#harris’s face is already going on a world tour journey

[noirandchocolate]

Did Trump just say people from “insane asylums” are going into cities and stealing jobs from Black people?

…what the fuck?

[lemoncrushh]

The Entertainer - Track 10 - Let's Make the Most of It

Summary: Set in the 70s, Sky Jones, a young woman from L.A., meets Harry Styles, an up-and-coming musician and frontman for the band Wildfire. Told in first person from Sky’s point of view, she shares her journey and what it’s like to fall for a rockstar.

STORY PAGE

Track 10 Word Count: 4.3k+

It was a zoo backstage, people zipping back and forth to prepare for Wildfire’s two final shows of their west coast tour. Halo and I helped with whatever we could, but mostly tried to stay out of everybody’s way. The buzz in the air was contagious though, as music rang through the hallway.

“Livin’ on rock-n-roll music Never worry ‘bout the things we were missing When we got up on the stage and got ready to play Everybody’d listen.”

“So did Lee ever apologize?” asked Halo as she bit into her hamburger.

I joined her at the table with a plate of my own, where I spread mayonnaise on the bun.

“Indirectly,” I replied. “Harry said he apologized to him and everything’s okay now.”

“For the sake of the band, I’m sure.”

“Yeah. But I’m fine with it. I don’t wanna be the one to come between them. Plus it means the ban has been lifted.”

Halo nodded as she chewed.

“Not like I was following it anyway,” she chuckled.

“Halo? We haven’t really talked about it…but what is your plan when they leave? We can’t exactly follow them all around the world.”

Halo paused for a moment, then swallowed and wiped her mouth with a napkin.

“Honestly?”

“Yeah.”

“If Mitch were to ask me, I’d go. But he hasn’t asked.”

“Oh.”

“Why?” Halo lifted her burger. “Has Harry asked you?”

I shook my head.

“It’s just as well,” she said. “I mean, what are we gonna do, be groupies forever? We have to make a living.”

I picked at my own hamburger, my appetite suddenly gone.

“Sorry, Sky. I know you hate that word. I don’t really consider you a groupie.”

“I know,” I replied softly. “And you’re right.”

“Excuse me,” I suddenly heard a voice say behind me. A female voice, with a British accent.

I turned around to see a pretty girl who looked around my age. She wore a long burgundy coat with fur trim, and a pair of matching lace-up boots. Her shoulder-length hair was the kind of brown that I always wished mine would be, like it had been sun drenched and dipped in a vat of caramel, then painted in even strokes with wine.

“Can we help you?” asked Halo.

“I hope so. Can you tell me where I might find Harry Styles?”

“Maybe,” Halo replied smugly. “Who are you?”

She didn’t have to give her name. I knew exactly who she was.

“Just an old friend,” she smiled.

Halo glared at me, waiting for a response or the go-ahead. But no words escaped my lips. I simply stared at her, my ass glued to my chair.

“Well old friend,” Halo smirked, “Harry and the rest of the band just finished rehearsal and they went to the hotel to get ready for tonight.”

“Oh, of course. Well…I’ll just try to catch him after the show, then. Cheers!”

“Who was that?” Halo mouthed at me as I watched the back of the other girl’s head leave the room.

I released a deep breath and shut my eyes. This couldn’t be happening.

“Pretty sure that was Pippa,” I mumbled.

“Pippa?” Halo gasped. “The Pippa?”

I nodded with a groan as I put my elbows on the table and rested my head on my hands.

“What is she doing here?”

“I’m assuming she wants to see Harry.”

“She came all the way from England?”

I shrugged. “I guess.”

“She’s really pretty.”

“Shut up, Halo.”

“Sorry.”

I gulped as I stared down at my uneaten hamburger.

“I’m gonna go back to the room,” I announced as I rose from my seat.

“But you’re already dressed,” argued Halo, gesturing to the outfit I’d changed into earlier.

“I know. I just need…solitude for a little while.”

Though I tried to take a nap, I couldn’t. I kept seeing Pippa’s face behind my eyelids, hearing the ring of her accent in my ears. I finally had an image to put with Harry’s description of the night Simon died, when she’d confessed she had feelings for him. There was no doubt she was beautiful, and it was a wonder Harry had been able to resist her at all.

Finally giving up on sleep, I rose from the bed and freshened up before making my way back to the venue. Halo practically ran to me when she saw me coming down the hall and had to stop fast when she reached me.

“Harry was looking for you,” she said nearly out of breath.

“What’d you tell him?”

“That you’d gone to rest.”

“Where is he now?”

“In there,” she pointed to a closed door at the end of the hall.

“She hasn’t come back, has she?” I asked quietly.

“Nope.”

I knocked gently on the door before entering, though there was no need to. Peeking my head in, I saw Harry sitting on a chair with his guitar. His eyes lit up when he saw me which made me feel a hundred times better instantly.

“Hi!” he greeted, standing up and setting his guitar on the sofa beside him.

“Hi. You were looking for me?”

“Yeah.”

Shutting the door behind me, I leaned back against it.

“What’d you need?”

Harry grinned as he stepped closer to me, taking my hands.

“You.”

“Me?”

He blinked and nodded slowly, tilting his head until his lips met mine. I stared at him breathlessly when they separated, my heart racing in my chest.

“Well…what can I do for you?”

Harry chuckled. “Nothin’. You just did it. Just wanted to see you before I went on stage.”

“Oh,” I smiled. “Well, that’s nice.”

He bit his lip as his eyes roamed my body.

“You look beautiful,” he said, his fingers grazing my shoulder as he pushed my hair back.

Pippa who? I thought to myself as my heart beat faster.

Halo and I watched the show from the side of the stage, where we could see the audience. I spotted the blonde girl - the toe stomper and her friend on the front row. I let my eyes peruse the area for Pippa, but I never came across her.

It felt a little bittersweet, watching Wildfire and knowing they only had one more show before heading east. I began to wonder what I would say if Harry did ask me to come along. It was ridiculous, wasn’t it? I couldn’t go on tour with him. I was a California girl, and other than traveling the coast to see a few bands, I had never left my home state.

Finishing one of my favorite songs, Harry returned his microphone to the stand and looked over at me. When our eyes met, he smiled his dimpled smile before introducing the next tune, the final song of the evening. The crowd went wild, cheering and singing along to their biggest hit. I was quickly reminded of the show in Chula Vista at the honky tonk when no one knew their songs yet. I thought of the time Harry and I had shared since then. I thought of our conversation the other night in my bedroom.

“I am the entertainer I’m here to do my show You’ve heard my latest record It’s been on the radio…”

As much as I would insist that he was indeed a rockstar, I understood what he meant about being an entertainer. He was entertaining everyone in that room with his charisma, his talent and his love for music.

The band gathered backstage after the concert, the energy still filling the room and bouncing off the walls. Harry found me in the middle of the hallway and picked me up and spun me around. I giggled as he set me down and planted a big fat kiss on my mouth.

“That felt great!” he exclaimed. “Think that might’ve been the best show we’ve ever done.”

“Yeah, it w-“

“It was brilliant,” a voice interrupted me.

I froze. I knew she was coming back after the show, but a part of me had hoped she’d changed her mind. I saw Harry’s face before I saw hers, his eyes wide, his expression incredulous as he released me from his arms.

“Pippa?”

“Hello, Harry.”

“Pi- wha’…what are you doing here?”

“Well, I…” she paused, her gaze shifting. “I came to see you.”

“Oh.”

Pippa grinned. “I would ask how you’ve been, but that concert gave me the answer. Good job, Harry. I always knew you’d make it.”

Harry swallowed nervously. “Thanks.”

Looking around the room again, Pippa licked her lips.

“Think we could go somewhere to talk?”

“Um…” Harry looked from Pippa to me, then back to her.

Suddenly feeling like a third wheel, I spoke up.

“Go,” I said, touching his arm. “Catch up with your friend.”

“Are you sure? You don’t mind?”

I smiled at his concern, though I was faking it the best I could.

“Go. She came all this way.”

“Thanks. I’ll um…”

I nodded. “Just call my room when you get to yours. I’ll meet you.”

As I gave him a kiss on the cheek, I heard Pippa say “Thanks, love,” though I wasn’t sure if it was meant for me or Harry.

I walked towards Halo at the end of the hall, and she whispered to me with a nudge.

“You okay?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. I’m assuming you’re staying with Mitch tonight?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded. “Okay. See you in the morning.”

Passing Mr. Irving on my way out the door, he gave me a smile and a wave. I returned the wave, but at that moment, I just couldn’t manage to fake another smile.

1AM. I hadn’t heard from Harry yet, and I was getting a little anxious. Trying to distract myself, I played a little guitar, then turned on the television.

2AM. Nothing. The concert had ended three hours ago. Where was he? I considered calling his room, but I couldn’t remember the number. I was being ridiculous anyway. He’d call when he returned.

3AM. Still nothing. Maybe he had actually gotten back but thought I’d be asleep, so he went to sleep himself. Rising from the bed, I grabbed my key and opened my door, determined to find him.

His floor was semi-dark, lit only by dim sconces on the walls. All was quiet except for a low sound that seemed to be coming from further down the hall where I was headed.

Stopping in front of a door, I began to second guess myself. I couldn’t remember which room was Harry’s. Looking between two doors, I tried to recall which one he was staying in. I thought it had been the one on the right, but maybe I had it backwards and it was in fact the one on the left.

Finally sticking with my first choice, I raised my fist to knock, stopping mid-way. I heard the low sound again, but this time it was louder and accompanied by a similar, higher-pitched one. Fuck.

The moans increased, both in speed and volume and there was no doubt someone was having sex on the other side of that door. For a moment I thought maybe I had the wrong room until the male voice said a few words in a British accent. No!

Just as though someone had pushed me, I fell back against the wall. Covering my mouth with my hand, I slid down to the carpet, a river of tears flowing instantly. No, God, No!

Had I any strength in my legs, I would have gotten up off the floor and run as fast as I could. But instead I sat there in a ball, my entire body shaking with sobs, my eyes so full of tears I wouldn’t have been able to see where I was going anyway.

I’m not really sure how long I stayed on that floor. But when I felt like I’d exhausted all the anguish I possibly could, I wiped my face dry and stood up. I stared at the door for a moment, cursing it and the people inside, then I turned and walked slowly to the elevator.

My room was too quiet. Tossing my key on the nightstand, I turned on the radio for company. Normally I wouldn’t have been able to sleep with music, but I needed noise. Something, anything besides the angry voices in my head that kept saying “I told you so.”

“But all in war is so cold You either win or lose When all is put away The losing side I’ll play…”

I let Stevie Wonder soothe me as I changed into my pajamas and crawled into bed. My chest still shook as I gulped back a few more stray tears, until finally I laid completely numb.

“A writer takes his pen To write the words again That all in love is fair.”

I awoke to a knock at the door. Ignoring it, I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, but the visitor was persistent, and the knocks continued louder until I finally groaned and went to answer it. Barely opening it enough to stick my head through, I saw Harry standing there, his hands in his pockets.

“Good morning,” he greeted with a hopeful look in his eyes.

“Hi.”

“What happened to you last night?”

“What do you mean?”

Harry scratched his head. “Um…well, I rang your room a couple times and you didn’t answer.”

“I had a headache,” I lied, “so I went to sleep.”

“Oh. Do you wanna get breakfast?”

“No, not really.”

“Oh. Um…can I come in?”

“What for?”

Harry blinked, his crestfallen face making me feel a tinge sorry for him.

“Um…to see you. To talk.”

So, he wanted to explain himself, I thought. Fine. With a sigh, I stepped back and let him in my room. Shutting the door, I turned and looked at him. For a moment he didn’t seem like the strong, confident Harry Styles I knew. He looked like a confused little boy.

“What’d you wanna talk about?” I asked, dropping my hands at my sides.

“Something wrong?”

“No,” I replied sharply and a little too quickly.

“Yeah there is. You’re upset.”

“I’m fine, Harry,” I remarked, crossing my arms in defense.

He let out a breath through his nose and sat down on my bed. I remained standing against the wall, not bothering to take one step. I watched as he fidgeted with his rings before raising his eyes to mine.

“Sorry about Pippa,” he said.

“What?”

“I know it made you uncomfortable.”

Uncomfortable? Is that what he’d call it? I blinked back the tears I felt reforming in my eyes.

“I needed to talk to her though. You understand that, right?”

I swallowed hard, feeling dizzy and sick to my stomach. “You talked?”

“Yeah. We sat in the bar well after three. We got everything out on the table. All the resentment, the pain…her feelings towards me. She admitted she’d felt like she had lost Simon long before he died. And when he did, she felt tremendous guilt and didn’t know how to handle it.”

“And you?” I asked softly, afraid of the answer. “Does she still have feelings for you?”

Harry shrugged. “She says she still cares for me. I reckon she might’ve been attracted to me in the beginning, but her love for Simon overrode that. And when he started in on the drugs, she found herself struggling with her emotions.”

I remained silent as he looked down at his hands again.

“Doesn’t matter anyway. We both got the closure we needed. And then I took her to the airport.”

“She’s gone?”

“Yeah. She had an early flight to New York.”

“Oh my God,” I muttered, throwing my head back. What on Earth had I done?

Harry ran a hand down his face, breathing out a heavy sigh.

“I’m so fucking tired, too. Hardly got much sleep,” he complained. “Deacon’s room is next to mine and he’s got some chick in there. They were so loud, I could hear them through the wall. That was when I called you, but you didn’t answer. I almost came down here, but I reckoned you were sleeping, like you said. So I tried to get some sleep myself, but man, those two…fuck.”

“Oh my God, I’m an idiot!” I exclaimed, covering my face with my hands

“What?”

“Harry, I’m so stupid. I thought…oh God.” Lowering my hands, I saw his confused face again. “I went to your room last night. When you hadn’t come back, I went to find you. But I couldn’t remember which room was yours.”

“You thought I was with Pippa.”

I nodded.

“In my room.”

I nodded again, a single tear trickling down my cheek.

“Only you thought Deacon’s room was my room.”

“I couldn’t remember. And I heard the sounds and…”

My chest shook as I drew in a hitched breath.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

Harry shook his head, a kindness in his eyes. Then he held out his hand for me.

“C’mere,” he beckoned softly.

Hesitantly, I took his hand. He pulled me to him where I landed in his lap. I giggled shyly at the sudden contact until I saw the expression on his face. Pushing my hair from my face, he leaned his forehead against mine.

“I hate that you thought that,” he murmured.

“I’m sorry. I was an idiot.”

“Don’t be sorry.”

“I don’t wanna be that girl, Harry.”

“What girl?”

“The jealous type. That’s not me.”

Harry smirked. “Sure it is.”

“No, it’s not! I swear! I’m not clingy.”

“I didn’t say you were clingy.”

“I’m not expecting anything from you, Harry,” I explained.

He stared at me a moment before asking, “Aren’t you?”

“Huh? No.”

With a deep sigh, Harry shifted me from his lap to lay me down on the bed. Then kicking off his shoes, he situated himself above me, his green eyes telling me things I wasn’t sure he was willing to reveal.

“I like you, Sky. I really, really like you,” he admitted. “I’d even go as far as to say I’ve never felt this way…about anyone before.”

A gentle smile grew on my lips and I raised a hand to touch his cheek.

“You’ve…done something to me,” he continued. “Something I can’t really even explain. Because…it’s something I’d never thought I’d feel. We have a special connection, and I don’t take that for granted.”

I bit my lip as I nodded.

“But…I’m in a band. I’m going on the road. Overseas, even. And although I’d love for you to come along, I know it’s unrealistic. You have a life here.”

“I know.”

“There will be other girls, too. Lots of girls, whether I want them or not.”

“I know, Harry. That’s what I was trying to say. I understand.”

Harry blinked as I continued to stroke his unshaven jaw.

“It would be ridiculous for me to expect you to wait for me. So…I can’t…”

“You can’t commit to me,” I answered for him.

“Yeah.”

“I know,” I sighed. “I’m just glad you’re here right now.”

Wildfire’s final west coast show was a party to say the least. The entire backstage area was decorated with good luck signs, and I even saw a few in the audience. The band added their cover of “Honky Tonk Women” to the setlist for fun, and the crowd ate it up.

After the show, Mr. Irving gave a toast, and Harry and I (and probably everyone else) got a little tipsy and ended up giggling up to his hotel room.

“Harry,” I whined when he shut the door behind me. “I should probably go to my room and get my bag.”

“What for?”

I gave a cheeky grin. “My yellow pajamas are in there.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “You won’t be needing those, baby.”

I giggled again as he pulled me to him and began nibbling on my neck. Sliding the strap of my top down my shoulder, his lips traveled down my skin, leaving goosebumps.

“Harry…” I said again in a whisper.

“Hmm?”

“You’re leaving tomorrow.”

Pausing his caresses, he raised his head to look at me.

“We haven’t said our goodbyes yet,” I choked.

Sliding his hand under my ear, his lips grazing mine, he whispered. “Then let’s make the most of it, yeah?”

His tongue filled my mouth with water kisses, the air in my lungs temporarily absent. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he lifted me off the floor and onto the bed. Taking off his shirt, he threw it on the floor next to his discarded boots. Neither of us said a word, though his eyes told me everything. And like in every situation, I heard music in my head.

“Tonight the light of love is in your eyes…”

I knew he felt it. Even if he didn’t say it. He didn’t have to. And I’d fallen long ago. I knew it wasn’t just sex. And I wasn’t a groupie. It was love.

“Tonight with words unspoken You say that I’m the only one But will my heart be broken When the night meets the morning sun…”

I knew the truth. My heart was getting ready to be broken. But then again…I’d known that all along.

The jet engine whined loudly as the wind blew my hair in my face. I tried to push it back only to have it fly right back to where it was, obscuring my view.

I promised myself I wasn’t going to cry. I’d done enough of it the night before after Harry had fallen asleep, and again that morning in the bathroom.

“Alright guys, ready when you are,” said Mr. Irving.

He climbed the stairs into the plane first, Lee and Deacon following. Halo stopped Mitch on the stairs to give him her final kisses, making a complete show of it.

“I guess this is goodbye now,” Harry shrugged.

“Yeah.”

He took a step closer, grazing my chin with his thumb.

“I’m gonna miss you, Mary Lou Jones.”

Pushing his hand away, I shook my head as I felt the unwanted tears start to come.

“Don’t. Please.”

I heard him sigh. “I hope you know how special you are to me.”

Blinking, I looked up at him. “Me too.”

Lifting my hand to the locket around my neck, I reached for his cross with my other.

“Never forget…right?”

His jaw set, like he was trying to keep from crying too, he nodded. This was so hard.

“Do…do I at least get a hug?”

I nodded then, finally releasing a few tears even though I tried to wipe them away quickly. I wrapped my arms around him, taking in his scent one last time. I kissed him on the cheek, letting my lips linger on his skin before I whispered in his ear.

“I love you.”

I felt Harry’s arms fall from my waist as I pulled back. His face looked puzzled, his brows furrowed.

“What’s wrong?” I asked him.

“I…I’m leaving, Sky.”

“I know.”

“Why would you say that now? Why would you-“

I pressed my finger to his lips to hush him.

“You’re special to me, Harry. I’m proud of you. I love you. Okay?”

He nodded, my finger still on his mouth. When I released it, he sucked in a breath. I thought for a moment he was going to say it back, but he didn’t.

“Thanks.”

I smiled meekly as I took his hand.

“Go. Be great. I know you will.”

His expression solemn, he slowly walked to the plane. Unable to watch him leave, I turned around.

“Sky!” I heard him call, stopping me in my tracks.

“Yes?”

Sucking in his lips, he walked back towards me.

“If I had asked…would you have come with me?”

I blinked rapidly as I stared at him. What was I supposed to say? I had no clue. Finally I lowered my eyes and shook my head.

“No.”

With a nod, Harry started for the jet again. When he reached the steps, I ran up to him.

“Are…are you…asking?”

Harry gulped hard and shook his head.

“No.”

Halo drove my car home, knowing I was unable to. I wasn’t crying on the outside, but on the inside I was like a volcano about to erupt. She turned the key in the ignition and Linda Ronstadt’s voice filled the car.

“Living in a memory of a love that never was…”

“Sorry,” mumbled Halo, turning down the volume.

“It’s okay. This song is perfect actually.”

I let the tears fall then as I gazed out the window.

“I’ve done everything I know To try and make you mine And I think I’m gonna love you For a long, long time…”

And just like that, Harry Styles walked out of my life. I’m not bitter, nor do I have any regrets. I only have fond memories, no hurt or pain.

I had never met anyone like Harry Styles before, nor have I met anyone like him since. He’s still the only person I ever knew to love music as much as I do, and I’m so proud to have been a part of his early steps in reaching his dreams.

Wildfire eventually disbanded in 1981 and Harry took on a solo project which did fairly well, though I never saw him in concert again. I did go to a concert at the Forum in the early 80s (pretty sure it was Journey, or maybe Van Halen) and I looked over the aisle to my right to see a young man who looked a lot like Harry. It could have been him, but it was dark and I wasn’t sure if he saw me. As I look back now, I sort of wish I had gone up to him, just to say hello. But I suppose I was afraid he wouldn’t remember me. And I wanted all my memories of him to be good.

Like Halo said, sometimes people come into your life for a reason. They may not stay forever, but your life is forever changed because they touched it. Harry had touched my life in a way that was immeasurable. I suppose a little part of me will always be in love with him. And I will never, ever forget him.

THE END...

or is it??

Songs mentioned:

Boston - Rock & Roll Band

Billy Joel - The Entertainer

Stevie Wonder - All In Love Is Fair

Carole King - Will You Love Me Tomorrow

Linda Ronstadt - Long, Long Time

If you'd like to listen to the entire soundtrack, check out my playlist on spotify :).

I know, I know. It hurts. It hurt me re-reading this for the millionth time. I actually hope the emotions were evoked because that was my goal. Please message me to let me know what you thought of this story. It's still very special to me.

So that was going to be the end. Just a little mini fic. But later I got a couple little birdies in my ear asking if I could write something where Sky does actually run into Harry again, like a what-if. As I started writing, my original plan was just a few chapters, like "bonus tracks", but they soon grew into an entire fic, even longer than the original. I'll be reposting the sequel soon. Maybe not daily, more like weekly or maybe twice a week. If you'd like to be on a taglist, let me know.

Thank you so much for reading! - Court xo

[mrs-johansson]

Escape from LA - Lisa Manobal x Fem!Depp!Reader

Part 1:

“And the Grammy goes to… Y/n Fleur Depp!” The present read out the card and I just let my head fall back as I let out a big sigh. My sister was the first to bring me in a big hug and then my manager and producer who were also such a big part of this album. I hugged everyone around me and at the table next to us was Harry sitting. I looked over and he was already on his feet clapping with a genuine smile on his face. I put my hands together and leaned forward a bit to express my gratitude.

Walking up the stairs will never get old or boring, it’s always a huge honor. Accepting the award I stepped up to the mic.

“Thank you so much for this. Ugh… It’s always an honor to get one of these but I think it’s even more special to me to be named beside my fellow nominees. I would’ve never thought that my name would be in the same conversation as ABBA. Absolutely insane to me,” I chuckled looking down at the award. “And everyone else in the category, you guys are incredible and the art that you all create is what this world needs and I’m just happy to be named beside you. I uhm… I wanna thank Romeo and Phil, my producers and Jenna, my manger. My family, of course, you guys are the best. But mostly my amazing fans, who relentlessly support and love me, and without you, I wouldn’t be standing here, so thank you.”

***

Y/n Fleur Depp parties with sister, Lily-Rose Depp and ex-boyfriend Harry Styles at the 2023 Grammy after party

The Depp sisters enjoy a night out in Los Angeles after the Grammy Awards

Y/n Fleur Depp bags 2 Grammys just before kicking off her Reflections World Tour

Y/n Fleur Depp supports Harry Styles at his Melbourne concert just a week before her world tour kicks off

***

“Tonight we have a very special guest with us, multiple Grammy award winner singer, and songwriter, please welcome Y/n Fleur Depp,” said Jimmy Kimmel, and as the door opened I stepped out, waving to the crowd and making my way to the chair after sharing a hug with the host.

“Y/n, welcome to the show, how are you doing?” Asked Jimmy. “Thank you, happy to be here. I’m great, how are you?” I asked politely. “Great, thanks. Are you and Harry back together?” He replied so fast and my eyes just went wide as the whole crowd started cheering. “Oh no, we’re not. I’m absolutely single, believe me. I don’t need anything right now,” I chuckled uncomfortably. I admit I’ve been talking the most with Harry since we’ve broken up but there’s nothing between us and we both know there’ll be nothing. “Okay, just making sure. Did you enjoy his concert?” “Yes, definitely. He is an amazing performer so I wasn’t worried.” “You start your tour in two days and it’s gonna be a very long journey. You start in LA on February 22nd and the last date is in Soul, Korea on February 21st. That’s a long tour.” “Yeah, it is. But it’s gonna be awesome. We’ve been preparing for a while now and I’m very excited to see everyone and sing the new songs,” I smiled giddily and the crowd cheered hearing my words. “How do you prepare for a tour like this? I mean obviously, you have the dance stuff and all but mentally and physically?” “Yeah, I prep for the show with all of the dancers 3 times a week for like… 3 months. But I work out every day also, even if it’s pilates or gym. Shows can be very hard on your body when you perform 5 times a week for two and a half hours, so I try my best to prepare for the year. And mentally I guess I just try to enjoy every quiet moment before going on the road. It’s very hard obviously being away from my friends and family but someone always comes to each show so that’s nice,” I explained. “And as I know, you bring your cat on tour with you.” “Oh absolutely. He’s my baby, I can’t leave him for that long.” “His name is Bucky, right?” “Yeah,” I smiled. “How did you get the name?” He asked. “Uhm… I really like the Marvel movies and Bucky is one of my favorite characters of all time so I thought why not? The Winter Soldier already seems like a black cat type of guy so I chose that.”

After the interview, I got back to the green room and I was a little angry not gonna lie. “I go to one of his shows with literally multiple people and have one drink with him at the fucking Grammys, and suddenly we are back together. How does that work? And besides, we broke up over 4 years ago,” I packed up my bag and grabbed my phone. “You know they always do this, don’t bother,” said Chloe, my assistant, as we made our way to the car. “I know they do, but fucking hell, I can’t be single for one goddamn minute.”

***

“Hello, it’s Y/n Fleur Depp and today I’m gonna let Elle ask me anything,” I smiled at the camera.

“What’s your favorite memory from doing your last album?” Asked the journalist.

“I’ve got to work Doja Cat on one of the songs and I think it was one of the greatest days of the album making. We just had such a fun time with that song and we were just vibing a lot. She has a really interesting character and it was refreshing to work with someone like her.”

“What are you most passionate about outside of singing?”

“Ooh, that’s a hard one… food? I don’t know, I just love to try new stuff and cook new stuff. It’s a fun thing to get into.”

“Biggest pinch me moment in your career?”

“Oh my god, on my last tour, I was in New York, performing at Madison Square Garden and it was like halfway into the show and I looked up to the… well VIP section I guess and Rihanna was there, dancing and singing along. I almost fainted.”

“What is the best industry advice you’ve received?”

“Enjoy every second of it. I think especially now with social media, there are so many opportunities for people to make it in the music industry. And now, someone can easily take your place overnight if their song is gonna be a trend on TikTok. So I enjoy every little moment.”

“Who’s your biggest cheerleader?”

“My sister Lily, for sure. She has always been my biggest supporter. Since we were little kids, she always made me sing her favorite songs. And even now, even if I have a show on the other side of the world she will fly out and dance and sing through the whole thing. She’s the best.”

“What’s your 5-year plan for your personal life?”

“Oh damn… Uhm… I just want to be in a secure and stable place. Definitely move out of Los Angeles, it’s been too long for me to live here. I want to live somewhere different and new and have new experiences. And uhm… be in a calm and loving relationship.”

***

“Come on people, night one,” I stood in a circle with all of my dancers. “I just want to say how proud I am of us and the work all of you put into this tour. I am extremely grateful for all of you because everybody in this crew is so amazing, dedicated, and talented. I want us to have fun. It’s gonna be a long road but we’re gonna shake up the world and do some incredible stuff. I love you all and let’s have some fun,” I said and we cheered before putting our hands in the middle. “Reflections on 3, 2, 1!” “REFLECTIONS!”

I stood on the lift and I got my mic handed to me. Then the intro for Ready for it began playing on a loop.

The podium rose and the crowd erupted in cheers and screams. “Los Angeles… Are you ready for it?” I said and seconds later the song started.

About an hour into the show, I was at the front of the runway part of the stage. Sitting on a chair with only a guitar and a mic stand.

“Before we dive into the next song I wanna thank all of you for coming,” I said and as soon as they started cheering I smiled widely. “The last few years were absolutely crazy. ” I looked around the stadium. “But now, we are finally at peace kind of and I think we should enjoy it. We worked so much on these shows because I think we all took doing concerts for granted and me and my crew want to give you the best. It’s so cool to be back on stage, in front of all of you. Uhm… I love you and thanks again,” I smiled and they all cheered which made me smile even more. I just love that they love me.

Doing another hour and a half was a little exhausting but I enjoyed every second of it. “Thank you so much, Los Angeles, I’ll see you tomorrow,” I blew kisses all around the stadium as the lift was moved down.

I walked behind the stage and as soon as I stepped into the hallway, I had champagne sprayed all over me as my friends and family screamed around me. “Oh shit,” I covered my face as the champagne was just coming. “Congratulations!” heard Lily’s voice before she hugged me as soon as the alcohol stopped flowing. “Thank you, it was so fucking cool,” I said. “Oh my god, it was!” She shook my shoulder and I hugged everyone who was around basically then made my way to the dressing room, changing to something that wasn’t covered in champagne.

Once I cleaned up, I checked a couple of messages on my phone when I heard a knock on the door. “Come in,” I said, still scrolling through my phone. “I brought some guests, sissy,” Lily spoke and I looked up immediately, not hearing a noise from the guests.

All of a sudden Blackpink was standing in front of me with shy smiles. I’ve met Jennie before and we clicked really well. She is a very funny and sweet person, but I haven’t met the other members yet. “Oh my god, hello,” I went to hug Jennie and she was quick to greet me too, before turning to her members. “It’s Jisoo, Rosé, and Lisa,” she pointed at each of them. “I know, I’m a fan, you know that. It’s so nice to finally meet you,” I said, honestly feeling happy to meet them. “We’re happy to see you, it was an amazing show by the way,” said Rosé with a noticeable Australian accent. I put my hands together and bowed my head. “That means a lot coming from you. We should hang out. Are you guys free for the next…” I looked down at my watch, checking the time. “…couple of hours?” I asked and they all looked at each other before nodding their heads. “What do you have in mind?” Asked Jennie. “We could have some drinks back at the hotel if you’d like. It’s a calm place,” I suggested. “Let’s do it.” Jisoo excitedly said and we all chuckled. “We’re gonna be great friends, Jisoo.”

[louisupdates]

‘All of Those Voices’ Explores Louis Tomlinson’s Journey Through Self-Doubt

DISTRACTIFY

BY ELISSA NOBLITT | March 24, 2023

Pop star Louis Tomlinson released his documentary, All of Those Voices, in theaters on March 22, 2023. The film follows Louis’s final X-Factor performance all the way through his first solo tour, taking an honest look at One Direction’s bittersweet ending and Louis’s journey to prove himself as a solo artist.

Of course, fans were thrilled at the prospect of new behind-the-scenes footage; however, those expecting something akin to One Direction’s This Is Us may be surprised to discover that All of Those Voices digs deeper. While it does contain fun tour content and concert footage, these moments of levity are just that — fleeting moments within a much bigger story of uncertainty, loss, and self-examination.

One Direction fans will enjoy this film, but Louis Tomlinson fans will be moved by it.

The documentary starts out by briefly taking fans back to Louis’s X-Factor audition to set up the beginning of the One Direction era, which was to be expected. However, what’s unexpected is just how brief this segment really is — by the time the movie’s opening sequence is over, One Direction is over, too, taking the stage for their last-ever live performance. Louis has his own story to tell.

