#press fucking post bea would you!

[elizabethmasen]

where do people watch the press confrences?????

[wordsofhoneydew]

happy wednesday y’all !!

you guys are getting more firstprincess this week… with smut this time 😏. i have another wip but that’s for a fic trade so im keeping it hush hush for now, can’t wait for y’all to see it though.

here is the playlist of songs that inspired me to write this fic. also, make sure to check out my side blog @wordsofkore for more of my poetry <3

thank you to @magicandarchery @firenati0n for the tags <3 loved seeing the work you guys posted!!

CW: NSFW !!! read at your own risk :P

“Look at you all flushed, darling,” Bea says just below a whisper, completely amused by the way June seemed to fall into her touch with such ease.

June’s grip on her waist tightens. “Stop teasing me.” She tries to sound assertive but her voice comes out as a whine, further feeding into Bea’s dominance.

“Tell me what you want, June.”

“Fuck—“ June bucks her hips upward into Bea’s groin, pursuing the feeling of her warmth, wishing that the layers of their clothing would just go away. “I need to feel you. Please.”

“Where, love? Here?” Bea’s lips are back on her neck, this time sucking harshly at the spot right above her pressure point. June lets out a hiss at the sharpness of her teeth, as though she was a vampire. Bea then pulls from her neck with a loud pop, blowing on the small red spot on her neck that had just been abused, and it causes a shiver to run down June’s spine. She was a writhing mess under Bea, at an utter loss for words. Just moaning, whimpering gasping under the other's touch.

“I need you to use your words.”

But June just couldn’t. She was dissolving more and more by the second, with Bea still holding her hair taut, to the assault that was just painted on her neck, which she is sure would leave the most obvious hickeys. Bea scopes down at her, patiently awaiting a response from June.

“No—“ June chokes out between gasps.

“Here?” Letting go of the grip on June’s hair, Bea runs her hand tantalizingly slow over her chest, down her stomach and then to the one place that ached the most for Bea’s touch. June lets out an embarrassingly loud moan when she softly palms her pussy over her thin leggings. “You like that don’t you, darling. I can already feel you soaked through your pants,” she fucking laughs, and June becomes increasingly exasperated at how much control Bea has over her, and how pliant she is to her every touch. June wasn’t going to stop her though.

She finds her voice then, “I said stop fucking teasing me.”

Bea presses her fingers harder against the growing pool in Junes pants before replying through gritted teeth, “then tell me what you fucking want.” her tone austere, but the mischievous grin on her face giving herself away.

“I want your clothes off.”

June has to hold herself back from kissing away the smug look off of Bea’s face, so she peers back at her, watching as Bea inches her brown leather jacket off her shoulders slowly, revealing the elegance of her fair skin.

NO PRESSURE TAGS TO: @anincompletelist @nocoastposts @getmehighonmagic @affectionatelyrs @matherines @inexplicablymine @myheartalivewrites @priincebutt @kiwiana-writes @sherryvalli @sparklepocalypse @dragonflylady77 @ssmtskw @bitbybitwrites @read-and-write- @strandnreyes @littlemisskittentoes @changinghearts @indomitable-love

[razzmatome]

First

         Lifting on her toes, she pressed her lips to his. She saw his eyes narrow further, but they didn’t close. He was still waiting to see how far she was willing to go.

         Which annoyed her. He annoyed her.

Pairing: Jude/fOC

Words: 2296

CW: Mild suggestive sexual behaviour

Prompt: First kiss

A/N: First fic in a long time but when the prompt was posted in the Discord, my brain went into hyper drive. OC isn't Kate but got caught up with Jude through other means. Headers and borders from @/natimiles

         She was not cut out for physical activity.

         Panting as she ran, Bea could only focus on making sure she didn’t trip over her own feet. The vice grip Jude had on her wrist told her he was unlikely to stop if she fell and being hauled through streets and back alleys was embarrassing enough as it was. She didn’t need to add insult to injury and have him drag her as well.

         But, God, she needed him to stop running!

         They’d been going to check one of his warehouses for a new shipment when he’d realised they were being followed. He hadn’t wasted any time hustling her into an alleyway to cut across town. But it hadn’t done any good as they’d run into even more people who’d ‘wanted to have a word with Mr Jazza’.

         Now they were running. Because she was there. If he’d been alone, he probably would have dealt with them, but he’d made her come along because it was her shipment that had come in. She had tried to tell him that it was fine, that she could check them later, but no. He’d wanted her there, telling her it was pointless for him to check the quality of the fabric later when they could check it now. But now she was a liability to him instead of just an annoyance.

         “J-Jude,” she gasped as he turned down another alley. “Stop!”

         She heard the sharp noise he made but he didn’t slow. At this rate, she was going to pass out. A sharp ache was throbbing in her side and she couldn’t breathe. She needed him to stop. Surely, they’d gone far enough and didn’t need to keep up this pace.

         It finally happened when he rounded a corner sharply. She overbalanced and stumbled. There was no time to react, and she resigned herself to the pain that was coming. Along with the tongue lashing that was sure to come immediately after.

         But it didn’t. Jude pulled on her arm as he turned, keeping her from completely tipping over, and grunted as she fell into him. She felt him stiffen as he braced them both to keep them out of the dirt.

         When he didn’t say anything, she gripped his shirt and fought to get her breathing back under control. Her everything felt like it was on fire and-

         “We ain’t got time to stop, princess.”

         -he was completely fine. Maybe a little winded but fine. Because this was a normal part of his life. She sucked in a deep breath and shook her head. “You go,” she panted.

         “Ha? The fuck you sayin’? They saw ya with me,” he said shortly, pulling away from her and not letting go of her arm. “You think they’re just gonna let ya walk away?”

         She knew that but she was going to slow him down. She could tuck away somewhere to hide and make her way back to safety after they’d passed. Maybe it was wrong to use him as bait to save her own skin, but this was his fault in the first place.

         He took a step back toward her when she didn’t move, making her head tip back to meet his gaze. “Ya thinkin’ of doin’ somethin’ dumb, princess? Somethin’ noble?” he sneered.

         Hiding was hardly noble. “I’m going to fucking pass out,” she snapped back. “I can’t run anymore!”

         “Quit yer yappin’. If you can do that, you can run.”

         She was going to kill him. Tugging on her arm, she hissed as he held on tighter. “Jude, just let-”

         “We’re wastin’ time.”

         “No!” she said, digging her heels in. She could not run anymore!

         “We don’t have time to-”

         “Spread out and find them!”

         Her spine stiffened even as Jude swore sharply at the shout that was far too close for comfort. She reached for his hand, trying to pry his grip off her. “Jude, just go!” she said tightly.

         “Not happenin’ and now yer gonna owe me for this shit.”

         God, what was he going to do? Fight all of them? When he stepped in front of her, she realised he fully intended to do that. She gaped at his back, her thoughts whirling. How was this better than him leaving her behind? He thought she had had noble thoughts? What was this?! It certainly wasn’t going to end with him walking away unscathed and if he got hurt because she was here, she’d owe him even more. She was tired of owing him.

         Looking around, she grabbed the back of his coat and pulled.

         “What the f-”

         “Shh!” Bea snapped, pulling him into a shadowed alcove between buildings. This was a long shot and probably dumb. She could have made it easier, but her sister would kill her if she ever found out she exposed her abilities to anyone. Even if this was a life or death situation, Cate would tell her she wasn’t allowed to do it unless she was prepared to kill everyone around her who saw.

         “This ain’t gonna work,” he growled, crowding into her despite his words.

         She backed into the wall, ignoring how close he was to her. It wasn’t a great idea but if it did come down to a fight, it would be harder for anyone to get past him to use her against him. But her heart was hammering in her chest because he was right. God, this wasn’t going to be enough. They wouldn’t be clearly seen if someone went running past but if they looked back? Maybe she should have tried to push her tired body and kept running. Maybe she should have tried harder to get him to leave her behind. Maybe-

         “Calm down,” Jude muttered. “Yer breathin’ too loud.”

         She was? She couldn’t hear it over the pounding of her heart. This wasn’t enough. They were going to be found unless she did something more. Maybe she could warp the shadows without him realising. It would be tricky without moving her hands and he was so close he was sure to feel her moving. Was there anything else she could do? Anything that didn’t involve using her magic?

         “Princess, quit-” He grunted when she reached up to grab his face.

         This was absolutely a dumb idea, but she was out of good ones. Bea expected him to resist her, he never did what she wanted, but he leaned in when she pulled on him. A curious light was in his eyes, almost like he was waiting to see if she was bold enough to follow through with where they both knew she was going.

         She could feel his breath on her lips, could smell the tobacco on it. But she was focused on his eyes. They’d narrowed but she could still see that damned look in them, daring her to do it.

         “Check that way!”

         Lifting on her toes, she pressed her lips to his. She saw his eyes narrow further, but they didn’t close. He was still waiting to see how far she was willing to go.

         Which annoyed her. He annoyed her.

         She slipped her fingers into his hair, holding him to her. It had to be convincing if they were spotted. They needed to look like a couple stealing a moment in the shadows, not a pair on the run. But she couldn’t do it by herself and right now she was.

         Pulling just away from him, she breathed, “You ass.”

         Oh, she recognised that smug smirk. He wanted her to work for it. This was her idea so it was up to her to do it.

         Ass, she repeated silently. But she leaned in again, slanting her mouth over his. He was watching her still, that smugness hanging in the air around him. Would he rather fight them instead of kissing her? Was this really so horrible that he’d rather risk getting hurt?

         Her irritation got the better of her and she bit his lip.

         His eyes widened a fraction before she felt something shift in him.

         Gasping as he pressed fully into her, her fingers dug into his hair as he deepened the kiss. Her eyes squeezed shut as he didn’t let up. Damn it, she’d wanted him to respond but she hadn’t expected this from him! The kiss was rough and now she was struggling to breathe for an entirely new reason. All she could feel and taste was him and it was overwhelming.

         Hands grasped her hips, holding her right where he wanted. She hissed as his fingers squeezed through her clothes and dug into soft flesh. There were going to be bruises. She already knew her wrist was going to be covered in them and now he was marking her further.

         “Can’t keep up, princess?”

         Damn him. Cracking her eyes open, she was surprised he was still so close. Pale eyes caught her gaze almost immediately but it was the hint of heat in them that truly caught her off-guard.

         “Jude.” She didn’t get to say more as they both heard feet pounding down the alleyway and his mouth found hers again.

         It was hard not to moan as he didn’t hesitate, biting her lip this time. She felt him shift a little before she jumped when he gripped her leg and hauled it up against his hip. Her cheeks heated as cool air hit her skin, her skirt rucking up to expose far more than she wanted, and one hand dropped to his shoulder to push at him. Surely that was too far!

         But she stopped when she heard a low whistle come from behind him. “Well, damn!”

         Jude’s fingers dug into her thigh and he crowded closer between her legs. His kiss was still rough, but it was clear he was paying attention to whoever had spotted them. It seemed they were in the shadows enough that they weren’t immediately recognised but would that last if they couldn’t make this look real.

         Throwing caution to the wind, Bea hooked her leg around his hips and let herself moan. She hated that it wasn’t entirely fake. Her annoyance at him and all of this aside…he did feel far too good settled against her like this.

         “Oi, what are you doin’?”

         Her heart sank and Jude tensed. “No, wait,” she whispered as he leaned back from her.

         “Had yer chance, princess,” he muttered. “Now-”

         “Leave a man alone,” another voice yelled. “We ain’t got business with them!”

         “But-”

         “You really think a man like Jazza is gonna stop to get his dick wet? Get out of there! We’re gonna lose them!”

         Bea held her breath as they listened to the goons leave. Had it…really worked? She sighed before yelping when he snapped the strap of her garter against her thigh. “Excuse me!” she snapped, trying to move away from him.

         He didn’t budge, eyeing her for a long moment. “Didn’t know ya had that in ya.”

         She huffed and pushed at him. “Let go,” she said tightly.

         Her mouth flattened when he snapped the garter again, lifting it further this time. Great. A welt to add to the bruises because she was sure there were impressions of his fingertips on the back of her thigh from how hard he’d been holding it. “Yer the one clingin’ to me,” he pointed out.

         Her fingers jerked open as she realised she was still clutching at the back of his head. But she couldn’t do anything about the leg he was holding. “Jude,” she said, trying to keep calm. “Let go.”

         She felt him toying with the garter again and wanted to smack him when he tugged on it. But the snap wasn’t as hard this time and his hand dropped from her.

         Her leg came down fast, a small hiss leaving her as the heel of her shoe jostled her ankle, and she quickly reached to smooth her skirt down as he stepped back. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he lit a cigarette and kept an eye on the alley. Once again, he seemed completely unbothered by anything that had transpired. Well, no, not entirely. She pressed her lips together, an amused little huff leaving her as she saw that his hair was messed from her hands.

         “Somethin’ funny?”

         She could not tell him…but someone would and he would know that she hadn’t. “Stand still,” she muttered, reaching out to smooth his hair back into place. She’d messed it up; it was only proper for her to fix it.

         He was eyeing her again and slowly exhaled a long stream of smoke once she stepped back from him. “Make up yer mind, princess,” he muttered, turning away from her.

         About what? She moved after him when he started to leave their little alcove before almost running into him when he stopped suddenly to look at her. “What?’ Bea asked warily.

         Jude rolled his eyes at her. “Ya got us out of that mess so I owe ya for that and for the other thing.”

         “What other thing?”

         “Ya gonna look me in the eyes and tell me ya didn’t just waste your first kiss on someone like me?”

         Her cheeks heated but she didn’t say anything as she looked away from him. “I don’t need anything for that,” she mumbled.

         “Ha, liked it that much, did ya?”

         “I like being alive, Jude.”

         “Shouldn’t be around me then. But I clear my debts, princess, and this won’t be any different.”

         It was just a kiss. If it had mattered to her that much, she wouldn’t have done it in the first place. But as she followed him back toward the main street, she couldn’t help wondering what he considered equivalent payment for a first kiss.

[iboatedhere]

Heya! If you are still taking prompts then FirstPrince sailboat AU please? 😁⛵

Or garden hose if that's already been suggested! 🌞

If you so fancy ❤️

A little F1 AU?

---

Henry leans against the railing on the lower deck. He looks down at the dark water and watches the lights dance across it. 

It’s past midnight, but Port Hercule is wide awake. Yachts packed in like sardines in a tin, music blasting, beats and lyrics mixing together and creating a jumbled mess of noise. People are talking and singing in French, English, German, and Italian, and there’s a splash as something or someone hits the water, followed by raucous laughter. The smell of burnt rubber, high-octane fuel, and grease still lingers in the air, mixing with the heavy scent of cigar smoke and gunpowder from celebratory post-race fireworks.

Henry would rather be anywhere else, like behind a door that locks. Without people knocking for autographs or photos. Without women offering things he’s never been interested in. 

He wants to go home to his little cottage on the outskirts of London, where there’s plenty of room for David to run and no cameras, reporters, or team principals. 

He just needs a moment of peace, and the little bubble he’s created here will have to do.  

“Henry…”

Henry closes his eyes as the bubble bursts, and Alex’s footsteps echo down the stairs.  

“Someone said you went this way,” Alex says as he steps onto the deck, an entire bottle of champagne in his hand. 

He’s in a suit, jacket on but shirt unbuttoned nearly halfway down his chest. Henry’s seen him in this fit more than in his fireproofs. 

The suit is high-end, of course, and every designer is clamoring to dress him. He’s been on the cover of more fashion magazines than Henry can count. They’ve been popping up in his caravan, and he has a sneaking suspicion that Bea is to blame. 

“Remind me to have that person fired,” Henry says dryly. 

“You can’t fire Cash,” Alex says. “I’d be sad.” 

“God forbid.”

Alex laughs, loose and easy, drunk and happy. 

That’s the whole point, that Alex is happy. 

Alex is everything Mercedes wanted Henry to be. Alex fills in the gaps where Henry fell short. 

Henry wants to race; that’s all he’s ever wanted, but Alex is here to perform. 

Alex is vibrant and outgoing. He’s good on camera and in interviews. He is intelligent and funny, with zero reservations about letting everyone know it. He brings attention and new viewers to the sport, dating this hot, young starlet or that rising pop star. 

F1 sponsors want to pay him, men and women want to be with him, and Henry…Henry just wants him. 

“Why aren’t you celebrating?” Alex asks.

“I don’t know exactly what there is for me to celebrate.” 

“Umm, hello,” Alex says, gesturing to himself with his free hand. 

Above all else, Alex is good at racing, having come in first or at least on pole in the last five out of seven races. 

“Congratulations to you on your win,” Henry says as Alex takes a long swig from the bottle, tipping his head back as it spills down his chin and neck. 

Henry’s knuckles go white on the railing. “But you’ll have to forgive me for not wanting to celebrate my own performance.”

“Okay, first of all,” Alex says, pressing the bottle into Henry’s hand and gesturing for him to drink. “We’re a team, so my win is your win—don’t fucking roll your eyes at me—and P6 is nothing to get upset about. You’re in points. That matters.”

“You should tell my brother that.”

“I will. Is he here?”

Henry snorts. “This isn’t exactly my brother’s type of party. It’s not really my type of party, either.”

“Do you mean a fun one?”

“I’m fun,” Henry says as he playfully shoves at Alex’s shoulder. “I am, but this isn’t me.”

“It’s not me either,” Alex says, and Henry laughs. “Why is that funny?”

“Because it’s such a lie. You’re made for this.” 

“No, I’m just good at acting like I am. This isn’t me. This isn’t how I was raised–yachts, champagne, and women hanging off of me constantly, only using me for a photo op.” 

Henry wants to argue that that’s not him either, especially that last bit, but his father’s legacy looms too large, and Henry knows his privilege. 

“Well, I must say you’ve caught on very quickly. And I wasn’t raised on a yacht. It was a thirty-foot schooner.”

Alex laughs. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

Henry’s fingers tap against the bottle as he pulls up fond memories of off-seasons spent out on the sailboat with his family. “My father taught me to sail when I was very young.”

“Was that before or after he taught you how to drive? Or was that just in your genes?”

“He taught me,” Henry says softly, pushing those memories back. 

Alex nods and doesn’t push. “Do you still have the boat?”

“Yes,” Henry says. “Docked at St. Katherine.”

“You should take me out sometime,” Alex says, soft and eyes locked on Henry, and Henry nearly drops the champagne bottle.

“If you’d like,” he says, voice barely a whisper, but the way Alex’s gaze drops to his lip lets Henry know he’s heard.

[smokersbaby]

Fourth submitted request for the July Event, enjoy! 💕 SUBMISSIONS ARE OPEN (CLICK HERE TO SEE THE MAIN POST)

Request text: Hi Bea! How are you? It's my first time sending you an ask ❤️ I'm so glad you have your request open for this month. If I may join, I'd love to request Ace with a female reader NSFW with prompt #3 (telling dirty fantasy). For the kinks, maybe body worship and praise kink. For the details, Ace and the reader are best friends and they do it in car (on the backseat) at night while the rain is pouring heavily adbdjahsks 😭😭 thank you so much and have a nice day! 🥰 Written for: @downforsanji Character: Ace Reader: female reader  Prompts:  NSFW: #3 - telling you a dirty fantasy + praising kink + body worshipping TW prompt #3 NSFW: oral sex (receiving), penetrative sex, praising Total word count: +1,1k  Author's note: Thank you so much for giving me this idea to write for, it was my first time writing a fanfic with Ace and I was so involved in the dynamics of it that I finished this in a few hours! I hope you enjoy it! (I'm fine btw, thank you for asking!) 💕 -Every reblog is highly appreciated!-

The rain was coming down hard, making the roads slick and hazardous. As Ace was driving cautiously, you were sitting in the passenger seat looking out of the car's window as the rumbling thunders were striking in the dark sky at night.

The two of you had known each other for years, just friends at the beginning and slowly becoming besties. Ace was the kind of guy who loved joking around with you and being flirty, but since you knew it was his way of being friendly, you never paid attention to his behaviour, so you never suspected that he may have a crush on you.

But tonight felt different. Maybe it was the late hour or the way the rain seemed to add a bit of magic to the world outside. Whatever it was, a spark seemed to ignite between the two of you, and Ace felt the urge to say something, anything, that would break the tension he felt between you two.

Ace stopped the car aside on an isolated country street, the rain wasn't giving any sign of stopping soon.

"You know," he began, his voice low, almost afraid of being heard over the sound of the heavy drops on the car's roof, "I've always wondered what your lips taste like." You chuckled hearing that from him, just as it was another flirty joke of his, but as soon as you turned towards him, you saw his dark eyes fixed on you, not a hint of playfulness in them.

As you realized that he was being serious, you felt your heart leap into your throat as you looked over at Ace. There was no denying the attraction that buzzed between you, the way the air seemed to crackle with electricity. But what about your friendship? What if that kiss would have ruined everything? "You may lose your best friend" a little voice echoed in your head, trying to find a way to deny what you were feeling for him.

"Fuck it" you whispered to yourself, driving out the rational side of you and leaning closer to him pressing your lips onto his. His lips were so warm, almost burning. Was that because he was the fire himself or because he waited so long for that kiss that he couldn't take it anymore and burning from desire?

His hands went immediately to your waist, pulling you closer as his mouth devoured yours, he felt like a starved man craving your lips. As he was wrapping your body, you felt the handbrake and other car accessories between your bodies and realized that the backseats were probably more comfortable than the front ones.

In less than a minute you were laying down in his backseat with Ace's body above yours, his lips not leaving yours for even a single second. "They are soft Y/N… just as I imagined" he whispered as Ace trailed kisses down your jaw and on your neck, making you feel butterflies in your stomach for the warm feeling against that sensitive part of you.

As the rain continued to pour, his hands started roaming your body hesitantly, making sure you were okay with him touching you. The way your body reacted to his touch through soft moans made Ace realize that you were eager to feel his touch on your skin. "Y/N, you know… I always had this little fantasy of mine, I want to try it with you.".

Ace worked his way down your stomach reaching the end of your dress and lifting it revealing your black laced panties. He started kissing your tummy slowly going down your inner tights, biting them softly but enough to let soft bite marks on both of them. Ace's hands wouldn't stop caressing them, as if he was obsessed with that part of your body.

"I want to know what you taste like, Y/N" Ace murmured as his face was so close to your already drenched panties, pulling them away to expose yourself to his touch. Ace didn't waste any time and went straight to the point, his tongue lapping your cunt to savour you and then lingering on your clit, making you whimper at every movement of his lips against your pussy.

