#each chp i still hold out a little hope but i should honestly just drop it at this point

[kakuriyo]

i'm probably in the minority of this but the spy x family manga has bored me for months now.

i did enjoy martha's backstory but other than that it's been stagnant and unsubstantial. there's nothing driving it forward.

[shsl-otaku]

Where Greed Goes, Despair Follows: Chp. 11

Y/N: Raven Sin of Despair

Pairing: Ban & Y/N

Anime: Seven Deadly Sins

Genre: Adventure, Romance

Warnings: None

Tag List: @asgleo16 @yuri-2018 @vialuciferscage @commanderawkward @chidayasays @misfitgirlwrites @amberfoxcosplay @catlover7722 @shiggi-trash @supremetodoroki @happynoodle @remikay313 @milkysamu @kageyamis

•••

"Meliodas, Elizabeth, and Diane just entered Baste Prison," you said, your right red eye glowing brightly. You and Ban had been wandering around the prison after you both had "taken care" of the Holy Knight a few moments ago.

Ban raised an eyebrow. "Elizabeth? I don’t remember an Elizabeth being with us ten years ago."

"You’ll find out soon enough," you said, rolling your eyes. You were smiling nonetheless.

Ban smirked as he noticed that you were you smiling. "Hey, let’s make this more fun," he said.

You turned your head to look at him. "What do you mean?"

He only gave you a canine grin in response when you left yourself get lifted up.

"W-WHAT THE—?! HEY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING," you shrieked, holding onto Ban’s shoulders as he suddenly picked you up bridal style.

"What does it look like?" He asked, grinning at you. "Making this more fun! Besides, you said that they’re here looking for us, right?"

"DON’T YOU DARE DROP ME," you yelled, your cheeks starting to get red as you tightly gripped onto Ban’s shoulders. He grinned wider in response.

“Hold on tight, Princess," he teased, getting ready to sprint. You squeezed your eyes shut, ignored the blush that was blazing on your cheeks, and wrapped your arms tightly around his neck.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH—"

•••

"You sure she’s in this tower?" Meliodas asked, standing in front of the entrance to one of the prison towers.

"I’m sure," Diane replied, looking into the entrance. "He didn’t look like the kind of soldier who could lie to my face."

"He didn’t?" Meliodas asked, looking up at her. He then looked down to gaze at an unconscious, injured Elizabeth who was sleeping in Diane’s backpack. "Thanks, Elizabeth."

"That’s weird, the place is completely deserted," Diane said, stepping into the tower.

"Maybe my knocking that Holy Knight airborne did a number on them," Meliodas suggested, walking ahead of Diane.

"Bunch of wimps," Hawk grumbled, trotting next to Meliodas.

"I hope Y/N didn’t go berserk on them. That would be a very big problem," Meliodas said, placing his finger on his thumb. Hawk shrieked at Meliodas’ comment.

•••

"Looks like they’ve gone inside," Jericho said, standing at a far distance away from the prison. She turned to look at the person next to her. "What are your orders, Sir Golgius?"

The Holy Knight stepped forward. "I will admit that I am impressed. But your strength has only brought an agonizing death upon yourselves." He held out a black bead with a spell inscribed on it.

"That’s a... spell bead?!" Jericho gasped, looking at the black bead.

The Holy Knight suddenly threw the bead onto the ground, a dark purple cloud flowing out from it. It wrapped itself around the entire prison like a tight blanket.

Jericho’s breath hitched in her throat. "That’s—"

"An eternal sealing spell," Sir Golgius finished. "An indestructible magic quarantine barrier so powerful that they couldn’t break it even if they had ten Tyrant Dragons."

Jericho shuddered at the memory of you, your glowing red eyes, your terrifying smile, the blood. 'Will that spell really hold her in there? What is she?'

The Holy Knight laughed to himself. "The Sins will wither away to nothing inside this locked cage."

•••

"This is her. This is the doctor’s daughter. No doubt about it," Hawk said, looking at the unconscious girl in the prison cell.

"Let’s get her out," Meliodas said. He turned to look at Diane, who was lying down and peaking into the hallway because she couldn’t fit. "Got room in your backpack?"

"Yep, no problem," Diane replied. The doctor’s daughter started to stir awake. She screamed when she saw Diane’s huge hand reach for her cell door. Diane pulled the cell door off the wall.

"Is she okay?" Hawk asked, looking at a now unconscious doctor’s daughter and an unconscious Elizabeth sleeping in her backpack.

"Yeah, she’s only passed out," Diane said, closing her backpack. "Now we just have to look for Y/N—"

They heard footsteps approaching them and turned around to see a silhouette walking towards them, who seemed to be carrying something.

Ban walked out of the shadows, carrying you bridal style. You still had your arms wrapped around his neck. Your eyes widened when you met Meliodas’ gaze.

"Ban?" Meliodas said, looking at him.

"Captain?" Ban said, looking back at him.

They glared at each other, tension spreading between the two. Ban held you tighter to his chest. You looked up at Ban, an unreadable expression on your face. He kept his eyes on Meliodas.

