#forget me not finnley

[forget-me-not-vn]

Characters: Finnley

he/him | Satyr

Finnley might actually get the price for your most mature friend. While of course being hardly hit by his friend group falling apart, he quickly returns to his daily responsibilities.

He is by far the sweetest member of the group and has very early on gathered the title of argument solver, considering some members are quite prone to loud discussions.

Finnley is always going to want to help people, being an absolute sweetheart and doing his best to make the best decisions for everyone around him, even if he sometimes takes the backseat during those decisions and has to make some sacrifices.

"It does not matter whether you remember it or not, you're my friend. That is all that counts for me."

[trashcanplant]

So Many Neighborhood Interactions!

GOD I need to stop having kids so I can stop doing this. HOW MUCH INFORMATION DOES ONE NEED?!

Marnie: Girl loves her cat so much. She’s an introvert and that’s fine! Sometimes that’s all we need. For all the work she does on her house, Marnie has never fallen off of her roof. She leaves those jobs to Grover. She’s really thoughtful with her students! Most of them actually go to Deirdre’s school and at this point it’s a wonder that she’s not the official music teacher there with her bestie. Her biggest love language is words of affirmation. She purchases fruit wines from Jonesy’s family. Her favorite flavor thus far has been blueberry. Marnie’s house is covered in books and plants. She is probably one of the more qualified people to house sit for someone. As long as they don’t mind having a new record or two added to their collection based on what she saw while she was there.

Grover: He gets really lonely. Being alone on the road so much has worn him down. He doesn’t have one mailing address, he has four. Barnaby knows all of them, because one of them is his own. As much as he hates to admit it, he’s bonded to his flock of crows. Not in a friendly way though. It’s not quite a parasitic relationship, but let’s be real, what benefits does Grover get? He has a favorite swear word but he won’t tell anyone what it is. His favorite type of joke is a play-on-words. I think after meeting Penny he made a little corn husk doll in her image that he keeps around. Grover is the fourth best person to house sit for you. He probably got the job because he broke in, and he will leave the house worse than when he entered and it will be his fault. Also he just hates being inside. But you already knew that.

Deirdre: Bestie boo curls her hair to no avail. She’s written maybe a dozen plays with her and Sally in lead romantic roles together. She values her students so much and loves them even if they annoy her sometimes ahem ahem Jonesy. She thinks Paulette could teach earth sciences at her school if they really wanted to. Deirdre has an interest in computers. She’ll never be able to see one up close though. Just pictures in her magazines. Speaking of which: If Deirdre ever bought a house all of the furniture would come right out of a catalogue. Right now most of her furniture comes from Marnie. Deirdre would be the next best person to house sit for you! She’d make sure your plants are watered and pets fed, but she noticed that you had a book she’s been wanting to read, she’d just borrow it. She’s a bit directionally challenged, but she always knows the way Home! Deirdre orders whipped cream on her coffee. And her sweet potato pie. And everything really. If it’s not got whipped cream on it, it isn’t worth it. She calls attention to her class by saying, “Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears!”

Jonesy: Now when someone who’s not Deirdre refers to him and a group as “friends” he chimes in with “don’t forget romans and countrymen!” (YES inspired by that post). Jonesy doesn’t get along well with Frank cause he once tried to eat a butterfly by him. He has a very late bedtime (bat). If you give a bat a cookie, he will squeak happily! He gets a winter coat and gets even poofier. Jonesy would see Marnie and Howdy talking every day with Marnie making the same argument that Howdy should play the guitar then Jonesy would feel like his secondary parents were fighting cause he loves Marnie and takes piano lessons from her. He cries very easily. Jonesy is a papa’s boy let’s be honest. He loves his mom so much but he’s just closer to Finnley than Mercy. He’s too young to house sit for you. He’d hear Grover swearing and scamper up with Penny and Vince with his big doll eyes and now Grover has to decide if he wants to teach an 11 year old a swear word or face Howdy and Ritta’s wrath. Jonesy probably gets free gelato from Antoni and now Howdy has to fight harder with strawberry shakes and then there’s a war.

Paulette: Blue eyed stare. They are so nice but are constantly fighting the voices to eat the glitter in her pocket. He wishes that they were able to fully express her love for Marnie but at the same time they see how this woman acts; never fully engaged how she needs her to be. He wishes on stars all the time despite knowing better. She goes to every one of Sally’s shows just to take notes on her. They are the third best person to house sit for you! He’d keep it tidy, maybe have Marnie fix the window she broke when he came in. They would 100% move your furniture around and when you ask him about it they’d just crouch down and say “my star, the Feng Shui of your house was really bad.” She believes in astrology, just a little bit. Paulette is a big advocate for pineapple on pizza. Also they love starfruit! She’s just a sweetheart. Love languages are touch, time, and words.

Antoni: WOAGH LITTLE GUY! Self proclaimed, by the way. He’s only little in the sense that he is short. He is a goofy guy, but man does he have a big personality. He’s vibrant while Dandy is quiet. He roller skates around Home a lot to deliver his pizzas. He’s definitely clumsy. It’s a wonder he hasn’t broken more bones! Antoni is very squishy. He’s got a good tummy, but also, he’s just squishy! His favorite pizza is Margherita. Pineapple on pizza is a sin, and he’s staring at Paulette and Grover who think it’s okay to put pineapple on pizza. He’s always covered in something on his chef coat. It’s most likely marinara, and if it’s not that, it’s blood. Dandy is his number one caretaker of the two of them. Antoni is the worst person to watch your house! He broke in, he used your oven, the whole place is covered in sauce and scratches and for some reason he blames you for it. Never let this man babysit. That’s his baby now. He loves kids and is really good with them! That’s why Jonesy is his best friend and he’s trying to get Deirdre to let him teach home ec or at least be the lunch lady. She will never let him in her schoolhouse after the birthday cake incident.

[torpublishinggroup]

Devilman Crybaby meets Marvel’s Venom in Exordia, the science fiction debut of Seth Dickinson, author of The Traitor Baru Cormorant. 

Ssrin Character Illustration by Julie Dillon

WHAT’S IT ABOUT

Meet Anna Sinjari, a refugee and disaffected office worker eking an existence in New York City. Her life is about to be upended by Ssrin, an alien with eight serpent heads, no qualms with cold-blooded murder, and an appetite for turtles (yum).

The universe is governed by seven passions, seven patterns which appear again and again, across species and across time. Anna and Ssrin are bound by the last and the greatest. The cosmos itself ships their very souls. Specifically for them, that means they’ll have to outmaneuver spies, armies, and government agencies to save humanity from a diabolical alien entity, hellbent on pinioning the souls of every creature on earth.

Exordia is expansive adventure science fiction that reads like a race-against-the-clock thriller in the vein of Michael Crichton, but steeped in the irony, humor, and pain of the Internet age. An alien-human epic for those who've always rooted for the monster.

[biro-slay]

Crazy to be included here as we just started talking yesterday but thank you, and thank you to finnley)

The awesome people that were with this year are @finnslay(my first mutual and cool person :3), @chaoscorvus(my favourite non binary corvus blog on tumblr), @sp1derc1der (one of my most creative mutuals, who I also have a lot to shared interests with), @weiwei-uplink (one of my biggest mutuals and a very supportive and uplifting person), @legendary-sky-sketch-artisan(we might not interact that much but I really like seeing your posts on my dash), @us-costco-official (really funny, also one of my favourite "gimmick blogs"), @brainr0tcntrl(another amazingly talented mutual, who I also share a lot of interests with!), @tha--dude(a really supportive person who I am glad I am mutuals with, thank you for the support), @bottlecapsandotherthings(again, another person I just met recently, but someone who I really like interacting with), of course you - @catinasink (someone who I am really looking forward to interacting with). Can't forget my followers as well! @case0161002(I am glad you seem to like my posts) we will probably become mutuals at some point in the future too)), @herwinds(thank you fro supporting me as well)). as well as everyone else, sorry if I missed you

Ah, 2024 is here. I'll keep the memories of 2023 with me, and these are some great people I've met in 2023!

@invisible-hidden @siren-serotonin @pola-artist @clownpalette @the-monsters-in-1870 @yourhappyfella @kindercelery @dreamdoll-12 @essentially-a-worm-on-a-string @the-squishy-scrimblo @i-have-dots-in-my-brain @mistysparks @lore-addicted @hh-and-hb-fan @justmwahstruly @blueshykitsune-blog @pipileo @hiimerick @3amclothesmonster @acen404 @slinkthecat @artsandstoriesandstuff @lemonpie45 @r3set-does-aus @rogdona @echoinginthevastscosmos @sharkyy599 @ask-crow-aus @ecila-amelia @theradiocast @seven-thewanderer @macaron-jester @yourfriendlyshapeshiftermonsters @wheredidmybooksgo

And more!

How about you guys?

[mouthfulloftoothpasterry]

Here comes Santa clause

Summary:This is blind!harry and his babies decorating! HAPPY BLURBMAS-Day 1

Warning’s: Finnley being precious

The Styles family likes to decorate their home for Christmas early. Christmas always got them in a great cheery mood. The lights, the trees, the smells, that always put a bright smile on their faces. They had made a playlist of all their Favorite Christmas songs, lit up some candles that were peppermint and sugar cookies scented- just for the holidays, turned up their Christmas music so loud that the neighbors could hear it and got to work.

“Pass me the garland, my love.” Harry hums, Finnley strapped on his chest in a baby bjorn to help them bond some more. Y/n passes Harry the chunky green garland, decorated perfectly with white ornaments and fake snow. He stands at the staircase, zip tying the garland all down the rail. “It looks good.” Y/n smiles, snapping a little Polaroid of her husband to keep for Christmas down the road. “Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus, right now Santa Claus lane.” Harry sings to Finnley, the boy growing a sleepy smile on his face when he hears his daddy.

“It’s all good?” Harry asks, his hand coming to cup at the back of Finnley's head. “It looks amazing!” He smiles, clapping her hands together.

“Good.” He smiles back at her.

“We need to put the nutcrackers up!” She cheers, pulling the big tub out of all some more of their Christmas decorations, nutcrackers at the top. Harry nods, grabbing one of the classic green, red, and white nutcrackers they had so long ago, putting them on the mantle above their fireplace.

“Perfect!” Y/n smiles, rubbing her bump white she looks over the decorations placed carefully on the mantle. She hears a ding, her eyes lighting up at the smell of the cookies.

“Oh, the cookies are done!” She says, waddling to the kitchen and completely forgetting about their decorations, now focused on the cookies. “Come help H!” She yells, unwrapping the Hershey kisses to quickly stick them in the middle of the hot cookies. Harry walks into the kitchen quickly, helping her stick the chocolate into the middle of the peanut butter cookies. “That one is lopsided.” She giggles, trying to fix the chocolate.

“Oh, we’ll, that one can be mine.”

“There are like twenty, H.” She laughs, kissing his cheek before throwing away the trash. Harry shrugs, “oh well.”

Finnley wakes up at the smell of cookies, a goofy smile on his face while he looks up at his parents. “Santa?” He asks, looking at the towel with Santa’s face printed on it that was hanging in his mummy’s hand. “Yes, Santa’s coming soon, bubba.” Harry says, letting his out of the baby bjorn before taking it off and pulling the toddler up onto his hip. “You want to decorate your tree? We’re almost done!” The two head up the stairs leaving Y/n follow. She walks down the long hallway to get Finnley‘s mini white Christmas tree out of the closet.

She walks back and into Finnleys and sets the tree up, fluffing out all of the fake branches. “My tree?” Finnley asks after toddling over and to hang the white snowy branches. “Yes, it’s your tree, bub. Do you want to add the ornaments?” Finnley grabs one from her hand before shaking his head yes, setting it on one of the little branches, he steps back and looks at what he did, a little smile on his chunky face.

“Good job! You did it baby!” Y/n smiles, clapping.”

“Daddy try!” Finnley squeals, grabbing Harry’s hands while he boos up and down on his little toes.

“Okay, I’ll try, lovie.” He pulls the boy down on his lap while he sits in front of the tree, letting Y/n hand him an ornament while he finds a branch to loop it on. Finnley squeals and claps with his chubby hands, throwing his arms around his fathers neck. He always was a daddy’s boy.

Y/n adds on a few ornaments while Finnley is busy babbling to Harry, slurring nonsense about paw patrol. “You gotta out the star baby!” Y/n rests her hand on her bump while leaning over to hand the boy the sparkly red star.

Finnley smiles and grips the star, playing with it for a second before stepping back over to his tree and placing the star on top of it. “Yay!” His parents cheer, clapping while he smiles over his little star.

And their Christmas was complete.