"God, you taste so good Y/N, I can't get enough of you," Ace said as he was still eating you up, his tongue whirling around your sensitive spot and going down to lap your cunt to not neglect a single spot of your needy pussy. The rumble of the thunders outside the car and the heavy drops falling hard on the roof of it made Ace dive deeper into your cunt with his tongue, to make you moan louder so that he could hear your voice over the sounds of the rain and thunders.

Your fingers slid through Ace's hair as he continued his work of art making you a total mess, his hands still on your tights to keep them spread for him and gripping them as if he was obsessed with that part of your body. "Your body drives me crazy Y/N" Ace murmured lifting his head from your pussy, leaving it with a needy feeling of taking him inside and clenching around nothing as if you were starving for him.

You didn't need to tell him though, even if you were in almost total darkness, Ace could feel your heavy breath and your body asking for more. His boxers were pulled down by him immediately after, crawling over you in the little space of his backseats. Ace's kisses were needy and intense, his tongue entangling with yours before pulling away and looking down at you to meet your gaze.

"What are you doing to me? I can't resist you" he said just before stretching your throbbing pussy with his hard and veiny cock, making you whine his name as he buried himself deep inside of you. The way your cunt started to clench around his shaft due to the feeling of fullness he was giving you, made Ace groan more than he was already doing, praising words slipping out of his mouth.

"You feel incredible Y/N, please let's not just be best friends, I want you to be mine…". His thrusts were becoming faster and deeper, your hands holding onto his back to feel him pressed against you as Ace was fucking you so deliciously in the backseats of his car during that stormy night.

No way you could return as just best friends from that night on.

[daisychainsandbowties]

would lilith be much of a book reader? What kind of books would she read?

right so i think that Lilith has the adhd reader thing where YES she loves to read, NO she doesn’t read. actually she’s always reading twelve books at the same time; no she never finishes any of them.

like any really really intelligent person Lilith is hungry for knowledge, and like any child raised under the press of a thumb she’s willing to get that knowledge wherever she can. her brain is working against her a little but it’s also a beautiful creature because it wants knowledge, but all of it all the time all at once. 

i think she’s on wikipedia and in the NASA archives and on Project Gutenberg constantly. she will literally sit there on her phone for hours doing the fanfiction thing where she tricks her brain into thinking it’s not technically reading because there are no books involved.

she tab-hops like a madwoman but it’s a case of balancing her intense need for information with her brain’s unwillingness to tackle that information in a structured way. inside of ten minutes she’ll read a bit about the Riemann hypothesis, a couple paragraphs of a socratic dialogue, an archived forum page about siphoning gas with your mouth and what petroleum tastes like (keeps waking up with a weird sulfur taste in her mouth. keeps hoping to find some explanation other than ‘it tastes like devil in here’) but if you ask her what she reads she’ll scowl and say ‘nothing.’

but i mean this is the girl who used to sit with Beatrice for hours and just listen to her talk about Galileo and Langer's lines and how to debone a fish. who used to sit by the fire with her dad and listen to random bits of historical apocrypha and who requested Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time as her bedtime story when she was three years old.

she definitely sits on her phone watching 6 hour videos about Dark Souls lore and she reads all the books in Skyrim because they’re like 300 words long and somehow staring at the TV and reading off there is easier than reading a physical book made of paper or reading on the kindle (even when Cam downloads dyslexia-friendly reading aids).

her brain likes to bounce off the walls but it wants to know things. so badly. i think audiobooks are good for her but she plays them at 2x speed so her brain has to kind of do cartwheels to keep up and it gives her the same feeling as listening to heavy metal while she goes and picks up heavy objects and puts them back down again in the gym.

i wrote about this a little before but the sound and texture and the saying of words is very appealing to Lilith. she loves the music of language so i think the only way she can read actual novels for any length of time is to read them aloud (as opposed to subvocating) because choosing where to put emphasis and just feeling the words in her body is enough to keep her suitably entertained (plus lilith post-canon is not a huge fan of silence. she spent a lot of time wandering around in the weird high-pressure hellscape of The Other Side looking for Mary and then Ava. so she treats Bea’s noise-cancelling headphones like they’re going to eat her and she enjoys white noise playlists and having music just playing in the background).

Lilith adores the puzzles that language can make. she actually loved poetry as a kid because it felt to her like she could memorise the poem and work it over in the horrible ‘no talking’ hours that her mother imposed. at night when she couldn’t sleep after her dad died she’d repeat the poems over and over and over again and slowly wring more meaning out of them with each repetition.

she likes when stories are puzzles and, incidentally, one of her favourite things to do is listen to an audiobook on 2x speed while doing sudoku or crosswords.

and Lilith will read anything. she’s not super into fantasy or sci-fi because she has fucking wings and scales and it’s a bit like ‘i’m in this picture and i don’t like it’ but she enjoys classics. has a weird soft spot for Moby Dick and she really likes post-apocalyptic books like The Road by Cormac McCarthy and Parable of the Sower and i think she quite enjoys The Hunger Games and the Wool series. she definitely loves The Broken Earth Trilogy because it somehow gets a free pass with her ‘i’m in this picture and i don’t like it’ hang-up. it does make her cry though (the hand scene really gets to her because sometimes her mother would hold her hand like that, like she wanted to smash it and see if it came back together without the dysgraphia).

but she also rlly likes plays because performance and by god Lilith is a drama queen. she would totally have been a theatre kid if she’d been allowed & she loves performing little monologues and she likes how people sound when they’re angry but in the context of a play because the anger is always under the control of the narrative, and you can stop being angry whenever you want. 

she loves collecting information so when Cam introduces her to Stardew Valley she sits up in bed all night reading wiki after wiki and making little spreadsheets on her excel app for which gifts to give and when and how many of each crop to plant and which trees to grow and where and how many chickens and how much hay and all the different fish and how to organise the layout of the farm. so by the next day Cam wakes up and Lilith has basically a bachelor’s degree in Stardew Valley

and Cam is like ‘oh my god Lily i got you this game so you would relax!’ and Lilith frowning in genuine confusion like ‘i am relaxing??’

she does sometimes just teleport into Bea and Ava’s house & look quite forlorn until Beatrice sits down with her at the island in the kitchen and the pair of them peel oranges.

Beatrice talks about whatever she’s reading about that week, and eventually Ava comes in and explains all the different strategies for winning at Super Smash Bros and her opinions on the objective best tracks in Mario Kart while Beatrice cooks burgers on the grill outside in her baseball cap like somebody’s hot lesbian dad.

& then Lilith checks her phone & pecks Beatrice on the cheek and teleports home in time for Cam to get back from the airport. she tries to make out like she spent the whole weekend very sad and very by herself but Cam is like ‘gimmie your hands’ and then ‘yeah, Lil. i can smell the orange peel.’ 

so i think Lilith is a big reader but it’s not for the sake of stories especially or narratives or for characters or anything it’s for stimulation and knowledge and the words themselves. she’s that meme about the boyfriend who sits eating a sausage with the wikipedia page titled ‘sausage’ open on her computer. she ricochets between subjects and has the most incredible visual recall you’ve ever seen.

probably has a photographic memory but will forget what you asked her to go look for halfway up the stairs. Ava sees her sitting on her phone for literal hours while they’re all at the beach and asks Cam what the hell Lilith is doing because she’s not on social media & Cam is like ‘oh yeah she’s addicted to stack exchange and wikipedia’ and Ava takes a moment, licks melted ice-cream off her knuckle and says ‘wow that’s kind of hot’ and Cam waggles her eyebrows and goes ‘yeah, i know.’ 

[hrh-prince-butt]

lazy mornings

have some disgusting tooth-rotting fluff. as a treat <3

-

“We should probably get up.” 

Alex groans, making no effort to move. He is laying so comfortably, his head resting on Henry’s chest, one arm draped across his body. Henry’s hand is in his hair, following his curls in little circular motions with his fingers. Alex doesn’t see a reason to get up, ever. 

“Alex, love,” Henry tries again, though he doesn’t seem thrilled at the prospect of starting the day, either. “We can’t stay in bed all day.” 

“Why not?” Alex demands, his voice muffled as he presses his face against Henry’s bare chest. Neither of them is wearing any clothes, he notices with delight. 

Henry sighs, tugging playfully at Alex’s hair. Alex opens his eyes, squinting at the sunlight pouring through the bedroom window. 

“It’s 10 AM, already,” Henry notes, lifting his hand from Alex’s head to look at his watch. 

Alex lifts his own hand to Henry’s, lazily intertwining their fingers. “So?”

“Our friends are coming over later.” Henry moves both of their hands to his lips and gives Alex’s a soft kiss. “Did you forget?” 

“Ah, fuck,” Alex swears under his breath. He had, in fact, forgotten all about that. “That’s not until much later, though,” he argues, lifting his head slightly to look at Henry. He lets his non-occupied hand glide over Henry’s chest, giving him his best and most charming smile. To his satisfaction, Henry practically melts under his gaze. “We can stay in bed a little while longer, can’t we, baby?” 

Henry huffs and tries to look annoyed, but he can’t quite stop the smile tugging on his lips. It makes Alex smile too, and he has the sudden thought that if he isn’t kissing Henry on those beautiful lips within the next two seconds, he will drop dead. 

He hoists himself up on one elbow and leans in to kiss Henry, who drops his hand in favour of wrapping his arms around Alex and pulling him closer. Once they’re both out of breath from kissing, Alex lets himself fall down onto the bed again, regarding his boyfriend with a giddy sort of grin. He looks so fucking beautiful, sprawled lazily on the bed, aesthetically grazed by the sunlight that fills the room.  

I’m the luckiest son of a bitch in the world, Alex thinks to himself, his grin only growing wider. I get to wake up next to this beautiful fucker every day. He is about to open his mouth and offer some embarrassing sentiment about how lucky he is, when Henry sits up, rubbing his face with a yawn. 

“I really do need to get up now,” he says, smiling briefly at Alex before standing up. “Nature calls.” 

While Henry is in the bathroom, Alex manages to untangle himself from the sheets and get out of bed, though it’s in a much less graceful manner than Henry. He rolls over the edge, and lands on the floor with a thud that startles a disgruntled yelp out of David, who had been blissfully asleep until now. 

“Sorry,” he mumbles, before immediately feeling stupid for talking to a dog. He swore he would never become like those crazy pet-obsessed white folks who celebrate their dogs’ birthdays, but there are pictures on his phone of a certain beagle in an adorable birthday hat that proves just how badly he has failed at this. He 100% blames his boyfriend. It’s kind of incredible how many little quirks and habits he and Henry are accidentally picking up from each other. 

He can hear the water running from the shower, so he figures it will be a while before Henry is out. An excellent opportunity to surprise him with breakfast. Not that he really wants to get up and cook right now, but the smile on Henry’s face will be worth it. 

-

By the time Henry comes into the kitchen, his hair still damp from the shower, Alex has set the table, ready with scrambled eggs, bacon and sausages, and is pouring a cup of tea into Henry’s favourite mug. The mug itself is really nothing special, but he knows the value it holds to Henry. It was custom-made by Bea, and sent to him during this year’s pride month - the first pride month where he was able to be openly and authentically himself. It has the words gay as a maypole written underneath an illustrated rainbow. 

“God, this smells bloody incredible,” Henry says, and there’s that smile Alex loves so much. 

“Morning, sweetheart.” Alex sets down Henry’s tea, as well as his own cup of coffee, on the table in front of them. Henry sits down, eyeing the sausages hungrily, but before he can scoop any food onto his plate, Alex comes up behind him, putting both arms around him and leaning down to kiss the top of his head. “Love you,” he mumbles against Henry’s still-damp hair. 

Henry leans his head back to look at Alex, with eyes that are a fucking bottomless ocean Alex can’t help but get lost in. “I love you too.” 

They eat breakfast mostly in silence, but it’s the comfortable sort of silence that doesn’t need to be filled. Henry frowns a little when Alex gets out his phone to check the news, but seems to decide it’s not worth arguing about, and instead pulls over a book from across the table and starts reading. He’s still reading when Alex has finished skimming headlines for anything interesting. 

Alex watches him silently for a few pages worth of reading. Henry is too focused to notice, his brows knitting closer together in concentration. Every once in a while he chuckles or sighs or rolls his eyes and Alex’s heart swells with affection. 

It gets a little frustrating eventually, though, not being paid attention to, so he reaches out for Henry’s hand, the one that isn’t holding the book. “Baby,” he whines, and Henry looks up, with an eye-roll that’s now directed at him instead of the book. 

“Oh, sorry, love,” he says, a smile playing on his lips. “I forgot you go into panic mode when you go ten minutes without receiving attention.” 

Alex huffs indignantly, but he doesn’t really have anything to say in his defence. “So, give me attention then,” he says.

Henry finds a little flap of paper - a post-it note with a short to-do list scribbled on - and puts it between the book’s pages like a bookmark. “You’re a menace,” he says fondly, putting down the book.

“Thank you, darling,” Alex says, winking dramatically. 

That earns him a laugh from Henry, soft and crystal-clear and the most beautiful fucking sound Alex has ever heard, and he’s once again overwhelmed by the feeling of holy shit, I am so fucking lucky. This time he doesn’t waste time, he just says it, not caring if it makes him sound stupid and sappy. 

“I’m the luckiest person in the world,” he says, realizing with embarrassment that he actually does care a little bit about sounding stupid and sappy. He can feel his cheeks go red and he quickly looks away, down into his empty coffee mug. “I mean, you have a nice ass,” he mumbles. 

Henry touches a hand to his chin, nudging it up so he’s looking at him again. To Alex’s annoyance, he’s grinning smugly. “You have a nice ass, too.” 

[20rubixcubes]

enhypen as baristas

maknae line x gn!reader (comedy, fluff, mild angst)

~1.2k words ea (headcanons)

warnings: cursing

a/n: i just wrote this for funsies, please be mindful that there is heavy swearing in these headcanons (particularly in ni-ki’s part), so if that isn’t your taste, perhaps skip this one! other than that, the rest of this is pretty chill, so i hope you enjoy my shitposting. oh, and lmk if you like this enough to want part two with the hyung line 👀 just maybe i’ll do it

sunoo

was only recently employed as an afternoon shift employee and was both shocked and distressed after discovering the cafe didnt have an instagram

“what do you MEAN you dont have instagram??? how do we post selfies???” “sunoo we sell coffee” “NO ONE WANTS COFFEE JUNGWON THEY WANT CUTE BARISTAS”

starts an instagram for the cafe and takes aesthetic pictures of his latte art

his selfies get way more likes though

speaking of his latte art, he masters the skill like a week in and everyone else is incredibly jealous

their jealousy wears off when jungwon tells him that he has to start training the new apprentices

pretends he forgot how to do it for like a week but it hurts his pride so he begrudgingly agrees to train the apprentices instead

in his free time he can be found snapping pictures around the shop, eventually expanding to taking pictures of the others too

“sunghoon stop moving you look cute and i need to take a photo” “sunoo im holding hot milk” “does it look like i care beauty is pain sweetie”

other than that, he sometimes sits in the booths to snack on muffins and do his homework since he only comes in to the shop for about an hour during his school lunch break and on the weekends

you meet sunoo after applying for an apprenticeship, wanting to get a job before you finish high school and start college

seen as though jungwon looks like the boss, you approach him, nervous for your first shift

“i’m here for the apprenticeship program?” “oh yeah! one second!”

he trots off to the back room, leaving you standing awkwardly in the middle of the cafe

“SUNOO GET OFF JAY YOU HAVE AN APPRENTICE TO TRAIN” “*gasp* YOU MADE ME SMUDGE HIS LIPSTICK I'M QUITTING” “NO YOURE NOT GET OUT THERE RIGHT NOW”

the yelling pauses before who you presume is sunoo stomps through the back room door, a scowl on his face

he spots you, groaning loudly “are you the apprentice?”

“yes” you say meekly, guilty for seeming to ruin his shift

he gestures you to follow him behind the counter, pulling an apron out from under the sink and shoving it to your chest

its clear that hes pissed, yanking his tools out from the cupboards as you tie your apron behind your back quietly

“have you made coffee before?” “only instant coffee” “oh fantastic”

he seems to be getting more irritated by the minute before he takes a deep breath and starts directing you around the machines

“to do the art, you angle the mug like this and draw with the milk, but it wont show until it reaches the top so dont go crazy”

as if its nothing, he demonstrates by drawing a perfect swan in the milk, setting the latte down and dusting his hands off

“wow… thats amazing” “i know right? no one here appreciates me enough” “they should! this is the best i’ve ever seen”

he grins at your compliment, nodding with satisfaction and sending a wave of relief over you as you notice he looks less angry with you now

“um… im sorry if i interrupted whatever you were doing before” “oh, that? i was just doing jay’s makeup” “you like makeup? me too! i’ve never seen a boy interested in it though, thats really cool” you smile genuinely at him as he blinks in surprise

“really? you think its cool?” “definitely!”

you watch the gears turn in his head before he smiles widely, seeming to have come to some kind of revelation as he nods

“i like you.”

your cheeks heat up immediately, but before you can say anything in return, he starts calling out for jungwon, leaning over the counter

“JUNGWOOON, CAN WE HAVE THIS ONE?”

“well thats up to them” he looks up from the table hes wiping down, adjusting his apron as he walks over to the counter

“so youre all finished with the course? i hope sunoo wasnt too much for you”

“i wasnt! anyways, youre employed, okay?” “sunoo stop theyre just an apprentice”

he groans loudly, irritated once more as he whips his head to you

“you have to work here, ok? i said so, so come back and apply or i’ll be mad!”

you laugh at his antics and smile “i’ll see what i can do”

after jungwon pries sunoo off of your arm, you return your apron and leave the shop with a wave

“YOU BETTER COME BACK!” is the last thing you hear as you step out onto the street, the bell ringing to signal your exit

a week later, you return to the shop, slightly anxious that your new friend(?) might have forgotten about you

but this is quickly washed away when you hear a high pitched squeal from the counter

“JUNGWON! HURRY THE FUCK UP AND GET THE FORMS THEYRE HERE”

you laugh as you approach the counter, a teasing tone on your voice

“are you supposed to be talking to your boss like that?” “whats he gonna do? fire me? im the only one who can make coffee in this place” “true”

soon enough, jungwon comes out of his hiding place, his hands clasped together

“im really sorry to ask this but please, you have to work here, sunoo hasnt shut up about you all week and i dont know if i can stand him anymore, i’ll even pay you extra please dear god”

you give sunoo a look, only receiving an innocent smile and puppy eyes back

“sure, i’ll take the job!”

jungwon sighs in relief as sunoo begins jumping up and down, yelling something about having his own little baby to take care around the shop as you groan, covering your blushing face

once you have your hours established (sunoo made you take the same as all of his, but you did the nights instead of the afternoons on the weekends, to his displeasure), you get straight to working

… well, sort of

it was hard to get work done with sunoo pestering you around the clock

“you think im cute right?” “yes sunoo” “even though i have bags under my eyes? “yes sunoo” “you promise?” “yes sunoo” “good”

admittedly he is slightly of help when it comes to the more fiddly parts of making coffee, but every other second of the day he seems to be flirting nonstop

“can i kiss you?” “no” “why not” “sunoo we’ve been over this” “BEING AT WORK ISNT A VALID EXCUSE”

worn down after his incessant yelling all day, you find yourself snapping faster than usual

“we’re not even dating, sunoo! why would i kiss you!? just stop playing with my feelings already!”

for the first time since you’ve known him, sunoo goes quiet

“why not?”

“what are you talking about now sunoo?” “why arent we dating”

now its your turn to go quiet

“do you not like me?” “what? no, sunoo-” before you can reason with him, you watch him quickly rush away from you around the counter, slamming the break room door behind him with tears in his eyes

cursing to yourself, you ensure there are no customers to serve before quickly darting after him

after looking around a bit, you hear sniffling from the supply closet and knock on the door quietly

“sunoo?” “leave me alone!”

you sigh, taking a step back and turning on your heel to face the opposite direction, running a hand through your hair as you think

you spot a dog bed at your feet, suddenly remembering that jake usually keeps his dog supplies covered in dog hair in the closet

“sunoo arent you allergic to dogs?”

“... *sniffle* y-yeah”

after you persuade him to come out by mentioning that his face is going to get all puffy, he steps out, eyes glued to the floor as he looks away from you in shame

placing a hand on his shoulder, you speak to him softly

“sunoo, look at me”

he does, hesitantly, his eyes red and watery and, as you said, puffy and inflamed

despite this, you smile

“i do like you back”

his eyes start watering again, your heart skipping a beat in fear that you had said something wrong

“e-even if my face is all puffy and gross?” his voice wobbles, the tears filling his eyes giving him a sense of vulnerability as you sigh

“yes, even if your face is all puffy and gross”

he smiles at that, shutting his eyes cutely as you press a kiss to his cheek

“and theres your kiss”

he whines “i was supposed to do that!”