"Why am I getting a nasty vibe right after they’re reunited?" Hawk said, sweat dropping. "I’ve got a bad feeling about this."

"Y/N," Ban said, not looking away from Meliodas. He shifted you in his arms so that he has holding you behind his back. "Hold onto me."

You wrapped your legs around his waist and your arms around his neck, looking at Meliodas. You felt Ban hold your legs to keep you steady.

Diane looked at you and giggled, remembering to ask you all about it when they get back. Her smile was replaced with a deadpan and she looked at Hawk. "You’re right. You should probably get behind me." Hawk shrieked in fear.

Meliodas and Ban continued glaring at each other, the tension growing between the two. You held onto Ban tighter, resting your chin on his shoulder. He flashed you a smirk and turned to glare at Meliodas. The tension grew so thick that you could cut it with a butter knife when—

"BAN!" Meliodas yelled, throwing his arms up and smiling widely.

"CAPTAIN!" Ban yelled, putting his hands up. You smiled widely and laughed.

They ran to each other like two best friends reuniting after a weekend. They started double-high-fiving each other rapidly, you laughing your head off at them.

"What the hell? It’s like they’re best friends! And Y/N is over there on that guys’ back laughing at them!" Hawk said, gawking at the three of you.

"CAPTAIN," Ban yelled in delight, slamming his fists into Meliodas’ stomach, causing him to crash and break through multiple walls. You cackled as Ban was laughing his head off in joy.

"Captain! Us next!" Ban yelled, laughing and jumping like a giddy child. You cackled at the sight of it, tears gathering in the corners of your eyes. Ban switched you around so that he was carrying you bridal style again. You wrapped your arms around his neck, smiling widely.

Meliodas jumped up and head butted Ban’s stomach, causing him to crash and break through multiple walls. Ban held you tightly to his chest to keep you from getting injured. You held onto him and you two laughed and screamed as you crashed through the walls of the prison.

"Eh?! He brought Y/N with him!" Hawk shrieked.

"Just go with it," Diane said, sighing.

Meliodas, you, and Ban were all laughing and smiling widely. You had tears starting to fall from your eyes from how hard you were laughing.

"What the hell, man? I thought you’d have gone soft," Ban laughed, standing up from the pile of rubble that was once a wall. You laughed at him, still in his arms.

"Oh come on, Ban. You expect Meliodas out of all people to go soft?" You said, laughing. He grinned at you.

"You’re just as soft as ever," Meliodas replied, smiling. The prison started to crack from all the walls that were destroyed. All three of you looked at each other and grinned.

Ban and Meliodas joined hands and got on the ground, getting ready to arm wrestle. You laid beside them as their referee, smiling in anticipation.

"Ready?" You yelled, smiling as Ban smirked at Meliodas and Meliodas smiled back widely at him. "Go!"

They started arm wrestling, you laughing your head off at them. The walls of the prison started to crumble because of them, causing the whole prison to shake.

"What’s happening?!" Hawk shrieked.

“Those three have always been like that.” Diane said, smiling at you three.

"Been like what?!" Hawk said.

"Honestly, men are so immature," Diane said dreamily. "Y/N either gets them back in line or joins them."

"Out of 720 matches against you, I’ve won 361, as I recall," Ban said, grinning.

"You must be out of it," Meliodas retorted, smiling. "I’ve won 361!"

"Gentlemen, gentlemen," you chimed in. "Let’s settle this AFTER we’re done with this one. Just focus on winning already!"

The floor of the prison crumbled apart, sending all of you falling.

Ban and Meliodas yelled, still arm wrestling. You were still refereeing the match, whooping and laughing as you guys were falling.

"The Captain’s so cute when he gets all worked up," Diane squealed.

"This is hardly the time," Hawk shrieked, falling next to Diane.

•••

"The barrier!"

"Impossible!"

The Holy Knights gasped in disbelief as Baste Prison was crumbling before their eyes, the barrier shattering with it.

"This is the scope of the Sins’ power?!" Jericho gasped. Little did she know, this was just because of Meliodas, Ban, and Y/N playing around.

"T-Time for a strategic withdrawal," Sir Golgius said, vanishing.

"H-Hey, wait," Jericho said, running away.

•••

"Father," the doctor’s daughter exclaimed, hugging her father tightly.

"Oh, Sennett! Thank goodness you’re safe," he said, crying as he held his daughter.

You smiled while watching the two, feeling happy for their reunion. You felt an aura of joy, hope and relief around them, and smiled contentedly.

Hawk came and looked through the doorway and gasped. "H-He came back from the dead?!"

You whirled around and turned to look at Hawk. "Wait what?!"

"Look," the doctor said, looking at a large scar that was in the middle of his chest. You could feel remnants of some sort of magic left on it. It felt pure and loving.

"It’s just like what happened with Meliodas’ wound," Hawk said, gawking at the scar. You raised a brow at him.

"It is?" The doctor said. "I’m ashamed to say that I have no idea why I’m alive."

