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berrynarrybanana · 4 years

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i want more berries

A/N: She’s a long one. I used that gif on purpose, as well. I hope you enjoy this smut and fluff filled chapter. Please let me know what you all think so far :)

Word count: 13.3k+

Warnings: Smut, alcohol, mentions of death and loss

P.S tell me if there’s something specific you’d like to see in the next few chapters!

Bea’s POV

I had a dream about Harry.

I dreamt that after our steamy rooftop kiss, he swept me away to his beautiful home in Malibu. I dreamt that we kissed for hours, his hands sliding under the hem of my dress to grip at my bum as I pressed my palms against his face. He treated me so well in my dream, letting me roll my hips against his for a little while before he slipped a hand around to my front. In my dream, his fingers stretched me out, bringing me right to the brink of an earth shattering orgasm.

And just as things were about to get good, my phone alarm pulled me from my dream; like a bucket of ice water being dumped over my head. It was the worst way to wake up, the sun blaring through the window as I tried to open my eyes. I hissed out, turning my face into the pillow below me before reaching for my phone. I let out a sigh of relief as I turned the intrusive noise off, closing my eyes

I had plans to be punctual for.

A hazy memory of coordinating a birthday brunch with Gemma Styles came to memory as I sat up in bed, brushing my hands through my hair to get it out of my face. We made plans for twelve-thirty at a cafe just a few miles from our rental home and Harry’s Malibu Mansion. I set my alarm for eight in the morning, hoping that my hangover wouldn’t be that bad so I could indulge in a solo walk.

It was something I picked up on after moving out of my parents house, a habit that helped keep my mind clear and my calves toned. California had so many beautiful parks that I wanted to branch out and see a few of them, without the group tagging along. As I turned back, grabbing the water bottle I set on my bedside table last night, my bedroom door opened.

Tara poked her head in, a mess of brown curls piled on her head and a gentle smile on her face. I smiled back at her, reaching for my two pain killers to help ease the ache behind my forehead, as a gesture for her to come in. She shut the door quietly behind her, plopping down with her legs crossed at the end of my bed. I took my painkillers, resting my water bottle between my legs as she moved around a little, trying to find a comfortable position where the sun wasn’t shining in her eyes.

“Good morning,” I chuckled, handing her my bottle. “How are you feeling?”

“Good.” She nodded. “I stopped drinking at bar four.”

“Smart move,” I laughed. “What are you doing up so early?”

“I heard your alarm.” She shrugged. “I just wanted to see what you were up to so early in the morning.”

“Gonna go for a walk at Solstice Canyon.” I said softly. “Why?”

“I just...didn’t know if you had plans with Harry this morning.” She said slowly, avoiding my raised brows. “You two were pretty cozy last night.”

“Not that I know of.” I said slowly. “Just brunch with everyone later. Why?”

“I just think you should be careful with him.” She said like the words were burning her throat, spitting them out quickly before she snapped her mouth shut.

“Tara,” I said softly, confused by her warning. “Why do you think that?”

“Because he’s Harry fucking Styles.” She whisper yelled, leaning forward. “You made out with him on a rooftop bar last night like you were high-school sweethearts! You looked like Matt and Chloe, making out like the rest of us didn’t exist. I’ve never seen you kiss someone like that.”

“That’s not true.” I groaned, rolling my head back as I tried to find the right words to say. “You’ve seen me kiss people before, T.”

“Not like that.” She repeated.

I didn’t blame her for warning me about Harry.

I was a little skeptical of the entire thing myself.

But I really liked him.

My whole life, I had been looking for that spark you hear about in movies and read about in books. And I hadn’t really dated that much, but I had never felt that spark with anyone else besides Harry. Something about the way he looked at me, like I was the only person there, made my insides turn to mush and my heart pound in my chest. I rolled my head forward, looking at Claire as she started peeling the label off of the water bottle in her hands.

“I really like Harry.” I said softly. “And you know how hard that is for me, T. I know I should be skeptical because he’s Harry Fucking Styles, but I don’t want to be! I want to actually try this time, to get lost in someone just because I’m young and I can. I want to be myself around him without worrying or feeling judged. I feel like I can do that with him, Tara.”

“I want that for you too.” She whispered. “But his track record puts me on edge, Beatrice.”

“Because I’m not a model, like the other ones?” I asked. “Or a singer, or an actress, or a famous daughter...I’m just me, right? I can’t help that, Tara. And I’m insecure about that on my own, you don’t need to remind me.”

“That’s not what I mean, Beatrice.” She groaned as I got out of bed, walking towards the ensuite bathroom. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I don’t care if he ends up hurting me, Tara!” I exclaimed, walking over to the sink as she rested her hip against the door frame. “It’s too early for this conversation. I haven’t even had time to process it all myself and I just….I just need to go on my walk.”

“Okay.” She said. “I love you to death, Bea. You’re an amazing friend and you always look out for us. I’m just looking out for you this time.”

“Thank you.” I said softly. “It’s a nice gesture, but I’m a little hungover and extremely overwhelmed. Maybe we can talk after brunch?”

“I’d like that.” She said. “Have a good walk. Text me your location so I know where you are, just in case someone decides to kidnap you.”

“I will.” I let out a soft chuckle, watching as she retreated.

As I turned the water on in the sink, I heard my phone ringing from the bedroom.

I quickly rushed over, not wanting the sound to wake anyone else. One concerned friend was enough for me this morning. I answered the call without checking the i.d, holding it up to my ear.

“Hello?” I said, walking back to the bathroom.

“Good morning.”

My heart stopped in my chest at the sound of Harry’s voice.

It was a deep, gravelly tone coated in honey and I wondered if he was still curled up in his california king bed. I rolled my lips in, trying to hold back a squeal as I waited for him to speak again.

“How are you, honey?”

“I’m good.” I said softly, crossing my right arm over my chest as I glanced down at my cobalt blue painted toenails. I wiggled them, trying not to giggle like a schoolgirl. “Are you still in bed?

“Are you not?” His voice rose in pitch and I heard the rustling of sheets from the other end of the line. I failed at holding back a giggle that time, looking up towards the ceiling as I heard him mumble a curse under his breath. “It’s bloody eight in the morning and I know for a fact you drank your weight in tequila last night.”

“Don’t be a hypocrite.” I laughed, rolling my eyes at his offended huff. “You drank the same amount and you had yours straight. The only reason I feel even slightly hungover and queasy is because of the champagne we toasted with last night.”

“Y’had at least five watermelon margaritas in the time we spent together and one glass of champagne has done you in?” He let out a squeaky laugh and I felt like I could collapse on the bathroom floor then and there. “You’re a strange one, Beatrice.”

“I don’t know what it is in champagne that fucks with me, but I don’t like it.” I scrunched up my nose as I thought of the bubbly liquid. I was actually surprised that I wasn’t crouched in front of the toilet right now. “How are you feeling this morning?”

“A little tired. I couldn’t really sleep.” He sighed. “I kept dreaming about you last night.”

“Is that so?” I nibbled at the inside of my cheek. “What was your dream about?”

“We were cuddling.” He said. “We were on the beach, at sunset, snuggled up together on a blanket. I could smell your perfume and everything. I swore for a moment when I woke up that you were right here next to me. But instead, I woke up cuddling a pillow.”

“That sounds like a bummer.” I chuckled. “I hate to admit it after hearing about that Nicholas Sparks worthy dream of yours, but I also had a dream.”

“Oh?” He asked, a curious lilt to his voice. “What about?”

“Far less romantic things.” I felt my cheeks grow hot, nerves bubbling up in my stomach as I awaited his response.

“Beatrice Noelle Murphy,” He was mocking Claire’s tone from last night when she found me, his voice going up a few octaves as he feigned shock. “You had a naughty dream about me?”

“I knew I should have kept that to myself.” I groaned playfully, stomping my foot against the tile for good measure. “If it’s any consolation, darling, you were very good to me in my dream, until my alarm woke me up, that is.”

“I expect to hear all about this dream later tonight.” He hummed out. “So, why are you up so early? Should I be worried about any other men knocking at your door?”

“Not at all.” I snorted out a laugh. “I was actually getting ready to go out for a little walk. It’s something I do at home and before we came here, I found this place called Solstice Canyon that isn’t too far. I figured I would go and take a look.”

“I know that place.” He said. “It’s gorgeous.”

The conversation died for a moment, both of us waiting for the other to say it first.

“Harry?” I asked softly.

“Yeah?”

“Would you like to go with me?” I mumbled. “We can go for a walk and maybe get coffee after? And while we’re walking, maybe we can talk about whatever...this is?”

“I would really like that.” His voice was soft, back to that honey-tone that made my insides melt and my heart thump. “I can come pick you up.”

“Okay.” I said. “I’ll send you the address.”

“I’ll see you soon, then.” I could hear the smile in his tone, as if he were standing right in front of me. “I’ll text you when I’m on my way.”

“That’s perfect.” I took a deep breath. “Goodbye, Harry.”

“Goodbye, honey.”

He was making it so hard not to fall in love with him.

Harry’s POV

Beatrice Noelle Murphy was going to be the death of me.

When I pulled into the driveway of her airbnb, she was already standing outside. Her phone was pressed to her ear, a reusable water bottle in her hand as she paced back and forth. My mouth went dry when I started to pay attention to her outfit. She was wearing black leggings, a tight black tank top, and a pair of black sneakers to tie it all together. The stretchy material of her leggings hugged her curves in a way that would put regular pants to shame. I adjusted in my seat, clearing my throat as she looked up at me with that gorgeous smile.

“Fucks sake,” I groaned, feeling all of the blood in my body rushing down to my cock. “I really don’t need this to happen to me right now.”

When I put the car in park, I took a deep breath as she finished her phone call.

I unbuckled my seatbelt, opening my door as she walked over.

“Hello,” I leaned down, kissing her cheek before pulling back. “You look amazing this morning.”

“Oh, this old thing.” She teased, glancing down at her outfit before looking back up at me. “Look at you, H. You don’t even look like you have a hangover.”

“The magic of under eye cream.” I chuckled. “Shall we head on?”

“Yeah.”

I pressed my hand to the small of her back, guiding her to the passenger seat of my car.

Like a true gentleman, I opened the door for her.

Like a true guy, I stared at her ass while she climbed in.

When I walked back around to the driver’s seat, I cursed at myself under my breath for being such an asshole. She was a sweet girl and she deserved better than me ogling her five seconds into our walking date...if that’s what this was. I pressed the start engine button as Beatrice buckled in, sitting her water bottle in the cup holder with a soft giggle.

“What?” I glanced over at her before putting the car in reverse.

“I’ve just…” She started, struggling to find the words. “I’ve always wanted to ride in a Tesla because they’re so cool. And they’re environmentally conscious too, which is so awesome.”

“You’re adorable.” I chuckled, glancing at my rear-view camera to check for oncoming traffic. I pulled out on the street before turning my head towards her with an amused grin. “Maybe you can give it a test drive before you go home?”

“I would love that.” She nodded. “So, do you know where the park is?”

“Yeah, I’ve been a few times before.” I nodded. “There’s a gorgeous waterfall at the top and everything.”

“I saw that online.” She hummed out. “I figured I would go by myself this morning and then later on I’ll take everyone else so we can go for a dip. They’re all still passed out.”

“Smart idea.” I laughed. “When I left the house this morning, Michael and Gemma were passed out on the couch.”

“Ah, to live the life of luxury.” Beatrice sighed, giggling right after. “I’m really glad that we’re doing this.”

“Me too.” I glanced at her, offering her a soft smile before I held my hand out. She wasted no time lacing our fingers together, settling our hands on her thigh as I continued to drive. “As a guest in the Tesla, you have complete control over the radio. I have Spotify or apple music, use whatever you want. The code for my phone is 020194.”

“Your birthday, how original.” She chuckled, taking my phone.

“How did you know that was my birthday?” I smirked, glancing over at her.

“Fuck.” Her cheeks turned pink again and she cleared her throat. “Shut up.”

“Might as well put on One Direction and prove how big of a fan you are.” I mumbled, flipping my turn signal on as she groaned. “I mean it, I would love to see you lose your mind.”

“Not today,” She mumbled. “I have songs in mind.”

I spent the drive listening to her playlist with inquisitive ears.

Music was important to Beatrice, a small fact she’d shared about herself the night before. If she was playing songs for me to hear, I wanted to take them all in. The playlist was a good mix between Indie and Pop, a playlist that she named Iced Coffee because it was what helped her wake up in the morning. I made a mental note for every thing she said as she spoke, wanting to treasure every moment we had together. At every stoplight, she squeezed my fingers gently and I would smile over at her, resisting the urge to kiss her.

At the last stoplight, she kissed me. I didn’t stop smiling for the rest of the drive, not even when I parked and walked around to open her door for her again. She blushed, ducking her head down as I kissed her forehead softly. I wasn’t usually so affectionate in the beginning of a relationship, but Beatrice was different. The physical pull I felt towards her was almost impossible to ignore.

“Okay,” I said as we approached the start of the path. “This way is like, two miles, I think. If we go that way, it’s about five or six miles with a lot of hills and stuff. Which way do you prefer?”

“Two miles.” She said. “I don’t want to tire you out if you’ve got a show tonight.”

“How thoughtful of you, honey. I like that.” When she laced our fingers together again, my heart skipped a beat in my chest. It was a small gesture, but it meant a lot to me. She wasn’t afraid to be seen with me like most girls were. “Let’s get our hike on, yeah?”

There was nothing but the sound of our feet crunching against twigs and scattered gravel for a while. I took her water bottle from her hand, holding it in my own as we walked up the small path towards the woods. The birds were chirping and the morning air was a little chilly as the wind rustled the trees around us. There wasn’t anyone else on the path, just Beatrice and myself.

“This place is gorgeous.” She said softly. “Do you go walking a lot?”

“I do.” I nodded. “I usually go running with my friend Jeff, you met him last night.”

“Kind of.” She giggled. “I think I met everyone, but I really only talked to you.”

“If I remember correctly, that’s all my fault.” I laughed my cheeks heating up as she squeezed my fingers. “I wasn’t exactly keen on sharing you with anyone else last night.”

“I didn’t mind it.” She bumped her shoulder against my bicep. “I don’t know if it was just me, but last night felt….magical.”

“I felt it too.” I glanced over at her, licking over my bottom lip. “I’ve...I’ve dated people. Like, I’m hesitant to say a lot, but I’ve been told I had a ho phase in 2015.”

“Oh, you did.” She teased, looking up at me. “I’ve seen the gifs, I know how you acted on stage, Styles.”

I rolled my eyes, laughing softly as she bumped her shoulder into my bicep.

“The point I’m trying to make is that I’ve never felt that way about anyone before. I couldn’t keep my eyes off of you the entire time we were together. It felt wrong not touching you in some way or another, even if it was just my hand on your leg or your arm pressed against me. It was like I needed you to breathe.”

“I felt the same way.” She said. “And when I looked into your eyes, it was almost like I could hear exactly what you were thinking. You didn’t even have to say anything to me.”

“And that’s...that’s something, Beatrice.” I turned back to look at the path. “Does that scare you?”

“Yes.” She admitted. “Because I’ve never been in love, Harry. I’ve dated maybe...two people, I think. And I always chicken out because I just never feel that spark that you hear about in movies or read about in books. Then last night I met you and that changed, I felt it for the first time and it shocked me.”

“I’m scared, too.” I whispered. “Because I felt the same way and that means something big to me, you know? I’ve been all around the world and I’ve met thousands of people, but the moment I lay eyes on you it all changes? It’s just...monumental for me.”

“Harry,” She whispered. “What does this mean for us?”

“It means that I would gladly be your boyfriend right now if you asked.” I stopped in my tracks, looking at her in awe. Her cheeks were a soft pink, her freckles out as the California sun shone down on her like a spotlight. “It means that I want something with you, something serious.”

“Just like that?” The corners of her lips twitched, but she didn’t smile. “You want me?”

“I want you.” I nodded. “However I can have you.”

“Then I’m yours.” She shuffled forward. “But you’re going to have to be patient with me, Harry. I’ve never done this before and I don’t know how to...be a girlfriend.”

“It’s not very hard.” I hummed out, pursing my lips as I tilted my head to the side. “Feed me, water me three times a day, and tuck me in with a song at bedtime-”

“Oh my goodness,” Beatrice tossed her head back, letting out a loud laugh. “You’re ridiculous.”

“I’m just trying to give you instructions, honey.” I pulled her close to me by our connected hands as she tilted her head forward. “Gonna teach you how to be a proper girlfriend, yeah?”

“You’re so British.” Her giggle faded as I moved closer to her lips.

When I finally pressed a kiss to her soft lips, everything changed.

I let go of her hand, pressing my palm against her cheek as I moved my mouth against hers. I felt my insides catch fire as she licked over my bottom lip. Her hands gripped my hoodie, pulling herself closer to me as her water bottle fell from my hand. I wrapped myself around her and for a brief second, I was worried about being caught kissing her. But as my tongue slipped over hers, my fears faded. My thoughts revolved around the soft noises she made when we kissed and the way her hands slipped up my back. She tasted like mint and she smelled like roses.

“Harry,” She pulled back, gasping softly as I kissed over her cheek and towards her jaw. “Hey, Harry. We’re in public, darling.”

“I don’t care.” I mumbled, pressing a soft kiss to the skin just below her ear. “I can’t stop kissing you.”

“The quicker we finish this hike, the quicker we get back to the car,” She said, clearing her throat. “That means we’ll get to make out in private, without a small, tourist family staring at us.”

My blood ran cold as I realized what she was saying.

I pulled back, looking to my left as the family watched us.

“Sorry.” I cleared my throat, leaning down to grab the bottle I dropped. “Let’s go.”

Beatrice burst into loud laughter as we passed the family, leaning against me as we stumbled along the path. My face grew hot as she patted my stomach softly, cooing up at me.

“It was nice for a minute, wasn’t it?” She said softly. “Thank you for kissing the breath right out of my lungs. It was a nice moment.”

“You’re welcome,” I turned my head, pecking her lips. “Let’s finish this hike, girlfriend. I’m in need of more kisses and I’m not wasting anymore time.”

Beatrice’s POV

When Harry and I made it to the top of the path, the view was stunning.

We sat at the edge of the pool, our feet in the water as we continued our talk from earlier. My friends were most definitely going to kill me for acquiring a boyfriend before noon, but I didn’t care. I was riding cloud nine as Harry kept me tucked under his arm. I learned about his family back at home in England as we sat, his voice full of excitement as he told me about his school friends and his Mum. He told me that he had a flight leaving on Tuesday to Heathrow and that he was planning to spend two weeks with his Mum in Manchester. I was excited that he was going to have time to spend with her after such a long tour, but part of me was sad that we would have to part at some point. I didn’t say anything, smiling as he talked about the intense games that he would play with his Mum and Gemma at home.

“What about your family?” He asked, brushing his hand over my arm. “Do they all still live in Virginia?”

“Yeah.” I said slowly, clearing my throat. “We don’t have...the best relationship. It’s not awful, but it’s not exactly normal.”

“Do you have any siblings?” He sounded completely unfazed by my statement.

“Yeah, brothers.” I mumbled, my finger dragging over the spot on my arm where my honeybee was tattooed. “If I tell you something, promise you won’t apologize or freak out.”

“Beatrice, you can tell me anything.” His brows pulled together as I looked up at him, giving him a soft smile.

“The honeybee that I have on my arm,” I started. “That’s in honor of my brother, kind of. He used to call me honeybee all the time because of my name, you know? My mom would call me honey and he picked up on that, but then he started adding the bee on later. Beatrice is kind of hard for a five year old to say.”

“I can imagine.” Harry chuckled. “Why shouldn’t I apologize?”

“Because he’s dead.” I cleared my throat, looking back to the waterfall as I took a deep breath. I wasn’t sad or upset as I spoke. I had told the story so many times, it was almost like it belonged to someone else. “We don’t have to go into the details if it makes you uncomfortable. I know not everyone is as cavalier about death and loss as I am.”

“I want to know what happened.” He said softly. “If you want to share, I’m here to listen.”

“We knew that he was going to die because he was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy when he was about five or six. Most kids don’t live that long with the disease, so we always knew. The way that I used to explain it as a kid was ‘it’s a disease that melts your muscles’ and while that’s not far off, it’s not exactly accurate. It’s a disease that deteriorates your muscles and it started at his feet and then worked its way up. And your heart is a muscle, so naturally, that was the last thing to go.” I turned back to look at Harry, his mouth shut and his brows knitted together in the center. “How are you hanging over there?”

