#such a large man with such a tiny teacup :'3

[phasecornnuts]

Hiiiiiiii! If you’re still open for requests maybe you might wanna write something where the reader casually mentioned that they/she had a partner on earth before they died and Alastor takes it a bit too drastically and has just been very salty and asking too many questions 😭 if you like that

Please & thanks ❤️

Hey guys I've returned! Sorry for taking a little while, I was busy with finals/I wanted to relax on my spring break so I didn't have a lot of time. I lowkey kind of cooked with this one too so enjoy :3

Also, I sorta made the reader be from around the same time period as Alastor (sorta late 1910s early 1930s) for extra spice

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It had become a daily routine for you and Alastor to have afternoon tea together in cannibal town. Always, between the hours and four and six o’ clock after Alastor had finished his broadcast and you, your hotel duties, the both of you would walk down to Rosie’s Emporium to nibble on finger sandwiches, candied eyeballs, and other treats. 

The sun was still high in the sky, sending fingers of light through the windows of the cafe; the building was alive with the chatter of demons and hell-born alike. You and Alastor had just sat down, a short cannibal girl with a heart-shaped face and glowing brown ringlets placing your usuals on the table. Oh how beautiful they were! Too pretty to eat, garnished with tiny sprigs of mint (or, at least, it may have been mint) and resting on plates of delicate porcelain. With polished silver beside them, and matching teacups and saucers too, it all looked like a party for a girl’s favorite doll.

That is, if it weren’t human meat. 

Looking up from your plate, you saw Alastor turn his head to follow the cannibal girl making you frown. His gaze returned to you before he caught you staring, a chipper grin on his face as always.

“She could be a dead ringer for Mary Pickford, don’t you think?”

Your eyebrows perked. You hadn’t looked long at the girl admittedly, though you stared long enough to know that she was no Pickford. You pursed your lips,

“I don’t see it, Lillian Gish maybe.”

He looked at you like a mad-woman, “You don’t!?”

“No! Her eyes are much too large!”

Alastor chuffed, proceeding to rest his chin on his dark hand, “In the eye of the beholder I suppose.” 

You rolled your eyes, “You only say that because of her curls,” you stated while picking up the teapot and pouring yourself and Alastor your cups, “Now, drink before it gets cold.”

For much of your lunch neither of you spoke, merely enjoying each other’s presence while pecking on some food here and there. Throughout the meal the waitress brought more plates, pancreas tarts, minced tongues coated with cinnamon sugar, and sweet pies filled with rotted venison and cooked kidneys, all Rosie’s treat. Alastor had been taken by the small pies in their mulled deliciousness, the meat so tender you saw his eyes water. He pleaded you to try one, though you couldn’t, your stomach filled to the brim from the other treats and delicacies. 

Alastor picked up the small pair of silver tongs from beside him and placed two sugar cubes in his tea, “I do say, it’s nice to have a meal companion again.” He took a sip from his teacup and grinned. 

You nodded in agreement, lifting the milk jug from the table and pouring a generous amount into your cup. “Likewise. Good dinner conversation is a horrid thing to lose.”

“Truly.” He took another drink. “Before you, I hadn’t had a proper luncheon since my mother.”

“From what you tell she sounded like a fine woman.” His grin lost its eeriness, becoming fond instead. 

“She truly was, and such a fine cook too.” Alastor gazed at the fine pattern painted on the rim of his saucer, “her jambalaya was the best, our side of the Mississippi” he chuckled. He began to remember then, “And her gumbo and her crawfish etouffee and her pecan pralines”

It was odd to hear his voice so full of affection, but nice too. So strange, to think a man who broadcasted his murders of other overlords and feasted on their flesh was once a little boy who clung to his mothers skirt and happily ate her cooking. 

“Maybe one day you’ll cook for me then?” you teased

“Oh why wouldn’t I for my favoritest of sinners?” He took your hand.

You leaned in towards him, a silent flirtation. “Or perhaps I could prepare something for you?”

He looked at you from his dark, hooded eyes, a certain intrigue radiating from them. “Would you now?” he said, leaning in closer. 

“Oh I would, anything you’d like.” the tip of your oxford lingering at his ankle. “My food was good enough for my darling back on earth, why would an overlord of hell have any complaints? Other than not enough seasoning I suppose.” 

That was when the laughter in his eyes died. Alastor bit the inside of his cheek before finding the words to speak, “Your darling?”

 “Pardon?”

“You had someone,” He straightened up, pulling himself away from you, “back on earth?”

“I hardly see how it matters now.” 

Alastor’s tone grew curt, had such a simple word bruised his ego? 

He crossed his arms, “What were they like?” each word as sharp as his teeth.

You pulled your hands close to you, confused at his curtness, “They were….they were nice. Cordial, spirited, vivacious, however you would put it. If you’re-” Alastor cut you off. 

“How did you meet them?”

“On the trolley.” That only served to make him scoff.

“Tch, how common. The trolley.”

You chewed your bottom lip, trying to deny the anger towards him that began to knot in your belly. “It was a different lifetime.” You asserted, a hard finality to it. Pushing yourself from the small table you smoothed your skirt and adjusted the ribbon that was tied so nicely in your hair. 

Without looking at him you said, “Tell Rosie I’m grateful for her hospitality and I will try to find a way to repay her. Also that I’m sorry that I had to retire without saying hello but I feel rather…faint.” Before leaving completely you said, “See you back at the hotel.”

The rest of the day you hid in your room, sulking and pacing. Charlie had tried to coax you out, seeing how angry you’d been when you came back, but you denied every effort she had. 

“It’s not good to stay cooped up in there,” the Princess pleaded.

“I like my alone time.”

 “But- but I had games planned! Husk was going to show us how to play Blackjack and Dominoes!”

“I prefer bridge, and he’ll just cheat us anyways.”

She gave a disappointed sigh, and outside the door you could hear Vaggie talking to her, telling Charlie to give you your space. 

For three nights straight you avoided Alastor, finishing up your hotel duties quickly before hiding in your room. You grew bored after the first day admittedly, a person could only sleep and bathe and read so much. The fourth night is when he knocked on your door while you lied draped on your couch, your nose in a book you’d already finished before. Thinking it was Charlie, you ignored it, sure she’d get the message. It insisted however, rapping harder the second time. You sighed, annoyed. “Who is it?”

“Alastor, may I come in?”

A sour taste came in your mouth, “No.”

“You cannot lock yourself away from me forever.” 

You lifted yourself off the couch, full of bitterness, “I can and I will!”

An electric hum filled your ears, the sound of Alastor weighing his words, “Could you at least entertain my attempt?”

Walking to the door and opening it slightly you saw his face, those deep, hooded eyes dark as blood, cracked lips, and hollow cheekbones. All of those beautiful, haunting features draped in remorse. You sighed, cursing the affection you had for him. 

“Fine, but I’m still cross with you.” That made him smile, if only a tad. 

Opening the door fully, you saw he’d brought one of the dining carts from the unused kitchen clad in a clean white sheet. Alastor pushed it to the center of the room before spiritedly ripping the cover from the cart, presenting polished silver dishes of raw meat and organs. From the bottom shelf of it, he had pulled a fine bottle of wine and two shining glasses.

“I helped myself to a bottle of Husk’s finest, the patrons here don’t have as refined tastes as you and I.” He gave a small grin. So this is what he brought with him, a peace offering. Your stomach was empty from only eating a small meal earlier in the day, so perhaps it was not in vain, though you weren’t sure if you were ready to forgive him. 

“I’ll help you set the table,” you offered, feeling guilty he put so much effort into pleasing you. 

Alastor held his hands up, “No need darling.” He put his hand on his throat, “What I said the other day was very…” he coughed into his hand, “ungentlemanly of me, and I wanted to make it up to you.” 

You folded your hands and held them to your chest, looking at the embarrassment he tried to hide. Closing your eyes, you took a deep breath, and raised your gaze to his. “Thank you, Alastor.” His grin widened as he sat down beside you. 

He uncorked the bottle of wine, beginning to pour it into the glasses, “Of course.” He handed you the glass which you took gladly. The vintage was so dark it looked black, reflecting the lights that glowed from the ceiling. Swishing it, you could see the hidden shades of red that the wine hid.

“Demon’s blood, Husk calls it.” Alastor told you before he took a long sip. 

“Fitting. Do you know how long he’s aged it?” Alastor shrugged, taking another swallow. 

“I didn’t care to ask, but it tastes so good going down. Come, drink, I didn’t bring this up so I could get drunk by myself.” That made you giggle, how much he valued the both of you eating and drinking together. 

Taking his lead, you titled your head back, savoring the warm burn of the wine going down. Its hot fingers lingered in your chest before fading, like drinking cold medicine. In three large gulps you finished your glass, noticing the way Alastor’s eyes watched your throat as you drank. After finishing your second glass you began to dig into the food he’d brought, pancreas tarts, cooked kidneys and…oh good god! On the largest plate was a raw heart, fresh and bloody. 

“Where did you get this? You shouldn’t have!” Your eyes went wide and your mouth began to salivate. A raw heart! Oh and it was human too! Such a fine delicacy must have taken so much begging from Alastor!

“Rosie owed me a favor. And I owe it to you, for making such a jackass of myself.” 

You took another sip of your wine, feeling your face begin to flush. You helped yourself to a tart while Alastor poured himself another glass. As you ate you felt his eyes on you again, focusing on the way your teeth bit into the pastry, your swan’s neck showing your swallow, and how your tongue dragged across your lips. Feeling bold, you placed your feet in his lap and wiped the corner of your mouth with your finger, licking the tip of it with your tongue. He swallowed, hard, his eyes growing wide. 

“Are you looking at something?” Your voice a heavy seduction.

“Possibly.” He drank again. Leaning back on the arm of the couch, he placed his glass on the floor. The tips of his fingers grazed your legs, “Though I do have another question for you, if I may.”

A sultry smirk grew on your face, “That depends on what it is, Al.” God, you could see the glint in his eyes then.

Alastor looked up at you from his hooded eyes, “I’ve been wondering…about your “darling.” You arched an eyebrow; your interest piqued. “Did they ever have…you?” His breath shuddered. 

“Have me, how?” You teased.

“Oh humor me my dear,” He purred

You smirked and shifted your legs in his lap. “Hmm, maybe once or twice…” You sit up from your recline and crawl onto his lap.

“What sorts of things did they do to you?” 

Running your fingers down his chest you savored the way he squirmed and shifted, “All sorts of unholy things” 

Alastor choked on his breath, his eyes transfixed on your face. Slowly, he caught it, regaining a certain boldness afterwards. His hand found the top of your stocking, fingering the nylon taut to your thighs. “Getting rather comfortable aren’t we my dear?”

The smirk you had deepened and you pulled in closer, feeling the heat of his breath tickle your cheeks. You looked into his eyes, “I could get much more comfortable if you like, Al.” For what seemed like ages you lingered, until you felt you had tortured the man enough. Slowly, you leaned in, seemingly ready to kiss his shiny red lips. Grinning, you pulled a piece of dry skin from his bottom lip between your teeth, peeling it to show the bleeding flesh beneath. 

You sat back on his lap and spat out the skin. Looking at him, you saw that hunger in his eyes again. That fine line of decorum the two of you had with one another, ignoring the lingering gazes and longing touches, all thrown away with one bite. Underneath, you could feel his arousal beginning to grow hard. You rolled your hips slightly into him, earning a throaty groan from Alastor. From the silver dining cart you pulled the piece de resistance, that raw bleeding heart, and sunk your teeth into it, tasting the sweet flavor of iron. Trails of blood dripped from your mouth onto your decolletage, slowly turning brown and flaky.

Alastor’s breath heaved, growing even harder from that sultry cannibalistic display. He pulled you towards him and pressed your mouth to his, saccharine saliva mixing with sanguine. His tongue slid and twisted about yours, savoring every inch of its taste. You pulled away from him to catch your breath, making him whine. Leaning in again, he dragged his tongue along your neck, cleaning up the drying strings of blood. 

Both of you straightened up then, him holding you proper now. One hand ran its fingers through his shiny red hair and the other cupped his aching sex, so taut against his trousers. 

“Is that what you were so upset about Al? If they fucked me or not?” You purred into his ear.

The tips of your fingers fluttered over his hip, tracing its edge before returning to his cock. “I bet you wondered if I did this to them, didn’t you?” A small nip was placed on his neck, leaving a red half-moon. Your breath grew hot against his cheek as you whispered into his ear again, 

“Maybe I did, and maybe I did so many more dirty things to them.” 

Alastor enraptured your mouth in another needy kiss. His words heavy with radio static, “What sort of things my dear? Or are you all talk?” Your grin widened seeing the shock in his eyes when you began to unbutton his overcoat.

“Let me show you.”

Four little words was all it took to send him over the edge. Picking you up, his hands traced over all the parts of your succulent body. When he flopped you on the bed, hair as tousled as a pin-up, you reached out a stockinged leg to him, that devious look on your face growing. Oh how badly he wanted to have you, hastily unzipping your dress as you stripped him down to his undershirt and trousers. Deft fingers hooked around the tops of your stockings, pulling them down as fast as they could. You dropped his trousers and took off his shirt, admiring all of that soft, gray skin.

You pressed your mouth to the flesh of his stomach, blessing it with small love-bites that made him shudder. All along his torso you left red patches and traced your cool fingertips along the hard edges where his ribs poked out. You tilted your head up and moved his hands to the straps of your brasserie, exposing all of your hot, yearning flesh. He cupped a breast and lied on top of you. Grinding his sex to yours he moaned into your mouth. It had been so…so long since you’d been wanted, since someone pressed their body to yours and you felt all of their heat as they slid into you, over and over again. 

“Al,” You breathed

“What is it?”

“Get on your back.” 

And so he did. 

Alastor’s back against the mattress and your palms against his chest, you let him enter you. He let out a string of curses when you did, and even more when you started moving in those easy rolling motions. Those large hands of his held the curve of your waist as you rode him, his eyes half-lidded as he watched your breasts bounce. 

“The first time I saw you…” You began, going a little faster, “I wanted you,” You heard a small thud as he dropped his head against the pillows.

“I thought about you kissing me and touching me all over” That’s when the pulses of pleasure started to build up, prickling you in sweet needles that went all the way up your spine.

“And about you sticking your fingers in me and..and your tongue too” You felt your face heat up and your sex grow slicker, admitting those indecent thoughts you only entertained during late nights when your fingers wandered. Alastor gripped your waist tighter, making your rhythm harsher. You looked down on him, his eyes glazed over with euphoria, and felt your mouth pool with saliva.

Digging your nails into the skin of his chest you kept on. “For a whole week I couldn’t keep from slipping my hands between my legs.” Your voice, thick and hoarse. “I wanted to know what you tasted like, if-if your mouth tasted like blood,” that was when he quickened the pace even more. Your sex was so hot and wet, all the way at the base of your spine you could feel your orgasm coming to you, a full-body shiver that made your eyes well with tears. 

The last part was what sent him over the edge though. 

“Sometimes, I’d bite myself so I could taste the blood when I’d touch-” was all it took to make him come. 

Fuck it felt good too. A weak falsetto escaped your mouth when he released, so warm and filling. That’s what made you reach your end too. You clawed your nails in his skin so deep there were two broken half-moons on his chest. Your thighs clenched against his torso, quivering, as you could feel your body become as light and floaty as chiffon. 

Alastor let the both of you ride it out, that sweet joyous bliss. When your mind returned from the heaven it was sent to, you leaned over, resting on top of him. He moved you gently, pressing you closely to his chest. For a while, neither of you spoke, the air lingering with the smell of sweat and blood and sex. You ran your fingers through his hair again; He kissed the back of your hand before speaking. 

“If I’d known all that would come out of making you angry at me, I would’ve earned your ire a long while ago.” You rolled your eyes, flicking his chest playfully. 

“Perhaps we could do this again, without the arguing?” You propose, “You’re quite good at it.” 

A smile stretched across his face as he played with a lock of hair that rested near your face, “Expect nothing less from an overlord of hell cher.” One of his hands slid to your lower back, tracing small circles on that creamy flesh. 

“How about we try one more time without the arguing, for good measure?”

You smirked and kissed him again. All for good measure.

[charnelhouse]

press the gas and ride

gif by @riley-keoughs pairing: Joel Miller x f!Reader (nicknamed Dolly) word count: 2.4k+ summary: comfort in a car warnings: hurt/comfort. smut. angst. A/N: this takes place a month after teacups, but no need to read. tlou ep 3 spoilers. this is really just trash smut. Joel Miller Masterlist

She watched Joel's expression buckle as he read the letter. His brow furrowed, the muscle in his jaw tensing. She looked away, suddenly feeling intrusive. She'd never come here with Joel. His trips to Bill were semi-frequent, but this was the first time he’d brought her. Of course, he hadn't expected this. He hadn't thought they'd be walking into a dead house. 

The fresh air through the open front door bullied the stench of rotten meat and vegetables. The dinner on the table buzzed with flies. There were starched, ironed napkins folded in triangles with lovely patterns of woodland creatures. She traced the tiny squirrel sewed into the fabric before studying the label on the wine bottle. She was intent on busying herself. She wanted to give Joel space, but he'd been more paranoid than usual since the attack a month ago. 

I don't want you out of my sight.

She hadn't stopped aching. Brutal. Horrible. She'd slaughtered two people, and her mind continued to spin with the memories of it. She was unable to remove the taste of blood from her tongue. She could not unhear the shuddering death rattle or unfeel the way the man beneath her had wriggled and then spasmed like an electrocuted rodent.  

Joel had also seemingly lost his cool that night. After he'd tucked her into bed, she'd heard him smashing up the first floor. In the morning, he'd refused to let her see what he had done and when she fell apart again (in the safety of their QZ apartment), Joel wouldn't have it.

He'd crouched so they could be eye-level, large hand cupping the back of her skull. "They got what they deserved. Nothin' more than that."

He was right, but teaching her head to stop was easier said than done. 

She scanned the dining room before settling on the mahogany cabinet full of delicate china. When she noticed the powder blue and white teacups, she winced. She couldn't escape it. Everything triggered her. She needed to learn to grow up and out of her pain because it wouldn't serve her and certainly not Joel. He bulldozed through everything, and she had to follow suit. 

Joel cleared his throat. He had stopped reading and was staring out the window, far away. She intended to bring him back to shore. 

"They have a car?" she asked, and Joel's eyes swept toward her. Inscrutable. 

"Yeah." He scraped a hand over his mouth. "Yeah."

***

Joel guided her to a guest room, instructing her to clean up and be ready in an hour.

He'd found her a box of women's clothes that she happily dug through. The very idea of new outfits felt celebratory- even if they smelled a bit stale.

The musty fabric reminded her of her grandmother's closets. She'd used to hide behind the wool coats and leather shoes, toes snug in the sea-green carpet. She'd get light-headed on mothballs. 

Her family was gone. A long time gone.

She supposed Joel was the only person who really gave a shit about her well-being. If she died, he’d have the memory of her, at least. She wouldn’t be dust.

After she showered, she yanked on a sundress and sneakers. Joel would undoubtedly say something, but she was past caring. She stared at herself in the mirror, petting the floral-print bodice. She twisted side to side, the breeze from the open window licking between her legs and under her arms. 

She thought of Bill and Frank in the next room and abruptly stopped. Morbid. Strange to be so fine rummaging through a house when two dead men were feet away. Their window was open, too, and she wondered if the sweet brush of cool air had cradled them into the next life. She stepped forward, pressing her ear against the wood. She listened, tapping her fingertips over the wallpaper. 

Silence. She tapped again. Waiting.

"What are you doing?"

She whirled around to find Joel standing in the doorway with a towel around his waist. He'd combed his wet hair back, but a single strand boyishly drifted over his forehead. The scars across his torso gleamed white under the naked afternoon sun.

"Nothing." She shifted her weight, the dress swishing with her. 

He frowned as he scrutinized her outfit. "You can't wear that."

"Because?"

"Because you can't do shit in a dress that short," he replied flatly. 

She put her hands on her hips. "Can I just wear this today? It's-fuck-it's the prettiest thing I've worn since-since I don't know." She averted her eyes, feeling childish at her reasoning.

Because I want to be beautiful for once. I want to look beautiful for you and not covered in grime, blood, and jeans, two sizes too big. 

The expression on Joel's face flickered between irritated and puzzled. She thought he might stride across the room and tear it off her. 

Once in a while, he'd give her shit about things like this-pecking at her for enjoying luxuries that didn't exist anymore. He'd call her a spoiled brat when he really wanted to tick her off. Instinctively, she knew he was doing it, so she'd snap at him, deal him back with a rough hand. 

He always won and she assumed he’d win here, as well.

She expected him to say no, but he took a breath instead. Running his hand across his chest, he massaged an old bullet wound hidden in the sparse hair before turning back into the hall. White flag. 

Then, his voice pitched so low it grazed the floor. "Fine."

***

The letter must have softened him. Repeatedly punched him until he was a tender, pliant piece of meat. He hadn't even twitched when she snatched two guns too massive for her off the basement wall or smuggled a box of wine into the car.

His hands scraped over the steering wheel when he slid into the front seat. He stared blankly at the dash and then the manicured driveway. The grass was just beginning to creep away from the lawn, encroaching onto the asphalt. 

She wasn't sure how to deal with this. He usually seemed to take death in stride. His grief was like a chalky, oversized pill, but he swallowed it nonetheless. He'd made it clear that he didn't even like Bill yet...

"I'm sorry," she offered.

"Take your feet off the dash," he ordered stiffly.

She scowled but did as she was told, figuring she didn't need to push Joel Miller’s buttons again today. She settled into her seat, hands prim in her lap as she waited for him to begin driving.

He didn't. 

He continued to sit silently, seemingly unable to turn the car on. The hand around the steering wheel tightened, his scabbed knuckles flexing and paling beneath the windshield. His nostrils flared, and she suddenly knew:

He was going to crack. He was going to burst down the middle, and he needed her. 

Abruptly, she crawled over the console, gripping him by the lapels of his button-up to balance her weight. The fresh clothes looked good on him-the plaid green shirt fit his broad frame like a glove. She nearly toppled into the door before he grasped her wrist roughly. “What are you-"

"Shh," she murmured, straddling his lap. He stared at her. 

Joel wore his grief in the creases of his face. His pain. His anger. He was beautiful to her. Sexy in a way that couldn't be understood. Older, too. Older than any man she'd ever had before, but it wasn't like she'd had that many men, to begin with. 