You walked out from the room, leaving the doctor and his daughter to talk to Meliodas. You walked to the Boar Hat, slightly tired from today’s events, since it felt like a very long day and was a long roller coaster of emotions for you.

"Hey, Diane," you said, looking up at her as she was looking into the window of Meliodas’ room.

"Oh! Hey, Y/N," Diane said. She turned to look at you and smiled. "I saw you and Ban earlier," she said, wiggling her eyebrows. You smiled and rolled your eyes.

"You must be happy to have him back," she said, smiling at you. You smiled and rubbed your arm.

"I feel like I’m on top of the world," you said, sighing happily.

"Yeah, well, you should go inside and find the ‘surprise’ waiting for you," Diane said, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Oh boy," you said, holding the bridge of your nose.

Diane’s eyes suddenly widened.

"Eh? Y/N, your eyes... One is red and the other is e/c."

Your eyes widened and you instinctively raised your hand to your right eye. "Oh." You ran into the Boar Hat without waiting for Diane to reply. You barged into your room just to see a sleeping Ban sprawled on your bed.

You felt a blush appear to your cheeks. You walked over to him and poked his head.

"Ban?" You whispered, poking his head. "Ban. Ban!"

He groaned and opened one eye to look at you. "What?" He groaned, sounding like he was still half asleep.

"What are you doing in my room?!" You whisper-screamed. He groaned and turned around so that his back was facing you. You blushed furiously and hid your face behind your hand.

"Captain said I could stay in here with you," He said, his words slightly slurred. "It’s comfy in here."

You rolled your eyes and screamed into your hands. You walked to your closet and got an oversized, faded f/c shirt, soft baggy pants, and a towel, and brought them to the bathroom.

You took a shower to wash off all the dried blood and venom. You hissed as you washed your cuts and scratches and you whisper-screamed whenever you accidentally put pressure on a bruise. You washed all the blood from your hair. You got out from the bath and dried yourself off with your towel.

You put on your clothes and walked to your room. You opened the door quietly and saw Ban still sleeping on your bed. You looked out the window to see that it was still late afternoon.

Your legs suddenly collapsed underneath you, sending you crashing onto the floor.

"SHIT-"

You were sprawled on the ground, exhausted. Your cuts and scratches were burning and your bruises were throbbing. Your breath hitched in your throat when you felt your red right eye glow brighter.

"Y/N?" Ban groaned, sitting up from your bed.

"I’m fine! Just go back to sleep," you said.

His eyes widened when he saw you sprawled on the ground, injuries everywhere on you.

"Dumbass, why didn’t you tell me you were injured?" He hissed, kneeling down to pick you up.

"I was covered in blood when you saw me and you thought that I wasn’t injured?" You said, trying to not laugh. He scoffed and picked you up. He placed you gently on the bed and walked to your cabinet.

"Got any bandages?" He asked.

"First drawer," you said, hiding your face behind your hand.

He opened the drawer and got out a roll of bandages. He sat down on the bed next to you and began bandaging your cuts and scratches. You watched him silently, smiling softly at the concentrated expression he had on his face.

"Where did you even get these, you idiot?" He asked, bandaging cuts on your left arm.

You felt your heart leap into your throat. "I—uh..." He raises an eyebrow at you. You sighed. "I got attacked by a Holy Knight while I was on my way to Baste Prison."

"You what?" Ban said, looking up at you.

"It was one of the stupid Weird Fangs. She attacked me while I was running to come get you. She said that she wanted to kill you in front of me, but then said that your despair when you found out she killed me would suffice," you said, annoyance shown on your face. "She pissed me off and I killed her."

Ban looked at you, raising an eyebrow. "You got all that blood just from her?"

You rolled your eyes. "She was an ugly ass bug bitch that pissed me off. So, she gets to be executed. I don’t see a problem with that."

Ban laughed at your choice of words. He was already done with your left arms and legs and was now bandaging your right arm.

You both stayed silent for a bit, you watching as Ban bandaged your cuts.

"Hey," you whispered, making Ban look up at you.

"Hm?"

"I'm glad you're okay. I don't know what I'd do if they hurt you," you said, smiling softly. "Actually, I'd probably kill them right on the spot."

Ban laughed. "Yeah, they would've signed their death warrant if they pissed you off." You laughed as well.

"Done," he said, getting up from the floor. You looked at your now bandaged arms and legs. You blinked, surprised and impressed. 'I didn’t even notice he finished.'

"You know, you're pretty good at applying bandages. You know, for someone who doesn't use them," you said, smiling. Ban laughed, lightly pushing your shoulder.

"Should I sleep on the floor?" You offered, rubbing the back of your neck.

"Nah," he said, laying down on the bed next to you. He pulled you down so that you were facing his chest. He wrapped one of his legs around one of yours and your arms were the only thing that was in between you and him.

"This is fine," he said, eyes already closed.

Your eyes widened and your heart felt like it was going to explode. "W-What—!" He held you so that he was basically hugging you to his chest. He lazily put an arm under your head and another pulling you closer to him.

"Just go to sleep, Y/N. I'm tireddddd. I’ll wake you up before the party starts," he said, his words slurring already.

