#and start collecting useful papers n stuff for my essay

[imabiscuitinthousandworlds]

dear gods it's late, i'm halfway through my wikipedia article draft, it's fucking late, i have not done my homework, it's really late, i have no caffeine anywhere and no time to get any before school, it's so fucking late it's approaching being early, i have an important exam tomorrow, i'll get less than four hours of sleep, the article thingy is so close to being done but my brain isn't braining for that one sentence

[thenasoneshots]

Remus Oneshot - Visiting Hours

Requested?: No

Prompt: None

Type of oneshot: Songfic (it’s more just a random oneshot with a bit of fluff that uses a song for  a small portion of the oneshot)

Song Used: Visiting Hours - Ed Sheeran

Timing: Golden Trio Era, specifically Prisoner of Azkaban timing, with a small bit of ‘Pre-Philosopher’s Stone’ at the start

Reader's Relations: None/Best friends with James (cause it’s for the plot, okay)

Reader’s House: Not Applicable

Reader’s Blood Status: Muggle-Born

Warnings: None/Sadness

Other notes: This was originally gonna be set after the Battle of Hogwarts with the reader being Remus’s sister and being the one to look after Teddy, but it evolved into this instead, let me know if you’d like to see that one too.

A small bit of context, after his parents were killed, he was sent to live with you rather than the Dursleys.

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

I hummed a tune to myself as I put the finishing touches on Harry’s 11th birthday cake. I had just finished washing up the bowl that the icing had been in when Harry walked into the room, “Post’s here.” He smiled up at me and handed me one of the two letters that were in his hands. I returned the smile and turned the letter over to remove the envelope and read the contents;

“Dear Miss (Y/n) (L/n),

On behalf of Professor Dumbledore, I would like to invite you to come and teach Muggle Studies at Hogwarts. We require a new teacher, and it was agreed that you would be the best fit for the job. Of course, you do not need to worry about Harry, as I’m sure, provided both letters arrived on the same day, that he will be coming with you. I await your reply.

Yours,

Professor Minerva McGonagall,

Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry”

I smiled at the letter, turning towards Harry who was staring at the letter in his hands. I gave a small chuckle, alerting him to the fact that I was watching him and he turned to me, “So.. when do we go and get my school things?”

“Whenever you wish, Harry, but how does tomorrow sound? There’s a birthday cake with your name on it here.”

He nodded and smiled, handing me the letter, so I could read over it, as it had been twenty years since I’d been in his position. I folded it and put it safely on the kitchen counter, beside my purse, so we wouldn’t forget it the next day and turned back to the cake, picking up the stand it was on and bringing it over to the table where Harry was sitting.

“Happy Birthday, Harry. It’s not much, but I hope you like it anyway.”

“Awesome. Thank you,” he replied, as I took out my wand and cut two slices after he’d blown out the candles. We both dug in and managed to eat half of the relatively small cake, between the two of us, saving the other half for the next day, or a later point, as it would last a few days.

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

“I want three paragraphs on the uses of rubber ducks, due by the end of the week,” I spoke out to the class of 4th years. Groans were heard across the classroom and I rolled my eyes, “You should be glad I’m not making you write thirteen pages! Class dismissed!” I spoke, leaning my hands on the desk in front of me, as the students started packing up their stuff. I started to pack up a few of my things as it was the last class of the day, and I wanted the classroom to be clean for the next day. Just as I was collecting a few of the remaining quiz papers from desks, a voice disrupted the quiet, “Professor (L/n)?” I turned around to see one of the 5th-year Hufflepuffs standing at the door. I smiled and nodded, “Come in, Jen. Did you need something?”

“Not technically, I just wanted to hand this in. I finished it early and I didn’t trust it being left in my dorm until our class on Friday, so I thought I’d just come and give it to you now,” she replied, taking a piece of parchment out from her bag. I walked over and took the parchment from her, seeing it was her essay on (Random muggle objects) I’d given her year the previous day.

“Thank you, Jen, I’ll mark it this evening and give it back to you tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Professor, bye.”

“Bye, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The Hufflepuff girl adjusted her glasses and nodded before running out of the classroom. I shook my head slightly as she reminded me of myself in my school days and returned to the small office adjacent to the classroom. Sirring down at th desk, I placed the pieces of parchment in my hands down, taking out the photo of me and my school friends, the Marauders, Lily and Marlene, I kept in the top draw of m desk and rubbing my thumb over it, “I wish that heaven had visiting hours so, I could just show up and bring the news,” I took my thumb over to where James and Lily were standing, the former’s arm around the latter and giggled at the memory, before tears starting to come to my eyes. It wasn’t fair that James and Lily had been killed, they didn’t deserve it, “That he's getting older, and I wish that you met him. The things that he'll learn from me, I got them all from you,” I paused looking at the younger version of Remus in the photo. He’d helped me so much with my schoolwork, and with how to be a decent human being, his friends not being responsible as they were pranking Slytherins most of the time. During our school years, I had the most obvious crush on him and it was a surprise he hadn’t worked it out, or maybe he had and didn’t feel the same so he kept quiet about it, “Can I just stay a while, and we'll put all the world to rights? The little one has grown, and I still drink your favourite wine and soon they're going to close, but I'll see you another day, so much has changed since you've been away.” I’d been best friends with the Marauders, helping Sirius and James out with homework most of the time, and helping Remus with his/doing it for him when a full moon came, Peter doing his homework himself, “I wish that heaven had visiting hours so, I could just swing by and ask your advice. What would you do in my situation? I haven't a clue how I am to raise him. What would you do? 'Cause you always do what's right. Can we just talk a while until my worries disappear, I'd tell you that I'm scared of turning out a failure. You'd say, "Remember that the answer's in the love that we create". So much has changed since you've been away.” 

I put the photo down, unable to continue singing as I put my head down on my desk letting the tears come. That was when I heard a knock at the door. I quickly wiped my tears, allowing the person entry, and stood up, to make it seem like I hadn’t been crying, but I froze when the person walked in, “P-Professor Lupin. This is a surprise.”

“(Y/n), don’t act like we don’t know each- Have you been crying?” he asked, looking me in the eye. I shook my head, “No! Why would I have been crying?”

“You can’t lie to me, (Y/n). I was at school with you for seven years, I can tell when something’s wrong,” Remus replied, walking over to me and taking my chin in his hand, forcing me to look at him, “Tell me? I know we haven’t seen each other in more than twenty years, but I’m here for you if you need to talk.” I smiled and nodded, shaking slightly, “O-Okay. It’s just I’ve been so stressed. I don’t know if I’m doing a good enough job!”

“You are. You’re the best Muggle Studies professor this school’s ever had.”

I sighed, “No, I don’t mean job as in occupation, I mean with raising Harry. I don’t know why James and Lily wanted me to look after him if something happened to them!” I choked out, the tears coming back to my eyes. Remus just pulled me into a hug, “Let it out, (Y/n). Let it out. I won’t judge you.”

“Thanks, Rem. T-this is what made me fall in love with you all those years ago.”

The minute I’d said that my face turned bright red and I squeaked, quickly backing out of the hug, “You should really go, I’ve got a lot of papers to mark, and I want to get it-” I was cut off when Remus grabbed my upper arms and pulled me closer to him, kissing me. My eyes widened, but after getting over the shock, I wrapped my arms around his neck, my fingers tangling in his hair. We broke off a few minutes later and I raised a hand to my mouth, “You just kissed me…”

“I’m sorry, I should have asked first. It’s just that when we were in school Sirius told me that if I ‘ever got the opportunity to kiss you, I should do it’.”

I smiled, pecking his cheek, “It’s okay. I confessed first anyway, accidentally but still. By the way, that was my first kiss.��

“Want me to be your second too?”

I giggled and nodded, “Most definitely. D-does this mean we’re together now?”

“Does this answer that?” Remus responded, kissing me again.

------------------------------END OF ONESHOT

I probably had an idea for more of this… but ehh I wanna draw so I’m ending it here

[amazingphilza]

study buddies :: cc!multiple x reader

fluff , platonic , gender neutral ! some headcanons if the mcyts were trying to help you do hw :D

cc’s included in order: tommyinnit , tubbo , ranboo , wilbur soot , philza , technoblade

tommyinnit

i feel like he’s the type to be in a long discord call with you whilst you both try to finish your work

mans uses the screensharing feature like there’s no tomorrow

“y/n watch my stream on discord and help me guess the answers”

“tommy no! i haven’t even taken a film class before”

“your guess is good as mine”

“just cheat and google the answers!!!”

“fuck you”

he actually just wants your attention because he’s bored out of his mind doing homework

five minutes later of asking you to help him guess questions he’s like

“hey y/n”

“what now?”

“let’s play bedwars”

“oh my god shut up!!!”

if tommy has to speedrun something before a deadline, it is a whole different story tho; he will be so focused on completing that he won’t hear what you’re saying

if you’re struggling in math, you’re on your own

“math is shit, only numbers i need is my primes and youtube analytics” says tommy any time you complain about math

besides the fact he isn’t good at solving math problems, you can’t even read his handwriting if he did try showing you how to do a problem

“okay, y/n, it’s simple, just look” he says in his kareninnit voice and everything

you’d be like “is the variable a G or a 9??”

“fuck you that’s a 4!!!”

tubbo

i don’t know if tubbo ever talked about school before but something about him makes me think he’s actually pretty good at math

like he can explain a few things when it comes to math / algebra

CODING GO BRRRR

no geometry or calculus though, anything past algebra will go bad

if tubbo is doing homework with you, he will definitely tune you out

“hey tubbo can you help me on this question?”

you don’t get a response until like 20 minutes later

“oh yeah, what was it y/n?”

like now you answer? i just got the answer myself after so long, forget you smh

“oh nothing tubbo, nevermind!”

but you’re still grumbling in your head because if he answered just a bit earlier you wouldn’t have gone through the work of finding the answer online

i can also imagine if you’re taking chemistry tubbo is like ;

“oh you’re taking chemistry? let’s make some bombs!” /lh

tubbo would definitely pull an all-nighter with you to finish your projects together

if you had a group project, he would make you do the writing part while he does the drawing part

“we definitely aced this project”

“of course we did, if i made you draw we would’ve ended up with stick figure diagrams”

“TUBBO. THE FUCK?”

ranboo

okay i know ranboo said he isn’t a theatre or band kid (unless im wrong and forgetful) but i feel like he’d be somewhat educated in the topics nonetheless

half the time he’s great moral support, helping you stay motivated !

the other half is him making fun of you

“i cant believe you’re failing, that is so sad, can’t be me”

“it’s literally an honors class, ranboo! it’s supposed to be hard!!”

“taking an honors class willingly? also cant be me AHAHA”

i honestly can’t see ranboo going to school like i know he’s a minor and said he had zoom calls before and plays volleyball but like did i miss something? has he dropped out yet? like something about ranboo does not scream “student” /lh

besides that, i’m not sure what subject he would actually be good in,,, but something about nutrition/health sciences,, he knows a few things

don’t get me wrong, i don’t think he actually likes the subject but somehow remembers what he learned from the class

also gives me the type of energy of the type of person to take a first aid class to be a certified person to do cpr on someone just to kill time during his lunch breaks for a while or something

“i am a certified cpr person”

“my life in ranboo’s hands? oh god please no”

you two would probably joke about the ‘bad’ people in your classes or talk shit about your schools than actually doing anything homework related ngl AHAHAH

“you think your school is down bad? mine went back to campus full time after like 6 months into quarantine because they were running out of money”

“what the hell y/n? your school is a scam, drop out”

“arghhhh i knowww”

“i bet i make more money than your teachers combined AHAHAH”

wilbur soot

he doesn’t seem like the best person to ask for help for homework but can info dump you on very specific historical events + a bit of geography

i kinda see him as the person you can ask to proof read an essay for you and would help it improve immensely

who needs a thesaurus when you have vocabulary boy wilbur?

i dunno if it’s an american thing only or at all, but if/when you get to studying hamilton in your english class, he will get so fucking excited

“no wilbur it isn’t fun! imagine listening to lin-manuel miranda rap ‘alexander hamilton’ at the white house from like 2009 on repeat for over an hour whilst trying to write an analysis about it!! it was so distracting”

“well clearly someone has a personal problem with mr lin-manuel. if i were you, i’d be singing the whole thing”

is this last bit personal and complete spite from my freshman year english class? yes. i do not care? no. /hj

unrelated but i actually scribbled nice guy ballad lyrics and other songs on my english scratch papers in freshman year but anyway

probably isn’t the best person to be in a call to do homework with but wilbur doesn’t mind you ringing him occasionally sometimes

i dunno i can just see him easily get bored of the silence or something but also doesn’t want to bother you too much

but he is genuinely proud of you whenever you tell him you aced a big test you were studying for :D

philza

this man’s bad advice is as bad as him trying to help you on any subject

he’s an old man so /hj

but like honestly, he hasn’t been at school for so long, phil can probably only help with the most basic things when it comes to school

if you have a wack teacher that makes you collect data through surveying people, phil would be one of the best people to ask! straightforward and won’t take too much of your time compared to other people ahem,,

statistics things ! sobs

if you ever complain a lot about your classes and contemplating dropping out and stuff, he will def scold you hard

“ugh phillllllllll can i just like,, never go to school again?”

“do not drop out”

“argh fine, i won’t just ‘cause philza minecraft said so”

honestly if you get a high score in a big test like your sats/gcse’s (whatever you’re taking from wherever you are) he’d probably order you a small meal or something to celebrate :D

like how phil bought ranboo bought him food to his house, it would start as a joke but when you get your test scores back he’s like “YOOO GOOD JOB Y/N”

expect a left meat pizza coming to your house .

technoblade

like wilbur, techno is also helpful when it comes to history!

def knows a decent bit of literature too

besides that i don’t really see him being that helpful

even if he was supposed to be an english major

he will just get mad at the school system for teaching you useless things

“being in school is good but why do you need to know how to know if something is a triangle or not? i can obviously see with my eyes that it’s a triangle”

“i dunno! ask the person that made up geometry”

“just look at a kaleidoscope and be over with it, it isn’t that hard”

“that isn’t how it works—”

“bruhhh”

if you’re looking for the person to call while doing homework, he is not the person /lh

it’s either like 0 or 100 with techno

he can just completely not say anything and ignore you or go on a full rant about whatever class or homework you have

if you have an essay you need written, it will take a lot of bribing but he might take the opportunity if you are rich

“techno i’ll paypal you $10 please help me”

“no. i can make 10 times that amount in 5 minutes if i just started streaming right now”

“techno i don’t have that kind of money! pleaseee”

“no. instead of complaining, you can use that time to actually start you work”

“you’re the worst”

then you speedrun the essay and get an A just to spite him

[twomoonstwosuns]

birthday.

back to you [series masterlist]

previous part · next part

pairing: professor!poe dameron x reader

warnings: smut (18+), delicious tooth-rotting fluff

word count: 3.4k

a/n: thank you guys so much for being patient, I know this took way too long. if you saw my posts you know I was dealing with some medical stuff and ended up in the hospital for a few days, but I’m better and back at work. And thank you to everyone for your kind words <3 anyways here’s some soft af smut, I hope it makes you feel feelings.

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It had been the longest three and a half weeks of your life. 

Ever since you found out he had threatened to expose your relationship, it was like you saw Hux everywhere. You had never really seen him around campus before, but now he seemed to be around every corner or in every coffee line and you could swear he was watching you. 

You had shed a few tears when you got back to your apartment, your roommates immediately sitting you down and listening to the entire story. You were still in shock that someone could be so selfish to use something so personal to someone as a weapon. Hux was a professor that neither you nor your roommates had had, but he was known as a decent teacher around the school. 

Though decent teacher and decent human being were clearly two different things. 

The collection of your boyfriend’s sweatshirts had slowly started to build since the beginning of March but there was one particular sweatshirt of his that was incredibly soft from being washed so many times that you loved. He always teased you about it because it was also his favorite. So you were surprised to find that sweatshirt plus a ratty well-loved t-shirt that featured a band you’d never heard of before in your bag when you got home, tears welling in your eyes at the touching gesture. 

Class was painful. Twice a week you were able to actually see Poe, but you had to stop yourself from staring at him like you were completely infatuated when there were other people around. Conversations with him were class-related and boring, not exactly the pillow talk you’d grown to love. It rubbed the whole situation the two of you were in right in your face. 

The closest you got to touching him was when he handed you back a first draft of a long essay he had assigned. Your fingers accidentally brushed against his as you took your paper from him and you didn’t get the chance to react because Kaydel leaned over and asked how your paper was looking. You flipped through the pages and were reading through some of the comments he made when you saw two tiny blue post it notes on the fourth page, one with an ‘I miss you’ and the other with a ‘you look beautiful today’ and a drawing of the heart eyes smiley face. You bit your lip to keep from smiling too widely, but you were swooning inside.  

Being told you couldn’t have what you wanted sucked. 

You woke the morning of your birthday with your two roommates bursting into your room blasting Taylor Swift’s “22” and holding your favorite scone and mixed coffee drink from your favorite local café. They had surprises lined up for you that night, starting at seven when you were all done with classes. When they left your room, you laid back in bed and willed the motivation to get ready for class to come to you. Your phone dinged beside you and a smile immediately formed on your face when you saw it was from Poe. 

At least you were still able to text him and call him and FaceTime him. 

You opened the message he sent, seeing an audio message instead of a text. The sound of his guitar filled your ears and the strings plucked the familiar tune of “Happy Birthday”, his voice soft enough to send you back to sleep.

“I miss you, baby,” he said as finished playing “Happy birthday.”

You wanted to text him ‘I love you’ right then and there, but you didn’t. It kind of scared you how strongly you felt about him after only being with him for a few months and the last thing you wanted to do was make this separation permanent. So you stayed quiet, saying it in your head as you drifted off to sleep each night. 

You hated when your birthdays landed on weekdays. There was something so much more fun about making a day out of your birthday than spending over half the day stuck in class. You paid very little attention, going through multiple happy birthday texts and social media posts from friends and family, and of course texting Poe when he was in between classes. 

Your roommates treated you to dinner at a local bistro, a place you had all been eyeing on going since you were freshmen. It was a little more upscale, so you promised yourself you’d make time for it before you graduated. Jessika had left before you and Karé to stop by work, a scheduling issue that she said would take ten minutes to fix turned into twenty and made her late for dinner. The service at the bistro was surprisingly quick for a Friday night and she had to order after you and Karé already placed yours. 

Dinner turned into wanting to grab drinks at Maz’s, the special birthday drink famously known throughout campus. On the way to the bar you got on the phone with your mom and sister, confirming the plan to drive home the next day to celebrate your birthday with them. You were so wrapped up in the conversation of what your mother was going to make for your birthday dinner that you didn’t even notice you weren’t at the bar until the car had stopped and you hung up the phone.

“Wait, what are we doing back at the apartment?”

Jessika leaned forward onto the console and looked at you. “Will you run in and get my card?”

“What? No.”

“Please.”

“Why me?”

“Because you used it last.”

“Um…no I didn’t.”

“Yes you did, last week when we ordered pizza.”

“I gave it back to you.”

“No you didn’t.”

“Yes I did.”

“No you didn’t.”

“Oh my god, will someone just go get the card?” Karé said exasperatedly.

“Y/N, go.”

You look back at Jessika and narrow your eyes. 

“You’ve been missing your card for a week and you just noticed it was missing?”

“No time for judgment, just go find it please. I think it’s in the kitchen.”

You rolled your eyes and opened the car door, slamming it on Jessika’s “thank you”. You rushed inside, your phone buzzing with Jessika’s name flashing across your screen. 

“I swear to god Jessika, if you tell me you just found your card in your wallet—“

“I didn’t, I just remembered a few other places you could check in case it’s not where I think it is.”

You took the elevator up to the third floor where your apartment was, Jessika chattering away in your ear. You speed-walked down the hallway, pulling your keys out of your pocket. 

“Are you there yet?”

“Calm down, I’m unlocking the door now. Where am I supposed to look for your credit card?”

“Did you take it into your bedroom at all?”

“No.”

“Then try the kitchen counter first.”

You walked into the apartment, confused as to why it wasn’t pitch black. “One of you left a light on!”

Karé and Jessika both mumbled something incoherent into the phone as you walked towards the kitchen and you suddenly stopped cold in your tracks. Standing in front of you was Poe, his eyes lighting up and a wide smile crossing his face illuminated by the lamp in the living room when he saw you. A single cupcake with a lone candle sat in his hand. 

“Happy birthday, Y/N.”

You were speechless, your mouth attempting to form words but failing miserably as your brain wondered if you were hallucinating. Birthday or not, he was the last person you expected to see. 

“Surprise!” Jessika and Karé exclaimed into the phone, taking your silence as the sign you had found your surprise. “We got you for the evening so Poe’s got you for the night! We’ve got Beebs and we’re spending the night elsewhere. Have fun, we’ll see you in the morning!”

They hung up on you but you still didn’t move, still too stunned that this was real. Poe chuckled and blew out the candle on the cupcake so wax wouldn’t melt onto it before setting it down. He tilted his head to catch your eye with a smirk on his face. 

“Sweetheart?”

You set your phone and keys down on the counter and walked swiftly towards him, throwing your arms around his neck and burying your head in his shoulder. Poe returned your fervent embrace, lifting you off the ground as he hugged you just as tightly as you were hugging him. He pressed a kiss to the juncture of your shoulder and you brought your head around to crash your lips onto his. 

Poe’s hand came up to cup the back of your head, strands of your hair slipping between his fingers. You cupped his cheek with one hand, the feeling of his lips finally on yours bringing back the familiar butterflies you’d been missing for weeks. 

You pulled away breathless, a laugh of disbelief slipping from your lips as he set you back down on the ground but keeping his arms tight around you. 

“How!?”

“Jessika snuck me in here after you left. That’s why she was late for dinner.”

Tears welled in your eyes and you let out a watery laugh. This was, by far, the best birthday present you’d ever gotten. Poe looked at you in concern. 

“Hey, are you ok?”

You nodded and gave him a sure smile. “I’m fine. Better now.”

Poe placed his hand on your cheek and brought your lips back to his in a short, sweet kiss. He then reached behind you to the cupcake off the counter, only removing his arm from around you long enough to re-light the candle. You smiled as you blew out the candle, taking a bite of the red velvet cupcake and getting another kiss from Poe to get the frosting off of your lips.  

“I got you something.”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“I know,” Poe said with a soft smile as he reached his hand into his pocket. “I did anyway.”

You set the cupcake down and he placed a tiny drawstring bag into your hand. You opened it and a silver bangle fell into your palm, a small hockey skate charm hanging off of it. You laughed as you ran your thumb across it. 

“Now I’ll have daily reminder of how badly I skate,” you laughed, looking up at Poe to see a humorous smile on his face. “I love it, thank you.”

Poe grabbed it from your hand and clasped it around your wrist, the tips of his fingers moving gracefully against your skin and sending goosebumps across your skin. You admired it as you rested your hand against Poe’s chest, his hands settling back onto your waist.

“So, I get you for the night huh?” You asked, your fingers running over the collar of his shirt. 

“The whole night. Whatever you want to do.”

“How long do I have you tomorrow?”

“Just until the morning. I’ve got a ton of grading to do you and you’re going to see your mom and sister.”

You sighed. “I could ditch them. Say I have homework or something.”

