that you wouldn't be able to move normally.

You got your ‘happily ever after’. After fourteen surgeries and taking more than a dozen medications, you could be considered healthy. It made you remember the better part of your childhood. At this point, you couldn’t even recall constant visits at hospital or ingesting enormous amount of drugs.

What you could recall, was the agony that your mom went through while dying of pancreatic cancer. You tried to help her but there was literally no help available. Sure, chemo did help, but only a little tiniest bit. When someone got this type of cancer, there was only one way to die. It was neither pretty, nor pleasant.

So your mother died when you were sixteen. Your father followed shortly after her. He suffered from severe depression after your mother’s passing, but it was the car accident that got him killed. You were just before your graduation.

You’ve finished school and tried to go on. It wasn’t exactly an easy path to follow. You had the feeling that fate had made you its whore and the devil knows his jokes. Somehow, you got through college. You used the money from your dad's insurance policy entirely for your education. It was the only thing you could do to secure your future.

At 22, you got a job at the same hospital where doctor Cullen worked. You were a nurse on the paediatrics ward, but the hospital in Forks was so small that you often found yourself working with doctor Cullen. He was always kind to you and exuded a fatherly warmth. However, like everyone from Cullen family, he was slightly withdrawn from all conversations and social activities.

You noticed a slight change in his behaviour when your best friend, Bella, started dating with the doctor's youngest son, Edward. Carlisle has been talking to you more and more. The conversations weren't long – more like short exchanges of words, whether about his family’s well-being or any leisure activities both of you devoted yourselves after work. Nevertheless, you started calling each other by the others’ given name.

You met with Bella on average once a week. Sure, you were four years older than her, but the age difference never was a problem. You always got along well, and age had nothing to do with it. With time, you've watched Bella thrive during her relationship with Edward and you've enjoyed her happiness. Your relationship had loosened a little, but you didn't hold it against her. With Forks being so small, you could easily meet Bella on the street or in a shop and talk to her about silly things or this boyfriend of hers. It made her blush furiously every time you brought up the topic, especially if Edward waited nearby.

And then, just like that, something snapped. Of course, you heard about their huge quarrel about god knows what, and that Bella wanted to make herself scarce immediately. Charlie called you that night if , by any chance, you could talk some sense into her. Bella not once picked up her phone and then she got her stupid ass into the hospital. And magically reconciled with Edward. That’s when you started to be suspicious. Something wasn’t right about this situation, at all, but you let it be.

Time passed and even though you liked Carlisle as a colleague, you became gradually suspicious about him and his family. Things that you noticed were little, almost insignificant, but something told you that there’s more than meets the eye. Bella herself began to limit contact with you, mainly due to her lack of time for Edward. But when you did get a chance to meet and talk, the subject of Edward still came to the surface.

You tried to understand your friend, while not understanding her at all. You also were in love once but your mother's illness and then your father's death took too much of a toll on you, to experience your first love in such an intense way. It was incomprehensible to you, how Bella could lose her head so much for this boy. And yet you tried, tried to be there when Bella needed you the most. Simply because you were a good friend and also because you needed a friend.

You were left alone, out in this world, with no one to care about and no one to love. Only Bella, as present and, most importantly, alive person, connected you with your childhood and good memories from that time. She was the only one left. You considered her your family and you didn’t want to lose her too. Not after all you’ve been through.

At the day of her birthday, you saw her quickly after her school. You gave her a small gift and you both agreed to meet a day later because Edward's family had invited her to stay at their place. After that birthday, everything changed. The next day Bella went missing. You went to her house exactly as agreed and Charlie said she had been gone for a few hours.

When Bella was found later that evening by Sam, Charlie's colleague, everything became frighteningly clear. The Cullens had moved out of town. Apparently, Carlisle had gotten a lucrative job somewhere else. That didn't surprise you, he was a really great doctor. But how could he not mention a word of it to you? Not that you were so close to him but you considered him a good comrade of yours and moving out of town like this, without a word… It seemed extremely strange to you.

The months that followed were very similar. Bella fell into a deep depression and apathy. You came to visit her, but during these visits it was mainly you who talked. You talked about work, about your next qualification course and about the anniversary of your mum's death. Bella mostly remained silent. Charlie confirmed that, yes, she did go to school, but apart from that, she sat in her room all day and stared at the window.

You knew from Charlie that she was slowly trying to reconnect with her friends. And that she was spending a lot of time with that boy from the reservation. You were happy because it meant that your friend was slowly coming back to life. Maybe not back to normal, not yet, but at least she was trying. And you were trying too. To be a good friend, a good sister to her.

You started talking more during your visits at her house. Unlike before, the subject of Edward didn't exist. It was as if he had never existed. So you did not mention him at all. Bella was healing, slowly, just as you were, when both of your parents died. She was there for you, even if you could only talk to her on the phone because, at that time, she permanently lived with Renee.

For the first time in several months, you hoped that things would somehow work out. In your life, the moments when you were truly happy never lasted long. It was the same this time. One day, you went to Port Angeles to buy new clothes for work. Yours were still from your university days, worn out, but not so long ago you were short of money and preferred to spend it on other things rather than buying new clothes.

By the time you got back to your car it was pretty late. The car park was deserted. On your way to the car, a man accosted you and, before you knew it, he had hit you on the head with something heavy. When you woke up, you were in a squalid alley. The man was pressing you against a wall with all his strength. You only realised what he was going to do, when you felt a cool breeze brush against your bare legs. Your trousers and underwear were almost at your ankles. You started to squirm, trying to free yourself from his iron grip. You heard his quiet giggle next to your ear.

"Don't resist angel, I’ll be quick," he whispered in your ear, pawing at your breasts with his left hand. You felt sick to your stomach. He had hideous breath, as if he had been drinking for three days, then puked and drank again. You started to jerk harder, to pull away, but it only caused you pain. He held tight, pushing against you with his whole body and whispering disgusting things under his breath. When he finally entered you, he tugged hard on your hair. He made no effort to cover your mouth because you didn't even try to scream. You were out of breath, unable to say a word. You were afraid that he would kill you. You wanted him to go away so that the pain would end and you could finally go home.

When he finished, he let you go and just walked away. You stood there, half naked, frozen and shaken, for god knows how long. You were unable to move. When you felt his semen running down your leg, you finally managed to vomit. Your cheek was bruised and scratched from how hard he pressed you against the rough wall. You wanted to go home, but you didn't have the strength to get up from the street.

You weren't sure how much time had passed, but you finally got up. You got dressed and walked to your car. Everything hurt. You didn't want to, but you knew, you had to go to the hospital. You could not leave it like that. He had already hurt you, but what about the others? You couldn't let that happen. All the way to the hospital in Port Angeles your hands were trembling. Returning to that memory, you didn't even remember how you got to the ER.

At the hospital, they took care of you properly. They called the police. Two female doctors were there for a medical examination. The nurses were very nice. You tried to put on a good face. You've thought about how your sexual experiences has been so far. Your first sex, like most people's, was terrible. Your boyfriend was two years older, you were 17 and it all went wrong. You were in pain. He didn't seem too happy either. Up until you graduated from high school, you tried to make it work somehow, but there were never any fireworks. It wasn't until college that you discovered the good side of sex.

However, you never had sex with someone you loved more than life. You haven't met anyone like that. And you were sure that sex with that person would be unique and exceptional. Until now, of course. Lying on a hospital bed, you felt exploited. Abused. Filthy. Humiliated. How can one do something like that to another person? The nurse asked if someone could come and pick you up, and you didn't have much of a choice. You called Bella. While she was on her way to the hospital, you let the police officers question you. You mechanically slurred the words as if it wasn't about you at all. As if it wasn’t you that had been raped.

As soon as you saw Bella, you were no longer able to pretend that nothing had happened. You were sobbing and she hugged you tight, telling you that he would pay for it. You weren't so sure about that. You wanted to be home as soon as possible, so you went back to Forks. Bella said nothing while driving because there was nothing that could be said. In the shower, you scrubbed yourself so hard with the pumice that you thought you had taken off all your skin. To your absolute disgust, you could still feel his touch on you. You could hear him whisper against your ear and you could smell his hideous breath.

A week has passed. Bella texted you every day, and you were able to hang out almost every other day. She was a good sister, a great friend. She didn't want to leave you alone in this. Despite being offered leave, you went to work. You didn't want to keep thinking about what happened. Each time, after taking a bath, you were unable to look in the mirror. On the first day, right after scrubbing, you decided to take a look. You had bruises on your stomach, thighs, buttocks and breasts. Your forearms were scraped, your cheek was scratched and bruised. The worst of it was that you had been bleeding for days. The gynaecologist said, it was due to too much force, and the fact that you actively resisted for a while.

You were trying to get back to normal. You went to work, you were seeing Bella and taking your course. But no one could touch you. You didn't even shake hands to say hello. You didn't care at all, you couldn’t endure a touch anymore. Not in any way. You didn't get your period, but the doctor said it could happen. It was a shock to the body and a lot of pain to bear. Also, you bled for almost a week after the rape.

You started to be afraid to go out alone. When in a shop or at work, if anyone approached you from behind, you started panicking and hyperventilating. You couldn’t walk ordinarily on the street. You looked behind every two or three minutes to assure yourself that nobody was following you. Your hands trembled while driving the car or making the tea. Your eyes were starting to water as soon as someone even tried to touch you. You had nightmares and you started losing your mind because of this.

When your period did not come in the following month, you began to worry. Surely you couldn't get pregnant with this... monster. Not you. Of course you have checked. You would not be able to live in such ignorance. It turned out that yes, you indeed were pregnant. When the doctor confirmed it, you fainted. Not you, not like that. You didn't even think you'd ever be a mum. Let alone like this. You hated your body even more and the fact that it had betrayed you in such a villainous way.

You knew this path led to madness. You were in an even worse mental condition, than after losing your mum; than after dad died in the accident. You have shed countless tears. You didn't want to abort this pregnancy, and at the same time you wanted it with all your heart. If only you were able to defend yourself. Break away from him and run as far away as possible. It would never have happened. But you were weak and didn't even have the energy to scream. Would it have made any difference though?

You were constantly beating yourself up with thoughts about whether you should keep the baby, when something completely bizarre happened. Jacob called you that he had to rescue Bella after jumping off a cliff. Annoyed, you got in your car and drove up to the Swans' house. Bella's car wasn't there, so you waited patiently in yours. When they arrived, you were boiling with rage.

“Have you lost your fucking mind?!” you shouted, as you got out of the car.

Bella rolled her eyes. She looked miserable. Her eyes were bloodshot and she was soaked through. She smiled weakly towards you.

“It was just for fun, you know” she muttered, as you hugged her tightly. It was your first closer contact since…

“It was just for sport,” she tried again.

You snorted in annoyance.

“Yeah, sure, get inside before you get sick.”

As you both stepped onto the porch, Jacob unexpectedly grabbed Bella's wrist. They shared a look.

“Are you sure about this?”

“Yes. You can go now, Jake,” she muttered, trying to disentangle herself from his grasp.

You smiled weakly at him, while Bella was looking for her keys.

“Cool, I'll take care of her until Charlie gets back. Thanks for saving her stupid ass,” you said. Jacob smiled amused, but still seemed slightly tense.

“No problem. Always at your service,” he joked. “Well... See ya around,” he said goodbye and walked away to his car.

You walked into the house with Bella.

“What were you thinking? You could have died” you muttered under your breath, stripping off your jacket.

“Well...actually I wasn't thinking, like, at all” Bella admitted, smiling apologetically at you.

“Next time think about Charlie,” you said, hugging her once more. Your body screamed that you shouldn't do that, but you were glad that Bella was okay.

While Bella changed into dry clothes, you made hot tea for both of you. Someone knocked on the door. The knocking was not from the front, but from the courtyard. You walked slowly to the door and opened it. Edward's sister, Alice, stood in front of you. You wouldn't have known what she looked like, if Bella hadn't shown you pictures of her. But other than that, you knew quite a bit about her, because when Bella was still with Edward, she couldn’t kept her mouth shut about Alice.

“Hi. Can I come in?” she asked politely. She tried to look normal, but there was something in her behaviour that made you nervous. You were about to reply, when Bella appeared in the kitchen.

“Alice!” she squealed, throwing herself around the brunette's neck. After a moment, she pulled away and looked at Alice in disbelief. "Are you really here? Or am I just dreaming this?" asked Bella.

It was your turn to roll the eyes.

“Of course she’s here” you said, now slightly annoyed. “Don’t be bothered by me, please, proceed to whatever you wanted to say.”