“I’m...taking it all in.” He said slowly. “I’m also trying really hard not to apologize to you right now.”

“It’s a reflex for some people.” I chuckled, squeezing his fingers. “I know that hearing that is a lot to deal with for a first date, but it’s better that you know now.”

“I call you honeybee.” He said softly. “Does that bother you?”

“Not at all.” I shook my head. “You just...naturally started calling me that. I used to hate when my Mom or family would try to call me that because it was his name for me, but I like hearing it from you. It almost felt like a sign in some way, like...he was approving of it somehow. I know that sounds insane, but I have a gut feeling that you two would get along swimmingly.”

“It doesn’t sound insane.” He pulled me tighter against his side. “And you’re okay?”

“I’m fine.” I nodded. “I’ve been telling that story to people for twelve years and if I’m being honest, it’s kind of just...an extremely distant memory. It’s sad and you probably think I’m heartless for being so casual about it, but I spent a lot of time blocking out memories with him as a coping mechanism and now I’m just...well, whatever this is.”

“That is sad.” He whispered. “If you ever want to talk to me about him or anything, I’m here for you.”

“Thank you.” I let out a heavy sigh. “So, now that we’ve had that talk, I have another brother named Jack. He’s younger than me and quite possibly the funniest human being I’ve ever met. He’s my first drunk call when I’m out because he’s the first person I want to share things with after they happen.”

“Is that who you were on the phone with earlier?” He asked. “When I pulled up?”

“Yes.” I nodded. “He was bugging me about being in California. He’s never been and he’s always wanted to see Los Angeles.”

“Well, next time you want to visit, let me know.” He said. “You can stay with me instead of renting out an airbnb.”

“If I let Jack anywhere near you, he’s going to want to talk music.” I snorted out a laugh. “He has FL Studio and he’s really into making beats which is something I don’t understand, but he loves to death. He’s really into producing and stuff.”

“I wouldn’t mind talking music with him.” Harry chuckled. “I would love to meet him someday.”

We decided to make our way back after talking a little more about my dysfunctional family. We were nearly to the car when I remembered that tonight was Harry’s last show on his first solo tour. When I looked over at him, he was deep in thought. His brows were knitted together and he was staring at the ground as we walked.

“So, are you excited for tonight?” I asked.

“Hmm?” He asked.

“Tonight,” I said softly. “I was just asking if you were excited?”

“I am.” He gave me a half smile. “Lots of people are coming though. I know Hannah, the girl from last night will be there. Kendall will probably be there, Niall is definitely coming, Louis and Liam are still a little on the fence about it so I don’t know if they’ll be there.”

“Holy shit,” I breathed out. “Niall Horan.”

“Oi,” He pouted, stopping in his tracks. “I’ll be the one on stage, honey.”

“I know.” I laughed at his childish pout. “It’s just...Niall was kind of my favorite member of the band, darling.”

“What?” He screeched out, his eyebrows shooting up. “Bloody Niall?”

“He was cute!” I exclaimed, trying not to laugh at his distress. “You can’t deny the Irish charm, Harry!”

“I can, Beatrice!” He groaned. “I’m British.”

“Oh, I’ve noticed.” I let out a laugh as Harry pulled me closer to him. “Don’t be so pouty about it, darling.”

“I’m jealous.” He said softly, squeezing my fingers.

“Is that so?” I asked, my breath catching in my throat as he rubbed the tip of his nose over mine gently. “What are you going to do about that?”

“There’s my naughty girl.” He hummed out. “When we get to the car, maybe you’ll find out.”

My feet moved faster than they ever had before.

When we made it to the car, Harry opened the door, ushering me inside the back seat with gentle hands. He climbed in after me, shutting the door before locking it behind us. I wasted no time straddling his lap, pressing my lips to his in a heated kiss. Something in me took over my actions, any prior fears about being sexual with someone else long gone. I hadn’t done much in lieu of sexual encounters with other people, but I had done a few things. Getting fingered outside of a bar after Valentine’s day before delivering a stellar blowjob was one of those things, but I really had the alcohol to thank for diminishing my fears that night.

Harry’s hands landed on my bum, his fingers digging into the flesh there as I dug my fingers into the soft strands of hair at the back of his head. I tugged softly, moaning as my hips rolled forward against Harry’s. This was new for me and though it was a little nerve wracking, I wasn’t worried. My body knew what it was doing, moving against Harry with soft little rolls of my hips. He seemed to be enjoying it, if the bulge in his pants had anything to say about it. I whimpered when he pulled back, gently tugging at my lower lip with his teeth when he did. His lips weren’t gone for long, his tongue joining in on the fun when he pressed them back to mine. My toes felt numb and my body felt like it was on fire from just his kiss.

“Harry?” I asked, tilting my head back as I tried to catch my breath. He kissed down the column of my throat greedily, suckling at the sensitive parts as I grinded harder against him. “I need more.”

“What do you need from me?” He whispered in my ear, his voice husky and raspy. “Tell me what you want.”

“Fingers.” I moaned when he pushed my jacket off of my shoulders, leaning into kiss at my collarbones. “I need your fingers.”

“Dirty girl.” He cooed, sliding his palm from my side to my front. I clenched my eyes shut when he started to rub his fingers over my core through my leggings. “You need them like this?”

“No.” I cried out. “I want them in me.”

“Fuck,” He gasped, lifting his hand to squeeze gently at my breast as the other hand tilted my chin down. He kissed me fervently, pulling back as he rested his forehead against mine. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” I nodded. “I’m so sure.”

“Have you…” He stopped. “Is this something you’ve done before?”

“Are you asking me if I’ve been fingered?” I tried to fight off my smirk, rolling my lips in as he nodded. “I have, actually. It wasn’t the best experience of my life and I didn’t cum, but I have a feeling that you know what to do with your hands.”

“Fuck me.” He groaned, “just...tell me exactly what you need and I’ll make it happen for you. I’m gonna make sure you cum on my fingers, honey.”

I nodded, licking over my bottom lip as he awaited instruction.

“You can put your hand down my pants.” I said softly. “If you want to, that is.”

“I really, really want to.”

He glanced between us as he trailed his fingertips down my stomach to the band of my leggings. He gripped the fabric between his fingers, letting it pop back against my skin as I groaned out. He chuckled softly, kissing my chin before he dipped his fingers past the waist. I held my breath, waiting for him to touch my clit, but he didn’t. Instead, his fingers dipped past my clit, rubbing over my lips slowly as he used his free hand to guide my eyes to his. His eyes were a darker shade of green, one that matched the shade that I saw last night after I was knocked over.

“You’re fucking soaked, Beatrice.” He let out a shaky breath. “Who did this to you?”

“Maybe it was Niall.”

Harry looked up at me, his stare going blank as he stopped the movement of his fingers.

I tried not to break composure, watching him unravel before my very eyes. I’d heard Woman before, I knew how jealous he could get and what it did to him. I wanted that Harry right now.

“What did you just say to me?” He asked softly, tilting his head to the side.

“I said, maybe it was Niall.” I hummed out, moving my hips. He stopped them, gripping my side tight with his free hand. “We were talking about him earlier, weren’t we? Maybe that’s why I’m so wet.”

“Beatrice.” His voice nearly came out in a growl, his nails digging into my plush sides. “You’re playing a dangerous game, angel.”

“What game is that?” I inquired, a smug smirk painting over my lips.

In a flurry of movements, I ended up on my back beneath Harry.

He pulled my leggings over my thighs, pressing his fingers flat against my entrance as he knelt to the ground beside the car seat. Tesla’s had a lot of legroom to offer and I was suddenly a major fan of that. Harry pressed a quick kiss to my lips as he dipped his pointer finger into me. I let out a shaky breath when he curled up, massaging that spot inside of me gently.

“Are you okay with this?” Soft Harry was back, but I assured him with a quick nod. “Tell me if it’s too much, okay?”

“I will.” I mumbled. “I quite liked ‘Angry Harry’ from before.”

“Oh, he hasn’t gone anywhere.” He let out a dark chuckle, pulling his pointer finger out before sliding it back in. This time, it was accompanied by his middle finger. His thumb ghosted over my clit and I let out a soft string of curses as he grinned. “Not so smug now, are you?”

“That feels really good.” I whimpered, lifting my hips up. “Harry-”

“So now it’s me that’s made you this way, eh?” He brushed his nose over mine, his breath washing over my face as he started to move his fingers faster. “I thought Niall made you this wet, angel?”

“You.” I whined, shaking my head. “Just you, Harry.”

“That’s my girl.” He cooed, pressing the pad of his thumb to my clit. He moved it in soft circles as his fingers worked in and out of me. “S’that good?”

“Move your thumb the other way.” I let my eyes slip shut, a small ball of pleasure accumulating in my lower belly, tightening with each stroke of his thumb and thrust of his fingers. “Just like that, H. Fuck.”

“You’re so tight.” He let his lips brush over mine. “So tight and wet, just for me.”

“Yes.” I whispered. “Just for you.”

“You’re so beautiful like this.” He mumbled. “The little wrinkle between your brow as you clench down on my fingers. You’re so desperate to cum, aren’t you?”

“Yes.” I repeated. “Yes, please.”

“Are you close?” He hummed out. “Are you going to cum on my fingers for me, angel?”

I nodded again, a low whine in my throat as my hips and thighs tensed up.

I was right there on the edge, ready to explode underneath him.

“Cum for me.” He stamped a quick kiss to my lips. “Cum on my fingers, Beatrice.”

I bit my lower lip, reaching out with my left hand to grip Harry’s hoodie as he worked me through my orgasm. My whole body tensed up before falling lax against his back seat. That little whine that was caught in my throat escaped, a few moans following after as Harry really worked me though with his fingers. I opened my eyes slowly when he pulled them out, lifting them up to his lip before he rested them on his tongue. I cursed as he licked my arousal from his digits, grinning when he was finally done savoring my taste.

“Taste like berries.” He leaned down, pressing his lips to mine. “Do you taste it?”

I whimpered, nodding as he lifted his head up.

“That was amazing.” I said softly, sitting up before I adjusted the waistband of my leggings over my stomach. “You are amazing.”

“Hm, I told you I was the jealous kind.” He giggled, kissing me softly as I brushed my fingers through his hair.

“I’m glad that added to the moment.” I said, my cheeks hot under his gaze. “It was a shot in the dark, but fuck are you hot when you’re jealous.”

“Normally, it would bother me,” He said. “But something about you doing made it feel fun and exciting.”

“Good.” I kissed his forehead. “Trade spots with me.”

“You don’t have to-”

“Plant your ass on the seat, Styles.” I patted the empty space next to me, watching as he hesitantly climbed up. “Are you okay with this?”

“Yes.” He nodded. “Only if you are.”

“I’m going to warn you,” I placed my palms on his thighs. “I’ve only given one blowjob and I was drunk. So I’m going to need a lot of feedback here.”

“Noted.” He nodded, glancing down at my hands as they slid up to the waistband of his athletic shorts. “This is a good start.”

“Thanks.” I giggled, rolling my eyes at him. He lifted his hips as I pulled his shorts past his bum and down to his thighs. I left them just above his knees, my eyes immediately zeroing in on his cock. “Fucking hell, it’s beautiful.”

“Beatrice.” Harry whispered, a pained lilt to his tone. “You’re killing me.”

“I’m admiring it.” I mumbled, brushing my fingers over the veiny shaft. I took a deep breath before I swallowed around the lump in my throat. “So beautiful.”

I brushed my thumb under the head, a small stream of pre-cum drizzling out from the slit. I had heard on the internet that the head of a man’s cock often matched the color of his lips. Whoever made that observation was a genius. The tip of Harry’s cock was raspberry red, coated in a light glaze of pre-cum.

I had never wanted to suck a man off so badly before, my tongue practically aching at the phantom weight. I leaned down, taking a deep breath as I guided his cock up. The tip pointed towards his stomach as I leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to the underside of its head. Harry hissed in a sharp breath, shifting beneath me as I looked up at him.

“I’m not going to last long.” He whimpered. “I don’t think I can do it.”

“S’alright.” I whispered. “Just tell me when you’re close and I’ll swallow.”

“Fuck.”

I pressed a few kisses against the veiny skin, my lips closed as I pecked over it gently. When I had made my way all the way up to the top, I started back down again. This time, I incorporated open mouth kisses, trailing my tongue over the veins every few seconds or so to keep him on his toes. When I made it to the base, I pushed his hoodie up, trailing my lips up to his ferns as I felt his hands fall on my shoulders.

After I felt his fingers digging into my shoulder blades, I lifted my hand, pulling at my hair elastic. My hair fell around my shoulder and face like a curtain. Harry didn’t waste a lot of time, threading the fingers of his left hand through the strands at the nape of my neck while his right fingers brushed my hair back from my face.

“You’re stunning.” He whimpered, causing me to glance up at him as I flattened my tongue. I slowly licked up the underside of his shaft from the base to the tip. I pressed a kiss to the tip, glancing up at him. “Just like that, angel. You’re doing so well.”

It was hard trying not to smile as I wrapped my lips around the head of his cock.

I brushed my tongue over the spongy head before suckling softly and pulling off. I pressed a quick kiss to the top before I repeated the previous move. It wasn’t long before I was lowering my mouth, pulling back up as I tried to master sucking without teeth. Harry didn’t seem to mind that I wasn’t looking at him while I tried to take care of him. I could tell that he felt good by the string of curses falling from his mouth every time I took my mouth off of him.

It was kind of hot, feeling his fingers slowly guiding me back towards his cock as he tried to refrain from bucking his hips up. My fingers found purchase in his thighs, trying to steady myself as I pushed farther than I had before. Harry was big in my mouth, his cock heavy on my tongue and his tip poking against the back of my tongue. Now, he was pressing against the back of my throat.

“I’m gonna cum.” His voice was higher in pitch, a desperate whine pulling from his throat as I pulled back up and suckled on the head of his cock. I took a few deep breaths, glancing up to see his eyes glued to my face. He was watching my every move. “I’m so close, Beatrice.”

“What do you need me to do?” I asked, replacing my mouth with soft strokes of my hand while I looked up at him. “Tell me what to do, darling.”

“Don’t have to take me all the way again, that was…” He let out a breathy chuckle, brushing his thumb over the apple of my cheek. “Just put your lips around the head like you were doing. Suck on me while you’re looking up at me.”

“Okay.” I smiled softly, lowering my mouth to his cock again.

I wrapped my lips around the bulbous and leaking head of his cock, sucking softly like I had done moments before. I kept stroking his shaft with my hand, keeping my eyes on his as I did so. He took in a few shallow breaths, his brows knitting together and his lips parting. His eyes started to flutter as he tightened his fingers in my hair. When his hips lifted just a little off the seat, I knew that was it for him. Seconds later, I felt a few spurts of warm cum coating my tongue. I didn’t think too hard on it, swallowing it down as I stroked him through his orgasm.

“Beatrice,” He whimpered, dropping his hands to my arms with a grabby motion as I shifted. “Come up.”

I obliged, climbing into his lap as our lips collided.

He wrapped me in his arms, slipping his tongue over mine as I whimpered.

When he pulled back from me, he had a blissed out smile on his lips and wide eyes.

“You’ve...you’ve only given one other blow job besides that?” He asked, his chest heaving just a little as I nodded. “Your mouth is a daydream.”

“Harry.” I groaned, swatting his shoulder.

“I mean it.” He leaned forward for a quick peck, brushing my hair over my shoulders. “That was amazing, Beatrice. I really loved it.”

“I’m glad.” I brushed my nose over his.

“Can I ask you something?” He said softly, reaching up to scratch the side of his nose. “I don’t want to sound like a dick for asking, but I kind of have a feeling and I just...it doesn’t matter one way or the other, I just want to know.”

“Ask away.” I said. “You can always talk to me too, you know? It’s a two-way street.”

“I appreciate that more than you know.” He hummed out. “But I’m just curious about...are you a virgin?”

“Yeah.” I nodded without hesitation. “It’s not something I try to hide from people, so I don’t mind sharing that with you.”

“Is that just a personal choice you’ve made for yourself?” He asked. “Because I don’t want to push you or make you feel like you have to do things like that with me if you’re not ready. I can wait.”

“If I’m going to be honest with you,” I said softly. “I’ve not had sex yet because there’s no one that’s really tried to have sex with me. I haven’t been holding out for any one reason.”

“No one has ever tried to have sex with you?” He asked, his brows shooting up to his hairline. “I find that so hard to believe.”

“Harry,” I laughed, tossing my head back. “Stop it.”

“I mean it.” He exclaimed, pressing his hands to my hips. “When I pulled into the driveway this morning and saw you standing there, I got hard just like that.”

“No!” I exclaimed, pressing my hands to his chest with a breathless laugh. “You didn’t?”

“I did.” He nodded. “I was very upset with myself for it, honestly. Felt like a proper dick.”

“I’m going to take a shot every time you say the word proper.” I reached up, tapping the pad of my finger against his nose. “And I really love this moment we’re having, but I desperately need coffee or a nap….or both.”

“You can have both?” He asked. “You can have a coffee and then go to bed?”

“Yeah.” I shrugged. “I drink a lot of coffee in a day, the first cup is like a small kick starter, but cups three through five are what really rev me up.”

“Oh my,” Harry shook his head. “I’m going to have to keep an eye on you.”

“Absolutely.” I nodded.

Harry’s POV

Beatrice and I stopped at Starbucks on the way back to her airbnb.

On the way there, it was decided that I was staying to take a nap with her. She texted Gemma from my phone, asking if she could bring an outfit to the airbnb with one of my cars so we could all fit in two vehicles on the way to brunch. When we made it back to her airbnb, everyone was still sleeping soundly. Claire was curled up on the couch with Chloe just below her. Matt was tucked into Chloe’s side and Jackson and Tara were nowhere to be seen.

When we walked in, I wasn’t surprised that Beatrice had chosen this as the airbnb they stayed in. It was extremely cute, little vintage touches splashed in here and there. There was a small acoustic guitar tucked in the corner of the living room and a light blue record player with a record collection on a console table in front of the window by the front door. Beatrice guided me past the kitchen and down the hall towards her room in the house. She explained that she got the room with an ensuite bathroom that I could use it while she snuck off to Claire’s.

Showering together was slightly different than sharing a steamy moment in the back of my car. There was nothing to hide behind and I could tell the thought of that made her uncomfortable. I gladly accepted her offer and over-sized band shirt and soft sweatpants before going into the restroom. There were a few products scattered around on the small sink that made me smile. We shared the same face wash, which was a good thing for my skin. During my shower, I started to get lost in my own head. Beatrice was at the forefront of my mind, her face plastered on the big screen as I replayed our moment by the waterfall.

I could tell there was so much more to her family problems than just the loss of her brother, but I didn’t want to push. She had already shared so much with me today and I knew that we would have plenty of time to share more in the future if she wanted. I could tell that she was already back in the bedroom connected to her bathroom as I stepped out of the shower and I wasted no time slipping into the clothes she lent me. The sweatpants were a little short, but they fit me perfectly around the waist and legs. The shirt she lent me was soft and it smelled like her, her perfume permanently weaved through the fabric.

“Man does it feel good to wash away a hangover.” I let out a heavy sigh as I walked out.

It was slightly darker in the room, the curtains pulled shut and the door closed. Beatrice looked over her shoulder at me, smiling brightly as I walked forward. I placed my hands on her hips, giving them a soft squeeze before I stole a few kisses from her.

“Have you picked a side?” I asked, nuzzling my nose against the shell of her ear.

“No.” She said softly, resting her hands on my forearms. “Which side do you want?”

“The right.” I said. “I like sleeping closest to the door.”

“I like sleeping away from it. Look at us, like peanut butter and jelly.” She giggled. “It’s about nine forty-five and we aren’t leaving for brunch until twelve-thirty. Gemma and I made reservations for a small cafe and they’ve closed their back patio off for us.”

“That was nice of them.” I squeezed Beatrice with a soft hum before I let go of her. I climbed over the foot of the bed, tucking my legs under the covers. She smiled at me before tucking herself in “Do you like to cuddle?”

“I always sleep on my front with my leg and arm tossed over a pillow.” She chuckled. “I have a body pillow at home that I snuggle with, but I’ve never cuddled with an actual person....besides Claire, at least.”

“Well, I love to cuddle.” I tapped my tummy with my palm, smiling as she shuffled closer to me. She rested her head on my shoulder, but that was all. “Don’t be shy, honey. I don’t bite...well not when I’m cuddling, at least.”