"I'm here," she whispered, her thighs squeezing around his own. His mouth parted, exhaling. 

She wondered what undercurrents ran beneath his skin-his armor. What did he think about? How did he see her? 

She lifted herself onto her knees, and Joel's hands automatically seized her hips. Unbuttoning his jeans, she tugged the zipper down, and his eyes found hers. Good. Coyly, she licked her palm before gripping his half-hard cock. She stroked him slow, glancing down to watch the blush-red head disappear in the circle of her fist. He shuddered, hips lifting a few inches off the leather seat. 

She intended to be fast about this. Pleasurable consolation was a language she knew Joel understood. 

“I’m going to fuck you,” she said and he shivered under her touch. He remained silent as the grave though his eyes never left hers. Perhaps, he was struck dumb by her forwardness.

She clutched his shoulder as she braced herself before sinking down and guiding him into the heat of her cunt. She'd worn the sun dress for a reason. 

Joel made a gritty, strangled noise as she took him to the hilt, lowering herself until his thighs were flush with her ass. The band of his jeans grazed her skin, the metal of the zipper catching flesh. His nostrils flared as she tightened, walls spasming because he was always a little too big. 

Wordlessly, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, forcing his face against her chest. He sighed deeply as she rocked forward, his fingers biting into her waist. It could hardly be called a fuck, just her grinding down and him pushing his cock upward until he couldn't claim another centimeter. 

She cradled the back of his skull, rooting her nose around his damp hair that smelled like clover and a scent she recalled from before - something generic and artificial like Irish Spring. 

Finding leverage was proving difficult, but she did her best. She rose up, keeping him halfway inside her before sliding down. Repeat. In her defense, she’d never fucked anyone in a car before.

One of her hands snuck out the open window to grasp the top of the car. It was dusty, and she had this ridiculous worry that maybe someone would crawl into the garage and bite her hand. She ripped it back to cup the side of Joel's face instead. His mouth twitched, his lids heavy like he was drunk and dazed. He didn't even care she had smeared old car dust into his beard. He'd have to shower again. She would, too, and she wanted to laugh at the strange coincidence of paving new roads in their relationship through hot showers. After all, he'd wrenched her away from a panic attack in that house outside Boston. He'd held her in the shower, mouth brushing her ear.

"You did a hell of a job."

"You did so fuckin' well, sweetheart."

She swelled from the memory of Joel's praise. She wanted to pay him back.

"I've got you," she murmured against his temple, nails tracing a line across his scalp through his thick damp grays. "I've got you, Joel."

He nodded-or she thought he did. His gestures were always so vague. Sometimes he'd hold her down and fuck her brains out while telling her how much he wanted to kill her for being stupid and acting recklessly. It would then always end with him possessively clutching her body to his.

You send mixed signals, Joel. 

What?

You said you wanted to kill me, and now you won't let me go.

I never said that. 

She felt him twitch inside her, his mouth dragging across her clavicle before he abruptly shoved the top of her dress down and latched to her nipple. He sucked it, tongue darting over the nub and causing her pussy to clench around his length.

"Sweetheart," he mumbled. 

"I know," she said. 

Their grief sat between them - a weight strung about their ankles, dragging them down to the deepest parts of whatever was left. She knew blips of his pain as he knew hers. He comforted her in the ways he understood, not necessarily with words but with actions. She could do that for him now, remind him that he had her.

She rolled her hips, and he groaned, his breath puffing against her sternum. She snagged him tighter and dug her grip into his skin like she was holding fast to a rock in a riptide. The car was so small, the steering wheel bumping against her lower back, and you could hear everything.

The rustle of fabric. The squelch of her sex and slap of skin. 

Finally, Joel planted his feet and began to drive up into her. Short, fast strokes that hit just right. It almost hurt. It gave her a belly ache, but everything else fell away. The car filled with his low, subdued grunts and her whimpers. 

He secured his arms around her waist, one hand sneaking to the base of her scalp to embed his thumb into the muscle beneath her ear. They were tangled in such a way that it would have looked like anything - they could be devouring each other, feasting on the other's throats as they fucked fast and sad.

Somewhere along the way, Joel tilted his head and demanded her mouth.

He kissed her fiercely, tongue hot and aggressive as it wrestled with hers. Exploring. "Baby," he sighed against her slippery teeth. "Fuck."

Joel, her man of few words, but just the right ones. She still didn't call him anything but his name. Nothing else fit him.

"Shit," she gasped as he delivered a harsh thrust. Stay with me. Stay focused.

Her climax paraded around her belly, kicking up dirt and shouting out toward a faceless crowd. It was turning in circles, unable to find the finish line. He was screwing her tectonic plate deep, but the friction wasn't enough for her to get off. It didn't matter. This was about him. Not her. 

He gripped her hip and shoved her down before spearing up, grinding in slow, determined circles. He left her mouth to find her throat, sucking methodically at her pulse. 

It didn't take too long after that. He grumbled something into her jaw (maybe, Dolly) before his hips stuttered beneath her. She felt him fill her, warmth blooming outward. She'd have to deal with that, but for now, she worshiped him. He lifted his face, flushed from exertion - golden, bright, and devastating as his dark eyes searched hers.

“You’re good,” she praised, pressing her lips to his chin.

When she crawled off his lap, she was sticky between her legs. He huffed, tugging at the edge of her dress as if trying to hide her modesty. 

No one's around here, Joel.

No one. It's you, and it's me. It's us. 

She was sore as fuck, like she'd been smacked in the crotch. Her orgasm was lost somewhere, hanging by a few threads, but she didn't want it. Instead, she craved the longing-the lingering frustration of her missed pleasure. She brushed her hair out of her face and smoothed her dress.

"That was-"

She was hauled back over to him. Their brows bumped, noses jamming together before Joel kissed her hard. When he finally pulled away, he asked, "You feel safe with me?"

"What kind of question-

"You feel safe with me?" he urged, hands seizing her cheeks. She wondered if it had something to do with what had happened at that house a month ago. The teacup house. Or was this because of what had been written in that letter beyond Bill and Frank's goodbyes?

She felt that if she probed, he would splinter. It wasn't her business. She told him the truth. 

Smiling, she placed her hand over his. "Yes," she assured him. "I always feel safe with you."

Joel took a breath, nodding once, before pulling away. He stabbed the keys into the ignition, twisting them north, and the car rumbled to life.

When they left the garage, she watched the walls creep over him again. 

[aquagirl1978]

Hiiii, Aqua! How are you? :3

I'd like to request some Roger, pretty please! Something cute and fluffy, like our former doctor taking care of a sick reader hihi

Please and thank you 🤍

Hi Nati - so nice to see you in my inbox! Here's a lil fluffy Roger - just what the doctor ordered. I cannot tell you how difficult it is to write fluff for this guy.

Remedy - Roger

A/N: Part of my Naughty or Nice event. Pairing: Roger Barrel x Reader Prompt: Suitor taking care of a sick reader Word Count: 551 Tags: fluff

Standing on tiptoes, you silently wished you were a few inches taller as you reached futilely for the canister of tea. 

“Need some help?” a deep voice asked.

You spun around and found Roger near the doorway, the absolute last person you wanted to see in this state – hair a mess, nose red from sneezing, eyes surely puffy.

But it’s okay, you only had a mild crush on this man.

Without waiting for an answer, Roger walked over towards you. His body behind you, he easily reached the cabinet and grabbed the container of tea. 

You tilted your face towards his, your body still somewhat caged in his arms, and peered at him from the corner of your eye. “How did you know I wanted tea?”

He smiled; his arm dropped to his side, the canister still in his hand, and tapped his ear with his other hand. “Excellent hearing,” he said with a wink. “You were mumbling that you needed a cup of tea.”

Warmth rushed to your cheeks, wondering how many other things he had heard you muttering under your breath, while also thankful his power didn’t extend to reading minds.

Or at least you hoped that it didn’t.

“What are you doing?” you asked when Roger turned and walked away from you.

“I’m making tea,” he said as he filled the kettle with water. 

“You really don’t need to do that. I can do that myself.”

Roger stared at you, and as if on cue, you sneezed. Loudly. 

“Not in that state you’re not.” He then opened the cabinet and took out two teacups, immediately silencing any protests you might have had. 

You couldn’t help but watch him set the teacups on saucers, noticing how tiny the teacups were in his large hands. Your mind began to drift, your gaze lingering on his large hands that were attached to strong forearms; with his shirtsleeves rolled up to his elbows, his arms were just begging to be admired.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked. His voice was soft, gentle in a way you never heard him speak before. You liked it, and knew instantly you wanted to hear his voice soft like this again. And again and again.

“Huh?” you mumbled, realizing the specific words he said did not register in your head.

Too busy feeling embarrassed, you hardly noticed Roger crossing the room to where you stood. It wasn’t until he pressed the back of his hand against your forehead that you were aware of his proximity. Staring straight at his chest, your face flushed with warmth just from him standing so close to you. 

He soon removed his hand from your forehead, much to your disappointment. “You feel a bit warm,” he said in that soft, gentle tone from before. “It could just be a cold, but after you finish this tea, it’s best you head back to your room to get some rest. But in the meantime…”

He bowed his head and brushed a featherlight kiss upon the crown of your head. Feeling dizzy, you pressed your palm against his chest to steady yourself. Covering your shoulders with his hands, he lowered his bespectacled gaze to meet yours, and uttered a few quick words that ended up having quite the opposite effect.

“Doctor’s remedy, little lady.”

Tagging: @redheadkittys @themiscarnival @cyberk1ee @kookie-my-little-sunshine @coral-relevium

@pathogenic @ellisgivesmelife013  @ikemen-writer   @nightghoul381 @judejazza

@xbalayage @xenokiryu @alydra @drachonia @ranhanabi777

@silver-dahlia @lunaaka @ikesenwritings @sh0jun @kalims-pessimist-bestie

[faerybones3]

come back to bed

simon riley x gn!reader

wc: ~600

warnings: none, pure fluff, no pronouns used for reader

Sleep escaped you tonight. No matter how many sheep you counted, how much you tossed and turned, sleep remained just out of reach. 

You sat up in bed and gently pushed the duvet away, careful not to wake the large man still sleeping beside you, his soft snores filling the room. When your bare feet touched the hard-wood floor of your apartment, you winced, and hurried to your wardrobe to retrieve the warmest pair of socks you could find. 

Padding down the hall and to the kitchen, you began your little ritual of putting the kettle on, grabbing the biggest mug you could find, and looking through your stash of tea. 

Earl Grey seemed like a good choice for tonight. 

10 minutes later and your tea was warming your fingertips as you perched in a chair on your tiny balcony overlooking your street. It was mid-november, and London’s usually bleak climate turned frigid and unbearable very quickly after Halloween. You were bundled in a wool blanket to keep yourself warm, and you could faintly see your breath in the air, mingling with the steam emanating from your cup. 

“You’re up late”

Nearly jumping out of your skin, you turned to face the speaker. 

“Christ, Simon”

He chuckled softly and came to join you on the balcony, sitting in the chair next to yours. He was dressed in just a thin t-shirt and his boxers and you shivered, thinking of how cold he probably was. However cold he might be, though, he didn't show it. Instead, he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and offered you one. You took it. 

“I couldn’t sleep,” you said. “Did I wake you up?”

He shook his head as he lit his cigarette and handed you the lighter. You weren’t a heavy smoker, and neither was Simon, but sometimes you needed the buzz. You also liked the way you could feel the smoke curl in your lungs, warming your chest from the inside out. 

It stayed quiet between the two of you for a while. Not in an uncomfortable way. Simon was probably the only person in the world you felt comfortable sharing this kind of silence with. The only noise that could be heard were the cars and taxis passing by down below. 

When you finished your cigarette, you stamped it out and rose from your chair, Simon trailing behind you soon after, an unspoken agreement that it was time to head inside to the warmth of your shared apartment. He silently followed you into the kitchen as you placed your teacup in the sink.

You felt Simon’s warm hands snake around your torso and his chin rest on top of your head, pressing a light kiss to your hair. 

“Come back to bed, love.”

You turned your body around to face him, still held in his grasp. Your hands came up to rest on his chest and you nodded.

He led you back to the bedroom and you hurriedly crawled under the covers. Simon crawled in behind you and gently but firmly pulled you back into his warm embrace, wrapping his arms around your waist and pushing his hands up beneath your shirt to rest on your tummy and trace little circles against your skin. 

Eventually, your eyes drifted shut and you fell into the sweet embrace of sleep beside the man you loved most in the world.

A/N: this is my first time writing in like 5(?) years?? so please be nice i’m sorry if this sucks but i’m obsessed with cod rn and NEEDED to write about my babygirl simon <3

[rviden]

➝ birthday headcanons

feat. ➝ xiao, childe, kazuha, zhongli, kaeya, diluc, albedo

note ➝ happy happy birthday to meeeeee — enjoy some headcanons of these wonderful boys on the readers birthday!

➝ xiao

he... tries...?

while he understands what birthdays are, he doesn’t really understand the big celebrations for it

i mean to him it just means one year closer to death for mortals

but when he sees that not only do humans hold these traditions close to their hearts

and tend to look forward to these days every year

it’s a way to show your love and appreciation for the person

so... he will try to learn more about the customs

xiao would ask zhongli what to do — if he should simply say ‘happy birthday’ to you and walk away, or if he should get you something

cough the answer is both cough

much like zhongli — my dude is broke, so whatever he gets you will be handmade or found

a crystalfly to be exact

and the rest of the day with him by your side (with a little bit better of a mood then he’s usually in!)

➝ childe

mans going all out and you know it

first of all, he’s rich

second of all, he’s rich

childe would take time (or as much as he could) away from his work, just to spend the day spoiling you

every few minutes he slips a happy birthday in, or boasts to strangers that it’s your big day, just so they’ll wish you a happy birthday as you pass by

keep him on a leash or else he might scream it out from the top of a building

expect a nice (expensive) dinner with a beautiful view

and a few dozen presents

alongside this, childe is on his best behaviour because after all — this day is about celebrating you!

i want a childe in my life goddamn

➝ kazuha

a little bit like xiao (only human) he gets what and why birthdays are celebrated, but he’s never really cared about it per say

he’ll celebrate sure, but when it comes to the day, he’ll simply wish the person a happy birthday before walking away

but you on the other hand

no, you need to be shown how much you mean to him on your birthday

from morning to night, he’s gifting you anything he can get his hands on — a heart shaped leaf, a small lizard, and plenty of kisses in between

while the gifts aren’t huge and luxurious like some get on their birthday

his gifts are a way to show your travels together and his utmost appreciation for you and everything you do for him

also expect a large group of pirates to come wish you a happy birthday

andddd a hug from the ever so lovely beidou<3

➝ zhongli

elegant celebration minus the money

despite not having enough mora to afford even a teacup, zhongli does what he can with what he has — and maybe asks childe for money just so he can treat you

a homemade dinner under the stars with the most beautiful view you can imagine

i can’t get this out of my head so here —

zhongli seems like the type that would find one of the rarest gems he could, carve a piece off, and gift it to you as either a necklace or some sort of pendent

you’re carrying something that he says ‘matches your beauty/handsomeness’

he’s more gifting with his words and affection over physical things

he’s have stories that remind him of you, or stories about birthdays and how traditions came to be

and at the end of the day — zhongli would be giving you his undivided attention and affection

➝ kaeya

if mondstadt didn’t know it was your birthday before... they sure do now!

kaeya takes it upon himself to notify the entire city of the day and it’s meaning

so, expect a few (lot) of strangers to come up and wish you a happy birthday

while kaeya technically could buy you many gifts, he gives me ‘would only buy or give one meaningful gift’

some of the fur of his coat turned into a little charm — that would be adorable

and in this, he would probably purchase (bed diluc) to give him the finest wine or grape juice to celebrate with you

kaeya wouldn’t leave your side, with an arm constantly wrapped around your shoulders, and his head resting against your own whenever he could

^ kaeya basically becomes one with you during the day

➝ diluc

much like kaeya, diluc is most likely a gift giver with meaning behind things

a map of mondstadt with mark locations of milestones between the two of you

^ the only think i can come up with srry

diluc isnot the most well versed in his verbal and physical affection, so while he’ll wrap you in his arm tightly and wish you many happy birthdays

he’s probably gonna be overheating

but if it means a good day for you... then he’ll put up with it

another man with a fancy dinner in mind — has the staff of dawn winery prepare a nice table inside by the window with your favourites on the table

diluc is still new to the whole relationship and having someone close to you, so as the years go on

he will be more and more able to truly show your worth to him through his words and actions

�� albedo

another one who can grasp the meaning of a birthday, but just doesn’t care

^ he’ll wish you approximately one happy birthday

that’s what you get

albedo — as much as i want to say is a sweetheart on you birthday, probably treats it like any other day

‘happy birthday... can you come help me in the lab for a moment?’

sucrose or one of the other alchemists probably guide him to do more — treat you to a meal, talk more, or get a gift for you

so that’s what he does (with guidance ofc)

picture a tiny locket with a picture of you and albedo standing next to one another with the rest of the knights either behind or beside you

it’s small, minimalistic, but the photo itself holds some sort of importance to albedo

‘it’s the day we met, and the day you caught all of my attention’

[theladyofmanyfandomsfanfiction]

Telegrams & Teacups

Pairing: Sherlock x Reader (Enola Holmes)

Warnings: None.

Summary: Your morning was normal until you received a telegram from your friend Sherlock Holmes with a simple request: help him find Enola.

A/n: This tiny idea had me so obsessed that it’s all I’ve been writing for the last few hours! I have no regrets <3

You had just poured yourself a cup of tea and set it down on the small table by the armchair when there was a knock at the door.

How peculiar. You thought to yourself. 

Crossing the room, you turned the handle and propped open the panel of wood to see who your guest was and was met with a man from the post office holding in his hands a beige envelope.

“Telegram for (Y/n).” He explained. You confirmed your identity and were handed the papered item bidding the gentlemen a good day.

With a swift closing of the door, you leaned against it and opened the letter, recognising initials of S.H on the bottom right corner. Sherlock had told you that he was leaving to attend to a personal matter in the country yesterday morning so if he sent a priority telegram to you, then there must have been a development in the case.

Unfolding the paper, you read the message and learnt that he requested your assistance in locating his sister Enola Holmes who he suspected to be in London and that he would be back in the city later that afternoon. At the bottom of the letter there were the words ‘URGENT’ and a short series of words describing the girl scrawled rather messily, no doubt belonging to his brother Mycroft who was constantly teetering on the edge of patience.

You glanced over at the teacup still sending swirls of steam into the air and sighed - your drink would have to wait. Grabbing your coat from its stand, you hastily put it on and dashed out the door. 

When you stepped out onto the street, you remembered Sherlock once mentioned having a sister that he had not contacted in years. It was a simple remark that he let slip when he had his guard down around you - it didn’t happen often and he had caught himself before opening up to emotion. A trait that you had come to accept.

Focusing back on finding the youngest Holmes sister, Sherlock had told you of the station that she would have gotten off at. A station name was all you needed because as it turned out, you were rather gifted at getting into people’s minds and predicting the footsteps that they had taken and ones that they were likely to take next.

From the way Sherlock had explained the situation in the letter to Mycroft’s hasty emotion-driven description, you could tell that Enola was on the run to escape her brothers and a young girl out of place, who wanted to stay hidden, would have to blend into the crowd.

Your feet brought you to the first dress shop on the street from the station. Peering through the window, you noticed that the shop owner was counting a large wad of cash that seemed to be suspiciously ‘earned’ by an otherwise empty and ragged looking store. Your eye also caught the clothing rack of beautiful dresses and the empty hangers by the window. 

‘Unrefined’ was one of Mycroft’s choice words and it seemed that Enola was clever enough to use his descriptions to her advantage.

Stepping back from the shop, you looked around the busy and bustling streets. Dressed like a lady, the young girl would be in need of accommodation, therefore she would have asked the shopkeeper for suitable lodgings to avoid wandering the streets aimlessly.

As if on cue, the dressmaker walked out of her shop and made her way across the street. Letting your instincts lead, you followed at a safe distance with a casual stride so as to not arouse suspicion. In a matter of minutes after turning a few streets and across empty passages, you had tracked the shopkeeper to what looked like a lodging of some kind on the edge of a suburb.

It was not terrible but would definitely keep one out of sight. Walking in, you introduced yourself as an acquaintance of Sherlock Holmes and inquired about Enola. The bookkeep nodded and immediately led you up a narrow set of stairs before approaching a room and knocking on the door.

“Young Miss. You have a visitor.” They announced. You heard a small shuffle of feet from inside and the door creaked open to reveal and young girl with big brown eyes. She seemed to have recognised you, stepping to the side to let you in. She closed the door and turned around.

“I know who you are.” She said boldly with a fresh air of confidence that was not to be expected from someone so young. “You work for my brother, Sherlock.”

Looking around at the little space, newspapers scattered over the bed, you smiled at Enola’s phrasing.

“Actually I work with him - on the occasion.” You corrected wheeling back around to the girl who folded her arms.

“Why are you here?”

“A telegram from your brother.”

Enola frowned and shook her head. “Well, I won’t return home so they can ship me off to some home for girls to be oppressed into this world.” She looked at you and realised that you dressed in the typical London style like everyone else that she had come across and added a small, “No offence.”

“Believe me, I am not a person of societal rules. I wear no hat and no gloves, and my neighbour - your brother - usually has me wound up in one of his most outrageous cases.” You explained with a small laugh. “Mycroft only tolerates my so-called ‘embarrassing presence’ because Sherlock insists.”

Your words seemed to have reached the young girl from the way her posture fell more relaxed.

“So, you won’t take me to my brothers?” She asked and you couldn’t help but chuckle while shaking your head.

“No. Mycroft called you wild and unladylike in my telegram but as I stand here before you, I don’t see any of it. You’re remarkable and we’ve only met.”

Enola sighed with some relief that she was not going to be dragged away and smoothed out her dress before looking up at you. “Thank you.” She said politely.

You had completed the task of finding Enola Holmes as requested and bid your farewell to the young girl but not before reminding her to reach out to you if she needed assistance. While she appeared to be very bright and capable, the city had its dangers concealed as innocence.

Leaving the lodging, you trekked back home, picking up a loaf of bread from the wheat merchant for dinner. It had been a long day and you were ready to sit back and enjoy a fresh cup of tea given that the one you had made earlier would have likely gone cold.