Your sarcastic tone was not intended, but justified. You were slowly beginning to get fed up with this family's games. First they move out and turn Bella's life upside down, and now the big comeback? Something's not right here. Besides, at that moment, you weren't the right person to play with. You had enough problems of your own and your life was messed up enough. What you didn't know at that moment, was that everything was about to change fundamentally very soon.

Alice took no notice of you.

"Bella, listen. Edward thinks you committed suicide. He told me that he doesn't want to live either, so he is on his way to the Volturi to ask them for an execution."

You had no idea what she was talking about. Bella was terrified, and you didn't know what was going on here.

"What, who the fuck are Volturi? Did Edward get involved with some cult? Also, how did he know Bella killed herself?" you asked, not understanding anything of what Alice was talking about earlier.

"We have to go to Italy, Bella,” she ignored you once more. “If they refuse him, I'm not sure what he'll do" as Alice spoke, Bella began to gather herself quickly to leave.

You grabbed her hand.

"And where do you think you are going?" you asked in disbelief. Bella looked at you apologetically.

"Y/N, I have to go. They're going to murder him. Just the fact that I'm alive will convince him."

You snorted in disbelief.

"You're dead serious? And can't you call him and tell him it's a misunderstanding? Besides, Bella, this guy ghosted you. He left you here, alone, with not one explanation and you want to fly to the other side of the world to save this dumb ass?" you asked, trying to take your mind off this ludicrous circumstance.

“Oh my god, we’ll take her with us if she’s not going to back down” said Alice in exasperation.

“And to your kind information, I won't back down. Your douchebag brother and the rest of your family turned her adrift. I was the one who pulled her out of her depression, and I will not let the exact same thing happen again because of any of you,”you hissed out in anger. You saw something in Alice's eyes that you considered to be admiration.

You looked at Bella expectantly.

“Y/N, I still love him. I cannot let this go” Bella whispered and you felt as your chest tightened. “Please…”

You heaved a heavy sigh.

“Okey, but I’m coming with you,” you decided and noticed that Alice's eyes were momentarily clouded with mist. You had no idea what was going on here, but you were sure that this whole affair with the Volturi, whoever the hell they were, didn't sound good.

After a few seconds, Alice looked at Bella, then at you and back at Bella.

“Get your coats, we have to go now,” she said.

“But Alice...” protested Bella.

“There's no time for that. We'll explain everything to her on the way. If we start now, we won't get out of here until noon” she muttered exasperatedly, walking out of the house. You looked at Bella.

“Bells, what's this all about?” you asked, and she just sighed quietly. You both quickly got your shoes on.

“We'll tell you on the plane but I'm afraid the Volturi won't like that a lot,” she said with worried expression on her face.

When you were at the airport waiting for a plane, you had countless questions in your head. Why the fuck Edward was pulling such nonsense? Why to be so dramatic about thing that didn’t even happen? Did this idiot really get involved in some sort of cult? And why was his sister so concerned about it that she decided to tell you ‘everything’, whatever needed to be said? However, the question that kept you wondering was who were the mysterious Volturi and what could they possibly resent about you?

One thing you were sure of. There hadn't been a moment since the sexual assault when you hadn't thought about it. And now your thoughts were occupied by the mysterious Volturi and you immensely wanted to find out what it was really all about.

⋎⋎⋎

On a plane ride, you found out that vampires are no fairy tales and your best friend was in love with one. It was a wild thought but, as soon as Alice started taking, you knew it wasn’t a joke. You were given so much information at once that you were unable to respond to anything as Alice finished her long monologue. You had a drink of water, although at that moment you very much regretted not being able to drink whisky.

“Okey, lets say I get most of this…” you said with a low voice, trying to be careful with what you’re saying. “But can you tell me who are Volturi and why would they want to decapitate Edward?” you asked, looking sideways, afraid that someone might hear.

Alice let out a sigh.

“The Volturi are the equivalent of the justice system in our world. They are the ones who created the laws that help us hide from the world, and they are the ones who enforce them. They consider themselves… sort of royalty, as their leaders – Aro, Caius and Marcus – are over three thousand years old.”

If you were to be honest, you were not very good at processing this information. Three thousand years? The first thought that popped into your mind was that they must be immensely lonely. You were sure you wouldn't want to live so many years without having anyone worthy by your side. Later, Alice quickly summarised all the laws that every vampire must obey. They weren't complicated, but when you thought about it a little longer, some of them weren't so easy to follow.

“I don't want to whine, or come off as ungrateful or anything like that, but... didn't you just break the law? By telling me about you?” you asked cautiously, not knowing if what you were saying was right.

Alice sighed again, this time heavier than before.

“It’s complicated” she said succinctly, which interested Bella, who was eating some kind of sandwich.

“This vision of yours was about [Y/N]?” she asked Alice curiously. Alice merely nodded. When Alice told you about her gift, and this was at the very beginning of the story, you found it hard to believe. It wasn’t so unbelievable now.

"Eat something," Alice said to you. "It's good for the baby" she added after a moment, seeing you hesitate. You swallowed heavily, as you suddenly felt sick. The memories of that evening came back.

Alice smiled softly, as if knowing exactly what you were thinking about. And this was supposed to be Edward's gift.

"Do you want to know the sex of the baby?" she asked, and your eyes almost fell out.

"Can you predict that?" you asked in disbelief. She and Bella both smiled. Alice nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, sure. I can't predict if the baby... you know, if it will be born, however, the sex I can tell you.”

You pondered on it, while eating your sandwich. The nausea eased, when you could think of something different than that unlucky evening. Before you knew it, you fell asleep and Alice woke you up when you landed in Italy. As Alice drove the stolen car, you tried to admire the beautiful views of Tuscany outside your window. When you had almost reached Volterra, you thought how wonderful it would be to live here.

⋎⋎⋎

This stupid boyfriend of hers. That was all his fault. Of course, Bella made it at the last minute. You, together with Alice, went to abandon the stolen car somewhere. Although, you had a feeling that you would be returning the exact same way. You tried to reassure yourself. Of course you’ll be returning. Or maybe not? If you were honest, you gave no fucks about it. You had no one who’d wait for you at home, your parents died, you were brutally raped not so long ago, and you didn’t even know if you wanted to keep the baby. Maybe dying today isn’t such a bad idea?

You have reached the square and entered the palace at a very convenient time. The guy who looked like a wardrobe and the other one, much shorter than him and blonde, looked like they were about to murder Edward in this instant. And actually, you felt like you could’ve murdered Edward too. Barely Alice closed the door, you didn't even glance at the two of them, but immediately began to scold Edward for what he had done. To hell with his gift!

“You stupid, immature, irresponsible, reckless and selfish bastard!” you started descriptively, and even Bella was taken aback by your behaviour. Alice raised her eyebrows and two other vampires looked at themselves and then straight at you. Edward had no time for any reply. “If you ever, I repeat, if you ever again do something as childish and irresponsible as expose my best friend to a nervous breakdown and months of depression, I promise you, here and now, that I will decapitate you myself. You're old, and yet a five-year-old child is smarter than you. You utter imbecile,” you hissed with hatred.

Of course, your malice towards him was temporary, but it's been a long time since anyone has angered you like that. The shorter man laughed under his breath, and the other one, who looked like a wardrobe, said:

“Can we keep her? I like the way she’s ruling the roost.”

He fell silent, as a short, pretty blonde woman entered the room. Her face was like a child's, but her eyes... bright red, staring at no one else but you.

“Jane” greeted her Edward. She didn’t even look at him.

“Aro sent me to see what was taking so long” she said. The atmosphere immediately became tense. Edward and Alice seemed to stiffen at the sound of Aro's name. You were curious but not frightened. Not yet.

Jane turned and immediately started walking towards the long corridor. Bella just looked at Edward, and you glanced at Alice.

“Do what she says,” she muttered to you and you both kept pace with the couple in the front.

Needless to say, it was the most stressful and also the most terrifying lift ride you've ever experienced. Not to add the creepy music background. You guessed it was supposed to make you feel better, but instead it made your whole stomach go up to your throat. You were standing right in the middle, next to Bella, holding Alice's hand. The vampire, who looked like a wardrobe, kept looking at you. You took a deep breath to calm your nerves. Puking on someone's shoes isn't going to make this situation any better. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Edward smile. Yeah, the situation you’ve found yourself in was extremely funny indeed.

When you reached the main chamber, you didn't know what to look at first. At the vampires standing against every wall? Not very wise of you. At the marble floor? Nothing to be afraid of for now, so no. You probably should have looked at the three thrones in front of you and the vampires that sat on them, but instead, you were interested in the Latin phrase engraved between the columns above you.

You glanced at your company. Edward looked as if he was about to die. Maybe that's what's going to happen? Alice looked very out of sorts, and Bella, well, she was hanging onto Edward's arm and also looked like she was about to leave this world for good. She was unnaturally pale and you though she was going to faint any second. But it never happened. The rest of the room felt extremely comfortable. For a moment, you turned your head towards the boy who called out to Jane. You did not let go of Alice's hand but you did not feel any anxiety. Curiosity prevailed, mainly because you had come to terms with the fact of your imminent death.

“Sister! Sent you out to get one and you bring back two. And two halves,” the boy who’s just called Jane his sister probably was talking about me and Bella. “Such a clever girl,” he praised her like he wasn’t his sister but someone else entirely. You sighed heavily. Maybe they’re also into incest-kind-of-relationships? Who knows. You looked above your head again. There was a short inscription “vita brevis, ars longa” but you knew the rest of it. Latin was obligatory in every medical school.

When the man from the middle throne stood up, it was to him that you directed all your attention. You felt that something about him was... you had no idea how to describe it, but you felt a strange pull towards him. As if some invisible force had power over you.

“What a happy surprise!” he said pointedly, wide smile on his face. “Bella is alive after all. Isn’t that wonderful?” he said cheerfully, while walking towards Edward. At that exact moment, you realised that you had managed to get yourself into a huge mess. The lair of the vampires. And you were only a weak human. Recently raped. With a baby under your heart.

As soon as the man stepped down from the platform, you were unable to take your eyes off him. His posture, the way he spoke, his demeanour, it all made you feel incredible respect for him. You’ve never felt this secure and calm in your entire life.

“I love a happy ending,” the man said, while he took Edwards’ hand into his. “They’re so rare.”

You were wondering why this man took Edward’s hand in the first place. You did not have to wait long for an explanation.

“Aro can read every thought that I’ve ever had. With one touch” Edward explained to Bella but you were listening too. Very carefully listening. You’ve finally managed to know the name of the vampire. Aro. It suited him well. Although his eyes were a little scary, you were delighted with his charisma and approach to guests. You realised that indeed, they are called the royal family for a reason.

Aro smiled to Edward.

“Her blood appears to you so much,” he whispered, and you had a hard time hearing his words well. Aro’s gaze rested on Bella. “It makes me thirsty. How can you stand to be so close to her?” he asked Edward, who was feeling more and more uncomfortable. You could tell by the fact that he was practically standing like a statue.

“It is not without difficulty,” muttered Edward from behind his clenched teeth.

You swallowed hard, as Aro turned his gaze to Bella again but he smiled.

“Ah, I can see that” he said pleased, moving away from Edward and focusing all his attention on Bella.

“Although you’re a quite soul-reader yourself, Edward, you cannot read Bella’s thoughts” he made a rather dramatic pause, still staring stubbornly at your best friend. “Fascinating” he said, not hiding his curiosity.

You managed to look elsewhere, than at Aro. The man on the throne to your left seemed unusually agitated. He fixed his gaze on you, as if his life depended on it, yet you did not feel uncomfortable. You were surprised to discover that an invisible force was also drawing you towards him. You almost took a step forward. You tried to remember the man from a few minutes ago. He looked as if he had died in that chair a few centuries ago. And now he seemed genuinely moved.

“Brother” the man spoke to Aro, as he got up from his throne. Indeed, there seemed to be an urgency to the matter, for Aro turned around in surprise. You had the impression that the man from the throne had not risen from it for a long time.

“You knew about this, and you brought her anyway?” you heard Edward's quiet whisper, directed at Alice.

Alice looked at her brother, then at you and finally at a curious Aro.

"It would have happened anyway. Better sooner than later" Alice murmured mysteriously. You still didn't know what it was even about. The third man, the one on your right, did not share his brothers' patience.

"Aro, let's hurry this up, Heidi will be here soon, and we don't want to frighten our guests" he said ominously, grinning like a madman. You were far from solving this riddle, but as soon as you looked at him, you felt the same attraction and enigmatic pulling as towards the other two.

Aro took his brother's hand in his own and you could see that his eyes would have lit up with happiness if they could.