“you can do it after we finish work, okay?” “WORK STILL ISNT A VALID EXCUSE…. but maybe today just because i need to ice my face” “yeah you really should, can you even see?” “no not at all” “great”

jungwon

the previous manager left suddenly and jungwon was given a semi-forced promotion as he was the only employee with at least half of a brain cell

poor boy is stressed 24/7

doesnt get paid enough for this

“hey jungwon we ran out out of coffee bea-” “I ORDERED NEW ONES FOUR HOURS AGO NOW SHUT UP IM TRYING TO MAKE SURE THE BOSS DOESNT FIND JAKE’S DOG SHELTER IN THE SUPPLY CLOSET”

goes through hell every day just to make sure the others dont burn the cafe down

is supposed to be on the morning shift but he stays until the afternoon

in his rare moments of downtime, he likes to go around and water the hanging plants around the shop

is that one vine where the mom listens to nicki minaj for the first time and screams “no” over and over whenever ni-ki gets control of the cafe music

“RIKI NISHIMURA WHAT IS THAT ON THE SPEAKERS” “ITS OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR ARIANA GRANDE” “TURN IT OFF THIS IS NOT PG13” “SHUT THE FUCK UP GRANDPA”

is only 16 but acts like a 32-year-old father going through a midlife crisis

lifts boxes of supplies all day yet his joints are famously brittle

“hey jungwon did you hear glass shattering too?” “sorry jay that was my back” “you need to invest in physical therapy” “maybe if i wasnt paying for property damage every other week 😊”

you meet jungwon when you drop into the cafe for a croissant and a coffee before your class starts

usually you come at night maybe an hour before closing so you had never seen him before, but here you were watching this cute but clearly stressed boy scramble around the shop carrying boxes of supplies to the back

trying not to be creepy, you sigh, turning back to your phone after watching him for a solid five minutes straight

as you do, you hear a crash coming from what you assume is the supply closet followed by a disgruntled groan

pausing, looking around at the other customers typing away at their laptops and waiting for another staff member to go check on the boy, you stand up as you discern that he must be the only one working and hesitantly go to see if he’s okay

“hello? are you okay?” you peer through the door, your eyes widening at the sight of him rubbing his head with a wince on his features, supplies strewn around him at his feet and a box knocked over beside him

“ah… um, yes, i’m okay, sorry if i disturbed you with that noise…” he smiles bashfully, pulling himself back onto his feet

“do you need help with all of that stuff?”

he opens his mouth to protest, not wanting to have to ask for help from a customer, but after seeing the amount of crap off of the shelves, he realises that there is no way in hell he’s going to be able to clean all of it up alone before his shift ends

“um… is that okay?” his cheeks flush with embarrassment as you smile

“sure!”

over the next couple of hours you two establish a little system of bagging the spilt supplies and passes them to eachother to put in boxes, chatting never ceasing as you discover that you actually have a lot of things in common

“since you work here, what’s your favourite kind of coffee?” “i like lattes… i cant stand bitter things” “me too! my friend drinks espressos though” “ditch them”

you also find out that he started being homeschooled after becoming the manager as he doesnt have time to attend normal school

the both of you find yourselves laughing nonstop, having fun in eachother’s company

so much so that you end up late for school

“oh shit! i completely missed my first class”

guilty for making you late, he offers to take you

“i can take you?” “you drive?” “well….. not exactly”

once sunoo and ni-ki arrive to care for the shop, he takes you out to the car park, pulling a spare helmet out of his backpack and securing it on your head before giving your head a pat as he gets onto his scooter

“you look cute” “i look like a bug” “a cute bug”

once you get to school, face red after having to hold onto him the entire time, you hop off and pass him the helmet with a shy smile

“thanks for driving me” you mutter, brushing off imaginary dirt from your shirt as you do your best to avoid eye contact, your face still flushed and heart racing

is it possible to develop a crush on someone this quickly???

jungwon is so cute that he makes it possible, you surmise

“of course” he mirrors your nervous smile, a blush finding its way to his own cheeks

as you bow and spin on your heel to start walking inside, he stops you

“wait!”

“what is it?” you turn to him, your heart still thundering against your ribcage at the fond expression he has plastered on his features

“actually… can i pick you up? after school?”

when you pause, your face growing hotter and hotter, he begins to sputter

“i-i’m really sorry, its fine if not! that was way too forward, i just really like you and- oh god that was even more forward- um-” “okay” “yeah i’m sorry that was a stupid questio- wait, what?”

before he can say anything else, your smile widens

“i’ll see you later, okay? don’t be late!” you wave, skipping into the building with a fluffy feeling in your chest

with an awkward wave, jungwon watches you leave, his mouth wide open in shock before a grin replaces his expression

getting back into his seat, the lovestruck smile never leaving his face as he drives off, he begins to count down the minutes until he gets to see you again

ni-ki

works the afternoon shift

technically an apprentice but he gets paid and has been there forever so basically an employee at this point

or he would be if he ever actually made coffee

he sits with the work phone all morning and chooses the music

perpetually dancing to 7 rings by ariana grande (look up his cover. youre welcome in advance)

jungwon and jay scream at him to at least do the mopping to which he complies, but not without performing a whole ass concert with it

once they saw him twirl and dip the mop

eventually they just told him to go back to curating the music because he was scaring customers away and they were losing business

he was horrible at cleaning anyway

“hey jungwon i think i got window cleaner in your plant” “im firing you” “i dont even go here” “STOP QUOTING MEAN GIRLS AND FIX THE DAMAGE YOUVE CAUSED”

you meet ni-ki while youre drinking your coffee at a booth and he plays your favourite obscure indie song so you have to compliment his taste and get to talking

he plays your favourite songs whenever youre in the shop and audibly hisses at anyone who tries to change it

makes choreography to said songs at home and tries to impress you by casually belting it out by your booth

when you compliment his dancing and ask how long hes been practicing that choreography hes all like “oh hahaha it was just casual freestyle super easy peasy”

(hes been practicing for two weeks)

thought he was being super obvious by doing these things but apparently nOT because you have not caught the hint at all and hes getting impatient

asks for advice from the others begrudgingly

“give them flowers” “jay thats so boring” “do you want to use one of my dogs? everyone loves dogs” “wtf jake since when have you had more than one dog” “make them latte art with a heart on it” “sunoo ive literally never made a coffee in my life” “why dont you just ask them out like a normal perso-” “shut the fuck up grandpa thats so weird no one does that”

eventually he settles on sunoo’s idea of making you latte art and he embarks on his journey to make his first coffee

rather than focusing on the actual taste, sunoo tells him to just do whatever so that he can show him how to do the art

“why is it green ni-ki” “you said to do whatever” “and your first idea was to make poison? idk if this is the best idea if youre trying to ask this person out” “shut up and pass me the milk”

burns his hands on the steaming milk jug at least fifteen times and ends up with so many bandaids on his fingers

despite how stiff the bandages are on his hands, he eventually manages to make a sort-of legible heart

“it looks like africa” “have you ever had steamed milk poured on your eyes sunoo?”

poor ni-ki waits for you all day, his heart leaping every time the bell on the door rings only to roll his eyes when it isnt you

he even stays past his shift so youd better let him take you on a date or hes quitting

when you finally arrive he trips over the bucket at his feet he was using to clean and spills dirty water all over his pants

“omg ni-ki are you okay what happened” *five octaves higher* “NOTHING I'M COMPLETELY FINE WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT”

by the time he’s finished cleaning himself up (and by that i mean fixing his hair in the mirror for twenty minutes) he takes a deep breath and walks over to you, somewhat cold latte in hand

“um,” he clears his throat, his face growing red as he slides the mug towards you “i made this for you”

“aw thanks ni-ki! why is it green” “........its matcha?”

youre slightly suspicious but you look back to the mug and slowly realise that the “drawing” slightly resembles a heart, smiling a little bit to yourself

when you look back to him, youre a little confused as to why hes just standing there

“is something wrong?” you press the mug to your lips, taking a sip

“o-uh uh actually, i wanted to ask if… if you would uh maybe sort of go on a date with me”

you can only smile

“yes, but…”

his heart starts beating faster, watching you anxiously

you stand up, taking the notepad and pen from his apron pocket and scribbling your phone number

“only if you promise to learn how to make actual coffee” you wink, handing him the notepad and sauntering out of the shop

hes stood there dumbstruck, stars in his eyes at the slip of paper in his hand

but then he realises: he has a new mission

rushing to the back room, he slams the door open

“grandpa, i need you to teach me how to make coffee right now” “literally why do i pay you”

with your promise in mind, the others see him work more diligently at the counter than they ever have before

“wow youre actually working today?” “shut up i need to figure out how to do this butterfly before i pry my eyes out with a fork” “haha funny joke ni-” “did i stutter”

at the end of the week, he forces heeseung (the cafe’s best coffee maker) and sunoo (the cafe’s best latte artist) to judge his latte

“this is… surprisingly good” heeseung peers into the mug, smiling at the swan ni-ki created with the latte foam as sunoo grumbles “dont tell me im gonna have to start competing with this kid, it probably tastes gross” “it tastes amazing too” “im quitting”

with his coworkers’ notes in mind, he finally works up the nerve to send you a quick message telling you to come into the shop

when you arrive the next day, ni-ki greets you and immediately gets to work, making sure to stand as close as humanly possible to your booth so he can show off his newly acquired coffee making skills

with you only inches away, he does make a mistake and spill milk on his shirt after looking at you and not his hands for a second too long, but you decide to give him the benefit of the doubt when he sets the mug in front of you

“wow! this heart is perfect!”

you smile, looking up to him “did you seriously learn how to do latte art just so you could take me on a date?” “… y-yeah, and?”

you can only chuckle as you press the mug to your lips, readying yourself to drink liquid dirt…

“this is… really good!” you grin, taking another sip and putting the mug down on its saucer

“i think you’ve definitely earned yourself a date… or two”

at this news, ni-ki’s face lights up, shoving the urge to scream down his throat before nodding stiffly to try and contain his excitement with a strained “cool” escaping his lips

“are you okay ni-ki?” “yes just give me one second”

he quickly scrambles to the break room, a moment of silence wafting through the store before a shrill scream fills the air

eyes wide, you turn to jay, who had been manning the till, after hearing him burst into laughter

“what is he doing?”

“we told him the freezer was sound proof”

[berrynarrybanana]

sounds just like a song - ws pt. 3

A/N: This is a rewrite...I did not edit...and I just...might have added a few things that some people will hate me for. I love you all though :) 

Warnings: Mentions of ex girlfriends, mentions of bullying, self doubt, smut for sure, alcohol obvi, and...maybe other stuff? 

Word count: 10K

Watermelon Sugar masterlist

July 14, 2018 Bea’s POV

“I find it kind of hysterical that we had to sneak off to a bathroom to say goodbye properly.” I let out a series of girlish giggles, dropping my head against the door as Harry continued to kiss down my neck. “Harry-”

“I don’t want to say goodbye yet.” His words were muffled by the skin of my neck. “Give me five more minutes.”

“Champagne makes you needy.” I gasped, lifting my hips up when he bit a little harder than the few times before, his tongue immediately swiping over the skin. “Fuck, that feels so nice.”

“I bet it does.” He hummed out, his chest vibrating under my palms as he tilted his head up to nip at my earlobe. “I can’t wait to have you all to myself.” 

“Believe me, I can’t either.” I pressed my palms against his chest, slightly holding him back from my body. “But you have to get to soundcheck eventually, and I have plans with the girls.”

“I know.” He sighed, raking his fingers through his hair. “I just….fuck, I think I’d take you with me everywhere if I could.”

“I’d gladly follow if I didn’t have prior engagements.” I gave him a soft smile, brushing my thumb over the collar of his shirt. “We’ll only be apart for a few hours, that’s not so bad.”

“It can be when we know our time is limited together.” He nibbled on his lower lip. “We only have until Tuesday-”

“Which means we still have three days.” I reminded him. “Besides, I’ve spoken to Claire about Saturday, and I think I might be able to sneak away.”

“Yeah?” His brows lifted, a grin pulling at the corners of his mouth. “Well, I guess it’s a date then.”

“I guess so.” I chuckled. “Now, give me one more good kiss before I go.”

Harry smirked, his dimple flashing as he leaned forward like a shark chasing after it’s prey. 

                                                    🐙🐙🐙🐙

Harry’s POV 

I pressed the key to my Tesla into Bea’s palm as I kissed her forehead. 

“Don’t argue with me.” I whispered, glancing down at her as she squinted up at me. Her empty hand rose to her forehead, shielding her sensitive, blue eyes from the california sun . “Just take my car so you don’t have to uber around, and we can drive it home tonight from the venue.”

“But Harry.” She sighed, licking over her bottom lip as she looked back at my car. “That thing costs more than...well, everything I own.”

“Shut up.” I snorted, rolling my eyes at her before I stole another kiss. “Take it, okay? It’s just a car, and it literally can drive itself. If you have any questions about it, just shoot me a text and I’ll respond.”

“This is unnecessary, but I really appreciate the gesture.” She smiled. “Thank you for not leaving us stranded.”

“I would never.” I pressed one more kiss to her lips, my fingers squeezing her sides. “Alright, go have fun with your friends. Send me a few pictures while you’re out, yeah?”

“I will.” She took a step back, watching me with an almost sad smile. “I’ll see you in a few hours, darling.”

“I’ll see you in a few hours.” I repeated back to her. “Be safe, and have fun.”

“You too.” 

I turned on my heel, checking both ways before I jogged across the street to the car Gemma and Michael drove to brunch. I slipped into the passenger side, shutting the door with a quick huff as I reached for my seatbelt. I looked across the street as Bea turned to Claire, her arms crossing over her abdomen as the wind blew her long cardigan around her body. 

“She’s a wonderful girl.” Gemma gave me a smile, her eyes practically sparkling. “Mum thinks so too.”

“You’ve told Mum about her?” I asked her, pushing my sunglasses up with raised brows as Gem smiled wider. “Gemma, tell me-”

“I didn’t tell Mum, The Daily Mail did.” Gemma rolled her eyes, putting the car in drive before she pulled out of her parking spot. “The bloody paps have already sold pictures of us at brunch to the rags, and I guess a few fans got some snapshots of you and Beatrice entering and leaving the bathroom.”

“Grand.” I huffed, slumping in my seat. “I didn’t want that for her.”

“Harry, she’s a smart girl.” Gemma said. “She knows what she’s getting into with you. She might not know the extent of what she’s getting into, but she knows enough about it.”

“I just don’t want them to chase her off.” I mumbled, pulling my phone out of my pockets, pressing my finger to the home button. “She’s got such a good heart, Gemma. She doesn’t deserve to have her name raked through the mud because of some asshole like me.”

“She doesn’t think you’re an asshole, and I guarantee if I asked her right now, she would say that you're worth it.” Gemma glanced at me with furrowed brows. “Don’t be bothered by it, Harry. Beatrice seems like a strong girl, and she’s got a decent sized support group to look after her.”

I sighed, biting my lower lip before I nodded. 

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” I whispered. “I just can’t help but worry about her.”

“I think that’s natural.” Gemma hummed out. “But I do have to say, this is the first time you’ve ever been worried about your bird and not yourself when it comes to being in the papers. You aren’t even a little bit annoyed that they plastered your face on the front page.”

“I couldn’t care less about myself right now.” I cleared my throat. “She’s not used to this, I am.”

“Well, maybe you should just have a talk about it.” Gemma said. “And you should definitely call Mum before she decides to fly over here to meet Bea herself.”

                                                   🐝🐝🐝🐝

Bea’s POV 

“Do you think I can pull this off?” I held the maroon colored bodysuit up, twisting the hanger around as I looked at the lack of fabric. “I mean, it’s really cute, but I’m just-”

“Perfect in every way, shape, and form.” Tara pressed her hands to my shoulders, kissing my cheek as I rolled my eyes at her. “I think you would fucking kill in that thing, babe. It’s perfect for your body shape.”

“My body shape is blob, Tara.” I glanced back at her with a wild expression, shaking my head as she laughed. “What could I do for this thing?”

“You have a fucking hourglass figure.” Jackson snorted out a laugh. “And you keep it locked up all the time, so let it out.”

“But I have a tummy.” I lowered the bodysuit, turning towards my friends. “Won’t that look a little unflattering if I just walk around with my stomach sticking out? And my arms-”

“Go put the damn thing on.” Tara carefully ushered me towards the dressing room, snagging a belt and a leather jacket along the way. “Try it, I think you’ll like it.”

I inhaled sharply, pushing the velvet curtain aside before I slid it shut again. I put the items down on the bench in front of the mirror, wiping my palms on my pants as I tried to soothe my nerves. It wasn’t like I was anxious about trying on clothes, I just hated the entire process. I had to undo my shoes, slide my pants off, put the bodysuit on, and then put my pants back on. After I finished all of that, I’d have to do it over again to get redressed. I started the process, balancing my hand against the wall as I stood on one foot. It took me a few minutes, but when I finally finished getting into the bodysuit, I looked at my jeans with a heavy frown. 

“Hey, Tara?” I moved the curtain aside, catching her attention. “Can you find me black jeans? I don’t think this shade of blue is gonna look good with the maroon.”

“Yeah, give me a sec.” She turned on her heel, strutting towards the jeans without a care in the world. 

I pulled the curtain back before I turned to face the mirror. 

The bodysuit had a bottom that was far more comfortable than any other bodysuit I’d worn. It was almost as if it had a pair of boyshorts at the bottom, the material stretchy and comfortable as I moved around. I especially enjoyed the zipper on the side that made it easy to slip on. I didn’t have to flail around like a fish out of water to pull it over my hips or to get it zipped up either. It was absolutely perfect, and the more that I looked at myself in it, the more I loved it. 

I twisted and turned, looking at myself from different angles as I waited for Tara to return with a pair of jeans for me. As I turned around, admiring my bum in the pair of cheeky boy shorts, an idea popped into my head. Harry did ask me to send him pictures throughout the day so that he would feel like he was with me. I rolled my lips in, holding back a giddy laugh as I thought of sending him a picture of me in just the bodysuit. It was quite a scandalous idea to me, though I knew there were people who’d sent pictures of far more intimate things to their boyfriends. 

I nibbled on the inside of my cheek as the wheels in my brain turned. On one hand, I knew that Harry would never say anything insulting to me about my picture. He would never point out a flaw, or offer a backhanded compliment. He would tell me that he loved it no matter what I sent, I knew that...but I was still nervous to show him my body in such a vulnerable state. 

I didn’t even know how to pose for those types of things, and surely someone else would need my dressing room before I finished figuring out the perfect post. I hesitated, my heart beating faster and faster in my chest. I finally grabbed my phone with a heavy exhale, trying my best to expel all of the negative energy from my body as I swiped over to my camera app. 

I held the phone up, tilting myself to the side before I looked at the screen of my phone. 

I groaned when I saw how I actually looked in the bodysuit. 

My legs were far too short, and my skin was far too pale. 

I looked like an old picture of me as a chubby child in a bathing suit, my stomach pushing out ever so slightly and the skin of my thighs dimpled. I rolled my eyes, pushing away the tight feeling in my chest as I lowered my phone down. It was no use even trying to take a picture of myself for Harry. The lighting of the dressing room wasn’t exactly helping me too much either. 

“If you want to take a picture, you weren’t doing it right.” Tara’s voice interrupted me, causing me to jump as I looked back at her. “You need to learn your angles, babe.”

“How long have you been standing there?” I asked, pressing my hand to my chest. 

“I walked in when you started pouting at your phone.” She snorted out a laugh, tossing the jeans onto the bench. “Give me your phone.”

“I don’t think-”

“Listen to the master.” She glared at me, holding her finger in the air. “Do exactly as I say, and we’ll get the perfect set of naughty pics for your man.”

“Tara-” I felt my cheeks growing warm, my eyes growing wide as she swirled her finger around. 

“Turn around and drop it girl, Harry will literally have a heart attack.” Tara said. 

“I’ve never dropped it, and I never will.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m not….I don’t like my ass, okay?”

“It is one of your best features, babe.” Tara looked at me over my phone, a soft look in her eyes as she sighed. “Do you feel insecure?”

“No, I just…” I shifted on my bare feet. “I’m just not as confident as I could be, that’s all. I’m working on it.”

“I truly think this will help.” Tara said softly. “We’ll save dropping it low for the wedding pictures, okay? For now, just… turn towards the mirror and stick your left over your right...that’s perfect Bea! Now just turn your head to the side, hold your hands in front of your stomach, and glance back at me like you’re modest.” 

“I am modest, you heathen.” I grumbled, following her instruction as she snapped a few pictures. “How did that look?” 

“Perfect.” She said. “Your hair did a lot of work, and we got the perfect shot of your ass without making it the focus.” 

“Oh my god, I don’t want to see it.” I groaned, turning towards her with a pout on my lips. “Can you see-”

“How positively exquisite you look in that bodysuit?” She asked. “Yes, you can. Now put the pants on and sit on the bench for me.”

I did as she said, sitting down on the edge before I crossed my legs. I extended them out, pressing my palms to the edge of the bench before I turned my head just like Tara asked me too. I wasn’t sure how she managed to avoid putting herself in the photo, but she did an excellent job of getting me in a raw, natural state with a smile on my face. 

When we were done playing around, I changed back into my old clothes before tossing the bodysuit, the belt, and the jeans over my arm. All three articles of clothing would be going home with me, and they would carry this memory with them forever. Tara handed me my phone back with a proud smirk, the device buzzing in my hand as I noticed a picture of Harry on the screen. 

“You sent them already?” I asked her. “Fuck, I’m not prepared.” 

“Go take the phone call.” She said. “Give me your shit, I’ll get you checked out.” 

I handed her my purse and the clothing before I answered the phone, holding it to my ear. 

“Hi.” I said softly. 

“You’re trying to kill me.” Harry whined out, his voice strained. “When I said send pictures, I meant ones with you doing innocent things. Now I have to wait for hours to touch you again, and all I can think about is you in that changing room.”

“I thought it might be a nice preview of things to come.” I bit my bottom lip as I crossed my free arm over my stomach. “I hope that you liked them.”

“I fucking loved them.” He said. “I plan on having them framed.”

“No you don’t.” I rolled my eyes. “No one wants to see those hung up in a gallery anywhere.”

“That’s not a bad idea…” He hummed out. “I wonder if the Guggenheim will take them?”

“Stop being so cheeky.” I tossed my head back, laughing loudly. “I allow you to put one in your wallet, so that you shall have to squint to see any flaws.” 

“That just won’t do.” He tutted softly. “I’m putting them in my house, in large frames! I might even commission an artist to paint you like a little renaissance princess...but you’d have to send me one without the lacy thing for that.” 

“In your dreams.” I mumbled, snorting out a soft laugh. “Have you done rehearsals yet?”

“Just about to go on stage and test it all out.” He said. “I was at the mic stand when I got those pictures by the way. I might have had to wobble off stage to take care of some things before I called you up.”

“Did you jack off to those?” I asked him bluntly. “Holy fuck, there’s no way-”

“Um, yeah, I did.” He said plainly. “My girlfriend sends me pictures of herself in lingerie, giving me bedroom eyes, and you expect me not to get hard? You’re insane.”

“You are insane.” I chuckled. “I’m happy to give a little inspiration to you in such desperate times, darling.”

“You sound so smug right now, honey.” His voice was soft, but there was a teasing edge to the tone of his voice that sent shivers down my spine. “Just you wait until I get on that stage tonight. I’ll have you dripping down your legs the second I walk out, and you know it.”

“Fuck.” I all but wheezed the word out. “Maybe I should cut my shopping trip short?”

“Now, now.” He taunted. “I don’t think your friends would like that very much, honey.”

“Alright, I’ve learned my lesson.” I cleared my throat. “Don’t tease if I don’t want to be teased back.”

“My clever girl.” he laughed. “Thank you for the pictures, honey. I think you looked positively stunning, and I really love them a lot.”

“You’re welcome.” I smiled, looking down at my feet. “I’ll see you soon, darling.”

“See you soon, Beatrice.” He whispered. “Be good.”

“Same to you.” 

I hung up, taking a deep breath in attempts to hold in a squeal. 

I fucking loved having a boyfriend. 

