#it would mean redecorating a whole new house as well like no

[the-winds-of-destiny-xxx]

.

[hearts-hunger]

can i keep coming back to you? || danny wagner x reader

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Summary: Danny comes home to you after a long day, and you show him the decorating you've been doing. | Standalone in the Four Weddings universe

Pairings: Danny x Reader | Genre: domestic fluff | Word Count: 2k | Warnings: none!

A/N: Besties, I admit this fic is 100% gratuitous self-indulgent fluff. I just want to decorate my house for Halloween in August, and I want to do it with Danny. Enjoy! ♡

“Don’t get scared, sunny.”

You turned, careful to put one hand on the bookshelf to keep your balance, and saw Danny coming in the door.

“What do you mean?” you asked. From your vantage point perched atop one of your dining room chairs, you looked around for something he might be hiding. “Scared of what?”

He smiled. “I just meant don’t get scared of me coming in,” he said. “I didn’t want to startle you and make you lose your balance.”

“Oh,” you said with a laugh. “Thanks.” You turned back to the shelf you were decorating, straightening a picture frame once you had the little pumpkin lights arranged just so. “Don’t you love this picture?”

He crossed to stand by your chair, looking for a long moment at the picture of the two of you from your trip to the beach in the spring. His hair was longer in the picture, tangled by the breeze, and his smile was big and bright as you kissed his cheek.

“Yeah,” he said fondly. “I do love that picture.” He put his arm around your waist and looked up at you. “Doing some redecorating, sweet sunny?”

You gave him a bashful smile and draped your arms over his shoulders. “Yeah, well, I know it’s not even September, but... I went a little crazy in the Halloween section at TJ Maxx.”

He chuckled. “I kinda figured from all the pictures you sent me. Did you end up getting the sheets with the skeletons and pumpkins and whatnot?”

“Yes!” you gushed. “And I got a blanket to match. You’re gonna love it.”

“I'm sure I will, sweetheart.”

“Do you want to see all the other stuff I got?” you asked, already knowing the answer. You were very grateful for the way Danny so generously indulged your love of decorating; no matter the holiday, you were given free rein to decorate anything and everything in your house, and Danny always complimented the changes you’d made with genuine interest and sincerity.

He smiled. “Of course I do.” He looked up at you with a tired sort of patience and affection, and you put your hands on either side of his face.

“I haven’t even said hi to you,” you scolded yourself. You gave him a kiss. “Hi, baby. I’m glad you’re home.”

He smiled against your mouth. “Me too.” He hugged you and rested his head on your chest as you gently ran your fingers through his hair.

“Long day?” you asked.

He hummed in agreement. “Your boys couldn’t quit fighting long enough to play through a whole song. We didn’t get anything done.”

You huffed a laugh, thinking of ‘your boys’ and how every once in a while, they’d get into a mood where they couldn’t seem to do anything but bicker.

“I’m sorry,” you said. “Hopefully everybody just needs a good night’s sleep. You guys have been burning the candle at both ends lately.”

You brushed your fingers over his necklace, the permanent chain that apparently would stay on until the day he died, or the day you went crazy for him and found a way to get it off.

“This still isn’t driving you up the wall, huh?”

He looked up at you with a grin. “No, but I think it might be driving you up the wall. You don’t like it?”

“I like it just fine on you,” you said. “But say the word and I’ll get a pair of bolt cutters and take it off for you.”

He laughed. “That seems excessive, but I appreciate it.”

You cradled his face and kissed his cheeks and over the bridge of his nose, enjoying the novelty of being taller than him for a moment.

“You look tired, sweetheart,” you said gently.

He nodded. “I am tired,” he admitted. “But I still want to see all your new Halloween trinkets.”

You gave him a beaming smile. “I love you.”

“I love you too, sunny.” He scooped you up to carry you, and you giggled as you put your arms around his neck. “Where to?”

“Depends,” you said. “Are you going straight to bed, or do you want some dinner first?”

“Dinner,” he agreed.

“To the kitchen, then.”

He carried you in and set you on the counter, right next to the candle holder with four little ghost candles perched atop it.

“Hey, those are cute,” he said.

You sighed. “Here’s my dilemma with them.” You picked one up and ran your thumb over the waxy surface. “They’re candles, obviously, but when I got them all set up — ”

“You didn’t want to burn them,” he said with a smile. “Isn’t that right?”

“Oh, I just couldn’t.” You held it out to him, and he held it for a moment in his big palm. “They’re just so cute! I couldn’t melt them.”

He chuckled and put the ghost back with its companions. “I understand, sweetheart.”

He patted your thigh before he went to the fridge and pulled out a Corona. “You want one?”

“Sure.” You hopped down from the counter and started to get things set out for dinner. “I tried a new crock-pot recipe, so I hope it’s not awful. It’s some kind of chicken taco casserole something or other.”

He lifted the lid of the crock-pot. “It smells good,” he said agreeably. “I’m sure it’ll be great, honey.”

You were too distracted to respond, trying to figure out how to get the plates you wanted from the top shelf. You knew you could just ask Danny and he’d happily get them for you, but you didn’t want to bother him, and you stood on tiptoes and tried to reach them.

He gave a soft laugh. “Sunny,” he scolded lightly. He handed you your beer and reached above you to take down the plates.

“You know you have a really tall boyfriend to get things off a high shelf for you,” he said. “You ought to put these long limbs to use.”

You smiled. “Thank you. I just didn’t want to bother you.”

“Helping you is never a bother, sunny.” He kissed your nose. “Now tell me what else I can do to help you, please.”

You enjoyed the bashful butterflies he still gave you as he followed your directions on setting up for dinner, and the two of you sat catty corner at the table for a long time after you finished eating and talked about how your days had been. After dinner, Danny washed and you dried, and you shared a bowl of ice cream at the counter.

“Are you at the studio all day tomorrow?” you asked.

“Yeah,” he said, and his tone was apologetic. “I know you had some errands you wanted to do together, but...” He absently toyed with one of the ghost candles, distracted and tired. “If those errands can wait until this weekend, I’ll just move my golf thing and we can do them then.”

He looked over at you. “Unless they can’t wait until the weekend. Then I’ll ask the guys if I can step out for a little while to get them done.”

You brushed a few curls from his face. “They can wait, but I don’t want you to have to cancel with your dad.” He and his dad had planned to golf together on Saturday, and you knew Danny had been looking forward to it.

“I’ll just go tomorrow by myself,” you said. You didn’t really need Danny to go with you, but both of you preferred to do boring errands with each other to make them less boring.

“Are you sure?” he asked. He washed your ice cream bowl and set it to dry. “I can talk to the guys, see if I can leave for an hour or so. Maybe we can get coffee or something.”

“I’d love that,” you said. You laced your fingers with his as he came back over to you. “We’ll figure it out. I just feel like I haven’t seen you a lot this week.”

“Yeah, me too. I miss you, sunny.”

You smiled. “Aw, honey. I miss you too.” You tilted your face up for a kiss, and he leaned close and obliged you.

“Come in the shower with me,” he said, kissing the corner of your mouth.

You grinned. “Okay, but only so I can show you the new shower curtain I got.”

He chuckled. “Lead the way, sweetheart.”

He did end up liking the shower curtain with pumpkins and black cats on it, but you guessed he probably would have been happy with any kind of shower curtain just so long as you were behind it with him. He wasn’t interested in showering as much as he was interested in simply being close to you, and you happily indulged his desire for long, slow kisses and gentle touches. You washed his hair for him and enjoyed the way he relaxed under your hands as you washed the worries of his day away in a soft lather.

He was a little more energized after your shower, and when both of you were in your pajamas with your hair bushed and your skincare done, he sat on the bed and waited for you to show him all the things you’d bought. He put on some music, and you hummed along to First Aid Kit while you fished your trinkets and tchotchkes out of their bags.

“Look at this guy,” you said, holding up a little cauldron with moons and stars around the rim.

“Candy bowl,” he guessed.

You laughed. “Yeah, candy for one person, maybe.”

He looked thoughtful as he wrapped your new pink Halloween blanket around his shoulders. “Um... we could use it as a bowl to hold keys and stuff on the table by the door.”

“That’s actually a great idea,” you said. “Okay. Key bowl.”

You held up the next thing, a light up crystal ball held in gold skeleton hands.

“Okay, that’s cool,” he said. “We should just keep that out all year round.”

You hid a smile at his real interest in this particular decoration. You knew he didn’t mind all the things you’d picked out, but he was sort of indifferent to them; mostly, he was just happy to enjoy them if they made you happy. Every once in a while, though, you’d find something that really sparked his decorative interest, and it seemed like you’d hit the nail on the head with this one.

“Watch,” you said, and you flipped the switch at the bottom that made the crystal ball light up and swirl with glitter.

His eyes widened. “Dang, sunny. You should go to TJ Maxx more often.” He took it when you offered it to him, watching it like a kid with a shiny new toy. “This is some real wizard shit. We should get one for Jake. He’d love it.”

“Okay, but fair warning — if you let me go back, I’m gonna end up getting more decorations we don’t need.”

He smiled and handed the crystal ball back to you so you could put it on the dresser. “I like it when you go shopping for stuff like this.” He nodded to the bags you still had at your feet. “What else did you get?”

When you’d given him a show of the rest of your baubles, he convinced you to leave them strewn about your room in a state of disarray with the promise of helping you set them up later. When he opened up his blanket cape and invited you in for a hug, you gladly accepted, and he held you in his lap all cuddly and snug.

“You were right,” he said. “I do like this blanket. You’re a genius.”

You giggled as he hugged you tighter and made sure you were wrapped in the blanket with him.

“My sweet sunny,” he said, resting his head against yours. “You’re so good at making our house cosy and fun and beautiful. Thank you for making it a home.”

Your heart wobbled. “I’m glad you like it, Dan.” You pulled back just enough to see his face. “It’s all for you, honey.”

He smiled. “Thank you. And thank you for sharing it with me.” He kissed you and snuggled you close, rocking you gently to the music. 

“Did I ever show you this album?” he asked.

You smiled. “We listened to it the day it came out,” you reminded him. “We went on a drive and listened to it all the way through.”

“We sure did,” he agreed. “I remember.” He was quiet for a moment, thinking of that early-morning drive with the cool breeze and one hand on the steering wheel with the other hand in yours.

“That was a pretty good date,” he said. “Don’t you think?”

You smiled. “Yeah, I do. We should do it again sometime.”

He hummed along to the song for a moment. “This song makes me think of you.”

You didn’t know it well enough to know the lyrics, but you knew it was a compliment. “Oh yeah?”

He hummed in agreement. “I’m gonna love you ‘til the moon don’t shine,” he sang. “I’m gonna love you ‘til the waters run dry. Oh, you, can I keep coming back to you?”

His voice got a little muffled towards the end as you pulled him down for a kiss, and he smiled as he tried to keep singing and kissing you at the same time.

“Can I keep coming back to you, sunny?” he asked.

“You are simply not allowed to go anywhere else,” you replied.

He laughed and kissed you again. “Yes ma’am.”

danny taglist:@tearsofbri@busybeingtrash@myway-late@gotavansleep@gretavanbri@stardustchxrds@pxppylove @bajabule69 @radmads-gvf@sunnykiszka@audgeppp @ageoffleeet @stardustjake

gvf taglist:@malany-gvf@spark-my-nature@eearevee@madneedshelp@demonrat444@josh-iamyour-mama @honeyandsweettae @mydarlingdanny@gretavandann@sacredjake@myleftsock@joshskittytickler21@hellowgoodbye@watchingovergvf2@fearfulspirit@mywaysoon@carbondancingthroughtime@caprisunsister @eraofstardustchords @sacredthefran@shesawomaninadream @serendipiti @demonrat444@wildflowerxx-x @tearsofdanny @iluvjoshkiszka @jordie-gvf-admin @demolitionndann

@gvfrry@ohhey1293@the-chaotic-cow@mountain-in-springtime@xserenax-13@stardustjtk @brooke-gvf@weightofdreams-gvf@jakeydoesit@gretasmokerising@hayley1623@doodle417@finestoflines@brokenbellz@bowievanfleet@s0livagant@strugglingtodoshit@s-u-t@kay-jordan@gretavanfleas@jakeyboiiiiiii@gretavansteph@gretavanbitches@myownparadise96@luverleaver@weightofdreamz@greatervanfleet@maedesculpaeusoubi@jakekiszkasbestie@pineapple-photographer@baguettejuliette@alexxavicry@levi-wants-ur-bones@carlybubs@cowboysamkiszka@dannyandthekiszkas@jordierama@slutforsteve@starshine-wagner@quartzzzzzzz@edgeofdreams@writingcold @lostoverseer @catharu77 @mackalah@jaketlove @haileygvf @blacksoul-27 @ur-m0ms-blog

sorry if tumblr didn’t tag you — it’s stupid sometimes. but i’m real thankful for you, sweet peaches! and if you’re a new bestie and would like to be added to my taglist, check out the form right here! ♡

[silverstream2]

Things I would add to Fortuna city and Fortuna castle:

-Ballista and crossbows for the Order to use. Not sure if canons would be breaking the whole "no guns" rule, but they could AT LEAST have crossbows for personal use. The ballista would be mounted on the city walls, and possibly some within the town as well. Which was always a thing that bugged me that we never saw; Fortuna is a town constantly dealing with demon attacks- why WOULDN'T they have wall defenses?

-Sparda's bedroom in Fortuna Castle being at the top floor, in the highest tower. iirc, it was like that in the novel, but it's placement in the game makes no sense. It's right next to the graveyard, and you can't get to the other rooms in the castle without crossing through that bedroom. Which is stupid, because if it's a room leading into the interior of the castle from the outside, then there shouldn't be a bedroom in it.

Also, Sparda's room should have a balcony on it, because Sparda had wings and could fly, so why wouldn't he have a way to fly up to his personal chambers, in his own goddamn castle?

-A larder, ice house, forge, and kitchens. And bathrooms. And a laundry room. Because these are things that a castle NEEDS in order to survive, and it always bugged me that we never see them in DMC4. The sewers I could forgive skipping, but the rest? You need to at least add it to the castle design.

