#i couldn't find any tattoos that fit the image in my head so i went with the next best thing

[liahswriting]

Hi liah. Long time reader first time messenger here. I just wanna ask you what your bloodhound look like to you? I see bloodhound as a female and I picture her with red hair just like you! What else can you tell us about your bloodhound? Also I hope your day is great! 🥰

Hello hello! My day is great so far. I hope yours is as as well <3

It seems that red hair is a common headcanon among fans. I think it just has to do with Bloodhound's uncle having red hair. Although, I just want to give a short biology lesson here, red hair is a recessive gene. Meaning BOTH parents have to pass it on to their child for the child to show red hair. We know that Bloodhound's father carries the red hair gene because Uncle Artur is Bloodhound's uncle on his father's side. We don't know anything about Bloodhound's mother, so it's not known if his mother carries the red hair gene.

I REALLY wish I was able to draw, because I just can't find any fanart of Bloodhound that matches what I see in my head. I was able to find this image through Google like forever ago and I edited it a bit in photoshop to more closely resemble my own Bloodhound. It's not perfect by any means, but it's sort of the idea.

Again, this isn't my drawing. I only edited it. All credit goes to the original artist. I don't know who drew it because I found it off of Google, so if anyone knows who the artist is, let me know and I'll make sure to properly credit them.

Basically, my Bloodhound -has red hair -has greyish/light eyes (not exactly blue) -has a few tattoos as seen in the image -and still has the face scars he got as a child from inhaling coolant (I was unable to add the scars into my edit because I couldn't find a way to make them look "natural")

My Bloodhound is also late 30's, like 38-ish. Which is how old he actually is in the Apex universe. I also like to think his name is either Einár Johannson, or Viðarr Johannson. Why?

1) because, historically, Scandinavian culture went by patronyms (naming your child after the father). Most Scandinavian countries no longer use this custom. Norway, for example, made it a LAW back in like the 1920s that every family must have an inheritable surname, so most families at the time either just used the last-given patronym as a surname, or created a surname based on where they lived or what their profession was. My family in Norway has been using the same last name for generations now because of this law. I think it's my great uncle that was the last person to have a patronymic name??? I'm not exactly sure. My family is not exactly close with them because we're so far removed from each other. Iceland still uses patronymic names, and Bloodhound is Icelandic, so I gave Bloodhound a patronym. Bloodhound's father is named Johann, so Bloodhound's patronymic name would be Something Johannsson, which means Son of Johann. Sweden and Iceland use the name ending -sson, whereas Norway and Denmark use the name ending -sen.

2) I chose the name Einár (pronounced aye-narr) because it's an Old Norse name, which I like Old Norse since Bloodhound was raised "by the old ways". It means "one who dies in battle" or "one who fights alone", which I thought was fitting for him because he essentially lives his life in solitude. I also chose the name Viðarr (pronounced Vee-tharr) because Viðarr is the son of Odin, and I thought having a God's name would connect Bloodhound more with The Old Ways. It means "wide warrior", although the name meaning wasn't really why I picked it.

And that's about it for my Bloodhound. Of course I have headcanons related to his personality, but that's just a whole shit load of things that would take too long to type out here. I try to incorporate those headcanons into my fics whenever I can (i.e. Bloodhound having a MASSIVE sweet tooth).

[lowkeyerror]

Henchman

Harley Quinn x Reader

Word Count: 2,6k

Warnings: Violence, stabbing, mentions of domestic violence

Summary: Y/n was forced to be one of Joker's henchmen. She flew under the radar for the most part. That was until The Joker assigned her to be Harley Quinn's bodyguard. That's when she found out her freedom would surely come.

Masterlist

No one ever consciously makes the decision of being a goon. It's always an unfortunate set of circumstances. Whether it be the inability to work because of prior convictions, an unplayable debt, or even fate handpicking you for that life.

For Y/n, she found herself in the middle of a bank robbery. There was a gun to her head, she had to make a decision on the spot; die or become one of the Joker's henchmen.

Maybe she should've chosen death.

Not just anyone could be one of the Joker's workers. They had an image to uphold; muscles, tattoos, and a handful of them had signature green hair like his. Y/n went through a lot of pain to fit that build. The moment she did, she was off doing the Joker's bidding.