                                                     🍯🍯🍯🍯

Harry’s POV 

I slammed my fist into Dave’s covered palm with a loud grunt, biting down harder on my mouth guard as I ducked to avoid his right hook. I didn’t need a bruise on my face during the last show of my world tour, even if everyone would love that. I jumped back up, swinging my arm around for a side hit as Dave grunted in front of me. I took a few steps back, exhaling heavily as I heard chatter around me. I turned my head, my eyes landing on Beatrice and Claire standing by the ring. Claire was busy talking to Gemma, but Beatrice had her eyes glued on me. Just as I lifted my hand to wave, I felt a hard hit land on my ribcage, causing me to fall to the ground. 

I heard Bea gasp as Dave laughed loudly. 

“You shouldn’t have let your guard down, mate.” He tapped my hip with his glove. “Number one rule.”

“You prick, I was admiring my girl.” I groaned, falling onto my back. “It’s not my fault she’s so bloody gorgeous.”

“Oh my god, you’re ridiculous.” Bea’s laughter caught my attention, my head lolling to the side to see her standing at the side of the ring with one hand pressed over her lips.

“You think this is funny, huh?” I asked her, my words muffled around my guard. I turned my head to the opposite side, spitting it out before I looked back at her. “You wanna get in here and show me what you’ve got?”

“No thank you.” She laughed. “I’d rather stay down here and watch.” 

“I see.” I looked up at the ceiling, trying to catch my breath before I sat up straight. I started removing my gloves, pulling at the velcro around my wrists with my teeth. “Come in here and give me a kiss at least?”

“If you insist.” Beatrice mumbled, pressing her hands onto the floor of the ring before she hoisted herself up with a small grunt. “This is too much physical exercise for me, Styles. I’ve already done one workout with you.”

“I’m just getting you prepared.” I smiled up at her as she stood over me. “I want you nice and prepped for our big workout tonight.” 

“You two are disgusting.” Gemma groaned, her face twisting up. “I don’t want to hear this.” 

“Bugger off then!” I laughed, tossing my hand about. “I ain’t gonna stop now, so here’s your warning.”

Beatrice dropped to her knees beside me, holding back laughter as she grabbed my arm. 

“I knew you boxed, but seeing it in person is extremely erotic.” She mumbled, pulling the velcro away from the glove before she pulled it from my hand. “You’ve already seduced me, you don’t have to keep trying.” 

“That goes both ways.” I let out a breathy chuckle, shaking my head at her. “What on earth possessed you to take those pictures in the changing room?”

“You.” She glanced up at me as she started to undo my wrap. “I was sitting there, looking at myself in that bodysuit...and you just popped into my head. I wasn’t gonna do it first, though. I couldn’t get a good picture by myself, so Tara helped out a little.” 

“Remind me to buy her a car or something as a thank you.” I teased, bumping my shoulder into her arm. “You do know that you’re beautiful, right? Like...not to be a proper dick, but you’re one of the fittest girls I’ve ever seen in my whole life, and that’s coming from my heart and not my trousers.”

“Harry.” She laughed, shaking her head as she moved to the other wrist, her eyes avoiding mine at all costs. “You don’t have to sing such high praises-”

“Apparently I do, because you don’t seem to get it.” I whispered, sliding my free hand to her side for a quick squeeze. “You. are. Beautiful.”

I watched her cheeks turn red, her hips shifting about as she pulled the other glove off. 

“I won’t stop saying it until you feel it.” I leaned closer, pressing my lips to her collarbone as she started working on the wrap. “I’ll say it a million times a day.”

“It’s not that I don’t believe you see me that way, Harry.” She mumbled. “It’s just that I can’t believe it or see it myself, you know?”

I stopped, looking at her as she continued to work on my hand. 

When my wrap was fully removed, I lifted both of my palms to her face as I sat up on my knees in front of her. I brushed my thumbs over her cheeks, my brows pulling together as she swallowed harshly. I could see a light glaze over her eyes, almost as if she were going to cry. 

“Who made you feel like you’re not beautiful?” I asked her, watching her eyes cast down towards her knees. “Who hurt you?”

“No one.” She mumbled. “It’s not like I can sit and point fingers at every major company or magazine that put me down because of my weight or my body. I can’t individually list every person that’s ever called me names. I can’t sit and add it all up, because that makes it worse. So I just...let it go. You should too.”

I watched her look up at me with an unsure smile, and it nearly broke my heart. 

“You are perfect the way that you are.” I moved my forehead closer to hers. “Fuck them all, Beatrice. From the magazines, to the fashion industry, to the people around you that make you feel less than perfect for feeling comfortable in your own skin. I saw how much fun you were having when you took those photos, and I knew that you were feeling good about yourself...so why let those people drag you back down?”

“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I guess that’s just how the female brain works. We take one step forward in progress and then we leap five steps back when we get a glimpse of peace.” 

“Well, we’re not taking steps back anymore.” I pressed a kiss to her forehead, closing my eyes as I inhaled the scent of her shampoo. “I know it’s hard to love yourself, especially when the whole world is telling you not to, but we have each other now. We’re not alone in this.”

I watched her eyes narrow, her head tilting to the side as she stared at me. 

“What?” I asked. 

“Who hurt you?” She asked. “Harry, please tell me that you don’t...if anyone in this relationship is perfect, it’s-”

I pressed my lips to hers, sliding my palms to the side of her neck as she let out a surprised squeak. Seconds later, she melted into my kiss, her fingers gripping my shirt tightly as I brushed my tongue over her bottom lip. It took us seconds to find our way to the floor, her legs spreading just enough for me to slot my hips between them. I felt my hand slip down, cupping her breast over the thin, satin tank top that she put on. The soft pink color looked beautiful on her, and I was envious of the blouse as it clung to her body in such a flattering manner. 

“Don’t ever do that.” I pulled back, looking into her eyes as she tried to catch her breath. “I know that the world has me on some pedestal, but I’m just Harry. I’m your boyfriend, and I’m going to make mistakes just the same as you. I’m not any better than you, Beatrice, and I never want you to feel that way. We’re equals, and I will never let you put yourself down just to build me up.”

“Kiss me.” She gripped my shoulders, pulling me into her lips again. 

I felt the stirring in the lower pit of my stomach, a soft burn accompanied by the blood flowing straight to my cock. I groaned, sliding my tongue past her lips just so I could hear those beautiful noises she made in the heat of the moment. It was almost as if she couldn’t contain her feelings in her body, so they had to escape in soft hums. I felt her fingers gripping at my arms, desperate to pull me closer to her body as she shifted her hips against the mat. 

I pulled away, pressing my forehead to hers as my chest heaved. 

Kissing her made me more breathless than my workout. 

“You’re intoxicating.” I let out a breathless chuckle, sliding my palm from her breast to her neck. I brushed my thumb over her jaw, closing my eyes. “And you smell fucking amazing, what is that?”

“I spoiled myself with a new perfume today.” She chuckled, sliding her fingers over my forearm before wrapping them around my wrist. “It’s by Chloe.”

“It smells delightful.” I ducked my head down, brushing my nose over her skin. “Like roses.”

“I think it’s called Roses De Chloe, if I’m not mistaken.” She let out a shuddery breath when I kissed over the skin of her neck. “You’re dangerous, Harry Styles.”

“You have no idea.” I chuckled, lifting my head up. “C’mon, I need to shower before dinner.”

“And I need to be present?” She lifted her brows up as I settled on my knees. 

“I would prefer that you’re present.” I chuckled, reaching for my water bottle. “I want to hear about your day.”

“I suppose that’s fair.” She sighed, raising her upper half with her palms behind her on the mat. 

“And maybe, I can sneak in a couple more kisses before tonight.” I watched her drop her head back, laughing until a little snort slipped out. “Just when I think you can’t get any cuter, you do something like that.”

“Oh, yes, the snort is so cute.” She rolled her head forward, sending me a blank stare. “Let’s go, casanova, you do need a shower.”

“Rude.”

                                                   🐟🐟🐟🐟

Bea’s POV 

“I almost got a haircut today.” I scrolled on my phone, curling my feet under my legs as Harry continued to shower. “I mean, that’s not that interesting seeing as I didn’t, but I thought about it.”

“I think you would look cute with short hair.” Harry called over the spray of the shower. “I just don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have something to pull into a ponytail when you’re-”

“Don’t say it.” I glanced over my phone, watching him smile at me through the steamed glass of the shower. 

“C’mon, you know you’d miss that feeling.” He chuckled, sliding his abnormally large hands over his head as he tilted it back towards the spray of the shower. 

“I’ve only given you one blowjob, sir.” I tilted my chin up. “I don’t know that I would miss it.”

“Giving me blowjobs or having me pull your hair?” He asked. “We can test both of those theories out right now if you want.”

“Maybe later, darling.” I rolled my eyes, glancing back at my phone. “Are you excited for tonight?”

“I am.” He said. “I’m so thrilled to get this tour over with, honestly. I love every single moment of it, don’t get me wrong, but I need some time off.”

“You’ve been a busy boy.” I nodded. “You never really took a serious break between the band and your solo stuff, squid.”

“I didn’t want to.” He said casually. “I need to be working, Beatrice. I literally don’t think I could ever stop.”

“I know what you mean.” I chuckled, shaking my head. “I mean, I’m not necessarily pulling the hours that you are, but I am a workaholic like you.”

“That’s not good.” He turned the shower off, talking through a soft chuckle as he pulled the door open. “If we’re both workaholics, who’s going to take time off to visit the other.”

“You.” I pointed at him with my phone, offering him a smile. “You’re the one on break, aren’t ya?”

“Touche.” He stepped out of the shower, reaching for the towel on the hook next to the sink with furrowed brows. “Why are you on the floor?” 

“It’s comfier than sitting on the sink.” I shrugged, looking up at him. “You smell delectable.” 

“Thanks.” He leaned down, stealing a kiss. “Want a taste?”

I rolled my lips in, looking into his eyes as he toweled his hair off. 

“Yeah, actually.” I mumbled, dropping my phone to the floor on top of my shoes. “I might want a taste.”

Harry’s eyes snapped to mine as I rolled onto my knees, pressing my palms to his damp thighs. 

“Fuck.” He whispered. “I didn’t actually think… you don’t have to.” 

“I want to.” I dug my nails into his thighs, smirking when he hissed out. “Lean against the sink for me? I don’t want you to fall.”

“Okay.” He shuffled back a few steps, pressing his bum to the edge of the sink as I moved closer to him. 

Harry’s eyes were glued to me as I kissed over the small tattoos on his legs. 

They were mostly silly little words, but I found them adorable. 

I let my right hand move from the tiger tattoo on his thigh to the base of his cock, my fingertips trailing over a vein in his shaft. I watched his cock twitch, a small drop of precum bubbling from the red tip. I was curious to know more about Harry’s body, and the things that I could do to it. He was only the second guy that I had seen naked like this, but I was proud to say that he was my favorite. I liked his cock, and I loved how it reacted to the smallest of touches from me. 

“You have a very pretty cock.” I mumbled, glancing up at him as he gripped the edge of the sink with white knuckles. “It seems to like attention, huh?”

“Just yours.” He cleared his throat, shifting his hips around. “Please, angel.”

“Be patient.” I whispered, sliding my forefinger over his tip. “I’m admiring it.”

It was slowly growing harder with each second that I stared at it, my fingertips still lightly tracing over the shaft. Harry was breathing heavily above me, his chest heaving and his grip tight on the porcelain behind him. I loved watching his thighs and his tummy tense when I leaned closer, my breath brushing over the sensitive area ever so slightly. I had him wrapped already, and I couldn’t wait to test just how much willpower he had. 

Part of me wanted him to tangle his fingers in my hair before pulling my mouth onto his cock. I wanted him to groan and growl out filthy words while I gasped for air. I wanted to be everything he wanted me to be while I was on my knees in front of him. I knew that he had a bit of a dominant streak in him, just like I had a submissive one in me, but we weren’t quite there yet. 

“What are you waiting for?” I glanced up at him. “I thought we were testing out if I’d miss having your hands in my hair while I sucked you off?”

“You are trouble.” He lifted a hand from the sink, cupping my chin gently. “I see it in your eyes, you know? I know what you want me to do, but I won’t do it unless you beg.”

“I have no clue what you’re talking about.” I said sweetly. 

“Don’t play coy, angel.” He brushed his thumb over my lower lip as he mumbled, causing me to smirk up at him. “You want me to fuck your mouth, don’t you?”

“Sounds pleasant, I suppose.” I shrugged my shoulders

Harry’s lips curved into a smirk that reminded me of the cheshire cat. 

“You’re a bit of a brat, aren’t you?” He tilted my chin up higher, watching my face as I tried to contain my smile. “Sweet Beatrice, you are treading on very thin ice.”

“Am I?” I asked softly. “I feel like I’m being such a good girl.”

“You know that you’re not.” 

I moan when I felt his thumb slip past my lips, brushing over my tongue before he pulled it right back out. I leaned forward, pulling it back into my mouth as Harry’s eyes turned from light to dark. I could see the intense look burning behind the soft Jade color of his irises. 

“You’re teasing me again.” He let out a shuddery sigh, closing his eyes as he tilted his head back. “You’re going to be in so much trouble when I get you home.” 

I pulled back from his thumb with a pop, smiling up at him as his hand gripped the base of his cock. I watched him stroke over the shaft twice, holding back soft whimpers as he did. 

“Open your mouth.” He said it sternly, but I could see the hint of softness left in him. 

He wanted to make sure that I was okay. 

I stuck my tongue out, settling my palms on my thighs as I waited for him to finally give me what I wanted. He rested the head of his cock on my tongue, the salty taste of his precum mixed with a hint of his body wash. I closed my mouth around the head, lapping my tongue over the slit of his cock as he hissed. Seconds later, his right hand was digging into the roots of my hair. 

“Your fucking mouth, angel.” He dropped his head back, letting out a high pitched whine. “Feels so good wrapped around me, Beatrice.”

I hummed softly, moving as far as I could go on his shaft. 

He was thick, but not overly so, and the length of his cock was perfect for my mouth. 

I could hardly make it to the base of his cock, but I was happy with making it halfway at least. I pulled back, suckling harshly when I made it to the tip. Harry’s hips jutted forward in response, causing his cock to slip right back into my mouth. I moaned around him, closing my eyes as I dug my nails into his thighs. I moved my head slowly, trying to figure out the perfect pace. 

I hadn’t had much practice, but this was my third blowjob, so I liked to think I had the basics down. Harry seemed to think so too, his fingers pulling my roots tighter as he moved his hips gently in and out of my mouth. He was nowhere near my throat, and I was thankful for that. I wasn’t quite ready to test out that area of pleasure when it came to blowjobs. I didn’t know how I would handle having someone literally pushing into my throat just yet. 

“I’m gonna cum.” He whimpered. “Open your eyes, Beatrice.” 

I did as I was told, looking up at him. 

“Use your hands and…” He inhaled sharply when I suckled on the head of his cock again before moving my lips down. “Please just play with my-”

I knew what he was trying to ask, my fingers already finding their way to his balls. 

I brushed my thumb over the skin at first, testing out the waters before I started to really massage them between my fingers. Harry’s hips stuttered forward as he cursed loudly, dropping his head forward as I stared up at him. The second his glazed over eyes locked with mine, it was all over. He lowered his left hand to my head, sliding his fingers through the roots as he held himself in my mouth, his cum coating the center of my tongue as he cried out. 

When he was done, he pulled himself out, and I swallowed with a scrunched up nose. 

“You didn’t have to swallow.” He chuckled, reaching down to brush his thumb under my lips. “I would have moved for you.”

“It’s okay.” I shrugged. “I didn’t mind it.” 

“Your face said otherwise.” He laughed a little harder. “Thank you, honey, that was really nice.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” I rolled my eyes, holding my hands up towards him. “Help me up, my knees are sore.”

“Sorry.” he grabbed my hands, pulling me up to my feet. “Give me a kiss.”

“You want to kiss me?” I asked him, pulling my head back as he leaned forward. “Don’t you want me to like, brush my teeth first?”

“No.” His brows furrowed. “I want your lips.”

“But...I thought guys didn’t like…” I paused, tilting my head. “Nevermind.” 

“No, finish that sentence.” he said. “You thought guys didn’t like what?” 

“Kissing someone after they’ve...you know?” I felt my cheeks heat up as Harry stared back at me. 

 “Is that what the guy before me said? The guy that you tried this out on a while ago?” He asked softly, his thumb brushing over the back of my hand in soft circles. 

“Yeah.” I mumbled. “He also kind of didn’t give me a choice on the whole spit or swallow thing.”

“He sounds like a fucking prick.” Harry’s jaw tensed as he inhaled sharply, shaking his head with a stern expression. “Don’t ever let a man treat you like that again, do you hear me? I don’t ever want you to do something because you think I’ll like it. We both have to enjoy it if this is going to work.”

“I wanted that with you.” I brushed my palms over his pecs, sliding them up to his neck. “I just...I didn’t know.”

“Well, you do now.” He leaned forward, brushing his nose against mine. “I’m a lucky bastard for being able to have your mouth like that, the least I can do is kiss you after and call you a good girl.”

“Don’t call me a good girl.” I closed my eyes, pressing my thighs together. 

“S’that turn you on?” He laughed, sliding his hands to my lower back. “But you were so good for me, angel. After you were a total brat, of course.”

“That’s my favorite part.” I opened my eyes, offering him a smile. “I like being a brat.”

Harry let out a soft sigh, his lips pressed together as he tried not to smile. 

“We’re going to have so much fun.” He whispered, leaning closer to my lips with his own. “I’m going to wreck you.” 

“Don’t threaten me with a good time.” I snorted out a laugh, but Harry cut it off with a kiss. “You really are the type to kiss someone in the middle of-”

His lips pressed into mine again, and I melted. 

                                                 🍆🍆🍆🍆

Harry’s POV

Beatrice and Claire were a force to be reckoned with. 

Three tequila shots and a watermelon margarita later, and they were both ready to party. I watched Bea toss the tequila shots back like water, reaching for the lime as her nose scrunched up ever so slightly. I tried to hide the proud smile I was wearing, but it was hard to do that when my girlfriend was crushing my favorite liquor like it was water. Gemma wasn’t quiet about catching my smile either, her elbow digging into my side. 

“You’re in love.” She sang out. “Look at her, like another version of you.”

“In my younger days.” I snorted, crossing my arms over my chest. “I can’t party like that anymore.”

“Yes you can.” Gemma rolled her eyes. “You’re dramatic.”

“Eh, just a little.” I smiled over at her. “Have you two been getting along?”

“We’ve talked some, yeah.” Gemma nodded, digging her spoon into a mountain of mashed potatoes. “She reminds me a lot of you in certain ways, but there’s something about her that I can’t put my finger on.”

“Something that you don’t like or?” I waited for her response as she let out a soft noise of uncertainty. “What?”

“I just think that she’s one of those people that puts her own needs aside to please everyone else, you know?” Gemma sighed. “It's not a bad thing, but it can be harmful.”

“I’ve noticed that too.” I scratched at my jaw. “But it doesn’t make me want her any less.”

“Oh, I know.” Gemma rolled her eyes. “When you fixate on someone, you’re like a fucking dog with their new favorite toy.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I bumped her shoulder with my own. “I get it, you think I’ll forget about my favorite sister.”

“You did when you were with Hannah...and Madison...and Samantha-”

“Got it.” I said sharply, glaring at her. “Gemma, I know that I’ve been a proper dick about relationships in the past, but I just...I want someone to love. Is that such a bad thing?”

“It is when you put everyone else aside and focus on someone toxic.” She was such a smart ass sometimes, and I hated it. “But I don’t think Bea is toxic. I just think she’s a little innocent.”

I snorted, but I quickly wiped my hand over my mouth. 

“You’re disgusting.” Gemma narrowed her eyes at me. “I meant in worldly matters, not in the bedroom.”

“She’s pretty innocent in the bedroom too.” Claire’s voice made me jump, my hand pressing to my chest as Gemma turned her head back. “She’s still a virgin...right, Harry?”

“Oh my god.” I felt my face heat up as Claire plopped into the seat beside Gemma. “Can I see your spoon, Gem? I would like to scoop my eyes out now.”

“So many things that I didn’t need to know.” Gemma mumbled, glancing at Claire. “You’re insane, I like that.”

“Good.” Claire smiled at Gemma, reaching over to steal a green bean off of her plate. “I think you’re pretty fucking awesome too.”

Gemma laughed, shaking her head at Claire as she reached for a water bottle. 

“In all honesty, she is pretty innocent, but she’s also pretty smart.” Claire said. “Even though she’s most definitely losing it with Sarah over there.”

I turned my head around, watching Sarah and Beatrice lean into each other as they both laughed. I raised my brows, looking back at Claire who just shrugged her shoulders. 

“They both had an emo phase, and to them, that’s hysterical.” Claire sipped at her water. “I didn’t know Mitch’s birthday was yesterday, by the way.”

“Oh, yeah.” I nodded. “We did a pre-party for him, it was fun.”

“I feel bad for stealing his birthday thunder.” Claire pouted her bottom lip out. “Had I known, I wouldn’t have soaked up being in the spotlight light last night.”

“I’m sure Mitch enjoyed it.” Gemma said. “He’s not one for being the center of attention.”

“Very odd, isn’t it.” Claire hummed. “For both of us to be cancers, but to be so different.” 

“Natal chart.” Gemma pointed her spoon towards Claire. “It makes a world of difference.” 

“On that note, I’m leaving.” I stood up from my chair, pressing a quick kiss to the top of Gemma’s head before I nodded at Claire. “I’m keeping my eyes on you two tonight, you seem dangerous.”

“Wait until she starts trying to take her clothes off.” Claire moved her eyebrows, biting her tongue between her teeth. 

“Oh fuck me.” I groaned, dropping my head back before I walked around the long table, heading in the direction of Sarah and Bea. 

“You two look like you’re having a good laugh.” I looked between them with raised brows. 

“Sarah showed me a picture of her hair in highschool.” Bea pressed her palm over her mouth, her eyes watering as Sarah laughed harder next to her. 

“Oh my goodness.” I chuckled, sitting down next to them. “I haven’t seen that, let me see.”

“No, for Bea’s eyes only.” Sarah wheezed, snatching her phone against her chest. “You wouldn’t get it.”

“You’re stealing my friends.” I glanced back at Beatrice as she silently laughed, hunching over as I let out a breathy laugh through my nose. “Is this the tequila, or do I need to get you an inhaler, honey?” 

“I’m fine.” She waved her hand about, taking a deep breath before she wiped under her eyes to collect the fallen tears. “I just haven’t laughed like that in a while.”

“I’m glad my hair was amusing.” Sarah giggled, patting Beatrice’s thigh. “I’ve got to go find my boyfriend, I haven’t shown him this picture yet.” 

