#and i offered to bring her a change of shoes if she couldn't get back to the house before i left

[biborispavlikovsky]

my roommate has been avoiding/ignoring me since i got back earlier this week and i just asked if anything was wrong and she was like "no but we'll talk later" ?????????

[hughiecampbelle]

The Boys Preference: Taking Care Of You When You're Drunk

A/N: Not requested, just an idea I had! Still not feeling great, but I will definitely get back to requests tomorrow :) This is just a lil thank you for your patience my loves! Feedback is always appreciated! 💜

Butcher notices you've been drinking a lot more than usual. Ever since you found out he was dying, you've been trying not to think about it or worry about it, and the only way you can do that is by drinking. Getting drunk is just a fun side effect. He'll drive you from the bar, taking your shoes off before tucking you into his bed. He hates the idea that you're hurting yourself like this because of him, because he didn't listen to you and he took the V without regard to his or your safety. The least he could do was hold your hair while you threw up and bring you a glass of water and some Tylenol. You don't talk about it, though. You don't want to talk about him dying, you don't want to face that future, and you don't want to talk about your growing problem. You were drinking on the job, too, maintaining a certain numbness so that nothing else could hurt you.

Hughie hates that you're drinking more. He understands why. More and more stuff just keeps going wrong. More and more issues pop up. It's hard to be positive or optimistic. It was easier to find your way to the bottom of a bottle than to come face to face with any of this stuff. He doesn't mean to pry, but he asks you a lot of questions. The main one is why are you doing this? You just shrugged. It's so hard to explain. Everything feels like too much. You were tired, and scared, and you weren't sure you wanted to do this anymore. What was the point? He tried to cheer you up. You had the serum in the severed leg, you were so close, why give up now? You wanted to be that hopeful. You really did, but you couldn't.

Annie definitely lectures you. This is the third night in a row (this week alone) where the bartender called her, your emergency contact, taking your keys from you. You've been drinking a lot more, ever since you left The Seven and joined The Boys. You worked with Vought for so long, she knew there was a lot you weren't saying. She tried to talk to you about it, but you were so cagey, shutting her out instead. Shutting everyone out. It was awful, that much she knew. Still, everyone went through something. That didn't give you the right to get as drunk as you were as often as you were. You're barely listening, but she gives you her speech anyways. She'll keep telling it to you until something changes.

M.M. hates taking care of you when you're like this. The biggest thing he can't stand is the vomit. He stays as far away from you as possible, yelling from the across the room if you're okay. He offers hand sanitizer and napkins and mouthwash, but he refuses to get any closer than that. The noises alone make his skin crawl, let alone the smell. He's in charge now. He feels like he has to take care of everyone, regardless of the issue. You getting drunk wasn't a problem yet, but he knew he'd have to talk to you if it got worse. Drinking every night just to function during the day wasn't you. You couldn't keep going on like this. If that included tough love, so be it. You needed to hear it.

Frenchie drinks with you. He never goes as far as you, realizing that at least one of you should be slightly more sober. He doesn't really mind when you get drunk. Something happens with you. You become happier, sillier, more fun. You smile and laugh more. He likes seeing that. He likes knowing you're at least a little happier. Life had become so hard lately. Your past was catching up with you, and you didn't know how to handle it, so you got drunk. He understood the concern from everyone else, but he knew yelling and lecturing would change anything. At least he could be there for you. At least he could take care of you and laugh with you and be there. That's all you really needed.

Kimiko is quite gentle when you're drunk. She walks you home from the bar and takes off your shoes and asks you questions: Are you nauseous? Are you hungry? Thirsty? She gets it. When she saw the posters of the Shining Light Liberation Army, she drank more than a few beers. Anything she could get her hands on. Sometimes, you just need a little liquid courage to face the hard things. She makes sure you have pain relief for the headache you'll feel tomorrow and gets you something greasy to put in your stomach. She doesn't like or want to villainize your actions. You were all tired of this, fighting a battle you could not win. She stuck up for you when the others thought you were being messy or stupid. You just needed some time, that was all.

Bonus! Homelander thinks you're messy, a degenerate, and he won't tolerate it. When he knows you're drunk or hungover he makes a special point to seek you out, to punish you. You're a member of The Seven, you should act like it. The same way it infuriates him when Sage lobotomizes herself, he feels that when you start drinking. You have a public image to uphold. Even when you go out in civilian clothes, anyone could spot you. Anyone could ask for a photo or ask questions. It was stupid and selfish and reckless and as long as he's in charge, he won't tolerate it. He humiliates you, he says, because he cares. You think it's because he likes having power over you when you're at your most vulnerable.

Bonus! Soldier Boy thinks you're a lightweight and calls you out on it any chance he can get. There's no keeping up with him. Even being a Supe, you could still get incredibly drunk. Your tolerance was a lot higher than humans, but nowhere near Soldier Boys. He doesn't really take care of you when you're drunk. It's more like lying you on your side and leaving you to sleep. He's not very caring towards anyone, let alone someone he considers lesser than himself. He's fun to drink with, but the fun pretty much stops there. If he's feeling extra considerate, he might throw a blanket over you, but that's as far as he goes. He'll leave you and keep on drinking for the rest of the night. You being drunk won't put a damper on his legendary partying.

[finelinefae]

you & I (prince!h)

synopsis: harry is a royal in love with a serving girl

word count: 5.7k

contains: fluff , nothing crazy I don’t think

. . .

Y/N was a simple serving girl. An orphan by the age of twelve after her mother and father died of influenza, she learnt to live alone and did so graciously. She knew that there was no point in arguing with the forces of life and so she spent much of her time doing small jobs in order to buy a small something to eat in the evenings and keep a roof over her head.

"Y/N, where have you been?" Maria looked at her wide eyed with hands on her hips as she wiped the sweat from her brow.

After a long time of searching for a permanent job, Y/N met Maria at a local market in the town centre of the village. She was at her worst, begging for scraps of food or something that would stop her stomach from rumbling for at least a little while. Maria was kind enough to offer her a tangerine and a job at the Duke's mansion where she would be a serving girl for as long as she could.

She didn't earn a lot but it was enough to get by and she even managed to save up enough to buy a little cottage home outside the town where she had her very own vegetable patch and an apple tree in the front garden.

"I'm sorry Maria, I came across a stall at the market and they were selling fresh loaves of bread. I thought it would be perfect to serve for the Duke with his breakfast." She placed the brown bag on the kitchen counter and took out the loaf of bread.

"Y/N my darling," Maria shook her head, she was use to the girls antics and couldn't help but let it slide. Maria was unmarried and couldn't have any children of her own so, in her eyes, Y/N was a gift sent from heaven and she cared for her as a mother would for her own child. "Pequeña soñadora." (Little dreamer) She wiped the dirt from Y/N's cheek and kissed her forehead.

Y/N grinned and grabbed her apron off of the pegs where the other servants would hang up their aprons as well. She sat on the bench close to the back door where she replaced her small, battered, brown pumps with black, lace up shoes which has a small heel to them.

She grabbed the trays of food which would be served to the Duke for his breakfast. "And what mood is the Duke in today Anthony?" Y/N leaned over and smiled, Anthony was the Duke's servant and was always giving updates on how the Duke was acting.

"The usual my sweet," He says, "Make sure you put a few more raspberries on his pancakes, might do the trick in cheering him up." Y/N nods and carries the tray to the dining hall, Ariana and Taylor following behind her.

They two double doors creek loudly as they're opened by the doorman. Y/N curtsies in front of the Duke and Duchess, keeping her head down as she brings them their breakfast. "Your breakfast my Lord." Y/N speaks, clearly.

"Thank you Y/N." The Duke addresses her and awaits for his plate of breakfast to land in front of him. Y/N takes the plate of raspberries and pours a few more onto his pancakes just like Anthony told him too.

Suddenly, the double doors open again and the sound of clicking shoes against the marble flooring catches Y/N's attention. She looks up as she reaches to grab the pot of tea and makes eye contact with a set of piercing, green eyes.

"Good morning father, sorry I'm late." Harry Styles, son of the Duke, a Marquess, enters the room and sits down in his usual spot opposite his mother.

"And what is your excuse this time boy?" The Duke responded, Y/N's body temperature changing from being so close to the Marquess.

"It was a perfect morning for hunting, took Banksy out with me and went out into the forest." Y/N pours tea into the Duke's mug before walking over to Harry, her pulse raising with every step she took.

"Did you catch anything?" The Duke feasted on his breakfast as he spoke, food getting caught in his greying moustache.

As Y/N poured the tea, her heart hammered against her chest when she felt Harry move his hand to brush against hers. She had a steady hand but was close to pouring the hot tea all over him.

She looked down at Harry who was still looking at his father, pretending the interaction didn't happen but she knew exactly what he meant by it.

"Will that be anything more my Lord?" Y/N asks, it was usual protocol.

The Duke says nothing and waves her off, giving her the signal to leave. Y/N leaves the dining room but doesn't hesitate to turn back and glance over at Harry who's already smiling right back at her.

Breakfast was over and Y/N was given a five minute window before she had to help make lunch. She reached for her coat and wrapped it around herself, looking over her shoulder before walking outside through the back door.

Once she had reached her destination, she looked around and was elated to see the head of brown curls walking towards her. His lean, long legs walking hastily knowing she had such a short amount of time to talk.

Without a moments hesitation, he picked her up and spun her around in his arms, a giggle eliciting from her lips. "Oh my beautiful girl." He grins, happiness apparent in his appearance. "How has it been just little under twenty four hours since I last saw you yet I have missed you ever so much?"

Y/N bites her lip, she could already feel her cheeks aching from a want to smile at his words. "I missed you too Harry." She leans forward and pecks his cheek but he shakes his head, leaning into her and placing his lips onto hers.

"I'd die happy, right here with you." He pulls away and looks at her so deeply into her eyes.

Y/N frowns, her mind was always plagued over the fact that her love with Harry was forbidden. She was a mere serving girl in a house that belonged to Harry's father and would soon belong to him.

"What's wrong baby?" Harry rubs his thumb under eye, feeling her skin beneath his touch.

Y/N nuzzles her cheek against his hand, "Do you ever wonder what life would be like outside these walls?" She murmurs, admitting her desires all of a sudden.

"What do you mean?" He looks at her confused.

"Harry you know there is no possibility for us to be together within this kingdom. Your father is a royal and you are too, as much as you hate to admit it," The more she spoke, the more Harry grew frustrated by her words because as much as he detested the true state of their relationship, he also knew it was true. "But out there my love, there is so much for us, so much we can do. I've seen it."

Harry knew of Y/N's past, she had told him once on a night she would never forget. The night they had their first kiss under the stars in the garden that she adored spending so much time in.

"What are you suggesting?" He knew what she was suggesting but he also knew his little love was so full of dreams and it hurt him knowing she had no way of reaching them considering her class.

She felt her lips turn downwards slightly but she tried to smile, her expression bittersweet knowing she was off in one of her daydreams again. "I'm not suggesting anything Harry, it's merely a dream I have. I know your duty lies here with the Duke and you will live out your life in this mansion where you will marry a rich, beautiful woman and have plenty of children who you will pass the name down to. Whilst I, a poor serving girl, will be at your side until my last dying day."

She tried to pull away from him, the words upsetting her no matter how true they were. She felt Harry grip onto her arm softly, not wanting to hurt her but wanting her to stay. "My sweet girl what on Earth are you talking such nonsense for?" He spoke, "You know I've never wanted to be Duke and the only beautiful woman I will marry is you. You and I will have plenty of children which we will pass our name down to and we will be at each others side for eternity, long after death."

Y/N smiled at his words, imagining the life she could have if his words ever came to life, but they couldn't. "Harry-"

"Baby," He interrupted her, "run away with me."

Her lips parted in shock at what he was suggesting. She shook her head in much disbelief.

"You have no idea what you are saying." She speaks as if she wasn't suggesting it a few minutes ago.

"Oh I know exactly what I'm saying," He smiles, cheekily and pulls her into his embrace.

She looks up at him, resting her head on his shoulder as she whispers into his ear, "The life you'll live Harry, it's nothing like it is here. There are no servants waiting on you and serving you three meals a day. We may not know if we'll even get breakfast let alone supper and we'll have to run away from the village. You'll be missing and the Duke will have no one to give his title to, the Styles name ending with him. Think about this."

"My love I have spent many nights thinking about this, I spend all my nights dreaming of a life with you where we don't have to sneak around to be together. We can live somewhere far away where I can touch you," He runs his fingers down her arm and goosebumps arise, "Feel you," He whispers so close into her ear and digs his fingers into her waist and she gasps but doesn't halt his actions, "Worship you." He kisses the spot under her ear.

"You'd give it all up for me?" She wonders, in awe of the man she was falling in love with.

"I'd give up my life for you." His lips brush against hers, moving in closer to get a kiss from her.

"Y/N?" Maria called from the kitchen.

Y/N pulls away from him, knowing her five minutes were up and she had no choice but to go back and help the other servants. "Your leaving already?" Harry sighs, holding onto her hand so tightly she couldn't let go.

"Lunch is soon to come around so I have to help out in the kitchen." She wished she had more time to spend with him. "Are you still coming over tonight?" She had been excited about tonight considering she and Harry had been planning it for the last two weeks. He was planning on coming to her cottage since the Duke was leaving after lunch for formal duties at the crown court. He wouldn't be back until the morning which gave Harry much opportunity to sneak away and visit her in her little cottage.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world baby." He kisses her passionately before she can leave.

"I love you Harry." She whispers.

"I love you more and don't forget about what I said." He calls after her as she runs back to the kitchens.

She walks in through the back door in a daze, holding her hands to her heart and looking up at the ceiling. Being with Harry always felt like a dream.

She could feel someones eyes on her and looked forward to see Maria glaring at her. She shook her head after they made eye contact, "Estas entrando en aguas peligrosas pequeña soñadora." (You’re entering dangerous waters, little dreamer)

Y/N bit her lip and brushed her off. She knew what she was doing by being with Harry but she wouldn't give him up. She had done that far too much throughout her life and she wanted to be selfish just this once.

Lunch came about quicker than expected and the kitchen was already starting to get hectic as the servants plated up the food for each member of the family. Y/N was preparing the wine which she was going to serve and listened as Maria spoke to the other servants.

Anthony came in to alert everybody that the family were already waiting for their food and everyone picked up the trays of food. Y/N smiled, feeling giddy about seeing Harry after the conversation they had this morning.

The doors opened and she could already see him sat in his usual seat beside his father and opposite his mother. Y/N realised they had caught them mid conversation, her ears perking up to hear what they were talking about.

"Harry, are you prepared for the ball this Saturday night?" The duchess asked, a smile overcoming her features.

"In all honesty mother, it's barely crossed my mind." Harry sighs, his eyes glued to Y/N as she pours the wine in the duchess' glass.

"Well I've had Gerald go to the town to buy your garments. We need to looking spectacular since it's the perfect opportunity to find you a bride."

A loud thud catches the family's attention, their eyes diverting to Y/N who's picking up the jug of wine she had dropped on the floor. "I'm so s-sorry My Lord and Lady." She curtsies, apologising to them profusely.

"It's perfectly alright dear." The duchess places a hand on her to calm her down.

She ignored Harry's eyes on her as she got back to serving the wine. "I've already told you mother, I will do no such thing as finding a bride." He speaks.

"Nonsense Harry," It was the Duke's turn to speak, "We all agreed you would find a bride before the sixth month which is vastly approaching."

Y/N could feel her heart slowly breaking, Harry had never mentioned any of this to her. The sixth month was only a month away which meant they had little to no time in finding a bride.

"You cannot force me to marry father." You could hear the tension in Harry's voice as he tried to control his anger.

The Duke scoffs, "I think you'll find that I can because I am your father and above that the Duke. You are a Marquees Harry, you will be taking my title and carrying on the bloodline so, yes, I can force you to marry."

The servants were trying to go about their business knowing of the rise in tension in the room but Y/N couldn't ignore what was going on. Harry was going to find a bride and he didn't tell her of the short amount of time he had to find one.

"You and mother have always said to marry for love - I cannot force myself to fall in love with somebody." The Duke ignores Harry's words so he looks to his mother for help but she shakes her head, trying to stop him from angering the Duke even further.

Harry looks over at Y/N again, he knew she was hearing every word the family was saying and his heart felt heavy when he noticed the glassy look in her eyes as she kept her head down to avoid him.

Unable to control his rage, he hits his closed fist against the table, the entire thing shaking and startling everyone around him. "I have done so much for both of you, taken part in every duty you have signed me up to when you both know I'd rather die than keep my title. The least you could do is accommodate my one desire of refusing to marry someone I do not love." He spits, eyes filled with fury at both his parents.

The room is filled with an eerie silence with nothing but Harry's heavy breathing as the servants stand away from the table to one side, keeping their heads down.

Finally the Duke looks up at Harry, "You will be at the ball this Saturday night boy." Harry doesn't bother staying to hear the rest, he stands up and storms out of the room. The Duchess turns to the servants and apologises in a flustered state at the actions of her son.

Lunch was over before it had even begun and the servants had no choice but to clear up the plates which were still loaded with uneaten food. "Unbelievable." Ariana muttered under her breath, it was never fun when they had slaved away in the kitchen only for their food to go un-eaten.

Y/N was too far in her own head to respond, trying to mentally heal the heartbreak she was feeling after the whole ordeal at lunch. She carried the cups away with her and left the room to deliver them to the kitchen.

As she was about to turn the corner, she felt a tug on the end of her dress and was startled to see Harry, sympathy in his eyes. She could tell by the look on his face that he wanted her to follow him and, as much as she tried to fight herself, she followed him.

Harry pulled her into a vacant room that wasn't often used regularly. Y/N stood with her arms crossed waiting for him to talk. He paced back and forth and Y/N made no effort to calm him down even though she could see the torment across his features.

He finally looks at her, "Can I kiss you please?"

Y/N doesn't get the chance to say anything before he walks over and cups her face in his hands, kissing her lips. Y/N melted into him like she did every time. No matter what was going on between them, he never failed to make her feel so wanted and that was something she never often felt growing up.

But she couldn't deny the incessant reminder in her head that even though she was wanted now by him, she may not be in the future. After Saturday night he could make someone feel the exact same way and she refused to put herself in a situation like that.

"Harry," She pulled away, "Don't come over tonight." She hadn't even realised she had started crying until she wiped away a stray tear from her face.

She forced herself out of his embrace and turned away from him. She could hear him calling her name from behind. However, she knew Harry was stubborn so she had no choice but to be the one to walk away.

It was for the best. They had both always known that their relationship was doomed from the very beginning and now was the time to accept that.

Y/N walked home in the dark after a hard day at work. She carried a whicker basket with a loaf of bread inside that Maria had kindly sneaked her after supper was served in the evening. Considering the day she had, she was glad to have a little something to look forward to.

At the sight of her tiny cottage, her shoulders relaxed. She was so happy to finally be at home and away from everywhere else where she had time to think to herself. She immediately walked to the kitchen to heat up the loaf of bread and prepare a vegetable broth to have for dinner.

As she was about to add in her chopped carrots, a knock sounded at the door. Her eyebrows furrowed when she tries to this of who could be here at this time of day. She walked to the front door and held her ear to it in hopes it would give her an idea of who was there but it was impossible to make out any sound.

"Y/N it's me." Her breath caught in her throat when he spoke, her mind dividing her opinion of whether or not to open it for him. "I just want to talk to you, I-I want to explain everything and I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier but you have to believe me when I tell you all of this is what my father wanted... All I want is you."

Y/N was holding onto the door knob as she listened to him speak until one choice outweighed the other and she opened the door to reveal a sad looking Harry. He was a disheveled mess, his hair all over the place like he'd been running his fingers through it over and over in frustration.

Despite the flash of guilt that came to her, she stood her ground, crossing her arms and glaring at him. Harry couldn't help but grin as she tried her best to look angry, he knew she wouldn't hurt a fly. "You're so cute." He says, not caring how angry she was. He was always going to compliment her no matter what mood she was in.

"Did you follow me?" Y/N wondered, he had never been to her home before which was why tonight was so exciting for them.

"Maybe or maybe I asked Maria." He shrugged. "Can I please come in?"

Y/N wanted to keep him outside so he wouldn't think she'd forgive him so easily for not telling her about the deal Harry had with his parents but she was cold and tired and her soup was still on the stove. So, she moved to the side and allowed him entry.

Harry's face softened and he thanked her as he passed by. Y/N released a sigh and lead the way to the kitchen where she walked to the stove and went back to making her soup. "Your home is perfect, exactly how I thought it would be." Harry speaks, admiring the simplicity and cosiness of the home, wishing he had something remotely similar.

"Exactly how you thought it would be?" She wonders, smiling to herself since her back was to him.

"Mhm," He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, she couldn't help but sink into him. "Soft and pink." He murmured, "I'm sorry Y/N. I know I should have told you about the whole thing with my mother and father but I never thought it mattered when my plan has always been to run away with you."

Y/N turned around in his embrace and looked at him confused, "What are you talking about?"

"Baby, since the day I met you you had me wrapped around this tiny little finger," He held up Y/N's hand and pressed a kiss to her fingertips before placing it to his cheek so he could feel her soft skin, "I've always had dreams of running away with you, living a life of simplicity with just the two of us and maybe a few little ones too." He placed his hand on her belly and butterflies swarmed under his touch.

"You're crazy, you heard what your father said Harry. Maria likes to call me a little dreamer but she has yet to meet you," She pushed him away and turned back around to take the soup off of the stove.

"Why do you act like this isn't something you dream of as well." Harry was starting to get annoyed with people telling him that what he desired wasn't achievable.

"Of course I have dreamt of running away with you many times and-"

"The let's do it," He steps in front of her, picking up both of her hands in his, "Let's leave this place and be together."

She could see the true desperation in his eyes and she wanted nothing more than to say yes, "W-we can't."

Harry stepped away, "Why? Why can't we?"

Y/N looked at him and felt the flood gates fall open, tears running down her cheeks, "Because I am in love with you Harry." She confesses, having never confessed it before, "I am so in love with you my heart could burst and it's that exact reason I have no choice but to give you what's best. Maybe in another life, where class wasn't important and being poor was no longer a cause of death, we could be together but I love you so much and I want nothing more than for you to have everything you need."

Harry was speechless. "Y/N," He reached for her, pulling her into his chest as she cried. He touched her so delicately, looking into her eyes and seeing the love and heartbreak twirling around together in an achingly beautiful dance. "I love you too."

She sobbed even harder and kissed him on the lips, "Thank you for loving me so strongly my love but you have to understand, I don't want to be the next Duke. Not because of you or anyone else, it's a feeling I've had for as long as I can remember. My whole life I've been told what to do by my father and mother but you were the only person who saw me as something other than a Marquees. You've been the only thing I've needed to know I need to take control over my own life and so I need you to run away with me. Please, Y/N."

Y/N had been fighting hard for so long, knowing what was best for him and knowing how many problems this would cause if she were to say yes. She was tossing between her mind and heart but her heart was always going to win, it always did. "When?" She whispers.

Harry exhaled, feeling an overwhelming sense of relief. He kissed her so fiercely, harder than he had ever done before. They were finally going to get what they had both dreamt of, "Tonight. I've already told Maria and she's asked her husband to get us as far away from here as possible."

"You spoke to Maria about this?" Y/N was surprised Maria knew this was happening and even more surprised she was willing to give them money for their escape.

"It was the only way for me to know where you lived." Harry confessed. "You'll have to leave all this behind but we'll find a home and make it ours."

Y/N's heart warms. The soup was long forgotten about now as she ran about packing a small bag of her most valuable possessions to take with her.

Harry nodded in reassurance at her and lead her outside where he already had a horse waiting for them. It would be their main source of transport until they could got to the harbour where a boat would be waiting to take them away.

"Are you sure of this Harry?" She wanted to double check before they carried out the life changing decision.

"I've never been so sure of anything in my life." Harry says and helps her onto the horse. She glances back at her cottage. It was bittersweet leaving it behind, it was the first home she purchased in her whole twenty three years of living after being homeless but now she was going to be living somewhere new with Harry and money wasn't something she had to worry about for the time being considering Harry had bought a few valuables of his own for them to sell in order to start their new life.

They reached the harbour just as the sun was starting to rise. Y/N jumped off the horse and ran over to Maria who was arguing with her husband over something to do with the safety of the boat. Maria opened her arms when she noticed Y/N running towards her, "mi pequeño soñador." Maria teared up, "Be safe my love and don't forget to write to me."

Y/N nodded, crying with Maria who had been the only person before Harry who had always been there for her. Maria's husband was going to be taking them to the next border so they would be far enough to find somewhere to hide away.

"Baby," Harry reached out for Y/N's hand as he stood on the boat waiting for her.

"Thank you Maria for everything." Y/N cried and took Harry's hand, glancing back at Maria.

She waved to her as the boat began to sail away. She was sat in-between Harry's legs with her back against his chest, "I love you." He whispered, kissing her cheek.

"I love you too." Y/N responded, looking out at the sunrise feeling excited for her bran new life.

. . .

Four Years Later.

The sun shone through the window as it began to rise. Y/N felt the warmth from the sun rays hit her bare back as she lay in bed in the softest, white sheets. Harry ran a finger up and down her spine as he watched her sleep.

He pressed his lips to her bare shoulder and up her neck, "Are you hungry sweet girl?" He whispered.

Y/N smiled and nodded her head, slowly opening her eyes and meeting his green ones. Before Y/N had the chance to reply, the door to their bedroom creaked open and in waddled a their little baby.

"Mmmmaama!" Marie squealed, wearing nothing but a pullover around her waist. She was three years old but looked a year younger, she was born pre-mature and since Y/N was already quite small, Marie was tiny.

Harry's head fell onto Y/N's bare chest as he let out a groan, wanting time with his beautiful wife which was very rare considering they had a very clingy toddler.

"Dada no!" Marie tried to crawl onto the bed, clinging onto the blankets in a tight fist to try and pull herself onto the bed.

"C'mere Ri Ri," Harry chuckled, picking her up and placing her between Harry and Y/N.

"Maaamaaa!" Marie squealed and reached for her mother.

"Good morning little dove." Y/N kissed her chubby cheeks.

Harry smiled, he loved watching his girls interact together. "Hey Ri Ri, wanna come with dada to pick some fruit from the garden?"

Marie squealed, not really understanding what her father had said but agreed with him anyway. "Let's go cherry, let mama get dressed." He kissed Y/N on the forehead before grabbing the baby.