All of Those Voices sees the singer vulnerable yet unafraid to finally share his experience. Being cut from songs and struggling to stand out as a singer in the band pushed him to find his place in songwriting, but that all came crashing down in 2015 when One Direction announced their extended hiatus.

Louis shares that he was totally blindsided by One Direction’s disbandment: “It hit me like a ton of bricks. I was not prepared for it. Not at all.” This casts a different light on their breakup, which was presented at the time to be a unanimous decision for the benefit of the group.

On the contrary, Louis is terrified for the future: “It was very easy for me to imagine Harry [or] Liam having a solo career. It was harder for me to imagine myself doing that … What the f--k am I going to do?”

In these moments, the audience comes to learn that this film is more than just a glimpse into the glamorous life of a pop sensation who was once a part of the biggest boy band in the world. Instead, it’s a raw look at Louis’s struggle to overcome the insecurity and personal tragedy that brought him to rock bottom.

Fans of Louis's know that he’s no stranger to loss. His mother died tragically of leukemia in 2016, and one of his younger sisters passed away only a few years later in 2019. Already reeling from One Direction’s dissolution, the singer shares that he struggled to remain strong through such a devastating time in his life.

Cameos from various members of Louis’s family — including three of his sisters, his grandparents, and even his son, Freddie — give fans a glimpse into his support system. Longtime 1D supporters will likely recognize them, and it’s heartwarming to see them cheering him on.

Plus, Louis’s family aren’t the only familiar faces in the film — All of Those Voices features a few appearances from One Direction members, as well. Louis and former bandmate Liam Payne reconnected; Niall Horan also appears in the documentary, and the two discuss the “out-of-body” feeling of seeing each other perform. While audience members will likely be thrilled, the inclusion of these scenes feels like much more than fan-service. They serve as a backdrop for Louis to lament the loss of his old life while also looking toward the future.

While the transition from boy band member to solo artist may seem relatively smooth to an outsider, All of Those Voices showcases that, at least for Louis, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Throughout the documentary, we see the singer building himself back up to go on tour, constantly worried about how fans will receive him. Will anyone buy tickets? If they do, will he be able to deliver?

Then, finally, the first night of his first solo tour is electric. After only two shows, Louis is devastated when his world tour comes to a halt due to COVID-19. However, when he returns to the stage two years later, he’s greeted by crowds who have camped out for months to see him, adoring and supportive.

For fans, it feels like a breath of fresh air to finally see Louis get the support he deserves.

As of this writing, Louis has released two albums and is currently in the midst of his second world tour. What the singer didn’t realize in 2015 was that One Direction’s breakup wouldn’t be the end of his career — it was only the beginning. Where he thought he would be starting from scratch, he instead retained the fervent dedication of millions of fans worldwide.

“That’s all I’ve been waiting for, really — to have these moments,” he shares. “And it does kind of feel like, finally, the stars might be aligning for me.”

Overall, All of Those Voices will give fans a refreshingly honest look at what it’s like to be on the other side of the stage — to have it all, lose it in an instant, and fight the odds to earn it back.

All of Those Voices is currently playing in theaters worldwide.

[bopbopstyles]

10. Emerson

SERIES RATING: M (sex)

CHAPTER WORD COUNT: 9.8k

MASTERLIST | INSPO TAG 

Y/N promised herself she would never date a musician. It was her one rule–her only rule, actually–when it came to dating. But then, Harry Styles rolled into her life and asked her to break it, just this once. And this is what happened.

a/n: this is the last chapter of The Only Exception, and honestly, i never thought it would come. s/o to @bfharry​ and @havethetimeofyourstyles​ for helping me with dad!harry concepts! thank you to everyone who reblogged and loved my two little angels - i love them so much and hope you enjoyed their journey as much as i did! concepts for them are always open - i’m definitely not ready to let go of dad!harry. slide into my DMs and share your thoughts!

pls reblog to spread the word about only exception! 🥰

The final weeks before Emerson arrived were a flurry of activity. Y/N went on maternity leave, much to her dismay and Harry’s joy because he got to spend all day with her, every day. They finished the nursery off, finished their respective parenting books and compared notes, and did buckets of research on what to expect at the hospital. Harry, being Harry, ended up worming his way into helping Hanna and Jamie plan the baby shower, saying that if it was going to be at their house he deserved to have at least some part in planning it.

If he was being honest, he mainly did it to distract himself from the anxiety that seemed to plague him every time he woke up in the morning and rolled over and saw Y/N’s extremely pregnant belly. It wasn’t necessarily the anxiety about being a dad, that he could figure out, it was the anxiety about her giving birth. He had stayed up one night stalking a Reddit page that started out as advice for soon-to-be-dads, but ended up devolving into horror stories of things gone wrong. There were even a couple where the woman had died, which had Harry immediately shutting his computer, trying to get the thought of Y/N dying in childbirth out of his mind.

But he couldn’t. He rolled over every possible outcome of the birth, even the extreme ones of losing either her or their little Peanut, who he hadn’t quite adjusted to thinking about as Emerson yet. Anne hadn’t been much help at calming his nerves, even though he knew she was saying all the right things. The problem was that he wasn’t being rational, that he was letting his mind run rampant, and the only way to solve that, Harry knew, was to focus it on something. A goal.

Which led him to the baby shower. He had basically forced Hanna and Jamie to let him help, which he was a bit ashamed of, but the planning actually helped. Thinking through decorations and guest lists and party games and food and playlists, it quieted his mind enough to let his anxiety subside for most of the day. Now they only took over when Y/N fell asleep and he laid awake, watching her sleep and staring at her belly in awe.

Those moments of anxiety and awe were, coincidentally, the same moments in which he ended up thinking about proposing to her.

He loved Y/N more than any other woman he had ever known, he knew that much for sure. She challenged him in ways he loved, made him work to keep her around, and cared for him in a way he had never experienced before. Somehow she knew what he needed before he ever asked—the touches, words, reminders that put his mind and body at ease. Loving her was so fucking easy that it scared him a bit.

And then there was their little Peanut, Emerson, who was already the love of his life. The time he spent singing to her belly, talking to him with his body nestled between her legs, pressing kisses to where he kicked her, it made his heart practically burst. Harry had always wanted to be a father, and even though this wasn’t how he had planned it, it made no difference to him. It was still the best thing that had ever happened to him. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

He wanted them to be a family, a proper family in a traditional sort of way. And he knew that marriage didn’t make a family, that it was love and time and effort that created one, but that didn’t mean he wanted to marry her any less. He wanted her to have his name, the same last name Emerson would have. He wanted to watch her walk down the aisle in a beautiful white gown in the church in Holmes Chapel he’d spent years in. He wanted their child to throw rose petals ahead of her. He wanted to say his weddings vows to her, to slide a ring on her finger, to kiss her when it was all said and done. He wanted to spend the rest of his life loving her.

He didn’t necessarily know when he decided he wanted to propose to her, which night exactly, or what moment he knew in his heart that if he didn’t he would regret it for the rest of his life. He’d been thinking about it off and on since she told him she was pregnant and it got stronger when she moved into his house and made it her permanent address. When she came on tour and he saw how easily she fell into his world every single day. When she had a group text chat with Anne and Gemma where they bullied him and talked about the baby and politics all in the same conversation. When he got home and he felt like he could finally breathe again, because he was with her.

He was fully set on the idea a week into being home, and that was when he went rummaging through his attic for the box of things Anne had given him of his grandmother’s. Specifically, he was looking for a ring—one that had been her wedding ring, and she had given him as something to remember her by, or use for his own marriage. When he found it, he knew it was perfect for her—simple silver with vines etched into the band, and one clear diamond. Y/N was an understated person, never too flashy, and even though Harry could afford an expensive ring, he knew it wouldn’t mean nearly as much to her as this one would.

When it came to the question of when he would propose, he decided to wait. She was too stressed as it was, with Emerson on the way, and it wasn’t like she was going anywhere. He would wait until things had settled down, until he had the ability to do something special for her. He didn’t want to rush it in any way, shape, or form. So instead, he kept the ring tucked into the back of his sock drawer, ready for when the moment arrived.

Until that time, though, he would have to satisfy himself with the simple moments of loving her. And when they were all sat in their backyard, streamers and lanterns decorating the space, their closest friends and family sitting around them at tables and chairs, that was one of those moments. She was talking Anne and Gemma, who had flown in for the birth—which was only a handful of days away—a grin on her face so wide he wondered if her cheeks hurt. Her hair tumbled down her back in waves, her eyes glowed with joy, and the soft pink lipstick she had selected made him want to kiss every inch of her face. She was in a white summer midi dress and a pair of comfortable sandals, and he didn’t know if she had ever looked more beautiful.

“Harry!” His name pulled him out of his trance. She was beckoning him over, and he stood from his chair where he had been vaguely talking to Jeff and some of his other friends, and moved towards her immediately.

“Hey love,” he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, his chest pressed to her back, and rest his chin on her head.

Her hand moved to cup his forearm, a simple touch that made him smile. “Anne and Gem were just wondering if there was going to be cake.”

“For the record,” Gemma said, “we did not specifically ask about cake. We asked generally about the likelihood of there being dessert.”

Harry laughed at his sister and simplicity of the request. “Yeah, there’s cake. Got. Your favorite kind,” he said squeezing Y/N’s shoulder.

She tipped her head up and looked at him, eager eyes finding his. “Really?”

“Mhm,” he murmured. “Cookies and cream ice cream cake is in the freezer.”

She yelped in excitement, pressing a kiss to his lips chastely. “Love you.”

“Just for the cake?”

She shrugged. “And other stuff.” Anne and Gemma started laughing, the sound intermingling with the chirp of the birds and soft sounds of the playlist he had spent hours creating. They had played baby shower games led by Hanna, which had left them all in hysterics, some people had gone for a swim, and they’d had a cookout. It was simple, easy, and exactly what Y/N had requested. There was pile of gifts inside that she declined to open in front of the group, since neither she nor Harry were the kind of people who liked to show off their gifts at parties. One of the many things they shared.

Now, the party was winding down, the sun was setting, and he knew people would begin preparing to head out. It was probably time for cake. “Ready for it?” He asked Y/N.

“Yes!” She followed him inside, where the air conditioning was a welcome relief from the warm summer day. Her hand slipped into his and thumbed along the inside of his wrist, a smile drifting onto his face from the small action.

“Do you like the party?” He asked when they reached the kitchen.

She leaned against the counter and watched him make his way over the fridge. “Yeah. I don’t know why I was so against the idea at first—it’s been nice having everyone here. And to celebrate little Peanut.” She hadn’t adjusted to the name yet either, so they had stuck to calling their unborn child Peanut, leaving the name for when they arrived in the world.

“Me too.” He pulled open their freezer and found the cake easily—he’d gotten it done at their favorite gelato shop and it had cost an absurd amount for a cake, but he didn’t mind. The reaction on her face when he lifted the top and she saw the cake was worth double the price. “Like it?”

Her arms came to wrap around his waist, tugging him into her. “You know, sometimes you just blow me away a bit.”

He mirrored her position, arms twined around her waist. Her head was tucked into the crook of his neck, and he leaned his head against hers, savoring the simplicity and calmness of the moment. He’d started doing it lately, knowing they would be few and far between. “So do you.”

Footsteps sounded on the wood floors of their house, and he turned his head to see Trisha, her mother, in the living room. “Sorry,” she said with an embarrassed smile. “Came in for another drink.”

Y/N pulled away, much to his dismay, and when to the fridge for another sparkling water for her mother. “Can you take the plates out too, Mom? We’re doing cake.” She handed her mother a stack of plates and flatware, bustling around the kitchen to find the rest of the napkins from earlier.

“Is that ice cream cake?” Trisha asked, sliding the stack into her arms. “You know her well, Harry.”

That he did. Was quite proud of it, too. The three of them made their way out to the rest of the party, Harry holding the cake and the napkins clasped in Y/N’s hand. Everyone turned at the sound of the sliding door and excitedly joined the couple around the cake, a jabber of conversation about how gorgeous the cake was and how delicious it looked. Anne asked if it was going to melt and Harry chuckled in response, before cutting into the cake. Y/N got the first slice, and Harry watched as the ice cream melted on her lips ever so slightly, a sticky mess coating her skin a bit. He restrained the desire to lick at her skin knowing she would hate him doing that in front of everyone. Instead, he stood next to her with his own piece of cake, an arm around her waist and her head nestled against his shoulder as their friends and families chatted.

“How are long are you staying?” Hanna asked Anne and Gemma, taking a bite of the cake.

“A few weeks,” Anne replied. “I might stay longer, but Gem has work to get back to.”

“If you need someplace to stay, I’ve got spare rooms,” Peter piped up.

Anne gave Peter a thankful smile. “We might take you up on that. Hotels can get a bit tiresome.”

“Mum, you can alway stay with us,” Harry told her for the millionth time. Anne had insisted upon her and Gemma staying in a hotel until the baby was born, wanting to give Y/N and him as much solo time as possible before Emerson arrived. Harry and Y/N had both fought her on it, telling her she was welcome, but she was sure on the decision. Trisha had ended up deciding to stay in the same hotel, echoing Anne’s desire to let them have their space before the birth, so the two had gotten a bit closer. Trish had even become Anne and Gemma’s personal chauffeur, since they didn’t have a car.

Anne waved at the thought. “No, I want you two to have your space. We’ll be here after the birth, but until then, savor these last moments together.”

Y/N pinched at Harry’s hip and he yelped, giving her a glare. She was giggling into his arm though, a playful smile on her face, so she let it slide. “As much as I’d love to have family around, I can’t say I’m mad.”

Everyone laughed at that, and Harry rubbed a circle on her skin, enjoying her relaxed nature, the anxiety that had been plaguing her recently disappearing. It wasn’t just him who had been stressed lately about the quickly approaching birth—Y/N had been having vivid stress dreams that usually ended up waking him up, her body sweating next to him.

Harry wasn’t mad that his family wasn’t staying with them either, because frankly after being apart from Y/N for so long, he didn’t want anyone invading their space unless absolutely necessary. (Exceptions would obviously be made for their child.) He just wanted to touch her all the fucking time, just pet her skin or kiss up and down her neck, and sometimes he kissed her hard against the wall just because he could. As they stood next to each other, her hands gripping the back of his striped t-shirt and his fingers brushing up and down her spine, he wanted everyone to leave so he could love on her as much as he wanted.

When Y/N started to yawn, Harry knew it was time to wrap up the party. He did the honors of ushering their guests out, knowing she was too kind to ever pressure people to leave, but Harry had no problem forcing people to leave his home so that he could be alone with her. Peter lingered behind to help pick up the yard while Y/N and Harry washed dishes in the kitchen. Fleetwood Mac flowed from the speaker and they moved around one another in ease, comments about the party passed between them. Harry pinched her hip when she scooted past him and she swatted his ass with a towel in retaliation, a playful smile directed his way.

“Love you,” she murmured against his shoulder, nosing at the shirt stretched across his body. His hands were in soapy water as he washed a plate so he couldn’t touch her, which he felt was a crime, but he settled for just turning his head and kissing her temple.

“Love you too,” he replied. “Now get back to drying, you’re messing up our flow.” She giggled and he handed her a plate, which she wiped dry. Her father came inside with the rest of the decorations and items that had been left outside, and Harry directed him to put them in the garage. Going through all of them was on his to-do list for tomorrow, but he didn’t have the energy to do it now. After that, Peter showed himself out, promising to call Harry the next day to talk about the song he had mentioned wanting to work through with him. Harry had never thought having a talented musician as a father-in-law of sorts would be so nice, but now that he had Peter he loved being able to give him a call and get his opinion on a mix or the bridge of a song he was working on.

The dishes were finished, and Harry pulled the plug in the sink to let the soapy water drain before wiping his hands on a towel and turning to Y/N. “I was thinking a late night swim might be nice,” he said, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

“I don’t want to try and find a suit that fits,” Y/N said with a frown, hand brushing over her belly.

Harry would personally have favored if she was naked all the time. “Don’t need one, love. C’mon—I’ll turn on the fairy lights you love.”

She smiled and nodded, letting him lead her to outside to the porch. Outside, it was dark, moonlight illuminating the outline of the large oak trees in the backyard, the shed with the lawnmower Harry had been meaning to replace, and a vegetable garden they had put in before tour. Hanna had tended to it while they were gone, and then it was Y/N’s responsibility, and she had done a good job—they had little tomatoes and beans and broccoli and a variety of herbs, which Harry loved cooking with. A few feet past the patio was the pool, the concrete surrounding it strewn with reclining chairs where they loved to sunbathe in the afternoons, Harry running sunblock over Y/N’s stretched skin.

When his feet met the concrete of the patio, Harry tugged his shirt off, then his pants and briefs, before turning to look at Y/N. She was struggling with the tie at the back of her dress, and Harry motioned for her to turn, his fingers deftly pulling the ties loose and then tugging her zipper down her back. “Beautiful,” he murmured, pressing a series of kisses to her spine that had her shivering. He helped her out of her undergarments, and then she stood before him bathed in moonlight and the soft glow of the fairy lights that twinkled around them. Her full breasts, a hand rubbing over her belly where their child rested. She looked almost ethereal, a vision, a dream. “Come on, love,” he said, walking towards the pool.

He dropped into the water without a pause, the cool temperature washing over his skin deliciously. When he poked his head up to the top of to the water, he found Y/N sitting on the edge of the pool, her feet dangling in. “It’s cold,” she said, kicking some water into his face.

Harry moved towards her, pulled like magnets, and snatched her feet. Littering her leg with kisses and leaving her giggling for him, he found a spot between her knees, his chest pressed to the side of the pool. “Feels good, though.” His hands swept over her belly, and he nosed at her bare skin. “Want to go for a swim, Peanut? Think it’ll feel good, but Mumma isn’t so sure.”

“God, you’re so annoying,” Y/N said, pushing at his chest so she could slide into the pool. She landed on the bottom and immediately reached for Harry, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. “Did you have fun today?”

Harry pulls her thighs up so he can hold her close, and her fingers scratch at the nape of his neck. “I did. You were so happy.”

“Not just about my happiness, you mush. You seemed pretty happy too.”

This was true, but the sight of Y/N happy made him happy. “I was, baby,” he reassured her. She pressed her lips to his, one of love and care, and then pulled away, resting her head on his shoulder. He just held her close, adoring the feeling of her bare skin on his, their child nestled between them, basking in the glow that was loving her.

Harry dipped the tongs into the pasta water, grabbing at a piece and pulling it out of the hot water to test its readiness. Y/N was standing next to him, tossing the salad they had put together, and trying to hold herself together. The contractions had been coming and going all day, pain that radiated up her spine as she clenched her jaw and tried to continue her activities. They’d called the midwife the minute they started and she had been there ever since, helping Y/N with breathing patterns and guiding her into different positions to keep the pain from overwhelming her. They hadn’t been regular, though, so they were still at home, waiting for the contractions to speed up or even out.

“Another one?” Harry asked, peeking over at her, her hands clenching the edge of the counter as another contraction rolled through her body. She nodded shakily, and Harry ran his hand across her back. “Breathe for me love, remember? In, out, even—there you go.” Once he was breathing more evenly, he went to pour out the pasta, wanting to make sure Y/N had strength for the delivery that was for sure coming.

It might have seemed unusual that Harry and Y/N were cooking dinner—the midwife had sure thought so, but it felt good to have something for Y/N to focus her mind on, even if it was just putting together a salad and watching Harry cook. It was better than doing uncomfortable exercises in the backyard to try get the labor moving along. They’d tried her squatting, her waddling around, her doing loud yells, and none of it had worked. She was exhausted.

All of a sudden, a dull pain lashed through her and she dropped the tongs to the counter with a clatter, the metal hitting the granite countertops.“Fuckkk,” Y/N groaned, clenching the edge of the counter and trying to breathe in and out.

“That was faster,” Harry said, panic rising inside of him. He looked to the midwife, who was on her feet and moving towards them from where she had been sitting on the couch reading a book. “Right?”

“Yes,” the midwife, Sarah, told them both, coming to Y/N’s side. “Breathe for me, Y/N, okay? I need to start counting them. Can you do that with me?”

Harry had completely forgotten about dinner as he counted with Sarah and Y/N, timing the distance between her contractions. Y/N was panting so hard and all Harry could do was grip her hand when she reached out for him, and hold it and watch in sheer horror at the pain in her face. It had been like this all day, but this—this looked different somehow, more intense. Her fingers were squeezing his palm so tightly he thought she might cut off circulation.

Together, they managed to move Y/N to the couch, where she could be more comfortable. Her contractions were coming faster and more frequent over the next hour, dinner completely forgotten—Harry could tell and Sarah agreed. “Harry,��� Sarah said, breaking her focus on Y/N to look at him, “is the hospital bag ready?”

It had been ready for two weeks—he’d done it the day after he had gotten home and checked it almost every day to make sure they had everything. “Yes,” he said.

“Go get it.”

Y/N’s eyes widened, and Harry pressed a kiss to her hand before scampering upstairs to the nursery to grab it. He took the stairs two at a time, eager not to be away from her for too long. When he reached the nursery, he looked around and thought to himself that the next time he would be there, his little Emerson would be coming home.

Downstairs, Sarah was counting with Y/N again, talking her through the contractions and the pain. When Harry reappeared, she waved him over before taking out her phone. “Take her,” she told him. “I’m going to call the hospital.”

“It’s time?” Y/N looked up in panic, before another contraction made her moan, her fingers squeezing Harry’s. “Oh my god, H, it’s happening.”

Harry scooted next to her on the couch and pressed a kiss to her sweaty brow. “It’s happening, love. How does it feel?”

“Like hell,” she said, teeth clenched. “They said it hurts but fuck this is horrible. Why do women have to experience this? Fuck, Emerson, baby, please calm down.”

Sarah was talking to the hospital in the background, giving them information on Y/N’s contractions and Harry was only half listening, mostly focusing on Y/N’s eyes, which were darting around the room. “Got the bag ready,” he said, trying to distract her. “We’ve got everything we need. Plenty of gas in the car, too—checked this morning.” He did it every morning now, just to be sure that if it happened suddenly, he would be ready to drive.

“What—fuck—about dinner?”

Harry just chuckled, brushing her hair back. “I’ll have Gemma come by and clean up. Don’t give a shit about the pasta getting stuck to the bottom of the pan.”

She leaned into Harry’s neck and exhaled sharply, clutching his leg. “I don’t know if I’m ever going to have another kid,” she said, “because this is fucking torture.”

Before Harry could reply, Sarah turned to them. “They’re waiting for you—let’s go you two! Time to meet little Emerson!”

Harry drove like a calm, collected, race car driver on the roads. Trying to go as fast as possible without getting pulled over, jumpy because every time Y/N moaned he freaked out a bit, just praying he would get the hospital soon so that they could give her something for the pain. At one point he had brought up natural birth and she had given a look like he made him immediately shut up and never bring it up again. Now that he was seeing labor in person, he fully understood why.

He pulled into the hospital, following Sarah’s instructions for what entrance to use, and put the car into park. People were rushing to the car with a wheelchair which he knew Y/N would hate, but she needed it. He let them get her out of the car before parking it horribly and racing after them, hospital thrown over his shoulder and his phone in his hand. He was having a baby, he thought to himself after the door slid shut behind and he walked alongside Y/N as she was wheeled down the hall. He was going to be a dad today.

“I don’t know if I can do it,” Y/N panted, holding onto Harry as she looked at the doctors around her. They’d given her an epidural, which helped, but she was fucking exhausted. She’d been pushing in time with her contractions for two hours and her body felt like it was on its last limb. Even though she couldn’t feel the pain, she could feel the ache in her muscles and she just wanted to sleep for hours. But she was dilated to ten centimeters and it was time to do the final pushes. She was in the home stretch.

“Come on, love,” Harry said, brushing at her forehead. “You’re so close, yeah? You can do it, baby.” His eyes bore into hers, the hazel irises overwhelming her. The look of love and pride and utter awe written all over his features.

“I need you to push for me, Y/N,” her doctor said. She could see him between her legs, where he was looking up at her. “Emerson is ready to meet you both.”

She nodded, taking a deep breath, and then she pushed as hard as she could, bearing down on Harry’s hand so hard she thought she might break it, but he didn’t say anything. Just held her tight and repeated encouraging words, telling her how good she was doing, how she could do it, how they were so close to meeting their baby.

“I can see the head,” the doctor informed her when Y/N took a breath. “Another one—okay? You’re doing great.”

She looked at Harry, the eyes pricking both of their eyes at the prospect of meeting little Emerson finally. And then she shut her eyes, took a deep breath, and pushed with every fiber of her being, desperately wanting to meet her child and let this be over. She screamed—she could hear it in her ears as her body tensed, toes and fingers curling.

And then she heard the most beautiful sound in the world.

The cry of a baby.

“Oh,” Harry gasped, kissing her hand in his, making her look at him. He was crying in the chair next to her, tears rolling down his face, utterly overwhelmed. “You did it, baby.”

“It’s a girl,” the doctor said, giving them a wide smile.

A girl. “Emmy,” she said, the nickname claiming its place in her heart immediately.

“A little girl,” Harry murmured in awe, and she couldn’t stop the tears rolling down her face at the sight of him, overwhelmed with love for her and their child.

The doctor pulled away slightly from her and looked to Harry. “Do you want to cut the cord, Dad?”

Y/N’s heart lurched at the doctor calling Harry “Dad”—the kind that utterly took her breath away. Harry was moving in an instant, going to where the doctor was situated. “Harry, what does she look like?”

Harry’s curly hair bounced as he looked from their child to her. “Pink,” he said simply, a giggle leaving his lips. “Beautiful.” Then she heard a snip and the umbilical cord was cut, and the doctor was handing her baby to Harry.

She wanted to see her child, but the next thing she knew she was being told to keep pushing, that she had to deliver the placenta, so she focused on the task at hand. She was worn out, but she reminded herself that she sooner she did this, the sooner she could hold Emerson in her arms. When she was done, she sagged into the hospital bed and stretched out her arms to Harry, who was swaying slightly, their child held close in his arms.

Y/N looked at her child in awe. Ten fingers and ten toes, two little green eyes that stared up at her when Harry set her against her chest, a tiny nose and adorable lips that puckered and stretched. Emerson. Her baby, her child, the person who she loved with her entire soul from the moment she discovered her existence. “Hi, Emerson,” she whispered, brushing at her face.

Harry knelt next to Y/N, kissing her forehead. “She has your nose.”

“How in the world can you tell?”

He shrugged. “Just can.”

She looked up at Harry and found his eyes, the one their daughter shared. “I love you.”

He kissed her lips, the love that flowed between them overpowering every other feeling in her her body. “I love you so much, Y/N. Feel like the luckiest man in the world—I’ve got you and I’ve got little Emmy.” Then, he was nudging at Emerson’s hand with his forefinger, and Y/N watched in amazement as her daughter opened her little fingers and clasped Harry’s finger, as if to know it was her father.

She was a true wonder, and Y/N couldn’t look at anything else.

TWO YEARS LATER

Harry set his daughter down on the counter, her chubby thighs nestled against his torso. She had on a pair of overalls and a baby blue shirt, a pair of little baby Converse that Harry had absolutely lost it over when he saw them. He had discovered an obsession with baby clothes and had turned Emerson into his personal model, despite Y/N’s annoyance at the size of her daughter’s closet.

“Need to put your hair up, Ems, otherwise it’s going to get all in the food,” he told her, pulling at the hair ties he now always had on his wrist for moments like these. His daughter’s dark brown curls that matched his own were long enough to where they had to be tied up, otherwise they would end up tangled in seconds.

Emerson looked up at him, her hazel eyes peeking up at him under long eyelashes. Y/N always joked that she was a spitting image of Harry, and he couldn’t help but admit it was true. He adored it—seeing his child, who was so obviously his, but with a personality that was so Y/N it made him laugh sometimes. Her stubbornness, the way she insisted on her own way, even her little opinions that were starting to peek out as her vocabulary grew. It drove Y/N bonkers, but Harry loved discovering more and more of his child.

He swept her hair into a ponytail, something he had become adept at in the two years of being a father. As he tugged the hair tie around her locks, Emmy’s hands made their way to Harry’s hair, which had grown longer recently. Y/N had been working up a storm since she was promoted last year, and Harry had taken on the role of full-time stay at home Dad with glee, but it did mean things like shaving and hair cuts had fallen by the wayside. He didn’t mind though, and Y/N didn’t seem to either, from the way she nuzzled her face against his bit of a beard, and tugged on the ends of his hair when they made love.

Emerson had a similar obsession with Harry’s hair, another thing she shared with her mother, and it always made Harry burst with love whenever his daughter played with his hair. “Papa’s hair is soft,” she mumbled as he tightened the hair tie so none would fall out. “Like mine!”

He poked his daughter on the nose, loving how her eyes scrunched up. “That it is, my little angel. Ready to cook with Papa?”

“Yes!” Her hands reached for him to pick her up, which he did, swinging her onto his hip as he moved to her designated spot on the floor next to where he would be set up by the stove. It was their nightly routine—as Harry cooked dinner for them all, Emerson played with the wooden cooking toys that Harry had bought for her, babbling at his feet. It kept her entertained while he got dinner done, just in time for when Y/N got home from work.

He situated her on the floor and pulled out her box of toys from the cabinet, squatting down to unload the wooden bowls, spoons, and fake foods inside. Emerson grabbed at each of them, telling him the name, as he had taught her. “Bowl, spoon, cheese!” She said, looking at him with wide eyes to see if she got it right.

“Good job,” he said, kissing her forehead before standing to his full height. “Where’s your apron?”

“My apron!” Emerson babbled with a gasp, grabbing at her clothes.

Harry chuckled at the sight before grabbing her yellow apron that Harris had sewn her for her second birthday, something far too gorgeous for a two-year-old, but Emerson was utterly obsessed, so Harry didn’t make a fuss about it. “Apron!” She said when he tied it around her neck and her little waist. “Papa, spoon!” She was holding her wooden spoon up at him and Harry smiled at his daughter, her love for their little traditions making his heart soar.

He grabbed his own spoon from the cup on the counter, bending down and bumping it against his daughter’s mini version. “Spoons unite!” He said, the sound of his daughter’s giggles filling his ears. “What do you want to listen to while we cook, bubs?”

“Hmm.” Emerson dropped the block of cheese and some nondescript meat into a bowl and twirled them around with her spoon. “Papa!”

“Me?” Recently Emerson had become obsessed with his music, constantly requesting for him to play it. Fine Line had come out just a few months ago and she loved Watermelon Sugar, which Y/N utterly hated since she knew what it was about, but Harry found it hilarious. “Which one?”

“Watamelon Suga!” She said, struggling with her Rs. She bounced up and down on her knees in excitement until he was hooking up the music over the speakers. When it came on, she immediately began bopping her head back and forth to the music and trying to sing, which Harry found positively adorable.

He started to make dinner, chopping up vegetables for a stir-fry that he knew Emerson liked. He had been trying to help her branch out into new foods, which Y/N kept on reminding him was really unnecessary considering she was barely two years old, but he liked seeing her little face screw up when she didn’t like something or eyes widen when she liked it. They sang along to his songs, and every so often he’d peek down and check on Emmy, who was happily pretend cooking with her toys, making all sorts of things. Sometimes he would ask what she was making and she would reply with any foods that came to mind that she had heard him mention, even if it was completely incorrect. One time she said she was making a cake, but she had a broccoli and some grapes in the bowl, and he tried not to crack up at the sight.

“Papa!” He looked down at his daughter, her spoon raised at him. “Look at my spoon!”

He chuckled, bending down to take a picture of her holding her spoon up triumphantly. “You just love your spoon, huh?” He snapped the photo and posted it on his Close Friends story on Instagram, which was 90% photos of Emerson doing random things throughout the day.

“Papa’s spoon is bigger,” she said, struggling with the last syllable of bigger, but making it through.

“It is. But yours is pink, which I like a lot.”

Emerson examined her spoon, and then lifted it to Harry, rubbing her nose on the back of her tiny hand. “You can use it, Papa!”

His heart melted at his daughter’s generosity, which was overflowing. She was always offering for him to borrow her toys or to let other kids to use her things, and he loved her kind soul. It was another thing that came from Y/N, he was sure of it, since he hated sharing as a kid. “Thank you, bubs, but I’m fine with mine.” He kissed her hand and she smiled at him, before going back to her cooking.

