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audliminal · 1 day ago

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Survivability Bias Pt 7

Masterpost - Ao3

Danny’s on his morning run when he notices the buzzing in his pocket. He stops short, stepping off to the side of the path, so he’s not in anyone’s way. It’s odd, having a phone again. He’s long since buried his old phone in his backpack. It died weeks ago, and he doesn’t really see any point in trying to charge it, when it can’t fulfill it’s primary purpose. The new phone from Robin is clearly far more advanced. It’s weird, having to use a touch screen, and Danny really hasn’t fiddled with it much. He doesn’t really know who’s paying for the service, but he’d rather not test their patience with accidental charges. So he’s only messaged Robin, and only to respond, on the few occasions Robin has had follow-up questions. Now, he pulls the phone out of his pocket, wondering what Robin needs, but instead of a contact name, the text notification lists a number.

Someone else is trying to call him.

Danny stares at the notification, fear condensing in the fathomless pit of his stomach. He’d known the phone was a risk when Robin had handed it to him. Had understood from the start that it was also a tool to track Danny. But there had been no reasonable way out of it; if Robin was going to make Danny exist, then he had to be able to contact him, for questions, or to let him know when his ID was ready. Sure, Superboy can listen for Danny’s voice, but he can’t exactly message Danny back without coming to meet him, and Robin undoubtedly doesn’t want to have to go through Superboy to talk to him anyways. So he’d accepted the phone, and he’d been careful not to go anywhere weird.

What Danny hadn’t considered, is the notion that Robin might give the number to others. Or, worse, that others might be able to find it (a trail is a trail is a trail). Now, here’s the clear evidence otherwise. Alarms flare in Danny’s head as he reconsiders, counting all the ways in which this whole thing was a terrible idea. He doesn’t have friends to help him here. He doesn’t even have Vlad to fall back on. Anonymity was quite literally his only protection and he threw that away for, what, the chance that he might be able to go to space camp?

Something touches his arm, and Danny leaps back, weight falling onto his back foot and arms coming up as he glares at the person in front of him. But when he pauses to process, the only person in front of him is an old lady who he’s seen around plenty of times before. Great. This is a public space, and there’s other people here, and he just acted like he was gonna fight an old lady.

“I’m so sorry!” Danny exclaims, snapping his arms down. “I just-” Danny fumbles for a moment, trying to think of an explanation that doesn’t sound like an excuse.

“Oh, there is absolutely nothing to apologize for, dear.” The lady says with a smile, even as she takes a half step back. “I touched you without warning; your response to that is your own. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Oh...” Danny says. “Okay?” He frowns, trying to remember if he stumbled or something before he stopped.

“Well, you looked at your phone and I thought you looked upset. So when you didn’t move after a minute, I thought you might have... well, I’ve seen that kind of reaction before, and it tends to not mean anything good.”

“Oh, that’s, um. That’s very nice of you.”

“Nothing of it dear! Now, I don’t want to pry into your business, but if you need an ear, or a hug, or just someone to sit with you for a moment...” She trails off. Danny blinks, and glances back at his phone.

“Um, I think- it’s fine. I probably need to go deal with this, but it’s nothing worth worrying about.” He plasters his best smile on as he says the last bit, and resolutely ignores the way her frown only deepens. “But I really appreciate the offer! I mean, really!” Danny takes one, then two steps back, then turns towards the entrance to the park, and sets off at a jog, calculating in his head.

It’s been about five minutes since his phone buzzed. Nothing’s happened yet, which means whatever situation probably isn’t hostile yet, so Danny presumably has some amount of time. And the first priority has to be keeping this poor town out of it, so the first thing he needs to do is get out of the town.

Luckily, Danny’s had a map of the best transformation spots building in his head since day one, so it’s a simple matter of running to the closest one, shifting, and then taking off under the cover of his invisibility. Once he gets some height, he starts scanning his surroundings for any odd activity, but everything in the town seems normal, so Danny refocuses, looking instead for a safe spot to deal with...whoever is after him now.

Five minutes later, Danny drops down onto an empty, overgrown lot, well away from anyone. The second his feet hit the ground, he looks down at the phone still in his hand. The unknown number is still there, staring him down from the notification screen. Danny takes a deep breath, and he swipes the phone open and begins to read.

Hey! I talked Robin into giving me your number so we could chat more easily! (it’s Superboy in case that isn’t clear)

Danny stares at the message, the dread in his stomach promptly evaporating, until all that’s left is a dense little nugget of embarrassment. Superboy. Who Danny knows and has talked to, and had been very friendly, and absolutely would have asked his friend Robin for Danny’s number. Because they’re at least sort-of-friends and that’s what friends do. They share their phone numbers and then send each other messages. And Danny reacted to a stupid message by panicking and fleeing the entire town like his phone was a bomb that he had to defuse in a desolate-ass field across from a shitty abandoned truck stop along an equally abandoned highway.

At least Superboy’s not here to see Danny look like a loser.

Hey! He quickly writes back. That’s a great idea, I’ll add you to my contacts :D

Danny hits send, then immediately takes off, heading back towards town. Maybe if he’s quick enough, nobody will catch that he left.

It’s kind of funny, in a way. Like, yeah Superboy had been acting friendly towards him from the beginning, but he hadn’t really thought about the other boy as being a potential friend or anything. There’s a part of him that feels guilty about it - that aches with the thought that he could be sending Superboy all the messages he would have sent to Sam and Tucker. He knows they’d call him an idiot if they could hear those thoughts, but the uncomfortable feeling doesn’t seem overly concerned with Danny’s attempts at rational thought.

He wishes they had come with him, even as he knows how unfair it would’ve been to ask. Their bond may be strong as hell (turns out half-dying in front of your friends makes for an unbreakable friendship), but his friends have families that love and care about them. Meanwhile, Danny’s family had always been a catastrophic mess. He’d always tried not to let himself think about it, but here in a different dimension, it’s easy to admit to himself how much it hurt to have his parents not realize he’d died.

They’d never even questioned it, not sought out a single further answer as to how the portal suddenly started working. Danny had spent weeks, falling through furniture and randomly going invisible, had suddenly started being targeted by their shitty home defense systems, and they’d never fucking noticed, because they’d been too excited that their beloved portal was finally working and now they could dig into their obsession all the more.

In retrospect, they should have realized Danny’s parents were ecto-contaminated far sooner. Even Box Ghost wasn’t that much of a freak for boxes.

“It’s fucking dumb,” Danny mutters, dropping down into an alley and transforming. “Fucking dead, and it’s a relief that they didn’t notice, because if my parents noticed anything about me, they’d only make my life fucking worse!” He punctuates the statement by kicking a half-crushed can as hard as he can, sending it flying directly at the wall. The clang echoes in the tight little alleyway, and again as it clatters to a stop a few feet away. He stands there, staring at the can for a moment, thinking about just letting himself cry. He imagines what would happen if he just collapsed onto the ground and started sobbing and never got up. It’s not like he has any responsibilities to get to, after all. Or, if he wanted, he could march back to the park and tell that nice lady that he’s not fine, and demand that hug she’d offered him. He’d feel dumb as hell, and it wouldn’t actually change anything, but he could.

He stoops down to pick up the can. Sam would want him to go recycle it. Superboy responds to his text with a goofy midair selfie.

* * *

Danny does not want to be doing math right now, so when his phone buzzes, he jumps at the opportunity to do literally anything else. Danny’s determined to do well in school this time around, and he’s willing to work for it, but trying to review and relearn everything he should have over the last couple years sucks. Luckily he’s found some useful resources that he can refer back to when he inevitably discovers something else he should have learned, but preparedness is definitely better than playing catch-up. He’s only going to have two years worth of high school grades, so each class is worth a lot more. Thinking about that, Danny kind of gets why Robin had offered to falsify his grades. He could only imagine how Jazz would’ve felt if her perfect GPA had been erased in Junior year.

But to Danny, the clean slate is already a boon. He’d quite literally scraped his way out of summer school by half of a percent this last year, and even though Junior Year had barely been underway when he’d fled, his grades had already been beyond recovery. And with no ghost attacks to contend with, Danny’s determined to prove he can get to college of his own accord.

Guess what! :D The message from Superboy says, when he opens it. It’s accompanied by a selfie, though it’s not taken in any of the rooms Danny’s seen in the many photos Superboy’s sent him.

