#place bets on how many hours of being back on the clock it will take to cure me I’m gonna go ahead and say 4 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

peaceful-melancholia · 7 months ago

Text

The Worry (part 3)

Eleven days later, on Thursday the 21st, they had exhausted so many of Ethan’s rituals and ideas that they were finally trying one that Jake had found. The ritual had to be performed on an odd numbered Thursday, and the rest of the instructions were very specific as well, but Jake was intentionally keeping the details from the other two. He was worried that Max might decide that he didn’t want to do the ritual at all, and he was preparing to argue each element with Ethan individually, rather than all at once. Jake had the music prepped on his phone, the ingredients prepped, and he even had handouts. He watched the clock, waiting until it was about the right time to begin.

“Alright, Max. Take your shirt off,” Jake began. He pulled the two main components out of his bag.

“This is already off to a weird start. Why does it have to be eleven-thirty?” Max asked as he complied.

“It’s supposed to be close to the witching hour on an odd-numbered Thursday,” Jake answered.

“That sounds familiar. I think one of the rituals my cousin told me about was the same, but I can’t remember which one. It was one that we wouldn’t use, anyway,” Ethan mused.

“Now stand very still so I can get the sigil right,” Jake said, consulting a page where he had drawn the sigil he needed to draw. He opened up his Tupperware of blood and dipped his finger in.

“Where exactly did you get this blood?” Max asked.

“Oh, don’t worry, I didn’t bleed you or anything,” Jake reassured.

“That makes it so much worse. Do you know how many bloodborne illnesses there are?” Ethan said.

“What makes you think it’s even human? It just said ‘blood from a non-kosher animal’, nothing about being human blood. Although, I guess humans probably aren’t kosher, so that might work,” Jake said as he drew the sigil.

“So it’s pig blood?” Ethan clarified.

“Oh, yeah, that would have worked. I wish I had thought of that. Would have been easier to source, I bet, I was worried this wasn’t even going to come in time,” Jake said.

“What is it, then?” Max asked.

“Camel blood. See? Not all that weird. Now recline back a bit so I can put the glitter on,” Jake said.

“Glitter? Any ritual involving glitter could never work,” Ethan said as Max once again did as Jake asked.

“I know you say that, but probably a lot of these elements have several possible variants, or else it would have been really unlikely for any of them to have been developed in the first place. In this case, glitter is shiny, and the color is silver, so maybe the original used polished silver flakes or something. But that would burn him, so it wouldn’t really be worth trying it at that point,” Jake said. That was one of the two big hurdles he expected.

“Fine, I guess it can’t hurt. Except wasting camel blood,” Ethan said. “What’s next?”

“Well, then I draw a line from Max to each of us using the glitter,” Jake said. Ethan shook his head in continuation of his disbelief about the glitter, but Jake continued. “And then we have to fill our shoes with it and put them back on.”

“Right, obviously. You know, the only reason I’m still doing this is that you are reminding me of at least one of the rituals I heard about,” Ethan said, taking off his shoes for Jake to pour glitter into them. Jake did the same with his own shoes and drew the lines, opposite from each other and radiating away from Max.

“Do I have to have glitter in my shoes? And should I just be standing, or should I lay down, or something?” Max asked.

“No on the glitter, and it didn’t say, so do whatever seems comfortable for you, to be honest. You have the least active part. Except getting bloody, obviously,” Jake said. “Right, now take the handout, Ethan. We are going to need to do this dance, staying in the spot where the glitter line leads. Don’t mirror what I do, do it the same way I’m doing it, if that makes sense.”

“This seems familiar for a different reason,” Ethan said. “Anyway, it doesn’t look too hard. Is there a specific tempo, or is it just any synchronized pace?”

“Well, there is a specific tempo. We have to do it to Thriller, by Michael Jackson,” Jake said. Second big hurdle with Ethan.

“That’s a fully modern song,” Ethan said. He seemed to be giving up, though.

“As you said, it’s probably just for the tempo, so we might as well. And it’s pretty well themed, if I’m being honest,” Jake said.

“I think if you two are going to be dancing, it would feel weird if I was standing. I think I’ll sit, maybe,” Max said.

“Do you think you’ve got the dance down?” Jake asked.

“I guess so. I’ll have you to watch, anyway,” Ethan said. Jake knew his memory was really good, so he probably wouldn’t need the help.

“Alright, so when he sings the chorus, we start, and then we continue until either the blood catches on fire or the song ends, whichever comes first,” Jake explained.

“On fire?!” Max said. “I don’t know that I want to catch on fire.”

“Oh not you, just the blood. I don’t think it’ll melt the glitter, either,” Jake said, and he hit play on the music. He stood still, opposite Ethan, ready to start dancing – and then the chorus started.

The dance started with a twitch of the shoulder and neck, followed by a body twist and raising their arms to the side. Then there was a series of foot and hip movements, culminating in a clap. Slide right, stomp, look to the side and raise shoulders, slide left, swing one leg and arms to the side. Hips, superhero pose, hips, then Ethan and Jake pulled up their arms to the side, bending their hands like they were clawed, first on one side, then the other, standing on the leg opposite their arms each time.

“Is this really just the dance they do in the music video?” Max chimed in.

“It’s similar, but don’t interrupt,” Jake said. He and Ethan continued the dance, which required them to repeat the whole thing after they had finished going through it once. Jake was watching carefully for the blood to burn, which would indicate that they should stop the dance immediately, but it didn’t happen. Instead, the music stopped, and they stopped dancing when that happened.

“I don’t think it worked, but it did seem so familiar,” Ethan said. Just then the blood burst into flame, causing Max to scream and stand up, though he was ultimately unharmed in the process.

“Go see if there is anything different about you,” Jake said cryptically. Ethan’s eyes widened in recognition of why he had been finding it so familiar the whole time.

“This is the teeth ritual!” Ethan said. “You found a modern version of the teeth ritual! Why did this one have to be the one that worked, out of all of them? He won’t be happy.”

As if to punctuate the point, Max yelled “JAKE!” from the bathroom before stomping back out into the living room.

“So? Did it work?” Jake asked innocently.

“You did a ritual to make my canines even bigger?!” Max said, fuming.

“Well, the ritual was supposed to bring forward some of the most positive wolf-traits, just a bit, while you’re human. The teeth thing is probably just the most noticeable,” Jake said. In fact, there was debate about whether it affected anything other than the teeth, but he wasn’t going to mention that now.

“Well, they are,” Max said, pulling back his lips to show off his nearly animalistic canines, though they weren’t visible until he pulled his lips back. “If this is permanent, I’m going to kill you.”

“The site didn’t say it was permanent. I’m sure it’ll end either tomorrow, or after the full moon,” Jake said with a confidence that was entirely undeserved.

“Alright, fine, but if they are still like this after that, I really am going to kill you,” Max said, slightly comforted. “I’m going to bed, anyway. You kept us up this late on a Thursday night just to make my teeth bigger for a few days.”

Max marched into bed, leaving Ethan and Jake in the room together. They were silent for a moment before Ethan felt it was safe to talk without Max hearing.

“So…in the context I was told about that ritual, it was developed to mark a werewolf so that they couldn’t hide if they left to go somewhere else. So, yeah. It’s hella permanent.”

“Don’t say hella, it doesn’t work coming from you. And I’m prepared to die, anyway,” Jake said.

“Well, glad to hear it, because I’m not going to stop him. ‘Night,” Ethan said, leaving Jake in the room. Jake stayed in the living room for several more minutes in silence before standing to go to bed.

“Yep. I’m hella dead,” Jake said.

-:-

The next day, the moon was absent all the daylight hours. That didn’t mean very much, given the daylight hours were few and far between, but it still made it hard to track how full the moon looked. It made Jake uncomfortable how full the moon had looked the previous day, though he didn’t talk about with Max. Ethan kept reminding him that it wouldn’t truly be full until Saturday, but Jake wasn’t convinced. He was so unconvinced that he had to say something, which he did when they were all back at their apartment.

“I know the full moon isn’t until tomorrow, but it’s gonna look pretty full tonight. And I looked, and technically the last full moon was on a Thursday, not the Friday night that Max got bitten, so I really think we should set everything up and try it tonight, just in case,” Jake said. He had already started, actually, just before the others had arrived home.

“I’d prefer to be safe rather than sorry,” Max agreed.

“Alright, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt. Just until the moon has risen a bit, and then you’ll be able to get out anyway. The whole setup will only work while you’re not smart enough to deal with it,” Ethan said.

With that, they got to quick work, setting up their wolf trap. It was in the bedroom Max and Jake shared, which meant that Jake would have to sleep on the couch on any night Max actually was a werewolf, but that was a sacrifice Jake would just have to make.

The trap was a mix of a few experiments and a few certainties. The holy water they had mixed with salt and formed a line trapping Max in – or at least, trapping him if he were evil or if salt really had any effect on supernatural creatures. The more certain aspect was a padlock wrapped in silver wire. The key was also wrapped in silver wire. While that would burn Max, if he had the mind to, he would be able to cover his hands with something and unwrap the silver wire from the key, unlocking the padlock without issue. If the wolf even had mind enough to use a key, then the silver wire would probably prevent it from picking up the key. At least, that was the hope.

There was also a few strands of silver wire strung about the room in the hopes that it would prevent a werewolf from busting through the walls. There was a chance they wouldn’t be sufficient for that purpose, but they didn't have any better way to ensure the wolf couldn't thwart their efforts. Max was already inside the room, and the key was on the floor. Max still had to close the padlock once the door was closed, but otherwise, they were ready. Jake closed the door and pressed his ear to it until he heard the telltale click of the lock snapping into place. Then he and Ethan went to the kitchen table to wait for the moon to be fully out.

It didn't take too long before they saw the moon, looking basically full. Ethan went to the door, informing Max that the moon was out. Max had a timer set for an hour, which was just to be extra safe and ensure that they didn't let Max out right before he transformed. They figured if he didn't transform in that hour, they'd be safe until the next night. On the way back, Ethan froze when they heard a crash from the room.

“Are you okay?” Ethan called out. There wasn't a response from the room, but there also wasn't any other noise, so Ethan came back to the chair he'd been sitting in. “Maybe you were right about setting it up tonight.”

“I don't know, I expected a lot more commotion from him changing. You know, the muscles growing and the getting taller and all of that. I would have thought he'd be moving around and be too big to fit properly in the room, and all that. So I'm guessing that was just Max being a dork and not wanting to admit it,” Jake said. Of course, he hoped he was right. It was kind of exciting to think that his bedroom would be trapping a giant murderous beast. “Oh, and a howl. I mean, wolves are pack animals, so werewolves probably are, too. So they probably howl to get together right after they all transform.”

Ethan looked only slightly skeptical, and the two waited to hear any kind of noise from the room after that. They spent nearly half an hour waiting before they heard anything, and when they did, it was the sound of ripping fabric. They waited a bit longer, expecting to hear any continued sounds of change. Instead, they heard the metallic click of the lock being reopened.

“Timer's not up yet,” Jake whispered, getting nervous.

“No, it's not. It seems the wolf might be smarter than we planned for. Let's hope the salt and holy water stop it,” Ethan said, more calmly than Jake but still nervous for what was about to happen.

There was a thud of the lock dropping to the ground, and the doorknob moved. The door opened, barely revealing the tip of a wolf's muzzle from inside the room, confirming their fears. The door opened wider, revealing Max in his full werewolf form.

“So what pisses me off about this,” Max said, his voice maybe slightly deeper or more raspy, but ultimately the same as usual, “is that it means whoever that guy was, he bit me, like, fully with the knowledge of what it would do and in his right mind. That's way worse than if he were some kind of mindless beast. Who does that?”

“So your mind is the same in every respect? Anything strange?” Ethan said, eyebrows raised at the unexpected sight of Max's werewolf form.

“Why are you only in your underwear?” Jake asked.

“I started changing and I took all my clothes off so they wouldn't rip. But then I didn't really get any bigger. The tail might have been uncomfortable with pants on, though,” Max said, looking himself over.

“But we heard ripping. What ripped?” Ethan asked.

“My underwear. It was intentional. I had to make a hole to put the tail through,” Max said, turning to show them the tail poking through just under the waistband.

That prompted each of them to give Max a proper looking over. His fur, which covered his whole body in a medium-length slightly fluffy layer, was a similar blond to what his hair had been. His face was a full wolf head, ears, teeth, and nose. His legs were an odd blend of dog and human, making it look like Max might have just been standing on the balls of his extra-long feet, were it not for the pads and claws. His hands also ended in claws, but were otherwise fairly human. He was maybe a few inches taller than he was before, but he didn't look larger in any other dimension.

“Did it hurt?” Ethan asked.

“No, it didn't really feel like much. It just felt weird afterwards, because of the fur and the tail. And I'll have to get used to the claws. The feet, surprisingly, not that hard to get used to,” Max said. “I only fell once.”

Jake was stunned by how different Max's werewolf form was from what he was expecting. So much so that he couldn't form the right words for a moment, but eventually he found his voice again.

“You're really just…” Jake said, searching again for the right words. “a cute little werewolf puppy.”

Ethan raised an eyebrow at Jake, but Max's mouth was hanging open in shock. It was surprisingly expressive for being so wolf like, Jake thought.

“I will BITE you if you say anything like that ever again!” Max said, clearly offended. “Wait,” he continued, clearly coming to some kind of realization. “Oh, man! I called that werewolf a cute puppy! And then I threatened to bite you for that, so I guess I get it now and that means I can't be mad at him! This is the absolute worst.”

#original character #original fiction #werewolf #urban fantasy #creative writing #lighthearted #campy #novella #werewoof undies

5 notes · View notes

anywayshapeorform · 1 year ago

Text

hey. i know you are away right now, but i'm writing in the book while you are gone. there's things i worry about and i know you'll read everything once you get back. might as well put things on paper as they happen, so i don't forget anything

i just made a big mistake. a terrible one. you do not know, but spring is living at the snowy taiga now. seems like it was her old house, i think. she is also drinking. a lot

she read the book about the clock. she didn't understand it very well, and the alcohol is not helping. there were a bunch of clocks in front of your place, multiple in a chest inside the tower, and even more at their house

i cannot bear the ticking anymore. i hate it a lot. while you can't deal with loud sudden noises, i cannot stand this wretched background sound anymore

i don't like the implications of it being in front of your house. when the clock was used in the right place, i would use your body to be here. it hurted a lot, you know that. from what i know from you, i bet you tried to pretend everything was good on your end, but i know we switched places twice. i know how time passes at a different rate back in the other realm, so i have no idea how many hours you were there. maybe a day or two??

alas, my point is: it has been so long since i didn't hear the clock, and now it's back. the problem is that now it's multiple physical mechanisms, not a call form my mind

in the middle of the ticking, i just said things to spring. i just wanted to make them feel... warmer, i think... the clocks only made the house colder in my vision, though. i promised i will go there everyday. i promised to take care of their crops. i promised to tell r that she wants to go home

i promised and promised and promised, even though i was scared. probably because i was scared. i want to restrict access to the tower again, i want to run away to an even farther place. i know nothing i said today mattered, that everything went down the bottle. and yet, i promised things

i see the shoes you wore for so long, i understand why the mediator role is the most restricting of them all. and yet. and yet. for you i shall step into it. for you i shall give back as much as you gave me

0 notes

hellfireclubmember · 2 years ago

Text

Deal

warning(s): cursing

genre: fluff, frenemies, just fun

pairing(s): steve harrington x reader

summary: reader and steve make a bet at work and robin can't keep a secret to save her life.

*this gif has nothing to do w the story, he just looks so good*

“Where’s Robin, asshat?” You asked, putting your bag under the wooden counter at Family Video. It was 6 o’clock and the sun had officially set about 20 minutes before you walked in. Closing shift was your favorite, even if you did have to stay until midnight.

Steve scoffed. “Aren’t you just a ray of sunshine?” He watched as you walked around the counter and to the cart of returned tapes. There was a pause as he admired you. You were wearing blue flared jeans and a flimsy band t-shirt under your green vest. And although it was a simple ensemble, Steve thought that no one had ever worn anything prettier. “She wasn’t feeling well, asked me to cover her shift.”

You let out a deep sigh. It wasn’t that you hated your shifts with Steve, he was just mildly annoying. He never lets you do your job in peace. Always making irritating comments, rearranging everything you organized and claiming it looked better the way he did it. It made you want to wring his neck. In a friendly way.

You started grabbing the tapes, taking note of the ones you would take with you at the end of your shift. “Great, hope she chokes on her vomit.” You grumbled without looking back up at him.

Steve shook his head, trying his best to silently laugh. He had made it his mission to not let you know you’re funny. He failed most of the time.

“You messed up the candy display, by the way.” Steve watched you lift your head to look at him. He couldn’t fight the smirk that found its way onto his lips. No one looked as pretty as you all angry. “Don’t worry, I fixed it. You’re very welcome.”

The glare you fixed him with was intense. You knew it was going to be a long shift.

After hours of bickering and occasionally shoving each other out of the way, it was finally time to clock out and close up.

“This t-shirt is cute and everything but you should wear some sort of sweater tomorrow.” He placed his time-card back on the stand with the rest. “It’s gonna be cold in the morning.”

You rolled your eyes. “And you’re basing this on what exactly?”

“Robert from channel 4.”

“Are you kidding?” You snorted and turned around to look at him. He was a lot closer than you were expecting. In such close proximity you could smell his cologne. You had never thought about how good Steve smelled. Or how nice his skin was. Obviously, you knew the man was attractive. Steve was rather pretty. So much so that being that close to him was making your face warm.

You cleared your throat and took a step back. “Robert from channel 4 has been wrong 9 out of 10 times.” You both walked out of Family Video, Steve locked the door behind you. “Its literally about 75 degrees (Fahrenheit) right now, how cold can it get in a few hours?”

“I bet that when we clock in tomorrow, it’ll be freezing.” He said, following you to the parking lot. “I believe in Rob.”

“Well, someone has to.” You reached for the car handle of your Volkswagen. The night was a little brisk but there was no way the temperature would drop so drastically. “But I’ll take that bet, jerk face.”

Steve chuckled. You were too stubborn for your own good. A characteristic he usually found intolerable. Case in point, Dustin Henderson. However, for some reason, he found it kind of charming on you. As infuriating as you were, he liked all your annoying quirks. And there were many.

“Alright, short stack. But don’t come running to me when you’re shivering in your shirt.”

“I’m betting five dollars that I will be able to easily wear a short sleeve.” You challenged. It was your favorite thing to do. Every time you were given the opportunity to wager against Steve, you took it. The look on his handsome face whenever he lost was very rewarding.

“Deal.”

You sat on the stool in the video store and wished you had the ability to smite Steve Harrington.

“You’re looking a little cold.” Steve’s arrogant face came into your line of sight. You were, in fact, a little cold, but there was no way in hell you were going to admit defeat to the smug son of a bitch. You would sooner die of hypothermia.

“I’ve never been warmer actually.” You brought your hands out from under your thighs. An action you immediately regretted. Not only because it was the only thing keeping your hands warm, but because you could not stop them from shaking. The frown on your face was evidence of the hatred you harbored for the dumb, pretty boy trying to bait you.

“Yeah, you look it.” He walked away. In that very moment your stubbornness wasn’t charming, it was concerning. You were visibly shivering. Your lips were almost blue. As much as he enjoyed being right, he hated how miserable you looked.

“Hello my imprisoned friends.” Robin burst through the door of Family Video. She liked to visit the store when she had the day off, she would pretend to be a customer and then never rent a thing. Taking immense pleasure in finally being on the other end of the annoying customer interaction.

She walked up to the counter where you sat shivering.

“Hello, traitor. I thought you were deathly ill.” You glowered at the clearly healthy girl.

“I’m better now.” She mumbled, avoiding eye contact. It was clear she was lying. Robin was never very good at it. She would get really quiet, something that for her was very out of character.

“Liar. Why would you call out sick? You questioned. “Do you hate me that much?”