-Strawberries being a big thing in Fortuna. I'm not sure if they could grow in... where ever the fuck Fortuna is supposed to be located, but if they CAN grow in Fortuna, then they should be a big thing there. Since Sparda probably liked them, when he was alive.

-A training ground for the Order. In the DMC4 novel, it says that the old training grounds and Order HQ are in Fortuna city, while the new Order HQ and training grounds are off the coast, through the Mitis Forest. But we only ever see the new stuff- which doesn't make any sense.

-Better pathways around the place in general. There isn't even a decent path down to Fortuna Castle from the mountainside, and the castle was supposed to be a tourist attraction.

-Better use of the mining town and iron mines. Do people still live and work in the town we see Nero and Berial raze in their fight? If not, and the mine is shut down and out of iron, then wouldn't that negatively effect Fortuna city? Hell, wouldn't that negatively effect AGNUS and his research, since the Angelo armors tend to take a lot of metal?

-I'm not sure how to balance the more realistic design of Fortuna Castle actually looking like a functional castle (and also, as it is in Nero's time, a museum) with the demonic puzzles, but maybe have it where the Order redecorated things? I mean, I could see Sparda having SOME demonic puzzles in the place, since this would be his castle/home while he lived in Fortuna, and its always good to have a way to get around that not everybody knows about; and also, demons seem to love ridiculous, elaborate puzzles and weird architecture, even in places where they live. But it should be clearer what's there because the Order (under Sanctus) put it there, and what was there originally. According to the novel, the cages and the torture chamber are there because the Order added them, not Sparda or a later castle owner (not counting Sanctus). That's not clear in the game, which leads to some nasty implications, because why would SPARDA need or want a torture chamber?

-Every Order knight should have a side knife. And probably a crossbow. There should be a range of weaponry, too- not just swords, but polearms and other weapons as well. They're supposed to fight demons for a living, and you never know what you'll need. If they're supposed to be a sort of army, then all the more reason for variety.

[thesimquarter]

Some Unused Urbz (GBA) Dialogue

I was looking through the string table in the Urbz for GBA and noticed some dialogue that goes unused in the actual game and decided to catalogue it and share it because I just love things like this.

If you see an '@1', in the dialogue, that's just a placeholder for the player's name (or at least for all of THESE. Sometimes it's used for other things.)

As a side note, the dialogue for this game is pretty well-organized and all the characters have distinct enough voices (TS2GBA DO NOT INTERACT) that it's incredibly easy to figure out who said what. There's also a lot more unused strings, but I'm just focusing on the dialogue right now

First of all, all characters, not just those you can have as a roommate, have roommate acceptance dialogues. So, here are all the unused ones.

BAYOU BOO: Gosh, that's fine idea. Don't mind if I do. BERKELEY CLODD: Sure I'll move in with you. What a splendid way to meet a whole new set of clients. LINCOLN BROADSHEET: Sure, I'll live with you, buddy. But be warned: I stay up late. CRAWDAD CLEM: You know, It'd be real fun to share accommodations with you for a bit. Sure. EPHRAM EARL: To haunt your house with your permission, this I will do. PRITCHARD LOCKSLEY: Sure, so long as you help me memorize my lines. HARLAN KING: Of course I will. How wonderful! LOTTIE CASH: Okay! That'd be killer! We're going to have such an awesome time. LUTHOR L. BIGBUCKS: Sure, why not. It'll be just like college all over again. MAMBO LOA: I would gladly share accommodations with you. When do I move in? Now? MAXIMILLIAN MOORE: Sure, why not? So long as you don't mind the smell of bleach. OLDE SALTY: You're darn tooting! I'd be your roommate any day. CRYSTAL: Okay! I can't wait to redecorate your dumpy pad. POLLY NOMIAL: Yes. To maintain a domicile with you would be most enlightening. GIUSEPPI MEZZOALTO: Why not, right? It'll be loads of fun. I'm moving in today! ROXANNA MOXIE: Sure, why not? It'll be fun, you know? A real laugh. THERESA BULLHORN: Yes! I would love to share your life of glamour and fame. DARIUS: Heck yeah, dawg. We can kick it together. DADDY BIGBUCKS: You betcha! DET. DAN D. MANN: It's an interesting proposition. Hm… Consider it done! LILY GATES: An excellent plan! Your place is much closer to where I work! KRIS THISTLE: You want me to move in with you? After all I've done? Wow. You're great. GRAMMA HATTIE: What a grand idea. Your house will be a great place to hold meetings.

There is also an unused set of rep group-related dialogues. These ones most likely being used if you managed to get an exceedingly poor rep with your rep group.

DARIUS: Hey, @1. Check yourself before you wreck your Rep. The Streeties are getting sick of you hanging around. LUTHOR L. BIGBUCKS: Sorry to be the one to break this to you, @1, but the rest of the Richies think you're getting a tad uppity. Clean up your act or we'll boot you. POLLY NOMIAL: Our patience with your gradual assimilation into our social sphere is waning. Progress or be excommunicated from the Nerdies. ROXANNA MOXIE: A few words of advice @1. Shape up or ship out of our group. End of story.

These MAY not be unused, but I've never heard of anyone getting any of these messages, and, for the life of me, I could not get them to activate through my own twiddling. There exists no dialogue for actually kicking you out of the rep group. So even if this WAS used, it would just be an empty threat. (I mean… it's implied that it was your rep group that picked you up after you crash landed in Miniopolis, which is why you're apart of it despite not really knowing anyone.)

As a side note, when I was going through getting to -10 rep points with the Richies, after about -6, every time I lost a rep group point, Roxanna Moxie kept on giving my silver plaques. RICHIE silver plaques. Using the Artsie silver plaque dialogue. By the time I was done testing things out, I had five of them. Strange glitch?

So, the Urbz GBA, for whatever reason, doesn’t let us romance the elderly. That doesn't mean that there isn't flirting and kissing dialogue for the unromancable characters! The first dialogue is flirting, and the second one is refusing to accept a kiss.

EPHRAM EARL: A piece of human interest seems to be the loving way. EPHRAM EARL: I cannot kiss that which I cannot touch. HARLAN KING: Eh? Does that have a saucy secondary meaning I am not aware of? HARLAN KING: Ugh! No! Your breath smells like everything but fresh! OLDE SALTY: Arrr, you've cracked my barnacle encrusted heart! OLDE SALTY: I'll kiss no one! Not until you proves your devotion! DADDY BIGBUCKS: Hello there… do you mind if I buy you a small island? DADDY BIGBUCKS: Get away from me, you pest! I'd sooner kiss a sneezing dog. GRAMMA HATTIE: Stop it this instant. I know you're just trying to fool with an old woman's mind. GRAMMA HATTIE: Ack! Help! Help! Police! This boy is trying to inhale me!

Related, when a character accepts a hug or a kiss in-game, they don't say anything. However, there is actually unused dialogue for this event. Almost all of it is just "Aw!". However, there's a few exceptions.

BAYOU BOO: Aw! BAYOU BOO: Plant one right here, girl! BERKELEY CLODD: Come hither and embrace me, @1! BERKELEY CLODD: Ah! LINCOLN BROADSHEET: Come here, you! LINCOLN BROADSHEET: Oh! EPHRAM EARL: If arms were ribbons consider this my bow. EPHRAM EARL: Ah! EWAN WATAHMEE: Hugs are free, yes. But they are also round. EWAN WATAHMEE: Ah! PRITCHARD LOCKSLEY: It's so good to see you too! Let's do lunch. PRITCHARD LOCKSLEY: Ah! LOTTIE CASH: It's fun to be this close to me, huh? LOTTIE CASH: Oh! LUTHOR L. BIGBUCKS: Wrap your arms around me, baby. LUTHOR L. BIGBUCKS: Yeah! MAXIMILLIAN MOORE: You washed your hands before you hugged me, right? MAXIMILLIAN MOORE: Eek! CRYSTAL: Gee, thanks. You're sweet. CRYSTAL: Oh! OLDE SALTY: That's right, give poor Olde Salty a nice hug. OLDE SALTY: Yay! DADDY BIGBUCKS: Normally I don't let people touch me if they're not wearing an expensive coat. But for you'll I'll make an exception. DADDY BIGBUCKS: Normally I don't let people kiss me if they're not wearing fruity lip gloss. But for you'll I'll make an exception.

The first dialogue here is accepting a hug; the second is accepting a kiss. All characters not listed here just has "Aw!" as a response to both being kissed and hugged.

There seems to be a scrapped interaction, most likely called 'Talk about Pets.' from the subject of the replies and the fact that it was tucked between 'Talk about Ninjas' and 'Talk about Politics,' which would make the placement alphabetical. I wonder why it went unused!

Not every single character had a line for this. The following characters do not: Bayou Boo, Crawdad Clem, Ephram Earl, Ewan Watahmee Harlan King, Luthor L. Bigbucks, Mambo Loa, Misty Waters, Olde Salty, and Theresa Bullhorn. Some of these characters do have other lines that refer to owning a pet; they just don't have a dialogue here.

BERKELEY CLODD: I looked into buying a talented chimpanzee, but very few know how to pick pock- er, pick their nose. LINCOLN BROADSHEET: I have my pet rabbit to thank for my interest in journalism. Why? Well… isn't it obvious? PRITCHARD LOCKSLEY: I was so proud my pet lizard Harvey was cast as the lead in a new gladiator film. Sure he beat me for the role… but he was wonderful! LOTTIE CASH: I have a cute little pug named Paris. You don't think I'll get sued for that, do you? I hope not. MAXIMILLIAN MOORE: Sooner or later, every disease that pets get will jump to humans! The end is near! CRYSTAL: I totally want a pet dolphin so it can protect me from sharks. PHOEBE TWIDDLE: My mom was a cat lady and my dad was a dog guy, so I learned to love pets very early on. But I'll never forget the smell. POLLY NOMIAL: Your colorful colloquy is highly amusing. GIUSEPPI MEZZOALTO: If I tell you I like snakes, you'd better not make any jokes. Got it? ROXANNA MOXIE: Come by the carnival sometime! There are lots of needy animals there. SUE PIRNOVA: I'm not organized enough to take care of another creature. The best I can manage is feeding ants. DARIUS: I like goldfish. What? DADDY BIGBUCKS: Yuck! There is nothing worse that a sniveling, drooling, hairy servant who cannot follow orders. DET. DAN D. MANN: When people don't clean up after their pets, who do you think has to do it for them? Huh? I'm asking you because I don't know the answer. LILY GATES: Every time I buy a pet, I get so busy I forget to feed it. And then… well… I shouldn't own any pets. KRIS THISTLE: Don't remind me! My landlord doesn't allow pets, so when I moved here I was forced to sell my ferret. CANNONBALL COLEMAN: I owned a crow a few years ago. He made enough noise to scare ghosts away. I miss that old bird. GRAMMA HATTIE: I'm definitely a cat person. And a dog person. And a chicken person too. I'm really a pet person. DUSTY HOGG: I used to own a small python and a small dog. Now I just own a bigger python.

'Talk about Pets' does not show up in the list of interactions earlier in the string set.

Lincoln Broadsheet has some mission dialogue that, again, may not be unused, but I have never seen, and I have never seen anyone else talk about it.

YOU: Mister Broadsheet, would you help me write a thesis? LINCOLN BROADSHEET: Gosh, I would if I wasn't so busy. Tell you what I can do though: I'll let you use my computer to log in to my research database. That should give you some good ideas. LINCOLN BROADSHEET: Hey, have you heard the recent news? A local TV station is filming a new Reality Television Show. YOU: Interesting, but I don't watch much TV. LINCOLN BROADSHEET: Me neither, but don't let that stop you from going up to Paradise Island and signing up. If you do well I could write a big article about you. YOU: Are they still letting people sign up? LINCOLN BROADSHEET: I think so. Head up to Paradise Island and see for yourself. And if you do well Id love to write an article on you.

Note: I have been informed that the first two lines in this section actually can happen in-game!

It is also appears he would have given the player the Reality TV Show plotline.

And finally, ‘The Bad Ending.’

DADDY BIGBUCKS: People around here call me Daddy Bigbucks. If you like what you see in Miniopolis, it's a good bet I own it.

This is actually listed next to all the character introductions, so this would have been how Daddy Bigbucks introduced himself, if he were to actually introduce himself. There are placeholders for the other characters who don’t get to say a proper introduction as well (Kris Thistle, Det. Dan D. Mann, Crawdad Clem, Harlan King), but they’re just placeholders. No text of relevance.

[mrsrookhunt]

I’ve been waiting for Ango 😈😈

Anyway, can you please do Ango (and any other bsd guy) with a s/o that’s REALLY and I mean REALLY tall, like 6’10.

If you don’t think that’s a good idea or it’s not interesting just disregard this. Have a good day/night! <3

Oh my god I came here to write the bsd men in bed but sOMEONE HAD TO GIVE ME NEW INSPIRATION AHAHAHAAHAH

Absolutely.

As a short bitch myself... I'm so happy to imagine being tall.

A Small Problem

Ango Sakaguchi X Reader

Ango, in his infinite wisdom, had fallen for you, his darling, his other half...

But that was only apparent to you and him. The near daily comments on your 1-whole-foot height difference made him more than insecure.

Ango had never considered himself tall nor short to begin with, being at a good, solid height of 5'10.

He was tall to most women, and average to most men. It was a good balance.

When he met you, it was online. You spoke, sometimes for hours, into the early morning after he finally got off of work. After three months of dating, he was certain, with one-hundred percent of his soul, that you were the one.

Within the next month, he'd emptied out his savings into buying a ring for you, a suitable house, and redecorating said home into a cozy place fit for both you and the possibility of a small family (or pets, let's be real).

Finally, in your sixth month of dating, you'd gotten the unexpected funds to fly and see him for the first time.

Overwhelmed with joy, Ango had absolutely no reservations about finally meeting you, overjoyed that he would finally get to put that ring and that house to use.

