#also not to be all roads lead back to harry but i DO think the pandemic kinda fucked him over concert wise

[ipoddymouth]

its kinda crazy to me that sabrina isn't bigger than she is she has all the makings of a main pop girl + a taylor swift cosign but for some reason she just won't stick to the gp yet?

i think its just an oversaturated market right now tbh. it seems like some studios are focusin more on tiktok trending sounds instead of like....training their artists to be good performers gjraligjjhi bc the pandemic killed the concert biz for a hot sec and they still needed a way to make money.

lucky for us tho sabrina IS actually v talented and once they move on from making her sing every possible variant of nonsense for tiktok backgrounds her label will give her more shit to do

[merrybloomwrites]

I Hear Them Calling (Chapter 1)

Story Summary: Alpha Harry Styles and omega Y/N Y/L/N meet under less than ideal circumstances. Overtime their paths will cross and they will be drawn to one another in ways they never expected.

Chapter Summary: Y/N attends her first Harry Styles concert and catches the unwanted attention of a knothead alpha. Luckily Harry and his team are able get to you in time, leading to some confusing thoughts about the popstar.

Previous Chapters: Prologue

CW: Attempted assault (nothing too graphic but it is there)

Word Count: 4.7k

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“What do you mean you can’t go?” You ask incredulously. Going to the concert wasn’t even your idea. It was your friend Rachel’s and now she’s ditching you.

There’s a pause on the other end of the call before Rachel says, “It’s my dog. Well, my family dog that we’ve had since I was in middle school. She’s not doing well, and they think she only has a couple days left so now I have to drive back to Delaware to see her and say goodbye.”

“Oh my god, Rach, I’m so sorry!” And now you feel like a jerk for being mad at her canceling.

“Thanks. We knew it was coming but I hoped we had a few more weeks. Uhm, anyway, I need to finish packing and get on the road.”

“Of course, yea, safe trip home,” you quickly reply.

“You better take some videos of the concert and send them to me. Especially if he does something different for night one at MSG!”  

“Rachel, I’m not gonna have any idea if he’s doing stuff different from his last shows, as I have no idea what his shows are like. But I promise to send you a couple videos, okay?”

“Still can’t believe you haven’t watched any videos from tour. What rock do you live under again?” You laugh at her teasing, mostly cause it’s true. The fact that you’ve made it this far without knowing much about Harry Styles surprises even you. “Have fun for both of us tonight,” Rachel says.

“I will, give your dog a belly rub from me. Love you!”

“Love you too, bye!”

The call ends and you sit for a moment. You don’t really want to go to a concert alone, but that’s what your night now has in store. Rachel had tried calling some other people in your friend group, but they were all busy. You’d also texted your two best friends, Amelia and Violet, but it was too last minute for them to change plans and go with you.

So, alone it is.

You look at the outfit you had planned but decide against it. The leather pants and crop top ensemble isn’t exactly in your comfort zone, but Rachel chose it and wanted the two of you to match. Now that you’re on your own you switch to a pair of jean shorts with tights underneath and a flowy top, something you’re much more comfortable with. Harry’s music plays in the background while you get ready. You’d been studying the setlist to make sure you would know at least some of the songs he’ll perform. You’re happy when you find yourself singing along, showing that listening on repeat had worked.

After getting dressed you do your hair and makeup, then drive to your local train station. Living in north Jersey has its perks, and the quick train ride directly to Madison Square Garden might just be the biggest.

You get off the train and follow the trail of feathers from the boas which leads you directly to the venue. You show your ticket and are led to the entrance for the pit.

Being in the pit had also been Rachel’s idea. You’d never done that before, and you would have preferred somewhere with a seat, and honestly a better view from a higher vantage point. But you’d agreed to pit and in the weeks leading to the show you’d actually become excited to experience something new.

But now that you’re alone, you’re a bit overwhelmed. You’re one of the last people to arrive, since it’s only half an hour before the opener is set to start, so you end up hanging in the back. But even then, the large amount of people around you has you on edge.

Being a single female is hard. Guys are always hitting on women, feeling entitled to your company, not taking no for an answer. But being a single female omega is even harder. The way you see it betas have it easy, especially since they’re the majority. And alphas? Well, what do they have to worry about? They’re bigger, they’re stronger, they have their alpha voices that can command you and take away your free will if they want. Plus, they have an unmatched sense of superiority, thinking they’re so special just because of their secondary gender.

But you’re an omega. Often considered to be the weakest gender. Which is stupid. You’re the gender that gives birth, which takes way more strength than alphas could ever possess. And yet you’re still looked down upon by plenty of people in society.

So, you choose to hide your secondary gender. Only your family members plus Ameila and Violet know the truth. You don’t need anyone judging you based on one little trait.

Going out in public, especially at places as crowded as MSG always gives you anxiety. You never know if a knothead alpha is going to be there and literally sniff you out as an omega. But you trust your suppressants and soothers and, most importantly, your scent blockers, to do their jobs and hide your omega status from the strangers around you.

The pills have never failed in you in the eight years since you started taking them. You have no reason to doubt them now.

And yet, you can’t help but feel uneasy about the attention a certain man in the crowd is giving you. He is undoubtedly an alpha, one that for sure does not use scent blockers. In fact, you’re almost convinced he’s doing something to broadcast his scent, somehow make it even stronger. It’s an unpleasant odor, one that practically burns your nose, but you pretend you can’t smell it. Afterall, a beta wouldn’t be able to notice the scent.

But as much as you try to ignore the scent, going so far as to move to the entire other side of the pit, it still lingers. Because you are most definitely being followed. Seemingly casual glances at the crowd around you shows that the man has moved with you.

Going closer to the stage is the last thing you want to do, but getting deeper in the crowd might be what you need to shake off the man. The girls around you gladly welcome you and make space for you to join. A moment later the opening act starts to play, and you no longer smell the alpha. You’re relieved and get into the music for a few minutes.

Then the girls around you start to move, and you hear them say something about the bathroom. You decide to go with them since you could use a bathroom break and there will be safety in numbers. You keep your head down and casually follow, in hopes that the man won’t see you leaving the crowd.

Only once in the bathroom do you lift your head up. There’s a small line since most people are out listening to the first band. A moment later it’s your turn and you enter the stall. After using the restroom, you notice a large rip in your tights. You look at them, hoping they can be considered fashionably torn, but then you see another hole and decide to give up on them altogether.

It takes you a couple minutes to get rid of them, needing basically to fully undress from the waist down to get them off. Finally, you’re put together again, and you exit the stall, throw out the destroyed tights, and wash your hands. You notice that the group you came with is gone. In fact, the entire bathroom is now empty.

You sigh, disappointed that you’re on your own again, but you suck it up and start making your way back to the pit.

The second you walk out the bathroom door you smell it. Him. That acrid, somehow fishy, definitely revolting scent that alerts you that the alpha is nearby.

Before you even see him you hear him say, “Be quiet, and follow me.”

Shit. That’s an alpha command. You’re aware of that fact, but unable to fight it. You want to run, go back to the crowd, but you have no choice but to follow this man deeper into the back hallways. You want to scream, but every time you open your mouth, no sound comes out.

He leads you to a deserted corner, pushing you so your back is against a wall, and says, “Now stay quiet, and don’t move.”

Again, you do as he says, not only because of the command that you have to follow, but also due to the fear paralyzing you to the spot and rendering you silent.

“What a good little omega,” he says as he walks closer. He leans towards your neck, breath ghosting over your mating spot, and a loud whimper escapes you.

Realizing that you don’t need words to call for help, you begin to let out whines and whimpers as well as release distressed pheromones. Sure, you have scent blockers, but they’re not perfect and fear this strong will surely overpower them. You hope it’s enough to alert any other alphas nearby that there is an omega in danger.

You see the anger cross the man’s face, note the furious pheromones he’s releasing, but before he even reacts, your world goes dark.

***

Harry’s stylist is putting the finishing touches on his hair when there’s a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Harry says.

The door opens and he sees his band standing just outside the room.

“Blood Orange is about to start,” his drummer, Sarah, says. “You coming to watch with us?”

“Yea, of course. I’ll join you in a minute.”

As soon as he’s left alone, Harry takes some calming breaths. Night one of fifteen consecutive sold out shows at Madison Square Garden. He can’t believe how far he’s come in his career. He takes another deep breath, reminding himself that he’s worked hard for this, that he’s completely ready.

After spraying one more dose of scent blockers, he walks out of his room and goes through the hallways to find his band. They’re at the end of one hall, standing at the opening they’ll use later to walk to the stage. Harry joins them, making sure they’re all back far enough that they are still hidden from the fans.

Harry mingles with his band while they wait for the opener to start their set. But after a minute, Harry starts to get an uneasy feeling. He himself isn’t nervous or scared, so he really doesn’t understand where this sudden anxiety is coming from.

Harry looks around and sees a worried look on Sarah’s face. Aside from Harry himself, Sarah is the only other Alpha in the band. So the fact that they both have a sudden bad feeling while the betas around them seem unbothered has Harry on edge.

He begins to look for any type of potential threat. Right away he notices that the two Alpha security guards are scanning the area as well, hinting that they’ve picked up on the same thing. One of them walks away to start looking for anything that could be going wrong.

Blood Orange takes the stage, and that anxious feeling seems to go away. Harry checks with Sarah and she’s feeling better too, so they assume whatever was wrong has been taken care of.

Everyone enjoys the first few songs, and suddenly, the feeling comes back, way stronger than before. Harry’s alpha is immediately alert. He starts moving before he even realizes what he’s doing. He hears footsteps and sees Sarah and a security guard following close behind.

None of them know exactly where the trouble is, they just follow their instincts through the backstage hallways. Suddenly, the feeling of overwhelming terror hits them, and they can faintly hear whimpers coming from a distressed omega.

They start to run in the direction the sounds are coming from. Rounding a corner, they come across a scene that has their blood boiling.

There’s a female omega, seemingly unconscious, being physically held up against a wall by a male alpha.

“Let her go,” Harry growls out using his alpha voice. It’s less effective on the man than it would be on an omega, but his grip on the girl involuntarily loosens. Harry and the security guard move in to pull the alpha off, and Sarah runs forward to catch the girl.

More security guards move in and drag the alpha away to be questioned.

Harry’s focus shifts to the omega now being held in Sarah’s lap on the floor. Adrenaline is still coursing through Harry’s body, but he feels himself relaxing faster than he thought possible. That’s when he realizes Sarah is releasing calming pheromones. He immediately works to do the same, rather than continue to broadcast the anger he’s feeling.

He knows his emotions can affect the vulnerable omega, and the last thing he wants to do is cause her most stress.

His most pressing worry is that she’s dropped. It wouldn’t be all that surprising. Omegas tend to drop during stressful situations. This can be dangerous for a number of reasons, especially if they don’t have a trusted alpha to keep them safe while they’re under.

Not only can they not protect their bodies, but a drop can also be a scary experience mentally. Omegas have described it as feeling untethered, like they’re stuck in darkness, unable to find a way out. There are good drops as well, ones you go into on purpose to give your mind rest. This is always done when there is an alpha there to hold and scent them and keep them safe and grounded throughout.

But if this is a drop, Harry knows it would be a bad one, and they’d need to gently bring her up immediately.

“Sarah?” Harry says to get the other alpha’s attention.

“Yes?” she replies, not taking her eyes off the girl.

“Do you think she’s dropped?”

“No. At least not fully. I can still catch a bit of her scent. If she went fully under it would have disappeared completely.”

There’s movement all around them, members of venue security and Harry’s team all coming and going to ensure everyone is safe. Music and loud cheers can be heard, meaning the opening act if still playing, that the show was not interrupted by what happened backstage.

Harry and Sarah are focused solely on the omega, until they hear a familiar male voice say, “There you guys are. Sarah, you scared the shit out of me running off like that.”

She looks up at her husband, Mitch, and smiles sheepishly before saying, “Sorry, I really didn’t think. We heard her distressed whines and just reacted.”

“Is she okay?” Mitch asks, crouching down to be level with the group on the floor.

“We think so,” Harry answers. “There was an alpha who had her cornered. Not sure what exactly he was planning but it was obviously nothing good. She was unconscious when we got to her. Just wish she’d wake up so we can check that she’s really unharmed.”

“Is she in a drop?” Mitch asks. Being a beta he’s not as knowledgeable about these things but he knows enough to be concerned about the girl.

“No, definitely not a full drop. But I’ve been flooding the area with calming pheromones and she’s still not waking up,” Sarah says worriedly.

“Maybe she just senses unknown alphas around her. Why don’t I try holding her and you guys move away a bit?” He senses how reluctant they are to move away from the omega, but eventually they listen to Mitch.

He settles on the ground and Sarah passes the omega to him before moving to give them space. After another minute the girl begins to stir, groggily at first before her eyes shoot open and she jumps up to move away from all the people around her. They watch cautiously, unsure what to do with the sudden change in the situation.

***

For awhile you’re stuck in the dark. This isn’t a drop, not really. You’ve only ever dropped twice but you can tell there’s a difference this time. You’re still aware of what’s going on around you, even if the details are fuzzy.

The alpha is gone. That you know for sure. The awful smell is gone, replaced by a much more pleasant one. It’s a mix of black tea and maybe the ocean? Whatever it is reminds you of early morning walks on the beach during family vacations. You relax more into this scent, and then notice that fresh laundry smell which always means someone is releasing calming pheromones.

You start to relax, the adrenaline slowly leaving your body. You can still sense multiple alphas, which keeps you a bit on edge. You try to open your eyes, but you’re still in a deep fog, probably due to the mix of intense emotions and the multiple alpha commands you’d been subjected to.

You don’t realize that someone is holding you until they shift and place you in another person’s arms. The alpha scent fades and you know the person now holding you is for sure a beta.

Finally, you manage to open your eyes. It takes a moment for you to get your bearings, but when you do, you’re overwhelmed, and honestly a bit embarrassed. Harry Styles, the Harry Styles, the world-famous popstar you’re here to see, is sitting across the hall from you, studying you closely. Next to him is a woman you recognize as his drummer.

