#i also imagined Louis with hair to like his jaw

[the-rat-men]

I finally got around to watching Interview with the vampire and why do they not look like I imagined them looking... like, just be exactly like what's in my mind down to the very fibre or their being...its not that hard...

[crobones]

brain came up with a scenario of the first shot of season three being a concert. Louis is at the monitor, as he is directing the documentary about the band. Camera zooms into the monitor and we get that neat transition show and movies like to do. And there's Lestat, staring into the camera "breaking the fourth wall" as it were, but in an In Universe kinda way. It's a song about sex and killing. Lestat teases some fans in the crowd off camera.

CUT TO a medium shot of Lestat pressing Louis up against a wall. Two people wearing Lestat's band merch are in the background, bitten, dazed, but not dead. Lestat is covered in enough blood to imply he fed, but Louis didn't. Oh, so Lestat must've just fed from both of them, right? WRONG. Daniel enters from stage left and presses into Lestat, further pressing him into Louis.

Louis scolds them for not cleaning up after themselves. Daniel says something along the lines of "My Maker never taught me proper vampire etiquette."

Lestat says "Fuck your Maker" and starts muttering insults in French as he starts shedding clothes.

Louis says, "Didn't I teach you better, Danny Boy?" He cups his hand around the back of Daniel's neck, claws digging in enough to make him bleed a little. Daniel moans.

Lestat begins making out with Daniel and quickly pushing off his leather jacket. He mutters to himself in French, it's a fine jacket, but they need to work on his style if he's gonna tag along on their tour. It's background chatter, really.

"Taught me alotta things, Louis," Daniel says telepathically.

Louis is pushing Lestat's hair aside and kissing along his neck and shoulder, but his one hand is still on Daniel's neck.

"Damn right, i did."

Lestat lets out a wanton moan. We don't see Louis' other hand, but his arm is shifting back and forth in a rhythmic motion. Daniel's cradling Lestat's face. He bites into his own wrist and feeds it to Lestat's open mouth.

Daniel and Louis are staring each other down.

"And what was lesson number one?" His grip on Daniel's neck tightens, his claws dragging harsh cuts into his neck. Daniel's eyes close and he smiles and he looks like he could be high. Daniel's free hand moves from Lestat's jaw to around his back. Against Louis' chest. "That's right." Then down, until it's out of view of the camera. His arm also moves in a rhythmic push and pull. "You're mine."

Louis bares his fangs and is about to bite into Lestat's neck when Lestat abruptly breaks apart from them and complains about them speaking telepathically, and how he hates when he can only hear one half of a conversation, but also why isn't their attention on him? What the fuck?

They try to placate him, but he's annoyed now. Daniel apologizes. At first, he makes an off-hand remark about being kind of annoyed that no one got around to touching his dick before the mood was killed. Lestat gives him that Certified Bitchy Look. Daniel says he'll find Lestat's manager and tell them there's gonna be a small delay to get back on the bus. He promises he'll make it up to Lestat later before speeding out of the room in a blink.

my brain first just wanted to start season three with a threesome, but now I feel like my made up screenplay could be a cheeky nod as to why Lestat is now the main focus of the show.

now I'm imagining Louis cheering up a peeved Lestat by telling him he booked Lestat an interview with [INSERT IN-UNIVERSE BARBARA WALTERS]. There's an In-Universe 60 Minutes drawn out into two episodes, but there's 8 episodes in total for the season. First episode is the set up obvi, but the last five are Lestat dealing with the consequences of becoming a Public Figure Vampire. Meanwhile, Louis is still shooting his documentary, and then it's revealed this season is like a mockumentary a la What We Do In The Shadows and Spinal Tap.

[lonelychicago]

hi :) 81 for the spotify wrapped drabble prompt?

hiiii :))) 81 was habit by louis tomlinson <333 (this might have gotten away from me oop)

You're the habit that I can't break. You're the feeling I can't put down. You're the shiver that I can't shake.

Buck and Eddie aren’t a thing, not really. They’re friends, best friends, in-sync on a level Eddie has never experienced with anyone else. Buck's his favorite second person after Chris and Eddie— he loves the guy unconditionally. That's the truth.

He doesn't really know how they got here or how has Eddie let it get this far, but they have sex. Occasionally.

There's also the fact that Eddie is pathetically, embarrasingly, stupidly in love with Buck and he would marry the man on the spot if he asked (he hasn't, much to Eddie's secret disappointment). But those are just tiny, insignificant details that he's been too much of a coward to let Buck know of.

Eddie tells himself he'll quit it. He'll call off whatever implicit sexual deal he has with Buck and walk away (figuratively, of course. he wouldn't really walk away from Buck— Eddie doubts he could even if he wanted to. As in, it would be emotionally and physically and spiritually impossible for him to or whatever.)

But he'll walk away from the sex part of their relationship. From this friends with benefits thing they kinda fell into without Eddie really meaning to.

He'll do it! He swears!

The thing is— Well... Buck is really good at sex. In a mind blowing, toe curling, Earth shattering, makes you come undone at the seams, ruins you for anyone else ever kind of good. (Maybe part of it it's that Eddie's in love with him but still, the guy has skills alright) And it makes the walking away plan kind of hard to pull off.

It all comes to a halt at Athena and Bobby's renewal of vows.

It's a small, simple ceremony they do for their seventh anniversary— It's really sweet, teeth rotting and all. Eddie is happy for them, truly.

It also reminds him of everything he wants and can't have.

It makes him so terribly upset that he can't even focus on Buck trying to quickly blow him in the bathroom while everyone is dancing outside. Which Eddie never thought would be possible but apparently it is.

He tries not to let it show but his mind keeps conjuring this picture of Buck wearing a fancy suit standing in front of Eddie with a ring in his hands and a beaming smile on his face. He keeps imagining him reciting wedding vows and then them coming home, a white picket fence, a tiny baby, a dog running in the garden and ruining their neighbor's flowers.

He sees their future, so clearly that it hurts.

"Stop. Buck, stop." He chokes out as he pulls away and quickly zips his pants up.

Buck looks up at him with wide, worried eyes. He's still on the floor on his knees and Eddie can't think straight but he also can't breath and he feels like screaming, like punching the wall (which he won't do because he has at least some control on his emotions, thank you very much— and also because he's sure Athena would absolutely kill him and get away with it.)

"Eddie? What's wrong?" Buck asks, a small crease forming between his brows and Eddie's gaze can't help but to zero in on his still wet with saliva and a little bit of precum, soft lips.

It's really not fair how beautiful Buck is.

"I can't do this anymore. The— friends with benefits thing we have going on or whatever." Eddie runs his fingers through his hair as he clenches his jaw and looks away from Buck.

"W-what? Why? Did I- I do something wrong?" Buck stutters out as he stands up, trying to catch Eddie's eyes with his.

"No, I just— I don't want this. I don't want it to be like this." Eddie makes a vague gesture with his hand between them.

"How do you want it to be, then?" Buck asks and there's a tentative, shy but hopeful tone in his voice. It's tinged with possibility, Eddie thinks but that might be wishful thinking from his part.

He might be a little drunk and too tired of holding back, though, so he just blurts it out.

"I want you, Buck. All of you." He licks his lips nervously. "I want to come home.to you and I want to wake up in the mornings with you, and I want to be able to kiss you and touch you just for the sake of it, without having it led to sex— Which is great, by the way. I just— I want more."

Buck looks stunned, gaping at him with his mouth hanging open like he wants yo say something but he isn't sure what. Eddie doesn't give him the time to figure it out.

"And it's okay if you don't. Want that I mean." He swallows thickly. "I'll get over it, we'll be fine—"

"No."

"W-what?" Eddie's heart stutters, fear starting to brew inside his chest.

"Please don't get over it." Buck says and takes a step closer. "Please don't get over me." He whispers and closes the distance between them.

This kiss tastes different than all their other kisses. Eddie realizes with startling surprise that Buck's been holding back— this kiss is a cosmic event on itself but it's also soft and tender and full of emotion. It isn't as biting or demanding as the ones they've shared before.

It tastes of promises and of future.

It taste like home.

[itsnotreal]

I love you (this is a prompt but also me telling you I love you)

Louis had been thinking about it for a while. Maybe if he just said it things would be easier. But, every time he felt himself on the verge, he chickened out.

It’s not like Harry even knew Louis had feelings for him— though, honestly how could he not? Niall was constantly teasing him about it. Never around Harry. Thank god. That would be embarrassing.

He had a feeling Harry felt the same way, but imagine if he spilled his feelings and Harry laughed in his face? Okay, fine. He was too nice to laugh at Louis. God. He was spiraling.

“Are you even listening to me?”

Louis blinked a few times, eyes focused back on Harry. “What?”

“I said— I’m going to get your sisters that new Kylie make-up for their birthday. I know they’ve been asking for it.”

Louis’ mouth popped open. “My— sisters? You’ve been talking to them?”

Harry rolled his eyes, pulled his phone out and handed it to Louis. “We text everyday.”

Louis took the offered phone, swallowing harshly at the slew of text messages between his sisters’ and Harry. “A groupchat?”

The other man’s face flushed a bright red and he ran a hand through his hair, “Yeah? Is that not okay? I didn’t think it would be an issue I me—.”

“Harry,” Louis threw his hands around, at a loss for words. “You…” His mouth opened and closed. He heaved a sigh.

“Louis?” Harry’s eyebrows were furrowed, clearly confused for very good reason.

“I love you.” Louis said, maintaining clear eye contact, though it almost sounded more like a question. Then, more conclusive he said, “I love you. Like— I’m in love with you.”

Harry’s eyes widened and his jaw clenched, “Oh, um—.”

“Oh, god. You don’t feel the same—.”

“No, I didn—.”

“Please, just forget I even said anything. I’ve been thinking it for a while and it was just like word vomit. I’m sorry, please just—.”

“Louis.” Harry practically shouted, a hint of laughter in his voice.

Louis snapped his mouth shut.

“You’re an idiot.” He shook his head and then cupped Louis’ head, thumbs pressed to his jaw, as he pulled him in and sealed their lips together.

Louis’ grunted, confused, but pressed back, fisted his hands in the back of Harry’s shirt. When his brain finally caught up, he pulled away quickly eyes trailing over Harry’s face. “Wait, do you—?”

“Yes, of course I do.” Harry scoffed and licked over his bottom lip. “Always have.” He gave a quick peck to a Louis’ lips again. “I love you, Louis.”

“Well, that’s a relief.” Louis sighed and rested their foreheads together.

“Your sisters are going to be so excited.” Harry said with a smirk, eyes playful. “They’ve been asking me to tell you for ages.”

“What?”

[bettsfic]

Betts,

Would you be comfortable in showing us what your messy first drafts look like? Not for a whole story but maybe an excerpt and noting how it changed in revisions. I’ve been looking for first drafts by writers and either found they look almost identical to finish printed version or I can’t find them at all.

i can show you what a messy first draft looks like but i don't think it'll be very illuminating. for me, the down draft is mostly about developmental work. i'll write ten scenes and the final draft will be chunks from six of them. so on a small scale it looks like i don't do much editing, but big picture i write over twice as much as i end up keeping, and what i keep has usually been completely rewritten. so if i do a side by side comparison of a scene, what you're not seeing is the stuff that didn't make the cut, or all the ways i wrote in the wrong direction for a long time, or the hours of research i had to do for a single detail (an example of which you'll see below).

i wrote an issue of my newsletter about my drafting process, so that might be more helpful. i also answered an ask recently about ways to develop a scene if you're stuck.

unfortunately i don't have the brainwidth to do all the research here, but the new yorker published an early draft of raymond carver's "what we talk about when we talk about love" which as originally called "beginners," and somewhere there's a detailed comparison of the two and the changes his editor, gordon lish, made.

but! you asked to see a draft comparison. so here's a draft comparison.

so this got a little crazy and i ended up making a gdoc for scene 2 so you could see them together. see link at the bottom. conclusion: comparing drafts is very hard and i don't think this probably helps at all but i tried.

"final" draft

these are the first two scenes of a short story i wrote called The Group W Bench. we begin in 1970 and then move into present day-ish. i've bolded the small things that were actually big things, and i'll explain why they were big things at the end.

"final" is in quotes because there is a different final draft of this story that goes in a completely different book.

scene 1: past

They didn’t hand out 4-Fs in St. Louis. Supposedly it was the worst draft office in the country. I didn’t know anyone who’d gotten out of it, but in my hometown they didn’t seem to want to. Most everyone was proud and eager to get shipped off.

My number was 66 and it’d been pulled just after I turned nineteen. On the bus to the induction center, I tried to come up with a plan. My only options seemed to be mutilating myself or flat-out running. I was too much of a coward for the former and I couldn’t wrap my head around the latter. There were only a dozen of us on the bus and I had my whole seat to myself. Out the window, cornfields blurred past; it was August and the stalks were head-high. I tried to imagine myself out in the jungle holding an M16, but I couldn’t. I’d graduated high school with a C-average, only kissed one girl one time, was raised by parents who’d had no parents of their own. My mother grew up in an orphanage. My father rode the rails. They fucked up my brother Tommy, did a little better with Wyatt, but by the time I came along, they’d given up. Sometimes I felt feral, raised by wolves.

Across the aisle, a guy was playing the harmonica. He had shaggy black hair and stubble around his jaw, big nose bent at the bridge. He caught me staring at him and I looked away quickly. He crossed the aisle and sat beside me. 

“You look like you don’t want to be here,” he said.

He didn’t sound like he was from Missouri. He sounded like an actor on TV, all hard Rs and round vowels. I didn’t respond to him. For all I knew he was a plant, some kind of spy trained to sniff out potential defectors.

He ran his thumb over the shiny surface of the harmonica. The movement reflected the sun into my eyes. “Buddy of mine got his arm blown off.”

“My brother died,” I told him. I’d been the one to answer the door that day. I was only sixteen and the boy who delivered the telegram couldn’t have been much older. He handed it over, touched the brim of his hat, and said, “I’m sorry for your loss.”

There were no remains. Nothing to bury. Just a bit of yellow cardstock telling me Tommy was dead.

“Sorry to hear that, man.” He held out his hand. “Jack Ward.”

I shook it. “Birdie Mills.”

Jack smiled, a deep dimple carved into each cheek. “Hell of a name, Birdie Mills. Where you from?”

“Here. Couple hours north.”

“California. Riverside.”

“What’re you doing here?”

“Just got out of film school. Can’t get student deferment anymore. So I started bouncing around, you know, changing my address. They finally pinned me down.”

I hadn’t thought of that, transferring draft centers, delaying as long as possible hoping the war would finally end. It was a relief to meet someone as reluctant to go as I was. I felt crazy sometimes, surrounded by men who wanted nothing more than to die for their country. I couldn’t imagine loving anything so much I’d be willing to give my life for it.

“You have a plan?” I asked.

“Nope.” We turned into the induction center lot. “I’m gonna wing it.”

early draft

according to my document, i wrote this on november 8, 2022, so almost exactly a year ago. at that time, this was one chapter of a novel that had alternating POVs in third person. i had about 90k of this novel written. which turned into a short story. which turned into a different novel.

scene 1

Birdie’s number was 257 and it was pulled shortly after he turned nineteen. His draft office was in St. Louis, notoriously one of the worst in the country. There were no 4-Fs in St. Louis. He didn’t know a single man who’d gotten out of it, but then again, they didn’t want to. Most everyone in his town was eager and proud to get shipped off. 

On the bus to the induction center, he tried to come up with a plan, but nothing came to him. Out the window, cornfields blurred past; it was August and the stalks were head-high. He tried to imagine himself out in the jungle holding an M16, but he was just a coward from Missouri who graduated high school with a C-average, who had only kissed one girl one time, who was raised by parents who’d had no parents of their own. His mother grew up in an orphanage. His father rode the rails. They fucked up Tommy, did a little better with Wyatt, but by the time Birdie came along, they’d given up. Sometimes he felt feral, raised by wolves.

Across the aisle, a guy was playing the harmonica. Birdie couldn’t pull his eyes away from him. He had shaggy black hair and stubble around his jaw, big nose bent at the bridge. He caught Birdie staring at him and kept his gaze, some recognition in his eyes, and a moment later he was slotting the harmonica into his jacket pocket and coming to sit next to Birdie.

“You look like you don’t want to be here,” the guy said.

Birdie didn’t say anything. For all he knew, the man could be some kind of spy trying to sniff out defectors. 

“Buddy of mine got his arm shot off.”

“My brother died,” Birdie admitted.

“Sorry to hear that, man.” He held out his hand. “Jack Ward.”

Birdie shook it. “Birdie Mills.”

Jack smiled, a deep dimple carved into each cheek. “Quite a name, Birdie Mills. Where you from?”

“Here,” Birdie said. “Couple hours north.”

“California. Riverside,” Jack offered. 

“What are you doing here?”

“Just got out of film school. Can’t get student deferment anymore. So I started bouncing around, you know, changing my address. They finally pinned me down.”

Birdie hadn’t thought of that, transferring draft centers, delaying as long as possible hoping the war would finally end. It was a relief to meet someone as reluctant to go as he was. He felt crazy sometimes, surrounded by men who wanted nothing more than to die for their country. 

“You have a plan?” Birdie asked.

“Nope,” Jack said, pulling his harmonica back out. They were turning into the induction center lot. “I’m gonna wing it.”

changes and why i made them

lotto number 257 was pulled in 1970 but only numbers under 125 were drafted. it took an entire afternoon to figure out how the selective service lotto even worked.

turning this into a short story, the sentence "They didn’t hand out 4-Fs in St. Louis" was a stronger opening.

as a chapter in a book, at this point the reader is familiar with birdie and knows him only as a scoundrel-type character seen from the perspective of his son who despises him, and his daughter who reveres him. so in the old version, it was satisfying (or intended to be) to get to his POV and see him from his own perspective. as a short story, i tried to organize the opening in such a way that you get grounded pretty quickly and see birdie as a scared kid before you get to the scoundrel days (see below).

the brief "my brother died" flashback was the first part i wrote in his POV, and that was back when the structure of the narrative was a series of short, titled vignettes. so on one hand i was glad i got to keep it but sad i had to shoehorn it into a different scene instead of allowing it to open the piece.

the novel was written in third person but when i tackled it as a short story i decided to change it to first person because i like first person better, and birdie is a very fun narrator.

the "I couldn't imagine..." sentence was added in the short story version because in the present timeline, birdie's about to get shot to save his daughter while they're robbing a bank together. so in one sentence, i managed to condense an arc that before took a VERY long time to establish.

this got kind of out of hand. i tried to do the same thing with scene 2 but it was hard in the text window so i did it side by side in a google document. if you want, you can add comments asking why i did certain things and i'll answer you there. i'm sure i missed stuff.

sorry if this isn't helpful!

[bandedbulbussnarfblat]

Dream a Little Dream of Me

read here or below

Daniel is dreaming.

Daniel knows he is dreaming, because he steps out of his bedroom into Louis and Armand's. It's the same scene from the other day, Louis feeding on Armand. Except this time, Armand isn't trying to hide how much he likes it. He's groaning wantonly, hands gripping the sheets. He hears Daniel walk in and lifts his gaze.

A slow, predatory smile comes over his face. He lifts a hand and beckons Daniel, “Join us.”

Who cares that it's a bad idea? It's a dream, Daniel can do what he wants. He stumbles forward, crawling unto the bed. The world tilts under him and he is crawling across the floor of a hotel room, body sticky with sweat. He crawls closer to Armand, whose seated in a black winged back chair. He's young again, as young as twenty-one or twenty-two. Armand is dressed in brown velvet and he looks delectable. Daniel wants to taste him everywhere.

Just as he reaches close enough for Armand to reach out and touch his face, fingers so close, the world starts to come apart around him. The sky begins to drip down around them. Daniel blinks and he's in Pompeii, standing in the ruins of the ancient city.

Then Armand is next to him, dressed in his black linen and deep cut shirt. He's not looking at Daniel though, he's gazing out at the ruins. It's day time, Daniel realizes. Shouldn't it be night?

(It was night, wasn't it?)

….Where had that thought came from?

Armand sighs and Daniel loses his train of thought. He studies Armand's face, sees something melancholic and lonely. “It's beautiful isn't it? Even in ruins, you can see the ghosts linger.”

Daniel swallows. He doesn't think their talking about the city. But he doesn't know what they are talking about. And why should a figment of his imagination confuse him? This is his dream, he's going to get what he wants from it.

“Even as a figment of my imagination, you're a pain in the ass.”

Armand chuckles. “Apologies, Mr. Molloy. What do you require of me?”

“'What do you require of me?'” Daniel mocks. “You sound like a bad porno.”

Armand smirks. “Then perhaps you should otherwise occupy my mouth.”

The little shit.

Armand sinks to his knees in front of Daniel. Daniel winds a hand in his hair and tilts his head back. Dips down to kiss him, because call him old-fashioned, but he's going to kiss a guy before he sticks his cock in his mouth. Armand makes a surprised little noise, but kisses him back eagerly. Daniel sinks down in front of him and gently pushes him down unto his back. He never once stops kissing him.

(Armand buries a hand in his hair and pulls him down, down, down, then crawls over him and kisses, kisses him, kisses him.)

He props up on an elbow over Armand, and mouths along his jaw, his neck. His hand traces over his ribs. He bites down on the juncture of neck and shoulder and Armand shudders.

(Armand sucks at his neck until Daniel is whining before biting down. Then he drinks, only a few sips, and is back kissing his mouth. Then he's moving down, down, down his navel and towards his cock.)

Because Daniel wills it, Armand's clothes are gone. Armand laughs, low and delighted. “This is your dream, Mr. Molloy. I'm yours to command.”

He sounds completely insincere, but also amused. Daniel suspects Armand typically gets what he wants, even when he yields. “Yeah? Let me fuck you.”

“As you wish.”

(They're both naked and writhing together. Armand is at his ear whispering hotly, “I want to be inside you, Daniel.” And Daniel, “Yes, yes, yes.” Then Armand is breaching him, first with his fingers, wet with nothing but saliva. And it hurts, but it's a good hurt the kind that burns right into pleasure. Until the pain recedes completely and it's all pleasure, and it's good, so good.)

Armand's back arches as Daniel's fingers work their way inside, wet with lube by dream magic. Armand stretches and searches, finding his prostate and teasing it mercilessly. Armand rakes nails down his back, and fuck, Daniel forgot those things are basically claws.