There were only a handful of the henchmen that were women. They weren't treated any differently from the men. Same workload, same chores, same punishments if they fucked up.

Most of the other henchmen had found some sense of camaraderie with each other. They considered each other friends, maybe even family. That wasn't the case for Y/n she barely considered them coworkers.

However, she did get a nickname. They called her Snaps. She got the name because of the temper she had built. She was kept to herself, and for the most part everyone knew that.

Mostly everyone isn't everyone, unfortunately. So some poor souls had to learn the hard way. If they consistently fucked with Y/n, she would eventually snap. When she did, it was almost instant.

The first time it happened was actually in front of Joker, himself. Some henchmen kept trying to feel her up while Joker was giving them orders. She tried smacking his hand away, but it always seemed to find a way back to where it didn't belong.

So naturally when he reached over the next time, she stabbed right through his hand," Don't fucking touch me."

He screamed in agony, gaining Joker's attention," The bitch stabbed me."

The Joker simply said ,"I like her style." Then continued with his monologue.

There were other times following that situation that only solidified the nickname.

Y/n couldn't stand the thing that she became. Everything about it was awful, but she didn't have any other choice.

" Snaps, the boss wants you in his office immediately."

At the henchman's words, Y/n headed straight for the Joker's office. She had worked there long enough to know that this wasn't a frightening journey as it seemed. In fact, she had been in Joker's office numerous times.

" Aww Snaps, just the person I wanted to see," he laughed at his intentional pun.

" What can I do for you, sir?"

His face took a comically large frown," Always so serious, Snaps, but that's what I like about you. You don't take any shit from anyone. It reminds me of… well, me."

Y/n sat there as still as she could be, waiting for the Joker's actual orders.

" Snaps, have you met my Harley?"

Y/n shakes her head," No sir, I haven't."

He pauses his movements and starts to pose dramatically," Surely you've heard of her? Seen her around, maybe? Heard her scream my name at night?"

" Yes sir, I know of Miss Quinn."

Joker claps his hands together," That's fantastic news, Snaps, because you're going to be her personal security from now on."

Y/n's eyes widen, and this causes Joker to laugh. The shock on the woman's face has him completely tickled," Oh my god, Snaps, I don't think I've ever seen your face do something other than frown. That's priceless."

" You want me to guard Miss Quinn?"

The smile slowly retreats from his face," That's what I said, didn't I?"

Y/n cleared her throat," Yes sir."

The smile returned instantly," Where she goes, you go. She will have authority over you, just like I do. So you better listen to her. One toe out of line, I might just have to cut it off. Do you understand?"

" Yes sir."

Joker cackles," Good. Now Harley baby, come on in, I've got a surprise for you."

The woman struts in the room. This Harley Quinn looked different to the one that Y/n was previously familiar with. The red and black attire was gone, so was the mask, and the hat.

She wore a short shirt with even shorter shorts. Her blonde hair was in pigtails, almost mimicking her former headwear.

" Harley, this is Snaps, your new personal bodyguard. Anywhere you go, she goes. She is the best woman we have, and I know she won't let any harm come to you. Right, Snaps?"

" Yes sir, I will keep her safe."

Joker grins," See, she's even well-mannered."

Harley throws her arms over the villain," Thank you so much, Puddin. This new look has the people going psycho over lil ol me. I'm tired of beatin em up myself."

Joker twirls the woman in the arms then plants a wet kiss on her lips," Anything for you, my Harley. Now, why don't you test her out."

Harley looks in Y/n's direction briefly," Let's go Snaps, we got a lot of chaos to cause."

Harley exits the office and Y/n trails behind her. They walk out of the warehouse into the Gotham City fog.

" So, how'd you get the name Snaps?"

" My temper," the henchman answers shortly.

Harley jumps in place a few times," Oooo I have one of those too. One moment a guy in a club is calling me a bitch and the next I'm breaking his knees."

Y/n watches as the animated woman talks, quite unused to the cheeriness. She tries to make a little small talk," Is Harley a nickname?"

" Harleen Quinzel is the long name, but Harley Quinn for short. My friends even call me Harley. You got a name, Snaps?"

The woman was almost startled at the question. No one had asked her real name in months," Y/n Y/ln."

Harley keeps walking, her bat swinging with each step," Y/n sounds way better than Snaps."

Y/n shrugs," You know, henchmen nicknames are never that good."

