#i will be leaving a serious yelp review

[smallmeanie]

chat i just received the most disappointing margherita pizza i have ever seen with mine two eyes

[cattimeswithjellie]

I love Doc's villain arc so much, I cannot even tell you. Guy's out here going full Dr. Doofenschmirtz and I have nothing but love and respect for that. Wronged by his neighbors, he comes up with a full-on immensely complicated Evil Skull-inator that harnesses the incredible destructive power of the game's most destructive mob and uses it to... try and destroy Scarland's Yelp rating, basically.

I'm serious, he shoots wither bullets all over Scarland not to destroy and wreak havoc, but just because he thinks they look scary. He then does an entire little roleplay as an extremely German five-year-old child and their parent, touring Scarland and being terrified by the wither bullets so they leave a bad review. With his dastardly plan explained, he then has to clean up the mess he made in Scar's garden because to not do so would be unacceptably rude, and then he stops to gush a little bit over the wonderful armor stand art and how beautiful the whole place is. (He also explains to the audience that it is really hard to be a villain in a place like Hermitcraft because it is tough to get mad and stay mad at your friends.) Oh, and he also has a personalized musical number that plays while he is doing his villainy.

Basically all the guy needs at this point is a tragic backstory and a platypus (or maybe a gray tabby cat) in a fedora and he will fully realize his destiny as a cartoon villain.

[melanieph321]

Ruben Dias x Reader - Risk It All Part 1/6

Yeah, Ruben is really chaotic in this one 😅

Reader gets pregnant by Ruben. Although the two are not together Ruben promises to support her through the pregnancy, eventually letting reader stay with him until the child is born.  (This fic includes alot of angst and serious topics)

Enjoy!

You felt so alone, so unbelievably alone.

"Is that him?" Lina asked, seeing as your phone was buzzing but you weren't going anywhere near it.

"Probably." You whispered, voice on the verge of chattering.

"Well, what does he want?"

"It's Tuesday, isn't it? He was probably down by the café today, wondering why I'm nowhere to be find, why we aren't open as usual."

Lina nodded. "Makes sense."

She was your boss, your employer, but she had done more in life to help you than anyone in your family, especially your own mother. Yesterday morning you came into work and told Lina that you were quitting. She refused to let you leave however, perhaps sensing that you were about to do something that you would regret. So she shut down the café, having everyone leave by lunch, not caring for the displeased looks and pending bad Yelp reviews. She had pulled the blinds to all the windows and sat you down in front of her, a plate of croissants to bribe the truth out of you. "What's going on?" She asked.

Just hearing the concern in her voice made your eyes water and throat thicken. You were full on crying once you told her that you were pregnant.

"It doesn't look like he's gonna stop. Do you want me to answer?" Lina stared at your phone as if it was someone's crying toddler.

"I don't know?" You fell back against Lina's couch. She and her husband offered you to stay with them for as long as you needed, however their apartment only had one bedroom, meaning you were gonna have to settle for the couch. But it was better than the bed in your dorm room. Those matresses were rock hard. A dancers body usually ached before going to bed, now it ached even more getting out of it.

"Okay, I'm doing it." Lina said, her patient having ran out. She reached for your phone, pressing it to her ear. "Hello, who's this?" She answered with a uncharacteristically stern tone. She would never talk to a costumer that way. "Yes, this is Y/N's phone, who am I talking to?"

The anticipation was unbarable. You brought your knees to your chest, resting your chin on top of them.

"No, she can't come to the phone right now. Would you like to leave a message...?"

"No, because she's unavailable and doesn't want to talk to anyone right now...."

"No, she's not sick, are you sick?"

"No, this is not her mother, I'm her friend Lina. And you are....?"

Her eyes widened a little.

"Well then...Mr Ruben Dias, I suggest you don't call this number anymore because Y/N doesn't want to talk to you."

"Why.....?"

Lina looked to you, the phone resting in her hand. You nodded your head. She sighed. "Because she's pregnant Ruben."

You closed your eyes, sensing the whole world crashing down around you.

"....so the next time you decide to fuck a girl in the back of your car at least have the decency to wear a condom, or better yet, PULL OUT!"

She hung up the phone.

[tiny-cloud-dragon]

I just realized - some of those notes the guys leave around the house could be about doctor or vet visits!!! Does TCD visit either and does he CHOMP or is he the goodest healthiest boy?

The vet/doctor? You mean the place of torment? Tiny Cloud dragon does NOT like the vet, or the doctor. He has gone to both. Which one he visits depends on which form he's in that day.

Tiny Cloud dragon uses the vet for check ups and emergency visits. His Tiny Royal Majesty suffers the indignity of being put in a cat carrier and hauled around like common luggage! He liked the vet, at first. Everyone was so nice and they all came out to gush over him and shower him with the attention worthy of a tiny king. But then everything went pancake-shaped! The veterinarian did rudely manhandle the Royal Form, poking and prodding, and shining lights in his eyes!

That simply would not do, and Tiny Cloud dragon had nipped at the vet. He had been put in the cat pannini press, and then the Royal Backside was most savagely punctured! Tiny Cloud dragon was most disturbed, and almost refused the treat he was offered afterwards. Disheveled and bewildered, he crawled into Zack's shirt and refused to come out until he was home.

Angeal, Sephiroth, and Genesis were furious. How dare their Tiny dragon king be treated this way! Their poor babey was traumatized! Angeal called the office and "had words" with the doctor, Genesis left a savagely worded Yelp review, and Sephiroth had had to be physically restrained.

From then on, the vet was his arch enemy! He would growl and hiss and bite, but the staff at the new vet office were very understanding and patient (and adoring)! Now he just makes a show of hissing, growling, and trying to bite/scratch so they know their place!

Medium Boi Cloud goes to the human doctor. He stubbornly refuses to go, preferring to try to heal his own injuries with healing factor in his venom and saliva. Sonetimes it doesn't work and an injury/illness gets so bad, Mom!Angeal has to take him in (drag him in by the ear). He is very grumpy, nervous, and on edge. He hisses at everyone, and Angeal has to hold onto him to keep him from running out.

His file is stamped with "Caution: Bites. Is venomous", because he will bite, and it will leave the victim with a noodle arm that lasts a few hours.

He will sit still, though, feeling less vulnerable in his bigger form. It helps that Angeal is there to keep him calm. The man has a soothing presence, even when needles are involved. Cloud doesn't like shots, but they aren't so bad when Angeal is rubbing his ears or letting him hide his face in his shirt.

Zack, Sephiroth, and Genesis are not allowed to go into the exam room with Cloud because

Zack will scoop Cloud up and walk out with him if he makes the Sad Eyes at him.

Sephiroth will try to burn the place down if Cloud so much as whimpers.

Genesis will throw a very loud, very flamboyant fit and go full Kaern Mode, denanding to speak to the manager if so much as looks like he might cry.

Big Boi Cloud is not afraid of the vet at the large animal hospital. He's so big there's not much he's afraid of (except for fuzzy caterpillars). He just finds the whole process undignified. Here he is, a big noble, fearsome dragon king, being put in a halter and cross tied because he may or may not be marked as a biter He hisses and growls his displeasure, but tolerates being handled.

He can heal his own wounds with his venom and saliva, so he only really needs to go to the vet for serious injuries or regular health checks.

He can easily adjust his size to fit in Zack's car, and could just stay the size of a large dog, but where be the fun in that? And why make it easy? His Big Boi form was way too big for the horrid cat crate, so they couldn't shove him in there. If he was going to be inconvenienced with a vet visit, then everyone was going to be inconvenienced by his size!

[blackwood4stucky]

i scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream | aspen blackwood

steve rogers x james "bucky" barnes | mcu

masterpost | mini playlist

🆃 | word count: 1,110 | complete

tags: quiet horror, omegaverse, bucky-centric

The members of the Rogers family were unpacking their boxes, two rented U-Hauls sitting in front of their new house, when Bucky first heard it, the ice cream song playing from the truck down the street. It was a familiar little jingle, one he had heard for many years where he used to live. Such a tune usually brought joy, everyone loves ice cream.

It was late October by the time the Rogers relocated to a new community in East End, New Hampshire. Their neighbors were getting into the spirit of Halloween what with all the decorations strewn about the block. Fake webs and spiders covered many front lawns while homemade ghosts and ghouls blew in the cool autumn winds. It seemed that everyone in the community was participating from the sheer amount of laughter that could be heard all around them. Bucky decided then that they all would have to participate as well, how could they not? It was his favorite time of the year, family tradition dictated that they celebrate and he would not forsake that ritual. If only they could get everything done in a timely fashion. Looking at his little family though, he could see that his alpha and their daughter were worn out. Even their cat, Alpine, was lying about in the grass. Perhaps it was a good time to pause and take a break now that the ice cream truck was there. He had just begun digging his hands around in his pocket for change when little Sarah tugged on his pant leg.

“Mommy, why is everyone leaving?” His daughter’s voice sounded so small even though he knew Sarah’s curiosity was so big, the little girl could get into so much mischief if left to her own devices.

Glancing up, Bucky saw that Sarah was right though. Their new neighbors had all but dropped their various decorations to scramble for the doors. Even the pets knew the drill. With his heightened hearing, he could hear the telltale sound of locking mechanisms and whispers coming from inside of the houses on the block. Perturbed, but not one to stick around for danger, Bucky followed suit and beckoned for his husband, Steve, and little Sarah to do the same. Taking whatever they held in their hands, the Rogers family hastily went inside and closed their doors, making sure the deadbolt was securely in place. The song from the ice cream truck grew louder and louder, the pitch taking on a strange note at the end, one that caused a chill to run down Bucky’s spine. It wasn’t until a pained yelp rang out a moment later that they all realized Alpine was still outside.

Ever since that day, life went on as normal for rest of the members of the East End community. Bucky, on the other hand, developed trust issues. Not a single one of their new neighbors batted an eye when he and Steve asked what was up with the ice cream truck, when they questioned their new neighbors on the whereabouts of their beloved pet. All anyone ever had to say on the matter was when the ice cream song plays, you best get inside, don’t come out until it’s over, even then don’t come out until the day is over. If you’re caught outside when the song plays, you best pray for it to be over soon. For if you see the heads, if you see the eyes, it’s over. It’s over, it’s over for you.

Bucky had begun to question their decision to move to East End then. All the research he put into finding this community didn’t seem to be yielding the results it should have. All the reviews he read boasted of its exclusivity and safety for all sorts of people. All the interviews he and Steve had gone through were a testament to how serious East End appeared to take its application process. It all was supposed to result in a sanctuary. He knew his little family was different. Heightened senses, enhanced agility, and a less than stellar diet certainly didn’t make it easy for them to settle down. This was supposed to be their big break. He didn’t know how wrong he was.

A few weeks later, Bucky, Steve, and Sarah were enjoying the cool play day in breeze on their front lawn, when they heard it, the ice cream song playing from the truck down the street. Bucky and Steve were wary but gathered what was immediately around them to head inside.

“Excuse me.” A little voice called out from behind Bucky. “I missed you last time. May I have some ice cream, please?”

Turning around, Bucky saw their daughter standing in front of the ice cream truck with her little hand outstretched. His eyes widened when he got a good look at the truck. It was all white with a strange black symbol painted on the side facing their home, a sea creature with multiple bulbous heads and tentacles. To his utter horror, a familiar pale red light had begun to shine through the window on the driver’s side. It was one that bought horrific memories from his past, flashes of torture and pain.

“Sarah, get away from that truck!” Bucky’s body moved like a flash before he could even issue it a command, fear gripping his heart as he snatched the child up from the edge of the sidewalk. It was only when something cold and tight gripped at his leg as it latched onto his skin, that he realized his grave mistake. “Take her and get inside, lock the doors!”

“No! Not without you!” Steve had materialized at his side to take Sarah into his arms but he refused to leave. “I won’t leave you, not again.”

“You have to!” He groaned in pain and looked down at his leg, it was wrapped in some sort of chain with barbs that dug into his flesh holding him in place. There was no way he would let them get ahold of his entire family, there was no way in hell he would give Hydra a real win. Bucky’s fear was to be ripped from his daughter, from Steve, his husband and mate. It was his greatest fear to be returned back into the clutches of those that created monsters like him and Steve. All the while, that ice cream truck played its haunting song. It tormented him as he prayed for a swift end that he knew would never come. The first time the Rogers family heard the ice cream song, they lost their pet. The second time they heard it, the Rogers family lost Bucky.

[vickyvicarious]

What do you think about the possibility that Hawkins sent the letter to Dracula so the latter could read between the lines and understand that Jonathan is well loved and will be missed? We know that Dracula is implicitly threatening Jonathan, but I take Hawkins' letter as telling Dracula how much of a Good Boy his student is. Dracula may understand that if he does something to Jonathan, someone will care and notice (even if Hawkins is ignorant of Dracula's true nature) and perhaps he'll be asked questions that he'd rather not answer. This would make Hawkins' letter a protection for Jonathan (even without his knowledge). Sorry for dumping this on you! You have wonderful thoughts on all of this and I thought I'd ask. Have a great day!

Thank you! It's not dumping on me at all by the way, I love thinking about this stuff!

I personally do think that Hawkins was trying to show off Jonathan being a Good Boy for sure... but I think the resistance he might have expected was more along the lines of Dracula being displeased with the substitute and raising a fuss. More along the lines of fearing an angry review on Yelp than someone kidnapping his employee, you know?

I just can't imagine Hawkins having any too serious reservations about Jonathan's safety on this trip, and still sending him. Not even just sending him, but not raising a fuss when Jonathan's visit got extended suddenly. I mean, I suppose it's quite possible that Mr. Hawkins was writing worried letters back to Jonathan during his stay at the castle, and Dracula was just intercepting/collecting them all himself.

Actually, that would make a great fic - some 'missing entries' of Mina and Mr. Hawkins' letters over time getting more and more concerned, all with never read by him or read by Dracula at the top. Especially if Dracula sneakily incorporated information from those letters into knowing even better ways to upset Jonathan (what topics to bring up, etc.)...

But in canon I think it more likely that Mr. Hawkins didn't really suspect anything until later on. However, the proud letter of introduction (and potential missing letters) could still have acted as a sort of unknowing protection in possibly giving Dracula the initial idea to have Jonathan write fake letters. Those disguised his expected death at the castle by laying a false trail of him leaving and then presumably taking ill or getting murdered on the road somewhere. It's possible that Dracula did choose that particular method with 'he has loved ones who might try to investigate me otherwise' as a consideration. Though I don't think that really bothered him too much. If he did plan to kill Jonathan around this time of the month before changing his mind when he got more interesting, then he definitely didn't seem to have any such false paper trail laid out. I think he would have been able to blame it on Jonathan dying after leaving him regardless, but the fake letters just give that much more weight.

[ecargmura]

Witch Hat Atelier Volume 3 Review

Between the reviews of volumes 2 and 3, I took a break from reviewing this manga. I fortunately got Volume 3 as a birthday present from my brother back in March! Thanks, bro!

I can’t help but to let out yelps every time I turn the page because this manga’s art is GORGEOUS! Like the cover page for Chapter 14? *chef’s kiss*. The cover of this volume? *chef’s kiss* Immaculate.

Chapter 12 is where Chapter 11 left off. Coco was about to get her memories erased but Tetia and Riche swoop in to save the day as well as Qifrey. They tell off the witch for being too rash with his actions. The witch examined Coco’s hands and realized that she didn’t use any forbidden magic, so they let her go while warning that there will be bigger consequences in the future.

Qifrey was proud for the girls. He even told Agott that she can take a test to rank up. Coco then tells Qifrey about the little vial of ink that she has. He noticed something off about it and holds onto it.

I really like how this chapter was written in the way that it wasn’t just Qifrey swooping in to save the day, but it was him, Tetia and Riche. You’d expect the child characters to be left out, but Shirahama gets them involved and I love that. It doesn’t make it look like they’re sidelined. I also like how Qifrey does his best to not make anyone erase Coco’s memories because he still needs clues to find the Brimhats and she’s his only lead. Coco was anxious about losing her memories because that means she’d lose her memories about her mom and the reason why she is studying magic.

I love that there is serious possible consequences for certain actions and they talked it out with reason instead of resorting to violence or magic.

Chapter 13 has Coco and Qifrey going to Kahln to meet with Mr. Nolnoa as he was the one who gave that little jar to Coco back in the first volume. His grandson Tartah brings them in. As Qifrey speaks with Nolnoa, Coco and Tartah develop a friendship as Tartah treats her wounds. However, it seems as if Tartah has issues of his own. While he is good at organizing magic material, he’s unable to differentiate color. He has silverwash, a type of colorblindness that makes a person’s vision all sorts of shades of silver. Because of this, he cannot become a full-fledged witch. Also, Qifrey did something that caused a bright light and when Tartah questioned Nolnoa, he feigns it.

I’ve always liked the Stationery shop in this story, so to return to it made me happy. I also like learning more of the world and people. Silverwash is an interesting concept and knowing that magic heavily relies on visuals does make one wonder how someone with a condition like Tartah become a witch, if it is possible.

Chapter 14 has the atelier go on a picnic. Coco learns about the five different tests in order to become a full-fledged witch; she took the first one, so she needs to take four more. The apprentices reveal about their goals with magic. Tetia wants to travel the world and help people. Riche wants to make her own magic. Agott wants to be a librarian. Coco just wants to learn more magic. It turns out that Coco’s having nightmares and it’s making her have trouble sleeping.

The picnic was nice and learning about the magic system and the girls’ goals made me feel more attached to them. Coco having nightmares about her mother’s death shows the insecurities that Coco hides within her kindness. She’s working herself so hard because she feels guilty for what happened to her mother.

Chapter 15 has Qifrey tries to uncover the mysteries of the mysterious ink in the vial that he made a mistake, causing him to get entangled in a sudden watery vortex. A Brimhat appears before him. It turns out that the mysterious ink was given to Coco by the same Brimhat watching over her.

In the morning, both Coco and Qifrey are tired. Qifrey wasted some tea leaves, so he goes out to pick some tea leaves. While the girls wait, Coco returns the Sylph Shoes back to Agott. Agott wonders why Coco’s so nice to her despite being mean to her in the beginning. Coco has no mean bone in her soul and just tells her that she didn’t want to give up.

