#but it would be cool if they just started sprouted up when i was nervous or something like accidentally using magic without realizing

[karda]

mlp realness

[sunflowersteves]

kinktober day 003 — first bj

pairing || carmen berzatto x f!reader

summary || Carmen knew you were a bit inexperienced, so what better way than to show you how?

author’s note || first day of kinktober for me!! ❥ i hope you all enjoy as much as I did writing for carmen again. I haven't written anything in like,,, three months?? wowwow

warnings || fluff, inexperienced reader, SMUT, oral sex, blowjob, praise kink, [18+ only]

kinktober masterlist

Carmy could tell you were nervous.

There was something about the way that you looked out the window of the car. There was a certain shine in your eyes that didn’t really match the expression on your face.

He looked away from the road in a quick glance. A hand flew through his hair and his fingers only tangled the curls even more. He bites his lip as the endless amount of scenarios crowded into his brain.

What were you thinking? Were you thinking about him? Was it bad? Did he fuck something up at the restaurant?

His mind was only getting louder at the soft quiet sounds of the car continuing to roll onto the asphalt. He couldn’t take it much longer—especially as he took another glance at you.

He pulled the car over and shifted the gear into park.

“Carmy? What are you—”

He turned to stare at you, blue eyes entirely wide.

“Do you not like me?” He huffed out. “B-Because I wouldn’t mind, you know. Like-like I mean, I get it. I know I’m hard to like since I can’t really—”

His mouth snaps shut at the sound of your laughter bubbling up to the surface. You didn’t mean to laugh, but there was something comical about what he thought you were thinking and what you were actually thinking.

By the time you calm down, his cheeks has a tinge of pink. “That’s not what I’m thinking about, bear. Far from it.”

Oh.

Whew.

His right eyebrow furrows, then. “What were you thinking about?”

Now it was your turn to become shy, your mouth was left open in an attempt to explain. A wave of warmth washes over you as you thought of the scenes that played through your head.

“I—” You looked over at him as if to ask if you really had to tell him. With that gleam in his eyes, you knew you had to.

“I was imagining how your dick would taste.” You blurted out.

He stared at you in shock. His brain seemed to freeze in time. The sparkle in your eyes wasn’t that of melancholy, it was arousal.

His silence was starting to make you nervous. He was making you nervous. “B-But if you’re not comfortable with that then I totally understand. I- you know, I haven’t done a blowjob before so I understand and—let’s forget about it, okay? Let’s just—”

Your rambling becomes interrupted when his lips crashed against yours. Your hands tangled themselves into his fluffy hair. His arms pulled you forward to the middle of the console—as close to him as he could.

“Fuck,” he breathes out against your lips. His lips can’t help put follow yours into another searing kiss. He was definitely addicted. “Sweet, sweet girl. You were just desperate, huh?”

You nodded. He couldn’t help but kiss you again and again. He had never felt so loved before. “Pretty girl.” He whispered against your lips.

As he separated the kiss, you stared into his eyes. They were almost black—a stark contrast from the bright blue that you know so well. His pupils were large and the way he licked his lips seemed to acknowledge that he wanted to devour you.

Carmen swiftly unbuckles his belt and shimmies off his restaurant slacks. His cock throbs at the cool air that rushes against him.

You, on the other hand, can’t stop staring. You’ll never stop staring.

You looked at the sheer girth of his cock—the way it swells against his palm. Your mouth watered by the pre-cum that sprouted against the tip. The vein on the side of his cock was prominent, gleaming near the tip.

You never noticed Carmy staring at you in awe. “You’re going to be the death of me, baby. Fucking god—”

Anxiety started to cloud your mind a bit. You wanted so desperately to please your pretty boyfriend. “But, Carmen, what if it doesn’t feel good for you?”

He almost wanted to laugh, but he’s glad he stopped himself. You were it for him. The person that he confides in, that he leans onto, and not to mention that he gets a boner from just by walking by him.

You were the one person in the entire world that he could never get tired of. To him, the idea of your mouth on his cock and it wouldn’t feel good? That’ll be when pigs fly.

“I’ll tell you what to do, okay? I’ve got you, baby.”

You smile at him as the weight on your shoulder lifts. It’s just carmy—your carmy.

You didn’t want to wait anymore precious time, so you rested your elbows against the console, leaning as close to him as possible.

He pressed a few kisses to your cheek and temple, letting you know to take your time. You didn’t want to, though.

“You’re so big, Carmy.” You whined. He could feel his cock jump at the way your mouth seemed to water. He watched you with hazed eyes as you gently licked the tip. He moaned at the warm feeling of your tongue.

“Fuck, please do more, sweet girl.”

His begging had only spurred you on. You could feel the way your underwear became wetter by the second. You take him him fully inside of your mouth, suctioning your mouth on his member.

“Swirl your tongue, baby—yeah, fuck.” You do exactly as he says, all while bobbing your head up and down. “Such a good girl.”

You weren’t even halfway on his cock, but he didn’t care. He’ll eventually train your throat, but for now? For now, he’s relishing in the way your mouth feels and how an inch of your touch is sending him into a spiral.

He moaned and groaned at the feeling of your mouth on his tip. The way your spit gave just enough lubricant to send his eyes rolling back into his head. “You sure you’ve never done this before, baby?” He slurred. “‘Cause fuck me—”

Your eyes flicker to his as you try to take him even further. His hips accidentally stutter into your mouth at the slick, wet feeling of your mouth.

“Holy, fuck—shit—you wanna take my whole cock, huh? You want to fit it all?”

You weren’t able to answer him, so he pushes your head off of cock and makes you look into his eyes.

The desperation leaks from his voice. “I need—I need you to say it, baby. I need you to say how much you want my cock.”

Your messy, swollen lips parted. You’re completely out of breath, but you don’t care—not with that glossy look in your eyes.

“Please, carmy. I wanna suck your cock so bad. I-I want to take all of it, please.”

Carmen could only groan and whimper from the way that you begged. It was sweet and sultry—he thought he might explode. “You make me fucking crazy, sweet girl. I’m already about to fucking cum.” You press slow kisses into his cock, accentuating your lips onto his sensitive areas.

You let out a loud whine as he gently pulls your head away from his cock. You wanted to have your mouth full of him again and to take that from you?

He soothed your desperate cries with a sweet kiss. His gentle lips fell right on top of yours—his mind savoring the moment.

“Want to cum in your mouth, baby. Is that okay?”

Your mouth opens almost automatically from the pure, raw arousal that yourcbody is radiating. “Please, carmy.”

He quickly moves his seat all the way back, making that extra room for you. Your mouth is directly below his cock, waiting for the salty substance.

He wraps his hand around his member, slowly pumping his swollen cock. “You look so fucking gorgeous like that, you know that? Fucking shit, I can’t stop looking at you.”

You smiled brightly up at him. You then started to open your mouth as wide as you could. “Cum in my mouth, Carmy. I need it.”

He continues pumping over and over, the whimpers he lets out are the only sound you seem to hear. You want to hear it more.

“Fuck, baby—shit—” He spills his cum into your mouth, forever and ever it seemed to leak onto your lips.

Some of it had even spurted on the outside of your mouth. His eyes widened as he watched the way you took every drop on your finger and licked it right off.

“Are you real?” He asks, dreamily looking at you.

You laugh. You pressed a gentle hand onto his cheek. “I’m real. Are you?”

He smiles down at you. “Yeah, I’m real.”

He moves his seat up and you both transition back to your seats. You wiped your mouth, just as Carmen finished buttoning up his pants.

“Ready to go home, baby?” His hand finds yours.

You smiled. Home sounded nice. Home sounded nice with him.

“Yeah, bear. Let’s go home.”

[back2bluesidex]

Closure - JHS

Pairing: Hoseok X Fem!Reader 

Theme: slight angst, slight failing to move on, exes to lovers, second chances au. post discharge scenario.

Word count: 1k+

Summary: If the highest degree of love had a name - it would be termed as Jung Hoseok in your story.

Warnings: reader is bisexual (not a warning but just mentioning), implied pining. that's really all.

Minors do not interact!!

Masterlist | Patreon

A/N: Because my husband is home.

Your thumb hover above the ‘send’ button. 

Dilemma? Yeah, that’s right. 

You can’t decide whether to send this simple text or not. So, you read it again. 

“Congratulations on discharge.” - that’s all it says. That’s all you have to say to the man you have loved the most, you have felt pain for the most. 

Just before his enlistment - Hoseok broke up with you, claiming that the changes would be too much for him to take and he needed to start afresh. 

Absurd. You thought. 

But you realized you had been in his shoes when you moved back to Seoul after spending five years of a successful career in LA. You wanted to start afresh too, you had broken up with your girlfriend too. 

So you didn’t blame him. 

Kissed him all the best and moved on and failed to do that - miserably.  

Because if the highest degree of love had a name - it would be termed as Jung Hoseok in your story. 

Now that he has discharged just this morning - you can’t decide if you should send the text or not. 

If you do - he might think you are trying to get back in touch or worse back together. 

If you don’t - it will question your generosity because you and Hoseok go way back. He had been a close friend before he was your boyfriend. 

Just when you are about to close the messaging app, Poko, your cat, jumps on your lap and you accidentally hit the send button. 

Everything happens for a reason. 

“Poko!” you shout at her mildly “Thanks.” 

She purrs sitting on your lap. 

You are pouring the second cup of coffee of the day when your phone buzzes with a notification. Being afraid of the obvious, you decide to ignore it first but every pore in your body oozes with curiosity. 

Is it Hoseok? Has he sent a passive reply? Is he angry? Is he upset that you texted him? 

All of these questions raged inside your mind, making you give up. 

When you open the application you find four different texts while only one would have been enough to calm you down. 

“Hey, thank you so much.” 

“How are you doing, Y/N?” 

“I was going to call you. Haha. I actually wanted to talk to you if it’s possible.” 

“Let me know if you are in. I am all free so any time is fine by me.” 

Fuck. Hoseok wants to talk? What he wants to talk about? Is he writing a new song? Does he want a consultation? 

Or maybe it’s not professional? But personal? 

A tiny sprout of hope swayed in your chest. 

Sucking in a deep breath you reply, “sure. I am at the office till 7. You can come by anytime you want.” 

His reply comes within a second, “I will see you in an hour.”

Your heart thumps in your chest. 

Try as you might but you have never been able to act cool whenever Jung Hoseok was in the room - and even after dating him for an entire year, he still makes you nervous. 

He walks inside your office wearing baggy jeans and a soft-looking dark gray hoodie with snoopy painted in the middle of it. His hair is cut short just like it should be. His skin is glowing, his cheeks are full, his lips are stretched in a smile that translates to ‘it’s good to see you’. 

You urge your heart to slow down and your mind to take charge of your body parts that have stopped working since the moment his citrusy perfume has invaded your system. 

“When did you change assistants?” he asks casually, as if he didn’t ask for a closure of your relationship just 18 and half months ago. 

“Hana got married last month.” you gesture at him to sit on the sofa.  

He extends a bouquet of flowers towards you, just then you realize that he had been hiding his hand behind. 

“Ah. I should be the one to congratulate you with flowers.” you try to keep the blush away as you sit on the other corner of the sofa. 

“It’s alright.” he gives you one of his most charming smiles, making your heart flip inside your chest. 

“Y/N” Hoseok starts in a serious tone, “the reason why I am here is because I wanted to apologize- um- for the way I behaved during our very last meeting.” he sighs. The traces of smiles vanishing from his face as a frown takes over the space between his eyebrows. 

“It’s ok-”

“No please hear me out. I have been a fool. I thought things would change for me when I enlist. I thought I would change and I might not be the same guy you once liked and the guy who once liked you. But I was wrong. Hell- the wrongest I have ever been.” he covers his face with his big palms - veins prominent on the surface of the skin. You divert your focus instantly. 

“I- I had a long time to think. A lot of free time… at the end of the day… when my body would be exhausted from all the training but sleep wouldn’t come by. Or maybe during communal showers, when other guys would talk about their women back home - and I- I thought of you. I thought of the way we were so much in love and all the times we spent together. I would wish it was you whenever anyone came to visit me without prior notice. It was too much - what I feel for you is too much and that hasn’t changed a bit. I know I said I would like to start afresh so.. So I came to ask you out again, to start over. If you have anyone - reject me. Reject me on my face so that I know how stupid I have been all the time and-” 

“Fuck you, Hoseok. Fuck you because I still love you. And it’s pathetic how I wanna jump on your right now. My dignity as a woman is in question.” a lone tear slips down your eyes. 

Hoseok’s own eyes are glossy but his smile is returning in full length. 

He doesn’t say anything rather opens his arms for you.

When you press your body against his, and hear his heart beating faster than it should - you find that the closure of your story will always be Jung Hoseok. 

Permanent Taglist:

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[fairydollsteps]

BE MY BITCH (MINOR DNI)

Synopsis: You made the all so great Sae Itoshi your bitch. 

Feature: Dom reader/Bottom Sae Itoshi

Note/Warning: Smut, making out on bed, overstimulation, kinda degrading, reader is mean ish?, use of strap, so reader is kinda a female but can be read as gender neutral, Oh yeah Sae is in a bunny suit and has makeup lmao. Sae is out of character, please bear with me. Sae is an adult, grown-up

Author’s note: I am hungry for Sae content so here I am doing God’s work. It might be messy and rushed because I want to finish this soon. Probably suck ass. Also, this fic is inspired by this amazing fic from @mcdonaldsnumberone! <3

"F-FUck! You damn bitch!♡ Stop! S-Stop-," Sae spats out before shutting his mouth from spilling sinful sounds. It's so cute to see him trying so hard to stay quiet from the pleasure but his body says otherwise. His thighs are shaking from the vibrator sticking to his cock, vibing in a low volume which is driving him mad. And oh. A cherry on top, he is wearing a bunny suit. All so sexy and slutty. Even better, he is also wearing makeup which makes him some kind of a prostitute. Just for you to see and ruin.

There you are fingering his tight hole as you pick up the speed after Sae's remark. "Me? Stop? Not when you come to my house wearing like a fucking whore. Who are you calling a bitch? You are the fucking bitch slut," you reply back harshly as you continue abusing his prostate, making it difficult for him to hold his noises. Leaving a deep groan and faint gasps. The vibrator didn't help him at all as it just increase the intensity of pleasure.

Sae is still staying on his ground and keeping his mouth seal but he is trembling uncontrollably as you continue to mishandle his poor body. You have to hold his thighs from closing. Sae tries to close his thighs again (because he is a brat and wants to do what he wants) but you gave him a slap on his erect member, inflicting a pained whine out of him and forcing him to spread his legs. Cute.

It's understandable for you to be shocked to see the Sae Itoshi showing up to your house in a revealing bunny suit. He is the Japan’s pride and Real Madrid Youth’s genius midfielder, thus his has pride is huge and you never though he would wear something like that. And he just did. A headband with bunny ears sprouting from it, and a little pom pom sat on his back right above his butt. Even wearing heels.

However, the heels is now abandoned on the floor as you continue fucking Sae with your fingers. Sae is starting to lose his cool gradually. He is letting out hushed whimpers here and there despite his efforts and moaning embarrassing loud to his lickings when you hit his good spot. The vibrator still vibrating against his precum-soaked tip, sending him on edge. Sae, red-faced either from the shame or pleasure does not know if he can hold on before he breaks from two stimulations at the same time.

But then the vibrator stopped and you pull your fingers out. Thank god. You finally gave him a break and spare him from the embarrassment. His chest heaving up and down, trying to catch his breath from the high. However, you come back with a strap on tied to your waist. And holy shit. It's bigger than his... Sae thinks he keeps his nervousness in check but you catch it anyway. You smirk and lean towards his pretty face.

And gosh. He looks so much prettier up close. The vibrant red lipstick on his lip and cute blush on cheeks are so oh attractive. You are in awe of his beauty to devastate.

" What? You nervous, pretty boy?" you say with a smile, gripping his chin up to you. "No," he dares you, still so prideful. Even in his submissive state, he does not want to admit it. You simply smile alluringly, caressing the bottom of his mouth gently with your thumb. The lipstick smudge a bit on his face.

"Well, that's good to hear then. Because I won't go easy on you. That was only the beginning," your pretentious gentleness dropped.

Sae yelps when you grab his hip roughly and screams when you turn on the vibrator to the highest volume without warning. You didn't hesitate to force the strap down to his already stretched hole. You didn't even let Sae time to process what is going on or adjust to the massive size of that dildo. Just a few maneuvers, you completely broke Sae.

The perfectly curved tip of the strap thrusting on his already abused prostate, sending sudden jolt of pleasure to his body from how fast you are going. Sae can't keep his composure and breaks. He becomes a moaning mess at every repeated thrust and clenching the bed sheets beneath him shakingly. The damn vibrating toy is the death to him. Every buzz of it just furthers the overwhelming pleasure to extreme.

It has been barely a minute and Sae could feel the knot in his stomach tightening. Sae wants to burn in shame for about to cum so soon and tries to hold it a little longer. But your relentless pace and the toy didn't help much. You notice his cock twitching uncontrollably. You can see him all teary-eyes and flushed.

"Oh? Coming already, slut?" you mock at his current state. Despite how fucked up he is, he still has the energy to glare at you. "Fuck you," Sae spat out through ragged breathing. Now that ticked you off. Even getting railed underneath you, he still acts like a brat. He is basically asking to get fucked dumb, wearing all so slutty in a bunny suit and being a bitch, riling you up.

Without mercy, you thrust even deeper. Keeping his inner thighs apart from each other to go deeper, hitting all his good spots. Sae lose it and cum all over his bunny suit, trembling violently as he orgasmed. He tries to muffled his cry with his hand which to no avail. It's too much for him to hide.

You can't help but inwardly moan at the porngraphic sight. Sae's eye rolled behind his head, all red and fucked up in bunny suit that is messy with his cum. The toy still on him, not giving him a break. Sae wants to take that damn toy off from his cock but his mind is too mushed to do anything from the harsh fucking.

Yet, you still keep the strap in him and continue thrusting to his asshole. "What the Fuck! S-stop! I just came you stupid bitc-," he shout out before he collapsed from the overwhelming pleasure coming back. Sick of his attitude, you slap his cock then another. Twice.

Pain turns into pleasure. At least that shuts him up. Sae writhes and whimpers under you. His back arching hard as you finally increase the vibrator to the maximum. He has no idea how he is still going and conscious from the toy's brutal volume. The toy forcing cock to leak more pre-cum and you destroying his inside. He is still high from his previous climax so getting smack another wave of intense pleasure is making him lose control of himself. The overstimulation is getting him like mad.

"H-hnghh-FUck!♡ Y/n Y-Y/n please♡," he truly lost it. Sae could do nothing but take whatever you are giving to him, chanting you name all over. He could not think of anything but you. You absolutely making him lost in euphoria.

" You fucking ask for this ," " You dress up like a damn whore outside of my house," "What if someone notice you?" "I will fuck you up in front of them if they do," "Imagine how shocked they are if they see you like this, especially in this slut outfit,"

Not getting a response from him, you grabs his chin, face to face to him. "You heard me, bitch" Sae look at your breathlessly and moans. You are so fucking cruel and he loves it.

The darn vibrator is giving him a difficult time to speak but he manage to speak out through shaky breaths. "F-fuck-Yes♡ just do whatever y-you want h-hah" "I-I don't care anymore- Do your worse♡"

"Oh"

Sae screams when you lift one of his legs over your shoulder and railing him even harder in this angle. He does not care about his pride and dignity anymore. Just like what he said earlier. His mind is too broken to think coherently anymore. Shocked gasps rip through his throat at each rough thrust. The room is filled with his wails and the skin slapping and the vibrator buzzing. You are sure the neighbors will complain.

Sae could feel his abdomen burns from heat of pleasure and about to climax. You help him reach his climax and he finally come with a yell from pain and pleasure. He slumps over the bed and tries to catch his breath.

Just when he though that he is done, you grab him from the face and asks lovingly.

"Again? I am sure you can handle another one, right?"

It will be a long night for Sae.

[humanransome-note]

Thinking about TLOU infected biology because it’s fuck all AM and I can’t sleep.

They should all have broken/poorly healed limbs.

Like I know why they don’t, in the game and the show. (Game: because it came out in 2013 before we figured out cordyceps didn’t actually take over the brain. Show: because you can’t find and hire every appropriately hyper mobile individual on the planet)

So, the cordyceps fungus controls the necessary portions of the infected’s body for movement, and subsequent propagation. In the case of humans, this means limbs primarily, and mouth/throat secondarily.

I’d argue that in the front end of infection, you probably wouldn’t have people biting, but then again, insects infected by the cordyceps are often made to bite whatever plant they have been compelled to climb, as a more secure tether for when the fungus starts sprouting. But this is also the end of the infection, so a toss up.

Fungi mutate pretty quickly though (especially compared to vertebrates) so Tess being forced to open her mouth by the fungus at the end of the episode could easily be explained away by mutations over time, as well as where her infection began.

But! Back to broken limbs. What we know now about cordyceps, is that they do not invade and take control of the brain, they in fact do not commingle with the nervous system at all. (So I gotta go back and amend that TikTok I made cause it’s very wrong now but I doubt anyone besides me cares.)

Cordyceps invade muscle tissue, and there are actually studies trying to figure out if they can help with things like muscular atrophy and weakness because they are thought to increase the body’s production of ATP (cellular energy) in those areas. (Extremely simplified, not a biologist, just a weirdo who can’t sleep rn) Anecdotally Cordyceps can help with muscle growth and repair, immunity to some forms of cancer, and *cough* performance, in those suffering with ED.

I’m off track again! Anyway! With all this information and it being 2:15 am I have come to the sleepless conclusion that a better analogy for TLOU infected internals would be more akin to a secondary nervous system, controlled solely by the fungus.