After these discoveries, you fully realize your current position; that you’re being held in someone’s lap. One glance at the man shows it’s Harry’s guitarist. You’re no longer embarrassed. No, now you’re completely mortified. You quickly extract yourself from his hold and stand up, looking at the group, totally speechless.

They slowly stand as well, all looking at you. And not just them, but the other dozen or so people that are still in the hallway. There are so many eyes on you, watching you, and you just want to disappear.

Picking up on your unease, Harry says, “Why don’t we go somewhere less exposed, hm? You can hang in my dressing room and maybe have a medic look you over if that’s alright?”

Without thinking you begin to nod your head, just wanting to get somewhere quiet with less people. He reaches out as though to place his hand on your back and lead you but seems to think again and pulls his arm back. Instead, he walks ahead, and you follow, Mitch and Sarah coming as well.

You arrive at the room, groaning when you see more people waiting there. One’s the medic Harry mentioned, another is obviously a police officer, and the third is a man you don’t recognize.

“Harry, need to you choose your outfit and get dressed. We’ll take care of, uhm, sorry I didn’t catch your name,” says the man.

“Oh, I’m Y/N,” you say immediately, surprised at just how scratchy your voice comes out.

Sarah must pick up on it because she asks you, “Would you like a cup of tea love?”

You can’t help but smile and let out a laugh at that.

“What’s go funny?” she asks, smiling as well.

“It’s just, your scent, it definitely smells like tea. And the first thing you say to me is about tea. Sorry, I know it’s not polite to comment on someone else’s smell,” you finish, head lowering in a new wave of embarrassment.

“Don’t worry about it, I’m not offended,”

“Plus, you’re right,” Harry adds. “Swear I can’t make a cup of tea without thinking of her.”

“Aw, H, you think of me? How sweet,” she says with a joking tone.

“Real sweet,” Mitch says, then adds, “But stay away from my girl.”

You smile watching the easy interaction, happy to be distracted by their banter, sipping on the tea Sarah brings you.

That is until the man, whom you’ve learned is Harry’s manager, Jeff, reminds Harry that he’s supposed to be getting dressed, and the cop and medic walk over to you. There’s a table in one corner of the room and they lead you to it.

“Y/N, I’m Kate, I’m just going to get your vitals and check you over to make sure you’re okay, is that alright with you?”

“Yes, that’s fine,” you reply.

“And I’m Officer Michaels, is it okay if I ask you some questions about the incident tonight?"

“Of course.”

And so, as Kate does a quick exam you tell the whole story to the officer, starting with the uneasy feeling when you first noticed the man, all the way to him using his alpha voice to corner you in a back hallway.

Harry had reentered the room by this point, dressed in his show outfit and looking completely ready to get on stage. But he’s making no moves to leave the room, even though Jeff is reminding him the show is supposed to start in five minutes. Mitch and Sarah leave to finish getting ready themselves.

“Are we all set here?” You ask Kate and Officer Michaels.

“I have everything I need,” he replies. Kate adds, “Everything checks out just fine,” and they both exit the room as well.

This leaves you with just Harry and Jeff.

“Great, so I guess I should go back to the pit then?” You knew you were holding everything up and didn’t want to be more in the way than you already have been.

“Actually, Y/N, it would probably be best if you stay here for the show. Jeff, can you go grab Jada for me?”

The man nods, leaving you alone in the room with Harry. He motions to the couch, inviting you to sit and you do so. He sits on the coffee table facing you.

“I know you want to see the concert, and I know the man is gone, but I have to admit, my alpha is a bit on edge right now. To be completely honest, I don’t know if I could go out there and perform if you’re not completely safe. I would really like it if you stayed in this room and watched the concert on the TV over there. I promise to get you and your friends tickets to another show, alright?”

You’re taken aback by this, surprised by how much he seems to care about you, a random fan he’s never met before. And knowing that his alpha was triggered by what happened to the point where it’s still uneasy is a pretty big deal. That normally doesn’t happen with strangers. Sarah was no longer worried, and the alpha security guards were completely fine the second they caught the man.

So why was Harry’s alpha still calling the shots? It would make sense if you were partners, or at the very least, friends. Maybe Harry does truly care that deeply about all of his fans. That must be it. Because it certainly can’t be you in particular. There’s nothing special about you, other than being a damsel in distress and nearly derailing his show.

He must see the confusion on your face and continues, “Jada will be here in a moment, and she’ll hang out with you. Anything you need, just ask her. I won’t see you after the show, I leave right from the stage, but talk to Jada and Jeff and they’ll make sure you get home safely.”

“Okay, thank you so much for everything,” you reply.

“Of course. It’s the least I can do. Y/N, I am so very sorry something like this happened to you here. I always want this to be a fun, safe place for everyone.”

“It’s not your fault. Please, don’t feel bad. It is completely that knothead’s fault. You guys are the ones that saved me.”

He reaches forward and places his hand on top of yours, just for a second. Your hand tingles as he pulls away, like a bolt of electricity had just gone through it. You meet his eyes, and see he felt it too. You stare at each other, frozen for a moment, until there’s another knock at the door.

Harry stands quickly and introduces you to Jada as she joins you on the couch.

“Okay, I have to go before Jeff kills me. Y/N please give Jada your contact info so we can get those new tickets to you. Get some safe,” he says.

“Thank you, break a leg,” you reply and a second later he’s gone.

You talk to Jada throughout the start of the show, smiling as she lets you in on some behind the scenes info about the tour. After a few songs she asks if there’s anything she can get you.

“I actually have kind of a weird favor. I was supposed to come with a friend, but she couldn’t come at the last minute. I promised to send her videos and she’s going to be suspicious if I don’t have any. Would you be able to take a couple videos from the pit? I just don’t want to have to explain what happened. At least, not yet.”

“Of course, girl, I’ve got you. I’ll go get a couple of the next songs. Are you okay in here? There’s security outside the door so no one will be able to get in.”

“Yea, I’ll be fine,” you reply with a smile.

She walks out and you sink into the couch, grateful for a few minutes alone. Everyone has been so lovely, but it’s been a lot, and you need a minute just to breathe. You close your eyes, relaxing your body, and when you’re fully calm, you smell it.

There’s another alpha scent, but not one of a person nearby. No, it’s in the fabric of the couch. And the blanket next to you. And the shirt draped over the back of the couch.

It’s Harry’s scent. And it’s amazing. So clean, and fresh, with hints of chocolate, and the forest, and something sweet. Maybe roses, you think. Definitely a hint of floral. And once you catch the scent, it’s all you can think about, like it’s wrapped you in a warm hug. You feel better than you have in hours, the stress of the day fully washing away.

Even when Jada comes back, Harry’s smell is what you focus on the most. She notices you’re quieter than before and must assume you’re just tired from everything that has happened. She goes back out towards the end of the show to grab another video and you can’t help yourself. You turn to the side, right where the shirt is, and purposely take a deep breath. It’s almost overwhelming, your omega telling you to steal the shirt so you’ll always have the delicious scent with you.

That snaps you back to reality. You need to get your omega under control. You’re just like every other fan, thirsting for the amazing Harry Styles. Get a grip, you tell your omega. He’ll never be ours, don’t get attached.

Jada comes back, the show ends, and she leads you to a car that will bring you home. She asks for your car keys and ensures someone else will grab it from the station and drop it off at your place. She rides with you back to your home, along with a security guard.

You exchange numbers during the drive and breathe a sigh of relief when your apartment building comes into view. It’s been an exhausting day, and you can’t wait for a hot shower and your comfy bed.

You thank Jada for everything and notice them waiting for you to get safely inside before driving away.

You scorch your skin in the shower, put on your comfiest pajamas, and burrow under your covers.

You fall asleep that night not thinking of the horrible alpha, and the horrors of the day, but rather of green eyes, soft hands on yours, and the delicious scent that can only belong to Harry.

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A/N: Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed! If you have any questions, comments, concerns, (requests), please let me know!

I hope I got everyone who asked to be added to the taglist. If I didn't get you or you want to me added just leave a comment or a message!

Taglist: @akkatz @pandeebearstyles @walkingintheheartbreaksatellite@theekyliepage@numafarawayglxy @booberry019-blog @hillzrry@ssareidbby @gem1712 @acesofspadess@houseofdilfs@shaquille-0atmeal-1@kissitnhekitchen @amateurduck @poguestyleskye@n0vaj3an@snwells@drunk-teens-doing-drugs ; @fdl305 @creativelyeva @daphnesutton @selluequestrian @lovingfurypanda @stardream14 @tbsloneely @eversincehs1

[allwaswell16]

A fic rec of One Direction fics based on Taylor Swift songs as requested in this ask. If you enjoy the fics, please leave kudos and comments for the writers! You can find my other fic recs here. Happy reading!

- Louis/Harry -

🎶 would it be enough if i could never give you peace? by hemakeshimstrongx

(M, 129k, Taylor & Travis au) Harry's fresh off a break up when the media starts shoving a romance that does not exist down his throat, and the throats of everyone in the entire world. When he starts chatting with the footballer stuck in the middle of all this with him, Harry ends up experiencing something he'd never anticipated, and certainly had never felt before

🎶 The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by @kingsofeverything

(E, 109k, cheating) Louis’ life is steady and calm, moored by his marriage, and tied to his hometown, but after a chance encounter with another man, it’ll never be the same.

🎶 even if it’s just pretend (say you'll remember me) by sideofzemblanity

(E, 45k, hate to love) an enemies to lovers au based on taylor swift's wildest dreams

🎶 it always leads to you (in my hometown) by InsightfulInsomniac / @insightfulinsomniac

(E, 40k, Christmas) A holiday story of returning home — not just to a place, but also to a person. ‘tis the damn season and This Love inspired AU.

🎶 the road not taken by teenytinytomlinson / @hs3lt2

(E, 35k, Christmas) the one where Harry returns back home for the holidays after a successful debut album, leaving Louis to unwrap gifts as well as old complicated feelings. Cue: hometown holiday hookups, overbearing siblings, and a disastrous New Year’s Eve party. A 'Tis’ the Damn Season' inspired au.

🎶 it was all by design ('cause i'm a mastermind) by tempolarriefics / @tempolarriefix

(E, 21k, coworkers) the childhood friends to strangers to coworkers to enemies to lovers fic that you never knew you needed

🎶 'tis the damn season by YesIsAWorld / @louandhazaf

(E, 17k, girl direction) Harry returns to her small hometown over the holiday season and starts to think about the road not taken.

🎶 i just wanted you to know (this is me trying) by harrysboy / @calumsboy

(M, 7k, baking) the one where louis bakes to express his love, and harry can't bake for shit, but he still tries.

🎶 Castles Crumbling by babyhoneyhslt / @babyhoneyheslt

(G, 6k, omegaverse) Being an unmated Omega and a king, Harry came under a lot of scrutiny. But when he makes a deal with Scotland, his world comes crashing down.

🎶 in a different life (we would've been timeless) by liberty_barnes / @liberty-barnes

(T, 6k, historical) Five lives in which Harry and Louis met and the one where they got their happy ending.

🎶 So It Goes... by ThoseFookin_Avacados / @harrystomlinson

(T, 5k, spy au) “I’m going to kill you.” “Go right ahead, love.”

🎶 Red by @disgruntledkittenface

(E, 4k, exes) All he wants to do is lie on his couch and listen to Taylor Swift alone. But when the pain is too much to handle on his own, he calls the one person who understands how this feels.

🎶 Twenty Stitches In A Hospital Room by betty_and_i

(NR, 3k, paramedic Harry) H is a paramedic and him and L broke up a few months ago over something stupid which caused them to not talk again. Fastforward L is in a situation that causes someone needing to call the paramedics for him and H is the one to be there at the scene

🎶 Electric Touch by babyhoneyhslt / @babyhoneyheslt

(G, 3k, omegaverse) Harry had given up on love, until his friend Zayn sets him up on a blind date with Louis.

🎶 Timeless by babyhoneyhslt / @babyhoneyheslt

(G, 3k, omegaverse) After visiting an antiques shop, Harry gets transported through time, and discovers that he and Louis are Timeless.

🎶 Lights Are So Bright by QuickedWeen / @becomeawendybird

(G, 2k, famous/famous) Newly first-string quarterback Louis Tomlinson mentions enough times in interviews that he's a fan of mega-famous popstar Harry Styles that people start to notice. At least one person does...

🎶 'Tis the Damn Season by zanni_scaramouche / @zanniscaramouche

(M, 2k, exes) The door will open and he’ll smile wide and genuine at the people who raised him, his teary-eyed mother and rosey-face step-father. He won’t think about the cabin in the woods again until next December.

🎶 You are so gorgeous (it makes me so mad) by @dreaminrainbows

(M, 2k, pining) Louis is a hot bartender and Harry is pathetically in love with him

🎶 I Don’t Want You Like A Best Friend by temptationaccomplished

(M, 2k, established relationship) “I only bought those shorts so you could take them off.” He whispers.

🎶 Are We In the Clear by asphodelknox / @iamasphodelknox

(M, 1k, historical) Louis and Harry meet across a crowded court at a time when falling in love would mean their destruction. With help from a friend, they run for their freedom.

🎶 i see sparks fly whenever you smile by sbreadyn

(T, 1k, New Year's Eve) It's New Year's Eve. Louis's running late because Niall took his car. Harry only agrees to go out because of Zayn and Liam.

- Rare Pairs -

🎶 Taylor Swift Has Probably Written A Song About This Feeling by neerdowellwolf

(E, 20k, Louis/Nick Grimshaw) Nick isn't sure how he ended up fooling around with Louis Tomlinson and he's definitely not sure when he fell in love.

[greenerteacups]

The great hormonal storms in book 5 lead me to this ask: let's talk about sex. Or at least sex ed. Does Hogwarts have it (at least in LH'verse)? Is that a nurse duty or a Head of House one? Did Narcissa sit her baby boy down for The Talk, at least to impart how Miss Granger would return to her parents in the same state she left them or at least unimpregnated? Did she outsource that task to Uncle Severus? Did Ron share what his older brothers passed down? What does our favorite victorian-in-spirit know abt sex beyond "lie back and think of the bloodline" and his hormonal daydreams?