At the door, you balanced the paper bag against your hip and turned the key to unlock your place of residence. This time when you walked in, you discovered that you weren’t alone - Mycroft was pacing by the fireplace while Sherlock had taken a seat in your armchair with a newspaper in his face.

“Has nobody told you that it’s incredibly rude to show up in a person’s home unannounced?” You wondered letting the door fall to a close behind you. Sherlock smirked behind the paper at your comment as he turned the page. Mycroft stepped in your direction and your eyes darted up to see the scowl beneath his moustache.

“What I find to be rude is that you took it upon yourself to be entertained with such trivial actions instead of carrying out the simple task of finding our sister.” He snapped, gesturing to the bread in your hands. His sharp tone of cold authority once intimidated you, but each encounter had you grow bold, refusing to be tread on by the man.

“A task so simple that she managed to elude your brilliant mind?” You questioned with a small purse of your lips and tilting your head ever so slightly to accentuate your sarcasm. “If that isn’t an embarrassment to the name of Holmes, I don’t know what is?”

It was like you had struck the man physically as his walking cane was suddenly pointed at you with warning.

“Watch your tone, (Y/n). I can make your life exceedingly difficult.”

You held your ground against the man and smiled back. “Just being in my presence is difficult enough.”

His jaw clenched; the eldest Holmes brother pulled his cane back to his side refusing to entangle in a pointless argument. Head high, he scoffed and grumbled about how disappointing you were and why Sherlock kept you around as he exited the apartment.

Thankful that he was gone, you walked over to the small table by the window and set the bread down before picking up scattered pieces of paper.

“I take it that you found her.” Sherlock inquired from where he sat.

“Of course. She’s quite well hidden.”

“You didn’t tell Mycroft.”

Turning around, you crossed the room to the fireplace to place a few stray envelopes on the mantelpiece. “I don’t believe I owe him an answer after he broke into my home like some common thief.”

Sherlock set the newspaper down and watched you, “And yet, you’ve let me stay.” He said curiously.

You dusted your hands and glanced over your shoulder, shooting him a playful, almost-teasing smile.

Taking that for your answer, the famed detective stood up and placed the newspaper back from where he first retrieved it. You had finished up and noticed that he was on the border of leaving too.

“I take it that you won’t tell me of her location either?” He surmised, tugging a little on his coat to straighten it out.

With a small laugh, you walked past him and patted his chest. “You might be more agreeable than your brother, but I have no desire to make your job easy, Sherlock.” You told him kindly. “I’ll keep Enola in my sights and hidden until you catch up.”

That’s when you saw it, sitting on the armchair table was your teacup from that morning except, instead of being filled with a cold liquid, it was hot and steaming. Frowning, you turned to Sherlock who was by the door, smiling at your bewildered expression.

“You’ve had a long day. I’ll give you some time to catch up.” He winked and stepped out, disappearing behind your front door.

Masterlist here

[weirdthinkingdragon]

Welcome To The Family (1/???)

Yandere EraserMic household x reader

Finally decided to start writing it! I’ve never babysat in my life, so if this is incredibly wrong I’m sorry. No warnings for now. No idea how many chapters this is going to be right now, but for sure at least 3-5.

I’m on my way to babysit two new children. Well, a child and later in the day a teenager when they get back from school. It’s beyond astonishing somehow being the one selected to babysit two children of heroes. They’re adopted, but that makes it all the more strange. I can’t complain much though. They’re paying a rather large amount and asked me to keep quiet about it. I have to go there early in the morning and be there most of the day. They also warned me some days I may have to babysit them longer than others. They did also warn me a few of their students may come by to hang out with Eri for a bit. 

My fist knocks on the door four times. Yamada- hopefully, I remembered who is who correctly- opens it. He lets me in with a giant and welcoming smile on his face. In the living room were the other three. Eri, and the other which must be Shinsou, look at me cautiously. Eri hides a bit behind the black-haired adult while Shinsou seems rather watchful and wary of me. I crouch down to her level but stay a bit away to introduce myself. “You must be Eri. I’ve heard a lot about you. My name’s Y/N. I hope to get along with you.” This is true, I’ve been informed by the two about what she has been through. 

The black-haired man confirms with a small nod down to her as she looks up at him. Whatever that was supposed to be about, it helped make her take a step away from him and look at me more. 

Aizawa- hopefully, I’m still correct- looks at the clock. “We need to go now.” the blond nods and leaves for their rather expensive-looking black car. Aizawa leaves as well. Shinsou glares at me one last time before he starts to head towards the door as well. “Don’t do anything you will regret.” He threatens and leaves too. 

Eri sits on the couch still timidly staring at me. To say it felt awkward between us is an understatement. “So, Eri, would you like to show me your favorite toys? Or maybe there’s a show you really like we could watch for a while?” Like a lightswitch, her eyes light up like she was just told she could have all the candy in the world. She then takes off up the stairs for presumably her bedroom. I wait in the living room for her return. I take a moment to examine the living room better. There are hardly any pictures on the walls. There’s only one with the four of them and a bunch of teens. Must be his class. They look like a chaotic and lively bunch. The light gray couch is in the middle of the living room with a large flat screen T.V. in front of it. To the left of the couch and a little behind is a matching gray loveseat with a giant cat tree between it and the wall. Huh, so they have a cat or possibly two. Surprised they’re not in the living room. The black stand under the T.V. matches the coffee table in front of it. There’s a door straight from the main entrance I entered from. My guess is either a bathroom or the kitchen. Next to it is a flight of stairs that Eri went up. That must lead to the bedrooms. There’s another door next to the stairs. A closet maybe? Or maybe another bedroom.

Eri comes down a few minutes later with five stuffed animals in her arms. A green rabbit with matching green eyes, a brown teddy bear with beady eyes, a blue galaxy patterned fox with turquoise eyes,  a yellow dog with blue eyes, and a cute tiny light gray unicorn with glittery pink eyes. It looks like her and seems like her favorite with how it seems a little worn. They’re all so adorable that I think my heart might have melted. 

“Aw, what are their names?” She proudly holds them up and says their names. The one that got me was “Deku”. Doesn’t that mean useless? How would a child know that term? More importantly, how are the adults allowing her to name it that? 

“Deku? Why is it named that?” 

“He saved me. I wanted a stuffed animal like him!” She cheerfully says. I’m not going to question why they chose that name. 

“They sound like amazing people! I can’t wait to meet them someday!” She smiles at me. It quickly becomes sad instead. “But I won’t be going to the school with them anymore…” 

I try to think of how to make her feel better. Those two must be the ones her fathers warned me will come over at some point. “Well, maybe I could ask your parents if they can come over someday after school.” She enthusiastically nods. 

It grows quiet between us again as she holds her stuffed animals. 

I look back at the cat tree. “I see you have a cat tree. Do you know where the cat is?” 

“We have three!” she cheerfully informs. 

“Three? Wow! I bet they keep you safe, huh?” I question. She shrugs. “Mochi is too big to even jump on the bed.” 

“Mochi? Cute name!”

“Mrow” came a sudden voice from the cat tree. There’s a box part on the floor I somehow missed earlier. A rather fat cat saunters out of it. “Mochi!” Eri cheerfully yells and goes over to it. It’s an orange tabby. She tries to pick him up and miraculously succeeds. It’s so comical I can’t help but laugh. A child carrying a cat that’s almost as big as her. She waddles over with it and places them on the couch between us. They just yawn, stretch, and lie down right where they were plopped. They roll over to show their belly. I rub the belly of it. How could I not? Once again, it doesn’t seem to care in the slightest. 

“What are the names of the other two?” I ask. 

“Sundae and Oreo! They’re brothers!” 

“Are they as big as Mochi?” She shakes her head. “No. My dads went to buy things that feed the cats when we are not home.” 

“That’s good! Maybe later we could try finding the other two and have a tea party or something.” She looked like she was nearly screaming in excitement at the news. “Only one of my dads likes to do tea parties with me.” 

I smile. “Well, now you have two that do!”

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Many hours later, she decided she wanted to do the tea party. We were able to find the other two cats which were sleeping on her dads’ bed. Eri told me they were in there since I didn’t go in there out of respect. Unfortunately, I didn’t bring a dress or suit to change into for her. I’ll have to remember that for next week so I can do it when not babysitting. 

Oreo and Sundae were rather difficult to settle down into chairs around the table. They’re tuxedos and an easy way to tell which is who is apparently the white eyebrows on Oreo that makes him look always angry. We just gave up when they decided to sit on the table instead of the chairs.

The tea set is a pastel green with interesting shiny gold lines decorating it. It’s a great contrast to the small dark red table it’s on in her room. She has tons of drawings with her, Shinsou, and the two adults covering her walls. There’s also a few with a green-haired and blond with her. There is nothing in the teacups as she passes one to me. “Why, thank you, Eri!” She smiles and nods. That smile needs to be protected.

It’s hard to think someone could do something so evil to such an innocent bean. I’m beyond glad she’s in a much better home now. I’ve only known her for like half a day, but if something were to happen to her, I’d kill everyone around me and then myself. She looks behind me and lights up more. “Toshi!” 

I turn around to see Shinsou leaning in the doorway with his arms crossed and a glare aimed at me. How long has he been there? Man, he’s incredibly quiet. I understand why he doesn’t trust me yet. I’m still a stranger after all. It would be more concerning if he did trust me immediately. I give him an inviting smile. “Welcome, Shinsou! Why don’t you come to our tea party instead of standing there? I’m sure Eri would be more than happy to have her brother join!” 

“Yes! C’mon Toshi, please?” She begs. He shakes his head. “You two go ahead. I’d rather watch for now.” He says, hardening his glare at me. Eri doesn’t seem to notice his glare and goes back to her chair. How cute though, a protective brother! She deserves nothing less. 

After that, she wanted to show me her favorite show. Shinsou sits rather close to her between us. Seems a bit excessive, but whatever makes him comfortable I guess. Checking the clock above the T.V., it was almost time for me to go. 

Shinsou goes to the bathroom, but something tells me he’s testing me. I mean, I didn't do anything before he came home, and wouldn’t Eri have already run to him if I did do something? Well, with the villains around you can’t be so sure. 

Eri swings her feet while sitting farther up on the couch. “Are you going to come back tomorrow?” 

“Of course! We still have so many things we have to do together!” I reach over and go to rub her head. She flinches so I take my hand away and think for a moment. How can I get her to trust me without any problems occurring? “Hey, Eri?” She looks at me again with trust, yet a hint of unease still in her eyes. Please don’t tell me I just royally screwed up. “How about this. I do to myself what I’m going to do to you, and you can allow it or not. Like this.” I say, and gently rub the top of my head. I bring my hand halfway to her and wait for her reply. 

It takes a moment, but she gives me a small nod. I rub her head, making her give a big smile to me. 

At that moment, the door opened to reveal the two men. They were tense as we locked eyes, but that went away when they noticed Eri was smiling at me. 

“Welcome back you guys! Eri and I had so much fun today. She even brought me to her tea party! Your cats gave us quite a bit of trouble to involve them though.” I inform as Eri goes to hug Yamada and then Aizawa right after. 

Shinsou comes into the room as well. Like a silent conversation, he gives a curt nod to Aizawa, which he returns. 

Yamada smirks at me. “But what’s important is… Did ya succeed?” 

I shrug. “Kind of. We got them to stay on the table instead of the chair.” He snickers. “That’s those devious two!” He looks down at Eri. “Ya must have had a lotta fun, huh? Sad to miss the party!” 

I decide to leave so they get more time as a family before they have to go to bed. I don’t need to interfere with that. I wave to her as I go to the door and put on my shoes. “See you tomorrow, Eri!” She waves back, shocking the two adults. Wonder why they’re shocked about that. Maybe she doesn’t usually trust new people as fast? Well, I’ve always been pretty good with children. 

I wave at the three men as well and leave excited for what tomorrow might bring.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

I have rather big plans for this story. Hopefully I keep up with it, and I promise it will get better later on. 

[devildom-dedicated-daydreams]

Afterstory (Diavolo)

Arc 3: The Cursed Witch Seduces the Wild Prince

@karmaaf @mac-the-oregonian @imagine-my-hero-and-vills @lady-naho @viptrash @cinnamon-bisquit xxnio-chanxx @pen-observing I wanna be friends with you, too <3 

“Princess … ”

Diavolo cradled your body closer to him. Your warmth seeped out with each second. Stale blood dripped from your wounds.

Diavolo chuckled drily.

Those gentle hands that would pat his head, the calloused but lovely fingers that drove him crazy with each touch--he will never feel them again.

Chuckling became laughing.

His flames blazed brighter and pitch-black smoke rose from earth. Rising higher into the sky, Diavolo’s wings grew and stretched so far they covered the sun and engulfed the city in darkness. From his flames swung out a tail with scarlet scales. It swept across the buildings, killing hundreds and destroying everything.

“Beast!” The humans screamed. “The witch summoned a beast!”

“Witch?” Diavolo repeated.

His maniacal laugh thundered throughout the city.

“You killed her for that?” The woman he loved was a soul who would never use her magic selfishly. You never turned away a patient even when they disrespected you.

The red dragon tenderly gazed at the lifeless body in his hand.

The skin had lost its vigor, scratches covered your face, and the arms …

How long did you suffer? How much did you suffer?

If only … if only he stayed with her.

“Unholy beast!”

Diavolo’s thoughts were interrupted when the human soldiers started shooting arrows at him. One arrow flew past his claws and almost hit your corpse.

The red dragon roared into the sky.

The large city that once bustled with life was reduced to ashes in less than half a day.

Diavolo flew back to your home. When he found the squatters wearing your clothes and the kids trampling the flowers you adored, he almost sent them to the next life. But he sensed the mana that radiated from them. It was your mana.

“Take off the clothes that aren’t yours and leave behind what belongs in this house,” he ordered with glowing eyes.

There were a foolish few who disobeyed by pocketing a ruby Diavolo gifted. They were two kids, the ones who threw rocks at you--

Half their faces were melted off.

“A saint touched your souls so I won’t kill you,” Diavolo said. “But don’t test my patience.”

The refugees ran for the mountains and Diavolo was left alone.

“I’m here,” he whispered, kissing the top of your head. “I’m right here, princess, so come back soon … ”

Gabriel and Lilith arrived a few weeks later. They’ve only now just heard the news.

Shock didn’t begin to describe what they felt at the scene that welcomed them.

Your humble mud house was transformed into a wooden cottage. The tiny patch of soil you proudly called a garden was bigger, lining the side of the river with herbs and flowers and other plants.

Life seemed to overflow

Gabriel barged inside the cottage.

The crown prince of hell sat on the edge of a bed. He was wiping the feet of a corpse, his eyes full of mad love while telling a story about how big the pomegranates were.

“I promise I didn’t use any magic. When you wake up, let’s make some dessert with them--”

A fist flew and Diavolo landed on the ground.

“You crazy … ” Gabriel’s chest heaved. He didn’t even know where to begin.

Luckily, Lilith was there. She patted his shoulder before approaching the prince. “Cousin, this is wrong.”

Diavolo lifted his head, eyes empty before focusing on Lilith. He grinned mechanically. “Oh, I didn’t notice you coming in.”

The angels exchanged glances.

“Do you like the house? I built it myself.”

“Diavolo--”

“I was giving princess a bath, she’s so spoiled--”

“Diavolo,” Lilith cut him off. “Diavolo, MC is dead.”

“She’s sleeping, Lilith. She can’t be dead, she’s going to be the queen of hell. We promised we’d be together so there’s no way she’s dead.”

“Oy,” Gabriel stepped forward, glaring at the prince. “Stop running away from this, bastard. MC is dead. She’s gone.”

“Gone,” Diavolo repeated with a whisper.

Your soul was gone.

Your soul was gone.

Your soul was gone.

But that’s not possible. When you became one, he reinforced his seal so you would be bound to him forever. But your soul was gone. You weren’t just dead, your soul was gone. He couldn’t feel it anymore. Your soul vanished like a whisper in the wind.

Gone--

You were gone.

Diavolo clawed at his chest, cutting skin and drawing blood. His insides twisted. He buckled down and threw up.

“Right--” He croaked as angry fat, angry tears blurred his vision. He pulled on his hair. “She’s gone. She’s gone … Even Barbatos said her soul … she’s gone.”

“Do you think that’s true?” Lilith knelt down and looked straight into his eyes. “Diavolo, think again.”

“A soul is immortal. She may be lost,” Gabriel said. “But she’s not irretrievable. And when she comes back is this how you want to greet her?” He gestured at the ice-cold body.

Diavolo chuckled wearily. “What do you know?”

“I know that you didn’t deserve her--”

“Gabriel--” Lilith tried to calm him down again but he shrugged her off.

“--I know that she deserves more than a pathetic, sobbing mess who avoids responsibility.”

The demon prince couldn’t bring himself to retort. Gabriel was right, he was pathetic.

“I know this doesn’t sound much from an uncultured girl like me but … but I want to work together with you. I want to be a partner who can help you with your problems.”

Your words echoed in the back of his mind and Diavolo laughed again. With a tearful smile, he looked out the window and into the clear morning sky.

“You win, princess. You always win.”

Meanwhile, in a roofless room surrounded by stars and with walls that stretched so far you could not see the end, two men played a game of chess.

The one who held an ebony pawn sighed. It was King Drakul of Devildom.

His opponent, a man with greying hair crudely dyed purple at the tips, quirked an eyebrow. “Something wrong, old friend?”

“I was just thinking--it’s very hard being a father.”

“Oh.” His opponent nodded in agreement. “I feel ya. Lately, Lili has taken an interest in the human realm and Levi…the one with the bowl haircut keeps messing with the time warps. He’s already reading literature that shouldn’t be in existence yet.”

“First of all, their names are Lilith and Leviathan. Secondly, my case is different from yours. Diavolo--”

“It’s about time Diavolo fixes his behavior.”

“I suppose … ”

“Cheer up, Drakul. Our plan worked, or rather, it’s going to work. Ain’t that right, Barbatos?”

Barbatos appeared with a burst of green smoke. He refilled their teacups. “You are correct, Lord God.”

Drakul sighed again.

“Hey now, you can’t start regretting it now,” said Lord God. “I went AWOL for an extra five thousand years just for this moment.”

He disappeared for millenia, causing conflict among the angels, and then arrived in time to stop a full-scale war. Not to mention, he had to create a random body and puppeteer it from the sidelines while waiting for a Host.

“You can’t soften up now. Otherwise all that effort to educate Diavolo would have gone to waste. Think of those poor souls who failed and got sent to punishment worlds because of him, think of those humans he killed when he went feral the other day--think of how many loops Barbatos has gone through--and the beating Diavolo almost gave him!” Lord God dropped a sugar cube into his cup.

“I know, I know … But those 2430 souls are on you. You could easily have asked Barbatos who would be the successful Host.”

“You know I don’t roll like that. It’s boring to know everything—why do ya think I sealed away my powers?” Lord God added another sugar cube. “Ah, speaking of, what do you think of my newest recruit? The second genius I’ve encountered since I started this gig.”

“Hm, let’s see.” Drakul grabbed a flower-shaped cookie. “Sharp-witted, competent and ruthless. I say, they’d be an excellent queen.”

Lord God spat out his tea. “You can’t--cough--you can’t be serious.”

“You can't deny that there is a possibility." He turned to his butler. "Right, Barbatos?”

A mysterious look ghosted over Barbato's eyes, then he grinned subserviently. “It is as you say, sire.”

Author’s note:

If you know me from Tumblr then you already know that I have this headcanon: In the past Diavolo was a wild, rebellious blood knight but now he is desperate to maintain peace in the three realms because he fell in love with a human in the past and patiently waits for her reincarnation so he can welcome her as his queen. Also, he's only the crown prince in the Obey Me! storyline because he refuses to become king without his beloved.

Man, I know I poke fun at him for being a reckless idiot in the story, but damn.

And imagine all the crap he deals with for uniting the three realms--all that effort for a soul who didn’t even look back when she left. 🤧

(To have that kind of power on a man... Ate MC, paturo naman po. Charot lang. We must aspire to be good people haha)

Oh, and by the way--

I would like to clarify something since you guys keep making so many conspiracy theories.

Regarding the characters from the fictional worlds and the real world:

The Obey Me! Characters that manifest in the fictional worlds are treated as separate entities from those in the Real World. E.g. Lucifer from the CEO’s arc is different from the Lucifer in Diavolo’s arc/Real World, so if the same character appears twice, our MC will not compare their names, appearances, etc. Think of it as a perception filter. However, you can say that they are still connected because they are alternative selves of each other. So residual affections felt by CEO!Lucifer will be felt by Real World!Lucifer.

What was the third party interference at the end?

Unless the above story wasn't clear enough, the interference was Diavolo. 

Will MC have a harem?

Who knows.

Hope that makes things clear :D

(And please keep up with the praise, this madam would sell her firstborn for more praises from you guys.)

Until the next arc, my dear readers!

[im-totally-not-an-alien]

Final fantasy 7 prompts no. 66

1. Sephiroth keeps having dreams about a young blond man. The man never hurts him, only holds him and whispers odd things to him. "The second library in Nebilheim is filled with lies", "Your mothers name isn't Jenova", "Your journey begins in the sector five slums" he looked into it a bit, only to find out Nebilheim doesn't have a second library,so he wrote it off as just wierd dreams

His favorite type of dream is where they don't say anything at all. Sephiroth simply lays with his head cradled on the mans chest as the blond runs his fingers through his hair. It's...soothing

2. Sephiroth is always confused by the holiday seasons. Worse, he's never sure what to get people. Thankfully Zack is there to help!

Aka ff7 Christmas Special

Or, a winter solstice special.

3. Sephiroth having an inner monolog and being a bi mess without realizing he's a bi mess.

4. Time Traver Cloud as a shape-shifter. He found out he can perfectly copy other people and use illusions for the clothes. After he destroys Jenova he decides to mess with Shinra and tear it apart from the inside.

He has to be careful though, the head Turk, Veld, was onto him after he had transformed into Reno and was caught...by the real Reno

5. Genesis did some snooping after he accidentally found out he was adopted and discovered his birth mothers name is listed as "Jenova"

After talking about it to Angeal and Sephiroth it comes out that Sephiroths mother is also named "Jenova". They get a blood test and discovered that they were half brothers. (Since the J cells mess with thier biology and stuff. Idk logic has no power here)

Genesis immediately starts crooning about being the older brother and thus, the boss.

Somewhere along the line they sprout wings (Sephiroth donates his blood to save Gen so its all good) and catch time traveler Cloud (who also has a wing) and do more blood tests which come back saying Cloud is his full brother.