“Inside me, now.”

Daniel sweeps down and nips at his earlobe. “Bossy little thing, aren't you?”

Armand's smile goes dangerous. “Oh, you haven't even begun to see.”

Fuck, why was that so hot?

(Armand is inside of him, rocking slowly in and out. It's deep and perfect and Daniel is shaking. He and Armand's fingers are laced together beside his head, and he squeezes for dear life. “I can't” he pants, shame curling hot in his belly, “it's good, it's too good, I'm gonna-” Armand cutting him off, saying “Yes, let me see it, darling.” And Daniel coming, completely untouched, harder than he ever has in his life.)

Daniel sinks into Armand and immediately Armand is wrapped around him, ankles digging into his back urging him to move. Like he said, bossy. Capable of taking a hint, Daniel starts rocking into Armand, steadily building up speed and depth. He thinks he's doing a pretty good job, until Armand flips them.

Daniel lands on his back—and ouch, the ground is not soft—and Armand is on top of him. He begins riding Daniel at a frantic pace. One hand he reaches down with and interlaces their fingers. The other he rests on Daniel's chest.

Daniel sits up and puts his free hand on Armand's hip. Not that he'd need the help to balance, but it's a human instinct. He takes their wound together hands and directs them to Armand's cock. “Show me how you like it.”

Armand keens and begins to move his hand at the same frantic pace. Daniel reaches up and strokes a thumb across his cheek. “Slow down, baby. I'm not going anywhere.”

Armand gasps and comes over their joined hands. He clenches around Daniel so perfectly that he topples right over the edge with him.

(Armand is half on top of him as they lie on the hard ground. He looks into Daniel's eyes. “I love you, Daniel. You are mine. Always.” Daniel looking back, so full of love and contentment. “Always.”)

Armand collapses on top of him, mutters something in a language Daniel doesn't understand. But he doesn't need to. The cadence is the same in every language. I love you.

The sky starts to lose color. “What's happening?”

“You're waking up, my love.”

Daniel's heart skips. “I don't want to.”

“I know, beloved. But we'll meet again, one day.”

When Daniel wakes, he has no memory of his dreams.

[wardowrites]

He didn’t know why he was surprised that Louis had a fucking attitude. Maybe a more generous person would have allowed him the sarcastic quip but Wardo really didn’t think that Louis was in the position to crack a snarky joke with him. He’d earned that once before but those privileges had been taken away the minute he’d closed the door on Wardo’s face in Lowell.

“My bad,” he swiped back, mouth set into a thin, determined line. The kind where a person pressed their lips together so tightly it would surely make it impossible for them to start crying because they were now face to face with their ex-boyfriend they had never really gotten over.

Because it was true. Try as he did to get over Louis, Wardo was still saddled with the weight of the other man’s influence on him. Much like Ivy had helped shape him into the person he was today, Louis also had a hand in moulding Wardo into the man standing rigidly in a cold New York courtyard, the slate-gray backdrop of the city pressing in on them. There were plenty of different paths that Wardo could have gone down had it not been for Louis’ presence in his life, and he was sure that some of them would have led him directly to his grave. Maybe that should have granted Louis a reprieve from the persistent glower on Wardo’s face, but it remained there anyway.

He couldn’t hide the way he flinched when Louis told him he looked good, then quickly corrected himself. It was the kind of half-compliment that left a sour, metallic taste in Wardo’s mouth. He hated small talk, wanted to spit it out against the rough asphalt of the sidewalk. He didn’t want to exchange pleasantries with Louis, he wanted to get the hell away from him.

“Okay?” he said, eyes darting to the side in an expression that read, what is this guy on? It was heavily put on, of course, but Wardo wanted to fake indifference until Louis called him out on it or until he could safely walk away from this interaction and somehow feel like he’d gained the upper hand.

“You look fine, I guess,” he said bluntly, as if he was only replying because he had to.

In reality, he was doing everything he could to avoid properly looking at Louis, yet he couldn’t help but notice just how familiar he was. Older, because that couldn’t be helped, with more of a shadow cutting at the corner of his jaw where a fuller beard was growing in. His eyes were the same shade of brown, and his hair still had that one infuriatingly pretty lock that fell forward in a way that Wardo had always claimed was Louis’ vainglorious and purposeful attempt to look disheveled only for the other man to argue that his hair really just acted like that of its own accord.

He looked exactly the way he did in all of Wardo’s late-night, shameful imaginings. He could probably draw him from memory if he had any sort of talent with a pencil. Loathe as he was to admit it, especially right now, Wardo would probably know Louis Denver at the end of the world.

Capote let out a whine, eager not to be forgotten, and padded towards Louis again, wet tongue darting out to lick sloppily at his hand. Immediately, Wardo wanted to pull him back.

“Capote, c’mere,” he warned him.

The short, sharp responses Wardo gave were like an ever-twisting knife. Louis swallowed the lump in his throat. It was bad enough to have to confront Ivy for the past couple of hours, to have to sit with the knowledge that Wardo was somewhere in the same city as him while he sat and read a chapter from his novel. He'd been humiliated as Ivy heard the painstaking details, the innermost thoughts and complete, debilitating anguish of his and Wardo's love affair. Concealed as it was behind differing character names and descriptions, no one could crack the spine of Louis' novel and fail to recognise Wardo in the pages within.

"Right." Louis echoed, his tone stilted and awkward. He hated that he didn't know how to talk to this man to whom it had once been so fucking easy to talk to.

"I don't know." he admitted, wrapping his arms around himself. He rubbed his arms as though he were trying to inject warmth into them, trying to stop the sharp sting of tears threatening to fall. "We didn't swap after work plans, y'know?"

"You look good." he found himself saying, hating the raw honesty in his voice. It was true, even mad at him, Wardo was still blindingly beautiful. He had been one of the first men to ever really turn Louis' head, he'd fallen hard and fast and never looked back. That was it for him. Clearing his throat, he specified, "Well, I mean."

[sourholland]

A Royal Convienence || Tom Holland

| Series Masterlist |

Part One

Summary → When an alliance is made between England and France, you are sent away to marry the crown prince and heir to the British throne. Except both you and Prince Thomas despise each other at all odds, subjected to the hand of the monarchy and unable to stand each other.

AN → I’m so excited for this, I honestly thought it’d be out a little sooner but whatever.

Pairing(s) → Prince!Tom x Princess!Reader

Warnings → None

Word Count → 1.8k

Word of the royal engagement had spread quickly, not only by mouth, but through the newspapers as well.

Prince Thomas of Wales and Princess Y/N of France would be married in the spring. Only six weeks awaiting the royal wedding where the crown prince would marry the firstborn princess of France. Rumors of His Majesty, King Dominic’s ill health thickened the air, leaving the country to wonder if the reason for the sudden alliance was perhaps in favor of the succession of the eldest prince.

“Your Royal Highness,” the man bowed his head as you stepped from the ship onto the dock.

You lifted your gloved hand to his outstretched fingers, helping you onto the grass. The clouds hung grayly in the sky, droplets of rain threatening to spill. The man guided you to the carriage not far from where you’d disembarked. He was clearly a member of the royal guard, dressed stiffly and talking very little. You couldn’t tell if this was due to your status or the requirements he was to adhere to.

The inside of the carriage was decorated richly, plush bench seats accompanied by satin curtains of gold. You were tempted to reach over and touch them, retracting your hand when the carriage jerked and began to move through the crowded streets of London.

You were exhausted, hardly sleeping on the journey from France. You’d been unable to keep down any food, seasick and lethargic the whole way. You hadn’t been able to freshen up, assuming that your hair which had been pulled back was a mess by now. You also hadn’t been afforded the luxury of taking your ladies with you, some of which had been with you since you were a girl. This was making things like lacing your own corset considerably more difficult.

The whole way to Buckingham Palace had gone by rather fast, the scenery passing you by reduced to blurs in your memory. It was a much different atmosphere than that of France, or at least what you’d been allowed to see of it. You spent most of your early life being taught how to rule a country, being the heir to the throne until you reached the age of fourteen. Your mother, the Queen Consort Marie, had finally produced a son, an heir, a male to take the throne once the king died.

This day, the day when your brother Prince Louis was born, had been one of the most dreadful days of your life. Everything you’d been working towards, learning about, being trained for, was stripped away from you. After that, you’d been reduced to what it seemed every woman was around you, aristocracy or not, an object of marriage.

Some years later, you would be called into the throne room and told by your father that you would be wed to the Crown Prince of England. You’d only met Prince Thomas once before, at the English Duke’s wedding when you were only twelve years old. He had been only fourteen, unbothered and unfazed by your presence. From what you recalled, your encounter with him had been less than pleasant.

You’d made several attempts to speak with the Prince throughout the night, taking your mother’s words of encouragement. He brushed you off every time, once telling you that he did not care for the French, nor your way of approaching the ‘next King of England.’

“Ma’am.”

You were brought away from your thoughts at the man’s words, your head rising from its place at the wall of the carriage. You glanced out the window, the large palace greeting you. You remembered nothing of coming through the gates, or even seeing the Buckingham Palace for the first time.

You stepped out, flattening your skirts with your palms and doing the best with your hair. You couldn’t imagine how improper you’d probably looked, your stomach churning at the thought of walking through the doors of the palace.

The walk from the carriage to the set of doors that led you into the large entryway was short. The walls were covered in rich fabrics, candles lighting each walkway. The guards accompanying you remained silent, the sound of your shoes against the fine carpet in your ears. You remembered your governess, the way she’d always remind you that a princess never slouched. The straightening of your back and extra spry in your step helped you to gain back a bit of confidence.

Through what felt like dozens of twists and turns, the tallest guard was pushing open two large doors. You stepped in wearily, recognizing it as the throne room. You suddenly became very aware of your appearance, the way you must be an absolute mess.

“Her Royal Highness, Princess Y/N of France,” he announced to the room.

You walked before the throne and gave a deep curtsy to both King Dominic and Queen Nicola. You met each of their eyes nervously, you knew it was wrong to look for any bit of illness in the king, unable to help yourself from noticing his paleness and sunken in eyes.

“Your Majesties,” you addressed.

“Why, I haven’t seen you since you were a girl,” she remarked. “Of course, then you were to be the Queen of France. And now—well, there’s Prince Louis, correct?”

“Yes, Ma’am,” you answered with a twinge of bitterness. “My brother should take the throne some day.”

King Dominic’s eyes scanned over you promptly, looking for any imperfection, any flaw to point out. This wasn’t odd behavior of a king, yet it still seemed to make you stammer over your words.

“You’ve grown very beautifully, I’m glad of this,” she added. “We’ve had portraits sent over, however, I will say that you are a fine-looking girl.”

There was no sign of the Prince, nor his younger brothers. It was only the king and the queen that occupied the throne room. You felt almost relieved of this, not wishing to see any more people in your current state. You also dreaded your imminent fate, a vow of marriage to a man you hardly knew, let alone could stand.

The large doors opened once more, revealing the eldest Prince, behind him were the twins, and next was the youngest. Prince Thomas held a blank expression, his eyes not yet meeting your own as he walked with his brothers to bow at his parents feet.

“Thomas, I’m sure you remember Y/N,” his mother said, motioning towards you.

His gaze fell on you, his eyes dipping from the cream colored skirts that swayed at your feet, to the mess of hair falling into your face slightly. His hair was slicked back and styled, the embroidery on his tunic rich and in season. His eyes darkened, a look of disdain flashing for a moment.

“I do, mum, I quite clearly recall us being introduced at cousin George’s wedding a few years back,” he answered.

He forced a grin, looking to his mother for approval. She went on about wedding preparations, dining plans, and which wing of the castle your chamber would be. It didn’t take long for you to realize how much of a rambler Queen Nicola truly was. You could only blame it on her longing for a daughter, and the fact that this was the first wedding she’d be able to orchestrate for one of her sons.

“Tomorrow you’ll meet me to choose an engagement ring, then to tea where your Ladies in Waiting will be,” she spoke modestly. “It’s far too late to do anything this evening. Though, I’m sure a chaperone could be arranged if you and Tom wished to speak for a time privately.”

“That won’t be necessary, mum. It’s quite late, I’m sure the Princess would rather retire to her chamber for the night,” the Prince interrupted. Good, you thought. You had no desire to be anywhere near Thomas, not now, and definitely not for what was playing out to be the rest of your miserable life.

“Ma’am,” you started. “Do excuse me if I’m incorrect, however, I thought Prince Thomas should have been the one to choose an engagement ring?” You asked, a snort came from Tom, a dismissive look from the Queen following. He grimaced as his younger brother, Prince Sam, you assumed, had elbowed him in the ribs.

“Well—yes, you are correct. Traditionally, if you and Thomas had courted, and then he’d gone to your father for his blessing, he would have chosen an engagement ring once you agreed to have him. This is not a traditional engagement, though. You’ll look through some of our most precious jewels, I assure you, Y/N.”

You felt your face heat up at her words, drowning out the last of her speech and curtsying again as she and the king left the room. The three younger Princes followed suit, Tom stopped at the archway for a moment. A servant most likely waited behind those slightly ajar doors, ready to escort you to your chambers.

“Princess,” your title lingered on his lips.

“Prince Thomas, can I help you?”

“I wish you would not refer to me as Thomas, that god awful name is reserved for my mother,” he said shortly. “Tom will do fine.”

“Prince Tom, then. Is there a reason you’ve stayed back? We shouldn’t be alone in here,” you had only been in the palace a short time and the last thing you wanted was a scandal.

His expression was not endearing in the least, he looked burdened by you. His jaw was set, his eyes malice, the curl of his lip in disgust. You took in a breath, mimicking his body language and going to pass him out into the hall. You were caught off guard by the jerking of your forearm, his hand grasping at it harshly and pulling you much closer to his face than you had been before.

“If this is what I must do for my country then so be it, however, do not think for a second that I would ever willingly marry someone like you,” he cursed, leaning in so close that you could feel his cool breath on your skin.

“Believe me, the feeling is mutual,” you said, looking him dead in the eyes. The weight of his words stung like a blade, his expression like pouring salt into an open wound.

“Well then, something we can agree on.”

You yanked away from him, brushing off his grasp and looking up at him with narrowed-eyes. He gritted his teeth as you flattened the fabric of your skirts once more before you left the large room in a fleeting motion.

taglist- @justapurrcat @witchyartemis @keithseabrook27 @clara-licht @dummiesshort @username2002 @imaginationisgrowth @nova-sup3r

[richmond-rex]

... what exactly is the grand appeal of the House of York? For me personally, the constant online obsession with the Henry VIII and the Tudor era in general (although Henry VIII imo is rarely discussed as much as his successors) was exhausting and the Yorkists seemed like a breath of fresh air, and I still do find them very interesting, but i don't get what makes them so great in comparison to the Lancasters or Tudors?

Hi, anon! I truly wish I knew what this weird obsession with the house of York is about. I think that just like in the case of how popular history approaches Henry VIII and his wives, there's this obsessive focus on their physical appearance that is incredibly objectifying and shallow. Edward IV is treated as a 'golden boy in a golden crown' — Antonia Fraser goes so far as to talk about his 'blond [sic] good looks' as if she's never seen his extant lock of brown hair or any of his portraits — and popular historians talk about him almost as if he was a greek athlete that by the virtue of his incredible jock hot body should be king and have his awesomeness recognised. And don't be fooled, that includes tons of ableism against mental illness in the figure of Henry VI. This is from Helen Castor:

At eighteen, Edward was everything [Margaret of Anjou's] ineffectual and distracted husband was not. Unusually tall, strongly built, and jaw-droppingly handsome, he had irresistible charisma, combining easy bonhomie with an imperious will and a shrewd political brain that had been honed by early experience as his father’s trusted lieutenant.

Also, just to be clear, you open the first academic biography about Edward IV and they will tell you: Edward IV had no political experience before ascending the throne — he was simply incredibly young! He was a minor still studying in Ludlow when his father created a whole hullabaloo in England! Military experience is not the same thing as political experience and I don't know how the two can be conflated in this way if not simply to enhance some idea of awesomeness.

The mantle of kingship rested squarely on the broad shoulders of Edward of York.

I'm begging pop historians to please be fucking normal when talking about historical figures. Of course, looking masculine / performing masculinity was an important aspect of kingship but 'having a hot body' was hardly the only way a man could perform masculinity in the middle ages. Something that few people know is that chastity was regarded as supremely masculine, for example, and that was a role Edward IV himself was at pains to be cast at. It's also clear from contemporary sources that good looks weren't regarded as the end-all-be-all of kingship. The French Chronicler Philippe de Commynes treats Edward's good looks (though he says he had started losing them by 1475) almost as his fatal flaw compared to Louis XI's shrewd intelligence.

The incredible ironic thing about pop historians that focus on their subjects' physical appearance, though, is that they inevitably turn to criticise their ageing / 'loss' of good looks in the most despicable terms imaginable. It's not uncommon to see the same people who praised Edward IV for his hotness to be incredibly fatphobic towards him at the end of his life. I've seen this happen with pop historians writing about Henry VIII as well, for example, Tracy Borman. There's this almost perverse sense of enjoyment in casting a figure high only to bring them down so low.

I truly think that the fascination with the house of York is founded on this incredibly shallow basis of thirsting after Edward IV's once-hot body and his audacious hot approach to life. And his audacious hot approach to life even gets misinterpreted and transformed into something else. Yorkist fans like to talk about Edward IV as the most awesome WARRIOR KING that slew and crushed his enemies on the battlefield when academic biographers agree that he literally avoided the battlefield when he could. He had a skill for fighting but he doesn't seem to have born any love for fighting. Pollard calls him a 'knight of Venus'; Charles Ross, in his classic biography of Edward IV, says:

Still his avoidance of major schemes of foreign conquest may have been partly a matter of temperament – for he was a rare example among medieval kings of a successful commander in the field who yet had little natural taste for warfare.

Then you get Richard III fans who like to focus on his almost unparalleled sense of chivalry and 'social justice' (I've seen people literally use this term for him, a medieval ruler) but at the same time they must prove that Richard III was a good-looking young man because that matters to them just as much for some reason:

I literally wish I was kidding about all this, yet the worshipping of the glorious Y chromosome of York is a thing that exists.

[berrynarrybanana]

Me and You Together

A/N: Hello! I would like to say first of all that ^ is not my gif. I had it saved on my computer from somewhere and it just felt perfect for this. I do love my little sweet pea and frat boy Harry, but I also feel like I’ve done them dirty in this fic. I wanted to add more angst, but we all know I’m shit at that kind of stuff bc I’m soft at heart. Anywho, I really hope that you enjoy this and I just want to thank the lovely @stellarboystyles​ for putting together this little fic challenge. Congrats on 3 years babe! I hope that you like this story and that I have done this celebratory moment justice! 

Word Count: 11.9 k 

Warnings: Alcohol, smut, pining, Louis being a dickhead, a mean roommate

Trope: Best Friends to Lovers with Frat Boy Harry 

Prompt: “Just sit on my fingers. Yeah, just like that.” (this is all the way at the end tbh, just a heads up lol) 

P.s I know nothing about frat’s honestly and I just tried to avoid that the best that I could but fratboy!h lives in my mind rent free and I wanted to write it so....yeah.

September

Piper’s POV 

I rolled my head back on my neck, looking up at the ceiling as my roommate sighed. 

“Has anyone told you that you’re a selfish bitch?” Carli asked, her perfectly manicured nail resting on the cheap, wooden door of our dorm room. “I’m trying to unwind and relax after an extremely hard week and you’re ruining it for me.” 

“I live here too!” I felt my brows pull together in frustration as I adjusted my bag on my sore shoulders, shifting from foot to foot. “The least you can let me do is come in and change before you start fucking.”

“You’re killing my mood!” She groaned, holding her hand out. “Give me your fucking bag and tell me what you need.” 

“Carli-”

“Tell me what you need or I’m shutting this door in your face, I swear to god.” She snapped, her brows arching up as she wiggled her fingers at me. “You have five seconds.” 

“Fine!” I said, shrugging my bag off my tired shoulders. “I need my purse, a black t-shirt, and a jacket.” 

“Great.” 

She slammed the door in my face, flicking the lock as I brushed my hands over my face angrily. 

College was not supposed to be like this. 

The next four years of my life were meant to be spent making new friends and partaking in fun activities on campus. So far, the only person I knew was Carli and she most definitely hated my guts with a burning passion. I wasn’t sure why she hated me so much when I mainly kept to myself, hunched over my desk with headphones on for most of the night when I studied. I hardly ever talked to Carli besides the odd argument about my typing being too loud and my presence being too...obvious. I hated every second of college so far and this wasn’t helping me at all. 

I was moments away from having a breakdown, the build up creeping up my throat as I stood there in the hall, waiting for Carli as everyone else stared at my back. I tried not to let their prying eyes bother me, but I could feel the hairs standing up on the back of my neck as I crossed my arms over my chest. I tried to distract my mind, thinking about where I was going to go while Carli got her rocks off in our shared room. Maybe the library? Maybe a cafe?

Just as I started listing off cafes in my head, the door opened just a crack. 

“Here’s your stuff, don’t come home before midnight.” She stuck a hand out, her voice muffled by the door. I rolled my eyes, grabbing my things from her hands. “Bye, Pippi!”

“It’s Piper, you unbearable asshole.” I sighed, holding my stuff close to my chest as frustrated tears started to accumulate behind my eyes. “I hope you don’t have an orgasm.” 

I turned on my heels, ready to storm towards the communal bathroom so I could change and collect myself before leaving. I only made it halfway down the hall when I heard someone shouting behind me. I wasn’t sure they were actually calling out for me until I felt a hand on my shoulder. I stopped in my tracks, sniffling as I reached up to wipe at my cheeks. 

“Piper, hold on.” The girl who was calling my name stepped in front of me, letting out a shuddery breath. She only had eyeshadow on one of her perfectly shaped eyes and a makeup brush in her hand as she stopped. “I just wanted to say that I am so sorry your roommate just did that to you. You can use my room to change if you’d like? I know the communal bathroom doesn’t always offer the most privacy and my roommate is never home. I’ll stand outside and everything!” 

“You don’t have to do that.” I sniffled before offering her a forced smile. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with teasing right now. “But thank you.” 

“I insist.” Her brown eyes looked softer as she spoke, her hand falling to her side. “My name is Eleanor. I think we have Modern English together.” 