This was their life now.

They had ran away together four years ago and it was the best decision either of them could have made. For a while, both Y/N and Harry struggled to make a life for themselves. They were staying in a small hut as Harry went to work on a farm whilst Y/N worked at a local food shop.

They were so close to giving up in that moment but Harry was prepared to keep his promise of the life they both desired. They ended up travelling further down south after saving up enough money to buy a permeant place to live where they found a small cottage.

After a while, Harry had found a job on a job which gave him enough money to get by. Y/N also had a small job working three days a week at a hat shop but a year later she fell pregnant with Marie so for now she was only working twice a week.

There was no word on what happened to the Duke after Harry's disappearance. Both Y/N and Harry tried their best to avoid any talk of the Duke and Duchess but it didn't stop them from hearing rumours in their local town.

Y/N got dressed into one of her favourite dresses Harry had bought her for her birthday two years ago. She put on her boots to go outside where she saw Harry, wearing nothing but black trousers and boots as he held Marie who was now dressed into something besides her pullover.

She walked over to them and pressed her hand to Harry's bare back, catching his attention. Marie was picking apples off of the apple tree that had even planted in their back garden before they had bought the house.

Marie held up the apple to Harry, "That looks perfect Ri Ri," She giggled and put the apple in the brown basket.

"Marie decided we were going to have pancakes with fruit for breakfast." Harry updated Y/N.

"Oh that sounds wonderful." Y/N kissed Marie and then stood on her tiptoes to kiss Harry.

"You look beautiful." Harry says, his compliments never failing to make her blush. "Can we have another baby?"

Y/N laughed but he was completely serious about it, "Harry-"

"Let me put a baby in you." He pouted, "It'll be fun!"

"Fifteen minutes for nine months of pain? Sounds like fun to me," Her pregnancy with Marie was really difficult and swore her off having kids for the rest of her life.

“You know it’s a lot longer than fifteen minutes thank you very much.” He pinches her sides, "I won't force you because I know it's your body, m’love but just know whenever your ready I'll be right here to fulfil your wishes." He smirked and Y/N nudged him.

"Mamaa look!" Marie held out her chubby hand that was full of raspberries.

"Wow dove! Can mama try one?" She crouched down and opened her mouth for Marie to place a raspberry. "Delicious." She hummed and Marie giggled.

Y/N stood up and looked to Harry, "Maybe we can have another baby."

Harry grins, "I'll call Estella." He says, referring to Marie's babysitter.

He wraps one arm around Y/N's waist as they both stand and watch Marie picking berries in the home they dreamt of having together. He kissed her forehead, "I'm glad you ran away with me." He speaks softly into her ear, happy with the life he finally got to choose.

[pinkthrone445]

-Baila conmigo- Part 3

(Dance with me)

Part 1 Part 2

Pairing:Melissa Schemmenti x Reader

Gender:Fun, soft, smut, hurt

Warnings:SMUT! TAKE YOUR SITS PEOPLE AND SOME DEEP BREATHS BECAUSE MEL IS RIDING YOUR FACE!

MINORS STAY AWAY, BARBARA IS WATCHING YOU. 👀

Summary:Mel finds you sad in a bar and decides to step in, not knowing that life will bring you back together again. Then a night destiny gets you closer than ever.

Just as quickly as time began to pass, you quickly became friends with the other teachers at school as well. While the redhead and that funny flirtation with her was your favorite interaction of the day, you also liked to spend time with others, especially with Jacob and all his witticisms.

Although you had already been working at school and "dating" the redhead for a month and a little more, the moments with her had not been more than a few goings out and a couple of wild kisses. You hadn't had something more intimate yet and it wasn't because you hadn't proposed it, but because she wasn't ready or sure to take that step yet, so you were patient about it and didn't wanted to push anymore. She didn't even know your house yet. But all that was about to change.

While you were in your classroom correcting a couple of your students' assignments taking advantage of the fact that they were sleeping a very well deserved nap after PE, the redhead entered your classroom very careful not to make noise and wake them. You looked up from the papers to pay attention to her, frowning at the sight of the tiredness under her eyes

-"Hola Mel, is everything okay? Do you want to sit?" - You asked worried

-"No, I'm okay... I came to ask you a favor... After school can I go with you to your house? Jacob is bringing his new "friend" home and the walls are too thin and I don't want to listen to them. Please?"-she asked with a very tired tone. The request took you by surprise, since you started working at school, the redhead repeated over and over again that you and she could not have a romantic relationship because it would make everything very complicated and strange, plus it was not what she was looking for. Even though you felt attraction to her, you accepted those terms, so your interactions with her limited to a few goings out, drinks and nothing else. But this request took you by surprise, she could have gone with Barbara or even Janine, but no, she came to ask you and that made you feel something that you couldn't quite place-"Can I? Please?" - she asked again bringing you to reallity

-"Yes Mel, no problem" - You tried to play it cool even though that made you very exited. She smiled and kissed your forehead

-"Thank you sweetheart" - she whispered, even though her eyes still looked tired, her face seemed more relaxed-"See you later" - she said before going back to her classroom.

At the end of the work day you couldn't stay put because of the excitement you had about she coming to your house, but you tried not to let it show, especially when the redhead started walking next to you to go to your car.

After a short drive filled with class day talk, you parked the car in your garage.

As soon as you entered your house, the redhead let out a sigh of tiredness

-"This shoes are killing me, these clothes are making me so uncomfortable" - she complained looking at your couch- "that looks comfortable...."-she whispered with tired eyes and you laughed

-"My room is upstairs if you want to pick something more confy to wear while I cook..."-you offer and she smiled like a little kid in a candy store almost running upstairs to change.

A few moments latter, the redhead came down using your confy long sleeve fútbol t-shirt and without her boots, only using the big shirt and socks.

Your eyes started at her feet, her purple socks with little flowers were so cute, it made great contrast with the white milky skin of her legs. Her skin looked so soft and perfect, it surprised you how she barely had age marks on them, and you loved how her thighs were so full and had no gap between them. Then your long t-shirt covered the place you had imagined night after night when you felt all hot and bother, but you could still see the shape of her hips because the fabric hug them perfectly, the same with her boobs, she filled that t-shirt so much better than you. When you reached her face, she had a smug smile seeing how long you had stared at her. She looked like pure perfection, it wasn't your fault for staring.

You knew the thing that you and her had wasn't romantic, but every time that you knew something new of her, you couldn't avoid falling deeper for her. You were so fucked. If you were honest with yourself, you had never been attracted to someone as you were attracted to her, she was the perfect mix of mischief, intelligence and beauty. You didn't know if you liked more how witty she was when she spoke or the silence that fill the air every time you had the chance to kiss her.

A sigh left your lips and you forced yourself to take your eyes off her to return to the chesse risotto you were making, she laughed and took the bottle of beer that was next to you, taking a sip without letting go of her arrogant smile

-"That smells amazing" - she rested her chin in your shoulder, hugging your waist and laughed softly when you didn't answer-"The cat got your tongue?" - she pressed her chest on your back

-"That shirt looks good on you... But I don't want to eat my dessert before the meal and ruin my appetite, so stop teasing and wipe out that smug look on your face, go to the couch and pick a movie to watch"- you jocked pretending to be annoyed and she kissed your shoulder laughing before letting you go

-"So bossy" - she said going to the couch putting a depper swing in her hips, sure that you would be watching while she walked away, and she was no wrong.

When the meal was ready, you took two plates to the couch along with two beers, where the redhead was already comfortably curled up in a blanket while watching House wives, looking happily at you and the food.

You didn't know how, but by the time the two of you had already finished what you had made for lunch and the beers you brought, the two of you were snuggled together on the couch, the redhead was sitting on your hips and your hands where on her thighs as you shared wet, slow, deep kisses.

You weren't sure if the TV was playing low in the background or if your heart was beating so hard you couldn't hear the noise properly. The only thing you knew was that you never wanted that moment to end.

Her tongue and yours played softly trying to dominate each other, sometimes even your teeth and hers gently clashed but it was no reason to stop. Her loose hair fell like a waterfall on your face tickling you and the swaying of her hips on yours made you feel butterflies in your stomach. Your curious hands ran over the skin of her legs, slowly getting under that t-shirt she was wearing only to discover more of the warmth of her skin that drove you crazy.

The redhead from time to time let out small angelic moans that made you moan too, it was like when you eat something delicious and you can't help but let out a sound because of how good it is, she was good enough to deserve all the noises of appreciation.

Melissa began to lower her kisses to your jaw until she reached your neck, while her hands played with the buttons of your shirt opening them little by little

-"Mel..."-Your voice was agitated and came out weaker than you wanted-"Are you sure you want this? Because I do want to, but I've heard you say many times how complicated it would get if we started dating..." - You commented scared that she would move away but it was necessary to talk about it before it went further on

-"I'm sure of this, because this doesn't mean that we are dating or anything serious, it's just two grown-up friends having fun, just that, nothing else. No one else has to find out about this, just you and me blowing some steam" - she answer between kisses finally taking your shirt off.

Although you were a little bit hurt by what she said, especially because you hoped that this would mean something more important to her like it was to you, you didn't stop her. You would rather have bits and pieces of love from her, than have nothing at all.

You'd rather have this kind of fun as "friends" than just be real normal friends without having anything else involved.

When your mind stopped scheming and you focused on the present again, you changed positions on the couch. You left the redhead sitting on the cushions and you knelt on the floor in front of her, between her legs, taking off the blouse she was wearing and throwing it away leaving her only in her black underwear.

The contrast of the darkness of her underwear against her almost clear skin made you salivate, you wanted to bite and mark her whole body, make her yours even if that wasn't the case.

After licking your lips trying to control your impulses a little, you kissed her lips again which were a little more swollen than normal and that only made them more delicious. Your hands explored her back playing with the straps of her bra and leaving small scratches with your nails as your lips went down to her abundant breasts, giving kisses and some licks you mapped all over the skin that was exposed. And finally, when your hands detached her bra from the way, your lips connected with her nipples sucking hard, while one of your hands played with the other by twisting and pinching it gently. Melissa let out moans that sounded like a mix of a symphony and a porn movie at the same time. Her hands went to your hair playing with it and making a mess, grabbing it in her hands and gently pulling it whenever your teeth bit into her soft skin. Her back arched gently leaving a perfect space for you to put your arm there and gently lift her off the couch to remove the only piece of clothing she had left, her soaking and ruined panties.

Your hands returned to her breasts while still playing with them, but your lips continued their kisses, going down and making a wet trail down her abdomen to her crotch.

The warmth and aroma that her center radiated made you feel dizzy from desire, specially when you could see how she was literally dripping for you.

-"What a show you are putting for me Mel" - You said aroused grabbing one of her legs and putting her foot supporting on your shoulder, making her knee bend lightly. Your wet lips gently touched her skin, giving soft and went kisses on her thighs while your hand squeezed the outside of her leg, giving a great contrast between your gentle kisses and the roughness in which your hand squeezed her skin.

The redhead dropped her head backwards resting the back of her neck on the couch, closing her eyes while enjoying your caresses. From your point of view, the way her legs were spread, her center dripping, her chest rising agitaded making her boobs bounce a little, her messy hair against the leather of the couch and her relaxed pleasured face, she looked like an angel that came to visit you to earth to make you feel like you were having a piece of heaven in your hands, holding the paradise between your finger tips. If you looked up the description of perfection in the dictionary you were sure you could find a picture of her.

Your soft kisses became some more passionate the closer you got to her center, leaving marks on the inside of her thighs where there was no risk of someone else finding them. When you finally got your face in front of her crotch you could feel how you literally started salivating for her. You took a deep breath and closed your eyes to enhance your other senses, slightly sticking out the tip of your tongue and slowly running over her outer lips until you reached almost her center dripping, but instead of coming in, you stuck your tongue out a little bit more and went back up parting her outer lips until you reached her clit, licking it in gentle circles.

The redhead's hands gripped your hair tightly again and moved her hips against your face gently, rocking back and forward making the leather of your couch squeak. Your fingers joined the work your tongue was doing and began to play gently at her entrance, filling them with her juices and moistening them completely even though you hadn't yet delved into her. Your lips formed an "o" shape and you began to suck on that pleasure button that was becoming more and more swollen and sensitive. Melissa began to let out more desperate sounds and move her hips against your face with less and less control each time.

When two of your fingers finally got into her, her back immediately arched putting more pressure on your shoulder with her leg and almost completely lifting her hips off the couch, giving you a new angle at which your fingers could enter her more deeply and comfortably.

The way her walls hugged your fingers made you moan with pleasure, the way she clenched only because of you, was something you weren't expecting to feel that good, to make her feel that good.

-"If you stop now I will... I will kill you" - she said between heavy breathings and desperate moans. You wanted to reply but your mouth was too busy tasting her heavily juices to stop now.

When you added one more finger you began to feel a little difficulty with following the pace you were taking before since her walls were getting tighter and tighter around you. Her hands pressed you more closer against her center and she ride your face faster.

At the moment you started to lick her whole pussy with your tongue flattened against her and then going back to her clit to play in circles while your fingers where still plunging inside her, her body began to shake and she came in your hand without more warnings.

Your movements continued a little longer until she slumped against the couch with her body completely relaxed and an angelic smile. You decided to clean her with your tongue enjoying a little more the unique flavor of her juices, kissing every part of her body until you returned to her face and kissed her lips softly making her moan still numb and gone for the strong orgasm

-"You are good" - she said smiling dizzy "My turn now" - she smiled mischievously kissing you again.

That kind of cardio continued for many rounds more until you two couldn't take it anymore and decide to cuddle on the couch under your blanket.

When you were about to fall asleep with her body on top of yours, her phone rang with a message notification, she sat on your hips grabbing her phone and laughing lightly

-"Jacob says that the house is empty now..."-she said to you and felt a little bit sad thinking she would like to go back to her house to sleep now that the fucking part was over, but instead of that, she turned off the phone and got confortable on top of you hiding in your neck ready to sleep without saying another word.

After that, nigths like that happened a lot more often, nights in where she would stay at your house after a sheared dinner and sex or you would stay in hers if Jacob wasn't there to see you arrive.

More months began to pass, more months sharing passionate nights together, more times hearing "this nights are only something physical since something romantic would complicate things because we are co-workers", more months working at Abbot and more months falling more deeply in love with her hoping that one day she would finally stopped using that silly coworkers excuse.

After working there for almost a year, Janine decided to come back and make your work as a substitute come to an end. But thank heavens you quickly got an offer in a new place, which opened your life to new possibilities.

Those new possibilities made you realize that maybe now you could have something that you always wanted...

-"What is going on sweetheart? You seem distracted" - The redhead asked when she realized that you were not paying attention to the movie or her

-"I... I got a new job offer now that my sub time ended at Abbot" - You said still hugging her while you two watched a movie at her house, she smiled looking at you very happily

-"That's great! Congratulations" - she hugged you and you signed - "You don't look happy with that... What happened?" - she asked again, worried

-"I'm happy with the job, don't get me wrong... But something was going through my mind... I was wondering... Maybe now that we won't work together anymore, things will be less complicated if we decide to officially date... You know, like girlfriends?" - You said hopefully and she stoped smiling

-"Oh kiddo... That's... I don't... That's not what I'm looking for right now... I just wanted to have a little of fun... But if that has became a problem for you, maybe we can stay being only friends now that we won't see each other so often?" - she tried to play it cool and you frowned

-"Friends?... When have we been just friends?"-you asked and she smiled softly

-"Always? You are a great friend to me... This is fun and all but I don't see you like anything more than a friend right now..." - she repeated and you started to feel a little bit angry and sad

-"So every time that you told me that we couldn't be together because would become a problem, professionally talking, was all a lie to keep me entertained? You just didn't wanted to be with me at all and you used that as an excuse?" - You asked hurt and she started to get nervous

-"I... Just... I thought... "-She stuttered

-"I have seen the way you look at me Melissa, you can't say that's it's how you look at a friend" - You replied hopefully waiting for her to realize that she has feelings for you

-"I... I look like that to the people I care about... Like Barb, that doesn't mean I want to date her" - she was quick to think and answer to ease you

-"You don't fuck with Barbara" - You said angrily- "You can't tell me you don't feel anything after 7 months fucking and slepping together Mel..."-you said, hopefully trying to making her realized

-"I appreciate you... But just as a good friend..."-she repeated AGAIN and you rolled your eyes

-"Do you remember that first night at the bar? From that first moment I knew that you and I had a connection and I know you felt it too... When the night was over, it was like if your face was tattooed on my soul, in a single dance I gave you my life and I began to miss you as if I had known you for years...You can't ask me to settle with being only friends when we have never been friends Mel... From moment one we were something more and you know it."-you tried to stay strong, but every passing moment made you feel a bigger lump at your troat and you felt like the waterfalls wanted to scape from your eyes

-"I'm scared of breaking our friendship if this doesn't work" - she kept putting up new excuses making you feel more sad

-"You are scared of breaking a friendship that doesn't exist, we have never been friends Melissa, from the moment one that we met, we started kissing and fucking each other, that's not how friendships start, that's not part of friendships at all. You can't put me in the friendzone because I have never been your friend... I can't be your friend when I want to be everything for you"-You whispered very weakly trying not to avoid her gaze

-"I'm sorry sweetheart... But I don't feel the same" - she said sadly and you got up from the couch holding your tears for dear life-"Wait, what are you doing?" - she asked scared

-"I'm going to my home... I can't be near you, not anymore, it hurts. I'm sorry" - You grabbed your jacket and she quickly stood up following you

-"Hey, the fact that I don't want a romantic relationship it's not reason to leave" - she whispered trying not to grab your hand and forcing you to stay

-"The fact that we don't want the same thing is reason enough to leave... I'm sorry Mel but I can't be your friend... I hope one day you feel the same love that I feel about you, I hope one day you feel it too, even if it's for someone else and not for me," - You said closing the door behind you, leaving the redhead with an emptiness and cold she was no expecting, leaving the best part of your heart and hopes there and taking the rest in peaces. Wishing that cupid would take pity on your sad soul and touch the redhead's heart so that she would come out after you, telling you that she didn't want to lose you and that she loved you too, but cupid would have to be an expert in anatomy to aim for a heart that doesn't exists.

[mrs-santoss]

Are you jealous, Ney? - Neymar Imagine

Summary:

Heyy i saw that ur requests were open and i really liked ur other imagines so could u please write something with jealous ney like the reader and kylian(or anyone)got close since they started dating and one day they were just hanging out and kylian gets too close so ney gets jelous or smth plssss

It was a big change for me to move to Paris with Neymar and change my lifestyle completely. But since my job is mostly remote, I decided to move with the love of my life and support him on his journey. I knew a long-distance relationship wouldn't last for me, so I didn't want to risk breaking up with Neymar. We are an extremely happy and understanding couple; that's what makes us special.

Before Neymar and I moved to Paris, we looked for apartments or houses to rent or purchase. We found a perfect big apartment with enough rooms for me to create my own office. Neymar made sure everything was perfect, so I wouldn't miss anything at work. He felt some sort of responsibility to make me comfortable since I'm the one moving to a different country for him, even though I wouldn't want him to feel this way at all.

I'm working on my latest project at work when I get a call from Ney saying he's bringing a few guys from the team over to hang out. I ask if he wants me to prepare some food or anything, but he's got it all covered.

I'm not in my best-looking state, but I'm not too bad either. I'm wearing a sweater and shorts, dark blue set with some light makeup and my hair up in a bun. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. I go to open the door, greeting Neymar first.

"Hi, bebê. How was training?" I ask him and give him a quick kiss on the lips, he squeezes my waist lightly.

"Hi, meu amor. It was good. Let me introduce you to everyone. This is Kylian and Thiago. I invited a few more guys, but they couldn't make it." he says to me as the guys come inside and remove their shoes. We have a shoes-off policy because of me, I hate the idea of dirty shoes on the couch.

Everyone greets me and says hi. Kylian gives me a quick hug, and follows the other guys to the living room as I shut the door. I follow Neymar and I grab his food bags from his hands.

"I will prepare everything, anjo. You sit with the guys." I say to him, he hesitates first but gives in and kisses my forehead.

I'm in the kitchen making some drinks for the guys and one for myself because why not, and put the ordered food on the plates. I go to the living room where the guys were taking turns playing Fifa. Kylian and Thiago were sitting on the big couch, Neymar was sitting on an arm chair, I place the food on the table and sit next to Neymar on the arm of the arm chair. He gives me a side hug and kisses my shoulder. Kylian and Thiago were playing against each other, while Neymar is waiting his turn.

"How's work going, bebê? Are you done for today? he asks me, while snacking on some chips.

"Yeah, Ney. I have a few things let unfinished but I will deal with them tomorrow." I say back to him.

"Okay, amor. Don't get too stressed out about work." he says to me giving me another quick kiss on my shoulder since he can't reach my face since I'm sitting on a higher level.

Thiago beats Kylian on the game, and now is Neymar's turn with Thiago. Kylian offers Neymar his seat so he has a better view of the TV, and Kylian sits on his place next to me.

Neymar's POV:

I switched seats with Kylian so I can focus on the game more. After a few minutes of playing, I hears laughs coming from Y/N's and Kylian's direction, they were chatting together about different stuff. Usually, I'm not the jealous type, but I hate it when someone else makes my girlfriend laugh. I don't want to make it a big deal, I mean they're having fun as friends. I feel some sort of responsibility that she had to leave her friends behind to move to Paris with me.

Kylian reaches out to grab some food, and the arm chair almost drops on Y/N's side due to the unbalanced weight. He quickly grabs her by the waist and pulls her so she doesn't fall.

"Oh, my god, I'm sorry. Are you okay? he says to her. Y/N confirms she is okay, and they both start laughing finding it funny.

I decide to ditch the game and let Thiago beat me. I feel this rush of jealousy over my body. I quickly stand up.

"Kylian, you can continue playing, I lost the game." I say to him coldly.

"Okay, bro. In a second! I want to finish this food first." he says casually to me not even looking at me, still making jokes with Y/N, my girlfriend.

"Sure! No rush." I say to him and I sit back next to Thiago, I pull out my phone pretending to scroll through different apps, but still looking at them through my peripheral vision.

Y/N is telling him an embarrasing story from her high school days, and Kylian laughs, touching her shoulder slightly.

"Hahaha, oh, god, I didn't realize you were also funny and not just pretty." he says to her as if he forgot she's my girlfriend, MINE.

That was it for me. I wanted to make that stop. So I stood up quickly. And walked over to them.

"Hey, amor. Can I have a word with you in the kitchen?" I say to her coldly.

"Yeah, sure, bebê." she stands up quickly and follows me to the kitchen."What's up, Ney?"

"Why are you not working right now?" I ask her blankly, I can tell she's taken back from my words.

"Um... What do you mean, bebê? she asks me confused. "Do you not want me to hang out with you guys?"

"Of course, I want you to hang out with us, but I want you to sit next to me." I say to her, and I feel a little weird saying it out loud. We never had these conversations about jealousy before.

She pauses for a moment, processing my words. And suddenly, she starts smiling. I don't know why she's smiling, I certainly don't find it funny AT ALL.

"Bebê... are you jealous?" she asks, as if she's reading my mind.

"What?! No, I'm not? Why would you think that?" I ask, not sure what to say next.

"Hahaha, yes you are, Ney." she says to me and grabs my, cheeks pinching them, and kisses my lips softly. Oh, god, how does she manage to make me smile through everything?

"Okay... maybe a little. I don't like this feeling. You are MINE." I say, as i grap her by the waist and pull her close to me crashing my lips into her.

"You don't have to be jealous, meu amor. I'm only trying to make new friends. I don't think Kylian there is flirting with me either." she says to me.

"Maybe, but, I still don't like it. I'm the only one who can make you laugh like that." I say to her, she starts grinning. "You're the only one who can also make me scream." she says while winking at me. I kiss her passionately, and run my hands down to her butt, squeezing it slightly.

"That's for sure, bebê." I can't wait for those idiots to leave so I can make her scream my name.

[agirlwithdemonblood]

The Celebrity Next Door: Chapter 8: Embracing Enough

Pairings: Jensen Ackles x Reader

Chapter Summary: A day spent on the board walk brings a whirwind of emotions.

Warnings: Panic attacks, fluff, panicking, insecurities.

Series Masterlist here!! & Main masterlist here!

Time flies when you're having fun, or so they say.

I used to doubt it; fun didn't always make time race by for me. But this past week with Jensen and his kids felt like just hours since they arrived. Now here they were, packing up to head back to their mom's place.

I gathered my things, slipping on my shoes by the back door, preparing to leave when Jensen wandered over, a playful smirk on his face. "Where are you sneaking off to?" he teased, pulling me close by my coat.

I chuckled, gently pushing his chest back. "Home, silly."

His smile faltered, and he looked at me, surprised, almost hurt. "Why?"

Confusion washed over me as I approached him, offering a polite smile. "What do you mean, why? Out of respect. Remember last time?"

His expression turned cold, and he glanced away, attempting to rebuild his walls. "Hey, Jensen, don't do that," I urged gently. "I'm not trying to upset you. Last time we agreed we were enjoying the drama-free zone. We don't have to change anything."

He frowned, shaking his head. "I want it to change. I don't want to hide anymore. This past week has been amazing for all of us. I want our little bubble to pop and step into the real world, together."

I smiled, setting my bag down and moving closer to wrap my arms around him. "Then let's pop it."

Half an hour later, the kids' mom arrived.

I swallowed my nerves, standing from my spot, glancing to Jensen who seemed even more nervous than I was.

Her face dropped when she saw me, a knowing smile on her lips. "Oh, Hi. Y/N, right?" she greeted, stepping closer to us.

I nodded, smiling warmly. "Yes, nice to see you again, Sarah!"

She maintained her composure, glancing at Jensen, who was unusually quiet and still, frozen almost. "Jensen? Are you going to say hi or just stand there like a deer in headlights?" she teased.

Jensen managed a polite smile, shaking off his nerves. "Hey, Sarah. How was the drive?"

She shrugged, looking towards her car. "Not bad. I do miss Austin, though. Might consider moving back."

Jensen's jaw clenched, his expression turning cold and guarded, walls going up brick by brick. I stepped back, letting them talk, sitting beside the kids on the stairs.

"So, did you guys have a good week?" I asked.

Katie nodded, leaning against my shoulder. "I'll miss you!"

I laughed softly, touched by her words. "I'll miss you too, Katie. But don't worry, I live right next door. Come visit me whenever you're back, okay?"

