#once again everybody give it up for the loverboy of all time….

[yuwuta]

Your thing about katsuki losing his shit when u don’t answer his calls is hilarious to me bc he definitely would and since that’s just roommates that implies that when you’re actually like together he’d be so much worse (And eren does this too I can’t help but bring him up)

he takes it so so seriously it’s comical. ever since katsuki started at ua, he’s acted like he’s your government assigned bodyguard, too. and through all the attacks and shit that happened while he was in school, he really doesn’t take any chances, so he needs you to pick up the damn phone when he calls. you guys only became roommates because he was one missed call away from having a heart attack, please he does not play around when it comes to you. showing up to your place of employment at 2pm in full hero gear and dirt on his face because he called you thrice between 11am and 1:32pm and texted twice and you still didn’t answer so he’s coming to check up on you himself.

missing a call from him while you’re on way home from work bc you were underground on the subway, and not even realizing until you open the door and there’s katsuki standing in the entryway with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face and looks to your phone sticking out of your bag, taps on it, and dramatically goes “oh, so it does work!” to which you roll your eyes, and earn a poke to the nose and katsuki grumbling, “answer when i call, dummy,”’ before going back to the kitchen to finish dinner. he’s such a brat about it (and the only reason he didn’t go collect you from the train station out of panic is because you two have each other’s locations now—in an effort to stop dynamight from interrupting your work meetings).

when you two finally start dating, honestly it calms a bit. naturally, you’re spending more time together, and less virtual communication is needed. his panic really only sets in when there’s an attack or a villain on the run. he calls you before and after missions—sometimes he calls during them, he’s got to make sure that you’re okay, that you’re safe, that he can come back to you when it’s all said and done. all his friends say he’s whipped but katsuki really couldn’t care less, he needs you to be there. and let the record show, that when you call him first, he always comes running

[en-vys]

mammon - lectures.

summary: you promised mammon that if he finished his homework for once, or listened to his teachers lectures you’d take him out for a date.

warnings: sfw, mild flirting, suggestive themes, substitute teacher!reader x student!mammon, age gap… idk how old mammon is but you are 25 in human years, mc is another character referred multiple times as “human” or “the other one” original obey me, very much ooc mammon, loverboy mammon

“HEY I JUST think that you should go out with me y’know.” ‘just great. another flirty student, i thought they’d be a bit decent but then again its like im in hell’ you rolled your eyes as you called on another student

“simeon? what do you think the french could’ve done better to resolve the whole infestation with the plague?” he looks at you intently for a minute before starting “ms. l/n i have no intentions of being rude but who are the french?”

‘oh right. i’m not in the overworld anymore.’ “never mind then, i apologize.” the bell rings, indicating the students may leave and go to their next classes.“hey, y/n.” ‘are you serious right now’ you think as you continue skimming through pages of work

“yes mr. mammon. and it’s ms. l/n to you.” he shrugs it off and continues walking up to you “when are you free so i can take you out? y’know show you around and such…” giving him your most “sincerest” smile you say “no thank you, your brother lucifer has offered to show me around personally.”

“o-oh really?” he seemed a bit shocked. “well yes,” you continued “since you are busy with the other human in this realm.” you didn’t even need to look at him to feel the flusteredness of the poor demon.

“when can i ever take you on a date! please! i know almost everybody at this damned school! please!” you snickered “mr. mammon your classes-” “your class is my last class. or have you forgetten ma’am?”

“you are an interesting student mammon.” you say, placing your glasses onto the top of your head. “but you.” placing a finger towards his heart, “you seem to be rather… how do i say this..” his eyes start to sparkle, “hot, steamy, rich, hot, smart, rich, oh did i mention that i’m rich?”

“ludicrous. thats the word!” you say snapping your fingers, his smile fading into a look of displeasure.. almost as if he was pouting.. “ms. l/n~” mammon groaned. “i want to take you out on a date! it’s not like iwanttomarryyouordateoranything”

mumbling the last part as he went to the other side of your desk, propping a chair next to you. “i want you. i may look young but i am older than you!” you look at him, shaking your head “i’ll go out with you. the next time i sub for your teacher.”

his eyes gleamed in happiness, “really?” you nodded, shocked as you felt a small peck on your cheek as he giggled in his seat. “but.. you must promise me to listen to your teachers lectures and finish all your homework- and no. you cannot use anybody to help you besides lucifer. and. AND. I will have people check on you.”

he seemed disgusted by your rules, but overall pleased with the fact that you agreed to let him take you out. “i promise!” that was all you needed to hear from him. “see you then, mammon. and say hello to the human for me. it takes awhile to get used to being here”

he nods, as he exits the classroom. thanking you once more. chanting, “thank you ms. l/n !” on and on hearing once he reached the end of the hallway “i got a date with ms. l/n !”

[the-starry-seas]

headcanons about Bee, Star, and Winter, because I've been talking about them with @loverboy-havocboy and I love them tbh

Bee:

His hair is long enough to be halfway down his back in a braid. When he's nervous, he reaches behind his back to tug at the end of his braid.

He likes the taste of nuts but not the crunchy texture so he just. Eats an extraordinary amount of peanut butter. His favourite candy are Reese's cups.

Do not trust him to cook, he will set things on fire and have no idea how it happened. But he's really good at finding recipes that everybody loves and follows a bunch of cooking blogs.

He has like seven bottles of screen cleaner on his desk and he never uses any of them, he just keeps cleaning his glasses on his shirt.

All his non-work outfits are open-back to show off his tattoo. For fancy black-tie events, he puts his hair up in updos with a bunch of glittery pins. His favourite set of pins are gold ones that are shaped like bees.

He wants more tattoos but he's worried about not liking them once he has them. He's most likely to get a matching tattoo with one of his squad or a lover.

The first time he smelled vanilla extract, he took a shot from the bottle because obviously it would taste so much better- Anyway there were real tears and he still gets a little :/ whenever he smells vanilla candles.

He loves pine-scented everything. One year he flirts his way into getting all the chopped-off branches from a Christmas tree tent and it's the best Christmas of his life.

Star:

He has anxiety that tends to manifest as anger issues and Winter is the only one who can calm him down. He hates that he still gets angry about Winter but mostly he's scared that he might somehow hurt Winter.

Cheetos guy. He will go through a family-sized bag of Cheetos in two minutes or less. It's honestly impressive. Winter got him a set of those finger guards and Star unironically loves them.

The first time he went to an arcade, he tried all afternoon to win a five-foot-tall stuffed panda and ended up just paying $100 to the guy running the counter to give it to him. His name is Bamboo.

He can tell owls apart by their calls but he doesn't like other birds. He specifically doesn't like the way their heads bob when they walk, he thinks it's weird.

He keeps getting commercial jingles stuck in his head and he really hates it. Sometimes he hums them when he's brushing his teeth and Winter is like "...what on earth is that" and then Star has to pout about it being even more stuck in his head because he thought about it.

He started fencing in high school and competed all the way until graduation. After that be took a break for a few years before he joined a local team and started competing again. He has a massive collection of foils and swords on display at home.

He has a jewellery care sheet taped up next to the bathroom mirror and takes his rings for cleaning every other month. It's the thing he takes most seriously in his life. He doesn't wear anything but his rings.

He does, however, wear black smoky eyeliner and lipstick. It's his favourite way to accessorise. For special occasions, he breaks out candy-red lipstick.

Winter:

In addition to his rings, he wears a locket with pictures of his twins. He was scared about them meeting Star, because Winter would have ended any relationship if his kids didn't like the other guy, and Star could be difficult. But they all got along so it's good!

He has a motorcycle, specifically a candy-red Honda Gold Wing. His riding outfit is a matching candy-red helmet and leather cowboy boots, a black leather jacket, a light blue button-down, and black jeans.

Tuesday evenings are for dining out. He has a list of restaurants he wants to try and keeps reviews of them all in a notebook so he can remember which ones he liked and what their best food is.

He picked out transparent reading glasses on a whim because they seemed cool and novel. He loses them constantly. He refuses to get another pair as long as they still work, to the annoyance of just about everyone around him.

Loves the beach but is scared of the deep ocean. There's shit down there that he simply doesn't want to know about.

Unironically thinks that Bigfoot might exist.

He puts paper umbrellas in all his drinks. Also he keeps forgetting to drink water so he adds in powdered mixes. He likes fruit flavours for those, but his favourite Gatorade flavour is light blue and he has exactly zero idea what it tastes like.

An entire bookcase in his office is dedicated to all the Father's Day gifts that the twins got him. He puts another bookcase next to it for anniversary gifts.

[koulakoukoula2003]

Confession (Levi x Reader)

Pairing: Levi x Reader, Levi x You, Levi x OC

Genre: Fluff, sooooo much fluff

Trigger warning: strong language cuz it's Levi what did you expect lol

Summary: After rushing you all the way from Utgard Castle to a hospital in Trost, Levi finds himself driven in the verge of despair. The thought of losing you -you, the person he grew up with in the Underground. You, the woman who had stood by him for as long as he can remember- it’s just too much to deal with. He has to let you know how he feels, because he may never get the chance again. 

You’re both living in a cruel world, after all. 

A/N: This is the second part from my latest shortfic. If you wanna read the previous part, it’s right here Part 1. But you won’t have to if you’re feeling lazy 🤣 It’s written in 3rd Person’s POV. 

Light slowly penetrated her eyelids as she began to stir. (Y/n) realised her head wasn’t resting back against a soft pillow. She could tell she was covered in blankets, but hands were around her too. Warm fingers were tangled between her own and the weight of a man’s cheek pressed on the top of her forehead. A rhythmic heartbeat thrummed beneath her ear, and she knew her cheek was pressed against his chest.

It was Levi, wasn’t it? She could tell she was in a hospital from the whiteness of the room’s walls. Had he really taken her there? Wasn’t it dangerous to go out in titan territory all on his own and rush his way there with her unconscious body? But she had to remind herself. Nothing was dangerous for Levi.

Levi had saved her life. He risked going out on his own only to take her back to safety, and fast. She was supposed to be dead. There was a time that she might’ve wanted that, but there was something that had brought tears in her eyes the moment she realised she was going to die last night. It was the thought of never seeing him again. It was the thought of never getting to tell him how much she loved him.

But everything was alright now. He had brought her to safety. He had saved her life. She was on a bed, but he was holding her. Her body was resting back against his own, and his hands were keeping both her own warm beneath the blankets. But then the pain returned. It returned and it stung harshly in her stomach, but thankfully, she could say she had stopped losing blood. Still, she let out a wince that she didn’t have enough time to muffle back.

That wince was loud enough to snap his eyes open and look down at her worriedly. “Are you okay? Are you in pain? Wait here. I’ll go get the doc-” Levi’s hands let go of her own, and he tried to stand up and walk away, but she grasped his hands and kept him in place.

“No. Stay,” Having her asking him to stay. It startled him. But he welcomed that request. He laced their fingers together once more, and he watched her as she buried her face in his neck like a kitten, starved of affection. She breathed shakily and she shut her eyes as it all came back to her.

Mike being squeezed to death. Nanaba and Gelgar being torn apart, whilst shouting her name for help. Lynne and Henning being crushed beneath debris, and Ymir being cannibalised alive. (Y/n) was too weak to protect any of them. Too wounded and too weak to do anything. She had given it all after her ODM got useless. She had no choice but to dive into her own death. Accept defeat, and give in. Jump from the tower right into a titan’s mouth. She couldn’t stand back and watch the terrified looks in the faces of those children of the 104th.

“It was… terrifying,” Her voice cracked and tears overflowed her eyes and slipped down her cheeks unexpectedly. She hadn’t realised how much scared she was until she remembered how being safe feels. Her hands let go off his and reached for his shirt, grasping it and bringing him closer. Clutching onto the only man that could bring her relief and reassurance. “I thought I was going to die…” Another tear slipped down her cheek “…I thought I was never going to see you again-”

“It’s alright, now, (y/n),” Levi cut her. A hand found her back, clutching on her shirt, the other, her hair, pressing her face against his chest. He pressed a kiss on her forehead. “I’ve got you. I always have,”

“Thank you, Levi,”

Was she really thanking him? “Oi, what the fuck are you even thanking me about?” Levi pulled back to look down at her. He pressed his forehead against her own. A rough thumb found her cheeks and wiped away her tears. “I’d do anything for you,”

Those words drew her mind away from the terrors of last night, and she stared into those silver eyes finally realising how much scared he too must have been last night. She knew she meant a lot to him, and he meant a lot to her, but what were they to each other anymore? They’ve been friends. Best friends. Comrades. What now? Levi didn’t know whether it’d be the wrong choice that would ruin everything. And he didn’t know whether it’d be the right choice that would fix everything. 

But fuck it. He was tired of waiting. He had to grasp the chance for as long as they had left. He had her now, but he could lose her tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow. Or some other time. He had to grasp the chance whilst she was still there. In his arms. 

And just like that, he stole her first kiss. His lips engulfed her own and it left her wide-eyed for a moment. She couldn’t believe this was actually happening. But she melted right away. His tongue penetrated her lips and met her own. He hummed upon her taste and his hands clutched around her bringing her closer. She wasn’t pushing him away. She was kissing him back. Her hand found his face. Her soft thumb stroked his cheek and he realised he couldn’t stop tasting her. It was her first kiss, and it was addicting.

He only pulled back to allow her to breathe. She looked hazed and mesmerised. Her taste was still on his lips and his hands found her face, making sure he had her attention. “Do you understand now why I need you to be safe?” Levi asked. “I love you, (y/n),”

Those words were the words that she never thought she’d hear coming from him. Not like this. She never thought anybody would want her like this. For all she knew, she and Hange were the nerdy, crazy scientists that everybody was scared of. But Levi knew her better than that. No. He knew her better than anyone.

“I love you too, Levi,”

The words flew right out of her mouth before she even had the chance to think. But she couldn’t hold it back. Not now that she knew he felt the same. Not now that she new she didn’t have to debate on why he was holding her when she knew exactly why. He loved her. She couldn’t believe it. She could no longer feel the pain on her wound, and all those terrors from last night seemed to be far behind her.

Levi was still surprised that she felt the same. But he didn’t waste a moment further. He kissed her again and her fingers clutched around his shirt urging him to lean closer. His tongue gently danced with her own, and he couldn’t even begin to realise how much he wanted this. He wanted to keep tasting her. She was his. She had always been and it was now apparent to both of them. His arms tightened around her. He bit gently down on her lip and she let out soft whimper. Mine. Utterly.

“Oh boy, poor girl just woke up and you’re already on top of her!”

No. No, fuckin’, way. It was Hange. Levi’s eyebrow twitched from anger that he was suppressing. He gritted his teeth as he stopped kissing Nathalie and turned shooting a glare towards the entrance where Hange stood. They didn’t look good, but that didn’t stop him from shouting at them.

“Hange!” Levi growled. “Haven’t you learned how to knock?!”

“Section Commander! You’re supposed to be in bed!” Moblit cried out as he followed behind them. And he was right. Hange’s entire face and hands were red to the point that (y/n) could say that something had burned them. They were standing with the help of a crutch. Moblit didn’t look any better.

“Moblit’s right, you look like shit,” Levi agreed.

“I’m fine!” Hange cried out before they turned their attention back at the two. “I need to consult my fellow second in command scientist, provided loverboy here has any intention of getting off of her,”

(Y/n)’s hand reached for her cheek. A failed attempt to cover the blush that had started spreading down her neck. “R- Right-”

“Hange-” Levi growled again, but (y/n) sealed his lips with the palm of her hand and he turned and looked at her.

(Y/n) pulled her hand away and she gave him a smile. “It’s alright. You know how Hange gets,”

“Reiner and Berthold! THEY GOT EREN!” Hange cried out and the couple’s eyes widened. 

Oh shit. 

A/N: There you go!!! Feel free to reblog! Lemme know what you guys think! If you wanna read the continuation, it’s my huge ass Levi x OC fic on ao3. Thank you for reading!! 🥰🥰

[lovemesomeharry]

SPELLS AND CURSES

That’s my piece for @hsogolden’s 5k writing challenge. I hope you guys like it as I tried to do something I would’ve never thought of! Thanks to @hsogolden for making such a fun challenge and letting my lame ass participate in it. 💕

And last but not least, I really don’t know my way around witchcraft, so I apologise in advance if something doesn’t make any sense. I’ve tried my best with the research but I really don’t know if anything’s accurate. So, please read it with caution. And I hope it’s still somewhat enjoyable :)

Used AU’s

Witch!Harry

Villain!Harry

Used prompts

“You don’t seem so excited.”

“Oh, for fucks sake!”

“There’s only one way to find out.”

Warnings: Smut, Curse Words, Witch stuff (obviously), death

Words: 36.4k (it’s a long one)

Summary: Harry and Y/N never thought of seeing each other again but Harry needs help and Y/N is more clueless to his true intentions than she thought.

It was a quiet night, maybe even too quiet for what the Brit was usually used to. The chilly wind was hitting him in the face while he was walking towards the source of noise, drowning out the laughter and talks of the few people on the streets. The club, where he was headed, was awfully full, compared to the rest of the city and if it was up to him, he wouldn’t even be there. Why would he want to anyway? Something about crowded places with only sweaty, smelly, and intoxicated people never sounded extremely comfortable to him. Especially if the music was blasting in his ears, almost making them bleed, with the same obnoxious songs on repeat the whole night. After witnessing the greatest times of music, he was convinced that nowadays artists had no idea what they were doing and most of the time, their music wasn’t as good as they made it out to be. That’s why he preferred much more to get drunk in a small group of friends and sometimes even small parties or gatherings but not large clubs, as he wasn’t able to switch the music whenever he pleased, or was constantly sorrohnded by strangers who knew no personal space.

But to have fun was not the purpose of him being there and he needed to focus if he wanted to get the job done. So, he couldn’t distract himself by buying endless drinks of hoping he’d get a bit intoxicated, even if it meant to only be tipsy. His head had to be fully in the moment.

When he tried to walk through the door, the tall and bulky bouncer was already grabbing him by his arm, yanking him backward with no effort. Harry didn’t expect of him to just let him sneak inside. He very much hoped that he wouldn’t, as a playful smirk crept on his face. He knew he was going to love what was about to happen.

“Where do you think you’re going?” He asked in a monotone voice, trying his best to come off as strong and scary while Harry tried his best to stiffen his laughter. Humans were so pathetic sometimes but it wasn’t really their fault that they didn’t know that Harry would get inside, one way or another, and them fighting him would solely be a waste of time.

“Look man, I’m not trying to pick a fight, so, just let me get in.” His tone was calm and slow but yet vibrant, making sure his words would echo in his head. Harry tried his best to imitate him with the way he talked, as he was not tall, nor muscular enough to do so. It’s not that Harry wasn’t tall or musuclar, because he was tall and could pull more weights with his upper chest than most people with their whole bodies but he just couldn’t compare to the bouncer. 

But that didn’t seem to help. “No.” The man was shaking his head again while Harry took one step closer.

“I just–”

“–I said no.” Immediately the bouncer grabbed Harry by his shirt, pulling him away from the entrance. “You’re not invited.” He explained harshly with gritted teeth, his eyes staring directly into Harry’s green ones. He just smiled fondly, while keeping the bouncer’s gaze.

Slowly Harry leaned to him, whispering right before his furious face. “Quod dico facies.” His minty breath got stuck in the bouncer’s nose, while his words burned into his brain. His grip immediately loosened around Harry’s shirt and his gaze was not as strong as it was before. Even the anger had left him within seconds. Just like Harry wanted. With his hands, he seemed to straighten his clothes, before he turned to him again. “I’ll go inside, you won’t say anything about it and forget ever meeting me, got it?” As if it was music to the bouncer's ears, he nodded with his head in a complete trance. “Attaboy.” Harry chuckled, patting the bald man's head, as he would do to a dog, before he walked inside the stuffy, crowded, and dark room. Quickly he put his blazer back in place, dust the imaginary dirt off him, while he was still amused of how easy it was for him to get his way. He was so smug about being a witch and never would he give up his powers to be a lousy mortal. Ever.

As he walked further into the building more sweaty bodies collided with him, annoying him but he tried to play it off as he moved with the rhythm, searching for the person, he was in there for. Urgently, his emerald orbs were searching through the crowds, trying desperately to find the girl, who was a headache to locate. She really didn’t let him find her easily, as she was strong enough to be invisible to his magic. She was strong enough to channel his powers away from her but Harry wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t absolutely sure that she’d be here. He wouldn’t be in the messy club, in the first place, if she wasn’t such a powerful witch. After all she can be as invisible as she wanted to be to his magic but people will always talk.

Slightly, he was shoving people away from him when he finally found her, his prey. Her dark skin was shining in golden tones underneath the dim lights, almost exposing her as a witch, as she looked so eternal in her glowy, orange dress and her long nails, gripping the dark glass of her drink. Her wild curls were framing perfectly, while she flaunted her long legs on the barstool and for a moment Harry admired her beauty before he felt ready to go talk to her, swallowing a lump that was forming in his throat. Mentally he wanted to slap himself for the way his hands started to sweat nervously and his heartbeat rapidly against his ribcage. Of course, she was going to be absolutely breathtaking. The energy she radiated was enough to knock the air out of his lungs and he wondered how long it had taken her to master the craft the way she did. Not many witches were able to do black and white magic but she was, and that made her so incredibly powerful. Maybe sixty years ago, others would have treated like royalty because of it but now, no one really cared. Magiy wasn’t the way it used to, as most witches weren’t so reckless anymore. That’s why he feared that he would find someone like her, someone with her abilities. And that’s exactly what Harry wanted. He wanted –no, needed– her magic source to be his and he wasn’t going to stop until he finally has it.

“Hello.” He introduced himself with a deep, raspy voice and a charming smile tilting at his rosy lips, while his right hand went through his chestnut curls, knowing well that he was showing off his best features.

Her head turned around just for a second, scoffing when she caught a glimpse of him, before shifting her gaze to the barkeeper again. “You again, English man.” She dryly let out, not impressed of seeing him again.

“The one and only.” Sheepishly, Harry let out a humorous chuckle, as he remembered back to when he had met her for the first time. She didn’t really let him talk to her and was more busy at the witches market, pretending that he wasn’t even there. For a second his confidence wavered when he wondered whether or not she had seen, or remembered him. But she did. At least that was a start. He was glad that he had overheard her talking about her magic, since he was already on a hunt for someone like her and even if he hadn’t expect to find her while he was busy buying animal bones, crystals or some insects. 

“I won’t get rid of you that easily, won’t I?” She hissed and finally looked back at the man who tried his best not to frown. He wasn’t going to give up. Of course not. But he knew he had a long night ahead of him if she was going to stay this cold. “How did you find me anyway?”

“It’s not hard to find someone as gorgeous as you. Everybody notices and remembers.” He batted his eyelashes, leaning on the dark table next to her while looking deeply into her dark eyes. A glimpse of amusement sparkled in them. Of course, complimenting her would help him get to her. He was well aware of his charms, and the seductive fragrance he had used, helped him magically, in addition. And he knew how witches worked and what they liked. Every single one of them was stubburn and loved compliments, as their egos were no match to humans, or so it seemed.

A small smirk was playing at the corners of her full lips. “So you were asking around for me?” He was putting on his best act, even tried to act nervous, as if he was a naive, amateur witch, struck by her beauty and power. In a way, he was struck by her but he wasn’t as nervous. When he started chewing on his bottom lip, fidgeting with his fingers, and even managing to blush, she was forced to let out a girly giggle, fully believing his act. “Don’t get nervous now, rookie, and sit down.” He nodded delicately, before grabbing the stool’s soft leather and pushing it back, so he was able to sit down on it. Once Harry sat down, she continued fidgeting at her bracelet, to get it in the right position, where it wasn’t distracting her. “Why are you looking for me? What do you need?”

“Nothing.” Immediately Harry bit on his tongue, as the word bubbled out of his mouth, a little too fast for his liking. He couldn’t risk making her suspicious.

She narrowed her eyes, clearly not convinced by his fast and short answer. “I don’t believe you, loverboy.”

“Well, do I need to have a reason to admire you?” His grin was never fading and his voice remained strong. After all, he had done this before but he couldn’t deny that it was always nerve wrecking.

She laughed. “You really try to be charming, don’t you?” Her elbow was placed next to her drink, while she smiled widely at him before gripping his bicep with her hand and giving him a soft squeeze. Hot chills were running through Harry’s body, like electricity.

Knowingly, he leaned closer to her ear, whispering into it in his most seductive voice, as he knew he had her ego was strocked enough. “I’m not trying.” He didn’t attempt to grow some distance between their bodies, to make sure she'd smell what he was wearing, knowing exactly, that it would make her brain release more oxytocin. That’s exactly what he wanted, as he knew, it was going to increase her trust, make him seem more attractive than he already was, and– most importantly– it was going to increase her sex drive.

“I’m impressed. Most witches don’t have the guts to talk to me.”

“You’re already impressed? I can do so much more.”

She pursed her lips and it didn’t take Harry many more words before both of them ended up in his place, or at least the place he was staying at. It was a nice and expensive hotel that had a preference for marble floors and huge chandeliers. Harry enjoyed the finer things in life and he didn’t feel bad about it and seeing how her face lit up, he assumed, she didn’t either.

As his lips were trailing down her jaw and her chest, she made sure to push his hair out of his handsome face, to tug on them harshly. Delicately he hissed at her action, before he hid her face into her neck again, while the sweet scent of oranges filled his nostrils, almost hypnotizing him into inhaling it deeper. His plum lips left a trail down her chest, his hands roaming all over her body and his tongue began to explore her sweet skin. Even if making themselves both feel good wasn’t really his priority, it didn’t stop him from enjoying the moment. She felt so intoxicatingly good and all he felt in that moment was how his forehead began to sweat, his pants growing tighter. Slowly he pushed her against the wall, trailing his hands up and down her spine, causing goosebumps to cover her chocolate skin, and he didn’t hesitate before he slipped her dress off.

A smug smile adorned her flawless features. “Doesn’t seem too fair that you’re still so awfully clothed.” She noted, almost ripping his blazer and shirt off him, while he was busy slipping his pants off, leaving him only in his underwear. “Better.” Her hands gripped his neck, pulling him deeper into her, as her teeth began to carve into his heated skin, leaving small marks behind. Fiercely, he unclasped her bra, running his hands over her, already hardening, nipples before twisting them in between his fingers. He heard her moan, making him grip her harder before he started to kiss her bare chest, his tongue licking down her body before he was on his knees and his hands sliding down to her hips. The witch gripped the curly boy's head, pushing him between her legs. “Why don’t you put your mouth to good use?”

A smirk tugged at his lips. “Gladly.” Painfully slow, his teeth gripped at the fabric of her panties, tugging them down, while her dark eyes watched him impatiently. Once the fabric was out of the way, he made sure to leave many trails of kisses on the insides of her thighs, as his thumbs rubbed small circles on her hips.

Annoyed, she rolled her eyes. “Stop being a fucking tease.” The hand gripping his curls, tugged harder at them, sending a painful shiver down his spine. She pushed his face right between her legs, keeping him steady, as he had no other choice but to taste her and find out if she tasted as good as she smelled. Sinful sounds left both of their mouths, while he drove his tongue deeper and harder into her, covering himself in her juices, while he felt his cock painfully throbbing inside his pants. “Fuck. Just like that.” She let out with a shaky breath, making Harry laugh against her lips. Trembling vibrations were sent through her body, making the pleasure even more craving. Her words spurred him on even more before he dipped his fingers slowly into her wet core. Juices were instantly covering his ring cladded fingers, while he felt her legs trembling softly, as they were fighting to be open.

Even though he was making sure for her to feel good, his mind was tracing to his plan. He had to make sure that she was distracted enough, so she wouldn’t be able to stop him. That’s why he sucked harder, and his fingers went in and out of her faster and deeper. He felt her walls clenching around his fingers, while her moans began to get louder. It didn’t take him much more till her legs were properly shaking, her hands loosening their grip on his hair and a loud orgasm was given to her by him. Her juices still running down her inner thighs, he slowly lifted himself up from the floor. She was still trying to catch her breath, and he took his sweet time, prepping, even more, kisses on her neck, feeling her fast beating heartbeat.

“You taste so sweet.” He lulled into her ear, her completely oblivious to his hand reaching into his back pocket, revealing a sharp dagger. “Almost as sweet as you smell.” His tongue licked along her pulsating vein, knowing that it’ll stop soon enough. For a final time, he nuzzled his nose into her, letting her scent linger on him for a short time. “So sad, that it’ll all go to waste.”

“What?”

“I’m so sorry.” He said while he gripped her chin between his fingers, looking into her eyes. For a minute it seemed that he was admiring her eyes, but that facade was quickly destroyed, as his dagger cut through that beautiful skin of hers. A heavy whimper left her lips, as blood rushed down her body. An evil smirk evident on him when he watched the life slowly fading from her face.

“Y– Yo– You… asshole.” She stuttered, gripping her neck with her shaky hands while her mouth was open wide.

A deep laugh escaped his mouth, shaking his head. “Not my fault that you’re fooled so easily, my darling.” A wave of guilt overcame him when he saw the dark liquid running down her body, as she tried so desperately to make it stop, and maybe he would’ve tried to help her if he didn’t know what was at stake. No matter how hard he wanted to feel sorry for her, he forbade himself to. Her life was long enough, and her death wasn’t going to be a tragedy, but rather serve a bigger purpose. That’s why all the guilt escaped his body, his eyes turning a stone-cold color before he dipped his fingers into the dark liquid. “Thanks for everything, by the way.” Coordinated, he drew symbols on the walls. “You were much easier than other witches, but no one got me hard as fast as you did. I’ll give you that.” Effortlessly he drew every lines of the rune, he needed, before pressing his palm into the middle of the circle. “I’ll always be grateful.” Thick, sticky blood dripped down his hands when he exhaled deeply through his nostrils. “Nomine Omnes damnatos septem maria lunam, vires me confero.” A burning feeling overcame his body, as fire seemed to run through his veins. A sensation that was painful, yet powering at the same time and he would be lying if he said that he wasn’t addicted to it. 

He was addicted to feeling powerful. 

He was addicted to being powerful.

Too consumed in his ecstatic state, he completely forgot to keep his eyes on the dying witch. She wasn’t feeling better, in fact, she knew she was taking her last breaths, as she was sliding down the wall, leaving a dark red tail on the white wallpaper with flower patterns. Her shaky fingers drew one rune on her own, trying her best not to mess it up. “Virt– Virtus... omnia laterent... vafer om– omni ma– malo.” She whispered with the last strength inside of her, before pressing her palm on her drawing.

Immediately Harry’s eyes shot towards her, panic rising inside of him at the unknown spell she just cast. “What was this?” But she didn’t respond. Her limbs too weak to move, her eyes rolling back in her head as Harry strutted towards her with heavy steps. “You fucking bitch. What the fuck did you do?” Rapidly he shook her body, but she stayed still, as he felt all his previous power escape her body, leaving him with an empty feeling.

Scared, he looked down at his blood-smeared hands, trying his hardest to do something, anything.

“Lux a flamma usque.” Nothing.

“Ne flux aqua.” Nothing.

“Stone, parva et ipsum.” Nothing again.

Harry furiously shook his head, as he tried to find an explanation for his absence of magic. He didn’t know how to explain it, or how she had done it and most importantly, how to reverse it.

But he knew one thing, he knew he messed up.

With slow but steady steps Y/N walked down the foggy path, playing with the book in her hands while she whistled to an innocent tune as the birds seemed to join her on her walk through the dark forest. Grey clouds were above her, almost threatening to pour rain if she dared to stay outside any longer but that wasn’t one of her concerns. Stubbornly her head was still deeply buried inside her book that she wanted to read since she couldn’t find the time to lately.

It wasn’t necessarily that she hadn’t had time to read, because she did. Her daily routine didn’t take too much of her time and way too often she found herself being bored out of her mind. That’s why she had an impressive collection of books laying around at her cozy place and no matter how fond, or proud, she was of her house, she couldn’t read there. Maybe it was the silence that seemed to haunt her or the fact that she felt extremely lonely as she had no one near her. No neighbors, no family, and not even any human friends. And despite the fact that she didn’t socialite with anyone in that cafe, she felt a little less lonely when she saw the world around her with so many different people, as they went by, not realizing how interesting they were to her. Every single person had their own way of talking, moving, and even radiated different energy but yet, they all lived together in harmony. Or at least as harmonized as possible.

Y/N wanted to be a part of it sometimes, but she knew she would never fit in. There were too many differences between them and her, at least that’s what she told herself whenever she got scared of opening up. She really didn’t know how to. That’s why she always played with the thought of never going back to the cafe but she couldn’t stop when she remembered how her place feels like when she got a minute to herself and was able to drown in her thoughts.

Too often she visited the little space, where the world seemed to come to a halt and nobody dared to speak up or question her antics as she visited that place frequently, even though it wasn’t exactly near her home, or was easy for her to reach. She didn’t even remember when or how she found the cafe but she was convinced that there was no better place for her, if she wanted to feel included, once in her life. No one really talked to her, or at least not more than just a “hello” or “is the seat taken?” but it was enough for her to be a part of the moving crowd.

Her legs were carrying her dreadfully through the path covered with yellow, orange, red, and brown leaves. The world would have seemed so colorful with the birds singing and her footsteps echoing through the ending forest if it weren’t for the fog clouding her vision. But what else could anyone expect from an ordinary autumn day? Y/N was aware of the weather, so she was never surprised by it.

When the crowded trees came to an end and car sounds were getting louder, Y/N lifted her head up from the path, trying her best to spot the cafe that was located not too far away from the main road. Her hair was blown away by the cold breeze, painting her cheeks in a soft color and her hands gripped the hardcover of her romantic novel, as her steps became more eager, knowing well that she was almost at her destination.

It had been too many days since she had the time to visit the never heavily crowded place. Curiosity ate her up from the inside as she thought about her book, yet excitement spread through her body at the same time. She waited so long to finish it and originally it was her plan to have started a new one by now but her cat, Jupiter, got sick and she couldn’t bear to leave him alone. Also, Y/N knew that something had to be up if he got sick and she didn’t know what could’ve thrown the universe out of balance. Her familiar hardly ever got sick, unless something bad was going to happen, or if Y/N was sick herself. They’re true, loyal and helpful companions to a witch and Y/N considered herself lucky to have found hers, as he helped her out more often than she wanted him to be, and she felt save with him.Of course, she still had to be walking on tiptoes, and be aware of her surroundings but at the same time, she couldn’t imagine anything bad coming towards her, as she lived so isolated from everyone else. How could anyone find her anyway?

A strong smell of coffee already filled her lungs when she stood in front of the dimly lit shop, with the big windows greeting her to come inside and the little sign dangling in front of her eyes on the door with the word ‘open’ written over it, made her push the door open. A tiny bell rang out when she stepped foot onto the dark, hardwood floor but no eyes turned to her, as everyone seemed so engrossed in their own world. Disappointment made itself clear when she walked to the barista, while she wondered how it’d feel to be greeted by anyone.

She hadn’t had any real human contact in over a decade, and slowly she started to feel an absence of intimacy, even if it was just a warm smile towards her or a quick ‘hello’, followed by her name. But she couldn’t really blame anyone but herself, as it was her decision to live the way she lives. Or maybe she could blame the universe for making her someone she didn’t want to be, in the first place. Then she’d have never been in this situation and probably left her golden years already behind, while slowly waiting for her turn to leave this earth. She wouldn’t have been a threat but an average human being with friends, pets, and maybe even with children, probably even grandchildren, of her own by now. Often Y/N found herself daydreaming about another world, where she was chosen to be a normal one, and wondered if she’d cause less pain to others. She shouldn’t think that, as many mortals wanted to be in her place, but she wished she was not a witch.

As her brain was showing her an alternative reality where she got everything she ever dreamed of, a painful smile appeared on her face. Isn’t it funny how someone can do anything beyond their imagination and yet feel like she wasn’t capable of doing anything? Y/N really wanted to blame the person out there, who cursed her to be where she was right now. She felt angry thinking about it, and if she were inexperienced she could leash out and do things she was going to regret but she knew herself better and was convinced that a cup of hot chocolate with tiny, pink and white marshmallows in it, would make her anger disappear. Sometimes life really can be that easy.

“What can I get you?” The blonde barista asked behind the counter, while she made sure to give Y/N a warm smile. By the familiar sound of a human voice, Y/N’s ears perked up, just like how Jupiters would. The little gesture was unintentional and she couldn’t stop, because after living with just a cat, her way around people drastically changed. The high voice echoed in her head on replay, as if she was listening to a song she’s heard before, leaving a nostalgic taste on her tongue.