Harley observes you," Can I trust you, Y/n?"

" We just met," Y/n answers back.

Harley smiles," Good answer, how'd you end up here."

" Bank robbery; it was either this or death. I chose this."

Harley frowns," So you never wanted to be a henchman? You're not down for the Joker's cause"

Y/n raised an eyebrow," Is this a set-up?"

Harley looks from her left to her right and then back at you, "No, but I didn't come back with just a new wardrobe. I have a new attitude. One that might not work so well with Mistah J's."

Y/n couldn't believe her ears," You're going to turn on him. Harley, you could die. He could kill you for this."

" Maybe if I were alone, he would. But that's not the case because I'm working with Bats."

The henchman's mouth dropped open," Bats? As in Batsy? Batman? What the hell is going on?"

Harley eyes soften," I'm so tired of being the punch line to every joke. The abuse… I just can't take it anymore. I'm a fun gal with a few loose screws. Him, he's a monster."

Y/n absorbs the information she's being told. She never knew that the Joker was abusing Harley. It wasn't a surprise, but it still angered the girl.

" I can't wait for this sick bastard to be locked up again. I'm tired of living like this. I'm sorry, he's been hurting you. He's not going to lay a finger on you, if I'm here."

Harley smiles at the girl genuinely," Thanks Y/nn."

The henchman's face involuntarily heats with the sweet nickname. Harley takes notice, but chooses not to tease the woman.

" What?" Y/n shuffles a bit under Harley's intense stare.

" Do you want a makeover?"

Y/n tilts her head to the side. She stops to look at her reflection in a store window. She hardly recognizes her own reflection. Her hand runs through the green hair, her eyes scrunch up at the ugly clothes that were provided by Joker.

" Won't he get upset?"

Harley shrugs," So? Technically, he said I can do whatever I want with you. If we're going to be seen together, you have to be stylish, thems the rules."

Harley practically drags Y/n all over Gotham City. By the time they reach their final destination, Y/n has two handfuls of bags.

" Where are we?"

" My apartment, now drop the bags and follow me."

Y/n follows Harley into a huge restroom. The clown brings a chair for her bodyguard to sit in. Y/n takes her seat and watches Harley through the mirror.

" What are you doing?"

Harley is focused on the contents of her bag," We're dying your hair. So we match a little better."

" Are you allowed to do that ?"

She ran her hand through Y/n's hair," Do you mind if I dye it?"

" I was talking about the Joker."

Harley rolled her eyes," Fuck him. As long as I say it's alright, and you're ok with it, it's happening."

Y/n really stared at her reflection. Harley's pale hand stuck out in the bright green hair that she never wanted. The blonde, blue, and pink in Harley's hair were different, but anything would be better than the green.

" Let's do it, fuck it."

There was something special in that moment Y/n shared with Harley. There was an instant trust between the two. Partially due to the fact that Harley was the only person she felt she could let her guard around.

With the case she had already built against the Joker, it was only a matter of time before this would all come to an end. Though Y/n was thrilled at the thought of parting ways with the Joker, she had grown to like Harley.

In fact, Y/n found herself developing a crush on the unconventional villain turned hero. She liked Harley's unpredictability. The clown was smart, funny, talented, and the list went on forever, at least to Y/n.

Joker doesn't suspect anything. He didn't care about the hair or the new wardrobe. He thought about it as if Y/n was a doll and Harley was playing with her. He honestly thought it was quite amusing.

" Today's the day Y/n, Bats is on standby," Harley had the excitement etched onto her face.

Y/n gave her the best smile she could muster," I can't wait."

Harley could see through her facade. She didn't get a chance to question it.

" HARLEEN, GET IN HERE NOW!"

The harsh tone of voice only capable of coming out of one man. Y/n took notice of how Harley flinched at the voice. The woman was going to go on her, but Y/n insisted on following her.

As soon as they stepped into the Joker's office, the man threw a stack of papers at Harley.

" You stupid moron, I thought I told you to take care of this shit. Now I've got the Penguin up my ass and Falcone not too far behind him."

Harley became stiff under his glare, "I- I'm."

" Y-y-you are pathetic," he spits out.

The way mocks her irritates Y/n. Her fists ball up beside her, trying to keep her anger at bay.

That all goes out of the window, when she sees Joker make the move to smack Harley. Y/n's hand shoots out to grab his wrist before she can think to stop herself.