Titan Tower’s been demolished and you’re all staying in Robin’s place for a week? Danny sends back immediately. He hopes that’s not actually the case, but Superboy’s always delighted whenever Danny sends him a snarky response, so he swallows the needle of anxiety. They’ve been texting for less than a week, but in that time, Superboy’s sent Danny dozens and dozens of messages. Solidly half of them are just random selfies, and the number that appear to be from inside their hero base has got to be some kind of a security problem, but Danny’s not about to challenge Superboy on it. It’s too reassuring, seeing the headquarters the teen heroes work from. Every selfie reveals more of the comfortable, spacious, and well-equipped base, and with every reveal, Danny feels a little more certain that they really aren’t being exploited.

Nope, comes the response. Then, a moment later, I’m at your new home! This is accompanied by another selfie, this one with an absolutely gorgeous framed print of the pillars of creation in the background. Danny straightens in his seat, as he stares at the message. He’d given Robin carte blanche when it came to furnishing his apartment. At the time of their conversation, he’d been overwhelmed and didn’t want to think about anything like furniture, but now that he’s had time to think he’s been feeling a little regret about it. Danny’s used to living with stuff that other people have picked out, and the idea of having control over his furniture actually does seem like it could be cool. Still, he hadn’t felt strongly enough to say anything, afraid to risk disrupting whatever work Robin had already done. Besides, he’d assumed Robin would just give him the are minimum, and he could add stuff later, when he finally had the money.

Danny’s caught between desperate gratitude and guilt. The print in the photo is beautiful, and exactly the kind of thing Danny might have chosen, but he also knows how much quality prints like that cost. He hadn’t thought about it before, but furniture has got to be expensive too, even if it’s just the bare minimum.

You still there, dude? Another text comes in and Danny moves to reply with shaking hands.

How much money are you guys spending on me?

The response isn’t immediate. Danny tries not to panic, but he can tell he’s going to fail. Instead, he shoves his stuff into his backpack as quickly as he can, holding his breath, because he absolutely can’t be trusted to stay quiet right now. He’s walking out the door to the library, when his phone finally buzzes again.

Okay so I sort of had to ask Robin why you would be worried about that, so like, sorry for the delay. There’s like a lot of gaps in my social knowledge? And I’ve never really had any control over what ppl do or don’t give me, so like. I didn’t realize that would upset you and I’m sorry? But also Robin literally said “not much, only a couple thousand” which is to say that I’m pretty sure he’s actually super rich and furnishing a home is literally peanuts to him.

Danny reads it, and then he reads it again, forcing himself to take deep breaths as he moves out of the doorway. Once he’s well away from anyone’s walking path, he lets himself collapse against the wall, sliding down until he’s curled up against the corner of the ground and wall.

It’s fine.

It’s gotta be fine. There is literally nothing in either of their behavior that has seemed even remotely cruel, and if Danny’s reading between the lines right, then Robin does this sort of thing to other people too, so it’s not even remotely about Danny. He doesn’t feel good about it, but logically it isn’t the level of problem that Danny is worried about. Danny can deal with the gross feelings. He can’t afford to do anything else, really.

After all, how the hell was gonna buy a bed? He has less than a hundred dollars to his name. Maybe he could afford it if he sold off the jewelry, but he absolutely couldn’t furnish a whole apartment. Besides, he literally asked for this. If he’s too stupid to realize the implications of asking for his apartment to be furnished, then that’s fully on him.

His phone buzzes in his pocket. He pulls it out, half on instinct, but really, what is ignoring Superboy going to accomplish?

Are you good? Do I need to find you? I haven’t gotten the hang of tracking heartbeats like Superman, but I can try? I like being your friend, please don’t let me fuck this up

Danny starts typing out a response. Deletes it. Tries again. He tries to lie and say he feels fine, but it just reminds him of the old lady’s expression the other day, and how she’d seemed more upset when he tried to brush his problems off. He takes another deep breath and tries to remember Jazz. They’d mostly avoided talking about Vlad. The whole thing was just so shitty and neither of them had the power to actually do anything, so they’d mostly pretended he didn’t exist, and Danny had done his best to play off the worst of his behavior. There had been one time, though. When Jazz had come home, upset about some conflict with a friend, and she had turned on him about it, lecturing him about boundaries and how important it is to tell people if you feel uncomfortable. She hadn’t explicitly said Vlad’s name but, well, who else could she have been talking about? So Danny forcibly gulps air down, and he tries to explain.

I’m not mad at you? Danny writes. I just - have a history with, like, gifts, and the idea of anyone spending much money on me makes me feel gross. Like in a ‘how is this gonna be held over me’ sort of way, y’know? He has to back up and rephrase a couple times, but eventually he feels like his response makes sense, so he hits send.

Crisis somewhat quelled, Danny gulps down another breath, and pushes himself back to his feet. There’s a mom nearby staring at him, though her kid seems focused on the book in their hands, so he mutters sorry, and starts heading down the street.

Oh. Yeah, I think I get that. Superboy’s response is quicker this time. Can I, like, tell that to Robin? He might have an idea of how to make it not-a-gift?

Sure, Danny responds. I think I’m gonna go for a run, so if I don’t respond, don’t stress out.

* * *

When Danny finishes his run, he’s got a picture from Superboy of an absolutely adorable dog, and one single message from Robin that reads Don’t worry. Meet us at Emery Park at 5. We can discuss the logistics of it then. Robin’s absolutely tragic reassurance doesn’t really make him feel better, but it is sort of amusingly Robin-like, so at least there’s that. Danny has no intentions of trying to study now though, so instead he just wanders the park for a while, before slipping off to transform. When he comes back in his ghost form, he feels incredibly conspicuous and pretty much everyone seems to notice him. Mostly they just smile and nod in his direction, but one person actually comes up to him.

“Hey, uh. My sister was one of the people you saved last month, so like, thank you. She means a lot to me, and I don’t know what I would have done if she’d-” They cut themselves off with a choked noise, and they absolutely look like they’re about to start crying. Danny gets it; he knows full well what happened in the world where something happened to his sister, but he also has no idea how to reassure them.

“I’m very glad I was able to help,” Danny tries. “Um, how is your sister?” Good, that’s how to be empathetic, right?

“Ah, well you know. The smoke inhalation had her laid up for a bit, but honestly I think she was more upset about losing her home, you know? But she’s staying with me for now, so we’ll figure things out.”

“That’s good,” Danny nods. They’re not wrong; losing your home sucks. But this random person absolutely does not need to be subjected to Danny’s long list of misfortune. Luckily they take their leave after that, though whether it’s a result of Danny’s expression or their own emotions, he’s not sure.

Nobody else approaches him in the time it takes for Superboy to flip over his shoulder.

“Hey!” Superboy says, grinning as he lands in front of Danny. “Whatchu been up to?”

“Not much,” Danny says. “It’s really not been a productive day.”

“Shit, sorry.” Superboy winces.

“Nah, even before that, I was trying to review math, so like. Focus has been majorly my enemy, you know?”

“Ready to start school, then?” Robin asks from where he’s walked up to stand by Danny.

“Eh, probably not ever gonna be, so it might as well happen.”

“Right, well everything is ready, so if you’d like to adjourn to the apartment to discuss specifics?” Danny nods, and follows as they head off again.

Instead of walking, Robin pulls out a literal zip-line, and they quite literally take to the rooftops, all the way to a nice-looking brick building, not far from the center of town. Danny would wager that it’s within a ten minute walk of the library and the nearest grocery store, which is pretty sweet. Danny can even see little balconies along the front, as they approach which is pretty cool. so he might even get a view. Instead of heading to the front of the building, Robin drops down to street level, and Danny finds himself in a little parking garage when he follows.

“We’re less likely to get spotted this way,” Robin explains as he walks through the parking lot. “I’ll erase the security footage of us, but the less people know we came here, the safer your identity is.”

“Makes sense,” Danny says. “I can, um, make you guys invisible, but I’d have to be touching you to do it.”

“By all means.” Robin says, staring Danny down.

“Cool, um,” Danny glances over at Superboy, who nods, so he reaches out to grip their wrists carefully, and lets his invisibility wash over all three of them. He lets Robin lead them through the door, and up three flights of stairs. He stops in front of a door labelled 305, and a moment later, the door is open and the three of them are stepping inside. Danny drops his grip on them as the door closes, taking in the room around him.

