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jetii · 2 months ago

Text

Charting A New Course

Pairing: Tech x fem!Reader / Tech x Jedi!Reader

Words: 6,219

Tags/Warnings: fluff, hurt/comfort, kissing and cuddling, Tech being a cutie bc that’s mandatory

Summary: You and Tech adjust to your new life together, and to your new home on Pabu.

A/N: For Anne @baddest-batchers 💙 Ily and thank you so much for the inspo, your continuous support, and for being such a light in this fandom!! This is set 2-3 months after the first two installments in the Tech x Sarad series(?). Chronologically it’s part 4 since there will be another (nsfw) part out next week.

Previous Work | Next Work | Masterlist

It's strange for Tech to feel out of his depth, but the truth is, he is.

He's never been good at understanding people. Their thoughts, their actions, their feelings...they're a mystery to him. He's spent years trying to solve the puzzle, but there are too many pieces missing. Too many variables, too many unknowns.

He's given up, mostly. Decided that, sometimes, there are just things that are better left alone.

But, now, he has to try again. Because it's different. He's different.

And Sarad...

Well, Sarad is the biggest puzzle of them all.

You're the most intriguing, most confounding, most wonderful thing he's ever encountered. And he wants nothing more than to solve you. To unlock the mysteries of your heart, and to find out why you do the things you do. Why you stay.

Why you love him.

He knows, logically, that there are no simple answers. That, like the universe, your motivations are vast and complicated, and that they can't be distilled down to a single line of code. But, still, he wonders. He wonders, and he questions, and he hopes. He hopes, with a fierce desperation that surprises even him, that you'll never leave.

But, sometimes, he can't help but worry that, eventually, you will. That, one day, you'll realize that you're better off without him. That you'll grow tired of him, or bored, or frustrated, or simply change your mind. That you'll decide that the life he can offer you isn't enough. That the stars aren't worth it.

He worries, but he doesn't say anything. He's learned, through countless cycles, that the best way to solve a problem is to approach it objectively. That, sometimes, the answers aren't as clear as they seem.

So, instead, he does what he does best.

He observes.

Tech studies you, and watches you, and tries to understand. And, over time, he learns. He learns your habits, your likes and dislikes, your favorite foods and the songs you hum when you think no one's listening. He learns what makes you laugh, and what makes you angry, and what makes your eyes light up with joy. The things he never noticed, or never paid attention to, or never thought to ask about. He learns them all.

And, slowly, he begins to feel more comfortable around you. More secure.

Because, no matter how confusing you may be, you're always consistent.

You're quiet, and calm, and patient. You listen, and you watch, and you observe, just as much as he does. You understand him in a way that no one else does, and you never judge him for his oddities. You seem to appreciate them more than anything. And, sometimes, he finds himself doing things just because he knows you'll find them amusing. More so lately than ever.

He finds it curious, and slightly alarming, that he's beginning to change. That his habits are shifting, and his priorities are rearranging, and that his feelings are becoming clearer.

But, most of all, he finds it intriguing.

Because, now, when you smile, or laugh, or brush a strand of hair out of his face, he doesn't look away. He doesn't shy away from your touch, or avert his gaze. He holds it. And, when he does, his pulse quickens, and his cheeks flush, and his lips twitch upwards, almost without him noticing. He doesn't understand why, but it's become a habit, and one he doesn't mind indulging in.

You seem to notice the change, and you seem delighted by it. But, rather than question him about it, or draw attention to it, you simply smile. A small, knowing smile. One that's both pleased and mischievous, and one that makes his heart stutter.

You're smiling at him like that now. Tech knows he's been caught staring, and while it would normally annoy him, this time, he finds that he doesn't mind. In fact, he quite enjoys it.

He smiles back, a small twitch of his lips, and feels his heart beat a little faster. You're radiant, and beautiful, and his. You're his. And, somehow, the idea doesn't frighten him as much as it used to.

"What are you thinking about?" you ask, tilting your head slightly.

"You," he replies, his voice soft.

Your smile widens, and you lean in, pressing a kiss to his cheek. You reach in front of him, using your hand to push the last of the vegetables from your cutting board into the stew for him. He's been making an attempt to learn how to cook, and he's been finding it a useful distraction from his racing thoughts. Still, though, his focus isn't on the food. It's on you. Always on you.

"Any specific thoughts, or just general observations?"

"General, mostly," he replies, watching you as he stirs the mixture. "You seem happy."

"I am," you reply. "It's a good day."

"How can you tell?”

It's not a challenge. He's genuinely curious. You're always so calm, and serene, and at peace with the universe, and he's still trying to figure out how you manage it. He knows that part of it is the Force, and your connection to it, but there's more to it than that. There has to be.

"Hmmm..." You glance up at the ceiling, as if the answer is written on the wood. "It's hard to explain. I guess...I just feel it."

"That's not very scientific," he says, his lips twitching upwards. "Do you have any evidence to back up your claim?"

"None that you would accept," you chuckle. "But, I can tell. Just like you can tell when a storm is coming, or a plant needs more water. It's a feeling. An intuition."

"I see," he murmurs, his eyes drifting towards the window. It's overcast, and the wind is picking up, and the air is heavy with the scent of rain. It's the kind of day that usually has him retreating into his bunk, or burrowing into his work. The kind of day where he seeks out comfort and shelter and warmth.

"Don't worry," you say as if reading his thoughts. "We have a few hours before it starts. And the greenhouse should hold up. I reinforced the roof and walls yesterday."

"I didn't realize," he says, surprised, and he turns back to you. "I must have been distracted."

"It's alright," you assure him. "I know you were busy."

"With what?"

"Whatever was going on in that brilliant mind of yours," you say with a grin. You nudge him gently with your hip, and he feels his cheeks flush. "I didn't want to interrupt. You were so focused on whatever you were working on."

"I apologize," he murmurs. "I shouldn't have—"

"It's fine," you interrupt, placing a hand on his arm. "I know you get lost in your thoughts sometimes. It's nothing to apologize for. Besides, you needed the quiet."

He smiles at that. You always seem to know when he needs space. When his mind is too full, and his thoughts are too loud, and the only way to escape them is to lose himself in work. You've become an expert at reading his moods, and at taking care of him. And, even though it took him a while to adjust and accept it, he finds that he doesn't mind.

"Thank you," he says, his voice sincere. "You're always so thoughtful."

"Of course," you murmur, and your gaze drifts back towards the window.

He follows it, and his eyes settle on the clouds that are starting to gather on the horizon. The sky is a dark gray, and the air is cold and damp, and there's a faint rumble of thunder in the distance.

"I'd do anything for you, Tech.”

Tech pauses, his spoon hovering over the pot. The words are soft, and sincere, and they send a shiver down his spine. Because he knows you mean them. He knows, in his heart, that you'd never lie to him. Not about something like this.

He's not sure how to respond, but he doesn't have to, because you're already continuing.

"I like seeing you like this," you say, a smile tugging at your lips. You turn away from the window, your eyes meeting his. "At peace. Happy."

"I like being like this," he replies. He lets the spoon rest against the rim of the pot and reaches out to take your hand. Your fingers interlace, and he marvels at how perfectly they fit together. At how easy it is, now, to express his affection. It's still not second nature, but it's not as difficult as it used to be. Not with you. "With you."

"You're different, lately," you note. "More...relaxed. I like it."

"Is that so?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," you laugh. "It's nice."

"I suppose I have you to thank for that," he murmurs, his thumb rubbing absent-minded circles on your skin. "You've had quite the influence on me."

"Is that a good thing?"

"It is," he says, and the certainty in his voice surprises him. He doesn't question it, though. "I'm trying to learn how to let go. To be content with the here and now, and to not always be thinking about the future."

"Well, you're doing a good job," you praise, and your smile is brighter than the sun. "I'm proud of you."

"You are?"

"Yes," you say. "You're learning, evolving. Like a flower opening to the light."

Tech huffs a laugh. "That's an...unusual metaphor."

"But a fitting one," you point out, leaning into him.

"Perhaps," he admits. "Although if I were a plant, I would hope to be something more interesting than a flower."

"Like what?"

"Something useful," he muses. "A tomato, perhaps."

You laugh, loud and bright, and the sound makes his chest swell. He loves your laugh. It's warm, and full, and contagious. It fills him with a strange kind of joy, and he feels his lips twitch upwards.

"Only you would want to be a vegetable," you say, shaking your head in amusement.

"A tomato is a fruit," he corrects quickly. Both because he’s unable to resist, and because he knows you don’t mind and that he’ll find your response amusing.

"Oh, of course," you say with an exaggerated eye-roll. He smiles. "My apologies. A fruit, then."

"You are forgiven," he replies, a teasing lilt to his voice.

Tech leans over and presses a kiss to your temple. He's not sure why, but the urge strikes him, and he doesn't resist. He's learned by now that there are some impulses he should listen to. Especially when they involve you. Especially when it means he can feel your warmth, and the smoothness of your skin, and the way your breath hitches at the contact.

You tilt your head to look at him, and he sees the emotions flicker across your face. Surprise, and delight, and affection. You're always so expressive, and open, and his smile widens.

"What was that for?" you ask, raising an eyebrow.

"No reason," he murmurs. "Just...happy."

You grin and lean in, brushing your nose against his.

"Love you," you whisper.

"And I, you," he replies, his fingers reaching up to tangle in your hair. He brings you closer and kisses you, dipping his head and tilting to capture your lips just right. It's slow, and gentle, and perfect, and he's amazed, once again, at how natural it is. He doesn't know how he managed to live so long without this.

He doesn't know how he can ever again live without it.

“They’re going to be here soon,” you murmur against his lips, a note of amusement in your voice.

Tech hums in acknowledgement, but doesn't stop kissing you. He knows he should, but he can't bring himself to pull away. He wants to savor the moment. To memorize every detail, and burn the memory into his mind. You're perfect, and he's not ready to let go. Not yet.

You smile against his lips, and his grip tightens, pulling you closer in a way that makes you let out a breathy laugh. Your hands are on his arms, and your fingers are tracing lazy patterns on his skin as your mouth opens to him.

He can't help but feel a sense of smug satisfaction at the fact that he's the one making you laugh. That he's the one causing the blush that's spreading across your cheeks. That he's the one drawing these reactions from you.

He wants to draw more. Wants to see you smile, and hear you laugh, and watch your eyes light up with joy. He wants to keep doing this, over and over again. Until the stars die, and the galaxies collapse, and the universe falls apart around him.

He wants to do this, and so much more, and it's a realization that makes his head spin.

He can't imagine his life without you. Without the sound of your laughter, and the feel of your hands, and the warmth of your body pressed against his. He can't imagine his life without the simple domesticity, and the quiet moments, and the uncomplicated love that comes from simply being.

He can't imagine his life without this feeling. Without this certainty. This happiness. And he's suddenly overcome with a desire to do everything he can to hold on to it. To do everything he can to make sure that it never fades.

"Tech..." you gasp, your fingers digging into his shirt.

He pulls away, his chest heaving, and looks at you. You're flushed and breathless, and his gaze drifts down to your lips, pink and slightly swollen from his kisses. He can't help himself. He leans in and kisses you again, a soft, chaste press of his lips to yours.

"They're really going to be here soon," you breathe, your forehead resting against his.

"I know," he sighs. He takes a deep breath and forces himself to pull away. "I should finish preparing dinner."

You nod, a slight frown on your face. Tech knows it's because you want him to keep kissing you, but you're also a stickler for punctuality, and you don't like making people wait. He doesn't either, but he finds that, when it comes to you, he's more than willing to break the rules. Just a little.

"I'll set the table," you offer as you step away. "And I need to get the dessert from the icebox. Do we have any honey left?"

"You made dessert?" he asks, unable to hide the excitement in his voice.

You'd taken to baking lately, and he'd found himself quite enjoying the results. Wrecker especially had developed a taste for your creations, and he was constantly begging you to make him more. Tech didn't mind. He was just happy to see you happy. And, if he was being honest, he didn't mind the extra sweets.

"Yes," you reply. "And before you ask, it's not a cake."

"A shame," he teases. "I was rather hoping for another one."

"You just want more frosting," you laugh. You point a finger at him, the corner of your mouth quirked up. "Don't think I haven't noticed."

"I'm not sure what you're referring to," he says innocently. He smirks as he turns back to the pot, stirring the mixture. "But if I were, I would admit nothing."

"Sure," you chuckle, rolling your eyes. You move away from him, grabbing the plates from the counter, and start arranging them on the table. The sound is comforting, familiar. He's gotten used to this. To the easy rhythm, the simple domesticity, the quiet moments. He never thought he would. Never thought he could. But, with you, he can.

"I think we have enough honey," he calls over his shoulder. "I bought some last time I went to the market. It's in the pantry."

"Thanks," you shout back. "I'll grab it after I finish setting the table."

He listens as you work, the sounds of your movements soothing. You move about the kitchen, opening and closing cabinets, retrieving the dishes and cutlery, arranging everything just so. He's learned by now not to interfere. You have a particular method, and a routine, and he's learned that it's better not to interrupt.

Instead, he adds a few finishing touches to the stew. Some more herbs, a dash of seasoning, a bit of extra salt. He stirs, and tastes, and nods, satisfied. It's good. Better than the first few times, at least. He's pleased with the results, and he hopes that the others will enjoy the meal as much as you always seem to.

"It smells wonderful," you say as you appear beside him. "It'll be nice to have the whole family over. I haven’t seen Echo since…” Your voice trails off, and you shake your head. “Well, not for a while."

"I know," Tech says, his voice soft. He knows that, while the time you spent apart from the others was hard on him, it was harder on you. He had lost his brothers, but you had lost everything. The family you had made, the friends you had known. All gone. You had never even said goodbye.

He's grateful that you've all been able to come together again, in a way. That you're not alone, and neither is he.

"I'm glad they're all okay," you say. "And I'm glad they have a place where they can finally be safe. Where we can all be safe."

"It's a good place," Tech agrees. Pabu is small and remote, and it's far removed from the dangers of the galaxy. They don't have the resources of Coruscant, or the defenses of Kamino, but they're content. They're safe. They're free.

You pause, tilting your head, and he can tell you're listening. He can't hear anything, but he knows you can. He knows you can sense them. It's still strange, after all this time, but it's becoming less so. Less unsettling. More...natural.

"They're here," you announce, a slight smile on your face. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," he replies as his fingers slip into yours. "Let's go greet our guests."

The door opens, and the sounds of laughter drift in, followed by a gust of cool air. Omega's the first to step through, and she rushes towards you, practically tackling you in a hug. The others file in, greeting Tech and giving you warm embraces, and soon, the small house is filled with familiar voices.

Wrecker claps Tech on the shoulder, nearly knocking him over on his way to the kitchen. Hunter offers him a quiet smile and a nod. Crosshair gives him a look that's equal parts sarcastic and fond, and Echo pulls him into a one-armed hug.

"It's good to see you," Echo says, his gaze drifting to you. He gives you a nod and a questioning look, and you dip your head in return. "Both of you."

"Likewise," Tech says, the corner of his mouth tugging into a small smile.

"The food smells great," Hunter remarks.

"I'll put some extra spice in it for you," Crosshair drawls, nudging Tech out of the way and moving towards the kitchen, where Wrecker is already sampling the food.

"Please, don't," Echo groans as he follows him.

The others settle in, spreading out across the room, and the atmosphere quickly becomes comfortable and familiar. Tech watches as they banter, and joke, and bicker, and a small part of him misses the days when it was just the five of them. But, it's a small part, and an insignificant one. Because, while those days were good, these ones are better. Because you're here. And, because he's finally allowed to have you. To love you.

You catch his eye and give him a warm smile, and he can't help but return it.

Yes, things are better, now. Much, much better.

The first thing Tech notices when he awakes is the smell of rain. It’s faint, but it’s there, and he rolls over, breathing deeply. The rain on Pabu is different than Kamino's, softer, and earthier, and he’s come to enjoy it. He cracks open an eye, taking in the sight of the droplets trickling down the darkened window.

The second thing he notices is the absence of you.

Tech's eyes snap open, and his gaze immediately seems out your form, but the bed is empty, and his heart leaps into his throat. He reaches out, his hands brushing against the cold sheets, and he swallows thickly, forcing himself to take a deep breath. He’s being irrational, and his mind is playing tricks on him. You are here. You’re safe. You’re home.

He rises from the bed and crosses the room, his bare feet sinking into the plush rug that you had insisted on purchasing for your new home together. Tech is still not convinced of its practicality, but the way it feels beneath his feet is pleasant, so he never protested. And, judging by the number of times he had caught you walking across it barefoot, pacing in circles as you typed away on your datapad, you seem to enjoy it as well.

Tech smiles slightly at the memory and opens the door, stepping into the hallway. The house is dark, save for a small lamp that's glowing softly in the living room. He pads down the hall and comes to a stop when he reaches the threshold.

You’re sitting in the center of the floor, the soft glow of the light illuminating your features. Your legs are crossed underneath you, and your head is bowed as if in prayer. He can see your shoulders rise and fall with each breath, and the quiet tension that seems to constantly radiate from you has lessened somewhat. But there is still a weariness in the way you held yourself, a weight that has not yet been lifted.

Tech stands in the doorway for a moment, simply watching you. The sight of you meditating is not an unfamiliar one, and neither is the way his heart fluttered when he sees you. But the intensity of his feelings still takes him by surprise. He can only imagine what it would be like in the future. He doesn’t think it will ever stop, this overwhelming love he felt for you.

"Are you going to stand there all night, or are you going to join me?"

Tech starts slightly, his heart jumping at the sound of your voice. You turn to look at him, a small smile playing across your lips, and he can’t help but return it.

"I wasn't sure if I was allowed," he says quietly. He crosses the room, grabbing a blanket from the couch as he did so. You watch him, your expression softening as he carefully arranges the blanket around your shoulders before settling down next to you.

"Of course you're allowed," you murmur, shifting closer to him. "This is your home, too."

"I know," he says. "I was merely giving you some space. I did not wish to intrude."

You shake your head and let out a soft sigh. "Tech, I appreciate the sentiment, but I've had plenty of space. More than enough."