“Piper.” I said. “Are you sure you’re okay with that?” 

“Yeah.” She nodded. “I don’t mind it at all, babes.” 

Eleanor left me in her room to get dressed, politely standing outside as I collected myself. 

I took a few deep breaths, trying to compose myself as I stripped out of the blouse I had been wearing all day. I pulled my black t-shirt on, huffing when I realized that this wasn’t the one I actually needed. This one was meant for darker jeans and a pair of heeled boots. This top was meant for parties and bars, not a cafe. The criss crossed pattern was far too fancy for a late night cup of coffee and a lonely piece of cheesecake. 

When I opened the door, my old shirt bundled up in my hand, I smiled at Eleanor. 

She looked over my outfit, her eyes growing wide. 

“You look great!” She said. “Do you have plans tonight?” 

“I was just gonna go to Fitz and Co for coffee and dessert.” I gave her a nervous chuckle, clutching my old shirt in my hands. “Probably going to wander around campus after to kill time.” 

“Don’t take offense,” She gave me a sweet smile, her accent growing thicker with each word she spoke. I hadn’t noticed it all that much before when my emotions were on overdrive and my mind was swirling with anger. “But that sounds absolutely dreadful and you deserve to have a little bit of fun. It’s Friday night for fuck’s sake and we’re in Uni!”

“I don’t really know anyone on campus.” I shrugged. “I’ve not made a ton of friends yet, you know?” 

“I do, actually.” She nodded. “If I had to say, you’re the first person I’ve tried to make conversation with since I’ve been here. I’m going to a party tonight because my boyfriend’s frat is hosting it, and he’ll just text me all night if I don’t go.”

“That sounds like fun.” I said. “Thank you for helping me out and offering me your room. I really hope you have fun tonight."

“Why don’t you come with me?” She asked. “I know frat parties sound horrible after all the stuff you see in films, and a lot of them are pretty shit, but I would love to have a drinking buddy.” 

“I don’t want to impose.” I said. “I’m sure you want to spend time with your boyfriend.”

“Nonsense, he sees me everyday.” She shook her head. “I would love to have someone to chat with that isn’t one of his football friends from back home.” 

“Um, okay.’” I shrugged. “I guess that’s not too horrible and I kind of owe you one.”

“You won’t regret it.” 

                                         🥃🔸🥃🔸🥃🔸🥃🔸🥃

“So the house shouldn’t be too crowded.” Eleanor pulled her flannel tighter around her body, hunching over as the wind whipped around us. “A few of the guys are still out getting alcohol and people aren’t supposed to start showing up for another hour at least.”

“That’s good.” I nodded. “So why did you decide to come to school here?”

“Louis.” She said. “I couldn’t stomach the idea of being away from Lou and there are so many opportunities in America for both of us. He’s here on a footie scholarship and I’m here on a performing arts scholarship.”

“That’s really cool!” I exclaimed, my eyebrows raising up. “I didn’t peg you for a theatre nerd.”

“Just a tiny one.” She chuckled. “I’m more into the costumes than anything. Fashion has always owned my heart and my Mum took me to so many musicals as a girl. I figured I would combine my love for both and make it my career.”

“I admire that.” I said softly, glancing down at the sidewalk as we turned a corner. “So how long have you and Louis been together?”

“Four years.” She smiled. “We met on a holiday to London one summer and we’ve never let go of each other. Last year we went to the same University for our first year before deciding to come abroad and it was….magical.”

“He sounds lovely.” I said. “He makes you happy?” 

“He does.” She nodded, her lips pursing slightly as she tried to hide her smile. “He’s a proper gentleman, even when he’s being a bit too laddie.”

“I don’t even know what that means.” I chuckled and Eleanor joined in. “What is a laddie? Is that like Lassie, the dog?”

“Not like that dog.” She scrunched up her nose. “I think you call them ‘Bro’s’ over here.” 

“Ah, I do understand then.” 

Eleanor and I continued chatting as we walked down Frat Row. 

The houses were large, but they looked a little plain and rundown. I imagine having a group of rowdy, drunk boys living in a house without supervision didn’t do well for wear and tear on a house. Eleanor told me that the last house on frat row in the cul-de-sac belonged to pretty much the entire footy team with a few odd guys sprinkled in. 

When we arrived, my jaw nearly dropped to the ground. 

I was living in a tiny dorm room and these men were living like kings and a gigantic and modern house that looked brand new. Eleanor laughed as I took in the dark, blue-grey exterior. The shutters and the porch were both painted a dark, charcoal grey. We walked up the stairs and I continued to look around like a kid lost in a candy store. 

Maybe joining a sorority wasn’t a bad move?

“So, that is the living room and just down that first hall is the bathroom. I recommend going upstairs to Louis’ room if you want to use a clean and unoccupied bathroom.” She chuckled. “I’ll show you around upstairs later if you’d like.”

“This is the cleanest Frat house I’ve ever seen in my life.” I said slowly, looking around. “How is it so pristine?”

“A few of the guys are really obsessed with cleanliness and organization.” She chuckled. “Also I spend a lot of time over here, so I do what I can.”

“I would spend all of my time here, too.” I said. “Why are you even in a dorm if you could be here?”

“Rules.” She rolled her eyes. “Technically women aren’t allowed to be housed in a frat, which blows, but I understand it.”

“Well, I’ll pretend to be you and stay in your dorm if you want to fly under the radar and move here.” I teased, patting her shoulder. “It’s a win win for both of us.”

“I might take you up on that.” She giggled, guiding me through an open archway. “This here is the kitchen-”

“Ellie, s’that you!” 

Eleanor flinched at the booming voice from upstairs, her eyes casting up to the ceiling as she grumbled. 

“Bloody hell, these men,” She shot me a sympathetic look and I tried my best not to laugh softly at her annoyance. “Yes, Niall?”

“I need help.” This accent was slightly different than Eleanor’s and it almost reminded me of the guy on the lucky charms commercial. “I don’t know what trousers to wear, should I do these dark jeans or these plaid one’s.”

The voice was closer and closer with each word and suddenly, a half naked man appeared in the doorway, holding two pairs of pants as he looked down at them. He was wearing white boxer briefs and white socks, the rest of his pale and freckled skin on display. I had to admit that he was extremely attractive, chestnut colored hair on top of his head and a soft stomach rounded out with a matching chestnut happy trail dusting under his belly button. 

“Oh, hello.” He looked up, smiling at me with piercing blue eyes and extremely handsome features. I tried not to blush, my eyes glued to his. “Which one’s do ya think I should wear, love? Good to have an outsider’s perspective sometimes.” 

The sound of a door shutting behind us caused my head to snap around. 

This was more of a man standing at the opposite end of the kitchen, his chocolate colored curls framing his face and resting on his broad shoulders as he looked up at me. His face was perfect, adonis like features catching my attention and his bright green eyes causing my breath to catch in my throat. He offered me a small smile, his features soft as he cleared his throat. 

“Hello.” He said softly to me before his eyes darted up, looking behind me. “For fuck’s sake, Niall. Why are you nearly naked!” 

“I needed help!” I turned my head back towards Niall as his brows pulled together, his lips turning to a scowl. “I can’t decide what trousers to wear and Liam is no help!” 

“We have a guest.” The green eyed god spoke from behind me, but I didn’t dare turn my head. I was afraid that if I did, I would be stuck staring at him for the rest of the night. “Don’t be rude.”

I glanced over at Eleanor who lifted her hand to pinch the bridge of her nose. 

I tried, again, not to laugh at her misery. 

“I swear to god, Niall,” She sighed heavily. “The least you could do is introduce yourself to the poor girl before you flash her.”

“M’Niall,” He rolled his eyes, looking over at me. “What’s your name, love?” 

Harry’s POV

“My name is Piper.” 

I stared at the back of her head, trying my best not to think about running my fingers through her soft curls that nearly matched the shade of my own. I inhaled sharply as I pressed my fingertips into the marble countertop below me. I had seen this girl, Piper, around campus before. I saw her flitting from building to building with her head tilted down and her headphones tucked in her cute little ears. I had a huge crush on this girl and now she was standing in my kitchen with my half-naked roommate and my best friend’s girl. 

This wasn’t a good thing at all.

“S’nice to meet you, Piper.” Niall winked at her and I rolled my eyes, shooting him a glare over the girls head. 

His brows furrowed and I gave him a pointed look before mouthing, ‘That’s the girl’.

Niall’s brows lifted up and he shot me a cheeky grin. 

He was the only one I confided in about my girl troubles. 

He knew all about the mystery girl that I passed by every day on my way to physics class and he had suggested to me several times that bumping into her was the best way to catch her attention. I declined, rolling my eyes at his childish suggestion. I had to admit though, if she had been in my class, I would have tossed paper at the back of her head to get her attention. 

It was a trick that never failed. 

“Well, I’m gonna go get dressed then.” He cleared his throat, glancing over at Eleanor. “Lou is stuck on the phone with his Mum, babe. I think he might need some rescuing if he’s going to join the party at all tonight.”

“Oh,” Eleanor stood straighter, glancing over at Piper. “I don’t want to leave Piper-”

“I can stay with her.” I cleared my throat, reaching up to fiddle with my hair as both girls turned to look at me. “I’ve finished my part of party prep, so I don’t mind.”

“Harry, I don’t know.” Eleanor said. “I’m already afraid Niall’s neon white body is going to scare her off. I don’t need you turning on your Cheshire Charm.”

“Oi, I resent that.” I narrowed my eyes at her playfully, trying to fight off my smile as she chuckled. “I won’t be turning on any charm tonight, love. I’ve got a big match to play tomorrow, remember? Gotta save my strength and energy if I wanna do well.”

“Alright, fine.” Eleanor sighed, turning back to Piper. “Are you okay if I disappear for a few minutes? I promise I’ll be right back.” 

“It’s fine.” Piper smiled at Eleanor, gently nodding her head. “Please, go ahead. I don’t mind waiting down here.”

“You’re sure?” Eleanor asked, her face laced with concern. 

“Positive.” Piper glanced over at me. “I think I’m in good hands with ol’ Cheshire Charm back there.” 

My smile was so wide that it hurt my cheeks. 

She was funny and gorgeous.

Eleanor glanced between the two of us before saying a quick ‘be right back’.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Piper turned around, her hands pressing against the countertop as Niall wiggled his brows behind us. He disappeared behind Eleanor moments later, leaving Piper and I alone in the kitchen. “Would you like a Whiteclaw?”

“Oh, sure.” She nodded, her eyes dropping down to her hands. “I would love one.”

“You seem a bit nervous.” I said, walking towards the fridge. “Do you have a flavor preference?”

“No.” She said softly. “And yeah, I guess I am a bit nervous. I’ve had a pretty tough day and I wasn’t exactly prepared to come to a frat party.”

“Why are you here then?” I asked, my eyes scanning the shelves until I landed on the one filled with canned drinks. I reached for two lime flavored cocktails, pulling them out before I shut the door with my hip. “If you don’t mind me asking, that is.” 

“Um, Eleanor extended the invitation and I kind of owed her one.” Piper smiled, taking the drink with a soft ‘thank you’. “My roommate is a bit of a dickhead and she kicked me out so she could get laid. Eleanor saw me in the hallway on the verge of a mental breakdown and we just...hit it off, I guess.”

“Sorry your roommate was a dickhead.” I smiled, letting my eyes roam over the soft features of her face. “I’m glad you and El hit it off though. It’s nice to have a new face around here.”

I let my eyes trail over the features of her face now that she was up close and personal. 

Her eyes were hazel, a soft golden hue to her irises. Her brows were thick and wild, but perfectly shaped. There were soft freckles peeking out from under her foundation and her cheeks were a soft shade of red. Her nose was soft and rounded at the end and I couldn’t help but think of hovering over her, brushing my own nose against hers as I thrust into her. 

I hated being a man sometimes. 

She was a beautiful girl and even in my head she deserved better than to be thought of that way. She was more than just a sexual object and she didn’t need some creepy frat guy thinking dirty thoughts about her only moments after meeting her. I cleared my throat, reaching for my drink. I took a long sip as she raised her brows, offering me a sly smirk as she sipped at her own drink. 

“Eleanor is a really sweet girl.” I rested my can on the marble countertop. “She’s been having trouble making friends over here, so it’s nice that she’s found someone to hang out with besides us.” 

“I really like her.” Piper said softly. “I’ve been having trouble making friends, too. I’m not really the best at putting myself out there, you know?”

“I think you’re doing just fine.” I flashed her a reassuring smile, noticing how her cheeks turned a shade darker. “I don’t think I’ve fully introduced myself, love. I’m Harry.”

“I’m Piper.” She held her hand out and I took it, giving it a soft shake. “It’s nice to meet you, Harry.” 

Her skin was so bloody soft, her hands a little cold and damp from the can she was holding. 

“You too.” I said. “If you need anything tonight, please don’t hesitate to find me. I know how overwhelming these parties can be and I’ll be happy to keep you company or walk you out for some fresh air if you need it.” 

“Thank you.” She said softly. “The same goes for you. If you need any company tonight, I’m your girl.” 

Just like that, my mind was back in the gutter. 

All I could hear in my head was the echoes of her sweet moans, her voice chanting over and over again ‘M’your girl, Harry. Yours’. I cleared my throat, giving her a tight smile as I tried to avoid thinking about her tucked in my sheets, writhing and gasping as I licked into her. 

I was so totally fucked.

                                        🥃🔸🥃🔸🥃🔸🥃🔸🥃

“Piper, babe,” I laughed, holding her hips tightly as she swayed. “I think we should sit you down for a minute, yeah?”

“If I sit, I’ll sleep.” She whined, looking up at me with her sweet puppy dog eyes. “Where did Eleanor go?” 

“Eleanor is going upstairs with Louis.” I said softly, digging my fingers into the fleshy skin above the waistband of her jeans. “Do you want me to take you home?”

She pursed her lips, shaking her head as she pressed her hands into my shoulders. 

I knew exactly how we’d gotten here. 

The party was still going strong around us, people dancing and shouting as Piper swayed in front of me. I wanted so badly to brush her hair from her face and stroke the soft skin of her cheek, but I would never do something like that when she was this off her face. Holding onto her hips was already too intimate for my liking, but I was afraid she would topple over without some form of support. She swayed forward, her eyes face pinching up ever so slightly before she pressed one hand to her forehead. I frowned, pulling her closer as a group of guys rushed by.

If Niall hadn’t suggested we play four drinking games in a row, Piper and Eleanor might not have been off their faces within the first two hours of the party. I had to admit that I didn’t exactly mind taking care of Piper. She was a funny drunk, silly puns and snide comments slipping from her lips carelessly as she leaned against me. It was when her eyes started to drift shut and her body started to sway, that I started to worry about her. I pulled her into the kitchen alongside a giggly Eleanor, handing them both bottles of water while I quickly cooked up some pizza rolls that Niall had hidden in the freezer. Both girls ate between loud laughs, knocking into each other as I watched them with a small smile on my face.

 Seeing Eleanor happy made me happy, but seeing her happy with the girl of my dreams made me feel like I was on cloud nine. 

“Mate,” Louis’ hand clapped down on my shoulder and I turned my head as Piper’s body fell into mine. “I can take her off your hands. El told me they live in the same halls-”

“She can barely stand on her own, Lou.” I shook my head, glancing down as she rested her head on my shoulder. “Gonna go put her to bed in my room. I’ll sleep on the couch after everyone is gone.”

“Lock the door if you leave her up there.” Louis said. “I’m going back up to El in a minute, but I figured I should get some painkillers and water for the morning.”

“Bring some up for Piper?” I asked him. “I probably won’t leave her alone in there, knowing all of these jackasses are around.”

“Tell me about it.” Louis snorted out a laugh, shaking his head. “I’ll be up in five.”

I nodded, watching him disappear through the crowd of people in our living room. 

“Hey, love,” I said softly. “Gonna take you upstairs and tuck you in, okay?”

“Kay.” She mumbled, turning her head until her nose brushed against the column of my neck. 

I made a mental note to have a talk with her tomorrow about going places with strangers when she was drunk. I knew that I meant no harm, but we were still getting to know each other. It set off a level of worry that I only ever felt when it came to my Mum or Sister. It was almost a primal need to protect, my arms winding tightly around her as I guided her to the stairs. 

It was no easy feat to get her up the staircase, but when we finally made it to my room, she snapped into a more alert mode. She looked up, her tired eyes growing as wide as they could before she brushed some of her hair out of her face. She looked up at me, her eyes searching my face as I pressed my hand lightly to her lower back. 

“Thank you for taking care of me, Harry.” She said softly. “I’m really sorry I’m ruining your fun.” 

“Nonsense, love.” I shook my head. “S’just another party, there will be plenty more.” 

“Still.” She mumbled. “I don’t want to take your bed. Sleeping on the couch is bad for your back and I overheard that you have a match tomorrow.”

“S’alright.” I said. “I’ve slept on a floor before a match and still kicked ass, Piper. I don’t mind giving my bed up for a good cause.”

She let out an aggravated sigh, rolling her eyes at me. 

I tried not to smile as she grumbled under her breath, reaching for the doorknob to my bedroom door. I followed in behind her, flicking the light switch on before I shut the door behind me. Piper staggered a little and I hovered, my hands waiting to catch her should she fall. Instead, she stumbled over to my bed on bambi like legs, collapsing on the foot with a soft groan. 

“You need some help?” I asked her as she lifted her leg, struggling with her shoe. She merely waved her hand at me, shaking her head. “You want something comfy to change into? I’ve got sweats, shorts-”

“Sweats sound lovely.” She mumbled, a soft ‘aha’ falling from her lips as she finally tugged the shoelace of her boot out of a knot. “You’re a true gentleman, has anyone ever told you that?” 

“My Mum.” I chuckled, walking over to my dresser in search of comfy clothes. 

“S’good,” Piper sighed out as her boot hit the floor. “Hard to find a proper gentleman these days, Harry. I think Jude Law was the last of them.”

“I won’t argue with you there.” I shook my head, trying to contain my laughter as I sifted through my sweatpants. I settled on my favorite pair, the light grey fabric soft and worn. “Do you want a t-shirt to sleep in or a long sleeve shirt?”

“Um, t-shirt.” She mumbled. “Your room is lovely. Did you do all of the decorating yourself?”

“I did, yeah.” I nodded. “Brought a few key things from home, but I spent most of my money in Target when I got here.” 

“Amen to that.” She hiccuped softly. “I like your record player. I’ve always wanted one of those.”

“One day you’ll have to come up and listen to some records with me.” I glanced at her over my shoulder, noting how the corners of her lips ticked up into a girlish grin. “What kind of music do you like?”

“All of it.” She said simply, her voice trailing off. “I’ve always been a fan of classical music for studying. My mom calls me a psychopath.”

“They are known for indulging in the genre.” I snorted, pulling out a white t-shirt before I turned around. “I think that’s lovely, though. I’ve heard some good stuff from Bach in my music theory class and I have to say, it makes for good studying music.”

“That’s what I’m saying.” She said. “I love me some cello, mate.”

“Look at that.” I hummed out, holding the clothes out to her. “Got you talking like a proper brit now, don’t we. Didn’t even know what footy was at the start of the night.” 

“Piss off.” She grumbled, trying to hide her amusement as she mocked my accent. 

“I’m gonna run to Louis' room while you get dressed, okay?” I said. “Gonna steal you some makeup wipes from El’s overnight bag so we can take your makeup off. I want you to lock the door and don’t open it for anyone besides me. I don’t care if it’s Niall or god himself, alright?”

“Alright.” She whispered softly. “You’re really fucking nice, Harry.”

I tried to resist the urge to brush my knuckles over the soft skin of her cheek, but I couldn’t. 

I inhaled sharply as she closed her eyes, leaning into my touch with a soft hum. 

“I’ll be right back.” I said softly. “Lock the door.”

                                        🥃🔸🥃🔸🥃🔸🥃🔸🥃

Piper’s POV 

Falling in love with Harry took me all of five minutes. 

I decided that it was physically impossible not to love someone so perfect. He was a real gentleman, keeping his hands in respectful spots even when I was falling all over him, drunk off my ass. I felt a little guilty about being so touchy-feely with someone I hardly knew, but I was comfortable around him from the start. He stood by my side for most of the night, talking with Eleanor and I as we tossed shots back like water. 

I stood up from the foot of his bed, fiddling with the button on my pants. My vision was most definitely blurry and my fingers were shaking as I swayed on my feet, but I managed to pull the button from the loop before I shoved my pants down my legs. It took a bit of wiggling to get my ass settled into Harry’s sweats, an article of clothing clearly meant for a man with no….assets. 

With a soft hiccup, I worked on my shirt, tossing it to the ground before I reached behind me to take off my bra. My drunk brain didn’t care about etiquette or embarrassment anymore. That all flew out the window with my third shot of tequila that Niall handed over. When I settled the fabric of Harry’s shirt over my tired limbs, I heard a soft knock at the door. 

I stumbled over, pressing my ear against the wood to hear who was there. I was plastered, yeah, but I remembered Harry’s speech about not opening the door for anyone. 

“Who is it?” I called out, my voice breaking just a little. 

“S’me.” I heard Harry’s gruff voice. “S’Harry.” 

I flicked the lock on the door, opening it up with a soft smile. 

Harry held up some makeup wipes and a bottle of water, flashing me a cheesy grin. I laughed, shutting the door and flicking the lock behind him again as he walked into his room. When I turned around, my arms crossed over my chest, he was looking at my body with soft eyes. 

“Everything feel comfy enough to sleep in?” He asked. 

“Yeah, thanks.” I nodded. 

“Alright.” He nodded, looking up at me with glassy jade eyes. “Let’s get you tucked in, shall we?”

I smiled, walking over to his bed. 

I picked the side farthest from the door and closest to the window. 

Harry pulled back the covers, waiting for me to climb in before he rested them over my legs. He set the bottle of water on the bedside table, two painkillers falling to the wood next to the plastic bottle. He sat down next to my legs, ripping into the makeup wipes with ease. I watched him pluck a sheet out before closing the pack back up, tossing it to the nightstand with the other items. I rolled my lips in as he turned towards me, holding the cloth out. 

“Do you want me to do it?” He asked. “Just so you know it’s all gone?” 

“Yes, please.” I nodded. 

I could take my makeup off in my sleep. 