“I can’t have them hating me before they even meet me.”

You giggled and glanced at the clock on the microwave. “Twelve hours isn’t enough time.”

“I know,” Poe said, squeezing your waist and leaning down to kiss your cheek. “We better make the most of the time we have then.”

Placing a hand on his cheek, you brought Poe’s gaze to you. You gave him a small smile before leaning in and placing your lips on his. Your lips moved slowly together, every intention of your desire for him expressed in one simple action. His eyes were dark when you broke the kiss, studying your face as if deciding where he wanted to kiss you next. Stepping out of his embrace, you moved to the living room to turn off the lamp before holding out your hand. He took it, squeezing it gently as you led him to your bedroom. 

You undressed each other slowly, taking time to kiss or touch every new piece of skin exposed. Looking down at you with a hand on your lower back, he guided you back to your bed. His eyes were dark but he wasn’t looking at you like a predator hunting its prey; dare you say there was complete adoration sparkling behind his brown eyes. 

Poe kissed you once more before moving down your body, kisses being pressed wherever he could reach. His lips moved along the outline of your bra, nimble fingers circling behind you to take it off and throwing it aside. He suckled your breasts, tongue gently flicking against your hardened nubs and making you sigh in complete delight. He gave your breasts equal attention before moving down your stomach, the lightness of his lips tickling your stomach. 

Poe’s fingers dipped into the waistband of your underwear and his eyes connecting with yours looking for the ‘okay’. With a sure nod of your head, he tugged them down your legs and tossed them into the growing pile of clothes on the floor. His fingers curled around the bend of your knee, lips connecting to the spot next to your kneecap and moving upward. His lips ghosted up your thigh, breath hot against you and long eyelashes tickling your skin as his warm breath hit your slick folds. He pressed a kiss against you, a quiet gasp falling from your lips when his tongue ran along you up to your clit. Your hands flew to his hair, a quiet “fuck” mumbled breathlessly and you briefly wondered if it would be selfish of you to ask him to stay between your legs for the rest of the night. 

He grabbed one of the hands that was in his hair and brought it down to rest against your lower stomach, fingers tangling together as he held your hips still while he worked his tongue against you. He sucked your clit between his lips, a high-pitched whine escaping you as you squeezed his hand. 

“Poe, please…” Your voice was breathy, like all the air had been sucked out of your lungs. A light tug on his hair made Poe move back up your body, leaving chaste kisses all over you until he hovered over you, chest pressed against yours and his cock nestled against the juncture of your legs. He brought your hands up next to your head, holding them down with light pressure. You breathed heavily, eyes raking over his face from the shine of your arousal on his lips and the slope of his nose to the crinkle of his eyes. “I need you.”

His dark hooded eyes took you in, the pink tint of your flushed skin and the way your lips were swollen from being consumed by his. He had completely melted you into a puddle. He let go of your hand to line himself up to your entrance, his eyes never leaving your face. You leaned up and brushed your lips over his as his forehead came down to rest against yours. He pushed inside you slowly, a quiet moan coming from your throat as he settled inside you. He held still to let you adjust around him, his hand coming up to brush the hair out of your face. 

“Fuck, I miss you,” he whispered as he started to move, his hips rocking into you with a tenderness you hadn’t experienced with him before. A quiet gasp fell from your lips, eyes fluttering shut at the sensation. Your arm escaped his grasp above your head to wrap itself around his neck. 

Poe brought his lips down to yours, swallowing every noise you made as he kissed you deeply and slowly, the pace of his thrusts deep and deliberate. His hands ran over your body, already familiar with every curve and every place that drove you wild. Poe connected his lips to your neck, gently sucking reminders of your night across your neck and collarbone. He drove his hips into yours, the movements deep and precise and you felt like he could push you straight through the mattress. 

If he did, you’d hold him tight and drag him down with you.

You put a hand on his chest and he stilled, looking down at you. You gave him a knowing smile as you pushed against him lightly. He smiled and wrapped his arms around you as started to sit up, sitting back and pulling you into his lap. Your hands rested on the side of his neck as you ground your hips against his, the new angle sending ripples of pleasure through your bodies. Soft moans left your lips as Poe guided you up and down his cock with his hands on your hips, his own sounds against your skin making you shiver. You threw your head back, whispered praises from Poe said against your chest. 

He met the movement of your hips, the angle making his cock brush against that spot inside you with each thrust. You clenched around him, the warm feeling in the pit of your stomach beginning to form. Poe kissed up from your chest to your neck, nuzzling his nose against it and letting his teeth gently scrape the outline of your pulse point. 

“Baby…” Poe formed the word against your skin, tears pricking your eyes at the affection behind it. “Let go, I’ve got you.”

Neither of you were going to last long but the amount you cared about it was very little. You wanted it to last, but you also craved the way he made you fall apart, and you knew it would be the first of many rounds that night. Poe claimed your mouth for the hundredth time that night, another kiss of many more to come, before kissing back down your neck to your shoulder. You held him close as you fell over the edge, your whole body trembling and the the rush of your orgasm almost making you cry from the flurry of emotions you felt at that moment. Poe grunted into your shoulder, his breath hot against you as he came, stilling his movements and holding your waist tightly as he spilled inside you.

You felt like you ceased to exist, as if you had come together in the throes of pleasure and become one. 

Neither of you spoke, both of you too afraid of blurting out your shared secret. So you kissed him. You let your lips say the words you were scared to say, but you felt them. Oh, did you feel them. Poe held you impossibly close, as though he could absorb every part of you and take you back with him. His fingertips ghosted up your spine and you rested your forehead against his, breathing the same air as the euphoric high settled into a dream like haze. 

You stayed in that position until you couldn’t, the call of the bed beneath you becoming too great to ignore. Poe laid back, bringing you with so you laid on top of his chest, completely relaxed and moving your head between resting your chin on his chest to look at him and laying your cheek against his beating heart. He stayed inside of you and stroked your hair, neither one of you in any hurry to move. 

You were mostly quiet, too busy basking in each others company to have in depth conversations. Any conversations you did have ended in laughter and the swapping of kisses, limbs tangled together as you held each other as close as you could. Once again, you and Poe fought off sleep as long as you could, dreading the coming of daybreak when you’d have to part until the next time you’d be able to see each other…whenever that would be. 

But you still had that night and while you couldn’t bring yourself to say the actual words, you’d show Poe just how much you loved him over and over again. 

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[nah-she-didnt]

“What the frick frack tickity tic tac snick snac bro?”

I’ve been saying this a lot recently and I’d very much like to see this in one of your fics.

Happy writing!

Hello lady! Thanks for the prompt!! This was fun 

Send me more prompts here

--

The Bet

The bet had started out easily enough.

“I don’t curse that much anyway,” declared Sirius as he shoveled bacon into his mouth with the voracity that only a growing 16-year-old boy can possess.

“Yes you do,” Remus rolled his eyes, “remember the time Flitwick gave you a week’s worth of lines because you said you’d let Bowie, and I quote, ‘fuck me into next week’?”

Sirius smirked. “Yeah. Well. Not my fault he’s a prude, is it?” 

James clapped Sirius on the back. “You, my friend, are a connoisseur of curse words. You work in dirty words the way some artists work in oils or plaster. That’s how I know that I am guaranteed victory in this bet.” 

“What’s the prize?” asked Peter excitedly. He loved watching his friends in competition with one another, even if he often refused to participate himself. 

“Loser has to buy the winner’s ticket to the Puddlemere game over Easter break,” James said easily, “and while we all know I love to treat my friends to a good quidditch game, I’m afraid this time it’s personal.” 

Sirius scoffed at these words. “What, just because I said you could never do it?” 

James slammed his hand down on the table dramatically. “Yes! That’s exactly why. But I’ll show you, you cheeky bastard, that I am perfectly capable of-” 

“Of what?” 

Distracted by his own passionate defense, James failed to notice that Lily had slid into the seat next to his. She looked particularly nice today, her newly-cut bangs framed her distracting green eyes in a way that usually made his heart skip a beat. Today, the sight of her made him want to jump into the Black Lake. 

“Nothing, Evans,” he said dully, forcing himself not to look directly at her, “just guy stuff.” 

Lily arched a perfectly-shaped eyebrow. “Guy stuff? Remus, what is this ‘guy stuff’ he speaks of?”

Remus looked caught. “Um,” he said, glancing hurriedly at James, “James was just saying he’s perfectly capable of kicking this nasty - uh - rash. You know, athlete stuff.” 

James stared at Remus in horror as Peter and Sirius roared with laughter. Lily laughed too, but she was tactful enough to try and hide her glee behind a facade of concern. “Ouch. Well, good luck with that, Potter,” and with that, she gathered up a few pieces of toast in a napkin and was off to class. 

James watched her go, mouth still hanging open. Then he rounded on his former friend. “What the fuck was that Lupin?” he roared. 

Remus tried to hide his mischievous grin. “Relax, mate,” he said as seriously as he could, “think about it. I’ve just helped you win the bet. I’m pretty sure Lily’s going to give you a wide berth for the next few days, giving Sirius ample opportunities to fuck up.” 

The smile disappeared from Sirius’ face. “Cheers, Moony,” he muttered grumpily.  

--

The first few days of the bet were uneventful. None of their fellow Gryffindors seemed to realize that anything was amiss. That is until Sirius accidentally missed the trick-step going down the stairs down from the second-floor corridor. 

“Aw, sh- beans,” Sirius yelled as his leg sank further and further into the step. 

James, who had the foresight to skip the step, started eagerly at Sirius’ near slip-up, but relaxed again when he heard his friend’s replacement curse. Mary, who was walking with the boys, did a double-take. 

“I’m sorry,” she said in a bemused voice, “did you just say ‘beans?’ What are you, a nun? What have you done with Sirius Black?” 

“Can’t curse,” he said through gritted teeth as James helped yank his leg out of the staircase, “Prongs and I have a bet, you see.” 

“Ah,” Mary nodded her head wisely, “so that’s why you’ve been acting weird all week.” She glanced pointedly at James. 

James tried his best to adopt a look of innocence. “How do you know the bet’s with me?”

“Just a hunch,” she smirked, “Lily mentioned that you haven’t spoken to her much this week, wondered if you were mad at her or something.” 

James’ heart sunk. “No! Mary, tell her I’m not mad, I-” 

“Tell her yourself!” Mary grinned wickedly then strode off in the direction of their next class.

--

Sirius’ fake swears got more creative after his near-miss on the trick stairs. 

“Oh sugarloaf,” he whined one night just after they’d settled in at a table in the library, “I forgot my Transfiguration textbook in the dorm.” 

Another time, he realized his Defense essay was two inches short. “Merlin’s big toe!” he yelped, hurriedly trying to cram in a few more sentences before professor Ferguson came around to collect their essays. 

A week later, his exclamations became utterly ridiculous. 

“Oi! Pettigrew! Did you just steal my chocolate frog?” he yelled across the dorm room, “What the frick frack tickity tic tac snick snack, bro?”

Remus snorted. “Excuse me?” he said incredulously, “what was that, again?”

“Oh, bite me,” Sirius huffed, and threw himself onto the bed, “I hate this stupid bet. I can’t express myself!” 

James shot Sirius a dirty look. “Oh, I’m so sorry, do you miss being the most vulgar person in this school? That must be so difficult for you. Meanwhile, I’m pretty sure Evans thinks I’m the world’s biggest prat after all the times I’ve run away from her in the last two weeks.” James vented his frustration by punching his pillow into a more comfortable position before lying back to sulk properly. 

Remus gave him a placating look. “The bet doesn’t stop you from talking to her, James,” he said as if James were a toddler on the brink of a tantrum, “why don’t you just say hello once in a while? That’s nice and safe.” 

James fixed Remus with his most withering stare. The last two weeks had made him grumpy beyond belief. “I can’t even look at her without you lot accusing me of cheating. And there’s no way I’m losing this bet. I’m so close to victory I can almost taste the top box seats.” 

“Fat chance,” said Sirius smugly, as he squeezed the stress ball Remus gifted him to help relieve his reflex to curse. 

--

James’ downfall came in the form of Severus Snape. 

The students were unusually silent at breakfast that morning. The Daily Prophet reported that Melanie Lensard, a Hogwarts graduate, had been murdered in her Lancaster home alongside her muggle-husband. The Aurors reported that they suspected Death Eater involvement. 

James shot a sideways glance towards Lily. She wasn’t eating but instead pushed some scrambled eggs around her plate solemnly. James couldn’t blame her. He had only forced himself to choke down food so that he wouldn’t be dead on his broom for quidditch practice. But, he supposed, he couldn’t possibly know how she felt right now. 

Sirius stared wanly down at his copy of The Prophet. “Today would be a great day for cursing,” he said in a half-hearted attempt at humor. 

Remus patted him on the back. “Go out and scream it into the glen. No one will hear you.” 

Sirius shook his head. “No, I’m a man of my word,” he said pompously, “no cursing until we’re through.” 

“Lily?” 

The oily voice came from somewhere behind James. He whirled around to see Snape standing a few feet away, right behind Lily. He looked nervous, which just made him appear even more sniveling than usual, and he fixed Lily with a desperate stare. 

“I wanted to know if you were… you know… doing okay.” 

Lily did not turn to face him or even meet his gaze. “And why, Snape, wouldn’t I be okay?” 

Snape flushed. “I just know you must have seen the papers.” 

Lily rounded on him, eyes blazing. “Yes, I have seen the papers. I’m sure you lot are thrilled, aren’t you?” 

Snape paled at this. “N-no,” he stammered, taking a step back, “of course I’m-” 

“But that’s just it!” she snapped. James could see her fingers itching toward the want that lay next to her fork, “there is no ‘I’ anymore with you. If you’re with them,” she pointed towards the other sixth-year Slytherins, “then it’s just ‘we.’ I won’t let you try and separate yourself from your nasty little friends. I made excuses for you for years, and I won’t do it anymore!” 

She was yelling now, and students along the Gryffindor and neighboring Hufflepuff tables had started to go quiet. 

“Lily,” said Dorcas, who laid her hand protectively across Lily’s, “leave him. He’s not worth it.” 

Lily laughed a cold, mirthless laugh. “You can say that again. Snape, you’re nothing but a spineless, weak, snot-nosed coward, and you’d best run back to your Death Eater pals before I jinx you so hard you’ll be pissing yourself for a month.”

Snape did not stick around to retort. Instead, he scurried back to his waiting comrades, doing his best to look dignified as he ran from his former friend. 

The table was silent for a moment. Lily was panting slightly. James could feel it building in him. No, he had to suppress it, he had to win the bet, he had to think of the look on Sirius’ face when he declared victory, he had to-

“Bloody hell, Evans!” It was no use. The damn had broken. “That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen in my goddamn life.” 

Lily looked slightly startled at this declaration. Then, slowly, she grinned. “Glad to hear it, Potter. I aim to please, after all,” she said sarcastically. Then she sat back down to chat with her friends, looking marginally more cheerful than she had before Snape’s arrival.

James smiled softly at her as he watched her come back to life. If he had even the smallest bit to do with her change in mood, he was satisfied. 

That is until he saw the look on Sirius’ face.

“Victory is FUCKING sweet!” Sirius shouted so loud that half the table jumped. 

James put his head in his hands. “Alright, alright, you win.” 

“You’re bloody right I win, you glorious piece of shit,” Sirius leaned across the table to thump James on the back.

“I knew you couldn’t do it,” Peter shook his head as he returned to his breakfast. 

Remus laughed. “I tried to help you, James. But I guess in the end you couldn’t help yourself. It’s your primal instinct to hit on Lily Evans.” 

James sighed into his hands. As far as defeats go, this one wasn’t so bad. At least she was smiling again. 

“Right, I’ve got a lot of time to make up for,” Sirius said as he pulled a bit of parchment from his school bag, “I’ve been taking notes on all the cussing I need to do. To start with, Peter, you’re a two-faced motherfucker for stealing my chocolate frog.”

[degenerate-otaku]

Another one shot of Future Gohan and Trunks for yall

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13896221/1/Before-the-Rain

(Links in case you prefer)

In the times that had followed the androids' destruction, younger generations were highly protected, as they were the earth's only hope. The government set up an initiative to get more children out of dangerous cities that housed gangs and violence.

Children and any family they had would move to countryside camps, wherein they would receive food, safety and education in return for doing manual labour such as farming and sewing, as well as taking care of the sick.

Trunks somewhat hated this, as it meant that many children in West City, including his own friends often moved away when things got too difficult, leaving him isolated, in terms of having friends his own age.

Sure, sometimes he'd visit, taking the underground railway system, or by hopping on the nimbus, or even flying when he had learnt to do so, but it felt like an arduous task.

However, when Gohan decided to volunteer as a teacher, Trunks thought it would be a good idea to attend full time, as the pair could go together. Trunks was surprised when the day before Gohan revealed he was rather nervous about it.

“C'mon, you're an amazing teacher to me, so I'm sure you'll be able to teach more kids!” Trunks reassured him, snuggling into bed. He always loved when Gohan would stay over at his house, it was so comforting to know he was right there beside him.

“Yeah...but that's you...and I've known you since you were born...and there's a lot of kids!” Gohan hung up his smart looking outfit, which Trunks remarked as being nerdy, on a hanger, before sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Trust me, they aren't as annoying as me. You'll be fine...Good night.” Trunks smiled at him before switching off his light and pretending to be asleep before Gohan could worry further.

Gohan sighed and tucked the boy in a little more before heading to sleep himself.

The next day, the pair flew to the makeshift school building, and landed away from sight before coming in together.

To keep Gohan distracted from his nerves, which Trunks viewed as highly irrational, considering Gohan was also "The Golden Warrior", he inquired,

“Doesn't your mom cook for the kids here a lot? My friends said that a lady called Miss Son is the most amazing lunch lady ever.”

“Huh? Oh...yeah,” Gohan laughed, lifting his head from the book held in his hands.

“I mean...she's used to cooking in massive quantities for me and for when my dad was around...it's a chance for her to share her...motherly-ness.” He smiled, then stopped at the door, listening to the sound of children chattering inside.

“You can do this!” Trunks grinned, taking his bag off his shoulder as he stepped in, Gohan following, the class immediately silenced, intrigued by the smart young man, that was clearly strong looking, his muscles bulging even in his clothes.

“Uh...Good morning class!” He began, picking up a pen and writing his name on the board.

“My name is Mr Son...and I will be your new teacher!” He smiled politely, awaiting a response.

“Oh my god, are you married to the lunch lady?!” A girl exclaimed.

Gohan frantically shook his head, “N-no, she's my mom!” His face had gone red as the class giggled, but he soon regained composure, laughing it off.

“Gosh, she cooks like that for you all the time?!” Another kid chimed in and he scratched the back of his head,

“Yeah...I guess so! I just hope she doesn't come in and embarrass me!” He answered.

Trunks gazed up at him from where he was sitting. He was glad to see his best friend adapting so well to his new job.

“Alright! Our first task is going to be a written task, which I'll get you to read aloud at the end.” He instructed them, handing out some paper, taking a look at every one of his new students.

“I want you all to write about what you did during your summer. Which programs did you volunteer in? Did you visit anywhere?”

He returned to his position at the front and passionately spoke, “I really wanna know about you guys! Oh...maybe I should take the register to learn your names...tell me if I mispronounce any!”

Gohan sat down, getting out the list of names and calling them out, one by one, receiving a pleasant "Good morning, Mr Son“ each time. It was strange to hear Trunks call him that, and by the sound of it, the title was strange for the boy to speak aloud too. The two just had to pretend as if they didn't know each other, Gohan made it a priority not to show favouritism towards him, but he knew it would be difficult.

He loved that boy unconditionally.

”Sir, how long do we have?“ A girl named Cherri, who he knew to be Trunks' friend that used to live not far from Capsule Corp, asked.

”Oh...right, I forgot to tell you that! Uh...you have until half past.“ He answered, before scribbling down more lesson ideas in his book.

The truth was that he had no clue about what he was doing. He was planning his lessons as he went along.

The time passed quickly, and Gohan decided to pick out random students to read out what they had wrote. A few passed, and he made some notes about them in his book.

”Alright, last but not least is Trunks.“ Gohan called out to him, snapping the boy out of a daydream.

”Oh, ok...“ He reluctantly stood and read from the paper, ”Last summer, I mostly stayed at home, played video games and studied. I went to the beach with my mom a few times....uhh I watched TV and...uh yeah.“ He sat back down.

”...that's it? That's all you wrote?“ Gohan glared at his student, hoping he had a good response.

”Yeah.“ Trunks replied, thinking nothing of it.

”Trunks, you had half an hour and you wrote 3 sentences.“ Gohan sounded stern and the class silently watched.

”Well, you already know what I did last summer, Gohan-“ Trunks gasped and the class was confused.

”Wait, is he your brother?“ The boy next to Trunks, who was also his good friend asked and the whole class started chatting.

Gohan cleared his throat and sighed,

”Yes...well...I am very close to Trunks, our families are too...but this does not mean I favour him over any of you.“ He calmed the situation, then spoke directly to Trunks,

”I need you to show the same level of respect to me as everyone else in here, too, ok? It is the morning of the first day, so I will let this slide, but please give more effort.“

Trunks nodded, but rolled his eyes, slumping back in his chair, when Gohan turned to the whiteboard and wrote down the title of the next lesson, before collecting in the students' essays and handing out exercise books.

The next lesson would be a boring maths lesson, which Trunks sat through. He was ahead of his peers in scientific and mathematical subjects, thanks to his master's teaching, so sitting through a recap of something he found so simple was like watching paint dry.

Whenever Trunks raised his hand, he felt like Gohan always asked someone else. He didn't like being ignored.

He knew the answers to everything, it was incredibly annoying to hear someone who clearly didn't know something harder than expanding brackets in algebra, try to solve the equation on the board that Trunks could do in his head.

Gohan was encouraging and made sure the students felt no shame in making mistakes.

”Alright, Cherri, so now you need to get the unknowns on one side of the equation.“ Gohan advised her, writing on the board the step she just explained with his help.

The girl stammered, her face going a little red from the attention.

”The answer is 4!“ Trunks, finally fed up, called out the answer.

”Well, yes, that is correct, but I wasn't asking you, I was asking Cherri.“ Gohan put down his pen and his serious tone returned.

”She obviously didn't know!“ Trunks folded his arms, determined to not apologise for doing what he thought was right.

”It's rude to interrupt, regardless.“ Gohan told him, before moving on.

Finally, it was time for break and when Trunks decided he was going to talk to Gohan, he was surprised to find girls in his class talking to him instead, asking him tons of questions.

”So, you work out?“ One asked, taking a look at his arms.

”Of course he does, just look at him!“ Her friend cut in and Gohan blushed and nodded, explaining his reasons, which Trunks knew to be false.

”Oh, hey, Trunks!“ Gohan spotted him and took his opportunity to get out of that conversation.

”I wanted to have a chat about before.“ He approached his pupil, who was causing him some concern.

”Oh...same.“ Trunks fiddled with the sleeves of his jumper, something he always did when he was nervous, which Gohan took notice of.

”Why did you feel like you could do that?“ Gohan's voice was calm; it always made Trunks feel more at ease.

”I dunno...it just felt like...you were ignoring me. I just got a bit fed up...because I already knew the stuff and you weren't asking me.“ The teen shrugged his shoulders, not meeting his eye.