Danny’s half-formulated fear of some fancy, swagged-out apartment that constantly reminds him of Robin’s generosity seems ridiculous in the face of the cozy, simply appointed living space in front of him. Instead of a table, there’s a small bar area built into the kitchen with a couple of comfortable-looking stools, and the couch in the living room looks comfortably worn, so Robin must have gotten it secondhand. The decorations aren’t extravagant either. The framed print Danny had seen earlier sits proudly on the wall behind the couch, but aside from that there’s only a couple minor decorations, and a lamp.

He turns to look back at Robin, who immediately steps forward and holds up a key ring.

“This key gets you into the building, this one is to your apartment, and this one is to your mailbox. There’s also a bike room in the parking garage we walked through. That’s what this last key is for, though I would advise still using a bike lock if you decide to get one.” He holds it out, after he finishes, and Danny nods, trying to commit each key to memory. After a moment, Robin continues.

“Your lease is in the folder on the counter, along with your personal documentation and a couple other things. As far as the funding of this is concerned, I took the slight liberty of forward-funding this with your theoretical payout for the assistance you provided during the train crash last month. So, if and when you decide to legally declare your hero identity, I’ll back-file the paperwork for that.”

“Oh,” Danny says. He looks around the room again, and then back at Robin. The internet had been entirely unclear if Robin had any powers, but Danny’s decided he’s got to be psychic. There’s no other way he could have planned this all out so perfectly. “Okay, that’s, um. That definitely works for me. Thank you so much.”

“You’ve gotta see your bedroom, though!” Superboy explains, grabbing Danny’s hand and pulling him down the hallway, and through the last door.

The bedroom that greets him is similarly balanced as the living area. The comforter alone makes Danny pause. As long as he can remember, he’d always secretly wanted a space-themed comforter, but he’d only ever seen the goofy ones made for little kids, but this comforter is decorated with an absolutely gorgeous cover; the star-spattered blue-black of outer space giving way at the bottom edge to a view of the earth itself, atmosphere pale against the onslaught of space. It’s gorgeous, and doesn’t make Danny feel childish at all. The wall behind the headboard is similarly impressive, with what has to be a composite print of high quality images of every major body in the galaxy, from the sun itself to the dwarf planet Pluto (Danny hadn’t been certain how to feel about that particular difference in classification when he’d first arrived, but he’s come around to it by now).

“Do you like it?” Superboy asks.

“It’s amazing,” Danny says. Stepping forward and falling onto his new bed. “I actually can’t believe this is all mine.”

“Your name’s the one on the lease,” Robin says. “Although please do let me know if you have a hard time making payments. I’m more than happy to assist, and if you need to make it a loan to feel comfortable, we work that out.”

“Yeah, okay.” Danny says, looking around the space again. He feels a lot less anxious just being in this space. Vlad would never have done anything like this. If he’d ever been inclined to get Danny an apartment, there would have been reminders of him everywhere. It’s not even like the kind of unwanted stuff Sam would throw at him and Tucker. This whole apartment really feels like it’s meant to be his.

“There’s also the beginnings of a wardrobe in the closet. Not much since I wasn’t certain of style preferences, but a few basics and a couple nice shirts for any job interviews and the like.”

“Oh,” Danny says. He really should think of better responses to what Robin says, but he keeps saying things Danny hadn’t even considered.

“Similarly, there’s some food essentials in the kitchen. We can always take anything you dislike to a food bank.” Robin continues, unhindered. “And the secondary bedroom is currently set up to be an office. Since you’re doing the school from home option, I decided it was worthwhile to set up a separate space for you to do that from. Separating work and relaxation spaces can go a long way to not going insane.”

“Oh.” Danny feels like a broken record.

“Furthermore, to head off any concerns, the laptop is one of my old ones that was sitting unused in storage. The planner, however, is new, and it is a gift.” Robin says, his mouth turning up into a slight smile. Keeping track of what you have to do is the most difficult part of online school, and the planner should help with that. Just don’t get caught up in trying to use it the right way. Whatever works best for you is the correct way.”

“Damn dude,” Superboy says, staring at his friend. “How are you gonna go and make school sound like it’s kinda fun?”

“If you’re interested, I could get you signed up as well.” Robin’s response comes immediately.

“We should order pizza,” Danny says, flopping onto the couch. “Gotta hang out now before I get too busy with school.”

#dp x dc #dc x dp #the one where danny stumbles into a new universe and immediately guns for NASA #Am I putting far too much thought into minor aspects of governmental policy that will quite literally never be explored in detail?#yes #will i stop? no #this fic has officially decimated my original outline #but I think the direction it's going is well worth it #and I promise we will eventually get to space camp

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28harryssunflower · 2 days ago

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It was always you

“You know, I think I’m actually cursed.”

Harry barely looked up from his phone as you flopped onto his bed with a dramatic sigh, burying your face in his pillow. “Yeah?” he said lazily. “What kind of curse we talking about? Eternal clumsiness? Never getting the last slice of pizza?”

You groaned and threw a pillow at him, which he dodged effortlessly. “No, you idiot. A love curse.”

That got his attention. He smirked, locking his phone and tossing it onto his nightstand. “Oh, this could be good. Go on, then. Tell me about your tragic, love-deprived existence.”

“I’m serious, Harry!” You sat up, hugging the pillow to your chest. “I’ve never had a boyfriend. Never even had my first kiss. Meanwhile, you’re out here hooking up with a new girl every week like it’s your part-time job.”

“Full-time, actually,” he teased.

You rolled your eyes but continued. “I just… I want someone to love me, you know? Someone who looks at me and thinks, ‘Yeah, she’s the one I want.’”

Harry watched you for a moment, his smirk softening into something more thoughtful. Then, with his usual smugness, he leaned back against the headboard and stretched out his arms. “Well, lucky for you, you’ve already got me. No need to search any further.”

You scoffed. “Yeah, right.”

“I’m serious!” he grinned, opening his arms invitingly. “Come on, I’ll even cuddle you, since you’re always so lonely.”

“You’re insufferable.”

“And yet, here you are, still talking to me.”

You flipped him off but, despite your protests, you eventually curled up against his side, sighing softly as his warmth surrounded you. It was familiar. Comforting. Safe.

But safety wasn’t love.

And that was the problem.

So when you finally got a boyfriend, you were ecstatic.

Harry had been just as excited for you at first, grinning as you rambled on about your dates, about how sweet your boyfriend was, about how it felt to finally be wanted.

But slowly, things started changing.

It started with little things - canceling plans last-minute, leaving his messages on read. Then, you started avoiding him altogether, barely sparing him a glance in the halls. When he tried to talk to you, your boyfriend would pull you away, whispering something in your ear that made you frown but ultimately follow him without a second thought.

The worst part was, you didn’t even seem to realize what was happening.

And then you forgot his birthday.

Harry spent the entire day pretending not to care, but he did. God, he did. His mum had even asked why you weren’t there - because you were always there. But he just muttered something about you being busy, shrugged off her concerned look, and spent the rest of the day staring at his phone, waiting for a text that never came.

But he didn’t go to your house to confront you. He didn’t text you. He didn’t call you.

This time, he just let it go.

By Monday, he didn’t even bother trying anymore.

You were his only friend - had always been his only friend. Without you, he was alone.

So he leaned into it.

He walked through the halls with his hood up, earphones in, ignoring everything and everyone. He leaned against his locker alone, scrolling through his phone. He was just another body in the hallways now, and maybe that was fine.

Until he heard the laughter.

Harry didn’t even have to look to know who it was.

Your boyfriend and his friends stood at the other end of the hallway, their laughter carrying over the dull roar of students. He was pointing at Harry, smirking as he whispered something to his friends.

Harry clenched his jaw and slammed his locker shut. He wasn’t in the mood for this.

But, of course, your boyfriend had other plans.

“Oi, loser!”

Harry exhaled slowly through his nose but didn’t respond.

“You deaf too?” Another voice chimed in - one of his friends, probably. “Or just fucking pathetic?”

Harry gritted his teeth, gripping the strap of his bag. Just walk away.

But then your boyfriend stepped in front of him.