Fifteen minutes later, he heard the garage door open and close, and Emerson must have heard it too because she on her feet immediately, teetering out of the kitchen in the direction of the garage. “Mama!” She screamed, and Harry smiled at the sound of Y/N’s voice, her soft reply of “Hello, pumpkin,” and the soft laughter of his daughter cascading through the house.

“Smells good,” she said, and Harry’s eyes caught hers as she entered the kitchen, Emerson resting on her hip. Her little head was on Y/N’s shoulder, each hand scrunched in her work shirt, eyes flickering over Harry. “Stir fry?”

Harry gave his love a kiss on the forehead. “Mhm, know how much my two girls love it.”

“That we do,” Y/N replied, hiking Emmy up a bit on her hip. “Did you have fun with Papa today, bubs?”

“Yes!” Emerson replied, picking her head up and smiling at them both, her little baby teeth showing. “We went to park and made new friends. Charlie, right, Papa?”

He nodded, brushing a hand across Y/N’s shoulders and rubbing into the tense muscle there. She lolled her head back on his arm and smiled at him, a silent thank you passing between them. “Then we got some lunch at our favorite spot, and took a swim in the pool.”

“I kicked Papa!” Emerson said excitedly to her mother, and she laughed in response.

“Did you get him all wet?” Emerson nodded, and Y/N brushed her hand to Harry’s side, the touch warming him immediately. “Sounds like fun. Maybe we can have a pool day tomorrow?”

It was Saturday, the whole family’s favorite day. Emerson got both of her parents all day, and Y/N and Harry usually had date night, Emerson going to her grandpa’s house for the night. It was a tradition they’d had since she was born, and one that had become incredible important to them. “I think that sounds great,” Harry said. “Ems, can you help Mama get dressed for dinner?”

“Yes!” Emerson loved watching her mother get dressed and Harry firmly believed that she was inheriting his love of clothes from the way she loved to run her hands over the materials.

Y/N chuckled and pressed a kiss to Harry’s cheek before she walked out of the kitchen, their daughter on her hip. She chatted to Emerson about her day, asking questions about what she and Harry had done in her absence and answering her daughter’s questions. Harry got dinner finished up, putting the stir fry into bowls for him and Y/N and a smaller amount into a bowl for Emerson, cutting it up into smaller bites so she could eat it more easily. He placed them on the table and filled up a glass of wine for both Y/N and himself, before switching the music to some nice relaxing jazz while they ate.

Y/N reappeared in one of Harry’s old tour shirts and sweatpants, an excited Emerson trailing after her on the stairs. She was scooting down them hesitantly, something she had recently become obsessed with doing and Y/N and Harry were letting her do while supervised. Harry was terrified of her cracking her head open on the stairs, but Y/N told him it was important for her to develop confidence in her ability to move around, so he tried to let it go.

“Ready for dinner, Ems?” He asked, picking her up and settling her into her high chair. She nodded and he handed her little fork and her bowl, before settling into his seat next to her. Y/N sat down in the seat opposite him, reaching out for her wine glass and taking a long sip. “How was work, love?”

“Long,” she replied, tucking her napkin into her lap and picking up her fork. “I got that presentation done I was working on. I think we’re planning to bring someone else on, which would be a huge help.”

“When’s that going to be?” Harry took a bite of his food before reaching over and helping Emerson to get some food onto her fork, noticing she was struggling.

Y/N sighed, and Harry looked up at her, noticing the exhaustion in her eyes. “Soon hopefully. There’s way too much on my plate and there’s just no way I can get it all done.”

“I hope they figure it out soon,” he told her, reaching across the table and squeezing her hand. “Want to have a bath after dinner? I can do nighttime tonight.”

“You sure? You’ve been with her all day—“

“Hush,” Harry cut her off with a smile. “You know I love doing it. Want you to relax, okay?”

She nodded, lifting their clasped hands so she could press a kiss to his knuckles. “Thank you.”

“Of course, love. Emmy and I have a book to finish, right, bubs?”

Emerson nodded, and then launched into a mildly botched description of the book they had started reading last night, one about a girl detective that she really liked. Harry was passionate about reading to her every night, as it helped her settle down and developed quite a healthy imagination that he loved. They chatted for the rest of dinner about what they wanted to do the following day, deciding that Harry was going to make biscuits, Emerson’s favorite, and have a pool day, since it was quickly becoming too cool outside to have a proper pool day. Harry loved that about California, though, that it was warm year round so even in September they could be outside in the sun and he could work on teaching Emerson how to swim. Y/N wanted her to be comfortable in the water so they could feel safer with her around the pool, so they had been working on teaching her how to get in and out of the pool how to kick and how to breathe. So far, she was a natural, a little fish, Y/N called her.

After dinner, Harry helped Emerson into her pajamas after changing her diaper—they were still struggling with potty training—and watched her as she brushed her teeth triumphantly in the mirror. Then, they recited their nightly affirmations, thinking of something they were thankful of and something they liked about themselves. Harry had implemented it from the moment Emerson had started learning to talk, and now it was a nightly ritual for them.

“I’m thankful for Papa,” Emerson said, making Harry smile as he stood behind her in the mirror, the resemblance between them startling. “I like that I was nice to Charlie. What about you, Papa?”

“I’m thankful for Emerson and Mama,” he told her, tickling her sides and making her giggle, “and I like that I was able to help Mama tonight when she was stressed.”

Emerson turned around, gave her father a peck on the cheek, and lifted her arms for him to carry her to bed. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, clinging to him like a koala, and Harry walked her to her bed, pushing aside the princess netting she had fallen in love with at Target one day and had nearly thrown a tantrum about before they bought it. She snuggled into his side as he curled up next to her, grabbing the book from the bedside table to continue reading. She rested her head on his chest, eyes on the book that he had opened for them to read, and he sighed from the feeling of his daughter nestled into him. He loved the moments like this of being a father, the quiet ones of just him and Emerson, the world falling away from him.

Being a dad was his proudest achievement.

Once Emerson was asleep, he got up, tucking her in and making sure her nightlight was on before shutting the door gently behind him. Down the hall, Y/N was waiting for him, tucked into bed with a book she was reading.

“Hi you,” he said, shutting their door behind him, the wood creaking softly as he leaned against it. “Missed you today.”

She looked up, taking in the sight of the man she loved standing next to the door. His hair as all askew from her daughter’s pillow and his voice was a bit raw from reading, clothes creased from a long day with a two-year-old with plenty of energy. But she loved him like this, so obviously a father, taking every part of his role with a smile on his face.  “You say that every night.”

“That’s because I miss you every day,” he said, moving towards her. “Now come here, wanna hold my girl.”

But Y/N waved him away. “Go get ready for bed. Don’t want you to have to get up later.”

“Fine,” Harry said, rolling his eyes at her, but followed her directions anyways. While he brushed his teeth and washed his face, she chatted about work and asked questions about Emerson’s day, wanting to know what she had missed out on. As much as she loved working, she hated being away from her family all day. After he had stripped out of his clothes, just his briefs hanging on his hips, he pulled back the duvet and pulled Y/N into his side. “That better?”

She rolled on top of him, her book long forgotten on their bedside table. “Much.” Her knees came up on either side of his hips and she tucked her hands into his hair, tugging softly as he pulled him into a kiss. She lost herself in the taste of his lips, a home she loved returning to every day, a home she never wanted to leave. His fingers trailed down her body, rucking up the edge of the shirt she wore and smoothing across her back. She shivered under his touch and he smirked, pulling her bottom lip between his teeth and making her pant his name.

“Thought you were tired,” he mumbled, brushing his lips down her neck in short kisses that had her panting in his ear.

“Not too tired for this,” she replied, and when she rolled her hips over his, Harry groaned, hot and heavy into her neck. She wanted him always, it seemed, unable to get enough of the way he touched her, even after a child and plenty of sleepless nights, she still found the energy to love on him. It filled her up, the way he brushed her skin with his kisses and showed her how much he appreciated her.

“Gonna kill me, love.” His hands, bare from his usual rings, pressed into her hips, anchoring her against him. “Ya sure? Don’t have to.”

But Y/N had other plans, wiggling free from his grip and kissing a line down his chest. Harry was mumbling her name as she moved, tugging at her skin as she disappeared under the comforter and pulled his briefs down his legs. He pushed at the duvet, desperate to keep his eyes on hers, and Y/N loved it, wanting nothing more than to see his face as she drew pleasure from his body. “Want to show you how thankful I am for you,” she told him, before spitting on his dick and pumping the spit in her hand.

“Fuck.” Harry gripped the sheets to try and hold himself together. Nighttime was her favorite time of day, because it was when she got him all to herself, Emerson far enough down the hall that they could do whatever they liked without waking her up most times. They’d had some close calls, but so far they were blessed with a daughter who loved to sleep and they’d made sure to put her on a sleep cycle early on so she was trained to sleep through the night by now.

Y/N tugged her hand up and down him a few times, before licking a stripe up the underside of him. Harry pushed at her hair, tugging it into a ponytail so he could see her face as she did it and the light from their bedside tables illuminating his face. His wide eyes, the same ones their daughter had, stared back at her, blown wide with desire, his tongue licking across his lip as he watched her move. “Wanna taste you,” she said, pressing a kiss to his tip.

“God,” Harry mumbled, bucking his hips up into her touch and she loved the control she had over him. “Can do anything you want to me, baby.”

Without waiting, her lips were around his tip, taking him into her mouth and Harry moaned, fingers digging into the sheets from the sensation of being inside her. He was heavy in her mouth and she loved how he brushed her throat and panted her name, barely holding himself together and she licked at him. She knew everything that set him off after years of being together and used it all. Scratched at his thighs, hummed over him, batted her eyelashes at him, mumbled his name.

She knew Harry wasn’t going to last, though, he never did. Far preferred being inside of her to coming in her mouth and told her often. “Love,” he said, reaching for her and trying to pull her off of him. “Need you.”

She decided to play with him a bit, wind him up just because she could. “Where do you need me?”

He whined, pulling at her hair to try and get her to move up him, a desperation overtaking his body. “Around me. Need your pussy.”

Those were the magic words for her. She climbed up him, capturing his lips in hers for a passionate kiss that had them grinding against each other like kids. He was hard against her clit, the wetness of both of their desire mixing and allowing him to slide easily between her folds. When he bumped her clit with his tip she whimpered, and Harry lost it, unable to wait any longer.

He flipped them, Y/N yelping as she landed on her back, a soft giggle escaping her lips as he settled over her. “Little tease,” he scolded with a playful smile, sucking on her neck, the soft spot that always had her pawing at his skin.

“H,” she panted, pushing her hips up to his. “Please.”

She was on an IUD, had been since they’d started having sex after Emerson was born. Neither of them were in the market for another kid right now, as much as they loved Emmy, she was plenty of a handful for both of them. They wanted to wait longer, get their life together and more settled before they had the conversation about more kids, although it definitely wasn’t off the table. Especially since Y/N had said yes when he had bent down on one knee, a year after Emerson was born, unable to wait any longer. For now, though,  they were in no rush to marry, just enjoying building a life together, raising Emmy, and being together. Maybe it hadn’t been the life either of them expected, but now that they were living it there was no turning back.

Y/N pushed his hair off his forehead and tugged at the ends, pulling his head to hers so she could pull him into a kiss that left them both breathless. “H, fuck me, please.”

“Good God,” he panted against her lips. “One day you truly are going to kill me.” With that, he moved slightly and pressed his tip to her slit, both of them groaning as he pushed inside. It had been a few days, the longest they usually went since they, even after a child, couldn’t get enough of each other. Y/N quickly adjusted to his size, because after four years with Harry she couldn’t remember what it was even like to be with someone else—he was so good to her, always.

Her legs twined around his waist and pulled him deeper into her, and Harry moaned her name into her neck as he sunk in and then pulled back out. He leaned on his elbows on either side of her face, his head falling so his forehead knocked against hers when he pushed into her, but neither of them minded. They loved being this close, so close she could feel the beads on sweat on his chest and hear his every exhale in her ears. He was deep, deliciously so, and when he nudged the back of her walls, finding that spot that drive her wild she arched her back into him. “Feel so good,” she murmured, attaching her lips to the column of his neck, sponging kisses down it. “H, fuck fuck fuck—“ He drove into her, deeper than before, and the impact had her scratching lines down his back, red angry marks left in their trail that he would admire in the morning and Y/N would blush at the sight of.

“Yeah? Like feeling me inside of you?” He nudged at her nose, turning her head so he could kiss underneath her earlobe, a soft spot that left her keening in his touch. “Made for me, you know. Just…made for me and only me. You’re mine, love—fuck—mine forever. Can’t wait to marry you, Y/N, please,” he spat when she fluttered around him, walls pulling him deep. He stuttered inside of her, barely inches from tumbling over the edge, but he wanted her to come first, always wanted her to finish first. “Close for me, baby?”

She nodded frantically, pulling at his biceps to keep her steady and he thrusted into her at a fast pace, their bed squeaking slightly. “Want you to come, too,” she told him, lips finding his in a quick kiss.

“I’ll come when you do,” he promised, because he could never hold himself together when she came around him. Had never been able to and would never be able to. “Come for me, love.” His words were rough in her ears, murmuring and begging for her.

With another thrust and a sloppy kiss to her nipples, she was coming, panting his name in breaths that left her gasping for air. Harry finished right after her, slamming into her and shuddering against her body as he fell, sweaty skin kissing sweaty skin. He rested his head on her chest and her fingers combed through his hair, brushing at the locks just like he loved. “When do you want to get married?” She asked him after a few minutes of lying there.

He picked his head up and looked at her and she saw the sparkle in his eyes that she adored. “Tomorrow. I don’t care, Y/N, as long as it’s to you.”

She kissed his forehead and pushed a curl back. “I want to do it in Holmes Chapel, like we talked about.  Or maybe Italy. In the Spring? Before Emmy is three.”

He slid his arms under her and pulled her up so she was sitting in his lap, her legs around his hips, and he grinned at her. “Yeah? You wanna marry me in the Spring?”

“As long as it’s to you,” she said, and Harry chuckled into her skin, before capturing her lips in his, just as sweet as the first time he tasted them. “I’m so glad I made an exception for you.” Her words were a quiet confession, and one that Harry had heard multiple times over the past four years of being with her, but ones that never ceased to make him love her more.

“Your only exception,” he mumbled, kisses dusting across her cheeks, showering her in his affection.

She nodded, holding his cheeks in hers, eyes boring into his, the ones he dreamed of when he was gone. “My only exception.”

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[liam-93-productions]

For the last 10 or so months, most people's lives have seriously slowed down. With shelter-in-place and lockdown orders mandated around the world, it's no surprise that many celebrities's once-busy and hectic public lives have come to a startling halt, but this hasn't necessarily been the case for Liam Payne.

Besides churning out new music, the singer has been very busy this year. Not unlike most of us, he's joined TikTok and discovered the benefits of sustainability, (...) and even held a livestream concert series. Long story short, Payne's life hasn't changed pace, so it makes a lot of sense that he's updating his résumé with yet another accomplishment: being the face of a sexy new fragrance.

The partnership itself isn't new — Payne has been an ambassador for Hugo for the last few years — but the presence of Payne's smouldering stare in the latest campaign for Hugo Man seems fitting. After all, 2020 was the year of significant anniversaries for both the brand and Payne: Hugo Man not only celebrated its 25th birthday, but July 23 marked the 10th anniversary of One Direction. While 1D fans didn't get exactly what they'd hoped for (i.e. a band reunion), even the most soured superfans can feel a sense of pride for Payne's personal evolution.

Ahead, Payne shares what he's been up to while staying home, his plans for 2021, the tattoo he loves (now), and how an unlikely TikTok collaboration came to be.

Liam Payne On His Signature Scent as a Teen

It's a universal truth that most teenagers do not smell great (or at least smell a lot better after moving past puberty and skipping the body spray housed inside a neon plastic bottle). While Payne spent most of his formative years in a band, he's not exactly exempt from our collective smelly past.

"I think when we're teenagers we choose those really cheap scents that everybody seems to have and they smell like a changing room most times," he told POPSUGAR. "I hope my own personal journey has been good, but I'm sure there must have been points when it wasn't." Despite what those handmade One Direction candles would tell you, Payne most certainly smells great now: modern, masculine, and after about 20 minutes, a bit woody.

While most of us could've maybe guessed what Payne smells like on a daily basis — introduce us to a 20-something guy who doesn't appreciate a balsam note — we would've never assumed his favourite scent that's not a fragrance: history. To be specific, really old houses. "I just moved into a house and it's really old. You know when you can smell that the house has history? That smell," he confirmed. "That smell is quite nice."

Liam Payne On His Most Regrettable Tattoo

Payne is not the first person to regret a tattoo, but could maybe teach a masterclass on learning to love yours. So, what is — or was — his most regrettable ink? The chevron-like row of arrows on his right arm. "The guy put the design on me and it was way too big, but I hadn't got the heart to tell him because I was kind of afraid," Payne said. "I think I fell asleep on the desk in the tattoo shop, it was the most random thing, ever. Then, I woke up the next morning and my arm was hurting. I was like, oh no, that didn't happen, did it?"

Payne revealed that he quickly went to Google to search for ways to remove the tattoo, but as you'll see, he never really went through with it. In fact, the large piece served as inspiration for one of his collections with Hugo (you can spot it on the collar of some of the pieces).

So, how does he feel about it now? "It was a beautiful mistake," he said. "I feel like tattoos do become a part of you, like a scar or something. They'll always be there and you always grow to love them."

Liam Payne On His Most Recent Tattoo

According to some experts, the post-coronavirus tattoo boom is inevitable. Even we can admit that we've been eyeing a few designs over the last year. As for Payne, he doesn't entirely relate. "I yearn for more tattoos, but I only ever get tattoos when I'm a little bit drunk," he said. "I can't sit with an idea and then hope I'm going to get it. I'm not one of those people.

While Payne is one of those spur-of-the-moment kind of tattoo lovers, he admitted that he's excited to reunite with one of his favourite LA-based artists, Nikko Hurtado. So, no, he doesn't know what kind of tattoo he might get once lockdown is over, but he can confirm the very last tattoo he got before everything changed. "I got my initials on my hand in case I ever can't remember who I am," he said, referencing the "L" and "P" inked on his left and right hands, respectively. "At least I've got the letters to start with."

Liam Payne On Collabing With TikTok's Abby Roberts

After the year we've had, nothing really shocks us anymore — except maybe coming across Liam Payne in clown makeup on TikTok. If he made a surprising appearance on your For You Page this year, you may have wondered how the musician ended up on the app collaborating with one of its most popular makeup artists, Abby Roberts. Turns out, Payne had seen some of Roberts's videos before and initiated the harmonious partnership in anticipation for his Halloween concert special. And so their viral TikToks were born. (Seriously, the first video he posted with Roberts has since earned four millions likes.)

Just because we were surprised by this collaboration doesn't mean Payne is a stranger to undergoing seriously long makeup transformations. Remember those intro videos One Direction made for the Take Me Home Tour in 2013? The boys went undercover in London thanks to prosthetics and wigs. Tl;dr hijinks ensued, fans loved it, and Payne still remembers what it was like to be turned into Harry Styles's elderly husband. "I think I was in the chair for five hours while I was being made into an old man," he recalled of the prosthetics. "It was quite fun, but watching yourself age before the mirror was a very daunting prospect, but it was a lot of fun to play [that] part."

Liam Payne On His Commitment to Sustainability

Like many of us, Payne has become more aware of just how crucial a eco-conscious lifestyle can be for our present and future. As a Hugo ambassador, he's familiar with the importance of sourcing sustainable materials and ingredients when creating both clothes and fragrances. Perhaps the sexiest thing about the relaunched Hugo Man is that it's housed inside a box made from recycled paper. Even sexier, Payne admits he's made his own personal commitment to recycling while staying home. "It's made me take a longer look at myself and the way I treat things," he said. Even he agrees we all have to start somewhere.

Liam Payne On His Plans For 2021

Everyone's plans and expectations for this new year are very different, but Payne's already got his eye on some downtime. "I feel like because we didn't know if we had to completely stop working or whether we were even going to have anything to do this year, we worked as hard as we could constantly since March," he said. "It feels for all of us that 2021 is going to hit a little bit of a refresh button."

Still, even he can admit while we'd love to leave a lot of 2020 behind, there is one thing he'll take with him: quality time. "Life's been on a bit of treadmill for a long time and I think when you live in big cities, like London and LA, everybody's always go go go all the time," he said, "I think it's been important this year that we've got to learn to take some time for ourselves and stop and enjoy these moments."

[dramioneficrecommendations]

Hiii I accidentally jumped in dramione fandom, and I'm looking for good stuff for this weekend. Could pls tell me your 5 (or more)favorite dramione fics ever? Thanks!

I hope you like it here and stay with us… forever. LOL (Honestly, we have the best fics and authors in the entire HP fandom.)

Here are some of my all-time favourite Dramione fics (you can also check out my fic rec tag):

Revert by SUPRNTRAL LVR: Six months post-war, Malfoy is in serious trouble. He’s on the run from the Ministry, Death Eaters, and a deadly curse which is eating him alive. When he hits rock bottom, a change in fortune lands him in 12 Grimmauld Place under the Ministry’s custody - and forces Hermione to remember the secrets they’ve both kept for years. Dramione, Sick!Draco, flashbacks to Hogwarts, hurt. Rated: M - Chapters: 24 - Words: 260,266

Manacled by SenLinYu: Harry Potter is dead. In the aftermath of the war, in order to strengthen the might of the magical world, Voldemort enacts a repopulation effort. Hermione Granger has an Order secret locked away in her mind. She is sent as an enslaved surrogate to the High Reeve, to be bred and monitored until it can be accessed. COMPLETE. Rated: M - Chapters: 77 - Words: 384,000

Isolation by Bex-chan: He can’t leave the room. Her room. And it’s all the Order’s fault. Confined to a small space with only the Mudblood for company, something’s going to give. Maybe his sanity. Maybe not. “There,” she spat. “Now your Blood’s filthy too!” DM/HG. PostHBP. Now complete with epilogue. Rated: M - Chapters: 49 - Words: 284,050

Five Days by RavieSnake: No one knows that they are missing. No one knows where they are. No one knows that they are trapped. No one knows that they are dying. Dramione. WINNER for Best Drama/Angst and Best Tragedy in the Winter 2017 Dramione Fanfiction Awards! Rated: M - Chapters: 14 - Words: 32,001

Aurelian by BittyBlueEyes: Two years after the war, a young stranger pays a visit to the burrow. His arrival alone is baffling, but the news he brings of an upcoming war turns the world upside down. Hermione’s quiet, post-war life will never be the same. Rated: T - Chapters: 43 - Words: 270,571

The Politician’s Wife by pir8fancier: Hermione hates Draco in the springtime, Hermione hates Draco in the fall, Hermione hates Draco 247. Rated: M - Chapters: 14 - Words: 68,629

The Revenant by atalanta84: Sometimes fate brings us far from home, and sometimes it brings us back again. When a friend’s mysterious death causes Draco Malfoy to return to Britain, he is finally forced to face his past, and the love he left behind. A story about second chances. Rated: M - Chapters: 10 - Words: 67,866

The Fool, the Emperor, and the Hanged Man by ianthewaiting: Ten years after the fall of the Dark Lord, Hermione Granger leads of life of self-imposed obscurity, that is, until the day Headmistress Minerva McGonagall is murdered and a certain ‘hero’ is responsible. DM/HG, written originally in 2007-2008, and finally making its debut here! AU, DH-EWE, non-canon elements, time travel, character death, etc. Rated: M - Chapters: 28 - Words: 229,334

The Dragon’s Bride by Rizzle: 7th year. Draco & Hermione awaken in a Muggle hotel room, naked, hung-over and tattooed. They also happen to be married. Thus begin a desperate search for a solution to their sticky situation. Rated: M - Chapters: 61 - Words: 225,164

The Eagle’s Nest by HeartOfAspen: COMPLETE: Hermione’s eighth year at Hogwarts is already going to be difficult in the aftermath of the war, but it is further thrown into upheaval when Headmistress McGonagall orders a re-sorting of all students to promote inter-house unity. But when the Sorting Hat sends Hermione to Ravenclaw with Draco - and without Harry or Ron, how will she cope? [AU/Dramione] Prevalent alchemy. Rated: M - Chapters: 70 - Words: 306,322

Thirteenth Night by Nelpher: When Hermione is assigned to keep tabs on a memory-charmed Draco, she is faced with a decision that could change her life forever. Rated: M - Words: 77,997 Chapters: 23

Ordinary People by inadaze22: “Let me be clear about something tonight, Granger. You’re the only woman I’ve ever wanted. It’s always been you.” Draco steps in the fireplace, drops the Floo powder, and disappears in a burst of green flames. Rated: M - Chapters: 18 - Words: 133,759

This, Too, Is Sacred by HeartOfAspen: COMPLETE: An ancient power has required generations of purebloods to pledge their lives to the blood pact. Draco has long known he was born to uphold this tradition… but Hermione’s parents have secrets, hidden details about her heritage, and soon it will be her turn to cast in with fate. [Dramione AU] Fantastic cover art by Witches-Britches. Rated: M - Chapters: 23 - Words: 90,994

Gravity by luckei1: It’s about arranging stacks of books, wall colours, and jumping off a cliff. Draco/Hermione Rated: T - Chapters: 10 - Words: 87,155

Dystopia (new version) by Rizzle: Kidnapped and expecting to be abandoned to his fate, Draco Malfoy writes a personal account of recent life, love and loss after the end of the Second Wizarding War. His story encompasses two unforgivable acts, a wedding, a divorce, a kidnapping and maybe, just maybe…a rescue. Rated: M - Chapters: 15 - Words: 19,885 

A Slow Cruel Descent by SenLinYu: The war grinds on and Hermione Granger is captured. Unable to crack her through interrogation without risking her mind, Voldemort conceives a cruel method of breaking her that involves Draco Malfoy. “He stared at her in disgust. She looked— broken. The fire she’d still had when she was dragged in was now extinguished. Her eyes were locked on his face like she were memorizing him.” Rated: M - Chapters: 2 - Words: 8,687 (Sequel: A Fragile Ascent)

Heavy Lies the Crown by luckei1: For seven years, Draco has carried the weight of the world on his shoulders, and just when he thinks he’ll be released, something happens that will make him seek help from the last person he could have imagined. Rated: M - Chapters: 36 - Words: 289,967

To Wear a Dragon’s Skin by creativelymundane: When Bellatrix Lestrange takes control of the wizarding world after the demise of Voldemort, the remnants of the Order keep fighting. Seven years later, Draco brings Hermione a piece of magic that might be the key to finally ending the war. Together they will destroy Bellatrix Lestrange or die trying. Violence, Implicit Rape, Sexual Situations. Rated: M - Chapters: 26 - Words: 137,484

A Pound of Flesh by PennilynNovus: One night at a strip club, Hermione is faced with someone from her past, and an opportunity too good to pass up. What starts as revenge quickly grows into something else, and she may find it to be more than she can handle. Limes, Lemons, M. Rated: NC-17 - Chapters: 33

A Wonderful Caricature of Intimacy by Countess of Abe: Draco loves his son more than anything in the world. So, when his ex-wife plans to take his son away, Draco asks the most unlikely person for help. Hermione must decide whether changing her entire life is worth helping the man she hates unconditionally. Rated: M - Chapters: 25 - Words: 136,998

Apple Pies and Other Amends by ToEatAPeach: “It’s a veritable PTSD tour. With pastries. And hand-skimmed clotted cream. And Hermione has no idea why she’s doing it, but it’s becoming very apparent that she is.” Sometimes you’re sad. Sometimes you need dessert. And sometimes, it’s a little of both. [COMPLETE, DRAMIONE] Rated: M - Chapters: 30 - Words: 80,226

Fairy Stone by Colubrina: Draco is sentenced to one year in Azkaban, release contingent upon someone willing to vouch for his good behavior. Hermione does. “Oh, I want you,” he said. “You, just you, always you. You forever and you for always and you until the bloody sun explodes.” Dramione. COMPLETE. Rated: M - Chapters: 4 - Words: 13,827

The Mountain and The Sea by Alexis.Danaan: Hermione Granger was perfectly happy with her life, her job as a Healer Trainee, her ugly cat and her cute little house in the countryside. And then Draco Malfoy had to go and mess that all up, typical git. Post-Hogwarts, EWE, OOC, creature!fic. 18 Rated: M - Chapters: 12 - Words: 43,464

Celestial Navigation by phlox: Lost, without direction, unable to find your way home? Coming soon, a new Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes Ekeltronic to guide you on your journey! *Your mileage may vary.*Rated: T - Chapters: 3 - Words: 13,640

Waiting Room by Nelpher: A series of encounters with Draco Malfoy in the waiting room at St. Mungo’s teaches Hermione about love, friendship, and the intersection thereof. Rated: T - English Words: 61,418 Chapters: 14

Voices by Kyonomiko: Hermione has long accepted she might not make it through the war alive, but after years on the battlefield, she never expected to be at the mercy of Draco Malfoy. Not untouched by his own experiences, his manic behavior leaves her living in constant fear of the unknown, suffering both affections and afflictions at his hands. Rated: M - Chapters: 3 - Words: 19,724

Friend Number Three by riptey: COMPLETE - How do you deal with the Pureblood aristocracy, Ministry corruption, Muggle culture invasions, and constant questions about your love life while juggling more than two friends and not being a total jerk? Don’t ask Draco: he doesn’t know. D/Hr Rated: T - Chapters: 26 - Words: 138,388

Seven Days In April by inadaze22: They were still the same people with the same problems on either side of a bathroom door. Rated: T - Chapters: 7 - Words: 40,097 

Everything Changes by inadaze22: “Thank you for cheating on me, Ron. It’s the best thing you could’ve done. Thank you for stopping me from making the worst mistake of my life.” My first Dramione story. Rated M for strong language and sexual content. Rated: M - Chapters: 17 - Words: 76,191 

Out of the Silent Planet by ianthe_waiting: Post-Hogwarts - Hermione Granger fulfills Severus Snape’s final wish, to journey to Japan to ‘retrieve’ something of importance. Set eleven years after HBP. Rated: NC-17 - Chapters: 39 - Words: 229,710

Ardent Bonds by Musyc: Maybe it was wrong to think about this, maybe it was horrible to even consider, but if Draco Malfoy liked to dominate, she couldn’t stop herself from picturing it. Picturing him. Rated: E - Words: 16,741 - Chapters: 1

Seven Times by kerriclifford240879: Seven times can mean a lifetime of change. Rated: M - Chapters: 7 - Words: 16,526

[evermoreholland]

meant to be: harry with the camera [2]

pairing: harry holland x actress! reader

summary: you and harry meet at a coffee shop during your day off and he shows you one of his many talents.

word count: 1.1k

a/n: italics are your thoughts and bold are text messages!

click here to be tagged in future parts!

meant to be series masterlist | previous chapter | next chapter

--

You woke up on Sunday with a smile on your face. You had such a good time with Tom and Harry. On the bright side of staying up late last night, you had a day off. Finally. You have been waiting for this day off for weeks. You didn’t sleep in too late, though. It was around 8:00 am. You were so used to waking up early for work, so your body woke up at a decent hour.

It was really fun meeting Harry last night. He was a sweet guy and you really wanted to get to know him. You didn’t know if it was too soon to text him though. You just met him last night, you didn’t want to come off too strong.

*ding*

You picked up your phone, not knowing who would be texting you. Tom was almost definitely still sleeping and your family was in a different time zone. You come to find out it was Harry.

Harry with the camera: good morning ☀

You looked at his name in your phone with a smile. You already knew he was such a dork. An incredibly handsome dork. You thought. Y/N, stop it!

You: Good morning! I expected you to still be sleeping. Tom always sleeps until about noon the day after we go out.

Harry with the camera: I am usually an early riser, unlike my brother. I’m sorry, did I wake you?

You: No, not at all. What’s up?

Harry with the camera: I just wanted to tell you that I had a really fun time last night, and I hope that we get to hang out again soon.

