#lilli's birthday celebration

[maxlarens]

hi lilli! i’s me jayde (ham1lton)!

happy bday in advance!!! and for your event can i have a 🌎 office au with charles/lewis/oscar? up to u!! feel free to change up the prompt!! love u and ur blog <3

hihihi jayde thank you so much for this!!! ugh i love it so much i'm just gonna say a few things about each of them because i got ideas for all of them😇😇 i know u love a bit of a cringefail loser and honestly they're all a bit like that here:

charles is that coworker u have weird tension with iykwim like the guy that you KNOW if you'd met him at a bar or a party or whatever you'd be flirting up a storm and you'd probably be making out in a dark corner by the end of the night. but you're coworkers! so instead he spends too long talking to you at your desk. he asks you pointless questions just to have an excuse to talk to you. and other people def gossip about you two when you're not around. like everyone is aware that there's SOMETHING going on there. also i think he's bad at his job. sorry charles. u just scream failloser in the workplace. he ignores his inbox and every time you get a "finished" project from him you have to redo it. which is why u never hook up with him.

look lewis is definitely your boss or your manager. like he has to be. he does not give coworker vibes at all to me. he's not very middle manager to me either. so i think he's the CEO or the director or whatever. he's not in the office most of the time but when he does come in he knows everyone's names your name and he asks how your mum is going or whatever it is. like he remembers little details about you even though you'd fully expect and be fine with him to have no clue. and he's charming and nice and has you blushing and giggling even though you KNOW he's your boss. and then after he leaves you realise he didn't do ANY WORK. no meetings, no paperwork, nothing. he just came in, chatted you up, gave a speech and left before anyone could complain about anything serious.

oscar is the only coworker you have that's competent sorry charles he answers emails with haste! he completes his projects on time! he's the person you talk to when you need to bitch about the one several coworker that doesn't do their job. he brings u coffee and pastries everyday but is never pushy or weird abt anything. he's happy to be very normal friends, but if you want to initiate something then he's probably happy to do that too! he'd just be that guy who takes no shit and is good with telling overbearing managers to basically fuck off.

i'll tag u as well 💝 @ham1lton

my bday celly💝

[maxlarens]

alrightttt okay okay alright so i actually need to convince everyone on tumblr dot com to read this

i felt giddy reading this forreal,

"Just for that–" You slap more brightly colored money in front of Oscar - Oscar has to be the banker he's the most honest one among us - and grab a hotel to replace the house. "Suffer."

omg the bickering is EVERYTHING. its so landoscar and this is basically exactly how i play monopoly— with lots of spite and hate in my heart😭 gah the way u write it makes me mushy inside. just the three of them hanging out together is sooo🤭😌😣

"Loser cleans up," you remind Oscar and he groans as he gives you a kiss then begins picking up the mess.

OUGHH DOMESTIC!!!!! I LOVE IT SOO MUCH!!!

"Let me see... Golfing with a bunch of men versus beach time with my best friends…" You him thoughtfully, squealing when loops an arm around you.

i can imagine this so easily🥺 him just grabbing you and hauling u towards him AUGH.

"That can't be right. Me and Osco are your best friends," he says.

😵‍💫lando landoooo omg. lando who treasures his friends so much because he never really had friends like that until later on in his life. being kinda jealous and protective and not wanting to be without you🥺

"I'll miss you too." And you will. This season you've grown closer to him. Literally, considering he finally talked you - and Oscar - into moving to Monaco. But also figuratively. You're just as rough on yourself as he is on himself, and with all the macho bravado that surrounds you every race week, it's nice to have someone who understands your being upset over missing out on a podium due to your own failings as a driver, your miscommunication with the team. It's rarer to have someone who understands shouldering the blame of the team's missteps – if I was better at this, they would trust my judgment but I'm not so they don't and that means—

OKAY I NEED TO TALK ABOUT THIS AS WELL. ooogh he just wants u and oscar in his pocket😵‍💫 and also the stuff about how lando feels soo deeply. augh and its easy to talk to him about things because he’s not really trying to hide his feelings. he just lets them be😣

It's tentative and new and so fucking scary but he gives you a soft kiss. Not your first with him, but it still makes your heart do that weird little flutter that it's only ever done with one other person.

this fits my established relationship with oscar and adding lando agenda 🤭 it’s so perfect. he’s just there there there all the time and he’s so unavoidable that you just HAVE to fall in love with him as well.

"Oh of course he's going for the bottom, man loves to be at the bottom," Oscar mutters to you and Lando's giggling, covering his face with his hands as the tower collapses.

I SCREAMED

omg okay. well HELLO i need landoscar x reader from u again. it made me all giggly and blushy🥰 and with driver!reader as well UGH this was so so sooo perfect viv. loved it, like i love everything u write. and thank you again for being soo soo lovely and doing this for me it’s made me so happy and i’ve had such a great day because of you😣💝

world around us

summary: you're a candle in the window on a cold dark winter's night word count: 1k pairing: lando norris x oscar piastri x driver!reader (lilli. it's lilli) warnings: just pure fluff, slightly suggestive language(?) a.n.: final installation of my I need Lilli to have an amazing birthday series! this is once again for @maxlarens HAPPY BIRTHDAY LILLI MY LOVE!!! playlist: completely unhinged songs that fit the vibe

"No no no no no no no! You can't do that! You fuckin' muppet!"

Oscar mirrors your eye roll as Lando protests you placing a house on one of your properties. "She owns it though?" he says tentatively.

Lando scoffs, snatching up the guide and snapping it open. "The rules say–"

"I refuse to follow rules when you rolled twice so you wouldn't go to jail," you say with a huff, snatching the guide from him.

"I had to! One of the dice landed on the floor!"

"Oh but when we play golf I have to play no matter where my ball lands?"

"Yes." Lando gives you a look of disbelief, as though the idea of breaking a golfing rule is akin to murder. "It's not my fault you can't hit a ball straight."

"Just for that–" You slap more brightly colored money in front of Oscar - Oscar has to be the banker he's the most honest one among us - and grab a hotel to replace the house. "Suffer."

Lando groans, throwing up his hands. "You're cheating. I hate games night."

Oscar's grin shifts and he begins to chuckle. "We could play Trivial Pursuit?"

"No," Lando whines, picking up the dice to take his turn. "That game makes me feel stupid."

"Uno?" you suggest sweetly.

"No, we'll finish this. Capitalism is good to me, I'll make a comeback." Lando nods to himself as he shakes the dice. "Just shut up so I can focus."

And then, twenty minutes later–

"What d'you mean I owe you double the rent?!"

The rules are checked - well this is fucking bullshit - and he counts out all of his money to pay up. Suddenly capitalism sucks and he's clinging to his one property block and his cash like they're his lifeline.

You'll never know how (he probably cheated) but he wins. Monopoly money rains down as he celebrates and you fall back with laughter when Oscar flips the board in disgust.

You love games night. The silly playlist Lando put together plays, Disney movies play, muted, on the tv, and you've got them.

Lando and Oscar. Your biggest rivals on the track and your closest friends off. You're celebrating Oscar's first win this week now that summer break is here, enjoying the lazy days before you each take off in different directions to visit family and recuperate from an exhausting first half of the season.

"Loser cleans up," you remind Oscar and he groans as he gives you a kiss then begins picking up the mess. Lando's singing along to the latest country song he's obsessed with - Is it your heart or mine? Is it whiskey or wine? Is it somethin' in the night Makin' us wanna cross that line? - and he follows you into the kitchen to get more drinks.

"You sure you don't want to come along with me?" he asks, reaching around you to get a beer from the fridge.

"Let me see... Golfing with a bunch of men versus beach time with my best friends…" You him thoughtfully, squealing when loops an arm around you.

"That can't be right. Me and Osco are your best friends," he says.

"Let me rephrase. Best women friends."

He's holding you close, swaying a little to the song playing - you think Oscar's the one who added ABBA, or maybe it was you - and you smile a little as you sway with him. He hums songs without realizing it and it's one of his more endearing habits.

"But I'll miss you," he murmurs, tucking his chin on your shoulder.

"I'll miss you too." And you will. This season you've grown closer to him. Literally, considering he finally talked you - and Oscar - into moving to Monaco. But also figuratively. You're just as rough on yourself as he is on himself, and with all the macho bravado that surrounds you every race week, it's nice to have someone who understands your being upset over missing out on a podium due to your own failings as a driver, your miscommunication with the team. It's rarer to have someone who understands shouldering the blame of the team's missteps – if I was better at this, they would trust my judgment but I'm not so they don't and that means—

"Not getting sappy on me are you?" Lando teases.

"You started it," you mutter. Turning, you wrap your arms around him. "We can live a few weeks without each other."

"I mean… You'll text right? Call?" he asks softly.

"FaceTime too," you promise.

It's tentative and new and so fucking scary but he gives you a soft kiss. Not your first with him, but it still makes your heart do that weird little flutter that it's only ever done with one other person.

"Jenga?" Oscar calls from the living room and Lando perks up instantly, nearly knocking you down in his haste to get back to the only other person he's going to miss during break.

Jenga with your boys is impossible. They're too competitive, know too many things they can say that make the other break and send the blocks flying.

"Oh of course he's going for the bottom, man loves to be at the bottom," Oscar mutters to you and Lando's giggling, covering his face with his hands as the tower collapses.

The games are abandoned, and you're squished on the couch between them, Oscar's lips on your ear, Lando's head on your stomach as the three of you, tipsy and relaxed, begin making plans for the last days of break while a Studio Ghibli movie plays. It's not said by either of you, but you already know that the three of you will find each other long before the break is over.

The world is easier to bear when it's the three of you together. It's still new, still tentative, still scary as hell, but it feels oh so right.

[queen-daya]

Happy 44th Birthday Evangeline Lilly (August 3, 1979)

[nellarw95]

Happy Birthday Evangeline 🥳🎂🎈🎁🎉

Nicole Evangeline Lilly

August 3,1979

Buon Compleanno 🥳🎂🎈🎁🎉

3 Agosto 1979

[cicerosfavouritelistener]

happy birthday :))

Tyyyy!

[maxlarens]

me with u rn sash

i love the little moodboard at the top!! australia zoo is in fact my favourite zoo in the entire world!! i go there whenever i visit queensland and i recommend it to anyone who ever goes there!!!! see the croc show it is so cool😭 anyway SORRY back to the fic:

You giggled, leaning into him. “And the one over there is definitely the mischief-maker,” you added, nodding towards a penguin attempting to steal a fish from another. The two of you stood close, your shoulders brushing, as you watched the penguins splash into the water and swim with surprising speed.

ohhh the back and forth between her me🤨 and oscar is so sweet!! so realistic!!! it makes me soft and its so oscar.

I could watch you all day. You’re even more mesmerising than these birds.

OKAYYY OKAY🥺

GODDD AND THE PICNIC AT THE ENDDD. it’s so peaceful and made me think of warm summer afternoons😣 ohh sasha thank you so much i loved this dearly. thank you for doing this for my birthday i appreciate it so soo much💝💝

✧.* WILD HEARTS

synopsis: In which Oscar takes you on a zoo date for your birthday (Oscar Piastri x fem!reader who’s basically lilli)

authors note- this is a little something I wrote for @maxlarens for her birthday!! I hope you enjoy it Lilli, happy birthday, have the best day ever xx

You had always loved the zoo, so it was no surprise when Oscar took you to one for your birthday.

The summer sun filtered through the canopy of trees, casting dappled shadows on the winding paths. The air was filled with the earthy scent of leaves and the distant sounds of animals. Your heart felt light, your fingers interlaced with Oscar’s as you walked. His touch was warm and reassuring, grounding you in the present moment.

You wandered through the lush pathways, your pace leisurely as you took in the sights and sounds around you. At the penguin exhibit, your eyes lit up at the sight of the little creatures waddling about. Oscar’s laughter, rich and contagious, filled the air as he narrated the penguins’ imagined conversations.

“That one over there,” he said, pointing to a particularly energetic penguin, “is clearly the ringleader. Look at him bossing everyone around!”

You giggled, leaning into him. “And the one over there is definitely the mischief-maker,” you added, nodding towards a penguin attempting to steal a fish from another. The two of you stood close, your shoulders brushing, as you watched the penguins splash into the water and swim with surprising speed.

From there, you strolled into the aviary, where vibrant birds flitted about in a burst of colours. The air was alive with the sounds of chirping and the rustle of wings. Oscar paused to snap a few pictures, capturing your awestruck expression as you marvelled at a parrot that had landed nearby, its feathers a dazzling display of blues and greens.

“I think it likes you,” Oscar observed, his tone playful. He tucked his phone back into his pocket, a grin spreading across his face.

You glanced at him, a smile playing on your lips. “Maybe it can sense I’m a good person.”

“Or maybe it’s just hoping for a snack,” he teased, making you laugh. “But honestly, I could watch you all day. You’re even more mesmerising than these birds.”

A blush crept up your cheeks. “Says the F1 driver,” you replied, rolling your eyes affectionately. Oscar chuckled, his eyes crinkling with amusement.

Your next stop was the big cat enclosure. The lions and tigers lounged in the shade, their movements languid and powerful. The sight of these majestic creatures exuded an aura of regal authority. As you stood by the enclosure, watching a lioness stretch lazily, Oscar leaned in close, his breath warm against your ear.

“I think if I were an animal, I’d want to be a lion,” he mused, his voice low and thoughtful. “What about you?”

You thought for a moment, your eyes twinkling. “I think I’d be a swan. Elegant, graceful, and serene.”

Oscar chuckled, squeezing your hand gently. “That suits you perfectly,” he said, his voice filled with affection.

As you made your way towards the giraffe enclosure, Oscar led you to a secluded spot with a perfect view. Your breath caught as you noticed a checkered blanket spread out on the grass, complete with a basket full of your favourite treats. The setting was idyllic, the tall giraffes grazing peacefully in the background.

“You did all this for me?” You asked, your voice barely above a whisper, touched by the thoughtful gesture.

Oscar’s eyes softened as he looked at you. “Of course,” he replied, a tender smile playing on his lips. “I wanted to make your birthday special.”

You settled down on the blanket, the golden afternoon sun casting a warm glow over you. You shared sandwiches, fresh fruit, and sweet pastries, your conversation flowing effortlessly. You felt a deep sense of peace as you leant back against Oscar, your head resting on his shoulder. You watched the giraffes amble gracefully, their long necks swaying gently as they moved.

“You know,” you said softly, your eyes fixed on the majestic animals, “this is one of the best days I’ve ever had.”

Oscar wrapped his arm around you, pulling you closer. “Me too. Happy birthday, my love.”

As the sun began to set, painting the sky in hues of orange and pink, you felt a profound sense of contentment. The zoo around you seemed to quieten down, the day’s end bringing a serene calm.

In that perfect moment, surrounded by the beauty of the zoo and the love of your life, you knew this day would be a cherished memory forever. It was a celebration not just of your birthday, but of the love you shared and the simple, joyful moments that made life truly special.

[once-upon-an-imagine]

What Was I Made For? - James Potter

A/N: well, it looks like this keeps on working so... I hope you guys like it!

Anonymous asked: Request for hufflepuff black!reader x James with the prompt "Forget it. Just like you forget everything else." Where reader has never had a fun birthday celebration and usually ignores her birthday but James promises to do something fun for her and gets her hopes up but then stands her up accidentally (with happy ending please). Thanks so much &lt;;33

Warnings: this is super angsty! (and super long) but it has a happy ending; mentions of abuse and overall a not happy family life, reader feels weird for not really knowing how to express her feelings; let me know if I missed anything

Disclaimer: I don’t own Harry Potter :) gif isn’t mine :D  

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

What Was I Made For?

Think I forgot how to be happy Something I'm not, but something I can be Something I wait for, something I'm made for

12:08 a.m. Your birthday was over. And he didn’t come. Of course, he wouldn’t come. You kept looking at your watch feeling a tiny bit of hope that he would come running any second, apologizing for being late. But, deep down, you knew it wasn’t going to happen. You sighed, running a hand through your hair, and decided to finally leave. You were angry. But not at him. At yourself. You should have known better. You never should have trusted a word he said. Because he treated you as if you were the center of his universe. And you were stupid enough to believe him. Because that’s what James Potter did. He made you feel as if you were the only thing that mattered to him. Damn him and his stupid beautiful smile. The one that got you into this mess…

“You actually want me to believe that you need my help in Potions?” you insisted as he raised his hands in surrender while you pointed your wand at him. “Why are you asking me?”