“You know, it’s sad, really,” he sneered. “You following her around all these years like a lost puppy. Guess she finally got tired of your pathetic ass.”

Harry’s fists curled.

“What?” Your boyfriend smirked. “Nothing to say?” He shoved Harry’s shoulder, making him stumble back a step. “No comeback, huh? Figures. You were always just a waste of space-“

Harry swung.

His fist connected with your boyfriend’s jaw, sending him staggering back. But before Harry could do anything else, hands grabbed him from behind, shoving him hard against the lockers.

And then the punches started.

One to his stomach. Another to his ribs.

A fist slammed into his jaw, snapping his head to the side.

A knee to his gut knocked the air from his lungs, and suddenly, he was on the ground.

More kicks. More fists.

Blood filled his mouth. His vision blurred. His head spun.

And then he heard your voice.

“Harry?!”

The beating stopped instantly.

You pushed through the crowd, your heart stopping when you saw him.

Harry was barely breathing, blood smeared across his face, his lip split, bruises already forming along his jaw. His arms trembled as he tried, and failed, to push himself up.

Your chest tightened, tears blurring your vision as you shoved your boyfriend out of the way and dropped to your knees beside Harry.

“Oh my god,” you choked out, cradling his face in your hands. “Harry, stay with me, okay? Don’t fall asleep. Just- just keep your eyes open.”

He groaned, barely conscious.

You snapped your head up, looking at the crowd. “Someone call a fucking ambulance!”

No one moved.

“Now!”

Finally, someone fumbled for their phone.

Your boyfriend scoffed behind you. “Why are you wasting your time? He’s a loser.”

Then he reached for you.

The second his hand touched your arm, you whipped around, eyes blazing.

“Don’t you dare fucking touch me, you prick.”

He blinked. “What?”

You shot up to your feet, shoving him back. “It’s over.”

He laughed. “Oh, come on. Don’t be dramatic-“

“Piss off!” you screamed, voice breaking. “Get the fuck away from me!”

A few teachers finally arrived, pushing through the crowd. Someone pulled your boyfriend back, while another crouched next to Harry, checking his breathing.

Minutes later, sirens blared outside.

You held Harry’s hand the entire way to the hospital, whispering apologies through your tears, telling him to just stay awake, that you were so, so sorry.

He squeezed your hand weakly. “Told you… you don’t need… anyone else.”

A broken sob left your lips. “Shut up, idiot.”

When his parents arrived, you barely got the words out before breaking down entirely, burying your face in Anne’s shoulder.

“I’m so sorry,” you sobbed. “It’s all my fault.”

Anne just held you tighter. “Oh, sweetheart.”

You didn’t leave Harry’s side. Not for a second.

Because maybe love had been right in front of you all along.

The hospital room was too bright, too sterile, too quiet except for the steady beep of Harry’s heart monitor.

You sat beside his bed, gripping his hand tightly, even though he was barely conscious. The sight of him like this - bruised, battered, barely able to open his eyes - made your chest ache with guilt.

You had let this happen.

And you weren’t leaving him again.

“I want a second bed in his room.”

The nurse blinked at you, glancing between you and Harry’s sleeping form. “I’m sorry, but only family members-“

“I don’t care,” you cut in, voice shaking but firm. “I’m not leaving him.”

The nurse hesitated, clearly torn, but then she sighed. “I’ll see what I can do.”

That night, they wheeled in a second bed for you.

It was small, uncomfortable, and cold, but you didn’t care. It was close enough to Harry. That’s all that mattered.

You barely slept.

Every time he shifted, every time he let out the faintest groan of pain, you were up, adjusting his pillows, checking his IV, making sure he had everything he needed.

Sometime in the middle of the night, his hand found yours.

“You’re still here?” he mumbled, voice hoarse, eyes barely open.

Tears welled up in your eyes. “I’m not going anywhere.”

His lips quirked up just slightly, the ghost of a smile. “Good.”

And then he fell back asleep, his fingers still loosely wrapped around yours.

The hospital stay lasted a week.

A week of helping him sit up when his ribs hurt too much. A week of spoon-feeding him shitty hospital food because he was too drugged-up to do it himself. A week of pretending not to cry when the doctors explained how much pain he’d be in for the next few months.

A week of never leaving his side.

By the time he was discharged, you had practically memorized his breathing patterns, the way his eyebrows furrowed when he was uncomfortable, the way he clung to your hand every time he fell asleep.

And despite everything, despite the pain, despite the bruises, despite the way you had abandoned him for so long - he still wanted you there.

You didn’t understand it.

But you weren’t about to question it.

The first night at his house was rough.

He could barely move, every breath sending a sharp pain through his ribs. You helped him get into bed, carefully adjusting his pillows, setting his pain meds and water on the nightstand.

“You really don’t have to-“

“Yes, I do.”

He looked at you for a long moment, then sighed. “Alright, Nurse Bossy.”

You rolled your eyes, sitting down on the bed next to him. “Shut up and take your meds.”

He did. But when he winced, shifting slightly, you immediately reached for him, helping him lean back.

His gaze softened. “You’re gonna take care of me, huh?”

You swallowed. “Of course I am.”

Harry studied your face, something unreadable in his expression. “Even after everything?”

Guilt twisted in your chest. “I don’t understand how you can even look at me after what I did,” you admitted, voice barely above a whisper.

He exhaled slowly, his fingers brushing against yours. “Because you’re you.”

You blinked at him, eyes stinging. “I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve you.”

Harry tilted his head slightly. “That’s not for you to decide, is it?”

Your breath hitched.

After a moment, you sighed and carefully curled up beside him, resting your head on his good shoulder.

“I’m still sorry,” you murmured.

“I know,” he whispered. “But you’re here now. That’s all that matters.”

The next few weeks changed everything.

You never left his side. Every morning, you helped him sit up, made him food, made sure he took his meds. You helped him shower, helped him dress, even sat through hours of shitty reality TV just to keep him entertained.

And through it all, Harry changed too.

Gone was the playboy who hooked up with someone new every weekend. Gone was the smug flirt who never took anything seriously.

He still joked around, still teased you endlessly, still acted like the Harry you had known your whole life. But something was different.

He wasn’t looking for anyone else anymore.

Because he already had you.

Neither of you spent a single night alone after that.

If he wasn’t staying over at your place, you were at his. You always shared a bed, sometimes he stayed up late watching movies while you fell asleep against his shoulder.

But no matter what, you were together.

Always.

One night, weeks after everything, he traced lazy patterns on your arm as you lay curled up beside him.

“You’re really never leaving me again, huh?”

You swallowed. “Never.”

He exhaled, pulling you a little closer.

“Good.”

If anyone had told you a year ago that you and Harry would end up like this - tangled together every night, inseparable, happy - you would have laughed in their face.

But now, lying in his bed with his arms wrapped around you, his lips brushing lazily over the top of your head as he mumbled half-asleep nonsense, you couldn’t imagine life any other way.

Everything was just… good.

Better than good.

Perfect.

School was different now.

Where Harry used to be surrounded by girls hanging off his every word, he was now only ever with you. He still had his cocky smirk, still joked around with his old friends, but when it came down to it, he only had eyes for you.

And he made sure everyone knew it.

Whether it was his arm slung over your shoulder in the halls, the way he pulled you into his lap when you sat with him at lunch, or the way he casually shut down any girl who so much as batted her eyelashes at him - it was clear.

Harry Styles was taken.

And he wouldn’t shut up about it.

“My girlfriend’s actually the smartest person in this school,” he’d brag to your teachers when you aced a test.

“My girl made the best fucking pancakes this morning,” he’d tell his friends, even though he had literally helped you burn them.

“My girl,” he called you. All the time. And you secretly loved it.

You rolled your eyes at his antics, but every time, you’d find yourself blushing, hiding your smile as he grinned at you like you were his entire world.

Because, well… you were.

Your families were just as obsessed with your relationship as Harry was.

Anne had always loved you like a second daughter, but now that you were officially dating her son, she took it to a whole new level.

“I knew it,” she’d say every time she saw you two cuddled up on the couch. “Knew you’d end up together. Should’ve placed a bet.”

Harry groaned. “Mum-“

“You two were practically married as kids anyway,” she continued, waving him off. “Might as well make it official.”

You laughed. “We’re still in high school, Anne.”