“So everyone gets to see it but me?” I watched Sarah nod as she stood up. “Rude, Sarah Jones.” 

“I love you, Harry Styles.” She dropped her hand to my head, ruffling my hair. “But, no.”

Beatrice let out another round of giggles at that, and I turned my eyes towards her. 

“I’ll get you for this later.” I reached over, tickling her side before she squeaked out. “You seriously can’t get any cuter.”

“Stop.” She groaned, swatting my hand away as she pouted. “I’m ticklish.”

“Good.” I chuckled. “I’ve been away far too long, where is my kiss?” 

“Needy man.” She leaned forward, pressing her lips to mine. “I’m excited for the show to start, I can’t wait to see you dancing around like a fool on stage. What was it that you said earlier? You were going to have me dripping down my legs?”

I inhaled sharply as she tilted her head, kissing the soft spot below my ear. 

“Claire warned me that tequila made you horny.” I brushed my palm up her thigh. “Easy there, honey.”

“Oops.” She pulled back, her cheeks practically glowing red. “I forgot about the other people in the room.”

“S’alright.” I lifted my hand, brushing my thumb over her chin. “Just don’t want to get worked up before I have to sit in the hair and makeup chair.”

“Oh, makeup!” She exclaimed. “I still have to get ready.” 

“You can get ready with me.” I said. “We’ll sit side by side.”

“How cute.” She pouted again, tilting her head to the side like she’d just seen a cute puppy dog walking down the street. “You’re sweet.”

“And you’re tipsy.” I laughed. “You haven’t eaten yet, have you?” 

She shook her head. “I was waiting for you.”

“C’mon, let’s grab a plate or two and figure out what we want.” I reached for her hand, standing up before she followed suit. “One more kiss?”

“Okay.” She pressed up on her toes, kissing my cheek. “Oh, I wonder if you have fries around here somewhere. You know the old saying, fries before guys.”

“Excuse me.” I followed behind her as she giggled, shaking my head. “No, it’s guys before fries here.”

I was going to have my hands full with this one. 

                                                 🍟  🍟  🍟🍟

Bea’s POV 

When I walked out of the bathroom, pulling my faux leather jacket on, my jaw nearly hit the ground. I stopped in my tracks, looking at Harry with parted lips and wide eyes as he turned around and held his arms out for Lambert. I watched him shrug his jacket on, shimmying his shoulders until it rested comfortably on his frame. Harry looked up at me, shooting me a grin that made me knees feel wobbly. I cleared my throat, adjusting my own jacket before I walked closer to him with sweaty palms and a frog in my throat. 

“You look gorgeous.” He leaned forward, holding my elbow with his massive hand before he pressed a kiss to my temple. “Have you put on the lacy thing for me?”

“Yeah, I have.” I sucked in a breath as he lifted the lapel of my jacket, his eyes burning when they landed on the bodysuit. “Better in person?”

“Much.” He mumbled, glancing up at me with a lopsided grin, his dimple just barely visible. “If there weren’t other people in this room, I’d kiss the breath right out of your lungs.”

I pressed my lips together, holding back a groan as his voice dropped. 

“Sadly, there are plenty of people!” Lambert interrupted. “And I refuse to see this shirt ruined by that gorgeous red lipstick you’ve got on, Beatrice. What is that?”

“Um, Revlon.” I said softly. “I think the shade is Black Cherry or something like that.”

“Revlon.” Lambert muttered. “You wear it well, darling.” 

“Thank you.” I felt my cheeks heat up as Harry smiled at me, almost as if he was proud of my ability to impress his friends. 

“Now, you two are off to watch Kacey’s set, but please be careful with the jacket.” Lambert brushed his hands over Harry’s arms. “We don’t want too many sequins gone before your set.”

“I’ll try to keep the dancing to a minimum.” Harry laughed, shaking his head at Lambert. “Thanks for being such a wonderful addition to the team, mate. I don’t know what the fuck I would done without you.”

“Probably would have worn those dreadful black skinny jeans on stage for the entire tour.” I tried to hold back my laugh, slapping my palm over my hand at Lambert's words. “And those chelsea boots, the tan ones? I’m getting nauseous thinking about it.” 

“Oi, I was fit!” Harry exclaimed. “I pulled it off well, didn’t I Bea?”

“There was a reason Niall was my favorite.” I shrugged. 

“Excuse me?” He blinked at me, his face blank. “Niall looked like a fucking frat boy-”

“You had a phase.” I pointed out. “You all went through a frat boy phase with your snapbacks and your cut off shirts.”

“But I was the only one who pulled it off well.” He held his finger up, waving it about. “Niall was nowhere near as attractive as I in the snapback.”

“You fucker!”

Harry and I snapped our heads around at the new voice in the room. 

The second I lay my eyes on the dirty blonde Irishman, I felt like my heart was going to fall out of my ass. Niall stood there in the doorway with his hands held up, a look of mock offense on his face. I turned to Harry, my jaw practically on the floor as he stared at his old mate. 

“Niall!” Harry said. “You made it, lucky charms!”

“I heard what you said, Styles.” Horan pointed his finger, putting on a fake angry expression before his eyes darted towards me. “Is she alright?”

Harry looked back at me, his brows raised as I looked between him and Niall, my finger weakly pointing at my childhood crush. 

“That’s Niall Horan.” I said softly as Harry walked up to me. “That’s Niall Horan.”

“Okay, let’s breathe.” Harry chuckled, brushing his hands over my biceps, holding me in place as I tried to peer around him. “I’m offended that you weren’t this shell shocked when we met.”

“You aren’t Niall Horan.” I said, looking up at him. “That’s….I had such a huge crush on him.”

Harry ducked his head down, his breath tickling my ear.

“Do I need to take you into the bathroom and remind you who you’re here for?”

I felt my eyes flutter shut, a soft whine catching in my throat as Harry nipped at my earlobe before pressing a quick kiss to my pulse point. I almost felt dizzy when he lifted his head up with that dazzling smirk on his lips. I cleared my throat, shifting on my feet. 

“Answer me.” He said. “Do you need that?”

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. 

“Oh, angel, you look flustered.” He cooed, brushing his knuckles over my cheek. 

“I’m good.” I cleared my throat, willing my voice to go back to normal. “I was just a little shocked, that’s all.”

“Gimme a kiss.” He puckered his lips out dramatically, and I let out a breathy laugh. “There she is.”

I pressed up on my toes, kissing his cheek. 

“Sorry.” I mumbled, avoiding his gaze. “I just...he just popped up out of nowhere. I need a warning for these kind of things.”

“Next time I’ll sing a good ol’ pub song while I’m walking down the hall so you know I’m coming for you, love.” Niall laughed at himself, and I couldn’t help but laugh along as Harry turned around with an unamused expression. “You gonna introduce us, Styles?”

“This is my girlfriend, Bea.” Harry slipped his hand over my back. “Beatrice, this is Niall.”

“Hi.” I held my hand out, but Niall swatted it away before opening his arms. 

“I like hugs.” 

“She’s not hugging you.” Harry held me back, scowling at Niall. 

I turned my head back to look at Harry, my lips pressed together and my brows raised as if to say ‘oh, really?’ to his comment. I could hug whoever I wanted, and right now, I wanted to make Harry jealous by hugging Niall fucking Horan. 

“I’m hugging him.” I said, moving closer to Niall. “Don’t be sour.”

“He is a bit of a sour patch kid, isn’t he?” Niall laughed as I wrapped my arms around his middle, giggling when he tossed his arms around my shoulders. “I can’t believe Harry’s got himself a decent girl.”

“You just met me, you don’t know that I’m decent yet.” I pulled back with a laugh, retreating to my spot next to Harry. “But I’ll take the compliment all the same.” 

“Thatta girl.” Niall winked at me before stuffing his hands in his pockets, turning towards Harry with a bright smile. “I’m excited to see your show tonight.”

“It’s gonna be weird, knowing that you’re out in the crowd watching instead of performing with me.” Harry blew out a nervous breath, shaking his head. “And it doesn’t help that you’re not the only one here. Liam is coming tonight, fucking Kendall will be here...I’m pretty sure a few other people will be here tonight too.”

“Well, Kendall is fucking tone deaf, so I don’t think she’ll notice if you fuck up.” Niall cackled, tossing his head back. “And I doubt you’ll fuck up at all, you’re a star mate.”

“So are you, Horan.” Harry reached out, tapping Niall’s shoulder. “I’ve missed you.”

“Yeah, I’ve missed you too.” Niall’s voice was softer, a happy smile still on his face. “Can’t believe it’s already been two years apart.”

“I’m gonna cry.” I whispered, waving my hand in front of my eyes as they started to water. “I’m having flashbacks of the History music video, I don’t need this today.”

“You got yourself a fan.” Niall asked, his brows shooting up towards his hairline. “Is that why she was so wigged out a second ago?”

“Yeah.” I spoke up. “You were my favorite.”

“I was?” Niall asked, his head tilting to the side. “Am I not anymore.”

“I mean…” I turned towards Harry, sliding my arm around his waist before I looked back at Niall with a small giggle. “Look at this one, mate! He’s so dreamy and he’s romantic.” 

“I can be romantic.” Niall exclaimed. 

Harry snorted, turning his head to spit out a fake cough to save himself. 

“What was that for?” Niall said. “I can be romantic!” 

“Sure, mate.” Harry reached out, patting Niall’s shoulder again as a knock sounded at his dressing room door. “Oh look, more people.”

I turned my head to the doorway, suddenly intimidated by the three women walking in. 

Claire, Kendall, and Hannah (Harry's most recent ex) walked in together. 

I automatically felt inferior to them, and not just because I was much shorter. 

Even my own best friend fit in better with that group than I did, her perfect brown skin and long legs practically identical to the other two women. Harry clearly had a type for summer goddesses with a knack for modeling, and it made me wonder why he didn’t pick Claire over me. They would have made such a beautiful couple. 

“I want you to meet Kenny.” Harry squeezed my side. “She’s a good friend of mine.”

“Sure.” I gave him a tight smile, swallowing my nerves as I felt my palms sweat. 

I didn’t know a lot about Kendall or her family, but I never heard anything good. 

I also didn’t know how to talk to someone of her status. 

“Ken!” Harry said her name so casually, like he was used to calling it out. “I’d like you to meet someone.”

Fuck. 

She set her eyes on me, scanning me from head to toe before plastering on a smile and strutting over in her mega high heels. I owned a pair similar to hers, but mine came from Walmart, and hers were probably from Dior. She stopped in front of us, affectionately touching Harry’s bicep with a soft hell before she turned to look down at me. 

“Hi.” She said. “I’m Kendall.”

“Beatrice.” I stuck my hand out to her nervously, but she just looked at it. I had a feeling that she wasn’t a hugger like Niall. “Um, you can call me Bea though.”

“Bea.” She nodded as I pulled my hand back. “Where did you two meet?”

“At a bar last night.” Harry laughed softly, squeezing my side as he shot me a wink. It eased my nerves just a little. “Swept her right off of her feet.”

“So that is how we’re telling the story?” I chuckled, turning my attention towards him instead of the nerve wracking situation in front of me. “I suppose you’re not entirely wrong.” 

“I never am.” He sighed dramatically, pursing his lips before he leaned in for a quick kiss. “So, Ken, where’s your man tonight?”

Oh, thank god. 

“He’s just talking shit with Jeff, I think.” She turned her head, scanning the dressing room before she rolled her eyes. “I honestly don’t want to see his face tonight, he’s being annoying.”

“Oh no.” Harry laughed softly. “What have you done?” 

“Me, I did nothing?” She pressed her fingers to her collarbone, scoffing playfully. “I merely said we should vacation in Mykonos with my family-”

“There it is.” Harry interrupted. 

“What’s wrong with vacationing with my family?” Kendall asked, tilting her head to the side with a frown. “Everyone loves it!”

“No, they don’t.” Harry shook his head. “I remember your Mum made us-”

He stopped, shifting on his feet as he looked at me. 

“Don’t mind me.” I said. “You can keep talking, I can go find Claire or-”

“That would be great-”

“Don’t go-” 

Harry and Kendall spoke at the same time, and I rolled my lips into my mouth as they both looked at each other in shock. 

“Um, well,” I stuttered, slowly pulling myself from Harry’s arm. “You clearly need a moment, so I’m just gonna go somewhere that isn’t right here.” 

I turned, walking towards Claire and Niall like there was a fire under my ass. 

“Oh my god.” I whispered, grabbing Claire’s arm. “I feel like I was just met the fucking queen or something! I mean, the way she looked at me, Claire-”

“She’s not very nice.” Claire laughed, sliding her arm around my shoulder. “It’s alright though, I’m a much better model than her and I plan on dragging her ass down the runway one day.”

“Thank you.” I squeaked out, letting out a laugh as Niall chuckled in front of us. “Sorry, I know you’re probably friends with her too, I just-”

“Not friends.” Niall said, shaking his head. “Never have been, never will be.”

“Fair.” I sighed, taking a few deep breaths. “Oh, Claire, it’s Niall!”

“Yeah, we’ve been chatting for a minute over here babe.” She laughed. “He introduced himself.”

“Right.” I laughed nervously. “There’s a lot happening.”

“You need a break?” Niall asked. “Because the three of us can sneak off for a drink, I doubt anyone will notice we’re gone.”

I turned my head, looking at Harry as he laughed with Kendall and Hannah. 

It hurt just a tiny bit to see him so chummy with his exes, but who was I to judge. 

“Yeah, that sounds nice.” I turned back to Niall with a fake smile. “Let’s go.”

Harry’s POV

“So, what’s the deal with this new girl?” Kendall asked. “She’s...different.” 

“I don’t like what you’re insinuating.” I said slowly, my brows pulling together. “Why did you say it like that?”

“She just, doesn’t seem like your type.” She shrugged, brushing it off as if it was no big deal. “I haven’t seen you with someone like her before.”

“Kenny has a point.” Hanna interrupted, looking at me with raised brows. “You don’t typically go for her type.”

“Okay, you’re both being vague and annoying.” I let out a frustrated huff. “What are you getting at?”

“She’s not stepping on the cover of Vogue anytime soon.” Kendall shrugged. “That’s all.”

“Because-” I waited for them to speak, but they both glanced at each other. 

“Well, she’s bigger than what you normally go for, and she’s a little plain.” Hannah said. “It’s not really like you to downgrade.”

“Right.” I let out a bitter laugh, lifting my hand to scratch at my jaw as I felt anger boiling up from my chest to my throat. “Fuck you...both of you. I don’t know where you get off insulting someone you don’t even know, but that shit doesn’t matter to everyone. Beatrice could put a paper bag over her head, and it wouldn’t make me want her any less. Do you know why?”

They both stared at me as I waited for an answer. 

“Because she has a fucking heart, and a beautiful mind.” I snapped. “You two are a bunch of gossiping trust fund babies with no morals.”

I turned around, stalking towards the door of my dressing room without second thought. 

I slammed it behind me before I turned down the hall, walking straight for catering. 

When I walked into the room, Beatrice was sitting between Niall and Claire sipping on a watermelon margarita with pink cheeks and a bright smile. I felt my anger dissipate in my chest, her laughter distracting me from the cruel words replaying in my head. I let out a sigh, feeling my shoulders slump before I walked towards the cheerful group. 

“Hey.” I said, dropping into the seat next to Bea’s. “I missed you.”

“Did you?” She asked me, squinting playfully with pursed lips. “You seemed like you were having fun.”

“It was dreadful, believe me.” I leaned closer, stealing a kiss from her. “Are you having fun?”

“So much.” She smiled, kissing me once more. “I can’t wait to get out there though. I think Kacey is on in ten minutes.”

“Sounds right.” I let out a breath, pressing my palm to Beatrice’s thigh. “Finish up your drink, honey. I’ll have Larissa make us more before Jeff takes us to the side stage.”

“Okay.” She gave me a bright smile. “Thank you.” 

“For what?” I asked, tilting my head to the side curiously. 

“For being so sweet.” She mumbled. “I adore you.”

My heart practically screamed in my chest, the hairs raising up on the back of my neck as I felt my lips pull into a huge smile. I let out a giggle, ducking my head down as my cheeks warmed. 

Beatrice brushed her fingers over the back of my neck as I moved closer to her, wrapping my arms around her the best that I could from my chair. 

“I adore you, too.”

[angelwiththeblue-box]

blow all my friendships to sit in hell with you

a lokius fix it fic | ao3 link | based off of this post | spoilers for season 1 of loki

A force wave pulses through the TVA. Mobius locks eyes with B-15.

“We have to go. Something happened!” Mobius says. “But, where are they?”

“They’re Lokis, they can find their own way.”

“Seriously, B-15-“

“Bea.” Bea interrupts.

“Bea.” Mobius says. He’s known B-15- Bea, the longest, it’s weird knowing she has an actual name, and not just a number. “We can’t leave them to die. We don’t even know what happened.”

“Whatever they did is causing the TVA to crumble. Our job is done, Mobius. We can go home.” Bea says, a spark in her eyes.

“You can go home. I’m not leaving without Loki.” Mobius says. “And Sylvie.”

Bea sighs. “Alright, Mobius. Here’s where I’m going to be, if you want to visit.” Bea hands him a slip of paper, before programming a door and walking through it.

Mobius turns around, looking around at the slowly crumbling TVA. He doesn’t know how much time he’ll have before it collapses completely. Hopefully Sylvie and Loki will be able to find him.

A shock wave rumbles through as a crack sounds in the library and Loki falls out and hits the floor. He looks around and Mobius runs over to him. “Loki? Where’s Sylvie? And what are you wearing?” Mobius laughs.

“Who are you? Where am I? What have you done with me!” Loki says, attempting to summon his daggers, much like the first time they met.

“Loki?”

“Who are you that dares say my name like you know me?!” Loki hisses. Mobius backs up in shock. Something happened at the end of time. And now this Loki, who clearly isn’t his, is here.

“Never mind. I thought you were someone else.” Mobius mumbles, pocketing his TemPad and walking away, his feet subconsciously taking him to Ravonna’s office.

He shuts the door and leans against it, breathing hard.

Fuck.

***

The TVA is completely abandoned. It had been a long long time since Mobius had seen or heard from anybody.

There’s no clock in the TVA. not an actual one, anyway.

Ravonna’s office is the only TVA building still standing. Clearly, she thought something like this might happen, based on all the files that had been backed up and the enforced walls.

Mobius tried to look out the window, but it’s not an actual window, since he can’t actually see anything out of it.

Miss. Minutes is gone, too. She disappeared when the heart of the TVA fell into the timeless void, but Mobius couldn’t focus on his impending doom if he couldn’t find Loki. The TVA, or what’s left of it, is the only place Mobius would be able to find out what happened to him.

And Mobius thinks he’s finally found something. Since Loki was the only one who came out of the door, Mobius has to assume something happened to Loki and Sylvie to cause them to split up. Then Mobius got sent to a parallel TVA, either accidentally or someone sent him there with malicious intent, and other Loki got sent in his place, as some sort of paradox.

Mobius has gone through Ravonna’s research on parallel universes, and he thinks he’s finally managed to track down Loki.

Finally.

Mobius breathes a sigh of relief, and starts fiddling with the TemPad. They weren’t originally built for this, but it shouldn’t be too hard. Parallel universes normally are inverted or changed just slightly. In the one where Mobius believes a loki was sent, Mobius wasn’t the analyst assigned on the Sylvie case, he had never met a Loki before.

That one small detail meant that their ‘codes’ were only a letter or two off, as the TVA liked to describe it as, so anyone trying to program it into the TemPad quickly might’ve clicked a wrong number or letter, causing Loki to be sent to the wrong universe.

The TemPad dings and Mobius cheers. He puts in the coordinates and an orange door opens. Mobius runs through it, not thinking about what could be on the other side, the only thought running through his head is that he’ll see Loki again.

“I’M NOT A VARIANT!” Mobius turns his head to see Loki struggling against four guards.

His breath gets caught in his throat. Mobius runs at Loki, overpowering the guards and pushing the two of them through an orange door.

The two get dropped through the air and Loki falls on top of Mobius, knocking the breath out of both of them.

“Mobius?” Loki asks. Mobius nods and Loki lets out a sob and wraps his arms around him. “I thought you had left me.” He murmurs, burying his head in Mobius’s neck.

“Never. I’m never leaving you.”

Loki pulls away, his eyes red with unshed tears, before smirking. He tugs at Mobius’s hair.

“I like your hair.”

Mobius blushes and pulls his hair self consciously behind his ear. He meets Loki’s eyes and Loki smiles, one of the few real smiles Mobius has seen, and Mobius drops his hand.

“Really?” Mobius asks. Loki nods, intertwining their fingers.

And Mobius can’t wait any longer. He moves forward, pressing their lips together.

Loki tugs on Mobius’s jacket, pulling him closer and Mobius wraps his arms around Loki’s neck.

“I missed you so much.” Loki says, resting his forehead on Mobius’s, and Mobius breaks. Tears stream down his face as he pulls Loki in for a hug.

“I missed you too.” Mobius murmurs.

It had been hard, but they were finally together and they weren’t letting each other go again.

[beasramos]

CLOSED: for @swearonstars (Kai St. Claire)​​​ TIME: Post Release LOCATION: Outside Rosefell Castle

The grass under her socks was cold, and Bea faintly realized she probably should have put on her shoes before she bolted from the her luxurious jail cell with her suitcase in hand. In her hurry she also brought the duvet she’d been covering herself with while she was stuck in the room, and though she did feel a twinge of guilt at stealing, she figured the least the castle owed her was this small comfort. It would of course be returned before she left the grounds. But she couldn’t leave yet, not when she didn’t know if her friends were safe. Her friends and Ken, who Bea didn’t know how to categorize anymore. So she sat on her suitcase in her stolen blanket and ate an apple she’d plucked from a tree and hoped she wasn’t breaking some form of etiquette she hadn’t learned about.

The thought of why she was out here while a group of others were still stuck inside was one she had to constantly push from her mind, she’d held out as long as she could when it came to voting, before giving in, in the end. In truth, she was a coward, even after exiting the castle, she kept to herself, terrified of finding out who was still inside and whether or not they’d been people she’d put in there with her own hands. Her mind was purposefully blank, with only the apple in her hand taking up space. Bite, chew, swallow, repeat. She stared into the space before her, eyes unfocused until she realized the horse in the distance had a horn on it’s head. Bea blinked and straightened as she took in her friend attempting to talk to the unicorn. An honest to god unicorn. She dropped the apple and pressed her palms to her eyes and looked again. “Kai, is that... is that a fucking unicorn?” It hit her a second later, Kai. He was safe. “Oh. Oh god. Kai.” She didn’t feel how cold the grass was as she sprinted to her friend and threw herself at him in an attempt at a hug. “Are you okay?”