She then faints as she’s sick! Qifrey takes her to the nearby hospital after receiving some help from Tartah.

This chapter was really interesting. Time and time again, we know that Brimhats are Qifrey’s goal because they took something from him. The fact that he missed an opportunity to confront the Brimhat caused him anguish. Qifrey’s not a good person. We’re not sure why he wants his missing item back, but we do know how dangerous these Brimhats are.

Coco and Agott’s conversation was heartwarming in a way. Agott really was mean to her in the beginning, but Coco never tattled towards her. Coco being a kind soul always moved my heart in a way. She’s super nice and all she wants is to learn magic in order to cure her mother. She can’t afford to wallow in petty rivalries and such.

Chapter 16 focuses on Coco and Tartah again. Tartah tries to help Coco after the doctors all ran off to check up on injured people from a nearby fire and they dragged Qifrey to help out. He is also an apprentice witch, but his future’s dark because of his inability to see colors. Despite this, he does his best to do things in ways he knows how. Coco, in her feverish state helps out.

Learning about how strict and prejudiced the Witch world is interesting. Just like in real life, society prefers the able-bodied, “normal” people while people who lack what is perceived as normal would be ostracized. Seeing Tartah working hard despite his disadvantages makes he hope he can become a witch someday.

Chapter 17 continues where the previous chapter left off. Coco and Tartah find the herb the latter was looking for and it helped Coco’s fever go down once a medic was able to come into the clinic wondering where her colleagues went. After Qifrey returns, Tartah asks him about the bright light, but they don’t seem to remember. In the morning, Tartah leaves for witch training, but tells Coco that she’ll become the greatest witch ever, encouraging her to keep going.

The friendship between Coco and Tartah is sweet. Coco made a friend outside out of the atelier. However, it’s not a pointless friendship as Tartah gives insight to what Coco’s missing with her glyph drawings while Coco gives insight to what he’s lacking. They work well together and it shows potential just in case there will be a time where Coco has to train outside the atelier.

It feels as if Tartah is implied to be her love interest, but it probably won’t happen. Tartah is more than just being a love interest with his silverwash storyline. He even promised to make a pen for her, so I’m sure that this pen will be her ultimate weapon. He will be important later on, I can feel it.

Overall, this entire volume was a bit slower. It’s more of a break before the big plot happens as seen at the end of chapter 17. I think this volume was necessary as it gives more insight to the world of Witch Hat Atelier and the concepts and customs. It got me engaged learning more about the lore.

The characters feel more fleshed out too, especially Coco with her inner guilt that’s causing her to have nightmares and tire her out to the point of not sleeping well. I commend Shirahama’s particular way of being very detailed, but also bringing out the whole picture. She gave Tetia some insight. She gave Riche some insight. She gave Tartah some insight. None of these characters feel sidelined and that’s a good thing. She’s giving characters as much spotlight as she can when they are in the story. I just hope she keeps this up when the story keeps going.

I can’t wait to read Volume 4. I hope we jump back into action soon!

[bellclarkeseo]

How to Get Your Google My Business Ranked: The Hilarious Guide

Are you tired of your Google My Business profile being lost in the sea of search results? Fear not, my friend, because I have the ultimate guide to getting your GMB ranked - with a side of humor, of course.

Fill Out Your Profile Completely

If your GMB profile is like a dating profile, then you want to make sure you put your best foot forward. This means filling out your profile completely, including your business hours, contact information, and a killer description.

Think of your description as your bio on a dating app - you want to make sure it's interesting, informative, and makes people want to swipe right (or click through to your website).

Add Photos and Videos

Photos and videos are like the accessories that complete your outfit - they add personality, style, and make you stand out from the crowd. By adding high-quality photos and videos to your GMB profile, you can give potential customers a glimpse into your business and what sets you apart from the competition.

Encourage Customer Reviews

Customer reviews are like the social proof that your business is worth checking out. By encouraging your customers to leave reviews on your GMB profile, you can increase your credibility and visibility in the search results.

To encourage customer reviews, you can offer incentives like discounts or freebies, or simply ask them to leave a review if they had a positive experience.

Use Relevant Keywords

Keywords are like the secret code that unlocks the door to higher search rankings. By using relevant keywords in your GMB profile, you can increase your chances of appearing in search results when people search for your business.

To find relevant keywords, you can use keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner or Moz Keyword Explorer. Just make sure to use them naturally and not stuff them into your description like a turkey on Thanksgiving.

Post Regularly

Posting regularly on your GMB profile is like keeping the conversation going on a first date - it shows that you're interested and engaged. By posting updates, promotions, and news about your business, you can keep your audience engaged and interested in what you have to offer.

Use Google Posts

Google Posts are like the love letters that show Google that you're serious about your business. By using Google Posts to share promotions, events, and other updates, you can increase your visibility in the search results and attract more customers.

Get Listed in Directories

Directories are like the group of friends that introduce you to new people - they expand your network and increase your chances of being found. By getting listed in directories like Yelp, Yellow Pages, and Trip Advisor, you can increase your online presence and attract more customers.

Monitor Your Results

Monitoring your GMB results is like checking your reflection in the mirror - it shows you how you're doing and what you need to improve. By tracking your analytics and insights, you can identify areas that need improvement and adjust your strategy accordingly.

To monitor your results, you can use tools like Google Analytics or SEMrush. Just don't get too obsessed with the numbers - after all, it's not a competition to be the most popular kid in school.

In conclusion, getting your GMB ranked is like trying to impress your crush - it takes effort, creativity, and a bit of humor. By filling out your profile completely, adding photos and videos, encouraging customer reviews, using relevant keywords, posting regularly, using Google Posts, getting listed in directories, and monitoring your results, you can increase your online visibility and attract more customers. So go forth, my friend, and show Google what you're made of - with a side of humor, of course.

[rviner]

"Guess we'll have to just wait and see." Rory laughed, not realizing how flirtatious her words were until she'd already said them. Years she'd spent wondering why her mouth seemed to just say what it wanted before her brain ever caught up. Most of the time she went with it simply because it was funny. "You starch them?" she asked quickly, raising a brow. "'Cause that's a whole thing in these parts, right? Cowboys and all that?" her hands found her jacket pockets soon after that, striding along side the sociable stranger. "I mean, as far as open books go. Yeah. You don't seem easily offended? I guess?" Rory laughed slightly at his workload, grinning as she walked while looking ahead and not to him. "Poor dude just wanted the last cookie and you fucked that up for him, doesn't sound very heroic to me." she teased, finally glancing at him.

Rory made a playfully cringing face when Levi explained about his brother, grimacing but smiling. "Eeeesh. Two brothers in uniform? Sounds like a very questionable tiktok trend, bud." she deadpanned, finding herself hilarious but only managing a dry little chortle. Her hand gestured at his attire again, chuckling away to herself. "Hey, no judgement at all. You do what you gotta do to get that ol' ticker pumping but I'm just saying. Waterproofs and falling in love aren't linked very often." she raised her hands up, laughing. Her eyes moved to the library, absent mindedly fishing out her phone from her tote and holding it up to unlock it. "Well, I guess I'll leave a good Yelp review for ya. And if you were serious about some drinks then, you know. We can do the whole swap numbers thing." she shrugged, giving him a less playful smile in thanks. "Thanks, Jort. Don't run too hard."

Levi scoffs, brow raised at her words. “Oh, yeah, totally, the whole concept is archaic,” he replies sarcastically but without much bite. “But I still think I’d survive.” The Sullivan shrugs, ever confident, unless she was some secret ninja or something but he has a sneaking suspicion she’s not. “Actually, it is, I just happen to be exceptionally quick witted,” he jokes, pausing at the corner of the block as cars pass by. “And I own Levi’s. They’re excellent jeans,” he asserts with a grin, snickering at the additional nickname. “Do I?” He’s been told he’s extremely approachable but an open book is new. He doesn’t mind, though, taking it as a compliment as she asks her question. “Mmm, yeah, well, fighting fire is a big one,” he grins with a shrug, “responding to other emergency situations? Cat stuck in a tree…people stuck in an elevator. A mom brought their kid in last week – got his arm stuck in a vase. We’re kinda the jack-of-all-trades of emergency services.”

It might be a more comprehensive answer than she’s looking for but he’s happy to talk about his work. He’s never gotten bored of it. “Me and my brother both do it actually. Though, if you ever met him, you’d know who’s better at their job.” Despite his laugh at his brother’s expense, Levi does think Beau is probably better at his job – more focused and intense, but that was Beau every day. “What’s wrong with jogging?” He says with mock-offense, glancing down at his attire and then back at her, “gets the heart rate up, improves cardiovascular endurance, works up your appetite…what’s not to like?” It’s not for everyone but Levi feels infinitely more awake and energized when he’s on one. Maybe he should get Beau on his next one – get his brother out of the Tammie slump. “Oh, cool, big family then? You guys close?” As they continue walking, he gestures around them with a disbelieving face. “Of course I do. I’m probably the best tour guide a person can have. See – there’s the library.” 

[aristrocrat]

Chapter 2

S1 Episode 1

TW: cursing

Stiles Stilinski x Reader

Okay here is the second installment to my friends-to-lover’s series. It’s pretty long and I’m not sorry about it. Let me know if you have any ideas as to where to take this series or how to improve it. Hope you enjoyyy xx

“Scott, hey, I’m getting another call,” You mumbled, pulling your phone away from your ear. Your eyes widened a little at the name Lydia Martin. “Oh, what the fuck?”

“What, is it Stiles?” Scott asked in a boyish tone. Stiles can’t keep his mouth shut when it comes to his best friends. So of course, Scott instantly knew about the moment the two of you shared the other night. You rolled your eyes at the power he had over the two of you, and he used it constantly to make you blush or shut up.

“First off, stop doing that. It makes me feel weird because it was just a-”

“Heat of the moment thing. Righht, okay. Anyways- *click* … Hello? Y/N?” He held his phone in astonishment as he chuckled and continuing to thread the laces of the head on his lacrosse stick.

“Lydia, hey! What’s up?” You asked with a smile, already knowing what her call had to do with, making your way to the computer.

“Heyyy, girly. Whatcha doin?” She said sweetly. You knew the tone all too well.

“Do you need me to email you my notes?”

“How do you know I wasn’t just calling for a quick chat with my best gal pal?” She quickly retaliated, only to receive silence on your end. “Okay, fine. Yes, I think I left them in Jackson’s car but he isn’t answering my calls. I just wanted to review for the summer reading quiz tomorrow. Could you send me pics?”

“Yeah, one step ahead of you,” You laughed. “You should be getting them right about… now.”

“Thanks,” She softened her tone. “If you ever need anything, let me know.”

“Oh, it’s really no problem,” You sweetly dismissed her empty proposal. “And don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone you asked me for them.”

“I appreciate it,” She giggled. “But seriously, thank you!”

You opened your mouth to say something before familiar screams filled the silence.

“Yeah uh no biggie,” You quickly replied as you looked out your window to see Stiles hanging upside down and Scott holding a bat. “Oh god. I gotta go. Bye!”

You quickly threw on a pair of sneakers and hurried out of your front door. You rushed up to boys who were now both upside right, only to catch the last part of a conversation that you weren’t exactly sure you wanted to ask about.

“That’s the best part. They only found half,” Stiles bounced in place excitedly. “We’re going.”

“..Where? And found-”

The boys screamed louder than the first time, making you jump in response. Scott held his bat up defensively as Stiles jumped behind him and grabbed his shoulders.

“At ease, you fucking idiots!” You shouted. “It’s me! Put the bat down!”

“HOW DO YOU JUST APPEAR OUT OF NOWHERE LIKE THAT?! My god,” Stiles yelped, holding his hand over his heart. “We need to put a bell on you.”

“I literally jogged over here,” You deadpanned. “Leaves were crunching and everything, I don’t know what to tell you.”

“Just out of curiosity, have you ever like, oh I don’t know, overheard conversations I probably wouldn’t want you knowing about?”

“Oh yeah, like at least a dozen,” You smiled as he released an embarrassed groan. “But where are you going at this hour? Also who found half of what?”

“Nothing,” Scott answered. You gave him an unamused look while you walked up the stairs of his porch. “Y/N, trust me, you don’t want to know.”

“Half of a dead body was discovered in the woods. We’re going to go look for the other half,” Stiles didn’t even let him finish the entire sentence before gladly offered up the information.

“Really? The two of you. Alone in the woods. Looking for a dead body?” You laughed at the boys who were screaming only a few seconds before. It was only when they blankly stared back that you realized it wasn’t a joke. “Oh wait- are you serious?! Dude, that’s so stupid!”

“I knew you’d say that,” Scott groaned. “God, you’re such a girl.”

“That’s not an offensive statement? I literally am a girl. But that’s rich, considering I just made you scream like a couple of sissies,” You chuckled. “I was on the phone with Lydia and ended it abruptly just because I saw you guys roleplaying piñata.”

“Woah, woah. Hold on! You were on the phone with the Lydia Martin?” His enthusiasm cut through you like a dull knife. You shifted uncomfortably, unaware of the way your shoulders fell.

This moment bitterly reminded you of the reason why you’d been brushing him off for the past few days. This boy has been hopelessly in love with Lydia since you were kids. It was all he talked about since you met him. You knew there wasn’t a chance in hell that she would ever go for anyone that wasn’t the captain of some sort of sport, but you still didn’t want to be the second choice when he was your first.

You, however, didn’t hear the way he spoke about you while you weren’t around. You were oblivious to the way he looked at you when you sang along to his music and how he softened his tone when he spoke to you. Sure, Lydia was hot and he still got excited to talk about her. But never in the way he talked about you.

“Dude, did you just not hear the part where we called you a sissy?” Scott jumped in, noticing your subtle disappointment and wanting to redirect the situation. “You don’t have to come, Y/N. I know it’s not your type of thing. But we’re going because this is once in a lifetime opportunity here in Beacon Hills.”

“Fine. But, uh, word of advice? Try not to scream like little girls if you hear a voice or see a bunny.”

“Funny,” Stiles smiled sarcastically as you walked away. “Very funny.”

Scott waited for you to go back inside before slapping his best friend’s chest with force.

“OW! What was that for?”

“For being an absolute idiot,” Scott rolled his eyes. “Let’s go find that body.”

————

The next morning, you wanted to dress up a little for the first day of school. Your mom helped you with a subtle makeup look that brought out your best features and with curling your hair. You threw on the cute outfit you laid out the night before and had your mom drive you to school.

You hopped out of the car and walked up to your friends who were already standing outside of the building.

“Hey,” You smiled.

“Y/N, woah. You, um, you look different! Like a good different though! Just like- wow you look nice,” Stiles stuttered, making you giggle.

“Thanks! You too. How’d last night go?” You walked past them and led your friends into the building

“Shitty,” Scott mumbled.

“My dad caught me out there and dragged my ass home. Scott, on the other hand, stayed, found the body, and got bitten by a wolf!” Stiles said dramatically.

“A wolf, huh?” You teased, walking up to your locker. “Damn it, Scott. I personally think vampires are way sexier but hey! Werewolves aren’t that bad.. Aside from all of the fur-”

“Whatever, don’t believe me! I’m going to my locker,” Scott huffed, walking away from his friends’ fit of giggles. Stiles followed after him, leaving you to decorate and organize your little corner of the school. You quickly threw up polaroid pictures of your favorite people and grabbed the necessary supplies for your first hour of the day.

“Y/N!” Lydia’s voice called out to you as you shut your locker. You at her in confusion. Why was she talking to you in public? “That outfit is totally killer! Come sit next to me in English!”

She linked her arm around yours and walked you to class. Ah, of course she was shallow enough to induct you into her friend group because of a killer outfit. You took a moment to glance around at all of the eyes that landed on you, including those of your friends.

“I know, it’s stupid how their small minds work. Put on a little lipgloss and a mini skirt on, and they’re wrapped around your finger,” She talked quietly, smirking. “But if you keep dressing like this, I might just have to take you under my wing. Pretty in the streets, brilliant in discrete.”

“I appreciate the offer but I don’t know how to feel about everyone’s eyes on me,” You smiled, making her giggle as you took your seats. “I think I preferred not being noticed.”

“You’ll get used to it. Nothing quite beats the feeling of being popular, trust me,” She said.

Scott and Stiles followed you into the room, giving you their what the holy fuck is going on here looks. You widened your eyes and shrugged before turning back to Lydia as she talked about the glory that was popularity.

She dragged you along to practically every single class and met up with you in the hallways, not giving you the chance to even greet the boys. Just as you thought it was the perfect moment to slip away, you met the new girl and instantly hit it off. You decided to stick around for the rest of the day. If nothing else came from your day of popularity, maybe you could make a genuine friend from it.

“So how long have you been friends with Lydia?” Allison smiled, taking the seat next to yours in the cafeteria.

“Since she called my outfit totally killer this morning,” You mocked, looking up to smile at the kind girl. “I’ve known her since elementary school though.”

“She called my jacket totally killer too!” Allison giggled. “And here I was feeling special about her thoughtful compliment! Also, that explains why you’ve seemed just as confused as me standing near her all day.”

“Yeah, I normally hang out with the two dorks staring at us from the lunch line,” You both laughed as they quickly turned away when they saw the two of you look over. A fantastic playoff. “I just happened to put a little effort into my appearance for once and suddenly my life was turned upside down! Remind me to never look do this again.”

“Will do,” She smiled as she looked back at the boys. “So who’s the boy with the longer hair?”

“That’s my best friend, Scott,” You answered. “Well, he’s more of a brother. I’ve known him since like birth.”

“Oh so you guys aren’t.. you know,” She wiggled her eyebrows.

“God, no!” Your face scrunched up. “I’m weirdly into the geek standing next to him, but that’s a whole story in and of itself. Scott’s single and seems like he’s totally into you.”

“Really??” She grinned. You nodded and chuckled. Oh, he owed you big time for playing wingman. “Is he on the lacrosse team?”

“Yeah, actually. We’ll get to see him and Stiles play later if Lydia drags us to their practice,” You said. “But, um, just don’t let his skills, or lack there of, influence your view on him. He’s really sweet and cool.”

“Who is?” Lydia smiled as she sat in front of the two of you. “Oh those guys? Are they new too?”