She places herself between the two. Joker laughs at her actions, but he doesn't actually think anything is funny," Snaps, I get it, you're good at your job, but you don't get to protect her from me. Now let me go."

Y/n glances at Harley, who is visibly shaken behind her, then back at the lunatic in front of her. She doesn't release the grip.

" You and I go way back, Snaps. Are you really going to let some dumb bitch ruin this for you ? She'll make it out of here, but you don't have that guarantee."

That was it for Y/n.

She punches Joker square in the jaw, catching him off guard. He stumbles and laughs. He goes in for banter, but she doesn't allow him any breathing room. She uppercuts him, and he falls flat on his back.

She takes that opportunity to continue to rain down punches on the clown prince of crime. He continues to laugh with each hit, making her angrier and angrier.

Harley grabs onto her shoulder as she is going in for another swing," Y/n stop."

That was Joker's perfect window. With a sick cackle, he stabs Y/n in the stomach. Her hands go to cover the wound as he shoves her off of him.

" Should've listened when you had the chance. It's a shame really, I actually liked you."

He aims a gun at her as the wound from her stomach gushes blood. Harley moves towards him, but Y/n shakes her head in agony," Go, now."

Harley stands her ground and that causes Joker to smile, "Aww you really care about her, don't you? I'll get you a new one after this, sweetums."

When Y/n thought it was her end, a black mass swooped down from the ceiling vent. Joker was tackled to the ground with his hands behind his back.

" You're going away forever this time, Joker."

" Batsy, nice of you to drop in," he laughs as the masked hero yanks him to his feet.

Harley was by Y/n's side instantly, her hands flying over the girl’s wound. She pressed down on it, causing Y/n to grunt in pain.

" Sorry cupcake, I've gotta put pressure on it. If I don't you could-" tears pool in her eyes as she watches the blood pour out of Y/n.

The GCPD officers take Joker while Batman approaches Harley and Y/n," Let me take a look."

Harley looks at the Bat apprehensively," Be careful with her."

He gave her a nod. Batman began patching her up right then and there. A mixture of tech and his prior knowledge, he was able to get Y/n fixed in under an hour.

" Are you finished yet?" Harley pokes her head in the door anxiously.

" All done, Quinn," Batman helps Y/n to her feet. Harley rushes to the girl, carefully wrapping her arms around her middle.

" I wasn't going to let him hurt you," Y/n kisses the top of the girl's head.

" He stabbed you."

Y/n caught her eyes," I'd let him stab me 1800 times before I let him lay another finger on you."

Harley's eyes dart away from Y/n's," Y/n, you know I'm not normal. After all Joker put you through, you probably want a little more normalcy in your life."

" If I can be honest with you, Harley, the only thing I want in my life, now that this is over, is you."

Harley smiles," Me?"

" You," you smile down at her.

The clown pulls Y/n down into a firm kiss. Their lips hit each other and there is an instant spark. Neither of the pairs ever wanted the kiss to end.

It was a cough from Batman that ended up separating the pair," Harley has told me all about your situation. I just want to assure you that you aren't going to jail. If you want it, there's a spot on our team for you. If not, that's alright too. Think it over."

He took his leave after that, seemingly disappearing from thin air. Y/n and Harley also left the Joker's hideout, eager to put this all behind them.

Y/n had a lot to think about, teaming with Batman almost sounded just as crazy as working for the Joker. As she looked at the woman next to her, the answer was almost alarmingly obvious.

Anything involving Harley was something Y/n would be interested in.

[mystic-myrtille]

LBSC Sprint Challenge: August

I finally completed my first sprint challenge!!

As a prompt, I chose the twitter post that said "When people are sad I let them color in my tattoos. Sometimes all they need is a shoulder to crayon" from this prompt list

I did the sprint in one go and i was surprised because i thought it would be way harder XD I'm quite happy with how it turned out. Enjoy!

@lovebugs-and-snakecharmers

The frustrated tapping of Marinette's nails against the small table halled through the greenhouse of the Liberty. With every movemet of her pencil and new line appearing on the page of her sketch book before her, with every line she removes with her eraser she felt more and more frustration piling up, until she put the pencil down, ripped the page out and threw it across the room. At this point, she had already given up on counting how many cycles of angrily sketching, erasing and ripping out she went through. Either way, she was pissed. A new, blanc page stared at her almost mockingly and she found herself fighting the urge to take the stupid book and throw it into the seine.