Finally. A nice guy who wasn’t trying to do anything stupid with you. He wasn’t trying to play games.

You: I had a great time with you too, Harry. Do you want to hang out today? I’m off today.

Maybe I am coming off a little too strong. Whatever, screw it. The deed has been done.

Harry with the camera: Are you sure? It’s your day off, enjoy it. I don’t want to bother you.

You: I’m sure that I would enjoy my day off with you, Harry. You also promised to show me some of your photographs.

Harry with the camera: Oh, ok. I would love to! What time and where should we meet?

You: Rising Star Coffee Roaster on W 29th? At around 12:00 pm?

Harry with the camera: Sounds awesome! See you then :)

Was this considered to be a date? Or just friends hanging out? You weren’t quite sure but you were still excited to spend your off day with someone. Whenever you would have an off day, it would usually be very lonely due to the fact that you didn’t know many people in Cleveland.

You chilled in your bed for about an hour before you decided to get ready. You took a long and relaxing warm shower. Most days you would have to get ready in a hurry, but today you savored the peace and quiet. After that, you put on your best comfy but fashionable outfit and made your way to the coffee shop to meet Harry.

You didn’t know what to expect from him. Was he just trying to make a move or was he actually being genuine? You have dealt with so many kinds of guys throughout your life. You had a career that involved you traveling around the world, so that meant that you met your fair share of men.

You got to the coffee shop at around 12:00 like planned. When you walked in, Harry was already there saving a table for the two of you. There he was at the table with his camera, two photo albums, your favorite coffee drink and two blueberry muffins. Blueberry muffins are my favorite. How could Harry possibly know that and my coffee order? You thought.

“Hey Harry with the camera,” you said as you approached the table.

“Hey cherry red,” Harry said.

“How did you know my coffee order and that I absolutely adore blueberry muffins?” You asked as you took a sip of your coffee.

“A little birdy may have told me,” Harry said. Tom, obviously. He’s such a good wingman. Wait. THIS ISN’T A DATE! You thought for what it seemed to be the twentieth time today.

“Well, thank you. How much do I have to pay you back for it?” You asked.

“Nothing. My treat,” he replied.

“Are you sure?” You asked one more time to be sure. You really didn’t want him paying.

“Positive,” he said with a smile.

“Thanks, Harry. Um, can I see your photo album?” You asked, pointing over to the album with a black cover on it.

“Yeah, sure. This album has all of my nature pieces,” he said as he opened the album in front of you. You were absolutely blown away by the amount of talent that this boy had. You flipped through each page and you were more impressed with him after each photograph you saw.

“Harry, this is incredible,” you said.

“Thanks. I really want to incorporate people in nature but I just haven’t found the right model,” he said. Hmmmm. Model. Maybe I could be his model so we can hang out more. I don’t really have so much free time, though. You thought to yourself.

“That’s a great idea. I could find you someone, if you want,” you suggested.

“I was actually wondering if you would want to do it. Or are you too busy?” He asked.

“I would love to, Harry. I’m busy with the movie, though,” you said. You really wanted to help him out but you were too busy.

“Maybe after filming wraps up?” He suggested.

“I would love to,” you said. After that, you both sat in comfortable silence for a while. You looked through the other album that Harry brought. That album had pictures from the Spiderman: Far From Home press tour. Harry loved traveling with his brothers and he loved documenting each journey.

You have been sitting at the coffee shop for about two hours and you were finished looking through Harry’s photo albums.

“Cherry red,” Harry said softly.

“Yeah?”

“Do you want to get out of here?” He asked.

“Sure. Where do you want to go?” You asked.

“I heard Edgewater Park has great picnic areas that overlook beautiful beaches. We can maybe go to the market, grab some food, and go,” Harry suggested.

“I would love that. It might be a great spot for some photos,” you said.

“You already know me so well, cherry red,” he said.

“Let’s go, then,” you said.

--

Harry Holland Taglist:

@tomhollandsotherpinkytoe @osterfieldnholland @fleursviolettes @xyrainbowxy @ifilosemyselfagain @serasara809 @allaroundaddict @beverlyparkerr @graceluvsyouu @kickingn-ames @peonyophelia @euphorichxlland @frantasmic @thebackoftheshed

Mutuals that have shown interest in the series but are not (yet) on my taglist: 

@kelieah @fallinfortom @t-holland2080 @fancyxholland @cosmicholland

[padfootagain]

Girl Crush (XV)

Chapter 15 : A Time for Christmas Roses

 Here we go with a new chapter!! Lots of cuteness!!! London in winter will settle for the next few chapters! Next update in 48 hours, as I've finished the next couple of chapters too!

I hope you like this new part, please, tell me what you think!

Word Count: 5326

Spending New Year's Eve in London ought to be a dream.

If you had imagined only a few months before that you would travel to Europe for the holidays, you would have shaken your head at yourself and your crazy imagination.

And yet there you were, incredibly jetlagged, pulling your suitcase behind you as you walked out of your terminal in Heathrow Airport, looking for your friend across the estranged faces that filled the cold halls.

The little crowd that had gathered in the centre of the building did give you a hint of where Harry was though. You had told him that it wasn't a good idea for him to come and pick you up. But as usual, he didn't listen. It was kind of him to come, of course. Still, it was pretty stupid considering how famous he was.

It seemed to be a rather calm crowd though, and when you spotted Harry in the middle of the group, he seemed relaxed enough, taking pictures with everyone who had gathered around him. You headed for the exit and sent him a text to tell him you were waiting for him outside.

It was terribly cold in London, and you missed the Californian sun already as you stepped outside of the airport and under a grey sky. People were hurrying to and fro in a busy waltz, dragging their luggage behind them, but you settled a few meters away from the door in a quieter corner, leaning against a wall. You watched the cars passing by and strangers rushing in and out, wondering where they were coming from and where they were going. What exotic destination would they go to? Where they coming to London to see a friend, family, a lover, or was London an exotic destination to them as well?

"Sorry about that."

Harry's deep voice tore you away from your thoughts, and you didn't miss a second to lean in his open arms to hug him close.

"Oh, I've missed you so much," he breathed into your hair.

He breathed in the smell of your shampoo, the fragrance making him feel light-headed. It was almost painful to have you back when he had missed you so much. A good kind of pain. The ache that made a heart beat a little faster as one's longing is over. The stinging sensation that settles in to replace what had been wanted.

"I've missed you too," you answered, burying your face a little deeper against his shoulder. "It's so good to see you."

He tightened his hold on you before letting go.

"I'm parked close, let's go."

He took your suitcase and guided you across the parking lot to his car, his warm breath creating strange shapes into the cold air.

"God, it's so cold," you squealed as you climbed on the passenger's seat.

"It's winter, what did you expect?" Harry laughed at you, turning on the engines.

"Thanks again for inviting me over, this is amazing! I couldn't stay long enough to really visit anything when I came for your first show, so I'm glad I have a second chance to discover London."

"I'm sure you have an entire list of places where you want to go…"

"Of course!"

You grinned, reaching in the pocket on the inside of your warm coat for a little piece of paper where you had written the name of all the places you wanted to visit during the week.

Harry couldn't help but laugh, but his eyes and smile were tender, filled with fondness. Because it was just so you… and you were too adorable for his heart to handle.

"I also count on your expertise, obviously," you went on, ignoring his laughter. "Maybe you can show me around a few places?"

He frowned.

"Well, we'll be together for two weeks, I don't think you've really got a choice in terms of who's going to be your guide around London…"

"I… I don't know… don't you have things to do while I'm here?"

"No, I've cleared my schedule because you were coming."

"Oh…"

"Are you… disappointed that I'll be around?"

You rolled your eyes.

"Don't be silly. I've just travelled across the globe just to see you, remember? I just thought that you would be busy. But I'm glad you aren't. I'm gonna drag you to all the tourists' favourite spots!"

"I didn't expect anything less coming from you."

You seemed to think for a moment, which was always a moment to be dreaded, for all your craziest and cutest ideas emerged from these reflective times.

"What's going in there? I can see the smoke coming out of your ears," Harry commented, stopping at a red light.

"Will it be okay for you to come with me to all these places? I mean… people recognized you at the airport."

His hold on the steering wheel tightened, but his voice was calm when he replied.

"It's winter: coats, hats, scarves… I should be alright. But if you're worried it'll be a problem, you can go on your own, it's okay."

But you shook your head.

"If you're okay with taking the risk, then so am I. And you're right, even I could barely recognize you with that gigantic scarf of yours," you added, pointing at Harry's brown knitted scarf.

He exploded with laughter, and relaxed.

"I'm more than ready to take the risk. I've missed spending time with you."

"I've missed you too."

"I'll come back to L.A. for a while after the holidays."

"Really?" you asked, excited.

"Yeah… I have some time off in the tour, much needed time off. So… would like to try to escape the cold of London in winter."

"I'm sure you would!" you playfully laughed at him. "Well, I won't complain. L.A isn't the same without my best friend."

If your words still made him smile, there was also a string being bitterly pulled at his heart.

Best friend… no need to remind him of that.

"How is work, by the way?"

"Everything's fine. I got a raise before Christmas!"

"Wow! Congrats! Mary really can't do anything without you anymore, huh?"

You became a little shy, but wore a proud smile on your lips still.

"Well, I'm good at my job, apparently."

"You are amazing at your job, Y/N."

You wanted to nudge him playfully and tell him to shut up, but his voice sounded too earnest for you to react this way. You lowered your gaze to your shoes instead and let out a shy thank you.

"What about Gareth?" Harry asked in a casual tone, resting his elbow at the base of the window to hold the wheel.

"He's fine. He's spending the holidays with his family, so he couldn't come, but thank you for inviting him too, it means a lot to me."

I know it does. I wouldn't have done so otherwise.

"You'll have him again soon."

You shrugged.

"It's okay. It's just for a couple of weeks. Oh, which reminds me, he asked me to text him after I landed.""

"Everything's fine between you two?" Harry wondered while you texted your boyfriend, letting him know that you were in safe hands and that all had gone well.

"Yeah… it's going fine. Nothing new. He gave me a nice book about plants for Christmas… that I had already, but it was kind," you laughed fondly.

"I'm glad you've found someone nice. Someone who treats you right," Harry earnestly said. "And for his defence… you have almost all possible books that one can find about plants so…"

"I know, it was cute. But what about you?"

"Me and Gareth? We're over the moon together."

"Not you and Gareth, you silly!" you joined his laughter. "I mean, do you have someone these days?"

But Harry shook his head.

"Nope. No one."

"No one serious or no one no one?"

"Uhm… no one… no one… What…?"

"I don't know, I mean… you never talk to me about this stuff."

"Because there is nothing to say?"

"I mean… Sandra tells me about her one-night stands all the time, Jasmine tells me everything about her and her boyfriend. So… I hope you don't avoid telling me things because you feel like you can't. Cause you can. I mean… you get it, right?"

He chuckled.

"I don't have any one-night stands to talk about either."

"No?"

He shook his head.

"Nothing since…"

He frowned hard, going through memories. But then, his expression changed from focused to surprised.

"Since… before my album came out. Wow… perhaps I should work on a one-night stand after all… that… that is a long time without sex…"

"Just a few months," you rolled your eyes.

"Almost a year."

"Almost a year?"

"Almost ten months," he nodded.

"Maybe you should try to find a one-night stand," you admitted with a teasing smile.

"Good resolutions for the new year: getting laid," he joked, making you laugh as well.

It wasn't that late in London, barely the beginning of the evening, and yet by the time you needed to drive from the airport to Harry's house the sun had set, turning the clouds from grey to a deep shade of brown, almost black. The yellowish light of the lampposts helped the moon to light the world. But London was a busy city, and even with the low light and the cold, the streets were filled with strangers walking around. Despite the early time in the evening, your journey had greatly tired you, and you asked Harry to stay in for the first night. He didn't protest, it meant getting some quality time with you after all.

You were surprised though when you entered Harry's home when you found no Christmas decorations whatsoever.

Yes, it was the 27th, and Christmas was theoretically over, but you reckoned that Christmas time ought to last at least until the second week of January, or else it wasn't worth it.

What about the aftermath? Eating all the chocolate you got for Christmas? All the extra cookies? Keeping the lights on for New Year's Eve?

The most surprising fact was that there was a tree in his living room, it was simply…bare.

"You've already put all your decorations away?" you asked, taking in your surroundings, not being surprised to find the place looking exactly like Harry's personality.

A little old and a little new. Soft and warm and full of chairs and couches to gather a lot of people at once. Tasteful and personal, the kind of home that made you feel like it could become yours if he agreed to let you stay for a little longer than a few hours. The plants you had helped him nurture were thriving.

You loved the place already…

"Huh… no, I didn't put them on actually," Harry answered, taking his warm coat off and pushing your suitcase down the hallway and towards the stairs. "I was at my mom's for Christmas, and didn't have time to decorate before leaving."

"But you have a tree!"

"I just had time to pick it up, and then something came up, and I didn't decorate it."

You pouted, seeming a little disappointed.

Harry heaved a sigh as he knew perfectly what that meant…

"Do you want us to decorate it tonight?"

You gave him a grin and nodded enthusiastically.

"Even if Christmas is over?" he asked, but you shrugged his remark away.

"I haven't given you your present, yet."

"You got me a present?"

"Of course!"

"Good, because I got you one too."

Your grin only widened, burning through the room.

"I can't wait to see what it is."

"Alright, what about I get your suitcase upstairs and get the decorations while you make us some hot cocoa, huh? Feel free to open all the drawers in the kitchen, my home is yours. I also bought the cookies you like, they're next to the sink."

You got to work, humming to the Christmas song stuck in your head while Harry fumbled through boxes he had put away upstairs and the warm scent of sugar and chocolate filled the entire house.

When he finally walked back downstairs with a box filled with decorations and he saw you standing there, humming in his kitchen in your warm woollen pullover, your pair of old jeans and your colourful socks, busy making the most comforting drink in the world, he couldn't help but feel like this was right. You, there, in his kitchen, relaxed and happy and making cocoa… that was how things were meant to be. It felt so right. It felt so real.

His throat tightened and jaw clenched, his hold tightening around the box.

He wished that it could be meant to be, at least. A shame you didn't seem to feel this way too.

He shook himself, pushing these thoughts away, because for now you weren't with Gareth, you were with him, in his kitchen and he intended to enjoy every moment he could spend with you.

"Found them!" he told you as he entered the kitchen, right when you were pouring the hot beverage into two large mugs.

"Great! Let's take a look! Here you go, be careful, it's very hot."

You handed him his cocoa and he put the box on the kitchen table so you could inspect what it contained.

And you were far from impressed.

A few lights, but there were barely any garlands and other goodies…

Now, that wouldn't do.

"Okay, no. No, we can't decorate this grandiose tree with only these!" you admonished, shaking your head. "Is there a supermarket close?"

"Huh… yeah, down the street. Why?"

"We're gonna make some decorations."

"Make?"

"If we find a few cute things we can buy them too, but I reckon that as Christmas is technically over we're gonna have to do the hard work ourselves. Come on! Get your coat and your keys, and there we go!"

"But… the cocoa…"

"I'll make more when we come back, come on!"

You did take the time though to grab one of the cookies Harry had bought for you - chocolate chips, your favourite, as usual – and then dragged him out again.

At the store down the street, you filled Harry's arms with glitter, and paint, and glue, and an awful lot of paper and pencils and even more glitter. Your friend didn't really dare to question your actions, he had seen you in this kind of creative mood before, and was well aware that you were an unstoppable force then. You were way too stubborn, all he could do was nod and accept that his evening would be spent creating adorable Christmas decorations with you. And as the thought crossed his mind while you were both waiting to pay for your items, he didn't really want to complain about it after all. There was a dreamy smile on his lips, tender and happy, because when given a little bit of thought, making Christmas decoration with you was a lovely way to spend an evening.

That's how you soon found yourself sitting on Harry's white carpet, before his tall Christmas tree, surrounded with scissors, paper and pencils, your fingers covered in glue and glitter all over your face, laughing with Harry while Ella Fitzgerald sang Christmas Carols in the background.

"I think you're missing some pink glitter on your left cheek," you stated, disregarding the little paper star you were folding in yellow paper, examining Harry.

He had some silver glitter on the bridge of his nose, and a little bit of gold on his forehead, some blue and green on his chin and his cheeks adorned each a line of a bright orange glitter.

"Okay, go ahead," he accepted his fate with an amused smile and leaned forward to allow you to apply some pink glitter over his cheeks.

"Better!"

"You need more red."

"Red?"

"Yes, on your cheeks."

It was your turn to lean forward, presenting your face to him and closing your eyes, waiting for him to paint glittery shapes all over your skin. And as he applied some glitter on his finger and then onto the soft skin of your cheek, Harry couldn't manage to prevent his heart from beating too fast.

God… how he wanted to run his fingers across your cheek for hours…

Instead, it lasted less than a minute, but that was more than enough for him to blush and feel like his heart was ready to explode, and how was that humanly possible to get so many butterflies in one's stomach?

You got back to your tiny star with a smile on your face, singing along to the Christmas songs Harry had put on. It was a mess, the whole room was messy by now, but the tree looked more and more psychedelic, which was all Harry's home deserved.

But you had made a mess of his house already, when you had landed only a few hours before in London. And a comment that Gareth once made about you echoed in your mind once again as your eyes roamed the space around you.

I love that you're passionate about things, but sometimes you get carried away and you don't even realize it, and you kinda make a mess of things. You're… you're a bit childish sometimes.

As you took a look around the room, at all the pieces of paper and the glue, and all the mess, and even Harry's face covered with glitter, and some shiny pieces stuck in his brown curls too… you had to admit that Gareth was right. You did make a mess of things sometimes, even if you had the best of intentions, the result was the same.

Harry was inviting you to his house for the holidays, and you had decided to decorate his home for Christmas, dragged him to a shop to buy some stuff he would never use again, and then moved on to make a mess of his living room to make some childish Christmas decorations.

Gareth was right. Maybe sometimes you forgot that you had to stop behaving like that… you were too old for these things, too old for making your own Christmas decorations, too old for spending your rainy afternoons in pyjamas…

"You're alright, Y/N?"

Harry's deep voice shook you out of your own head.

"Hmm… Yeah, yeah… all good."

"You don't look like you are. What's wrong? You don't like my decoration?"

"I love it, it's very cute."

"What's wrong then?"

You shrugged, but asked the question that tore your heart and burnt your tongue anyway.

"Harry… do you think that… I'm sorry for tonight."

"Sorry? For what?"

"You… Don't you think I'm a bit too much sometimes?"

"Too much? What do you mean?"

"I… I mean… Like right now? You've invited me to stay at your place and now look… it's all a mess."

Harry laughed.

"Yeah, it's kind of a mess. But… that's alright."

"I shouldn't have asked you to decorate the tree, it's not my house. I'm sorry."

You seemed sad now, and really, Harry couldn't have that. For the next two weeks, he would work at making you the happiest woman on Earth. He couldn't start failing in the first evening.

"Don't apologize, I love decorating the tree with you."

"Really?"

"I've been laughing almost non-stop ever since we've started, in case you hadn't noticed. Thought it would give me away…"

"I… I don't… it feels like intruding."

"Intruding? No, you're not. You're… you're just being you."

"What do you mean?"

He shrugged.

"I don't know, you're just… always finding nice things to do. Things that we used to do as children and have kinda forgotten when we shouldn't have, cause they're fun to do. You're… you make simple things more valuable. You give value to simple moments, and I think it's important to do that, to know how to appreciate simple things that money can't buy. And I think that… in our society right now, it's easy to forget about those things, but you don't. And it's nice. But why are you thinking about things like that?"

"Gareth told me that sometimes… I get a bit carried away with things… like tonight, for example. And that I should tune that down."

Harry's jaw clenched, but he struggled to only reveal his emotions through a raise of his eyebrows.

"Well, I think he's wrong, don't listen to him."

"I mean… he is right."

"How did he tell you that? What were the circumstances?"

"I wanted to play to a boardgame with him. But it was more of a… like… long-line-of-similar-things kind of stuff, I guess."

"He… he isn't talking down on you, is he?"

You could see now, despite Harry's best efforts at hiding his emotions, that he was getting angry. You shook your head and gave him a reassuring smile.

"No, he's very nice. He didn't say that to be mean. It was just a remark. Nothing mean intended. Still, it made me think and… he is right… sometimes I get overexcited and have silly ideas."

"Well, I love your silly ideas."

"You do?"

"Yeah… Do you really think that I would be making all of these if I didn't like making them with you?"

"I… I don't know, you're very nice. You could have said yes just to make me happy."

"Well, I didn't. I love that about you. I love that you're earnest and silly in an adorable way. I love that you've made a mess of my living room tonight. It's fun, and sweet, and it's who you are. And I don't think you should change for anybody, especially not a boyfriend."

"I thought that the people we love were supposed to make us be better."

"I think that… we want to change to be better for the people we love. But I don't think that if you truly, unconditionally love someone you would ask them to change. I want to change to be worthy of the people who love me. But I don't want the people I love to change for me, nor for anyone else, for that matter. If you're to change something about yourself, it should be because you want to do it, not because someone else told you to. Besides, what you're talking about changing is you being absolutely adorable all the damn time, that's not the worst trait of character a human can have."

You gave him a warm smile, before he reached for your hand.

"Promise me you won't change that about you," Harry whispered, his thumb dancing over your knuckles, making your heart trip behind your ribcage. "It's a good thing. Don't change… don't change for him. He's not worth you changing for him. No one on this Earth is worth that much."

His hand left yours and despite his house being warm and comfortable, your fingers felt cold without his to cover them.

You gave him a small but earnest smile, the gesture reaching the corners of your eyes.

You had been right, Harry wouldn't want you to change that about yourself… he wouldn't want you to change at all…

"Alright, I won't."

You resumed your activity, but it wasn't long before Harry spoke again, his deep voice covering the tune of White Christmas.

"So… what do you want us to do while you're here?" your friend asked while drawing little flowers over a ball of paper.

"I guess… the usual tourists spots. Kensington Gardens, St James's Park, Buckingham Palace, the National Gallery, Big Ben, the Tower Bridge, St Paul's Cathedral…"

"The clichés then…"

"Yeah, the clichés! And for the cute little places that I don't know about, you're gonna help me!"

"Alright… But tomorrow, I have something planned for you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's Sunday and… I know about a place you'll like."

You grinned, making Harry's heart miss a beat or two.

You really were a ray of sunshine every time you smiled…

"What is it?"

"Nope! Not telling! It's a surprise!" he shook his head, and despite your pout, he would not waver. "I'm sure you're going to love it though."

"I trust you."

"It won't take the whole day though. I guess, we could go there in the morning, eat something there, and then move on to another part of town."

"Sure."

"It's about… I'd say it's about a thirty-minutes-walk from the Tower of London, we could spend the rest of the afternoon there."

"Perfect!" you frantically nodded, your grin never leaving your lips.

"Alright, let's do that then."

You got up to place your star on the tree, and Harry handed you his decoration so you could choose a spot for it too. And you reckoned that this tree looked absolutely fabulous.

"I think we're done," you announced proudly. "What do you think?"

"I think this is the weirdest Christmas tree I've ever seen, but I love it."

"It looks amazing."

"It looks unapologetically bizarre, it's great!"

"Should we clean up?" you asked, but Harry shook his head.

"Let's exchange gifts first, then we'll clean up. I can't wait to give you your present any longer."

A moment later, and you were eating a cookie, both of you sitting before the illuminated tree, with a little pile of gifts in front of each of you.

"Alright, you start," Harry nodded towards the two boxes in front of you, one rather large but thin, and the other a tiny squared one.

You didn't need any more encouragement to excitedly grab the little box and tear the paper apart. Your action revealed a dark velvety box, that you slowly opened as well, wondering what could be inside.

Your eyes opened wide at the sight of a beautiful pendant in the shape of a delicate peony, shades of silver and copper making the patterns of petals and leaves.

"Wow…" you let out in a breath.

You took the jewel out of its box and ran your fingers across the delicate shapes. You noticed that something was engraved under the two petals, and when you took a closer look, you realized that it was yours and Harry's initials.

"So… do you like it?" Harry asked anxiously, trying to read through your expression, but your silence confused him. You usually were overjoyed when you received a gift, but you were barely reacting now, only studying the piece of jewellery he had chosen for you. "I know you don't like… diamonds and stuff, so I thought that this was more discreet… do you like it?"

"It's… it's gorgeous, Harry," you whispered. "It's so beautiful."

You finally looked up at him again with withheld tears in your eyes.

"I… I don't think anyone's ever offered me something that looks this precious before," you admitted in a weak voice.

"Well, you only deserve precious things."

You stared at each other for a moment, none of you truly breathing, none of you able to look away, as if there was an invisible string connecting the two of you and pulling to make you lean closer to each other.

But you looked away first, finally able to draw a full breath of air for your shouting lungs, and Harry looked down at his laps, trying to hide how he was blushing.

"I love it, it's gorgeous," you reassured him. "Can you help me put it on?"

"Sure, come here."

You scooted closer to him, turning your back to him so he could close the silver chain around your neck. His fingers struggled a little, shaking because of the scent of your shampoo overloading his senses, and he was grateful for being seated on the floor, because he could feel his legs weakening against the floor. His eyes weren't focused on the chain at all, but instead on the back of your neck, and it took everything in him to not lean down and kiss the soft skin that was revealed to him. Instead, he closed the clasp and let go of the chain.

"Done," he whispered, his voice too out of breath, but there was nothing he could do to hide how shaky his tone had turned.

"Thank you!"

You sat back behind your second gift, running your fingers across the delicate flower falling perfectly around your neck, a smile glued to your lips.

"Okay, open the other one!" Harry urged you, and you happily complied.

Tearing the wrapping paper apart, you revealed a beautiful scarf, a purple velvet embroidered with golden threads.

Once again, you were left speechless. Instead, you traced your fingers across the soft fabric and the embroidered flowers that ran across it.

"Wow… that's beautiful, Harry. But you… you shouldn't have bought me all that…"

"Why not? You love scarves. You have too many of those already, I know, but I thought that this one would suit you. And you don't have so many purple ones, you keep on saying that you need to find new ones in that colour."

"I know but… it's… it's too nice."

"Too nice?"

But you shook your head. You were being silly. Harry really was the best… these gifts were so right for you.

"It's perfect, Harry," you grinned, wrapping the scarf around your neck. It was soft and warm.

Harry shot you a cheeky grin.

"Yeah, I know, I'm good at giving gifts."

You wanted to retaliate with a clever word to wipe that annoying expression off his face, but you reckoned that he deserved to wear it this time. So instead, you leaned forward to hug him and kiss his cheek, unaware of the butterflies that had invaded Harry's stomach at your gesture, or the shot of electricity that ran through his spine as your lips touched his skin.

He was excellent at hiding all his symptoms, indeed.

"Thank you, Harry."

"Merry Christmas, Y/N."

"Alright, your turn!"

"Hang on, hang on… I'm admiring how good my gifts look on you!" he replied, slowly taking the wrapped object you had placed in front of him

"Open it!"

Harry laughed at you, shaking his head at how excited you were, but he tore the paper of his gift anyway.

It was a notebook, bound together by a black leather cover, upon which were written in silver Future hits. Harry couldn't help but laugh at the message. He guessed that you had customized it for him, and he ran his thumb across the words in a tender stroke.

He opened it, and found that you had written a little note on the front page.

So you can keep on making everyone's life better thanks to your music.

With all the love,

Y/N

PS: don't forget to be careful on the road.

He remained silent for a moment, his throat too tight to speak, feeling tears threaten to escape from his eyes.

But when he looked up at you again, he was wearing a touched smile on his features.

"Thank you," he breathed in a voice deeper than his usual tone, and you could hear the emotion in the way he sounded as he wrapped an arm around you to pull you into a tight hug.

"Do you like it?" you shyly asked while you wrapped your arms around his neck.

"I love it. Thank you. Thank you for everything."

"Merry Christmas, Harry."

Harry's smile widened as he let his forehead fall to rest on your shoulder.

"Merry Christmas, Y/N."

There was a mess around you waiting to be cleaned. And you hadn't eaten dinner yet. And you were exhausted and dreamt of a comfortable bed.

Yet, none of you had any intention to move. In fact, you remained for a long time like this, holding on each other, enjoying being together, probably for too long for a mere hug between friends, but none of you were ready to admit that fact. It was so much easier to push the thought away for now and simply be together, even if for just a little while…

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

Tag list :   @ponycake27 @horsesreign @xinyourdreamsx @jbluevelvet@notkeppeki @daynigt-dreamer-stuff @fudgeflyss @stuckupstucky@snek-shit @suchatinyinfinity@i-padfootblack-things  @buckybsarmy @heyohheyitsgabi@jigsawlover10 @emyyjemyy @addictedtofictionalcharacters​ @staringmoony​@madamrogers​​​ @cronias13​​​ @stylesfics-xx​​​ @mellamolayla​

[secretly-a-cold-blooded-murderer]

Meet the Folks (Harry Styles x Indian!Reader)

A/N: This is my first time posting an imagine; please do leave reviews, it would help me get better.

Summary: Harry meets your parents for the first time.

”Can you stop being so jittery? They are not going to kill you” 

“Ya’ don’t know that, they might as well”, 

“H my parents are not going to murder you; they might hurt you, but homicide is not really their style”, you winked and let out a little laugh. 

“Can you like not joke right now? Y'know how important this it to both of us”, Harry said in a tense tone, sweat beads seen on his forehead as he ran his fingers through his hair.

You had been dating for about a year now, and only recently had you told your parents about your boyfriend. Truth is, you were scared of their reactions when telling them about your relationship with the Harry Styles.

You came from a modest background and recently earned your medical degree after several years of hard work and all-nighters. 

Meeting Harry was a complete accident, literally; he got into a minor car crash and was rushed into the hospital where you were doing your internship.

It was not a meet-cute, the complete opposite really, involving a lot of blood, injuries, and the horrible hospital smell.

But being with him gave you a joy that not many people could match. It wasn’t always easy, a large chunk of your relationship was long distance and involved a lot of late-night calls, video calling sessions, and if all that failed, the good ol’ texting.

There were times when communication seemed impossible amidst his chaotic life as a singer and your busy schedule being a surgeon. But you made it work, because nothing sounded better than hearing Harry’s voice through your phone after a really long day of work.

You kept your relationship low-key and Harry being the way he is, always managed to deflect the questions during interviews which somehow always circled back to you. You already had a busy life and didn’t need the added stress of hate on social media, so you avoided it completely. 

But there was always a little piece of you that feared the day you had to tell your parents about Harry. You weren’t ashamed of him. But this relationship with him wasn’t something your parents would understand. You get it, they are your parents and they worry about you, which makes this so much worse. Harry is always under a spotlight, his personal life doesn’t seem all that personal, and he is away on tour for most of the year.

It took you a long time to gain the courage and tell your parents about him; they were not happy. You had to grovel and basically emotionally manipulate them to convince them to at least give him a chance.

So, on a plain Friday evening, you two were driving to your hometown, both silently praying that you make it out alive.

————————————————————————

“Touch their feet and greet them with a namaste; don’t ever call them by their names, it’s extremely rude; call them Sir-Ma’am or Uncle-Aunty. Remove your shoes on the doorstep and don’t talk about drinking. At all. What else am I forgetting?” you counted on your fingers all the dos and don’ts of meeting Indian parents.

“Weren’t you supposed to be the cool one? You should be calming me down, it’s my head they’ll be coming for”, Harry’s frown deepened and he wiped his clammy palms on his jeans. So you tried to keep your nerves calm and decided to lighten the mood, seeing you fast approaching your place. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone touch even a strand of your hair. But seriously H, I know my parents mean a lot to me, but you’re also starting to really grow on me and no matter what happens tonight, you won’t be getting rid of me anytime soon”, this was the first time throughout the whole ride that you saw Harry’s frown disappear slightly and his shoulders relax.

Your mother opened the door and greeted you with a big smile and an even bigger hug; she then turned to Harry, who instantly dropped down to her feet, and shrieked ‘Namaste’. Her shoulders tensed up and she let out a little gasp, freaked by Harry’s sudden movements but when understood the situation, gave him her blessings.