She nodded eagerly, and I turned to Kevin, who sat with arms crossed, wearing a grouchy expression. "And you, Kevin? Did you have a good week?"

He shrugged and huffed, retreating into his cold behaviour as if the week hadn't happened at all. It stung a bit, but he was a kid, struggling with the back-and-forth between parents. It couldn't be easy.

The parents' voices rose before falling silent altogether. Jensen walked away from Sarah, shaking his head, and approached Katie and Kevin, attempting a smile. "Come on, guys. Time to get in the car."

We waved goodbye as they drove off, and I couldn't help but feel a sting of sadness seeing Katie and Jensen look so downhearted. They weren't my family yet, but I could feel myself growing emotional seeing the hurt that filled the area.

Once the car was out of sight, Jensen sat on the stairs, and I joined him quickly. He stared out at the road, jaw clenched, fists tight with whatever was going on in his mind.

"Jensen?" I whispered, catching his attention.

He turned towards me, managing a sad smile. "I'm good. It's just a lot sometimes."

I nodded understandingly, squeezing his hand tightly. "Well, why don't we do something today? Get out of the house a bit?"

He smiled genuinely and squeezed my hand. "Yeah. Let's do it."

After looking up things to do, Jensen suggested we visit the beachside market. It had little kiosks and stands with handmade items, something I was excited to explore.

We parked on the street, his hand finding mine immediately. Jensen was never shy about affection in the right moments. With his kids around, it was innocent; just the two of us, it was constant and comforting.

As we strolled down the pier, I admired the beautiful booths displaying a range of handmade items—henna art, handmade bags, clothing, and more. It felt like walking through an art exhibit, each stall captivating my attention.

Jensen chuckled softly, drawing my gaze. "What?" I asked nervously.

He smirked, pulling me close. "You're adorable. That's what."

My cheeks flushed at the compliment, Jensen was never shy of that either. He'd constantly throw compliments at me, telling me how beautiful I was, how adorable. He didn't realize how much those words meant to me, especially since I didn't feel like skmeone who belonged beside a celebrity like him, but he made me feel otherwise.

We continued down the boardwalk, stopping at each booth. Jensen paused at a display of handmade gemstone necklaces while I spotted something intriguing at the nearby booth—a handmade beanie with "COD" embroidered on it, Call of Duty.

My thoughts turned to Kevin. Would he like it? Would he find it ridiculous? Jensen wrapped his arms around me from behind, a soft kiss on my shoulder sending shivers down my spine. "What are you looking at?"

I smiled, pointing to the beanie hanging on the rack. "I'm not sure if Kevin would like it, but..."

He turned me to face him, a wide grin on his face. "He'd love it."

We purchased the beanie and were about to leave when giggling caught my attention. Two girls from a nearby booth were whispering and giggling, eyeing Jensen like he was a celebrity cutout.

Time seems to fly when you're having fun, or so they say. I used to doubt it; fun didn't always make time race by for me. But this past week with Jensen and his kids felt like mere hours since they arrived. Now they were packing up to head back to their mom's place. Kevin and Katie sorted their bags in the hallway while Jensen came down the stairs, as usual, to see them off.

I gathered my things, slipping on my shoes by the back door, preparing to leave when Jensen hurried over, a playful smirk on his face. "Where are you sneaking off to?" he teased, pulling me close by my coat.

I chuckled, gently pushing his chest back. "Home, silly."

His smile faltered, and he looked at me, surprised, almost hurt. "Why?"

Confusion washed over me as I approached him, offering a polite smile. "What do you mean, why? Out of respect. Remember last time?"

His expression turned cold, and he glanced away, attempting to rebuild his walls. "Hey, Jensen, don't do that," I urged gently. "I'm not trying to upset you. Last time we agreed we were enjoying the drama-free zone. We don't have to change anything."

He frowned, shaking his head. "I want it to change. I don't want to hide anymore. This past week has been amazing for all of us. I want our bubble to be real. I want us to step out into the real world together."

I smiled, setting my bag down and moving closer to wrap my arms around him. "Then let's change it."

Half an hour later, the kids' mom arrived. I swallowed my nerves, standing my ground as Jensen seemed even more nervous than me.

Her face dropped when she saw me, a knowing smile on her lips. "Oh, hi. Y/N, right?" she greeted, stepping closer to us.

I nodded, smiling warmly. "Yes, nice to see you again, Daneel!"

She maintained her composure, glancing at Jensen, who was unusually quiet and still, frozen almost. "Jensen? Are you going to say hi or just stand there like a deer in headlights?" she teased.

Jensen managed a polite smile, shaking off his nerves. "Hey, Daneel. How was the drive?"

She shrugged, looking towards her car. "Not bad. I do miss Austin, though. Might consider moving back."

Jensen's jaw clenched, his expression turning cold and guarded, walls going up brick by brick. I stepped back, letting them talk, sitting beside the kids on the stairs.

"So, did you guys have a good week?" I asked.

Katie nodded, leaning against my shoulder. "I'll miss you!"

I laughed softly, touched by her words. "I'll miss you too, Katie. But don't worry, I live right next door. Come visit me whenever you're back, okay?"

She nodded eagerly, and I turned to Kevin, who sat with arms crossed, wearing a surly expression. "And you, Kevin? Did you have a good week?"

He shrugged and huffed, retreating into his chilly demeanor as if the week hadn't happened at all. It stung a bit, but he was a kid, grappling with the back-and-forth between parents. It couldn't be easy.

The parents' voices rose before falling silent altogether. Jensen walked away from Daneel, shaking his head, and approached Katie and Kevin, attempting a smile. "Come on, guys. Time to get in the car."

We waved goodbye as they drove off, and I couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness seeing Katie and Jensen look so crestfallen. They weren't my family yet, but I felt a deep emotional tug.

Once the car was out of sight, Jensen sat on the stairs, and I joined him quickly. He stared out at the road, jaw clenched, fists tight with some inner turmoil.

"Jensen?" I whispered, catching his attention.

He turned towards me, managing a sad smile. "I'm good. It's just a lot sometimes."

I nodded understandingly, squeezing his hand tightly. "Well, why don't we do something today? Get out of the house a bit?"

He smiled, the first genuine one all morning. "Yeah. Let's do it."

After looking up things to do, Jensen suggested we visit the beachside market. It boasted kiosks and stands with handmade items, something I was excited to explore.

We parked on the street, his hand finding mine immediately. Jensen was never shy about affection in the right moments. With his kids around, it was innocent; just the two of us, it was constant and comforting.

As we strolled down the pier, I marveled at the beautiful booths displaying an array of handmade goods—henna art, handmade bags, clothing, and more. It felt like walking through an art exhibit, each stall captivating my attention.

Jensen chuckled softly, drawing my gaze. "What?" I asked nervously.

He smirked, pulling me close. "You're adorable. That's what."

My cheeks flushed at the compliment, Jensen never holding back his admiration. He didn't realize how much those words meant to me. I didn't feel like someone who belonged beside a celebrity like him, but he made me feel otherwise.

We continued down the boardwalk, stopping at each booth. Jensen paused at a display of handmade gemstone necklaces while I spotted something intriguing at the adjacent booth—a handmade beanie with "COD" embroidered on it, Call of Duty.

My thoughts turned to Kevin. Would he like it? Would he find it ridiculous? Jensen wrapped his arms around me from behind, a soft kiss on my shoulder sending shivers down my spine. "What are you looking at?"

I smiled, pointing to the beanie hanging on the rack. "I'm not sure if Kevin would go for it, but..."

He turned me to face him, a wide grin on his face. "He'd love it."

I purchased the beanie and were about to leave when giggling caught my attention. Two girls from a nearby booth were whispering and giggling, eyeing Jensen like he was a celebrity cutout.

I glanced at Jensen, who seemed unbothered, unaware of the giggles or the fingers being pointed his way, and then I remembered. He's a celebrity-this is normal for him.

We started to walk back down the boardwalk when their high pitched screams stopped us in our tracks, the girls from before rushing over, stopping only inches from Jensen.

"Jensen! Oh my god! Can we get a picture please?"

Jensen turned towards me apologetically, but I shrugged it off with a polite smile. I knew this could have happened, I knew he was a celebrity, I just forgot. I didn't realize how intense this could be. How does he handle this?

After snapping a few photos for the girls, I handed back their phone. Insecurities started swallowing me, watching their perfect smiles, beautiful clothing and sun-kissed skin, and than there was me. I wasn't the type anyone would expect to see with a celebrity. Anxiety crept in, wondering why Jensen chose me.

I passed the phone back and started walking down the boardwalk, my anxiety rising with every step, the air in my lungs squeezing tight as my mind continued it's torture.

He caught up as I walked ahead, his hand gently resting on my back. "Hey... Are you okay?"

I nodded, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach my eyes. Panic swirled inside me, doubts echoing loudly.

Your not enough. Your fooling yourself by thinking he would EVER want to be with you. Jensen deserves better. He doesn't find you attractive. You're nothing.

"Honey?" Jensen whispered, stopping me and looking into my eyes, concern etched on his face.

I swallowed hard, a raspy cough escaping me, breathing fast. "Okay... okay, deep breaths," Jensen coached gently, his touch comforting.

I hated it. I hated that he was staring at me like this. I hated that I was ruining everything with my stupid mind. I hated that he had to take care of me. I hated that I wasn't good enough for him.

His hand was gentle yet firm on my arm, leading me to the stairs on the pier to get some privacy. I shakingly sat down, throwing my head in my hands to avoid whatever pity look he was offering me.

"Honey. Please talk to me, what's going on?"

Great job Y/N, now your worrying him for no reason.

"Jensen... you don't need to... I'll be okay," I managed between breaths, but the fear and sadness in my eyes were evident.

"Why are you saying this?" he asked softly, tilting his head, eyes searching mine.

I shook my head, tears streaming down. "Because... I'm not worth it... I don't fit in your world, Jensen Ackles and... I'm just me."

He took my hand, tilting my chin to meet his gaze. A soft smile graced his lips as he spoke, his eyes firm. "Says who?"

"Everybody." I raised my voice, the anxiety rising each moment. "Society. You seen those girls, I'm nothing compared to them. Their sun kissed skin, beautiful outfits and model like faces. I'm not like that at all."

He nodded and moved in front of me, holding my hands tightly. "You're right. Your not like those girls, that's why I like you. I love that even though you've been here for a while, you still have light skin, I love that I can clearly see the sun spots and freckles on your face, I love that you don't spend hours in the mirror putting makeup on, you just instantly look gorgeous. What you look like doesn't determine your worth but if it did, trust me your more than worth it."

I rolled my eyes and gained the courage to stand, my thoughts spiralling. "You don't need to say that."

He moved quickly, grabbing my arm and spinning me around until I was nestled tightly against him, his hand softly urging my head to rest on his chest.

"You are more than enough. You've never demanded anything from me. You gave me a second chance when I didn't deserve it. You've helped me countless times without expecting anything in return. And you connect with my kids so well—Kevin won't admit it, but he likes you. You've made an effort to play video games with him, to do what he enjoys. Katie takes up a lot of time, and I worry he feels left out, but you see him. You effortlessly balance everything, without seeking praise."

I wrapped my arms around him, holding him tightly, feeling him ground me. He understood me better than anyone.

"You will always be more than enough for me. You're the one I want to be with. Those other girls? They're not beautiful to me. You are beautiful. Naturally, flawlessly gorgeous. Just look at yourself... You take my breath away, honey."

Jensen gently lifted my face towards his, kissing me with a passion I'd never known before. Our bodies pressed together, warmth enveloping us. His hands moving to my hair, pulling me impossibly closer, making sure that I knew he meant what he said.

Each pause for breath left us gasping, caught in a whirlwind of emotions. We were falling in love, or perhaps we already had.

If he could love me like this, then maybe, just maybe, I truly was enough.

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Chapter 9 coming soon stay tuned!

Like, comment, and reblog, feedback is my fuel 💕

[paeries]

Sick of You II — h.s.

[when a boyfriend of two years breaks it off and offers a new arrangement, of course you’ll take it up. this is your prime chance to prove him wrong. and Harry can’t bear to watch it]

[part one is here, part three is here and i just wanted to say thank you thank you thank you for all the love you've shown. i really hope you enjoy it xxx]

wc; 10k

pairing; harry styles x reader

cw; friends to lovers au, angstt as always, (i cant tell how angsty it is because I was so busy on trying to get this out for you guys) also brief mention of unspecified drug use i forgot about that its so little

pov; y/n, but third person

Morning light came through the windows, only partly dimmed by the curtains. Harry winced as a ray of light began to wake him. He started to stretch, nearly jumping out of his skin when he heard a groan from beside him. His eyes fell upon her head of hair, tucked into his chest and he felt his chest burn. How could he have forgotten? She chose me. This time, it was me. He could feel a stupid grin spread across his lips, slowly slipping his body away from the couch to let her sleep a bit longer.

Somehow, he managed his big frame away without waking her, her hair slightly out of place and spread across the throw pillow. He was aware that he’s getting ahead of himself, but already there’s an unsteady bubble rising in his chest. He knows that if he lets himself revel in this too much, it’ll end up crushing him, most likely as a wave of reality of the fact that he wasn’t enough and he’s spent too many years trying to prove to himself that he was. That it was up to Y/N to decide. Yet, as he laid the blanket over top of her sleeping body, he couldn’t help but remember how it felt to watch her trail off behind Mark so easily.  He was so sure she’d go home with him, so much so that he even contemplated whether it was accidental or not. That she knew Mark was on the way, and used him to get under Mark’s skin. After all, she came after him. She asked for the kiss.  And what a great precursor to get back together that was. It was everything Harry had been trying to avoid. Any sane man that walked up on that kiss would’ve had enough sense knocked into them to know it was time to stop fucking around. If it was him? And he was in Mark’s shoes? He’d have gotten to his knees, and begged for forgiveness, that he didn’t realise how badly he loved her. Only, Mark doesn't love her. 

It was all he could think about after he left The Stumble last night while blinking back tears, the air threatening to freeze any that fell. He had no idea where he went after that, how long he stayed there, what he drank, or even how he got home. All he remembers is Y/N sitting on his couch with a glass of water for him. That memory, as insignificant as it appeared, was enough to warm his chest once more.

He went to his room to shower and change out of his clothes from the night before, thinking about bringing back a quick breakfast while she slept. One that was actually for her. He'd have to text her so she knew to wait for him if she woke up before he returned. He tried his best to keep quiet, planning his quick outing to try and be back before she woke, but when he kept hearing buzzing as he reached for his keys, he began to grow irritated. It was nearly nine am and her phone was lighting up every few seconds when he looked over. And Harry, of course, knew better. But he couldn't help himself and tiptoed over, catching only a contact name. Naturally, it was Mark with a constant stream of 20 texts and phone calls. Harry scowled, disgust spreading like rust in his mouth, and snatched the phone up to move it to the kitchen counter. He can’t place the feeling he gets, as the doubt creeps in,  but knows deep down in his gut that she only chose him this time. That this was just the tip of the iceberg, that he still had a long way to go, and that last night's performance was only proof of his time running out.

—

His thoughts swarmed hot around his head as he drove, and no matter how many times he reminded himself to find peace in the small victories, he couldn't get Mark's stupid looking face out of his head, or that stupid fucking phone buzzing again and again and again. And now, because the prick doesn't know when to quit, she'll wake up and won't see his text. Knowing she'll see those messages, whatever they say, and how they'll affect her entire day or mood for the rest of the day had his blood boiling.

When would he finally get her to himself so he wouldn't have to keep picking up the pieces Mark breaks as they fall?

Harry's knuckles tightened on the steering wheel, and he thought he'd have to pull over if he had to drive any longer; thankfully, the deli was only a traffic light away. He knew it shouldn’t piss him off so bad and that he shouldn't let it get to him the way it did.  But Mark wasn't going to go away. Not on his own at least, especially with the hold he knows he has on Y/N. It was manipulative, what kind of person torments someone they supposedly cared about at one point? And why couldn’t she realise he was tugging her along. It all made his heart hurt, his brain feeling like it’d explode with how frustrating the situation was. 

His phone rang just as he pulled into a parking spot, jolting him away from his thoughts as he scrambled to find it. Cade calling… “Cade?” He questioned, he didn’t know Cade even kept his number. He’s never called before. “Hey, Harry! Wasn’t sure if this was the right number.” He explained from the other side of the phone. “You got me, what’s up?” Harry asked, sighing as he relaxed in his seat because he had a funny feeling he knew where this conversation was going to end up. “Oh! Well,  M’just, er, checking in on you. Y’left the bar before saying goodbye, and all,” He started, and Harry could hear how uncomfortable Cade was from the sound of his voice. “And, y’know the girls were worried too.” Harry sighed a bit too loudly, “Everything’s fine.” He said, taking the time to grab his wallet to get ready to walk in for the order. “I know, but.. y’seemed really upset. And Y/N came out of the bathroom, shouted at us.. We just wanted to double check.” He explained again, earning a grumble from Harry. “Yeah, jus’ really don’t like Mark. Thought that was the case for all of us.” Harry really just wanted to stop talking about Mark, and whatever humiliating experience they saw. The thought sent a chill down his spine at the memory of rejection. “It is! We jus-” Cade started again and Harry had had enough already. “Look, there’s nothing to worry about, yeah? Let’s just forget it even happened. S’none of our business.” He said, getting annoyed that Cade kept prying. He’d be willing to bet Daphne was by him from his use of ‘we’, Jodie was far too up front to get Cade of all people to get answers. “Right, sorry. Well, s’Daph’s birthday comin’ up. We wanted to get together one last time before we have to plan nights out in advance.” Cade said, looking for a way to round out the already uncomfortable conversation. “Yeah, er, let’s get a text goin’ cos I’ve got to run in and get some breakfast, okay?” Harry said, opening his car door to get out. “Works f’me, see y’Harry.” And with that he hung up. Harry sighed again for what felt like the umpteenth time, straightening up before finally walking in to order their breakfast.

Just as Harry walked through his front door, Y/N had just come out of his room having been searching for something other than last night’s dress to wear at ten in the morning.

“Morning.” He muttered, trying not to let his bitterness from the car ride venture into whatever conversation he’ll find himself in with her. As he set the brown bags on the kitchen counter and hung up the keys, he noticed she had folded up the blanket he had laid on her.  A perfect houseguest indeed.

“Breakfast?” He asked, taking a look in her direction and managed to crack a smile. “Made y’self right at home, didn’t you?” He chuckled, pulling the parchment wrapped sandwiches out of the bags. Y/N blushed and made her way to the opposite side of the counter. “M’sorry, figured it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission.” She began to explain and Harry quickly shook his head, “No, no! Don’t apologise, I changed as soon as I woke up too.” He explained, passing her sandwich towards her plate. “What’s this?” She asked, grinning at him. “S’breakfast, what’s it look like?” He laughed, setting the coffees down. “I meant,” She paused, opening the parchment to reveal a sausage egg and cheese with a bright red tomato peering out the sides, “What is it.” She repeated with a giggle, picking up her coffee for a sip. “S’gorgeous, Harry, thank you.”

          “Uh, Cade called me.” He murmured and her head snapped up, “About last night?” She asked, slumping back into her seat. “Harry, m’really so, so, sorry. I wasn’t thinki-” “Y/N, please. It’s fine, really. Wasn’t your fault, besides Cade only called to ask if you were alright.” Harry lied, and it was a bad lie. She didn’t seem to notice but it had him sweating. “I was kind of rude to them when I left.” She sighed, shaking her head as she remembered how shameful she felt knowing they had seen everything.

They probably saw me as weak, that I couldn’t stand up for myself. Or, at least not when it came to Mark. They’d seen countless times that I had to tell someone off for acting a fool over a pool game, or someone getting too close to one of the girls. It wasn’t strange for them to see me shouting over music to make sure the other party knew I wasn’t taking anyone's crap. 

She was positive they hadn’t seen that Y/N since Mark’s been in her life. But she always thought Mark was endgame. That he was supposed to stumble into her friend group, and he was supposed to spill a whole tray of shots in her lap, and he was supposed to tell her he loved her too early. 

It made her head spin when she thought about how perfectly everything panned out in the beginning of the relationship compared to where they are now. 

“Marks been texting all morning,” She began, desperate to change the subject, “says he wanted to make sure I made it home alright.” When she first read the message, her chest ached. She had finally managed to crack into his ego. 

She scowled, thinking about how long it's been since he left her, and why it had to have been now, when she was finally getting more comfortable to pull through and act like she was worth a damn. “Think he wants to meet up, properly ‘apologise’. That’s what he says anyway.” She explained, taking another bite from her sandwich. 

Harry’s grip tightened on his cup, and he had to set it down in order to stop himself from bursting hot coffee all over the counter. “Y’gonna go?” He reluctantly asked, deathly afraid to hear the answer he knew she’d give. 

“I mean,” she sighed and sat back in her chair, “it’s the least he can do, and I’ve never heard an apology leave his lips before. Might be one of the extraordinary once-in-a-lifetime things, y’know?” She laughed, and shrugged, placing a stray tomato back into the sandwich before she took another bite. “Why? Think it's a bad idea?” She asked, tilting her head to the side as she looked at him, trying to gauge his unspoken reactions. 

“Well,” He coughed, taking a swig from his coffee before continuing, “S’not the complete worst idea in the history of ideas. Y’are right, that’s the least he can do.” Harry swallowed bitterly around the words, fighting off the urge to begin gnawing at his lips. “I just- m’not sure he’s doing it to be genuine, s’all.” He admitted, trying his best to avoid her stare. 

She stayed quiet, mulling over his answer in her head. “What would he be doing it for? I’ve never heard him apologise for any argument we ever had, I had to fold every time.” Harry snorts at that, and he wanted to make a comment about how some things never change but decided against it. She has to realise that for herself. “Y’could put a stop to it.” He suggested, shrugging but still proud for finding a different way to hint it at her. “How d’ya suggest I do that?” She giggled out and Harry shrugged again, swallowing back the frustration that she was oblivious to what he was trying to get at. 

“What if I promise to send an SOS if I need it?” She countered, smiling still at him as she wrapped up the rest of the sandwich to pull her phone out and request a driver to pick her up. Harry chuckled dryly, nodding around a gigantic bite he may or may not have taken on purpose to avoid telling her how he really felt about the whole situation. “Yeah,” He muttered after he swallowed, wrapping his up as well now that he lost his appetite. “Y’headed out?” He asked, pursing his lips as she collected her things. “Yeah, got to do some groceries today, errand stuff. Maybe shop a bit. You want to join?” She asked, in case he had to pick anything up for himself as well. Harry shook his head, leaning back, “Nah, ‘ve got a full day of relaxation ahead of me.  You have fun though.” He smiled, and leaned up to kiss her cheek before she grabbed her shoes to head out. He quickly turned in his chair to try and catch her before she walked out the front door. “Wait!” Y/N stopped in her tracks, turning to face him once more, “What?” Harry smiled, “Cade’s planning Daphne’s birthday here tonight. Now, I know y’got to help Jodie but if you guys are up for it, maybe she could practise here? Two birds, one stone, yeah?” He offered and she nodded in agreement, “Sounds great, I’ll ask Jodie. Bye, Harry.”

Finally sitting at the table, she looked through the late lunch options, not quite feeling up to dinner yet. Mark was running late, he said, so she’d just have to order something for him. Deciding she didn't want to know how she had found the time to drop all of her bags at the house and change quickly before coming here when he still hadn't arrived, she sighed, leaning back in her chair to pull out her phone. 

To: Jodie

he’s late again

lookin like a loser so far lol

Again, the waitress came over to ask if she was ready to at least take a drink order. Y/N gave a smile, sitting up again. “I was just going to order a glass of water, but now I’m thinkin’ I ought to pair it with a vodka cranberry on the rocks.” She joked and the waitress, whose name tag read ‘Aubree’ smiled and nodded before dipping off to make the drink. 

From: Jodie

I could possibly make a million off placing bets on whether Mark shows up or not

sorry, that was mean

order something expensive and leave him with the bill

She laughed at her phone, shaking her head fondly at her best friend’s humor. Jodie wasn’t wrong, she should know better by now. Mark had never, in the time they had dated, shown up on time. Only when they broke up did he start standing her up completely. 

The waitress made it back with her drink and she apologised again, “Just a few more minutes, m’so sorry.”, to which ‘Aubree’  nodded and headed off to the next table. And right as Y/N began another text to Jodie, she saw his familiar light brown head of hair at the right height ducking through the front door.

To: Jodie

hope you didn’t bet your life earnings away, he's here

ttyl love you xx

Y/N tucked her phone back into her bag and found Mark, talking to the hostess, well, flirting with the hostess as he asked if she knew where to find ‘his date’. She watched as the girl smiled, playing with her hair as pointed in her direction, a full dining room over. He nodded and made his way over, arms outstretched as if to offer a welcoming hug. She rolled her lips together, and stood halfway to accept a hug with one arm. 

“Y’didn’t order anything?” He asked, taking his seat opposite her and opened his menu. “Nope, just a drink. Thought I may as well catch a buzz while I wait.” She said, crossing one leg over the other with a hard glare delivered in his direction. He peered above the menu and chuckled, “C’mon, no need for a strop. Can’t help traffic, love.” He hummed, nudging his ankle against hers. “Right.” She hummed, leaning forwards for her drink to take a long drink. 

“Think m’goin in the late lunch direction.” She muttered, picking the menu up to take a look. “Turkey Club Wrap or something like that.” Mark nodded, looking through his options. “In that case, I’ll go for the arugula and sausage personal pizza.” And put his menu down. “They do draft here right?” He asked, flashing his once charming smile her way. “Yes, y’know they do, we’ve been here before.” She sighed, leaning forward towards him. “I thought you had something to tell me.” She mused, making sure to keep eye contact with him as she set her menu to the side for the waitress to collect. “Waited an awful long time to hear you rattle off about draft beer.” She quipped, straightening up in her seat, fully laying the ball in his court. Being uncomfortable wasn’t Mark’s strongpoint. Any time he found himself in a compromising situation, he used his sex appeal and charm as a deflection shield. It used to have a colossal effect on her, nowadays it’s once in a while that she gave in. Well, Jodie could disagree. 

He shifted in his spot, opening his mouth before straightening up when he locked eyes with our waitress that was headed their direction, managing to avoid the topic a bit longer when she came to finally take the orders.