“B-because you’re top of our class-”

“That’s not true. Severus Snape is” you insisted.

“First of all, I would never ask Snivelly for help” he rolled his eyes. “And secondly, I doubt that’s true since you are a year younger than us and are already taking Advance Potions-”

“So ask Lilly Evans then-?”

“Evans hates me-”

“So do I!”

“Wait, y-you do?” he asked, confused, stepping away from your wand. He sounded genuinely hurt.

“I…” you weren’t able to continue. You never really hated James Potter. You hated him because you were supposed to, weren’t you? “D-don’t you?”

“I don’t hate you” he informed you. “Why would I?”

“Because Sirius does! And you’re his best friend” you told him. James noticed the hurt in your voice and in your look. He knew you missed Sirius.

“Your brother doesn’t hate you” he insisted and you scoffed, looking away and lowering your wand. “He doesn’t!”

“Look, Potter, you don’t have to lie, okay?” you glared at him a little. “Isn’t your father a famous potioneer? Shouldn’t you be good at Potions?”

“Yeah, he is… you gotta love the irony, love” he smirked.

“Don’t call me that!” you glared at him. “What if Sirius finds out?”

“He won’t” he assured you. “And I honestly don’t think he would mind if he does” he tried.

“What’s in it for me?”

“Isn’t the loveliness of my company enough, love?” he asked but he saw you raising your wand at him and he put up his hands in surrender. “Fine… what do you want?”

You thought about it for a moment. Nobody had ever asked you what you wanted. Not really. You were always just told what to do. And then, you thought of the one thing you had always wanted but could never do.

“Um… if I tell you… do you promise not to tell anyone? Or um… laugh at me?” you said, feeling your cheeks burn as you looked down. James had to admit, he had never seen you like this. You always looked so confident, like everyone else in the Black family.

“I promise” he said, making you sigh.

“W-would you teach me um… how to uh- f-fly?” you asked in a small voice, James wasn’t sure if he heard you correctly.

“Um… didn’t you learn how to fly in your first year?” he asked, confused.

“Look, it’s a long story. Are you in or not?” you asked, going back to your usual self and James let out a small chuckle.

“Fine. It’s a deal. You teach me Potions, I teach you to fly” he said, putting his hand so you would shake it. Which you did, pulling him closer.

“And Sirius is not to find about this, is that clear?”

“Perfect.”

And that’s what it was. Perfect. For the following months, you and James spent a lot of time together. In the beginning, you found him incredibly obnoxious since he kept trying to become your friend. Which he quickly managed. You let your guard down and found yourself actually liking his company. And then, it grew into more. You never thought it could happen, but it did. He had somehow become your favorite person. Granted, not many people talked to you so, it wasn’t hard. But if there was a word you would use to describe James Potter was, enchanting. And you quickly fell for him. And you hated it. Because now, here you were. Tired, hungry, alone, and upset. You made your way to the Kitchens, hoping that you could at least get some leftovers from the Elves.

“Miss Black” one of them greeted you happily. “We thought you weren’t going to make it” he said, making you frown in confusion.

“M-make it? What do you mean, Blim?” you asked, confused as two other elves carried a basket your way.

“Mr. Potter asked us to save this for him but he never came” he explained, confused. “Said it was really important for Miss Black’s birthday” he instructed as they handed you the basket. You felt yourself smiling a little but quickly wiped it away. He never came.

“Thank you so much, Blim” you told him.

“You’re welcome. Happy birthday, Miss Black” he said, as they waved you goodbye. You thanked them happily, after all, they were the only ones that had wished you a happy birthday, and then you made your way to your dorm.

“Hi, Ophelia” you greeted your beautiful black cat.

At least she showed up for your birthday. You changed into your pajamas, played some of your favorite music on your record player, and sat on the small seat you had created against your window to go through the picnic basket only to find your favorite food. He’d remember. Everything was perfect, even the cake. Except, he hadn’t been there. He promised he would and you believed him. You knew Gryffindor played today. You knew they won. But he promised. And you believed him.

But again, it was your fault, really. You should have never let him in. You should have never told him what your favorite food was. Or why you didn’t know how to fly. Or that nobody in your house wanted to share a dorm with you anymore. You shouldn’t even have told him that today was your birthday. Well, yesterday. Because you now understood what he felt for you. It was pity. It wasn’t love.

“Alright, are you ready?” he asked, holding up the broom.

“Actually… I’m having second thoughts about this. I don’t want to do it” you said, nervously.

“Come on, love. I promise you’re gonna love it” he insisted.

You had grown accustomed to him calling you love by now. No matter how much you begged him, he wouldn’t stop. And no matter how much you tried to deny it, you were starting to like it.

“B-but what if I fall?” you asked, making him smile at you adorably and grabbing your hand.

“I promise I would never let that happen” he said sincerely. “But… we don’t have to do this today if you don’t want to” he assured you.

“No, it’s okay” you said, unconvincingly. “I just… need a minute” you told him, sitting down on the grass of the Quidditch pitch.

“Look, I know you’ve told me not to ask why you didn’t learn to fly sooner so…” he said, sitting down next to you. “May I ask why you want to learn now? Why is it so important to you?”

“I don’t know” you said, quietly as you started playing with the grass next to you. “My mother has told me not to my whole life” you informed him. “She always said it wasn’t for ladies” you said, bitterly. “On my first year, she sent an owl saying that she may not be able to control which house her disappointing daughter was sorted into but I was not to ride a broom, and well… you know nobody wants to go against Walburga Black” you said with a sad chuckle. “I always wanted to learn because Siri and Reggie- um… Sirius and Regulus both know how to and they love it” you continued. “I guess I wanted to have something in common with them” you smiled sadly. “Are you… are you crying?”

“I’m sorry” he said, wiping away the few tears on his cheeks. “That was just… um, w-well, every story Padfoot tells me from your home it’s just…”

“Sad, I know” you said as James composed himself. “You can say it” you told him.

“Is it… as bad for you as it is for Sirius?” he asked, worriedly.

“A little” you admitted. “At least Sirius has you, Remus, and Peter” you smiled a little.

“You have me too” he said, placing your hand on top of yours and making you look up at him. “You know that, right?” he asked, feeling his heart beating faster when your smile got bigger.

“You’re sweet, James” you said, surprising him a little. “What?”

“I think that’s the first time you call me by my first name” he smiled.

“Oh, s-sorry, um-”

“No, no” he chuckled. “I liked it” he assured you. “I um… I like you” he said, feeling his cheeks blushing.

“Y-you do?” you asked, breaking James' heart at how genuine your question sounded. As if you were actually confused as to why someone would like you.

“Of course, I do” he said, cupping your cheek gently.

“A-are you about to kiss me?” you whispered.

“Is that okay?” he asked sweetly and you nodded smiling before James gently pressed his lips against yours.

You had no idea what you were feeling. Your entire body felt as if fireworks were exploding everywhere. Never, in a million years would you have thought that kissing James Potter would feel so perfect, but now that you knew, you never wanted to stop.

“Alright. I think I’m ready” you said once you pulled apart. James smile at you and got up, offering you his hand to help you. “Y-you promise I won’t fall, right?”

“Promise, love” he said, pulling you closer and kissing your hand.

Lies. From that moment. You never should have fallen for him. How could you have been so stupid? James may have been right, every story from your childhood was extremely unhappy, but you had never felt so empty inside. Having a best friend who then turned into something more and you were sure that you felt was something that you had never felt before, and now it was gone.

You hoped listening to sad songs would help you cry but your eyes seemed dry. You felt the pain in your heart, which was weird. You never felt that before. But you thought you might as well cry. James said it might help whenever you felt upset. But it ended up being him who cried. And not you. So, you were about to just go to bed, when you heard someone knocking loudly on your door. At 1:47 in the morning. You sighed, rolling your eyes, and quickly ran over to open the door, revealing nobody on the other side.

“James, what the bloody hell are you doing? You’re going to wake up my entire house!” you said, pulling him inside and closing the door as he removed the cloak around him.

“I’m sorry, love! I am so sorry I’m late! I swear I lost track of time!” he slurred out.

He was drunk. Really drunk. He was still in his Quidditch robes, drunk out of his mind.

“Potter, you’re-”

“No, no, no! Please don’t call me Potter” he said, walking closer to you and grabbing your hands. “You only call me that when you’re mad” he pouted. “I know I screwed up but I promise I will make it up to you, love!”

“James, you’re drunk-”

“I know! There was a party because we won and I swear I was just going to be there for a few minutes b-because I’m the captain a-and I just lost track of time and-”

“You should leave” you said, quietly, avoiding his eyes. You knew you would cave if you looked into his beautiful doe-eyed face. And you had made up your mind.

“No, no, sweetheart, please I want to make it up to you. Please give me a chance!”

“You are drunk right now-”

“I know, I know. I’m sorry” he insisted. “I can- I just need to-”

“James, please. I’m tired and you’re drunk. Just go to bed” you said, firmly. “We can talk tomorrow if you want to” you told him.

“I don’t want you to be alone” he said, his eyes tearing up. “It’s your birthday!”

“It’s no longer my birthday so… you can go” you said, getting upset.

“I don’t want to leave you” he said, getting closer to you and cupping your cheek softly, making you look at him. “Please, love. I am so sorry” he said. “Please talk to me, just tell me how I can make this right. You can yell at me! You can throw things, I deserve it-”

“James, I don’t want to yell at you” you said, sighing tiredly. “I just want to go to sleep” you told him.

“I don’t want to leave you, love” he said, with a few tears escaping his eyes and bringing you closer. He was about to kiss you and you smelled the Firewhisky in his breath so you pulled away and he kissed your forehead instead.

“Fine” you sighed. “Y-you can stay but I’m tired, I just want to go to sleep” you gave in.

“Okay” James said, feeling his eyes welling up. He couldn’t believe he had failed you. Just like everyone else in your life. He fucked up. He slowly walked over to your bed and sat down. “Is… this okay?” he asked nervously.

“Sure” you said, sounding exhausted.

You threw yourself on your bed, turning your back to him and James quickly climbed next to you. You instantly felt his arm wrap around your waist, pulling you to him. You sighed deeply, preparing yourself for what was to come. You were going to miss him. You knew that much. You hated how used you had become to him. How regular it just seemed for him to show up and spend the night with you. So, you took it in. His scent, his touch, everything about him because you knew it would be gone by tomorrow.

“I’m really sorry, love” you heard him say before he kissed the back of your head.

“Just… go to sleep, James” you whispered back and it wasn’t long before you heard his snores.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

The next morning, James woke up to an empty bed, and the realization of the night before quickly came flooding back into his mind. He quickly sat up and saw you on your desk, writing on some parchment.

“Um- w-what time is it?” were the first words that came out of his mouth and he cursed himself. He was beyond stupid.

“It’s still early” you replied as you continued doing whatever it was you were doing. “If you hurry, you can still go to breakfast before your friends wonder where you are” you said, quietly.

“N-no. I don’t want to go to breakfast” he said, walking over to you. “I want to apologize and talk to you” he said, looking down at the parchment you were working on. “W-what’s that?”

You finished writing and stood up, handing the piece of parchment to him with a serious expression on your face.

“A list of people who are not Severus Snape that can tutor you in potions” you simply said, trying to make your way to your window seat.

“W-what?” he panicked.

“I have your things here” you said, handing him a box with his things. “Oh” you said, realizing you were wearing his sweater so you quickly took it off and placed it on top of his things. “Sorry” you said, and you felt like you were freezing.

“Wait, you’re- you’re breaking up with me?” James asked, placing everything aside and walking closer to you. “Please, just… hold on a second. I promise I can explain-”

“James” you said, taking a step back. It unnerved James how calmly you were talking to him. Like you did in the beginning. Like your walls were up again and he meant nothing more than a stranger to you. “I just don’t think that this is working” you said, silently.

“Please, don’t do this, love! I swear I want to make it up to you” he said as a few tears started falling down his cheeks.

“Why are you crying?”

“Because I love you!” he shouted a bit louder than he intended to. “I know I fucked up and I am so sorry! But please, love, just give me another chance, I swear I didn’t mean to miss it-”

“That doesn’t matter, James-”

“Yes, it does! I know you’re angry, and you have every right to be, I understand that! But this is a fight, I- I can make it up to you and w-we can go back to the way it was-”

“Why would we do that?” you asked, confused.

“Because that’s what couples do!” he insisted.

“We’re not a couple, James” you said, sounding broken.

“Yes, we are!”

“No, we’re not. You never asked me to be your girlfriend. We’ve never gone out on a date. You barely talk to me outside these walls-”

“You said you didn’t want Sirius to know about us! I told you I didn’t care!”

“That doesn’t make a difference, James!”

“Yes, it does! Because I love you!”

“No, you don't!”

“Yes, I do! I love you so much and I know you love me too!”

“Okay, now you’re just being ridiculous, Potter” you said, with a sarcastic chuckle as you tried to walk into your bathroom but James blocked your way.

“No, I’m not!” he said, softly as you tried to look away. He gently cupped your cheek with his big, strong hand and slowly lifted your face so you could see him. Not even a sign of tears while his eyes were flooded. “Tell me you don’t” he said, quietly.

“E-excuse me?” you asked, confused.

“Tell me you don’t love me” he said. “I know you’ve never said that you love me but whenever I tell you that I do, you smile and you kiss me! You’ve never said that you don’t! So, tell me you don’t love me” he insisted.

“James!”

“No! If you want to break up with me, at least talk to me first! You at least have to tell me how you feel about me!” he argued.

“You wanna know how I feel about you?” you snapped pushing yourself away from him.

“Yes!”

“You really want to know how you make me feel?” you said, getting upset.

“Yes!”

“I have no idea how you make me feel, James!” you snapped, breaking James’ heart. “Y-you make me feel happy and angry, and scared, and sad, and crazy, and warm, and vulnerable, and like I can break at any moment, but I somehow know that I won’t because you won’t let that happen but then I feel so lost if you’re not there! And I feel weak and confused, and-” enchanted. “And, alive and like I can float, and sure but unsure at the same time, and like I can be myself and I want to try to be a better person but it wouldn’t matter because you still look at me with that stupid grin! And- and-” you said, trying to take deep breaths. “I don’t know! It’s just a lot all at once and I don’t know how to handle it and I don’t like it!” you said, trying to catch your breath. “I don’t like it, James!”

“Okay, okay!” James said, quickly walking over to you and placing his hands on each side of your face. “Breathe, love, please” he said quietly, as you slowly tried to catch your breath and stop shaking. James was now fully weeping but a small smile formed on his face. “Sweetheart” he said, quietly. “That’s love” he told you.

“W-what?”

“What you’re feeling” he explained. “That’s love” he insisted.

“How do you know that?” you asked, confused.

“Because that’s exactly how I feel about you” he said as you managed to even your breathing again.

“I don’t like feeling scared” you whispered.

“I know, love” he smiled. “I know, and I’m scared too-”

“Then why would you still want to be with me?”

“Because I love you” he repeated. “And… you’ve made me the happiest I’ve been and I know that I fucked up yesterday, I do, but I promise I will make it up to you and, if you let me, I will spend the rest of my life making you as happy as you make me, love” he said in a serious tone.

You took a deep breath. You wanted to. You really did. You wanted to know what was on the other side and if you could live a ‘happily ever after’ that you read in so many stories when you were a kid. But this was real life. And you couldn’t break James Potter like you broke everything else you touched.

“No, James” you said, pushing away from him.

“B-but-” he tried but you walked away, going to your bathroom.

“Please, James. Just… forget it. Like you forget everything else" you said sadly before you walked inside, locking the door and your heart broke when you still heard him cry.