Cloud and Sephiroth are oddly ok with Genesis bossing them around. Angeal becomes team mom and Zack is...well, Zack

6. Time traveler Genesis suckerpunched Sephiroth in the face

7. Post DoC where Cloud and the rest of AVALANCHE were going on a road trip across Gaia to sorta relive thier adventures. The problem is that Cloud misidentified some mushrooms, cooking and serving them to the group.

By the time Sephiroth arrives to crash the party everyone is a giggling mess.

8. Lazard turned the corner to find Genesis standing on Sephiroth and Angeals shoulders trying to shove an assortment large angry frogs into an air vent.

He decided he didn't have nearly enough coffee to deal with this.

9. Sephiroth goes back to his old home in Midgar and has nostalgic flashbacks of his old friends

10. Cloud wakes up in mako tube in a lab as said tube is being drained. He fought his way out, making extra sure that the scientists are dead. He escapes disguised as a security guard and makes it into the city...only to be confronted with much more advanced technology and machinery.

He takes off his helmet to talk to a frightened man he saved from a monster and finds out he's nearly three hundred years in the future and the SOLDIER program had been reinstated about seventy years ago through mysterious means.

He thought back to his mako tube, realizing why the scene felt so familiar. His tank doubled as an alter. He was being used as the new Jenova. Cloud felt sick from the realization.

The blond was ripped from his thoughts when he was grabbed. Someone was calling him a different name and asking for an autograph.

This is how he learned he had a "Sephiroth" of his very own. One that apparently looked just like him. Joy.

11. Time traveler Cloud au where Cloud falls in love with Sephiroth, but instead of being happy or whatever he freaks out, gets really, really drunk, then travels to Nebilheim and wakes up Vincent specifically to ask him to shoot him in the face.

Cloud accidentally mentions it was Sephiroth he was in love with and he finds himself alone in the creepy shinra basement faster than he can process the fact that the ravenette had literally transformed into Chaos to fly to his self proclaimed godson.

Cloud decided it would be a good idea to sleep in Vincents coffin while it was still warm. At least Sephiroth couldn't find him here.

Sephiroth found his missing crush there, literally the next day.

12. The Deluge by DD McInnes made me think of tiny Zack and tiny Cloud also sailing in a teacup with a leaf as its mast and Zack raising the Buster sword in the air while shouting "ADVENTURE"

Cloud is in the background smiling fondly and steering the boat.

Now you have to live with that adorable image in your head as well.

13. Sephiroth using really bad angel themed pickup lines.

Mostly on Cloud. Maybe one on Genesis.

14. Sephiroth went back in time and saved Zack and Cloud on the Midgar cliffs. Why? He had succeeded in his plans to destroy the world but it didn't make him happy like he thought it would.

He drifted through space with the planet as his vessel, thinking about the friends he lost and...Cloud.

Sephiroth steered Zack and his little blond Trooper away from Midgar and back to Nebilheim. To Vincent. To remake the only team powerful enough to defeat Shinra and his other self. To carve out a new future where both Zack and Cloud can be safe

15. Sephiroth returns post AC by appearing inside Clouds dreams.

But Cloud was expecting something like this and had worked with tempering his mind and will. He changed the dream version of Sephiroth into a crow and laughed as Sephiroth cawed angrily at him.

After a few hours they figured something was wrong. Cloud should have woken up by now...

As it turns out,, when he was changing Sephiroth he broke the silverettes connection to the lifestream and trapped them both in Clouds subconscious. Now they have to work together to escape.

[hstyleshoney]

flawed - h.s

AU she has a new roommate and he’s not the worst 

Wordcount: 13K // slow-burn fluff with a small hint of angst and mutual-ish pining I suppose, strong language, alcohol use, sexual content

AN: This is my little College/Uni AU piece for @stylesharrys fallinharry10k celebration writing fest! And I got carried away. I’ve had the start of this in my drafts for like two years and this challenge kind of just got me motivated to finish it. I’m really happy with some parts of it and some I’m not so sure about...I hate endings... BUT I had really fun writing it and that is all that matters and hopefully someone will enjoy it. I’m just happy I managed to finish it after such a long time. I’d also really really appreciate some feedback on it so please share your thoughts! I don’t have too much experience writing like this so be nice pls haha. ENJOY! <3 

“Harry, you left your dirty dishes by the sink...  AGAIN!  Dunno how many times I have to remind you to clean up after yourself Put it away. Thx. :)”

Y/N took a deep breath to calm herself down and re-read the pink post-it note infront of her. He was going to be the death of her. He really was. Harry was in every other way the perfect roommate, well perfect was perhaps a bit excessive but he wasn’t the worst, except for the fact that he never took care of his stupid dirty dishes. It drove her mad. It took all her willpower to not smash his stupid little kermit the frog teacup into tiny little pieces whenever she saw it.

And yes, maybe it was irrational of her to get so worked up over a few dirty cups when everything else was going so well. But Y/N liked it when things were in order.

In the past two months that she had lived with Harry she had lost count of how many times she had asked him to wash up his used pans, plates and cups. The first time it happened she didn’t really mind. The second time -- also fine. But the third? That was when she started to get a little bit bothered. Because not only was it his dirty dishes from the same day. No. The plate and cup from the day before were still there on the counter as well. That was the first time she asked him to clean up after himself.

It was still fine though.

Y/N just told herself it was because Harry had previously lived in a student accommodation with a bunch of unruly boys and wasn’t used to picking up after himself. It was fine. He’d soon get it.

Only, he didn’t seem to get it.

Because weeks later she still had to remind him to wash up after he was done in the kitchen. It was like what she said to him went in one ear and out the other. It took her another week before she started suspecting he was leaving it out on purpose to irritate her, which well, it worked. It only annoyed her further.

The amount of tea that boy drank was truly worrying. She had been told she drank a lot of tea, but she seemed to have met her match in Harry. At least judging by all the cups he left around the flat. They were everywhere. Literally. She had even found one under the bathroom sink just a couple days ago and she didn’t even bother asking him how it got there. She had simply just left him a post-it note asking him to put it away.

Because she was certainly not going to go around and pick up after him. He was a grown boy and therefore capable of cleaning up after himself. She wasn’t his mother.

It was basic housekeeping.

She ripped the little pink post-it note off the pad and stuck it up on Harry’s bedroom door so he couldn’t possibly miss it. She stared at it for another minute, pleased with herself, before getting her backpack and left to go to her lecture. It was her own way of telling him off; leaving post-it notes for him. A more passive-aggressive approach had always been her preferred strategy, it made her feel slightly less annoying, and anytime she had left him a note in the morning the dirty dishes had magically disappeared when she came home later.

So there was no reason for her to stop leaving them for him.

--

Apart from that Harry really was the best roommate she could’ve asked for. The best one in the short amount of time she had had to find a new one anyways. Lexi, her very good friend from home and roommate before Harry, had decided to drop out of uni a week before courses were due to start again after summer; leaving her alone with a flat she couldn’t afford on her own. Y/N couldn’t be mad at her though because she knew how unhappy Lexi was in Manchester. She wasn’t enjoying her course and she missed her family. Y/N couldn’t force Lexi to stay just because she didn’t want to find a new roommate. She wasn’t that selfish.

It just wasn’t ideal. Everyone she knew already had a place to live and she was feeling pretty defeated about the whole thing. She liked her flat and didn’t want to give it up. Her parents offered to help her pay rent until she could find someone to live with again but she didn’t want to take her parents money. It didn’t feel right. So when her friend Lucy mentioned that her boyfriend Nate had a friend who needed a place to live she offered the mysterious man Lexi’s old room without a second thought.

Then Harry showed up outside her door two days later with a large suitcase and a couple of moving boxes.

They didn’t really talk all that much their first week of living together. He mostly kept to himself, trying to get settled in and get used to being back at uni after a long summer. All she knew about him at that point was that he was the same age as her and that he was studying music. Something she probably would’ve figured out sooner or later on her own, because every evening she could hear him play his guitar from inside his bedroom. She couldn’t complain though. It was quite soothing actually, and she wanted to tell him that.

But she also didn’t want him to feel uncomfortable knowing she laid awake listening to him play and then stop because he didn’t want her to eavesdrop.

So Y/N never said anything.

Their second week of living together was when she picked up on his annoying habit of leaving the kitchen a mess. It was also that week he offered to make her a cup of tea for the first time and she would never admit it outloud but it was probably the best cup of tea she had ever had.

But since he left his own cups all around the flat she also refused to tell him that.

By the third week they started having dinner together and asked each other about their days. They were slowly getting to know one another and Y/N realised for the first time that she did in fact enjoy Harry’s company. That Sunday they spent the entire evening binge watching the first season of a scandinavian crime drama on netflix and shared a tub of ice cream.  

Then they were suddenly in the same group of friends.

Because with Lexi gone Y/N started hanging out with Lucy more and Lucy was dating Nate and Harry was always hanging out with Nate. Which all just led to Tara, Declan and Connor always being around as well. Their flat had, since Harry moved in, turned into the hotspot for the gang to hang out at. She didn’t mind much, because she liked them and she had never really been a part of a group like them before. It was nice. Lexi moving had in a weird way been a blessing in disguise.

So there really wasn’t anything else to complain about when it came to Harry as a roommate.

Well, maybe one more thing.

And she usually met that reason every Sunday morning in their kitchen after a night out.

That Sunday however took a different turn than what she had gotten used to.

“You told me you didn’t have a girlfriend!”

“Harry,“ Y/N said slowly and narrowed her eyes at him. The girl next to them, whose hair was dyed a rich red color, was only clad in one of Harry’s old band t-shirts and stared at the two of them with frantic eyes.

“Y/N, babe, I’m so sorry,” Harry said and stared at Y/N pleadingly. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“You’re unbelievable.”

“Can someone please tell me what’s going on!?” The red-haired girl demanded and crossed her arms over her chest and Y/N could’ve sworn she did a little stomp. “You told me last night that you were single!”

“Yes Harry, I’d love an explanation,” Y/N said and mimicked the redhead by crossing  her arms over her chest. She probably would’ve laughed if the situation had been any different because the stranger in the kitchen was glaring at Harry with such a hatred in her eyes and Y/N had never seen a girl look at him that way before. 

And it was still funny, but it would’ve been funnier if she wasn’t a part of it. Harry on the other hand only ignored the angry girl and kept the lie going, focusing on his roommate.

“Love, I’m so fucking sorry. It didn’t mean anything! I swear, I was drunk and-”

“Ugh, oh my god,” the redhead cried out, interrupting him. She was fuming and her face was as red as her hair. Before Y/N had the chance to say anything else, to resolve the situation, the redhead stepped forward and slapped Harry across the face. “You’re such a fucking asshole!”

Then she turned around and Y/N’s first instinct was to take a step back because that was how intimidating she looked with her red wild hair and red cheeks. But Y/N, very unexpectedly, found herself being embraced in a bone-crushing hug. “I’m so sorry! I swear I had no idea. He told me he didn’t have a girlfriend. You deserve so much better! Leave him.”

And just like that the girl was gone, marching back to Harry’s room to get changed into her own clothes again, and left the two of them alone in the kitchen. Y/N at loss for words and Harry rubbing the side of his face.

It didn’t take very long before the sound of the front door being slammed shut echoed through the flat and made the walls around them shake.

“You’re disgusting,” Y/N muttered then and walked past him to put the kettle on. She had a headache from all the wine she had consumed the previous night and whatever it was that had just happened hadn’t exactly helped her feel any better. She had only wanted a nice cup of tea, and maybe some toast. She had definitely not been prepared, nor expected, to be part of a terrible made-up triangle drama. Not this early.

“Aw, c’mon,” Harry laughed and finally let his face break out into a grin. “I’ve tried to get her to go home all morning but she wouldn’t take any hints. I had no choice.”

Y/N turned her head to glare at him and pointed a warning finger in his direction

“If you bring a girl back you get rid of her yourself. I want no part in your disgusting shenanigans,” she told him. “You deserved that slap.”

“I didn’t even say anything to her,” Harry said and hopped up to take a seat on the counter. “She just assumed.”

“Why would she even assume that?” Y/N asked and eyed him suspiciously “If I was your girlfriend I wouldn’t randomly appear in the kitchen the next morning in my pyjamas. You must’ve told her something.”

“I didn’t,” Harry denied and put his hands up, still grinning. She rolled her eyes. “I swear! She just assumed.”

“Yeah well, you shouldn’t have let her,” she told him and took out two slices of bread to put in the toaster. “Besides, do you have to bring a girl back every weekend?”

“Do you have to go on like five dates a week?”

“I don’t,” she glared at him again. Harry raised his eyebrows at her knowingly and she looked away from him as the next few words left her lips. “It was only three this week.”

“Oh right,” Harry laughed. “Excuse me.”

“Shut up.”

“At least I’m getting something good out of it,” he continued to laugh. “I still don’t understand why you have to go on so many dates all the time. What do you get out of it?”

“I wanna find love,” she shrugged. “Is that so bad?”

“No, not at all,” Harry told her. “But dating douchebags ain’t gonna bring you love.”

“Yeah because sleeping with someone new every weekend is so much better,” she replied sarcastically and watched as Harry slid down from the counter when the kettle made a small noise to let them know it was ready.

“Like I said,” he started with a smirk and took down two tea cups from the cupboard. “At least I get something good out of it. You should try.”

She rolled her eyes again but didn’t say anything else as her toast popped up from the toaster. Her dating life was a running joke among her friends and she had learned to ignore the comments they made. She wanted to find love, so she wasn’t going to sit around and wait for it. Some may say she was a bit desperate, and maybe she was, but it wasn’t her fault every guy she met was wrong for her. They were all either too clingy or too uncommitted.

Or maybe she was just a bit too picky.

Either way, she did go on a lot of dates when her schedule allowed her to. She wanted what everyone else around her seemed to have. Her parents acted more in love with each other every time she saw them, even after 30 years of marriage. One of her sisters had just gotten engaged to her long-term boyfriend and her oldest sister had been married for three years already and was expecting her second child. Her younger cousin got married that summer. Any time Y/N traveled back home all her relatives asked her when she was going to find herself a nice young man. It was exhausting. Y/N was stressed. Pressured. So she dated a lot. There was nothing wrong with that, yet people liked to mock her for it, especially Harry since he was the one who she came back home to after a bad date.

He’d usually burst into her room after a date, wanting all the details only so he could laugh about everything that had gone wrong. But then he also always made her a cup of tea and got her some biscuits.

He wasn’t the worst.

“Hey,” Harry said and held out the tea he had made for her. “You wanna watch an episode of The Bridge?”

Y/N stared at him for a second and for the first time ever her heart skipped a beat. It was no secret that Harry was unbelievably attractive, the kind of attractiveness that terrified you before you got to know him. If he hadn’t showed up outside her door she never would’ve had the guts to talk to him. After getting to know him though he was just Harry; her roommate.

But there was something about him right there and then, dressed casually in sweats and a plain t-shirt as he handed her a cup of tea in their kitchen, that just got to her. She quickly snapped herself out of her thoughts to stop her mind from wandering too far and took the tea from him. Must be the hangover.

“Sure, but only one episode,” she replied and picked up her plate of toast as well. “I have to read some shit for my seminar tomorrow and I can’t keep procrastinating.”

--

They ended up watching more than just one episode.

And Y/N never got around to reading the chapter she needed to read. She only skimmed through it on her way to her seminar, which is why she made a fool out of herself when the lecturer pointed straight at her and asked her to share her thoughts. She wanted to disappear.

And her day didn’t get any better when she stepped in dog shit on her way home.

And it certainly didn’t get any better when she accidentally knocked over her cup of tea and spilled it all over the rug. So instead of getting to lie on the couch and feel sorry for herself, like she had planned, she had to try and save the white rug from getting a stain. It wasn’t a great day.

It was also at that moment Harry came back home; when she was sitting on the floor, scrubbing the rug furiously and muttering profanities under her breath.

“You know,” Harry began to make his presence known. “There’s something about what you're doing right now that’s really turning me on.”  

Y/N stopped her scrubbing and looked up at him, not impressed by his joke or by the stupid smirk on his face.

“Oh fuck off,” she swore and simply raised her hand and her middle finger at him. “Or make yourself useful and get some baking soda or something.”

“Bad day?” he asked while putting his guitar case down. She only glared at him.

“What do you think?”

“I’ll just get the baking soda.”

“Good choice.”

They cleaned the rug together and after a good half an hour of scrubbing and googling the best tricks to remove tea stains they managed to save it from getting ruined. Y/N slumped down on the couch again, exhausted and defeated, and took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself down.

What a shit day.

Harry made her a new cup and put away everything they had used to get rid of the spilled one before joining her on the small couch.

“You wanna talk about it?” he asked and squeezed his brows together, uncertain how to approach her.  

“I just had a shit day,” she sighed deeply. “Completely fucked up my seminar.”

“I’m sure you didn’t.”

“Ha!” Y/N scoffed. “No, I did. But it was my own fault though, so I can't really cry about it.”

“Well,” Harry scratched the back of his head. “Can I do anything to make you feel better? We could get some pizza and watch a movie or something?”

“I can’t,” she grumbled. “I have an assignment I have to finish by Wednesday and considering how shit I did today I have to focus. I can’t fuck this up too.”

“You have to eat something though.”

“Yeah, I will. I’ll just heat up some of that leftover pasta later or something,” she assured him and maybe if she hadn’t been so frustrated with herself she wouldn’t have confused the way her heart was racing inside her chest with stress; when in reality it was beating extra for the green eyed boy next to her.

Y/N stayed in her room for the rest of the afternoon into the evening, reading and typing away. She wouldn’t say it was going well, but she didn't want to throw her computer out the window and she always appreciated those rare moments.

She could also hear Harry roaming around in the rest of the flat and later on the low strum of his guitar. She smiled to herself when she heard it and didn’t even realise she was humming along to the melody he was playing until he stopped.

And it wasn’t until her stomach growled loudly that she remembered she hadn’t actually had any dinner yet. She made sure to save her work, hitting ‘save’ an extra time because you could never save a document too many times, before closing her laptop and standing up. Her muscles ached from how long she had been in the same position and she winced a little as she stretched them out.

Then her stomach rumbled and she was once again reminded of how hungry she was. It was nearing 11 pm and she hadn’t eaten anything since lunch, which was not good, and she kind of regretted not accepting Harry’s offer about getting pizza before.

But when she made it into the kitchen there was a pink post-it note on the fridge, only this time she wasn’t the one who put it there.

I got some pizza earlier, saved you a few slices in case you want some instead of that old pasta xx H :)

A warm feeling spread through her body as she read his little note, and she couldn’t help but notice that Harry had a surprisingly neat handwriting. It was cute. Both the handwriting and the message. It put a smile on her face.

While the pizza was being reheated she decided to go find Harry and thank him for the nice gesture. She was just about to knock on his door when she noticed that the TV was still on and she spotted him on the couch.

Asleep.

And it was probably cuter than both his handwriting and the message combined.

His whole body took up the small couch; his legs dangled over the armrest and he had his arms crossed over his chest to make himself smaller. There was a slight frown on his face, presumably from the dream he was having, but it was endearing in a way to still see him so relaxed. He had changed out of the blue jeans he had worn last time she saw him and had on his black shorts and the knitted jumper he always just wore around the flat. He looked comfortable. Homely.

A part of her wanted to run back to her room and get her phone so she could snap a picture of him before he woke up.

But an even bigger part of her stopped her from doing so because it felt inappropriate to take a picture of him sleeping. She wasn’t so sure Harry would appreciate her taking pictures of him without him knowing either. So she refrained.

Then, almost like he could feel her watching him sleep like a total creep, he slowly blinked his eyes open, and honestly... it was probably the cutest thing yet. She blushed as he caught her staring.

“Oh, hey,” he said, his voice low and rough, and rubbed his eyes to get the sleep out of them. “What time is it?”

“Mm it’s about 11.”

“Shit, didn’t realise I fell asleep,” he grumbled and sat up, running a hand through his hair. “Did you finish your assignment?”

“Almost,” she told him and smiled softly. “Thanks for the pizza.”

“No worries,” he said and matched her smile.

“Also, I’m sorry for being so cranky before. I was just a bit stressed.”

Harry shook his head.

“It’s okay,” he reassured her. “We’ve all been there.”

Y/N ended up joining him on the couch for a bit after the pizza was done. They didn’t talk much while she ate and Harry flicked through the channels on the TV, before he eventually decided on an old romcom. 

When Harry had first shown up outside the flat she had been nervous about living with him. She had only ever lived with girls before, but it had been easier to get along with him than she had first expected. Not that she had heard anything bad about him; Lucy had nothing but nice things to say when she first told her about Nate’s friend who needed a place to live.

She had just assumed it was going to be harder to live with a boy compared to a girl. But Harry made it easy, aside from the dirty dishes and the unknown women in her kitchen Sunday mornings of course, and he was slowly becoming one of her closest friends. While it was terrifying it also felt like the most natural thing. Like he was meant to be in her life.

Which is why she felt so stupid for what happened next.

“They make love seem so easy in these romcoms,” Y/N complained with a huff. “Why don’t I have a gorgeous guy pining after me? I just want someone to have a secret crush on me and then make a big grand gesture. Is that too much to ask?”

“How do you know you don’t?” Harry questioned and she snorted.

“I highly doubt it. Who would that be?”

Harry shrugged.

“Who knows,” he said. “It’s kinda the point of having someone secretly crushing on you, innit?”

“Oh whatever,” she grumbled and Harry laughed. “You have no say in this. I see the way girls stare at you whenever we go out. You probably have a handful of secret admirers. ”

“Are you forgetting the fact that you go on more dates than the rest of us combined?” Harry pointed out and raised his brows at her. “You probably have more admirers than anyone else I know.”

“Not true.”

“So true,” Harry insisted. “You need to stop trying so hard and maybe just let love find you instead.”

“That’s probably the most cliche thing someone has ever told me,” she said and rolled her eyes. “What am I supposed to do then? Sit around and twiddle my thumbs and wait for someone to come knocking on our door and say they love me?”

“No, not at all,” Harry frowned. “I just think that maybe you need to open your eyes and take a step back. Lower your expectations and don’t be so picky. You’re not going to find Prince charming. No one is flawless.”

“You know what? It’s too late to be having this conversation,” she told him and stood up. There was something about what he just said that made her heart sink a little inside her chest. “I’m going to bed.”