You looked around your house, which hadn’t changed one bit since you moved out all those years ago. You could almost see a younger you running around this place, wearing your mother’s makeup and pretending to be Madhuri Dixit; you felt your lips curving upwards. 

Your parents didn’t want you moving out, saying it wasn’t your tradition. But you knew you wanted to see more of the world and figure out the life you wanted for yourself.

You sat down next to your dad on the sofa, who was watching the television and hadn’t even turned around to see you. You knew he was not the happiest with you being with Harry and you planned on changing that.

“So, this is the way you’re gonna be tonight? Not even going to say hello to your lovely daughter?” you smiled a little. Your dad turned to face you, his mouth set in a hard line and not even sparing a look at Harry who had been standing at the entrance of the room, “So you finally remember your old man? Thought you had forgotten me with the way you have been acting”.

“What are you talking about, you oaf? I visited you last weekend. I admit I haven’t been partaking in our nightly phone calls that often but that does not give you enough reason to be angry with me Papa,” your dad just rolled his eyes in response, “Now meet Harry, he has been really anxious about this meeting”, you gestured to Harry asking him to come forward and settle down on the couch in front of you.

Harry offered a meek namaste to your father who just grunted in response. “So, heard you just wrote an album about your ex-girlfriend?” your dad glared at him, daring him to offer an explanation. You felt a little weird, kind of embarrassed that this was your dad’s first question to your boyfriend.

Harry glanced at you for a second before calmly responding to your dad, “Sir, uhh my album is about the changes I went through as a person an’ like how my experiences have helped me grow from who I was a few years back, those moments just happen to involve a person I was with during those times. But I asked your daughter’s permission before making this album and wouldn’t have gone forward with it if she was uncomfortable at any point during the entire process. I really respect her and wanna make sure she is as much a part of this journey as I am”.

You could swear you almost had a few tears in your eyes, even your dad’s glare softened, not that he would show it to Harry. Harry sat up straighter and maintained eye contact with your father. He seemed more confident than he had been ever since you told him about this meeting.

Your dad cleared his throat, “you do give a good monologue, just make sure to be an even better partner to my daughter; if she ever comes to me crying because you hurt her, not even your god would be able to save you from my wrath”, he puffed out his chest, wanting to seem a little threatening.

Harry didn’t seem a bit fazed and just replied with a “You’ll never have to worry about that sir, I’m in love with your daughter and would rather die before letting anything happen to her”.

It was at this moment that your mother announced dinner. 

The rest of the night went pretty smoothly. Your parents asked Harry about his hometown and family and his life as a musician, actually making an effort to get to know him, he in turn asked them about your childhood stories. 

After dinner, Harry helped your mother wash the dishes, while you stayed back with your dad. “Thanks, Papa, for giving Harry a chance. I know it wasn’t easy for you considering he’s not, y’ know from our background. I really appreciate it.”

Your dad gave you a tight hug “I love you, Beta and I always want what’s best for you, even if it’s a white boy. I can see he really loves you, it’s hard not to. Just be careful, his world is way different than ours. Don’t let him make you do things you are not comfortable with and don’t let him take away your voice”, you could just give him a nod. You saw a slight sheen in your dad’s eyes. He hardly got emotional and so to see him be vulnerable, made you want to cry. 

Following your talk with your dad, you gave Harry a quick tour of your house, swiftly avoiding the more embarrassing nooks of your room.

It wasn’t long before you left your house, spending another half hour at the front door saying good byes.

The ride back home was mostly quiet; the radio playing the top 20 hits filled in the calm silence. 

You didn’t realise when you had drifted to sleep, but the last thing you remember is Harry humming along to a song and a quiet whisper, most definitely not meant for you to hear, “I can’t wait to marry you”.

[harmonyandco]

Death eaters were dying. They weren’t being spent on his goals, they were having very suspicious “accidents.” “Catastrophes.” Apparently being “randomly” targeted in “violent acts.”

In short, the self styled dark lord was losing his minions to activities that his minions should be performing. Not falling victim to. Worse, he had no idea who or what was getting them. Possible leads vaporized like smoke in the dark of a new moon. On the surface, the war was going extremely well for his side. He outright controlled the ministry, Severus had controlled Hogwarts, now the Carrows did...but they suspected McGonagall held the wards. When Severus died she also disappeared. One of their spies had tailed her to the seventh floor where she vanished and hadn’t been seen since. But the school itself wasn’t cooperating. The daily prophet and WWN were mere mouthpieces for he and his minions...and yet a full 50% of his marked forces were either dead or had vanished. Not ran, he would know thorough their marks. They were gone. He fully suspected they were dead, but had no evidence beyond suspicions. When he first noticed his agents were going quiet he thought that the Order and/or Potter had gotten lucky a few times. But as his losses mounted at an alarming rate he knew there was a new player on the field. One he didn’t even have a name of. Death eaters were afraid to walk down Knockturn Alley! They owned that alley for longer than their movement had existed, and somehow, now, if they were in the open their heads may explode without an apparent curse having been fired. Fenrir went that way when he thought to make an example of a child that had ventured too near the Diagon Alley entrance. Others were found dead in the shadows without a mark upon them beyond a look on their face of surprise or shock. Initially the killing curse was suspected but St Mungos said they, to a man, had had their necks expertly broken. They weren’t all even in their Death Eater garb. The Parkinson matriarch was last seen in an evening gown for a ministry gala. Poof. Gone. Severus was killed in an apparent dragon attack through the window of the headmasters office. But nobody saw or even heard a dragon. But what else could burn that hot? He had to find out what was going on. And soon. The true scope of the losses only he knew but it was getting hard to conceal. Only their fear of his wrath has kept them from asking too many questions.

It reminded him of events from September of ‘79 to his unfortunate sabbatical in October of ‘81. By all appearances the war was going well then too. The light thought that they were on the ropes. But his forces were being worn far too thin by eerily similar occurrences. He had to track this menace down.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

From her “nest” in a bell tower 2000 yards from Knockturn Alley, Emma Granger quietly cleaned her rifle and contemplated the last year. Her husband Dan was quietly making his way back after dispatching his last two “appointments” for the day. Their having “awoken” from an unscheduled vacation in Melbourne has thrown both of them for a loop. For all their Spec-ops training they were both blindsided by their own daughter erasing their memory. They hadn’t seen it coming at all. Apparently they’d been living the life of a pair of mild-mannered dentists for a couple of months already when a routine medical exam to her brought it all rushing back when the couple was asked about her internal scarring and if she had lost the baby. The 17 year old girl that they’d forgotten they had. Now, they had no idea where she was, but within 24 hours of recovering their memories they were back in country and were put in touch with the M division of the Organization and soon were looking at case files that both thought they’d put to rest 18 years ago. Three times this Riddle guy had nearly killed them both. Three times they’d defied the odds. The first they both believed to be random chance. After that they were on his radar and he didn’t like to miss. The last time had nearly caused Emma to miscarry, giving birth to Hermione nearly a week and a half early instead of the end of September. They started this campaign of eradicating him and his followers then until Halloween of ‘81 when Emma managed to put a bullet through his head as he stood in a nursery in Wales. She couldn’t get a shot before he’d killed two more victims that night. The only strange thing was the green flash she’d seen in her scope as her bullet made the journey. Seconds later his heat signature was just gone. Not on the floor and cooling as the adults were. Gone. She and Dan had been read in on the magical world that night. But since it wasn’t their area, they didn’t work it. Until now. Their daughter and future son-in-law Harry were right in the middle of this mess and both had disappeared. And Dan and Emma were going to find them. And soon.

A Thermite RPG into the headmasters office of the school killed Snape.

After the parents find the kids-The Horcrux in Bellatrix’s vault the goblins refuse to “help” with...they won’t let anyone not authorized into another customers vault. But they can certainly give a tour to potential customers. And if potential customers happen to be informed where Bella’s vault is for targeting information and it gets hit with a bunker-buster dropped through Borgin and Burke’s thereby incinerating the contents and melting them into a pile of slag that the goblins have really no problem recasting into coin... well so be it.

Yes. This long winded thing is a prompt. Sorry it’s so long. Use none of it. Use part of it. Use all of it. I don’t care, it just struck me today and I had to share it. Basically, Hermione (as in Canon) wants to protect her parents and Bolivia tea them and sends them away. She it basically the daughter in the movie “True Lies” and has no idea who her parents really are or what they’re capable of. September is the 7th month of the Roman calendar and I think I also came up with enough to throw the prophecy into ambiguity that it could even be Hermione that is the chosen one. And NOBODY knows it.

Have fun with it.

submitted by @harmonyeveryday

[lemoncrushh]

The Entertainer II - Track 16 - On Fire

Summary: What if it wasn’t the end? What if Sky did actually see Harry at the Forum in the early 80s, and he saw her too? What if fate took hold of them both, and they realized their journey was not over? Set in 1981, Harry and Sky’s story continues with more music, more romance, and a few more twists and turns.

STORY PAGE

Track 16 Word Count: 4.8k+

Read The Entertainer

“I can’t believe this is your last day,” Donna pouted.

“Me neither,” I said, mimicking her tone. Although I was over the top thrilled about going on tour with Harry, I would miss my friend.

“Will you write? Send me a postcard or something?”

“Of course.”

Because it was a beautiful day in LA, we sat outside for lunch. As I sipped on my iced tea, I listened to Donna tell me how excited she was for me, as well as envious. It was much like my phone conversation with Halo a few nights before. Although she’d decided to get a bit more serious with me, sharing some friendly advice.

“Make sure you have condoms,” she’d instructed.

“Halo, I’m on the pill.”

“For back up. Trust me, you’ll be so busy and wild, you might forget to take a pill or something.”

“Okay. What else?” I asked, humoring her.

“Promise me you’ll call if things…don’t go as planned.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know. If this rockstar life isn’t what you thought it would be. If you wanna come home.”

I sighed. “Halo, I’m not-”

“You don’t know for sure,” she interrupted. “Harry’s an amazing guy. But…you never know what could happen. Just…call me if you’re not loving it.”

“Mary? Yoohoo, Mary, you haven’t left me already, have you?”

I blinked several times and shook my head. Donna was staring at me with a funny look on her face.

“Sorry, what did you say?”

“Gosh, you really were in your own world,” she laughed. “But it’s understandable. I asked if you were all packed.”

“Oh. Yeah, mostly. I just need to pack my toiletries and last minute items.”

“What about your apartment?”

“Harry’s taken care of it. He’s paid for my rent while I’m gone.”

“Wow! Must be nice having a famous boyfriend!”

I looked down at my plate and picked at my salad.

“I’m sorry,” Donna muttered. “I didn’t mean it like it sounded.”

“I know,” I nodded.

My friends meant well. I knew they were both happy for me, that I’d found Harry and that I was getting to embark on this journey with him. It made sense that they would be a little concerned too. And I had to admit I was a little scared. Well, I admitted it to myself. Not to anyone else. But mostly, I was just ready to leave. I was ready to live my life. My life in Los Angeles up to then had been good. It had brought me Harry in the first place. But other than the little road trips I took with Halo five years ago, and the one family trip I took to the Grand Canyon when I was ten, I had never really left the city. I was eager to learn what life could be elsewhere. I had never gotten the chance to really be anyone. Who was Sky? What was in store for her? Here, to most people other than Halo and Harry, I was still Mary Lou Jones. It was time for that to change.

“Goodbye to all my friends at home Goodbye to people I’ve trusted I’ve got to get out and make my way I might get rich, you know, I might get busted…”

“You ready, babe?” asked Harry.

“Huh? Oh, yeah,” I grinned at him sheepishly.

I’d been staring out the window, daydreaming as the planes ascended into the air, each going to a different city. The airport fascinated me. All these different people were about to embark on their own journeys. Harry smiled back, taking my hand as he handed our tickets to the attendant, and we walked down the jetway behind Mr. Irving, the rest of his band following us. Harry found our seats, insisting I take the window as I hadn’t flown since that Grand Canyon trip.

“You sure you’ll be okay?” Harry asked for the upteenth time since I’d told him.

“Yes, Harry.”

As I got buckled in, he gave my thigh a reassuring pat before taking my hand again and giving it a squeeze.

“Just let me know if you start to feel scared or…sick.”

“Okay,” I smiled at him. I loved that he wanted to take care of me. “I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

When the plane began to move quickly down the runway, however, I felt my stomach flip. I was glad Harry still had a hold of my hand. As the plane took off into the sky, and the ground below started to look farther and farther away, I had to swallow a few times to settle my queasiness. I didn’t want to let on though, so I kept my face toward the window, my eyes shut tight. As the noise began to dissipate, and the air felt suddenly cooler, I heard Harry whisper in my ear.

“You can open your eyes now, love.”

Exhaling, I turned my head to look at him. Though he didn’t poke fun, I knew he was holding back a smirk. Not to mention, I had a chokehold grip on his hand. I’d been caught.

“Sorry,” I breathed, releasing my fingers.

“It’s alright, baby. No harm done.” Then he leaned in and kissed me. “Just glad you’re okay.”

“Guess I need to get used to it.”

“You will,” he grinned. “Once the stewardess comes around, you can get something to drink and you’ll feel better.”

Not a moment too soon, I was able to get a ginger ale and a cup of ice. It was as though I hadn’t had liquid touch my lips in ages. And Harry was right, I did feel much better.

The rest of the flight was much easier, and even enjoyable. Harry and I played cards to pass the time until I started feeling sleepy. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to sleep on the plane, but I guess I did because the next thing I knew, Harry was nudging me awake, whispering sweetly in my ear to let me know we were about to land. Stretching, I realized he had laid a blanket over me, and I smiled at his nice gesture.

“What are you writing?” I asked as I sat up, noticing the pen and notebook in his hand.

“Just jotting down some lyrics,” he replied.

“Can I read?”

Harry shut the notebook and smirked at me. “Maybe when it’s finished.”

I made a face, crinkling my nose, and Harry tapped it twice with the tip of his finger.

“Meanie,” I pouted.

The descent of the plane was almost as bad as taking off, but I didn’t try to hide my fear this time. Harry took my hand as soon as the plane started to shake. He instructed me to sit back and shut my eyes, taking deep breaths. Fortunately, I made it through, and as soon as the wheels touched ground - with a few bumps - I was able to open my eyes again.

“Good job, babe,” Harry whispered.

The pilot made his final announcement, welcoming us to Lakeland, Florida. I followed Harry as we made our way off the plane and into the airport to baggage claim. He continued to hold my hand the entire time. I wasn’t sure if it was to reassure me, or just so we wouldn’t get separated in the crowd, but either way I appreciated it. I felt safe.

It wasn’t until we were almost near the exit, where supposedly cars were waiting for both Harry’s crew and Stargazer’s, that I heard the ripple of screams. Girls seemed to come out of nowhere, squealing and shouting. Though it was hard to hear exactly what they were saying, I managed to make out quite a few Harrys and several Hunters.

“Holy shit,” I gasped, squeezing Harry’s hand tighter.

“Sorry, love,” he leaned towards me. “I forgot to mention this could happen.”

I had to admit, I should have known myself. He was a star, after all. When I noticed security trying their best to keep the girls at bay so that we could get through, I took solace in the fact that Irving was right in front of us, leading the way. The exit doors were only about ten feet ahead.

Just when we were almost outside, I heard the loudest scream of them all, an outcry that almost sounded like someone was hurt.

“Haaaarrrryyyyy, I love youuu!”

While my head snapped to the left to see a girl with tears streaming down her face, Harry merely smiled and waved, like it was no big deal. It only seemed to make the girl cry harder, though her shouting had subsided.

Mr. Azoff ushered us into the first car, sliding in after me. As soon as the door closed and the vehicle began to move, I let out a long, exasperated sigh.

“Wow.”

“A lot different than you remember, huh?” asked Irving.

“Slightly,” I chuckled. “I know he’s bigger now, but I’m not sure I was prepared for that.”

“That was nothin’,” remarked Harry as he shook his head.

“Really? That girl who screamed she loved you didn’t think it was nothin’.”

“He means we’ve seen a lot worse,” explained Irving. “That was a breeze in comparison.”

I looked at Harry for additional information, but he didn’t seem to be in the mood to divulge any. Instead, I leaned my head on his shoulder and he hummed softly, lifting my hand to kiss the back of it.

When the driver pulled into a circular drive in front of a large hotel, I got excited. We were really here! I stood looking up at the massive building, the palm trees surrounding it while our luggage was retrieved. Then Harry placed his hand on my back and we made our way to the lobby. A concierge greeted us with a friendly smile just as Mitch, Danny and Bret walked in. She seemed to already know who we were when Mr. Irving shook her hand, and she gestured toward the front desk where we could check in.

Once Harry got our key, I noticed a bellhop was already waiting with our suitcases. Irving reminded Harry that we had the rest of the day to enjoy the hotel, he just had to be downstairs in the lobby by noon the next day for soundcheck.

Maybe I was off in La La Land and not paying attention, or maybe I just assumed we’d have a room like the one Harry’d had in Santa Barbara or even the one he’d reserved for us at Christmas in L.A., but for whatever reason, my jaw dropped when Harry inserted the key and opened the door to reveal a suite.

I was speechless when he smiled and gestured for me to enter the room first. I was speechless when I stood in the middle and eyed the sofa and matching chairs, the television against the wall. And I was still speechless when I walked into the bedroom with its king sized bed and amazing view of the pool while Harry thanked the bellboy.

When the door clicked shut, I heard his footsteps as I ran my hand down the lavish light blue bedding. He chuckled, gently touching my back.

“You can say something.”

“I’m just…in awe,” I breathed. “I wasn’t expecting this.”

“It’s actually the honeymoon suite,” said Harry. “I hope you don’t mind. I asked for it especially.”

I turned around swiftly. “You’re joking.”

Harry snickered. “Yeah, I am.”

I lightly jabbed him in the arm. “You’re awful.”

“Sorry, babe,” he laughed harder. “I couldn’t help it. You were so wide-eyed.”

“It’s a really nice room.”

“Yeah, it is.”

“And it could actually be a honeymoon suite. I wouldn’t have known the difference.”

“Well, there is one,” said Harry walking around the bed to the bathroom. “No heart-shaped tub.”

It was my turn to laugh as I plopped down onto the bed. “I think that’s just in movies and romance novels.”

“How’s the bed feel?”

“Come see for yourself,” I grinned.

I kicked off my shoes and Harry did the same, joining me on the bed. He hummed to himself as he adjusted the pillows to his liking, then stretched his legs out.

“What do you think?”

“I think…” he paused, then nodded, “it’s time.”

“Time for what?”

“To christen it.”

I giggled as he turned onto his side to face me. Pulling my body closer, he lightly pecked my lips before licking his own. Then he kissed me softly, slowly darting his tongue into my mouth until I urged him on with my own. When his hand slipped under my shirt, goosebumps erupted on my skin and I scooted my hips closer to his.

“Sorry, baby,” he whispered between kisses. “I should have asked if you wanted to nap first.”

“Nuh uh,” I moaned. “Nap after.”

He grinned against my mouth. “That’s what I was hoping you’d say.”

“Here come the jesters, one, two, three It’s all part of my fantasy I love the music, and I love to see the crowd Dancing in the aisles and singing out loud…”

The arena was buzzing with excitement. I hadn’t even realized until we’d arrived that it was a sold-out show. It made sense though as Stargazer was currently one of the hottest rock acts with their newest album reaching number one. And Harry’s solo album was already zooming up the charts. Their tour was certainly the hottest ticket in town, like getting two for the price of one.

I waited with Harry backstage as he strummed his guitar. While I was giddy and happy to be with him, part of me wished Halo was there. I knew she would have enjoyed it. Or perhaps I was only feeling nostalgic for the old times. While Halo was still my best friend, she had changed the most out of the two of us. Maybe she wasn’t into hanging out with rock bands anymore, and that was fine. But for just a moment I missed having her with me.

I must have been daydreaming, because next thing I knew, Harry rose from his chair and a roadie took his guitar from him. Then he turned to me with a sexy grin.

“You’ll be watching from the side, yeah?”

“Of course.”

He slid his hands around my waist, pulling me flush against his hips. “You’re so fucking gorgeous, babe. I’m gonna be thinking about you in this little dress the whole time.”

I blushed as I bit the side of my tongue. I’d slipped into a little black sundress right before we’d left the hotel. While I’d brought a variety of clothes with me, I wasn’t sure how the weather would be in Florida in February. But it was already proving to be pretty balmy. And I knew the concert - particularly watching Harry - would heat me up even more.

“I was wondering if you were gonna say anything, but I figured you had other things on your mind.”

“Are you kidding? I’ve been trying to focus on everything but. Ever since you put it on. Been trying not to get a hard-on.”

“Get serious,” I chuckled just before he covered my mouth with his.

“Harry, let’s go man.”

The voice sounded far away, but I recognized it as Mitch’s. Breaking away from the kiss, Harry leaned his forehead against mine.

“I’m so glad you’re here, Sky.”

“Me too, baby. I love you.”

“I love you more.”

The audience erupted in cheers and screams as soon as the lights went out. I took my place off stage, to the side where no one could see me, but I had a great view of the band. Mr. Irving stood beside me. As soon as the opening riff of “Ignition” rang out, the stage lights danced, and Harry strutted out on stage in all his glory. The crowd went insane. I placed my hand over my heart, feeling it pounding in my chest.

I took turns watching Harry and the band and the audience. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw a good portion of the crowd singing along, particularly to the new songs. Harry had them in the palm of his hand. While he was very much the rockstar I’d known him to be, he added a few new moves and nuances to his repertoire. He had become one with the audience. He was sexy while also being approachable. He was silly while also being charming. He had matured, but he remained ever so humble.

Towards the end of their setlist, Bret kicked into a short drum solo while Harry grabbed a drink from a glass sitting on the riser. When he turned, our eyes met, and he gave me a wink. Then stepping toward the mic, he spread his arms out like wings. With a count-off from Bret, the band went into “Drunk on Her.” Once again, the crowd reacted with sheer hysteria, the front section screaming along to the lyrics. If it was at all possible, I thought it was the best the group had ever sounded on the song, even on the record. I was astounded when Harry picked up the mic stand and threw his head back, singing the last chorus as though he had mustered up even more sex appeal. Then he all but tossed the mic stand to the side, grabbing the microphone and running along the front of the stage, from one side to the next. I watched a couple of girls on the front row who were probably pissing in their pants, especially when he stopped right in front of them, knelt down and sang right to them. With the hugest wide grin, he stood back up, turned around, raised his arms again, and counted with the band for the big finish.

“Oh shit, Styles is on fire tonight,” I heard a voice say behind me.

I turned my head to see Hunter and his band. I hadn’t even realized they’d been standing there, nor for how long. I had been so lost in Harry’s performance.

“He’s something, isn’t he?” I beamed.

“Damn right.”

When I turned back around to look at Harry again, Hunter - or maybe it was one of his bandmates - muttered something that I couldn’t quite make out. But I thought it sounded like “...and a lucky motherfucker.” I wasn’t sure what that could mean. Was he referring to me?

Quickly dismissing the remark, I returned my attention to my boyfriend who was indeed on fire, giving the crowd exactly what they’d come for, and more. Finishing another of his new songs, he spoke into the microphone, thanking everyone for coming to the show.

“This has been the best night of my life,” he said, his hand over his heart. “Thank you for sharing it with me.”

Then he went into one of Wildfire’s biggest hits. I watched in awe and with a lump in my throat as he sang his heart out. His long curls had gotten messy, his chest glistening with sweat. I couldn’t tell if I was more proud or turned on. I almost had to laugh at myself. The feeling was overwhelming as I clutched my hands together, singing along just like the people in the front row.

When the song came to an end, and Harry said thank you again and goodnight, he jogged off stage to where I stood. He scooped me up in his arms, lifted me up and spun me around, making me dizzy. I giggled as I smiled down at him. I could hear the hoots and hollers around us from the other men, but I paid no attention in that moment. All that mattered was Harry and the way he was looking at me.

“You were amazing!” I exclaimed as he brought me back down.

“Fantastic, man!” agreed Hunter, clapping along to the still shouting audience.

The rest of the band made their way off stage then, joining our circle. Everyone cheered each other on, sharing compliments and camaraderie.

“Thanks, mate,” I heard Harry say after he’d given his final hug. “I could use a drink.”

“C’mon, I think some champagne is in order,” announced Mr. Azoff, taking us all by surprise.

“Coulda used some of that before the show,” laughed Bret.

“It’s for celebrating,” Irving tutted.

“Hell, any time’s good for celebrating, is what I say.”

We followed Irving backstage where he had a bottle waiting in the dressing room. He let Harry do the honors, the cork opening with a loud pop. We all cheered again as he began to fill glasses. Then Mr. Irving gave a lovely speech about Harry and his band, congratulating them on a triumphant first show.

After just a few minutes, it was time for Stargazer to take the stage. Harry and I stayed back for just a moment as we finished our champagne. But mostly, I think he wanted to be alone with me.

“Sky…” he murmured, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “I can’t even explain how that felt.”

“I could tell you felt great out there. I think you sounded better than ever.”

“Not just the performing,” he said. “But knowing you were here. Looking over and seeing you. God, that felt so fucking amazing, babe.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

His hand on my neck, he tilted his head and brushed his lips against mine. I sighed and he deepened the kiss, his sweet tongue filling my mouth. The sound of the crowd’s cheers finally broke our kiss and Harry grinned.

“There’s another band to watch.”

“This time I get to watch with you,” I smiled.

Taking my hand, we joined the rest of his band on the side of the stage. Perhaps I was being a bit biased, but I didn’t seem to hear any difference in the level of noise between Harry’s opening song and Stargazer’s. They were a really good, tight band though, and I enjoyed watching them. During their second song, I suddenly felt Harry’s hand on my hip as I swayed to the rhythm.

“Wish their set was as short as mine,” he said in my ear.

“Why?”

“Because you’re killing me in this dress.”

I eyed him with a cheeky grin, moving my hips even more. I laughed when he narrowed his eyes and mouthed “I need it OFF!”

I licked my lips seductively at him, biting the bottom one before I walked around him to the backstage hallway. I waited for just a moment until he followed me, his eyebrows raised in question. Then I headed for his dressing room, closing and locking the door behind him.

“Babe-” he began just before I silenced him with a kiss.

He responded just the way I’d hoped as I started walking backwards while I unbuttoned his shirt. I guided him to the sofa - or maybe he guided me - where he sat, pulling me with him. Straddling him, I continued to kiss him until he pushed me back slightly.

“Babe, what…”

His chest was heaving, his gorgeous lips parted as he stared at me incredulously.

“What am I doing?” I teased, one of the straps from my dress falling down my shoulder as I reached down to grab his belt. “What do you think I’m doing?”

A low chuckle rose from his throat. “I want you so fuckin’ bad, and I just wanna make sure that’s what you want, ‘cause-”

“Shh,” I silenced him with my finger, my other hand working on his buttonfly.

Harry hastily tugged on my strap, pulling my dress down further to reveal my breast. As soon as I had his jeans open, I slid my arm through the strap so it wouldn’t be in the way. Then his mouth quickly found my bare skin, his tongue swirling around my nipple. I threw my head back with a moan before reaching into his pants. Of course he’d gone commando. That seemed to be a regular thing for show nights. Though I’d never asked him about it, I assumed it was just less material to sweat through.

He was hard and ready for me. I licked my lips again as he lifted his head to look at me. Then sliding his hands up my thighs, he pulled up the bottom of my dress.

“Nuh uh,” I commanded. “Dress stays on for now.

“Bloody hell!” he groaned, although he seemed fine with just easing down my panties. I rose from the couch to step out of them, swiftly returning to my post.

“Can I at least feel how wet you are for me?”

His words made me smile, turning me on even more. I nodded and he slipped his hand under my dress.

“Absolutely soaked,” he growled as he touched me.

“What do you expect? I’ve been watching you strut on stage like a rock god.”

“Is that what I am?”

I nodded, unable to form any more words as his finger entered me. I bit my lip as I ran my fingernails down his chest, grinding my hips.

“Harry…” I finally breathed. “Please.”

Releasing his hand, Harry aimed his cock and I lifted my hips.

“Ready to fuck your rock god?”

“Mmhmm.”

We both hissed as I sank down slowly over him. When he reached me deeply, I gasped, but we soon found a steady rhythm. I stared Harry in the eyes as I rode him. He seemed to like that, a quiver of a smirk on his face until it started to feel too good and he leaned in to kiss me.

Other than low moans, we tried not to make too much noise. Not that anyone would have heard us, with the concert going on just feet away. I couldn’t tell what song was playing, but I could feel the beat of the bass drum, so I started to move in time with it. Harry noticed, grabbing hold of my hips as he bucked his own against me.

“Fuck, babe, I’m gonna come already.”

“Does it feel good?”

“Amazing. Ah, Jesus, baby, I’m so close.”

While it felt amazing to me as well, I was happy to watch him reach his high. I rode him a little faster as he bit his lip, his eyebrows knitted together. But then, he surprised me by reaching between us and pressing his thumb on my clitoris, moving in circles. I cried out in pleasure, feeling myself nearing the edge.

“Come for me, babe. You’re so fucking sexy when you come. Lemme watch you.”

I tried my best to focus on his face, but the feeling was too intense. My palms were sweaty, and I had to move my hands to the back of the couch. Then in an instant, my vision blurred, and I called out his name as I rode out my orgasm.

“Fuck!” Harry cried, reaching his own.

He grabbed my hips tighter since I could barely move anymore, and fucked into me hard for a few more thrusts until his body stilled and he moaned in my ear.

“That…” he tried to catch his breath, “that was fuckin’ intense.”

“Tell me about it.”

“God damn,” Harry managed to chuckle. “You little tiger, you.”

“Me? You’re the one who commented on my dress.”

“But you’re the one wearing it.”

I laughed as I stood up, making my way to the bathroom. When I returned, he was still on the sofa, his head back, but his jeans were buttoned.

“You okay?” I asked in a teasing tone.

“Yeah. Just waiting for you.”

“Did I murder you again?”

“Yeah,” he laughed. “But I love it when you do.”

“Guess you weren’t the only one on fire tonight,” I giggled.

With a smirk, Harry lifted his head, beckoning me. I straddled him once more, but only to give him a kiss.

“I love you, Sky,” he whispered as my lips made their way to his ear. I couldn’t help it. Maybe it was Florida doing things to me. Or just the idea of being with him on tour. But I was more attracted to him than ever.

“I love you, too…my rock god.”

“How do you like tour so far?” he wiggled his brows.

“I can definitely get used to this,” I replied.

After a few more kisses, Harry and I walked back to the side of the stage. I noticed Bret and Mr. Irving had left, but Mitch, Danny and Stargazer’s manager, Charlie, were still watching the show. Danny gave us a pointed look while Mitch merely rolled his eyes.

“Hey,” Harry whispered to me. “Aren’t you glad there’s not a no girls rule?”

I giggled, “Yeah. I don’t think I could keep my hands to myself this time around.”

Harry chuckled, running his hand down my back to my rear. “Tiger, you are,” he commented.

When I made a meowing sound, he responded with a growl and squeezed it.

“Turned on to love like it’s the latest style I get response from just a look with a smile She’s like a bomb that’s about to explode Just one touch and she begins to unload She’s on fire My baby’s on fire…”

Songs mentioned:

Steve Miller Band - Jet Airliner

Bad Company - Rock n' Roll Fantasy

Sammy Hagar - Baby's on Fire

Taglist: @fkinavocado, @daphnesutton, @freedomfireflies

MASTERLIST | KO-FI | FEEDBACK

[emotionally-imbruised]

Sink or Swim

In which Harry and Y/N work together as lifeguards.

A/N: here’s (a little late but) day 17 for my bby  @always-jackedup’s 25 days of summer. Make sure to go check out the pieces by all the other authors if you want some fun summer things to read. Also wow, this turned out longer than I was expecting; you all can blame Sarah.

Word Count: 15.8k

As much as she wanted this summer to be one for the record books, just like it had been in recent years, Y/N didn’t have too high of expectations. It sucked a lot, but finally after three years of being away, she was spending her first summer back home in California and to say she wasn’t all that excited about it at all, would have been an understatement.