James turned to look at the box you left with all of his things. He couldn’t bring himself to take it. He needed to make things right. He walked out of your dorm and your house and made his way over to the Gryffindor Tower, not even caring about breakfast. He plopped himself on the furthest sofa, and after a while, he heard giggling and a group of girls walking over to him.

“Hey, Potter” Marlene asked. It wasn’t usual to see him without his three friends and his energy was entirely different today. “You okay?”

“Um… can I ask you, girls, something?” he said as Marlene, Dorcas, Lily, and Alice sat around him. “I would ask my friends but… in this particular subject they all are just… useless” he chuckled sadly.

“Is it about a girl?” Alice asked.

“Well… yeah” he admitted.

“Oh, Merlin it is! Who is it?” Dorcas asked, excitedly.

“I can’t… say it out loud, Sirius can’t know!”

“He’s your best friend, why can’t he know?”

“Because it’s his sister” Lily smirked.

“What?” the other three reacted shocked.

“How did you know?” James asked, confused.

“I’ve seen you in Potions” she shrugged. “You two are cute together” she smiled. “So, what happened?”

“Well, we had been seeing each other for a while now and yesterday was her birthday and I promised her that we would do something and I had this whole picnic planned in the Astronomy tower but… I lost track of time and-”

“No!” Alice said, her smile dropping.

“You didn’t!” Dorcas frowned.

“You forgot?” Marlene asked, slapping his arm.

“I didn’t mean to! We were playing with our secondary team because we had so many hurt players, I didn’t think we would win! And then we did and I started drinking and I just lost track of time!”

“You are unbelievable potter!” Marlene glared at him.

“I want to make things right! I love her and I’m pretty sure she loves me to-”

“Pretty sure?” Alice asked with an arched eyebrow.

“W-well, she hasn’t said it, exactly, but I know she feels it” he insisted. “Look, this is the first time I’ve felt like this in my life and I know that I fucked up but… I also know she’s scared and it just… I want to make things right” he insisted.

The four girls shared looks amongst themselves before they went back to James and Lily nodded.

“Alright, we’ll help you” she agreed.

“Really?”

“Yes, but only because she has looked happier lately, and you seem to actually be sorry. But if you fuck this up again, Potter-” Dorcas threatened.

“I know, I swear, I won’t!” he told them.

“Alright, then” Alice smirked.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

“What are you doing here?”

“For fuck’s sake!” you jumped, falling down the stairs you were on and landing on the floor. “Sirius!” you said, getting up. “What the bloody hell are you doing here?” you glared at your older brother.

“I asked first” he shrugged.

“None of your business” you said, rolling your eyes. “You?”

“Same” he said.

“Fine. This has been lovely, then” you said, trying to walk out of the class but Sirius stopped you.

“Okay, no! Wait!” he said, grabbing your arm and turning you around. “I was… looking for you” he admitted.

“If you’re planning on stealing my Potions essay, I haven’t finished it yet-”

“No, that’s not it” he sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I… wanted to… um… talk to you” he said, awkwardly.

“Why?” you asked, genuinely confused.

“Well, there are… a few things I wanted to tell you” he admitted. “If um… you’d like to come with me to the… Lake or something” he said.

“Well, since you asked so normally” you said, still confused. But this was the first time that Sirius talked to you in so long, you really didn’t want to take it for granted, so you followed him. Once you reached to the Great Lake he sat down near a tree and pointed his side so you would join him. “So… did you bring me here to kill me or-”

“Shut up” he said with a faint chuckle. He then looked inside his bag and got out a small present. “Here” he said, handing it to you. “Um… happy birthday” he said quietly. You raised your eyebrow at him before grabbing the gift.

“Is this thing going to catch fire or something?”

“No!” he argued. But he couldn’t really blame you for thinking that. “No, I promise, I just… I know I’m a day late-”

“You’re about six years late but, alright” you said a bit harshly.

“I guess I deserve that” he muttered as you opened your present and you saw all of your favorite candy from Honeydukes. “I… wanted to say that… I’m sorry” he said.

“Um… why?”

“What do you mean why? For shutting you and Regulus out when I got sorted into Gryffindor and then… still not reaching out to you when you were sorted in Hufflepuff-”

“No, I know but… I mean… why now? Do you need something? Are you dying? Am I dying?”

“Stop it, bug!” he said, rolling his eyes and then looking at you when he realized what he had just called you. You felt your heart stopping for a moment.

“You… you haven’t called me that in a very long time” you said, feeling warmth in your heart. Once you thought was absolutely gone.

“I know… I’m sorry, if you’re not okay with it-”

“It’s okay” you quickly said. “I… kind of missed it” you admitted, looking away.

“You used to hate it” he chuckled.

“Yeah, I know but… once it was gone…” you sighed.

“We’re both really bad at this, aren’t we?” he laughed a little and, to his surprise, you did too.

“We definitely are the worst at feelings” you admitted. “Why are you apologizing to me now?” you asked curiously.

“A couple of reasons” he said. “I miss you” he admitted and you glared at him a little. “I really do!” he insisted. “Look, I get that we are awful at feelings and all that but… I’ve kind of been working on it and… I just… I want a relationship with my little sister” he said genuinely.

“Those are big words, Sirius” you chuckled. “What do you even know about relationships?”

“Well… I’m… currently in one” he said, looking away.

“You are?” you asked, a bit shocked and he nodded. “Wow, who’s the unlucky girl?”

Sirius let out a scoff, glaring at you. “Actually… it’s not a girl” he corrected.

“Is it Lupin?” you asked as Sirius widened his eyes in surprise.

“How did you know?”

“Well, it’s pretty obvious, you sink a deeper level of idiot whenever you’re around him” you informed him.

“That’s not true!”

“Yes, it is. Last week you knocked down your cauldron and three others when he laughed” you pointed out.

“That was… an accident” he tried to defend himself.

“Sure, it was” you said sarcastically.

“So… what do you think?” he asked, nervously.

“Why would you care what I think?”

“Well, you’re my sister, and… you’re also… the first person I’ve told” he admitted.

“Really?”

“Y-yeah” he said with a nervous smile.

“Well, if I’m being completely honest… I think Remus can do a lot better than you” you said with a smirk, making Sirius push you a little and glare at you.

“That’s not funny” he argued.

“I wasn’t joking” you said. “Is he… the one that’s making you get in touch with your feelings?”

“Kinda” he admitted. “You know, he and James grew up in a functional home, and… they know how to feel like a normal person” he informed you. “So… a few months ago, I was where you are right now” he added.

“What are you talking about?” you asked, nervously.

“I’m talking about you and Prongs and how you are afraid of being in a relationship with him” he said, casually.

“W-what? D-did James say-?”

“He didn’t say anything, but he’s a terrible liar” he shrugged. “I’ve known for a while and… to be honest, I have never seen him as happy as he is with you” he told you. “And… I have never seen him as miserable as today” he added. “So, I knew you were probably feeling worse, but… had no idea how to express it” he told you.

“How would you even know that?”

“Because you’re just like me” he told you. “A few months ago, Remus and I had our first fight. He told me that he loved me and… I kind of ran away” he said. “We didn’t speak for about three days. I was in such a bad mood, even I didn’t want to deal with myself” he explained. “Look, I know that we are wired differently than everyone else because mum and dad didn’t exactly teach us how to… feel or… love” he continued. “So, when someone does, it feels-”

“Fucking weird” you added.

“Yeah” he agreed. “But… that doesn’t mean that we can’t, you know that, right? And it doesn’t mean we don’t deserve it, bug” he told you. “I know I screwed up on my part and I am really sorry for pushing you away-”

“Why did you do it?” you asked all of the sudden. “I get that you were angry when you came back home from your first year but… Regulus and I never thought any different from you and you… shut us down” you said, sadly. “And then… the next year, when I was sorted into Hufflepuff, I thought maybe-”

“I know! I should have talked to you, I know, I was an idiot!” he said, genuinely. “Remus has made me talk about it a lot lately and… I want to make things right” he sighed. “You don’t have to forgive me if you don’t want to and I don’t expect you to do it right away if you do, I just… had to start somewhere” he smiled, hopeful.

“By giving me candy and saying happy birthday a day later?” you smirked a little. “It’s a good start, I guess” you nodded, grabbing a Sugar Quill and giving him one.

“Well, I also… wanted to help you fix things with Prongs” he suggested.

“Because you love James so much now that you are an expert on feelings and don’t want to see him sad?”

“Well… sort of, but… I love you too, bug” he said, making you almost choke on your sweet. You were pretty sure he had never said that before. “I know, we don’t really say that to each other or anyone else. Remus was the first person I ever said it to. It feels good, you should try it” he continued. “I know you love James-”

“How could you possibly know that? Even I don’t know that!”

“I think that you do and that’s why you’re so scared” he told you. “And I know I’m probably the last person that should be telling you this but… there’s nothing wrong with that” he assured you.

“It’s just…” you sighed. “W-what if he realizes how broken I am and he doesn’t want to be anymore?” you asked, sadly, breaking Sirius’ heart a little. “Or if I end up breaking him?”

“Bug, you’re not that broken-”

“Really? Do you want to know what I was doing in Potions class? I was looking for something that would make me cry” you explained.

“Really?”

“Yes, James cries all the time, did you know that?”

“Yeah, he cried when Moony and I told him we were dating” Sirius laughed.

“I feel empty without him, Sirius, and yet… not a single tear!”

“Well, that doesn’t mean you’re broken” Sirius insisted. “We never cry” he continued. “Blacks don’t cry” you both said at the same time, letting out a small laugh. “We’ll get there, bug” he said, pulling you to him and kissing the side of your head.

“We?” you asked, a little confused.

“Oh yeah, now that you have accepted me back into your life I’m not leaving-”

“Can I reconsider this-?”

“Nope, it’s too late! We’re going to be best friends, bug!”

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

You had surprisingly spent the rest of the day with Sirius, and Remus had joined at some point. They took you to Hogsmeade as Remus insisted on at least taking you out for your birthday. You liked Remus, and you could see that he definitely brought out the best in your brother. They seemed very in love. And at some point, it dawned on you. You were in love with James. He had been right. What you felt for him, was love. You were still terrified but you had made up your mind to talk to him the next day. Remus and Sirius even said the four of you could go to Hogsmeade together. This was definitely the craziest thing you had ever gone through in your life. But you were done feeling sorry for your self and you were done being afraid. You definitely did not want to spend the rest of your life like your parents. Feeling nothing and being unhappy. So, you would talk to James and try to be happy for once. However, when you opened your dorm’s door, you saw that he had already gone ahead of you.

Your mouth dropped when you saw the scene in front of you. Your dorm was decorated with beautiful fairy lights above, like floating stars, and candles and flowers everywhere. James was in the corner, finishing putting some flowers next to your bed.

“James?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, love- I uh-” he stuttered, walking closer to you. “Um, I know you told me to f-forget about it but…” he sighed, offering you the last flower in his hand. “I don’t want to” he chuckled. “I don’t want to forget about it and… I don’t want to forget about you” he explained. “Love, I know that I majorly fucked up” he continued. “And you have every right to hate me and never forgive me if you want to but… I wanted to give you the birthday that I had planned for you first. The birthday that you deserved before I royally fucked it up” he said, grabbing the picnic basket on your window seat.

“Did you ask the elves to do the whole meal again?”

“N-no” he assured you. “Um… I did it myself” he said, making your heart flutter a little. “Granted, I… uh, I don’t think it’s going to be as good” he chuckled. “So, we don’t have to eat it if you don’t want to” he assured you before he placed the basket back down. “I um… I also didn’t get to give you your present” he said, grabbing a bag on your nightstand.

“You-” you felt something weird happening. “You got me a present?”

“Of course, I got you a present, love” James smiled sweetly. “Would you like to open it? Or we can eat first if you’d like. Or you can eat. And I can leave if you prefer-”

Before he could go on, you quickly grabbed the bag from him. James smiled to himself at how excited you looked, opening your gift. And then, you pulled it out. A book. And a stuffed rabbit. An exact rabbit like the one in the book. Wearing a small knitted cardigan with Gryffindor colors. Just like the one James had given you.

“What-?” you tried to catch your breath. “H-how did you-?”

“The sweater comes off” he smiled. “I asked my mum to make it, I thought it would look cute because you like mine so much” he explained.

“N-no, how um- how did you know-?”

“You told me, remember?” he frowned, confused. “How when you were a kid, and your mum took you and your brothers to Diagon Alley and you ran off and got lost and ended up in a muggle library” he continued. “And you read that book and you always wanted a rabbit like that one-”

“Y-you remember that?” you asked, in complete disbelief.

You told him that story so long ago. You remember it perfectly. It was the first night he stayed in your dorm and you ended up talking all night. You had no idea he would remember it. It felt like forever ago.

“Of course, love” he said as if it was obvious.

Before either one of you could say anything else, you threw your arms around James’ shoulders and you planted a big kiss on his lips. James widened his eyes in surprise a little before he closed them and wrapped one of his arms around your waist and he placed his other hand on your cheek.

“This is…” you sighed when you pulled apart and you looked down at your rabbit. “This is the nicest thing anybody’s ever done for me” you chuckled.

"Um... I also wanted to ask if... you would like to be my girlfriend?" he said, nervously.

"I would really like that" you nodded.

“Wait, are you… are you crying?” James asked, brushing a few tears with his thumb.

“A-am I?” you asked as a smile appeared on your face. You brought your hand up to your face and you saw that it was, in fact, covered in tears. “I’m crying!” you chuckled as you noticed James’ eyes welling up as they usually did. “James, I’m crying!”

“I can see that, love” he smiled brightly at you. “I’m really sorry I forgot your birthday” he said, pulling you closer.

“It’s okay” you assured him. “You cooked for me” you said with a small laugh.

“I also apologize for that. I have no idea what I was doing” he warned you.

“It can’t be that bad” you assured him. “Would you like to join me?”

“R-really?”

You nodded, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards your window. You sat down as James pulled out the food, smiling when he saw you playing with your rabbit’s ear and going through the pages of your book. He had never seen you smile like this. And he promised to himself that he would do anything he can to keep that smile placed there.

“James?”

“Yes, love?”

“Um… please don’t cry when I say this but… uh, you were right… earlier today” you said, nervously before you cleared your throat and you looked at him. “I love you” you admitted, feeling an enormous weight off your shoulders. And of course, James’ tears quickly ran down his cheeks.

“Y-you do?” he asked with a sweet smile and you nodded.

“I’m sorry it took me so long to say it” you said, nervously. “I just… well, y-you know Sirius and I don’t really- um… I was just… scared because we were sort of instructed to… not really feel anything and I just… didn’t want to screw things up with you because you are very in touch with your emotions and I’m a bit broken that way-”

“You’re not broken, love” he insisted, holding your hand in his. “I wish you could see yourself as I see you. Because you’re perfect” he said, making you smile a little. “And I love you so much” he said, pulling you for another kiss and he felt your smile against his lips. “Say it again” he asked when you pulled away.

“James-”

“Please” he pouted, making you laugh and roll your eyes a little.

“I love you” you said, making him throw his arms around you and pulled you to him, peppering your face with kisses as he heard you laugh, which was his favorite music.

“I love you too!”

The End

[Bonus Scene The Next Day at The Three Broomsticks...]

"Sirius... are you crying?" Remus asked his boyfriend.

"It's just so beautiful" he said, wiping his tears as you rested your head against James' shoulder. "How Prongs set everything up for her birthday after he forgot and he got her that cute rabbit" he said, while Remus chuckled and hugged him and he looked at James.

"You kind of opened the gate for Blacks to cry, you know that right?"

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

A/N: I really love how this turned out so I hope you liked it too! xD let me know what you think! Remus is coming next and then Sirius!

[tinylilacbun]

celebrating rafe's birthday ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪

"Daddy gonna like this?" You ask, sitting on the counter with your legs dangling back and forth while Sofia makes the last touches on Rafe's birthday cake.

"I'm sure he will." She smiles, sticking the last candle into place. "You wanna go wake him up, sweetie?"

You jump off the counter without a second thought, rushing to the bedroom, hearing Sofia chuckle as you go.