“Ah, my dear Marcus! What an exceptional news!” intoned Aro cheerfully, heading towards you. He was slow in his movements, exactly so that you would not be frightened by him. All his movements were framed by an incredible grace.

“My dear, if I may, what is your name?” he asked, coming closer to you. You were unable to take your eyes off him. It was exactly, as if he had hypnotised you, only the feeling was more addictive. You didn't have to have a gift or to be a vampire to know that. For a split second, you ran out of breath and just stared into his red irises.

“My name is [Y/N]” you said, with your voice trembling, as your throat tightened hard under the intense emotions. You couldn't believe it was really happening. Maybe it was just a dream? Maybe these three beautiful men are just a figment of your imagination? You didn't even want to think about the fact that it might not be true.

Aro smiled encouragingly, while looking at you with all the attention that he’d possibly give you. You felt like nothing more was more important than you to him at that exact moment.

"It is an incredible pleasure to meet you, [Y/N]. I am Aro, but you already know that.”

The smile never left his face and during this brief exchange of words, neither of you took your eyes off the other. You felt that the atmosphere in the room had changed. Aro extended his alabaster hand in an inviting gesture.

“May I, my dear?” he asked you politely.

You gulped. Of course, you wanted to show him that you didn't want to give away their secret. You wanted to show him the strange bond you felt towards him and his brothers. However, there were things you didn't want him to see. You felt deep down inside that this attraction had an explanation and you didn't want him to see... Not that. You’d felt exposed and extremely embarrassed. There was also another issue. His hand. You'd hugged Bella twice since it happened and just now you were holding Alice's hand. You didn't know if, when you touched him, you'd start screaming or crying because you were so afraid of someone else's touch.

Yet, his hand looked so inviting, almost familiar, as if you'd already had the chance to touch it before. Aro himself showed no impatience. He waited, still gazing into your blue irises with his crimson eyes. You extended your hand towards him, at first cautiously, and then with a little more confidence. You took a deep breath, before your fingers made contact. When it happened, you felt as if you had come home after many years of wandering. He closed your hand in his, just as he had done with Edward's. His skin was cold, but he handled you extremely gently. You stared into his eyes as he looked at your thoughts and memories of your whole life. You knew instantly when he was done because he smiled sadly at you. He squeezed your hand gently in his.

"Never again, my love. Never again," he assured passionately, and then he leaned down to place a kiss on your hand. It was so light and as gentle as a breeze on a summer day. You couldn't help but smile.

Aro clapped his hands. He was clearly pleased with what had just happened between you.

"Aro, will you explain to me what's going on? I'm sick of waiting," said the nervous brother, who was the only one with blond hair. Aro smiled widely and turned towards him.

"Ah, Caius, you'll never guess. Finally, after so many years, our mate has honoured us with her presence" he said overjoyed and Caius frowned in awe. You were already able to tell that this did not happen often. Marcus, on the other hand, was sitting on his throne, smiling, still looking in your direction. You didn't miss the glances of the other vampires either. Was it some sort of celebration when Marcus was smiling?

“What does that mean?” it was Bella who snapped that question. Aro immediately appeared by her side. He gently stroked her hair, pulling an unruly strand behind her ear. You felt the sting of jealousy, when he touched her face. You should be the one asking that question and not her.

“Ah, and dear Isabella. What to do with you,” he wondered aloud, as if asking others for advice. “As I have far more important matters to deal with....” he began, looking directly at you. “I’d love to see if you’re an exception to my gift as well,” he whispered to Bella, extending his hand towards her. She didn't have much choice, did she? She took his hand, a little hesitantly, but after a short while Aro moved away.

“Interesting” he muttered. “I see nothing.”

“You already know what you’ll do with her, Aro” said Marcus, his eyes never leaving your person. “Just do it, as we want to know our little angel a bit more.”

You looked at Bella for a moment. She was terrified, not only with her own case, but also with yours. You have already guessed that you are not going anywhere. They would never let you out of their hands. Aro knew perfectly well that you didn't even have anything to go back to. Of course, you had plenty of questions, but you were sure it wasn't about your case now. Just about Bella's situation and what the Cullens had done, or rather what they hadn't done. However, you guessed it, Bella was afraid you wouldn't get out of here alive, and at the same time, you were worried about the exact same thing but about her.

Aro was smiling continuously.

“I have an idea” he said, after a long while. He approached Alice this time. “Would you be so kind, dear, and show me if you saw Bella's transformation in your vision?”

You were smart enough to know that it wasn’t a request. Alice undid her glove and boldly gave Aro her hand. He was absent for a moment and then smiled again. You were impressed by the aura he spread around himself. When he smiled, you felt like smiling too. You still had the impression that it was only a dream, and simultaneously you were sure that it was really happening. Aro's touch was definitely real, you couldn’t forget his cool hands embracing your own.

“Ah, lovely. I know everything now,” he declared. You and Bella probably looked similarly confused, but you weren't the least bit concerned and she was as pale as a sheet.

Aro turned directly to Edward.

“As I have seen Isabella's transformation in Alice's vision, I can let you go with peace of mind, my dear young friends. I trust that a date will be set sooner, rather than later and that I will be able to see for myself, what your mate will be capable of, Edward. As for you, Isabella, you are promising immortal material and I hope your potential will not go to waste," he said, this time speaking directly to Bella.

She was still brave enough to look him in the eye.

“And what with [Y/N]? You never mentioned what will happen to her” she noticed, looking in your direction. You smiled gently to her.

“I’m staying here, Bella” you said calmly, trying to reassure her with your tone of voice that all shall be all right.

You saw pure admiration and joyousness on Aro’s face as you said that.

“Isn’t she remarkable, brothers?” he asked Marcus and Caius, who looked as if they had just received the most beautiful Christmas present.

Bella seemed to be thoroughly outrageous.

“You can’t be serious [Y/N]! You cannot stay here, please, come back with us. You cannot be here while you’re pregnant” she cried, holding your hand and looking at you with disbelief.

What she said made you very uncomfortable and extremely upset.

"Bella, I have nothing to go back to. My parents are dead. You knew that if Alice told me everything, it would have to be resolved somehow," you stated matter-of-factly, squeezing her hand in yours. "I can't go back there, Bells." Your throat tightened with despair as memories of recent events flooded inside your mind. You tried to hold back tears.

"I am a shadow of my former self. I'm afraid to leave the house alone to go shopping or to work. This paranoia is overwhelming me, Bella. I keep turning behind me to see if anyone is following me on the street. I cry at night, knowing that it doesn't change anything. And then there's this unfortunate baby," you sighed helplessly, trying not to burst with tears. "Even if I keep it, I don't want it to have a mother who's afraid to leave the house. I can't live like this, we both know that" you whispered, squeezing her hands in yours again.

“But you cannot possibly be mated with all three of them” Bella whispered with despair in her eyes. You only smiled, sensing that this sentence got on Kings’ nerves, especially Caius’s.

“I think it’s predestined, Bella. Just as you are destined to be with Edward, I do belong here, with my mates” you said cautiously, glancing at Aro and looking for approval in his eyes. He was only looking at you with delight, as he said nothing.

You saw that Bella had hard time processing such information, whilst Edward and Alice said nothing at all. You knew that Alice knew prior about this, and Edward could see the vision in her thoughts. You pulled Bella into a comfortable hug.

“Hey, sister, we don’t see each other the very last time. We’ll meet again. Probably in a different…condition but still.”

Bella looked devastated.

“You promise me that?” she asked warily, her tone full of hope. You smiled at her.

“Of course I do.” You kissed her cheek and caressed her long, brown hair. “We can call each other, you know. It’s not like I’m moving to the Moon,” you joked, to release the tension a bit. To your astonishment, everybody in the room laughed at that. It made you blush, just a little tiny bit.

After another farewell, in which this time you also included Alice and Edward (barely, because you were still mad at him) and an official farewell from Aro, who told them to give his friend kind regards from him, the guests left the chamber.

They left, and Aro was immediately by your side. He gently stroked your long blonde hair, but didn't touch a single piece of a skin. After the display of your memories, he probably knew very well that you did not wish any touch for the time being.

You still couldn't free yourself from under his spell and if you were to be honest, you didn't want to at all. Aro offered you his arm.

"I believe, we have much to discuss, my love."

You took his arm gratefully.

"I have a ton of questions," you admitted as you walked out of the chamber with Marcus and Caius slowly following you. You didn't need to look back, the strange bonds that drew you together informed you of their presence in a yet unknown way.

Aro, as usual, smiled magnificently.

"My dear, one thing at a time," he said in a gentle tone, as he patted your forearm with tenderness. When you entered the study with the round table, Aro immediately pushed back a chair for you.

"No one is to disturb us" you heard Caius' sharp tone as he closed the door behind you. You tried to feel comfortable and at ease. After all, this was your home from now on.

Part 2 | Part 3

[yedamhwn]

hello everyone!  i’m angel (23, s/h) 👼 and i’m here to bring the most unsuspecting co-captain of jujak’s quidditch team,  a senior who is a magical theory major,  and a part timer caretaker assistant at the greenhouse,  gang yedam!  twt available on request and i’m available in the dms too.

dossier.  🎣

— chelsea born n raised baybe 😎  mom was a seamstress and owned a tailor shop;  dad worked at the nearby bank and co-owned some retro arcades with a childhood friend :-) by all accounts,  a sweet n simple upbringing

— began learning to play go at the age of three with his dad and eventually started attending a baduk academy;  hailed a genius and prodigy p fast because he was showing a lot of talent quite quickly and competed in local competitions and nearby tournaments!  won each one lol and they were mad..... (nicki vc i WIN you LOSE)

— car accident tw  /  lost his parents to bad weather conditions on a trip back from celebrating his mother opening up a new storefront.  yedam was in the backseat but survived after his parents quickly casted protection spells.  momentarily stopped participating in go for after but picked it up again as soon as he was taken in by his mom’s bffie aka his godmother in daegu,  who eventually found him a new academy to enroll in 

— little backstory moment rq..... so let’s talk about his godmother + her family a bit?  both of yedam’s parents are magic users,  and his mum met her best friend when they both attended beauxbatons!  beauxbaton’s baddies if u will.. think susannah x laurel from the summer i turned pretty and hari x youngseo from business proposal.  anw they separated after graduating but kept in constant contact over the phone.  paik risa marries a mortal man,  and raises her three kids (1 son, 2 daughters) on a farm that attracts both humans for the freshest harvests and magic users for rare ingredients for potions,  common everyday herbs,  or little magic infused trinkets and tools in rural daegu!  yedam grew up surrounded by magic so he was raised playing quidditch with his cousins,  practiced spells and potion making,  and learned about magical ingredients / the magical world in gen as a kid (both from his own parents and godmother!)

— continued to play locally;  eventually grew to playing internationally as he climbed up ranks (his way of playing and careerwise is heavily inspired by / pulled from choi taek of reply 1988).  during this time he’s attending durmstrang and losing his shit..😁 he’s still competing and flying around for go competitions,  magic helped with cutting down the travel time but didn’t do much for the stress and lack of decompressing,  as well as juggling school and a social life.  something about this also triggers some of his untapped trauma with his parent’s passing.  and it’s also the first time yedam’s been so far from his family.  so he completely blows up in school LOL exhibited huge ‘do not fuck w me’ energy,  was ready to fight anyone who so as much breathed in his direction,  and *squints eyes* from my sparknotes draft bg notes (and i quote) was a “certified fucker bad boy” so u get the gist i hope!  one fight got out tho and he couldn’t girlboss his way out of that one,  resulting in his godmother being called in and finding out whatever else yedam was able to keep quiet and out of her ear.  she’s basically horrified af LMAO and just?? not down to clown about her godson spiraling out of control so she yanked his ass out of durmstrang and began to track down his maternal aunt!  in total,  yedam spent 4 years there.