By the time they had finished most of their food, she was growing irritated. He still hadn’t come close to talking about last night. And at this point, she was four glasses down, her limbs feeling heavier by the second. It’s not like she was having a shitty time, Mark had always been a great conversationalist. Her foggy brain just so happened to remember the original reason she was even here in the first place. And they hadn’t even scratched the surface, yet the ‘date’ was coming to an end. 

Just as she began to bring it up, Mark clasped his hands together when he saw the waitress coming by with the check. “Thank you very much, everything was fantastic.” He praised, pulling his wallet out immediately to hand some bills to her. She smiled, grabbing the plates, “Oh, good! I’ll be right back with your copy.” And off she went again. 

“Mark.” Y/N hummed, her words slurring a bit. “Y’got me drunk and y’didn't even apologise yet.” She grumbled, clearing off her side of the table for the bus boy. Mark smirked, leaning back in his seat. “Yeah, well, I thought that conversation could use a more private setting.” He drawled, grabbing his keys. “Maybe at mine?” He suggested, tilting his head to the side slightly as he watched her consider his offer. “Well, I,” She trailed off, weighing the options. Late lunch at two p.m. turned into dinner nearing seven p.m., and she was still supposed to meet with Jodie later to help her practise her speech for work the next week. “I’d have to tell Jod I’d be a bit late.” She admitted, and Mark grinned, “Perfect!” and set the tip down on the table. “She can keep the extra change too, let’s go.”

They stepped into his apartment and it looked the very same. The same fake plants, the same picture frames of stock black and white photos, some mixed with his family. Nothing had changed, apart from the few things she took when she left. Without the few things he allowed to be put in the living space, it was structured, boxy, stoic, there was no charm. Certainly not the kind of charm Mark exuded on the daily.  

She always felt his place felt so ingenuine to him. Nothing matched him here at all. 

“You know where everything is.” He said, opening his closet to set his jacket in and tossed his wallet and keys on the coffee table. Y/N watched as he headed into his kitchen to the liquor cabinet. “Top off?” He asked, grabbing a bottle of vodka and a rocks glass. “Mark, really, that’s okay,” She tried but he shook his head, “Won’t be hearing any of that. One won’t kill ya, will it.” And with that, he passed her the glass and poured it in, pouring himself a glass as well. She sighed, taking the glass and raised it to her lips to take a big swig, knowing she’ll need it. 

Mark extended a hand towards the living room and she grabbed the glass, going to take a seat on the couch.  “So,” He started, clearing his throat and sat beside her. “Know y’here to talk about last night. And, let me just say I understand that you’re upset,” He began, and she scoffed, interrupting him, “Bit more than upset, Mark.” She clarified, snatching her glass up for another gulp before getting up to get the rest of the bottle. She heard him sigh and wait till she sat back down to continue. “Angry.” He corrected, “A-And you have every right. I shouldn’t have gone to The Stumble. I was drunk and obviously not thinking clearly.” He wrung his fingers in his palms, a nervous tic she picked up on a long time ago. She knew he hated being in the wrong, much like Harry. Seeing how anxious he seemed softened some of the anger she had built up from the “late lunch”, my ass, earlier.

She sighed, listening to him ramble on and on, practically repeating himself the longer he went on. She finally finished her glass and set it down, this time pouring him a glass.  “Mark, it’s alright. Well, actually- It isn’t, don’t do it again,” She started, but in the uncomfortability of the situation a giggle managed its way out. The feeling of heat rising at her cheeks and the tips of her ears. “But, really, you only embarrassed me- in front, o-of everyone-“ She paused, bursting into a fit of laughter, “M’sorry, its really not that f-funny.” She laughed out, a hiccup following suit, causing Mark to laugh as well. “And Daphne!” She laughed out, “Poor Daph saw th’whole thing! She reeaalllyy likes Harry.” And Mark settled a bit after that, his laughter dieing down.

“Y’like Harry?” He asked, and Y/N calmed down as well, “What’d’ya mean? I said Daphne,” She hummed, grabbing her glass to take another sip, not really wanting to go down this road. 

“C’mon, Y/N, don’t make me repeat it.” He sighed, leaning back. She pursed her lips, running a hand through her hair as she thought about her answer. “He’s… Harry- He’s really sweet. A-And,” She paused, trying to find the right words to describe Harry, who, like Jodie, quickly became a significant part of her life. “He makes me laugh, like you wouldn’t believe.” She giggled out at the memory, a stupid smile remaining. 

Mark cleared his throat, rolling his shoulders back, “You looked really pretty last night, by the way.” He said, wringing his thumb again. She hummed and nodded, “Thank you. Was in my closet for some time.” He nodded as well, setting a hand at her knee, “Really, Y/N. Beautiful.” He murmured, sliding a hand to cup her cheek, shifting closer before leaning in to kiss her. Her eyes went wide as she felt his lips press against hers, and she pulled away hesitantly, taking the time to process the kiss. Mark had so very rarely gave out compliments and her drunk mind and body let the walls down, pulling him back into another kiss. 

She moaned softly, leaning back against the couch as he pressed closer and closer, his hand sliding in between her legs. Her hips rolled up at his touch and when he bit down at her lip, she squeaked, muttering an “Ow.” He pulled away, and began kissing down her neck, his fingers landing a little too far to the right to be her clit. “M’sorry, baby. Y’know how excited I get.” He mumbled against her skin, biting down at her neck. “Mark, seriously, quit bitin’” She huffed, relaxing back again when he laid a single kiss over it. “C’mon, s’go to the bedroom.” He mumbled, pulling her to a stand and led her to the back room.

She woke the next day in Mark's bed, bringing her hand up to her head, she groaned. Small bits of a headache creeping up on her. Mark grumbled, flipping over onto his stomach, “Morning, could y’not be so loud.” He mumbled against the pillows. “Mark, it's the afternoon.” Y/N huffed, swatting at his back. “Where's my phone?” She rasped out, pulling her ruffled shirt that was laid at the end of the bed to her chest as she stood. And exactly what time is it? I need to apologise to Jodie, and Harry, “Oh God, Harry-“ She breathed, scrambling to find the rest of her clothes and phone. Mark scoffed, lifting his head up, “S’not what you were saying last night.” Y/N sneered at him, “Shut up, that was the first time in a long time that you’ve made me cum, so, someone finally taught you something. Don’t get cocky.” She snapped, trying to get dressed as fast as possible. 

“Forgot how mean y’are after drinking.” 

She groaned, finding her phone finally in the living room. “I’m not mean, you’re just irritating.”

Texts, calls, voicemails, dms, you name it. From Harry the most, then Jodie, Cade called a few times and Daphne tried once. That would be one call, and the single dm. Y/N groaned, not even bothering to say goodbye as she hurried out to her car. She tried Harry first, no answer. Voicemail.

She tried Jodie next, who of course answered right away, “Oh my God!” She shrieked, and Y/N had to hold the phone away from her ear. “Are you crazy?! I thought you were dead!” She shouted, continuing on about how she was debating calling the cops on Mark in case he did anything in retaliation. “Jesus, Jod, I’m sorry. I ended up getting drunk, and er- He apologised.” Y/N admitted, clearing her throat and she began shouting again. “We all figured it out, Y/N! Either you two were fucking, or he murdered you.” She said, exasperatingly. “I’m really disappointed in you, so get over here so I can give you a piece of my mind and be thankful you’re not dead in a ditch somewhere.”

  “Wait! Wait! I’m not showered!” She explained, hoping to at least manage a shower before she went to her house. “You should’ve thought about that before you fucked Mark again.” And with that she hung up. Y/N sighed, changing her course of direction for Jodie’s apartment.

When she walked in, Jodie was standing in front of the door with her arms crossed over her chest, tapping her foot. “You, missy, are in for a mouthful.” And pointed to sit on the couch. “Lot of couch sitting this week.” Y/N grumbled, walking over anyway to hear what she had to say. “Jodie, I really didn’t mean for tha” She tried but Jodie threw her hands up to stop her, “I don’t want to hear it! You stood me up, y’lucky this wasn’t a last minute preparation like usual. Cade, Harry and Daphne got drunk and forgot they were planning her party, which isn’t that big of a deal…” She rambled, pacing in front of her as she went on. “And Daphne’s already pretty upset with you after that whole fiasco from the other night, I mean, honestly, Y/N. What are you doing?!” She exclaimed, looking to her friend for an answer. Y/N bit her lip, feeling it begin to quiver and her eyes well up, “I’m sorry! I wasn’t- I wasn’t thinking clearly, he..” She sighed, wiping at her eyes as Jodie sat down next to her, immediately calming down as she saw the tears falling. “I waited a long time for him to compliment me and mean it. It t-took me by surprise, and I was drunk, and he asked me about Harry, and I-I didn’t know what to say.” She whimpered, shaking her head as Jodie tugged at her arm to get her to lean against her. From the corner of Y/N’s eye, she could see Daphne rounding the corner to head into the kitchen, she was holding her head too. “Tylenol’s in the bathroom, Daph.” Jodie called from over her shoulder to which Daphne grumbled and filled a glass of water before retreating back down the hallway to the bathroom.

“You’ve got to stop answering him, Y/N. He’s using you, and you let him do it every time. I know you know he doesn’t care about you.” Jodie sighed, rubbing Y/N’s arm as she whimpered. “If I have to watch your phone when we’re together, or put you on a damn tracking app, I’ll do it. You’ve got no sense of self control when it comes to Mark.” Y/N swallowed thickly, playing with her fingers. “I just wanted to know why I’m only good enough for one night, I thought he‘d tell me what was so terrible about being with me.” She cried out, leaning forward to bury her hands in her knees when Daphne came back out. “Y’know that’s not true. Mark was never going to be the guy, sweetheart. And you keep trying to fit him into you and he just doesn’t fit. I can’t watch it anymore, Harry can’t watch it anymore-” Jodie started, eyes darting to Daphne, trying to warn her to back off when she saw her began to open her mouth. “No, fuck that, Jodie!” She huffed, turning to face Y/N.

“You know he loves you, right? And that you’re hurting him?” Daphne glared at her, and she furrowed her brows with a sniffle. “Daph..” She started, shaking her head. “Y’don’t understand,” And again she cut her off, “No! You don’t understand!” She shouted, “You’ve got the whole group in some stupid love circle. I really liked Harry, Harry really liked you, you really liked Mark. And for some reason you decided to put everybody through the same misery you feel watching  someone you care so strongly for get hurt or want for someone else!” Daphne spat, and Y/N could feel her face contort at what she was saying. Anger riling up deep from her gut. “Daph, I’m sorry you saw us outside. It wasn’t supposed to happen, a-and I feel terrible but, you have no right to assume any of what you just said.” A scoff leaves Daphne's lips, sending Jodie into mediation for the argument. “Hold on a mo’ girls,” She started but Y/N held a finger up, “How is it my fault that you'd rather want everyone to be alone!” She snarled, and when Daphne stood up, Y/N did as well. “Alright! That’s enough!” Jodie shouted, standing on top of her coffee table. “Both of you, sit down. We’re settling this.” She asked, glancing between the two of them, ready if the other pounced. 

Daphne scoffed, backing up and shook her head. “F’get it.” She muttered, “I didn’t care Harry wanted you, I care that you’re blowing it away. Y’know,” She started as she gathered her things up to leave. “When we found out where you were? Harry excused himself, said he was afraid he’d drank too much and might puke. I heard him crying, last night, in his room.” Daphne sauntered around, no doubt for effect as she spoke, double checking for her belongings before opening the front door, “I’d never heard cries like that before. So, yeah, I could want everyone to be alone like me. But I for sure don’t want to ever, cause heartbreak like that.” And she slammed the door behind her.

Y/N looked at Jodie in disbelief and she sighed, shrugging. “I was getting there, I didn’t wanna drop it on you like that.” Y/N swallowed thickly, looking at her phone as she thought about all the times he called her last night, possibly worried out of his mind. “Jod, w-what do I say to him?” She whimpered, bringing her hands up to her face. “I don’t know, lovie. I didn’t know until Daphne pulled me aside last night. She asked me to leave with her and let her sleep over here so she wouldn’t think about the sound. I-I just… you really fucked up this time. I’d start with calling him? See where he stands and ask to meet up, because you owe him an apology. Stood us both up last night, s’what he kept saying.” Jodie said, “I’ll talk to Daphne, she’s just upset.” 

Y/N nodded, biting into her lip. “Mind if I grab a shower?” She asked timidly, taking one glance at her irritated face. “I shouldn’t.” She hummed, cracking a smile and nudged her friend’s head forward jokingly, “But even I wouldn’t make you beg for forgiveness drenched in another mans stink.” She laughed, grabbing a towel for her and tossed it over. “Go on.”

--

Y/N stepped out of the shower and headed down the hall to her living room, sniffling still and Jodie immediately snapped her head up at her in concern. Y/N groaned, wrapping her hair in the towel, “Yes, I was crying. Yes, I’m okay now.” She grumbled, going to take her seat on the couch again. Jodie snickered, coming to join her with two cups of tea. “Y’make my job so much easier sometimes.” She teased, handing her the cup. “Sometimes.” She repeated before adding, “So? Did he apologise?” She asked, raising her eyebrows at her. Y/N laughed at the idea after taking a sip of the tea, shaking her head at her blonde friend. “I don’t really think so? He never said the words, just listed how he knew I felt. But, it was so uncomfortable to listen to, so I think I cut him off.” She admitted, shaking her head at the memory. “And then he fucked you?” Y/N’s jaw dropped at her assumption, “No! He asked about Harry, and… he said I looked beautiful the other night. And,” She took a deep breath, closing her eyes before continuing, “then, he fucked me.” She grumbled, lifting her cup again for another sip.

Jodie groaned, setting her cup down and turned her body to face Y/N. “Alright, enough is enough. We’re figuring this out.” I giggled, turning to face her as well. “What are we figuring out?” Jodie grinned at her, pulling out a game board from underneath her coffee table, finding a dry erase and marker from a charade game. “Pros and cons for both men.” She smiled, holding up the two. “You list them out, I’ll write em down.” Y/N groaned, burying her face into her hands again. “I don’t know, Jod, that feels wrong.” She admitted and Jodie scoffed, shaking her head. “Nonsense, we’re doing it. Go on, start.”

Y/N sighed, looking up to the ceiling as she tried to recall all their traits, figuring out where they’d stand in a column. “Con, Mark works a demanding yet incredibly boring job.” She said definitively, and Jodie smiles again, quickly scribbling it down. “See? Not so hard, is it?” Rolling her eyes, Y/N continued, “Pro, Harry’s extremely funny.” she giggled, listening to Jodie repeat extremely funny as she wrote it down. “Er,” Y/N paused, scratching the back of her head, “Pro, Mark travels, so there's like.. Dunno, that worldly experience?” She tried, earning a unconvinced look from Jodie but began writing it down anyway. “Harry’s been to other places in the world too.” She countered, shrugging condescendingly at Y/N. “Well, speaking another language doesn’t necessarily mean… whatever ‘worldly experience’ warrants.” Y/N argued, folding her arms across her chest. “Pro, Harry’s dependable.” She nodded, looking at Jodie in case she wanted to debunk that one too. “That's a fact.” She replied, giggling before raising the marker up. “I’ve got one!” Y/N furrowed her brows at her friend, more laughs spilling past her lips. “It isn’t your list, you can’t have one!” She shouted, shaking her head. “Yes I can, watch, Con, Marks boring.” Jodie grinned, scribbling away on the list. Y/N grumbled, crossing her arms over one another again. “Well, explain this to me. Because this is the one thing I can’t figure out.” She huffed, fixing her spot on the couch again. “Every time Mark gets near me, or even,” Y/N sighed, tugging a hand through her drying hair. “Hell, even over the phone, I feel like I can’t breathe, Jodie.” She started out, trying to be careful not to start crying again. “Like he sucks up all the air in the room, and my ears ring. I’m suddenly aware of everything I’m doing. How stupid or silly it looks, and if hes looking at me. My chest gets tight, I-I just. Explain that to me, because I’ve been having a hard time with it myself.” 

Jodie looked at her with wide eyes, quiet for a moment. “I had no idea it was like that, why didn’t you ever say anything?” She asked, before shaking her head, “S’a conversation for a different day.” Taking a deep breath, she leaned back and set the dry erase board down. “How do you feel around Harry?” She asked carefully, almost rearing back into her seat from the fear of her friends answer. Y/N tossed her head back, resting it against the back of the sofa, going quiet as well. Throwing her arms up suddenly, she groaned exasperatedly. “It’s the complete opposite! Everything slows down, and I don’t feel so rushed. Y’know how, during the holidays, you’re rushing around, trying to get everything packed, racing to get there on time? And then you get there, and you can finally relax. A-And you’re surrounded by your family, some family friends.” She said softly, pursing her lips. “It’s not as, s’gonna sound corny, but, it doesn’t- s’not as mind consuming, not as numbing.” She frowned, looking at her lap as she played with the rings on her fingers. “I wish it was different, Jodie. You’ve no idea how many times I wished it was different.” Jodie sighed, shaking her head as she scooted closer to her confused friend. “M’dear Y/N,” She hummed, scooting closer and wrapping an arm around Y/N’s shoulders. “You’ve got love and dread, terribly confused, lovie.” She giggled out, and Y/Nlooked at her as if she had three heads. “I’m serious!” Jodie laughed out breathlessly, and Y/N shrugged her friends arm off her shoulders. “What are you talking about?” Y/N mumbled, shaking her head at the blonde as she started to grow a bit irritated. Was she not listening? 

Jodie glared at her playfully, throwing her hands up in defence. “Woah, woah! Take it easy! Listen to me.” She giggled, going on to explain that the feeling her friend gets when he’s around was her body’s way of saying to stay away from him. “You’ve never felt at ease with Mark. Always worried about what he thought of you. You go into panic mode, s’literally what you just described to me.” She hummed, proud to have cracked the code so easily. “Love isn’t supposed to make you hold your breath until you pass out, love is supposed to relax you. Put you at ease, make y’feel safe? S’this ringing any bells?” She trailed off, spinning her fingers around one another to mimic gears shifting. 

“You’re saying, I love Harry?” Y/N blinked, tilting her head to one side in thought. “And Mark…?” She mumbled, trying to put the pieces together. Jodie groaned, shaking her head vigorously, “Fuck Mark!” She shouted exasperatedly, tone dripping with frustration. “But-” Y/N started again and Jodie shook her head, closing her eyes. “Noo, no, buts. You’ve been blind this whole time and I’ve given you sight. Tha’s why we need these little chats.” She giggled, elbowing Y/N in the ribs. “S’why you’re the brains of this operation.” Y/N grumbled, shaking her head in disbelief. “And you’ve got both boys at your feet. Well, Harry more than Mark.” Jodie added, leaning back with another sip of her tea. “I tell you, women kill to be in your shoes.” She giggled, and Y/N huffed, pulling a throw pillow over her face before speaking into it, “What’s so great about little old me?” 

Jodie laughed, grabbing the pillow and smacking it across her friends head. “Go ask Harry, idiot!” Suddenly, Y/N gasped, sitting up immediately, “Oh my God, I still haven’t even called him back!” She shouted, jumping up to grab her things, giving a kiss to Jodie's head as she scrambled out a goodbye.

Last Night: 

Harry had pulled out all the stops, he was positive he created the perfect environment, for Jodie to rehearse, Daphne and Cade to plan out the party, and for Y/N to decompress from a shitty meeting with Mark. He had four pizzas delivered, went out to get three bottles of wine, Cade was supposed to bring the liquor. He had music playlists created and perfected to whatever mood they ended up in later in the evening. He was proud, his house was clean and looked comfortable, if he did say so himself. 

When Cade and Daphne came, he was beaming, ready for a great night. All of his friends together in their own separate worlds under one roof. It made him giddy, excited to watch the friendships of the room blossom in the way they do every night. He loved making memories with them, each person brought so much to the table that no matter what they had planned for the night, it was always a great time. Harry always thought about how lucky he was to have stumbled into a group like this one.

Cade poured out shots while Harry got the music going, “Alright, so, we starting the night before? Like, go into midnight? And then carry on the next night?” Daphne suggested, wriggling her eyebrows to hint to them. “Y’really think we can control ourselves to not get a hangover the next morning?” Cade asked, passing the shot glasses around. “We could,” She said, pointing between her and Harry, “You however, may need some babysitting.” She giggled out, infecting the other two boys with laughter as well. “Bottoms up! Let’s get brainstorming.” She grinned, and all three tipped their glasses up. The three exchanged ideas and places to go for at least a good hour before Harry fell into his chair, tugging at his hair. “Let’s take a break. Need a slice, y’want Daph? Cade? Pizza?” He asked on his way to the kitchen, grinning as Cade gave a thumbs up and Daphne replied with a simple, Please! 

Harry brought the boxes in, setting them on the dining table, plating them up before handing the plates to the other two. “So,” Cade started before wolfing into his slice. “Who here can explain this whole Mark thing to me?” He asked, looking warily to the others. Daphne groaned, shaking her head, “Cade, y’not missing much. I told you.” She laughed, trying to change the subject for Harry’s sake once she saw the grimace spread across his lips. “What do you want to know?” Harry replied, surprising even himself. The liquor beginning to do his talking for him. Cade glanced in Daphne’s direction, taking a sip from his mixed drink as she shrugged, “Go on, then.” She sighed, picking up her pizza and preparing to sit this one out.

Clearing his throat, Cade leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. “Well, what’s the big deal? Know m’late to the ordeal, and I thought I understood, but there’s gotta be something I’m missing. What’s so great about him?” He asked, and Harry snorted, nodding at the validity of his question. “S’a beautiful question, Cade. I haven’t figured that out yet. But, they dated just over two years, and Jodie had warned us that she thought he was going to dump her, but,” He sighed, shaking his head and Daphne chimed in, “Y/N always made it seem like they were around the corner of engagement. So, we thought nothin’ of it. Next thing we know, she’s locking herself in her home, crying at bars, ignoring calls..” She sighed, and Harry did his best not to feel sad about the memory. “Jodie even thought she was taking drugs from Mark’s friend. It got really bad, and then,” She trailed off, glancing to Harry who decided to pick up where she left off. “And then Mark asked if they could continue sleeping together, without the relationship.” He admitted, downing the rest of his drink. “It got a little better, at least.” Cade went wide-eyed, looking between Daph and Harry. “Wow, so, that’s why he’s still relevant?” The question had Harry scoffing, “Hardly say relevant. More like, hard to get rid of.” He grumbled, and Daphne chimed in, “Y/N’s having a hard time kicking him to the curb.” She sighed, and Cade furrowed his brows, “Can’t understand how, I always thought he was really boring. He never stayed long when we all went out together. I mean, he’s not really, er, her type?” Cade was confused, he understood a little bit better, but confused all the same. He wanted to ask where Harry came in all of this, and how did that get to her and Harry making out outside the bar, but perhaps that’s a question for Jodie. “S’because he’s not. He’s her mother’s. She introduced them at a dinner party for her fathers job. He’s got familial money.” Harry sighed, getting up to get another drink. “Let’s get back to the brain tank, got a birthday party to plan, haven’t we?” Harry said from the other room, hoping the questions about Mark and Y/N were over.

Jodie came about three hours in, looking frazzled as she searched the apartment before even saying hello. “I thought she’d be here at least!” She huffed, earning puzzled looks from the other friends when they lifted their heads from the ideas they were jotting down.  “Hi, guys.” She sighed, dumping her binder and papers on the couch. “She’s not with you?” Harry asked, looking to the door in case she came trailing behind her. “No,” Jodie admitted, pinching her brows together from the fear of where she would actually be. “She’s not.” She sighed, standing to get some pizza. “S’the wine off limits?” She asked, eyeing Harry who shook his head. “No, by all means!” He answered, licking over his lips as his thoughts raced. “D’you know where she is?” He asked again, and Jodie frowned, pouring herself a glass before pulling her phone out to read off the text she got. “She said, Mark invited her to his place to apologise in a more ‘private setting.’”

Harry felt his stomach lurch, checking his phone for the time but really, he wanted to see if she had sent a text. Anything. He refreshed the page, checking to see if maybe she was teasing Mark in the messages and Harry was supposed to join along. Private setting? She would’ve texted, she would’ve said something. “And y’haven’t heard anythin’ from her?” He asked one more time, hoping perhaps he was missing something.. Jodie sighed and shook her head, “No, I haven’t.” 

Conversation picked up again but Harry couldn’t pay much attention, too deeply surrounded by his own thoughts. Private setting? She wouldn’t have switched plans for him, right? Somehow, he knew the answer. And his heart ached because he knew he was right earlier, that she only chose him that one time. And that he’d forever come second place in comparison to Mark. His ears started ringing, and he felt the blood drain from his face, his mouth watering and his stomach flipping. “Think,” He gasped, holding his stomach, “Think m’gonna be sick.” He managed out, taking off down the hall into his room. Bursting through his bathroom door, he made it just in time to the toilet, emptying the contents of whatever was in his stomach. 

His forehead leaned against the rim of the toilet while taking staggering breaths, he could still hear the group in the living room continue with their night. Thank God. He thought, since he couldn’t imagine what they’d think. He pushed himself back to lean against the wall. The longer he thought about it, the more sick he felt. The more his heart throbbed against his ribcage, rattling his breathing. 

He pushed himself to a stand, wiped his mouth and shuffled back into the room, climbing into bed and curled up, tears threatening to spill. His breaths got more and more shallow, gasping almost before he finally buried his face into the pillow, letting out an anguished cry. He’d never felt like this before, like he’d disappear into the mattress if it was possible. The very thought of Y/N in Mark's bed again had his head pounding, screaming almost at his own stupidity. You knew this would be the case. You can’t be that upset.  His conscience mocked, and he groaned, pulling a pillow into his chest to squeeze. “Please,” He whispered after he calmed down, furiously wiping at his eyes, “Leave me alone.” He whimpered, lip quivering as he felt the tears rising back up through his ducts again, falling fast into the material of the pillowcase.

Hours passed, the music died down and Harry hoped they had left. He hadn’t meant to be rude, he just wasn’t in the mood to conversate any longer. His throat hurt, it burned in fact and his body ached to a point it was beginning to numb. He had been staring at the ceiling for what felt like ages, every now and then tears falling from the corner of his eye. He knew. But he didn’t really grasp how shitty it would actually feel. 

He wanted to be angrier, he was furious at her there was no doubt, but he wanted to be angry enough to cut off communications, throw her to the wind. But instead, he wallows and worries, concern and anger mixing through his veins like venom. He just wanted her to be happy. Even if he wasn’t the one to do it. All he really knew about it was that Mark would definitely never make her happy.