I’d done it before, actually. 

But there was something about being doted on by Harry that I wasn’t ready to give up just yet. 

I preened as he wiped the cloth over my skin with gentle strokes, swiping away concealer and highlighter with ease. I let my eyes slip shut when he asked, his index finger gently brushing at the small bit of liquid liner and shimmery shadow on my lids. When it got to my lips, he did a few quick dabs before his touch was gone from my face all together. 

“All clean.” He smiled, tossing the wipe towards the bin in the corner of the room. “Alright, I’m going to tuck you in and turn on a movie. I’ll just be on the floor next to you if you need anything at all. Bathroom is through that door right there.”

“Don’t sleep on the floor.” I rolled my eyes. “I’m okay with sharing a bed with you, Harry. Friends do that all the time, don’t they?”

“But you’re drunk.” He said softly. “And I don’t want you to feel pressured or uncomfortable-” 

“I don’t.” I said. “From the moment we met, you’ve made me feel very welcomed and comfortable. I promise that I don’t feel unsafe or pressured in any way, Harry. If you feel more comfortable sleeping on the floor, then I understand, but I’m okay with you sleeping next to me.”

Harry reached up to rustle his long strands of hair, his curls flopping about as he looked at me with a curious gaze. He inhaled sharply, nibbling on his lower lip as I stared back at him with raised brows and an amused grin. 

“I’ll put a pillow wall between us and everything.” I said. “If it makes you feel comfortable.”

“I just don’t want you to wake up in the morning and freak out.” He said softly. “You’ve had a lot to drink and if you don’t remember any of this tomorrow, it might be a little scary to wake up with a strange man in your bed.”

“Well, it’s your bed.” I said softly. “And I’ve been worse off than this and still remembered what happened the night before, Harry. I come from a very small town where drinking is considered a sport. This is a regular Tuesday for me.”

“Alright.” He whispered through a breathy laugh. “But if you change your mind at any point through the night, feel free to kick me out of bed.”

“I won’t.” I rolled my eyes. “Get ready for bed, yeah? You’ve got a big day tomorrow and I can’t have you losing a match because of me. People will think I’m bad luck.”

                                         🥃🔸🥃🔸🥃🔸🥃🔸🥃

Harry’s POV 

When I woke up in the middle of the night, our pillow wall was gone. 

Piper’s cheek was pressed into her pillow, soft puffs of air escaping her parted lips as she tightened her grip on my shirt. Her hand was resting on my tummy and her foot was hooked over my calf muscle, but she remained on her side of the bed. I lay there for a minute, watching her peaceful face as she slept. I tried to commit her features to memory, my heart squeezing in my chest as she shuffled around a bit. I rested my hand over hers, softly brushing my fingers over her knuckles as her body moved just a little closer to mine. 

The dry feeling in my mouth pulled me from my peaceful moment, urging me to go downstairs for my own bottle of water. It was silent in the house, no more music pumping through the speakers downstairs, and I felt safe enough to leave Piper on her own in my room without the doors locked. I would only be gone for a few minutes at the most, running down for water before I ran back up to curl back up next to the sleeping girl in my bed. 

When I made it downstairs, Louis was already in the kitchen.

“Hey,” I grumbled, walking over to the fridge. “What are you doing up?”

“Same as you.” He said. “Thirsty.”

“Hmm.” I nodded. “Eleanor still knocked out cold?”

“Yeah.” He chuckled. “Love that girl to death, but she snores like a bloody chainsaw.”

“That she does.” I laughed, pulling a water bottle out. “I’m glad she’s got Piper as a friend. It was nice to see her unwind tonight.”

“It was.” Louis nodded, pressing his hip into the countertop. “Piper likes you.”

I nearly choked on my water as Louis looked up at me. 

“What?” I asked. “How on earth-” 

“It’s obvious, mate.” Louis rolled his eyes, an amused grin on his lips. “She’s got a bit of a crush on you, but what girl doesn’t?”

“Lou-” I said slowly, my eyes narrowing. “Why do I feel like you’re about to give me a speech.”

“It would break my heart if Eleanor lost her as a friend, Harry.” Louis said softly. “She doesn’t have anyone over here and I at least have you and Niall, you know? If she lost Piper because you two decided to fool around and things ended badly-”

“That’s not what this is.” I said quickly. “And I don’t appreciate what you’re trying to say, either. I would never hurt Piper, or anyone, on purpose. She’s a very sweet girl and it just so happens that I’ve liked her for a while.”

“You know each other, then?” Louis brows arched up and I sighed. “Wasn’t aware.” 

“We don’t know each other, but I’ve seen her around campus.” I mumbled. “Always had my eyes on her, Lou. She’s fucking gorgeous.”

“Harry,” Louis said softly. “I’m asking you as a friend, please don’t get involved.” 

“That’s a shitty thing to ask.” My voice was hoarse. “It’s late and we’re both still pissed. I’m going to bed.” 

“Just think about it.” He said, knocking his knuckles against the countertop. 

Lucky for Louis, it was all I could think about for the rest of the night.

                                         🥃🔸🥃🔸🥃🔸🥃🔸🥃

Piper’s POV 

When I woke up the next morning, I could feel Harry’s heartbeat against my cheek.

The annoying beeping of his alarm had me groaning and turning my face into his chest. I heard him mutter a soft series of ‘sorry’s’ before it turned off. Harry’s arm draped over my back, holding me against his chest as I closed my eyes again. I let out a soft hum as he brushed his fingers up and down my back, his chest rising and falling slowly under my head. 

“I see that we’ve lost the pillow wall.” Harry’s voice was deep and raspy, causing a shiver to run up my spine. 

“Sorry.” I whispered, lifting my head up as I pressed my palm to his chest. “I guess I tossed it aside in the middle of the night.” 

“You did.” He chuckled softly. “You pushed it down with your feet and then you pulled it out and chucked it because you were trying to get comfortable.” 

“You watched me?” I asked, blinking a few times to try and focus my vision as I rested my chin on the back of my hand.

“I felt you flopping around like a fish out of water and I had to check on you.” He said slowly, his own eyes still shut. “I fell back asleep and when I woke up for a wee you were snuggled so tightly against me that I could barely pry you off.”

“I didn’t know that I was a cuddler.” I mumbled softly. “I’ve never really slept in a bed with anyone else before.”

“Well, you can tick that box off of your bucket list.” He smiled, his fingers still brushing over my back as I looked down at him. “You staring at me?” 

“A little.” I confessed, a small smile creeping up on my lips. “Think you’re pretty.”

“Love,” He let out a breathy chuckle. “Easy.”

“What?” I asked, dropping my head back to his chest. “Why can’t I say you're pretty? We spent the night together, I’m allowed to compliment you a little.”

“Do you think it’s a good idea to flirt with me?” He cleared his throat, shifting around under me. I groaned, falling back to the pillow next to him. “Do friends flirt?”

Friends.

I should have known better. 

There was no way on earth someone like Harry would want to be with someone like me.

“Friends can call each other pretty.” I said dejectedly, turning on my side. “And friends can cuddle, too.”

“Well, if it makes you feel better, you’re an amazing cuddler.” He said softly, pressing his palm to my bicep as he leaned over to kiss my temple. “You’re welcome to sleep more if you’d like, but I would love to take you out to breakfast.”

“Breakfast?” I turned my head, looking at him with furrowed brows. “I thought you had a match this morning?”

“I’ve got a few hours.” He rested his body next to mine, his head falling on the pillow next to mine lazily. “Eleanor will be at the match.”

“I know.” I whispered. 

“You should sit with her.” Harry smiled. “I would like that.”

“Okay.” I said softly as he snaked his arm underneath my own, curling it around my middle. I tried to fight off a smile. “Thought we were getting up?”

“Few more minutes.” He mumbled. “You smell nice. S’that your perfume or your shampoo?”

“Probably both.” I smiled, resting my palm over his forearm. “Both sweet pea scented.”

“Piper.” He mused. “Sweet pea.”

“What are you mumbling about?” I asked, trying to contain my giggles at his sleepy rambling. 

“Gonna call you sweet pea.” He mumbled. “Because your name starts with a P and you’re so sweet.” 

Fuck being friends. 

I liked this boy.

And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t ignore the fluttering feeling in my stomach. 

I was truly fucked.

                                           ⚽️🔹⚽️🔹⚽️🔹⚽️

December

Piper’s POV 

There were only a few seconds left in the match and our boys were killing it. 

Eleanor gripped my hand tighter as Louis shouted to Niall across the field. Seconds later, he was kicking the ball with the side of his foot. Harry was much closer to the goal, ready to land the winning kick into the goal. I looked at him, his chest heaving and his hairline coated in a thin sheen of sweat. His face was intense and it made my thighs clench ever so slightly to see him so serious. He was always so attractive in the middle of a game, his brows pulled together and his lips pinched tightly together. I loved watching him pull his hair up before a game, twisting the long strands around before he tossed it up in a bun on top of his head. 

“He’s got this.” I said. “Come on, Lou!”

“He’s gonna pass to Harry.” She shook her head. “He has to, babe. He’ll miss from back there.”

“They have five fucking seconds.” We always got a bit snippy during games, but never at each other. “It better be a flawless fucking pass.”

Louis passed the black and white checked ball to Harry with a swift kick and I held my breath, waiting to see what would happen. Harry pushed a guy on the opposing team gently with his shoulder, sliding low until his foot collided with the ball. Just as the last second ticked down, it collided with the net behind the goal and Harry collapsed on his back as players rushed around him. 

Everyone cheered loudly, Eleanor jumping up with a loud cheer alongside the crowd. I could barely move, my heart thumping so loudly that it was all I could hear. I watched Harry’s back flat on the ground, my eyes watering as he continued to stay still. When I saw him sit up, shaking his head, I finally took a deep breath. Moments later, Louis and Niall were lifting him up on their shoulders. 

“Thank, fuck.” I whispered, standing up next to Eleanor as I clapped. 

Harry’s eyes flitted to the stands, landing on mine with a wide grin. 

He was covered in mud and dirt, but he was fine. 

Eleanor grabbed my hand, guiding me down towards the field. 

She was quick to launch on Louis when her feet hit the grass and Niall was quick to run over and scoop me up. I patted him on the back, laughing as he shook me around in his arms. 

“We won!” He cheered. “We bloody won!” 

“I know!” I chuckled, brushing my hand over the back of his head. “I’m proud of you, Ni.”

He put me on my feet, pressing a kiss to my cheek before he turned around to Harry. He grabbed his best mate by the face, kissing his forehead before he ran off shouting something that was terribly hard to make out. I rolled my eyes, steadying myself on my feet. Harry walked over to me, holding his arms out with that same wide and cheeky grin on his lips. 

“Come give your best mate a hug,” He said. “Gotta thank my good luck charm.”

“Harry, no.” I said, holding my hands up. “You’re covered in mud and grass and- Harry!” 

I squealed, taking off on the grass as Harry chased me. 

I dodged a few members of the opposing team, apologizing profusely. 

It didn’t take very long for Harry to wrap his arms around me, pulling me against his chest. 

“I deserve a bloody hug, sweet pea.” He squeezed me tight. “I won!”

“I know, but you’re gross.” I groaned, dropping my head back. “You get to shower before we go to lunch and I don’t.” 

“You could always join.” He whispered, his lips brushing against the shell of my ear. “Know you’ve been dying to see me naked, haven’t ya pea?”

“I will elbow you.” I grumbled, spinning around in his arms. “Don’t be a prick.”

“Just like watching you blush, Piper.” He reached over, pinching my cheek softly. “Where are we going for lunch today?” 

“Where do we always go for lunch?” I rolled my eyes. “Go on, get cleaned up so we can go.”

“Fine, fine.” He sighed. “I’ll see you in ten?”

“I’ll be here.”

I walked back over to Eleanor and Louis, my mind stuck on Harry’s cheeky comment. 

I hated when he did stuff like that. 

He was always toying with my emotions, pulling me to and fro like I didn’t have any feelings at all. He knew that I had a crush on him and he knew that it sucked for me to be so close, but I had the power to stop it at any time. The truth was that I couldn’t stomach the thought of being away from him like that. I wanted him in my life, no matter how I could have him. I walked towards Eleanor with a heavy sigh, crossing my arms over my chest as she kissed Louis deeply. 

Being around a couple constantly was torture when you weren’t apart of one yourself. Especially when the person you wanted to be a couple with was always around anyways. When the pair were done kissing, Louis ran off towards the stadium to take a shower in the locker room. Eleanor smiled over at me and I gave her a blank stare, my lips turning down. 

“What happened?” she asked softly. 

“He’s done it again!” I tossed my hands up. “He was all ‘you should come shower with me, I know you want to see me naked’. Isn’t he the one who keeps insisting we should just be friends?” 

“He’s an idiot.” She rolled her eyes. “I hate that he keeps doing this and I hate that you won’t let me talk to him about it.”

“I don’t want to come between you and an old friend, El.” I shook my head. “He’ll grow up eventually, I guess. If he doesn’t, I guess I’ll have to start moving on.”

“I think you two would be so perfect for each other, babe.” She sighed. “I don’t know what his deal is!”

“Has Louis said anything?” I ask softly. “I don’t want to pry but-”

“Not a word.” She said, her sympathetic grin causing my heart to sink. “He spends all of his time with you and we both know that he’s into you, but something is holding him back.”

“Yeah.” I grimaced. “I like him so much, El.”

“I know.” She frowned. “I wish I could smack some sense into that thick skull of his. I mean, men can be so daft and then they say we’re the complicated ones!”

“I know!” I exclaimed. “Anyways, you and Lou are still coming to lunch with us, right?”

“Yeah.” She nodded. “Louis is dying for a turkey apple sandwich.”

“That does sound good.” I hummed out. “I was thinking about soup, though, it’s freezing out here.”

“Oh, soup.” She groaned out. “That’s perfect,”

                                                        ⚽️🔹⚽️🔹⚽️🔹⚽️

Harry’s Pov

I wrapped my towel around my waist, letting out a heavy sigh as I turned the faucet off. 

I hated what I was doing to Piper. 

My sweet pea.

I couldn’t help but rile her up like that, watching her face flush red as I whispered in her ear. 

Part of me was certain that I was riling her up so that she would make the first move. If that was the case, maybe Louis would realize that our feelings for each other were real. 

“Mate,” Louis said. “What was that on the field?” 

“What do you mean?” I asked, my brows furrowing as I walked up to my locker. “We won, Lou.”

“I meant when you were chasing Piper.” He said. “That was flirting, Harry.”

I snapped my mouth shut. 

If he heard the things that passed between Piper and I when we were alone, he’d be livid. 

It was borderline verbal sex with us sometimes, the tension so thick that it had her clamping her legs shut and me shifting in my seat. 

“Was just teasing her, Lou.” I rolled my eyes. “You’re not getting onto Niall for picking her up and kissing her face.”

“Niall means no harm.”

“And neither do I.” I shot him a glare. “Mind your mouth.”

“Why her, Harry?” He sighed. “You could have any bird or lad on campus and you want her, why?”

“Because she’s Piper.” I turned towards him. “She’s the one that I want, okay. I can’t tell you why I think about her every moment of the day or why I want to be with her, I just do. I want to be there for her and you’re stupid fucking fear for Eleanor is standing in my way.”

“You can do what you want.” Louis’ jaw tensed. “M’not standing in your fookin’ way, mate.”

“But you are!” I shouted. “You are because you know that I would never do anything to hurt you or El because you’re family to me. You asked me not to do something and I’m being respectful of that because I respect you. I can’t say that you respect me though, because you would never ask this of me if you did. Can’t you see that this is killing me?”

Louis let out a frustrated huff as I turned back to my locker. 

I grabbed my clothes, angrily pulling them on before I ran my towel over the wet strands of my hair. Piper would be pissed to see me pulling at my curls instead of properly scrunching them up with a soft t-shirt, but I couldn’t be arsed to care about that right now. I slammed my locker shut, hiking my bag onto my shoulder before I stormed out of the locker room. When I walked out onto the field, Eleanor and Piper were whispering amongst themselves. 

“I just don’t get it.” Piper let out a sad sigh. “I want-”

“I know, babe!” Eleanor interrupted her with a chipper voice, pressing her hand to Piper’s bicep with a wide smile. “I wish they still had pumpkin spice too, I already miss it.”

“You women and your pumpkin spice.” I grumbled, pressing my hand to Piper’s hip before I leaned down to kiss her cheek. “Know you miss it, Pea, but it’s peppermint season now.”

“You’re right.” She gave me a playful pout. “I guess I can survive with that for now.”

“Thatta girl.” I chuckled, pulling my hand back as she reached up to touch my hair. “What?”

“You didn’t scrunch your hair properly, H.” She sighed. “I’ve told you to take better care of these curls! They’re going to be frizzy when they dry.”

I licked over my bottom lip, resisting the urge to lean down and kiss the pout off of her lips. 

“Sweet Pea, I’m sorry.” I said softly. “I was in a little bit of a rush, yeah? Wanted to get my favorite girls to lunch.”

“In that case, I guess I can forgive you.” She mumbled. 

                                                    ☕️☕️☕️☕️

Piper’s POV 

I sipped at my peppermint latte as Harry tossed a french fry into his mouth. 

“So when are you all flying home?” I asked. “Only a few weeks left until Christmas and exams are almost over.”

“El and I are flying out next Friday.” Louis said, smiling over at his girlfriend. “I’m excited to see me Mum and sisters.”

“Me too.” Eleanor nodded. “Missed them all.”

“What about you, H?” I asked. 

“I decided to stay.” He shrugged. “I don’t want to disrupt my schedule mid year, you know? It’ll be hard for me to get back into things come January if I spend an entire three weeks vegging out with Mum and Gem.”

“Oh.” I said softly, my face falling as he cleared his throat. 

He was avoiding something and he was sad about it. 

“I’m not going home either.” I said softly. “Too expensive to fly around the holiday’s, you know? Don’t make nearly enough being a full time fan girl for the footie team.”

“Tell me about it.” Eleanor rolled her eyes playfully. “Who do I talk to about getting that raise I was promised.”

“Oh, you get plenty as it is.” Louis leaned forward, capturing her lips. “Pay you in love and other things.”

Harry let out a frustrated sigh, standing up from the table. 

“I’ve gotta go.” He pulled his wallet out, tossing twenty five dollars onto the table. “S’enough for both of us and the tip, Pea. I’ll see you later in Mcgregor Hall for our study session.”

“H-”

“Bye.” He leaned over, pressing a sloppy kiss to my forehead before doing the same to El. 

I watched him storm out with a confused look on my face. 

“Should I not have asked about Christmas?” I looked at Eleanor with soft eyes. “I can’t….El, I can’t do this anymore.”

“Babe, it’s gonna be fine.” She said softly. “He’s just a bit moody today, isn’t he? Misses his Mum a whole lot, it has nothing to do with you.” 

“What are you two on about?” Louis asked, glancing between us. “Is something going on between you and Harry?”

“No.” I shook my head. “That’s the problem.”

“They have this chemistry and Piper really likes Harry, but he told her that being friend’s was their best option.” Eleanor explained softly. “Sometimes he’s sweet on her though and it makes her sad because she wants him.”

“El.” I mumbled, my cheeks growing warm. “He doesn’t need all of the details.”

“You like that miserable sod?” Louis asked. “You’re not worried about a relationship with him ruining your friendship?” 

“Not really.” I shook my head at Louis. “Harry and I will always be friends.” 

“No, I mean,” Louis sighed. “You’re not worried about it ruining you and Eleanor’s friendship?”

“No.” I said slowly. “What are you talking about?”

“I feel like if you and Harry were to break up, you wouldn’t want to be friends with El because he’s always around.” Louis said softly. “Wouldn’t that be hard?”

“For a bit, yeah.” I shrugged. “We’re both mature, though. I think we could work through any differences and remain friends.”

“Why are you being so nosy?” Eleanor narrowed her eyes, looking at Louis. “What have you done?”

“Nothin’!” Louis exclaimed. “I’ve not done anythin’.”

“Louis!” She cried out. “You’re lying to me.”

“M’not.” He fidgeted in his seat, avoiding her gaze. “Swear I meant well.”

“Louis, what did you do?” I asked softly, my heart dropping as he avoided my gaze. “What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything, I just…” He licked over his bottom lip, looking between Eleanor and I with wide eyes. “I just asked him to consider your friendship with Eleanor before making any moves on you. I didn’t want to see her lose her best friend, you know?”

“You’re a sodding prick, Louis Tomlinson.” Eleanor snapped. “You knew that Harry would respect that if you asked. He thinks of you as a brother and he would do anything for you.”

“I have to go.” I grabbed my bag and my coat. “I have to find Harry.”

“Go on,” Eleanor said. “I’ve got a very naughty boyfriend to deal with.”

                                           ❄️💠❄️💠❄️💠❄️

The first place I ran to was the frat house. 

Harry wasn’t there and Niall hadn’t seen him at all. 

The second place I ran was the park on the far end of campus that we often spent weekends at.

He wasn’t there either. 

When I finally found him, I was only a little shocked. 

“You just played a match, mate.” I let out a relieved sigh when he snapped his head up, his eyes softening when he saw me. “What are you doing out here?”

“Just needed to clear my head.” He said as I walked closer. “Why are you here?”

“I had to see you.” I took a deep breath, swiping the ball from between Harry’s feet with a swift kick. It landed in the goal and Harry let out an amused, but breathy chuckle. “I’m getting good.”

“You’ve got a good teacher.” He snorted out a laugh. “Everything okay, sweet pea?”

“No.” I said. “You see, I’ve got this friend and he’s having some girl trouble.”

“Oh, yeah?” He asked. “What’s his deal?”

“He really likes this girl and he flirts with her all the time, but he hasn’t made a move.” I shrugged, glancing up at Harry. “There’s this other friend of theirs that asked an impossible favor of him and he’s being loyal, which I admit is admirable, but a little daft, as you would say.”

Harry’s Adam's apple bobbed up and down softly and he looked over my head. 

“He does sound quite daft, doesn’t he?” He let out a soft laugh, closing his eyes. “Piper-”

“It makes me love him more though.” I said softly. “The fact that he’s putting aside his feelings because he’s that loyal to the people he loves. It’s stupid, but really sweet.”

“You think so?” He asked, his eyes a little watery as he looked down at me. 