Once she graduated high school, Y/N stayed in San Jose with her family for a year and a half. She didn’t go to university because frankly, she didn’t know what she wanted to do in life so instead, she worked her ass off while taking a few online classes to save up some money and go see the world. Which is precisely what she did.

She spent the last three years traveling through different countries, gaining new experiences, meeting the greatest people, eating the best food, and working wherever she could to keep doing so. It was an incredible experience, and she’d do it all again if she could, but it did make her feel very alone times, so at the beginning of the year, Y/N started longing for something more permanent. Somewhere she could stay that would allow her to decide what it was she wanted to do, whether that included school or not. After considering all of her options, she decided on heading back to California with plans of moving to LA at the beginning of September and embark on some new journeys in the land of opportunity... Even though the thought of doing that terrified her.

In preparation for her move, Y/N applied to various summer jobs as a way to save up more money until she was able to find a stable job in Los Angeles; and much to her surprise, a lot of those places were very interested in hiring her as a seasonal employee. Amongst those places expressing interest in her was Oceanside Resort and Spa on the outskirts of Bodega Bay. This fancy, membership-only resort that had been in the middle of hiring their summer staff, needed someone to fill one of the open lifeguard positions. The resort provided all training that was required, as well as staff accommodations for the entire summer (which was needed, seeing how far it was from home) and after considering all of her other options, was the one Y/N ultimately decided on. She did all her preliminary training in the weeks leading up to the beginning weeks of summer, and before she knew it, her family was dropping her off at the shuttle bus station in San Francisco to start her new adventure.

Despite its name, Oceanside was not actually located beside the ocean. Yes it was close, and the coast was only a few short minutes away, but Y/N found it somewhat ironic and couldn’t help but chuckle at the pictures of the resort printed in her welcome pamphlet; none of which included snaps of the Pacific. She knew it was stupid to be amused by such a little thing, but as she read the overly extra and dramatic explanation of how great this place was, her laughing increased and wouldn’t stop as she continued reading it over.

Maybe it was because of how she thought whoever decided to make Oceanside’s slogan “A Shell Of A Good Time” should never be allowed to make a slogan ever again, or maybe it was due to the lack of sleep she had the night before. But regardless, Y/N’s laughing didn’t subside and started gaining attention from others on the bus with her.

“Are you done?” A voice hissed from the seat in front of her, causing Y/N to snap her gaze up to be met with Aimee, her best friend from high school, staring back at her. The two of them had kept in touch for the years Y/N was away and decided to apply for jobs together. Lucky for them, Aimee was hired at Oceanside too but as a bartender at the poolside cabana rather than being a lifeguard like Y/N. The two of them applied to be roommates in the cabin that would act as their home for the summer, and as if their luck couldn’t have gotten any better already, they were approved for that too. “We’re not even there yet, and you’re already going to start annoying the shit out of our coworkers.”

“Sorry,” Y/N replied sheepishly, lowering herself into her seat more as her chuckles reduced to snickering. “Ok, but for real... have you read this thing?”

“Yes, I have,” Aimee stated as she reached over to snatch the pamphlet from her best friends grasp, turning back around so Y/N wouldn’t see the broad grin plastered on her face as well. “And yes I know it all sounds ridiculous but, a job is a job.”

“Got that right. And this place seems to have its perks, won’t be the worst job ever.”

Aimee just nodded before turning around to face Y/N again and tossing the now crumpled up pamphlet between the ugly blue patterned seats at her head. “Exactly, and we’ll be together. It’ll be a summer to remember.”

“I don’t know about that,” Y/N grumbled with a shrug, not paying any attention to the skeptical look Aimee was giving her as she tried to uncrumple the piece of paper on her lap. “I’m not here to have fun, you know? Sure if it happens, great, but I really need this job Aims… or LA just won’t be happening. I need to do good here and not mess it up.”

“I know,” Aimee responded and waited for her friend to make eye contact again. “But you can’t be having that mindset, ok? Obviously, work hard and everything, but also let yourself have fun, Y/N. We’re adults now and won’t have many more chances to do things like this. May as well make it count.”

There was no point in arguing against Aimee’s statement because Y/N knew she was right. Although her main focus of the summer was to make as much money as she could and save it, that thought alone made her fear about wasting away one of her favorite times of the year; which was the last thing she wanted to do. She thought about how maybe she could put herself out there a little bit and see what would happen, but for the time being, she decided on just biting down on her lip and nodding in agreement.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“I know I’m right, you don’t gotta tell me.”

“Oh, whatever,” Y/N scoffed as Aimee laughed and faced forward again, preparing to put her headphones on and just zone out for the remainder of the drive. However, before she had the chance to do that in peace, Y/N leaned forward and lowered her voice just so that only Aimee could hear. “Hey Aims, do you know what we’re going to have?”

“Don’t say it.”

“A shell of a good time,” Y/N blurted out, trying so hard to keep a straight face. The audible groan that left Aimee’s mouth was enough to feed on Y/N’s ego and caused her to fall into another laughing fit. This went on for a few minutes, and as she was starting to recollect herself, Y/N noticed how Aimee was now slinging her duffle bag over her shoulder and standing up, all while giving her a pointed glare. “Come on, it was funny.”

“Sick of you already,” she mumbled in response before moving to sit in the seats a few rows behind Y/N in silence and remaining there for the rest of the trip.

Once they arrived at Oceanside, Y/N and Aimee were given a quick, half-assed tour of the resort before being shown where they’d be living for the summer. There was no need for them to get an entire lay of the land just yet seeing as their first day of work was still a few days away, and both girls were rather thankful they’d have the weekend off before diving right in.

Y/N took this time to really let it all sink in and appreciate how she actually got to call this place home for the next two and a half months. There was no doubting that Oceanside was absolutely stunning and genuinely seemed liked its own little private oasis. It had a very serene atmosphere and didn’t seem to be lacking in anything whatsoever. However, Y/N knew it may take her a little while to get used to everything.

The resort was huge. When the bus made way up the long winding driveway that starts at Oceanside’s gated entrance, the first thing that could be seen was the clubhouse; the place Y/N figured she’d probably be spending most of her time while clocked in for work when she wasn’t at the pool. The large cream-colored building was sat on top of a hill and stood out amongst the greenery surrounding it. Y/N was told this place was what made every other part of the resort accessible, and was the first stop on hers and Aimee’s little tour.

Once inside the sliding doors of the clubhouse, they found themselves standing in the middle of the lobby; the area that acted as the place everyone needed to go to first regardless of who they were. It was where the resort guests would check-in for their stay as well as to book any extra classes/activities they wanted to do, spa services, tee time on the golf course, or to simply get any information they needed. It was also where all the staff would have any meetings after hours and go to punch in and out for each of their shifts, seeing as it was connected to basically everything. The spa and gym were to the left of the front desk, the dining room where all the guests would eat their meals was to the right and had the kitchen attached to it at the back. The kitchen itself was unnecessarily large and staffed many people, but its size made sense seeing as there were apparently a lot of guests that came here throughout the summer.

To the back of the kitchen was a door that led to another large room, one that none of the guests had access to. It was not as fancy as the rest of the clubhouse by any means and was actually kind of run down, but to Y/N, it had the most character. To put it simply, it was a mess hall for all of the staff working at the resort. There were two long wooden tables with benches that took up most of the space in the room, matching very well with the old, cracked wooden flooring and beams that crossed above on the high ceiling. Sat at the tables were her new co-workers talking, laughing, gossiping, and eating with one another. Many of them sent friendly smiles Y/N’s way, but the odd person eyed her and Aimee up a little bit -- clearly aware of how the newbies have arrived.

Once Y/N and Aimee made it through the mess hall, they exited through a side door that entered out onto a beautiful stone and marble courtyard. There was a large fountain in the middle of it with four flower gardens that take up each corner of the space. Nothing covered it from above which left it to be filled entirely with natural light and just gave Y/N the best feeling. It was her favorite spot by far.

Just past the courtyard was the pool, and it exceeded all expectations as well. It too was quite large, having a shallow section for kids and a deeper end for adults only. There was little potted plants and succulents around the entire area and no shortage of lounge chairs whatsoever. One of the first things Y/N noticed was how two lifeguards were monitoring the pool as opposed to only one. There was one sitting on the lifeguard stand that was positioned on top of the natural-looking stone waterfall on the other side of the pool, while the additional lifeguard patrolled on the same side she was standing; watching for any out of the ordinary behavior with a rescue buoy in hand. She was quick in noting how her shifts would more than likely be with someone else and that alone gave her some peace of mind. After scoping out the rest of the pool area, the two girls made way to the poolside bar where Aimee would be working and alas, their tour ended.

Upon arrival to Oceanside, the first person, Y/N and Aimee, met was Mr. Andrew Slack, the manager of the resort and well, their boss. He was kind enough and was the one to give them the tour, however, he came across as a very busy man, and just as he was finishing showing them around, he got a phone call and had to leave the girls to fend for themselves. Andrew briefly explained where they had to go to get to where the staff housing was located, before muttering a quick goodbye and heading back towards the clubhouse and answered the phone. After a moment of silently watching him go, Y/N and Aimee glanced at each other and shrugged before heading down the path he pointed out to them so they could finally put their bags down and get settled in.

“Are you sure we’re even going the right way?” Aimee groaned from a few feet behind Y/N as they came to a fork in the road, looking at the various paths they could venture down. They were maybe two minutes from the clubhouse, the sounds of people chatting and splashing around in the pool could still be heard, but she was exhausted.

“Not particularly,” Y/N responded, letting one of her duffle bags fall to the ground as she approached a tall wooden sign that listed various places they could get to and which path they’d need to take, one of them labeled staff cabins. She looked down the trail to her left, and sure enough, more laughter and chatter could be heard from what she assumed was others moving in as well. “This way, I think.“

The two girls walked down the path Y/N suggested, and soon enough, they came into a large clearing where fifteen different cabins resided. Five of the cottages were a bit smaller than the others, which only allowed two people to stay in them rather than the four that would remain in any of the others. According to one of the people on the bus there, only returning staff were able to apply for the two-person cabins, but both Y/N and Aimee were already aware that they’d be sharing a living space with two other girls, so that fact didn’t really phase them. Not every staff member needed accommodations because many were locals to the area, but nonetheless, Y/N was thankful that she did indeed have a place to stay.

Aimee inched ahead in search of their cabin and didn’t realize Y/N had fallen back a bit while she was taking in their surroundings. With a small smirk forming on her lips, Aimee decided to snap her best friend out of the little daze she was in. “Watch out for that root.”

“What root-,” Y/N started and snapped her gaze to Aimee, before staggering a bit as she took a step forward and tripped over a thick tree root that was sticking up from the ground. She quickly regained her balance and played it off as if nothing had happened, earning a loud chuckle from Aimee. “Ah, that root.”

“And they want you to be a lifeguard? Those poor people.”

Y/N just glared at her friend instead of responding as they continued forward in search of cabin 4.

It didn’t take long for them to reach their new summer home and just upon the sight of the slightly rundown looking cabin, Aimee was full-on sprinting up the steps in hopes she could claim the first bed. Y/N trudged after her, slowly making her way up the rickety wooden steps, but halting when a loud crack and some shouting sounded from behind her.

“Oi! Now, look what you’ve done.”

She raised her eyebrow skeptically at the sudden commotion before gradually spinning around on her heel to see what the hell was going on. On the other side of the trail, at the cabin directly across from hers, Y/N observed as two boys stood outside of their tiny lodge that was almost identical to her own. One of them had his back to her, and she couldn’t help but stare as his body rippled with laughter, letting her eyes roam more than she intended. He wore a pair of dark pants and a simple white t-shirt. Multiple tattoos littered his left arm, while his right arm almost seemed bare. She couldn’t see much else but noticed how he had a pair of black sunglasses on is head as a way to keep his mob of brown, shaggy, curls away from his face. There was no way of knowing how long she stood there gawking at the man, but as soon as the guy he was with spoke up, she was brought back to reality.

“You know, the least you could do is help me.”

It was then Y/N noticed that the other boy was standing with one foot stuck in the staircase. Somehow one of the wooden planks snapped and resulted in him falling through the step. Y/N immediately thought about all the first aid training she’d endured just to be ready for this job and found herself dropping all of her things on the porch before rushing down the stairs and over to the two men.

She didn’t waste any time in brushing past the guy in the white shirt to get to his friend, because truthfully, he could have gotten really hurt and the other guy was not being any help. “Hey, are you alright?”

“Oh, just dandy,” the guy stuck in the stairs muttered before placing a hand on the railing and using it to keep himself balanced as he stepped out from the broken wood and up onto the deck. “Thanks for your concern, though. Nice to know someone’s watching out for me when my so-called friend isn’t.”

“Oh, get off it,” the other man spoke up from behind Y/N again, sparking her interest with how the words came from his mouth in with a distinctly British accent. Slowly, she turned around to actually get a look at them, and when she did, she felt as if the air had been knocked right out of her chest.

As soon as she locked eye contact with the man, his familiar green eyes widened in surprise as they both gawked at each other in complete and utter shock. He recognized her too.

“You-.”

“I know you!” His voice boomed and caused a blush to immediately burn across her cheeks. “We went to high school together, yeah?”

The man in front of her was none other than Harry Styles. A kind British lad who was two grades ahead of Y/N, all through high school. They had some mutual friends, and Y/N was aware of how Harry had moved from a small town in Cheshire to San Jose during her freshman year. The two were never really that close, but they knew of each other and had met a few times in passing, which left Y/N to be more than surprised at the fact that he’d even recognize her.

“It’s Y/N, innit?”

“Uh yeah,” she replied and shook her head free of any lurking thoughts, fully aware of how he’s aged very nicely over the years. “It is. And you’re Harry, right?”

“The one and only.”

“Pretty sure there’s other Harry’s in the world, dumbass,” the other guy spoke up from behind her again, causing Y/N to chuckle.

“You’re not funny, mate,” Harry snapped before making eye contact with Y/N and letting out a huff. “That there is my irrelevant and incompetent roommate, Nick. Guess he’s m’friend and all too, but that’s just a minor detail.”

“The greatest detail actually, seeing as I’m the only one that’ll put up with you.”

“Ok, anyway,” Harry cut his friend off with a glare, a small smile forming on his lips as he watched Y/N giggling at their antics. “What brings you to Oceanside?”

“I needed a summer job,” Y/N explained with a shrug, looking between the two boys as they nodded in understanding. “I went away for a while and am now trying to make ends meet. What better way to do that than being a lifeguard at some fancy resort? Man, I feel like I’m in High School Musical 2 just being here.”

“It gives me more Dirty Dancing vibes, but I can see why’d you think that,” Harry responded with a warm smile, causing a swarm of butterflies to form in the pit of Y/N’s stomach.

“Yeah we’re basically living in a cliche summer romance movie, aren’t we?” Nick piped up before nodding towards Harry. “But hey, at least now you know who the new lifeguard is.”

“You’re a lifeguard too?” Y/N asked surprised, feeling caught off guard by just how small the world was seeming to be.

“Yeah, s’my what, third summer working here now? That sounds about right.”

“Oh, wow,” Y/N replied, making no attempt in masking her shock. “Must be an alright job.”

“Pays the bills at least,” he told her with a shrug. “It’s a good way to make money when you’re not in school for the summer, m’assuming that’s what you’re doing .”

“Kind of. I uh, I didn’t go to university once I graduated high school and traveled instead. Reality caught up with me eventually, and now I need to work so I can start figuring what I’m going to do with my life. I’m moving to LA in September, so hopefully, I’ll figure something out there.”

“Weird, so is Harry,” Nick added.

“Really?”

“I am,” Harry answered. “Got an internship with a record label there, gonna try to amount to something I guess.”

Y/N watched as his gaze fell from hers to the ground, where he awkwardly shifted his weight from one foot to another. He didn’t seem too confident talking about this specific subject, so Y/N took it as a hint to move on from it. “Well, I’m sure you’ll do great. Anyways, my roommate is probably wondering where I went, I uh, I’ll see you guys around. And maybe you should get someone to fix that step before someone actually does get hurt.”

The three of them laughed before Y/N slowly started backing away and headed towards her cabin. Nick waved her goodbye, but Harry didn’t say anything. It made her wonder if she had said something wrong, but regardless, she shook her head and made her way up the steps to gather her bags again and head inside; utterly oblivious to how Harry’s eyes didn’t leave her once as he watched her walk away.

The next four weeks went by rather quickly, and Y/N was already having much more fun than she had anticipated. In her short time working at Oceanside, she had already managed to develop quite a few friends from the people she’d met, and it made the whole experience better, just like Aimee had said. Her and Aimee both made fast friends with their two other roommates Dana and Maya, who were twin sisters but couldn’t be more different from one another. Dana worked as a waitress in the dining hall for the guests, while Maya worked out on the golf course providing beginner lessons to those who signed up for them. The two sisters butt heads a lot, so it was smart to not have them working together in Y/N’s opinion, but she really did enjoy spending time with both of them nonetheless.

Another person she clicked with really well, was Nick. When he wasn’t busy sassing Harry or organizing activities and events for the guests to do during their stay, Nick was Y/N’s go-to person (other than Aimee) for anything really. He was her helping hand when she needed it, and the best person to rant or gossip to when something had irked her. She was the same type of friend to him, and it didn’t take her long to realize he’d be one of the people she knew she’d miss the most come to the end of summer.

Every guest Y/N had encountered who stayed at the resort, was very kind, and treated her with respect. She was quick in figuring out who the regular families were, the ones that came to Oceanside every summer as their vacation and got the lowdown on how long each of them had been doing so from Mr. Slack (or Mr. Whack as Harry and Nick would call him behind his back.) Amongst those families was the Huntington family. Mr. Huntington, a successful business mogul, had brought his family to and donated a lot of money to this specific resort for about eight years now, or at least that was what Mrs. Huntington had told Y/N. They were a very reserved family, but actually very friendly. Mrs. Huntington was a regular to the Tuesday morning water workout classes Y/N would teach and was a joy to be around while her husband would poke fun of her from where he lounged on a chair nearby. They had a son, Tyler, who was assumedly Y/N’s age and had many friends from other families that stayed there as well. When he wasn’t with those friends, he was spending time with his family or striking up a conversation with Y/N when she had some downtime during her shifts.

Last, and certainly not least, the final and the arguably most significant relationship she had developed so far, was with Harry. The two of them had almost exact work schedules, which naturally led to them spending a lot of time together. He was the one to show her the ropes of lifeguarding in general, as well as what to do in certain situations and was always there to have her back if needed. When both working, Y/N usually sat on the lifeguard stand while Harry patrolled the edge of the pool. They’d tease each other from a distance, sticking their tongues out at each other when no one was looking, or mouthing the words “don’t slip” when they switched their spots so Y/N could teach some of her workout classes.

The first thing that really warmed them up to one another was actually on Y/N’s first day. She had cut through the kitchen to get to the lobby to punch in on time and almost ran directly into Harry. She hadn’t seen him since she moved in those few short days before, but the way he just stared at her and started chuckling struck something within her.

“Do you have a problem?” She asked and grew slightly aggravated when his laughing increased. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” he said firmly and tried to regain his composure, but failed miserably. “It’s just that I didn’t know management was going for matching uniforms this year.”

Y/N scowled at him before slowly glancing down at her outfit to see what he was talking about, only to become even more confused. Her uniform was simple enough, just a red full-piece bathing suit that had to be paired with white shorts and if she so decided, the white terry cloth sweater she was given with Oceanside’s emblem on it. She paired the outfit with the metal whistle she had to wear, some sunglasses to keep her hair out of her face, and a pair of black Adidas slides because there was no way she was walking around the pool without proper footwear.

To her, there was nothing wrong with the outfit, but once she was finished taking in her own appearance, Y/N moved her gaze to Harry and finally realized what he was going on about. He too was wearing a pair of red swim trunks, with a kind of tight looking white tank top that also had the emblem stitched into it as well. His outfit was almost identical to her own, but what got her the most was how he too had a pair of sunglasses pushing his mob of curls back and a matching pair of Adidas sandals. The two of them looked ridiculous standing side by side.

“Oh god,” Y/N groaned, which only caused Harry to burst out into laughter again. She was about to make another comment, but before she could, her phone started buzzing with the reminder that her shift started in five minutes. “Crap, we should go.”

“Lead the way,” Harry responded and dramatically bowed as a way to tell her to go first. She shook her head and proceeded, only making it a few steps before he spoke up again. “Hey Y/N?”

“Yeah?”

“Hate to break it to you, love, but I wear it better.”

Y/N scoffed and froze, turning to send him a glare but couldn’t help but laugh too as he just chuckled again and rushed forward to avoid her wrath. Their shifts together after that were just the same harmless and fun routine, and it really didn’t take Y/N long to realize just how much she enjoyed being around Harry, and that feeling only grew as the weeks went on.

One Friday afternoon, when Y/N and Harry were both finishing up their shift together by folding towels in the clubhouse laundry room so the lifeguards on the evening shift would have less to do, Harry decided to throw Y/N off guard with a question.

It was one he’d meant to ask her all week but couldn’t figure out how to bring it up in conversation. As he stood there watching her fold each towel with as much focus and precision as the last, he knew their shift was coming to an end soon and how he may not get to ask her if he didn’t do it right then. So, with a deep breath and a subtle clearing of his throat, he asked her.

“Are you going to the staff party tonight?”

“Hmm?” She replied, surprised, having to take a second to process the unexpected question. “Like the one that is thrown in the mess hall every weekend?”

“That’d be the one.”

“I uh, I don’t know,” she murmured and set down the last towel she had just finished folding. “Aimee, Dana, and Maya have been telling me I need to go to at least one. Apparently, they’re fun.”

“They are. S’nice hanging out with everyone in a non-work setting,” he explained, but avoided eye contact; suddenly feeling as if he might get turned down even though he has not built up enough courage to actually ask her out just yet. They’d become rather close, and there was this certain spark he felt whenever she was around, but again, was too chicken to actually do anything about.

“Are you going’?”

This time it was her question that caught him off guard because realistically he was expecting her to simply just say no. “Yeah I am, promised Nick I’d go with him.”

“Oh well if Nick is going then maybe I’ll consider it,” Y/N teased, unsure if this was his attempted way in saying he’d like her to go or not -- completely oblivious to just how bad he wanted her to be there with how well he masked it. He just chuckled in response as Y/N felt a sudden wave awkwardness consume the comfortable feeling she usually had whenever he was around. She glanced at the clock to see their shift had ended and decided to use that as an excuse to remove herself from the situation. “Looks like we’re done for the day. Maybe I’ll see you around this weekend?”

“Oh, yeah, see yeh Y/N.”

And with that, he watched her leave yet again.

After her conversation with Harry, it didn’t take much for Y/N’s roommates to convince her into going to the part, even going to the extent of her letting them pick out her outfit for the night. They decided on a simple black dress that Dana owned, one that just so happened to hug Y/N’s body in all the right places. The outfit was paired with a few of Aimee’s accessories while Maya styled her hair and if Y/N didn’t know any better, she’d assume those three were plotting something with how much effort they put into her appearance that night.

Once they were all dressed up, the four girls left the cabin and made way to the mess hall.

Y/N didn’t really know what to expect from this party, but upon stepping foot into the hall, she couldn’t help but let her eyes widen in surprise as she took in the scene around her. The two long wooden tables that regularly took up most of the space in the room were pushed against the walls and made a makeshift space that acted like a dancefloor. Couples danced together to the music playing, grinding and holding onto each other like a bunch of horny teenagers, while others exited from the kitchen with drinks in hand. It all looked like a scene from a movie, and Y/N had to shake her head at it all. Harry was right, this place really was much more like Dirty Dancing than High School Musical.

As if on cue, a familiar voice sounded from her right, and Y/N was soon faced to face with Nick. He wasted no time engulfing her in a tight hug before he moved on to greet the other girls. Y/N said hi to the people that had come over with Nick before moving her gaze to meet with an oh so familiar pair of stunning green eyes and smiling.

Harry had a wide grin on his face as he stepped towards her and pulled her into his chest for a quick hug as well. The gesture surprised Y/N, but she also found a sense of genuine warmth in his embrace before slowly moving away to look up at him again.

“You made it!” He exclaimed and just couldn’t stop smiling at the fact of her being there.

The way he grinned at Y/N made the butterflies in her stomach swarm, and she found herself having to break eye contact with him before her blush got too noticeable. She took that time to give him a once over and couldn’t keep herself from feeling some type of way. He was wearing a simple grey buttoned-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, shamelessly displaying his arm tattoos that just so happened to capture Y/N’s attention more than usual as the strobe lights danced across them. His hair was messy, but a good kind of messy Y/N decided; the entire look was just very, Harry and that thought alone made her smile.

“You look great by the way,” his voice snapped Y/N from her trance as looked around to see all of her friends have scattered and it was just her and Harry now.

“Thanks,” she continued to blush. “You look good too.”

A moment of awkward silence washed over them as neither really knew what else to say. Harry knew he could just end the conversation right there, but that wasn’t really something he wanted to do, so he began racking his brain for ideas on how to keep the conversation going. As if someone had heard him trying to think up something, the song that was playing changed and the upbeat intro of Right Back by Khalid started booming from the nearby speakers; causing him to grin all over again.

“Would you like to dance?”

“Me?” Y/N squeaked and glanced around because surely he wasn’t talking to her.

“Yes, you,” he chuckled. “I mean, I could ask Nick but who knows where he went off to.”

Y/N bit down on her bottom lip nervously, her heart fluttering at what felt like a million miles a second as she slowly nodded her head. “I’d like that.”

If it wasn’t for the few drinks she downed with her friends while getting ready for this thing, Y/N was sure she would not have been in this situation whatsoever. But alas, the alcohol gave her the liquid courage she needed to let Harry grab her hand and lead her out to the middle of the dancefloor. When they came to a small clearing, Harry dramatically spun around to face her again, causing her to laugh out loud as he dorkily pointed at her with finger guns. He had a goofy smirk plastered on his mouth as he started moving to the music and Y/N soon found herself swaying her hips to the beat too. She glanced at the people around her dancing very close to one another for this particular song and suddenly felt very out of place. They were entirely surrounded by couples.

As if sensing Y/N’s sudden discomfort at their setting, Harry mindlessly moved towards her until there were only a few inches between them. She looked up at him with wide eyes, but with him merely just being there, she didn’t feel as anxious. The two of them remained like that for a moment, lost in each other before Harry went to wrap his right arm around her waist; but stopped himself before he could.

“Uh, would you mind if I-?”

Y/N smiled at how he became so flustered, and simply could not find it in her to deny him. “You don’t have to ask.”

Harry didn’t know what to expect Y/N’s answer to be, but a massive wave of relief washed over him as he returned her smile and continued his movements. He snaked his arms around her waist just as the chorus started playing again and pulled her close, before shifting to rest his hands on her waist as they started moving to the music together.

Hesitantly, Y/N placed her hands on his chest before slowly moving them up to wrap around the back of his neck. Harry loved witnessing her gradually become more comfortable with what they were doing because with how much time he’d spent with her so far this summer, he knew this whole thing wasn’t exactly her scene. She seemed to actually be having fun, though. Throughout the song, she had already let him in more than she had over the last month, looking so content and at peace. It was at that moment Harry realized how he was going to do whatever he could in his power to make her feel that way as often as possible.

Y/N liked being this close to Harry more than she wanted to admit. There was something about him that drew her in and made her want to stay. Sure she considered him to be a friend and all already, but tonight felt different, a good different. She would never dance or act like this with just anybody, but with Harry, it felt natural.

Harry slowly leaned his forehead against Y/N’s as she started twisting the smalls curls at the nape of his neck and felt himself fall into a state of contentment as well. They danced with each other for the remainder of the song, along with the next two before Harry slowly started moving away.

A look of confusion washed over Y/N’s features, but it soon faded as Harry linked his hand with hers and started leading them away from the dancefloor. “Follow me.”

Y/N had no idea where he was taking her, but she didn’t question it either as she let him guide them towards the side door that led them out into the courtyard. There was no one else out there, which was a pleasant change from the crowded area they were just in.

As they walked hand in hand together, the two remained silent, and Y/N tried to keep her breathing steady as Harry gently rubbed his thumb over her knuckles and lead them towards the fountain. They started off talking about the night’s festivities along with not really knowing where all of their friends had gone off to, however, that casual conversation quickly turned deep when they started asking questions about each other, but in a very gradual, comfortable way that surprised both of them.

Y/N was the first to open up. She wasn’t really one to layout her entire life story just for someone to judge it and point out where things could have been changed, but with Harry, she didn’t feel that way once. He expressed genuine interest in what she was saying and soon enough, she was telling him everything. She explained why she thought she needed to leave California for a while after high school and her experiences abroad. With that, she talked about how she felt that time could significantly change people and as much as it sucks to admit, there’s nothing anyone can really do about it either. Her primary example being how Aimee is the only person she kept in contact with from high school because she had grown apart from everyone else. Y/N even went on to explain how she wasn’t able to form very close bonds with people she met during her travels, due to her fear of letting people in just enough so that she’s comfortable before leaving her high and dry.

Harry hung on to her every word, providing a comforting squeeze to her hand when she’d bring up things that were a bit tougher to talk about, and just nodding as she went on to let her know that he really did want to be there, listening to what she had to say. Once she was done, he could tell how relieved she was by simply being able to share all of that with someone she trusted enough to know the things that made her, her. Harry knew how much Y/N appreciated him for letting her vent, and in return, let him know that she would do the same for him if he ever wanted to, and so he did.

The two talked for hours, although it only seemed like mere minutes to them. Once Harry finished his back story of everything that had happened since he graduated high school, he expressed his want to return to England soon and that his money from this job was going to allow him to do so. He went off about how excited he was for his move to LA and his dreams of making it big in the music industry one day, but for now, Harry was rather content with where he was (specifically in that moment with Y/N).

As the night went on, it was Y/N that noticed the party had died down, seeing as no music could be heard anymore and that it was getting rather late. 

Y/N was fully aware of how neither she or Harry worked the next day but still felt a little anxious at the thought of her friends giving her an earful for not having a clue as to where she had gone or who she was with. Luckily for her, the conversation she was having with Harry was much more lighthearted than it was before and she didn’t feel as bad for interrupting it.

“Hey, H?” She spoke up, smiling inwardly to herself at the little nickname she’d mindlessly decided to call him. “I think everyone’s gone back to the cabins, think we should go too?”

There was no doubting that Harry didn’t want the night to end just yet and couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed at the thought itself. So, being the quick thinker he was, he glanced around at their surroundings and tried to think of a way to keep her around; a mischievous grin dancing on his lips when his gaze falls on the pool and an idea sprang to his mind. “We could do that, or we could do something completely different. Something fun.”

“Oh, well, what did you have in mind?”

“Something that I’m going to do regardless of if you join or not, even though I’d much prefer if you did,” he smirked and observed as her eyebrows started to furrow.

“Harry…”

A tiny, heartfelt laugh left Harry’s mouth at the small pout that was forming on her lips as she spoke. She had no idea what he was planning, and it made him that much more excited to mess with her a little bit. He watched as she bit down on her lip in anticipation, and waited for him to say something and after a moment of keeping her on her toes, he leaned forward to whisper lowly in her ear.

“I’m going to go swimming.”

With that, Harry stood up from his spot on the edge of the fountain and jogged his way over to the pool. As much as Harry wished he could see the look of disapproval, he knew Y/N would be looking at him with, he didn’t stop to glance back at her. Instead, he approached the pool gate and glanced around to make sure no security guards were out on patrol, before quietly lifting the latch to unlock it and slowly pushing it open.

Once inside the gate, he walked over to one of the poolside lounge chairs and set his phone and wallet on it before unashamedly starting to strip down to his boxers. Just as he tossed his shirt on the chair and moved to begin unbuttoning his pants, he heard the pool gate creak open again and was already smiling at what was about to come.

“Are you insane?” Y/N’s voice hissed as she followed after him scowling. “Harry, you’re going to get us in so much trouble.”

“Can’t get in trouble if we don’t get caught,” he shrugged as he stepped out of his pants and set them on the chair too. Goosebumps raised on his torso as the cold night air came in contact with his newly exposed skin, but he ignored it as he turned around to face Y/N again. He could tell she was cold by the way she had her arms tightly wrapped her body as a breeze wisped her hair around, and decided to use that factor to his advantage. “The pool is heated.”