He hesitates for a moment, searching your expression. You seem calm, and the usual tension that lines your features had faded, but he’s still unsure. He had not wanted to push you, to ask for anything more than you were willing to give. And, though you had been open and welcoming with him in the months since your return, he’s still unsure how to act. He doesn’t quite know the boundaries, and he’s still afraid of crossing them, of hurting you.

"You don't have to worry, Tech," you say softly, as if sensing his thoughts. Perhaps you did. He would not be surprised. Your abilities were impressive, even by his standards. "I'm okay. I promise."

"Are you?" he asks, the question slipping from his mouth before he could stop it.

You pause, your brows drawing together. Tech holds his breath, waiting.

"Yes," you finally say, your voice firm. "I'm alright."

"Okay," he says.

You sigh and shake your head. "You're not going to believe me, are you?"

"I believe that you are trying to convince yourself," he replies gently. "But I also know that it is not as easy as just deciding that everything is okay."

"Tech—"

"Please, let me finish," he interrupts, holding up a hand.

You bite your lip, but remain silent, waiting.

"I know that it will take time," he says, his gaze falling to his hands. "And I know that there are some things that will never fully heal. But, if you are willing, I would like to be there for you. To help you in any way that I can."

He glances at you, and he finds you staring at him, your expression unreadable.

"Tech," you say quietly. "I know what you're doing."

"What?" he asks, surprised. "What do you mean?"

"You're trying to take care of me," you say, a wry smile tugging at your lips.

"Is that so terrible?" he mutters. His brows furrow as he studies your face, trying to understand your reaction.

"No," you reply. Your voice is soft and reassuring, but he can tell by the way you wring your hands that it’s more than that. "It's not. But I can take care of myself. I've been doing it for a while now. Long before you showed up."

"I know," he murmurs. "But you don't have to anymore. I am here now. And I will not leave you. I promise."

Your smile softens, and you lean against him, resting your head on his shoulder. He shifts, wrapping an arm around you, and his hand settles on your waist, his fingers stroking lightly over the fabric of your shirt. His shirt, actually. The one that he had lent you last week, and had yet to get back. Not that he minds. Seeing you in his clothes is more satisfying than he would have thought.

"I want to help," he says softly, his gaze fixed on the rain streaking down the window. "But only if you let me."

You don’t respond, and for a moment, he thinks that maybe he had said something wrong. Maybe he had overstepped. Maybe you weren't ready. But then you let out a breath, a long, shaky exhale, and he feels your body relax against him.

"I'm sorry," you whisper.

"For what?" he asks gently.

"For making you worry," you say, your voice thick with emotion. "I just...I didn't want to bother you. I didn't want to be a burden."

"You are not a burden, Sarad," he replies. "You never have been, and you never will be."

"Thank you," you murmur, nestling closer to him. He holds you, letting his hand drift up and down your arm, feeling the tension begin to leave your body. It’s a familiar motion, one that has become habitual, and it soothes both of you. He can feel his own anxiety fading, and his mind grows clearer, his thoughts less jumbled. The simple contact, the feeling of your presence next to him, is grounding.

"I missed you," you say after a while. "So much."

"I missed you, too," he murmurs.

"When I was on Nar Shaddaa, all I could think about was how much I wanted to go home," you continue, your voice barely audible. "Not the place, just...the feeling. Of being with you."

He tightens his grip on you, his arm around your waist pulling you closer.

"But now that I'm here and things have settled down, it's hard," you say. "With the Order, I had a purpose. A reason to keep going. And now, it's like I've lost my anchor."

Tech nods, his chin bumping against the top of your head. "I understand. After the war ended, and we defected from the Empire, the rest of the squad and I felt similarly. We had always had a sense of direction, but once the fight was over, it was difficult to find a new one."

"Yes," you breathe. "Exactly."

"But we found it," he says, his hand squeezing your shoulder. "Together."

You turn your face, burying it in the crook of his neck, and he feels a rush of warmth spread through him. The feeling of your breath on his skin is comforting, and he closes his eyes, letting his head fall against yours.

"We will find your new purpose," he says, his voice low and soft. "It will take time, but we will. And, in the meantime, we will have each other."

You hum in agreement, your hand slipping into his and giving it a gentle squeeze. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he says, his lips pressing a kiss against your forehead.

"Do you think we'll ever feel normal again?"

He thinks for a moment before speaking, not wanting to upset you further, but he can’t find any answer that isn’t the truth.

"No," he finally says. "I don't believe so. Not truly."

You let out a breath, and Tech can hear the disappointment in it. He turns his head, letting his cheek rest on top of your head.

"That's what I thought," you sigh sadly. You move to pull away, but he holds firm.

"But, normal is subjective," he continues, his hand running up and down your arm. "And we have never been normal, so I do not think we have much to worry about."

"I guess," you reply. "It's just hard, sometimes. Being here. Trying to fit in. Especially when I have no idea what I'm supposed to do next."

"Neither do I," he says honestly. "But I have faith that we will figure it out."

You huff a sound halfway between a laugh and a sob. "When did you get so optimistic?"

"I learned from the best," he replies, a smile tugging at his lips. You pull from his embrace, and he feels a brief moment of panic before he sees the amusement shining in your eyes through the tears.

"I'm hardly the best," you chuckle.

"In my opinion, you are," he says firmly.

"Well, your opinion is biased."

"It is an opinion based on fact," he counters, raising an eyebrow as he turns his head toward you. You snort, rolling your eyes, but the smile remains on your lips.

You push yourself up onto your knees, and you lean forward, brushing a kiss against his lips. It’s brief, but it leaves him reeling. When you pull back, your cheeks are flushed, and he feels a surge of affection for you.

"Thank you," you say softly, your eyes meeting his. There’s a warmth in your gaze, a vulnerability that he had rarely seen, and he finds himself leaning forward, wanting to be closer to you again. "For everything. For being here, and for listening. And for just...being you."

He smiles, his hand coming up to cup your cheek. "Always."

You press a kiss against his palm, and his heart swells, his chest feeling lighter than it had in weeks. He’s struck once more by how lucky he is to have you back in his life. After everything he had gone through, after everything you had endured, it seemed impossible. But, somehow, the universe had brought you together once more. And, despite everything that had happened, he has no doubt that, together, you can face whatever the future held.

"Come on," you say, standing and extending a hand. "Let's go to bed."

Tech lets you pull him up, and his arms wrap around your waist, holding you close. You tilt your head, gazing up at him, and his breath catches in his throat. There’s no fear, no anxiety, no doubt. Only peace, and happiness, and love.

"Sarad..."

"Yes?"

He leans down, his lips finding yours. It’s a gentle, tender kiss, but it’s enough to make his pulse quicken. You melt into him, your hands sliding up his chest and tangling in his hair. He pulls you closer, his fingers gripping the fabric of your shirt. You tug him down, deepening the kiss, and he can’t help but sigh. It feels so right, and it’s so easy to lose himself in the sensation, to forget about everything else.

When you finally break apart, the two of you are breathing heavily, and your foreheads are pressed together.

"That was nice," you murmur, a small grin tugging at the corner of your lips.

"Indeed," Tech agrees.

You lean up on your toes, brushing a kiss against his cheek, and his grip tightens on you, keeping you close.

"So," you say, your voice low and soft. "Bed?"

"Yes," he whispers.

Your hand finds his, and your fingers lace together as you lead him out of the room, the blanket trailing behind you. He follows you down the hall, through the doorway, and into the bedroom, his eyes never leaving you.

The door closes behind you, and Tech lets out a sigh, his shoulders slumping as the last of the tension seeps from his body. The house is quiet and still, save for the faint sound of rain trickling down the roof. The darkness envelops the two of you, but he’s content to simply bask in your presence.

"You're quiet tonight," you observe as you make your way to the bed.

"I have a lot on my mind," he admits, following you.

"Anything you want to talk about?" you ask, settling onto the mattress.

He hesitates for a moment, unsure of how to answer. The words are on the tip of his tongue, the ones that had been there for a while, but he doesn’t know how to say them. Doesn’t know if you were ready. And he doesn’t want to pressure you, not when so much is already uncertain.

"No," he says, joining you. "I'm alright."

"Okay," you murmur, curling into his side. He wraps an arm around you, his hand splayed across your back, and he lets out a long, slow breath. He can feel your heart beating, strong and steady, and he matches his breathing to the rhythm.

"I'm sorry," you whisper, your voice thick with emotion. "I know this can't be easy for you."

"No," he agrees. "It isn't."

"But it's worth it," he adds. "Every moment with you is worth it."

You bury your face in the crook of his neck, hiding your tears, and he tightens his hold on you, pulling you close. Your breath is hot against his skin, and he feels your tears dampen his shirt, but he doesn’t mind. His hand drifts up and down your back, a soothing motion that he hopes is helping.

"I love you," you mumble into his chest.

"I love you, too," he replies, placing a kiss on the top of your head.

"I wish I could take away your pain," you say quietly.

"You already have," he assures you.

"What do you mean?"

"Being here, with you, is the closest thing to happiness I've known," he explains. "I would endure any pain, suffer any hardship, to have this."

You’re silent for a moment, and he can feel your heartbeat quicken.

"Really?" you ask, your voice small and vulnerable.

"Yes," he replies firmly.

You look up at him, your gaze searching, and he meets it unflinchingly. He wants you to see the truth, the sincerity, the depth of his emotions. Because it’s true. Because, despite everything, you are still the center of his universe.

"You know, Tech," you begin, a small smile tugging at your lips. "This might be the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me."

"I’m pleased to hear it," he says as a matching smile stretched across his face. “I will note the time and date.”

You chuckle, shaking your head. "I don't know what I would do without you."

"Hopefully, you will never have to find out," he says earnestly.

"Yeah," you sigh. You settle against him once more, your head on his chest. "Hopefully."

He holds you, his arms encircling you, and he can feel your body relaxing, your muscles loosening. Your breathing is evening out, and he can tell that you were falling asleep. It’s been a long day, and a difficult night, and you need the rest. He wants nothing more than to give it to you.

"The rain," you murmur, your voice barely audible. "Reminds me of Kamino."

"It does," he agrees, his own eyes starting to grow heavy.

"I missed it.”

"Me too.”

You shift, moving closer, and his hands instinctively come up to hold you. He’s tired, but he doesn’t want to sleep, didn't want to miss a single moment with you. But his body is betraying him, and his mind is growing fuzzy. The exhaustion is too much, and his eyes slip closed, the darkness enveloping him.

He feels the blankets shift as you curl into him, and your breath is warm on his neck, a comforting sensation. You’re close, and real, and solid. You’re here, and that was all that mattered. He would give anything, would do anything, to keep you here, with him. To keep you safe.

And, with that thought in mind, Tech surrenders himself to sleep, knowing that, when he awoke, you would be there.

Taglist: @baddest-batchers @covert1ntrovert @stellarbit @bruh-myguy-what @qvnthesia

@spicy-clones @kindalonleystars @cw80831 @totallyunidentified @heidnspeak

@lovelytech9902 @frozenreptile @chocolatewastelandtriumph @etod @puppetscenario

@umekohiganbana @resistantecho @dindjarins1ut @tech-aficionado @aynavaano

@burningnerdchild @ihatesaaand @lolwey @hobbititties @mere-bear

@thegreatpipster @lordofthenerds97 @tentakelspektakel @notslaybabes @mali-777

@schrodingersraven @megmegalodondon @dangraccoon @dreamie411 @sukithebean

@bimboshaggy @anything-forourmoony @9902sgirl @jedi-dreea @salaminus

@ghostymarni @gottalovehistory @burningnerdchild @yoitsjay @callsign-denmark

@julli-bee @sonicrainbooms @captn-trex @feral-ferrule @webslinger-holland

@marchingviolist @deerspringdreams @chaicilatte @somewhere-on-kamino

@silly-starfish @floofyroro

#tech x reader #tbb tech x reader #the bad batch #tbb tech #clone x reader #the bad batch x reader #the clone wars #roy writes #the emotional whiplash of yesterday's fic and this #just realized I switched tenses in this part yikes #i actually used to only write in past tense but it feels weird now?#that’s x reader brainrot for you #also hmm what’s Tech thinking about…

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raggedytiger · 9 months ago

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how do you draw so.. raggedy ann..

aargh such high praise!! this ones especially for you!

for real thank you so much :D a few people have said this, esp since i've drawn ragatha. and to be honest i am pleased as punch. i've been watching that 1977 movie on repeat it's so beautiful.

if you wanted an actual answer, i don't know if i'm bright enough to be able to explain it, but i think its mainly a mix of medium and the way i draw fabric!

the raggedy ann & andy movie is traditional hand-drawn animation, ann herself being primarily animated by the one and only Tissa David. most of my character art is scanned in from pencil on paper and edited for higher contrast. this might be why, since that gives it a slightly sketchier finish, which raggedy ann definitely has (in comparison to like, recent ghibli movies).

as for fabric, i really like drawing fabric. it's so fun to make ragatha as soft and stitched and pillowy-looking as possible, especially compared to a kind of rubbery, stretchy-toy pomni. in my head, ragatha hugs pretty much replicate the feeling of being cosed up in bed.

earlier today me and a friend were at college on a bear-hunt online for this spread, which he found, and which is so fun and informative:

note the unironed dress, baggy shoulders, and hands like mittens a size too big! literally adorable.

i want to get my hands on the book that this came from because hoo boy there are some beautiful drawings from it i've seen dotted around niche animation blogs and forums.

anyway thank u so so much and if you were looking for an attempt at answering your question then i hope u have it ^_^ if not then anyone can feel free to ask/recommend/show me stuff about illustration & animation bc it is my study and i love to talk about it! if anyone wants the few other development pages of the raggedy ann & andy movie that i've managed to scoop together then do ask!! (& if anyone has links to more then u know what to do o_<)

#thank u for the ask :-)#sorry for the long reply D-:#raggedy ann #art #ragatha #pomni #tadc #the amazing digital circus #ask #buttonblossom #my art #tadc fanart #raggedy ann & andy: a musical adventure

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pkmn-redirect · 1 year ago

Text

Chapter 2 - Page 24

First | Previous | Next | Latest Index (chapter 3 info under cut)

Chapter 2 has finally concluded! A whole 8 pages longer than the first!! Woo!! I have a feeling they may just get longer as we get more into the story haha. Oh well! Like last time, I'll be taking a break between chapters to rest a little, get the plot points for the next chapter more polished, and try to get a solid backlog of pages ready. Going to take about of month off- POSSIBLY a month and a half? Depends on how well prepping the chapter goes (I have doomed myself by setting it in ancient Ecruteak City and am not as familiar with classic Japanese architecture as I would like hahaha- time to find some refs and do a bunch of studies!). Either way- it will be back in mid-late November! That DOESN'T mean that the comic feed will be quiet though! Like last time, there's a between chapter Interlude page that will be going up on October 11th! And after that, I plan to post some behind the scenes development stuff on days that the comic would normally update- so if folks want to they can get a look at how I put this together. If folks are interested, I could also open up the ask box for a little while? Do a bit of Q&A for comic related things (I won't be answering anything too spoilery, but you're welcome to ask!). And since it has been asked for (and rightfully so, this thing is getting long and difficult to navigate) I've compiled a pinned masterpost to make navigation easier for folks on mobile. There's been an Index Page set up for the web version since the beginning- unfortunately it's hard to get to normally on mobile, so a lot of folks didn't have an easy way to thumb through pages, and that's no good! So- fixed! I'm also in the process of going back and putting "Prev", "Next", "Read from the Beginning", and "Latest" links on each page update. Which honestly I SHOULD have been doing from the start, but hey- live and learn I suppose? Also ALSO am going to see about getting the Neocities page for the comic that I started months ago more finished so it has its own home away from Social Media- but that's a bit lower priority at the moment haha.

But yeah! Honestly, thank you all so much for reading! The response to this silly little passion project has honestly blown me out of the water, I can't believe how many people are keeping up with it now. :'D I love love LOVE reading reactions and speculation in the comments and tags! Thank you all for sticking around so far, and I hope you continue to enjoy this self-indulgent little project as it goes!

~Ann

#pokemon fancomic #pokemon #pokemon legends arceus #warden ingo #warden calaba #gligar #ursaluna #tangela

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gr1mstar · 10 months ago

Text

Asking the jjk man what their body count is…

notes: ok so, thank you so much for 200 followers, I love you guys. I hope you like my work. ❤️

content: (kinda) mentions of intercourse | female reader | sfw

masterlist

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GOJO SATORU

you knew gojo satoru was a dating magnet, the man was handsome, tall and had beautiful eyes, so naturally you asked yourself how many people he slept with. you never had the courage to ask them, so for months now that question bugged your mind.

“toru, you love me?” you asked one day, when you both were in bed, watching some boring tv show, your boyfriend playing with your hair.

“of course, love. why do you ask?” he answered, looking expectedly at his lover. you bit your tongue, hoping not to make the atmosphere awkward.

“i just… had a really dumb question in my mind and- you know what? forget it.”

“no, tell me.” he insisted, stopping playing with your hair.

“what’s your body count?”

there was a pregnant pause and then gojo started laughing, taking his hand from your head.

“ooh i get it now. well… there was jessica, ryujin, sakura, oh my, anne-“

let’s say he continued listening names for about half an hour, and he didn’t stop until you slapped him.

NANAMI KENTO

as you stated at the tv that sat in front of you, nanami kissed you on the cheek - a thing he did every time he came home from work. a sweet gesture, in your opinion.

“what are you watching, baby? something interesting?”

you nodded, not taking your eyes from the screen in front of you. “it’s about couples and trust. they ask questions and all that.”

“oh, that’s g-“

“what’s your body count, ken?”

you boyfriend was silent for a minute, getting his tie loose. than he sat in front of you, taking your hands in his.

“does it matter? i mean… it’s no secret, sure, but it’s really important?” he started, tilting his head a little.

“i guess not… but still, baby. i want to know, i’m curious.”

“i few people i guess. two? maybe three? i didn’t had many relationships.”

GETO SUGURU

“getooo. my love” you shouted, making your way to the man you love.

he just got home and seeing you running to him he embraced your frame, spinning you a few times.