Memories flew through his brain of every time Mark let her down, countless times now that he really tried to put his mind to it. Every time he had fallen short, and every time Harry was there. Every time she cried in his arms, every time he’d litter her hairline with kisses and whisper in her ear that it’s not her fault. He hadn’t ever had her fully, but those select evenings made his breaking heart soar, and he realised a piece of her was better than nothing at all.

He could remember almost everything, each time she had called or sent a text. One of his favourite memories had to have been when she had an entire spread of Chinese food due to a cancelled date with Mark. 

~

Harry walked over to his phone after the third ring, towelling his hair dry after getting out of the shower. “‘Lo?” "Are you partial to Chinese?" He could hear her sweet voice ask, with a hint of sadness at the end of her question. "Like, the people?" He asked, raising a brow with a laugh as he walked to his dresser to pick some clothes for the evening. "No, you idiot!" He could hear silverware clattering around as she laughed. "The food! Mark was supposed to come over, but he backed out." She sighed before continuing, "So, I have a lot of Chinese food and no one to eat it with. There's no way I can eat all this on my own, I'd have leftovers for months." She explained, her words dripping with disappointment. "And you want me to come over and help?" He chuckled, setting the call to speakerphone so he could lay it down on the bed to change. “Only if you’re not busy, I know it’s last minute.” She said, chewing at her bottom lip as she began to regret asking. “M’not too busy, love.” He murmured, “Wait, what did he get?” He asked, lifting the phone up again. She laughed, shaking her head. “He didn’t get anything in particular, told me to get a little bit of all the basics. You’ve got your pick of the litter.” Harry frowned, almost letting a growl-esque noise out, instead letting it rumble in his chest. Hearing how boldly Mark could care less about her made him angry. Sure he understood that some women like the nonchalant approach, but Mark was taking it to a whole different level. Playing her like a fiddle. Y/N really couldn’t tell how little she meant to him. If he absolutely had to fuck her, he didn’t have to be agreeing to dates. Or, telling her about the other array of women he’d been with alongside her. Harry dreaded each day that she would finally figure it out, knowing it’d break her. It was something he wasn’t sure he could fully bring her out of, and Mark had better hope Harry didn't get his hands on him when that day came. He sighed and slipped on some shoes before he grabbed his keys. “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

Harry knocked on the door, letting her know he had arrived, and the door quickly swung open. Harry grinned at the sight of her, and he swore he could feel his heart skipping beats but when his gaze focused, he noticed her nose and eyes were red and he frowned, “Have you been crying?” He asked, hands immediately finding their way to her arms. He couldn’t help it, it was like watching a fawn stuck in a bush, desperate for help. She cleared her scratchy throat and shook her head, before pursing her lips again. “Well, earlier… before I called.” She admitted, shrugging to try and blow it off. “M’okay, Harry. Come on, s’getting cold.” She grinned, taking his hands from her arms and guided him inside. “Just white wine tonight,” Y/N explained, as she grabbed it off the counter. 

Harry took a good look around her apartment, something he’d come to enjoy. Each day it looked different, like she would stay up rearranging the little details that hung on the walls, or were tucked into inconspicuous corners of the rooms. But today, he felt her heartbreak. She had laid out tons of blankets, candles, fresh flowers, all for comfort. The Chinese takeout containers laid out in a neat spread on the coffee table. He could tell she planned for a simple night with Mark, a real date. “Y/N..” He mumbled, eyes wide at the sight of her living room. He never imagined in a million years he would witness something so sweet, and honest just completely going to waste. She sighed, turning the lamp on and the ceiling light off. “I know, s’a bit much. I’m sorry, I just, I didn’t have the heart to take it all down.” She explained, nudging his arm with her elbow and offered a weak smile. “C’mon, y’got a favourite movie or something?” She asked and Harry felt his heart sinking, knowing if he had been busy, she’d have sat here alone, surrounded by the reality that someone just didn’t care enough. He sat down, taking a plate and looked through the boxes. “Really did get all the basics.” He tried, flashing a half smile her way before piling his choices on the plate and picked up his glass of wine before finally settling down next to her. “You know it isn’t too much, right? It would’ve been perfect.” He mentioned, biting into a dumpling to avoid her gaze, but from his peripheral vision, nothing could hide the small smile she managed out. 

Once they got past the initial shock factor, (Y/N, embarrassed to have been stood up so epically, and Harry, blown away by the idiocy of this prick that she apparently loved) they were back to their normal giggly selves. The pair both on their fourth glass of wine, having broken into another bottle already. The movie played in the background, totally forgotten about as they talked and laughed. 

“Seriously! Daphne and Jodie were mad at me for a week straight!” She giggled out, as she retold one of, what she called, her best pranks ever. “I’d be pissed too!” Harry agreed, wiping his hands off on a napkin. “My God, think tha’s the hardest I’ve laughed in a minute.” He chuckled, leaning his head on the bottom cushion of the couch. The two hadn’t bothered to sit on the couch, deciding to make the most of her blankets on the floor, which added much needed padding. She giggled, raising a wonton to her mouth for another bite, but squealed as grease poured out, smearing across her lips and chin, eliciting another laugh from Harry. He immediately sat up, grabbing some napkins and leaned forward to wipe her chin off. Her giggles died down, and Harry could feel her stare, both noticing the immediate closeness. He cleared his throat, the intimacy of it bringing a blush to his cheeks, eyes flickering up to hers. She smiled, wiping what was left off her chin before wrapping her arms around his neck to bring him in for a kiss. Harry groaned softly, immediately melting into her, his arms sliding around her waist to bring her into his lap. The kiss was soft, slow and Harry could’ve been reaching, but he felt so much emotion from her, the way she kept herself as close as possible to him, her fingers threading through his hair at the neckline. It sent the hairs there standing up, a chill making it’s way down his body. There was no lust, nothing suggested she wanted more from him yet. He wondered if she could feel his heart hammering against her chest, his cheeks growing a darker shade of red. The wine, beginning to take its full effect. That was when Harry understood he was in love.

Harry adored that memory, he held it close to him the nights she would give Mark another chance. It helped him sleep, like a mother’s lullaby, slowing his heart rate enough to drift to sleep despite the pain he was feeling. Especially now, after crying his eyes out, the corners of them dry and irritated from the ones he tried to wipe away, the memory brought him happiness. And even if it was fraudulent, he didn’t care. Harry would never forget what he thought it could feel like when she loved him too.

[the chinese food memory is so :'( why did i have to hurt myself like that??? there will be a part three and i think that'll be the last one. don't be afraid to send a message if theres something you'd like to read about in the third part. (really i have like three ideas and that could equal anywhere from 1k words to 3k depending on what i do with it, so please, all ideas will be welcomed.)]

[part III. here]

[v3nusxsky]

would you be interested in writing an emily prentiss x fem or gn reader fic? something along the lines of domesticity in the morning (getting kids ready for school, breakfast etc.) or if you’d like, emily and partner visiting the BAU with their newborn child and their other little cuties. i just have this reoccurring dream about this absolute fluff every night 😩🫶

The Dream

*Authors note~ first attempt at some fluff for this stunning lady <3 oc children Matthew and Delilah are mine*

Trigger warning~  fluff? Fem reader

Prompt~ see ask^^^^^

It wasn't uncommon for you to awake in the morning to her side of the bed empty, after all her hours at work were certainly unpredictable. Emily always made sure to leave you a little note somewhere for you to find. A little tradition she started when you moved in. One that you loved very much. Normally you'd be heading into work with her, both of you working at the BAU only your job being desk work only. That being said you were extremely close to Penelope Garcia.

Your alarm rang out through the room as you grumbled shuffling to shut it off, your post pregnancy belly no where near as big as you were pre birth but still taking some adjusting to. You'd given birth two weeks ago, Emily had two weeks home from the FBI to be with you and your little family. Your son Matthew being only four years old really enjoyed his mama being home, you knew the cases were tough on him sometimes and alongside getting a sibling it was only natural you worried. But he adjusted perfectly to his baby sister and those glorious two weeks seemed to flyby. Today would be your first day without Emily, Matthew had school and you were still adjusting to your daughter's schedule, yet you were confident you could manage.

As if on cue Matthew made his way to your room, small little knocks sounded before her peeped his little head round the doorway. "Momma?" He whispered and you couldn't help but admire just how much he looked like your wife. "Hey buddy, wanna come up for a minute?" You offered and he immediately joined you in bed to snuggle, your usual routine. Delilah your newborn wailed out in hunger and you knew your morning snuggles would be over, Matthew was such a good big brother wiling to help with care for Delilah instantly. You did everything for her, she was fed and changed before you placed her in the rocking chair in your living room.

Delilah settled you made Matthew some breakfast and got him into his uniform, how had your baby grown so much? Once he was settled, dressed, teeth brushed, shoes and coat on you put the television on for him and checked on his sister before somehow managing to get yourself ready for the day. What was an even bigger win was you managed to snag a banana for breakfast before needing to leave. Challenge number two would be getting both children in the car and hopefully keeping Delilah asleep.

With both children secured in the car and the house locked up you double checked you had everything you needed. Only when you were sure you left to take Matthew to school. Delilah sat in the carrier on your chest as you walked him into his class and placed a kiss into his raven curls. Ever the sweetheart he placed a sweet kiss on your cheek and his sister before running off to find his friends. So far so good. Your daughter still remained asleep on your chest as you made you way back to the car to put her in her car seat. Your phone dinged as you finished buckling her in, triple checking it was completely safe before coming round to settle in your seat.

    Garcia🧸

Hey love, do you fancy bringing my little god daughter in to the office? It's a slow day and truthfully miss grouchy is  missing you both. Don't tell her I said that! But we would all love to see you. Love you Y/n❤️

You knew you had enough of everything to make the trip and sent off a quick reply informing Garcia to keep your arrival quiet before turning to Coe at your sleeping daughter, "shall we go see mama and the family sweet girl? They all can't wait to meet you." You knew she was a two week old infant so a reply was never coming but for some reason talking to her soothed you as you put the car into drive.

You hadn't seen the team since you left for maternity leave, they wanted to be present after the birth but unfortunately serial killers don't always have the best timing. So you stopped by the usual cafe and picked up the usual routine, some treats for the team, before heading over to the BAU. As you arrived your daughter began to stir so you made sure to soothe all her needs, knowing the team would all want to hold her. Only when she was fed changed and swaddled in her fluffy lavender blanket and wearing her matching little hat did you make your way to find Garcia cradling your daughter and carrying the bag of goodies.

After a quick hug from your friend she was instantly cooing over the sleeping infant that you cradled in your arms. It didn’t take long for the other team members to spot you in the briefing room and come to investigate, happy words and smiles exchanged as each came to get a peak at your daughter. The last person to join you was your wife, you could tell by the way she walked she wasn’t happy, but that all melted away the moment she laid eyes on you and her daughter. “Darling?” She exclaimed coming to hug you from an angle and whispering, “I missed you.” The hug was carful and it allowed Emily to look at the sleeping baby in your arms, a finger tracing over her chubby cheeks.

You handed her over to your wife in order to give out the goodies while the others observed how gentle Emily became. Your daughter waking with the now full room causing Emily to bring her up to her shoulder and stroke her back, talking to her as if there was no one else present, “hey little love bug, I missed you sweet girl you being good for momma? Oh it’s okay lilah these are all your aunts and uncles little one. They all love you so much.” You smiled at the sight and nudged JJ whispering, “I know this is crazy but seeing that makes me want another” causing her to laugh and wonder if you even remembered the pain of birth while Garcia wrapped you in a hug and whispered, “make as many of them as you want Y/n, as long as Emily stays like that and I can love on them.” Here and now watching Emily tend to your daughter, being surrounded by your work colleagues who were practically family, knowing you’d go home to Matthew and your wife, life was perfect.

Word count 1192

[alj4890]

I got this from this incorrect quote generator. I need you to do something with this! lol

😂 I'm still dying with all those you shared. I'm adding that other you sent me with this one

I'm setting this at the time these two were keeping their relationship a secret from everyone except his two closest friends. And I have no idea how this ended up the way it did. Nothing at all like I had planned 😂

Masterlist

Admittance

(Tobias Carrick x F!MC) in a Choices Open Heart One Shot

It felt like a never ending work week. Chris couldn't remember the last time she slept for longer than a couple of hours at a stretch. With the mad rush of flu patients coming in and out of the E.R., she'd begun to daydream of spending her entire time off in her bedroom, curtains closed, and having the best sleep of her life.

She collapsed upon her soft bed after a particularly grueling shift, only moving when she heard the ringtone she'd chosen for her favorite doctor.

"Lo?" She managed to get out.

"I don't even rate a full hello?" Tobias teased.

"You're lucky to get that." She mumbled. "I think I barely acknowledged Jackie when I walked past her earlier."

She didn't have the energy to muffle her yawn.

"I don't think I've ever been this tired."

"I take it our date tonight is off?" He asked, already disappointed at the fact he wouldn't get to see her.

Chris sat up with a groan. "It can't already be Thursday!"

"It is.

"Damnit." She slumped back against her headboard. "I was looking forward to tonight."

"I was too." Tobias sighed. "Want me to sneak over and at least bring you dinner?"

Chris perked up at that offer. "You don't have to sneak. Aurora is already in bed and the others are working the night shift."

"Then I'll see you soon." He promised.

Chris looked down at her tank top and pajama bottoms. The thought of taking them off seemed too horrible to contemplate.

"Do you mind if I don't dress up? I just got out of the shower and put on some pajamas. I think it might kill me to change clothes."

"You know I don't care." He reminded her.

Her smile grew bigger when she heard the flirty lilt to his deep voice.

"You know, I don't think I've ever seen you in pajamas before. I think it's about time I got a peek at your bedroom too."

"I suppose it is only fair." Chris teased. "After all, you are a very gracious host whenever I want to see your bedroom."

"I aim to please." He responded. "And you know if you feel the need to relax without those pj's, I certainly won't complain."

She burst out laughing. "Nice try, Dr. Carrick. Right now, you'll be lucky if I have enough energy to answer the door when you knock."

"Take a nap." Tobias ordered. "I'll call when I'm at the door."

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

A little over an hour later, Chris roused herself from her bed and padded down the hallway.

"Hey." Tobias whispered, once she opened the door.

She smiled sleepily into his kiss and leaned a little more against him when he wrapped his arms around her.

"You know, you could have told me to wait until tomorrow to see you." He reminded her.

"But I didn't want to wait." She snuggled within his arms. "This is what kept me going this week."

Her eyes flew open when he picked her up bridal style.

"Tobias!" She hissed. "Put me down!"

"Shut the door." He whispered, cuddling her close.

Dropping her head back with a groan, she quietly shut the door.

"Now?" He pressed his lips to her neck. "Where's your room?"

"Last door on the left." She bit back a moan when he kissed a path up to her ear.

She looped her arms around his neck as he carried her down the hall.

Once inside, he set her down on her bed, pressed another deep kiss to her lips, then shut her bedroom door.

"Now." He held up a bag of Chinese takeout. "Let's eat."

Chris smoothed her blankets and retrieved a towel to set the food on.

"Not bad." Tobias looked around her room. "Now I know the setting to put you in when I fantasize about you."

"You still fantasize about me?" She couldn't stop smiling over that tidbit.

He took his shoes and jacket off before sliding under the covers with her.

His eyes raked over her, taking in how her tank top hugged her curves.

"You bet I do."

"Hi." He winked at her.

"Hi." She kissed him.

Tobias wrapped one of her curls around his fingers, pulling her closer for a longer kiss.

"We don't have to eat, if you'd rather properly christen my first time here in your bedroom."

Chris playfully pushed him then reached for one of the takeout containers.

"If I'm going to do anything remotely sexy, I need food."

"Heaven help me if you get any sexier."

"Oof. You're not giving me much of a chance to resist you."

"I never do." He reached for one of the boxes of Kung Pao chicken. "I hate to admit it, but I've always been irresistible."

Chris hummed her agreement as she ate.

"When I was young," he continued, "I left a trail of broken hearts like a rockstar. I'm not proud of it."

Rolling her eyes, she reached for her drink.

"Chris?" Tobias eyed her. "Are you jealous?"

"You're kinda proud of it." She took a sip. "You work it into a lot of conversations."

Her tone caught him off guard.

"No." She grumbled. "What do I have to be jealous about?"

"Nothing." He scooted closer to her. "You know you don't have anything to be jealous of when it comes to my past."

"It isn't jealousy!" She snapped. "I could care less about all your women."

"Former women." He emphasized.

She rolled her eyes again with a huff.

"Honestly it isn't them or the number of," she made quotation marks with her fingers, "former women."

"Then why do you sound upset?" He persisted.

"For one thing, I'm exhausted." She folded her arms across her chest.

Tobias got up, and began to pace the small confines of her room. He knew by her waspish tone and that arm folding maneuver that she was precariously close to losing that temper of hers.

"Look," he began in an attempt to avoid a fight, "I would have understood if you wanted to cancel our date so that you could sleep. I think I'm pretty good at that boyfriend type behavior."

"Awwwww." Chris sarcastically responded. "Aren't you so bloody precious?"

Tobias glared at her.

"What's this really about?" He demanded.

"The fact that you always say, trail of broken hearts!" She griped. "As if, not only are you proud of it, but also that..."

She trailed off when tears began to fill her eyes at the thought of what he might really mean.

"But also what?" He prodded in a gentler tone when he noticed she was about to cry.

"But also like it's a warning," she bit down on her bottom lip, "to me."

She looked away when he sat down beside her once more.

"It's not a warning." He tried to pull her into his arms. "Especially not to you."

Chris refused to budge.

"Right." She bit out. "Because I'm so special."

"You are." He insisted. "To me you are."

He gave up when she turned away from him. He flopped back on her pillows and tried to think of a way to salvage their evening. Rubbing his hands over his face he released an aggravated groan.

"Did I or did I not admit to being in love with you?" He bit out.

"You did."

"Then there you go!" He threw his hands up as if that solved everything.

"What are you talking about?" Chris turned towards him.

"You are the only woman I've admitted that to. The only one I felt like saying that to. The only one I've ever fallen in love with." He explained. "So me joking about all my one night stands doesn't matter."

He rolled on his side to face her.

"Because you, Christy Valentine, won't be broken hearted. I'm the one who would be devastated if I manage to screw us up."

"There you go again!" She growled.

Before he had a chance to respond, her lips crashed down on his.

He moaned as she pushed him on his back and straddled him without breaking the kiss.

"Shame on you." She slowly shook her head. "Won't even let me eat before seducing me."

He didn't bother to hide his smug smile.

"I'm sorry." His hands drifted over her body. "Any chance I can make it up to you?"

"I don't know." She reached over and set the food containers on one of her nightstands then slid back down on top of him. "I suppose you could try."

His lips curved even more as he slipped her shirt off.

"I'll give it my all." He promised.

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

The next afternoon...

"About time you two showed up." Dean greeted. "I was about to call and see what the holdup was."

"And I was about to ignore all good manners and eat without you." Will hugged Chris.

"Sorry we're late. I was doing things." Tobias responded.

"Hi. I'm things." Chris hugged Dean next.

Dean and Will snickered as Tobias covered his face. He couldn't hold back his own laughter over Chris's boldness.

"Good to know you two weren't doing something boring and holding up lunch." Will teased.

"I can forgive and commend doing those types of things." Dean winked at Chris. "A simple text of I can't get out of bed, go on without me would have sufficed."

"Not that we're opposed to details." Will added.

"I'll try and remember that." Tobias reached for his glass of water.

His hand settled over the one Chris had set on his leg.

She smiled at him, squeezing his thigh gently.

Unable to resist how adorably unrepentant she looked for outing their activities to his friends, he leaned over and kissed her.

"I said, details." Will teased. "Not demonstrations."

Dean threw his napkin at them when the kiss continued.

"Enough!" He couldn't stop chuckling at the two entwined. "Remember there's those of us who are still painfully single sitting here."

The couple broke apart and shared a tender smile.

"I'm starving." Chris admitted while picking up her menu.

Will and Dean noticed Tobias looking awfully proud at that statement as he settled his arm along the back of her chair to pull her closer to his side.

Deciding to let that one go by without comment, the friends discussed what appetizers to share with the couple.

[crithaus]

I'm cooking a fic I'll probably never write in my brain where Vex is doing alright y'know, she's got a beautiful new home, the world has been saved yet again, and her favorite people are all safe and accounted for (all but one, y'know), and Vesper is a joy to watch growing up, and then the first in a series of bombs.

She starts feeling sick and the feeling at that point is half 'do I know this? Don't I remember this?' and half 'dear god I have the plague.' so she and Percy head to Pike and after a brief commune, Pike with all the gentleness she can bring to bear tells them the great news, she's pregnant. And so is the pause. Percy is the first to get up in arms about it, and her solemn face, "what is it?"

"...you are pregnant. With twins. A boy and a girl."

And suddenly it all becomes clear. The joy of that knife and its gutwrenching twist and Vex understands the look on Pike's face because she feels it on her own, how very ironic. And he's not here to see this funny twist of fate. How ironic that she's currently creating another soul set on four legs, another heart broken in half like a sweet for them to share, another...and how ironic that time loops so perfectly again, already, with her in her own shoes and her mother's both.

And Vex and Percy sit with this news for a moment, there are tears of sorrow and tears of elation and Vex takes a second to walk through the woods and think and plan and mourn a little, and Percy let's her go with his head all full of his own twin siblings. He offered to come with her, his heart traipsing off into the Parchwoods would be better with company, but she declines and he goes back to home and Cass and Vesper to wait.

He really doesn't have to wait too long. What comes back isn't Vex though for a moment he thinks it might be, what comes back is worse. He thought the last time was bad, when he didn't recognize his own brother for a hair's breadth, when he was so very changed by his service, but this is worse. Vax, face ringed with raven's feathers and eyes black and that boney plantlike growth shielding his shoulders like epaulettes he knows Vax wouldn't ever wear, with a face more alive then it was in years, storms into his office in a flurry of shadow with a small string clenched in his fist and instead of joy and yelling and hugs, all Percy gets is a curt, "where is she?"

Which is so fun y'know, Scanlan can't cast wish anymore so your long dead brother who you weren't even supposed to see the last time is here and he can't even enjoy it because Vax isn't talking about Vesper, he could only be talking about one person, and she's been gone for almost two hours and he couldn't even have thought to raise the alarm for at least another two and what does that mean- and Vax, as is his wont, opens his fist without another word and Percy sees it, a thick, braided string of solid gold emanating light that is fading even now, and frayed at the end just a little bit.

A beat of silence, Percy stopping himself from screaming to break it, Vesper is napping after all.

"Her string has been cut." Vax says

Like that makes any sense. Like this whole situation isn't insane. "It is impossible, It's against Her doctrine, it is an affront to what She stands for," Vax continues, voice wooden but undercut with a fury that would be so familiar if what stood before Percy was his brother and not Her loyal servant, the one he himself put up to the task, "and We will not have it."

"and that's why you're here. Not because of your sister, because of the Matron-" Percy is cut off immediately by the sharpest gaze ever seen before or since, and by the briefest flash of brown eyes in all that inky tar blackness.

"I'm here because her time is many years from now, surrounded by your kids, and Keyleth, and Pike, Grog, Scanlan if he manages. I'm here because I break no deals, and this," he holds the string up, "is not supposed to happen. I am here, Percival, because she isn't, and wasn't, and there will not be a world without her in it for decades to come as long as I am there to make it so. I'm here because my sister is gone, and her string is cut, and that isn't fucking possible, and you are going to help me find her and restore this. I have no other soul to offer the Matron, and my heart has vanished somehow, so if you can manage not to kill her a fifth time I would ask your help."

And Percy is ofc overrawed and petrified and furious and he has a daughter so he can't go flying off the handle now and he has 2 actually, and a son, and most importantly of all, a wife, his future and judgement gone without a trace. Not dead, not yet, which is more baffling still, but gone.

And Vex for all her trouble was just walking around the woods when everything went dark, y'know she was stepping carefully over a thatch of tangled underbrush and suddenly the sun overhead just vanishes and that is worrying but there's this pressure in her chest that's even more worrying spreading through it and she looks down and there's an arrowhead poking out between her ribs, and gold blooming out like a flower from the wound. That's not right, is it? Gold? And not red?

And she turns and this man who would almost remind her of Pelor if he had an iota of the gentle kindness is staring at her as the world begins to grow fuzzy. "My dear, my new champion, we and I will make this rotten world new again. Take my hand, my Vex'ahlia, and we will make it right." And her head is fuzzy, but she isn't stupid. She opens her mouth to tell him to fuck the hell off and notices two things in rapid succession. The blood dribbling out of her mouth is gold, and the arrow tugs, it doesn't hurt but like the pain she should be feeling it invades her very cells like a plant taking root and this thing turns her feet and forces her forward as the fuzziness increases. She should be worried, she should scream and thrash and run, she's a mother now, and the thought of her three little babies, her daughter and her new twinnies, is enough to shake whatever the fuck this is for only a moment, to which the man looks impressed, but it isn't enough.

"you were the champion of that doddering old man, but he's locked behind the gate, and I am here, and I will burn him out of existence and take my rightful place back, and you will be more than a silly champion, my Vex'ahlia. You will be my avatar. You will be the Sun incarnate, and your children will burn the world new, and together this plane will be ours."

And as the golden ichor pours down her mouth and chest, there is a fission of warmth inside her, where her heart should be, that warms her from tip to toe. Her face contorts into a smile as the fuzziness blots her out entirely and her mind is put away somewhere small and tidy and neat and barren, and she hears her small far off answer, "of course. Together."