Now, you may be asking “if it’s like two nervous systems, why can’t the person fight it?” Well I’m glad you asked that voice that feels like it belongs to a Janet.

Because the human brain is a wonderful, complex, convoluted thing. Like a pile of tapioca in a bowl of soy sauce with some sautéed batteries, piloting a mech suit made of meat.

You can break your own bones.

Theoretically.

Or actually if you’ve got the gumption or just general lack of hand eye coordination and a shitty inner ear.

But most of the time, it’s theoretically, because your brain stops you from breaking them. Your muscles, even if you don’t work out, are capable of producing enough force to tear themselves from the bone, if not just break the bone while they’re at it. Your brain, the genius that it is, goes ‘ya know what? How about I put a cap on that’ and prevents you from producing that much force.

There have been recorded instances though of “hysterical strength” where people have just lifted entire cars, torn a car door off the hinges, there was even one where a kid lifted the car off his younger brother, cracked at least three teeth from how hard he was gritting them. Think Deku’s quirk from the first few seasons of MHA. All of these people lived, all of them fractured something.

We can’t replicate it in controlled setting because the current theory for why in part that it happens has something to do with shock, and putting someone in shock is unethical. It would be cool to know how it works, sure, but I don’t see any real point for trying to figure it out.

But back to the mold, cordyceps don’t have that limiter, it wouldn’t even have a concept for something like that, it’d just go!

This also goes with another thought I had about how the infected should be either missing a lot of teeth or have chipped teeth. The human reflex is to protect our heads and faces when we fall, fungus don’t care, fungus doesn’t have teeth, fungus doesn’t even know what teeth ARE.

“The person is still conscious during all this?”

… YEP!

Unfortunately, as long as higher brain functions are still capable of functioning, then there is a non zero chance that the person is helpless and aware.

The common consensus for a person living without water is three days, without food roughly three weeks. These are generalizations but they also need to be considered when talking about the progression of the infection.

The food I sort of rigged an idea for, that being the initial fungal blooms occur in the stomach and GI tract, the fungus eats the body, the body eats the fungus. This can’t last forever, because that would be a perpetual machine and that would completely obliterate the laws of thermodynamics, but it could keep a person going, that and the body naturally breaking down fat and muscle tissue for energy.

The water is a bit trickier though, the fungus is definitely the primary receiver and source of water for the body. Humid climates would be hell for a multitude of reasons.

But these issues are also somewhat mitigated by the fact that most infected aren’t ‘actively’ hunting. More often than not they’re in a dormant state until an external stimuli brings them to attention. (Usually sound) and while humans don’t hibernate, sleeping/keeping still can have lesser but similar effects on the metabolism.

Which means patrols were probably more for bandits/raids/smugglers than for roaming infected.

Ellie’s immunity.

It does, in part, have to do with the fact her mother was infected while pregnant. No doubts about that. But genuine immunity? Like actual full on she can’t catch it? No. Because she already has it.

Asymptomatic carrier was my first (and still is) my preferred explanation for this. The electronic scanner caught it, but the dogs didn’t. Why?

Because dogs aren’t trained to sniff out the fungus itself, what they’re smelling are the body’s attempts at an immune response, which is usually fine because antibodies in this sense mean definitely infected. But since Ellie is asymptomatic, it means her body isn’t producing an immune response at all.

Could she give it to someone else? In both the game and show, no. Because she is an asymptomatic carrier, she has actually grown a mutualistic relationship with the fungus, and I’m assuming, like tomatoes, if the fungus doesn’t see a need to propagate (IE all biological needs are met) it won’t try to reproduce.

If she were starved though? Like full on, the hunger pangs have come and gone, massive brain fog, her fingers are looking a lot like carrot sticks rn. Then the fungus might start being aggressive and turn her.

Whatever that may be, the Fireflies digging around her noggin without even a FUCKING MRI was stupid no matter what and on god I know it’s the apocalypse but they don’t even check if her lymph nodes were swollen, or if her reflexes are unusual!

An actual living specimen that as far as anyone knows has had the fungus rocking around in their brain stem for 14 odd years and no one wants to check if she had say… faster healing? Strengthened immune system? Increased/decreased metabolism!

THERE IS SO MUCH SHIT THAT COULDVE BEEN EFFECTED BECAUSE SHES GOT FUNGUS ALL UP IN HER MUSCLE TISSUE!!!! AND NO ONE WAS WILLING TO PUT THE “CURE” ON HOLD AND TRY TO DOCUMENT ACTUAL IDENTIFIABLE DATA!!!!

JESUS CHRIST!!!! EVERY SINGLE MF IN SCRUBS SHREAD YOUR DIPLOMA!! I DONT CARE IF YOUR NAN MADE IT FOR YOU WHEN YOU SHOULDVE GRADUATED YOU DONT DESERVE EVEN THAT!!!

[just-a-floofy-catt]

ANOTHER DRABBLE WOOO ✨️✨️

(The bullet pointed ones tend to make less sense to anyone whos not me so just like, beware that ig lmao)

• Not long after Sun and Moon separate into different bodies

• Things have settled down after the events of sb and now things are running smoothly at the dc w the two of them.

• Sun was never let outside the daycare when they were together

• So now that theyre separate and some rules have changed due to alot of new staff and stuff, hes allowed to

• Hes curious

• Context : hes never met the Glamrocks before due to this, but he used to idolize them. He used to dress up as them and everything and always daydream about meeting them XD. He was just like the kids in that regard lol. He like really thought they were cool and its adorable. But obviously when all the virus shit happened he got too stressed to think about any of that.

• So, now that everythings even better than it used to be, his little glamrock interest starts back up in full swing

• (Also, the Glamrocks have kind of met moon. Just seen him from afar on patrol before, and also may have had an encounter or two w him when he was infected. But they dont know him properly or anythin)

• Sun finds out through the staff that apparently on the weekend afterhours, the band is gonna be having a practice session and run through on the main stage for a new performance. He gets like, super excited and begs Moon to ask if they can go watch, and to take him there

• Moon ends up asking some staff to arrange it and they do

• The glams are like, super curious but also a little put off/weirded out. Mostly cus theyve heard the dcas are weird or annoying (mostly sprouting from how sun can b a little much and moon can b a little scary at times. Their behaviour was amplified w the virus shit, making sun into an overbearing anxious mess and moon absolutely feral. Alot of staff didnt get good impressions from that and so rumors and shit spread alot)

• Freddy is mostly just curious and is just kinda assuring everyone hes sure itll be fine and that theyll be nice.

• Chicas actually kinda excited and trying to also be positive

• Roxy is convinced theyll be weird and childish and annoying

• Monty is also convinced theyll be freaky and annoying

• The day comes and Sunny shows up fully dressed up. He basically tried to imitate the glamrocks and its absolutely precious. Hes so damn excited and a lil nervous and shy.

• The glams spot him as hes bouncing over, holdimg moons hand and practically glowing, and their jaws just drop.

• Hes nothing like they imagined.

• Even roxy and monty immediately warm up a lil at realizing how hard he tried to look like them

• Its the cutest thing. They all think its so sweet

• He introduces himself and is just positively beaming, and a lil jittery. Bro is literally meeting his idols.

• Hes complimenting all of them and the way he looks at them makes them a lil flustered XD

• So they practice and all, like planned, and Sunny goes wild lmao. Whooping, cheering, whistling, everything XD. It makes them all feel a lil more energized than it probably should (he tends to have that effect :) )

• Afterwards, everyone just sits and talks and gets to know one another. Its nice.

• By the end of the night Sun tires himself out from all the excitement and falls asleep in Moons lap.

• Moon takes him back and bids everyone goodbye.

• Safe to say, they made a good impression on everyone and now theyve all decided that Sun must be protected and loved at all costs XD

(AND YOU TOO MOON DONT YOU DARE THINK YOURE SAFE FROM BEING LOVED AND PROTECTED)

(Omg now just imagining there being a silence between the glams when they leave and suddenly its just broken by Monty taking a deep breath and then saying, very seriously, "I would die for them." XD)

(Everyone immediately agrees)

(I should draw that)

• Oh, and Sunny is absolutely still their biggest fan

(Extra detail is that he 100% has plushies of all of them in his room and loves them dearly)

- overall tldr is that Sunny would be adorable trying to dress up like a Glamrock.

[koi-pond-tears]

And what if I gave jirou a sister. What then.

LETS GOOOOOOOO

Her name is Emiko and she's younger by 2 minutes! (Yes they're twins)

This idea sprouted from how Kyouka's hero name is "Earphone Jack" and I thought "wouldn't it be cool if she had a sister called Earphone Jill? So it'd be like Jack and Jill??" And then Emiko was born

Despite them being twins and looking very much alike I wanted her to be her own character and be as different from jirou as possible. Emiko has a more feminine aesthetic, with her longer hair and white socks (idk why but white socks give me such cutesy girly vibes) and she also doesn't use her Quirk the same way as Jirou does. Jirou specializes in sound waves and music, while Emi focuses on dance.

I thought it would be cool if a character was like really bad and uncoordinated in their movements normally, but once they put on their headphones and start their playlist they turn into an absolute GOD in the battle field. So that's what I did for Emi. She's super anxious and nervous and honestly kind of cowardly especially on the field, which causes her to make mistakes and cloud her thinking. But give her some music to listen to and she's golden. She infuses dance (mainly ballet motifs) to her fighting style and uses her earphone jacks as whips instead. Thanks to her practice, her jacks can reach much farther than her sister's and are much more agile as she has more control over them.

Trust me if I could animate you'd be able to see it better but for now I'll just have to overexplain😮‍💨

Here's her student file!

Some other trivia abt her I couldn't fit into that earlier description:

She likes sushi, like, a LOT. in fact she's good friends with this old man who owns a small sushi bar bc she visits him so often! He has a son who he's trying to hook her up with too....hmm....

She takes a lot longer to walk home bc she's always stopping to pet the cats she finds on the street. Sometimes she has to borrow money from her sister because she spent all of her own money on cat food and treats for the strays.

She doesn't like rock music. I know, that's like, Kyoukas whole thing! But like I said these two are very different from each other! She doesn't like all the screaming and noise. She prefers mostly piano music, calm acoustic songs, and maybe a lil lo fi.

Her hero suit is inspired by the one created by kimidoodlez on instagram for her adult Jirou design.

She doesn't do well under pressure. It's something that she had to teach herself when she was on her hero internship. Staying calm during a high stakes situation and thinking properly just isn't her Forte, but don't worry! She gets better as the show progresses and she gets her character development!

[ithinkabouttzu]

Hello lovely! Absolutely LOVE your writing, and I was hoping to get a BOB ship, if that's okay 🤭

I'm 5'4'' and have dark hair, tan skin, and dark blue eyes. I recently got curtain bangs that I really vibe with, and it feels like the beginning of a new era, because they gave me a lot of confidence lol. My pronouns are she/her. I'm an INTP-T and a taurus (who is super excited for her 21st next week hehehe)

In terms of personality, I've always been more of an introvert, but I'm learning to put myself out there more, speak up for myself, and set better boundaries as of recently. I'm loyal to those I care about, but as a double taurus, I'm pretty stubborn when I'm passionate or feel strongly about something. When I care about someone I do it wholeheartedly. And if I care about a subject, then get ready for an infodump lol.

As a kid I did ballet, gymnastics, archery, and played piano (as well as a few other instruments), but now that I'm older I focus mainly on running, weight lifting, and baking for fun. It helps to relieve the stress of being a history major, haha. History, writing, and beadwork are my jam, but I also live for outdoor activities like hiking and kayaking - anything that lets me be in the sun.

Yeahhhh, there's not a lot to me lol, I hope that was enough. Thank you so much in advance darling! 💕🕊️

Thank you so much for your request honey!! (i’m an INTP too omggg 😭🩵)

I ship you with…

Shifty Powers !

Song recommendation: Hopelessly Devoted to You - Olivia Newton-John

- Reading your description, he just completely popped into my head and I think your personality would blend so nicely with his! Like you both like having fun outdoors, and are more on the introvert side but both of you are so friendly!

- I think you guys would start off as friends first, just getting to know each other and being around one another before a relationship ever sprouted, but the whole time he would have a super crush on you

- Like he would think you are so beautiful, inside and out, he gets major butterflies every time he sees you and talks to you it’s insane, It would be so hard for him to hide his feelings towards you without making a complete fool of himself because you just make him so nervous (in a good way ofc) every time you’re around

- He thinks your blue eyes are so beautiful, like he could stare into them for hours if he wanted too, he thinks they’re even gorgeous in the sunlight, really just everything about you is absolutely drop dead divine to him omg

- I think he would eventually ask you out after some major convincing by some of the other guys, he would go all out to ask you properly

- Like he would probably take you someone so unique, like a lakeside with a pretty view, or on a scenic hiking trail, and at the end of you guys talking/hanging out, he would ask you, and ofc you’d say yes

- Okay let me tell you how he LOVES your curtain bangs 🤭 like he never told you straight up how much he likes it but omg omg he finds it so dang attractive (also be prepared for him to play with your bangs when he’s sleepy too)

- Y’all’s dynamic is so cute together, like he’s more of a listener and he loves hearing you talk about what ever you’re interested in, and you like to talk about certain topics that you’re into and passionate about! He would be happy to listen to any of the stuff your interested in and would probably end up enjoying it too!

- He finds it so cool that you used to do archery, I mean like, who wouldn’t want to have a badass girlfriend that has the same aim as Katniss Everdeen? LOL but in all seriousness he thinks that’s super cool about you

- If you let him, he would totally enjoy listening to you play the piano or whatever instruments you would like to play, he just thinks you are super talented in general and whatever you are doing he know you will be so good at whatever it is, It’s so peaceful to him just listening to you play, (he thinks you are so gifted omg it’s so cute)

- Ugh and he would be such a good boyfriend to you, like he’s an absolute simp and just wants to make you happy in any way possible, plus he’s super thoughtful and makes every little thing he does for you meaningful

- For example, he would hear to talk with your friends about a cuisine you’ve been craving, and how you’ve been feeling down. He would take you out to dinner there, buying almost the whole menu from the restaurant, a big bouquet of your favorite flowers, and a trip to see a movie you’d been wanting to watch a the theater.

- And wait there’s more; at the end of the date, he would take you home and give you loves of cuddles and massages there, reminding you how much he loves you and how lucky he is for you, and making your favorite ice cream too!

- He is so good for your mental health too, like he’s such a gentleman at every little date (holding doors, kissing your hand, giving you his jacket, etc.) and he always respects your boundaries and how you feel. Like if someone is doing something that makes you uncomfortable, he’ll tell them to cut it out, with a total death stare, or if he did something that made you uncomfortable he would apologize and swear to never do it again

- He is the most sincere and genuine boyfriend you could ever ask for, like every little thing he does for you is so planned and thought out like, “Will she like if I say this?” or “Will she like if I do that?”

- He’s so cute, even down to little nicknames he calls he’ll try and really think hard of one that suits you or makes sense (he would come up with “Birdie” as your nickname because of your musical talent and bc you like being in nature) HES SO CUTE OMG. 😭

- You know what’s so cute, you and him baking together omg, He would be your helper the whole time, getting the ingredients out for you to bake, and stuff like that, bro is really just trying to get a recipe tho because he loves your baking so much

- I think he is also really into history!! Like you and him watching a historical documentary or something like that is a staple in y’all’s relationship

- He will LOVE to do anything outdoor with you, going to his hometown and kayaking and hiking he’d love it so much, that’s honestly one of his favorite places to be with you, and it’s the perfect combination of his two favorite things; nature and you ;)

- He loves seeing how much you care and how passionate you can get about something, he will be there to support you 100% if someone is objecting your thoughts and he just respects it so much on how vocal you can get about what you believe in (as long as he’s not on the other side of it all)

- You’re excited for your birthday? Well be ready because I could totally see him buying you a million gifts and dedicating the whole week prior to get you everything you want/need for your birthday!

- Overall He’s honestly the best boyfriend you could ever ask for, whatever you need, he’s got it for you, he’ll be there for you emotionally, physically, and spiritually 100%, he is so kind and generous and he just loves you so so much

Thank you again for your request lovely! I hope you enjoy bunches!! 🩷🩶

[ellanessa]

Draco x Reader Fic

Chapter 10: Detention

You picked yourself up from the floor of your dorm room, putting all your Charms notes away. Finals were in two weeks and if you wanted to pass you’d better get to studying. But, you’d only been able to study for half an hour before it was time for you to report to detention with Snape.

“Glad to see you can make it to detention on time, Ms. Y/L/N,” Snape said. You didn’t give him the satisfaction of your annoyance, just nodding. “You’ll be reorganizing the potions cabinet, as well as the ingredients cupboard.” “Of course, Professor.” “Ah, and when Mr. Malfoy gets here, please tell him what I told you.” Snape requested. “Dra- Malfoy?” You asked, feeling excited and nervous you were going to be spending detention with him. You knew you had to ask him about his fight with Harry, but you weren’t sure how to bring it up. The Professor nodded, shutting the door to the classroom behind him.

You had only just finished tidying up the first shelf of potions when Draco showed up. “So what’d you do?” You smirked, trying to push the anxiety away. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” “Oh, c’mon! I’ll show you mine if you show me yours,” you teased. You had planned to tell him the real reason you were late if he went along with it. “I already know why you got detention,” Draco said, rolling his eyes. You gave up and turned back to the shelf. “We have to reorganize the potions cabinet and ingredients cupboard,” You felt Draco come up beside you. “I got detention because I didn’t turn in Sprout’s homework,” he said. “But you did it, I saw you finish it in the library. Why didn’t you turn it in?” You asked him, turning to face him. He turned to face you as well, “I wanted to be stuck in here.” “What? Why would you want detention?” You asked him, very confused. Draco laughed, exasperatedly dragging a hand down his face. “My god, Y/N, how daft are you?” He took a step closer, to the point where your nose was almost touching his chin. “I didn’t want detention, I wanted-” Your breath caught in your throat, stopping his sentence. “Nervous, Y/N?” “I heard it. Your fight with Harry, I mean.” You hadn’t meant to say that out loud. He looked surprised, but he quickly shifted back into his cool demeanor. “Well, you know how I feel then.” Nope. No way were you going to let him get away without actually saying it. “I don’t know. I’m pretty daft aren’t I?” You teased, looking up to meet his eyes. He leaned forward, his lips brushing your cheek and you could have sworn your heart stopped beating at that very moment. “Y/N, I want y-” The door to the classroom slammed open and you both jumped apart. You turned to see it was Filch. “Malfoy, Professor McGonagall would like to see you in her office. Now.” Draco nodded and started toward the door. “Y/N,” he nodded, making you blush, which in turn made him smirk.

You had finally finished your task for detention around dinner and were on your way to your dorm to freshen up. The whole way back you had thought about what Malfoy had almost admitted. What were you going to do?

https://www.wattpad.com/story/324553773-potions-partners-detailed

[serial-experiements-bane]

I heard you have a favorite fish. Info dump to me about your favorite fish

Well my dear anon, sit back and relax while I show you my favorite creatures

First up we got Sea Jellies. My favorite one is the moon jelly since it has bioluminescence and literally anything bioluminescent is my favorite thing ever. They start out as teeny tiny little polyps that eventually sprout into baby jellies and go on to live their lives no thoughts full of vibes ✨ Jellies literally don't have a brain, just a basic nervous system and rely on ocean currents to carry them around. Moon jellies in particular can grow to be 20+ inches wide and are considered one of the most harmless types as their stingers aren't long enough to penetrate skin.

Next up we have the Royal Gramma aka the Fairy Basslet. The reason for their name is for the royal purple that covers half of their body while their tail fin is a golden yellow. They're kept in aquariums and are native to coral reefs in the Atlantic Ocean. The reason why I love them so much is that they're transgender in my heart. When there's a shortage of female fish, the males will literally change their genetic makeup in order to help continue their population. (they're just like me fr fr) this phenomenon isn't exclusive to their species, though, there are other fish and some amphibians who do the same!

You wanna talk about molluscs? Cause we're gonna talk about molluscs. One super cool one that I love very much is the nautilus. They're part of the cephalopod family (squid, octopi and cuttlefish) and are a species that haven't changed very much in terms of evolution aside from getting smaller, likely due to there being less oxygen in the ocean than back in prehistoric times. They're a cephalopod that lives in a shell, you've likely seen spiral shell fossils of the bigger ancestors before in museums! They're very cool, I based a drawing I did of Cthulhu off of one once back in my design class at college. The pokemon Omanyte is based off of them!

Speaking of cephalopods: squid!!!!!! Squid 💜💜💜 oh my fucking god I love squid and octopi so much. My top 2 squid are the firefly squid snd the vampire squid. Both are species that live in the deeper ocean, known as the Twilight level. It's not quite as deep as the abysal zone (where all the super cool kids hang out) but it's still deep enough where not a whole lot of sunlight gets to. The firefly squid is near and dear to my heart because they also have bioluminescence! They flash an array of colors and depending on the color and rate of flashes, it's said you can tell their emotions! Squid and octopi are both highly intelligent creatures and need a lot of enrichment or else they'll get bored and sad (just like me). The cutest thing about firefly squid is that they're one of the smallest species of squid, growing to be about 3 inches long at most!!! Their bodies aren't the only thing that glow, their ink glows as well! In the usual ocean levels, cephalopods squirt out a black ink to ward off predators but not the firefly! Because the Twilight level is so dark, predators are used to it so squirting black ink would do nothing. However, glowing ink will stun a predator long enough for the little guy to swim away. I wanna be a firefly squid in my next life.