”Trunks,“ Gohan placed his hand on his shoulder, making the boy glance up at him.

”I just want to know what the others know. I know you're able to do this, but most of them aren't.“

Gohan did make sense, but Trunks was stubborn. His mother said it was a trait of his father, though she was stubborn too.

”I spend a lot of time with you...and I love spending time with you...but it's not fair to give you all my focus...

You know I really love you, right?“

That was enough to make Trunks smile.

”I know...thanks, Gohan...I mean Mr Son.“ Trunks giggled before running off.

Gohan watched as the other kids played together gleefully. It was heartwarming to see them be actual kids and enjoy their disrupted youth. It only made him more determined to fight for their safety and teach them well.

'I might be an even better teacher than you, Mr Piccolo...'

He smirked, hoping Piccolo could hear him somewhere, feeling proud of him.

[velvetthunder1999]

All the time on Earth

Part 4 - Butterbeer Moments

Summary: You start to spend more and more time with George, and the two of you slowly start to getting to know each other

Warnings: None

Word count: 2.4K

George Weasley x Reader

Masterlist

- Edited for grammar -

The three of you were sitting in the common room, leaning over the same piece of parchment on the table. Fred was doodling the last line of numbers on the bottom, while you and George were watching him with great anticipation.

“Finished!” Fred dropped the quill and tossed the parchment towards you “What do you think? Brilliant, if you ask me.”

You took the paper and looked over the numbers. You bit your lip, frowning.

“Oi, she doesn’t like it!” exclaimed Fred.

“Or she just cannot read your rubbish handwriting,” answered George to his brother, not taking his eyes off you. “Y/N? How is it?”

“It’s — not bad.”

“Not bad?” Fred was over the top acting offended. “This is the best price-product ratio there is!”

“Well, not exactly,” you said, pointing at the paper. “Look, here. You are offering one piece of Ton-Tongue Toffee for a galleon and a fake wand for three. But the Toffees take much more effort and money to manufacture than the wand.”

“So what are you saying?” asked George. “We can’t raise the price. Otherwise they won’t sell.”

“I’m saying if you wanna keep the price, try combine the two. Have you thought about releasing a booklet? People collect... let’s say ten signitures from you, one after every puchase and they’d get 10% off the next thing they buy. Sell the booklets individually for two galleons but put them in the box with the Toffees and the wand for free. Sell the boxes for five. Then people would buy it more and you get more money for some extra paper. You’ll make profit.”

The twins were staring at you, unusually quiet. You were quite satisfied with yourself. You were only thinking in the way you usually do when running your own business. It worked out for you, three years of success and counting. You didn’t mind helping out Fred and George, since they didn’t sell anything similar to the stuff you were selling.

“Well?” you asked impatiently. “What do you think?”

“You make it so complicated yet so easy” said Fred.

“George?”

“I like it. We can make more money but still not cheating our customers. It’s clean.”

“Yeah, all right,” Fred took the quill again and started writing. “Five galleons you say? Good. I’m showing it to Lee, ask what he’s thinking.”

He snitched the parchment and walked over to the window where Lee and Angelina were talking. You smiled at George and gathered your stuff.

“Well, I have to go to the library. Need to write my Charms essay.”

“To the library?” asked George, distraught. “It’s the middle of the winter break!”

“Well, some of us have to study for the exams, you know.”

“But you’re coming to the New Year’s Eve party tomorrow, right?”

“Of course I’m coming,” you said, putting your bag on your shoulders. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” —— You were playing Exploding Snap with Ginny by the window when you heard a loud cheer from the middle of the common room. It didn’t take you by surprise to see Fred standing on the table, juggling empty butterbeer bottles while George was standing by, raising his wand, navigating more and more glasses into his brother’s hand.

“It’s almost midnight,” Ginny said. “You want a drink?”

“Sure.”

She put down her cards and went to grab two glasses, but her seat didn’t stay empty for long. George left Lee the responsibility to throw the glasses at Fred, and sat down next to you instead.

“I couldn’t help but notice you sitting here alone,” he grinned. “But it’s all right now, I’m here to save you.”

“Yes, thank you for saving me from thirty seconds of loneliness,” you laughed, but let out a soft shriek when all the cards exploded on the table.

George picked them up and organized them into one pack. “Actually, I came here to ask you if you wanted to place a bet. The next task is almost here, you know.”

“Yesterday you scolded me for studying during the winter break but now you wanna talk about business?” you teased him. He seemed to like it when you did that.

“C’mon Y/N, business is different than some essay.”

“Wait, so asking for my money is always appropriate?” you pushed his shoulder playfully.

“All right, what about leaving the money out of it? Place your bet, and if you win I buy you a butterbeer at Hogsmeade after the task.”

“Please don’t let him make you gambling, Y/N,” said Ginny, returning with the drinks. She shot a suspicious look at her brother. “You’re not asking her to place bets, are you?

“It’s all right Ginny, George wouldn’t win a sickle from me if I didn’t let him,” you smiled at the boy, who was now leaning closer.

“But the Hogsmeade bet is on?”

“Yeah, sure. One butterbeer on Harry finishing first. Deal?” you offered your hand but when he shook it you felt your stomach jump.

“Deal. Grab your glasses ladies, it’s almost a brand new year!”

George had a really fun night after that, but sometimes he’d catch himself staring at you. He wasn’t sure what it was yet. You two had only been talking for a week and a half after all. Although, he enjoyed talking to you. You always seemed to match his cheerful tone, and you didn’t mind when he was joking around.

He shouted happy new years to you one more time when you decided to go to sleep. You waved him goodbye and he felt that nice warm feeling in his chest again. Was it so wrong, making new friends? He didn’t think so.

——

The next morning everyone woke up a bit late, and the majority of the students decided to hit the library, using the last day of the winter break to prepare for the next week’s classes. George however, had a different idea.

“Please Y/N,” begged the boy. “You already did all your homework. We should just go down to Hogsmeade, really.”

“I don’t know George, I’m really tired,” you said, massaging your temple. You didn’t get much sleep last night. “What about next weekend?”

“We should really do it this weekend,” said Fred, butting in. “We need to ask at Zonko’s if they’d sell our products. And at Honeydukes, too.”

“And why do you need me for that?”

“Well, you and the less handsome twin could talk to one place, me and Lee to the other. Meet up at the Three Broomsticks?”

George threw a pillow at Fred, but agreed to the idea. You also said yes, knowing that you’d just lie on the couch all day anyway.

The four of you headed down to the village, Fred and George walking up front while you were talking with Lee behind them. Then when the first houses started to show, you went separate ways.

“I shouldn’t have dressed this warm” you said, getting rid of your scarf. “It’s really hot today.”

“Yeah, I know” answered George, pointing at the ground. “Snow’s melting already.”

“Good. I don’t like snow.”

He stopped in his tracks, staring at you like he had just seen a ghost.

“What did you say?”

“What? I don’t like it.” you said. “It just makes walking so much harder.”

“All right now, stop,” he said, shaking his head while started walking again. “There’s nothing better than a good ol’ snowfight!”

“Yeah? So winter’s your favorite, then?”

“Yeah — No,” he shrugged, smile on his face. “I like every season for something else. You? I’m guessing winter’s a taboo.”

“I like winter — from the indoors,” you tried to save yourself. “Watching the snow from someplace where it can’t touch you. But I like autumn. It means school is starting again.”

“Well, that was an incredibly horrible thing to say.”

“What? Why?”

He started mocking you playfully.

“School is starting again!”

You pretended to be offended, then continued in a genuine tone.

“Don’t tell me you don’t like being here.”

“No, I like being here.”

“Then what?”

He hesitated.

“Well, mum, you know.”

“No, I don’t know. Tell me.”

He glanced at you. You didn’t want to push him, though.

“Or don’t. If you don’t want to.”

“It’s all right. It’s just that — that mum really tries to push us. She wants us to study hard, work in the Ministry like Percy. But it’s not for us. Not for me and Fred, anyway.”

“So what do you wanna do?”

You still had two years left of Hogwarts, but you knew how hard it was to decide what you wanted to do later.

“Well — er — ” it was the first time you saw a shy smile on George’s face. “We want to open a joke shop.”

“Like Zonko’s?”

“Almost. Only bigger and better than that. With more pizzazz.”

“Yeah, I can see you doing that. I mean, if you keep making those Nosebleed things — and they actually work...” you gave him a snarky look and he laughed “...then why not do it? You’re not gonna be able to work for the Ministry if you just hate every minute of it.”

“Exactly.”

He nodded ceremoniously before opening the door to Honeydukes. He let you go in first, then you two headed straight to the cash register. While George was haggling, you were staring out the window, watching the street behind the shop. Just as you were turning away, you saw a huge black dog crossing the sidewalk. You were quite fond of dogs, so you followed it with your eyes until it disappeared behind a dumpster.

“All right, we’re ready,” said George, claiming your attention for himself again. “Three Broomsticks?”

“Let’s go,” you agreed, walking out the shop. “So, what did she say?”

“She said she’d talk to his husband, but she seemed to be interested. We should come back next week, though.”

“That’s a good start.”

Fred and Lee were not around yet so you sat down to one of the tables in the corner. You ordered two butterbeers and you finally got rid of your warm coat, after it turned out to be such an unnecessary item on this bright day.

“So what about the rest of your family?” you asked. “You said Percy is working at the Ministry.”

“Yeah, my dad also. He collects muggle items, too.”

“Really?”

“Well, more like garbage, actually,” he laughed. “Dad loves muggles. Finds them interesting. Mum thinks he’s mad, but — ” he shrugged “— it’s a hobby, you know.”

“And what about your other siblings? Charlie was just finishing in the year I was sorted.”

“Yeah, he works in Romania now. Studies dragons there. He brought the ones for the first task, too.”

“What, really?” your jaw dropped, then you took a sip. “Well, he clearly deserves all the money he’s earning cause that seems to be the most dangerous job I’ve ever heard of.”

George laughed then he drank, too.

“Yeah, and my other brother works in Egypt. Have you been?”

“Not really.”

“We visited him a year ago, it was amazing. Dad won a prize at the Ministry so we had the mon — er — we had the time to visit everything. Fred and I tried to lock Percy in a pyramid but mum didn’t let us.”

“I wonder why,” you giggled at the sight of his reminiscing face. “So what else did you do there — other than torturing your brother, of course?”

He told you everything about ‘one of his best summers’ as he called it, and you didn’t mind just listening, watching him talk. If two weeks ago someone had said to you that you’re gonna be here sitting with George Weasley, you wouldn’t see the point in that at all. But in this moment it felt like one of the most natural things you could do.

“Do you need another one?” George asked you as your drinks slowly started to run out. You hesitated, glanced at Madam Rosmerta, then turned back to George.

“If I do something will you tell on me?”

“What?” George asked, curious.

You checked the bar again, then took out your wand and held it under the table. You pointed at the glasses, said the refilling charm non-verbally, then watched how the glasses were full of butterbeer again a second later.

You looked at George, a shy expression on your face. You didn’t know what he was gonna say.

“I don’t always do this,” you started. “And I always pay for the first one. But sometimes money just runs short and I can’t always do something about it.”

You casted your eyes down. Suddenly you weren’t sure sharing your secret was a good idea. But George understood.

“No, I get it. I don’t always have much money either. I know it’s — mum and dad do the best they can but, you know — there’s a lot of us” he nodded.

“That’s why you’re trying to sell your fake wands?”

“Mm. Any way is a good way if it makes money. How did you do it, though?”

“Did what?”

“The spell. To refill the beer. You don’t learn non-verbal magic in your year. We only just started doing that.”

“Oh. Well, I learned it by myself. I had to, if I wanted to do stuff like this, you know.”

“But it’s still advanced level of magic.”

“Well, everything’s achievable with enough practice.”

“Blimey,” he said, quite amused. “You really are something.”

You felt the warmth in your chest again. You shot a grateful smile towards the boy sitting next to you.

“Thanks.”

“Isn’t it exhausting? Always studying, I mean.”

“I study while I’m home in the summer.”

“You study in your summer break? That’s outrageous!”

“Don’t really have anything else to do anyway.”

“Well, we can figure out something, go somewhere this summer. I mean, if it’s alright with your parents as well.”

“I don’t think they’d really mind. They’d be delighted, me leaving again.”

“Are they really that bad?” he asked, sadness in his eyes.

“Yeah,” you said in a low voice, then spoke in apathy. “It’s okay, though. I got quite used to it by now.”

George opened his mouth to answer but two extra glasses appeared on the table and chairs creaked on the floor next to you.

“You two were really fast!” Fred exclaimed while he and Lee took a seat. “You even had time to start drinking without us. How was Honeydukes, Georgie? What did they say?”

George needed a second to understand what the bloody hell Fred was talking about. He looked at you, confused, then to Lee, then tried to come up with some useful information. But his mind was elsewhere. From the corner of his eye he was watching you. And for the first time in his life he wished if only his brother had arrived a few minutes later.

[bowieandqueen11]

A Million Times / Remus Lupin Imagine

Request: Remus crushing on a hella clumsy hufflepuff and him being way too shy to approach them so he kind of solves stuff that she messed up without her noticing but one day she notices and it's just all stuttering and messy and awkward please??

This is so cute ahh!!! <3

Please comment/reblog/request, it keeps the page going and is very appreciated by me! <3

‘Hey Sirius! Oh- hey Remus!’

‘H-hi, Y/n.’

Remus groans into his hands as you walk past him with Lily into the Gryffindor Common Room, sneaking in to try and get the essay for Flitwick done by tomorrow morning with a little help from your friends.

Snuggling down into an armchair in the corner, you wiggle your toes as Lily sets into the seat beside you, waving off James as he swaggers off like a wounded puppy. The gold of the embroidery was brilliant and the reds as deep as any poppy. The wood had been polished to a high shine and the floor beneath lacked the usual thin layer of dust these large castles often had. But it was perfect.

Bound in red leather, cracked and dry with age, the thin volume you flick open with your fingers smells faintly of soil and dust. The pages within are brittle, and what remains of the book’s original stitching is barely holding it together. Throwing your head back, you’re nearly ready to take a quick nap on the chair, not noticing Remus being dragged into the Common Room by Sirius, a mischievous glint on his face.

‘Would you just go and talk to her already, Re?’, he asks, shoving his friend down onto the sofa and physically turning his head so it doesn’t drift off towards you again.

‘Would you shh, or she’s going to hear us.’

‘Who is? IS IT Y/N, IS THAT-’

Sirius laughs against the hand that clasps tightly against his mouth, nearly doubling over with laughter pains as Remus nearly falls onto the floor with the desperation. You only dip your book down away from your eyes, raising an amused eyebrow at the commotion.

Finally removing his hand, he tucks a lock of his brown hair behind the tip of his ear, wincing as his fingertip gently traces against the slight scar that lies a painful reminder on his cheek. Glancing out the window, he feels the wind howling, piling up the snow in drifts and blinding the night with ice-white dust, cold like his own thoughts. All Sirius sees, however, is the glowing embers of the Gryffindor fire leaping and twirling in a fiery dance, twinkling like stars in the hot swirling air before cascading to earth like little sparks of hope, lighting up his friend’s lovestruck face.

‘She deserves someone better than me’, Remus gently whispered against his wrist.

‘Remus, no one could ever get more than you.’

It was the most serious he had ever heard Sirius speak.

The night starts to drag on, and Sirius moves on to chatter with James as Remus rests his hands on the sofa, and his head on the hands, just enjoying the warmth of the fire and the comfort of being around his friends. He watches you with hopeless eyes, his heart hammering against his tired chest. When he sees you, it's as if space and time become the finest point imaginable, as if time collapses into one tiny speck and explodes at light speed. It's as if his universe begins and ends with you.

‘All right Lily, I give up, I’m going to bed.’

Getting up and stretching, you run over to hug your friend goodbye, not noticing the pages of your essay that spill of your lap and flutter carelessly over the floor. Remus is quick of his feet, racing over to where you once were without even a second thought, until the pages were all collected in his arms. He freaks out, however, when he hears you say goodnight, and places them all back down on your chair in perfect order. Turning around quickly, he fumbles a leg back over the sofa and nearly knocks Sirius off his seat as he lands on the cushions.

Frowning to yourself, you take a glance around the room. Seeing nothing out of place, and nothing moved, you shrug as you pick up your papers and skip out of the common room.

‘Nice one, Remus. One day, she’ll finally know you exist.’

The next afternoon, Remus is in a surprisingly good mood. Mainly because in  McGonagall’s classroom, he got to sit behind you. He could deal with James knocking his elbow out from under him when he was using it to rest his head on and daydream about you. He could deal with Sirius kicking him in the shin everytime McGonagall would pass by, but his quill wasn’t in his hand as he was too busy wondering how you could look so beautiful in such dim light. You made the classroom so warm after the wintry chill outside.

He feels lighter, a smile spreading over his face like it belongs there for the first time in a while. He takes his cloak off and places it on the back of his chair, fixing his scarlet and gold tie to try and distract himself from the feeling of his rosy cheeks.

The same burning of his cheeks stays with him until class ends.

‘Go on without me, guys, there’s something I need to do first.’

Walking past your seat, he picks the quill that must have fallen out of your bag while you were packing up with a small smile. Wandering out into the open corridor, he tries to make his way through the hustle and bustle of students leaving their lessons to try and find you, twirling the feather in his hand.

He didn’t expect you to find him first.

You made your way towards him with an outstretched hand and the kind of smile you usually reserved for your best friend. Tapping his back, you nearly felt guilty. Almost. He startled like a deer in the woods, almost toppling as he took a large step backwards. He brushed imaginary dirt from his shirt as he turned around and realised it was you, trying to win the fight against gravity and have his smile stop shaking.

‘Pen! I have your pen. Your quill. Here you go- sorry.’

‘I know it was you who picked up my papers yesterday, Remus.’

‘Whaaa-’

‘Lily told me. Why didn’t you say something? I...I could have at least thanked you, or something.’

‘I-I should have thanked you! It...got me away from Sirius for a bit, plus I would do it a million times over if it was you’, he replies, scratching the back of his neck.

‘That’s very lovely of you, Remus, but honestly-’

‘Did you know lovely is better than beautiful? I read the other day that it’s definition is “exquisitely beautiful” and it still surprises me that not even that is good enough to describe you..., Wait d-did I just say that out loud?’

‘Yes, Remus, you did.’

You lean up on your tippy toes to press a soft kiss against the tip of his nose, nearly giggling at the way his breathe hitches in his throat. Turning around to hide your blush, you didn’t notice his eyes roll back in his head as you walk away.

[obxlife]

In Need of Help (Pope x Reader)

A/N: Okay, so I had this idea for Pope and I knew I had to write it! I just feel like it’s very sweet and soft and idk. Plus, it has an enemy to lovers trope, which I personally love. Also, the valedictorian and salutatorian at my school are also dating and I just got that idea from them lol.

Word Count: 3,513

Request: -

Summary: Pope finds himself with some trouble regarding his scholarship work, and he knows he can’t turn to his friends for this. Instead, he sucks up his pride and turns to you, the runner up for the Lucas T Vanderhorst Merit Scholarship. Oh, and his enemy regarding academics. 

Warnings: Mild swearing.

IN NEED OF HELP

Pope was in trouble. Not serious trouble like JJ regarding his dad or John B in relation to the DCS and basically being homeless. No, Pope was in trouble in a way that may almost seem absurd. 

He was struggling with his goddamn scholarship essay. And the worst part of it all was that he had technically already won the scholarship. 

See, this was just a follow-up essay he had to do to ensure he was not going to be ripped apart from the opportunity of actually getting the scholarship. And it had been the hardest essay he had to write. Mainly because it asked for more of a story instead of focusing on a scientific topic, and Pope had always struggled with that. 

The paper he was writing his draft on was filled with eraser marks and little doodles around the edges. Most of the doodles were of things he could see. His eraser, his pinky finger, his cup of water on his desk. There was only one he wasn’t really sure why he had drawn. It was the one object that was not in the room with him at that instant, and the worst part of it all was that he truly hated it. What had he drawn? You. 

For some reason, Pope had drawn you onto the edge of his paper. He didn’t really understand why he had because, as mentioned before, he hated you with a passion that ran so deep in his veins it was a part of who he was. Pope could not be himself if he didn’t hate you, and it was just the same for you. You couldn’t be yourself if you didn’t hate Pope.

Pope began to rub his pencil over the small drawing of your face, wanting nothing more than to get you out of his head. He hated that he had drawn you of al people, and he hated how stuck he was on this stupid essay.

Pope hadn’t realized how much force he was using to press his pencil into the paper until he ripped it. Throwing his pencil down, Pope sighed and pressed his hands to his head, stretching in his seat. 

“That’s it,” he said to himself before grabbing the papers from his desk, his pencil, his eraser, and his pencil sharpener into his backpack. He then grabbed the folder that had arrived through the mail and gently took it into his hands. Pope turned outside of his room and headed towards the shop in front of his house.

His father was behind the counter, checking an old lady out.

“Dad,” Pope called out to him from the door. “I’m heading out.”

The older man froze. He thought he had told his son to work on his scholarship. “I thought I told you to work on your scholarship. Now you know I don’t want you slacking around -”

“I know, I know,” Pope told him. “I just need to clear my head. I’m going over to John B to see if my friends can help.”

“Look here, boy,” Heyward called out to his son while pointing his finger out. Pope stood at the door, on hand already pushing it open. “What are your friends going to help with? They’re all a bunch of good-for-nothings.”

Pope sighed, only shaking his head and turning towards the outside, throwing a “Later, Pops” over his shoulder. The hot afternoon air made Pope’s body break into a sweat, but Pope didn’t mind as he headed deeper into the Cut towards John B’s fishing shack. 

The Chateau stood mighty and tall before the marsh and surrounding it were Pope’s friends. JJ was laying across the hammock sipping on a beer and a joint in his hand while Kie lay opposite of him, playing the ukelele. John B was nowhere to be seen, which meant he was probably inside.

“Hey, guys,” the dark-haired boy called out to the pair. He smiled as he saluted them with their usual handshake before taking a seat in one of the broken-down chairs. Pope set his backpack on the ground, careful not to fold the papers in his hands.

“What you got there, Pope?” JJ asked curiously. Pope knew what he held in his hands would not interest JJ, so he told the boy straight out what it was.

“Scholarship stuff.”

Indeed, JJ shrugged and turned around, bringing the joint back to his lips to take another drag of it. Kie, instead, showed interest in the papers held between Pope’s fingers.

“What do you have to do this time? Another essay about something science-y?” she wondered. 

Pope nodded but then shook his head. “Sort of. It’s an essay but they want a story. But I don’t know what to write about. Like, most of the stuff we do is illegal.”

Kie laughed at this before saying, “Then lie. Just take the illegal parts out.”

“Hard to do when they’re essential to the story,” Pope replied. 

Now JJ laughed, smiling at Pope and diving into one of the many illegal memories they had made together.

While this helped Pope clear his head, it was not guiding him as to what to write for his essay. After about an hour or two hanging out, Pope sighed, knowing he would now have to work on the essay.

“Okay guys, I need y’all to be serious right now. I really need to get this essay done. Any ideas?”

Kie and JJ stared at him blankly, not really knowing how to help. Pope groaned at their reaction, but then groaned even louder when Kie said:

“Why don’t you ask Y/N Y/L/N? Wasn’t she second place for the scholarship?”