For a moment too long Y/N stared into the barista's eyes before she snapped out of her head and back into reality; a place she wanted to be in so badly. “A chocolate, please. Hot chocolate, I mean.” Quickly, those words rolled off her tongue, as she made sure those were in the right order. Mentally cursing at herself for stuttering and already messing up. She didn’t forget how to speak over the years, but her constant fear of standing out in the crowd gave her anxiety. She just wanted to belong to the normal people, that’s why she repeated that sentence mentally a dozen times before she found the courage to say them out loud, hoping her volume was alright. She didn’t want to be the odd one, something people had always called her and it didn’t matter who said it, because everyone did. From human to witches, everyone. The barista nodded her head, while she turned around to prepare her drink. With studying eyes Y/N observed her every move. They seemed so coordinated and smooth, as if it wouldn’t make her any energy to make a drink and if she didn’t have to think twice about what she was doing. Y/N wanted to be like this; effortless. But that seemed impossible as she remembered how she had forgotten a part of her order, even though it’s always the same and she had practiced that sentence before. With an overly dramatic gasp, Y/N made the blue-eyed barista stop her movements. “And with marshmallows, please.” Slightly Y/N cringed when she heard her soft, whispery and highpitched voice, wondering if she tried too hard to be polite, as she always seemed to plea. Did everyone try to be polite, or was it just her? And by the look the barista gave her, Y/N knew she behaved differently from most people. Was it bad to be polite nowadays? 

“Sure.” She only responded as she poured two spoonfuls of tiny marshmallows for her before offering Y/N her drink. She gave the barista a small hint of a smile, paid the drink, and found herself a cozy place to sit in one of the darker corners. Maybe it was best if she didn’t talk, or at least that’s what her anxiety advised her to. 

Y/N placed her blue cup on the round table before she opened up her book. She decided diving into the world of her novel would be better than studying people as there weren’t so many in the shop to keep her entertained for a longer period of time. The little cafe was almost empty, besides for the two people working behind the counter, three teenage girls giggling together while staring at their phones, and an old man reading his paper. But Y/N had assumed that, as soon as she saw the dark clouds. Mortals seemed to hate the rain while Y/N didn’t mind getting wet if it meant she could drink her hot chocolate. So, apparently, Y/N valued different things in life.

Before she began reading, she glanced over at her drink, still seeing the hot steam coming from it. She guessed she still had to wait unless she wanted to burn her tongue but she wasn’t so keen on not being able to taste anything for a week. With her fingers, she brushed over the soft page, as she dived in a world, where she could be completely normal without having to fear messing anything up. Maybe that’s why she liked books so much, as the pages were already written and the fate set in stone, nothing she’d do would change the outcome and that gave her a sense of security that life couldn’t give her. Y/N knew every tiny little detail could change everything and that was terrifying if she dwelled too much on it. Carefully she read the words, selected by the author, when the world around her became even quieter as her focus shifted fully into her book but the tiny noises were still hearable, keeping her from drifting away too far from the actual world.

Her eyes were eagerly reading the scene where the hero confessed his feelings for the clueless girl. A scene she had been waiting for since she started reading it. Goosebumps erupted on her skin, even though she never reacted that way. But Y/N was too much into the book to care, else wise she’d be on the lookout for what caused such a reaction out of her. Mortals wouldn’t understand what a blessing and a curse her exaggerated senses were but most of the time Y/N was glad that hers were always on point, as they had saved her from countless situations that could’ve been harmful to her, or Jupiter. And those senses helped her prevent running into her kind.

At least, usually, they do.

When another round of chills ran down her back, she finally let go of her book and let her eyes wander through the small shop, as her initial flee instincts kicked in. But she couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Carefully her hand closed the book shut, before her right hand went in to grab the mug, hoping the beverage would calm nerves. When the warm taste of melted chocolate spread on her tongue, the consistency reminded her of softly whipped cream. Usually, this would make her moan quietly in satisfaction, and immediately her tense body would lump into one of the dark, velvet cushions.

But this time her body didn’t relax and the odd feeling didn’t leave the pit of her stomach. What was going on?

In a very quick motion, she put the mug back on the table, before she grabbed her book harshly, as she got ready to get up. Y/N didn’t want to abandon her drink but she knew better to trust her gut than her roaring stomach. With coordinated moves, she quickly approached the door, didn’t even look around the store as the burning sensation became stronger, almost making her feel like being suffocated. Her head was low, and when she felt the material of the door, a sigh escaped her mouth. She really needed to get away from there. When she stepped outside a cold wind whipped her harshly across the face and before she could comprehend what was happening, she bumped into someone.

“I’m so sorry. Are you alright?” The other person let out in a deep, raspy voice, signaling her that it was a man in front of her.

Quickly she nodded her head, at the same time readjusting her book in her hands. “Yes, I’m al–” Her breath got stuck in her throat when she looked into a pair of piercing green eyes. Electricity shot through her veins, although her blood ran cold. Her intuition was never wrong but could it be truly right, right now? 

But the energy the man radiated couldn’t be contained and denied. He had to be. And he seemed to have the same thoughts about her, as a wide grin decorated his pink lips. “Hello, comrade.” Her heart sank deeper as her brain was already looking for ways to escape this situation and roaming through the various spells she could cast right now without hesitation. How could she not take the signs seriously? She should’ve known when Jupiter got sick, that something was coming her way but she thought she knew better. How could she? The universe knows everything better, she doesn’t. The color on her face immediately left and her eyes shot wide open, frantically blinking to make sure the situation was actually real, and not a hallucination. “You don’t seem so excited. Did someone take your tongue?” His large hand tried to touch her arm but she flinched away, not amused by his choice of words. Of course, he was a witch. If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t have said that, knowing well that some spells, indeed, require an actual tongue and it was a saying for witches. Y/N knew all about them, as she used to cast those types of spells as well and had to take someone’s tongue, literally had to cut it out of someone’s mouth. Not her proudest moments, she had to admit, but she had done worse if she was being completely honest.

She shook her head. “Who are you? What are you doing here?” Y/N hissed, unintentionally mimicking Jupiter again, as he would do with someone he wasn’t fond of.

As she stared with disbelief into the stranger's eyes, recognition didn’t flicker once. He was unknown to her and she truly wondered how he made his way to such a small town, as most witches didn’t come across her tiny home. Y/N couldn’t even remember when another one of her kind actually visited that place, as most of them decided to live in the city due to the always growing population. And Y/N fully understood why they did it. It was a much nicer and easier way of living, besides it wasn’t the 18th century anymore. Witches don’t have to fly on brooms and they most certainly don’t wear pointy hats. Most would even find it offending, as no witch ever wore a pointy hat, solitary for being one. Why would anyone do that anyway? They looked ridiculous, in her opinion and made witches have no fashion sense, which wasn’t right, as some of them were the biggest designers in this world and a lot more were dressed by them. 

“Is that a way to talk to an old friend?” Slowly he tugged at the hem of his black coat and wrapped himself tighter in it, as if he could feel Y/N’s cold stare on his skin, freezing him undeniably. Maybe it was wrong of her to have such a closed-off attitude but she wasn’t well with mortals, and even worse with witches. If it were up to her, she’d give up her powers, as she doomed for them to bring no joy but only misery into the already cruel world. Why make it worse, right?

Confused, she furrowed her eyebrows together. “We’re not friends. I don’t even know you.” Her tongue wet her lips when she clenched her eyes shut at his bright, knowing smile. Confused, Y/N took a few steps back, as she tried her hardest to understand him but she didn’t seem to be good at it. She had met many of her kind, even used to live in a town filled with them in her childhood. In her early adult life, she still kept in touch with them but that was a lifetime ago, at last, that’s what it felt like to her. Even if she knew him, was she supposed to remember every witch she had ever crossed paths with? He couldn’t expect her to, could he?

A laugh escaped his rosy lips. “I guess the potion really worked.” He shook his head as he lowered his gaze towards his shoes before he looked up again and put his balled fists into the pockets of his jacket. “I’m Harry. Harry Styles.” Even though he finally revealed his name she couldn’t find any memories of him. He almost wanted to stretch his hand out to her, for her to shake it but decided against it and let it continue to rest inside the warmth fabric. He figured that she wouldn't be too fond of the gesture, amusing him even more. She’s still just how he had remembered her.

“What potion?” She urged with a raised eyebrow. What was he talking about?

“What potion?” He repeated her question dramatically as if she was supposed to know what he was talking about. “You should know that! This is stuff from junior year, Barky.”

Barky? Y/N furrowed her eyebrow together and closed her eyes shut, trying her hardest to concentrate and find out where she’s heard that nickname before. A nagging feeling crept upon her as if she had heard someone call her that before as if she was supposed to know where, when and who used to call her that. A frown overcame her shy features while she was trying her hardest to remember. With a lot of concentration, memories floated back from her college years and instantly her mouth turned sour, her facial expression bitter and lips sealed together in a tight line. Y/N was certain that she could never get that memory out of her head, as it left a burning mark on her. It was her most embarrassing story from college and if it wasn’t bad enough, it had to be her first real date too. She went out to get some lunch with Dylan, a senior with the softest golden locks she’s ever seen and the perfect smile with the tiny gap between his front teeth, undeniably making him even more charming. She was excited, beyond excited even that he had asked her out. A giddy feeling was consistent in her belly since the minute she woke up on that day, proofing how much she had looked forward to for this date. Y/N couldn’t even tell you when she started crushing on him because to her it felt like all her life she was into him, even though she didn’t know of his existence, as if a part of her knew she was going to meet him. That’s why she was so ecstatic when he had asked her out, even considered it a projection of someone upon her, as many witches were cruel enough to do so. But to her luck, it wasn’t. No one tried to mess with her, or at least not yet. She had gotten ready, even put on her most expensive cologne and her favorite, floral, puff sleeve dress. He had picked her up and everything went well, they were talking, laughing, and even their hands were touching, when Y/N started to bark out of nowhere. It was a sound that only a real dog could ever let out, and it sounded so foreign when she made that noise. Instantly her hand cupped her face, her nails digging into the soft flesh of her warm cheeks. No matter how hard she tried, words wouldn’t leave her mouth, just animalistic sounds, and whenever she tried to be quiet her lips wouldn’t seal. Now thinking back, she realized that someone was missing from that story, making her guess who put her in that situation. It felt like a foggy memory as if she had drunk too much alcohol and blacked out. But she knew she didn’t drink anything. She only remembered being called “Barky” for the rest of her college years, she just couldn’t remember who gave her that nickname.

“Did you–”

“–still don’t know? Let me remind you.” The stranger laughed loudly, almost as if he was mocking her. With those words, he took her hand and placed a purple stone inside. A mild pain increased slowly in her veins when her eyes closed shut. It almost felt like a cramp, everyone tends to get when they’ve been writing for too long, and Y/N knew why. He was feeding her information, memories that he once had erased, appeared before her very own eyes. With every second that passed, more and more she came to a conclusion who the green-eyed boy in front of her was but it didn’t leave her with a smile on her face. No, quite the opposite, as a foul expression decorated her features.

It was him.

When her brain finally registered him, she slapped his hands away immediately, her face scrunching up in disgust. How dare he visit her? How did he even find her? And why? He was the last person she would’ve ever thought of seeing in her life again, but here she was, looking at his amused face with those deep dimples.

“You.” She flared, pointing his finger at his chest. “What the fuck are you doing here?” Her tone was aggressive and feisty, almost as if she had tried to spit fire, like a dragon, and the stranger knew that she could, making him back away slightly. Her demeanor chaged so quickly, that she wasn’t even sure how quiet she usually was.

Defensively, he put his hands up. “Calm down! I was just passing by.”

“Bullshit. You never do anything if it doesn’t benefit you, Styles.”

For a second Harry’s grin disappeared, before he sighed when the intensity of her gaze didn’t diminish. He felt defeated. “Alright.” Slowly he put his hands away. “I’m here for a reason. I need your help–”

“–and you think I would help you?” She shook her head harshly. “You wasted your time coming here. I don’t even know what you were thinking.” Y/N was fully admitting the truth, as she really didn’t understand how she could help him and for him to think that she would, was even more ridiculous. She tried her hardest not to sound bitter but failed miserably as her anger got the best of her. Not only was she furious at him for erasing her memory but also because of everything else he had done to destroy her college experience. For once in her life, she wanted to experience a normal life, and going to college, she thought, would help her to have one. She wasn’t really planning on walking into another witch but when she did run into Harry, she had always been nice to him. He just wasn’t decent enough to be respectful back. In front of mortals, he’d make sure to poke fun at her for the way she looked, acted, and even for her good grades. And when he was alone with her he’d make rats follow her around, let her be invisible, or make her bark on a first date with a mortal. She never understood why he did it, as she was always nice to him. But now, almost forty years later, she came to the conclusion that he was just an asshole, who loved to demolish someone's confidence. And the worst part was, that he was amazing at it. So, yeah, she doesn’t understand why he is standing in front of her with a pleading look.

“Y/N, I’m sorry for everything b–”

“I won’t help you.” She just let out dryly before she looked back at the little cafe. Y/N couldn’t believe how he had to ruin her perfect day and be the reason to waste an amazing cup of hot chocolate. Shaking her head at the universe for making her day so much worse, she started to walk away, hoping that Harry would leave her alone but of course, he didn’t. How could she expect anything else from him?

“Y/N!” He called out her name when he started to follow her around the narrow streets and the dark clouds above them, seconds away from pouring cold rain at them. “Please, you’re the only one who can break curses.”

She laughed loudly. “A curse? Why doesn’t it surprise me that someone would curse Harry Styles?” Her steps slowed down when a thunder erupted from above her but she never stopped walking away. “What have you done to piss someone off like that?”

“It was… a bad date.” He hesitated but Y/N didn’t seem to notice, as she continued to strut away from him, or at least she tried, as Harry seemed to be determined. He wasn‘t going to let her go that easily, much to her dismay.

“Funny how you don't need someone to ruin your date. You can do that all by yourself.” She said, clearly referring to the date he had ruined for her.

“I deserved that but I really need your help. My magic– I can’t use it anymore.” He was begging, something Harry usually never did and never thought of doing ever again. The last time he had begged, was years ago, when he was still a little boy, begging his mother to let him go play outside with the other mortal children when she strictly prohibited it. His lips were quivering, his eyes filled with tears, as he clasped his hands together, while he whined out a series of pleads that were never heard. As a child, he never understood why his mother wouldn’t let him go out, but as he got older, he understood why he wasn’t allowed to. Harry knew his mother never allowed him to, because she didn’t want people to be suspicious if something went wrong and she didn’t want anybody to get hurt, especially those fragile mortals. Meanwhile, Harry was glad, he never made human friends, as it would never go anywhere. They were aging, hurting, and even dying, while Harry aged much slower, was able to heal himself and even death wasn’t lasting. He saw them as baggage, nothing more and why would he purposefully carry something like that around, right?

“Not my problem, if you’re stupid enough to piss off a witch.” Y/N shook her head at him, as she couldn’t believe how dumb a person could be. He must have known that the witch was a powerful one, yet he dared to get close to her, knowing damn well that he wasn’t likable. Hell, Y/N couldn’t understand how so many girls were always walking after him in college. What did they see in a pretentious, stubborn, unfunny, and arrogant narcissist? She guessed it must have been solely his looks, that threw girls to him as mosquitoes did. whenever they saw a brightly shining lamp in the midst of the darkness. “You know not everyone can block off your source, or unbreak the curse.” That was indeed true, as most witches had their areas they were good at. Some liked to make potions, cast spells or break curses.

“That’s why I’m here. I need you.”

Her steps came to an almost immediate halt, before she turned to him on her heel, while her hair strands flew into her face, due to her fast movement. She eyed him up and down irritated before she raised her eyebrow in suspicion. “Your magic seems fine to me. I mean how else did you find me?” Her hands gestured towards his hands as if she was able to see him producing fire or any other magical thing. Y/N was convinced he wasn’t here for that and him losing his magic was just an act. And she wasn’t going to fall for it. She wasn’t going to fall for his childish tricks again.

Awkward about what he could answer her, he scratched his neck and turned his gaze to the floor for a brief moment before regaining his courage. “I searched for your location before this mess.” He said the truth, he did look for her location in beforehand and he knew he could’ve come up with a lie but if she still were the same person from their college days, she’d see through him. A laugh wanted to escape his throat as he thought back to those days when he was convinced of her putting a spell on him. How else was she supposed to know every time he lied? It was impossible for her not to use her magic because no one ever was as good at detecting his lies. And he remembered the day when he had confronted her about it. Another lie was told by him, resulting only in her furrowing her eyebrows, shaking her head, and firmly stating a simple “no”. It made his blood boil, and thinking back he was impressed by her, but he’d never admit it. Harry used to be angry at her. She couldn’t be serious, could she? She had to be right about him, every fucking time. That’s when he snapped, pushed her towards the nearest wall, and asked her through gritted teeth how she knew that. And what followed, shocked him. Not only did she not back down, or get intimidated by him but revealed how he acted whenever he lied. She confessed how she noticed him running his thumb over his mermaid tattoo whenever he lied, and how he wasn’t able to look into her eyes. She was so certain, and Harry would’ve loved to deny it, but he didn’t know better himself. Did he do that? Really? And even now he catches himself, doing exactly what she knew so many years ago. It was awfully confusing to him, how a stuck up, goody-two-shoes saw that, and nobody else did, even when they knew him longer and better.

“What? Why?” Curiosity was reflected in her eyes when she pulled her eyebrows together.

“I–”

“–you’re such a stalker, you know that? We haven’t seen each other in– like what– almost forty years and you still look for me?” She interrupted him before he even got the chance to lie and for a split second, he was relieved about that. She didn’t trust her gut feeling, because it always seemed to be so painfully correct. Wildly, she gestured with her arms, making Harry wonder what she was trying to say when to her it seemed so clear. She was gesturing towards her hometown, pointing at her surroundings, that she was familiar with, and not he. Why would he be interested in looking for her anyway? They never talked to each other, unless they were forced to and back then they weren’t friends. What reason could he possibly have to know her location? And if he said that he wanted to visit her due to him missing her, she’d laugh in his face, only stopping when she was close to suffocating. Never would he miss her, she’d rather believe the devil visiting her for a cup of tea.

“Forty years means nothing to us. We’re not human.” He sighed, dodging her question, as she was busy overthinking what just happened when she only wanted to visit her favorite cafe for a hot chocolate. Did the devil really hate her so much to put her in such misery? Wasn’t she allowed to forget about this arrogant witch, whose good looks all went to waste due to his obnoxious and unpleasant character? If she were powerful enough she’d block his magic source herself and he fully understood whoever did this to him. Harry probably deserved to lose whatever made him a witch, something he was so proud of being. He always bragged about his magic, bragged about how he was so much more powerful than those human beings, and used various spells to entertain a party crowd, to gain popularity. It gave him strength, knowing that he was above them, while Y/N hated it. Because whenever a witch came along, the story always ended with blood and tears and she was sick of being the cause of someone’s tears, let alone death. She wanted to be a mortal and would like to experience her magic source getting blocked. She’d feel like a mortal, just like he did no– wait, he was like a mortal right now, right?

“You’re like one right now, aren’t you?” An evil smirk plastered across her face, finally processing and understanding how helpless Harry was. But she didn’t feel pity, she was rather amused at his situation. It was even kind of poetic, considering how much he loved to be a witch. And now she could do anything to him, and he would fully be defeated by her with no chance of seeking revenge or defending himself. “I mean I could do anything to you and you wouldn’t be able to defend yourself, right?”

“Y/N.” He warned her, his voice stern and a frown overshadowing his charming features.

“Maybe you’d like to live like a mouse, or are you interested in losing your voice?” She turned around and began to walk away while thinking about what she might do to him. Excitement taking over her, making her voice rise a few octaves, her eyes sparkling and her fingers gripping her book harder. A part of her knew that she was just messing around with him but it didn’t stop her from imagining how great it would be, seeing him as a mouse or never having to hear his obnoxious voice again, that sounded too attractive for his asshole persona.

“Y/N, plea–”

“–no wait! How do you feel about being blind? I think that could be an amazing experience for you. Then you could focus more on your other sen–”

“–oh, for fucks sake! Don’t even think about it, unless you want to lose your familiar.” His voice sounded warning, almost daring her to continue with her schemes. When he saw her shocked expression, he slowly gained his usual cockiness again, knowing well that even without his powers, he still had the upper hand. Thank god, he never did anything without a plan.

A cold shiver ran down her spine and nervously her mouth popped open, as she tried to breathe steadily. “What did you just say?” She asked, not believing how quiet her voice had gotten and not understanding how he’d dare to do something like this to Jupiter, her cat, her familiar, for crying out loud. He knew what it meant if a familiar dies, yet he was willing to do that to her. How dare he?

“Is this how fast I can get you speechless, love?” He strapped his tongue, before grinning widely at her shocked expression.

“What the fuck did you do? What have you done to Jupiter?” She hissed when he pointed his finger towards her, to signal her to be quiet.

He shrugged his shoulders. “Nothing that can’t be fixed. It’s just a little bit of poison. I even have the antidote and I’m nice enough to give it to you. Only if you help me, that is.”

“You son of a bi–”

“–choose your next words wisely unless you want your cat to die.” She stayed quiet, biting on her lip harshly to let him finish talking. “That’s what I thought. So, are you interested in helping me out?”

“Fuck you.” Y/N insulted him, as she looked away, furiously crossing her arms over her chest. For a moment Harry only stared at her, waiting for an actual answer. But she didn’t find the right words to say, not even saying a “yes”, neither a “no”. He really got her trapped, didn’t he? Jupiter will die without an antidote and she was sure she could make one on her own, but she didn’t know what poison he had used on her. It would take her forever to cure her cat, might even take her too long.

He laughed at her silence as she was defeated and happily whistled in her face. “I’ll come around tomorrow evening. Be prepared.” With that he walked away elegantly, right before the heavy rain started pouring from the clouds, drenching Y/N as she watched him walk back into the cafe. Anger, annoyance, and worries clouded her mind, making it impossible for her to think straight. How was he able to put her in such a situation? What had he done to Jupiter? Will she be able to break his spell? Many questions ran through her head but no answers could be found. Even though she wasn’t able to form a proper sentence, she was determined to get the antidote, and then she was going to curse Harry into the pits of hell. Literally.

Y/N hated it, she hated it so much. Since she came back home yesterday, her clothes soaking wet from the rain, a headache haunting her ability to think properly, and with a wave of undeniable anger, she felt like vomiting, crying, and even punching the walls till she had splitters in her knuckles. How did this happen to her?

She barely had any contact with anyone, whether it was mortals or anyone of her kind.

She was always alone, isolated herself from the danger, and kept others safe by not walking around recklessly.

Y/N only used magic when it was absolutely necessary and even her familiar, Jupiter, started to get bored by her lack of action in life. She wasn’t necessarily happy with the way she lived, as she slowly fell into disrepair but she’d rather go nuts in her own home than risk people’s lives or having a witch, or a hunter, trying to kill her. Why was it so hard for the universe to understand that she only wanted a peaceful life? Wasn’t her world balanced enough? Did she really need this kind of drama? And from all the witches that could have come to her, it really had to be him? Harry fucking Styles, who used to be her personal bully for no goddamn reason in her younger, more naive years. It felt like a sick joke to her and an unfunny one at that. If it were up to her, she would’ve never seen his ass ever again after graduating from college, and she was good at hiding, considering how small the world is if you’ve such a long life. You never know who you might run into, and she was good at dodging unwanted guests for 40 years. No one ever visited her, she couldn’t even remember when someone actually came over and she liked that, as she loved to not have her private space invaded.

But here she is now, sitting next to an arrogant son of a bitch, who had a huge grin on his face while staring directly into her eyes. He truly loved holidng her gaze and she didn’t know what to think of it.

But one thing she knew for certaon; fuck the universe. It never brought her any good anyway.

“Nice place you’ve got.” He examined her living room thoroughly, as he was sitting on her yellow fabric couch. “A little… obsolete maybe.” His eyes wandered from her wooden ceiling to her dark, big windows to her gigantic bookshelf that took up an entire wall. He was fascinated seeing that she still reads so much. Harry remembered how he would sometimes see her in the library, nose deep buried in a book but he would’ve never guessed what an impressive collection she has at home. There were not only books for witches but also books for mortals that only served the purpose of entertainment. Harry used to read those too, especially Charles Bukowski, but lately, he found himself less interested in them. Maybe it was because he had other plans these days or that he learned a long time ago that those stories don’t even exist for mortals. So how could he ever live in such a fantasy?

His hand touched one of the many green plants in her house when she slapped his hands away before answering him. “It’s cozy, not obsolete!” She put the plant back to its place, patting the leave that he was just touching, making him chuckle. She was ridiculous to him. It was just a plant and not an animal or child he had offended and now needed some consulting. “Besides, don't touch anything.” Silently, she rolled her eyes at him, slowly rubbing her feet on the colorful rug underneath her, warming them as the white socks didn’t seem to do much. No matter what someone said about her place, she loved it. It was small, cozy and she had a big garden with various vegetables, fruits, and flowers and a small pond, where ducks would find their way in, so Y/N could feed them with her daily, freshly baked bread. She truly loved the way she lived, but she also had to admit that it got cold very quickly once the temperatures start dropping, and if she were completely honest, it could get lonely, as well.

“How many books do you have?” He asked, nodding towards the shelf with his head. “Must be a million.” Harry exaggerated, as he opened up his arms widely with a goofy smile, knowing it would annoy her. His dazzling green eyes were watching her intensely, as he tried to point out differences from when he had met her for the first time. She still looked the same, given to their slow aging, but even the way she walked, talked, or presented herself seemed to be so awfully similar. But she seemed closed off, as if she built up thick walls around her, not letting anyone peek inside. He remembered how back then, she was a bubbly, lively, and friendly girl, who seemed so excited to learn anything about the world, whether it was the supernatural or the human one. She never kept anything to herself, as she was always talking about her day or plans and sometimes it really annoyed him. He just didn’t understand how someone can be so happy to be alive and have this much energy inside of them? While he was still unsure about how she managed to be so overjoyed, he was more concerned about what had happened to her, which made her change so drastically. Who could change someone so much? And as bad he tried to suppress thoughts, he wondered if it was his influence, or has she changed much later after meeting him?

“No wonder why you failed math twice. That’s not even near a million.” She rolled her eyes at him, at his overly annoying attitude that he always made sure to show. Something about him made her so angry, that she had to bite the inside of her cheeks to keep the degrading names to herself. She needed the antidote and when she saw Jupiter, his frustrating face suddenly wasn’t enough to make her mad anymore, or at least till he opened his mouth again.

“I was joking, darling.”

“I wasn’t.” She dryly replied and dared to stare at him longer than she had intended. Y/N couldn’t believe how he still was the same person after 4p years. He should’ve matured a bit or learned how to read the room and know his place but he never did, apparently. Or she has never changed and he still knew exactly how to make her erupt like a volcano.

Awkwardly, he touched his neck, blowing the hot air inside his lungs out, while he nervously looked around her house, when he felt the intensity of her glare on him. Back then, she would’ve walked away and ignored him without giving him a dirty look. She truly wasn’t how she used to be and he wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or not. “Alright, maybe we should start working?” It surprised him seeing her be so rude back when she used to talk with professors after class and never interrupt them, even if she really had to be somewhere else. Y/N would patiently listen, as she hated to make people feel uncomfortable. That’s why Harry raised his eyebrows up his forehead, forming lines on his forehead. She was clearly not in the mood to catch up, neither did she like his jokes, so he might as well do what he needed her for. He needed her to break the curse, for now, even if she wasn’t too thrilled to see him

“Sure. The sooner we’re done, the faster you can leave.” Her voice had grown so cold, not the way how she used to hum every single one of her words, as if she was a bird singing in the early morning hours while basking in the golden sun rays. But it didn’t stop him from trying to amuse her. Who knows how many hours they’d be forced to spend together, so they might as well try to somewhat get along, right? Maybe even give it a shot to reminisce about their old, shared days.

“Leave? I thought about sticking around for a while. It’s quite a nice town, with very interesting people.” When the word “interesting” had left his mouth, he winked at her, making her blood boil stronger and roll her eyes back harder, wishing they’d get stuck, so she wasn’t forced to look into his enormous grin, knowing that’s all it takes for him to piss her off. “Maybe I could get a house next to yours? Just a little bit more modern, to throw parties and stuff.” Even though Harry didn’t like parties too much, or at least not as much as he used to, he knew that she hated them. Even back in college she hardly ever went to one, just once, for unknown reasons to him, she decided to turn up for a frat party one of his friends had hosted on a warm summer night. He remembered it clearly, even remembered the way she looked, what she wore and if he concentrated hard enough he was able to smell her hypnotizingly sweet scent that she was wearing that day. His heart painfully started beating faster in his ribcage while he thought about everything that had happened that night and wondered how everything turned so sour afterward. It was a shame.

Y/N snorted. “Do that and I’ll shove a frog down your throat.” She was being completely serious, considering the harsh tone of her voice and the cold stare she gave him. How was he so good at getting under her skin? And it was worse knowing that she wanted so badly to brush the perfect curl away from his handsome face, so she could have a better look at him. No matter how he had treated her in the past, she had to admit that his looks could charm anyone. Well, almost. She wasn’t going to get fooled by him again and the way his smile and those sparkly eyes seemed to weaken her knees. But she guessed that her reaction was expected. After all, she was just a witch with feelings and desires and he was a handsome man, who would’ve been perfect to live out a fantasy of hers if he could keep his mouth shut for once.

“I’d like to see you try, Barky.” He laughed.

“Stop calling me that!”

“Or what?” Harry said that in the most playful way he could, intensifying his stare as his smile turned into a shitfaced and lopsided grin. But Y/N had not seen this as playful.

Y/N folded her arms in front of her chest and snorted loudly with her tongue. “Are you threatening me? Because if so, you can kiss your magic goodbye.” A burning sensation brewed inside her when he was still grinning, not even an ounce of remorse flickering in his green orbs.

Harry bitched with his shoulders as if it wasn't a big deal, because he knew exactly that he had the upper hand. “And you can kiss your Julius– Juniper, or something– goodbye.” While he was trying to remember the name of her precious cat, she frowned deeper, forming multiple wrinkle lines on her forehead. What was going to happen to her precious familiar if Y/N wouldn’t help him? She’d have to watch Jupiter suffer and eventually die because she wouldn’t find an antidote in time. Only Harry could provide her with that and no matter how naive and dense Y/N looked, she wasn’t and she understood the situation well.

“Jupiter, you asshole. His name’s Jupiter.” She spits as if venom was dancing on her tongue and for a minute she wished it was to be something poisonous. Maybe she was being a little bit dramatic, knowing that she could easily drink one of her toxicants, whenever she wanted the death to knock on her door, so she could leave Harry startled and shocked. But would Harry be surprised when he knew that every witch tended to be dramatic and stubborn? “Why would you do that? What have you done to him? He’s been sick for days now!”

“Not telling yet.”

“Why not? You’re already here and I’m trying to help you!” Furiously she pointed at the many books laying in front of them, that were kept wide open. “What else would you need?”

He laughed a humorless laugh and shook her head as if she was a small child who did not understand the most understandable things in the world. “Because once I give you the antidote, I won’t have the upper hand and I don’t really trust you.” He explained in a monotone voice.

She sighed. “The feeling’s mutual.” Y/N bit her tongue and rolled her eyes. She truly didn’t trust him, for a good reason, as her distrust and dislike were established during their shared college years.

“Well, I–“

“–can we just get started, please? I wasn’t keeping in touch with you for a reason and this here” She pointed her finger between the two. “is something I never wanted to happen and I was glad it didn’t in the past 40 years.” Surprised, Y/N flinched at her own words, as she realized how harsh she sounded. Even though she was being sincere, she wondered if she was taking it too far? Was she being petty? After all, he never physically hurt her, he just loved to poke fun at her when they were a little bit younger and still does, as it amused him seeing her so furious.

But the longer he watched her move around her, the more he understood how far she dislikes actually went and if he didn’t know her better, he’d say that she hated him. Harry couldn’t deny it but he actually felt offended and tried hard not to scoff. What has he ever done to her for her to hate him like that? Maybe he was being mean sometimes or liked to poke fun at her but was he really that bad?

Hesitantly he simply nodded his head when he tried to remember their college years. His heartbeat quickened when he thought back to that one night however he fast to lock his thoughts away. She wasn’t thinking of the incident 40 years ago and it probably still doesn’t have any effect on her now. It still didn’t change the fact that she had hurt him, not for her lack of response, but how she led him on.

“Here are my books, read your way through and let me know if you find anything interesting.” She tossed a couple of more books towards him, purposefully hitting the couch next to him before she turned her back towards him and started to make herself comfortable on her rug.

“You can sit on the couch. I’ll go sit on the floor.” Harry felt stupid saying that, because there was clearly enough space for her to sit, yet she chose to take a seat on the cold and uncomfortable-looking floor that was decorated with the ugliest rug Harry had ever seen. He didn’t like the plattern, nor the obnoxious colors, as they didn’t seem to mash well together. 

He wouldn’t mind her sitting next to him but if she did, he wasn’t going to force her, that’s why he chose to watch her be so cramped on her colorful carpet.

She didn’t look up but shook her head before fully burying her face into one of her books and shielding her face completely from Harry.

He sighed, rubbed at his temples, and tried to read the many pages of the book that was laying on his lap but he couldn’t concentrate with the thick tension lingering in the air. He swears he could cut it with a knife, or at least that’s how it felt to him and if he had to guess; she probably didn’t feel better.

Harry stared at her while she was engulfed in her book, wondering if he could ease the situation. Y/N looked so peaceful, not the rude person she has become but her younger and innocent self. Somehow it eased her knowing that she had lowered the book again. “Do you remember college?” The words already bubbled out of his mouth with no time for him to react.

She rolled her eyes but never let go of her book. “Is our history going to help your dilem–“

“–no. But do you remember? Because I do.” He urged, putting the book on the small coffee table.

Y/N wanted to ignore him but somehow she was intrigued to know what he was going to say. “No, do you?”

For a second, insecurity flickered its way through his brain. Did she actually not remember or was she messing with him? His intuition always knew best that’s why he guessed she knew, even if his brain tried to tell him otherwise. She had to, or at least that’s what he told himself because he didn’t want to be the only still thinking about them. “Yeah, I do. At least most of it.”

“Really? Like what?” She raised her eyebrow and mirrored his movements by putting her book away as well and crossed her legs like a pretzel to be more comfortable.

“I remembered you spilling your coffee on my journal.” He remembered the day so clearly. They were at the nearest coffee shop, the hot spot for the caffeine-addicted young adults with a lack of sleep, when space was crowded and loud and nobody seemed to spend any more than a few minutes, except for them. Most people didn’t use the shop to study, at least not during the rush hours but somehow the two witches did and ended up having to share the booth, where the WiFi connection was the best. Harry was writing his notes into his little journal while Y/N furiously tapped with her pen against her computer, trying her hardest to find the answer to one of her math problems. She was stressed and Harry could see that clearly by the crease between her brows, the way she pursed her lips, and bounced her left leg up and down quickly. Whenever she’d look up he’d try to look away and it seemed she didn’t catch him staring at her. He had to admit, he always found her quite beautiful, it was hard not to. She had pretty hair, that he wanted to comb through with his hand, a unique nose that fitted her face perfectly, and those mesmerizing eyes that he could get lost in. Something about her seemed so magical and now thinking back, he had to laugh. It’s a bit ironic, isn’t it? He slowly put himself back into reality, catching her embarrassed face in front of her and when she tried to defend herself, he put his hand up to silence her. “I didn’t mind it.” And he really didn’t. Harry guessed that she was already having a really bad day and excitedly knocked her drink on his journal when she just wanted to put her pen back into her purple pencil case. When Harry saw that she wanted to leave, disappointment overcame him as he hadn’t found the guts to talk to her, after the hour or so they’d spent sitting silently next to each other. So in a way, he was glad she was that clumsy because it gave them a reason to talk to each other. And they did, much longer than both of them would’ve expected since they were strangers.

“Or I remember how you bought me something for my birthday.” This had happened a couple of weeks later when he was having a bad day. His alarm didn’t set off, making him oversleep and miss his first period when he needed the attendance so badly to pass the class. He still tried to get ready but found the guy from last night, still sleeping in his bed. He didn’t mind them staying over but he just wasn’t used to that, as most of them would rush out the room while he was still resting, and to his nonexistent luck, he woke up when Harry was trying to brush his teeth with the tiny amount that was left in his tube. He had to go grocery shopping again. Harry remembered that day so clearly, as big snowflakes fell from the sky, blinding him, the minute he stepped out of his place. Frustrated he had kicked a bin outside when he saw Y/N approach. From the corner of his eye, he fought a glimpse of her red scarf, that practically was covering her face, as the flushed cheeks indicated that she was freezing.

She shrugged her shoulders, trying to play coy. “Everybody would’ve done that.”