“I know it’s heated, I work here too, you know.”

“I do,” he responded smugly and tilted his head to the side. “Well, are you coming in or are you too chicken?”

There was a glint in her eyes that he recognized to be the competitive streak in her coming out. He’s managed to see this side of her a handful of times while he was pressing her buttons at work and seeing her look back at him that way made him think that he may have her convinced, however, the glint faltered as she nervously looked around to see if anyone was nearby. “I don’t know H-.”

Harry could tell that deep down she wanted to join him, she really did. However, he also knew damn well that doing anything that could possibly jeopardize her job here cause Y/N a lot of anxiety. But maybe, just maybe, he’d be able to crack through that wall she keeps putting up that prevents her from doing something fun and reckless for once.

Slowly, Harry walked towards her with a mission. As soon as he was close enough to do so, he reached out and linked their hands together; giving that little bit of reassurance she wanted so badly.

“I’m not going to make you do it if you don’t want to love, but if for whatever reason something did happen, I’ll make sure nothing happens to you.” He paused and watched as her features slowly softened, her hand squeezing his a little tighter all at the same time. “Do you trust me?”

“You already know I do,” she whispered and earned herself a small smile from Harry as she let go of his hand and stepped towards the pool. This time it was Y/N’s turn to shamelessly strip down to her underwear with her back turned to Harry.

Harry was surprised by her sudden burst of confidence as she casually kicked her shoes off and pulled the dress she was wearing up over her head -- letting it fall to the ground in such a simple, yet unknowingly sexy way that had Harry growing more frustrated with each passing second.

Y/N kept her back to him, not wanting him to see just how badly she was blushing. Once she was left in only her mismatched grey/black cotton bra and undies, she stepped towards the edge of the pool and waited for Harry. She smiled to herself as soon as he was standing beside her again and pondered her movements for a minute before making the executive decision to try and push Harry into the pool.

However, her plan backfired, seeing as she did not account for just how buff Harry was and that the likelihood of him actually falling in was slim to none. To make matters worse, Y/N stumbled slightly when she tried pushing him to which Harry instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist so that she wouldn’t fall in instead. Once she was steady, Y/N finally looked up to Harry and internally groaned.

“You just tried to push me in!” He exclaimed dramatically.

“And stupid me thought it’d actually work,” Y/N grumbled as she tried to squirm out of Harry’s grasp. She almost broke free, but before she knew it, Harry was pulling her back against his chest and began tickling her at her sides. She burst into laughter as she began squirming even more and tried to push him away. “H-Harry, stop!”

“You’re wrong if you thought I was letting you get away with that. I’m hurt, Y/N.”

“You’ll get over it,” she replied in a huff as she continued trying to escape Harry’s hold. This continued for another minute as Harry slowly but surely moved them back towards the pool’s edge, and Y/N’s wriggling intensified. She knew what he was about to do and without thinking,  blurted out the first thing that came to mind to prevent him from doing so. “No, don’t! I can’t swim!”

Harry’s movements halted as soon as those words left her mouth, leaving Y/N to cover her mouth to stifle another laugh. She hadn’t considered how ridiculous her statement was until after she said it, and couldn’t help but laugh at how far from the truth it actually was. Harry didn’t move his hands from her waist, and although she really didn’t want to turn to face him, she eventually did and prepared for his reaction.

He stayed silent for a split second before narrowing her eyes and tightening his grip on her waist. “You’re so full of shit.”

Before she could respond again, Harry was lifting her up and jumping into the pool with her in his hold; finally putting the entire argument to rest. As soon as she was surrounded by water, Y/N swam away from Harry and used her feet to push off the bottom of the pool so that she could get back up to the surface and catch her breath.

Harry resurfaced shortly after and they both broke into another laughing fit. The two of them stayed there, treading water for a few minutes before Harry decided to splash Y/N out of nowhere, causing her to gasp dramatically.

She splashed him back but gave up the fight when he returned the gesture with a much larger wave that crashed right into her face. “Ok, I guess I deserved that.”

“Damn right you did,” he replied sassily and treaded and little closer to her. They watched each other for a minute before Harry started lowering the bottom half of his head into the water, just enough that only his eyes were still above the water. Y/N watched him curiously and couldn't help but roll her eyes when he exhaled deeply out of his mouth so that a series of bubbles would rise to the surface and pop around him as he kept eye contact with Y/N.

“God, you are such a child!” She squealed and started swimming away from the shallow end of the pool.

“You love it,” he before shaking his wet, matted curls and swimming after her.

The next half an hour or so is spent with Y/N and Harry goofing off together, and really just having the time of their lives. They had a race to see who could swim from one end of the pool to the other and back the fastest, to which Harry won only by a little bit. However, he soon lost his title when Y/N challenged him to see who could remain in and underwater handstand the longest without falling over or having to swim up for air.

Neither of them had a care in the world, but that quickly changed when the sound of jingling keys and heavy footsteps could be heard in the distance but were undoubtedly getting closer to the pool area. Y/N froze in place, and her face went white, the previous panic she had before of getting caught returning and causing her to be on the verge of hyperventilation.

“Harry, what do we do?!” She asked in a hushed tone, knowing that if they were to just jump out of the pool and make a run for it, they would most definitely get caught. “Y-y-you said-.”

“I know Y/N,” Harry hissed as he stood up and looked towards the courtyard, only to see the beam of a flashlight coming their way. “Ok, ok, I need you to do as I say and not argue with me, alright?”

Y/N nodded frantically but kept her mouth shut as she let Harry gently push her against the side of the pool. His hands never left her body, and to be honest, it’d stress her out even more if he weren’t there. Harry was keeping her calm. She observed as he intently watched the direction the noises of the person approaching came from, not being able to keep her eyes from the way the elegant butterfly and sparrows tattooed on his stomach and chest moved with each breath. Part of her wanted to reach out and trach along with the ink, but she knew now wasn’t the time and kept her hands to herself while she waited for Harry to tell her what to do next.

“Ok, when I say, I want you to go under the water as quietly as you can and swim behind the waterfall. Stay low when you come back up, I don’t think security will see you that way.” His plan was simple enough and actually seemed as though it could work, so with a silent nod, Y/N got in position and waited for him to give her the ok to go. “Alright…. Now.”

Y/N did as Harry said and quietly went back under the water. She kicked off the wall and smoothly glided under the water and didn’t come back up until she reached the wall she knew was behind the waterfall and beneath where her lifeguard chair was resting up top. Once she came up for air, she pressed her back against the wall to remain unseen and waited patiently for Harry.

Before Y/N could really start getting worried, she was able to make out Harry’s figure swimming beneath the waterfall just as she watched a flashlight beam over the part of the pool that she and Harry had only been. She unknowingly pressed her back harder to the wall and held her breath, keeping her eyes closed as she waited for someone to demand that they come out from the waterfall.

A few agonizing moments go by as Y/N prepared for the worst, but the worst never happens. She peeked one eye open just as Harry disappeared under the water again and swam back out into the regular part of the pool. A portion of her wanted to wait for his confirmation, but when it took him a bit longer than she was expecting for him to come back, she knew the coast must’ve been clear; so she followed after him.

Sure enough, when she resurfaced again, there was no security standing at the edge of the pool, waiting to give them shit; but instead, it was just Harry standing with his back to her, with his muscles tense. Cautiously, she approached him.

“We should get going,” he finally spoke up when there was no longer too much of a space between them. He turned around to face Y/N, but couldn’t seem to actually look at her. “Tha’ was closer than I’d like it to be, and we may not have time before he’s back.”

“H-.”

“And you probably don’t want anything to do with me after putting you in a stressful situation like that, this is all my fault,” he continued to ramble as she kept approaching him.

“Harry…”

“God, I swear I didn’t think anyone would actually come by but-.” This time it was Y/N who cut Harry off as she made one final step towards him and placed a hand behind his neck. She pulled him towards her at the same time she stood up onto her tippy toes and waited for the sparks she knew would go off once their lips came in contact with one another.

To say it felt like magic would have been an understatement because how it felt for Y/N and Harry to be at that moment, after spending such a great night together was simply indescribable. They both really liked the feeling of being there, together, making out, even though it was in the pool they both were lifeguards for, and soon found themselves getting lost in the kiss.

Harry quickly pulled her closer to him, wanting to have as little space between them as possible as his hands tangled into her hair so that the kiss could deepen. Y/N reacted by moaning slightly into his mouth and parting her lips more so that she could allow him more access.

They continued making out as Harry placed his hands under Y/N’s thighs so that she could wrap her legs around his waist. They kept going at it when Y/N’s back gently collided with the pool wall again, and she placed her hands on either side of his face just so that she could keep him near. The only thing that was going to make them break away from one another was going to be the need for air, and even that took a few minutes to happen, but eventually, it did.

The two of them slowly pulled away from each other, lips swollen, and panting for air as Y/N glanced up at Harry and smiled lightly. “You were putting words into my mouth.”

“Clearly I need to do that more often,” he chuckled before leaning down and catching her lips in another quick, yet sweet, kiss. Once he was done, he leaned back away from her again, his thumbs twiddling with the material of her underwear as they made no indication of wanting to move from one another. Eventually, it was Harry that broke the silence again. “Think we should get out here?”

“Not the worst idea I don't think,” Y/N responded with a nod.

The two of them untangled themselves from one another and climbed out of the pool before gathering their things and heading back to the cabins.

Y/N stayed with Harry that night and into the early morning of the next day. She woke up tangled in his bedsheets alone but had no need to worry seeing as she could hear him humming along to a tune from the shower in the washroom nearby. A loud yawn left her mouth as she stretched and squinted at the bright sunlight streaming in through the windows and finally took in her surroundings.

Harry’s cabin was smaller than Y/N’s but was much more spacious because it was only him and Nick that stayed there. And luckily for Y/N, Nick was nowhere to be found. She did, however, have this nagging thought of how he could literally burst through the door and see her so obviously trying to keep her naked body covered beneath the sheets at any given moment. There was not a single part of her that wanted to deal with that, so she sat up in the bed and looked out the window for any sign of him coming before booking it into the washroom so that she could join Harry in the shower.

The two of them spent the entire day together. It was ridiculously convenient that Nick, Aimee, Dana, and Maya all had work today because they were able to postpone any of their friends bugging them. Seeing as Y/N only had the outfit she wore last night, she gave Harry her key so that he could run over to her empty cabin and grab some fresh clothes. Much to her dismay, he came back with only a pair of terrycloth shorts that belonged to Maya and some clean underwear (but no bra).

“Harry, do you expect me to walk around topless all day?” Y/N asked and quirked an eyebrow at him. It was evident that he didn’t intentionally forget to grab her a top by the way his eyes widened slightly at her question, but with Harry being Harry, he played it off with ease.

“Well, I wouldn’t exactly be opposed to the idea…”

“Harry.”

“Kidding,” he groaned as he rolled off the bed again and made way to his dresser so that he could give her a shirt to wear. “But not really. Here.”

Y/N caught the shirt Harry tossed towards her with ease and quickly threw it on, knowing she’d gone without a top for long enough. After that, Harry climbed onto the bed again and stretched himself across the bed next to her. He was hesitant in doing so, but after getting stiff from leaning on his elbow for a few minutes, he laid down flat with his head resting softly on Y/N’s lap as she stayed sat up and leaned against the wall.

The two of them talked for hours on end, again. Not once getting bored of each other's company and loving hearing what they each had to say, Y/N started to think about how long it had been since she was this comfortable with someone. They talked about everything from their favorite foods, to their what genre of a story they liked best after Y/N had eyed up the stack of books that were on Harry’s bedside table. Harry started going off, and Y/N mindlessly pushed her hand through his curls as he reached over to grab one of them so that he could tell her some of his favorite lines in it.

As the late afternoon crept around, Harry proposed that they actually leave the cabin and go out to do something, to which Y/N agreed. So, they gathered up the laundry hamper they had tossed Harry’s dirty bedding into that morning and made way to the clubhouse to start washing them while they went off and did something else. As they made way to the laundry room, they had to come to a stop when someone started calling out after them. Sure enough, it was Aimee standing behind them with a bemused and knowing look. She didn’t give them a hard time though seeing as she was just finishing her break and needed to get back to work, but Y/N knew she would get an earful when she got home that night.

Once they loaded up one of the washing machines and convinced one of the older ladies working in the laundry room, folding up clean bedsheets for the guests, to put move their wash over to a dryer so that they wouldn’t have to come back as soon; they embarked on a little journey. After sending a quick text to Maya a quick text to make sure it was alright, Y/N led Harry to one of the many golf carts that weren’t being used to take on their own little excursion.

They drove around the resort’s perimeter, taking the whole place in as if they were the ones staying there rather than being employees. After they finished doing that, Y/N drove them back to the clubhouse and tried thinking of something else to do before Harry suggested they go on the hiking trails the resort had.

The two of them walked back down the path that led towards the cabins and took a different turn that led them down a winding trail and eventually to the base of a large hill. Other people were nearby putting the multiple trail options to good use, but Harry and Y/N couldn’t decide which one they wanted to go on. They settled on the longest trail, the one that took them up the hill to a supposed lookout spot that was there.

It took them roughly forty-five minutes to reach the top, mainly because Harry kept dramatically pausing, saying he needed a break although Y/N was totally aware of it being a facade so that she’d stay near him and not keep going too far ahead... but she didn’t mind as they continued going. 

Once they reached the end of the path, Y/N didn’t know what she was expecting to see, but she definitely wasn’t prepared to have her breath taken away

The top of the hill was a large clearing with the most incredible view. There was no one else up there so she didn’t waste any time walking around the entire area so she could take it all in. When she looked down the hill to the east, she had an incredible aerial view of the whole resort. The massive golf course seemed to go on forever, disappearing in the distance behind some trees and smaller hills, and everything else seemed so much smaller. She could see the entirety of the clubhouse letting her eyes move to the pool and then over to the trails behind it as well as all the big fancy lodges the resort guests rented out during their stay. Her gaze fell on the row of cabins, watching as her co-workers walked home after their shifts had come to an end; even seeing who she thought was Dana trudging her way up the steps of their shared cabin, and Nick making his way towards his and Harry’s.

Y/N then moved to look to the west, and that was when her jaw dropped open in awe. In the distance, she could see the coastline. Where the greenery from the trees ended, the deep blue of the Pacific Ocean started and seemed to go on forever; causing her to become quickly enraptured by its beauty. So this was why Oceanside was a fitting name.

“S’pretty, innit?” Harry’s voice asked from behind her. When she didn’t respond, he moved towards her so that they were standing side by side. It wasn’t his first time seeing the view, which Y/N knew, but what she didn’t realize was how with the way the sun was just beginning to set, everything stood out. The pink and purple sky surrounding them and the way the breeze wisped her hair around made it seem as though she was the center of the most beautiful painting. Harry couldn’t take his eyes off of her, not that he’d want to anyway, and wanted to this exact image engraved into his memory forever. “Y/N?”

“Hmm?” She asked and glanced over at him briefly before looking back to the ocean. “The view? Yes, it’s incredible.”

“Not just the view,” Harry whispered to himself as he watched her. Silence fell over them for a few minutes after that, and neither made a move to change that. However, as the sun kept getting lower in the sky, Harry knew that this moment couldn’t last forever. “Think we should head back down there, it’s going to be dark soon.”

“Oh, yeah, not a bad idea. The laundry is probably done by now too.”

It didn’t take them as long to get down the hill as it was going up, so soon enough they were back at the clubhouse gathering Harry’s bedding and heading back to the cabins to call it a night. 

On their way there, they heard laughter and chatter coming from people walking down a different path. Neither Harry or Y/N thought anything of it as they started down the trail towards the cabins until someone was calling after Y/N.

“Hey Y/N, wait up!”

Slowly, both Y/N and Harry turned around to see Tyler Huntington approaching them with one of his friends.

“Hi Tyler, how’s it going?” Y/N greeted as Harry remained silent; not noticing the way he glared at the other boy.

“Good,” Tyler responded. “Just finished up a round of golf. Didn’t see you at the pool today.”

“Yeah, Harry and I have this weekend off so you won’t see me around there tomorrow either.”

“I see,” he replied and moved his gaze to Harry, sending him somewhat of a dirty look. “Styles. Well anyways Y/N, seeing as you have the day off tomorrow, Chris here’s parents went to San Francisco for the weekend, so a bunch of us are going to party in his family’s lodge. You should come.”

His invitation surprised her a little bit because frankly not once had she given the impression that she wanted to hang out with Tyler or his obnoxious friends apart from being around them during her shift. There was a fine line between employee and guest’s relationships being professional, and she did not want to cross it, so she politely turned him down.

“Thank you for the offer, but no thanks. I’m actually so exhausted and am ready to call it a night.”

“I see,” Tyler responded disappointedly. “Maybe another time then?”

“Maybe,” Y/N responded with a small nod and looked up to Harry. “Well, I guess we’ll be going then, have a good night guys.”

“Night,” Tyler and Chris responded in unison.

Y/N and Harry turned and started walking towards the cabin’s again, and Tyler watched with gritted teeth as Harry wrapped an arm around Y/N’s waist and pulled her close. Feeling the jealousy within him reach an all-time high as she leaned into Harry’s touch as they continued walking and eventually disappeared out of sight.

The next couple of weeks or so went on like usual. Y/N and Harry spent most of it together at work as usual but also spent a lot of evenings together as well. While at work together, the two of them would go on as they usually would -- teasing each other and making snarky comments, but this time around, there was a lot more subtle flirting. They always kept it professional around guests, but when they had any time that was just the two of them, they were all over each other.

One evening, after Y/N and Harry finished their shift together, they helped the kitchen staff set up tables in the dining room for a fancy gala dinner that was being put on for the resort guests. They stuck out like sore thumbs working alongside the servers who were dressed in their fancy uniforms in preparation for the dinner, to which their co-workers teased them about, but expressed appreciation for the help nonetheless.

Once they were done helping wherever they could, Dana told them her, and the rest of the team should be alright and that Y/N and Harry should get out of there before the guests started showing up. As they were headed towards the lobby, Harry snuck up behind Y/N and covered his hand over her mouth so that no one would hear her. A muffled yelp left her mouth as Harry pulled her behind one of the large planters and pillar so that he could gently push her up against the wall; a seductive grin tugging at his lips as he did so.

“Been waiting to have you to myself all day,” Harry said as he moved his hand from her mouth and replaced it with his lips. Y/N moaned against his mouth and responded by pulling him even closer than he already was so that the kiss would deepen. They stood there making out for at least a solid two minutes before footsteps and voices could be heard coming towards them.

Y/N and Harry quickly broke away from each other and tried to straighten out their appearances before stepping out from behind the pillar, coming face to face with the Huntington family. Both Mr. and Mrs. Huntington greeted the pair happily while Tyler stayed quiet; silently fuming as he took in Y/N’s swollen lips and Harry’s disheveled curls.

“Aren’t you kids done for the day? Get out of here already,” Mr. Huntington teased as he patted Harry on the back.

“We are,” Harry told him. “Just thought we’d help with setting everything up for you guys. It looks great in there, I’m sure you’ll have lots of fun.”

“Anyways we should get going,” Y/N spoke up with a smile and looked to each member of the family, pausing when she locked eye contact with Mrs. Huntington. “They’ve got your favorite wine in there Carol, it should be a good night.”

“Oh, wonderful!” The older woman exclaimed and clapped her hands together, earning a groan from her husband. “You two have a good night as well, don’t get into too much trouble.”

“We won’t,” Y/N and Harry answered together before nodding goodbye and walking away from them. Both Mr. and Mrs. Huntington smiled and watched them go for a second before continuing on down the hallway, but Tyler stood there watching, no glaring at the two of them until they disappeared around the corner.

A few days later, when Y/N was in Harry’s cabin watching a movie with him and Nick, her phone buzzed with a new notification. She reached over to grab her phone, Harry shifting so that she’d have easier access to his bedside table, but not moving his arm from where it was wrapped lazily around her waist. As soon as she had the device, Y/N returned to her spot, nestled up against Harry and turned the screen on only to see she had an email from Mr. Slack. Assuming it was necessary, she unlocked her phone and opened the email; her eyebrows furrowing as she read through it.

“Everything alright?” Harry asked after a moment of seeing her just stare at the phone screen.

“Yeah, I guess,” she started. “It’s just that Mr. Slack changed my work schedule completely.”

“For next week?” Nick questioned and sat up, curiously from his bed across the room.

“No… for the rest of the summer.”

This caught Harry’s attention as his eyebrows furrowed in confusion as well. “Mind if I see?”

“Not at all,” Y/N responded and handed him the phone.

Harry took the device and scrolled through the entire email, noting the changes in her schedule. “Our shifts are completely opposite now.”

“Really? All of them?”

“Yeah, all of them,” he replied and handed the phone back. “We don’t have any more days off together.”

“So they’re splitting us up and pairing us with different lifeguards for the next three weeks?” Y/N questioned, and Harry nodded. “Why now all of a sudden?”

“Whack caught on to you two messing around with each other, huh?” Nick asked and wriggled his eyebrows.

“I don’t think it was him actually,” Harry shrugged in response. “Think it was the Huntington kid.”

“Tyler?” Y/N asked and leaned onto her elbow so she could get a better look at Harry as he nodded. “What makes you think that?”

“Oh come on, you can’t tell me you haven’t noticed how pissed he gets whenever he sees us together. He’s jealous Y/N. Probably pulled some strings with management so that he could attempt to move in on you before the end of summer.”

His tone became rather hostile, and Y/N quickly decided that she did not like it one bit and started moving away from him. “I have noticed actually, but it’s wrong to assume someone could be so malicious. We can’t prove that he actually did do that, maybe Slack just wanted to switch up the lifeguard rotation.”

“Three weeks before the summer ends? Y/N, do you hear yourself right now? All the hints and clues of Tyler wanting to mess with us are right in front of you, but you’re too damn gullible and naive to open your eyes and see!”

Harry’s outburst surprised Y/N, and she made no effort to hide it. “That was uncalled for, Harry.”

“But true,” he finished and looked away, not noticing the hurt that flashed through her eyes.

The next thing Y/N knew, she was scrambling to get out of Harry’s grasp to get as far away from him as she possibly could. “You know what? I’m just gonna go.”

“What, no, Y/N, I didn’t mean that rudely,” Harry pleaded as he stood up too, realizing that he’d really upset her.

“How did you mean to say that I’m too gullible and naive for my own good in a nice way, Harry?” She snapped and brought her hand up to her chest when she saw him reaching out for it. “I’m sorry that I tend to see the good in people and not make rash assumptions about them just because I feel like it! You know, I thought you weren’t one to do that too actually, but I guess I was wrong.”

Harry couldn’t find it in himself to say anything else because just seeing how much his words had hurt her, crippled him. During one of their many talks, she told him how growing up she was told that her niceness would get her in trouble one day, that she was too accepting of everyone and it really rubbed her the wrong way. Y/N viewed her kindness towards others as a weakness because of that, and although it was one of her traits that Harry admired most, he still managed to make her feel bad about it. To make her feel weak.

Y/N gave him a second to respond, and although she was greatly disappointed when he didn’t, she just swallowed her pride and walked towards the door. Muttering a quick goodbye to Nick, she swung the screen door open and walked out, letting it slam shut as she rushed down the stairs and over to her cabin before the tears started streaming down her face.

There was an invisible weight resting on Harry’s chest as he watched her go, feeling absolutely terrible as Nick walked up beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “You just royally fucked up my friend.”

A week went by, but Y/N and Harry had yet to speak to one another. She was upset, which he knew, but fucked, he missed her. He just wanted the chance to apologize, but even then, that opportunity never came because they never actually saw each other. The only time he’d get to see her was in passing when one of their shifts came to an end, and the other was there to take over.

On the nights he knew he didn’t work the next day, Harry would stay up late reading on his front porch, coming to a stop only when he’d hear someone dragging their feet on the gravel and watched as they trudged their way past his cabin on route to their own. One of those nights, over a week since he and Y/N, had last spoken outside of work, he heard two sets of footsteps walking down the path, so he set the book down to see if it was anyone he knew. As soon as he looked up, her gaze fell onto Y/N, but she wasn’t alone.

She had just finished the night shift at the pool and was yawning and rubbing at her eyes as she nodded to what Tyler was going on about besides her, clearly uninterested. When Y/N and Tyler reached the space between her and Harry’s cabins, she looked at Harry tiredly and sent him the smallest smile. Y/N then turned to Tyler and thanked him for walking her home and turned him down again for hanging out before saying goodbye and going up to her cabin stairs. Just as she reached the door, she paused and looked over to Harry, nodding towards him. “Night, Harry.”

And with that, she was gone.

The days after that, Harry observed how Tyler followed Y/N around like a lost puppy and started to become annoyed because he’d still not gotten the chance to apologize. One night, as they were going into the last week and a half of summer, Harry decided he was done sulking and knew that he needed to talk to Y/N because he’d gotten to the point where he just felt empty without her.

He first went over to her cabin to see if she was there. Knocking on the door, he felt his heart rate increase with each passing second until the door swung open to reveal Aimee.

“Get off my porch,” she spat. Harry took a deep breath, feeling even more nervous than before because if looks could kill, he’d be dead by now.

“I-is Y/N home?” He stammered and shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

She continued glaring at him, exhaling deeply through her nose to express just how much him being there made her fume. “You’re right fucked if you think I’m letting you talk to her after what you did.”

“Aimee I-.”

“You messed up Harry, massively.” Aimee finished for him. “Do you know how hard it is for that girl to open up? To feel such a significant bond with someone that she can genuinely be herself without fear of being judged for it. You somehow managed to crack through that wall. She let you in, and you threw it in her face. So, like I said before, get the fuck off my porch.”

“I know I messed up ok?” Harry argued before she could slam the door shut, his voice cracking slightly. “I know that I gained her trust, became someone she was comfortable with, and then fucked everything up. I know you think I’m a terrible human being because of what I said, and honestly, I can agree with you. What I said was uncalled for and completely unnecessary, and I know that I’d take it all back if I could. I was jealous, fuck, I was jealous of Tyler Huntington because he kept moving in on her and to be honest, I was afraid. Not because she ever seemed interested, but because I knew that he could give her the world if she let him and that I can’t. I’m a lifeguard for fuck's sake, not the son of some rich businessman. I don’t know where I’m going from here, or what LA will hold, but I’d really like for her to be there for it, and I hate myself for possibly messing that up.”

Once his rant came to an end, and he finally decided to look up again, he half expected for Aimee to just proceed with slamming the door in his face but was actually surprised to see that he’d gained an audience. Both Dana and Maya were now standing behind Aimee shaking their heads.

“God, boys, they really are stupid,” Maya groaned.

“Y/N doesn’t care about any of that you dingus,” Dana stated.

“Honestly though,” Aimee agreed, her features softening. “Glad you can see how good of thing you almost lost there, Harry, because as much as I want to say you don’t deserve to even associate with my best friend… You’re an alright dude. She’s on the night shift at the pool, you may be able to catch her before she finishes up and comes home for the night. Just don’t mess it up again.”

“I won’t, thank you,” Harry replied as he turned around and bolted down the stairs and started off in the direction of the pool. He checked the time on his phone and sped up a little more as he knew Y/N would be getting ready to leave soon.

Y/N finished gathering the last of the pool towels left by guests and put them in the hamper for housekeeping to deal with tomorrow. She hated the night shift. Although the pool closed at 10pm, she was alone from 8pm on, but the pool was always dead by then and the time would just drag. She knew her shift was almost over, so she wandered back to the lifeguard stand and grabbed her belongings so she could go punch out.

Before she could get too far though, the pool gate creaked open, and someone walked in. She turned around to tell the person that the pool had closed, but stopped herself when she saw Tyler standing there. “Oh, hey.”

“Hey,” he responded and walked towards her. “Was wondering if you wanted some company for the walk home again.”

“Thanks, that’s really sweet of you, but I’m meeting up with Nick so I’ll be fine,” she told him honestly.

“I see,” he replied and looked down to his feet. “Well, I know that you have the day off tomorrow. Maybe I want to do something… with me?”

Y/N could tell he was a little nervous asking her this, but there was something he said that she was not expecting to hear. “How did you know I had tomorrow off?”

“I uh, you told me, remember?” Tyler stammered, internally cursing himself.

“No, I didn’t,” Y/N trailed off. “So how did you actually know?”

“Ok, you caught me,” he tried to play it off. “I asked Mr. Slack to tell me because I really wanted to ask you out, seeing as you turned me down all summer.”

“I turned you down because I’m not interested, Tyler.”

As the conversation started going down, Harry was nearing the pool gate. He heard what Y/N had just said, but stopped so that he wouldn’t interfere.

Y/N watched Tyler, watched as his eyes snapped to hers once the words left her mouth, and saw them darken. Y/N held her ground, though. She didn’t falter or let him intimidate her regardless of how part of her wanted too because deep down, she already knew this was going to tie into what she and Harry had fought about.

“See that’s the thing I don’t get,” Tyler started, chuckling slightly. “Why wouldn’t you be interested? I’ve got money, looks, charm-.”

“Well, I wouldn’t go that far,” she cut him off, and Harry had to cover his mouth so that he didn’t laugh out loud.

“Right. Not like you’d notice it anyways with how busy you’ve been off fucking Styles every chance you got. Quite the slut move, Y/N.”

Harry was ready to throw hands at that point and was about to start going off, but Y/N beat him to it.

“You do not get to say that about me, or anyone for that matter,” she fumed. “And frankly, it is not your concern, or anyone else’s who I sleep with, so I’ll sum this up real quick. I like Harry, he is a kind and decent being, something you wouldn’t know, and is someone I will gladly admit to falling for and will continue falling for because he is actually worth my time.”

“Whatever-.”

“Oh, I’m not done yet. Harry is someone who holds more character in his pinky finger than you do in your entire body, and is also someone who would never, in a million years, pay money to try and interfere with someone’s life.” Tyler fell silent at that. “I know you paid Slack to change my work schedule around.”

“I, well, I-.”

“You aren’t worth it,” she finished and had no intention of speaking another word to him. Tyler stood there shocked as she brushed past him and started walking towards the gate.

“I can have you fired, you know?” He finally spoke up, noticing that Harry was standing nearby. “Both of you.”

“No, you can’t,” Y/N laughed, sending a quick glance to Harry before turning back around. “Slack already told me he wants both me and Harry to come back next summer with a pay raise. I think he was saying something about how he didn’t want to get rid of the guest's two favorite lifeguards, including your parents. So maybe I’ll see you next summer, Tyler, but for now, fuck you.”

The man was left speechless and couldn’t find any other words to say as he watched her walk out the gate and towards Harry.

Once the gate shut behind her, Y/N turned to face Harry and tried so hard to not just lunge herself towards him. “Did you hear that?”

“I did,” Harry said, and Y/N started stepping towards him.

“All of it?”

“Yes, all of it.”

“Ok, good,” she answered just as she reached him and wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him in so she could crush her lips against his. The kiss was sweet but turned hungry as each of them realized how much they’d been craving to be near one another again. However, it didn’t last long until Y/N was pulling away to look back up at Harry. “I missed you, H.”

“God, and I missed you,” he replied, softly pecking her lips once again. “And I am so so sorry, Y/N. I’m sorry for being such a prick, and I don’t expect you to forgive me any time soon, but-.”

“I already have,” Y/N told him and moved to wrap her arms around his waist in a hug. “Besides, Nick told me how sulky you were because I wasn’t talking to you.”

“Of course he did,” Harry groaned and pulled away from the hug. He leaned down to kiss her once again before leaning his forehead against hers. “Let’s go home.”

Y/N’s last week at Oceanside was spent packing, working her final shifts, and saying goodbye to all the friends she had made throughout the summer. On her last day there, she gave her cabin one final look over to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything and let out a sad sigh. Dana and Maya had left the day before, so it was just her in Aimee left. Once she was sure she had everything, she went outside to where Aimee and Nick were waiting, and the three of them started walking towards the clubhouse.