She sighed. “I don’t hate you. (y/n).” Robin began to look around the fluorescent lit store, making sure that Steve was not in ear shot. “Okay, you wanna know the truth?”

“Yes, the lie sucks.”

“Steve begged me to call in sick. Even bribed me.” She whispered, still very cautious about who was around. If Steve heard her confess that to you, she would have to become very familiar with the sidewalk again. He would never give her a ride anywhere again. “He wanted to spend more time with you.”

“This lie sucks even more.” You rolled your eyes at her. There was no reality where that was the actual reason for her bailing. Steve hated you, why would he want to spend more time than was required?

“I’m being serious, moron. You are quite literally the only one that can’t see how much dingus like you.” Robin was fed up with you both. All the bickering and teasing, it was sickening how obvious you both were. She didn’t think anyone could be emotionally dumber than Steve, yet there you were. Completely oblivious to your own feelings.

There was confusion painted thick on your face. Did Steve like you? How could Steve Harrington like you? It sounded like a prank. Like those dumb jokes the asshole kids at school made. Before you could continue to think about it you felt something fall on your head. Something soft.

“I admit defeat, you win. Just please put on my jacket, you’re about to freeze solid.” Steve grabbed your hands and tried to warm them with his own. A soft smile on his perfect pink lips. “And as annoying as you are, I would hate that.”

You were frozen on the spot, even after he walked away. His jacket still balanced on your head. You could feel your heart beating erratically in your chest. When you looked back at Robin, the look on her face alone said ‘I told you so’. Steve and her really were best friends, they had both mastered that exact look.

taglist: @slashersluttt @slurmp69 @sadbitchfangirl @actual-mom-steve-harrington @stylesyourmine @pennyllanne @johnricharddeacy

#steve harrington x reader #steve x reader #steve stranger things #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington

564 notes · View notes

finelinevogue · 3 years ago

Text

an award-winning love

Description - Harry invites you, his wife, as his plus one to the Grammys

A/N - hope you enjoy this lengthy fic of harry in his leather suit from last year! this is a fic inspired to get you hyped for the grammy’s tonight!

warnings: swearing, too-hot-to-handle-harry

Never had there been this many nerves flying around your household.

It was Grammy day and everything was pure chaos. Well, more mentally chaotic than physically. Everyone was where they needed to be and everything was done that needed to be done - and yet somehow everyone was still freaking out. You were trying to remain calm for everyone, but even you were starting to freak out a little.

You and Harry had woken up at 6am together. Harry had mentioned how he wanted to get an early gym session in before he truly began his big day. So you'd gotten up and worked out with him for a heavy hour. He pushed you really hard and you did the same. You were each others motivation, but boy did you make each others muscles kill after your session.

Coming back to your bathroom to shower off ended up taking a lot longer than you had originally intended. Harry couldn't keep his hands off you, so it inevitably ended up with you two enjoying two rounds of sex before even making it to the shower - where you did it again. Being with each other and showering each other with love and affection seemed to calm you both down - at least for that portion of the day.

Harry Lambert and his team had appeared at 9am to start their pre-Grammy work on your boyfriend. At 11am they were going to announce the winner of the 'Best Music Video', in the pre-Grammy show and you were very excited, but nervous. Harry would have to go on a zoom call with every other nominee and wait to see if his name gets called.

It was currently 10:45, which is why it was chaos.

Harry had gotten his hair done, styled to perfection, and had been given a Gucci shirt and sweater to put on the top half of his body. He was being brave and not going dressed on his bottom half, admitting that no one will see anyways. It was funny to see him walk around in Calvin Klein briefs and then a yellow Gucci shirt with blue Gucci sweater.

You weren't complaining though.

"Here you go Mr Grammy-Nominated-Styles!" Glenne handed Harry a glass of expensive champagne, to which he laughed at.

"Thank you - even though I haven't won anything yet." He took the glass and placed it on the coffee table in front of him. He had set up his laptop in the lounge, sitting on the comfortable velvet sofa to calm him. He thought about sitting in the study, but felt that would be too formal for a stay-at-home awards show.

You were standing off to the side, drinking you ice-cold water, watching as Harry was interacting with Jeff as he rehearsed his acceptance speech again and again. You'd helped him write most of it, but you suggested it needed a professional opinion like Jeff's to solidify it. Glenne started talking to Kendra, one of Harry Lambert's assistants, and Harry, himself, was busy pouring himself a glass of Prosecco and nibbling on the few snacks you'd made.

Looking at Harry you'd never felt so much pride.

He had made it exactly where he never believed he would. Winning a Brit is one thing, but winning a Grammy - well that was something worth crying over. You would bet money on him crying during his acceptance speech, but then he would purposefully not cry just so he could win. You'd only been with Harry since 2017, when his solo career really took off, but the happiness you felt for him was larger than anyone else's in the room - not that it was a competition.

The iPhone in your pocket started to ring and so you picked it up as quickly as you could. You only had your ringer on for Harry and for your family; specifically your mum.

"Hello mum." You answered, knowing it was her without having to look at the ID.

"Y/N, darling! I can't find the right channel to watch the Grammy's, what do I do?" She asked quickly and you looked to the clock to see it was nearly time for it to start. You mum had always been so proud of Harry and his achievements. He was looked after, by her, like the son she never had. When you had informed her of Harry being nominated for such a prestigious award she cried on the phone with you for almost half-an-hour. It was embarrassing to be honest, but then you think about how you reacted and maybe she was just a little bit calmer than you.

"Mum calm down, Jesus!" You laughed at her before walking into the sun room, which was like the lounge however the whole room was floor-to-ceiling in glass so the sun would always shine in it - perfect in summer - where there was a TV to check the channel for her.

"Is Harry okay?" She asked you, hearing her potter around on the other end of the line. Your mum had a tendency to always have to be doing something - she could never sit around for anything unless it was super important. She had to leave the auditorium when it was your graduation because she'd "sat down too long".

You turned on the TV and flicked through the channels for her. Her and your dad were currently staying downtown - after getting stuck over here because of covid. In some ways it was better though, because you were close by if anything were to happen and you could still go on outdoor walks with them - masks and 6-fix apart permitting. They were renting a little semi-detached house from one of Harry's friends, so they even got it for a discounted price.

"Yeah I think so. Mixture of nerves and excitement." You replied, still flicking through whilst looking at the clock to see you had 2 minutes left.

"Harry!" You heard from the other room, making you instantly think that he probably spilled the champagne down his Gucci clothes - because man was he messy. He could never get through a meal without leaving a stain on the tablecloth or accidentally dropping a bit of food on the floor. An absolute man-child he was.

"Tell him he has nothing to be nervous about, from me. He's going to be perfect." She said, and you knew that she meant every word.

"I will do- ah! Channel 74 mum." You told her, before turning the TV back off again. You waited for her to tell you that she'd found it herself before telling her that you were going to go now.

"Wait, Y/N. Did you tell him yet?" Your mum asked you carefully. You stood in the middle of the sun room, looking out onto the lush, green, grass in your back garden. Harry had just cut it yesterday so the smell of freshly cut grass could still be smelt through the Californian breeze - it was beautiful. The weather today, too, was just perfect - obviously knowing that it was a very important day for your Harry.

"No I haven't told him yet, stop pestering me about it. Go watch the Grammy's and then i'll call you later on okay?" You rhetorically asked her, before sending each other your best wishes and hanging up.

Today was supposed to be about Harry entirely - not about you. But you were torn. Torn, because Harry was a part of your news too, but how do you tell a man who's far too caught up in his Grammy world that his wife is pregnant?

That's why you were a bunch of nerves.

Of course, you were apprehensive for Harry and him winning the awards, but you were so much more nervous about telling him you were pregnant. You'd only known for a three days now. The first day you freaked out and cried on the phone to your mum for hours - luckily Harry had been in the studio all day. The second day, you were so in shock and Harry was doing so much last minute Grammy prep and rehearsals that you couldn't find the right moment. Then today - well surely you couldn't drop it on him today.

It wasn't necessarily planned but it wasn't unexpected either. You had come off birth control a while ago, after it was really negatively effecting your mental health and the doctor had decided it was for the best to stop taking it, so sex with Harry had been raw ever since. There was never any conversations about trying for a baby, but you knew Harry wouldn't be opposed to the idea.

"Oi you. What are you up to in here?" Harrys voice brought you back from your thoughts and straight to him. You laughed at his appearance, finding the half-dressed thing very funny.

"Admiring the view." You giggled as he wiggled his eyebrows in response, before posing as if he were in a Vogue photoshoot. "Ooh didn't know i'd married a model." You teased him, walking over to him and swung your arms around his neck.

"Baby, you didn't just marry a model. You married the sexiest man on this bloody floating rock." He tried to talk in his raspiest voice, which he knew set you off in a frenzy. It turned the hairs on the back of your neck on, heightening your senses. He knew what he was doing, just as much as you did. You were both heavy teases, although never willing to admit that to each other.

"Harry!" Someone called from the other room, clearly getting wary of time and lack of it husbands presence.

"Go," you kept ahold of him around your arms, "I love you." You reminded him, hoping he understood that you were proud of him regardless the outcome of this evening. Being nominated was enough to make you proud for a lifetime already.

"I love you." He nodded, kissing you quickly but passionately once on your lips before leaving the room. He did a bit of a dad jog back to the other room, you watching him go whilst relishing the feel of his lips against yours. The impression that he left upon you was so electrifying it was scary. He completely woke up everything inside of you. He was that switch that lit up the brightest lightbulb in the room. Never faulting.

After a minute of thinking about Harry you left to follow him, knowing he'd greatly appreciate you being there for him tonight. You didn't want him to be sat there alone going through a new and unfamiliar process. Sure he'd been to the Brits or Arias, but this was a different league altogether. It was the Super Bowl or the Oscars of music.

As you walked into the room, the man was already running through the categories. Harry was sat there nervously tapping his foot, but looking like he knew he wasn't going to win. He was so agitated. You crept over to where he was, making sure you weren't in shot of the camera and started stroking the bare skin on his leg. Skin contact for Harry was always really calming - especially from you - so you knew he'd appreciate you being exactly where you were. Jeff and Glenne were sat over on the other sofa.

"And the Grammy goes to... Beyoncé—" You stopped listening after that, not because you were being rude against the amazing artist that won but because you wanted to make sure Harry was ok.

"Sorry man." Jeff patted Harrys back, having gotten out of his chair to comfort his best mate. "We'll have to go soon though, ok?" Jeff made sure Harry clear with that. With Harry being the first performance of the Grammys meant that he'd need to be there early in order to get ready. He'd already done sound checks, it was a matter of getting dressed and in position.

"Yeah sorry H." Glenne stated, before walking out of the room leaving just you and him.

You knew that it wasn't words that he needed it was just someone. You would gladly be that for him. Slowly getting up, you came and sat down next to him on the sofa and curled up into his side. He immediately moved his arms to cradle you and rested his head on top of yours. You took his hands in yours and began to play with his rings like you always found yourself doing. The smallest of interactions together calmed him.

This moment was exactly why you loved him.

He didn't lash out over a loss, nor would he have been excessive if he had won. He congratulated Beyoncé for winning and felt sorry for himself for a little bit, but the important part was that he was able to pick himself back up. He could bounce back. He found the she sunshine in the darkest of places, and for that you would be eternally proud of him.

"Harry, we need to go mate." Harry Lambert made an appearance five minutes later to inform you both that things needed to start moving again.

"Yeah, ok." He sighed, squeezing onto your hand tightly. "C'mon love, let's go." He kissed your forehead twice before helping you up and off the couch. Before you could leave the room he pulled you right back to him. He pushed a small strand of hair behind your ear and cupped your cheek with his other hand.

"You okay?" You asked, looking into his eyes. Although he wore a smile on his face you could tell by looking into his eyes he was disappointed. You hoped he only knew that he was never a disappointment to you.

"With you here, yes." He smiled genuinely, it even reading the crinkles by his eyes. "Thank you." You nodded at him, not understanding what he was thanking you for but allowing him to do so anyways. Whatever he needed to help him through this little bump in the road you would let him do.

•••••

It was nearly show-time.

Everyone was currently backstage at the Grammys and working hard, ready for the grand opening. Harry was opening with a performance of 'Watermelon Sugar' and it was such a huge deal for him. He had gotten the call late at night, when you two were cuddled up on the couch watching 'Peaky Blinders' - let's just say after he put the phone down there was a lot less watching TV along with a lot less clothes.

It was just you and Harry in the wings right now. The band had gone to their performance area to get set up and tune their instruments. Harry had his in-ears in and was ready to go, but just wanted to spend a few more moments with you if he could.

Harry had actually wanted to perform 'Treat People With Kindness' with the full choreography and everything, but Jeff had thought it might be a little too much. Considering he was up for a grammy because of 'Watermelon Sugar' Jeff thought it would be more fitting to perform that one. He did have a point - although now imagining Harry dancing in this leather suit was getting you seriously riled up.

You felt like a fairy princess in your dress and heels this evening. The dress was made of gorgeous emerald silk and hugged your body in the best places. It fitted like a dream. Gucci had done well, you thought. Harry was dressed up in his goddamn hot, leather, suit and feather boa. When he had told you "expect the unexpected" as you asked what he would be wearing, you were still completely shocked. In awe, actually. He looked amazing. All those gym sessions weren't for nothing.

He was so unbelievably pretty and yet portrayed a rock God too. Your husband had range.

"Stop looking at me like that, Mrs." Harry caught you looking at him. You couldn't take your eyes off the man. He was just so... wow. There wasn't a good enough word to describe his beauty in this moment.

"Like what?" You blushed - so much so that it was no doubt showing through the light dusting of makeup on your face.

"Like you're going to pounce on me at any moment." He chuckled to himself, making you blush even more and turn to walk away from him. You couldn't be dealing with him teasing you right now - especially around all these other celebrities. Billie, for example, was close by and you were too big of a fan of her to find out she was judging you.

You didn't get very far away from Harry though, as he swung his feather boa around you and pulled you back towards him, twirling you around in the process, somehow, so your chest hit his when you collided. Now you understood the real reason he was wearing a feather boa.

"Dickhead." You mumbled, not meaning your words at all and Harry knew that.

"I'm sorry. Forgive me?" He asked, pouting his soft lips and somehow making his eyes look adorable in aid of you forgiving him. You swiped your tongue across your teeth in pretend frustration and then leant up to plant him a quick kiss.

"You're forgiven." You told him, leaning back down. You felt the boa tighten around you, though, as Harry kept you infinitely close.

"Well, you're not. What kind of a kiss was that, huh?" Harry asked, referring to the quick kiss you'd just given him. The heat returned to your cheeks at the though of other people being able to see this little showdown. Harry wasn't as shy as you when it came to public displays of affection, and sometimes he forgot that.

"You get more, after you go shake ass in your performance." You promised, before planting a longing kiss to his cheek - like you did before every show you'd been at of his. It was your good luck charm from you to him, and it seemed to work every time. "Proud of you." You looked into his dreamy eyes, deciding that you would write a thank you letter to everyone who had helped you reach this moment. Literally everyone - even your Headteacher of your primary school if you had to.

"Proud of you too." He smiled, before unwrapping you from the boa, making is way over towards the stage set-up and ready to absolutely kill it with his performance.

And what a bloody performance it was. Literal chills.

You were so hot the entire time. The way he sung so angelically. The way he exposed his bare chest like that. The way he danced a little with his backup singers. The way he did in fact shake ass - whether that was to prove a point to you or not, you didn't care at this point. His performance was like no other before and you were honoured to have gotten to see it in person.

His fans were definitely not okay, right now.

He bowed to signify the end of his performance and the monitor showed it was moving on to a different segment for now. This gave Harry the opportunity to run over to you and shower you with post-performance adrenaline.

"And?" He asked self-consciously, with a slight American twang to his voice.

"Mhm." You nodded, trying so hard to contain yourself. Watching him perform had left you feeling very needy between the legs and now having him stand directly in front of you, holding you against his slightly sweaty body made the issue even more prominent.

"Mhm? That's it?" He asked, stepping back in slight disappointment over your lack of words.

You bit your lip as you watched him speak before registering how your silence had been taken as a bad thing to him - which was quite the opposite. You leant up to his ear, his arms tightening around you thinking that you were giving him a generous hug. "Would you rather me shout out to everyone about how wet I am over your performance?" You whispered to him, feeling him tense up in your arms.

Harry's eyes went wide and he let out a little cough at how forwards you were. Normally you were shy about admitting things like that, but obviously this evening's performance had done something to you to encourage your confidence. It was hot. So hot, in fact, that Harry was worried he was soon going to get a painful hard-on.

"No you keep that between you and me Mrs." Harry whispered back into your ear, whilst running his fingers along your exposed back. The shivers he initiated down your spine woke you up completely.

"Then mhm it is." You told him back, before stepping away from him however not before brushing your hand over the front of his trousers.

•••••

"Y/N over here! Harry, Harry!"

The repetitiveness of voices screaming every which direction and blinding lights flashing from every angle, definitely made you appreciate the fact you weren't a well known celebrity. You were glad that it was your husband that was in the spotlight and not you, because having to go through this on every red carpet seemed energy consuming.

Harry kept you close, holding you around your waist. He had been nervous to go on this particular red carpet because of the sheer prestigiousness of the event, so having you by his side made him feel so much more relaxed. It was rare that you and Harry were found on a red carpet together so you definitely would be Twitter trending this evening - getting picked apart by the ever-so-caring fans. Your arm kept home around Harrys waist - the pricks was smaller than yours.

"See that reporter in the white dress, she keeps eyeing you up." Harry leant down to whisper in your ear, making you blush. Harry pinched your side which made you look up at him with adoration, because it was times like this when he got all self conscious. No matter who gave you eyes, yours were only on Harry.

"Well I only have my eyes on you, love." You told him back with confidence to assure him that he was the only one you cared for in that way. "I'm flattered though."

"It's because you look bleedin' smoking this evening." Harry told you making you unconditionally blush again. He was always so charming at the worst of times, because the paparazzi would capture you blushing and assume he said the most crude things to you. You couldn't deny what he was saying, however, because even you had to admit that you looked really hot. The dress was too perfect. You felt empowered and capable.

"Shut up, now." You pinched his side and it made him giggle. Harry was the most ticklish person you'd ever met and you always used that to your advantage.

Then you both turned back to keep on having your photos taken. As it wasn't an official red carpet event to the extent of masses of crowds and hundreds of paparazzi, there wasn't much shuffling along needing to be done. It was quite small but it felt more safe and comfortable like this.

After a few more poses and a few more minutes being blinded Jeff told you to come over for an interview. Harry was running ahead of schedule so Jeff saw no harm in participating in one interview, plus the interviewer was from 'Vanity Fair' so it was also good publicity.

"Stay with me please." Harry spoke to you as he lead you over to where Jeff was standing talking to a guy, who was holding a microphone next to a TV camera. Due to social distancing you had to stay back from everyone, but there was a microphone hovering over the both of you to pick up anything you said.

"'Course." You squeezed his hand to prove that you weren't going anywhere. As much as he wanted you to stick with him, you wanted to stick with him too. These events weren't your cup of tea and so sticking beside someone who provided you with comfort seemed the best idea. In fact Harry was your comfort person. He gave you warmth and support on those days you felt your worst.

The man who would be interviewing Harry was wearing a gorgeous, cream, sheen shirt - to which you could see his chest through - matched with glittery flared pants. The whole outfit was an ultimate serve. He was giving Bowie x Styles vibes from his outfit.

"Hi it's lovely to meet you. Hi." The interviewer started, Jeff notifying you that he was called Kian. You wanted to go up to him and shake his hand, out of human instinct and politeness, but you had to remember that contracting covid was not the plan.

"Hello? Is this on? Oh. Hello!" Harry made a fool of himself by trying to work out whether the microphone was even working, to which you had to show him how to turn it on. Imbecile.

"May I just quickly say you are both looking immaculate this evening." Kian told you both, not just Harry, which made you smile kindly at him.