“hello baby. how was your day?”

“it was good” you said, leaving a small kiss on his cheek. “listen-“

“oh i know that was coming.” suguru laughed, putting you down on your own feet while he took this coat off. “what do you want?”

“i have a small question.”

“a small question? let’s hear it”

“what’s your body count?” you asked, looking at him and blinking a few times just to be cute, something that worked like magic to calm down your boyfriend.

“love… “

“please, suguru. i’m curious. i was watching a tiktok earlier and i saw-“

“ok. ok. let’s see… maybe 50? 100? i was pretty popular in high school, you know?”

“100?!”

FUSHIGURO TOJI

“toji, what’s your body count?”

you two sat at the dinner table in silence when you dropped the question. he paused, fork in his hand and his eyes on you.

“what?”

“what? i’m curious.” you continued, looking at him funky. “i mean if you don’t want to tell me-“

“why do you wanna know, doll? when are we eating dinner too”

you were confused, it was a simple question that required a simple answer, so you didn’t know what his deal was.

“like… i don’t know. 200? i don’t count my kills, doll.” toji said, continuing to eat his dinner.

it was your turn to be stunned. kills? “oh, toji. i didn’t mean that body count…”

“what? than what body co- ah. i see… well, i stopped counting at 500.”

“you what?”

OKKOTSU YUTA

the first time you met, you thought that yuta had a lot of girls at his feet. he was perfect: handsome, sweet, compassionate, a great boyfriend. so when you asked the question that bugged you for weeks now, you didn’t expect that answer.

“what’s your body count?”

“you were my fist”

you knew about his past, about the curse, about all. but never, never have you thought that yuta was a virgin before you.

“oh- that’s… that’s nice i think.”

he smiled, hugging you from behind and kissing your neck sweetly. you were stunned, now mind filled with how good he was at first. a virgin, good at that? impossible.

“you were great, love. don’t stress yourself. it was perfect.”

KAMO CHOSO

you thought that he would not be as experienced as he looks, but the jealousy feeling you had for a few days was eating you alive, and so one night when you two were cuddling you asked him.

“what’s your body count?”

you expected him to tell you that you didn’t have to know, that he loved you much more than the rest, but no. you never expected his answer.

“what’s that?

“what do you mean ‘what’s that’?” you repeated, looking at his eyes. “you don’t know what a body count is?”

his head movement confirmed your suspicions, and letting a loud groan, you smiled.

“you’re so innocent, i swear.” and than you proceeded to explain to him what a body could was.

“ah that’s simple, babe. you are the only one.”

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neuroprincess · 4 months ago

Note

So I’ve got an idea for a Schmentti family request.

Luca meeting his baby sister for the first time.

Like I feel that it would be the cutest thing ever. And you would write it so well! Just an idea, I love this series so much!

Hi sweetie! Hope it met your expectations. And thank you for your request ♡ oh that's very sweet and kind of you ^^

LuLu's Sissy - Melissa Schemmenti/Female Reader

Melissa Schemmenti/Female Reader

Summary: After a long week Olivia is finally home to meet her older brother, but Luca's reaction is not at all what they expected.

Classification: Domestic fluff

Warnings: Breastfeeding (?)

Word count: +2300

Unrevised

When the couple came through the front door, they hoped that their firstborn would be taking one of the dozens of naps he takes during the day or too busy trying to catch Barb's eye to notice their arrival. Sweet illusion! As soon as Melissa turned the key, they could hear the quick little footsteps running towards them, along with the playful giggles of someone who had done something fun. It didn't take long for the boy to wrap his arms around the older woman's legs, almost knocking her over in the process, without much idea of how big and strong he had become over the last few months. As well as being bigger than expected for age and than his kindergarten friends, Luca is an affectionate little bear who loves physical touch, tight hugs and curling up wherever he can in search of a comfortable lap, something he always gets from his mothers, no matter the situation. But this time the attempt is frustrated, the teacher's arms are full of maternity bags and some of the presents that were left at the hospital, while Y/N balances the baby comforter where the new addition to the family sleeps peacefully, oblivious to the commotion around her.

"Good morning, my little man!" Melissa greets in a loving whisper, dropping off all the items on the nearest armchair, the short journey from the car to there was enough to give her a slight backache "Did you behave today? Or did you give your godmother a hard time?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

With usual childlike honesty, the boy just shakes his head "no," then nods "yes," his chubby cheeks quickly taking on a rosy hue, showing he's a little embarrassed, which draws a laugh from the adults in the room. He's still dressed in dinosaur pyjamas, and his coppery hair is slightly messy, the ends forming adorable curls.

"It's all right! We'll give you a pass for being cute. Now, are you ready to meet your little sister?"

"Mama..." he points to the large pink item, still covered in a thin patterned blanket, curious "Momma!" then calls out to the youngest, who, since he started forming sentences, has also been able to distinguish them. Mama and Mama Mel are obviously for Melissa; Momma and Mum for Y/N; Mummy for both and on rare occasions.

"Yes, sweetheart?" she asks, crouching down to her son's height, watching his olive eyes light up in realization.

"My Sissy?"

Barb, who has just finished organizing some children's books previously scattered on the coffee table, observes the interaction between the little family. Her godson, usually agitated and not very tactful, walks on tiptoe and puts a little finger in front of curved lips, repeating "Shhh" so that everyone is silent as he tries to get closer, just as she taught him hours before. After a long week under observation, the newborn was finally released to go home, miraculously without sequelae or any complications, to the relief and joy of her moms. She can say with certainty that it was the worst week of her friend's life.

Nothing compares to the moment Olivia Ann came into the world, giving everyone a fright, premature, small enough to fit in a shoebox and asleep, making the redhead's heart skip beats and her blood run cold. After the scare came the worry, it was a terrifying experience in every respect and both hesitated even to hold her, she seemed so fragile, as if she were made of glass, and any wrong move could break her. Neither of them got enough sleep and never stopped worrying until Liv finally reached the ideal weight for her eagerly awaited release. Her eyes meet her friend's and they share an affectionate look, full of gratitude and pride.

"I wanna see her!"Luca speaks a little louder, jumping up and down in excitement, barely able to contain himself "I want my Sissy."

"You'll see her soon, LuLu." Y/N assures him and is about to pull up the blanket to finally show him his little sister when she starts mumbling, which soon turns into a loud cry, potent for a small human being "Oh, I think Liv's hungry."

"Sissy want cookies?"

"No, bambino." Melissa strokes his cheeks and picks him up so that he's at their height "She doesn't have any teeth yet."

The boy grimaces in disgust and then laughs at the thought of someone with no teeth, it sounds too silly, especially for someone who bites everything, like him. Teeth are essential! This makes him even more curious. It took a while for the toddler to understand what a sibling is and that he would soon have one, just as it took him a while to understand the concept of babies, since for Luca he is still one. And it's for this reason that he is shocked when the blanket is pulled back to reveal the newborn, about the size of his teddy bears, incredibly red and screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Mommy! Aunt Barb! Sissy a chicken?"he asks, wide-eyed "Sissy ugly." and concludes, knitting his eyebrows together, it's not what he was expecting.

They burst into laughter, of all the reactions and expectations they had, this was the most surprising and funny. He stares at them in confusion, he doesn't see how this is funny, this can't be his Sissy, can it?

"No, no, love." Barbara manages to say between laughs and moves closer, helping the younger with the baby comfort "She's only small, babies are like that when they're born."

"Ugly?"

"You think that Olivia is ugly?" Mel is amused and hugs him, stroking the full hair as he nods positively "Well, amore mio, you looked just like her when you were born."

"No! No!" the boy is indignant, refusing to believe it "LuLu is cute!"

"So Olivia is cute?"

The question confuses him, and thinking hard with the unique reasoning of a two-year-old, he shakes his head "no" again.

"Sissy is ugly!"

He lays head down on his mother's chest, hiding an annoyed pout, and watches as the pair take the little girl out of the accessory, then place her on Y/N's lap so that she can be breastfed. Of course, the child doesn't know what he's feeling, it's something that bubbles in the pit of the stomach and may be quite irrational, but Luca quickly becomes jealous. Until a few months ago he was the one on his Momma's lap and could feed himself to his heart's content, until this was taken away from him, between small bribes and a lot of patience. Only now to be replaced by a newcomer who, in his view, is stealing what belongs to him.

It doesn't take long for Luca to start grumbling and squirming until he escapes from the redhead's arms.

"Aunt Barb! No!" he asks his godmother for help, pointing to Y/N who is sitting on the sofa, crying when the woman doesn't do what he wants "I want my Momma too!"

Melissa sighs and exchanges a sympathetic look with her wife; they know that this adaptation phase is going to be difficult for the little one. Despite his personality and all the preparation they have done for the arrival of their second child, nothing changes the fact, already proven to be hereditary, that Luca Schemmenti is jealous by nature. He's had all the attention on himself so far and isn't used to sharing, least of all the most important things in his life, his moms.

"You'll always be our baby, LuLu. Our prince. But now Liv needs us, Mama and Momma will take care of her too, just like we take care of you, caro. She's our family, mine, yours, ours." she whispers and strokes his flushed face, wiping away the tears running down cheeks "And you have a very important role now, you're a big brother."

"And do you know what big brothers do?" Y/N continues, he denies it, the crying ceasing in sobs "Big brothers learn to share, they also protect and love their little siblings A LOT."

"I don't wanna share my Momma!" he insists and rushes over to the youngest, hugging her legs as she straddles the daughter who immediately starts sucking desperately on her nipple. "You're mine!"

"LuLu, I'll always be yours, but I'm also of Liv, of Mama too."

"My Mama?"

"Yours."

"Liv hers too?"

"Yes, bambino." Melissa sits down on the sofa and pulls him onto her lap again.

"And Liv mine?"

"Yes, your little sister, your Sissy."

Only then the boy realizes how close he is to her and maybe she doesn't look so ugly when not crying. She yawns, showing her gums without any teeth, and it brings a smile to his face. It's really funny. He bites the inside of his lip, trying to take in the concept that, after months of hearing about Olivia, she's finally here. It's not what he expected, the complete opposite, and although it's frustrating, it's still his.

He nods, showing that he's understood what he's being told.

"Do you want to touch her?"

Luca nods again, still unsure, and brings a hesitant hand close to Olivia's tiny feet. He remembers how mommies always tickle him before bed, it's fun and always makes him happy. With a smile and not so shy anymore, he tries to replicate the gesture, little fingers dancing in search of a few laughs, but before anything can be done, Melissa gently holds his arms.

"Careful, LuLu." she says softly, placing a kiss on his forehead "She's very, very, very small, Liv isn't ready to be tickled like you yet."

"Cause I'm big boy?" the question is ambiguous and they don't understand whether he sees it as a good or a bad thing.

"Yes, love! Because only big boys get fun tickles from their mommies." Barb sidesteps the situation and sits down in the armchair opposite the Schemmenti, leaning over to continue talking to her godson "And when your sister grows up, you'll be able to give her lots of tickles."

"Okay..."

The toddler makes a stubborn little peck, but it doesn't last long as he is pulled closer by the redhead, his chubby arms wrap around her neck and gives her a kiss on the chin, only to hide his face in the crook of her neck. He absolutely loves Melissa's perfume and playing with her necklaces, calms down and makes him feel safe.

When Olivia has finished feeding, a time that seemed like an eternity of torture to him, Y/N carefully settles the newborn on her lap so that their son can see her better, a difficult task considering that, like the firstborn, she can be very demanding in some ways. Liv, satiated, opens her little eyes for the first time since they arrived home and Luca, amazed, leans in for a closer look, full of curiosity. It's fascinating, he watches all her little reactions, from one of the spasms that make her smile to her sleepy stretching.

"Amore mio, you can't tickle her, but you can hold her hand, do you want to do that?"

This makes him happy and without a second thought he gently touches the baby's little hand, which closes around his fingers instantly. The boy opens a surprised and genuine smile, beginning to accept and understand that this small, strange and slightly ugly person is his sister, whom he has been waiting for long months. Barb, watching the scene with a warm smile, can't resist taking out her smartphone and recording the moment. She takes a few photos, capturing Luca's cute expressions that oscillate between curiosity and a growing affection for Olivia. Melissa and Y/N stare at each other, thrilled to see the connection forming between the two, immersed in this unique little moment, their two children officially getting to know each other.

"See, LuLu? She already likes you," the youngest encourages him, running a hand through their son's hair, curling one of the soft locks.

"I like her. My Sissy."

"Yes, Luca," Melissa agrees, hugging the boy "Your Sissy, forever."

He snuggles closer into Mel's embrace, letting out a satisfied sigh. The siblings' hands are still together, his little fingers caressing her soft skin, a very common little gesture of affection that he always shows to those he loves, a detail that doesn't go unnoticed by women, a sign that, despite the initial shock, he has begun to understand the significance of this new addition to the family. This fact warms their hearts, the little family is complete with the arrival of Olivia Ann.

Until a few years ago, the eldest had never imagined the possibility of motherhood and now she is the mom of two little angels, gifts from her wife, someone who has given her a new perspective and chance in life. For a brief moment, she almost wanted to follow in her parents' footsteps and have a baseball team of her own, but only if they came from Y/N. The house she bought, when still married to Joe, never felt like a home until she entered her life, her treasure, gradually making it more complete, all her baggage with Melissa's constituting a beautiful marriage, which years later brought Luca and was completed with Olivia. The once empty walls are filled with family photos, the floor with toys and children's books, a soft smell of freshly baked cookies comes from the kitchen and the sun illuminates the living room, every corner and detail filled with love in one of those perfect moments that you want to keep in mind for eternity.

Y/N smiles as she realizes how far away the other is in her thoughts and leans in to join their lips in a tender kiss, both are tired, a little sleepy and extremely proud of the family they have built for themselves. It hasn't been easy and it won't be as their gremlins grow up, but all the challenges and rewards of motherhood along with the life shared with Melissa is something she wouldn't trade for anything in this and other worlds.

Suddenly, Luca's curious little voice broke the silence of the sweet moment.

"Momma, when Liv go her home?"

taglist: @opheliauniverse @inlovewithmiddleagewomen @wastdstime @scarr0713 @geekyandgay98 @dvrkhcld @heidss @esposadejoyhuerta @xvyzxx @quailbagutte @imaginesmultifandoms @ctrlamira @milffilm @taurus-baby-34 @prentiss-theorem @josephinevr @cordyandbilliehavemyheart @grandtacoranchnickel @multifandomlesbianic @serendipitouswanderer @louderfortheback @h-doodles @Hotdoggitydammit @peggy082023 @le0vo1dz @lilfartbox1 @imgayforwoman69 @janeyseymour @hwppnes @storiesofsvu @zacs-obsessed @evilaam @evattude @tmlwattpad19 @willowshadenox @gweninred

Join my taglist here ^^

Schemmenti Family Masterlist

#melissa schemmenti x reader #female reader #abbott elementary x reader #schemmenti family #fluff #melissa schemmenti

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hogwartslegacyreactions2 · 8 months ago

Note

Welcome back!!! :) We all missed you

Could you please write one in which MC is an animagus and the characters react to them transforming?