She just shrugged. “You’ll get there.”

Your own parents weren’t any better.

Your mom practically beamed every time Harry walked through the door, already treating him like a son. Your dad had been a little skeptical at first (probably remembering Harry’s less-than-stellar reputation), but after seeing how much he adored you, he came around quickly.

“Just take care of her,” your dad had told him one evening, clapping a firm hand on Harry’s shoulder.

Harry had looked him dead in the eye and said, “Always.”

That had been the moment your dad fully accepted him.

From then on, family dinners turned into “future planning sessions,” where your parents and his would casually drop comments like, “When you two get married,” and “Your future kids are going to be adorable.”

You’d groan and hide your face in your hands while Harry just smirked, clearly enjoying it.

“You hear that, love?” he teased one night as you lay in his bed, scrolling through your phone while he played with your fingers. “They want grandkids.”

You shot him a look. “You’re literally seventeen.”

He shrugged. “So? You think they’re wrong?”

You sighed, setting your phone down to look at him properly. “Do you?”

Harry didn’t answer right away. He just studied your face, eyes soft, thumb brushing over the back of your hand.

Then he smirked. “Nah, they’re definitely right.”

You rolled your eyes and shoved his shoulder. “Idiot.”

He just laughed and pulled you closer, pressing a kiss to your cheek. “You love me.”

You sighed dramatically. “Unfortunately.”

But he knew the truth.

And so did you.

Being with Harry felt like breathing - natural, effortless, something you didn’t even have to think about.

When you were alone with him, the rest of the world disappeared.

No teasing from your families about marriage and grandkids. No whispers at school about how Harry Styles finally settled down. No past mistakes, no guilt, no fears.

Just him. Just you. Just this.

Nights at his house were your favorite.

It usually started with a lazy movie night, where Harry would let you pick something - though he always found a way to distract you before the ending. Sometimes with kisses pressed against your jaw, other times by burying his face in your neck and mumbling about how you smell so good, love, what is that? until you finally gave in and let him pull you into his arms.

You always ended up in his bed, tangled together, legs hooked over his, your head resting on his chest as his fingers traced slow circles on your back.

Harry loved to touch you.

Not in a desperate, needy way - though, let’s be honest, sometimes it was that too - but in a constant way.

His hands were always on you, even in the smallest ways. His fingers brushing over your knuckles when you walked side by side. His palm resting on your thigh when you sat next to him. His lips pressing against your temple whenever you leaned against him.

And when you were alone, when it was just the two of you wrapped up in his sheets, his touch was even softer.

He’d run his fingers through your hair, whispering little nothings, sometimes teasing, sometimes serious.

“Gonna marry you one day,” he murmured one night, voice heavy with sleep.

You huffed, your fingers lazily tracing patterns on his stomach. “You’re obsessed with me.”

Harry chuckled, shifting so he could press a kiss to your forehead. “Obviously.”

You smiled against his skin, feeling his heartbeat beneath your cheek.

This was home.

Mornings slow and filled with warmth.

Harry was not a morning person. He liked to stay in bed as long as possible, groaning dramatically whenever you tried to move.

“Don’t leave,” he mumbled one morning, voice muffled against your shoulder.

“I have to pee.”

“Pee later.”

“That’s not how it works, idiot.”

Harry groaned, tightening his grip on you. “Fine. But you’re coming back.”

You rolled your eyes but smiled, kissing his cheek before slipping out of bed.

When you returned, he had stolen your pillow, hugging it to his chest like some sort of oversized teddy bear.

“You’re ridiculous,” you said, crawling back in beside him.

“Mm.” He tossed the pillow aside, pulling you into his arms instead. “Better.”

You let him be clingy, let him tuck his face into your neck, let him hold you like he was afraid you’d disappear.

Afternoons spent doing absolutely nothing and everything at the same time.

Some days, you stayed in bed all day, wrapped up in each other, talking about everything.

Harry loved to ask questions.

What’s your happiest memory?

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

If we were stranded on an island, would you eat me or let me eat you first?

(You didn’t dignify that last one with a response.)

Other days, he’d convince you to go on little adventures with him - late-night drives with the windows down, ice cream runs even when it was freezing outside, sneaking into the neighborhood pool just to float on your backs and stare at the stars.

Everything was better with him.

Even the boring, ordinary moments.

Some nights, you didn’t sleep at all.

You’d stay up talking, whispering under the covers like kids sharing secrets.

One night, after hours of just being with each other, Harry tilted your chin up, eyes soft in the dim light of his bedroom.

“I never really knew what love was,” he admitted. “Not before you.”

Your breath caught. “Harry…”

He swallowed, his fingers brushing over your cheek. “I know I’ve said a lot of stupid shit in the past, and I know I was a dick before, but I-“ He exhaled sharply. “I love you. You know that?”

You stared at him, heart swelling in your chest.

“I know.”

His shoulders relaxed. “Good.”

You smiled, cupping his face in your hands. “I love you too.”

Harry let out a breathy laugh, like he still couldn’t believe this was real.

And then he kissed you.

Slow and deep, like he had all the time in the world. Like he was never letting you go.

And he never did.

You and Harry barely fought.

Sure, you bickered all the time - about who got the last slice of pizza, about his terrible taste in reality TV, about the way he always stole the covers at night. But it was never serious.

Until tonight.

And it was stupid.

It started with Harry forgetting to pick you up from school when he had a day off and you weren’t driving home together.

You waited outside for over an hour, your phone battery slowly draining as you sent unanswered texts, your frustration growing with every passing minute.

By the time you walked home - freezing, exhausted, and pissed off - Harry was sprawled out on his bed, completely oblivious.

“Oh, hey, love,” he greeted casually, grinning. “Didn’t hear you come in-“

“You forgot me.”

Harry’s grin faded, eyebrows furrowing. “Shit.” He sat up, running a hand through his hair. “I- I didn’t mean to, I just-“

“Oh, you just what?” you snapped, throwing your bag on the floor. “Got too distracted being lazy to remember your girlfriend?”

Harry scowled. “I wasn’t being lazy! I was studying.”

You scoffed. “Studying what, Harry? The inside of your eyelids?”

His jaw clenched. “I said I didn’t mean to. What more do you want?”

“I want you to care!”

“I do care-“

“Not enough.”

Harry stood up then, his expression darkening. “Don’t fucking do that.”

“Do what?”

“Act like I don’t love you just because I made one mistake.”

Your nostrils flared as you glared at him. “It’s not just one mistake, Harry. You never take things seriously. You’re always so fucking carefree-“

“Oh, I’m so sorry for not being miserable all the time,” he shot back sarcastically.

Your hands balled into fists. “You’re impossible.”

“And you’re a pain in my ass,” he snapped, stepping closer.

You stepped closer too. “I hate you.”

His chest was heaving now, eyes burning into yours. “Yeah? I hate you more.”

And then he kissed you.

It wasn’t sweet. It wasn’t soft. It was desperate, angry, all teeth and heat and hands gripping a little too tight.

Your fingers tangled in his hair, tugging hard enough to make him groan. His hands gripped your hips, pulling you flush against him, his body pressing yours against the wall.

You gasped into his mouth, nails raking down his back.

He bit your bottom lip in retaliation, his breath hot against your skin as he muttered, “So fucking annoying.”

You dug your nails in deeper. “You love it.”

His response was a growl, his lips crashing back into yours, his hands grabbing, pulling, taking.

You didn’t stop. Not when he lifted you onto the bed. Not when he hovered over you, his hands gripping your wrists. Not even when he smirked and whispered, “Still hate me?”

Afterward, you lay beside him, panting, your limbs tangled together, skin still burning from his touch.

The room was silent for a long time.

“I hate you,” you muttered, turning your head to glare at him.

Harry chuckled breathlessly, rolling onto his side. “I hate you more.”

You both stared at each other, eyes narrowing - until, suddenly, you both cracked.

A laugh bubbled up from your chest, and before you knew it, you were giggling, your forehead dropping against his shoulder.

Harry grinned, his arms wrapping around you, holding you close. “We’re so fucking stupid.”

You nodded, still laughing softly. “Yeah.”

His fingers traced lazy patterns on your back. “But you still love me.”

You sighed dramatically. “Unfortunately.”

Harry smirked. “Guess you’re stuck with me, then.”