"She's the better looking one, you can say it." Harry allowed him jokingly, but he really wasn't joking. He was complaining before that you were showing him up by looking so damn beautiful. How was he supposed to compete with you when you looked that hot, he had told you. Personally, you thought he looked better than you did but maybe that's just you being biased.

"Well Gucci always pulls through." Kian laughed, trying to escape that 'who's the better looking one' feud. Harry respected his reply and found himself easing into the interview more. When there was a prick of an interviewer the last thing you want to start doing is crack jokes, but that was Harrys way of calming himself down so he was glad that Kian was so easy going. It made things smoother for Harry, and therefore for Kian.

"How are you?" Harry asked politely - not because he had a front to keep up with but because he was genuinely just a decent guy.

"I'm really good. Beautiful evening, even though it's a little hot in here." He messed with the collar of his shirt a bit.

"It's just you," you reached over to speak into the microphone Harry was holding, needing to compliment this man on his outfit before you never saw him again, "I'm seriously in love with your outfit." You smiled, Harry snatching the microphone back from your grip and shaking his head hysterically.

"You need to calm down." Harry pretended to tell you off whilst Kian was thanking you for your kindness and honesty.

Kian quickly told you about how tonight was a big night for him. It was his first red carpet job and wanted to make a statement. His mum was going to be watching live, who was quite a conservative woman, and so he wanted to show her that he, and mens fashion in general, wasn't limited to your gender, sex, religion, ethnicity or sexuality. You thought the message was inspired and told him that he was definitely making Harry jealous - to which Harry agreed. His outfit was meant to represent gender fluidity and how amazing it is. Kian had to pay thanks to Harry for making him feel comfortable enough to wear this outfit.

"Thank you." Harry would just reply calmly, but you noticed the twinkle in his eye which represented the proudness of himself.

"So to ask a few questions," Kian laughed at how nothing productive had come of this interview as of yet, "How did it feel to perform at the Grammys for the first time and be the opening act?"

"Yeah," Harry laughed, because hearing people state out loud what he'd just done still seemed very surreal, "it was a moment, for sure. I never expected to even be nominated, let alone get the opportunity to perform here so I feel blessed."

"I bet! Watermelon Sugar has peaked within the top ten in more than 20 countries and hit the Billboard number 1 not long ago, so to who do you owe your success?" Kian laughed when he saw Harrys eyes widen at the statistics. Very often Harry stayed clear of the stats as if they were disappointing he would rather have not seen them. On this occasion is was so rewarding to hear.

"Oh god! Well I should probably say my mum and sister for pushing me to pursue music in the first place. Um, my dad was always very encouraging too," he quickly looked down at you as if to debate to say what he wanted to say next, "and if we're talking specifically about Watermelon Sugar then I owe it all to Y/N, right here. Without her there would be no Watermelon Sugar." He said in the most corniest way possible.

God, you loved him though.

"Love you." You mouthed to him, just for him. He mouthed it back without hesitation.

"You two are adorably sickening." Kian awed at you both, watching you both interact with so much love.

"We get that a lot." You chipped in to add a comment, even though it wasn't your interview. Harry agreed with you and turned his attention back towards Kian.

"I guess, just before you go, I wanted to ask what your future plans are. Musically, or even just personally, where would you like to go?" Kian asked, to which your mind ran straight to the fact that you were already starting your next chapter without Harry even knowing. His child was already cooking away, and so close to him, and he hadn't the faintest idea. It felt top secret.

"Oh god wow, that's a question," Harry ran his hand through this hair - which Lambert will have a go at him for in a minute no doubt, "I mean musically I am still working on my sound. I love both my previous albums, but I do still find myself searching for me within them and wondering whether i'm being completely honest—"

"Babe, you're being honest, trust me." You laughed, thinking upon lyrics that he'd written within songs such as Fine Line and To Be So Lonely. How can someone use an exes voicemail message in a song and still think they aren't being open and honest? Fine Line was beautifully raw and had messages within messages. It was a complex arrangement of art and it was as honest as someone swearing on the Bible in court.

Harry giggled at you before rejoining where he'd left off, "but personally there are so many things I want to do. Start a family with this diva for one..." Oh how he was so clueless. You were too caught up in thinking that he was ready for a family to even listen to the rest of his aspirations. They were probably something to do with grandchildren or going to space, you know the usual.

"Thank you so much, man." Kian thanked Harry and held out his elbow instead of giving him a fist bump or a hug. You waved from where you were standing nearer Jeff, letting Harry just have a moment with Kian before you had to be anywhere. He was too polite sometimes.

You stood back and watched him in awe.

Everything he did was never below perfect. There's nothing he couldn't do. Ok, he did make a shitty cup of tea but you couldn't bring that up without receiving the silent treatment. Grump.

He came over a couple of minutes after and drifted straight for you, wrapping his arm right back around your waist. That was its home for the evening, you started to understand. You wouldn't have it any other way.

"Ready?" Jeff asked, in preparation for another two possible Grammys could win. You had a good feeling right now, so all your hope and luck was being charmed into him being successful. It didn't bother you if he came away with no awards this evening, because the performance and the outfits alone were enough to keep you happy until after the afterlife.

Instead of Harry immediately responding he looks down at you, you looking up at him instantly. He just wanted a little bit of reassurance. This was a big evening for him so he encouraged all the support he could muster up. You nodded at him, looking into his emerald eyes and feeling safe all at once.

"Ready." Harry responded after giving you a strong kiss to the top of your head, ready to absolutely take over the Grammys.

•••••

Well, this was nerve-wracking.

The room for the Grammys was outside and the tables were all socially distanced. Regardless of the unfortunate situation you had all been placed under this year, the organisers of this event had done a wonderful job. The flower arrangements were stunning and everything complimented each other so well.

The small podium with the Grammy sat upon it made this moment even more nervy. Harry was a trembling mess next to you. Jeff was even worse. But you were by far the worst.

This moment was so special for Harry. He'd worked so hard for this and all he wanted was recognition of that. Sure, there would be countless more opportunities to grab awards and give acceptance speeches but at the end of the day, today, he really did not want to be going home empty handed. He knew that he was amazing regardless of the outcome, and you'd do your job in reminding him so, but having a trophy to add to his endless collection would be quite nice.

Trevor Noah came on stage whilst the category was being announced by the anonymous woman on the screen. As it flicked through the different songs you realised Harry was up against some tough competition. Cardigan was one of your favourite Taylor Swift songs ever, so if Harry didn't win then you were rooting for her. Taylor was having such a successful year and it would be shame for it not to go to her. You were biased to your husband though - plus Watermelon Sugar had plus a billion streams.

Then a lady came up on stage and was introduced by Trevor. Not going to lie this man did remind you of a knock-off version of the Weeknd, whom, by the way, was absolutely robbed of the Grammys this year. the Weeknd had outsold everyone ever and had produced an album so technically beautiful it is a genuine crime for him not to have been nominated.

Your mind was racing through a hundred different things that you completely forgot where you were and what you were doing. You pulled yourself back to the moment.

God, was your heart racing.

Hopefully there were defibrillators on stand-by, because at the rate your heart was beating you were worried it might just give out in a minute.

"I love you." You whispered to Harry as he kept his head down. He was in his own bubble and you didn't want to disturb him, so saying the words from a distance was what you left it at. Hopefully he had heard you through your mask. You noticed he looked up last second, out of the corner of your eye, to witness the moment. His moment?

"And the Grammy goes to..." Rochelle paused whilst she undid the little leaflet with the Holy Grail tucked away inside, "Watermelon Sugar, Harry Styles."

His moment.

And the tears fell.

Watermelon Sugar started playing in the background.

The applauds deafened the room.

You stood up out of your seat as soon as she'd said Sugar, because your clever man had done it. He'd really done it. Harry Fucking Styles was a Grammy Award winner and for a masterpiece of a song too.

Harry stayed sat down, eyes wide in shock. You remained stood up, applauding the man of the minute. Your man. Jeff had to shake Harrys shoulders to wake him from his daze. He was unconditionally smiling as he took his mask off - a smile on his face that would break the hearts of millions. Tears were in his eyes, but not as many as were falling from yours.

Jeff stood up and brought Harry up with him. They shared a longing hug and you could see people taking photos from around them. Jeff gave him a pat on the back and Harry kissed his cheek in return and your tears just kept falling.

No, like they weren't stopping at all.

He pushed himself off of Jeff and twisted so quickly around to you and brought you into a bone-crushing hug. You were entirely absorbed in the man that you love. His smell was so overwhelming and his demeanour was so happy that anything felt possible. He kissed your exposed shoulder countless amounts of times, moving around your face to leave kisses on your forehead and nose.

"I'll save your lips for after." He whispered as he walked around you to go and give his acceptance speech. All this time he'd spent faffing around with you had earned some rolls of the eyes from producers backstage, but even they couldn't take him away from his moment.

He waddled up the stairs and over to his Grammy, picking it up so daintily just to put it back down again. It was as if he couldn't believe it was his and didn't think it was his property to touch. But it was. It was all his.

Everyone else had sat down, but you were too in awe to even have noticed until Jeff tugged on your elbow. Normally you would've stayed standing up, but due to covid regulations one of the rules was that you stay seated apart from the initial winning of awards. You understood that you had to respect the rules but you wished you could remain standing for your man and his moment.

You didn't arrange yourself comfortably on the seat, only wanting to listen to what your beautiful husband had to say. You could barely see anything through the running tears. You were a whole mess. Then you started crying more at how much of a role model and inspiration he already was to your unborn child. He was going to be the most amazing dad, you just knew. The stories he would have to tell your child, hopefully even children, were unmatched.

Life was a rollercoaster, Keating, damn right.

As he stepped up to the mic he left out a hefty sigh, not from exhaustion but because he was trying to keep his own tears at bay.

"Sorry i'm just watching my wife cry down there and I can't help myself." Harry started, rubbing his hand over his eyes so cutely. He was trying his best to keep his emotions in check but even a blind man could tell he was having a hard time doing so.

"He's such a flower sometimes." Jeff laughed beside you. Jeff never really got a hold on the whole toxic masculinity thing and it was proven by comments like this. Just because a man cried doesn't automatically make him a pussy or a flower, in this case. Instead, it showed what a genuine character someone was and expressed that they were human just like the rest of you.

"My flower." You whispered to yourself, just for you to hear.

"To everyone who made this record with me, thank you so much. Um... This was the first song that we wrote about my first album came out, uh, during a day off in Nashville and I want to say thanks to Tom, Tyler, Mitch," he paused to stop the shake in his voice and wiped his eyes again, "and everyone. Stop crying you!" Harry looked and laughed at you, making others laugh when they turned to face you.

Ok this was pretty embarrassing.

You shook your head no instead of saying anything, people turning back around to face Harry.

"Uh to Rob Stringer and everyone at Colombia. My manager Jeffery," Jeff fist pumped the air and it made you laugh, "who has always nudged me to be better and never pushed me thank you so much, and uh I feel very grateful to be here thank you. All these songs are fucking massive so thank you so much. My wife was actually rooting for Taylor so that's enough credit to her, um. I feel very honoured to be among all of you so thank you so much. Thank you."

He put his hand over his heart to finish, which to most people would mean absolutely nothing but to you it meant everything. Harry had told you once that it was his way of saying 'I love you' and that he was thinking about you, even when he couldn't make it vocal. You put your hand over your heart in return, feeling him beat within you.

Harry started to wander off stage before he forgot the one thing he'd been so excited to take home; his Grammy. Rochelle pointed back to it and he innocently dawdled back over to collect it. At least it gave something for people to laugh about.

People rose from their seats to applaud him again as he left the makeshift stage. Jeff nudged you to get up from the table and walk over to where Harry would be lead backstage. Jeff walked off without you, mainly because his head wasn't fixated on you for the time being, leaving you to collect all your belongings. You picked up Harrys mask and his handbag that he had brought with him. Gucci, of course. Jeff had left his glasses on the table accidentally so you picked them up too, having the last sip of your water before leaving.

Walking past so many Girl Bosses made you feel powerful and even Taylor waved at you. This did not happen to people who couldn't even click their fingers.

"Harry, my man." Some people who were close to Harry, various artists and obviously hair and makeup had all been backstage waiting for him too. Harry was getting passed between people. His hair was getting ruffled and he would have bruises tomorrow with the amount of pats on the back he was receiving. Jeff was among the crowd, along with Lambert and Glenne. It was a genuine celebration.

You hung back a bit, still carrying various miscellaneous items. You weren't a huge crowds person and so you felt safer standing back. Harry would make his way through to your eventually, plus you couldn't just pull him away when and where you pleased - even if he would have it that way.

"You're so amazing, H!" You heard Glenne fuss over him, her face full of tears after having known him for so long - and they shared the same birthday.

"Ya fucking rockstar." Lambert called out to him, capturing these moments on the Polaroid camera he took to every event. He always sent them over to you digitally once he had got them developed and they always made for really brilliant keep-sake photos. Random items of Harrys clothes and wardrobe set up were often photos that would develop first and then it would turn into Harry and then Harry with other people. Lastly there would be photos of Harry passed out somewhere from drinking too much vodka at the after-party.

"Excuse me." Someone with headphones tried to sneak past you, as you were in the way. You apologised and turned around to move out of the way. Harry had obviously thought you were walking away for some unknown reason and so quickly pushed through the swarm of people to get to you. He came up behind you and pressed the sloppiest kiss against your cheek that he could, making you squeal out in happiness.

"You're not leaving me are you?" He asked with furrowed eyebrows, relieving you of carrying all this extra junk and tossing it all to Lambert instead.

"No I was just moving out of the way, you dork." You shook your head at how worried he could get over you. You loved him all the same though.

"Give me that kiss now, hmm?" He questioned, turning you around so he could admire you properly. He smiled when he realised tears were still dribbling from your eyes that were still cloudy like lemonade.

Without warning you smashed your perfect lips onto his, stealing the air out of the room and refraining him from catching his breathe. You were each others support now. He tasted delicious against you and had never felt better. Every kiss he blessed you with was better than the last. He knew just how you liked it, just as you did for him. The love beaming off of you both was magical. No doubt Lambert had taking his fair share of photos from this interaction between you two.

You pulled away quickly, forgetting something from earlier, "Sorry did I tell you how proud I was of you?" You seriously questioned, but Harry didn't care that the answer was no as he was too fully invested on having you back against his lips to tell you. He knew you were proud of him, always, just as he was proud of you.

Gone were the chorus of people squealing and crying behind you both. For now it was just you and Harry.

•••••

Taylor Swift is so much taller in real life than in pictures.

Sitting back and watching the celebrity life take over you notice things like this. Beyoncé is tiny. Billie nails are scarily long. Meghan is hilariously funny. And Taylor is really bloody tall. She actually towers over your boyfriend, who she was talking to right now.

You had stayed at the table with Jeff, encouraging Harry to go and mingle with old friends and then make some new ones too. He hadn't seen some of these people in years so it was nice to rekindle after such a hard past year. Your body was starting to ache and your feet were killing you so you'd told Harry that you might sit out for a little while. He expressed his sadness for having to be away from you, but went off anyways.

Jeff had sat with you for a little while until he had noticed Finneas and Billie calling him over to their table so, after apologising to you, he got up and left. So scouring the room and picking on individuals to dissect was you'd resulted in doing.

It was weird to think that Harry and Taylor had been a thing once in the past. They looked good together in fact - they would make a seriously hot couple. Taylor had done really well for herself tonight and had been heavily supportive towards your husband, which you'd be forever grateful for. She'd even stood up and clapped for him before you had. If there was a bigger fan of Harry than you, you'd crown that title to Taylor. Just as you would crown yourself the biggest Taylor stan, because wow she made music.

It was so weird having celebrities walk around you as if you were meant to be sitting there amongst them. You stuck out like a sore thumb between these talented individuals. Apart from making a mean carbonara you were pretty basic. Well, actually you were currently making a tiny human inside of you so that was one thing you could gloat about.

People watching should be a sport, because, besides the fact there's no definitive objective, you would win every time. In fact, you were so deep in watching Dua Lipa strut away as if she were on a runway that you hadn't even noticed that your husband had come back to you.

"You alright, lovie?" He asked, sitting himself on the chair directly in front of you. He pushed some hair out of your face smiling when his eyes caught yours.

"Just babysitting," you told him, which you thought was quite funny because as much as you were watching over his precious Grammy, you were also sitting a baby away in your womb, "Are you okay?" You checked up on him since he'd been having a few drinks this evening. Nothing to get him drunk, but enough to make him tipsy. Tipsy Harry meant cuddly Harry and you definitely couldn't argue with that tonight. The thought of being wrapped in your expensive, Egyptian cotton, duvet, right now, with your favourite person, whilst Friends ran on in the background sounded better than an orgasm.

"I'm perfect. On top of the world." He assured you, grinning like a cheshire cat. It warmed your heart to see him so happy.

Happy Harry, happy life - or something like that.

"How's Taylor?" You asked, nodding over towards where he'd just come from, noticing that Taylor was now talking to her manager and friends.

"She's doing really well. I'm glad I talked to her, I haven't seen her in a long time. She said that you look beautiful." He spoke softly, even though there was loud music blasting around the open area. This was as crazy as the "after party" was going to get, and for that you were glad.

"Coming from her that's so generous." You awed at how kind Taylor is. The media always portrayed her in a bad light after the Taylor-Harry feud when it had actually been Harrys management that fucked everything up and screwed everyone over. Taylor and Harry had been best friends through the whole thing though. "Who's next?"

"No one, just you." He smiled, noticing your puzzled face and finding it adorable.

"How so?" You placed your hands on his knees as he shuffled his chair closer to you. He then snaked his hands to between your legs and grabbed your chair to pull you closer towards him too. The strength he had - oof!

"Just want to spend time with my favourite person." He genuinely smiled at you, teeth, dimples and everything, making your heart flutter crazy.

"Oh you are soft, H." You tutted him.

"I'm anything but soft when it comes to you." He joked, making you snort out a disgusting laugh that got you a concerned look from Lizzo to which you smashed your head into Harry's lap to hide yourself from embarrassment. Harry's hands came to the back of your head to comfort mortification out of you. He cupped your head and brought your face up to meet his.

"You prick." You giggled at him, still tomato red in the face.

"Your prick, though." He raised his eyebrows as if he'd just made a really justified point.

"Too right." You left a brief kiss on his lips, not feeling comfortable in front of all these people to give him anything else. He savoured anything he could get from you, finding any part of you irresistible.

"You ready to go soon?" Harry watched you yawn so widely that your double chins decided to make an appearance - flattering Y/N.

"Please." You answered honestly, knowing Harry would know if you were lying to him. He was too good and that's why your heart beat so much for him.

•••••

Harry was the biggest narcissist he knew, let alone you.

Tonight you allowed him to let his ego grow bigger than planet Earth, though. He deserved to bask in the glory of his achievements. He had performed like no other artist - mainly because of the dance moves in that outfit - and had won a Grammy for a song about eating pussy. Yours, if we were giving credit where credit was due.

It was crazy to think that an intimate and romantic experience between you and your, now, husband had gone and won him a Grammy. If only people knew the meaning behind Sunflower Vol. 6, boy would they have a field day with that one.

So Harry was a narcissist and had demanded you both to listen to Watermelon Sugar in the car journey home. If you weren't in an Uber you were pretty sure that Harry would have pulled over onto the side road and proved why Watermelon Sugar deserved that Grammy - to you only - but as it was you and Harry had been sent home in an Uber. Jeff had registered that Harry had drunk a few Martinis and thought it would be safer if someone else took you both home. You'd stayed clear of alcohol, and dusted off anyone confused as to why you had, the best you could've.

"Here we go Sir. Ma'am." The kind gentleman driving had stopped just outside the gates to your drive, waiting for you to leave in order to head off on his next job.

"Thank you so much." You smiled and hopped out of the backseat of the car the opposite way to Harry. You'd been sat in the middle, next to him, but you knew he always liked to have a quick chat and thank his drivers politely before leaving which is why you got out the other side.

You walked through the padlocked gate, entering the digital code too, and walked up to front door ready for bed. Well, before that you'd have to tell your husband that you would be carrying another human around for the next 9 months. Now you were nervous.