[justleaf]

Summary

Roche and Iorveth go on a date with Geralt as their chaperone (not the hat).

Content Background

This one is especially painful to yeet because it was already completed, together with 50% of the next chapter that was the smutty bits. It was finished right about the time I posted Chapter 5 and would have fit in as Chapter 11, but it just didn't make sense with all the additional plot points I'd shoved in.

I've redacted the parts that could potentially get my tumblr banned btw please donut laugh when you see it.

Original Fic

It Took Years

Length

2,300 words

_____________

“Geralt, remember when I released you from prison and saved you from the Nilfgaardians a year ago?”

The white wolf raised his eyebrows in surprise. Roche had never called in a favour for him, and he could tell that Geralt knew it was going to be quite significant. He had thought about it too many times and despite the embarrassment and possibly never being able to look the witcher in the eye, he simply had no other choice.

“Look, I just need you to help Iorveth and I create an alibi.”

“... Uh-huh?”

“We have a meeting with Dijkstra in Novigrad in a week's time, and I plan to…” he swallowed hard when the words became momentarily stuck in his throat. It took another second for him to gather his courage to speak, and the slight tremble in his voice was immediately noticeable.

“I plan to spend the night with Iorveth in one of the inns the night before. But we need someone to cover us.”

The white wolf seemed to grow even paler and his lips pressed together in contemplation.

“You know that I have enhanced senses.”

“I know, but I need to make sure that no one catches us. Not the Scoia'tael, Blue Stripes, Dijkstra’s spies, Redanian spies, any Nilfgaardian-”

“Alright, alright, I get it. You just need to make sure that everyone thinks that I invited you two for a drink and make sure that no one is listening in.”

“I know I’m asking a lot of you, but you’re the only one I can trust in this situation. I haven’t… Iorveth and I don’t have any other opportunities. I can’t even hold his hand without worrying that someone is watching.”

Geralt stared blankly at him and Roche’s heart began to pump harder. His worry must have shown on his face, for the witcher immediately sighed and shook his head.

“Come to the Chameleon. I’ll get you guys a suite. With a wall to separate the living area and the bedroom.”

Roche looked up at him and down a few times, wondering first if Geralt had misspoke, and then if he had misheard. When the witcher said nothing and shrugged, Roche finally accepted it with a nod.

“Thanks, Geralt. Drinks are on me,” he muttered and hung his head a little. Embarrassment was beginning to burn his cheeks.

“Don’t mention it. I’ll see you soon.”

<center>_________________________</center>

“Why are we here so early when Geralt only wanted to see us after sundown,” Iorveth whispered as they passed the guards that almost ripped their papers in half. Roche had smooth-talked his way in and Iorveth was impressed, even though he didn't let it show.

They had set aside their armour and entered the city dressed as merchants: Roche in a nondescript outfit that let him blend in with the rest of the nobles, and Iorveth draped in a cloak that obscured his elven features.

The sun was nowhere near setting when they arrived in the city. Roche had intended to take him on a date around the city, but didn’t want to admit it.

“I didn’t want to disappoint Geralt by being late.”

“Gwynbleidd would have understood.”

“Well, since we’re already here, we might as well explore the city. I heard of a tavern along the docks with an elven cook. Would you like to go there?”

The mention of food changed Iorveth’s expression immediately and Roche suppressed his laughter.

They dined at the Golden Sturgeon, where Iorveth immediately received preferential treatment from a redhead with freckles (it's Bea btw). She made sure to seat them in a relatively hidden corner and Roche could see the elf progressively relax as his shoulders began to sag. He even spotted the hints of a smile dancing on his lips when she put some strange fish dish in front of him.

Just when Roche thought that Iorveth was incapable of enjoying himself even more, he became increasingly pliant when they sat down at the Chameleon for a pint while a band played in the background. Roche didn't understand the first thing about music, but his two mugs of ale were enough to get him to keep his reservations.

Besides, he had something really cute to look at.

The elf's cloak was finally down and he could see the tips of his pointed ears twitch with every beat of the drum. He thought about how nice it would have been to pin him down to the bed and toy with his ears. His eyes trailed across the elf’s neck. If they didn’t have anywhere to be tomorrow, he would have left bite marks across that smooth skin.

<em>Mine,</em> he thought, and he wanted the world to know once all this was over.

“You play the recorder don’t you,” Roche asked out of the blue. Their eyes met and Iorveth was slightly startled by the intensity of his gaze, but he didn’t back down.

“Yeah. There’s been too much going on recently and I haven’t had the chance to though.”

“You can practice with mine tonight.”

“Vernon,” Iorveth warned with a glare, and then quickly glanced around the room to see if anyone was within earshot. There wasn’t, but the tension in his body didn’t leave.

“I could polish yours all night too, you know.”

The elf flinched and could see the pink develop along the tops of Iorveth’s high cheekbones and the tips of his ear. Past his flustered expression however, there was a particular heat blossoming in his eyes. Roche didn’t let up, his curiosity driving him to see just how much he could take it.

“My carrying case is a bit small, but I’m sure yours will fit in with a bit of a shove."

This time, Iorveth couldn't resist the urge to push back. Dandelion's tavern was filled with his regulars who were deep in their own conversations, and they were just talking about music, right?

"So you admit that my instrument is bigger."

"Well the quality of the instrument doesn't matter if the musician has no idea how to handle it."

"I think we've proven that I'm the better player though."

"Our last few encounters haven't exactly been skewed in my favour and I still managed."

"There is no fairness in music and in battle. You should know this, <em>Commander</em>."

The way Iorveth said the word made his mouth go dry.

Now <em>that</em> was truly unfair, and his [banana] agreed. He was seconds away from tugging Iorveth upstairs when the doors swung open and in stepped the white wolf.

"Geralt!" he called out and waved a hand.

"Nice to see you both. I hope you didn't wait long."

The witcher took a few steps towards them, sniffed the air and wrinkled his nose. He had this resigned look about him and Roche immediately knew that he could smell their arousal.

"Let's drink in my room," Geralt suggested and grabbed four mugs of ale from a passing waitress. She protested at first, but nodded and flashed him a huge smile when she saw who he was.

They headed up the stairs and Roche had to try very hard not to openly stare at Iorveth's ass. It [eggplant] and he had no choice but to stare ruefully at the ground.

As soon as he saw that the second floor was empty, he reached out and pinched the elf's behind. Iorveth jumped at the touch and almost spilled his own mug of ale, and Roche was treated to one of those embarrassed glares. They quietly ascended another flight of stairs and neared the room, and Roche could feel his heart race and his breathing grow ragged.

Finally, after two weeks of planning and trying to fit all the pieces together, it was happening. It had been a year since Dol Blathanna and months since they started seeing each other, and Roche was raring to go.

Geralt opened the door to a suite on the top floor that was exactly as he described: a small living area with a table for four and a few sparse furnishings, though it was far more comfortable than the arrangements he was used to. Partitioned off by a wall and door was a bedroom mostly occupied by a sizable bed and more pillows than he could count. A decision made by the bard, no doubt.

As soon as the door closed behind them and they set down their mugs, Roche grabbed Iorveth’s collar and shoved him towards the bedroom. The elf looked mortified and nearly lost his footing, but he recovered within the span of a few steps. He grabbed Roche’s arms and plucked them off him, then tried to shove him backwards but Roche held his ground.

“What the fuck, Roche?!”

Roche took a step back and considered Iorveth’s anger. The elf's gaze had grown sharp and alert, but he was mostly just shocked at the audacity of his actions. He just flashed him a devious smile and was returned a twitch of confusion.

“What? Didn’t you always like roughhousing me on the forest floor?”

“Not in front of Gwyn-”

Roche barely gave Iorveth a chance to answer. He charged forward, wrapped an arm around the elf’s waist, and threw him straight into bed. Iorveth went flying into the mattress with a groan and Roche climbed straight into his lap. Heavy footsteps thudded behind them and stopped by the door.

“Oil’s on the nightstand. Don’t get the sheets dirty and take your shoes off before you get in bed dammit. I can’t afford to pay for new sheets too.”

“Gwynbleidd, what is the meaning of this.”

“Just a little gift from me to the both of you. Have fun, Iorveth. Just try not to make too much noise.”

The door behind them closed and Iorveth just stared blankly at Roche, who was already taking off his top. No words came out of the elf’s gaping mouth, so Roche blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“Enjoying the date so far?”

“Explain yourself Roche, I’m not-”

The elf had to pause when Roche began grinding in his lap. It worked until it didn't, and Iorveth grabbed onto his hips to still them. Roche just wanted to get to the fucking already, but the elf refused to be distracted no matter how much he tried.

“Did you plan all this? Coming to my camp to pick me up. Picking flowers for me along the path. Bringing me to the tavern for dinner. Having drinks. This fake meeting with Gwynbleidd.”

“Of course. When else was I going to get the opportunity to take you out on a date?”

Something in Iorveth cracked visibly and Roche went dead still with nervousness. The other lowered his gaze and Roche cupped his face in his hands, desperate for his elf to be okay. He stroked his cheek gently and tilted his head up to try and get a better look at that unreadable expression. This was the opposite of what he hoped would happen and worry began to pool in his stomach.

“Hey, hey. What’s wrong. Talk to me,” he urged and placed a peck on the scarred cheek. There was no answer, so he continued fluttering kisses along his jawline. He felt like his world might come crashing down at any moment and resisted the urge to salvage the situation before he knew what was going on.

It felt like Iorveth was cycling through a thousand and one emotions. He cupped the elf's face in his hands and pulled back, where he was greeted by a vulnerability he had never seen before. The other had this dazed and awed look in his eyes, and if Roche wasn't so flustered by the sudden change of pace, he might he caught his surrender.

“Vernon…”

“I’m here. What is it? You can tell me.”

“It’s just...overwhelming.”

“In a good way or bad way?”

“Good way.”

Roche released the breath he didn’t realise he had been holding. It was nice that the reaction was somewhat positive, but Roche’s poor heart couldn’t take the anticipation. Surprising Iorveth was turning out to be quite bad for his health.

“Well. Have you enjoyed yourself?”

“Mmn.”

“It's okay. We'll take it at your pace.”

“I just... need some time to process this. I’ve never been treated like this before. It's overwhelming.”

“Well you deserve it. Take the time you need, it’s okay,” Roche encouraged again and placed another peck on his nose as he undid the bandanna that obscured half his face.

This really wasn’t how he thought the evening would go, but he had to admit that it was nice. At the core of it, all he really wanted was to be able to kiss and hold Iorveth intimately without fear of someone catching them. Now they were in bed and there was someone trustworthy to watch their backs, he supposed he had achieved his goal. Maybe they could just hold off the fucking for a while more.

“Do you want to take a nap with me,” Roche offered after they'd sat in silence for a while.

“Yeah… I would like that very much.”

Iorveth tried to take off his cloak, but Roche shushed him and pushed his hands aside. The elf had a blank look on his face and hurt momentarily flashed across his eye.

"Let me," Roche rushed to salvage as he pulled loose the strings on his cloak.

“I can undress myself you know.”

“I know you can, but just let me pamper you a bit more.”

The tips of Iorveth's ears were bright red and Roche suppressed the urge to tease him about it. Slowly, he helped the elf strip down to his underwear and slipped him beneath the sheets. Then he took off his own garments and joined him, snuggling up to that warm and slender body that seemed to fit so perfectly with his.

Yeah, he could wait.

[blackteaandbones]

Reposting this little Avatrice piece because the original tags are buggy for some reason.

Thank you to @arashimaru and anon for the prompts :)

Prompt 1:

Beatrice is injured during a mission but hides how bad her wound actually is to make sure she doesn't distract her team and the mission is completed at all cost. Ava sensed something is wrong but as usual can't argue with Bea's logic. Cue some kind of dramatic reveal (blood stain, Bea collapsed, you name it) which then forces Ava and Bea to talk and Ava gets to care for Bea for once. 

Prompt 2:

I was wondering if you’d write something where Bea is hurt/sick but hides it so they can complete a mission. It makes it way worse and eventually the group finds out, preferably by dramatic reveal (like collapsing or something). Ava panics and maybe even blames herself and they have to talk. The group reminds bea that she has worth outside of like her training and fighting abilities and that they care about her.

Part 1 of “Damned if you Do” under the cut

“You’re a damn fool.”

“I know…”

“No. You don’t know. If you knew-” Mary snaps, pulling the thread tight and tying off another stitch, “you wouldn’t have done what you did, and Ava here wouldn’t be trying to keep your blood inside your fool body where it belongs instead of letting it spill out all over the floor while I try to put you back together. If you knew,” she adds, jabbing the needle in again and ignoring Beatrice’s wince, “you would have stayed at your post instead of swooping in like prince-fucking-charming and getting yourself impaled!”  

“Language,” Beatrice chides weakly.  

“Language?” Mary scoffs rolling her eyes over Beatrice’s shoulder at Ava. “Language, she says to me, after scaring the shit out of everybody for no goddamned reason.”  

Beatrice sighs. “Ava-”

“Ava was fine!” Mary cuts her off. “Weren’t you Ava?”  

“Oh, no. I’m staying out of this.” Ava would have raised her hands in surrender, but she has one arm  wrapped around Beatrice; holding her up while Mary works to close the gaping hole in her side, and the other hand pressing a blood-soaked wad of fabric that had once been one of her sleeves over the exit wound in her back. They’d lost precious minutes once they’d made it home to the safe house and gotten Beatrice into her bed, peeling off her armour and cutting her out of her habit, leaving her in only the bra and loose pants she wore under her skirt (Ava is holding her respectfully okay?) and she hadn’t been able to bear to let go of her any longer than necessary throughout.  

Luckily, Mary had been too pissed to comment on her handsiness, though Ava knew she’d noticed.  

“Coward,” (fair, but hey!) Mary mutters, snipping the last thread. “Okay, let’s do the other side, then we’ll wrap her up and leave her to think about what she did.”  

Instead of moving Beatrice, Ava switches places with Mary so that Beatrice can lean forward into her shoulder while Mary stitches up her back.  It’s not perfect, but they don’t want to lay her down until they’re done, or they’ll just have to sit her up again to bandage everything, and according to Mary, the less she’s moved the better.  

Ava isn’t complaining, and Beatrice doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to let go of her either, clutching the front of Ava’s shirt in white knuckled fists while Mary peels the bloody fabric loose and douses the wound with antiseptic. Beatrice hisses through her teeth, a whimper catching in the back of her throat.  

“Talk to me,” she breathes.  

“Uh…” Ava instantly forgets all words ever. “About what?”

“Anything.”  

“Okay, um… “ words, words, words… “How does Moses make his coffee?”

“How?”

“Hebrews it.”  

Beatrice snorts into Ava’s chest.

“You’re right,” Ava agrees. “That one was terrible. How about… What’s a missionary’s favorite kind of car?”  

“She gets a sword through the gut, and I’m the one being tortured,” Mary mutters under her breath, (because she’s a jerk who hates fun.)

“A convertible.”

That one actually gets a chuckle out of Beatrice, her shoulders shaking in the circle of Ava’s arms.  

“Hold still, or you’re going to have more than one hole in your gut!” Mary grumbles, but Ava can see the hint of a smirk at the corner of her mouth. (busted!) She’s almost done, the flow of blood slowing to a trickle as she pulls the ragged edges of the wound together.

One more. “How long did Cain hate his brother?” She pauses for dramatic effect. “As long as he was Abel.”

“I take it back,” Beatrice groans. “No more talking.”  

Ava gasps in mock affront. “I’m hilarious! You don’t know what you’re missing.”

“We’ll take our chances,” Mary answers for both of them. “There.” She sits back, wiping the sweat off her forehead with a bloody hand. “You’re all done. I’ll send Camilla in with some of the good drugs while Ava gets you cleaned up, then we can all get together and talk about how much trouble you’re in.”

“When did we stop talking about it?” Beatrice sighs. “I can do that,” she adds when Ava reaches for the bowl of warm water and rags Camilla had left with them before fleeing Mary’s wrath. “I’m not a complete invalid.”  

“You were literally just impaled,” Ava says, holding the bowl out of her reach. “I think you can let someone else take care of you for five minutes.”  

Beatrice frowns, but she doesn’t protest when Ava sets the bowl down beside them on the bed and wrings out one of the rags. Ava holds out a hand and Beatrice reluctantly offers one of her own. Ava takes it reminding herself that this is medicinal touching, and there are no hormones allowed in medicine (really, this whole teenage libido thing is getting ridiculous. Time and place much?) She does one hand, and then the other, wiping the dried blood from Beatrice’s palms and between her fingers; trying to forget with every swipe of the rag over soft skin how much worse this could have been.

No one had realized she was even wounded until the fight was over. It had been chaos; the plan fucked sideways from their first move, but Ava had been handling it. Mary and Lilith had her back, Beatrice and Camilla were running the secondary ops, and the Halo was even behaving itself; they were going to be fine. And then suddenly Beatrice was there between Ava and a sword (a sword she totally would have countered by the way,) and it all went tits up. Camilla was left hanging, the plan in tatters, they fought their way free only for Beatrice to promptly pass out, hands clamped to her side.

Ava remembers a lot of shrieking and panicking after that (most – okay all of it hers.)  

“I’m sorry,” Beatrice says, eyes downcast, shoulders bowed. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”

I wasn’t worried,” Ava lies, wiping the last of the blood from her wrists and getting a fresh rag before moving on to her waist.  

Beatrice glances up through her lashes (unfair,) a subtle tilt to the corner of her mouth that says she knows exactly how full of shit Ava is. “My mistake.”  

(To be continued)

[senchoubutter]

Twisted Wonderland Guys As Kpop Songs I Listen To Too Much + Why

i’ma just say it now, i primarily listen to girl groups since I cover songs and they are in my range and i find them fun to cover most so expect a lot of those.

All songs are linked!!

Scarabia

Jamil

- Lucifer by SHINee || First and foremost I can see him performing this, easily. Aside from that, the song is tasty and classic. Jamil is a smart attractive man that is incredibly talented despite flying under the radar. People know of him but don’t take note until they know him, similarly to this song. It goes hard and you’ve probs heard it mentioned but you haven’t experienced until you played it at 3 am, screaming your heart out. Get to know Jamil and he ain’t just “some guy”

Kalim

- Um Oh Ah Yeh by MAMAMOO || This song reminds me of the 90s/2000s and there’s something about Kalim that also does that for me. Maybe it’s the not a care in the world disposition. I can see and feel in the second verse’s rap, Kalim’s warm smile. I can imagine him grabbing my hand, telling me to chin up. The choruses make me think of simpler times. Finally, Kalim seems like he’s always having a good time just like this song

Ignihyde

Ortho

- Candy Pop by TWICE (yes i know its jp) || This song always puts me in a good mood. It makes me feel warm inside and like everything will work out. When I see Ortho, I feel the need to protect him but also can’t help but feel like everything will be okay. Something about him brings a happy, warm peace to my heart that reminds me to just take a moment and find the good in life. The peppy beat of it just makes me think about how he almost always is smiling!

Idia

- Fairy of Shampoo by TOMORROW X TOGETHER || the song starts an I feel as if I’ve awoken floating in the deep sea, but i’m not scared. I feel at peace and as if I’ve been here before. The song tastes like iced tea and feels like nostalgia. When I look at Idia I see my past self and even present self. I’m afraid, I want to hide. The feelings the verses gives me reminds me of laying in bed, curled up in a jacket that hides my whole body, similarly to Idia’s. The song and Idia’s character call out to a nostalgic but soft side to a distant past I can’t recall. I want to stay with them until I can remember

Savanaclaw

Leona

- gogobebe by MAMAMOO || It’s got a lazy but sexy sound that Leona emboides. When the song picks up in the choruses it’s like it takes over your body, drowning the listener in an ocean of sensuality and playful teasing. It’s got a lil edge though too that caters to the gruff “fuck off” expression he has. I see the noise Hwasa makes at the end as the wanton but confused noise fans make as the man leaves, tail swinging after teasing them

Ruggie 

- BAAM by Momoland || BAAM has such a sassy hyped up beat that screams a bitch that gets shit done, owns who they are, and lives life having fun. And it embodies everything I feel upon seeing Ruggie's smug smile. Even the rap bit during the second chorus has the sass and done-ness of “Leona-san! Get up!!”

Jack

- Bomb by AleXa || This song kicks your ass and so does Jack. Don’t for four seconds think he won’t beat the shit outta ya for underestimating him, similarly to AleXa and her music. The energy and the “I’ll show you” vibes remind me of this big dweeb. I would fear this man but turn to love him much like how I felt about this song as it was this artist’s first song. How do I say they just embody each other in my opinion lol

Pomefiore

Vil

- DUN DUN by Everglow || The sass. This song screams THAT BITCH, just like Vil’s everything. The way he carries himself is personified in this song. The power the song holds reminds me of his unique magic and how intense it is. Finally, the slower bridge is mythical and light as if giving the listener a feeling like they are walking on air and plays to the softer and more feminine side of Vil

Rook

- FINGERTIP by GFriend || Everything about this song is exciting. It’s suspenseful and alluring. If this song was a person, I could clear as day see it winking, whispering “chase me.” And that is exactly Rook’s brand of teasing and games. He’s a hunter but he’s got a charming aura to him still. This song wraps both of those things into it. The dance break is Rook’s darker senses personified. Umji’s lil “OW!” is he’s cute lil remarks in french, throwing you off now and then. But by the end of the song, you’re used to them and adore them

Epel

- Crossroads by GFriend || This song feels like a long lost friend that visits you in dreams. You can practically reach out to them but just as you do, you wake up. But you’re determined. That alone reminds me of Epel’s character as a whole. He doesn’t let his cute appearance push aside his wants and needs to be this tough guy. He, like Yuju’s strong vocals at the last chorus, presses on, determined each time he gets knocked down

Diasomnia

Lilia

- Deja Vu by Dreamcatcher || Maybe I’m biased cause I’ve covered this but this song is breathtaking. The melody speaks of a long road and the fight to keep on which I feel rings true for Lilia. We don’t know his true age but it’s clear he’s been around for quite a wild and the pain he’s probably gone through is unspeakable. He has stories galore and so much experience in life. I feel this song encapsulates a lot of what can only be speculated about him

Silver

- Crème Brûlée by GFriend || the soft, sweet song is addictive and cutesy. I feel Silver gets written off or ignored often, similarly to this song on the album. Sure he may not be god or a bad bad bitch, but he has his own warmth to him. Like this song, Silver makes me wanna curl up under a tree on an August evening and just take in life, making sure to breathe for once, releasing unnecessary tension and stress.