I'm l o s i n g it at the idea of Narcissa instructing Draco to leave Hermione "unimpregnated," which, I just — I think the minute she uses those things in the same sentence, Draco hits the road at the speed of Mach Christ. He's gone. He's not here. He's not in the building. Can't have the Sex Talk if you can't fucking catch me, Mom. (For the record, I can fully see Narcissa trying. She's much less prudish than Draco is — gossips about adultery with her 11-y/o son on Christmas morning, references Ye Olde Wilde Times with Lucius, cracks the occasional bawdy joke, etc. — she just doesn't often see the need to discuss it, being aware that Draco, as far as she knows, remains an un-Awakened little Victorian. The Great Granger Debacle of 1995 is likely raising her suspicions there.) That said, Draco knows what sex is; for some reason my mind gravitates to the slightly handwavey answer of "boy's dormitory." I'm picturing him in his four-poster, curtains drawn, pretending to be asleep, while Ron and Harry have a free-ranging, horrifically creative conversation about what Ron thinks sex is (courtesy of the twins). Optimistically, Neville hops in with corrections from Augusta Longbottom's sexual etiquette seminars. Either way, Draco never, ever reveals that he has heard this conversation.

Or, alternatively, he and Theo have a really intense heart-to-heart during that summer before third year, which would do a lot to explain why the two of them are so weird about each other basically for the rest of time. (Raising the question of where Theo/Pansy/Daphne learned it. At age 12, Pansy got an excruciatingly detailed Talk from her mother, who was scared to death of a teen pregnancy pitching their family into ruin; Pansy, deciding it was unfair she had to suffer this and Theo did not, inflicted said Talk on Theo, who was just relieved that he didn't have to ask Sibelius. And Daphne grew up around so many healers that she just badgered them until someone gave in and told her. She's also a stated connoisseur of trashy romance novels, so. Make of that what you will.)

I think that Hogwarts, being modeled in mores and general Vibe from old English boarding schools, probably is not the most forward-thinking with sex ed. I also do believe Severus Snape would sooner jump off a bridge, and I kind of need him for the plot, so I've got to spare him that grave and important duty. Poppy Pomfrey probably gets the question the most of any staff member, and over the years, I think she's honed her answer down to a tight 3 minute-monologue that covers all major topics.

Odds and ends in the same vein:

Hermione gets a sit-down with the Drs. Granger the summer before her thirteenth birthday, so sometime in August, 1992. It is meticulously explained and flawlessly presented, with color-coded diagrams, an index, and a syllabus. It includes a diagnostic chart for common STIs and a spreadsheet on birth control options. Dr. Granger gets excited after a tangent about ovarian cysts and runs to pull out her old copy of Grey's. Hermione spends the whole time fully miserable, wondering why parents couldn't be like, greengrocers or something. (That doesn't stop her from asking questions, obviously.)

Ron, like all Weasley men of his generation, gets a knock on his door sometime around his 14th birthday, and Arthur invites him to "go fishing." This is code for "stand by the river and try to keep a will to live while your dad explains the mechanics of sex, its importance, and the value of waiting until you feel comfortable and safe sharing that level of intimacy with a trusted partner" (sic).

Fred and George got separate talks, because Arthur wanted to emphasize that he sees them as individuals; however, Fred ran back and immediately recounted it all to George, who proceeded to feign extraordinary expertise in it the next morning, to his father's horror.

Ginny's "go fishing" equivalent is Molly taking her out for tea and delivering a well-meant but incoherent combination of abstinence-only sex ed, aggressive body positivity, and highly technical discussions of how to insert a diaphragm. Ginny, who bullied the real story out of Bill years ago, is baffled, and to this day can't say for sure what she was supposed to take away from it.

Harry spends his 14th birthday at the Burrow. Ron and his brothers make a blood pact in advance not to tell him about it, though, so when Arthur invites him out for the day on August 1st, his sole thought is: oh, nice! Can't wait for some fun fishing :)

[sitp-recs]

Between the Power Lines by @tackytigerfic (M, 3k)

For Harry Potter, all roads eventually lead to Draco Malfoy. Or: this is not an AU! It's just Harry and Draco meeting by chance in an imported food shop in Connecticut and going on a road trip together. Featuring motels, cacti, Americana, and a hefty dose of pining.

In New Orleans, they got drunk on Bourbon Street, and Malfoy danced on his own (arms bare, laughing; Harry could have watched him all night) and later on, so late it was almost morning, they let themselves into the St Louis Cemetery—Malfoy unpicking the lock so sweetly—and walked around until the sky was pink-edged with the promise of another day’s heat. Then they sat on the steps of a crypt, watched over by sightless eyes of the statue of an angel. She looked exhausted rather than sad, Harry thought, and that made a lot of sense when he thought about his own longstanding, dull-edged grief.

It’s been ages (or 2 years) since I last wrote a rec for Tacky (I usually write for other readers, except when I’m reccing friends - then I write for them) and their birthday was the perfect excuse to put my reccing muscles back to work. I almost bailed out because I know this is one of T’s own faves and “what if I don’t do it justice?” but that tired angel banner has been sitting in my drafts for 3 long years and it deserves a proper rec!

Where to even begin? Anyone who knows Tacky is aware of their superb prose - rich and nuanced, compassionate, effortlessly funny, with a strong sense of place and a soft spot for suds scenes and filthy m-rated sex I mean devastating romance. Their writing breathes heart and personality, very much like Tacky themself. So knowing that this fic came out exactly as they intended it to should be enough to make you go read this right now, but in case you need further incentive, see below all the reasons why this oneshot is so special to me:

1. The *vibes*: if you thought that 3k is nowhere near enough to build the sexiest, most intriguing Americana atmosphere you’ve seen, think again. The aesthetics are impeccable here, decorating the beautiful and strange landscape - cacti and cheap motels included - into something peaceful and desolate, an overarching melancholy making it even more compelling. The dialogue is brilliant but the silences are just as loud and meaningful, with a quiet intimacy and a dreamlike quality that make you feel as if you're intruding a memory.

2. The romance: at this point everyone and their dog know that pining!Harry is Tacky's jam - they luxuriate in making us all suffer with him until the realization that Draco has been loving him back all along slaps us in the face. Harry is so stupid and desperate and wanton, I love it. And the way Tacky reinvents this delicious trope to make it work in new angsty ways blows my mind. Imo the slow burn is particularly effective here, a feat in any 3k story, because the narrative gives us so much character insight. We learn all the little things that make these two lonely boys tick as we watch their ever-changing perception of each other evolve from a tentative truce to reluctant confidants to a comfortable, easy love that comes naturally and earned. We often get those bits of information from imagery and emotions alone, no dialogue needed, and a road trip is the best way to explore those dynamics in a smooth, unhurried pace.

3. The journey: this is truly an immersive journey, not only physical as we keep jumping from one destination to the next, but also emotional, as we learn more about their vulnerabilities and desires the more they gravitate towards each other. This story shows that being far away from home can be both freeing and grounding, when you’re stuck with your hot enemy someone who knows about your darkest hour. It gives you the chance to heal and visualize a different future without forgetting your past or letting go of that which has shaped who you are. I love their chance encounter and how this poignant 30k love story is told in such impressive economy of words.

TL;DR: if you’re a short form fan and prone to melancholy like me believe me when I say it doesn’t get any better than this. The whole road trip shebang mixing grief, romance and nostalgia wrapped in Tacky’s lush writing is a gift to any reader and an elegant work of art. Enjoy!!!

[hlficlibrary]

HL Fic Library 😎🤓 Popular Louis/Nerd Harry Fics

Remember to leave kudos and a comment on the fics you enjoyed to show your appreciation! You can find the library's other recs here.

😎 This Offer Stands Forever  by Tomlinsontoes / @pianolouis {M, 78k}

Harry is who high school kids would define as a nerd, he loved going to class and studying, he was just good at school work and saw nothing wrong with liking it. He signs up to tutor students at the middle school down the road where he ends up helping Lottie Tomlinson, younger sister to the ever popular and gorgeous Louis Tomlinson who is also a senior and in a few classes of Harry's. Harry might have a crush on him and not so sure how to act around Louis but hopes he can get close to the other boy and learn everything about him.

🤓 Want You More Than A by TheCellarDoor / @donotdialnine {M, 77k}

Falling in love with your step-brother’s best friend is a disaster enough. When he happens to be the boy everyone loves and you’re a nerd who wears sweater vests and cries during rom-coms, it takes it to a whole new level.

😎 I hear you calling in the dead of night by Thelonelycoast {M, 72k}

No one really notices Marcel Styles. In fact, Marcel’s so invisible that if his teachers don’t call on him in lessons - and they rarely do - Marcel can go whole days without speaking to anyone other than his mum, his sister, Gemma, his cat, Dusty and the school librarian, Alma. And if he just so happens to have a tiny, miniscule crush on the footie captain, Louis Tomlinson, well, that’s no one’s business but his own. Until Louis notices him back...

🤓 Webs of lies by Hazzaslittle28 {E, 35k}

"Truth or Dare?" The question was delivered with a nasty smirk from Drake's side,

"Who do you think I am? Of course Dare." Louis scoffs before leaning back and adjusting his skirt,

"Very well than. Your dare is to play Styles for two months until the dance." Louis frowns at the odd dare,

"Why would you- you know what? Okay I accept it. Louis Tomlinson never looses a dare." He smirks sultrily before plucking the cigarette from Drake's mouth and taking a drag out of it.

"Let's see then."

Or The au in which The popular is given a dare to date the nerd, hearts will be broken, words will loose their meaning and tears would be shed.

😎 The Library Universe (series) by @allwaswell16 {E, 33k}

Harry Styles has a great life. He’s a children’s librarian at the New York Public Library, he’s got wonderful friends, and he loves cooking, green tea, yoga, and his collection of bow ties. He doesn’t mind that his life seems a little structured, maybe even a little boring. But when Louis Tomlinson joins the library staff as the new Installation Coordinator, things become a lot less predictable. Louis gets under his skin right from the start, bossing Harry around, making noise during story time, and eating the last cupcake in the staff lounge. Louis may be almost offensively attractive, but Harry will not be succumbing to Louis Tomlinson’s charms, even if the rest of the library staff have.

🤓 Supposed to Be by kikikryslee / @flamboyantommo {M, 26k}

“I’m making a movie for a film competition, and I want you to be in it,” Harry told Louis. “I think you would be a great leading actor in it.” “Why?” “Because it’s you. I mean, who wouldn’t want to know all about the amazing Louis Tomlinson? It would be a great movie.” “You don’t have some weird crush or, like, secret obsession with me, do you?” Louis asked. Harry bit his tongue so he didn’t say “Ew, I have standards.” He didn’t think that would go over well. Of course, that was assuming Louis understood what that meant.

Or, the Geek Charming AU where Harry's a film geek, Louis' a popular jock, and they both need each other to get what they want.

😎 He Was a Different League (When I Was Nothing Much) by @afangirlfantasy {NR, 21k}

Sick of being alone, Marcel is forced (by Niall) to join an online dating app. The idea is well and all, except for the inconvenient fact that he hasn’t moved on from his childhood sweetheart - Louis. If only Marcel could learn to let go, he might actually be able to love again.

Or, an AU where finding that 'someone new' actually leads to finding that 'someone old,' and Marcel is painfully oblivious.

🤓 taken by lust’s strange inhumanity by CuckooTrooke / @larrydoinglaundry {E, 20k}

One of the reasons Harry said 'yes' in the first place was because he believed Louis Tomlinson, the campus’ most notorious “bad boy”, would be here.

And much to Harry's triumph and dismay, Louis is here but the last time Harry got a glimpse of him, he had a pretty omega wrapped around him, clinging onto the flaps of his leather jacket while nosing his scent glands.

Maybe that’s just the story of Harry's life; always infatuated with the wrong people.

OR The one with all the jealous snarling, awkward first kisses and one unforgettable night.

😎 Won't Keep You My (Dirty Little) Secret by @lovelykits {E, 16k}

“I got asked out today,” Louis comments. “Okay,” Harry shifts. “Did you hear me? I said I got asked out.” "You always get asked out.” “Yeah well this time they didn’t believe I had a boyfriend!”

Or Louis and Harry have been together since the end of last year and somehow no one knows about it.

🤓 Kings by dolce_piccante / @haydolce {T, 13k}

Marcel receives an invitation to his ten year high school reunion, which brings up some painful memories of his youth. His lifelong best friend and roommate, Louis, is as supportive and kind as ever, but Marcel still has hesitations. Louis was Prom King. Marcel...was not.

Will Marcel make the reunion a night to remember with his former classmate, Zayn, who is newly wealthy, handsome, and reveals his childhood crush on Marcel? Or will Louis finally realize what everyone else has known all along?

😎 blinded me with sweater vests by veterization {T, 13k}

Marcel really is the geekiest person Louis has ever seen with that gelled hair and that horrendous sweater vest, so it sucks that Louis really, really wants to get to know him.

🤓 A Real Work of Art by @lululawrence {NR, 11k}

“I don’t understand,” Liam said for probably the fiftieth time in ten minutes. “You have to explain again how this is a bad thing.”

“Leeeeyummm,” Harry whined into the phone as he leaned his head onto his desk. “I felt like this year was my year for getting his attention, you know? That senior year I would finally get Logan Thompson to realize I exist! But he’s in almost every single one of my classes, Li. How am I supposed to survive that?”

“Easily,” Liam answered, with the same matter of fact tone his voice always took when Harry was in one of his fits. “He doesn’t know you exist, so it shouldn’t be a problem. Right?”

Or the one where Harry calls on an old friend, the super popular Louis Tomlinson, to help him change his look to capture the heart of Logan. Things only mostly go as planned.

😎 your heart is glowing (and i'm crashing into you) by orphan_account {T, 11k}

If this were a fairytale, maybe even a Young Adult novel or a chick flick, this would be the moment where Louis would stare right into his soul and whisper, “You. It’s you, Harry,” before pulling him in for a kiss right there and then in the middle of the sidewalk. They’d confess their never-ending love for each other then hold hands for the rest of the walk home, and then they’d go to uni together and become the ultimate power couple of their campus. They’d start a family together a few years after they graduate, find a large house somewhere nice and preferably warm, get two pet dogs and five cats, and then adopt enough children to start a football team. If only men could get pregnant as well, Harry thinks wistfully. He’d love to carry Louis’ babies given the chance.