The alarm blared out loud when you walked in until you manually turned it off. Slipping off your jacket and walking into the kitchen you noticed the large bouquet of pink and blue carnations that sat on top of the kitchen counter. They smelt so lush and fresh, it was a nice change to the smell of burnt toast. You noticed the small tag on them and saw they were addressed for Harry, most likely for winning big this evening. It was always so lovely to see people thinking of Harry and his achievements.

Harry walked through the front door as you were slicing a bagel to put in the toaster. You were grabbing the Biscoff lotus spread as he walked into the kitchen too. It wasn't until he was shaking off his jacket and taking off his shoes that you remembered you were wearing heels - painful heels - and so you leant down to take them off, before collapsing onto the floor instead.

It had been an exhausting day.

Emotionally you had not been prepared for today at all and it had worn you out to the core. Physically, apart from your aching feet, you were okay, but mentally you were drained.

"The flowers are for you, H, I think." You told him as he was whistling away to himself, humming to acknowledge he'd heard you.

You sat in the middle of the kitchen floor to mess with the straps on your heels, sighing loudly when you got one of them off.

"Ah bloody hell that feels good." You laughed to yourself, Harry still off somewhere else in the kitchen hidden from view. You started at your other heel, picking at the buckle, when you noticed Harry's presence in front of you. You looked up at him to see him looking down at you with tears in his eyes, holding the little note that had been stuck inside the flowers. He was slightly scary standing there looking so emotional over something you knew nothing about.

"Y/N/N?" He asked with a tremble in his voice.

"Yeah?" You questioned back, confused as to where this could be going, having managed to rugby tackle your other heel off your swollen feet. You leant back on your arms feeling exhausted more than ever.

"Why did your mum just send me flowers thanking her for making her a grandmother, when you have no siblings?" He asked carefully. Your head shot up to him, wide eyes.

Shit. Fucking shitty shit balls.

This was not exactly how you planned to do it. You were either going to do it by putting a silly message like "our family is about to get bigger by two feet" in a card or buy him baby clothes and have him guess what for. However, your mum telling him instead of you was not something that you had foreseen possible.

"Because you're going to be a dad." You answered the only way you could think how to. You smiled warily, not knowing which way he was going to swing on this. You didn't feel in control of this situation, when you wish that you did. "Harry, I—"

"C'mere." He held out both of his arms to help you up off the floor. You shakily took his hands, thankful that you'd taken off your heels now. However, you were quite smaller than him now so he was towering slightly over you. When you'd stood up Harry didn't let go of your hands, instead he gripped on to them tightly.

"I... It was—" You tried getting out words to help pre-empt what he was going to say about this but you were struggling with nerves.

"I thought that a Grammy was what made my night the best one of my life," he started to talk instead of hearing you mumble nothing, so you watched his gaze carefully as he looked between your eyes and your lips, "until a minute ago." An eruption of butterflies fluttered within your stomach with the hope that he was excited for this.

"So you-you're happy about this?" You questioned just to make sure, but by the shit-eating grin on his face right now you were stupid to ask.

"I am quite possibly the happiest man in this universe right now." He laughed out loud and brought his lips down to connect to your forehead. You moved to rest yours on his chest. The moment was quiet and thoughtful, until Harry picked you up quickly and spun you around shouting profanities over how he was going to become a dad. You'd never seen him happier and you'd never been more in love with him. All that worrying had been for nothing and you made a mental reminder to thank your mum for her input.

"Harry stop!" You laughed as he hugged you tight. Even though you knew there was barely anything in your tummy right now you were still apprehensive to the pressures against it.

"Sorry, i'm just so in love with you right now." He put you down carefully but still kept you close. He pressed you close against him and brought your face inches away from his. "Thank you." He kept on doing this - thanking you but with no outspoken reason, as if he was thanking you for everything and anything but then again maybe he was doing just that.

"Mhm." You nodded and leant your lips closer towards him, before softly catching them against yours. The pure love between you felt endless. It was a forever kind of love. One that would never burn out.

That night Harry went to bed a happy man, and not just because he had won an award but because his life had never been better. With every day from now on he vowed to love you and your little one with everything he had, because you were worth just that.

#harry styles #harry styles x reader #ask finelinevogue #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles x y/n #harry styles fanfic #finelinevogue #harry blurb #harry oneshot #harry styles concept #harry styles grammy 2021 #harry styles grammys #grammrry #finelinevogue fic rec #fic rec harry styles #harry styles fluff #dad to be harry #grammy

2K notes · View notes

jeoniius · 3 years ago

Text

Next Life | kth (m)

☆ summary: Although you and Taehyung didn’t believe in first and second lives, you both wished you’d find each other in the next life as you both looked at the sky that night.

☆ pairing: husband!tae x wife!reader

☆ genre: angst, smut.

☆ warning: sexual content, angst

☆ word count: 4k

☆a/n: Finally this is done. Thank you so much @jkiddingjeon for beta-ing the fic, it meant A LOT. I really love this fic and I hope you enjoy it too. ngl it's a pretty heartbreaking fic so get ready for some ANGST.

Love. Hate.

It’s always adjacent to each other. Something that’s always there when the other is present. It also changes people. How it makes people go from loving someone and being best friends with someone to trying everything they can to pull them down, to take them out.

You’d say you can relate to it. In more ways than one. You had seen your fair share of people going from loving them unconditionally to talking shit about them the next day. Divorce was one of them. All the promises and vows made of staying through health and sickness, through good and bad, thrown out of the window.

You thought of it as one of the most heartbreaking things and now you were here. Doing the exact thing as you watched the clock tick by, thinking of ways and excuses to get you out of this marriage. This marriage that ended everything. It hadn’t always been like this. No, you were in love. You were so madly in love that if anyone had told you you’d stand in this place today you’d not believe it.

You are still in love. So madly in love but the difference being you want it to end. Maybe that way you’d find each other again.

As time went by, you stood by the railing of your balcony. The bright light of the city shined underneath you as you thought Tomorrow would be it. The end of what once was seen as a beautiful love story by not only you but by many others. The final chapter.

Maybe love and hate stood adjacent to each other but you could never hate him.

And so you stood there, taking it all in, you thought about where it went wrong.

7 months ago

“I can’t believe you think that!” you shouted, hands up in the air as you walked back into the apartment, him following you behind.

“Well I wouldn’t if you kept your distance!” he said, raising his voice.

“Oh my god. One hug. It was one hug. And that too because he was leaving.”

“It didn’t look like one,” he argued back.

“Are you freaking kidding me right now? Nothing happened, you know that.” you said trying to calm yourself down.

“Stop trying to argue with me all the fucking time.” he bit back.

“Oh, I am arguing? You were the one who started it.” You took long strides towards him.

“You were the one who accused his wife of cheating although you have no proof whatsoever” you gritted through your teeth as your finger poked his chest.

He let out a loud groan as you run your hands through your hair. “You know what, Taehyung? You can stay here. I’m leaving.” and with that you grabbed your purse and keys and strode out the door, slamming it behind.

Kim Taehyung.

The love of your life. You met him in college. As cliché as it sounds, he was the heartthrob with his extremely good looks and his unbelievable flirting skills. You weren’t supposed to know him at all if you thought about it.

Your college held its annual fest, and you were the head of the management. You had stumbled across him when he had come to drop off some supplies instead of his best friend. You got into a small quarrel when he commented on how you were the head of the management when you were only a freshman and questioned your ability to pull the entire thing off when it was only three days from the fest and not even one percent of anything was done.

You got into a bet with him as you made him promise you that he’d treat you to something of your choice if you pulled it off. Nevertheless, you pulled the entire thing off within the next two days, proving him wrong. As a promise, he treated you to something really expensive(of course you had picked it) and then swore to never question your ability.

You started seeing more of him, with his surprise visits to your class (which usually ended up with girls surrounding you asking how you knew him) or him coming to your seat in the cafeteria just to give you some new juice he got for you. Sometimes he’d ask you to come to one of his basketball matches and then took you to dinner afterward.

You felt your heartbeat increasing every time you saw him or heard his name in fact, and before you knew it, you were confessing to him, putting your heart on the line.

The day you confessed, you ran out before he could even reply. Too scared to be rejected. But Taehyung did something you’d never expect. He brought you to an amusement park, took you to dinner, and then confessed to you with thousands of chocolate (literally).

You both had your fair share of arguments and then makeup sex. Mind-blowing sex to be exact.

Your relationship with Taehyung was built on trust. He’d be there waiting for you every time you came home late and vice versa. You’d be at all of his games. You’d go to every party, hang out with your friends.

Once he graduated, he’d wait to pick you up every day. Every day you’d go to your favorite café, with your friends, complete assignments and projects, argue about who won the last UNO game, girls vs boys.

He spent every hour with you when you struggled with your dream job and you did the same. When you finally did get the job, he asked you to marry him. You nodded then and there. Tears escaped, phone calls were made. Everyone came to the engagement party and then the wedding and you truly thought everything you ever wanted was there. Your family, your friends, his friends, him.

But what you didn’t know then was what followed after. Just like promises are made, they are broken. Trust is broken and the bond doesn’t stay.

The first two years were bliss. You went to Paris for your honeymoon and then to New York. Yes, New York for your honeymoon. You experienced the love in Paris and the rush in New York.

You spent most of the days in Paris, going to spots of attractions, enjoying the food in the café, walking around the streets drunk and completely in love, having late night sex, morning sex, just lots of sex to be exact.

But in New York, you spent your days going to Times Square, Bars, and Pubs had ‘the’ New York pizza and cheesecakes and hotdogs and whatnot. Went shopping and sightseeing. Roamed around the streets at night, met so many people.

You believed you had found what you had been looking for all your life. Someone to go to romantic dinners and the craziest parties with.

But what followed was something you didn’t think would happen. Every marriage has its ups and downs. You had to. But then it started.

Every party would become an excuse to start arguments, every late night at work would lead to assumptions. At first, you thought it would be fine. Talking would help, it was always the key for the both of you but lately, every time you spoke or tried to solve the issues, it would end in huge fights, sometimes followed by sex, or even if not sex, you’d stop talking to each other and then one day pretend nothing happened.

Although in heels you walked around the park near your apartment. ‘It will be fine’ you told yourself as you tried not to break down. Deciding it would not be a good idea to go anywhere at that hour, you sat by a bench.

The cold wind hit you as a shiver ran down your body, the thin wine slip dress doing nothing to stop it. The screen of your phone lit up as you saw multiple texts from Taehyung. A part of you was happy that he cared enough to text you. You clicked on his profile as a series of texts came up.

Tae: where are you?

Tae: come on Y/N, don’t be stupid.

Tae: it’s really late. where the fuck are you?

Tae: baby, you’re scaring me.

Sighing you got up and made your way out of the park. Since you lived in a complex, it didn’t take you too long to walk. As you opened the keys, you saw Taehyung pacing around the living room. “Where are my keys?” he muttered to himself, not noticing your presence.

A clinking sound made Taehyung look up as the keys hit the ceramic bowl on the kitchen top. “Where were you?” he asked, trying to control his anger. You didn’t answer him as you took off the heels, internally sighing when the cold floor hit your barefoot. “Are you seriously gonna ignore me? I asked where the fuck were you?” he pulled you by your wrists stopping you from going further. “Don’t do this.” you gritted through your teeth as you harshly pulled away before going inside your shared bedroom.

You slipped out of the dress and you got inside the shower, the hot water touching your skin as you stood there. No matter how much you tried not to think about it, you always went back. Where did it go wrong?

You changed into shorts and one of Taehyung’s oversized shirts as it reached mid-thigh. Getting inside the covers, you relaxed, the cool sensation of your bedsheet and covers calming you somehow as you turned towards the glass wall.

You heard a sigh as Taehyung got inside the room. He got inside the covers and stared at your back as you tried to keep calm. You felt an arm wrap around your waist as he pulled you closer, back colliding with his chest, nuzzling his face at the crook of your neck. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” his voice came muffled as you felt the vibrations on your neck.

“I really am.” he said, taking a deep breath pulling you closer if that was possible. You sighed, turning to him.

“I felt really cheap, you know” you said, hands reaching to cup his face. “I’m so sorry baby.” he sighed, closing his eyes as you ran your hand through his hair. “I know.”

He pressed a kiss on your lips as you pulled him closer, hands wrapping around his neck. You sighed into the kiss as his lips trailed down towards your collarbone, sucking and nipping then. Soon enough he was inside you as he went on an animalistic pace. “Do you think he can fuck you like this?” he growled. You ignored him as you knew you were close, focusing on your climax. You came within the next few minutes as he rubbed your clit while thrusting.

Later on, he lapped up the spilled contents lazily as you screamed his name, your cries stroking his ego.

He wrapped an arm around your naked waist as he fell asleep on his stomach, head on your chest, legs tangled over your naked ones. You stroked his hair as you stared at the ceiling, his words ringing in your ear ‘Do you think he can fuck you like this?’

A small realization crept inside your head. He was never gonna trust you.

He stirred in his sleep, pulling you closer, he pressed an open-mouth kiss above the swell of your breast in his sleep. Releasing a long sigh, you kissed his head, quickly pushing the thought aside.

That was the first mistake.

“I love you so much,” you said.

You pulled the robe over your body tightly, a coffee cup in your hand. Picking up your phone you looked at the time. 3:08 am it read. The city still buzzed with life. The cold breeze hit your face soothingly as you closed your eyes. Only if you had done something before, things wouldn’t have gone wrong.

4 months ago

Your phone buzzed as you frustratedly rubbed your face. You dreaded picking up the call, not wanting to have to shout again. Things had been gradually worsening between you and Taehyung. Late-night fights, coming home drunk, not talking to each other for weeks had become a common thing nowadays and no matter how hard you tried, no matter how many times you both tried to co-operate, you didn’t seem to escape it.

“You should talk to him.” Ae-ra said, handing you a cup of tea.

Tea.

You never liked tea. You were more of a coffee person. You preferred the rush, the adrenaline. But nowadays, you were tired. Tired of doing the same thing over and over again. Having the same quarrels and fights over and over again. Tea seemed to calm you.

“And then what? Get into another fight?”

“You know what I mean, babe.” She said as she rubbed your arm soothingly.

“Maybe later. I cannot deal with him now.” you sipped on the cup.

What you didn’t know was that “later” would come that fast. You went back to your apartment to get more of your clothes. You planned on going at night, when he was most probably out with his friends or whoever kept him busy nowadays. But to your surprise, he was there.

You opened the main door, using the key you had with you to meet with his laying figure on the couch. His head shot up at the sound of the door, eyes meeting each other. He looked drained, hair messy and bags under his eyes. You cursed under your breath, debating if you should just go back to Ae-ra’s place and come later for your clothes.

“Look who’s here.” he scoffed as he got up from the couch.

Deciding on the former, you walked past him without taking another glance, into your shared bedroom. Taking a bag out, you shoved as many clothes as possible wanting to stay away from this mess. “Are you gonna ignore me now?” you heard him as he entered the room.

You zipped up the chain as you walked towards the door wanting to leave. He grabbed your hand before you could go any further. He felt so scared when he saw you packing your stuff, so much that it suffocated him. “Fucking answer me.” his voice raised as he stared at you.

Taehyung’s eyes softened as he saw the dry tears on your cheeks and he wanted nothing more than to pull you close and never let go. To talk to you and tell you it would be fine, that you would figure it out together.

As he saw your tired eyes, glossy as you tried to keep your composure, he wanted to kiss you so badly and keep you tucked away from every bad thing; ever, even himself if he was bad for you.

And maybe he would have done that. Hugged you and kissed you. Kept you in his arms if you didn’t start talking.

“Leave me the fuck alone.” you pulled away harshly. “You know what? Yes, I am ignoring you and gladly will.”

“What is wrong with you? You cannot just come and go like that.” he said, hands gesturing to your bag.

“I can and I will. You cannot stop me” you clarified.

“ Yes, I can. I am your husband for god’s sake.” a frustrated tone laced his words.

“Husband?” you scoffed. “When were you a good husband? Where did this go when I stayed up till dawn every day waiting for you?”

“You know how hectic things have been at work.” he looked at you knowingly.

“That doesn’t mean you’d stop spending time with me!” you yelled.

You knew you were being unreasonable. Things really were hectic at work for him. But you couldn’t help but feel lonely when you came home after a long day to an empty and cold apartment and then stayed up every day almost all night for your husband. You felt so neglected when he’d come home and go to sleep straight away without saying anything.

All the doubts about your marriage slowly were coming true and you wanted nothing more than to prove it wrong. But talking about it led to arguments with Taehyung. So you decided to stay away from home, so that you didn’t have to think about it, to begin with.

That was the second mistake.

“You are going nowhere.” Taehyung took the bag from your hand and walked towards the bed. “You’ll stay at home.”

“Home?” a humorless chuckle left your throat. “I will go anywhere I want, but home.”

“I mean it Y/N. Stop acting like a kid. Go wash up and come to bed.” he sighed.

“I’m not staying” you concluded, ready to leave your stuff behind as you turned.

You felt a pair of hands wrap around your waist as he stuffed his face in the junction of your neck and shoulder. A tear left your eyes, followed by streams, and for some reason, your heart broke, it felt like he was pulling you apart from inside.

You felt his warm breath as he mumbled something. He pressed you towards him as you silently cried.

Later that night, as he fucked you slowly, something different than his usual dominating aura, your heart ached, but you couldn’t pinpoint why. He kissed you ever so passionately, that you cried.

Something told you that it would be over soon, so you hugged him as close as you could when he slept. You cried as he hugged you in his sleep like you would go away if he didn’t have you in his arms.

“I love you so much,” he mumbled in his sleep.

That’s when you realized how bad the entire situation was. How bad you were for him just like he was for you. How bad this marriage was.

And what followed after confirmed everything you ever doubted.

2 months ago

“You think I didn’t see you?” you yelled.

“What are you talking about?” he looked curious.

“Oh sure, play the good guy, make me look bad, why don’t you?” you scoffed.

“I have no idea what you are talking about.” he repeated. “How would you? You thought you were good enough to keep it away from me.” you said. His eyebrows crashed as he tried to understand. “I saw you with her. Maybe that’s why you were always late. You were too busy fucking her.” a bitterness stayed in your mouth. “Are you kidding me?” he said as he raked his fingers through his hair.

“You are accusing me of cheating, Y/N? You?” he scoffed. “Don’t think I forgot about the party.”

“Oh my god. You were never going to believe me, were you?” you looked at him with a glint in your eyes.

“You are being paranoid Y/N,” he said calmly.

“You know what? Maybe I will go to him. The guy you accused me of cheating. Maybe I will let him fuck me. Clear all your doubts and make it true!” you were screaming now.

“I can’t do this anymore,” he said, voice so calm maybe you would have been scared if you were thinking straight.

“Neither can I.” you said as you walked out of the house.

The next day when you woke up, you felt bad for yelling at him. So you decided to go back and talk to him. And maybe you would have if fate didn’t have anything else planned.

As you walked into the house, you saw a man sitting on your couch, Taehyung at his side as paper lay in front of him. The man looked at you briefly before turning back to Taehyung. “Thank you for coming on such short notice, Mr. Lee.” he said as he shook hands with the man. The man nodded.

Before leaving, he looked at you, “See you in court.”

You furrowed your brows before realization hit you. “Tae, what did he mean by that?”

He kept quiet as he gathered the papers. “Baby, what’s wrong? Talk to me.” you tried again. Taehyung got up as he handed you the papers, then went to the bedroom. You stared at them as you couldn’t process anything.

You cannot get divorced. You cannot live without him.

You walked inside the room as you saw him looking out. “Tae, we can talk, right? You don’t mean this.” your voice shook.

Walking up to him you wrapped your arms around his, face buried in his back as you mumbled “This is a joke, right?”

You heard his sigh before he turned to you, eyes glossy. “We can’t keep doing this.”

“We won’t. We’ll figure it out. We don’t have to do this.” you went on.