The Vampire squid is another very small squid, they're deep red, and their tentacles have webbing inbetween like a bat! Hence the name. Instead of squirting ink like a regular squid would do, however, they fold their head into their tentacles which have tooth like barbs on the inside. Truly a metal species if you ask me. I'm gonna give them a littol kiss. They also got cute little ear flippers 💜💜

We talked about bony fish. We talked about molluscs. Now it's time for cartligenous fish! (my beloved) in the cartligenous fish family we got sharks, rays, and skates. There are so many sharks to talk about, so little time. I love them all, you hear me? Every one of them. I don't even know where to start. Maybe I'll do some general info <3

Sharks, as we know, are very misunderstood and while sometimes friendly, they're better to admire from a distance. They help keep fish and seals from overpopulating and are very important to keeping the ecosystem healthy. There's a common misconception that all sharks need to swim in order to breathe. In reality that's only mostly true for ram ventilators. Ram ventilating sharks are the kinds of sharks that people usually think of like the great white, whale shark (my love), and tiger shark. However! Not all sharks need this! There are some species of less active sharks like the nurse shark and the leopard shark (the smallest boy) that breathe through a process called buccal pumping which means they draw water into their mouth and force it to pass over their gills. This allows them to rest on the ocean floor. Sharks like the nurse shark are generally pretty docile and sometimes even allow people to pet them 💜

Look at that little guy go

[edrick-rolling]

Hunter was nervous, but it was understandable....it reminded him of the way he used to act when he was first learning to cast magic. Though it was cute to see Hunter all sheepish, as if he hadn't done countless advanced spells before through his staff or Flapjack.

But Edrick believed in him, just as he always had, and always would. Because the Grimwalker was nothing if not determined~, and it was something he admired greatly about him.

"Then don't say anything, Honey Bee. Just go for it~." He turned Hunter's hands so they were palms up, and rubbed soothing circles against his wrists.

"It probably is! But I know you can do it, you're brilliant Hunter.....It's hard to explain, but I've always thought of magic like a cool breeze. Fighting the wind is just gonna get your hair messed up. So just let it go, let it dance around and run through you, and see what happens~. Maybe start with a simple spell, like little illusion sparklers, or a plant sprout?" He wasn't really the best teacher, but hey it was something, right?

edrick-rolling​:

Of course he’d take the chance! How could he not?

Hunter was his best friend, he meant more than anything to him. But when he found out Hunter was magicless….it certainly made a few things make sense. Like how he’d never seen Hunter use magic without his staff, or how his friend always turned down his offers to learn bard magic tricks~.

But now? Now he had the chance to give him that. Whether it be for a few minutes, hours, days….how could he not? How could he deny his friend such an experience? The answer was simple;

He couldn’t, and he wouldn’t~.

“Worry wart~.” He giggled, sitting across from Hunter with faded hair, and magenta eyes. Watching Hunter admire his own golden hues. “Of course I’m sure, I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.” He promised, taking his friend’s hands in his, and squeezing them. “Please? I can hide under a concealment stone, and I have the girls to help me. Plus Hexside is closed for the next week because of an Boison-bug infestation a couple Glandus students set loose.”

Talking to other witches was often a constant reminder that he lacked something even most demons had. That he was lesser than because he depended on a staff. Had it been anyone else, Hunter would’ve pulled away and asked for them to switch back but, not many people knew about his circumstances and he doubted any of them would actually make the same effort Edrick had made for him. And even more so, the blonde didn’t feel like this was done out of pity or to patronize him. It was so he could experience something he had long since given up on ever being able to do. 

He put his scroll away and let the other take his hands, finding some comfort in the gesture combined with the sentiment behind the actions. The witch’s ears lowered as he looked down at their hands, realizing that now those same hands could do the very thing he spent so many sleepless nights studying. As if learning everything he possibly could would make up for the inability to put it into action. 

“…I don’t know what to say… Or even what to do, I’ve never been able to do magic naturally. It’s probably completely different than my staff…” He gently squeezed his friend’s hands back, nervously. Eddy was right, he was a worry wart. But that was just his nature. 

[somethinginthethunder]

Okay okay but what about hcs abt madrigal grandkids reacting to saying you like them back, huh?? Thank you in advance

``reacting to you liking them back``

getting rejected

notes: aha angst????? what's that???????

warnings: none!

—

isabela:

-hides her excitement

-oh you like her back? no problem. it's- it's chill. she's definitely not dying on the inside or anything, yk?

-if you agreed to go out with her she'd be over the moon, the only thing on her mind afterward being how the date was going to go and how she was going to dress and plan for it.

-if you ever stopped looking directly at her she'd probably fist-pump the air, little blossoms of plants and flowers sprouting in the ground along with her.

-the rest of the day she'd just have a happy dazed look in her eyes, the smile never leaving her face.

-if mirabel or camilo ever starting teasing her for it she'd get flushed and tell them to shut up, her face reddening as she literally pushes them out of her room where she was daydreaming about you and her together.

luisa:

-just a wholesome woman :) she gets excited, too, but it's much more mellow

-honestly more of a relieved feeling as well, since she wasn't really expecting you to actually like her back.

-when you told her you reciprocated her feelings there would be a lot of stuttering and nervous words from her.

-"o-oh! really? I-i didn't think you'd actually, um," her voice would trail off from there as she nervously rubbed the back of her neck.

-this is where'd you'd step in and ask her out, with her saying yes of course

-when the two of you parted ways for the day she'd go straight to her room and then just scream into a pillow, taking in a deep breath once she got it all out of her system

mirabel:

-would be much more open about her happiness

-first thing she'd say after you said you liked her too was, "YES LET'S GO!"

-when she realizes what she just said she'd awkwardly lower her arms and try to laugh it off as if you didn't just make her the happiest girl in the world.

-"i mean, uh, yeah," she said quickly. "nice, nice."

-like camilo, the kind of person to lean against a chair to act calm and collected but end up missing and just falling onto her side

-finds it hard to meet your eyes but once she gains the courage she'll ask you out <3

-will be thinking about you for the rest of the day and everyone notices it, especially julieta.

-she thinks it's endearing, adoring the way in which her daughter was acting

dolores:

-the most calm response!!

-would also be relieved like luisa, but i don't think it'd be out of insecurity like her. more like just... anticipation.

-she's usually a quiet talker because of her gift but when you told her you liked her as well she'd probably talk the loudest she had ever in awhile!

-also the most forward about it! just confidently asks you if you want to go on a date with her, a hopeful shine in her eye

-could not bring herself to leave you alone after you say yes, hanging out with you for the rest of the day

-just wants to be in your presence, and if she can't then she'll just tune into your voice and listen to you for awhile

camilo:

-like mirabel trying to be suave and cool but like... 10x worse

-please help this poor boy

-visibly relaxes when he hears you confess to liking him back, that stupidly charming smile only brightening

-thinks he's acting all smooth while asking you out on a date but in reality he's much more awkward than he thinks

-you still think it's cute, though, so of course you say yes

-would probably kiss the back of your hand once you part ways for the day, making sure to really take in your face before going back home

-if someone startles him for the rest of the night he'll accidentally transform into you since you were all he could think about anymore, earning a teasing from his entire family

-totally worth it, though

[mirclealignr]

a small mistake | n.l

neville longbottom x reader

requested by anon where the reader helps neville in the greenhouse but he gets nervous, with the prompt 'you think I'm beautiful?' - 'mm yeah a little' (from quote prompt list)

warnings; no pronouns, fluff

word count; 800+

to be notified when I post follow @mirclesjournal or fill in my tag list form

“Hey Neville!” you greeted him, walking into the greenhouse to help him with the plants he was looking after with Professor Sprout.

“Oh,” he sighed, “Didn’t think you’d be here,” he said sheepishly.

“Why not? I said I would help,” you laughed, slipping on a pair of gloves and walking over to him hunched over three large plant pots.

Neville took a few steps to the side, glancing nervously in your direction, “I know, I just didn’t think you’d actually come,” he confessed, tapping the pots in front of him anxiously.

“Of course I was coming, I wouldn’t lie to you like that,” you shrugged it off, looking at the array of plants ahead of you, each needing different care and attention that Neville knew how to give, “So, what should I do?” you asked eagerly.

“You don’t have to do anything,” he shook his head, stepping past you to retrieve some bottles for the Bubotuber plant he was tending to.

A little deflated at the comment, you watched Neville for a minute or two while he was collecting the pus from the plant just like Professor Sprout had taught you in Herbology. But the more you sat in silence—as Neville shot down much of the conversation you tried to start—you had a good mind to leave.

But, as tempting as it was, you wanted to know why Neville had agreed to your being here, only to ignore you the whole time, more than you didn’t, even if it did hurt to know the answer. It seemed awfully cruel for someone who didn’t seem to have a mean bone in their body. You couldn’t understand it, if you didn’t want to spend time with him, you wouldn’t have offered to help him with something you knew nothing at all about.

So you tried again. “I came here to help, you know? I don’t mind, really,” you prompted, trying again to see if he would let you.

“It’s really okay,” he dismissed.

You sighed, slipping the gloves off and placing them on the table before looking at him one last time as you headed to the door, disappointed to say the least. But Neville seemed more bothered by the notion of you leaving than he did of you staying, though he was sure now he’d ruined his chance. It would be terribly like him to ruin his chance with you, the one person who he desired to show interest and, by some miracle, was doing exactly that. And with the thought of you walking away forever, a wave of courage, for which he would be eternally grateful, came over him the moment he saw your hand push against the greenhouse door.

“Wait!” he cried, “Don’t leave,” he pleaded.

“Why? It’s sort of obvious you don’t want me here. You could have said so earlier, that might have been nicer,” you said, crossing your arms over your chest, reluctant to look at him.

“I know, but I did want you to be here, it’s just-” he hesitated, hating to think he might sound stupid, “You’re cool and beautiful and I get nervous around you, and I just didn’t think you’d actually come, thought you were just having me on,” he admitted, looking between the floor, littered with leaves and plant stems, and your eyes, which softened as he explained himself.

“Neville, I’d never do that,” you sighed, walking back over to him.

“I know, sorry, I don’t know why I thought it.”

“It’s all right,” you smiled, picking the gloves back up, “But...you think I’m beautiful?” you asked with a smirk, having difficulty denying that that small part of his speech had stood out tremendously.

Neville stared at you wide-eyed, stumbling over his words, unable to get a single coherent phrase to leave his mouth as much as he tried. He looked at the Bubotubers again, and the mandrakes beside them, collecting his thoughts and suppressing his nerves. As he began to attend to them once more, he spoke up.

“Mmm, yeah a little,” he rushed, not venturing to look and see if you were smiling or not.

Instead, he was blessed with your laugh and a touch to the shoulder, leaving his cheeks pink and heart racing even more than it had been before, and all because of you. He was always a mess when it came to you, more than he was around everyone else, and he was sure most people could see it—he was never very skilled in hiding his feelings—the pitfalls of being shy.

“Thanks Neville, I think you are too,” you whispered, smiling at him while he smiled at you, “Now, put me to work!” you demanded, rolling your sleeves up, which left Neville adoring you even more than he thought was possible.

[milkybonya]

first date with big naughty

#: fluff and nothing but fluff, maybe some cracc, i got carried away leave me alone <3

[💌: no one is here on my blog for big naughty content but idk i love him sm......... i'm sorry :( if anyone even reads this i hope u enjoy <3]

he's definitely bringing flowers

no shut up he's definitely bringing flowers and you know he'll have asked the florist about what he should get for a first date with the absolute love of his life

i feel like Donghyun would fall for someone he kind of already knows/is friends with so

he'll plan out a whole day with things you both like

brunch at a really cute place he's been wanting to go with you

some eye-shopping or actual shopping in the stores around the brunch place

maybe go to a museum or art gallery

he wants it to be perfect.

so anyways here he comes with his bouquet of flowers and wire-rimmed glasses

you told him once he looks good with glasses and how precious you think his eyes are

so he's stopped wearing his typical sunglasses these days

he likes very strong fashion but he's toned it down for today because he doesn't want you to feel uncomfortable

he's giving very cosy comfy boyfriend fashion vibes

but still neat and tidy enough for a date

ANYWAYS he'll try to act all cool and tough and hold out the flowers with one hand

saying that overused "i found this on the way here"

but unable to hide his smile when you excitedly look at the flowers and smell them

his cheeks are already red and the two of you haven't even started your date yet

he holds open the door for you and even pulls out your chair for you

and you're like Donghyun what are you doing it isn't that deep

meanwhile you're dying inside with a case of the butterflies

and he's like "i'm just tryna treat the love of my life right"

silly boy!!! i hate him fr >:(

he offers some of his food to you, wipes your mouth with his thumb if there's anything around it

okay basically this boy watched a ton of kdramas to prepare for today so now he's a textbook kdrama boyfriend and honestly

could you even be mad at that?

once he's paid, you both head out and he asks if he can hold your hand

it's honestly a little quiet and awkward between the two of you because baby boy has not been on a ton of dates!

and he's so nervous because.. it's you

but then you tell him hey Donghyun... it's just me... chill out let's keep talking about the random stuff we always talk about

and then it gets a lot better :]

and Donghyun is all giddy and comfy, swinging your hand in his as you walk

"that hoodie looks so ugly," he says

and usually he would tease you and say that's why you should wear it

but today he says

"i bet you'd somehow make it look amazing, though"

and it sounds like a backhanded compliment or something??

but Donghyun is genuinely trying to tone down his teasing

and it gives you butterflies

yes you're so in love that you get butterflies from the bare minimum

thats okay.

you walk into a few stores that either you or him wanted to check out

and pick fits for each other

you dressing Donghyun in the most outrageous things

and him picking things he thinks you'd look cute in

like a beret with a little 🌱 bean sprout on top

and you're like Donghyun this is what babies like you should wear

and he just

UNPROVOKED

cups your face in his hands and presses a rough kiss to your cheek

"you're the baby," he says lowly, stroking your cheek with his thumb

and now you're flustered and he thinks you're the cutest person on this whole planet

he'll laugh and apologize as you sulk for a bit because what !!!!!!

he did not just kiss you and make you all flustered in public like that!

the two of you will definitely get matching something that day

whether its phone cases, socks, bracelets, shoes, hoodies, hats, whatever

Donghyun is now going to religiously have that thing on him, always

if you decide to go to an art museum/ gallery

he's not letting go of your hand

follows your lead and waits patiently 'til you're done looking at a painting/artifact before you both move

but sometimes you have to wait for him !!

points at all the horrific, monster-looking paintings and says you look like them

this is how you know he's getting really comfy with you again

and you do the same

and now it's a competition for who can find the most horrific painting

you both almost get kicked out for giggling so loudly

oh but then Donghyun finds this one painting

and it's absolutely gorgeous

he just stops and stares at it for a long time

and when you ask him how he feels

he says the scenery reminds him of you

and it's the most gorgeous scenery you can imagine

he asks if you'd be okay standing in front of it so he can take a photo

IMMEDIATE lockscreen material

and later in the gift shop

he finds postcards of that painting

and buys one for each of you

at the end of the day, you'll go eat dinner

and head to a cute café afterwards because Donghyun just doesn't wanna part ways with you yet

and you feel the same

it starts getting chilly on the walk to the café

so Donghyun

yep

he takes off his jacket

and puts it over your shoulders

and you're just like

he is so perfect

and the thing is this time

it doesn't even seem like it was a calculated move anymore

he doesn't scan your face for a reaction

he simply did it by instinct because he saw you shiver

he continues walking, one hand in his pocket, one hand in yours

smiling at the sky full of stars

then he feels you stop walking

he's like ??? everything okay?

there's no one around

and you're filled with so much love you just

pull him close and kiss his lips

and he's like 🧍🏻 frozen in place

he didn't expect your first kiss to happen so fast!

he had a whole thing planned out for when he was gonna kiss you for the first time :(

but fuck it this is way better

he feels your hands caressing the hair at the nape of his neck

and he holds your cold face with his warm hands

and when you pull away

you tell him how much you like him

and he's like

no but listen y/n

however much that may be

you can guarantee i like you more

and now the walk to the café is

kind of quiet

because you're both feeling the after-effects of the kiss

and then you point out something random and cute

like this bear plushie in a shop

and Donghyun tells you you're a lot cuter

and you smack his arm lightly

dramatic boy acts like he's been punched

at the café, finally

the two of you share a dessert

and Donghyun gets cream all over his mouth

and you're like oh my god this is so cute

so you take a photo and show him and he laughs and then he's all sulky

he's like stop making fun of me!

when he still has frosting all over

and you're dying of laughter

saying sorry sorry you're just so cute

you wipe the cream off his mouth with a napkin

and you don't realize how close you were to him until his mouth is all clean and he kisses your forehead

and he giggles

his man and his giggles :((

you take your time with your drinks because you don't want the night to end

literally stay at the café till closing

and even then Donghyun drags you to a karaoke place

this man

s e r e n a d e s you

sings the most mushy, lovey dovey (pun not intended) songs on this planet

and yes of course you're falling for him

how could you not when he's holding your hand

staring into your eyes and singing for you?!

if you're feeling up to it you might join him or sing some other songs

and then finally it's time to part ways

sike !!!!!

Donghyun tells you he has some work to do in the studio

and he pauses and then he's like

do you

wanna

come with me?!?!?!?!

and of course if you're tired he'll let you go

not without walking you home first!

hand in hand

kissing your cheek goodbye

and getting you to promise to call him

right before you sleep

otherwise

you follow him to his studio

and why does he look so attractive making music

like sir.

stop.

shows you some of his work and you're mind blown

you fall asleep and he just

he just thinks he's the luckiest person alive as he watches over you

places a blanket over you so you won't get cold

even if he finishes his work, stays in the studio until you wake up

even if that means staying there 'til the morning

just

i think the first date with Donghyun would be perfect

and yes i got carried away

sue me for it !!!!!!

ah.

[redrobin-detective]

Half of

Danny Fenton was half ghost. Or something.

No one was quite sure what that meant exactly or if it was even true. A ghost in a pure white suit had announced it during an attack on the town until he was beaten and silenced by Phantom. It’s been three days since then and the nerd hasn’t been at school. Not that Dash was looking for him or anything.

Dash worried, for just a second, that something bad happened to him. The Guys in White creeps had been asking questions around school the last few days. There’d been a noticeable lack in ghost attacks around town, maybe another ghost got to him? What about his ghost obsessed parents? Surely they wouldn’t have done anything to their own kid...

“Think Danny will be in school today?” Kwan whispered nervously, leaning in close to Dash’s side. Talking too loudly about the elephant, or ghost he guesses, in the room got people very forcefully interviewed by the government. 

“Why the hell would I know?” Dash grumbled, shaking his friend off to shove his hands deep into the pockets of his letterman jacket. “No one knows what’s going on, Manson and Foley haven’t shown up either.”

“I hope they’re ok,” Kwan said quietly, looking down at the floor. 

“Why do you care?” Dash grumbled, harsher than he meant to.

“You and everyone ditched me for Danny when Paulina was dating him, remember? Sam and Tucker were real pals and Danny, well he’s weird but not really that bad.” Kwan said bitterly before his eyebrows twisted in confusion. “That was actually pretty out of character for Paulina to date him now that I think about it, maybe he was, like, using ghost magic to control her?”

“That’s stu-” Dash was interrupted by the usually noise of Casper High going dead silent. He and Kwan shrugged at each other. He saw Star down the hallway, staring at something. He caught her eye and mouthed What is it at her. Her eyes slid back over to the hall before mouthing Fenton back. 

“Shit,” Dash couldn’t help but mutter under his breath, “Fenton’s here.” He glanced over at Kwan, trying to hide his nervousness. “Guess we’ll find out if he’s some sort of ghost freak after all.”

Kwan eyed him for a second, “you know if Danny really is half of a ghost then maybe you’ll want to quit it with the names.” The warning bell rang for first period. “You guys have homeroom together with Lancer, right? Just, I don’t know, don’t make him mad or anything.”

“Man, don’t even joke,” Dash said with a strained smile. “It’s Fenton, what’s the nerd gonna do?”

XxX

Fenton always sat in the back right of the class so seeing him there wasn’t that strange. What was strange was that he was there before the bell rang, not looking sweaty or exhausted or beaten up. Seeing him sitting there with an almost bored expression, casually leaning one arm over the back of his chair. It was eerie, seeing Fenton try to act normal. Dash felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on his head as he stiffly walked by the nerd he usually smacked when he walked by. He thought he felt Fenton’s icy eyes following him as he passed. Dash made sure he didn’t scurry like a wimp to his seat but it was a close thing.

“Class, please stop staring at Mr. Fenton and let us begin,” Lancer sighed, unsuccessfully trying to start the class.

“Do you know the ghost boy?” Paulina asked, slamming her palms on her desk and ignoring their teacher. “Because if you’ve been holding out on me-”

“I mean everyone in Amity Park knows him,” Fenton shrugged. He’d been so chill this morning, like the whole thing wasn’t bothering him. It only made Dash more antsy. He bounced his leg under the desk.

“Can you do anything cool? Like fly or shoot lasers from your eyes?” Mikey asked, leaning forward with curiosity.

“I can do lots of cool things,” Fenton sniffed. “I know a lot about the space program and local astronomy. I draw sometimes and I’m think I’m pretty good. I also have super flexible joints so I can do this.” He grinned a little as everyone squealed when he bent his thumb back so far it nearly touched his wrist. “Of course,” his grin turned into an eye roll, “no one really cares about that only my supposed superpowers.”

“What is a half of, exactly? What that ghost called you?” Dash found himself asking. He almost didn’t want to be heard but Fenton turned to look at him anyways. 

“What do you think it means?” Fenton questioned back. Though he had a teasing smirk, his eyes looked dull and dead. Dash couldn’t look at them and ducked his head. 