When he met you, he was dumbfounded, jaw slack with shock for just a moment. He couldn't believe you were so... tall.

For a moment, you worried that he found you unattractive, but those worries washed away as the most delighted, sweetest young lover's smile broke onto his face, like six months of pure love expressed in one fleeting moment.

His biggest worry at the time was, how was he supposed to be the big spoon?

He wasn't embarrassed to take you around town, showing you off to everyone he knew.

You never took him as someone into PDA, but he regularly rested his head on your shoulder.

While he may not have judged you for your height, others did. Many of his coworkers laughed with what he was certain was envy of his catch, but hurt him deeply nonetheless.

When you accepted his proposal, he was monumentously happy, putting himself through hell and back to arrange a wedding as soon as possible.

However, through all of this happiness, you saw that something dampened his spirits, just slightly, as well.

After discovering that he was treated poorly because of you, it nearly broke your heart. You knew you had to help him in some way, making a point to give him extra snuggles and kisses, knowing he wasn't quite ready to open up about it.

There were times when he did cry with you. He wasn't used to being made fun of, and even more than that, he felt powerless over the situation. He loved you more than the world itself, but he also couldn't leave his work, and who's to say his coworkers at another job would treat him any better?

You start making jokes about his coworker bullies as if he were a small child needing reassurance, likening them to small children who couldn't handle a man and his partner.

It makes Ango feel tremendously better to have you on his side, comforting him. There was a time when he wondered if you saw him the same way, as weak and small in comparison to yourself. But you? You treated him like an equal. And that's all that matters.

Keep joking with him, keep loving him, and you won't have a problem.

"I've got a small problem, my love."

"Oh? And what's that honey?"

"You." ♡♡♡

[sunstoneboy]

My mom, coming into my room after I’ve added new decor: Uhm.. it’s very… *eclectic* in here…

Me: you don’t like it?

Her: well, no. It’s too cluttered. Too messy. Too much stuff everywhere and too many colours and textures. It looks dirty. It looks old. I don’t like it.

Me: …

~

Me, coming into the rest of the house that my mom has just redecorated for the third time this month: what’s this? Why is it different again?

Her: I went to homesense again for one thing and decided to redo it all because I kept finding things, isn’t it pretty?

Me: it’s okay, I mean, I don’t think we needed to change anything again and it doesn’t look even that different from before, it’s just the same style but like different objects.

Her: you don’t like it?

Me: no, not really. You’ve got two things on the wall throughout the entire main floor of the house, everything is painted Grey and anything unpainted is a washed out version of what would have been a beautiful colour if you let any bit of saturation stay. And it’s not like I get a chance to really appreciate what even is there. You change it so often any time a new trend surfaces and you feel the need to spend more and more to satisfy your craving for comfort. But that’s the thing, you change it so often you don’t give it a chance for comfort to grow. You don’t allow yourself to be satisfied with anything to a point where you’ve lost yourself in following the trends and keeping up to date. You don’t allow your personal style to grow and develop because you assume that what other people like is what’s best and don’t take the time to figure out what you actually do and don’t like. That’s why you come home with bags and bags every week of things we don’t need that you end up storing away in just a few weeks after you realize you didn’t actually like it at all. You just saw it on tv or Instagram or Facebook and you were like I want to have a style other people like so I’m just going to do as they do instead of pursuing my own true tastes. You’ve effectively stripped our home, that is full of potential and character, of any stand out characteristics for the sake of fitting in because you’d rather be liked more by the average Joe on the street that to actually satisfy your own personality and interests that have been a constant with you your whole life that you probably aren’t even sure what they are anymore as you’ve repressed them to a point of uncertainty, in favour of following trends that have you spending more than you can afford every week just to keep up.

Me: Yeah I don’t really like it. Also we’re out of toilet paper again. I’m gonna go back to my room now, got stuff to work on. Bye :)

Her: …

[midwest-indigo]

what's your fave song from each album here are mine so we can compare notes:

st - taxi cab aka The Bridge To End All Bridges WERE DRIVING TOWARD THE MORNING SON WHERE ALL YOUR BLOOD IS WASHED AWAY AND ALL YOU DID WILL BE UNDONE (also like...air catcher, trapdoor, acatad, taxi cab.....unmatched four songs in a row they all hit you square in the gut sheesh)

rab - tie between clear and glowing eyes and be concerned (how do I choose?????? i wish that i had two faces!!!!! To prove which theory works!!!! & i will TELL YOU WHAT I CAN....the harmonizing with himself....!!!!!!! I know there's someone at the door they called for help of this I'm sure but do i want to say goodbye to all the glowing eyes???? AND IF I SAID THAT I WOULD LIVE FOR YOU FOR NOTHING IN RETURN WELL IM SORRY MR GULLIBLE BUT LYINGS ALL I LEARNED) calling god mr gullible is just....

v - migraine. as someone who suffers from chronic migraines and also migraines caused by stress and depression,,,,, my guy he's done it also it's so fun to sing like are u kidding

bf - doubt !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GNAWING ON THE BISHOPS?????? don't forget a-bou-ou-ou-ou-out me insanity

t - leave the city. just. yeah

sai - when choker first dropped i was omw to work and played it on loop crying my eyes out i felt something i never felt before. i sounded insane when i told my supervisor why i was still crying when i walked into work

also just their entire discography at this point lol

what song are u most excited about for clancy? let me know all ur thoughts!!

i'm not going to go deep bc nah not today. but let's go, here are some cute things i like about my fav songs on the albums

*cracks knuckles*

Self titled - Fall away

first of ALL. Tyler's vocals in this one <3333 all i want ever is to hear this one live. it's all i ask for.

And I, I can feel the pull begin I feel my conscience wearing thin And my skin It will start to break up and fall apart

this song just means a lot to me

RAB - Anathema

there is something comforting about this song that i can't really explain. it's so beautiful and the way tyler sings in this one is just ahhh

So won't you say goodnight, so I could say goodbye

Vessel - Holding on to you

first of all - Vessel is my absolute favourite album of theirs, i love all it's songs so much and they all have a special meaning to me. HOTY is an extra special one to me tho<3

I must've forgot, you can't trust me I'm open a moment and close when you show it Before you know it I'm lost at sea

lol i'm the most annoying person whenever HOTY comes on around my friends, i ALWAYS have to rap the whole thing before anyone is allowed to speak again hahahah

i have to mention Semi automatic too because it is my mum's favourite. i remember back when i lived at my parents house and i played top and semi automatic came on, my mum would always sing along<3

Blurryface -Heavydirtysoul

It's an amazing opener for the album and i love me a fast rap <3 i also love this one so so so much live and i really hope they keep it for this tour<3

Trench - My Blood

as an older sister who is very close with and protective of their younger sister, this one means a lot. whenever i listen to this song my heart goes warm and i think of her and how i would do anything for her happiness and safety.

also Tyler's falsetto AH it's so beautiful

SAI - Redecorate

girl i don't even know what to tell you. like you said with leave the city: just. yeah.

She had plans to change her name Just not the traditional way

when the album was new and fresh my fav was No chances tho. i just really love the vibe of that song.

thoughts on Clancy

DUDE i can't even explaaaaiiin how hyped i am for this album to drop, like all of the singles are so good?? espescially Backslide has my heart<3

i'm the most excited for Paladin Strait!! i NEED to know what Tyler put in the song that the fake album reviewer would have mentioned. i am actually going mad over it.

[bandedbulbussnarfblat]

Video Killed the Radio Star chp 2

Here it is on ao3 or read it below

Armand slips into the bedroom to find Louis sprawled over the bed.  He’s reading The Ethical Slut  and seems completely absorbed in it.   Armand crosses the space to the bed and climbs up to swing a leg over Louis’ lap.  Louis glances over top of the book.  “Something you want?”

He’s smiling, so Armand thinks he probably has an idea what he wants.

Armand plucks the book from his hand and skims the pages.  “Fighting is the ultimate act of intimacy,” he reads aloud.  Considering the fights he’s had with Daniel, Armand can understand the train of thought.  There’s something violently intimate about a person knowing precisely what to say to destroy you.

“It makes sense in context,” Louis says and rests his hands on Armand’s waist.  Armand carefully marks Louis’ place and sets the book on the nightstand.  He dips down and begins sucking kisses along the edge of Louis’ jaw.  Louis hums contentedly and threads fingers through Armand’s hair.  “What’s got you all worked up?”

Armand nips behind his ear, then soothes over it with his tongue.  “I was watching our old videos to decide which one to send Daniel.”

“You mean our sex tapes.”  Armand had gone through a phase where he liked recording himself.  Louis had obliged him.  They have actual physical tapes from the 70s somewhere, though Armand has digitized his favorites.  

“Mm,” Armand says, and gets distracted for a minute by Louis’ neck.  It’s a nice neck.  He mouths kisses over it and just lets his fangs scrape along the flesh.  “I chose the one we made for Daniel for his birthday one year.  Do you remember?”

He had ate Louis out until he came, then fucked him until he was hard again, then sucked him off.  He’d told Daniel if he could watch the whole thing without touching himself, he’d do the same to him.  

Louis hands slide under his shirt and along his sides and his head tilts back invitingly.  “Why don’t you remind me?”

/

Daniel doesn’t download the attachment in the email.  He doesn’t trust it.  

“...you can stay here indefinitely until you finish the story.”

He glances over at Lestat who’s sitting across from him.  He’s immaculately dressed and in person Daniel can admit he has a sort of magnetism that could draw someone in.  He still doesn’t like him much though.  “Yeah, no.”

He’s not staying in the same house as Armand any longer than he has to.  

“Louis likes having you here,” Lestat says.  Daniel can’t tell what he’s thinking.  

“He needs enrichment in his enclosure,” Daniel says dryly.  The penthouse here feels a lot like Night Island.  A gilded cage.  It has everything Louis could want, everything he could need.  Why would he ever have to leave?  Armand’s there to take care of everything.  

It feels sickeningly familiar.  

These vampires keep mistaking codependency for love.  Well, Daniel wants no part in it.  

“He needs an interior designer,” Lestat says, then turns a blinding smile towards Daniel.  “Surely this is not how the imp decorated with you?”

It isn’t exactly a smooth segue into prodding into his relationship with Armand.  

“He had a new style for every apartment,” Daniel says, waving a hand around.  “Minimalism is probably his latest thing.” 

Lestat casts his eyes around the living room with distaste.  “You can help him redecorate when I take Louis from this place.”

There it is.

“You think my being with Armand would leave Louis open for you,” Daniel says.  “You should ask Louis about us.  I won’t be the reason he leaves.”

Lestat pulls a face.  “Yes, yes, you were their pet.”

“I wasn’t anyone’s pet!”

Lestat slides to the edge of the seat and meets Daniel’s glare with twinkling eyes.  His hand comes up to rest his fingers on the outside of Daniel’s knee, stroking ever so gently.  “But what a fine pet you’d make, Daniel.  Louis wants to keep you, you know.”

Daniel’s about to say something scathing when Lestat’s voice enters his mind “Would you like to make Armand very angry?”

“Almost always.”

“Then play along, pet.”

Then a cool hand is cupping his face and tilting his head just so and Lestat is kissing him.

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

Omegaverse where like Bowerbirds Alphas build homes to attract mates. Like it’s this huge thing to make the PERFECT home for your mate to live in and it’s supposed to be a reflection of both you and your mate. It can be an apartment but you’ve gotta like redecorate and clean and everything. Even then, an apartment is a 'starter' home. Alphas gotta build a house still- or at least design and make sure it's good. (Sometimes they stay in the apartment but usually no.)

So like it’s a HUGE deal when someone is seen buying paint if they’re known to be an alpha courting an Omega. Or if they're looking at furniture. It means they're taking the next step.

When an Alpha builds the home, they show it to the Omega and then give them keys. The Alpha leaves for the next 24 hours. If by the time they come back, the Omega has built a nest in the 'bower' then it's accepted. If the keys are left, it's rejected.

An Alpha can ask why. It's supposed to be done in private, but the news gets around about why. If an Omega says: you don't know me at all, then it's a shock to everyone since... why build a bower?! If an Omega wasn't actually that into the Alpha... well shit that's both sad and embarrassing.

Wait, thought: Apartments tend to be occupied more by Betas. Not because of a hierarchy crap, it's because Betas here tend to prefer to 'cluster' together like a flock. Alphas are much more solitary then not. Omegas are also more 'pack' then not, but they're very happy with being a little distant to.

This AU would totally have Pintrest be like an alpha thing where they get all their ideas. Usually, Omegas are supposed to not have a say in how the whole thing is done (they can make changes later but this is supposed to be the utmost expression of love, that you know them this well you can create this without them) but in more modern times, sometimes an alpha drops a link to the Omega. If the Omega quietly deletes the board, it's a 'no' and the dating/courting ends. If they say: to fast, Alpha slows down. If they maybe take away a few things they don't like, the Alpha tries harder.

If the Omega tracks down their alpha to make out... it is a yes.

The entire thing is partly subconcious as often an Alpha will start building/looking at things without being aware they want to take the next step.

Underneath are fandom ramble thoughts I had for this idea (Batman and MHA) And @anastasian-dreamer came up with some to.

-EraserMightMic with All Might as an older Omega who while he's kinda dating the two, doesn't know how serious they are until they send him a link. Hes very flushed.

-Inko and Hisashi are a beta couple and Inko loves her Omega son. Only the best blankets for his nest.

-Bakugou is a Beta and while he's a little relieved since he doesn't like the idea of being driven to build a nest or anything, he hates not being seen as a strong solitary person. (His mom is an alpha and dad an omega)

-Uraraka is an Alpha and her family isn't really poor as construction makes bank in this AU.

-Todoroki is an Alpha but Endeavour is a beta. He's both please and annoyed at this.

-Rody is an Alpha, as is Iida. I'm thinking Aoyama is one to solely cause the sparkly makes me think of a bird trying to sway someone. Dabi is an Alpha to. So is Yaoyorozu and Shinsou. They may or may not all have pintrest boards and are constantly updating what they think is perfect for themselves. (Dabi did but stopped after everything).