“Y/N-”

“No, no, you don’t understand. You are out of your mind. We can’t get divorced.”

“I’m sorry, but I cannot do this anymore.” he said,

You looked at him. “Why are you saying it as if it is all my fault?”

“I don’t mean that.”

“You absolutely mean that. Your face says it all.” you gestured toward him. “Oh. You really are gonna do this?” you said as he rubbed his face.

“Well, fuck you, Kim Taehyung. You can do whatever you want. You can blame me all you want but you and I both know the minute I walk out, you are going to regret this.”

“You can keep going for my heart and put all this on me, but you will miss me to your bone the minute this is over.” you said as you stormed off.

That night, you went back to Ae-ra’s place. You screamed at the sky pretending it was him while he stayed awake that night as he looked at the sky. “I’m so sorry Y/N. I love you so much” he said, tears freely falling.

It really was over. All your doubts came true. Your marriage ended. Maybe it was for the better. ‘You’re being paranoid’ he said. He was right. You became paranoid.

You wiped the single tear and looked at the sky, soft light spread across as the birds sang. 5:00 am

You picked out the attire you were going to wear to the court. Your phone buzzed as you picked it up. It was Ae-ra. It’s gonna be okay. You’ll get through it. she said.

You went to the court that day. You watched him as he entered the room, a black tux hugging his frame. He had become more buff than he was the last time you saw him two months ago. As he ran his fingers through his hair, his shoulder blades flexed. The same shoulder blades that had your nail marks reminding the night before from every morning you’ve spent together. You smiled at that memory.

Soon the judge walked in and the process went on.

At one point in your relationship with him, assuming was something you both picked up. Long gone was the trust which was the key in your relationship. Maybe it was for the better. You both were paranoid; assumptions feeding more into it.

But what you both gradually became, was bad for each other. Not at the beginning of your relationship, but somewhere in the middle, it went out of hand. Maybe if you spoke to each other more, maybe if you hadn’t pushed your thoughts the first day it came, then maybe you wouldn’t be here. But everything happens for a reason.

Kim Taehyung was the heartthrob of the campus. Kim Taehyung was the first person you confessed you loved. He was the first person who heard ‘I love you’ from you. He was your first love.

As the saying goes, some people are in our lives, just to teach us a lesson. Good and Bad. Kim Taehyung was that for you. You were still in love with him. Distance makes the heart grow fonder and yours did. You loved him more than you did before. And so maybe letting him go was easy. You were bad for him and he was bad for you. But that didn’t stop you from loving him.

And that didn’t stop him from loving you as you sat at the courthouse, as he looked at your face when it was over, as he lay in his bed alone that night.

Maybe you weren’t meant to be. Or maybe you were, but you didn’t know-how. But it was fine. And maybe as time goes by, it would hurt less.

Although you and Taehyung didn’t believe in first and second lives, you both wished you’d find each other in the next life as you both looked at the sky that night.

taglist: @mwitsmejk

421 notes · View notes

luimagines · 3 years ago

Note

Maybe first kiss?? Definitely romantic-

Masterlist

You got it hun!

Part 1 will include Warrior, Twilight and Wild.

Content under the cut!

Warrior

You walked along the road with no true destination in mind as the sun began to set.

You were alone for a change but didn’t mind the lack of company.

The air was sweet and fragrant, the night life beginning to stir around the town as you continued walking.

As you traveled and watched as the houses lit up their candles and the shops closed down as the day winded down to an end.

It was a peaceful moment that you didn’t think you’d have again for a while, not as long as you traveled with Link.

Any of them.

The worst of them was The Captain, you thought to yourself.

And just as you thought it, he appears in front of you.

Surprised just as much as you when you nearly collided with each other. Nothing happened thankfully but you were stunned in your footstep.

“Evenin’ Captin’.” You wink.

Warrior snorts and rolled his eyes. “And here I thought you dropped that name.”

“Would you rather I call you Link?” You grin and begin to walk again.

Warrior doesn’t take the lead like you were expecting him too but that’s just as well. It’s not like you were going anywhere.

“Of course I’d rather you call me by my name. Shame there’s just so many of us.”

“Too many.”

“You love us.”

“If I didn’t, I don’t think there’s any way I would have survived as long as I have with all your shenanigans.” You laugh.

Warrior hums but doesn’t match your energy.

You look at him and raise an eyebrow. “Were you drinking?”

“Hm?” Warrior startles. “No. Not while I’m working.”

“Warrior, you’re always working.” You deadpan.

“Am not.”

“Are too!” You snap back. “And well, whatever. Never mind. I was going to see if you wanted to go get a drink or something but if you’re technically still on the clock then it’s fine.”

“You want to get a drink?” Warrior throws him thumb behind him and tilts his head in tandem. “There’s a place that way where you could get one, cheap, mediocre, but it gets the job done.”

“I was curious if you wanted to drink. I’m actually fine.” You shrug and keep walking.

Warrior gets confused and has to step a little faster to keep up with you before you leave him behind. “I appreciate the offer but I’m fine as well.”

“Fair enough.”

Warrior waits for you to continue but when he sees that you aren’t going to, he speaks up again. “Why only me?”

“Legend says that you’re always thirsty around me, so I figured I’d offer-”

Warrior trips over himself and lands on his knees.

It looked rough.

“Hey, are you ok?” You drop next to him and he pulls himself off of the cobble stone road.

There’s a tear by his knee, right where he landed on it, and it you shifted it just a millimeter higher, then you’d see the very thin cut that’s already begun to bleed.

You hiss and try to gently pull the cloth away to get a better look at it but Warrior’s stillness is more unnerving than you want to admit.

“I’m going to kill him.” Warrior growled.

It was so out of left field that you blinked, sat back and began to laugh.

And laugh.

“And here I thought you were actually hurt.” You gasp. “You scared me for a second. Also, don’t kill Legend- he’s just trying to get under your skin, it’s not so bad.”

“Not so-” Warrior furrows his eyebrow and places a hand over his mouth. “Do you not know what that means?”

You raise an eyebrow with a teasing grin on your lips. “If I said no, would you show me?”

Oh you knew what you were doing.

You and him were playing this game for a while now and this is where you wanted to see what he was made of. If all the back and forth actually meant something to him like it did to you or if he was just having fun with it.

You would have been fine with it either way but you didn’t want to put time and effort into someone who didn’t consider you for more than a second glance. Legend’s comment was honest- if an honest jab- but it was the only clue you had to see where you soldier boy stood with you.

You lick your lips subtly but you don’t miss the way his eyes are drawn to the motion like a moth to candle light.

It emboldens you.

Warrior, while still on the ground, straightens up and you can see the movement of his Adam’s apple just beyond his scarf. “Are... Are implying what I think you’re implying?”

“I never implied anything Link.” You go stand and send him a wink. “I only wanted to know if there was anything I could do to help with apparent problem. But if it’s not serious-”

Warrior jumps to his feet and reaches for your elbow before you can turn away from him fully. “Serious? You want me to be serious?”

“I want you to be honest with me, not some part time lover.” You admit. “Don’t go breaking my heart.”

Warrior has what you can only describe as a face journey.

At first he continues to look confused, before you see the light dawn on his face, before he looks like he could jump over the moon with joy alone and then his face drops again to what you can only describe as mild despair.

Warrior says your name like a prayer and his hands come up to cradle your face.

Your hands find themselves on top of his.

They’re warm.

“Is Legend right then?”

Warrior gulps audibly this time as his swipes his thumb across your cheek. “...Yes.”

His voice is breathless and low and it’s a whisper, a confession and a vow all in a single word.

The air is charged with an intensity you weren’t expecting when he speaks and you’re drawn into his gaze. “If you’re thirsty, what does that me?”

“A tall glass-” He leans down and brushes his nose with yours. Your eyes flutter close, letting him do whatever he’d want to do in the moment, you trust being fully placed in the hands of this man who’s completely captivated you, your heart and soul. You feel his breath move marginally down and you like your lips again from the anticipation of what you hope would happen. “-of water.”

Warrior lets his lips rest on yours and you don’t hesitate to kiss back.

Emboldened by the reaction, Warrior lets his hands travel downward and settle on your waist, pulling you closer to him.

You for your part, rest one hand by his collar bone and the other rests on his jaw, gently pushing and caressing where you want him to move to.

He follows without question and trails off of your lip to kiss your cheek, your jaw and he leaves a trail all the way down to your neck.

You gasp at the cold sensation when he leaves the spots behind and grip his tunic with your hand. “Link.”

He stops. A breath leaves him and he gulps right by your ear. “Sorry. Got carried away.”

“It’s ok.” You say in a small voice.

Warrior grins through his subtle panting and he pulls you closer, wrapping his arms around you entirely and resting his head beside yours. “We can be serious.”

“The group would kill us.” You laugh and tilts your head further into the crook of his neck.

“Probably.” Warrior shrugs. “For either taking to long or making one of the lose a bet, but only for that.”

“Not for being intolerable?” You ask and tilt your head ever so slightly to return the kiss Warrior left on your neck.

He stills and hugs you tighter as result. “I’m going to need a drink.”

“And here I thought I could fix that.” You laugh and try to pull away. “You said.”

“Different.” He growls and keeps you from going through your plan of escape. “Something strong.”

“May I join you in your attempt to quench your thirst?” You snort and give up, letting him hold you as he wants.

Warrior pauses and looks down at you from where he holds you, a dumb smile on his face. “I’d love nothing more.”

Twilight

Learning that Twilight was Wolfie was something you thought would be easy to move on from.

Wrong.

You used to shower Woflie with all sorts of pets, kisses and cuddles and part of you yearns to continue doing so.

But you didn’t want to make it awkward with Twilight.

You figured he only put up with it because he was a wolf and didn’t want to break up the illusion of his secret. Not the mention that the thought of kissing Twilight does something funny to you on the inside and the butterflies don’t leave you alone for hours after you’ve thought about it.

But you missed it.

You missed Wolfie.

Your relationship with Twilight had taken on a new strain and you think the others are starting to notice it much to your chagrin.

He corners you one day, while you’re a little ways away from the group. You’re out of the ear shot and you’re frustrated and awkward.

Twilight lets a big breath out and notices how you can’t meet his eyes. “Are you ok? You’ve been weird this whole time since you found out. Did I do something-”

“No, no. You’re fine.” You’re quick to reassure him. “I couldn’t care less if this is a secret you want for yourself-”

“Ok, but with you being weird to both Twilight and Wolfie, the others are going to notice something sooner or later.”

“I won’t tell them anything.” You say.

“I trust you. I’m just saying.” Twilight crosses his arms and looks at you a little painfully. “But why the change? I thought we were fine.”

“We are fine.”

“Clearly not.” Twilight nearly growls. “You won’t even look at me anymore. You refuse to look at me even now.”

You snap your head to face him head on and chew on your lip as you try to think of the words to defend yourself.

“Why did you let me give you all those kisses?” You say instead. “You knew I wasn’t aware of who you were.”

Twilight stills and his frustration melts from his face. He stares at you with a blank expression only bordering on confusion and realization at the same time.

It’s a weird look.

He doesn’t say anything in response though and the lack of reaction to your very legitimate questions spurs you on.

“What? Are my kisses are special or something? Do you know how weird it is for me to know that you’re Wolfie and still want to kiss the wolf?”

Twilight blushes something fierce, but he nods somewhat. He had a suspicion that was it, but he didn’t think you’d actually say it out loud. “Yes.”

You groan and throw your head back. “Yes to what?”

“Yes to both.” Twilight gulps and shrugs, trying to appear nonchalant. “Of course are kisses are special. And yeah- I get it. It can be weird but I let you... because I like it. It was selfish, I know, but I didn’t care because it was you. Look, if you want to keep kissing Woflie, I’m not going to stop you.”

“But it’s you!” You cry.

Can’t Twilight see what makes this weird? You can’t kiss Wolfie. It’s kissing Twilight! And kissing Twilight is a whole other level of honesty you’re not ready to have with yourself at the moment.

Twilight for his part- looks offended and maybe a little disappointed. “I didn’t think kissing me would be such a terrible idea.”

You panic. “That’s not what I meant. You’re very kissable. It’s just that I-”

“Prove it.”

You look up and Twilight’s in front of you, in your personal space, and he’s leaning down close enough where you can feel his breath fan across your cheeks.

“Uh, um...” You gulp and chance a look at his lips.

Twilight notices.

You don’t see that though. You instead focus on the implication of his words, how he’s placed him in front of you, how he’s not moving any closer to you.

He waiting for you to make the first move.

Do you want to?

You shift yourself closer.

Prove it, he said.

Prove to him that he’s kissable.

Prove to him that it matters if he’s Wolfie or not.

Prove it.

You take a breath and place your hands on his chest, reaching upwards to press your lips against him.

Your eyes close and you feel the contact as an electrifying spark. Your hesitance is clear. It’s a new and foreign sensation for you but it never had to be more than a peck.

Your eyes flutter open again as you pull away but Twilight wraps his arm around your waist, trapping you against him as his other hand cradles your cheek, angling your face back to him gently as he chases after your lips.

They’re softer than you would have thought they would be and the way Twilight moves them against you has you struck stupid.

Your hands snake their way up his chest and wrap themselves around his neck. One of your hands tangles itself in his hair and begins to play with the strands you can reach.

Twilight responds with his own hand traveling past your cheek to your neck and eventually behind your head to entangle his fingers there.

You whines and Twilight pulls away, breathless, with half lidded eyes that have a look that makes you feel weak in your knees.

You gulp and attempt once again to pull away from him. “There.”

“What?” Twilight speaks and it does something funny to you. His voice is low, husky, dangerous.

“Very kissable.” You say with a slight nod to your head, unsure of what to do or say next. The phantom touch of his lips on your is still very much there, but you don’t want to place your fingertips there to mimic it while Twilight is still very much in front of you.

A new hunger darkens his gaze and he smirks with a wicked gleam. “I’m not convinced.”

He pulls you completely flush against him body and you squeak from the intensity behind it. You can feel his chuckle across your whole body and the sound encompasses you completely.

You feel a grin begin to bloom and you almost want to laugh. “What do you want me to do about it?”

Twilight leans down again and brushes his nose against yours. “I think you know.”

“Do I?” You challenge and brush him back. “I could be wrong. I’m not a mind reader.”

“I’ve wanted it for so long, how could you not know?” Twilight’s voice dips even lower and you shiver.

Twilight notices.

Your voice however, goes higher. “Oh.”

Twilight smirks.

“I suppose I can’t leave you unconvinced then, huh?” You maneuver yourself to get comfortable against him and ever so slightly push his head down to meet yours more fully.

“It would be rather rude of you to do so.” Twilight whispers against your lips.

So, you prove it.

Wild

You and Wild had snuck off from the group and were simply chilling by one the many grassy open spaces his Hyrule has to over.

Wild had taken you to a high point that oversaw the whole village any one who tried to make their way up to you.

So you had privacy for the time being.

Not that you guys were doing much, just laying on your back alternating between watching the clouds and taking quick cats naps in the warmth of the sun.

You take a deep breath and let it go, a wide smile on your face. “We should do this more often.”

You heard Wild shift from your side as he rolled over, his head cradled in his hands, his elbows firmly planted into the dirt beneath you. “You think so?”

“Your home is beautiful.” You say. “I want more time to appreciate it.”

“And yet it’s incomparable to you.” Wild whispers.

You still and roll over yourself to face him.

He ends up being closer to you than you thought he’d be and the close proximity takes you off guard. You feel yourself flush a little and shrink down, unable to meet his gaze but it’s not unwelcomed.

“You’re making fun of me.” You mutter.

Wild takes his free hand uses it to tilt your head back up to meet his eyes. “Never.”

You gulp a bit as you glance into the windows to his soul. Sometimes when you catch yourself staring, you can see a sadness there with out end. Sometimes you can see his pain and confusion and you know that there’s not enough magic in the world to fix it.

But now?

You think you see hearts and thought of it being because of you does something funny to your own heart and breath.

You feel his gentle touch on your skin, how his thumb caresses ever so slightly against your cheekbone and chin.

The air is delicately charged with an electricity you wouldn’t have been able to place before.

You both lay there, staring into the other and you see his eyes, dip ever so slightly down.

You gulp.

You want him closer.

You need him closer.

You need him to kiss you.

Right now.

Wild shifts closer and brushes his nose with yours, his lips barely brushing over your own. His breath is hot and moist and you almost whine when he doesn’t close the distance between you.

“Is this ok?” He says after his second of hesitation.

“Please.” You whisper and angle yourself up to brush your lips with his again, the temptation to much for you to bare without any results.

He pulls back just before the distance closes again and you feel your heart drop.

“Please what?” He gulps. It’s loud and nervous and if you didn’t know any better you’d think he was being coy, a tease and a nuisance.

But no, he sounds genuinely concerned about your wording.

Just as quickly as your heart drops it soars again and you could cry with the amount of love you feel in your veins.

You reach up and cradle his face in a similar fashion to how he holds you and pull him closer. “Please.”

Wild takes the answer for what it is, pushing himself all the way in your direction and placing his lips on yours.

There’s a restrained hunger there, you can feel it.

He wastes no time with tangling his hand into your hair, pushing you back so that your back is once again on the ground. Wild traps you beneath you and settles for keeping most of his weight on his opposite hand, leaving just enough room for you to bring your other arm and wrap it around him.

He’s gentle though, like he doesn’t want to frighten you with his desires but you mimic his movements, wanting nothing more than for him to let you love him.

At some point where your lips dance around each others, you move and you place different kisses on his jaw, his cheeks and his scars. You’re pinned underneath him entirely and he holds himself up from crushing you with a single arm on the ground by your head, his hair falling beside your face when he pulls away and rests his forehead against yours.

His breathing comes out in little pants and his eyes close. “I love you.”

You hum and tilts your head up to place a little kiss on his nose. “I love you too.”

Wild let a giddy smile fall across his face before he looks into your eyes and kisses you again.

Part 2

#linked universe #linkeduniverse #linked universe x reader #I was going to have all of them in #one post #but then I actually started writing this and realized that #it would be WAY too long

410 notes · View notes

creativeashproductions · 4 years ago

Text

Proceed With Caution // Evan Buckley

IN WHICH: The reader doesn’t expect to become involved in a hostage situation with her fiance’s older sister, the older sister’s best friend and the best friend’s date from hell. With the addition of a SWAT member, how will the taking of dispatch change?

Warnings: Swearing, blood, threats, angst, guns, hostage/kidnapping

Words: 5.9k

A/N: Recently got into the tv show 9-1-1 and completely fell in love with Buck so here I am writing for him as well. This takes place during the season three episode ‘The Taking of Dispatch 9-1-1’. Reader and Buck are already in an established relationship.

TO BE TAGGED SEND AN INBOX/ASK PLEASE!

Masterlist

The apartment was quiet as the sound of your keys clattered in the bowl on the countertop. It was pretty early in the morning, so you had no doubts that Buck would be just waking up. On his days off, he would use the first day to catch up on sleep; based on prior times, he would be up in half an hour.

“Buck?” You called out from the kitchen. You heard a groan from the loft where Buck was in the process of waking up, “I forgot to drop off that book Maddie wants to borrow. When I get back, do you want to get breakfast?”

A grumble you somehow translated to approval was what you received in response. You jogged up the stairs to the loft to grab the book from your bookshelf. Buck’s bare leg stretched out from underneath the comforter on your side. The soft sighs Buck made in his sleepy state tugged at your heart; the sighs grew louder when you bent to kiss his head.

“See you in a bit.” You whispered to the sleepy soft male. He sleepily grinned in response before curling into your pillow.

The sound of your footsteps softened on the steps back to the main level of the apartment. Your keys snagged from the bowl before you gently closed the door behind you. The sun was gorgeous to be awake to see and had Buck not worked a long shift, you’d have adored watching it with him.

Your car pulled out of the parking spot in the Los Angeles Service Center’s direction that Maddie worked at. Your lips quirked as the radio spewed out the station that Christopher listened to in the car. You could even pick up the book in the backseat where he called his spot. The book could be found in Buck’s Jeep as well.