Your eyes were wide and your cheeks were blazing red. But fatigue started to catch up to you as soon as Ban said those words. You smiled softly to yourself as your eyes fluttered shut, feeling safe and warm.

'Best. Day. Of. My. Life.'

•••

wOw.

[itsnsfwalways]

Canyon Moon

FIC MASTERLIST

WARNINGS FOR CHP. 2: swearing, mild drug & alcohol use, brief mentions of death

CHAPTER TWO: wish i could get to know you

The two of you pull up to your buddy Mike’s place, a small, hole-in-the-wall studio.

Harry parks the car and gets out to open your door, although he waits for you outside to tie your boots.

“How’d you meet this guy?”

“Oh, Mike? We can’t really remember the first time, I’ll tell you the story with him when we’re inside.”

You hop out of the car and grab his hand, swinging it back and forth as you walk up to the front, hearing soft music playing already.

The two of you reach the door and Y/N swings it open, yelling out,

“I hope you’re ready because mama wants a tattoo.”

Harry shakes his head and tries to hide his grin as he turns around to shut the door all the way.

“You’re fucking stupid,” A male voice laughs out, looking up from his sketchbook. His feet are propped up on the counter, and of course, he is littered with tattoos.

“Mike, this is Mr. Ferrari, Ferrari, Mike,” you introduce, waving your hands between the two.

“I saw that fuckin car, I was like ‘who the fuck is coming to me in that?’” Mike exclaimed, snapping his fingers.

“Hey, mate, I’m Harry,” Harry says, leaning forward to shake Mike’s hand while giving you a look that makes your head drop to the floor and your heart skip a beat.

“Nice to meet you, dude. I’m Mike, Like your tats,” Mike says, getting up from the chair behind the counter.

He leads the two of you over to his station, getting all his supplies laid out as you hop into the leather chair.

“So what are you getting, Y/N?” Harry asks, sitting in a chair near you.

“This extremely intricate design that’s going to take lots of mental power, and, of course, only gives me a few hours notice,” Mike teases, kicking the bottom of your chair.

“It’s just this geometrical thing I saw on a Tarot card a little while ago, it really stuck out to me.” You explain, pulling the card from your purse.

“Oh, cool.” Harry nods, picking up the card, only after looking at you for permission, of course. He holds it lightly by the edges, being sure to be gentle with it.

“‘S not gonna bite you, baby,” you giggle, knocking your knee against his, biting back a smile at the way his head shoots up.

He grins at you, knocking his knee back while setting down the card carefully on the table.

“I know, but I know these cards are special to some people, want to be gentle with em,” he says softly, twirling his pointer finger ring.

“Some decks are, but these are very relaxed. You don’t have to treat em like glass.”

He nods and blushes slightly, looking away for a second to hide his smile.

“You done flirting so I can start?” Mike asks, removing the transfer paper from your inner right forearm.

“You’ve had sex on my living room floor, I’m allowed to do whatever the fuck I want after that,” you say, shuddering slightly at the memory.

“Fair point.” Mike nods, beginning the design.

“So, um, Y/N said that you guys can’t remember how you met? I’d love to hear the story.” Harry jumps in, eyebrows raised at your last statement.

“Oh, fuck,” Mike laughs, dipping the needle in more ink. “I think it needs to come with a warning that I spent pretty much the entire year of 2015 drunk. She says we met at a Tame Impala gig but I have no such memory of this happening.”

“It did happen! You gave me your number because I kept bugging you about your tattoos but it was to this random mom in Philadelphia, who did not appreciate me calling her at 3 am.”

“Anyways,” Mike cuts in, rolling his eyes, “We officially met at a New Year’s Eve party later that year that my wife, Maggie, hosted. Y/N and her ex came and proceeded to break up right before the ball dropped, and she made out with my sister instead just to piss him off.”

You let out a laugh and cover your quickly turning red face with your hand, peeking through your fingers to gauge Harry’s reaction.

“Wow.” He acknowledges, eyebrows raised and fingers pinching his bottom lip, glancing back at you. His lips quiver slightly as he tries to hold back his laughter.

“Alright, haha, very funny. The ending to this, BEAUTIFUL, story, I must say, is he gave me this tattoo the next week and the rest is history.” You gesture to the sunflower bundle inked on your thigh, before puckering up your lips at Mike, who, without even looking up, shoves your face with his other hand.

“Honestly, Harry, I’d run while you can. There’s never a dull moment with this one, that’s for fucking sure.” Mike advises, rolling his eyes when you smile widely.

“I’m starting to learn that,” Harry laughs, eyes trained on you.

The three of you go into a comfortable silence, the only sound being the tattoo gun whirring and your occasional whimper at a sensitive spot.

A thin line of sweat has slowly covered your body, and Mike notices, scoffing.

“We’re gonna take a quick break. I’m gonna go get a cig when you get calm, back in 20,” He says, stopping the machine and leaving the room quickly.

“So, uh, you guys have quite a fun dynamic,” Harry comments.