“You have jokes, Styles.” She mumbled, hooking her leg over mine as she rested her arm against my stomach. I kissed the top of her head, smiling as she let out a happy sigh. “You smell good.”

“I smell like you.” I tried not to laugh, afraid to jostle her. “I used all of your stuff.”

“Good.” She said. “You’re saving the planet at least. I like no waste, vegan products that come in bottles made of recycled material.”

“Look at you,” I hummed out, rubbing my palm over her back as she tucked her arm under my back. “Responsible and ethical. Gemma will love that.”

“Harry?” She sounded far off, her voice fading with each word. “M’falling asleep.”

“Go on then.” I whispered. “I’m right behind you.”

I didn’t get a response, my heart fluttering in my chest.

The warmth of her body had me slowly falling asleep, my eyes fluttering shut as she gripped onto my borrowed shirt with her fingers.

Falling in love with Beatrice was the easiest thing to do.

Claire’s POV

When I woke up, I felt like death.

My mouth was dry and my eyes felt glued together with the makeup left on. I refused to take it off last night, despite Bea and Tara’s arguments and attempts to wipe it off themselves. Chloe and I were definitely the lightweights out of the group, a few drinks knocked back and we were two sheets to the wind. I sat up, brushing my hand over my face as I groaned loudly. If I remembered correctly, Chloe was just beneath me on the floor, sleeping on a pallet of blankets and couch cushions. That girl could sleep anywhere if she wanted.

I glanced down to see Matt with her, his head tucked under her chin and his body wrapped around her like a koala. I smiled even though it hurt to see them so happy together. Chloe and Matt were the classic definition of highschool sweethearts. They had been together through everything and I was often envious of the love they shared. There was one other couple in our friend group, but they were different.

I carefully stepped over Matt and Chloe, walking towards the master bedroom of our airbnb. Before I made it there, I stopped at the door next to mine. I wondered how my best friend was doing after last night. She, much like every other girl I knew, always had a crush on Harry Styles. Last night, she lived out the ultimate dream of every fangirl. I twisted the doorknob, carefully sliding in before I shut the door behind me.

Before I even stepped into the room, I realized that she wasn’t alone. She was curled into Harry’s side, her head on his chest and his lips pressed into her forehead. My heart ached at the sight, the soft look on Bea’s face an expression I hadn’t seen on her in a while. As I was slowly retreating backwards, Harry spoke.

“I see you over there.” His morning voice was deep and my eyes widened in shock. “I’m sorry I stole your best friend this morning.”

“Don’t be.” I said softly. “I didn’t even notice.”

“What time is it?” He lifted his head, rubbing at his eyes with his free hand.

“Um, eleven, I think.” I rolled my lips in, glancing around the room as he nodded. I felt like I was invading an extremely private moment “You guys can sleep a little longer. I just thought I would pop in to check on her.”

“I can make myself scarce if you want to take over?” Harry chuckled, glancing over at Beatrice and then back at me. “I can start up some coffee for everyone.”

“No, don’t do that.” I shook my head. “Beatrice is horrible when she’s been woken up by someone else. She’ll bite your head off.”

“I’m awake now.” She groaned, turning her head into Harry’s chest. “You’re so loud.”

“We’re not that loud.” I snorted out a laugh. “I’m going to shower and get ready for brunch.”

“We’re leaving at twelve.” Beatrice sat up, a grumpy pout on her lips. “How do you feel?”

“I’m okay.” Beatrice patted the end of her bed and I glanced back at Harry before slowly moving forward. I sat on the edge, the foot of the wrought iron bed-frame pressing into my back.

“I made you a birthday hangover kit.” Bea said softly. “It’s on your bed.”

“Thank you, Bea.” I said. “But I’m actually not feeling that bad.”

“I think In N Out at three in the morning might have helped.” She giggled, leaning back into Harry as he rubbed his hand over her back. “Did you have fun, birthday girl.”

“Loads.” I smiled. “But I’m excited for brunch today. Harry, your sister is so nice!”

“I think you met the wrong sister,” He hummed out, shaking his head. “My sister is a pest.”

“Your sister is a saint.” I gasped. “I’m excited for tonight, as well.”

“You know?” Beatrice asked. “Did I tell you last night?”

“No, but Harry asked if it was okay.” I shrugged. “I told him that I’ve been dying to see him live, so we’re going, per the birthday girl’s wishes.”

Beatrice wouldn’t willingly go to a concert on my birthday weekend if I didn’t convince her that I wanted to go just as bad. She stared me down, trying to gauge whether or not I was telling the truth to her. I rolled my eyes, pushing her shoulder before I stood up from the foot of her bed.

“It was nice talking to you losers, but I need to go take a very long shower to wash away the hangover that is still lingering.” I held up a peace sign. “I’ll see you at twelve.”

“You’ll see me before twelve, I need help picking what to wear.” Beatrice called out as I shut the door behind me.

It made me happy to see her so comfortable with a man.

As I walked into the master bedroom, I rolled my eyes at the sight of Tara and Jackson curled up on my bed.

Friends.

Bea’s POV

When Claire walked out, I turned back to smile at Harry.

He’d slipped his hand up my shirt, brushing his fingers over my back while I talked to Claire. It was comforting, the feeling of him reassuring me when he knew I was in distress. I was worried that Claire would be mad at me for bringing Harry back. He had already taken over an entire day of our vacation. He must have felt the relieved sigh I let out when Claire told me she was excited for today’s activities. I wanted this vacation to be nothing short of perfect.

“Did you have a good nap?” I asked, leaning back into his arms as he nodded. “Good, you deserved some sleep.”

“You were very sweet to me in my sleep.” He pressed a few soft kiss against my temple. “No kicking or pushing, just sweet cuddles and a tiny bit of drool.”

“I do not drool.” I turned my head, glaring at him. “Take that back.”

“Oh, you do.” He giggled, shaking his head. “I won’t take back the truth.”

“That’s awful.” I groaned, pressing my hands to my face. “We’re spooning from now on.”

“I don’t mind that at all.” He hummed out, kissing at the skin of my neck now. “Being pressed against you while I sleep sounds like a great plan.”

“Oh, yeah?” I giggled, turning my body around before I straddled him. “Well, you’re not the only one who’s awake, are you?”

I glanced between our bodies, my cheeks growing warm as I felt Harry’s cock pressing into my core. I tried not to move, looking back up at him with a smug smile. He gulped, sliding both hands up my shirt as he leaned forward to press our lips together. I smiled into the kiss, pressing my hands to his shoulders as he bucked his hips up. A soft whine pulled from my throat as he did, a shockwave of pleasure shooting from head to toe. Harry broke the kiss, ducking his head down to continue his earlier path of kisses on my neck.

“Harry.” I tilted my head back, letting out a soft sigh as he moved one hand around to my front. He let his fingers trail up, sliding over my breast before he pinched my nipple. “Oh.”

“S’that good?” He breathed in my ear, tugging at the lobe as his finger continued to tug gently at my nipple. I nodded, feeling Harry smile against my neck. “Want it to feel better?”

“Yes.” I nodded, gulping around the lump in my throat. I was so turned on by Harry, the tension in the room so thick I could feel it. “Please.”

“Lift your arms up.” He whispered, removing his hands from my skin. I groaned at the loss of contact, but I did as I was told. “Good girl.”

He pulled my shirt over my head, tossing it to the end of the bed.

Harry’s eyes trailed over my skin, the look on his face almost unreadable. I felt nervous, being so exposed in front of Harry so early. But when he leaned forward to press a few scattered kisses over my collarbone, I didn’t feel so afraid. He kissed a trail down towards my right breast, kissing around my nipple as I rested my hands on his shoulders.

“You’re so beautiful.” He whispered. “Can I?”

His breath ghosted my nipple and I knew what he was asking.

“Please.” I whispered.

When his tongue licked over my nipple, I nearly lost it. Seconds later, his lip was wrapped around my nipple and my body was moving on its own. I rolled over his hard cock, whining as he suckled softly on the hardening bud of my nipple.

“Hey, Bea,” The door to my room opened before I could process what was happening. “Can I borrow- holy fuck!”

“Jackson!” I cried out, my whole body flushing cold as I realized what was happening. “Get out!”

“Sorry!” He called back, bumping into the doorway as Harry lifted the blankets around my body. He let me bury my face into his neck as Jackson fumbled. “I didn’t see anything.”

“Oh my god.” I groaned, gripping at Harry’s t-shirt. “That was mortifying.”

“Don’t be upset.” He said softly. “He didn’t see anything.”

“I can’t believe he caught us doing that.” I lifted my head, pouting my lip out. “I can’t even imagine if we were doing more.”

“It would be okay,” Harry smiled, reaching up to brush a stray strand of hair from my face. “It’s a natural thing.”

“Why are you so cute?” I sighed out. “You’re fucking precious, Harry.”

“I love when you call me that.” He said softly. “Everyone always calls me H because I ask them to, but I like when you call me Harry.”

“I’ll keep doing it then.” I smiled. “Well, on that note, I’m not feeling so sexy anymore. I think I should get up and start getting ready.”

“You are still very sexy.” He kissed my lips. “And I hope that you enjoyed what was happening before we were so rudely interrupted.”

“I definitely was.” I whispered. “I wouldn’t mind a repeat of that some other time.”

“It’s a date.” Harry laughed, wrapping his arms around me.

We climbed out of bed, making ourselves decent before we decided to go to the kitchen for coffee. I hoped that someone had started brewing the coffee that I prepped the day before. When I opened the bedroom door, Harry right behind me, I smelled it down the hall. Harry pressed his hand to my hip as we shuffled into the kitchen. Jackson’s face went red when he saw us and Tara watched Harry with a smirk as we walked towards the cupboard.

“Good morning everyone.” I said, reaching for two mugs.

“Where’s the coffee creamer?” Harry asked softly.

“You drink your coffee black.” I said, my brows furrowing as I started to pour the coffee.

“You don’t though.” He said. “Do you have some in the fridge?”

“I can get it-” Harry cut me off with a peck to my lips. He walked towards the fridge, opening it up as I turned back to look at everyone.

“Vanilla or White Chocolate Raspberry?”

“White Chocolate.” I said, narrowing my eyes at Tara and Jackson. “Don’t you two start.”

“We’re not doing anything!” Jackson exclaimed.

“You’re looking at me like I have three heads.” I groaned, putting the coffee pot back as Harry poured creamer in one of the mugs for me.

“No, I’m looking at you like I just saw you getting-”

“Lalalala.” I said, holding my hands over my ears. “We’re not talking about it.”

“I’m just glad you finally got laid, sister.” Jackson snorted out a laugh and I turned on my feet to glare at him. “It’s about damn time.”

“Jackson!” I exclaimed.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding.” He held a hand up. “I just wanted to make you do that thing with your face.”

“It is a cute expression.” Harry hummed out. “Are you calm enough to hold your mug or do I need to keep it.”

“I can take my mug.” I grumbled. “I don’t like the level of abuse in this house right now.”

“It’s all out of love, Bea.” Jackson chuckled. “Now that you’re done fucking, can I borrow your shampoo?”

“Jackson!”

Harry’s POV

The peanut gallery nearly had Beatrice permanently red.

It was adorable the first few times, but after that, I was starting to get annoyed for her. I could tell that she was a little embarrassed by their constant teasing, her body sinking with every comment made. There was an art to teasing your friends, and I felt like they were beating a dead horse. I kept my hand on her thigh the entire drive, squeezing it softly as she looked out the window. Every now and again she would join in on the conversation, but her voice wasn’t as confident and bubbly as it normally was. I also noticed that she’d started nibbling at her nails, her knee bouncing up and down nervously as she mentally spiraled, lost in her own head. I let out a heavy sigh, reaching for her hand with my own to keep her from biting at her nails. We pulled up to a stoplight and I turned my head towards her with a soft smile.

“Kiss?” I asked softly, puckering my lips out.

She leaned over the console, giving me a quick peck and a soft smile.

“Oh, god,” Tara groaned from the backseat. “They’re at it again.”

“Okay, that’s enough teasing.” Claire spoke up, a stern edge to her voice masked behind a thin veil of politeness. “The poor girl can only handle so much in a day, let’s not push it.” “We’re just having fun-”

“Well, it’s not fun for me.” Beatrice grumbled, sinking further in her seat.

“We’ll stop.” Jackson said. “I’d much rather tease Claire for trying to use a street lamp as a pole last night.”

“That was iconic, Jackson.” Claire said. “You wish you had my skills.”

Gemma and Michael were lucky enough to get an empty car, everyone piling into the Tesla when it was time to go. I secretly wished that I had given Gemma the Tesla so Bea and I could go off on our own. When we pulled into the restaurant, everyone piled out except for Beatrice, Claire, and I. I looked in the rearview mirror, catching Claire’s sympathetic look.

“Bea.” She turned towards her friend. “Why are they bothering you?”

“They’re not.” She mumbled, turning her head back towards Claire. “It’s just...I never tease them for stuff like this. And Tara might have come into my room this morning to talk with me about everything and it was just….she meant well, but it made me mad.”

“What did she say?” I asked, squeezing her fingers. “Was it about me?”

“It was about both of us.” She cleared her throat. “But this is brunch and we’re gonna have fun. It’s not that serious, I’m just a little nervous because we’re all stuck together and this will be my first time really talking to Gemma. I don’t want it to go bad.”

“It won’t.” Claire said. “And I’ll take care of the Tara thing.”

“Don’t, Claire-”

She cut Beatrice off.

“I’m taking care of the Tara thing.” She said sternly. “Everyone else does it all the time and you never get to let loose and have fun. So fuck ‘em, babe.”

“Thanks, Claire.” She smiled at her friend, a genuine Beatrice smile.

My heart felt a little lighter when Claire slipped out of the car to catch up with everyone.

“I’m sorry.” Beatrice mumbled. “I didn’t know everyone would be so….annoying about this whole thing.”

“It’s not your fault.” I whispered. “I think they’re just excited about the whole thing. Just listen to Claire and ignore them. You’ve got blessings from the birthday girl.” ‘

“She’s amazing, isn’t she.” Beatrice chuckled. “I love her.”

“I’m starting to as well.” I snorted out a laugh. “She’s most definitely my favorite.”

“Good.” She smiled. “I’m ready to go in if you are.”

“Let’s just take a few more minutes to ourselves.” I said. “I want to make sure we go in with positive attitudes.”

I told Beatrice at least twenty jokes, her hand pressed to her stomach when I opened her car door for her. There weren’t too many people out and about today, but there were a few lingering gazes as we walked hand in hand to the cafe. She didn’t seem fazed by the staring, but I was a little worried that word would spread. The last thing I wanted was to involve Beatrice and her friends in a swarm of paparazzi and fans. When we made it to the back patio, Claire saved two seats next to her at the end of the table. We sat down right across from Gemma and Michael who were lost in their own little world.

“Good morning, sister.” I nudged her foot under the table. “Michael.”

“Good morning.” They both parroted back to us.

“I see you snuck out quite early this morning, Harry.” Gemma noted, looking up at me with a smug smirk. “Where did you go?”

“We went on a walk.” I bumped Bea’s shoulder with my own, winking at her when she looked up at me. A soft blush blossomed on her freckled cheeks “We just went to Solstice Canyon.”

“Oh, that’s a lovely park.” Gemma nodded. “Did you enjoy it, Bea?”

“Yeah, I did.” She nodded back at my sister. “I’m sorry I hijacked your brother from you this morning.”

“You can keep him.” Gemma snorted out a laugh. “Beatrice, has Harry told you about the time he played church mouse in a Christmas Play? He was about five or six then.”

“No, he hasn’t.” Beatrice looked up at me as my face went bright red.

“He wee’d himself on stage he was nervous.” She giggled, looking over at me. “But he was a proper cute mouse. I have pictures if you’d like to see.”

“Why do you still have pictures?” I groaned.

“Because you were an adorable little rat.” She smiled up at me. “Still are.”

Bea’s POV

Tara and Jackson had never acted so rude before.

I was so annoyed by their constant teasing in the car about Harry and I that I couldn’t even stand to look at them during brunch. Instead, I kept my focus on Gemma, Michael, Harry, and Claire. They were the highlight of my day so far, joking around with good intentions as we waited for the waitress to come take our drink orders. Chloe and Matt were lost in their own world, whispering down at their end of the table without so much as a second glance at everyone else. I never understood their ‘attached at the hip’ deal until Harry. I would gladly sit in a corner and talk to only him while everyone else dicked around. But I had a sister to impress.

“So hotel sales sounds interesting.” Gemma said, taking a sip of her water. “How did you get into that?”

“I fell into it really.” I shrugged my shoulders. “My mom works in hotels and I started helping her out when she needed an extra hand. Eventually, I caught the attention of one of our sales managers and she took me under her wing.”

“And what exactly do you do?” Gemma asked.

“So I do more event planning than anything, but I essentially set and build rate plans with our accounting team and I make sure that groups and stuff have the right rate. I do a lot of networking with people to bring in revenue for our catering and front desk team.”

“That’s really cool.” Gemma said. “I would love to plan parties.”

“It’s fun, but it can definitely be challenging from time to time.” I laughed.

“Hello, everyone!” Our waitress bound up to the table, standing right next to Claire with a notepad in hand. “Are you guys ready to order drinks?”

“Yes.” Claire nodded. “Can we do two pitchers of the O.G Mimosa’s and then two pitchers of the blood orange mimosas?”

“Absolutely.” The waitress jotted down the order, but my stomach churned at the thought of champagne. “Anything else?”

“Yes, actually,” Harry said. “Is there any other alternative to champagne? I read somewhere that people substitute it with hard sparkling cider.”

“Oh, yeah!” She nodded. “That’s actually how I drink it. What I suggest is getting the ‘orange juice bar’ which is just a few different flavors of orange juice and then two cans of cider per person. You mix it up yourself in a champagne flute so you’re in control of the amount.”

“The two of us will do that.” Harry gestured towards me with a soft smile. “And two orders of the waffle bar as an appetizer for the table.”

“Perfect!” The waitress nodded. “I’ll be right back with all of that for you guys.”

“Thank you.” We all said in unison.

“Hard cider?” Claire asked Harry, a knowing smirk on her lips as she sipped at her water.

“Beatrice doesn’t like champagne.” Harry shrugged, squeezing my shoulder softly. He’d slung his arm around the back of my chair earlier and I was grateful that I could lean into his side as we all chatted. “Figured we’d save her the hassle of a nasty hangover.”

“That’s really sweet, Harry.” Claire cooed.

“It really is.” I squeezed his thigh, smiling up at him as a warm feeling flooded my chest. “I really appreciate that, Harry. Thank you.”

“Of course.” He hummed out, leaning forward. He gave me a soft kiss on the lips before kissing my nose. “I know you’re excited about the waffle bar, too.”

“Extremely.” I nodded. “I can’t wait to try the blueberry syrup and the chocolate waffle.”

“That sounds perfect.” Claire groaned.

“What should I get for food though?” He hummed softly. “I’m really torn between the avocado toast and the french toast.”

“I had a feeling that you would be an avocado man.” I scrunched up my nose, glancing over at him as he rested his chin on my shoulder. “I think I’m going for the french toast. I can’t stop thinking about how good that triple berry trifle was and now I just want berries.”

“Yeah?” He chuckled. “Maybe I’ll join you.”

“Or you could get something different and we can split and share.” I suggested, glancing back at him. “That way, if you don’t like yours or I don’t like mine, we can swap.”

“You’re so bloody brilliant, you know that?” Harry smirked, leaning forward to kiss me again. “I like the way you think.”

Gemma fake gagged from across the table and I rolled my eyes playfully as Harry groaned at her response. He stuck his tongue out at her and she mimicked the action. I laughed at the two of them as they continued to bicker back and forth as if they were all still five years old.

“Think I’m going to get the calamari, Gem. What do you think?” Michael asked.

It was my turn to let out a fake gagging noise similar to the one Gemma made, scrunching up my nose.

“Is that what you consider brunch food, Michael?” She laughed before leaning over to kiss his cheek as he blushed. “Whatever makes you happy.”

“Squid makes me happy.”

“Gross,” I mumbled under my breath. “Squid?”

“Not a fan of squid, I take it?” Harry squeezed my thigh and I shook my head in response.

“Not a fan of seafood either, squid.” I glanced over at him, a small shiver of disgust racking down my spine.

“And to think, I almost ordered the calamari.” He hummed, a teasing glint in his eyes. “Guess it’s a good thing that I didn’t.”