“Hey, you okay?” Harry said and caught her wrist to stop her from leaving. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“It’s okay,” she said and swallowed thickly. “I’m just tired. It’s been a long day.” His hand was hot on her skin and she couldn’t take her eyes away from his long fingers and how he traced his thumb across her wrist in small circles. 

“I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologise.”

He really didn’t. Y/N wasn’t sure why she had suddenly gotten so upset; why she took what he said to heart. It made her feel like a brat almost. She was used to people making fun of her dating life but she didn’t like this. 

She didn’t want people to think she was shallow or impossible to please. Especially not Harry.  

Because that wasn’t the case. There were plenty of good guys out there and she was far from perfect herself. She had a lot of flaws. Y/N had just never clicked with anyone in the way she wanted to and she wasn’t going to get into a relationship with someone she didn’t feel she connected with one hundred percent.

“Okay,” Harry said with a heavy sigh and let go of her wrist. “Goodnight then.”

“Night.”

Harry still had a frown on his face as he watched her take her plate back into the kitchen and Y/N could feel her pulse racing as she felt his eyes on her. It was awkward and she was embarrassed for how she had just handled everything. It wasn’t even a big deal. He hadn’t said anything she hadn’t thought of herself before. Harry was just giving her advice. 

So why did she feel so upset? 

It was the first time she had ever gotten even the tiniest bit self-conscious about the amount of dates she went on, and as she crawled into bed she couldn’t help but wonder if she felt like this because it was Harry.

It was also the first time she realised she cared a lot about what he thought of her.

She wanted Harry to like her.

--

Y/N got her period a day later and just like that everything she had felt on Monday made so much sense. Of course. Luckily everything was completely fine between her and Harry the morning after she left him on the couch and they even baked some brownies Tuesday evening because Y/N was craving chocolate, which also made sense when she woke up with stains in her underwear and cramps in her lower region on Wednesday.

Despite that though she had quite a good day. She managed to finish her assignment in time and she didn’t hate it; she was maybe even a little bit pleased with it. She bought herself a new pair of sneakers that were on sale and an eyeshadow palette she had been wanting for a while. Her and Harry got chinese food for dinner before meeting the rest of the gang down at the pub.

Wednesdays meant quiz night and Y/N teamed up with Tara and together they managed to win first prize which gave them £50 to spend at the bar.

Y/N blamed the alcohol for everything that happened after that.  

She tripped on her way over to the toilets. She accidentally managed to somehow elbow Connor in the face. She also spilled half a pint of beer all over herself, leaving a huge wet stain on her trousers so it looked like she pissed herself.

But she was still in good spirits.

Until she spotted Harry at the bar with a tall gorgeous girl. Their faces were close and even from the booth she was sitting in she could see his dimples. It left a sour taste in her mouth watching the pair talk and it annoyed her how easily Harry once again had a girl swooning over him. Why was he even off flirting with some random girl when they were all supposed to be there together? And why was he so good at it? And why did he look so good doing it?

Y/N rolled her eyes when the girl giggled and reached out to touch his bicep. Disgusting.

“Hello?” Lucy snapped her fingers in front of Y/N’s face. “You still with us?”

“What?” She tore her eyes away from the scene that was taking place at the bar and turned her attention back to her two friends. “Yeah, of course.” She faked a laugh and took a long sip from her beer. Lucy and Tara shared a look, but they didn’t say anything else about it which she was thankful for.

Mostly because she had no idea how to explain any of it. She glanced over at Harry and the girl again and tried to understand why her chest suddenly felt so tight. It must be the alcohol.

And oh, right, of course, she had her period.

It was her hormones; the only logical explanation.

Satisfied with the answer to her own confusion she threw herself back into the conversation around the table, ignoring the fact that she could still see Harry and the girl in the corner of her eye.  

Then Declan showed up at their table with a round of vodka shots for everyone because he knew the bartender and got them for free.

Who was she to say no to free shots?

But she really should’ve.

The strong liquid didn’t sit right with her and instead of giving her a bigger buzz her head felt heavy and her ears were ringing. She also felt a little bit sick; the chinese food she had had with Harry slowly rising in the back of her throat. Taking shots had never really ended well for her but drunk Y/N still always seemed to think it was a fantastic idea.

It was a good thing she didn’t have a lecture or anything the next day, because her hangover was not going to be pretty.

And Y/N didn’t bother saying goodbye to anyone before she unexpectedly jumped out of her seat, got her coat and stumbled outside. She needed fresh air and she couldn’t wait.

The second she stepped outside into the cold autumn night she instantly felt better. The nausea from the stuffy pub atmosphere disappeared and she sat down on the curb next to the road and took a few deep breaths. 

“Hey there Quiz-Queen, you alright?”

Harry.

She glanced up at him and even though he had called her by the nickname she had jokingly given herself after winning first-prize he was looking down at her with concerned eyes. Her purse hung from his shoulder, she hadn’t even realised she had left it behind, and he had his own long and vibrant plaid coat wrapped around himself; protecting him from the cold.

“Yeah,” she said and took another deep breath. “I just needed some air.”

“Hm,” Harry hummed, relieved she was okay. “Maybe next time let the rest of us know where you’re going and don’t just get up and leave.”

“Are you mad at me?”

“Not at all,” Harry assured and shook his head. “Just want to make sure you’re safe. I don’t think that £50 bar tab was the best thing for a lightweight like you.”

“Oiii,” she pouted. “That’s mean. You’re just jealous you didn’t win. How many right answers did you guys get again? 6 out of 20?”

“It’s not about winning, it’s about having fun,” Harry said with a smug smile and a twinkle in his eyes that he only ever got when he thought he was being clever. “And I had fun.”  

“Oh give it a rest,” she scoffed but there was still a smile on her face. “You love to win, don’t stand there and pretend to be a good loser when I know how competitive you can get.”  

Harry laughed and she felt butterflies come alive inside her stomach as she watched his dimples appear. This time for her and not for some stupid girl at the bar.  

“C’mon Silly-girl, let’s get you home,” he said, ignoring her comment about him being a sore loser, and offered his hand to help her up. His fingers were strong around hers and her skin was tingling as she watched her own hand disappear in his.

Once back up on her feet she had to hold onto Harry for a second to stop her head from spinning so much. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the alcohol anymore or her hormones... or if it was merely just because of Harry.

It was just easier to blame the alcohol or her period, so that’s what she did.

Harry had an arm around her to support her swaying body as they made their way over to the bus stop, holding her close to him. He smelled like beer and the shampoo she always secretly sniffed when she took a shower. It was something she would never admit out loud, or sober, but she loved the smell of it.

Sometimes she had considered using it on her own hair, it was just so fresh and relaxing, so Harry, but it was also one of those things she wasn’t so sure he would appreciate her doing. 

“We should’ve stopped to get some food,” she muttered and slumped back against her seat on the bus. “I’m starving and I’m craving something salty.”

“I can make us something when we get home,” Harry offered.

“Really?” Y/N perked up. ”Could you?”

“Yeah, I’m a bit hungry as well.”

“Oh my gosh, have I ever told you you’re the best roommate?”

“Pretty sure you haven’t,” Harry laughed. "I do, however, have a lot of post-it notes that one could argue suggest the opposite."

“I saw you talking to a girl earlier. She was very pretty.” It slipped out before Y/N had the chance to think twice about it. “I’m sorry you’re stuck with me now and didn’t get to go home with her.”

Harry didn’t laugh at that but he still had the same twinkle in his eyes as before and a fond smile on his lips.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said and suddenly his hand was on her knee and he gave it a gentle squeeze; causing her hormones to act up again so her heart skipped a beat. “You’re not the worst person to be stuck with.”

--

As expected her hangover wasn’t pretty the next day.

She woke up with a raging headache and an upset stomach. After Harry had made them both some food she had been too tired to go wash her make-up off so the girl staring back at her in the bathroom mirror had black mascara smudges all around her eyes and golden glitter eyeshadow smeared across her bloated face. It was a tragedy. She was a tragedy.

However, the thing that made her hangover feel even worse was when she walked into the kitchen and saw the all dirty pans and plates from her and Harry’s late night meal. Pangs of guilt instantly swept through her. Harry was already gone by the time she woke up. He had an early seminar, which she knew he did because he had told her before they met up with the others at the pub, and she felt terrible that she had kept him up half the night only to make her food. He couldn’t have gotten more than two hours of sleep and it filled her up with guilt.

So much guilt she didn’t leave him a post-it note telling him the kitchen was a mess, because that would’ve just been super fucking rude since it was her fault he was even in the kitchen cocking at 3 am in the first place. Instead she washed up and decided to go out and get his favorite snacks as a thank you, and also because she was craving more chocolate and a fizzy drink.

Being hungover while having your period was really not the best combination.

Y/N hid her tousled hair under a beanie and put on a quick layer of foundation in an attempt to cover up her blotchy skin. It didn’t really help her feel much better about her appearance so she decided to put on a scarf as well to disguise herself as much as possible, just in case she’d run into someone she knew on her way to the store. She didn’t want to be recognised. Not today.

But of course Y/N wasn’t that lucky.

She ran into three people from her course, who all stopped her and chit-chatted to her about their seminars and latest assignment, all while she stood there with a basket full of various brands of crisps, drinks and candy feeling and looking like an absolute troll.

And that wasn’t even the worst.

No.

Because naturally it was also the day she bumped into someone, quite literally, in the stairs on her way back up to the flat.

Y/N yelped and accidentally dropped her bag of snacks as she tried to find her balance. A pair of hands caught her by the shoulders before she fell backwards and when she looked up to see who she had crashed into her whole face turned red.

“Shit, I’m so sorry!” she apologized with wide eyes, her heart beating fast inside her chest.

“No worries,” the man in front of her said and removed his hands from her shoulders, but she kind of wished he hadn’t because his voice was so deep and smoky her knees weakened as he spoke.

Not to mention he had the most stunning pair of eyes she had ever seen. They were a deep, earthy brown color with perfectly long eyelashes she could only ever dream of. He was utterly breathtaking with his long dark hair, scruffy stubble and nose piercing, that she usually didn’t really like on boys but the stranger in front of her made it work. Oh how he made it work.

And as he leaned down to pick up her bag for her she caught a whiff of his fragrance and her knees were seconds away from giving up all together.

“Thank you,” she managed to croak out as he handed her the bag full of snacks and prayed he hadn’t seen what was in it. She looked pathetic enough as it was and she racked her brain for something else to say but there was nothing. Y/N was left completely gobsmacked by the breathtaking man she had just crashed into. Her cheeks only getting hotter and hotter for every second she stood there like a total idiot just staring at him in awe. “I’m Y/N.”

Y/N wanted nothing more than to just sink through the floor in embarrassment. The stranger, thankfully, reached out and shook her extended hand with an amused smile on his lips.

“Luke.”

Luke let his eyes wander up and down her body, taking in her attire, and she had never felt so unattractive as she did in that moment. Why didn’t she at least take a shower before going out? Fuck.

“Right,” she nodded and reached up to adjust her beanie a little, as if it was going to make her look any better. “So eh... do you live here? I haven’t seen you around before.”

What was she doing?

“I do,” Luke confirmed. “I moved in a couple days ago.”

“Awesome.”

Awesome? Fucking idiot. 

She was definitely losing her mind. While she did go on a lot of dates she had not been blessed with the ability to make small talk. 

“I’m guessing you live here as well?” Luke asked and ran a hand through his hair to push back a couple of strands from his face. It was the hottest thing she had ever seen.

“Yeah,” Y/N confirmed, her mouth dry, and she licked her lips nervously. “I’m on the top floor... aaand I should really get going. My roommate is waiting for me.”

“Of course.”

“It was nice to meet you though. Welcome to the building.” Her heart was still racing. “Again, I’m sorry for crashing into you.”

“Like I said, don’t worry about it. It was good to meet you too,” Luke told her and gave her a small wink. “See you around.”

And Y/N didn’t know how it happened but a strange cackle escaped her lips as he winked at her and she ran off before she could witness his reaction to it.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” she muttered to herself all the way up to her and Harry’s flat.

Once she got inside she fell back against the door and tried to catch her breath, from both practically running up five flights of stairs and the encounter she had just had with probably the hottest man alive.

She really was pathetic.

After she got herself together she shrugged off her coat and pulled off her stupid beanie, cursing herself yet again for not taking a shower before going to the store. She could at least have put on a cute outfit. But no. She went out looking like a slob.  

And as she sauntered into the flat she realised that Harry was home again, and with him were Nate, Lucy and Connor as well. 

“Well if it isn’t the Quiz-Queen herself,” Nate teased when he saw her and bowed his head mockingly from where he was sitting on the couch. “Glad to see that you’re still alive after last night.”

“We have a new neighbour,” Y/N informed them, ignoring Nate and his teasing comments, because the new neighbour was the only thing on her mind. “I crashed into him on my way up. Literally. I made a complete fool out of myself.”

“Nothing new then,” Connor joked.

“Ha-ha,” Y/N said dryly. “For real though, he was the hottest man I’ve ever seen. He was unreal.”

“Really?” It got Lucy’s attention and she perked up from where she was sitting on the couch with Nate. “What did he look like?”

“Like a damn model right off the runway,” Y/N groaned and collapsed in one of the armchairs. “I’m telling you, he was unreal. Eyelashes that went on forever. Tall. Cheekbones that could cut glass and his hair was soooooo shiny. He didn’t have a single flaw. He even made a nose piercing look good and you know how I feel about those.”

“Aw, I wanna see him too,” Lucy pouted. “Did you get his name?”

“Luke.”

“So our serial dater has another date then I’m assuming,” Connor sniggered.

“I wish,” Y/N replied with a sigh. “I could hardly get a word out. I just stood there and stared at him like a creep.”

“You could always go over and ask to borrow a cup of sugar,” Nate suggested and wiggled his eyebrows. “And then just suck him off to return the favor.”

“You’re an idiot,” Y/N said and raised her middle finger towards him. It also earned him a slap on the arm from Lucy as she scolded her boyfriend. Connor laughed and made a comment about how it would be the perfect porn scene.

And it was also in that moment Y/N realised Harry hadn’t said anything since she had joined them. She glanced over at him where he sat in the armchair across from her and frowned. He looked tired and it caused the guilt in her to rise up again. In addition to that it troubled her that he wasn’t saying anything about the new neighbour or joining in on the jokes. He just sat in his seat and kept his eyes glued to the TV and the random show that was airing. “Harry?”

“What?”

There was something about how he spoke and how he turned to look at her that made her feel even worse. His voice was taut and low. His eyes burned right through her. It was far from the Harry she was used to. She wanted to ask him what was wrong but she also didn’t want to do so in front of the others if they hadn’t noticed it themselves.

“Um, I got some snacks if you want some,” Y/N said instead. She wasn’t sure if the others had noticed at all but she didn’t like it. Maybe he was angry with her for making him stay up so late? What if it had made him late for his seminar?

“Thank you,” he replied half-heartedly and turned his attention back to the TV without another word. Confusion filled the room and she met Lucy’s baffled expression for a split second. Okay they had noticed. Fuck. Y/N looked at Harry again and there was so much she wanted to ask him but at the same time she was at a loss for words. It wasn’t like him to be so tense. Not one bit.

She didn’t like it.

--

On Saturday they were all, once again, out getting drunk. After her hangover on Thursday Y/N had told herself she wasn’t going to drink again that week, but Harry was still being acting weird around her so she was easily persuaded.

Because she needed a drink.

Harry hadn’t really done anything, which was also part of the problem. She hadn’t seen him all Friday or Saturday, not until he turned up for pre-drinks at Connor’s flat. And once he was there he didn’t even look at her or talk to her. It bothered her. A lot. She hadn’t had the chance to ask him what was wrong and nothing was making sense. She tried to remember if she had said something inappropriate to him on Wednesday, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t figure out why he was being off with her.

Which is why, after a couple of drinks, she took the first chance she got to confront him about it.

She spotted him alone at one of the tables inside the club they were at and marched right up, ignoring the people she accidentally bumped into on her way, and plopped herself down on the leather sofa next to him. The beer she was carrying spilled over in her hand as she did but she paid no attention to it and Harry looked at her with questioning eyes.

“What’s going on with you?” Y/N wasted no time. The music was loud around them and she had to lean into him to make sure he heard her, his curls tickled her upper lip from how close she was. Harry only shrugged.

“Nothing is going on.”

“Oh really? Could’ve fooled me,” she said, almost shouting because of the music, and rolled her eyes. “You’re acting strange.”

“Nothing is going on,” Harry repeated and pursed his lips, looking away from her. Y/N tilted her head forward, to force him to look at her again, and waved her hand in front of his face.

“Look at me then,” she cried out in frustration. “Stop ignoring me and tell me what’s going on!”

It wasn’t the best spot for them to be having a conversation. A couple of people from the tables around them looked over curiously and the dim lights and loud music of club made it harder than what she would’ve liked. She had originally planned to talk to him that morning but he had gone out before she even woke up and it was the last sign she needed to know that he was avoiding her. So talking to him at a busy club felt like the only option. 

She flinched back as Harry unexpectedly turned to face her, almost knocking his head into hers.

”You know for wanting to find love so badly you’re really fucking blind.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Y/N frowned. Harry scoffed.

“You’re so oblivious,” he began. “If you just stopped being so desperate and so obsessed with finding the perfect guy for one damn second then maybe you’d-” Harry stopped himself and pressed his lips together in a thin line as he looked down at the beer in his hands. 

“Then what Harry?” she demanded, and didn’t even bother to try calm the anger that was stirring inside her. Harry ignoring her made her feel worse than she ever could’ve imagined. Nothing could’ve prepared her for it. She hated it. “I wouldn’t be so unlovable?”

“I never said that.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“Don’t,” Harry warned. “You know I would never say that. Don’t be daft.”  

“Do I?” she kept challenging him. The alcohol in her bloodstream gave her enough courage to not back down. Even if the loud music made it harder to hear what the other one was saying there was no way she was going to drop it. She needed to know what was going on. She couldn’t go another day with Harry ignoring her; she was too used to having him around for him to just cut her off.

“Yes, you do,” he spat.

“But you think I’m desperate?” she spat back and Y/N wasn’t sure why she was picking a fight with him in the middle of a full packed club, but she was.

Because at least he was talking to her.

“Yeah I do,” Harry admitted and licked his lips. She struggled to breathe a little after that. Her chest felt too tight. “Why are you so set on having the perfect relationship? No couple is perfect.”

“Lucy and Nate are,” she stated, not wanting her facade to falter in front of him. Her throat was dry but her eyes were burning with wet tears because she hated this. She hated it so much.

“No, they’re not,” Harry sneered loudly. “Both of them are far from fucking perfect. Nate is a menace and Lucy is a nutter.”

“Harry, don’t be a dick.”

“What? So just because they’re my friends I’m only allowed see the good in them? I still love both of them and they still love each other even if they’re not perfect,” he insisted. “You know they end up arguing like every night we go out, right? Over something stupid Nate said or some insane shit Lucy did. Do you know how many times Lucy has asked me for advice when it comes to Nate? They’re not perfect.”

“So I’m desperate because I want to find someone who is perfect for me?”

“What if you already have?”

“What?”

The music was still loud around them but suddenly the only thing she could hear was her own beating heart.

And suddenly she became aware of just how close the two of them actually were. Harry’s nose brushed against hers as his mouth carefully, barely, grazed her lips. His breath was hot on her face and oh wow, had his eyelashes always been that long?

Y/N wanted to reach out and touch him, but the way he was looking at her made her unable to move any part of her body. She was frozen; waiting for him to make the next move because she was far too overwhelmed by his presence to do anything herself. He was so close. Too close -- but at the same time not close enough. She wondered if he could hear her heart as well. 

“Oi, oi!”

Out of the blue Declan flopped down next to her on the sofa and just like that she was brought back into reality and away from Harry’s green eyes. Declan had two pints of beer with him and grinned at the two of them; clueless to what he had just interrupted. He didn’t come alone though, soon the rest of the gang had gathered around the small table. All so clueless.

Y/N watched as Harry drank what was left of his beer and glared at Declan and the rest while she tried to stop her head from spinning so much. What had just happened?

They were all talking around her but their voices got lost in the loud music and her own thoughts.

‘What if you already have?’ what was that even supposed to mean?

She wanted to turn and look at Harry again but she was too scared of what he might do or say and too scared that everyone else was going to notice something was wrong and ask them about it. Instead she just kept her eyes down to where her thigh was pressing into Harry’s after Declan had squeezed himself down beside them.

Thankfully no one else seemed to pick up on tension between the two of them but Y/N still regretted absolutely everything about her decision to talk to Harry. It hadn’t helped make anything clearer and she was now stuck next to him in a busy club with their drunk friends. Great.

To make things worse she then, out of nowhere, heard someone call her name and she nearly dropped her drink as she noticed who it belonged to. Well fuck.

“Luke.” 

His name fell from her lips as soon as she spotted him waving at her. He came up and stood behind Nate and Lucy, with his hands in his pockets and his hair slicked back perfectly. Lucy was quick to turn around to get a look at the guy Y/N had been raving about just a couple days ago. Then she looked at Y/N again with her jaw hanging open and gave her a look that confirmed Luke was indeed as flawless as he had been described. 

The tension was thick and awkward as Luke stood before her and her friends, more specifically Harry, and Y/N could feel him tense up beside her as he stared Luke down. She had no idea what to say or do. “This is our new neighbour I was telling you about,” was the only thing she could think of. The smirk on Luke’s face as he heard that she had been talking about him didn’t go unnoticed.

“Y’alright then?” Luke asked and nodded towards Y/N. She couldn’t breathe. How was he there? After everything that had just happened with Harry... where did Luke even come from? She hadn’t processed her conversation with Harry yet, how was she supposed to have a conversation with Luke again, in front of everyone, when her head was so scrambled?

“Yeah, I’m great.” What a fucking lie.

“Can I buy you a drink?”

“Oh.” What was happening? “Ummmm, I don’t - well I - ehm I-”

“Yes! She would love a drink!” Tara interrupted her with a big grin, and any other time she would’ve been grateful for her friend stepping in and helping, but now? “Wouldn’t you?” Y/N wasn’t even sure.

“I ehhh - well, I guess so?”

What?

Her whole body was screaming NO when she got up and felt Harry’s warmth leave her side. His eyes burned into her back and it was a miracle she even made it to the bar with Luke without vomiting right there and then.

Two days ago, when she first bumped into Luke, all she wanted was to go on a date with him. But something had changed. Something inside her had clicked, and it wasn’t her hormones or the alcohol this time. All she could think about as Luke talked to her and bought her a new drink was how he wasn’t Harry.