And it's Vax and Percy finding the cult of this elder sun god that Pelor vanquished cuz he's fucking evil and he's trying to sneak past the divine gate by using Vex as his Avatar and he wants to burn the whole world to a crisp and start over as the head god and obviously is a sworn enemy of the Raven Queen so he'll try and fuck her and Vax up too, and the tiny widdle twins would be his first new followers the second they're born so he keeps them safe, and with her fate string cut RQ can't uphold her end of the bargain so Vax is let out to play to reestablish the terms and exploits the fuck outta that there loophole, and Vex as his Avatar goes around making awesome druid-y fire magic happen, and radiant damage with a twist* too, and pure utter chaos as well obvs, the elder su god is wicked powerful and will kill any other god/cleric/holy person on sight, and Vax while on this hunt to save his sister eventually sheds that fucked up influence from Dalen's Closet and it's funny cuz now Vex is the clouded, distant one and Vax is perfectly sober and desperate to save his sister, and Percy's both saving his wife and babies and bantering like old times with his brother, and RQ possesses Vax for a bit to help fight Vexmano a mano,,

And after a long and bloody fight a la orthax, Percy eventually gets through to Vex and says something so tender and gay to get her to stop fighting them a la "Darling take the mask off," and they get the elder sun god out of her and fix everything and reunite and RQ is like well since the world keeps ending I guess you can stay here until your own natural life Vax, so Vex gets to introduce Vax to his niece and eventually his niece and nephew, and then he goes and lives with gilmore and kiki and he's so damn gay about it and everyone is happy

[gaoau]

Kissing with my feelings, kissing with my thoughts

Raison d'Être warnings — none. word count — 2.9k

prev. — next.

With the days rolling by, [Name] almost lost track of herself. She tried a little harder to keep an eye out for the amount of food in Ai's bowl. She forced herself to become more attentive at her job and pitch in with those ideas she never dared bring up. She put in some more effort to gaze at the colors surrounding her for a bit longer. Sometimes all she saw was blue.

It was enough for her.

As she walked out of the building, a folder and papers in one arm, her other hand busy with her phone, she heard her name being called. She stopped in her tracks and craned her neck backwards. A co-worker caught up to her, jogging. "[Surname]-san!" she called out once more as she came to a halt before [Name]. "We're going out for some drinks, would you like to come?"

[Name] followed her pointing thumb towards the group of people by the office doors, awaiting her reply. She blanked at the opportunity, at the offer to interact with minds of her own—similar, but not the same, so different. Truthfully, she hadn't taken the time to relax and drink the night away in so long she couldn't even recall the date. And truthfully, this spontaneous invitation came out of nowhere. Maybe it wasn't a bad idea to engage with more people.

A smile grew on her face as she fully turned to address her co-worker. She didn't remember her name. She didn't remember her like how she remembered Chifuyu and Kazutora. Years of working in the same office, but she had better awareness of two men she'd met little over a month before. She wasn't fine with that; she didn't like it.

So despite it not being a bad idea, [Name] remembered Chifuyu before she thought of anything else. The painting he had commissioned, and then the dog he trusted in her hands. All the trust. Yeah, she had to get home to Ai first. "Can I take a raincheck on that one? I'm a bit busy today."

Her co-worker blinked back at her, almost surprised. "Oh. Yes, of course. Maybe next week?"

"That sounds good. I'll see you guys on Monday."

"Alright. Have a good weekend, [Surname]-san."

"You too." She wanted to reply back with her name, but it really didn't pop up in her memory no matter how hard she tried. She sent a wave towards the rest of her colleagues, receiving the same amount—if not more—enthusiasm when they waved back. It caught her off guard more than she expected. She definitely needed to try a little harder with them as well.

Through the door to her apartment, [Name] could hear the expectant excitement oozing out of Ai as he tapped his nails on the floor. He had already become conscious of the melody of her keys by the time she came home and it became a part of his own routine. When she finally opened the door, he greeted her with a dance on his hind legs while she welcomed him into her arms. He fit so snugly, so perfectly. [Name] was meant to hold him now and forever.

She placed him back on the floor after enough baby-talking. As per usual, movements already ingrained in her muscle memory, she flung her folders, her bag, and her shoes onto their designated organized messes. She browsed through her fridge to make a mental note for groceries. She had an energy bar as a snack before dinner. She changed out of her work clothes. She did the dishes from the previous night. Ai followed her around as she attempted everything in her power to show no fear.

But she was still terrified of the ginormous canvas sitting at the dinner table.

Taking a seat across from it, [Name] forced herself to think clearly. There was no way she could possibly work on something so stupidly gigantic. What was she meant to draw on it? A landscape? A portrait? A collage? Dots and lines and squares and call it abstract?

It had been running through her mind for the past few days, but she couldn't decide. She couldn't settle for an adequate measure of how bad of an idea it was. Some days she found it was fine, and others she wanted to punt herself into the moon for ever thinking she could think. Crumpled post-it notes and ripped pieces of paper littered the floor around it in a circle, ready for a ritual to summon the gods of inspiration—or the devils.

The more she stared at it, the less she understood what she was glaring at. Her thoughts circled around her head one after the other in a loop. Landscape, portrait, fruit, flowers, abstract, shapes, angles, angels, devils, animals, fish, dogs, Ai—oh, Chifuyu.

That was right. She shook her head to expel her obsessions from her mind. Chifuyu had commissioned her. If there was anything she should prioritize, it was the man with high expectations of her. It was no healthy motivation, but it was the most she could do to keep herself grounded. She found the thought of Chifuyu always grounded her.

Somehow, with the strength of a thousand dying warriors, [Name] managed to tear her eyes away from the disgustingly huge canvas waiting for dinner to be served. She caught a glimpse of Ai's pitying eyes gazing at her with curiosity. A smile crawled onto her lips. She knelt to sink her fingers into his fur. He closed his eyes in glee.

"If it weren't for you, bubs…" her voice died off into the silence. She wasn't too sure how to finish that sentence. She wasn't too sure she even could. Ai peered up at her as if he understood. Maybe he did. "Yeah, you're right," she chuckled to herself.

Another canvas waited for her in its stand. It was the right size for the wall Chifuyu wanted to decorate. She took a comfortable seat before it, her various supplies in reach as she gathered all her creativity. It didn't need to be perfect; she simply needed to start.

A cat. Chifuyu wanted a cat. A black cat. Very simple, easy, accessible, something she could work with as if she had done it a billion times before. Add black onto the white to create something, to build upon the jarring nothingness with contrasting tones of ink and acrylic. There was no need to think about values or tones or cohesion among the colors. It was just black. It was all welcoming and common.

Her eyes remained glued to the blank canvas screaming back at her. She tried picturing the cat in her head. She tried to remember the one she'd poorly drawn on a spare piece of paper that Chifuyu had given her. She tried her best to think of what a cat looked like.

She really didn't know what a cat looked like.

Which was fair. She didn't own a cat, and even if she did, it didn't guarantee she could replicate it accordingly. Only having a general idea of what the animal's features were shaped like wasn't quite enough to slap it into paint.

Finally, she gave in to her struggles and reached for her phone. If anything, she could browse the Internet for any sort of reference to actually draw a cat. The anatomy, the distance between the different elements of its face, the curves and straight lines, the reflection of the light on the fur. The eyes. The pigments in the eyes. The blue eyes Chifuyu had asked for.

"Ah, man, this is harder than I thought…" she muttered in distress, bringing her finger up to her mouth. She chewed at the skin on the corner of her nails. Image after image of different cats traveled down her screen. She hummed, "D'you think I should ask…?" It was an idea. She didn't know how good of an idea it was. She didn't know if it was an excuse as well. Her pondering hum morphed into a growl.

Before she could bite her own finger off, an incoming call startled her out of her wits. She blinked dumbfounded at the caller ID displaying on her screen out of the blue. Her eyes refused to focus out of her concentration. It was late at night on a Saturday. The kanji were blurry as she tried to read and make sense out of them.

"Oh, it's Chifuyu-san! What the—?" She shook her head without finishing her own thought. Her finger swiped on instinct to answer the call. "Hello, Chifuyu-san! How are you?!"

"Good night, [Name]-san. I'm doing good, how are you?"

"I'm…" She glanced quickly at the fuming canvas before her. A tight smile grew on her face. She laughed at herself. "I'm good, too, thanks for asking."

"Anytime. Sorry to bother you so late, but I just remembered Ai's tag."

Confusion pushed through in her questioning hum. Her eyes scanned the room to find the mentioned puppy sleeping beside her feet. The tightness of her awkward smile dissipated into endearment. He had a bed of his own but he stuck by her side, lying on the hard floor. It really felt like he understood. She slipped her phone onto her other hand, wondering out loud, "Ai's tag?"

Chifuyu chuckled through the speaker. "His nametag. Remember?"

Oh, yeah, the nametag. "Oh, yeah, the nametag."

"Yeah, we set an order for it almost two months ago. I'm sorry it took so long."

But as Chifuyu blabbered apologies [Name] didn't need nor would ever dare ask for, the gears in her brain turned at speeds they'd never reached before. Names, names, names. There was so much behind names. Matsuno Chifuyu. [Surname] [Name]. Ai. Matsuno for wilderness and a vast forest of pine trees. [Surname] for an identity so out of reach. Ai for love and pondering and the color of the sky. 

Her glower burned through the empty canvas. It held so much vigor, she should've seen herself. She would've surprised herself.

Instantly, she scrambled. She sprang onto her feet, alarming the sleeping Ai by her side. She whispered an apology to him and then remembered Chifuyu on the phone while darting across the room. "Oh, yeah. Okay, Chifuyu-san, thanks for the reminder. When would you—" She bit her tongue when she slammed her finger on a drawer. It didn't stop her from rummaging through all her belongings. "When would you like me to come get it?"

"Are you okay, [Name]-san?"

She chortled into her phone. Why the fuck couldn't she find a spare piece of paper? "Yeah, just looking for something."

"Oh, alright." He sounded so amused in the little chuckles that slipped. "Well, whenever you're free to get it, you can just give me a call and I'll wait for you."

[Name] hummed, "That wo—No, actually—Fuck, where—? Oh!" She barely caught sight of forgotten post-it notes across her shelf. "Found 'em!" Immediately, she snatched a nearby pen and began scribbling the kanjis for Chifuyu's name. "Do you think I could come snap some pictures of cats for reference? I told you cat anatomy is weird. Their heads are just… odd."

"Are they?" In his own room, Chifuyu turned to analyze the shape of Peke J's face.

[Name] creeped behind the disgustingly ginormous canvas at the dinner table. "Try drawing one." Taking a deep breath, she slapped the post-it note on it as if she were killing a bug. For later reference.

"Fair enough. Then, would you like to come a bit before I open? Since I open later than usual tomorrow."

A closed, empty shop just for the two of them. For peace and calm and pictures she needed. She shook her head. "Oh, no, I wouldn't want to take up time from your late morning. I can just drop by when you open."

"It's no problem," he reassured, and [Name] could swear she was hearing his soothing smile through each of his words. "I commissioned you, so if you need some help, it's only natural I give you a hand."

[Name] didn't agree. Not really. It wasn't only natural to help her out. Creating the painting and finding the suitable resources to bring it to completion was all part of her job, her obligation. But Chifuyu was just nice like that. He held so much genuine kindness in him; so much aid he was willing to offer to someone like her without a second thought. The moment she couldn't walk by herself, Chifuyu held out his hand for her. It was the simplest of things. She felt her chest tighten at his softness.

Noticing her silence, he let out another quiet chuckle to bring her attention back to him. "I'll be waiting for you early tomorrow, then. Don't leave me hanging, [Name]-san."

She wouldn't dare. There was no protesting. "I—Well, okay, then."

"And you can bring Ai with you."

"Oh—Okay. I—I'll see you tomorrow."

"Have a good night, [Name]-san."

"You too, Chifuyu-san."

By the time she removed her phone from her ear, she couldn't look straight at Ai pawing at her feet. He seemed so blurry. Why did he seem so blurry? Her heart felt so sore after so little use, and now it burst with how full Chifuyu's kindness made her feel. She was starting to like the sound of his name.

She settled on the floor to welcome Ai into her embrace. Her tears vanished into his fur. He didn't mind it a bit.

Chifuyu unlocked the door for her, instantly cooing at the dog in her arms. The puppy began running on thin air in an attempt to rush towards Chifuyu. [Name] dropped to the ground so she could allow Ai to break free without flinging him like a cat. He was more than welcome against Chifuyu's apron, and he allowed his tongue to run all over his face as a greeting. [Name] laughed as she fiddled with her camera.

With the bundle of energy following behind him, Chifuyu reached towards the counter for the nametag. He displayed it for both [Name] and Ai to see, as if the dog understood what it was. "We have a gift for the handsome boy." And sometimes it really felt like he understood with the way he barked in response.

Chifuyu knelt to get access to Ai's collar. He was not only a handsome boy, but also quite polite as he stood still, letting the man clasp the metal piece as jewelry. [Name] spared a glance at the window to catch the people walking the streets toward their destinations. She noticed the sunlight pouring in at a perfect angle. When she turned back to Chifuyu, the light was bathing him in a golden hue of comfort.

She snapped a picture of the two of them without thinking.

"There, all done!" Chifuyu grinned to himself, admiring his own work. Ai seemed to smile back at him as he shivered in excitement. His grin turned towards [Name] while he rose from the floor.

Simultaneously, she knelt to Ai's level. "Come here, boy, lemme see." He approached instantly at the sound of her voice. He recognized boy more than he did his own name. "You sure look handsome with this now, bubs."

She traced the strokes engraved on the metal with her fingertips. Eighteen strokes to become Ai; for self-pondering, for reflection, for the sky on a hopeless and rainy night, for ai love you, and for love itself. Ai for all the things [Name] needed to remind herself. Ai for the reason she was alive after walking aimlessly for so long. Ai for how sore her heart felt now that she was putting it to use again. Sometimes, appreciation and empathy starts with a tiny, little puppy.

She returned her attention to Chifuyu as he beamed down at her so brightly, agreeing Ai looked so handsome. She couldn't put into words or ideas just how glad she was that he forced her to drop by the shop early. "Thanks again, Chifuyu-san." Moments with nothing more than him and Ai were all she could ask for. She didn't need more, but she wouldn't settle for less—not that he would allow her. There were no disruptions and she could enjoy the peace and joy in Chifuyu's mind to the fullest.

Sometimes, appreciation starts with a puppy. Sometimes, a man is what follows.

Her eyes shot wide open at her own thoughts. Molten lava replaced the blood in her veins, rushing to her face in an eruption of embarrassment. She darted away from the puppy and Chifuyu's gaze in a split second. Her camera and the cats set up for adoption were a perfect distraction from her insides burning up.

Chifuyu's voice blended with Ai's curious paws as one chatted her ear off and the other explored. It really was a lot more lovely than she had bargained for. If the two of them would allow her selfishness, she didn't want to settle for anything less.

[whereonceiwasfire]

Hey, I saw you're taking drabble requests. How about this?

When Danny is in his early twenties, Vlad clones him again, resulting in a half ghost infant. Danny decides to raise the child as his own.

This was such a fun prompt, thank you so much for sending it in! I am so sure the monstrosity I've created here is not what you were asking for but I couldn't help myself lol. (As a side note: idk if anyone else remembers that Incredibles short with Jack-Jack from ages and ages ago but I was defs channeling those vibes).

“Jazz, you are a lifesaver,” Danny says, the words a breath of relief when he opens the door to find her on his stoop.

He looks exhausted, more so than usual, his dark, mussed hair matted; the bags under his eyes an even deeper shade of purple; his sweatshirt rumpled and twisted around his body, what looks to be coffee spilled down the front. 

He cradles Neil to his chest, making soft shhh, shhh, shhh noises as he bounces the burbling infant.

“Come in, come in,” Danny says, jerking his chin into the apartment as he steps back from the entryway. 

She obliges, scuffing her wet shoes off on the welcome mat as she does. 

“I still cannot believe you have a kid,” she says with a little laugh as she holds her arms out for the baby. 

Danny winces almost imperceptibly.  

“Y-yeah,” he says, before handing Neil over. 

“Is your sleep-deprived dada taking good care of you?” Jazz says in goofy baby talk, wiggling her finger in front of Neil’s face, beaming at him when he turns a big, blue-eyed gaze up at her. To Danny, she says an absent, “He looks just like you.” 

Danny chokes on a nervous laugh, and she lifts a gaze up to him, quirking an eyebrow. She knows that laugh. 

“What?”  she asks. 

“Oh shit,” he says, pushing his sleeve up and turning a glance down at a wrist that doesn’t have a watch on it. “I’m going to be late for my interview. Thanks a million for doing this, Jazz. Don’t know what I’d do without you. Best big sister ever, and all that.”

He leans forward to give her a kiss on the cheek, turns for the door like he’s on a mission.  

“Uh, Danny?” 

He offers her a hesitant glance over his shoulder as he seizes on the door handle. 

“Maybe change your shirt first?” she says, and he twists a look down at his stained sweater. 

He laughs. “Oh right, right.” 

Take two goes better—he’s in a button-down, has even brushed his hair, then thanks her again for watching Neil. She assures him it’s not a problem, and as the door closes behind Danny, she turns her focus down to her nephew in her arms. His little eyes are drifting closed, his chest rising and falling with deep breaths beneath his starry jumper—buttoned up all cattywampus. 

“Let’s get this fixed, and we can put you down for a nap. How does that sound, Neil?” 

He, understandably, doesn’t answer. But Jazz takes that as an affirmative—carries him to the change table in his bedroom, thoughts drifting as she sets him down and undoes the buttons of his jumper. 

Danny’s been so cagey anytime she brings up anything about Neil, and she doesn’t know exactly what that’s about. The most he’ll say is some vague story about a short fling, a surprise pregnancy, a mother that didn’t want to be involved. It’s the only thing that makes any sense, but she can’t help the sneaking suspicion that he’s lying to her. 

“Your dad is a weirdo,” she says teasingly as she tickles Neil’s bare belly. 

He hiccups a little laugh, but it’s then Jazz freezes, a cold shiver crawling up her spine as she runs the pad of her finger over a familiar birthmark on the baby’s chest.

But that’s… 

She shakes her head, forcing herself to focus on the task at hand. She can consider the implications when she doesn’t have a tiny human in her care.

Jazz stoops for the diaper bag to grab some baby powder, dropping it with a gasp when she straightens and the change table is empty. Her heart flip-flops in her chest, sweat immediately beading her brow, panic running through her veins like ice water.

Where did he go? 

“Neil?” she calls breathlessly, like he’s hiding, somehow—like he didn’t just disappear into thin air. “Neil? This isn’t funny…” 

She hears him make a little coo from somewhere, and her eyes widen as she throws a frantic glance around the room—twists back to the change table to find the baby kicking his legs out, making happy little noises, and clapping his chubby hands together. 

She looses the breath from her chest, but she’s no less disquieted as she returns to the baby, a creeping suspicion settling in. It won't leave her alone, even as she finishes changing Neil and tucks him into his crib without incident.   

When she’s satisfied he’s not going to wink out of visibility again, she turns on the baby monitor, turns off the light, and pads into the living room. 

Anxiously, she starts pulling out her cellphone—fidgets with the case for a moment. She doesn’t want to call Danny and interrupt his interview, but she also needs to talk to him. Like. ASAP.

Her fingers type out the message: good luck. Neils fine but pls call me as soon as ur interview is done. But she doesn’t have a chance to send it before something flickers past her line of vision, a spot in her peripherals. She glances up—lets out a startled shout when she sees the swaddled baby floating out from the nursery. 

“Oh, hell no,” she mutters frantically as she drops her phone and lunges for the baby. 

She misses him, her fingers just barely bumping up against Neil, pushing him gently out of reach like a balloon. But the motion wakes him, and he starts to cry, dropping from the air like a stone. Jazz dives over furniture like an Olympic volleyball player—manages to catch the bundle before it can crash to the floor. 

But Neil is not, happy. He writhes, and squirms, and wails, trying to free himself from the swaddle, his blue eyes now burning a furious, glowing green.

“Shhhh, don’t cry, baby boy!” she urges, dragging her aching body up off the floor, and trying to bounce the fussy child back into calm. 

He blasts a hole through his blanket in response, the little shot of energy narrowly missing Jazz’s face—leaving a charred, ashy crater in the ceiling instead. 

She gives the hysteric bubble of a laugh.

Well. Okay. This isn't really what she thought she was signing on for when she agreed to watch baby Neil for a few hours. 

By the time Danny finally gets home from his interview, the apartment is in disarray. Furniture is tipped over, smoking holes have been blasted through everything, the lamp is broken, and there’s a distinctly fang-shaped bite taken out of Neil’s favorite teddy bear. Jazz’s hair is a snarled mess, eyes wide and wild, a smudge of soot on her cheek, the baby quietly sleeping in her arms. 

She glances up from where she sits cross-legged on the floor in a barrier of cushions, brow dropping low over her eyes when she catches sight of Danny. 

“So,” she says evenly. “I think we need to have a talk about Neil now.”   

[myristicisms]

His expression softens, apologetic and guilty at noting the brief discomfort his gesture had caused; Zack gets it though, fully understands because the man was as jumpy as the average veteran would be if not a bit more skittish behind his childish façade. It's a thought he puts on the back burner though and instead focuses on the woman's voice, listens to her questions. “ Ehh maybe, I mean technically there's money involved but I'm not really searching for the pay, just... Trying to right a past wrong. ” Even if that wrong wasn't made by the raven haired man. He should have done more to stop Sephiroth, should have noticed the man changing sooner.

“ Me? Gongaga. ” He pauses, thoughts flooding into his mind, “ I used to be part of the royal guard here in Midgar, had to lay low back home with my folks for a few years thanks to some uh... Injuries but now that I'm back up to par I figured what the hell, may as well see if I can solve the mystery of Midgar's lost princess right? ” Sometimes on colder nights or when it rains he can still feel the familiar ache within his ribs, the feeling of shattered bone digging deep into his muscles and blood pooling from the wounds, his eyes were like a mark for execution and Zack had long since learned a means of sneaking around with his past connections.

A gentle sigh rumbles his body, torso turning slightly to bring a leg up on the pew and relax a bit while she speaks. ( Memory issue... Ruby eyes... Aerith you're gonna have to meet me halfway with this if I'm right. ) “ Really? Hm... I couldn't imagine being in your shoes, that must be... Really frustrating, I'm sorry. ” And he is, memories were what kept Zack going since Sephiroth's betrayal, kept him from falling into the depths of a darkness he likely wouldn't be able to crawl his way out of and without those, he's not sure he'd have even thought to leave Gongaga.

“ Which I'm sure she is, Aeri- Her highness has a good hunch she's still alive and kicking, and she's never been wrong 'bout stuff like that. ” Then he shrugs, offers up a curious little hum. “ Long raven hair, ruby red eyes, that's all she said. Personally I dropped by Midgar to visit the church and see what's going on with the folks, then I'm off to Cosmo Canyon to see if I can talk to the princess and get a more thorough description of her, I can make the journey alone but if you don't wanna be stuck here getting that job, you're welcome to come along. ”

His question pulled her from exasperating though, a long, audible groan being given. With a deep breath, she gathered herself, brushing herself of dirt and dust. His explanation of reliving memories - she only wished she could recall anything past the last couple years at the orphanage. For a moment, she flinches at the hand he offered, but adjusts herself quickly. "Lost princess, huh?" she placed her thumb to her chin in thought. "Sounds more interesting than a job."

"It sounds like one of those books I've read when I was young," she allowed a soft chuckle. "Where did you come from that you ended up back in Midgar? I'm sure there are nicer places you'd rather be."

Now that her breath was caught, lips curled, clapping her hands together. "I feel like I've missed a lot," she admitted to his question. "Hit my head pretty hard from what I'm told. Memory... Isn't the best."

"If this princess is still alive," she pondered for a moment. "Do you even know where to start looking? What does she look like?"

[noelle-holi-gay]

Here's a prompt: Noelle helps Kris get away with a crime while being increasingly discomforted by the details of the act, to even comedic levels

"So, why did you bring me out here, again?" Noelle asked, as Kris led her through an unfamiliar neighborhood.

"Need your help with something," Kris answered, extremely vaguely. "Susie was busy."

"...Right," Noelle mumbled. She was getting the distinct feeling that she had made a mistake agreeing to this.

"Here we go," Kris said, arriving at a modest house. "Come on."

They walked into the front yard and Noelle hesitantly followed, her concern growing as Kris did not, in fact, head for the front door, but instead crept around the side of the house, pausing below a window.

"Alright. I need you to give me a boost up to this window."

Noelle looked between them and the window, shot a cursory glance over her shoulder, then sighed, giving them a flat look. "Kris, are you trying to help me break into someone's house?"

"No," Kris said, unfazed. They shrugged. "Well, technically, yes."

"Kris!"

"Hey, it's for a good reason!" Kris insisted. "My friend lives here, and she left something in her room that I need to grab. She can't let me in right now. I promise you, it's totally chill."

"I--" Noelle gave another survey of the surroundings, but didn't see anyone around. "Oh, I can't believe I'm doing this," she grumbled, standing below the window and making a cradle with her hands. "Alright, come on."

"Thanks," Kris said simply, putting one sneaker on her makeshift stair-step. They pushed off the ground as Noelle lifted up, boosting them so their fingertips could just barely grasp the ledge.

Noelle quickly shifted one hand under the sole of their opposite shoe to hold them steady, bracing her stance. "Couldn't you have--ung--just brought a ladder or something?"

"I also need you to keep watch," Kris said as she heard them fiddling with the window. "If you see a car pull into the driveway, give me a shout and then go run and hide."

Noelle froze. "Wait, what?"

Instead of an answer, she heard the sound of shattering glass above her.

"K-Kris?!" she shrieked, glancing upwards to see them hauling themself through the broken window. "What the freak are you doing!"

"You can swear, Noelle, it's okay," Kris said, before making a little pained grunt as they toppled to the floor within the house. A second later, they poked their head back out. "Also, I couldn't get the window to open from the outside. Also, this isn't my friends house, and that whole story was a lie."

"WHAT?!" Noelle cried, her eyes blowing wide. "KRIS!"

Kris jabbed a finger down at her. "But now you're an accomplice in breaking and entering, so if you don't want us both to get arrested, keep lookout for me, got it?"

Noelle was officially starting to freak out. "ARRESTED?!"

"Yep," they said, disappearing from view. Noelle heard the sound of desk drawers opening and closing in a flurry. “This is Officer Undyne's girlfriend's house, so she'll probably be pretty mad if we get caught."

"This--" Noelle puzzled some things out in her head. "Why are you breaking into Alphys's house?!"

"Got it! That was quicker than I thought." Kris returned to the window, flashing a proud smile, their copy of the test they'd taken today in class, and the answer key for said test. "Bingo. Just need to change my answers real quick, then we can get out of here."

"Wh--I offered to help you study!" Noelle protested.

"And that was very nice of you!" Kris called down, once again disappearing into the house. "But this is less work!"

"You tricked me into breaking into our teacher's house!"

"Yeah, and it was really, really easy," Kris called back, accompanied by the faint sound of scratching pencil.