-In the Batman, Tim Drake is the lone Omega in the Batfam cause I like that trope. This makes anyone wanting to court him nervous cause 'expensive tastes!' which ha, no. He likes simple stuff.

-I generally think an Omega Tim Drake is treated wildly different by Damian in any AU. I imagine little Damian deciding to protect his omega brother fiercely.

[warrioreowynofrohan]

Noticing a few things on my latest reread of Jane Eyre that I hadn’t before.

Here is how the book starts, on a day in late autumn:

There was no possibility of taking a walk that day [due to the badness of the weather]…I was glad of it. I never liked long walks, especially on chilly afternoons; dreadful to me was the coming home in the raw twilight, with nipped fingers and toes, and a heart saddened by the chidings of Bessie, the nurse, and humbled by the consciousness of my physical inferiority to Eliza, John, and Georgiana Reed.

When we skip ahead to a pivotal moment in the book, that of Jane’s first meeting with Mr. Rochester, her sentiments are precisely the opposite. It is a chilly day in January:

It was a fine, calm day, though very cold; I was tired of sitting still in thevlibrary through a whole long morning; Mrs. Fairfax had just written a letter which was waiting to be posted, so I put on my bonnet and cloak and volunteered to carry it to Hay; the distance, two miles, would be a pleasant winter afternoon walk…I walked fast till I got warm, and then I walked slowly to appreciate the species of pleasure brooding for me in the hour and situation. It was three o’clock; the church bell tolled as I passed under the belfry; the charm of the hour lay in its approaching dimness, in the low-gliding and pale-beaming sun…I lingered till the sun went down among the trees, and sank crimson and clear behind them.

I wouldn’t have thought much of this, except that the prominent positioning of the two moments - on at the beginning, the other at a key inflection point - and the preciseness of the contrast, the first wuth Jane specifically saying she disliked walks on cold days and coming home in the twilight, the other with ger specifically relishing and seeking out a walk at twilight on a cold day - makes the contrast seem intentional.

And there is another specifuc contrast between Jane’s childhood and later life that I never noticed before. In childhood, she is terrified to the point of panicking and fainting by being shut up (as punishment for her older cousin having bullied her) in the ‘red room’, a spare bedroom room filled with red curtains, draperies, carpets, other furnishings, and walks, and mahogany furniture, where her uncle died some years ago.

Later, when she has come into a fortune and is decorating Moor House to welcome her cousins Diana and Mary (hmm, the Riverses, whom she likes and whom she has tastes and enjoyments in accordance with, seem set up like a purposeful contrast to the Reeds - two sisters and an older brother), there is a brief mention:

A spare parlor and bedroom I refurnished entirely, with old mahogany and crimson upholstery

This seems too concordant with the description of the ‘red room’ to be unintentional. Is Jane exorcising an old ghost? But she gives every indication of being very happy with her redecorating and finding it very pleasant, and Diana and Mary feel likewise.

There are no shortage in Jane Eyre of contrasts between Jane’s younger self and her adult self. The strongest is her overwhelming hunger for approval, acceptance and friendship in childhood (I know I should think well of myself; but that is not enough: if other’s don’t love me I would rather die that live) contrasted with her determined assertion of emotional and moral self-reliance at the moment she refuses the stay with Mr. Rochester as his mistress (I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself.) This does not mean she does not still desire companionship, affection, and love - she does, passionately - but she will not sell her soul to get it.

But the two contrasts above are new to me. Do they have specific meanings? If I tried to apply meanings, I think that the first, with long walks on cold days, relates to Jane’s confidence in her abilities. In her childhood at Gateshead, she cannot please anyone, no matter how she tries, and her physical capacities (‘a heart…humbled by the consciousness of my physical inferiority to Eliza, John, and Georgiana Reed’) are similarly limited. At Thornfield, she has already gained Mrs. Fairfax’s apprival of her as a governess, and Adèle’s affection; and at the moment of the walk she finds herself in a position of being useful to Mr. Rochester when his horse slips on the ice. Jane enjoys being useful and helpful, especially to people she likes or loves; she is more confident in herself and her abilities, and thus less timid, than she was as a child.

For the red room…the red symbolism tempts one to think of passion, but I do not think that is it; neithe scene has any connection with romantic love. Rather, the red room at Gateshead is the central instance showing the complete lack of familial love Jane has at Gateshead; her decorating at Moor House to welcome her cousins is an expression of the familial love she has found there.

[averagewriter-inthedark]

Being Best Friends w/ Alice Cullen🧸 | Twilight HC

Link to my Twilight masterlist

Being Best Friends w/ Alice Cullen would look like:

To starts, first of all, you two would be the most stylish people to walk the halls of Forks High School. I’m talking about serving looks. I ‘m talking setting trends. You both know how to take style to a whole other meaning.

Thrifting is a favorite hobby of yours. And sometimes you both find yourselves emotional whenever you come across something that was popular during the time period you grew up in, or your favorite decade to live in. “Oh my Gosh! I can’t believe I’m seeing this again! I remember when it first came out and I was first in line to get it.”

You more than likely met Alice shortly after you turned. Either the Cullens took you in, or you remained a nomad but continued to visit them a couple times a year.

Immediately you two were drawn to each other. Your personalities complimented each other and while you had a lot in common, you also had enough differences to feel like you weren’t the same person. Alice was definitely the more bubbly extroverted, while you were more reserved. Especially when it came to interacting with the humans in Forks.

Regardless of how you normally fed on blood, you would follow the rules Carlisle had in place during your visits.

You and Emmett get along really well, as with Rosalie. Jasper was a little hesitant—maybe because you threatened him if he ever hurt Alice, but eventually you two become great friends.

Esme loves when you visit because you’ll always help her whenever she decides to redecorate a new room in the house, or give input on whatever it is she’s designing.

Alice will take you to Port Angeles or Seattle to shop, even dragging Bella along against her will. You met Bella a handful of times, and each time you couldn’t help but laugh as Alice heaved her around like a doll to the shops while you tailed behind. “Alice, give the poor human a break.”

Halloween is the best time for you two. You love coming down so you guys can coordinate costumes. A lot of the times if you two watch a movie/show and love it then it will come up as an idea. For example, one year you two dressed up as Steve and Robin from season 3 of Stranger Things.

Oh and an honorable mention was when you forced Jasper to dress up as a ghost. Together you three did the popular ghost photo shoot trend. They turned out fabulous. (He also insisted he wear a cowboy hat with his.)

Whenever you two go hunting together there is always some sort of competition. It’s all in good fun though, until someone loses the bet. “There is no way in hell I’m scaling the Space Needle at three in the morning!” “Don’t be a sore loser, Y/n.”

To put it simple, you would give up your life for Alice. She is the equivalent of a platonic soulmate in your life. And you would do anything and everything, to make sure she had happiness in her life.

[brwnicons]

Hi! I just found you and I devoured your works! I loved them, they made my day 😊 And you're a fan of the Beetlejuice musical as well! I had a glimpse of hope when I read his name in the master list, but was sad to see that nothing was there about him 😭. So I thought about requesting something myself if/when you're free and willing to do it ^^ Maybe a gn reader, a short fluff fanfic where reader is his biggest fan. Not wanting to limit you, let your fantasy go wild, you're very talented! ♥️

☆ Thanks you so very much !! I love this chaotic little demon and I was eager to write for him, I'm not very happy with how it turned but I really hope you like it <3 ☆

Beetlejuice x FanReader

-> Summary: Reader's gender is not specified, a little one-shot and a blurb, fluff, platonic/romantic relationship

-> Warnings: None that I can think of!

Please tell me if you find any mistake

[☆]

You had just moved to your new home, an old and historic, dark wooden house whose prior owners almost gave you free.

They explained you that they had the urge to leave it as soon as possible, since "Bizarre things never ceased occurring there."

You took it as just a joke, since it would be easier to convince a young customer to purchase such an old house if they added a bit of drama to it. Maybe the house maintenance was too expensive for them. "Though...", you eventually thought, "They didn't seem as if they were joking..."

However, there you were, waking up on a comfy bed after surviving a surprisingly restful night at your new home. You yawned and stretched your arms before rubbing your eyes with somnolence.

Then, you headed to the bathroom first and started washing your face. As you had your eyes closed when wetting your face, you could swear you had heard a thump behind you. Convinced that it could be the wind, you dried your face and and decided to check behind you in case something dropped.

When you turn around your gaze meets your now completely messy room. All of your clothes are spread around, your desk is upside down and your closet doors, wide open.

"What the..."

"Just a little redecorating, babe, hope you don't mind!" Your breath hitched and your eyes widened the moment you heard a raspy voice followed by laughter coming from behind you, from the mirror.

You took a deep breath and slowly turned around, facing the neon-green haired demon that showed you a wide toothy grin.

Your mind raced with a million thoughts and you weren't capable of form a single word. The demon before you laughed again, amused with your apparent fearful reaction.

"Bee- Beetlejuice?" You managed to whisper, your hand touching the mirror glass as an excited smile made it's way to your face.

His expression changed drastically at your words and he quickly got out of the mirror to arrive by the bathroom doorframe, where he floated nervously. His hair had now tinted in the brightest of green except for his yellowish hair ends

"You...know me?"

"Of course I do! You're the ghost with the most, the demon straight from hell, the bioexorcist, the-"

"Woah, calm down, babes. I definitely didn't expect fans, you alright?" He asked apparently uncomfortable, though his bright green hair was revealing that he was indeed really flattered.

"Sorry, I'm just really excited to meet you. I didn't mean to bother you, I moved here just yesterday."

"I know. I spent the whole day thinking of pranks to put on you yesterday." He confessed as he scratched his neck awkwardly. "But you seem like a much better roomie than that decrepit couple, soo..." his hair was getting more and more yellow and his hands were fidgeting with his own striped tie until he mumbled a proposal, "...Roomies?"

Your eyes lit at his proposition and you couldn't help but to release an excited "Yes!" that gave him a huge grin and a bright neon hair.

And of course, he excitedly gave you an autograph.

And about the agreement, you both would win with it: Beetlejuice would have an amazing roommate and neither of you would feel lonely.

Living with him has his pros and cons. Yes, he had the ability to always boost your serotonin with his jokes and his cheerful personality, but he is also the filthiest friend you could ever ask for. Also, he seems to have a black hole for stomach and zero respect for privacy so all your savings end up in snacks, but at least he also eats every cockroach and spider that dares to set foot on your house.

And don't let me get started on visits. He will try to scare them away unless you state really seriously that they're your friends and mustn't be scared. If you seem to appreciate your visitors too much or you are away from home (due to work, college...) too much time, he'll feel so lonely that just only an entire week of spending time with him and him only will be able to cure him.

☆ I love him so much that I'm not capable to order my thoughts properly so to continue this request here is a blurb about living with him !!  Hope you understand my chaos ☆

He is a very good friend. He will listen to your problems and will offer solutions, he has very good taste in horror films too so movie nights are a MUST in your house.

He is also the most affectionate, doesn't matter if your relationship is platonic or romantic, he will give you the best bear hugs at any time and will compliment your outfits, jewelry, hairstyle...

Show him about video games!! The previous couple had none but once he discovers them he will have so much fun. He loves playing videogames with you, specially horror ones (he makes fun of you if you play calm games like animal crossing or minecraft but as soon as he is alone in your house you can be sure he will sell shells to Tom Nook or build a sheep farm).

He loves singing too! Karaoke in your house is obligatory, he will sing whatever you put him with all the drama he can gather (but we all know he sings good as hell!)

The most negative thing about living with him is not the smell or mess he usually makes, but his unexistent sense of privacy.

He'll enter in the bathroom whenever you're in, doesn't matter if you're in the toilet or taking a shower, he has no problem with opening the courtain wide and ask you if you ate his cheetos. Picture him as kind of a cat, because your bed will never be yours only again.

With the excuse of feeling lonely he'll end up sleeping every night on your room, sometimes even in your bed too so I hope you buy a bigger one.

It doesn't even have to be romantic or flirtatious, he just wants to sleep with you so he doesn't feel alone (also because he has plenty of nightmares and hugging you tightly after one is far more therapeutic than having to deal with them alone. Evidently, you don't know about this reason. Not yet.)

[echo-of-sounds]

pregnancy

Small headcanons of how Aizawa, Toshinori, Hizashi, Fatgum, Gang Orca, and Hound Dog would be through your pregnancy.

I don’t write about giving birth (as I’m mildly terrified of doing so) so I didn’t add anything about that. Please don’t ask for me to. And even though I’m not interested in getting pregnant, I think I’d be okay with it if Kugo or Ryo were the father.

EDIT: I love picturing all of these men with little girls. It’s just so cute!

Warnings: uh, pregnancy

Aizawa Shouta

Shouta isn’t one to jump for joy when you tell him. However, you will get to see his handsome smile when he grabs your waist, breathing out a light laugh of happiness as he tightly hugs you. His smile won’t disappear for a while. Every time he glances at you, one simply finds its way onto his face.

It may not be by a whole lot, but his behavior changes. Just a little. When you’re out and about, his hand finds its way to your back or elbow much more often, particularly in a crowd. It’s the paternal instincts kicking in. His favorite cuddling position, laying between your legs with his head on your stomach, becomes harder the farther along you are. He adjusts to laying behind you, keeping a hand on your tummy throughout the entire night.

Shouta hides his worries well. Even the people closest to him have a tough time telling what exactly is going on with him. Sometimes, it’s a good thing. He’s a stable person to lean on. But it’s difficult to deal with when you’re hormonal and emotional. He pushes himself so hard to speak more. There’s no way of him understanding everything you’re going through, but when he opens up, he can tell just how much you appreciate it during the tough times. So he does it near-daily, checking in with each other before bed.

He hates how busy his life is. Well, he’s always kind of hated it. Now it’s worse because his partner’s pregnant, and he’s stuck in a room with screaming children when he should be bringing you to your appointments. Shouta attempts to make up for the absence by heading home every night and helping around the house more. Step in. Explain how you value his help, but also need him to relax. If he gets overworked, that would only stress you more.