“Yeah, it is.” I said playfully. “There would be no more kisses for you after that.”

“Well, no more squid for me then.” He leaned over, pressing his lips to mine. “Wouldn’t want to miss out on any of these sweet kisses, would I?”

“I suppose not.” I giggled when Harry kissed me again, only pulling away because the waitress returned to the table.

Our cider and orange juices were sat down in front of us before the pitchers were brought to the table. Claire wasted no time pouring herself a glass while the waffle bar was brought out. I was so excited to try my new form of mimosa that I didn’t even worry about the waffles. Harry noticed my excitement, grabbing a can of the hard cider. I watched him pop the top with his nimble fingers, my eyes glued to every movement of his hand as he poured the cider into the glass.

“Which do you want?” He asked me, putting the can down. “I didn’t even know there was more than one flavor of orange juice.”

“Do the dark orange one there,” I suggested, pointing at the carafe. “It’s blood orange, just like the seltzer.”

“That sounds delightful.” He hummed, wrapping his fingers around the carafe. My mouth watered as I watched his hands work again, pouting and shuffling things around effortlessly. “Something on your mind, Beatrice?”

“Hmmm?” I asked, snapping my eyes up to his.

He was smirking at me, the carafe of blood orange juice still in his hands.

“You seem a little distracted.” He said softly. “Care to tell me what’s on your mind?”

“I’d rather not while your sister is at the table.” I whispered. “Thank you so much for this, darling. I really appreciate it.”

“Of course.” He held his glass up to mine. “Drink up.”

#honeybee #back to the start #harry styles fic #harry styles smut #harry smut

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emdeedot45 · 4 years

Note

Fluff 46 - “I don’t know if I want to yell at you or kiss you.” 😘

Prompt #1 "I don't know if I want to yell at you or kiss you"

Sylvie was mad.

Normally, it took a lot for her to get mad, but that’s what she was right now. She was mad and frustrated and pissed off and every other synonym under the sun that could be used to describe this situation.

The situation? Well, it started yesterday when she and Mackey had tended to a call at an old cemetery down town. As if the location wasn’t creepy enough, a clown had fallen into one of the open graves and needed medical assistance. Sylvie felt her entire body tense when she saw what they were facing. She hated clowns. They were so deceptive with their painted-on smiles and dirty tricks. But ever the professional, she put her fears to the side focused on the job at hand. She was PIC, she was a mentor to Mackey, she had to show she could handle this.

They couldn’t deal with it alone, however, and needed a manpower assist to get the clown out of the grave. Luckily for them, Engine 40 had been close by and swiftly got the clown out and Sylvie and Mackey quickly got him into the back of the ambo.

“God, I hate clowns…” she’d grumbled as she closed the backdoors to the ambo.

“Really? I always thought they were kind of fun in an entirely stupid way.”

She’d turned around and saw Greg Grainger standing behind her, his hands casually resting in his pockets and a charming smirk on his face that Sylvie figured got him pretty much whatever he wanted.

“No. They’re horribly deceptive.” Sylvie explained.

“Well for someone with a fear you wouldn’t have known with how you handled that.” He praised.

Sylvie scoffed in response, “Ever the professional.”

“Yeah… so, what have you been up to lately? I haven’t really seen you around.” He pried.

She’d been around. Maybe not as much as she’d normally been – nights on her couch with wine and HGTV or wine and girl time with Stella felt much more appealing that being at Molly’s, trying to focus on whoever she was talking to but her mind – and eyes – wandering to Captain Matthew Casey instead. Somehow, they always managed to find each other in a room and it was infuriating. She was trying to forget him. How was she supposed to do that when they kept burring holes into each other with their eyes?

Sylvie kept having to remind herself that it was stupid. He’d moved on with the kitten claw sign woman. She needed to find a way to move on too.

She’d shrugged at Grainger when he asked, “Oh you know, here and there…” she said awkwardly.

Mackey opened the ambo door and poked her head out, “You coming? I’m starting to understand why you hate clowns so much, Chuckles will not stop staring at me.”

Sylvie shot her a sympathetic smile, “I’m coming.”

Mackey quickly glanced at Grainger before looking back at Sylvie and giving her knowing eyes. Sylvie then remembered what Mackey had said to her at Molly’s;

“Girl, clearly you need to get out and have some fun on your own.”

Sylvie closed the doors behind Mackey. Maybe this was her chance to have some fun. Maybe this was what she needed to forget about Matt Casey. A fun night out with a handsome firefighter.

Though, if he turned out to be a jerk, she was swearing off firefighters for good.

“Hey uh—” she began as she turned back to Grainger. “Do you fancy grabbing a drink tomorrow? I mean, it’s not a big deal, I’ll just be at Molly’s and maybe you could join. No pressure.” She rambled as he smiled at her.

“Yeah, yeah that sounds good.” He agreed with a nod. “I will see you tomorrow night PIC Brett.”

“Great. See you then.”

And that is how she got here.

At Molly’s, sitting with Grainger, mad as hell.

It had nothing to do with Grainger. He seemed like a nice, sweet guy.

But it had everything to do with Matt Casey.

From the moment they sat down at the bar, his eyes hadn’t left Grainger’s back. He was shooting daggers through the guy and Sylvie could see his jaw clench and his knuckles turn white from gripping his beer bottle too tightly – and it only got worse every time Grainger nudged her hand or her leg or any time he made her laugh.

Maybe Molly’s wasn’t the best location for this, but the whole thing was maddening. She could date whoever she wanted, wherever she wanted, and Matt couldn’t do a damn thing about it. He made his choice, and it wasn’t her, so he had to live with that. Besides, he was dating too and Sylvie said and did nothing. She just got on with things.

Though silently, her heart hurt was hurting, but she could never admit that out loud.

She put up with the jealous staring for an hour, but then she heard Matt obnoxiously scoff at Grainger telling her all about an heroic save he made the other day – and she snapped.

“Would you – would you excuse me for just a minute?” she asked, in the middle of Grainger’s story no less.

“Uh – yeah, yeah.” He said, a little taken a back by the timing of her request. She felt terrible, but she just couldn’t do this anymore. She slipped off her bar stool and stormed over to Matt’s table where he was sitting with Severide, Cruz and Gallo.

“Can I talk to you?” she asked as she crossed her arms over her chest, ignoring the wide eyes that were being sent her way by the rest of the table who were surprised by her abruptness.

“Sure.” Matt said as he downed the rest of his beer for liquid courage before following her out of Molly’s.

They walked a few metres down the path and away from the door before Sylvie spun on her heel and glared at him.

“What the hell is your problem?” she demanded to know.

“I don’t have a problem.”

Sylvie clenched her jaw. Matt’s emotions were always written on his face – why couldn’t he just put them into words? She knew he was mad and she was sick of him not being honest with her.

“Yes, you do, you’ve been staring at me and Greg all night. I’m not stupid Casey and I’m sick of us dancing around the tension between us, it’s infuriating!”

“Fine, I was jealous ok? I am jealous. It kills me seeing you out with somebody else.” he exclaimed back.

Sylvie shook her head, “You have no right to feel that way—”

“Doesn’t mean that I don’t.”

She knew it was hypocritical to say that, but what else could she say? Sylvie took another step back from him because she couldn’t possibly put any more emotional distance between them. They might as well be strangers the way they’ve been treating each other for the past few weeks.

“I don’t know what’s going on in your head Matt, I don't know where this is coming from considering how we left things, but this jealousy thing – it has to stop. You lost your chance. You have to live with that as much as I do.” She said quietly. “Besides, you’re the one who went out with Sydney first.” she pointed out. He’d moved on a lot quicker than she had, but he seemed to be forgetting that little detail.

“Yeah I did, and it made me pretty damn miserable.” He confessed as Sylvie looked a little shocked by his confession. “I always do this when I go through a breakup. I try to distract myself with someone else and normally – it does help with moving on, even in the slightest way. But this time? It didn’t help.” He said with a scoff. “It made it a heck of a lot worse. It made me realise that I – I would rather be alone than be without you. It made me realise that I am in deep. I think I always have been.”

Sylvie’s body relaxed at Matt’s words. She wished it hadn’t, but it did. He was looking at her with a deep sincerity in his eyes and she immediately felt her anger dissipate. He was the most trustworthy person she knew and she hated that she was trusting his words right now. She hated that she knew they were true.

He did exactly what she was trying to do right now. They were trying to forget about each other by losing themselves in other people – but it wasn’t working and it never would. Grainger just wasn't Matt. Sydney just wasn't Sylvie. And that was the bottom line.

“What's that look?” Matt asked desperately.

“What look?”

“That look” he said. Her face had softened completely without her even realising as she tried to bite back a semblance of a smile. “It looks like you’re trying to stop yourself from saying something nice or even smiling at me.”

Sylvie sighed and ran a hand over her forehead, “I just don’t know if I want to yell at you or kiss you right now and god, it’s so annoying, you’re so annoying!” she childishly insulted. She had to at least try and be mad at him otherwise she might in fact kiss him. He would rather be alone than be without her – how was she supposed to pretend like he didn't just say that? How was she supposed to pretend that it didn't make her heart skip a beat?

Matt couldn’t help but shoot her an amused smirk. Even when she was trying to be mean she somehow made it stupidly cute. Sylvie dropped her hand from her head and put it on her hip, her distressed expression changing to a deep glare when she realised how he was looking at her.

“Stop looking at me like that.” She demanded.

“Like what?”

“Like you want me to kiss you.”

Matt’s smirk grew, “I don’t think I’ll ever stop looking at you like that.”

“Dammit Casey…” Sylvie grumbled as she looked to her feet, not wanting to get caught up in his gaze. It was stupidly distracting, and she knew it would suck her back in – but it shouldn’t. There was still so much left to be resolved if it ever actually could be resolved.

He wanted her now because he couldn’t have her. But in the long run, he’d revert to wanting Gabby – he’d made that much clear the night of their kiss.

“I’m trying so hard not to love you but you’re making really damn difficult” She confessed quietly.

It was Matt’s turn to be taken aback by her words. She loved him. She was trying not to, but she did. Suddenly, everything he’d been feeling for the past year had started to make sense. He’d been in denial about his feelings. The whole thing just felt messy from the beginning. His feelings for her just came out of nowhere and he’d tried so hard to push them away and focus on their friendship – but it was pointless.

Now, he too trying so hard not to love her, but every smile, every encouraging word, even little glance in his direction – she made it really damn difficult

Matt let out a laugh of realisation. He loved her. He really did – and he was going to prove it to her. He took a step towards her, watching as her body started to tense again.

“I’m the guy for you Sylvie Brett” he said until there was just a breath between them. “And I know there’s so much more to talk about and you maybe don’t believe me right now – but I’m going to prove it to you. I’m the guy for you Sylvie Brett. You’ll see.” He said, his nose ghosting past hers briefly before he started backing away from her.

This was going to be get interesting.

#brettsey #chicago fire #matt casey #matt x sylvie #sylvie brett #brett casey #brett x casey

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darth-schism · 4 years

Text

Evidence to Suggest that Luke was NOT all that he seemed in TLJ

Luke Skywalker may have isolated himself because of his guilt/depression. But I also believe he did it for practical reasons, and that his “totally given up” act, was just that, an act. Evidence for this Head-cannon/interpretive take:

1. He made a map to his location

Not only that, but it was so specific, it was literally called “The Map to Skywalker.” The only way it would have gotten a name as tailored as that is if someone else had found him before Rey, or, if he told people about it himself. In any event, to whatever varying degree, Luke wanted to be found and/or influence the galaxy around him.

One piece of the map was tossed around to all sorts of corners of the galaxy, while the rest of it was entrusted to R2D2.

2. This was a deliberate combo to serve two different purposes

- Keep Snoke distracted: The entirety of TFA was Kylo and Snoke obsessing over Luke’s location. Their preoccupation with it was evident and, instead of letting them focus on relentlessly attacking the New Republic, Luke gave them a reason to go on wild goose chases. Consider that Snoke doesn’t go ‘all in’ on trying to destroy the Resistance until after he realizes he lost the race to get to Skywalker. Which shows just how much stock he had put into that singular Jedi. What’s more, even if they had succeeded, they’d only have a useless fraction with no reference as to where in the galaxy Luke’s secret location actually was.

- Meanwhile, R2D2 would also play the role of a “given up/powered down” hero: But we see that, soon as the coast is clear, and some plot heroes arrive with the map, he assessed the situation, turned on, and sent them right to Skywalker. I think it’s safe to say that R2D2 was merely in ‘sleep mode,’ as opposed to ‘shut down.’ However, despite all this, the element of being powered down/unassuming was still crucial because...

3. Snoke made it abundantly clear that when he found Skywalker, he’d blow up the entire landmass he was found, or even theorized to be, on

Luke would never put a population of innocents at risk of complete annihilation just because someone might to recognize him at a local market. So it’s no wonder he chose a place as isolated as he did (On top of that, considering his critical stance towards the Jedi Order by 28ish ABY, it wouldn’t necessarily be a heartbreak to him if the island did end up getting destroyed, or one to anyone else really, because of how obscure/unknown it was...or so he convinced himself).

4. He was picking his battles

If Luke Skywalker wanted to be found. Then why was he so dismissive of Rey? There’s no solid evidence here (aside from the whole existence of the map scheme), but I think there’s good reason to believe that Luke’s instant stand-offish behavior is one of caution and assessment not dissimilar how how Yoda and Kenobi put up an initial façade when they were discovered in exile (but more on that later). In any event, this approach would give him the means to offer personalized help to those who ended up on his doorstep. It honestly didn’t take Luke long to go from tossing his father’s lightsaber, to offering Rey the three lessons she needed to understand the force better. Although I believe Rey’s visit to Luke was far different than what others had probably been but (again) more on that later.

5. He was able leave anytime he wanted

The very clear image of Luke’s submerged X-Wing in the ocean painted a picture of cut ties, and a “no going back” stance. However, it wasn’t the first time that starfighter had been at the bottom of a water bed, and clearly it wasn’t the last. I’m inclined to believe that this is another part of Luke’s deliberate presentation of a hero who had lost all hope. But all speculation aside, there was nothing to physically stop Luke from leaving that island whenever he wanted. There’s nothing to say that he didn’t break form/character operate to find a way to undermine Snoke further.

6. He was actively protecting others close to him

There was a reason Luke getting Grogu at the end of Season 2 of The Mandalorian caused such a stir in Disney, and caused Kennedy to go for Faverau’s throat. All “who’s idea was who’s” arguments aside. At the end of the day it created two possible outcomes for this element of the Star Wars franchise: Either Grogu died in Kylo’s attack. Or there were survivors. Since killing the money making Baby Yoda isn’t necessarily on Disney’s to do list, it’s a reasonable bet that he survives the slaughter (unless he’s returned to Din’s side before Kylo goes ballistic, in which case he avoids it all together). But even if that does happen, this theory still holds a little water). Luke lying low, and operating in secret may have been the only way he was keeping himself, the galaxies citizens, and his few remaining students from getting hit with an orbital strike.

7. He was never fully disconnected from the force.

Perhaps, somewhat disconnected, but it’s clear that Luke hasn’t cut himself off from the force as much as he, perhaps, wanted to admit. Luke is still able to effortlessly summon a weapon, keep control of the duel between himself and Rey, and gently lower his body to the ground when he loses his footing. Despite his stance on using/taking ownership of the force in TLJ, it seems as though Luke kept just enough around so that he could still fight. This theory is more optimistically minded than some of the others, but I still can’t help but think that Luke kept these reserves of power ready, because he already had to use them more than once during his supposed isolation.

8. Rey’s visit was different than the others who had come before.

“You went straight into the Dark. It offered you something you needed, and you didn’t even try to stop yourself.”

“I've seen this raw strength only once before, in Ben Solo. It didn't scare me enough then. It does now.”

Other plot heroes/adventurers may have come, gone, or even convinced Luke to help them in secret. So assuming all, or even some, of the above is true, then that means Luke wasn’t just pushing to dismiss Rey, but also disillusion her. I think this is because Rey wasn’t there to get help with a specific mission, rescue, etc, but there to have Luke become the public symbol of hope again. And we’ve already listed the reasons why this couldn’t happen. On top of that, this push was done in a way that directly conflicted with all the “none theorized” reasons Luke had isolated himself. Luke knew he couldn’t accommodate this. He sensed the darkness in Rey. He sensed her connection to Kylo. In many ways his lessons also doubled as a means to properly evaluate Rey, and confirm his suspicions. In any event, all of this brought up an element of his isolation that no one else knew. He already had the, half truth, story as to what happened to his temple well rehearsed. But it was Rey’s visit that dragged out his greatest regret, which was his near attempt to take Ben’s life, due to both the mind bending fear Snoke had manipulated into palce, and the hypocritical, and self destructive Jedi philosophies that had been drilled in to his head. This was the final straw that made him want to destroy the Jedi texts. But it was also the push he needed to find inner peace, and think of the means to make one last public appearance, without endangering anyone.

9. In no interpretation is Luke an attempt child killer

This is more of a bonus point in nature. I think so many people were caught off guard by the narrative choice Luke undertook in this part of the film, that it painted the whole ordeal in a far more unfavorable light than it actually was. For starters: Ben was no child. He was 23 years old when he fell to the darkside. Luke was saw the images of planetary destruction, and the deaths of friends and family alike at the hands of an adult. But even at that, Luke’s ligthsaber had already lowered, and his face expressing that of shame and sadness, when Ben glances over, and decides to take up his lightsaber, and make the first strike. Luke doesn’t even ignite his lightsaber in response until after Ben swings it. The influence Snoke had over Ben, and the mental attack he lured Luke into suffering, to make this moment come to pass cannot be understated.

- This also means that Luke’s isolation lasted only 7 years. Not twenty, not even 10. Just 7. Which is less than half the time both Yoda and Obi Wan imposed on themselves.

10. He was following in the footsteps of his masters

I think Luke’s response to trauma is a little unfair in some ways. Obi Wan and Yoda witnessed genocide, and imposed exile on themselves for twenty years. Now, in film, we know that Obi Wan, while playing the part of a delusional hermit, worked to protect Luke as he grew up on Tatooine, and that Yoda, playing the part of a silly swamp kook, did...something...on Dagobah (?), waited for Luke to grow up so he could train him for a few weeks at most (?).

Those are two pretty limited things, and yet they don’t catch near as much flack for “abandoning the galaxy to the Empire” as TLJ Luke does, after he also witnessed slaughter, and went into isolation for only 7 years. But, of course, we know Obi Wan did more during his time in the desert, and that Yoda did more during his time in the swamp. So why can’t Luke have also done more while on his island? Everything about the parallels here point to Luke, despite his own misgivings, applying what he learned from his master. All three Jedi isolated themselves because of their personal tragedies. All three greatly reduced their presence in the galaxy. But all three had no choice, and all three still did what they could despite their circumstances.

11. Luke may have been overcome with grief. But he hadn’t truly changed

Now, I fully admit that this is a very optimistic way of looking at things. But some of these points also have more weight to them than others. I also cannot stress enough that even though I think some of what Luke was doing was an act, I also know it was equally proportional to the very real, emotional reasons, and struggles he faced. I also definitely do NOT think Kennedy/Johnson meant for any of these possible theories to have any validity to them. But with how they are presented, they also can’t be disproven.

If Favreau doesn’t formally put the sequels in it’s own little pocket universe, then I really hope he takes the opportunity to make something like ^the above^ happen. It could easily be established in one to two episodes in a live action show. Lots of things could be done to make the sequels a more bearable set of movies to watch. And as much as I’m worried that hoping for this is simply too optimistic, at least now there is a justifiable interpretive take that has both in film evidence to support, and a lack of otherwise to refute.

At the end of the day (and as usual) the important part here is to see that Luke hadn’t given up. Struggling, disillusioned, forced into a tough spot, willingly keeping himself scarce, etc. All bearable. But knowing he hadn’t given up is super important to the character and fanbase, so hopefully we get something that makes that cannon. In any facet really.

AND IT WOULD GET MARK HAMILL BACK ON SET GODAMNIT! XD

*Reblogged with new gifs and information

#star wars #the last jedi #tlj #mark hamill #luke skywalker #the mandalorion spoilers #the mandalorian season 2

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nightwingshero · 4 years

Text

Hold Me Down

I got this idea when listening to Halsey!!! I’m super in love with it! Wren a trained thief and ex-assassin? Check. Lawyer John who has a major role in the mafia family? Check. Blackmail? Check. Rival family? Check. Enemies to lovers? Check...wait-- Arranged marriage that eventually turns into something else because of course it would? well, yeah I guess, but--Yay! I made a thing!