As you reach your guys shared bedroom you jump onto the bed, crawling to lay on top of Rafe who's sleeping on his stomach, his head comfortably resting on his pillow.

He stirs a little when he feels your weight pressing him more into the mattress, groaning sleepily.

"Happy birthday daddy!" You giggle, repeatedly kissing his cheek to wake him up. "C'moooon gotta get up."

"I'm up...I'm up." He mumbles into his pillow and you roll off him to lay by his side, waiting for him to sit up. Rafe squints an eye open, jolting slightly when you're right in his face, grinning at him widely.

When he finally does get up he scoops you into his arms before you could escape. Sofia quickly lights the candles on the cake as she hears your playful banter approach the kitchen.

Her smile grows when Rafe enters the kitchen with you thrown over his shoulder while you laugh, meeting him halfway to kiss him. "Happy birthday, babe."

"Thanks..." He smirks, not really used to getting this much attention on his birthday in general. He turns his gaze to the table, seeing the decoration and the probably self baked cake. "Y'know you didn't-"

"Shut up and blow out the candles, idiot." She interrupts him, stepping aside.

Rafe carefully sets you back down on the ground before going to blow out the candles in one go. You and Sofia cheer for him and he reaches out to pull you both closer for a hug, kissing the top of your heads. "You both are the best gift I ever had."

"Daddy! You have to open the presents!" You say, squirming out of his hold to grab one of the bags, holding it to him. "This from me and mama."

He smiles and takes it from your hands, sitting down on a chair to place it on his lap, reaching into it he pulls out a new polo shirt, a custom made keychain that has a picture of the three of you on it, and two drawings.

"This is amazing, thank you..." He says genuinely, he's really grateful for you both, that you actually take the time to get him something even though other people would say it's the bare minimum but for Rafe its more than enough.

"Can we eats the cake now?" You ask excitedly, knowing how amazing Sofia's baking skills are.

"Yea, of course, baby." Rafe smiles at you, grabbing the knife to cut three pieces, waiting as Sofia gets the plates.

Soon enough he places a plate in front of you, chuckling when you instantly dig in.

Taglist

For everything:

@my-river-lilly @pauntedblacknails @fanfictioniseverything @devilslilbabysblog @buckymydarlingangel @hallecarey1 @daybreakwinter @loveshineslikethesky @wandaslittlewhore @vase-of-lilies @white-wolf1940 @simpingbutch @mischiefsemimanaged @alina02 @teddybearsgrr @doozywoozy @angelbabydoll28 @glxwingrxse @lilymurphy03 @veryvaughnny @lokigirlszendaya @youngstarfishdinosaur @little--baby--bear @minideathgoddess @rach2602 @gh0stgurl @flourishandblotts-inc @lovelyy-moonlight @yoruse

@mythixmagic @iris-xoxo-juhu

For Rafe:

@chiaraanatra @chimindity @erikasurfer

[btsgotjams27]

things you don't know | jjk

summary: it’s been seven years since you last saw the boy that broke your heart. after moving back home, you try everything you can to avoid seeing him around town, but destiny has a wicked way of doing the opposite.

✨ title: things you don't know | one shot ✨ pairing: jungkook x f!reader | ✨ rating: M/17+ ✨ genre/au: angst | ex best friends!au | ✨ word count: 4.3k ✨ warnings: language, drinking, light kisses, miscommunication, reader jokes about unaliving her other best friend, mentions of throwing up ✨ prompt: “i thought i’d never see you again” ✨ a/n: heyoooo. so this is loosely based off a friendship i had in high school and in case you're wondering (irl) i haven't seen this man in over 17 years (oh gawd i'm old). anyway, thank you to @shina913 for being my beta.

✨ mini-series masterlist ✨

You were a fool to believe nothing could tear you and your best friend apart. Just like in the movies you'd watch for hours, you realized you were not the main character; he was. You were only part of the supporting cast, the best friend–not the one he wanted. Someone else had been occupying his mind, his thoughts, and you guessed you weren't privy to know all of him.

You wondered if you became the villain in his story. Were you the other woman? How could you have known if he never told you? He was your best friend. The one you shared everything with–your hopes, dreams, and even the dumbest little details of your life.

And maybe you expected too much. Maybe you had built a world of sunshine and rainbows and believed no storms could ever weather through. Maybe you cared too much, thinking he felt the same.

But at long last, you had become the girl jealous of Josie–the person who took away your best friend.

The city you lived in had grown vastly the last time you were here. Multiple lanes were added to the highways, and fields of land were cleared out for new homes, shops, and restaurants to try. Though the only thing on your mind was not bumping into him.

His was the only face you didn't want to run into in a city that felt familiar and unfamiliar. It felt silly. You're a grown woman with a car and an apartment–had bills to pay, and running into one person shouldn't haunt you as it did.

You might have done some detective work, going through old high school friends lists on Facebook and Instagram, lurking to see if he would show up. But as you suspected, he didn't exist on social media, so your chances of seeing him increased in your weird little mind.

The old hangout places were on your no-go list. Remember, you're trying to avoid him. He has not been on your mind every waking second, minute and hour. You weren't wondering how he was doing or if he was okay. He didn't deserve to occupy your mind, take all your energy.

But if you were to bump into him, you had a monologue ready to tell him how he had fucked up your mind, spiked all your insecurities, and hoped he and his stupid little girlfriend lived unhappily ever after. He deserved that, at least.

"Did you see Lillie's Instagram post? The one where a bunch of them were out celebrating Josie's birthday?" Lana asked, sipping on her iced vanilla latte. Lana was another high school best friend who didn't stomp all over your heart.

And regarding Lillie's post, it was hard not to see it when everyone you knew was tagged. Some things never change, you guessed. The same circle of friends, the same drama, the same gossip, but then again, you were sitting with one of your oldest friends.

"Yeah, I saw it."

And you also noticed how Jungkook wasn't in any photos. After doing your detective research and scouring through the internet. He was a ghost, not even showing up in tagged photos. You were hoping to get a glimpse of him in the background, but you hadn't seen a picture of him in years, so you had no idea if he had grown into that big 'ol nose of his or if he had gotten those piercings and tattoos he's always wanted. There was no trace of this man, not even in Josie's pictures.

Last you heard, they were still together, and you always rolled your eyes hard, remembering what Jeon Jungkook did to you. Didn't even have the fucking balls to say it to your face, but in a letter instead.

You suspected it was all Josie's fault. Probably afraid you'd steal him away, or he'd prefer to hang out with you. And you understood, he wasn't your boyfriend or anything, just a friend. Ex-best friend, that is. So you supposed any girl that did like Jungkook would be intimidated by your friendship.

"Have you seen Jungkook at all?"

Lana knew what went down–dropping you like a fly, like you didn't exist. She had teased you like a madwoman because you were crushing hard on his friend, Jimin, and somehow ended up befriending Jungkook.

"Nope," you said flatly.

"So, you know how we always talk about Jungkook being untraceable? I think I found him," she said, pulling out her phone.

Your jaw clenched before huffing out a breath. Lana liked to poke the bear when it came to Jungkook. You knew it wasn't intentional, and there was a part that held onto those painful memories because you weren't over what he did to you. Countless nights of questions and if you could've done anything to save your friendship. Wondering what you did wrong and why he picked Josie instead of you. You thought he had feelings and just didn’t want to act on it.

Lana slid the phone over, her two fingers zooming in on a brightened photo. "It's definitely Jungkook," she pointed to a figure in the background.

You narrowed your eyes as she moved the photo around. Your heart skipped a beat. You'd recognize that nose anywhere. It was him. He wasn't a ghost. There was actual evidence that he existed.

"I searched for more photos, but nothing else came up."

You chuckled. "Of course not. Jeon Jungkook doesn't exist on social media. It was never his thing anyway. It was always Josie who liked the attention."

"As a couple, they make no sense to me. What does he see in her anyway?" Lana pondered, sucking up the last of her latte.

Josie was popular and pretty and did every extracurricular activity known to man. Jungkook was quite the opposite: introverted, kept to himself, played games day and night, yet somehow they still ended up together.

"I don't know. Maybe she has a great personality or something," you answered.

She had everything and could’ve had anyone in the senior class, and something always bothered you about their relationship. You just couldn’t put your finger on it.

Lana could see your despair and decided to change the subject. "What are you doing tonight? Jimin is having a small party and was super excited when I told him you moved back."

You narrowed your eyes, your lips thinned. "What are we? In high school again?"

"Come on, babe. It'll be just like old times. I'll even pick you up. I know you hate driving."

It's only been a week since you've moved back. You didn't even know where all of your cute clothes were. "I have nothing to wear." It was the best excuse you could come up with at the moment.

"I got you. Don't worry about it!"

Fuck—you should've opted for a different excuse.

"I thought you said this was a small party," you said, wearing a dress that was barely covering your ass. You'd get Lana back for putting you in the tightest dress.

"Trust me, this is small." Lana hooked her arm with yours, dragging you to the kitchen, where Jimin poured several soju bottles and sodas into a pitcher. It was quite the concoction.

“How can he afford this place?” you whispered as you stared at the fancy marbled island and large commercial refrigerator.

Lana shrugged. “I don’t think he lives by himself. Probably has roommates or something.”

"Ladies! You're here!" Jimin squealed, setting down the soju bottle. He hugged Lana before greeting you warmly. "Oh—it's so good to see you!" He wrapped his arms around you, moving you from side to side, digging his chin into your shoulder.

"It's good to see you too, Jimin. You're, um, still quite the host." His parties were all the rage in high school, and now that you look back, you're unsure what you saw in Jimin. He was a good guy, a great dancer, but he partied too much for your taste. Maybe you were shallow and just liked him for his looks.

"I have a reputation to uphold." He wiggled his eyebrows, handing you a shot glass. "I call this little drink 'Soju Sunrise.'" He held his glass, waiting for you to clink it against his.

"Here goes nothing." The glasses clack together, and the mixed liquids go down your throat as smooth as silk. Surprisingly, the cocktail is rather tasty, and you hold out your glass for another round.

"Yes! That's my girl!"

After multiple rounds of Jimin's Soju Sunrise, your body loosened up along with your tongue, being quite the chatterbox to everyone hanging around. The alcohol coursing through your veins made catching up with old friends less dull. Though you wish you could've had a sign plastered to you stating your job, why you were back, and what you've been up to. It would've made your life simpler.

As you exited the bathroom, Lana immediately pulled you into an empty bedroom, closing the door behind her.

"What the fuck, Lana?"

"He's here!" she exclaimed out of breath.

"Who?" Confusion sets on your face.

“He-who-must-not-be-named!”

"Voldemort?" You raised a brow, pouting your lips together.

She struck your head. You scowled, rubbing the spot. Still confused, you think back to the crowded room.

A lightbulb finally goes off. You blame the Soju Sunrise for making you an airhead. "You've got to be kidding me."

"She's here too."

Oh, how you'd rather be clawing your eyes out right now. It would hurt less than facing Jungkook and Josie after all these years.

You had your little monologue prepared and ready to go, but you didn't think you'd have to recite it. Did you even remember what you wanted to say?

You looked around the room and sprinted when you saw a window. Your hands fumbled with the lock, but it was too hard to open.

"What are you doing?" Lana asked, her eyebrows knitted together, watching you struggle.

"I'm gonna climb out the window." It was the only sensible thing to do.

"You're so fucking dramatic."

"It's the only way to avoid them."

Lana grabbed your arms and made you look at her. "You are a grown-ass woman. Put on your big girl panties and walk out that door with your head held high."

"But I don't wanna," you pout. "And I'm wearing granny panties." You lowered your head, staring at your dress, picturing the blush-colored panties with a little bow on the front.

"Granny panties with this dress?"

"What? I couldn't find other ones and I like full coverage." Curse you for not unpacking like you should've been doing.

"Would've been better if you went commando."

"Lana! I have some dignity."

"Do you, though? You won't even leave this room and face the one person who broke your heart."

"Thanks, Lana," you said flatly.

"You're welcome!" she smiled, shaking your body. "Come on. You can do this. I believe in you." You rolled your eyes, staring blankly at her. She scanned you from head to toe, then back up to your chest. "Sweetie, we gotta make sure your tits are stunning." She dragged down the top of the dress, ensuring the swells of your breasts were peeking through.

"Lana, I'm not trying to seduce the guy." Okay—maybe you developed a crush on him, but it's not like you were going to make a move, he had a girlfriend for fuck’s sake.

"Yeah, who cares? We're trying to make Josie jealous."

"This is so high school," you comment, digging through your purse for your lipstick.

"Your point is?" Lana blinked.

You huffed. Okay—fine. If this were the only time you'd see Jeon Jungkook and Kim Josie, then fuck it. You could pretend everything was great for five minutes. Your hand went underneath your dress, tugging off your granny panties and tossing them on the ground.

"Holy shit—going commando too?" Lana squealed and clapped excitedly.

Hiking your dress up just a smidge, you were ready to smile and lie through whatever this dreaded conversation would bring up, probably old feelings of hurt and regret.

You hooked your arm through Lana's, with your shoulders back and head held high. This was it. After all this time, you would face the son-of-a-bitch who broke your heart and the cruel witch who took him away.

You had class—at least, you hoped you did. So, you'd play it cool, be calm and collected. Pretend like you had your shit together.

That is until you turned the corner and immediately spotted them snuggled up in the corner. Josie looked like a lovesick puppy all over him. Jungkook, not so much.

You clutched Lana's arm tighter and came to a halt. You repeated your short monologue in your brain from the bedroom to the living room, but it was as if your mind had wiped everything and your brain's connectors were short-circuiting.

Your eyes glistened as you watched the two. Josie sat on his lap, arms wrapped around his neck, kissing him. Your lower lip quivered, and your stomach sank. You weren't sure if you needed to hurl because of them or because of the soju. Perhaps both.

Jungkook pulled away from her grasp, seemingly annoyed by her show of affection. As soon as he turned away from her, his eyes landed on you.

You flashed a small smile and a wave of your hand. Who knew seeing Jungkook would make you feel the complete opposite of the narrative you had created? In your head, he was a heartless best friend who left you for a wicked witch, but here he was in the flesh and was just that big-nosed, doe-eyed boy whom you shared everything with. You missed him so much and wanted to catch up on life like no time had passed.

Lana turned to you. "Hey, what happened to the bad bitch persona? Aren't you gonna tell him off?"

"I'm so stupid, Lana. I can't do this." So much anger had been building up within the last seven years, but underneath that anger was just a girl who was heartbroken.

Lana nudged you in the ribs. You two watched as he pushed Josie off his lap, causing her to frown. You attempted to let go, but she pulled you in as Jungkook beelined toward you.

"Oh, my god! Jeon Jungkook in the flesh?" Lana said in a dramatic tone. "You do exist! I can't believe it. Well, I'm going to find myself another drink! Have fun catching up with your bestie!" She punched Jungkook's shoulder hard, and he scowled and flinched, massaging the spot.

You pressed your lips together, unsure what to say to him. It's been seven years since you last saw him. Once you graduated from high school, you were out of each other's hair. You were off to college a few hours away, and he stayed in town to attend a local university.

Jungkook cut off all forms of communication. It was like your friendship ceased to exist, which hurt you the most. The last thing you received from him was a measly little letter explaining that he was with Josie and that she didn't want you coming in between their relationship.

You couldn't understand why Jungkook couldn't just talk to you. Josie was never mentioned in conversations, nor did you see him with her, so it felt out of left field. If Jungkook told you he liked someone, you'd never stand in the way of his happiness. You thought he knew you better than that, but maybe you were wrong. Maybe you didn't know each other at all.

"I thought I'd never see you again," Jungkook said, the corners of his mouth curving into a warm smile.

You only paid attention to the glow-up Jungkook had. He did get the lip piercings he wanted, along with the tattoos. You could see them peeking through underneath his gray hoodie hanging off his shoulder. The white tank top defined his taut chest, letting you know he liked to work out. His damp hair curled in all the right places against the nape of his neck and his forehead. The silver chain adorning his neck looked pretty enough to tug on.