Thank you so much and take it easy 😁

HLC REACT TO MC BEING AN ANIMAGUS

A/N: since no animal was specified, we're going with the classic kitty cat :3

MC finally did it! After months of prep, and some good luck, they completed the animagus ritual....only to become a silver tabby. Not as epic as they would have hoped, but still cool. They needed to show their friends IMMEDIATELY.

~~~

SEBASTIAN SALLOW: "Well aren't you adorable." He chuckles as he kneels down to pet MC. "I'm not surprised you became an animagus. I'm just disappointed you didn't ask me to become one with you." He picks up MC and carries them off. "Now I have a perfectly valid excuse to call you Kitten."

OMINIS GAUNT: "You know, I don't find it funny when you tell me you want to SHOW me something. My wand has its limits." He huffs and waits for MC to do whatever they were so eager to do. His eyebrows rise in shock. One moment he detects a person, the next, a small animal. "What in Merlin's name? You're an animagus??" He hears MC meow and rub against his leg, just like the castle cats. He smiles a little and reaches down to pet MC. "Whatever will we do with you?"

ANNE SALLOW: "Oh, not fair! I was going to go through with the ritual myself but the blasted mandrake leaf wouldn't stay put. Even so..." She picks up MC and cradles then in her arms. "Since you're here. You can be my lap warmer while I study transfiguration."

IMELDA REYES: "You're as mad as I thought. You risked your life to become an animagus, only to become a cat? I'd get my money back if I were you." She watches MC flop over and make some air biscuits with the biggest eyes. "...I see your point."

NATSAI ONAI: She has stars in her eyes and immediately changes in her gazelle form. She and MC dance around each other happily and run down the corridors to cause some havoc. It was entirely worth the detention.

GARRETH WEASLEY: "Brilliant!" He watches in awe as MC transforms and starts purring against him. He picks them up and puts them on his shoulder. "Let's go raid Professor Sharp's storage room. He'll never suspect a cat." He now has a new mantra: Gain kitty, do crime.

LEANDER PREWETT: He looks around to see if anyone saw what MC just did. He leans down and harshly whispers to them. "You do realize that ritual is against the rules here right!? It's so dangerous! You could have died! Let alone the fact that you aren't registered. You could get in serious trouble if you're caught." MC flattens their ears and growls, he puts his hands up defensively. "I won't tell, but be more careful. I'm serious."

AMIT THAKKAR: "By the stars, that's incredible! Was the ritual as hard as it sounds? How many times did you attempt it? Was it difficult to actually keep a mandrake leaf in your mouth for 30 days? These are questions I must know that answers to." MC just meows at him. "Oh...right."

EVERETT CLOPTON: "Whoa! That's amazing! Could you always do that?" He kneels down to scratch MC under the chin. "Hey, I need a favor." He grins devilishly and points at a distant group of students. "See the tall one? I need you to scratch the hell out of his legs. No questions. I'll pay."

POPPY SWEETING: She nearly screams from how cute MC's cat form is. She immediately scoops up MC and cuddles them close to her chest. "Please, for the love of Merlin and all magic, let me put little hats on you. My grandma knits all sorts of little hats and sweaters for her cats and I just KNOW they would look adorable on you." MC is locked in her arms. There is no escape.

ELAZAR FIG: "Extraordinary!" He was sitting at his desk when MC came in to show him their new trick. MC jumped onto his desk as a cat and slowly blinks at him. He reaches forward and gently pets their head. "I've always known you were capable of strong magic, and I'm glad you trust me enough to show me this, but do be cautious. Being an unregistered animagus is a big deal to some in the Ministry. Tread carefully. For now, you're welcome to nap on my desk."

#hogwarts legacy #hogwarts legacy reactions #sebastian sallow #ominis gaunt #anne sallow #imelda reyes #natsai onai #garreth weasley #leander prewett #amit thakkar #everett clopton #poppy sweeting #eleazar fig

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cosmichorrorsarestillnicerthanme · 5 months ago

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Might I ask for the Phantom Thief Girls with an S/O who flips a coin to make decisions? Yes, this idea came from that Rune Factory 5 post from @genshingorlsrevengeance however, I am ninety percent sure that if any more asks are added to his inbox it will collapse into a singularity and devour him. Also, I want to see your twist on it since you and him are two of my faves when it comes to character x reader writing.

Thank you for the kind words, however I am sure Chris could have done this better than I, even if he had to do so from the void after his Inbox ate him, nonetheless, I still gave it my best try and I hope you enjoy.

The temptation I had to make Baofu/Kaoru Saga jokes and references throughout all of writing this was immense.

Also, Two-Face wants his gimmick back.

Now! Your Wish Is My Command!

Ann found the coin to be… interesting.

The loud Ting when you flipped it always caught her attention.

Heads or Tails?

Black or Red?

Yes or No?

On one hand it was irritating when she lost.

On the other, the tension of making a split second decision of what to call when the coin goes up was exhilarating.

Especially when she called the right side.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The coin hung in the air for a split second as you opened your palm to catch it.

Ann’s eyes were firmly on the coin, as were yours.

It was time to make the decision.

Heads?

Tails?

What to choose?

“Heads!” Ann exclaimed excitedly.

“Tails!” you exclaimed with a grin as the coin began to fall and land in your palm.

Ann let out a cheer.

You chuckled and gave a mental apology to your wallet as you rolled the coin into the space between your fingers and then over your knuckles before tossing it to your other hand and then placing it into your pocket.

The coin landed on heads, the red side that depicted a smiling Jester's mask in gold.

“It’s decided! You’ll be taking me out to get as many sweets as I want!” Ann exclaimed with a mischievous smile.

Don’t worry, she won’t bankrupt you.

Probably.

Makoto was not a huge fan of the coin.

Sure, it added some flair to day to day life.

However, Makoto was not a big fan of leaving things to fate.

Especially when it comes to important decisions.

That said… It did help her when she was indecisive about something.

When she hesitated to act or did not know what choice to make, she would always see the glint of the coin in her vision and the sound of the Ting it made when you flipped it.

She knew what the answers were.

Heads or Tails.

Yes or No.

It forced her to make a decision.

Will she take the leap?

Or will she err on the side of caution.

No matter what side the coin landed on, she knew what her answer was.

And you know that too.

So, no matter how much she pestered you about the answer the coin gave you, you would never tell.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

“Tell me.” Makoto demanded with a rather petulant whine as the two of you sat on the couch, watching TV and awaiting for Sae to return.

“Hmmm… I think not.” you said with a mockingly thoughtful face.

“Then flip the coin!” Makoto exclaimed, the outcome of the previous toss eating at her like nothing else.

You smirked before teasingly asking “I thought you disliked the coin toss?”

This earned you a solid wallop to the shoulder.

“Ow! Okay! Okay! Yeesh! I’m going to tell Sae about this domestic abuse when she gets back.” you muttered as you pulled the coin out from behind Makoto’s ear with a simple bit of sleight of hand.

“If you do, you know she’s going to side with me, right?” Makoto asked as you rolled the coin over your knuckles and into place over your thumb.

“We’ll see.” you said with a grin and then flipped the coin, sending it flying.

“Heads!” Makoto exclaimed.

“Tails!” you stated with a smile.

The coin came down and into your hand.

Makoto promptly grabbed you by the shoulders and screamed into your chest.

It landed on the black side, tails, with a frowning golden jester's mask facing up.

Futaba was sure you were cheating somehow with your tosses.

She could do the math that told her the outcome of the toss in her head with ease.

And yet, with every toss, it almost never went the way she expected.

Every time she would smugly declare her choice, confident in her answer, it would land on the opposite side.

She had no idea how you were doing it, but you HAD to be cheating.

She was tempted to try and strangle the answer out of you.

Alas, she was afflicted with the most terrible of curses.

Weak Nerd Arms.

So, she had to try different means.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Futaba turned the coin over in her hand, examining it closely at her desk while you smugly watched her doing so as you sat on her bed.

Futaba was getting irritated.

There were no imperfections on the coin, nothing that could skew the results that her math gave her.

She had even examined how you did it!

No sleight of hand, no tricks, nothing!

Futaba placed the coin atop her thumb and flipped high into the air with a solid Ting reverberating through the room, already doing the math in her head.

“Heads!” you declared with a smile.

“Tails!” Futaba exclaimed confidently.

Half a second later, Futaba threw the coin at you as fast and hard as she could.

You caught the pathetically weak lob with ease as Futaba slammed her head into her desk.

“Life Is Not Daijoubu.” Futaba muttered.

“Aww, I love you too.” you said smugly before walking over to kiss the top of her head.

Haru absolutely loved the coin.

Every second of her life had been planned out before she met you.

But now?

Things were random, left to chance.

It was exhilarating!

Why, it almost brought her as much joy as hearing the Shadows beg for mercy!

Not to mention the antics the coin could cause.

Several yes’s in a row and then a no to change it all.

The solid Ting The coin made whenever it was sent to the sky never failed to send a tingle down her spine.

Random chance leads to strange occurrences, strange occurrences leads to interesting decisions.

It was the path that following the coin always led down.

It was a truly interesting show to watch and partake in.

Especially when she was the one putting you on the back foot.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

“Dear, what is a “Sadist”, the others had me take a test and it said I was one?” Haru asked rather innocently despite her, admittedly, somewhat evil intentions.

She had to fight the urge to giggle when you looked at her as if a day you had been dreading for all your life had finally arrived before turning your back to her and flipping the coin.

Your shoulders promptly slumped and you looked to the heavens, seemingly trying to ask god “Why?”.

You then turned to her, looked her dead in the eyes with the most broken expression she had ever seen and proceeded to explain what a sadist was.

This was truly the most entertaining event to ever occur from the coin yet.

Sumire was intrigued by your habit of tossing the coin.

Leaving everything to fate, hedging all your bets on a 50/50 gamble.

You and Joker would probably get along.

That and probably correct her on the actual chances being something like 51/49 or something to that effect.

Nonetheless, the Ting of the coin never failed to grab her attention.

The questions you left to the coin always ranged wildly.

From what food you were going to eat for lunch to if you were going to randomly carry Sumiere around like a bride.

Your whims were always decided by the coin and Sumiere was always excited to see what the answer would be.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

“Uhh… Yoshizawa?” Ryuji asked as he peered out the window of Ren’s room.

“Yes?” Sumire answered while turning to the blonde.

“Is that your spouse down there?” the blonde asked.

Sumire flushed red before exclaiming for the thousandth time since you pulled that stunt.

“WE’RE NOT MARRIED!!!”

She had to bite the inside of her mouth to avoid adding on the “Yet” to the end of that sentence.

“Yeah, yeah whatever-” Ryuji began to say before the bell rang and the voice of The Boss rang out.

“Hey there! Yoshizawa’s upstairs with the kid and the others.”

“Thanks Boss! Would you mind going ahead and making me something to drink while I head up there?” you asked.

“No problem, the usual?” Sojiro asked.

The sound of the coin being flipped rang out.

“Dealers choice today, Boss.” you stated before the sound of someone walking up the stairs hit everyone's ears.

“Hello everyone!” you greeted before walking over to Sumiere.

You then proceed to gently place your hand on the side of her face, and kiss her on the lips.

After a few moments, you pulled away with a smile before saying “Goodbye everyone, it was nice seeing you all!” and then walking away and back down the stairs to grab and pay for your drink, leaving Sumiere blushing as red as her hair and a dazed look in her eyes.

“You’d think she’d have gotten used to them coming by just to kiss her by now.” Ann said as she flipped through her magazine.

“Yeah, then again, the coin does leave everything to chance.” Ren said before taking a sip of his coffee.

#persona 5 #persona 5 royal #persona 5 x reader #persona 5 royal x reader #ann takamaki #makoto niijima #futaba sakura #haru okumura #sumire yoshizawa #ann takamaki x reader #makoto nijima x reader #futaba sakura x reader #haru okumura x reader #sumire yoshizawa x reader

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darlingsfandom · 2 months ago

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Hellooooo🤎how's everything going?,I hope you are having a great day!!!🫂

If you want and can you could write something about Tommy defending his wife because his son or daughter yelled at her, I saw this on Instagram and thought Tommy would definitely be that kind of husband who says 'she's your mom but she is also my wife, and you are going to respect her'🙂‍↕️ I have a really nice image of Tommy defending his wife like that (I wish it was me)🤭

If you take it, thank you!!! and if it's also good, I love what you do🤎🤎

Tommy will always defend his wife!

This was requested BEFORE the inbox got closed!

To say you’re in a happy family is true but just like any other family you have the ups and downs. Tommy and you have been married for sixteen years, sixteen amazing years with lots of love, laughs and a few business opportunities that neither of you spoke of once the deal was done. In those twelve years you had two children with Tommy: Daisy Ann Shelby and Dean Arthur Shelby! You had twins ! So that’s why both of their names started with the letter D. It also could’ve been a side effects from the drugs to help ease your birth.

Over the years the twins grew up and their personalities started to shine. Daisy followed in your foot steps with wanting to learn how to bake, sew and do make up. Once she started doing make up Tommy was on guard even harder because that meant boys would be coming around. Dean on the other hand did not want to walk in Tommy’s footsteps, he wanted to a math teacher because he was excellent with numbers. He did help Tommy with the business a little bit to get more experience and Tommy didn’t disown him for not wanting to continue the business because he knew better than to push his child into something they didn’t like.

The twins just turned fifteen and boy was puberty a bitch!

Tommy had the talk with Dean about the birds and bees, how to clean himself properly so he didn’t smell like a sweaty gym sock and how to shoot a gun.

You on the other hand had given Daisy Ann the birds and bees talk, how to deal with dumb boys, bitchy girls and a few reminders about periods.

One day as you were in the kitchen with Tommy making dinner, Dean came home in a mood and threw his stuff on the ground with a thud before trying to dart up to his room. You called for him to come back and pick it up and even said please. Dean rolled his eyes at you and Tommy didn’t let it go unnoticed.

“This house sucks!” Dean yelled as he grabbed his stuff and stormed off. Tommy shot up out of his seat but you grabbed his arm.

“Tommy, he’s just a boy in puberty. He didn’t mean it.” You squeezed his arm and Tommy huffed before looking down at your gentle face. He ran his hand over your cheek locking before leaning down to give you a kiss.

“Gross.” Daisy Ann wrinkled her nose as she walked in to see the two of you kissing. Both of you laughed as she walked past. “Mom!” She pulled on your arm.

“What do you need honey ?”

“Are you still going to help me with my dress?” She asked laying her head on your shoulder.

“After supper we can start tonight.” She hugged you tightly before walking back out.

“Now how come Dean can’t be like that?” Tommy grabbed a cigarette from his pocket and lit it up while you furrowed your eyebrows.

“He’s a teenage boy in puberty Tommy , don’t you remember it?” You asked going back to check on dinner.

“Yeah, but if I acted that way …”

“And now we don’t do those things!” You quickly responded before pulling the casserole out of the oven and closing the door with your hip. “Now go wash up. I’ll get the kids.” You kissed his cheek as he put out his cigarette .

You called for the kids and Daisy Ann came running down. After a few minutes you went to check on Dean . You knocked but no answer , knocked again and he opened the door with an annoyed look. “I’ve been calling you, dinners done.” Dean rolled his eyes again. “Without the attitude.”

Tommy was down the hall and could hear you taking to him.

“Maybe I don’t want your shitty cooking, did you think of that?” Your son yelled making your heartbreak in half. Tommy could see the disappointment on your face a mile away and before Dean could slam the door , Tommy’s foot was in the way.

“You listen here you little shit, she’s your mom but she is also MY WIFE! And you are going to respect her!” Tommy’s face was dark red as his index finger pushed into his son’s chest. Dean actually looked scared . Tommy had never yelled at Dean like that. You stood there with tear stained cheeks as Tommy grabbed Dean by the arm and took him out of his room and into the kitchen where Daisy Ann was standing awkwardly.

“Your mother does a lot around here and I will be damned if her own children disrespect her.” Tommy said as he brought his son in. “She does it all because she actually loves you! Do you know how many other mothers have given up their kids around here? Hmm would you rather be on the street? Moving home to home? She’s a good person, a lovely person actually and if you don’t understand that then that’s your issue. But again I will not let either of you disrespect her or talk down to her.”

That night as dinner finished up, Dean apologized to you without Tommy making him. You gave him a hug and kissed his forehead which made him embarrassed because no teenage boy wants him to do that! But he did love you. Tommy walked in on the two of hugging and leaned against the wall with a smile on his face. He knew his son was just going through the hardest part of life and had to remind him that it could be worse because even in the Shelby home, no matter what happens you are still loved regardless and that was all thanks to you.

#tommy peaky blinders #tommy shelby #thomas shelby fluff #Thomas Shelby #thomas shelby x you #thomas shelby blurb #thomas shelby peaky blinders #thomas shelby drabble #emsblurbs #cillian murphy #cillian murphy masterlist #peaky blinders blurb #peaky blinder fanfic #peaky blinders drabble

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annawayne · 5 days ago

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Hi, Ann! Hope you're having a good day. I wanted to ask—why do you think some people refuse to acknowledge that the sins of other characters in Attack on Titan are no better or worse than Annie's? Why does she seem to get more hate compared to characters like Bertholdt, Reiner, or even Eren? Annie is one of the most hated characters, along with Gabi. Do you think this could be because she's a woman? Her personality is similar to Levi's in different circumstances, yet she gets criticized heavily. People even accuse her of manipulating or bullying Mikasa. What are your thoughts?

Hello!

Oh, thank you a lot for asking! (and sorry it took me a few days to answer it)

There are a lot of wonderful metas on this topic, but I would be glad to contribute a bit with my thoughts on it as well, and thank you for the ask!

Here, a small disclaimer at the beginning: I'll talk only about my personal thoughts, focusing primarily on my reflections on why this intense hate comes from that are not related to the basic "I just don't like her" - it's all valid, and it's absolutely fine not to like a particular character just because, and it's nothing to do with plain hate.

I think that one of the main issues of Annie's hatred is not even about Annie as a character, but, unfortunately, by the way her character arc is built. We see her at the very beginning, and she is still the second-line character, even if she's EXTREMELY important to the plot. So, back then, we had her screen time, and let's be honest, not as much as I personally would love to have, primarily because she's an incredibly beautiful, interesting character with her unique points of view on the world and, as turns out later, one of the most prominent roles in the story as a whole. Still, till her reveal as Female Titan, we have some scenes with her, we have some impacts on other characters (also significant, like for Eren and Armin, for example), and then, the Female Titan arc happens and... she disappears for a VERY long period of time from the show, appearing much, much later, firstly, in flashback like a glimpse, and only then, with her whole come back during the literal apocalypse. So when the time comes to give us her backstory - I won't lie, it feels rushed, and I think, Isayma has a very great sense of self-irony when he articulates it through Hitch's mouth: "Wait, what is it a sudden sharing of your story?", all while on the background the Colossals take a march. I honestly think that Isayma also understood that it's definitely not telling enough to sympathize with Annie's character when it's presented like this (for me, personally, it was enough and I just simply would love to have more, since Annie's past in Liberio is one of the most interesting topics for me), but on the other hand, he couldn't reveal her story earlier because it would hint at her comeback FAR too obviously.