It had maybe three days since you’d seen the young Diaz, and damn did you miss the kid. Christopher has his enigmatic quality that demanded you love him for all that made him simply Christopher. The second you’d met him, you knew he would mean a lot to you.

You hummed in time with the song that was currently Christopher’s absolute favourite. Slowly you went from humming to singing along when the light turned green. A handful of songs came and went on the admittedly long drive due to traffic.

It was about forty minutes after leaving your apartment that you parked next to Maddie’s car in the parking lot. Lucy was sitting at the front office with a grin you matched. The woman buzzed you before she clocked out with her reprieve Jake.

“Hey, Sue!” You grinned at the older redhead. Sue had absolutely no problem seeing you, given that you were welcome in the building.

Sue’s first interaction was when you came to the centre to pick up Maddie when she came to work sick. Maddie had managed to keep it under wraps for an hour before Sue caught on. Ever since, Sue was fond of asking Maddie about her brother and you.

“Maddie’s not in just yet.” Sue spoke with a kind smile, “If you’ll excuse me, I have to meet with one of our sit alongs.”

You nodded towards her while beelining for the woman’s bathroom, hoping to catch Maddie after using it. You’d drank too much water on your run earlier this morning. Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate in the time you’d entered the bathroom, several things happened. Lucy ended her shift, Jake started his shift, and a group of strangers entered the building.

Your hand went to push open the door when through the crack, you saw two men you’d never seen before. Years of your job gave you enough feeling to know that something wasn’t right. That being said, you eased the door closed and attempted to find a hiding spot.

The garbage was too narrow and had no lid. The few seconds you had left, you glanced up. The ceiling hadn’t been renovated in many years. Rectangular sheets could be raised. Thankful of the rock climbing lessons you’d done with Maddie, you managed to crawl into the ceiling just as the two men entered.

“Nobody’s here.” The one-man with his head as pale and shiny as a cue ball. He gave off the most creepy vibe; the shorter Hispanic man wasn’t as violent looking, “Kinda hoping someone tries something. I’ve wanted to try out this.”

The man waved the large gun in his hand with a sick smile that twisted your stomach. That was the moment you’d realized something was very wrong. The second they left, you gently dropped back on the ground. Your first instinct was to send a message to Athena, but there was a fatal flaw. You’d expected to be in and out of the building quickly, so you’d left your phone in the car.

“Fuck.” You swore. One hand roughly running over your forehead as you contemplated figuring out a plan.

The building had many cameras throughout that you knew the blindspots for. The year after high school and during the summers, you’d worked in the building. Despite having worked here when you were younger, it was never during Sue’s shift. Over the years, you’d come to know the blind spots and a few cameras that were decoys. You even remembered Maddie and her friend Josh complaining about three cameras not fixed yet.

“Think.” You breathed, making a pattern of pacing, “They’ll need a lookout. They’ll take out the security guard first. The front doors are out. It’s a team, so they’ll also need eyes on the building. Terry is definitely a hostage.”

Of course, you’d end up in a volatile situation during the first half of your day before your shift started. The only comforting thing about the situation was the holstered gun on your hip and the badge on your belt. Maybe you should backtrack to why you had a gun and badge; you were an LAPD member, specifically SWAT.

“The changeroom.” You breathed, recalling it was down the hall with no camera. All you needed to do was pretend to be a dispatcher. The changeroom, now mostly a file room, had a few extra maroon and blue uniform shirts.

You timed it. The man holding Sue’s tablet was in the process of talking with his cohort, so you dashed to the room. You took no time in changing into a loose maroon shirt with your thick sweater overtop to hide the gun in the small of your back.

Your holster, badge and personal shirt tucked in the bottom of a box for safekeeping. As soon as you saw your entry, you sat with the group of hostages a hall over. A few looked surprised but let it go when you raised one finger to your lips.

“Y/N? What are you doing here?” Maddie hissed from the other side of a startled Josh. Both of them were surprised at seeing you here, “Oh my god. Buck is going to kill me.”

“I was dropping off your book before I get breakfast with Buck, but it appears my small bladder saved my life.” You snarked with your eyes scanning the room, “What’s going on?”

“That is my date from hell, Greg.” Josh inconspicuously pointed towards the man, clearly giving orders. The anger flared inside you, “You need to get out.”

“Josh, no offence, but I’m an officer with the LAPD. I work with SWAT. I’m your best bet of making it out alive.” You informed the dispatch duo, who went still as Cue Ball patrolled the hallway with a sadistic glint in his eyes.

“They took control of the building for a reason we don’t know about. We’re still working but under strict monitoring. They said it will be an hour, but we’ve seen their faces.”

“No witnesses.” You finished for Maddie with a deep sigh, “Unfortunately I left my phone in the car. Did they take yours-”

“They took Linda’s EpiPen. Of course, we don’t have phones.” Maddie sighed, leaning back to rest her head against the wall. Not even having a SWAT member by her side was comforting; your badge put a more significant target on you.

“We have to warn someone.” Josh mumbled to both Maddie and you, “You’re on shift Y/N?”

“Not for a few hours. I was supposed to drop off the book and get breakfast with Buck before my shift. This was supposed to be five minutes tops, so I left my phone in my car.”

“I already did.” Maddie spoke with a sad look on her face that overtook the fear, “I just hope he gets the message.”

Your hand reached out to squeeze the woman you’d had a hand in raising Buck more than their parents. Maddie had become family when you first started dating Buck. The in-law part of her familial relationship to you never crossed your minds; you were simply sisters to each other.

“Who?”

“Chim. I told him I loved him.” Maddie finished with a teary gaze. It made you sick seeing that look again after Doug.

You remembered seeing that haunted look when she stumbled out of the thicker woods covered in blood. You’d stayed by Athena’s side when Buck clutched her so tight and sobbed with her. It had been before you’d become serious with the man, but it was that frightening day that Buck fell for you. You’d just finished a taxing shift with your team when you heard about Maddie was missing, and Chim was in the hospital. You’d ignored the exhaustion to search high and low through your work contacts before narrowing the search area.

“Good thing Chimney obsesses over the little things.” You spoke, slouching down against the wall, “We’ll get throu-”

“Don’t do anything stupid.” Maddie warned you with her brows furrowed together, and you saw what she was doing. Despite your years of experience and the gun you had, she pushed her fear down behind the concern that a big sister shows her young siblings.

“I won’t.”

At 8am, Buck was just entering the apartment building from grabbing the mail addressed to both you and him when Chim had called.

“Yup, go for Buck.” Buck spoke, opening the door to the apartment he’d only temporarily left. His morning had been late after his long shift the night before. The most productive thing was dressing for his breakfast date with you and grabbing the mail.

“How come 9-1-1 doesn’t respond when I call?” Chimney questioned the younger, now confused male.

“Uh, is that some kind of riddle? Like who watches the watchmen?” Buck asked, closing the door behind him. His eyes scanned around for any indication you’d returned home, but the bowl was vacant of your keys.

“Neither of those things are riddles. Okay, I just tried calling 9-1-1, and I got the high call volume message. Did I miss an earthquake or something?”

“Nope, pretty chill morning.” Buck responded as he closed the fridge door with a bottle of water in hand. The entire conversation wasn’t concerning to him, given that Chimney was often like this.

“Where’s Y/N? She’s the police she’ll know-”

“She’s not home right now. Wait, why are you calling 9-1-1? Is everything okay?” Buck slowly asked with his brows coming together. The sigh of frustration from Chimney was answer enough.

“Your sister said that she loved me.”

“Yeah. Wasn’t that uh, the whole point in that big date you had last night?” Buck inquired on his way to the table. He had a feeling this was going to be a long conversation that would hopefully pass the time until you got home.

“You declare your love, and she declares hers? That’s how it went with Y/N and me.”

“Yeah, I know, okay, but she didn’t, all right? At least not last night. Look, she made this big deal saying that she couldn’t say those words, and then this morning, she blurts them out and hangs up on me.” Chimney speaks, pacing in his own apartment. The side by the side of Chimney and Buck’s separate apartments told different tales of their states.

“It’s still not quite sounding like an emergency.”

“’Cause I sound insane.” Chimney spoke, staring up at the ceiling with a battle in his mind. He wants Buck to talk him out of this, but he also wants Buck to agree with him, “She’s at the call centre. What could happen there? You know what, forget it, I’ll try Y/N again.”

“Again?” Buck questioned just as his co-worker ended the call. Buck tugged his phone away from his ear to stare at it confused.

You always answered the phone if you weren’t working at the moment, but given you still had hours, he found it unsettling. After seeing the news report with the ladder truck on top of him, calls weren’t ignored between you two. That feeling of concern grew when you didn’t answer his call either. Nor the second one.

“Nah, she’s probably talking with Maddie.” Buck spoke, but that second-guessing feeling didn’t dissipate.

In the call centre, you’d been marched to one of the stations with a deep hope that you’d remember everything. It had been years by then since you’d worked as a dispatcher. It didn’t help with the gunmen patrolling the room.

“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?” You calmly questioned the caller.

“Hi, my cat is up the tree by my house. Could you send someone?”

“Can I get your name?” You went through the motions of getting her name and address before you informed the woman, “Okay, the LAFD and LAPD no longer respond to calls of cats in trees. The cat will make its way down on its own. If the tree is in your backyard, I’d use the time to garden or read a book on this beautiful day.”

“Oh, thank you. I’m sorry for taking up your time.”

“It’s no problem. Having a wonderful day Susan.”

In no time at all, you’d been rotated into the board room away from Josh and Maddie. It gave you time to inspect everyone you hadn’t made contact with yet. No one appeared harmed other than in distress with the situation.

“Downtown. They don’t want anyone downtown.” Linda whispered as Maddie was guided onto the floor by the elbow. You’d only gathered her name from her near-silent introduction to you when the hired guns had been far from your area.

“Let’s go.” Greg snapped, roughly pushing you towards the conference room. Something deep in your gut already predicted that someone was going to be stupid.

It was your sharp eyesight catching the minuscule agitation in Greg’s interactions with the Cue Ball guy. The slight tightening of his grip on the gun, the tension in the room growing stifling. And everyone knows that when emotions run high stupid things happen.

“Why do they keep moving us around like this?” The man beside Maddie questioned. He was definitely the most shaken of the group. He was basically shaking like a chihuahua.

“To disorient us.” Maddie spoke, staring at the group monitoring the dispatchers currently in play. Her eyes refused to leave them.

“So, we can’t make a plan.” You finished for your sister-in-law. Objectively out of everyone, Maddie, Sue and you were the most collected individuals for various reasons.

Maddie had lived in a volatile house with a man that could be unpredictable if a situation called for it in his mind. Sue had been working in the centre for years to navigate the emergency while you walked into dangerous situations.

“Jamal.” The shaking man spoke, holding his hand out towards you, “Are you new?”

“No.” You spoke as you shook his hand, “I’m Y/N. Maddie’s sister-in-law. I’m filling in as a favour for Sue.”

The lie slipped off your lips a little too quickly. You decided to come to this hostage situation as if you were undercover. It meant having to ignore that Maddie was in the situation with you.

“Worst day for a favour.” Jamal snorted with his eyes pinned on one of the armed men holding all your lives in their hands. You’d have spoken, but Jamal checked out mentally from the conversation waiting for the other shoe to drop.

The shoe dropped when the IT Specialist announced numbly, “Jake’s dead. They shot him.”

It didn’t matter how long you’d been working for the LAPD, any death, whether it was a civilian or a criminal, it was still was startling. Jake, the security guard that alternated shifts with Lucy, wasn’t someone you spoke with. He was on shift when you weren’t here or just missed the shift change.

“We need to get a message out.” Jamal spoke, glancing at the only people in the right state of mind, and those were Maddie, Josh and you. Terry had seen the violence these men had no issues with.

“I did.” Josh breathed, thinking of the arguably cute security guard he sometimes liked to stare at, “A woman called about onions in an omelette. I dispatched an officer.”

“To the restaurant?” Maddie inquired with her pinkie connected with yours for comfort. Both of you would prefer your SO’s hand instead.

“Not exactly.” Josh replied, staring at his best friend with a glimpse of hope in his brown eyes.

Hope may be the only way you could get out of this without hurting anyone in your admittedly surface level plan.

“Buck will think something is up.” You added

Buck had begun pacing the kitchen of the apartment with Chim adamantly telling his friend his plan to go to the centre. Buck had joined Chimney in the concerned department when you had failed to return to the apartment, return calls and to make matters worse, so was Maddie. His texts had gone unanswered as well, not even having the read receipt on.

“She’s not picking up either. I tried Y/N and Josh, but neither replied. When I tried Maddie and Josh, it went straight to voicemail.”

“Now, I’m definitely going.” Chimney announced, shoving his wallet into his pocket just as someone began knocking on his door.

“What if something is wrong? I know Y/N is a member of SWAT but radio silence? No text to let me know she was called in early?” Buck thought aloud with his finger dragging along his thigh, “Maybe we should call the police.”

“I...think someone already did.” Chimney informed Buck as he stared at the sudden appearance of Sergeant Athena Grant at his door.

“What? What do you mean?” Buck hastily questioned, leaning against the kitchen island. He could just faintly hear Athena speaking on Chimney’s end of the phone, “Chimney? What’s going on?”

“Athena was sent to my apartment. Hang on, Buck, I’m just gonna tell Athena what’s going on.”

Buck stepped away from the island to settle on the stairs to the loft, impatiently waiting for Chimney to finish speaking. That fear of losing pieces of his life expanded deep in his gut, just like the times Maddie left in his childhood. That fear of being left behind.

“What’s she’s saying now?”

“She’s making her case.” Chim whispered as he continued to eavesdrop on Athena’s call with her higher-ups, “Now she’s folding like a cheap suit.”

“All right, let me talk to Athena.” Buck demanded antsy to figure out the situation that clearly had something wrong. That fear he’d thought of early flared catching the tail end of Athena’s conversation, “No! No, no. We can’t just send in SWAT. If there is someone inside the call centre doing something, they’ll know we’re onto them.”

Unfortunately, Buck was correct in this thought process, all thanks to living with a SWAT member. He knew these things after the years he’d been with you.

“Maddie? I think I can sneak up to Terry’s computer. Maybe get eyes on the place-”

“No!” Terry nearly shouted, stiffening when Cue Ball hesitated in the doorway at his sudden shouts. You all held your breath for his reaction, but thankfully he was called away by one of the men, “They have-”

“Terry, I need you to calm down. I’m familiar with these types of situations. I’m SWAT. I need to get on top of this. Don’t be a hero.”

Maddie’s head began to shake when your arm was roughly grabbed by Greg, “Your turn.”

You were separated from Josh and Maddie, but instead of being pushed into one of the dispatcher seats, you were pulled to the original hallway.

“I don’t like how friendly you are with them.” Greg spat, shoving you to rest against the wall, “Don’t move.”

You catch the eyes of Maddie with an apologetic expression before you used the pacing routine to sneak away. You didn’t release your breath until you were attaching your holder to your hip in the change room. By now, your team would be aware that something was wrong, Hondo would be hell-bent on finding you.

Until you had help, you were on your own.

You used each blindspot of the cameras in the halls to the stairwell, and you used a broom to adjust the cameras. The cameras not kept you from view but not appearing suspicious. Once at the floor where Terry was practically always at you softly closed the door.

You’d only started to sit down when you heard the ding of the elevator, “Shit.”

You slipped into the closest containing extra parts if anything broke. Through the crack, you saw Terry being held at gunpoint. The gunman that had been holding the tablet on the floor, Ellis as you’d heard.

“You’re telling me every cop in the city has just disappeared?” Ellis demanded as Terry, and he disappeared around one of the corners. The tapping of a screen indicating Ellis was searching for something with Terry’s involuntary help.

“I’m telling you, I don’t know!” Terry snapped back, creating even more tension in the room, but Ellis didn’t move to grab his gun.

Ellis appeared to the only one reluctant to discharge your weapon, unlike Cue Ball, who just happened to join the party.

“Figure it out!” Ellis spat, turning on his heel at the sound of approaching footsteps. You could see him roll his eyes at his team member walking into the room.

“What’s going on here?” Cue ball questioned the duo in different kinds of distress, and you swore Cue Ball enjoyed the intimidation from his teammate and the IT specialist.

“That police car’s not the only one that’s gone dark.” Ellis nervously spoke, stiffening for the volatile reaction that one could expect from Foster.

“You think they know we’re here?”

“Foster, it could be a system glitch.” Ellis offered keeping one eye on Cue Ball while monitoring Terry’s work as well.

Cue Ball spoke a sentence that sent chills up your spine, “Time to cut our losses.”

As Foster and Ellis began going over their personal plans made out of Greg’s knowledge, you noticed Terry glance over. His eyes widened slightly before quickly looking away when you raised a finger across your lips.

“We can go down the back stairs. I have a car waiting around the corner, we split the art up between the five of us, and we go our separate ways.” Foster spoke, revealing his plan to double-cross Greg, which in all honesty made sense. Greg was ill-fitting to be in charge of their operation, unable to control his lackeys.

“I like that part of the deal.” Ellis breathed, skirting around the trigger happy criminal only to halt in his steps, “Wait, you’ve got a car parked down the street? You were always gonna double-cross Greg.”

“You weren’t?”

“If we’re gonna do this, you can’t just sell famous works of art on eBay.”

“You can’t sell them from prison either.”

At that moment, something almost shifted in the area, something that made you pull your gun from your holster. Your body telling you something was about to happen. It happened in a split second. Foster fled the room leaving only Ellis just outside. With Terry frantically shaking his head, you tiptoed to the unsuspecting criminal.

“LAPD!” You shouted, pointing your gun towards the shocked man, “Put the gun down and put your hands up.”

“Aren’t you a dispatcher?” Ellis questioned, blinking in surprise.

“Aren’t you supposed to be intelligent? Next time check the schedule I haven’t worked here in years.” You spat, keeping your gun pointed on him, “Do I say-”

The sound of two guns going off made Terry flinch and scream as he instinctively dropped to the ground. IT was supposed to be safe, but Terry had now heard three gunshots in under two hours. He really didn’t want to see the outcome of the shots.

A moan coaxed Terry to peek out through the privacy glass. Ellis was on the ground while you kept your gun on him. He didn’t see anything else when the power went out. He didn’t see you drop to your knees, but he heard you.

“Terry...get down. Lay on your stomach with your hands insight, and don’t move.” You informed the terrified IT just as the floor was swarmed.

“Put the gun down!” The sound of Tan’s voice was welcoming as you slowly placed the gun on the ground. “25-David I have Y/L/N. The suspect is down, need medical.”

You got back to your feet when Tan nodded his head, “Thank god. There’s a possible body in the IT room along with the It Specialist Terry.”

“You got your badge on you?” Tan questioned as he cuffed the moaning Ellis up, “Street can you escort her down?”

Street nodded from his position, watching Tan’s back before guiding you to the stairs with hawk eyes. Even off duty, you kept your head on a swivel.

“You caused quite the commotion.” Street spoke halfway down the stairs when you barely mumbled. He caught you as you went down like a sack of potatoes, “Y/N!”

“Adrenaline is crashing.” You moaned, looking at your shoulder where the maroon had grown darker, “I think he shot me.”

“26-David I’m in the stairway. Prepare a medic.” Street spoke into his radio before he strapped the gun away and swept you into his arms, “Think you can have my back?”

“When don’t I?” You wheezed, with the sweat starting to bead on your forehead. As you crashed from adrenaline, you barely noticed being placed on the ground at the main entrance.

A paramedic cutting your borrowed shirt to reveal the bullet hole in your shoulder courtesy of Ellis, the only member who’d thought wouldn’t shoot his gun. You could vaguely hear Maddie calling out your name as you were loaded onto a gurney.

“M-Maddie?” You spoke, tilting your head to see Chris holding Maddie back from, “Chris! That’s my sister in law.”

Chris only let Maddie go when Hondo gave the all-clear, and you were so thankful when Maddie’s hand encased yours.