"You--ugh." Noelle groaned, leaning back against the wall of the house. "I don't know what I expected."

[falcqns]

𝐀𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐚 𝐂𝐡. 𝟑: 𝐒𝐞𝐭 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭

✰ 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: Dad!Henry Cavill x Aurorra (daughter),

✰ 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: Henry gets called to set for reshoots, and brings Aurorra with him.

✰ 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: fluff, Aurorra gets her first boo boo, Freya and Henry have the cutest friendship ever.

✰ 𝐚/𝐧: Heres chapter three! Hope you enjoy! i obviously don't know if Freya has younger siblings since she's such private person (which is good!), but she's posted photos of what i'm assuming are her siblings on her instagram, so just pretend with me for a little!

Henry had gotten the call from Lauren that they were going to finally finish shooting one of the major scenes that they couldn't get a few weeks ago due to weather. While Henry was happy he'd be on set again, it would be filmed on a day where he'd have Aurorra.

You had offered to take the day off so he wouldn't have to bring her and he declined. He also declined her spending a long weekend with your parents and finding a baby sitter, insisting that he could handle her on his own. He'd done it before, he could do it again.

You'd reminded him of the first day he spent alone with her, but he'd insisted that everything would be fine. He had formed a schedule with her, and she was getting used to going back and forth between houses. You let him take her, but told him to call you if anything went wrong, to which he agreed.

He woke up at 4:30, and got himself ready. He put on a pair of jeans and a sweater , and pulled on some warm socks. He then ventured into Aurorra's playroom, that was becoming her bedroom slowly.

She wasn't sleeping in there yet, rather sleeping in a playpen in Henry's room. Henry was okay with that, he wasn't quite ready for her to not be in the room with him.

He picked out a long sleeved body suit that was white with red, pink and white roses. He added a burgundy-red suspender dress, and a matching headband, a white cable knit sweater, and a pair of her black slip on Vans that you had protested against him buying, but he did anyways, because his baby girl deserved nothing but the best. He grabbed a diaper and the wipes, and headed back into his bedroom.

He glanced at where she was sleeping, and really didn't want to wake her up, but knew he'd have to eventually. He lifted her out of the playpen and laid her down on the bed. She stayed asleep throughout the changing process, and even when Henry laid her back down in the playpen.

He grabbed the diaper bag, and shoved the headband in there, along with her hair brush and a few hair ties. He knew she wouldn't stay asleep for that, and he opted to do it when he was on set, and made a mental note to ask hair and makeup if he could borrow a spray bottle for her curls.

He packed more diapers than he would need, a package of wipes, pyjamas, and a spare change of clothes, along with a few paci's and teething toys.

In his bag he packed what he needed, along with her formula tin, and two empty bottles. He was walking to the door, when he spotted her tablet that she used to watch Netflix and play games, and decided to bring that as well, throwing it and the charger in his bag. He put all of the bags in the car, along with the stroller. He took a deep breath, and looked at his phone.

He had 30 minutes to get to set, so he headed upstairs and into his room. He grabbed the her stuffy, which they had started calling Baby Bear, and her fuzzy blanket. He lifted her up, and wrapped the blanket around her, putting Baby Bear under her arm. He grabbed her shoes and headed out the door, Kal paying them no attention as they left. Normally Kal would go with Henry, but he didn't have the energy to watch over a toddler and a dog while also filming, so he left Kal at home.

"Dada?" Aurorra asked as he was buckling her into the carseat.

"Good morning," He said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Dada got called into work so you get to come with him. But you have to be on your best behaviour, okay?" He asked, and she nodded.

Henry closed the door and got in the drivers seat, listening to her babble to Baby Bear.

Henry was the first one to set, which made him relieved. The cast knew about her, and had seen pictures, but he didn't want her getting overwhelmed by everyone crowding her. She had fallen asleep during the drive, and Henry quickly got the stroller out and everything in it so he could quickly transfer her. She stayed asleep the entire time, and Henry started the journey to his trailer after locking his car.

She woke up just before getting to the trailer, which Henry was happy about. He was strong, but lifting a stroller with two heavy bags and a sleeping toddler into a trailer didn't seem like fun. He got her out and let her walk up the stairs herself. They were a little steep for her, but she managed. Henry opened the door for her, and she went inside.

"Go sit on the couch and take your shoes off." He said, and she nodded. Henry took the bags out and put them in the trailer before closing up the stroller and bringing that inside too.

Henry sat down and went over his script while Aurorra played with her stuffy, until Henry heard his stomach rumble. Aurorra looked up at him and giggled.

He smiled at her, and placed his script down. "Are you hungry?" He asked and she nodded, her hands clapping. Henry stood up and prepped her a bottle then put his shoes on, before helping her. She ran to the couch to put Baby Bear down, and Henry smiled at her. Just before they left, Henry grabbed a bib out of the diaper bag. She wasn't a messy eater, but everyones clumsy sometimes.

"'Kay, lets go," Henry said, lifting her up, and walking out the trailer door.

The second she was down the trailer steps, Aurorra began wiggling in Henry's arms, so he set her down. She immediately ran off, but stumbled and fell.

She had fallen before, but she had always just stood right back up with no problem, but when she burst into tears, Henry knew something was wrong and ran up to her.

She reached her arms out for him and he scooped her up, and his heart dropped when he saw the scraped skin of her right knee. She burrowed her curly head into his shoulder. "It's okay, I know it hurts. We're gonna go to first aide, and their gonna give you a bandaid, okay?" He said, and she nodded.

He walked right over to the first aid tent and entered. He saw one of the medics, Ariana, and walked up to her. She heard Aurorra's cries and turned around to face Henry. "Hey, Ariana, would you be able to give me a bandaid for her knee? She just fell as scraped it."

Ariana smiled and motioned for him to set her on the examination table. "Of course. I'm going to have to clean it, so you might want to sit with her because it's gonna sting." She said, gathering the supplies. Henry nodded, and hopped up on the table before pulling Aurorra onto his lap.

"It's okay, sweetie. Ariana's going to clean it put a bandaid on it and we're gonna go eat breakfast." He said, and held her tight as she screamed when the hydrogen peroxide was sprayed on her leg.

Less than 5 minutes later, Aurorra had a bandaid on her knee, and was walking out of the tent, one hand in Henry's, the other hand touching the Paw Patrol sticker that she received that was on her dress.

"Dada?" She asked, and Henry glanced at her. She signed food and Henry smiled. "Yes, my love. We're almost there." He said, and she let go of his hand to jump in happiness.

"She's here!" Henry heard Joey shout as they walked into the tent. Him, Freya and Anya came up to him right after to see Aurorra.

Aurorra smiled, and waved at them. She walked up to Freya and wrapped her arms around her legs before looking at Henry, who was smiling and taking photos. "Dada, P'incess," She said, and Freya gasped.

Henry was shocked. He had shown her some photos and (non violent and appropriate) scenes of Joey, Anya and Freya just so she knew who she would be around, but he didn't expect her to remember something like that. He bent down and she ran to give him a hug. "Thats right, she is a princess, isn't she?" He said and she nodded. "She acts like it too," He said and had to dodge a punch in the arm from Freya.

"Shush." Freya said, and held her hand out to Aurorra. "Why don't you come sit with us at the table while your Dada gets you food?" She asked, and Aurorra nodded before taking her hand.

"Oh, wait," Henry said, and pulled the lid off the bottle before shaking it and handing it to her. "Here's your bottle, peanut," He said, and she took it in her other hand before following her new friends.

Henry got himself some eggs and toast, 2 sausages. He got Aurorra the same thing, but added some cantaloupe and melons and made sure to grab a knife to cut up the food for her. He carried the two plates over to the table and had to throw his head back and laugh at his daughter.

She had decided to sit in Henry's chair by herself. The only problem was that her head barely came to the top of the table so the only thing you could see were the messy unbrushed curls atop her head and a half inch of forehead.

"I think there's a stray princess in my seat," he said, setting down the plates. Aurorra giggled around the bottle nipple and climbed down. Henry sat, and picked her up. She whined when Henry took the half finished bottle from her mouth and placed it on the table.

"Don't whine. Look, I got you food." Henry said, and let Aurorra gnaw on the toast while he cut up her eggs, sausage, and fruit. Once it was cut up, he placed in front of her, and engaged in a conversation with his costars while everyone ate.

Henry took Aurorra back to his trailer, where he grabbed her tablet before heading off the hair and makeup. Hair and makeup took him forever, and if he could distract Aurorra as long as possible, everything would go smoother.

He sat down in the chair, and Aurorra made the decision to sit on the floor by his feet, despite him, Freya, Anya AND Joey offering for her to sit on their laps, to which she shook her head in defiance. Henry placed the headphones on her head, and turned on Ladybug and Cat Noir, and leaned back in the chair so he could be transformed into Geralt.

About an hour in, Aurorra decided she was done sitting on the ground, and was lifted into Henry's lap. She cuddled up against him and decided to play her Shapes and Colours Music Show. She looked up while Henry was getting his wig put on, and ultimately abandoned her tablet.

She watched in amazement as her Dada turned from himself into Geralt of Rivia. She smiled up at him once once the wig was secure on his head, and the finishing touches were added to his look.

"Dada," She said, and Henry looked down at her. "Yes baby?"

"Gee." She said and pointed up at Henry. The entire trailer erupted into laughter and Aurorra smiled and clapped in response.

"That's right love, I am Geralt," Henry said, and joined the others in laughing. She continued to watch and comment on the way her dad was transforming into his character, and even patted his face while the makeup artists covered his face in the dirt.

Once the makeup artist were finished, the hairdresser gave him a spare water bottle, and showed him a few hairstyles to tame her curly hair.

he tied the top of her hair up into two small braids, and placed her headband on top. he left the back of her hair curly and loose.

Once Aurorra was done, the two of them headed out and back to the trailer to wait, although Aurorra definitely wanted to explore set. She took her morning nap, and eventually, Henry got called to set.

He had no idea how she would act on the actual set. She was going to be surrounded with more people than ever, and she wouldn't be able to run to Henry whenever she wanted to.

she stood with Henry's assistant while he filmed his first scene, and she seemed to do well. she was sitting in his designated chair, and had her eyes on him the whole time. she didn't even seem bothered when some Nilfgaardian soldiers popped out from the trees and began to attack him. her head tilted to the left as he worked through the fight scene, and even clapped with everyone else when the finally got the shot they needed.

the director called for an hour break, and he walked over to where Aurorra was sitting.

"Dada," she babbled, lifting her arms. Henry scooped her up, and kissed her chubby cheeks. she signed 'milk', and Henry sat down in his chair after taking the bottle from his assistant. he slipped the nipple into her mouth and chuckled as she took it from his hands, and began to down the milk.

it was shortly after lunch that Henry got word that he had to film a rather...adult scene. he knew that he couldn't have Aurorra in the room while doing that, but he didn't have anyone else to watch her. thankfully, he has the best cast mates (in his opinion), and Freya asked if she could.

Henry contemplated in the beginning, but ultimately knew he would say yes. He'd known Freya for 3 years now, and knew that she adored children. she had younger siblings of her own, and even though she was only 20, she was way more mature than him, and smart.

he agreed, and he dropped Aurorra off at Freya's trailer before heading to set.

it was around 2 pm, which meant that Aurorra would be allowed a little playtime before she had to have her nap, and most likely wouldn't wake up until Henry was finished filming, considering she was only one.

"hey, Aurorra," Freya asked, causing Aurorra to look up from her iPad, where she was watching Cocomelon. "do you want to do some colouring? i have some colouring books," she said, showing the toddler the books she kept in her trailer from when her siblings would visit set, pre-covid, of course.

Aurorra nodded, a huge smile breaking on her face, and abandoned her iPad on the couch. she joined Freya at the table, and the two of them coloured until the alarm on Freya's phone went off.

"ni ni?" Aurorra asked, and Freya tidied up the table.

"yes, sweet girl." Freya said, scooping the baby up. "it's time to nap. your daddy will be back by the time you wake up!" she said in a cheery voice.

Aurorra clapped, and immediately got comfortable on the bed as soon as Freya set her down. Freya sat down next to her, and wrapped the blanket around Aurorra's shoulders. she gave her her dog stuffy, and began to rub her back. she was so excited to see Henry that she fell asleep within a minute.

Henry made it back to his trailer not that long after, and smile when he saw Freya and Aurorra asleep on the bed. he knocked on the wall, and bit back a laugh when Freya woke with a start, and almost fell off the bed.

"jesus, Henry." She said with a laugh. "you scared the crap out of me."

"that's what you get for falling asleep on the job." he said in a teasing tone. "just kidding. how was she?" he asked, scooping up his sleeping child.

"an angel." Freya said, stretching. Henry cringed as he heard her back pop.

"that's not good for your spine," he commented as he fished out his wallet. he handed over 20 pounds, which Freya gladly took.

"well, it felt nice." Freya retorted, sticking her tongue out of her mouth at Henry.

Henry said goodbye with a laugh, and stepped out of the trailer. he shifted Aurorra to his shoulder, and kissed the side of her head.

"that wasn't too bad," Henry said to himself as he headed to his trailer. "maybe i should bring her along more."

[kpop---scenarios]

Life After Death

Pairing: Kyungsoo x Reader

Genre: Zombie! Au, Enemies to Lovers

Warning: Death, Blood, Smut, Swearing

Word Count: 9k

Summary: The morning you woke up, everything seemed normal, until it wasn't. The world is turned upside down the government and the World Health Organization have shut down, zombies around every corner and only the strong survive. You meet a few friends along the way, and lose even more as you continue to fight for your life. You never thought you'd meet someone under these circumstances but here you were, happy while surviving life after death. Though you should have known, there's never a happy ending in an apocalypse.

A/N: This is part of the collab started by @biaswreckingfics! Go to her page to see the other stories written by terrific creators!

"I'll see you later." You whisper to your sleeping boyfriend before you place a light kiss on his cheek. You open the front door to your apartment, looking back and around at everything, making sure you weren't forgetting anything before you left. As you close the door, you realize you forgot to turn off the radio when you hear one of your favorite songs playing. With a sigh, you glance at your watch and you see you're going to be late, so you leave it, just missing the important message that interrupted everything.

"Breaking News: The World Health Organization has announced extremely serious side effects from the recent vaccinations of batch number 0506361. If the numbers 0506361 are on your vaccination cards please report to your nearest hospital to seek medical treatment."

You don't notice anything different or weird as you walk down the pathway from your apartment building to your parked car. The sun is shining, the air smells crisp, today was going to be a good day, you could feel it. You slide into the driver's seat of your car, turning it on and immediately syncing your phone to play your favorite playlist to amp you up for the day of work you had ahead of you. As you continue to drive to work you notice the streets seem a lot busier than they usually were, especially for 7:45am, some people in their suits running down the sidewalk screaming. Your stomach twisted as you continued down the street, your eyebrows furrowing as you tried to watch the people and the road, slowing your speed. You look out your window and see a man laying on the ground, with another man on top of him. You rolled down your window to yell at them, but when the man turned to look at you, panic ensued. His eyes were white, his face was covered in blood, veins pulsating in his face. Nothing about him seemed human. He looked directly at you, and stood up. Your hands shook as you rolled up your window as fast as it would go. The man suddenly now bolted towards you, snarling. With your window up and both hands now on the steering wheel, you try to breathe through the lump that had appeared in your throat. As you keep driving, you see more and more of people being attacked, tackled and ripped into, people running away crying and screaming, vehicles crashing, buildings and cars up in flames. You could hear the blood curdling screams from inside your car. With shaky hands you switch the station of your radio to see if anyone was reporting on what the fuck was happening.

"..If the numbers 0506361 are on your vaccination cards please report to your nearest hospital to seek medical treatment.. there's a virus.. It's zombies. Zombies are attacking the city.. everyone seek shelter.. oh god.. please no."

You quickly turn your car around, speeding back to your apartment as you try to swerve off the undead as you rush back to your boyfriend. You may not know much, but you've seen enough zombie movies to know that you need to get supplies. You drive your car up and over the curb, parking directly on the lawn in front of your building and run inside. You were lucky you lived right on the ground floor of one of the first apartments in. You struggle to slide your key into the lock, the cries of residents pleading filling the hallway. Your key finally slides into the lock, quickly you turn it and shove your door open before slamming it behind you.

"Jaebum?" You whisper as you scrounge through the front closet looking for the duffle bag that you knew was in there. "Jaebum." You hiss again, running to the kitchen. You pack all the perishable food items and then begin filling up every jug you could find that had a lid with water. You tore through your junk drawer grabbing the flashlights and batteries, and any candles you could find as well as your butcher block.

"I'm serious, Jaebum. You need to answer me now." You hiss, bringing the bag into the living room. You guys needed to leave quickly, which meant you needed to pack even quicker. It wasn't like him not to answer you, it made you worry. You glance to the front door and his shoes were still exactly where he had left them the night before. You crept up to your closed bedroom door, with your hand hovering over the door knob. Your heart felt like it was beating out of your chest as you grabbed the knob, slowly turning it. You push the door open, expecting to see him, but he wasn't there. You quickly changed out of your work clothes, and grabbed everything from all of your drawers and shoved it into the bag. It wasn't until you had finished grabbing what you needed and you had a second to listen that you heard the shower running from down the hall, but for whatever reason, something didn't feel right. You tiptoed quietly down the hallway, standing in front of the door, you pressed your ear against it but heard nothing other than the sound of the shower running.

"Jaebum?" You whispered, gently knocking on the door, but there was no answer. You turned the knob, and opened the door. You saw your boyfriend standing there with his back turned to you. "Oh my god, Jae, we have to go! There are fucking zombies outside!" You gasp, still having a hard time believing those words that were coming from your mouth. In a split second he turned around, his face was beginning to contort, one eye was pure white.

"Y/N.. somethings wrong." He chokes out, spitting out blood before he falls to the ground, his body spasming while he froths at the mouth.

You let out a loud scream as you slam the door shut, running down the hallway to grab the duffle bag before heading out. You swing your door open to run out and crash into a man who falls into another group. You turn to apologize but already there were zombies staggering down the hallway at a quick pace. You whisper an apology before you run out the front door, his cries and pleas for help making your heart sink. You release a big breath seeing your car is still there. You climb in your front seat, closing the door as fast as you can and locking all the doors before turning your car on. Just before you were able to put your car in reverse and speed away, a man began banging on your window.

"Please miss, please open your door." He asks. You look at his face, he's sweating, blood splattered all over his face. His fists and arms remain pressed against your window, smearing blood across it. Your eyes drift down and you see a fresh wound - a bite mark and a chunk taken from his arm.

"You were bitten.." You say to him through the window.

"I'm fine. It's fine.. it's not a bite.. please." He begs. He turns to look behind him and looks back at you, panic written all over his face.

"Please miss, they're coming.. please." He cries.

"I can't." You yell, turning your head away from them. You put the car in reverse, stepping on the gas you pull away from him, knocking him to the ground. As your car stops so you can switch it into drive, you watch as the man gets mauled by a herd of the undead. You felt bad, but you couldn't have helped him, even if you wanted to.

You drove towards the freeway, thinking your best bet is to get out of the city. Your eyes were glued to the road and watching the mirrors, you watched as people panicked while driving, crashing into other cars trying to merge first, crashing into medians, and going in all directions. You could feel a panic attack coming along as you finally realized you were all alone. You had no one to talk to, no one to help you and that was terrifying. You glance down at your gas gage, seeing you had almost a full tank, you knew you would be able to make it to the one place that was probably the safest, your cousin Ray's.

You're stuck in traffic with your doors locked as you see a few people running to cars, trying to get in. There's a man, crying and panicking. No one would let him in, a herd of zombies following behind him. You needed to make a quick decision, so you rolled down your window motioning them over to you. "Here, get in." You yell, unlocking your doors. A man climbs into the backseat of your car, and you quickly lock the doors as soon as the door closes.

"Thank you." The man cries

"Have you been bitten?" You ask, turning to look him over.

"No.. no I haven't. Some men.. they pulled me out of my car, and took off, leaving me out there to die." The man explains. "You're the first person who offered me any help."

"I'm glad I could help." You smile through your rear view. "My cousin has a farm just an hour or so up from here. My family is heading there now. He's been preparing for an apocalypse for a long time. We should be safe there." You explain.

Earlier you had gotten a frantic call from your mother, her asking if you had seen what was going on. You couldn't understand why she thought you lived under a rock and didn't know anything. You did leave your house and listen to the news, contrary to popular belief.

"Thank you, thank you." He cries. You just smile as you continue to drive to Ray's farm.

**

An hour later you take a left turn, driving down the gravel road that leads you to the farm house. You drive slowly, seeing your mom's car, your aunt's car and a few other relatives. You sighed a sigh of relief, knowing that your family was safe. The two of you get out of the car and quietly make your way to the door. You softly knock but there's no answer. You turn the door knob, pushing the door open and it's empty. You walk down the small hallway and hear nothing. Your mom isn't talking, Ray wasn't yelling, no one was making a sound and that was very unusual for your family.

"Hello?" You call out.

You hear footsteps coming from down the hall as the two of you stand around the kitchen. "Hurry up." You laugh and cry.

As the footsteps got closer, you could hear snarling. Your laughter stopped as your cousin Ray came out of the back room. "Zombies." You whisper, backing away.

Not far behind him was your mom, dad, and aunt all coming out, rushing towards you all. "Run!" You scream, heading towards the door. You pull it open, the man behind you trying to get out the door, but he falls, crying as the undead come closer. He's doing his best to fight the zombies off but more stagger out from the back room, there are too many for him. "Run! Save yourself! If you meet my wife, her name is H/N, tell her I love her and our daughter." He yells. "I was trying to get home to them." He yells.

He's trying so hard to fight them, but he's bitten, he screams in agony as he's being ripped to shreds, his body being mauled by the undead.

His screams are now silent, the only sound filling the room is the sound of flesh being torn through.

You close the door, running back to your car. You see a gas can on the side of the house. You rummage through your car, knowing that you have a lighter somewhere in there. You remembered the argument you and Jaebum had gotten into about smoking and he tossed his lighter in your car.

Found it, under the passenger seat. As you went to get out of the car, you noticed something in the backseat.

A wallet.

You grabbed it, opening it up to see the license. It was the man's.

"Kim Jongdae." You whisper. You felt sorry for him, but you couldn't take long to mourn. You needed to be alert and get back on the road. You take your lighter and run to the gasoline. You pour it all over the front of the house, seeing your undead family banging against your windows broke your heart but you needed to do this. You flick the lighter, igniting the flame and throw it onto the ground. The house lights up, the flames quickly engulfing the house. You walk back to your car, slide into the driver's seat and sit there, tears pouring down your cheeks. You have no family, no friends, you have no one.

No one is coming to save you. You watch as your family and the house burn to the ground, exploding in the process.

That made you laugh a little bit, thinking of all the illegal shit your cousin Ray had in his basement.

A while later you get yourself together and drive over to the barn. If you knew anything about your cousin, it is that he always stored something in his barn, besides his pride and joy of a car, his old bronco, Monty. You pull the doors open, and take the tarp off the car, revealing its shine. Just as you remembered it. You peaked in the driver's side and sure enough, the keys were dangling from the ignition.

You began walking slowly to the back of the barn, opening another door, and here you found the jackpot.

Guns.

From a machine gun, to a pistol, to a shotgun. You gathered them all, putting the guns and the ammo in the backseat of Monty. You grab your bags from your car, tossing them in as well before looking around to see if there was anything else you could take. You notice a radio, but don't think much of it at the moment.

You climb into the driver's seat, and pull out of the barn, feeling safer than you have all day. You keep driving down the deserted highway. Abandoned cars everywhere, a few bodies laying around but most of all, no zombies but also no humans either. You're barely paying attention to the road, when you hit something, causing you to swerve, and the car to make a funny noise. You get out to check and see your front tire, flat as fuck.

You didn't have a spare. It was getting dark and you were exhausted. You moved most of the guns to the floor of the back seat, grabbing a blanket and some food and water. You change your clothes, wiping yourself down before having a snack. Laying down in the backseat you try to plan out your next move, but your eyelids get too heavy, and you can't fight it anymore. You doze off completely, and for a little while, forget about the disaster you're in.

You stayed in your car for weeks, never coming across anyone human. You missed talking to someone, talking to yourself wasn't the same. At times you almost forgot what your own voice sounded like. When it was safe, you'd get out of the car and wander around the forest, collecting sticks and branches to make fires with, so you could heat up some of your food. You have some, but you were starting to run low and you didn't know what you were going to do when it ran out. You were limiting yourself to one meal a day but even that didn't seem to help.

You learned when zombies came near the car, in a few or a herd, you needed to hide yourself very well. No moving, light breathing and packed under a lot of things. You were sure if they couldn't see you then they would continue on their way and leave. It almost always worked.

Life in the apocalypse was lonely and exhausting. That night you went to sleep, hoping for a miracle.

You're woken up later, by a frantic tapping on your window. Your eyes adjust to the sun as you look directly out your back window. A group of men stand there, all looking terrified as one of them taps on your window harder. You crawl up to the front driver's seat. You know you can't go anywhere, not with your busted tire. You turn the car on, rolling down your window just a crack.

"What?" You ask, side eyeing all of them.

"Please, we won't hurt you.. we just need a ride. There.. there's a military base a few miles up, but we just can't walk anymore. We haven't come across anyone, human in a while." He stutters.

"My tire is flat." You explain. "I don't have a spare."

"I can change it for you, just gotta take one off another car." A man pipes up.

You didn't feel uneasy from these guys and you were one to always trust your instincts.

"You change the tire, I'll give you a ride." You say. A military base? Maybe it would finally be somewhere safe for you to be.

The man nods and gets to work. By the time he's done the sun is beginning to set, and then you're on your journey to hopefully find somewhere safe.

You're driving down the highway, doing your best to follow the men's map that has every military base mapped out in the 100 miles surrounding the area. "What are your names?" You ask.

"I'm Changbin." The one in the front seat answers. "I'm Chan, and this is Felix." One in the back answers.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Y/N." You say with a smile. As you continue to drive, it quickly becomes night time, everything is black, except for the dim lights coming from your headlights. The two men in the back continue to loudly talk and argue over something, making it hard for you to concentrate. You hated driving at night, especially near wooded areas, you never knew what was out there.

"Can you guys stop?" You ask, glancing to the back.