— plops him into mahoutokoro for the remainder of his years,  because a) it’s close enough by now compared to before,  b) most of his competitions were located in asia with only a handful being in europe,  and c) she knew he needed a fresh start.  he moves in with lee yiseul,  one of the founders and his mom’s older sister,  before leaving and living on campus.  his time at the new school is much more tamed out then before,  where *squints eyes pt2* from my sparknotes draft bg notes (and once again, i quote) starts his “healing himbo” journey!  in total,  yedam spent 3 years there.  ends his time on a high note,  and retires professionally from playing go at age eighteen as a 7-dan.  pulls away from the mortal public eye heavily.  was kind of a :o moment in the comm and caused some stir in the go world;  but he mainly did it to have somewhat of a normal college life lol 

— is currently a senior and in his final year at hwando!  whoot whoot 🥳 pretty excited to graduate,  and thankfully his last few semesters at the school isn’t too class heavy so yedam is cruising through pretty content!  magical theory major / charms minor. 🔮🪄  jujak co-captain and keeper.  lived with his aunt for his first year,  in the topaz dorms his second year,  before moving into and remaining in the quarter sharehouse is third and final year.  campus crush and smart himbo vibes.. unfortunately has MAJOR boyfie vibes (a,b,c) but has manwhoreish ways (like he hooks up in empty broom closets :/) so a waste of potential tbh.  flirty and has a lil group of followers (it’s literally just 3 people LOL) called dammies<3.  known for the ragers he throws before and after quidditch season!  has ‘he’s just some guy’ energy to him.  bye guys 🤨😳 hiiii ladies😋😁 type beat.  pulled from sparknotes pt3 but “sounds cringe but is very much The Cool Popular Guy on Campus vibes”.  that was so embarrassing to physically type out so let’s move on!  golden boy <3 it boy <3 tall boy <3 probably a clash with the stuff that blows around town or the bash app abt him (think the beginning clip of mean girls where ppl r talking about regina LOL) but he’s really reallyyy down to earth,  laidback and super chill.  easy to get along with and he mingles well with strangers or people he’s just met!  a muted spark in his eye with a hidden temper to match,  but it appears as frequently as a blue moon.  very social so he’s everywhere a little bit?  doesn’t overthink and has a tendency to be pretty straight forward.  the person you actually DO want in your group project.  part time caretaker assistant at the greenhouse where he does the graveyard shifts;  kills time by getting high and reading / walking around or doing hw.  appears in the bash app often for his ~interesting~ hook up spots or for posting addys to his next party.  young and rich $$$ bc of his go career but is still a local devil lettuce dealer (hit him upppp 4 the best prices around hwando 🤗) for some quick cash.  isn’t really sure what he wants to do after graduating (getting back into go or doing something law related to his aunt’s dept) but he’ll figure it out at some point;  so far just enjoying his final year at school!  ending on a final sparknotes cringe note: “hot nerd bad boy cool guy vibes. so cringe typing that fr” ♡

— wand: (horned serpent horn, apple wood, 8in) / patronus: tiger (bengal) / boggart: car accident tw / the moments right before and after the crash.  frequents: gwangseon forest (the dutchess’ waterfall and griff cove) / city center / the aparecium / observatory / hwabit / convenience store / grand library / quidditch fields.  capricorn sun,  gemini moon,  leo rising.

***

— members in the same sports (regardless of house) as he is?  same majors??  taking the same classes?

— someone wanting to learn go casually and they decide 2 hit him up

— every so often they grab ramen and soju at night, and sneak into the greenhouse / observatory / other locations to decompress and catch up!!

— friends from durmstrang or mahoutokoro!!

— someone who has heard about his interesting stories on the bash app (notably the weird hook up spots LOL) and then ACTUALLY see him irl *insert yedam almost tripping over a carpet* and is just like what the fuck this is that dood 

— fwbs??  exes??  former crushes??  people he’s lead on??  unrequited crushes??  vice versa  👁️.....

— people / regulars that hit him up 4 some devil lettuce or stoner friends in gen!!

— people he practices quidditch with the most!! or someone who does / doesn’t play that needs some extra help 

— his party ppl whoot whoot

— a person who is trying to network through him bc they like his aunt / want to work in the dept. of law

— someone who hooked up with him at (insert location) and find themselves on the bash app like okay never doing THAT again (unless..? 🤪🙈)

— whoever has a pet PLEASE let him pet sit just once..........or if he can just touch them in gen

literally anything else lol feel free to let me know if there’s anything not on here that might work,  any of ur plots that might click better,  or brainstorming! :~)

[itsjustmyfantasyroom]

Bad dealings.

Warnings: not much really. Maybe some swearing and soft Miguel.

WC: 1501.

Enjoy x

You drove the car past the Welcome to Santo Padre sign and you took a deep breath looking out your window at the road just concentrating on getting to the hospital and limit any sightings of you. You couldn’t believe you were back here; you flew out of Mexico to Arizona almost 12 months ago with promises to yourself that you would never be back here, but your Dad fell ill and your Mum needed you. Your cousins helped you disappear after they almost killed you when they found out how deep you had gotten.

You had finished high school and went straight into working in the mayor’s office and worked your way up to the mayor’s personal assistant. Your life had been fine until Miguel Galindo walked into the office and your whole world changed after that very first encounter, which then lead to you sleeping with him after his divorce, to you leaking information to him, not because he asked but because you were falling in love with the cartel boss and you wanted to see him happy and for all his plans to go ahead and be ahead of every move.

You were busted when you had taken some photos of classified paper work in Antonia’s office and instead of sending them to Miguel’s email, you sent it to the deputy mayor’s assistant addressed to Miguel with a seductive photo also attached. The assistant leaked the email, the whole situation exploding in your face, you being threatened with illegal action and you had to get out as soon as you could. You couldn’t even walk down the street and not get nasty words thrown at you.

Angel and Ez turned up at your place when they saw the paper, asking you what you needed, after them telling you off for jumping into bed with Miguel in the first place. They organised everything for you, like amazing older cousins do. Your parents went to stay with their Dad for a bit and the boys helped you get under the boarder through the clubs tunnels to the Mexico airport with new hair, a new name, a new phone number, a house that had been rented and you started a new life leaving everything behind, including your deep feelings for Miguel and the guilt of walking away and not telling him you had left.

You pulled up in the hospital car park, slipping on your sunglasses and walking inside to find your Dad. As you walked through the halls you rounded a corner to a long hall way of rooms and came face to face with Angel in Nestor’s face, Gilly trying to pull a yelling Angel back who had his fist raised,

“She’s going to come back, its her Dad and when she does you tell me” Nestor snarled in Angel’s face. Angel went to throw his hand forward and your voice rang out through the hallway,

“Angel, stop” You shouted.

Everyone’s head turned to look at you. Nestor’s eye blew open when he seen you and Angel stepped back, walking towards you, his arm going around your neck and leading down the opposite way towards your Dad’s room,

“Nice to see you cuz” Angel kissed the top of your head “You do realise Galindo’s bulldog has seen you, he’ll find out your back”

“I’ am here for 4 days, to see Dad and leave. He won’t know where I’ am staying anyway”

“You wish mami, you know what he’s like. He’ll find you. He’s Miguel fucking Galindo and your the first women that ever risked her freedom the way you did for him. So stupid. ”

“Yeah, yeah” you rolled your eyes “We going to talk about it every time I see you?”

“Probably, yeah” Angel laughed kissing your forehead.

It was best that you staid in the next town over in a hotel in the out skirts. You didn’t want to risk getting seen, it being reported back to Antonia that you were in town and start that whole nightmare again. You had ordered room service once you got back from the hospital and showered, when there was a knock on the door you thought that’s what it was, your food. But when you swung it open, a range of different emotions charged through you.

Miguel looked back to you, looking just liked you remembered, smelling just how you remembered, his hair and beard perfect as ever and his suit just as well fitting as what they used to be. You wanted nothing more than to jump on him, kiss him, feel him against you. But his face and eyes were cold, so you just gave him a small smile, moving out of the way and gesturing for him to come into your room. You took a deep breath closing the door behind you after shooting Nestor a dirty look, who was sitting in the car outside. You turned to Miguel sitting on the end of your bed,

“Did Nestor follow me here?”

“You left” Miguel looked up at you, his eye’s starting to tear up “You left and you didn’t tell me. I couldn't find you, I didn’t know where you had gone, if you were ok. You left me. I would have helped you get through it; I wouldn’t have let anything happen to you”

“Miguel” you took a step closer to him and he held up his hand to stop you and you froze looking down at your feet tears running down your cheeks.

“You didn’t trust me to look after you?” Miguel looked up, his face like stone but hurt in his eyes.

“It was my fault; I never should have done what I did. You could have done it on your own. You didn’t need my help. I let my heart take over and done something really stupid that will follow me around for the rest of my life” you sniffed.

“I would have protected you, mi sol” Miguel muttered shaking his head.

Your heart hurt hearing your pet name. You walked over to him, getting down on your knees in front him, you reached up slowly, your hands going to rest on his cheeks. The feel of his beard on your palms sending goose bumps all over you. Miguel was stiff at your touch at first till you lent onto his legs and he sighed into you, his hands going on top of yours, his forehead resting on yours and he started to cry. You pulled your hands away, pushing his legs apart, crawling forward between them and throwing your arms around him pulling him into you.

One of your hands rubbed over his back, your other rested on the back of his head and you covered the other side of his face in kisses. Miguel brought his arms around you, hugging you tightly. His solid chest pressed into you and you started to sob, Miguel’s tears free flowing down his cheeks as well. You both staid like that for a long moment, crying in each other’s arms. You pulled back looking up into Miguel red face, his hand moving onto your cheek, his thumb brushing the tears away and his other moving to rest on your shoulder,

“Where did you go?”

“Arizona” you cleared your throat “Angel and Ez got me over the border and I flew out of Mexico”

Miguel reached for both your hands to pull you up off the floor and guided you to sit on the bed. He snaked an arm around you pulling you into him and you rested a hand on his thigh.

“I checked all flights, for weeks. Your name wasn’t on any”

“Victora Pérez” you gave him a half smile and Miguel nodded back sucking in his lips “Miguel, I’ am so sorry. I should have told you, should have called you to tell you I was ok”

“That you were alive” Miguel shot back and locked eyes with you.

You took a deep breath, both your eyes searching each other’s. You both started to move towards each other, your lips meeting, fitting together so perfectly. You both sighed into each other’s mouth’s. You slid your hand’s up over Miguel’s jacket and stopped to sit on his shoulders and Miguel’s hands threaded into your hair, the kiss deepening. Miguel broke the kiss, kissing your cheek twice and his finger nails scraping over your sculp affectionally,

“I missed you” you whispered.

“It almost killed me, you not being here. You leaving me. Every day I searched somewhere new, finding nothing. When Nestor walked in telling me he had seen you” Miguel paused looking down shaking his head, emotion filling him again “Come home, come back to me”

“Miguel, I can’t. After everything. How can I start over here again?”

“With me. Together. Amor, we will make it work. I’ll sort it out. I’ll handle it”

“What does that mean?”

“Please Y/N, trust me on this. Come home to me mi sol, please.”

 Tags: @beccabarba @lovebishoplosamiguelgalindo @alwaysachorusgirl

[gucciwins]

Three Time

The one where Harry, Atticus, and Y/N celebrate. 

Word Count: 2,988

A/N: Hello friends, this is a little continuation to my story Adore You.  Harry is now a three time grammy nominated artist and i think that is beautiful. This is something short and i really do hope you enjoy it. 

There is a lot that happened this year that she never saw coming. 

First, a worldwide pandemic that would keep everyone locked indoors and having to wear masks. Secondly, Harry's Love on Tour getting rescheduled to 2021, but even that isn't looking good now. And lastly, being in Los Angeles in November as Harry is filming a movie as the lead male actor. 

Ever since Fine Line was released in December, time seemed to fly by for them.

Harry was overjoyed at how loved Fine Line was by his fans. He was getting support left and right. He was a humble man, never letting it go to his head, always saying he couldn't do it without the help of the people on his team. 

There have been rumors flying around speculating Harry having a girlfriend, a famous songwriter, but they have learned to ignore it. Harry doesn't feel the need to address his relationships because it's theirs. He would love to shout his love for Y/N to the world, but as long as she knows, he's content. 

They celebrated their one year anniversary in Italy for a week before flying back home, they would have stayed longer, but they missed Atticus too much to do that. As soon as they got home, it felt like everything changed. Not between them, but with the world. It was madness to see a lockdown, fear had spiked, but safety was a priority that they took seriously. Meaning they had to take it day by day.

Ever since the worldwide lockdown in March, Harry discussed staying in Los Angeles with Mitch and Sarah for a few months. Atticus was quick to agree, but Y/N really wanted to go home. Harry reminded her it was better to be surrounded by a good group of friends than to be distanced from everyone in London's separate homes. She was quick to agree after. 

Y/N didn't mind it much after; they all always helped each other out. There was also a lot of music playing, as well as creating. Harry said they might just have to get Mitch to release a quarantine album, which got Harry hit in the head with a pillow. 

The one who was taking this the hardest was Atticus, missing Anne and Gemma, who was back in London. He missed going to the park to play, he missed running around free, and honestly, she did as well. They would go hiking and on walks, but it was not as open as before. 