“Don’t close your eyes.” Maddie pleaded sick with the amount of blood on your skin and soaking through the gauze, “Who’s gonna help me put up with my little brother?”

“Buck.” You breathed sluggishly, blinking as the artificial lights changed to natural with the gun shining through the glass front doors.

“You didn’t let me close mine in that ambulance, so I need you to do the same. Don’t close them. I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.” Maddie cried as an officer pulled her aside as you were stopped. You wouldn’t remember it, but Maddie had to watch as you coded right in front of her.

Maddie had to watch them perform CPR on you and fight for a pulse. She had to think of how’d she’d tell her little brother she’d killed his fiance. The counting of the paramedics sounded as if underwater, and as they did, the world went quiet. Her mind checked out as the trauma settled in.

Maddie stumbled out of the building into a zoo of officers, medics, and news reporters almost robotically. She barely felt Chimney hug her, but she wrapped her arms around him and sobbed.

“It’s all my fault.” Maddie gasped, collapsing against him, “If I had-”

“Maddie?”

Chimney felt Maddie stiffen at the sound of Buck’s voice amidst the multiple voices milling around. Maddie raised her gaze to meet Buck’s blue eyes dripping in relief and question.

“Buck.”

“Maddie, where’s Y/N? Her car…” Buck trailed off, catching the utter heartbreak in his big sister’s eyes. A look he’d come to know in his line of work as a firefighter. The utter devastation that came with watching someone you love die, “No. No.”

“I got a pulse!” Came from the nearest ambulance, and Buck skirted around his sister and Chimney, “Ready to transport!”

Your eyes slowly blinked at the white ceiling of the ambulance with pain in your midsection courtesy of chest compressions. Breathing came painful, and the bullet wound throbbed, but it all faded when you saw blue eyes above you.

“Buck.” You sobbed, more like groaned, as he was urged to sit on the bench holding your hand, “Maddie?”

“She’s okay. Chim’s got her. Can you keep your eyes on me? I need to see those big beautiful e/c eyes.” Buck soothed, bringing your hand to his lips, “Did I ever tell you my favourite colour?”

Despite Buck’s best attempts, you continued fading in and out of consciousness but continued to be stable. He spoke about the funny video Eddie had shown him of Christopher at the end of their shift last night. He talked about everything and anything under the sun during the short ride to the hospital.

The last thing you saw was Buck being held back as the paramedics pushed the gurney into the ER. Everything turned black.

The beeping was the first thing you heard before your eyes fluttered open to a stark white room and that unmistakable hospital scent. You noticed the second thing as Buck holding your hand in both of his with his forehead pressed against them.

“Buck?” You moaned to the one person you had wished to see. The man whose eyes were bloodshot from crying, “What’s wrong?”

“Your heart stopped beating twice. I thought I was gonna lose you.” Buck cried with his lips pressed against your hand, “I was so worried.”

“Hey. I’m fine. I’m here.” You cooed, tugging one hand away to run through his messy hair with a soft smile. His blue eyes brighten at the familiar feeling of your digits in his hair, “I’m not going anywhere. This isn’t here for decoration.”

His eyes found the ring he’d gently placed back on your finger from when the nurses had removed it. It only left your finger when you were on duty, in which it was slung on a necklace hidden under your uniform.

“Better not be.”

“Does the hospital have a chapel?” You questioned out of the blue leading to Buck snorting as you giggled, “I’m serious. When I was bleeding in that building, all I could think about was you. If Maddie is anything like you, she’s waiting in the waiting room with Chimney.”

“You aren’t wrong. All the chairs are taken. Our family was waiting for you to wake up.” Buck breathed, leaning closer to press a sweet kiss to your lips, “Are you sure?”

“About marrying you?” You softly questioned the man who couldn’t help but believe this was a dream. How he’d somehow got the girl of his dreams to agree to marry his ass, “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. All I want to share is your last name for the rest of my life. You are it for me, Evan Buckley. All the flaws you see are beautiful to me.”

“Only you would want to get married after being shot mere hours ago.” Buck chuckled with a sigh pulled from his pink lips, “I’ll get the doctor for you and find out if we can be married here.”

While you were checked out, Buck left the room to go back to the waiting room where the 118 and your co-workers waited. Everyone perked up at his appearance, Christopher asleep on Eddie’s lap.

“Is she okay?” Bobby questioned as the tension in the room grew more and more. It shattered into relief when Buck grinned.

“She’s sore as expected. She’s gonna catch some sleep, but she’d like to see Maddie.” Buck replied, pinning his gaze on his big sister with her curled into Chimney’s body. Her cheeks flooded with tears of absolute relief, “C’mon.”

The waiting room started emptying with Buck’s promise to keep everyone updated, but before Bobby could step away, Buck asked for him.

“Do you need a few days off?” Bobby questioned just as Buck came closer to the seasoned firefighter.

“No. But could you spare an hour?” The expression on Buck’s face was enough for Bobby not to ask any further questions. He simply followed Buck back towards your hospital room, where Maddie and Chim waited.

“What’s going on?” Bobby inquired, with the addition of the hospital assigned Priest holding the standard bible. Chimney could only shrug in response to whatever was going on.

“I know there have been times we haven’t seen eye to eye, but Bobby, you’re like a father to me. You gave me chance after chance when anyone else would have given up. You guided me on how to be a man. Y/N and I would like it if you’d be here for this.”

“Wait, are you getting married? What about the wedding?” Maddie spluttered, flicking her gaze between her brother and you. Her question surprised her boyfriend and Bobby.

“We’ll still have it. But I want to marry her without the pressure of our parents. Just a private ceremony with some of the people that mean the most to us.” Buck answered for the two of you, “Would you stay?”

“Of course.” Maddie softly spoke with a slideshow of memories playing in her mind of watching Buck grow up.

Watching Evan go through all kinds of injuries, all in the name of attention but never getting it the way he deserved it. She remembered giving him advice for asking out Donna and holding him when he was rejected. The little toddler with the impish grin somehow turned into an idiot in the hospital.

Maddie saw the man her little brother had turned into with the help of the 118 and you.

Buck’s fingers made quick work of buttoning his short-sleeve uniform with the sudden appearance of his friend.

“That’s new.” Eddie spoke from his opened locker holding his uniform and a picture of his family on the door. It was a picture of Christopher, Buck, you and Eddie from the zoo a couple months back.

Buck looked over at his best friend, “Hm?”

“The ring.” Eddie snorted dramatically, looking at the ring that had been living on his finger since he married you five days ago, “Did my invite get lost in the mail?”

“Nah, we just got married in the hospital. We’re still planning the wedding to appease both sides of our family. And I promised Christopher he could be in the wedding. With Y/N on medical leave, the planning will be faster. She’s going stir crazy after five days.” Buck finished tucking in the shirt into his work-issued pants. Lastly, he slid his ring onto the metal chain he had bought recently.

Like you did, he would wear it around his neck when working for safety reasons.

“I’m happy for you, man.” Eddie told his friend just as the bell rang, “You’ll have to tell me how you’re liking the married life.”

“But first, we have a job to do.” Buck supplied all the while jogging to suit up in his turnout gear with Hen and Chimney.

#evan buckley imagines #evan buckley #evan buckley x reader #evan buckley x fem!reader #evan buckley oneshot #911 imagines #911 oneshots #oliver stark #evan buck buckley #evan buckley x y/n #evan buckley x you #caitsy and ash productions

1K notes · View notes

batstorm93672 · 2 years ago

Text

Champion

~First (You're here)~ Next>>>

Damian barely kept himself upright, how long has it been?

About a month?

Could've fooled him, might as well have been an agonizing year.

He was kidnapped, tormented and had to endure so much shit and no one came to get him.

Were they even looking? Did they try?

Or did they simply not care enough?

The amount of torture he was put through... he's done it before but never like that. Being forced into water until he could barely breath then being strapped up and electrocuted for hours on end. Worst of all the moment when he was put into that ring... the blood on his hands. Having to go back into that mindset, how many children were down there? How many did he kill? Just to live, only to be tortured. Hell he somehow became their prized champion and killed adults as well.

He couldn't take it, finally escaped and yet he left so many innocent children behind. Maybe... if he gets home, if they even care to ask, he can tell Batman the location and let him save the hostages forced to kill others just so adults will bet on who will win. It was gambling in the worst way.

Damian kept moving, it's still Gotham. But where the fuck is he? No wait, that's the Clock tower in the distance. Okay... about ten miles West, that should help Batman in locating.

Damian kept moving, he had to break his arm so the adult in charge of making sure there was no fatal injuries to their "items" would check him, giving him enough time to headbutt the man and run out.

"DAMIAN?!"

Oh, how long has he been walking? This place...

It's his.

Red Hood was on a rooftop and he dropped down to get a better look. "Holy crap Damian! What happened? We've been searching like crazy for you! Where were you?"

As touching as this moment may be, honestly Damian was just furious. Damian smacked Red Hood's hand away when he tried to place his hand on his shoulder. "Like any of you cared" "Yeah well I wouldn't be asking if I didn't" "Liar..." "Damian... why would I lie to my brother who I'm concerned about?"

Now why would I lie to my champion? I mean it, you've done well living keep at it

"No! I'm not yours, I was never yours. You greedy selfish bastard, I'm not yours I don't want to live like this!"

Damian was panting, glaring at Red Hood as if he was a monster.

"Let me take you home Dami. You don't seem to be in the best shape"

Then it crashed down, he had survived. He had killed. He was tortured. He was beaten bloody. He left those children... they would suffer like him still. And their champion would make it safe and sound while they die and kill.

Damian blacked out.

#damian wayne #red hood #mentioned batman #you bet this is going to have more parts!#woohoo! i'm fired up for this one #tw torture #tw kidnapping #tw killing #tw blood

15 notes · View notes

buckybarnesdiaries · 4 years ago

Text

secrets

bucky barnes x reader. ⎢ masterlist.

request made by @homesicam: hi maria!! can I have prompt 15, feels mysterious and all and god bless bucky's soul (ofc) !! and thank you so much for your work !! ❤️

prompt: “Will be our secret”.

word count: 1.165 words.

warnings/tags: none. bucky feeling like a lost puppy trying to fit in.

author notes: none of my stories contain reader’s body descriptions to be inclusive.

Join the tag list here.

Like every time you came back from a mission, where you needed a little calm, you waited for the small hours to hit the clock. Walking out from your dorm, you led your feet through the hallways to downstairs. Crossing the huge large living room, you stepped to the back garden of the compound. As soon as you took off your house slippers, you continued along the grass, feeling the strands of grass beneath your toes tickling you. The sky was covered by shining stars all around and for a split second your mind went blank. There wasn’t any horror, any danger, any pain. The wounds and the scratches in your face and arms went to the background, as you closed your eyes to breathe the soft breeze fluttering your hair. You felt free.

Taking a seat on the grass, you put your knees against your chest and wrapped them with both arms. Sometimes you used to think about what made you so special to be part of the Avengers. You weren’t like Natasha, a professional spy. You weren’t like Tony, a genius. And of course, you weren’t a god, nor a witch, nor a supersoldier. Not even just a soldier like Sam. Of course, they were more than those skills. You were just an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. that survived its destruction and falling. It was inevitable to feel small when you joined them in their missions. Even so, it was better if any of them heard you talk about yourself like that, or they’d end up kicking your ass to be too humble and unfair with yourself and how much you train and work hard every single day. With no excuses.

“A broken heart is all that’s left, I’m still fixing all the cracks. Lost a couple of pieces when I carried it, carried it, carried it home…” Like a defense mechanism against your own hurtful thoughts, you started to sing with your eyes put on a starry night above your head.

A few days ago, you discovered that song and got really obsessed for some reason you didn’t know. It was like picking at the scab, thinking about your parents, about how much you missed them, about what they could be thinking about you. Would they feel proud? Would they feel scared?

“I’m afraid of all I am. My mind feels like a foreign land, silence ringing inside my head. Please, carry me… carry me… carry me home”.

“You sound like my mother”.

Those words raced your heart, more because of the surprise of someone else being there than for the confession. You couldn’t help but jump up from the floor, shaking the strands of grass from your clothes. Bucky was in front of you, a couple of steps away. He had his head slightly tilted to the right, squinting with some kind of confusion running through his mind. You crossed your arms on your chest a little ashamed, rubbing your nose with a side of your hand as you tried to hold back a tear.

Then, you dawn on and your brain reproduced his words again. For you, it meant a shock. You could count with the fingers of both hands the times you had shared a couple of words, maybe a small talk in a meeting before a mission. And you were sure it was the first time you two were alone. Bucky was pretty quiet, even shy you’d dare to say. After all the shit he lived in for many years, the fear of coming back to those dark days was still chasing him. Steve told you that he used to try and speak to anyone, to be normal, to be trusted. But after what he was forced to do, no one really trusted in him. And it wasn’t like you didn’t care about his past, because you’d be lying to yourself, but you were of those kinds of persons who thought that everybody deserves a second chance. If you didn’t give them anything to believe in, how would they be believers?

“Did she…?” You intoned slowly driven by curiosity, now that Bucky seemed interested in starting a conversation either way. But you didn’t want to sound disrespectful.

“She used to sing for my sister and me”. You watched him keep his hands inside the pockets of his sweatpants, coming closer to you as he noticed you weren’t afraid of him.

“My mom did it too”. You replied then, showing him a fleeting smile curving up your lips.

As soon as Bucky witnessed the sweet gesture from you and the way you were continuing the conversation, he felt relaxed. He felt welcomed from the first time he stepped into the compound. You waved a hand towards him, urging him to sit down as you went back to your seat on the grass. He joined you without hesitation, cheered up inside for making a new friend.

You lost track of time talking about everything and anything at the same time. Talking about your families, discovering he had a sister called Rebecca. Talking to you about the old good times where Steve and he were just a couple of punk wreak havoc all around Brooklyn. You couldn’t stop laughing, showing him how excited you were to know more about him and his adventures. You told him about the farm where you used to live and how you built something like a training camp to prepare yourself to join S.H.I.E.L.D. Bucky was fascinated by your determination and perseverance, comparing you to Steve when he wanted to join the army, before being Captain America.

Inevitably, you yawned when the sunset was about to happen, earning a soft nudge from the soldier. “C’mon, you should rest”.

“Yeah, I’m pretty dead… drawbacks of being only human”.

He stood up before you, helping you to get up from the ground. You walked indoors keeping silent, not knowing actually how to say goodbye. It was an awkward situation that barely lasted two seconds.

“Listen, about before… I’d appreciate it if you don’t say anyt—”.

“Sure”. Bucky interrupted you. The gesture of his face suddenly changed to a sad grimace with a feigned smile on his lips. “You don’t have to worry about”.

“Good! Uh… thank you. I bet Stark will bully me about the singing thing all the time. He can be a pain in the ass sometimes”. You couldn’t help but sigh with relief when his blue eyes, placed on his boots, were raised with a special shine on them. There, you understood what he thought about your uncompleted petition. “And about… you know, talking, I wouldn’t mind repeating it anytime else”.

“Only if you sing for me”. Bucky’s voice was like a soft breeze caressing your face, filled with hope and enthusiasm. You tilted your head, narrowing your eyes towards him. “Will be our secret”.

“Okay, deal”. You chuckled nodding. “Good night, Bucky”.

“Good night, (Y/N)”.

feedback is appreciated, please, leave a comment to let me know if you liked it.

and REBLOG!!! 🤍

TAG LIST: @mystic-232 @homesicam @theresnoplatypus @i-love-scott-mccall @slutfornat @goldielocks2004 @whatrambles @the-mystery-spot @multiyfandomgirl40 @spidergirla5 @wanniiieeee @fanofalltheficsx @spideysimpossiblegirl @nocturnalherb16 @valenquei @golden-hoax @hunter-of-baker-street @missusstark @vhscherry @warm-sensations @addictedtofictionalcharacters @sarahsmcu @tinylumpiaa @amelia-song-pond @heartislubbingdubbing @stolenxkissess @clean-and-claire @winchestersgirl222 @virgoroses @marvel-ousnesss @me-a-hopeless-romantic @rvgrsbrns @maccasbeard @haileygarciasunshine @lewd-alien @kait-is-always-late @mckenna @weenersoldierr @mxltifaves @soldierstucky @blissxi @theboldandthebootyful @arkofblake @isabellamur @kiwisa

@mayans-sauce @petlaufeyson @sheeshgivemeabreak @megapeacelovemusic-blog @greeneyedblondie44

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky x reader #sebastian stan x reader #sebastian stan imagine #sebastian stan x you #the winter soldier x reader #bucky x y/n #bucky x you

681 notes · View notes

helplessly-nonstop · 3 years ago

Text

Laughing Gas Confession (L. Hemmings imagine)

I’ve been working on this fix for quite some time but since Luke decided to realize a new album, I finally managed to gain motivation to finish this fic! Anyway reader gets their wisdom teeth pulled and this is the results! Tagging my girlie @wrestlingfae

WC: 2352

Wisdom teeth. The bane of any person’s existence if they ever had the displeasure of them coming in. Truly the only thing a person could ever gain from them coming in might be the humerus videos you capture while on laughing gas. My experience however? A little less humorous and a lot more exposing.

“Come on, you’re being a baby about this, just go to the dentist and let them pull the wisdom teeth, you’ll feel much better!” Luke insisted as he shut the door behind us. I groaned as he continued to pester me about setting up a dentist appointment to remove the nightmares pressing against my jaw.

“Luke, I have no one to bring me home! They’re going to use laughing gas and I can’t drive while high.” I retorted, beginning to put away the groceries, only to press my fingers against the hinge of my jaw as the ache began to grow more painful. He stared at me with a disbelieving look then he exclaimed, “I’m off tour, I can take you! I mean, we’re best friends, isn’t that what we’re supposed to do? Take each other to the dentist, make sure you don’t ruin the Uber driver’s car flooring with vomit.”

“Okay, that was one time! That’s what you get for giving me Chipotle while I’m hammered. I mean, technically, me puking on that guy’s floor was your fault for letting me drink with Cal. You know he always encourages me to do bad things.” I insisted, handing him the milk to put away. He sighed, clearly realizing that I had won that point, and returned to our current argument, “Just let me take you. I swear, I won’t record you. I’ll just make sure you get there and back, safe and sound. Okay?”

We stared at one another for a while before I sighed, muttering, “Alright, fine, just make sure that I get there and back without breaking a bone.” His blue eyes sparkled at my agreement before he kissed me on my forehead then launched into making dinner as I dug through the freezer in search of an ice pack to press against my jaw. At least I’d finally get rid of these stupid wisdom teeth.

My appointment was set for tomorrow and dread was beginning to set in. Laughing gas loosened your lips and things that should remain a secret had the chance of slipping out. I was sitting on my bed, considering other options to pull my wisdom teeth without using laughing gas but ultimately came up empty. Unfortunately it seemed that this was the only way. Of course, I could have asked any of the other guys to take me to the dentist, but I feared that would hurt Luke. I just hoped that I could keep my secret locked away from even the grasps of the laughing gas..

“Today’s the day,” Luke crowed, bursting into my room, “C’mon, it’s time to take out those nasty wisdom teeth of yours!” I groaned and ducked my head beneath my pillow once again as I grumbled, “Why? Why did it have to be me to be cursed with a morning person as a best friend?” He flopped on my bed then lifted my pillow away from my face as he replied, “Balances out your night owl habits. Now come on, I bet you’re dying to get those bastards pulled.”

“It’s like you’re excited to see me suffer through recovery. Sadistic fuck. Alright, go, I’m getting dressed.” I muttered, shoving him off my bed. He groaned as he hit the floor then gave a small wave as he shut my bedroom door behind him, leaving me alone for the time being. I quickly changed and stared at the clock as I began to process what could happen.

Today was the day that I would risk the chance of exposing my love for my best friend of many years. What would I even do if I let it slip? Would he hate me? Would he reject me? Would he feel the same? So many thoughts raced through my head that I didn’t even notice that Luke had reentered, holding a hairbrush out to me. He cleared his throat and I glanced up with a sheepish smile then accepted the brush as he asked, “You need your shoes?” I looked around my room briefly and pointed to the stray pair of sneakers hiding beside my dresser before finishing brushing my hair.