But. This isn’t a fairytale, nor is it a movie based off the latest YA bestseller. This is real life.

(harry is in love with love, volunteers to hand out valentine gifts for a week, and somehow becomes the football captain's secret admirer.)

🤓 I could give you what you deserve. by larryaresoulmates {E, 8k}

Louis is popular, Harry is his super nerdy tutor. Louis is the only one who's actually nice to Harry despite his nerdiness. Harry has a giant crush on Louis, but Louis has a boyfriend, who bullies Harry behind Louis' back.

😎 Convalescent Boy (with a Heart of Gold) by LadyLondonderry / @londonfoginacup {T, 7k}

Just as the professor beginning to mess with his powerpoint, the door at the back of the balcony creaks open and Marcel looks back to notice Louis Tomlinson, The Louis Tomlinson, slip in and take a seat in the very back.

Marcel is starting to feel like his life is a comedy. Only yesterday was Louis Tomlinson on his floor at the library. Now he’s in his seminar. What is happening?

“Hey Mars,” Nick says, not particularly quietly as he leans over. “Isn’t that your crush?”

Marcel smacks him.

Or, the one where Marcel is a nerd who loves to learn but loves to go to theatre productions even more, and may or may not have a long time crush on the lead in most of the plays, Louis Tomlinson. The same Louis Tomlinson who seems to be appearing wherever Marcel is. Funny, that.

🤓 Seems You Cannot Be Replaced by QuickedWeen / @becomeawendybird {M, 5k}

Harry and the popular boy in school, Louis Tomlinson, share a tension-filled night together when they're young. Fifteen years later they see each other again.

😎 it's kinda hot in here by ballsdeepinjesus {E, 3k}

“Is that a moth on your stomach?”

or nerdy harry is hiding some stuff under his dorky clothes and louis fucks him in a locker room

🤓 Lucky by @friendofhayley {E, 4k}

When Harry had moved from London to New Jersey he had been prepared for bad spray tans and Regina George. He hadn't been prepared to meet the best thing to ever happen to him.

If only he hadn't worn an ugly brown vest covered in cat pee when he met him.

😎 No Matter What They Say by ivorydreams {M, 3k}

It's not that Harry and Louis are hiding the fact that they're in a relationship. It's not them being ashamed of each other.

People just never noticed.

Or the one where no one knows Harry Styles, the 'nerd', and Louis Tomlinson, 'mr. popular football captain', are in a romantic relationship.

🤓 ❤ For Effort by @fallinglikethis {G, 2k}

When Harry Styles lets his team down during gym class, resulting everyone having to run laps, he expects the worst. But the backlash never comes.

Harry's crush, Louis Tomlinson, may or may not have something to do with that.

[britswriting]

First Ultrasound | Quadruple The Love H.S

A/N: Just so we are clear, I'm not purposefully picking white girls to play the role! I'm just picking cute photos! - Also, there are more quadruplet images of Caucasian babies smh lol, but I will use POC photos as well! It's Y/N series, not an x person series so the skin color will more than likely not stay consistent!

QTL masterlist Read on Wattpad

Full masterlist

"Babe, I can see you sweating from here" Harry chuckled, walking towards me from the car.

Harry dropped me off at the automatic doors, the awkward wait and stares at my belly making me uncomfortable as he parked the car.

“Shut up! It’s fucking hot, Harry” I groaned, Harry intertwining our hands the welcomed AC

Checking in for something other than a pap smear and a stomach virus felt weird. 

I turned to look up at Harry as he filled out one of the forms, passing the front desk woman our insurance car, a grin on my face as it started to set in why we were here.

I was here for a baby. My baby. We were pregnant. I'm getting a checkup and an ultrasound.

Harry kept his hand in mine as we walked the halls, reaching the OBYN waiting room, quite a few pregnant people and there partners were sat. A few girls were on their own, and one girl had another girl sat next to her, both of them looking over a baby must haves magazine.

"Let's sit over here" Harry murmured quietly, dragging me towards a back cornered area of the waiting room next to a kids activity table.

"Aw!" I cooed, "Look how small" I pointed at the little kid chairs and coloring books.

I felt the waterworks start, Harry chuckling as he snatched a coloring book off the table along with a box of crayons.

"What are you doing?" I asked, pulling myself back together, sitting down next to him.

"Coloring" he replied like it was obvious.

"It's a kids coloring book"

"So"

"Oh my god" I laughed, Harry flipping through the book, landing on a page of a cat with a mermaid tail

Harry colored the page, ignoring my teasing comments, passing me a crayon to join him before my name was called, the nurse grinning as Harry set the coloring book and crayons back on the table.

"If you can just step on the scale real quick. Would you like to know your weight or not?" She asked, respecting that I opted out, marking down the numbers before leading us to one of the rooms.

I thought getting STD tested was scary, but answering nurses questions for your file when you're pregnant is way scarier.

What if my numbers are too high? or low? What I have some weird blood type that is going to corrupt this child? What if I already had a bad weight gain? What if I'm already on the road to some sort of high risk pregnancy like diabetes or preeclampsia?

"Y/N? You have to uncross your legs and relax babe" Harry noted, the blood pressure cuff getting strapped around my bicep.

I sighed, nodding as I tried to relax, hating feeling the cuff tighten around my arm.

Did it have to hurt so much?

When the nurse confirmed that I was pregnant, my heart dropped to my stomach, the feeling of needing to throw up causing my throat to tighten.

There was a huge smile on Harry's face as the nurse continued to explain the next steps, but all I could think about was;

I'm pregnant.

I have a baby inside of me.

I'm in charge of another human. This humans life is in my hands. In my womb.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Harry rushed, pushing himself out of the chair and to my aid, "breathe. in, out" Harry coax, catching the nurses attention.

I did some deep breathing, getting myself to calm down, Harry's hand squeezing my own when he mouthed "Are you okay?" to which I nodded, only for the nurse to ask me if this was an unwanted baby.

"It's in your chart that you've been trying?" She asked, sounding confused.

"We have" Harry confirmed, the nurse looking over at me, confused.

"I just.. I'm pregnant" I spoke softly, Harry's brow furrowing. "I'm excited... but I'm.. I'm terrified. It's all on my shoulders to keep this baby safe. I'm just.."

"Y/N, breathe" Harry inhaled, then exhaled, having me follow him.

"I'm sorry" my voice cracked, my eyes stinging as tears threatened to rush down my cheeks.

I'm already a horrible mother.

I can't even act excited in front of the nurse.

"It's natural to be nervous" the nurse eased, my slight nod and Harry's soothing knuckle motion hopefully being enough to calm my nervous system. "You can be over the moon and terrified all at the same time. It's perfectly normal" He continued.

"I know.. I just.." I chewed my lower lip, "What if something happens? I mean, it's a miracle I'm pregnant to begin with and now.. and now that it's actually happened how do I make sure I don't mess it up?"

"Mrs. Styles, we're going to do our best and make sure you and your baby are healthy. Sometimes things happen, and it's never the mother's fault-"

"But it's my bodies fault" I interrupted, not daring to look at Harry.

"Sometimes things happen-"

"Because of my body. I can't have a baby" I interrupted again.

"And you're pregnant" the nurse's head nodded, my lips pursing.

"But I shouldn't be"

"It's not that you shouldn't be. No doctor told you it's suggested that you shouldn't be. You were told it was be hard to be; but not impossible, and look, now you're pregnant! We're going to keep watch, do our best to protect you and your baby and hopefully things go to plan. You can't worry too much though Mrs. Styles. The elevated blood pressure can risk you getting quite a handful of pregnancy complications" He warned and that alone was sending me into a mental hurricane.

When it came time for the ultrasound, Harry was giddy beyond belief.

I was as well, but I knew I'd be more excited once I was told that everything looked okay.

That me, and baby were okay.

Worse case scenario, I'm somehow miscarrying. Somewhat worst case is the pregnancy tests were false and my biggest fear that was forming a pit in my stomach was that I was pregnant, but I had some sort of detached egg and placenta thing, creating a high risk and or termination of pregnancy.

What if this was my one chance, and it didn't happen properly and I have to terminate it?

I don't think I'll survive that.

Harry called "Come in" when a knock sounded on the door, a youngish looking woman greeting us with a chart in her hand.

I laid back, the gel getting spread on my stomach, Harry taking a photo which made me laugh.

"Your fans would lose their minds if they knew you took selfies" I teased, the ultrasound technician smiling as turned on the machine.

"What they don't know won't kill them" he grinned, shoving his phone back in his pocket when I grabbed mine, returning the favor to record his reaction to seeing the baby.

"Are you guys ready?" She asked, the two of us nodding, our attention now on the tiny black and white static screen.

"Here's baby" She pointed, the little flick of a bean catching our immediate attention, "and... here's heartbeat" She pushed in on a button, the woosh sounding making our ears perk and our grins widen.

"What do you think, baby?" I asked, turning to look at Harry, seeing an overwhelming look of adoration towards the little screen, my heart melting right then and there.

I can't wait to watch him with the baby. He's going to be the best father ever.

With lack of reply, I turned back to look at the screen, wishing the baby was bigger so I could truly appreciate what was actually inside of me.

The wooshing noise stopped, my eyes snapping to look at the technician as she turned the screen towards herself.

I could feel my heart thump against my chest as I glanced over towards Harry who seemed worried, but was appearing to try very hard not to let it show.

"Everything okay?" I carefully asked, the technician humming.

"Baby's fine" she replied, "Um" she turned the screen back to us, "Do you guys see this?" She asked, pointing at the little bean, both of us nodding, "And do you see this?" She flipped screens, showing another bean. Harry's head tilting as I nodded slowly, also confused.

"That's the same, right?" I asked, the tech staying quiet.

"Do you see this one?" She asked, now my heart was really beating out of my chest.

What was happening?

Was this some kind of sick joke?

"You see here, each one has their own sack.." she pointed at three didn't placenta sacks.

"Yeah.."

"I uh, you're having triplets" She announced, my body stilling as Harry's eyes widened slightly, lips parted out of shock. "Here's baby A... baby B... baby C" She noted, the little letters showing up on the screen before she took a picture.

"There's three? Three babies?" Harry asked, the tech nodding as she went back to the video screen, moving around to show each one.

"Three's three"

"How- what?" I stumbled, leaning up on my elbows to try and get a closer look.

There is no way in hell there are three babies inside my fucking womb right now.

"There's just three, right?" Harry asked, my eyes widening at the possibly of more.

I'm going to be fucking huge.

"I'm not a golden retriever, Harry! I can't have a litter" I panicked.

I wasn't even supposed to have one baby, and now I'm having three?!

THREE?!!!!!!!

"I can only see three" She confirmed. "There could be one or two hidden behind one of the other ones-"

"MORE?!" I freaked.

"But that's rare" She finished, my eyes practically popping out of my head as I started to laugh.

"You're joking right? That's just like.. some prank you do on new parents? Ha ha.. jokes funny. It's just one, right?" I freaked, Harry's hand finding mine, the tech shaking her head.

"I'm not pulling your leg. It's triplets at least" She said, my body falling back on the exam bed.

Triplets.

Fucking triplets.

How the fuck am I gonna carry triplets?!

BIRTH TRIPLETS?!

No.

No I can't.

I can't birth triplets.

"Do I have to birth them all? Induvially?!" I worried aloud.

"It's extremely rare due to complications. You have a extremely if not guaranteed confirmation of a c-section"

"I can't have a VBAC next time right? if there is a next time? if I want a next time.." I rushed out, the idea of not having the dream vaginal birth was making my heart feel crushed.

I knew I shouldn't have hopes and dreams, especially since this wasn't supposed to happen period.. but I can't help it.

If it was one baby, or maybe even two... I could've possibly had a vaginal delivery, right? Like that could've been a possibility?

"Let's cross that road when we get there" She chuckled and I sighed, my eyes falling shut.

I could hear the tone of Harry's voice, the vibration it caused in my ears, but I couldn't make out the actual words as tears begun to roll down my cheeks.

I'm having triplets.

Three babies.

Three babies are growing inside of me.

T h r e e b a b a i e s a r e g r o w i n g i n s i d e o f m e

I have to raise three children at once. Of the same age. Forever.

Oh my god.

"Babe, I can see the smoke coming out of your ears from here" he snickered, "Quit thinking so hard"

I rolled my eyes, my hands coming up to cover my eyes.

"You're positive it's three?" I asked again, the tech confirming for what was probably the fourth or fifth time since I blacked out whatever Harry said.

I left the appointment with my brain spiraling and a few pregnancy pamphlets in hand, Harry already googling the recommended websites.

"Wait, it says that multiples rarely go to full term, meaning... we have like........ way less time than normal" he finished, making me laugh at his lack of words.

"Aren't you scared?" I asked, turning to face him as he scrolled through his phone.

"Scared? Sure. The excitement overshadows it though"

"How does the excitement overshadow the fear?" I genuinelly asked, baffled by how his emotions were a complete 180 to my own.

"Because we went from day and night worrying about not having any kids, to having three, Y/N. I mean, that's insane! A whirlwind if you will, but it's exciting! We're having three babies!"

I stayed quiet, Harry rambling the entire drive home about how we have so many more names to pick out now, and asking me if we were having one nursery, or a gendered nursery or even giving them each their own nursery.

Saying I was overwhelmed was an understatment.

♡ liked by: annetwist, yourbff, harrystyles and 15,859 others ynstyles: Throwback to our first ultrasound! @harrystyles and I love our little family so much already 🙈❤️

annetwist: Christmas is gonna be even more special this year ❤️🎄 ↪ harryfan1: @/annetwist OMG DOES THAT MEAN IT'LL BE HERE BY CHRISTMAS?!

yourbff: My new bff, sorry YN lol ↪ ynstyles: @/yourbff Gunna have to fight @/harrystyles lol

yourbff: @/harrystyles Can you fight though?! 👊🏽 ↪ harrystyles: @/yourbff for my family? Definitely ↪ yourbff: @/harrystyles BET ↪ harrystyles: @/yourbff BET ↪ yourbff: BET X2 ↪ harryfan2: @/yourbff @/harrystyles screaming crying throwing up

harrystyles: This was the best day ever ❤️ ↪ harryfan3: @/harrystyles WHERES THE H YOU IMPOSTER ↪ ynstyles: @/harrystyles yeah, where's the H ↪ harrystyles: @/ynstyles H

An: It's still four! They just don't know that yet!! - just to clarify lol

[ladykailitha]

All My Roads Lead Back to You Part 9

Hello! Here we have Edie pumping Robin for info like she always planned. Eddie makes an effort and Edie is a little shitTM (affectionate) about it. Also Eddie would totally use text speak. Steve? Not so much (like me!).