“My friends didn’t.” Harry rolled his eyes when he thought of the jerks he used to be friends with and slightly wondered what they were doing now, as they had gotten close to their retirement now. He wondered if they already had grandchildren and if they still had the same childish attitude as they used to forty years ago. They were the reason why Y/N left Harry’s place upset that day. After giving him a ring that she had found in the thrift store, thinking that Harry would like it and fire a minute she could’ve sworn he liked it but the second his friends approached, he had put the ring in his pocket and shushed her away.

Y/N laughed bitterly when she looked at her lap, where both of her hands were placed. “You didn’t like my present anyways.” Her thumbs were quietly battling each other when Harry swallowed a big clump down his throat. He knew what Y/N was referring to and he felt so guilty about it.

Harry shook his head. “No! No, I did it’s just–”

“–I wasn’t popular enough.” She looked him in the eye again, hoping she’d find a tiny piece of him looking at her as if she was crazy, and that it wasn’t his reason to never wear the ring in public. But he didn’t. He looked more guilty than ever and it didn’t make Y/N feel better. When he tried to speak, Y/N cut him off quickly, as she didn’t want to talk about it anymore. Enough was said and done anyway. “Don’t worry I get. How could we ever be friends, right? I’m just boring old Y/N, nothing special or someone to remember.”

He shook his head harshly. “But I do.” Slightly Harry hesitated before he continued talking, as he wasn’t sure how she’d react. “I remember our night together, as well. Actually, that must be my favorite memory of ours.” He confessed, biting his lip from talking too much about it. It was embarrassing for him to admit it, but he remembered it so clearly that it could’ve happened just a few hours ago. How he wished it had happened just a few hours ago, giving him the time to make it right this time around.

But he couldn’t, so all he was able to do was reminisce the memory.

It was an average night, another frat party hosted by one of his friends. People getting drunk. Some making out and others dancing the night away, when he had seen her. His mouth flew open, not because of the way she looked but because she was at a party, which he had never seen her before. That’s why he didn’t think twice before he tasted up to her, to make sure she was alright and wasn’t just lost. When she reassured him that she was alright, a tingly feeling didn’t leave his body and he wondered if she was there because of him. And what happened afterward made him think that she was, as kisses were shared and their hands were busy with exploring each other’s bodies, finding the sweet spots that would make each other weak. He never knew lips could taste so sweet, making him so addicted to her taste and even after they were done, he later in bed next to her, holding her close to his chest and admiring her beauty. She felt so unreal and he couldn’t believe what had just happened, as she always seemed like the shy girl who would never make a move but Harry was glad she did because he felt too insecure to do it also.

But now he wondered if the night was truly a good idea when he saw her shocked expression. How did they end up here?

“Of course you do! You only have a one-track mind! But I do not and I remember you ruining my first date, I remember you making me trip over my own feet and falling onto my face in front of everyone and I also remember you being an asshole and making fun of me for everything I’ve done with your friends! You made me an outcast, more than I already felt that I was.” Her voice was a lot louder than before and a vein popped up on her neck, indicating the anger inside of her. Furiously she waved her arms around, as he watched her in shock. Why did he mention that? It was already embarrassing enough for her to know that she only went there for him. “You know what? Leave. I’ll find something on my own and I’ll let you know once I do.”

“Y/N–“

“–leave, before I make you.” Her voice was stern, and she coldly watched him leave with an apologetic look in his eyes but she didn’t care. How dare he bring that night up when he was the one denying ever sleeping with her in front of everyone and made her feel as if she was being used? Whatever, or however, it led to them clinging to each other’s bodies breathlessly, Y/N knew it wasn’t going to happen again.

Guilt. That’s all Y/N felt in that moment, as guilt seemed to eat her up from the inside while she was caressing a sick Jupiter. His head was laid on her couch, while his shortness of breath took even more of his energy away. He hardly made any noises or moved around the house or the garden, worrying Y/N more.

That’s why she, partly, felt guilty. Maybe she shouldn’t have let her anger take the upper hand and just worked this out with Harry. Maybe then Jupiter would be better now.

The other part wondered why she had been so rude to him. After all, she was used to him poking fun at her but she didn’t think he’d bring up that night. It was a one-time thing, even Harry said so the day after and Y/N learned to accept it along the way. If it never was anything eventful to him, then how dare he say that he remembered the night the best?

“How are you doing, baby?” Y/N shushed when he buried his face deeper into the soft surface, while her fingers massaged small circles into the back of his head. Usually, he would have responded to her by melting into her touch or perking his ears by, solely because of her voice. But right now he didn’t even move, only letting the pressure of her hand soothe him. “Not great?” She asked, hoping for a clear answer to an obvious question. When he didn’t reply either, her heart sank deeper into the pits of her stomach.

She can’t lose him. Not only was he her little helper, but also the only companion she had.

That’s why Harry appeared a little while later at her front doorstep, with his usual grin but if she didn’t know any better she’d say she found guilt in his eyes. Even if it was just the tiniest bit.

“Couldn’t stay away from me, could you?” He asked, trying to mask his urge to apologize away. The way she seemed so stressed, made him feel guilty. Because after all, it was his fault. It was his doing. If it wasn’t for him, she would’ve lived her life the way she’d before with no disturbance and she wouldn’t constantly form those worry wrinkles on her forehead.

She scoffed. “I did it for forty years before you showed up on my doorsteps.” Dangerously she pointed her finger at his chest and then at herself, before sliding the door wider open, so he could walk in. With big footsteps, he strutted his way back inside her cozy living room, which seemed to be a lot warmer than it had been the last time, as the fireplace seemed to be lit and the fresh smell of cinnamon lingered in the air.

“That’s true.” He hesitantly agreed with her as he watched her walk into her little kitchen, where the door was wide open, revealing a tea kettle on the stove. Harry guessed that’s where the cinnamon scent came from. His eyes lingered on her, as he watched her carefully filling up two cups. With her hands, she pushed her silky hair behind her ears, as the ponytail couldn’t keep every strand from her face. He wondered why she called him again when the past days he has been doubting ever hearing from her again. But the answer was as clear as day, when he saw the sick cat laying on the couch, crouched into a ball, with no intention of moving. Now he felt guilty when he saw the innocent animal suffering from his consequences. His cold rings made a sound when they came in contact, as he formed a fist, to keep his emotions at bay. He has become cruel, hasn’t he? But he already knew that when he didn’t flinch when it came to killing other witches. It’s almost scary to think how easy it was to take someone’s life and that he had taken multiple. Would she ever believe him, if he’d confess that to her or would Y/N think that he was bluffing? Either way, Harry knew that he had done those cruel crimes and a part of him will never forgive himself, even though he didn’t do it because of an unsaturated bloodlust but because he needed their powers to complete a spell. A spell, that would bring justice to people who didn’t deserve to die yet. A bit hypocritical, isn’t it? He wanted to bring people back while he killed others. How could he ever judge whose life is more worth than the other? Yet, he did it.

To soothe his throbbing headache, that always formed whenever he overthinks too much, he tried to rub the kitty's ears, hoping to get a reaction from him. But he didn’t do anything, besides breathing, and he was shocked when he didn’t even fight him back. He was that powerless and Harry had to swallow a big lump down his throat. Jupiter needed the antidote. Fast.

No wonder why Y/N hated him. If she’d done something like this to his familiar, Millie, a beautiful bat, he would’ve gone crazy. She was his companion, the one that occasionally saved his ass from getting hurt. So maybe he deserved to feel guilty for putting Y/N and her cat through that, but Y/N wasn’t even aware of his feelings when he was so good at masking them away. Especially now when she saw Harry touching Jupiter, while she brought both of them a cup of tea. Instantly she tensed up, alarmed if he tried to do something worse to him because at this point she couldn’t read his intentions. Or ever, if Y/N was being honest.

She was ready to throw the burning hot tea at Harry if she had to and she wasn’t going to hesitate. He wouldn’t get away with worsening Jupiter’s state, as Y/N constantly feared how much longer he had till his breathing would stop.

But to his luck, he didn’t harm the cat, instead, he softly caressed the white fur and slowly rubbed smooth circles onto his skin.

Usually, Y/N would be in awe, staring at such an adorable interaction but her mouth turned sour when she saw his satisfied face. It bothered her how he looked so careless while doing so. Doesn’t he feel any empathy for the sick cat? Does he think that that'll make everything better?

“Don’t touch him.” Y/N only let him know, catching him off guard as he didn’t hear her approaching him. He pulled his hand away from him, dividing his attention to her, as she put the white cup on the coffee table. A tiny drop fell from the porcelain and landed right on her black jeans but she didn’t seem to notice when she took a seat opposite of Harry, creating some distance. Not as much as she did previously but enough for bystanders to see her obvious dislike towards him. “He’s feeling bad enough.”

“I wasn’t try–”

“–wasn’t trying to what? Kill him this time around?” She scoffed, as she rolled her eyes at him. There was no excuse for why he did what he did because if Jupiter would die, it would leave Y/N completely alone, with no little helper or her magical companion. Of course, there had been witches who had lost their familiars, and most of them came out just fine but it’ll take time to get over such a heavy loss and it’ll take a while to fix the toll that it took on their magic. Besides, Y/N would be completely alone. She wasn’t surrounded by family or friends, she was already lonely but without him, she’d simply run wild. To talk to no one seemed like such a bad nightmare and she couldn’t imagine being left alone with her thoughts all the time.

Harry sighed, when he rubbed his sweaty hands on his brown, baggy pants, trying so hard to find the right words and he immediately came up with good excuses, threats and even lies but when he looked into her eyes, they had gone down the drain. Something about her made his heartbeat pick up on speed, and somehow he felt nervous. Something he hadn’t felt in a very long time and it scared it but he wasn’t really shocked. He had feared when he came to her that she’d still have the same effect on him as she did back in their college years and he hated it.

It had been 40 years, and he still couldn’t deny the warmth that grasped him when he caught a glimpse of her. What was wrong with him? After all, no one ever left behind such a lasting image but somehow, the once shy girl he had gotten to know for three years, did.

“I know this may not mean a lot to you but I promise” He stopped to grasp her hand. His movements were too fast for Y/N to see them coming, catching her clearly off guard which contributed to him clutching her hand tightly, just for a second. “I promise, I won’t let him die.” For a moment she considered looking away from him, ignoring him or even making her disappear but the earnestness in his voice changed her mind and she forced herself to look into his green eyes. The usual harshness or playfulness was nowhere to be seen, he looked rather soft, rather vulnerable, she may even dare to say so.

Slowly she nodded, steadying her breath as her mind was trying to catch up on everything that had happened. After 40 years the guy, whom she was madly in love with in college, comes back. But he had also rejected her and poisoned her familiar on purpose to get her help him.

This sounded like a cheap, Halloween episode of a telenovela and somehow her head started hurting when she thought of it like that. Her life was truly crazy and she couldn’t stop herself from blaming him for bringing her all the crazy.

Harry still held her hands tightly, their legs were touching each other, due to his scooting closer to her and when he saw her open her mouth, he hoped he’d forgive her, as foolish as it may sound. “Over there.” Was all she said breathlessly, even a little bit irritated.

He furrowed his eyebrows confused. “What?”

“The books are over there.” She let go of his hand, awkwardly coughing to mask her embarrassment away and point towards her bookshelf.

Of course she wasn’t going to forgive him, but he couldn’t blame her. He wasn’t sure if he was going to forgive himself, after everything but why would it matter? His souls belonged in hell from the start. He’d burn nevertheless when his time comes. “I know.” He laughed. “I can see them.” His intense stare made her feel exposed and the smell of his cologne gave her a dejavu, so she stood up quickly to run towards her shelf. He still smelled the same, she noticed and she wondered if he still used the same cologne or if it was just the way he usually smelled. Either way it felt too intimate for her own liking.

“No, I’d been searching on my own and I think we can narrow your problem down to those books. They’re our best shot at finding a way to lift the curse. I think.” She really hoped she was right, not only for Jupiter’s sake but also because of her own. She pointed her fingers towards a section of books and when Harry stepped closer his eyes widened.

“Don’t you think I need more enhanced books?” He scoffed, crossing his arms in front of her chest. Was she being serious when she picked those? Most witches used those for practice, for jokes to mess with others, not to lift curses. It couldn’t be so easy, could it?

She shrugged her shoulders, when she picked one up and walked towards her couch again. “I don’t think so. You said, she used a rune, right?” Reluctantly he nodded. “Then it wasn’t a strong spell, rather something quick that can be broken easier than cursing rituals. If she meant for you to never use magic again, then she would’ve done something else.” Y/N argued, while he did not try to get the last word by correcting her. She most likely wanted to harm him, she just didn’t have the time. After all, she was dying but Y/N didn’t need to know that. “Besides how stubborn does she have to be over a bad date, right?”

A small laugh escaped Harry’s plush lips at her statement. “We witches are very stubborn. It’s in our nature, I suppose.” Y/N truly had no idea what Harry was capable of and that relieved him because he’d rather be a bully than a murderer, even if he had his reasons. She wouldn’t understand him and maybe, just maybe, he wouldn’t understand himself either if he could think rationally.

“I guess so.” Y/N murmured when she felt attacked, even though he didn’t talk in a teasing manner, nor was he looking judgmentally at her. Yet she wondered if he was referring to their incidents and how she still held a grudge over him. Was she taking it too far? She lowered her gaze, when Harry’s grin dropped.

“Di–”

“–we should get started!” And with those words she opened the one in her hand quickly before she started reading, or at least she was good at pretending to read.

Harry sighed, when she didn’t look up anymore and confusion rushed over his body. He only saw her tensing up and her eyes opening widely, signaling that she was uncomfortable. Did he say something wrong? He really wanted to find out what just happened and what he had missed but he knew he wouldn’t find any answers, knowing how confusing she was. He didn’t even get answers from over 40 years ago and he wasn’t going to get any now. That’s why he dropped the topic, grabbed a book and made himself comfortable, in hopes to find the solution to his dilemma.

As he was trying to read, he heard the cat breathing harshly that somehow matched Y/N’s and for some time, she enjoyed his company, just the way she enjoyed the company of strangers in a cafe, whenever she was there to read.d It made the words roll off her tongue so much easier. For a moment too long he let his gaze linger, softening whenever a crease would form between her eyebrows, as she started to overthink, since she didn’t know why he was looking at her. Did he think she was weird, or even odd? In college everyone used to refer to her as the weird misfit. But little did she know, that Harry never saw her in that way and many others didn’t either. 

Though she knew what he was here for and what else he still had to get, something inside of him started twisting, letting his tummy do backflips. Somehow he remembered their old days together and he wondered if she still liked her fruit to be cut in little squares and if she still thought that Charles Dickens books were all too dense and dry, or if she had changed her mind. There was so much he didn’t know bout her that once came to him so naturally and even though he never tried to reach out to her, he felt guilt for everything that went wrong. Sometimes he wondered if anything would be different now if he had spoken up and never listened to his friends. He wished he had enough time to find a way to turn back time and make everything right and he could only hope that Y/N would do the same, if she had the chance to. But he figured it wasn’t of any importance as he had something else planned for her future already.

“Why are you staring at me?” She suddenly asked, breaking the silence. “I can’t read like that.” Her voice was calm with a tiny bit of annoyance. After all, she was helping him and he can be decent enough to try to participate.

Harry nodded his head. “Yes. Of course. Sorry.” And bit on his tongue to not let any more words come out. If she wanted to say something, she would, right?

While Y/N’s fingers were going from page to page, the only thing motivating her to keep going was Jupiter. She had to find a solution and she felt a tingly sensation inside of her, whenever she came closer.

Both witches worked in silence, while Y/N occasionally sipped on her tea and Harry just left it on the coffee table, completely forgetting about it, once he concentrated on the letters in front of him. The two were stubborn enough to keep going and quickly the sun was ready to disappear, when a loud thud chimed through her living room. Frightened, Y/N held her hand to her chest as she felt her heart racing and Harry looked around, to locate where the sound came from. But he quickly realised that it must have come from the front door, when Y/N’s eyes fixated on it. “Should I look?” He asked, unsure if she wanted him to do anything and usually he wouldn’t ask but just do it, as it was usually in his nature to protect those around him. A trait his mother always valued for her children to have, as she never wanted them to use their powers to harm. If Harry was honest, he wasn’t sure if he should still call himself that when lately he had only done harm to others.

Y/N shook her head. “I can do it.” She declined his offer because she was always the first one to say that she doesn’t need a man. Especially because she was a witch, a good one at that. Besides, she was the only one with working magic. If anyone could protect them, then it was her. With steady steps, she walked towards the front door until she could grab the cold doorknob. Slowly she steadied her breath and prepared herself to fight, just in case if she had to before twisting the metal.

It could’ve been adventurous people who liked to explore the woods, or maybe even her neighbours. She hadn’t seen them in a very long time, neither do they live close to her but it was a possibility, or maybe another witch felt her presence and wanted to drop by. She wouldn’t think that it was possible but if Harry had found her, then she really had to work on her protection spell and make the barrier harder.

But what she came face to wasn’t something he had expected. At first she stared into the dark woods, no one around until she looked down. For a moment she was scared, ready to slam the door shut but when her brain started processing, realisation hit her.

“Millie?” Harry asked from behind her, gently pushing Y/N away from the door to get a better look at the bruised bat. “Are you alright, love?” He crouched down, softly nudging his familiar with his nail polished fingers before taking her into his big hand.

“Millie.” She repeated shallowy, not trying to catch Harry’s attention as more and more memories came to her. “Millie.” She said again but this time with more strength behind her voice and more confidence. “She… she’s your familiar, right?”

Harry nodded, still looking at the tiny bat. “Yeah.” Carefully he rubbed her head, while he looked for any injuries on her wings, her most fragile body part. “How would you know?” He asked, still not looking up.

Y/N hesitated. How did she know his familiar? She had to stiffen her laughter when she remembered Millie always waiting in front of the school building when Harry had classes. Millie would never leave his side, even when he wasn’t sure of her presence. Back then Y/N still hadn’t found her Jupiter, and all she longed for was such a strong, loyal and beautiful companion and at times she’d catch herself feeling jealous when she saw Harry interacting with the bat. “She always waited for you outside the buildings.” Y/N finally answered when Harry was done inspecting the animal and grazed over to her.

“She did?”

Y/N nodded quickly. “Every time. She likes grasshoppers, right?” If Harry wasn’t confused before, he most definitely was confused right now. She knew what Millie liked? His eyes were following the smaller witch rum through her cabinets, until she found what she was looking for. A big jar filled with –Harry suspected them to be grasshoppers– came into his sight. “Would she like some?” She asked Harry, who still stood there perplexed, but Millie wasn’t and started flying around the jar and Y/N. For a brief moment he saw Y/N smiling, and immediately a comfortable warmth captured him. Even if he didn’t want to admit that, he had missed seeing her smile and her eyes crinkle when she did that. “Alright, girl. Take as many as you want.” With that she opened the jar, putting it on the coffee table for Millie to reach easily whenever she wanted.

“When did you meet her?” Harry asked, when he kept his gaze towards his feeding familiar. Even if Harry trusted Y/N, he wasn’t sure if she’d poison Millie. After all, he couldn’t and wouldn’t blame her if she did, after everything her little cat has to go through because of his selfish reasons.

She shrugged her shoulder, with tilted lips while she was watching Millie as well. “I think I met her on the day when I made the bird poop on y–”

“–I knew that was you!”

Y/N laughed, nodding her head. “Pretty sure she was following me around because of the grasshoppers in my bag.”

“I should’ve known.” Harry shook his head, when an almost invisible smile grazed his lips. He should’ve known that something was up, when the bird seemed to follow him around the whole day and embarrassed him at the most inconvenient moments. Of course, he has suspected Y/N but she was so damn good at lying, or he believed her too quickly.

“I don’t know how you didn’t. It was a pretty basic spell.” She shrugged, giving him an almost judging look.

He rolled his eyes. “Not as basic as you having a white cat. Were black cats out of stock?” A mocking tone in his voice made Y/N glare at him.

“Funny.” She laughed sarcastically, when she grabbed the book again, signaling Harry that she was done with the conversation. “And what are you? Wannabe-Batman?” Even though Y/N scoffed rudely, Harry bit into his bottom lip to keep his smile hidden. It was just so damn easy to piss her off.

“Batman doesn’t even have a bat as a pet. He’s scared of them.”

“Whatever smartass, just grab a book.” She rolled her eyes behind the book while she started reading the paragraph where she had stopped. Slowly, but surely Y/N was getting closer to an answer. She only needed to find a spell, a rune or maybe just a potion to make to break the rune and free his magic channel. Since Harry and her were natural witches, born with the powers of a witch, it was harder to detect where their magic came from. So she guessed it would be easier to look for a way to break the spell, instead of reopening his source. If he were a borrower, they would have hat to detect the demon who gave him the magic in exchange for his soul, which might have been a tricky way as demons loved to twist and turn everything they say to their liking and after not being in contact with one of those black eyed spirits, she wasn’t sure if she would be able to detect their shenanigans. Slowly she peeked over her book to see Harry deeply focused on his own and Jupiter still laying in the same position. The only difference was that Millie was gone and the sun seemed to be completely swallowed by the darkness. With one swift snap she turned every light on, catching Harry off guard. She guessed, he wasn’t expecting that.

“Have you found something?” He asked, when she got up, to look through her drawers again, not giving him an answer. So he tried again. “Do you know what to do?”

She only hummed, frustrating Harry. Why did she have to be so dramatic? Couldn’t she just tell him?

“Shit.” She cursed underneath her breath when she closed the drawer, folding her arms in front of her chest. Quickly Harry stood up but before he could get closer to her, to have a look at her drawers himself, she put her hand up. “I think I know what we need to do but I don’t have every ingredient.”

“What is missing?” He asked slowly.

She sighed. “We need a female frog’s eye, some mouse bones and some witches blood.”

“That shouldn’t be too ba–”

“–a witch who can use black and white magic.” She interrupted before Harry gulped. Should Harry confess that he had the right blood? He wasn’t sure if it was enough, but he must have enough on his clothes but how would he explain that to her? He couldn’t just confess what he had done, elsewise he would never get what else he needed from her and she was sure she’d kill him on the spot, while he couldn’t even defend himself. “We’ll never get that!”

He scratched the back of his head, felt the curls sticking onto him as sweat drops dripped down his back. “I might have some.”

Immediately her head shot towards her with a raised eyebrow and slightly shocked expression. “You do?” He nodded slowly. He hoped she wouldn’t ask him any further questions. “How?” But he wasn’t lucky. 

Harry tried his best to laugh it off as his brain screamed through various explanations. “A friend once gave me some.” And of course he had to come up with the most unbelievable one! Sceptically Y/N looked at him up and down, as she notices his thumb running over his tattoos. She was familiar with him doing that, as it was his habit whenever he lied. 

“A friend?” She could smell the bullshit from miles away, as no witch would give their blood, not even to a friend. They need what damage and harm it could bring if someone had would take possession of it. Their blood can be used for the most powerful spells, such as casting hell fire on earth. There was no way Harry just got it from a friend. When Y/N was thinking more and more about it, she came to the conclusion that the person wasn’t a friend but rather his victim and Harry could sense that, as her breath hitched in the back of her throat. Would he do that? 

Would she figure out his secret?

His heart was beating fast in his ribcage and he could practically hear it in his ear. “I… I know ho– how that sounds, alright? But she owned me a favour.” He lied through gritted teeth, hoping she’d ignore his trembling voice. Had she put something inside his tea or why was it so hard for him to lie to her? 

“I–” Y/N started but stopped herself to take a quick breather. Did it really care how he got it? Was she really going to question his morals when she used to torture innocent people as well to get what she wanted? Not too long ago, she’d rip people's fingernails off or break their teeth, just so she could cast a spell for her own selfish purposes and nobody was there to judge her. It was practically in their nature to harm and if Harry had done it, she shouldn’t be surprised, right? Even if she couldn’t see the dork from forty years ago harm anyone, she had to admit that he might not be the same person anymore and truly didn’t know what he was capable of and she had no time to figure it out when Jupiter was still suffering. “–ok.” She exhaled sharply. “It doesn’t matter. You have it. We need it. That’s all I need to know.” A heavy weight fell off of Harry’s broad shoulders, when he sighed in relief. He wasn’t sure if he’d continue lying to her if she’d ask more questions.

Thankfully Harry gave her a small smile and opened his mouth to say something when Millie came flying through the open kitchen window, interrupting their intense stare, as both of them focused on the flying bat above them.Harry couldn’t have been more thankful to his familiar because she didn’t know what he wanted to say, if he was honest. Worry was still visible on Y/N’s face as lines formed between her eyebrows but she didn’t say anything. She needed him to get out of her life and give Jupiter the antidote. At least that’s what she thought when she watched Millie fly closely to her familiar, before she dropped something next to his head. Before Y/N could react, Jupiter lifted his head to see a dead mouse laying next to him and Y/N realised what was happening. “I think Millie is trying to cheer him up.” Harry explained in a surprised voice. He hadn’t seen his familiar so awfully nice to strangers, especially cats as they seemed to love hurting bats. Just one little scratch on her wings, and it would leave her scarred forever, maybe even take her ability to fly, if it was serious. 

Y/N nodded, as she didn’t need his explanation. “I think they’re friends.” She said when she was taken back by Jupiter using his tiny bit of energy to look up at what Milli had brought him. He wouldn’t even look when Y/N was scratching his back or when Harry gave her attention and for a moment a sad smile adorned her face. “Maybe we could be too… one day.” She let her thoughts run wild, not caring what he was thinking about her statement, if he would even want that but Y/N was able to see a blooming friendship between them forty years ago and maybe they hadn’t lost their chance yet.  They’d have to unpack many things before that but that possibility wasn’t completely out the picture, as Harry didn’t seem to have any bad intentions in mind and he hadn’t done anything else to her white cat. So maybe he wasn’t all bad?  Harry smiled ruefully at her statement, as he knew that it was never going to happen. But yet he just gave her a tiny wink to an unknown Y/N. She was naive because, no matter how hard it felt for Harry to admit it, she didn’t suspect that her blood was going to be on his clothes next.

“You haven’t been to the witches market?” She shook her head, as he waited for her to get out of her house. Hesitantly she glimpsed inside her living room where Jupiter was laying on the rug, tiredly watching what Millie was doing, as she seemed to be eating one of the treats Y/N had prepared for her. “Where do you get your stuff from then?” He asked and waited for her to catch up with his pace.

She mumbled. “I don’t really do that kinda magic anymore. I’ve got everything I need right here.” Y/N tapped her foot against her own land, looking proudly at the small house with the much bigger garden. She hardly ever needed to buy anything, due to the many vegetables and fruits she had planted and she never needed anything for her witchcraft, because if she used her magic it was for the most simple things that didn’t require any books or ingredients, that were difficult to find, at all.

“You have a pond right in front of your house. Don’t think you could find a frog or a mouse here?” He pointed at the small water that was just a few feet’s away. “Pretty sure we wouldn’t have to buy those.”

Disgusted, she screwed up her face and put her arms on her hips, staring at him with an irritated look, as if he was talking utter nonsense. “I won’t harm an innocent animal!” She spoke obviously, almost as if he should have expected her answer.

“No?” She shook her head before rolling her eyes, giving him an answer to his phrased question. A part of her understood and knew where he came from. Most witches preferred to use animals, insects or plants straight from nature and they didn't shy away from taking them out of their natural habitat. Y/N used to be like that too. It’s hard not to, when every witch she had looked up to did that but the more years passed, the more she decided for herself that she wasn’t going to do that. Harming, hurting or killing animals wasn’t her preferred method, or at least she didn’t want to do that herself. “You’ve changed then. Because we even used to read from The Book Of The Damned in between classes for fun.” Harry continued, when he tightened his scarf around his neck, so he wouldn’t have to freeze in the cold winter.

Y/N shook her head, not trying to say no but to stop him from talking about that book. “We were being stupid. I shouldn’t have this book in the first place, or brought it with me.” It had been in her family for many, many centuries and if it were up to Y/N, she’d say for way too many. Even though it was their family’s pride and Y/N didn’t want to know how her great-great-grandmother had gotten a hold of those handwritten pages but to her, it had only brought pain and suffering for everyone. Nothing good came from it, as witches always fought about who it should belong to and even the spells required worse than sacrificing your loved ones. According to her, no one should have so much power and if she would’ve been wiser 40 years ago, she would’ve never taken and messed with it. But she was so naive and stupid.

“So, you still have it?” He asked carefully but when she nodded her head, he breathed the warm air out that he wasn’t even aware of holding in. He was relieved but the way she started frowning after hearing the book's title, he guessed she wasn’t as adventurous as she once used to be. Has something happened to her, or did she just grow up?

His eyes were still fixated on her and she sensed how he wanted to ask more questions about it, much to her dislike. That's why she picked up her pace and walked in front of him, directly towards her little pond. “So, should we walk or steal a car?” She asked instead and smiled to show him that she was just joking but he couldn’t see her and immediately he widened his eyes. It was impossible for them to walk and taking a car would take them days, something Jupiter clearly would not survive. Has it really been so long that she didn’t remember where it was?

“What? We aren’t going to steal a car, when we could take mine. But it would take too long. I don’t thi–”

“–calm down. I was kidding.” She stopped his mumbling by interrupting him and holding her hand up in the air while staring at the beautiful scenery in front of her. Thick, tall and dark trees were reflected in the dark water, while butterflies and dragonflies surrounded the green grass. Many leaves were covering the floor, as the weather got colder but Y/N didn’t mind. She likes the colours, as if they were painting the world in a brand new tone. It was a perfect place, many would probably say that it looked scary but what could scare Y/N if she was the one people should fear? That’s why she felt at ease whenever she looked out her window and that’s why she preferred to use it as a mirror, to teleport herself to different places, if they were too far away to reach by foot and not some boring, old mirror, how everybody else does. “Wouldn’t want you getting comfortable here.” She half heartedly joked. She definitely didn’t want him around her but she also couldn’t deny the fact that she was getting used to his company, even if it more often seemed to annoy her than bring her joy. “And I knew you couldn’t walk a mile in those” She eyed his shoes suspiciously. “carnival boots.”

Embarrassed, his mouth popped open and he glanced at his shoes as he was trying to hide them somehow. He didn’t think that his shoes looked bad, quite the opposite actually. He remembered when he saw them for the first time. It had been just a few years ago, when he walked by a fancy small Italian shoe company in the middle of Milan and they had immediately caught his eye. Long story short he fell in love and bought them without trying them on. For years he had worn them occasionally, whenever he wanted to spice up his outfit and he never felt bad about them. Well, until now. Now, he’s wondering if they looked like cheap boots mortals wore when they liked to play dress up.

While he was debating silently in his head if the expensive purchase was worth it, Y/N could read his expressions like an open book. It wasn’t hard when he hit the inside of his cheeks and rubbed at his slight stubble with two of his fingers. “I’m kidding. Again.” She added when she felt the guilt kicking her in her guts. Of course, she never meant it in a harmful way but rather as an attempt of teasing him, just how he always teased her. But she guessed he was more insecure. She didn’t know that and if she were honest, he made those ridiculous looking shoes look expensive, and somehow he could pull them off. “They look good on you.” Once his eyes dared to look back into hers, she gave him a small reassuring smile and walked a few steps towards him, until she could squeeze his biceps. “I was just trying to tease you, curly.”

“Curly?” He cocked his left eyebrow upwards. “Haven’t been called that since... college.”

She let her hand linger on his arm, without noticing. “Well, I gave you that nickname.” And he remembered the day when she had done so. It had been one of their usual study sessions, where they’d be lounging around in the library intending to get work done but most of the time they’d share their favorite tapes and Harry would try to convince her that he could do all the dances from footloose. Now thinking back, he definitely could not dance as good and he was happy that he’d never shown her. He would’ve embarrassed himself. But when they were concentrated on their work, she recognized how just one strand of hair would always fall on his forehead, dangle right between his eyes and annoy him by doing so. He always tried to slick that hair back but no matter how much product he used, that curl was stubborn. And that’s where she had gotten the nickname from. She always loved the wild strands of curly hair and she’d always complain if he used too much product, as she liked his natural way more, or at least that’s what she had said back then.

Immediately his heart picked up on speed, while she allowed herself to drift off to a distant memory for a short time till she got drawn back into reality by birds chirping around her. “We should get going.” She only said, when her stomach started spinning and she wondered if his curls still smelled the same. She wondered if they still smelled like cinnamon and apples and if they felt as soft as they looked in between her fingers. “We can use the water as a portal.” He silently agreed and watched her walk towards the water, when she finally reached the small pond, she mumbled a quick spell. “Aperi mihi quid cogito portal, quae praestat eam. Ibi me accipere.” Within seconds a reflection was seen in the water and he immediately recognized those streets like the ones that lead to the very famous witches market. A few witches were already walking down those old lanes that were made out of red clay many, many years ago. “Let’s go before it closes.” She informed him and stuck her arm into the water, immediately getting sucked into the other side of the mirror without getting wet. Almost as if she had never touched the wet surface. Harry quickly followed her and all he felt was a harsh wind brush through his hair and he stood next to her, in the middle of the street while the bright sun was shining at them while he dusted off his clothes and she combed through her hair with her fingers. No one even cared to see what had happened, as they were used to such a simple spell.

“Do you know where to get them?”

“No.” She shook her head and pressed her lips to a thin line. Anxiety was making itself presentable in her body when she nervously looked around. Somehow she felt out of place and scared that she wouldn’t find it, after all these years of not visiting this place and she was shocked to see that it still looked the same. Just the air felt too thick to breathe and she wasn’t as comfortable as she once used to be, when she imagined everybody staring and pointing their fingers at her, while, in reality, no one was paying her any attention. Harry didn’t seem to notice her anxious behavior when he curiously looked around the market, carefully eyeing every item, as he didn’t want to miss what they were here for.

Y/N truly tried to calm herself down, telling herself that she had been in this situation before. Numerous times, actually, and her earliest memories were from her early childhood, as her mother would always make her tag her along. Back then, she wasn’t so anxious, and would run around the place and touch everything that came to her sight but who would expect anything less from an energetic child?

But now everything was different. She was older now and knew what she should do and what she shouldn’t do and that’s what scared her. She didn’t want to do anything that she wasn’t supposed to and somehow it frightened her so much that she’d rather crawl into her little house and never come out again. A trait she wished she could let go of but it was easier said than done.

Her mother used to advise her to take some substances that mortals used as well to calm themselves down and she had tried them all before. And even if they helped her for a little while, it wasn’t long enough to satisfy her health.

That’s why she’s left alone in her headspace, creating all those scenarios that could –but wouldn’t– happen, without any help to calm herself down.

“Y/N, are you coming?” Harry asked when he saw her frozen on the same spot, while he had spent the past couple of minutes roaming around. Worriedly he frowned, staring at her shocked state. She looked as if she’d seen a ghost. Her eyes were shot wide open, mouth trembling and sweat starting to form on her hairline. Softly he touched her hand, only to realize that her whole body was stiff and that she was so cooped up in her world that she didn’t even notice him standing right in front of her. “Y/N?” He asked again but he didn’t receive an answer yet, just her absent eyes looking past him. “Y/N?” He spoke with Mir certainty and volume this time, somewhat catching her attention, as her eyes darted to him but she didn’t talk yet. Gently, he grabbed her arm, dragging her to one of the less crowded sidewalks. When the sun wasn’t shining directly at them anymore, her hands started to shake, resulting in Harry gripping her tighter than before, scared that she might faint.

For a while, no one said anything, as distraught Y/N tried to control her thoughts and a stressed Harry searched for a solution.

“I–” Y/N started and stopped herself but when she opened her mouth again, no words came out. She looked like a fish out of the water and somehow she felt like one as well. “–I ca–” She tried, she tried to finish her sentence but her dry mouth, her fast-thinking brain, and those trembling lips, made it almost impossible to do so and luckily Harry caught onto it and didn’t make her finish. Instead, he pulled her closer to his chest, holding her steady while her eyes were tearing up.

Gently Harry brushed through her hair, as he looked down at her. “It’s ok. Everything’s going to be just fine.” He shushed when he felt her hands gripping his clothes and her unsteady breathing rhythm messing with his own. “I got you. I’m right here.” After those words, a silence overcame them and the only thing Harry was focused on was her breathing and making sure that she didn’t start bawling her eyes out. Not that he wouldn’t hold her if she’d wet his clothes but he would be worried about what to do next if she decided to cry. Something was getting to her and he wanted to know what it was so he could make her situation better. He had never seen her like this and that somehow scared him. It scared him because he didn’t know what to do and he hated feeling clueless. While other people were passing them, shooting them annoyed or sometimes worried glances, he just ignored them all and gave her his whole attention, even if she wasn’t saying anything. But it calmed him down knowing that when he rubbed her back, she didn’t feel as tense anymore and that her grip loosened around his coat. “How are you feeling?” He asked once he was sure that her breathing was back to normal.

For a second too long Y/N buried her face in his chest, taking his scent in, and allowing it to calm her down before she felt ready to talk. “I– 'm alright.” A scoff left Harry’s lips and Y/N didn’t have to look up to know that he was shaking his head.  She had expected him to say something like “bullshit” or accuse her of lying but he didn’t. Instead, he still held her and he was still rubbing her back with his backhands.