Luke didn’t know how she liked her tea. Luke didn’t know she couldn’t go straight to bed after watching a thriller or anything that resembled a scary movie; she needed to watch something more upbeat and cheerful before going to sleep. Luke didn’t know she liked to keep things in order. Luke didn’t know she ate her weight in chocolate when she got her period. Luke didn’t know she loved mint chocolate chip ice cream. Luke didn’t know she called her mum at least once a day. Luke didn’t know she was desperate to find love. 

Harry did.

Harry knew all those things.

And as she stood at the bar with Luke she realised he wasn’t actually flawless. He was still gorgeous, only a little less breathtaking that time around because he knew he looked good and he wasn’t humble about it. He smelled like cigarettes and she hated the smell of smoke mixed with his strong cologne. It gave her a headache. He also couldn’t keep his eyes off her cleavage and didn’t bother asking her anything about herself.

His nose piercing didn’t even look that good.

Luke wasn’t flawless and she didn’t really like him. 

Harry wasn’t flawless either... but she still liked him. 

“And that’s when we-”

“You know what Luke,” she interrupted and put a finger up to stop him from talking. “I think I have to get back to my friends. But um... “ She glanced at the drink he had bought her before picking it up and downed it in one go, because he had paid for it and the least she could do was drink it. The alcohol burned a little in the back of her throat and she accidentally spilled a few drops down her shirt. She hardly noticed though because she was just aching to get back to her friends. Luke looked at her with wide eyes and a puzzled expression. “Thanks for the drink! I’ll see you around.”

With that she walked off with just one thing, or rather someone, on her mind.

But that someone wasn’t there when she found her friends again. She spotted Lucy and her bright dress sitting on Nate’s lap. She spotted Tara having a conversation with a girl from the table next to them. She spotted Declan and Connor laughing loudly over something on their phones.

She did not spot Harry.

Tara was the first one to notice her standing there just staring at the empty seat where Harry was sat a while ago. Tara excused herself from the conversation she was having and came up to Y/N, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“You okay?”

“Where is Harry?”

“He left,” Tara told her. “I think.”

“Hey, what’s going on?” Lucy came up to her as well, with a small frown on her face, worried something had happened. “Is everything alright?”

“I need to talk to Harry,” Y/N said and looked around the club; hoping to spot his curls somewhere in the crowd. Her eyes stung with tears when she couldn’t see him.

“He left after you walked off,” Lucy confirmed softly. “Is everything alright? Did something happen with Luke?”

“Yes- I mean no. I have to go,” was all she told them before she rushed off. “I need Harry.”

Y/N wasn’t aware of the three words that left her mouth but it didn’t make them any less true. It all made so much sense. It had clicked. ‘What if you already have?’ 

Yes. 

How could she have been so blind?

--

When she finally made it home she was out of breath from running all the way from the bus stop to their flat. She prayed Harry had actually gone home and not continued his night at some other club. She wasn’t sure what she’d do if he had. 

But as soon as she stepped inside she heard the familiar sound of his guitar coming from his bedroom and she didn’t even bother catching her breath before walking across the flat in a couple of strides. She hadn't really thought anything through. Her whole body was just screaming at her that she needed Harry and it couldn't wait. 

Harry left his dirty dishes out. He sometimes forgot to put the toilet seat down. He was disorganized. He did not only leave his dirty dishes out but he could also leave his dirty socks lying around the flat. He didn't like the same music as her. He could be petty and immature. He had ignored her for two days. 

But Harry also made her tea when she was having a bad day. He made her laugh. He made her food in middle of the night. He always asked about her day. He helped her home when she got too drunk. He sometimes surprised her with breakfast. He understood her. He made her feel at ease and she could always be herself around him. 

All of the good thing outweighed the bad, and the bad was only part of who he was; Harry, her roommate, her friend, the boy who she hadn't realised gave her butterflies until now.

And perhaps she should’ve knocked or at least made her presence known in any other way because as she slung his bedroom door open Harry was visibly startled and a sour note came from his guitar. He looked at her with wide eyes. 

“Y/N? What the fuck?”

“Do I have any flaws?” she asked him breathlessly. 

“What?” he asked. “What do you mean?” 

“What about me annoys you?” 

 “Shouldn’t you be off getting a drink with Mr. Flawess himself.”

“Well I changed my mind. Now just answer the question,” she urged, wanting to cut straight to the chase. Harry frowned and she wasn’t really sure if he was angry with her or just confused. Maybe both? It didn’t matter though, she just needed answers before she passed out from the anxiety running through her. “Do I have any flaws?”

“I - yeah. You do,” he said. Y/N nodded and stepped further into his room, wanting to be closer to him. “Why?” 

“Just - wait,” she told him and ignored his question by asking her own. “What are they?”

Harry didn’t reply at first. He just sat in silence and stared at her with his brows still pressed together in a frown. God, what if she had gotten it all wrong? She’d have to give up the flat to Harry and move out, leave Manchester, maybe even leave the UK. She’d be absolutely mortified; she’d never recover from it. 

Just as she lost all hope and considered running off to hide in her own bedroom for the rest of the night, possibly for the rest of the term, Harry slowly put his guitar to the side. He rubbed his hand over his chin and pinched the bottom of his lip between his index finger and his thumb, contemplating his next few words cautiously.

“You’re incredibly stubborn,” he told her and despite the fact that he had just basically insulted her a wave relief washed over her as he finally said something. 

“Okay, what else?” 

“You ask way too many questions during a movie.”

“Okay.”

“You overthink absolutely everything.”

“More.”

“You leave notes around the flat over the most meaningless things.”

“Well maybe you shouldn’t leave the kitchen a mess then.”

“You have too much milk in your tea.”

“You don’t have enough.”

Harry cracked a smile but it faltered almost just as quickly.

“You want love but don’t see the person right in front of you who has fallen head over heels for you.”

Y/N had never seen or heard him as vulnerable as he was right there and then. For a moment she wondered if maybe she had misheard him but judging by his nervous fidgeting and how he for the first time ever struggled to look her in the eyes she quickly realised she hadn’t.  

“I do now,” she admitted quietly, almost too quiet, and shifted her weight from one foot to the other awkwardly. “I see you.” 

Harry still heard her and looked right into her eyes as he took a sharp breath. Her body ached to feel his touch as she stood in the middle of his room, terrified of what she was about to ask next, but there was no going back. It was, after all, the reason she had followed him home. “And you still like me despite all my flaws?”

“Well,” Harry started and fought back a smile. “I suppose I wouldn’t have saved all your notes if I didn't.” 

It was really all it took for her to close the space between them and throw herself over him. Harry was quick to catch her and his arms wrapped around her body tightly, holding her close, as she pressed her lips to his.

It was strange kissing him and she didn’t quite know where to put her own hands at first, but it felt right that much she knew. Her whole body was on fire from just a simple little kiss. Y/N never wanted it to stop. Harry grinned against her lips before deepening the kiss and sneaked his hands in under her blazer, pushing it off her shoulders before running his hands over her body. 

She wrapped her arms around his neck and it was almost ridiculous how giddy she felt. Harry made her feel drunk, more so than the alcohol in her body. Nothing had ever tasted as good as him. She was completely lost in him and his warmth. 

It wasn’t until she felt him pull at her trousers that she was reminded of reality again and she pulled away from his lips. “You okay?” Harry asked immediately.

“Yeah,” she panted and leaned her forehead against his, twirling the hair in the back of his neck around her finger carefully. “I just... I still got my period.”

“Okay,” Harry nodded and tightened his grip on her, still holding her close, and she was sure she could feel his heartbeat against hers. “S’that all? Because frankly I don’t really care about a little blood right now.”

“Oh.”

“Do you?”

“I... no.”

“You sure?” Harry wondered and placed his fingers under her chin and angled her face so he could look into her eyes. He saw right through her and her mind was hazy as her body melted right into his. Harry made her feel safe and comfortable and it was all she needed to know she was sure.  

She needed him. 

“Give me a second,” she said and gave him a quick peck before getting off him. It pained her to do so but even as she made her way over to the bathroom to remove her tampon, perhaps one of the most unattractive things you could do, Harry’s eyes on her as she walked away made her feel sexier than she ever had before.

She didn’t waste a single second inside the bathroom and quickly did what she had to before she just about ran back to Harry’s bedroom. She caught a quick glimpse of herself in the mirror and couldn’t help but laugh. She looked dazed. But in the best possible way. Her cheeks were rosy. Her hair was messy. Lips swollen. It was the first time she had ever seen herself look so radiant. Glowing almost. 

Happy.

She also decided to not put her trousers back on after she was done in the bathroom, because why waste time when she was planning to take them off soon anyway?

And Harry seemed to have had the same idea because when she came back he had already removed his floral shirt and his beige trousers as well. His lips were the same colour as her lipstick and he didn’t even try to hide the fact that he was staring at her bare legs and underwear. It made her whole body tingle and she didn’t mind him gawking, because she couldn’t take her own eyes away from his naked chest and the bulge between his legs.

“Come here,” Harry murmured and held out his hand for her to take. He gently pulled at her arm until she was sitting on top of him on the bed, straddling his hips. The lack of clothing on both of them made her blush as he embraced her and she felt all of him under her.  

Harry cupped one of his hands under her jaw and leaned in to kiss her again. It started out slow but as soon as his lips touched her a soft moan came from her. His lips were slightly chapped and yet they were the best lips she had ever kissed. It didn't matter that they weren’t perfectly soft. Not one bit. Y/N never wanted to kiss anyone else ever again. 

The kiss quickly deepend and she had her hands in his hair, tugging at his soft curls and getting lost in the taste of his lips. She was throbbing against him and knew he could also feel just how desperately she wanted him through the thin lace of her panties. His lips were eager against hers and she was too lost in him to notice he had blindly reached out to the bedside table and sought out a condom.

It wasn’t until she felt his hand and the small foil packet brush against her leg that she realised. She pulled back and met his green eyes, breathing hard as she tried to find her words to speak. He looked back at her with questioning eyes, silently asking her if she was alright with what was happening between them, and she just nodded. 

She sat back to give him some room and watched as he pulled himself out of his boxers and then helped him get them off before he rolled the condom over his length. The sight alone made her light-headed and, if he hadn’t already, she was sure he could hear how hard her heart was beating. He also caught her staring but she didn’t really care and he only pulled her back into him.

He kissed her along her collarbone, sucking lightly at the skin as he made his way up to her neck. Y/N closed her eyes and hummed with pleasure as she tilted her head to the side to give him better access. Harry ran his hands up and down her back and then slipped his hands in under the tank top she was wearing before he pulled it off her swiftly. 

Harry took a few seconds to stare at her naked chest when he discovered she wasn’t wearing a bra before he kissed each of her breasts lightly, making her nipples hard. Y/N just cupped his face and pulled his head up so she could kiss him again, impatient and desperate to feel him inside her and he giggled against her lips. 

Harry only pushed the crotch of her underwear to the side when he lined himself up under her. She gasped as she slowly sank down onto him and had to break their kiss. Harry had one hand around her thigh and the other on the back of her head, her hair twisted between his fingers, as they breathed the same air. 

When she eventually started to move her hips after getting used to the stretch of him he groaned softly, low in his throat, and tightened the grip he had on her. “Fuck, you feel so good.”

Her blood rushed inside her and her whole chest and face flushed from hearing his words and how hoarse his voice was. She put her hands on his stomach, her fingers digging into his skin around his tattoo, before lifting her hips and taking all of him again; craving the friction created between the two of them.

Harry moaned and let his head fall backwards, breathing heavily, and she couldn’t take her eyes away from his strong jawline. She also couldn’t stop herself from kissing him right there and Harry moaned again as he felt her lips on his skin. 

It made her smile; knowing she was having the same affect on him that he had on her. 

Y/N did her best to find a steady rhythm riding him but her thighs were trembling around him and it had been awhile since she had been on top of anyone. She had almost forgotten how to do it. Harry bucked his hips up into her and she barely had time to react before he impatiently flipped them over and yanked her underwear off.

A loud moan left her lips as he pushed right back into her and instantly built up a new quicker pace, giving her all of him and hitting the spot in her that made her toes curl. He leaned down and connected their mouths again. His chest was slick with sweat as his body pressed against hers and her hands were all over him because she just couldn’t decide where to put them. She wanted all of him. 

And when Harry hoisted himself up and hooked one of her legs over his shoulder to get deeper she didn’t care if any of their neighbours heard her.

“Oh my god.”

Then his fingers were stroking her between her legs and it quite literally took her breath away. Her whole body was trembling as she felt every hot and thick inch of him. Her release was close, she could feel it in the pit of her stomach and he could see it on her as he continued to move above her.

And not once did Harry lose his pace or falter when her nails scratched his back and she clenched tightly around him as her orgasm swept through her body. He kept thrusting into her while she moaned and shivered beneath him.

Just as she came down from her high he got his own release and came with a loud sigh of relief. He continued to move his hips against hers until his muscles gave up from exhaustion and he collapsed on top of her.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, both spent, and she tried to catch her breath. 

Which was hard seeing as he was still on top of her and she could still feel him inside her.

When he raised his head to look down at her, grinning from ear to ear, her whole stomach fluttered. And this time she knew it was because of Harry. It wasn’t because of alcohol. Not because she had a hangover. Not because she was stressed. Maybe because of a few hormones. 

But there were just no excuses. 

Eventually Harry got up. He removed the used condom and retrieved a small towel to clean himself up quickly before handing it over and climbing back into bed with her.

Y/N curled up against his chest and let him run his fingers through her hair, gently scratching the top of her head, and she was seconds away from falling asleep when he spoke up.

“I’m sorry for calling you desperate.”

Y/N tilted her head up to look at him.

“S’okay, I have been a little.”

“Still,” he mumbled. “Wasn’t really fair of me.”

“You know you could’ve just told me.”

“I was going to,” Harry admitted with a low chuckle. “But you always came back home announcing you were going on another date so it never really felt like the right time.”

“Hmm, well you didn’t really help yourself by bringing a girl back like every weekend,” she pointed out and laughed lightly. “It was hard to not be blind.”

“Had to try to forget about you somehow,” Harry admitted and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, letting his lips linger for a few seconds before continuing. “But you and your stupid post-it notes made it hard.”

“Did you really save all of them?” she asked and pushed herself up so she was leaning on her elbows. She couldn’t stop herself from grinning proudly. Harry laughed and tipped his head back, covering his face with his hands as his cheeks turned pink.

“God, I’m gonna regret telling you that aren’t I?”

“Maybe,” she laughed again before giving his chest a quick kiss, just because she could. “I do kind of enjoy writing them for you though.”

“Of course you do,” Harry said and peaked out from behind his hands with a cheeky smile. “And I enjoy leaving the kitchen a mess because I know you’ll leave me a new one,” he confessed and tapped her nose. 

“I fuckin’ knew it!” she exclaimed with a gasp and shoved him away from her playfully. “You absolute knobhead!” 

Harry only laughed and pulled her back into his warm body. 

On her way back home from the club Y/N had been a little bit worried that she was wrong or that it was going to be weird to go from roommates to more with Harry -- but it felt like the most natural thing. It felt just as natural as everything else they already did together, and maybe that was why she had been so picky recently. Maybe it was why she looked for flaws in every guy she dated so she had an excuse to not see them again. She had already found what she wanted; she just hadn’t realised. How stupid.

“Hey Harry?”

“Hm?”

“Would you like to go on a date with me?”

-- 

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[toalltheficsivelovedbefore]

FOLLOWING - chapter fourteen

model!jaehyun x youtuber!reader • social media au

Jaehyun drops his phone into his lap, eyes taking the room in around him.

Soft, billowy curtains blow from the force of a table fan set up on the desk in the corner. It’s small, filled up with folders and loose papers, a couple books set up with spines facing out, a tiny teacup set on top spilling over with the leaves of some succulent. Above the desk are a couple shelves, holding even more books, a few picture frames, and another droopy leafed plant. Besides the shelves, and a few more photos, the walls are basically bare.

On the chair across from the bed, his pants are folded on top. As he rushes out of the bed, his leg slams into the nightstand, causing a photo to fall over. After struggling into his jeans (which he knows from experience he probably kicked off as soon as he landed on the bed and Johnny must’ve folded), he sets the frame back up properly.

Mark and you press your cheeks together, laughing all squinty-eyed into the camera. It’s a sweet picture. Jaehyun sighs at the familiar tug in his heart, a quiet curse following.

Voices draw him down a short hallway, and from the edge of the threshold into the rest of the apartment, he can see Johnny in the small kitchen, laughing while he cooks on a stovetop. On the other side of the kitchen sits a small table, three chairs around it. A dainty table cloth covers the top, a vase of big flowers in the middle. In the furthest chair from where Jaehyun is peeking into the room, you sit, laptop open in front of you, talking to Johnny in a mocking voice.

Your head turns toward the hallway, catching the shadow of Jaehyun as he rocks in place.

His eyes are focused on the living room, taking in your small home, so he doesn’t notice you watching him. You didn’t really understand this man. The very first time you met him, you thought he seemed sweet, harmless for sure. But after meeting him at that lunch, you were sure he was anything but. Johnny and Doyoung had tried to reassure you he wasn’t always such a dick, but even during the party he seemed to almost always have a scowl on his face. It wasn’t until he’d got properly wasted that you saw him smile.

Stalking through his Instagram feed told you he was much more popular than you’d been expecting. He really was handsome, gorgeous even. But looks meant nothing if someone’s personality didn’t measure up.

Jae whips his head back around, catching you staring. You both still, neither willing to break the tense moment first.

Then Johnny coughs, laughing when you jump in your seat. You send a glare before motioning Jaehyun into the room, pointing at the chairs around your table.

“Are you hungry? There’s coffee if you want any.”

Jae smiles softly, breathing out a sigh of relief as he heads over to the counter. “Thank you.”

Johnny smirks, enjoying how awkward the two of you are together. “How ya feelin’, Jae? Any headache this morning?”

He shoves Johnny’s shoulder, glowering at the back of his head. “Shut up. And no, I’m fine. Just really tired mostly.”

“That makes sense.” You take a sip of your own coffee, watching from the corner of your eye as Jaehyun takes a seat. “You were at the party until 3 am and Johnny said once you got here, you refused to sleep for about an hour.”

Jaehyun sighs, taking a rather large drink of his coffee. “Yeah, sounds about right.” He hesitates, letting the mug hover at the edge of his lips, before finally setting it down and clearing his throat. “So, um, I’m sure Johnny already did, but thank you for letting us stay. I know we were probably an inconvenience but it was nice of you anyway.”

You chuckle softly, looking toward Johnny whose shoulders were shaking with silent laughter. “It honestly wasn’t a problem at all. My couch is plenty comfortable and I’d rather you guys be somewhere safe than trying to navigate home that late at night.” You turn your eyes back down to your laptop and the thumbnail you’ve been editing for just over an hour.

The kitchen is quiet for a few moments, just the sound of you clicking around photoshop, Jaehyun setting his mug down, and Johnny beginning to plate the food he’s been cooking.

A peaceful atmosphere that gets interrupted by Johnny before even three minutes can pass.

“So, YN, what are you working on?”

You look up at your friend. Normally, you’d show him right away, but from the corner of your eye, you can see Jaehyun is also interested, and he’s the one person in the room that you don’t want to see.

“Uh, it’s just a thumbnail, but I won’t even be posting the video it goes to. So I guess it’s just practice.” You wave your hand around, trying to dispel the tension you’ve accidentally brought into the air.

“Why not?” Johnny sets the food down on the table, pulling out the last chair so he can drop himself on to it.

“Oh, um, well,” you take a deep breath. “There are just some people in the video that I don’t think would like it being posted. And I don’t wanna upset anyone or compromise their privacy, ya know?”

Johnny shrugs, reaching out to grab a piece of bacon from the big plate in the center of the table. “Ask them.”

You almost laugh. At this point, you’re completely avoiding Jaehyun’s eyes, choosing instead to stare at the software loaded on your computer. “I don’t want to bother them, Johnny.”

It’s quiet again, for all of 30 seconds before he scoots his chair closer to you and asks, “Can I see it at least?”

Before you can even get a response out, he turns your laptop toward him, looking over the thumbnail for a second, then bursts into laughter. “This is so good. Cmon, you have to use it! Jae, look.”

As you’re shaking your head, a panicked look on your face, Johnny moves your computer, showing the one person you really, really didn’t want to see.

You’re completely taken aback when Jaehyun actually lets out a laugh. Your eyes snap to his face, and as he looks over the picture loaded on your screen, he continues to laugh, pointing at little things that apparently he thinks are “so funny.” You almost jump out of your skin when he looks your way.

“What all happens in the video?”

“Oh, well, it’s the beer pong tournament. I was planning on editing out anything too crazy or inappropriate. But yeah, I just didn’t want to bother you or Yuta by asking if I could use the footage of you.”

Jaehyun leans back in the chair, a smile pulling at the corner of his lips. “I think you should post it.”

Your eyes bug out of your head, and you think Johnny may be doing the same, both completely baffled by his response. “Really? You’re sure?”

Jaehyun shrugs, leaning forward to grab bacon, a slightly smug set to his features. “Yeah. And Yuta would love it.”

Johnny watches his friend, confused and mystified, but for the moment, he doesn’t say anything. He lets you celebrate your small victory, and he lets Jaehyun eat contentedly.

|| Jaehyun hates youtubers, and you, a youtuber, have no idea why. ||

AU MASTERLIST

MAIN MASTERLIST

chap thirteen.2 || chap fifteen

TAGLIST !! @jaeshatshop @yuchansbaby @http-mewchuu @regular-everyday-normal-mf @anotherfullsun @smarkling @heyitsbreeeeee @jih-xn @chasingmarkles @ncvltrtchnlgy @stopitvpls @flowerbin131 @loeyplaylist @lokideadontheinside

[baoshan-sanren]

Part 10

to the fucking NieLan arranged marriage AU I can’t stop thinking about, that should really have a title by now

pt.1 here | pt.2 here | pt.3 here | pt.4 here | pt.5 here | pt.6 here | pt.7 here | pt.8 here | pt.9 here 

Three days later, the QiShan Wen spill into HeJian, and the Sect Leaders declare war.