[akplosionz]

actually while im at it heres some oc fun facts

finnley: unlike farah, he didnt inherit any powers from his parents. it was a suprise at first but he omgotbused to it and instead fight with an axe (u could think of it similar to amy's hammer). hes still a bit self-conscious n embarassed ab having no powers in his family but hes working on it

marina: despite her tentacles being able to stretch large distances (i dont have a specific measure atm bear w me LMAO) it does drain energy out of her when using them w more force. in order to "charge" them she is usually seen deep in lakes and honestly any place of water. long times w no exposure to water can lead to her fainting/passing out. (also as a quick little fact: she can use small zaps of electricity through her tentacles! tho shes not experienced at using it so at most its used to charge phones and small electronics. she considers it useless though :/)

levi: similarly to finnley, levi grew up without any powers. the two bond over this and hell it was how they first became friends! while finn is self conscious bc of this, levi turns his powerlessness into a strength of his and it motivates him to work out more! tho his punches may be hard his kicks are way harder so b careful

spike: for his lack of physical strength, spike makes it up with his immense defense. despite loooing soft, he is able to harden his quills almost as sharp as spikes (lol get it?) though they can only last for 1 min max before going back to normal. bc of this spike only uses it as a last ditch effort if his normal shields he can pop up dont work! it harms his body after all

sky: ive said before that what sky lacks in attack n defense his makes up with his high agility thanks to his power of flight! when fighting he is usually seen in high hidden places and attacking the enemies when exposed. (i forget to draw it but) when out in the battlefield he wears a whip on him that he uses to grab onto enemies and slam them onto either other enemies or just crush them against the walls/floor (think of it like the lightning wispon from forces except more controllable n no lightning)

[sleepingdragonhq]

is that joe keery? no, that’s just finnley wood. he is a pureblood who was born on 19/02/2001 and an ex chaser for the appleby arrows / unemployed . when he went to hogwarts, they were in gryffindor. rumor has it he paid an opposing quidditch player to injure him during a game. some say he is charismatic and trustworthy but i’ve heard others say he can be reckless and cocky. ( em )

hey finnley wood! has anyone told you that you look exactly like joe keery, or is that just me? either way, it’s good to see you! you’ve got 24 hours to get to your dorm, or someone might take your spot! don’t forget to check out your welcome pack to help you get settled in!

[finn-nelson-for-the-win]

Before the World Stops Turning: Pt.6

Hello my lovelies! I’m getting super excited for you all to see where this story is going, so despite scrapping the majority of this chapter that I had originally written, I typed as fast as my fingers would allow because I promised I’d have a new chapter for you all today and I wanted to stay true to my word.

This chapter did end up being longer than the prior two, but after this complete rewriting, it is only about 1/3 the length it was originally. I can’t say for certain just yet, but I have a feeling that Part 7 is going to be the really long chapter...but we’ll just have to wait and see. :)

If you’d like to be added/removed from my tags list for this fic or my Forever Tag list, don’t hesitate to let me know!

Everything I’ve written can be found right here!

I hope you enjoy this chapter! (As always, additional notes and random commentary I have will be at the end beneath the tags)

***

Twenty minutes…I’m twenty fucking minutes late to meet Rae at the coffee shop…

Finn sat at the table in Danny’s dining room with his head resting in his hands, struggling to hold back yet another groan of annoyance. Finn and the rest of Kings and Queens had been in and out of meetings with booking agents, producers, and their band manager, Steven, all day long trying to sort out the logistics of their plans for touring and working on their latest album this summer but Finn’s mind was elsewhere and his eyes had not left the screen of his phone for the last half hour.

Generally Finn did not mind these sort of meetings—which is why it was almost always Finn, Archie, and Chop taking the lead on planning what’s next for the band while Alex and Danny stepped down and played other roles as necessary—but the final meeting of the day with Steven was running much longer than anticipated and Finn was desperate to leave.

“Okay, well I think I’ve kept you lads here long enough and I can tell that Mr. Nelson here is desperate to be anywhere but here right now, so I think we can end the meeting right here for today. We still need to meet up again soon, but I think it will be best for us to pick up where we left off in a few weeks that way we can wait to hear back from the agents and producers you met with earlier today. Enjoy the rest of your day!”

As soon as their manager bid the band farewell, Finn leapt from the chair he had been sitting in and grabbed his cellphone and truck keys, rushing to his truck where it was parked in front of Danny’s house to go meet Rae at Charlie’s Café.

Finn: Holy Shit, Rae! I’m so sorry I’m running late! I was stuck in a band meeting and couldn’t leave until now.

Finn: I’m on my way now, though, and I should be there REALLY soon!!

He had only been driving for a few minutes when he heard his phone ringing where it sat on the seat beside him and he immediately grabbed the phone to answer the call without even checking who was calling.

“Rae?”

“Uh, no, haha…sorry to disappoint you buddy, but it’s me, Archie!”

“Oh, sorry Arch. I just texted Rae and I don’t know why I assumed…anyways, what’s up?”

“Don’t worry about it, Finn, I know you’re nervous for you meet-up with Rae. If I’m correctly recalling the time you agreed to meet with her, you’re already running a bit late so I hate to be a bother, but I think you might have forgotten something very important.”

What did I forget? I have my phone, my wallet, the tickets—

“Fuck! The tickets! How could I forget to grab the tickets? Okay, I’m turning back to get them now…are you all still at Danny’s house?”

“Yeah, Steven left a bit after you bolted out of here, but the rest of us are still here and some of the other guys are playing video games right now.”

“Ah, okay…well, I’ll be there in about five minutes!”

Finn found the nearest place to turn around and began driving back in the direction of Danny’s house, thankful for the lack of midday traffic on this side of town.

As soon as Finn pulled up to the drive in front of Danny’s house, he turned off his truck and jogged towards the front door when Danny opened the door before Finn could even knock or ring the doorbell.

“Archie told me you forgot to grab the tickets for the girl you’re meeting with to give the tickets to. Come on inside and I’ll got grab the tickets from the stack Steven gave us before he left today!”

Finn walked inside and towards the room where Alex and Chop sat side-by-side on the couch playing a first-person shooter game with aliens and Archie sat on the reclining chair watching.

“Chop! Are you fucking kidding me? You killed me again, you prick!”

“Sorry, Alex…it was an accident just like the last time…and the time before that…and the time before that…”

“Fuck off, Arnold! Just focus on killing the aliens and watch your back because I’m not above returning the favor with a little friendly fire.”

“Oh wow, Chop! You must have really made Alex mad for him to be calling you by your real name…” Finn added as he took a seat on the armrest of the couch beside Chop.

“Oh, he’s just mad because as soon as I throw a grenade he always seems to walk into the blast zone and I’m too far away to rescue his arse, so he dies. I’m sure he’ll get over it,” Chop added earning an annoyed grunt from Alex who was sitting on his right side, “Anyways, what are you doing here, Finney boy? Weren’t you supposed to have a coffee date with your girl like…an hour ago?”

“Yes, I was supposed to meet Rae almost an hour ago, but the meeting with Steven ran longer than expected and I left without grabbing her tickets, so I had to turn back. And even though I’m talking to you now, Chopper, don’t you go thinking that you’re forgiven for what you did yesterday!”

“What did Chop do yesterday?” Alex asked with an amused smile while looking between Chop and Finn as he waited for a reply.

“Nothing serious…Archie and I were at Finn’s apartment and the love of his life, Rae—you remember Rae from our show a little over a month ago, right? The one that Finn fell in love with at first sight and her mate Izzie cropped him out of our group photo—well she texted him because they’re supposed to meet up today so he can give her tickets to our next show and I might have stolen Finn’s phone while he was in the kitchen getting Archie and I some drinks and I was texting on Finn’s behalf like the good wing-man I am! Finn’s just being an unappreciative bastard!”

“Me? Being unappreciative? Well I’m sorry that I wasn’t happy that you took my phone and were texting Rae all flirty-like and sending her emojis and winking faces for no goddamn reason! She probably thinks that was me and that I’m some complete and utter freak now! It’s a miracle that she didn’t immediately cancel our plans to meet up today simply out of principle!”

“Simmer down, Finnley,” Archie began in an attempt to act as the mediator to ease the tension between his best mates, “in Chop’s defense, he wasn’t the only one texting Rae while you were out of the room.”

“Archer…are you serious right now? ‘Et tu brute’?” Finn replied with mock betrayal.

“Well, at least all your studying for finals seems like it’s paying off…I’m so proud that you used that reference in the right context, Finn! And yes, it is true. Chop only sent the last message, but I was sending all the other ones, which is why I asked about where the two of you were planning to meet.”

Before Finn had the chance to respond to Archie, Danny walked back into the room with Rae’s pair of tickets and handed them to Finn.

“Thank you so much, Danny! You’re a lifesaver!” Finn replied as he clapped his hand on Danny’s shoulder twice before standing up from the armrest of the couch and shouting his goodbyes to his band mates over his shoulder.

“Have fun, Finnley!”

“Go get her, tiger!”

“Tell Rae I say ‘hello’, lover boy!”

Finn heard Archie, Alex, and Chop call their goodbyes in return, but he decided against stopping to comment on what they said knowing that he was already running very late to his meeting with Rae.

Finn: Rae! I am so, so sorry! I’m a complete and utter idiot and I had to go back and get something, but NOW I’m heading over to the café and I should be there soon.

Finn: I know that I’m nearly an hour late right now and you have every right to leave if you haven’t already because I should have never left you waiting this long, but I should be there in less than 5min if you’re still there waiting.

Finn: I promise. xx

***

Finn walked into Charlie’s Café and scanned the tables to try to find Rae.

She’s not here…

Of course she’s not here! I left her waiting on me for over an hour…she’d be totally mad not to leave…

Wait…

Finn looked over to a small table on the far side of the café, a reasonable distance away from the crowds of students and professors that were waiting in line to place their orders before rushing to their next class or meeting, and his heart immediately skipped a beat.

There she is…and she looks beautiful and…

“Perfect,” Finn said lightly under his breath before clearing his throat nervously and weaving his way between the crowds of people to approach the table where Rae sat.

“Hey, Rae! Sorry I’m so late!” Finn said when he was standing next to the table where she sat.

Rae was in the middle of taking a drink of her iced coffee when she looked up at Finn and nearly choked.

“Oh, hi! Sorry, you just surprised me a bit is all,” Rae replied when she recovered from the brief coughing fit, “I almost thought that you were going to stand me up, haha…but then again, no one ever mentioned who I should be expecting to meet me here, so I didn’t really know who I was even waiting on, uh,” Rae babbled in an awkward attempt to break the ice between them.

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry, Rae! My name is Finn…I’m the one who has almost complete control of the band’s social media, so you’ve been messaging and texting me for the last few days. I feel so bad that I completely forgot to mention that!”

“Don’t worry about it! So…you’re here to drop off the tickets I asked for..?”

“Ah, yes, of course!” Finn said as he pulled his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out the two tickets that he had hastily shoved into it as he rushed out of Danny’s house, “sorry…uh, here are your tickets.”

“Thanks, here’s the money…” Rae said as she traded him the money for the pair of tickets.

Finn saw Rae hesitate slightly as she appeared to be considering what to say next and he began to fear that he was imposing on her plans with his presence.

“I guess I better get going…”

“Do you want to stick around for a cup of coffee with me?”

Finn and Rae spoke at the same time and although he heard what Rae said without trouble, the two chuckled nervously and Finn gestured with his hand, prompting her to continue talking so he could be sure that he had heard her correctly and it was not just his wishful thinking.

“Oh, I don’t know, I was just thinking about how nice it was of you to go out of your way to deliver these tickets just to leave a few minutes later…so I was thinking that you could stick around and have coffee with me if you’d like to…if you’re not busy that is…”

Finn stood in place, processing Rae’s invitation and unable to make his brain communicate with his mouth effectively to accept her offer and he could see the exact moment that the feelings of doubt and embarrassment washed over Rae.

“You’re probably really busy, huh? Never mind. Just forget that I even asked,” Rae said as she began to stand up from the table.

“Wait! I’m not busy, I swear, and I’d love to have coffee with you!” Finn replied a bit too enthusiastically for his liking, which caused him to immediately blush as he pulled out the seat across from Rae and sat down.

“Okay, great!” Rae replied with a chuckle as one of the café workers came by to take away one of Rae’s empty cups and to take Finn’s order.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, by the way,” Finn said when the waitress brought his cappuccino to their table along with another coffee for Rae and the various pastries that Finn had ordered the two of them as his way of apologizing for being late to their meeting, “I’m fairly certain that I’m the only member of the band who wasn’t formally introduced to you and your friend after the last show. And I didn’t work up the nerve to introduce myself to you after I nearly tackled you to the ground and knocked your phone out of your hand before the show started.”

Finn’s shy smile and the blush in his cheeks returned when Rae laughed aloud and smiled widely in response to what he said.