You take a deep breath and look to him, your mouth closing at how he’s positioned. It’s been about an hour at this point, and he’s shifted in his seat to a more comfortable position. Leaned back against the chair, legs spread open, arms resting behind his back, it wasn’t helping your situation.

“Yeah, he’s like my older brother. His sister is great too,” You mindlessly say.

“I’ll bet,” Harry smirks, nodding slowly.

“Hey, quit it. You get to have fun with pretty girls and so do I.”

Harry clears his throat at your boldness and adjusts his positioning, changing to lean forward on his knees.

You get up to grab two water bottles from the mini-fridge under the counter, offering one to Harry when you sit back down.

Drinking about half the bottle, you let out a sigh, trying to get your shaking legs under control.

“What’s your shirt say?” You ask, still having not figured out the small black text.

“Oh, it says ‘Treat People With Kindness’. It’s kind of my motto, or slogan, I guess. Most of my merch says either this or the abbreviation for it.” He tells you, hands going down to pull the shirt away from his chest.

“That’s really nice, Harry.” He glances up at you with a small smile on his face, nodding slightly.

“Bit egotistical wearing your own merch, but hey, who am I to judge?”

He rolls his eyes and bumps the bottom of your chair with his foot.

“Why’d he stop? You don’t seem to be freaking out to me. Maybe a little sweaty,” he teases, not realizing what he’s asking.

Groaning, you lean your head backwards towards the ceiling, hating yourself for what you’re about to say.

“Got a bit of a pain kink so I’m... overwhelmed, let’s say, and Mike hates that about me.”

Harry lets out a breath of air at this and you turn your head to look at him.

Your slight leg tremors are now starting to click, the blown out pupils, and swollen red lips from how much you were biting them.

“If it makes you feel better, I had to get a tattoo on live television and to this day, I still see zoomed in photos of my eyes from it online. At least they make the process fun.”

Your jaw drops and you lift your head up.

“Alright, Harry, shit,” you mutter, wiping the sweat off your brow. “Always got to one up me.”

He looks shocked at this and mockingly puts a hand to his chest.

“Says you! From the minute I met you, you’ve continued to surprise me with everything you say.”

“Okay, Mr. ‘I sang with Stevie Nicks and cruise around Malibu in a beautiful car’.” You say, blushing slightly from his words.

“You sang with Stevie Nicks?” Mike asks, walking through the door.

“Yes! He’s a musician, let’s play his album. What’s it called?” You jump up, slapping your hands on your thighs.

“Harry Styles, it’s a self-titled album. You can listen to it later if you want, I mean, we don’t have to-“

You shut off his rambling quickly.

“I wanna hear your voice! Also self-titled, we love a man with a big ego,” You tease, getting up to get the iPad that controls the music.

Typing in his name, you raise your eyes at the number of streams he has, clicking on the album and playing the first song, ‘Meet Me In The Hallway’.

“You’re quite pretty, Harry. That’s some gorgeous cover art.” You comment, pretending to examine it further.

“Oh god,” he laughs, tucking his chin down to hide his face a little bit.

“Okay, Y/N, shut up, sit your ass down, so I can finish this and you can listen to the song properly.” Mike points, making you put the iPad down and come over.

The song hypnotizes you for a second, trying to zone out and listen to it.

“Shit, Harry, you are fucking good.” You mutter, hand going to your mouth at his talent.

“Thank you,” he whispers, looking almost nervous at your reaction.

Your jaw stays open pretty much the entire song, each note making your eyes go wider or glance at Harry, trying to figure out how he is this perfect.

“Is it too soon to propose?” You ask, his voice slowly fading in the background as it changes to the next song.

He laughs and scrunches his nose slightly before telling you, “Just a tad.”

The next song starts playing, and you’d be lying if tears didn’t fall.

Trying to play it off, you look away and wipe your eyes. Mike glances up at you and stops for a minute, rubbing your arm slightly and giving you a squeeze. You tap back on the table and he nods, feeling better that you gave him an okay.

“Fuck, sorry, this is a lot. Crying on the second song, phew. Hope you’re doing good upstairs, Harry,” You laugh, sniffling a little.

“Don’t apologize, please. Music brings up a lot of emotions, I feel so honored that you’re reacting to it so strongly.” He says, rubbing your knee slightly,

“Should I cry a little more then?” You tease, smiling at him with damp eyes.

“Boost my ego a bit, maybe,” he smiles back.

All of a sudden, the song climaxes, and your jaw drops once more.

“Holy shit, Harry! Do you have anything wrong with you? My god.” You shake your head, in disbelief over him.

“I mean, I am always traveling, so there’s that. But other than that, I’m pretty much awesome,” he pretends to boast, fake popping his collar.

The song shifts to Carolina, which Harry tells you after you ask as soon as it starts playing.

“She’s such a good girl, she feels so good. Am I hearing that right? Just wanna check,” you recite the lyrics slowly back to him, moving your free arm around.

Harry looks away, pretending to check out the pictures on the wall behind him.

“Are you gonna be like this for every song?” Mike asks, and you nod happily, bumping your head to the beat.