Shouta changes his eating habits and fitness routines. He wants you to eat well for yourself and your child. He wants you to keep exercising for yourself and your child. He simply wants your body to be healthy. Don’t grumble because he’ll throw your complaining back in your face when the Lamaze coach explains how important physical health is. But don’t worry, his cute smile makes up for the teasing.

Yagi Toshinori

Toshinori is starstruck. Too many thoughts flood and fight. He loves children and has always wanted a family. Being able to father one with you is indescribable. And he never thought the universe would grant any of that. On the flip side, his fear is also undefinable. People know who he is now; who knows what’s out there, waiting to expose All Might’s weakness. The rapid thoughts may bring a tear or two. Cup his face and kiss them away, reassuring him that everything’s okay.

The fears follow him throughout your pregnancy. Like all things (with you and him), there are good days and bad days. His emotions ramp-up during your emotional and physically unwell days. He tries his best to push them down to focus on you. But they eventually end up spilling over. It’ll be common for both of you to cry at the end of the day, snuggled together, talking about the future, worries, and anticipations.

In general, Toshinori isn’t that protective. He trusts you and your abilities. Just because you’re pregnant, doesn’t mean you’re suddenly disabled. You can still do things. Although, he does become a bit of a helicopter. Whenever you bend over to pick up a bag, he beats you to it. He swoops the laundry basket from your hands, claiming, ‘You shouldn’t be lifting heavy things,’ despite it not even being ten pounds. He’s just very watchful of your movements.

He’s very active in dieting, doctor’s appointments, and planning. He eats well, so it’s easy for him to aid you in that respect. For doctors, he has quite a lot of contacts and knows many doctors from his time in the hospital. He asks around, only accepting the best for you. Planning, shopping, and setting up the nursery are his favorite parts. He loves choosing the sweetest colors, softest blankets, and, of course, all the adorable All Might onesies, toys, and superhero books he can find. The nursery is set up perfectly.

Toshinori doesn’t admit how incredibly your pregnant body enchants him. It isn’t always a horny, sexual need. It’s about admiring your body and what it’s creating. He just wonders at you. All the time. Sometimes the changes may make you feel insecure. He’s always there to listen and assure you how amazing your body is. If you want cuddles and kisses, he’ll give them with a smile. If you want gentle lovemaking, he guides you onto your back and gives you exactly what you want.

Yamada Hizashi

Expect a loud song of love, a bear hug, and jumping for joy when you tell him. Hizashi loves kids. He thinks they’re amazing and say some of the greatest things. And he’s beyond excited to see their quirk. Of course, it doesn’t mean he’ll love them any less if they’re born quirkless. He just loves imagining a little one with a similar quirk running around your place.

He is all about redecorating and planning. The entire apartment is getting babyfied and rearranged. The nursery will be beautifully painted. He regularly comes home with cute outfits and stuffed animals. Partly, it’s because he’s just so excited. The other part is he wants you to relax through the pregnancy. No stress, pressure, and unnecessary burden on your shoulders. He’s there to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible.

Hizashi doesn’t just spoil your unborn child; he spoils you, buying you those pregnancy pillows, your favorite ice cream, driving you everywhere, etc… He just hates how much time his jobs take. He’d rather spend his time with you. To help, he’ll ask for time off of patrols, choosing to be closer with you, physically, mentally, and emotionally, during your pregnancy.

In the later months, Hizashi is all over you. Seriously, he will not leave you alone. He’s very handsy, kneading and licking your swollen, sore breasts, and stroking your belly. Your body, and everything it’s doing, is utterly gorgeous to him. He’ll suck away, gently nursing on your nipple while dozing off to Tv, occasionally switching to the other so it isn’t left needy.

Toyomitsu Taishiro

When you tell Taishiro, you’ll only be able to get out a few words before you’re lifted off your feet and spun around. He smooches all over your face, laughing and cheering about how amazing and perfect and stunning you are. You’ll have to ask to be put down lest you get sick from all his spinning. But his compliments keep coming. They won’t dwindle for a while. There’s just too much love in his body to keep inside.

Whatever you’re craving, no matter if it’s pineapple dipped in ketchup, he gives without complaint. He may try some of your odd combinations. Who knows? You could be on to something new. At the same time, he also watches out for your health. The cravings suck. He understands that. He truly does. But if you ate something sweet/not as healthy for lunch, then he plans a healthy dinner for you. Your body’s going crazy. It needs its nutrients.

Your worries are always taken seriously. It could be the most absurd thing to be anxious over. Tai always listens. His cute smile and never-ending positivity help a ton. Your body and brain are going through a lot. He’ll do his part to validate all your feelings. He talks down the anxieties as you eat pickles on ice cream, making sure you are and feel heard.

Since he works one job compared to the others, he’s able to be with you much more, notably during the hard-to-handle days and at appointments. And he picks up extra chores so you can rest through aches and pains. Any choices you make regarding your pregnancy and birth, he supports. He may not agree with everything, but he loves you, and it’s your body. He’ll always put your comfort and wishes first.

Tai treasured your tummy before. But now, seeing you growing with his child, he’s absolutely enraptured. He places nightly and morning kisses on your belly. When he wakes you up, his kisses trail down to the bump. Every night, he rubs lotion into your tummy, kissing and cooing to his child. It doesn’t matter if you’re only one week pregnant, and it’s just a clump of cells in there. Tai still sings to them.

Gang Orca

Kugo is in disbelief when you tell him. He freezes, staring, hardly hearing your words. Give him five minutes. He’ll process what you said and snap back to the present. Watch out because you’re going to get lifted high into the air and maybe tossed like a father does a baby. He’s just practicing. It’ll only take one or two days for him to slip into paternal mode. It’s damn near instinct for him.

As per usual, he’s a gentle paragon behind closed doors. Throughout your pregnancy, he melts into a puddle of sweet honey. His overall affection skyrockets. His hands and claws are as tender as possible whenever they touch you, doing whatever you need him to: massaging your back and legs, rubbing lotion all over, or brushing your hair. He reassures you through tears. He prepares healthy meals that satisfy your cravings. And he holds you all night, keeping you safe on his chest and in his arms.

Kugo goes to every single checkup and appointment. It doesn’t matter if it’s just an ordinary visit to your primary care doctor; he calls out of work and goes with you. At any ultrasounds, expect a few tears, especially when you hear the heartbeat for the first time. He holds them in until you’re alone. The second the door closes, his forehead is nudging yours as small, loved-filled tears fall. He never thought he’d get a family. Part of him thought he didn’t deserve a family, but you’ve proven that false repeatedly.

The farther along you are, the more he watches out for you. He checks in every morning to make sure you took your medicine and vitamins. He washes you so you don’t strain yourself. If you’re waddling, he offers his arm for support and helps you stand. If your back hurts, he applies a heating patch to your lower back and puts your shoes on for you. If you need it, he can carry you to the car and into where you’re going.

As does everyone, Kugo has doubts about his quirk and abilities. People have always viewed those with mutations differently. And it can affect their health, leading to numerous doctor visits and tests. He doesn’t want his baby to deal with the staring, whispers, self-doubts, and distress he did. To support him, talk in detail about his fears and help him realize he’s never disappointed you or hurt anyone. Kugo’s exactly how he should be.

Hound Dog

Ryo doesn’t have a tail, but you’ll definitely see a little happy wiggly before he hugs you. The following week, he keeps you close as he acts differently: rubbing up against you to ensure you smell like him, touching your nose with his, lapping along your neck, sleeping incredibly close, and occasionally smelling between your legs, licking the air around there to smell better. It’s awkward, almost weird, since it isn’t average ‘human’ behavior. But if you love him, let him do it. Please. Understand his nose works differently. It reassures and comforts him to smell you, checking in to see if anything’s changed.

Ryo gets protective when you’re on your period: When you’re pregnant, it’s so, so incredibly worse. He hovers, grumbling low at those walking by. Others barely hear it. It’s intense enough for you to feel it when he’s behind you. He doesn’t like people running up to you, or startling you, or roughhousing or playing in any way. He’s lenient with children, less with teens. Women get a deep growl and scowl. God help any man that approaches you. You might have to have him wear his Hero outfit’s muzzle until you give birth. Though, that might not help because then he’d be protective of two people.

It’s only the teensiest amount better at home. He makes you rest, almost too much. After work or some time outside, he shuffles you to the couch so you can’t overwork yourself. He’s a pleasant change of pace from his typical gruff self. However, as great as he is at the physical needs, he still struggles with the emotional aspects. You can cry on his shoulder, complain, and talk about your worries all you need to. He’s just a bit clunky when it comes to reciprocating the soft emotions. But he puts all his heart into it, and it’s easy to tell.

Ryo is also one who loves pregnancy sexy. You’re swollen and sensitive, and he loves watching your breasts bounce, maybe even leak a little depending on how far along you are. And since you’re already pregnant, he releases and stays inside. After, he lays behind you, keeping himself deep in you despite being flaccid, just feeling how wet and aroused and full you are because of him. When the heated moment is finally done, he licks you clean, nearly getting drunk off your smell.

[gnocchighoul]

assorted hcs!

Lucifer 

He sticks his pinky finger out whenever he drinks anything. It doesn’t matter if he’s drinking from a fancy cup or a water bottle, his pinky is OUT. (He doesn’t know when the habit started. He’s tried to stop it, but he just can’t.) 

Lucifer also knows how to play the guqin, and enjoys it more than any other instrument. Diavolo found out about it and is not at all above begging him to play something (Lucifer is huffy about it, but it’s relaxing and he gets to show off his skills, so he always indulges Diavolo)

Mammon 

He is hardwired for a battlefield. He’s an idiot, but with a weapon in hand, he’s one of (if not THE) most competent in the room. He doesn’t ever necessarily want to hurt anyone, but war is like second nature to him.

That said, he once got into a “battle” with a weirdly aggressive Hellfire salamander and lost, so.

He can mimic noises and voices scarily well.

Levi 

He can recite the entire bee movie by sheer willpower and memory alone. He weaponizes this ability. 

Levi also believes in the loch ness monster with his whole heart and ass, but he doesn’t realize that it’s just a picture of him vibing in his serpent form. Lucifer knows the truth and doesn’t have the heart to tell him. 

Satan 

He was an extremely picky eater as a kid but like, in a weird way -- he would flat out refuse to eat anything that wasn’t spicy enough to kill a grown demon. Would ALWAYS make an exception for anything Barbatos cooked though, whether it was spicy or not. 

Also, when Satan was a kid and wanted to blow off steam in a productive way, he would venture deep into the forest behind their house and build super elaborate houses out of dirt and mud and rocks. There’s definitely a couple hundred out there, and a ton of urban legends surrounding them. 

Asmo 

He totally got into the language of flowers at some point in his life. Now it’s just one of those things that he doesn’t use often. though sometimes, he sends custom bouquets to the people he cares about, especially when they’re upset. Not everyone understands the meanings of each blossom, but that’s okay. The intent is still there. 

Asmo redecorates his bedroom at least once a month. Usually after having a 3am breakdown and ordering all new furniture/decorations because A: the current design isn’t on trend. And B: The current decor no longer aligns with his vibe. Seriously, he can’t believe that he ever went with a blue theme, who the hell even was he last week?

Beel 

He is actually a really good artist. Give him paints, clay, oil pastels, charcoal, even just a pencil or a few markers!! The medium doesn’t matter, he’ll be able to create a masterpiece out of anything. He mostly does digital art these days, but likes to go back to traditional mediums every now and then. 

He also finds knitting to be very relaxing, even though the knitting needles look ridiculous in his big hands, and will sometimes knit while Belphie uses him as a pillow. 

(He gets reaaaaaally into pumpkin carving every halloween)

Belphie 

He has a vast assortment of pillows that he will literally spend 15 minutes hugging and squishing to test the firmness of, before he decides on which one(s) to sleep with that night. It literally doesn’t matter though because he always ends up using the one with the cowprint cover.

He owns at least two pairs of crocs.

[thegingeralien]

Thought I might share my “doing homework with adhd” tips in case the might help even just one person (because that would make me feel happy).

Who am I to be giving you advice? Good point! I am still terrible at studying and I’m 26 and at University for the millionth time. But I have studied A LOT in my 22 years of schooling with varying degrees of success.

I see a lot of people, especially teenagers or first year university/college students, with ADHD asking for tips on how to study. But if you do a google search most of the websites and advice that comes up can be extremely ableist. So I hope I can help someone!

TIPS TO HELP YOU STUDY WHEN YOU HAVE AN ADHD GREMLIN BRAIN!:

1. Chewing gum!

- This might come across as a weird one, but it has actually really helped me. I use it as a form of stimming to help keep me focused and concentrating. Other forms of stimming can potentially end up being more of a distraction when you actually need to be reading or writing - but they can help if you just need to be listening. Try not to get a bubble gum or fun flavoured one though - as they can end up making your mouth feel dry, lose flavour quickly, and just give your brain way too many sensory things to become distracted with.

2. Buying colour coded stationary!

- New stationary can make me really excited to start studying, but that excitement never lasts long and the act of buying stationary can sometimes become it’s own hobby. That’s not what we are going for here. I really recommend, especially if you are a visual learner like me, to buy colour coded stationary. This means removable page markers, different coloured post it notes, highlighters, sometimes even pens. This way if your mind jumps from one topic to the other, it doesn’t matter. Go with the flow. Forcing your ADHD gremlin brain to focus can be extremely counter intuitive. So pick a colour for each topic, and stick to that system to find organisation among your own chaos!