This is why, by June, they returned back home to London, and after a week of quarantine and negative test results, they went on the journey to visit both families. Y/N separated from them to visit her mother and step-dad even though Harry tried to convince her they could go together, but honestly, as much as she loved Anne and had started to see her as a second mother, she really needed a hug from her own. She promised Harry and Atticus she would see them the day after as she was coming to see Anne and they would stay the week with her. 

During this time, Y/n started knitting, something she learned at a young age but would only do when she was stressed. She began teaching Atticus, but he could only keep still for a little bit before he had to run off and do a new activity. She knitted socks, hats, and blankets for their family and friends and shipped them off to them. Y/N even made Atticus and herself the JW Anderson Cardigan. It was a lot of work, but it came out lovely. Harry made them do a little backyard photoshoot because he loved it so much.  

Harry had even surprised her when he told her it would be on the cover of Vogue. She was in shock, but she never stopped hugging him, telling Harry how proud of him she was. The day of the shoot was gorgeous, she had to remind herself to breathe a few times, or she would have passed out. Atticus was in the shoot with Gemma and Harry as they did a family shoot to surprise Anne. Harry kept asking her if she was enjoying it, and honestly, her smile said everything. That she was proud of him, that he was doing fantastic but most importantly, that she loved him. The skirt had a lot of filthy thoughts floating through her head, and she really hoped they'd lend it to Harry if she told him everything she wanted to do with him, specifically her under that skirt touching him. 

Harry had her join for a few photos, Lambert pulling out a surprising look just for her. Harry promised these photos were just for them, even if he wanted to have them put one in just so the world could know how much he loved his family. 

It's November now, and they are in Y/N's Malibu home, which they have been staying at since October. Harry has started filming "Don't Worry Darling," in Olivia Wilde's film. It was surreal when they found out; she couldn't be any prouder. Staying in her home was an easy choice; not many knowing where she lives, only a few friends, and Atticus loves having the beach so close even if it is a little too cold to go in now. 

Y/N and Atticus can't go to set due to safety and regulations, but Harry calls and facetime them every time he gets a break in his trailer. He lets them know he misses them, but he really loves everyone he's working with. That the cast is incredible and kind. Harry would not stop teasing Y/N for her reaction when she saw the wedding ring on his left hand. It made her stop mid-sentence. Husband Harry is something she wishes to one day get because Dad Harry is an angel to his sweet son. 

Harry has recently gone back to filming as it was postponed for two weeks because someone on set came out positive to make up for the lost time they started filming on weekends, which bummed out Atticus. Still, Harry quickly told him it wasn't his choice and that they would watch movies of his options as soon as he was back. Atticus loves Y/N a lot, but he's never going to love anyone more than his dad, even though Atticus does push Harry second sometimes. 

More times than not, Harry will get home and find Y/N and Atticus napping in a new place of the house; the last time was outback in a little tent Y/N set up with fairy lights and had many pillows and blankets to stay warm. Harry was quick to climb in and wrap his arms around Y/N, who quickly woke up due to his cold hands, but he apologized quickly with kisses. She's a sucker for his kisses.

Every moment together is special for them. 

Atticus called her 'Mum' a week ago and ran off, feeling embarrassed would not talk to her all day. Which was hard to do, seeing that they were the only three people in the house. Harry saw how sulky she was and talked with Atticus because neither would tell him what happened. Harry was surprised when Atticus told him what he said, but he was mostly filled with joy and a bit of fear. A fear that she could leave any day and not only would he be left heartbroken but so would his son, but he knows Y/N and the love she has for them. She's here forever, she might not say it, but her actions say enough for her. How she tucks in Atticus to bed with a kiss and an 'I love you.' Asking Anne and her mother on first time parenting tips when she thinks Harry isn't around. How much she cried when he got a scrape on his knee for the time in her care. There isn't anything stopping her from leaving, but she stays because she loves all she has. In the end, Atticus apologized for not speaking with her, and she hugged him and cuddled him all night long. Harry told Atticus that Y/N wasn't his mother, but she loved him like one and that it was okay with him if she called her that. Y/N was fearful of being a mom, but she loved Atticus like her own; even if she hadn't watched and cared for him since he was born, she was here known and would do so for as long as Harry and Atticus let her. 

November 24th, a long-awaited day for artists in the music industry. Harry has to be on set at 11AM today, meaning they will be watching the live stream together. Jeff is with Glenne and is on facetime with Harry. He has his phone perched up against a candle. Harry is sitting in the middle, Atticus to his left and Y/N to his right. He's in sweats and a plain white tee, not needing to be dressed up, seeing as it only is nine in the morning. 

The live stream is an hour-long. Y/N truly forgets how many categories they have until she watches. They woke up at eight am, had pancakes for breakfast, and spoke of their daily plans letting time go by them, allowing them to enjoy breakfast together as they do each morning. 

Atticus can barely sit still, just wanting to hear his daddy's name being called. Harry is surprisingly quiet, just sitting back with his arms crossed as the live stream goes on. Honestly, Y/N is the only one showing emotion. She cheers as she hears HAIM and Phoebe Bridgers get nominated. She itches to grab her phone to shoot them a congratulations message but fears she'll miss something, so she just gives herself a silent reminder to do it after. 

Sharon Osbourne had just begun to say the nominees for Best Comedy Album, and Y/N knows what is coming up soon. She isn't even listening to the nominees, just waiting for her to name the Best Music Video nominees. 

As soon as she says, "Brown Skin Girl, Beyoncé," Y/N feels Harry's hand on her thigh tighten, and she feels for him. His nerves must be out of the roof, but he tries his best not to show it. Y/N shuts her eyes tight, putting her hand over his to let him know she's there for him. 

When she hears the words "Adore You, Harry Styles," she feels her heart speed up. She opens her eyes wide and looks at Harry; his face is blank. Atticus is running circles around the couch, just cheering and yelling nonsense. Jeff and Glenne are cheering from the phone. 

Harry lets out a big smile when he finally meets her eyes. "Adore you did it, angel." She whispers.

He nods. "That's unreal. To hear my name." 

She leans in to give him a quick kiss as they settle back down, ready to listen for the upcoming categories. Megan the Stallion is starting the new section of categories, and Y/N isn't sure how to feel because she won't be able to take it if they don't name Harry again. 

"Best Pop Solo Performance, Watermelon Sugar." This time they all break out into cheers as soon as they hear them call Harry's name after Dua Lipa's. "Watermelon Sugar" had been a hit from the day of its release. Now it has been nominated for a Grammy feels unreal to Harry. Two nominations, he would have never believed it. 

Y/N's buzzing waiting for Megan to announce Best Pop Vocal Album. Harry is now leaning forward, knowing this is another category he could potentially be nominated for. 

"Fine Line Harry Styles" As soon as she hears those words, the tears start running down her face; he did this. His album was nominated. Harry can't stop smiling as Atticus hugs him tight around his neck. He lets out a small chuckle as he sees her tears. He pulls her in, kissing her head repeatedly, smiling at Jeff's congratulations but mostly basking in the joy of three nominations and that he has the opportunity to share it with those he loves. 

Harvey Mason JR. is here once again to announce the general field categories. Harry and Y/N nod along as the names of the nominees are called out. Jeff let out a cheer hearing HAIM nominated for album of the year. Y/N sighs, not hearing Harry being nominated but continues ready to hear Adore You for record of the year. Only it doesn't happen. Harvey Mason JR. bids everyone goodbye, and just like that, it's over. 

Jeff breaks the silence, congratulating Harry before hanging up. Harry sits back with Atticus in his lap, a big smile on his face. 

Harry is happy. Extremely happy, this has always been a dream of his, one he never knew would come true. 

His second album got him three Grammy nominations. Atticus has no clue what these awards mean, but he's happy just seeing Harry and Y/N happy.  Atticus climbs off Harry's lap, kissing Harry and Y/N's cheek, saying he's going to his room now. 

Harry turns to look at Y/N, and the smile she had has now left her face, and now she sits there, lost in thought. This worries Harry; she was fine moments ago. He's got to go soon, so he needs to figure this out now. 

"Honey, you alright?" Harry places his hand on her thigh, and she looks at him, nodding. 

"Fine." She kisses his cheek. "Really happy for you." 

Harry knows she is, but there's something else. "Spill." 

She sighs, knowing nothing gets past him. "You weren't named for any general category. I'm proud of the three you got, but I was sure you would be at least nominated for record of the year." Awards don't mean much to Y/N anymore, but she knows how important this is for Harry. "I'm sorry, ruining your mood." 

"You didn't. Thank you for caring so much." His smile is sincere, and she knows he wouldn't lie to her. 

"It's okay," Harry tells her, wanting her to repeat it with him.

"But Harry," He puts his hands on her cheeks to get her to stop and look at him. 

"Honey, it's okay. Three nominations are amazing, and I couldn't be happier." 

"I know," She deflates. "3-time Grammy Nominated Artist Harry Styles has a nice ring to it." She smirks, noting the blush on his cheek. 

"Dork." He leans in to kiss her nose. 

"Fine Line is still my favorite album, you know, from everything released, named number one." 

"You're just saying that." 

Y/N shakes her head no, "Of course not. Yours is the one album I had on repeat the most. My Spotify wrapped will prove just that." 

Harry snorts, "You're too much." 

He pulls her in to lay on his chest, her arms snake around his waist. They hold each other tight. 

"I'm proud of you," Harry whispers in her ear. 

Y.N leans back, but Harry's hold is tight. "I did nothing; you just got nominated. For your second album, you deserve all the praise today." 

"Honey, will you let me continue." Harry laughs. 

"Sorry, H." 

"I'm proud of you because, without you, this album would have never been finished. I would have never had the inspiration to finish Adore You. Would have never had the idea to make a fake island and promote it without ever adding my name to it. I would have never thought to film using a CGI fish, as my friend in the story. I would have never had the released "Lights Up," the song that started this new era for me but most importantly, I would have never found love. A love that is bigger than me that fills me with so much joy. A love that leaves me scared. A love that will forever keep on growing." Harry smiles as he wipes away her tears. 

Harry loves Y/N with all he has. This album was his, but it was also hers. It's what truly brought them together. 

"You made me cry, you jerk." She says, laying her head in the crook of his neck.

Harry laughs. "I just poured my heart out to you, and I'm the jerk." 

"I love you." Harry grins. That's all he wants to hear. "I'll love you, today, tomorrow, forever for as long as you let me. 

Harry can't contain his happiness and needs to show her. He connects their lips. It's a hard, fast kiss full of passion. They pull away because their smiles don't let them continue much. 

"You've got to go." Y/N reminds him as he continues to press kisses all over her face and neck. 

Harry settles down, smiling down at her. "I know." She leans forward, kissing him quickly. "We'll celebrate more when I get home tonight." 

"Three nominations, wow!" Y/N says, standing up. "We're in for a long celebration once we get Atticus down to sleep." She wags her eyebrows at him.

Harry very quickly gets the hint. "I can't wait, honey." 

Atticus comes bouncing down the steps giving his dad a kiss goodbye, walking him to the door, barefoot. Y/N follows Harry, giving her one last kiss goodbye as he walks to his car. 

As he gets in and pulls out of the driveway, he sees Y/N and Atticus waving goodbye to him. Harry has a big smile on his face that no one can see. He's thankful to now be a 3-time Grammy-nominated artist, but what he is most grateful for is getting to be the person who gets to love Y/N and Atticus forever.

Thank you for reading! This was just a small little piece for a beloved piece I wrote. If inspiration strikes, I shall be revisiting this story. 

Please let me know what you thought!

[footballerimaginess]

The Secret’s Out

Baby Series 2.0  4. Announcing to everyone that you are pregnant  Kieran Tierney  Word Count: 806  “How shall we tell everyone? You can tell the boys separately if you want too” you told Kieran. “Yeah if that is cool. so the baby is okay?” he asked as you nodded. “Yes, baby scan looked great. Shame you missed it though. Next time” you smiled at him. “Maybe we take pictures, but save them until we have told our families. We will need to take photos to post on Instagram” Kieran suggested. “Sounds perfect” you smiled at him as you grabbed the scan photo.  You posed for some photos with Kieran, putting the scan photo in front of you both. Self timing photos was the only way to take the photos. Balancing it on the side of the table, to get the best photo that you could.  “These are cute actually, what do you think?” you told him as he nodded. “Yes I really like them. Right you save them on your phone and we can discuss where we need to go” he smiled as he helped you up. “Sure thing” you smiled. 