“It’s ok if you don’t want to tell me but…” He stops himself before he lets too much slip.  Should he say what he was about to say? Or will it be too much for her? “I’m here and I’ll listen.” Whatever selfish part inside of him believed that at that moment it was just the two of them, and no one else around them mattered, he let himself believe that. He let himself believe that he wasn’t by her side for more selfish reasons, instead of facing the truth. All he wanted was to pretend that he could be someone she could trust. And when her arms swung around him tightly, it was so easy for him to pretend.

For a short time, a silence overcame them and all she did was try to get her breathing under control. “Sometimes I get… anxious.” She admitted, which she had never done before. To be fair, there was no one in her life that she could say those words too but saying those words to Harry and holding so tightly onto him, as if her life depended on it, was never something she saw coming. Yet, he made her feel safe when the world was so scary and it immediately brought her back to their college years, when he used to be the one, making her feel comfortable. Even if it just was throughout their freshman year. She felt his hands rubbing her back, coaxing the anxiety to be drained from her body and making her feel relaxed enough to continue. “It doesn’t happen often an– and only when it’s cro– crowded.” Her voice sounded so hoarse and the way it cracked at the end, made a pain shot through him. With soft eyes he looked down at her, brushing her hair to one side, to get a better angle at her face.

“Can I hold your hand?”

“What?”

“You can squeeze it if you’re feeling uncomfortable, so I can know. My hand, I mean. You can squeeze my hand if it’s alright with you unless it won’t help you then you do–”

”–ok.” She interrupted his stuttering with a faint ghost of a smile and took his big hand into her own. Immediately he intertwined their fingers together as if he had been holding her hand all these years when he only got briefly the chance to. And when her skin touched him, both swore that those forty years had never happened, as electricity shot through their bodies, pulling them closer together.

For the rest of the day, she let him hold her hand, as they were searching for everything they needed and even though Y/N started to feel overwhelmed at times, Harry’s presence calmed her down. Enough at least so she was able to function. It felt odd to her that she hated his guts for so long when he didn’t seem as bad right now, especially since he hadn’t been an asshole to her and even sounded worried about her mental state.

She never thought she’d say this but she had to admit that she was wrong for being so stubborn. She was wrong for hating his guts so much because he might not be all bad. Of course, it doesn’t change what he had done to her but now she felt ready to at least listen to what he has to say.

And Harry felt that something was lingering in her mind when her mind would wander off and leave her zooming out on him, once they were back at her place. Her mouth was kept shut and she forbade herself from opening up, even when the silence had become so unbearable. She just wanted to know what he’d happened between them and why she didn’t hate him, even though she tried so hard.

But most importantly, she wondered if just a tiny fragment of him felt the same, so she’d get some closure.

The uncomfortable space captured them both immediately and once he sat down on her ugly rug, and Y/N made herself comfortable on her couch,  he had to admit that her floor was oddly comfortable and he finally understood how Y/N was able to sit on it.

Maybe this terrible looking thing was not so useless after all.

“Do you regret it?” She asked, breaking the silence that seemed to suffocate her. Apart of her wanted to stay quiet but she couldn’t anymore, not after everything they had talked about today and what he had confessed earlier. Could his words be true?

Harry looked at her in anticipation, while folding his hands in his lap. “Regret what?” He asked, wanting to make sure what she was referring to even though he knew exactly what she meant but yet she didn’t answer. She chose to stay quiet and that made Harry urge an answer out of her. Was she thinking the same thing? “Regret what, Y/N?”

For a long time, she stayed quiet, because what was he supposed to regret? Ever meeting her? Befriending her? Or was he supposed to regret that she thought there was more going on without realizing it? “The night at the party.” She mumbled when she tried to pin the time when everything went sour and she concluded that it had to be after the party, after their one night that could’ve to lead to something but didn’t.

Immediately he knew what she meant by that and he shook his head harshly. “No.” He spoke firmly and with strength in his voice because he wasn’t lying. He didn’t regret anything that had to do with her and he knew it was impossible for him to feel that way. But how did she not see that? How did she not know that? “Why would you think that? You left the next morning without an explanation. I thought you regretted it.” Slowly anger was burning in the pits of his stomach when he thought back to that day. He hadn’t done anything wrong, as he remembered him falling asleep with his head in his neck, thinking that they can finally kick off a relationship that was always ready to be built. Even though Harry couldn’t see his face, he swore he slept with a smile grazing his pink lips because he knew he was going to wake up next to her. But that never happened. She had left without saying a word and acted as if nothing ever happened. So, shouldn’t he be asking her that question?

“No, I di–”

“–Why did you leave?” Those words left his mouth quicker than he could think about them but he was glad that he had said them. He wanted, no needed, his closure. Did she just play with his heart? She shrugged her shoulders but it wasn’t a good enough answer for him, not after he had waited forty years to finally get an explanation. “Tell me, why did you leave?”

His eyes burned holes into her head until she stopped chewing her bottom lip and finally got her to crack open and let him know what was going through her head. “I… I was scared, ok? I didn’t know what to think.” She mumbled, almost impossible to hear but luckily Harry understood her but it didn’t give him any clarification.

“Really? That’s it? You didn’t know what to think?” He scoffed. That was it? She didn’t know what to think? That’s why she’d been ignoring him for such a goddamn long time? “You could’ve just talked to me!” It wasn’t his intention to sound so rude but he couldn’t help himself and spit his words out as if he was trying to get the poison out of his mouth.

Now it wasn’t Y/N’s turn to feel irritated and even a little bit angry. “Don’t you think I tried?” Annoyed, she crossed her arms in front of her chest, waiting for an answer that never came. He shrugged. How was he supposed to know when he felt like that he was the only one constantly trying. “You were always with your friends and… and I heard what you said to them.” Her eyes were searching for an answer in his green ones but got only met with more questions. He looked confused, as he didn’t know what he could’ve said to them that hurt Y/N so badly. She sighed defeatedly, as he seemed to want an answer from her. “You said you could never be interested in me.” She felt uneasy, confessing what she had heard when she only wanted to use the toilet and his friends were all sitting on the couch downstairs, completely drunk, and practically shouting.

It was right after Harry had fallen asleep next to her, with his head buried in her neck, and his hair tickling her face. Sweat was still covering their bodies and the mess they had made, could even make a blind person see what they had done not too long ago. But she didn’t mind. The only thing that she could hear was her fast-beating heart in her ears and the blood rushing to her cheeks whenever she saw Harry’s hair sticking to his sweaty forehead and the small scratches she had left in his arms. There were probably some on his back as well but she couldn’t see them.

Gently, she pushed Harry’s body away from her, so she could escape his hold and go to the bathroom. While her mind was still replaying what had just happened, a faint shouting pulled her back to reality. All she could remember was one of his friends asking how Harry could stand to be with her in the same room while another replied with how he only used Y/N for an easy fuck and that’s what Harry had said to them as well. That made her feel so extremely dirty, hard, and sad. Was she just an easy one night stand to him? A part of her didn’t want to believe those words but she couldn’t help and let them get to her head. Somehow the butterflies she had felt previously were gone and tears were evident in her eyes. His friends would always give her dirty looks whenever they’d see Harry and her together and Y/N had seen how much prettier girls than her, gave Harry hungry eyes. He flirted with all of them, so she couldn’t be anyone special, right?

Regret washed over him. He did? “Y/N, I–” When he saw the pain evident on her face, he gulped. He apparently did and he didn’t even know.

”–I figured it would be best to just forget about what had happened between us and you seemed to hate me anyways. So, it wasn’t too hard.” She felt her heart skip a beat painfully when she remembered how she had felt in that moment and she wondered if being stabbed by a knife would’ve been easier to go through.

A pain shot through his heart. Hate her? Never. “I never hated you.” He explained calmly, trying to see her eyes b she dodged his gaze because she didn’t want him to see her watery ones. She didn’t want to cry but this conversation frustrated her and brought her back all those feelings she never wanted to feel again. Heartbreaks suck, especially if you’re a stubborn witch who can’t let go of the past.

“Yes, you did! And you basically bullied me through the next years.” Her voice had gotten louder and the tears became more threatening, as they dared to roll down her cheeks at any time now. But she wondered if it was just her anger getting too much and making her so undeniably emotional.

“It wasn’t bu–”

“–don’t deny it! It makes it so much worse, Harry!” Her shoulders sank up and down heavily, as she tried to control her quick breathing but the tension was getting thicker and she didn’t know how much longer she could take it. “Ever since I went out on that date, you made my life a living hell. Why did you do that?” He was silent, trying to understand her. Did she really think he was bullying her? That was never his intention and he didn’t know how to tell her. “See! You can’t explain it yourself.”

She faced herself away from him, ready to get up and leave her living room when Harry let out a small whisper. “I was jealous.” And it took him a lot of courage to own up to his mistakes and explain why he did what he did. He always wanted closure from her and she should get the same.

Her mouth formed an ‘o’ shape and curiously furrowed her eyebrows. Jealousy? Now that she didn’t see coming. “What? Why?” She hissed when she heard how fragile her voice sounded but she didn’t care for long when she could hear her heartbeat in her ears. This situation was loaded with tension, frustration, anger and even some relief because both of them had waited forty years to talk about what had happened that caused everything else to turn so sour.

He took long breaths before he confessed what had scratched his fragile ego to cause him to be an asshole to her. And when he thought about it he felt like an absolute idiot but he couldn’t back out now. “Because you were able to ignore me, after everything and go out with that douche?” He scrunched up his face in disgust. “It didn’t even take you long to replace me.”

“No one could replace you.” She confessed, looking directly into Harry’s eyes. Electricity ran through her veins and suddenly the room felt so tiny, making it so much harder for her to breathe. She thinks she’ll never catch a break. For a moment both took their times to process what had happened, while looking at each other closely. They hadn’t even realised how close they had gotten to each other and only knew she noticed tiny freckles in his cheeks and nose, a tiny scar in his chin and how long his eyelashes were.

And he finally registered her beautiful features and even the smaller details that made her skin so unique and all he wanted to do was to touch her cheeks and caress each and every spot. Only now he realised how his chest was so close to her legs and his hands slowly grabbed her knees, pushing her legs apart. He never stopped looking at her, to make sure she wanted him to touch her. For a short moment she let Harry’s hands wander and closed her eyes to just feel him, as the stare had gotten too intense for her liking. All she wanted to feel was Harry’s soft hands making her feel appreciated and somehow even managed to comfort her and make the tension disappear step by step.

Carefully his hands rubbed against her thighs, while he was watching her from between her legs. Her breath hitched when her gaze met with his hungry eyes and an undeniable flame erupted within her, asking for more fuel to grow bigger. She could feel his cold rings through her black jeans but it wasn’t uncomfortable as he rubbed his skin in hers thoroughly, warming her up. Y/N was able to see what Harry wanted to do and he made sure that she understood him.

His plump lips rubbed over the fabric she was wearing but even that small contact sent shivers down Y/N’s spine and how he was looking at her, as if she was the only one that mattered, made her feel more excited and nervous at the same time. She rubbed her sweaty palms against her rug, so Harry wouldn’t notice but he did and with a low, raspy voice he started asking. “Can I kiss you?” Slowly she nodded while biting her bottom lip. A one sided grin appeared in his face, when he kneeled between her legs and grabbed her face to pull her closer to him. He felt her hot breath on his nose when he caressed her heated cheek and wondered how her skin was able to be so soft. Deeply, he started into her eyes, counting the different specks of Color in them, when he thought back to all the restless nights he had dreamed of being that close to her again. And even if he was next to her because of the worst reasons, he had no choice but forget all about them, as she finally closed the gap between them and put her lips hard in his. Her hands immediately gripped the base of his neck, while he rested on her hips, drawing small circles on them. He felt her sigh against his mouth when he grabbed the flesh harder, giving him an opportunity to slide his tongue inside, which she gladly accepted.

His warm scent made her feel dizzy and the unsatisfied hunger kept her mouth going, keeping their lips dancing together rhythmically. She didn’t know for how long they kept going until she felt Harry’s hands trailing upwards, clearly playing with the hem of her shirt, almost as if he was waiting for her permission. With one last tug in his soft curls, she let go of him and mumbled a quiet “yes” against his lips to which he replied with a smile.

With a lot of anticipation she waited till Harry slid the shirt off of her, exposing her bra padded chest. She wasn’t wearing anything fancy, just a simple black bra but Harry made her feel so extremely beautiful when he stared at her with those hungry eyes, as if he was ready to swallow her whole.

The soft skin that looked like porcelain kept Harry in a trance and within seconds his mouth connected to her chest, kissing softly her neck and down to between her chest. God, she was stunning and Harry would’ve been drooling if he couldn’t control himself. She was prettier than any other girl he’s ever met and he was going to make sure that she knew. After all, how could anybody ever regret having her? It was impossible.

“May I?” Y/N asked when she gripped Harry’s shirt, pleading with her eyes to take off his clothes but much to her dislike he shook his head.

“It’s not about me tonight, darling.” With that he slid between her legs again, his head right in front of her middle. “Let me make you feel good. Let me make you scream my name. Please.” And the last word with the six letters, made her squirm. He was pleading, he was begging to pleasure her and Y/N couldn’t put it into words how wet he had gotten her with one, simple word. She couldn’t help but nod in anticipation. “Use words, baby. Tell me what you want.” His hands gave her thighs a tight squeeze, demanding a verbal answer. With every word Harry’s words got deeper and his eyes grew darker the longer it took for Y/N to answer him.

“Make me feel good, Harry.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“I… I don–”

“–no lying, darling or I won’t give you anything.” “Now, let’s try again.” He leaned close to her ear. “Tell me. What–” He kissed her soft spot behind her ear. “–do–” His teeth picked at her delicate skin, making her hiss. “–you–” She knew he was leaving a mark, and she couldn’t care less when his tongue caressed the spot he had just bitten. “–want.” He finished his sentence with one last suck on that spot, still gripping her hips harshly and pulling away from her slightly so he could look into her excited eyes.

“I want you to take off my pants.”

He nodded. “As you wish.” Quickly his fingers grazed over the buttons, giving her one last look and when she gave him a hard nod, he grinned from ear to ear, while he undressed her. Once her bare legs were in his sight, his hands immediately found their place on them again and his mouth made sure to kiss every, newly exposed skin. For a second she stopped breathing when Harry came close to her aching core and she was sure that he could see a wet spot on her panties and all she wanted him to do, was to give her the attention where she wanted it the most.

“No.” She shook her head.

“What? You don’t want me kissing your thighs?” She shook her head. “Where then?” Her hands grabbed his head, pulling him towards her desired place. He grinned. “Do you want me to taste you?” She nodded, only resulting in Harry slapping her thigh. “No, no, no. What did I say? Use your words, love.”

“P– please. Finger me.”

“Everything you want princess.” His teeth grabbed the hem off her panties, slowly pulling them down while he still maintained eye contact with her. He could see the juices flowing out, making him want to completely ravish her, as she was so ready for him and he couldn’t grasp it. She was ready for him. He never thought that this day would come ever again. But before his mouth met her lips, his cold fingers started exploring her folds, rubbing slow circles on each spot, besides her pulsating clit, resulting in Y/N to whine. Harry knew what she wanted and, most importantly, where she wanted him but after forty years he was going to enjoy every second of it and not rush into anything, as they were able to take their sweet time, even if her patience runs very thin.

Excitement ran through the pit of her stomach, while she watched Harry caressing every inch of her body, just not exactly where she wanted him to and it frustrated her. Tired of his games, she dove her hand into his curls, pulling tightly onto the many strands of hair. “Stop teasing me.” She only choked out when his fingers ghosted over her clit and even though it was hardly any friction, it felt really good.

“I’m not teasing, just savouring you.” And with those mumbled words, his thumb rubbed small circles over her swollen clit, making sure to put enough pressure to make her squirm. A satisfied grin spread across his face when she bucked her hips harder against his hand and a small hiss left her mouth, followed by a small moan. Y/N bit her bottom lip, when he rubbed harder and faster against her, to keep herself from being too loud. But when a satisfied grasp escaped her silky lips, Harry’s grin widened and he immediately began to slowly run his fingers along her opening, teasing her by dipping his tips into her wetness. He had to fight his urge to give his all to her, as he just wanted to hear her scream his name over and over again. Not only would it stroke his ego but satisfy him, knowing he was able to make her feel good, like he once was able to. But he just didn’t want to give it to her, he wanted her to remember every second of it, just like how he would remember all the spots that drive her wild. His lips trailed up and down her inner thighs, slightly scratching her, till he hadn’t found time to shave his growing stubble and his hands were still massaging her, feeling how wet she had become. A chuckle escaped his throat when Y/N buckled her hips forward to feel more of his hands on her. He smiled against her soft skin and finally gave in, and pushed his finger inside her warm, soft and wet core.

“Harry.” She managed to moan when his finger started moving and instinctively she spread her legs wider apart, to allow him more access. Blissfully, he sunk another finger in, spreading her perfectly, while he found the perfect rhythm to make her feel good. Seeing her mouth agape, eyes shut and back slightly arching away from the couch, his trousers began to painfully tighten around him. “Right there.” Her toes were curling, while her fingers tugged harshly on his curls, making him groan, when he hit her sweetest spot, erupting a pleasant fire in her abdomen.

“You’re so tight, baby. Can’t believe I fit in there.” A breathy chuckle she felt on her heated skin, when he saw her eyes widening by his words. She was still so innocent and he loved it. “God, you’re so wet. My fingers are covered.” Y/N moaned, as a warning to not continue with his dirty talk, even though hearing his deep, raspy and bassy voice sent additional chills down her spine and turned her on even more. She was clenching around his fingers, motivating him to go deeper and faster, as she was so close to reaching her high. She couldn’t even remember when someone actually made her feel so ecstatic and whenever she did it on her own, it never felt so good. “Are you getting close, baby? Do you wanna come all over my fingers?” Harry asked, still pumping his fingers, with one hand,  in and out of her and with the other hand rubbing his thumb over her pulsating clit. He felt her getting tighter around him, making him imagine how it’d feel to be inside her warm, wet and soft pussy or he wondered how sweet she’d taste and what noises he could coax out of her. He wanted to know everything and he wanted to be the only one knowing every spot of hers that kept her whining and moaning around him.

When she only gave him a nod, as an answer, his fast movements came to an immediate halt.

She almost choked on her tongue, when she felt the sudden lack of action. “Wha–”

“–use your words.” He emphasised the small breaks between every word while staring at her with darker eyes and a dominating tone in his voice, making her swallow her pride. “Beg for me to let you come.”

“Harry.” She sighed, moving her hips in circles but he held her hips in place and for a split second she wanted to shake her head and tell him to fuck off but the way his lips were swollen from kissing her, his cheeks flushed red and his curly hair messily laying on his head, her knees started to feel wobbly. She practically felt how her body was already begging for a release, so she guessed she could actually start begging as well. “Please.”

“Please what?”

“Please let me come.” Harry grinned, as he felt satisfaction run through his veins and it didn’t take him long to pick up his speed again. His fingers moved in and out of her harder and faster than before and if he bucked her hips upwards he hit that one spot that made her see stars.

“Come all over my fingers, angel.” He moaned himself, when she started clenching his fingers again and tightly she grabbed onto the soft material of her couch, when her back was arching and her legs started shaking softly.

When she felt his stubble against her inner thighs again and his fingers curling inside of her, an intense pleasure washed over her and with a loud moan, she let her juices flow all over him. “Fuck. Harry!” She moaned, moving away from his hand, as he rode her down her orgasm. With shaky hands she gave his curls one last tug, telling him to let go of her and even though he wanted to continue, wanted to test her limits and how far he could push them, he let go of her with a smirk in his face. But before Y/N could see his smug smile, he put his fingers in his mouth, tasting what was left of her sweetness, savouring her flavour.

“The next time you’ll have to let me taste you.” He lulled, grabbed her face into his hands and pressed his forehead against hers. He felt her shaky breath in his upper lip, before her hand grasped his wrist, keeping him close to her. Her heart was undeniably beating fast and all she wanted to do was pull him closer to her.

She cleared her throat. “Can I–” Stopping herself, she went to touch his belt, wanting so badly to make him feel as good as he had made her feel but he pushed her hand away, while shaking his head.

“No, not today.” In his green eyes, she saw that he wasn’t eager anymore and that the hunger was gone, even after seeing his hardening length in his pants. She was sceptical and wondered why he didn’t want anything from her but before she could sink deeper into her spiral of negative thoughts, he kissed her forehead sincerely and stared at her with an adorning gaze, making her feel like the only person on this planet.

It didn’t take much more convincing for her and she only nodded her head tiredly. “Do you wanna stay?” She asked hopefully with drooping eyes and before they fell completely shut, she saw him nodding his head and wrapping her inside his strong arms and pulling her close to his warm chest, where she could smell his lulling scent. She was seconds away from falling asleep when one last question popped in her head. “Why did you erase my memory?”

Softly Harry breathed in her hair, holding her tightly. “I didn’t want you to remember me like that.” Even if Harry believed that he never bullied her, he wasn’t going to lie about how horribly he had treated her. He had tried so often to make it up to her but somehow he was never able to and when they graduated, he couldn’t let her go with such a bad opinion about him. He thought it would be better for her never knowing him, than actually hating him. 

“You’re not all bad.” Shemumbled before she fell asleep right inside his arms, something she has never experienced before and she could swear, she had never slept more peacefully. When her eyes fell shut, Harry sighed regrettingly but he shook his thoughts away. She is finally asleep and he needed to look for what he truly came here for. His heavy footsteps walked him through the house, searching carefully for the item he was so desperately looking for. It was the last key for him to finally get what he wanted for so long and he wasn’t going to give it all up, just because he just wanted to spoon her in the couch and fall asleep with his head buried in her hair and his arms pulling her close to his chest. And if he really thought about it, he felt stupid for wanting those things because he didn’t only want them but he missed them. And now that didn’t make sense to him. They were never so close to each other, so what did he miss if he didn’t even know what it’d feel like. He was stubborn, that for sure, because deep down he knew what he was missing while he was going through her drawers.

He was missing the opportunity to be with her, when once he swore that’s all he ever wanted and what she said made his heart beat faster and he wished he could agree with her but he knew what he had done and she didn’t and no matter how much he enjoyed being this close to her, it wasn’t all that was in his mind.

But, again, times had changed and he didn’t only long for her to be in his life.

When he peeked over his shoulders to watch a sleeping Y/N cuddled on the couch, with his coat draped over her shoulders, as he couldn’t find a blanket to put on her, he decided that she wouldn’t have the same fate, as his other victims faced, he stole from. He couldn’t lose her again, or at least he wouldn’t want to lose the chance of running into her, in another forty years, if she would run away from him again. But knowing that she was somewhere in this world, living her life, he’d find her. And if seeing a glimpse of her was all he’ll get, then it’ll still be more than knowing that her heart wasn’t beating anymore.

He can’t kill her.

He won’t kill her.

But he had to think fast, if he wanted to prevent her from dying by his own hands.

Harry was sitting next to the white cat on her familiar couch, touching his head softly. Harry felt how Jupiter melted into his touch and with exhausted eyes he looked at the dead mouse that Millie had brought him. It was odd for Harry to see how a cat and a bat had gotten so fond of each other but yet what was odd to a witch, right?

“Harry? Are you ready?” Y/N asked, as we walked inside the living room with every ingredient that they needed. With her pointy finger, she pushed her table away, creating more space, as she crouched to the floor, drawing a pentagram on the wooden floor with white chalk.

“In a second.” She looked up at him, furrowing her eyebrows and with urging eyes, telling him silently to keep going, and asking him silently what was wrong. “Before we start, this is for Jupiter.” He pulled something out of his black trousers and held a small bottle with a purple liquid inside, up in the air for her to see. “It’s the antidote.”

“Already? We haven’t gotten your powers back yet.”

“It doesn’t matter.” He shook his head, while clearing his throat. It truly didn’t matter to him anymore, as he couldn’t take to see her familiar fighting for his life. He figured that the cat had suffered enough and even if Y/N didn’t find the right way to break the spell, she would one day. “I trust you.”

A million thoughts were running through her mind but none of them were bad ones and the more she thought about it, the more butterflies erupted inside her belly. “Thank you.” She shyly thanked him, avoiding his gaze as her cheeks turned red. It was no wonder that she trusted Harry, given what had happened yesterday but to hear Harry trusting, gave her all the clarification she needed.

“He’ll be sleeping for a while but when he wakes up, he should feel better.” He let her know before he helped the cat drink the antidote. He let out a small whimper and it didn’t take much longer till he fell asleep. Harry could only hope that it wouldn’t take him too long to get better. Those antidotes were unpredictable as there was no way to tell how long they’d take to work.

“Everything looks good. Now you just need to take off your shirt.” Harry looked over to Y/N, forbidding him to drift back to his thoughts. Y/N was done, drawing on the floor and she had placed a chair in the middle of it. Usually, this sight would activate his fight-or-flight-mode because she could do so many things to him if she wanted to. She could hold him imprisoned, make a demon possess him or so many other things that would take him too long if he tried to list them all. And maybe he’d be sceptical and wouldn’t want to trust her if they were still so hateful towards each other. But a lot has changed and if there was one person he trusted, then it was her, the sweet woman in front of him that still made his heart go crazy.

“I don’t think it’s the right time to flirt with me, darling.” He said, obviously joking and yet Y/N felt the urge to defend herself when he pulled his shirt over his head. For a second she lost her train of thoughts and the only thing she could think of was him. The way his chest looked so much more muscular than she remembered and how his shoulders have gotten broader over the years. He looked so much more like a man and it suited him well. She wondered what else he had expanded.

She swallowed her thoughts away while shaking her head, as if she was admonishing herself. “Don’t flatter yourself! It’s solely for the ritual.” Maybe not just for the ritual, she thought when she let her eyes wander and saw the multiple tattoos covering his upper body and the many new ones she wanted to trace with her fingers and memorize every line. He had gotten better looking over time and she couldn’t deny that the ink helped him to age like fine wine.

“Do you think this will really help?” He asked, oblivious to what was going on inside her head.

She shrugged her shoulders, trying her hardest not to let these thoughts get to her. “It should but you never know.”

He sighed. “There’s only one way to find out.” With those words he sat down on the chair and closed his eyes briefly, to prepare himself for what was about to happen. Nervously he fidgeted with the baggy material of his pants, as a manoeuvre to calm him down. He wasn’t exactly sure why he was nervous but he guessed it was new for him to trust someone, as he hadn’t done that in a long time. It almost sounded foreign to him, like a word he had never heard in an unknown language. Maybe that’s why he was so nervous, or he was nervous about the other things he still had to do and he didn’t want to mess everything up. If he did, he’d lose the one person he could trust and, as odd as it sounded to him, that scared him. He opened his eyes again, carefully observing what Y/N was doing, as she threw the bones into a black, metallic bowl and crushed them to a white pulver before she put the juicy-looking eyeballs inside. Carefully, she used every ingredient they needed till it was time to cast a fire. With delicate fingers she created a hot flame and within seconds, after hitting the bowl, it turned a deep, violent blue. “That worked.” She let him now, as she sighed in relief, visually relaxing just a tiny bit. Carefully, she took the bowl in her hands and walked over to Harry, placing it on his lap. “Don’t move, alright?” He only nodded, leaving all the talking to her. Y/N was holding a blood red stone, gripping it harshly inside her hand, as she began to walk in a circle outside of the pentagram. “Tamquam ex virtute quam ego ego quaeritur te.”Her voice strong and the usual trembling gone. Her eyes were closed and with a deathly grip on the stone she walked and walked. “Da mihi virtutem complere.” With a swift motion she grabbed the tiny container of blood, Harry had brought her, and placed herself directly in front of him. “Virium ei laetus.” Her finger dipped inside the red liquid and she drew a rune on his toned chest, concentrating to not mess it up. When she was done, she pressed her hand palm against his chest with a strong force, catching him off guard till a burning pain erupted inside him, making him curse underneath his breath and clutch his eyes shut tightly. “You’re almost done.” She whispered to him, hoping it would ease his pain. Impatiently she waited till the flame went out, showing her that it worked.

“Is it done?” He asked, slowly opening his eyes in anticipation, waiting for Y/N to say something positive.

“Yes.” Was all she said and he needed to hear that, to wrap his arms around her, pulling her close, as his excitement took over him. He was finally being himself again. He was finally a witch again and not like a lousy mortal with no powers.

“Thank you.” He laughed in her hair, as he was still holding her close, deeply inhaling her sweet aroma. “Producat in rosa.” He snapped with his fingers, feeling the electricity run through his fingers, as a steady warmth captured his whole body. Oh, how he missed this feeling. He missed the way he felt so powerful and strong.

“What are you doing?” Y/N asked, creating some distance between them by pushing against his chest. “This is the first spell you use after regaining your magic? Really?”

Even though her tone was judging and she truly didn’t understand what was going through his head, she had to smile as his was contagious enough that she felt forced to do as well, feeling the happiness radiate off him so evidently. “This is for you, as a thank you.” He handed her a simple, red rose, that he was able to conjure, since his powers were back and handed it to her. He had to admit that it wasn’t his most charming move but he felt too happy to think straight and find more creative ways to woo her.

“You’re a dork.” She only said, taking the rose in her hand and placing it on the dining table, next to her, while she still stayed next to him, not wanting to move further away. Her heart was racing, undeniably fast and it felt as if a giant dose of joy had hit her brain, making her feel struck by his gentle gesture. She felt it was unfair of him to be able to make her annoyed and happy.

Her warm fingers still lingered on his chest, when they finally realised how close they were to each other. Her breath got stuck in her throat while she felt his hit her face. His green eyes were watching her closely, like a hungry wolf, and Y/N swore she felt electricity run through both of them. The house was quiet, even the world was quiet, as there was no match to their beating hearts. Nothing was louder.

She felt herself being hypnotised by his green eyes and the way his skins felt so soft on her skin. Her lips were trembling slightly, as she still remembered what had happened yesterday. Simply the memory of him between her legs, made her feel so incredibly excited and she felt herself getting wet. So, she bit onto her bottom lip to keep the quavering hidden from his sight. But he saw it and a devilish grin spread across his angelic features. Instantly he grabbed her waist and pulled her closer to him, flushing her chest against his, so she would have no choice but to sit on his lap.

Her mouth opened in shock but before she even realised that she was looking like a fish out of water, he pressed his pillowy and plump lips against her soft ones and wrapped her tighter in his arms. It took her a few seconds till she kissed him back and when she did a fire arose in the bit of her stomach. Hungrily she traced her tongue against his lip, asking for permission to get inside. But Harry didn’t, so she tried again. When he didn’t open his mouth again, Y/N tugged in the curls at the vape of his neck, knowing exactly that he’d groan and when he did, she didn’t waste no time, as she tried to taste every inch of his addictive flavour.

His left hand held her steadily by the hips but his right hand wandered up and down her back, creating goosebumps to cover her skin. A cold shiver ran down her back, when she felt his hands rubbing all the tension away. While his lips were still on hers, she sighted pleasantly. Both of them don’t even know how long they had been making out when he finally broke off the kiss to get some air into his lungs. Only then, both of them noticed, how bad they needed to catch a breath, as all they wanted was each other. Her lips traveled from his cheeks to his neck, where she started to leave wet kisses along his veins, feeling them pulsating on her lips and slowly nibbling at his satiny skin. He let out a small whimper when she bit on a spot that she knew would make him vocal, if her memory wasn’t playing any tricks with her.

“Y/N.” He moaned when she sucked on the fresh bite mark, making sure that she was leaving a hickey. Usually Harry wasn’t the biggest fan when people would mark him up but if Y/N did it, he wasn’t going to complain. How dare he complain if she gave him something so sweet? With one last kiss, she let go of his neck and let her hands slide against his chest and run her thumbs over his hard nipples. Patiently Harry waited for her to do more than to just admire him. It did boost his ego knowing she was looking at him with those wanting, hungry and passionate eyes but he wanted more. He had waited forty years, had lived with the unknown and with the knowledge that she didn’t even remember him, when all he wanted to do was barge into her home, to get here. His pants have gotten so tight and he was sure she felt him poking her at the right angle, as she was pressing herself onto him but she didn’t dare to move yet. That’s why he pushed her body further into his, as he began to move her around in his arms. Immediately pleasure shot through both of them at the new wave of sensation. With parted lips, heavy breathing and a need to feel more, she rubbed herself against him, clutched at his shoulders tightly and let him kiss her neck. “You’re so perfect.” He breathed on her, when she felt his tongue gliding over her, followed by his teeth. “I wanted you for so long.” Her heartbeat quickened even more when she heard him say those nice things, leading her to want to rip off their clothes right this second.

To her luck, Harry was thinking the same thing and let his hands wander underneath her shirt, before he pulled it over their head. For a split second she felt insecure about her bra choice, as a simple, white bra wasn’t the sexiest underwear she had ever worn and she wondered what he thought of that. Was he disappointed? Did he expect more? But judging by the way his eyes widened and his tongue drove over his lips, it was certain that he didn’t mind at all. Or maybe he did mind, because he just wanted her to be naked already. He wanted both of them to be naked already. But he didn’t mind what she was wearing. There was nothing that could make her look less desirable in his eyes as he hungrily took her beautiful body in. One of his hands slid to her belly, smoothly rubbing against her soft skin, and when he felt her tensing up, lines formed between his eyebrows and worriedly he looked at her. “Is everything alright?”

Y/N bit on her bottom lip, slowly nodding her head, as she was trying to get rid of the demons telling her, she wasn’t good enough, her underwear wasn’t seductive enough and that she just wasn’t enough. All she wanted was the man in front of her, who made her feel comfortable, and not those insecurities ruining the moment. “I’m sorry.” She murmured, shaking her head. She was ruining the moment, wasn’t she? “Just… just don’t touch me there.” She put his hand away from her belly and placed it back at her hip. A few deep breaths, she had to take,  before she had enough courage to look at him again and all she saw was the softest look, anyone has ever given her. He didn’t look judging, blaming or even mad and that made her feel a lot better already.

“I won’t, if you don’t want me to... but why?” He asked slowly, as if he was walking on eggshells because he was scared of her reaction and he didn’t want to push her.

She sighed. “I– I don’t like it.” Those were the only words that had left her mouth and by that phrase it could’ve meant anything but the way her eyes drifted over her body and her pointing at herself, made Harry gulp. How on earth was such a stunning woman insecure? If anybody should feel insecure, he was convinced it had to be him.

“Don’t.” He only warned her, when his hands cupped her face. “Don’t say that. You’re so fucking perfect.” He connected their mouths together by pressing a small but firm kiss on her lips. His thumb was caressing her cheeks and when she finally sighed and stopped being so tense, Harry was able to relax as well. “You’re beautiful, Y/N, absolutely, madly stunning.” The way his eyes stayed on hers and never even blinked, proved that he wasn’t lying, or at least Y/N started to believe his words, as he sounded so sincere. How could a person find the right words at the right time and wrong ones all the time? “Truly, you’re so b–” She didn’t even let him finish and just captured his lips in another hungry kiss. Her hands immediately got tangled in his curls again and this time she kissed him more eagerly and let her hands slide to his pants, as she was opening them up. She wanted him. She wanted all of him and she was willing to push those insecurities away because they didn't seem to be flaws in Harry’s eyes and that turned her on even more, that made her want him even more. That’s why she let him touch her skin, even the spots she didn’t like, and when he finally opened her bra, she took it off quickly, hoping he wasn’t going to change his mind. But he didn’t even give her any more time to be insecure about her body, as his mouth traveled down her neck, till he came face to face with her chest, that looked so kissable. His lips left kisses all around them and when he came close to her nipple, he only dared to ghost over them, as he wanted to see her reaction first.

When her breath hitched in her throat and she, encouragingly, pushed his head closer to her, he smirked on her skin before he sucked her, already hard, nipple in his mouth. With soft strokes of his tongue, he flicked over it continually, his hand giving her other breast the much wanted and needed attention by massaging it and pinching her nipple.

She hissed at the pain at first before it turned into please, leaving her craving for more. All she felt was his lips on her and that made the aching between her legs so much more evident. He left a few more kisses on her chest before he switched sides, as he wanted to taste both of them. When his tongue swirled around her nipple this time, she wasn’t able to keep her mouth shuts anymore and started to moan his name in a breathy voice. “Harry.” She looked at him, working so hard to make her feel good, and when he looked back, keeping a steady eye contact, she felt her heart picking up on speed. Instinctively, she pushed herself harder against him, making him groan onto her skin, as her warm fingers massaged circles on his scalp. “I need more.” Fast, she tugged at his curls, pulling him away from her, before she stood up. Her hands pushed him back into his chair when he tried to get up but she only shook her head. “No. Stay.” She crouched down, taking a hold of his pants and signaling him to buckle his hips up. When he did, she swiftly pulled them and his underwear down, causing his hard cock to spring against his abdomen. Y/N eyes widened by his size, as she wondered how she was able to take him in. But she didn’t let it face her, when her hand grabbed him and she begged with her eyes to continue.