“I do.” I nodded. “Why didn’t you talk to me about this, Harry? We share everything with each other and-”

“This was the one thing I couldn’t tell you, pea.” He said softly. “I never wanted to hurt you and...I knew that this would.  I didn’t want you to feel like I was choosing something over you, because that isn’t the case.” 

“Harry, it’s okay.” I said softly. “I would have understood and I also would have had a very long talk with Louis about minding his own business, darling. You’re free to be with whoever you want and no one can tell you otherwise.”

“What if I want to be with my beautiful best friend, pea?” He reached up, brushing his thumb over my chin. “What if I want to be with the girl that stole my heart the moment I saw her?”

“Then make a fucking move, Styles.” I let out a breathy laugh as he leaned closer. “She won’t wait around forever. She’s a fucking catch and-”

Harry’s lips pressed into mine, cold and wet and perfect. 

I pressed my fingers into his shoulders, gripping his coat tightly with glove covered fingers. 

He tilted his head slightly, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of my lips. 

“You’re perfect, Piper.” His breath washed over my lips as I shuffled closer, desperately seeking his body heat. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.” I said. “Just be with me, H. Be mine.”

“I’ve always been yours, Piper.” He brushed the tip of his nose over mine. “Always will be.”

When Harry’s lips pressed to mine again, something wet landed on my cheek. 

We both pulled back, looking up at the sky with wide smiles. 

“Snow.” I said softly. 

“Christmas miracle isn’t complete with snow, is it?” He teased, brushing his nose against mine. 

“Shut up and kiss me.” 

                                                 🎄❄️🎄❄️🎄❄️

Harry’s POV 

Louis looked like a child who had just been told Santa wasn’t real when Piper and I walked back into the cafe holding hands. He shot me a soft look that said ‘mate, I’m really sorry for being a dickhead’ and I gave him a tight smile in response. We still needed to have a talk about everything, but there was no use in fighting over something that was in the past now. It felt good, sitting next to Piper as her boyfriend and not just her best friend. It was sudden and my mind was still reeling, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. I walked her back to her dorm that night with a pout on my lips and our fingers tightly laced together. 

“I don’t want to say goodbye, pea.” I mumbled, my thumb brushing against her cheek softly as we stood in front of her door. “Just got you.”

“You’ve always had me.” She snorted out a soft laugh. 

“Never been able to make out with you, though.” I wiggled my brows. “Think we can finally carry through on all that sexual banter we’ve been partaking in.”

“Yeah.” She said quickly, her cheeks getting pinker. “But not tonight, H. Think we should take some time apart to think about things before we jump right in. It’s going to be a bit different now and I need to get used to the idea.” 

“Take as much time as you need.” I pressed my lips to hers in a soft kiss. “I’ll be waiting.”

I was only slightly regretting my words now. 

Everyone had left for Christmas and we had the house to ourselves. 

We were in the middle of a movie marathon in the living room, a few bottles of wine and takeout boxes scattered on the coffee table as we snuggled into each other. Piper’s head rested on my chest and her fingers rested against my stomach, slightly drumming over the bit of holiday weight I had put on over the last week or so. She looked so cute all snuggled up in my sweater and a pair of fluffy sucks, my sweatpants tucked into them carelessly. 

“You’re thinking too loud.” She whispered, lifting her head up. “What’s going on in your head, H?”

“Just thinking about how cute you are.” I smiled down at her. “You’re all snuggled up in my clothes with your pretty hair and your pretty eyes. I just can’t believe that I’m lucky enough to call you my girl.”

Her eyes searched my face as I reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. 

“I want you.” She said softly. “But I’m scared.”

“I wasn’t…” I trailed off. “M’not trying to get in your pants, sweet pea. I just wanted you to know that I’m so in love with you.”

“And I’m in love with you.” She sat up. “And I would really, really like to show you how much I love you.”

“When you’re ready.” I said. “I know that you didn’t have the best first time and you’re a little nervous to dive back in, but I can wait. I want you to be one hundred percent ready when the time comes.”

She inhaled sharply before giving me a soft nod. 

“I love you.” I said, brushing my thumb over her bottom lip. “Get back over ‘ere, pea. Wanna snuggle you some more.”

                                               🎄❄️🎄❄️🎄❄️

Piper’s POV 

Harry was snoring softly in my ear on the couch. 

The sun had long gone down and the credits for The Holiday were rolling on the flatscreen in Harry’s living room. With a soft groan, I flipped around in his arms, nuzzling my face into his chest as he tightened his arms around me. The scent of his cologne filled my senses, nearly lulling me back to sleep. I was moments from falling back into dreamland when I felt something firm pressing between my thighs, causing my eyes to snap open. I pulled back to look at Harry’s face, his eyes still shut as he continued to softly snore. He was still fast asleep. 

I let out a soft gasp, my walls clenching down as I shifted against his thigh. I let out a soft gasp, my fingers tightening against his sweater as I stilled my hips. I tilted my head back, looking over his face as he slept peacefully. I didn’t want to wake him, but was done waiting. I wanted him. I wanted everything with Harry and I especially wanted to indulge passion filled moments with frantic hands and desperate kisses with a christmas film playing in the background. 

“Harry.” I said his name softly, my fingers trailing up his throat to cup his cheek. “Harry, baby, wake up.”

“S’wrong?” He asked, tucking his head down. “You alright?”

“I want you.” I said it softly, my heart pounding against my chest. “I’m ready.”

“Sweet pea, s’late.” He opened his eyes. “Are you sleep talkin’?”

“No.” I shook my head. “I mean it.” 

I rolled my hips, grinding my core against his thigh to really send the message through. 

“Piper.” He gasped, his eyes wide open. “Darling, what….what’re you doing?”

“Was trying to snuggle up to you and you put your thigh between my legs, H.” I said timidly, my face heating up under his gaze. His lips were curling into a soft smile and I bit the inside of my cheek. “It felt nice.”

“S’that why you want me?” He let out a breathy laugh, shaking his head. “Needy girl.”

“Please.” I whispered. “I need you.”

“I’ve got ye’.” He leaned down, pressing a series of soft kisses to my lips. “Gonna push your pants down, okay?”

I nodded, but she shook his head. 

“If we’re doing this, I want to hear you.” He said. “I need you to say what you want.”

“Take my pants off.” I griped, tilting my head back.

“Good girl.” 

Two little words.

They sent a shockwave through my body, running straight to my core. 

I let out a soft whimper as he pushed at the waistband of my pants. 

“M’too tired to fuck you.” He said softly. “But I promise to make you feel so good, sweet pea. Gonna have you cummin’ fo’ me.”

“Please.” 

I shifted my hips as he moved the waistband of my sweats to my thighs, his hand brushing up the skin of my leg to my hip. He gave it a soft squeeze as our lips collided and I squirmed beneath him. He pulled back, brushing his nose against mine with his eyes shut tight. 

“Do you want my fingers?” He asked me softly. 

“I do.” I nodded. “My fingers are too small and I can never get the angle right when I try.”

“Fuck, pea.” He groaned, opening his eyes. “You’re killing me, my love.”

“Just want to love you.” I pouted my bottom lip out. “Wanna feel good.”

“I know, darling.” He sponged a few soft kisses over my hairline. “Let me get on my back, okay. I want you to ride my fingers.”

Harry wrapped his arms around my body, turning onto his back. I fumbled, my chest pressed tightly to his as he let one of his hands trail over my bum. I whimpered when he tucked his fingers between the crease of my bum and my thigh, brushing the pads of his fingers over my lower lips. His other hand maneuvered its way between our bodies, his thumb brushing swiftly over my clit before it dipped towards my entrance. 

“S’this okay?” He asked. “You feel comfortable?” 

“Yes.” I nodded. “I’m good.” 

He inserted his thumb, pulling it out quickly before he slipped it back up to my clit. 

He rubbed soft circles over it as his fore and middle finger brushed over my entrance in a teasing manner. 

I rolled my hips, desperate to have them inside of me. 

“Yeah, just like that.” He said gruffly. “Ride my fingers, sweet pea. Take what you want from me.”

I gasped when he pushed two fingers into me, my slick walls stretching around them as I moved my hips. I pushed down as Harry curled his fingers up, stroking over that spongy spot inside of me. I moved my hips up, his fingers sliding out slowly before I fucked back onto them. He cooed, brushing the pad of his thumb over my clit in quick circles. 

“You’re so tight, Piper.” He whispered into my hairline as I gripped onto his shoulders. “You’re clenching my fingers so tight.”

“Feels so good, Harry.” I whimpered. “Wanna cum.”

“Are you close?” He asked, a teasing lilt to his voice. “My girl is so greedy, isn’t she? Gonna cum before I properly fuck her with my fingers becuase she wants it so bad, isn’t that right?”

“Yes.” I gasped against his throat. “I need to cum, Harry. It feels so good and I can’t...I need it, baby. Please let me cum.”

“Take it.” He said, sliding his free hand up to my hip. “Take it from me, Piper. Make yourself cum for me sweet pea.”

I felt my thighs clamping as he pressed harder against my clit, my hips stilling against his hand as he stroked that spongy spot inside of me. I felt my walls clenching down around his digits, my whole body warm as my mouth fell open. It was better than any orgasm I had ever experienced on my own and it had me crying out into the skin of his neck. He brushed his hand up my back, slowly slipping my fingers out as I started to come down. 

“You’re so good.” he whispered. “That was perfect, darling. Did so well for me, didn’t you, pea?” 

“That was nice.” I mewled. “Thank you, thank you-”

“Gonna treat you so good tomorrow, darling.” He promised, a sharp edge to his voice. “Gonna spend hours with my head between those pretty thighs and then I’m gonna fuck you like you want. Gonna have you screaming for me, sweet pea.”

I whimpered into his neck, nodding. 

“I want that.” I whispered. 

My eyes felt heavy as he started to pull my pants back up. 

“I love you so much, H.” I whispered, my eyes slipping shut as he covered me up. “Love you, darling.”

“I love you more, pea.” he whispered. “Go to sleep, baby. I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

I drifted off to the sound of Harry’s voice, my face snuggling into his shirt. 

This was all I ever needed. 

[rogershoe]

Lights, Camera, Action

Part seven

(Part six)

Summary: You’re a production assistant on the set of Cursed. The night before your first day at work, you opened your laptop to shockingly realise you’d be working with Daniel Sharman (and a plethora of other amazing actors), someone you’d been watching on screen since you were a teenager. You kept your expectations low, the PAs rarely got to interact with the talent…what was your chance?

Word count: 3.1k

Tag list: @sxperncturalimpala67 @mrsaaronkeener @tinygardensoul @disasterday @5am-cigarette @lancelotapricot @demoiselle-en-detresse00 @slytherlight @18somethingpsyche @ceruleanmusings @glxctt @cavillxhenry @lovelyapplessss @hereagainsstuff @linkpk88 @aliceperdida @weeping-redemption @magicalsaladnacho @ineedyourskulls @fandomarstrash @cheythefangirl @pure-ghost @estrielle @tessxblxckthorn @isaac-lahey-is-bae @bubblyanis @proudhufflepuff77 @dollfacev8 @everlastingdreams @thehatredofshiprrick​

Warnings: age gap between reader and Daniel, swearing, slow burn, mentions of sex

Notes: So sorry if this chapter is also a bit all over the place! I’ve been very distracted with school and it’s been a bit harder to find the time to write. All that said, here’s chapter seven and I hope you guys enjoy it!! Sorry again in advance for the lack of Daniel content, but I promisee that the next will have a lot more to make up for it. Thanks for reading!

(picture by @archivesharman​)

“We’re good then?” he said, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear.

“Ofcourse….yeah….we were always good” you mumbled.

He smiled at you before turning around and walking away. 

What had just happened? You didn’t know if this day was the best you had ever had or the worst. 

It was probably both. 

As you pulled off your headset, your heartbeat thudded in your ears. Too many thoughts rushed through your mind, some good some bad. Why was he apologising to you? Did he really think he was at fault? And had he actually heard the part where Cassandra mentions you getting nervous around him? Had he noticed your uneasy behaviour? Or was he going to start noticing? 

You thought you’d hid it oh so well…that no one could tell you had a weird crush on Daniel. Was it even a crush? Or was it feelings? You barely knew him, you’d have to get over it sooner or later…or atleast you hoped you would. 

One part of you wished you could be like Siara. She didn’t give a shit if they were actors. She saw them as regular human beings and nothing more. She didn’t get nervous or starstruck. From what you’d seen, those were the type of people actors felt comfortable around to like and be friends with. Not anxious fangirls like you.

You shook your head, shivering. Why did it have to be so cold? 

6:06 pm 

You walked into your apartment, which was not much warmer than the outside. You took off your sweater and put on a thicker one, also grabbing a warm blanket and settling on your couch. The second you turned on your tv, you saw that Netflix was recommending Medici to you. You had seen from Daniels instagram that he was starring in the second season. Maybe this was a sign that it was time to watch the first. You clicked play and leaned back into your couch, letting the show whisk you away from your own troubles. 

Tuesday, January 15th, 2019

3:32 am

You jerked awake when your phone vibrated on your thigh. You were shocked when you looked down at your watch to see it was half past three. You had only gotten through one episode of Medici before falling asleep from your exhaustion. You contemplated falling asleep again but decided against it, you were starving and hadn’t had anything to eat since 12:30. 

You felt oddly refreshed, and felt like going out to get something to eat. You usually weren’t the spontaneous type, especially not at 3 am…but for some reason, your body craved fast food and also the cold night air. You though it out in your head and decided that you could get drive thru and eat it in your car, and by the time you were done, it would be time for work anyways. 

You got up and got ready. Freshening up and putting on your “work clothes”. You hadn’t slept for eight hours straight in a while and so didn’t even feel the need to drink your usual cup of morning coffee. 

You grabbed your jacket and headed out, your keys jingling as you locked your apartment door. 

The night breeze was just as you imagined. The cold crisp air felt oddly refreshing against your face, and you could almost taste the coldness when you inhaled. You had kept your car window down, weirdly craving the chillness. 

After a few minutes though, you found yourself shivering and rolled up your car window, licking your lips to warm them. You thought over where to get breakfast (or dinner?), and decided that McDonalds was your best bet. You knew they’d be open and also exactly what to get. 

It took you five minutes to get to your local McDonalds. You pulled into the drive thru window and ordered a McChicken, a large fries, a coke, and an Oreo mcflurry. You usually never ate a big breakfast, especially before work, but you were starving and felt like you could eat their whole menu. Actually, you were holding back. 

You got the food, breathing deeply when the hot smell of salty fries wafted towards your nose. There was a 7/11 a few shops down so you went and parked in front of it. From you seat, you could clearly see the door of the 7/11, and also the inside through the windows. It was one of the few places open at this time and you loved people watching. Especially people at a store at 4 am in the morning.

You pulled out your food and took a bite, your jaw aching with pleasure. When you took a sip of the coke, you could feel the cool liquid travel down your throat and through your chest.  You looked up and saw that there was a cashier inside the 7/11, a teenage boy. He was sitting on a chair, his eyes droopy.

You tore your eyes from him when you heard a car pull into a parking spot a few spaces away from you. Your eyes widened in confusion when you saw Bradley step out. You knew your next actions were stupid and immature but you still went ahead. 

You quickly (but carefully) put your food down on the seat next to you, and with unnatural swiftness, pushed/jumped yourself onto the back seat, lying flat on your back so he wouldn’t see you. You hoped he hadn’t seen the car move, but you don’t think he did since a second later you saw him walk into the 7/11, unbothered. You took a deep breath looking at your watch, it was 4:12 am. Huey had texted you saying that the crew and actors both would have an early start today. You would have to be at the studio by 5:00, which was 10 minutes from the store. 

The position you were in wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was definitely getting slightly hard to breath. What the fuck were you doing? You should just get up and continue eating, he probably wouldn’t see you anyways. 

Before you could, you saw him coming out and froze, holding your breath. You saw him look into your car but not at you, just at the empty front seats. There was a small box in his hand but you couldn’t tell what it was. You waited for his car to pull out but after waiting for almost thirty seconds, you got increasingly confused. Suddenly the car started shaking rhythmically and your eyes widened when you realised what he was doing. 

He was busy now so you quickly got up and climbed into the front seat. 

Seriously? He was really having sex in a car an hour before work? It was odd but you weren’t one to judge. You actually envied his spontaneity. 

You started your car and drove away.

4:50 am

You opened the door of your car and got out, locking it behind you. You felt sick from all the food you ate, especially since it was right after you woke up. After you had driven away from the 7/11, you had decided to just eat in the studio’s parking lot and wait until it was time for work. Now.

You walked towards the building, rubbing your hands up and down your arms, your keys jingling in between your fingers. It was freezing this early in the morning. 

When you walked into the studio, you were surprised to see all of the PAs except Bradley and Jay standing in a group together, talking to Huey. You walked over and greeted them, standing next to Siara. Huey was looking through the papers and you took the opportunity to ask her what exactly was happening. 

“What’re you guys talking about?” you whispered.

She turned to you, also speaking quietly, “Something about how we might have to travel somewhere”

“Us?” you said surprised. 

She nodded. You swallowed, trying to lessen your excitement. They would probably want the more experienced PAs anyways. 

Huey cleared his throat and you turned to look at him. 

“Alright. Please listen carefully since I’m not going to repeat this”

Everyone nodded and he continued, “To make a long story short, we’re going to be moving filming to England in two weeks and we want all of you to come with us. It’s fine if you’re unable to, but it would be extremely convenient for the production if our crew were mostly the same” 

He paused and you took a glance at Siara. Her expression was blank. You sighed looking away and at Huey, who was now speaking again.

“All expenses, plane tickets and accommodation are payed for. Along with lunch, breakfast is also included. We’ll be in England for nine months with a two week break every three months”

Distraught spread through you as you realised you would have to be in England for nine fucking months…only if you accepted. 

You nodded as Huey handed a folder to each of you, “This has all of the information you’ll need…if you decide to come, sign this and give it to me before the end of this week”. He walked away, leaving you all to discuss what you were to do. 

Louis spoke up first, smiling widely, “Please tell me you guys are coming, you have to come”, he sounded like an excited child.

You beamed, “I really want to…but, it’s more than half a year”, you saw a sad expression spread over his face. 

“I’m going…I’ve always wanted to visit Europe” you heard Siara say. 

“Come on Y/N” Louis said looking at you.

“I’ll decide when I go home and let you both know” you said smiling. You wanted to go so bad, but the thought of nine months away from home terrified you. Even if you could visit.

10:48 pm

You had just gotten out of the shower and settled into your bed after drying off. Your work day had been exciting of course, but definitely not as eventful as yesterday. You hadn’t interacted with Daniel except your usual “hey”. You had talked to Jasmine about the change in shooting and she had told you that her and Cassandra were definitely going. Although you hated Cassandra, Jasmine was one of your closest friends on set and that made the decision much easier. 

You pulled out your phone and opened your’s and Louis’ chat.

Y/N                                                                                                                         Hey, good news! I’ve decided I’m gonna come. I’m gonna miss Talia, but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I don’t wanna miss out at all!! I'm so excited [10:29 pm]

Louis                                                                                                                         What?? That’s great! I honest don’t know what I would’ve done without you [10:32 pm]

Y/N                                                                                                                           Hahaha                                                                                                                       We’ll def talk more about it at work tomorrow, I think I should really sleep now lmao [10:33 pm] 

Louis                                                                                                                     Of course of course. Same here...gn! [10:33 pm]

Y/N                                                                                                                          Gn :) [10:34 pm]

You smiled to yourself before texting Siara as well. She usually took longer to reply so you decided not to wait and turned your phone off. 

You were equally nervous, scared, and excited for the trip. You’d get to travel? To another continent? Over a whole ocean? For nine fucking months? And almost for free? You honestly couldn’t believe it. The nine months still scared you but you tried to focus on other things instead. Like the beautiful sights you’d get to see in your time off…and also the places you’d get to shoot scenes. Daniel obviously as well. You wondered for a while if he was happy to go to England too. It was his childhood home. 

Friday, January 25th, 2019

5:05 pm

You licked your lips to warm them as you entered Daniel’s trailer and took a deep breath as the warmth inside enveloped you.

It had been two weeks of helping Cassandra and Jasmine and you had finally gotten the hang of it. So far, your first day had still definitely been the most eventful, with you cutting your finger and then Cassandra getting angry at you. The rest of the days had been much better in some ways. You were still very giddy around Daniel, but you had learned how to hide it. 

It was also much easier since you were more confident in what you were doing. You had actual jobs, like removing his make up and getting his skin ready…things which Jasmine used to do before you. Now that you did it, it gave Cassandra and Jasmine both more time to focus on his actual make up and hair. Cassandra wasn’t much better. She hadn’t blown up on you again like she had that day, but there was a significant increase in scowls, eyebrow raises, and dissaproving looks in general. If looks could kill, you’d be dead ten times over. 

 “Hi Y/N” Jasmine said, as you closed the door behind you. You looked around and saw that Cassandra was absent. Thank God. 

“Hey” you replied, grinning. You glanced towards Daniel, who offered you a short smile. 

You got to work, pulling out a make up wipe and rubbing down his face gently. You had learned that leaving the tears for last was best. That way you could use a separate, stronger wipe on them too. 

Although you had done this about ten times now, it always made your flutter to be so near him. It was also odd how accustomed you had gotten with his skin. You noticed whenever he had a new scratch, or a pimple, a tan…any small changes. 

For some reason, it made you feel special to be this close to him. It almost didn’t make sense to your brain, how close you were to him everyday, yet how little you actually interacted with and knew about him. 

Today you were too busy looking at his eyelashes and didn’t realise you had run your wipe directly over a small cut on his jaw. He hissed slightly, opening his eyes. Jasmine cocked her head towards you both from where she was looking through a make up drawer. 

Your mouth hung open in shock as you snatched your hand away from his face. Your eyes fell to where his cut was, and you swallowed. Why did you have to be so distracted and clumsy? 

“Oh no, I’m so sorry” you said nervously and rushed over to the sink, wetting the corner of a small towel. 

You jogged back over to his chair, being extra gentle as you dabbed the damp corner on the cut, trying to wipe the make up wipe’s liquid away. You then dried it with the dry part of the towel.

“It’s fine really Y/N” he said laughing slightly, “It happened during filming”

Your skipped a beat when you heard him say your name. It was still surreal to you that Daniel Sharman knew you….let alone you name. You smiled slightly before setting the towel down on the counter. 