“Maybe we can go to the training ground, I need to pick up some stuff that I didn’t even realise I had left. You can come with me” you smiled and nodded. “Yes sounds great” you grabbed your bag and headed to the training ground. “What you doing back? Missed us that much” Mikel smirked. “Hi y/n” he waves at you as you walk in behind him. “Haha no, I left all my stuff. I just missed y/n’s ultrasound scan. So I needed to get home, but still left most in my locker” he smiled as his manager had a huge smile appear on his face. “Aww congratulations. That is amazing news” you smiled and thanked Mikel.  “So you going to tell the boys now?” you asked him. “Yeah if that’s alright” you smiled as you walked in to the changing room with him. “Am I supposed to be here?” you asked nervously. Kieran laughed. “Yes there is only a few boys in there, its cool” you smiled.  “y/n I haven’t seen you in the longest time. How are you?” Hector asked as he greeted you in a cuddle. “Hey Hec, yeah I have been good” you smiled. “Haven’t see you in a long time? you been hiding from us” you laughed, shaking your head. “No, just been cooking a baby” you showed your small bump off. “Nah shit, wow. Congratulations” Hector hugged the pair off you. “I am so happy for the pair of you”  “Thanks bro, it is exciting time. We can’t wait to tell the whole world” Kieran gushed, not being able to wipe the smile off of his face. “Aww go ahead, make everyone know about it” Hector supported you both. “Thank you so much” you grinned as you waved to Hector as he walked off. “Right let’s go baby, I have got everything that I needed” he told you as you both headed out of the changing room. “Does it feel a little real now because we are allowed to tell people? I know we need to tell our families first, but I just want to post the photo” you laughed and nodded in agreement.  “I fully agree babe, I want to post it. Maybe we can send them the photos. We haven’t got time to head down to your parents bub” you suggested. “Yeah that is a cool idea. I like that. You send it to yours and I do it to mine” you nodded.  Climbing in the car in the car park, sitting on your phones as you sent the photos over to Kieran. “Thanks babe” he smiled. “That is a cute one huh?” you laughed. You sent the photo to your mum, patiently waiting for a reply. Kieran also sent the photo to his parents. “OH MY GODDDDDD” Your mum replied as she FaceTimed you. “I am so happy for you my angel, congratulations to you too Kieran” she squealed with excitement. “Thank you” you smiled as you waved as you turned the FaceTime off.  Kieran’s mum FaceTimed you both. “Oh my, is that what I think it is?” she shouted as you both nodded. “Yes it is, we are having a baby” His mum shouted. “I am so excited for you both, I can’t wait to come and see the air of you. Give you the biggest cuddles ever” you smiled as you nodded.  You pressed send on your Instagram photo as you and Kieran announced that you were pregnant to the world.  “Baby Tierney is on it’s way, arriving in March 2022. We cannot wait” you tagged Kieran in the photo. Kieran also posted on his Instagram once he finishes his FaceTime call with his mum.  “Now can we go home? I am hungry” you laughed as you headed home.  Taglist: @footballffbarbiex​​ @evie-pr​​ @sanchos-dream​​ @meteora-fc​​ @mrsmctominay​ @penguintransporter​ @football-and-fanfics​ @footballdaydream​​ @hotyeehawman​​ @trentski26​ @footballxixstars​​ @hazardybala​​ @yagetintoit​​ @chilly-me-softly​​ @pickfordsmount​​ 

[shuahoonie]

holidays with tom [tom holland]

PAIRING: tom holland x female!reader 

SUMMARY: life isn’t exactly back to normal. with another lockdown in place and the holiday season is vastly approaching, you and tom are stuck in quarantine with each other the problem? there was supposed to be at least 5 of you in that house and tom is the last person you want to be with. shouldn’t be too bad right? 

WARNINGS: in no particular order swearing—err foul language lmao, sexual innuendos, things get heated but not that much??? exuding sexual tension but also fluff??? alcohol consumption, a series of bad decisions??? idk writing this made me experience the 5 stages of grief tbh lmao it’s not that bad I promise lmao

WORD COUNT: 6.9k! 

A/N: hello and happy new year! I was supposed to post this during Christmas Day but guess who got into a writing rut—yet again. I didn’t want to abandon this because I actually had fun writing it. I hope you all had a festive and safe holiday. I know things have been hard but I still hope you guys enjoyed the holiday. 

2020 has finally came to an end and we’re all ending it the same way when the pandemic started—staying at home, hopefully following the appropriate health measures. I can only hope that 2021 is a brighter and hopeful year for all of us.

stay safe, sending u all my love. 

gif credits: @underoos-shield​ 

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Two hours. It’s been two hours since you found out that you were going to spend your holidays alone. You were aware that you weren’t going to spend your holidays with your family as you normally would, embracing the fact that working in a different country whilst in the middle of a pandemic was going to be challenging. 

Working in the film industry, constantly visiting sets while still living in a pandemic means that you threw away your chances of being home for the holidays. However, you weren’t entirely the only one who shares a similar struggle. 

“We should still do something for Christmas, you know,” Tom muttered as he watched you lay down on the sofa, your head is supported by the armrest. 

See—it should’ve been you, Ophelia, Alex, William, and Tom in that AirBnB, not just you and Tom.

The five of you reside abroad, however, you all had to fly to Los Angeles for work. You all collectively knew that it would be irresponsible to fly home for the holidays and it wouldn’t make any sense as you would all fly back for work anyway. 

The five of you had a brilliant idea of renting an AirBnB for the holidays since you were all in each other’s personal and work bubble anyway. Obviously, the three of them bailed as they’ve decided to stay with their partners instead, leaving you and Tom alone—which is the last thing you’ve wanted. 

“There’s just us two, Tom,” You replied as you sent a lengthy text to Ophelia, telling and reminding them about what happened between you and Tom.  “I’m not entirely sure if it’s worth anything if we did plan on doing something remotely festive.” 

There are four more days till Christmas and if you were being honest, the last time you felt festive was on the 18th of December...of 2019. 

“Surely there’s something we can do, right?” Tom’s optimism still shined beneath him. “This year has already been shitty enough, we don’t need to feed more into that.” 

The three dots bubble immediately popped up on your message thread with Ophelia as soon as you sent your passive-aggressive rant. Your focus was now on your phone. 

Suddenly, Tom’s face appeared on top of yours—his face was definitely close enough that it’s not CDC approved. He was standing on side of the sofa, both of his palms planted against the armrest as he loomed over you. 

“What do you and your family do during Christmas?” He dared to ask as if he wasn’t towering over you.

Your eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. “Uh—give each other personal space?” You answered out of sheer reflex. You always had a problem with keeping your mouth shut, especially when it sounds rude to other people. In your defence, being unable to do so has helped you put people back in place. 

To be fair, you were used to people standing at least 6 ft away from you ever since the pandemic started. 

Tom’s cheeks went bright red. “’m sorry,” He apologized, giving you a shy smile and scratched the back of his neck. You muttered a quick apology too, for acting so rashly. 

You rose from your position and sat upright instead. “Well, we never do anything special during Christmas,” You said as you threw your hair into a bun. “We usually just go to the movies on Christmas Day because that’s the only thing you can do back when life was normal.” 

Tom nodded understandingly as if he was taking this into account. Now you were curious. 

“Do you guys do anything special for Christmas?” You asked him. 

“Well, on Christmas Day, we would usually just lounge around the house and use it as a chance for me and my family to catch up,” Tom replied. “However, on Christmas Eve, my mum always made sure my brothers and I would have this scavenger hunt to look for our gifts—It’s really fun, actually.” Tom smiled sadly. 

You could easily see how Tom was genuinely broken about not being able to be around his family over the holidays. Heck—he really just misses his family. But who wouldn’t? Britney Spears didn’t sing the line “my loneliness is killing me” for nothing. 

“I’m sorry,” was all you could say. Aside from biting your tongue, being able to easily comfort people was one of your weaknesses too. 

“Oh, there’s nothing to be sorry about, darling.” Tom quickly dismissed the genuine heartbreak he was trying to hide. “We’re all making sacrifices and we chose to be responsible for the benefit of other people.” 

“Yeah, I know.” You said softly. “We’ll just try our best to make something out of this holiday season. I mean—we have to or else we’ll welcome 2021 with a fresh face of misery.” 

“I’m sorry!” Ophelia pouted at the screen as they mindlessly walked around their partner’s place, something that most people do when they’re on the phone with someone. “I genuinely forgot about what happened between you and Tom.” 

“Well, Ollie, it seems like you weren’t the only one.” You replied, adjusting your glasses. Tom seems to be genuinely fine around you, no awkward tensions or anything. If anything, it’s just you who feels weird around him. “But I guess that’s a good thing right?” 

Ophelia forced a smile but they couldn’t, for the life of them, say anything about it. 

“Oh my god,” You sighed “Seriously, Ollie?” 

“It’s just—how could he forget?! You were literally on top of him as I recall and that very much left a permanent image on my mind. I—You know, I really tried my best to forget that ever existing in my mind. So really, if anything, it’s your fault.” Ophelia rambled on. 

“I—I wasn’t on top of him. That’s absurd! I was merely pressed against him” You said defensively, in which Ophelia just laughed atrociously. “Why am I friends with you again?!” You asked rhetorically, bewildered by the fact that you two lasted this long. 

“First of all, that is a hate crime. Second, I’m cool—like everyone wants to be my friend and you should be glad that I gave you the privilege to be even on a nickname basis as me.” 

You rolled your eyes at them. Despite the never-ending banter, you were grateful to have Ophelia as your friend. 

“But seriously, Y/N,” Ophelia said, “You can always just stay with me and Ericka. She’ll be glad to have you over for the holidays.”

“Ollie, as much as I love spending time with you two—I can’t stand being a third-wheel, especially when it comes to the both of you. You two are inseparable when you’re together.” You replied. “I appreciate the offer though.” You smiled at her. 

“I’m just saying—” Ophelia replied, shrugging her shoulder. “Unless you and Tom really want to have the house by yourselves.” They sang teasingly.

“Ophelia!” You gasped. 

“What?” They feigned innocence. “I gave you an option to stay with us! Plus, I know Alex and Will are would’ve asked you to stay with them if they had any idea what happened between you two.” 

“I can’t leave him!” You started to whisper “Tom seems genuinely bummed being here. I can’t just do that to him.” 

It’s as if a light came on inside them. Ophelia started to smirk and you recognized that smirk from anywhere. For christ’s sake, their eyes twinkled like Christmas lights. It drove you nuts. “I fucking knew it.” 

“What?” 

“You like him don’t you?!” They teased, but all you could do was blush. 

“I do not!” You denied it as you could still feel the burning heat emitting from your cheeks. 

“His tongue is that good huh?” Ophelia decided to pry even further. They clearly find enjoyment as you squirmed your way out of this conversation. 

“Bitch, I am ending this call.” That was all you could say. Even if you did find a smart retort, it was no use, especially with Ophelia. They can see right through you and there’s no point in trying to hide it. 

“Honestly, Y/N, we’re living through a pandemic. If there’s any time to make any rash decisions, it’s now. Go get that dick, bih—” 

You drowned out whatever Ophelia was trying to say with your goodbyes and proceeded to end the call. The one time you asked your friend to be serious and they come up with this. 

So—what really happened with you and Tom? 

It was two years ago. You were at a party that you didn’t even plan on attending. However, you were dragged by Ophelia and their partner, Ericka—your new friends in the area. You couldn’t say no to them, they were your first friend in LA! 

You thought about it though, saying no. But when you got a message from your friend back in Canada sending a photo of your boyfriend ex-boyfriend (the same guy who had ghosted you ever since you moved to LA), swapping spits with another girl, you suddenly had the strong urge to drink until you die of alcohol poisoning.

You were burning with anger that you really felt tears pricking your eyes. You were so close to crying or punching someone—whichever comes first.  

One thing’s for sure, though, you weren’t going to cry over a man. So what did you do? “Ophelia, where’s the booze?!” You asked your friend whose eyes nearly popped out of their head. 

Well, you weren’t really going to punch a stranger. Though you felt this burning sense of violence, it’d be much more satisfying to punch the living daylights out on your ex. 

“Y/N, honey, are you alright?” That line always puts on the waterworks, no?  Ophelia was clearly concerned about your newfound thirst for alcohol. 

You furiously wiped the tears off your face. “Um just found out my boyfriend—er ex-boyfriend, who stopped talking to me as soon as I moved here, is seeing someone else now? I don’t know, am I allowed to feel angry when I don’t even know if we’re still together as soon I moved? Fuck—” You tried to explain as you wiped every tear that left your eyes. 