“Alright, alright, enough with the questions. The Fenton’s gave Danny a clean bill of health and allowed him to rejoin class so that’s all you kids need to know. Now, back to what we were actually talking about.” Class continued as expected but everyone still snuck glances at Fenton. He’s not sure what they were all waiting for, him to suddenly turn green or sprout horn or whatever. But Fenton just sat there, still as anything, trying to act normal and it just didn’t fit him right and it was all just. Wrong.

XxX

Dash was relieved Fenton wasn’t in his second or third period classes but they did have the same lunchtime. For the first time since he was skinny, bucktoothed 6th grader, Dash wanted to hide away and eat his lunch in private. But Fenton wasn’t the only one trying to keep up appearances.

“Alright, what has everyone got,” Paulina was whispering to the table by the time Dash was sitting down. “The day is halfway over, someone had to have seen him doing something ghostly.”

“I mean we don’t know how long he’s been like this,” Star commented, flipping her hair as pretense to sneak a glance at the loser trio near the back entrance of the cafeteria. “He could’ve been hiding his for a while.”

“Fenton’s always been weird,” Dale commented with a sneer, stabbing at his beefaroni. “Since day one, he’s been jumpy and clumsy and goes through weird mood swings.”

“Maybe he’s never been normal,” Kwan said with a little frown. Now Dash knows this wasn’t true. He was the only one at the table who’d gone to the same middle school as Fenton. The nerd had talked too much about space and was always tripping over something but he’d been like all the other annoying brats in middle school. Dale was onto something, Fenton had changed once high school hit which means whatever is up with him as been going on for a while. Years. 

He suddenly felt eyes on him, a cold, crawling feeling that made his breath catch in his throat. Dash squeezed his eyes shut and breathed a silent sigh of relief as the eyes turned from him. They didn’t return but Dash found he couldn’t eat after that.

XxX

“Dude, did you hear about Fenton?” Victor said in an excited but still hushed whisper as Dash was leaving fifth period. 

“No, what did he do?” Dash asked with dread.

“He had gym last period and apparently he’s been faking his loser weakness. He crawled up the rope climb like a goddamned spider monkey and then slid himself back down. Don’t know how he didn’t have intense rope burn from that. He also beat Charlie, Katie and Veronica on the sprinting portion. Must be those ghosty genes.”

“Fenton did all that?” Dash asked, he bit the inside of his cheek. Hard.

“Yeah it was crazy, I thought Tetslaf was gonna pass out,” Victor laughed. “Maybe we should get him to try out for the football team, he’d be a great running back or-”

“Come on, Vic,” Dash laughed but the sound came out wrong. “Why would we want Fenton on our team? He’s, he’s Fenton! Just a skinny, weird little wimp.” Vic side-eyed him a bit before clapping Dash on the back.

“World’s changing, Dash. First ghosts, now half ghosts, it’s all wrong but you just gotta roll with it. All I know is I have 2 years left in this hell hole before I leave this miserable place for Chicago and never look back. I recommend you do the same, after all,” Vic grinned again but it was sharper. “Fenton’s always been your personal punching bag, not every day you learn your victim has superpowers.”

“We don’t know what the hell is up with Fenton,” Dash defended. Vic just shrugged.

“Yeah but he’s always been a freak now we know he ain’t human. Who knows what else he’s hiding?” Vic said with a smug smile before wandering off, giving a halfhearted wave over his shoulder as he left.

Dash stood in the hallway, trying to get himself under control until the warning and late bell rang. Only then, when he was certain he wouldn’t run into Fenton, did he head to class. 

XxX

“Should we follow him, see where he goes?” Paulina said, biting onto one of her nails in nervous excitement. Paulie was gorgeous and overall pretty cool but her thing with ghosts sometimes tired Dash out. Now more than ever. 

“Come on, that’s like stalking,” Kwan scolded. “Even if that wasn’t illegal or whatever it’s just not cool. They had a rough day today, leave ‘em alone.” That icy chill returned and Dash looked out of the corner of his eye to see Fenton and his cronies walking out of the school. 

Truthfully, Dash didn’t think Fenton had that bad of a day. Yeah people were asking questions but he’d side stepped them all, gave non-answers. Other people talked about Fenton’s supposed strength in gym but there’d been conflicting reports, some said he flew up the rope climb, others said he levitated doing his push ups. Dash really didn’t know what to believe. Fenton was just acting, well, like Fenton. He paused for a second, stopped walking before catching up with the group.

Maybe... maybe Dash was getting caught up over nothing. There really was no proof Fenton was this ‘half of’ other than what one dumb ghost said. He thought back to Fenton’s grin during first period; stupid nerd was probably milking his 15 minutes of fame and bully free time. His earlier fear and uncertainty burst into flames until a familiar anger was burning in his gut. Now this he knew what to do with.

“Yeah, well his day is about to get rougher,” Dash heard himself say as he stomped off to where Fenton was smiling tiredly at something Manson was saying. “Hey Fentonio! Think you’re pretty cool with every paying attention to you but I-”

Fenton gasped suddenly, like a hiccup only his breath misted out in front of him cold as a winter’s day. Dash stopped midsentence watching as Fenton’s whole face twisted. His earlier weary but tolerant annoyance that he’d been projecting all day was stripped away. He glared at Dash with an expression that was hard as ice and full of an exhaustion and bitterness he couldn’t begin to understand.

“As payment for being forcibly outed,” Fenton spoke up loudly enough that most of the school yard could hear him. “I was promised a week.” His eyes slowly but methodically scanned the crowd who had frozen in place at his authoritative tone. “Where I didn’t have to deal with ghosts, so I want to know... Who is trespassing on my haunt.”

Fenton’s mouth opened impossibly wide revealing what seemed like rows of sharped teeth. He curled his fingers into claws and, looking closer, his fingernails had indeed become real claws, as sharp and deadly as his teeth. His eyes blazed an impossible, ectoplasmic green and his dark hair developed streaks of white. He was terrifying, monstrous, but he was still Fenton. That feeling that had been eating at dash all day came back full force. Not the realization that Fenton had powers or whatever but that he had been hiding it in plain sight through ghost attacks and bullies and failing grades. This had always been Fenton, they just hadn’t seen. Until now that is.

And now the script had flipped and Dash didn’t know how this Ghost Fenton, who still was the same Fenton Dash had wedgied last Wednesday, fit. A green blob ghost materialized over by stairs, quivering and wailing in some ghost language. It turned and fled, presumably in the direction of the Fenton Portal to escape Fenton’s wrath. Fenton’s glowing eyes tracked it for a moment before he straightened up from his hunched posture and... was human again.

He brushed his hands through his black hair, lazily blinked blue eyes and, when he smiled, his teeth were normal. But Dash had seen, they all had. He’d let them see but to what end, he had no idea. Fenton turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow and another small smirk, just as tired as earlier.

“Sorry about that Dash, I take my vacation time very seriously. You were saying?” Fenton said with a smug lilt but his eyes were still dead and there was a bit of fear in them now. Despite his powers, he still gripped his backpack tightly.

“When your dumb little vacation’s up, Fentionail,” Dash said with a shaky voice. “It’s-it’s back to business, okay? Punches and wedgies and locker shoving. You,” he voice cracked a bit and he fought it down. “It’ll ramp up now that I know you can take it.” Fenton blinked, once then twice before he smiled. This time it wasn’t annoyed or scary or fearful but like the dumb grins he usually gave his dumb friends. 

“Yeah okay, we’ll start back up next week. The usual time?” Dash nodded, not knowing what else to say. “Alright, see you around.” He turned to walk away before pausing and turning back. “Actually you should be careful on who you shove into lockers, it can get hard to breathe in there and not everyone can phase out of them. You never know who’ll turn up dead,” he grinned and his eyes flashed green again, “if only half.”

That said, he and his friends walked away, ignoring the stares of the entire school on them. “Oh and it’s halfa, not half of,” Fenton called out over his shoulder. “I’m not half of anything, I’m just a whole me even if the details get a bit complicated.”

“Bye Danny, see you tomorrow,” Kwan called after with a grimace. No one else said anything for a minute until Dash found the strength to move his legs from where they’d been planted. He clenched his fists to hide his shaking and continued his walk home. Everyone else slowly did the same, talking quietly among themselves.

“What the hell was that?” Dale asked in a nervous high pitched voice. “What the hell did I just see?”

“Fenton being a weirdo but that’s nothing new,” Dash shrugged with a confidence he didn’t have yet. But if Fenton could show up to school after being outed and then willingly show them his inhumanity, then Dash needed to up his game. Couldn’t let the nerd be cool or anything. “So what if he glows or whatever, he’s still Fenton. Look I gotta get home, it’s Pookie’s feeding time and he is NOT going to believe the day I had.

[atlafan]

Open Door Policy - One Shot

a/n: so, I love a good professor!harry fic, but I don’t always love when he gets involved with a student, so y/n is his TA. He’s 26, and she’s 23, so not too weird, right? Anyways, this took me a few days to write, and I didn’t mean for it to be this long, but here we are. This is a slow burn fam, like...buckle up. Reblogs are always very kind and helpful! Not proofread. 

Warnings: angst, fluff, and smut! 

Words: 21.5K 

It was Y/N’s second year in grad school. She knew how to handle her workload on top of still making time for fun. She was still able to go out to the bar, and party with her friends. However, she was serious about her research. She had a “big girl” apartment that she shared with two friends, each having their own room. Grad school was expensive, and even though she had a decent job working at the local café, it wasn’t enough to cover her bills. Luckily, she got a grant to be TA this semester, which was perfect because she was interested in teaching at a collegiate level at some point. Her excitement dwindled slightly when she got the email about what professor she’d be paired up with.

“Who is it?” Nessa asks, plopping down on the couch with her.

“Dr. Styles.” Y/N groans.

“Tell me, why is that a problem?” Charlotte asks, coming over with a bowl of popcorn so they could start their movie night. “He’s so fucking hot.”

“Exactly! How am I supposed to concentrate?! I had him my senior year for an elective and it was awful. I was flustered all the time. He’s such a nice guy too, I missed a class where we had a test and he let me make it up, no questions asked.”

“Great, so he’s a good professor to learn from.” Nessa says. “Oh, maybe you’ll get a closer look at some of his tattoos.”

“There’s nothing to be nervous about, Y/N, he’s only a few years older than us, you know?” Charlotte shrugs. “Maybe you’ll fall in love.” She teases her.

“Mhm, yeah, because I’m sure a guy who has his PhD in Computer Science is just dying to go out with a girl who’s only a TA so she can afford her last year of school.”

“What class are you even helping him with? You’re not specializing in CS.” Nessa says.

“Apparently it’s for the section of Web Expressions he teaches, that was the class I took with him. It was really easy, you just learn the basics of HTML and then build your own website.”

“Did you just say that was easy?” Nessa scoffs.

“My older sister ended up helping me a lot because she had a myspace back in the day, I guess you needed HTML for that.” Y/N shrugs. “It’ll be a good experience for me.”

“Okay, but you’re just specializing in Curriculum and Instruction, so-“

“Yeah, that involves Instructional Design, so I know about this stuff. I’m just not looking forward to doing it with him.” She sighs.

“Could be worse.” Charlotte smirks. “You could have gotten with some old fart who would let you flounder.”

“Very true.” She closes her laptop and sets it on the coffee table. “Alright, let’s get this HSM party started.”

//

A week later Y/N received an email from Dr. Styles to meet with her so they could discuss the class and make sure they were on the same page about the syllabus. She was a nervous wreck. Y/N used to avoid his office like the plague, too afraid to be alone with him. It’s not that Dr. Styles was a creep or ever put off any inappropriate vibes, he just had this sort of intimidating stare to him. Even when he’d laugh, seeing him soften was intimidating. The sound of his deep, raspy voice was almost a little too soothing, and she was obsessed with his sense of style. His nails were always painted different colors, and he had the cutest pair of round glasses that would sit on the tip of his nose.

Even though it was August, and still very hot out, Y/N wanted to make a good, professional impression. So, she decides on a pair of white slacks that have a tie in the front, a white tank top tucked in, and a navy blue three-quarter sleeve blazer. It was too humid to leave her hair down, so she puts it up in a cute, messy bun. She puts on a little makeup, grabs her laptop bag, and out the door she goes. She puts her sunglasses on immediately, almost getting blinded by the blazing sun.

She had never been in an academic building at this point in the summer. There were a few faculty puttering around, getting their offices situated for the semester. She smiles at a few of them as she takes her sunglasses off. She heads up to the third story where Dr. Styles’ office was. There was no a/c in this building, but luckily the room they’d be teaching in would have it due to all the computers.

His door was open, and she nearly walked right by him. She back peddles and already feels weak kneed. He had his glasses on, pushed closer to his face than usual, a small fan on his desk blowing the hair that wasn’t in the little sprout on the top of his head back, and he was wearing a white t-shirt.

“Um, Dr. Styles?” She nervously taps on the outside of the doorframe. He looks up from his computer and smiles.

“Miss Y/L/N?”

“Yes.” She smiles back at him.

“Come on in, have a seat.”

It was the accent, that fucking British accent that she remembered was the most distracting part about him. He had this drawl to his voice that was irresistible.

“Do you want me to, um…” She points to the door.

“No, no, too bloody hot to have that thing closed. The little window I get barely opens so I only have this fan to really keep me cool.” He frowns slightly at her appearance. “Why’d you get so dressed up? You must be sweltering.”  

“I’m okay!” She blushes, and takes the seat in front of his desk. “I just…you know, wanted to look nice.” His eyebrows raise slightly. “I mean, like, not nice, but professional.”

“Well, don’t feel like you need to be dressed up like this all the time. I want you to be comfortable. You don’t see me all dressed up.” He smirks.

“You’re a tenure-track faculty, you can do whatever you want.”

“Not true.” He leans forward and rests his chin on his palm. “I can’t call a student an absolute moron when they ask me a stupid question.”

“I thought there were no stupid questions.” She smiles.

“God, there’s tons.” He scoffs and sits up straighter. “But we have to encourage students to speak up when they’re confused, so.” He shrugs. “Anyways, let’s look at the course, yeah?”

“Okay.” She takes her laptop out and sets it on his desk, scooting closer.

“I added you to the moodle page, so you should have full access to everything. You’ll be grading a bit, so I wanted to make sure you knew how to get in there.”

Once Y/N logs in, and clicks into the course, she smirks.

“What?”

“Looks at the exact same.”

“What do you mean?”

“I actually, uh, took this class with you a couple of years ago.” She furrows her brows at the page. “You know, you should really update this, it’s lazy to use the same design year after year.” She sort of says it without thinking and then feels embarrassed when she looks back up to meet his intimidating gaze.

“Interesting, usually I’m good with names…yours doesn’t ring a bell at all.” He looks at his own computer and crosses his arms. “And it’s not that I’m lazy, I don’t have a lot of control over the physical design. The assignments are much different, those I keep fresh.” He turns to look at her again. “I also teach eighteen credits worth of courses, I don’t exactly have time to sit and revamp all of them.”

“Well, maybe I could do that. I’ve taken a lot of Instructional Design courses.” She says brightly. “Studies show that students do better when their course pages are more inviting.”

“Alright, since you’re the expert, I’ll let you take the lead on that. Can we get back to the material itself? I have to make sure you know what you’re doing.” He squints at her. “You really took this class?”

“Yes.”

“And I was your professor?”

“Yes, Dr. Styles.”

He plucks his fingers over his lips.

“I feel bad for not remembering you.”

“It’s okay, I sort of kept to myself. You late me retake a test that I missed once, though.”

“Oh!” He snaps his fingers. “You missed class because you had a bad stomach bug.”

“Yeah.” She blushes.

“Poor thing, those are the worst when you don’t have mum around to help take care of you.”

“It’s alright, I recovered.”

“Clearly.” He smiles.

They spend the next hour or so going over the course and the materials. He tells her what he’ll need from her specifically. He’ll do most of the teaching, and she’ll bebop around helping students with questions. Oh, and grading, she’ll be helping with a lot of grading. He notices her wipe some sweat from her brow, and he frowns.

“Do you want a water? I have some in the fridge.”

“That would be great, thank you.”

He wheels over to his mini fridge and tosses her a water bottle. As she takes a sip, she notices him still looking at her.

“You can take that off, you know?”

“What?”

“Your blazer.”

“No, I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I’m, uh, only wearing a tank top underneath and I wouldn’t feel comfortable being so…exposed.”

“Oh!” He blushes. “I’m sorry, I hope my comment didn’t-“

“It’s fine.”

“I just hope you know I wasn’t trying to-“

“I didn’t.” She clears her throat. “So, I have full reigns to redesign some things?”

“Sure.” He shrugs. “Just as long as I can still navigate it.”

“Isn’t your PhD in Computer Science? You should be fine.” She closes her laptop and sticks it in her bag.

“Right…” He pulls his calendar up on his computer. “What’s your class schedule like?”

“With this one, I only have one other class that’s in person, the rest are online.”

“Perfect, then it should be easy to build in some office hours for you. We’ll have to share mine, I hope that’s alright. Not every TA gets their own office, but there’s plenty of room in here for two. This office actually used to have to people in it, I’m having a small desk brought in for you.”

“Oh, um, thanks. I also work a lot at the café down town, but it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“You work at Bento’s?”

“Yeah.”

“I go there all the time, how have I not seen you?”

“I work in the back as a baker.”

“Oh cool, I actually worked in a bakery when I was younger.”

“I know.” She rolls her eyes. “You used to mention it all the time in class.”

“I did?”

“Yes.” She chuckles. “You made it sound like so much fun it’s actually what made me apply to Bento’s in the first place.”

“Ah, well, glad I could help.”

They decide on the office hours that will work best, and then he dismisses her. Just as she’s about to leave, he says her name.

“Yeah?”

“When it’s just us feel free to call me Harry. You and I don’t need to be so formal, alright?”

“Okay.” She smiles. “See you next week.”

The second she gets outside the building, she rips her blazer off. She gets back to her apartment as quickly as possible, changes into a bathing suit, and gets in the pool outside. Charlotte and Nessa were already out there, sitting on chairs in the shade. Y/N gets out and towels off, sitting down with them.

“Needed to cool off after your time with Dr. Styles, huh?” Charlotte winks at her.

“Shut up.” Y/N nudges her friend. “It was so fucking hot in his office. I know it’ll cool down eventually, and I was also way overdressed. He only had a t-shirt and jeans on.”

“Did he remember you?” Nessa asks.

“Not at first, but of course he remembered the reason I missed class was because I had a stomach bug, how embarrassing.”

“Why is that embarrassing?” Charlotte asks.

“I don’t want him to think about me being all…icky.”

“Do you seriously still have a crush on him?” Nessa asks.

“It’s not a crush, he’s just insanely attractive. He looked so cute being all casual today.” She whines. “It doesn’t matter, he’s twenty-six and probably has a girlfriend or something, how could he not?”

“I don’t know, I wouldn’t wanna date a guy smarter than me. He probably man-splains all the time.” Charlotte says. “I bet he’s good for a quick fuck, and that’s about it.”

“I guess Y/N will find out.” Nessa giggles.

“You two are the worst.” She groans.

//

“Hey, Y/N!”

Y/N was in the back at Bento’s getting some bread proofed and ready for the morning crew. One of her coworkers was calling for her.

“Yeah?”

“There’s some guy out front asking for you?”

“What?” She wipes her hands on her apron and walks out front. She freezes when she sees Harry. She had a hairnet on, her face was laced with sweat, and she smelled like bread, which you would think would smell good, but it doesn’t. It had been a couple of days since their meeting.

“Sorry, had to see it for myself.” He smirks.

“See what, Dr. Styles?” She walks around the counter to speak with him.

“Harry.” He corrects her. “See you in action, of course.” He takes a sip from his drink. “I see you’ve already made some changes to the course.”

“Yeah, uh, it was pretty easy.”

“Well, it looks fantastic. I was going to email you, but I was stopping in here and I thought I’d see if you were working so I could just tell you in person.”

“Oh.” She blushes. “Thank you, that means a lot.”

“Well, I’ll let you get back to it. Don’t wanna get you in trouble.” He waves as he leaves, and she stands there stunned.

“Who the fuck was that?” Her coworker asks.

“Um, I’m his TA this semester. He wanted to tell me I did a good job on something.”

“Oh, shit.”

“What?”

“He’s gonna fuck you.”

“Stop!” She swats her hand at them. “Go take drink orders, I’m going back to the proofer.”

Harry was just being nice, and maybe he was looking for a good laugh. She shakes the thought from her head, he didn’t want to fuck her. He was way more professional than that.

//

On her first day as a TA, she decided on a pair of jean capris, and a light blouse. She left her hair down since it wasn’t humid. She felt more like herself, which was good. She goes to her now shared office with Harry first, just to drop her things off.

“Good morning.” She says shyly as she comes in. The small desk he had brought in for her was there, and there was a small plant waiting for her on it.

“Morning, Y/N, are you excited?”

“More so nervous, but yeah. What’s this?” She points to the plant.

“Got you a little something for your desk. It’s really easy to take care of, should only need water once a week.”

“Oh, thank you.” She tucks some hair behind her ear and sits down.

“Since it’s syllabus week, today will be really easy. We’ll go over a few things and then I’ll probably let them go early.”

“Alright.”

“I’ll give you a couple of minutes to introduce yourself too.”

“Okay.”

“Do you have a water bottle with you or anything?”

“Yeah, right here.” She takes it out of her bag.

“Great, a little trick I learned when I first started teaching is that sometimes you can end up answering a question you ask the students because you’re so nervous when no one answers right away. So, if you take a moment to take a sip of your water it gives them more time to speak up.”

“Thanks, that’s a really good tip.”

“You’ll do great.” He looks down at his watch. “Come on, we should head to the classroom, make sure all the computers are working.”