Almost the entire album plays while Mike is tattooing you, all with varying reactions of either, ‘Harry!’, ‘Is this real?’, ‘I’m gonna start crying’, or ‘this is the sexiest shit I’ve ever heard’. Without fail, you ask him the song name when the first few notes start playing and he tells you it, sitting quietly and smiling at you getting so happy over his music.

Mike finishes wrapping you up and goes to the back to find some healing products for you as the final notes of Woman play, and you swivel in your chair to face Harry, knocking your knees against his.

“What’s the next one called?” You ask, so in awe of the man sitting in front of you.

“From the Dining Table. ‘S the last one. Quite an emotional one.” He says back, smiling sadly at you while playing with his rings.

You nod in understanding as it starts, coming to sit next to him and leaning your head on his shoulder, so drained from the last few hours. He wraps his arm around you, tucking his head over yours.

The song goes by without a noise from either of you, sans a few sniffles that made Harry squeeze you a little tighter.

After it ends and the two of you sit there in silence for a while, you say quietly,

“I like how at the end the music swelled when you wanted them to call you, and then it cut out. That was pretty powerful.”

He nods, the movement moving your head slightly.

“I like that part too.”

You pull away from him and look at his face close up for a second, trying to read him.

“Thank you for sharing this with me. I mean, obviously not with me, but that you let me freak out over you. You’re really special, Mr. Ferrari,” you whisper, brushing his hair out of his face.

“So are you, Y/N,” he mumbles, eyes flickering to your lips for a second.

“You paying cash or card?” Mike’s voice cuts through the air and the two of you jump apart, feeling like teenagers.

“Um, card,” You say, standing up with your purse and heading to the counter to pay.

Mike rings you up and you grab a hundred from your wallet to tip him with.

“Ah, I remembered why I like you,” Mike smirks, grabbing the bill from you.

“Stupid,” you mutter, giving him a hug goodbye.

“Oh, before you leave, I’m throwing a party this Saturday, Harry, you’re welcome to come as well,” Mike adds, gesturing him over.

He moves from his spot against the wall to stand next to you, a hand resting on your lower back for a second before dropping to his side.

“Thank you, I’ll have to check and see but I’d love to come. It was great meeting you mate, might have to set an appointment up in the future,” He smiles, shaking Mike’s hand once more.

“Hell yes, brother, I’d love to. Great album, by the way. Can see why Y/N brought you by.” Mike crosses his arms over his chest and looks at you while he says this.

“Alright, shut it down,” You snap your fingers at him, glaring slightly. “I’ll text you later, loser.”

“Get out!” He yells, making you laugh as you drag Harry away.

“Need help with your bag?” Harry asks as you exit the shop, the cold air biting your bare legs.

“I’m good, thank you though.” You swing the bag so it hits his butt just to see the way he jumps and runs away from you for a second.

“Hey! No hitting the driver!” He scolds, wagging a finger pointedly.

“We haven’t even gotten in the car yet!” You argue, coming to a stop in front of his car.

“Doesn’t matter.” He shakes his head and grins at you when he unlocks the door, immediately reaching for yours to open it for you.

“Thank you.” Your voice came out as a meek whisper and you cleared your throat after he shut the door, trying to shake out your butterflies.

He plops himself down next to you and pats his hands on the steering wheel for a second.

“Do you want me to drop you off at your van or your apartment?” He asks, turning to face you.

“Trying to kick me out?” You questioned, laughing at his expression.

“Van’s fine. I’m probably just going to write, I’ve got some stuff to do for a friend.”

“Is there a name for the beach? I’m not sure I remember how to get there,” Harry admits, opening up Google Maps on his phone.

“Not really but I can just find it on the map real quick, I’ve been in this position way too many times.”

He hands his phone over and you find the cove in less than twenty seconds, handing it back over.

“So where are you from? I’m realizing you tricked me into spilling my guts without telling me too much about yourself.” Harry questions, hand going up to scratch his chin.

“I grew up kind of all around California, my family was always traveling so I was homeschooled for all my life. Only child, because we were pretty broke and I was a ‘happy accident’,” You quote, laughing at your mom’s phrasing.

“Aren’t we all really?” Harry grins, shrugging slightly.

“I think so. Anyways, my parents died when I was 15 and that really made me get my shit together. I moved in with my best friend, Laura. Graduated high school early and just worked my ass off for a couple years. Bought Miss Sunflower and renovated her, traveled through America for about a year and a half before moving here with Laura. She and I got an apartment together and just have kind of figured life out since then. She works at a record label and I’ve been working as a part-time songwriter since I was 16, mostly just helping out whenever an extra person is needed or they need some extra little sad sprinkles in a song.” You explain, taking a breath after you finish your little rant.

“I’m so sorry for your loss. I know your parents would be very proud of you staying true to your roots.” Harry sadly smiles, rolling up to a red light at the perfect time. He leans over to give you a quick hug and you graciously accept, whispering a little ‘thank you’ in his ear.

“It’s been a rough grieving process but I’d like to think they are. Please don’t pity me though, it sucks, yes, but life could be so much worse. I’m lucky to have the people in my life that I do,” you explained, picking your nails nervously.