"You look great, by the way," Jungkook added, breaking you out of your daze.

"Oh, thanks. So do you." You manage to squeak out finally; then you remember how provocative you looked in your dress compared to sweet, innocent, looking Josie in her pink floral sundress, who was making their way toward you.

"Jungkook, can we please get a drink?" Josie whined, giving you the once over before latching onto Jungkook like the leech she was.

"You remember—"

Josie interrupted, "Yeah–don't remind me. Can we go?"

Josie stormed off toward the kitchen, leaving you and Jungkook behind. Did he have any say in their relationship, or did she tug him around like a puppy on a short leash?

You're stunned but not surprised by her remark. Once a bitch, always a bitch.

Turning your attention back to him, you realize you have nothing to say. The scars from this friendship were carved deeply into your heart; not even the monologue you rehearsed could dissipate the pain he caused.

"I—I gotta go," you said, taking off toward the bedroom because you couldn't fucking leave your underwear on a random stranger's floor. You had to save whatever dignity you had left.

"Wait—" He tried to grab your attention and followed you, walking through the hallway toward a room. He watched you go from one end of the room to the other, searching for something. "What are you doing in my room?"

You straighten your posture, slowly turning to him. "This is your room?"

"Yeah, Jimin and I share this place along with another friend.”

Oh, now you were going to fucking kill Lana. She knew. She must have! That's why she wanted to bring you here. And out of all the rooms, you had to pick Jeon Jungkook’s to leave your underwear in?

"Great," you said in exasperation. You turned back around in search of your panties. "Where the fuck is it?" It could only be in so many places.

"Where's what?"

You got down on your hands and knees, tugging your dress down, looking underneath the bed for your granny panties. "Nothing," you grumbled. "Fuck it. Forget it." You stood, walking past Jungkook. He could have your underwear as a keepsake, you suppose.

"Hey—" He gripped your arm. "Come on. This is how you greet me after all this time?"

You scoffed, glaring at him. "You're fucking kidding me, right? You're lucky I'm even speaking to you. You don't even deserve that."

He lets go of your arm. "We kind of ended on a sour note, but it wasn't my fault."

He couldn't see it, but smoke was fuming from your ears, and you wished your death glare could burn through him and maybe even through Josie. How fucking dare he put all the blame on you? And for what exactly? You might add that you did nothing but be his friend, and he ghosted you like you meant nothing to him.

"So it's my fault?" You assumed he was placing the blame on you. "How is it my fault? Please enlighten me, Jungkook."

He quieted down, cowering his head.

"You showed up holding hands with Josie, then proceeded to not talk to me like a human being and instead wrote me a fucking letter like the coward you are. A letter, for fucks sake. You could've had the common decency to say it to my face."

You walked out of language class, and there they were, hand in hand as you idly watched from behind. And he didn’t even hand you the letter. He had stuffed it in your locker.

Your words took him aback. His recount of how everything went down was different from yours. "I'm sorry," he said. His eyes flicked to yours before looking away.

"Well, it's too fucking late for apologies."

Jungkook called out to you, and you didn't look back, storming away from him. You passed by Lana, telling her you were leaving and that you'd talk to her later.

You ran out the front door, stopping at the sidewalk's edge, remembering that Lana drove. "Fuck," you grumbled, pulling out your phone to grab an Uber.

You were stupid to think Jeon Jungkook wouldn't affect you after all these years. Maybe it's because you haven't dealt with feeling abandoned by him. Maybe you wished you did more for your friendship. Whatever the reason, you knew moving back wasn't a good idea because you’d have to deal with this.

"Hey!" Jungkook called out. You looked over your shoulder and continued walking. He ran in front of you to grab your attention. "Can you talk to me?" he asked, stuffing his hands in the pocket of his hoodie.

"Why don't you fucking write me a letter? Since you're so good at that," you mocked as you shuffled around him. He was a shitty writer who could barely pass Creative Writing without your help.

"That's not fair."

You scoffed, stopping in your tracks to turn back to him. "Run back to your little girlfriend. Don’t you have to get her approval first before talking to me?"

"She's not my girlfriend."

You tut. "Yeah–okay." That was hard to believe, considering she was all over him.

"She's not. We haven't been together for a while now," Jungkook explained.

"You looked pretty cozy earlier."

Jungkook looks at the ground, kicking around an invisible rock. "It's complicated."

"That's great, Jungkook, but I really don't want to hear about your relationship problems. Good luck with Josie and in life. You two deserve each other." You pulled out your phone to see if the Uber was arriving.

Crossing your arms, you walked back toward Jimin's place. You wish you pinned the pick-up location somewhere else, but you'd have to endure his presence longer.

Jungkook followed, giving you some space, stopping when you did. His eyes raked over you. His dimple appeared and disappeared as he licked his lips and chewed on the inside of his cheek.

"When you got your acceptance letter to college, and you decided you were leaving, you didn't bother to ask about what I thought," he said, hands still in his pocket, staring at the ground. Your eyes flickered to him before looking away. He softly chuckled, "I thought to myself, what would I do without my best friend? I had nothing going for me, didn't even know what I wanted to do—still don't know what I want to do. And as much as you make me out to be the bad guy in your story, there are a lot of things you don't know."

You turned away from him as your eyes began to well up. You didn't want to cry before him, rehashing things from so long ago. You let out a shaky breath, trying to contain your emotions.

"Why didn't you say anything?" you asked, using the back of your hand to wipe away the snot threatening to fall.

He shrugged. "I don't know. I would never want to keep you from something that made you happy," he admitted.

You were always open with each other, so you're unsure why this one thing made it seem like he couldn't be honest with you.

"Tell me one thing."

Jungkook hummed.

"Why didn't you tell me about Josie?" It was the one question that lingered since you received his letter.

His lips thinned. "Honestly?" You nodded. "It all happened so quickly. Jimin was throwing a party that night when you told me about going off to college, and I was in my head, overthinking everything. And Josie was there, being sweet and comforting me, and I don't know what came over me. I just kissed her to make myself feel better. Then, the next day at school, she took my hand and told everyone we were together."

"So, let me get this straight? I told you I'm going off to college. You get upset, kiss Josie because you were mad about me leaving, and then end up in a relationship with her?"

"Well, when you put it that way, it sounds ridiculous."

You turned to him, hitting him across the chest several times. He held his hands up to block you. "Because Jeon Jungkook, it is ridiculous! God–you're such—a—" you groaned. "Do you know how much you hurt me? We could've avoided all this if you had just talked to me. Life could've been different for us. You could've come with me, and then we could've been together."

"Together?" He stared at you with his starry brown eyes.

"Yes, you dummy! I liked you, if you couldn't tell. I was going to tell you, but then you and Josie happened, and well, you know how the rest of the story goes."

You closed your eyes and let out a long-awaited breath. It felt like a weight was lifted off your shoulders, getting all this out in the open. You weren't expecting Jungkook to do anything to make you feel better, but at least he could hear what you wanted to say after all these years.

Your uber pulled up and you opened the door, holding onto it as you looked at Jungkook. A glimpse of the boy you once knew still lingered in his eyes. If you could go back and do it all over again, you would've fought harder for him, fought for what the two of you had. It was too precious of a friendship to let go just like that. Unfortunately, life didn't work that way.

There were no forms of time travel or alternate dimensions where the two of you could've lived happily ever after, and there were only the choices you made here and now.

"Bye, Jungkook."

✨ read part two | read part three ✨

[maxlarens]

AHHHHH SWEETHEART I LOVED THIS SO MUCH!!!!!

"Lils, baby, I know it hurts, but this will help it at first," he gently pressed his lips to her knee without any side intention but to comfort his fiancée.

😣the nickname ohhhh. pls, to be called a nickname by max while he ices ur injured foot🥹

Jimmy and Sassy both patted over to their mistress, jumping on her lap and curling together, seeking warmth and comfort and quiet. She burried her fingers in their warm fur, her palm gently vibrating with their purring, and it almost made her smile. The possitive thing of the evening was that the cats came willingly to cuddle with her. And that certainly didn't happen too often.

😌😌 THE CATS!!!! aweeeeeee exactly. ahh its so so cute that they came over to cuddle🫣

The rain was puring down, the wind bringing a smell of the sea to them, few lightning bolts appearing over the mountains.

omg🤭this is actually everything. i can smell this. godd its so perfect. just sitting, spending time together and watching the storm roll along 😣 ohh im all warm and fuzzy over this. thank you so much for taking the time to write this zuzie i loved it to absolute bits!!!!! im so happy 😵‍💫😌🤭

Bowl of Cherries | MV33

fandom: Formula 1

pairing: Max Verstappen x OC (aka our darling lilli)

names/faceclaims: -

summary: one clumsy moment, and suddenly plans have to change (not that anyone compains)

warning: mentions of mild injury, possible light swearing

requested: yes / no

author's note: for our beloved lilli aka @maxlarens! Happy birthday babe, enjoy your day! ❤️

**********

They were supposed to leave. Their reservation was getting close, but neither of them kind of rushed. There wasn't a reason after all.

"I'm such a clumsy idiot that it screams problem," the woman muttered while sitting on a couch, already dressed in her little black dress and diamond necklace. The man was kneeling in front of her, a bag full of frozen peas in his hand, pressing it to her swollen ankle.

"Looks like heels will go straight to trash," she snorted, and Max just looked up and smirked.

"Do you understand that I can cancel that reservation with a single phonecall, right? No need to panic that we can't make it," he pressed the bag tighter and she hissed.

"Lils, baby, I know it hurts, but this will help it at first," he gently pressed his lips to her knee without any side intention but to comfort his fiancée.

"I know. But please, let me be angry at myself for ruining our anniversary, at least for a few minutes, okay?" she frowned at him, and he chuckled before a wrinkle appeared on his forehead.

"Wait, you think that you ruined our anniversary?"

"Well and didn't I?"

He scoffed and grabbed her hand, decorated with a timeless moi-et-toi diamond engagement ring, pressing it on the frozen bag.

"Hold it and sit still," he ordered before standing up and shrugging off this blazer, then quickly walking away from the living room.

She looked after him with a worry in her eyes. It was her clumsiness that destroyed their anniversary plans, the first anniversary they wanted to spend in their favorite restaurant as future husband and wife. Instead, her ankle was pulsing with pain, quickly turning into a size of an orange and a color of blueberries. The first drops on the window kind of woke her up from her thoughts. The sky outside turned gray, the heavy clouds full of water hanging just above the small principality they both called home. Jimmy and Sassy both patted over to their mistress, jumping on her lap and curling together, seeking warmth and comfort and quiet. She burried her fingers in their warm fur, her palm gently vibrating with their purring, and it almost made her smile. The possitive thing of the evening was that the cats came willingly to cuddle with her. And that certainly didn't happen too often.

"Okay, let's get you out of this dress."

She nearly jumped out of the couch when Max's voice sounded just behind her, Jimmy merely opening one eye to give his master a judgemental look before closing it again.

"Now you two, off to the carpet with you," Max gently scooped one cat with each hand and set them on the floor, earning a hiss and a swing by tail before both kittens marched to the guest bedroom. The comforter there apparently seemed like a good alternative.

"They plan to kill you," she muttered when her fiancé put a pile of clothes next to her and then grabbed the hem of her dress, pulling it over her head. Max helped her unclip the bra and put on one of his hoodies followed by joggers, then took off her necklace (which he left on the coffee table) and pressed a packet of cooling gel to her injured ankle.

"Okay, here we go. Let's call it a practice," he grinned at her, and she yelped when he swiftly lifted her bridal style, marching with her towards the balcony.

"I'm heavy," she murmured and burried her face in Max's neck, earning a chuckle.

"Yeah, and I'm Mona Lisa. Lils, schatje, you know I wouldn't let you fall, right?" three-time world champion pressed a kiss to her temple before opening the balcony door and stepping outside. And when she lifted her eyes, her jaw dropped. He put an air matress there, secored by few ties so it wouldn't fly away in the storm, and thrown their most fluffy blanket on it. There was the step he was using for excercise, laid with a various types of tapas and charcuterie - cheeses, sausages, crackers, olives, sundried tomatoes... and a bowl of cherries, grapes and watermelon.

Max gently laid her down on the matress and disappeared again, but just a few moments, to change himself in more comfortable clothes, before joining her again.

The rain was puring down, the wind bringing a smell of the sea to them, few lightning bolts appearing over the mountains.

"Open," Max ordered with a smile, and she opened her mouth, allowing him to put one of the blood red cherries in between her teeth. She chewed and spit out the cherrystone, before he gently took her face in his palm and pressed the softest kiss on her lips.

"Happy anniversary, Lils," he stroked her jaw with his finger.

"Happy anniversray, Maxie," she whispered back, allowing him another kiss.

[maxlarens]

🎨 Charles Leclerc + blue + childhood sweethearts vibes

oooo loved this so much thank u nonnie

my bday celly💝

[watermelonsugacry]

Could you do a blurb showing how Harry and 1dbandmate!yn reacted over the years when asked in interviews if they were a couple?? please 🙏

Always Asked

A/N: been in a writing funk lately but i'm happy i got this one done since i miss writing and posting to you all!! 💚

SUMMARY: Snippets of interviews over the years from when YN and Harry were asked if they were dating. (3.4k)

GENRE: 1dbandmate!yn, famous!yn

SINCE 2010 masterlist

2011:

Never in a million years did YN ever think her dream career would start so soon. It’s only been a year since she auditioned for the XFactor and now she’s sitting at a table next to her bandmates as hundreds of fans go down the line to get a copy of their freshly signed album. 

With copious amounts of screaming comes along an abundance of questions thrown at the teenagers. Most of the time, it’s YN giving the screaming fans a beautiful smile, asking them how they are, and thanking them for their kind words before passing the signed CD case to Harry. With all the excitement in the air, she feels like she’s truly living the pop star lifestyle she’d seen many others live out.

“Hiya, love,” YN smiles at the preteen girl who’s practically vibrating with excitement at seeing the famous band. She also gives a polite greeting to the supportive dad of the young girl who has his hands on his daughter’s shoulders. “How are you? I love your shirt.”

She compliments, smiling at seeing the young girl wearing a shirt with YN’s face on it. 

“My dad got it for me for my birthday!” The little fan beams.

“Did he?” YN animatedly gasps with a smile. “Well, it was nice of him to take you over here, yeah?”

She signs the CD case with a heart over her name before sliding it over to Harry. His fingers brush over hers and the two of them catch each other’s gaze. A smile tugs on their lips before looking away just as quickly. 

“Are you two dating?” The young girl practically screams out, her eyes bouncing back and forth excitedly between YN and Harry. 

The two teenagers tense up, thrown off by the question in such a crowded place. Their management team is still media-training them and while they’ve learned so much already, they’re still getting used to taking what they’ve learned out into the field.

YN and Harry give each other a look, already knowing the answer but searching in one another’s eyes for maybe a smidge of something more.

“Lilly!” The dad scolds before letting out a chuckle. “Sorry about that.”

“Don’t be,” YN shakes her head with a smile, hoping it's convincing enough to not cause any suspicion. “Sorry Lilly, but Harry and I aren’t dating because quite frankly—” She beckons the little fan closer, cupping her mouth but still being loud so her bandmate can hear, “—he has cooties.”

Harry’s immediately furrowing his brows together and lets out a long and playful, “Hey!”

“Ew!” Lilly laughs, seeming satisfied with that answer before waving goodbye and walking towards the rest of the band.

Before they can dwell on what just happened, thankfully the next fan shuffles over for their own interaction and signed copy.

2012:

The band is at their first Brits Awards show and needless to say, they all got a little tipsy after their win. Their team didn’t even have time to give them a snack or water bottle to help sober them up a little bit before their backstage press interviews.

“Harry, how will you guys be celebrating tonight?” A journalist asks from the crowd.

“Erm,” Harry giggles to himself and it makes YN tipsily follow from her spot next to him. The hand that isn't gripping onto their award goes to cover her smile. “I think we’re just gonna hang out and stuff.”

“YN? Is there any lucky man whom you will be celebrating with?” Another voice in the sea of reporters asks.