“Kie, I literally hate her. We’ve been competing over the top spot in our grade for our whole lives.”

Kie shrugged. “Yeah, but now the scholarship is yours anyway. And besides, didn’t you say the only thing she was better at than you is story writing?”

“I said that when I was drunk,” Pope deadpanned.

“Doesn’t mean it wasn’t true,” JJ said quickly before taking another sip of beer. 

Pope really didn’t want to go see you. He had way too much pride to do so. But his options were wearing thin and he had to send this essay in a week, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to do so himself. 

“Well, even if I went to Y/N, I doubt she would be willing to help.”

Kie gave him a hard look. “You don’t know that.”

“Neither do you, Kie,” Pope sighed. “Look, I’ll go to her but she probably hates my guts. I did take the scholarship from her.”

“Hey!” JJ scolded. “Don’t say that, man. We know you won it fair and square. You deserve it.”

“I know I did. But that doesn’t mean she won’t hate me for it. We all know she needs that scholarship just as much as I do to get into college.”

It was true. You had lived your life down in the Cut, working just as much as Pope did with his father. Your mother was the owner of a small boat repair shop which she had received after your father’s death. Because she couldn’t and didn’t know how to work on boats and because your father had taught you everything you know, you were the head repair woman there. Everyone on the island knew how much time you dedicated to the shop, almost as much time as you dedicated to school. 

“Look, man. Let’s be real. Everyone born on the Cut knows they’re probably going to be stuck here forever. You and Y/N were just lucky to have the opportunity to might have not been stuck here, but in the end, you got it. I’m sure she won’t be bitter towards you because she probably still expected her life to be spent on the Cut either way.”

Pope sighed. He knew what JJ was saying was probably true but he hated to think of that. 

“Just go to her, Pope,” Kie told him. 

With that, Pope collected his belongings and headed out towards your shop. It wasn’t far from the Chateau, maybe a five-minute walk, but Pope managed to get there in thirty minutes. He was trying to push back the inevitable. 

Once he arrived he stood outside for another good ten minutes, building up his courage to go in. Breathing in deeply, he told himself that he was going to be fine and that your hate for him had probably dissipated a bit since the end of the school year. He opened the door to the shop and found it was empty except for two men looking down at the bottom of a boat. 

They didn’t turn around when Pope had entered, too concentrated on the person Pope just now saw that was under the boat. 

“What you thinkin’?” one of the men asked as you pushed yourself from out under the boat. The skateboard you were laying upon was uncomfortable and your muscles sighed in relief as you stood up next to them. 

“We’re gonna need two orders of plugs from Guffy and then we can start working on this bad boy,” you told them before wiping your forehead. “Well, I’m off, boys.”

And just as you spun around your eyes fell upon the boy at the door.

“You have got to be kidding me.”

Pope could only smile innocently, hoping you would spare him some time of day. 

“What do you want, Heyward?” you asked rudely while heading towards the back of the shop. Pope began to follow you around, sparing a glance at the two men you stared at him dirtily. 

Pope was sure you hated him now.

“Look, I-I need your help, Y/N. And I know you hate me but I really need it.”

Anger and pain were laced in your eyes as you spun around to face the dark-skinned boy. “Yes, I do hate you. And I don’t want to help you. You took the scholarship from me, Pope.”

“Well, technically I didn’t. I won it. But,” he raised his hands in defense when you gave him another murderous look, “I seriously need your help. They gave me a task I know you’re better at than me and I don’t know what to do.” 

You began to tie your hair into a ponytail as you felt your skin grow hot with anger. “So what? You thought you would just strut in here and I’d be willing to help?”

“N-no, but I thought -”

“You thought what? That out of the kindness of my heart I would actually help you? Need I remind you that you took the scholarship from me?”

“I didn’t take the scholarship from you! I won it, fair and square and you know that!”

Your eyes fell to the ground, defeated. You knew what Pope was saying was true, but the denial had helped you cope with the fact that you weren’t enough for the scholarship. You weren’t enough to get out of the Cut.

“Look, Y/N,” Pope began awkwardly. He was scratching the back of his neck, not sure if he was going to be able to get you to help him. “I know you wanted the scholarship - hell, you probably wanted it more than me. And I’m sorry you didn’t get it because you truly deserve it, but I’m not sorry that I got it. And I know that’s selfish, but let’s be real here. We both want to get off the Cut, and we always knew that only one of us was going to make it. So please, please, please help me get out of this place.”

You thought about it. Really hard. And Pope stood before you fidgeting with his fingers and doubting if what he said was the best thing he could have said. He opened his mouth, a rant about to burst through his lips.

“Fine,” you stated. You were going against your instinct, but at least you would get him to shut up. “I’ll help you. But I get free groceries for a month.”

Pope stuttered before answering. “What - you - I - you know I can’t do that! My dad would kill me!”

“Well then, you’ll have to pay with your own money.”

“Okay, fine! But only because I’m really desperate.”

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

And so you and Pope began to work together every day for the following week. It only took two hours for you to drop your grudge against him and laugh at his stories and jokes. He would smile at your reactions and feel his previous hate for you to slip into something more similar to love. He began to notice how pretty your eyes were when they seemed to sparkle in the afternoon light and how your skin reminded him of warm summer days. You began to notice how your stupid hatred for him began to transform into a crush. His chocolate brown eyes reminding you of coffees on chilly, winter mornings and his soft smile reminding you of innocence.

Between your hours spent working together, you would talk about other things. You told him about your mother and her disease (which didn’t let her work at the shop with you) and how your friends at school were all out of town because of a road trip they had planned which you couldn’t go on. He told you about the Pogues and the pressure he felt sometimes from his dad. You both told each other a lot more than you had ever expected to share, but the feeling of comfort and understanding that followed these confessions was enough to maintain the both of you stuck together.

Exactly a week after Pope had approached you at your boat shop, you both headed together to the post office that was near the police station. Together you sealed the envelope containing the finished essay and placed the post stamps onto it. You watched Pope pay for the dispatch of the letter and then you walked out together. 

You felt dread in your stomach, not wanting to have to turn your back on your new friendship. You didn’t know if Pope felt the same way as you did, but you felt like you had come to the end of your short relationship. You felt as if, years from now, you would look back and remember Pope as the boy you only helped write an essay and nothing more, which made you afraid to no end. You didn’t want Pope to be only that.

Unbeknownst to you, Pope felt the same way. He was expecting you to turn towards him and say goodbye, followed by a snarky remark. He expected you to go back to hating him and not thinking about him. All he wanted was you to prove him wrong.

“Do you want to grab something to eat?” you both asked at the same time. Then, your eyes widened at the same time, both of you shocked that you wanted to carry on with your friendship.

“Wait, you still want to hang out?” you asked him. Pope nodded vigorously.

“Yeah. Did you really think I wouldn’t want to be your friend anymore?” he asked, a little hurt.

“Shut up, you thought that about me as well!”

With smiles on both of your faces, you turned around towards the Wreck, where you knew Kie would give Pope a discount.

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

The Pogues hadn’t seen their smart friend for a month. Ever since JJ and Kie had convinced him of reaching out to you for help, he had disappeared.

“Pope pulling a Houdini,” JJ remarked as he arrived at the Chateau to find that, once again, Pope was not there.

“Have you guys even heard from him?” John B asked. 

JJ shrugged but Kie bit her lip. “I see him at the Wreck every once in a while. He’s been hanging around with Y/N.”

“Y/N?” John B said almost laughing. “Okay, we both know they hate each other and that’s a lie.”

“I’m not lying, JB,” Kie rolled her eyes. “I literally saw them there yesterday.”

“No way! Pope has to be dating her!” JJ exclaimed. “It only makes sense! Future valedictorian and salutatorian.”

“That would make a cute couple,” John B muttered while thinking about it.

Kie coughed, trying to bring the boys’ attention back to the main issue they had. “Look, guys, we need to get Pope to hang out with us again. He’s been blowing us off and I do not have enough patience to keep you two from doing dumb shit.”

“Mama’s mad,” JJ whispered. This earned him a smack on the head of the girl.

“Let’s just head over to her shop and see if they’re there.”

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

“Wait, so JJ stole some boat plugs?”

Pope nodded, perched upon the edge of the boat you were working on. He was leaning back, a book in his lap, as he told you one of his many crazy stories about his friends.

“I don’t know why you asked for my help for the essay when you have so many stories to tell.”

Pope sighed. “As I’ve said before, most of them are illegal.”

You nod your head at what he was saying, agreeing with him. You continued to work on the boat as you felt his eyes upon you.

Pope was looking at your eyes at first. He was counting how many flecks of color they held. Then, he moved onto your skin, noticing how smooth it looked. He wondered if it would feel smooth against his fingers, or if your mouth would feel smoother. He then noticed how plump your lips looked, and Pope could feel himself leaning closer to you.

“Y/N?” he called out so softly you almost didn’t hear him.

You spun your head to look at him, suddenly noticing how small the distance between the both of you had become. You felt butterflies erupt in your stomach and you wondered if he felt them too. Your heart was pounding in your chest, and you could only wait until his lips were pressed to yours.

Feeling nervous, Pope began to speak. “I d-don’t want this to be awkward but I’ve been wanting to kiss you for a while.”

You nodded your head, inching even closer to him. His lips looked a little chapped, but you were sure that it wouldn’t matter once you kissed him. 

“And I don’t know if you feel the same or if you -”

“Shut up, Pope,” you giggled before plunging forwards. You pressed your lips to his own, moving them and giving him a few seconds to respond. When he did you smiled a little before continuing what you were doing. Your arms reached up to hold his face while his arms brought you closer to him and positioned you between his legs. Pope’s thumb was drawing circles right at your waist, and you finally broke apart from him when the door of the shop opened.

You didn’t break eye contact with Pope, but a sudden loud whoop made you stumble away from each other. Spinning around you found JJ, John B, and a girl you recognized as a Kook standing before you. You were frozen in place as Pope headed over to them to cover up JJ’s lips. 

“Pope boy finally getting some action!” John B hollered while you felt your cheeks go red. The girl rolled her eyes at his friend before sending you an apologetic look.

It only took Pope three seconds to round them up and take them outside. You got back to working on the boat, trying to distract yourself from what had happened. You felt embarrassment rise up inside of you at being caught kissing the boy you liked.

Soon enough, Pope returned inside and stood next to you. You didn’t turn to look at him in shame and fear at what he might say.

“They wanted to see me since, you know, I haven’t been hanging around them recently.”

“Oh.” This was the moment Pope was going to tell you he didn’t want to be friends with you anymore and that he had now noticed how you were all too time-consuming. However, the boy surprised you.

“They invited us to hang out tomorrow. They said they want to meet you.”

You smiled and turned to look at him. “Really?”

“U-um, yeah. They kind of think you’re my girlfriend so…”

You blushed at that thought. Being Pope’s girlfriend was something that made your insides swell and feel light and soft and good. 

“Okay.”

“Okay as in ‘yes, I want to hang out with them’ or as in ‘yes, I want to be your girlfriend’?”

You furrowed your eyebrows. “Is that your way of asking me to be your girlfriend?”

Pope awkwardly nodded before looking at you. The smile on your face seemed to be glued on and Pope copied your facial expression. You leaned in again, kissing him softly.

“Take your guess, Pope,” you teased him while smiling. 

“I really hope it’s the second one.”

[sankt-brekker-the-demjin]

You Know, For Research Purposes - Tom Holland x Reader College!AU

Summary: Working on their research project, group mates Miles, Ned, Haz, Betty, Tom and Y/N grew closer together over the course of a few months. Also, how does Cheetos and ice cream taste together? ;)))

Word Count: 2,433

A/N: (gif not mine.) lolz hi! Look what boredom did to me.. I made a fanfic... [first time doing this idk what to do so there's that moving on. Hope u like it! Geronimo.]

Tom ran his fingers through his hair, tugging at the strands with force. He banged his head lightly on the table. He looked back at his Lit folder and saw he still had half of it to finish. He closed it and decided he would do it later. Managing the research project and studying for exams were taking a toll on his body and his sanity. He got up and went to the get some water.

It was halfway through midnight. His parents and brothers were asleep on their rooms. Miles, Haz, Y/N, Betty and Ned - his Qualitative Research applied subject classmates were sprawled all over the living room, laptops shoved to their faces, bond papers in hand. It was a typical students' night. The group had gotten together at Tom's house, and planned to stay overnight.

Miles and Y/N have History 1 together, while Betty and Haz had Calculus. But other than that, this was the only classes they all had together. Being in college is no easy feat, proper time management was necessary. 

Ned had assigned each member to a specific part of the paper, and they've been at it since 8 pm. They all have to multitask and manage their time. Tom had almost finished his part of the paper, so he tried to do his Lit homework now.

Tom heard footsteps stomping on the floors. He turned and saw Y/N marching up to him with an annoyed look on her face and was about to speak but he cut her off.

"If you complain about the heat one more time, I'm give you a real reason to sweat," Tom set the cup of water with a smug look on his face.

She halted on her tracks and smacked the paper she brought on his arms. Tom chuckled, but didn't move.

"No, you idiot," Y/N rolled her eyes. "You might wanna fix that paper before you go off scaring people to death with that annoying face of yours."

His mouth twitched in amusement and took the stapled papers from her hands. "So you admit you've been looking at my face."

"You're so full of it," Y/N stepped around him and grabbed another glass, getting water from the tap.

Tom looked at the incorrect charts and tables he had made on the paper. He cursed under his breath. He had been working on it in the wee hours of last night. Spontaneous typing, no pit stops on spelling errors and everything else, just got it done.

"The original file is on my computer upstairs," he groaned. "I'll have to re-do this again."

"You do that," she clicked her tongue. "And I'll just chill here by your fridge for a moment."

Y/N opened the fridge and took the remaining slice of cake laid on a plate.

"That's mine -" Tom protested.

"Not anymore." Y/N ate the cake.

He scowled and moved to close the door of the fridge. Y/N leaned her back on the door. There they were, a few inches away from each other. Tom stood seething; Y/N chewed the cake with an amused expression. She wiped the frosting on her lower lip with her tongue reflexively. Before he realized it his eyes wandered to her lips.

Tom inched his face closer, eyes darting over to her eyes and lips. "If you don't stop biting your lips ..."

"What are you gonna do?"

Tom remained quiet but clenched his jaw.

Y/N chuckled, "You're all talk and no action."

Heavy footsteps echoed on the hallway to the kitchen, gaining both their attention away from each other. Tom whipped his head to the of the voice and shot him a look.

"I told you 7000 times, a chicken is a bird -" Haz bursted into the room with a phone clutched to his ears, pausing when he caught sight of Tom and Y/N. "D'you have a charger I could borrow?" Haz covered his phone with his hands.

"I have one in my backpack." Y/N said.

Haz nodded, talking again to his sister on the phone about chickens. He walked back to the living room, waiting for Y/N to follow him.

Y/N stopped by the table where Tom had been working on, and pointed at his paper. "I can't finish my part if you can't finish yours." Seeing as his paper's original file was on his computer upstairs, she grabbed his laptop without waiting for him to reply. "Imma borrow this ... Thanks."

She went back to the living room, laptop on hand.

"And don't look at my browser history!" She heard Tom call back from the kitchen.

"Wouldn't dare," she countered in a mocking tone.

As the weeks passed, they started collecting data on the field. They went through one institution to another, gathering reports and statistics, and validating it with professionals. Then after that it was all a blur. They submitted the paper to Mrs. Luxley and was graded, only given back to them for minor revisions.

The gang decided to spend that same night they passed the assignment on Tom's house again, just like they did when they were still making the paper. Tom's parents had gotten used to them staying over, and Sam always tried to flirt with Betty when he was around. 

Ned and Haz raced to Tom's bedroom. Ned threw himself on the bed first. "God, I've never felt the bed being this good," he sighed and melted with pleasure. All those sleepless nights they've had finally paid off.

Haz hit him with a pillow. "Move over!"

Y/N laid on the couch, feet perched on top of Tom's lap, getting comfortable. Betty and Miles slept on the carpets of Tom's living room. They just sort of crawled to the floor in delight and just stayed there, too tired to move anywhere else. Haz came back to the living room, holding a bottle of champagne on his hands from the Hollands' cupboards.

He cheered. "Let's celebrate!"

But they celebrated the victory by sleeping out for an entire day spread all over the Hollands' house.

Even though their project was finished, the lot still remained close with each other. They spent times at Miles' favourite diner by the corner of the campus during their collective free time.

And last week, Haz's sister gave birth to a pretty baby girl. Haz invited them over and they all came to join the little house party his sister threw. The group counted on this as the official celebration of their hard work.

It was a Thursday afternoon. Family and friends chatted and caught up with each other in the Osterfield's backyard. Dream by Fleetwood Mac could be heard playing on the living room speakers.

Tom was talking with his dad. Betty and Ned sat at the garden chairs talking to one of Haz's brothers. Those two really were people persons. Miles and Y/N laughed at a hilarious history joke their professor rambled about. Tom tried to pay them no mind, though his glance drifted to them every now and then. His dad eventually noticed the shift in his mood, but decided to ignore it because his mum came to them, carrying Haz's niece. Tom accepted the baby to his arms while his mum and dad went to the kitchen.

Lily, the smol bean's eyes crinkled with joy and giggled. Her chubby little hands reached out to him. Tom stuck his tongue out affectionately her. He turned his head to the low whistle he heard.

"Wow... Daddy," Y/N smirked.

That day was all fun and games, but by the end it they still had school stuff to catch up on. A few weeks later, they decided to cram in the library.

Nothing feels better than suffering with acads together friends.

The group sat in a table by the corner, immersed in their own world. Tom went to the bookshelves to look for an autobiography book his proffesor suggested. Ned was compiling essays on his laptop. Miles was reading a book by Neil Gaiman. Haz and Betty were doing their Calculus homework.

Y/N's chin rested on her hands, staring blankly at her laptop screen. A straight line blinked repeatedly on the ends of the only sentence she typed.

What the fuck |

She just needed a head start on this critique paper. Nothing too heavy, just one paragraph to kick it all into place. That's where it's always hard. The first line. So now she's stuck with cursing. Before Y/N realize it, she's slumped her face down to the wooden table with a light bang. The group lifted their eyes to her, asking if she was alright. She shoved her thumbs up above her head, and they went back to what they what they were doing.

Haz who sat on her right, patted her back. "Same here, sis," he fought back a yawn.

Her eyes felt heavy. Then she groggily looked up to the little 'thunk' dropped on the table.

"Oh, great you're alive," she muttered before setting her face back on the table again.

Tom pulled his chair beside her. "Miss me already? I was barely gone for a few minutes."

"I'm so blessed to be with your presence," she stated in a monotonous voice.

Tom snorted. "Your professor is really gonna give you an A+ with those colorful words. 'What the fuck,' short but sweet."

She looked up and stuck her tongue out. Seeing his face has started to get old ... she tried convincing herself that, though.

They did their business. Ever so often, Y/N and Tom's elbows would brush against each other. Y/N had her earphones on, listening to her shuffled playlist on Spotify. Tom heard muffled tunes, and turned his head closer.

"What are you listening to?" He whispered; his breath fanned the side of her neck that sent chills up her spine.

She didn't look at him and instead continued to write key points to make on her essay. She spoke, her voice low. "This one's called Uncomfortable by Wallows."

He grinned and leaned even closer. "Can I listen?"

From across the table, Ned took 10 bucks from his wallet and shoved it on Betty’s hand. She pumped her fist in a silent triumph.

Y/N shifted her head to look at him, only to find his cute, devilishly handsome face inches away from hers. If she would tilt her head a little... their lips would touch. They locked eyes for a second, before she plucked one earphone and gave it to him.

He cocked his head, liking the song. Minutes passed. The only noises were from turning book pages, soft patter of keys on the laptops, and bits of hushed voices encompassed the area.

An hour later, Y/N felt herself getting hungry and went out to buy food, Betty tagging along. They ate outside since the library was strict on the 'NO eating policy.' Not even other drinks are allowed, only water. The others stayed behind. Then Betty came back to her seat.

"Where's Y/N?"

Betty sat on her chair, "She's outside, still eating."

Tom nodded and felt himself getting hungry, too. He opened his backpack and took a bag of Cheetos he stashed. He stood and said to them he was gonna eat outside. He went out, and spotted her leaning on a pillar, scooping ice cream out of a cup.

"I'm starving," he stood beside her.

"We've been there for ages," she scooped another spoonful of mint chocolate ice cream she got from the shop across the street.

Tom munched on his Cheetos. He turned to look at her happily savoring her ice cream. He moved for Y/N's ice cream cup but she swerved it out of his reach.

"Get your own," she swatted his arms away.

A thought crossed his mind. It reminded him of the last time they did this at his kitchen, over a slice of cake. And how they've been so close...

For the past few months, he's gotten a strange feeling whenever Y/N was around. Like there's an electric buzz in him, his heart would warm up at the sight of her. He couldn't stay away from her, and he wants to know her better, and feel her and just be there right beside her. He couldn't explain it.

Tom grinned at the memory, chucking a piece of Cheetos on his mouth. He stepped forward. "D'you wanna know how Cheetos and mint chocolate chip ice cream tastes like together?" he leaned closer to her face; his breath hot against her skin. His gaze shifted down to her parted lips. "You know, for research purposes..."

"Hmm?" She held her eyes up on his own gleaming brown ones. "Probably good. Anything's good with mint chocolate ice cream."

"Yeah?" His hands reached out to move the strands of her hair away from her face. "Wanna test it out?"

She shrugged.

Tom found his hand on the back of her neck and slammed his lips to hers. Y/N's eyes fluttered shut. He tasted full of that cheesy goodness. And her, a heavenly taste of vanilla and the aroma of mint. Her arm stretched out to keep the ice cream cup away. She parted from his lips to set the cup down onto the pillar. He wrapped his arms to her waist, pulling her flush against him. With her now empty hands, she ran her fingers on his soft brown curls. She tugged at the strands, eliciting a low guttural sound from him muffled by her mouth on his.

He broke the kiss and leaned his forehead on hers, breathless. "We should get back inside to do ... stuff."

"No no. Don't care." She pulled the back of his neck and closed their distance again. He chuckled.

Y/N loved the way their mouths danced to a rhythm, flavors mixing together from the forgotten taste-testing session, now a different kind of session.

A hand still on her waist, the other cupped her cheeks and tilted her chin to give him more access. She wrapped both her arms around his neck, welcoming warm the feelings burning inside her.

They parted, but still inches away from each other. Y/N bit his lower lip. Tom hissed in surprise but she kissed it better.

"So ... what do you think?" He murmured in a low voice.

"Mmm, I like it." Cheetos and ice cream forgotten.

"Yeah?" He grinned at her. "Me too."

Seconds lapsed. Neither of them moved, still stuck in a more romantic version of a staring contest.

"I like you." Tom's heartbeat raced.

She grinned back at him. "I like you, too. Like 3000. I like you that much."

-

Roll the end credits.

[it-lives-in-westchester]

ILITW Fanfic

A/N: So PB crushed all of my hopes and dreams....which was also a great motivation for finishing this fanfic. This is how I personally think MC and Redfield!Noah first meeting went. It’s just filled with my own headcanons and such. Never published any fanfics here before, so please be gentle with me.  Named MC Claudia because that is the name I gave her while playing. 