“You know you’re both going to have to Facetime me at least once a week, right?” Nick asked as they walked around to where the different buses were waiting to drive them home.

“I’d expect nothing less,” Y/N answered and let out a heavy breath once they reached their destination.

The three of them pulled each other into a group hug and muttered their teary goodbye’s. Eventually, Nick had to pull away so that he could board his bus and made sure to wave like crazy as it began pulling away.

“I can’t believe you’re going to LA already, I feel like I just got you back,” Aimee started as she loaded her luggage onto the bottom of the bus.

“I know,” Y/N told her as she helped with the large suitcase. “The summer flew by. Sorry that I'm sending you on the bus back to San Jose alone.”

“I’ll be fine, you’ll just have to make it up to me with drinks when I come to visit. Which will be very soon might I add.”

They both chuckled before slowly frowning, tears stinging at their eyes. In a split second, they were engulfing each other into a tight hug and trying not to cry.

“I’m going to miss you so much, Aims.”

“I’m going to miss you more,” Aimee replied and pulled away to wipe at the tears streaming down her face. “I’m so proud of you Y/N. You’re going out there and doing whatever it is you want to do, and I got to see you grow as a person so much this summer. God, I feel like a proud mom.”

“It’s because of you, you know,” Y/N responded as she reached up to wipe away some of her friend's tears. “If it weren’t for you sassing me, I would have been a hermit all summer. You gave me that extra push I didn’t know I needed.”

“Well, in that case, then I’m happy that I did.”

Y/N pulled her best friend in for another hug, staying like that until the bus driver called out for final boarding. “I guess that’s your cue to leave.”

“I guess it is,” Aimee sniffled as she moved from Y/N’s embrace and started walking to the bus. “You better call me the minute you get to LA.”

“You know I will,” Y/N answered with a smile.

Once Aimee was sat on the bus, the doors closed and she waved at Y/N as it drove away. Y/N didn’t leave her spot nor stop waving until the bus disappeared over the hill, and she let out another sigh. She then turned around and was met by her special someone standing there looking back at her with his goofy grin.

“Ready?” Harry asked as he lifted his right arm so that he could rest it on Y/N’s shoulders as they walked towards his car, waiting in the parking lot.

“More than ready,” Y/N answered before moving away from him so that she could climb into the passenger side; her luggage already packed in the trunk thanks to Harry going out of his way to put it there as she said goodbye to Aimee.

“Perfect.”

With one final glance around at the resort that had been their home for the last two and a half months, Y/N and Harry began their long drive to Los Angeles and their future, together.

[brasskier]

First chapter of my six-part fluffy geraskefer modern AU holiday series spanning five years of holiday celebrations is up! 

Christmas 2016, or The One Where Flights are Cancelled. After a string of delayed flights and closed rail lines, Geralt, his new music teacher friend Jaskier, and his on-again/off-again girlfriend Yennefer find themselves trapped on Christmas Eve. Thank god for duty-free stores.

Read it below the cut or on my ao3

When Geralt first met Jaskier, checking an ID he was almost certain had to be fake (it wasn't; Jaskier was twenty-four), he slid off his coat to reveal an incredibly garish reindeer-emblazoned tie. At Geralt's judgemental stare, he shrugged and said, "work party."

"Pre-gaming or post-gaming?" Geralt gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Post." He settled onto the barstool, called for a Blue Moon - "and don't forget the orange slice!" - and let out an exhausted sigh before returning his gaze to Geralt. "It's just - it's my first year teaching, and I'm not really used to the political fraternizing, which is hard enough. But they nearly cut the music program before they ended up hiring me, so not everyone's exactly happy to see me there." He scrubbed a hand against his face, noting silently that he needed to shave. "Sorry, didn't mean to chew your ear off." Geralt shrugged again from the doorway. It was a slow, dull night, the usually thriving college-town bar nearly dead over winter break. 

"Not like I don't get paid for it." This elicited a chuckle out of Jaskier, who seemed to relax some. "You teach music?" 

"Yeah." He smiled fondly. "High school. Had every intention of making it big and touring the world, or maybe becoming principal trombone at the Phil. Just wasn't in the cards." 

"I'm not exactly familiar with classroom politics, but I know someone who might have some pointers." He was referring to, as he'd later reveal to Jaskier, his on-again/off-again, city councilwoman girlfriend. 

"I do like Christmas, you know," Jaskier's voice came again from the bar, between sips at his beer. "Just not the parties." 

"Humbug." Jaskier giggled again, swiping the foam mustache off his lip with the back of his hand. "Geralt, by the way."

"Jaskier." He sat in contemplative silence for a moment. "What time do you get off?" Geralt's brow furrowed, startled by the question. "It's just - I just - sorry if that was a little forward." He heaved a sigh. "My apartment's decorated. Thought you might like to see it." 

"Hmm." He glanced down at his watch, then up at the bar, empty save for Jaskier and a handful of other patrons. "Ten." Jaskier's face lit up. 

Decorated, as it turns out, was an understatement, and Geralt couldn't help but gawk as Jaskier led him through the threshold of his tiny apartment. A beautiful, grand tree stood in the corner of the living room and stretched so tall it nearly scraped the ceiling. Tinsel and garlands adorned the doorways and the arch leading to the kitchen, a buffalo plaid throw was carefully folded on the back of the couch, and a single stocking hung just below the television. Lights snaked around the perimeter of the room, warm white and snowflake-shaped. 

"Do you like it?" Jaskier asked pleadingly, shattering the protracted silence.

"It's cozy," Geralt remarked. It really was. He flopped unceremoniously onto the couch while Jaskier disappeared into his kitchen.

"Jack or moscato?" He called from the archway, holding up a bottle of whiskey in one hand and white wine in the other. "Sorry, I don't have much right now." 

"Jack is fine." He gazed around the room absentmindedly. "On the rocks." Jaskier returned before long, pressing a glass of whiskey into his hand before sipping at his own glass of wine. 

"Wanna watch something? I have Netflix." Geralt, against his better judgement, shrugged and agreed.

Jaskier was back at the bar not even a week later, excitement flashing across his face when he laid eyes on Geralt. To his credit, Geralt was keenly aware that the man had never visited the bar in his life prior to last week, let alone frequented the establishment. He just decided some things were best left unsaid.

Speaking of unsaid, Jaskier was in love - it was obvious from the way he’d follow Geralt around like a lost puppy. Started lingering around the bar every evening, choosing the seat nearest the door every time, inviting Geralt back to his apartment just as frequently. And Geralt would usually accept, watch stupid movies through all hours of the night until his new music teacher friend inevitably passed out, and then silently creep out of the apartment.

It was three days before Christmas, and the chatter of choice for the evening was holiday plans. Jaskier, as it turned out, had a flight to catch back to Jersey. 

"The worst part's taking NJ Transit down to Lettenhove," he groaned, nursing a bay breeze complete with the little paper umbrella. "It's always delayed coming out of Newark." Geralt himself had plans back in the mountains of Vermont, mainly dinner and then watching his younger brothers play football with nothing but shorts on in the freezing cold over a few cigars with his old man. 

"I have a layover in Newark," he remarked idly. Yennefer - who had hit it off interestingly with Jaskier, to say the least - was heading to New York, and he'd arranged his first flight so they'd be on it together. Which meant it was way earlier than he liked.

"What time? Maybe we'll run into each other." Jaskier looked way too excited by that possibility, leaning back on the bar with all the composure of a middle-schooler. Geralt, despite his best efforts, couldn't help but find it endearing.

"8:15," he grumbled, exasperated just thinking about having to be at the airport at 6am. Jaskier's head perked up.

"Delta?" He asked, grin growing impossibly bigger by the minute. Geralt nodded, and Jaskier was already tearing through his phone to pull up the app. "What gate?" 

"Hold on." He fished his own phone from his pocket with a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure his boss wasn't nearby, and pulled up the screenshot of the boarding pass Yen had sent him. "B4?" Jaskier nearly fell off the barstool.

"Geralt," he squeaked, struggling to right himself. "We're on the same flight." Just as soon as he'd regained his composure he lost it again, doubling over with laughter. 

"So's Yennefer," he added, and Jaskier shrugged.

"Well, then I'll be sure to pack my trombone." Geralt couldn't stop the snicker that escaped him at the sight of Jaskier's shit-eating grin.

For as much as he might wax poetic about the prospect, Jaskier absolutely despised a white Christmas. Which, just as well, is exactly what they got. He was shivering in just the time it took to flee his Uber and shuffle into the waiting warmth of the airport. Security went blessedly quickly, as it tended to at six in the morning - precisely why he settled on such an early flight. (Nevermind the fact his parents practically demanded it of him.) 

He was nursing a venti peppermint mocha latte - light and sweet, with an extra shot of espresso - when Geralt appeared at the edge of the terminal, and he patted his instrument fondly when Yennefer waltzed up behind him. 

"Geralt!" He exclaimed, rising from his seat and wrapping his free arm around him. "Yennefer!" She held a hand up as he moved towards her.

"Not so fast. I'm not sure if I like you yet." His face fell briefly, but he laughed anyway. 

"Can take the girl out of New York but not the New York–" he began to joke, but Yennefer cut him off with a roll of her eyes.

"Save it. I'm from Connecticut." That finally, properly, seemed to shut him up, and he nestled back into his seat with his coffee. She softened a little. "Where are you going?" 

"Me? Just south Jersey," he perked up. Geralt looked like he had something to add, but before he could the gate attendant started boarding calls.

The flight was thankfully brief, if a little turbulent. Geralt spent the journey playing peacekeeper in the middle seat, while Yennefer idly read some news articles she'd saved on her phone, and Jaskier slept soundly against the window, curled around his trombone. 

It was midday when they arrived in Newark. Yennefer was teasing Jaskier for managing to pass out despite the massive cup of caffeine and sugar he'd consumed, Jaskier was trying his best to put together a groggy retort, and Geralt decidedly just wanted them to shut up. At least they were all about to part ways, and he could enjoy his next flight in – shit.

"Flights to Vermont are cancelled," Jaskier's words, urgent and harried, snapped him out of his thoughts. 

"Fuck," he growled under his breath, eyeing the departure board. Sure enough, in bright red letters, his flight was delayed until further notice, with a little asterisk telling him to download the app to keep up-to-date with any developments. 

"I'd offer to let you join me," Yennefer began with a deep sigh. "But you know how my parents feel about you." Geralt ran a hand down his face. Just his luck, wasn't it. So much for cigars with his old man.

"You can come with me." Jaskier's voice was so uncertain, so small, he almost didn't hear it. "My parents haven't had a chance to hate you yet." Geralt groaned.

"Sure. Why not?" He forced a smile across his gruff features, and Jaskier met him with a toothy grin in return.

"Beats this shithole." He glanced around, trying to find his bearings in the busy airport. "Let's grab some lunch before we head out, yeah?" Geralt nodded before turning to Yennefer.

"Joining us?" She shrugged.

"As a wise man once said, 'sure. Why not?'" The wait at McDonald's wasn't terrible, so they shifted eagerly into line, and all but devoured their food the moment it was in their hands. 

"Right, so," Jaskier began between mouthfuls of Big Mac. "Northeastern Corridor down to Trenton, and my parents will pick us up there." He peered over his burger at Yennefer.

"Northeastern Corridor to NY Penn," she replied flatly, the straw of her drink stained with deep burgundy lipstick. They tossed their trash and headed off towards the train terminal, and, at the very least, Geralt would only now have to deal with one of them at a time. Except god, it seemed, was laughing at him that Christmas Eve. 

"Are you kidding me!" He'd never seen Jaskier so worked up - though, granted, he'd only known him for a month. "NJ Transit's down!?" He flung his arms about dramatically before squatting right in the middle of the station, head in his hands. Yennefer quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Is he… Okay?" Geralt shrugged, fitted a palm on Jaskier's shoulder. He gazed up at him, wide-eyed and pink-cheeked. 

"Fine, fine." He pressed his hands against his knees and shifted to his feet. "Now what?"

"We're stuck here," Geralt groaned and heaved a breathy chuckle. "Merry Christmas, huh?"

"Wait…" Yennefer held a finger up, face drawn in thought. "Won't they put you up in a hotel?" Geralt hummed, and ran a finger along the massive, glowing map kiosk, searching for the nearest Delta help center.

They did, in fact, put him up in a hotel, and he did, in fact, agree to let Yennefer and Jaskier tag along. Not before stopping at one of the duty-free shops and snagging as much overpriced liquor as his wallet would allow, of course. Jaskier cast an appraising eye at his haul, shook his head, and wordlessly extracted his trombone from its case. Thank god for all those solos he'd memorized in college.

"What the hell are you–" Yennefer began, but cut herself off when the first dollar bills landed at his feet. "Oh." A few more followed, and then some more, and within a few minutes a crowd had gathered, phones out and pointed at him. He ate up the attention, playing to the crowd for another twenty or so minutes before excusing himself and collecting the cash that had collected at his feet. He bought yet more alcohol, and they departed for the hotel.

It was small and held only the bare essentials - queen bed, TV, bathroom, and the world's smallest fridge. He popped open a bottle of whiskey before he even bothered to kick his shoes off, tilting his head back and taking a deep swig before grabbing the bottle of wine still in the bag and holding it at arm's length for whoever wanted it next. 

"Thank god," Yennefer sighed, yanking it from his hand. It was a deep red that matched her lips. Jaskier dumped his bags in the corner and fished out one of his bottles of vodka. 

"Cheers," he called, raising the bottle to the air, and Geralt and Yennefer held theirs up as well, clinking the three together. "To Christmas!" They dissolved into laughter, shoes discarded randomly across the floor, limbs splayed across the bed, and alcohol sploshing precariously. 

When Geralt cracked his eyes open the next morning, early light was slipping through the blinds, a series of texts from Delta informed him his new flight was set to leave in four hours, and, well. Yennefer was naked in his arms, which he supposed wasn't entirely surprising. He shifted up against the headboard, rubbing sleep from his eyes and gently extricating himself from her unconscious grasp, jarred by the rattling of liquor bottles. His feet were about to finally hit the floor when his heart nearly stopped, and he paused urgently. Yennefer wasn't the only one he'd shared the room with…

"G'morning?" Came a breathy yawn, and soft brown hair poked up from the blankets. Fuck. He planted his feet firmly below him and scanned the room for his scattered clothing. "G'ralt?" Brown hair was followed by scrunched eyes, a half-ajar mouth, and a splotch of pink on his cheek where his hand has been pressed against it in his sleep. Geralt cursed under his breath and plucked up his underwear.

"Did we…?" He half-asked, not daring to finish the question. Jaskier - naked, for the love of god, stalked around the bed to Geralt's side and pressed a kiss on his cheek.

"Yes," he said warmly.

"All of us?" Jaskier nodded and hummed, following suit in tracking the remains of the previous day's outfit. "And… did we… did we like it?" Jaskier laughed, soft and breathy.

"We had a great time, Geralt. Relax." He slid his sweater over his head.

"Right." Finally he spotted his pants, and stepped into them unsteadily. "Suppose we should wake her?" Jaskier shrugged.

"Probably." They roused Yennefer, who also seemed to have a better recollection of the night before than Geralt, and was none too surprised. Breakfast was a brief affair in the hotel lobby, all of them downing cup after cup of shitty black coffee and basking in afterglow. Finally, at long last, they bid their goodbyes and parted ways. Geralt could finally get some peace, quiet, and alone time. On the flight to Vermont, he found himself missing the two anyway.

[justgottafinishthischapter]

Deciding on a POV

There are many ways to tell a story, and each one comes with a benefit or a downside. Still, I figured it’s worth going over the different ways each can be effective.

First Person

Reliable Narrator: A story with a reliable First Person narrator is one of the most common narrative styles. What this means is that the reader can trust what the narrator is telling them is the truth as it actually happened. Think Percy Jackson in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series.The reliable narrator is far more common than the unreliable variety. The benefit of this narrative style is that it mirrors how we tell stories verbally. If something happened to me, and I tell my friend what happened, I am going to use First Person narration to explain the events that transpired. Thus, this can feel like the most organic option. It also allows for total access to the POV character’s thoughts, allowing readers to see how they reached a conclusion, or why they’re acting a certain way. However, this can come with the problem of not being able to get inside the head of anyone except for the narrator. Now, while it’s standard for the First Person narrator to be the main character, it isn’t always the case. If the narrator is some sort of omniscient, bystander, or divine presence, whether they interact with the characters or not, it technically falls under First Person if they voice their opinion using I statements. The figure of Death in The Book Thief is a good example of this, as Death uses I and me in the narrative of the story. Because the story is set in Germany during World War II, the narrator of Death sees the protagonist, Liesel, frequently, and thus we’re able to get a narrator who is observing a protagonist from outside of her immediate story.

Unreliable Narrator: An Unreliable narrator is going to be the exact opposite. They tell the story, but take their story with a grain of salt. Whether their perception of reality is distorted, they’re using metaphors and symbolic imagery to tell the story, or they’re telling the story from a very narrow viewpoint, the unreliable narrator can be a good choice to get the reader to engage with the story and think critically about the work. Rugrats is a good example of this type of storytelling, as the main characters are babies, and therefore often mistake things for something else, making them unreliable narrators. This type works well if you want to tell a more abstract story. For instance, an entire story is about a boy chasing after a red balloon, but that red balloon itself represents accepting his mother’s death. Suddenly everything experienced becomes unreliable, leaving the reader wondering if the foes he defeated or the desert he crossed was literal, and he went on an actual journey to come to terms with his mother’s death, or was everything figurative, and the journey was more symbolic and allegorical? An unreliable narrator can play with these questions, blur the lines between reality and fiction, and leave their readers asking questions.

Third Person

Omniscient: Lemony Snicket is a perfect example of a great omniscient narrator. Mr. Snicket knows everything about every character, knows what’s going to happen before it happens, and comments on everything. Lemony Snicket himself is not a character in the story. Rather he recounts the story much like the First Person style, but from an outside perspective. Instead of being part of the story, Lemony Snicket is telling us about the Baudelaire children through the lens of the all-knowing and opinionated narrator. It’s not entirely uncommon for this type of narrator to be some supernatural force, a wise old sage, or someone who lived through an experience recounting the tale many years later. In fact it could be rather fun to play with this last one, having the story almost be told like a myth or legend, but having the narrator constantly side track to discuss how historians know and gathered the information for this story, only to reveal the narrator isn’t some omniscient being, but just a docent in a museum giving a tour and explaining an old myth to the patrons.

Limited: With a Limited POV, the reader learns things as the narrator does. Even though the narrator is the one telling the story, their information is only up to date with whatever is currently happening on the page. This and First Person are the two POV types most likely to appear in a mystery novel, or any novel where a mystery or unanswered questions drives the plot. Harry Potter is a series written in Limited Third Person. The story follows Harry, and the reader only learns information as Harry does. And every year, Harry is faced with the recurring mystery element of figuring out what’s going on, and stopping whatever their plan was. However, because the narrator only knows what the protagonist knows, this can allow you to play around with giving the narrator a personality, and having them comment or react to things as they happen, perhaps even mirroring the way you hope the readers are responding.

Objective: Think of Objective Point of View as watching a tv show. Anyone who’s into shipping has to read into objective romantic coding. Two characters held eye contact for five seconds? You the reader have to interpret that as you will. Objective is strangely both the most human and the most robotic point of view. At its most human, Objective treats the narration like a normal person. They can’t read the thoughts of other characters, they don’t know more than the hero or reader, and you’re effectively just a bystander in the crowd watching things happen with no context clues about what’s happening inside a character’s head. On the opposite end, it can also be the most robotic because it is the most lacking in human connection, as it leaves the reader detached from the characters themselves. However, a liberating or perhaps crippling aspect of this POV style is that it frees the author of show don’t tell because this type of POV can’t enter anyone’s minds or go on a rant about a character’s feelings about someone else. You just have to take what you get at face value and all information has to be conveyed through your characters and story, whether directly through dialogue, or subtly through background details.

Switching POVs

Most stories tend to stick with a single narrator. Stories can be complicated when one person is giving an opinion, but when multiple people are talking, it can be hard to find a voice and plot for each of them. And if you’re planning on writing a series, you may run into the problem of some characters having meatier plots than others. It’s for this reason that when it comes to watching Game of Thrones, I always groan internally whenver the story cuts back to Bran or Jon at the Wall. It’s a scene or two of people standing around being cold or talking about being cold and something something three-eyed raven and then we finally get back to the part I’m more interested in: the political games of manipulation and intrigue. But that’s also a strength of changing POVs. With something like Game of Thrones, you might not necessarily like every storyline happening, but you’re more likely to enjoy one. In a sense, Game of Thrones is like 11 novels stitched together, and because each is so different, you’re more likely to find something in the series that speaks to you. Conversely, when there’s multiple POVs experiencing the same thing, such as with the Heroes of Olympus series, having shifting POVs can be a good way of exploring each character. In The Lost Hero, Piper knows more about the giant waiting to fight them than either Jason or Leo, and because we have shifting POVs, we the reader get access to this otherwise Limited Third Person information from the character who already knows it, thus building dramatic tension of when the others will find out. Another benefit to this is giving unique encounters to the characters. Percy has already met Aphrodite in the past, but through Piper, Aphrodite’s daughter, we’re able to see a different side of this goddess, the goddess as a mother to someone else. This could also manifest in differing opinions of the same things. This is also part of why it works so well in Game of Thrones. Game of Thrones is a civil war story with multiple sides all vying for the same end goal. Because there are so many sides and players in the game, having so many different points of view is valueable to the story being told. If Eddard Stark was the sole protagonist, the only thing that we would know is whatever he knows. Everything Danny is doing across the narrow sea would need to be told to Ned for it to matter. And the same with Jon at the Wall. And if Jon or Danny was the sole narrator, the reader would miss out on everything happening in King’s Landing because neither Danny nor Jon are connected to that part of the plot. An entire element to the story is lost when a major POV character is dropped, which goes to show how strong George RR Martin’s writing really is. Something I like doing with multiple POVs is describing the same character in two different ways from two characters who would see them in a drastically different way. One description might paint a character as dark, alluring, and attractive, while another person might describe them as a rat-faced shifty-eyed snake that stinks of booze and dead fish. It’s the same character, but two different people see that character in entirely different ways. However, this also comes with a major backlash. It can be an absolute nightmare juggling not only so many plots, but trying to make them fit together nicely. You’ll notice this a lot with shows that emphasize drama and interconnecting storylines. They’ll be really strong in their earlier seasons, then peter out once they’ve hit the creative brick wall. It happened to Once Upon a Time and to a lesser extent, Glee. Both shows had tightly knit and compelling drama in season 1, but by season 4, both shows felt like they were just going through the motions and had lost the edge that made them interesting. Even with something as well-written as Game of Thrones, it’s still possible to have someone’s story be weaker than everyone else’s. Arya Stark for instance spent the first couple of seasons focused on learning to sword fighting, then once the Hound died, she went to Braavos, but it always kind of felt more like a detour than really what Arya’s story was supposed to be about. She was a little girl out for vengeance, she went to Braavos for a season or two, didn’t really learn much, and then she came back to Westeros and pretty much went right back to exactly who she was before going to Braavos. Now granted, I’m going by the TV show, but it always felt to me at least that Arya’s vacation in Braavos was just kind of George not knowing what to do with her as he built up to the big climactic battle. So if you’re going to use shifting POVs, it’s important to weigh the pros and the cons carefully.

[ibelieveinharrystyles]

Chapter Seven: Chaotic Christmas

Forever? Masterlist

24th December 2016

“Simply having a wonderful Christmas time!” Harry and Ashley sang in unison as they cruised up the M1, they were on their way home for a family Christmas, which based on tradition, Linda was hosting this year. Luckily, they had timed their departure from London perfectly with Daisy’s nap, which was an accomplishment compared to how disastrous their last journey with her had been. “I’ve missed your mum’s cooking, she does make an impeccable roast,” Harry sighed, his eyes focused on the road ahead.

“If you tell her that she will love you forever,” Ashley chuckled.

“I don’t need to tell her, she already does.” Shortly after Harry’s quick witted reply Daisy stirred from her nap, crying for attention.

“We’re going to have to stop at the next service station H, she’s due a feed.”

“There’s one just up ahead, we’ll pull in there.”

Somehow Harry managed to find a space in what was a very busy car park, they clearly weren’t the only ones driving home for Christmas, Daisy was getting restless, her screams were almost deafening, “Alright Daisy my love we’re here now.” Ashley hopped out of the car, taking Daisy out of her baby seat in the back of the car, taking her round to the boot, where Harry was already grabbing the nappy bag, “Don’t bother with the buggy, I’ll just carry her, we’ll find a nice cafe in there somewhere.” The two of them weaved their way around the groups of people, Harry had his hood up in an attempt not to draw attention, even though everyone was already looking at Ashley and her screaming baby. Eventually they found a table in a little cafe where Ashley could contently feed Daisy, “You wouldn’t mind getting us some food whilst I fed her would you?” Ashley asked Harry as she made up Daisy’s bottle.

“Course, anything in particular?” Harry asked.

“Something fresh, and some apple juice if they’ve got it please.”

After a long drive up the motorway Harry, Ashley and Daisy arrived safely in the comfort of Holmes Chapel, Linda rushed out of the house greeting them all with hugs and helping Harry with the bags while Ashley carried Daisy, who had just stirred from another nap. “How was the journey up? I imagine the world and his wife were travelling up from Lonson,” Linda asked as they made their way into the house, the smell of her homemade mince pies.

“It was alright, the service station was a little crazy, but that's the price I have to pay for being best friends with a global sensation.” Ashley told her mum as she got Daisy out of her adorable little snowsuit, “Can’t take you anywhere can I Harry?”

“I’m such a troublemaker.” Harry winked, placing the bags down in the hallway and taking Daisy from Ashley so she could sort herself out. Ashley entered the perfectly decorated living room, reminding her of all her childhood Christmases, Linda always went the extra mile at Christmas, draping holly, ivy and mistletoe berries along the beams that supported the roof of the living room. A splash of colour was always something the Hanson family had opted for at Christmas, this year the tree was decorated with teal and gold decorations, growing up Ashley’s dad had always been chaotic when it came to decorating the tree, it was always his job, but he loved to attack the tree with an unorthodox method of decorating, so in a way of paying homage to him Linda always used a less traditional colour scheme every year, but still to her taste. Harry and Daisy sat on the sofa, playing with one of the many toys Linda had scattered about the living room.

Harry had gone back to spend the night at his family home before the chaos of Christmas Day, leaving Ashley and Linda eating their way through a stuffed crust pepperoni pizza, watching the intense Christmas Eve special of Coronation Street whilst Daisy played happily on the floor. “Your dad would be so proud of you, you know that don’t you?” Linda told her daughter, placing her hand on top of Ashley’s, “You’ve achieved so much this year already, moving to London, having a baby on your own, he would’ve absolutely adored Daisy.”

“I’m not on my own mum, I’ve got Harry.” Ashley reminded her.

“I know that my love, it's clear he cares very much about you both, but one day he will meet someone he wants to settle down with, and that means he probably won’t be as involved in your life.” Linda explained.

“I’m aware of that mum,” Ashley sighed, her mum wasn’t wrong, one day Harry would love another woman enough to want to marry her and have children with her, she just had to accept that, “I think I’ll take Daisy up to bed, it’s been a long day.”

“What about the mince pies?” Linda asked.

“They’ll keep till the morning, night mum.”

Usually Ashley was good at sleeping the whole night through, that was when Daisy wasn’t waking up for a feed, she laid in what was once her childhood bed completely restless and unable to get to sleep, so she concluded fresh air would do her some good. She made her way downstairs, opening the door to the back garden, the cold air nipping at her skin, she took a seat on one of the thick branches of a tree that was at the back of Anne’s garden, but had grown so much that the branches stretched, well over into Linda’s garden. Ashley and Harry spent hours when they were younger, climbing and playing games on it. “Couldn’t sleep?” the familiar voice shook her out of her daydream as she noticed Harry climbing up the tree to perch beside her.

“I’m just thinking about things,” Ashley sighed.

“What things?”

“New job kinda things,” Harry’s face appeared puzzled, “Capital have offered me a promotion, a big one, they like the increase in attention they’ve got from us being friends, and Roman needs a new co-host,” she paused, “They want me to do the breakfast show with him.”

“That's incredible Ash, but why does that require you to be sitting on our tree at 2 in the morning?” 

“I don’t know if it’s the right thing to do, Daisy will be barely six months old when I start in January, I don’t want to miss a massive chunk of her childhood, and it feels like I would be exploiting our friendship.” Ashley explained.

“If it's the breakfast show that's only four or so hours of the day, you could always do it for a couple of years, and when she’s off to school and needs you there in the mornings, I’m sure you will be given an even better opportunity,” Harry assured her.

“I remember when I was the one who gave you advice,” Ashley whispered resting her head on Harry’s shoulder, “Anyway, why are you out here at this time of night?”

“I’m thinking about next year, Ash it’s going to be crazily busy, with the album, tour and also the film.” 

“Well whatever happens, whatever people say, you’ll always be my best friend,” she whispered, taking his hand in hers, “Now go and get some sleep, mum will be raging if you’re half asleep during Christmas Dinner.”

The following morning Ashley stirred from her sleep, she checked the time on her phone, it was well gone ten in the morning, Daisy wasn’t in her cot, Ashley chucked an old hoodie on over her pyjamas and made her way downstairs. Her mum, Harry, Anne and Gemma were sat round the dining table, indulging in croissants and pastries, Harry had Daisy sat on his knee, bouncing her along to the cheesy Christmas music that played in the background. “Merry Christmas,” Ashley smiled, greeting them all with hugs, Harry respectfully handing Daisy over. “Hello my princess, happy Christmas,” she bounced her on her hip, before taking a seat at the table, “Has she had her morning bottle?” 

“Yep, first thing Harry did when they got here, he crept into your room, retrieved Daisy, and bought her down here for breakfast.” Linda told her,

“Thank you,” Ashley smiled, “I’ve actually got some news, well I made the decision last night, with the help of Harry, as of mid January, I’m going to be co-hosting the breakfast show on Capital.”

“Ashley that’s wonderful news!” Anne cried, offering her a big hug, “isn’t your mummy clever?” she whispered to Daisy, tickling her under the chin.

Ashley glanced over at her mum, who was wiping tears from under her eyes, “Are you alright mum?”

“I just know how proud your dad would be Ash, all he wanted was for you to be happy.” Linda smiffled.

“I am happy, and I’m so happy to spend Christmas day with all my favourite people.”

After an impeccable Christmas Dinner thanks to Linda, everyone took their seats around the tree, as due to tradition, Harry handed out the presents. They all took it in turns, opening their gifts, Daisy only had a few, mainly from Harry, as everyone agreed she was only little, so she wouldn’t remember Christmas that much. Harry got her a mini xylophone, some stuffed animals and of course some designer baby clothes, that Ashley didn’t dare consider the possible price of. There was one gift left under the tree for Daisy, Ashley opened it, seeing a little white teddy, “Who is  this from?” She asked, all of them looking at her blankly.

“Oh that was on the doorstep when we arrived earlier.” Gemma told her.

She checked the label, making sure she knew who to thank, her heart was in her mouth, she stood up, heading to the kitchen and chucking it in the bin, Harry followed after her, noticing the sudden change in her mood. “Hey what’s wrong?”

“It’s him.” She whispered, leaning on the kitchen counter, holding her head in her hands.

“What’s him? I don’t get it.” Harry replied.

“The label on Daisy’s present said dad, Matt sent the present, what if he knows where we live? He could be outside as we speak.” She panicked.

“Hey Ash, you need to calm down,” Harry soothed, wiping her tears away from her cheeks, “This is a small town, everyone knows everyone, there is an extremely high chance he just sent it to the local post office, when I used to get all that fanmail, people literally just put my name and Holmes Chapel on it, you don’t need to worry.”

“I do though Harry, what if he wants to be part of her life? What if he wants custody of her? I can’t lose her Harry, I can’t.”

“Ashley you are an amazing mum, when you told Matt you were pregnant he went awol, no court is going to deem him a fit father.” Harry assured her, taking hold of both her hands, “As long as I’m walking this earth, I am going to do everything I can to keep you and Daisy safe, you have my word.”