So, one of the main points is this large gap in her presence and a bit rushed exploration of her character due to the lack of time because of the situation around the characters. For example, we have a very detailed dive into Reiner's character, and still, I also feel like there's much more to explore with his character and his psycho, and what we can even say about Annie, who doesn't have such detailed exploration but has the same difficult and complex past which is undeniably important to understand not only her as a character but also more about the universe of AoT?

The next thing that plays the role here is linked to the previous one - due to the massive gap in Annie's presence in the story, many people forget many things about her. Primarily, her emotions. I think it's one of the most overlooked things regarding her character and in AoT in general. The way we see her tears IN HER TITAN FORM when she fails to capture Eren? Her tears when she was crystallizing herself? Her eyes, full of fear, when she woke up before the whole Stohess thing? Her genuine surprise, which she tried immediately to dismiss when Armin called her a good person? Her smile when Eren complimented her on her skills, which was also deleted from the anime but remains in the manga?

Here, I need to highlight an essential thing: Annie's Titan is the only Titan that is capable of showing emotions.

If we look closely, everyone else has their emotions relatively very firm, like, for example, Bert's and Armin's Colossals, caged and restricted by bones; Reiner, it looks to me, is not only the shield for others, but he's a shield from himself, completely forced to be armored in everything he feels; Lara's Titan also seems like covered in pristine white chains, and it's also interesting since she was, let's say, the shifter with a twist; Pieck's Titan also has a very permanent expression, which is compensated by her incredible endurance, just like Porco's or Ymir's Jaws lack of emotions are compensated by their mobility; Eren's Titan has always this emotion of rage as if it's the only feeling he could have going into attack. Zeke's monkey is the only other Titan with emotions, which is also intriguing.

So, back to Annie, her Titan is emotional: her tears from the failed attempt to catch Eren; like she was genuinely shocked to see people under the rubble when she fought Eren, and he threw her towards the church, leading to its crashing; like she smiled when she saw Armin under the hood; how she returned to the last battle, and how she screams in her Titan form - I genuinely here a lot of "human" in this tune, something, she doesn't allow herself in her human form. And yet, people focus a lot on the infamous "yo-yo" thing, on her battle with Levi's squad and other people, where, ironically, she attacks only when she has a direct threat to her identity or capture. If we look closely, Annie avoids fighting humans as much as possible till she's attacked directly - she runs, she screams, she tries to show off people not to touch her, and when it comes to the "fight or to lose" (which is also a remarkable parallel to Eren's character), she attacks, not to mention the obvious question - how else you act at war? Yes, back then, it wasn't something we could call like that specifically, yet she had a military mission, which, by the way, she was failing for several reasons, primarily because she's not so cold-blooded as her character is often reduced to. So, how else was she supposed to act? We don't see a lot of the same questions, for example, for Armin, who came to her hometown and blew up the port with many more casualties among civilians.

In AoT, everyone has sins. Everyone, with no exception, but Annie sometimes seems to carry the hate as if she's the typical antagonist that is supposed to be hated just because the genre demands (she's not even an antagonist either).

To sum up, Annie's character is simply very misunderstood. She's one of the most interesting characters in AoT, and I say it not because she's my fav, but primarily - she's my fav because she's much more complex than some people see her, starting from her mindset and views of the world to her development, which shows how unlovable, unwanted flower that was denied to bloom, grows through the cement and concrete, firstly, with the spikes not to let anyone close because she knows how it's to be hurt, and then, that uses these spikes, this strength to protect others and eventually leaving them be on the cold floor, and she - growing more and more into buyoant garden.

Her hands aren't without blood, and so are the others who have the same invisible tint on their skin, and yet, the same hands that only knew destruction and cold touch could also be soft and build something new, something much more powerful than her Titans kicks.

When Hitch asks her if she would do all the same, Annie says - yes, but I see it as only the mirror of Levi's "living with no regrets." Objectively speaking, Annie understands that it's impossible to turn the time back, and living among these endless what-ifs doesn't give any change - it's gone and cemented in history as it is. All these potential questions of "what would you do" are more of a mental trick to whitewash the ego. Annie doesn't do it - she understands that nothing of it was something to be proud of, and she never was, and at the same time, she doesn't know anything else. To do something differently from what point exactly? From her crystallization? Not to reveal herself earlier? Not to give Armin a chance to live twice? Not to go into the mission? Force Reiner to return? Not to listen to her father? Not to be born?

Where exactly could this point change something?

Annie doesn't lie to herself, and she doesn't look back with abstract thoughts of "How would it be," but when the time comes to actually take another action, she does it; she returns to the final battle before it becomes another "what if."

And it says more than anything else.

Annie is an honest character, primarily with herself, and she doesn't want to pretend to be better than she is. This makes her character much more human than some people try to make her look.

So, that's it!

It was quite a long read, and thank you everyone who reached this point, I appreciate your time on this!

Thank you a lot for asking, and have a good *timezone*!

#annie leonhart #annie leonhardt #attack on titan meta #attack on titan analysis #slight #aruani #attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #answered ask #ask #I'll always defend my girl

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1d1195 · 1 year ago

Text

Sun-Kissed II

Alrighty, the first part of Sun-Kissed is here. This is the second and final part. Just over 8.1k words. It picks up right where the last part let off. I hope you enjoy.

Warnings: More 18+ things happening here. Public sex (kinda), oral sex. If you’re not into this, I wouldn’t read it. There's some minor angst but it's really mostly fluff still.

Once more reminding everyone I know how impractical love at first sight is now that I'm a full grown adult, however I fully believe in love at first sight for Harry Styles.

“This is not the kind of beach vacation you had in mind, I’m sure.”

“Kitten, it’s so much better, because of you,” he pressed a kiss to the shell of her ear. “I’ll stay all night,” he promised her.

The research on love at first sight was no longer a worry. She had all the proof she needed right here.

It was so surreal having dinner with Harry’s mom and sister. They were a delight. She could see where Harry got his charm, his lovely looks, and just his wonderful personality. He was touchy, but not inappropriate. She insisted she help with dinner, and he pressed a hand to the middle of her back while she worked on getting the plates from her cabinet for the table. Immediately, she could feel her brain returning to normal functionality. While they spent a good hour on the beach kissing and holding one another watching the sunrise, the thought of leaving him for any extensive amount of time after she just fucked herself on his leg made her extremely disoriented.

Harry pressed a kiss to the back of her neck as he hovered beside her while she helped him cook the fish on the grill. “Y’look so pretty,” he said. She did change despite all three of them saying it wasn’t necessary, just a black tank top tucked into a pair of jean shorts to make her feel a little more presentable. It was by far the most boring look on the planet, but she liked the fact that Harry thought she was pretty. She tried not to blush too much, and she really didn’t want to overwhelm his family with their PDA. Even though she really wanted to wrap herself around him like a koala to a tree.

When they sat down to eat, Harry sat beside her, resting his hand on her knee, drawing small little circles along her skin. Anne complimented both her cottage and Harry’s. She thanked her no less than thirty times for letting them intrude for dinner. She already, insanely, adored Anne. She reminded her so much of her own mom who she missed a lot during the summer months, when no one wanted to set foot around this town. “Are you going to watch the sunset later?” She asked.

“That was the plan. And then ice cream of course,” Harry smirked.

“Oh, please come with us!” Gemma cheered. She loved Gemma too. It was effortless. Everything about Harry entering her life seemed so effortless. Gemma was so funny and lovely. She thought Harry must have had the best childhood with a sister like her in his life.

“I really don’t want to intrude,” she said kindly.

Both women rolled their eyes. “Like Harry made us intrude on you for dinner? Please,” Anne scoffed. “We want you to.”

She glanced at Harry who simply smiled at her, delight dancing in his green eyes waiting for her answer. “You’ll all need sweatshirts,” she told them.

Gemma and his mum walked out a bit on the tidal flats to get some more pictures at different angles. She and Harry stayed put in the lifeguard stand once more. “Thank you for dinner,” he murmured in her hair. This time he made no fuss about getting as close to her as possible. He felt better having as much physical contact with her as allowable. Harry was situated on the actual seat of the stand while she sat on the floor of it, between his legs. He leaned forward to kiss the top of her head and speak to her.

“Thank you. I’m sorry—”

“Shh,” he hushed. “Nothing t’be sorry ‘bout.”

He played with her hair letting his fingers get caught in the waves and gently tugged through them to avoid it knotting and hurting later when she needed to brush it. He spotted his sister taking a picture of the pair of them, but he didn’t bring it to her attention. Instead, he focused on her hair, mindlessly braiding it. “Are you braiding my hair?” She giggled.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“You are...” she sighed and tilted her head back a bit. “I’m very glad I met you.”

Harry wanted to sleep in the same bed as her. He didn’t even care if anything sexual happened. He just wanted to be as close as humanly possible to her. Unfortunately, his mother and sister were totally killing the vibe tonight for that to happen. “They leave in the evening, the day after tomorrow,” he murmured. “Then I want t’kiss y’on every surface of Sea View. And watch another sunrise with you.” She shuddered, nodded mutely. His voice was utterly dreamy. She immediately clenched her thighs together for some relief. He inhaled sharply. “If y’clench those pretty thighs together in front of me again, love, m’gonna have t’fuck you before they leave, and I don’t know how we’ll manage t’hide that.”

It took every bit of self-control in her not to do it again. He was a little bossy. It made her ache of course between her legs and she honestly thought of doing it just to spite him. Just so he could figure out how he could fuck her without letting his family know. Make him sweat because it seemed entirely unfair that she would have to use her own fingers before falling asleep tonight instead of his thigh...or his dick.

“Did I go too far?” He asked quietly. He sounded concerned, but not quite remorseful. She was pretty sure he knew why she was silent, and he was just trying to make her a little crazier. He slid his hand down her arm, grabbing the elastic from her wrist because not once did he stop his fingers from braiding her hair. Saying salacious things but continuing the sweet gesture. The dichotomy of his personality was overwhelming.

“I’m getting an ice cream cone just so you have to watch me lick it,” she whispered.

He groaned and dropped his face to her neck, tugged her around the waist so she was in his lap. She could feel the bulge of his dick pressed against the back of her thighs. “Can’t believe I invited them.” She smiled and dropped to the side of his lap, draping her legs across his lap so his erection was covered but she wouldn’t tease him—even though she wanted to. “Didn’t know I was going t’meet the goddess of the sun on m’vacation,” he mumbled. “Never would have invited them.”

She laughed and shook her head at him. “You’re something else, Harry.”

He spent the entire day away from her and it felt like agony, especially since the only relief he got between his legs was his hand in that outdoor shower where he imagined her licking him the same way she licked her ice cream cone the night before. At least his brain was functioning better.

I refilled your grill, so it’s all set if you need it. :) She messaged him around lunch time.

Come to the beach. He answered in response.

Enjoy your family, Harry. She sent a kissing emoji.

I can’t stop thinking about your mouth.

Harry.

Please, love. Want you so bad.

Shhh...

“Are you texting her?” Gemma asked. Anne was down by the water, collecting shells and Gemma was reading her book, glancing up at Harry from the rim of her sunhat. She already knew the answer was yes because Harry couldn’t hide the absolute delight on his face.

There was no use trying to lie. He could feel his face smiling like a moron at the screen of his phone. She gave them her umbrella for the day and all the sunscreen she had. The unending kindness she had was admirable and he was so grateful to have met her. “Gemma, I think m’going t’fall in love with her.”

“I think you already are, you dummy,” she rolled her eyes. That was accurate. He probably was. “Just...be careful. I feel like neither of you are thinking about how you leave in a week, and you live in different parts of the state,” she reminded him. “I adore her. That’s not the problem. I just don’t want distance to hurt you...either of you.”

Harry hadn’t really thought of it like that. He’d been too focused on this bubble of salt air and love at first sight. He had been teaching at the same school for the last two years after being at two different schools prior. He loved where he was in his career, but if it meant he could be with her? He would apply to any school necessary. He’d have to wait and see where the week went, he supposed. He was sure they could do long-distance. They had all the same breaks and things to map out time for one another.

They’d always have the summer, too—he knew where she’d be.

“Do you want t’go in the water?” Gemma asked. “Mum looks like she has all the shells on the beach in her arms.”

Harry chuckled. “What’s she even collecting them for?” He asked, grabbing Gemma’s hand to help her up from her chair.

“She’s got some wreath vision in her head,” she shrugged as they headed toward the ocean. “Think she saw it in Better Homes and Gardens last month.” He nodded and scooped up his sister the second she was off guard, just as their toes hit the water, and he hurried out further to toss her into the waves. She spluttered as she came to the surface, and he was laughing. She splashed him and gave him a big wet hug. “I don’t know what that girl sees in you.”

Given that she was literally at the beach at the same time, Harry (and his family) insisted she sit with them on their last day of their visit. They chatted the whole day about almost everything and anything. She could see where Harry got his easy-going vibe. It was as easy to talk to them as it was with Harry. He rubbed lotion on her back, so she didn’t burn, and continued to find ways to touch her without being over the top. He brushed sand from her temple after she laid on the blanket beside him, so it wouldn’t get in her eye. Whenever they were near each other, he constantly pressed a hand to her hip in an effort not to be in her way as they reached for things out of the cooler.

Harry felt so much less tense than he had the day before. She spent their time apart running errands and letting Harry have a fun-filled day with his family. Being in her presence made him so instantly happy. It was impossible to believe he could fall so hard and so quickly. He truly wondered what was in the salt air that made his heart overtake all brain function.

Gemma shared at least three different fish recipes and vegetarian meals with her. “It’s hard to cook for us, I know,” she smiled.

“It’s not bad, I just run out of ideas. I am just very boring, and only like plain boring fish. Or salmon. That’s it.”

“That’s plenty, honestly. Don’t feel bad. I miss chicken teriyaki every day,” Gemma nodded.

Anne smiled at Harry from across their space while the two girls huddled over the jewelry, she got from a specialty shop in town. “Let me make a call and see if I can get us in. They’re very particular, but I know the owner,” she smiled. “We’ll have to leave early though; I don’t want to cut your beach day short.”

“No, that’s okay. Harry was going to take me to the shop you told him about with the sweatshirts?” Anne said.

“Oh, not fair! I want to go!” Gemma pouted.

“We could probably do both, but you may just wait a long time at the shop,” she explained. “There’s always so many people.”

Anne and Gemma shrugged. “You go to a tourist location, you’re going to deal with tourists,” she smiled.

Harry just watched all three women strategize showering and getting ready to go run their errands. She made her phone call and proudly stated they could go, just a half hour before they closed at four. It was like a military operation and Harry was overcome with how much he liked having his mom and sister get along with his beach goddess. “I just have to make him muffins before we go,” she rolled her eyes.

“You bake too?” Anne wondered.

“Oh yes. A real hobby of mine. Muffins are my specialty. I put cranberries in them with chocolate chips and an extra teaspoon of vanilla extract. Everyone goes crazy about them, but otherwise I just follow a basic muffin recipe.”

“You’ll have to save us some. Harry used to work at a bakery before he went into teaching,” Anne explained. “We’re huge fans of baked goods.”

“I’ll save you some,” she giggled, and Harry thought there wasn’t a vacation that would ever top this one.

The man at the jewelry store clearly wanted her as much as Harry wanted her. He couldn’t blame him though because she decided to torture him in a sundress. It was a pale pink with orangey red seashells patterned on the fabric. Sunglasses atop her head, he once more thought she looked like a princess, truly thought she would live in a sandcastle if she could. It was flowy, draped to the floor and Harry wanted nothing more than to crawl underneath the skirt and live there. She paid no mind, however, to the way the man looked at her. Nor did she seem to see the internal fight Harry was having of keeping it PG as the other person working helped Gemma and Anne while she looked at other beachy jewelry. “Oh, those are so pretty,” she cooed pointing to rustic looking earrings. A little chain dangled into two pearls with a seashell fitted at the end of the little chain. Harry pressed his hand to her back as he looked over her shoulder. “Do y’want them?” He murmured into her hair, his lips touching the back of her head. He hoped that her friend saw how close he was to her while he munched on the muffins.

Maybe Gemma was right. How was he supposed to be separated by practically a whole state from her when he couldn’t even fathom another man talking to her? She rolled her eyes, but she leaned back into his embrace. He wrapped an arm around the front of her hips, kissing the side of her head as she spoke. “No, Harry. You met me less than a week ago, I don’t want you buying me a $150 pair of earrings,” she rolled her eyes. Harry wanted to get them for her. He would probably steal them for her if she asked him to. He didn’t see what knowing her for less than a week had to do with it.

“Excuse me, can I get these?” Harry asked.

“Harry,” she whispered trying to turn out of his embrace. She caught the way Gemma and Anne exchanged a look and smiled to themselves as they were fitted with their own array of beach jewelry. Harry slid his card through effortlessly as soon as the man took them out of the case. He had a bit of chocolate on the corner of his mouth, but Harry couldn’t blame him. She shared a few with him and his family and she could see why people went nuts about them. He did notice the way he eyed the closeness of Harry’s arm draped around her waist. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Assurance you’ll let me come back next summer,” he winked.

“It should be a thank you for bothering her all week,” Gemma said as they headed back out to the car with their purchases. Harry drove and she sat in the back with Gemma so Anne could sit up front. Harry grabbed his mom’s hand unceremoniously and she thought it was the most adorable thing in the entire world while she directed him to the overcrowded shop.

“He wasn’t a bother,” she giggled sitting forward to squeeze his shoulder while he drove. He felt like there was electricity zipping through him, he worried he wouldn’t make it to the store in one piece if she did it again.