You lifted your head, meeting his gaze. His eyes were warm now, soft, all the anger from before completely melted away.

You leaned in, pressing a slow, gentle kiss to his lips.

He sighed against your mouth, his fingers threading through your hair.

After a moment, he pulled back just enough to murmur, “Still hate me?”

You smiled, “Yeah.”

He grinned, kissing you again.

#harry styles #one direction #short story #headcanon #one shot #harry styles x reader #harry styles x y/n

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imnotaacat · 3 days ago

Note

hii idk if you take requests so feel free to ignore this, but i’d love a sequel to badges where jackie finds out reader is the one married to steve

Helloooo, here is the second part, I hope you like it and enjoy it, I hope it lives up to what you imagined the second part to be. Thanks for the support for the first part. 💗 Ignore the title so simple lol.

Wonderful wife

Or Badge part 2

— Sumary: You and Steve are married and work for the same company, but your employees don't know. One day you mix up your badges and have to return them before anyone notices.

— Warnings: Fluff, no use of Y/n, some dirty talk (I think that's all)

A/n: English is not my native language, sorry if something is written wrong, I hope everything can be understood. :)

From that day on, Steve and you, or rather, Steve, began to be more careless in his treatment of you. He began to leave coffee or candy on your desk "without any of his employees noticing," then he began to call you to his office, many more times than normal, being a boss and his employee. So rumors and gossip began in the office. However, what alerted your coworkers was the day you arrived together.

Jackie was getting out of a taxi, when she saw Steve's car; at the same time she saw someone else sitting in the passenger seat, and the surprise was seeing you get out of his car and say goodbye with a big smile. Steve left you at the door, while he went down to the basement to park his car, Jackie ran to the building, and began to tell everyone that you were Mr. Harrington's lover, and that she would look for his wife to tell her.

The other employees simply didn't believe her, and called her a liar, responding with laughter, others thought that Steve probably saw you walking to work and gave you a ride. Her friends, on the other hand, believed her completely, and started a "revolution" against you.

Two days ago, they played a "prank" on you, Jackie came to your desk, and handed you an envelope, telling you that it was for you, and that it had been given to her by a woman outside the building, this seemed strange to you, you simply left it somewhere on your desk. At lunch time, most of the office was empty, so, you opened the envelope, you couldn't deny that you were curious to know what it was, inside there was a letter folded in half.

"What's that?" Someone asked behind you, after turning to look, you knew it was Edward, or Eddie, as he asked you to call him. He was your best friend, he was the first person to talk to you on your first day at work, he was a couple years older than you, but he really did seem like a kid.

You shrugged. "I don't know, Jackie gave it to me and said a woman gave it to her at the entrance." Eddie snatched it from your hands and started reading it and then started laughing. "What does it say?" You asked, Eddie handed it back. The letter said something like this.

"Honey, I know you're dating my husband, Steve, your boss. (The word was highlighted) Steve doesn't know that I already know he has a mistress, and I order you to stay away from him. You don't want to meet me, there's a reason I haven't shown up at the company." You laughed and Eddie started laughing again.

"It looks like it was written by a teenager" You said, still laughing after a few seconds.

"I know" Eddie replied. You took the letter, tore it up and threw it in the trash.

Nothing happened all afternoon, however the worst started the next day, from the moment you arrived at the office, the eyes were on you, the whispers between the employees, even some insults.

"God, what did you do to the whole office that everyone looks at you as if they wanted to kill you." Eddie said, arriving at his post.

"I don't know, since I arrived they started looking at me like that."

"I heard that Mr. Harrington's wife showed up and sent you a message."

"Do you really think it's her?" You asked incredulously. Eddie laughed.

"No, Mr. Harrington wouldn't marry a woman who behaves like a teenager." Eddie paused. "Besides, I think the mysterious Mrs. Harrington is you" he said, pointing at you.

"Me? Why would you believe that, Edward?" You said, letting out a laugh.

"Mmm I don't know, my intuition tells me so." He said with a smile, as he turned to his desk.

During the day, the dirty looks and whispers started to be just annoying. But they didn't bother you, you knew it wasn't true, you weren't anyone's lover and Steve wasn't unfaithful either... Or was he? You couldn't help those thoughts from coming to your mind, due to everything that was happening, but you had known Steve for a long time, you knew that in his adolescence he was nicknamed "King Steve" for his charm with girls, but you also witnessed his change, so, you shouldn't worry about anything.

During lunch, you and Eddie had lunch again in the office, while talking about your adolescence and how "idiots" you were according to Eddie's words. He told you how in his adolescence he was the "geek" and outcast of the town, just for liking metal and the Dungeons and Dragons board game, which seemed like illogical reasons to you.

"I always wanted to learn how to play D&D, but like you already said my parents thought it was satanic" You commented laughing.

"I know, 'the game that's killing children'" He said, quoting that magazine that was published so long ago, widening his eyes and raising his voice, making it more exaggerated. Both of you started laughing out loud.

Without realizing that someone was watching you, Steve.

He knew he shouldn't distrust you, but he also noticed that you spent a lot of time with Edward, and the way you spent time with him, or how he made you laugh, made him jealous.

Neither Eddie nor you heard the footsteps heading your way, as you were immersed in your laughter and conversation, so you both jumped when you heard the voice behind you.

"Miss Spencer" Steve said. Eddie and you turned to look at him. And you recognized his tone, as well as the expression he had on his face. A frown, a serious expression, a clenched jaw, clenched fists. He was jealous, you smiled.

"Mr. Harrington" You and Eddie greeted Steve at the same time.

"Miss Spencer, after lunch, I need you to be in my office, I have to consult you about some things." You nodded.

"Sure, I'll be there." Steve nodded and went back to his office, although he stayed a few meters before, to continue watching what you were doing.

Finally, lunch time ended, you went to the bathroom to make sure you didn't have a trace of food between your teeth or any part of your mouth. After that, you headed to Steve's office, knocked on the door and after hearing a "come in" you walked in. You smiled as you saw Steve concentrating, frowning, you walked over to him and got behind his chair to see what he was writing. From what you could see, he was responding to a client; when he finished, he put it in the envelope and then stood up from the chair.

"Sit down" He said pointing at the chair in front of his desk, you frowned. Once you did he kept talking. "Why didn't you tell me?"

You looked at him confused. "Steve, what are you talking about?" He sighed.

"What I was saying about you... Last time we said we would tell each other everything" You sighed and nodded.

"I thought it wouldn't be important, plus I didn't want to distract you with office gossip, which I can handle, and which we both know isn't true." You paused. "Right?" You asked. Hearing that, Steve relaxed his face, and both of you were surprised, your voice had sounded a little higher in the last question.

"Oh dear, you know I would never do that to you, you are my wife, and I would do nothing to hurt you." He said approaching you with a smile, you smiled too, as you got up from the chair and Steve kissed you.

"A while ago, I saw you very happy with Edward" He said while he was very close to you. You laughed.

"Oh, Eddie is just my-" Steve interrupted you.

"Eddie?" He asked.

"Are you jealous?" You laughed denying. "Eddie is his nickname, everyone in the office calls him that, at his request." You said, Steve nodded.

Steve's arms were on your waist, or maybe a little lower, yours were playing with his jacket and tie, Steve kissed you again, after a few seconds, the kiss began to get a little more and more intense, and he began to push you towards his desk, your butt hit his desk, with one of his hands he separated your legs, so he could place himself between them. This was getting more intense, they had to stop.

"Steve, no... We can't do... This here" You said between kisses, but Steve didn't seem to stop. "Steve" you whispered again.

"Why not?" Steve began to tell you without moving away from you. "Why can't they find out... That you're my wife?" Steve's voice was already agitated, both of your chests were rising and falling, and you could feel how hard he was starting to get.

You laughed. "We can do it at home, there you'll hear me scream all you want" You said with a mischievous smile, playing with his tie.

"Are you really going to leave me waiting until we get home?" He said before closing the space between you again with a kiss and a smile.

At the same time the door opened. "Mr. Harrington, here's your-" The voice was interrupted after hearing something fall to the floor.

Steve and you didn't even separate, more than your faces, you saw the person who was standing at the door, completely surprised, it was Jackie, then you looked at the floor, where there was a large brown stain, on the white carpet, and who was also Steve's favorite, once again you turned to see Jackie, who didn't come out of her "trance"

"Oh no" You whispered when you saw Steve's face.