He nodded. “Spit on it.” His voice sounded suddenly so deep and demanding, causing Y/N to immediately nod her head and do what she was said. Her hand started off slowly pumping up and down, as he grabbed the chair, enjoying her touch. With a longing look he watched exactly what she was doing, while he hoped he would remember everything later but he wasn’t worried that he wouldn’t. “Faster, baby.” Harry demanded and Y/N did. It had been a while since she had any interactions with a person like that but she was also certain no one would make her heart race and her pussy ache as much as Harry. Her hand picked up on speed and her other hand took the opportunity to squeeze his balls. “Fuck, Y/N.” He breathed out, as he didn’t expect her to do that. A fire simmered inside him and all he felt was her hands on him. His breathing picked up on speed, while her hands did the magic.

“Can I taste you?” She asked, looking at him with big, deer eyes. Seeing her like that, between his legs, crouched in the ground and willing to take him, made him want to bust right then and there. How was she able to be so innocent, yet so willing at the same time? It made his head spin. “Please.”

“I won’t last if you do.” And he wasn’t lying, he already felt as if he had to hold himself back. He wasn’t sure how she was able to get him this weak but it excited him knowing that she did.

“I don’t care.” She simply stated, as she picked up on more speed, jerking him off faster.

“Fuck, baby.” He moaned, closing his eyes at her unexpected action. His hand grabbed her hand, guiding it to go slower. “We got the whole night. No need to rush.” With that he let go of her hand and cupped her cheeks again, as he bent down to kiss her again. Desperately, he pulled at her lips with his teeth. “Take your panties off, angel.” He mumbled against her mouth, before placing one last kiss on her mouth.

Slowly she stood up again, swinging her hips while doing so before she pulled her panties down, making sure Harry was seeing her every movement carefully and tossing the item carelessly to the ground. He pulled her in closer again, as they’d lips reconnected again and his hands started to wander till they found what they wanted. With slow motions he rubbed circles on her clit, making sure she got even wetter than she already was. His lips went to her neck, leaving more marks behind.

“Harry, I want you now.”

“Then take me.” She didn’t have to be told twice before she sat on his lap, quickly rubbing herself against him, before guiding him inside. She had to hiss at how much he stretched her out carefully she took little bits of him at a time. His hand was rubbing her cheek, encouragingly while looking at her face. “You’re so amazing, taking me in.” Pleasure was evident for both of them as Harry wondered how she fit so perfectly around, squeezing him the right way while she couldn’t get enough at how he made her feel so full. It had taken her a few seconds before she was able to get used to his size, even though she was convinced that she’d never get used to him.

Slowly, she moved her hips, working on both of their pleasure. Moans were bouncing off of the walls, as her pace picked up on speed. An immense pleasure was shooting through her core, when all she felt was him, deeply buried inside of her. His head fell back, while she pressed her face into his exposed neck, slightly nibbling on his heated skin to suppress her moans. Her hips were keeping a steady pace, as the pleasure washed over them. “Faster. Please.” He begged in such a needy voice that made Y/N go crazy. No matter how much she liked to be taken care of, she enjoyed it, even more, to be the one in control, especially when it came to Harry who always had the upper hand. That’s why she had to drag it out as long as she could.

“What was that?” She asked teasingly, tracing the veins on his neck with her tickly finger. “I didn’t understand you.” Her voice was teasing him, showing off that she was in control, as her hips rocked back and forth in a torturing slow pace. “I’m afraid you have to say it again but louder.” The glare he gave her would have almost been lethal but she didn’t care. Instead, she stopped her movements all together, looking at him expectedly. “You have to say it or I won’t do anything.”

Her grin was bright and big, causing Harry to chuckle deeply. “It’s cute how you think you’re in charge.” Before she had a chance to register his words, he had stood up, still holding her close to him, when she wrapped her legs around him. Surprised she let out a small shriek, as her eyes widened and hands clutched on his shoulders harshly. He carried her, as if she didn’t weigh anything and easily looked into her eyes amused. He looked around, deciding where he wanted her and for a second he wanted to settle for the couch when he saw her rug and an idea popped into his head. His face came so close to hers, his breath hovering over her lips. “Let’s ruin that ugly rug.” He only said, and placed her gently on the ground, having to slide out of her, much to her dislike.

She felt empty immediately and whined. “Harry, get ba–” But he had cut her off when he pushed himself fully into her. “Fuck.” Her hands gripped his arms, which were outstretched on each side of her head and he began to thrust into her, harsher and faster than she had rode him. With each thrust the floor made a small noise but neither of them cared as they were being much louder.

“You like that?” He asked, when she closed her eyes shut by the overwhelming pleasure. She couldn’t answer and was just nodding her head, which caused Harry to smile and plant a small kiss on her forehead. “Good.” His thrusts were in a perfect rhythm and he was hitting all the nice places and she hugged his cock just the right way, as if they had been made for each other.

His thrust became stronger and faster with every thrust, making her moan his name till it echoed inside her house. “Harry.” She pushed her back forward, letting her chest collide with his. “That’s perfect.” She said, as he was hitting a brand new spot inside of her and automatically her hips started to move and meet his thrusts halfway.

“You feel amazing, baby.” He was going in and out of her so quickly, while he felt her hard nipples rubbing against him. Quickly, he sneezed his hand between her legs, as he felt him getting closer and he wanted both of them to finish tonight. In harsh circles he rubbed clit, but he never let go of his fast pace, as he was free trying closer and by the way she clenched around him, he guessed she was about to finish as well.

“Don’t stop, Harry. Don’t stop.” She cried out loud, as he was hitting the right spots inside her, making her see stars, whenever their skin met and made a loud sound. “Please, don’t stop. Please.” Seeing her beg, made his thrust get more forceful, his hand rubbing faster and giving him the strength to finish. After a few more thrust both of them felt the fire burning hot inside them, aching to be released.

“I’m about to come.”

“Come on my belly.”

“What?” He wanted to make sure he had heard her right, as he was seconds away, just like the way she was.

“Just do it, Harry!” She practically screamed when she felt her orgasm overcoming her and a wave after a wave of pleasure hitting her repeatedly, as her legs were trembling and her hands gripped onto his muscles. Seeing her cuming in his cock, gave Harry the last push and quickly he pulled himself out of her, just in time, to shoot his semen on her abdomen while he said her name. White, thick streaks were decorating her beautiful skin, like a canvas that has been painted, as both of them tried to catch their breaths. Harry let himself fall next to her, the moonlight shining on their sweaty bodies and the world quiet around them.

“God, you’re perfect.” He moaned one last time before closing his eyes. She was tracing his arm, that he had put around her, with her hand, drawing the outlines of his tattoos. It didn’t take him much longer till he fell asleep and she laid there awake.

She was tired but not tired enough to sleep yet, as she was busy admiring his sleepy state. She adorned the way his long eyelashes were resting on his cheeks and his curls fell on his forehead so perfectly. Y/N didn’t even know for how long she had been laying on the ground but once her bladder started to act up, she had gotten up by removing his arm carefully, to not wake him. The cold air was hitting her skin, when she went to the bathroom to clean herself up. It didn’t take her too long till she was back in her kitchen, dressed in new clothes while got herself something to drink, after putting a blanket over Harry’s body. As she was about to take a sip of her drink, Millie flew inside through the open window

“Hey, Millie.” Y/N greeted her. “Do you want some grasshoppers?” With soundless steps she opened ome of her cabinets, revealing a jar filled with insects. Usually, she used to for spells and always had some laying around. She opened the jar and held it towards the bat but she didn’t dive in, as she usually would, confusing Y/N. “What is it, Millie?” She asked, walking closer to her, while she was carelessly flying around. She fled around in small circles,, as if she wanted to tell Y/N something. “Do you want me to–” she didn’t finish her question as the bat clapped her wings approvingly. “–alright.” She cleared her throat. “Me intellegere et vespertilio.” This one always used to be one of her most favourite spells, as it allowed her to understand animals. Any animal she wanted even and it had opened her eyes and changed her worldview drastically, besides talking to animals was better sometimes than talking to people.

The high pitched voice rang out in her ear but she didn’t say anything Y/N had expected. “Harry, will kill you. He has killed so many more. He is a liar.” Her blood ran cold, as she stared at Millie denyingly. He wouldn’t kill her. Why would he kill her? She had helped him and they had even gotten closer to each other. It wouldn’t make sense, even if they hadn’t put their differences aside, was he that petty enough to end her life? She just couldn’t imagine him doing that.

“What?” Y/N asked but Millie didn’t answer anymore and took the cue to leave, while Y/N stood there not knowing what to think anymore. What was Millie saying?

A trembling headache started to form, her hands started shaking and even if she didn’t want to believe his familiar, her eyes started to tear up and she felt incredibly dirty. Had he used her? Would he really kill her? Her knees felt weak and somehow her throat was burning, as if she hadn’t drunk anything in a while. She was clueless on what to do. Should she just ask him? Would he even say the truth? Call her crazy? Kill her, right then and there? Should she make sure that he wasn’t going to hurt her first?  

With shaky hands, she opened her cupboards, as an idea popped in her head to coax the truth out of him.

All she needed to do was to make some tea, just the way her mother used to make, whenever she suspected that someone wasn’t telling the truth. It didn’t take much, as she only needed some chamomile flowers and some hair from a white horse.

She didn’t want to do this, she didn’t want to break his trust but she had to know if everything was a lie and Y/N was sure, she wasn’t ready for his answer, as it was obvious what it would be. Familiars didn’t lie, so there was only one outcome.

Quickly she prepared the tea, while she tried to calm herself down and not look too shaken up. Harry would see through her mask, and she couldn’t risk it. She took a few breaths in and slowly breathed the air out before she walked into the living room, seeing Harry putting on his clothes in a sleepy state. “How long have you been awak?” He asked, rubbing his eyes with his fists, while a tender smile grazed his lips. He looked so innocent, so peaceful and she couldn’t imagine him doing anything harmful to her. Was she doing the right thing? She wasn’t sure but she had to find out if Millie was saying the truth. There was no way Millie was lying, as it wouldn’t help her in any way and because familiars couldn’t lie. They were always loyal, faithful and honest. It wasn't in tgeir nature to make up lies for no reason.

“I made you some tea.” Y/N said, trying not to sound too monotone, as she tries to bite back her doubts and worries.

“Thank you, baby.” He took the hot beverage in his hands, blew some air on it before carefully taking a sip. At first it tasted like camomile but the aftertaste confused him. It tasted familiar but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. “I can’t make out what tea it is. Wha–”

“–where did you get the blood from?”

For a second he looked at her with furrowed eyes and started at her confusedly with a startled look. Why was she asking him again? “I told you” he started, trying to remember exactly what he had said yesterday to her, so she wouldn’t be suspicious and he wouldn’t be caught in a web of lies. But his planned words never came out. “I killed her and the blood was on my clothes.” He immediately dropped the cup of tea and cupped his mouth shut. What was he saying? He tried his hardest not to tell her but it was impossible for him not to say the truth, as if an invisible power coaxes the truth out of him. And that’s when it hit him. Magic. “What did you put in my tea?”

Y/N didn’t feel like answering his questions, as she questioned everything that had happened. “How many people have you killed?”

“Four.”

“Did you want to kill me.”

“Yes.” She felt her heart break, and she swore she felt it split in half. He had used her all along and suddenly the puzzle pieces fell into place. That’s why he knew where she was living, even though he didn’t have any powers; he had looked her up to master his plans. He had everything ready and she walked right into his trap.

“Why?” She dared to ask with a shallow voice.

“For a ritual to get my family back.”

“What do you mean?”

“My mother and sister died and I want to resurrect them.” He finally confessed, as he leaned back tiredly. Now, all his secrets were out, just when he thought he hadn’t had to harm her.

“How did they die?”

“Fire.” He breathed slowly, picking up the tiny pieces of broken glass, to play with them carefully. “From everything that could’ve killed them, it had to be a fucking houseburn. It had to be a fucking mortal death! They could’ve done something about it but it was all too fast.” His voice rose in anger and all he saw was how his family burned in front of his eyes, while he couldn’t save them. He wasn’t there when it happened but he felt responsible because he should’ve been there. He should’ve saved them but he failed to. He had failed them.

“Harr–” Y/N tried to talk to him but he pushed her away with an invisible force, causing her back to collide with her bookshelf, knocking multiple books down. A painful yelp escaped her lips, as she tried to get up.

“They died so pathetically because someone thought it was right to still burn witches.” His eyes were cold and the warm tone in his voice was long gone. “Mortals should be happy that I don’t make every single one of them burn.” His heavy footsteps got closer to hear, causing her to crawl away scaredly.

“You didn’t have to kill them.” She tried to say, as she slowly got up, staring at the man in front of her, who had changed so drastically. What was happening? Even the Harry she swore to hate, wouldn’t have done this. He wouldn’t have been this cold and no matter how sorry she was for his loss, she couldn’t and wouldn’t tolerate his behaviour. Everybody loses someone at some point in their lives, but it doesn’t give them any right to hurt others for selfish reasons because magic shouldn’t be used to bring more pain than it already does.

He chuckled deeply, shaking his head as if she had said something funny. “They’re worse than me. They’ve killed more people, than we know, over the past centuries.” Slowly he got closer to her, while she continued to back up till her back hit the wall. “They deserved it. My family didn’t.” And right before he was able to touch her, she ducked away from his grasp.

“Obrigescunt anathema.” She shouted, watching him not be able to move his body anymore. With tears in her eyes, a shaky voice and an hurt expression, she just blatantly stared at the stranger that she didn’t seem to know at all.

“Harry, stop it!” She was already on the floor, clutching her hand on the door frame as the tall man however over her. The taste of iron lingered in her mouth and only then she had realised that her lip was cut and tiny droplets of blood were coming out of it. But that wasn’t really one of her concerns as she felt him clutching her throat with his powers. The coward couldn’t even do it himself. He couldn’t even choke her on his own.

Her eyes were red and her face turned to a sick looking color. Just the sight of him, broke his heart and he wanted to hate her because she made him do those things to her but deep down he knew it was all his doing and he should hate anyone, then it must be him. “I never wanted to kill you. Fuck! You were the only person I tolerated and you had to be so stubborn, when I could’ve given you what you always wanted; a normal life.” His right hand was still controlling his magic while his left one went through his wild curls in frustration. Why did it have to end like this? Why her? Harry felt so stupid because when he made his plan, he thought he’d hate her. He thought he was over their short lived romance but all it took was one look at her and he turned to the stupid boy he once used to be.

“Harry, please.” She choked out, clutching her throat, as if she could peel his magic off of her, as if it were a hand. Her eyes were begging and if she had the power herself, she’d be begging more.

“Why did you have to fight me? I fucking loved you! You hear that? I love you! I don’t want to do this but you gave me no choice.” Harry rambled and when his brain processed what he had just confessed, his eyes shot wide open. He loved her. He loved her as if they were forty years younger and as if the misunderstanding never happened. Would his younger self do all this to her? Immediately, he knew the answer to that; no. So, why was he doing this now?

“I lo–”

“–no! Shut up! You don’t get to say that!” For a brief moment, he softened and he lowered the pressure on her when he understood what she tried to say. She couldn’t say those words because he knew he’d break down. “My family loved me and looked where it had gotten them. They’re dead.” Why did everyone he loved had to suffer? His mother and sister died horribly, while Y/N was about to die because of him. A humourless laugh he let out when he thought how this was an actual curse. How life was the actual curse.

“I love you.” She managed to say when he was buried in his head, and her words pulled him out of there way too fast. His heart was breaking when he heard her confess something that she shouldn’t be feeling in the first place. He was a monster and yet she still said those words. Either she tried to butter him up or she was actually crazy but either way he didn’t deserve her.

“Shut up!” His hold got stronger in her neck, as his voice sounded even more threatening than before but it didn’t last for long. “It’s already fucking hard to do this. Don’t make it harder on me.” His voice was breaking towards the end and tears escaped his lifeless eyes. For a moment they just stared at each other and Y/N was preparing herself, when her vision started to darken.

“What would your family think?” She asked with a whispery voice, and for a moment she was afraid that he hadn’t heard her but when he almost let go of her, she knew he did.  “Would your mother be happy? Or your sister?” She gasped for air, finally feeling it inside her lungs, easing the burning sensation inside them but it wasn’t enough to make her feel better and use her powers on him.

“You don’t know them.”

“But you do. So, would she?” Would his mother be proud of him if she could see him right now? Would his sister be proud if he knew what he had done to get them

Back? Would they? His hands started shaking, when he pictured their disappointed faces in front of him and when he could swear he could hear his mother’s voice, saying how much she disapproved of him, he finally broke down crying. Loud sobs escaped his mouth and Harry wasn’t sure if that was the first time he let himself feel all those emotions but he thinks that was the first time he had cried over the loss of his only family and he cried for knowing what he had done in the past few months. Who had he become?

“It’s so fucking unfair! Why did I have to lose them?” He sobbed in his hands, when his body came in contact with the cold floor.

“I’m so sorry, Harry. I can’t imagine how hard it must be for you but it doesn’t change what you’ve done.” Even though her hand was aching to touch him, she didn’t. Instead she hoped her emphasisng her look was good enough to comfort him, even if he didn’t deserve it.“You need to leave, Harry.” He wanted to protest, grab her weak body and beg to her to not let her go. But when he saw those dark red wounds around her neck and the busted lip, he wondered how many more bruises she had gotten because of him. He closed his mouth and pressed his lips to a thin like while his tears had started to fall harder again. Why did he do this to her? Why was he so desperate to get his family back if they would hate him in the end? All he wanted was to have people in his life that loved him and the one person that did, he tried to kill her. “Maybe one day we‘ll meet again. When you’re better.” She said in a promising voice and her soft eyes bore into his, while she tried to remember the exact shade of green they were and hoping it wouldn’t be the last time, she’d get to see them. Instantly, Harry nodded his head, because that was his only goal; to get better. And, of course, to get the chance to be in her life again. “Oh, and if I hear you killing again, I‘ll kill you myself. Understood?” She was bluffing because she could never kill him but still, she tried to look as tough as possible, to look the most convincing she’s ever looked in her whole life.

Silently he stared at her with tired looking eyes and with fresh tears still streaming down his face. He knew she was doing the right thing and he didn’t deserve her but it didn’t stop his heart from aching. He wanted to hug her tightly, kiss her one last time but he couldn’t and that hurt him more than the bruises on his body did. That’s why he was determined to become the person she deserves to be with.

“Jupiter, don’t eat the tomato leaves!” Y/N shouted when she saw her cat nibbling on the white flower and the tiny leaves. With wild gestures she shushed her cat away and kneeled down on the ground to make sure that the plant was alright. It didn’t have any tomatoes yet but she knew in the late summer she could get a taste of them and she was looking forward to making fresh soup or pasta sauce, as they tasted better than the processed ones. She never understood why people loved to eat food out of cans, if they had time to use fresh ingredients and cook dishes themselves. It tasted better if it was made from scratch and, at least, she knew what she was actually eating.

Her fingers grazed one last time over the leave and she shot Jupiter a warning look, so he wouldn’t think about doing it again, when she headed back to her little pond. Her garden was finally looking good, after she finally replaced her dead plants, as spring was already in its early stages.

The sunbeams were beaming down on her, whenever they found a spot to shine through between the trees and the small noises from the animals around her, reminded her how much she had missed for everything to be this alive. Y/N loved spring because everything began to bloom, rise and overall the world just looked happier.

And she looked happier as well, now that the sun was out more often and she finally was trying to get over what had happened in late autumn last year.

Goosebumps still covered her skin and her heart stopped beating for a second when she let her mind be worried about Harry.

She wasn’t thinking of him as often now but he still occasionally haunted her thoughts, making it so hard for her to not just cave in. Y/N knew how easy it was to see what he was doing, thanks to her powers, and she knew that she shouldn’t do it. It didn’t help her get over him and she was violating his privacy.

But yet she still liked to see what he was doing.

In the beginning he looked miserable, as he had hardly gotten any sleep and didn’t think of taking care of himself properly. Those days had really made her heart break, because all she had to do was to use her pond as a mirror and she’d be with him. It was so easy for her to touch him again, to reassure him and be there for him, as he healed but she didn’t cave. Instead she watched him every once in a while and when she finally saw him improving his state, she couldn’t help herself but to feel proud. With each passing day he took a small step forward to a better life and it did not only bring her joy but also hope. She became hopeful and counted the days till he’d show up at her doorsteps to be with her, to finally face them the chance they should’ve taken when they had first met.

“Aperi oculos Ostende mihi futurum.” A small smile graced her lips when she saw his reflection in her pond again. But this time she didn’t see what he was doing right at that moment. No, she wanted to know more than how he was doing. She wanted to know how he’ll be and she had to know what the future had in store for him, for them.

An overly excited Harry was smiling from one ear to the other, exposing his dimples and bunny teeth when he was saying something that she couldn’t hear properly due to his mumbling. His hair looked longer and somehow even curlier and a beard was evident on his face. He looked older but not in a bad way at all and to see him like that made her happy. For a minute longer she watched him run up the stairs of a familiar looking house and she was about to let the reflexion float away when she saw someone.

And that someone was her.

Y/N swung her arms around Harry’s neck, pulling him into a small kiss before letting go of him, which caused Harry to pout. But she didn’t seem to be faced by his reaction as she strutted away, sitting on a small chair that was placed in the corner of the bedroom. Everything looked so awfully familiar but yet so different. But not in a bad way, as htheer house looked more like home. 

For a moment Y/N wondered whose bedroom that might be but when she saw a picture of Harry and her, framed on the nightstand, her breath hitched. Would they live together in the future?

“Harry, you smell like mud.” She Heard- her future self complain, as she scrunched up her nose and pinched her nose bridge. He had obviously working on the garden, as Y/N couldn’t do that anymore. She couldn’t even go down the stairs without being breathless and she was so glad that he helped her out so much but it didn’t give her a reason to not poke fun at him. “Go, take a shower!”

“I don’t smell like mud.” He only puffed offendedly and crossed his arms in front of his chest but Y/N could tell that he wasn’t truly upset. “It’s just the baby.” His long finger pointed to her belly.

Shocked, Y/N splashed the water away, causing the reflexion to disappear. Will she be pregnant one day? Her hand grasped her belly, that still only contained her breakfast and her organs. Could it truly be real? Her eyes wandered to her stomach, as she imagined it growing and somehow that was hard for her to do so. Not because she didn’t want any children but because her and Harry were still miles apart from being a couple, let alone being parents.

But no matter how surprised she was and how hard her heart was hammering in her ribcage and how sweaty her palms had become, she tried to hide a growing smile.

So, Harry will fight for their shared future and she’d let him back into her life. Of course she was worried about him but she knew he’d get better one day and no matter how long it’ll take him, she’ll be here, waiting for him. Everything will be alright, and that’s all she could’ve ever hoped for.

With weak knees she stood up from the ground, still clutching her stomach when a voice, that she had missed so dearly, was ringing in her ear. “Hello, comrade.”

[miracul0us-multishipper]

“You”

A grin spread over Felix' face as he let the charade drop.

“Me.”

The black haired girl he now knew was Marinette rolled her eyes and turned back to her sketch book, a clear dismissal.

“You’re blocking the light. Go bother someone else.”

He sighed and brushed his hair back, decreasing the similarities to his cousin to the necessary minimum.

“Why would I? Everybody else is so boring.”

No one in this entire city had even realized he was back; not their classmates, not the teachers, not even the brunette fashion disaster that obviously had some experience with deception. Of course his little charade would have to end once Adrien had recovered from the cold that kept him at home, but until then Felix would have his fun. Yesterday he'd spend the entire day in the Bourgeois Spa, fooling the entire staff, the Mayor and his clingy brat. Despite the latter being Adriens “best friend”, not even she had realized who she was really inviting. Getting rid of her had been a little harder, but in the end he'd spent a wonderfully relaxing day in a steam bath and his skin was softer than ever. Courtesy of the ridiculously expensive mud bath he hadn’t had to pay a single penny for.

“Looks like you'd fit right in then.”, Marinette commented and drew an especially vigorous line in her book.

“Ouch. You wound me, darling!”

She shrugged and ignored him. Ignored him! That wouldn’t do.

With a last tug at his no longer messy strands he sat down next to her, leaning into her space as far as he could risk without getting slapped. His last few attempts had thought him that lesson.

“Oh, come on, Marinette, you must to tell me!”, he nagged her, happy when her face turned from concentration to annoyance. “What gave me away? Was it the wink? Or no, it was the greeting, wasn't it? Too much enthusiasm.”

“Why do you even care? You got all the others, didn’t you?”

He clicked his tongue.

“I have standards. If there's one person who can tell the difference, my performance is obviously lacking.”

She huffed and added a little bow to the skirt she was working on. Knee-length and plain colored, decorated with small ribbons. Classic and elegant, yet a touch of playfulness. He would have complimented it if he'd thought she might value his opinion.

“If it wasn’t my words or gestures, what was it?”, he asked on, not willing to give up and admit defeat. It was their little routine by now. He'd come up and try to pass as Adrien, she'd see through him and he would try to annoy her until she either gave him her full attention, or snarked him off. Marinette Dupain-Cheng – despite her cute appearance – could be mean, he'd learned.

“I don’t think I want to tell you.”, she shrugged, but he could see the beginning of a smile tugging at her lips. She'd deny it, but secretly she enjoyed their little battles of wits.

“What?”, he gasped and slumped against her in played shock, conveniently knocking the book out of her hands and onto the steps of the Trocadero. “But why?”

Now unable to draw on, she finally gave him her undivided focus.

“Because you, Monsieur Graham de Vanilly, are a major pain in my butt.”

“Oh? I would have thought you above such pettiness.”, he lamented. “To deny a fellow fashion enthusiast your criticism! To dishonor the sacred solidarity between artists! Truly a shame.”

“You? An artist?” She snickered. “Don’t make me laugh.”

“Hey! Deception is as much of an art as these tiny scribbles of yours. And I am a master of my craft, thank you very much.”

She waved her hand and shooed him back a little.

“The questionable status of your craft aside, I'd hardly call you an expert. You were here for a day and already had the entire class plus three akumas after you. Your play didn’t even last an hour before it blew up in your face. Maybe you should ask Lila for a bit of advice! She's been here for months and is still on her unquestioned bullshit.”

He growled at that, drawing out another of these smug little smirks Marinette so rarely wore. After all his visits she knew how to rile him up.

“Do not compare me to that- that klutz! Anybody could spew some fancy tales and name drop, but that doesn’t mean she has skill. There's no finesse, no authenticity beneath that badly styled hair of her.”

“And there is beneath yours?”, Marinette said sweetly. He huffed and raised his chin.

“Of course there is. I don’t run around as Adrien for the fame, but for the fun of it. And I actually put in some effort. I was only found out because my goal required breaking character, and I still had a score to settle with my dear cousin. You think I only depend on my pretty face, because it looks conveniently close to Adrien? Wrong!”

His chest swoll a little as he spoke. With his accomplishments, he'd earned a little pride in himself.

“True, artful deception requires three things Lila Rossi couldn’t fake if her life depended on it: Discretion, Distraction and the right timing. She only ever barges in headfirst, unable to survive even a second outside of the spotlight.”

She hummed.

“My mistake. How could I ever assume you to be alike, since you obviously care so little about getting attention?”

Snarky little minx. Well, she wasn’t wrong, to be fair.

“Enough of that!”, he decided and eagerly turned back to her. “Now tell me what gave me away.”

“Let me see...”, she mused and pursed her lips. “I guess I could tell you that...”

“Yes?”

“...under certain circumstances...”

“Go on!”

“...it might be...”

“Might be?”

“The scent.”

He blinked. This had been his mistake? What kind of cologne did his cousin even wear?

“The... the scent.”

“Uh-huh.”

She moved to get back to her sketching, but he snatched the book before she could even touch it.

“Nah-ah! First you've got to expand on that. What perfume is he wearing?”

She shrugged and leaned back.

“Oh, isn’t it obvious? Adrien always wears “Manners and Class” N° 5. You on the other hand reek of “Wouldn’t know politeness if it hit me in the face”. A poor choice, really.”

She leaned in.

“You stink.”

It took a moment for her words to register, and he couldn't suppress a gasp when they did. With a satisfied smile she tugged her sketchbook out of his hands and crossed her legs, ready to put the finishing touch on her latest design. Felix fell back on the step next to her.

“That's it.”

“Yup.”

“You've won.”

“Fair and square.”

“I am defeated.”

“Annihilated. But to be fair, that opening was too easy.”

“Perfect set-up. Clean execution. Merciless punchline. You have earned your victory, so claim it properly.”

“I will.”

He fell silent after that, acknowledging his defeat. He lasted all but two minutes before his need for attention beat his shame.

“So? What do you want as your prize?”

“Peace and quiet?”, she proposed, gnawing at the end of her pencil.

He shook his head in disbelief.

“You're more ambitious than that, Dupain-Cheng. Here I am, Felix Graham du Vanilly, offering you everything I can give, and you settle for peace and quiet? Tsk, you can do better than that.”

“Maybe I could ask you to clear the area, while I’m already at it. For the entire week.”

He should leave. He wouldn’t get any real feedback out of her today, and now that he had offered her a prize she might develop some common sense and ask him for his connections, or some favors that could get her publicity. He was stretching his luck every time he decided to pester her again.

But he stayed. Whether it was his wounded pride, or his curiosity ever since she'd sent that little love declaration to his cousin... he couldn’t allow the only borderline interesting person in this city to dismiss him like that. Especially not when he hadn’t been able to get a rise out of her yet.

An idea popped into his mind and he spoke before he could think.

“You could ask me for a date.”

Now Marinette did put her book away.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

She blinked.

“Did you miss the part where I asked you to leave me to my scribbles, as you put it? Because I am sure I mentioned it a few times, now.”

“No, doesn’t ring a bell.”

She groaned and closed her book. He counted that as a victory.

“Well, then maybe you remember the fact that I’m in love with Adrien. Which you already know, since you watched the video clearly addressed to him. And deleted said video. And replied very rudely.”

He hummed and stood up to circle her. An actor had to have a sense of drama, after all.

“The past is the past. And in the present, I look just like Adrien.”

Now he finally seemed to have broken through her cool facade.

“So what?”, she snapped at him, crossing her arms. “Do you think I like him for his looks? Am I that shallow, in your opinion?”

Of course she wasn’t. But he'd finally struck a nerve.

“You're not?”, he provoked slyly.

“No!”

She stomped her pink flats on the ground with more force than should be physically possible.

“I love him because he is kind. And thoughtful. And funny and confident and fair and so classy, and because he loves to make friends, and because he's loyal and caring and-“

“Okay, okay, I get it. He's your little fairy tale prince.”, he interrupted a little harsher than intended. Clearing his throat he continued. “And you'll be relieved to know that I don’t want to date you either. No offense to you, but I am above such mundane things as crushes.”

She rolled her eyes and sat back down.

“Of course you are.”

“Fact is, my dear Marinette,” he lectured smugly, “that you can’t even say two words to your loverboy without seemingly suffering a particularly unflattering stroke.”

“What a flowery statement, Sherlock.”

“Another fact is that you can talk very fluently to me. Far too fluently, in my opinion.”

Marinette's eyes narrowed with suspicion and he smiled.

“What's your point?”

“My point is,” he finished his circling and came to a stand right in front of her. “that you can use me to practice. Here, I'll even mess up my hair again!”

“Wait, I didn’t even agree to-“

“You're welcome. Aren’t I a dashing little dream prince?”

He posed in true Adrien fashion and Marinette pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Please, just don’t.”

“Pah! Ungrateful as always. Anyway, back to business!”

He spun into a dramatic pirouette and kneeled down before her, taking her hand between his.

“Marinette, my fairest!”, he proclaimed with vigor. “Is there something on that bright mind of yours you want to share with me, Adrien Agreste?”

She groaned again, but didn’t pull away.

“If you'll leave me alone after that...”

“I'll do anything my good friend asks of me! I am sunshine personified!”

“Jesus Christ.”

“Close enough.”

He almost regretted looking for Marinette this late. The sun was about to set and most tourists had already left for locations with a better view. If there had been more, one might have captured a snap shot of Adrien Agreste kneeling in front of a random girl about to confess. His cousin would be delighted when he found out about his scandal in the news.

Alas, it was only the two of them who paid attention to each other. But Marinette was about to begin, so he didn’t ponder on the viewers anymore.

“I... I wanted to tell you that...”

He almost winced at that poor display of rhetorical talent, but she wasn’t done yet. Taking a deep breath, Marinette lifted her eyes off of her shoes and looked directly at him. And for a moment it felt as if she were looking into him. He'd seen these bluebell eyes roll in annoyance, glare in anger and sparkle with mirth, but never had he seen them this piercing, this all-consuming.

“Adrien, there's something I haven’t told you yet.”, she said, and it was as if he'd never heard her speak before. This wasn’t the voice that had teased and bantered with him, or the disinterested lull she mumbled in when she tried to ignore him. This was soft, yet firm and confident. Like tugging the strings of a violin: a clear, pleasant sound that offered a first hint of the potential in this slender instrument.

“I didn’t keep this from you because I don’t value our friendship.”, she said and her fingers tightened around his. Felix was suddenly sure that no expensive mudbath could ever make his skin as soft as hers. “It's the furthest thing from it. I didn’t tell you because I value our friendship so much. And I was scared to risk it.”

She took a step closer and he had to swallow.

“Adrien, you are the first person I think of when I wake up, and the only person I see in my dreams. Every morning, when I walk into class and see you, I feel like there's pure sunshine in my chest and springs under my feet. Like gravity is just a loose suggestion and I could float if I jumped. Like... like I could do anything I ever dreamed of.”

She looked down upon their hands. Disentangling their fingers surprised him, but even more surprising was that this time, she took his hands between hers.

“I know you feel trapped sometimes.”, she whispered and he found himself suddenly very insecure. Was she still acting? Was she this deep in their little charade? Or... or was she truly talking to him?

“I know you put up a smile and try to give everybody what they expect. And that you don’t have a lot of chances to just be you, not the heir of a great legacy. But I... I want to be your escape. Your safe haven. What I am trying to say is...”

She looked back up to him, and her smile was radiant.

“I love you.”

...

There was a tightness in his chest.

Because he wasn’t breathing, he realized.

Odd.

He didn’t have time to overthink this little detail, though. For as soon as he opened his mouth to say something – what, he didn’t know – she blinked and took a step back. The spell faded and his mouth fell shut again.

“So,” Marinette cleared her throat and looked away. “How... How was it?”

“Uh...”, he made, which was admittedly not the smartest reply he’d ever given her. The fact that he still hadn’t remembered to breathe in didn’t make things easier.

Marinette shifted her weight from one leg to the other, uncomfortable.

“That bad?”

Ha.

Ha ha.

He shook his head and finally sucked in some much needed air.

“Good”, he croaked out, which was still not much of an improvement from his earlier statement of ‘uh’.

“It was... really good.”

Ah. The simple beauty of a full sentence.

“You think so?”, she asked, voice high with surprise. “It wasn’t... I don’t know, a little too much?”

“No!”, he answered a little too fast. “Uh, no. No, it was really... really good.”

Marinette's eyes went narrow.

“Are you making fun of me? Because I may be small, but if you did this to humiliate me then I swear to god, I will take this pencil and-“

“I was serious. What you said was beautiful.”

They both blinked at his words. He hadn’t meant to say that. This wasn’t how their interactions went. They were snarky. Mean. Teasing from time to time. But not... this. Never this open. Never vulnerable.

“Thank you.”, Marinette gave back, seemingly unsure herself. “I should... you know, it’s late and my parents are waiting.”

He nodded far too eagerly for his earlier efforts to make her stay.

“Yes, of course. I'll... No, you know the way better than me, probably.”

She laughed at that. It wasn’t a snicker, or one of her smug little huffs. It sounded... sweet.

“Yeah, no need to walk me home.”

She eyed him for a a moment, then the emptying place.

“I could walk you home, though. If you want to.”

Yes.

“No.”, he said and something in his chest roared in disappointment. “Thank you, but it would be quite the detour for you.”

She shrugged.

“Alright. Don’t get lost.”

Shouldering her bag she took her sketch book and moved to leave, but stopped mid movement to turn back around.

“Oh, and if you tell anybody – especially Adrien! – about any of this, you'll find out what I was going to do with that pencil! Got it?”

He rolled his eyes, finally in control of himself.

“Yes, oh great master of pencilmanship. Your weapon is as feared as its wielder.”

Satisfied she nodded and turned around, but stopped yet again. With a groan she dropped the bag, stepped in front of him and grabbed his collar. He'd never admit to anybody that the surprised squeal that followed had come from him. Utterly frozen in shock he could only watch as Marinette came closer and...