The overcrowded shop was actually very fun for people watching. Harry found his arm around her waist the entire time and insisted on getting matching sweatshirts in different colors. She rolled her eyes once more at how crazy this all was falling so quickly for a man she just met. She would have to research love at first sight and see if there was some evidence that it was normal to feel and behave this way.

Content again with their purchases, they returned to the car. “Dinner?” Anne asked. “We’d like to treat you for invading your home the first night,” she said sweetly.

“Seriously, it was the least—”

“Love, jus’ let us buy y’dinner,” Harry hummed. “Jus’ tell me where t’go,” he glanced at her in the rearview mirror and winked at her.

So, what was she supposed to do but enjoy dinner with Harry and his family again?

Anne gave her a huge hug, thanked her no less than thirty more times, and then hugged Harry and told him to be polite and give her space if she wanted it. There was nothing she wanted less. In fact, if she could have glued herself to Harry she probably would.

But she also thanked her for dinner and for being so kind to her that first night even though she looked crazy in her post-nap haze. Anne thought nothing of it and Harry wondered if he would ever get over the euphoria he felt, knowing his mum liked the girl he was already smitten with.

Gemma also hugged her and thanked her profusely. Told her she hoped to see her again and let her know if she needed recipes for Harry while he was there. The pair waved as Harry’s family left Sea View. They walked back to Sun-Kissed Cabana hand in hand. Fingers twisted together. She still needed to do the dishes from the muffins she made earlier. “Do you want to watch the sunset or go to—”

The second they were inside her little place; Harry dropped to his knees and lifted her skirt over his head. He didn’t even shut the front door. “Harry,” she gasped as his lips started the ascent up her leg, starting at her knee, trailing over her thigh, moving inward toward her underwear. Harry sighed, pressing a chaste kiss to the outside of her underwear. She put a hand on the wall as he lifted one of her legs to go over his shoulder and she wished her brain was working at full capacity. She would have requested the door close so no one walking or driving by could see right in the entry way and see her gasping at the man between her thighs. Anyone that even glanced would immediately know what was happening. She would ruin countless family vacations if anyone looked. People would glare at the indecency, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. The only reprieve from her worry was that the sun was setting, and they hadn’t turned on a light.

“Can I make y’feel good, love? Please?” He begged. “Been dreaming ‘bout y’on m’tongue, kitten,” his voice was nearly muffled by the fabric of her dress paired with the fact his voice was so low and deep.

How could she say no to him begging her? God, she wanted his tongue on her. “Yes, yes, please,” she whimpered closing her eyes as his finger hooked around her panties and pushed them to the side. He didn’t wait one second before his mouth was on her.

His lips wrapped around her clit, and he sucked hard making her cry out. She was certain she was dripping. Embarrassingly wet. If his mouth wasn’t there, she probably would have dripped on the floor. Harry groaned loudly against her sending vibrations through her. Her vibrator would never compare ever again. She whimpered, grabbing his head atop the fabric of her dress pressing him toward her. He pulled back pressing kisses to the inside of her thigh over his shoulder as he paused for a breath. “M’gonna live here,” he promised making her feel shaky on the one leg that remained on the floor.

“Please don’t stop,” she begged.

“No, no way, kitten,” he murmured kissing a trail back to where he wanted to be; almost as much as she wanted him there. “Gonna make y’feel s’good. Promise. Gonna make y’come all over m’tongue again and again,” his words were so sweetly said despite the filth coming from them. However, given that his lips and tongue were doing sinful things to the apex of her thighs, she shouldn’t have been so surprised that he could turn her to mush physically and mentally with his mouth.

He continued, lapping between the folds. He held her in place, pressing his hands into her fleshy backside. She moaned, wishing she was pressed against the wall so she could drop her head back. She was worried she would collapse and break his neck. Especially when he did make her come. “S’fucking good,” he groaned into her kissing her puffy clit. “God, you’re s’wet. S’that for me?” He wondered sliding his hand over her backside toward her hip, down her groin where his finger slid through her folds gathering the sticky moisture that accumulated from herself and from his mouth. “Did I get y’this wet?”

Oh, he was enjoying this way too much. She nodded breathlessly, unable to speak if she wanted to. He couldn’t even see her nodding. She was overheating. She wanted his mouth back on her. It was unfair he was torturing her with words and physical movements of his mouth. “Y-yes,” she managed. “Harry, please,” she croaked out afterwards.

He groaned at the way she sounded. Like heaven. Begging. He was rock hard, but he didn’t care. He just wanted to taste her. Wanted to have her come all over him so he could clean her up and do it again as fast as possible.

After massaging her clit between his thumb and forefinger and letting his middle finger slide through her folds he finally dipped it into her hole. She cried out at the invasion and ground into his hand. “S’that good, baby? S’that make y’feel better?” He asked. That mocking tone from the morning she got herself off on his thigh was back she wished she could bite back a retort, but his lips weren’t allowing any coherent thoughts through. “S’that make the ache go away?” She nodded again, not that he could see but she thought he probably knew it was true. It did make the ache go away except she wanted to come so badly. “Such a good girl,” he moaned licking her like he was the one that invented doing this. “Y’gonna come on m’tongue?” He asked.

“Please,” she thought she was going to cry if she didn’t get a release soon. His finger felt so good, wiggling around her walls looking for the spot that would drive her wild while his lips attached back to her clit. “Please, Harry, please,” she moaned, and Harry thought she might be crying but he couldn’t see with her dress covering his head. It was warm below the fabric, his hot breath, and her carnal need to come making all senses done for. He swore the only thing he knew to do was make her come hard. He picked up the pace of his finger dipping in and out of her soaking wet hole. She was starting to clench just barely while he kept flicking his tongue over her clit that he kept in place while sucking it between his lips. “Right there,” she cried. “Please, please, please,” she begged as the flutter of her walls began to work around his finger.

He brought his arm around her, pressing her close to him so he could continue licking and fingering her until finally she moaned and shook. “Yes, fuck,” she whimpered, and her perfect pussy clenched rapidly around his finger while he continued his licking of her clit so she could ride out her second orgasm due to Harry against his lips and hand. As the waves finished wracking through her she was breathing heavily as Harry lapped up all the wetness making insanely lewd slurping noises as he did—like he wanted every drop of her. When he finished placing the most ironically chaste kiss on her oversensitive clit, she sighed. The leg on his shoulder slumped to the floor. He pulled her panties down to her ankles, kissing down her leg as he did. Helped her step out of them.

“You’ll need new ones,” he stated as a matter of fact. Not a need to brag although he very well could have. As he flipped the curtain of her skirt back over his head to free him, standing in the same moment.

His hair was a little staticky from the fabric brushing his hair. He smiled at her, impishly it seemed. Her breath was uneven, and she tried to remember how to speak but couldn’t find the words to say. “Are y’alright? Was that okay, love?”

She nodded, her eyes fluttering as if she were about to pass out. She was speechless. It made him feel good that he could get that kind of reaction out of her, but he was worried he accidentally broke her. Her eyes looked glassy like she wasn’t fully coherent yet.

He smiled, sweeping her into his arms like she was a bride and carried her to the sofa. It was so quick, and he made it seem so effortless she didn’t have time to think about how heavy she must have been for him to do that.

He left her safely and softly on the couch, kissing her forehead before he made his way to the kitchen. The ache between her thighs was satiated and she could feel her brain cells reconnecting and hoped she’d be able to form a sentence at any moment.

“Harry?” She asked tentatively. Her voice was cracking. Blinking unsurely, at the lack of Harry beside her.

“M’right here, angel. Jus’ getting us some water,” he promised sweetly and hurried to sit beside her. The worry in her voice with just his name made his heart hurt. He handed her the cup so she could get rehydrated. Harry thought she was the most precious thing he’d ever laid eyes on, but he sensed her uneasiness. He knew she felt it the other day too after their sunrise fun—except he spent most of the day not seeing her. He would make up for it now. Scooping her into his lap, scrunching the fabric of her skirt up over her hips so she could straddle his lap, he didn’t focus on the fact there was nothing between her body and his shorts. Her head dropped to the crook of his neck, and he soothingly rubbed her back while he took his own sip of water over the top of her shoulder. “Y’okay, love?” He asked tentatively again now that she had time to process the event in her mind, had some water, and that Harry was holding her carefully.

“Mmm,” she hummed softly. Her breath tickling his neck. “Thank you.”

He chuckled and kissed her hair. “I’d say the pleasure was all mine, but I think y’got the brunt of it.”

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to make you feel that good,” she mumbled sadly. Almost as if she was hurt by the idea.

He smirked. “Won’t be difficult, kitten. Thought I was gonna come jus’ from touching you,” he promised. She didn’t pay attention to that bit of info. She was too busy feeling bad about how needy she was right now.

“M’sorry m’needy,” she whispered—it always happened when she orgasmed like that at the hand of another guy. There were only a select few that managed to do it, but only one that left her high and dry after. It made her feel terrible and it had been a long while since she let it happen like that. Worried that she would feel dirty and gross again. She couldn’t really help herself with Harry though and she worried that she would bother him being so needy. “This is not the kind of beach vacation you had in mind, I’m sure.”

“Kitten, it’s so much better, because of you,” he pressed a kiss to the shell of her ear. “I’ll stay all night,” he promised her.

The research on love at first sight was no longer a worry. She had all the proof she needed right here.

Harry doesn’t know how many times he orgasmed. True to his word, he kissed her and kindly fucked her on every possible surface in Sea View. Except the outdoor shower. But that was only because it was raining. She giggled as Harry closed his eyes, smirking at her little laugh. “Something funny, kitten?” He asked reaching out across the bed—where they ended their escapades for the day.

She shook her head. “Never thought I’d be part of the group that’s been fucked at Sea View.”

He rolled over top of her, the sheets keeping a barrier between them. “S’been the best vacation of m’life,” he promised. “Gonna leave a six-star review,” he promised.

She laughed loudly, making his heart thrum with adoration at how carefree it sounded. “I don’t do this for everyone that stays here, don’t make reviews I can’t cash in on.”

“Love, if I could afford it, I would rent this place the whole summer.”

She smiled so beautifully. Harry thought she really was an angel like her friend said. A sun-kissed one for sure. “You’ll stay the night, yeah?” He asked. “We’ll watch TV and order food, whatever you want,” he promised.

“I’d like that. But I’ll need to go get a change of clothes.”

“You won’t need them,” he shrugged.

She giggled again.

They spent the next few days in the normal routine they developed the week before. They went to the beach, they checked an item off Harry’s vacation bucket list, they ate dinner together, watched the sunset, got ice cream, and moaned into each other’s mouths as much as possible.

They also touched a lot more. Harry held her hand while they waited in line behind the group of people ahead of them at the mini golf course. His arms looped around her back while they waded in the water, holding her close to him. He kept a hold of her foot in his lap while they read their books in the evening before sunset.

When they slept at night, in the comfy bed at Sea View, he wrapped her close to his chest and curled around her, his arms caging around her. “What if I have to pee?” She giggled the first night.

“Then I guess you’ll have t’pee on me,” he shrugged through her laughter.

It was unspoken that they didn’t talk about his vacation ending very soon. The only time she left him alone was when she showered at Sun-Kissed Cabana. He cutely told her he missed her the moment she returned to his home away from home. “So full moon tonight?” He asked looking down at her face. Today they read with her head in his lap, her face turned toward his stomach at the moment rubbing her nose against his warm t-shirt. He combed his fingers through her hair focusing on his book.

She nodded, wrangling her phone from her pocket to in front of her face so she could look at the weather app on her phone. “Nine thirty,” she glanced at the weather, there should be no clouds or rain to ruin the evening.

“It’ll be cold, yeah?” He asked. She checked the temperature and nodded again in affirmation.

“Probably wear what we wore for the sunrise.”

“Oh, I love that outfit,” he said flirtatiously. She rolled her eyes and turned to lay flat back against her lap and stare up at him. He smiled while he finished the page he was reading. “What?” He hummed.

“You’re obsessed with sex.”

“Me?!” He cried throwing his book on the coffee table. “You’re the one moaning and pressing your bum up against me all night,” he reminded her and brought his face down to hers so he could kiss her repeatedly. She giggled as he pulled her upper body with him as he leaned back against the sofa. He pulled her close to him. He was obsessed with sex. But only with her it seemed. It was a billion to one chance he would me this angel this vacation. Another billion to one chance he would find her stunning and adore her immediately. Of course, it was only another billion to one chance he would want to make her come so many times her legs would shake just walking three houses down when she needed something from her little cottage.

Ugh, he wanted to stay here forever.

“Love,” he said gently. She was busy tracing his eyebrows and running her fingertip over his eyelids while he was lost in thought about how obsessed with sex he was. “I leave in a few days,” he reminded her. She frowned almost instantly and nodded. Looked away from him, ducked her face so her lips pressed to his shoulder. He pressed a hand to the back of her head, rubbing his fingertips gently into the back of her skull.

“I know,” she mumbled against his skin.

They were quiet for a few moments. Harry was trying to figure out what to say. It certainly couldn’t be that he was in love with her. He would sound like an idiot. She was intelligent and beautiful. Just because he wanted to live between her legs didn’t mean he could go around saying he loved her after a week and a half. “I want t’be very clear, kitten. I really don’t want t’leave,” he kissed the side of her head. “S’been a very special vacation,” he promised. “S’because of you, y’know. I don’t want t’leave because you’re here,” he combed through her hair with his fingers and kissed the crown of her head once more.

She didn’t answer but Harry could feel a teardrop fall onto his shirt. He didn’t move from this position. Didn’t want to call attention to her sadness and make it worse. They would have these moments and they could figure out the rest when the time came.

They walked hand in hand, the pathway lit by the flashlights on their phones. They wore their sweatpants and long sleeve shirts and were barefoot as they walked the same beach path, they always walked to the lifeguard stand. Before they even got there, Harry was speechless. “Oh wow,” the moon was just over top the horizon and since he had only seen the sunrise once this vacation, he only had one way to compare to it. If it wasn’t for the dark sky, he’d have no clue it wasn’t the sun. It was breathtaking.

She smiled and turned her flashlight off to take a picture. Harry did the same, wrapping his arm around her as she did so he wouldn’t lose her for even a second in the dark. “Is anyone else here y’think?” He asked.

She shook her head, bumping against him. “Probably not; mostly kids around here with their families. They can’t stay up this late,” she giggled. She yawned. “Honestly, me neither. I was up so late last night,” she reminded him.

He rolled his eyes. “‘Harry, please, please, please let me come. Oh, it’s so good,’” he mocked. She jabbed her elbow into his stomach not hard enough to hurt but he kissed the side of her face. She ignored him, turned her flashlight back on, and pulled him toward the lifeguard stand. They sat in silence, watching the moon slowly rise into the sky. It looked enormous. Beautiful. He said it when he first got here, but he truly believed she was right that this was the most magnificent place on earth.

She was taking pictures and playing with the exposure and lighting in the settings as she tried to capture how beautiful it was. The moon was now almost at the point where it was illuminating the beach. If he listened carefully, he could hear the sound of vacationers calling attention to their partners to look at the sky from their porches and cabins and cottages.

Harry snapped a picture of her focused expression managing to get her profile superimposed on the moon in the background. She blushed, not that Harry could see it in the dark like this but still. She wanted to talk more about what all this meant. What they should or would do when he left. It was so hard, the second it crossed her mind, tears filled her vision and she had to swallow the rock lodged in her esophagus. How was she supposed to have an adult conversation with Harry about it when she couldn’t even get the words out?

Hearing him say how much this all meant to him was a good start. It made her anxiety lessen. Because this meant the world to her; it was rash, quick, and ridiculous to fall in love so easily. She felt like a Disney princess falling for the first guy she saw. While she wasn’t sure if Harry was in love with her—which would be a completely normal thing—she could rest assured that he at least cared about her in some capacity. “Y’okay, kitten?” He hummed into her ear, pressing his lips to her temple while she thought. “Can hear the gears turning from here,” he smiled against her skin.

She shook her head. “It’s crazy to me how fast the moon rises,” she said. Harry nodded in agreement.

“Let’s head back, s’getting cold and I want t’get y’out of these clothes,” he murmured into her neck.

Harry dropped from the stand first, climbing down so he could make sure she made it down without injury. Once on the sand, they paused, leaning against the frame to gaze at the moon more.

She was pretty certain it was her doing, but she would never admit that to Harry. But soon her hand was in his sweatpants, holding his dick in her hand massaging the length of it, pulling and tugging it to get harder and longer. “Kitten,” he groaned quietly.

It was extremely ridiculous for her to do something like this on a public beach. Even if it was late at night. The moment he groaned out her pet-name she felt her thighs press together. She swore she was soaked already, and they’d hardly even begun. “Something about sweatpants with you,” she mumbled as she pulled down her own to just to mid-thigh. Harry followed suit. “S’gonna have to be quick,” she whispered standing in front of him, reaching behind so his body would curve around her.

“Oh kitten, m’already ready t’burst jus’ at the thought of your pussy around me,” he promised and slipped himself inside her from behind. She moaned quietly as he began pumping into her, in and out. She loved the darkness, only the moon casting a low glow over them while it still rose higher in the sky. It provided a good cover in case anyone did happen to walk their way down here. She turned to the side, gripping the wood of the lifeguard stand as she bent forward more. The sound of the waves lapping at the shore disguised the sound of Harry’s skin smacking against hers.

“So good,” she whimpered. “Harry,” she cried. He gripped her hips pulling her back toward him as he pushed forward. It was a miracle she could have this many orgasms in only a matter of days. She had never tried before to have this many but was once more worried that she wouldn’t last one day without him, let alone a whole year before she would see him next summer. “Harry,” she whined again and grabbed his hand holding onto her hip.

“Yeah, love? Y’close already? Y’all excited and wet for me because we’re on the beach? Gotta be quiet for me, baby. When y’come. Don’t want anyone t’hear. All those noises y’make are for me, yeah?”

She was going to scream at the top of her lungs, and she didn’t care who heard her. “Your pussy is s’good. So wet. Feel y'gripping me,” he mumbled and grabbed he cheek of her bum with one of his hands. He pressed hard, certain he would leave little finger print bruises and he wished he could be gentler but this was so fucking hot he thought he was going to lose his mind.

“Harry,” she whined again. “Please,” she begged.

“Y’can come, angel. Come as much as y’want. Come all over m’cock, please. Make yourself come all over me, love,” he moaned snapping almost brutally into her.