3. Buy a really cheap, boring year diary with hardly any writing inside.

- Not sure if your school/university has their own diary but they can be perfect for what I am on about. Generally you can find them for really cheap, soft cover, no writing or designs within the dates. Just dates, days, weeks and lines where you can write your homework. This helped me a lot in High School. I wish I had kept doing it in University, but I am good with giving advice, and not so much with taking it. I used to decorate the outside of it however I wanted. Some years I would redecorate the same diary every semester. In the public holidays or holiday days I would colour those lines in with different highlighters to make it look like a rainbow. But every assignment due date, homework, draft, rewrite, form I had to bring back, library book due date, school activity days, ANYTHING to do with school I would write in there with reminds and check lists. Important due dates would be highlighted, general homework and daily to do lists t(o help me not leave my assignments to the last minute) would have a tick box beside them (because ticking tick boxes is free dopamine). Try to not put birthdays or fun things in it. This is a small way to stay on track so it helps you actually stay on track with the big things when you’re home.

4. Big whiteboards stuck on the wall where you can’t avoid it.

- This is not something I had in school, but I so wish I did. I have been using this recently to keep on top of house work (as maintaining your own house is tiring) and my small business or other things I really can’t avoid. If I physically write it down (not just in my phone) it psychologically does help you commit it to memory. Again, physically putting a line through a task you just completed is a hecking great rush of dopamine. But the biggest reason I love my white board, I can’t ignore it. It is stuck to the wall and is never out of sight, out of mind. I can’t put my phone or diary down and then refuse to look at it until I’m past the due date. Again, I’m not a perfect person, there are days where I don’t do anything I have written on the white board. But the great thing is, I don’t have to continuously feel like I failure, as I can wipe it all off the next morning or week and start fresh. I also put important things I have to remember that I’m doing during the week so I don’t forget them.

5. Icky Medication.

- I know not everyone wants to be on medication, and I understand. I am not forcing you to. No matter what your opinions are, you lovely gremlin who is still reading this post, regarding medication, you are valid and I respect you. My personal experience with medication has not been the best. I have been misdiagnosed for a severe chunk of my academic life which has seen me trying to focus and maintain school work under some even worse states then I am unmedicated! However, since receiving my diagnosis and finding the right ADHD medication for me, I have the ability to get so much work done without having to unnecessarily struggle. It’s unfortunately not magic, it will not turn me into a robot that makes me do work and turn out incredible, noble peace prize winning assignments (as much as I wish that were possible). I still have the ability to be a lump, doom scrolling through tumblr, forgetting to eat, and ignoring responsibilities. But it really helps me when I sit down and start that thing that isn’t fun. Yesterday it helped me hyperfocus on cleaning my office which was a terrifying room to be in. So it’s pretty close to magic in my opinion!

6. Accessing Disability Support at your place of learning.

- Not all of you taking the time to read this will have either a) an offical diagnosis or b) a good disability support available to you wherever you are completing your studies. And that is okay. This dot point just won’t be for you right now. But keep it in mind for a time when it might apply to you, as it’s something I never thought I would need, but will never take for granted ever again.

- If you have an offical diagnosis and Disability Support, make an appointment with the disability support adviser. DO IT NOW! Get your psychiatrist to write a diagnosis letter outlining that you have <enter superpower that makes you hilarious here> and that you are receiving <enter x,y,z treatment here> and that you would benefit from receiving <enter what you have always wished you had on the days you can’t make your ADHD gremlin brain do the thing here>. Now these benefits can be, but not limit to: automatic extensions on ALL assignments, extra time on exams, extra breaks to walk around while taking exams, special consideration when marking assignments, my university allows me to take exams in a separate room with only the other students in my subject who also have disability support (occasionally I have taken an exam alone with only a tutor present) so I don’t get distracted, permission to take fidget items into class or exam (I have the option to wear headphones, as long as I can display that they are not connected to anything). Maybe you can come up with some great ones for you with your disability advisor or your psychiatrist.

- The disability advisor will often go through your course outline with you at the start of each semester or year. This is annoying and a great time for disassociating, but can be useful in hindsight because you are made aware of everything that will come up during your class so you are not surprised. Because lets be honest, it is unlikely you are going to look at the course calendar too often.

- Side Note: I make an appointment every semester with my disability support officer for my area of study to make sure I have my special considerations for the year. Now I may go through the whole year without ever using my considerations. However, the fact that I know they are there takes an insane amount of pressure off of myself. If I’m having an insanely screwy loony tune mental health moment, I can email my coordinator my disability plan and say I need an extension due to personal reasons, and WHOOP, there it izzzzz.

7. Dedicated one thing or a few things that have nothing to do with food/alcohol/other substances to reward yourself with for doing the thing!

- This may not work for everyone. It doesn’t always work for me. I used to reward myself with food, but that only reinforced my stimming with overeating and my already bad relationship with food. And I feel as though that would be the same with any other substance that can be linked with addiction. (Addiction is a tough word, cause what aren’t I addicted to, I have ADHD, but hopefully you get what I mean!).

-Now, boring try and not choose this aside, lets think of somethings that work really well as rewards!

- My partner likes to come give me a kiss and a hug when ever they have written and reread a paragraph, you might buy a book when you get a really good mark, you might want to go make a cup of tea and watch an episode of your hyperfixation after studying for <enter a good period of time here>, you might allow yourself to partake in an activity you usually do while procrastinating (but at least this time you know you aren’t putting something off), talk to someone who you know will tell you they are proud of you as they understand the mental struggle you go through to concentrate (if you can’t think of anyone, it is 110% okay if that person are the amazing people on tumblr or the adhd tumblr chats. We will freaking pop a bottle of champagne for you cause we get it!).

- Try and make what ever you choose be something in a different room or away from your working space. Getting out can really calm you down.

8. Don’t be afraid to ask for assistance.

- This is true for anything, but I don’t mean just asking your teacher to give you extra help understanding the task and marking rubric. Many people online, tutors, librarians at your school, past or present students offer assistance rereading and making small edits (they won’t make it magical unfortunately) to your assignments. If you are like me and once you have written or completed the dreaded thing, you can not imagine or force your gremlin brain reread or edit the thing. So it can help to just delegate this to someone else, who hasn’t read it before, so they won’t disassociate or skim read it. They will often notice things you never would have even if you were neurotypical as that is just what happens when you have been working on something for so long.

9. Repetitive music.

- It generally helps if this has no lyrics. Lo-fi is amazing. Classical is alright too if it works for you, but both my partner and I agree that it can really assist you to keep up pace and focus when the beat is a high and repetitive (almost meditative) tempo.

10. Limit your screen space.

- This is a tip completely from my partner @dr-adhd who also has ADHD, is an avid PC gamer and is consistently in a battle with their gremlin brain to focus on completing their PhD. They have discovered that it really helps them to limit their screen space - simply put, work on one screen only. They have done more work more easily when they have their one screen on their laptop to focus on. Whereas their office has multiple screens so they could be playing runescape, watching YouTube, listening to lo-fi and doing work - which never worked (shocking right hahaha).

11. At the risk of sounding like a Mum... Put your phone and other electronics other than the assignment necessary one, away.

- I am a Mum, but to a fluffy puppy dog, so I hate to sound like my Mum when I was in high school, but she was right. Mobiles are the single easiest and biggest distraction in ADHD history. I often, even at coffee shops, have to turn my phone over so that I am not consistently looking at it every time the screen lights up to say the pizza place has sent me a coupon, or a carpet place that has been having a sale since I was born is... still having a sale, or a friend from school wants you to watch this TikTok. Even though you might not want to ignore your friends, because people pleasing, difficulting making/keeping friends and RSD are hecking real things, but they can all wait. Trust me, none of them are urgent. That TikTok will still be funny in an hour or two. And I’m probably completely right when I say that whomever just messaged you, never replies as quickly as you want them too. So I doubt they are going to think twice if you are MIA to finish your thing.

My partner or I might add to this later, but at the moment I already know that I probably wouldn’t read this wall of words if I was the one reading it, so if you are still with me, THANK YOU and I really hope I might have helped you. Sorry for the mound of words, but maybe you can reblog, screen shot, or save this and read a dot point at a time or refer to it when you need. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, I promise what ever it is, I’ve asked the same thing once in my life or something MUCH stupider.

[idkthisisjustforfanfic]

too soon to tell, chapter t w o

You dropped your bag in the foyer of Harry’s house after work on a Thursday. It was quiet--he wasn’t home yet and you’d keyed in knowing that you’d have some time to yourself.

You felt a vibrating in your pocket when you shrugged off your coat, your visible reflection told you it was a FaceTime call, Alyssa’s name danced across the screen until you slid your thumb to answer.

“Hello, hello,” you greeted, walking to find a seat on the couch.

“Where are you?” She furrowed her brows as she took in your surroundings.

“At Harry’s--he’s out, though.”

She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. “I will never get sick of you lounging in his house when he’s not there.”

You rolled your eyes at your old roommate’s antics--she’d always been the number one supporter of your relationship and when you texted her earlier saying you needed advice, she promised to call on her lunch break.

“I’m not lounging,” you informed with a shake of your head. “I just got out of work, we’re having dinner tonight.”

“Mr. Popstar isn’t too busy?” She teased, aware of the tension both of your schedules had been causing.

“Apparently not.”

She forked a bite of food into her mouth, the sun was shining through the window behind her, the walls of your old apartment were redecorated now with the art of your replacement. “Is that what you wanted to talk about?”

“Sort of,” you leaned back and let out a breath. “I mean, it’s all connected--”

“What is?”

“I’m getting to it,” you made a face at her through the phone. “So--don’t freak out, okay? Cause I don’t even know if anything will come from it and Harry doesn’t know yet.”

She nodded and gestured with her hand for you to get on with it.

Knowing Alyssa, she was already jumping to conclusions in her head. You were pregnant, you were engaged, you quit your job, you had a huge fight with your sister. No, no, no.

“I interviewed for a job in LA...and I haven’t told Harry because all our friends have been so excited about us being in the same spot again but--”

Her eyes went wide at the mention of a US city, she did her best to hold back her smile until it faded when you said: “I don’t know. Something feels off between us.”

“Off between you and Harry? More than just being busy?”

“I’m probably overthinking it but,” you looked around his living room. Pictures of his mum, his sister, his cousins--even his manager--were tucked in frames and placed on shelves. There wasn’t a trace of you in his house except for the toothbrush upstairs and the key on your keyring.

“It feels like we’re not moving forward. And we’ve both been busy, like I’ve told you, but since we don’t live together sometimes we go days without seeing each other and it’s fine, I get that he’s busy, obviously, but--”

“But you want to move in with him.”

“Well, I don’t know--I did, sort of, I think--but then I heard about this job in LA and it sounds amazing but Jessie just moved here and no one will shut up about how great London is.”

Alyssa offered a sympathetic frown and repositioned the bowl in front of her to get another bite. “What’s the job?”

You almost didn’t want to tell her, sure she’d get excited and eager to have you back in the same country. You winced a little, bracing for her reaction. “S’with E! News,” you shrugged. “It’d be on-air.”

“Shut up! Are you serious?!”

“Yes m’serious,” you rolled your eyes. “But I haven’t told any of them because you know how they are.”

She nodded, “Jessie will not want you to take it.”

“God love her, but of course not. And Harry spends time out there, so it might be okay, but it’s not like I could ask him to go with me.”

“Why not? He’s famous, Y/N--he belongs there.”

“It’s too soon,” you whined. “He’s not my fiancé and we don’t live together, so--I don’t want to make it weird.”

“But you love him,” she reasoned.

“Yeah, but s’been weird lately!" You tried to drive home the point. "He’s made no mention of moving in and we’ve been dating for a year and a half, I’ve been in London for over a year now. He’s not even mentioned it, Alyssa, I swear. He’ll say things like ‘one day we can go on vacation,’ and ‘what should we do for Christmas?’ But he’s made no concrete plans to actually have a future with me.”

“Maybe he doesn’t think you’re ready.”

“Maybe he’s not ready,” you volleyed.

“Maybe,” Alyssa shrugged. “But you won’t know if you don’t ask him.”

“But if I ask him and he’s not on the same page I’ll look like an idiot and he’s busy with the album and now I’m thinking about moving to LA and--”

She watched you, waited for you to say more, but you were out of words. You changed gears.

“Maybe we’re just not meant to be long term.”

“Oh come on,” she groaned. “Not this again.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Your whole ‘we should have left it in New York’ shit.”

You lifted your eyebrows to demand further details.

“You were freaked out in the beginning that you’d move back there and it would be weird.”

“And?”

“Was it weird?”

“Not at first, I guess. But I mean, come on---don’t you think we should have taken some kind of step forward by now? Even just mentioning the idea of moving in together?”

“I don’t know,” she said truthfully. “Maybe it’s different with someone like him.”

You rolled your eyes--what if that’s what you were sick of?

People always said that: it’s different because of his job, it’s different because he’s on the road, it’s different because he’s famous.

Of course it was, and that was fine, for a while. But what if Harry’s job always got in the way of feeling normal? What if you couldn’t have a real wedding because of it? What if you could never send your children to summer camp because of it?

Were you willing to sacrifice your own future to live an unconventional life with someone just because you loved him?

“When will you hear back about the job?”

“Dunno--talked to them last week on Monday and they said this week at some point. S'been a while, so hopefully soon.”

You’d been keeping busy, trying to avoid your personal email at all costs and also making sure that Harry had limited visibility of your screen at all times.

“Do you want it?”

You thought on it for a second. Being offered a job at a company like E! would certainly be an ego boost, but the mere thought of having to explain to all of your friends that yes, you’d been back in London for 18 months and now you were packing up and moving even farther away than before wouldn’t be easy. That seemed to be the one certainty in the whole situation: no one would take it well.

“I don’t want to leave everyone here, especially Harry--but I also don’t want to be stupid and think that this relationship is going somewhere if it’s not.”

Alyssa nodded and let out a sigh. “I get that, I mean, of course you have to do what’s best for you. But I’d hate to see you not be with him just because things are hard right now.”

You leaned your head back on the couch and sighed. You didn’t want to break up with Harry. If anything, you wanted to move forward and move in with him and do what you’d always imagined: have a good job, have a few kids, try to be happy.

But what if you’d been naive enough to think you could have all of that with Harry and what if this is how you were finding out that you couldn’t?

Were you still stuck in your teenage fantasy of marrying the boy you'd long been crushing on?