“There!”, she hummed and combed back his hair with her fingers. “I like you hair better this way.”

A small nod was all he could muster up, but it was enough for her. Waving him goodbye she turned around for good.

“Well then. See you around, Felix!”

He watched her leave, desperately trying to regain his voice.

“Y-Yeah. See you around, Marinette.”

Only when she had completely disappeared in the nearby metro station he allowed himself to sit down, wobbly knees no longer able to support him.

“What...”, he mumbled to himself, “...the entire fuck...”

What did just happen? Nothing made sense, not this stupid idea and certainly not his reaction to it. Sighing he leaned back against the steps and touched his hair. It was still a little messy, but laid back against his head in its usual fashion. If he concentrated he could almost feel the warmth of her fingers trapped between his strands.

He sighed deeply.

...damnit.

- - -

A little one shot because I hadn't written about canon!felix yet.

[aquarius-hood1996]

Starry Night | L.H.

Pairing: Luke Hemmings x Gender Neutral Reader 

Description: You fly out to visit Luke to join him on tour. What happens when you confronted with the feelings for your best friend?

Note: Moodboard by me. If you like the story let me know :)

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When you were little all you dreamed about was having a partner in crime. Someone you could love, support and cherish with all your heart and someone who would just give you back as much.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work out as you had wished. There were crushes but they always stayed unrequited and the only partner you had turned out to be someone who was only after your best friend.

And this time it didn’t turn out to be disappointing. With moving away, there was a new place to explore, stuff to adventure and new people to meet.

Luke counted to one of those people. Having a lot in common, you two took immediately a liking to each other.

School were your less liked years in your life. Giving you a rush of excitement when you finally had the chance to move away and start studying in L.A. You were excited for something new somewhere far from home.

Luke, to your surprise, didn’t study. He was a musician and just happen to be there to attend the party. You two spend the night talking, getting to know each other and Luke was kind enough to accompany you home.

You two exchanged numbers and that’s how everything blossomed. When you weren’t in class or doing something for it, you spend your time with Luke. If he was home.

Spending time to explore L.A, helping him write songs or just going on walks with Petunia. Any minute that was not important for university or in Luke case, music, was spend with each other. Apart from that you often tried to visit him on tour.

With Luke and touring came his brothers in the band and a lot of other friends. Also, the reasons why you would spend your summers in L.A and not going back home.

Ashton had invited you to come and hang out for at least a few weeks at the start of the tour. Taking the boys away, all over the US once again. Before that could happen they had to do a lot of rehearsals in Atlanta where the tour would pick up.

Of course, you had agreed to it and that’s how you now ended up at the airport. Impatiently waiting for your suitcase, so you finally get to see your Luke again. Did you say yours? Of course, Luke wasn’t yours but you wished he would be. Ever since realising what a huge crush you had on your best friend.

First you didn’t have noticed how much you liked Luke. At least not until one night. You were having a movie night with all the boys and girls. Ashton started to tease you both and making a few mocking remarks how in love you both should be. Both of you laughed about it. Luke going back to watching but it had you thinking about Ashtons words. In the end you knew how bad you were taken for the soft blue eyed boy.

He was kind, adventures, gorgeous and all in all your best friend. The reason why you would always be afraid to make a move on him. What you had with Luke, your friendship, was too important to risk it.

Finally, your suitcase appeared. You shook your head over your thoughts and took it before walking out to the waiting area of the airport. And soon enough there he was with a big smile and a ridiculous big sign with your nickname.

“Luke!”

As soon as he saw you, he ran over and picked you up. Swirling around with you a few times. Both you of smiling and laughing. It had been a few weeks since you two had seen each other and it felt good to be able to be near him.

When he stops swirling and let you down, his arms are not leaving you. Instead you two hug each other. Luke pressing his face in your hair.

“I missed you.” His simple words making you smile before you look up to him.

“I missed you, Lu!”  

He takes your suitcase and you both leave hand in hand the airport. It was not uncommon for the both of you to hold hands. Something that accomplished early in the friendship.

It makes you feel good to have your hand in his. You can truly feel how much you missed the soft giant boy. Seeing him over a screen could only do so much.

“And Cal just fell asleep on the floor. Should have seen Ashton nearly falling over him...”

While you are being trapped a bit in your thoughts, Luke is rambling over what the boys and him had been up to the last few weeks. You shake your head when it’s appropriate to show him that you’re at least a little bit listening.

Watching his face and seeing his eyes light up when he talks about Ashton and him pranking Calum.

“Don’t even get me started.” The groan being clearly fake. You both know how much they take care of each other. Doesn’t matter how much the other one takes the piss out of them. True brothers.

“Well, since you are taking the topic to them.” Luke starts and you furrow curiously your eyebrows at him.

When you finally arrive at the car, Luke is kind enough to put your suitcase in the trunk before getting behind the driver seat. He turns to you for a moment, smiling really big.

“I’m really glad you’re here, Y/N/N.”

“Happy because I’m here or happy you finally have someone to take care of the boys?”

You smile right back at him while teasing the blue- eyed boy. He groans over it before starting the car.

“They are throwing a party at the house tonight for you.”

You laugh and groan at the same time. Knowing how wild especially Ashtons parties usually are.

“No use to complaining. But I’m just saying, I don’t clean tomorrow morning.”

Luke takes a look and you both know that you probably will clean tomorrow even through you say you don’t. 

The drive to the house doesn’t take long, before you know it, Luke parks the car in front of a pretty mansion.

“That’s what they let you stay at?”

“The others stay here as well. That’s why this is so big.” Luke explains before walking back to the trunk and taking your suitcase once again.

“You don’t need to do that.” You stretch your hand to show him that you want to take it but Luke shakes his head.

“I want to do it.”

He closes the trunk and walks to the door, you not far behind. Before any of you even have the chance to react, the door is thrown open and you can feel yourself lifted in the air again.

“It’s been ages!” Calum laughs before he places you back onto your feet.

“Two weeks, mate.” 

“Well, two weeks too long to deal with Luke.” Calum jokes while Luke just groans over his words.

Michael is sitting on one of the sofas, smiling as soon as he sees you. You greet him. He rolls his eyes over you while you two high five. Already greeting Ashton and KayKay with a long hug, as well as Crystal.

Ashton throws an arm around your shoulders.

“Loverboy is already bringing your suitcase up and basically under the roof.  There is huge place for you, and Luke is also close.” Ash wriggles his eyebrows at you before you push him off you groaning.

“Sometimes you are awful.” You announce before walking upstairs. You can hear Calum asking, “Sometimes?” before him and Ash start to debate. 

You still smile over them when you arrive in the attic. There are only two doors opposite of each other. One is open, and you walk into it. The room is huge. The walls are cream coloured and there is another door one the right side. Probably a bathroom or something along the line. A huge window is decorating the wall and next to it is a closet, your suitcase in front of it. Luke is sitting on a big king size bed, playing on his phone.

You throw yourself next to him.

“Thank you.” It comes out mumbled because your head is buried in the sheets, but Luke seems to have heard it. He pads your head for a moment before putting his phone away and letting himself fall next to you.

You watch him for a moment, starring at the ceiling, before closing your eyes. You pretty much slept on the plane but still start to feel tired from it.

You can feel Luke suddenly get up and complain with weird noises about it.

“Don’t go.”

He beams before he lays down again and you cuddle in his arms.

“Tired?” He is starting to play with your hair. You just nod with your eyes still closed.

“Little bit.”

You can feel yourself falling asleep with your head placed on his shoulders and him having his arm placed around your waist, the other one still playing with your hair.

It feels like only seconds when he shakes you awake.

“Wake up, sleepy head.” Luke is now standing in front of you. His hair is wet, and he changed into black jeans with a dark shirt and a jean jacket.

“You have to get ready, love.” He simply smiles before making sure that you’re getting up and ready.

The first thing you do is look what’s behind the door and to your luck it’s a really nice luxury bathroom. Taking your favourite outfit, as wells as everything else you need, out of your suitcase and start to get ready.

After half an hour you done and already be able to hear music from downstairs.

You leave your room and when you arrive Michael throws his hands up behind a make shift DJ desk and everybody else is cheering when they see you. Luke comes over with a red cup filled with your favourite beverage.

Smiling at each other, you join the party. Making conversation with others, playing beer pong and just in general having a good time. Luke is by your site for the most time. His hands always around your waist. You feel your cheeks heating up about it.

After a while, he excuses himself to go join beer pong again and you make conversation with Kay and a few other people you haven’t seen in a long time. Hearing what they have been up to and them checking on you.

A lot of them ask about Luke and you. Hinting in the same direction as Ash had before. You deny, stating to only be friends. Everytime you have to say it; your heart feels like crumbling again. You wish there would be something between you two but suspecting that it would be like all your other crushes, unrequited.

That friendship is too important to risk for some unrequited feelings.

Shaking your head over the thoughts, you excuse yourself and walk outside. The garden is huge and luckily for you, there is no one outside. You still can hear the music though.

There is also a huge pool and you lose your socks and shoes to dip into it with your feet. Looking at the sky and enjoying the more or less quiet time before having to go back inside.

You didn’t want to seem unpolite or unthankful, but you needed just a moment to get over what you had to say inside. Without realizing it, it did hurt you. The whole Luke thing was still a little confusing and more upsetting that you thought.

Being lost in your thoughts, you don’t hear how the door to the garden is opened and someone is making his way over to you.

You look up when Luke dips his feet next to yours, jumping for a moment. He laughs about it before checking you carefully with his shoulders.

“Too many people?” 

“Hm-Hm.”

Here he is. This one guy that without asking too much knows you better that anything else. You two sit in silence. Watching the sky, at least you do. You can feel Luke looking at you.

“Can I ask you something?”

“I think you know the answer to this one.” He groans.

“Don’t joke now. This is serious talk.”

“Lu...” You start. Thinking what’s best to say without ruining the party for him.

“We are at a party and how many have you been drinking? None of this is serious talk.”

He gives you a look you don’t really understand before continuing.

Luke was someone that was so easy to talk to. But this one topic is something you couldn’t and didn’t wanted to talk with anyone about. Especially nor with him or right now.

“But not since we met.”

“Why did you never had a relationship?”

You try to keep it together on the inside. Out of all the question, he had to ask that one. Why now? Why him?

You hesitate for a moment and don’t know what really to say to him. He talks before you can.

“I did have crushes if you’re talking about that.” You slowly state, didn’t even knowing why you say that. You have to remind yourself that this is Luke and it’s dangerous to go done that line with him.

“Why did you never talk about it or to them?”

“How?”

“I love them but they’re in love with somebody else or probably not interested in me.”

“It’s complicated.” You simply bring out. He wrinkles his brows at you but you are not able to see it since you rather focus on the sky.

You finally look at him. But Luke watching the water and seems conflicted to reply. Like he wants to say something to you. Probably trying to figure out, how to not upset you or something along the line. But you continue before he can even start.

“I’m not angry about it. That’s how it is. You can’t make people feel things if they don’t feel them.”

You just shrug with your shoulders while concentrating on the water. He hums, you’re not sure in agreement or not. Luke takes your hand and draws little circles over it.

You two are quiet, hanging in your own thoughts. While you are watching the pool and the little rings you are creating the water with your feet, Luke is only looking at you. 

After a while he speaks again.

“Are you really sure that everybody you have a crush on is in love with somebody else?”

You are not sure if he actually said it because his words were whispered and the music is still blaring from the house. When you take a look at him again, he is no longer watching you.

Instead he focusses on your hand in his. Drawing endless circles on it while you are being breathless over his words. Your cheeks feeling like being on fire.

You don’t know how to react to it or what to say. So, you two continue to sit in silence. Him drawing circles on your hand and carefully once in a while watching you while you observe the night sky.

[shuahoonie]

you. [tom holland] - six.

PAIRING: tom holland x female!celebrity!reader

SUMMARY: ah, to be young and in love. it sounds great if only you and tom were actually dating out of pure love and not for the sheer reputation of your careers. it also should be great if you two actually got along, but life isn’t that easy.

WARNINGS: mostly swearing! mentions of alcohol! a bit of fluff, a bit of angst. it’s haters to lovers / fake dating au so take that information as you wish! 

WORD COUNT: 2735

SONG INSPO: can’t take my eyes off you - emilie mover 

A/N: hiya babes, again, sorry if this chapter is posted very late. i have absolutely no excuses this time, it’s just me really. times are tough and if i’m being honest, i’ve had a rough couple of weeks. my academics really hit me in the worst possible way and i’m really am sorry if i wasn’t able to uphold my promises to post over the break. 🥺 also, beware of my plot timeline! i had a rough plan that i wanted this to take place during pre-ffh days! anyway, enjoy chapter six and happy reading! x 

UPDATES EVERY SATURDAY 11 PM CST WHENEVER I CAN  [I’M TRYING TO POST EVERY SATURDAY, I REALLY AM]

gif credits: @parkerpunology

vanessa’s masterlist | preview | one | two | three | four | five | seven | eight | eight.5 [interview excerpt] 

Two months. You and Tom were already dating for two months. The last two months were a whirlwind for both of you, more so for you. Once the news broke out that you and Tom were dating, it was expected that people would lose their minds over it. 

However, like how news typically withholds its relevance these days, it died down a week after. You both actually didn’t mind it since it put you two at ease. You and Tom see each other for thrice a week, dropping a few nuggets that you two are together. 

Some days, Tom would drop by at your filming location. 

“Y/N,” Steven, a stunt coordinator, sang your name with a teasing look painted on his face. “Guess who’s here.” He was helping you with your scene, making sure that you were safe as you did your stunts.

“Please tell me it’s Charlotte with my phone,” You moaned as you fixed your shirt as Steven began unbuckling your harness. You were standing on top of a high platform and had just finished doing your stunt for the show, the Alchemist. 

“Honey, do you think I’d be this excited if it was your assistant with your phone?” Steven rolled his eyes. “It’s your loverboy,” He teased, pointing to a figure. 

Based on the state of altitude you were in, you could practically see everybody. You can see some of the crew were busy with fixing the set for the following scene. You could see the producer busy speaking to whoever’s on the other side of the phone. You could also see your ‘loverboy’ talking to the director. 

Tom was standing next to Alissa, the director, as they talked animatedly. He was wearing a grey shirt that hugged his body like a second skin and a pair of black joggers. He looked very casual, but as much as you hated to admit it, he still looked good. 

Catching your gaze, Tom gave you a smile and a wave. 

You were still getting used to the idea that you were seeing him, so you turned your head as fast as you could. It’s as if your crush caught you staring at him in middle school. 

Steven let out a small giggle, “You guys are so cute. You two are like grade-schoolers.” 

“Oh, shush.” You said as you felt your face burn, embarrassed that Steven caught what just happened. 

“Shush yourself, hon,” Steven laughed “It seems like Tom found it absolutely adorable.” 

You turned your head back to look at Tom and there with his arms crossed, he was laughing softly. He had his complete attention on you. 

You signalled him to give you a minute as you descend from the platform to greet your ‘boyfriend’. 

Seeing that you both were actors, you had to use your skill sometimes.

“Tommy,” You’ve grown to love that nickname for Tom, knowing that he absolutely despised it. “What are you doing here?” You asked, your tone sickeningly sweet, as you greeted him with a hug. 

For a moment, his eyes flickered upon hearing the nickname you just called him. “Came here to surprise you, princess.” He said with a smirk as he squeezed you in a hug. He knew you hated that nickname too. It was obvious that you two were playing the same game. 

“Oh, but you didn’t have to, Tommy,” You said with a huge smile, the words practically gritting in between your teeth.

“I know,” He replied. What he did next caught you off-guard being that you two never really displayed that amount of PDA out in the open. “However, I do miss my girlfriend and I wanted to surprise her.” He said before he held the side of your face and placed a soft kiss on your cheek. 

Boy, you were surprised alright. 

Some days, you would drop by at Tom’s filming locations. 

Tom had just finished his scene with Jake Gyllenhaal. You decided to visit your ‘boyfriend’ at his set for Far From Home. As soon as the director yelled cut, Tom caught your eye and gave you a wave.

“Are you getting bored, babe?” You turned to the figure who just asked you the question and saw Zendaya wearing her MJ clothes. You’ve grown a huge liking towards Tom’s castmates ever since Tom introduced you to them, especially Zendaya since she’s been nothing but nice to you. 

You gave Zendaya a small smile and shook your head no. You’ve sat and watched them shoot for a little over two hours now, and it was only reasonable that he’d ask how you were doing. 

“You know, you two are absolutely adorable.” She commented as she gave you a playful nudge, sitting next to you. 

“We’re absolutely not,” You chuckled, feeling shy.

“It’s true,” Zendaya laughed “Tom seems like he’s at his happiest whenever he’s with you.” 

As if on cue, Tom started jogging his way towards you and Zendaya with a huge smile on his face. 

“Hi, princess,” Tom engulfed you with a huge hug. “Are you still good? What are you two laughing at?” He asked in the middle of the hug. 

The intimacy you two had to show in public was still something you had to work on-not so much for Tom though. You weren’t used to displaying affection even when you used to date your ex.

“Oh, we’re just laughing at you.” You said nonchalantly, a teasing smile hanging off your lips. 

“Me? Why me?” 

“Because you’ve got it bad for Y/N,” Zendaya answered cheekily, “You’re happier around your girlfriend, Tom.” 

“Yeah, that’s true.” Tom acknowledged making you roll your eyes playfully. “I am at my best whenever I’m around Y/N.” He said as cupped the sides of your face and planted a small kiss on the top of your nose.

You begged to differ. Tom had to act like he’s at his happiest whenever he’s around you. 

“Liv, I look ridiculous. I don’t even have the boobs for this.” You said as you finished putting on the bridesmaid dress and examined your chest, as the dress sported a deep v-neck. You and Veronica were standing in front of a mirror, wearing a floor-length burgundy chiffon dress. 

“Shut up, Y/N,” Veronica said as she fixed the delicately pinned flowers on your hair. “You look great, I think Tom might actually fall in love with you.” Ronnie teased. 

“Fuck off, Ronnie.” You mumbled. “I can’t believe you actually let me invite him, Liv.” You told Olivia, who was busy getting into her wedding dress. 

“Uh, of course. He’s your boyfriend, ‘ya doof.” Olivia, who was putting on her dress behind the dressing panel, said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Also can you two help me with my dress? I need someone to zip me up.” Liv went out wearing a gorgeous wedding dress. It was an off-shoulder sweetheart cut white dress with touches of lace and glimmer. 

“Oh, you look gorgeous, Liv.” Veronica sighed as she stared at Olivia with tears brimming her eyes. “I still can’t believe you’re getting married this soon, girl.” 

“I know,” Olivia agreed, fixing her hair, “but I just love him you know? He makes me a better person. I’ve never felt love like this before.” She said while trying to fight off the tears that were forming on her eyes. 

You and Veronica rushed in to give Olivia a huge hug, tears were close to shedding and all of you didn’t want to sit in the makeup chair again. 

You were so sure that Olivia was rushing to get married, that maybe she wasn’t thinking things through. However, as you saw your best friend be at the happiest she’s ever been, you figured that getting married was probably the most adamant decision Olivia has ever made. 

At 24, Olivia found herself in the arms of the person she’s bound to spend her whole life with. 

“I gotta walk down that aisle before I ruin my makeup completely,” Olivia said half-jokingly, fanning herself. 

And so she did. Olivia managed to walk down the aisle without completely crying her makeup off, Josh, however, lost it. He was fully sobbing as soon as he saw Olivia walk. 

You couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the two of them, you saw two people so full of love that the only way to express it was to cry. 

As the ceremony proceeded on, your thoughts were somewhere else. You’ve always wondered if ever you’ll find someone who’ll make you feel the same way as them, that tears would start falling because you were so in love.

However, that would have to wait as you were currently tied with the person you were sure you weren’t going to be in love with. Your gaze automatically went to Tom, who was coincidentally staring at you. You turned your attention back to the couple who were getting married in front of you, your cheeks burning. 

Your mind was about to come up with different possible reasons as to why Tom was staring at you, but you had to stop yourself. You don’t need that in your life. 

“You okay, Y/N?” Ronnie asked as she took a sip of her champagne. You nodded your head and finished your third glass of champagne. “Are you sure? Because I’ve known you long enough to know that you start to drink heavily when something’s bugging you.” 

The reception was over and the newly-wed couple has had their first dance as husband and wife. People were now just letting themselves loose on the dancefloor. 

“I’m fine, Ronnie,” You assured her as you called the waiter to give you another glass. “Don’t mind me, you know how weddings make me feel.” 

“Yes, which is why I’m terrified.” Veronica murmured. 

“Don’t be silly, Ronnie. I can handle myself really.” You said as you scanned the crowd. You saw Tom talking to a couple of girls, seeming like he was desperate to get out of the conversation as soon as possible. 

Soon enough, he caught you staring and it seemed like he was relieved to see you. Not long after, he was practically running to you. 

“Looks like prince charming is coming to get you,” Veronica chuckled as she grabbed her purse and drink from the table. “I’ll see you later, babe. Text me if you’re leaving.” 

“Where are you going and why are you leaving me?” You practically whined. Veronica wasn’t surprised, you were whiny after three drinks. 

“I have to go and meet Josh’s parents, they wanted to see me after mentioning that I was looking for a place that I could do my internship,” Ronnie explained “Besides, it looks like you’re going to be taken care of. If you aren’t, call me ASAP.” 

You huffed and dismissed your friend. As soon as Veronica left, Tom arrived at your table. 

“Oh, thank god I saw you Y/N. It was brutal out there, some people just can’t get a hint-”

“Why are you here?” You asked as soon as Tom sat down next to you. Tom was caught off-guard by your hostility. 

“I-uh, what?” Tom wasn’t really sure what’s happening, sure enough, what he did wrong to have you act this way. This wouldn’t be much of a surprise if he knew that he pressed your buttons way too many times, however, that wasn’t the case. 

“Aren’t you busy talking to those girls over there?” You asked, now grateful for the newly filled glass of champagne that was just handed to you. The waiter was about to give Tom too but he kindly refused. 

“Actually, I was desperate to leave the conversation. It was getting annoying and they kept insisting that I’m just dating you for clout.” Tom explained as he massaged his temples. 

“They weren’t lying.” You mumbled before taking a sip from your glass. “You looked like you were having fun though-which I didn’t mind, by the way.” 

“Y/N-”

“Tom, you know you can just leave all of this, right? Like no one is forcing you to stay this long because you won’t get the short end of the stick. It’s me who's going to get most of the damage.” 

“That’s not true, Y/N. I’m just as affected as you will be.” Tom stressed. “Where is this all coming from?” He asked, getting frustrated. 

Much like Tom, you were getting frustrated too. Why are you being hostile around him? It’s not like he’s actually dating you, you have no reason to act this way. 

“Alcohol makes me see things more clearly,” You muttered. It was all that you could say. After all, nothing was making sense for you.  

“That’s what got us in trouble in the first place,” He claimed as he grabbed your glass and placed it far away from you. Tom stood up and offered his hand to you. “Come, let’s dance. It’ll clear your head.” 

“I don’t want to,” You moaned as you threw your head back. “I planned on drinking so if you’re not going to join me, then just leave.”

Tom shook his head no. “I got a note from Ronnie that I need to stop you after three drinks and apparently, you’re on your fourth so ‘nough is enough, princess.” 

“Even if I’m not going to drink, I’m still not dancing with you.” You said as you crossed your arms. 

“Wanna bet?” You just sat there and listened. You were interested as there was no way in hell he can make you dance. 

“That wasn’t fair, you practically set me up.” You grumbled as Tom happily led you to the dance floor. The jig was if you stood up, you’re automatically going to dance with Tom. 

Being the ‘sneaky little shit’ (Veronica’s choice of words) that Tom was, he secretly texted Ronnie and asked her if she could potentially lure you into assisting her to the washrooms. 

You were skeptical at first, but you eventually obliged. It was Ronnie’s choice of words that made you do it. “Y/N, I swear to god, I’m about to pee. If you don’t help me unzip my dress, I will physically hurt you.” 

Tom was now short of 50 bucks because of that favour. 

“Oh, c’mon, princess. You know that isn’t true.” Tom tried to keep a straight face but obviously failed as he was now grinning at your annoyed face. 

“This is ridiculous, you know that I’m a horrible dancer right?” You said as Tom put your arms around his neck and he placed his hands on your waist. 

“I think I’ll manage, princess.” He chuckled. 

“No, I’m not kidding. You will leave with a huge bruise on your foot-feet. I might step on both of your feet, there’s a huge possibility.”

Tom stared at you for a moment before saying, “I guess it’s a price I’m willing to pay.”

They were playing a slower version of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and you groaned softly. “What’s wrong, princess?” 

“You’ll never let that pet name go, won’t you?” You asked, rolling your eyes. 

“No, I don’t think I will.” He answered cheekily. 

You two slow danced to the melody of the song and you couldn’t help it but say, “God, I love this song. Why did they have to play it?”

“I guess it was meant to be- Oh god, it’s them again,” Tom said as he saw the girls who were trying to steal his attention all night. 

You took a look at the girls and sure enough, they were watching the two of you and were whispering amongst themselves. You didn’t know who they were so you were assuming they were on Josh’s guests. 

You weren’t one to start fights however, you were extremely petty though. It’s a habit you’re trying to get rid of. “Hey, Tom?” 

He hummed in response. “Do you want to finally get them off your back?” You asked him. He stared at you for a moment before nodding. 

“I’m going to do something but promise me you’ll forget it as soon as it’s done.” You disclosed, not even knowing why you’re actually going to do it. 

“Okay...” You knew he was getting curious. “What-”

You grabbed the side of his face and kissed the corner of his lips. To say that both of you were surprised was an understatement. 

TAGLIST:

@thomasthetankson @autty0314 @marvelous-tswiftfan @averyfosterthoughts @theolwebshooter @jackiehollanderr @sltwins @herondalescecilys @notjustpenandpaper @ihopethatwemeetinanotherlife @gothicwidowsworld @heartofholland @stxfxniexreads​ @peruvian-bae​ @hollands-osterfield​ @thenoddingbunny-blog​ @galacticstxrdust​ @sweartomendes​ @itsjstz​

Can’t tag:

@sectusempried

[bambirex]

Random fic rec, just because I'm in a very appreciative mood and would like to give a shout-out to some frankly amazing writers:

The March of The Black Queen and Killer Queen by @borealis-strange

You like Queen? You like fantasy, magic and adventure? Some beautiful friendship moments, perhaps? Then you need to read this amazing series by this extremely talented, and unfairly underappreciated writer!!!

And you ask yourself, how did I get here by Sharonglitterbombjohn who sadly deactivated on here. A very raw, heartbreaking fem!queen fic that will make you cry like a damn waterfall.

Calling All Ladies by @nightoftheland. One of the first fem!queen fics I've read, which pretty much got me into this AU. It's hard to make me blush, but this super steamy story managed.

The Millionaire's Dinner by @stars-across-space. This one's for the more kinky crowd- quite delicious, if you ask me! And it's fem!queen, too!

Solitary Fame and Rhiannon by @emmaandorlando. The first one is a gorgeous piece written for the Freddie Mercury Weekend, which admittedly became one of my favorites. The second one is a fic that I would just call "THE fem!maylor fic".

The Spoiled Brat Universe by @feedermercury. This is once again for those with a specific kink, but this cool series offers more than that; there's plenty of fluff, too!

Always On My Own by @freesiafields. A beautiful fic written for the Freddie Mercury Weekend, that broke my heart and then put it back together by the end.

Like Tops, Like Gyroscopes and Va' Tu Sei Libero by @freddieofhearts. I'm not gonna lie: reading these fics will hurt. Like, a lot. But both of these are heartbreakingly beautiful and realistic.

So tell me (why my gods look like you) by @iamnotbrianmay. This is not a fic: this feels more like a beautiful poem, something that sticks with you after reading it. An utterly gorgeous fem!queen story.

Canon fluorescent!verse by @immistermercury. It was extremely hard to pick just a few fics from this certain author, who, I believe, is one of the (if not THE) best Jimercury writers in this fandom. This beautiful, often heartbreaking but more often uplifting series of Freddie, the young ballet dancer pushing through all the hardships that life is throwing at him, while finding the love of his life and having a family, is absolutely touching. I'd recommend it to everyone.

The Words Unsaid by @queensilveryrog. This story of model!brian and photographer!john just absolutely blew my mind. It's insane how much emotion this author managed to put into such a short story!

Death On Two Legs by JessiDWalton who I believe is not on tumblr (at least I couldn't find them). This is the hot Maylor demon!AU that I didn't know I needed.

When the monster is too big to slay by @jessahmewren. You can just tell I love breaking my own heart, right? Gosh, the emotions in this! And the dialogue is simply gorgeous all throughout.

I Will Tell You I Love You by lover_of_blue_roses (i think they are also not on tumblr). A sweet Jimercury fic featuring the famous bath video and some sexy times.

Dawn of Aquarius and Blacklight in Zero Gravity by @a-froger-epic. I keep saying that the first fic feels like watching an artsy indie movie - check it out for yourself, if you haven't yet! The ultimate Froger fic, which is painfully realistic and gives you a good glimpse at what life was like for a young gay man in the '60s. The second one is a thrilling Frian fic set in the future - I promise you, you will fall in love with it after the very first chapter.

Calling All Boys and The Way You Love Me Like You Do by @nothingelsematterswrites. The first one is a Deacury/Maylor Tinder AU- did I get you hooked yet? The second one is one of the hottest poly!queen one-shots I've ever read.

Loverboy by @his-majesty-king-mercury. A super sweet Froger story, with plenty of drama- and then a wonderful ending!

Let Your Heart Decide by @pumpkinlilyao3. Only three chapters in, and I'm already in love- another fantastic Froger fic! We love a good friends-to-lovers trope, don't we?

To Tell You When I Find You and Under The Elderberry Tree by @quirkysubject. The first fic is a Froger Titanic AU - do I need to say more? Go, and read it, everybody! Tbh, it's a thousand times better than the actual movie, with flawless characterization as well! The other mentioned fic is a cute Jimercury one-shot, that will make you cry and smile at the same time.

Safe And Sound by Stolentragedies. A fem!queen fic, in a Hunger Games setting? And also full of angst and insanely good characterization? Sign me the fuck up!

this time I know it's for real and Safeword by @freddie-mercurial. I only needed to read the summeries to these to know I will fall in love right away. One is a cute story with single parent!Brian falling for artist!Freddie, and the second is a super steamy, but also very lovely BDSM fic with healthy messages.

The entire I Lay My Life Before You series by @i-lay-my-life-before-queen. I wasn't even all that into a/b/o before I stumbled upon these fics - but these beautiful, compelling stories completely turned me around. We follow Freddie through his fight against Omega discrimination in different settings and versions- and let me tell you, every single story in this series is a touching masterpiece. I would also like to add I Reign With My Left Hand (I Rule With My Right), another fantastic a/b/o story, this time in a poly!queen setting!

hijack my heart; by @sweetestsight (I really hope it's them on tumblr too, if not, I'm sorry for the random tag). This fem!queen fic is just simply brilliant. Badass gangster ladies? Poly!Queen? Mindblowing dialogue? Girls supporting girls? If this was a movie, I would watch the shit out of it.

Don't Turn Around When You Hear Me Tread and Dim The Lights (and sing you songs) by @rhapsodicalfreddie. A secret agents, and a rockstar/groupie AU? And both of them are Frian!? *chef's kiss *

Children of The Land, Love Is Still The Answer by TheHeartOfTheStar AKA the fic that made me fall in love with the OT5 ship, complete with a beautifully written soulmate AU.

Four Men And A Rock And Roll Band and Princes of The Universe by @tikiniki. The mentioned series is what inspired me to write my very first fic. When people mention poly!queen, this writer is the one that immediately comes to my mind (i hope she's doing well!). I didn't realize I would like the second one as much as I did, but it simply blew my mind! Star Wars/Star Trek who?

These are just the ones I can list from the top of my head- but of course there are many more, and let's be real: I'm eternally grateful for all the writers in this fandom! 💕

[gaymy-raudenfeld]

Home is Where the Heart Is

I’m posting a little late, even by American standards, but I made it in time! A merry pitchmas to @snowbritt and all of you wonderful people. I haven’t posted any fanfic in a while so this may be a bit rusty.

Summary: When the Bellas find out they’ll be getting a house and sharing bedrooms, Beca tries to use the opportunity to get close to Chloe. When she doesn’t act fast enough, she spends the following months pining after Chloe and trying to find a chance to get close to her. Beca gets her wish in an unexpected way.

Rating: T

Word Count: 3.1k

“Dear Barden Bellas,

Due to your recent streak of wins at the ICCA finals, we have decided it is only fair to award you the way we have awarded our other prestigious acapella groups in the past. We have secured the funding and approval to build a lodging house for all current and future Bellas to reside in throughout their time at Barden University. The proposed blueprints are attached…”

Beca was cut off by the screaming. The girls couldn’t believe it. They had won back-to-back ICCA championships and now they were being given their very own building. They could finally practice outside Barden’s tiny black box theatre, free from the drama kids who kicked them out so they could rehearse and the motion lights that sometimes left them singing in the dark, like some kind of cult-

“Wait a minute,” Fat Amy interrupted everybody celebrating, “this floor plan only includes six bedrooms.”

“Well then I guess we’re gonna have to double up.” Cynthia Rose said, eyeing Stacie.

“I wanna be with Jessica.” “I wanna be with Ashley.” Ashley and Jessica said at the same time.

“And we have to save one room for the new Bellas.” Beca added. The girls began to talk amongst themselves again when Fat Amy quietly approached Beca.

“How about it, shortstack?” She said, leaning in. “I promise to give you ample warning about any gentleman callers I may have.”

“Yes… I mean no… I mean what?”

“This is like the third time I’ve caught you daydreaming today; you have GOT to tell me what is on your mind before you wander into traffic or something.”

“How is telling you gonna stop me from wandering into traffic?”

“It’s not, but I won’t be able to hear your gossip if you’re in a coma.”

Beca sighed and lowered her voice even further. “Listen, if I promise to give you more details later, will you be chill about letting me room with Chloe?”

“Chloe?” Fat Amy questioned. “She takes forever to get ready before every practice and recital, which YOU were complaining about just last week. Are you sure you’ll be able to deal with Chloe’s daily makeup routine when you’re sharing a bathroom?”

“It’s not that big of a deal, I could get used to it.” Beca shrugged.

“What’s going on?”

They were interrupted by Stacie calling everyone to attention. “Okay! So the room assignments are gonna be one free room for new recruits, Ashley & Jessica, Denise & Cynthia Rose, Fat Amy & Beca, me & Chloe, and… Lilly sleeps in a room by herself. We all good with that?” The Bellas voiced their agreement.

“Fuck.” Beca muttered to herself.

The girls began to scatter, some still chattering excitedly about the Bella House, which would be ready by the Fall semester. When almost everyone had cleared, Fat Amy turned back to Beca. “You wanna tell me what that was about?”

“I may have… developed a crush on a certain Bella.” Beca said, turning beet red.

“No way!” Fat Amy whisper-yelled. “Let me guess. Is it Stacie? Her legs are about as long as you are, so you get a good view.”

“It is NOT Stacie. Although you do have a good point about the view.”

“Well who is it then?”

Beca took in a deep breath, preparing to unload her secret. She breathed again, and as she exhaled, she said “Chloe.”

“Chloe?? Of course! The first time you met you were naked and it did something to you, psychologically.”

“It was the second time, and she just, wouldn’t leave my shower until I sang with her and I did and then I joined the Bellas and everything was totally fine.”

“And you JUST developed this crush?”

“It’s possible I was too traumatized by the event to understand my feelings until recently.”

“Yeah, or you’re just a clueless girl who fell in love with an even more clueless boy for like, eight months before you broke up because you realized you have feelings for a girl in your acapella group. Which, by the way, was bound to happen, with the amount of time the nine of us spend together.”

“Damn Amy, have you actually been paying attention in your psychology class?”

“Enough to know that you’ve got the hots for your redheaded best friend, and your life is only gonna get worse if you don’t tell her about it.”

“What do I even say?”

“That one’s on you, loverboy. Now, I gotta get out of here and meet a gentleman caller.”

Beca quirked an eyebrow. She was going to need to find a way to tell Chloe her feelings before the living arrangements were settled.

-

Beca did not find a way to tell Chloe her feelings before the living arrangements were settled.

Fall came in the blink of an eye and she found herself face-to-face with a slew of problems, including arranging new Bellas routines, her music theory professor who seemed to have it out for her, and the fact that she had a growing crush on her best friend and acapella group co-leader. Things were off to a great start.

The summer spent apart had only deepened Beca’s feelings, which was irritating. It didn’t help that she and Chloe spent a ton of time together choreographing dances for the competitions later in the year. Whenever the girls had to pair up, Chloe walked straight to Beca, grabbing her wrists with intention. Like she knew exactly what she was doing. Like she belonged there.