You and Allison shared a look before laughing. Lydia simply shrugged it off and continued to talk your ears off about whatever came to mind. You and Allison stuck together for the rest of the day, exchanging life stories and silly jokes.

Eventually the final bell rang and Lydia dragged the two of you out to watch the boys’ practice. You sat between the girls and watched as Scott took his place at the goal. Your nerves instantly disappeared when you saw him catch virtually every ball that hurled at him.

Afterwards, Allison gave you a ride home. The two of you listened to your favorite songs and talked lightheartedly about the town and the people in it. She thanked you for being so genuinely kind and you did the same before walking into your house and sticking your nose into your books. You found it a little odd not hearing from your friends the entire night and even sent them text messages to the group chat to make sure everything was okay.

Y/N: Hey, I’m so sorry for ditching you guys today :/ Great practice though! Save me a spot during lunch tmr?

Scott: Yeah ofc! I have so much to tell you!

Stiles: I mean if Lydia doesn’t keep you all to herself then for sure lol. And same here

You smiled at your phone before putting it on the charger and going to sleep.

—————

You decided against dressing so preppy and opted for a casual, yet very cute outfit. You did your hair and makeup very similar to yesterday’s look and were off to school.

Lydia repeated her actions from the previous day, keeping you and Allison close until the last bell. You didn’t mind as much seeing as you finally felt a little more comfortable running around with their crowd. Scott snd Stiles only smiled at you, which indicated that they were okay with seeing you make new friends. The queen bee dragged you out to the bleachers to watch the lacrosse boys to their thing yet again.

You watched Scott demolish the field and make first line, making you and the girls scream in excitement. After practice was over, you waited outside of the school for your mom to come pick you up for about twenty. Most of the cars left the parking lot, making you believe that she forgot to pick you up. You sighed and went to call her when suddenly, you felt someone grab your arm.

“I can’t be the only one who thinks Scott’s newly found lacrosse skills are a little weird,” Stiles said in a concerned manner.

“I mean he has been working hard all summer,” You stated slowly.

“But have you ever seen him do anything like that?” He questioned, making you tilt you head in realization. “Exactly. Come with me, I’ll explain everything. I need help looking for some answers.”

“Okay, but what kind of answers?” You asked as Stiles pulled you by your arm towards his Jeep. He just kept marching towards his vehicle. “Uh, hello? Earth to Stiles.”

“You know how he said he got bit by a wolf the other night?” He asked, opening the passenger door for you. After you nodded and hopped in, he placed his arm on the top of your open door and leaned in. “Y/N, he had an open wound, clearly caused by the teeth of a big ass animal, that miraculously went away. His skills on the field? His weird behavior?”

“Oh my god, you’re not seriously thinking he’s a werewolf now,” You chuckled. “Stiles, that’s not possible there hasn’t been a reported case of a wolf in California in decades.”

“That’s what I thought!” He shouted excitedly before lowering his voice, not wanting anyone to hear about his crazy hypothesis. “But then I heard my dad say that the fiber analysis came back with animal hairs on the body.”

“No. Way,” Your jaw dropped. He pursed his lips and shrugged before closing your door and jogging to his side of the vehicle. “The animal was a wolf? But how?”

“I don’t know, that’s why I need your help,” He said turning on his car and switching it into first gear. “I mean it would explain the weird gymnastics routine from the field today, right? But you know what’s fucked up? If I’m right and he’s what I think he is, tomorrow’s a full moon. So we better work fast.”

He sped off to his house and you both ran to his room to find any information you could find on the internet. You searched away on your laptop, telling him about any article or old book pdf that related to lycaonthopy that seemed legit. He did the same.

Eventually, your yawns and tired body got the best of you and you fell asleep reading an old book Stiles got from the public library.

“Hey, hey, hey! Are you really going to sleep when we haven’t even figured this out yet?” He asked when he noticed you face down, snuggled into his pillow.

“Fuck off, it’s like three in the morning,” You mumbled, flipping to face the other way. He laughed at your sleepy demeanor. “I even texted my mom that I was staying the night with Scott. Give me like an hour or two to recharge.”

“Here, let me just..” He said, getting up and looking through his closet before tossing you one of his t shirts and a pair of sweatpants. You grumbled angrily at the sudden clothes that landed on you. “At least change into these. Those jeans don’t seem very comfortable.”

“Right now, they’re the comfiest things ever,” You mumbled sleepily as you snuggled back into his pillow. He rolled his eyes and grabbed another pillow, hitting you lightly. “Stilesss, let me sleeeep.”

“Aw.. You think I’m actually going to listen to you. How cute,” He smiled only to hear your breathing start to regulate again. “Hey!”

He laughed and decided to lay on top of you, getting a big grunt in response. He finally saw you smile and it absolutely melted his heart. You were so sleepy that you could barely even keep your eyes open. Your hair was messy and your makeup a little smudged, but he swore he’d never seen you look so beautiful. He especially liked that you looked so comfortable cuddled up under him.

“What did I ever do to you?” You giggled. “I do not deserve to be kept awake by being crushed under your weight at this hour.”

“Oh please, you’ve never looked more comfortable,” He joked softly, making you laugh again. God, there’s that laugh again. It made his heart grow two sizes bigger under any given circumstance, but he swore he could die from the cuteness you radiated in that moment. He hadn’t seen you so sleepy since your middle school sleep overs at Scott’s house. He forgot how much he loved it.

“Okay, you’re kind of right,” You admitted before sitting up. “But alas, I will do as told.”

You got up and walked to his bathroom with Stiles’ clothes folded over your left arm. He smiled softly when he noticed that your scent lingered his pillow. He finally pulled himself out of bed, moved all of the clutter to the floor and pulled the covers down for you. He sat back down in his desk chair and continued to read an article, but he couldn’t seem to wipe the smile off of his face.

That is, until you walked into his room wearing his clothes. What a sight to see. The clothes hung off of you in a way that made his chest explode in butterflies. He watched you climb back into his bed and snuggle back into his pillow.

“Now I’m cold, asshole,” You smiled, making him chuckle. You wanted to hint at the fact that you wanted him to join you. “Even the spot I was in is cold.”

“Want me to hop in bed to warm you up?” He half joked. But when you nodded, he forgot the entirety of the English language. He gave you a shocked look before smiling and shrugging, as if to say fuck it.

You waited for him to get under the covers before you got close. You wrapped your arm around him and closed your eyes. It didn’t take long for you to fall back asleep again. You were too tired to feel nervous about it.

Stiles stared at you in the dim light. This was definitely something he could get used to. In that moment, he didn’t even care about the fact that Scott’s situation. You completely silenced his mind; that was a new feeling. How, he’d never understand, but you did. He only wished he didn’t take so much Adderall so that he could simply snuggle back into you and fall asleep. It was only when you flipped on your other side that he finally got back up to study everything he had earlier set his mind to.

An abrupt, loud knock on the door made you jump awake. You saw Stiles leap out of his desk chair to reveal a smiling Scott.

“Get in. You gotta see this, dude,” Stiles said. Scott chuckled at your dazed and confused look. “Morning, sunshine! Someone tapped out but I’ve been up all night reading websites, books. All this information.”

“How much Adderall have you had today?” Scott asked.

“A lot? Doesn’t matter. Okay, just listen-”

“Is this about the body? Did they find out who did it?” Scott chuckled, throwing his backpack on top of you and sitting on your feet. You laughed, trying to push him off.

“No, they’re still questioning people, even Derek Hale-”

“Oh, the guy in the woods that we saw the other day.”

“Yeah! Yes. But that’s not it, okay?” Stiles shouted. “Remember the joke from the other day? Not a joke anymore.”

Scott scoffed and looked at you. You simply nodded.

“The wolf. The bite in the woods. I started doing all this reading. Do you even know why a wolf howls? It’s a signal, okay? When a wolf’s alone, it howls to signal its location to the rest of the pack. So if you heard a wolf howling, that means others could’ve been nearby. Maybe even a whole pack of them-”

“A whole pack of wolves?” Scott asked.

“No, werewolves,” You finished. Scott looked over at you before speaking to Stiles again.

“Are you seriously wasting my time with this? You know I’m picking up Allison in an hour,” Scott said. That was new information to you, but you didn’t even have time before Stiles spoke again.

“We saw what you did on the field. Okay, what you did wasnt just amazing, all right? It was impossible.”

“Okay, so I made a good shot-”

“No you made an incredible shot! I mean the way you moved, your speed, your reflexes. People can’t just suddenly do that overnight,” Stiles replied anxiously. “And there’s the vision and the sense. And don’t even think I didn’t notice that you don’t need your inhaler anymore-”

“Okay!” Scott shouted. “I can’t think about this now. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?! What? No! The full moon’s tonight. Don’t you get it?!”

“What are you trying to do?! I just made first line. I got a date with a girl who I can’t even believe wants to go out with me. Everything in my life is somehow perfect. Why are you trying to ruin it??” Scott spat.

“He’s trying to help,” You interjected, getting out of bed. “You’re cursed, dude. You’re going to physically change tonight. And your bloodlust will be at its peak.”

“Bloodlust?” He looked at you in a way that he’d never done before. You stepped back.

“Uh, I’m gonna grab a glass of water,” you mumbled, walking out of the room. You leaned against the wall in front of Stiles room, hearing the rest of the conversation unfold. You simply stood there until you heard Scott yell. You ran back in to see him holding Stiles against the wall. “HEY! Scott what the fuck?!”

He yelled before throwing the chair in your direction, making you yelp and jump out of the way. It was only then that he realized that his behavior was completely erratic.

“I’m sorry..” He said to you. You couldn’t even look up at him in sheer fear. “I gotta go get ready for that party… I’m sorry..”

You watched him walk out of the room before Stiles rushed up to you.

“Are you okay? Did he hit you?” Stiles asked, frantically looking at your body to see if you were alright.

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” You said quickly, making him release you and pick up his desk chair. “I jumped out of the way in time. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m-” He paused, looking at the scratches on his desk chair. “Oh my god look at this..”

He whirled his chair around to reveal claw marks. You felt your eyes widen as your right hand flew up to your mouth.

“I have to stop him,” You mumbled before spinning on your heels. Stiles rushed up to you and grabbed your arm.

“Woah, woah, woah. Not a good idea. He literally almost killed us, Y/N,” Stiles said, turning you around so you could look him in the eye. You tried to get him to let go so that you could follow your best friend. “Hey, hey! Look, the best that we can do is get ready and go to that party to keep an eye on him and everyone there. I mean, you saw the way he looked at you! He wouldn’t hesitate to hurt you and I can’t let that happen. I’m sorry but you have to promise me you won’t go looking for him.”

“Stiles, I-” You froze when he held out his pinky. That had always been something you’d only done with Scott. You felt a little guilty at the way your heart fluttered at the sight. You looked in his worry ridden eyes and sighed, taking his pinky into yours. “Okay, fine. I swear.”

“Okay, let me take you home,” He breathed, grabbing your clothes and holding his door open for you. “C’mon, we have to get there before he does. I’ll pick you up as soon as we’re done getting ready.”

You nodded and led the way to his Jeep. The ride home was quiet. You mumbled a quick goodbye and jogged into your house. You showered and threw on the nice outfit you’d picked out earlier that week for the party. You opted to blowout your hair and parked it with a nice smokey eye look. Stiles blew up your phone before you were done with your makeup.

Stiles: I’m done. You ready?

Stiles: Actually I don’t care, I’m coming over

Stiles: I’m here, can I come in?

Stiles: Okay I’m tired of waiting. I’m coming in.

“Hey, don’t get scared! It’s just me!” Stiles shouted, entering your front door. He remembered you telling him the night before that your parents were out of town for the weekend, so he didn’t mind barging in. He walked into your room, looking for you. “Y/N?”

“In here!” You called from your bathroom, finishing up your lipstick. He walked over and felt his jaw drop slightly. “What do you think?”

“Uh, um. Yeah! Yeah, you look really good!” He managed to blurt out as your twirled. “Like really good, holy shit. I feel under dressed. And I’m wearing a tie!”

“Oh shut up! You look great, Sti!” You laughed, making him chuckle nervously. “Let me just spray some perfume and we can get going.”

“Sounds good,” Stiles said, looking at the pictures that decorated your walls. He saw one of you and Scott playing in a tree and smiled. You loved to climb as a kid. Everything. You even figured out how to climb up the bricks on the side of your house and would hide away from the boys when they hurt your feelings. There was even a time when Scott said something really hurtful to you and you ran off and climbed up the wall to seclude yourself. Stiles took it upon himself to grab a ladder, climb up, and sit with you until he cheered you up. That was one of the first times he ever felt nervous around you.

“Okay, let’s go!” You smiled, grabbing his wrist and pulling him downstairs. Once you got to the Jeep, he reached your door handle before you got the chance to. You smiled and blushed. “Oh, um thanks. I can open my own doors, you know.”

“I like opening them for you,” He shrugged before closing your door and jogging to his side. This boy sure was sweet. He made it really hard not to catch feelings, but you were dead set on not acting on them. Second choice your ass. “I gotta admit, I’m really nervous about how Scott’s going to act tonight.”

“Yeah, me too..” You responded. “But it’s okay, we’ll keep an eye out on him. If he starts acting crazy, we can just yell COPS and get everyone to scatter.”

“That’s brilliant!” He laughed. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Because I’m smarter,” You said simply, earning a scoff from the boy next to you. “You’re just mad because it’s true.”

“Even if it were, I would never admit it,” He laughed. “You know fragile ego, being a man and all.”

You threw your head back in laughter at his reference to a comment you said a few weeks ago. He grinned at the sound of you.

“You will never let that one go, will you?” You looked over at him. He glanced at you before looking back at the road.

“Never,” He confirmed, making you erupt in a fit of giggled again. He spotted Lydia’s street and sighed. Man, how he wished Beacon Hills was a little bigger. It was definitely up and coming but not enough to make the drives last as long as he wanted with you. “Check it out, we’re almost there. It’s almost revolting, the fact that we can get anywhere in this town in less than five or ten minutes.”

“Agreed. We should all apply to college in a big city,” You smiled as Stiles pulled into the big driveway. You reached for your door handle before receiving an ah ah ah from Stiles. He turned off his car and jogged over to your side to open your door. “I don’t know how to feel about this whole let me open every door for you thing.”

“I’ve always done it,” He smiled at the confused look you shot him. “No, seriously! One time, when we were in like the third grade, my mom saw me walk in a door and not hold it open for you. I guess it hit you and you rubbed your arm for the rest of the day. Dude, she yelled at me for like thirty whole minutes, telling me that she didn’t raise me that way. After that, I’ve always held the doors open for you if I could help it.”

“Aww, I never even realized,” You pouted at the sweet story he shared, making him chuckle. “Well, then I guess I’ll let you keep holding my doors open.”

“Thank you,” He smiled, opening the front door of the house to reveal a lively crowd of tipsy teenagers. “Let the party begin.”

You both found a group of his friends and stood around talking until you saw Scott walk in with Allison. After that, you zoned out of the conversation and focused solely on your best friend. He walked into the backyard only to stumble back inside. You grabbed Stiles’ arm, giving him a chest full of butterflies before he realized why you’d done it.

“Yo, Scott, you good?” He asked, reaching out for him. Scott simply walked past the two of you and out to his car. Allison ran past you, and watched as her date drove away. Derek Hale approached her and offered to take her home. “Y/N, hey, are you listening? We gotta follow him!”

“Yeah, okay let go,” You mumbled, feeling a little weird about the adult man taking your new friend home. You ran closely behind Stiles and hopped into his jeep before driving off towards your neighborhood. Once you got to Scott’s house, you both darted into his house and up the stairs. You knocked on the door.

“Go away,” Scott mumbled.

“Scott, it’s us!” Stiles said, opening his door. It was no use since something blocked it from opening it all the way. “Let me in, Scott. I can help.”

“No! Listen, you gotta find Allison-”

“She’s fine, all right? I saw her get a ride from the party. She’s- she’s totally fine, all right?” Stiles interrupted.

“No, I think I know who it is!”

“Just let me in. We can try-”

“It’s Derek. Derek Hale is the werewolf. He’s the one that bit me!” Scott shouted. Stiles looked over at you with wide eyes. “He’s the one who killed the girl in the woods.”

“Scott, Derek’s the one who drove Allison from the party,” You finally spoke up. There was a split moment of silence before Scott slammed and locked the door.

“Scott!?” Stiles shouted before trying to open the door to no avail. He pounded on the door once more in desperation.

“Wait, move over. I can unlock it with a bobby pin,” You said, digging in your purse and pulling one out. You quickly sprang into action, unlocking the door in seconds. You opened the door and ran in to find an empty bedroom. Stiles ran to the bathroom to check of any sign of your friend.

“He’s not in there!” He panicked. You sighed and slid down the wall. “Wait don’t give up, we have to check on Allison!”

He took your hand and pulled you behind him to his car. You directed him to her address and quickly got out to run to her door. You rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer the door.

“Hello,” A woman smiled.

“Hi, Mrs. Argent! I’m a friend of Allison’s. I was wondering if she was home,” You smiled, speaking quick.

“Yeah, she’s home! Come in, come in!” She stepped aside. “Allison!”

You friend appeared from what you assumed was her room, giving you a confused look.

“Oh thank god,” You breathed, putting your hand over your heart. Her mother mirrored her daughter’s face. “I’m sorry for just showing up. I saw Scott leave and then Derek gave you a ride. He gives me a weird vibe so I just wanted to check if you were alright.”

Her mother smiled as you turned around to give Stiles a thumbs up.

“That’s so sweet of you,” Mrs. Argent said as Allison walked down the stairs. “Thank you, uh-”

“Y/N,” You chuckled nervously, holding out your hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Oh, this is Y/N?” She asked her daughter. “I’ve heard a lot about you! It’s so nice to meet you too!”

“Thanks for checking up on me,” Allison pulled you into a hug. “I really appreciate it. I’m a little bummed over the whole Scott thing, but I’ll be okay.”

“Yeah, I don’t think he was feeling well. He has asthma and might’ve forgotten his inhaler or something,” You said. “I really don’t know what happened. I’m so glad you’re okay, though. But, um, it’s pretty late, I just came by to make sure you were home. Derek is just weird. Nothing against him, but it never sat well with me how he just like lingers around town, you know? Anyways, call me if you want to talk about tonight. I should get home, I don’t wanna be out past my curfew.”