Y/N nods and follows him out. Her eyes drift down to how his butt looks in his khakis. He had a simple green t-shirt tucked into them. He was effortlessly handsome. The cool of the a/c in the computer lab helps snap her out of ogling. After they check the rows of computers, only one wasn’t working, so Y/N takes a DO NOT USE sign onto it.

“Brilliant.” He says to her.

Students start trickling in, and choosing their seats. The class was mostly boys, and only a couple of girls. Unfortunately, that was typical for courses like this, even if it was just a gen ed that literally anyone could take.

“Morning everyone, I’m Dr. Styles, and I’d prefer you call me that. I worked a long time to be called that, so please don’t call me by my first name. You can call me professor, though, if you feel comfortable.” He smiles at the class. “We’re very lucky this semester, I have a TA that will be able to help you with assignments.” He gestures to Y/N.”

“Hi, yeah, my name’s Y/N, you can feel free to just call me that. Um, I’m in my second year of grad school. I’m studying curriculum and instructional design. I’m excited to be with you all this semester.”

Y/N takes a seat to the side of the room while Harry pulls up the course and the syllabus on the projector.

“Now, who here is a CS major?” Most of the class raises their hand. “Right, try branching out for your gen eds, your eyes will bleed if you don’t.” He jokes. “What about those of you who aren’t CS, just shout it out.”

“Communication.”

“Undecided.”

“IT.”

“Psychology.”

“Wonderful, glad we’ll have a little bit of variety. Y/N redesigned this class, so I’m hoping you’ll appreciate what she’s done to make things easier for you.”

Y/N takes attendance, and then sits back down so Harry can go over the syllabus and explain some of the more intricate assignments. He also explains his door is always open for anyone that needs extra help. He wanted to make a good impression since he knew some of the students would end up in some of his higher level courses.

“Please take some time to go over some of the basic codes and short cuts we’ll be using quite a bit. For our next class we’re going to work on a site together, alright?” There’s a hum of agreement throughout the class. “Great, and just so you know, Y/N will be doing the majority of the grading, so it’s not my good side you’ll want to be on, it’s hers.” He grins. “Alright, you’re all dismissed, enjoy the nice weather.”

Everyone files out, and Y/N takes a deep breath. She walks with Harry down to his office and she plops down in her seat.

“Seems like it’ll be a good group.” He opens one of his drawers. “Here, forgot to give you a key. You can come here whenever you want, feel free to do your homework if there’s nothing to be graded.”

“Thanks.” She takes it from him and puts it on her key ring. “It’ll be nice to have a quiet space, actually. One of my roommates is getting her master’s in theater education, and my other roommate is getting her master’s in music education, so it gets kind loud from time to time.”

“Then definitely come here anytime you like.” He smiles and sits in his chair.

“When does your next class start?”

“I’ve got about an hour or so before I need to go back to the computer lab for my computing fundamentals class. I teach two sections of that back to back. Then that’s it for today.”

“Does it get annoying to teach the same class back to back?”

“Not really.” He shrugs. “I’m used to it by now anyways.”

“Dr. Styles?” A female student taps on the outside of the door. “How was your su…oh, you’re in here with someone.” She frowns.

“I sure am, Melanie.” Harry seems to look a little nervous. “I’ll be rather busy today, but we can catch up soon, alright?”

“Oh, okay.” She glares at Y/N before leaving. Harry sighs heavily once she’s gone.

“That’s one of my frequent flyers.” He rolls his eyes. “Her and a couple other girls try to come by and chat…” He runs a hand through his hair. “I’m actually kind of glad you’ll be around, I’ve seen her fly out of here so fast.”

“Does she…have a crush on you or something?”

“I’m afraid so.” Harry sighs. “It’s partly why I keep my door open when I meet with students. I used to keep it closed to have some privacy, cause sometimes there’s personal things students want to talk about, but she came in last year…I don’t know, I just keep my door open now.”

“That sucks.” She turns to her laptop to start getting some work done. “Such is the life of the hot, young professor, unfortunately.” Once again, Y/N said something without really thinking about it. She really needs to work on a filter. When she turns around to look at him to apologize, he was looking at her, face flushed. “I’m sorry, I just meant-“

“I have some emails to catch up on, so I’m gonna put by earbuds in and just focus on that.”

Y/N nods and turns back to her computer. She sighs heavily. The last thing she wanted to do was make the poor guy feel more tense than he already did. It must be painfully awkward to have students throwing themselves at you all the time, and what’s worse is that he feels so uncomfortable that he feels like he can’t even close his door. Y/N wanted to know what exactly Melanie did. It couldn’t have been so bad because she was still coming by to see him. Maybe Harry just picked up on a vibe, and got ahead of the problem before it got worse.

Forty or so minutes later, Harry tells Y/N he’s off to class, but she can feel free to stay if she wanted. She smiles and continues working on a paper she already had assigned for one of her courses. It was really nice to just have a space to work.

“Dr…oh…is this not Dr. Styles’ office anymore.” The girl standing in the doorway frowns.

“Oh! No, it is. He’s teaching right now. I’m his TA, Y/N, so we’re sharing. Can I help you with anything?”

“No, um, I was just coming to say hi, but I’ll catch him later.”

“What’s your name? I can tell him you stopped by, then he can email you or something.”

“It’s Bridget, and he doesn’t need to email me. I was just coming to say hi and chat about summer.” She sighs. “Sorry to bother you.”

Before Y/N can say it wasn’t a bother, the girl is gone. Harry really seemed to have a fan club so far. Y/N had professors she loved, but it was the first day of classes, she never went around trying to catch up with them. She decides to close the door a bit, maybe if people came by they would just assume he wasn’t there.

Y/N’s eyes start to feel droopy. It hits her that she’s been up since four this morning, having pulled an early shift at Bento’s. She decides to cross her arms on her desk, and rest her head on them. Her music was playing softly in the background, and her eyes eventually flutter closed.

Harry comes back from his second section of Computer Fundamentals and is confused when he sees his door only open a crack. He opens it the rest of the way and stops short when he sees Y/N resting peacefully. He wonders how long she’s been asleep for. He didn’t want her to be too groggy. He also knew some students from his previous classes may stop by for some clarification, so as he much he didn’t want to, he had to wake her up.

“Y/N?” He says softly, tapping her on the shoulder.

“Mm?” She grunts.

“Gotta wake up, love.”

Her eyes snap open. She sits up and watches him as he sits at his desk, pulling some papers out of his bag. She knew it was a pet name often used where he was from, but holy mother of God did it sound good hearing him call her that.

“Sorry, I…oh wow, I slept for way too long.”

“You didn’t seem so tired this morning, are you feeling alright?”

“Oh yeah, I’m fine. I worked an early shift at the bakery this morning, so it must just be catching up with me.” She stretches her arms out. “I think I’m gonna head out now. Oh, some student named Bridget came by earlier, but you were in class.”

“Alright.” He sighs. “Thanks, see you Wednesday.”

“See you Wednesday.” She smiles, gathers her things, and heads out.

//

At the end of the first week of classes, Harry was exhausted. It was always like this by the time that first Friday hit. The faculty meeting was the most draining part of it. He didn’t subject Y/N to it since she wasn’t helping with a major course. He had whined about it in front of her, though, so when he got back to his office he found a cupcake from Bento’s waiting for him.

It took a couple of weeks, but Y/N was able to relax around Harry. He noticed this right away. She was way less nervous, and he felt happy knowing he wasn’t making her feel intimidated. He was also happy for the help. She was able to field a lot of questions for the students, and her grading things was already saving him a ton of time.

The semester was off to a great start. Y/N would often bring Harry extra pastries from Bento’s, and he would praise her for how good they tasted.

“If those whole Instructional Design thing doesn’t work out, you should just open up your own bakery.” Is what he would often say after stuffing his face. It would make her giggle and blush. She enjoyed pleasing him.

They were having a peaceful Tuesday afternoon, holding office hours. Mostly working on their own, but occasionally chatting. Well, it was peaceful, until someone walked through the door.

“Harry.” An angry woman holding a small shih tzu and a large bag says. “I can’t take care of him Max anymore. I’m moving and my new place can’t have pets.”

“Kelly, let’s go out into the hall, yeah?”

She looks over at Y/N, who was stunned. Harry was standing up and walking around his desk to lead the woman out, but she won’t budge.

“Make whoever this is leave, you have an office for a reason.”

“I don’t have an office for personal matters, come on.” He takes the dog, Max, from her and cuddles him to his chest. Harry gets a lick to his chin. “Aw, you miss Daddy, Maxy?”

The woman rolls her eyes, and lets Harry lead her into the hallway. Y/N hears some muffled discussion, the woman raising her voice more than him.

“You could have looked for a place that allowed pets. This is so typical of you. You fought me on keeping him, and the second it got difficult you wanna just dump him with me.”

“I’m never home, Harry! It’s not fair to him.”

“And you think I’m home more?”

“More than me.” She scoffs. “You don’t have a choice, I leave at the end of the week.”

“You don’t even look like you’re going to miss him.”

“I thought I wanted him, but every time I looked at him I just thought of you, and now I can’t stand him. I’m moving to have a fresh start. Whatever happens to him is up to you now.” She drops the large bag full of Max’s things at his feet and walks away.

Harry sighs and kisses the top of Max’s head. He leans down to grab the bag and walks back into his office.

“I’m so sorry you had to see that.”

“It’s okay.” She extends her hands out. “Can I hold him? He’s so cute.” She pouts.

“Um, sure.” Harry hands Max over to Y/N.

“Oh my goodness.” She gets a lick on her cheek. “How old is he?”

“A little over a year.” Harry mumbles as he goes through the bag. “I have no idea how I’m going to make this work. I can’t bring him with me every day, it’s not allowed. Once in a while is fine, but it’s not like he’s a therapy dog.”

“I can help! My apartment is pet friendly for small dogs. I could just meet you here and you can drop him off to me.”

“I couldn’t ask you to do that. You have so much going on between this, your own school work, and Bento’s.”

“I really wouldn’t mind, I know you end up staying here late a lot of the time, I could take him for walks and stuff, tire him out so you can just have a snuggle with him when you get home.” She holds him up to her face. Lucky dog, she thinks to herself.

“You’re my TA, Y/N, not my dog sitter.” He sighs. “I’m sure I could find another student that needs some extra cash-“

“Wouldn’t need to pay me.” She smiles. “Please, he’s so cute, I really wanna help. It won’t stress me out, I promise.”

“We’ll see, it would only be on my busy days.” He takes Max back from her, and pulls his dog bed from the bag. “Go on, get comfy.” He sets him down and pats the top of his head. He takes out his water bowl and pours some into it for him.

“Feel free to not answer, but who was she?”

“My ex…” Harry sighs and runs a hand through his hair. He sits down and watches Max lap up at his water bowl. “She insisted on a small dog because they’re easier to take care of.” He rolls his eyes. “But I missed him a lot, so I’m not complaining. We were together a couple of years, lived together for a bit, thought it would be smart to get a dog like a lot of people do when they’re getting more serious. But we started fighting a lot, we both got busier, neither of us wanted to compromise, and so it goes. She took him with her. We both got new places and have barely spoken.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay, we weren’t right for each other, and he sort of made us realize that.” Max yips at Harry. “That’s right, buddy.” Harry chuckles. “We called it quits roughly six months ago, it’s all good now. I thought I’d miss her, but I missed him more.”

“I get that, I dated this guy for a bit in undergrad, but I definitely didn’t see it lasting.” She rolls her eyes.

“Guys at that age are really immature, anyways. You’ve got plenty of time to meet someone.” He turns back to his computer and gets back into his emails. He looks over his calendar and groans. “Alright, I’ll definitely need your help with him.” He turns back to her. “I give a lecture on Thursday evenings, so no one would be home with him literally day.”

“No problem at all, I can bring him home with me and I can just drop him off to you.” She smiles. “My roommates love dogs too, they’ll be excited.”

“I’ll need your phone number, just to get updates and stuff, it’ll be easier than email.”

“Sure!” She hands him her phone immediately. “Feels silly to not have exchanged numbers sooner.”

“Was sort of trying to keep a level of professionalism between us, but I suppose you’re gonna be helping me with my pup you’ll be more than just a colleague.” He puts his number in and texts himself. “You’re sure this won’t be too much for you?”

“Not at all.”

“At least let me pay you.”

“No way.”

“Y/N.” He sighs. “I’m gonna pay you, just deal with it, alright?” There was that intimidating side of him again. Y/N just swallows and nods. “Good.”

//

Nessa and Charlotte loved when Y/N would bring Max home with her. They teased her a bit at first because it was like her and Harry now owned this dog together, but she explained she was just helping him out.

“At least now you know for sure he’s single, and that he’s not afraid of commitment.” Nessa winks.

“Oh stop.” Y/N nudges her.

“He has your number now, does he ever text you about anything other than Max?”

“Not really, although he’ll send a funny gif as a response sometimes. He’s got a good sense of humor. You should see him in class.” Y/N’s phone buzzes and sees a text from Harry. “Speak of the Devil.”

Harry: I’m running late tonight, I’m so sorry. Would it be too much to ask to have you just get him settled at my place? There’s a spare key in the plant by the door.

Y/N’s eyes grow wide.

“Oh my god, he wants me to bring Max to his house tonight.”

“It’s happening!” Charlotte squeals. “Have you eaten much pineapple lately?”

“Would you shut up?! He doesn’t want to fuck me. He’s way too professional.”

Y/N: of course!

Harry: you’re a lifesaver. I’ve got some frozen pizza, feel free to make yourself at home until I get in. I won’t have you waiting too long.

“Oh wow, I’m gonna be there until he gets in…” She looks at her friends. “Maybe I’ll go shave my legs, you know, just in case.”

//

Y/N finds the key quickly, and walks into Harry’s home. He didn’t live too far from campus. He had a nice town home. Max scamps inside and immediately goes over to his toys in the living room. Y/N takes her shoes off and leaves them in the mudroom. Harry kept his home clean, and it made Y/N smile. There were some papers on his kitchen table that had grade marks on them. She wondered if he had a home office or not.

She goes into his freezer to find the pizza, and preheats the over. Once the pizza is baking, she plops onto the couch, pulling Max into her lap and turning the TV on. He has Netflix, so she click into that. She pouts when she sees he watches a lot of Rom Coms, it was too cute. She puts on The Office and has a slice of pizza. She didn’t need to work until tomorrow afternoon, so she didn’t mind that it was getting to be a little later on a Thursday, and it wasn’t like she went to raging parties anymore either.

Eventually, she dozed off. She couldn’t help it. Harry had a really comfortable couch, and plush blanket to curl up in, and Max was just as cozy to sleep with. Harry had texted Y/N, but she didn’t answer because she was asleep. The lecture he had ran late, and then he had to meet with some students to help them. Not to mention it was raining heavily, and he needed to drive a little slower than usual. So he didn’t pull into his driveway until 10PM. He sighs, feeling terrible that Y/N was still there.

He quietly enters his home, but it didn’t matter because Max hears him, wakes up, and starts barking. This startles Y/N awake.

“Shh, Max, it’s just Daddy.” He scoops him up and walks into the living room. Y/N was rubbing her eyes, trying to wake up. “I’m so sorry, I-“

“It’s okay.” She yawns. “I wrapped up the pizza and put it in the fridge for you.”

“Oh, um, thank you. Think I’m about to pass out though.”

“Don’t be silly.” She gets up and stretches. “You need to eat something.”

She brushes by him to go into his kitchen and take the pizza out. She puts a paper-towel over it and pops it in the microwave.

“I really am sorry you’re here so late.”

“It’s okay.” She leans against the counter. “What’s the lecture for, anyways?”

“It’s actually a graduate level CS systems course. I couldn’t turn the money down when they offered it to me. I figured since it’s only once a week it would be terrible, and it’s not, it’s just exhausting.”

The microwave beeps, and Y/N take the plate out for him, removing the paper towel.

“See, now it’s not all dried out.” She smiles.

“Neat trick, I’ll have to remember that.” The rain taps violently on the window in the kitchen.

“Yikes, I didn’t even know it was supposed to rain tonight. It wasn’t like this when I drove over.” She bites her bottom lip and looks outside.

Harry finishes his pizza and puts the plate in the sink. He sets Max down and he runs upstairs to his dog bed in Harry’s room.

“Listen, uh, if you want I can set up the pull out for you. Or I could sleep on it and you could take my bed…if you don’t feel safe driving home.”

“Oh, I couldn’t take your bed.” She turns to him. “But I may take your couch. I was sleeping on it fine as is, no need to set it up.”

“Well, let me at least get you a proper pillow and something to change into, yeah?”

“Okay.”

“Right, um, well you know where the bathroom down here is, feel free to use whatever to wash up. I’ll run up to grab what you need, be down in a sec.”

Harry changes into his own pj’s, and finds some spare pants and a t-shirt for Y/N. He’s even able to find a spare toothbrush. He hustles back down and see’s Y/N bending over to charge her phone using the plug behind the tide table next to the couch. Harry clears his throat to get her attention.

“Here, you can wear this, and he’s a toothbrush.”

“Thanks for letting crash here, I get nervous driving at night when it’s like that outside.”

“It’s the least I could do, you gave up your Thursday night to…” He looks at the TV screen and his cheeks grow hot. Y/N looks over at the TV as well and wonders why The Office might embarrass him.

“Is it okay that I used your Netflix?”

“Yeah, I…god, it’s just, you’ve seen what I watch.” He rubs the back of his neck.

“I didn’t snoop or anything, promise.” She smiles and takes the clothes and toothbrush from him.

He opens up the coffee table to take out a pillow and another blanket.

“Well, I’ll be right upstairs if you need anything…um, goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Harry.”

She wanted to ask if he wanted to watch a little TV with her, but he looked so tired. She lays on the couch after getting changed. His bed clothes swam on her, and she loved it. They smelled just like him and it made her smile. She texts in the group chat so the girls know what’s up. They tell her just to go crawl into his bed, and she rolls her eyes. She falls back asleep after another couple of episodes of The Office.

The next morning, her eyes flutter open when the light from the sliding door in the living room hit her. She hears Harry shuffling around upstairs.

“Gotta be quiet, Max. Y/N is sleeping.” She hears him whisper and it makes her smile. She decides to pretend to be asleep as to not rile the dog up.

She hears the door open and close, and that’s when she knows Harry’s gone to take Max for a walk. She gets up and folds the blankets, and puts the pillow on top. She figures he’ll want to wash it. She goes into the bathroom to do her business, but doesn’t change just yet, she didn’t want to leave the comfort of his clothes. She does, however, put her bra on. She didn’t want to bounce around and make him uncomfortable.

Harry comes back in with a beanie on, cover the beautiful curls Y/N adored so much. He was wearing grey joggers, and a black t-shirt. Max runs right over to Y/N.

“Morning.” Harry says.

“Morning.” She pats Max’s head.

“Sleep alright?”

“Mhm, thank you.”

“I’m gonna make some breakfast, you hungry?”

“Sure, I could eat.” She smiles.

He smiles back and opens up the fridge. Y/N grabs the dog food and gets Max’s bowl filled. She sees Harry starting up the coffee pot, and then going back to the fridge for eggs.

“Eggs and toast alright?”

“Sounds great.”

Harry gets a pan heated up and cracks four eggs into it.

“You working at Bento’s today?”

“Yeah, not until this afternoon though, no worries.”

“Oh good, I would have felt bad if I was keeping you.”

“You’re not.” She sits up on the counter and watches him cook the eggs. He moves to the toaster and puts for pieces of bread in. “This is a nice place.”

“Thanks, sort of found it in a scramble, but it gets the job done. Would have liked more than one bedroom, but oh well.” Harry flips all of the eggs over so they’ll be sunny side down. “Want cheese?”

“Yes, please.” She hops off the counter to grab a couple of mugs for the coffee.

“I have to apologize, I don’t have any cream for that.”

“Sugar?”

He slides the sugar bowl down to her and she smiles. Once everything is done they sit down at the kitchen table.

“Mm, this is delicious, thank you.”

“S’just a fried egg.” He chuckles. “But I’m glad you like it.”

“Do you have to go to campus today?”

“Not technically, but I will just to get some work done. I’ll bring Max with me. He likes the little dog bed I’ve put under my desk.”

“He’s really such a love bug. Snuggled with me last night and everything. My roommates love him too.”

“You’ve been such a big help in so many ways. Don’t know what I’ll do without you next semester.”

“I’m applying for more TA positions, maybe they’ll stick me with you again.”

“Wouldn’t you want more experience with a different class?”

“It doesn’t really matter.” She shrugs. “It would be cool to work with you over winter break to redesign your other courses.”

“Man, if I didn’t have to do that myself…hm, maybe I could put a good word in. That is, if you don’t mind being stuck with me again.”

“Stuck with you? Hello, this is going way better than I thought. I was sort of nervous to be your TA at first.”

“You were?” He frowns.

“You’re a little intimidating.”

“I don’t mean to be.”

“I know, it’s just the way you come off sometimes. You’re hilarious when you want to be.”

“Thanks.” He smirks and continues to eat. He looks at her and furrows his brows. “Feel free to keep those.”

“What?”

“The clothes I let you borrow, feel free to just keep ‘em if you want. I don’t much wear those pants anymore, and I have a dozen t-shirts.”

“Oh, um, thank you. Might take you up on that, I’m pretty cozy.”

She helps clean up the dishes and then gathers her things. He walks her out to her car.

“Thanks again for watching him.”

“Of course, I’ll see you Monday morning.”

“See you, have a good weekend, love.”

Her heart skips a beat as he turns and walks back inside. She takes a deep breath as she gets into her car. It was cloudy on the drive home, but at least it wasn’t raining. The second she gets through the door Nessa and Charlotte grill her for details, and they were highly disappointed that the only thing they shared was breakfast.