“I completely understand. I lost my stepdad last year and being there for my mum was the only thing that kind of kept me going,” Harry sympathizes, twisting one of his rings around his hands.

“I’m sorry as well,” you murmur, taking his hand and holding it.

“Yeah,” Harry exhales harshly. “Life’s a bitch.”

You giggle lightly, nodding. “That she is.”

The two of you sit in silence for the remainder of the drive back, listening to the ocean waves and the sounds of your breathing.

Harry parks his car next to your van and puts it in park, leaving the headlights on.

“Thank you for coming with me and sharing all of this, you really know how to make a girl feel special,” you blush, tucking a loose curl behind your ear.

“Thank you, Y/N. I feel like my whole view on the world has shifted so much in the last few hours,” Harry gushes, and you have to turn away to smile for a second.

“Come on,” you mumble, hiding your mouth with your hand.

“I’m serious! I know we just met but I really like you, I’d love to continue this. And I need to listen to you play still, not fair I only got to hear from far away for a few seconds.”

“I’d definitely like to see you again, but it’s a harsh maybe on the playing,” You nod, biting your lip to stop the smile from plastering itself on your face.

“I can give you my number if that works, but, like I said, I’m always here.” You offered, gesturing to your car.

“Number works great. And I’ll let you have your spot, I don’t want to take it away from you,” Harry pulls out his phone to give you his contacts.

“No, please come join me, with friends too! I need to share this little bundle of joy,” You hope to pursuade him into visiting this spot, but his expression is unreadable.

“How about this, I’ll text you before I come?” He suggests, taking his phone back from your hands.

“Perfect. Thank you again, Harry,” you emphasize, leaning over to give him another hug.

“Of course, love. Thank you for a wonderful night.”

You wave goodbye after getting out of his car and head into your van, taking note he doesn’t leave til you’ve gotten yourself inside and shut the door.

You plop yourself down on the bed and sigh, looking up at the ceiling.

“Holy shit,” you sigh, getting up to get into the driver’s seat.

You FaceTime Mike on your way back to the apartment, unable to wait to talk to Laura when you get home.

He answers a few seconds later, beer in hand.

“‘Sup loser,” he greets you with a head nod, “You get home okay?”

“Yes, oh my god. What the fuck was tonight? What do you think of Harry?”

He sighs and moves to lean his phone against something.

“If I’m being honest, the man is unreal. I don’t know how the fuck you found him but, wow. I can’t think of anyone who is down to not only drive someone they just met to get a tattoo, but to then sit through the entire thing while having them fangirl over their album.”

“I was not fangirling!” You try and defend, but one look from Mike shuts you up.

“Okay, maybe I was, but I’m just so in awe. I gave him my number because I thought he might feel weird giving me his. He had almost a billion streams on his first fucking album. That’s insane.” You explain, biting your thumb.

“Quit biting. And yeah, I’m not going to lie I looked him up after you left. Mans is a proper superstar, used to date Kendall Jenner allegedly.”

“Bleh,” you shake. “I don’t want to know about his life from the internet, that’s so weird. Also, when Alex and I were together he was dating some new model every other week, all those magazines are bullshit.”

“True. But Alex also was dating a model,” Mike retorts, trying to pick your buttons.

“Haha, very funny,” you deadpann, rolling your eyes.

“I’m just saying, as your brother, be careful. He really does seem like an amazing guy.”

“Yeah. He really is. Say hi to Maggie for me when you get home! I’m rolling up to my place right now so I gotta go.”

“I will. I know you already know how to take care of your tattoo so I’m not gonna waste my time. Later, loser.”

“Bye, dumbass.” You hang up, pulling into the driveway.

Practically dancing up the steps and through the front door, you’re met with the cozy atmosphere the two of you have created for yourself. You can tell your favorite vanilla candle is burning somewhere in the house and you slip off your shoes, practically running into Laura’s room and leaping onto her bed.

“Hello, my love,” she smiles, hugging you tightly. Her perfume envelopes you and you squeeze her back, lying your head in her lap.

“I thought you were staying at the beach today?” She wonders, playing with your hair.

You sit up at this, resting on your elbows.

“I met a boy,” you smile, putting your hands to your cheeks.

“Shut up!” Her voice raises a few octaves and she scrambles upright, hitting your thigh with her hand.

“Ow!”

“Who is he? Where? Oh my god!” Laura rattles off, bouncing up and down on the bed.

“His name’s Harry, we met at the spot. He came with me to get the Tarot card tattoo at Mike’s.” You gesture to the bandage around your forearm.

“Shit, man. What’s he look like?”

“Fucking hot. He’s British, for one. Tall, curly brown hair, green eyes, lots of tattoos. Also, he’s got the voice of a goddamn angel.”

“You’re not talking about Harry Styles, are you?” Laura asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, you know him?” You wonder, surprised she knows his name.

Her jaw drops and she fully shoves ou off the bed, emitting a ‘hey!’ from you.

“Of course I know Harry fucking Styles. Are you serious?”