“Likewise! I felt bad about walking away so quickly after we bumped into each other, but I was afraid to lose my friend in the crowd if she wandered too far away. And after the concert, when Izzie and I came over to chat with you all, it was utter chaos! So much so that you barely even ended up in the group photo we took because I guess you were rushing to get into the picture at the last minute!”

“Yeah, I noticed,” Finn replied sheepishly as he used his left hand to run his fingers through the short hairs at the nape of his neck out of nervousness and embarrassment, “the rest of the band saw the picture your mate posted and were convinced that I was cropped out of the photo intentionally. They had lot of fun giving me shit about that for a few days afterwards…”

“Finn! Oh no,” Rae replied, trying to show sympathy but struggling to hold back the grin that was spreading across her face, “Izzie and I didn’t even realize it ourselves until the next day and we noticed that the only part of you that made it into the photo was three of your fingers!”

“Really? I didn’t see any of me at all!”

“Yes, really! Take a look…” Rae replied as Finn pulled his cell phone from his pocket to bring up the group photo Rae and Izzie had taken with the band.

“Holy shit, you’re right! The lads are really going to get a kick out of this too…” Finn replied with chuckle and wide smile that made Rae smile in return.

“So, I’ll be honest with you, Finn… last night I was really regretting having agreed to meet with you, but I’m definitely glad that I went through with it.”

“I’m glad you did too,” Finn said with a shy smile, “and I’m really sorry if the texts that you got last night were part of the reason why you felt uneasy about meeting up. Chop and Archie thought it would be fun to take my phone and reply to your texts on my behalf.”

“Is that so? Well that’s unfortunate,” Rae paused briefly to see the confusion on Finn’s face and shoot him a quick smirk, “I found my conversation with them to be rather interesting. Your mate Chop is quite the charmer, although I’ve deiced to take the highroad and be a good friend to Izzie by not reading into his flirting too much.”

“Yeah, Chop is…well, Chop is indeed a charmer, but he’s a great guy underneath his quirky personality. Both he and Archie mean well, but they are two of my best mates and how they show their friendship with me can be a bit much at times, I suppose.”

“I know exactly what you mean! That’s great that you three are such close mates and are in a band together. How long have you three known each other?”

“Well the three of us grew up in the same area. Archie’s family and mine knew each other since we were babies, so we’ve basically known each other all our lives. And then when Archie and I were about six years old we were on a footie team together and Chop joined as well. We found out that he was new to the area and going to the same school as us and he became the latest addition to mine and Archie’s little dynamic duo. And the three of us have been inseparable ever since, which is why the summer before Archie and I decided to start Uni, the three of us started this band together and named it what we did. And the rest is history…”

“That’s so cool! I don’t think I follow though…why did you call your band ‘Kings and Queens’?”

“Oh, that! It’s after the streets that the three of us grew up on. Archie and I lived about three houses down from each other on Kings Road and Chop’s family moved into a house on Queens Street.”

Rae nodded in understanding and gave Finn a stunning smile that nearly made him choke on the sip of coffee he was taking during the short break in the conversation.

“Uh, so what about you and your mate Izzie? How long have you two known each other?”

“Well we shared a mutual best mate from when we were much younger, but I never actually met her until we were both about 16 or so. We became pretty close mates and when we both decided to go to Uni here in the city—and the mutual friend we had decided to go to school further away—Izzie and I grew to be much closer and now she is definitely one of my best mates.”

“That’s great! So what are you studying here at Uni?” Finn asked as he grabbed one of the pastries he had ordered and took a bite as he waited for Rae’s response.

“I’m double-majoring in English and Psychology with a minor in Music,” Rae replied pausing briefly when she saw Finn’s eyebrows raise in surprise, “but I’ve been debating adding on another minor or a third major.”

“Holy shit! That’s really impressive, Rae! You must be a really good student to balance all of the work that comes with such a full course load!”

“Oh! Thank you, Finn, but um, I’m not that smart,” Rae mumbled shyly, “there’s just so many different things I want to study and learn about that I couldn’t stand that thought of settling for just one area of study.”

“Well I think you’re a lot more intelligent than you give yourself credit for,” Finn replied with a smile when he saw how his compliment caused Rae to blush slightly.

“So, uh, you mentioned that you attend Uni too, right? What are you studying?”

“I do, yeah! I’m just finishing my third year here, actually. My major is Digital Culture with a concentration in Music. I’ve also started taking a few different economics and business classes, so hopefully I can add on a Business Minor.”

“That sounds really cool! So what exactly do you do as a Digital Culture Major?”

“Since my focus is in music, it essentially means that I work with different computer programs and types of technology to create music as well as learning the recording and production aspects of music. I started out studying business at first because I had no idea what I wanted to do, but I became interested in music production as Kings and Queens began gaining popularity and we began recording our own music and taking ourselves more seriously as a band about halfway through my first year of Uni.”

“Oh wow! That’s so cool! So you guys produce your own music?”

“Yeah! We have our own makeshift recording studio set up in Danny’s house and he does most of the work in that aspect, but I like to help out wherever I can. In fact, just the other day I was at Danny’s house recording guitar and vocals for a song I had an idea for! It’s still really rough, but I think it has some potential,” Finn replied with a nonchalant shrug.

“Do you write music as well?”

“Yeah, it’s normally me or Archie that write the lyrics that are later put into our songs. The other guys help a bit too, of course, but they generally like when we take the lead with that.”

“Huh, that’s interesting…normally the lead singers of bands play a pretty big role in song writing and lyrics.”

“Yeah, well Chop has the charisma and stage presence to be the band’s leading man, but he’s not always the most creative or poetic when it comes to writing lyrics. He prefers to just let me and Archie be creative and then he can stand up front and win the hearts of every beautiful girl in the crowd with his self-proclaimed ‘angelic voice and amazing dance moves’” Finn added with a scoff that led Rae to chuckle.

Rae reached for her iced coffee with a smile still lingering on her plush pink lips and took a sip before reaching for her cell phone where it sat face-down on the table to check the time out of habit.

Finn was watching her out of curiosity and he knit his eyebrows together in confusion when he saw her press the home button on her phone but the screen did not light up or respond in any way.

“I have a habit of checking the time on my phone quite frequently,” Rae explained with a small chuckle when she caught onto Finn’s obvious confusion, “but my phone battery was running low earlier while I was waiting for you to get here, so I had to power it off so the battery wouldn’t die completely.”

“Sorry again for keeping you waiting so long…it’s been a long day.” Finn replied with an apologetic smile when she reminded him of just how long she had been waiting for him to arrive.

“It’s not a problem, really. Why was today a long day?” Rae asked as she continued picking at the blueberry scone she had been nibbling on throughout their conversation.

“Oh you know…just a long day of band meetings, practice, and boring stuff like that…I’ll spare you the details because it’s all a lot less interesting than it would seem. That’s why I was late coming here: a meeting with the band manager ran almost an hour longer than it should have! Well, that, and I was so flustered about meeting you here and being late that I got halfway here and realized that I forgot to get your tickets, so I had to turn back and get them before finally coming here! Which in turn made me even later than I would’ve been.”

“Well, I think your day sounds much more interesting than my day, certainly! I still can’t believe that you forgot to grab the tickets before driving here, especially since the tickets were the only reason why we’re even meeting here today…well, perhaps not the only reason,” Rae replied with a smirk before grabbing her cup to take a final drink of coffee before setting the empty cup aside.

The screen of Rae’s cell phone lit up when she powered it back on and a series of text message notifications flooded in.

“I, uh, sent you a few texts when I was freaking out about being late because I didn’t want you to think that I had forgotten about our plans to meet-up,” Finn mumbled when he noticed Rae scrolling through the long list of message previews that were on the lock screen of her phone with a poorly concealed smirk.

“I noticed, although I’d say that there are a bit more than just ‘a few’ messages,” Rae teased, “I’ll read them all later to avoid causing you any further embarrassment.”

Finn looked away from Rae and tried to ignore the satisfied smile on her face at seeing how much her teasing caused him to blush.

Rae’s phone chimed loudly a few times and she looked up at him apologetically before picking up her phone from the table to read the messages she had received.

“Oh, sorry about that. I just got a few texts trying to make sure that I picked up the tickets without trouble and that you didn’t turn out to be some creep who kidnapped me or something…I guess I can see why they got worried, seeing as I’ve been at this café for nearly three hours already!”

“Three hours? Wow, I guess you’re right! We’ve been here talking for close to two hours now. I’m sure your, er, friend is pretty worried about you meeting up with some random guy!”

“Not likely. They were first and foremost wanting to make sure that I picked up their ticket because I promised that I would. Izzie is my best mate, but she certainly has a funny way of showing it!” Rae replied with a chuckle.

“Well, I suppose that I’ve monopolized enough of your attention for one day, Rae. I’m supposed to meet Archie at the library to study for one of the exams we both have later this week and I can’t cancel on him, as much as I would like to do exactly that if it meant that I could keep chatting with you.”

“No problem, I should get going now too,” Rae said as she stood up from her chair and brushed her hands over the fabric of her dress to smooth out the wrinkles that had formed from sitting down so long, “Thank you again for the tickets and for keeping me company while I drank my coffee!”

“Of course, Rae! The pleasure was all mine. Drive safe!” Finn called as he stood from the table and Rae began walking towards the door to the café.

Drive safe…are you fucking kidding me?

Way to go, Finn! You spend hours chatting with this amazing and beautiful girl over coffee and the best thing you can think of to say is “drive safe”

Ugh, why am I such a complete and utter twat!

***

When Finn walked into the library and found the table that Archie was sitting at as he tried to rearrange his pages of notes on the table, he was still struggling to wipe the goofy grin off his face following the last two hours spent having coffee with Rae, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Archie.

“Well, someone certainly looks like their day has taken a turn for the better since the last time I saw him a few hours ago. I’m assuming that your meet up with Rae went well?”

“Arch…it was, well she is—I mean, well,” Finn struggled for words as he pulled out a chair from beneath the table and took a seat, sighing deeply, “great…just great.”

“Wait, Rae is great or your meeting with her was great?” Archie asked with a cheeky smirk.

“Both,” Finn replied without hesitation.

“Huh, I see…well, I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed yourself. Now are you ready to spend the next few hours studying for this exam on Thursday?”

As soon as Archie began searching through the open documents on his laptop to find the Exam Study Guide their professor had emailed them to help them better prepare for the exam, Finn felt his phone vibrate a few times from within his back pocket and he pulled out his phone to see what notifications had come through.

RAE: Hiya Finn, so I just plugged my phone in to charge and read through all your text messages...

RAE: It’s sort of adorable how flustered your texts are and how much you were freaking out about being late. No worries though, I’m just glad you did make it eventually.

RAE: I had a lot of fun talking to you and getting to know you a bit more over coffee today, by the way. Maybe we could do that again sometime? Anyways, have a nice week and I look forward to seeing you perform again on Friday night! xx ^_^

The goofy grin that had faded significantly returned full-force as he read through her texts and he couldn’t help but linger on her message where she called him—or his texts, but he interpreted it to mean him too—adorable.

Wait a second! Did Rae just informally ask me out? Or at least ask to hang out with me again…?

Finn was about to begin typing his response to Rae’s texts when another notification came through on his phone from his personal social media account.

Rae_Earl1 followed you

@eveerez @tinakegg @hey1tskat1e @lurkernolonger @milllott @nutinanutshell @i-dream-of-emus @milymargot @vivammfd @bitchesbecrazy89 @arathewallflower@mallyallyandra @kneekeyta

A/N: So originally, this little meeting between Finn and Rae did not go quite so smoothly...Finn was still running late and Finn still forgot to grab the tickets at first, but it was going to all keep going downhill from that point forward for about 10000+ words...buuuuut I randomly became inspired while reading through and replying to Anonymous messages and reactions to the prior chapter while on my walk to work Monday morning. That inspiration led me toward the decision to move the story in a slightly different direction than I had initially planned and that meant rewriting or at least adjusting the events of some of the upcoming chapters that had already been written.

I basically deleted everything I had for this chapter and started all over again earlier today, but as I planned out some of the events that are coming up in the next few chapters, I decided that it’d be best if I added some flirting and Rinn cuteness in addition to a tiny bit of drama and silliness in the beginning of this chapter...not to spoil things, but shit is about to get sort of intense and even if you think you know where this is story is going, I’m fairly positive that you do not hahaha

So in the notes at the end of the previous chapter I mentioned that I’ve had this blog for over a year (I don’t remember which day exactly, but I know it was in the end of October and last Halloween was the first time I officially posted on here, so I’m going off of that) and I thought that was a good enough reason to do some revamping.