“It was really domestic, though, it was nice.” Y/N explains. “He was so cute while he made me breakfast. He’s so kind. He even let me keep his clothes, and he wants me to be his TA again next semester. He literally said he wouldn’t know what to do without me.”

“Yeah, because you’ve volunteered to do everything for him except suck his dick.” Charlotte scoffs. “You said he’s been broken up for a little over six months right? Do you think he’s gotten his dick wet since then?”

“Charlotte!” Y/N giggles. “He’s a grown man, he can do what he wants. I bet he has, he easily could have had a rebound, although, he seems really respectful, so who knows if he’s even into hooking up.”

“Right, like when you told us he always keeps his office door open.”

“I feel bad, I’m there when some of those girls come to chat with him, and you can tell they just make him uncomfortable.” She shakes her head. “I think he and I are, like, friends now. I like what we have going, I’m not going to rock the boat. It could really complicate things.”

“So, would you say now that you’ve gotten to know him better your crush is less…apparent?” Nessa asks.

“God no! We mesh really well, we think a lot of the same things are funny…” She wines slightly. “It’s truly unfair.” She sighs. “Right person, wrong time.”

//

It was hard to stay awake during your shift at the bakery, but you made it through. You were thankful you only needed to be there until about dinner time. You had to be back in Saturday morning for open, but that didn’t stop you and your friends from going out to the bar for a couple of drinks.

It gave the three of you time to catch up and complain about coursework. Nessa was directing a production at the university, and she still had students who weren’t off-book, and Charlotte had to deal with pretentious music bros who really liked to man-splain the music industry to her. Y/N felt lucky that the majority of her classes were online.

“Okay, I have to ask, are there any students in class you think have crushes on each other?” Nessa asks her, sipping from her straw.

“Oh, for sure. There are these two boys, they don’t sit next to each other, but you can tell they’re friends. One of them always looks behind to the other so they can make a face. It’s too cute.”

They were at a more adult bar tonight. It’s not that they didn’t like the college bars they were so used to going to, but if they went there then that meant getting shitfaced and staying on the dancefloor until close. It also made things awkward when running into students. So the three of them felt safe here, they could really relax.

“Oh my fucking god.” Charlotte says. “Dr. Styles just walked in, and fuck, he’s here with a couple of really hot guys.”

“What?!” Y/N was buzzed, and she didn’t want Harry to see her like this. She wanted his image of her to remain sweet and professional. She peers over her shoulder to look at him, and her eyes widen.

He wasn’t wearing his glasses, he had a floral patterned shirt on that had the first few buttons undone, and a pair of black jeans to match. They weren’t skinny jeans or anything, but they sure as fuck were working for him. Both of his friends were a little shorter, but both equally as handsome. The three walk right by the bar and grab a booth.

“This is bad.” Y/N groans. “He looks so fucking good.”

“Who knew he was so tatted up?!” Nessa says. “I thought it was just his arms, but did you see his collar bones? We love a man who has going attire.”

The bar was starting to get more crowded, and louder as it got later. Music was blaring from the speakers, but all Y/N could think about was Harry. She wondered if he would venture to her area of the bar to order his drinks. One of his friends went up first, on Nessa’s left.

“Hey, Niall, what can I get for you?” The bartender asks him.

“Bradly, so good to see yeh, I’ll take a pint of Guinness, Lou’s gonna have a pale ale, and Harry’ll have a Corona with lime.”

“You got it.”

Niall drums his fingers on the bar. Nessa was sweating. She had a boyfriend, so she would never do anything, but fuck, that Irish accent tore right through her. Niall looks over at the three girls who had all fallen silent after he approached. He makes eye contact with Y/N, and they share a smile.

“Opening a tab tonight?”

“Yeah, one of those nights for sure. Poor Harry’s had a run in with his ex, basically dropped their dog in his lap and left. It’s been a couple of weeks since it happened, but it’s been eatin’ the lad up.”

Bradly nods and takes Niall’s credit card to keep on the back of the bar. He hands him the three beers, and Niall thanks him. The girls try not to watch as he sits down.

“Holy shit, I thought I was going to crap my pants.” Nessa breathes. “I love Andy, don’t get me wrong, but holy fuck.” She shakes her head. “I may need to have him pick me up from here tonight.” She giggles.

“Now I almost wish there was dancing here. Wouldn’t mind showing that guy how well I can pop my ass.” Charlotte laughs.

“He smiled at me, did you see it? Of course Harry surrounds himself with other beautiful people.” She pouts.

Niall slides Harry and Louis their beers and they all clink their glasses.

“I’m so glad we could all get out to do this. Sorry we didn’t rescue you the second Kelly showed up.” Louis says.

“It’s alright, I appreciate you guys coming tonight.”

“Is Max okay for a bit on his own?” Niall asks.

“Yeah, I put the gates up for him so he can’t mess much up. I wouldn’t have texted my TA to see if she could watch him again, but…”

“But you’ll most likely be fucking someone tonight.” Niall grins. “Surprised you didn’t just fuck her, she stayed at your place and everything.”

“Actually, you asshole,” Harry chuckles and takes a swig of his beer. “I was going to say that I would have felt bad taking up another one of her evenings. I don’t know if I’m in the mood to take anyone home tonight.”

“Too bad, girls love little dogs like Max.” Louis shrugs.

“There’s three really hot girls sitting by the bar.” Niall loves over at the three girls. “One for each of us if we play our cards right.”

Harry’s back was turned away from the bar, so he couldn’t see who Niall was talking about.

“They could be college students.” Louis says.

“Not at this place. The undergrads don’t come here.” Harry says. “Mostly grad students or other faculty that live close by, locals too.”

“We could order their next round of drinks, and then invite them to come sit with us. Booth has plenty of room.” Niall suggest.

Harry and Louis turn around slightly to get a look at the girls Niall was talking about. Harry nearly chokes on his Corona, and turns back around.

“Jesus, are you alright?” Louis asks, patting his back.

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine. We can’t get those girls drinks.”

“Why not?”

“The one on the right is my TA, Y/N, and her two roommates. I know one of them has a boyfriend…uh…the one on the very left. The middle one is single, but even still, I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

“Mate, you’re TA is that good looking, and you didn’t even try to fuck her when she stayed at your place?” Niall asks.

“No, I didn’t try to fuck her. I’m doing this thing where I don’t fuck people I have a position of power over.” He rolls his eyes. “That’s a no go.”

“But if she wasn’t your TA, and just a regular grad student…?” Louis raises an eyebrow at Harry. He runs a hand through his hair as thinks it over.

“I don’t know, I haven’t really thought about it. I mean, she’s obviously cute, but…I could never do something like that.”

“It’s not like she’s going to be your TA next semester, you could-“ Harry cuts Niall off.

“Actually, she might be. I have a meeting with the curriculum committee to discuss what I’ll need help with for next semester, and we both want to work with each other again. Crossing that line would complicate things, not to mention it’s highly unprofessional.”

“It’s not like she’s a student sitting in one of your classes, then I’d agree with you. You’re colleagues, technically. Nothing in the rule book saying you can’t fuck a colleague.” Niall says.

“He’s got a point, Har.” Louis says.

“Even if I agreed with the both of you, I’d still be taking advantage. I think she has a little crush on me, she’s made a couple flirty comments here and there…”

“Not to mention she jumped at the chance to help watch your dog.” Louis says.

“It’s not happening.”

“Well, you may not want to fuck a pretty girl tonight, but I do, and if the middle one is single, perhaps I’ll still order them all drinks, and just talk with her. Or, if you’re saying Y/N’s a no go for you, maybe I’ll chat her up. We smiled at each other, maybe she thinks I’m cute.” Niall grins.

“Don’t you dare.” He glares at him, finishing his beer. “I don’t care if you talk to, fuck what’s her name…Charlotte! I don’t care if you talk to Charlotte, but don’t try anything with Y/N.” He looks at Louis. “You either.”

“Not that I would, but basically you’re saying if you can’t fuck her no one else can?” Louis asks.

“I just wouldn’t feel comfortable with it.”

“Alright.” Niall shrugs. “We ready for the next round, then?” They both nod at him, and Niall brings the empties up to the bar. The girls fall silent when he approaches again. “Hi there, is there a reason you all keep doing that?”

The girls all turn to look at him. They were sweating.

“Doing what?” Charlotte asks nervously.

“Well, and maybe it’s just a coincidence, but you keep getting quiet when I come over.”

“It’s just…um…” Nessa starts. “You’re here with someone our friend knows.” She points to Y/N. “In a professional setting, and we’re just surprised to see him out, that’s all.”

“Oh, am I? Who is it?”

“Dr. Styles.” Y/N speaks up. Niall smiles as his eyes raise.

“Dr. Styles, how formal.” He looks over at Bradly who gives him the new drinks. “Bradly, do me a favor, put these ladies’ next round on my tab, will you?”

“You don’t have to do that.” Y/N says.

“Whether you know my friend or not, I’d be a real jerk to not buy three beautiful girls a drink, wouldn’t I?” He winks at Charlotte as he walks away with his new drinks.

“He winked at me, oh my god.” She squeals. “Y/N, you wouldn’t care if I tried to fuck one of Harry’s friends, right? It’s been a minute for me.” She pouts.

“No, why would I care?” She laughs. Bradly gives the girls their new drinks. “That was really nice of him.” She twists her straw and looks over at the booth. She can see Niall and the other guy laughing, while Harry just shakes his head.

“What the fuck did you say to them?” Harry asks as he takes a sip of beer.

“Would you relax? They simply mentioned that they knew you, and I bought their next round, that was it.”

“Great, so she knows I’m here.” He groans. “Move.” He says to Louis.

“Why?”

“Because now I have to go talk to her.”

“Oh, you do?” Louis smirks.

“Yes, do you know how fucking rude it would be not even say hello?”

“I don’t see her coming over here.” Niall says.

“She’s obviously nervous!” Harry takes a large gulp of his drink. “Move, Lou.”

Louis gets up so Harry can get out of the booth.

“Oh my god, Y/N, Harry’s coming over here.” Nessa says.

“Shut up,  no he’s not, oh my god, he is, holy shit. I’m…inebriated.”

The girls laugh at her as Harry comes to sit on the open stool next to Y/N. He gets comfortable before he looks at her and smiles. She slowly turns herself to look at him.

“Hi.” He says.

“Hi.”

“Did my friend bother you?”

“Not at all…he was very nice.”

Harry nods and sips from his drink.

“I didn’t know you came here…” He says.

“Could say the same to you.” She looks him up and down. “Barely recognized you when you walked in. That’s a nice shirt.”

“Thanks.” He blushes and wants to kick himself for being so exposed to her.

“You haven’t met my friends yet. Charlotte, Nessa, this is Dr…uh, this is Harry.” The girls both say hello.

“Hi, I’ve heard a lot about you both. You’re Charlotte right?”

“Yeah.”

“My friend thinks you’re cute.” He nods over to Niall. Maybe Harry wouldn’t have been so bold, but he knew they were only a few years apart in age, so it wasn’t totally weird, and he had a couple drinks in him, so there’s that.

“Really?!”

“Mhm.”

“Should I go talk to him?”

“Definitely, I think he’d really like that.”

“Good enough for me.” She hops off the stool. “Ness, come talk to his other friend with me it’s not awkward.”

“Wing-man to the rescue, I’m on it.”

“You guys!” Y/N calls after them, but they’re already sitting down. She looks back at Harry and squints at him.

“What?”

“Did you do that on purpose?”

“Do what?”

“Get them to leave so we could be alone…”

“What?! No!” Harry finishes his drink, and Bradly gets him a new one right away. “Why would I want to be alone with you?” He sees the obvious offense on her face, and shakes his head. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it that way. We’re alone together all the time, aren’t we? I just meant, in this setting.” He gestures to the bar around him. “I’ve been a bit mopey since Kelly showed up, so my friends just wanted to take me out and show me a good time.” He looks over at Niall who already has his arm around Charlotte. “Although, I think they’re bound to have a better night than me.” He sighs.

“You haven’t let on a mopey exterior, you could have told me.”

“It’s really none of your business how I’m feeling, Y/N.”

“You’re being awfully cold to someone who spent the night at your house just watch your dog.”

“You spent the night because it was raining too heavily.”

“And then you made me breakfast.”

“As an extra thank you.”

“You’re annoying.” She takes a sip of her drink and faces forward. “Now I don’t even have my friends to complain about you because you’ve sent them off to your friends.” She rolls her eyes.

“M’not annoying. I’m a fucking delight, just ask Max.”

“Where is he anyways?”

“Home.” Harry shrugs. “He can last a few hours without me. I almost texted you, but I would have felt bad asking again. I know you worked today, I honestly didn’t expect to see you out.”

“It was a long week for everyone. I’m not staying much longer, I have to be at Bento’s at four in the morning.”

“It’s…” Harry looks down at his watch. “Almost midnight, Cinderella.” He smirks at her and she can’t help but laugh. It was a stupid and cheesy joke, but she liked it. “I didn’t mean to be cold…I just didn’t want you to think I was coming over here to pull a move or something.”

“I’m going to remind you again, you sent my friends away.” She smiles and takes a sip of her drink.

“I did.” He nods. “But I’ll remind you, my friend Niall thinks Charlotte is cute. He thought you were cute too, by the way.”

“He did?!” She looks over at them and then back to Harry. “But you sent her off with him?”

“Yup.” He takes a swig of his beer.

“Why?!”

“Could be a little awkward to have my best friend canoodle with my TA.”

“Right, because it would be so easy to get into my bed.” She scoffs.

“I didn’t say that.”

“You implied it. And I’m not one to kiss and tell, so unless he wanted to dish, you wouldn’t have even heard anything from me about it.”

“Doesn’t matter, I wouldn’t have liked it. I don’t know Charlotte so I don’t really care what they do.”

“You don’t get to decide who I can and can’t sleep with just because you’re too chicken to make a move.” Before he can say anything she’s hopping off her stool and heading out of the bar.

She’s just about to order an uber when he grabs her wrist. It was chilly outside, and she could clearly see both of their breaths.

“What did you just say to me?”

“You heard me.” She yanks her wrist free. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going home to sleep for three hours so I can get up to bake some fucking bread.” She orders her uber, and Nessa comes rushing out.

“Char’s staying inside with, um, Niall? I saw you leave so I thought I’d come…with…you…” She sees Harry who was practically fuming. “Um, I can wait inside, or-“

“It’s fine, the uber will be here in a minute.” She smiles at her friend and then glares at Harry. “At least one of us is going to have a good time tonight.” She seethes.

“I had fun.” Nessa says, and then realizes what Y/N meant. “Oh.”

“Why are you still here? Go inside and find some random to fuck.”

“Don’t talk to me like that, Y/N.”

“Sorry, I’m off the clock. I can speak to you however the fuck I want.” She steps closer to him. “I don’t know where you get off being so sweet and kind one moment, and then turning into a major prick the second you feel threatened, but I don’t need this.”

The uber pulls up, and without another word Y/N and Nessa get inside, leaving Harry outside in the cold.

//

Y/N woke up at 3:30AM and groaned, cursing at herself for going out. She only had to work until 9AM and then should could sleep the day away if she wanted. She was still so mad at Harry she could scream. He hadn’t even tried to text her to apologize.

She sighs and makes her way to the kitchen once she’s dressed. She stops short when she sees a half-naked Niall standing in her kitchen, filling two glasses of water.

“Um…hi.” She says to him as she grabs her daily vitamins out of the cabinet.

“Hey.” He smiles. He looks her up and down. “Are you going to work?”

“I am.” She pops the gummy vitamins into her mouth.

“Could you do me a favor?” He steps a little closer to her. “Take it easy on Harry, alright?” Y/N scoffs at him. “I know, he was an asshole last night, but he just want to do anything that could put his job in danger, that’s all.”

“How would I do that? I’m not his student, I’m his colleague.”

“He just feels weird about it, and he’s still figuring out his feelings. I think he likes you, to be quite honest. You’ve…perked him up, well not tonight, but anytime he mentions you he smiles.”

“He…talks about me?”

“Oh sure, all the time actually.” He takes a sip of water. “I better go bring this to her. Just…consider taking it easy on him, he knows he fucked up.”

Y/N nods as Niall makes his way back to Charlotte’s room. She drags herself out to her car and heads to Bento’s. Once she’s inside, she puts some music on and fires up the ovens. She loved baking, it helped clear her head for a little while. She would prep the bacon, get fresh muffins and cookies going, and she would even make croissants. By the time the rest of the morning crew shows up, she’s just about halfway done with everything. She trays up everything to be rolled out for the people working out front. By the time 9AM rolled around she was exhausted, but had mostly forgotten how aggravated she was. She snags a coffee and a muffin on her way out, and stops short when she sees Harry sitting outside with Max.

“Oh, thank god.” He says, standing up. Max sniffs at her feet and she bends down to pet the top of his head. “They said you got off at nine, I hope it’s not weird that I’m here.”

“How long have you been waiting out here?”

“Well, I came by at 6:30 when they opened, but you were really busy, so I just came back twenty minutes ago. Can we talk?”

“Not right now. I’m covered in flour and sweat, and I’d like to take a shower and then take a nap. I got two hours of sleep last night. It was my own doing, but still.”

“When then?”

“I’ll text you.” She shrugs. “Niall spent the night, I bumped into him this morning. He said you fucked up?”

“I did.” He rubs the back of his neck. “Do what you need to do, and then, uh, come bay later, yeah? We can have a late lunch or something, and I can explain myself. Would you like that?”

“Depends, what’s on the menu?”

“S’cold out, do you like grilled cheese and tomato soup?”

“Love it.” She smiles. “I’ll let you know when I wake up.”

“Alright, thanks.”

Y/N takes a nice long shower when she gets home, her roommates still peacefully sleeping. She wondered if Niall was still there or if he slipped out a couple hours after her. She didn’t care that much, she was too tired to care. Once her hair is dry, she slips a t-shirt on and crawls into bed.

“Y/N! I’ve let you sleep long enough, please wake up!” Charlotte was absolutely giddy, and dying to fill Y/N in. It was around 2PM, she definitely caught up on sleep.

“Gimme five minutes!” Y/N yells back. She was groggy and didn’t want to be cranky.

Y/N comes out to the couch and lays down. Nessa was out with Andy, but she had heard about everything earlier. Charlotte brings Y/N a cup of tea and smiles at her.

“Thank you.” She takes a careful sip. “Alright, go ahead.”

“Best sex I’ve ever fucking had!” She squeals. “He had me all over the bed, it was wild. I’m surprised we didn’t wake you.”

“I passed out the second I got home.” She chuckles. “Best you ever had, huh? What exactly did he do?”

“What didn’t he do?! Fingers, tongue, and dick, it was incredible. I rode him, then he got on top, and then he did me from behind, bent me over the bed, I got on top again. His stamina was incredible. I made him some breakfast this morning and then he left.”

“Did he give you his number?”

“He did.” She beams. “He said he wasn’t looking for anything serious at the moment, but I was free to text him anytime I wanted him like that again.” She bites her bottom lip and sinks further into the couch. “I totally don’t mind at all. It would be nice to start up a new little fling. It won’t be weird for you, will it?”

“Not at all, it’s not like you’re…oh my god.” She pinches the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger.

“What?”

“I totally get where he was coming from now.” She groans.

“What do you mean?”

“He said he told me that, uh, his other friend thought I was cute, and I told him I was mad because he sent the two of you away, and that he couldn’t tell me who I could and couldn’t fuck, but I would have been so mad if you slept with Harry.”

“I wouldn’t have, though. I know how much you like…” She gasps. “Do you think he likes you too?!”

“I don’t know, maybe!” Y/N takes her phone out to text Harry that she’s up and that she’ll be over within the hour. “I’m going to his place for a late lunch, he wants to apologize, but I owe him one just the same. I flipped out for no reason.”

“Well, at least you’re realizing it. Very adult of you.”

“Oh, shut up.” She nudges her and gets up to change.

//

Y/N gets to Harry’s around 3PM. She paired a green cardigan and a black tank top with a pair of jeans. She gets out of the car and rings his bell. She giggles when she hears Max barking from behind the door.

“Shh, it’s just Y/N.” Harry coos to Max as he opens his door. “Hi.”

“Hi.”

“Um, come in.” He moves aside and lets her in. “Here, think he misses you.” Y/N takes Max from Harry and snuggles him close.

“It’s only been a couple days.” She pouts at the dog.

“Come, sit, the food’s ready.”

Y/N sets Max down and sits down at the table. Harry already had the grilled cheese and soup out on the table.

“This looks good, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Harry…I know you wanted to apologize, but I realized today that you weren’t totally in the wrong.”

“Yes I was.” He sighs and blows on his soup before slurping some from his spoon. “Maybe it wasn’t what I said, but it was how I said it. I overstepped. You’re a grown woman, I had no right to tell my friend he couldn’t hit it on you.”

“Well, it all worked out because Charlotte seems to have a new fuck buddy on her hands.” She chuckles and takes a bite of her sandwich. “Look, I appreciate you saying all that, but when I was talking to her earlier, I realized I would have done the same thing. I would have told my friends not to flirt with you or try to pick you up, and I would have been pissed if one of them slept with you.”

“You would have?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“You know why.” She grumbles. “I…I mean…”

“We’re stuck between a rock and a hard place here, Y/N.” He sighs and sits back in his chair.

“We are?”

“Yes. I did a lot of thinking last night, did some talking with my friends. I had to really think about why I got so upset. The thing is, you’re my TA, and you’re going to be my TA next semester as well, most likely. I have a meeting about it Monday. Selfishly, I don’t want anyone else to have you.”

“In more ways than one, obviously.” She smirks.