She whimpered as she did, her legs shaking almost to the point where she would have collapsed if Harry wasn’t holding her up. He continued to drive his dick up into her as he pulled her back toward him, so she was pressed to his torso. With a few more pumps he felt himself about to burst and alerted her. “Gonna come so hard, cause of you,” he groaned. She dropped to her knees, wrapping her lips around the head of his cock just in time to catch all of him in her mouth. He shivered as her mouth worked over him and he pulled away and pulled her up as he did.

He kissed her forehead and wrapped his arm around her tightly. “M’legs are tired.”

He nodded. “I know baby,” he cooed, pulling her pants up. He pulled his own up, catching a glimpse of the moon. “Do y’still have your phone?” She nodded mutely. Harry smiled, kissed her lips gently and then cradled her in his arms as he carried her back to the cottage.

They were two days and several hours away from Harry leaving. Her chest thought it was going to break open from the force of hiding her emotions. She was finishing getting fixed up after their walk and separate showers. Even though Harry did invite her. “We have to go to the store, you maniac,” she giggled as he tried to convince her with kisses down her throat.

“The store will be there in an hour.”

“S’never just an hour with you,” she muttered under her breath.

“Was that a complaint?”

“No, not even a little.”

No, they left the shower off their new kinky little bucket list for Harry’s vacation. Something to look forward to for next year. She was just finishing her hair when she heard the screen door. “Kitten?” He called.

“Bathroom!”

He stood in the doorway watching her put the final touches in her hair. He was grinning like an idiot. Like he had a secret. “Can we talk?” He asked.

She whipped around so fast to look at him and ask why he would ever say such a thing that she knocked her bottle of hair stuff onto the floor. She was lucky the lid to the toilet was closed where she had placed her towel from her shower, or she would be adding hair product to their grocery list since it merely bounced off the top of it. Harry’s mouth popped open, but she could see his eyes dancing in amusement.

“I should have picked a better phrase,” he nodded firmly.

She looked at him in shock. “Ya think?”

He grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips. “There’s...” he shook his head. “Jus’ c’mere,” he pulled her to her main room and flopped the pair of them onto the sofa. He brought his hands to her face, brought her to his lips and kissed her forehead, her nose, and pressed a gentle kiss on her lips. “M’going t’say a lot right now,” he told her. “Can y’be patient?” he asked. She nodded, nervously. Hopefully he would just treat it like ripping a Band-Aid off. “Y’have nothing t’be nervous about, love,” he promised kissing her forehead again.

“You’re making me anxious,” she said seriously. He chuckled.

“Okay, okay. I’ll start,” he smiled shaking his head. “I have immensely enjoyed this vacation. But even if I was trapped in the worst city in the worst home and you were there, I think I would have enjoyed it,” he rubbed his thumb along her cheek. It was starting off okay at least. “M’really heartbroken I have t’go,” he told her. “I didn’t even shower I was on the phone looking for another rental for every week this summer,” She smiled at that, feeling her eyes water. He swept his thumb below her eye seeing the tears appear. “But m’friend Mitch called me too. His wedding is in early October. I...I wasn’t given a plus one originally, but he said I could have one. I told him all about you. In fifteen minutes. Mitch and Sarah were insistent at that point,” he told her. “I know s’not much. But I’d be able t’see you. And...I know s’like three months away...but it’s something right? Would y’go with me?”

She would see him again. She nodded. It didn’t matter how ridiculous it was.

“And...we could video chat. Every day. Hell, love, I’ll apply to a new school, I jus’ want t’have you in m’life in some permanent way. I’ll spend every school holiday with you. We’ll spend all summer here, every year. I know—” She started full on sniveling, and she covered her mouth as he spoke. “You think m’nuts,” he frowned.

She nodded. “I do, but only because I am too,” she promised tearily. “I want all of that,” she agreed. Harry sighed with relief, bringing his thumbs across her cheeks once more to rid them of tears and kissing her deeply. It wasn’t quite like the kisses that led to him pulling all her clothes off, but it had almost as much passion.

“I promise, I don’t usually fall in love this quickly,” he admitted. Her lips parted at the L-word in surprise and Harry slapped a hand against his face. “Fuck...I mean...” he sighed shaking his head. “I think s’obvious given that I jus’ invited you t’a wedding after knowing y’for a handful of days,” he shook his head quickly like he was trying to rewire some of his neurons in hope of making sense again. “Sorry,” he tucked his face into his neck terrified he just ruined everything by telling a girl he knew for only ten days he loved her.

She giggled through her tears. “I... forgot I’ve had an orgasm...let alone had sex...literally ever...when I was dry humping your leg at the beach. I don’t think...this is very different than any...I don’t do this sort of thing,” she nodded in agreement. “I like you a lot,” she whispered at least she had enough sense to not say love—even if Harry thought she kind of wanted to say it back—and she did want to say it. “An embarrassing amount. I’m dreading having to say goodbye. Dreading the end of your vacation and at any moment I’m worried I’m going to invite you to stay with me, nearly a stranger, for the rest of the summer just so I don’t have to let you go,” she then pressed her fingers to her lips and closed her eyes. “Shit,” she muttered against them.

Harry chuckled, bit the inside of his lip glad she was speaking from her heart the same way Harry did. “Honestly, love? I would stay, if y’wanted me to.”

She flicked her eyes up to him. Adoring the green irises that were haunting every thought. “Yeah?” She whispered.

He nodded. “I...I think this might be the best vacation I’ve ever been on. Too bad y’don’t have an outdoor shower. S’where I’ve been imagining some really fun things ‘bout you.”

“Why imagine when you could have them? We still have two days.”

He moaned. “M’gonna fuck you with a Sea View,” he said pulling her to stand and all but racing back to his perfect little cottage home. Enjoying her giggles as he stripped her naked in the backyard along with him. Harry was eternally grateful to whatever powers that be he got this vacation spot with the beautiful goddess from Sun-Kissed Cabana all to himself.

And an outdoor shower.

general taglist: @justlemmeadoreyou @daydreamingofmatilda @sunshinemoonsposts @youdontcaredoyou @tiredinwinter @loving-hazz @likeapplejuicenpeach @straightontilmornin @freedomfireflies @littlenatilda @kathb59 @babegoals @angel-upon @lilfreakjez @mleestiles @ameliaalvarez06 @canyonmoondreams @summertime-pills @daphnesutton @l4rrysh0use @kissinthekitchen

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Please let me know if you'd like to join the taglist, if it didn't work, if you no longer want to be included, etc. :)

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morgana-larkin · 8 months ago

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Haii okay here’s my angst request! I love a good regretful jealous Mel hehehe. I was thinking you’re both teachers and she likes u but is like “I’m too cool for pining” so she does the extreme opposite and is kinda standoff-ish or blunt w u at school. When you’re alone she’s a little better but still not super lovey dovey. You “take the hint” and move on, and someone new comes into ur life (can you PLEASE for the LOVE OF GOD name this rando new person joy??). And then one day Mel’s like “let’s be official” And you’re like what? Why? I thought u didn’t like me also I have Joy now. And then Mel’s like wtf and she gets rlly jealous when she sees u w her now and then she tries to sabotage y’all’s blooming relationship. In the end maybe no happy ending pls?? If ur comfortable writing that :)

Hehe I LOVE a good heartbreak. Also I’m obsessed w joy Huerta (hence my username) and have been asking everyone to use it in fics AND PPL DONT ALFJKS. lmao anyways. I hope this is sumn ur comfortable writing!

OMG! you’re really testing me here! If I’m honest, it was hard to write. I rewrote it a few times, it hurt a little, might make a part 2. Honestly if even one person requests a part 2 with a happy ending then I will write one. As always, not edited in the slightest, I hope you like it!

On another note: keep sending prompts for one shots! I decided to write one shots about Chessy from parent trap played by our favourite redhead, Lisa Ann Walter, so you can send prompts for her too!

Part 2

Green Isn’t Your Colour

Warnings: (where do I start lol) Jealous Mel, upset Mel, a bit of toxic Mel, angst and no comfort, no happy ending , good luck lol

Words: 3.2k

You walk in through the entrance of Abbott Elementary. You’ve been here for a year already and you’re finally feeling like you’re settling in. You’re a third grade teacher, you helped Melissa out as she wouldn’t have another split class again and that made her happy from the day you got there and hearing the news.

You walk into the break room, hot chocolate in hand, you don’t like coffee that much, but nothing could beat a good hot chocolate. You go and sit on an empty table, taking some tests out and start marking them. Melissa looks over at you from her table. She looks at the way you’re flawlessly marking, glasses on and concentrating on what you’re doing.

You glance up as you feel like you’re being watched and see Melissa looking at you, but then she quickly looks away when you notice and you smile. You liked her since you first set eyes on her and it only grew from there. But lately it seems like she’s off and you’re unsure why. She was nice to you when you started but now it’s like she’s the opposite and you don’t know why. You asked everyone else if they could answer why she’s different but no one noticed the change.

You got up and picked up the tests and decided to just carry them to your classroom. You passed by Melissa on the way out. “See you later Melissa.” You told her with a smile. She just nodded her head at you and went back to her phone. You looked at Barb and she just shrugged, not noticing a difference.

During your second period prep you finished marking the tests with a breath of relief. Just then Melissa knocks on your door and you look at her and smile. “Hey Melissa.” You tell her and she just has a neutral face and you drop your smile.

“I found the book you were asking for. The little eagles liked it last year and I’m sure they’ll like it again.” She said and handed you the book.

“Oh perfect, thank you.” You told her and smiled at the book. Melissa looked at you and couldn’t help the small smile forming at your excitement of the book. And you looked up at her to see the small smile on her face. “Hey Melissa, can I ask you something?” You asked and she looked at you confused.

“You can but it doesn’t mean I’ll answer.” Melissa said.

“Um ok. Well I was just wondering why you’re acting differently around me?” You ask and she looks at you with a neutral face again.

“I don’t know what you mean?”

“Well you were nice to me last year but now you’re acting distant and I don’t know why.” You asked her. “Did I do something wrong?” You added and that took her by surprise. She doesn’t want you to think you did anything wrong because you didn’t. Melissa has a crush on you and she doesn’t want to show it or let anyone know, and her acting nicely to you last year definitely raised suspicions, so she went back to how she acts with everyone else.

“You didn’t do anything kid. This is just how I am with people.” She said.

“You’re not like that with Barb.” You said.

“Barb is my best friend, so of course I’m nice to her.”

“What about Janine? Jacob? Gregory? Or when Ava at times? You’re nice to them.” You told her, getting a little frustrated.

“That’s because they’re my friends.” She said and you were taken back by that and it definitely stung. Melissa looks at your expression and knew she shouldn’t have said that. She does think of you as a friend but it just slipped out.

“Oh ok, well glad to know where we stand then, just co workers. Thank you for the book Ms. Schemmenti, I’ll return it tomorrow.” You tell her and go back to your desk. “If that was all then if you don’t mind, I have a lesson plan to do.” You told her and she nodded her head.

“See ya around kid.” She said and left. She knew she fucked up there. She’ll have to start being a bit nicer to you to get back in your good graces.

Back in your classroom you took a big breath. You thought you and Melissa were friends but I guess you were wrong. No wonder she’s always short and blunt with you.

The next day you were at the coffee shop, receiving your hot chocolate like always, turning around to leave and bumped into someone, spilling your hot chocolate all over them and a bit on yourself.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry! I just wanted to talk to you and didn’t expect you to turn around.” The person said.

“Oh well I feel like I should be apologising, my hot chocolate mostly went on you. Wait, you wanted to talk to me? Why?”

“Because I see you in here everyday and I think you’re pretty.” She said with a blush and you blushed at her compliment.

“Oh uh th-thank you.” You stuttered a bit, not used to compliments.

“Can I buy you another hot chocolate? As an apology?” She said and you looked at her.

“Oh you don’t have too.”

“I want to though. Please, I insist.” She said and you smiled at her. She bought you another hot chocolate and handed it to you with a smile. “And there we go.” She said.

“Thank you.” You told her and saw the time. “Oh I gotta get to work.” You told her.

“Oh that’s alright I understand. I’ll see you again tomorrow?” She asked.

“Ya, I come here, same time every day.” You said with a smile and began to leave but turned around to her. “I never got your name btw.”

“It’s Joy.” She told you.

“I’m y/n.” You tell her and she smiles.

“You have a lovely name, it suits you.” She tells you. You blush and leave the coffee shop. You get to the school and immediately go to your classroom instead of the break room. You put your stuff done and see the book that Melissa gave you yesterday sitting on your desk. You might as well return it now, you got a few minutes before the students get here. You picked up the book and walked to the classroom next to yours and knocked on the open door. Melissa was stapling something and looked up at you and gave you a little smile.

Your heart fluttered a little at the smile and you remembered what she said yesterday. “Hi Ms Schemmenti, I came to return the book.” You told her, and held the book up.

She looked at you and remembered what happened yesterday and sighed. “Thanks y/n” she said and got up and walked over to you to take the book. “Did the little eagles like it?” She asked.

“Ya they did.” You said confused at her using your actual name

“I knew they would. You can borrow it whenever you want.” She told you and you offered her a small smile and nodded your head.

“Thanks Ms Schemmenti, I’ll keep that in mind.” You told her and left. She stared at you as you walked back to your own classroom and did a huge sigh and leaned back against her door.

A month goes by and you run into Joy everyday at the coffee shop. She took it upon herself to order you a hot chocolate and have it ready by the time you get there. You kept offering her the money for it but she always refuses, saying your company was payment enough. You exchanged numbers after a couple days and started texting for hours on end. By the second week she asked you out on a date and you said yes. By the third week she asked you to be her girlfriend to which you agreed excitedly.

At school, you noticed that Melissa has been a bit friendlier with you. You took her sudden change with caution though, you don’t want to get hurt again.

For Melissa, she wants to ask you out but she keeps getting scared. But after a month of being friendly with you, she decides to bite the bullet and just do it. She went to go see you at your classroom after the students left on Monday.

“Hey y/n, can I ask you something?” She asked you as she stepped in your classroom.

“Sure Melissa, what’s up?” You said and she smiled. You’ve been calling her by her first name again for about a week, and after you calling her Ms Schemmenti for 3 weeks, well she still smiles when you call her Melissa now.

“I wanted to ask you on a date.” She says and you look at her and freeze.

“What?” You ask, confused as hell.

“I wanted to officially ask you on a date.” She says and you look at her confused.

“Why?”

“What do you mean why?”

“I thought you didn’t like me.” You tell her and she looks a bit guilty.

“I never not liked you, when I realised I liked you near the end of the last year, I didn’t want to give away my feelings so I started acting distant towards you.” She says and looks down for a second then back up at you. “So will you go on a date with me?” She asks again.

“No.” You told her and she looked upset. “I did like you but I have a girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend? I thought you were single.” She says confused and still hurt.

“I was, until 2 weeks ago, her name is Joy.” You said with a smile. And Melissa looks at you with a bit of fire in her eyes. “If she’s real then I would like to meet her.” She tells you, crossing her arms,

“Oh ok, ya sure. I can ask if she can come meet everyone tomorrow morning if you want.” You tell her.

“Ok, I look forward to meeting her then.” Melissa says and leaves disappointed.

You asked Joy if she wanted to meet your coworkers tomorrow morning and she excitedly agreed immediately.

So the next morning, you meet Joy at the coffee shop as usual and she hands you your hot chocolate then you drive over to the school and walk in with her. You head to the break room with her and enter and all eyes look up at you and her.

“Everyone, I would like you to meet Joy, my girlfriend. Joy, this is Janine, Jacob, Gregory, Barb, Ava.” You said, pointing to everyone as you said their name. “And this is Melissa, the one who asked to meet you.”

“Hi everyone! And hi Melissa, I’m very much real as you can see.” Joy says and Melissa doesn’t look happy, she crosses her arms and the fire in her eyes come back. She thought you were lying and would have to keep being nicer to you before you agree to go on a date with her. Barb notices Melissa getting angry and puts a hand on her arm and that startles her and then just sits there, staring at you. She sees you being all happy as Jacob and Janine got up to come say hi to your girlfriend.

She wanted to be that person, be your girlfriend and she blew it. But then remembered that you said yesterday that you did have feelings for her, so maybe you still do. Then she smiles at that thought and thinks of different ways to play it. Joy would have to go of course, she ain’t gonna put a hit on her but instead she’ll try to sabotage it, and to do that, she’ll have to be nice first and get information.

So she gets up and goes over to you two. “Hi, nice to meet you. Ya I didn’t think you were real when y/n here as been single since I’ve known her.” She says to your girlfriend then proceeds to put an arm around your back as she mentions you being single and your eyes widen a bit.

“Oh that’s alright, it was a shock to y/n too when I asked her.” Joy says, and Melissa thinks it’s a shame she’ll have to sabotage it as she seems nice. But this person is getting in the way of her happiness so she gots to go.

“If you don’t mind me asking, how did you two meet?” Melissa asks.

“Oh we met at the coffee shop down the street, the one you told me about and I get a hot chocolate there every morning. And then I bumped into Joy about a month ago, like physically bumped into her and spilled my drink all over her.” You say with a chuckle.

“Ya she did but it was my fault, I saw her there every morning and after a couple weeks I decided to go talk to her and didn’t expect her to turn around at that very moment. So I offered to get her a replacement one and then we started talking.” Joy said with a smile.

And you noticed how Melissa’s hand got a bit lower on your back and you subtly get out of her grip and say an excuse. “Joy, do you want to go see my classroom?” You ask her and she immediately said yes. Joy waves bye to everyone and they all tell her it was nice to meet her and hope to see her again. And Melissa thinks that if it goes according to plan then she won’t be back to see them again.

At the end of the day, Melissa visits your classroom. “Hey y/n.” She says as you’re packing your things up.

“Oh hey Melissa. What’s up?” You ask her and sling your bag over your shoulders.

“Well I was wondering if I could go with you to the coffee shop tomorrow? I haven’t been there in awhile and wouldn’t mind a good store bought coffee once in awhile instead of one from the break room.” She says and you look at her confused.

“Oh I always meet Joy at the coffee shop in the morning.” You say and Melissa smiles, she knew it.

“Well that’s alright, maybe I could get to know her better then.” She says and you agree and tell her the time that you meet up with Joy.

The next morning, Melissa gets to the coffee shop first and orders a coffee for her and a hot chocolate for you. You and Joy come in a couple minutes later and see Melissa near a table with 2 drinks. “Hey Melissa.” You say and she looks over at you and smiles.

“Hey y/n and Joy. Here y/n, I got you a hot chocolate.” She says and sees the frown on Joy’s face before smiling again. Melissa smiles at that, she knew that Joy was still getting you a hot chocolate every morning. You said it yesterday to Janine and Jacob. “I would have gotten something for you but I forgot to ask y/n here what you like.” Melissa says and puts a hand on your shoulder.

Joy looks at the interaction and gives a confused look. “That’s alright, I’ll just go get a drink for myself. I’ll be right back.” She says and you and Melissa nod.