"Miss Thompson!" Steve shouted.

"Mr. Harrington, excuse me, I came in and saw you with-"

Steve interrupted her. "You didn't see anything! How many times have I told you to knock before entering?" He said, quite annoyed, the employees were already starting to look out to see what had happened. You quickly left the office to look for the people in charge of cleaning.

Steve never yelled at his employees, only when they REALLY didn't obey some rule, can you imagine being in an important meeting, and his employees just walk in like that? That would give him a bad impression, that he has no respect or authority. Besides, he wasn't even mad because he hadn't knocked on the door, or because you and he had been interrupted, (well, maybe about that, yes a little), but he was more upset about his carpet, because it had been a gift from his grandfather to him, when he was a child, his grandfather passed away a few days after giving him that gift.

The cleaners arrived as quickly as they could and put some towels on the carpet to see if they still absorbed some, but the drink was already absorbed by the carpet. Everyone knew how important and precious that carpet was to Steve.

Steve simply watched as they picked up the carpet and carried it out of the office, Jackie was crying somewhere, being comforted by one of her friends, while you watched Steve, tears starting to appear in his eyes, you wanted to go comfort him and hug him, but you knew it wasn't wise at the moment, so with a look you promised to come back later.

Steve ordered everyone to return to their work stations. Your feelings were also present, you knew how important the carpet was to your husband, although for any employee it could be just any carpet, but for him, it was the last memory he had of his grandfather, who had been like his father.

You returned to your desk to try to work, but you couldn't because you didn't know how your husband was.

"Hey, what happened?" Eddie asked in a whisper. It really made you laugh. You told him what happened, and he really made you laugh with the expressions he made.

"Do you think I'll fire her?" Eddie asked.

"I don't know, we know that rug is important to Ste- Mr. Harrington." You said with a nervous laugh, praying that Eddie wouldn't notice how you called your boss. Eddie nodded, looking at you with his eyes half closed. You knew that Eddie already suspected something.

Finally half an hour before the end of the work day, you got up from your desk with the excuse that you and your boss hadn't finished talking.

When you entered you saw him sitting at his desk, his gaze lost somewhere in the office, you left your things on the desk and quickly went to hug him, you even questioned in your mind his condition because of the carpet, but you also knew that his childhood and adolescence had not been the best, having two parents who traveled every week, he practically lived alone, and it was his grandparents who took care of him. You heard him start to sob again.

"Oh love..." You hugged him tighter. "I promise I will do everything to get the carpet back safe and sound" He nodded, he looked like a child who had been robbed by a lollipop

Both Steve and you knew that your relationship would already be exposed, today in the office. So you weren't even going to worry about hiding it, you put on your engagement ring and your wedding ring, a wine red suit that perfectly matched Steve's tie and his blue suit.

You entered together, hand in hand, which brought many surprised faces and a few whispers. Steve stood in the middle of the office.

"Today, my beloved wife," he said, pointing at you, "will begin her duties as Director of Operations. Her office, as you know, is next to mine. She will be in charge of authorizing each project for each client, and believe me, she is a bit demanding," he said, laughing. You laughed as you patted him on the shoulder.

"The time I've seen you work with me, believe me, I've seen how good you are. I've seen your evolution and how you've improved in this time. I want you to know that our treatment or behavior will not change," you said with a smile. In the back of the crowd, you could see the distraught faces of Jackie and her friends.

"Jackie, please come to my office," Steve said. "I'll see you later," Steve said with a smile.

You headed toward your desk, with a smile that grew bigger as you looked at Eddie.

"The mysterious Mrs. Harrington, huh?" He said laughing, you laughed too.

"You know you'll always be my best friend right?"

"Don't change the subject, you told me he's crazy, and I ended up being right."

"Well, no one could find out, Eddie." Eddie smiled.

"I'm glad it's you, and not some woman with a teenage complex." You laughed as you finished packing your things into a box.

"Do you want to see my new office?" You asked with a smile. He took the box in response.

"I'll help you carry it." You laughed.

When they arrived you saw Jackie leave Steve's office, followed by Steve, the girl only gave you an annoyed look, you glanced at Eddie to see if he had seen the same thing as you, once she disappeared from his field of vision, both of you laughed.

"I think someone got up in a bad mood today" Eddie said laughing.

"Probably." You played along.

Both of you walked through the door, Steve looked down. The office was quite similar to Steve's, a large window in front of the door, white walls, and a glass door.

Eddie left the box on the desk as he went to see the view, which was very good, you had the view of the entire city.

"You definitely have the best view" He said, turning to look at you and Steve, who had already entered the office.

"No offense Mr. Harrington." The three of you laughed.

"Tell me Steve, Eddie." Steve said with a smile. He was now at your side, with his arm around your waist. Eddie nodded with a smile.

Eddie noticed that the moment between you was getting more intimate. "As much as I want to stay, I have work to do, so I have to go." He said laughing. You and Steve nodded, and Eddie left the office leaving you and Steve alone.

"So, how did it go?" You asked and Steve rolled his eyes.

"Well, she apologized, and then she begged, for me not to fire her, and then she blamed you for her firing and well, when I told her that it wasn't just because of what happened yesterday, it was her firing, you could say that she accepted it, and now I think she's in human resources." He shrugged.

You stayed silent looking at the city, Steve had his right arm on your waist, and you had your left arm on his. With your left arm on his, you were. His left arm took your chin and with a smile he gave you a short kiss.

"I love you" He said, still with faces centimeters away from each other.

"I love you too" You replied with a smile.

I would also like you to give advice or recommendations. I hope it's not too long or boring. I would appreciate your comments. 💗

#steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #stranger things #steve harrington fanfiction #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington x you

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lesbikaiser · 22 hours ago

Note

Hellooo :3

could you write how Lorenzo and Barou would react to if reader sent them nudes, please?

hii <3 ofc i can! im so sorry for taking so long :( idk how exactly to write reactions but i hope you like it!

proofread but you never know, so im sorry if there's any errors!

don lorenzo

lorenzo feels like drool might start leaking from his mouth. there's no way he isn't spotting a hard-on right now, he knows that. all thanks to the notification popping on his screen just when he got his break, his intention being only checking his phone to see if you left any texts and oh, sure you did.

"been missing you... [02:38 PM]"

'"come back soon <3 [02:46 PM]"

the first one was sent a few minutes before his break, he could even hear your whiny voice actually saying it, and just from this one message alone, he would be beaming for the rest of his practice while thinking about you.

well, that's until he noticed the image attached to the second one.

surely he'll be thinking about you for the rest of the day after seeing it. the one that made him click on your chat, the one that got lips curving into a smirk, the one that got the boner on his shorts.

it's a picture of you. your body lays on your shared bed, breasts free of any bra with your nipples perked up, one of your hands holding your phone up to your face while the other disappears inside the lacy panties adorning your hips, hinting what you've probably been done for the past minutes.

it's a mirror picture. the same mirror he got on the ceiling of your bedroom, specifically above your bed because he wanted you to watch when he fucks you in missionary.

he's totally making that picture his lockscreen. because he's just this kind of freak.

and he's totally excusing himself to the locker room to enjoy his break, fingers quickly moving to text back a response.

"keep cumming till you can't anymore [02:50 PM]"

"ya better be nice and wet for me when i get home [02:51 PM]"

oh, and he's 100% snapping a few pictures of his hand covered in his cum and sending it to you when he's done.

shoei barou

shoei barou can't believe his eyes. he thinks you might've gone insane at this point.

he knew it would come back to bite him in the ass sooner or later, to date such a nasty person like you... but what could he do? he loved you after all.

even when you decided to give him a boner in the middle of his cleaning.

he couldn't help but worry a little when his phone rang non-stop, the exclusive sound he gave your number so he would know it was you just from hearing it, indicating you'd sent him a few texts. and as much as cleaning was sacred to him, you were way more important than the dishes he was doing.

oh, what a right regretful choice.