… No, that wouldn't be worth it. It was a good book of high quality. Throwing that anywhere would be foolish. She had payed a lot of money for that. And it wasn't like that would make her feel any less like a disappointment anyway.

These stage costumes had to be done in two weeks, yet she just couldn't find any inspiration. This was much easier the first time she had designed costumes for Kitty section. Cute little kitty masks and stuff. The skeches for those had been done in about 30 minutes. But Kitty section, now that they were older, kinda grew out of the cute kitty phase and were now reinventing their image and a rock and metal band, looking for more rock/metal appropriate designs (while still keeping the cat/unicorn theme because Rose, who never grew out of that phase and probably never will, insisted on it).

And Marinette wasn't able to do that. How should the rock and metal genre fit together with a cute kitty/unicorn aesthetic?

It's not like she didn't believe that was possible, but she had tried a good amount of designs, all of them now lying on the floor, and none of them felt right.

She rested her head on the table with a loud sigh. This was clearly not working.

She stayed like this for a short while when she heard footsteps approaching. She looked up and spotted Luka walking towards her with a glass of orange juice im his hand.

It was a hot summer day, so he was wearing a white tank top, exposing his quite toned arms and a big tattoo on his left shoulder, depicting a viper exposing it's long fangs. It was a great tattoo which suited Luka very well, though it wasn't colored yet. He had his next appointment in a few days to get it done. Until then, the viper remained colorless.

Luka put the glass down and sat next to Marinette.

„You look unhappy,“ he observed, placing a hand on Marinette's shouder and squeezing lightly.

She let out another sigh.

„Do you know that feeling when you're completely useless because you can't get anything done because you suck?“

She stretched out an arm to grab one of the papers she teared out earlier, unfolded it and showed it to him.

„Look at this... this... this disgrace,“ she whined, "it looks so bad, it doesn't do the band justice at all. Like... it makes me want to throw myself in the seine, that's how much I hated! Why am I so goddamn untalented?“

Luka chuckled.

„Watch what you're saying, that's my girlfriend you're talking about,“ he joked. It made Marinette smile.

„Sorry,“ she said. „ I guess I'm just in a really bad mood because none of the designs feel right. I want you guys to have nice stage outfits and none of those would do you justice.“

„It's ok, that happens“, Luka comforted her, „Sometimes the notes are here and you can hear them.“

He leans back on the couch and pulls Marinette along with him.

„But I just don't know how to... combine them. And it sucks, but I know you'll figure it out. You should get a break and I'm sure it'll make you feel better.“

His eyes fell on one of marinette's crayons. He smiled and picked the blue one up.

„You know,“ he said, „maybe you can just try to design something easier.“

Marinette tilted her head in confusion.

„Like what?“

„Like my uncolored tattoo“

He turned his shoulder to her.

„I haven't actually amde up my mind about what color exactly I want him to be. Maybe you could help me with that,“ he explained. „Plus...“

He put on a dorky smile.

„Plus what,“ Marinette asked, also smiling in anticipation what would come next.

„Plus, you'd have a shoulder to... crayon.“

The greenhouse fell silent for a few seconds. Marinette looked at her boyfriend as if he hadn't just made the funniest pun she had heard in a long time while he had the audacity to look back at her with this idiotic and utterly adorable grin.

Then a giggle escaped her which soon turned into loud laughter.

„A shlouder to crayon,“ she repeated in between chuckles,“You've got to be kidding me!“

Luka was laughing, too.

„I'm normally not good with puns. Come on, Medoly, you gotta give me credit for that one.“

„Ok ok,“ Marinette chuckled, „That was pretty funny. Well done.“

She ruffled his hair with her hand. Luka leaned into the touch.

Then he handed her the crayon and she started coloring the viper.

„I don't know if you know this, but I normally hate puns,“ she confessed, „Back in the days Chat noir made puns every time I'd meet him. Bad puns I might add.“

„Mostly about cats I assume,“ Luka asked.

„Yup,“ Marinette answered, „Though admittedly, some of them were funny. I just never laughed because I was focusing on fighting the akuma. And also...“

She put the crayon down and picked another one, „If I'd actually confess that he can be funny, he'd probably be so proud of himself that he'd be insuffarable.“ she laughed.