“Oh—of course, hon.” Ericka who handed you a drink. You weren’t exactly sure what it is, but you knew it has alcohol in it and that’s all that matters. You gulped the entire thing and you wanted more. “Y/N, you need to slow down.”

“Are you sure you want to stay? I mean we can crash at our place, eat take-outs, watch movies and be totally disconnected from the world.” Ophelia suggested, but you shook your head furiously. 

“No, I—I’m ok.” You answered “I can’t let the both of you be stuck in misery with me. I need this. I’ll get drunk and if I'm up for it, I’ll hook up with someone. It’s not a healthy coping method but I really want this night to be a series of bad decisions. I don’t want to be myself, even just tonight.”

 So that’s what you did. You were going from one drink to another in record time. Both Ophelia and Ericka kept an eye on you, just in case someone tried to take advantage of your drunken state. 

You were talking to some guy you met in the kitchen, one thing led to another and next thing you knew, you were making out with this dude in someone’s bathroom. Ophelia and Ericka were drunk enough to pester the guy you were making out with but not drunk 

As you were propped on top of the sink and your legs wrapped around his waist, you felt every bit of his lips explore the side of your neck as his hands explored every inch of your body. With his hand under your shirt and his fingers tracing every part of your skin, it just reminded you of how lonely you were. 

Here you were, a thousand miles away from home, all alone just so you could do the one thing you really love. Your family would sometimes call to check up on you but it just wasn’t the same. Your ex tried to guilt you into staying in Canada, but you couldn’t do that. You love what you do and you love yourself too. 

You were willing to risk everything, even if happiness came at a price. 

Now you were crying, and the guy you were making out with definitely noticed. 

“I’m sorry, am I making you uncomfortable?” He asked as he pulled down your shirt. 

“No—no, I’m just—” You tried to calm yourself down. “I’m not sure if I want to do this anymore.” 

“That’s alright,” He mumbled wiping the tears off your face. “Do you want to talk about it? You seem rattled.” 

“It’s just I’m so tired of pretending everything is alright—that I’m okay being alone, that I don’t need anyone. But it’s just so hard because I’m—” You sobbed “I’m so fucking lonely. I’m so tired of being alone.” 

The guy tucked the stray piece of hair behind your ears as he carefully wiped your tears with his thumb. He was just silent as he listened to you sob. 

“I’m sorry, I know you definitely didn’t come to this party to watch a complete stranger cry over something stupid.” You couldn’t even look him in the eye, you were embarrassed as this was the first time you felt really vulnerable—especially in front of a stranger. 

“No, you’re alright.” He tried to console you “I think that’s the beauty in strangers, no? You can act and do whatever you want in front of them because there’s a slim chance you’ll ever see them again.” 

You were definitely drunk enough that trying to make sense of who the person was a struggle enough of itself. You tried your best to look at the guy but your vision was getting hazy and you could feel your head thumping that focusing made you feel like you want to crack your head in half. 

A loud knock on the door caused you two to jump. “I’m coming in,” Ophelia yelled and opened the door. Ophelia looked at the guy for a while, trying to make sense of who he was before their eyes widened. “I remember now—You’re Tom Holland.”

Imagine your surprise when you found out that you were going to work with Tom Holland for a while. You tried your best to avoid Tom at work but of course, that didn’t work out. He never brought up what happened between you two and you assumed he probably forgot all about it.

You tried to rationalize that he meets a lot of people every day. Surely, one failed hook-up wasn’t worth remembering (especially with alcohol involved) and you held on to that. 

At least that’s what makes you sleep at night and also one of the reasons why you considered spending the holidays with him. However, you were also expecting your crew friends to stay with you and not just Tom. 

“Y/N, did you like the gift? It’s from me and Ericka!” Ophelia asked. It was the next day and you two were just chatting on FaceTime. You were sorting out your closet out of sheer boredom. You figured if you were going to stay here for three weeks, the least you could do was sort your clothes out. 

You stared at the neatly wrapped box that Ophelia and Ericka dropped off earlier this morning. “I haven’t opened it yet.” You said as you showed them the box. “I wanna open it till Christmas.” 

“Oh my god, just open it. Christmas doesn’t exist this year, babe.” Ophelia waved their hand, encouraging you to open it. 

“Fine,” You gave in. You opened the box and saw a very lush and well-made lingerie set. “Ophelia, what the fuck” You gasped. You held out the lingerie in front of the camera. 

“Y/N, I definitely outdid myself this time.” Ophelia sighed happily, staring at the screen. “Try it on!”

“Ollie, this is gorgeous but when am I ever going to use this?” You asked holding it out on your body and looking at the mirror. 

“Uh—you’re stuck at home with your failed but also potential hookup,” Ollie suggested, wiggling their eyebrows. “Who knows what might happen?”  

You rolled your eyes at them. “Bold of you assume that something might happen.”

“Something won’t happen if you don’t try that one,” Ophelia said. “C’mon, I wanna see.” 

You shook your head and went out of frame in order to strip off your clothes. You tried on the lingerie—it’s a black lace teddy with a very exposing back. IT fit you perfectly—it accentuated your figure and definitely showed off your boobs. You weren’t really fond of showing off your body but you still tried your best to show it to your friend. 

“What do you think?” You asked, stepping back to the frame. 

“You look gorgeous, babe!” Ophelia squealed. “I knew I made the right choice with black.” 

“I still don’t know where I should wear this though—” You were stopped mid-sentence when your door swung open. 

“I know what we’re doing this—Oh shit. I’m so sorry,” Tom stood there, frozen, his eyes widened and immediately shut the door. 

You couldn’t even say anything. You were frozen in shock.

“Was that Tom?” Ophelia asked from the call, briefly forgetting that you were talking to them through FaceTime. 

You nodded slowly, unable to talk.

“What did he think?” Ophelia asked excitedly. 

You snapped out of this haze. “Ollie,” you groaned. “I think he was mentally scarred. 

“What do you mean scarred? You look great!” Ophelia said, appalled. “If he doesn’t think you look banging in that lingerie then it’s his loss.” 

“I gotta go, I need to change.” You said, bidding Ophelia goodbye. “Thanks for the gift, Ollie. Tell Ericka thanks too.” 

You ended the call and changed into comfier clothes. You couldn’t help but wonder how on earth you’re going to face Tom now that he’s seen you practically naked. Well, it’s not like that’s a new sight. He did see you with your bra on when you were making out in the bathroom that one time. But still! 

Are you actually going to spend your Christmas in your room?

It was the next day and there are only two more days till Christmas. You spent the entirety of last night in your room after the incident between you and Tom. 

You were about to make yourself some coffee when you found Tom in the kitchen, making tea for himself. You stood there frozen, wondering if you were going to proceed to the kitchen or just run back to your room since Tom hasn’t noticed you—

“Oh—good morning, Y/N.” So close. 

You smiled at Tom and said, “Good morning, Tom.” 

You grabbed a coffee pod and waited for the Keurig to make your coffee. You leaned back against the counter and fiddled with your phone—all in the hopes that things move quickly and for this awkward tension to be over. 

Honestly, why were you so worked up about it? People have seen you in a bikini before and that’s no different from lingerie. If anything, lingerie is itchier and has lace. You should be able to feel confident in your own body and you shouldn’t have to mind what other people think of it. It’s yours alone and it’s your opinion that should matter—

“I’m terribly sorry about last night, Y/N.” Tom apologized, sincerity was written all over his face. “I should’ve knocked and I just got so bloody excited about what we can do over Christmas—but that’s no excuse for what I’ve done. What I did was incredibly intrusive and you deserve a proper apology.”

“Tom, I—”

“I wanted to apologize last night—over dinner—but you didn’t come down to eat, so I figured you didn’t want to talk. “ He rambled on. 

“Tom—” 

“But even then I should’ve asked you to come down and eat dinner because that’s what any decent human would do! And yet I didn’t. God—I’m just doing one wrong thing after another—” 

“Tom, listen to me.” 

“Hm?” He finally snapped out and looked at you in the eyes. 

“It’s okay. It was an honest mistake and you sincerely apologized, and for me, that’s enough.” You smiled softly at him. “So—what’s this thing you planned over Christmas?” 

“I was thinking we could do both our family traditions over the next two days. My family and I usually do a roast dinner and open our Christmas stockings on Christmas Eve. Then on the 25th, we can watch movies all day just like you do with your family.” Tom grinned, clearly satisfied with his plan. “What do you think?”

“I think it’s a great idea,” You smiled “However, I don’t think we have any ingredients for a roast dinner and we don’t really have Christmas stockings. Well—I don’t have any Christmas stockings and stocking stuffers.” 

“That’s true,” Tom mumbled “But I have to do the food shopping anyway. We’re running low on food and I couldn't really book one of those online delivery things that most groceries now offer.” 

You nodded. “Okay, so I guess I have to get the house sorted then.” 

When you two first arrived in this AirBnB a few days ago, it had already been decorated for Christmas. It had a massive tree in the living room decorated with stunning and intricately-themed ornaments. Christmas garlands were wrapped around the stair-bannisters and foliages were placed by the fireplace and the tables. 

All you really had to do was clean the place—do a bit of vacuuming and get things nice and neat for Christmas. It didn’t take you too long to do it too. It had only been a couple of minutes since Tom left to do the food shopping and you prayed to the gods that he doesn’t get too much attention whilst out. 

You figured you might as well do some last-minute shopping while Tom was out, so you can grab gifts for him as well. After all, this whole thing was orchestrated by Tom and you don’t even have anything to give him for his stockings. 

You arrived at your AirBnB a tad later than Tom. He was in the kitchen putting things away when he saw you walk through the door. 

“Ah, I was wondering whether I spooked you with my plan,” Tom commented, making you chuckle and roll your eyes. 

“Trust me, I would’ve made it very obvious if you did.” You replied, earning a laugh from Tom. “I went out to do my last-minute shopping. Granted, it’s not ideal since we’re still living through a pandemic, but there’s not actually that many people where I went to considering it’s the Christmas rush.” 

You made sure to hide the stuff you bought using the handmade tote bags that a friend gave you for your birthday. No retail bags, no clue. “How did you survive the groceries? I bet it’s busy out there.” 

“Yeah, it was.” Tom chuckled, scratching the back of his head. “Remind me to never do that again for Christmas.” 

“Sure,” You said, “That is if I spend another Christmas with you.” You said jokingly, hoping that Tom didn’t find that rude. 

“You’ll never know,” Tom shrugged. “What if you liked our Christmas this year and you’d be begging to spend Christmas with me and my family in London,” Tom smirked, playing along. 

“Yeah, right.” You scoffed playfully, crossing your arms. “If anyone’s begging, it’s going to be you.”

Tom stepped closer, “Wanna bet?” He whispered, a teasing look in his eyes. “Whoever has the most fun during our respective holiday traditions would have to spend the holidays with them next year.” 

“Oh, you’re on, Holland.” You took a step closer. “We will both film our holidays for the entire two days and then we’ll ask Ophelia, Alex, and Will to vote whoever looks like they had the most fun.”

“Okay,” Tom nodded “But no editing! We’ll give them raw footage so there are no chances of tampering.” 

You laughed but you agreed anyway. “Of course, we’ll give them hours of footage. The least we could do is make them sit through hours of content after they ditched us all alone on the holidays.” 

Tom gave a broad smile. “Let the festivities begin.” 

It was the 24th of December—Christmas Eve. You spent the entirety of last night wrapping Tom’s presents for later. Not that you despise Christmas, but it’s been a while since you were actually excited to celebrate it. It was pretty clear that the magic of Christmas dies once you grow up. 

Today was different; you were looking forward to whatever Tom has installed for tonight. 

You went downstairs to make some breakfast only to be greeted by Tom blasting Christmas music and preparing some ingredients for breakfast in the kitchen. 

“Good morning, Y/N, happy Christmas Eve,” Tom greeted with a huge grin. “Say, hi to the camera.” 

“Oh, we’re starting this early, huh?” You asked, putting your hair into a loose ponytail. 

“Why of course, we have to make the best out of this,” Tom said, holding the camera to your face. “I made you coffee.” Tom handed you a cup of coffee. 

“Are you using my love for coffee as an advantage?” You tried to hide your smile while drinking your coffee. 

“Obviously not,” Tom feigned his innocence. “I obviously did not know you were obsessed with coffee—it’s not like I don’t see you on set without one.” He mumbled in which you definitely heard, giving him a smack on the head. ��Ow! I’m kidding.” He laughed.

You rolled your eyes at him. “So, what’s for breakfast?” 

“We’re going to make french crèpes,” Tom replied and propped the camera on the kitchen island, facing the two of you. 