I laugh, charming and light to the older gentleman, but I know it’s hollow and fake. I take a sip of champagne as my grip on his elbow tightens just a tad, testing as I watch from the corner of my eye. His face is red, flushed as he jokes with another attorney from a separate firm. I lightly tap my black manicured nail against the glass as I take in the setting. Normally, I wouldn’t have thought to work a charity gala, but this was too much of an opportunity to pass up, especially with the hypocrites that hosted and attended.

Greedy, horrible people that had more money than they deserved. The woman talking to the mayor was a financial advisor that embezzled thousands of dollars, the mayor himself taking some and both sharing an ivory powder hobby some nights, and my current date had a temptation with women a little too young for him. I was worried that I was too old to pull this off and would’ve had to find another mark. But as I scanned the crowd, my plan slightly changed.

He pulled his arm from my hand to wrap it around my waist, pulling me closer as he laughed again. The black laced mermaid gown hugged my curves perfectly, and he had no problem with shamelessly exploring them. But a smile remained on my burgundy lips, convinced that robbing these people blind would make it far more worth it than if I broke his fingers.

“I met this little one at the gallery opening a couple days ago,” he slurred with a laugh as he squeezed my ass. I shift, transferring the champagne flute to my other hand before my well-manicured hand is placed on his chest. “Poor thing had no fucking clue what she was looking at.”

Wrong. I’ve known this man for a month, I’ve broken his schedule, his habits down to the minor detail. I knew he would be there, and men like this didn’t want a strong, smart woman. If he did, his wife would be here, not me. But that was fine, because her being out of town meant he would feel comfortable enough to take me home, and at this pace that I was keeping him on, he wouldn’t make it past the living room. His safe was in his office, behind a painting he changed out frequently. I just had to make sure to keep the booze coming.

His young companion threw his head back with a laugh. “Now, don’t fault the poor girl, Charles. You’re a bit old for her, don’t you think? Besides,” the man threw me a smirk with a dark glint in his eye. “I could teach her a thing or two.”

“Is that so?” Charles taunts, his own sneer crawling along his wrinkled face. “Word has it, you can’t keep a damn thing. This last case makes what? Seven that you’ve lost to John Seed this year, alone? He pretty much takes what he wants from you, Trey. No, if I was gonna hand this little thing to a younger and greater man, I would just escort her to him myself.”

The blonde male’s face reddens, but not from the alcohol. I hadn’t been in Atlanta very long, six months since I had moved from LA, constantly on the run. But I heard the last name Seed a few times since being here, and I had made the decision to steer clear the best I could. They were a very profound mafia family in the city, specializing mostly in gun dealings and embezzlement, and some drug trafficking. You didn’t fuck with that family. Or at least, that’s what I’ve heard.

“Yes, well, maybe you should shove the whore to his feet as a gift. It’s his party, after all.” Trey snapped before moving on to someone else and I freeze, my gaze falling frantically through the crowd as unease sets in, and I realized I wasn’t as prepared as I believed. I wasn’t exactly aware of who had thrown the event, too focused on my mark than anything else. It was my first big job since coming here and I had gotten tunnel vision. Rookie mistake. I didn’t even know what they looked like, and here I was, aiming to steal from their own guests. I’ve never felt so unprepared and stupid in my life.

Charles squeezes me again, bringing my attention to his drunken smile. “Don’t worry your pretty little head, I won’t let the big bad lawyer get yah.” He teases. “He might not always be a friend, but he’s respectful. He’ll wait until I’m done with you. Besides,” he kicked back the rest of his scotch, a drop running down from the corner of his mouth. “the little prince doesn’t attend these damn things anyway.”

“You’ll protect me?” I asked, batting my eyelashes at him, tilting my head to the side as I played the innocent card.

He chuckled. “Only for the night, darlin’. Just do what you’re here to do.” He slaps my ass once more, before he’s calling towards another friend. I quickly excuse myself for the restroom as an older woman eyes me with disapproval. Charles was anything but subtle, and it had taken every once of my patience to work this job.

My black strappy stilettos click hard against the glossy floor as I eye the crystal chandelier. This was probably the nicest thing I had or ever would attend. My eyes were a bit bigger than my stomach on this one, I knew. But it was ripe for the taking, hardly any competition whatsoever. It was almost too good to be true and having found out that one of the biggest mob families was in charge of it made it so.

My dark hair fell in waves over my left shoulder, the side pinned back elegantly. An easy way to hide my face if I needed to, but gracefully showing enough skin to tempt any drunken man. Enough to distract. I slowed, my steps becoming a bit light with a sway as I placed my empty glass on a tray of a passing waiter. My eyes scan out again, stopping short as they catch bright blue ones.

They’re a mixture of light and dark, a curiosity there that, if I hadn’t been working a job, I would have indulged. His dark hair is slicked back, his beard well-trimmed. I swallow as I take in the tattoos that cover his hands. It’s odd to me, to see someone as covered in ink as he in a setting like this, but I suppose I was no different. I showed mine off without a thought, not a care in the world, because this wasn’t my world. I was a mere tourist, visiting and having a taste before I retreated back into the shadows like I never existed.

His eyes left me, responding to something his friend said, and I’m on the move again. I can’t afford eyes on me this evening, not for what I was about to do. I turn, fake a trip as I shoulder a man and we both reach to catch the other. I gasp in shock, making a show of horror on my face. The man is immediately concerned, and his handsome face is scanning mine. Such a shame.

“I’m so sorry!” I gushed, fear in my eyes. He smiles, and as he helps me back up, my hand slips into his pocket, pulling out a money clip as my other hand gripped his wrist near his watch. My fingers brush the clasp, and when he glances away, I slip the money past the slit of my dress and tucked it underneath my knife strap on my thigh. He turns back, both of my hands holding his as I smile wide and thank him for his help. He smiled back and went to turn away as I allowed my fingers to trail over his skin as I pulled his watch away from him.

It all happened within seconds, but it was like slow motion for me as it always was. My heart would pound as adrenaline burned in my veins. It was a thrill, the chance of getting caught and the chance of getting away with it. Dutch had always told me I was the best he’d ever seen, other than her. I was going to be her replacement, the next best thing. But I shoved the thoughts aside as I enter the hallway and make my way to the ladies’ room. It felt like a lifetime ago, and I needed it to stay that way.

I check to make sure I’m alone before I pull the cash out, giving it a quick count. There were a few hundred dollars, easy, from what I could see. A decent take, but probably the only one I would be able to do, even if I had my clutch. Which was definitely an option. I could convince Charles to leave early if I promised something sweet in return. Knock him out when we get there if it wasn’t drunk enough, and then crack his safe. Call it an early night. The start of a pounding in my head was awfully convincing.

I tuck the watch in my dress, wincing from the cold metal digging into my skin, and only partially grateful that my cleavage was able to hide it at all, discomfort aside. I needed to stop acting impulsively and get the hell out of there. I check my makeup, my smokey eye still in place and the lipstick not a bit smeared. I smile, doing what I can to hype myself up to go back out there. I could do this, I needed to do this. So, I walk confidently back into the dimly lit hallway, prepared to throw my plan into motion.

“I hope you’re alright, dear. That was a nasty spill you almost had out there.” A honey voice called, making me jump and turn. The man in the navy-blue suit is leaning against the wall with his hands tucked in his pockets, his drink long gone.

“I’m fine.” I breath out with a smile, trying to not allow this to throw me. “Thank you.” I go to turn away, but he pushes himself off the wall and takes a few steps forward as he tilts his head, scratching his beard before he points to me.

“I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure of meeting.” He’s thoughtful for just a moment before a smirk graces his lips. “No, I think I would remember someone as stunning as you.”

I’m taken aback by his change in demeanor, hesitating as my mind races. My gut twists as I blush and smile at him. “You’re too sweet. I’m Sofie.” I offer my hand to him to shake and he eyes it for only a second before he grasps it.

His skin is warm, and his hand almost engulfs mine. My breath hitched only slightly as he placed a chaste kiss against my knuckles, his eyes not leaving mine. “Pleasure to meet you.” He lowers my hand, letting go, but it doesn’t stop his eyes from tracing the ink on my skin. “Beautifully done. You do it yourself?”

“No, I had it done in Oklahoma City.” I give him some truth, some sort of solidarity that helps assure that I’m honest and gives me the base line, foundation almost, that I desperately need. “A few years ago, actually.”

He hummed before his blue eyes find mine and I’m captured by them, the same light and dark that had been there before. “You’re here with Charles, aren’t you? Good lawyer, great taste in women, though he doesn’t normally go for the smart ones, much like yourself.”

I laugh this time, my shoulders relaxed as he flirted, and my confidence soared. “Oh? Is that so? And what makes you assume that I’m a smart one?”

“Well, it takes a smart woman to be able to pull off what you did.” His smile twists into something darker and my stomach drops. “Not anyone can steal right from under a man’s nose, Miss Marie. Especially men like the ones here this evening.”

I swallow, but my mouth is dry, and my smile is gone. He clicks his tongue disapproving before his arm goes around my waist, pulling me close as he turns me, and his hand squeezes a bit above my hip. We’re walking towards a side exit and I panic, pushing my body back against his arm as I shove away from him. I go to run, but his hand is around my upper arm in seconds, dragging me out into the Georgia night.

It’s dark as he shoves me forward, and I stumble before catching myself against a damp black car in the alleyway. I turn to him, venom on my tongue as he struts forward, fidgeting with his cufflinks. The pavement is wet from the rain, the air sticky from humidity, and I am furious at this man for touching me. He looks like the devil as his expensive shoes tap against the ground, and he’s the first to speak.

“It takes a brave soul to steal from me, darling.”

“Funny, I don’t recall my hand in your pocket.” I shot back; all pretenses gone. I knew I was had. He chuckles with a shake of his head.

“Those are my guests, so yes, you were stealing from me. I don’t appreciate people taking my things.” He’s getting closer and closer, stalking me like I was his prey. I sneer at him. “And for you to do so, I’m assuming you don’t know who I am. So, I’m going to show you.”

That’s when it dawns on me, just who exactly I have in front of me. I pale, stepping back until my back hits the car behind me. “I was told that you don’t attend your own events.” I rush out breathlessly.

“Do you usually believe everything everyone tells you? And here I took you for a professional.” He scoffed before stopping in front of me. “I mean, at least get it from a source you can rely on. One that you’re either paying for or they’re too terrified to tell you wrong.”

John Seed is fast and I’m rusty, I know that the second his hand is around my throat, the other pulling my leg over his hip as he slams me against the car. I can smell his cologne, expensive and spicy. But there’s a hint of sandalwood underneath and I try to focus on something else. He’s sneering, and I can see the anger there in his eyes as he smirks. I hate that he can feel my pulse, that he knows how hard my heart is pounding.

“He met you at a gallery, which tells me you’ve planned this for a while. You know his routine enough to catch him on the day he’s buying a new piece to replace the last one. Batted your eyes enough to get an invite here, a way in, and gave him a false name. We’re both smarter than that, aren’t we? But then what? You go home with him, fuck him, and take the money, hmm?”

“I have higher standards than that. He’d conveniently pass out before he could get his hand down his pants.” I snap, glaring vehemently at him. “But how do you know all this?”

He tisked again as he leaned in. “Because darling, it’s my money.” His hand moves up my leg and I bite my lip as his fingers graze the knife I have strapped there. “And it’s my fucking city. I know when a new player enters the game, it’s my job to know. You think I don’t have eyes everywhere? Especially when I’m financially invested? I loaned him that money, darling. He’s indebted to me. Those men following him around isn’t his damn security, they’re my men keeping tabs and making sure he doesn’t run. They tell me everything that goes on, so when a beautiful thing like yourself latches to someone like him? I get curious. So, yes sweetheart, you were going to steal from me. And you could have been left alone if you hadn’t overstepped. But greed does that to you.” He slips under the knife strap before pulling out the money clip I hid there. I pursed my lips as he tucked it in his jacket pocket and his hand returns, pulling out my knife this time. He hums as he examines it, the custom navy blade catching what little light was provided from the city.

“So, where’s the watch?” he asked before pressing the tip right above my panty line. I try to move away from him, but there’s nowhere to go. “Here?” I clenched my teeth, refusing to answer. “No?” His eyes narrowed as he trailed the knife up my body slowly before stopping just under my chest, the point pressing harshly against the bottom of my breast. His eyes briefly glance down with a tick of his brow, and I swallow, desperate to keep the blush from appearing as his eyes returned. “How about here?” I sigh out, glancing away from his piercing gazing and he laughs. “Figures. Not very original, are we? Disappointing. Won’t you be a dear? My hands are rather full at the moment.”

I thought my teeth would crack at the force of my clenched jaw. I moved my arm quickly, and he pressed the knife a little harder against me, a quick squeeze of my throat for a warning. I froze before slowly moving my hand once more. His thumb pressed against my jawline, moving my head so I could meet his eyes. It is humiliating, but I would take it over death, assuming that he would even let me live after all this. I pull out the watch and let it dangle on my finger, taunting him in return.

He grabs it, quickly pocketing it, but the knife doesn’t move. He leans in, his breath fanning my face as he spoke, his hand finding my throat again. “Considering this evening, I’m in a charitable mood, so I will give you a warning. Listen closely, because I do not repeat myself and I don’t offer this kindness to many.” I swallow as he towers over me, his body pressing against mine and the only thing between us was my own knife digging into my skin. I bite my lip to keep myself from saying something that would test the kindness he was bestowing upon me. “You will never do this again, not under my house or with any of my guests. The Seed family is off limits to you, and if I catch you doing that again, I won’t hesitate to kill you. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” I mumbled. With one last squeeze, he let go of my throat and took a step away. He makes a show of tossing the knife to the side, the metal clattering against rock is harsh against the silence.

“I can tell you aren’t from around here, so please, consider this your welcoming gift from the Seed family. Enjoy Atlanta, darling.”

I’m calm on the outside as I ascend the stairs, but a hurricane on the inside. I keep it in check as my heels click against the shitty staircase of the apartment building. I frown once I reach my level, making my way down the hall as I eye the young blonde sitting outside her apartment on the floor. Skylar Khors was a good kid, still in school and working full time to support her and her boyfriend. We talked here and there, being neighbors, but I tried my best not to get attached. It was hard though, because I heard them arguing most nights, making my heart twist in empathy. I didn’t have time to be neighborly tonight, though, as my hand shook to unlock my door.

“God dammit!” I shrieked, slamming the door behind me before removing and throwing my heels to the ground. My back hits the wall as my palms press against my eyes, the only defense to the tears that are gathering. I’m shaking, from anger and humiliation, and I want nothing more than to go back to claw his smug face off. My mind is racing, trying to rationalize the fact that I just lost out on a huge job that would have set me for the next year. To an egotistical shady lawyer that definitely had a hand in the fucking mob. The image of him throwing me out makes my blood boil even hotter. The way he had touched and man-handled me, using my own knife against me before throwing it—

“Wren?” Skylar called with a knock on my apartment door. “Everything alright?”

I smile wistfully with a scoff. “It’s all good, go back to bed. Just had a long night.” I pushed off the wall and unzipped my dress as I go. I don’t know if Skylar was still at my door or not, but I didn’t care. I needed time to reevaluate my next move. I needed something to pull through for me. LA was too hot, New York was a festering pit. I heard Atlanta was a good place to score, but nobody warned me of the fucking monopoly over it. I was just going to have to get creative.

#wren blake #john seed #lawyer john #mafia au #far cry 5 #my ocs #my writing #fc5 ocs

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rhiezus · 4 years

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💕 soonyi + sanghee 💕

i did a mental list before starting to write things down, and two of the elements from this list involves fucking around. the funny thing is that it didn’t even cross to my mind the fact that we only did them before of kyungri, she became my least concern when it comes to this ship probably because of the chemistry they have on my head and how i spent a lot of days just building in the tension of their sneaking around. and it makes even funnier that i didn’t remember of kyungri because the first thing that marks their relationship is: cheating. it’s clear as day that sanghee was married, i can imagine him wearing that white thing doctors wear, perfectly brushed short hair and that gold ring on his right hand. but that didn’t stop soonyi from having a huge crush on him, not only because he was handsome, but because he was nice to her despite the fact that she was probably the sloppiest employee in that hospital. she had survived years of nursing school hating every minute of it, doing it only for the money but she wouldn’t imagine that working was ten times worst than it appeared. and then there was everyone who hated on her just because she was pretty and well-off with money cause her father was already a very successful ceo from the boarding or something. that job was hell. until sanghee, of course. he was the opposite of everyone else, and she knew he was just playing nice and being oblivious to her mistakes because he enjoyed her looks, but sometimes she hoped for something else, just... something else. maybe there was a linger there that she didn’t realized before. it proved to be true when it came to the point of their fucking, at first, i think soonyi just made it fun to flirt and touch him in inappropriate places because he would put on a face and try to act on it. but it became worse, it became a game that they both exude on. she didn’t think sanghee to be the same type of wild person she was painted to be, but to her surprise and amusement, he pretty much was. sometimes he was even more, because, well— he was indeed cheating on his wife, he would still wear that damn ring to showcase just how terrible he was, and even so, it would make things more thrilling for the pair. so yeah their fucking was justified for the thrill, the wild, the unstoppable urge to go beyond the routine and it didn’t help that they had that chemistry going on at all places, it didn’t help that they liked that game which they had to idea or intention to proclaim it. but at some point, of fucking course, they got it on, specially soonyi because it wasn’t nice that sanghee was playing all possessive and enchanting towards her. it didn’t. — in fact, it was hypocritical. it wasn't fair that she had to be his and he had to be... someone else’s, whoever that other ring was in the hand of... soonyi didn’t wanna know. she didn’t even wanna think about it anymore, at that point sanghee being married wasn’t thrilling it was just a pain in the ass. so it comes to one of my favorite moments that is when she followed him from work on her car to his house, rolling down the window and her two eyes with the shades of the sunglasses of chanel seeing that beautiful suburban life of his. and the little kid that took his smile to the heavens when he patched down to greet her in a hug. fuck. that. bullshit. so... that trip not only proved to show how stupid she was for going there but to force herself into more and more of sanghee. she didn’t see her wife though, maybe she was a witch, a terrible woman... but even so, no woman deserved to be treated like that. neither did she. it all came back to her parents that were divorced and how devasted her brothers were, which made them all move to other countries and leave her behind with her emotionless of a father, who couldn’t seem to pin down another wife that wasn’t looking for his money. but even so with the daunting memories of her childhood and knowledge of sanghee’s double stupidity lives, she couldn’t bring herself not to be his bitch. and there is no other word when i say it. she tries to live life as the cold-hearted she wish she were, quitting the job to pursue something on her own but still accepting to move to a place where sanghee knew very well the address. because she was his bitch. ironic about that it’s that she didn’t feel that. at any moment given she wanted to be the wife, because she made him happy in a way that’s almost like she already worth more than that ring did. is it so terrible to say it? that you’ve fallen in love with a married man? no. have no shame soonyi, you’re just a very passionate, sometimes stupid woman that’s aware of her sexuality which it’s a fear for others to understand. and i say stupid because that costed her pregnancy, right about the time that i imagine sanghee was trying to understand that he needed some direction. (finally). whoever, she is not the bad type of girl. she would never accept his well wishes if it didn’t come from his heart. and that’s why she choose all herself to raise the kid alone in the countryside, working on her attitudes because god forbid being a bad mother. god forbid her to raise a kid that was ashamed of her mother (like she was). when that child started growing on her insides, sanghee just became a thought of the man that brought her meaning to life — like, literally, he planted the seed, the sperm. and she still had a few feelings, but it was only for the best that they figured out their lives separated before anything. finally, my last thing on the list was: they finding their way back to love, in a simple way. yeah, they had their complications. they are far, very, very far from being our most perfect ship. in fact (despite the adultery), that’s what i found their chemistry on: they being completely all nakedly wrong, imperfect and yet finding each other. like, let’s accept that we fucked things up and be happy together despite that. also soonyi it’s fucking dope, brilliant, beautiful and extraordinary just like sanghee is a handsome motherfucker, so they deserve each other.