Sebek

- Black Dress by CLC || Sebek is very interesting to me and when he blushes, my whole heart stops for a second. It’s similar to how when they build up to the chorus‘s first Black Dress and the music stops for like a split second. Sebek isn’t my favorite but isn’t my least favorite. I like him more than some though, I’d say. I’d say the same goes for this song. I love CLC, this isn’t my top song of theirs but I still like it a lot. There’s something uniform about the beat that resounds with Sebek as getting shit done in mind also. Sometimes a song just makes you think of a character and you can’t perfectly explain it

Malleus

- Pretty Savage by BLACKPINK || Yes i know t’s only recently come out as i post this, but this bad boy on replay. The beat isn’t crazy upbeat but it’s interesting. Malleus intidimates me in general cause of his aura, and while I love this song a lot rn, it was very intimidating at first. It still has some “don’t come near me” energy. The slower bridge bit calls to his stoic expression, melodic and pretty

Heartslabyul

Cater

- ICY by ITZY || I’ll be honest both Cater as well as this song were things I thought at first were just meh, okay. But as time went on both grew on me. Now that’s not the only reason though I associate this with him. The, no pun intended, ice shattering sound of the song gives me friendly popular girl that seems to be buds with 80% of the school. This is the very vibe Cater always gives me. He wants to just have a good, happy life. Also the song is a “so what? I’m hot. Get over it.” vibe like Cater

Ace

- Drama by TOMORROW X TOGETHER || Ace reminds me the guy you fall in love with in high school and you no it’s not going to last but you let yourself get taken away with. Drama feels like a soundtrack of every fun adventure Ace goes on, no matter the trouble that he may get on. It’s fun beat just brings me back to skipping school, running to my car and trying to sneak away without getting caught. The thought of Ace at my side, would shoot my adrenaline through the roof just like the high note of the song

Deuce

- God’s Menu by Stray Kids || Deuce is just ready to go swinging and that’s exactly what this song is. Elbows up and out, head down, swinging without a clue. The intensity and fire of it speaks to that fire in him. Meanwhile the prechoruses are soft and pleasant almost like it’s not the same song, alluding to that cute lil smile he has got

Trey

- REALLY REALLY by WINNER || Similarly to Ace, this song reminds me of a guy you fall for, but in college rather than high school. Everything about the song and Trey just feels right. The choruses hold your hand and fits perfectly in yours. They know what to say to make everything okay. It may not last, but you sure hope it does and will love them like it will. And while Trey isn’t my number one boy, those are the exact feelings I have about him too. Finally, the rap part reminds me of Trey’s more sadistic side, it bites and you may not think it fits entirely but the more familiar you get with them, the more both fit and you don’t mind it entirely

Riddle

- Wonderland by ATEEZ || The demanding nature of the song makes me think of Riddle immediately. It’s intense and doesn’t mess around; it wants what it wants. Riddle is a rule based person and this song is rather militaristic aesthetically. The bridge though, is so regal and breathtaking. It could stop time. Riddle, despite the kind of guy he is, is the same way. The power he holds is impressive and admirable. This description may seem kinda like I’m shitting on him and see him solely as a rule boy, but like this song, I have made respect for him and wouldn’t want to cross him

Octavinelle

Azul

- Love Battery by Hong Jin Young but performed by LOONA on Immortal Songs || This arrangement of the song has a certain magic to it that I melt in. At the very beginning as the build up singing ‘dangsineun’ i feel like I’m being submerged in a wave, reaching to shake Azul’s hand, signing a contract. The choruses remind me of his smile, how distant but inviting it is. Daring me to fall for him. The dance break bridge reminds me of the intense eyes behind those glasses

Jade

- Love Shot by EXO || This song and Jade are both things I am fearful of but greatly intrigued by. They share a scary beat and energy that says I fear you more when you’re smiling. Please stop slowly walking towards me, you’re scaring me. But at the very same time, the choruses keep me around like how pretty I find this twin. The combo of put together, intellectual friend but could kill easily and without remorse sends shivers down my spine if I think about it for too long. The chorus of this song make me shake my shoulders that suppress a shiver each time

Floyd

- WEE WOO by Pristin || I love both Floyd and WEE WOO. The song is the feeling you get going 85 down the highway. Both song and Floyd, get me excited. They feel like the weekend. That feeling of coming home Friday during high school, tossing your bookbag down, and getting ready to hang out with your best friend. It’s a relieving and exciting feeling. It’s a peppy beat that bites during the harmonies a bit. Just like Floyd. Peppy, fun, but ain’t afraid to take a lil nibble

[thequeenb]

Poppy x MC

Here to do lord's work

I walk towards the Zeta building and a million thoughts are racing through my mind. I hold Poppy's prescription pills on one hand and with my other i erase the post i was about to upload on T. No matter how much she irritates me medication is no joke.

I sigh as i put my phone away ready to drop the bag at the door but then a thought hits me, why don't i pay Queen B a visit myself? I hate how we left things earlier so i hope this makes up for it.

As i enter the first thing that i notice is how empty the building actually is. All the sorority girls are still out there trying to find the fake Gucci offer, how charming. Veronica is nowhere to be found so i sneak in running through the stairs. Ah these heels dont help at all, damn you and your expensive shinny marble floor

I finally got upstairs and i glance around trying to find the most dramatically decorated room. If i were Poppy where would i be? Aaaand aha! Of course its the biggest one here. I roll my eyes trying to approach silently even though i am failing completely

Should i knock? Do i just leave the bag here and leave? Its never to late to back down Bea. I sigh overthinking every possibility, that until the door opens wide and there she is staring directly into my eyes

"What the hell are you doing here??" Her eyes level on the medicine that i am holding and she quickly snatches it off my hands

"Where did you find this??"

"Wow relax, one question at a time" i smile at her but she is the opposite of amused

"Where is this useless imbecile i swear i will tear every stupid card that she owns" ok i think i just made the situation worse she is changing colours very fast

"Can i come in?" I lean against the door looking down at her suggestively. I love the height difference really, it makes her look so cute when she gets mad at me

"And why would i let you in? Not even Chloe gets to see my bedroom, in fact get your irritating ass out of my home" she looks at the bag on her hands and sigh

"I happened to bump into Taylor at Froyo and i decided to give her a hand, your dry cleaning is back breaking" i roll my eyes and i can see some of her walls melting down

"Now that you have done your charity you can leave" she is about to slam the door at my face but i am quick to place my foot between and stop it

"First of all ouch, second of all i smell cookies, i think i deserve one since i got out of my way for you" i wink at her and i can see the hesitation in her movements

"Oh please do you actually think that i am stupid? I know your strategy"

"Do you? Care to talk me through it?" I smirk leaning closer "i just want a cookie"

She massages her temples clearly annoyed "God stop talking, if i give you one will you just disappear?"

"Depends..do you want me to disappear?"

She walks back inside to get me one and i take a quick glimpse of her room. Surprisingly her room is simpler than i thought. Nothing cheap but nothing too expensive, except this giant closet full of designer clothes

She comes back with the cookie and a napkin "Here you go doggo, now shoo" she waves her hands dismissively and i reach to take them from her hands. For just a brief second our hands touch and i can feel the electricity run down my spine, Oh wow.

I dare to look directly into her eyes and i now notice how close we are. She still hasn't let me in but i can see how her mind runs ten miles per minute

"Did you make these?" I ask taking a good bite from the cookie. Its soft and it smells heavenly, the chocolate runs down my lip and i am unable to control my urge to groan

"Oh wow these are the best cookies i ever had" i lick my lips trying to get the chocolate off my face and i can clearly see how Poppy is looking down at them. I bite it just to give her a little show and she starts laughing

I raise an eyebrow in suspicion "What?"

She doesn't answer as she place a perfectly manicured hand over her mouth to laugh freely. To be honest i am not complaining, its the first time i hear her laugh and its more gentle and melodic than i expected it to be

"Oh no did you just poison me?" I dramatically touch my chest laughing with her

"Your face is a mess you pig" even though she uses harsh words her smile says the opposite and so i let her have it this time

"Oh really? Where?" I lick my lips again and she grabs the napkin from my hand as she rolls her eyes

"Here stupid" she tiptoes leaning her body against mine. For a moment i forget how to breathe as i watch her cleaning my face. She stares at me for a second before clearing her throat pushing me back

"You can't avoid failure do you?"

"Stop avoid my question, did you make these?" I cross my arms amused

I can see her battling with her own self. There is something different about Poppy when we are alone, i can see some of her walls melting and all that caused by my presence, score!

"Yes i did now can you shut up and leave? You got what you wanted" she wants to come out as irritated but i can see the amusement on her look

"I didn't get what i wanted" i lower my stare at her lips and she follows my gaze

"And what's that?" I can hear the challenge in her voice and without saying another word i lean in and i pause one breath away from her lips

I can feel the heat her body radiating and even though its impossible i swear i can hear her heart beating like crazy "Can i kiss you?"

Poppy swallows hard and i can practically hear it. Respecting her space i back away a little bit disappointed. But before i can think twice she pulls me close capturing my lips with a breathtaking kiss

At first i make a surprised noise but then without missing a beat i welcome her tongue with mine as i press her against the door. She places her hands around my neck dragging me inside her room

"Are you sure?" I ask breathless looking lovingly at her

"Shut up and kiss me Hughes" she pulls me against her once more but this time her kisses become more needy and passionate

I place my knee between her legs as i pin her hands effortlessly above her head. "Stay still" my voice is hoarse and i gain a groan out of her

"If you make a sound.." i bite her lip in warning and i can feel her knees weakening "i will not be gentle"

I kiss her jawline then her neck and i bite it hard making her moan, arching against me "and if you are a good girl i might reward you"

"Touch me"

Did she really think i will give her what she needs? You are adorable Pops. I tug her shirt off and her pants join the floor soon enough. Taking a step back i enjoy the sight of her being completely at my mercy

"I have been imagining this ever since i laid eyes on you" i tuck a lock of hair behind her ear kissing her temple. She practically melts with the amount of affection that i give her making wonder how badly she have been treated

I grab a handful of her hair tugging her head back slowly. It gives me more access to her neck and i run my tongue from her throat to her ear sucking the sensitive skin underneath it. Poppy moans loudly her voice filled with need

"Please touch me"

I smirk and this time i give her what she wants. I sink to my knees opening her legs wide. I tease her giving her sweet kisses on the inside of her thighs until i finally touch her where she wants me the most

"Look at how much you want me" i whisper against her and she shudders trying to hold onto the wall for support

Smiling i lock eyes with her as i taste her and god she tastes amazing. I might have been imagining this once or twice since i got here but having her actually at my mercy is absolutely beautiful

Her moans fill the room and i can feel her legs trembling. She places one of her hands on my hair pulling me more closer even if its impossible. I get lost in her scent and her melodic voice screaming my name that i unconsciously place my hand beneath my dress

"Oh Bea fuck..i am going to--" but she never finishes her sentence as we both shudder, the wave of ecstasy taking over us both

We take a minute collecting our breaths and i she sinks to the floor next to me. Her expression is changed, not the bitchy one she wears when everyone is around but i think i can see a glimpse of the genuine Poppy

"I knew you liked me" i say laughing fixing my hair

She gives me a 'i will murder you but you are to precious' look and i laugh even more, happy that she is finally real with me

"Never mention this" she gestures between us "ever again"

"Yes m'am" i say smiling and surprisingly she does too standing up, picking up her clothes off the floor

"You should leave before they come back from your fake Gucci offer"

"Ah so you are smart, maybe my plan was to get you all alone after all" i wink at her as she rolls her eyes

Before i leave the room she pulls me against her for a quick kiss "Thank you for bringing this to me"

"Anytime my dear enemy" she shoves me out of the room and i laugh walking away.

For the first time since i got here i feel like there is some form of hope. I know everyone sees Poppy as this scary diva who will ruin your life but i know now that what we have is special.

Tag list: @lolimugly @origmansello @greatestflirt-hero @mvalentine @otakufangirl-12 @sugarplumpnhoneybun @princessstellaris @coldbatfriendroad @indecisive-choices @i-loveeveryone @kiara-36 @ognenniyvolk @somewillwin @it-lives-in-braidwood-manor @ghalind @sergeant-pepper-loves-choices @dibberdipper @justastranger-passing @nydeiri

[strawberriestyles]

Chapter 19

(Banner made by sweet sunshine @harry-nofookingway-styles​)

Harry X OFC (AU)

Sequel to Brutality: In which Melody and Harry must relearn how to navigate one another among a flurry of changes.

Read previous parts here.

Author’s note: HEYYAAAAA. This one ended up a little long which is why I only finished it today and why I’m posting a little late so APOLOGIES for that. I hope you enjoy it anyway. When you’re finished with the chapter, please sign this petition to punish cops who shoot unarmed citizens. Then come talk to me about the story. :) Love you.

February seemed to slip by. Snow piled up across the city and then melted, freezing into hazardous sheets of ice, before being blanketed with more snow. Harry followed Melody to the gym so often that his new shirts began to grow tight over his chest. And suddenly, it was the day of her first match since her rib had healed.

“Yeh’re sure it’s completely better?” Harry asked her, nibbling at the crust of a sandwich. “Yeh don’ feel any more pain? Even if I pressed on it?”

“It feels brand new,” she assured him. “I couldn’t feel better.”

Harry sighed, satisfied, and leaned back in his chair. His head swiveled around until he was staring at the closed doors to Melody’s studio. Since she’d begun to cope with her nightmares, she hadn’t set foot inside the room, not to paint or write or water a plant. Harry was sure anything that had once lived inside was long past dead.

“What’s up with you?”

He turned back around. Melody was cracking apple slices in half, tearing their skins and dipping the pieces in peanut butter. Behind her, Bea was chopping vegetables in the kitchen.

“What?” Harry asked.

“What’s going on? You’re all distant.”

“Nothin’. No, ‘m—” He paused and set his lunch back on his plate, shrugging. “Think ‘m gonna come to your match.”

The click of Bea’s knife against her cutting board ceased abruptly. Melody’s jaw ticked once, twice, before she finished chewing the apple in her mouth. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed and then she leaned forward.

“You’re not joking, are you? Because that would be really mean.”

Harry snorted. When he glanced up, Bea was staring at him, her eyes narrowed. “No,” he pressed, “no, ‘m not jokin’. Christ.”

“Well, sorry.” Melody let her shoulders relax. She popped the last bit of her apple past her lips and proceeded to scoop peanut butter up with her finger. Around the food, she said, “You made it very clear you didn’t want to watch me fight. I didn’t think—”

“‘M givin’ it a shot. There’s a big chance I won’ stay ‘til the end.”

Despite his attitude, Melody smiled—grinned, really, wide and bright. Bea returned to her celery and the steady beating of her knife resumed.

***

Harry was seeing all of his old haunts from a new perspective. When he looked at Brute’s now, all he could see was his shattered whiskey glass and a stranger’s hands on Melody. He could still taste the drink that had made him embarrass himself in bed with her that night. And he associated the place with Josie, whose menacing eyes hadn’t yet stopped following him whenever he was in her vicinity.

The warehouse was even more jarring. He’d once felt comfortable here. When he moved back to the States, it became almost like a second home for him, the way that the gym where he’d learn to fight had welcomed him when he was still in school. But now the framing looked cold and dead, like the leafless trees dotting the city.

“You’re late,” Sean said as Melody and Harry stepped into the back hallway. He was leaning against the doorframe to Melody’s room, blocking the entrance.

Melody glanced once at Harry and then pursed her lips to hide an amused smile. “Uh, yeah. Sorry. Lost track of time.”

Harry’s mouth curled into a smirk. He breathed out the slightest laugh, but Sean caught the noise. He glanced between the two of them and then shook his head. 

“There are twenty-four hours in a day and you wait until right before a match to fool around?” He stepped out of the doorway and ushered them inside with an impatient gesture of his hand. Melody stepped past him, but Harry lingered, toying with the drawstring on his hoodie. Sean raised an eyebrow at him.

“‘M sorry,” Harry blurted before he could overthink it. He let out a breath of relief before he kept speaking. “‘M really sorry, man. I shouldn’ have hit yeh. And what I said...”

Sean took a deep breath, folding his arms across his chest. “You know I wouldn’t do that to you, right?”

Harry offered a slow nod, avoiding his eyes. Sean leaned his shoulder into the wall.

“Dude, there’s nothing there. We’re friends. We’re friends.” He waved a hand between himself and Harry, shrugging. “And she fucking loves you.”

“I know that, Sean. I know. I know nothin’ happened. I just—” He dropped the strings of his hoodie and glanced into the changing room, where Melody was stepping out of her sweatpants to reveal the shorts she was wearing underneath. “Honestly, I just needed a fight. And yeh were there. It was really poor timing. ‘M sorry.”

“I’ll forgive you,” Sean said after a short beat. He shrugged again. “I actually haven’t hit someone in a long time. I missed that rush. But don’t fucking do it again.”

Harry chuckled. “I’ll keep my hands to myself. No worries.”

“Great.”

“So, we’re good?”

Sean nodded, standing up straight again. “Yeah, we’re cool.”

Harry grinned. He would need to give Dr. Beutel the biggest thanks the next time he saw her.

“Thanks for my bag, by the way,” he said as the two of them finally entered Melody’s changing room, shutting the door behind them.

“You’re welcome.”

“Uh, I was hopin’ yeh would let me train with yeh,” Harry began, raking a hand through his hair. “I just need somethin’ to—”

“Are you gonna pay me?”

Harry stared at him, his feet slowing. “Well, I—”

Sean’s mouth stretched into a grin full of teeth. “I’m only fucking with you, Harry.”

“God,” Melody interrupted, stretching her arm out across her chest, “you guys flirt like teenagers.”

“No need to be jealous, Melody,” Sean said. “He’s not my type.”

“Mine either,” she said with a wide smile.

Sean rolled his eyes and took a step backward. “I’m gonna go check if Peterson is using the ring or if we can warm up.”

“Okay.” Melody nodded and waited for Sean to leave the room before she turned toward Harry, tilting her head. “Do you feel better?”

“Huh?”

“Apologizing to Sean. Did it make you feel better?”

Harry frowned, nodding slowly. “Yeah. Yeah, it did.”

“That was very sexy of you,” Melody said, taking a few steps toward him, reaching up to gather her hair and tie it into a ponytail.

“Apologizin’?” he asked with a cocked brow. He couldn’t keep a smirk from sneaking onto his face.

“Yes. Very mature.” She pulled her hair tight and then laid her hands on his chest, drawing them up to his shoulders, then his neck, stroking the edges of his jaw with her thumbs. “I’m incredibly proud of you,” she whispered.

Harry slid an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. His smirk only grew. “How proud, love?”

“I couldn’t even put it into words.”

“Then show me.”

Melody smiled, then lifted up onto her toes, angling his face downward until she could reach his lips. The kiss she gave him was long and slow. Harry added pressure, asking for more, impatient, and it made her giggle into his mouth.

“Jesus, you guys have the worst timing ever,” Sean complained as he burst back into the room, slamming the door into the wall before it swung closed again. Melody and Harry broke apart, but Sean backed toward the exit again anyway. “Can’t you just wrap her hands, or something?” he asked Harry. “Make yourself useful, dude.”

Harry sighed as Sean fled the room again. “Didn’ know it bothered him that much.”

“I think he feels weird about it now.”

“Now? Why?” His mind raced for a short moment and then he frowned. “Because of me?”

Melody shrugged, turning away from him to start digging through her bag for her supplies. “It’s a possibility.”

“Bloody fuckin’—” Harry’s muttering ceased as Melody glanced at him, making her way to the couch and dropping onto the cushions. He followed her, taking her left hand in his when he stood before her, taking the roll of hand wrap and laying the end across her wrist.

This was not the first time that Harry had wrapped Melody’s hands for her. The few times that he’d let her join his training last year, he’d taught her the sequence of twists and turns, how tight to pull the fabric and how mobile to allow your fingers to be. But now, before her match, before he’d see her fighting for the first time, it felt intimate. Melody felt it, too. And she couldn’t remember if it had seemed this meaningful when she’d wrapped Harry’s hands in the past.

Harry’s tongue peeked out between his lips as he tried to concentrate. He didn’t look up at Melody’s face until he’d done his final loop. Then he wiggled a couple of her fingers. “How’s that feel?”

“Good,” she whispered.

Harry nodded, reaching for the scissors beside her and cutting the roll, laying a piece of tape over the end to hold it all in place. He turned her hand over once more to examine his work before he moved onto the next one.

“Yeh always get this jittery before a match?” he asked after a few moments of working in silence.

“I’m not jittery.”

“Mel,” Harry said, pausing his movements and frowning, “yeh’re shakin’.”

“Oh.” She took a deep breath, relaxing back into the couch. “No, not really.”

Harry continued wrapping her hand, his frown deepening. “Wha’s wrong?”

“I’m just nervous. I haven’t had a fight in a while.”

“And ‘m watchin’ yeh. Is it me?” He cut the end of the wrap and taped it securely in place, lifting her hand and pressing her fingertips to his lips. “Yeh’re nervous for me to see yeh fight?”

Melody blinked up at him, at the way he rested her fingers against his chin as he spoke. He kissed them once more before he let go of her, and she let her hand fall into her lap.

“Maybe a little,” she whispered.

Harry sat down beside her, leaning sideways into the back of the couch. He reached for her ponytail and twisted the ends of her hair between his fingers. “Would yeh still be this nervous if I hadn’t been such a dick?”

“What?”

“About yeh fightin’,” he clarified. “I mean, I still hate this, but I didn’ have to snap at yeh every time it was brought up. ‘M sorry.”

Melody didn’t say anything. She couldn’t. This had once seemed like an impossible obstacle separating her from Harry, and now he was here, ready to watch her match, apologizing for the way he’d acted. It almost couldn’t click as reality.

“Stop starin’ at me,” Harry muttered. Catching her chin with his thumb, he pressed a couple kisses to her cheek, then one to her temple.

Sean returned a moment later and this time he knocked, cracking the door open with an exaggerated air of apprehension. Harry rolled his eyes and Melody stood, chin falling from his hand, to retrieve her gloves.

“She out there?” she asked, slipping one of her hands into shiny pink leather.

“She just finished up,” Sean answered. “We only have a few minutes before they start letting people in, so let’s go.”

Melody nodded. “Are you staying in here?” she asked Harry.

“Do yeh want me to?”

“Yes, please.”

He nodded in affirmation and she smiled at him as she left the room to warm up. Sean followed, holding back a gag.