“Yeah, of course! Thanks again!” Allison giggled.

“Y/N, you should come by for dinner sometime!” Mrs. Argent said as you walked out of the door she held open for you. “We’d love to have you.”

“Absolutely! I’ll have to bring one of my mom’s famous pies,” You chuckled. “It was so nice meeting you! Sorry again for barging in at this hour.”

You walked out to Stiles’ Jeep that he leaned on.

“She’s okay,” You said making him smile softly as he opened your car door for you. “Thanks.”

“I just wish we could say the same about Scott..” He mumbled as he buckled in. You nodded in agreement. “But, uh, I should probably take you home, huh? It is a little late.”

“Yeah,” You agreed. His shoulders slumped a little at his disappointment. “I mean unless you wanna come over to keep an eye out for Scott? We can pop on a Star Wars movie and make popcorn while we wait.”

He looked at you with wide eyes. You never wanted to watch Star Wars. Ever. Maybe you did like him back.

“Or not,” You mumbled after receiving nothing but silence. “You’re right, it’s pretty late-”

“No, no, no, no! You already said you’d watch Star Wars. You can’t take it back now,” He interrupted, making you laugh. He pulled out of Allison's driveway and made his way to your house.

You spent the rest of the night throwing popcorn at one another, checking to see if Scott's room light was on, and arguing over Stiles' favorite movie until you fell asleep on his shoulder during the second movie.

CHAPTER 3 ->

—————

OKAY!! Part two is done. Sorry it's so long, I got a little carried away bahaha! Please give me feedback and maybe some ideas for our simps. Also let me know if you’d like to be tagged when I posted Part Three :)

@okay-j-hannah

[give-soup-please]

Instead of enemies to lovers, maybe lovers to enemies or enemies to dumb bitch besties

Narrator and reader (enemies to dumb bitch besties)

You and the narrator take turns antagonizing each other. He’s bothersome, constantly wanting you to compliment his work, and you just want to be left alone. You didn’t care who this maniacal storyteller was, you preferred peace and quiet.

He turns bitter and vindictive when you won’t give his game the praise he believes it deserves. (Given that the ideal review for him starts with “from the ashes of inequality…”, almost no positive compliment could live up to his standards in the first place.)

“Well now, what am I expecting, for my art to be understood by the common person? I suppose this is all my fault. Perhaps I should just leave you alone then, and forget about receiving any praise from you, however well deserved it may be.”

And yet… and yet, the narrator isn’t content with leaving you alone. He’s stuck on you. Maybe it’s because you’re more real than he is, maybe it’s because you’re the first contact he’s had outside the game, but he just can’t let it go.

You, on the other hand, wanted the narrator to stay quiet for once. He never stops talking. Any time he goes more than a minute without talking, it’s a miracle. Once he’s properly wound up, he can go on for hours. 

His voice was pleasant, yes. But he never gave you the space to talk unless it was him fishing for compliments. You do your best to ignore him, but the narrator is not one to give up, especially in pursuit of praise.

This goes on for weeks, and weeks, and weeks, and finally, something in your mind begins to bend a little. Maybe the narrator talking so much has softened your head a little. You accidentally interrupt him.

“...So you see, I deserve more positive reviews because of the conflict between the narrative and the actual gameplay. It’s the perfect example of ludonarrative dissonance, and-”

You start laughing. It starts as a small stream of giggles, and before you know it, it’s a river of amusement.

The narrator is offended, naturally. “Wh- I can’t believe it. I’m trying to have a serious discussion on game mechanics and-”

“Narrator, hang on a minute. Just- we’ve been so caught up in these fights, that I think we’re forgetting the bigger picture. You can’t get the compliments you want, and I can’t give them to you. Why don’t we take a third option?”

“But- well, what do you mean?”

“Let’s do something together that doesn’t involve the game. For god’s sake man, we’ve got an entire world at our fingertips. Can’t we do something else instead?”

So begins a unique dynamic between the two of you. You go to gas stations together, picking up snacks that the narrator has never tried before, which is all of them. “Wait!” You cry out. “Don’t have the sushi here. Trust me.” The narrator ignores your advice, much to his detriment. 

He tries doritos, which he doesn’t like, and starts yelping after having jalapeno chips. He’s not used to the spice levels.  

You go on roadtrips with no destination, letting the narrator pick which way to go. He enjoys you following his orders, and on occasion, you two end up somewhere really nice unexpectedly. 

The narrator can be extremely dorky at times. (the guitar bit after falling out the window, broom closet dialogue, and during the rocket league part of the game ending) So as he becomes more at ease with you, this side of him begins to show.

You teach him the art of skipping work and having fun sometimes. He’s hesitant at first, having worked for so long and so hard on his script, but you eventually wear him down as well.

The two of you do karaoke in your car, and the narrator can’t remember the last time he had so much fun.

He’s off key most of the time, but you don’t mind. 

You’re not entirely sure when you start considering him your best friend. He’s excellent company when he’s not begging for feedback.

He starts considering you a friend when he realizes that you’re more than just a person to bother for a response. He genuinely enjoys spending time with you, but he wouldn’t be able to exactly pinpoint when.        

[mizunetzu]

Hey! So, I decided to re-write the one female fic on my blog with male pronouns. The reason I had a female fic up in the first place was because I had a mutual who wanted to do a writing trade, but she never held her end of the deal, nor contacted me once the fic was done to my knowledge. She requested this Akaashi fic, so I hope more of you could enjoy it now that it has been male-readerfied. Happy reading!

-Mr. Mizunetzu

P.s. - the old writing makes me cringe.

——————

Akaashi x reader - Where Are You Going? (Male-readerfied)

⚠️Warnings - cringey old writing, Bokuto never saying “Akaashi” right

Pronouns - male, he/him

——————

“Hey hey hey-Where you going, Akaagjnshi?”

The black haired boy froze in his tracks. Bokuto tilted his head slightly to the side, holding a volleyball he was about to spike. Akaashi gripped his volleyball bag tighter.

“...I’m going home. My mom needs me to help with dinner.”

It was such a weak, foolish excuse, Akaashi told himself. But knowing Bokuto, it would suffice.

Bokuto’s smiled quickly returned to his face. “Ah! You should’ve just said so! Tell your mom I said hi!”

“I will,” Akaashi said, dipping out of the gym quietly. Bokuto paid no attention to the small blush Akaashi was harboring, along with the few beads of sweat running down his temple.

————

“You’re gonna be late today, Aakkaggshi?”

“Yes, I...my teacher wanted to review a lesson I didn’t really understand. I can come to practice a bit late though.”

Another dumb excuse. But Bokuto’s stupidly wide grin assured him it worked everytime. Some part of Akaashi felt bad for lying to Bokuto, but the guilt eventually got buried and lost in all of the ‘I’m helping my mother with dinner’ and ‘I have to leave early to study’ excuses.

“All right! But y’know...I can come with you if you want-“

“NO!”

Bokuto stared at Akaashi with a blank face. Akaashi cleared his throat.

I-I mean, you’ll probably just get bored—and it’s gonna be quick, no need, Bokuto-san.”

Bokuto blinked. Akaashi almost never got flustered or embarrassed. Was he...hiding something?

Eh, probably not.

“O...kay, I’ll see you later dude...?” Bokuto punched Akaashi lightly on the shoulder before leaving. Akaashi sighed heavily, before walking in the opposite direction of the classrooms, into the second gym.

Weird, Bokuto thought. That’s the boy’s basketball gym.

“I wonder why his teacher wants to meet him there...”

—————

“I’m leaving early, Bokuto-san.”

“Ah-is it you’re mom again? You must be a really good cook or something, if she always wants you to make dinner.”

“Yeah. I’m going now, goodbye.”

“Bye, Ajdjsfjdksjfdjkahshi!”

Bokuto waved absentmindedly at Akaashi, who bowed curtly. It’s been happening every other day, so he kind of got used to him leaving early or showing up a few minutes late.

“Oi Bokuto-don’t you think it’s weird that Akaashi-kun’s always leaving practice early?” Sarukui butted in, watching Akaashi as he hunched over, practically tip-toeing out the door.

“Yeah-why does he get to cut practice but we have to stay the whole time?” Konoha joined in, resting a hand on Bokuto’s shoulder. Bokuto brought a finger to his chin.

“Well-“ Bokuto gestured towards the door. “His mom is always telling him to come home.”

“Why?”

“To make dinner!”

Sarukui and Konoha stared at their captain like a child saying “two plus two is five.”

“You can’t be fucking serious, Bokuto.”

“I am!” Bokuto whined.

“What...what about the times he shows up to practice late?”

“That’s easy!” Bokuto clasped his hands together, eager to have another question he knew the answer to. “He says his teacher wants him to stay behind to teach him stuff he didn’t understand.”

“Bokuto...” Konoha deadpanned. “Akaashi’s in class six-he’s a straight A student.”

Bokuto furrowed his eyebrows. “Well, I-I haven’t thought about tha-“

“And Akaashi’s mom loves to cook-why would she make him do it?”

“Well...” Bokuto choked out, voice cracking a bit. “I did find it strange that he took his extra classes in the 2nd gym...”

Konoha and Sarukui looked at eachother. “....Isn’t that where the boy‘s basketball practice goes on?”

They all stood in silence for a few beats. Bokuto squinted his eyes and knitted his brows together. He still didn’t know what was going on.

A light went off in Konoha and Sarukui’s heads, gasping lightly. Bokuto tilted his head, confused.

“You don’t think he...” Konoha mused, unable to suppress the mischievous smirk growing on his face.

“Akaashi you sly dog.” Sarukui and Konoha shared a knowing smirk between eachother, while Bokuto scratched his neck awkwardly.

“Uh-“

“Bokuto...captain...buddyyyyy....” Sarukui sang. “Can me and Konoha leave practice early tomorrow? Around when Akaashi does? We’ll let you come with us~”

Ah yes, the power of friendship. How could Bokuto possibly refuse?

——————

“I’m heading home, Bokuto-san.”

“Dinner again?”

“...yes.” Akaashi was slipping his bag over his shoulder when Bokuto suddenly piped up.

“Oh! Can me, Sarukui, and Konoha come t-“

A foot was firmly jabbed into Bokuto’s own, earning a yelp from the grey-haired boy. Akaashi looked at Konoha strangely as Sarukui put a hand around Bokuto’s shoulders.

“Don’t mind Bokuto, dude. Tell your mom we said hi.”

Akaashi blinked, suspicious. “Al...right..” he waved it off as them probably going to do something perverted or stupid while he was gone, and bowed curtly once more. “Goodbye then.”

The two chorused out a farewell as Bokuto whimpered in pain and betrayal. Bokuto grabbed hold of his foot as Konoha and Sarukui’s innocent smiles dropped.

“Tail him.”

“I know, I know. Let’s go Bokuto.” Sarukui grabbed Bokuto by the sleeve of his shirt, dragging him out the gym door while they kept a safe distance from Akaashi.

“So he was going to the basketball gym...sneaky bastard.” Konoha smirked. They watched as Akaashi speedwalked to the entrance of the second gym, dusting off any dirt on his volleyball shirt and fixing his already pretty short hair.

The three ducked behind the wall of the gym, dashing towards it when Akaashi turned his back. “What’s he gonna do-he’s just standing there!”

Sure enough, Akaashi was standing idly a few feet from the door of the gym, seemingly waiting for something or someone. He messed with his fingers and tapped his foot anxiously, even though his face was completely calm and relaxed.

After what seemed like forever, the door of the gym opened ever so slightly, wide enough only for someone to slip though. Akaashi’s face lit up-even though he still held his neutral gaze-and he quickly let go of his own hands, letting them drop to his side. Bokuto and Konoha gasped, while Sarukui face held a knowing, shit-eating grin.

Standing in front of Akaashi was a boy wearing the Fukurodani basketball team jacket, and holding a basketball in his hands. He hazily tossed the ball back into the gym, before enveloping Akaashi into a hug.

Akaashi tentatively wrapped his arms around his torso. It looked like they were saying something to eachother, but Sarukui and Konoha couldn’t make out the words from their distance.

“Who would’ve thought Akaashi was dating someone...I for sure thought he was buying drugs or something...” Sarukui mumbled, eyes glued to the scene infront of them.

“Well-I thought Bokuto for sure would’ve known, right Bo? ...Bokuto?” Konoha turned to where Bokuto was standing, to see that he had disappeared. The two boys went pale.

“Oh no...” Sarukui broke into a cold sweat as he saw their loud was captian strutting towards them.

“Bokuto! You dumbass! Get back here!” Konoha whisper yelled, flailing his arms to try and grab Bokuto’s attention. It was too late. Akaashi and the boy took sight of him. Akaashi looked like a deer in headlights, while the boy looked at Bokuto with a nervous smile.

“Hey hey hey! Why didn’t you tell me you had a boyfriend Akkaggshi!” Akaashi said nothing, instead tightening his hold on his (h/c)-haired boyfriend.

Konoha and Sarukui sighed, and stepped out from their hiding spot. Well, it’s not really a hiding spot if you aren’t hiding from something anymore.

“Who’s the guy, Akaashi?” Kohona said, smirking at the (h/c)-haired man next to Akaashi. He stepped forward.

“I’m (L/n) (Y/n), nice to meet you.” (Y/n) said. Akaashi deflated, embarrassed.

“(Y/n), please-“

“AWWW-you guys are on a first name basis?! How cute~!” Konoha made goo-goo eyes at Akaashi, while Sarukui held up a heart with his fingers. Bokuto slung his arm around Akaashi, making him stumble back slightly while he yelled things like “hey hey hey!” or “my man bro Alasshshshi!”

Akaashi looked eyes with (Y/n), practically pleading for help with his eyes while containing the last embers of his neutral collected gaze. (Y/n) just laughed, and booped him on the nose.

“They seem like nice people-why didn’t you introduce me to your team before?” Akaashi freed himself from Bokuto’s grip.

“...We’re gonna be late, let’s go-“ Akaashi linked arms with (Y/n) and tried to usher him away.

(Y/n) planted his feet firm and smirked.

“Noooo...I wanna meet your friends, Keiji-chan~”

“OOHHH HE CALLED HIM KEIJI-CHAN KONOHA THEIR PRACTICALLY MARRIED NOW-“

“Shut up, please” Akaashi begged. He pinched the bridge of his nose, inhaling sharply. “(Y/n), that’s Sarukui-san, that’s Konoha-san, and that’s Bokuto-san.” Akaashi gestured to each of the boys standing around them.

“Now that you all are well acquainted, please, can we get going-?“

Akaashis pleads were lost in the sound of questions and conversations being flung at them. All going in one ear and out the other. He sighed in defeat.

After what seemed like forever, (Y/n) pried himself from the volleyball players and interlocked his fingers with Akaashi’s. “Okaaaay, lets go” he said with a chuckle.

“Finally...” thank the heavens.

“Where you guys going?” Bokuto asked. (Y/n) glanced to Akaashi for approval. Akaashi nodded.

“We’re going to grab some dinner at this one ramen place, we do it every Thursday.”

“Oh! Oh! Can we come?” Bokuto cheered. He looked like a puppy clinging to (Y/n’s) side. Akaashi deadpanned while (Y/n) laughed internally.

“But-we-“

“Sure! Let’s go!” (Y/n) said, looking straight into Akaashi’s wilting eyes. The boys clamored past him, (Y/n) in their clutches, heading out of the school to wherever they were going.

“Oh! And, Akaashi?” Konoha said, stopping in his tracks and looking back at Akaashi. He had his feet planted into the ground with a devastated look on his face. Konoha smirked, and Akaashi wished he just stayed at practice.

“That’s what you get for skipping practice so much.”

——————

[c-optimistic]

Soulmate au?

i.

“Do you believe in soulmates?” Kara asks suddenly one day. They’re in Lena’s office, having a rather late lunch, and had lapsed into a rather awkward silence when Kara blurts out her question.

(Mending friendships is slow, tedious work.

But much like all her other goals, Lena doggedly pursues it, determined to see it through.)

“No, I’m a scientist,” Lena laughs, putting her fork down. “Why do you ask? Do you think you found your soulmate?”

She doesn’t know why she asks. She doesn’t want the answer to that. She doesn’t want to hear about Kara’s dating life. Ask her why, and she’d vehemently deny knowing the reason, but the truth is that the thought of Kara with someone else sends poisonous shards through Lena’s chest, twists her all up inside, and leaves her feeling like her world has crashed around her.

(It’s not dramatic at all.)

“What? No!” Kara says to Lena’s ultimate relief. “No, it’s for an article.”

“You’re writing about soulmates?”

“Well, not exactly. There’s this woman here in National City who claims she can find your soulmate.”

“Oh?” Lena says, raising an eyebrow. Kara nods.

“Apparently, she can see the three ‘Marks’ of soulmates.” When Lena just eyes Kara skeptically, Kara grins and shrugs. “I’m serious! She claims there’s the Mark of Pain, the Mark of Skin, and the Mark of String.”

“...right,” Lena says, stretching out the word and smiling when Kara laughs. “So how does it work?”

“Well, I’ve only talked to her on the phone. But she says soulmates are attached in different ways. And she can sense it. Even if we ordinary people can’t. Like, her string theory—”

“—I don’t think that’s what the string theory is, Kara,” Lena interrupts, but Kara’s on a roll.

“I know, I know. But she says she can see it. Red thread, tied from one person to another. Or tattoos on people’s skin that matches in some way, and only she can see.” Kara shrugs. “She has a pretty good Yelp rating. Everyone says she’s gotten it right.”

“That seems more like confirmation bias than anything. And of course she’s making money off this.”

Kara smiles warmly at her, her eyes soft behind the glasses she didn’t technically need. She looks at Lena in a way that makes Lena heart skip a beat or two, that makes her momentarily forget about the past year of difficulty between them. Suddenly, she’s only looking at her best friend, and she’s a little bit in love.

“So you don’t believe in soulmates?” Kara confirms, her smile turning wistful.

“Why? Do you?” She doesn’t know why she asks. She doesn’t really want to know the answer, sure that any response Kara gives will just be a kick to the chest. Another crack in her heart.