#started writing / had no idea where i was headed #finished / was completely ??#at the sound of i miss you - blink 182 #WELL HAVE HALLOWEEN ON CHRISTMas #a soonyi todinha nessa musica poxa :(#eu adoro ela samara ela é trouxa #e nao ajuda sabendo quem sao os dois fcs #pois amo os dois #sorry kyungri #soonyi x sanghee #fineandjuly #that fanfic ITS making me inspired looK THAT THAT #also i might be #replying to one of those everyday #l

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thesummerstorms · 4 years

Text

Rev Recaps Hard Contact (Chapter 10)

CW: murder, death in combat,slightly graphic descriptions of corpses

TL:DR Recap: Etain and Dar go to one of Jinart’s safehouses and are immediately betrayed, which yet again, kind of justifies Etain’s paranoia. Darman kills a man, which perturbs Etain. Omega steals mining equipment and accidentally captures Guta-Nay. Hokan is pissed that Dar and Etain got away, and reveals that Jinart literally murdered the collaborators and tore them to pieces.

unfortunately, after posting the last recap I saw two Kal mentions in Chapter 9 that I missed, so we’re starting at a Kal count of 18.

Beginning Kal Count: 18 Ending Kal Count: 19

I regret to inform you I missed TWO references from Niner about Kal in chapter 9, so we’re starting at a Kal Count of 18.

I won’t screenshot the opening quote, but it’s basically a notice to the farmers on Qiilura that anyone who has Republic soldiers on their land without knowing will be sold into slavery and anyone helping the Republic on purpose will be shot. It does provide some needed framework for the rest of the chapter. Then we open in Darman’s pov, and IDK, I just kind of like the opening line. He still thinks of Kamino as “home” apparently at this point in time.

Etain is still being kind of unfairly snarky, and Darman’s at a loss what to do about it.

“Darman took is as a sensible observation rather than an insult.” Etain isn’t really being great right now, I recognize that, but I still love that line.

Anyway, they stop at the first safehouse and Etain goes to knock. Darman hates feeling obvious and exposed, and compares his lack of ability to blend in to, you guessed it, Skirata.

Kal Count raised to 19, BUT so far I think that’s the only one in this chapter.

Anyway, the house is empty; the family fled in the middle of a meal. Darman is still overly cautious, and walks Etain through house clearing procedure, even though her Force-sense tells her it’s safe. He points out that she can’t sense a tripwire that would murder them, even though Jedi Danger Sense is an established thing in the EU by this point and-

Sorry.

He also redirects her when she’s peering over his shoulder into the pantry instead of standing guard at the door and watching their gear, although he’s gracious enough to admit it had probably never occurred to her with Jedi senses. While he raids said pantry with the intent to test the food for toxins later, she goes to fill bottles of water from a pump outside, and he asks why she isn’t using a filter. Again, we were just giving Etain shit a few chapters ago for being too paranoid and now she’s asking if he was trained by Nemoidians, but honestly I’m feeling kinder to Dar than Jinart because it really is a culture clash.

Yet again, I wonder how the Kaminoans can afford to kill that many clones out right when each clone is such an investment to rain and train in terms of both input and time.

Darman doesn’t know what to make of a Jedi who isn’t the perfect demigod he was promised, which is affecting his trust levels. And Etain hasn’t been helping a lot with that. But she does notice something is wrong with him; she just doesn’t know him well yet, so she assumes it has something to do with his physical injury.

They eventually make it to another safe house, when they meet a woman “with a face like a gdan”, several children, and a few other adults. Dar is briefly overwhelmed because it’s the first time he’s seen this many humans who aren’t clones. I guess the commandos never saw their Sergeants group up.

Darman places mines all around the entrance to the building before he goes in, which I’m sure would win him no love even if the farmers weren’t already under threat of execution or slavery. The family at the safehouse says very little, outside of one woman who wants to know how the Republic is better than the Nemoidians, but they do attempt to feed Dar and Etain, which I have to say, is generous for the kind of place they’re living in. Or would be, if the family weren’t planning to sell them out & use the food as a distraction.

Dar, honey, she’s going to be able to read you in the Force better than anyone else in the galaxy by the time this is over and you’ll like it, so you might as well just buckle up.

Also, clones are able of discerning thoughts/behavior patterns/moods really easily through minute observation and there’s nothing ruling out Etain doing the same her, but I guess it makes sense he jumps to mind reading the way the Kaminoans built up the Jedi.

Lots of little thoughts here. There’s post to be made based on a conversation I had with rey-skywalkin-away about Etain and food that I’ll save for another day, but for now, let me just say as much as KT tries to present Etain as a picky/snobbish eater, lemme just say that I don’t blame Etain in the least for being suspicious when the last stew Jinart tried to serve her included grains literally picked out of the manure on Etain’s cloak. Also, it’s still kind of sweet that Darman notices she isn’t eating enough and immediately offers her his bread, even though he’s in heaven getting “real” food. It’s generous.

But good things never last, and Etain pretty much immediately is warned by the Force that someone is approaching unexpectedly. Darman flips out and the family immediately flees, which only confirms his suspicion. Dar and Etain brace for combat, while Etain uses Force-sense to pinpoint the incoming enemy forces. It’s actually kind of a great little action scene for the two of them.

“She put her lips so close to his ear he jumped.” Idk, I just giggled at that.

It’s just kind of a great little moment, getting to actually see Etain use her Force skills competently in an action scene. But of course, it immediately devolved. Darman, being raised to be a soldier, kills the one surviving Separatist, who’s injured on the floor. Etain, being raised a Jedi, doesn’t understand. Again, it’s a culture clash, but given the military focus of the books, we know who the narrative thinks is right.

I STILL WANT TO KNOW... who the hell were the clones supposed to be killing on Kamino? I can’t imagine the Kaminoans would let the clones kill even “worthless” Kaminoans, for fear of the armies they were raising getting ideas. I suppose Jango could have snuck back a bounty that was supposed to be dead every now and then, but that wouldn’t be a lot of people for training with 3,000,000 men.

Also, Darman literally had his freak out over killing people on page 56 of this same, book, so it comes off as a tad hypocritical, even though this isn’t the last time he’ll not understand what Etain is upset about wrt killing.

Anyway, Darman is shot in the shoulder, though it’s a minor wound, they’re now on the run with no “safe houses” to hide in, and at the end of this scene, when Darman asks if Etain can sense droids, we find out she can’t when a droid starts shooting at them.

We then skip to Niner and Atin and Fi raiding a quarry for droids/explosives/equipment. I’m not gonna lie, I could care less about the plot of this section. This is my third time reading it and I’m still fuzzy on it. But it has a few fun little moments:

Atin is tricky. Also, I’m pretty sure that if this wasn’t a Star Wars book,that line would say “pants-shittingly nervous” rather than “drink-spilling”. With the facility seemingly cleared out, Niner and Atin go in to loot it, and we build some more on the “Atin is the tech guy” thing.

Except the guard shack isn’t empty. Guta-Nay (again, the would be rapist) has been hiding there, since Hokan wants him dead. Guta-Nay tries offering various bits of information if Niner will keep him alive, and KT really, really leans in to the whole “to stupid to function” thing, which is still making me uncomfortable, but comes to a head a few chapters from now. Eventually, Niner concedes that they’ll take Guta-Nay prisoner rather than kill him. Atin is displeased, but starts leveraging it to try and find a technical solution to one of their other problems.

Niner, you should absolutely keep thinking mean thoughts about Vau.

Atin hacks some droids, and they’re going to use them to move the mining charges and smuggle them into the places that need to be blown up, including the Nemodian comm relay in Tekklet. Atin still does not like Guta-Nay.

And then one bit that really makes this scene:

Tiny bit of foreshadowing for Triple Zero and True Colors. GREAT moment of Fi’s typical sass. “Don’t stand there being so ugly, man. You’re scaring him.”

We then close the chapter with Hokan being pissed that Darman and Etain escaped. I’m not going to spend too much time on it, because it’s mostly Hokan yelling at his subordinates.

Things that are of note, with a CW for a graphic description of mutilation of corpses: this is what Jinart went and did to the collaborators.

As negatively as Traviss paints them, I actually feel really bad for the farmers in this book. She’s not much sympathetic to them, and she explicitly goes out of her way to show why you’d be stupid to sympathize with them, but on the one hand you have the Separatists and Hokan torching these people’s land, selling them into slavery, and executing them. On the other... you have Jinart.

On top of which, they’re literally starving because of the Nemodian’s financial control of their lives. They don’t even have 21st century plumbing, in Star Wars. Whatever point Traviss thinks she’s making about unworthy civilian/local populations, it rings kind of hollow in the face of that information, because I can understand exactly why the NPCs act the way they do, even if they’re technically in opposition to our protagonists.

Anyway, Hokan pulls all droids out of Tekklet, where the comm is, to guard Uthan’s facility. He tells his men he wants either Darman or Etain alive, especially if Etain is a Jedi. Preferably both of them. Again, remember, he tortured Kast Fulier to death with Fulier’s own lightsaber, so remember what we’re working with here.

And that’s where the scene ends.

#Republic Commando #Rev Recaps RepComm #Etain Tur-Mukan #Darman Skirata #Ghez Hokan #Niner Skirata #Atin Skirata

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blackcatanna · 5 years

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LET THE ORGY OF SADNESS CONTINUE: Okita's Route Part 3: Edo Blossoms

I'm very interested to see how this plays out. Tbh, I don't really get this relationship yet but that seems consistent with how I felt before Edo Blossoms in the other routes so, yes, I am excited! :D I hope that Kaoru doesn't die X_X I want at least one route with Kaoru redemption but I am not at all optimistic...

Chapter 1:

"Something else entirely had me preoccupied..." Could it be... one spicy, stabby boi?

Wait, are we... LIVING TOGETHER? 👀

Quick question: do silver bullets affect demons or just furies?

BWWWWAAAARRRP!!! PHYSICAL CONTACT ALARM! "I held his soft, trembling fingers in my hands," Whoa there. Please calm down. I cannot allow this level of unbridled eroticism in my Good Christian Suburb.

In all seriousness, though, I GUESS this is SOMEWHAT sweet and romantic but I want everyone to know that I'm saying this under duress. >:( If I fancied him, this would wring the fuck out of my heart.

"Are you sure? You aren't just saying that?" Glad to see that Doctor Chizuru studied under Doctor Gregory "Everybody Lies" House.

"Why is it that you're always here when I wake up?" If you can't figure it out, I sure as hell am not going to tell you!

"Okita seemed to take pleasure from my surprise, and he stared into my eyes." X_X Of course he did... Because he loves to provoke reactions.

"Answer me." MAKE ME >_<

"looking off to the side in a fit of feigned indifference." < Okita in a nutshell

Is he upset because I said that I was here because of worry and guilt? Because, tbh, fair enough. Those were pretty dumb things to say, making out like it's a burden instead of admitting that I actually like being around him >:(

"Well, I guess that's fine then." X_X Oh, come on! Don't use the f-word on me like that! D:

"She's lying." YAMAZAKI!!! >_<

"Look, I know you can't stop thinking about me, but this whole doting-all-day-and-night thing is tiring." Called. The fuck. Out. X_X

Tbf, it seems kind of hypocritical to be fussing over someone while refusing to let them even inquire about your own health. Plus, it's a very one sided arrangement, which is not healthy X_X

"stop throwing a bitch fit" XD Okita is my new hero :')

"I didn't know that my behaviour became a cause for concern for them, too." Then, perhaps, you are foolish and inconsiderate -_-

O: Okita!?? Did he faint?! O_O

Woo! Going on an adventure with YAM! :)

There had better not be any creepy bald fuckers waiting in mah house! >:(

Are all doctors bald in 1860s Japan????

I'm so happy that Yamazaki's still alive in this route :) TOUCH WOOD.

"*Grunt* *Cough*..." Ah, I knew it was only a matter of time before I caught tb -_- (jk)

No, never split the party! D:

"However the price to pay is life itself." DUN, DUN, DUUUUUUUUUN!!! So much for it granting "immortality"

"the poisonous Water of Life" uh... Isn't that kind of an oxymoron X_X

"Retaining your sanity is impossible without feasting on blood." Ah, so all along, the Shinsengumi were just feeding the furies a poor diet.

O: ):< WHO DARES THUMP MY YAMAZAKI?

Of course. It's fucking Kaoru -_-

Blah blah, sadistic fuckery, blah blah. I'm starting to get real tired of your shit, BROTHER.

"Was he trying to play a trick on me?" -_- probably, yeah.

Wow, that's... Actually pretty helpful? Thanks!?

Okay, the doctor folk have gone! I give Okita delicious blood now? :)

Oh. HE GAWN!!! O:

WHY ARE YOU UP AND DRESSED? >_<

"Sleeping all day is such a drag." True, so DRINK MY BLOOD AND GET BETTER >:(

Bloodlust time :O Good thing I'm a walking blood pack! :D

"How long have you been doing this?" Uh, haven't you been watching over him night and day?

"I wrapped my arms around Okita and held him tight " BWAAAA- Okay, yes, physical contact. Hug = gud >:(

"Pease, drink this " DRINK THE BLOOD >:(

"I could feel his breath brushing across my skin..." o_o Saucy...

Why are the blood drinking descriptions so erotic XD I mean, I'm not complaining but-

Who is this strange, apologetic man?

Blood > Porridge

Heh heh, apparently, Hijikata acts "all hoighty-toighty"

Oooh! Looks like Okita's trying to break free of his diligent YAM nursing...

"I am calm" Okita, last time you said that, you went on a killing spree...

Ooh, I wonder why Yamazaki and Okita don't get along... I remember seeing a picture somewhere with casual Yamazaki abuse in the background...

"Okita was acting like a petulant child, throwing his toys out of the pram..." X_X Sexy...

"Do you think the Shinsengumi still needs me?" HONEY, the Shinsengumi needs all the help it can GET!! O_O

Omg, Yamazaki's threatening to tell on Okita! XD He's playing a dangerous (and childish) game!

Side note: the painting in Okita's room is distracting me because it kind of reminds me of the dead mice my cats bring in on a regular basis.

WAIT, IT'S A FISH!!! X_X A NICE, INNOCENT LITTLE KOI FISHY X_X I need to stop spending so much time with my cats...

"What, already? Can't I stay up just a little longer?" Hakuoki: Mum simulator!

"I'll turn in on one condition..." Oo-er :O

"Okita grinned mischievously, and he peered directly into my eyes." O_O OO-ER!

"My palms became sweaty, and my heart skipped a beat." IT MUST BE LOVE O_O

"Since you're here, mind laying down next to me?" DUN DADA DUN! *fanfare plays* We got there in the end, folks! :D

DON'T YOU DARE SAY NO XD

"That's not a funny joke." True. And the only way to teach him a lesson is to PRETEND to take him seriously by DOING AS HE SAYS >:)

"You're so dense." FACTS.

WELL DONE, CHIZURU, YOU DONE COCK-BLOCKED YERSELF, I said, berating the fictional character as if that's not totally something that I would do in real life ..

"Okita blushed, turning away in embarrassment." O: CTRL+Z CTRL+Z CTRL+Z ):<

"I want to, erm, talk to you for a little bit longer..." Oh, we can "talk" all night long ;)

"Talk...? With me?" But I'm only a stupid woman, huh dur, with naught to say but um and er! Actually, Chizuru does say ""um..." I couldn't think of anything to say" in this route A LOT so maybe FAIR PLAY.

Just realised that I accidentally made a rhyme.

"Okita sighed, frustrated" HONESTLY, ME TOO.

"How clearly do I have to spell this out for you." I'm beginning to wonder that myself. He just wants some company, Chizuru! Is that SO HARD to imagine? X_X

"He began to run his fingers through my hair." Oooh! Physical contact :3 Chizuru = pet cat!

"as the tip of his finger touched my skin, my heart skipped." Yeeeesssss... Feel the thirst flow through you... 3:)

Are we gonna get a thirsty Western uniform pan, now? :P

"I tried facing him directly, but for some reason my heart was thudding in my chest..." :O Oh my! I cannot think of a possible explanation! You should get that checked out! >:P

"you find me sexy right now, don't you?" AH-HAH! >:D Caught red handed!

Ugh, can't believe he tricked me into saying he looks good. >:(

UGH. Doctor Matsumoto still needs to perform a final exam on Okita?! Just let him go already X_X

Wow, has Okita been seething against Hijikata this whole time? That... Can't be healthy -_-

"Okita had the tendency to act rashly and avoid looking at the bigger picture, particularly when Hijikata was involved." No shit. He's going to be such a handful X_X

"You're coming, right?" Of course. I'm not just going to sit around here while everyone I care about gets killed O_O besides, you need my nutritious and delicious blood to keep you nice and healthy ^_^

"she can't keep her eyes off me for long enough, to the point where she'll follow me wherever I go" Yeah, because that's how you win at this game >:P

"Aw, is that some blushing I see? It's the truth." Yup.

"Well, yeah," SHE ADMITTED IT!!! 8D

"So, Yukimura. It appears you have some feelings for Okita, is this true?" OH, FRICKING GREAT!!! NOW I'M BEING INTERROGATED BY MY DAD'S EX- COLLEAGUE ABOUT MY LOVE LIFE X_X IF THE GROUND COULD SWALLOW ME NOW, THAT'D BE GREAT! OKITA IS SUCH A DICK XD

OKITA. STOP.

Doctor, why you gotta be so serious? O:

"Criminy..." Uh... Is that a real word?...

Omg, it is a real word! I have never heard anyone use it but, tbf, this is the 1860s :P

Okita needs to stop saying that every decision that Kondou makes that he doesn't like is because Hijikata "coerced" him. He's a grown man. He can think for himself. Please respect his autonomy X_X This is not healthy.

Uuuuuugh. Kaoru >_< Seriously, get a life!

"I'm here to watch the Shinsengumi flail around like pathetic losers as they watch their friends die." ... KAORU, THAT DOES NOT COUNT AS A HOBBY >_<

"Looks like you made it in time for the show, though. You'll be able to witness the glorious execution of the Shinsengumi's idiot chief." Or, in other words, we arrived in time to try and rescue him >:)

"You look nice. All your little boo-boos patched up?" Uhh... There's a lot to unpack here...

"Okita reveled in the vicious display, allowing Kaoru's blood to shower him as he swung repeatedly at the Demon." O_O Umm... Okita? Maybe CHILL THE FUCK OUT. O_O HE IS MY BROTHER, YOU KNOW?!

Aaaand, seemingly Kaoru's going to milk that fact... -_-

Did he... Stab me in the mouth?!?? What am I looking at here? X_X

Also, why doesn't he just activate his demon form!?!

Wait, is he feeding me the Ochimizu?!

Kaoru says that the water of life will eat away at Okita's body faster than if he'd just succumbed to TB but that's clearly not true if he's living long enough to see the end of the Shinsengumi. Plus, a short life of action is better than spending the rest of your days fading away in a sickbed.

"Okita comforted me with the soft tickle of his hands as they wiped away each tear with a warm touch." :3 Pretty darn wholesome! I will concede this point!

"you're a sweetheart." :3 Thank.

"You're a good girl" And am I supposed to wag my tail at that? X_X

"I... I am in love with Okita." O: Damn, that'll go straight to his head X_X

"more than anything or anyone" not that that's saying much :P Sorry, romantic moment, must resist shit talking urges!

"I believed that if I died, no one would give a shit." </3 O: )': DX Neveeeeeerrrrr!!!!

I prescribe HUG INJECTION >:(

"You look like shit" -_- Way to kill the mood.

"Here, come closer." :D Okay, I forgive you! <3

Oh, he played the uno reverse card on my hug plan :O

"How could I keep myself calm when the man I loved held me delicately in his arms?" BIG. MOOD.

Awe, he didn't kill Kaoru because "my heart knew it didn't want you to hate me..." <3 <3 <3 >.<

"My heart melted." SAME.

Chapter 2:

Damn, we're only on Chapter 2 and things are already getting pretty fluffy...

"Do you want me to sleep next to you?" DO IT. XD I dare you :P

"I wonder if Okita thought of me as nothing more than a silk kimono and a warming stone, as if that was all I could offer..." Girl, come on! Don't sell him short like this! Oh, and tell me more about what you want to offer him 3:)

Well, it looks like blood is the answer, for now O_O

"Y-You're not gonna offer me a-any blood today? Trying to play hard to get?" -_-

"his warm mouth drew my blood into his full, tender lips." X_X Sounds like someone needs a cold shower...

"I'm a diseased freak with no hope for the future." D: Don't say that! Everybody dies eventually! You still have strength to achieve the things you want and we can still be happy together! :'(

"I will be by your side, Okita... No matter what." YUS >:)

SEN!!! <3

"Would it have killed you to at least write us a letter?" O: I'm sorry! X_X

Ha. Bold of you to assume that Kodo's continued research might be in your favour.