They continued and got louder. Changbin was asleep in the front seat as they continued their bickering, making you get even more flustered. You turn your head to look back at them, telling them again to stop. They look at each other as you look back at the road and see something standing there. You get startled, yanking the wheel to try and avoid it, heading directly into the woods. The car heads straight on towards a tree and crashes. You hit your head hard on the steering wheel, knocking you out.

What feels like hours, but only seconds later you gain consciousness, just in time to hear Changbin and Chan crying. "She killed him." Changbin cried. "I'm gonna kill her." He yells.

You're struggling to open your eyes, your head is pounding.

You can hear some rustling between the two. "Don't." Chan says. "Leave her. She's in no condition to go anywhere. The undead will get her. She'll get her suffering, ``he says. "Let's take what we can and leave."

"No." You whisper. "Don't."

They can't hear you.

You can hear them rummaging through your car, collecting your guns, your food, your water, everything you had.

"Let's go." Changbin says, they both take off, leaving you there to die as you lose consciousness once again.

**

You're startled awake, surrounded by darkness. You unbuckle your seatbelt, getting out of the car with your head pounding. Your headlights are still on, and you see Felix's body laying on the ground. He had flown through the windshield from the impact of the crash. He wasn't wearing a seatbelt. You begin to cry, this was too much for you.

And then you remember. You look up and see a herd of zombies staggering towards you. They were quicker than you thought. You turned towards the road, running as fast as you could, your leg was throbbing. You run across the road to the other side of the woods. You can hear the snarling behind you as you do your best to navigate through the trees, branches breaking beneath your feet.

You stop, hiding behind a tree, trying to control your breathing. You listen, you can hear the sounds of them walking through the forest, searching for you. You take a second before you take off again, trying to zigzag through the woods in your best attempt to lose them.

You look up, seeing a fire. You run towards it, the flames becoming closer, you can hear the sound of faint words.

Then everything goes quiet. Suddenly the fire is put out and you can hear the sounds of guns clicking.

"Don't shoot." You yell out. "Please."

"What do you want?" A woman yells back.

"I'm.. there's a herd following me. I need help. I was in an accident, I was robbed. I haven't been bitten." You stutter.

"We don't need anyone else." A man yells. "Keep moving."

"Please.. I just need some help. I'm all alone." You cry.

"Move along, before I put a bullet in your head." He yells.

You let out a sob as you turn, beginning to run a different way. You hope you can find a safe place and a group of people but for tonight, you just hope you can survive the night.

**

It had been months.

Months since the outbreak, months of being on your own, months of fighting, scavenging, and hiding. You had come across a few groups, but they wanted nothing more than to take what you had and leave you defenseless. You had learned to hide from most people, giving yourself the advantage of a surprise attack. Most of the time you were successful and they just took off but sometimes they also fought back.

A week ago you had come across a small town, and had found some food and water and a place to stay, but you knew better than to stay in one place for too long. You quickly packed up your belongings into your backpack and grabbed your large spear. You learned awfully quick how to take down a zombie with it, finding it to be much more efficient than a gun, especially with having spears on both sides.

As you walk through the forest, your eyes and ears are open, listening for any signs of the undead. You stop in your tracks, hearing the sound of grunting and yelling, sounding close to you. You walk towards the sound, and come into view of four men trying to fight off a herd. They looked to be struggling, and although you don't usually like to insert yourself into others' fights, you felt like being nice and lending a hand. You run towards them, spearing a few in the head on your way.

You quickly join the fight, taking down a few zombies, as they get a little distracted, seeing another person helping.

"Focus." A man yells, bringing them out of the confusion.

A few minutes later, the last one is stabbed in the head, his decaying body dropping to the ground. The four men turn to look at you, two of them with a smile on their faces, one looking a little confused and the other one looking right angry.

"Hi." One with brown hair and a large smile says.

"Thank you." The blonde one grins.

"No problem." You laugh.

"I'm Baekhyun, this is Chanyeol." He introduces. "And that's Suho." He says, pointing to the confused one. "And that's Kyungsoo." He finishes, pointing to the angry one.

"Nice to meet you all." You say. "I'm Y/N."

"Are you all alone?" Chanyeol asks.

You nod your head.

"What's your story, Y/N?" Suho asks.

You smile awkwardly as you look at the four men who surround you. "My boyfriend turned into one of them when this whole thing started, so I was on my own from the beginning, in a sense. I met a man on my way to my cousin's farm, where my family was gathering, and when we got there they all had already turned. He..he tripped and he fell while trying to escape and he was bitten." You shudder. "I gathered supplies and I took off, and ended up with a flat tire a few hours away. I stayed in my car for weeks, managing pretty well on my own. I met three guys who offered to change my tire for a ride to a military base but when we finally got going.. it was dark and they were arguing in the back." You explain. "I turned around to tell them to stop, but they wouldn't listen and when I looked back at the road, there was something there and I swerved." You sigh. "We hit a tree, and one of them flew through the window. The other two robbed me of everything I had and I've been alone ever since."

"Well not anymore you're not." Baekhyun smiles. "You can join our group."

"Yeah!" Chanyeol exclaims.

"No." Kyungsoo grunts, walking past you, glaring at you. "We didn't need your help. And you're not joining us." He spits. "You're not going to let her join, right?" He asks Suho.

"I don't know." Suho sighs.

"Suho, everyone around her dies. She's bad fucking luck and if you bring her with us, we're all as good as dead." He spits.

"Meeting." Suho announces.

The four men huddle around, whispering to each other. You can make out Baekhyun and Chanyeol saying yes, and Kyungsoo saying no.

Seconds later they all stand up, Kyungsoo looking pissed with the other two looking happier than a pig in shit.

"If you would like to, we would like to invite you to join us. We know it's tough out here, and I can't imagine what it's been like to be alone." Suho says.

You look between all the men, even if one hated you for no reason, you were tired of being alone, and being scared alone.

"Yes." You announce. "Thank you."

"Come on, our camp is this way." Chanyeol smiles, waving you along. Three men begin walking away, but Kyungsoo walks towards you.

"I don't trust you." He murmurs, moving in close. "If anyone from this group so much as gets a splinter, I'm coming for you." He growls into your ear, his tone is low and very threatening. Goosebumps cover your skin as you feel his hot breath on your ear.

You nod your head.

He turns away from you, running towards the rest of his group.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea?

**

You felt like your legs were going to collapse as you continued to walk behind the group. Baekhyun turns around, smiling as he announces you have arrived. You look around and see a bunch of trees, but no camp, except for the small campfire pit that sat on the ground.

"It's.. nice." You smile.

Chanyeol, Suho and Baekhyun start laughing.

"Look up." Chanyeol says.

You tilt your head to the sky, and see a decent sized tree house sitting between a few trees. Your jaw drops, this was one thing you had never expected to see. "Come, we'll give you a tour." Baekhyun says, beginning to climb up the swinging ladder. You follow behind Baekhyun, the rest coming up behind you. When you get inside, you're honestly still amazed. It wasn't much but it was safe and it was out of the way and off the ground.

"We pull up the ladder when we're here, and when we all leave we just hide it." Suho explains. "We have food, water and sleeping bags. The most important things. We all pitch in around here, whether or not it's repairs, runs, or fights, everyone helps." He says, looking at you.

"Of course. Whatever I can do to help, I will." You assure them.

"Or don't, I'm not ready to die." Kyungsoo mutters, setting his stuff down.

Your eyes darted over to Kyungsoo, giving him an offended look. He looks back at you, not caring if he's hurt your feelings. You can sort of understand why he's weary of you, but it's not like you killed these people for the hell of it. You were determined to prove that it wasn't you, that you weren't bad luck. How you were going to do that, you had no idea.

**

That night you sat around a campfire, your belly fuller than it's been in a while, while you listened to stories Baekhyun and Chanyeol shared about their friend group. As it turned out, there were a total of twelve of them when this first started. Some of them were unfortunate to be ones who had gotten the batch of vaccines, a few they had lost while traveling, some died in fights, or took off to find their loved ones.

"Have you come across any of them?" You ask.

"We've looked, but no luck so far. There are two we're still looking for. Oh Sehun and Kim Jongdae." Suho says.

Your heart stops. Your head darts up, looking at him with wide eyes.

"What?" Chanyeol asks.

"What was that last name?" You whisper.

"Kim Jongdae? He was one of our best friends." Suho tells you.

You gulp, there's a ball forming in your throat. "What?" Kyungsoo yells. "What do you know?"

"I.. He said he was trying to get back to his wife and kid.. h-he told me to run and save myself. I wanted to help him b-but I didn't know how." You choke out.

"The man that was bitten at your farm. That was Jongdae?" Kyungsoo asks.

"I saw his license in his wallet.. he had dropped it in my car when we got out. I'm so sorry." You cry.

Kyungsoo rushes towards you, tackling you to the ground, straddling you.

"You fucking bitch, I knew you shouldn't have joined us. It should have fucking been you. You should have died, not him." He screams in your face, spit flying from his mouth as he hands pin your shoulders to the ground.

You're bawling as Suho and Chanyeol pull Kyungsoo off of you, he's still crying and yelling. "It should have been you!" He yells.

Baekhyun helps you off the ground, guiding you to go up into the tree house. He sets out a sleeping bag for you, tucking you in as you cry into the built in pillow. 'I'm so sorry." You whimper.

"I know. And we know it's not your fault. Jongdae was a clumsy motherfucker so I'm not surprised he tripped. Don't take what Kyungsoo says to heart. He's been through alot and he's not warm to new people. Just give him a bit." Baekhyun tells you. He gives you a half smile before climbing down the ladder and sitting back around the fire, helping to calm things down. That night you fell asleep with tears staining your face.

**

Days bled into weeks, and then into months, until this new life and these men were all that were at the top of your mind. Chanyeol had finally been able to make contact with the ham radio that had been found on one of many expeditions. There seemingly were whole groups of people like yourselves out there, sticking together and trying to survive. You reflected on the wonder of it all as you cleaned the rabbit you had caught, the best you could.

Kyungsoo had become different with you, he didnt give off a hatred towards you anymore. His words didn't cut quite as deep. Slowly you were becoming closer, and you enjoyed it.

Suddenly, you feel a presence behind you, waves of hot breath covering the nape of your neck, sending chills down your spine. He didn't even need to speak, you already knew who it was. "You're doing it wrong." Kyungsoo breathed, his body close to yours.

"I'm not." You retort, continuing to skin the dead animal. You tried to ignore his presence, and that fact that he made you feel so many mixed emotions whenever he was around.

You both hear a crunch of leaves behind you, making Kyungsoo step away from you and turn around.

"What are you guys doing?" Baekhyun asks, raising his eyebrow.

"She's skinning the rabbit wrong. She's going to take off all the meat with the fur." Kyungsoo announces.

"I am not.. shit." You spit, looking on the ground, seeing hunks of meat still attached to the fur.

"Told you." He mumbles, walking away and into the forest to try and find more food.

You stick up your middle finger at the man who drove you crazy day in and day out.

"Y/N." Suho calls out to you, a few hours later. "If you want to take a bath, go to the stream now. It's going to be dark soon."

You nod your head, climbing up the ladder to grab your things. You slide back down, just in time for Kyungsoo to be protesting something.

"We've all got other things to do, you're the only one free." Suho tells him. "Y/N, Kyungsoo will be keeping watch for you."

"I really don't ne.." you start.

"Yes you do." He says, looking at you. "And you will go. That's it."

With an aggravated groan, Kyungsoo stomps off towards the stream, with your speed walking to keep up with him.

As you finish up your wash, you dry yourself off with your towel, pulling your jeans on over your damp legs. You bend down to grab your shirt, when you hear a rustling from behind you. You stand up straight, your heart pounding in your chest.

You hear it again, the sound now closer to you. "Fuck." You scream, running towards Kyungsoo. Your body collides with his, your breasts pressing against his hard chest. "There's something out there." You whisper.

You both hear the sound, Kyungsoo holding onto you as his eyes dart around, taking in the surroundings. Seconds later a deer walks out of the bushes, grazing and you can feel your heart slow down.

"It's a deer." He announces, looking at you. You look back at him, your eyes trailing to his heart shaped lips. Your own set of lips parting slightly as you look back at him, his eyes haven't moved from your face. Without thinking you inch yourself forward, which causes Kyungsoo to inch back. Your stomach sinks. You cannot believe you just did that. Why did you think that he would return a kiss?

"We should head back." He says, avoiding eye contact and clearing his throat.

You feel so embarrassed. You quickly whisper an apology before grabbing your things and taking off, hearing a faint "wait." From behind you. You're running through the words, desperately trying not to cry as you can hear Kyungsoo running behind you.

You finally slow down, trying to catch your breath as your lips quiver. You hear a stick break behind you. You turn around with a sigh, and come face to face with a zombie, snarling as he reaches out for you. You scream loudly as you try to fight it off, tripping in the process. You fall back with him on top of you as he tries to go in for a bite. Black bile is seeping from his mouth, his breath is rancid.

"Help!" You scream out, one hand trying to reach for something, anything that would help you take him out.

Suddenly his body goes limp and you hear the sound of a sword coming out of his head. You roll the body off of you, and see Chanyeol smiling above you.

"Thank you." You sigh in relief. Chanyeol puts out his hand to help you up, when he's attacked. Another zombie staggers up to him, latching his teeth to Chanyeol's neck. He screams out in agony as the monster devours him before your eyes.

"No!" You cry. You take Chanyeol's sword, putting the blade right through the zombie's skull. Chanyeol sinks to the ground, sobbing while he holds his neck. "I'm sorry." You cry. "I'm so so sorry."

"It's.. not.. your...fault." He breathes. "Tell them.. I love them.." he stutters.

Kyungsoo, Baekhyun and Suho rush to Chanyeol's side. Baekhyun is sobbing while Kyungsoo and Suho hold back their tears.

"I didn't.. I didn't know there was a second one." You sob.

Kyungsoo walks over to you, his face stone cold. He wraps one arm around you, pulling you in close to him. "It's not your fault." He murmurs. The two of you stand there, watching the life drain from Chanyeol's eyes.

Baekhyun announces he will be the one to put Chanyeol down, but would like to do it in private. Three of you walk away from the sobbing man, your heart full of guilt.

**

The next day, the camp is quiet. You were busy making wood spears, like Chanyeol had taught you a few weeks ago. You couldn't even look at Baekhyun. You knew the two of them were best friends and your heart hurt so badly that Chanyeol died while trying to save you.

Had you not been so stupid and tried to kiss Kyungsoo, then this would never have happened. You knew this was your fault and there was nothing you could do to make it better. You can't bring Chanyeol back and you really wish you could.

"Careful." You hear from behind you. You turn your head and see Kyungsoo leaning against a tree. "If you keep sharpening it like that you're going to end up slicing your finger off." He tells you.

"This is how.. Chanyeol showed me how to do it." You say. You could barely speak his name.

Kyungsoo chuckles. "Yeah, he wasn't the best at doing it either." He crouches behind you, wrapping his arms around you to show you the proper way of doing it. Your heart still flutters as he touches you.

"Thank you." You whisper.

"Anytime." He says, standing up and walking away from you.

Fuck. You were so fucked.

**

That night you couldn't sleep. You stared at the empty spot beside you, where Chanyeol used to sleep. You could hear the small whimpers coming from Baekhyun and you just couldn't take it. You slowly slid out of your sleeping bag, slid on some shoes and climbed down the ladder. As you stand in the forest, you take a deep breath of fresh air. You need to gather your thoughts and heal yourself. You begin walking through the woods. It's quiet, and you didn't plan on going very far. As you're walking, you stop to listen. You hear a noise coming from in front of you but you didn't know what it was. You tried your best to hide behind the tree, limiting your breathing as you continue to listen. You can heat twigs breaking and leaves crunching. Your heart begins to race in your chest, you squeeze your eyes shut.This was a bad idea, you should not have left the tree house.

"What are you doing?" You hear from in front of you. You open your eyes and see Kyungsoo standing in front of you.

"I thought.. oh my god." You sigh. "I thought I was going to die."

Before he can say anything you both hear groans and snarls but you're not sure where from. You unintentionally let out a squeak. Kyungsoo covers your mouth with his hand, pushing you up against the tree. His body presses hard against yours, you can feel his hot breath against your neck.

The two of you stay like this for what feels like hours. When the sound is finally gone he pulls away from you.

"What are you doing out here?" He growls.

"I needed some air, and to think." You explain.

"You could die out here. This has to be your stupidest decision." Kyungsoo scoffs.

"No." You begin. Before your brain can tell you not to say anything, your mouth begins to move. "My stupidest decision was trying to kiss you." You say, turning away from him to walk away.

"I was surprised." He announces. "I didn't think you'd try and kiss me. I didn't think you'd even like me. I treated you terribly." He tells you.

"That's probably why I like you unfortunately." You sigh, making him laugh.

As the two of you are walking back towards the house, you hear whispers coming towards you. You both stop, hearing the sound of a gun loading, making you stop in your tracks. Kyungsoo pulls you behind him, moving both of you towards a bigger tree to hide behind.

"Show yourself walker." A man screams. "I know you're out there."

Neither of you say anything. Kyungsoo is against pressed up against your body, shielding you from any danger.

A while later you see a light flashing. It flashes towards your tree, making Kyungsoo push into you more, trying to keep the two of you hidden. The light passes the tree you're behind and continues to walk away. Neither of you move until the light is completely gone and out if sight. Both of you let out a sigh of relief but Kyungsoo doesn't move away from you. His face hovers close to yours, you can feel his breath on your face.

You wait. You wait for what you hope will happen but you don't think that it will come.

Until it does. Kyungsoo presses his lips to yours. You're shocked at first, until he begins moving his lips against yours and you get into it. You wrap your arms around his neck as he slips his tongue into your mouth. You moan into the kiss, making him groan.

"I want to fuck you." He says, his lips still just barely touching yours.

"I want you to fuck me." You breathe.

Kyungsoo turns you around, pushing you up against the tree. He kneels down, pulling down your sweat pants and underwear.

"Spread your legs." He demands.

You spread them as far as you can. You can hear the sound of his belt unbuckling behind you. Your pussy throbs in anticipation. You don't know how big or small he is, but you hope he destroys you. You couldn't even remember the last time you had been fucked at all.

Kyungsoo steps up behind you, taking two fingers and searching between your lips for your hole. He chuckles when he finds it, he can feel your juices dripping from inside of you. "So fucking wet." He groans, slowly pushing his two fingers inside you. Immediately you clench around them, it feels so good. "I needed to make sure you were wet enough, and fuck are you ever." He whispers in your ear.

He pulls his fingers out of you, and lines his cock up with your hold. You're bracing yourself on the tree as he pushes himself inside you. Your eyes practically roll back into your head as he stretches you out.

"Oh god." You cry, your fingernails digging into the tree bark.

"Shit." He cries, slowly pulling out of you before snapping his hips and harshly pushing his cock back inside. "It's gonna be quick." He groans.

That was fine with you, you knew you could rub your clit twice and cum, it had been too long.

Kyungsoo has his hands holding onto your hips as he snaps his, grunting and groaning from behind you. You reach between your legs, touching your clit. You begin to slowly rub it and you can already feel your intense orgasm already building up. You feel like you're going to cum already. His cock feels so nice sliding in and out of your pussy, the sound of his grunts and moans, with the feeling of his hot breath covering you and giving you shivers.

"Cum." He grunts. Your tighten your pussy around him as you orgasm washes over you, leaving your body feeling weak.

Kyungsoo moans loudly as he pulls out of you, jerking his cock to cum all over your ass. He lets out a string of swear words as he releases his load, breathing heavily as he works through it.

You both pull up your pants, and get situated. "We better get back." He says, walking back towarsa camp. You follow closely behind him, confused about your feelings for him, but more so his feelings for you, if there were any.

**

The next day you wake up with the thoughts of what happened last night over flowing through your head. You didn't know how to process this, or what was going to happen now. You decided to see how the day was going to play out and just go about your normal routine.

When you got downstairs you said hi to Suho, Baekhyun and Kyungsoo. Two of them said goodmorning back to you, and one did not. You tried to stop thinking about it but it was hard and you knew he wasn't the type of man to tell you his feelings.

However, all day he ignored you. Anytime you tried to say anything to him, he walked away, he refused to answer you and honestly you felt extremely disrespected. Your eyes burn as you fight off the tears, watching him talk and laugh with Baekhyun while you just get ignored.

Suho on the other hand most definitely noticed something was going on because a little while later you see Suho quietly yelling at Kyungsoo.

"I don't care what you did." Suho spits. "Fix it. I refuse to have a hole in our team because one of us is being a dick. Fucking fix it." He murmurs again before walking away.

**

That night you laid in your sleeping bag, wondering if this is what it was going to be like. You having feelings for Kyungsoo, and him taking advantage of it. Fucking you when it's convenient for him and ignoring you the rest of the time. Even after death, life was still so fucked.

You feel something pressing against you from behind. You slowly roll over and see Kyungsoo laying beside you in his sleeping bag.

"Can we talk?" He asks.

You nod your head.

"I." He begins. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for the way I treated you, I'm sorry for the things I said and for the way I acted when I found out about Jongdae. Its been hard to lose people, and it's even harder to accept new people into the group. You're doing a great job here and we're lucky to have you." He whispers.

"Thank you." You smile. But you really want to know why he ignored you all day. "What was going on today?" You ask.

"I enjoyed last night. I, um, had a girlfriend when this whole thing started. We got out together, we met up with Suho and Baekhyun and Chanyeol and she really helped build alot of this. I lost her a while ago, and it's been hard. I didn't think I would meet anyone, or fall for anyone else and then you came along. I feel guilty for liking you so much, like I'm cheating." He explains. "I was convincing myself it wasn't cheating."

"I get that. I was in a relationship when this thing started. Unfortunately for me, he ended up being one of the ones who received that does of vaccine. I had to leave him in our apartment and take off." You whisper. "You'll always have her memory with you and it's something you'll treasure. I didn't know her, but I'm sure she wouldn't want you to be sad and mourning her."

"You're right." He sighs. "It's hard to let go, but I do like you, Y/N. I want you to know that."

"I like you too." You smile.

The two of you lay there, whispering to eachother, laughing and enjoying the night. You couldn't have asked for anything better.

**

Over the next few weeks, the others had changed. With Chanyeol being gone, it took a toll on Baekhyun. He often sobbed at night, crawling next to you so you could rub his head while he cried. Your heart went out to him.

This life wasn't easy.

Suho had become much more grimmer and sullen. He barks orders at people, never engaging in coversations anymore. He's tired, everyone is tired with very little of hope for the future. Fighting for your lives everyday, scrounging for food and water is a struggle, however none of this stopped you and Kyungsoo from sneaking off when you could to be together.

Neither of you really talked when you weren't fucking and that was okay with you, you knew he still had feelings for you. It was the little things he did for you when no one was looking that reassured you. You both knew that announcing your relationship to Suho and Baekhyun would not end well, so keeping it between the two of you would be the best.

You announced to Baekhyun and Suho that you were going to the river, they both just nodded while Kyungsoo offered to be your watch.

It didn't take long for him to be pulling off your shirt and for you to slide off your pants and panties. Both of you walked into the cool water, soaking yourselves before Kyungsoo pulled you towards him. He lifts you up, letting you put your legs around him as he leans in for a kiss. You can feel his cock sliding against your pussy, waiting to be pushed in. He breaks the kiss, leaning down to pepper kisses along your neck as he thrusts, pushing himself inside of you.

You throw your head back as he holds you, fucking you harshly. There was never time to fuck slow, you always needed to be quick and get it done, just in case.

He pumps himself into you, his hand reaching between you and him, touching your sensitive bud and rubbing while he pounds his cock into you.

"Fuck baby." He groans. "You feel so fucking good."

You hold him close as your orgasm builds, biting your bottom lip and your hands gripping his hair. "Just like that." You breathe. "Don't stop." You grind yourself on him as you begin to cum, intensifying your orgasm. "Oh god yes." You moan, breathing heavily.

"I'm gunna cum." He moans, thrusting harder. Seconds later he releases himself, shooting his cum inside of you, his head resting on you as he catches his own breath.

"Fuck." He breathes pulling out of you. "I love you." He whispers.

You stare at him with wide eyes. This wasn't something you had been expecting at all, considering you did your best to hide the relationship at all costs. "I know it might be too soon, but I do and I need you to know that."

"I love you too." You smile.

You're brought out of your sweet moment when you hear screaming from Baekhyun and Suho. You both rush out of the water and get dressed as quick as you can before running back to camp.

"What?" You breathe. "What happened?"

Baekhyun and Suho grin as they stare at the radio. "Listen!" Baekhyun yells.

“Our dear citizens, to those who have survived. The WHO has created what promises to be a vaccine. We are asking all our citizens to make their way to the nearest hospital facility. Troops are being deployed along with helicopters and planes to transport as needed. Today … we have hope in the world again”

You all burst into tears. You did it, you survived and met some wonderful people. You have a love you had never thought you'd get again.

Kyungsoo embraces you tightly, crying into your shoulder as you do his. Quickly Suho and Baekhyun join your hug, all of you feeling such relief and happiness, for the first time in a long time.

As quick as you all can, you gather what you need to make the trek to find a hospital. You say a quick goodbye to your site that has kept you safe for so long, before taking off, hand in hand with Kyungsoo, and Baekhyun and Suho on either side of you.

It wasn't long into your journey, when you hear the familiar sounds of zombies wandering through the forest. The four of you prepare yourselves for a fight but as they come out, you realize there are more than you all had anticipated. You try to fight your way through the crowd, but somehow you're separated from the group, trying to take on more than you can. The others are distracted, they aren't paying attention to your calls for help. A zombie lunges at you, knocking you back. You're crying loudly but no one is coming to help. The other zombies kneel beside you as you keep trying to fight them off, but one takes a chunk out of your shoulder. You scream in agony as you lose your strength to fight. They're devouring you as you're fading into the darkness. You can hear Kyungsoo yell no and all the pain stops. You see him standing over you as you spit up blood. He's crying over your body, asking you to stay with him but you can't. You're tired of fighting, you want to let go now.

So you do.

You open your eyes and see a film over everything. Your body is sore, the scent of meat makes your mouth water and your stomach cramp. Everything feels stiff but something smells so good. Your hearing is better than ever, picking up the sound of a rapid beating heart and the sound of crying. Wait…Where’s my heart beat? You look with horror at the meat...

“I’m sorry,” he whispers, “I love you.” You reach out to stop the knife but your body is stiff and I responsive as you watch the knife plunging towards you. It’s me you scream in your head as it all goes dark

There is no happiness in life after death.