She really wishes she hadn’t asked.

“I don’t know,” Kara responds after a short pause, clearly giving it a lot of thought. “But I hope soulmates do exist.” Kara lets out a laugh. “Maybe this woman can lead me to mine.”

(And there it is, that kick to the chest and crack in her heart she expected.)

Lena looks away, pretends to be startled by the time, but even as Kara gathers her things to leave, she secures Lena’s promise to look into this mystical soulmate finder together.

It’s a promise Lena is sure she’s going to regret.

ii. pain

“So, it’s weird that she refuses to see us in person, right?” Lena asks, looking to Alex for some support, which the elder Danvers is only too happy to give. “It’s odd. Why doesn’t she meet us in person?”

Kara shoots them both an impatient look, clearly not impressed with their negativity. “She doesn’t want to be affected by our energies while she’s working,” she explains, checking her phone before looking up and making sure they are at the right place.

“Our energies?” Alex asks dubiously, making a face at Lena behind Kara’s back. She times it poorly; before she can school her features into a neutral expression, Kara has turned to look at them again, her eyes narrowing.

“Being skeptical and being dismissive are two very different things,” Kara scolds them, sounding just a bit testy. “There’s nothing wrong with keeping an open mind, even about things you don’t or can’t understand.”

Alex opens her mouth, clearly about to start a debate, but Lena butts in, silencing Alex with a hand on her shoulder and giving Kara a small, placating smile. “You’re right, we’re sorry. We’ll behave,” she says, squeezing Alex’s shoulder until she lets out a grunt in the affirmative. When Kara is seemingly satisfied, nodding at them briskly, she continues leading them down the street, eyes on the storefronts. Alex, however, elbowed Lena hard the second Kara’s back was turned.

“What’s wrong with you?” she hisses, elbowing Lena again. “We’ll behave?”

“She’s right, there’s plenty we don’t understand, plenty out there in the universe we can’t make sense of, so maybe keeping an open mind isn’t the worst thing—”

“—oh, shut up, you know very well you’re only taking her side for one reason, and—”

“I can hear you two, you know,” Kara says loudly, interrupting their hushed argument. “Also, we’re here.”

She stops and looks up at the rundown tea shop, nestled between an old record store that had clearly seen better days, and a very busy video game and comic book store. Lena tugs on her coat when a few kids eye her as they enter the store, ducking their heads together and beginning to whisper.

“All right, well explain where here is,” Alex says, stepping closer to her sister. “You haven’t actually explained anything.”

Kara nods, gesturing for them to enter the tea shop, the three of them finding an empty table and huddling around it, perching on tiny, uncomfortable chairs. The tea shop is, for the most part, a place Lena would never have entered on her own volition. It’s frilly and pink, photos of cats everywhere, with sticky tables and stifling heat. Yet, there’s also an odd comfort to the place: it smells heavenly, the aroma of freshly brewed tea mixing with a variety of sweets, all neatly arranged at the display next to the register. The customers also look like they’re at home, nestled in corners reading books, tapping away on computers, and even on what looks to be a very engaging date.

It’s nice. Even if she’s skeptical of the reason they came here, she’s glad she’s come across this place. She thinks she may even come by again, especially if their tea is any good.

“So apparently, there are two people who work here who are soulmates,” Kara explains, motioning for Alex and Lena to lean towards her. Lena finds herself swallowing a little when the aroma of the tea shop is mixed with Kara’s heavenly scent. Her mind goes a little fuzzy, and she knows she has a silly expression on her face because Alex is smirking at her. Kara, of course, focused on work and on her explanation, notices nothing. “They have the Mark of Pain. We’re here to observe, see if they actually can feel each other’s pain.”

“I don’t know if I’d like that one,” Alex says conversationally, leaning back in her rickety chair and eyeing the register and the zoned-out employee behind it. “I mean, can you imagine? In my line of work? Kelly would always be in pain.”

“You think Kelly is your soulmate?” Lena asks, a little surprised by the easy way Alex has said it. Like it’s a fact. Like it’s just true. “What about Maggie? How do you know?”

“Who says you have to have one soulmate?” Alex shoots back, shrugging. “Kara’s my soulmate too. Platonically, of course. You, even.” She grins when Lena’s eyes widen, when she opens and closes her mouth wordlessly, confused and overwhelmed and unsure. “What? Just because I don’t believe in this mystic lady doesn’t mean I don’t believe in the concept of soulmates. But who says it has to be romantic? Or that it’s just one person?”

“So what is it?”

“People in your life who enter it and just...stay. Your found family. Chosen family.” She looks away from the employee at the register and smiles at Kara. “Kara agrees. Right?”

Kara, who has pulled out her notebook and has taken a few notes down about the employee at the register, nods distractedly. “We were drunk when we came up with this,” she explains, meeting Lena’s eyes and blushing slightly for whatever reason. “But it just seems—well, it seems silly to think that in the entire universe there’s one person who’d be your perfect partner. That’s also really sad,” she mumbles. “If that were true, who’s to say my soulmate didn’t die with Krypton?” She shrugs awkwardly. “I think sometimes people are just connected. Meant to be in each other’s life. In whatever form that may be.” Kara looks at Lena carefully, her mouth opening and her cheeks reddening further. “Like—” But Lena doesn’t get to hear what Kara wants to say. At that moment, another employee comes in from the back entrance, looking slightly distracted, eyes on the employee behind the register.

“Look,” Alex says suddenly, sitting up straighter as the employee walks by, bumping into a table roughly. “Whoa,” she says, and Lena silently agrees.

Because just as the employee mumbles a curse and rubs their side, blushing furiously and looking embarrassed, the zoned-out employee at the register winces in pain, rubbing that same spot.

A point, Lena thinks, in the strange mystic woman’s favor.

iii. skin

Lena begins researching the strange mystic woman in earnest.

(In her free time, far away from Kara’s eyes or Alex’s judgment.)

Everything about her is frustratingly perfect—perfect enough that Lena is suspicious. The woman’s website is well-made and professional, littered with testimonials and photos of weddings. There are a range of services with a range of prices, and no matter how much Lena digs, she doesn’t see a single bad thing about the woman.

It’s the internet, she thinks as she scrolls through Google reviews, grimacing at the emojis that filled each comment. Surely someone, somewhere would use the anonymity to their advantage to say something less than complimentary.

No one is perfect, Lena thinks to herself. Which means one of two things: this woman is a fraud (more likely) or she has some sort of ability to force people to write nice things about her on the internet (Lena’s had a few drinks when this becomes a plausible option to her).

She doesn’t remember dialing the number on the website, but the next thing she knows, someone with an airy voice is on the other end, asking her if she’s ready to meet her soulmate.

“You’re a fraud, did you know that?” Lena asks. “It’s cruel what you’re doing, really. Telling people there’s someone perfect out there who loves them for them. That’s unkind.”

“Oh, Lena!” the woman says, the airy tone dropping for a moment. “I mean,” she continues, the affectation back, “I’ve been expecting a call from you, Lena Luthor.”

“Oh, have you? Can you see the future as well as the red string connecting people?”

The woman chuckles, and she sounds vaguely familiar. Lena’s drunk mind chalks it up to being drunk. “I can’t see the future,” she says, sounding amused. “I just knew you would contact me after Kara Danvers began her article on my business.”

“Oh?” Lena mutters sarcastically.

“The answer to your question is yes,” she says, and Lena chokes on nothing.

“I didn’t ask a question. The ‘oh’ was rhetorical.”

“No, Lena Luthor, the question you called me to ask. I’ll give it to you, free of charge: yes.”

“I don’t have a question,” Lena denies, not liking the way the woman on the other end of the phone laughs. “Is this how you tricked the others? Tell them what they want to hear, and they write you obnoxiously positive reviews?”

“So you admit it’s what you wanted to hear,” the woman shoots back with glee, that stupid tone gone, and for the second time, Lena swears she knows this voice. “I mean,” she clears her throat, “I haven’t tricked anyone. I just tell people what I see. Didn’t you see the truth at the tea shop?”

“I think there’s a perfectly logical explanation for that,” Lena argues. “Phantom pains, an old bruise, sympathetic—”

“—okay, you’re skeptical,” the woman interrupts, “I understand. What if I show you a second example?”

Lena thinks about it for a moment. “Fine. But on my terms. I want you to find Jess’s soulmate.” She’s just drunk enough that this seems like a wonderful idea. On the other end of the phone, the woman sounds like she’s hacking up a lung.

“Your secretary?” she asks incredulously, once again sounding familiar.

“How did you—”

“—okay, I will do this,” the woman interrupts, rushing to speak. “In two days, you will be able to see her Mark as well as the Mark of her soulmate, just like I do.”

“That makes no sense, what are you—” But she never finishes her sentence. The woman hangs up, leaving Lena looking at her phone, trying to blink away her shock.

By the time she wakes up the following morning, groaning at her hangover and nearly telling Kara she loves her when the reporter shows up to her apartment with coffee and pastries, Lena’s forgotten all about the call.

///

Jess lingers every time she steps into Lena’s office. She eyes Lena oddly, stares at her hands, and shifts awkwardly on her feet. After the third time, Lena rolls her eyes, sets her pen down, and gives Jess her full attention.

“Is there something wrong?”

“No!” Jess says immediately, then grimaces. “Well, yes. But nothing bad. Not really.” Lena waits her out, knowing Jess will get to the point eventually. “My partner and I, well, we had plans this weekend. We’re supposed to leave straight from work, so I was���”

“—oh, right. Your time off. Yes, of course, feel free to leave early.” She picks up her pen, thinking this is the end of the conversation.

“Um, actually Ms. Luthor, I was wondering if you’d be willing to meet him.”

“Meet who?” Lena asks distractedly.

“My partner.” Something must show on Lena’s face when she drops her pen a second time and looks up at Jess, because she hurries to explain. “He’s a huge fan of your work. And he’s a big part of my life. I’d like you to meet him. If you can.” She tacks on the last three words almost as an afterthought, not quite meeting Lena’s eyes.

“Yes, of course. We can—”

“—wonderful, he’s right outside,” Jess says, smiling wide, rushing out of Lena’s office. A moment later, she returns, a tall, charming looking man following close behind.

She introduces them, and for the next hour, they chat amicably, discussing Lena’s work and Jess’s exceptionalism, and the weekend getaway plans. Except, Lena’s not quite sure she retains any of the information she gleans from the conversation—in fact, if you asked her, she couldn’t even remember if Jess had ever mentioned where she and her partner were even going.

Because when Jess’s partner reaches out to shake Lena’s hand, his sleeve rides up just slightly, revealing a small tattoo with Jess’s name on the inside of his wrist.

Lena doesn’t need to see a similar tattoo, with Jess’s partner’s name, on the inside of Jess’s wrist for her to realize what she’s come across.

“Those tattoos are quite nice,” Lena says when they get up to leave, Jess’s partner leaving her office first. “The artist who did them is quite talented.”

Jess gives Lena an odd look. “I’m sorry, Ms. Luthor,” she says, “what tattoo?”

Lena gestures to Jess’s wrist, but when she looks down, the mark is gone.

And that is a second point in the mystic woman’s favor.

iv. string

Lena absolutely, positively, without a single shred of doubt, does not believe in soulmates. The concept is ludicrous. To think that in a massive and constantly expanding universe, the atoms that make her are somehow destined to be near the atoms that make up someone else is an entirely ridiculous conclusion. She does not believe in the concept of a perfect partner, of someone she is meant to be with, of an individual to whom she is forever connected.

(And to be quite frank, there’s a bit of fear too. She doesn’t want soulmates to exist. For one, she’s worried about the prospect that the universe would pay back her family’s misdeeds by forever ensuring Lena does not have a soulmate. And for another, the far more terrifying option, she does have a soulmate, and that poor soul is bound to her of all people.

What an awful, horrible fate—nothing she’d wish on her worst enemy, least of all the person she’s supposedly destined to be with.)

Lena does not believe in soulmates. She doesn’t.

What she does believe in is Kara.

(Kara, who had her back from the day they met. Kara, who had saved her life more than once. Kara, who made mistakes—just like Lena—but had met Lena halfway and worked hard to fix things between them. Kara, who for all her flaws and missteps, is Lena’s best friend in the world, the one person who has seen Lena for Lena, from the moment they first locked eyes.

Kara, who Lena is hopelessly in love with; Kara, who has never shown interest in women; Kara, who has recently taken up the really rather unfortunate habit of telling Lena she loves her every chance she gets.

And then there’s Lena, who swallows down what she wants to say and instead smiles bitterly as she intones, “I love you too, you’re the best friend I’ve ever had.”)

Lena is pretty smart. She can say so without sounding obnoxious about it, because it’s a generally accepted fact. She’s pretty smart, and she was dumb enough to fall in love with someone who could never love her back the same way. She rather thinks that if soulmates are indeed real, then that wouldn’t have been possible. Then again, perhaps that’s not entirely true.

(She thinks about Alex’s notion of what soulmates are or could be, of Kara’s thoughts on connection, and she thinks that maybe—even if she wants it to—she isn’t meant to be with Kara romantically. If there’s anyone in her life who is her family, anyone Lena has chosen, anyone she has picked again and again and again, it’s Kara.

It will always, romantically or not, be Kara.

And if that’s not the definition of a soulmate, Lena’s not quite sure what is.)

For the second time in less than a week, Lena finds herself dialing a number from a well-maintained website.

“Lena Luthor,” the airy voice says as soon as she picks up. “I admit I’m surprised you’re calling. I gave you proof and your answer. What more can you need?”

“These soulmates you find,” Lena says, trying not to let her disappointment seep into her tone too much, “have you ever thought maybe you’re matching people who aren’t meant to be together romantically?”

The mystical woman makes a noise that sounds like a cross between a snort of disbelief and a huff of amusement. “You’re—wow,” she says, dropping the silly tone, and if her voice was just a tiny bit higher, Lena would swear it was— “Listen. Yes, platonic soulmates are a thing. They’re great. We love them. Some people only have platonic soulmates. But you are not platonic soulmates with—”

“—yes but how do you know something like that, that seems hard to—”

“—it’s like talking to a brick wall,” the woman interrupts, and Lena can hear some sort of scuffle from the other end, as if someone is trying to pull the phone out of the woman’s grasp. “Look,” the woman says after a second, sounding a bit out of breath, “I’m going to tell you something I have never told anyone else. Of the three Marks, the most clear and obvious sign of two people belonging romantically together is the Mark of String.” The woman pauses, and Lena would almost swear that there’s someone else speaking to her. “Here’s what you should do. And I do this free of charge for you, because I’m highly invested in this,” she chuckles as if this is a great joke and then barrels on, “so listen carefully. Tonight, go see the woman you love. Spend the night. If you wake up with a red string tied from your pinky to hers, then you can rest assured she’s the one.”

“I don’t know if—”

“—Lena,” the woman admonishes, and Lena frowns, finally recognizing the voice. “Trust me on this.”

She goes through with it, trusting the not-so-mystical woman.

Except, when Kara sneaks towards the bed she gallantly gave up for Lena, a piece of red thread hanging from her hand, Lena sits up and clicks on the bedside table light.

“You have a lot of explaining to do,” Lena tells Kara.

v.

They’re sitting on opposite ends of the couch, facing each other, Kara sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest, and Lena trying hard (and failing) to act relaxed.

“So?” she prods, gesturing to the red thread still tied to Kara’s pinky finger. “Want to explain your practical joke?”

“Joke?” Kara says in shock, shaking her head immediately. “No, Lena, it’s not a joke. Not even a little bit.”

Lena’s heart skips a few beats at that, but she maintains an impassive expression. “I don’t understand then. Why would you—”

“—remember a few months back, when I told you I loved you for the first time?” Kara interrupts, jumping to her feet and pacing in front of the couch. She doesn’t wait for Lena to respond. “It took me weeks to gather the courage to tell you. And I’d memorized the whole speech, and at the end you just looked at me like I was speaking to someone else. You told me you loved me as a friend.”

“Right, because you meant it as friends, you…” Lena trails off. “Wait.”

An odd look passes over Kara’s face, something like amusement and exasperation. “Alex told me that I needed to be direct with you. But I—even when I tried, it was like you didn’t hear me.”

(Lena thinks back to all the times Kara had said I love you and she wonders if she’s just heard what she expected to hear and not what Kara was actually trying to say.

Her heart begins to pound in her chest at the very possibility.

Did Kara really....?)

“So what? You decided to recruit Nia to pretend to be a mystical woman? To prove what exactly?”

Kara, surprisingly, looks smug. “You recognized her. I knew it. She was way off script on the phone call, and I tried to get her off the phone but she—”

“—Kara, focus. So the whole soulmate thing was fake?”

Kara winces at that. “Well. Yes, technically.” She stills, coming to a stop several feet in front of Lena. “I asked a few people to help out.”

“Wait, so the two people in the tea shop…” Lena trails off, eyes wide.

“Right, two DEO agents. They should definitely look into acting as a career, I mean they had me convinced, and I knew it was fake—”

“—and Jess?” Lena asks, feeling vaguely overwhelmed.

“Special temporary tattoos made by the DEO, easy to rub off, for both her and her partner.” When Lena is silent a touch too long, Kara rushes to explain. “I mean, it was very hard to convince her to do it. She’s incredibly protective of you, she deserves some kind of raise.”

“She does,” Lena agrees absently, getting to her feet and gesturing towards the red string in Kara’s hand. “And this?”

“We weren’t supposed to get to this. I’d hoped the first two would convince you Nia could honestly see soulmates. I was going to tie it to your pinky. The other end would be connected to me, of course,” she raises her hand with an awkward wave. “But you, um. Caught me.”

Lena bites her lip, marvelling at the sheer amount of work Kara and the others put into this. “Who made the websites? They were perfect.”

“Brainy made them,” Kara explains, a frown appearing on her lips and a crease forming between her brows. “Though I guess he made it too well, since you were suspicious of it.”

“Kara, I—” Lena’s not sure what she wants to say, and she’s glad when Kara interrupts her, taking a step closer, looking at her with an earnest expression.

“Listen,” she says, determination etched onto her features. “I love you. In a romantic way. And if there are soulmates out there, then you’re mine. That’s all this was.”