"Kondou has surrendered to the Imperial Army." O_O OH FUCK.

And of course Okita is blaming Hijikata X_X

"You are making assumptions, most of which are uninformed" Yeah, you tell him, Sen-bae!

I still don't see why we can't at least try to rescue Kondou >:( Are we just supposed to sit tight and wait for him to be executed?!??

" I'm sure that Kondou would be very unhappy to hear his life was saved at the cost of Okita's." >:( And I'm sure that he would be even more unhappy to hear that Okita spent the rest of his days confined to his bed, in misery and anguish. >:(

The dream was pretty wholesome :'o

I guess protecting the things that are important to Kondou, like his legacy, is more important than protecting Kondou himself. Kondou entrusted his legacy to Okita, and so his efforts might be better spent elsewhere, rather than on rescuing Kondou. :'( That's up to him, though.

HUG ALERT!!! 8D

"No matter how many times he touched me, I couldn't have imagined ever tiring of the sensation..." XD The thirst is real!

"Y'know, ever since you came into my life, I've always given you a hard time..." WHERE IS THE LIE?

These two assholes in each other's arms, like "Welp, I'm not going to give you the satisfaction of telling you that I love you so we're just going to continue this totally not heterosexual hug right now and stfu."

:D I am happy to see Hijikata! However, I know someone who may feel differently -_-

"Would you like me to wake him." O_O Nooooot a good idea, Chizuru!

"Without me to blame, I doubt he'll have anything to motivate him, and I'm worried he'll lose the will to live." :O Hijikata, that's kind of sweet in a fucked up kind of way but you underestimate the power of LOVE >:)

THIS HAD BETTER NOT BE FUCKING KAORU AGAIN!!!

:O Kazama and Amagiri?! I was beginning to think that Kazama had lost interest in me. Or, at least, hoped he had.

"This evening... Isami Kondou was beheaded." I just gasped out loud! Kondou, no! D':

OMG, IS CHIZURU TRANSFORMING INTO A BADASS DEMON?! 8D 8D 8D

"A woman who has sullied herself with the water of life is unworthy of my love. Consider this over." ... IF I KNEW THAT THAT WAS ALL IT TOOK, I WOULD HAVE DRANK THAT FUCKING CONCOCTION YEARS AGO >_<

"You are dead to me." GOOD.

Awe, Okita! :'(

NOW I'M CRYING, TOO D'X Damn this game DX

Chapter 3:

Chasing down the Shinsengumi >:) ... Again! If this is anything like Kazama's route, this is going to be depressing af...

We're like two fuzzy wood creatures, going from cozy spot to cozy spot to snooze in during the day :')

"Be a good girl," >_< Staaaaaahhhp!!!

"They went thattaway!" XD I know that this situation is pretty dire but that sentence makes me chuckle!

"Fight...? You?" Ye bitch! >:) I got me my ochimizu powers now!

"How dare you, you bastard!" UM. YOU ATTACKED US!!! WE WERE TRYING TO HAVE A NAP!

*Slash, slash, squelch, splat* X_X

"Ahahaha! You're just helpless pigs!" -_- Uh, Okita? Calm the fuck down, k? You're starting to sound like Kazama!

"his sadistic display of sword mastery." Yup, they be the right words -_-

Ugh, I got shot. Probably shouldn't have been standing around doing NOTHING X_X

D: I killed a guy! GUYS, CHIZURU JUST STABBED SOMEONE IN THE HEART, COME AND SEE!!! :')

"Chizuru, you're trying to hard." *Hides guide* I don't know what you could possibly mean :) :) :)

:O a kunai?! Could it be... my boy YAM?!

YAM!!! :'D

"I just assumed you died or something." Okita is the queen of tact, as always :')

Wait, Yamazaki, don't stay behind on your own O':

NOOOOOOOOO O_O

YAMAZAKIIIIIIII!!!!

OMG HE'S OKAY!!! 8'D 8'D

"I... Cannot afford to die yet..." Doesn't stop you in most routes, though, does it? X_X

"This doesn't look good..." Oh no! Is he going to succumb to his injuries off screen?! D': Classic Yamazaki D,X

"You've been spying on us for days, and I didn't even notice." :') That's our Yam boy!

Aw, Okita gave Yamazaki the thank you!

I reeeeeaaally don't think that Kondou would want Okita to murder Hijikata X_X

"I am going to be late, but I promise to return." YOU HAD BETTER. >:( DON'T DIE, YAMAZAKI!

Owl <3 Hoot hoot to you too, my friend!

Don't kill Hijikata, you dumbass. -_-

"A penchant for violence" X_X That's Okita all right!

It would be funny if he were drinking from Chizuru's foot, instead... Just, something about the way he's holding her hand invites that image XD

FOR FUCK'S SAKE!!! WHY DOES A BATTLE HAVE TO ERUPT EVERYWHERE WE GO!?!

"Okita grabbed my hand" 8D < Happy Chizuru!

Wait... I'M GETTING BLOODLUST?!? MONSTER CHIZURU IS UNLEASHED >:)

Oh, I guess not. Kinda disappointed, tbh XD

Ugh, can we just catch up to Hijikata already? Let's get this over with.

Wait, his sister was "wedded off to some deadbeat"!?! I wonder how old she was... :/

"I was bullied and given shit all the time." :'(

The CG of Okita giving Hijikata the evils is BEAUTIFUL! X'D

"He was a rich snob" somehow, I doubt that...

Wow, Okita really is seething with passionate jealousy for Hijikata... Even though Kondou gave him the sword X_X

I feel like Kondou's relationship with Hijikata is different enough than Okita and Kondou's that Okita's intense jealousy seems a bit much...

It sort of feels kind of like a kid being jealous of their dad's new girlfriend X_X

MORE HUGS >:D

"Before I knew it, you slithered your way into my heart..." That's a pretty weird but also adorable thing to say X'D SLITHER SLITHER

"And you know just what to say," I KNOW, UNCANNY, RIGHT :) :) :) *hides guide*

"We couldn't help but succumb to the hypnotic lull of our passionate embrace." XD Does this mean a fade-to-black is coming :P

I love that their following Hijikata tracks like they're hunting the wild Hijikata beast XD

Is he all alone?

Oh, he has a bodyguard XD

Really inappropriate time to mention this but this route makes Hijikata seem more attractive to me than before XD Maybe it's because of the contrast with Okita's sadistic, violent, volatile side... Maybe it's because he seems more vulnerable when being berated by Okita, idk XD Leave Hijikata alone, Okita!

"You could have saved him!" But Hijikata has RESPONSIBILITIES. He can't just abandon his men and their cause to save Kondou, even if he wanted to :'(

"I COULDN'T!!!" Yeah, you tell him, Hijikata >:(

OKITA, DON'T PUNCH HIS BEAUTIFUL FACE!!! I mean, uh... XD

Wait, we're not going with the Shinsengumi?! O_e

"Hijikata's a real dumbass, don't you think?" -_- .......NO!

Kondou reading to tiny Okita = mega cuteness!

"If I never met Kondou, there's no doubt in my mind that I'd be waaaaay more cuckoo than I am now." And nobody, NOBODY WANTS TO SEE THAT O_O

"You and Kondou are pretty similar" Obviously, that's a compliment and I'm super flattered but I reeeeeaaally hope that this relationship isn't just because Chizuru reminds him of Kondou XP

"My heart suddenly melted in my chest." What, again!?! Chizuru's heart had been through A LOT during this route -_-

"To be fair, it was a little strange of Okita to compare a woman he loved to a man he viewed as a father..." <<< See?! :P

Skipping off, hand in hand :')

Chapter 4:

Aw, tiny Chizuru sadness flashback </3

It's unthinkably awful, what happened to the village, but revenge =/= genocide.

Chizuru, y u lie? -_-

"There were men who took pleasure from their evil deeds." And demons, too... And Okita, to an extent XD

Ugh, I bet Kaoru's gonna sneak up on me while Okita's gone and be all, "Yeeeeesssss.... Give in to your anger... Feel the hate flow through you..." Fucking annoying hate goblin child.

OH, LOOK WHO IT IS!!!

"You're a real bitch, you know that?" Oh, I'M A BITCH??!! Sure thing, tiny asshole. -_-

"At long last, we can come together. We can be the siblings were born to be." ... Happy and free from the burdens of hate and bitterness? O_O

"We are going to massacre the evil forces conspiring within this country, for the good of our people." ... What people? The dead ones? Yeah, I'm sure they'll be reeeeeeaaal grateful from their graves. Sounds like you just want an excuse to torment some humans, you sadistic piece of shit -_-

"Suddenly, I craved blood..." OH HO!

"I... I craved Okita's blood..." 'Sonly fair >:P

"my entire body screamed to tear Okita limb from limb." 8O Yikes.

I... Kinda want to know what happens if I give in to the bloodlust... 😏

Buuuuut I gotta endure it. Damn.

Oh, it's cold up North, is it? ;P What can we possibly do to stay warm in bed?

PENGUIN HUDDLE is hopefully the answer.

<3 :D Looking up at the stars together!

"I want to make your wishes come true. All of them..." :D Okita is every girl's dream sexy murder genie :)

""If you still plan on walking away from me and everything you have..." Okita reached his hand to me kindly." :) :) :)

"Then, I will kill you " FFS XD THIS BITCH!!!

I bet we're gonna kiss now or something. Damn that sexy murder genie X_X

Oh, no kissing, just crying XD That's... Actually more appropriate, even if they are happy tears :')

O WAIT, "I grabbed ahold of him madly" ...

SMOOCHY SMOOCHY >:)

"For once in my life, I felt whole," Awe </3 "the thought of which nearly brought my tears." BITCH, UR ALREADY CRYING XD

"each breath between our zealous smacking grew more strained and sensuous." O_e ... Uh, what did I just read? XD XD XD

"now that Kondou's gone... I only have one reason to fight." Uh... I have a feeling that it's a Chizuru reason... He really needs to find his own motivations, instead of just attaching himself to the causes of people who give him attention. Okay, that was a bit harsh. X_X I'm sorry, Okita!

"How about another kiss, huh?" "B-but, um... W-we just kissed..." ... SO!?! GIRL, YOU KNOW YOU'RE HOT FOR HIM!

"I'm askin' you if you'll have me or not." ... When he says "have", does he mean . . .

"Well, I think there's a time and place for everything." ... Damn. Is this game suggesting that if I say yes, I'm a slut and he'll think less of me? XP BOOOOOOO!

"Watching you squirm like that makes me want to play with you even more." XD As I predicted: Big Dom Energy!

"As long as I will live, I will crave your touch..." *Munches popcorn* Just screw, damn it!

"Our plump lips smeared against one another, and he pulled at a fistful of my hair, drawing me deeper into him as he bit forcefully into my lower lip." :O ... Kinky! >:P I totally called it XD

"I do not mind putting up with anything you might do to me, Okita." How... Romantic?? O_e Just admit that you're horny, Chizuru! There's no shame, I swear!

"I bet when I'm gone, you'll sob like a baby." :'O YES. OBVIOUSLY. >:'(

"Okita spooned me," Classic XD

Ew, Kodo.

"You look pale. Please do not tell me that you have been refusing to drink blood." XD Thanks for your concern...

Bless Okita for offering himself as an all-you-can-eat buffet X_X

"If I were to commit to this relationship, then it meant I needed to separate myself from my family." DRAMAAAA! :D *Pulls out another bag of popcorn*

"I have no desire to carve a life that comes at the expense of hurting others." PREACH B)

#hakuoki #hakuouki #okita #okita souji #edo blossoms #LONG #SALT #otome adventures #SO MANY WORDS #I DIDN'T KNOW THAT TUMBLR HAD A WORD LIMIT BUT I GUESS I FOUND IT #Tune in for part 4 #i have an addiction

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finditagain24 · 4 years

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Chump by FinditAgain

Shadowhunters fic; Lily Chen & Simon Lewis

Her lips were painted a deep bloody red and it looked a lot more intimidating than the bags of literal blood scattered about the tabletop.

____________

(Read on AO3)

A thick crimson liquid poured out of the bottle and slowly down into the six shot glasses perched on the table.

“All right, hot shot.” Lily Chen, Simon’s designated death mentor for the week (his words not Raphael’s) was the one doing the pouring. She smirked at him from across his seat in the Dumort’s bar, deserted except for the two of them. “Are you ready to do this?”

“All signs point to no .”

Her lips were painted a deep bloody red and it looked a lot more intimidating than the bags of literal blood scattered about the tabletop. What was Simon’s life?

For a vampire who was at least a hundred years old, Lily was pretty cool. Sure, she had that homicidal glint in her eye that most of Raphael’s clan had somehow inherited. But she was also really funny, one of the few people in the Shadow world who understood his cultural references, and a total badass.

Lily was lively in a way no one else could be around the gloomy hotel, and out of all of the characters roaming about the Dumort, she was probably his second favorite.

Maybe Raphael was the first, when he wasn’t being a dick.

She fiddled with the straw in the transparent reusable bottle of blood she carried around everywhere, delivering an exasperated sigh and shaking her dark hair. When she moved her head the bright pink strips in her hair shone against the low lights of the bar.

“Don’t be such a wuss.”

“What I am is a lightweight, okay? I know what I’m about.“ He tapped his fingers on the table, trying to focus on the amused glint in her eyes and not the tantalizing smell of fresh blood.

“Last time one drink knocked me out for the whole night, and I promised I’d be at the Institute early tomorrow.”

“Oh no, are the angels going to get mad at the little baby waby?” she mocked, twisting her fists in the quintessential hand gesture for a cry baby .

“Shut up.”

“Come on Simon, we’re the only ones on home base duty tonight and I'm bored ,” she said. “One good old fashioned game of Quarters to bond with your favorite dazzling beauty. What could it hurt?”

His eyes drifted from her exaggerated pout down to the bags she’d used to fill up the bottle and back, considering.

“Loser refills the blood bank?”

She graced him with a wide grin that incuded a dangerous showing of teeth. “Good choice.”

There were coins already waiting in her hand. She took one and flung it against the table, managing to bounce it off the hard surface and into an empty shot glass sitting almost at the edge.

Of course she won on the first try, flipping back her hair as she nudged the drink towards him. Taking the glass in hand, he tipped his head back and swallowed. The blood reached Simon’s throat and went down in one smooth gulp.

“Shit that’s good,” he chased the tangy taste of the blood by licking his lips. This was clearly the quality stuff the hid from the fledgelings.

Lily laughed with mirth before slurping blood straight from her bottle. She wasn’t even phased by pre-gaming her drinks, knowing she would beat Simon every time until she had finished having her fun. He knew it too, but sometimes it was fun to play along with her teasing. It was one of the things that made him feel like he was finally part of the Clan.

“Isn’t that better than going to some boring Institute?” she fiddled with her metal straw again. “Shadowhunters are the worst. Do they even know how to get plasma?”

“I don’t think they have any blood in the Institute.”

“ What ?” she managed to convey disgust with her tone of voice while slinging both legs on top the table, her intimidating platform boots swinging out on to the edge.

“The audacity of those wannabe Neo’s! Why even go there when they’re so inconsiderate?”

Simon couldn’t help the onslaught of tenderness at the sight of her indignant face. The New York vampires thought the shadowhunters were entitled and had not so subtly let him know they didn’t appreciate how the nephlim treated Simon most days.

“They’re my friends,” he shrugged, and yet he was maybe starting to see the Clan’s point on some things. Like meeting the shadowhunters at the Institute so much, for one, seeing as how unwelcoming of a place it was for Downworlders.

It was true, but still he felt kind of odd just thinking about it. Simon wasn’t usually one to rock the boat when it came to Clary and their friends. And he really wasn’t one to listen to the vampires.

Well, not to Raphael anyway.

It was just that Raphael made everything so formal, all about the Clan and honor. But Lily got right to the human side of it.

“Is this about Jason?”

“Ja- Do you mean Jace ?”

“Yeah, the leathery one.” Which Simon thought was kind of hypocritical of her, considering the black leather jacket she herself sported on a daily basis.

“Why would it be about Jace?”

“No reason,” she eyed him coyly, then bounced a quarter and somehow landed it straight into the cup without ever looking away from his face.

“You know, back in the twenty’s we would call someone like you a chump,” she grinned and did the trick again, making that two more shots for him and none for her.

“Yeah well we still say that today,” he knocked back one shot after the other, only three more to go, “we also still say things like swindle and conman .”

Lily grinned, showing the tips of her razor sharp fangs. “That’s low baby, least you can do is call me a con artist .”

Oh man, he was going to have one hell of a hangover in the morning.

#Lily Chen #simon lewis #shadowhunter tv #the shadowhunter chronicles #shadowhunters #hotel dumort #vampires #finditagain24 #my fic #hmdiscord

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gaytoxe · 5 years

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oumota in game number 2?

2. I don’t think I can do this anymore.

Bye

Momota stares up at the ceiling of the bathroom with a grimace, pressed up against the wall as blood dribbles down his chin. He breathes heavily, and the bubbling urge to cough once more as the maroon liquid embedded inside his throat and veins threatens to jump and escape the confines of his lips.

Teeth clenched together and beads of sweat sticking to his body, the moment he opens his mouth he’s a hacking mess, the pain in his voice bouncing off the tiles as blood splatters onto the floor and onto his already dirtied clothes; it reminds him of a paint splatter an artist makes by mistake.

Because everything right now is a fucking mistake, and he’s not sure why he decided to trust the boy that enters the bathroom with a tray and a glass of water.

It’s Ouma, and he’s wearing a kind of smile that’s scary but in indescribable pain. Something Kaito is all too familiar with.

“Momota-chan can’t go dying on me,” he says, placing the tray down on the floor and holding out the glass to him.

Kaito scoffs and crosses his arms. “I don’t need your fucking water.”

“You’ll be needing it pretty soon when—” Ouma is cut off when blood bubbles in Kaito’s throat and he coughs once again, blood rushing like water and dripping onto the floor.

“—that happens.”

Kaito knows he’s right, but he refuses to take any help from him, trying to grasp the small thread of pride he has left. He tries to believe that he’ll be okay, that he doesn’t need his help, even if he’s aware he’ll have to accept it soon.

Kaito never actually thought about death. He always believed he’d get out somehow.

But now he’s up against the wall, the only thing keeping him going is the unwavering determination to survive and escape with everyone else.

They need him. He’s not going to just leave them behind.

His tired lilac eyes meet Ouma’s, and he bores right into them to try and find any emotion at all besides the look he’s giving him. But he stares right back, and a tense and heavy air fills the space between them.

Finally, Ouma steps back.

“Momota-chan’s such a hypocrite. Always telling people not to lie when he’s been lying this entire time,” he tells him accusingly, not even hesitating once. “He thinks he has to try so hard to be a hero, but you don’t believe half the words that your big mouth says, do you?”

Kaito grits his teeth because he knows it’s true and he knows he’s starting to break down.

“I— I fucking know that,” he grumbles quietly with a gravelly voice as it becomes harder to breathe.

“Hmm? What was that?” Ouma asks in a sickeningly innocent tone, contradicting how he sounded just before.

“Shut the fuck up.”

Ouma lets out a laugh that’s mixed with venom but also a hint of pain as he clutches his arm. Harukawa’s arrow is still pierced through, and it’s sickening to stare at it.

He remembers the jolt of pain that rushed through him when he stepped in to save him, to save Ouma. And he knows he doesn’t want him to die; hell, Momota doesn’t want to die either.

Every single goddamn second he’s sitting there doing nothing is another second the voice in his head tells him he’s being weak. And he hates it.

Even so, he says, “Come here,” and gestures to his punctured arm. “Leaving the arrows in there isn’t gonna do you any good. You got any medical kits around here?”

Ouma gazes at him for a moment, skeptical, before he leaves the room for a few moments, leaving him in silence.

Kaito isn’t sure why he offered, but there’s a shared sense of suffering between them that he understands to a great degree and decides he can’t just ignore.

Soon enough, Ouma’s messy purple hair pops into the room and he plops down in front of Momota, handing him a first aid kit.

“Better make it quick, Momota-chan. I have evil plans to attend to.”

“Uh-huh.”

Momota notes that there isn’t any blood spilling from Ouma’s wound anymore, guessing that the blood clotted and the arrow stopped it. He hopes it did, at least.

Applying pressure to Ouma’s arm and gently pulling the arrow out, he hears him wince and whine, “That hurts, Momota-chan!”