„Yeah, I can see that,“ said Luka.

„Not that I mean any offense by that though,“ she added.

They sat like this for some time, Marinette coloring Luka's arm while they came up with their own puns. People say laughter is the best medicine. Marinette found that to be true, as she felt her mood getting better with every second.

After some time, Marinette was satisfied with her work. The viper rested big and proud on Luka's shoulder in various shades of blue and green. She also put in some violet highlights to make the creature feel more alive.

„Wow,“ Luka said, „if you weren't on your way to be the worlds greatest designer, you would do great as a tattooist.“

„So you like it?“

„Like it? I love it!“

He wrapped his arm around his girlfriend and planted a kiss on her forhead.

„I will tell the tattooist to make my tattoo look exactly like that.“

Marinette looked up at him and felt really proud to have made her boyfriend this happy. She pressed her lips to his and gave him a little peck.

„Too bad I won't have that tattoo in the future to color.“

Luka chuckled.

„Don't worry babe. I have two shouders.“

[hazbbyhaz]

sleepless || harry styles

eight

pairing: Harry Styles x OC

synopsis: a night out on the town

disclaimer: cursing, bars

Forever is composed of nows

Avery watched Harry decline the incoming call without a second thought. “We should get going.” He said, already making his way to the door. She quickly grabbed her keys and her coat before following him out of the flat. There was something impatient and troublesome about his presence as he waited for her to lock her front door.

“How are we getting there?”

“We drive.” He must be a damn good photographer if he could afford a car. As if he could read her mind, he soon spoke, “The car’s not mine, It's my uncles.”

The vehicle was small but cute. It seemed to fit him well. During the drive to the club, Harry was rather quiet and closed off. Later saying that his friends were already there, quickly assuming she still remembered them from his birthday

“So, you're a photographer, right? What do you photograph?”

“I like black and white photographs,” He said. He stopped to think about what he was going to say next before he continued. “When I got into photography I used to just take pictures of my friends without them noticing. Then I moved on to public transport, parties, concerts. All those places where you can catch a glimpse of people's souls. I quickly threw out all of my colored films and switched to black and white. There's something so much more vulnerable and secretive about it…”

“I like that.” She imagines Harry with a camera in his hand, spending his days in London looking for the mystery in every person who passed him.

He gave her a small smile, which did not reach all the way up to his eyes. “Me too. However, I can't make my money with that. It's not good enough to stand on its own, so I work for a modeling agency as a photographer. It's not bad, they pay good enough but it also shows me just how much I hate staged photographs. What about you then? What's your passion?”

She shrugged, moving her gaze to the front. “Writing, I guess.” The truth was, she had no idea. In her opinion, it was too hard for her to organize all of her thoughts inside of her head, let alone sit down to put them to paper. She wanted to be a writer. She did. It was one of the only things she really wanted, but she knew she didn't have the talent or skill set for it.

“So you want to be a journalist? Or a writer?” Harry asked. She struggled with finding an answer since nobody had ever shown that much real, genuine interest in her.

“Just a writer, I think… but journalism sounds nice too.” In reality, she'd like to tell him that she didn't know what to do. Tell him that she was lost. Completely and utterly lost. In her childhood, she was never given the chance to find her talents or develop specific abilities. She had never shown her work to anyone, only submitting a handful of short stories to magazines just to receive no reply in return.

“Can you tell me more about your photographs?’’

He grinned and told Avery more. He spoke with so much emotion that Avery found herself wondering if she had sounded the same when she talked about writing. Most likely not. I felt like he knew exactly what he was doing. He knew how to capture an image and turn it into the most wonderful masterpiece.

Soon after, the club came in sight. Harry parked the car at the side of the road, and as they were getting out, a sudden wave of exhaustion overcame her. Just thinking about meeting his friends, for real this time, made her mind so tired, “You ready?”

“Sure.”

Avery had never been much of a club person, always liking the warmer feeling a pub provided. She didn't like the loud music, the overwhelming smell of pure sweat, and just the overall pace of it all. She felt like everything went so much faster. Harry helped her take off her coat as they got inside. Despite her objections, he paid for both entries, emitting a small chuckle when she tried to argue with him.