“Is it still stinging?” you said gesturing to his jaw, your hands shaking.

“Oh no, not at all” he said shaking his head. You felt that he wasn’t telling the truth but you let it go. Grabbing the make up wipe, you continued wiping his make up off. It was a much smoother process, and you took the time to ease your racing heart rate. 

The flight was tomorrow and you couldn’t help but feel excited every time you thought about it. Louis had informed you that Jay and Bradley had opted out of coming on the trip. You were sad about Jay’s decision, but not so much Bradley’s. 

You were happy but also terrified that your work was taking you out of comfort zone. Jasmine had texted you yesterday saying that she’d pick you up so you could both go to the airport together, which made the whole ordeal a whole less nerve wracking. 

You had gotten quite used to this trailer, to the studio…..and you hoped that your routine and jobs (that you had finally gotten somewhat good at), wouldn’t change the minute you got to England. 

Saturday, January 26th, 2019

2:58 am

You jerked awake and checked your phone, afraid you’d overslept. Nope, there was still a whole two minutes left until your alarm. The flight was at 7:00 am and you had told Jasmine that you wanted to get there atlaeast two and a half hours before. You rather be early and wait in the airport for an hour than be late and miss the flight. 

You had thankfully packed everything the night before and it only took you almost forty minutes to get yourself and your bags ready. Just a few minutes after you were done, you phone rang. It was Jasmine. 

“Hey, you’re here?” you said, smiling and wheeling your suitcases closer to your apartment’s door. You phone wedged between your cheek and shoulder.

“Yes!” she said sounding excited. You were eager to go too, but you had only slept four hours and were finding it hard to get to her level of excitement. 

“Great..I’ll be right down”

It was a struggle, but you managed to get both your suitcases into the elevator and onto the curb outside your apartment building where Jasmine was waiting. The cold night air hit you like a brick, and you felt energy surge through you. 

Jasmine got out of her car quickly, “Oh let me help you with those”

You both loaded your suitcases into the trunk of her car. Y

You rubbed you hands together warming them, as you got into the car, you backpack at your feet. Jasmine started the car, beaming. 

“You excited?” she said, driving.

“Very” you laughed, turning the heater up. You were tired, but the adrenaline from your excitement kept you wide awake. 

4:56 am 

It took you guys almost twenty minutes to get the airport, which wasn’t bad. You were now walking through the airport, your luggage hopefully making it’s way onto your plane. You had made it through security smoothly, and there had been no problems with your boarding pass or passport. If there had, Cassandra would’ve probably killed you both. 

“What’s the gate number?” you asked Jasmine, who was holding the boarding passes. 

“Uhh” she looked at them, “32B”

You nodded, just a little farther. The smell of coffee and food from the various little cafes made your stomach grumble. 

You thought your adrenaline would’ve died down by now but it hadn’t. You tried to keep telling yourself that it was because you were travelling to Europe…but inside, you knew the real reason you were so excited. 

[openforjean]

bucky & the moon

Bucky Barnes x fem!reader

Warnings: self-hate, night terrors, insecurity, crying

a/n: fuckkckckckckck me im sorry 

Bucky sits up in his bed in a panic. He wipes his forehead and swallows thickly. He’s breathing erratically, he stares at his hands. He eyes his metal arm longer, a reminder of what he is was. It’s the same dream every night. Screaming, cries and pleading of people. He stands up out of anger and paces to the door, but he catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

His eyes go to his hair. Long and disgusting, then they go to his body. A body of a monster, face of a killer. Eyes of the devil, he thinks. Then, his scars. Every hit, wound and bruise, he remembers. He loathes himself. 

“I need to get out of here,” he says to himself. He slips on a pair of joggers and doesn’t bother with a shirt. 

He feels tears start to form, he holds them back. He breathes in and out, he heads to the bedroom door. He peeks out the door, looking into the hallway.

It’s clear. He makes his move to the garage, passing Sam’s room. Just a few more steps. He was half-way there but the moonlight caught his eye. He stopped and stared. He got closer to the glass wall, beyond the wall is the balcony. Soft jazz can be heard from the city, honking of cars and chatter of bystanders too. His eyes continued to watch the moon. He opens the door and wanders to the edge. 

He doesn’t understand. 

How can we sleep when such beauty shines? 

Bucky always preferred watching the sunrise. Seeing the sun rise is a reminder that every day is a new day. A new slate, almost. His eyes water at the sight, he gulps. 

“Bucky? Are you okay?” A voice interrupts his thoughts. He turns around and it’s you (The new guy’s sidekick. The replacement for Captain America, since the government won’t let Sam take the shield). You’re sitting on the furniture with a paintbrush in your hand. He looks at the coffee table and he sees a palette and a cup of water. Why are you out here? Could it be the same reason he is?

He doesn’t want to lie, because lying doesn’t get him anywhere. He also doesn’t want to tell the truth either. Because the truth can drive people away.

“I don’t know,” Bucky answers from where he’s standing. You nod and look down at your painting. “Do you want to sit with me?” You ask, nervously.

Bucky isn’t good with just anyone. He’s to himself and likes to keep it that way, but how could he say no to you?

The bad thoughts slip way when he saw you. So beautiful, so quiet and reserved. He’s seen you around but you’re always in the shadows. But he’s getting a good look now. Your beauty outshines the moon itself, how come he hasn’t noticed it before?

“Sure,” he says. He moves his feet forward but stops. He realizes he doesn’t have a shirt on. You can see his scars, he freezes. “If you’re cold, you can use my jacket,” you offer with a half smile. ‘You must be some type of mind reader,’ he thinks to himself. He shakes his insecurities away and walks to you, he takes the jacket from your hand. And he slips it on, zipping it up. He sits in front of you, but he still faces the moon.

“Do you want to listen to music?” You ask. He nods but doesn’t turn around. You take your phone out and connect to the small speaker you have beside you, you pick “le vie en rose” by Louis Armstrong. This song makes you cry, always does. It’s so emotional and intimate, you think it’s might what Bucky needs.

The song starts to play, you continue to dip your brush in dark blue paint.

Bucky’s eyes drag along the city. He eyes the buildings, the people inside. He watches their expressions, their smiles and laughter. Oh, how he wish he could be the same. His eyes then move to the cars, he wanders who could be in them. Couples, business people, families and some annoyed drivers. He laughs to himself. His eyes then go to the citizens walking in the sidewalk. He sees a couple holding hands, looking into each other’s eyes with affection. His heart stings. In his head, he’s convinced himself that he will never find love. He thinks he doesn’t deserve it. But, he does dream about it.

He dreams about locking eyes with them. Hugging them, kissing them all over. Running his hands down their body, loving every inch of them. Taking them on dates, strolls through town and cuddling with them. Holding them so close, that his scent would rub on them. He even dreams about the feeling of love. Just to be in love would be god enough for him. The constant butterflies, the picture of them on his mind and space in his heart for them. That’s what he wants. He wants it. But can’t have it, not a guy like him he thinks.

The urge to cry comes back. He doesn’t want to cry in front of you so he distracts his mind and asks you without turning back “what are you painting?”.

Your ears perk up and you stop stroking. “I’m painting the moon...but with a little something extra,” you respond. He nods and wipes the tears from his eyes. The song is still going, the trumpet is really getting to him. Tears start to fall, he can’t hold back anymore.

They fall and Bucky sniffles, almost sobbing. You drop your paintbrush in the water and set your canvas to dry below the table. You get up and before you touch his shoulder, you ask for permission. He nods and covers his wet face.

“Let it out, Bucky. It’s okay to cry, you don’t have to hold it in in front of me,” with that Bucky sobs even harder. He lowers his head and sobs. You rub his shoulder as he cries, you start to feel tears form into your eyes as well. They fall with his, running down your cheeks. He sniffles and looks up at you.

He sees you crying too. He wipes his cheeks and just watches your nose flare and lips quake. ‘I wonder what’s making her sad? Is it me? Or her own problems? A girl like you doesn’t deserve to have problems. You’re too pure and sweet,’ he thinks to himself. In that moment Bucky decides that he wants to get rid of your problems, or whatever is making you cry. You look down at him and you caress his jaw, giving him a small smile. He melts in your touch, and his heart feels tingly.

Could this be love?

The rest of the hour was spent next to him, until you both calmed.

The next morning he woke clear headed, nothing but the memories of last night were in his head. Holding you close, watching the city and the scent of your clothes. He got up from his bed and made his way to the bathroom. He looks at himself in the mirror, examining his beard. The memory of you caressing his jaw comes back to him, he smiles. He looks at his hair and imagined your fingers running through it. If that ever happens, Bucky will die a happy man. He brushes his teeth and looks at his face once more. Remembering what you told him when you both arrived at his door.

“Everything is gonna be okay. You will be okay, remember that. Don’t be afraid to express your emotions, it’s okay express them. If you feel like you have no one...talk to me. I’m here for you.”

He inhales and quickly exits his room with a pep in his step. He opens the door and sees a rectangular box, he bends done to pick it up.

It’s wrapped in white wrapping paper, with his name on it. He tears a corner and slides the paper off, unveiling a painting. It’s him, a painting of him watching the moon off the balcony. His body trembles and flips the canvas. It says “Bucky & the moon”. That’s the name of the painting and it has a small note below it, along with your signature.

You got this :) - Y/n

His heart flips and his stomach flutters. Could this be love?

@nsfwsebbie​

[oneshots4u]

GUESS WHO FUCKIN WROTE SOMETHING AGAIN???????? Me xox

I’m super into gang/mob Harry rn so I wrote this as part of a little blurb series 🥺🥺🥺

STRIPPER Y/N and GANG LEADER HARRY (who owns the club obviously) have been dating for about 6 months. He loses his temper with her when tensions in the gang are mounting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

You glanced at the clock as the last customers left the bar. 2.30am, an early finish. You opened the door to Harry’s office, smiling at the boys sitting in there.

“Harry, everyone’s gone,” your eyes landed on him. He was at the big leather chair behind a giant mahogany desk. The room was dim and smelled like whisky. He didn’t lift his eyes from his computer, forehead set in a deep frown.

“Okay, darling. Thank you for tonight,” he dismissed you as if you were just any of the other girls. He didn’t even sneak a glance at you standing in your lingerie. Did he forget you’d made plans tonight? Your smile faded slightly, but you just nodded and backed out of the room, sensing he was a little busy.

You changed out of your stage attire and makeup into your jeans, an oversized t shirt and converse, before going back out into the bar. It was completely empty now, even the bar staff had finished cleaning and counting up and had left. You glanced at the clock again: 3.10.

You knocked on the door of the office softly, before opening it and sticking your head in. Everyone was still sat there.

“Hello guys,” you smiled. They all nodded back. “Just to let you know, the bar staff have all left. We’re good to go whenever.” Harry always liked to be the last to leave, but often had to be told when this was as he was cooped up in his office for a lot of the night. This time, he gave you a fleeting glance, nodding curtly. You took this as your cue to leave. Why was he being so weird with you tonight?

You retreated back to the dressing room and sat on the couch, scrolling through your phone to kill some time. You didn’t even realise you’d fallen asleep until your eyes were opening again. Sunlight streamed through the frosted window of the large dressing room. The clock read 5.25am. You rubbed your eyes, exhaustion overwhelming. The level of tiredness you felt was enough to make you want to cry, and your aching muscles protested when you forced yourself up to go to the office once again.

You pushed open the door.

“Harry, is it time to head-“

“Oh would you just fuck off, y/n?!” Harry shouted across the room. All of the men froze. Your eyes widened, mouth slightly agape. You blinked slowly, before simply turning and leaving the room, head hung.

“Mate, do you not think that was a bit harsh?” Niall asked. Harry rolled his eyes, turning his attention back to his computer.

“Yeah, I’m not gunna lie Harry, that was a bit uncalled for,” Louis continued, leaning back in his chair to look through the open door to see if you were hovering outside. You weren’t. Harry still didn’t respond, but he softened. The door of the main entrance of the club opened and closed quietly.

“It’s been a really stressful week, guys,” Harry eventually tried to defend himself.

“A stressful week doesn’t mean you take it out on her though. She doesn’t know what’s going on. All she knows is you stay in this room all fucking day then leave her to get home alone when her shift finishes.” Liam was angry at him, and wasn’t trying to hide it.

You’d grown very close to his men since Harry had opened up to you about what he did and who they all were a couple months ago. They’d even have some meetings at Harry’s while you were there, and they didn’t mind you walking in in your pyjamas to make a tea or grab a snack. They DEFINITELY didn’t mind when you came over with something you’d baked that morning. This also meant they were more protective of you. To them, you were one of the gang now, even though Harry would never officially let you join. Whenever you were on the club floor selling drinks, dancing on stage, doing lap dances, one of them was always watching. You’d noticed that whenever someone was particularly disrespectful they’d be removed instantly. They protected you from the creeps in the bar, they stopped the bouncers from hitting on you, they even would watch you get into your car and leave if Harry wasn’t driving you, so if they had to protect you from their boss, they would.

“She can’t keep fucking bothering me!”

“Why not? Because you won’t talk to her about work so she doesn’t actually know you’re stressed out?” Harry was stumped with that one. “Mate, you need to use your brain. She’s got no idea why you just shouted at her. She’s got no idea about the threats or the cancelled shipments. All she knows is her boyfriend is acting like a dick. Go find her and apologise.” Liam borderline demanded. Harry glanced at his watch and had to do a double take. It was 5.30?! You’d finished work three hours ago and had stayed around for him, and he’d thrown it back in your face. Sighing and running a hand through his hair, he simply nodded and stood, picked up his jacket, and swept out of the club.

Driving home, he grew more and more frustrated. He realised all the things that he had done wrong, he couldn’t imagine how you felt. Of course, he didn’t want you involved in the gang in any sense, but you didn’t know a single thing they did, so how could you have known there had been threats on peoples’ lives this week? People had even been seen hanging around the club, checking it out, scaling it up. You couldn’t know, all you knew was your boyfriend had made your favourite food and you were gunna go back to his place after work for a cosy night. He prayed you’d gone to his house.

Throwing open the front door, Harry breathed an audible sigh of relief when his eyes landed on your handbag and shoes tossed to the side. You’d come home. He bounded up the stairs three at a time to come find you, but skid to a halt when he met you on the landing. You were holding a duffel bag. You’d been crying. Slowly, you placed the bag on the floor and looked up at him with a steely glare.

“Sweetheart,” Harry started toward you. “I’m so sor-“

“No!” You shouted, pushing him away from you harshly. His jaw dropped. “No, you don’t just give me a hug and apologise to me and assume everything will be okay!” Tears welled in your eyes and you wiped them away furiously. Harry was taken aback. “You can’t talk to me like that. You can’t treat me like that.” You sounded a lot more dejected now, resigned, tired. It was at this point Harry noticed the bags under your eyes. “You kept me up so late last night, and you knew I was working tonight.” He couldn’t stop the smirk creeping onto his face when he thought of what you’d been up to the night before. In a fit of pure rage, you threw the makeup bag in your hand at him. He dodged it.

“Okay! Okay, I’m sorry. It’s not funny. Carry on.”

“I just figured you needed some time away from me for a little bit. All of my stuff is here,” you explained, looking down at the bag you’d packed. “I can’t find my glasses, though, so if you see them can you-“ you were cut off by Harry snatching the bag from the floor and stalking back into his bedroom. “Harry!” You shrieked, following him. By the time you’d caught up, he had already taken out your toiletry bag and was unpacking it in the bathroom. His back was turned, but in the mirror you could see his expression. He looked angry, he looked hurt. Slowly, you came up behind him, placing a hand on his back. His fingers were trembling when he placed your toothbrush back beside his.

“Harry, talk to me,” you whispered, sensing something deeper was at play here.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, still turned away from you. “I didn’t- didn’t know what time it was. Shit’s been so bad lately. I really didn’t mean to lash out at you, darling.” You sighed. You wanted to forgive him, but he had lashed out so easily. Noticing your hesitation, he turned around to finally look at you. He looked pained. “Please don’t go,” he whispered, voice cracking. “I know I hurt you. You don’t have to forgive me, but please stay.” Honestly, you were shocked at you emotional he was. This man, this huge, tattooed, mysterious man with a gun strapped to his hip, was almost in tears over you.

“Okay,” you whispered. “I’ll stay.” Harry’s shoulders relaxed at this.

“Can I touch you?” He asked quietly. You nodded, a small smile creeping onto your lips. Instantly, you were swept up in a bone-crushing hug, feeling Harry’s face buried into your neck. He inhaled deeply, sounding a little shaky. You reached up to scratch his scalp in the way he loved, and heard him mumble an “I love you.”

You froze.

So did he.

“What?” You asked. Harry pulled away to look at you, a small smile making his dimples show. “Harry, what did you just say?”

“I said “I love you”,” he replied casually, in full confidence. His arms moved to hang around your hips. You could physically feel your heart fill with joy.

“I love you too,” you replied, leaning up to kiss him. He kissed you back feverishly, passionately. This kiss held every emotion you’d both felt for the past hour, it was tender and understanding. It connected you. Without you even realising, tears had begun to spill from your eyes. Harry pulled away quickly, wiping your cheeks with his thumbs.

“What’s wrong, darling?” You sniffled deeply.

“I’m sorry I shouted at you, and pushed you, and threw my makeup bag at you,” you whimpered. Harry giggled quietly.

“I deserved it, don’t be silly. Now, I believe I owe you dinner,”

“It’s 7am,”

“I cooked you dinner, so let’s have dinner for breakfast,”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DOES ANYONE WANT A PART 2????? WHERE HE ~really~ MAKES UP FOR IT? 😏😏😏😏😏

[dehydratedpool]

hello again!! it’s the beginning of a new month, meaning a new fic rec post!! here are some fics that i read this month that are just... exquisite and deserve all the love and attention <3 

there aren’t as many as last time unfortunately, since i was quite busy this past month, but i promise next month won’t fall short! ((fics that i’ve reread this month are indicated with a **))

Foolishly Laying Our Hearts On The Table [11k] by runaway_train @runaway-train-works 

“You think Harry wants that?”

“Dunno. Maybe. Wanna make him happy.” Harry takes advantage of the red light he’s pulled up to turn and look properly at Louis’ face. He’s not even looking in Harry’s direction though, focused instead on something out of his side window, head drooped, mindlessly playing with the string of his hoodie between his fingers, lost in his own world somewhere. For some reason, it makes Harry’s spine straighten.

“Because he’s your best mate?” Harry questions carefully.

“He’s my boyfriend.”

He couldn’t have heard him right. “What?”

Louis releases a deep breath, still not turning around. Harry wonders who he thinks he’s talking to right now. “He’s so pretty. Want to kiss him all day long. And buy him a big house and give him presents and marry him.”

Or; The one where Harry is in love with his best friend Louis but doesn't think he stands a chance until some wisdom teeth and a rather unusual confession might just change his mind.

--> this is a new comfort fic for me tbh. i got rec’d this after louis tweeted about getting his wisdom teeth removed, and i’m so SO glad i decided to give it a read. it’s so precious and lovely and personally, i found it to be a quick read. it’s the kind of fic that makes me both warm and fuzzy inside but also highly upset that i’m single and will surely be alone forever

Just Let Me [14k] by HelloAmHere 

The party was going well. So well, Niall had already sworn undying love to one multi-tiered chocolate cake, two friendly corgi-poodle mixes, Zayn’s hair, and the entire population of Los Angeles. So well, Zayn had only laughed and ruffled Niall’s hair and not even twitched towards a cigarette. So well, nearly everyone had spilled far past the boundaries of the night’s original plans, extracting bottles of vodka from the cabinets and losing a lot of clothes. Harry had proclaimed that he was finally going to throw a small and very grownup dinner party and of course here they were three hours later, fifty people half-naked in the pool. Soon to be full-naked, if Louis had to guess. Everybody in LA loved a heated pool. Everybody loved Harry.

--> ok LISTEN. as some of you know, i just recently got into reading a/b/o fics and this one is definitely at the top of my fave a/b/o fics out there. it’s an interesting take on the trope, almost a bit more realistic in my opinion, and to quote the author’s note, “’what if a/b/o but less biological determinism?’”. i believe i found this one through a masterpost of “touch-deprivation fics”, so if that’s your thing, give this one a chance!

my ugly mouth kept running [4k] by theankletattoo @hadestyles

Another seed, another try except they know what caused the first wilt. They will be careful, they will be kind and together they will nurture it to life.

sometimes second chances are more important than the first.

--> rori, the author, never fails to disappoint when it comes to all of her works. i’ve said it once and i’ll say it again, she’s so incredibly fucking talented it’s unreal. her imagery is so vivid and real it leaves simultaneously everything and nothing to the imagination. as usual, h and l’s dynamic in this is an addicting portion to this fic that has you anticipating how their dynamic will shift and grow up until the end. if you’ve yet to read any of rori’s work, i suggest you add that to your to-do list for the month, and get a head start to her collection with this one!

**As Wicked As Anything Could Be [21k] by whoknows��@crazyupsetter

It starts when Louis decides that he wants to lose his cherry and announces that he thinks the best way to do that is by going to a gay club. Naturally, Harry can’t let him go alone, so he tags along and spends the night rating guys with Louis until someone finally catches Louis’s eye.

Harry shoves him out to dance with the guy, and he can already tell that it’s going to be a quick and dirty hook up, so he’s not surprised that Louis and the guy disappear into the bathroom ten minutes later.

It is a surprise when Louis comes out not even two minutes later, pale and clammy, grabs Harry by the hand and drags him right out the door.

Somehow Harry comes to the decision that it would be a good idea for him to be in the room with Louis while Louis gets laid.

It’s a stupid fucking decision.

--> i discovered this fic a while ago on a whim and i have zero regrets. this is absolutely on my top ten fave fics list (that has yet to exist but perhaps i’ll post it one day). whoknows is a well known author within the fandom, so i’m sure i don’t have to say much about their immense talent, but SERIOUSLY, their plot progression, even their use of dialogue is wonderful in every way. as a writer, i envy them lmao. this fic takes me on a rollercoaster every time i read it, it’s yet another comfort fic of mine and never fails to disappoint every time i pick it up again. please, do yourselves a favor this april and read this.