“Don’t be cute.” He gives her a playful smile. “I think I’d miss you too much, to be honest. I like sharing my office with you. Your help with Max has been great, you’re, like, part of my life now.”

“Is there some rule that says that we can’t…like…go out?”

“I don’t know…I think it would look unprofessional on my part. I know you’re not one of my students, so it’s not as bad as that, but I still have a position of power over you, and if someone found out something was going, it could look really bad. I wouldn’t want something to taint your reputation either.”

“Well, I’ve been over here twice now, and no one’s said a thing.”

“You haven’t been on campus since Thursday. Someone could easily say something to us Monday.”

“A lot of people know I help with Max.”

“Some people may know you used to be a student of mine as well. They could assume something’s been going on for years.”

“Not true, wouldn’t people know about Kelly?” Harry grimaces at the name. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright.”

“So…I feel like we’re just going around in circles here, Harry. Like, what are we doing?”

“Well, if I vouch for you to be my TA again next semester, would you? The course would be for Creativity and the Visual World, and I think you could really shine there, talk about IDS. Also, I don’t know what your plans are after you graduate, or where you’ll want to go, but I’ve caught wind that one of the instructional designers on campus is going to retire at the end of the school year.”

“Wow, so you’re like really trying to keep me around.” She smirks.

“It’s not like that.” He chuckles. “I just mean, it could be a good first gig for you. You’re very good at all that, thought you might be interested to know there’s going to be an opening. You know the campus well, it would be a smooth transition for you.”

“That would be ideal, I do want to work in higher ed when I’m done.”

“I could help you with your cover letter, I’m really good at writing those. I’ve helped plenty of students.”

“I’ll definitely look into it.” She finishes what she can of the food, and sits back as well.

“I really am sorry about last night, I felt awful.”

“It’s okay, I really get it.” She sighs. “So…I still don’t know what we’re doing. Are we just choosing not to date anyone else and also not each other? Why should I wait until I graduate to be with someone?”

“M’not asking you to do that. I don’t really know what I’m asking you to do. I just don’t want to be a cliché. The young professor getting with someone that works for him. I’m attracted to you, I can admit that, but I don’t want to get fired, nor do I want your name getting dragged through the mud.”

“So, essentially, while I’m your TA we can’t do anything.”

“Correct.”

“And you’d rather suffer and have me be your TA again next semester just to have me around you, even though it would mean we still couldn’t do anything.”

“Yes.”

“Alright, after the holidays I’ll be staying at my apartment for winter break. We pay for a full year, and I like having the time alone. I also still work at Bento’s.” She stands up and puts her things in the sink.

“What are you saying exactly?”

“I’m saying, over winter break we’re in limbo. I won’t be your TA, and I’ll be all alone in my three bedroom apartment. Perhaps there’ll be a night I’m feeling especially lonely and you’ll have the marvelous idea of visiting me with Max, and whatever happens will happen.”

“And then what? Act like it didn’t when the spring semester starts?”

“I guess we’d cross that bridge when we come to it. All I know is that for six weeks, you will in no way have a position of power over me. By the way, I’m twenty-three years old, it’s like you said, I’m a grown woman. You’re not taking advantage of me. I know how it would look to others, so I can respect where you’re coming from. However, I’d like to try things out before I tell someone I’m going to wait for them.”

With that, Y/N gives Max one last squeeze, and out the door she goes. She was proud of herself. Harry liked her, and he wanted to be with her. It was a dream come true. She also didn’t mind sort of waiting for him, it would just make things all the more hot when they’d finally be able to come together.

//

The rest of the semester went by…okay. There was a lot of tension, a lot of it. Harry was just thankful it was getting colder which meant that Y/N was bundling up more. She did, however, look insanely cute in her many layers and scarves. They were busy grading, not having much time for chat chit. She started going over his place more, though. They would have little grading parties where they could just spread out and get things done. His place was also another quiet haven for her to escape to.

Charlotte hooked with Niall almost every weekend, it was pretty cute. They were having fun, and Y/N was happy for her friend. Even though sometimes Y/N wished Harry would just fuck her on his kitchen table on top of all the graded papers and tests, and maybe sometimes he fantasized about the same thing, but it had to stay professional. She didn’t want him regretting anything. Sometimes he would come into Bento’s when she was working, she even snuck him in early one morning to show him how she made the croissants he liked so much. They were essentially dating, but without all the physical stuff.

At least Y/N could catch some relief later at night in her bed. She didn’t think of Harry at first. Her routine mostly consisted of headphones, pornhub, and a few orgasms. But there was one particular night her and Harry were sitting in front of his fireplace, and he just looked so sexy, and she wanted him to take her on his living room floor, she didn’t even care if her tailbone would be bruised the next day. She still hadn’t even seen his fucking bedroom, it was the one part of the house she wasn’t allowed in. So she start fantasizing about his bed, and then one thing led to another and she ended up moaning out his name in a shallow breath. It had caught her by surprise, and she was almost embarrassed about it.

Harry would have been lying if he said he wasn’t doing the same thing. It mostly happened early in the morning when he’d take his shower. It just sort of happened. He woke up one morning, rolled over and wished she was there next to him. He had seen her fall asleep so many times, and he thought she was incredibly cute. He liked having Max in the bed, but he wanted Y/N. So when he got into the shower he just couldn’t stop thinking about her. He didn’t feel embarrassed, he didn’t feel guilty, he mostly felt annoyed because he just wanted the real thing.

It was confirmed that Y/N would be his TA again in the spring, and they were both exited. He liked having her in his office, and he thought they worked together really well. It was worth it, it was all going to be worth it.

Harry went home to London for the holidays, and Y/N went home to her parents’ house. It was a tough goodbye. They hugged, and maybe they kissed each other on the cheek, but neither wanted to let go. Y/N loved seeing her family, but ten days was plenty. She liked having her apartment to herself. Nessa and Charlotte wouldn’t be back for a few weeks. That meant Y/N could watch whatever she wanted on TV, she didn’t have to worry about being quiet on the early mornings she had to work, and she could take a long shower.

A big snow storm was coming, which was starting to make Y/N nervous. Stores were closing in preparation, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to weather it alone.

Y/N: are you back from London? Can’t remember when you said you’d be home…

Harry: hey! I was just going to message you, I got back yesterday, was just sleeping off the jetlag. What’s up?

Y/N: this impending storm is freaking me out…

Harry: do you wanna get snowed in at my place? Just stalked up at the grocery store…

Y/N: are you sure? I don’t wanna be a burden :(

Harry: you wouldn’t be! You know I want to see you, so does Max :)

Y/N: okay! I’ll pack a bag and head over, see you soon!

Harry had been cute while he was away, sending Y/N a few selfies of him and Max. She had been to his house so many times, this wouldn’t be weird at all to spend a couple of snowy days together. She gets all her things packed, and makes her way to Harry’s. It was just starting to flurry when she parked in his driveway. He comes outside to help her with her things.

“And this time, you’ll let me set up the pullout for you. No need to sleep on a couch for two days.”

“Okay.”

She was hoping he’d give in and let her sleep in his bed with him. Actually, she was hoping he’d pick her up, swing her around, and kiss her. He sets her things down and waits for her to take her coat off, then he hugs hers.

“Had a good holiday?” He asks as he lets her go.

“Yeah, it was good. You?”

“It was great, love getting to see my family.” Max comes trotting in and greets Y/N.

“There’s my little man.” She scoops him up and gives him kisses.

“I was just going to make some tea, would you like some?”

“Please.” She plops down with Max on the couch.

“Do you have to work at Bento’s during all this? I can drive you if you want.”

“No, they closed in preparation of the storm.”

“Oh, good!”

Y/N turns the TV on, and scrolls through Netflix for something simple to watch. Harry comes over with two mugs of tea and he sits down next to her.

“Find anything good? Feel like it’s all Christmas movies right now.”

“Nothing yet…” She squints at the TV. “How about…oh! Have you watched Love, Victor yet? It’s been on my list for ages.”

“Is it based off of Love, Simon?”

“Yeah! This kid Victor is new in town, and ends up going to the same school Simon did.”

“Sure, we could watch that.”

“Shit, it’s on Hulu, you have that right?”

“Mhm, gimme the remote, I’ll switch it over.” She hands it to him and sips on her tea while he queues it up.

“Mm, this is tasty, what is it?”

“It’s black tea with honey, love.” He looks at her wants to laugh. “I don’t usually add anything, but I thought you’d like the honey.”

“It’s perfect, thank you.”

The show starts just as the sun was setting outside. Y/N pulls the blanket Harry keeps on the back of the couch over her legs, and Max moves to Harry’s lap.

“Let me know if I’m being a blanket hog.”

“S’alright, he keeps me pretty warm.”

“Don’t be annoying.” She huffs and spreads the blanket out equally over them. “See, nice and cozy.”

“I’m not being annoying, I’m being…respectful.”

“Golly gee, thanks, mister.” She pouts at him and he rolls his eyes.

“Now who’s being annoying?”

A couple of episodes in, and Harry’s stomach starts rumbling.

“Are you hungry? I can pop a pizza in the oven, or make some pasta?”

“Pizza would be perfect, thank you.”

“Pause it, I just need a minute to get it in the oven.”

Y/N nods and scrolls through her phone while she waits for him to come back. This was nice. It was like they were hanging out as friends, which was okay, but she was hoping he’d make a move for fuck’s sake.

“Alright, should be about fifteen minutes.” He smiles and gets back under the blanket. Y/N presses and play and they get back into it.

After the pizza, they nearly almost binge the entire show. Harry was starting to doze off, so they decide to call it a night. He looks outside in the kitchen window.

“I am not looking forward to digging out our cars. Times like this I wish I had a garage.” He sighs.

“You say that like you’ll be doing it alone. I’ve got all my snow gear, I can help.”

“Right, like I’d let you break your back out there.” He scoffs, and puts his hand on her shoulder. “Let me make up the pullout for you.”

Y/N watches as Harry moves the coffee table, and hoists the pullout into place. The sheets were already on it, so he just lays the blankets and pillows out.

“Well, I’ll be upstairs with Max if you need anything. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, thanks again for letting me stay. I think I would have been scared all alone.”

“No worries, I’m glad you’re here. I, uh, missed you over the holidays.” He clears his throat and heads upstairs.

Y/N does her nightly routine and puts on a tank top and pajama pants for bed. She gets onto the pullout and tries to listen to some music to fall asleep, but the wind was whipping so harshly outside, it was making her uneasy. She hated storms more than anything. Would Harry mind if she crawled into bed with him? She could even sleep on the floor. She just didn’t want to be down here alone. She sighs and slowly gets out of the bed. She makes her way upstairs.

Harry’s bedroom was the entire upstairs, it was sort of like a loft. He had a king sized bed, a decent looking bedroom set, and an en suite. Y/N thought it was really nice, well, what she could make out of it since it was so dark.

“Harry?” She whispers. His head was in his pillow, sleeping on his tummy.

“Mm?” He grunts, clearly out of it.

“I’m a little scared downstairs, would it be alright if I slept on the floor up here?”

“Get in.” He mumbles.

“Really, are you sure? Because I-“

He flips some of the covers back, eyes still closed. Y/N takes a deep breath and gets into the bed. Max was half asleep, but he moves away from Harry to make room for her, plopping down near his feet. Y/N climbs in and faces away from him. This was such a large bed for one guy, and it made her wonder who was the last person to share it with him. She wanted to keep a respectful distance from him, but before she could start counting sheep, his arm was wrapped around her waist, pulling her close to him. Her breath hitched, but she could hear his steady breathing, he was definitely asleep. He must just sleep better when he’s holding onto something, she thinks.

//

Harry’s eyes flutter open around 5AM. He was used to getting up that early to take Max out, but for some reason he felt like he got some of the most restful sleep he’s gotten in a long time. He feels warm and cozy, and even though he knows he needs to get up and brave the cold so his dog could relieve himself, he found himself nuzzling in to whatever he was holding onto.

That’s when it hits him that he wasn’t dreaming last night, and Y/N genuinely came up into his room because she was feeling uneasy being all alone downstairs. She was still fully clothed, but he wasn’t he was only in his boxers. His leg was between hers, and she was pressed up against him. He wondered if she slept well like this. Just because he slept better holding onto something didn’t mean that she would.

He makes subtle movements, not wanting to wake her. He nearly winced leaving the warmth of the bed, but he got through it. Max pops his head up and Harry puts his finger up to his lips to signal that he needed to be quiet. Harry snatches his sweatpants and a pair of socks, and grabs Max to take him downstairs. He throws his coat and boots on, gets the leash on Max, and out the door he goes. He shoves his beanie down over his ears as he feels the wind whip around. There were snow drifts everywhere and it was still coming down. He uses the flashlight on his phone so Max could see what he was doing.

“Come on, buddy, I know it’s cold, but Daddy doesn’t wanna be out here long.” He wanted to get back to Y/N.

Once Max does his business, Harry gets him so food and fresh water. He strips himself of his jacket and socks, but leaves his sweatpants on. He was shirtless, but he was too groggy from the morning to care. Once Max is all set, Harry carries him upstairs so his collar doesn’t jingle around. He plops him on the bed, and he goes right over to Y/N to curl up with her. Harry uses the bathroom quick, brushing his teeth and all that, and then slowly slides back into bed. Y/N hadn’t moved, still laying on her side facing away from him, so he just wraps himself back around her. Well, he thought she hadn’t moved. The second she heard the door close downstairs, she sprinted down to “her” bathroom to wash up and brush her own teeth. She wasn’t sure if morning snuggles would ensue, but she wanted to be fresh if they did.

A sigh leaves Harry’s lips as he settles back in, pressing nice and close to her and keeping his arm around her waist. She gives it a few minutes, and then she adjust against him. She could tell he was wearing sweatpants now, and not just his boxers. She was subtle about it, not fully pressing her ass against him, just a simple adjustment, so he didn’t think anything of it. After another couple of moments, she presses back into him, and he involuntarily presses forward towards her. He was definitely starting to get hard. He grips her waist a little tighter as he continues to press into her.

“Mm, Harry?” She rolls onto her back to look up at him.

“Hi.” He moves his hand away from her lower stomach to move some hair away from her face. “How’d you end up here, hm?” He asks softly.

“Storms really scare me, and the wind was loud.” She starts smiling. “Feel much better now.” His hand slides down to cup her jaw. “I asked first and you told me to get in.”

“I did, didn’t I…”

“Pulled me right up close to you, it was nice.” She sighs.

“Can’t remember the last time I slept so well, to be honest.”

He lets go of her and flops onto his back, groaning. She rolls onto her side and props herself up with her elbow, resting her cheek on her palm.

“You make things so difficult for yourself. I’m not your TA right now.”

“But you will be again.”

“Because you wanted me to be.”

He looks at her and pouts.

“We’ll see each other more this way.”

“But…wouldn’t it be nice to go out on dates and touch and-“

“You’ve seen how busy I am, I rarely have time to see my friends as it is. I’d feel guilty for not being able to do those things with you.”

“You have me to yourself for the next four weeks, Harry, and the girls won’t be back until a week before school starts.”

“We’d have to stop when the semester starts back up, and wait again. I don’t know if I’ll be able to do that.”

“We could be discrete.”

“I’d have to be a little cold towards you.”

“You’re no stranger to that.” She scoffs.

“Y/N.” Harry’s hand finds her hip. “This is serious.”

“I’m about to graduate, from grad school, Harry. It’s not like I’m some eighteen year old girl sitting in one of your classes. I’m twenty-three, and you’re twenty-six, it’s really not that weird.”

“I’ll be twenty-seven next month.” He mutters.

“Great, then we can go out and celebrate when the time comes. Is there something in a handbook saying we can’t…do this?”

“It’s extremely frowned upon, I can assure you.” He groans again before speaking. “This is so frustrating, it’s not like you’re my first TA either, fuck, even I was a TA. Shit like this never happened. I’ve never been…attracted to someone I’ve worked with before.”

“You’re probably the only professor I’ve been into before.”

“See, right there, you had a thing for me when you were in my class only a couple of years ago, and-“

“And nothing happened then. You barely remembered me when I first came to your office. I was a flustered senior, that was it. Now…well, I know you now. I’m way less nervous around, I feel like I can really talk to you.”

“I feel the same way.” He sighs. “Fucking, Christ.” He yanks her down to her chest, and she yelps. His fingers scratch at her scalp and she nearly whimpers at how nice it feels to lay on his chest, having him play with her hair. “We can lay here a little longer, and then I need to go to move some of the snow.”

“I’m helping.” She puts a leg over his. “And you’re still a little…riled up, don’t you want to-“

“No.”

“But I could-“

“Y/N.” She looks up at him. “Just lay here with me.”

They both doze back off for a bit until Max starts barking. He must need to pee. Harry gets up and tells Y/N she can shower if she wants to.

“I’ll wait, I’ll get sweaty shoveling.”

“It’s my house, you don’t need to help.” He throws on a long sleeve shirt and thick socks. He looks at her crossing her arms over her chest. “Here.” He tosses her one of his sweaters. “Come on, Max.”

They all head downstairs. His sweater smelled just like him. She hoped she could keep this too just like with the pj’s he had given her a couple of months ago. He takes Max out quick, and then sets him back inside so he can get to shoveling. Y/N decides she could make him breakfast since he wouldn’t let her help outside.

She goes through his fridge and cupboards to find some different things. She wanted to make something that would take some time so it would be warm for him when he got inside.

“Muffins!” She says to herself as she rifles through his baking supplies.

She whips up a mixture of blueberry muffins and get them popped in the oven. She has the glorious idea to slice them in half and butt them up on his griddle when they’re done, just to give it a little crunch. Next, she cracks some eggs into the pan, and makes them sunny side down because she remembers him making them that way. She even finds some bacon to throw on the griddle.

When he comes inside, his nostrils are hit with everything she’s made. Everything was on plates on the kitchen table, and she was washing everything in the sink. He strips down to his boxers, having been drenched with sweat after digging out their cars. The snow was still falling, but it was good to get ahead of things before it all froze.

“Harry, I made…” She freezes when she looks at him. Seeing his full body in the light was much different than in the hazy darkness of his bedroom.

“I didn’t know I had blueberry muffins.” He says as he looks down at the plates.

“You, um, you didn’t, I made them.”

“From scratch?”

“Well, yeah.”

He picks up the muffin bottom and takes a bite. His eyes close for a second as he gets a good taste. It was buttery and a bit crisp from being on the griddle. It was perfection. He turns to her after he swallows.

“You’re…a literal angel.” He steps closer to her, and he notices her eyes drift down and back up. “I’ll go put some clothes, and then-“

She puts a hand on his chest. Her eyes plead with his. Just kiss me, she silently says to him.  His hands fly up to her jaw, and he pulls her in, lips crashing together, finally. She melts into him immediately. His tongue slides along her bottom lip, and she opens up for him. She can taste the blueberry muffin on him, and it makes her suck on his tongue. He groans against her, and his hands slide down to her ass to get a good squeeze. She wraps her arms around his neck and pulls him even closer.

“Harry.” She breathes against his lips.

He gets a good grip on her and lifts her up to sit her on the counter. He quickly draws the shades for the window above the sink so anyone out shoveling wouldn’t be able to see anything. He tugs at the sweater of his he was wearing and lifts it off her. Her legs open wide for him to stand between. His lips attach to the crook of her neck, sucking, licking, biting. Her hips buck towards his as she tugs at his hair. One of his hands lifts her shirt slightly, and she thinks he’s going to feel her breasts up, but instead his fingers find the band of her pajama pants. He stops to look at her.

“Can I?”

“Yes.”

His hand dips below, and it’s almost like he’s searching for something else.

“Are you not wearing any knickers?”

“No.” She blinks at him. “I don’t usually wear underwear to bed.”

“Jesus Christ.”

She opens her legs a little wider for him, and he groans when his fingers touch around her folds, and he feels her wetness sticking to him already. His other arm wraps around behind her to hold her close to him. He plays around with her, fingers rubbing all around until his middle finger slides in. She gasps, not having expected so much so soon, but she wasn’t complaining. She clutches at his shoulders when she feels another finger slip inside. He twists them around, just getting a feel for things, and he curls them up, knowing this was what she really wanted.

“Oh! Oh my god.” Her head rolls back. He was make that come here motion right on that sweet spot of her front wall. His lips find her neck again as he continues. His thumb starting to rub on her clit. “Oh fuck, Harry, oh my god.” She didn’t realize how whiney she could sound, but he loved. She was a mess for him.

“Been thinking about this for so long.” He says into her ear.

“Me too.” She was panting now. “It feels so good.”

“Yeah? Like having my fingers buried inside you?”

Her mouth falls open. He was into dirty talk and it made her clench around him.

“Yes, oh my fucking god, yes.” She bites down on his collar bone to try to muffle any louder noises, but he was knuckle deep, fucking her with his fingers, it was no use. “Harry, I’m so close, oh fuck!”

His hand around her waist reaches up to tug at the back of her head. He wanted to watch her go through the motions. He wanted to see just how good he was making her feel. Her eyes rolls into the back of her head as she continues to beck forward. Her release was long, and so very good. She cried out, maybe a little louder than she should have, but he wasn’t telling her to keep it down. Did he want his neighbors to hear? Did he want them to know how good he could fuck someone?

He slows down his motions inside of her, helping her through the aftershocks, and then he slowly retracts his fingers. He sucks them into his mouth and then steps away from her. She was breathless. He kisses her cheeks and then helps her hop down from the counter.

“You made such a nice breakfast, let’s not let it go to waste.”

“Harry…” She watches him sit down.

“What?”

“Don’t you want to-“

“I’m all sweaty, I’d like to take a shower before going further if that’s alright with you.”

“Okay.”

She sits down with him and eats her food that she was now ravenous for.