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

***

Edie didn’t have a chance to sit down and talk to Aunt Robin about Dad and Eddie until the night before she left with Viv. Viv was upstairs packing and Dad was in his office talking to someone in Wales.

“I’m not asking to break the NDA or whatever,” Edie began, “but you have to have some insight about how they were before Mr Munson got a record deal. Because I’m sorry, I highly doubt he would have asked Dad to come with him California if he didn’t have some indication Dad would have gone with him.”

Robin sighed. “I think that if the record deal had been after school started, I think you dad would have gone with them.”

Edie shifted on the sofa. “What do you mean?”

“Look we both know your dad is the biggest protector on the planet, yeah?” Robin asked. Edie nodded. “After the earthquake it amplified. By a lot. We had these ridiculously large walkie-talkies and Steve would constantly be checking in on people, making sure they were safe.”

“Makes sense,” Edie agreed. “Remember how he was after broke my arm after falling off my bike when I was eight?”

Robin nodded again. “Now imagine that turned up to eleven.” She snickered briefly and Edie raised an eyebrow. Robin cleared her throat. “Sorry, that’s an NDA joke I can’t explain.”

Edie threw her arms in the air.

“Anywho...” Robin said. “All I’m saying is that if Eddie had wanted to ride off into the sunset with Steve, September or October would have been better. Dustin, Jane, Lucas, Max, Will, Mike, and Erica would have started their sophomore year. Uncles Jonathan and Argyle and me and Aunt Nancy all would have been at college. Your dad would have felt at a loose end and gone with him.”

“What makes you say that?” Edie asked with a frown.

Robin took a deep breath and let out a shuddering sigh. “Because that’s when your grandparents came back and started throwing pretty girls at him.”

“Oh.” Just hearing about her grandparents sank like a stone in her stomach.

“I’m assuming you at least know about the witch hunt that Eddie went through?” Robin asked.

Edie nodded. “Enough, I guess. Dad won’t let me look it up and Harri doesn’t talk about it much either. So I guess it was pretty bad.”

“Oh yeah,” Robin agreed. “The whole town got together a lynch mob.”

Edie’s jaw dropped as she recoiled on her self. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

Robin shook her head and pulled her knee up to her chest. “Even months later, he had a hard time walking down the street without someone giving him dirty looks.”

Edie sank back against the cushions of the couch. “Fuck. So when he got the record deal he was in hurry to get the hell out Dodge.”

“Yeah,” Robin said. “And look, I’ve been assuming that Eddie said something more than ‘run away with me’ because Steve was gutted when he left, but your dad says no.”

Edie shrugged. “No more gutted than when you went to college, I’ll bet. He doesn’t have a lot of friends his age, and Uncle Dusty and them are all four to five years younger and while that doesn’t matter now that they’re older...”

Robin sighed. “Yeah. Losing us all once must have been so hard on your dad. So yeah.”

Edie nodded. “I just worry about him, you know?”

Robin pulled her in for a hug. “Me too, Miss Thing, me too.”

*

Steve stood in the hallway listening to his daughter and best friend talk about him. He knew he should have walked away, but he was too curious. He smiled because they earnestly cared about him.

Robin was also right. He probably would have run off with the band had the offer came later in the year. But it was too soon. He couldn’t leave so soon after Vecna. The kids needed him. And yeah maybe he should have said that instead of being an ass.

He slunk back to his office and sat down at his desk with a sigh. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t have Eddie’s number. He couldn’t explain or apologize for the hurt he caused.

Suddenly he was getting a text message from an unknown number. He picked his phone with a frown.

-Hey this is Eddie I got ur # from Dustin hope thats ok

Steve scrambled to save the number in his phone. His phone had the slide out keyboard because his fingers were too clumsy with the little buttons on the number pad. He typed out a quick message.

-Eddie! No its great to hear from you

-You want to grab lunch tomorrow?

Steve stared at the message for a couple minutes in shock.

-Yes!

He hit his head on his desk. He sounded too eager damn it.

-I mean, sure. Sounds great.

He threw his head back and groaned. That actually sounded worse.

-lol CU tmrrw @ 1 Tonys

Steve blinked. Tony’s? That old pizza joint was still around? Holy shit.

-Yeah. See you then.

Steve looked up at the ceiling in wonder. He had a hard time believing in a god when his life had been one horror after another for five years in a row. But he was willing to start up again if Eddie came back into his life as permanent fixture.

Hell he’d take passing acquaintances at this point. He just needed to see Eddie again.

*

Steve pulled up into the parking lot of Tony’s Pizzeria, feeling a little shocked. Robin and he used to come here all the time whenever she would be visiting from college. He didn’t know that Eddie was familiar with it, too.

He got out his car and looked around the parking lot, trying to figure out which one was Eddie’s, if any. He spotted the most likely culprit. Sitting three spots away from Steve’s Beemer, was a sleek black 1970 Pontiac Firebird. He chuckled, shaking his head as he walked into the restaurant.

Steve winced at the music. It was a little loud. He reached up and turned down his hearing aid in a little in hopes of avoiding a migraine.

Eddie waved from a nearby table and Steve pointed him out to the hostess. She smiled and let him past to go sit with Eddie.

“Stevie!” Eddie cried out. “You made it, man!”

Steve’s knot of anxiety loosened and he flashed a smile. He could be normal about this too. He slid into the seat across from the former metalhead.

“Hey!” he greeted warmly. “I haven’t been to this place in ever. Does it still have the best pepperoni pizza?”

Eddie’s face lit up with the biggest grin. “Yes! I already ordered, is that okay?”

Steve nodded. “Sounds great.”

The pizza came shortly afterwards and they dug in.

Steve was halfway through his first slice when he realized Eddie had said something.

“Shit,” he swore. “Sorry I didn’t hear that.”

Eddie cocked his head to the side and signed, “The music too loud?”

Steve nodded with a sigh of relief. He had forgotten that Eddie had signed to him that first night in Steve’s bathroom. So he set his pizza down and signed back. “Yeah. I turned down my hearing aid and forgot about conversation in the face of good food.”

Eddie laughed and Steve smiled back. “Fair enough,” he signed.

Signing was bit hard with finger food like pizza, but they made due. Steve learned that Eddie had recently retired from the music industry and came back to Indiana to be closer to Uncle Wayne.

Eddie learned that despite all of Steve’s concussions he was a hot shot in the business world but donated most of his money to charities for hard of hearing deaf kids and to concussion awareness in school sports.

“I got lucky,” Steve signed. “I had a genius teenager willing to create a better a hearing aid and that we could capitalize on it. But most people don’t have that.”

Eddie smiled softly. He tapped his ear. “That the reason you never made it out to any of my shows?”

Steve nodded with a wry twist of his lips. “Was going to go to the one in Evansville, but Robin wanted me to get my hearing checked first.”

Eddie winced. That was early in their tour, like their third or fourth stop. “Shit I didn’t know.”

Steve shrugged. “I didn’t want you to. I was so sure you’d be upset that I couldn’t go. That I just...didn’t.”

Eddie slumped in his seat because Steve was right. Eddie would have been upset, maybe even tried to pressure into Steve coming anyway. Which would driven a wedge between them just as effectively as Steve staying away did.

“I get that.”

They finished their food and Eddie paid. They walked outside and Steve turned back up his hearing aid.

“This was fun,” Steve said brightly. “Though maybe next time let’s go somewhere where the music isn’t so loud.”

Eddie scoffed but smiled softly. “There going to be a next time?”

Steve ducked his head and looked at him through his eyelashes. “I’d like there to be.”

“Same time next week,” Eddie said with a grin. “You pick the place.”

Steve’s face lit up and he grinned back. “You’ve got a deal.”

“See you on Wednesday,” Eddie said with a wave.

“Wednesday?” Steve asked cocking his head, puzzled.

Eddie laughed. “I’ll be picking Harri up from band practice, right?”

Steve’s face cleared and he chuckled. “Yeah, man. See you on Wednesday.”

*

Edie came home from school to the weirdest sight imaginable. Her dad was singing “Prisoner of Your Eyes” by Judas Priest in the kitchen as he made the pasta for lasagna.

“I didn’t know you had even the barest passing familiarity with metal,” she said tossing her backpack against the end of the island counter and slid into one of the bar stools.

Steve laughed, bright and sweet. “Despite what people thought in school, I liked all kinds of music. Yes, I tended toward alt and hard rock for the most part, but I liked all kinds.”

Edie eyed him warily. “Uh-huh.”

Steve just laughed again.

“Someone’s in a good mood,” she said when he handed her a sandwich.

He blushed. “It’s been a good day.”

“You going to tell me what happened to make it such a good day?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Steve chewed on his lip and blushed a deeper.

Her other eyebrow shot up, too, a smile growing on her face.

“Shut up,” he groused.

Edie laughed. “I didn’t say anything!”

“I could hear you thinking from here,” he said, turning back to toss his freshly made noodles into the pot of boiling water.

“You went on a date!” she shrieked.

“I did no such thing,” he growled. “I just went to lunch with a friend.”

Edie waggled her eyebrows. “And this ‘friend’, he wouldn’t happen to have long, beautiful hair in dark waves around his face with deep, dimpled cheeks, and soulful chocolate button eyes, would he?”

“No!” Steve yelped. “And what the hell is up with that description anyway?”

Edie just cackled gleefully.

***

Part 10 Part 11  Part 12  Part 13 Part 14  Part 15  Part 16 Part 17  Part 18  Epilogue

Tag List:

@spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @artiststarme @swimmingbirdrunningrock @gregre369 @pyrohonk​ @trashpocket @goodolefashionedloverboi @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach @messrs-weasley @val-from-lawrence @plyerice27 @mightbeasleep @thedragonsaunt @chaoticlovingdreamer @trashpocket @sapphirecobalt-1 @a-little-unsteddie @i-must-potato @danili666  @carlyv @rozzieroos @wonderland-girl143-blog @itsall-taken @steddie-as-they-go @lillemilly @callas-shitshow @bisexualdisastersworld @renaissan-vvitch @immortal-iratze @bookbinderbitch @thylatrek @lilacrobin @nightmareglitter @nerdsconquerall

[neaverse]

i am here asking for your favorite fics (i can tell you have good taste<3) 🫶

hi bella!!! thank you for the ask<33

okay so i read a lot. When i say a lot i mean a lot. The amount of fanfiction i’ve consumed in the last three years is probably unhealthy, but what can i say really? I don’t have much going on in my life🤷🏼‍♀️

so going into this, i contemplated how i should categorise my favourites. Current favs? Fav fics per ship? In the end, i decided to simply compile a list of fics that i still think about weeks and months (if not years) after i first read them. Fics that punched me in the gut, fics that made me question my whole existence. I could probably go on forever with this list but i’ve narrowed it down to 10 to make the job a little bit easier for both me and you hahaha!

In no particular order:

The World Is A Violent Sky by anonymous

Harry Potter wants to die; Draco Malfoy wants to live — a story of life and death, everything in between and beyond — in the form of scatters of love and hurt like freckles of stars forming into constellations.

Crimson Rivers by bizarrestars

Regulus Black was fifteen the first time his name was called at a reaping. He's twenty-five when it happens to him again. A lot has changed in that time, and one of them is that he's ready to do whatever it takes to make it home. Nothing or no one will stop him, not even James Potter. James Potter has no plans to stop Regulus Black from making it home. In fact, his plans revolve around the opposite. He has his reasons, but he's made his choice to get Regulus out of the arena, even knowing it'll be the last thing he ever does. Sirius Black was sixteen when he volunteered to take his little brother's place in the arena. At twenty-six, without the option to do it again, he has no choice but to be a mentor to his brother and best friend, knowing that only one of them can make it back out. Two names called, a mentor on the verge of falling apart, and more secrets and grief between all of them than they know how to handle. None of them are prepared for what comes next, or how far they'll go to make it through.

Harry Potter and the Welcome to the World of Grey by @sobsicles

When Harry fails to keep his anger at bay and Voldemort possesses his mind, the events that follow lead him down a long road to realizing the world isn't as black and white as it seems. Chaos, hilarity, and tragedy ensue with a Dark Lord being honest all the time, a rival becoming something else, and a world demanding to be saved. Featuring frightened Death Eaters, deep conversations with a monster, Pureblood traditions being ridiculous, and the fight to do the right thing with no true options. Harry's life just gets more and more bizarre with each passing moment.

Art Heist, Baby! by @otrtbs

When James Potter answers a mysterious ad in his local coffee shop, the last thing he expects is to be thrown into a world of white collar crime, but how can he resist when the mastermind behind the operation has dark hair and brooding eyes and promises wealth beyond James' wildest imagination? He would do anything for that boy named after a star, including stealing millions of dollars of fine art.

Orion in the Sky by space_wingding

Draco Malfoy owns a bookshop in the Lake District. He’s also cursed. Enter: Harry Potter.

Berlin Angel by @de-sire-blog

Berlin is absolutely miserable in February. Or it’s just Sirius. Alternatively: A story of how Remus Lupin stepped into Sirius’ life, flashed his trademark grin, and reminded him that life is a beautiful thing meant to be enjoyed. No risk, no fun!

Stop All the Clocks (This Is the Last Time I’m Leaving Without You) by firethesound

Living with Draco was difficult; living without him is unbearable. But if there’s one thing Harry learned from the war, it’s that even when one life ends, the rest of the world goes right on living.