Keeping The Flame Alive [19k] by whoknows @crazyupsetter 

Recording with One Direction never felt like this. There’s a couple reasons for that, Harry thinks. One is that they did most of their recording on the road, rushed and in busses and hotel rooms, never in one place long enough to really get an argument going. The other, larger and more important one, is that back then he had the sweetest, meanest little omega around to distract him from all of that frustration.

The first time around, when he’d been recording his debut solo album, it hit him pretty hard. He likes to think he’s better adjusted to it now, but frustration is warring under his skin nonetheless. He doesn’t want to be told what to do most of the time, and he especially doesn’t want to be told what to do when it comes to his music.

What he does want right now is that sweet, mean little omega right in front of him with his mouth on Harry’s cock. Unfortunately, the best he’s got is his own hand and a shared toilet. So. That’s really not going to work.

--> yes, for the first time in dehydratedpoolfics history of fic recs even tho i’ve only been doing this for a month i am rec’ing the same author twice, but seriously, how could i not??? this fic took me on a literal journey like... wtf. i have no words. seriously, i have none, i’m just that blown away, go read it for yourself .

**a trail of honey through it all [27k] by bruisedhoney @yvesaintlourent 

The boy in front of him, well really, the man in front of him, was like something out of a confusing wet dream. Built, tall, tan and muscular, his skin glistened with sweat after a long day of working outdoors with his hands. He was wearing a cut up old American football shirt, the bottom hem was torn and the sleeves were cut off to the point where the t-shirt was really just a loose tank top. The shorts he had on had clearly been full length jeans at one point, and were now just crudely cut off above the knee. His white socks were pulled up too high on his calves, and the brown work boots he had on were old as fuck, the leather peeling along the edges of the soles. Curly brown hair stuck out from the edges of his backwards snapback, and there was a smudge of grease wiped along his brow bone. The smattering of hair along his jaw proved that he hadn’t shaved in a week or two, the hair growing in thicker across his upper lip and around his chin. His sinfully bowed mouth was pink and plump, and Louis was suddenly hyper-focused on the way that he chewed at the toothpick stuck between his lips. He looked like he needed a shower. Louis wanted to lick him.

Or, the TPH fic we’ve all been waiting for.

--> okay look. i may or may not have a slight obsession with this fic. i reread it constantly, mostly for the iconic line, “are we fuckin’ or fightin’?”, because how can i not scream over that?? ((also patiently waiting for the sequel)) this is a literary masterpiece, one that defines an entire generation of this fandom i stg. but in all seriousness, hayley, the author, does such a wonderful job of giving the reader a vivid look into “nowhere, georgia”, and as a southern gal myself, i absolutely adore the itty bitty pieces of southern culture embedded into this, the tiny quirks that make this fic authentic. i could probably go on forever on why this fic is so iconic, but perhaps you should read it for yourself instead *wink* *wink*

SO. that’s all for this month!! if you read any of these, first of all, be sure to read the tags and author’s note (if any) before starting, AND please don’t forget to leave a quick kudos or comment, it means more than you may ever know <3

[isthemicon]

Which actor do you think could play Henry Bass when he is older?

That was such a hard question because

a) I’m horrible at seeing family resemblance until it’s pointed out to me. Like honestly I think I could probably look at identical twins and just not know what am I supposed to see.

B) I don’t watch a lot of productions that involve actors under the age of 30.

But I’ve tried and please don’t attack me by saying non of them look like Chuck or Blair. It’s very much me looking at the guys and being like “oh here’s a white guy with brown hair, sharp jaw and soft brown eyes”

So my list:

1.Louis Patridge- I’ve actually seen few people talk about him in terms of looking like a Chair baby so it might be my least controversial proposition.

2.Felix Mallard- I haven’t seen any of his work so I can’t say much about him but I have seen his face on the internet and the thought that he kind of looks like a Chair baby had crossed my mind.

3.Tom Holland- probably the most controversial because he is the most recognizable out of the three so people are super used to his face and it might be hard to imagine him in that part but whenever I found myself thinking about the Chuck and Blair and their family he had been kind of my form as what I’d imagine their child looking like. I don’t know why really? I just feel like he has the sharpens of Chuck’s jaw but also the softness of Blair’s face. And perhaps my decision was in a way influenced by the idea that he played Peter Parker who saw “the billionaire former playboy with daddy issues who loves only one woman” as a father figure.

Again, please don’t laugh at me for those suggestions it’s just for fun and it was for sure fun to think about, if you have any propositions please write them in replies as I’d love to see them so I could perhaps learn new names.

[atlafan]

Just Friends

a/n: I can’t believe I’ve been driven to write one of these, but here I am. All of the italics conversations are just flashbacks for context. this is a slow build (which I usually don’t do), and there is smut (words - 9K)

“I can’t believe we’re finally doing this.” He said, looking down at me with the hungriest eyes I had ever seen.

Harry and I have been friends for a long time, since we were teenagers. Each taking our different paths down the fame walkway. I had my own hit TV show, which just ended after ten years. Not too shabby. While also continuing a normal education, and making music. He had the band, and world tours.

We tried once. When I was seventeen and he was nineteen. I was a senior in high school, and he was just starting to film his 3D concert tour. When I was in the area for something I would let him know. Often times I was on the same talk shows as him and the band. We were good friends, great friends really. I had a group chat with the boys, but Harry and I were the closest. We tried doing one of those “together when we’re together things”, but all I felt comfortable doing was make out. That’s when he started seeing Taylor. I got dragged into this weird love triangle. When I told him I would be done with him completely, because I just couldn’t handle the drama, he broke things off with her.

We went back to having aggressive make out sessions, him always being a gentleman, never making me do anything I didn’t feel comfortable with. The media suspected something deep was between us, but we would just say we were good friends, nothing more.

I’ll never forget when he asked me if he could take me to my prom, I said no at first, not wanting a media circus, or for every single girl (and some boys) at my school to bombard him. They were used to me being famous, but it would be a lot for him to be there. Eventually I gave in, who else would I have fun with anyways? No, we didn’t have sex on prom night. We danced all night, and crashed together in his hotel room, nothing more. It’s not that I was a prude, I just genuinely wasn’t ready. I wanted to, boy did I want to, but I was young and scared. Besides that, we were both always so busy.

We would’ve been great together, but I was selfish. I didn’t want to deal with long distance. At the end of the summer, before I went to college, I told him I couldn’t do it anymore. He was mad, beyond pissed really. He thought we were moving in a completely different direction. I was taking the first semester to solely focus on school, even putting my TV show on hold until winter break. I would still write music, to be released years later. That was sort of my thing. Write a song, lock in the vault, and release it when I no longer felt the way I did when I wrote it.

He started getting photographed with every girl out there. He knew I would see the tabloids. We stopped talking until it came out that I was seeing someone. I happened to be in New York when Josh Hutcherson hosted SNL. We met, and he asked me out. We somehow ended up in a relationship, it was all over the news. I’ll never forget when Harry called me. I could hear the strain in his voice when he asked, “Is it true”. I immediately burst into tears.

“Why are you crying?”

“Because I know what you’re going to say?”

“What’s that?”

“That I didn’t want to have a long distance relationship with you, but I can do it with him.”

“Hm…you still know me so well.”

“It hurts less.”

“What does?”

“Being apart from him. I don’t feel the need to have him around all the time. It hurt with you…”

“So, you’re with him because it’s easy? That’s a fucking load.”

“Don’t talk to me like that. You’ve been out and about too.”

“Yeah, I have. With some friends here and there, but nothing serious.”

The conversation went round in circles. It ended with us both crying. My roommate had walked in, so I had to get off the phone. We barely talked after that. I understood why he was hurt, I really did. I liked Josh, I may even have loved him, but I wasn’t in love with him. We broke it off after six months, agreeing that we were better as friends. I never let him touch me, not in that way. Make outs here and there, but nothing below the belt. I still just wasn’t ready to give myself fully to someone.

We broke up right when my first year of school ended. I jumped right back into work. Between my music, TV show, and working on a movie, I had a really busy summer. Harry and I started texting again here and there. Just sending each other memes we thought were funny.

My first week of sophomore year was the week before the VMA’s. I contemplated just skipping the first week of school so I wouldn’t have to fly back and forth, but I had too much anxiety to get behind. Even if it was syllabus week. By the first Thursday of the semester, I had met a guy at my friend’s apartment. I went to a party with him and flirted all night. He was cute, really cute. We ended up exchanging phone numbers before I left. The next night he invited me over, and before I knew it, I was having sex for the first time. Well, getting fingered for the first time, giving a blow job for the first time, hell, just seeing a penis in the flesh for the first time.

It was better than I ever could’ve imagined. It was an out of body experience. He was obviously very experienced, and took really good care of me. His dick was large and thick. How it fit into me, I still have no idea. I was sore the next day, I could barely walk. I went back to his place again that night. I didn’t let him fuck me again, but we did other stuff. I had to be on a plane Sunday morning to get to the VMAs in time.

I was walking like I had a stick up my ass, and my short dress was far too tight. Walking the red carpet was not a good time. I walked as quickly as I could until I could get inside and get to my seat. He was there, well they were there. His hair was a little longer, it suited him, even if I missed his curls. I didn’t get to say hi until one of the after parties. He walked up behind me, wrapped his arms around my waist, picked me up and twirled me around. It was our thing, he had always done that. I squealed playfully. I turned around and gave him a proper hug.

“It’s so good to see you.” I said to him.

“Same to you. Can I ask you something?”

“Of course?”

“Why have you been walking around waddling like a penguin all night?” Shit. I looked around, too many people might be able to see us talking. I drag him into a bathroom, close the door, and lock it. “Well, I wasn’t expecting this.”

“Shut up, I just wanted a private space to talk. I have big news, sort of.” He leans his back against the sink counter.

“Alright, what happened?”

“Well…I had sex for the first time”, I looked down, “two days ago.” I thought his jaw was going to detach from his head the way it opened.

“Come again?”

“I had sex for the first time, two-“

“Jesus, I heard you the first time.” He pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. Then he finally looked at me. “Well, how was it?”

“Do you really wanna know?”

“Look, I’m done being a little bitch baby, we’re friends aren’t we? Spill.”

“Okay, well…” I told him everything. It was like word vomit. When I was done he stood there stunned, not sure of what to say.

“So you’ve seen him twice already?”

“Yeah, I couldn’t believe he wanted to see me again so soon.”

“Have you looked at yourself? What guy wouldn’t want to immediately fuck you again?” I felt my face flush.

“Harry…” I roll my eyes at him.

“As your friend, I’m telling you, you’re fucking hot. You know you are. You have a dancer’s body.”

“Because I’m a dancer.”

“And yet, you’re curvy. You have it all.”

“Stop objectifying me.” I swat at him playfully.

“S’not what I’m doing. This doesn’t explain why you’re walking funny.”

“Are you kidding? I was so sore the next day. I sneezed and I thought my fucking vagina had fallen out.” He smirked at me.

“Was he that rough with you?” He said with a more concerned look.

“Not exactly, but it was my first time you know? It’s not like I had anything up there before, other than tampons, but even still this” I held up my pinky, “is a lot smaller than this”, I held my arm and fisted my hand.

“It wasn’t that big.”

“It was big enough, I know that. I think I’m just walking funny because clearly these muscles weren’t used to that kind of workout.”

“So, how many times did he make you come?”

“I’m not sure…”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I’m not sure. It felt really good, I think it happened while he was using his fingers.”

“If you even have to think about it, then it didn’t happen.” He scoffs.

“Not true, I’ve never had one before, how would I know?”

“Believe me, angel, you would know. He should’ve had you screaming.”

“Oh he did, his neighbors heard everything.” My cheeks flushed again with embarrassment.

“Are you going to see him again?”

“God, I hope so. I’m afraid I’m going to get obsessed or something. Now that I know what it’s like, I want to have it all the time, but I don’t want to hook up with a bunch of different people.” I looked down.

“You don’t have to justify your actions to me. I’m no saint. Keep fucking him, fuck other people. Just do what you want.”

“Thanks..thanks for listening Harry. I’m sure it wasn’t the story you were hoping for.”

He smiled at me, and finally left the bathroom. It felt like we started talking all the time after that. We were good friends again. Sharing stories and secrets. He even let me cry on the phone to him when the guy I was hooking up with showed his true colors. He wasn’t a good person, and our relationship was toxic.

The day I turned twenty-one, a huge surprise party was thrown for me. Plenty of famous people were there. The one person I wanted there wasn’t, and he wasn’t answering my texts. Niall and Louis came. The band had just gone on hiatus, but you wouldn’t have known with how good of a time they were having. I just wanted my best friend there, but I had a distraction. Zac and I had gotten really close in the last couple of years. He was the one to roll out my cake, he sang me happy birthday. As I blew out the candles, he said he had a question to ask me. He asked me to be his girlfriend. I of course said yes, it was a dream come true. I was with the man I had a crush on as a young girl.

Harry texted the next day saying he was sorry, and had to cancel last minute, and hoped I would understand. He told me was happy for me, and that was that.

The first two years with Zac were pure bliss. He was so good about me getting through my last year of school. After I graduated I finally had the time to go on a world tour. It killed me that he couldn’t come to every show, but I understood. He was busy too.

In 2018, I signed on to do a movie. It was about these two college students. I played a simple girl who meets a guy who’s rough around the edges, and changes her life completely. It happened to be based off of a fan fiction about my good friend Harry Styles. I didn’t tell him about it, but I thought it was funny. Zac wasn’t thrilled. He never felt threatened by anyone before, but when I showed him a picture of my co-star, he wasn’t annoyed. He was handsome, and more around my age, a couple years younger actually. I couldn’t figure out why Zac was so upset, it wasn’t like I hadn’t done a sexy movie before. I did the movie, and many of my co-stars and I became good friends. Zac begged me to go on this big ski trip with him, but I refused. I had press junkets, and award shows coming up.

I got the call about his accident. I rushed to the hospital he was transported to. If I’m being honest, his accident saved our relationship…for about two months. Then the movie came out and he had started accusing me of cheating on him. He got more possessive. That summer when I told him we’d be filming the second movie, he was beyond furious I signed on before talking to him.

That fall, Harry was set to host SNL. As someone who had done it a couple times before, I wanted to be there for him. Surprise him, really. Usually I would spend all my free time with Zac, but I was so sick of his shit. I needed to get away. It was wonderful seeing Harry again.

“What are you doin’ here?” He said, picking me up, and spinning me around.

“Thought I’d surprise you.”

“How kind.” He smiled at me.

“I’m also very curious to see what single you’ll be revealing tonight.” I wiggled my eyebrows at him.

“Ah, there it is.” Were we flirting? Maybe a little. But, that’s how it was with us.

He absolutely crushed it. And if I’m being honest, I teared up at his slowed down version of Lights Up. Watermelon Sugar blew me away. He’s beyond talented, and I was so very proud of my friend.

At the after party, I couldn’t help but vent about the issues I was having with Zac.

“I mean, you’d think after three and half years he would trust me. I’ve never given him a reason not to trust me. I mean, I went off birth control last year. If I was fucking around, why would I stop taking the pill?”

“Okay, I’m going t’say something, and I want you to not get mad.”

“Alright.”

“In my experience, if someone is constantly accusing someone else of cheating, it’s usually because they themselves have had a slip up.”

“Are you saying that you think Zac cheated on me at some point?”

“It’s possible. You two were separated for a bit weren’t you?”

“Well, we’re always kind of separated.”

“I could be completely wrong, but you can’t rule it out.”

“Why would he lie to me though?”

“Maybe he realized he made a huge mistake. Look, I haven’t told a lot of people this but, um, I slipped up on my ex. It was stupid, and I felt horrible. I told her, and she forgave me, but she ended it.”

“Oh, Harry, I’m so sorry.”

“It was over a year ago, we’re on pretty decent terms, but she’s already with someone else, and she’s happy.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying…don’t just stay with someone because it’s comfortable. You don’t seem super happy.”

“What should I do? Just walk up to him and ask him if he cheated on me?”

“Just…do what you think is right, love.”

When I got back to L.A., I walked right into the living room, leaving my bag at the door. Zac was sitting on the couch watching TV. I greeted him, he was happy to see me.

“I saw the episode, he was really good.”

“Yeah, he was. Hey, um, could you turn the TV off, I need to talk to you.”

“Alright.” He does as I ask. “What’s up?”

“Have you ever cheated on me?” He blinks at me, and sighs. “I need a yes or a no.”

“Yes.” I stand up immediately.

“When!?”

“A year and a half ago. We had grown so distant, and instead of facing my fears and talking to you about it, I-“

“Fucked someone else?”

“I wouldn’t say it like that, but yes.”

“I need to go.” He walks after me.

“You’re just going to walk away?”

“You have bene lying to me for over a year! I can’t deal with this right now. It’s late, and I can’t be around you. You did the one thing that you knew would make me leave you.”

“You know what I think? I think you were hoping I would say yes so you could leave me.”

“Fuck you, that’s not true. I need to get away from you before we both say things we’ll regret. I’ll come back tomorrow to figure out packing up my stuff.”

“So you’re just going to move out?!”

“This isn’t my house, it’s yours. It wouldn’t be healthy for me to stick around. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Where are you going to go?”

“To a hotel, probably.”

I didn’t go to a hotel. I drove for two hours to the one place I knew I could go, no questions asked. To Harry’s. Praying he was home as I drove up his long driveway. My license plate had a clearance past the gate. I grabbed my suitcase and I got out of the car, and rang his door bell. He opened the door, confused at first, then he smiled.

“Uh, hi.”

“Sorry it’s so late. Could I stay in one of your guest rooms tonight? I just broke up with Zac, and I thought I wanted to be alone, but I don’t.”

“Oh my god, yeah of course, come in.”

He took my suitcase for me. He grabbed me some sweats to wear, and made me a cup of tea. He didn’t ask any questions because he already knew the answers. We stayed up late watching my movie.

“So, when do I start singing?”

“You don’t sing, you’re not famous. And it’s not really you. It’s just your likeness, see it’s not even your name.”

We laughed about it. It was a really silly concept, but Harry is a sucker for intense, romantic films. I fell asleep on the couch, and woke up slightly to the feeling of Harry carrying me up the stairs.

“Bring me to your room. I don’t want to sleep alone.” I said, almost in a whisper.

He doesn’t say anything, he just did as I said. He lays me down onto his California king sized bed. It wasn’t the first time we had shared a bed. Usually it was a hotel room when these things would happen. I didn’t feel nervous, in fact I was quite comfortable. I hadn’t cried, or felt like crying until my head hit the pillow. I cried into my hands. He crawled in next to me, and pulled my hands away from my face, and pushed me into him, letting my cry onto his now bare chest. He rubbed my back as I was basically convulsing. His gentle hushes and “there there’s” helped me calm down. He continued to soothe me as my breathing went back to normal. I flipped onto my back and stared at the ceiling. He stayed on his side facing me.

“He ruined everything. I can’t believe I actually wanted to have children with him! I’ll be okay, I know I will. I have a penthouse in L.A. I can live in. I’m just so mad. I’ve known him ten years, Harry, ten fucking years. Dating for three and a half years. That’s my longest relationship ever! I don’t want him out of my life, that’s the worst part. How could I still want him around?”

“Because you love him.”

“I do, how could I?”

“Because you have a history, angel. Just take some time to be apart. It’s okay to want to work up  t’being friends.”

“I could never be with him again. Knowing that he so easily could stick his dick somewhere else and then stick it in me makes me sick.” I start to feel my tears burn my cheeks again.

“Please don’t cry again, love, I can’t bare it. Just come here, yeah?” He pulls me back to his chest, and he soothes me again. I ended up falling asleep like that.

A couple of weeks had gone by. All of my things were moved out of Zac’s, and into my pent house in the city. Harry and I talked almost every day. We both performed at the Brits, and he talked me into coming on the Late Late Show with him. He would be hosting in James’ place the following week, and he wanted me to play spill your guts or fill your guts. I agreed, of course.

The food was absolutely disgusting. Luckily, I’m an open book, or I was. I went dead on social media. Zac and I had released a statement about our break up. I straight up stopped posting. People can be so cruel during these times. I didn’t want to drag his name through the mud, but everyone accused me of cheating on him with my co-star. I just didn’t acknowledge anything, which pissed the media off, but what the fuck did I care?

“Okay, next question. How about, the salmon smoothie?”

“Ugh, alright. Ask away.”

“What songs, if any, off your last album are about me?” He had a sly look on his face, and crowd hollered. I pondered for a moment. If I was being honest, there were three songs about him, but I wasn’t going to reveal that on television.

“Bottoms up!” I say, lifting the glass. I take small sip, and nearly gag at the smell alone. I immediately spit out the liquid. It legitimately was a salmon smoothie. I looked up and my friend was just laughing at me.

“My turn. Let’s see, how about the scorpion?” He rolls his eyes at me. “Out of Louis, Liam, Niall, and Zayn-“ before I can even finish the question he takes the scorpion fully into his mouth. The crowd roars.

Next we go sit on the couch so he can interview me.

“You know what’s great?” He asks.

“What?”

“I’ve seen you more in the last two months than I have in the last three years.”

“I know, I’m sorry. Sometimes when you’re in a relationship it’s hard justifying spending your free time with another guy.” The crowd is silent as it’s my first time publicly addressing my break up. “But, obviously, I don’t have to worry about that anymore!” I laugh nervously. “Okay, I know there is a giant elephant in the room. All I’m going to say is I’m single, and that’s how it is. Zac and I are still friends, but this is what’s best for us right now.”

“I think it’s really brave of you to be here tonight. It was even more brave of you to drink that disgusting smoothie.”

The interview stayed lighter from there. When we finished recording everything, he followed me to my dressing room.

“I’m going to my club tonight.” I say to him. “Do you want to meet up there?”

“Yeah, that sounds great.”

“Cool, I didn’t know if you’d be busy.”

“I’m never too busy for you, love.”

We smiled at each other, and I felt something I hadn’t felt from him in a long time. We went our separate ways after agreeing on what time to meet up.

I decided to wear my hair down and wavy, a black lace spaghetti strap body suit, high wasted jeans, and my leather jacket. When I got to the club, he was there already, in the VIP section, where we couldn’t be bothered. We drank, danced, and laughed for hours. It was like we were teenagers again.

He invited me to come back to his place in Malibu, and I happily agreed. I like his house. It was private, and had a charm to it. It was a long car ride out there, but it was worth it.