“Do you know how to make french crèpes?” You asked, washing your hands. 

Tom blinked, almost trying to decide whether he wants to be honest or impressive. “Do you know how to make french crèpes?” He returned the question. 

“Oh honey, my mom resents me in the kitchen.” You replied, taking a sip from your coffee. “But you know, I manage.” You murmured.

“That’s giving me a lot of hope, darling, thank you.” He said half-heartedly. 

“Shut up,” You nudged him playfully, rolling your eyes. “Tom, honestly, most of the footage is just us bantering for 20 minutes.” 

“To be fair, that’s part of the fun.” Tom smiled. “Okay, I think you just mix all of these in a bowl. Start with the dry ingredients first.” He said, looking at the recipe on his phone.

“Okay, that shouldn’t be too hard,” You commented pouring the ingredients into the bowl. As you started all of the ingredients together, you noticed small lumps forming in the batter. “Tom, did you sift the dry ingredients by chance?” 

“You were supposed to sift it?” He asked, completely clueless. 

You nodded slowly. Panic was now clearly painted on his face. “I’m sure we’ll be fine.” You tried to reassure him. 

It was not fine. The first time you two tried to pour the batter in the pan, you burnt the entire thing. It’s not even the cute, lightly burnt crepe. It was activating the smoke alarm-burnt crepe. 

The next one was pancake-like. The next one after that had pocket flours on the crepes because you two didn’t sift your dry ingredients beforehand. You ran out of the batter when you two finally got the consistency right—you managed to get one proper crepe from the entire batter. 

“I feel like Sam would probably curse me out as soon as he finds out I fucked up a simple crepe,” Tom said, delicately filling the crepe with creme and berries. “My brother’s done so well in culinary school.” He cut a piece with his fork and brought it to your mouth.

“Well, you can’t have everything.” You said taking a bite out of the crepe. “This is better than the last one.” 

Tom nodded, taking a bite of it himself. “It’s not as tasty as Sam’s but I’ll take it.” 

“Now, I’m curious as to what your brother’s cooking tastes like.” You commented taking another bite from the crepe. 

“I guess I’ll just take you home to London to find out,” Tom teased with an annoying grin. 

“As long as I’m being fed, I’m fine with it.” You remarked. What in god’s name are you are you two playing?!

The day rolled by very quickly. It was already evening when you finished wrapping the presents for your friends. You plan on dropping it off tomorrow before you persuade Tom to glue yourselves on the couch for the entire day. 

You grabbed all of Tom’s gifts—Christmas stocking included— when you went downstairs, only to be greeted by someone yelling at Tom through his phone. 

“I did everything right, Sam. I don’t know why you’re yelling.” Tom yelled back at his phone. His back was turned against you as he was putting away the pots and pans that he used. 

You quietly walked up behind him and said calmly, “Why are you yelling?” 

Tom probably jumped six feet away from you, making you laugh. You always forget that he gets scared easily. “Holy shit, don’t scare me like that, Y/N.” Tom breathed out, putting a hand over his chest. 

“I’m sorry,” You said whilst laughing. “I promise I won’t do it again.” Tom rolled his eyes, murmuring something about you being insincere about it. 

“Please do it again!” You heard, whom you assume is Sam, say from the background. You looked at Tom’s phone that’s propped on the island and saw his brothers on FaceTime. 

You beamed at them. “Any recommendations?” You asked, hearing Tom groan behind you. 

“Well, he hates—” 

“This is the last thing I want in 2020, for my brothers and Y/N to conspire against me,” Tom said loudly on purpose, drowning his brothers' voices.

“Tom, don’t be rude. Let your brothers finish—” Tom put his hand against your mouth. 

“I’ll call you guys later,” Tom said “Wave goodbye, Y/N.” He used his free hand to grab your hand and forced a wave towards his brothers. The call soon came to an end and you could only roll your eyes at Tom. You seem to do that a lot around him. You also do a lot of that when you try to hide your feelings towards a person you like but that’s beside the point. 

“So are we going to have dinner first or are we going to do presents first?” You asked fixing your Christmas sweater, a gift from your parents since you and your family usually wear matching sweaters for Christmas. “Or are you the type to wait until Christmas Day to open presents?” 

“We can do the Christmas stockings after dinner tonight, then do the presents tomorrow, if you’d like,” Tom answered with his arms crossed. 

You shrugged, telling him it doesn’t matter since you don’t really go all out on Christmas. Your family on the other hand—the house is always full of people, especially since most of your extended family are usually around during the holidays. You had this ongoing game you made for yourself whether or not you’ll be able to greet everyone with the number of people in the house. 

You could only guess how quiet your family’s Christmas is going to be. You definitely needed to call your parents later. 

“Is the sweater that itchy, Y/N?” You heard Tom ask, breaking away from your thoughts. 

“Huh?” You asked, confused. You didn’t even notice that you’ve been scratching yourself subconsciously. 

“You’ve been scratching yourself since I saw you.” Tom said, chuckling. “It’s a cute sweater on you.” 

You smirked. “That reminds me—I got something for you, Tom.” Tom raised his brow as you grabbed the bag you stashed behind the tree. “Actually my parents got this for you. A little thank you gift apparently for having the tolerance to stay with me over the holidays—as if you had a choice.” You mumbled the last part. 

Tom curiously opened the bag and there revealed a matching sweater such as yours. This year’s sweater was green and had red tinsel all over it, probably the reason why you’re itchy. The real kicker is that—

“No way,” Tom gasped “It lights up?!” He asked laughing. It lights up. 

“Yeah, I don’t recommend turning that on. I did it earlier and I’m pretty sure I was about to combust—it’s a real fire hazard.” You replied, enjoying the genuine joy that Tom is showing on his face. 

“Oh but we have to turn the lights on when we take pictures,” He commented as he put on the sweater. “Thanks, Y/N.” He said softly, surprising you with a hug. 

It’s the first real physical contact that you two had ever since that night when you made out and you were pretty adamant that people were just making up this notion of having butterflies in their stomach—they weren’t. 

Tom’s roast dinner went surprisingly well. You kept teasing him that it’s Sam that you had to thank because you knew that Tom wouldn’t last in the kitchen without his brother’s instructions. Tom pouted the whole time. You eventually had to tell him 

“It was sweet.” You told him as you helped him clear out the plates. 

Tom was confused. 

“I don’t think I’ve known someone that went through hell and back just to make a great effort Christmas dinner —even if it means getting yelled at by your brother.” You said, smiling softly at him. “I mean it’s just us two, really. We don’t even have to do this.”

“Think that’s the reason why I wanted to do it,” Tom replied. Now you’re confused. “It’s because it’s the two of us—that’s why I wanted to do it.” 

As soon as you heard those words come out of Tom’s lips, you tried your best to stay calm. To say that you weren’t overwhelmed with emotions would be a huge lie. For someone who couldn’t hold their tongue, you were speechless. Tom’s giving you a run for your money and you weren’t exactly thrilled about it. 

After dinner, you and Tom opened your stocking presents. The presents were pretty tame at the start—you both got each other socks, which was hilarious but greatly appreciated. You love socks, especially comfy and cushiony ones. You came to learn that Tom does too, which prompted you two to wear the socks immediately. 

You got him candy canes, he got you chocolates. You also snuck in those small, in-flight alcohol bottles in there too—which he ended up loving. He got you those 10-pack skincare face masks, in which you let out a huge gasp, making him laugh. 

“Oh, we have to use this at some point!” You exclaimed happily “Like, we need to have a spa night—where we just watch movies, doing face masks, eating takeouts. Oh, that’s the dream!” You sighed happily. 

“We still have two weeks left till we go back to work, I'm sure we can find the time to do that,” Tom said with a permanent smile on his face, watching you with pure joy made him feel like he accomplished something big. 

You got him one of those Instax polaroid cameras—true, it was a bit too much for a stocking stuffer especially since the box definitely stood out against the stocking, but you figured he’ll like it. 

“Darling, this is too much but I’m thankful,” Tom commented as he took out the camera from the box. “I can’t wait to use this and keep memories using it—why don’t we start right now?! Let’s take a photo of us and our matching sweaters!”  

Tom took a lot of photos of you two, in the end. A couple of overexposed photos, one with the matching sweaters, one with your faces pressed against each other, one with your faces way too close to the camera, and one where he gave you a kiss on your cheek (he asked if that’s okay, of course, you said yes. it’s not like he hasn’t kissed you before— still no conversations about that, by the way). It was a good thing you got him at least 3 boxes of those 20 pack films in his stockings as well. 

The real kicker was Tom’s “small” stocking present for you. He got you this dainty, gold necklace with a crescent moon charm. You were pretty sure it was expensive because of the teal box it came with. 

“Stop,” You gasped “Tom, now this—this is too much.” You stressed out. “I can’t have this. Nope, you have to return this.”

Tom shrugged as if it was nothing. “You deserve it. Darling, you deserve something nice after this shitty year.” 

“Tom, I’m serious. This is too much.” 

“I’m serious too, Y/N. Keep it, please. I’d be offended if you don’t.”

After the roller coaster of emotions due to the stocking presents, you gave your parents a call to wish them a merry Christmas. They insisted to do a video call because they wanted to see Tom in the family sweater—which your mom wouldn’t stop gushing about. 

“I think your mum loves me,” Tom whispered closely in your ear. He didn't have to try too hard. With the laptop propped up on top of the coffee table, you two were sitting close together on the living room floor—knees touching, maximum close skin contact. CDC would never approve. 

“Yeah, I think it’s the accent,” You mumbled jokingly. 

Tom moved his head to take a good look at you, smiling. You could feel his eyes burning your skin. Why does he have to look at you like that? Why does he have to be this close?

The initial video call with your parents turned into a whole family reunion when you found out they set up a group call with your extended family. Imagine the dread and fear in your eyes when you heard your one aunt ask, 

“Finally, Y/N, is that your boyfriend?” 

Your eyes widened as you stuttered to say your defence, making Tom chuckle. You frowned at him and nudged him saying, “Don’t laugh, tell them no or I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“No, unfortunately, I’m not,” Tom replied, laughing. “However, I do believe we make a cute couple, don’t we?” He teased, earning an earnest yes from your mom. 

You could only wish for the floor to swallow you whole. 

As the clocks rolled to twelve, it was officially Christmas. You and Tom figured you might as well start opening gifts again because Christmas Day is going to be a drag for the two of you. 

“Okay, start with this.” You said as you handed him a gift bag. You didn’t give him a lot of gifts for the actual Christmas Day because you went all out on the stuffers. 

“Pyjamas?” He asked with a grin. You made a signal for him to give you a minute. You ran to your room and changed into pyjamas. 

“Not just pyjamas, Tom, but matching pyjamas!” You exclaimed, laughing. “I saw it and figured we should do this for my day.”

“Sick!” Tom laughed. Tom got into his pair of pyjamas as well and of course, he didn’t forget to pull out his new polaroid camera to take a photo of you two. “Shit, I forgot to film our entire Christmas Eve.” He said as he saw the camera that was still sitting on the kitchen island from earlier that morning. 

You shrugged. “I’m pretty sure you’ll win either way. Just that content from the breakfast crepes was enough to secure your place.” You said jokingly.

“All I’m hearing is that you’re going to spend Christmas with me in London next year.” Tom sang teasingly. 

“Yeah, maybe bringing you to our big Christmas holidays is a bad idea.” You wondered out loud. 

“I like your family,” Tom commented with a smile “and I think they will love having me there for the holidays.” 

“That would be a nightmare.” You mumbled to yourself. 

The rest of the night dragged on. You and Tom finished the rest of your gifts—you got him a watch, he got you a vinyl player. You two managed to watch the first Harry Potter film before you called it a night. 

You were about to head into your room when you heard Tom say, “Mistletoe.”

“Hm?” You hummed, confused. He placed a finger under your chin and gently tilted your head. There you saw a mistletoe hanging by one of the light fixtures. 

“How did that even—” 

“Can I kiss you?” Tom asked, cupping the sides of your face. 

“Hm?” Tom was definitely giving you a run for your money. How can a girl with a speech turn speechless?

“Can I kiss you?” He asked more softly. All you could do was nod. For if you even dare to open your mouth, all of this would cease to exist.  

His lips gently touched yours and then soon moulded into one. It was soft, sweet—familiar. His lips were something you never thought about—at least not a lot but you craved it. You crave his lips, his touch, him. You were riding a new high and you thanked every single god that you were sober to remember this—because this, this is something you want to cherish. 

“You told me you’re tired of being alone,” Tom whispered against your lips. “You don’t have to be anymore. Not when you have me, not ever.”

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