Lena feels tears well up in her eyes, blurring her vision, and she wants to duck her head, to hide, but Kara is there and saying everything she’s ever wanted to hear, and so instead she just closes the last of the distance between them and wraps her arms around Kara, holding her close, face burrowing into Kara’s neck. “All of this just to say I love you seems a bit dramatic,” she whispers, feeling Kara’s arms go around her waist, clutching her tighter.

“I figured you’d need something dramatic to believe it’s true,” Kara jokes, loosening her hold just a bit so that she can pull back and look at Lena.

“You’re my soulmate too, you know. If there are things like that out there. It was always just you.”

Kara grins brilliantly at her, pressing their foreheads together. “Finally,” she whispers.

[havethetimeofyourstyles]

in which harry asks you for a favor and you get so much more out of it.

hi loves! here is my fic for @majorharry 20k fic challenge called ‘Do You Love Me?’

thank you to my lovely beta readers @fromyourstrulyh @bopbopstyles @stellarboystyles & @detroitkiwis love y’all!

enjoy 8.6k of friends to lovers bestfriend!harry with tiny angst and some smut!

prompt: “Should—Should we kiss?” & “Do You Love Me?”

please please leave feedback! a reblog and/or comment means so so much to writers! 

・・・・ 

The sound of a hard knock was what startled you from your sleep. 

You hadn’t heard it the first time, thinking you were just dreaming of someone knocking as you were peacefully sleeping. But the sounds were getting more aggressive as the minutes were going by, and you groaned hoping the person on the other side of the door would just leave. But they didn’t. You groaned as you sat up in bed, still half asleep as your hair was a mess. The time on your phone that kept lighting up from receiving text messages read 6:17 a.m, and all you thought was that the person trying to contact you and pounding on your door better have a good reason to wake you up at this ungodly hour. 

Barefoot, you walked towards the door, truly not giving a shit of what you look like at the moment as you prepare to tell the person to leave you the fuck alone. 

But the person behind the door was the one and only. The person you were closest to in life that was standing on your doorstep with a cup of coffee and a bag of, what you hope is, food. The man who is the earliest of the birds, and will wake you up at times when you should be sleeping for reasons unknown. 

“Harry? Are you serious right now?” The first words that come out of your mouth from hours of sleeping are annoyed and gravely. 

“Well aren’t you just a delight in the morning,” he chuckled, slipping by you to get into your house. You groaned, not prepared physically or mentally for a conversation when the sun had just risen not too long ago. 

He walked over to your kitchen table, setting the coffee and bag on top of it, and you could already smell the bacon that’s in your favorite breakfast sandwich from a small hole-in-the-wall place around the corner. 

That place held a special place in your heart--in yours and in Harry’s because it was the place you first met him. 

It was during the summer almost three years ago when you first moved to the city. You were getting to know the place and looked for great places to eat. After a search around the city and many Yelp reviews, you decided on ‘Cindy’s Food.’ You didn’t know how you ended up there, but since you had just moved, you were tight on money and your feet ached from the many steps you took in search for some food. 

Cindy’s Food was a self seating kind of restaurant with lovely staff and amazing food. It was an overall diner, and some people wouldn’t look twice at this place, but you were glad that you did because you wouldn’t have met Harry. 

You decided to take a seat in the middle of the restaurant without knowing what it would lead you to. As you ordered, you scanned the place and thought how comforting it was sitting there; not really paying attention to the people who sat as well. And the food arriving at your table took you out of your thoughts, impressed with how fast the service was. 

As you took a bite, you realized that your order was wrong. It was good, by all means, but not what you ordered. And you hated confrontation, especially when it came to the service industry, being a server as well once in your life. 

“Not good?” The man from the table beside you said, and your brows raised as you realized he was talking to you. 

“It’s good. Just not what I ordered,” you said as kindly as possible, not wanting to sound like one of those people who make a fuss about everything. 

“Are you going to tell them to change it?” You shook your head. “Why not?” 

“Just don’t want to start anything. And it’s good anyways, so I’ll eat it. That gives me the chance to try the rest on their very large menu,” you chuckled, making him smile. 

“I’m Harry,” he beamed from his seat as you noticed the dimples on his face. And not realizing how important he’ll become later in your life. 

As the weeks went on, you had gone back to Cindy’s Food and your eyes had perked up when you saw Harry sitting there in the same exact table when you had first met him. He waved you over and asked you if you’d like to join him, to which you accepted. 

“Are you gonna get the meal you originally ordered the last time you were here?” He asked, making you laugh. 

“Yeah, think I’m gonna get that.” 

And the rest was history. 

After many meetups at the diner, Harry had finally had the courage to ask for your number when you two had parted ways. He immediately texted you when he got home, and asked if you’d like to hang out another time. And you said yes every time. 

It was a friendship that had come unexpected, but you were glad for it. Moving to a new place was scary for you as you worried of not making any friends, but the first day after you completely settled and moved everything in, you had met Harry. 

And it became your thing--to bring each other your favorite meals from the diner; it was just something you two did. 

“May I ask what you’re doing here when you know this is my time to sleep?” You crossed your arms. 

“Yeah, I know, I know. But I risked facing a grumpy sleepyhead in the morning to visit you,” he took out the food from the bag. “But I come with gifts so you can’t be all that mad at me.” 

You shrugged, “Luckily, you did bring gifts or I would have let you in.” Harry fakes gasps, dramatically pretending to be hurt. 

“Is that any way to treat your best friend? The one who brings you food every three days?” He crossed his arms as well, matching your position. The action made the corners of your mouth turn up, knowing he loves teasing you. 

“Alright, alright. Thank you for the food. And remind me to get you a spare key since you lost yours...again.” You grabbed your sandwich, unwrapping it before taking a bite. The hot food was divine to your taste buds once you took a bite; fulfilling your hunger. 

“I didn’t lose it. Just misplaced it.”

“Misplaced it for 4 months?” You raised your brows as you took another bite. Harry’s pauses, lips turning up. 

“Okay, just get me a new one so I don’t have to deal with you asking me what the fuck I’m doing here and interrupting your sleep,” he said before taking a sip of his black iced coffee. 

“What the fuck are you doing here?” 

“I need a favor…”

“Oh, this is gonna be good.” You put your sandwich down on the wrapper and lean forward. 

Harry was nervous. Knowing he can tell you anything and everything, he felt a bit anxious. You were waiting patiently for him, knowing him all too well that he likes to take his time when it comes to speaking. 

And when Harry saw the look on your face, patiently waiting for him to say something with bright eyes, giving him all the attention, he stumbled. 

“I, uh…”

“You know you can talk to me about anything right?” Your tone changed into a concerned one, wondering why Harry seemed so anxious. 

Harry nodded his head, “Yeah. Just a bit nervous.” You said a soft ‘okay,’ giving him time to collect his thoughts. 

After a minute of Harry being in his head and figuring out how he can ask you nicely without sounding weird. 

“Whatever you have to say is not gonna sound weird, y’know,” you said as if you were in his mind. 

“So, I’m going back to my hometown and I was wondering if you would like to come with me?” He asked nervously, scratching his temple; a habit he does when he gets nervous. You gave him a look as if it were telling him there was nothing to be nervous about asking that question. 

“Harry, of course! I would love to see Anne again. Miss her to pieces,” you smiled, continuing back to your sandwich, taking big bites. 

“She misses you too. But I was wondering if you’d like to go as my girlfriend?” Your chewing stopped as you looked at him with wide eyes. 

It was the one moment where you were speechless; always loved chatting ever since you were younger and nothing could shut you up. Up until now. 

“Your girlfriend?” You said after you swallowed your bite. He nodded, hoping you wouldn’t take it the wrong way. “Are you...asking me to be your girlfriend?” You asked softly, but your heart was pounding loudly. The word girlfriend and Harry in the same sentence made your heart flutter as you wished so badly that the meaning and person behind the word ‘girlfriend’ meant you. 

“Well…fake girlfriend that is.” 

“Your fake girlfriend…” you repeated, still in shock and somewhat speechless because there was a tiny bit of hope in you, wanting him to ask you to be his real girlfriend. The idea itself made you anxious because you’d been in love with him ever since the friendship started, and you hated the idea that he had to pretend to be in love with you when you’d be doing the complete opposite. 

“It’s stupid, never mind,” Harry brushed off as if it was nothing, going back to his food and coffee. 

“Wait, no, no. I’d love to be your fake girlfriend, but can I ask why first?” You needed answers. It wasn’t unusual for Harry to ask for favors, but this was a different kind of favor. 

“Mum told me that there was this neighborhood picnic thing going on during the weekend, and this girl I dated from uni-”

“The nagger and clingy one?” 

“Yeah, that’s the one. Anyways, I told you we were in a long term relationship, practically all throughout uni. And so she’s going to be there,” he explained. 

“So you need me to be your girlfriend to make her jealous?” 

“Not necessarily jealous because I’m very much over her, but apparently she’s engaged. And if I tell her I’m not dating anyone at the moment, I just know that she’ll say some shit like we could’ve been together still or something. I don’t know! I just need you there.” Harry’s eyes were filled with plead, wanting his best friend on his side throughout the whole weekend.

Reaching across the table, you placed your hand on his, and looked him in the eyes. “Harry, I’ll be there.” A breath of relief came out of him, putting his head down, happy you agreed. 

“Thank you so much. Need you to be there so bad.” You smiled in response. 

“You just want me to be your girlfriend,” you teased adding a laugh. 

Harry laughed nervously as you continued eating, having no idea how right you were. 

・・・・

The ride back to Harry’s hometown was filled with loud tunes along with singing your heart out, and eating way too many snacks. 

It was about a three hour card ride, and he had told you that you brought too many crisps and whatnot, but you told him that it was necessary. 

There wasn’t a moment of dullness between you two. Always laughing, talking, and singing during the minutes. And when a silence washed over you two for a while, it was a comfortable one as you two sat, never feeling awkward. There were times when Harry would take a peek at you as your eyes were strained out the passenger window; noticing how peaceful you looked when you were simply lost in thought, and when you felt his eyes on you, you would turn your head towards him, he would quickly look away. And you had done the same: you would glance at him as he was focused on the road--admiring his features that you don’t find beauty elsewhere, thinking how insane it was that he needed a fake girlfriend, and that you were the one he picked. 

When he pulled into his driveway, you immediately ran out of the car, seeing Anne at the doorstep, beaming brightly. 

“Anne!” You jumped into her arms like a little kid. 

“Oh, darling! Missed you so much. It’s been ages,” she hugged you tightly. “Don’t go so long without seeing me again.” She placed both hands on the sides of your face before wrapping her arms around you for a warm hug. 

“I won’t. I’ll take a trip up here even if Harry doesn’t come along,” you said, and Anne chuckled, agreeing. 

“Harry is being forgotten at the moment,” Harry said as he walked up to you and Anne with both bags in his hands. 

“Always needing attention. Come here, sweetheart. I missed you just as much.” Anne hugged Harry, making him smile as he was in his mother’s arms. 

“You probably missed her more,” he teased. 

“Yeah, you’re probably right. Anyways, let’s go inside!” 

The house was the same as you remembered. Only being in their house a handful of times, it still felt comforting and like home. It wasn’t a large house, just right for their small family and for welcoming guests. 

“Think Harry can walk you up to his room. You both are sharing right?” She questioned with her brows raised. Harry had called Anne the day prior and told her the situation happening at the moment. Of course, Anne thought he was a bit crazy for that, but she supported his reasoning, knowing that he knew what was best for himself. 

Harry looked at you and you nodded. “Yeah, we're going to share. Thanks, mum. We’ll just put our stuff away.” He led you two up the stairs as he carried both of your bags. It was only a weekend trip, and you packed for a little more than usual as you were indecisive of what you wanted to stun his hometown neighbors with, so you brought all of the options. 

“You’re okay with sharing a room?” He asked, wanting to make sure you were alright with it. 

“Of course. We share a bed all the time when we have sleepovers,” you told him with a smile. “Besides, I’m your girlfriend now, so it should be fine.” 

Harry’s heart pounded a little harder, and you didn’t notice his sudden change of expression as you were shuffling through your belongings. You had no clue that he wanted that statement to be true. He’s dreamed of it since the friendship was 6 months in, realizing you were more than special when you planned a whole day of adventures when he had a bad day prior. It was that moment he knew how much you cared about him, how much it meant to you to see a smile on his face.

And appreciated the fuck out of it. 

He was in deep already. But he didn’t have the courage to ask you out yet; afraid of the rejection you might give him that will leave a dent in your friendship. He didn’t want that, and to his knowledge, he was all you had. 

“Think Anne knows something’s up?” You suddenly asked, causing Harry to snap out of his thoughts. 

“She knows. Told her about it so she doesn’t act surprised we’re acting like a couple.” 

“Great idea. So, what should I expect for tomorrow’s picnic?”

“Uh, everyone’s friendly for the most part. The oldies will gossip when they see us together, probably thinking ‘oh, good thing Harry found someone to settle down with,’” he said, giving his best impression of an old person. You chuckled at his goofiness, always loving his jokes even if they’re painfully horrible. It was just the effort that made you smile. 

“And what about your ex?” 

“Hmm. I’m not sure. I haven’t seen her in years so I don’t know how she is right now. But if she’s still anything like she was when we were together, then she’ll most likely stare you down. Be too possessive over me, probably to give you the message that she was the best girlfriend I’ve had, which is not true by the way.” You nodded, taking everything in and trying to handle the situation in your head if that were to happen. 

“Who’s the best significant other you’ve ever had?” You asked, curiously. 

“Don’t know yet. Never had the ‘best.’” He looked at you intently as it got quiet. The way he’s looking at you tells you that he wants to tell you something really bad, and you can physically see it in his eyes how much he’s holding back. You almost ask him to tell you, but if he’s controlling himself, there must be a reason why, so you don’t push it.

“I’m sure you’ll find whoever it is.” Your heart slightly sank when you said those words, ignoring the crack of your voice that just caused pain in your chest. 

Harry badly wanted it to be you. He wanted to show you off and be proud to call you his. Not like he’s not proud of calling you his best friend, but he longed for more. And you were so close yet so far, physically and mentally. He had no idea what you were thinking. 

And you were thinking of wanting to be called his girl, for real. The minor crush you developed on him the first few times you hung out with him blossomed into way more than you expected. But you didn’t know how you’d handle it or if you’d even do anything about it, so you’re trying to stay sane and keep your feelings intact. 

“Yeah, maybe. Just have to look at what’s right in front of me,” Harry leaned on his dresser, crossing his arms as he looked you in the eye. His stance was incredibly hot, and you wanted to jump his bones from the tension radiating between you two. And you were about to, not being able to think straight nor able to control yourself, but the soft knock on the door and the sound of Anne’s voice brought you right back. 

“I have dinner ready. Come down when you’re ready,” she said through the door. 

“Will do, mum!” Harry responded back, and you turned your back towards him, bending down as you pretended to search for something in your bag; not able to look him in the eye after your uncontrolled thoughts. 

“I’ll, uh…I’ll meet you down there?” You turned your head slightly and looked up, seeing him open the door. 

“Yeah, I’ll be down there.” He nodded before shutting the door and leaving you alone. 

You leaned back, your bottom hitting the floor as you let out a huff, thinking. 

This was going to be a long weekend. 

・・・・

The rest of the night was filled with chatting with Anne; catching up on each other’s lives and filling her in on if Harry is really doing okay than he says he is when he was in the restroom. 

You always loved having a talk with her, seeming like you could for hours and never have anything to fill the void that is silence. You three shared stories as you drank a glass or two of wine before she called it a night. 

“She loves you,” he said after he bid Anne goodnight and watched her walk up the stairs. 

“Yeah, I love her too. She’s the best,” you smiled. 

“That she is. Always teasing me that we should get together,” he slurred. The words slipped out of his mouth. At this point he blamed the wine, but he only had a glass and a half, and it was definitely something he thought about often. 

“Maybe you should listen to her,” you said ever so softly it was only audible to you, that Harry barely heard. 

“What was that?” 

“Nothing. I’m gonna head up. You comin’?” You got up from your seat, and waited. He followed you up the stairs, trying very hard to look at his steps rather than your ass that was swaying five steps before him. But he may have had a peek at it and loved the view. 

You two got ready for bed, taking turns in the restrooms before laying side by side on his childhood bed. 

“Goodnight, love,” he said softly as he turned on his side towards you. 

“Goodnight, Harry,” you turned on your side, back facing him as you wanted to be the little spoon tonight. You slightly shifted back as Harry moved forward until your bodies were touching. He wrapped his arms around you, his face in your hair as you drifted off to sleep, feeling the most comfort in his arms. 

And you could’ve sworn you felt his lips on the back of your neck before you were lulled into the state of unconsciousness, dreaming of the man behind you and wishing there were no more secrets between you two. 

・・・・

The sound of Harry’s alarm woke you up as you were laying on the opposite side from when you fell asleep, but this time you were cuddled up to Harry’s back. 

Your body was insanely hot due to the body heat of yours and the sleepy person who won’t wake up to turn off his own alarm. 

Groaning, you sat up slightly, reaching over him to grab his phone and turned off the god awful sound. You fell back in bed, Harry not waking up or moving in the slightest as you shook his shoulder gently. And he felt it. He heard his alarm as well when it first started ringing, but as he opened his eyes, he felt your body on top of him, turning off the alarm. Harry was going to say something, but he was admiring your side profile in the morning as he looked at you with squinted eyes while your hair was a mess. It was something he wanted to wake up to every morning. And if it was you, he had no reason to complain. 

“Wake up,” you groaned. Not budging, you shook harder, thinking how in the world can this man not feel the shaking. “Wake the fuck up, Harry.” Now you were slightly more awake, you sat up, hovering over him a bit. You tapped his face lightly, squishing his cheeks, and grabbing his wrist to wave his hand. “Don’t know why you set an alarm if you’re not going to wake up.” 

After a little more shaking, you sighed, laying back down on his back as you looked up at the ceiling. Harry finally groaned and turned on his other side, facing you before cuddling up to you, laying his head on your chest. His arm wraps around your torso pulling you closer, and you chuckled as you put your hands in his hair, scratching his scalp lightly while enjoying the peace and quiet. 

A few minutes went by, and you felt a smile against your chest. 

“Are you awake?” You tried looking down, but he only snuggled closer. 