I kicked my heels off the second I got inside. He poured us some drinks from his drink cart. He asked if he could play me his album. I told him I’d be honored. We sat on his hardwood floor and listened to every track. Stopping to make refills of our drinks. I teared up at Cherry, but Falling, oh god, Falling made me sob. He cried too, and then we both started laughing. I eventually took my jacket off, leather makes me too sweaty. I was essentially wearing lingerie with jeans. The rest of the album just made me smile.

“You are so talented, Harry. I mean it. It blew me away.”

“I’m so glad you liked it.”

“I loved it.” I smiled at him. My cheeks felt hot from the amount of alcohol I consumed.

“Let’s listen to something more upbeat, yeah?”

He got up slowly, and put a different record on. It was the O’Jays, I Love Music.

“Oh! I love this song!” I get up.

“You know this song?”

“Of course I do. I’m not an idiot.”

“No, you’re not.”

I sway over to him, and clothes my eyes as I let the music take over. He laughs at me a little.

“You can’t laugh, because you actually suck at dancing.” I stick my tongue out at him.

“I’m not that bad.”

“I guess not. I do like to see you move when you’re really into a song.”

“Oh, really?”

“Mhm. Come here, come dance with me.”

I take his hands and we just dance like silly idiots around the room. We fumble into each other a couple times, and we can’t help but laugh. He accidentally bumps me too hard and knocks me to the floor. I laugh so hard tears fall. He cuts the music and rushes to me.

“I’m so sorry! I’m so fucking clumsy.”

“It’s okay, I’m fine. It was funny.”

“I feel like a giant oaf sometimes.”

“You just feel that way because you’re over a foot taller than me.”

“It’s true you are pretty tiny compared to me.” He helps me up from the floor. I notice his eyes on my chest. I just realized how exposed I really am. “Well, only some parts of you are tiny.” He says with red cheeks.

“Do want to know something?”

“Sure.” He says, looking me in the eyes.

“I have written songs about you. I’m not going to tell you which ones though.”

“What inspired them?”

“I had feelings for you, strong feelings. But I was selfish.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me how you felt?”

“Because I felt like I couldn’t give you what you needed. You know what always surprised me?”

“What?”

“After I told you I wasn’t a virgin anymore those years ago, you never made a move.”

“I also didn’t want to be selfish.” I step closer to him, raising an eyebrow.

“Explain.”

“What was I going to do? Fuck you and then go on tour? That was like your worst fear, remember? Me loving you and leaving you. Besides, I would’ve either had to convince you to come with me, or I would have had to enroll at your school.” I let you a laugh.

“Why’s that?”

“Because if you and I were gonna go there, I wouldn’t be able to be away from you.”

“Harry…” I reached up, and put a hand on his cheek. He nuzzled into it.

I couldn’t tell if it was the alcohol, or the fact that he and I were both very single for the first time in years, but I was feeling that familiar feeling from him again. I start to giggle, and remove my hand.

“What’s so funny?” He raises an eyebrow at me.

“Nothing, it’s just weird that you have stubble now. We’ve grown so much since then, but every time I’m with you I’m back to being that seventeen year old. It’s nice, really. I also think it’s funny because I hate when situations like this happen in movies.”

“Situations like what?”

“When two stupid people just have horrible communication, and refuse to tell the other how they feel, until years later, and they both realize they felt the exact same way, so they should have just gone for it.”

“As much as it hurt back then, I’m glad we didn’t. We could’ve wound up hating each other.”

“We were too young, I agree.” I walk away from him, and run a hand through my hair. He doesn’t let me get too far away. He gets right up close to me. He taps on my forehead.

“What’s goin’ on up there?” I look up at him intently. The green in both of our eyes visibly matched.

I put both of my hands on his collar and tug him down to me so we’re eye level. I’m nervous with what I’m about to do. It’s not like we haven’t kissed before, it’s that this kiss is going to lead to more than I have ever done with him. I swallow hard. He grows impatient, cupping my cheeks with his hands, bring my lips to his in a crashing motion.

We don’t waste any time. My arms are wrapped around his neck in seconds, and his hands trail down to my butt and then down to my thighs, hoisting me up. I wrap my legs around him, never breaking our kiss, he quickly walks us over to the stairs to go up to his bedroom.

My lips part for him, and his tongue immediately dips inside, but only for a moment. He walks us into his room, and pushes my body up against the wall, still holding me up. He kisses on my jaw, then down just below my earlobe. I let out a small moan, and I can feel his lips move into a smile.

“You still like being kissed here, huh?”

“Mhmm.” Is all I can muster out as he nibbles on my neck. It was true, I loved getting a good hickey. When I was in college I would let guys absolutely destroy my neck, and I would have to always wear a scarf or turtleneck if I had an interview. No amount of makeup ever covers those things up properly.

He bring me over to his bed, and plops me down on the edge. He leans down to kiss me again as I unbutton his shirt. He lets it slide down his tattooed arms. I kiss down his long torso as he stands between my legs, nibbling where I feel appropriate. I notice the material near his bulge grow tighter, an image I was quite familiar with, but never took advantage of. Before I’m able to reach to palm him, I feel his hands on my shoulders, and he pushes me back on the bed. My legs still dangling over the side, my feet unable to reach the ground.

He steps closer, and runs a hand down from neck to my chest to my stomach. I arch my back up at the intimate touch. He loved the feeling of lace. A secret he disclosed to me years ago when he felt the material of a dress I was wearing. His eyes go wide and I see him smile.

“What?”

“You know what I just now realized?” I raise an eyebrow at him. “You can visibly see your nipples through this top.”

“Yeah, that’s why I was wearing my jacket all night.”

“Do you always wear lingerie as outerwear?”

“No, and it’s not technically lingerie, it’s a lacy bodysuit. I would normally wear a bra or something, but I just didn’t feel like it.”

“Hm.”

He reaches down to unbutton my jeans. He looks at me for a moment, silently asking for permission. I nod, giving him the go ahead. I was thankful I shaved every inch of my body earlier, not that he would ever care. For my own peace of mind really. I feel him slowly draw my zipper down. I left my hips so he can tug them off. His eyes go wide.

“Flip over.” He said with his eyebrows furrowed. I do as he says, choosing to sit up on my knees.

I feel his fingertips graze over the part of my bum that’s exposed. The bottom of the bodysuit essentially looked like lacy, cheeky underwear. A single finger slides into the material, and I feel goosebumps all over my body.

“So, you’ve literally been naked under this thing all night? Not even wearing a thong?” I look over my shoulder and give him a funny look.

“Obviously not.”

“How do you go to the bathroom? Do you just get naked?”

“No, there are two small snaps on the crotch so I don’t have to do that.”

“I see. Smart.”

I turn back around to face him. He pushes me gently back down on my back, and I prop myself up on my elbows.  

“I can’t believe we’re finally doing this.” He said, looking down at me with the hungriest eyes I had ever seen.

I smile up at him, before I can speak that I feel the same way, I feel his knee push my legs open, and his hand dart to my center. He smirked, but tried to hide it as his cheeks grew red. I knew I was wet for him already. The initial kiss downstairs was enough to stir something within me. I looked down at his hand to see his palm pressed up against me. He was teasing, it was cute. I let out a moan, and lifted my hips up for him. He used his other hand to press down on my stomach to keep me in place. He wanted to be in control, and I wanted to let him. I’m always the one in control of everything, it was nice to let someone else handle me.

I inched back further on the bed, and crawled over to the headboard to I could sit up against it. He followed my actions. I put my finger out with a “come here” motion. Before getting on the bed with me, he undid his pants and let them drop to the floor, careful to leave his tight, black boxers on.

His hand went to the back of my neck, and I part my legs for him. He pulled me in for a kiss, this time my tongue slipping inside his mouth. We grabbed at each other feverishly, him letting out a moan as I bit down on his bottom lip.

“You still like that, I see.” I say into his ear, before nibbling on his ear lobe.

He cupped my breasts in his large hands and kneaded them. I lifted my hips to grind against him, and he pressed up hard against me. He pulled the thin straps of the body suit down off my shoulders, and kissed and sucked on my collar bone. My head rolled back as he began to suck so hard on my skin that it would be sure to leave a mark. I dug my nails into his lower back, letting him know he could keep doing what he’s doing. He kept tugging the material down, and I let out a small laugh.

“You won’t get it off this way, there’s a zipper on the back.”

He rolled his eyes and huffed. I sat up on my knees, and turned around. I moved my hair out of the way so he could unzip me. He pulled my back to his chest, and lowered the material to my waist, fulling exposing my breasts. His kissed the back of my shoulder as he cupped me again. I leaned back further into him as he gave my nipples light pinches, hoping he would turn me around to suck on them.

Harry pushed me down for what felt like the tenth time tonight, and hovered over me. He kissed me on the mouth, then down to my collar bone, to my chest, leaving a trail of wet, sloppy kisses. He kissed down my left breast, and took the other in his hand. He swirled his tongue around my nipple, and then began to suck on it. Soft at first, and then with more lust. I pushed one of my hands through his hair, and had the other one on his shoulder. I couldn’t help the moans that left my mouth as he worked my breasts, arching my back and pushing my head further into the pillow. He lifted his head to take a breath, and I whimper at the loss of contact.

He begins to kiss just below my breast, and down my stomach, pulls the body suit in even lower. He stops for a moment, a surprised look on his face when he gets to my naval.

“When did you get this?” He asks, gesturing to the diamond stud pierced into my belly button.

“Um, I don’t know like a year ago. I always wanted one, and I finally got it. It’s cute right?”

“Yeah, uh, very cute.” He says furrowing his brow, lightly tapping the diamond.

“To tell you the truth, I really wanted my nipples done, but I chickened out. This didn’t hurt as much as I thought, so maybe I’ll still get them done.”

“You definitely should, imagine how good it would with me sucking on you then.” My face flushes. We were starting to dive into a specific territory, and I didn’t know how much I could handle hearing him talk this way to me seriously, rather than playfully.

He smirks when I don’t respond, and pulls the material down to my hips, revealing my hip bones. He kisses down my naval and nibbles on one of my hip bones for a moment or two. I suck in a breath as I feel him push my legs open further. He kisses down my inner thigh, and kisses me on my center, where the thin, lace, now soaked, material was.

“Harry, please, just take it all the way off.” I groan.

“Not yet.” He waves a finger at me.

He pushes the material to the side and swipes his tongue over me. My hips buck up at the sudden contact. He smiles and uses a hand to press down on my lower stomach to keep me in place. He swipes his tongue over me again, in a light, teasing manner. I can feel my breathing become more erratic as my chest heaves up and down. Before I’m able to dive my hands in his hair he leans up, and reaches out a finger to my lips. I look at him, puzzled, unsure of what he wants from me. Am I being too loud?

“Open, please.” Oh. I see. I open my mouth for him, and suck on his finger. “Good, thank you.”

He goes back down between my legs, and inserts a finger. I try to squeeze my legs together, but he uses his free arm to wrap around one of the thighs to keep me in place. I couldn’t believe the sight before me. Never did I ever think this would happen between us. Harry was pumping a finger in and out of me, with expertise might I add. He tries to get a second finger in, but he’s unable.

“You’re like, really tight.” I throw an arm over my face. “S’not a bad thing, I just don’t want to hurt you.”

“I just haven’t done this in a while.”

“Done what?”

“Have sex.”

“When was the last time?”

“I don’t know…six months ago? Maybe?”

“Jesus, you poor thing.”

“And when I do it for myself, I don’t necessarily need to stick anything in.” His cheeks flush even more than they already are. Assuming he has a mental image of me pleasuring myself.

“Right.”

He removes his finger from me, and tugs my bodysuit all the way off. Finally. He parts my legs further. He looks up at me, asking for approval again. I put my hands in his hair and push his face down. I feel the smile on his mouth as his tongue makes circles around my clit. Every little flick he makes sends electricity running through me. He slides his tongue down further where I’m dripping for him. We share in a moan as his tongue enters me. I grind myself against him in full pleasure. I almost wish he would let me sit on his face so I could just ride his tongue, but it was too soon for that. I wanted him to feel like he had complete control of my body.

I felt his thumb start to rub my clit rapidly as he continued to dart his tongue in and out of me. A loud moan left me, as I know I’m going to come undone any second. I squeeze harder on his hair, causing him to moan into me, his hot breath making my eyes go into the back of my head. He quickly moves his mouth to suck and nibble on my clit while he reinserts his finger, make a “come here” motion from inside.

“H, Harry, I’m gonna-“ The noise that left me was unrecognizable as my voice. For a moment, everything went white as I slammed the back of my head into the pillow. My chest heaving up and down. As my vision come back, I see him sit up, and suck on the finger that was just inside of me. My mouth falls open as a prop myself up on my elbows.

“So sweet, just like how I imagined you’d taste.” He leaned down and kissed my open mouth, and got off the bed. I watched his every move.

“I want to taste you now.”

“I’d love nothing more than that, but I really don’t want to blow my load in your mouth. I really just want to fuck you.” He says, essentially staring into your soul. He pulls his boxers down.

My eyes went wide at the sight of him. I’ve felt the imprint of his dick before, I knew how long it was, but I didn’t realize how much girth he would have. That’s what I like the best. I couldn’t wait to feel him stretch me apart. I had had the same dick for over three years, I was ready for this. As he sits back down on the bed next to me, I realize something.

“Wait, do you have any condoms?”

“Are you still allergic to latex?”

“Um, yeah.” How the fuck did he remember that?

“Then I don’t have any we can use, love.” He frowns at me.

“No problem, I should have some in my purse. I’ll go down stairs and grab it.”

“No, no, I want you right there just like that. I’ll get it.”

He didn’t even put his boxers back on before running out of the room. I suppose it’s his house, so who cares if he runs around naked. He’s back upstairs in seconds with my purse. He tosses it to me. I rummage through to find the pocket that I keep my condoms in. Luckily, I have quite a few. Something tells me we won’t be one and done tonight. His face lights up when I pull a handful out.

“A bit eager aren’t we?” I laugh.

“Just keep some in your drawer.”

“These aren’t like sheep skin right?”

“Nope, they still prevent against everything, they just don’t have latex in them.”

“I love that you just keep a hoard of them on you at all times.”

“I’m too old to feel uncomfortable for a week.”

“You’re twenty-four, you’re not old.”

“Stop talking, and put the damn condom on, would you?”

“You are eager.”

I swat at him, but he listens to me. He takes one and opens it with his teeth. I cringe a little because you’re not really supposed to do that, but I couldn’t complain either because it was extremely hot. I yank it back from him. If he wasn’t going to let me suck on him, I at least wanted to put the condom on. I rolled it over his length, and he let out a sigh of relief. I can’t imagine how much pressure has built up for him.

I scootch down on the mattress, and he hovers over me again. I open my legs and guide him into me slowly. This time we both let out a sigh of relief. He doesn’t move at first, savoring the moment he wished had happened years ago.

“Jesus, you’re so fucking tight.” His hoarse voice says into my ear. His hands move my legs to wrap around his waist.

Harry moves his hips in a circle and I almost lose it again right there. My nails dig into his broad shoulders. He starts to move in and out slowly. My eyes start to water, and he looks down at me, worried.

“I’m fine. You’re just so big, but it feels good, I promise.” I whisper.

That was all the reassurance he needed. He picked up the pace and moved in and out of me, slamming into me at points. He rubbed his thumb on my clit rapidly and I tightened around him. I clawed at the blankets at the bed, and squirmed under him. Screaming his name over and over, I come undone for the second time. This time, though, he doesn’t give me any time to recover, as he keeps rubbing me while he moves in a circle again.

“Jesus, fuck!” I moan out as my third orgasm comes.

Harry sucks on the salty skin of my neck, as I comb my fingers through his hair.

“I want you on top now.” My chest is heaving, but I nod.

He flips us over, careful to not pull out of me, afraid of leaving my warmth even for a second. I lift my ass up, sliding slowly up his cock, and bob back down on him. He lets out my name in a moan and it’s heaven to my ears. He lets me ride him. I make circles with my hips, and bounce up and down. I feel my head tip back and my back arch. Number four. I collapse onto his chest, letting him know he can take the lead once again. I feel his hips rise and fall, slamming into me each time. I keep my head berried in his neck.

“So good, don’t stop.” I say into his ear.

“Let me fuck you from behind, I’m desperate to see your ass.”

He lifts me off of him, and I immediately go onto my hands and knees. He pulls me by my hips to line us up just right. I feel his hands rub my cheeks, and he gives me a swat. Gentle enough to not be classified as a spank, but hard enough to leave my skin pink.

Harry slowly enters me again, this time with the most ease. My walls plenty slick and stretched out for him now. He makes hard and quick thrusts into me, and his fingers press hard into my hips. The sound of my ass slapping against him makes me fall to my elbows, giving him a better angle for access.

“That’s it, angel, take all of me.” He grunts through his teeth.

Suddenly, I feel his fist wrap through my hair, and he tugs me up. He grabs at my chest and presses me close to his back. I lift my arm up to wrap around into his hair. His mouth pressed to my temple. We’re both panting in unison. One more moan of his name and I feel myself come undone for the fifth time tonight.

“You’re doing so well for me.” He says into my ear before he lets me plop my face back down into the bed. His movements start to get sloppy. His end is near. He repeats my name over and over.

“Oh, fuck.” He lets out.

Harry collapses on top of me. I scoot my butt up into him, as he presses into me further. Once he catches his breath, he swats my ass again, and slowly pulls out of me.

“Don’t move, love.” He gets up to dispose of the condom. He jogs into his en suite bathroom, and comes back with a small hand towel. I rest my head on top of my folded arms as he wipes the wetness that lingers between my legs.

“I could’ve done that. I need to get up to pee anyway.”

“I know, I just wanted another excuse to look at you this way.”

I get up off the bed and use the bathroom. I feel a slight burn. There’s a light pink when I check the toilet paper. I sigh, and flush the toilet. I know he didn’t mean to hurt me. It’s my own damn fault for letting things get so bad in my previous relationship that we stopped having sex. I look at my disheveled appearance in the mirror. I take the elastic on my wrist and throw my hair up. I find a clean wash cloth and some facial soap, and wash my face. I have no energy to go through my full skin regimen so this will have to do. My thighs feel tight with every step, I’m definitely going to feel this tomorrow.

I walk out of the bathroom, and see Harry, now with a clean pair of boxers on, laying with his eyes closed and a big smile on his face. I cough so he knows I’m present. I smile at him, as he watches me pad over to his dresser. I grab a simple white t-shirt out of his drawer and throw it over my head. It covers just around the middle of my thighs. I climb on top of the large bed, and snuggle up next to him. He puts an arm around me.

“I hope you know that shirt won’t be staying on for long. I fully intend to fuck you again, just need a few minutes.”

“Mhm.”

“You alright? Feeling okay?”

“I feel great actually. Was it what you hoped it would be?”

“Better than I ever could’ve imagined. I loved getting lost in you.”

“Same here.”

Even though I was a little sore, we had sex two more times that night. The last time I let him finish in my mouth, finally letting me taste him. When we got up in the morning, he suggested a shower. I didn’t think anything of it until my back was pressed up against the wall, and he had me lifted, pressing inside of me. We couldn’t get enough of each other.

We each had things to do today. I needed to get back to L.A. so I could get to my office, and go over some content for my YouTube channel. And he had to get ready to go back to London soon for the holidays.

“Will you be going to Boston soon for the holidays?”

“Yup, I leave on the 22nd, doing Hanukkah with my family.”

“How long will you stay?”

“Um, at least until after the new year. I love spending new year’s eve in Boston.”

“Maybe, I could come join you for that.” I stop in the middle of tying my sneaker. Harry had lent me some spare clothes he had. I told myself they were his sister’s.

“Wouldn’t new years in London be more exciting?”

“Maybe, but I’ve done it so many times. If you don’t want me to crash your party-“ I walk over to him.

“I’d love to have you join. I’m hosting a big party at my club.” He sighs big. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I just..look, I don’t want to ruin the night we had.”

“Just tell me.”

“You just got out of a relationship, and I know you’re probably not itching to jump into a new one. But for the first time in a while, we’re sort of lined up. My album is going to release tomorrow, and I was wondering if you’d stay here the next couple of days instead of L.A.. I’m doing a pop up show at the forum tomorrow night, and I want you there with me.”

“Well, of course I’ll go to your show. And you’re right, I’m not itching to be labeled as anyone’s girlfriend right now.” He looks down, almost bracing himself. “But, I’m also done playing games with you. I’m all yours if you want me, Harry.”

“Really?” He asks, perking up.

“Yes, really. I just don’t want to use labels yet. Maybe we could call it hanging out or something?”

“Sure, that works for me. I mean, a lot of people when they first get together don’t establish labels. They see how it goes first.”

“Exactly. I knew you’d get it.”

“So, you’d really be all mine? You don’t feel the need to go hop on some more dicks.” He wraps his arms around me.

“After all that last night and this morning, I’d be a fool to want anyone else.” He brushes his smile against my lips before kissing me.

“Right, well the gang is gonna be here soon for a little party. We’re going to make margaritas and what not. You game?”

“Yes, definitely, but I do need to go to my office for a little while. I’ll come back in the latter part of the afternoon to celebrate with you all.”

“Alrighty.”

When I got back to Harry’s house later, I surprised him by wearing bell-bottom jeans, and a yellow crop top that said TPWK on it. He scooped me up, and spun me around, kissing me in front of all of his friends. I blushed and said hello to everyone. We drank all afternoon and into the evening. Dancing and listening to his amazing new album. I assumed his friends would be staying the night. Some set up in the living room, others in the guest rooms. I took my place in his room. I start to unbutton my pants to get ready for bed, but I feel his hands around me.

“No, no, I’ll do that.” He unbuttons my pants, and pushes them down my legs. His eyes go wide at the lacy pink underwear I have on. He holds his hands up like a camera and makes a clicking noise. “Now this is a sight I surely want to get used to.” I swat at his chest with my arm and giggle.

I walk away from him, shaking my butt. He wasn’t having any of that, so he picked me up and tossed me on the bed. I threw a pillow in his face and we started laughing. It was late and we were both tired, and with all the house guests we decided to just to cuddle. We made out for a little while of course, and I quickly jerked him off to relieve the pressure in his boxers. We fell asleep in each other’s arms, both happy and at peace for the first time in years.