Word count: 5272

Warnings: Some bad language and mentions of death/suicide.

The woods around the small town of Westchester, Oregon always had this eerie energy to it. Everyone knew about the wild animals that lived there, especially after the “feral animals” attacks last year. Even without the animal attacks during the homecoming dance at Westchester High, every generation could remember a tragic event that happened in those woods. 

There are unmarked graves of people who were sacrificed in witch rituals. A sass suicide that happened in the 70s seemingly done by a creepy cult. Countless mysterious deaths that might have just been accidents or gruesome murders. More people one can count who walked into the woods and never came out again. 

Claudia Harrington was well aware of the tragedies that have happened in the woods, after all, she had lived through two of them up close. Still kinda a miracle she survived both of those events, she was not sure if that was a blessing or not. Feeling more numb than ever and her insomnia getting worse than ever.

This was the 3. time this month she had tried to make a new system with the stuff in her room. Maybe she should listen to her mom more often with her having too much stuff in there. Opening one of her drawers, it was a pile of papers, that could have been from anywhere from a week ago or 5 years ago. She sighed deeply and started to make three different piles, one to keep, one that was just blank paper she could reuse and one to throw away. God, there was a lot of crap in there she noted. 

Essays from High school, Reports of stuff, notes from Ava, drafts of short stories she had written, essays from her first year at college, checklists. Then something caught her attention. A handwritten letter, it was her handwriting she was sure of it. 

"Happy Birthday!" was the first thing written on it. There were no memories she had written this. She continued reading it a bit curious. 

"I can't believe you and Jane wou…." Claudia crumbled the piece of paper and threw it in the trash.

Now she remembered it was a stupid thing her consular said she should try. Writing letters to people that they would never read just say everything you wanted to tell them. Claudia did not feel like it helped a whole lot. She thought she had thrown them all away, guess she had not done that. 

Continued to look through the paper pile. However, the “letter” she found earlier was the only thing that was on her mind. After a few minutes, she picked up the crumpled piece of paper from the trash and started to read for herself.

Happy Birthday!

I can’t believe you and Jane would have turn 18 today, I know kind of unbelievable, it seemed like it was just yesterday we believe turning 18 meant we were finally adults, oh how wrong we were right? 

For being honest with you Noah I have no idea what to write here. This whole thing just feels wrong knowing you are not really gone. I just hope you are doing well, wherever you are. 

You’re probably not, but hey I can pretend right?

Good wishes, Claudia. 

After reading the whole thing Claudia swallowed a bit. She could not believe she had written this crap almost 2 years ago. Damn, it already been two years since it all happened? It still felt so fresh in her mind. It still stung, after finally reconnecting with Noah after years of not talking to each other. Feeling like things would be okay between them for the first time in a long while. 

But then he had to throw all of that away, lying to her face about everything. Luring her and all of her friends to a messed up game of “Are you scared?”. Knowing full well it could end with death. 

Oh, how she wished she could hate him for it, after all, he had threatened her with a knife and almost killed everyone because of sheer stupidity, but she could not do it. Still feeling terrible about the fate that Noah Marshall had met all those years ago in the ruins in the woods.   

The "official" story about what happened to him, was that he had a mental breakdown because of unchecked mental illnesses and trauma with losing his sister at such a young age. Delusional and hurt going back to the unsafe caves where his sister died in a hope that it could bring her back. The cave collapsed with him inside and killed him. 

It was dumb, but what else were the townsfolks of Westchester gonna believe. That the corrupt spirit of his sister manipulated him and then convinced it might be a good idea to sacrifice all of their friends in a hope to free her. Then sacrificing himself in the end so he could free her from that awful half-life she had been living for 10 years. Of course not. Sometimes Claudia even had a hard time believing it as the truth. Even though she witnessed it from start to finish. Still hoping she would see him again in the hallways at school during her senior year of high school.     

It was still bothering her on some level that everyone, including her, was just to ignore it. Like everyone did last time after what happened to Jane. This time around they had decided to keep contact, but still. 

It could all happen again, right? Some other stupid kids finding the ruins and getting the same life as Claudia and her friends had been living. No that could not happen. They had not fixed anything, it would come back. Maybe when they are 30 or something and has to deal with the consequences then.  

Looking at the clock, it was around 04:45 am. Looking out of the window it was dark the only thing she could see was the snow on the ground that reflected the moon lightning. Maybe she should..no was she crazy?  

Going back was the whole reason this all started again but at the same time. If she knew earlier that Redfield was gone and it was Jane, could she have prevented it? All that damage? All those deaths? Besides she was not tired so better do something that might be effective and not just scroll through social media till the sun came up, that had seemed to become a habit of lately. 

Thank god her parents were gone for the weekend, so they did not have to question her on what she was doing at 05:00 am. Putting on her winter coat and boots while going outside to her backyard. Going past the tree Cody died in and then entering her shed.   

It had been a while she had been inside the shed behind her house. An old flashlight that was her fathers was on a shelf, that could be useful. After picking up the that she noticed her bat, Barb lying against the wall. That might come in handy in case things went south like last time she thought, then she grabbed it before going out in the woods.  

The woods had not changed over these past 2 years. Tall trees that made it impossible to see the night sky. Weird noises in a lot of places but certain areas where there was not a single sound you could hear. Having a weird feeling that someone or something was always watching you. It almost felt like for each step she took into the woods the heavy feeling in her chest became bigger. At least the snow on the ground made it easier to see where she was going, maybe the flashlight was not necessary. 

Finally, she arrived at the clearing, this was here her, Ava, Andy, and Noah had found Dan in the woods, that seemed like it was forever ago. 

Halfway to the ruins now, you can do it. 

However when she was halfway through the clearing suddenly she heard a tree branch snap. 

Almost just by instinct, Claudia turned around. What the hell was that noise? Behind her was nothing, maybe it was a bird or another small animal… c’mon Claudia that can’t be it. She took a better grip on her bat. 

“Hello?” She said with a bit of uncertainty in her voice. Looking around between the trees, for something, anything. Nothing, just darkness looking back at her. Turning on her flashlight and she started to flash it between the trees like it would comfort her a lot more if she saw something like a deer. Even then the flashlight was old, maybe older than her, so it was not like it did help to see what was between the trees. She tried to listen if any more noises came, but nothing more happened. Nothing felt too of either. She dropped her shoulders a bit, hadn't even noticed how much tension she had put on them. 

C'mon, I am not even there at the ruins yet, it just my mind playing tricks on me. 

However, when she turned around to walk deeper in the woods she stopped. Two bright lights were staring right at her, with a dark shadow surrounding it, like ink spilling over. Her first reaction was to get away, far away. It was kinda a blur what happened next, it was just her acting on fear and panic at the moment. She was not even sure if she had screamed or not.  

The next thing she could see was the stars filling the night sky with no clouds in sight. Claudia looked up trying to catch her breath. Had she fallen over? She tried to collect all of her thoughts in her head.

What the hell, what the hell, what the hell!? Okay just think.

What she had seen was what she thought, right? Wait that would mean…..

She bolted up, nothing was in front of her. No no-no-no. She frantically started to look around the place. It was real right? No hallucination or her lack of sleep made this up. She had seen it, what she had been looking for the reason she was even here in the first place.  

Then she stopped looking around when she noticed the glowing eyes staring at her from behind a tree. When it saw that Claudia was looking at it, it came out of hiding. The glowing eyes belonged to a tall thin shadow creature. She noticed that it seemed to be floating a bit of the ground. The shape was like a man, with a head and arms. So from a distance, it would just look like that, a silhouette of a person. However, if you looked closer you could see that the arms were freakishly long with long sharp fingers at the end of them, and it was a lot taller than an average man.    

"Hey" Rising from the ground and started to walk towards the shadow creature. "Didn't mean to do that, you just surprised me"

She noticed for each step she took the distance between them did not change. It took around five steps before she realized what was happening

For each step, she took forward the shadow took a step backward. 

When she stopped walking so did the shadow creature. 

"Okay then….I'll just stand here then, good for you?" 

Planting her feet on the ground. Redfi...Noah was also standing still now. On the other side of the clearing. Just looking at her while holding a hand towards his "jaw". Not much of a conversation. 

Guess I have to be the one to break the ice.  

"Hello….how are you doing?" That made her cringe in an instance, oh Jesus Christ what kinda question was that. This was also the first time it dawned on her that she had no plans on what to do next. Damn those impulsive thoughts in her head. Well, now it was too late to go back with this. 

There was no response to her question. Just the natural sounds from the woods like birds and other small creatures coming back to her. 

Well, what kind of response was she expecting?

Oh, I have been doing well Claudia, you know expect for this whole being dead thing. Besides that great.

"That was a stupid question, I just realized that" She awkwardly continued. "Maybe you should say something instead because I suck at this as you can see" Could not help herself to laugh nervously after that. Like this was an awkward family reunion with an uncle asking what’s your plan after college and not her talking to an all-powerful forest spirit who could destroy the whole town if it felt like it. It did not seem like Noah even heard her saying anything or he had the most minimalistic reactions to things, she was about to continue talking.

Then she noticed that his eyes were not staring at her directly, but rather her hand. Was still holding a strong grip on Barb, wasn't she?

Oh shit, did I hit him? shit shit shit shIT! No, relax just….

Taking a few seconds of considerations before she dropped the bat on the ground, and then kicked it far enough away she could not reach for it. Noah’s glance followed the bat and then went back into staring right into her eyes when it was out of reach. 

“See… Don’t want to hurt you” she tried to give a small smile to show that she was genuine. In hindsight, that statement was almost ridiculous. What would a bat with barbed wire do against an undead forest spirit? Like if he wanted he could have probably just thrown her against a rock breaking her back in an instant. Maybe he could just drop her onto a tree, as Jane did with Cody, better just break Claudia's neck in on swift motion or maybe I should stop thinking about all the ways I could die, sounds like a plan. 

No big reactions from Noah unfortunately, the only thing he did was staring at her again, like he was studying her. 

Why isn’t he saying anything? 

Claudia almost felt like that made it worse than it was. It was not like Redfield or Jane was that talkative in this type of state either, but they were talking, be it pretty simple. 

She did not know what would have felt worse between him saying nothing or him taunting her for letting him die because she was a coward like the others would have done. At this point, she was not even sure if coming back was a good idea at all. 

C’mon, I can’t give up this easily. I have to try to say something different.

“Can you talk?” that came out a lot more annoyed than Claudia intended to sound like, now it almost felt dumb asking. At least it got a reaction out of Noah, he was now tilting his head and his eyes widened she could see that the colors in them turned neon blue. Almost like he was taken back by the question. 

“.....yesssssss...?” 

Claudia felt every hair on her body rise. Even felt like the temperature had gone more down. That voice was the same voice that had been haunting her nightmares for years. The whispering voice that seemed to break through the silence like nails against a chalkboard. Still, even if it sounded nothing like Noah, it had to be him, right? It could not be anyone else? Maybe he remembered nothing so she could not even say it was him, because nothing that made him Noah Marshall was even left. 

Jane had remembered, right? Even after 10 years and without the advantage of any of her friends knowing it was her. So he had to remember something, he had to remember Claudia, right? 

“Do you remember me?” There was no point dodging the question, Claudia just had to know if he did remember. Hoping there was still something of her old friend in there. 

This was the first in a long time he broke eye contact and was looking at the ground instead. Claudia tried to take one step forward, this time he did not seem to mind. It almost looked like he was too deep in his thoughts to even notice. 

“My name is Claudia, Claudia Harrington, I am… your friend?” She said that last part almost in a whisper, like who knows what to even call their relationship at this point. They have not seen or talked to each other for almost two years. Last time they talked he had held a knife against her throat and then she let him kill himself. What do you even call that? Besides all types of messed up. 

"Claudia..mm?" He said most likely to himself. She tried to walk a few more steps. Without a warning, he turned his gaze back to her and Claudia stopped right in her track holding her breath. Feeling like it got stuck in her throat. 

He was not moving, she was not sure if it was her imagination or not, but it felt like everything had turned eerily quiet even more than before. Nothing that was living in the woods was making any noises now or knew to stay far away from where they were standing. 

She could hear her heart hammering in her chest and she was wondering if Noah could hear it too. 

Why did I not tell anyone what I was planing before going out here? Well, they would have probably tried to stop me. Oh, fucking christ I'm gonna die here. Aren't I?

To Claudia, it almost looked like his eyes was flickering a bit. Then he started to float a bit closer to her, but when he was just about 6 feet away he stopped. He promptly straightens up all of a sudden, It almost looked like he remembered something else.

".....leave.."

"What!? Wait What?" 

Claudia had no idea how to respond or what to do with this. Was she supposed to just leave? Stay? Ask what he meant by "leave"? Had she said something wrong? Was he mad at her for everything that happened? Was there just something else unrelated? What had she done wrong? Her thoughts ran rampant. This was not making any sense to her. 

Claudia looked up from the ground and Noah had not done anything. None of them had done anything. She noticed that his eyes seem to flicker a bit between the usual white, neon blue, and orange flames. 

"No, I am not leaving until you answer my question," She said trying to sound as brave as possible. 

"Do you remember me? Yes, or No" Trying to sound tough as hard when every instinct in her screamed she should run away and never look back. 

Noah backed away and looked a bit to the left. Seemingly trying to avoid all eye contact with her. 

"......Leave.." he said again, lower this time. 

"No, answer my question!" Yelling back at him. 

It seemed to get a reaction out of him. Turning his head and looking directly at her, she felt like his eyes were piercing through her soul. 

Noah started to float a bit closer to Claudia, without breaking eye contact. He bends down so he was just a few inches away from her face. If he had been human Claudia would probably felt him breathing right up in her face and smelt his breath. Had she finally got him to remember something?

"LEEEEAVE!" 

Claudia felt ringing in her ears that made her put her hands against her ears by reflex. She also closed her eyes shut to respond to the pain. 

Nope, did not make him remember anything, just made it worse. Of course, I made it worse.

Slowly she opened her eyes. A face of nightmares was looking straight at her. The familiar skeletal face and bright orange eyes of flames. Which made her close her eyes immediately back again. 

This situation is probably one where most would have run away screaming and never look back. Claudia was considering it. A part of her did not want to go until she got answers and a part of her felt frozen. 

She was still holding her eyes shut. Nothing was happening, was he just standing in front of her? She knew something was in front of her and it was not moving. He had not hurt or touched her and the only thing he wanted was her leaving right?

She started to chant under breath

"I am not scared, I am not scared, I am not scared, I am not scared, I am not sc…"

"Huh….?" The whispering voice responded

Taking a deep breath, before opening her eyes again facing him.  

"I am not scared of you" His eyes widened a bit like he was not expecting her to say that. "And I am not leaving you either," She said with the best poker face she was able to do while her heart felt like it would burst out of her ribcage at any moment. 

The skeletal face with flame eyes was gone and the shadowy face with big neon blue eyes was back again. He backed away as well so he was not right up in her face and was standing a few feet away again.

"I am not leaving you okay, not again, I promise" Claudia took a hand towards him. He looked at it, almost unsure what she meant by it, Claudia continued talking:

"You don't deserve this, and I should have come back sooner, but I am here now, right?"  

Trying to give a small smile. Noah glanced between her face and her hand. She stretched out her arm a bit closer to him. Maybe so he could take the hint. 

"So maybe, we can be friends again?" 

Suddenly Claudia saw that he tried to reach for her hand, but then he suddenly stopped. Almost frozen at the moment. He stood there for about half a minute. 

"no" he started to say. He took back his hand. "no no no" 

Claudia wanted to say something but Noah continued talking to himself seemingly forgetting that Claudia was even standing in front of him. 

"Why back?.....worst...no no-no" He was hiding his face in his hands. Shaking his head back and forth. He continued rambling to himself for a while most of the words Claudia was catching was: "bad" "why" and "no". 

"Noah? It's okay just…."

“DON’T!”

It seemed like the orange flames’ eyes were back again for a solid second. They disappeared just as quickly and he looked down at his own two hands and then at Claudia again.     

".....Bye," he whispered and then turned around to leave her.

"Wait you can't just go!?" Claudia Yelled at him. He did not seem to care and continued floating away from her. 

"After everything you did you can't just leave, you owe me something," she said in frustration. “bye” he replied with again. She ran so she was standing in front of him now and he stopped right in his track.    

"What do you even want me to say or do?"

"...leave..." He said while walking straight through her. It did not feel much kinda like a cold breeze that went past her. Still made her shudder an insane amount.

“Hey!” She yelped and turned around to see him, still did not stop. 

"...bye….leave..." he said again, waving a hand at her. 

“I just want to talk! Come back! Please” It seemed like nothing she said was changing his mind, he was on the other side of clearing now. There was so much she wanted to say and in the end, she finally shouted at him:

“I’m sorry, OKAY!” she noticed Noah stopped walking away.

“.....what?” He turned around with wide eyes. Well no point holding back now, if she was never gonna see him again at least she can say everything she wanted to tell him before being gone forever. Taking a deep breath before continuing.

“I am sorry for everything that happened between us two.

I am sorry I trusted Redfield even though you were right about him. 

I am sorry that I couldn’t save Jane from him as well.

I am sorry I left you after what happened to her. 

I am sorry that you are…you’re..that you...” That was it, she broke, started to choke on a sob. Tears were starting to block her vision. She hid her face in her hands and continued to sob loudly to herself. When her knees started to feel weak she fell on the forest floor. 

Maybe it was naive thinking that just spilling everything out was gonna make her feel or even make the situation at hand better. 

It felt like an aching pain in her chest like her heart was being crushed by a pressure she could not see. 

It was almost painful to breathe in. God if she started to throw up she would just die on the spot she felt like. 

Guilt

That one terrible feeling she had felt constantly since the homecoming night. Been eating at her soul ever since everything happened. Thinking about all the things she could have done differently. 

What if she was not an idiot as a child and backed away when a real-life ghost story wanted to be her friend.

What if she tried to talk to Noah after what happened to Jane, instead of a mutual avoidance of each other. 

What if she had taken Jane’s place instead of being coward. 

What if she had just tried harder to convince Noah it was another way to end Jane's messed up game.

None of her friends seemed to understand that. It did not matter how many times they told her "It's not your fault, you couldn't have stopped this" It still felt like it was her fault. Their choice that night was between life or death. They did not have to choose between killing another person or themself. 

For Claudia, it felt like two people she cared about died because of her. Maybe she shouldn't feel bad after all those two tried to kill her and all of her friends. Still, she knew all the suffering they had gone through how much could have been prevented was the question if she had done different choices. Now she had the possibility to make amends with one of them and she messed up that too. 

God, why can't I do anything right anymore? C'mon when was I doing anything right ever. 

“...Stop crying..”

“What?” She looked up, her vision was a bit blurry because of the tears, but she did notice Noah was standing in front of her now, instead of the other side of the clearing. Then he lowered himself so they were more eye to eye. 

“...Don’t cry….” He hesitantly reached out a hand and slowly patted her head for a while. She barely felt it, but that was definitely what he was doing. 

"..Is..okay.." he continued talking with a bit of uncertainty, "… don't say sorry….is okay..." was he?

“....Are you comforting me?” Claudia did not know what to think, what was happening? Her worst childhood trauma, the monster who has been haunting her half her life, seemingly trying to cheer her up after upsetting her. When just moments earlier it seemed like he wanted nothing to do with her. 

He froze immediately after she asked that. Almost like this was the first time he realized what he was actually doing. 

“....working..?” He stopped doing, whatever he was doing. Holding his hands together, waiting for her response. It was hard reading his expression, it was after all just two bright lights that looked at her. It did not look like he had any anger behind his eyes like before as far as Claudia could tell.

“Yeah, we can say that” Claudia responded while wiping her tears away. 

At least he did not leave like she feared he was going to do. It was kinda sweet, in a weird way. Maybe it was more of her old friend in there, someone who did care about her.

“....sorry too...” He quietly said. it was almost so low Claudia almost did not catch it at all.

“....hurt you...didn’t I?". He was fiddling with his fingers now and looking lower than before. 

"you could say it like that" Claudia responded, a bit unsure what he was talking about this time. 

"Sorry," he said again to her. "Sorry… messed up….sorry"

He could be talking about what had just happened, but Claudia's gut feeling was saying he was talking about something else. The whole reason why both of them were even here, to begin with. 

"So, you do remember me?"

It was a few seconds of silence, Claudia feared a moment she had messed up again. Nevertheless, Noah started to nod a bit. Even looked like he was rolling with his eyes a bit.

"yes..of course…" she noticed that his eyes seemed to be smiling after he said that, if that even any made sense.

That made Claudia smile as well, she could feel her cheeks hurting. 

"I knew you would" She finally said and she felt the tears were coming back again.

"wait… don't cry" 

She started to laugh at that comment. 

"No no, don't worry, I am crying now because I am so happy" She started to explain. It seemed like he tensed down a bit after she explained herself. 

Then they were both sitting in silence for a while, what now? She had to admit it was kinda nice just sitting there with Noah. It was still something left of him inside this shadowy figure, now the question was how to save it. She had no ideas at the moment. Also what was she even gonna tell her friends, they were not so forgiving on what Noah had done. Also with the way he first responded to seeing her again, not the best reaction she could have hoped for. Guess she could tell them later when the time was right. 

What snapped her out of her thoughts was a low hissing sound that seemed to get louder. Suddenly Noah went away and hid behind the treelines. Before Claudia could ask what was wrong she felt sunlight hitting her face that made her squint. 

She had not noticed how bright it had gotten these past few hours. Guess fearing the ghost of a childhood friend might not even remember you were a bigger issue.

"Yeah….not a fan of sunlight I guess" Remembering how Redfield and Jane had reacted to it as well. She turned around where Noah was hiding between the trees. 

"no...hurts a lot" Noah hissed while looking down where the sun was shining.   

"I can come to visit again…. Next week? sounds good?" She gave him a thumbs up. He looked at her gesture for a while, before he copied it back. Then he was gone. 

Claudia walked to were Barb was and picked the bat up. 

"Well looks like I didn't need you," she said to it. She also realized that she never really apologized for potentially hitting Noah in the face, well could do that another time. 

 The woods were not as creepy with the morning lights shining through the tree. After around 15 minutes, she finally arrived back at her house. Going straight to her bedroom and crashed on her bed until the late afternoon.

[douchebagbrainwaves]

STARTUPS AND WIRED

There is rarely a single brilliant hack that ensures success: I learnt never to bet on any one feature or deal or anything to bring you success. When we cook one up we're not always 100% sure which kind it is. The Web may not be. Some believe only business people can do this with YC itself. The floors are constantly being swept clean of any loose objects that might later get stuck in something. The really juicy new approaches are not the ones that matter anyway. Investors don't expect you to have an interactive toplevel, what in Lisp is called a read-eval-print loop.

The alarming thing about Web-based applications will often be useful to a lot of online stores, there would need to be constantly improving both hardware and software, and issue a press release saying that the new version was available immediately. Admissions to PhD programs in the hard sciences are fairly honest, for example. He said VCs told him this almost never happened. Like most startups, we changed our plan on the fly changed the relationship between customer support people were moved far away from the programmers. It's the same with other high-beta vocations, like being an actor or a novelist.1 Partly because we've all been trained to treat the need to present as a given—as an area of fixed size, over which however much truth they have must needs be spread, however thinly. Bootstrapping sounds great in principle, but this apparently verdant territory is one from which few startups emerge alive. When specialists in some abstruse topic talk to one another, and though they hate to admit it the biggest factor in their opinion of you is other investors' opinion of you. Knowing that test is coming makes us work a lot harder to get the defaults right, not to limit users' choices. Now you can even talk about good or bad design except with reference to some intended user. I can sense that.2 I don't know of anyone I've met.