She watched you for a second before she reassured: “you’ll figure it out.”

You smiled, glad you’d called Alyssa if only to have someone talk you off the edge a little bit. You missed waking up one room over and her love for basketball games and New York 99 cent pizza.

“Well it’s not like I have to make a decision right now,” you said. “I haven’t even heard back from them. For all I know they could never reach out again because I bombed my interview.”

She rolled her eyes at your self-deprecation and offered a few final words of encouragement before you hung up and promised to catch up soon.

Ever since you’d left, Alyssa had taken it upon herself to keep you up to date on the ins and outs of New York. New restaurant? She’d send you pictures and a 200 word review. Crazy subway rats making the news again? Articles and video proof would be sent your way in a matter of hours.

She’d gotten a new roommate to fill your bedroom and apparently things weren’t always peachy between them. Peyton was quiet and shy--according to Alyssa. She was up every morning at 6am and in the shower at 6:30. She did yoga in the living room and hated it when Alyssa left empty beer bottles on the coffee table.

Alyssa was starting to lose her shit, swearing up and down that she needed to either pull the trigger and move in with Owen or find a new place altogether. It was my apartment first, she’d say. She should leave, not me.

It had been hard that year to leave the city you’d grown to love but harder to leave Alyssa and Carly and the things that made New York feel like home. It was also, in hindsight, hard to leave the place where you and Harry reconnected and built the foundation of your current relationship.

You heard commotion from the front door only a few minutes later when you rummaged through Harry’s kitchen for a snack.

“Hi,” he called from the other room, a close-lipped smile when you stuck your head around the corner to greet him.

“Hi! How was the photoshoot?”

“Good,” he nodded, watching as you stuck your hand into a box of crackers. “What time are we meeting everyone?”

Right--Thursday also meant dinner somewhere downtown with everyone in tow.

“7pm--but Jessie said we should try to get there early since it’s a new place and no one’s ever been.”

He nodded in acknowledgement of your words but seemed distracted, like his mind was somewhere else and his body was the only thing tying him to the room.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, looking back up at you. “Just a busy day and a busy week.”

You nodded, unsure if he wanted to say more or if you were supposed to have more of a reply than a simple nod of your head.

You’d both been stammering out awkward sentences and trying to dance around the elephant in the room for a few weeks, but now, under his gaze, you felt more uncertain than before.

“Are you okay?” He turned the question around and watched you closely.

“Yeah,” you shrugged, moving to sit on the couch.

“You seem--off.”

You didn’t know what it was. Could he possibly sense the tension in your shoulders as you waited for an email either way? You got the job! We regret to inform you…

Or was he just aware that you felt awkward since it had been almost two weeks since you had any considerable amount of alone time and even longer since you were able to have a date night that wasn’t interrupted by Jeff or Erica or someone who needed something from him.

He took a few steps closer towards you, a look of concern etched on his features. “What’s wrong?”

The words were on the tip of your tongue when he looked at you, eyebrows lifted as he waited for you to spit it out.

“I guess I feel like we’ve been distant.”

He pushed his head forward, almost like he hadn’t expected that to be the issue. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know,” you shrugged, caught off guard by his pushiness. Maybe you shouldn’t have brought it up.

“You don’t know?” He pressed.

You broke eye contact with him for a minute, wondering why you had to state the obvious. “Well, you’re busy all the time, Harry.”

He let his shoulders rise and fall in defeat, looking around the room in frustration. “I told you that finishing the album would be busy.”

“Yeah, but you forgot to mention that you’d also be busy when the album is done once promo starts and then tour,” your voice was quiet, not so much angry as you were upset.

You were tired. You wanted nothing more than to spend a night on the couch with him and only him, tell him about LA and about the sudden itch you felt to see more of the world than just London.

But with Jake and Adam always around and Bryn and Jessie, too, paired with interruptions from Jeff and Erica--it felt as if there was no hope for a private or honest conversation.

He came to sit closer to you on the couch now, took your hands in his. “I know my job is a lot, okay? I know it’s annoying that I don’t necessarily get weekends off or have a typical schedule, but once the album is out and the promo is done I’ll have a bit of a break before the tour. We can go on vacation somewhere, just us.”

It sounded nice, maybe a tropical island or a cabin in the woods. But before you could nod in agreement the thought of Los Angeles popped into your head.

His album was due out in December, promo from now through the New Year, some time off in February and March for both of your birthdays and then tour. You had no clue where you’d be by then.

Would you be in LA? Would you be in London? Would you be stuck in this same spot on his couch with decision paralysis and a crushing sense of uncertainty about the future?

He knew you were over-thinking and tilted his head. “What?”

You blew out a slow breath of air, twisted a ring on your finger and then looked up at him again.

You didn’t even have a chance to be more honest, a buzz on your phone on the coffee table in front of you both broke the room in half, the name of the woman you’d spoken to was in bold next to your email icon. You reached for it quickly, Harry’s brows furrowed when you pulled it close to your chest so he wouldn’t see.

“What’s that?”

Hi Y/N, thank you so much for your patience over the last few days. We would love to offer you a position with NBC Universal - E! News as an on-air correspondent in our Los Angeles headquarters.

You looked up at him quickly, cheeks red and heart racing.

“What’s happening, are you okay?”

“I got a job offer,” you said quickly, still holding the phone close to you.

“What?” He smiled, “why didn’t you tell me you were looking? I didn’t even know--”

“It’s in Los Angeles.”

His smile faded instantly, he blinked a few times like he must have misheard you. The leather of his couch felt cool beneath your legs, a clock on the wall ticked and for a second, you wondered if he could hear your pulse as loudly as you could.

He pulled his eyes away from you but then quickly scanned over your face. “Are you taking it?”

“I don’t know,” you said honestly.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Silence, words filled your brain and crawled up the back of your throat, desperate to be said out loud, in real life, instead of just circling in your head.

Because I don’t know what we’re doing or if we’re moving forward. I don’t know where I want to live. I don’t know if I can stay in London forever. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know.

Only the last part made it out between your lips. “I don’t know.”

“Y/N,” he stood up, more angry now as he looked around the room and scratched at the base of his neck. “This kind of feels like a bombshell to drop on someone.”

“I was going to tell you--but we haven’t had a second alone, I just didn’t want to have to tell everyone before I knew what was happening.”

“You didn’t even tell me you interviewed,” he said.

“The last time I saw you alone we got interrupted by Erica three times in one conversation.”

“Probably for a good reason--”

“But you seriously can’t even put your phone down lately when we have dinner, even when everyone else is there!”

“I can’t help it that my work is insanely busy right now!”

“I don’t want to fight with you,” you said this quickly, voice higher than usual and a heat on your skin that he normally didn’t provoke, at least not in a bad way. You stood from the couch and put your hands on your hips. “I don’t know what I’m going to do and I don’t even know if this job is right for me and under no circumstances are you allowed to tell anyone. Especially Jessie.”

He rolled his eyes at that.

“What’s the eye roll for?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Everyone just got back and now you might leave and--”

“I said I don’t know if I’m going to take it.”

He was quiet at that, clucked his tongue in thought but then disappeared upstairs to shower and change.

The car ride over was awkward, he asked how your day had been and you told him you talked to Alyssa, he bristled when you admitted you told her about it.

It wouldn’t be the end of the conversation, you were sure of that. You’d likely end up at his for the night and he’d apologize for being busy, you’d apologize for not telling him and maybe, you hoped, he’d ask you to stay over.

When you greeted Adam with a hug, you ignored Harry’s sour mood and opened the menu in front of you.

“My first dinner as a Londoner,” Jessie smiled, shimming her shoulders in excitement when Bryn looked over the specials across the table from you.

“This is on you, right? New job, new salary?” Jake teased.

“Maybe if I hadn’t just bought a whole new bedroom set,” she rolled her eyes.

“How’s everything with you?” Adam eyed Harry, his question veiled to avoid too many details in public.

Luckily, Harry’s ability to go out in public in London was similar to that in New York. As long as a private room or a table in the back was requested, he could typically get away unscathed if dinner was less than 2 hours and if he had his back to the dining room.

“Fine,” he shrugged, eyes still down at the drink menu.

“Fine?” Jessie leaned forward, her tone insinuating that she didn’t believe him. “You’ve been working really hard all summer and now all you say is ‘fine?’”

He glanced up at her, lips in a forced smile. “S’all good, Jess--just tired.”

Bryn gave you a look, one that asked what stick is up his ass?, before she changed the topic.

“Let’s not tell our server how fit she is tonight, yeah?”

Jake let out a snort of a laugh and sipped at the water that had already been brought to your table. “Alright, you thought the one last week was just as hot as I did.”

“I did,” Bryn agreed seriously, “but I didn’t offer my number unsolicited. How do you know she’s even straight?”

“She’s got a point,” Jessie chimed in. “Remember when you asked that girl to dance in the club when her girlfriend was right there with her arm around her?”

“I thought they were just mates!” Jake defended.

“You also have the worst radar for gay women ever,” Bryn nodded.

“When was this?” Harry asked, the hint of a smile on his face when he watched Jake adjust his napkin on his lap.

The words came out of your mouth without thought. “You weren’t here--you were in LA.”

He met your eyes when you replied, nodded, and then leaned back in his chair, effectively bowing out of the conversation without saying another word.

You weren’t trying to be short with him. You looked over to Jessie, who undoubtedly sensed the tension, and offered a smile. “How’s the flat?”

“Good,” she nodded. “Glad that all my furniture got put together without any scratches,” she reached over and patted Adam on the shoulder.

“We’re not children, Jessie, we can handle some furniture.”

“You broke my dresser when I asked you guys to move it into another room,” Bryn reminded, a look of confusion on her face at Adam’s retort.

“Only because it was already half broken and a piece of shit,” Jake said. “I love you, Brynnie, but that dresser was already knocking on Heaven’s door.”

Harry let out a laugh at that, another memory that he had missed while on a trip to a studio somewhere north of London. He excused himself to the bathroom after you placed your orders, and once he was out of earshot, Jake leaned down and looked at you.

“What’s going on with him?”

You forced a cheesy grin and blinked a few times. “He’s just grumpy.”

“‘Bout what?” Bryn asked.

“Guys,” you leaned back in your chair, hoping you didn’t have to say too much. “I can’t tell you every single thing that happens in our relationship.”

“Well, when it affects us I think we have the right to know,” Jessie shrugged, playing the typical we don’t like when our parents fight card.

“It’s not affecting you,” you shook your head, eyed her seriously over your glass of Pinot Noir.

Adam shrugged, a smirk on his face let you know he was trying to rile you up. “He’s grumpy at dinner and we’re all here and we’re all aware of it. We don’t like tension between you two.”

“Alright, leave the woman alone,” Jake waved them off. “As long as everything’s alright.”

“It’s totally alright,” you nodded, wondering when you’d gotten so comfortable lying to them. “He’s just busy with the next phase of work.”

With Harry’s album yet to be announced, you couldn’t sit around in a London restaurant and divulge details--even if you were all acutely aware of the work he’d put in and the upcoming announcements and events.

Adam let it go. “How’s work for you, Smalls?”

Another shrug of your shoulders, “s’good--I told you all about my November cover story, right?”

“Yeah,” Jessie sipped a glass of Cabernet. “But you said you didn’t know who it was going to be with.”

“Well, s’cause I had to drop the bomb on him first,” you nodded in the direction of the bathroom. “I’ll be sitting down in a few days with Ms. Gigi Hadid,” you lowered your voice and leaned forward to say her name.

Bryn’s eyes went wide, Jake grimaced.

“How’d he take that?” Adam asked.

“He’s not thrilled,” you admitted. “But I’ll talk with his team about what to avoid specifically, I guess. Her team will probably have a list of off-limits items too.”

Bryn let her elbows rest on the white tablecloth. “Yeah, but, you can’t just ignore the fact that she’s dating Zayn.”

“I also can’t just barge in and stir shit up,” you said.

Harry pulled his chair out next to you and sat back down. “Who are you stirring shit up with?”

Everyone chose to be quiet now--Adam looked down at his phone and Jessie reached for her wine again.

“Just telling them about my cover story,” you admitted, watching his face for a reaction.

He nodded, a tiny smirk in your direction. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t stir shit up,” he said, reaching to put a hand on your thigh beneath the table.

Those were the moments that made you feel less panicky--the realization that he was still choosing you and even when the tension was high and the mood was low, he’d reach over and remind you that yes, he cared. Even if he was late to dinner or distracted.

Which is why, when you got back in his car that night and headed for his house, you were surprised when his mood shifted again.

“I’ll just drop you at yours?”

“Oh--yeah, sure.”

“Did you want to come to mine?” He looked over at you like he hadn’t expected any resistance to sleeping separately.

You were quiet for a second--not if he didn’t want you there. “No, it’s fine.”

“I can’t read your mind, Y/N.”

“You don’t have to,” you said quickly, a prickly tone to your words when he made an unreadable face.

He drove in silence for a few minutes, closing in on your neighborhood when the street lamps disappeared for the sake of suburbia.

Eventually he cleared his throat and that sent you over the edge.

“What do you want me to say, Harry? Do you want me to apologize for interviewing for this job?”

“No,” he said simply. “I just don’t know why you thought you didn’t need to tell me about a huge decision like that.”

“It wasn’t a decision until today when they offered it to me.”

“Just seems like something you talk to your boyfriend about.”

You looked over at him in the dark of night, the glow from the dashboard didn’t help you see his features as he turned left onto your street.

“Well, sorry that we didn’t have the opportunity to talk about it between your work schedule and Jessie moving in and group dates--”

He slowed down on your street, put his flashers on when he stopped in front of your building. “I don’t want to keep secrets from each other,” his voice was softer now. “I don’t want to not know what’s going on in your life. I did enough of that for two years when we weren't talking.”

You sighed at this, the sentiment broke whatever anger was lurking inside you and when you looked up to see him, you wondered if you should ask him.

Are we ever going to move in together? Are we ever going to get engaged?