***

Melody and Sean finished warming up and barely made it into the back hallway before spectators began to stream into the warehouse. Voices echoed between the metal walls, feeding through the vents and filling the entire building with mounting chatter as they waited in Melody’s changing room for the match to begin. Despite the adrenaline that was probably pumping through her, Harry thought that Melody looked more calm than when he’d noticed her shaking. But the minutes ticked by quickly, and he didn’t get a chance to ask her how she felt before Sean was shoving them out of the room, following her down the hall to the entrance into the arena.

Another woman stood in the entry. She shot Melody a sidelong glance before she was announced as Peterson, stalking out into the crowd and making her way toward the ring, an older woman following in her wake. Cheers erupted. Harry’s eyes followed her for as long as she was within view. She was quite a few inches taller than Melody and certainly held more muscle mass. He felt a wave of doubt wash over him, and then he began to wonder if this was really where he needed to be. If Melody was smacked around when she got up onto that platform, if she began dripping blood or had the wind knocked out of her like he had so many times before, what would he do? How would he react?

“Harry.”

He turned his head to find Melody watching him. She opened her mouth, but then her name rang out through the warehouse. Her lips snapped closed again. She hesitated for a moment and then she turned to leave the hallway, but Harry caught her by the elbow, pulling her back out of view of the crowd. “Good luck,” he whispered in her ear, pressing the briefest kiss to the corner of her jaw. When he let go of her arm, she glanced at him over her shoulder, eyes wandering his face, and then she entered the arena to roaring voices.

Sean followed close behind her, Harry trailing at the rear. He had to shoulder his way through the throngs of people. He wasn’t used to this. Normally they parted for him, carving him a clear path, but this time he could’ve been invisible for all the attention they paid him. He lost sight of Sean after only a few moments, and by the time he caught up to him, Melody was already in the ring, a referee standing between her and Peterson.

“Get lost?” Sean asked.

“’S fuckin’ madness,” Harry muttered, glancing around the room, surveying the seats and then scanning the people on the floor. “Why the fuck are there so many people? There’s never been this many people.”

“Word spread,” Sean answered simply with a shrug of his shoulders. They reached the corner of the ring near Melody and Sean set down his supplies—his first aid kit, a sweat towel, and Melody’s water bottle.

Harry glanced around once more, baffled by the sheer number of people, some faces distantly familiar, others completely new. And before he knew it, the bell to signal the first round sounded. He swiveled back around to look at the ring and the referee was gone. Melody was bouncing on the balls of her feet, gloves at her chin and the muscles in her back coiled tight. Harry couldn’t see her face, but he could picture the expression there—determination and focus, the way he’d once watched her sketch before she set to work on a painting.

Peterson sprang forward first, only moments into the round, swinging at Melody’s face. She dodged it, but barely; Harry could almost hear the leather skimming her chin. And his heart raced in his chest.

The two girls circled each other, bodies bouncing, and when Melody aimed her first punch, Harry felt some short relief. Her glove made contact with Peterson’s jaw, sending her tottering backward a few steps before she regained her footing. But the livid look as she recovered made anxiety roll back through Harry’s limbs. He didn’t know if he could stomach this.

The remainder of the first round ticked by with only a few jabs and very little damage. When the bell rang and Sean climbed up into the ring with Melody, offering her water and checking her skin over, Harry felt like he’d somehow found his way into a time warp. He hadn’t been in the crowd for a match in years. Not since he’d first discovered this warehouse and Goodman’s operation. Once he’d started fighting—and winning—he’d nearly always been inside the ring. But now it felt like more than the bungee ropes separated him from the stage he’d grown so accustomed to.

“She’s good,” Sean said as he dropped down beside Harry again, mistaking his silence for concern. He was concerned about her coming rounds, but he hadn’t yet begun to cope with his new role here.

His eyes followed the next round, but his mind felt detached. He watched the two girls spin and swing, his mind a whir and his heart still thumping wildly. Until Melody took a clean hook to the side, where she claimed that her bruised rib had healed completely. His eyes widened as she stumbled and he couldn’t stop himself from leaning forward.

“Jesus fuckin’ Christ. She—”

“She’s fine,” Sean interrupted.

Harry looked at him with an incredulous frown. “She just—”

“Harry, she’s fine. Look.” He gestured back toward the fight, and when Harry’s attention returned, he found Melody standing straight again, her gloves in the defensive position. “She swung by the hospital to see Vanessa and Aiden the other day and they cleared her. She’s all good.”

“Why the fuck didn’ she tell me that?”

“Told you that she was fine, didn’t she? You thought she lied?”

Harry ground his teeth together. His arms came up to cross over his chest as Melody moved in on Peterson, feigning a shot to the abdomen and then landing two solid hits into her cheek before retreating. Harry watched Peterson’s face contorted in frustration, and the uncomfortable pit in his stomach only seemed to grow. The bell saved Melody from any retaliation.

“Check her rib,” Harry said to Sean as he bent down to retrieve her water bottle and sweat towel. Sean raised a brow, but Harry only rolled his eyes. “Please.”

Sean climbed up into the ring as Melody retreated to her corner, eyes on the floor. Her mouth guard hung from her lips as she began to mumble something to Sean. He blotted the sweat from her face, letting her gulp a few mouthfuls of water when she dropped her mouth guard into her hand. Harry watched her lift her arm above her head at Sean’s request, stretching out her side, and he watched Sean press his fingertips to her ribcage. He seemed satisfied when she didn’t flinch.

“She’s fine,” Sean repeated as he swung himself down to the floor a few moments later. Harry merely crossed his arms again.

The bell for the third round rang out. Peterson came back with a vengeance. She swung at Melody, catching her shoulder, and then moved in to deliver a set of jabs to her abdomen. Harry’s body tensed. Melody sidestepped Peterson’s next attack, turning so that Harry could see her face, her brows creased and her stomach red where she’d been hit.

“I can see her nipples.”

Harry’s neck twisted around so quickly that his head was in danger of snapping clean off. His eyes swept the faces of the men standing behind him, their mouths hidden behind cans of beer, but their gazes locked unerringly upon the ring. He couldn’t discern who had spoken.

“Man, that shit could cut diamonds!”

Harry’s eyes latched onto a pair of moving lips and then rose to a mop of blazing red hair. He stepped backward, away from the ring and toward the rest of the crowd, but before he could turn around and mix into the bodies, there was a hand at his shoulder, guiding him back to where he’d started.

“Leave it, Harry.”

Harry spun back around. Sean patted the space between his shoulder blades, still watching Melody work her opponent. But Harry’s focus was compromised.

“Did yeh fuckin’ hear him?”

“Yes.”

“The bastard needs—”

“You’re not wrong,” Sean interrupted, “but now really isn’t the time. Leave it. I swear to God, you’ll regret it if you go after him right now.”

Harry watched Sean’s eyes flick back and forth, studying the fight like it might somehow grant him secret knowledge. His own fingers were twitching at his sides, his muscles compressed like springs, and even as he looked up at Melody, he couldn’t quell the hot anger inside.

Melody blocked a blow with her glove, backing toward the ropes. Sweat stuck hair to her temples and darkened the fabric of her bra at the top of her chest. Harry watched her draw away, collecting her strength, but his observation was a passive, unseeing thing. And his ears rang, muffling the noise that roared throughout the warehouse.

“Dude, you’ve gotta calm down.” Sean slapped him between the shoulder blades, as if it could knock the anger right out of him. “Seriously. She’ll be pissed.”

“I don’—”

“Don’t say you don’t care.” Sean shook his head in exasperation. “Because you do. You think I don’t know? You’ve gotta stop acting like it’s a secret, man. You care. About Melody, about what she thinks of you.”

“Sean—”

“Say I’m wrong.” He turned his head to meet Harry’s eyes, and there was an unexpected challenge in his look.

Harry glared but he didn't speak, and he broke eye contact after only a few moments, when the bell sounded to end the round. Sean gripped the platform to hike himself up, sliding between the ropes. Melody retreated into the corner. Huffing, tongue unlocking her mouth guard from her teeth, her gaze slid down to Harry. It was a brief, expressionless exchange, but it was the first time she’d looked at him since the fight had begun, and she seemed to exhale when she saw him.

Harry closed his eyes, willing himself to relax, trying to rid his mind of the red-haired man’s face, of his voice.

“Are you good?”

Harry blinked his eyes open and found Sean standing beside him once more. The next round began.

“Did they make the matches longer,” Harry asked, “or am I imaginin’ it?”

“No, you’re right. Goodman added extra rounds. It’s five, now.”

Harry drew in an agitated breath. Another two rounds of this unless one of them was knocked out. And though Harry had more faith in Melody now that he’d seen her hold her own, he wasn’t sure she had the power to knock out Peterson. And if Melody was the one knocked out...

“Not enjoying this, are you?”

Harry grunted. Melody circled Peterson, gloves drawn up to her chin, but Harry could tell by the lag of her movements that she was growing tired. And when Peterson came at her full force again, Melody didn’t seem to be able to do anything but back away. Harry’s eyes widened as she took a heavy hook to the cheek.

“Why the fuck is she backin’ herself into a corner?” he demanded, muscles coiling somehow tighter as the space around her all but vanished, as she moved closer and closer to the edge of the ring. “Did you teach her that?”

“Of course I didn’t fucking teach her that,” Sean snapped, his own body tensing. He leaned forward on his toes as Peterson moved in. “I taught her the opposite.”

“Well, then why is she fuckin’ doing it?”

“Harry, I don’t know!” Sean hissed.

“She’s gonna get pummeled. Jesus fuckin’—” Harry shouted along with the crowd as Peterson attacked—an uppercut to Melody’s chin, a couple jabs to her belly and then a hook to her cheek. Melody tried to back away, but she only hit the corner. She was stuck, and as she squared her arms in front of her to block another blow, Harry all but lost it. “Get out, Mel!” he yelled. “Move!”

Peterson hit her once more in the shoulder, and then Melody dove beneath her arm as she swung again, escaping into the open space of the ring. Harry exhaled, lifting his hand from the edge of the platform where he’d been clinging, taking a step backward. 

“There yeh go,” he murmured.

Sean swiped a hand nervously over his face. The roar of the crowd only climbed in volume as Peterson stalked after Melody, but now she had space. She was ready, and Harry’s mouth dropped open as she feigned a hook with each hand, then slammed her glove into Peterson’s cheek, sending her stumbling to the side.

Melody moved in again. Harry held his breath as Peterson swung to ward her off, but Melody ducked, recovered her stance, and then threw her gloves out in a whir of movement. A hook from the left, an uppercut with the right.

“Holy fuck,” Harry muttered. Peterson fell to the floor of the ring, still. Harry thought she was only blinded by pain, but a moment later the ref was climbing into the ring and she remained down. A collective count echoed through the arena. Melody had knocked her out.

Screams and cheers and applause sounded when the count was finished. The referee reached for Melody’s wrist, raising a pink glove up into the air as her name was announced once more. Harry shook his head in disbelief.

“Does she do that a lot?” he shouted over all of the noise.

“No, not really,” Sean answered. He was grinning. Harry watched him collect all of his supplies as Melody strolled across the ring toward them. “Every now and then.”

Melody dropped down beside Harry, holding an arm out toward him without a word. He peeled back the Velcro of her glove, sliding it off of her hand, and then she started toward the back hallway at a brisk pace. Harry and Sean followed. Sean’s smile had fallen, confusion overtaking his face. Harry frowned, trying to catch up. The crowd slowed their pursuit and by the time they reached the archway out of the arena, Melody was nowhere to be seen.

They found her in the changing room already, her other glove on the table, shaking her limbs out. Harry threw the glove he was holding beside the other one, then stepped in front of her and caught her chin, gently, looking over her jaw to study the places she’d been caught by Peterson’s gloves.

“Don’ ever let me see yeh cornerin’ yourself like that again,” he said. He shook his head. “Like yeh were askin’ her to lay into yeh.”

Melody pulled out of his grip, staring at him. It was only then that he noticed the wild look in her eyes.

“He’s here,” she said.

“What?” Harry’s frown only deepened, his brows furrowing.

“Harry, I saw him.”

Harry licked his dry lips. He watched Melody press her hands into her chest, wraps scratching at her skin, her teeth gnawing at her lip. She said nothing more, only stared at him.

“Sean, go find Brian,” Harry said, still watching her.

Sean, who had been standing by idly, blanched. “Who?”

“Brian!” Harry shouted in frustration, spinning on him. Sean knew Brian. And he had to know who Melody was talking about. There was only one person that made her this anxious. “The cop! Yeh know who ‘m talkin’ about?”

“Yeah.” Sean nodded, backing toward the door. Harry followed him. “Yeah, I’m going.”

He disappeared into the hallway, closing the door behind him, and Harry clicked the lock into place. Taking a deep breath, he turned back toward Melody, who was now leaning against the metal table, eyes on the door.

“Did yeh see him leave?” he asked as he approached her.

Her eyes wandered to his face, hands still moving across her chest as she shook her head. Then her gaze fell to the floor.

“Melody,” Harry whispered. He slid a hand up her arm, carefully holding the side of her neck, tucking strands of sweaty hair behind her ear. “Baby, yeh’re fine. Look at me.”

She glanced up at him, wrapping her fingers around his wrist to keep him from letting go of her. But he only stepped closer, hesitating for a moment before he pressed a kiss to her hairline.

“We’re gonna get out of the city anyway, right?” he asked. Her mom’s party was on Sunday and they planned to spend the night before at her parents’ house. “We’ll be gone this time tomorrow. Take a breath, Mel.”

Closing her eyes, still clinging to his wrist, Melody drew in a breath. Her lungs still ached from her match and her chin was starting to smart as the adrenaline from the fight withdrew, a new, more uncomfortable sensation spreading through her limbs.

“Plus yeh just wrecked that girl. I don’ think yeh’d have anythin’ to worry about even if he tried to do somethin’.”

Melody really wasn’t in a joking mood, but she found herself offering his a soft smile. Harry sighed.

“Okay?” he asked, mildly relieved. “Can I kiss yeh?”

She nodded and he wasted no time, grasping the other side of her neck and lowering his lips to meet hers. Melody kissed him back, careful not to let her sore chin bump his.

“Yeh were good out there, yeh know,” Harry said as he pulled back, pressing another kiss to her forehead before he let her go completely.

Melody’s eyes widened. The words sounded surreal; she’d been wishing for them for so long. “You mean it?”

“Yeah. Except for that corner incident.” He shook his head, a frown slipping onto his features. “Seriously, what the fuck was that?”

“I was distracted,” she murmured.

“By what?”

“By you.”

Harry raised a single brow. “Can’ be distracted when yeh’re in a ring, Mel.”

“But I won,” she reminded him. “By knockout.” She flashed him a brief smile. “Are you gonna come to my next match?”

“I don’ think so.” Harry sighed, glancing over the red splotches that would soon morph into bruises as she frowned again, disappointed. “Stresses me out, love,” he explained. “‘M sorry.”

There was a heavy bang at the door and Melody visibly flinched.

“It’s me,” came Sean’s voice. Harry watched Melody relax, her scrunched shoulders unwinding, and then he trailed across the room, wrenching the door open to allow Sean inside and locking it behind him again.

“Did yeh find him?” Harry asked.

“Yeah. He’s sweeping the place with his buddy.” Sean looked to Melody, nodding to reassure her. “And they asked someone on duty to comb the streets. He said he’d let you know when they’re done here.”

Harry ran a hand over his face, huffing in acknowledgment. “Thanks, man.”

“Do you want me to stay?”

Harry looked to Melody, but she didn’t seem inclined to respond. “Nah, man. I think we’re okay.”

“You good, Melody?” Sean checked.

“I’m okay.”

“That was a good match,” he praised as he began to collect his things. “When do you guys get back from your parents’?”

“We should be home Monday afternoon.”

“Okay.” Sean glanced between the two of them. “Let’s do some training Tuesday. Sound good?”

Both of them nodded, Harry’s hair shaking with his enthusiasm. Real, actual training. He could have kissed Sean.

“You guys call me if you need anything. And if they find him.”

“I will,” Harry assured him.

Sean took a deep breath, turning to unlock the door. “See you later,” he said before stepping out of the room once more.

Harry locked up again, flashing a thin smile Melody’s way. He wanted to reassure her, to make her feel safe, like she insisted he always did, but the idea that Colton might be in the same building as them kept his jaw tight, his body poised for action. “We’re gonna wait here until someone lets us know we’re clear,” he told her.

“Okay,” Melody whispered.

Harry stepped closer, studying her face, trying to decipher her the way she could him. But all he could read was discomfort. This was not where she wanted to be, not what she wanted to be doing. “What d’yeh want from me?” he asked.

Melody chewed on her lip again. She didn’t know what she wanted from him, not right now. Her eyes roamed his face silently. Harry waited a few more moments for her to answer, but when she didn’t, he said, “Come sit with me, yeah?”

They wandered to the couch, sinking into the cushions, Melody curled into Harry’s side, resting her temple on his shoulder. She was very careful not to agitate her abdomen or brush her pulsing jaw against him. Harry could feel the lingering heat of her body through his shirt as he ran his hand along the top of her head, brushing damp strands of hair from her face. She seemed to melt right into him.

“Are you not scared of him, Harry?” she asked after a few minutes, when the thumping of her heart had slowed down to a normal tempo.

Harry’s hand paused as he thought about his answer. “No,” he said. "Haven’ been scared of him for a while.” He repositioned his arm to run his fingers through the end of her ponytail and shook his head. "And you can be scared of him, Mel, but yeh don’ need to be. They’re either gonna find him or ‘m gonna ruin his fuckin’ life. He’s not gonna do anythin’ to me again. And he’s not gonna hurt you.”

He tilted his head to get a view of her face and watched her eyes close. A divot was set between her brows.

“Yeh believe me, right?” he asked. "‘M not gonna let him do anythin’. Yeh believe that?”

“Yeah,” she whispered.

“Good girl. Good.” He ran his hand down the side of her body to her hip, pulling her closer. "Give me another kiss.”

Melody lifted her head from his shoulder, twisting her neck until she could press her mouth to his. His lips were so soft with her, gentle, and for a moment she forgot there was anything to be worried about. She only leaned closer, a hand smoothing up the front of his shirt. And then there was another bang at the door. They broke apart with a collective gasp and swung their heads around. Melody’s fingers tightened in the fabric at Harry’s chest.

“Styles,” someone said, "it’s Brian.”

Harry sighed in frustration and relief. Every time he felt like he was able to start calming Melody down, something else wound her back up. Beneath his hand, her body was tight and stiff. He could hear her every breath as though she’d just run a race.

“’S fine,” he whispered to her, trying to loosen her hand from his shirt as he slid to the edge of the couch. “Mel, yeh’re okay.”

When he’d freed himself, Harry squeezed Melody’s thigh and then went to open the door. The officer on the other side was out of uniform, but Melody could still recognize him. She would’ve been able to pick out his face in the dark.

“Hey,” he greeted Harry. “Hi.”

Harry didn’t bother with greetings. “Well?”

“Right.” Brian glanced past Harry’s shoulder, to where Melody was still sitting on the couch, her legs folded up beneath her. His lips tightened. Harry moved into his line of view, blocking Melody. “We didn’t find him anywhere. And my patrol didn’t see him, either.”

Harry swallowed, sighing in frustration. This had been going on for too long. It had been nearly an entire year since he’d wound up in the hospital, and still they hadn’t found Colton. Melody’s nightmares had begun long before he’d reappeared, but now, with this cat and mouse game he was playing—Harry just wanted him gone. He glanced at Melody over his shoulder and found her with a hand over her eyes, teeth closed around her lip again.

“We can give you a ride home, if you want,” Brian said.

Harry shook his head without a moment’s thought, turning back around to face him. “We’re okay.”

Brian’s frown deepened. “I wanna apologize. For...you know.” Of course Harry knew. How could he forget the time he’d finished training and seen missed calls from Melody, when he’d returned home to his door busted in. "It was business,” Brian said.

“If you think ‘m gonna forgive you,” Harry said, lowering his voice in the hopes that Melody wouldn’t hear the conversation, “yeh’re outta your mind.”

“C’mon, man. You know how—”

“You kidnapped her,” Harry snapped.

“That’s a bit dramatic, don’t you think?” Brian shook his head. "You knew where we were.”

“She didn’ know that.” Harry’s eyes narrowed as Brian shifted uncomfortably. “And yeh held a fuckin’ gun to her head.”

“I was never going to actually shoot her!”

Harry snorted in annoyance. “Tha’s beside the point. Yeh’re not forgiven. And ‘m sure she’d appreciate it if yeh left now.”

“I’m fine, Harry,” Melody piped up. He turned to find her watching them closely, arms looped around her legs. She didn’t look scared or nervous so much as exhausted.

“See?” Brian gestured toward her. "She’s fine.”

“Tha’s great,” Harry said. "Yeh can still fuck off. If yeh wanna make it up, find Colton.”

“We’ve been looking, Styles. You know that, right?” Brian took a step back from the door as Harry began to close it. "But we’ll keep an ear out.” He peeked at Melody once more and he looked genuinely apologetic. “Sorry, Melody.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Goodbye, Brian,” he said as he slammed the door in his face.

Melody hadn’t moved when he turned to face her, leaning back into the door, his arms crossed over his chest. She met his gaze this time. “‘M sorry,” he said quietly.

Melody shrugged. “It’s fine. I’m fine.”

She wasn’t. Harry could very easily tell that she was not fine. First Colton and then a cop that had terrorized her. But he nodded along for her sake.

“I say we get a cab,” he suggested. “I don’ want us walkin’ all the way back to your apartment.”

Melody stretched out her legs, reaching for her bag and shoving her gloves inside. She had no desire to stay in the warehouse, helpless as a sitting duck, for any longer than necessary. She was slinging the strap of her bag over her shoulder before Harry could even raise an eyebrow.

“Can yeh at least put your sweatshirt back on, love?” he asked. “‘S cold out.”

Melody’s nose wrinkled. She looked away and sighed. “It’s gonna hurt my face.”

“I’ll help yeh,” he whispered, stepping closer.

Melody sighed again and then dropped her bag, digging through its contents until she found her hoodie. She forced her arms through the sleeves. Harry held onto the bottom hem as she began to pull it over her head, and then he stretched out the front of her hood, keeping it away from her jawline as her face popped through the opening.

“There, see? No harm done.”

Melody yanked her ponytail free from the sweatshirt and flashed him a reserved smile. He took her hand in his, reaching down to grab her bag, and tugged her toward the door, running his thumb across her knuckles, and hoping with everything in him that Colton would be found before he could make another appearance.

Chapter 20