You blow your hair out of your face and lean up on your elbows, one leg still on the edge of the bed.

“No, I’m not joking, what the hell?” You laugh, pulling yourself back onto the comforter.

“How the- who- what?!” She stutters, looking at you expectantly for a story.

“He came up to me on the beach asking for a lighter, we smoked a j and just kind of started talking. I asked if he wanted to go to Mike’s with me and he drove me over, and I’m me, so I tried to pick apart his brain a little. We listened to his album, which, by the way, have you heard it? That shit’s incredible.”

“Of course I’ve heard it! The entire world has heard it! Keep going!”

“Jesus,” you laugh, shocked by her reaction. “He drove me back and we got a little deep, I gave him my number before I left. I think we kind of had a moment though, he looked like he wanted to kiss me for a second.”

You pull your knees to your chest and rest your chin on them, thinking back to that moment.

“Holy shit, Y/N,” Laura sighs, falling back dramatically on her pillow.

“I know. I feel kind of weird though, he seems very closed in. I mean, I get it, I saw that he has quite a bit of fame, but I don’t want to have to pry him open, y’know?”

“I mean, yeah, but he’s really fucking famous. His fans are some of the most die-hard people out there. And there’s a hell of a lot of people who would do unspeakable things to be in your position. Myself included,” she mumbles at the end, and you swat her with a pillow.

“Gah,” you moan, lying down next to her. “I don’t know how to navigate my way around that kind of fame. What if he sees that, or still thinks that I’m lying about not knowing who he is? That’d be a bit egotistical, though, so maybe I’d be dodging a bullet.”

“Nope! You are not missing out on an opportunity to fuck Harry Styles.”

You laugh, scrunching your nose.

“I don’t want to think of him like that. Just Harry, the dude who I’ve been relentlessly teasing all night.” You turn onto your stomach suddenly.

“Shit. What if I was being too much?”

You groan again, pushing your face in her pillow.

“Than he’s dumb for not realizing how funny you are.”

Your phone pings suddenly, and you grab it from your back pocket, not recognizing the number on your home screen.

“Shit, he just texted me.” You shout, standing up onto the ground while you read the message aloud.

Hey, Y/N, it’s Harry. Hope you’re enjoying the rest of your night, I just wanted to give you my number and thank you again. Tonight was probably the most fun I’ve had in a while, if I’m being honest, and I was wondering if you wanted to do lunch tomorrow?

“Oh, fuck ME, he just asked me out to lunch.” Your hand goes up to your mouth as you look wide-eyed at Laura, who’s expression matches yours.

“Bitch, say yes!”

“Okay!” you yell back, pacing back and forth.

hey harry ! i’m glad you had fun tonight, i was worried i might’ve scared you off haha. i’d love to do lunch, what time were you thinking ?

“Does that sound okay?” You hand your phone off to Laura, getting her stamp of approval before sending it.

“Ah! Okay, shit fuck, it’s sent.” You throw your phone onto her bed and lean against her door, waiting for his reply.

Your phone lights up not even two minutes later, a text from Harry reading,

Haha, definitely didn’t scare me off. If anything, the opposite. How does noon sound? I can pick you up if you’d like?

“A gentleman,” Laura sighs, fanning herself as you read it together.

“Shut up,” you mumble, blushing slightly as you type back,

well, good, i’m glad :). noon works great, here’s my address. sleep well, harry.

I’ll be counting down the minutes. Goodnight, love.

You scream as you read his last text, shoving your face in your hands.

“Oh my god, okay, Y/N, take a chill pill,” you tell yourself, taking a deep breath in. “Ugh, why am I getting so worked up over a guy?”

“Because he’s funny, cute, talented, and rich, bitch.”

You give Laura a look and she laughs,

“Okay, money, fame, and any prior knowledge I have aside, he seems like a great dude. And if he’s not, well, my dreams will be absolutely crushed.” She shrugs, going back to scrolling through Instagram.

“Oh, wow, thanks.” You roll your eyes, standing up. “I’m gonna make some tea, you want any?”

“I’m good, thanks though.”

You nod and shut her door behind you, going into the kitchen to turn the kettle on.

Hopping up on the counter while you wait, you decide to do a little bit of Instagram stalking, just to see what he posts.

You click on his most recent one, smiling at his caption.

“Kissy,” you mutter, shaking your head lightly.

Scrolling through a few more of his photos, you bite your lip at his outfits, incredibly jealous of his stylist. His feed is better than yours, if you’re being honest, and you smile at the thought of him making sure all the black bars line up.

Hearing the whistle of the kettle, you hop off the counter and pour yourself a cup of chamomile. Closing out the app, you take your mug into your room, turning on your lights that make your room look like you’re floating in the galaxy.

Placing it on your nightstand, you get yourself ready for bed, spending a little extra time washing your face and doing your skin care routine.

You slide into bed and open up your latest book find of the week, this one being Misery by Steven King.

You find your eyes drooping after a while and set your things on your nightstand, snuggling deeper into your blankets.

With a smile on your face, you drift off to sleep, excited for tomorrow.