In addition to fixing some weird tagging on posts and updating my blog description, I also decided to create a page of some of my favorite fics that I’ve read recently, been tagged in, and/or reblogged over the last year in the event that you want to know what I’ve been reading and enjoying and if you ever want to check out some of my personal favorites. All those posts can be found in the “Fic Recommendations” section at the top of my blog or tagged with “my fic recs” in the tags of the posts. Do you have a favorite MMFD fanfic writer and/or fanfic that you think I should check out if I have not done so already?

Please let me know because I’m always happy to find new favorite writers and favorite fics! :D

Also, if you recall my last author’s note, I asked your opinions on whether you all would like to learn more about me since I have remained relatively anonymous for the past 6-ish months that I have been writing and posting fanfics on here...I was already mostly decided and ready to reveal my secret identity to you all, but the responses that I got sort of confirmed my plans.

In case you have not yet seen it, I posted something earlier today where I shared a few random facts about myself and also included a few recent photos of myself so you all could put a face to my name and my writing if you choose to do so.

Feel free to check it out if you would like to see what the oh-so-mysterious Sarah aka “Finn-Nelson-for-the-win” looks like or if you want to get to know me a little bit better!

I sort of like this thing I have going of posting on Saturday and Tuesday evenings, just because it works fairly well with my work/Uni schedule so I’m not neglecting my life responsibilities for the sake of fanfiction (although if I had a choice between the two, I’m sure we all know what I would pick), so with that being said: I look forward to hearing what you all think of this chapter and if you have theories for any of the drama and/or shenanigans that are coming in the next chapter(s), I’d love to hear them too! Stay awesome, my friends! :)

[grvmpygills]

verse summaries

so this was originally made for my own personal use but i realized half way through that this would be a pretty handy short guide on the verses i have for marlin ! just pls excuse the notes & any instance of ‘ u ’ used is literally me @ myself s o,

this doesn’t cover any au’s that i have that would have him based in a different fandom !! it’s strictly canon, his modern/human self, & ship verses.

a key u dumb fuck !! bc ur forgetful as shit!!! and never rememeber ur own gd system!

v. - verse cd. - canon divergence sv. - sub verse bold & italics - considered the main canon in modern verse; any under Finding Nemo is canon to his main turned human verse

v. 001. | Turned Human

u know that drill bruh

v. 002 | Finding Nemo

all this shiz is canon u know that too

finding nemo - mid canon

cd. 001 - everybody lives; proud father of 400+ cd. 002 - the direct opposite; everyone ded cd. 003 - he never bumps into dory / leaves her at some point; he’s still searching for nemo

post 001 - dealing with the new people in his life & what has happened

finding dory - mid canon

cd. 001 - going home w/o dory; back to just the boys cd. 002 - finding out coral is alive (!!) & has been at mli all these years

***post 002 - just enjoyin that nice view

****at some point durin this turned human steps into place

v. 003 | Modern / Human version of canon

era. childhood - its jst that he a baby era. high school - b o  i pls u know exactly what high school means gd era. college - we’ve reached star wars levels of obvious now way 2 go

family man - the entirety of his married relationship w coral !!!! newlyweds !! 1st & 2nd anniversary !!! pregnancy scare ... deciding to have kids !!! coral’s pregnancy !!! babies !!!! at his happiest !!!!!    cd. 001 - everyone lives he has 4 tiny babies and a beautiful wife he is !!!!!!!!!!!!

***single father - it’s just the finnley boys tryin to live; marlin w tiny baby nemo up to tiny baby in school now nemo      era. bad times - baby month old nemo; marlin is v sad & v angry & v much “bottle everything tight and dont even think abt it bc ur son is depending on u”; its only been a month since he lost coral & their other children; still being questioned/suspected by the poice in their disappearance; effectively distanced himself from his entire family by blowin up at them & he is so so alone.      cd. 001 - it’s still just him but he’s got 4 tiny ones depending on him

***badder cd- everyone dies. he is completely alone & its honestly a miracle hes alive

#FindingNemo - the name still gets me every gd time fu ck... but ye its the human version of canon events; but catch my boy bcomin media famous “on today’s news local child is kidnapped, dad takes off after the van” & the gossip/news travels scene is literally jst people on social media “oh saw him by x just an hour ago! #FindingNemo” but rlly no one can keep up w him & dory as they travel around,, think the end of annie 2014 which tbh i started cryin from laughin bc that is exactly how i imagined this playin out except taht gets resolved in like 5 mins where my boy here is gone for 5-7 days

     cd. 001 - the baddest au,, marlin goes through everything he has to find his son but he’s too late. nemo’s dead (maybe?? he never knows if it was fake or real). so he leaves. even after dory begs him to stay. he leaves. “he’s gone. i’m going home.” / “please i dont want to forget.” “im sorry dory but i do.”; he never went back home. he left nd wound up in some small town. he’s bitter he’s sad he’s angry he’s so so alone.

it’s complicated - the time between canon !!! dory lives w him & nemo (or down the hall/in same building depending on w/e a dory wants!) and he’s learning to adjust to it all

morro bay - the human events of finding dory !!!      cd. 001 - again,, she stays behind in cali & the boys go home; “does this mean we have to say goodbye to dory?” “yes.. it does”

family found - the same idea of coral bein alive & in cali for all these years

v. 004 | Twitter

the same stuff as the above verses except it takes into acct everythin he goes through on twitter !!! which is mostly a lot of memes and makin friends w questionable people that make him regret joining twitter tb h

theres like a lot of aus/verses on there and this jst kinda encompasses every acct

@ grvmpgills  - u kno gd well fish dad cant read/write so well so why tf is he on twitter icb this u must be stopped 

@ highstrvng - its like modern but w the addition of verse ducksquad s o,, still main?? canon?????

v. 005 | Ducksquad

jst any verse / au where marlin is best friends with dewey finn, jenna hunterson, & juliet lamarque. oh & cal anderson’s kinda lumped in w them too but marlin’s lowkey terrified of him. the default usually falls alongside the twitter verse bc thats where these heathens spawned from

sv. it’s always sunny at lulu’s - these gd fuckos are living out certain events from it’s always sunny in philadelphia. but it’s just them as they are.. most of their reactions tho are on twitter so idk why u got this tag to begin w u gd moron oh well its staying,,

friends for life - exactly what it sounds like boyo these fuckos have been bfffffs since they were children & through each individual’s canon      cd. 001 - for marlin’s canon instead of finding his son on his own he has the help of his friends

the gang gets ducked - same basic idea as it’s always sunny at lulu’s except !!! it’s literally it’s always sunny but with these characters instead; marlin as dennis, juliet as dee, dewey as charlie, jenna as mac, and cal as frank. watch any ep of iasip and bam there u go thats exactly canon in this hell verse

v. 006 | & Larry

the verse for marlin & larry daley !! just two husbands who love each other and their boys

anything with this ship is in this verse !!

v. 007 | & Yessy

verse for marlin & yessy; from dating to married w 12 kids and all the aus with them in each others lives

v. 008 | & Amélie

verses for marlin & amélie !! so far it’s got 2 choices:

1) she’s the guidance counselor at nemo’s school; they bump into each other outside of school sometimes and they’re both a little awkward but sweet

you’re better than any model - ugly betty au with marlin in daniel’s place & amé in betty’s. u gonna say more in the au draft s o

[diamorics]

A very late name update

Putting a title for attention grabbing :X

I’ve added the name Finnley for myself on other blogs but I keep on forgetting to make a post on this blog saying I am both Tristen and Finnley now, also for now dropping the other names listed

I’m not sure when I’ll edit the blog description, I’m on mobile 98% of the time/mobile editing doesn’t keep links, so people sending me asks to remind me would be appreciated

I see asks, I’m just bad at getting around to answering longer ones if they’re not urgent...

[no-crap-fm]

The Rewrite - Chapter 2

Chloe watched Rae’s form shrink in the distance as her train left the station. They waved to each other all the while. A tear gathered in the corner of her eye. She carefully dabbed at the moisture not wanting to ruin her makeup. Normally, she would be seeking out a seat by a fit lad. In light of the magazine in her suitcase pocket, she opted to seek out somewhere quiet to sit. After walking through a couple of cars, she found an unoccupied corner seat with a table. Setting her suitcase on the seat next to her, she opened the zippered pocket and pulled out her copy of The Bristol Literary Society. Leaning back in her chair with her legs tucked under her, Chloe settled in to read Rae’s story. She had only made it a few paragraphs in when the tears threatened to fall. Chloe’s eyes darted around the compartment. Luckily, no one had taken any of the nearby seats. She was alone.

Finnley and Mae were alike in so many ways. However, it was their differences that convinced Mae they could never be together. Fortunately for Mae, Finnley knew better. He saw Mae’s strength and encouraged her…

…Mae screamed herself hoarse as the Gallaghers took the stage. She knew there was nowhere else on Earth she would rather be than in this moment with Finnley. He stood with his hand in hers. They shared a knowing look. Memories of Knebworth would be with them for the rest of their days…

“I love you, Finnley.”

“I love you, Mae.”

Chloe paused her reading. The bits that stood out haunted her. This story was what Rae wished had happened for herself and Finn. If this was what her best mate wanted, Chloe was going to help. She owed it to Rae. Rae deserved to be happy, even if she was too stubborn to go out and get it for herself. Chloe was certain she had to put this magazine in someone else’s hands. She knew where she would be going first thing in the morning.

Following her old mate out of the office, Chloe said, “Finn, I know it’s been hard on you but if you’ll just read this-” Finn cut her off with his raised hands. He was on the verge of shouting when he seethed, “What do you know about it, Chlo? You have no idea what it’s been like for me.” He shook his head angrily as he bent under the bonnet of the Fiat to check the oil level. She sighed. “I think you’re wrong, Finn. I think it can be fixed.” Moments of Finn scraping metal against metal as he worked were the only sounds between them. When Finn saw Chloe wasn’t leaving he stood and sighed. Taking the cloth from his back pocket, he wiped his hands. Finn shook his head sadly and mumbled, “What’s done is done, Chlo.” He raised his focus and made her heart squeeze with his melancholy gaze. Without a word, Chloe backed up and returned to the office with the magazine clutched tightly to her chest. Finn watched her carefully set it on the desk, reposition her purse on her shoulder and with a final glance to him through the window, she departed out the front door to the street. A massive exhalation escaped him and Finn’s shoulders slumped.

And just because we’re not together now, Finn Nelson, doesn’t mean that we’ll never be,’kay?

Rae’s words suddenly came back to him. How could he ever forget? “No,” Finn quietly whispered to himself as he flipped on the radio at top volume and returned to his work.

Finn forced his arms through the sleeves of his leather jacket as he tried to get past Chop. “Just leave it, Mate.” Chop placed a firm hand on Finn’s chest. “I will not leave it and you're being a bell end. Ya have to read this, ya twat.” Chop waved the magazine in front of Finn’s eyes. Grabbing it out of Chop’s hands, Finn huffed, “Fine! I’ll read it when I get back to mine.” Finn held it up for emphasis and said, “Tonight.” Chop stopped his hand as Finn tried to toss it back on the desk. All Finn wanted was to enjoy his late afternoon cup of tea and a smoke outside. He couldn’t be bothered with specters of the past right now. Chop shook his head. “Nah mate, you’re going to sit outside this fuckin’ garage and read the whole thing right now. Take your fuckin’ lunch break.” Chop pointed to the waiting area they had outside of the shop that was sitting vacant. Finn knew Chop wouldn’t let up. Zipping up his jacket, Finn stepped toward the door. As he headed out Chop called, “Oi, Finn, if you need the rest of the day off I’ve got this covered here.” Finn gave his mate a confused look through the glass as the door closed. Taking a seat at one of the benches Finn set his cup of tea and the magazine down. After lighting the cigarette Finn pulled from behind his ear a long plume of smoke trailed from his lips. He then took a sip of his tea. The afternoon sunlight caught on the glossy cover of the magazine. The austere, gray building on the front bore the University of Bristol flag. Finn was instantly intimidated by the publication. He picked it up with hesitant fingers. A noticeable shaking rustled the pages as he made to leaf through. A dog eared page marked his place. Chop or Chloe must have done it, he thought. Taking a deep breath, Finn began to read.

Mae and Finnley met under very strange circumstances. Mae had just been released from a Mental Home and was being driven back to hers by her mother…

Finn’s thumb found its way into his mouth. He chewed away at it, ignoring the coppery taste of blood as he read on.

…Finnley was a bit of a grumpy sod, but Mae fancied him anyway. If only he knew, she thought…

Finn’s tea sat undisturbed and turned cold as Finn remained in his seat.

…Mae headed to the park to confess her feelings to Finnley. She felt like a phony and wanted him to know the truth…

…”I didn’t know you were sound.”