“Nope,” YN raises her eyes with a tipsy smile and a slow shake of her head. She shakes her thumb towards her boys with a click of her tongue. “Just these lads.”

“Any lucky lad in particular? Perhaps a curly-headed one standing next to you?”

Almost as if it was planned, the two teenagers comically look beside each other, cranking their necks in playful search of who the intrusive lady was referring to.

“Me?” Harry dramatically questions, pointing to his chest with a bright, open-mouthed, dimpled smile gracing his face.

“Well, I mean he is part of the band, is he not?” YN sassily purses her lips together, her media-training to retain her “good girl” image slipping out of her alcohol induced brain. 

Thankfully, before anything could be escalated further by the tipsy girl, the intrusive press, or the snickering boys, a member from their management team instructs the audience to move onto another person.

2013:

“You guys have known each other for what seems like forever now and your bond with the rest of the guys is so strong...” 

YN reaches forward for a sip from her glass of water on the panel table in her seat in between Harry and Niall. It’s been a long week for the band as they do press for their new movie, This Is Us. They’ve been thrown left and right with interviews that YN can’t help but already be done with the repetitiveness of some of the questions.  

“So then we’re all clearly curious to know if you and Harry are dating?”

“Nope,” YN pops the ‘P’ and shakes her head as if her actions were automatically programmed to respond in that way. She casually waves her finger between the two boys beside her, “But him and Niall are though.” 

The crowd of press people laugh and chuckle as they see Naill gasp and Harry raise his eyebrows in playful shock.

“I mean, you kinda pointed it out,” YN puts on her media-trained smile good enough to win an Oscar. “These lads are like my brothers and our bond is so strong because we see each other more like family than anything else. I see them more as annoying than someone I'd rather date, to be honest,” she forces out a light laugh. 

“Plus, as YN so kindly pointed out,” Harry leans on his elbows on the table as he looks to his crush next to him. YN can see his dimple dig into his cheek as he fights off a smirk. “M’happily in a committed relationship with Niall.”

Harry doesn’t take his eyes off of his bandmate as he leans back into his seat. He watches as she tucks her chin into her chest, her fingers rubbing over her lips to cover her giggle as the rest of the room breaks out in commotion.

2014:

“Can we assume that the rock on your finger is from a certain curly-headed lad?” The woman who’s interviewing them for the band’s new book Who We Are excitedly asks. 

The band are all sat on an L-shaped couch as they discuss the contents of the hard cover book. Sat in between Zayn and Niall, YN purposely avoids her gaze from Harry as she answers.

“No,” YN lets out a forced chuckle as she looks down to fidget with the diamond ring on her finger. Anyone who has looked at more than three pictures of YN can tell that her favorite pieces of jewelry are her assortment of rings along her fingers. But only true fans know that part of her liking to the small jewelry is to help her fidget with them when she has anxiety. It’s an odd feeling however that the newly gifted one has been the cause of her increase in nerves. “It’s um, from me boyfriend—well, fiancé now—Matthew. Harry is like a brother to me so that would be quite weird.” 

“Of course! I was only teasing, love.” The woman laughs with an over-exaggerated smile, clearly disappointed in the answer she was given. “Congratulations to you both.”

“Thank you,” YN forces a smile, still twisting at the shiny ring that sticks out like a sore thumb.

2015:

“YN.”

“James.” She says with the same amount of playful seriousness, the audience in front of them laughs along. As the date of the band’s long-awaited hiatus comes closer and closer, their good friend James Corden interviews them in the same location where they filmed the music video for Story of My Life. 

“Harold,” the host directs his attention to the band member sitting next to her.

The fans in the crowd only giggle in giddiness even further as Harry playfully throws a hand up in confusion with what the fans call his ‘frog’ smile. 

“Now, we are all truly devastated when we heard the news that you and your long-time partner had called it quits a couple of weeks ago.” The audience laughs when James comically shakes his head no. YN even lets out a laugh when she sees the fans in the audience cheer at the news of her new relationship status. Despite the support she feels from the fans, it doesn’t necessarily calm the nerves at why the host brought the topic up in the first place. “Now we’re also all wondering if this may have possibly opened up, I don’t know, an opportunity for you to seek something with another lad?”

“Um,” YN lazily holds her microphone to her lips as she gives James the news that will hopefully shut down the conversation. “I think m’gonna just focus on myself for a bit. Yeh know, take a break from dating and all that.”

The room breaks out into chuckles when the host makes noises like he doesn’t believe her. He wags his interview cards in the air as he says, "I mean, both of your writing credits on some love songs tell me otherwise..."

Truthfully, the two friends can't deny that logic. They've either individually or co-wrote a plethora of love songs...that may or may not have been about each other. But will they ever admit that to a room full of their fans who have been shipping them since their XFactor days? Hello no.

“Well, the beauty that YN and I see in music is that songs are always up for interpretation," Harry interjects. "They can mean anything you want them to be, in any sort of scenario.”

“Yeah, like, lyrics don’t always necessarily have to come from a place of experience,” YN adds on, professionally keeping her voice from wavering in nervousness. “It certainly helps but that’s not always the case. Especially now.”

She can’t help but laugh along with the rest of the crowd as James holds an expression like he doesn’t believe a word they said.

“Okay, fine. Deny it all you want,” James puts his hands up defensively. “I just...I don’t know, I just think that this could really be Something Great.”

The room of fans (and die hard ynrry shippers) squeal and scream out in a mixture of excitement and disbelief from his use of the One Direction songs that are heavily speculated to be about YN and Harry. 

“Whatever, it’s your guy’s decision at the End of the Day,” James continues nonchalantly, trying to hide the smile that shows that he knows exactly what he’s doing. 

Fans’ eyes bounce back and forth between the two band members in question. They see as YN has her hands clasped together on her crossed legs, biting the inside of her cheek to keep her witty comments to herself. Harry, on the other hand, leans his elbow on his knee with his index finger over his smirk. He tries to cover up his chuckle with a cough to his fist before pushing back his long curls. 

“All we want is for you guys to live Happily ever after, is all.”

2017:

“Now, both of you little sneaky sneaks went to Jamaica together to make his album. Come on, tell me I’m wrong,” Nick Grimshaw teases, wiggling his fingers in a beckoning motion.

The two were currently on BBC Radio with their good friend that they’ve known since their days in the band. Dropping their first solo albums in the same week caused their fan bases to go into a frantic frenzy. The two have a full day ahead of them as their record labels and management teams paired the two up for a day jam-packed with press and interviews together.

“You are not wrong,” Harry laughs, adjusting the chunky headphones over his ears. He’s already rolled up his white button-up sleeves and discarded his picnic table-looking blazer to lay on the back of his chair.

“Sneaky sneaks?” YN chuckles next to him, leaning her elbows on the counter and moving her hips to rotate her swiveling seat from side to side.

“Well, I only say that because you guys are obviously dating now, right?”

“Do girl and guy best friends always have to be dating?” YN easily swerves the question back to the radio host.

“Well,” Grimmy tilts his head from side to side. “Not necessarily, but wouldn’t that be a good story? For your future kiddos perhaps?”

YN and Harry bark out a laugh.

“Sorry, m’getting ahead of myself. Maybe you lads would want to save that for your wedding day instead.”

“Can I swear on the radio?” YN playfully yet genuinely asks the host which makes Harry giggle.

“But I mean, what are your fans—and quite frankly, the rest of the world—supposed to think when a good majority of the songs on his album are about you, Miss Two Ghosts?” Nick teases with a wiggle of his eyebrow.

YN’s jaw humorously drops, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips as a nervous laugh threatens to escape. The two knew that they would get poked and pried with questions and accusations like this since their trip to Jamaica. There’s no use in trying to deny their close relationship with one another, spending more time with one another than any of their fellow band members since the start of the hiatus. 

Unable to quickly come up with an explanation, being so caught off guard, she turns to the only other person she can trust. 

“Jenny?” YN playfully calls for her manager who’s behind the glass window of the radio studio, leaning forward to look at her despite Harry in the way. 

“Help me, Jeffery,” Harry playfully pleads to his manager as well.

“No, no Jeffery. Jenny, get back in your chair, young lady.” Nick points out for the listeners who can’t see what’s currently happening. “Alright, I’ll stop, I’ll stop,” The host waves his hands, seeing the two visually calm down at the news. “Now, I’ll just play the one Harry wrote about YN. This is Two Ghosts!”

Harry playfully yells out an “Oh, no!” as he pushes himself away from the desk. YN lets out a humored scream at the same time, taking off her chunky radio headphones and tossing them onto the desk. 

2020:

“Okay, a big question that I’ve been getting on Twitter since it was announced that the two of you would be on here today,” Roman Kemp waves a hand in front of him at the Capital FM Breakfast Radio headquarters as he looks onto the two pop stars in front of him on the Zoom call. The couple can be seen in two separate rooms: Harry in a naturally lit room while YN sits against one of the brick walls in her bedroom.

Harry has his purple robe on that his girlfriend gifted him a couple of years ago, looking as comfy as ever since he doesn’t have to get dressed up to go outside for anything lately due to being on lockdown. 

YN on the other hand, didn’t want to miss the opportunity to get dolled up. Well, at least from the waist up. She wears one of her silk button-up blouses with her last name embroidered on the left chest, her hair neatly done up in a slick ponytail and her make-up nicely done. When she got complimented on her look, she clumsily lifted her leg up to show off her heart-decorated, fluffy pajama pants.

“And I feel like both of your fan bases combined would come out of quarantine to quite literally murder me if I don’t ask you guys this...” YN and Harry keep a mutual face on as they wait to hear what the host has to say. “We all know that you guys are an official couple now, but are you guys physically staying together at the moment? Like, are you guys living together or at the same house or...?”

The couple takes a second to process the intimate question. As Harry parts his lips to answer, he’s interrupted by his girlfriend speaking first. 

“Y’know, we’re kind of tired of getting questions like this. I don’t think it’s really appropriate for other people to know about that kind of stuff,” The crease between YN’s eyebrows becomes more apparent and her shoulders move sharply after letting out a deep sigh.

“Oh, I-I’m so sorry if I offended you guys—” The radio host quickly begins to retract.

“M’sorry but I think m’actually gonna log off now. Erm, thank you for having us.” YN curtly nods before the host and Harry’s faces fill the screen, both with wide eyes at the unexpected reaction from the go-happy pop star.

“Wait, did that really just happen?” Roman and the other two interviewers are deers in headlights, his eyes bouncing around the screen to make sure what just took place. 

“I think so,” Harry sighs. “It’s just a sensitive topic for us, y’know. I can’t really blame her for what she did,” He professionally hides his smile as he hears the quick pad of footsteps coming down her spiral staircase.

“I really meant no harm, it’s just—”

“It’s just really hard to keep our private life private, you know?” Harry drags on with a deep sigh. “And it's just really hard for us to have to answer things like this. Like, we don’t really know what you guys expect us to do when...” Harry’s dimples dig into his cheeks, a boyish giggle comes tumbling past his lips when YN peaks her head sideways in front of his laptop camera.

“YN!” Romans scolds with a bright smile, infinitely relieved he didn’t just make enemies with the world’s favorite female pop star. He dramatically throws a hand over his heart.

“Sorry, I’m sorry! It was just too good and Ro, I think you’re the only one that would be able to handle a joke like that.” YN laughs as she slides in close to her comfy-looking boyfriend.

“So I’m assuming this confirms my previous question?” The host asks excitedly.

“Yeah,” Harry smiles fondly at his love, discreetly wrapping an arm around her waist that’s low enough to not be shown on camera. “We’ve been living at YN’s place in LA for a couple of weeks now. And yeah, it’s been fun.”

2022:

In a full black suit, Harry is escorted to the next interviewer on the red carpet for the premiere of My Policeman. After a couple of initial questions, the eager woman asks, “Last thing before you get whisked away, on behalf of the fandom and everyone else on this planet, we just want to send a massive amount of love to you and YN.”

“Thank you very much,” He nods, putting a hand over his heart and trying his hardest to keep the growing smile on his face at bay. 

“And we are all just dying to know,” She takes a quick, excited glance back to the camera. “If you’re going to drop the big question soon?”

Harry can’t help but huff out a laugh, the kind where his dimples dig into his cheeks and the crows feet appear next to his eyes. If they only knew that YN kept the ring he gave her—the ring that signifies their promise to become husband and wife on their anniversary—at home for the sake of privacy and for this very reason. 

“Um,” He looks up in fake contemplation before giving her a cheeky shrug. “I dunno. Maybe. Maybe not. Who knows?”

“Well, best of luck to you both.”

After being escorted away, the camera doesn’t stop filming Harry as he goes over to stand next to his fiancée on the red carpet. Although the camera can’t pick up what YN says to Emma Corin that makes the actress laugh, her beaming smile turns to Harry when she feels his hand on her back. He can’t hold back from planting a loving peck on her cheek before the two are escorted to their next section on the red carpet. 

2023:

On a show in Cardiff, Harry adjusts a flag on his shoulder as he walks around the catwalk on stage. As he begins to sing Satellite, he makes a stop to sing to a group by the barricade. 

It’s nothing new to YN and Harry’s respective shows when fans bring signs with something on it to get the artists’ attention. Honestly, it’s become one of the parts of the show they look forward to the most.

So when Harry’s eyes move over to a newly raised sign that says ‘shag?’ on it, he breaks out into a smirk. Part of the fun of when fans bring signs is that there’s always a handful that asks these sorts of questions: Are you single? Can I have your number? Are you dating? 

It’s not so much the content written on the signs that makes the interaction so enjoyable; it’s the response that he gives. 

Because all Harry does is break out into that dimpled, love sick smile that YN can’t get enough of and happily points to his wedding band.

.

.

Taglist:

@ashtongivesmebutterflies @cacapeepee

(let me know if you want to be added to the taglist 💚)

[a-998h]

Each nations festivals for the Creator.

Mondstadt

It is known as The Ventus Dies Natalis (Latin: The Winds Birthday Festival).

Time of year: Spring

How long it lasts: 3 weeks/ 14 days

Origins: The people of old Mondstadt wanted to honor the creation of the winds. Do to this they planned a festival that at first was a serious religious affair that lasted for a week, before it became a 3 week festival.

Traditions week by week

Week 1

Day 1: The people go to the cathedral plaza or inside the cathedral for prayer and to present offerings of Calla Lillies, Snapdragons, Dandelion Wine,and Fruits of the Festival, Mint Jelly, Moon Pie, and Northern Apple Stew.

Day 2: A tournament between the knights is held from sunrise untill noon. Once the final round has ended, the winner is given a crown of Calla Lillies, Snapdragons, and being honored with the title of Ventus Fortitudinis (Latin: Wind of Strength). The winner is beilved to be blessed with good fortune for as long as they retain the title, the current title holder is Bennett for two years in a row.

Day 3: A tournament is held between Mondstadt's archers from noon to sunset. The winner gains the title of Sagittarius Ventus (Latin: Archer of the wind) along with a Calla Lilly and Sanpdragon flower crown. The winner is beilved to be blessed with good fortune for as long as they retain the title, the current title holder is Amber for four years in a row.

Day 4: From sunset to midnight a contest for bards is held and the winner gains the title of Vates Ventus (Latin: Bard of the wind). The winner is beilved to be blessed with good fortune for as long as they retain the title, the current title holder is Venti for six years.

Day 5: The three winners throw a ball, similar to the Ludi Harpastum games, but these balls have two flower crowns on each ball. The three winners throw the balls and those who cath any of the balls and gain one of the six flowers crowns is believed to share in the original winners good fortune. After this the people good to play games, eat, and drink.

Day 6: This day is most for prayers to local shrines or at the cathedral.

Day 7: People go and either, buy of pick Calla Lillies and Snapdragons and spend time making flower crowns for their friends, family, or lovers. A large feast is had and people gift the flower crowns they made to each other.

Week 2

Day 1: People return to the Cathedral area for another prayer and this time no offerings are put at the statue offering table.

Day 2: Those who are willing with travel out to the separate shrine near the Thousand Winds Temple in order to deliver written prayers of the people.