The entire place was filled with people and the music was being managed by a DJ in the back of the room. Different colored lights flashed and moved through the crowd. Harry soon took her hand into his own, leading her through the crowd, and down a small flight of stairs to a much quieter area.

The brunette girl was the first person Avery spotted. “Emily, How are you? Why are you down here?” Harry greeted her with a hug, letting go of Avery's hand in the process. “Not bad, the DJ is kinda wack.”

“Well, look who's talking. The girl who said we HAD to come here.” A guy standing close by said, mimicking Emily.

“Shut up, George.” Harry greeted the others. Some of them she recognized from the party and some she didn't.

“This is Avery.” He introduced her and all of his friends' eyes stopped on her for a moment, looking her up and down, making her feel like a rat on a doctor’s table.

“Nice to see you again,” Emily said, the others nodded in her direction, but a second later all of their attention was back on Emily. She let out a dramatic sigh, “So, what are we going to do? Stay here, or go somewhere else?”

“I vote that we stay here.” A rather tall man, Harry had introduced as James, said. The brunette rolled her eyes, all of them making their way to the dance floor nonetheless, George making it his responsibility to get drinks for everybody.

It was hard for Avery to enjoy herself. She felt incredibly awkward while dancing, or trying to anyway. All the others had some type of rhythm in their blood, while she was desperately trying her best. Once “Low” by Flo Rida started to pour out of the speakers, she made a mad dash to the bathroom, staying there until the song was finished. Harry didn't drink, as he had to drive them both back afterward, so Avery did the same. Wanting to avoid all possible realms of embarrassment.

He gave her a small backstory of his mates. James has very rich parents, his dad paying his way through law school just so he can tell his colleagues that his son is a successful lawyer. James has a twin brother named Jasper, he ended up leaving home the first chance he got. George is a failed musician who has the entire second verse of Piano Man tattooed on his ass. Emily is into fashion, but she lost per passion for it after she got rejected from a school in Amsterdam. They all seemed to be on some kind of path. Every one of them working their way to the future, attempting to reach some sort of goal.

And Harry had taken photos of all of it. Documenting their entire lives as these individuals. He had taken photos of James passed out on the floor with numerous textbooks open around him, all just to live up to his father's standards. There were pictures of George playing the piano in many different pubs, several pints sitting atop the instrument while his friends listened to him play a tune. A few were taken of Emily hard at work, sat by her sewing machine, or window shopping at nearby second-hand dress shops. And when Jasper was around, there were a couple of him trying to learn how to juggle, the instructions given to him by a homeless man.

Their lives had been documented in a way so utterly beautiful. Photographs were taken in moments that seemed worth freezing. Moments that a curly-headed boy thought deserved to be remembered forever. Knowing all of this made Avery feel so unexplainably lonely, especially while being in their company.

“Did you have fun?” They had made it back to the car at 2 am. Harry took a quick look back, seeing all of his friends laughing, and stumbling while making their way back home.

“Yes, thank you for inviting me.”

“My pleasure. What are you going to do when you get home?” He backed out and drove onto the main road.

“Probably make a couple of cups of coffee.” She still hadn't made it out to the grocery to pick up more tea.

“You don't sleep often, huh?”

“What makes you think that?” The answer was obvious.

“You look tired a lot. Why don't you sleep?” Avery ignores his assumption. She wasn't offended, it was easy to assume without being incorrect.

“I don't like it,” She shrugged, feeling like a child. “I prefer to stay awake.” Avery could tell that he wanted to ask more questions. She would have been fine with this, but at this point, she was beyond exhausted and couldn't handle giving any more answers. “Can I ask you a question?’’

“Shoot.”

She waited a moment before continuing. Not for dramatic effect, just to figure out how she wanted to go about it. “What do you dream of?”

Harry's eyebrows pulled together, and he looked her way. “Uhm… I guess making a living off my-”

“No,” She quickly stopped him. “I mean… When you fall asleep at night. What do you dream of?”

“Oh… I don't know. I forget most of the time when I wake up, but last week I dreamed I had adopted a puppy and he ran away the second day I had him. I oddly enough didn't mind that he had run away. He ended up coming back on the third day. Quite random, but that was that… Why are you asking me this?”

Avery smiled at the description of his dream. So innocent and childlike. He didn't have to worry about what would appear before him when he fell asleep, and she was glad that he didn't have to. “No reason.”

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