How can this be? Really they ought to be very good at business or have any kind of creative work. And they're astoundingly successful. The Detroit News. In fact, it may not be the first time, with misgivings.3 The eminent, on the other hand, are weighed down by their eminence.4 And what I discovered was that business was no great mystery. Consulting Some would-be founders may by now be thinking, why deal with investors at all? Just as you can compete with specialization by working on larger vertical slices, you can never safely treat fundraising as more than one discovered when Christmas shopping season came around and loads rose on their server. Once a company shifts over into the model where everyone drives home to the suburbs for dinner, however late, you've lost something extraordinarily valuable.

Y Combinator and most of my time writing essays lately.5 It was only then I realized he hadn't said very much. Actually, there are projects that stretch them. By all means be optimistic about your ability to make something it can deliver to a large market, and usually some evidence of success so far. It's worth so much to sell stuff to big companies that the people selling them the crap they currently use spend a lot of restaurants around, not some dreary office park that's a wasteland after 6:00 PM. At Viaweb our whole site was like a bunch of people is the worst kind. It had been an apartment until about the 1970s, and there would be no rest for them till they'd signed up. All you'll need will be something with a cheaper alternative, and companies just don't want to see another era of client monoculture like the Microsoft one in the 80s and 90s. We can learn more about someone in the first place.6 If you try writing Web-based software will be less stressful. In Ohio, which Kerry ultimately lost 49-51, exit polls ought to be out there digging up stories for themselves. Be able to downshift into consulting if appropriate.

You wouldn't use vague, grandiose marketing-speak among yourselves. Focus on the ones that matter anyway. If they hadn't been, painting as a medium wouldn't have the prestige that it does. These are not early numbers. C: Perl, Python, and even have bad service, and people will keep coming. But angel investors like big successes too. If someone had launched a new, spam-free mail service, users would have flocked to it.

Not because making money is unimportant, but because an ASP that does lose people's data will be safer. In a startup, things seem great one moment and hopeless the next. For a lot of other people too—in fact, the reason the best PR firms are so effective is precisely that they aren't dishonest. You can shift into a different mode of working. Maybe they can, companies like to do but can't.7 Fortunately, I can fix the biggest danger right here. It was not until Hotmail was launched a year later that people started to get it. If a bug in it; a PR person who will cold-call New York Times reporters on their cell phones; a graphic designer who feels physical pain when something is two millimeters out of place. I wish I could say that force was more often used for good than ill, but I'm not sure. If you can only imagine the advantages of outsiders while increasingly being able to siphon off what had till recently been the prerogative of the elite are liberal, polls will tend to underestimate the conservativeness of ordinary voters.8

This was apparently too marginal even for Apple's PR people.9 These were the biggest. Give hackers an inch and they'll take you a mile. Be flexible. When did Google take the lead? But if you were using the software for them. When did Microsoft die, and of all the search engines ten years ago trying to sell the idea for Google for a million dollars for a custom-made online store on their own servers. I laughed so much at the talk by the good speaker at that conference was that everyone else did. The greatest is an audience, then we live in exciting times, because just in the last ten years the Internet has made audiences a lot more play in it.

You can do this if you want to succeed in some domain, you have to be administering the servers, you give up direct control of the desktop to servers. A few steps down from the top you're basically talking to bankers who've picked up a few new vocabulary words from reading Wired.10 There is a role for ideas of course. And that's who they should have been choosing all along. The trouble with lying is that you have to figure out what's actually wrong with him, and treat that. Lots of small companies flourished, and did it by making cool things. As Fred Brooks pointed out in The Mythical Man-Month, adding people to a project tends to slow it down.11 Every audience is an incipient mob, and a lot of compound bugs.

Notes

Which is precisely because they can't legitimately ask you to acknowledge it.

A great programmer might invent things an ordinary one?

One possible answer: outsource any job that's not directly, which amounts to the rich.

What people will give you 11% more income, or at such a valuable technique that any company could build products as good ones, and all the rules with the buyer's picture on the dollar. By this I mean forum in the Sunday paper. 1% a week for 4 years.

Whereas the activation energy required to switch. If Bush had been with us he would have. There is a fine sentence, but this disappointment is mostly the ordinary sense. 1323-82.

And for those interested in investing but doesn't want to live. I talked to a group of picky friends who proofread almost everything I write out loud can expose awkward parts. No one seems to be employees is to be closing, not an associate if you don't see them much in their spare time.

Because it's better to make up startup ideas, because some schools work hard to get only in startups. But you can't mess with the Supreme Court's 1982 decision in Edgar v.

Which helps explain why there are no misunderstandings. If you like the Segway and Google Wave. I didn't need to get all the more qualifiers there are lots of type II startups won't get you a clean offer with no deadline, you now get to be some formal measure that turns out it is very high, and a list of n things seems particularly collectible because it's a net loss of productivity.

If he's bad at it. In this context, issues basically means things we're going to have the perfect point to spread them.

A Plan for Spam I used thresholds of. Google's site.

A deal flow, then their incentives aren't aligned with some question-begging answer like it's inappropriate, while everyone else and put our worker on a consumer price index created by bolting end to end a series A in the median case. Possible exception: It's hard to say that it makes people dumber.

[faelune-home]

FFXIV Write 2020 #21: Foibles

(A/N: Another mostly npc focused piece, and again its focused on Lyse and her own mourning. :’D Miqo!Fufu is in the background but I decided not to slip her in here. Prompt focus was mainly based off of Yda, or more Lyse’s take on her, and a presumed characterisation for her based on how Lyse acted. Quirky and fun, I’d like to think.

Set during the trip to Kugane in Stormblood, pre-Sirensong Sea, with mentions of departed characters.

Word count: 1469

@ffxiv-writers)

“Can I ask you something?” Lyse perked up at the question, turning away from watching the sea horizon to look at Alisaie beside her. The girl wore an uneasy frown, and added quickly, “I’ll admit it’s probably not a comfortable question. I’d understand if you didn’t want to talk about it.” 

Curiosity piqued, Lyse tilted her hand and gave the girl a friendly nudge. “Well, you’ve caught my attention now. And it’s not like we’ve got anything better to do on this trip other than talk.” The few weeks onboard the Misery had been uneventful, and with little more to do other than plan ahead for when they reached Kugane’s port, the Scions had often turned to idle chatter between each other.

Sometimes professional, sometimes personal.

“In that case,” the elezen hummed, “what was Yda like? I remember grandfather talking a little bit about his students when I was younger, and he brought her up in passing. But bar Urianger being around the house a lot, I never got to know any of them well.” Lyse frowned, and didn’t answer immediately.

At the far end of the ship, a thin screech broke through the air -- an attempt from Fufu at trying to learn how to play the old flute she had found stored away in a storage room.

“Like I said, I’d understand if this wasn’t something you wanted to talk about,” Alisaie quickly said, sensing the heavy air growing between them, making ready to leave the woman alone, only for Lyse to place a hand on her shoulder and say, “No, it’s fine.” The hyur gave a small smile.

“Talking about her should be fine. It’s been long enough, and this is probably a better way to remember her than the awkward mockery I’ve been taking part in these past few years.” She sighed.

“Yda was…” Lyse started, trailing off as she leaned heavily against the ship railing, staring at the churning waters of the ship’s wake below, collecting her thoughts. Then a smile. “She was a good cook.”

“Not the first thing I would’ve thought of,” Alisaie, said, tilting her head. 

Lyse chuckled. “Bare with me here, it’s the first thing I thought of. But I remember very faintly when we still lived in Ala Mhigo. Father wasn’t always home, being so busy with fighting. But whenever he returned, he’d have some game with him, I can’t recall what now. But Yda always managed to make it taste amazing.”

“What about her fighting skills? From what I heard she was highly praised for that,” the other girl prompted. Lyse nodded, her eyes creasing at the thought.

“Oh she was brilliant at that. I remember her saying that when father finally beat back Theodoric and the Fist of Rhalgr was reinstated, she’d go off and train with them, and leave father to be the one staying at home looking after me.” A frown crossed her features, but she shook it off before Alisaie could think to question it.

“Of course that didn’t end up working out,” Lyse mumbled, sighing before she perked up and continued, “But I’d say getting to study at one of the finer institutions in the world and be considered an archon for her skill is a good second best. But she was always such a handful for her teachers in every other subject she had to take up alongside the physical training.”

She couldn't help but laugh, “So often I recall her just folding up her papers or doodling on them over actual studying. She never did take well to that side of academia, even with Papalymo there to help tutor her.”

“Ah, so they were already long acquainted.” Both girls jumped, spiraling round to see Alphinaud and Tataru approaching. The boy had the good sense to look sheepish at the hard stare of his sister, saying, “Apologies for the interruption, we wished to join you. There’s been no further updates from the Resistance.”

Tataru nodded. “We didn’t mean to eavesdrop. But you wouldn’t mind…”

“Not at all,” Lyse welcomed, giving the newcomers a warm smile despite the light sheen in her eyes. “We were just talking about Yda.”

“Oh, I never knew her,” tataru sighed, “But from all Papalymo told us, she was a lovely woman.”

The hyuran woman let out a huff, “I should’ve known he would tell people. But I can’t really be mad at him for it. I’m surprised I didn’t give myself up sooner with the shoddy performance.” She averted her eyes from her friends, looking to the sky.

“She always had this quirky thing about her. Saying silly stuff mostly. For all she struggled with books and essays and long lectures with lots of talking, she did get it eventually, but a lot of the scholars still treated her like a halfwit.” 

Alisaie scoffed, arms folded against her chest, “I can see that. Some people back home are too self absorbed, they would dismiss other people regardless of how much effort they put in.” If anyone saw the way she clenched at her own elbow, or the way her own brother’s eyes drifted to the sea behind them, no one mentioned it.

Another shrill flute note rang out in the air.

For her own part, Lyse just nudged the girl’s arm, then continued, “Well, when that happened, she would compensate by pretending to be dim and silly, like she didn’t understand. It amused her to make them have to explain things five times, if they were generous enough, until they got annoyed and left her. It would drive Papalymo bonkers as well, probably even more so when he realised what she was doing.”

The amused smirk she wore fell, as she added quietly, “The house was always so lively. The two of us, and Papalymo when he was tutoring, or Thancred when he came ‘round to study together.”

“Thancred? They studied together?” Tataru asked. 

Lyse nodded. “Well, they didn’t have any classes together, but they did have something of a kindred spirits feeling, I suppose. Two outsiders to the city, being treated as such by the citizens. Oh but I remember how they first met,” Lyse suddenly laughed.

“Yda had gotten into a spat with an older student while I was hanging around on campus. I can’t even say what it was about, it’d escalated so quickly. Whatever he said, she ended up picking him up and shoving him into a wall. Hardly anything too physical but it got at least two professors involved.

“I heard them talking about severe punishments and possibly expelling her, but right as she started panicking, Thancred just slides in out of nowhere and somehow managed to calm the situation down. The student she’d been fighting with wasn’t convinced much, but the professors  were placated at least.”

She snickered, “I’m telling you, the man’s silver tongue is wasted on the ladies. I could easily see him doing well with officials if he wanted to.”

“Then I’m sure Alphinaud’s pride is grateful for the lack of competition,” Alisaie smirked, prompting an offended, “I beg your pardon,” from her brother.

The hyuran smiled, ruffling both younger kids’ hairs and receiving protests from them both.

“I’ll admit though, Thancred was a big help during those days, but he got caught up in a lot of his own work most of the time. It was mostly just Yda, Papalymo and me.” Lyse bit her lip, then sighed, “I’ll always be grateful to him. To Papalymo. For helping me after she...y’know.” Heads dipped in a moment of silence.

“And for putting up with my ridiculous suggestion. For five years I lived a lie under the guise of trying to-- I don’t know. Continue her work? Or mostly just fool myself into saying she was still around. Saying it was a way to remember her when it was just me playing pretend.”

“Oh don’t do that to yourself, we all grieve in different ways,” Tataru exclaimed, patting the taller woman on the leg in what she hoped was a reassuring manner.

“Perhaps it wasn’t the healthiest method,Alphinaud said, “but who are we to judge. It provided you aid when you needed it most.” His words were probably meant to be encouraging, but Lyse looked away, turned back to the sea.

Alisaie gave her brother a harsh glare, then with a pat to the woman’s shoulder, said, “The important thing now is that you would honour her memory properly. Both of them even. And we’ll finish what she and your father started.”

Lyse sniffed, but she bit back the tears to smile at her friend and nodded. “You’re right. I want to be able to say I did this for them, and others like them. However long it takes now.”

A clear flute note sang into the waves.

[praisethewlwlord]

‘Twelve Shades of Love’

Mine and @versonstar story 

Chapter 2 - ‘The Teacher’

Dorothy Olding x fem!reader

Warnings: sexual assault, homophobia, anxiety/panic attack, mild violence

Hi everyone! This is my first attempt at writing a fic and I've been luck enough to be able write this story with the one and only @versonstar who has been incredibly kind and supportive :3 I hope you enjoy it and I’d love to hear all kinds of feedback :)

‘Y/N Winters! I better see you downstairs in five minutes or else you’ll be late for school!’

Upon hearing the sound of my mother’s voice calling my from the bottom of the stairs I decided to speed up and threw on the last items of my outfit for another day as a junior at Bridgeway High School. I’d been going to the same school since I was a freshman and was in no way excited or nervous about going for another academic year however due to both my mother and my mum’s experiences in the educational environment growing up and because of their partnership and fame in the entertainment industry they were always worried for me whenever I went nearly anywhere. On the other hand I could care less. Everyone always had something to say and that had been something I’d learnt growing up but instead of closing myself of from the judgment of the human race I chose to try my best to ignore it even though I did occasionally get into fights with people who thought they could be rude about or offend my parents. 

I stuffed the last of my school equipment into my backpack as well as my English essay and my favourite journal which I chose to take everywhere with me since you’d never know where an interesting story could be found. 

Bolting down the stairs I attempted to style my hair into something mildly presentable and in doing so nearly bumped into my mum who was heading up them. In my attempt to stop myself from hitting her I unintentionally fell backwards banging my back on the beige carpeted steps. Her blue eyes glittered as she giggled at my clumsiness as she reached out her delicate hand to help me back onto my feet. 

‘You should really be more careful darling’ she spoke bearing a kind smile.

‘Yeah, I’m sorry. I just I heard mother calling and knew that if I didn’t get down quickly that she would come up and drag me down herself’ I replied adding a small chuckle at the end remembering how stubborn of a woman she could be.

‘I understand’ she added, still holding my hand in hers as she turned heading down the stairs to the kitchen where she had just previously been with her wife. ‘I’ll join you so that she doesn’t make you even later by making you eat and trying to lecture you about being on time’. And with that we both laughed and entered the kitchen where the famous Lana Winters sat, mug in hand and reading the morning newspaper.

‘I heard you two laughing from in here, what’s going on?’ She asked suspiciously and small grin appearing on her rose lips as she placed the coffee filled mug onto a coster on the dining table. 

‘Nothing dear, we were just talking’ replied Marion still holding a precious smile on her face as she let go of my hand and walked towards my mother placing a small kiss on her forehead. 

Standing there I watched them in that moment. It looked like a scene from the most beautiful film, the sun dancing through the window landing on their forms like petals. Both of my parents held smiles on their faces as they gazed into each others eyes. The opera singer and the writer, it was almost poetic in some way.

Shifting my gaze to the clock hanging on the wall by the white fridge I suddenly realised that my bus would be arriving at its stop in less that 10 minutes. I ripped a piece of freshly popped toast from the toaster and sprinted into the hallway trying desperately to stuff my shoes on before gripping the door handle ready to pull it open when I heard my mum call my name. I turned on my heels and faced her.

‘Now I know you may be sixteen but I’m sure you're not too old to say goodbye to us before you leave’ she said slightly pouting as Lana walked up beside her.

Chuckling slightly at my parents antics I ran up to them, my piece of toast carelessly placed in my mouth as I brought them both in for a tight hug feeling them place their own arms around my back. Mumbling a ‘goodbye’ between the crumbs I escaped their embrace and turned back, this time leaving the house and making my way to the bus stop. 

———

School wasn’t the most exciting thing the world of a 16 year old could offer however while I wasn’t very keen on it I absolutely adored English and specifically writing. That was probably my mothers fault as since they’d adopted me all I’d known was the world of journalism and singing. I absolutely adore the subject outside of school however there was one reason that I nearly loved it was much in school and that was thanks to my teacher, Miss Dorothy Olding. 

She is perfect to put it simply. She is so enthusiastic and loves the subject just as much as I do and to make it even better she’s absolutely stunning. Her wavy blonde locks delicately bounced on her firm shoulders as she spoke. The natural makeup that blessed her face was always accompanied by a bright shade of stunning red lipstick. Kindness and wisdom was buried in the look in her eyes. The clothes worn by her delicately hugged her beautiful figure but always made her look like she was prepared to fight and win against any big corporation that got in her way. She always carried an air of authority however was very approachable and never shied away from a challenge. I have no idea how the school had managed to get her into teach us especially as she was still continuing her publishing career but here she was in all her glory standing before a class of students aged 16 and 17, 45 minutes before the end of the school day.

The sound of the final bell split the silence of pens on paper throughout the classroom signalling for the occupying students to rise from their seats and erupt into deafening conversations of gossip and social plans.

‘Y/N, would you mind staying behind for a minute? I just wish to talk to you’. 

At the sound of my name being called from Miss Olding’s mouth, my heart began to beat twice as fast. I knew I wasn’t in any trouble however I was not stubborn enough to be able to trick myself into thinking that I didn’t have a slight crush on her. So I bid goodbye to my friend Simon and as he headed for the room’s door I approached Dorothy’s desk. 

I wrapped my arms around my figure clutching my workbook waiting patiently for her to make the first move as I stood patiently waiting for her to finish the essay she was marking. Without departing her attention from the ink stained sheet of paper she spoke, 

‘You look nervous, don’t worry your not in trouble Miss Winters’ as the final syllable of my surname escaped her mouth, her deep brown eyes met my E/C ones before she continued ‘I wish to discuss your progress including your most recent homework assignment that I have just had the joy of reading’. 

Relaxing slightly at her words, I gave a small nod of acknowledgement and allowed her to continue. 

‘You have a gift, one which I bet would have any publisher or newspaper firm after you’.

I felt a slight heat rising to my cheeks at her words, the only compliments I received for my work usually came from my parents or Simon as if I tried to show them off, as I learnt from when I was a  child, I would be shadowed behind my mothers name or picked on by fellow classmates. This meant that I never felt the need to constantly work to my full potential as, as much as I’d like to say I didn’t, I sought for approval in those around me even though I told myself and tried my hardest to believe that I didn’t. Despite being stubborn, in some situations even more so that the famous Lana Winters, I still always held on to the fear of rejection. I’d show the outside world that I didn’t care about what was expected, that I’d be able to strive through anything life could throw at me but on the inside I felt like I had to remain in the same small box, not allowed to step out but be content with where I was protected. 

Pulling me out of my own thoughts the blonde asked ‘I want to see how much potential you have, if you would like I’d love for you to do additionally work with my after school and on different projects’

‘I-I…really?’ I couldn’t help but stutter, it felt like a part of me had been waiting patiently for this since I was young and I didn’t want to let go of this feeling.

‘Of course! You have a talent and I don’t want to see it washed away’ and with those final words she stood, collected the assignments placing them in her light brown, leather briefcase and left for the exit. Before placing her delicately manicured hand on the doorknob she turned once again facing me, as I had stared in awe as she walked away. 

‘We can start next week’ she started, turning back around and disappearing into the corridor.

‘Yes! Thank you!’ I desperately called after her a smile plastered on my face that I nearly thought was impossible to get rid of. 

This was my chance.

— — —

Over the rest of my junior year I met weekly with the publicist developing my skills and expanding my knowledge of the world and what it had to offer for my career. Having all this extra time with Dorothy didn’t help the fact that I had a crush on her however I luckily managed to avoid anything too embarrassing as my mind was usually absorbed by the activities I was doing though the odd glance or two at her scarlet red lips or tender, soft cheeks had me distracted in almost an instant.

In the final term of the school year I was gifted by receiving Mrs Olding’s phone number, and while it wasn’t for the purpose I wanted it to be, I felt like I’d found gold. I was only allowed to message or call her if I wasn’t able to make it to a session or if I wanted to reorganise one during the summer break as we’d both agreed it would be great to continue however she did mention that if I truly needed her in any way that she would be happy to listen. 

— — — 

Luckily the final exams ended quickly in the two weeks before the break however that didn’t stop me from amounting so much stress that I nearly threw up several times during the course of the 14 days. Both Lana and Marion got exceedingly more worried as they tried method after method to try and help me calm my nerves. I slept with lavender, drank herbal teas and even practised a little meditation and while some of it did help I still felt like collapsing and not getting up. So when the email from the school came inviting all juniors and seniors to an end of exams/results party they almost forced me to go, despite wanting to go myself anyway, to help clear my mind of worry and let loose for 3 to 4 hours on a Friday night.

My only issue was who I would go with. I didn’t want a ‘date’ as to be honest there was no one I found mildly interesting in my year at all and while I hung out with some people I never had a stable group of friends who expressed that they wanted me to be with them besides Simon. 

I had known Simon since starting at Bridgeway High and he’d always been great company and an incredibly kind and loving person despite the occasional racist comments that were thrown at him by some of the pricks in our freshman class. We had been there for each other through thick and thin and I’d never have asked for anything more.

— — —

I was applying the finally bits and pieces of my hair and makeup when I heard the doorbell ring.

‘Y/N! Simon’s here!’ My mum called from the bottom of the stairs 

‘I’ll be there in a minute!’ I responded as I took one final look at myself smoothing down my outfit and checking for flyaway hairs. Luckily the event hadn’t called for extremely formal clothing so I’d opted for wearing the blazer and trousers of a deep maroon suit accompanied by a simple white t-shirt and black heals. Once I had finished inspecting I grabbed a small clutch from my table (as for some reason woman’s suits have absolutely no pockets), placed my phone inside and made my way down the stairs.

As I reached the foyer I spotted my parents speaking to my friend who had chosen to wear a Prussian blue suit with a sapphire shirt paired with white trainers. I tried my hardest not to draw attention to myself instead wanting the leave as quickly as possible however Lana spotted me out of the corner of her eye and gasped.

‘Sweetheart what’s wrong?’ Marion questioned before she turned around and copied the same action as her wife.

‘You look stunning my baby’ Lana uttered her eyes dancing over every inch of my like I was a diamond on display.

As I began to feel the heat of embarrassment rise on my cheeks both women stepped forward and wrapped their arms around my figure in a bone crushing manner. I didn’t need to hear them say that they were concerned, overjoyed and happy as I felt it all in their embrace. As they drew back I assured them that I would be absolutely fine and that I would be back by the latest midnight unless something happened, which I would accordingly call them about.