Dear Reader by @calamitoustide

never take advice from someone who's falling apart Regulus has been quite obsessed with this anonymous advice blogger Helios and becomes concerned when they begin to post cryptically to an unspecified “Reader” At the same time, he’s starting Uni and has to deal with his brother being back in his life and a certain boy he won’t leave him alone.

Starvin’ darlin’ by @showinalittlelife

The man suddenly drops the knife, he sighs like all his dreams have been crushed. “Oh, dear, I can’t eat you! You’re rotting! What a shame, thought I’d found a looker too,” he whines miserably. The thoughts in Evan’s mind are racing too fast for him to make any sense of them. He has so many questions—too many questions that are probably better left off unanswered, but before he can think properly, he opens his mouth and speaks. “You think I’m a looker?” or: Barty is a cannibal, Evan is dying and they go on a little road trip!

Running on Air by eleventy7

Draco Malfoy has been missing for three years. Harry is assigned the cold case and finds himself slowly falling in love with the memories he collects.

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

My guess has always been that Eugenie was Camilla Tominey's impeccable source. There were whispers that Harry was dating someone seriously. And then Eugenie confirmed to C.T that it's Meghan, that they had been hanging out in Canada and going on double dates etc. The info seemed air tight and it "seemed" like it was coming from Meghan's sources because of the Soho connection and because E and M's social circle intertwined a bit.

Then Camilla Tominey confirmed this with one of her palace sources, maybe someone in KP or Harry's staff. This was an unnamed source. Since she got a confirmation from Harry's team, albeit unofficially, it seemed like a go ahead to officially out the relationship.

Then someone from Soho circle Toronto confirmed it cheekily, making it seem that Meghan herself was also one of the sources. I think this bit was absolutely true, Meghan did want the relationship to be out, and did unofficially confirm it through someone. She knew that the news would be out soon. And this is why Camilla Tominey has always maintained that the couple knew and wanted this out. The paper did go to KP for a final confirmation and final comment. This is protocol. So KP also knew this would come out.

And I do believe, Meghan's social circle orchestrated the outing of this relationship somehow. Meghan's PR plan was ready to go the moment the news came out. It coincided with her rwitmans commercial and then her charity visit to India later on.

PS: her visit to India also coincided with the opening of Soho House Mumbai. It had just opened a few months back and I'm guessing that's where she stayed, and that she also met Marcus there. She made it sound like she stayed with the good friend PC who showed her around the city. That's not true. She did hangout at Soho, there were grainy pictures at the time by Indian paps. She wore skinny, torn blue jeans and a shiny black top with spaghetti straps. Then there was one with a black sleeveless maxi dress. But those mysteriously disappeared a couple of days later by the time she got back from India.

Could be. Eugenie doesn't strike me as being Camilla T.'s source, though. I always felt that Camilla's source was someone in either BP or KP. But it's very plausible

Meghan has been hanging around Soho House since she was with Trevor and still friends with Ninaki. There are old photographs of them hanging out at the LA Soho House pre-Suits.

I'm not sure if "and that she also met Marcus there" you mean Meghan met Markus for the first time at Soho House Mumbai or Meghan hung out with Markus while she was in India for "charity." If you mean the latter, then absolutely - if Markus was there for the party, he would've hooked Meghan up for anything she wanted. If you mean the former, then that's not the case; Meghan and Markus were hanging out at Toronto Soho House long before she went to India.

All roads lead to Soho House when it comes to Meghan.

[deans-baby-momma]

Law & Love Chapter 18

After his daughter leaves, Beau sits back in his chair and runs a hand over his mouth.

Truth be told, he often ponders if getting back together for Emily's sake was beneficial to the teenager or not?

Yes, he loves Carla and the life he has here but all he can think of is the woman who had been sneaking her way into his heart during his time as Sheriff.

Beau would be lying if he said Y/N hadn't crossed his mind at least twice a day since he'd moved back to Texas.

He could hear a song and think of her, see the sun shining and remember how it illuminated her Y/H/C hair. She was sometimes on his mind more than Carla. 

And for that, he felt terrible! He wanted things to work out with his ex-wife, he really did, but he also was slowly realizing he was no longer in love with the woman who warms his bed now.

Yes, Beau grew up in a 2-parent family who loved one another and never seemed to have a bad word to say about the other, but times had changed.

For one, Beau's Momma didn't work outside the home. Her career was taking care of the chores in the home, raising Beau and his brother and being a confidante for his father. And she did it with a smile on her face and love in her heart.

And Carla is the complete opposite. She works outside the home, sometimes long hours and most weekends. There are not many home-cooked meals to be had at the Arlen house, unless Beau himself grills something for he and his daughter; Carla's portion is always wrapped and stored in the refrigerator to be eaten later.

The more he thinks about it, the more he is certain that he is not happy with the way his life is going and as much as he hates to admit it, his ex-wife needs to stay that way; as an ex.

He sits up in his chair and turns to his computer, opening a document and begins typing up his resignation. 

After Geri drops the bomb that she'd recently fucked Cordi, he acts as if the news was just small talk, but I seem unable to get past it.

The bartender's words played on repeat in my head all through dinner. 'This is whose name slipped out when we slept together the other night?'

Even as Cordi reaches out his hand, asking to dance, I can't help but glance toward Geri to see if she's watching; to see if she is planning on laying claim to the tall Ranger.

But, Geri seems unbothered by our presence as she continues to pour liquor and pull beers for other patrons. 

As soon as we are in his truck heading back to the Walker ranch, I bring it up.

"So, how many women are you fucking?"

"What?" Cordi asks, never taking his eyes off the windshield. "What do you mean?"

"Well apparently, you get physical with Geri often. So, I want to know, his many other pussies are you banging? Because I'm pretty monogamous. There's only been you since before I moved West."

"Really?" Cordi questions as he looks over at me. "That's what has your panties all twisted? I've not been down here pining away for you; that I fucked a woman I've known for years?!"

“You act like it’s no big deal,” I explain, trying to control my disdain. “I just don’t see sex like that. I don’t go around fucking every Tom, Dick or Harry when I get the urge. It is an intimate act to me. I take pride in the fact that other than you, I’ve only been with 2 other men.”

“Like I’m going to believe that,” Cordell chuckles.

“What’s so funny about that?” I ask, letting my rage take over. 

“Nothing, I guess. But,” Cordi pauses as he turns off the main road onto the dirt lane leading to the ranch. “You and I see sex totally differently. Sex is just that, sex. It’s a means to an end. I don’t have to love the person I’m fucking. Yea, I wanna make her feel good but I want her to make me feel good too.”

As we pull up to the front of his parents’ home, Cordell shuts the engine off and we both sit still, neither of us moving to get out. This night was turning out completely opposite of what I had assumed.

After a beat, Cordell shakes his head and opens his door, stepping out of the vehicle. Before closing the door, though, he speaks. “I really thought you knew this was a casual thing for us. I didn’t mean to lead you on.”

I sit in the cab of the truck long after he shuts the door and walks toward the barn with my phone in my hand as I navigate the airport website to book a 1 way ticket back to Helena; back to loneliness and missing Beau.

“Shit!” My little mini-vacation didn't turn out like I expected. 

I step out of the truck and look around for the man who lives here but am instead met with dark silence. 

Seeing as he is nowhere to be found, I begin walking down the gravelly lane toward the main road. It'll be easier for the cab to pick me up.

As the asphalt comes into view, my phone dings alerting me to a message. I pull it out of my pocket and open it to see something I'd never, ever expected.

Beau: Hey Y/N. It's Beau. Looks like I'm going to be coming back to Helena. Could we meet up and talk about some things?

Instead of texting back, I hit the call button and put the device to my ear, hearing it connect and begin ringing. 

"Y/N?" Beau answers with my name rather than a normal "Hello".

"It's me."

"How you been, sweetheart?"

'I've had better days….and some worse ones too. So, what is taking you back to Montana?"

"Wait, what do you mean taking me back?! Don't you still live there? Please don't tell me you've moved back East," he pleads. 

Not realizing what I'd said until he brought it up, I laugh.  "No, no. I still live in Helena. I'm just…..not there right now."

"Oh. Good." Beau replies and I can hear the relief in his voice. "Where are you?"

I sigh, then smile. "Uh, about that. I'm actually in Texas. Austin, in fact."

@spnbaby-67 @sea040561 @delightfullykrispypeach @larajadeschmidt13 @atc74 @vicariouslythruspn @squirrelnotsam  @sandlee44 @blacktithe7 @hoboal87 @mogaruke @supraveng @akshi8278 @lyarr24 @kazsrm67 @chriszgirl92 @deanwithscissors @raisinggray @fanfic-n-tabulous @hobby27 @stoneyggirl2 @purpleeclipseeggsland @kmc1989 @deans-spinster-witch @yvonneeeeeeee @tmb510 @globetrotter28

[womanexile]

Can you go through all the haylor hints with Taylors song TVFN. I've been seeing soooooo many small links between TS and HS. ALSO do u think harry might attend one of her LA shows?

Well first thing she uses the line “so it goes”. She loves to use this line in Haylor songs.

“I drive down different roads but they all lead back to you”. This is them going round and round with each other.

“If you like causing trouble up in hotel rooms”

Changes (written by Harry) “I was falling in love in the backseat”

Polaroid picture “you took a Polaroid of us”

Harry references kitchens a lot in his songs. Two Ghosts “fridge light washes this room white” Sunflower Vol. 6 “danced in the kitchen” Daylight “you were just doing cocaine in my kitchen” Little Freak “you sit high upon the kitchen counter”

Whispering words 1D Still the One (written by Harry) “but I remember all the times and all the words we said”

I really hope we see Harry at one of the shows. There is definitely a chance we might see him.

[shitouttabuck]

wrote a line about ranking taylor swift songs by dangerous romantic lyrical anecdotes about driving and i found my own list and i’m right so i’m saying it: least to most perilous lyrics about being in a car with taylor swift

19. this is a big world, that was a small town / there in my rear-view mirror disappearing now, white horse (excellent employment of basic skills, great spatial awareness, proper driving etiquette is being followed, she knows objects in the mirror ARE closer than they appear)

18. “i rent a place on cornelia street” / i say casually in the car, cornelia street (normal, she’s not talking to the driver but she is confirming her address. always good to know where you’re dropping someone off so they can whack that into the gps)

17. remember when i pulled up and said “get in the car” / and then cancelled my plans just in case you’d call, august (pretty romantic but also admitting to being kind of a loser. it’s summer, go joyriding with your friends, babe. no one’s in harm’s way i guess, she pulls over AND announces her arrival, very thoughtful)

16. i complained the whole way there / the car ride back and up the stairs, marjorie (not a risk to anyone’s physical wellbeing, but would you really want to be stuck on a long drive while she complains the whole time. i would not)

15. you’re on your very first date and he’s got a car, fifteen (general discomfort about getting into a car with a high schooler behind the wheel idk)

14. kissing in my car again / stopped at a streetlight, betty (mostly safe, car is parked on an illuminated part of the road)

13. it’s two am in your car / windows down, you pass my street, i wish you would (a little late to be out, but we’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and hope they are making sensible vehicular choices even while doing some light stalking)

12. i want to drive away with you / i want your complications too, paper rings (acknowledging that they have some stuff going on—it’s not clear if this impacts their automobile operating capabilities)

11. i’m drunk in the back of the car / and i cried like a baby coming home from the bar, cruel summer (at first glance, this seems fine. she is in the backseat. but if i was a cab driver and had a beautiful woman weeping copiously in my backseat, i would not be giving the road in front of me 100% of my attention i promise you that)

10. the road not taken looks real good now / and it always leads to you in my hometown, ’tis the damn season (she does not know where she is driving even if she knows where she’ll end up. googlemaps cannot help her on this journey)

9. we could follow the sparks, i’ll drive / “so where we gonna go?” i whisper in the dark / “where we gonna go?” i think he knows, i think he knows (‘sparks’ do not a good map make. she’s driving in the dark but we must assume she’s following the rules of the road. unfortunately, she’s relying on him for directions, and it is uncertain if he knows where they’re headed. we can expect navigation issues at the very least)

8. so baby, drive slow / till we run out of road // in this passenger seat / you put your eyes on me, fearless (they are PLANNING on driving till the road simply. ends. where are they. sounds dodgy. u-turns definitely involved. also, implied that the driver is looking at her while driving? eyes on the road buddy)

7. every little bump in the road i tried to swerve, breathe (sometimes avoiding the pothole is worse than the pothole……)

6. got a one-hand feel on the steering wheel / the other on my heart, our song (if you’re driving stick this is a dangerous game my friend!)

5. you come and pick me up / no headlights, style (no headlights at night???? AND presumably about one harry styles, notoriously bad driver at the best of times????? license REVOKED)

4. you almost ran the red ’cause you were looking over at me, all too well (a traffic crime was very nearly committed, we have this written confession. romantic as hell tho bro you can keep your license)

3. you were driving the getaway car / we were flying, but we’d never get far, getaway car (a crime has FOR SURE been committed. they are probably driving over the speed limit. other descriptions of her experience in this car include the words “crying” and “dying”. does not seem like a good or stable time is being had)

2. pulled the car off the road to the lookout / could’ve followed my fears all the way down, this is me trying (she fully threatens to drive off the fucking cliff what more is there to say)

1. nothing safe is worth the drive, treacherous (look. some people might be wondering why this is the most hazardous of these lyrics. but you must understand, she is getting in the car with the SINGULAR INTENTION of being unsafe, no matter what that looks like. unhinged and beautiful. i’m buckling myself into the passenger seat)

[antigonewinchester]

ooh share something about hesitation or triptych? <3

I will self-indulgently to do both <3

Hesitation but IC is inspired by a Destiel fic called, surprise surprise, Hesitation, written by apokteino, who I think was a fairly prominent fic writer back in the day? She had a series of dark Destiel fics, including Hesitation, the Bone series, the When series, and most infamously With Understanding. I find her work interesting intellectually, in her focus on exploring questions around sexual violence, relationships formed under duress, and the complexities of perpetrators & victims & their dynamics, but it feels like she maps her ideas onto SPN rather than centering canon characterizations or dynamics (at least in my read of the show/characters).