He handed me my shoes and ran a hand through my hair as he assured me, “There’s nothing to worry about. They’re gonna take good care of you.” I smiled up at him and quickly pulled on my shoes before heading out the front door, sighing at the Los Angeles heat. We settled into the car and I stared out the window with a small sigh, prepared to finally get my teeth pulled.

“Hey you’re gonna be okay, there’s nothing to worry about. I’ve been to this dentist before, they’re really good.” Luke assured me, patting my hand. I smiled briefly then stared out the window, knowing damn good and well whether the dentist was good or not was at the bottom of my worry list for today.

We arrived at the dentist in fifteen minutes and I savored the knowledge that we wouldn’t be together while I’m high on laughing gas for too long. He guided me inside and I spoke to the nurse running the front desk while Luke investigated the assortment of pamphlets that were splayed across their wall. Settling back beside him, I gripped the arms of the chair, terror beginning to set in. What would happen as soon as I exited the exam room? Would I expose the truth? Could I prevent a secret from spilling out?

Long fingers slid over the top of my hand and I jerked out of my panic as Luke gave a tight squeeze. He smiled and assured me,”Hey it’s okay! I’ll be right here when you’re done, okay?” Just a few words and my heart began to settle. The nurse entered the waiting area then glanced up from his clipboard, calling my name. My best friend waved a hand towards the exam area then chirped, “A new life awaits you. One without pain.”

The words echoed in my head as I settled in the chair and the dentist coached me through how to breathe in the laughing gas before a haze settled over my thoughts. The operation was a quick procedure and the pressure of them removing the four monsters that evolution cursed us with was nothing compared to the relief I felt.

The nurse was kind enough to help Luke with guiding me to the car and I pressed my cheek against the cool glass of the window, poking my cheek to feel the gauze stuffed in my mouth. He swatted my hand away and chided, “Don’t do that, you’ll make it hurt worse later.” I pouted at his warning then mumbled,”You’re no fun, Luke. Why you gotta be a buzzkill?” He chuckled at my whining and ruffled my hair as he replied, “I’m not being a buzzkill, I’m saving you from yourself.”

We managed to go through the drive through without another incident of me being a disaster, which I’m sure he was thankful for. He tugged me out of the car and urged, “Come on, let’s get you inside, silly.”

“You know, I love you so fucking much, Lukey. Like holy shit.” I mumbled, leaning into his chest. He laughed as he guided me into the living room then replied, “I love you too. We should really get you laid down before you pass out on me. Doctor said by the time you got home, you’ll be about ready to sleep.” I smiled softly at him as I landed on the couch and insisted, “No, not- not like a best friend loves their best friend. I love you like a boyfriend and girlfriend love each other.”

His eyes widened at the statement then I began to lay down on the couch as I mumbled, “Prolly shouldn’t have said that but ya know how it is. Easy goes the truth you want most exposed. The subconscious is a strange place, Luke.” He gave a shallow nod and turned out of the living room then returned with a blanket, draping it over me as my eyes began to close. Long fingers brushed my cheek briefly then I heard him murmur something to me, but the pain medicine was beginning to settle in.

When I finally came to, I was still curled up on the couch, with a blanket curled around my shoulders and a pillow clutched to my cheek. Glancing around, I realized that Luke had disappeared from the living room, leaving me to nap by myself. I groaned, pressing a tender hand to my jaw, then mumbled, “Ah fuck, right. Wisdom teeth are gone.” I pushed off the couch and stumbled into the bathroom so I could pull the bloody gauze from my mouth. I moved my bottom jaw briefly, only to regret the decision as pain struck. I groaned and clenched my eyes closed, hoping that the agony would settle down.

“Hey, you’re up. You want something to eat? I made soup.” Luke asked, leaning against the bathroom doorway. I turned at the sound of his voice and questioned, “How long was I out?” He hummed at the question, glancing down at his phone screen as it chimed, then replied, “About four hours. Not a bad nap. Come on, let’s get some food for you.”

As the week progressed, I noticed Luke had become distant. He moved away when I leaned against him, particularly when he was texting which was never an issue in our friendship. We often flocked to one another when we were chatting with friends and even potential love interests so it was strange for him to shy away.

When I entered a room, he would leave just seconds later, as if he couldn’t stand the thought of standing in the same area as me. What had happened when my wisdom teeth were pulled? Had my behavior while dealing with the pain really drove my best friend away? Or worse, did I tell him my biggest secret while I was under the influence of laughing gas and pain medicine? And if so, how long would our friendship last?

I allowed his strange behavior to continue unquestioned for another week, hoping that it was a mere coincidence that he was acting so strange so soon after my wisdom teeth surgery. But I finally caved on demanding what his problem was when I tried to hug him, only for him to sidestep me.

“Was there- did I do something wrong? Because if I did, I’d really like to know what’s causing you to act like this towards me.” I asked, stepping forward to try and meet his eyes. He turned on his heel and ran a hand through his hair before he grumbled, “So that’s why you didn’t want me to take you to the dentist. Because you were afraid of telling me the truth while you were under?” I raised an eyebrow at him and began to ask what he meant, only to pause when his words sank in.

“Oh my god, I didn’t. Please tell me that I did not say what I think you’re saying that I said.” I rushed out, not caring if it had made any sense. He flickered his gaze up to me then he snapped, “How long? How long have you been hiding the fact that you’re in love with me?”

“I’m kind of hoping that’s an optional question to answer.” I admitted, twisting my fingers together. He whipped to face me and shouted, “Goddammit, this isn’t a fucking joke to me, so quit deflecting and tell me what I want to know!” I flinched back at his anger then demanded, “Why are you so pissed that I didn’t tell you that I’m in love with you? I have a right to hide things, Luke! It’s not like you feel- never mind, just let me take my medicine.”

He stepped in front of me and held a hand up as he said simply, “Finish what you were going to say. You know me so well, tell me what you were going to say.” I glanced up at him then murmured, “It’s not like you feel the same anyway.”

“But how would you know that? You’re dismissing me before you even give me the chance to tell you how I even feel! You think I’d take just someone to the dentist? I mean- fuck! I wish you’d just let me tell you how I actually feel instead of acting like I wouldn’t give you a second of my time. I’m in love with you, dammit!” he shouted, chest heaving. My jaw dropped as we stared at one another, silence settling over our living room, then he drew in a deep breath, hissing,”I wasn’t going to confess like this. You just riled me up so fast, dammit.”

“You're in love with me?” I croaked out, surprise taking over my anger. He drew in a deep breath, as if he was preparing to give a giant speech, then he whispered, “I’ve been in love with you since high school. I just thought that you only wanted to be friends.” I cupped his face and he leaned into me, pressing his forehead against mine then I mumbled, “I thought I never stood a chance. That’s why I never made a move. I was terrified of what would happen if you didn’t feel the same.”

“Two halves of a whole idiot on the same thing, I guess.” he replied, giving a small smile. I giggled and asked, “Would my other half give me a kiss then?” He gave me a gentle kiss then assured me, “The second that you’re all healed up, I’m going to kiss you so fucking hard.”

“You better keep that promise, pretty boy.”

#Luke hemmings #Luke hemmings imagines #Luke hemmings fluff #Luke hemmings angst #5sos #5sos imagines #5sos fluff #5sos angst #cass content

183 notes · View notes

theladyofdeath · 3 years ago

Text

Tempting the Fates {Chapter 4}

Summary: It’s the final semester of Aelin Galathynius’ collegiate career and she is so beyond ready to be done. Her schedule is packed full of nursing classes and labs designed to test her knowledge and hone her skills for the real world and her “big girl” job. However, she needs one last elective to graduate, so she decides to study a subject she’s always been fascinated by: Mythology. Who would have thought that a class about gods and goddesses living complicated lives would end up complicating her own in such an unexpected way?

Word Count: 2550

Chapters will be posted every Wednesday.

Tempting the Fates Masterlist

Shelby’s Masterlist

Tara’s Masterlist

Apollo

– God of light, prophecy, inspiration, poetry, the sun, music and arts, medicine and healing

Aelin tried to convince herself that she got up and got ready two hours early for class because of her busy schedule. She kept telling herself it was for the meeting she had with her advisor, about a possible internship at the end of the semester.

She knew that both reasons, while extremely important, were full of shit. She knew she’d showered, blow dried and curled her hair for Rowan. It wasn’t that she was trying to impress him. She’d already done that and the chance she had to be with him had come and gone.

No, now it was about proving to him that even though this class may be a gen ed, she was taking it seriously.

Dropping the class had crossed her mind. She really didn’t need to take it, she could still find a different one to pick up. But she didn’t want to think about the sort of impression it would leave about her.

If there was anything to know about Aelin Galathynius, it was that she was not a quitter, nor did she run from her problems.

Or heartaches.

With one last look in the mirror, and a whistle from Lysandra, Aelin was out the door and hurrying across campus. She grabbed a coffee on the way, but avoided her usual place, knowing full well that Rowan enjoyed the same famous cafe that she did.

He wasn’t there yet when she got to the hall, but she took the same seat she had the class before.

She wondered if Rowan would be looking for her this time.

She quickly shook the thought away.

With her hot coffee on the corner of her fold up desk, she was pulling out her notebook and a pen, waiting anxiously for class to begin.

For him to walk through the door.

Apparently he liked to be right on the dot, though, because students continued to wander in, but he did not.

She was tapping her pen against her notebook, doing her best not to stare at the clock. She was just anxious for her day to start. It wasn’t that she wanted to see Rowan.

Professor Whitethorn, she amended in her head. She had to quit thinking of him as Rowan. She couldn’t think of him like that anymore, his body pressing into hers, lips on her neck, as he—

Shaking her head, Aelin sighed and suddenly realized that the rest of the class had hushed. She was so focused on reprimanding herself for her highly inappropriate thoughts that she hadn’t noticed him come through the door and begin setting up for class. When she dared to glance towards the front, she found his eyes on her. He quickly looked away, going back to his laptop and setting up the PowerPoint on screen.

Maybe he hadn’t been looking at her.

Maybe it had all been in her mind.

But she didn’t think it had been.

He had been watching her.

“Happy Thursday, class,” he began, as the title page of his presentation flashed onto the board. “Glad to see you all showed up again. Must mean my first class didn’t suck.” Quiet laughter thrummed through the room. Aelin couldn’t muster a laugh, though. “On Tuesday, we covered the basics. So, today… Sorry, we’re doing that again.”

More laughter, especially from the pretty, flirty girls up front.

Aelin couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

Which, when she settled her eyes back on Rowan, he definitely saw.

Come on, get your shit together, she chastised herself. With her back straightened, she gave him her full attention.

She took dutiful notes, but his slides didn’t hold much in the way of information. They were mostly headers, with a few bullet points. Most of the important information, information she knew would be critical for homework or exams, came straight from Rowan’s mouth.

It was clear that he loved mythology, that it wasn’t just a class his aunt had tossed his way and told him to figure it out. He was a trove of knowledge and she noticed he had a habit of going on slight tangents when he got going on a topic he was clearly interested in.

After a student asked him to clarify what he meant about Hercules not being Zeus’ only son, he ended up talking for nearly twenty minutes about what the beloved Disney movie had gotten wrong. Aelin had stopped taking notes and was watching him go on and on about how Hades, while god of the underworld, was not necessarily a villain. He just had a job to do. A job that had rules that must be followed, or the consequences could damn not only him, but others involved. His eyes found hers again and the amused smile on her face fell as she made the correlation between their own situation and the story.

They held each other’s gazes for far longer than was appropriate, and Rowan cleared his throat, going back to the PowerPoint, and the predetermined lesson plans he’d made, which didn’t include children’s movie breakdowns.

She watched him.

She listened.

And she found it all fascinating.

Rowan peeked at the clock after going on and on, and stilled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, I guess I’ll end there. There is an assignment due by tomorrow evening. You can find and submit it online. It’s an opinion piece. I want a little insight as to why you were so interested to take this class, or what you’ve found fascinating so far.” He sat on his desk, his legs hanging over the side, his feet nearly touching the ground as he leaned back on his palms. Aelin found it charming. “You’re going to write a short essay telling me of your favorite deity. It could be one I’ve talked about so far, or one I haven’t. It’s your choice. But, tell me why they are your favorite. Give me a little depth. And, remember, this is a college course. Grammar counts.”

The clock struck nine-thirty and everyone began packing up. Aelin had been so captivated by his voice that she had to snap herself back to reality.

She quickly packed up her bag, alongside the other students around her. She noticed then how young they all were, and she was willing to bet that she may be the only senior on the roster. As she was descending the stairs, she found Rowan’s eyes on her again, but he looked away as his attention was taken, thanks to the group of girls who’d been sitting in the front row. She heard vague questions of whether they could all write about Aphrodite, since they all related to her.

The scoff Aelin thought she’d kept to herself had apparently been out loud, since not only Rowan looked at her as she passed, but so did the three girls. With his attention on her again, she decided to give him a little wave.

“See you later, Professor Whitethorn.”

If there was some extra sway to her hips, it wasn’t on purpose.

At least that’s what she told herself.

Two and a half hours later, Aelin was starving. She’d just gotten out of an extremely complicated lab and she could barely focus over the growling of her stomach. Twice, the instructor had looked over at her, half expecting to find a dog stashed under the table she was working at.

So when the class let out, she was hurrying toward the cafeteria ready to get a salad from the salad bar and a big ass slice of pizza.

It was all about balance.

As she was waiting in line to fill her plate with salad, she heard a voice behind her.

“Are you actually getting lettuce or just filling your plate with ham, cheese, and croutons?”

Aelin looked over her shoulder to find Chaol, her ex, suppressing a smile.

Aelin chuckled. “If it’s the same price, you may as well pile up on the good stuff.”

Chaol gave her a small smile. “Fair enough. It’s good to see you, Aelin. You look good.”

Things hadn’t ended the best between her and Chaol, but that had been just after freshman year. At least now when they ran into one another, they could have nice little conversations like this one.

No hard feelings.

“You too,” she said, and he did. He’d been in an accident the year before. They weren’t sure he was going to walk again. In all honesty, it was just good to see him on his feet.

“How long until your class?” He asked, sliding his tray along behind hers.

She glanced down at her watch. “About forty five minutes. You?”

“This is my long break,” he sighed. “I’ve got an hour and a half, but didn’t feel like leaving campus. Want to have lunch with me?”

“Sure.” Her smile wasn’t forced, it was easy and she was glad they could even do this, when three years again, they could barely be in the same room.

“I assume you’re getting a piece of pizza after this,” Chaol said with a smirk, nodding towards her plate. “So I’ll grab us a table while you get the rest of your lunch.”

She scoffed but nodded, and went off to get a slice of pizza. When she ordered her pizza, she also got a slice of cheesecake. It was his favorite, something she hadn’t forgotten, but it didn’t hurt that she liked it, too.

Finding him in the cafeteria, she sat down at the table across from him. “How’s Yrene doing?”

He blushed, and Aelin had to admit it was adorable. After his accident, he’d fallen for his physical therapist, and she was just as smitten with him. It must have been all the one-on-one sessions, because Chaol had never been one to let someone in. Aelin had met Yrene early in her med classes, but Yrene had specialized in PT and graduated in less than three years, taking as many classes as she could manage and even studying through the summers as well.

“It’s going good,” he said, at last. “We, uh, just moved in together, actually.”

Aelin lifted a brow. “That was fast.”

Chaol shot her a look.

Aelin laughed. “I didn’t mean it like that. I meant, good for you. I like Yrene. A lot. You two are good together.”

Chaol cleared his throat before taking a bite of his salad. “Thanks.”

Aelin chuckled, taking a bite of her pizza.

Chaol blinked. “What?”

“You get so uncomfortable when it comes to feelings,” she said. “Always have.”

His eyes narrowed at her. “That’s not true.”

Aelin stopped mid-chew and raised a brow.

Even Chaol couldn’t help but chuckle at the expression. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever. What about you? Seeing anyone?”

Aelin hesitated, then said, “No.”

A slow grin appeared on Chaol’s mouth. “Didn’t sound so sure about what one.”

Aelin shrugged. “Better be nice or I’m not sharing this magnificent cheesecake with you.”

Holding up his hands in placation, Chaol went back to his salad. Rowan was a dangerous topic, one she wouldn’t share with anyone but Lysandra, so she summed it up quickly. “Met someone I thought I hit it off with. Turns out we didn’t work.”

He slowly nodded. Aelin knew he’d had a couple failed relationships between her and Yrene. “I get it, I’m sorry. Still sucks.”

Shrugging again, she turned to her salad. “It happens. Not a big deal. So if you’re living with Yrene, does that mean you and Dorian broke up? Or is he playing house with you, too?”

Chaol leveled her with a look. Chaol and Dorian had been best friends long before they came to the University of Orynth. They were both from Adarlan, both trying to get away from overbearing fathers, and decided college across the country was the way to do it. They’d been roommates every year and Aelin couldn’t even imagine Chaol living with anyone except Dorian. But now he was. “He moved into an apartment with Manon this semester when I moved in with Yrene.”

Aelin blinked. “Blackbeak? He moved in with Manon Blackbeak?”

Nodding, Chaol went on. “Apparently, they’ve been dating for about a year, without anyone noticing.”

Something in the way he said it told Aelin that he had noticed, but when Dorian had his mind set on something, there was no stopping him. And apparently, he’d decided to date one of the most terrifying women on campus.

Aelin’s response was eloquent. “Wow.”

Chaol grinned. “I like it when you’re caught off guard. It’s satisfying.”

With a scoffed she nudged his leg with the toe of her sneaker. “Well, I don’t. Dorian will be getting a very angry phone call this afternoon.”

“I’ll be sure to give him a warning,” Chaol promised.

Aelin chuckled, taking the last bite of her pizza. “It’s good to see you all happy, though. Really.”

Chaol’s eyes softened. “Thanks, Aelin.”

She nodded. “Even if I am terrified that Dorian will get eaten alive.”

Chaol laughed, and she had forgotten how nice Chaol’s rare, hearty laugh was.

She meant it. She was so happy for them, both of them. It was interesting how things changed over the course of a few short years.

Their conversation continued, as did the laughs, and before she knew it, Aelin glanced down at her watch. She had less than fifteen minutes to haul ass back to the nursing building for her next class. Chaol, who had much longer to sit with nothing to do, assured her that he could handle her trash and told her to get to class. With a hug, and a promise that they’d have dinner soon, all of them, even Manon, Aelin was hurrying out of the cafeteria building.

Somehow, the entire time she’d been having lunch with Chaol, she hadn’t noticed the set of pine green eyes watching her.

Rowan’s own break had been at the same time as hers, but the gen ed building was much closer than wherever she was having to run off to, so he had longer to sit and— there was no denying it— brood. They were halfway across the room, so he couldn’t hear any of their conversation. He had no clue who the tall man was she smiled at so often, but clearly they were very familiar with each other with how easily they talked. And he made her laugh. A lot.

Rowan wasn’t sure why that was what grated on his nerves the most, but it unsettled him.

Seeing Aelin with someone else, someone clearly her own age, it all unsettled him. He didn’t like it. Almost as much as her parting words in class had.

See you later, Professor Whitethorn.

It’s like she was mocking him, yet at the same time, she clearly wasn’t. She was doing exactly as he’d asked of her, seeing him as her professor, not as her boyfriend.

No, he reprimanded himself. Not boyfriend. Hookup.

They’d had sex one time, that didn’t give either of them any claim over the other. It was a hookup and nothing more. And she was his gods-damned student.

She was off limits, in every way possible.

Yet he couldn’t figure out why seeing her with someone else, someone she should clearly be interested in instead of him, had him seeing red.

#rowaelin #rowan #aelin #fanfic #fanfiction #tog #throne of glass #modern au #professor au #college au #sjm #snacmc collab #snelbx x tacmc collab

150 notes · View notes