“Bec?” Chloe had clearly been trying to get Beca’s attention.

“Huh? What?” Beca’s train of thought was broken.

“Are you ready to show them the moves we came up with?”

Beca nodded eagerly, attempting to make up for spacing out earlier. “Yep. Totally. Let’s do this.”

Chloe started leading Beca around the makeshift rehearsal area they had created in the Bella House’s living room. They had to move the couches around and it wasn’t as big as Barden’s black box but at least it didn’t smell like feet. It was easier to focus on what was in front of her, which, at the moment, was a certain redhead.

Chloe smelled like clean laundry and cherry blossoms, a product of the showers that were much easier to take now that she didn’t have to use a communal bathroom built for thirty people. Chloe may take a while to get ready, but Stacie takes even longer, and sometimes Chloe walks down the hall to Beca and Amy’s room and borrows their shower. Their bathroom smells like vanilla and cherry blossoms for hours afterward, and it drives Beca nuts in the best way possible. She watched Chloe perform the new routine with confidence, poise, and accuracy, and she felt her breath hitch in her chest.

What she didn’t feel was the edge of the coffee table as she tripped and fell backward onto its hard surface, banging her head. After everyone’s initial shock had passed, they went to check on Beca to make sure she was okay.

“I’m fine.” Beca stated assuredly. “Really, the worst thing I hurt is my ego.”

“Your head sounded like a bowling ball hitting the floor” Lilly said, almost imperceptibly.

“BECA!” Fat Amy shouted. “CAN YOU SAY YOUR A-B-C’S BACKWARDS?” She was speaking more slowly than normal.

“You know I can hear you right?”

“And isn’t that supposed to be for sobriety tests?” Cynthia Rose asked.

While they had been chatting, Chloe had sat down next to Beca and helped her sit up. She had her hand on Beca’s back, propping her up just in case she felt dizzy.

“Are you okay?” Chloe asked concernedly.

“I’m fine,” Beca repeated, much softer this time, “really.”

Chloe was looking into Beca’s eyes, just checking her pupils. Such a clinical action, but Chloe made it seem so tender. She ran her hand up Beca’s neck to the back of her head, feeling for any irregularities. Beca felt chills run up her spine as Chloe rubbed her fingers across her scalp. She hoped she wasn’t being too obvious.

Chloe pulled back. “The bad news is you might have a small concussion. The good news is that lump on your head just may make you taller.”

“Ha-ha.” Beca fake laughed.

Stacie chimed in, “I had a concussion once and my doctor told me not to sleep. Wait. It was either my doctor or my mom. I don’t remember.”

“I think the best thing for Beca to do is to go lie down.” Cynthia Rose added.

“Does that have anything to do with you not wanting to practice the new routine?” Beca quipped from the table.

“If I carry you to your room can I not answer that question?” Cynthia Rose replied.

“Fair enough.”

Cynthia Rose crossed the living room to scoop Beca into her arms, and was about to lift her off the table when Fat Amy piped up. “Uh, um, Beca can’t stay in our room.”

“Why not?” Beca squinted at her roommate.

“Because… I’m going to have... a gentleman caller….. or two….. this evening.” She began to trail off near the end.

“Right on.” Stacie nodded in Fat Amy’s direction.

“Okay so where am I taking Beca to?” Cynthia Rose asked, still positioned to lift Beca.

“How about my room?” Chloe, who had been sitting quietly next to Beca for some time now finally rejoined the conversation.

Beca tried to be cool, looking at Stacie. “Is that alright?”

Stacie nodded. “Yeah, sure, I was planning on going out after this anyway.”

“Great, then it’s settled.” Cynthia Rose said. “I’m carrying Beca to Chloe’s room.”

-

They quickly discovered that Cynthia Rose couldn’t carry Beca up the stairs wedding-style. So it turned into Chloe and Cynthia Rose flanking Beca on each side in case she became dizzy after hitting her head.

“I feel like a fucking hospice patient.” Beca half-joked as they reached Chloe’s room and they helped her lie down on the bed.

“I got it from here, C. Rose thank you.” Chloe said, ushering her out and gently closing the door behind her. She turned off most of the lights in the room except for some string lights and a single lamp that emitted a soft pink glow.

“Wow, you went hardcore doctor out there.” Beca said a bit jokingly.

“This is like, my seventh year of school. If I can’t recognize a concussion when I see one I should just quit now and go back to clown camp with Aubrey.”

“Yeah I… I’m sorry BACK to clown camp?!?”

“It was a dark summer in middle school.”

“You owe me a story Beale.”

“I don’t owe you anything Mitchell.”

The two locked eyes from across the room and Beca felt her heart jump into her throat again. Good thing she was already lying down this time; nowhere to fall.

Beca relented. “How about an ice pack?”

Chloe nodded, a contented look crossing her face. “That I can do.”

She returned moments later with an ice pack, an extra blanket, and a box of chocolate chip cookies.

“Oh my God.” Beca stated when she saw the care package Chloe had assembled for her.

“I thought you might want the rest of these before they were devoured.” Chloe said, handing Beca the cookies.

Beca quickly opened the package and grabbed a cookie to chow down on. As she was popping the dessert into her mouth, she unthinkingly said “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Chloe said, perched on the side of her bed. She seemed more sincere than Beca was expecting. She awkwardly swallowed the large bite of cookie she had in her mouth in an attempt to change the topic as quickly as possible.

“So I’m concussed?” Beca asked, reaching for the blanket to put over her legs.

“Yep.” Chloe stated. “Couldn’t keep up with my choreo, huh?” She winked, handing Beca the ice pack. Beca didn’t want to talk about the real reason she injured herself: that she was too busy watching Chloe dance to pay attention to her own feet.

“You know I’m a notoriously bad dancer.”

“Is that why you always need my help during practice?”

“Yeah, if it wasn’t for you I would have done this like ten times already. I’m taking advantage of your veterinary health training.”

“Always good to be able to practice on someone who can give me feedback.”

“As long as you don’t shove a thermometer up my ass.”

“Well, Stacie IS gone for the rest of the night…”

“Watch it, Beale.”

The pair laughed for a second before settling into a comfortable silence. Chloe sat on the edge of the bed, tracing swirling patterns in her sheets. Beca looked around at the room she missed out on at the end of the last semester. It wasn’t all that different from her own; the only important difference was the girl she was in the room with.

When it became clear that Chloe wasn’t going to leave, Beca began to ask questions. “No plans tonight, huh? You’re not having a tinder-venture like Stacie or whatever the hell Amy is doing in our bedroom?”

Chloe chuckled. “No, nothing like that. I haven’t really gone out on a date in a while. Besides, I want to make sure you’re okay!” Chloe moved closer and fussed with Beca’s blanket.

“I appreciate the gesture, Chlo, but you’ve definitely got better things to be doing on a Friday night.” “Nothing more important than you.” Chloe looked up, meeting Beca’s eyes and offering a smile. Beca sheepishly looked away. Was that as serious as it sounded? Probably not, right?

“Do you mind if I…?” Chloe trailed off, motioning to her covers.

“Do I mind if you sleep in your own bed? No, not at all, just help me get over into Stacie’s bed.” Beca began to push herself up with her arms.

“You don’t have to move, actually.” Chloe said. Another surprise.

“Are you sure? It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Please, Beca. It’ll be easier. I’ll even let you be the little spoon.”

Beca scoffed. “What makes you think I want to be the little spoon?”

“Don’t you?”

Beca hesitated. “…….Fine.” She scooted over and allowed Chloe to slide in next to her. She could feel the warmth from Chloe’s body contrasting the ice pack she had been holding to her head.

“Is this good for concussions too?”

“Yep. Vet’s orders.” Chloe said as she settled in.

After a few minutes had passed, Beca spoke again.

“You know, I wanted this room really bad before we all moved in together.”

“Really? Aw Bec, you should have said something sooner. I’m sure Stacie and I would have been fine in your room-”

“It’s not really about the room. More like, the roommate.” Beca felt her stomach drop as she began to hint at her feelings for Chloe.

“Oh.” Chloe just said back.

Oh God. Oh fuck I’ve ruined everything I can’t believe I just came onto her like that-

”That’s really sweet of you Bec.”

Beca couldn’t believe it. The world was still intact, somehow. She inched backward into Chloe, and felt the redhead silently move closer to her at the same time. They fell asleep with their legs tangled, both tired from the long day.

-

The next morning Beca woke up early to a throbbing in the back of her head.

Ah, fuck. Beca thought to herself as she reached back to rub the tender part of her scalp, still half asleep. She was surprised to grab onto a face just behind her own.

“Good morning to you too.” Chloe said, muffled by Beca’s hand.

Beca turned over. “Shit. Sorry about that. What time is it?”

“Like… 8:30 on a Saturday. Are you late for morning yoga?”

“Fuck you.” Beca laughed and poked Chloe’s shoulder. “Ah man. I really stayed in here the whole night.”

“And you only snored a little bit.” Chloe joked, still lying down on the pillow.

“She’s feisty in the morning!” Beca retorted, eliciting a smile from Chloe. They were face to face now. Inches from each other. Beca watched the soft morning light filter in over Chloe’s face. Her hair was shining. She could see each fleck of gold in Chloe’s big blue eyes. Beca couldn’t help but think how beautiful she looked.

The moments passed by silently as the girls enjoyed the most intimate moment either of them had experienced in a long time.

“Beca?”

“Yeah Chloe?”

“Would you be okay if I kissed you right now?”

Beca didn’t even give herself time to think before blurting out “Yes.” And in an instant, Chloe’s mouth was on hers. The kisses were delicate and sleepy, but full of the spark that had been building between them since the first time they sang together. When they needed to pull away for air, Beca took a moment to marvel at what was happening. “Woah.” She said, a look of incredulity on her face. “Did Chloe Beale just kiss me?”

Chloe nodded and the biggest smile spread across her face. “Sure did, Beca Mitchell.”

Chloe dove back in for more kisses and Beca eagerly responded, only interrupted by Beca’s brief cries of pain when Chloe’s hand accidentally wandered to the bump on the back of her head.

-

That afternoon Beca made her way back down the hall to her bedroom so she could get ready for the day. She ran into Fat Amy eating a popsicle on her bed.

“Amy, you’ll never believe what happened this morning.” Beca began.

“Let me guess, you finally sealed the deal with ginger?”

“How did-“

“It was my plan all along Beca! Do you think it’s a coincidence that I kicked you out of the room last night?”

“I thought you were seeing someone. ones. whatever.”

“I lied so you could get into Chloe’s room and make some music with your mouths.”

“Amy!”

“I TOLD you I would always give you ample warning when I had any gentleman callers! Because I’m a decent roommate, Beca, and I’m even better because I got you hooked up with your ladycrush.”

“Was it your plan for me to get a concussion too?”

“Sometimes you just have to seize the moment.” Fat Amy said, swinging her popsicle around emphatically.

“Wait a minute. Aren’t those the ones I bought?” Beca said, nodding at the popsicle.

“Ah yeah. See. I may have taken the last one as a reward for being a fantastic matchmaker-slash-roommate. I figured helping you get with Chloe would outweigh my poor decisions.”

Beca rolled her eyes. “You’re lucky Chloe is so great, otherwise you would owe me a new box of popsicles.”

The End.

[iam-kenough]

Will you ever notice me? (Arthur Morgan x Original Female Character)

Summary:  Dutch and his boys found a girl hidden inside wrecked shack near their camp. She introduces herself as Iris and starts leading outlaw life with Van der Linde gang, quickly developing feelings towards one, special cowboy. However there is big year gap between them and Arthur sees Iris just as a kid...And girl won’t take that!

Authors notes: It’s another chapter and you can find the rest of them following masterlist on my blog if you  want to read more of my  fanfiction. Hope you gonna enjoy it! Words count: 2242 Chapter 12 Iris was at her tent, undressing herself with nose was patched up and she still heard Mrs Grimshaw's harsh yelling in her head. Her shirt landed on the floor as it was ruined with crimson of blood. - What the fuck were you thinking today?! - Arthur stormed inside her tent, completely ignoring fact she's undressed, wearing only her lingerie. - Huh? - she tilted her head to the side, looking visibly surprised. - You could kill yourself, you idiot, twice times today! - So what? That's my job - she shrugged - I'm an outlaw just like you. - Are you out of your mind? - Arthur looked furious, his voice harsh as gravel and eyes stormy. Iris was trying to reckon if he ever was furious like that before, but she couldn't remember. Not towards herself, at least. - What would be better in situation when I had choice to fall down along with the train, jump on my horse like you said and probably break my spine or risk life and jump into the water? - I'm not only about it - he growled, throwing his hands in the air and gesticulating with them, showing frustration - You're not going anywhere else with us! - Excuse me? I am amazing with getting things done, especially when you think that all Dutch's plans are stupid and naive while I can fix all of them. I am not gonna stop - girl shaked her head in disbelief.

- That's the problem, you are amazing with pulling these out, 'cause you are crazy! - Arthur grabbed her arm and shook Iris like it was meant to wake up her.

- Even if, what's bad about it? - Iris tried to back off, but couldn't as his fingers were pinning into her forearm.

- How couldya've said that you have nothing to lose? - Arthur said suddenly with much more silent voice, slowly looking away.

- But I don't and you know it's true! - Iris laughed but there was no joy in it

- My life? I'm gonna be dead sooner or later, I'm not a town girl nor wife sitting at home, I'm an outlaw just like you, Mr Morgan. The only difference is when I'm gonna die.

- I-I...How can you say things like this? They sound so easy in your mouth it makes me afraid - Arthur was disbelieving Iris's words with ''hurt puppy'' eyes.

- I always thought you're never lying to yourself, but here we are. What I'm saying is true, all I have is group of people in this camp, but everyone is risking, anyone can die tommorrow, or in two weeks, you just don't know it! You can't hold me away from all this dirt and...I needed this money.

- Money?! You were caring about the money?! - Arthur was starting to boil once more.

- I need it if I'm gonna move some day soon - she said and it made him freeze.

He threw her look of kicked dog. - What? - Iris noticed his intentions right away - You were thinking I'm gonna stay forever? I'm in my twenties and all I have is this tent and nowhere to go, no one to look after or no one to hold me there, isn't it obvious? I can go to New York, or even freakin' Tahiti, maybe become a doctor to make my life less boring and miserable. But that was exactly what Arthur was thinking. He just realized that now there was no strings attached between them and that she was thinking about moving, mentioning it in the past, when they were still friends, talking every night in the light of oil lamp. Arthur Morgan was always thinking that he has time but there she was, proving he's wrong and also a fool.

- Iris, I still need you - he said but she didn't hear him. There was screams coming from outside. At first, Iris bursted out, thinking that's it's something horrible, tripping over her own legs. But it was very opposite. Everyone could see like John Marston in kneeling in front of Abigail Roberts, holding an engagement ring.

-Oh my god, John, yes! - Abigail yelled with visible shock and disbelief in her eyes. Normaly woman didn't like being in the centre but marring John properly was her deep hidden dream.

- It's time for me, to do somethin' proper out of us, Aby. I want to make you happy - John was speaking quietly and with gentle manner but everyone heard it as no one dared to breath or else.

Iris was looking at pair, sharing few tears of joy. It was simply beautiful, somethin' she wished for them deeply in her heart. It was also something she was dreaming about for herself for short period of time and was moved that they were so lucky to have it. It was little proof for herself, that she could have normal life someday, that she could leave this camp and finally that they are were family. Disfunctional one, but family. She noticed with corner of her eye that Arthur was looking at her. She wiped her face from tears quickly, walking away to hug Abigail and John just like everybody. This evening turned away differently than everyone expected. People catched every bottle of booze they had and gathered around the fire. Soon they were singing every song they knew, laughing, talking and dancing. John was the one who's wasted the most, obviously, he liked to drink when he was happy and today happines weren't the right word. It was more than overjoy. There was also Iris with bottle in her hand, who was joyful enough to yell the lyrics of one songs they both knew, dancing with John as they were tripping over each other, making Abigail laugh as she clapped in the rythm her friends wasn't minding anyway.

Arthur was watching Iris carefuly. She looked happy, joyful even but it seemed weird and unsetteling. And then something clicked inside Arthur's head. Iris was drinking everyday, chugging down on bottle of whiskey almost every evening and now she, with her fragile body, was enough strong to keep up with John without getting wasted. She had also having this hip-flask that she was drinking from time to time. All puzzles fitted right now. - You're an alcoholic - Arthur hissed, when he catched Iris from between others and  quickly dragged away, hiding they both in his tent. Man quickly pulled down flaps, giving this conversation needed privacy. Arthur didn't care much if it's uncomfortable for Iris, the way he just treated her - How many drinks did you have today, eh?

- Hmm...A bottle and still counting! - she said, giggling, completely clueless - Come on, don't be such sourpuss, Mr Morgan!

- You're an alcoholic! - he shouted again, much more agressively at her face and girl stopped smiling right away.

- F'course I am - she spoke slowly, like was supposed to explain something to child - My daddy was and I am too, that's no surprise. Now I think I kind of get him, whiskey's your best friend. It always listens to your heart and it lulles you to sleep so easily, when all you see is dirty ceiling of your tent. It makes you warm, just like you were in lover arms - she looked dreamily now, smiling a little - That's why I'm gonna drink till the day I'll fall asleep drunk and choke myself with my own vomit. Cheers to that! - she took big gulp from the bottle, few drops falling down girl’s chin.

- No! - he grabbed her arm, tearing the whiskey away from her hands and spilling it on the floor.

- Ey, I payed for that! And you're stupid to think I had only one or two - she laughed but she was furious and it sounded more like barking.

-Get yourself together, eh?! - Arthur placed empty bottle on the trunk with loud bang.

- What?! You saying something like this? - she looked almost amused. Almost if only it wasn't for fury and fire dancing in her pupils.

- Yes, me! I won't let you ruin your life!

- And who you are to judge me, eh?! Big scary boys who clinged onto me when he gets drunk, crying because his lovely Mary won't have him nor now, not even in ten years, 'cause she's a bitch who uses him to run errands for her!

- Excuse me? - he froze, not knowing what's going on. It was his thoughts but he wasn't reckoning saying them out loud ever, especially to Iris.

- Oooh, bullseye, you don't remember it! - girl looked like she was satisfied as hell with this discovery - You seriously belived when I said you just blanked out after puking on my new coat the other night! But no, there's much more to that and I'm gonna tell you a story - she was pacing, looking at him with fury.

Arthur didn't say a thing, nor moved. He was to shocked, but God, if he knew what's coming he would sit down already. - So I was sitting in your tent the other night and you weren't there, as always. I felt frivolous enough to take a look around, finding maybe something funny I could torture you within' a while, but oh, I was so shoked! A pile of letters, love letters under your cot. You left me for Mary Linton, just cutting our strings lose, not respecting me enough to tell that out loud. But that was expectable, I've never thought well enough about myself to expect being treated nicely. I wanted to search for ya, I wanted honesty from your mouth - she stopped for a moment, collecting her thoughts - and I got it when someone shoot me, robbed me and left me to die.

- Iris, I- - Arthur choked on words as they fought to leave his throat.

- No, no, that's not the best one I have for you today, loverboy - she hissed - Because when someone found me and drove me to the doctor in Saint Denis, I've been told I'm gonna live because someone took a bullet for me and it was our child. I was pregnant and I found out about it like this. And I will probably never gonna be pregnant again - she lifter her chemise and there it was, fresh scar, shiny and pink, running from belly button to left side - How do you like it, Arthur? Look at it closely! I know I look beautiful like that - Iris's voice was malicious, getting every small amout satisfaction from relieving secret that would hurt Arthur just like he did hurt her. No, it was only very bad dream. He's gonna wake up and laugh it off. Even his life wasn't this much miserable. But no, it wasn't any fantasy and girl stormed pass him, going to her tent. Arthur followed her and when he entered Iris's tent she already was grabbing another whiskey, hidden under her cot.

- Why you didn't tell me straight away?! - Arthur was finally able to spit anything from mouth but his throat was numb, big gulp growing inside.

- You haven't even notice me missing, nor wondering why I lie in my tent all day and Dutch doesn't say a thing. Why would I tell you anything? - Iris shrugged, her face hopeless. How could Arthur expect anything from her?

- So I could protect you! I'm barely speaking english, how can you expect me to read your mind? - Arthur's eyes looked wet and red but not even single tear fallen down his cheeks. Man was to proud for this.

- Protect me from what? You should protect me from yourself, 'cause you're the one who knocked me over and left - Iris shaked head, face forming into a frown.

- Protect you so you would never get shot, protect you so you wouldn't work like that. I was doin' that with Eliza- - Arthur really tried to justify his need of protection but they both knew he couldn't, not right now.

- The girl I am similar to, but lacking her soothin' temper, eh? Oh I know all your dirty little secrets, 'cause you gave me no reason to trust you and I was right, never taking your presence for granted, nor your words. Arthur, you were going in and out of this relationship like my heart was made of stone - she sobbed, curling up in the very corner of her bed, cuddling a bottle of booze.

- I need you! - man looked at Iris hopelessly, trying anything he could try to get them both back on tracks. But for now there weren’t any right words.

- You merely remember to notice me, back then and now, Arthur - girl waved him off, ignoring confession - but I get this...After all I'm just a kid who can't even kiss you the way you like being kissed. Why would you ever got back to me? - she cried in despair but he just left, leaving her to herself. For Arthur it wasn't leaving because he hated Iris, he just couldn't deal with emotions that were tearing him apart right now, puting pins into his heart and causing migraine, pain pulsing in man's temples. But girl was thinking amiss, taking it as Arthur's giving up.

- Glad that I still have you - she whispered after a moment of looking into direction Arthur went, opening a bottle and downing it at once, then falling on her back and going asleep in yesterday's clothes. They simply weren't meant for each other. 

[letmeletmetrashyourlove]

Lucky Pt. 2

Part One HERE

Author’s Note: Part two WOOOO!

Although I somewhat promised Roger some alone time, we hadn’t been able to find it yet. With me going to work every day and with him either practicing or playing a gig every night, it always ended with us hanging out with the boys.

Not that I minded, I had managed to fit into the group just fine and had made quick friends of Freddie’s girlfriend, Mary. She took me shopping and threw a bunch of clothes at me while I was in the waiting room. I couldn’t exactly afford most of what she suggested I try on, so she was nice enough to use her employee discount to help me buy a denim skirt that was far more revealing than anything I normally wore.

Roger was coming out of his shell a bit more. Not so bashful now that he had figured out I would be sticking around. He gradually became more handsy, from an arm around my shoulder to around my waist to tucked into my rear pocket. His hand always holding mine or resting on my knee.

The relentless teasing from the boys kept up, which I adored. Roger, not so much. Every time Roger tried to pull me aside, we’d somehow end up back with the group, chatting and drinking to our heart’s content. Freddie had decided to call me Lucky. Roger must’ve revealed what I told him that morning I caught him leaving coffee for me, but Freddie played it off as me being their ‘lucky charm’.

It seemed that not long after I came to their show for the first time they started booking more gigs. I, of course, told Freddie it was because of his recent arrival that they grew more popular. But he denied it in a rare streak of humbleness.

I kept telling myself that one of these days I would wake up early enough to surprise Roger with coffee, but it never worked. No matter how early I woke up, there was a coffee at my doorstep. Every morning for the past two weeks. But not this morning. I checked as soon as I rolled out of bed. When I found it wasn’t there, I grabbed my purse off the table by the door and slipped on my sneakers before running to the elevator. I looked a mess, my hair sloppily piled on top of my head, a red imprint on my cheek from where I had been resting on my hand, and my oversized pajamas that had mysterious stains on them. Probably from chocolate and pizza sauce. As I entered the cafe, a familiar head of blonde hair came out from the crowd of people in line, two coffees in hand.

        “Dammit, Roger!” I shouted, probably louder than I should have.

His eyes fell on me as he jumped in surprise,

        “What!? Christ, you scared me!” He hollered, holding the cups out from his body as coffee sloshed out onto the pristine white tiles of the coffee shop.

        “I’ve been trying all week to beat you down here and I thought I had finally done it.” I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest.

His eyes lit up as a bright smile grew across his face as handed me my coffee,

        “Sorry, love. Snooze ya lose.” He took a sip from his own coffee before wincing once he realized it was still scalding hot. He offered his arm to me, which I gladly took as we made the short trek from the cafe back to our apartments. We both paused outside our respective doors, leaning against the frame.

        “So, you surely can’t be waking up this early every morning just to buy me coffee,” I said, humming as I took my first sip.

        “And what if I was?” He quipped, tilting his head. Despite it being the early hours of the morning, he had a bright gleam in his eyes.

        “You’d be an idiot. Which you might be, regardless.” I retorted, running a hand through my hair in an attempt to smooth out the inevitable cowlicks that had formed from sleeping on my face.

He rolled his eyes as he tucked his free hand into his front pocket. His gaze shifted from me to his feet,

        “What? You up so early because you’re on the way home from a girl’s place?” I asked, only half joking.

He laughed, shaking his head,

        “Why would I go anywhere if my girl’s place is right next door?”

Ugh. Smooth. Disgustingly smooth. I tried to disguise the inevitable blushing of my cheeks by staring at my own feet and letting out a laugh. I shook my head before meeting his gaze again. It was filled with warmth and adoration as his tongue poked out between his teeth,

        “I’m studying biology. I have classes in the mornings. Which, I’m going to be late for.” He noted, glancing at his watch. He rushed forward to press a kiss to my temple before he opened the door to his apartment, grabbed his bag, and headed towards the elevator. I watched him go, offering me a bright smile as the doors closed.  

I was starting to wonder if keeping this job was worth it. Sure, I couldn’t afford to not have it, but not having a job had to be better than being slowly driven to insanity by an egomaniacal boss.

I trudged down the hallway to my apartment. My boss kept me three hours longer than he was supposed to and I doubted that I would see any extra pay for it. As I pulled out my keys, I spotted a note on the door scribbled on the back of a receipt.

                              The Star at 9. See you there -R

My watch told me it was already 8:30, and The Star was all the way across town. Roger had a terrible habit of not telling me about his gigs until the last minute. Although, some of the time, he didn’t know until the last minute either. Freddie was always going to bars and essentially begging the owners to let them play.  

I entered the apartment, taking off the shabby plaid skirt and matching jacket to replace it with the significantly shorter denim skirt Mary picked out and a plain white tee shirt. I snagged my jacket and the scarf Charlotte made me off the coat rack before heading down the hallway once again.

With Roger, I felt like I never had a moment to breathe, and I couldn’t love it more. It was fast-paced and somewhat reckless, a stark contrast from what it had been like before. While running back and forth to work constantly was getting the bills paid, it was exactly fulfilling.   

I hailed a cab and spent the next thirty minutes in traffic, and then the next fifteen trying to give the guy directions before I finally decided he was incompetent and that I could just walk the rest of the way. That was a decision I quickly came to regret as the skin on my legs was starting to go numb from the cold wind.

I made it, though, sighing in relief when I walked into the overcrowded bar and felt the heat surrounding me. The band was already playing, and I could see that nearly all the boys had their eyes scanning the crowd for me, except for Brian who was too busy giving eyes to some chick that was dancing off to the side of the stage.

I muscled my way through the crowd and to the front, letting out a whistle loud enough to catch their attention over the music. John did I little spin around while he played his bass, mouthing something to Roger along the lines of ‘I told you she’d come’. Roger replied with a sneer before his eyes met mine.

They were more than halfway through their set by the time I got there, I had heard it what seemed like thousands of times before and had the line up memorized. I mindlessly bopped around to the music through the remaining songs, hoping it would warm me up a bit. I cheered the loudest when they were finished and took their bow.

Roger immediately bounced off the stage, reaching his hand out for mine, but I was quickly shoved out of the way by a few of his fans. I staggered to the side as he tried his hardest to hide his annoyance as he talked to the girls.

        “Oh my god, Roger, you’re like soooo good at the drums, do you think you can teach me?” One of them slurred, making him laugh.

        “Not tonight, doll, sorry.” He retorted, squeezing between the girl and the stage to get to me. He pulled me into a hug, pressing a kiss to my temple. I blushed at the sudden show of affection, pulling out of the hug to look at him. A smile was plastered on his face as he grabbed my hand and started off in the bar's direction.

        “What’s got you in such a good mood?” I questioned, pinching his cheek.

He scrunched up his nose as he swatted at my hand,

        “Wasn’t sure if you were gonna make it. Glad you did.” He replied, reaching down for my hand. He led me over to the bar, hollering an order at the bartender before resting his elbow on the bar and staring over at me. He gave me a proper once-over, looking me up and down.

        “Hey, loverboy! Eyes here.” I snapped in his face, moving my fingers up to my eyes.

        “Sorry… That’s just… I’ve never seen that skirt before.” He replied.

        “You like it? Mary picked it out for me. She’s got such a good eye for this sort of thing.” I said, toying with the hem of the skirt.

        “Yeah, yeah, I’d say so.” He nodded enthusiastically, tongue swiping over his lower lip.

I rolled my eyes, trying to ignore the fact he was ogling me like a piece of meat. Though I couldn’t say I didn’t enjoy the attention. The bartender set the drinks on the bar beside him and Roger murmured a thank you before handing me a beer and taking a swig of his own.

        “How was work?” He asked, a genuine interest in his tone.

        “I’m would strangle my boss if I didn’t need the money,” I replied, taking a drink from my own bottle.

        “That bad, huh?” He asked.

        “Mhmm.” I hummed as I turned around to face the crowd, wanting to forget my shitty day, not talk about it.

        “Where’d everybody go?” I questioned, scanning the crowd as I took a sip from my drink.

        “Who cares? They’re big boys, they can take care of themselves.”

        “I just wanted to make sure Brian found that girl he was eye fucking while he was on stage,” I muttered against the rim of my bottle, making Roger laugh. I spent the next few minutes people watching, admiring how everybody moved with the music, watching the private conversations that began in the middle of the dance floor before moving off to the side. Suddenly, there were hands on my hips, hooking their fingers through the belt loops of my skirt and yanking me backward. My body slammed into Roger where he stood behind me, making me lose my balance for a moment. I grabbed at his hands where they rested on my waist to steady myself.

        “Hey!” I exclaimed, louder than I had intended to. A few of the men sitting at the bar glanced up from their drinks with an annoyed glare. I mouthed an apology as Roger tucked his head into the crook of my neck, nuzzling into my hair,

        “What’re you doing?” I laughed, bringing a hand up to rest on the back of his head to scrunch the loose waves in his hair.

        “You just smell really nice.” He replied, inhaling deeply and pulling me even closer against him, his thumb slipping under the waistline of my skirt.

I was about to whisper a warning to watch his hands before he lost them, but it was then that I noticed the burning gaze of a few women from a table not far from the bar. It was the girl Roger had avoided earlier and some of her friends. They sneered and whispered back and forth to each other before laughing. I didn’t have to hear them to know they were talking about me. I suddenly felt self-conscious.

Roger must’ve felt my body tense because he brought his hands to wrap around my midsection and gave me a jostle.

        “You okay?” He murmured in my ear.

I nodded quickly, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear and taking a large gulp of my drink. His hands dropped from my stomach and fell back to my hips before turning me around to face him.

He grabbed me by the cheeks and made me look at him. I attempted a smile, but it fell flat.

        “You’re not okay.” He concluded, scanning the crowd for any clue as to what was going on. His gaze shifted over my shoulder where the girls sat.

        “Hi, Roger!” One of them called in a sing-song tone.

        “Alright, come on. I’ve got shitty beer at my place, no need to drink it here.” He concluded, grabbing my drink and setting it down on the bar before placing his hand on my lower back and leading me out.

The ride in the taxi was awkwardly silent, Roger’s hand on my knee, thumb tapping to the beat of whatever song the driver had playing. Thankfully, the traffic on the way home was much better than on the way out. When the car stopped in front of the apartments, Roger pulled out a wad of cash, handing it to the driver before helping me out of the cab. He intertwined his fingers with mine, leading the way into the building and to the elevator.

        “You shouldn’t be worried, you know.” He murmured, glancing over at me and squeezing my hand.

        “Worried about what?” I asked, squeezing his hand in return. His gaze was softer than normal as he pulled my hand up to his mouth to press a kiss to it.

        “Anything.”

Instead of asking him to elaborate on what he meant, I simply nodded, glad to have some reassurance. The elevator opened and Roger led the way to his door, taking his keys from his pocket and unlocking it. He stepped in first, hand still in mine as I stayed out in the hallway.

        “Coming in?” He asked, giving me a gentle tug towards him as in invitation.

        “Yeah.” I smiled.

After he helped me shrug off my coat, he asked if I wanted a drink. I politely declined, taking in the sight of his apartment. It was tidier than I would’ve expected except for a few empty beer bottles on the coffee table. He returned a moment later with a beer in his hand,

        “Make yourself at home.” He said as he popped the cap off his beer and tossed it into the trash can by the counter.

Despite the two of us being unable to keep our eyes and hands off each other for the past few weeks, I suddenly felt uncertain. Almost every night he had asked me to come in and I said no. It was more than abundantly clear he wanted me here, so why did I feel so small and out of place? I had been standing motionless long enough for him to take notice and cock an eyebrow at me. I needed to at least do something other than stand around looking like a moron. My eyes continued to scan the apartment before they landed on his drum set. My mind harkened back to the bitchy girl at the bar,

        “Can I do the classic drunk girl move?” I questioned, grabbing his beer from his hand and taking a swig before handing it back.

        “Was that it?” He asked, noting that my red lipstick had stuck to the rim of the bottle before he took the last gulp.

I picked up one of his drumsticks from where they sat atop the snare drum. He let out a chuckle when he realized what I was doing.

        “Oh my god, Roger. You’re like soooooo good at the drums.” I mocked the girl we had seen in the bar earlier, “Can you show me how to play?”

He threw back his head and laughed before coming up behind me to sit on the stool. Whether it was the alcohol or just a burst of confidence, I couldn’t say, but he grabbed me by the hips and pulled me back to sit on his lap. His knee rested between my legs, my skirt riding up my thigh. We both pretended not to notice as he placed the other drumstick in my hand.

        “Okay, so,” He instructed, wrapping his arms around me and grabbing me softly by the forearms. The sensation of his breath across the back of my neck sent shivers down my spine and spread goosebumps across my skin. I silently prayed that he didn’t notice as he explained every part of the drum kit. He nudged my foot with his to rest on the pedal for the bass drum. He placed one hand in position over the snare and the other in position over one of the cymbals. His grip moved from my forearms to rest across my lower stomach, holding me steady on his knee.

        “Just pick a beat and alternate.”

I cautiously tapped the cymbal before giving the slightest tap to the snare, making him chuckle.

        “Hit it like you mean it.” He laughed in my ear.

I hit the cymbal the slightest bit harder, making him scoff.

        “What? I don’t want to wake up Charlotte.”

        “She’s 97 years old, I doubt she can even hear anymore.”

        “Oh no, she hears everything.” I told him, “One time I dropped my shampoo bottle in the shower and she called the landlord to come unlock my door because she thought I had fallen in the shower and cracked my head open.”

        “Really?”

I nodded,

        “If you ever notice the landlord looking at me weird, it’s because he burst in on me showering and singing Aretha Franklin at the top of my lungs.”  

He let out a full-bodied laugh,

As if on cue, there was a knock on the front door. Roger’s gaze met mine with shock for a moment before we both burst out laughing. I clasped my hand over my mouth,

        “If she knows I’m in here, she’ll kill you,” I uttered, only half joking.

        “Kill me? Why me?”

        “She thinks you’re a slut,” I replied, trying my hardest to say it with a straight face before letting out a laugh.

He laughed even harder at that, his face turning bright red. The knocking came again, making Roger groan as he placed his hands on my hips. He stood up, steadying me on the floor before making his way to his front door. He glanced out the peephole before looking over his shoulder and rolling his eyes at me. I stepped out of sight for a moment as he opened his door.

        “Hi, it’s Charlotte rig-” He began, but was cut off by the older woman.

        “What’s so funny in here?” She questioned.

Without even being able to see her, I knew her posture. Hands on her hips, one hip jutted out and her glare peeking out from behind her thick-framed glasses.

        “I uh… I have a friend over.” He replied,

        “Where?”

Charlotte wasn’t all there, and who could blame her? She was 97 years old and widowed by World War II, she didn’t have any children either. She had kind of adopted me, which I loved her for. But when I wasn’t around, she needed a way to keep busy. And her way of keeping busy was knowing an obscene amount about other people’s lives, whether or not she really knew the person. Roger wasn’t the only victim of the scrutiny, only the most recent.

        “She’s uh-” He began, only to be cut off once again.

        “She?”

        “Yes, she’s... in the bathroom.”