It takes another three days for them all to gather in the Unclean Realm, and once they arrive, each one is worried about his own Sect, his own territory, each one determined to see the war as another treaty-making opportunity, out of which they mean to gain the most, without suffering any loses. The first day of these discussions is so unbearable, so infuriating, that MingJue swallows his pride, and asks XiChen to play the Song of Clarity in the evening. It is impossible to control his temper in face of so much stupidity, and he is afraid that a single slip-up may cost Sect Leader Yao his useless spine. XiChen asks no questions, and plays for him late into the night, until MingJue feels that he can breathe again.

The second day starts off on a better note. There are finally done with leadership arguments, the majority insisting that Nie MingJue is the only one capable of uniting them. Nie MingJue highly doubts that anyone can unite them, and he could not care less who will actually lead them. Three different reports of Wen movements have arrived since the sun rose that morning, and anything that is not planning for immediate response is, in his opinion, a colossal waste of time they can ill-spare.

He is determined to be patient. But an hour into the disagreement over their positions in YingChuan, Nie YongZhi shows up to inform him that HuaiSang has not yet shown up for the morning drills. Instantly, fury envelops him again, and he sends a servant scurrying to find his worthless little brother, who cannot even do the one simple thing MingJue has asked him to do.

Three days. All he needed to do is run the drills for three days, while MingJue is trapped in hell with the most unbearable group of men in the cultivation world. It is such a simple thing, to stand in the courtyard for two hours in the morning, and shout at disciples who fall out of line.

Moments later, HuaiSang rushes into the hall, XiChen at his back, and bows to the Sect Leaders.

Before MingJue can say anything at all, XiChen bows as well, “I take full responsibility for A-Sang’s tardiness. I have kept him in the morning lessons too long, and we both lost track of time. Please do not be angry.”

“Do not make excuses for him,” MingJue says.

He wants to be angry at them both, but it is impossible to be angry at XiChen. Just seeing him, his unruffled calm, his tranquil expression, eases the rigid tension across MingJue’s shoulders.

It suddenly occurs to him how ridiculous it is, that half-witted fools like Sect Leader Yao are being listened to, while Lan XiChen, who was to be the next Lan Sect Leader, is teaching MingJue’s hopeless little brother how to play the guqin.

“I am going right now, da-ge,” HuaiSang says quickly, already backing up to the courtyard entrance, “I will keep them longer to make up for the late start. Do not worry.”

With that, he practically runs, and some of the sect leaders chuckle under their breath at the sight.

XiChen turns to go, and MingJue is struck with an inspiration so sudden, he does not let himself think before calling out, “XiChen, do you have a moment.”

XiChen turns back, an uncertain smile hovering around his lips, “Of course. What can I do?”

“Take a look at this, and tell us what you think.”

MingJue can see Sect Leader Yao opening his mouth out of the corner of his eye, and shoots him a look so murderous that the old goat should have died on the spot. Whatever he had meant to say, Sect Leader Yao seems to change his mind, his mouth closing with a click.

XiChen approaches the table, on which the map is laid out, only the Wen Sect numbers and positions set in place, as they could not agree on anything else. He studies the map for some time, long enough that a few of the sect leaders begin to whisper among themselves, none of them brave enough to question MingJue, but most of them brave enough to ignore XiChen.

XiChen’s fingers trace the path along the border of ShuDong and YiLing, stop at LaoLing, then turn back. There is a tiny wrinkle in between his eyebrows, the one Nie MingJue knows intimately by now, and he cannot help but think how unreal it still feels, that this man is his husband, that this is someone MingJue is allowed to share his life with.

XiChen’s eyes lift to meet his, and MingJue chases those thoughts away.

“Do you truly wish to know?” XiChen asks, so softly, that it goes unnoticed by others.

“I do.”

XiChen sighs, and nods slightly, and MingJue slaps his palm on the table to get the others to quiet down.

“The large majority of their numbers are in HeJian,” XiChen says, eyes on the map, “There is no good reason for this, except to draw out the QingHe Nie to the north, to fight a battle over mostly uninhibited and worthless territory. Wen RuoHan is counting on MingJue being uncomfortable with their proximity, and expects him to react accordingly.”

“You do not think I should send men there,” MingJue says.

“No. You should take the Nie Sect and the Jiang Sect to the border just beyond KuiZhou. The majority of his force there has crossed the river. I do not think Wen RuoHan would have instructed them to do so; it is likely to be an action of some overenthusiastic commander who has never fought a war before. It looks like their main supply for that force is in MeiShan, and poorly protected. I would strike in three-- no, four places at once. But first, I would send the LanLing Jin to the HeJian border.”

An uproar is triggered by his words, and XiChen looks up, his expression surprised, as if he had forgotten that there was anyone else in the hall aside from MingJue and himself.

Jin GuangShan is standing, his beard practically quivering in ire, “Send my sect to HeJian? Why would I do such a thing? Did you not just say that the Nie should not go there themselves? What do you mean by this?”

“Quiet!” MingJue roars, loud enough to rattle the teacups, “If you can be quiet, instead of shouting like children, perhaps XiChen can explain it in a way you would understand.”

The indignation is palatable, more than one Sect Leader taking the appearance of a goosed chicken, with all their feathers throughly ruffled. Jiang FengMian however, has remained silent and thoughtful, and so has Lan QiRen.

XiChen glances at MingJue one more time, as if looking for reassurance, and goes on, “There will be no battle at HeJian. Wen RuoHan only intends to draw the Nie Sect there, so he can slice into YiLing before the Jiang Sect has a chance to seek help. Furthermore, he does not mean to cripple the LanLing in any way. I mean no offense, Sect Leader Jin, but your Sect is less valuable if damaged. Wen RuoHan means to leave you relatively untouched until the very end, and then force your hand in joining him, when you will have no other option. Sending the Jin Sect to HeJian would force him to reconsider all his plans, regardless of other circumstances. But there will be no time for him to do so, because--“

“Because he will be in the process of fighting both at MeiShan and KuiZhou,” MingJue finishes off, seeing it all neatly fall into place.

“Exactly,” XiChen nods, “I would send two of the smaller Sects to wait at MeiShan. The Nie Sect to attack KuiZhou from the east, and push the Wen into the river. The Jiang Sect to attack from the river, which only they can do with skill. The Wen will be caught between a hammer and an anvil, and none will consider running south, unless they lose their direction. MeiShan will be left undefended for a small window of time, just long enough to take the Yu Sect seat back, and all of the supplies the Wen depend on to hold that part of the south. By the time the news reaches him, Wen RuoHan will regret his power play in HeJian, and he will pull his forces back closer to the Nightless City. It is very likely that the Jin Sect will never have to fight,” he says, looking up at Jin GuangShan.

“What about the Lan Sect?” Lan QiRen says, his soft voice heavy in the silence.

“Here,” XiChen’s finger lands at an area some couple of hundred li outside YueYang.

“What is their purpose there?” Jin GuangShan exclaims, no longer capable of keeping silent, “It is not as if they can directly attack QiShan without being slaughtered.”

“No,” XiChen says, “They cannot reach QiShan from there. But in the confusion caused by the Nie and the Jiang attacks to the south, they can carve a slice deep enough into the Wen territory to accomplish something even more important.”

“Chaos,” MingJue says softly, staring at the place XiChen’s finger rested, “Coming on the heels of the Jin Sect showing up in HeJian, the Nie and the Jiang appearing KuiZhou, the loss of his supplies in MeiShan, the attack so close to the heart of YueYang will give Wen RuoHan no chance to consider his next move at length. He will have to react on multiple fronts, and hope that his lower command knows how to think on their feet.”

“I will wager that they do not,” XiChen smiles at him warmly, and MingJue feels his heart skip a beat.

“I am not so sure about this,” Jin GuangShan says, “I think we should reconsider before deciding.”

MingJue ignores him, “All those in favor?”

Jiang FengMian, Lan QiRen, and six of the seven small sect leaders voice their assent. MingJue gets to his feet.

“I would ask the honorable Sect Leaders who have grasped the battle plans fully, to explain it to those who have not. KuiZhou is quite far from QingHe Nie, and my Sect must make immediate preparations for departure. I trust you can find your way out.”

Taking XiChen by the elbow, he gently steers him out of the hall, and away from whatever unflattering nonsense Jin GuangShan is about to say.

“I should be the one to lead the Lan Sect,” XiChen says, and MingJue freezes mid-step, his heart crawling into his throat.

XiChen stops as well, and takes the hand that MingJue had wrapped around his elbow, gripping it in both of his. There are two spots of color, high in his cheeks, and there is something fervent in his gaze, something MingJue has never seen before.

“My uncle is too old,” he says quickly, words leaving him in a rush, “and WangJi is too young. Although I have married outside the Sect, the men who go to YueYang will be my peers, more likely to trust my judgment than my brother’s. I am the only one who knows how far we must go to cause the greatest possible chaos, and how to do so with the least loss of life. I can do this, better than anyone else. You know this.”

“I do,” MingJue says, and he does.

This war should be fought with XiChen at its helm. His intellect, his abilities, his temper, it is all more suitable to the role MingJue is so desperately trying to fill. XiChen is infinitely superior to him in every way. He is infinitely superior to any man MingJue has ever known.

“Then you know it must be me,” XiChen says, his hands hot around MingJue’s, “Let me do this.”

I love you, MingJue wants to say, but the words do not come out.

“All right,” he says instead, and sincerely hopes he does not live to regret it.

[color-me-malfoy]

TEN DUEL COMMANDMENTS: CHAPTER III

SUMMARY:

After the rumor spreads that The Dark Lord has returned, a tyrant woman called Dolores Umbridge takes over Headmaster Dumbledore’s position to run the school in a way where no one can speak against the Ministry. In the middle of all the chaos, Harry Potter approaches you saying that he wants you to help him in a secret mission to teach the students how to defend themselves in case The Dark Lord infiltrates the school. However, a certain platinum-haired boy from the Inquisitorial Squad is seeking every way to win you over to his side. So you’re stranded between what you believe in and what you think is right. And right now, you aren’t willing to wait for it.

CHAPTER 3: I WILL SEND A FULLY ARMED BATTALION TO REMIND YOU OF MY LOVE

“So that was what happened when you fell asleep in the library last year?” Ruth laughed as Lester blushed shyly and nodded.

“Well, I don’t go there as much now, because of the curfew. I often just go there to borrow and return books, now I just stay at the Great Hall and the Ravenclaw dormitories,” he explained, and Ruth nodded, listening intently.

“Well, Y/N and I spend our time a few tables from where you usually sit. Maybe you could come sit with us!” she invited him.

“I definitely will now,” he smiled.

They chittered away about life at Hogwarts, and wouldn’t have stopped if a boy hadn’t run up to them from behind, looking pale as Death.

“A-A-Are you Ruth Solari?” he cried, and they turned around. He shook her hand.

“R-Ron Weasley. It’s an emergency, I need your friend. Have you seen Y/N L/N? Harry said she might help-”

Lester frowned. “Oh, I’m sorry, but Y/N’s in Umbridge’s office right now, maybe later-”

“Oh, bloody hell!” He seemed to be panicking, and propped himself up on the nearest wall. “This is bloody disastrous!”

“What’s the matter?” Ruth asked.

“Ne-Neville Longbottom’s seemed to have taken a dose of Veritaserum!” He wailed. “T-t-truth potion!”

Ruth and Lester helped him up gently by the shoulders.

“He-he’s been bloody ranting about his grandmother a-and almost spilled out a really big secret, but he managed to get away before he said it,” Ron continued, wiping the sweat on his forehead.

“Get away from where?” Lester pressed on.

“From Miss Umbridge’s bloody office, of course!” He said, then let out a whine and slumped to the floor again. “Neville’s been throwing up in the bathroom for thirty minutes. Harry’s in the courtyard, go find him!”

=

You aren’t sure how long you were sitting there before she started, but Professor Umbridge’s stare at you didn’t seem to waver, even as she cleared her desk and rested herself promptly at the pink-cushioned seat.

The entire room screamed The Queen of Hearts at you, and you couldn’t help but remember what happened to Alice after she ate and drank all those different kinds of food.

So, better to be safe than sorry.

Your head perked up as she cleared her throat.

“Why so tense, dear? You look as if you've seen a dementor, I’m not going to do anything to you,” she squeaked sweetly in that shrill voice. 

Your shoulders relaxed at this, but only slightly. There was still a chance she was luring you into some kind of trap, and everyone knew her moral compass was less off a compass and more of a Wheel of Fortune.

“Why… Why am I here, Professor? I’ve done nothing but comply with all my schoolwork,” you asked, truly not knowing why she asked you to come here.

“Hmm, that is true. However, you’ve broken a rule by standing too close to Mister Harry Potter during break. Boys and girls-”

Are not permitted to stand within 6 feet of each other, you inwardly cursed at yourself for forgetting. You nodded at her words.

“I understand, Professor. I’m r-ready to accept my punishme-”

“However,” she waved away your apology, “Since it’s your first time breaking a school rule in all your years at Hogwarts-”

I’ve never broken a school rule before? Even you think that’s impossible.

“-I’ve decided to let you off for this one. I’ll just need to ask you a few questions, have some tea.”

You nodded again, and you wrapped your fingers around the cup when Livina’s voice echoed in your head, a word of warning.

Don’t drink it.

But why?

Don’t drink it.

Was Professor Umbridge trying to poison you? She couldn’t possibly do that, she’s your professor.

But why would she tell you not to drink it?

Don’t drink it.

Umbridge cleared her throat. “Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary here at Hogwarts?”

Don’t drink it.

The tea looked inviting, but you had to answer her question, so you slid the cup away.

“Well, no, not anything I recall,” you replied calmly.

Don’t drink it.

What does that mean?

“You’re absolutely pale, dear, the tea will calm you.”

Don’t drink it.

“I’m not frightened, Professor,” you assured her. “Is there anything else you need to ask?”

“Well, not anymore, but you look frightened, have a drink.”

Don’t drink it.

“I’m alright, Professor, it’s just that I have a sore throat,” you faked a cough.

Don’t drink it.

She furrowed her eyebrows. “Why won’t you drink it?” 

Don’t drink it.

She slid the cup over to you, the sound of the porcelain on the wood resembling a chalk scratching on a blackboard.

“Take a sip, it’s delicious.”

Don’t drink it.

“Professor, I don’t-”

“Take a sip, even just a little.” 

“Is there anything else you have to ask, Professor?”

Don’t drink it.

“What did Mister Potter talk to you about?”

“He just asked me if I had burn medicine.”

Don’t drink it.

“Anything else?”

“N-No, Professor,” you croaked.

Don’t drink it.

“Did he tell you anything about a student organization?”

“No, Professor.”

Don’t drink it.

“Have a cup of tea, L/N-”

“Professor, I appreciate the offer, but no thank you-”

Don’t drink it.

“Are you disobeying me?”

“Professor, i-it’s just a cup of tea-”

“Then drink it!”

Don’t drink it.

“I- alright!” You lifted the cup off the saucer and to your lips, about to take a sip-

The door slammed open.

“Professor,” Livina glared at you, but turned her gaze to Professor Umbridge. “There’s a commotion outside by the Staircase. We think it’s Mister Potter.”

“You’re excused,” Umbridge waved her hand away at you as she stood up and trotted out to the door, while Livina walked into the room as she looked you up and down.

“What’s going on outside?” you asked, bringing the cup to your lips again, but Livina snatched the cup from your hands.

“Say anything wrong,” she demanded.

“Wha-” you asked, but she cut you off with a zipping sound, then tapped your forehead as if checking for a fever.

“I said, say something wrong. Anything factually incorrect.”

“We- Um, uhh… h-h-humans can eat horses?”

“Oh, good, you’re alright,” She looked back at the cup in her hands, and hurled it into the fireplace, the tiny porcelain smashing into pieces, and the fire roaring into large flames.

“Livina!” you cried, jumping up from your seat. “Why did you do that?”

“You’re as stupid as Longbottom, L/N. How do you not know that there’s Veritaserum in every teacup she brews for her students?”

Your jaw dropped. “Truth potion? Wh-wha-”

“I only did this because it’s for a friend,” she bluntly replied. “Now get out before anyone sees.”

You turned back to her and took a second to realize what she did. She was a part of the Inquisitorial Squad, and if anyone found out, she might be in big trouble.

“You saved me,” you mumbled, then smiled with gratitude. “Tha-thank you.”

Her lips quirked up for a second, something between a smile and a smirk, but she scowled and waved her hand at you to go.

=

You panted as you reached the doors of the Great Hall. You looked up at the sound of someone screaming your name and saw three people running towards you.

Ruth, Lester, and-

Wait.

“Ruth, what is Harry doing with you?” You asked. “What happened?”

“What happened?” Ruth cried. “You’re the one who was at Umbridge’s office and you’re asking us what happened? There was-”

“Yes, I know there’s truth serum in her bloody tea. I’m alright, I didn’t get to drink it.”

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank God, if you had actually drunk that you would spill out all your biggest secrets.”

You turned to Harry. “Even yours?”

He sighed and nodded grimly. “But she-she didn’t give you detention or anything?”

You shook your head and showed him your clean wrists.

“How did you find out there was Veritaserum in the tea?” You asked.

“Neville Longbottom came out of the office a few minutes before you were called in,” Lester explained. “Ron Weasley here came to us looking for you.”

“Hey, Y/N L/N, Ron Weasley,” a ginger-haired boy offered his hand, and you took it.

“Well, what’s happening by the staircase? I heard there was a commotion.”

Harry gave you a puzzled look. “What? Y/N, are you sure you’re alright-”

“Livina came in just as I was about to drink the tea, saying there was a commotion by the staircase,” you explained.

“Nothing happened, Y/N,” Ruth rubbed your shoulder. 

“Wait, what?”

“Nope. Not a thing. Anyway,” she showed you a coin that looked exactly like the one you had in your pocket, “I’m part of Dumbledore’s Army right now.”

You gaped at her. “What? Ruth, what were you thinking-”

“So am I,” Lester coughed awkwardly from behind her.

You turned to Harry again. “Harry, I just got back from Umbridge’s office because she was asking me if you told me anything funny, and now you drag them into this?”

“They agreed!” Harry retorted. “Y/N, we need more people like you to fight the system.”

“We don’t need to fight the system, Harry, we need to change it! How sure are you that the rest of the school isn’t comfortable with Umbridge’s rules?”

“They aren’t, Y/N, that’s why we have the Dumbledore’s Army!” Lester defended.

“Besides,” Ruth said, “The only people who actually support Umbridge are Slytherin spoiled babies.”

“Did someone say Draco Malfoy?”

You heard him rather than saw him as he trotted over to your group, looking like a man on a mission with his henchmen Crabbe and Goyle. You inhaled, trying to keep your cool.

“Well, Potter, having a splendid time with the mudbloods, are you? Don’t all of you have some rooms to clean?”

“Shut up, Malfoy,” Ron glared at him, though you could see he was a little ashamed.

“Oh, hey there, Weaselbee,” Draco smirked, “How was detention?”

“Leave him alone, Malfoy,” Harry stepped in between them. "Why do you have to bother us?"

“Because you’re my favorite people, Potter! I’d go out of my way to check on my,” he flared his nostrils at the two of them, “friends.” He spat out the last word like a bitter medicine.

Harry surged forward. “I’d rather die than be your friend-”

“When will the both of you finally stop bickering like children?” You murmured, crossing your arms as you huffed in disgust.

Everyone was shocked at your words, even you. You felt a surge of pride as you saw Malfoy’s eye twitch in unchecked rage, but all that pride left you as he sauntered over to you slowly and you instinctively took a step back.

You tried to look away, but two fingers curled under your chin and tilted your face up to meet his gaze.

“Y/N,” he drawled, the sound of your name on his lips sending a lightly threatening shiver down your spine. He stepped closer to you, your chest literally pressed up to his.

“How was your little tea party with Professor Umbridge?” he asked, impishly smirking.

“I-I… well, she just told me that I was standing within six feet of Harry, but she let me off since it was my first time breaking a school rule,” you mumbled. Well, it wasn’t entirely a lie, wasn’t it?

“I see, well, I just hope it’s not the last.”

You could see fumes coming out of Ruth’s ears.

“What did that mean? Hey, Mal-face, what did that mean?!” She nearly pounced on him if Lester hadn’t held her back. Harry walked over, but with a flick of Malfoy’s wrist Crabbe and Goyle stood in his way.

“Anyway, if you know your priorities, I suggest you come meet me, tomorrow, at the carriages taking us to Hogsmeade. I’d like to have a chat with you.”

Without breaking eye contact with you, he flicked his wrist again and Crabbe and Goyle stepped away from Harry and to Draco’s side, as they left the Great Hall, their robes fluttering behind, adding a dramatic flair.

Ron and Harry were still glaring holes into Draco’s back, and Lester finally let Ruth go.

Ruth pulled you into a hug. “Oh, Merlin, I’m going to strangle that boy the next time I get the chance.”

“Hey, don’t worry,” you laughed. “He didn’t hurt me or anything, right?”

“Yeah, but Draco’s a bully in nature, who knows what else he’s got under his sleeve.”

"But he asked me nicely if I wanted to talk with him tomorrow at Hogsmeade," you replied.

"You're not going," Ron ordered.

You and Ruth turned to him.

"Excuse me for being rude, Mister Weasley," Ruth raised an eyebrow, "but I don't think you have the right to tell her which affairs she can go to or not."

“Well, I think I know which people are bloody gits! Y/N, it’s for your sake!”

The three of you argued about whether you would go or not when Harry snapped his fingers to get your attention.

“Y/N, I know you don’t exactly agree with me yet, but we could arrange some kind of quid pro quo. Do you guys mind if we all take this conversation somewhere… more private?”

======

TAGLIST: @slytherin-chaser​

[weirdlyokaywithit]

Kiss the Girl pt 2

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Warnings: smutty thoughts, Disney princesses, swearing, smart ass remarks

This is the second part of @valkyriesryde’s writing challenge, this is late but better late than never. 

 _________________________________

You woke with a start, a scream tearing out of your throat and tears pouring down your face. Hands fisted in sheets, you were absolutely drenched in sweat and your chest was heaving.

“It’s not real, it’s not real, it’s not real,” you whispered to yourself. 

Your clock glared 3:42AM in neon green letters, you knew you weren’t going to be able to go back to sleep. After a few deep breaths to steady your breathing and heart rate, you swung your legs out and got up from your bed. You decided to go ahead and start your day, the gym would likely be empty since it was the middle of night. 