So, I decided to try my hand at a fic with the same premise but more in line with canon, particularly taking into account Cas's control/power over Dean in S4 (and which I don't feel is negated just because of Cas's sexual inexperience, altho it does add some complexity) and Dean's full experience in Hell. Part 1 is from Dean’s POV and Part 2, which I’m currently working on, is from Cas’s:

“You told me Dean wanted to have sex with me. He did, and then he didn’t.” Zachariah and he are sitting at a bar in New York, the city. It’s night, but he can’t see any stars, only the glowing of offices and apartments and advertisements against the sky. One large, flashing sign reads: Open Happiness. The moon is a cut of pure white. The humans around them talk and whisper, blissfully ignorant of the angels and the war they’re fighting to protect them. Their breath forms clouds that rise to disappear into the dark. All are dressed in what he believes are fancy clothes, long flowing red fabrics and unwrinkled suits of black, but he’s no longer sure how much he knows about humanity. Zachariah shrugs. “Humans say they want one thing, then do another, and Dean Winchester is no exception. This is why they need Heaven’s hand, Castiel.” The woman sitting to his left laughs. The man she’s talking with has taken her palm and put it up against his. Her fingernails had been carefully painted in stripes of white and black.

Triptych is sort of the opposite end of the spectrum, in that it’s my attempt at a Dean/Jack fic after looking on AO3 and finding... 2 decent fics of the whole bunch.

I started out as just wanting to do Dean/Jack during S14, but its slowly turned into Dean/Jack in the aftermath of Dean/John, probably in part 'cause I started writing it in the midst of Utena rewatch, which all about memories & cycles & incest & eternity (and then when I got to the part of S14 where Dean suggested locking himself in a coffin for eternity to save the world...) I was also struck by a post of someone discussing a common Utena interpretation that one character didn't actually want to sleep with her brother, but the poster asked if she did, would that desire negate any harm? Does wanting something "bad" mean you can't be hurt by it? If a relationship was both meaningful & hurts you, how do those elements go together?

Got a bit stalled out on this one because Holy Shit the emotional complexities here, and I want to handle it respectfully? Not be gauche? My plan is to have it all lead up to 14x20 and Thee Dean Jack Moment, re-contextualizing it within the scope of my fic, but I'm still figuring out what it all... adds up to, I suppose. (Also that I'm bad at writing character being mean, and Dean has to be mean in this fic, at least for parts of it!)

Heaven turned out to be the world’s best movie night: his favorite memories playing over and over and over again. The road trip where Sam introduced him to Harry Potter and Dean taught him how to read a paper map. He could rewind and play through his favorite five minutes as many times as he wanted. He could make everything faster or slower, which was funny for a little while, but he stopped after it got weird, like when he repeated a word too much and suddenly something would change and it wouldn’t be a real word anymore, just meaningless sounds. He could change from memory to memory in an instant, if he really wanted, but mostly he liked to let them play out before he moved onto another. And once he got to end, it was back to the beginning: a conversation trailed off or a lesson finished and then he was back at the start, to Cas’s reassuring smile, telling him about mistakes and guilt and forgiveness, or Sam’s bright concern, telling him how to take a punch, or Dean’s warm hand on his back, telling him where north was. The one thing he couldn’t do was imagine anything new. He tried, at first, in the memory of that day with Dean, how their conversation at the river could have gone—Dean’s voice low as he’d whispered, “Come here,” and then—and then—but it never worked. Guiltily he’d moved onto other memories, and at least they were too the same: if he'd ordered a hot dog, all he could eat is a hot dog; if Sam and Dean had driven past the apple orchard on a hunt, there was no turning down the short dirt road to pick fruit instead.

[disorganizedkitten]

This Is The Road To Ruin Chapter 2

Harry Potter | 2022 | 3,862 | Ao3 | Prev | Masterlist | Next

  4/11/87

 I had a nightmare last night. It was another one about the stone room and the people in masks. I wish I knew what it meant. I wish I understood how my Sight works.

 I think the dream has to do with why I’m here, in the muggle world, instead of home, but I still don’t understand it. If I hadn’t met Tansy, I think I would have assumed that my memories of home were imaginary - they fit into fiction ever so well. But Tansy is real, and she has magic, which means my childhood was too.

 I just wish I understood it. I wish I remembered what caused the change. Hopefully I will one day.

Hopefully it wasn’t as bad as the nightmares make it seem.

‘

 Clemencia is off at a placement, officially, but she came to Aletris’ today Freaking Out. It’s… a lot.

 Tansy, Hawthorne, Hana, and Clem all have magic. I’ve mentioned this before, because we’ve had to grow around it. I remember growing up around magic, so I knew that we weren’t… as isolated as it seems, I guess, but I didn’t expect this to be our way in. Back.

Clemencia got accepted to a Magical Secondary School. It’s called Hogwarts - they won’t tell us where it is, but the teacher who came to deliver her letter took her on a tour of what sounds like a magical mall. She’s going to take us there tomorrow; she chose to accept the acceptance/invite.

 I’m going to talk to Mrs. Calmiris tonight. Apparently, school starts at eleven, and I remember her asking me about letters around my eleventh birthday. The next year I got Hawthorne. She’s always been very calm about our magic; if she’s like me, or like Clem, I want to know. I know she’s not like Tansy, though.

 Speaking of Tansy-

***

Justin hadn’t meant to go school shopping during the apparent pre-school rush. He’d been hoping to beat it, actually, but his summer had taken a sort of nosedive when he got his letter. Not intentionally! It had just been… derailed. They’d had everything scheduled already, from ordering his textbooks to his uniform fitting. All under the impression that Justin would be attending Eton, come fall.

 Which was not going to happen.

 Instead, a week before his birthday, they’d had a guest over who informed him he’d have to spend the next seven years at a Magic School unless he wanted to become a human bomb.

 Which, obviously, he didn’t.

 The professor has offered to escort them while shopping, but Justin had been having a slight breakdown at the time, so his mother had gotten directions and gently shooed the professor out. Which lead to now, three months later, exploring the Wizarding World by way of Diagon Alley, in London. 

 Justin was sure it was going to be super cool, as soon as he could stop hating it for tearing apart his life. If he’d had more warning the change might not have been so jarring.

 He had hoped that coming to Diagon Alley would show him something cool, something to make it seem less horrid, but they’d entered through a dingy tavern that gave his parents headaches, had to get help entering the alley and were given condescending looks when they asked, and the they were greeted with less of an alley and more of a mosh pit. A magical mosh pit. Lovely.

  Justin knew he was being unfair, but he didn’t particularly care. He had to go to a school where he’d have none of his friends, because of something he had no control over. He was allowed to be bitter.

 Professor McGonagall had also failed to inform them that they’d be using an entirely different currency; luckily Dad had noticed while they were in the tavern and before they were actually trying to buy something.

 That would be embarrassing. So very embarrassing.

 Of course, then they had to hope that the bank, once they found it, offered exchange services. Thankfully, the bank was huge, visible when they entered the Alley (through a brick wall that vanished when it was tapped, which was actually pretty cool, Justin had always wanted a secret room in his closet) and bright white, so it was easy to find. Getting to the bank was another matter, as the alley was crowded, with an air of anticipation, as though they were all waiting for something big to happen. It, alongside the constant thrum of noise, put Justin on edge.

 They tried, rather unsuccessfully, to make their way through the masses, until they noticed the crowd shying away from a pair of young adults - who were also heading towards the bank. Justin grabbed his mom’s hand and followed them.

 The man called out once they had a direct line of sight, and got an enthusiastic wave back from someone much closer to the bank. The couple seemed to be hunting for friends or children in one of the few places that wasn’t packed beyond belief.

 It wasn’t until they reached the open space that he realized there were two yards of white marble steps, on which the rest of the couple’s group seemed to be waiting. And they were the only ones - everyone else seemed to go up and down the steps as fast as they could, or stay off them altogether, as though unwilling to infringe upon bank territory.

 The Finch-Fletchleys watched as their unknowing guides met up with a group of younger teenagers and one he couldn’t tell if was an adult or a child. The shortest one’s features changed as he watched, and Justin felt a giddy bit of awe bubble in his chest before his parents herded him the rest of the way into the bank.

  Shapeshifting!

 The only superpower Justin had wished more for as a child was invisibility. If he could learn to do that, this whole charade would be worth it.

 The creatures that ran the bank were a little scary, less so inside than the guards outside were, but his dad treated them just like he would the bankers at home, and the conversion was quick and painless, minus the part where they had to calculate everything in seventeens and twenty-nines, instead of tens and hundreds.

 Still, it was easy to move on, until they realized they had no clue where to go for anything. Maybe they should’ve tried to reschedule with Professor McGonagall, or at least asked for a map.

 So this wasn’t their best planned trip. It was fine. His mother had immigrated (illegally, not that it was common knowledge) and had to learn Britain and London from the ground up; thus they could too. At least it didn’t look like he’d have to learn a whole new language.

 “Perhaps the bookshop?” Justin’s dad offered hesitantly. Flourish and Blotts sounded like a stationery store, but the display was full of books, so that’s where they went.

 Thankfully, the bookshop seemed to be more organized and less busy. It also smelled like books, which was a welcome change from the sunlight-and-burnt-sparkplugs of the rest of the alley.

 They split up, giving Dad the list to find the required books while Mum and Justin went on the hunt for anything that looked acclimation-y. Cookbooks, history, Mum even grabbed two fiction novels, and they continued on in that manner for a little while. Justin grabbed all three of the etiquette books he found and promptly plopped down to skim them.

 He didn’t want to accidentally insult someone’s family line, or ask them to marry him, or call them names. He refused to be engaged before he was sixteen, at the earliest.

 “Muggleborn?”

 Justin jumped, looking up. There was a translucent person looking over his shoulder. “Um. Yes?”

 “Well, I’m glad to see you willing to learn. Have you tried Modesty and Magic, by Harold Sheppner yet?”

 Justin shook his head mutely. The… ghost? Astral projection? nodded. “You should, if you get a chance. It was my grandson’s final project for his History of Magic mastery, and while a lot of that’s gone out of style, knowing it can earn you points with some of them prissy purebloods.”

 “Yes, sir,” Justin said slowly, pretending he knew what half those words meant. He took note of the title, though, because it did sound useful. “Would I find that here?”

 “Yeah, sonny,” the man grinned. “It’s got a gold spine, in the S section. Want me to show you?”

 “Yes please.” Justin stood up, closing his current book around a finger. “What’s your name?”

 “Geronimo Harvester,” he said with sly grin. “Halfblood, if you were wondering.”

 Justin was not, but he’d take note of it anyway.

 Harvester turned out to be a great guide; Justin’s earlier guess was right, he was a ghost, and he’d been haunting Flourish and Blotts for around seventy years. He helped customers find their books when they weren’t being rowdy, but he was a bit of an open secret in the shop.

 “Necromancy is one of those magics people ain’t that fond of,” Harvester explained, pulling out a book on The Legality Of Tabooed Magics Throughout The 19th and 20th Centuries. “Not that I’m too much necromanced, but we ghosts ain’t supposed to be able to touch stuff. Can’t say I remember the whole reason, but people who die steeped in Dark Magicks tend to have a stronger presence if we stick around. ‘s why they don’t use the Death Penalty in the Magical World.”

 That was… slightly horrifying but good to know.

***

 Leonie had read through nearly an entire cookbook when she realized she’d lost Justin. He hadn’t wandered too far, and since the crowds outside had stayed outside, he was easy to find. Once she found him and they finalized their haul, they set out to find Caleb

 He was at the checkout desk, conveniently finishing at the same time. She leaned forward to kiss her husband and hand him their plethora of extra books.

 He hummed into it. “All done?”

 “Yeah,” she confirmed. “I do love these baskets.” They had to be enchanted somehow, with how many books she and Justin found, but once the books were inside it didn’t seem like they weighed much more than a single textbook, which, while a lot, wasn’t nearly as much as twenty should weigh. Her shoulders heartily appreciated the lack of strain.

 Caleb hummed in agreement, brushing noses, before turning to Justin. “Find anything cool?”

 “I found a book on something called blood magic, and the first three chapters look like an overview of various legal, illegal, and once-legal magics and why they’re considered such. It’s partnered with a book detailing the topic for the past two hundred years. It sounds interesting!”

 He sounded happy. Leonie smiled proudly at him, some of the guilt from this summer dissipating. She hadn’t helped him accept his fate as a wizard, griping about how many things had to change, and how she’d have to lie to her cousins, and every other thing she could, until their older son came and asked what they’d done to convince Justin he was cursed and should’ve drowned that time at Lake Windermere.

 It was a horrifying conversation.

 She’d been very careful to be as positive as she could be since, even though many of the obvious enchantments sent her head spinning and the people were rude and it had become very obvious humans were not the only human-adjacent species out there.

 That last one was not as much of a surprise, but she would admit she’d mostly blocked out those memories as a child’s overactive imagination and underdeveloped brain.

 After the bookshop they went to clothes, which was… a thing. Leonie’s fashion sense consisted of ‘is the texture okay’ and ‘does my daughter laugh at me’, so she was definitely no use there, but it looked halfway similar to their own with flowing regenmantels (robes, probably, but why fix what isn’t broke) thrown over the top, or occasionally worn alone, as she would a dress.

 They also seemed to do a lot with embroidery and ‘runic enchantments’ on the clothes themselves, something that she found thrilling. It made them shiny!

 Justin laughed at her, but it was fond and he was finally smiling, so she had no regrets.

 Of course, then they managed to get dragged down a branch off, first by stepping in as it was another of those places that most of the crowd avoided, and then further when Justin saw a shop called The Cloak and Decoy and practically dashed to it, expecting… well she wasn’t sure, but he must have thought that it sounded very cool.

 Leonie felt her heart slow and then speed up again as they ventured deeper into the branch off. It felt distinctly similar to when they had to visit gang controlled areas. Still, they weren’t attacked on their way in, just eyed like prey.

 They probably seemed like it, so obviously unsure. Except Justin, because he was eleven and finally enjoying magic and didn’t have the experience Caleb and Leonie had to smell danger.

 That was why Leonie didn’t pull him back, as much as she wanted to. 