Day 3: In cetian locations in the more rual areas will have games set up, like wind glider races.

Day 4: This is a day with many bards who share their poems, song, and stories with people in the plaza during one act performances that last from noon until sunset. Once the sun sets, people will spend their night drinking and eating.

Day 5: This is another rest day.

Day 6: drunken partying with lots of food.

Day 7: people gather around campfires or fire places and tell stories.

Week 3

Day 1: The church choir sing a few songs to start off the final festival week.

Day 2: The petals of Snapdragons and Calla Lillies are picked from the flower and case to the wind carrying prayers, often down by those who do not wish to write their prayers.

Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6: drinking, feasting and games.

Day 7: The people all blow on dandelions, making wishes as the fluff blows in the wind. A large feast like at the beginning of the festival is held in oder to cap off the festival itself.

Liyue

The Creator has been celebrated on Lantern Rite on few occasions.

The Creator has a festival of their own called Lóngfèng jié (Chinese: Dragon and phoenix festival).

Time of year: Spring

How long it lasts: 15 days/ 1 week and a day

Origins: When the adepti roamed the land along side humans, they saw how the humans would worship the Creator on the same days of worship for Rex Lapis. Once he was told, Rex Lapis said that the people shall have a festival for only the Creator every spring for 10 days before it became strethed to 15 days over the centuries. The times during Lantern Rite where the Creator was worshipped, happened during times where the spring was to rainy and dark for the typical festival.

Day 1: The citizens gather at their nearest shrine and present offerings of Snapdragons, Violetgrass, Lotus Flower Crisp, Stir-Fried Shrimp, and Stone Harbor Delicacies. This happens after the people say a prayer for good fortune.

Day 2: a parade is held with a dragon and phoenix being made to look like it is dancing by being controlled by a team of performers.

Day 3: There are kite design contests for both children and adults. Once the designing is done, there is a contest for who's kite can go the highest and farthest.

Day 4: A feast is held to honor the Creator's role in making the Archons.

Day 5: The Liyue Opera puts on a performance of the Creators brith from the stars and Celestia.

Day 6: Bouquets of Violetgrass and Snapdragons are traded between those who are close.

Day 7: People place a Snapdragon or Violetgrass flower into the sea as a prayer for good fortune.

Day 8: The shrines are decorated with Snapdragon Violetgree garland and only drink offerings are placed this day.

Day 9: A feast is held to celebrate the Creator's role of making the adepti.

Day 10: The Liyue Opera puts on a performance about how the Creator made the Archons, adepti, and humanity.

Day 11: Prayers are written onto pieces of paper and are then burned, they believe the smoke carried the prayers upto Celestia for the Creator to grant.

Day 12: A contest is held for who can make the best sculpture of the Creator from sunrise to noon. The winner is given the title of Shítou yìshùjiā (Chinese: Artist of stone) and the current title holder is Madam Ping. From noon till dusk a tournament is held to see who is the strongest fighter, it was used to see who would be a good guardian to the Creator, the winner gets the title of Fènghuáng wèishì (Chinese: Protector of the Phoenix), current title holder is Beidou. From dusk till sunset a contest held to test who would be a good advisor for the Creator, the winning title is Míngxīng gùwèn (Chinese: Advisor of the Stars) current title holder is Xingqiu.

Day 13: People tell smaller stories and myths about the Creators interaction with Liyue's archon and adepti at home or on stage.

Day 14: A final feast is held for the Creator's role in making humanity and everything on the mortal world.

Day 15: The Liyue Opera puts on a performance on the death and rebirth of the Creator. Kites with prayers and wishes written on them will be released as the streets are lit with lanterns. In Qiaoying Village, wusho dances are held, in which Gaming is usually the main star.

Inazuma

The festival is called Hana-shin matsuri (Japanese: The flower god festival).

Time of year: Summer

How long it lasts: 10 days

Origins: The yokai started holding a small festival to thank the Creator for giving them life. When yokai and humanity became friends, the yokai shared some of the traditions with humans while making sure they were followed and done properly. Eventually the festival became a common part of life in Inazuma. It became even more important when the arachons of Inazuma were seen in public for the festival.

Day 1: A prayer service is held at Grand Narukami shirne in which special incense are burned and offerings of Dendrobium, Sakura, Sakura Mochi, Sakura Shrimp Crackers, and Tri-colored Dango.

Day 2: Kabuki theaters put on performances that tell important myths about the Creator, similar to the Liyue Opera.

Day 3: Sangonomiya shrine holds a prayer services with the same offerings as the first prayer day.

Day 4: A parade with floats moves through the streets of Inazuma city. Each float follows a set theme for the festival that year.

Day 5: The samurai and Inazuman warriors hold a contest of strength and skill. The winner gets the title of Hoshi no senshi (Japanes: Warrior of the stars), and current title holder is Kujo Sara for 4 years in a row.

Day 6: Onikabuto trading, collecting and fighting amounts children is seen as a way for them to test their strength, Itto is still trying to win.

Day 7 and Day 8: Are the rest days untill the evening, in which there is a large feast.

Day 9: Sakura and Dendrobium flowers are put floating into the sea and a way of wishing or prayer.

Day 10: Fireworks are fired into the sky as way to end the festival.

Sumeru

This is known as Laghayati Parvan (Sanskrit: Color Festival).

Time of year: Summer

How long it lasts: 7 days

Origins: The people of Sumeru believed that since they were closest to nature, that they were closer to the Creator. They treat this time of year like a 7 day funeral service as it is believed that the Creator drew their last in the Avidya Forest, however it has become more light hearted in the last 20 years.

Day 1: People clean their homes and the nearest shrine before leaving offerings of Sumeru Rose, Mourning Flower, Padisarah Pudding and Baklava along with prayers.

Day 2: People get markings on their body in symbolic patterns using an ink made with Henna berries.

Day 3: The people lights bonfires to tell stories about the Creator and Greater Lord Rukkhadevata. People in Sumeru ship them. (After Lord Rukkhadevata get erased, those stories are replaced with stories of a parent daughter relationship)

Day 4: People adorn their homes and local shrines with flower garlands and lanterns.

Day 5: People throw colored powder made with Henna berries at each other and decorate their homes and shrines with it.

Day 6: The colored Henna Berry powder is thrown as a welcoming gesture for the Creator.

Day 7: A clean up of all the colorful powder from the streets and buildings.

Fontaine

This is the Dieu créateur Carnival. (Fench: Creator gods carnival.)

Time of year: Late winter/early spring

How long it lasts: 7 days

Origins: It started as a way for devoted worshipers of the Creator to mark the end of their fasting period. Fontaine kept it like this for the whole time untill Furina became archon. Furina thought the Creator deserved a more fun and colorful celebration.

Day 1: Rainbow Roses and Romartime bouquets are gifted to shrines as offerings along with Fruity Trio and Fontaine Aspic.

Day 2: An 18 float parade goes through the streets lead by the king, queen, and carnivalon on floats. These floats are offer followed with performers from all nations.

Day 3: Another parade during those in costume on the floats throw up to 10,000 flowers into the crowd. During this time boquets of Rainbow Roses and Romartimes are exchanged between lovers, it is believed to bless the relationship with years of good luck so long as the partners are together. This parade is called the défilé de fleurs (French: flower parade).

Day 4: This is a repeat of the parade on day 2 expect the floats are decorated with lights of various colors. Known as Défilé de lumières (French: Parade of lights).

Day 5: On this night, people par take in games and drunken fun while dressed in costumes and masks.

Day 6: This is a day full of performances all having a common theme of myths about the Creator.

Day 7: The days in which people clean up from the weeks events of chaos and fun.

Currently all nations are either starting or preparing a festival to welcome the Creator back to Teyvat. I will explore these a bit more in the main plot line.

[runawaycarouselhorse]

#I love this post <3#Lilie#She went through a lot...#I love how good of a brother Gladio is in the anime! And how close they end up being!#(Lilie imitating his iconic pose in that one episode where they were acting as magical girls)#And I really like Lusamine in the anime and the way she was portrayed#She was not a good mom but she tried to get better and eventually did!#The entire SuMo anime has such a special place in my heart#Super comfort anime

Agreed! It might not be my ideal Pokemon anime because I just love the grand adventure sense of the previous series and the child's power fantasy aspects, but for a slapstick-y, slice-of-life show in the Pokemon world, it really was quite beautiful and the poignant episodes hit hard. Lillie's story and, by extension, the entire Aether family, really were my favourite part! They all had great development and then, the conclusion to the Aether family arc, with them finding Mohn in PM19/JN was easily one of the very best (aha) conclusions to any character's storyline in this anime.

Their happiness was hard-won, all of them. They all suffered so much, especially poor Lusamine when her husband didn't recognize her...

Lillie overcoming her fear of Pokemon, bridging the gap between her and her family, and overcoming her fear of Nihilego at last, allowing her to reunite with her family and even accept as a sister a Nihilego who pretended to be her to comfort Mohn, but was scared of losing Mohn's love when his memories returned, while also knowing this day would someday come and saving his things for that day...

Beautiful finish for a beautiful character.

Anime Lillie is not a "spoiled brat," Lusamine's neglect, particularly her emotional neglect, traumatized her too

Lusmaine comes off as a narcissist in the anime (albeit one that actually wants to get better and do right by her kids, I am NEVER getting over Gladion telling her off for initially being more upset Faba hid an Ultra Hole from her than the fact her DAUGHTER was TRAUMATIZED.)

All of those years, she never once questioned why her daughter, who had loved Pokemon in her youth and handled them easily, suddenly became deathly afraid of touching them, while loving them form afar. Sudden changes in children's personalities are usually signs of trauma, but Lusamine was too much of a self-absorbed workaholic to notice or care... for years.

(And notice, her first response is to yell in anger/offense at Gladio when he tells her off, perfectly justifiably, for her neglect as a mother... it's only after that she apologizes and he tells her he's not the one who deserves that apology.)

Lillie in the anime repeatedly has an issue where she tries to legitimize her feelings (in the present time, she tries to diminish and deny her fear of touching Pokemon and later, her fear of crashing while sledding) by claiming her stances are perfectly “logical” (even if it’s based in fear or anything else) and then we see Lusamine wrote off her feelings about not wanting to evolve Clefairy (which Lillie wanted to start her journey with.) Which a lot of people wrote off as silly, because she just wanted to keep her at a "cuter" stage becaue Lusamine thought her reasoning “utterly illogical.” It’s really little stuff that piles up that makes you deny aspects of yourself or try to fit it into your parent’s narrow mindset.

As there is no room for "illogical" emotions in Lusamine's world, Lillie denies her feelings, even her traumas and fears.

If you do not listen to children and respect their feelings about little things, they will not trust you (or, eventually, anyone else) to tell about their feelings about big things.

On one hand, the incident that started this is childish because Lillie was a small child when it happened. But little things are big things for children. There is no distinction. If you write off children and ignore them for the little things, they won't tell you about the big things. The lesson Lillie learned from it was clear and stayed with her until the end of the series: that anything that didn't have a "logical" explanation to justify them (like feelings and emotions) did not matter to Lusamine or, worse, were something shameful that must be denied, hence her quickly hiding behind (often very unconvincing) arguments that her responses are based entirely in logic.

Lusamine’s not intentionally abusive and loves her kids and, unlike a lot of real life abusive narcissistic parents, actually tries to make amends and become a better person, so I’m actually really fond of this Lusamine, she's a very nice in-between of heroic (she tried to sacrifice herself to save her children from Nihilego, to make up for not being there for Lillie in the past, becoming more involved in her children's lives again) and the utterly controlling and cruel monster she was in the original games (which was heightened/exaggerated by the neuroteoxin removing her inihibitions).

Also, Lillie lagged behind the other kids because her mother had become such a workaholic, that Lillie did not know basic life skills like cooking (the last time she cooked with her kids is a very, very distant memory), Lillie also looked uncomfortable with Professor Burnet brushing her hair (likely because she felt it was too much to be shown basic care like this), and watched her in amazement afterwards... Lillie is unused to basic, every day motherly care, because her mother is not around.

[byhees]

blow out the candles.

엔하이픈 형선 ・ female reader + word count 400 genre fluff established relationship warnings not proof-read kissing skinship mention of food — more

a/n. because it’s hanni and myself’s birthday!! ^^

heeseung

would probably prepare a whole four minute video message for your birthday; would use cute little effects for decorative purposes— definitely has some fading heart transition in the middle of the video; would surprise you with it, convincing you that it’s some hit movie that recently came out.

would definitely pepper your face with sweet, little celebratory kisses the minute you wake up; says “happy birthday, baby!” about forty times throughout the day, each one paired with a megawatt smile.

jongseong

would put his kitchen skills to the test by baking you a birthday cake; deliberately comes home earlier than usual to prepare all the ingredients and equipments for his little baking fiasco; will use your favourite colours for the icing; would attempt to draw a small, wobbly drawing of you both, adding a little touch of sprinkles around the portrait.

would engulf you in so, so many hugs— back hugs, bear hugs, anything, you name it; he holds you like you’re the most precious thing to have ever grace his life— because to him, you are.

jaeyun

would probably write you an extremely long birthday card; instead of decorating it conventionally, he’d likely add his own personal touch to the card; would paste stickers that, oddly, remind him of you; presents it to you with the prettiest smile ever, eyes curving into little crescents.

would make it known that it’s your birthday, even in public spaces; gives you the ultimate taste of princess treatment, because even though you’re always special to him, your birthday calls for you to be extra, extra special.

sunghoon

would surprise you with a handmade gift, and a pretty bouquet of flowers— he would have asked for your favourite kind days ago, trying to lessen the suspicion that followed the random question; loves to see that twinkle in your eyes when you realise his cute little scheme.

would give you the same amount of kisses as the age you’re turning— on your lips, on your cheeks, on your forehead; kisses you an additional time because why not; ends the day with a soft “i hope to celebrate many more with you like this, love”.

taglist open! @halcyoni-ki @wondipity @yjjungwon @shysakuno @niktwazny303 @vnsux @minhosify @haechansbbg @yeomha @stepout-09-15 @chansburgah @sona-verse01 @lilly-bubblelops @smouches @mrchweeee @luvistqrzzz @j1nniee networks! @kflixnet @enhanet @k-labels

[therealcocoshady]

Request:

Marshall having to miss Lilly’s birthday because he’s on tour

Happy birthday

Author’s Note : Thank you for your request ❤️. I had a blast writing this ! I hope you enjoy it 🙈.

Tags : Fluff

2019

Before leaving for his tour, Marshall had apologized to you about three hundred times. You had just gotten engaged and he had to leave you to plan the wedding on your own, while he was touring Europe for a month and a half. The two of you didn’t want to wait to get married and agreed to do it as soon as he came back. The day before he left for his tour, the two of you almost went to city hall to get married in a haste. You couldn’t wait to finally be married and officially be a family. In truth, neither of you really cared about having a lengthy ceremony, a reception or proper wedding attire. You just wanted to be married. But as you were ready to get in the car and get to city hall before closing time, you were met with doubts, especially Marshall. 

Should we do it ?  Are you sure ? He asked. 

I’m game if you are, you said with a smile. I can’t wait to be your wife. 

I can’t wait to be your husband. Won’t you regret having a proper ceremony, though ? He asked. 

I don’t care, you said. But if you’d rather wait, we can do it too… 

I don’t want to wait, he said. But maybe… Maybe we can call my daughters ? They wouldn’t want to miss it. 

Of course, you said. Maybe we could have one of them FaceTime my parents so that they don’t miss it either ? 

Great. And we should celebrate a little, maybe go to dinner ? He suggested.

Should I dress up, then ? You asked. If we’re going out after, I should at least wear a nice dress. 

I should at least put on a nice shirt, then, he agreed. 

Ok, we get dressed, book dinner, call the girls and my parents and off we go, you said. 

Should we call Paul, Denaun and Tracy ? He asked. They were here when we met, they’re our closest friends, they should be celebrating with us. 

Ok, but then perhaps Royce too ? You asked. And do they bring their significant others ? 

You stopped and stared at each other before bursting out in a fit of laughter. He kissed you lovingly. 