… “Maybe I don’t want to be your friend.” Mae whispered it and Finnley looked utterly lost. “Ya what?” He asked as his brow wrinkled. Mae slowed down and repeated herself, willing Finnley to understand. “Maybe…I…don’t want to be your friend.” When Finnley still failed to comprehend her meaning Mae whispered to herself, “Oh, fuck it,” and kissed him as she pushed him against the wall of the cupboard.

Finn laughed aloud at this and muttered to himself, “What are you on about, Rae?” He shook his head and said, “That ain’t how it happened and you know it.” With a violent flick of the magazine Finn carried on reading.

Keeping a careful eye on his mate, Chop drank his own cup of tea as he watched Finn’s reactions to Rae’s story.

“You can’t fool me, Mae. I’ve loved you too long.” Finnley took the acceptance letter from Mae’s hand. After reading over the message he beamed. “I’m so proud of you, girl. I knew you’d get in.” Mae swallowed back her tears as she returned Finnley’s smile. Taking her in his arms, Finnley asked, “What do want to do, Mae?” Placing her hands on Finnley’s forearms she gulped, “I want to go but I don’t want to lose you.” Pulling her closer, Finnley pressed his forehead to Mae’s. “You won’t,” he whispered. “I’ll come with you.” Mae’s mouth dropped open. Finnley laughed and took her silence as a cue to elaborate. With a shrug he added, “I can find a job in Newcastle and we can get a flat there. We would have lived together here if you were going to stay. This way we both get a fresh start.” A shadow of doubt overtook Finnley as he said, “If you want, that is, Mae. If you want to go on your own I’ll understand. I’ll still love you either way. I know you’re strong enough to make it out there.” Mae threw her arms around Finnley’s neck and gushed, “Of course I want you to come, you numpty! Please come with me to Newcastle.” Their laughter echoed through Finnley’s flat. He brushed a stray bit of Mae’s hair behind her ear and stared at her adoringly. Mae’s tears dried as Finnley pulled her in for a kiss which sealed their commitment to a new life together.

The sun was starting to pass its zenith as Finn ran his index finger over the last few paragraphs of the story. “So that’s what you wanted, Rae? Why didn’t you say something?” He rolled up the magazine, twisting it in his hands. Some details of the narrative struck Finn. There was an obvious lack of pivotal elements. No Katie, no mention of Finn’s exes like Stacey or Olivia, no Green Lane gang, no Liam and no break ups of any kind, just to name a few.   Finn was in turmoil. What was Rae thinking writing something like this? He knew she must have had no intention of ever showing it to him. They hadn’t so much as spoken since the night of the leaver’s ball. Finn had hated it for the first few months. While he kept wondering about Rae and hoping she was well he simply couldn’t bring himself to ask after her. He knew Chloe and Izzy were still in touch. Even Archie stopped himself from talking about Rae when he was home at Christmas. It was all too hard. Now Finn had worked himself into a comfortable state of numbness. He’d even thought he was getting better. The sweat on his palms and the tremor in his fingers told him otherwise. He watched his knuckles turn white while clenching the magazine. The nervous energy was too much for him. Finn needed to move. Keeping the magazine in his hand, he pounded down the street toward the park. He needed to blow off some steam. Maybe some of his old footie mates would be up for a match. As he walked images of his real past with Rae played behind his eyes.

Rae in her Stone Roses shirt coming to see him at the park… Was she really coming to tell me she loved me? Finn couldn’t believe it.

Rae standing so close to him in the cupboard at the sexy party. I wish she had just kissed me. I was dying to kiss her, he thought.

Finn learning about Rae’s acceptance to Uni and being so heartbroken. Maybe she did want me to go with her. Maybe she really didn’t want to go at all. Finn ran through so many scenarios he had never considered.

The feel of Katie’s hands on him and his obvious shudder as he tried to pull away from her. “NO!” Finn’s shout caused a few heads to turn as he stopped at the abhorrent thought of what contributed to him losing his first love.

Finn’s mind replayed so many moments where he must have missed Rae’s hints. Scrubbing his hand through his hair, Finn sped up. He considered stopping at his flat to change and go for a proper run. Sighing he thought better of it and kept heading toward the park. As he approached the football pitch shouts of “Oi Finn!” met his ears. Suddenly playing with his old mates left a sour taste in his mouth. Finn quickly waved to the lot and trotted off to continue his progress on foot alone. He passed a trash bin and thought of throwing the magazine in. Instead he tucked it into the pocket on the inside of his jacket and patted it for confirmation it was safe. Finn’s heart raced as he located his pack of cigarettes and struggled to light one as he kept walking.

Hours later, long after sunset, a weary Finn turned the key to unlock his flat. Standing just inside the door, Finn teetered as he surveyed his domain. Assessing the small settee, sparse decor and low ceiling, Finn felt deflated. His surroundings left him with an overwhelming sense of loneliness. Usually, Finn was pleased to come home to his peace and quiet. Tonight he was mentally exhausted and utterly bereft. Shuffling into his kitchen, Finn took a beer from his refrigerator and downed it in one. He then left a trail of clothes on his way to his bedroom. Bumping into his bed, Finn shoved his boots off and collapsed into his blankets. It was out of character for Finn to sulk, but sulk he did. He lay there with his arm over his eyes trying to sleep. Turning to switch on his bedside lamp, Finn looked across his room to the jacket he discarded on the floor. Slipping out of his bed, he crouched down and pulled the magazine from his pocket and climbed back under the covers. Sitting up in bed, Finn started to read the article again. Biting his lip as he read, a plan took shape in his mind. He thought it could all go tits up but he continued making it nonetheless.

To Be Continued...

So many thanks for reading! Happy Monday!

[mouthfulloftoothpasterry]

Daddy's best friend

Summary: Harry takes Finnley to work with him. Blind!harry 

warnings: Finnley gets hurt! 

“Come on cutie, eat up, then we will head to work.” Harry says, shoving the rest of his toast into his mouth and speaking as if Finnley has an important job to do as well. Finnley shoves his Cheerios in his mouth like his daddy had with his jellied toast. Y/n walks down the steps, messy hair and tired eyes. “Baby Fin is coming to work with me so you can have a break.” Harry says, placing his hand in the back of his wife’s head and placing a rushed kiss to her forehead while he runs around the house trying to get himself and his toddler ready. 

“Pj’s!?” Finnley yells, still dressed in his night onesie. Harry shakes his head, pulling him into his room and getting him an outfit. “No pajamas today, baby. We have to go to work.” 

“Baby Finny work?” He asks, patting his chest, referring to himself in third person. Harry nods, pushing his little shoe on while he squats in front of him. “Yes, baby finny is gonna work.” Finnley squeals, smiling and wraps his arm around his daddy while Harry pulls him to his hip. 

“Whatdoido?!” Fin asks, his works all running together in baby babble and excitement from going off to work with his daddy. “Gonna come to my office, let’s say buh-bye to mama.” Harry says, walking into the kitchen where Y/n is munching on the last piece of Harry's toast and scrolling through a mommy blog. “Goodbye, my love. I’ll see you after work.” Harry kisses her forehead and let’s her coo a goodbye to their son who is overwhelmed with excitement. 

“Bye, mommy will miss you.” She says to both of her big baby’s, patting them on the cheek and kissing them. “Have a good day at work!” 

**

“Stay with daddy.” Harry reminds, holding his son's hand in one and his walking stick in the other. He wakes his way up to his office, greeting employees and what not while he walks around the office. “Good morning!” Harry greets his employees while he walks into his office, leaving the door open so his employees know it’s okay to visit him. 

“Morning.” A few say back, the rest watching his little boy toddler into his office alongside him. They didn’t know he had children, how many does he have? There were some harsh thoughts passing through their heads, how does he take care of him? His wife probably does it all. 

“Dada.” Finnley smiles up at Harry while Harry plops in his office chair. Harry smiles, pulling Finnley on his knee and getting on his i Mac to do some paperwork. He types away a bit, letting Finnley slip off his lap and play with his rattles and studies he had packed for him for the day. Harry doesn’t hear when Finnley toddles out of his office and wanders around, eventually finding the kitchen which wasn’t too far away from where Harry was. 

He looks over the tables, popping his head over the little round table and reaches up in his tippy toes to grab a mug. He always does this with his parents' drinks on the Coffee table, usually just drinking their morning orange juice or water- so he thought it was fine at his daddy’s job. He grabs the mug, gasping at the temperature of the glass and topping over, landing on his bum.

The hot coffee spills all over his chest and legs, making the boy instantly whimper and start sobbing. 

As soon as Harry hears his baby’s cries he is up and running towards the noise, completely  forgetting about his walking stick. “What’s wrong?” Harry asks, bending down and pulling his baby into him, not caring that his nice work shirt is now soaked in whatever his baby is. He sobs, his arms wrapping around his daddy’s neck. “Baby hurt!” He says, breaking Harry's heart. “I know, it hurts. It’s okay!” He tried to Cheer up the boy, pulling his wet shirt and shorts off leaving him in just his diaper. “None of you could have told me? I can’t see! I didn’t know my baby wandered off.” Harry barks at the crowd that has accumulated once they heard Finnleys crying. 

“It’s okay, let’s get you changed.” He smells the coffee on his son, even more livid that his employees would let his one year old dump hot coffee on himself. He tries to cheer the bub up, rattling toys in front of him and cooing at him while he changes him in a new diaper and gets him into an outfit that isn’t soaked with coffee. 

Harry sighs, his baby still crying. “We can go home. Let’s go to mummy.” Harry gathers his belongings, and pulls his phone out of his pocket, calling his wife. “Baby… Fin got hurt.” Y/n instantly starts yelling over the phone, Harry wincing and pulling the phone away from his ear. He’s already got a crying baby on his hip. He doesn't need screaming either. “Babe, my ears work just fine. Calm down, he's fine, everything is okay.” 

**

The drive home wasn’t fun. Y/n waiting for them to come home wasn’t fun either. She just sat on the couch biting at her nails while she waited for her baby. 

“We’re home.” Harry softly sings out, Finnley still sniffling on his hip while he hides his face in his daddy’s shoulder. “Oh, baby, are you okay?” Y/n asks, pulling Finnley into herself, his leg resting over her small baby bump. His bottom lip trembles now that he is in his mummies arms, milking it so her parents will give him more love. He wraps her in a hug, “baby hurt” he tells his mummy the same thing he had told his daddy. Y/n pouts and nods, kissing his forehead. “Coffee? Hot coffee!?” Y/n asks when she smells the strong smell on her baby boy. Harry's eyebrows fly up, “I didn't hear him run off!” 

Y/n sighs, walking up to Finnley’s room and stripping him completely of his clothes. “Harry he could have gotten horrible burns.” Harry's heart drops to his stomach, instantly putting a hand out to touch over his boy's chest and feel if he had any burns. “But he is fine, right?” 

Y/n sighs, “yes, but you just need to be more careful. I don’t want him to go back there if no one is watching him.” Harry shuffles awkwardly, feeling over emotional and feeling two feet tall when his wife reprimands him. “I was keeping an eye on him, I swear. He was playing with rattles and his stuffys but he ran off, I thought if he had done that an employee would have said something.” 

“Well they didn't, and look at where that got us.'' Harry feels his eyes water up, not wanting to be over emotional or overreact but he can't help it. “I don’t know how to do this? I'm really trying but it's hard to be a dad when you can't see your child.” his bottom lip trembles which Y/n fills the tub for you.

Y/n frowns, suddenly upset with herself. “Hey, I didn't mean to be so harsh on you. I was just worried about Finnley. I don’t want to upset you, I never wanna make you feel like you are any less of a person or less of a dad because you cant see him. I'm sorry, H. I'm really sorry.” Harry shakes his head, “It's not you, you didn't do anything.” He sniffs and wipes his tears, pecking his wife's lips. 

“Tell me if I ever do that to you. You know we are equal, you are not any less of a parent or a person just because you are blind.” Harry nods, pecking her lips. “I will.��� Y/n looks over at Finnley resting on her hip, ready for the bath. “I’m not mad at you, I know this wasn't your fault. I was just worried.” Nods, sitting on the toilet lid while Y/n prepares Finnley’s bath. 

**

“Dada.” Finnley said, waddling into his mummy and daddys bedroom. Harry turns his head to his wife, “Can he sleep in here, mummy?” Harry smiles, Y/n agrees, letting Harry pull the pajama clad boy into the covers. “I love you, good night.” Harry whispers while Finnley cuddles into his side and hides his face in his pajama shirt. “G’night” Finnley breathes. 

Please like, reblog, and tell me how you liked it! 