“Of course it fucking hurts. You got shot with an arrow,” Kaito fires back, finally removing it and opening the kit. He presses a pad to the wound, wrapping bandages around to keep it in place.

He’ll have to remove the arrow from Ouma’s back too, he realizes, and he wonders if he’s skilled enough in the health class him and all the other astronauts took to learn basic first aid in case of emergencies.

“The one on your back,” he starts, “is probably gonna hurt a shit ton more.”

Ouma nods slowly in acceptance and says, “I know,” and spins around so his back is facing him, showing the wound up close.

It’s bloody and it’s right towards the middle, sticking out in a sickly way; just like a flag to scream “fuck you, I’m poisoned”. So much so that Momota wonders how he can even stand it at that point.

Nonetheless, he tries his best to remove it as painless as possible; even though jerking it out would be the least painful, Kaito figures it’ll just open the wound even further.

Fingers coiling around the arrow, he slowly begins to remove it, applying pressure to where it pierced his body and trying not to listen to the groaning that Ouma lets out.

Even if it’s him, Momota will always find someone else’s pain ultimately heart wrenching.

He quickly lifts up Ouma’s shirt and presses another pad to his back, but his hands begin to shake from the sight. He feels so much more than from before even if it’s only from examining it, and he hesitates.

If he had intervened earlier, he wonders, would they have ever been in this situation in the first place?

His shaking hand remains on Ouma’s wound, and he slowly wraps bandages around his back and secures them before he slowly retracts his hand, pulling his shirt back down.

“You feel any better?” he finally asks, his gaze glued to the blood that stains Ouma’s shirt.

“As better as being shot in the arm and back with posion arrows can be,” Ouma sneers in response and turns his head back to look at him, beads of sweat on his face.

They bore into each other’s eyes for a moment that lasts a little too long, and Kaito knows that same feeling of agony that slowly eats away at the two of them; a slow pain that can’t be helped.

Then he wonders why Ouma gave him the antidote of all people if it would hurt so bad. He didn’t have to endure the poison if he really just drank it himself and left Kaito to die because of Harukawa’s poison arrow.

He had the opportunity to make him suffer, but he chose not to.

“Why—” Kaito clears his throat and tries to focus his gaze on Ouma’s face, “—did you give me the fucking antidote?”

A creepy grin spreads across Ouma’s face to replace the glare he dawned before and he replies, “I have a plan for you, Momota-chan.”

The same memory of the bathroom fills Kaito’s mind as his hand hovers over the button to really, truly and finally close the press for good.

“What are you waiting for?” Ouma’s voice rings out in his ears and he flinches. “It’s— it’s really starting to get harder to move.”

His words stab Kaito’s heart with the sharpest knife he’s ever known and he gulps, but a realization comes to mind and he lets out a shaky exhale.

The words I don’t think I can do this anymore fill his mind.

And then he mentally slaps himself. He owes him. He owes Ouma for saving his fucking life instead of drinking the antidote and leaving Kaito to die without any consequences.

So he has to carry out the plan, no matter what.

“I’m— I’m gonna fucking miss you, Ouma. There are so many things I don’t know about you, and— fuck. It’s all gotta end right here and now, but goddamnit there’s just a gut feeling that makes me wanna believe we wouldn’t be the same kinda enemies towards each other out of this fucking game,” Kaito admits with a shaking voice, his hand beginning to shake again as he clenches his teeth.

Ouma scoffs gently, but a smile spreads across his face.

“Maybe,” he agrees, and then his expression darkens. “But that’s not what matters now. Harukawa-chan is going to become the culprit soon. You don’t want that, do you?”

“Right,” Kaito mutters, “I fucking know.”

He pauses, leaving the hangar in silence as his hand slowly inches to the red button, lilac eyes flooding with regret.

“Bye, Ouma.”

“See you, Momota-chan.”

And then he presses the button. And he starts the camera. And he pulls and destroys the cords of the press.

And as he drops his scarf into the toilet, flushing it down, he thinks of all the other things he could’ve said to him; all the things he could’ve done to stop this.

Because he doesn’t just want a goodbye.

He wants understanding.

All the sacrifices Ouma really made become so clear in Kaito’s mind that he’s tearing up as he releases terrible hacks and coughs, the same painter’s mess of red spilling onto the bathroom floor.

And two invisible hands, ones that are smaller than his, clench at his heart, holding onto him.

For some reason, they remind him of Ouma.

#angst #kaito momota #kokichi ouma #oumota #my writing

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cupcakemolotov · 5 years

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Hunt Me Wild

Here is a thing I have been poking back and forth for a bit on my computer. Finally wrapped it up! No smut here, so sfw, though there are some mentions of violence and torture, and I play with a lot fae magic.

The man who had so rudely sat down across from her was startlingly attractive. Tumbling curls and glittering eyes, his full lips were curled into a small smile that hinted at dimples in his cheeks. The suit he wore was perfectly cut, and she appreciated his lack of tie. But it was the monster sitting so dangerously beneath his skin that pricked at her instincts.

Predator, her secret heart whispered, not prey.

"I believe you're at the wrong table," Caroline drawled, head tipping to the side as she studied him. She doubted he'd sat anywhere other than where he’d intended, and any other night she might have indulged his brashness. Particularly since she’d already taken care of potential eavesdroppers with the slightest touch of magic.

But it'd been a long evening, and she wasn’t in the mood for company. Caroline loved her job, adored the chaos of her galleries, but hiding what sat in the marrow of her bones was exhausting. Particularly when she’d gone months without movement on her current hunt.

Tonight, she’d wanted the churn of people without the need to actually interact with anyone. That meant getting rid of her unexpected guest. No matter how good looking. But instead of leaving, his smile deepened, amusement enhancing the bladed edge of him.

"My apologies, love, but you're a difficult woman to track down." Caroline swirled her wine glass, gaze narrowed. She knew with absolute certainty that he couldn't sense her monster, not through the spells she wore against her skin. He didn’t stink of witch, and the magic that marked him as supernatural tasted faintly of old blood. There were only so many reasons why a creature of his power would be interested in speaking to her, and that knowledge scraped across her temper like sandpaper.

"And what is your apology for?" Caroline flicked her gaze across the lines of his face before scanning the immediate area, her tone cool. "Ruining my evening?" He glanced around as well, something undeniably arrogant in those eyes before he met her gaze again. "Well now, I'd hardly say ruined as we've yet to receive the first course. And while I'd have gone with a different red, perhaps you'll allow me to choose the second bottle, hmm?"

She made a low noise of dissent. "No.”

His dimples flickered, eyes amused. “Next time, then.”

Definitely arrogant. Caroline wasn’t sure if she wanted to find him amusing or bite him. Maybe both. “Since you've clearly arranged this little meeting for a purpose, tell me why I should ignore your rudeness and listen.”

And not kick up a the kind of fuss that would require witches to hide the results.

Intensity prickled along her skin as blue of his eyes darkened at her challenge, his gaze dipping to study her lips for a heartbeat. "Let's call tonight's dinner an opportunity. " "An opportunity for who?" She asked with arched brows, setting her wine glass down and straightening her spine. There was something about this monster, but curiosity wouldn't keep her at this table for much longer. He chuckled low and delighted, reaching for the bottle of her favorite Malbec he’d disparaged earlier.

As if the act was a silent signal, a waiter appeared with a plate of carpaccio. Her usual order when she needed to soothe the darker parts of her soul. That this man had been watching her did not sit well with her beast.

Caroline did not take kindly to being hunted.

Not anymore.

“My name is Klaus,” he said when she made no move to reach for the food, his eyes sharp and calculating. “I’m sure you’ve heard of me?”

Caroline blinked. Klaus Mikaelson was a name she’d heard over the centuries. More often now, as the vampires had grown in numbers. However...

Frowning slightly, she let herself study him closer, a hint of her truth peering from behind her eyes. She could see the immortality grafted to his cells, the magic that lived in the stolen blood of him. But vampirism hadn’t shaped his bone and marrow, that was an older magic. A magic that she recognized almost as easily as her own.

She saw no point in pretending ignorance.

“Klaus Mikaelson? I thought you were supposed to be a vampire.” This was something else. The potential was trapped, handicapped by magic that wove through him like a vice, but it existed.

Like recognized by like.

Klaus’ smile was slow and pleased, his dimples on full display. “I confess, love, when I was told of your existence, I was quite certain they had exaggerated your talents. It seems I was wrong to doubt. Not even a witch could have managed your earlier spell with quite the level of subtlety.”

So he could sense magic.

“I am not a pretty party trick,” Caroline said softly, voiced edged in dangerous warning. “And the number of witches who know of what I am are very few and far between. Who helped you?”

“‘Helped’ is not quite the word that I would choose,” he said thoughtfully. “And I meant no offense. In all my centuries, the truth of your existence has not reached my ears in so much as a whisper. Hellhounds were nothing more than a myth far older than anything I’ve encountered in this world. That you are so lovely does not take away from the truth of you, love.”

She brushed the compliment to the side. The Fae empire would never have allowed something they considered hideous to survive, and what few true hellhounds still existed were the result of years of magical torture and breeding. Whatever part of her genetic makeup had been human had all but disappeared beneath the magic and intent of her once slavers. Her face, her true face, was a weapon and nothing more.

“Perhaps there are good reasons that those who knew of our existence chose not to speak of us,” Caroline murmured. “And what, did you imagine glowing red eyes and a foul odor? Humans are notoriously unreliable in their descriptions.”

“I expected very little,” Klaus said easily, unbothered by the sharpness in her gaze. “But it is so very unusual for creatures with power to stay so fully in the shadows.”

Caroline laughed at him, finally reaching for a slice of her appetizer. Shaking her head as she swallowed, she reclaimed her wine glass. “Now that is quite hypocritical coming from you. Have you not spend centuries disappearing for decades at a time?”

He tipped his head in acknowledgement, eyes unblinking as he watched her. “I have my reasons.”

“Oh, I’m sure you do,” she replied, unconcerned. “Who were the witches?”

“Dead,” Klaus murmured. “Very dead.”

Caroline sighed. The other side could be such a bother, but there were other ways to deal with those Qetsiyah had banished to mindless boredom for the length of their existence. She was not bound to this realm, and the newly dead had a particular scent about them. Easy enough to hunt. But there was no reason to give away all her secrets to this monster. Deciding she was hungry, she reached for the rest of the appetizer and she let herself bait him in return.

“And what, Klaus Mikaelson, is so important that you find yourself chasing old myths and legends?” She gave him a cutting smile. “And more importantly, interrupting my dinner?”

“The witch who spoke of your existence was rather… chatty. Even when I had my fingers curled around her lungs, she managed to find an inordinate amount of air to prattle with.” Klaus shook his head, the hint of amusement in the corners of his mouth not entirely false. “We had a number of topics that needed to be discussed, but the only interesting tidbit she could offer was you.”

Caroline considered that as she chewed. “Me or my existence?”

Klaus smiled slightly, as if she’d passed some unknown test. “You, specifically, I’m afraid. Your ability to hunt was secondary.”

“Myth does paint us as the instigators of the Wild Hunt,” Caroline said pleasantly as she pushed the empty plate away.

“And are you?”

“Once upon a time,” she admitted freely, seeing no harm in confirming those details. When they’d stolen their magic back from the Fae courts, the hunt had become something else entirely. It was theirs again. “But that was a long time ago.”

This time his smile was sharp, dimples bracketing sin and a fascinating darkness she would have liked to trace with her fingertips. The slight flicker of his gaze told her that he’d noticed, but neither of them spoke as the waiter collected the dishes from the first course.

“I take it you decided upon the main course as well then?” Her words were snippy, but it didn’t seem to bother him.

“Arranged directly with the chef,” he murmured, tongue flicking over his lips as she sighed in exasperation. That indulgent amusement and what might have been his own fascination was open on his face as he reached into his suit jacket. Brows arching as he produced a photograph, she frowned a little as she recognized her work.

She’d sold this particular piece in Dallas, three years prior. “Are you a collector of photography, Klaus?”

“I enjoy many mediums of artwork,” he said easily. “Photography less than painting, of course, but you have an exquisite eye for emotion. Which is why your work has puzzled me for months, Caroline.”

Lips curling, she arched a single brow. “How so? Not used to studying humanity?”

He chuckled at the bite in her words as he reached for the wine and topped off her glass. “The photograph is lovely, but the subjects, the medium? You constantly change them. Unusual, for someone in your field.”

“I like a challenge,” Caroline returned. “It’s harder, don’t you think, to frame a single moment in a picture that speaks rather than futzing about with paint and oil? I find painting to be quite boring.”

A hint of charm, as his lips curved. “But it’s not just a matter of boredom, is it? You’re hunting, love.”

Intrigued by the accuracy of his guess, she tipped her head. There was a challenge there, a hint of a dare for her to try to deny it. “And what am I hunting?”

His finger tapped by the edge of the picture, and Caroline let her eyes lower linger on the memory. She had taken the photo in New York City. It was just one of thousands like it. But this one alone had been different, and her beast stirred in approval that he might have noticed why, however impossible it should have been. The human who had bought the photo had no reason to think that he’d paid for a memento of the last day the subject of her work had lived.

No one did.

Klaus’ eyes met hers when her gaze lifted, something stark and bladed watching her from behind the pretty shield of his lashes. “Tell me, sweetheart, do visuals help you stalk your prey?”

“Not always,” Caroline said after a moment, deciding she could be indulgent. “ “But sometimes.”

Magic was such an interesting thing. Far glamours were harder to hide in old mirrors, but it was photography that striped a face bare for her magic. The more precise the pixels had become, the better her ability to see clearly through magic.

But not quite always.

Klaus, she knew, could not see the true perfection of the face near his fingertips, that the delicately pointed ears and narrow jawline. This one had grown careless with his magic and he had stood out in her photos like a beacon.

“Is that what you’ve come to ask of me? That I hunt someone for you?”

“I have come to seek a bargain.”

Caroline leaned back against the wood of her chair as interest stirred in her chest. His wording had been deliberate, she knew. Old magic flickered between them, and the truth of him sat on the tip of her tongue. If he did this, she’d be able to find him no matter where he tried to hide from her. She wondered if he understood that. “And what do you think you have to offer me, Niklaus Mikaelson? I have no use for your money, I have my own. You are no witch to offer a magical trade. While I suppose your minions could be amusing they are generally quite stupid.”

A flash of dimples, but his gaze never wavered. “My minions have their uses, even if their lives are quite short. I imagine you could find your own use or two for them, if necessary.”

She snorted. “Unlikely.”

Klaus lifted a shoulder. “Perhaps not, then. But that is not what I have come to offer. Tell me, sweetheart, how many of the Fae who held your kind captive for so many centuries still exist?”

Caroline’s gaze narrowed, beast shoving against her skin. For a moment, she felt the world sharpen, knew that he could almost see the truth of her beneath her own glamour. Faint, barely perceptible veins crawled briefly beneath Klaus’ eyes in response, but they disappeared as she forced her beast down. “No witch told you that.”

“No.” He murmured, voice low and faintly touched with gravel.

Fed up with the game, she leaned forward and let her hound rumble beneath her words. “What do you want?”

“I’m hunting a doppelganger,” Klaus said without blinking. “A witch has hidden her, and I want her found.”

A flicker of understanding cut through her rising temper. “I thought your Sun and Moon curse was nonsense.”

His gaze narrowed. “Interesting that you came to that conclusion.”

Caroline shrugged, unwilling to discuss how she knew the truth. “As I said, your minions can be quite stupid.”

“Find me the doppelganger,” Klaus said softly, voice honed in iron. “And I will bend my considerable resources to helping you root out your lingering enemies.”

She leaned forward and studied the picture between them again, fingers lifting to skim the edge of the photo. “Tell me, Klaus. What do you see when you look at this picture?”

A slight narrowing of his eyes but his gaze lowered to the photo that sat between them. Head canting to the side, he made no flippant remark as she spun the glossy paper around, giving him a clear view of the street in New York.

“Power,” he said after a long moment, words soft, calculating. “You kept him deliberately out of immediate focus, letting the viewers eyes linger instead on other subjects, but it is there. In his posture, the angle of his shoulders. Easily mistaken for human arrogance, but so very few humans look at the world in such a way.”

“Not bad,” Caroline agreed before opening her hand in a silent invitation. Something quicksilver and dangerous moved behind his eyes, but he threaded his fingers through hers, something arrogant and proprietary in his hold. She let her magic loose, just a little, so he could feel the bite of it. His cheekbones sharpened, jaw going tight, and she smiled with teeth.

“And now?”

He went still beneath her fingers and magic, but he did not flinch away from the terrible purity of the face now before him. If anything, the calculation and hint of danger from him only intrigued her more. She found herself wondering if he wore a similar expression in bed and if he focused with the same intensity on his partner.

“I do not need your help hunting my prey,” Caroline told him as she tried to tug her hand free. Her gaze narrowed as he continued to hold her hand, his eyes returning to hers. “They are mine. And while there are other ways to find them, patterns even someone without sight could use once they understood what they were looking for, we enjoy our chase. It may span centuries yet, but with each death, we slowly close that gap. One day, they will truly be only myth, the truth of their existence wiped free from the universe.”

All of the realms would be clean, but this strange monster did not need to know that. Not yet. Particularly when he still hadn’t released her hand. His thumb ran a tantalizing line across her knuckles as he considered her words.

“We?”

She laughed softly, finally tugging her hand free as the waiter approached with their main course. The smell of actual food, meat and cheese and pasta, had her stomach rumbling and it allowed her almost ignore the way his touch lingered against her skin.

“Tell me why you want the doppelganger.”

Klaus’ eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“That is my bargain. You will tell me the truth of your curse and then if I agree to help you, you will owe me one favor of my choosing.” She studied her mostly empty bottle of wine and caught the eyes of the waiter, motioning for him to bring another. “You will have until I finish desert to make it interesting.”

She wanted to know the truth of the wolf in his veins and why it was trapped there. She also found herself intrigued by him, this monster who’d hunted her through her prey and been smart enough to see patterns lost among the masses. But there was no point in telling him that just yet.

“Is that so?”

There was a blade there, a hint of the violence that lived so openly beneath his skin. Caroline wondered what he would think when he realized she liked that side of him almost more than those intriguing flashes of charm. “If you didn’t order dessert, then no deal.”

Klaus leaned back and studied her, gaze hard. “And what do I receive in return for such information? The scales seem a bit unbalanced, do they not?”

She picked up her fork. “Since there seems to be a lack of convenient witches at hand to torture for information about you, one could argue that I am merely balancing the scales.”

A faint noise of derision. “You did not need a witch to tell you of my existence.”

“But whatever they told was enough for you to hunt me,” Caroline said cooly, her beast flickering through her words. “I am not prey.”

A tip of his head, an acknowledgment of her warning. “Three questions.”

“I will ask you whatever questions I want.”

A hint of that wicked smile tugged at his lips. “I suppose you will. No, Caroline. I will give you the story you seek, answer those questions of yours. In return, you will answer three questions of mine, no matter if you agree to my hunt or not.”

Caroline picked up her fork and took a careful bite of what Klaus had ordered for her. It was delicious. Taking another bite, she turned over his demand, considered the angles. She liked that he was pushing back, but she sensed that giving in too easily would set a precedence she didn’t want. Klaus was used to taking. “I will answer your questions depending on what you ordered for desert.”

His laughter was real, this time. Head shaking, he gave her an open look of such heat, she felt her cheeks warm beneath the careful illusion that kept her truth carefully hidden. “If you’re dissatisfied with desert, I will happily pay recompense in other ways, should you like.” The heat in his eyes left no doubt as to what he was offering. “Three questions, Caroline. That is my stipulation.”

She could say no. But as he sat across from her, his wicked offer lingering between them, she decided she could give him this one thing. “If you must.”

“I must.”

Catching sight of the waiter approaching with her wine, she reached for the bottle and emptied it into her glass. “Then I suppose you should start explaining, hmm? And Klaus? Don’t lie to me.”

His eyes gleamed. “And where would you like me to start?”

She leaned forward with a smile, the edge of her teeth gleaming in the light. “Tell me about your wolf.”

If she liked his answers as much as she was finding she liked him, she might even let him demonstrate some of his earlier suggested recompense, regardless of how delicious she found desert. She did so love a good story.

And if it brought a new hunt with it…

All the better.

But Klaus didn’t need to know that, just yet.

#my fic #klaroline #klaroline fanfic #klaroline drabbles

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