Silence fell for several moments and I hoped that Charlotte had dropped it and was getting ready to leave. That was until I remember that I draped my coat and the scarf her had given me over the couch in direct view of the front door. She must’ve noticed it at the same time,

        “Y/N!?” She shouted, her voice striking fear into my heart. Not fear that she would hurt me, no. Fear that she would be disappointed in me.

I grabbed the dish towel that hung on the oven door and pretended to be drying my hands with it to add credibility to Roger’s fib as I rounded the corner, not wanting her to think I was avoiding her.

        “Hey, Charlotte! What’s going on? Do you need something?”

She shot me a disapproving glare as she turned to go back across the hall into her apartment. She glanced over her shoulder once more before she closed the door behind her, followed by Roger closing his door. I felt a slight pang of guilt knowing I had upset her, but I quickly forgot it when Roger spoke up,

        “Where were we?”

He beckoned me back towards him by patting his thighs, an invitation to sit on his lap once more. I tossed the towel onto the kitchen counter before joining him. This time he was a little more insistent when I sat down, holding me a closer than before.

I once again alternating tapping the snare and the cymbal, finally somewhat getting my rhythm.

        “There you go.” He encouraged, tapping his foot to the beat and gently thrumming it against my thigh.

I continued to tap the beat before adding in the bass drum, tapping my foot on the pedal every so often. I became so engrossed in what I was doing that I hardly noticed his fingers toying with the hem of my skirt, although when I finally did, I played it nonchalant. It wasn’t until he was sliding it up a little higher that I took one of the drumsticks and smacked him on the hand with it.

        “Ow!” He whined, recoiling.

        “Don’t wanna prove to Charlotte that you’re a slut, do you?” I joked, turning over my shoulder to look at him. We were nose to nose, our breaths ghosting over each other’s skin. His gaze shifted from my eyes to my lips as he leaned in to kiss me. The drumsticks dropped from my hands, tumbling to the floor and rolling across it until it hit my foot.

The angle was awkward, his teeth knocked against mine making us both pause to laugh. I make it easier on him, I stood up from his lap and turned around so I was straddling him. My skirt pushed up even higher than before, much to his delight as he took a handful of my thigh. His other hand rested below my jaw, holding me against him. I clasped his face with both hands, both of them trembling slightly. We both pulled away breathless, eyes studying each other’s faces for a reaction. His eyes were half-lidded as he stared at me, running a hand through my hair. His chest rose and fell heavily as he stared at me, hand still massaging my thighs. My lipstick had smeared all over his mouth and I was certain it had smeared all over mine as well.

I wanted nothing more than to stay in that moment forever, but as his hands traveled up the back of my shirt, I quickly realized that this was probably a bad idea. If Charlotte was right in saying he had a new girl in here every other night, maybe I was just another one of those new girls. Another notch in his belt. I let out a sigh, licking my thumb and bringing it up to his mouth. I wiped away the lipstick before my gaze met his.

        “I should go.” I murmured. I wanted him just as much as he wanted me, but I had to know he wasn’t just going to dump me after getting what he wanted.

His expression was like a child you had just told that Santa wasn’t real. His entire face dropped as he stared at me.

        “Why… Was that… Was that not okay… or?” His hands quickly came to rest on my lower back rather than roving all over like they had been doing before.

        “No. No, Rog. It was great, really. I just… I mean… work tomorrow and uh… I’ve still got some chores to do before I go to bed an-”  It wasn’t entirely the truth, but it wasn’t a lie either.

        “Yeah, yeah. Okay.” He breathed, his grasp moved from my thighs to my lower back, rubbing it up and down, “I won’t keep you.”

I felt bad for leaving, but Charlotte was always right about people and I had no reason not to trust her judgment here. I retreated from his lap, straightening my skirt as I stood up. He handed me my jacket and scarf after I had slipped my boots back on.

        “Thanks for the uh… lesson.” I nodded towards the drum kit.

        “My pleasure.” He replied, tucking his hands into his front pockets as I made my way towards his door.  His gaze rested on his feet as I opened it.

        “Hey, Rog?” I called.

He perked up at the sound of his name, stepping closer to the door. I pressed a kiss to his cheek, reassurance I would be back.

        “Night.” I murmured.

        “Night.” He returned.

Just as I opened the door to my apartment, I heard the deadbolt on Charlotte’s come undone. I let out a sigh, preparing myself for the bombardment I was about to receive. I thought about stepping into my apartment and slamming the door, but then I would never hear the end of it.

But to my surprise, the deadbolt clicked once again, telling me she had changed her mind. Whether that was a good sign or a bad sign, I didn’t know, but I was thankful I wouldn’t be dealing with her interrogation tonight.

[imstillabiggay]

Day 2 (Misery Business - Paramore)

‘cause i got him where i want him now

Ben shot up from the couch when he heard footsteps coming up the stairs of the flat. “Oh great, you’re home,” Ben practically cheered as he began taking off the suit jacket that adorned Callum’s shoulders. Callum stared at his boyfriend, confusion written all over his face.

“Yes? I’m-“ Callum started speaking but was cut off when Ben all but ripped the tie from his neck, went ahead with unbuttoning his shirt and pulled the tail ends from his slacks. “Ben, what’re you doing? Can’t we get into the bedroom before you start stripping me down?” Callum pleaded. The first month in the flat together had been adventurous to say the least but in a short amount of time washing the couch cushions ever other day had become tedious.

“Get your mind out of the gutter,” Ben scoffed yet he turned and walked into the bedroom anyway. Callum followed cluelessly, starting to work on his pants since Ben hadn’t bothered with them. “Ah! Leave those on, loverboy,” over the past few weeks Callum had gotten used to Ben’s weird antics but this was really pushing the boat out. Choosing to go along with it and not question anything, probably due to the fear of Ben’s answer, Callum sat on the edge of the bed and watched Ben rifle through the draws. A couple of minutes later and Ben let out a sound of joy as he pulled out out a fancy looking shirt and a tie. “We’re going out tonight. Put these on,” as usual, Ben left no room for argument and begun getting ready too, pulling the simple T-shirt off his body as well as his sweatpants.

“You took my tie and shirt off, just to put me into a different tie and shirt?” Callum questioned once they were both dressed, Ben looked affronted.

“I took you out of your boring tie and shirt to put you into a fancy tie and shirt. You know nothing, don’t question me,” Ben demanded. It was Callum’s turn to scoff and shake his head slightly. If there was one thing that Callum had learned whilst being Ben’s boyfriend, it was to let him get on with things. Ben would never make Callum do something that he really didn’t want to do but damn could the man be persuasive. “We’re just going to the Prince Albert but there’s no harm in looking nice, yeah?” Ben hummed, giving Callum’s left cheek a small pat before kissing his right cheek and walking past him to stand in the doorframe of their bedroom. “After you, good sir,” Ben bowed as he spoke with that stupid posh accent, but Callum couldn’t help laughing as he walked past, a smile on his face.

When they were walking down the street hand in hand, Callum thanked his lucky stars for a brief moment. After the chemistry between them developed from an affair into a fully fledged relationship, maybe Callum had started taking a couple of things for granted but being able to walk down the street hand in hand would never be one of those things. Warmth and happiness filled Callum’s body whenever he had the luck to be out in public with Ben, considering they hadn’t had that privilege at first. They walked in silence, the silence comfortable, with Ben leaning against Callum slightly, grinning up at the man every so often. Callum noticed the mischievous glint in Ben’s eye but opted to ignore it as best as he possibly could. Ben was up to something.

“Come to the bar with me? We’ll get a seat together later,” Ben promised, pulling Callum over to the bar. Callum stood stock still when he realised who was working, chatting away with the punters as well as Tina, her hair as red as ever even under the multicoloured lights of the bar.

“Ben,” Callum whispered, a slight warning to his tone as he pulled on the man’s hand. It wasn’t like Callum was ashamed of Ben around Whitney or anything like that. He didn’t stop holding Ben’s hand when they walked past her in the square, or stop Ben from kissing his cheek, it was just that he didn’t like to rub it in her face. Whitney had been hurt, and that was to be expected. Even though she had accepted it and moved on, had hugged Callum and wished him the best, Callum didn’t fancy kicking her while she was down.

“It’s been a month, Cal. She’s probably moved on. Come on,” Ben insisted, tugging Callum more firmly along until they stopped at the bar, Callum two steps back with his arm resting gently on Ben’s hip. “Whit, two pints when you’re ready. That good for you, babe?” Callum bit his lip and nodded. Since when did Ben call him babe? “You’re allowed to speak, you know,” Ben laughed and pulled Callum close, landing a kiss on his lips. Callum pulled back just as Whitney muttered something to Tina and disappeared into the staff room. Ben’s eyes followed her. “What’s her problem?” Ben huffed, a smirk on his lips.

“You knew she was here didn’t you?” The proud smirk dropped off Ben’s face and left him looking nothing but sheepish instead. “You’re being cruel, Ben,” Callum whispered but his hand still lay on Ben’s hip. Ben rolled his eyes.

“And you’re being dramatic. I ain’t being cruel, Callum. I’m allowed to show you off now, you’re my boyfriend and I want everybody to see you,” Ben shrugged, making Callum sigh again and rub his forehead. Ben was a piece of work sometimes, but Callum wouldn’t have him any other way. Just as he turned back to the bar to flag down Tina, Callum gave Ben a small squeeze.

“Hey, can we pass on all of this? I ain’t in the mood tonight,” Callum murmured close to Ben’s ear so he would hear over all of the club chatter. Ben looked like he was about to argue but saw the resigned look in Callum’s eyes and thought against it, nodding instead and letting Callum lead him towards the exit this time. A wasted trip.

Once back at home, a tense sort of silence settled over the household, Callum annoyed at Ben for having done that to Whitney and Ben not wanting to say anything to make it worse. The silence only broke when they were laying in bed together, Ben still using Callum’s chest as a pillow despite his anger. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled into Callum’s skin. Callum hummed, letting Ben go on. “I wasn’t thinking. I never meant to brag, it just feels good to have you,” Ben whispered and Callum let out a sigh, running his hand through Ben’s hair slowly.

“I get that Ben, really I do. I just wish that you went about it differently. You don’t need to be cruel to show me off,” Callum pleaded. Ben gave a nod of agreement and raised his head to give Callum a kiss. The kiss was gentle and soft, nothing like the kiss that they had shared earlier in the pub but it was ten times more pleasing. Maybe it was nice to share what they had in public, but maybe enjoying what they had in private could be even better.

[championmourned-a]

BEN PLATT  - SING TO ME INSTEAD LYRIC STARTERS

enjoy & feel free to make any changes !

1. Bad Habit

“you always say that I’d come back to you again.”

“everybody needs a friend.”

“hate to say that I love you.”

“hate to say that I need you.”

“hate to say that I want you - but I do!”

“bad habit, I know.”

“can you help me out?”

“can I lean on you?”

“you make me feel like I’m floating off the ground.”

“you make me smile with tears in my eyes.”

“i love the way you lie - i do!”

“hate to say that I’m lonely.”

“hate to say that I miss you.”

2. Ease my mind.

“most days I wake up with a pit in my chest.”

“there are thoughts that I can’t put to rest.”

“most nights I am restless & quiet wont come.”

“i lay there & wait for the sun.”

“you came out of nowhere.”

“you cut through all the noise.”

“i make sense of the madness, when I listen to your voice.”

“darling only you can ease my mind.”

“help me leave these lonely thoughts behind.”

“i can feel my sanity start to unwind.”

“for a moment I felt so afraid.”

“there are pieces i usually hide.”

“you collect me with your steady hand.”

“i feel put back together inside.”

3. Temporary love.

“i feel the gravity between us.”

“you don’t have to hide our love away.”

“we’ll hold still.”

“you’re afraid to need someone, cause you’ve been burned.”

"love is good until it’s gone, that’s what you’ve learned.”

“you don’t have to hide your love away.”

“i know that I’m gonna make mistakes.”

“this is not a temporary love.”

“now your heart is in my hands & i wont give it up.”

“you may not think I know the difference.”

“I feel the gravity between us.”

“you don’t have to hide our love away.”

“we’ll hold still.”

“both of us are gonna make mistakes.”

“look at me & tell me you don’t see it.”

“when the world around you is caving in & the wind will keep on changing, take my hand & let it spin.”

4. Grow as we go.

“you say there’s so much you dont know.”

“you gotta go & find yourself.”

“you say you’d rather be alone, cause you think you wont find it tied to someone else.”

“who said its true, that the growing only happens on your own?”

“they dont know me & you.”

“i dont think you have to leave.”

“if to change is what you need, you can change right next to me.”

“when you’re high, I take the lows.”

“we’ll take it slow & grow as we go.“

“i am unfinished, I got so much left to learn.”

“you don’t ever have to leave.“

“i dont know who we’ll become.”

“i can’t promise its not written in the stars.”

“we’re gonna see that it was better.”

“tell me you dont wanna leave.”

5. Honest man

“there’s something about you in the moonlight.”

“your eyes go so well with the day.”

“you wont let go of your layers.”

“your power can strip me away.”

“it’s easier for us to hide, if you come out, then so will I.”

“promise that i’ll meet you halfway.”

“I see every part of you.”

“i can tell you see me too, by the way that you say my name.”

“i am an honest man.”

“why can’t you take my hand?”

“I’m not what you planned.”

“I’m a save place to land.”

“you’re so afraid of tommorrow.”

“you built your walls up today.”

“you wont believe that you’re ready.”

“i see every part of you.”

“see me as i am.”

“show me that i can.”

“i know i’ve played with hearts before, don’t have the heart to play with yours.”

“when you put your trust me in, how beautiful our love could be.”

“i am who i am.”

6. Hurt me once

"you never used to bring somebody else along.”

“this used to be our thing.”

“all these little things that one can read two ways.”

“seems that I’ve forgotten how to read your face.”

“but i know you too well to get it wrong.”

“if you have to hurt me, hurt me once.”

“if you have to end it, get it done.”

“you have all these choices.”

“you’re all that I have to lose.”

“couldn’t hurt you if I wanted to.”

“one by one the memories will start to blurr.”

“you ruin the good ones.”

“don’t humor me with kindness.”

“there’s nothing kind about a hundred small betrayals.”

“if i’m disappointed, it’s cause you’re not the person I knew.”

“if i had it my way, i’d be kinder than you.”

“i’m sure I’d forgive you.”

“i’m ashamed, but I’m proud of it too.”

7. New

“wish that i’d have known this feeling was coming, when i was crying over you.”

“now that you’re gone, i carry nothing.”

“it feels like flying.”

“used to throw a party over every little thing you do.”

“never going back to that.”

„heartsick little loverboy who went & lost himself in you.“

“now I’m feeling so brand new.”

“never felt so brand new.”

“burned all your letters just for fun.”

“all of that time is easy to swallow, now that I’m better.”

8. Better

“i don’t know if you’re listenting.”

“i’m not good at pretending, that I am happy to be alone.”

“part of me is a question, I can’t answer it on my own.”

“i lost a part of me, when I lost all of you.”

“i don’t wanna come crawling.”

“i catch myself falling.”

“did you keep my sweater?”

“did you read my letter?”

“do you know me better, than I know myself?”

“i don’t feel like we’re done here.”

“you got a lock on the things I want.”

“i don’t have you to kiss now.”

“i’m putting myself to sleep.”

“but it’s me that I miss now.”

9. Share your adress

"darling, you might think it’s too soon.”

“i can’t get you out of my head now.”

“i wanna be with you til I’m dead now.”

“i want your friends to by my friends.”

“i want it all with you.”

“if i’m coming on too strong, it’s cause I waited far too long for someone just like you.”

“i wanna clean up your mess.”

“i wanna know where you hide things.”

“i know it’s too soon, too fast.”

“it feels like love.”

“i just wanna stare at your face.”

“we can overdrink at your favourite place.”

“i wanna watch you while you sleep.”

“i know I might sound like a creep.”

“i can’t help myself.”

“it’s so easy to forget, that we have barely even met.”

“i want no one else.”

“i wanna be your emergency contact.”

“it doesn’t matter where I go.”

“without you, I’ll never be home.”

“i wanna be in your photos.”

“i wanna share your address.”

10. In case you don’t live forever.

"you put all your faith in my dreams.”

“you gave me the world that I wanted.”

“what did I do to deserve you?“

“i follow your steps with my feet.”

“i’Il walk on the road that you started.”

“i’ve waited way too long to say everything you mean to me.”

“i’ll love you more than you will ever wrap your head around.”

“i’m everything that I am, because of you.”

“we’ve only got so much time.”

“you are my hero, whenever I need one.”

“i’m a man, because you taught me to be one.”

11. Older.

"life’s gonna find you, when it’s supposed to.”

“when you are younger, you wish you are older.”

“when you are older, you wish for time to turn around.”

“don’t let your wonder turn into closure.”

“have I killed my thoughts right before their prime?”

“have i bit my tongue one too many times?”

“if i wait ‘til my tommorrow comes, is the waiting all i’ve ever done?”

“will i get to know myself in the place I am?”

“will I get to fall in love with another man?”

12. Run Away

“i may not be wise & I wont save the day.”

“look in my eyes & know i’ll always stay.”

“to love is not to leave.”

“i wont run away.”

“they had a child.”

“he was funny, strange & mild.”

“you say it’s saver on your own.”

“you’d rather sleep alone, then grow to need me there.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

[social-holland]

Starry Night

Pairing: Harrison Osterfield x Female Reader

Word Count: 2492

Description: You fly out to visit Harrison during your break. What happens when you confronted with the feelings for your best friend?

Note: This is for @starksparker 10k writing challenge. The gif also belongs to her. Congrats again and thank you for doing this. ❤🎉

»»»

When you were little all you dreamed about was having a partner in crime. Someone you could love, support and cherish with all your heart and someone who would just give you back as much.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work out as you had wished. There were crushes but they always stayed unrequited and the only boyfriend you had turned out to be someone who was only after your best friend.

School were your less liked years in your life. Giving you a rush of excitement when you finally had the chance to move away and start studying. You were excited for something new somewhere far from home.

And this time it didn’t turn out to be disappointing. With moving away, there was a new place to explore, stuff to adventure and new people to meet.

Harrison counted to one of those people. A fellow student introduced you two on a party at the start of the semester. Having a lot in common, you two took immediately a liking to each other.

Harrison, to your surprise, didn’t study. He was assistant to his best friend Tom and just happen to be there to attend the party. You two spend the night talking, getting to know each other and Haz was kind enough to accompany you home.

You two exchanged numbers and that’s how everything blossomed. When you weren’t in class or doing something for it, you spend your time with Haz. If he was home.

With Haz came Tom and a lot of other friends. Some of them only met because of the two divs. Also, the reasons why you would spend your summer in Atlanta.

Tom had invited you to come and hang out for at least a few weeks before filming would start picking up for Spiderman. The movie company had given Haz and him a house to stay and there would be also enough place to you.

Of course, you had agreed to it and that’s how you now ended up at the airport. Impatiently waiting for your suitcase, so you finally get to see your Haz again. Did you say yours? Of course, Haz wasn’t yours but you wished he would be. Ever since realising what a huge crush you had on your best friend.

First you didn’t have noticed how much you liked Haz. Not until Tom teased him and you one day while having a movie marathon for being so whipped for each other. Both of you laughed about it. Haz going back to watching but it had you thinking about Toms words and in the end, you knew how bad you were taken for the pretty blue eyed boy.

He was kind, adventures, pretty and all in all your best friend. The reason why you would always be afraid to make a move on him. What you had with Harrison, your friendship, was too important to risk it.

Finally, your suitcase appeared. You shook your head over your thoughts and took it before walking out to the waiting area of the airport. Nearly spraining your head to find him in the crowd. And soon enough there he was with a big smile and a ridiculous big sign with your nickname.

You laughed about it before calling him. “Haz!” As soon as he saw you, he ran over and picked you up. Swirling around with you a few times. Both you of smiling and laughing. It had been a few weeks since you two had seen each other and it felt good to be able to be near him.

When he stops swirling and let you down, his arms are not leaving you. Instead you two hug each other. Harrison pressing his face in your hair. “I missed you.” His simple words making you smile before you look up to him. “I missed you, Haz!”

He takes your suitcase and you both leave hand in hand the airport. It was not uncommon for the both of you to hold hands. Something that accomplished early in the friendship.

It makes you feel good to have your hand in his. You can truly feel how much you missed Haz. Having face time or skype didn’t make up for being finally close to him again.

While you are being trapped a little bit in your thoughts, Haz is rambling over what Tom and him had been up to the last few weeks. You shake your head when it’s appropriate to show him that you’re at least a little bit listening.

Watching his face and seeing his eyes light up when he talks about Tom and him pranking other cast members or Harry.

When you finally arrive at the car, Haz is kind enough to put your suitcase in the trunk before getting behind the driver seat. He turns to you for a moment, smiling really big. “I’m really glad you’re here, Y/N/N.”

“Happy because I’m here or happy you don’t have to care for Tom alone anymore?” You smile right back at him while teasing the blue- eyed boy. He groans over it before starting the car.

“Don’t even get me started.” The groan being clearly fake. You both know how much they take care of each other. Doesn’t matter how much the other one takes the piss out of them. True brothers.

“Well, since you are taking the topic to Tom.” Haz starts and you furrow curiously your eyebrows at him. “He is throwing a party at the house tonight for you.”

You laugh and groan at the same time. Knowing how wild Toms parties usually are. “No use to complaining. But I’m just saying, I don’t clean tomorrow morning.”

Harrison takes a look and you both know that you probably will clean tomorrow even through you say you don’t. If there is one thing that it’s that you can’t resist Toms puppy brown eyes and that’s what he will use to get (nearly) anything.

The drive to the house doesn’t take long before you know it, Harrison parks the car in front of a pretty mansion. “That’s what they let you stay at?” You ask not really believing your eyes. “Jacob and Z are staying here, too. That’s why this is so big.” Harrison explain before walking back to the trunk and taking your suitcase once again.

“You don’t need to do that.” You stretch your hand to show him that you want to take it but Harrison shakes his head. “I want to do it.”

He closes the trunk and walks to the door, you not far behind. Before any of you even have the chance to react, the door is thrown open and you can feel yourself lifted in the air again.

“It’s been ages!” Tom jokes before he places you back onto your feet. “Two weeks, you div.” You joke to him before walking into the house.

Harry is sitting on one of the sofas, smiling as soon as he sees you. “Hey div.” You greet him. He rolls his eyes over you while you two high five. Already greeting Zendaya with a long hug, as well as Jacob.

Tom throws an arm around your shoulders. “Loverboy is already bringing your suitcase up and basically under the roof. There is huge place for you, and Harrison is also close.” Tom wriggles his eyebrows at you before you push him off you groaning.

“Sometimes you are awful, Tom.” You announce before walking upstairs. You can hear Harry asking, “Sometimes?” before him and Tom start a brotherly argument.

You still smile over the Holland brother when you arrive in the attic. There are only two doors opposite of each other. One is open, and you walk into it. The room is huge. The walls are cream coloured and there is another door one the right side. Probably a bathroom or something along the line. A huge window is decorating the wall and next to it is a closet, your suitcase in front of it. Harrison is sitting on a big king size bed, playing on his phone.

You throw yourself next to him. “Thank you.” It comes out mumbled because your head is buried in the sheets, but Harrisons seems to have heard it. He pads your head for a moment before putting his phone away and letting himself falls next to you.

You watch him for a moment, starring at the ceiling, before closing your eyes. You pretty much slept on the plane but still start to feel tired from it.

You can feel Harrison suddenly get up and complain with weird noises about it. “Don’t go.”

He beams before he lays down again and you cuddle in his arms. “Tired?” He is starting to play with your hair. You just nod with your eyes still closed. “Little bit.”

You can feel yourself falling asleep with your head placed on his shoulders and him having his arm placed around your waist, the other one still playing with your hair.

It feels like only seconds when he shakes you awake. “Wake up, sleepy head.” Groaning you open your eyes. Harrison is now standing in front of you. His hair is wet, and he changed into black jeans with a white shirt and red baseball jacket.

“You have to get ready, love.” He simply smiles before making sure that you’re getting up and ready.

The first thing you do is look what’s behind the door and to your luck it’s a really nice luxury bathroom. Taking your favourite outfit, as wells as everything else you need, out of your suitcase and start to get ready.

After half an hour you done and already be able to hear music from downstairs.

You leave your room and when you arrive Tom throws his hands up and everybody else is cheering when they see you. Harrison comes over with a red cup filled with your favourite beverage.

Smiling at each other, you join the party. Making conversation with others, playing beer pong and just in general having a good time. Harrison is by your site for the most time. His hands always around your waist. You feel your cheeks heating up about it.

After a while, he excuses himself to go join beer pong again and you make conversation with Zendaya and a few other girls you haven’t seen in a long time. Hearing what they have been up to and them checking on you. A lot of them wanting to know if you and Harrison are an item, yet.

Which you deny, stating to only be friends. Everytime you have to say it; your heart feels like crumbling again. You wish there would be something between you two but suspecting that it would be like all your other crushes, unrequited.

That friendship is too important to risk for some unrequited feelings.

Shaking your head over the thoughts, you excuse yourself and walk outside. The garden is huge and luckily for you, there is no one outside. You still can hear the music though.

There is also a huge pool and you lose your socks and shoes to dip into it with your feet. Looking at the sky and enjoying the more or less quiet time before having to go back inside.

You didn’t want to seem unpolite or unthankful, but you needed just a moment to get over what you had to say inside. Without realizing it, it did hurt you. The whole Harrison thing was still a little confusing and more upsetting that you thought.

Being lost in your thoughts, you don’t hear how the door to the garden is opened and someone is making his way over to you.

You wake up when Harrison dips his feet next to yours, jumping for a moment. He laughs about it before checking you carefully with his shoulders. “Too many people?” He carefully asks.

“Hm-Hm.” You just answer. Here he is. This one guy that without asking too much, knows you better that anything else. You two sit in silence. Watching the sky, at least you do. Harrison is watching you. “Can I ask you something?”

“I think you know the answer to this one.” He groans. “Don’t joke now. This is serious talk.”

“Haz.” You laugh. “We are at a party and how many have you been drinking? None of this is serious talk.” He gives you a look you don’t really understand before continuing.

“Why did you never have a boyfriend?” You groan on the inside. Out of all the question, he had to ask that one. Why now? Why him?

Haz was someone that was so easy to talk to, but this one topic is something you couldn’t and didn’t wanted to talk with anyone about. Especially nor with him or right now.

“I did have a boyfriend or crushes if you’re talking about that.” You slowly state, didn’t even knowing why you say that. You have to remind yourself that this is Haz and it’s dangerous to go done that line with him.

“But not since we met.” You hesitate for a moment and don’t know what really to say to him. He talks before you can. “Why did you never talk about it or to them?”

“It’s complicated.” You simply bring out. He wrinkles his brows at you but you are not able to see it since you rather focus on the sky. “In which way?”

“I love them but they’re in love with somebody else or probably not interested in me.” You finally look at him. Harrison doesn’t answer to this. He is watching the water and looks unsure. Like he wants to say something to you. Probably trying to figure out, how to not upset you or something along the line. But you continue before he can even start, “I’m not angry about it. That’s how it is. You can’t make people feel things, they don’t feel.”

You just shrug with your shoulders while concentrating on the water. He hums, you’re not sure in agreement or not. Harrison takes your hand and draws little circles over it.

You two are quiet, hanging in your own thoughts. While you are watching the pool and the little rings you are creating the water with your feet, Harrison is watching you.

After a while he speaks again. “Are you really sure that everybody you have a crush on is in love with somebody else?” You are not sure if he actually said it because his words are whispered, and the music is still blaring from the House. When you take a look at Harrison again, he is no longer watching you.

Instead he focusses on your hand in his. Drawing endless circles on it while you are being breathless over his words. Your cheeks feeling like being on fire.

You don’t know how to react to it or what to say. So, you two continue to sit in silence. Him watching you and you watching the water.

Hate it, love it, any other thoughts? Let me know.😊

Permanent Tag List: @tomhollanduniverse @spideytaeh @marvelismylifffe @smexylemony @lavieenbananabread @tommyboyholland

Update: 6/10/18 Fixed the read more problem and description If it still doesn’t work, let me know.

[marvel-lously]

The Dark Secrets I Know (pt.3)

Words: 1700

Content: angst

Warnings: language, description of wounds 

A/N: Hello you guys, after quite a long hiatus I am finally back. Sorry ‘cause it took me so long to write the third part, but I just didn’t feel like anybody is interested in my writing anymore. Anyways here it is, I hope you enjoy :)

Tags: @supersoldierfreak @supersoldierslover @dearcindymoon @parkeret @paramedicpanther @fwmholland @one-big-dreamer @niallandsebastianaremylife @sprinkleofpoop @mah1c @myersge @slut-for-fandoms @princessunicorn13 @clique-chick @multi-fan @mycollectionofthedead @no-aaaahhhh @spokenforunicornism @mad-girl--with-a-box @buffy-morgendorffer-01 @zophora @the-crime-fighting-spider @falseosterhollandfantasies @beautifullydisconnected @spidergirlwanab @supertrxsh @winterbuttmunch @deatheater61103 @hymnofthevalkyrie @loverboy-holland @shitty-imagines-95 @lcgphotohraphy @lilyholland 

(I took the liberty of tagging some of my mutuals as well, I hope none of you minds. If I forgot to tag anyone or if you’d like to be untagged just let me know)

Previous parts: pt.1, pt.2 

Next part: pt.4

You could feel the silent drops of rain, streaming down your face, small droplets already caught in your eyelashes. You were yet unable to recognize the setting. You started walking, not really knowing where you're headed. You started looking around, there was nothing but turf around you, for miles and miles, the greenery seemed to be the only thing man could see. You felt your heartbeat fasten and a lump forming in your throat. What is this place? How do you get out of there?

You started running. You ran and ran and ran and it wasn't helping you one bit. You were out of breath and tears were now mixing with raindrops on your cheeks, making your hair stick unpleasantly to your face.

You sat down, desperate, hopeless and defeated. You cried for what seemed to be hours now. Then you heard singing, it was muffled by the now rapidly falling rain, but it was a sound of singing nonetheless. You stood up weakly, not entirely trusting your senses anymore, but the more you walked, the louder the music got.

You stopped suddenly. You came in sight of what seemed to be a funeral, but something was off. The music you heard wasn't funeral music, it was worse it was so much worse. There was a little girl standing on the very grave itself and she was the only one singing, everybody else was just emptily staring to the ground.

»Tili Tili bom, ty slyishish, kto-to ryadom? Pritailsya za uglom I pronzaet vzglyadom.« (Tili tili bom, can you hear him closing in? Lurking around the corner, staring right at you.) The girl sang.

You just stared at her. Her appearance was mutilated. Half of her face was bruised, her lower lip brutally cut in half, scarlet blood staining her teeth, her once glowing, dark skin was now the colour of the ashes and her plaits, half undone, were slightly covering her eyes.

Then all of the sudden, she looked straight into your eyes.

You had never felt such panic and fear washing through your body, shaking the very core of your spine. You started trembling, not from the cold, but from how scared you felt under her gaze. You didn't understand why were you so scared, this girl did nothing but look at you and sang, yet the way she looked and the way she stood on the grave, unmoving, like a porcelain doll on the bookshelf, was so unnerving to you.

»Tili Tili bom, vse skroet noch nemaya, za toboy kradetsya on I vot-vot poymaet.« (Tili tili bom, the silent night hides everything, he sneaks up behind you and he is going to get you.) Her high pitched voice cut through your ears once again, her eyes not once leaving yours.

»On idet. On uzhe. Blisko.« (He walks. He is coming. Closer.)

At the last word, you felt a hand grab your shoulder. You screamed in fear. When you saw who was behind you, you nearly fainted. It was him.

»Like the scenery?« he asked, his voice laced with poison.

He bowed his head to your ear. »You should, it's your funeral.«

The girl screeched. That was the last thing you heard, then you woke up.

  AVENGERS' CONFERENCE ROOM

»No, Tony, no. I don't want to see her anywhere near me, that girl is mental.« Clint yelled.

»Wow, wow, wow, let's all just calm down.« Sam tried to reassuringly squeeze Clint's arm.

»Calm down? Calm down?!! Don't tell me to calm down, while Ton brings a fucking terrorist to our tower.« Clint's face was getting more red by the second.

»She. Is. Not. A terrorist!« Tony yelled back.

»Oh please Tony! I thought you were smarter than this. Just because she says she isn't one doesn't mean that's the truth. What, I mean are you going to believe her word over the council's?« Clint continued to argue.

»Goddamn it Clint! Yes, yes I will! And do you know why I will?« Tony was clearly frustrated with Clint.

»Oh, do enlighten me, please!«

»Because she tried to warn them Clint, she tried to warn the government and they didn't listen! And they never do! And of all people our team should be the one to know this best. They never listen, convinced that they hold all the strings in their hands and when somebody says otherwise, they shut them down. However when something bad does happen, they don't take the blame. They find an innocent man and put the blame on that man, meanwhile continuing to blind themselves from what is really happening around the world and to overhear every single warning. That's why I believe her Clint and you should know better. WE should know better.« Tony took a long sip from his glass of bourbon.

Silence overtook the room and nobody dared to break it.

»Well I believe her too! I mean damn it Clint, you should see it man, this girl is... something else, this girl is brilliant. She's able to tell your entire life story from having one look at you. I witnessed her do it and even though I was sceptical at first Tony ran a search on the guy she analyzed and guess what, she was right. She took one look at that man and was able to read him like a book, not missing one detail about him. I'm telling you Clint, if someone can help us, than this is her.« Sam was the one to break the silence after a while.

»Okay! Fine! She stays, but I am telling you, one incident and I will personally escort her back to the hellhole she crawled out of.« Clint said, then walked out of the room.

»By the way, has anyone seen our girl today?« Nat asked.

All she got was some shrugs and no's.

»FRIDAY where's Y/N?« she asked the AI.

»Miss Y/L appears to be in the kitchen Miss Romanoff.« the AI answered.

  »Is everything alright?« Nat's worried voice startled you.

»I am well, thank you for asking.« you said, shifting uncomfortably in your seat by the kitchen counter.

»Are you sure? You look a little worn out.« she probed.

»I just had some troubles sleeping last night, nothing more. No need for you to worry.« you answered quickly.

»Well good then, 'cause we need you in a conference room once you're finished with your meal.«

You gave her a curt nod and she left the room.

  Once you came to the conference room, everybody was already seated, the only space left was between Clint and Steve. You sighed inwardly, but sat down, smiling nonetheless. Clint murmured something incoherently, while Steve gave you a kind greeting.

»So what's the agenda today?« you asked timidly.

»Well, we wanted to go on through the list of some possible Hydra members and we thought you could tell us whether you think they are real members or Hydra just planted them as a false bait to distract us.« Tony said, with a somewhat stern voice.

»Yes of course, I can do that.« you were quick to respond.

Tony projected some photos and videos of the men. For some you could quickly tell they were part of Hydra, by the way they walked, held themselves, how they interacted with people on those videos... for some, you needed more time and more information to put them on the list.

Then at the last picture you felt you entire body tense and you could feel the muscles in your stomach twist and clench. You were sick. It was a picture of him. It was as if you were dreaming again, as if he was standing right next to you in this room. You forgot how to talk, you forgot how to breathe.

An arm tried to shake you out of your trance. It was Steve, his lips were moving. He was saying something to you, but you were unable to hear his words. No, all you could hear was the ringing in your head.

»Y/N! Y/N! For god's sake Y/N!!« Steve's voice finally made it through the fog in your head. you tried to focus on him, but it was hard. It was so hard.

»Breathe! Y/N breathe!« he was saying repeatedly.

You took a deep, painful breath in.

»And out! Don't forget to breathe out!«

You exhaled shakily.

»There you go. Just breathe. Take your time.« Steve was rubbing circles on your back reassuringly.

»Y/N? Who is that? The man on the picture?« Tony asked, carefully.

»That«, you said with trembling voice »is the man you don't ever wish to meat. 'Cause the moment you meet him, is the moment you shook hands with death himself.« You stood up and sped out of the room.

                                                                                                                                                                                                        You were at the gym, throwing some hard punches at the heavy bag.

You heard someone cough behind you. It was Bucky.

»Give me one more minute, then I'll be out of your way.« you said, visibly out of breath.

»Well I actually came, because I wanted to talk to you, but it's okay if you don't want to« he replied.

»What did you want to talk about?« you asked, while stripping yourself of the hand bandages.

»I just wanted you to know that we got your back. You don't need to be afraid of this guy, whoever the hell he is, because we got your back. You're part of the team now, which means we will protect you and it also means no one will hurt you as long as we are around.« he tried so hard to reassure you.

You just looked at him incredulously.

»Why thank you for trying to reassure me, but you have absolutely no idea, who it is that you are dealing with. It doesn't matter how many people are trying to protect me, as soon as he finds out where I am, you can write me off as deceased. Bucky! I am scared as hell, of this guy. And if you're smart... you should be scared of him too!«