Taglist: @harrysddtittys @harrysdimple05 @evanjh @harryhoney-bee @strawberryystyles @hopeyoustaythenight @indieslytherin

[lurkernolonger]

A long while ago and I’m talking like before siren you posted a list of fics you were working on and asked people to choose which is where siren came from I believe and now I’m wondering what happened to all the other ones? I’m pretty sure you mentioned you had like 30k words written about an ldr or something?? Where are they I want them badly please and thank you

Oh, Anon. I thought no one would ever remember me mentioning that WIP. Fun fact: I started writing that one before B for Bollocks, so technically that is my real first fic. But as it stands, it is still incomplete. Currently it is at 40,000 + words (yes, you read that correctly) in nine chapters, without an end in sight.

I honestly don’t think I will ever win that battle. Apologies, but you may have to forget about that one for good. And if, one day, some way some how, it’s ever completed, it will just be an extremely lengthy surprise.

In my defence, I have done 1. and 2. from that list. As for 4. it’s one of those ideas where I have the entire plot in my head, and random paragraphs typed up, but I haven’t even begun to fill in the holes.

Against me though, I must admit to have started and stopped literally dozens of fics. My computer, phone, and notebook are chockablock with RINN things. Those characters provide endless inspiration, but it’s just finding the time and mind space to bring those thoughts to fruition.

As an apology for dangling the proverbial carrot, I gift you, my lovely lovely Anon, an excerpt from said monster fic. Please find it below, along with my promise that I want it to be done as badly as you.

*

There had been a handful of times where Finn almost let it slip. Sure he thought it all the time; at the end of goodnight texts, it coated his tongue like coffee during early morning calls before work, whenever she sent him a mint tune (which was often). But for the most part he was good at keeping it locked up in his voice box.

But then there were the moments where he almost couldn’t help himself; when the words seemed so big and so true and so utterly real that they very nearly tumbled out of his mouth.

The first time it tried to escape had been a week or so after she’d left. He’d just admitted it to himself and suddenly every interaction they had felt…more. More important, more incredible, more heavy.

They were on the phone and he was asking her opinion on what flowers to send to his nan for her birthday. He banged on about how much she liked to garden before her knees got weak, and how he used to run around and trample in her fertilizer as a kid. Rae laughed softly then faded into an equally soft quiet. There was a meaningful pause before she said, “I love that you love her so much” and Finn literally choked from holding in his own confession.

The last time he’d almost said it was at Morrisons, of all places. He was doing the tedious and boring task of his weekly shop, when he found himself stood in the breakfast aisle staring blankly at rows and rows of boxes. Instantly he thought the only way to make this better was if Rae was there, so he called her.

Without even saying hello he asked, “Why are there so many kinds of cereal? How is a person supposed to choose?“

And without hesitation or question she said, "Well Finnley, that all depends. Are you going for taste, nostalgia, or whats going to keep you regular?”

He laughed loud enough for the the surrounding shoppers to hear, and had to hold the phone away from his mouth and bite his tongue to stop the three words falling out. He ended up with a box of Cookie Crisp (for taste and nostalgia) and every time he had a bowl he thought about saying it again.

[missymarysthings]

24 Carat Wrath

Diamond appeared in her room within a cloud of near black smoke. She threw the bag of collected items for Magnus harshly onto her bed. Angry and hurt tears rolled down her cheeks as she turned to look at her moderately reduced hand mirror collection. Her eldest brother would not know of her return yet.  

Not until she was ready for him to know.

“How dare he...“ she hissed as more tears fell and she weaved symbols in the air to soundproof her room. “How dare he do this to me!“ she continued. The only hand mirrors she had left where those connected to her siblings, her mirror that served as a portal to the Shadowed Kingdom, and another mirror or two that were quick portals to other places. She grabbed the mirror that she had tied to Magnus and gripped it tightly; barely containing her anger. 

Diamond’s eyes glowed as she chanted a spell before smashing the hand mirror soundly on the floor. Nevermore would her brother be able to reach or find her through the use of mirrors. Nevermore would he be able to use any of her mirrors again. She watched the pieces of the mirror sizzle and disintegrate before falling to her knees and hugging herself.  

“Tate...Lisabet...Finnley...Viktor...Ursala...Gabriel...“ she recited as her nails slightly dug into her arms. Each name was a scar on her heart. A couple of them had outward scars to go with them. However, the outwards ones were nothing compared to the ones on her heart. Each name belong to one of her lovers, well...former lovers now. “I’m...so sorry my dears...”

Tate had had tried to behead her when she came to him to ask for help. Lisabet had ‘chosen’ another to be with, to love, instead. Finnley yelled at her, accused her of things she had not done or said. Viktor got in some cuts on her sides and shoulder before she could stop him. Ursala slapped her and told her to never come back again. And Gabriel? Gabriel had been made to forget who she was completely. 

And it was all Magnus’s doing.

The youngest of the Rissels, what Magnus changed their Rose surname to, had begun to figure out something was up when she had her run in with Finn. It was too coincidental that on her journey three of her lovers would turn on her. That was when she made a point of seeing her other three. Viktor and Ursala were never so violent or aggressive to her before now. They were her two most gentle lovers. 

And Gabe...they had been through a lot during the time they knew each other. She would listen as he lamented about a missing cousin he had not seen in many years. Or how his searches would turn up empty time and time again. She had even helped him the best she could on occasion, but even she came up empty. They had only slept together once, influenced by alcohol, but they realized it wasn’t the type of lovership they were meant to have. 

So to go to Gabriel hoping to seek some comfort for what had been going on for her so far, and for him to not even recognize her...it was the final nail in the coffin. Breaking his crimson trimmed mirror was perhaps the hardest for her to do. For a moment she considered using it to restore his memories instead. However...as with the others, she thought it best he didn’t remember her. And Gabriel’s mirror had the strongest trace of her brother’s tampering, and so the final proof that this little ‘fetch quest’ had ulterior motives. 

The only thing she could be grateful for, the only silver lining, was that Payton was not caught up in her brother’s plot. He had no hand mirror, as he was not an official lover. She had wished he was, but she had only been to the spa a few times and besides the first, her luck had not been with her to see him again. To feel his touch, to know him ‘intimately’ once again. However, that turned out to be a good thing. As much as the thought also hurts her the more she thinks on it.

“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, Magnus...“ she said lowly as she stood once more and stopped hugging herself. “Und you have marked six strikes on my heart that cannot be forgiven or forgotten! You have underestimated your youngest sister, und you will pay dearly for that.“

Diamond wiped her eyes and stood firm as she looked at her remaining hand mirrors once more. The gears turning in her mind for how she wanted to handle this. Thinking about their other siblings. She knew Carnelian and Silvester would stand by her should she ask them. But the others...even her other two quad siblings...she wasn’t sure. 

Magnus would get his stupid ingredients...

But he would also get more than he bargained for.

[chershorowitzsarchive-blog]

Finn x Yas

who holds the umbrella when it rains: finnley and they won’t argue about it. he’s happy to do it, i mean sure maybe at one point he’ll be like my arms tired but he’ll use it as an excuse to just drop the umbrella and push her into messing up her hair and playing in the rain or something like that.

who is the grumpiest in the morning: i think it depends on what the situation is? if they have to be ready for say school, finn is more than happy he loves his job, ( it doesn’t seem that he does because you know sleeping with a student  but he really does. ) he loves to teach and he makes up lesson plans on the daily he’s SO INTO IT. it’s a passion, however when it comes to days off do not wake him up he loves to sleep. which brings me to yasmine, she probably hates waking up for school early but she does it anyway because she’s responsible and to be honest more often than not after a late night she’s the one that has the alarm on bc finn forgets.

who worries more when the other is sick/hurt: i don’t think they they can be too open about this because literally like 3 people know about their relationship lmao. but finn would def worry more, i mean just take amelia as an example he’s been sleeping outside of her door for what seems 3000 years now. so he would fuss, and probably not let her move a single muscle. traumatize whatever doctor she’s visiting by making him do anything and every test that could possibly cross his mind.

who plays pranks on the other: neither of them. one because finn will most than likely cry and two well they are too mature for those games. tbh i think the pranks come from eloise, or all right yasmine calls them pranks, finnley sees it for what it really is which is extortion and blackmail he often says that that girl is lucifer and his girlfriend just blows him off.

who is always the first to suggest cuddling on the sofa: yasmine, not that finn will complain but like she’ll do things to get his attention because she loves it but will deny she does them. he’s just learn to accept her pride really, honestly he thinks it’s like really attractive so it’s just like YES keep doing it babe… i’m into it.

who insists on creating nicknames for the other: finnley, he probably has like a million and one pet names for her. and she thinks all of them are so annoying but you know what can she do he’s not going to stop any time soon.

who drools on the other when they’re asleep: probably finn, he snores too or he does when he’s very tired. he’s also a sleep cuddler so that’s bound to get irritating on certain nights. like have fun sleeping next to that yas.

who says ‘I love you’ first: i think yasmine said it first, and he said it after but he’s not good at it? like he’s never in his LIFE CARED SO MUCH about a relationship and it’s so new that he’s just walking around like a chicken without his head. he’s stumbling his way through it and tbh he’s doing an awful job lmao… boy needs to step up his game or things will not get better between them.

[finn-nelson-for-the-win]

After over a week, I'm back with another update!

Hello there, lovelies! Hopefully the anticipation wasn’t too bad...But alas! Here I am, back again with the next chapter. Admittedly, this chapter took much longer than anticipated for me to write and even though I knew exactly what was going to happen, I still struggled to find the right way to convey it for maximum impact...idk, I've also been finding it a little tricky to find time to write with all the random stuff I've had going on in real life lately. 😬

Anyways...I hope you enjoy this because I'm not sure when the next time I will post will be...and as always, I love hearing what you guys have to say and seeing all the love you guys show to my writing...it's a large reason as to why I even make an effort to post my writings anymore, so thanks! 😘 All my previous chapters can be found right here, if you wish to get caught up.

Making Up for Lost Time

I can’t believe I’m about the say this, but…I can’t wait to go to work tomorrow. 

It was Christmas day—the day in which families near and far gather to enjoy each other’s company and celebrate—and Rae could not be unhappier.

There surely must have been a time when Rae felt differently about Christmas. Perhaps when she was a child and was still basking in the naivety of youth; however, for the last few years Rae has found this holiday to feel like more of a burden and be emotionally draining to the point that she has lost the childlike sense of wonder that used to be synonymous with Christmas time when she was younger.

Rae had been awakened before the sun had even fully risen by loud crashing and the unmistakable scent of charred food that could only mean one thing: Rae’s mother was trying to cook. Trying, but certainly not succeeding.

“Wait! Stop what you’re doing, right now! Get the coffee started to brew and I’ll take over from here. Please mum, before you burn the house down, I beg of you!” Rae called from the room she had slept in to her mother in the kitchen as she tied her plush dressing gown around her waist and slid her feet into her favorite pair of slippers before rushing to the kitchen.

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic, Rachel! It isn’t that bad…” Rae’s mum took a glance at the disheveled stack of what appeared to be pancakes that were simultaneously burned on the outside and completely raw inside, “On second thought…perhaps I will just get the coffee started. Can you take over for me here?”

“By ‘take over’, you mean ‘start completely from scratch because these ones are inedible’, right?” Rae joked, gently nudging her mum with her hip as her mum grabbed the coffee from the cabinet above their stove.

The rest of the family awoke on their own accord and grabbed their breakfast before returning to their respective rooms to eat on their own, as even during the holidays, Rae’s family could not adhere to the formalities of spending time together as a family.

The rest of the day proceeded in much of the same fashion: Rae confined to the kitchen as she was the only member of the family who was willing and able to take the lead on cooking Christmas dinner, while the rest of her family came and went as they pleased.

By the end of the night when the gifts had been exchanged and opened, dinner had been eaten, and the dishes had been cleaned, everyone was ready to go to bed for the night; however, Rae still had to travel back to her apartment in the city, as she had work early the following morning.

And by the time Rae had returned to her apartment and was able to climb into the comforting warmth of her bed, it was already the early hours of morning, and as Rae tossed and turned trying to get some sleep, she could already see the earliest signs of the sunrise on the horizon.

***

The first three and a half hours of Rae’s shift at work were downright torturous. The café down the street from Rae’s work was closed for Christmas weekend, so Rae begrudgingly had to forego the cup of coffee she had been looking forward to getting on her way to work. When Rae arrived at work, she was looking forward to the warm, coziness of an office building with the heater running to help warm her up from her walk to work that morning; however, she quickly realized upon arriving at work that the heating system was not functioning correctly and there was no one available to fix the heating system until Tuesday, due to the holiday. 

Ugh, fucking Christmas ruins everything…

Mondays at work were generally pretty quiet and today was no exception. Most of Rae’s coworkers had taken off work today to spend another day with their families, but Rae was more than happy to return to the city for work opposed to spending any additional time with her family.

When Rae’s scheduled break time finally came, Rae was thankful for the fifteen minutes to walk around outside and warm up a bit, as the sun was shining and it felt warm on her skin through her clothes despite the chill in the air.