***

 Justin pushed open the door to the cloak shop and nearly stepped right back out. Unlike the one they found earlier, where they purchased only what was on the list because they weren’t sure what else would be useful, this shop’s lighting was pale white, giving off a heady, psychedelic feeling of being in-between worlds.

 More odd and unsettling, though, was the sudden chill, the smell of frozen metal sharper than that of fresh snowfall.

  Despite that, Justin persevered.

 His parents followed him in, and he split off to look around. Despite the lighting being dim enough to give him a headache, it illuminated the cloaks rather well. And boy was he glad they hadn’t gotten anything extra earlier. These cloaks were beautiful.

 Some of them were made out of materials he couldn’t recognize, thick furs and silvery leather and some fabrics that looked like they were cut out of a star. Dual layers, single layers, reversible, one even could adjust the length, operating as a cloak, a caplet, or a scarf.

 This was so cool! How many times had Justin wished he didn’t have to lug around a coat during winter events?

 “Mom, come look at this!”

 She did. They were discussing it (and the concerning note that said it could be enchanted with a command word if someone needed to be ‘eliminated’) when the door opened again, a familiar gaggle making their way inside.

 “Oh, it’s you!”

“As close to in the flesh as I can be,” one of the young women said brightly. Somehow, her presence seemed to make the room’s temperature fluctuate uncomfortably.

 Justin wondered if the theory behind keeping Cloak and Decoy so cold was that people would want to buy cloaks, even in the summer heat. If so, it was clever.

 "Yes well," the man behind the counter said, turning to duck into the back room. "I know your cloaks haven't worn out already, why the menagerie?"

 "But Gordan, we're not animals," said one of the teenagers, the one with blue tips, moving forward to drape herself dramatically over the counter. "We're flowers."

 "Of course," he called back indulgently. He was humoring them. "Why bring the greenhouse, then?"

 The older half of the group laughed.

 "Do you remember last year?” The blond young man asked, darkly amused.

 The proprietor reemerged, a mannequin and cloak floating behind him. “I suppose we don���t want a repeat, no.” With a flick of his wrist, and likely the wand held loosely in his hand, the mannequin landed in the middle of an aisle and the cloak settled prettily on top of it.

 “Alright, Florine, have at it, I think I’ve figured out the enchantments,” said Gordan.

 Florine, (Justin assumed the name went to the one with the most rapport - ad who responded) hummed doubtfully, looking at the seemingly expensive fabric. “You do know it’s going to be destroyed if you’re wrong, right?”

  Gordan shrugged. “And if I’m right, it proves I’m using the right materials.”

 “Almost,” hummed the other woman, with dark skin, darker eyes, and a ponytail. “It’ll only last one use.”

 Florine’s head snapped around so fast Justin thought he’d seen her neck vanish. “Oh really?” The slow, creeping smile that accompanied the words was the most unsettling thing they’d seen yet. Frankly, Justin didn’t hate it.

 Magic came with monsters. The question was what kind of monsters they were.

 Florine stepped forward, leaning as though she was going to do a flip, and then there was no woman, only an oppressive cloud of smoke. It started from her feet and pulled the rest of her body into nothingness, and whipped out at the cloak so fast mum shrieked beside him. Thankfully, it seemed to be largely drowned out in the cheers of the other kids.

 A moment later, the smoke meandered back their way and turned back into a girl.

 The mannequin had been reduced to dust, but there were fabric scraps left.

 "Holy crap, it survived," muttered one of the younger girls.

 "That's impressive," said the boy, moving to inspect it.

 Justin stepped closer to the ruins, accidentally falling in line with the shapeshifter.

 "Won't stand up against a second go," said Florine from behind them. "But, congratulations, Gordan."

 There was a sigh. "You still obliterated the mannequin. That doesn't say good things about the wearer’s chances of survival."

 "You can figure out the design once you have a working ward,” said the smoke girl, unconcerned.

 “That was awesome,” Justin said, crouching to look closer at the rubble. It felt like leaning into a commercial freezer, so cold it burned. He didn’t touch. “Do they teach that at Hogwarts?”

 “No,” said the boy beside him. “Florine’s self taught.”

 “You can do that?” If he could be self taught, maybe he could still go to secondary school with his friends.

 “It’s not advised,” said Blue Tips, dipping her fingers into the remains of the mannequin. She slid them lightly through the dust before yanking them back with a muttered swear. She pulled them up and made a face. “Ouch. If you’re eligible, everyone wants you at an actual school.” She wiped her fingers off on her pants and then stuck them in her mouth.

 “Oh.” Justin’s heart sank. “Why?”

 “Something about proper growth of a magical core. Florine’s exempt because hers is pretty damaged.”

 “Oh.” Justin paused. He wondered what that meant, what a magical core even was, and if it was rude to call what must be a chronic illness or disability cool. “I’m sorry.”

 “Thank you,” said the shapeshifter, standing from his crouch but still leaning down. “Anyway. I’m Harry, nice to meet you.”

 “Justin,” he returned, taking the chimera handshake-hand-up. “You too.”

 “Justin, we’re ready to go, honey!”

 He glanced at his mum, who had apparently decided to buy the size-changing cloak. Awesome. “Coming!” He turned to Harry. “See you around?”

 “First year starts on September first,” Harry returned with a grin and a peace sign.

 Justin’s smile widened. Maybe Hogwarts wouldn’t be so bad.

***

 Caleb listened with a soft sense of foreboding as the man behind the counter of the Cloak and Decoy explained how the murder aspect of the cloak they’d just bought their son worked. He chose the code phrase option, and had it ‘keyed’ so it only activated if Justin himself said it. The last thing he wanted or needed was for Justin to accidentally strangle himself with magical tech they didn’t think through.

 Caleb had considered asking Mr. Gordan to leave it off. But they didn’t know what awaited their son in his new world, they’d just seen a girl turn into some sort of shadow monster, and Caleb did not doubt in the slightest that Wizards’ very wands were more dangerous than a loaded gun in the hands of someone with a grudge. He didn’t think a switchblade would work in this instance, thus Justin got the assassin cloak.

 He’d tell Justin about it when they got home. And inform him to never say “Loki would stab Merlin with excalibur for the fun of it.”

 He asked about the legality and how traceable it would be if the cloak did kill someone, and finally saw a glimmer of acceptance in those muddy eyes. They’d definitely walked into the magical version of the black market. Or mafia. Lovely.

 When they’d finally ushered themselves out, Justin carrying the folded cloak while Caleb took the books and Leonie held the clothing bags, it was nearly noon.

 “What next?” Caleb asked.

 “Drop these in the car?” Justin offered. It was a good idea, they wouldn’t be able to carry much more and anyway, lugging around this much shopping was already tiring. Caleb wondered how the wizarding folk stood it - did they levitate everything? He’d certainly seen plenty of floating objects in the main alley.

 Leonie stopped at the edge, looking at the crowd that seemed to refuse to so much as��brush the side alley they were in. She was still carrying their clothes purchases, in a little themed bag that didn’t seem nearly big enough. Caleb hoped it wasn’t this busy everyday - how many wixen could there be in Britain anyway?

 “Aw,” said a voice that sent chills down Caleb’s back. He’d thought they’d done well enough at acting as though they belonged to keep anyone unsavory away. He shifted closer to Justin. “If you don’t want to brave the crowd of big bad wizards you could come join us for a game.”

 “I’m afraid we don’t have time, as much as we appreciate the invitation,” murmured his wonderful wife, turning as well.

 The old woman with galaxies behind her eye pouted. “I’m sure you could make time.” her other eye was scabbed shut, gray skin stretching over the socket in a hollow way.

 “Echo, don’t be an ungracious host.”

 Caleb didn’t jump at the extra voice, but it was a close thing. The smoke woman from the Cloak and Decoy walked up, unhurried, but the old woman backed away slightly. “What’s ungracious about inviting them to experience the magical world?”

 Smoke didn’t say anything, just tilted her head slightly. Apparently, that was enough of a threat. ‘Echo’ backed away with a side comment about how they’re welcome at any time, should they change their minds.

 “Sorry about that,” the shadow witch said, turning a much kinder smile on them. “Are you okay?”

 Justin nodded, slipping between him and Leonie. “Yeah, thanks. I’m Justin Finch-Fletchley.”

 “Florine Dupont,” she said, shaking the offered hand.

 Justin pulled his back a little fast, just enough for Caleb to worry. Still, he and Leonie introduced themselves as well. Caleb quickly learned why Justin’s handshake was too fast - her skin felt like frozen chicken on bare skin. The intrusive thought that flesh was technically raw meat was entirely unwelcome. Still, he smiled at her. “Caleb Finch-Fletchley, it’s nice to meet you.”

[uozlulu]

I want to see the Vampire Chronicles playlist you keep talking about

Thanks for showing an interest in my playlist :D Not only because yay sharing but also this made me weed out all the accidental duplicates and I ended up with like 10 or so fewer songs lol

I should note I think the AMC show had an influence but also the idea of 80's rocker!Lestat did too, so...

Here is the TIDAL link.

I'll list the tracks under a cut since there are so many of them. There's no real set order to them, this is just the order I added them to the playlist.

"You Are My Everything" - Gummy

"Tu Mere Samne" - Lata Mangeshkar and Udit Narayan

"Schism" - TOOL

"Cold as Ice" - Foreigner

"Hold the Line" - Toto

"That's All" - Genesis

"Alone I Break" - Korn

"Physical" - Dua Lipa

"Big Empty" - Stone Temple Pilots

"I Want You to Want Me" - Cheap Trick

"Send the Pain Below" - Chevelle

"Stricken" - Disturbed

"The Music of the Night" - Andrew Lloyd Webber

"Tell It to My Heart" - Taylor Dayne

"Knowing Me, Knowing You" - ABBA

"Total Eclipse of the Heart" - Bonnie Tyler

"Stay (I Missed You)' - Lisa Loeb

"Believe It" - White Lies

"Voiceless Screaming" - X JAPAN

"Slow Hands" - Interpol

"Somebody Told Me" - The Killers

"I Get Weak" - Belinda Carlisle

"Yours" - Conan Grey

"White Flag" - Dido

"Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" - Starship

"What's Love Got to Do with It" - Tina Turner

"(I Just) Died in Your Arms Tonight" - Cutting Crew

"I Want to Know What Love Is" - Foreigner

"Never Be Me" - Miley Cyrus

"Fade" - Staind

"Broken Jaw" - Foster the People

"I'm the Only One" - Melissa Etheridge

"I Miss You" - blink-182

"The Metro" - Berlin

"Bigger Than Us" - White Lies

"Love Is a Battlefield" - Pat Benatar

"We Belong" - Pat Benatar

"Ordinary World" - Duran Duran

"Self Control" - Larua Branigan

"Love to Hate You" - Erasure

"Time After Time" - Cyndi Lauper

"Send Me An Angel" - Real LIFE

"Shadowboxer" - Fiona Apple

"Sunny Came Home" - Shawn Colvin

"Sweet Surrender" - Sarah McLachlan

"Possession" - Sarah McLachlan

"Who Will Save Your Soul" - Jewel

"Building a Mystery" - Sarah McLachlan

"It's a Sin" - Pet Shop Boys

"Lose Your Soul" - Dead Man's Bones

"Always Something There to Remind Me" - Naked Eyes

"Pieces" - Sum 41

"Save a Prayer" - Duran Duran

"Psycho Killer" - Talking Heads

"절망에 관하여" - Shin Hae Chul

"Disillusioned" - A Perfect Circle

"Driven Under" - Seether

"Foever Young" - Alphaville

"Give A Little Bit" - Supertramp

"What Is Love (7" Mix)" - Haddaway

"Was That All It Was" - Jean Carn

"Kiss from a Rose" - Seal

"End of the Road" - Boyz II Men

"Baby Come Back" - Player

"I Hate Everything About You" - Three Days Grace

"Vitamin R (Leading Us Along)" - Chevelle

"Voodoo" - Godsmack

"Judith" - A Perfect Circle

"Always" - Saliva

"S&M" - Rihanna

"We Found Love" - Rihanna, Calvin Harris

"Hold Me Now" - Thompson Twins

"Is This Love" - Whitesnake

"Juke Box Hero" - Foreigner

"Go Your Own Way" - Fleetwood Mac

"Bad Day" - Fuel

"Iris" - The Goo Goo Dolls

"The Outsider" - A Perfect Circle

"THAT'S WHAT I WANT" - Lil Nas X

"If You Leave Me Now" - Chicago

"Every You, Every Me" - Placebo

"Infra-Red" - Placebo

"Gay Bar" - Electric Six

"Miserable" - Lit

"Control" - Puddle of Mudd

"Flowers" - Miley Cyrus

"C7osure (You Like)" - Lil Nas X

"Tragedy" - Bee Gees

"소나기" - BOOHWAL

"When Doves Cry" - Prince

"Just a Girl" - Gwen Stefani

"Alone" - Hole

"I Wanna Be Your Dog" - The Stooges

"The Power of Love" - Huey Lewis & The News

"Minor Feelings" - Rina Sawayama

"From the Inside" - Linkin Park

"Home" - Three Days Grace

"Standing Still" - Jewel

"Caged Bird" - RŌGUES

"Told You to Run" - RŌGUES

"TALES OF DOMENICA" - Lil Nas X

"Only" - Nine Inch Nails

"Free from Your Love" - RŌGUES

"Let Me Go" - 3 Doors Down

"Sabotage" - Beastie Boys

"Hotel California" - Eagles

"Blue Monday" - New Order

"我愛你" - Cody・Lee(李)

"Bring Me to Life" - Evanescence

"My Immortal" - Evanesence

"Going Under" - Evanescence

"Gives You Hell" - The All-American Rejects

"Flesh (Paul Oakenfold Radio Edit)' - Jan Johnston

"Blood & Glitter" - Lord Of The Lost

"Breath" - Breaking Benjamin

"Unfinished" - X JAPAN

"The Only Time" - Nine Inch Nails

"Telephone Line" - Electric Light Orchestra

"I Will Always Love You" - Whitney Houston

"Right Here Waiting" - Richard Marx

"Oops!...I Did It Again" - Britney Spears

"I'm So Excited" - The Pointer Sisters

"You Keep Me Hangin' On" - The Supremes