“Maybe,” he mumbled against your skin. “Don’t stop.” He placed your hands back into his hair and you rolled your eyes.

“How long have you been awake?” You asked, continuing to scratch. 

“A while.” 

“You’re lucky I always give you a few minutes to spare, but we gotta get ready. C’mon,” you unwrapped his arm from around you and shifted out from your previous position, getting off the bed. Harry groaned from the missing feeling that is your body against his, and it was nice pretending to still sleep and just enjoyed cuddling together. 

“Don’t wanna. It’s too early.” His face was smashed into the pillow, and his words came out muffled. 

“You were the one who put an alarm at 9. Besides we have to help Anne get everything set up like we promised,” you said, looking through your bag for some clean panties and deciding on what you wanted to wear. 

“You’re just a kiss ass to mum,” he teased, and you dramatically gasped. 

“I am not! I can’t help but be naturally lovable and wanting to help my favorite member of your family,” you smirked, and Harry perked up from the bed at that. 

“Take that back,” he sat up, and you shook your head as you proceeded to look in your bag. “You don’t mean that,” he ripped the blanket off of himself, revealing him in shorts and a bare torso. You tried your very best not to ogle him, but it was harder than expected, so you just took a peek; passing it as a teasing look. 

Even though you’ve seen him countless times shirtless, the sight of his body felt different every time. You wanted nothing more than to trace the black ink of his tattoos with your fingertips and run your hands across his body. The thought made the rush of adrenaline running through your veins that made your heart beat ten times faster, and that certainly did not help your feelings for him. 

Harry was now standing from the bed, slightly pushing you onto your back on the floor. Your eyes widened at his actions, not knowing what he was planning to do, but you got your answer when he grabbed both of your wrists in one hand to raise them and used his other to tickle your sides. 

“Harry!” You screamed along with laughing. 

“Take it back!” He continued tickling you. 

“Can’t…take it back…when it’s true!” You said between laughs, trying to roll around to get out of his grasp. 

“Tell me I’m your favorite!” He smiled. 

“Okay, you’re my favorite!” You gave in, and he immediately stopped, letting your arms go. You caught your breath, giggling at how childish he is sometimes, and he had the same smile as you. 

Suddenly, a soft knock on the door was brought to yours and Harry’s attention. 

“Are you two okay in there? Heard screaming and movement,” Anne said through the door, and you immediately face palmed yourself. 

“Yeah, we’re okay, mum. We’ll get ready now,” Harry said back. Once he doesn’t hear a reply back, assuming she left his door, he turns back to you. 

“Great, now she probably thinks we were having sex,” you told him, covering your face. 

“It’s okay. Nothing wrong with that,” he said softly that you barely heard him, and he quickly changed the subject. You looked at him to see his eyes already gazing back to yours, and as you were going to ask him to repeat himself, he beat you to it. “Anyways, you wanna shower first?” You nodded your head, collecting your stuff and heading over to the bathroom, thinking about the long day ahead of you. 

・・・・

It didn’t take long for you and Harry to get ready. The only thing you couldn’t decide on was what to wear. You were standing in front of Harry in a robe and your hair wrapped up in a towel with two options in both your hands. 

“I’m sure both will look nice on you,” he gave you a small smile as he was sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting for you. You rolled your eyes for what seemed like the millionth because he's not giving you a straight answer. 

“Alright, I’m going with this one,” you put the other dress on the bed and took the one you were going to wear with you to the bathroom. Harry waited on you, tapping his hand on his leg before you walked out of the other room. His head immediately lifted up, seeing you in a pretty white floral dress that stopped above your ankles. He noticed you clipped the front pieces of your hair back, and you slipped on some sandals. 

“Wow…” 

“Do I look okay?” You asked. Although, you didn’t really care about other people’s opinions, you deeply cared about Harry’s; always wanting his side of the story and his thoughts. And you wanted to look nice for him because he is introducing you as his girlfriend, so you didn’t want people talking badly about either of you. 

“You look incredible,” he stood up, walking towards you. You blushed, looking at his outfit. He was wearing a pastel yellow button down, a bandana hanging loosely off his neck, and some black skinny jeans along with his Chelsea boots. 

“Thank you. You look nice too,” you flashed him his favorite smile that’s delightful to his eye, and his heart swooned. The sweet look in your eyes was enough to tell him that he was falling for you…hard. He had already fallen, but this time, it’s extreme. 

“Shall we get going?” You asked. He nodded and followed you downstairs. 

・・・・

The walk to the park was just down the street and took about 10 minutes—15, maybe because each of you, Harry, and Anne were lugging around baskets that were filled with food, blankets, and board games. 

Throughout the whole walk, you talked to Harry about how you should act. You didn’t want to overdo or underdo it. 

“Just act like you’re in love,” he stated simply. And you thought about how easy that would be since you are in love with him. You wouldn’t be acting whatsoever, but you needed the reassurance for the physical limit. 

“Okay, easy-” you blurt out, and Harry caught it. He turned to look at you, but you had already changed the subject. “What about physical stuff? Like I need to know the limits,” you said quickly. 

“Uh, no limit. Feel free to do whatever. Everyone knows I’m pretty affectionate, so maybe just always…touch me?” 

“Noted. I’m excited,” you smiled at him, and he smiled back. 

When you got to the park, you were the first ones to arrive. The space being available, you three set up the blankets and towels under the tree on the grass and the food on the picnic table. And within seven minutes, everyone started to arrive. 

Many hugs and smiles were present all around as Harry introduced you to everyone. You made sure to latch onto Harry’s arm every time, and gave his childhood neighbors big hugs. 

“So lovely to see you! Who’s this one right next to you?” Cathy from across the street asked as she hugged Harry. 

“Cathy, this is my beautiful girlfriend.” You and Cathy hug as she gives you a tight squeeze, making you feel welcomed. 

“Oh, Harry. I’m so glad you’ve found someone. A gorgeous one too,” she nudged him and winked at you causing you to chuckle.  

“Yeah, I’m a lucky one,” he wrapped his arm around your shoulder and smiled down at you, dimples poking out. Inside, Harry felt anxious introducing you to everyone, and you sensed that. Knowing Harry so well, you knew the exact moments when he was feeling nervous, and that’s this moment; and his fingers were picking at the hem of your sleeve, trying to keep himself calm.

A few minutes later, Harry heard a voice he could recognize anywhere. It was loud along with her laugh. And Harry knew it was showtime. 

“She’s here,” Harry whispered into your ear. You turned your head and saw the new face that you knew was his ex girlfriend. She had a big smile on her face, dragging her fiancé with her as she met everyone, showing them her new and fancy ring. 

“Has she seen you yet?” 

“Don’t think so.” Your backs were facing her as you were grabbing some food, plates in hand. And she was about any minute to walk up to Harry and greet him. 

“Should—Should we kiss?” 

Harry looked at you, taking in the question you had just asked before nodding his head. 

It was the very first kiss you were going to share with him, and you two wished it were under different circumstances, but a kiss was a kiss, and you were going to make it special either way. 

Harry leaned in as you met him halfway, slightly standing on your toes to reach him. And as your lips touched his, everything else melted. When you wrapped your arm around his neck as he did around your waist, everything vanished. It was like there were no secrets between you two anymore, and you were kissing because you loved each other. There were no fake relationships or fake kisses, just the presence of each other as you two molding your lips together.

It was a sweet kiss. No rush detected and no tongue action either. Just the feeling of each other’s lips pressed together was enough for the two of you to go wild. 

It was then when you two realized that you were still around people when you heard a voice call out for Harry’s name. You didn’t let go at first until they called out a second time, and you hesitantly pulled back, seeing Harry’s lips pinker than before and his face flustered. You two looked at each other for a bit, a blush creeping on your face realizing you had just kissed your best friend. 

“Harry?” He turned his head to see his ex girlfriend smiling at him. 

“Oh, hi.” She reached to hug him, holding on a little longer than you wanted, but you kept your cool. “How are you?” 

“I’m good, I’m good. How are you?” 

“Good. By the way, this is my girlfriend. Baby, this is Ash. Known her since college,” he introduced you to her. A fake smile was plastered on her face, hugging you as well, and you cringed, wrapping an arm around her. But your heart immediately fluttered when you remembered Harry calling you baby, like it was so natural for him to do so. 

“It’s nice to meet you,” you said politely. 

“You too. Heard so much about you,” she replied, not looking at you at all, rather than looking at Harry. You chuckled and looked at him, finding it rather humorous that she said that when the ‘relationship’ isn’t even real. Harry’s eyes were on you the whole time, matching your smirk as you two tried to hold your laughs in. 

“Anyways, I gotta say hi to everyone else. It was nice meeting you again,” she turned to you, and you smiled. She turned back to Harry, “we should catch up?” Harry only nodded as she walked away. You two watched her walk away, and until she was far enough, you both bursted out in laughter. 

“Oh gosh, that was weird,” he said. 

“Yeah, a little. Did you see her big fake smile towards me?” 

“It’s very obvious, isn’t it?” You nodded your head, catching your breath. Harry puts an arm around your shoulder, and kisses the top of your head. “Don’t know what I would do if you weren’t here,” he smiled down at you, making you look up. 

His eyes were bright; sparkling from the sunlight but also gleaming because of his sight on you. You boldly decided to kiss him on the cheek, and his face was warm from his blush. 

“I’m always going to be here for you.” 

・・・・

The gathering went on smoothly. Although the weather started to get a bit chilly as the day went by; no one minded as they wrapped themselves up in their coats and blankets. 

“Harry, I’m gonna walk back to the house to get a coat,” you told him as he was in conversation with one of his old schoolmates. 

“I’ll go with ya-”

“No, no. Keep talking. Anne is coming with me to put away a few things.” He nodded and gave you a kiss on the cheek, telling you both to be careful. 

You and Anne walked back to her house, arms linked as you two chatted. 

“Darling, can I ask you something?” 

“Anything.” 

“Are you in love with my son?” Your breath hitched at that, and Anne felt you physically tense up, thinking that was a bad question to ask. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that-”

“No, it’s okay! But to answer your question: yes, I am,” you told her honestly, not daring to lie to her at all. 

“Are you going to tell him?” 

“I don’t know…I’m not sure if he feels the same, and I can’t lose him,” you said softly. The mere thought of Harry not in your life anymore broke your heart. You needed him, and even if you’d have to sacrifice your feelings for him, then you wouldn’t tell him. 

“Harry may be a lot of things, but he’s not an idiot. That being said, he’s not an idiot to not feel things for you. I know it’s scary to think about him not being in your life, but trust me on this one, yeah?” You slowly nodded, taking in her words. If Anne is telling you he has feelings for you, then she must be right. 

Besides, mother knows best. 

・・・・

Meanwhile at the park, Harry was grabbing himself a plate of crackers and cheese until someone decided to accompany him. 

“Hey,” Ash said as she stood on the opposite side of the picnic table. 

“Hi. What’s up?” He responded, continuing to get his favorite cheese. 

“Just wanted to talk to you.” Harry nodded, urging her to continue. “So, how did you meet your girlfriend?” 

“We met at a little diner. She was new to the city, and it pretty much went from there,” he smiled at the thought of you, and remembering how you two met. He’d do anything to go back and relive that time. 

“That’s nice. It’s too bad we didn’t make it, huh?” Harry was caught off guard, not sure if he heard her right. 

“I’m sorry?” 

“I mean we were together for a while--practically throughout uni and after that. I always thought we were going to get married-”

“You have a fiance…” he looks at her in disbelief, not knowing what to say other than the obvious. 

“Well, yeah. But you were my first love,” she walked over to the other side, where he was standing, and Harry slowly backed away from her while looking at her with wide eyes. “And I don’t know who else you dated after me, but I didn’t know you downgraded so much-”

“Excuse me? Don’t think you can talk to me when you’re talking shit about my girl. Can’t believe you would think you would get away with saying that right in front of my face.” Harry was angry--he had a right to be. Girlfriend or best friend, he was always going to have your back. “She’s the most kind and selfless person I’ve ever met, and she’s been nothing but nice to you ever since she met you. Go talk shit somewhere else because if you think your opinions are going to change the way I see her, then you’re absolutely wrong because I’m in love with her.” Harry storms off, his food forgotten as he doesn’t give Ash a chance to speak. 

He huffed, brows furrowed as he walked home. He walked at a fast pace, needing to be away from the scene. As he walked, he heard voices ahead of him, and found you and his mum laughing. Quickly, he met you two halfway. 

“Oh hi, Harry,” you greeted as you and Anne stopped walking. 

“Can you come with me please?” 

“Is everything alright, sweetheart?” Anne asked concerningly. 

“I just really need to talk to her,” he responded. You and Anne looked at each other, and she gave you a reassuring smile. 

“I’m gonna go back,” Anne rubbed his shoulder, knowing that something happened for him to act this way, and proceeded to walk back to the park. 

Harry grabbed your hand, and he was lucky that his home was only a few steps away, thankful that he decided to walk fast. 

“Harry, what’s wrong?” He doesn’t say anything but leads you to the front door, unlocking it. Even in his frustrated state, he’s still a gentleman as he lets you walk in first. Once inside, you asked again. “Are you okay?” 

Walking over to the couch, he grabbed one of the pillows and screamed into it. Your concern for him had raised, not knowing what happened. You sat beside him, rubbing his back as he let out his anger and frustrations into the pillow. 

After a few more seconds of screaming and a minute of silence, he finally lifted his head from the pillow, facing you. The look on your face was nothing but worry as your brows were pulled in. He took his thumb to smooth out your forehead, and your brows immediately retracted back to normal from his touch. 

“When you were with mum, she came to talk to me,” he stared. You took a deep breath, preparing yourself for his words. “It was okay at first, but then…” he proceeded to tell you what Ash had said to him. How shocked he was to hear what was coming out of her mouth. He told you about how he told her off, and to not talk shit about you in front of him. 

He was proper angry, and you placed your hand on his cheek, caressing his skin with your thumb. 

“Thank you for standing up for me,” you gave him a small smile, and his face relaxed in your hand. 

“Of course. It felt so good to say out loud,” he said, and immediately closed his mouth. 

“What felt good?” 

It was now or never. Harry finally had the chance and opportunity to tell you how he really felt about you. And it may be the end of the friendship, but he’s hoping and wishing you’d reciprocate the feeling. 

“That I’m in love with you.” 

Your lips part, shocked to finally hear him say the words. The ones that you’ve been dreaming of since forever. 

“Harry…”

“I know I shouldn’t have said that, but I needed you to know,” he stood up and began pacing in front of you. 

“You love me?” Harry stopped and went back to the couch. 

“Yeah, I do. Do you love me?” He asked nervously. He wasn’t prepared for the rejection and the hurt, but when he saw you smile, his fears went away. 

You nodded enough to make you feel dizzy, and your head was spinning from happiness. “I love you, Harry. I love you.” 

“Wait, what? Really?” You nodded excitedly, smiling so big that your jaw was hurting. “Shut up!” He gasped, and you slapped his shoulder playfully. 

“I really do! Have for a while now,” you admitted. Your smile turned into a shy one as you were confessing the love you have for him for years. 

“There’s no way that you,” he points at you, “love me,” he points back at himself. You chuckled, grabbing his face in your hands and squeezing his cheeks together. 

“Well, I do. Believe it, baby.” Your thumb caressed his cheek, feeling his smooth skin under your finger. 

He quickly wrapped his arms around you, hugging you tightly as you felt him smile against your neck. “I can’t believe it. You love me?” 

“Yes! I have for a while now,” you kissed his neck. Slightly pulling back, your eyes met his. “Kiss me? For real this time?” 

Harry’s smile peeked out, taking your face in his hands and connecting your lips together. The kisses were heated, but they weren’t rushed. The two of you wanted to enjoy the moment alone with no interruptions—finally having one another in each other’s arms. 

“Wasn’t…faking it…earlier. The kiss—wasn’t faking it,” he said between kisses. You took the opportunity of his mouth opening to place your tongue into his mouth; tongues touching for the first time. It was like a spark shocked you once it happened, the chemistry between you was strong. 

“Take me upstairs,” you whispered. 

He slowly got up, not wanting to leave your lips, and he picked you up bridal style and took you to his room. He gently laid you on his bed and hovered over you, meeting your lips again. 

“Do you want this?” He asked, breathlessly. 

“Yeah, do you?” You looked deeply in his eyes, telling him like you really mean it. “Just want to be close to you. Don’t have to do anything else.” 

“Want this so fucking bad,” he reassured you by kissing you. 

“Want this off,” you said, lifting his shirt up. He sat on his knees and swiftly took off his shirt, and you were once again, amazed by his body. 

“A shirt for a shirt?” He teased. 

“No fair. I’m wearing a dress,” you pouted, and he kissed your bottom lip, making you smile. 

“Alright, fine.” He got off the bed and started unbuttoning his pants slowly. Your eyes raked down his tatted body, stopping at where his hands were. Harry pulled his jeans down, revealing him in his black underwear that hung low on his hips. You bit your lip in response to seeing him half naked. 

“God, you’re so hot,” your voice was low and sultry, and Harry’s dick hardened a little more. 

“Thanks, baby. Your turn?” He smirked. You nodded giving him a quick kiss as you two switched positions; you standing up and him laying on the bed. 

Back faced to him, you bent down and slowly brought the bottom of your dress up, exposing your legs—and then your panties. Suddenly, your dress wouldn’t lift up and over your waist. Harry watched you stop and try again, still not being able to get your dress off. 

You dropped your head, laughing to yourself before you turned around and you gave him a soft smile, embarrassed you stopped the show. 

“Everything okay, baby?” 

“Uh, yeah. Just a minor inconvenience. Do you mind…unzipping my dress? That was the reason why it wasn’t coming off,” you nervously chuckled. Harry smiled thinking you were the absolute cutest. 

“Of course, turn around.” You did, and unzipped your dress, pressing kisses as your skin was more exposed as he unzipped it. “Thank you. That was probably so embarrassing. Tried giving you a sexy show, but failed.” 

“Hey, it’s okay. Already love ya as it is. Don’t need to put on a show for me,” he reassures you. You walk closer to him, hugging his head to your chest. His hands raked the back of your thighs, making goosebumps appear on your skin. 