Who are we kidding ? He chuckled. 

Do you… Do we want an actual party ? You asked. 

I think I do, he admitted. I love you, I can’t wait for you to be my wife, but I think I’d regret not celebrating properly. You deserve actual vows, a nice place to get married, a first dance… I want us to do this the right way. And I don’t think your mom would forgive us if she wasn’t there to attend, and possibly have a little figurine of herself on top of the cake. 

You’re right, you giggled. But I don’t want to wait too long, though. Let’s do it when you get back, ok ? 

Ok, he agreed. Right after I get back, I’m marrying the shit out of you and you’re mine forever. 

I’m already yours forever, you said cheekily as you showed him your engagement ring. 

It had been a couple of months since he got on one knee at dinner and proposed with the most beautiful ring you had ever seen. You should have gotten used to the rock sitting on your engagement finger by now, but you were still giddy every time you looked at it. Knowing that he took your daughter with him when he went to pick the ring also made it that much more meaningful. That very night, he also stated his intention of adopting Lily and caring for her. Ever since you’d met, he had always been incredible to her and, even though the adoption wasn’t official yet, he was very much a father figure to her. You knew leaving her for six weeks was just as hard for him as leaving you. By his own admission, he loved your little routine as a family and was going to miss it while on tour. Sadly, he was also going to miss her second birthday. Unfortunately, the tour had been planned before the two of you started dating, so there was no way he could have known. He was gutted, though, and he kept on apologizing to the both of you. 

It’s fine, you said. We’ll celebrate with you when you get back. 

It’s not the same, he shrugged. But I’d like that. 

If anything, you’ll miss the party with all the kids from daycare, so you’re pretty lucky, you giggled. I sort of want to skip it… 

Why did you plan it in the first place, then ? He mused. 

Because apparently, it shows that your kid and family are socially adjusted, you explained. And if I- if we want her to get into the right preschool… 

You’re still set on that fancy preschool, aren’t you ? He asked with a raised eyebrow. 

You still think that’s stupid ? You asked. 

I think preschool is preschool, he chuckled. My kids didn’t go to any fancy preschool or kindergarten. In fact, they went to all public schools and did great. But if you think it’s what’s best for Lily, sure. 

Yeah but now that you’re adopting her, you should have a say- you began. 

Doesn’t matter, he said. I’m not against it. In fact, if you want me to foot the bill, I will, happily. But, just in case she doesn’t get in : you should remember it’s preschool, not Harvard, and that her life won’t be ruined if she goes to a public preschool. I’m pretty sure they use the same crayons anyway. 

True, you giggled. I know it’s stupid, you know ? But Lily is my first and only child. I only want the best. I know you have more experience with your girls. I should probably chill… You know better.

I don’t know if I know better, he chuckled. You’re the best Mom she would ask for. Plus, you know… When I had my daughters, I wasn’t in the same position as now. I wasn’t able to be as present, physically and mentally, too. But Lily… was Lily’s going to get the best version of me. 

We’re pretty lucky to have you, you said lovingly. 

I’m pretty lucky too, he said. I’m really going to miss you. I’m not even gone and I can’t wait to be back, already.

Hopefully, we don’t burn the house down with that wild Project X party for her birthday, you joked. Are you sure you’re ok with me hosting it here ? 

You live here, now, don’t you ? He said with a smile. Besides, the house survived Nathan and the parties he threw when I was on tour and he lived here, so it should be fine with the kids from daycare. 

You were still navigating your new life as Marshall’s fiancée. Before your engagement, you didn’t live together but after he asked for your hand, you ended up moving in with him in his house. You still weren’t too used to the place. Before, you spent most of your time in your house, since all of Lily’s stuff was there. But given his celebrity status, Marshall needed his security nearby and it made more sense for you to move into his house, which was in a gated community, than for him to move into yours. You liked the place and he had made the cutest bedroom and playroom for Lily, who absolutely loved it, but you had yet to claim the place as yours. Though now that you would be left here alone for six weeks, you’d have no choice. 

On the morning he left for his tour, the goodbye was bittersweet. As a collaborator who worked for Shady Records and his biggest supporter, you were excited for him because you knew he loved performing, but as his fiancée, it was hard to let him go. He was standing by the door, bags in his hand, ready to cross the threshold. You were holding Lily, ready to say goodbye. Six weeks would be too long. He let go of his bags to hug you one last time. 

I’m going to miss you, he said. I’ll FaceTime everyday, alright ? Or at least, as much as I can. 

Sure, you said. Say bye to Dad, Lily ? 

Bye, she said in her little voice. 

Bye baby, he said softly. Take care of your Mom, alright ? And don’t become a giant while I’m gone. 

He kissed her little head and she giggled. You tried to get her to say « Bye Dad » but referring to Marshall as her father wasn’t natural for her yet. He wasn’t bothered by it, though, and said that she’d use the word in due time. 

Bye, my love, he said before kissing you tenderly. I love you. 

I love you too, you said. Have a safe flight. And say hi to everyone for me. 

Will do, he said. See you in six weeks. 

You nodded and watched him leave, tears in your eyes. As soon as she saw the car leave the property and the tears in your eyes, Lily understood that Marshall might be gone for longer than usual and started to cry. You knew it was going to be a long few weeks. However, Marshall kept true to his words. He FaceTimed you every night and even read a couple of stories to Lily, who was always happy to see him on the screen. The tour was going great and he was having fun, though he missed you a lot. As for you, you kept working and planning the wedding. At least, this kept you busy. 

Two days before Lily’s birthday, you were looking at your phone and showing her pictures and videos of Marshall on stage and she finally pronounced the magic word. 

Daddy ! She shrieked. 

That’s right my love ! You said happily. That’s Daddy. Oh he’s going to be so happy ! 

You couldn’t wait to tell Marshall Lily had finally referred to him as Daddy. Though you wished he’d been able to hear it for himself. You had two weeks left before finally seeing him and you couldn’t wait for your little family to be reunited. That’s when you decided that enough was enough and, without second-thought, you decided to book plane tickets to join him in Europe. You never thought your daughter would have a father but now she had one and your little ray of sunshine deserved to have her favorite person by her side for her second birthday. And since he couldn’t make it home, home would make it to him. You immediately started packing and called Tracy. 

What’s up beautiful ? She asked. Marshall’s on stage right now. Want me to get him to call you back when the show’s over ? 

Hey ! No need, you giggled. I thought I should give you a heads up… I’m flying to Europe with Lily. We’re packing right now. 

Seriously ?! She asked. It’s going to be great to see you girls. He’s going to be so excited when I tell him ! 

Can you not ? You asked. I thought I’d surprise him ! 

Oooh that’s a good idea, she said with excitement. Do you need me to book your flights ? 

I’m good, thanks, you said. I just wanted to let you know. We’ll be in Sweden tomorrow afternoon. 

I’ll send the details of the hotel so that you can drop off the bags, and tell security to let you in the arena, Tracy offered. And if you need me, I’m one phone call away ! 

You were incredibly thankful for Tracy. She was the first person you befriended when you started working for Shady Records and she had been instrumental in your relationship with Marshall. In fact, she was the very person who told you to go for it, and who opened your eyes to the fact that he was into you. 

As soon as your bags were packed, you got in the car with Lily, heading for the airport and ready to catch the first flight for Sweden. You couldn’t wait to see Marshall. 

It was Lily’s first long flight, going out of the country, and it turned out to be an absolute nightmare. You had only managed to book economy tickets and you had to sit through an entire flight with your daughter in your lap while she was all fussy. You tried playing with her, reading to her, letting her play with her phone (even though you were absolutely against the idea of kids playing with technology) but nothing would do. Your back hurt and you knew you’d have to face the music and deal with jet lag, all while trying to work remotely for the duration of your stay. But regardless, it was worth it : you were determined to spend Lily’s second birthday with Marshall. Before the flight, you also took care of canceling the party, making up excuses and saying that Lily was sick. When you touched down in Stockholm, you were excited, despite the lack of sleep. Lily was starting to be sleepy as well, which made her less  energic. Travelling with a toddler wasn’t too easy and, since you couldn’t pack the stroller with you, you had to carry her, as well as your bag, hers and the diaper back. So much for packing light. You only planned on being gone from home a few days but, even with the bare necessities, it was a lot. Thankfully, you got the help of a very nice taxi driver who took you to the arena. It was 2:00 and you knew that, around that time, Marshall was probably starting soundcheck. You grabbed your phone and let Tracy know you were on your way. It had been on airplane mode for hours and you just realized you had missed calls from Marshall, as well as texts asking if you were alright and if you were mad at him. As soon as you got out of the cab, you found Tracy waiting for you in front of the arena. She hugged both you and Lily and helped you with your bags. 

I made arrangements with the hotel this morning, they’ll have a crib set up in Marshall’s suite for Lily, she said. 

You’re a godsend ! She’s been fussy the whole flight, hasn’t slept one bit… I can’t wait to put her down for a nap, hopefully get some rest, you confessed. 

Someone else’s been fussy, she pointed out. He was gutted that you wouldn’t pick up the phone right before Lily’s birthday… 

I didn’t even think of that, you said earnestly. 

Don’t worry, all will be forgiven as soon as he sees both of you, she said reassuringly. 

You entered the arena and she led you backstage, where you greeted by the whole team. Paul was surprised to see you and you had to say that you had come on impulse and moved your schedule around. He was still your boss and it hadn’t really occurred to you that you should keep him informed. However, as always, he was understanding and you suspected it had something to do with Lily hugging him and cooing « Unc Paul ». Your baby had Marshall’s whole team wrapped around her finger. Seeing all these familiar faces gave her a surge of energy and she was all giddy. You were led to the side of the stage, where you could see Marshall and Denaun doing sound check. They were absorbed and didn’t see either you or Lily. However, your daughter immediately spotted her Dad and favorite Uncle and she started shrieking. 

Daddy ! She said. 

You want to go and see him, baby ? You asked. 

Yes ! Daddy !!! M’ere ! She called. 

However, with the music being so loud, no one could hear her. You put her down and she immediately started running towards Marshall, who had his back turn and had no idea Lily was coming his way. You immediately took out your phone to capture the sweet moment. At some point, Porter spotted her and smiled as he stopped everything. 

Look who’s-

DADDY !!! Your daughter shrieked. 

Marshall turned and, as soon as he spotted Lily, you could see his face light up. He put the mic down and lowered himself for Lily to run in his arms. He engulfed her in a big hug and held her tightly. 

What’s my name ? How did you call me ? He asked with the biggest smile. 

Daddy ! She repeated with pride. 

That’s right, baby ! Daddy missed you so much, he added as he kissed the top of her head. 

He looked around and finally spotted you. You stopped recording and ran to hug him as well. You held each other for a long minute, savoring each other’s presence. 

God I missed you, he said as he buried his face in your neck. 

I missed you too, you said. We missed you. 

I’m so glad you’re here, he said. I was worried when you didn’t pick up the phone last night. 

Sorry, you said. I was on the plane when you called. I wanted Lily to have her favorite person by her side for her second birthday. 

You’re amazing, he praised before kissing you. I’m so happy to see the two of you. Wait, I lost track of time… it’s today, right ? 

It is, you giggled. 

Happy birthday, baby, he told Lily before kissing her. 

I can’t believe our baby is two, you said emotionally. 

I can’t believe you flew all the way here, he replied. I’m so happy. You’re amazing. 

I wouldn’t have been able to sit through this party and celebrate when Lily doesn’t have you by her side, you said. It doesn’t feel right. Birthdays are a family thing. 

How about preschool ? He asked with a raised eyebrow. I know one of the moms at daycare is the director… 

Don’t care, you chuckled. My baby has her Daddy by her side and that’s all that matters. 

You stayed by Marshall’s side during soundcheck and attended his performance. Lily was wearing noise-reducing headphones and she was excited to see her Dad performing, jumping around and interacting with fans. It was a shame she was too young to remember it later, but she seemed to be having a blast. At some point, though, she fell asleep I your arms, absolutely exhausted by the time difference and the whole flight spent without closing her eyes. She had slept a bit during the day but it wasn’t enough. You were rocking her, holding her close to you when Marshall walked off the stage after the show. You could see him melt as he saw her asleep. 

She’s so cute, he commented. 

She was a handful, you replied. I’m glad she’s asleep. 

I can’t wait for her to wake up, though, he chuckled. We haven’t even celebrated her birthday yet ! 

We can just have cake and make her blow on a candle tomorrow, you giggled. She won’t mind that it’s a day late. She won’t remember anyway. But at least, we’re together. That’s all that matters.

I’m so happy to have my girls with me, he said lovingly. Now, how about we hand Lily to Tracy for a second and you help me shower ? 

You giggled and agreed. Tracy had always been a doting aunt figure for Lily and she had absolutely no problem watching her - not that it was too much trouble when Lily was sleeping peacefully. As soon as you were alone in his dressing room, Marshall locked the door and kissed you passionately before pining you against the wall. 

God, I missed you, he said in between kisses. 

Missed you too, you whispered. Missed this. 

He chuckled and removed his tee-shirt. After almost two hours on stage, he was a sweaty mess but you didn’t care one bit. If anything, you liked his scent and were even more attracted to him - which you could probably blame on your compatible pheromones. You playfully ran your hands on his chest, in his back, happy to finally be able to touch him. He reciprocated by helping you out of your clothes and, soon enough, you were in the shower, kissing sloppily while lathering each other in body wash. You enjoyed the warm water pouring over you, relaxing your muscles after a long trip, as well as Marshall’s hands all over your body, teasing your breasts, grabbing your butt… The two of you couldn’t get enough of each other. While you were apart, you sent a great deal of nudes and sexy texts to each other but nothing compared to the real deal. You weren’t sure if you had to blame it on your exhaustion (his from the show, yours from the trip) or simply the euphoria of being reunited, but you swore the both of you never came this quickly before. You simply laughed it off and cuddled for a while on the couch. You were taken out of your little bubble when you heard Tracy knock on the door. 

Hey lovebirds, she giggled. Time to drive to the hotel. 

You quickly got dressed and went to get Lily. You expected her to be sleeping but, instead, you found her wide awake, playing with Denaun. Obviously, the little one was too happy and didn’t care too much about rest and sleep, much to your dismay. Toddlers were a handful and, even though Lily was a rather easy child, you definitely liked it more when she had proper rest. Otherwise, she could get a bit difficult, like any other child her age. Denaun was teaching her how to answer the question : « Who’s the GOAT ? » (apparently, « Nauny » was the only acceptable answer). 

Finally, you two, Denaun grinned. Finally got it out of your system ? 

Shut up, Marshall chuckled. 

Not before the wedding, you said innocently. 

Check it out, guys… Lily, who’s the GOAT ? He asked. 

Naun- DADDY ! She giggled as soon as she saw Marshall pointing at himself. 

Fuck you, man, Denaun sighed. Took me twenty minutes to get her to say it ! 

Language, Marshall scolded as he took Lily in his arms. That’s right babygirl. Daddy’s the GOAT. 

Marshall was still beaming over the fact that he had finally earned the « Daddy » title and proudly carried Lily on his shoulder on the way to the car. Once you were at the hotel, everyone gathered in Marshall’s suite for dinner, which mainly consisted of snacks. You tried to get your daughter away from the sugary snacks and scolded Denaun for sneaking her some, but it was a lost cause. Even Marshall indulged her. 

If she has sugar this late, she won’t sleep as well, you pointed out. 

But she’s so happy, your fiancé pointed out. And it’s her birthday… 

Speaking of which, Tracy said, it’s time to blow candles, don’t you think ? 

You hugged your friend, who had taken the time to order a small cake with candles from room service as soon as she learned you were coming. Everyone sang your baby happy birthday and she was elated to have some of her people with her. When it was time to go to bed, you went to the bathroom to brush your teeth while Marshall put your daughter in her PJs. You walked in on him holding her and gently rocking her as she was yawning. He was so absorbed that he didn’t see you. 

Happy birthday again, my princess, he said with a smile. I’m so happy Mommy brought you here. I missed you so much. I swear to God, and I swear to you, I’ll never be away on your birthday again.