You figured the lead up to his sophomore album wasn’t the best time for that conversation. He pressed a kiss to your forehead and you climbed the stairs to your flat alone.

**

A few days later you sat nervously in a conference room and watched as beads of sweat formed on the water glass in front of you. Tyler had brought you in, offered you a breath mint, and promised you’d be fine. When you asked him if the whole room was hot he said it was just you and your nerves--but the droplets of water that raced towards the wooden conference table begged to differ.

You’d gotten email after email this morning: one from Jeff with the rules he and Harry had come up with and eight from Gigi’s team with requests for snacks, topics to discuss, topics to avoid, lunch request, arrival and departure time, and a few extra regarding booking her photoshoot the next day.

A text lit up your screen when you tried to smooth your your hair in the reflection of your screen.

Jake Newcomb (10:42am): In case you’re wondering what to get me for my birthday, a video of Gigi Hadid saying she loves me would be perfect!

You ignored his text and felt a pang of disappointment in your gut, you thought it would have been Harry with words of encouragement.

He was fine with you doing the interview, he seemed to come around to the idea when he met with Jeff and had a chance to mark some things as off limits.

So far, his list was as follows:

Don’t publish anything too negative about anyone in the band (if she says anything negative about anyone in the band)

Harry and Jeff got to listen to the taped interview

Harry and Jeff got to read the article before you sent it off to your editor and could make suggestions to cut things if they felt it necessary.

It seemed silly, but you’d long been used to the lingo of contracts and riders and ground rules for things like these. You knew both Harry and Jeff trusted you, in fact, Jeff was now choosing to see this as a good opportunity for press before the announcement of Harry’s album.

Your biggest concern, truly, was not looking/sounding/acting like an idiot in a room alone with Gigi Hadid. Your second biggest concern was conducting a unique interview and writing a unique article.

You knew that Naomi and Tyler were nearby for support if needed, Tyler had already walked by the conference room three times to see if your subject had arrived and likely to make sure you hadn’t sweat through your blouse. You thought the commotion in the hallway was him until you saw a group of busy-looking people with cellphones and sunglasses.

“Hi,” you stood from your chair, extended a hand in her direction and offered your best professional smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Gigi, thanks for doing this interview.”

She seemed hesitant at first, smiled a little and shook your hand. “Happy to,” she said. She turned over her shoulder and locked eyes with the woman who seemed to be the most in-charge of the group. “I’m good,” she nodded.

They hustled out quickly, you stood frozen in place and watched as she took off her coat before sitting in the chair you’d pulled out for her. Once the door was shut behind her posse, she let out a sigh that bled into a frustrated laugh.

“I could never do an interview with all of them just loitering around--wouldn’t that be so weird?”

You nodded, mirrored her smile and had to remind your body how to move. Left foot, right, breathe, sit in the chair.

You weren’t really one to get star struck, but then again, you didn’t spend too much time with celebrities that weren’t Harry or his close friends. You certainly never sat down with a model like Gigi to have a conversation that could be as awkward as this one.

She checked her phone quickly but then put it face down on the table. “I am happy to do this, I know it might feel weird for us to be hanging out--but boys are stupid anyway.”

You smiled at this, immediately relaxed when she leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs.

“Did you also get a whole list of things to not talk to me about?”

She stifled a laugh and rolled her eyes. “Zayn can be a man of few words but,” she looked down at your phone on the table. “Off the record--he had quite a bit to say when I told him you were doing the interview.”

“Off the record,” you laughed, “Harry did too. But how is Zayn?”

“He’s good--thinking about getting back in the studio at some point to start working on a new album, he’s been writing a bunch. Harry’s doing the same I assume?”

“Yes, yeah, he’s been really busy.”

“I know things might not have gone great between all of them at the end, but I don’t want this to be awkward for us.”

“Me neither. You can say as much or as little about the band as you’d like.”

She nodded, you figured it was time to give your pre-interview spiel.

“So, I’ll record us in a few seconds, you can obviously say ‘off the record’ if there’s something you don’t want me to include, but I like my interviews to be like conversations, basically. I’ll send someone on your team the recording when we’re done and a typed transcript. You’ll have 48-hours to look over it and revoke any statements that you don’t want me publishing or to clarify anything. After that I’ll write the story, send a final copy to your team before it gets finalized here, again, 48-hours to look it over and request any changes but at that time we don’t have to approve the requests. This is all in a document somewhere that someone probably signed for you--I’m sure your team is used to it, they know what they’re doing.”

You reached forward and pressed a few buttons on your phone, she watched until you looked up and told her: “It’s on now, so we’re recording and today is September 10th, 2019.”

She smiled like you were old friends. “Where do we start?”

“Is there somewhere you want to start?”

She leaned her head to the side. “We can jump right to it--”

“To what?”

“Oh come on,” she laughed. “Us talking about One Direction will make headlines for weeks.”

“Yeah,” you shrugged. “It’s funny that us just sitting down together will be a big deal, right? As if we’ve got nothing better to talk about than them.”

“Sexism at it’s finest,” she admitted.

“Do you find that a lot in your industry?”

She thought on this for a second, looked out the window but nodded. “It’s unavoidable, in a lot of ways. I think there have been a lot of changes over the last few years to at least move us in the right direction, but we’ve got a long way to go.”

“How would you want to see it change for the better?”

“Well, I’d love to have more privacy about my love life, for one,” she caught herself, looked to you quickly as if she felt bad. “Off the record, we can talk about it here, it’s fine. It’s different to talk about it with a woman, number one. And you’re you, you get it.”

“We don’t have to talk about it,” you offered.

“No, I don’t mind. Unless you plan on asking me stupid things like how amazing is it to be dating someone as handsome as him or do I find that his job overshadows mine, we’re good. We can be back on the record, too,” she looked down at the numbers on your phone, eyeing the ticking of the recording clock.

“But do you know what I mean? No one asks guys questions like that--or they’re different, at least. People just want to know everything about your relationship when you’re a woman and they view you in the context of who you’re sleeping with.”

“Yeah,” you nodded. “I get that.”

She smiled, “it’s hard to date someone famous, isn’t it? Lots of rules around it.”

You were surprised by the genuine look in her eyes, despite her own status and contracts and income, she seemed to be acknowledging that the two of you shared a unique experience and were now brought together under strange circumstances.

“It’s definitely hard for me--but, isn’t it easier seeing as you also have an assistant and a manager and people to, I don’t know, facilitate things? Not to invalidate how hard it still is.”

She laughed at that, “Yeah, in some ways, probably. He’s really private though, which is good for us. We focus on ourselves and do our own thing most of the time.”

“Right--you seem pretty private about it for the most part.”

“Yeah,” she shrugged, reflecting on your words for a second. “I think to me it feels weird that my relationship status can make so much news, you know? Modeling is my job and obviously that’s not your typical nine-to-five but--I like to focus on my work and when male journalists are continuously obsessed with my love life, I find that weird. I mean, you get that, right? I’m sure it’s no different with Harry.”

You bit your lip, embarrassed at how she’d managed to turn it around. She was right--you’d been getting more and more annoyed with how much your relationship with Harry was dictating your life--and for some reason, you admitted this to her.

“People are much more interested in me because I’m dating him--but they’d be just as interested in you even if you weren’t.”

“Would they?” She tilted her head to the side, another rise and fall of her shoulders as she looked around the room. “I get what you’re saying, but sometimes it feels like dating him gave my career a huge boost. I don’t know, maybe I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No, I totally get it. I feel the same way. I was building my career in New York and it was going well and I was writing fun stuff and making a name for myself and then I started hanging out with him and--”

“Everyone started to care more about you?”

“Exactly.”

You thought about the headlines, the articles, the pictures in tabloids that undoubtedly helped your name spread like wildfire through London and New York. You had to ignore it, most of the time, reassure yourself that you were a good journalist and a good employee and the good things in your career were not just a byproduct of the boy who slept in your bed.

She smiled knowingly, her lips in a thin line when she looked down to the tape recorder, almost like she felt guilty for steering the conversation in a different direction.

“Sorry,” you cleared your throat, sitting up straight. “Back to business.”

The conversation bled into more normal things: the upcoming fall fashion week, how she manages self-care when she’s busy jetting from city to city, and, try as you might, the two of you wound your way back to your commonalities a few times: sexism in your industries, life as young women dating famous men.

You thanked her profusely at the end and promised that Tyler would be in touch to confirm the date and time for her corresponding photoshoot later that week. She draped a Versace leather tote over her shoulder and seemed to float out of the office with a posse of beautiful people behind her.

You stood--still awestruck--in the hallway and watched as the elevator doors slid shut.

“She’s prettier in person,” Tyler said from beside you, a notebook in hand as he stared at the air she’d once occupied. “I didn’t know if that type of thing was possible but she’s definitely one of the prettiest humans I’ve ever seen.”

“She was nice,” you turned around to see Naomi behind him, also eager for more details. You headed back for your office in a trance, they scurried behind you as you thought aloud. “I mean, I didn’t think she’d be rude--but I didn’t know what to expect with the whole band history stuff.”

“Did you talk about that?”

“Less about the band and more about--” you blinked a few times and sat down at your desk, “sexism, what it’s like to be a woman dating a famous man and how that affects your career.”

Both of their eyes went wide, a smile tugged at Naomi’s lips when Tyler put a hand over his heart in shock.

“I’m sorry, so you’re telling me that you just had a heart to heart with Gigi Hadid about sexism and your boyfriends and--”

“I guess so,” you shrugged, just as surprised as they were.

**

You gave Harry fewer details that night over FaceTime as you brushed your teeth. He was somewhere in New York, disappointed that he’d miss Jake’s birthday dinner and celebration, but he promised to make it up to him when he got back.

He lifted a cup of tea to take a sip, light shone through the window behind him on your screen and he scrolled through emails on his laptop.

You spit into the sink, an ocean between you.

“Have you thought at all about the offer? You have to tell them by tomorrow, yeah?”

You nodded, wiped at your mouth with a towel and then crossed your arms. “I can stay, I mean--if you want me to.”

He made a face at that, leaned forward and furrowed his brows together. “Of course I want you to stay, Y/N, but I don’t want to be the reason you pass on something important."

You were quiet for a second, uncapped lotion before spreading some across your forehead.

"I'm sorry I didn't react well when you told me. I'm proud of you and it sounds like a phenomenal opportunity...I don't know, it's just the timing of it--"

You cut him off, “well none of this is ideal timing, Harry.”

“Do you mean with my album?”

“I mean with any of it,” you said truthfully. “The album, the job offer--”

“Well the album existed before the job offer,” he trailed off.

Only a matter of seconds and a handful of words had managed to get you elevated and angry and ready to fight. That was happening more easily, these days.

“So what am I supposed to do? Always come second? Make every decision in my life based off of your career and your music?”

“S’not what I’m saying.”

“Then what are you saying?”

“I’m saying that--I dunno--I thought you knew what you were getting into.”

Quiet, your hands gripped the counter in your bathroom. Your bare feet were on the floor and you wondered why you were trying so hard to make everything work if things were only getting harder.

“That came out wrong,” he shook his head, the look on his face let you know he wanted to take it back.

“No, it didn’t." You let out a sharp laugh. "I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Take the job,” he said quickly, like he saw you reaching for the button to end the FaceTime call.

“What?”

“Take it. If it’ll make you happy, take it.”

“And what about us?”

“We figure it out,” he shrugged. “We try.”

You sighed, unsure what to say.

"It's Los Angeles," he said. "Not Antarctica."

You blew air between your lips, looked up at him for a second. The curl of hair that dipped onto his forehead, the way his mouth pulled up in the corner like it always had.

“I love you, Y/N. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

His words didn’t offer any relief and you spent most of the night staring at the ceiling, tossing and turning and wondering how on earth you were supposed to make a decision.

Leaving him in London felt stupid. A few bumps in the road and you were ready to jump ship?

But staying and hoping for a ring or a shared address felt even stupider, somehow. You couldn’t pass up a dream job and hope that things would go well for your career if you weren’t going to work for it.

A few hours of rest came after 3am, your morning coffee was a tad bitter and the clouds in the sky seemed to match your mood. Maybe you should have spent more time thinking it over, talking it out, even calling your mum or Katie for advice.

But you couldn’t have told everyone about the job offer without a certain answer, and unfortunately, the person you wanted to talk to the most didn’t seem like he could be impartial.

You’d been upset, you’d been feeling disconnected from him, but that didn’t erase all of the good times and the happy memories you’d made, right?

Naomi and Tyler locked themselves in your office for lunch on Friday, they promised that they’d never tell your boss and they swore they supported you either way. Tyler used an expo marker to make a pros and cons list of staying in London and Naomi came up with a points system for each bullet on the list.

You stared at it, looked at the names of all of your friends, your family, your favorite cafes and restaurants in London. At the very bottom of what had become a long list of reasons to stay was his name.

And on the other side, Tyler’s poor drawing of an engagement ring sat beside a big question mark.

You didn’t know what the future held for you and Harry, and maybe that was okay. You didn’t know what would happen when you packed your life into a suitcase and moved to New York, but you’d survived to tell the tale.

They were quiet, eyes darting from the board back to you as they waited for you to say something.

You sighed, Tyler shifted on the couch in your office and Naomi smoothed out her blouse.

“I can’t take it,” you said.

Tyler’s eyes went wide, “really? You’re staying?”

“I can’t leave,” you shrugged. “I can’t leave him behind and leave my friends and start all over in a new city right as I’m really finding my groove here again.”

“Okay, I know we said we’d support you either way but I would have been fucking pissed if you went,” Tyler admitted, moving closer to wrap his arms around you.

You laughed, let him squeeze you before Naomi joined in.

“Me too,” she confessed, a smile on her face when she pulled away. “But I would have at least faked happy for you.”

You bit back the doubt and second-guessing, used their excitement to fuel a regretful email.

Thank you so much for the opportunity, but after careful consideration I cannot accept this position due to the geographical location.

Your thumb hovered over the small blue arrow, a wave of panic flooded through you when you hit send, like somehow, something inside of you knew that everything was about to change.

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