“You really made this from scratch?”

“Yeah, I’m glad you like it.”

“It’s delicious.”

They finish eating and decide to clean up later. She follows him upstairs to his shower. He helps her out of her clothes and lets her get in first. She throws her hair up into a bun so it doesn’t get soaked. He rids himself of his boxers and gets in behind her. She moves aside so he can wash up. She presses her front to his back, and her hands roam along his long torso.

“You made me feel so good, I think it’s your turn.”

She kisses on his back while she starts to stroke his hardening length. It felt so big in her hand. Harry’s head falls to his chest, and he presses a palm to the tile wall to keep himself grounded. She runs her thumb over his tip and he groans. He grabs her hand and turns around. He backs her up to the opposite wall, cradling the back of her head as he basically slams her against it. His lips are on hers in seconds. Everything felt hot and wet, and just otherworldly. Y/N couldn’t enough. In the back of her head she kept thinking that she couldn’t believe this was happening. It wasn’t often that she got what she wanted.

“Please, fuck me.” She says against his lips.

“I don’t have any condoms.” He kisses down her neck and kneads her breasts.

“I’m on the pill.”

“S’not what I’m worried about.” He pulls his head back to look at her. “Are you clean?”

“I am, actually. I was tested last time I went to the doctor. Are you?”

“I am.” He smiles. “So…you really wanna feel all of me? Just like that?”

“Yes.” She whines. “Please.”

He kisses her and bites on her bottom lip, sucking on it as he pleases. He lifts one of legs up over his hip, and uses his other hand to line himself up. She was still plenty wet, so he’s able to push inside.

“Fuck, Y/N.” He grunts, trying to push further inside her. “So tight.”

“I…Christ, I think you’re just really big.” She gasps once he’s all the way inside.

His head drops to watch himself slowly thrust in and out of her. He bites his bottom lip at the sight. He looks back up at her, watching her features.

“Are you comfortable?”

“Could you maybe just hold my leg up?”

Harry nods and hooks his arm under leg, driving in deeper. Her head rolls back against the tile. Once he knew she was okay, he didn’t let up. He was fucking her hard and fast, only slowing up so he could hear her whimper and beg for more. Her nails were clawing at his back, and it was just egging him on. He uses his other hand to rub at her clit. She was starting to breathe heavier, moan after moan leaving her lips. He could tell she was close.

“Gonna come again for me?”

“Yes, fuck, I’m almost there, Harry!”

He sucks the tender skin of her neck between his teeth, and that’s what pushes her over the edge. Her senses totally overwhelmed. He gasps when he feels how deeply her nails dig into him from going through the motions of her orgasm. He pulls out of her quickly and comes on her stomach. He’s out of breath, pressing kisses to her cheek and neck.

“No going back now.” He says as he caresses her cheek.

“Nope.” She smiles.

He pecks her lips and turns back around to stand in the water again. Her eyes grow wide and he winces once the water cascades over him.

“Harry, I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize I was hurting you.”

“It didn’t hurt while it was happening, is it bleeding?” He looks over his shoulder trying to see for himself.

“Um…I broke the skin, but it’s not bloody.” She blushes. “Yikes, that’s embarrassing.”

“No it’s not.” He chuckles and moves so she can rinse her stomach off in the water. She turns it off and they both step out to towel off. “I wasn’t hurting you was I?”

“No, oh my god, it felt so good. Feels like I’m still throbbing.”

He wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her close. She rests her hands on his chest.

“Do you like ice skating?”

“What?” She laughs. “Yeah, I love it, why?”

“Because once this storm is over, m’taking you on a proper date.” He kisses her forehead and lets her go. “Would you like that?”

“I’d love it.”

Harry was so peculiar, Y/N thought. One second he’s saying they can’t be together and the next he wants to take her out on a date. What she didn’t know was that he had never felt quite so good while having sex. It wasn’t because she felt incredibly tight around him, it had more to do with the trust and natural connect. He felt happy, a feeling he thought would never return.

//

To Y/N’s surprise, Harry was a really good ice skater. The two of them were like a real couple. He would visit her at work, they’d go out to the bar with his friends, and they’d have sleep overs at each other’s places. He quite liked her apartment. Not to mention, he couldn’t keep his hands off her. If they were going for a brisk walk, his hand was in hers. If they were sitting through a move, his arm was around her shoulders, and of course they were having a lot of sex. Even when she had her period, he fucked her.

“Got my red wings years ago, promise it doesn’t gross me out.” He had told her.

And god, when he ate her out. Sometimes they wouldn’t even have full on sex. Sometimes they’d be on the couch, and he’d ask if she would ride her face, and then they would just sixty-nine. Sometimes she would just blow him because she liked the way his come tasted. Harry drank a fuck ton of pineapple juice, even before they started hooking up, he always had a small can of it in his office. He just liked the taste. They were just intimate in all sorts of ways, totally comfortable.

It was when Nessa and Charlotte returned that Harry’s bubbled had to burst. School would be starting in a week, and he needed to make sure his shit was together. He had been to the office a few times, working to make sure his courses were together. He and Y/N were professional and went over the class she would be the TA for.

“This is gonna have to be what it’s like when school starts again, don’t forget.” He would say. It killed her, but she would never do anything to put his job at risk, even if she didn’t think their situation was all that serious. She had to respect his wishes.

“I’d feel more comfortable if you slept over at my place since their home.”

“Harry, they know what’s been going on…Niall and Charlotte still talk, and they-“

“I don’t care, I’d rather you be here…and only on the weekends.”

“What?”

“Saturday nights can be our night. On the weekends, you’re not my TA.”

“What will I be then?”

“My girl.”

They had put the boyfriend/girlfriend label chat on the back burner, but that was all she needed to hear to know that she was really his, and he certainly didn’t want someone else trying to steal her away. He had gotten her a necklace, it was simple, but very much her style. A way of showing her how much she truly meant to him.

“Anytime during the week you’re feeling like I don’t want you because I can’t show my affection, this will be your reminder of how much I care.”

She thought it was incredibly sweet, and it was nice to have the reassurance. When classes started, it was definitely difficult. The one thing getting her through this first week was his birthday party on Saturday. Just a small thing with friends at the bar, but still. They wouldn’t have to hide there, or so she thought. Some other professors were invited to the party, which meant Harry couldn’t touch Y/N. He frowned immediately. He wasn’t in charge of the guest list. He pulls Y/N to the side before they walk into the main area.

“I’m so sorry, I promise when we get back to my place later I’m gonna love on you all night.”

“Harry, it’s okay. It’s your birthday, I’m the one that’ll be doing the loving. Go on, enjoy.”

He gives her a discrete peck on the cheek, and then walks into the main room to say hello to everyone. Y/N invited Charlotte and Nessa, so she had other people to talk to. Niall’s arm was hooked around Charlotte’s waist the entire night. Y/N and Nessa teased her every chance they got.

“I’ve been told to check in on you. Orders from the birthday boy.” Louis says to Y/N.

“Thanks.” She chuckles. “It’s okay. Next year things will be totally different.”

“Really see things lasting then, don’t you.” It wasn’t a question.

“I think so, yeah. If the person who he said actually retires, I’m hoping to be able to work at the university to start out.”

“That would be great. He raves about you, you know? He’s a simple guy, likes being domestic. I think he said one of his favorite things to do with you is just cook a meal together.”

“Aw, he’s so sweet.” She pouts. “I like doing that too.”

Harry was mingling with everyone that came out for his birthday. Everyone sang to him, a cake was made him too. The second he tasted it he knew Y/N had baked it. He thought at the least they could have their picture taken together, that wouldn’t look weird.

“Harry!” One of the faculty members, Constance, comes over to him, a young woman by her side. “There’s someone I want you to meet, this is my daughter, Angie.”

“Oh! Hi, I’ve heard a lot about you.” He politely shakes her hand.

“It’s nice to meet you too.” She blushes.

“I’ll leave you to it.” Constance winks and walks away.

“I’m so sorry about her. She conned me into coming here, hope I’m not crashing your birthday.”

“You’re not.” He looks back at Y/N and then to Angie. “So, this is a set up then?”

“She seems to think we have a lot in common.”

“And perhaps we might, but…I’m sort of seeing someone. It’s a…long distance thing, so she’s not here tonight, unfortunately.”

“Oh! She could have sworn you were single, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s alright. I’m sure you’re lovely, I just really like this woman and I don’t want to screw it up.” He smiles and she nods.

Harry finally makes his way over to Y/N and Louis.

“Do me a favor,” He says to Louis, taking out his phone. “Take a picture of us.”

“Are you sure?” Y/N asks.

“Positive.” He smiles and puts an arm around her shoulders. Louis snaps a couple of shots and hands Harry his phone back. “Sorry you won’t be able to post these…”

“Well, I could, my insta is private, but we can talk about it later.”

“Lou, could you drop Y/N off at my place when this is over, we drove together, but I don’t wanna risk anyone seeing us leave in the same car.”

“Course, mate.”

Harry nods and walks away to continue talking to other people.

“He acts like you’re his student. I don’t see anything wrong with you two doing what you’re doing.”

“I don’t either.” She sighs. “But he worked so hard to get where he is, I have to respect doing things his way. It was a long week, but I’m happy to be going back to his place later.”

Y/N’s lips were on Harry’s the second he let her through the door. He made sure to get home before her so they didn’t even leave at the same time. She had him pushed against the wall and his hands were all over her.

“Missed you so fucking much.” He says, walking her back towards the living room. “And I loved the watch you got me, you didn’t have to do that.”

“Wanted to.” She starts unbuttoning his shirt and pushes him down on the couch, straddling him in no time.

“Gonna let me lick it, angel?”

“Is that what you want?”

“You have no idea. You’re as sweet as the cake you made me.”

“How did-“

“Y/N, I know it’s only been a month, but I’d know your baked goods anywhere.” He smirks.

She giggles and stands up to unbutton her jeans. He yanks them down her legs along with her panties and she kicks them to the side. Harry lays down on the couch and Y/N hovers over his face. He liked it better this way. One, he didn’t have to get on his knees and suffer through the pain of being on the hardwood. Two, he liked the way Y/N would just ride his tongue.

Max was upstairs, thanks to the gate. So they didn’t have to worry about him coming down and jumping on them.

“Fuck, Harry.” She moans. “Your tongue feels so good.” She rocks her hips back and forth on him, the stubble from his chin feeling extra delicious. He moans against her, lapping up every drop. “You like that, birthday boy? Like having me on you like this?” She looks down at him and see his eyes rolling into the back of his head. He sucks on her clit harshly, and that pushes her over the edge. “Oh, fuck!”

Once she’s through, she climbs off him. Before she knows it, he’s throwing her over his shoulder to bring her upstairs. He gives her bum a smack and she squeals. Y/N left plenty of scratch marks on Harry that night.

//

Y/N was antsy for every weekend. The weeks dragged on, and the weekends went by in a flash. Then she remembered something wonderful.

“Spring break!” She says, bursting into their shared office.

“What about it?” Harry chuckles.

“Two weeks off without the students!” She leans a little closer to him. “Two weeks of me not being your TA.” She grins and then sits down in her seat.

“We’ll be grading, darling.” He says nonchalantly.

“This is a pet name free zone, remember?”

“Sorry.” He smirks. “Didn’t think ‘darling’ would get your knickers in twist.”

“Fuck off.” She rolls her eyes. “Do we seriously have to grade? Can’t we do fun things? I have time off from school, I don’t wanna do anything.”

“M’surprised you don’t want to go home or go with your friends somewhere.”

“I’ve done the whole go to Florida and get blitzed thing, I’m all set. And I may go home for a couple of days, but I don’t really like being home long. Somehow I get stuck doing chores, and I get aggravated.”

“I’ll tell you what, if we get through enough of the grading, we can do something really fun.”

“Deal.” She smiles.

Sometimes Y/N felt like this was only hard for her, but it killed Harry. He had fantasies of bending Y/N over his desk, or even just kissing her good morning. He even started letting her come over on Friday nights instead of Saturday because he just couldn’t wait any longer. He knew he was being overly careful, but he just couldn’t risk it.

//

Harry stayed true to his word. They got through a lot of the grading so drove them out to the coast for a walk on the pier at a large beach. It was still too chilly for real beach weather, but there were less people around this time of year, and some of the shops were open. Y/N clung to Harry’s arm and they both just enjoyed the fresh air and the scenery. He took her to a nice dinner, and then they walked for a bit to watch the sunset.

“This was the perfect day.” She sighs as they begin their drive back to his place.

“It really was.” His rests his hand on her thigh and gives it a squeeze. “I love you, Y/N.”

She whips her head to look at him. His eyes were focused on the road. Tears start to prick at her eyes. No one ever said that to her before. She had been in relationships, but she never really got to a point for such strong words, and she certainly never felt it back.

“I love you, too.”

“Aw, look at us.” He smiles. “Two people in love.”

“I wasn’t expecting you to say that…” She sniffles.

“Hey, no need to cry, darling.”

“I just…no one’s ever told me they loved me before.”

“What?!” He squeezes her leg tighter. “But there’s so much to love. You’re kind, caring, an incredible baker, witty, funny, brilliant-“

“Harry, please.” She chuckles. “When we get home we’re making love.”

“I’ve made love to you before, just didn’t say anything. Anytime we’re really soft and careful, I’m making love to you.”

“God.” Her face flushes, thinking of the many sensual times he’s touched her. “Well, I can’t wait to do it again.”

//

It was a Tuesday, which meant Y/N wouldn’t be in the office with Harry. She had class and then a shift at Bento’s. He wanted her to be able to nap in between. He saw that the open IDS position had been posted, and he emailed her immediately. He couldn’t wait to work on her resume and cover letter together.

“Harry?” Constance knocks on the outside of his door.

“Hey, Connie! Come on in.” He beams at her. She squints at his collar, seeing just the top of a love bite.

“Did you see that girlfriend of yours this weekend?” She asks, as she sits down.

“Sure did.” He smiles. “I saw her for a while over spring break too, told her I loved her, and she said it back. I’m on cloud nine. M’sorry things didn’t line up with your daughter, she’s a very pretty girl. My friend Lou is single, maybe-“

“Harry, Harry.” She chuckles. “No worries at all, she’s been dating around a bit. I shouldn’t have just assumed you were single, and that’s great that you two are doing so well. I think I thought you weren’t seeing anyone because with your last girlfriend…well…you had pictures of her on your desk, and you gushed about her. We don’t even know this one’s name.”

“You will soon enough.” Harry did have pictures of Y/N, they were just discrete. His lock screen was the picture of them at his birthday, and his wallpaper was just a picture of her. He could look at her whenever he wanted. “She’s, uh, finishing up grad school.”

“Oh, good for her! Anyways, I came here to chat with you about my sabbatical. Obviously it’s turned into a full year instead of just the fall semester. We’re going to have a department meeting, but I wanted to see how you’d feel about stepping in as department chair while I’m gone.”

“Are you serious?!” He perks up.

“Yes.” She chuckles.

“That would be a dream! I have so many ideas, and-“

“It would mean you wouldn’t be able to teach as many classes, and you’ll have more responsibilities over winter and summer break.”

“That’s no problem, honestly. I only go to London for a couple of weeks, I’m usually in the area for summer. I’d love to give it a go. I didn’t think I’d be next in line.”

“It’s coming from my own suggestion. I’ve been doing this a long time, and I think you’d be great at it. It would sort of be a trial, and then when I come back we could reflect on the experience.”

Harry was buzzing, absolutely buzzing. He needed to tell Y/N about his good news, so he hops in his car, and zips over to her apartment. She was vegging out in a t-shirt and panties with Nessa and Charlotte, who were both dressed in the same thing. They hear the bell on their door.

“Who the fuck is that? It’s nearly nine.” Nessa says.

“No idea.” Y/N says, getting up to check it out. She sees Harry through the peephole. Her eyebrows raise, but she opens the door. “Dr. Styles, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Y/N, I’m sorry for…” He looks her up and down. “This is how you open the door?!”

“I saw it was you.” She shrugs and steps aside to let him in.

“Hi, Harry.” Charlotte and Nessa say at the same time.

“Hi girls.” He smiles and looks at Y/N. “I got great news today and I just had to see you, can we got to your room?”

“Of course.” Once they’re both in there, they sit on her bed. “So what’s up? I got your email about the job, I’m really excited.”

“Good news for both of us today. Connie, my department chair, came by to see me today, and she wants me to be department chair while she’s on sabbatical next year while she’s gone. It would be like a trial run. Me! Department chair! I have so many ideas, this is the opportunity I’ve been hoping for.”

“Oh, Harry.” She throws her arms around him. “That’s incredible, I’m so happy for you.”

“Thanks.” He holds her in his arms for a moment and then lets her go so he can stand up. “Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Harry…” She whines.

“Don’t start, I just wanted to see your face when I told you.”

“You could have FaceTimed me.”

“Oh.” He shakes his head. “It’s been a long day.” He chuckles.

“You can stay.”

“No, I can’t.” He caresses one of her cheeks. “I want to, but I can’t. Soon, babe, so soon.”

“Um…” She stands up and looks down. “If I get this job…I mean…the lease for this place is up June first, and…well…the girls are going to be working in schools, and won’t need to live here anymore, and…I mean, I could find new roommate and sign a new lease...”

“Or, you could come move in with me.” He takes her hands in his and kisses her knuckles.

“Really?”

“Yeah, I want you to. I want you around all the time. Being apart from you during the week really fucks with how clingy I naturally am.” He smirks.

“I like it, though. We spend all weekend in your big, comfy bed.”

“Look forward to it every week.” He sighs happily. “Just gotta get through you walking across that stage, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright.” He kisses her cheek. “I love you, sweet dreams.”

“I love you too.”

//

Harry helped Y/N apply for the job, and after two nerve-wracking rounds of interviews, and two weeks of pure stress that even Harry’s cock couldn’t squash, she got the call that she got the job. Harry took Y/N out to celebrate, they both nearly cried when she got the call. She told her parents and they were ecstatic.

“In a few years, if you feel like it, you could get your PhD for free through the university.” He says to her as they’re laying in bed.

“Hm, three degrees from the same place.” She taps her chin. “Doesn’t seem like a great idea.”

“If you can do it for free, you should. It was the smartest thing I ever did. Well that, and giving into you.”

“Giving into me?!” She laughs. “You make it sound like I seduced you.”

“I fell for you so hard. You’re just so wonderful.” He pouts. “Are your parents excited to meet me in a couple of weeks? I’m excited to meet them.”

“They’re definitely curious to see who the guy I’m going to be moving in with is.”

“Are you going to miss the girls?”

“So much! They’ve been great to live with. Nessa’s moving in with Andy. She found a college in the city he works in to teach at. She’s so good at putting productions together, I’m excited for her. Charlotte may be in the area, though. Something tells me the school she’ll be teaching at is close by to Niall.”

“I’ve never seen him so smitten. He takes the more serious part of a relationship slow, but once he’s in he’s in.” He pulls her closer to him. “Everything’s falling into place. I’ve been working with Connie to get prepared for the fall, and I couldn’t be more excited.”

“I’m really proud of you.”

“I’m proud of you too, babe.”

//

The day they had both been waiting for was finally here. The graduate ceremony was in the evening, separate from the undergraduate ceremony. Y/N wouldn’t be able to see Harry until after the ceremony. She was busy with her parents and younger siblings. Harry may have clapped and cheered extra loud when she walked across the stage. Most people around him thought it was just because she had been his TA for an entire year. Literally no one suspected more was going on between them. After today it wouldn’t matter anyways.

There was a champagne reception after the ceremony. Y/N easily found her family.

“We’re so proud of you honey. Another degree, a new job, and you’re moving in with a guy!” Her mom says.

“I’m still not thrilled about the last part. We don’t even know him.” Her dad says.

“But I do, so it’s a good thing I’m the one living with him, not you.”

Harry makes his way through the crowd over to her and her family. He takes a deep breath, and when she spots him she squeals. She runs over and jumps into his arms. They kiss as he swings her around.

“You did it!”

“I did it!” They both jump up and down for a moment. “Come on.” She holds his hand to bring him over to everyone. “Harry, these are my parents, and my two younger siblings. Ellie is going to be a senior in college this fall, and Ryan is going to be a sophomore. He’s actually transferring here in the fall.”

“That’s great! Hi, it’s so nice to meet all of you.” He shakes everyone’s hands.

“Damn, a PhD.” Ellie whispers to her sister and winks. “Nice job.” The girls giggle together.

They all decide to go out to dinner together to get to know each other better. Harry and Y/N would be meeting up with Charlotte, Nessa, and the others at the bar once dinner was over. Y/N explains how they waited a while to make things official because Harry wanted to make sure things remained professional. Harry easily impressed her parents. He was incredibly smart and knew how to work people over. Even her dad was happy with him.

Y/N got pretty drunk at the bar with her friends, and Harry was able to keep his arms around her all night without a care in the world. When he got her inside his place, he couldn’t stop kissing her and telling her much he loved her over and over. She was excited to start her new job in a couple of weeks, and he was excited she genuinely wanted to stay, and wasn’t just doing this for him. They would spend the time before starting her job to get her all moved in. They even talked about getting a larger place at some point.

“I can’t wait to snuggle with Mac every night.” She giggles as she gets into bed.

“Hey, what about me?” He pouts.

“I guess you’re nice to snuggle with too.” She jokes.

“Mhm.” He kisses on her and hovers over her. “My girl’s got her master’s. You’re so fucking smart, it turns me on.”

“Really?”

“When we did those mock interviews in my office I couldn’t stop thinking about fucking you.”

“Does this mean we can get a little sneaky in your office now?” She raises an eyebrow at him. “Or are you staying firm with your open door policy?”

“Think I may have to reconsider it, but only for you.”