When Rae had a few minutes left in her break, she returned to the break room and purchased an energy drink from the vending machine. She took a few long drinks from the can before setting it into the office refrigerator for her to finish after she got off of work.

Rae sat back down in her desk chair when she returned from break and got back to work responding to customers when after a while she sensed—rather than saw—someone walk up and sit down in the seat beside her.

“Hey stranger,” she greeted with a smirk as she quickly finished typing the message she had started, sent it, and turned in her desk chair to meet the familiar, warm dark brown eyes of the person who had taken a seat at the empty desk beside her.

Note to self: “Hey stranger” as a greeting holds the same meaning and creates the same sexual tension as “make me” during a squabble…

“Rae…” Finn’s eyes lit up when he said her name and they locked eyes, derailing his train of thought and making him forget what else he intended to say to Rae in that moment.

“It’s been a really long time since I’ve seen you, Finnley! We really missed you…”

“I missed you, Mae…like a lot!” Finn chuckled and blushed lightly as he turned his head away to avoid making direct eye contact with Rae. 

I told him “we” missed him, but Finn just openly admitted to missing me in particular! No fucking way!

“So where have you been for the last couple weeks?” Rae asked as she picked up another customer conversation in an attempt at nonchalance.

“I was traveling a bit…with my band—”

Wait, did Finn just say...

“With your band? You’re in a band..?” Rae asked, her eyebrows furrowing as in confusion as she was fairly sure that she had misheard what Finn said. 

Fucking hell, as if this bloke needed to get any more attractive!

“Yeah, I’m in a punk band…” 

Of course you are.

“And I play the bass.”

“Of course you fucking do!” Rae rolled her eyes as she said this, which caused Finn to laugh and grin at Rae and she quickly realized that she had said her last thought aloud.

"What's that supposed to mean, Mae? What's wrong with me being in a band and playing bass?" 

Well…shit.

"It's just I always find myself...drawn to guys—I mean people—that are in bands...so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you're musically inclined as well"

"You say the weirdest things sometimes," Finn was still chuckling before he smiled at Rae and looked at her with his dark brown eyes full of sincerity, "but I love that about you. I like talking to you, and in case you haven't noticed, I don't really like talking to anyone."

"Well...I like talking to you too, and I'm very selective about who I talk to." Rae replied, her cheeks still tinged slightly pinker than they would usually be.

"So I guess I'm one lucky guy, huh?" Finn smirked and winked at Rae but did not turn his desk chair away from her even as she returned her eyes to her computer screen to continue assisting customers.

"I, uh...I really missed you Rae...like probably too much," Finn chuckled nervously before continuing. "How was your Christmas? What gifts did you get? Don't spare me the details! I haven’t been able to see ya or talk to ya in weeks and I want to know all about it, girl!”

"My Christmas was okay,” Rae began shifting nervously about being the center of attention as Finn remained focused on her, not even making an attempt to seem like he was actually working, “I spent the day with my family and I did a lot of cooking. And for presents I mostly just got some new clothes, some proper baking equipment so I can bake more often and work on my decorating skills, and a new record player.”

“That’s great, Rae! I’m so glad to hear that you got some nice gifts. And it’s so fucking cool that you got a record player! Did you get any records or do you already have some?” Finn asked, his eyes shining with a child-like happiness as he dove into yet another discussion about music with Rae that he has missed dearly in the weeks he has been gone.

“Yeah, I got a few records…Nirvana, Pearl Jam, The Offspring, and The Ramones…most of them are just the Greatest Hits compilations, but yeah…I’m really excited to give’em a spin!”

“That’s a great start to a collection, Rae! I have a few records of my own that I think you might like, so just let me know if you ever wanna borrow some or, erm, hang out and listen to music together or whatever…” Finn broke eye contact for the first time during their conversation and looked down at his lap as he bounced his left leg rapidly and began biting the skin around his thumb nail.

“I’d love that, Finn! Thank you!” Rae added in a reassuring tone that made Finn smile and eased some of his tension and concerns.

“And you said you also got some new baking equipment or something?”

“Uh, yeah! I got a standing mixer and some new baking pans and trays, and some interchangeable decorating tips and stencils. I only had the basics at my apartment before this, so I’m happy that now I can learn new techniques and hone my decorating skills some more.”

Finn smiled as he noticed the light that came into Rae’s eyes when she was talking about something that she loves and truly enjoys. She noticed him grinning at her and tilted her head to the side in confusion. 

What did I say to make Finn look at me like that?

“You really love cooking and baking, huh?” Finn asked with genuine curiosity.

“I suppose so. I think it’s fun and a good way to relax…and I’ve had a number of people tell me I’m quite good at it, so I might as well enjoy cooking, right?” Rae replied, trying to downplay her passion for cooking and come across as casual as possible.

“I know you can bake—fuck, as if I could ever forget the cupcakes you made—but you seem like you’re a really good cook just in general.” Rae shrugged and blushed a bit at his flattery, but Finn was not content with her humbly brushing off the compliment.

“I’m serious, Rae! You could totally compete in those cooking show competitions! You know, like Chopped or Iron Chef or something like that…You would most likely win too!”

“Okay Finnley, I think you’re giving me a little bit too much credit for someone who has only ever tasted one thing I’ve cooked…”

“Perhaps you’re right…maybe you should cook me a romantic dinner one of these days and then I can truly be the judge of your talents.” Finn wiggled his eyebrows and winked at Rae, which made her blush and chuckle nervously. 

Finn is just joking, surely. He can’t be seriously about us having dinner together, obviously…but why does the look in his eyes give the impression that he meant what he said..?

Finn noticed Rae’s silence as she over-analyzed what he had said and wrongly interpreted it, assuming that his attempt at flirting had made her uncomfortable, so he quickly tried to get the conversation back on track. 

“No, but seriously. I don’t think I’m giving you too much credit, Rae…that one cupcake was more than enough to convince me. I just…I-I know that you’re amazing at everything you set your mind to and I can see the passion in your eyes when you talk about cooking.” Finn looked at Rae and smiled when the intensity of his stare cause her to look away before he continued.

“So even if you don’t believe it yet yourself, I know you have the talent and passion and I look forward to the day that I see you on TV and can brag to everyone I know that I was lucky enough to taste your cupcakes. And I’m gonna be so proud of you, girl!”

Rae was at a loss for words and was not entirely sure how to react to the unwavering confidence and belief Finn has in her abilities as a chef.

She tuned slightly in her chair to say something but her train of thought was completely derailed when she saw that Finn was still smiling at her, but he was paying extra attention to her facial features to get a better reading of her reaction.

Holy shit…is it possible that Finn could have gotten MORE fit in the two weeks since I saw him last? He’s so hot I could probably forgo the oven and bake cookies directly on this beautiful bloke in front of me!

Rae chuckled, which caused Finn to quirk an eyebrow up in confusion, and she shook the humorous thought of baking cookies directly on Finn’s naked torso from her mind before finally responding.

“Thank you, Finn. I don’t think I’ve ever known someone with so much faith in me or my cooking abilities…so I really appreciate that,” Rae cleared her throat before continuing, “Anyways! Enough about me and my life these last few weeks…you were off traveling with your fucking punk band! That’s amazing! How was that? What all did you do? Don’t spare me the details either.”

“Yeah, it was pretty great…at first…the first few shows we did were really good and we had a good sized crowd that listened to us even though we were only the opening act. But after about a week, all of us were missing our girlfriends and the people we had waiting for us here at home…And you never really know how much of a twat some of your friends are until you travel and share hotels with them non-stop for a week!”

Rae laughed and turned slightly to face Finn more directly as he continued with his story.

“Our last show was supposed to be on Christmas Eve—so I wasn’t going to be back with my family for Christmas—but we had our van broken into and stolen from the parking lot of our hotel one night, so we had to cancel the rest of our shows because all our equipment and a lot of our stuff was inside the van that was taken…”

“Holy shit, Finn! Are you serious? I am so sorry to hear that.” Rae met Finn’s gaze and his grimace turned into some semblance of a genuine smile when he saw the sincerity and overwhelming sympathy in Rae’s eyes.

“Yeah…it was pretty shitty…but this meant we were able to head home four days early and spend Christmas with our loved ones, so that was a blessing in disguise, I suppose.” Finn replied as he shrugged his shoulders.

“That’s a good way to look at it Finn! What did you and your family do for Christmas?”

“Nothing too interesting. It were just me, my dad, my stepmom, and my two sisters. I got some new clothes as well, a really nice blanket, and a popcorn popper from my family…I just felt really guilty that I didn’t have gifts to give them in return.”

Rae tilted her head to one side and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, waiting for Finn to go on. Finn proceeded to tell Rae that the day before their van was stolen, him and his band mates had spent their free day visiting the shops around the town they were in to get the last of their Christmas gifts for family, friends, and significant others.

“Well, ya see, all the gifts I gotten for people were in the back of the van that got stolen…” As the understanding sunk in, Rae gasped and gave Finn an apologetic look as he continued telling the story.

“I was gutted to see that everything I had was taken because some of the gifts had sentimental value and special meaning—they weren’t just bought from a store—so it’ll be nearly impossible for me to replace all the gifts, but I am gonna try. Do you think people will be upset that I couldn’t give them a gift?” Finn broke eye contact, shifting his gaze to examine his fingernails that he had bitten down significantly while coping with recent stressful events. 

“Finn, of course not!” Rae finished the message she was typing before reaching her left hand over to gently squeeze his hands where they rested on the desk beside her before continuing, “This wasn’t your fault at all, so anyone should be able to understand why you weren’t able to give them a gift. It means enough that you tried and that you are trying to make it up to them, I honestly don’t even think you should concern yourself with what other people will think. If you have the right people in your life, they will be more than understanding of the situation…”

Rae studied Finn’s face, which was now turned slightly away from her as he stared at the ground, and the panic began to set in as she began to second-guess what she had just said to him. Finn then looked up at Rae from under his thick eyebrows and a grin spread slowly across his face when their eyes met.

“I’m not sure how, but I had a feeling you’d say something like that, Rae,” Finn finally replied, chuckling nervously as he ran his fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck, “I like that mentality.”

Rae and Finn fell into a comfortable silence for the remaining hour of her shift, as she kept responding to customers and Finn began assisting the first customers of his shift despite being logged into his computer for a few hours.

When the clocks on the wall nearest to them chimed, signaling the new hour, Rae logged off of her computer and stood from her desk chair to leave.

“Okay, I’m leaving for the day. It was really nice to see ya today, Finn…” 

Don’t you say it, Rae…Don’t you dare fucking say it!

“I, uh…I really missed you while you were gone too, Finn.” 

Fuck…you said it.

Rae hurried out of the building, not willing to wait for Finn’s response to her admitting that she had missed him, as she was sure that his reaction would not be a good one.

***

As she walked along the perimeter of the building toward the seating area in which a number of shaded stone tables served as the designated “smoking area” near their office complex, Rae took a seat at one of the tables that was in direct sunlight in an attempt to recover some of the warmth she had been lacking inside the building for the last few hours.

Rae was sitting at this table for a few minutes, drinking the remainder of her energy drink and scrolling through her social media accounts when she noticed someone walking quickly towards the table she was sitting at.

“Fancy seeing you here! Why are you sitting out here alone?”

Rae looked up to see Finn standing in front of the table she was sitting at and she could clearly tell that he was debating if he should take a seat as well or not.

“Hiya Finn…I haven’t seen you in ages!” Rae joked before continuing, “I was really cold, so I wanted to warm up a bit before walking home so I’m sitting here in the sun…and I wanted to finish drinking my energy drink…”

“Well…I can think of a few things we could do that could warm ya up…” Finn replied with a smirk as he sat down at the opposite side of the table facing Rae, which caused her to blush a deep red color.

“So…uh…what are you doing out here, Finn?”

“I’m on my break. Normally I like to walk laps around the building to get my blood pumping a bit or I’ll go get some food or coffee, but while I was walking today I saw you sitting here and well…”

“Oh! I’m sorry I’m ruining your break time. I can leave if ya want—”

“No! I mean…you don’t have to leave on my account. I want to sit and talk to you for a bit while I’m on break, if that’s alright with you. We still have a lot of making up for lost time to do, girl!”

“Okay…so what do ya wanna talk about, Finnley?”

“Uhm…do you wanna hear about a couple of my New Year’s resolutions?” Rae nodded and took another sip of her energy drink, giving Finn an encouraging smile as she waited for him to speak.

“Well…I want to start going to the gym more often. To get a bit healthier and build some muscles, you know? And…uh…I really want to stop smoking.”

“That’s great Finn! I’m happy to hear you’re making some choices to put your health first in this upcoming year.”

“Yeah…I mean, I don’t like that I smoke and I know a lot of people that matter to me that don’t like when the people around them smoke, so I’m willing to make those changes for them and for myself.”