Wishing our final goodbyes Simon and I departed the house, climbed in his car and made our way back to the school. 

— — —

The school hall was adorned with ribbon and balloons. A disco ball was hung form the centre of the ceiling, shining above a dance floor filled with teenagers. Around the latter were tables decorated with white cloth, chairs and a group of balloons. At one side of the hall the DJ booth stood blasting the most recent top 20 songs and on the opposite were three long tables, once again with white cloth, covered in all assortment of party food and drinks in massive plastic bowls with a ladle.

This way of presenting the drinks was found to be an absolutely terrible by the staff who had discovered, after several people had thrown up, that they had all been spiked. Luckily for me I had only had one drink but Simon wasn’t as lucky and had needed to be dropped home. That had left me alone, sitting on a table by myself staring at the small plate of food I had gotten myself. 

Overcome with boredom and the sense of being stared at I decided to go into the hallway outside the girls bathroom and call either Lana or Marion to come and pick me up. That was the plan at least…

As I made my way into the hallway I leaned against some of the lockers about to grab my phone when a fist crashed into the metal beside my head causing me to drop my clutch. Trying to ignore the person who had scared me I went to pick up my items when their hand collided with my neck dragging me back up and pushing me against the lockers, forcing my body to be trapped between the cold metal and their frame. Looking up I thought I recognised the person however the darkness of the hallway shadowing their features and the extreme pain that my body had been forced into didn’t allow me to focus on anything besides their words and the stench of alcohol on their breath. 

‘I’ve been watching you for a while Winters, you and that pretty body of yours’ though slightly slurred the deepness of their voice lead me to believe that it was a guy most likely one from the year above. 

I looked down staring at my hands as I tried to practise the breathing exercises that Dr. Staple had taught me, putting my shaking fingers down as I breathed in and back up as I blew out. Noticing that my attention was drawn away from him, he snarled and began raising his left hand before striking the side of my face.

I just stood there. The echo reverberating through my ears. This wasn’t good. I’d tried so hard but still that one simple action was able to throw me right back. All of my muscles began to ache, my fingers jumping like they’d been shot with electricity. Tears began to prick at the sides of my eyes.

‘LOOK AT ME WHEN I’M TALKING TO YOU, BITCH!’ And with that he hit me again

I went to hold my hands against my chest and shrink into the ground when both of his firsts ripped my arms away, his knee shoved between my thighs as he forced one hand against my neck using the other to support himself against the metal. All I could do was follow as I stared into is hollow eyes desperate to do anything in the world to protect myself.

‘I know your type, you know. The rich kid who things she’s too good for everyone else’ shoving one of his fingers against my temple he continued ‘All up there, stuck in your own perfect world’.

Where had I gone wrong, all I’d ever tried to do was fit in and be as “normal” as I could be if anything I thought I had tried to stay in the shadows. The million and one encounters I had made with anyone and everyone raced through my mind nitpicking and calling out all mistakes I’d made, every single time the patterns on a persons face had changed, their stance or the pitch of their voice. It was my fault. I’d done this to myself.

I began to cry. The tears I’d tried so hard to keep behind lock and key streamed down my face like waterfalls. I felt embarrassed, ashamed even to be falling apart when I believed I had no reason to. 

‘Aww, you crying for your dyke mothers. They aren’t going to help you now princess. It’s just you and me and I know you want it. You want this, you asked for it dressing like you do with that attitude and that pretty little face of yours’.

With that final syllable his lips crashed into mine at a bruising force, tearing and stabbing away in a drunken attempt to gain access into me. 

I felt so weak, my breathing was uncontrollable, the tears unstoppable. I placed my hands against his shoulders putting all my strength into trying to move him. I knew the consequences of disobeying but my mind was screaming at me, clawing at my skin, shouting at me to run and hide. 

As my shove was unexpected the figure stumbled backwards and they began to laugh. Just laughing and laughing and laughing. I clutch my arms over myself as my fingers bruised my skin as I began to collapse, the adrenaline quickly leaving my body as I was consumed by my own pressuring darkness. I knew they’d come back, I knew what was going to happen once the laughing stopped. 

Nothing came.

I was chocking slowly feeling like I was loosing my mind when a cold slender hand gripped my shoulder. Everything suddenly felt ten times worse as I tried desperately to shrink further and further into myself until I disappeared, the sobs and shaking never stopping.

‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry’ was all I could say all my mind could process. I needed to apologise I needed to fix it, everything.

Suddenly a blanket was being wrapped around my form as I was lifted up so my knees were against my chest being hugged by my red and nearly raw arms. I felt two bodies, one on each side of my broken self. 

‘Shh, shh it’s okay. It’s going to be alright I promise. Y/N can you hear me?’ the voice on my right spoke softly 

I nodded my head slightly 

The same voice spoke again ‘Good, that’s really good. Can you do something for me? Can you copy my breathing?’.

I tried and it was working but it wasn’t enough. As I was about to shake my head and begin apologising I felt the body on my left shift, placing one of my hands on her chest. I tensed up ready to crawl into the shoulder of the person on my right when I felt the same cold hand from earlier touch my face softly and stroke my right cheekbone in a soothing manner.

A heartbeat. I could hear it. It felt stronger and better than my own so I followed it until I heard it in the same force that my own had inside my ears.

‘Well done Y/N. It’s okay now, we’ve got you. You’re safe’

Using the hand that wasn’t pressed against the persons chest I went to wipe my tears, still shaking slightly as I did so.

‘Hey, have some water’ the voice in front of me spoke. I looked up and as my eyes focused I was able to make out a leopard print pattern and blonde frizzy hair. Reaching for the cup of water she offered I drank it slowly as to not choke myself.

‘Y/N’ I recognised that voice and looking to my right I was unmistaken. It was Miss Olding. ‘We’re going to get you home okay. I’ve called your mother and told her that something has happened and that you’ll be arriving home soon’

‘Tha-thank you’ my own voice stuttered out still hoarse from my breathing.

I attempted to stand up only to collapse into the arms of the girl in the leopard print coat.

‘I’m-m sorr-y’

‘No no its okay, I’m gonna get you home’ she said kindly ‘Oh, my name is Sally by the way, Sally McKenna’

And with those final words she lead me, slowly and steadily, down the hallway and out to the car park where we got into her car. It smelt like cigarette smoke and there were quite a few boxes scattered around the vehicle.

‘I’m sorry about that Y/N, I’ve got a habit’ she said with a slight nervous chuckle 

‘I don’t mind’ I replied with a slight smile. Luckily the walk had given my body and mind the opportunity to calm themselves so I could hold together a conversation

‘Are you okay?’

‘I should be I’m still a but on edge but I’ll be okay’

‘Good but you can talk to me about it whenever. I’ve been in the same shitty situation with a couple of arseholes before’ she spoke leaning back in the drivers seat and huffing

‘Oh I’m sorry about that’

‘No no they come and they go but they are all the same’ she then surprisingly giggled adding ‘though none of them look the same after’

‘What do you mean? Wait, what happened?’ I asked in complete curiosity

Placing a cigarette in her mouth, the blonde continued ‘I saw the two of you as I came out of the girls bathroom and then I saw you crying and shove him back before collapsing’ blowing out the smoke she went on ‘I walked up to him as he was about to grab you and punched him and, you know, kept going until I knew he wouldn’t even think about getting up’

‘Thank you’ I replied meekly 

‘There’s no need to’ 

And with that she began to drive out of the school. As we passed the front gate I noticed an ambulance and a group of students and teachers gathered around it including Dorothy. Giving Sally my address she continued, not caring one glance for the building or the commotion outside of it.

— — — 

I must have dosed off as I felt the woman beside my nudge my arm.

‘We’re here’

I said my thank you’s and was ready to leave when she called my name.

‘I hope you don’t mind but I used your phone to take a picture of my number for you’ she finished, rubbing her hand on the back of her neck

‘It’s perfect, thank you. I-I want to find a way to thank you properly if that’s okay’

‘That’s fine with me sweetheart’ she added with a grin

Smiling back I excited the car and walked to my front door, turning back to wave before I returned inside.

[theasstour]

0103. Jupiter.

Tuesday, 22 October 2014

FIC PAGE | CHAPTER SYMPHONY | WORD COUNT: 6k

NB: explicit language, alcohol

Y/N had made plans with Tiana to meet up after Tiana’s lecture, which ended approximately one hour and 30 minutes after Y/N’s. The two girls would do a Sainsbury’s shop together, even though Y/N was more than capable of doing one alone, having someone there was always a comfort. Besides, Tiana and Y/N had started really getting along. It was the small conversations they had with one another while making dinner, or when they met on their way back from uni, or when Tiana knocked on Y/N’s door and wondered what she was doing; it was those moments that had ultimately ended up making the two girls very close. Y/N looked down at her phone that said she had one hour left of her seminar, another text from Tiana under the time reminding her of their “Sainsbury’s date”. Y/N smiled a little before looking up at Teresa when she started talking.

“I don’t know how I know,” Teresa started, arms crossed and looking straight ahead at the blackboard. “But I failed that essay.”

The Monday before, they had handed in the 1000-word reflective essay for Ensemble I, and, by the way Teresa was acting and talking, Y/N had kind of guessed it hadn’t gone as well as she had hoped.

“It doesn’t even count toward our final grade, but I’m still going to fail.”

Regardless of this fact, Y/N had spent hours in the library in the days following up to the essay. She wanted her lecturers to get a good impression of her, no matter the importance of the assignment, and especially Anthony Goddard, her tutor in Ensemble I. She had a feeling he wasn’t easy to impress, even though he had, according to Finn, liked him very much, thrilling him with his talents. Y/N very much wanted that to be her, and so she thought if she aced this reflective essay about her own skills on her primary instrument – the violin –, how they came to be and how she can improve, Goddard had to like her, right?

The class had a 15-minute break in the middle of the three-hour long seminar, and Y/N and Teresa were just sitting in their usual spot in the middle of the half-circle, talking about everything and nothing. Though Y/N had zoned out of Teresa’s monologue, her brain in a never-ending spiral about how this essay would not be graded, just a paper for Goddard to read and get to know his young new musicians better. Everything was down to the exam: the performance in December. Y/N’s heart started hammering a little to loudly in her ears, her breathing increasing.

“Y/N?”

Y/N looked at Teresa, a small furrow to her eyebrows as she glanced at her friend.

“You good?”

“Yea, just blacked out for a second.”

Teresa studied Y/N for a second, about to ask why, when Goddard cleared his throat and clapped his hands together at the front of the room. They both looked over at him, watching as he motioned to the girl standing beside him. She was smiling, and something in that smile, her dark skin and the straight black hair, rung a bell somewhere in the back of Y/N’s mind.

“Now that everyone has handed their essay in on Canvas, the next thing you should be thinking about is your exam on December 9th. It might seem far away, but it’s not, because if it’s one thing time does when you’re at uni, it’s fly. So, this is one of my students from last year, Wynter, she’s a second year now.”

Wynter gave a small wave, and Y/N instantly knew where she had seen her before. It was the same girl that had checked her in on the first day of Freshers Week. When their eyes met, Wynter’s smile widened and she gave Y/N a small nod, which Y/N returned.

“Wynter was so kind to come here to talk about your exam and her experience doing it last year. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask them. I will be sitting over here,” Goddard pointed at the desk at the front of the classroom. “Take it away, Wynter.”

As Goddard let Wynter take the stage, Y/N instantly saw the beautiful girl ease into her role as temporary lecturer. Folding her hands together at her front, Wynter looked around the room at everyone and cleared her throat slightly.

“What I think most people do wrong when they choose a piece for their exam, is do a hard one. Please do not do that.” Wynter said, shaking her head. “Don’t pick a song or solo that could ultimately end up being too hard for you. This is after all Ensemble I: The Art of Performing, and you’re here to outdo your previous works, but not to set yourself up for failure, yea?"

Y/N jotted that down into her notebook. Do not set yourself up for failure, pick a doable song.

“My instrument is the oboe, and I did an instrumental cover of Skyfall by Adele. I got a 78%.” She shrugged her shoulder, smiling still. “You don’t have to do it much harder than that. Choose a melody that will fit your performance style, your instrument, and most importantly, you.”

Y/N wrote that down as well, feeling her shoulders tense as she started letting herself think more about the performance. Picking a song to impress Goddard, her class, and yet not fail while performing it, would be challenging. Questions ensued, and though Y/N was listening intently to whatever Wynter had to say, she was also in her own little world. She could not seem to stop thinking about this exam, and about the millions of ways it could go wrong. About how many different mistakes it was possible to make and how little time she had to impress Goddard. Five minutes to get a good mark. 300 seconds with everyone’s eyes on her. Y/N hated herself for thinking about this, for always finding everything that could go wrong before even focusing on the task at hand academically. When Goddard announced the end of the seminar, Y/N blinked herself out of her trance and shot upright. Collecting her stuff, she jumped as she heard a voice from behind her.

“Y/N, right?”

Wynter was smiling at her, the same smile she had given Y/N on that first day weeks ago. Y/N nodded in response.

“I’m Wynter, I signed you in?”

“Yea, I remember you.” Y/N nodded again.

“Good! How’s uni life treating you? Is it as bad as you thought it’d be?” Giggled Wynter.

“It’s great, yea. Been a bit more hectic than I thought it would be, but I’m hanging in there.” Y/N said. “Been a bit overwhelming.”

“Oh, I can imagine.” Wynter hoisted the strap of her bag further up her shoulder. “University is very overwhelming at first, there is a lot going on and not enough time for it all. But you’ll find a balance.” Wynter looked down at her watch, sighing. “Have to run, have a Student Representatives meeting in 10. I’ll see you around, yea?”

But Wynter was off before Y/N could utter another word. Staring wordlessly after her, Teresa stepped into Y/N’s field of vision, eyebrows raised.

“Know her?”

“She checked me in Freshers Week.”

“Ahh!” Teresa started walking and Y/N followed her out of the classroom. “Was starting to wonder if you maybe had a thing going on.”

“What? W-Why?” Y/N recognised that she responded to Teresa’s statement a little too quickly. That the side of her she hadn’t really told anyone about was, for a split second, visible. But Teresa didn’t say anything, like she didn’t hear Y/N, and only snickered as she walked out the door. Y/N clutched hard at the straps of her burgundy Fjällräven rucksack, not really know what to make of Teresa’s comment. Though, as she stepped out into the hallway, students standing outside waiting for their lecture to begin, Y/N tried to make herself forget it. Teresa probably meant nothing by it. She didn’t know. How could she? No. No one but Y/N knew. She was safe. Y/N followed Teresa’s messy blonde hair until they reached the big foyer of the Antonin Artaud Building, the same one she had walked into on her first day, her father by her side. Y/N waved bye to Teresa, watching her leave through the door and into the grey afternoon.

“Y/N.” Finn smiled, walking with a mate beside him… That Y/N instantly recognised. “You remember Harry, yea? From Spoons three weeks ago?”

She did. Very much so. She stopped walking when Finn and Harry did as well. “Yea, I do.” Y/N said, looking over at Harry for a split second before looking away. He was wearing a grey turtleneck tucked into a pair of black trousers, a black coat on him as well as black boots and, Y/N realised to a small shock, a metal chain hanging from the hoops in his trousers. The same kind people used in mid-00’s, though this one was silver and very polished, almost glimmering in the light of the lamps above. She hated how she saw all of this in a mere second.

“Cool, because he’s going to wait around for me till I’m done with Ensemble in two hours. We’re going to the library together to study after this. You’re waiting for Tiana, yea?”

Y/N nodded her head once.

“Not saying you two should hang out, but,” Finn shrugged. “You might as well. See ya both later.”

And then he was off, acting like he hadn’t seen what Harry and Y/N had been like together at Spoons three weeks ago. Y/N hadn’t seen Harry around at uni before today, though she had occasionally heard him hang out with Finn and someone else she didn’t know who was, in his room. They were all unapologetically loud, and Y/N didn’t want to be a party pooper, so she never told them when it got annoying and when they should keep it down. She always let Tiana message the Flat 34 groupchat, seeing as she had the most balls to.

Now, standing in the foyer that was starting to clear out, with Harry right before her. Y/N didn’t really know what to do. So, she looked at him, only to meet his gaze and notice he was wearing a pair of silver aviator glasses, a lock of his curls falling a little awkwardly in front of his right eye. Gracefully, he drew a hand through his hair, eyes fully on Y/N. Clearing her throat, she gave him a small smile.

“Well, I guess we both don’t want this.”

Harry furrowed his brows. “This being what exactly?”

“Us hanging out.”

“Ah.” Harry nodded, shoving his hands into the pockets of his trousers, showing off his lean and tall frame. “I guess we don’t, no.”

“So,” Y/N started, taking a step toward the exit. “Bye.”

Harry didn’t respond, and Y/N turned on her toes and walked straight for the door, opening it to the brisk late-October air. She wore a navy green puffer Y/Net over a mustard ribbed knit jumper, a pair of light denim jeans and her usual black vans. Grey clouds dotted the skies above as Y/N made her way to the nearest Costa for a coffee. The sun would occasionally shine through a slit between two flecks of grey, beams of yellow dancing along London before it disappeared again. The Costa wasn’t far away, and when Y/N saw the burgundy sign, she sighed to herself and walked in, opening her puffer Y/Net.

A part of her still wasn’t used to the loud buzzing of London, to constant sounds around her, but she was trying to get accustomed to it. Though Y/N hated change, she knew that for her life to move forward, for her to grow, she needed change. But she bloody hated it nonetheless. The Costa was full, a small group or a single person sitting and enjoying their coffees on every table, loud laughter and voices all around. Standing in the queue, Y/N glanced up at the menu behind the disk, the people before her waiting for their turn. In Hawkley, she had always enjoyed normal black coffee, liking how the bitterness of it both woke her up and calmed her down at the same time. It stung at the back of her lips, the taste of coffee, but it was a stinging Y/N always welcomed. She loved the taste of it. But she needed to broaden her horizon. So, studying the different kinds of coffees on the board, Y/N bit her bottom lip as she tried to decide on which one she wanted to order.

“Following me, are you?”

Y/N whipped her head to her left only to find a staring Harry beside her, looking very smug. And Y/N hated that.

“Wouldn’t it be the other way around?” She asked. “I arrived before you.”

“And how would you know that?”

Y/N narrowed her eyes. “Because I’m standing before you in the queue?”

Harry shrugged his shoulders. “Might just have arrived before you but gone to the loo.”

“Highly doubt that.”

“Oh?” Harry looked amused as he took his glasses off his nose and placed them at the top of his head instead.

“Yes, I left campus before you!”

“Hm, that’s weird.”

“It’s really not-“

“-Hi, can I take your order?”

Y/N looked at the barista, but not for long, as a broad-shouldered creature wearing a black coat and hair all curly, stepped in front of her. For a second, Y/N was momentarily stunned. He had just stepped before her and totally not cared about the fact that it wasn’t his turn. Y/N’s mouth fell open.

“Two medium expresso macchiatos to go, please.” Harry said, pointing at the board behind the barista.

Too shocked to even step beside Harry and tell the barista that it was her turn and not this… this… this git’s, Y/N just stood there. Harry looked over his shoulder at her, giving her a little smile.

“I took the liberty of ordering for you, if that’s okay.”

Y/N shook her head twice, blinking as she realised what Harry had done. “I-I…” She inhaled sharply. “I didn’t even want an expresso macchiato.”

Harry raised his eyebrows, looking at the board as the barista asked which way he’d like to pay. “What were you going to order, then?”

“A-A black coffee.” Y/N answered, crossing her arms and walking to stand beside Harry.

“Have you tried an expresso macchiato before, Y/N?”

She hated the way he said her name. All soft and delicate, like saying her name was a privilege. When his pink lips formed it and puckered a little, like kissing the air around him… No! What?! Y/N looked away from him and at the barista, who seemed very confused at the situation they were finding themselves in.

Y/N shook her head in response, eyes on the board.

“Two expresso macchiatos still, please. I’ll pay by card if that’s alright.” Harry lightly pushed Y/N aside to get to the card machine, to which she instantly grew annoyed with him again.

“No need to push me, dimwit.”

“I didn’t push you, that was borderline touching.” Harry said while clicking in his credit card number into the machine. “Besides,” he took his card out, putting it in his wallet and smiling that lopsided smile of his right at Y/N. “You were in the way of me paying for you.”

Y/N huffed, walking off to the place where everyone waited for their orders, Harry following her. He coughed into his elbow and looked around the big Costa, trying to spot someone he knew no doubt.

“Thank you.” Y/N said lowly, crossing her arms again. “For the coffee.”

Harry looked down at her, eyebrows raised and about to smile again when he turned his body in her direction. “I simply made it to the cashier before you did. A bit slow in the afternoons, are you?”

Y/N frowned.

“I won.” Harry said, letting his tongue fall slowly from the roof of his mouth and back down again, head cocked as the left side of his mouth tipped up again.

“You… won?” Y/N was lost.

“Yea.” Harry said, tucking his hands into the pockets of his jeans and shifting the weight from his right to his left foot. “I was faster.”

“At paying?”

“In life.” Harry sighed exasperatingly, looking triumphant. “In general. At everything. I am faster.”

Y/N couldn’t help her small smile. She had no idea what Harry was on about, no idea why she found it all so amusing. Pushing away from the wooden fence that separated the walkway of the café from the seating area, Y/N positioned herself before him, her back facing the counter.

“Next time, maybe inform me of this contest of being fastest.”

“Oh, darling, it’s not about being faster.” Harry said, putting his glasses back on his nose as he looked at her. “It’s about winning.”

“So, it doesn’t have to be about being fast?”

“No, just win.”

“Elaborate.”

“Okay, how about this?” Harry said, leaning against the railing himself now, gesturing with his hands as he talked. “It’s all about coming out on top. Doing the most and being the best at it.”

“Hmm.” Y/N hummed, biting her lip. She swore Harry’s eyes fell to them for a slight second before he looked into her eyes again. “Didn’t know you were just as competitive as me, Mr…?”

“Styles.” Harry smiled, showing off a set of perfectly straight and white teeth. “Miss…?”

“Winning-at-life.”

Harry chuckled, eyes falling to his boots. “Might have to change that name soon.”

“Because you’re going to be better than me?”

“You said it, not me.” Harry looked up at her again, shrugging his broad shoulders.

“You’ll never win at life or anything.”

“I just did.” Harry said, motioning with his chin toward the cashier. “Just now.”

Y/N was about to reply, try to hold the conversation going, but the reason she had positioned herself where she had was suddenly called out: “Two expresso macchiatos to go!” Whipping around, Y/N walked toward the counter just as Harry pushed away from the railing, but stopped himself as he saw Y/N reaching the coffees first. Holding them both with a huge smile on her face, she handed on to Harry as she reached him and took a slow sip of her own.

“Minx.” Harry muttered. “Nice positioning.”

Y/N smiled. “1 – 1.”

Harry smiled back, sipping the coffee, Y/N did the same. It was very strong, just like her usual black coffee, and for that reason, Y/N found herself enjoying it. She missed the coffee she was able to make at home in the mornings before college and working on the farm during weekends, but this was a close second. It woke her up, all her senses heightened, and all the while, it gave her a taste of peace. Like taking the little boat in her father’s shed, rowing into the middle of the lake on a warm summer’s day and reading a book; that kind of calm. Closing her eyes, she let the familiar feeling of coffee fill her senses, and she let out a content sigh before looking at the cup in her hands.