"shoeeeeei [04:28 PM]"

"miss u sososo muchhhh [04:28 PM]"

"wanna be with youuuu [04:29 PM]"

unlocking his phone, the first messages got him to calm down, at least he knew that you were safe. he smiled to himself, reading through your sweet texts. he really thought nothing of it at first, he was used to your clinginess – especially when you had to go to work –, that was probably just you being your lovely self.

that's until he scrolled down and saw the image attached to your chat.

it was a picture of you. probably hidden in the restroom, your face is off the screen, just lips and chin showing but surely not the most eye-catching element in the pic.

his gaze is unconsciously attracted to your uniform, with enough buttons open to show your cleavage and the red, lacy bra framing your breasts, he can't deny his dick twitches at the sight. like a cherry atop the cake, a necklace hangs from your neck with a 'B' pendant resting right in the middle of your tits, a faint bruise on your skin thanks to the hickey he gave you a while ago.

he reads the caption.

"yk, it's soooo hot today [04:32 PM]"

"can't wait to be home and get rid of these clothes >.< [04:33 PM]"

he's too stunned to even think of responding, eyes bulging as he stares at his screen perplexed. he can feel his dick straining against his shorts, breath heavy as lust washes over him, heat creeping up his neck and reaching his cheeks the longer he looks at the picture.

it's your next message that takes him out of his trance, his heart pounding in his chest and blood rushing through his veins, eagerness getting the best of him when he places his hand over his bulge, squeezing it slightly as he reads your text.

"hopefully i'll be home soon [04:35 PM]"

"so wait for me my love <3 [04:35 PM]"

he's looking forward to it.

#blue lock smut #bllk smut #barou smut #shoei barou smut #lorenzo smut #don lorenzo smut #ㅤ𔘓 – my works...!

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777rare · 3 days ago

Text

2025

hey my lovelies...I am back! It's been so so long since I came back here and I just want to first say...I'm happy to be back but also I apologise to whomever has been waiting for more content (if there are any lol) and also to those who have been waiting for my replies to your messages and asks.

I can't give excuses but I find it hard to catch up to everything at one go you know.

Like catching up to things online and offline stuff with friends, family, acquaintances, world affairs, online trends, celebrity drama and everything else is so damn hard for me.

Even my family tells me I'm the most lost creature they've ever met.

So what have I been focusing on? My further education and Academics. I need a stable life so I'm working towards it.

Anyways, I am back, but I do have to remind you lovelies that I won't be so active here.

Thats only cuz I'm studying...mostly without the 'stu' lol (I hope u guys got the joke).

Believe me, I wish I weren't so busy but when I get a little time to come here, I spend the time reading other posts on astrology observations cuz I just love em. There are so many talented souls here.

Anyways, I once again, am happy to be back😊. I also want to let you all know that I already have some content to upload cuz I left some in my drafts before I uhhh Disappeared. So yeah, see u very soon! Will also respond to asks and messages!❤️

oh, also the reason I just kept the title as '2025' is cause I did not have anything interesting to put....and anyways, I think the title was pretty eye catching no? Lol. Thankyou for reading so patiently, it means a lot to me ☺️.

#spiritualawakening #spirituality #spiritual enlightenment #witch community #witchery #astrology tumblr #astrology chart #astrology observations #astrology signs #natal astrology #astrology #astro notes #astro observations #astro community #astrologer #astroworld

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lullabyalikpoptarot · 2 days ago

Text

Mark Lee Perspective Reading

Disclaimer: No facts, all alleged, just my interpretation.

Someone requested this one a while ago, sorry for not responding, but out of three members they requested he stood out to me, so I will get to him this weekend. The song he gave me was Rihanna's Diamond. This could indicate him being special in a sense, or liking to shine and be in the spotlight, or liking a lot of attention, which makes sense as he is a Leo. I don't know much else about him. I am familiar with him, as I was a fan of NCT years ago, but haven't kept up with them, so time to see what he gives me energetically.

Fuck man, he is coming in strong, so I sensed some weird energy from him when I did his LBGQIA+ reading, something was fishy there and yup, getting that vibe here. It seems he went down the path of many of these idols and being prostituted as well allegedly. The one card always gives me the vibes of being filmed or pictures, so there could be that. I feel these people don't care how they hurt these idols or affect them either. This one card comes to 9 and I think of the 9 of swords, a stressful event, maybe he has nightmares about, 9 of wands, boundaries being crossed, 9 of cups, wishes coming true out of that and 9 of pentacles, this gives him financial freedom and access to it. I mean I guess, because SM doesn't pay that well, but okay. This may be why, besides his talent and drive, that he has more opportunities than others.

Now, with this down casted pride, this shows shame, guilt for what has happened or what he did. Maybe he did by his own volition, or just thought that is what is supposed to happen, it is how it is always done. I feel like they may do this to shame them as well or have a hold on them, and that may be a case for him. Why am I getting, he may get reminders of the event to trigger him or set him off, or just embarrass him somehow.

He did give me two other cards, wasn't sure I would add them, but decided to and ugh, this confirms more of what I mentioned. He gave me the triumph of lies and as I mentioned this card gives me he got skeletons and that his rise to fame came with a price and it isn't how they portray. It gives me something more sinister going on behind the scenes. He also gave me parasite, which is people leech of him, take from him. He feels he gets used and abused, how extreme that is I don't know.

He does seem to try to stand strong towards these people. He still remains strong and confident, so even if they do things to knock down his confidence. He stands up stronger after that. He's kind of giving me. I won't let ya'll bully me, so he doesn't seem to distraught about things overall. He enjoys to showcase his skills and work and does what he can to make things happen. He is fueled by his creative energy and will do what it takes to create the things he wants to, with his projects and in his life. At the end of the day, they won't stop him from doing what he loves and that is creating music. And he is one that will put in the work to get it done.

He gives me as not the type to say things or communicate things clearly, but in, I heard rhyme scheme, but the messaging won't be as clear, like a double entendre, so he will be covert about how he states things. It is like hidden messages is how he will communicate his messaging and what he wants to share. That was hard for me to explain, but interesting tidbit I got there.

He may have a sort of obsession with work and any type of passion he has. Whatever he is highly into. He devotes a lot of his time and energy into it. I feel he may do that with his craft and work. He is highly ambitious and does what he can to make his goals come to fruition. He does not like wasting time, sitting idle. He wants to get to work and get things done. He may not even have much time to play and have fun.

I don't see him wanting to tap into his emotions all that much or go to deep into that. I see him not that very connected to that energy. He can be a bit cold and serious, not that warm and gentle of a person. He is about getting things done. He isn't about sitting and ruminating over things. Even if he dealt with some trauma. He doesn't seem like the type that will get distraught about it. He would understand it is the name of the game, I hear, yes, he would feel shame, but it is what it is, he moves on and gets to work.

He does have an energy of devotion and loyalty. I could say to his work and craft, but this could extent to people. He has this energy of needing to be of service to others and using his skills to help provide that service. I see him not being the type to break commitments or any promises he made. He is loyal and stand by his commitments. Although very passionate and determined. He seems to know when to stop and he doesn't cross certain boundaries. I can also see this as him not letting others in and maybe not being too vulnerable around others. He keeps a boundary and a distance there. It is like there is a certain line you don't cross with him.

Okay, he gave me a bunch for this last Tarot spread. Dude is all about the Benjamin's and advancing his career. He gave me 3 cards of pentacles. He is all about financial investments and finding ways to make money. He may want to be rich af He seems to have lots of ideas as to how to do that and take different avenues to get there. He will take different routes to get the money he wants, but I also see him as someone who likes to keep busy and keep the money flowing.

With the world and the star, he wants worldwide recognition, to be a star, to shine bright like a diamond lol He wants to travel to different places, experience new cultures, venture into new things. He seems to want all eyes on him and all the attention he can get. This is so Leo energy here. He has passion, determination, a bit of an ego, has lots of creative ideas and has the energy to make his dreams come true.

So, even if he been through some things. He has thick skin and can manage anything that comes his way. I just keep hearing the lyrics, I get knocked down, but I get up again. You can't keep this man down. He is tough as nails. And mostly doesn't give af. As long as he can create and succeed, keep trying him, he doesn't care lol I kind of like this energy. I don't see him caring to much about relationships or connections with others, which is funny. Hopefully he cares a bit, because connection is important, but he got money on his mind and using his craft to make it happen. I do see him devoting time to his craft, it isn't just the money, but that helps.

#kpop tarot #nct tarot #mark tarot

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