Rae took another drink of her energy drink and watched in curiosity as Finn rolled an acorn back and forth on top of the table before he looked up to meet her eyes.

“What about you, Rae? Do you have any New Year’s resolutions?”

“Uh, not really. I don’t think they’re very effective—for me at least—and I almost never accomplish them, so I rarely make resolutions…I do, however, like to assess what the year that is ending meant for me and what I want the next year to bring…in general terms, at least.”

“So what do you want the year 2017 to bring you?”

“Well in 2016, I experienced a lot of high highs and low lows…and…well, I don’t really know how to say this without ranting about the intricacies of my screwed up life, but…”

“Rae, I understand if you don’t wanna tell me, but I just want to let you know you can tell me anything. I won’t judge you and even if I can’t help, I can promise you that I will try my fucking best to help however I can….I want you to trust me, Rae.”

Rae was caught off-guard by his sincerity as she searched his eyes for any indication that he did not mean what he was saying.

“Okay…well, I’ve had a rough few years. And by that, I suppose I mean that the last six years of my life have been very difficult and almost always seemed to be getting worse with each passing year…but even just the small changes I’ve made in my life in the last few months I think are small steps towards where I want to be…So I want 2017 to help me realize who are my true friends and help me surround myself with people that genuinely care for me and want me to be happy. I also want to keep working towards loving myself and embracing who I am at this point in my life, and yeah…I guess my new year’s resolution for 2017 would just be to be happy.” 

She took a deep breath and before she could psych herself out of saying what was on the tip of her tongue, Rae added “And I'm not entirely sure why, but I do trust you Finn…” 

As soon as the words left her lips, she immediately looked down at her hands on top of the stone table and busied herself with examining her long, polished red fingernails. 

“Oh, Rae…I’m so glad you felt comfortable telling me that and you don't know how happy I am to hear that you trust me,” he paused briefly and stared at her with a gentle smile until she looked up to meet his eyes and he continued, “I want you to be happy, girl. I know that you especially deserve to be happy because you’re world-class…and no, Rae, I’m not just saying that to be nice. I mean it. And I want to do whatever I can as your coworker and close mate and…well, whatever you want me to be, to help you be happy.” 

How did I get lucky enough to know such a fit boy that also has a heart of gold? I must have won the lottery or stepped into a parallel universe because this sort of shit never happens to Rae Earl…

Rae and Finn kept talking about everything and anything, just enjoying the pleasantly warm afternoon weather and each other’s company when Finn happened to glance at his phone to check the time.

“Shit…my break ended a while ago. I should probably head back to work now…I suppose. So...what your plans for the rest of the day, Rae?” Finn asked as he begrudgingly stood from the table and gave Rae a shy smile.

“My plans…for the rest of today? Well I was just gonna go back to my apartment…but I think maybe I’ll go to the Secret Garden instead.”

“Wait…Did you say, uh, ‘secret garden’…?”

“Yeah! It’s this little garden on campus where I’ve been growing some plants and vegetables for the last couple months…it’s well-hidden and almost no one knows about it, so it’s my secret garden. I like going there to just relax, or listen to music and think from time to time…”

“Oh, that’s so cool, Rae! And that sounds like a lot of fun…I wish I could come along so you could show me around your secret garden and I can just keep hanging out with you…but instead I have to go back to work.” 

Wait a second! Did Finn just openly admit how much he wants to keep hanging out with me and have me show him around my garden?

Every sexual innuendo Rae's friends have been making for the last few month since Rae took this gardening class came to mind and she tried to contain the giggle and ignore the blush that was creeping into her cheeks at the memory of Chloe’s advice to try to find a nice bloke who wanted to explore Rae's “lady garden”. 

FOCUS RAE! Finn Nelson just told you how much he'd rather spend time with you than go back to work...and he's clearly interested in exploring your secret garden, which could be literal or figurative and mean something sexual...in either case, I'm not complaining, but you have to say something! And DON’T FUCK IT UP, RAE!

“Uhm...well, I wish we could keep chatting and hanging out too, but you've already missed two weeks of work and what kind of influence would I be on you if I was the reason you ditch work less than halfway through your first day back?”

“I don't care...being with you is worth getting in trouble for missing work…” Finn replied almost immediately.

“Well I'm flattered you think that, Finn, but I just couldn't do that in good conscience. But…” Rae paused for dramatic effect and to ensure that she had Finn’s undivided attention, “I'd be more than happy to give you a personal tour of my garden another time, okay? So just consider this a rain check yeah?”

“Yeah, okay! I just hope it's soon...I'm excited to see this ‘secret garden’ of yours and experience it first-hand…” Finn added with a wink and his signature crooked smirk. 

Yup...that’s most definitely a euphemism…

 “I look forward to seeing you again very soon, Rae!”

“Yeah, for sure. Enjoy the rest of your shift at work, Finnley!”

He was already walking away quickly as she said this, since his fifteen minute break was going on nearly thirty minutes now and he couldn't risk being any later than he already was, but he turned back to face Rae where she still sat at the stone table before sighing longingly and adding, “Without you there, girl? It's impossible for me to enjoy work anymore when you're not around me...take care, love!” And he quickly turned and kept walking until he was out of Rae's line of sight. 

Holy shit...I have so much new information and stories to share with the girls now that Finn is back in town and back in my life!

Rae sighed dreamily and as she walked to her Uni campus and into the secret garden to tend to her plants. 

This handsome dickhead gives me heart palpitations in the best ways possible…

And as she watered her bush of luscious red roses that were just beginning to bloom, she could not wipe the dopey lovesick grin from her face as her favorite cover of Can't Help Falling in Love crooned from her Bluetooth speakers.

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A/N: Hey there! I'm back again lol. So I'm at a point where I can take this story in two very different directions, but I have not decided which just yet. I want to do right by you all, the readers, but I also want to stay true to myself and gain some form of catharsis because I have literally been detailing some of my most recent relationship drama under the guise of MMFD fanfic for like 10? chapters now...so we'll just have to wait and see where the story takes me...in the meantime: I'm always here to answer your questions, gossip about MMFD and other MMFD fanfics, and get to know you guys, so...let's be friends, yeah? 😘😁😁😘

[lurkernolonger]

Siren (1/4)

Oh hey. Here’s a thing. Firefighter AU! I was going to post just a preview but this chapter is only a tiny starter anyway. I am thinking this is going to be a tetralogy, but we’ll see when we get there yeah?

Finn looks himself over in the cafe window, swiping away a ball of lint on his shoulder and re-tousling his hair for the fourth time. He glances at his watch, then at the shop clock through the window for any discrepancy. He’s not due at the fire hall for another hour and some, but it’s not his schedule he’s working on. The two teas he’s bought are steadily cooling on the window sill, as his fingers drum a harried beat on his thighs. Finn rises on his toes and looks from either side of the road to see if he can catch a glimpse of anyone approaching. No one is - well not the someone he’s been waiting for. The someone he’s always waiting for, and if he has to wait any longer he’ll be lucky if he gets a ‘hiya’.

“Where are you?” he asks the air around him impatiently, his body bouncing on the balls of his feet. It’s been two months of this, him “accidentally” running into her as she heads to the tube past the cafe. Sometimes he really is on his way to the fire station for work, but a lot of times there’s no real reason for him to be there when she comes rushing by. And she is always rushing. Finn smiles as he remembers how they met.

He had been leaning against the counter waiting for his tea and toastie, when he heard a commotion at the cafe entrance behind him. Finn turned in time to see a man with coffee all down his trousers, and to hear a scattered “Fuck! I mean, shit! I mean, I’m so sorry sir!! For the cursing and the coffee! I’m really late - I know that’s no excuse. Let me help you!!” Finn had to tuck his lips between his teeth to stop from laughing at her apology, and the fact that she was absentmindedly swiping at the still shocked man’s crotch with her hands. When she had pushed her way to the counter to order an Earl Grey with a splash of milk (Finn’s same order) and “whatever that man I just scalded got before” he couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped. What he didn’t anticipate was the reproachful glare and muttered “prick” he got in return, or the way her angry expression only seemed to make her more attractive. Finn couldn’t deny that when she had bent down to pick up the man’s now empty coffee cup, he had noticed the pert curve of her arse and the swell of her more than ample breasts against her distressed Stone Roses tee. Cute, feisty, and great taste in music he had thought to himself as she hurried out the door.

Over the next week he had found himself at the shop more and more, hoping to see her again. The first few days she didn’t show even brought on the thought that he would gladly take a steaming beverage to his legs if it meant her moving her hands into his personal space. After the twelfth day without any sign of her, he started to lose hope; cursing himself for the lost opportunity. Until one afternoon when he finally got his chance.

Finn was leaned up against the cafe wall smoking when he happened to spot her walking down the road towards him. He dropped his barely burnt rollie and practically ran inside to order two teas in time to meet her at the entrance with them. She had been thoroughly confused, even looking around to make sure he wasn’t offering the cup to someone behind her.

“What’s this?” she asked, voice wary, as she hesitantly took the proffered drink.

“Your tea,” Finn replied simply, his lips quirking at the ends.

“Why?”

“Because I’m not a total prick,” he stated, before shifting towards the door. He didn’t want to leave - quite the opposite actually, now that he’d seen her again he very much wanted to stay - but he needed to keep it light to not scare her off. Wanting to seem aloof, (as if he hadn’t just spent the last fortnight waiting for her) he turned his back and kept walking. He made it all the way outside and around the corner without her calling him back, his disappointment settling in, as he cursed himself again for wasting another chance. Then he heard her behind him.

“What exactly do you want in return?”

Finn forced the grin off his face before turning to her. “Your name.”

“Why?”

“'Cause otherwise I’d have to start calling you Earl.” He shrugged and pointed to the tea in her hand.

A minuscule pursing of her lips cracked her otherwise guarded demeanour and Finn wasn’t sure if she was trying not to smile or trying not to slap him. “Well that’d be appropriate seeing as that’s my name.”

“Huh?” Finn pulled his neck back at that. How could this beautiful, bold, spit fire of a woman be named after someone’s 90 year old grandad?

She smirked at his reaction. “My name’s Rae. Rae Earl.”

“Well then, Raymond. I’ll see you here tomorrow? Same time?”

To that she scoffed, affronted, before her tongue met the inside of her cheek. He wasn’t sure if he came off more prick-like or cheeky as he intended, but he detected the slightest up curve of her lips. Without giving her a chance to respond (half in fear she’d reject him) he turned to jog towards the fire station a cheerful pep in his step.

Since that day they’ve seen each other at the cafe a few times a week; him coming to or from either work or his flat down the road, and she from hers up the way. Conversation was always easy (and flirty) but never made it in the dating direction since she was always running off for the train. However Finn had learned enough to know that seeing Rae was quickly becoming the highlight of his days.

“Oi, you fantasizing about me Finnley?”

A quick shove to his shoulder brings him out of his reverie, and he looks up to find the very girl he’s been thinking about for the past 15 minutes (and eight weeks) stood in front of him.

“Planning your eulogy actually. Thought you were dead with how late you are,” he quips quickly, cheeks warm from being caught out.

“Yeah well, keep working 'cause at this rate my boss’ll kill me. This is for me, yeah?” Rae grabs the cup from the sill and takes a sip before getting any answer. “Ta’ Finn, you’re a life saver. Get it? Firefighter joke?” she asks, playfully nudging him in the ribs with her elbow.

“Not your best work, girl.” Finn shakes his head ruefully. “I don’t think you deserve this tea,” he adds, moving to take the cup back.

She spins out of his reach until she is walking backwards and away from him. “Soz, you’ll have to take it since it’s all I’ve got time for.” Rae glances at her bare wrist and turns to walk forwards.

Finn jogs to her side, closing the distance between them. “No wonder you’re always late. You realize that’s a non existent watch you’re checking right?”

“And yet I still know your shift doesn’t start for another hour,” she shoots back, licking the tea from the corner of her mouth and raising her brows at him.

Finn bites his bottom lip and shakes his head, unwilling to admit it but, not at all surprised that she’s caught on to him.

“You’re a dickhead,” Rae says between laughs, before leaning in to plant a kiss on his cheek.

This halts Finn mid step, his feet forgetting how to walk as a fluttering heat creeps into his face, moving down his neck and warming him head to toe. Before he can recover she’s reached the steps and is descending down to the tube.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Rae!” Finn shouts, standing on the tips of his toes with arms extended as if it could bring him closer to her retreating figure. It’s meant to be a statement but it comes out as more of a hopeful question and he curses himself for sounding so pathetic, but he can still feel her lips on his cheek, and he can’t help his fingers grazing over the spot as a goofy grin plasters his face.

@bitchesbecrazy89

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As usual, let me know if you want to be added or removed :)

[torpublishinggroup]

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