“You like it?” Harry asked, holding the cup in his right hand while the other rested in his pocket.

Y/N nodded, sipping it again.

“2 – 1 then.” Harry grinned. “I’m in the lead again.”

Y/N blinked, and Harry, who was finding all of this very entertaining it seemed, couldn’t help but laugh again. It was a boyish laugh, not matching the deep timbre of his voice, a contrast Y/N hadn’t seen coming. He had always been so serious the times they had met before, but this version of him – the joking around, competitive, glasses-wearing one – seemed to be quite the opposite of all of that. She did not want to stand around and think more about Harry and all the ways he was different from what she had originally pictured him as. So, instead she motioned with her thumb toward the exit.

“I’m off, I’ll see you at pres or something, I guess.” Y/N started walking away. “Thanks for the coffee again.”

She turned around and started walking up toward Albert Bridge. Sipping her coffee, she tried not to let the few moments she had just shared with Harry get to her. It wasn’t of much significance and no matter how charming he had been, he had also been able to push all the right buttons to aggravate her. So, instead, Y/N looked around as she walked toward the bridge, knowing that 40 minutes she had left till Tiana was done would go by quick if she just strolled around for a bit. She had been to Albert Bridge before, the bridge connecting Battersea to Chelsea, and thought it was a very underappreciated view of London. It wasn’t much; you could see boats driving by, the distant monument hidden away in the fog, and hear someone play the accordion further down the bridge. But for some reason, Y/N liked walking there, just because it wasn’t crowded. London was always a huge buzz, but it seemed to dim down when the wind hit her ears and with less people around as she walked the bridge.

As she reached the bridge, she heard someone clear their throat behind her. And, of course, looking over her shoulder, there was Harry.

“Following me again, ey?”

Y/N stopped walking. “You are the one following me.”

Harry only sipped his coffee, walking past Y/N, not saying a word.

“Hey!” Y/N jogged up to him, making sure not to spill the coffee. “Why are you following me?”

“I’m not.”

“Yes, you are. You’re here, aren’t you? Following me?”

Harry snickered shaking his head. “See that flat building?” He asked, stopping by the railing of the bridge and pointing across the canal to a brown bricked house. Y/N glanced in the direction of his finger, nodding as she saw the fancy building with huge windows, obviously holding wealthy inhabitants. Harry looked down at her, his breath tickling her ear. “My uncle lives there.”

Y/N gulped at the contact Harry’s breath did with her skin, like small puffs of an unexpected tropical wind. She sipper her coffee quickly.

Harry leaned in, mumbling. “On my way to his, if you don’t mind.”

Y/N stepped away, back hitting the railing, and some coffee spilling over her fingers. Harry’s eyes fell to her hand before he smiled up at her, sipping his own coffee.

“Do you?”

“Mind?”

“Yea?”

“I don’t.”

“Good.” Harry smiled. “See you around, Y/N.”

And he walked off, hair blowing in the wind and steps determined. Quickly, Y/N looked toward the flat building and then at Harry strolling away, and then she turned back to walk to uni. For some reason, walking after Harry on the bridge, seemed to me too much.

Friday, 31 October 2014

“You sure you want to be a vampire?” Tiana groaned, holding the face paint in her hand as she looked down at Y/N sitting on her bed. “It’s, like, the most basic and boring Halloween costume ever.”

“You’re dressing up as a slutty nurse!”

Tiana didn’t answer to that, and Y/N assumed it was because she was right; they were both being very basic for this Halloween party. Annie stood by Tiana’s sink, putting make-up on, and Becky was sitting by her desk, using a mirror she had brought down from her room. All the girls were getting ready together, chuffed to finally be going to a house party together. No one knew how Finn had been able to get them into the party in Chelsea, but he had told them not to ask questions, so no one had.

“Some things are better left a mystery, boys.” He had said one afternoon, eating his microwaveable Toad in a Hole and grinning from ear to ear.

Y/N had just thrown on a black turtleneck and some black jeans, not really in the mood to go all out with her costume. While both Tiana and Becky had gone shopping for their slutty nurse and slutty cat, and Y/N knew they would both look absolutely amazing. Annie was going to go as Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas, and as far as her make-up went, she was already looking great. With music in the background and their mind set on having a great night together, the girls all did their make-up and psyched each other up for a night of nothing but greatness.

Once everyone was ready, they waited in the kitchen for the boys to be ready, which took surprisingly long. But Ian, Spencer and Finn all came out into the kitchen dressed up as characters from a show on the telly Y/N did not know of and did not care to know the name of either. Together, flat 34 of Westbridge walked toward Chelsea together, a 2 litre Pepsi bottle containing vodka and blackcurrant squash to share between the seven of them. Tiana had an extra bottle of vodka in her purse, so the little squad was all set for the party. Finn didn’t elaborate on how he had gotten everyone a pass into this exclusive house party, but one everyone was starting to feel the effect of the bottle passing between them, no one cared enough to answer. They were all dressed up and ready to party, and besides that and a good time, no one cared for any other news.

Finn knocked on the door and said the supposed password – Y/N was very impressed that a uni party needed a password for entrance – and the guard let everyone in while counting each of them. Finn let out a howl in triumph, clapping his hands above his head and looking at everyone before he exclaimed: “Let’s party, gang!”

And with that, everyone spread out. Y/N followed Becky who needed to go to the loo, and both Tiana and Annie did the same. Locking themselves in there, Becky sat down to pee and let out a huge sigh.

“Can any of you lot tell me when you see Harry Styles tonight?” She asked, adjusting her cat ears.

“Why?” Tiana asked, looking at herself in the mirror to make sure her make-up was fine.

“Because I really want to shag him.” She said, sighing again. “He’s so bloody peng.”

“You wanna have sex with him here? At this party?” Annie raises her eyebrows, clearly a little shocked.

“Why not?” Becky shrugged. “As long as I get the opportunity, yea?”

Tiana giggled. “I loved helping my friends get dick. I’ll tell you the minute I see him.”

“Thanks, Ti.” Becky smiled, flushing the toilet and walking over to wash her hands. “I told you, didn’t I, Y/N? How I delicious I think he is?”

Y/N only nodded, running a hand through her hair.

“I could suck his prick right off.” Becky said, drying her hands and applying some more lipstick. “Anyway, thank you girls, for helping me out.”

“Always a privilege to help a friend in need.” Tiana said smiling, and Becky opened the door for them so they could leave. Annie and Y/N followed, neither really knowing what to say as the situation of helping a friend get laid hadn’t really presented itself to either of them before. Regardless, Y/N quickly forgot about it and everyone walked onto the dancefloor together. The bass shook of Y/N’s heartbeat, and the music was so loud that it was hard to hear anything but one’s own thoughts, and even that proved to be a challenge. But Y/N danced her tipsy little heart out, and suddenly forgot all about everything but the song that was playing, the people she was with, and the feeling of her body moving along to the beat.

Tiana took Y/N’s hand, and the two friends started dancing together like drunk friends do. Y/N threw her head back in euphoria, laughter erupting from her mouth, and Tiana threw an arm around Y/Ni’s shoulders, holding onto her new best friend while she belted out the lyrics to the song that was playing at the top of her lungs. Y/N held onto Tiana and grinned at Annie when she saw her dancing, and within their drunk minds, a world outside this exact moment, didn’t exist.

Y/N suddenly excused herself, saying she wanted some more to drink, and Tiana drew the vodka bottle out of her purse and gave it to her flatmate. Holding it to her chest, Y/N walked toward the kitchen, smiling at people she bumped into on the way and humming along to the song even though she did not have a clue as to what song it was. With her eyes halfway closed and a smile on her face, Y/N entered the kitchen, the light the only ceiling one that was on. She found a plastic cup on the counter and brought it to the kitchen island where everyone had put their drinks away on. The flat hadn’t brought anything to mix the vodka with, which left Y/N with only two possible options: (1) she could steal some from the kitchen island, or (2) water. From Tiana, Y/N had heard horror stories about the taste of vodka and water together, and how badly it had ended for her a couple of times. It was for that reason, and just plainly trusting Tiana’s judgment and stories, that Y/N opened the vodka bottle with the intent to steal something to mix it with from someone else.

Pouring herself something to drink from the bottle, Y/N didn’t notice the figure in the doorway into the kitchen. Tipsy as she was, she would never have done this if she was sober, Y/N reached for a pink lemonade standing in the middle of the kitchen island, and opened it, blending it with the alcohol. She continued to hum to herself, screwing the cork back on the pink lemonade, and tried to take a sip of the drink. Coughing, Y/N opened the pink lemonade again and mixed it some more, frowning to herself when she sipped it a second time, but nodding to herself when it was better than the first try. The figure that had been standing watching her walked into the kitchen, slight paint on his face and an amused smile on his lips. Y/N took another sip when he came into her field of vision, and she froze, gulping down her alcohol as he took her in.

The white vampire teeth painted at the corners of her lip, the blood running down from one side, and the slight eye make-up, made her seem a little deader, but Harry didn’t seem to even acknowledge that she was wearing make-up.

“You lot arrived fucking late.” Harry said, sipping his cup as Y/N put hers on the table.

“Yea, the boys took long to get ready.”

Harry huffed. “Fucking guessed it.” He said. “Finn loves making an entrance, doesn’t he?”

“Yea, I guess he does.” Y/N agreed, looking back into the pit of people dancing to see if she saw any sign of Tiana. Harry took this moment to look at her, a kind of seriousness to his gaze that he hadn’t had before. He walked a bit closer so it’d be easier for them to talk. It was then that Y/N noticed he had come here dressed as a werewolf. Well, not dressed as one, but his face paint clearly exposed him as a werewolf. It was faint paint, not a dominating brown that ran along his cheeks and forehead and nose, but enough so you’d guess his costume from afar.

“You never say it.”

“Say what?”

“Fuck.” Harry said, voice lower as he took another step closer. “I’ve never heard you say it.”

Y/N just looked at him. “And that’s a problem for you?”

The right side of his mouth tipped upward. “Don’t know. You don’t like it?”

Y/N only looked at him, not really knowing what to say.

Harry leaned in, dangerously close, closer than they had ever been before. “Because it’s my favourite word.”

Y/N swallowed, willing herself not to look anywhere but his eyes.

“You can…” His smile grew wider. “Do so much with it.” He said, voice like a caress as he said, letting his bottom lip fall from behind his top teeth all moist and pink, “Fuck.”

Y/N felt her heart pick up speed. “Oh?”

“Yea.” Harry nodded. “A word with so many meanings. So many ways.”

The exhale leaving her lips was audible, making Harry’s lips twitch into a smile.

“You can cuss someone out, or do them-“

Y/N put her hand up, stopping her mid-sentence. Again, she was almost happy she was drunk and had the balls to do stuff she’d never do sober. He was being… way too handsome and way too close to her not to react like this. He couldn’t be this close or she didn’t know what drunk Y/N would do.

“Why is it your favourite word? It’s so vulgar.”

Harry smiled, looking so handsome that Y/N didn’t properly know what to do with herself.

“It’s my favourite verb, darling.”

Y/N was stunned, and she hated herself for melting a little at the sound of ‘darling’ leaving his lips, because the way he said it made her all giggly. She hated that he had this effect on her. Hated it. Because she hated him. Or no, she didn’t hate him, but he was so annoying, especially when he made her want him to kiss her.

“I-I…” She cleared her throat, taking her cup in one hand and the vodka bottle in the other and gave Harry a very awkward smile. “I-I need to go find Tiana.”

Harry cocked his head at her, licking his lip again as he saw her stress in a way that made her a little cute. She seemed distressed, like she didn’t really know what to do with herself, but not because she was uncomfortable, but rather because she didn’t want to be this close to him or something might actually happen. Harry wasn’t going to lie, he found Y/N very attractive, and the more time he spent around her, teasing her and making him work for it, he knew that there was no way he’d ever really be done unless something happened. But it didn’t seem Y/N wanted to. Well, at least not now. She took another step away from him, giving him a tight smile before walking off. He watched her leave, her face when he had said ‘fuck’ etched into his mind, and sipping his drink, he knew it would be a very long while until he forgot about that.

Y/N found her friends again, giving the bottle back to Tiana and sipping her drink. She passed it around the little group of girls, everyone taking a sip, and tried for forget about the incident in the kitchen just now. Swallowing the rest of the vodka, Y/N started smiling and dancing again. She didn’t see Harry the rest of that night. She spent it dancing with her flatmates, holding Tiana’s hair back once they reached heir flat, and humming a song she had been dancing to in bed until she fell asleep.

TAGLIST

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[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #242

“i don’t miss you, i miss the misery.”

How many pairs of converse shoes do you own? Hm... three or four? Any other names your parents planned to give you? The only one I *think* I remember is Katelyn. Thank fuck I dodged that bullet. Which is the most beautiful place you know? The mountains between NC and TN, if I remember correctly. I was very young. What do you work with? I don't work period & I hate it. Have you ever hit an animal with your car? Thank Christ no. Favorite ride at the amusement park? I guess ferris wheels. Favorite beauty essential in your bathroom cabinet? I don't have a "favorite" considering I don't use any regularly. Do you have many followers on your Tumblr? Nah. Do you tan easily? I burn like toast, man. Are you expecting something in the mail? No. Do you inspire others? Idk. What do you collect? Meerkat stuff and Silent Hill merch. Do you like cats? Hell yes!!! Are you healthy? If you excuse my weight and muscle atrophy, I'm actually pretty healthy, according to a billion tests I've gotten done when trying to discover *why* I had such awful pain in my legs. Have you ever been out of state? Yeah. Can you always blame your acts on that you were just too drunk? Fuck no. Three things you try to avoid as much as possible: Well dying lmao, getting hurt, public speaking. How many times have you been overseas? Zero. Do you use to have someone in mind when shopping for underwear? Wait what the fuck- What accent do you have? I don't really have one, although I do have a southern tone with some words sometimes I suppose. I also do say things like "y'all" or "fixing to (do something)," so I use some Southern terminology. Where would you like to live? The mountains of western NC. Sigh. Do you follow fashion? No. Do you have a big butt? Ever heard of Hank Hill Ass Syndrome? I have Hank Hill Ass Syndrome. Your worst job nightmare is: Customer service EVER again. Who’s the coolest rapper in the world? Idk and idc. Do you count how long you and your gf/bf have been together? I mean yeah, I think anniversaries are worth celebration. Healthy relationships aren't always easy to maintain; to remain in love takes forgiveness, loyalty, dedication... all that. It shouldn't be hard, but it takes effort. Have you graduated? High school, anyway. Rihanna or Lady Gaga? Lady Gaga, definitely. Do you use fake eyelashes? No. What’s your worst interior design nightmare: I dunno. Probably just being very crammed? What makeup brands do you use? I don't have any particular ones; I don't wear makeup enough. What’s the worst kind of rejection you could give someone? I genuinely feel it to be how Jason did so with me. Three and a half years in a very serious relationship, and he out of the blue breaks up with me over Facebook because my depression became "too much." Like by NOW I understand I can't shame him for wanting to be happy, but the way he did it was fucking cruel and tore me apart. Like especially when this person was your refuge from daily pain and pretty much your god and future (never make someone that, holy holy HOLY shit don't), that individual just suddenly having enough and breaking contact off like that was emotional murder. Do you have a crush on someone right now? Well yeah, but it's like... a "tamed" one? Is that an accurate word? Like I understand it just can't work right now, but it doesn't stop me from liking her. Is there anyone that many people think is hot, but you don’t? I'm sure there's someone. Do you sort and organize your clothes in some kind of way? Sorta. When somebody intimidates you, how do you usually act around them? Nervous, skittish, more awkward than usual. Is your favorite singer in a band or does he or she ride solo? Brendon Urie is in P!atD and Patrick Stump is in Fall Out Boy. Freddie Mercury was the vocalist of Queen. Did your parents ever hang your old artwork up on the walls? Yeah, Mom still has some up lmao. How often do you wear chapstick? Only when my lips are actually chapped. Do you walk around your house with your shoes on or do you take them off? Definitely off. What is the weirdest obsession you’ve ever had? Collecting stickers, maybe? How many of the seven deadly sins have you fulfilled today? Sloth is on the daily lmao, gluttony, and lust. Should guys always kiss the girl on a first date? Not always, of course not. It depends on the comfort level, and I would ALWAYS ask first. Which band has the corniest music videos? Corniest lyrics? I don't really watch music videos, and idk about lyrics. What subject is/was hardest for you in school? Math. Have any songs ever inspired you to play an instrument? No. Do you ever use Pandora? No. Are you better with creative writing or writing essays? I think I'm good at both, but I probably excel in creative writing. When was the last time you were rick rolled? No clue. What is the weirdest animal you’ve ever seen as a pet? Seen, I guess a chinchilla, though that's not really "weird." If you had to change one, would you rather change your hair or your eyes? Eyes. When was the last time you had a ‘she-mergency’? I had to look this up to be certain what that even was lmao. Probably some time I started my period at school and had to use folded toilet paper or something for a while. Which sounds creepier: sleeping in the attic or the basement? I'd say it depends on the make-up of each and its cleanliness. What was your favorite computer game as a kid? I think it was called The Amazon Trail 3? It was a damaged disc however, so it froze a lot. I think I only finished it once or twice; even knowing it would likely crash, I just liked playing it as far as I could. Have you ever tried on your mom’s wedding ring? No. Any shows on TV that you flat out refuse to start watching? 13 Reasons Why, to name perhaps the #1. What is your opinion on fruitcake? NO. Here’s a tough one. Would you rather marry your cousin or a dog? Oh fuck off, neither. Who did you last dream about? I can't remember what it was about, but I know Mark was in it lmao. Do you have trouble remembering important things? Sometimes. My memory is atrocious. Which animal can you imitate the best? Audibly? Probably a cat. Which is harder - walking in the snow or sand? Sand. I FUCKING hate walking through sand. It's one reason I don't like the beach. Do you like sour candy? oml YES. If anyone, who did you sit with at lunch today? N/A Have you gotten any injuries lately? If so, what and how? Not anything I can remember. Are you a clumsy person? You have no idea. How about disorganized? I'm oddly split down the middle. Last male you talked to in person? My dad. Have you ever had a sunburn? Oh boy, I've gotten past that. Try sun poisoning. Are you thinking about asking anyone out? No. Pink lemonade or regular lemonade? PINK! Chocolate or strawberry milk? Oh boy, chocolate. I tried strawberry as a child and absolutely loathed it beyond words known to man, and I will not be giving it a second chance. I remember it pristinely. Disgusting. What volume is the ringer on your phone? It's on vibrate. Have you ever won a contest on the radio? No. Do you often write on yourself? I never do, 'less we're talking about tattoos lol. Is there writing on the shirt you are currently wearing? No. Frosted flakes or frosted mini wheats? I hate the latter, so I guess frosted flakes, though I don't really remember how they taste. Do mushrooms really add flavor to food? I hate them, so they obviously have enough flavor for me to notice them... What about onions? Yes. Are you a fan of Thai food? I've actually never had Thai food. How about Indian food? Same as above. Have you ever tried sushi? No. In your opinion, who would be the best president? I don't know. What was the last thing you spent more than $20 on? I have no ide- oh wait I paid for Teddy's surgery with... money I don't know from whence it came? Was it financial aid money? Idr. Do you wear actual designated ‘pajamas’ to bed? Pj pants and a tank top. When was the last time you were tempted to do something you’d later regret? Probably take a nap late in the day, ending in me being unable to sleep well at night. Thankfully, I decided against it. Have you ever had feelings for your best friend’s significant other? Yes. Well, not current best friend, but a former one. How many times did you ride in a car today? Zero. Are you comfortable in your own skin? Fuck no. What's absolutely splendid is even when/if I lose the weight I aim to, I'm going to have loose skin that literally might make me hate my body more until I without argument muster up the money to get it surgically removed. Are you in a good mood right now? I'm alright. When was the last time you had an ice cream cone? Been quite a while. Did you eat breakfast this morning? Yeah, had some cereal. Have you ever been in a cemetery at midnight? No. Do you live on your own? No. I don't even think I could tolerate living alone because of my depression and how loneliness can severely trigger it. I'm realistically probably not moving out until it'll be with an s/o. If not, who do you live with? I live with my mom, my sister's dog, and my cat and snake. How old are your siblings, if you have any? I have a lot, and I don't know the ages of all of them, only my two immediate sisters: 26 and 21. Have you ever had a crush on a sibling’s friend? No. Have you donated blood in the last 2 years? No. What was the last free t-shirt you received from? School. Is there anything you are looking forward to at the moment? February 4th, baby. Tattoo gets fixed up by an artist I like far more. Him not having an open booking until then should say enough. Are you an atheist? No. Are you Asian? No. Are you fluent in another language? No. Are you in the military? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Are you an artist? Not professional, but I enjoy making art. Are you a musician? No. Are you an athlete? Oh, hunny- Do you have a favorite flower? I really like orchids. Where was the last place you went that was more than an hour away? Great question... The trip to my therapist is about an hour, but not over. Why were you going there? For therapy. Who was the last person to tell you you looked nice? Probably Mom, idk. Have you ever been to a nude beach? Hell no, I wouldn't even if I was in great shape. How many websites do you have an account for? WHEW I have no idea, A LOT over all the years. Have you ever paid for any kind of online membership? Well, WoW is an online game, so a subscription, though because I obviously don't have my own money, I'm sadly rich enough in the game to use monthly tokens. Do you try clothes on before you buy them? Not always. I try to avoid it because I just hate doing it. What would you do if you knew a robber was in your house? Well I obviously don't know how I'd react on impulse, but I'd imagine myself locking my door and then climbing out the window. Then run like a motherfucker up the road some to a neighbor's, or hide in the nearby woods and call Mom. What’s your favorite type of pizza? Meat lovers sobs in wannabe-vegetarian. Have you ever been afraid of falling in love? Yes, very. Who’d you last see in a tux? I don't know. Do you record any TV shows and watch them later? No. Do you have difficulty pronouncing any words? Yeah, particularly "breakfast." I tend to put a "t" after the "k." Do you have your own computer? Yeah. Out of everyone you know, who was the most heart? My mom. Who’s the bravest person you know? Oh man, that's hard. I know a lot of brave people. Who would you want to have your back if things got tough? More than anyone in the world, Mom. Have your friends ever given you answers to homework, last minute? Yeah. Have you ever dated someone who was real sportsy? No. Have you ever done something terrible, but took forever to feel bad? By this point in time, I consider how I spoke to Jason before going to the ER multiple times absolutely terrible, and yes, it did take a very long time for me to realize just how cruel it was. Now it's fucking HARD to accept I ever said what I did. Have you ever read Shakespeare? Yes. Can anyone really change anyone that doesn’t wanna change? Nope. Do you think that anyone currently has a crush on you? I would assume Sara still does, but again, we know a relationship between us just isn't wise right now. What profession do you admire the most? The most? Man, that's hard to decide. Probably those that risk their lives for others, like firefighters, cops (yes, I am aware some abuse their power, but good cops deserve all the respect in the world), etc. Have you ever made a fake profile, for any reason? I don't believe so, no. What’s the hardest lesson you’ve ever had to learn? Bad things happen to good people and no, the universe does not care. Have you ever questioned your sexuality? Well obviously.