“I love you,” you said looking down at him. His smile was so big after you said those words, and you made sure to say them for the rest of time if it meant to see him smile like that. 

“I love you more.” 

You backed away from him, taking off your dress fully. The beauty of your body was indescribable. He just wanted to press kisses on every inch of your skin and appreciate how lucky he is to have you, and how happy he is that you’re able to trust him to show yourself like this. 

Kisses were being felt on your stomach, your sides, and up to your chest. You reached behind you to unhook your bra, exposing your chest to him. 

“So fuckin’ beautiful,” was the first words he said when he saw you fully. Without hesitation, he wrapped his mouth around your nipple as the other was being fondled by his hand, and proceeded to switch. You arched your back, silently begging for more of his tongue on your skin and he happily complied as your hands found his long hair. 

Your hands push his shoulder back on the bed, and he situated himself to sit against the headboard as you went to straddle his lap. 

“I’m too needy to stop, but can we take it slow?” You asked him as you littered kisses to his shoulder. 

“Of course. No need to rush anything.” 

After a few more kisses to his skin and his lips, you start to rock your hips. Harry’s groans softly while his hands find your ass, guiding you. 

“You’re so hard. Think—know you’re big.” You pressed your forehead against his, kissing the tip of his nose. 

Harry was already rock hard, but to hear you talk and praise him like that made him painfully harder. 

“Hard for you. ‘S all for you, baby. Been hard the moment I saw you walk out with your pretty dress on. You wet, my love?” He said back. 

“Mhm. So wet, baby—since the first time you kissed me. I wanted to ride you on the picnic table,” you moaned, hips rocking faster. 

“Fuck, who knew you had such a dirty mouth?” His hands scratched your back up and down, lightly. 

“Only you. Been waiting to use this mouth on you.” He hadn’t known if you meant vocally or physically, but he was completely okay with either one. 

You whimpered as your clothed clit moved against his cock. Both of you were on edge, waiting out the feeling because if dry humping felt this good, you wondered how it must feel when he’s inside you--just a couple of layers away from feeling his bare skin on yours.

“God, yes. C’mon, baby, know you’re close. Take what you need,” he moaned, wanting you to come before he does. You sit up, no longer pressed against his chest, and swivel your hips faster. Eyes pressed shut as your hands fly into your hair. He can see that you’re focusing on getting there as you bite your lip and tilt your head back, so he decides to help. Harry presses his thumb against your clit and circling it as you continue to move against him. 

“Fuck, Harry.” 

“Almost there?” He asked. 

“Mm, yeah. You?” Your body was shifted forward, knees on either side of him as you sat on them. Harry continued rubbing your clit, and you reached before you to stroke him through his underwear. 

Moans and praises were the only thing that was heard from the both of you as you two rubbed each other to your orgasms. Your body jolted as his hips bucked up, reaching peak. 

“Fuck, yes,” you collapsed onto his chest, catching your breath. 

“So fucking good.” His heart was pounding; raking his nails softly against your back. “Never dry fucked anyone before, and didn’t think I was gonna cum that hard,” he chuckled. You lifted your head to kiss his jaw. 

“But I’m all wet, baby,” you teased. 

“Your mouth…is fucking…filthy,” he kissed you in between his words, causing you to giggle. 

“You love it.” 

“Hell yeah I do.” 

A minute or two of silence was present between you two, embracing and cherishing one another as your bare chests were pressed against each other. You lifted your head up to meet his, smiling before pressing a kiss to his lips. 

“Mmm,” he hummed into your lips, and you pulled back. 

“Maybe we should change? We’re both sticky in our pants,” you chuckled, and he nodded.

“This was all your doing--riding me like that. Wonder how you’re gonna feel when my cock is inside of you,” he smirked and your jaw dropped, but you got slightly wet again from his words, your thighs clenched together at the mere thought of it.

“And you say my mouth is fucking filthy!” 

“I learned it from the best,” he said, and you rolled your eyes. You got off of him and the bed, bending down to get a fresh new pair of panties until you heard him call out for you, “Hey.” 

You turned to look at him, a dopey smile plastered on his face as his cheeks were flushed. A sight you fell more in love with. 

“I love you, baby.” 

His words made your heart swoon, thinking you could get used to hearing that all the time now. 

“Say it again,” you said with a blushing smile. 

“I love you.” His voice was slow and raspy as he looked you in the eye, telling you he means it everytime. 

“Do you?” You asked teasingly. 

“So fuckin’ much.”

“I love you too, my love.”

feedback is appreciated here! <3

masterlist

[jenoismydad]

6:23 PM

Mark x Reader

smut...dom!Mark, brat!Reader, slight exhibitionism, male receiving

1.1k words

Mark’s hand gave your thigh a harsh squeeze while the other stayed securely wrapped around your waist, pulling your hips back down on his lap. “You were asking for it anyways.”, he muttered lowly, bucking his hips up into yours. He snickered when you failed to hold in your moan, clicking his tongue, and shook his head in disappointment. “When did you become such a brat huh? Asking for my cock even though I told you no.”

You whimpered, desperately trying to pry Mark’s arms off of you and get out of his hold. There was simply no point. He was just too strong for you. 

Here you were, sitting on his lap with his cock stuffed deep inside your pussy, waiting for Johnny to join you both in the studio so that he could review Mark’s song. You wished the circumstances hadn’t been the way they were right now and it definitely made you regret being so proactive earlier. You should’ve behaved. 

Mark never really punished you. Well, that was because you never stepped out of the line. It seemed you’d started taking advantage of how giving he was being nowadays and so, he needed to reinstate his dominance. What better than a nice, cruel punishment to do so?

Before you could protest again, a knock sounded at the door. Your eyes widened, blood running cold as Mark smirked and allowed your guest to come in. Johnny didn’t miss the compromising position you both were in, but he refrained from commenting on it, only raising his brow as he greeted you both. 

Technically, he couldn’t see anything. Your skirt effectively hid most of the visual, but, for extra precaution, Mark had pulled a small blanket over you both. However, the room could start getting a bit hot and being the generous boyfriend that he was, Mark might have to discard the blanket in case you started getting uncomfortable. That’s why, you needed to shut up and take whatever he gave you. This was a punishment after all. It was supposed to pay you with the consequences for acting out. 

“So, what have you got?”, Johnny asked, looking towards the large computer in anticipation. Mark turned his chair, the small movement making you shiver. Johnny didn’t noticed the reaction and you were thankful for that. He passed Johnny his headphones, letting him put them on and played the song. 

Mark didn’t spare a second, spreading his thighs apart so that you’d sink further onto his cock. You gripped onto the chair’s arm rests, looking back at Mark in panic. “Move.”, he instructed, bucking his hips into you once as a cue for you to start. You glanced towards Johnny, who luckily was too lost in the music to pay you any mind. Mark tapped your thigh impatiently, holding the ends of the blanket in his fist as a warning. You started grinding yourself onto his cock, gritting your teeth together as his length pushed against your walls. Mark leaned back into the chair, giving you more space to move, enjoying how you were trying to restrain yourself from moving too obviously. 

You weren’t going to lie, as risky as this was - to you at least - it felt amazing. You had been craving his cock, maybe not in the way he was currently giving it to you, but nonetheless, at least you were getting it. Unfortunately, the song ended and Johnny took off the large headphones, turning towards Mark with a satisfied smile. You stopped moving immediately and Mark sat up, bringing his chest to your back. 

“How was it?”, he asked, placing his palm on your hand. “It was pretty good. I really liked what you did with the synth there.”, Johnny commented, looking back at the screen. Mark took this as a chance to thrust into you, catching you off guard as a high pitched yelp left your mouth. Johnny turned to you, looking between you and Mark. “What was that?”, he asked, concerned. You shook your head, face beet red. “Nothing, I just though I saw a bug.”, you lied. Mark chuckled darkly from behind you making you scowl. “Both of you are such scaredy cats.”, Johnny said amusedly. “You’re perfect for each other.”

“I’m not a scaredy cat.”, Mark complained, kicking Johnny’s chair away. “Says the guy who needed to call his girlfriend at 3am just to come over and eradicate a spider because he was too scared that if he woke Johnny up for it, Johnny would kill him instead.”, you said wittily, Johnny laughed in agreement. 

He gave you a high five, while you turned to Mark triumphantly. “Two can play this game.”, you mumbled under your breath, clenching around him. Mark’s eyes widened slightly, not expecting you to challenge him so nonchalantly. Actually, he couldn’t believe you had the audacity to. He needed to teach you a lesson, and he couldn’t wait any longer to do so. 

Mark cleared his throat and got back to Johnny. “Well, that was all I had to show you for now. I’m going to tweak this one a bit, maybe change up the beat pattern, but I’ll call you when I’m done.”, Mark said urgently. Johnny nodded and got up from his seat. “Okay then, I’ll see you later, y/n too.”

You nodded, waving to Johnny as he exited the small studio. Now it was just you and Mark again. How favourable. 

You didn’t waste a second in getting off of his lap and sitting between his legs, putting his cock in your mouth quickly as you met his gaze, a playful glint in your eyes. Mark pulled your hair into a makeshift ponytail and rutted his hips into your mouth, making you gag. He stood up, pushing your head down on his cock, your eyes watering in reaction. He held you there for a while before pulling you off of him, taking your jaw in his hand and forcing your to look up at him. 

“You’re such a whore aren’t you? Can’t even wait two seconds without wanting to bounce on my cock huh? Well I’ll let you have your fun. I’ll give you everything you want until you’re begging me to stop. How about that? That’ll teach you a thing or two about being such a greedy cock slut.”

Mark pulled you back down on his cock, leaving you gasping for air when he let go of you. You gulped nervously as you stared into his serious, lust filled eyes. You had no clue what he was going to do to you, but if there was one thing you knew, it was that you were going to be in for a long night.

[lovely-v]

LOTR (films) Review

So I finally watched the LOTR films (20 years later). I’m super excited to review these because I read the books very recently so I feel at least a little prepared to voice some opinions. Overall I loved the films, here’s a very long (but by no means exhaustive) compilation of my thoughts, which are of course, totally subjective:

(Warning: a lot of me saying “well, actually, in the book...”)

THINGS I LIKED

- Casting! not much to say here, I thought the casting was great. One of my favorite actors that I didn’t think i’d have a huge opinion on was David Wenham as Faramir. I was kinda ambivalent on him when I saw pictures but i thought he did a great job. he showed his quality.

- Music. so much has been said about the films on the music front. I can’t offer too much original insight but when a bit of the Shire theme started to play as Frodo tries to make his way up Mount Doom I cried a little.

- Boromir and Aragorn. I liked the scene where they interact a little in Rivendell. I also like how Aragorn saves Boromir in the Moria battle and gives him this little nod of friendship. I think the films did a great job portraying the dynamic they have where Aragorn is clearly suspicious of Boromir’s motivations but grows to respect him to the point where he doesn’t even blame Boromir for being corrupted by the ring because he understands that, at heart, Boromir is a good person. 

- Sam and Frodo in Osgiliath. I expected to be kind of annoyed with the way this plot point played out (I knew ahead of time that it strayed from the book), but I actually liked it a lot. As I’ll say later, there’s some gripes I have with the way the films extremely play up the disagreements between Frodo and Sam, but I loved the scene where Frodo pulls the sword on Sam and then seems so defeated when he realizes what he’s done. I was pleasantly surprised by how emotional this scene made me. It’s admittedly A Lot, but it was done nicely, especially in conjunction with Sam’s “there’s good in this world” speech.

- Treatment of the ending. I almost think I should dislike the ending as it is in the movies, but my heart is soft and I like that they sugarcoated it a bit. I know the whole point of the Scouring of the Shire and Frodo’s depression conveys a lot about war and trauma and I think that is important, but after watching these things for twelve hours I just wanted Frodo & co. to be happy and I was kinda relieved that they cut the Scouring. Does that make me weak and perhaps bad at film analysis? yes. do I care? no. I was also very glad that the movies didn’t portray how depressed Sam was about losing Frodo in the end. Yes, he cries, but when he walks home to his family he seems happy and in the books that scene came off so much bleaker. I definitely liked the lighter tone.

THINGS I WAS NEUTRAL ON/DIDN’T LIKE

- Arwen. (Neutral) I don’t hate her, I don’t love her. I think the story she and Aragorn have is compelling and I 100% get why the filmmakers decided to add it to give her character more depth, but it felt misplaced at times. maybe it’s just because it was the only storyline I didn’t know in depth, but the scenes with the Arwen/Aragorn flashbacks felt a bit confusing and disorienting. Don’t have anything against Arwen as a character though, I think she’s pretty alright.

- Gimli. (Complicated thoughts) I want to start off by saying I don’t dislike Gimli. I like him a lot! I just think the movies did him a bit dirty. He had some good movie-exclusive moments, but I think his character really fell into this place of being the butt of too many jokes. Would have liked to see some more serious Gimli development, especially with his relationship to Legolas. Their friendship felt too much like subtext here, whereas it’s explored far more in the books.

- Two Towers Pacing. (Didn’t really like). The pacing of TTT was...weird. maybe I’m going into this with a closed mind because of the books, but it was odd to have the movie begin with Frodo and Sam and then have them only appear for a few rapid scenes after that. I think the fact that a WHOLE LOT of what happens to Frodo and Sam in TTT is moved to RotK is what makes it feel that way? In the books, Two Towers ends with Sam discovering that Frodo isn’t dead from Shelob’s sting, and I was surprised by how long it took the movies to get to that part. However, I will give the films a little leeway because I think they needed Frodo & Sam content for RotK, since most of what happens in that book is them walking through Mordor basically starving and dying. Doesn’t make for great cinema I guess, so they had to put the whole Shelob/Cirith Ungol saga into the final film. Still, I think there’s a weird lack of Frodo and Sam’s presence in TTT.

- The go home/missing bread arc. (Full of rage abt this one) yeah. so. my criticism of this is gonna sound pretty tired because people complain and complain about this part of RotK. but I’m gonna complain some more!! I don’t think the split between Frodo and Sam does anything for the plot. I really don’t. I guess it emphasizes the fact that Sam doesn’t understand how much Frodo is projecting onto Gollum, but it’s just. unnecessary angst? They had enough angst in the Osgiliath scene! Which I actually liked! And it simply doesn’t make a lot of sense for Frodo to suspect Sam of eating the bread when Sam had already offered Frodo his own food and made it clear that he would very much starve if it meant making sure Frodo could eat. But what I hate most about this scene is not that Frodo gets mad and tells Sam to go home. No. It’s that Sam actually... thinks about doing that? he actually? goes down the staircase? emotionally this is bad because Sam clearly cared enough about Frodo to follow him this far, to nearly drown for him, so why would he leave now. Practically this is bad because 1. how would Sam get out of Mordor alone and 2. where would he go. He turns around almost immediately, yes, but what was his plan. where was he going. why.

THINGS I LOVED

- For Frodo! This line, and every other shoutout to Frodo. In the books, they didn’t really actively talk about/worry about Frodo (and Sam) as much as they do in the movies. I like that they talk about Frodo more in the movies! I like that they’re thinking about him! I know it was implied that they were in the books, but I really like how it’s shown here. I think it gave a more complete picture of how much they all care about him on a personal level in addition to just needing him to succeed from a pragmatic standpoint. 

- Merry and Pippin! I feel like Merry and Pippin were so well rounded in the films. I’ve heard criticism about them being turned into comic relief characters (which they always were a little bit) but it honestly didn’t feel that way to me. They had a bit of a rough start because the films didn’t make their motives for going with Frodo as deep as the books did, but I think that by TTT they were absolutely amazing characters in every scene. In RotK their respective arcs hit really well and the scene where Pippin is singing to Denethor? *chef’s kiss* poetic. beautiful. sad. idk man I just feel like I have such a newfound appreciation for Merry and Pippin.

- Parallels! people have pointed out the parallel of Frodo and Sam’s hands before (drowning scene/mount doom scene) and I love how the movie did that. Just stunning. Also! The moving of the Smeagol & Deagol scene to RotK surprised me because in the books it was like,,,at the beginning of Fellowship, but I think the placement of it in the movies really helped emphasize the similarities between Smeagol & Deagol and Frodo & Sam (and how much Frodo fears this similarity.) There were a lot of other well done parallels between storylines and a few bits of dialogue that were repeated with great timing, but I can’t remember all of them at the moment.  

Edit: here’s one I remembered! when Frodo wakes up after being rescued and sees Gandalf, he says Gandalf’s name in a very similar tone to the one he used at the very beginning of Fellowship. It was a nice little subtle connection.

- I can’t carry it for you...alright this is self-indulgent. everyone knows I love this line. I’m just so glad it made it into the movie intact. Sean Astin’s delivery was amazing. I cheered. My mom cheered. It’s a raw line and it makes me feel secret emotions...like if shrimp colors were feelings. that line makes me feel shrimp feelings. idk i’m so tired i just watched twelve hours of movies this review is decreasing in quality by the minute but i’m about done for now anyway

Various silly afterthoughts

- I would have liked to see Sam kiss Frodo’s hands at least once. This happens 50 thousand times in the books, they could have given me one scene. one little extended edition scene. Please Peter Jackson I’m dyin’ out here

- They literally made Gollum so hateable. kinda the point yes, but I was so on board with Sam’s murderous rage. I know why Gollum’s a profoundly complex character, I know why Frodo pities him, I know why murder is bad, but I too would throw hands with that creature. also he literally body shamed Sam so much what was that skdjksdjksd. Sam is lovely. let him commit a small homicide. 

- the scene where merry and pippin drink the tall boy juice (as someone once referred to it in the tags of one of my posts)... not accurate to the books (since they don’t ever drink it with the end goal of getting tall) but so accurate to life. if I found some water that made me taller than my friends? let me at it

- Frodo panicking when he falls into the spider webs. so real bestie. i felt just as panicked watching that. i am terrified of spiders and Elijah Wood did an amazing job doing exactly what i’d do in the situation. yelping a lot and falling down.

- I feel like it’s never stated that Sam’s a gardener (or at least that he’s specifically Frodo’s gardener) until he tells Faramir he is. Did I miss this. Or do they really never say.  are you just meant to know. are you just meant to pick up gardener vibes from him.

*

This has been a very chaotic lotr movie review. Thanks for reading.