After pulling on workout clothes, you took the elevator down to the gym and upon entry JARVIS greeted you and asked if you would like your usual workout playlist. After Kevin Gates started blaring through the speakers, you took a shot of pre-workout and started your warm-up. You were already pouring sweat when the doors to the elevator opened and revealed a tired Bucky Barnes, you called for JARVIS to pause the music. When the music stopped, you sat on one of the benches and Bucky shuffled over to sit next to you. 

“Do you wanna talk about it?” He asked softly. 

“Just another nightmare,” you replied, wiping sweat from your brow and swigging out of a water bottle. 

“Can I workout with you?” Bucky asked. 

“You know you don’t have to ask me that, I told you when you got here that you could workout with me any time you want,” you replied, giving him a nudge with your elbow. 

“I’ve seen your workouts, you trying to torture yourself?” Bucky joked.

He wasn’t wrong necessarily, your workouts were designed to push your body so that your mind would stop. You stood up and laughed, you walked over to the free weights section and set up for an intense leg day now that Bucky was joining you. You both got to work on lifting and the silence didn’t bother you like you thought it would, the grunts and semi-laboured breathing. 

“I can’t go back to sleep, after they happen,” you said, softly. 

Bucky’s ocean eyes found mine, he sucked in a deep breath and pushed through the rest of his set before the bar hit the floor. 

“I can’t either, they just start all over again,” Bucky replied, he wiped sweat from his forehead with his forearm. 

You nodded, “Do you think we’ll ever not have them?” 

Bucky’s face softened at the sound of your words, you could see that he was just as tired of plaguing nightmares as you were. He strode the few feet over to stand in front of you and placed his hand on your shoulder, you leaned into the contact. 

“I gave up hope a long time ago, I hope that you don’t have them forever,” his words were low and they wrapped around you warmly. 

Tears welled in your eyes and he pulled you into his arms, his large hand softly stroking your hair as he shushed you. You wound your arms tightly around his waist and held on like he was your lifeline as you silently cried into his chest. He crooned your name in your ear, and swayed with you softly back and forth. Your tears slowly stopped and you just let him hold you like that, it was so intimate and it felt… right being that close to him. You forced yourself to pull away from his arms and wipe your face off.

“Wanna spar now?” You asked, avoiding his eyes. 

The two of you sparred for hours, until Steve eventually came down looking for you two, you were both a mess, gasping for air and disheveled. Bucky would spar with you until you couldn’t take anymore, that was why you two always worked well on missions together. Steve made you and Bucky hit the shower and then show up on time for breakfast, insisting that Tony was gonna have your heads if you weren’t on time. 

After breakfast you decided you needed some downtime and so you ended up in the media room binging Criminal Minds. You were a good six episodes in when JARVIS greeted Bucky as he walked in, your head popped up over the back of the couch and saw him leaning against the doorway. You immediately paused the episode and motioned for him to come sit with you. 

“You can come watch with me if you want, it’s a little dark but the character development is honestly worth getting through some of the freaky parts,” you said as Bucky plopped down next to you. Bucky motioned for you to hit play and he snorted as soon as he saw Reid, and glanced over at you with a small smirk on his face. 

“Yeah, now I see what you were talking about, Y/N, you’re really here for the character development,” He snarked.

“Hey, now, you may think Spence is a dork but that man has three PHDs, and he could throw me around any day,” you joked. 

Bucky snorted and shoved you, “Hey now! I don’t have three PHDs and I throw you around almost everyday.” 

You burst into laughter at that and Bucky couldn’t help but join in after you started wheezing and tears came leaking out. It was JARVIS announcing Sam and Steve behind you that had yours and Bucky’s laughter coming to a halt, they were both holding giant bowls and Steve had a hold of one of Tony’s fedoras. 

“Lady and gentlemen, it is now time for our next movie showing. Bucky you need to draw so we can get this show on the road,” Sam said jovially. 

Bucky rolled his eyes and stuck his hand behind him, Steve moved so his hand was in the hat and Bucky dramatically drew the piece of paper out. He opened it and announced that we would now be watching Beauty and the Beast, you grinned because you knew Bucky would like some parts of this film. Even you could admit that Beauty and the Beast was pretty good, it had funny moments and wholesome ones. 

“YES! Now, tin man, you just need to prepare to be wowed by the GREATEST princess movie of all time!” Sam crowed and plopped on the other couch.

“Yeah, yeah, bird brain, pipe down over there and let the movie speak for itself,” you reminded Sam.

Steve chuckled, “JARVIS, please start Beauty and the Beast.”

“Of course, Mr. Rogers,” JARVIS responded and the Disney music started. 

Bucky scooched closer to you and eventually his shoulder was touching your own, the contact sent the usual butterflies into a frenzy and goosebumps started down your back. You watched as the beautiful Belle sang her way through the village and tried to ignore the nagging voice in your head that was telling you to lay your head on Bucky’s broad shoulder. After continuing to watch absentmindedly, a large warm hand landed on your thigh just above your knee. Your eyes snapped to Bucky’s hand currently on your leg, thumb softly rubbing circles just above your knee sending electric pulses straight to your core. You peered over at him through your lashes, his eyes were locked on the screen but his lips were pulled into a soft smirk. 

God, his lips, they were so damn distracting, he was so damn distracting. All you could think about were his lips kissing their way down your neck, breasts, and stomach to the one place you needed them most. You wanted to tangle your fingers through his chestnut locks and ride his tongue like your life depended on it. You felt a rush of wetness between your thighs and you bit your lip as you prayed that he would never stop rubbing his thumb in those delicious circles on your skin. 

You snapped your attention back to reality when Bucky leaned over and whispered in your ear, “Okay, Sam might have you on this one, doll. I mean seriously, the teacup, c’mon?” 

“Oh chill out, you haven’t even started to witness greatness yet,” you whispered back.

Bucky chuckled softly and his warm breath lingered for just a second and you relished having his mouth so close to you, relished the feeling of Bucky Barnes whispering in your ear. You smiled softly at the man next to you and he returned it with a cheeky grin, his hand giving your thigh a tiny squeeze. You trained your eyes on the screen in front of you and forced yourself to watch the rest of the movie wtih wild thoughts about Bucky running through your mind. Before you knew it, Tale as Old as Time started pouring through the speaker and you took a deep breath. 

As soon as the credits started rolling, Bucky’s hand slid up your thigh before it left your leg and he looked over at you with a goofy grin on his face. The sight of his smile made your heart skip a beat or maybe stutter, you couldn’t decide which but your heart was going haywire. The lights flicked on overhead and you stretched your arms over your head before getting up, Sam was serenading the room with his rendition of Be Our Guest. You and Bucky shared a look before both snickering at your friend, Steve was by the door shaking his head. 

“So, tin man, what did you think of my pick? It was wonderful, wasn’t it?” Sam goaded, giving Bucky a small shove. 

“Birdman, there was a talking candlelabra,” Bucky snorted, and you grinnned. 

“Oh, don’t you talk about my man, Lumiere liike that!” Sam exclaimed. 

Steve laughed heartily as you mocked Sam behind his back, he spun around and you quickly dropped all expression from your face but it was too late he definitely saw you. Sam scooped you up around your knees and tackled you into the couch, you cried out in surprise and before you knew it Sam was ripped off of you and Bucky was standing worriedly close. 

“Y/N, are you okay?” He asked, concern written all over his face.

“Yeah, I’m fine, seriously it was more of a shocked sound than anything,” you reassured him and took the hand he offered to help you up. 

“But, I am starving so can we get food?” You asked with a playful smile.

Bucky grinned and motioned for you to lead the way so you did, heading up to the shared level. While everyone was in the elevator, you bickered about what to eat and none of you could agree so you decided to just do your own thing. 

____________________________________________

Part Three will be up soon! Comment and leave me some feedback :)

[ficsnroses]

Worth it - Keanu Reeves x Reader

You know I love some domestic Keanu. Enjoy this fluff fest! :)

Word Count : 1308

Warnings : slight mention of suicidal thoughts. 

Requested : No

Summary : Reader comes home to a sleepy Keanu and their daughter cuddled up on the couch.

Jiggling her keys through the lock, Y/N struggles to open the door to her house, grocery bags in hand. The wind was blowing furiously outside, propelling crisp auburn leaves through the atmosphere. Once inside, Y/N sighed of relief, shimmying out of her ankle boots, hanging her coat and bulky scarf on the coat hanger, and placing her keys in the key bowl. The house was awfully quiet, a sudden contrast to the whirlwind of chaos racketing outside.

           “Hello?” She called out, anticipating an answer back.

When no one responded, Y/N padded her way into the kitchen to place the bags atop the counter. It was around 5:30pm, meaning she should probably start making dinner soon. But where was everyone?  She had left the house still occupied, just stepping out to grab a few bits and pieces for a baking project later in the week. With an exhale of a breath, she turned on her toes grabbing her phone off the counter to text her husband, Keanu.

           She heard the phone ding somewhere around her, perhaps it was from the living room? Following the noise, she shuffled out of the kitchen, putting her hair into a messy bun in the process. In the following moments, Y/N found herself placed at the living room door, gazing at the most beautiful sight she could possibly have ever set her eyes on. A sight that set her heart so at awe, she couldn’t help but rest her head against the doorframe, taking in the complete and utter sincerity that surrounded the room.

           Tucked away on the sofa lay her husband Keanu and 3-year-old daughter, Lilly, both softly snoring away tangled in each other’s embrace. Keanu was sitting upright in the middle of the sofa, his head leaned back, lips slightly parted. With her arms wrapped tightly around her father’s neck, and her tiny cheek rest upon his chest lay Lilly, her tiny snores filling the room. Keanu had his arms around her fragile little figure, unconsciously protecting her from any harm. He had covered her with her absolute favourite knitted yellow blanket. She slept with it every single night, and loved having it near her at all times. Over the floor you saw many of her favourite stuffed animals and dolls scattered about, with tiny teacups and saucers mindlessly placed, indicating Keanu and Lilly must have had a tea party while you were out. Lilly absolutely adored her dad, and she would cherish every moment spent with him, wishing he would never leave her again.

           Keanu had been away for a few weeks, and recently just got back a few days prior. He despised being away from his two favourite girls, but his work demanded it be that way. Sleeping alone in hotel rooms, knowing his family was home awaiting his arrival back had always left him with a displeasing feeling. There was only so much a phone call before bed could do, sometimes he would read his daughter a bedtime story over FaceTime, or tell her stories of the experiences he had on set during the day. Wishing Y/N a quiet “goodnight”, and exchanging “I love you honey,” ‘s over the phone hadn’t sufficed, and he would often spend the rest of the night tossing and turning, constantly wishing the spot on the bed beside him wasn’t cold and empty, rather blessed with her presence and warmth.

           Y/N stared for a few more moments, trying her best to take in the moment, almost hoping to snap a mental picture. A picture she could frame and store away in her mind forever, because moments like this exact one, were perhaps what she had been destined to stick around for. Wonderful, doting, tender, astounding moments like this.

           Y/N hadn’t had an easy life growing up, her parents divorce had possibly left her unable to imagine a happy ending for herself. She wallowed in self pity throughout her teenage years, constantly being faced with the worst of times. On a few occasions, she had even considered if the world would change if she wasn’t in it. If perhaps she disappeared, leaving everything behind, would it be the worst? But she didn’t. She was able to pull through the worse, able to overcome her doubts. And in moments like this, in moments where it felt that everything in the world was pure, everything was right and had fallen into place exactly where it needed to be, she felt a sense of accomplishment. A sense of complete gratitude for what her life had equaled out to be.

           Y/N saw her entire world in front of her. She saw the two people who gave her purpose, snuggled away together, in such ease and tranquility. She felt so full in that moment, so endeared. She couldn’t resist herself.

           She quietly tip toed towards the couch, softly setting herself beside Keanu. With her hand as light as a feather, she brushed the back of it against Lilly’s cheek, her smile growing even more when Lilly leaned into her touch unknowingly. Y/N ran her hand through Lilly’s soft, maple coloured hair, leaning in to give her a heartfelt kiss on the side of her head. She couldn’t believe she had created this most beautiful, most special, most perfect thing.

           She then turned her gaze to Keanu, grinning even more at the sight of how silly his head looked, slouched back with his partly brunette kissed hair fluttering in his eyes. She lightly took a hold of his hand, bringing it up to her face and kissed it lovingly. Gosh, she was so lucky to have this amazing, wonderful gentleman all to herself.

           She grabbed Keanu’s bicep and snuggled herself into his side, one of her arms laced around his, holding onto him, and her other free hand soothingly rubbing up and down Lilly’s back. This was paradise. Her own, personal paradise.

           Keanu’s eyes fluttered open, his head snapping back up.

           “Woah, what time is it?” He asked, slightly confused, his brows furrowing together.

           “Shhhh!” Y/N whispered, brining her index finger up to his lips. She then pointed down at Lilly, who was still peacefully snoozing away, wrapped in the arms of a much bigger, almost giant teddy bear like Keanu.

           Keanu smiled down at her, his eyes so evidently flooded with love and admiration for his little girl. He then turned his face to Y/N, smiling down with his eyes on her lips.

           “Hey gorgeous. Guess we dozed off waiting for you.” He said with his voice in a low whisper.

           “Looks like you two had fun.” She said back, slightly above a whisper.

           Caressing his cheek in her hand, she leaned up and placed a kiss just to the side of his jaw, softly scratching away at his scruffy beard. He placed his large hand over hers, lacing it with his.

           “Yeah, we did.” He smiled down at Lilly. “Gosh, I never want her to grow up. I want her to always stay this way, willing to have tea cup parties with her old man.” He ran his free hand through her hair, his thumb brushing against her forehead.

           Y/N cuddled into his side more, loving the feeling of being surrounded by the two loves of her life. “She’ll grow up, but she’ll never outgrow her love for you. I promise.” She said, still smiling away, staring down at Lilly as well.

           “And I..” Keanu spoke in a matter of fact way, “Will never out grow my love for you.” He rest his chin on top of her head. “Thanks for this wonderful life, Y/N.” he said.

           They both stared each other eye in eye for a few seconds, before pressing a brief, emotion filled kiss to their lips.

           “It feels great to be home again.” He whispered, pulling her closer.

           “Yeah, it feels great to be home.” She replied.

[strcwberryfields]

❤ - eleanor and scott

i went crazy and stupid

1. Eleanor sat in the courtyard with Josie during lunch, popping bubblegum and giggling as she pulled a note from her chemistry textbook that Scott had dropped into her locker that morning. Unfolding the ripped notebook paper in her hands, she lowered her voice to read the short note of affection to Josie. 

“So he’s really like, yer boyfriend, aye?” Josie said, raising her eyebrows and blowing a large bubble with her gum that Eleanor popped with a pen. “Oi!” 

“Of course he’s my boyfriend, I already told you that,” Eleanor said, the same dreamy smile stretching across her face that appeared any time she started to talk about Scott and how they’d recently decided to officially be together. She noted the amused grin on Josie’s face and cocked an eyebrow. “What’s so funny about that?” 

“Never thought’d I’d see the day that Scott Blackwood would be somebody’s boyfriend, I guess,” she chuckled. “Good on ye, babe. Many a hen have tried and failed,” Josie said with a smirk. Eleanor waved a flippant hand in the air and rolled her eyes, despite her blushing cheeks. “Oh, smitten little kitten ye are. You’re totally in love him already!” Josie teased, giving Eleanor’s cheek a hard enough pinch to make her laugh. 

“We’ve only just started going out! I—I’m not!” Eleanor stammered, though her heart raced and her palms felt sweaty. She gave Josie a warning look before dissolving into giddy laughter that echoed through the schoolyard. 

—

2. Furious and scribbling on a piece of paper she’d ripped from her journal, Eleanor sat at her tiny university desk alone in her room. Scott’s letter was lined with creases from Eleanor balling it up and throwing it into the bin before she fished it out and unravelled it, sitting in front of her and taunting her as she wrote back to him—even if it was clear that he didn’t want her to. She knew she probably wouldn’t send it anyway. 

That’s it? It’s just over because you say it’s over. I don’t want to stop writing to you. The thought of never hearing from you again is making me sick. I’m nauseous right now as I write this. Don’t I get a say in this? You always think you know what the right thing to do is. Well guess what? You don’t. You’re not always right Scott. You always think you have to be strong or alone or whatever else it is you’ve convinced yourself of—but you don’t. But fine. If that’s what you want. You know what I want. I couldn’t be more clear in every letter. And you’ve ruined me forever for any other boy that comes along no matter how much I feel like I hate you right now. And I do feel like I hate you. And when I'm done hating you all that's left will be— 

“Ugh!” Eleanor sounded, slamming her pen down against her decades old desk and standing up to pad over to her bed, flopping down on her stomach. Though like a moth to a flame, she crawled back to the edge of her bed and plucked Scott’s letter—his last letter to her—and reread it for what felt like the hundredth time. “I hate you Antimony,” she grumbled under her breath, tears welling her eyes again. Though she knew if that were true, it wouldn’t hurt so much. 

— 

3. “It’s such a shame about Henry, darling. What a fine young man he was,” Natalie tutted, stirring her tea as she sat across from Eleanor at their drawing room table in London. Eleanor stacked sugar cubes into little pyramids on her saucer, earning her an exasperated expression from her mother. She knocked down the pyramids and dropped the sugar cubes back into the china bowl in front of her. “Are you sure you couldn’t work things out with him?” 

“I’m sure mum,” Eleanor sighed. Ever since she’d broken up with Henry last month, Natalie found a way to bring him up exactly when Eleanor wanted to talk about it the least. “I told you, we just grew apart. And I’m fine with it, really. I’m okay,” she insisted, because that was mostly true. 

“I really still don’t understand why. I thought he was rather perfect for you,” Natalie said, her shiny bracelets jingling softly as she waved a hand towards Eleanor. As if she would know anything about who would be right for Eleanor.

“I just said why, we grew—“ 

“I suppose I’m just shocked considering how horrendously you handled our departure from Scotland,” Natalie interjected. Eleanor felt like she’d just gotten the wind knocked out of her. She knew exactly what Natalie was referring to, and wanted to roll her eyes at her very obvious side-step to not mention Scott’s name. “Sometimes I still think you’re in love with that boy.” Eleanor’s mouth fell open and she stared at her mother with wide eyes. Natalie placed her teacup down and the corner of her mouth twitched in a way that indicated to Eleanor that she wanted to make one of her infamous unsavory comments.

“Scott. And I’m not. Don’t worry,” Eleanor rushed. “I haven’t thought about him in years,” she lied, swallowing down the rest of her tea and swiftly excusing herself from the drawing room.

—

4. Maybe it was wrong of Scott and Eleanor to continue seeing each other so much. They’d just patched things up again after Eleanor had gotten into a fight with Ivy at the employee bonfire, and they were both seeing other people. Seeing other people, however, was about as gray of an area as Eleanor had ever experienced. She might argue that she and Scott were seeing each other too, as he was right in front of her, smoking a cigarette in her line of vision. He looked so good, and Eleanor found herself distracted by his lips while he was speaking.

“Hello? Lenore?” Scott laughed.

“What?” 

“I asked ye a question.”

“Oh! Sorry I—what was the question?” She said, feeling caught. The way he was looking at her made her feel like he was actually reading her mind, and he knew that she’d been fantasizing about him. 

“Am I really that boring?” He asked, a smirk curling up on his lips. 

“Oh, please, stop it,” Eleanor chuckled, waving a hand at him. “Work was just tiring today. I’m sleepy,” she whined, resting her head in her hand. 

“Uh-huh, sure,” Scott said, nodding dramatically. 

“You’re an arsehole.” She rolled her eyes, despite the grin on her face. 

“Ye love me,” he huffed, blowing out a long stream of smoke and flashing her a smile.

“You wish, Antimony,” Eleanor countered, feeling caught once again. 

—

5. “—and his boat is fantastic. When he bought it it was basically falling apart and it looks brand new now,” Eleanor explained to her father on the phone. 

“That’s brilliant!” Aslan enthused. There was a beat of silence on the phone, and he spoke again. “How unbelievable this world is that you’ve ran into him on the other side of the planet.” 

Eleanor sighed twirling a curl around her finger and looking out of her bedroom window. “I know. I should’ve told you and mum sooner. It was just so—I don’t know. So weird and well, you know mum and—I thought maybe I truly had gone completely mad for real this time and made it up in my head,” she laughed awkwardly. 

“You sound happy, love.” Eleanor could hear the smile on his face through his voice. And she felt herself smiling too. 

“I am,” she said, and she felt that maybe another day she might tell him an abridged and absolutely G-rated version of everything that happened between her and Scott before now. Even if things were still so confusing, at least she was happy. After last night on his boat, she was extraordinarily so. She’d kept her father on the phone with her for the last half hour talking about it, about Scott and how wonderful she thought he was.

“That lad always made you quite happy, didn’t he?” Aslan mused. 

“I—of course,” she replied, feeling her cheeks warm. Maybe she was a little embarrassed that she was so helplessly and blatantly in love with Scott as a teenager that her father remembered how crazy she was about him.

“I’m chuffed it seems that he still does,” he chuckled, and Eleanor groaned in embarrassment. “Do you still love him?” Aslan asked quietly, and Eleanor’s mouth ran dry. 

“Dad!” she squeaked. “We’re friends I told you, oh my god.” Eleanor rushed and rolled her eyes at Aslan’s loud and hearty laughter on the other end of the line. 

—

+1. Standing in Scott’s kitchen with his t-shirt on and sipping tea, Eleanor chatted away on the FaceTime to Josie in the early morning hour. She peeked through the doorway into his bedroom and smiled at his figure lying in bed, still sleeping in some miraculous turn of events in which she was the first one to wake. She did her best to keep her voice down, despite wanting to laugh after every other thing Josie said. 

“Ye sound just like ye did when we were wee lassies in school,” Josie snickered, wagging her eyebrows at Eleanor through the phone. 

“I feel like I did then too,” she agreed with a giddy smile.

“So fuckin’ precious, Christ,” she chuckled. 

“I just love him so much,” Eleanor said helplessly, and Josie grinned. 

“Aye, don’t I know it,” she said with a wink. “Alright babe, I’ve got to go, but I’ll text ye soon.” 

Eleanor and Josie exchanged their goodbyes and she put her phone on the kitchen counter next to her half-finished mug of tea before padding quietly back to Scott’s bed and doing her best not to wake him up. Still, he stirred a little, pulling her in by her waist so her back was flush against his chest. “I love you so much too, Len,” he mumbled against her neck.

“Little eavesdropper,” she tutted, and he huffed a laugh as Eleanor closed her eyes to fall back asleep.