You look at Melissa a little confused. “Why are you being so much nicer all of a sudden?” You say to her and she just shrugs, feigning innocence.

“I don’t know what you mean y/n? I’m just getting to know your little girlfriend over there.” She says and hits you, Melissa is jealous.

“Melissa, are you jealous?” You asked and she scoffs. “I’m being serious, yesterday you asked me out saying you liked me. And now you’re at the coffee shop that I meet Joy at every morning and meeting nicer to me in front of her.”

“I’m just trying to make sure that she’s right for you, is all.” Trying to cover up the fact that you were right.

Before either of you can say anything else, Joy comes back with her drink. “Hey y/n, I would like to stay longer but worked called and asked if I could come in earlier. Like right now earlier. And I wouldn’t mind the extra cash.” She says and you nod.

“That’s alright, I understand, have a good day at work.” You tell her and she gives you a goodbye kiss on the lips and the fire in Melissa’s eyes return.

“Alright thanks for understanding, it was nice seeing you again Melissa.”

“Ya you too.” Melissa says back to her. Melissa didn’t like that kiss, and worse is that the only issue she has with Joy is that she’s with you. Other than that, Joy seems like a nice person, and she hates that fact.

At the end of the day Melissa stops by your classroom again. “Hey y/n.”

“Should I expect this to be a daily occurrence? You stopping by my classroom at the end of the day?” You say with a laugh and she gives a small laugh at that.

“Maybe.” She says and closes your door and walks up to you. You look at her confused for closing the door, but then think she probably wants to talk to you privately. “I don’t like her. Your girlfriend.” She says and you frown.

“Why?”

“I don't know, there’s just something about her that I don’t like.”

“Well you’ve only just met her. If you see her more then you might grow to like her.” You tell her with a smile.

“No I won’t actually.” She says and you’re confused.

“And how do you know you won’t?”

She looks you dead in the eyes and walks closer to you. “Because as long as she’s with you, then I won’t like her.” She says and she got very close to you and you had to walk back and you end up backing into your desk and she puts her hands on the desk on both sides of you, effectively trapping you. You look at her with wide eyes.

“Melissa, I-” and you don’t get to say what you were about to as her lips are on yours. You begin to kiss her back and then push her off. “Melissa what the fuck? You know I’m with Joy.” You tell her and she smirks.

“Then why did you kiss me back? And don’t deny it. I know you did before you pushed me off.” And you look at her speechless since she’s right. Melissa smiles at you and goes to kiss you again but you stop her.

“No Melissa, I’m with Joy now.” You tell her and she frowns.

“You wouldn’t rather be with me?” She asks and you shake your head.

“I’m happy with who I’m with. I’m sorry.” You tell her and walk out of your classroom, leaving behind a hurt Melissa who has a tear rolling down her cheek.

Taglist: @esposadejoyhuerta

@imaginesmultifandoms

@idonothingalldays-blog

@sexysapphicshopowner

@dvrkhcld

If you want to be added then let me know!

#melissa schemmenti x reader #melissa schemmenti x oc #melissa schemmenti x you #melissa schemmenti #x reader #fanfic

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holdmymallowsweet · 1 month ago

Text

What are you doing here? 06

Ominis Gaunt x f!MC Word count: 5612, properly tagged on AO3

Chapter summary: It had been four years since he'd made his first and only friends. Just enough time for him to forget how awkward the beginnings of a new friendship could be.

a/n: I hope you like teenage awkwardness, stupid misunderstandings and frustrated Ominis. Biggest thanks again to the world’s best beta reader ladyelisabeth, for ironing out all my silly little mistakes ❤️

Chapter 05 || Masterlist || Chapter 07 (coming soon)

Chapter 06 - Long way to go

“...Ominis.”

Not yet… a few more minutes.

“Ominis, it’s about to overflow.”

But it was the squeaking of the faucet that finally made him stir. “Oh.” Ominis’ voice was still a bit raspy from sleep, though it wasn’t the first time he’d woken up today. He’d dozed off again, on the bathroom floor, arm hanging over the edge of the tub so he’d know when it was full enough for him to get in.

The dungeons were perpetually cold this time of year, and he wasn’t fond of sitting naked and shivering in a half-empty tub until the water finally came up to his neck.

Ominis pried himself off the floor with a groan, scrunching his nose in disgust as the cold air hit his wet arm.

“Why are you up so early, anyway?” Sebastian asked.

“Couldn’t sleep anymore,” Ominis answered sluggishly, unbuttoning his shirt. The edge of his rolled up sleeve was slightly soaked, pressing a wet patch into his side.

“Oh, obviously,” came sarcastically from the direction of the sink.

Ominis ignored him. He’d gone to bed too exhausted to think of anything at all, and although his sleep wasn’t as restful as he’d have liked it to be, and not nearly enough to make up for the stresses of the previous two days, he’d woken up with a fairly clear mind.

Just clear enough to focus on new concerns. The easiest of which to deal with was that he’d not been as clean as he would have liked to be, for how close she’d been sitting to him.

Sebastian was almost done washing up, and Ominis stalled until he was through the door before he finished undressing and got in the bathtub. It wasn’t as if Sebastian had never seen him naked, that was unavoidable when living on top of each other for years, but Ominis still felt somewhat self-conscious about it.

The warm water felt like heaven. He practically melted into it, stretching out with a sigh, letting it wash away the grime and sweat and all the doubts and fears that had come with it.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Ominis”

They were friends now. He’d been so relieved and yet so weary of everything, he hadn’t actually put a single thought into what that meant.

Sebastian and Anne were the only real friends he’d ever had. The three of them had been inseparable since they were eleven, spending every hour of the day together until their electives, or Crossed Wands, or Sebastian’s library ventures necessitated they part for an hour or so. But even then, they’d always gravitated towards each other immediately after, stuck together again as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

It wouldn’t be like that with her. She didn’t make those sorts of friendships.

Always on the move to the next exciting thing that caught her attention, going off on her own to Merlin knows where, and not under any compulsion to tell anyone where she’d been or where she’d go next, no one person eagerly waiting for her to come back.

She belonged in a different common room, they wouldn’t eat together in the Great Hall, she had her usual seats next to her other friends for their lessons, what else was there? It was hard to imagine she’d somehow find the time to join them in the Undercroft for a round of Gobstones.

Wait- she didn’t like Gobstones.

Ominis sank deeper into the water, savouring the last few minutes of peace before the day well and truly started.

She’d see him today, right after breakfast, in History of Magic. Say hello when she did- and then what?

At the very least, he could invite her to study with him in the library again. Merlin knew she’d need it if she had any intention of passing her O.W.L.’s, and he’d just have to wait and figure out where to take it from there.

One step at a time.

He was clean for a start- time to tend to his next pressing concern.

Sebastian sat on his bed when Ominis finally emerged from the bathroom, seemingly busy with yet another book, but not so much that he missed the obvious growling coming from Ominis’ stomach. “Hungry?”

“Starving. I haven’t had proper food since the day before yesterday.”

“I brought you biscuits last night!” Sebastian said indignantly.

“I said proper food,” Ominis replied with a smirk.

Sebastian snorted. “Right.” Then he softened considerably. “I suppose you’re feeling well enough for classes today?”

“I think so.” Ominis took a deep breath. “I know I can’t dwell on it forever,” he said, with more conviction. “I know none of us knew what we were getting ourselves into. Just don’t forget what you promised.”

“I won’t.”

It wasn’t quite the earnest conversation Ominis wanted to have with Sebastian about what happened in the scriptorium, and some of the things peripheral to it- the ease with which Sebastian had cast an Unforgivable, why he had the knowledge to cast it in the first place, why he’d never talked to Ominis about it, even knowing how much he’d suffered because of the Dark Arts- but he’d give it a rest for now.

One step at a time.

Ominis took his time meticulously getting dressed, ignoring the gaping hole in his stomach that demanded to be filled with food.

“Do I look all right?”

Sebastian stopped what he was doing. “You know, I can’t even remember the last time you asked me that.”

“Well, do I?”

“Do you ever not?”

Ominis sighed. He would have liked to actually get Sebastian’s opinion, but he had too much pride to ask again.

The bathroom mirror was generous with its compliments, as it usually was, but he had a sneaking suspicion that those were enchanted to either point out the sort of sloppiness that would make Professor Black scoff, or else be unnecessarily flattering.

Today, it told him he looked “as dashing as a dewy morning,” whatever that was supposed to mean.

Ominis’ stomach growled again.

“Breakfast?” Sebastian asked mildly.

“Merlin, yes. Please.”

One step at a time.

“Good morning, Ominis.”

He almost jumped out of his seat. Through the commotion and annoyed groans of their classmates- because no one was enthusiastic about listening to Professor Binns’ waffling about Goblin rebellions first thing in the morning- he hadn’t heard her coming. Not to mention he’d already mentally prepared himself to catch up on some more sleep during the lesson.

“...sorry, did I startle you?” She tried to hold back a laugh.

“You caught me lost in thought,” he replied, cursing the warmth that spread over his cheeks and hoping it wasn’t too obvious. “How have you been last night? Did you go to the Hospital Wing in the end?”

“I didn’t need to. I think I’ve found something that works better.”

“Oh?” Ominis’ eyebrows shot up, and he gave her a curious smile. “Please do tell. What was it?”

“Talking to you,” she answered, with a sincerity that left him dumbstruck.

“Speaking of which,” she continued, “there’s something else I wanted to ask. I wasn’t sure how to bring it up yesterday.”

Ominis hesitated. He turned his head, but based on the noise and softly mumbled complaints, their classmates were still occupied with taking out their books and the mental preparations required to withstand Binns’ monotone droning.

She seemed to have noticed, because her voice dropped to a whisper. “Noctua Gaunt’s notes. I wanted to ask you if you’d like to have them. I’d understand if you don’t- I promise you I’ll keep them safe.”

The familiar sting came back as suddenly as Noctua’s name. “No, I’d like to have them.” It wasn’t even a decision. He owed her that much, she’d died for him.

Ominis held out his hand, expectantly.

“I don’t have them with me- they’re in my dormitory. I could get them for you after classes today?”

“I’d like that. Thank you.”

An excuse to meet later. Stick around to do homework, perhaps. He’d only have to ask.

“Would you-” he started, but the bells cut him off. He expected her to bid him goodbye, to go and sit with one of her friends- one of her other friends. Instead, she sat down next to him.

Should he mention it? Ask her what he’d done to suddenly deserve this much attention? Tell her she didn’t need to feel obligated to stick around?

But it was already too late for her to get up and switch seats anyway, so he said nothing and settled into his seat, chin propped up and eyes closed while the disembodied voice of their Professor promised an hour of profound boredom.

For a little while, he just concentrated on breathing.

She smelled like her soap. Stronger than usual, like that day in the library, so she’d started the day by taking a bath, just like he had. It was a lovely scent, slightly flowery, interwoven with the smell of the plants from her common room that always clung to all the Hufflepuffs’ robes. Then he suddenly realised that she never wore perfume. It’d probably be a waste, considering how frequently she’d have to bathe, what with her rolling around in the dirt all the time.

He listened to the rhythmic scratching of her quill, too rhythmic for her to be taking notes. Not that there was much to be taking notes about, Binns was telling them some minutia about the Goblin rebellion of 1612, at a pace that would make a Streeler cry. She was probably doodling in her textbook.

Smiling to himself, he took his quill, the regular one, ripped off a piece of parchment and started writing.

Bored?

A gentle tap of parchment against her hand got her attention. The scratching stopped as the parchment slipped out under his fingers, then resumed more evenly, purposeful. Ominis changed the quill in his hand for his wand, ready for her reply.

deadly. you?

Quite the same

Her next reply took a bit longer, scratches more hesitant than before, but he wasn’t kept in suspense for long.

you use your wand to read? how does it work?

Should he? Trying to keep a straight face, he wrote his answer and slid it over.

Magic

It earned him a playful elbow jab that made his heart leap. Ominis’ face split into a genuine smile as she tried and failed to stifle a laugh.

fine keep your secrets

At least you’re not bored anymore

no first time I’m not, in history thanks to you

…Thanks to him.

I’m glad How do you usually pass the time Sleep?

sometimes I fall asleep sometimes I just stare at the windows. they’re even prettier than the ones at church

Ominis froze briefly. He had a vague idea of what “church” was- some building vitally important to Muggle customs, Muggleborns mentioned it every now and again- but he’d never been sure if it was a particularly pleasant place, other than having nice windows, apparently.

So he decided to disregard it for now.

You’d like the ones in our common room

I’m sure I would, I heard the view is lov

He had the piece of parchment ripped out from under his fingers before he’d finished reading.

I’m sure I would, I heard the view is lovely sorry, I guess you wouldn’t know

Ominis frowned. He didn’t like where this was going, there was nothing for her to be sorry about.

No matter The view is lovely from what I know Sebastian said if you hit the windows with spells sometimes the squid hits back

how did he find out

Tried to find out if our windows were spell resistant

what if they hadn’t been?

Would have drowned us all I suppose

She quietly snorted with laughter.

Ominis couldn’t remember the last time he felt this light during History of Magic. Or smiled this much. Or didn’t want the lesson to end.

It was the first time he’d cursed the bells cutting off Binns and signalling their freedom, but he noticed she didn’t join the choir of relieved sighs either.

“-five rolls of parchment on the topic of today's lesson, to be handed in on Friday.” The audible tail end of his instruction was met with obvious displeasure and quite a few groans, which the ghost ignored as resolutely as his own death.

“...Did he say five rolls?” she asked with a hint of desperation.

Ominis smirked. “You should have been here last year, his record is twelve.”

She made a noise that sounded vaguely like a strangled cat. “I think I haven’t paid attention to a single word he said.”

Ominis hummed in agreement as he packed his things, feeling around on the table for the piece of parchment they’d written on, but it was already gone. He didn’t know why the realisation upset him.

“No one does, but as long as you vaguely remember some dates, you can look it up in the book.” He smirked. “Surprisingly, it takes but a fraction of the time Professor Binns needs to elaborate on it.”

“Would you like to meet up later? Perhaps we could write it together.”

Such a simple request, but it hit Ominis like a ray of sunshine. “Yes, I would. Shall we meet in the library?”

She hummed teasingly. “Am I still not welcome in the Undercroft?”

“Sure, if you want to write them on the floor.” He’d faltered briefly, but they’d been through much worse since that particular argument, and she still voluntarily sought out his company.

“I think I’d prefer the library.”

“I thought as much.” He’d finished packing up. Charms was next, they’d be joined by Sebastian and after-

“Natty’s waiting for me- see you, Ominis.”

“...Right.”

And gone she was, again. Of course she was, she always spent Charms with Onai- but for a brief, foolish moment he wished she would have made an exception, for him, just for today.

It never rains but it pours. Not sitting with her in Charms had been a small disappointment, but he hadn’t expected to be unlucky enough to end up next to Leander Prewett instead.

“Gaunt.”

It was the third time since class had started that the Gryffindor had tried to get his attention. They were going over the colour change charm again, and while Professor Ronan had encouraged Ominis to ask Prewett if his marbles had turned the correct shade of blue- a suggestion Ominis had politely acknowledged and then ignored- he had a hunch that Prewett’s repeated tries to get his attention had nothing to do with the lesson.

“Gaunt.”

Again, and always when the sound of Professor Ronan’s footsteps grew faint and he could be heard giving instructions at the opposite side of the room.

Ominis lowered his wand. “Can I help you?”

“I saw the two of you, being all chummy in History of Magic.”

So that’s what this was about.

“It’s bad enough that Sallow keeps pestering her, she doesn’t need to be bothered by the likes of you, ” Prewett said with obvious contempt.

Oh please. He might still be insecure about their budding friendship, but he certainly couldn’t care less what Leander Prewett thought of it.

“I do apologise,” Ominis said, as sincerely as he could fake it. “I suppose I should have been more considerate towards your girlfriend.”

“I- well, she’s not my girlfriend-” Prewett tripped over his words, flustered.

“Then it’s not your place to decide who she spends her time with, is it.”

Prewett sat in stunned silence for a moment, then Ominis could hear him angrily slamming his textbook shut, followed by the sound of marbles clattering on the floor and a string of curses.

The corners of Ominis’ mouth curled into a self-satisfied smirk. He was probably going to get murderous looks for the remainder of the lesson, but it wasn’t as if he’d have to see it.

It wasn’t surprising that Prewett thought the seemingly sweet, innocent little Hufflepuff was too good for the descendant of Slytherin and the most notorious troublemaker in their year. Plenty of others probably agreed, even if they had enough sense to keep that opinion to themselves.

And he very much doubted Prewett would have said anything at all if Sebastian had been close enough to hear it.

Which left the question, would he have said anything if she had been?

Ominis left the Charms classroom in a pensive mood.

He tried not to dwell on his conversation with Prewett. Instead, he kept his mind busy trying to construct an excuse for why he’d not finished his Potions essay that wouldn’t cause Sharp to have him scrub cauldrons until after midnight.

Being unwell yesterday was the most obvious one, but it wouldn’t be difficult for Sharp to figure out that he’d never been to the hospital wing. One casual inquiry towards Nurse Blainey at the staff table during dinner was all it would take.

The only reason he got away with missing his classes at all was that his connection to the headmaster usually shielded him from scrutiny, but he’d rather not push his luck.

On the steps just outside the door, he could hear Prewetts voice again, urgently talking to Onai, and although he went in the opposite direction and the general noise drowned them out, he could still hear his own name being mentioned.

It left him with a vague sense of foreboding.

Prewett had made his feelings about him abundantly clear, and Onai was at the very least wary of him. Ominis was fairly certain he’d never given her a reason to be, but he supposed his family name and the reputation that came with it was enough.

Perhaps enough for Onai to disapprove of them now sharing a common friend. If she did, she’d have plenty opportunity to voice it soon, when the two of them would be in Beast class together.

Ominis’ stomach turned.

He had a hard time mustering up any enthusiasm for lunch after that, although that was mainly due to him still being full from breakfast. So instead he decided to use the time to catch up on his sleep in the Undercroft, tasking Sebastian with waking him up in time for Arithmancy and ignoring the voice in his head telling him he should at least try and put something on parchment for Potions.

He consoled himself with the thought that at least he’d be awake enough to pay attention in Sharp’s class.

And his subsequent, inevitable detention.

He still fell asleep in Arithmancy.

Eyes still sleep-swollen, Ominis somehow still didn’t feel well rested by the time he met up with Sebastian in the Potions classroom. He’d tried to be early, so he could at least make sure he’d be properly prepared for the lesson- and have time for a much needed conversation.

“How was Beasts class?” Ominis tried to pass it off as small talk, while weighing his bottle of Horklump juice in his hands to figure out if he still had enough.

Sebastian snorted. “I’m sorry, are you expecting me to believe you care? Just tell me what you really want to ask.”

Ominis grimaced. Fine, he hadn’t exactly been elegant, or subtle- in his defence, sleeping through most of Arithmancy hadn’t left him with much time to think of something better. “Oh, all right. Did Onai seem odd at all, or did she say anything?”

“What about? Of course she was saying something , we all did, it’s not exactly a quiet class.”

Oh, Merlin. He felt awkward about it, for some reason, but Sebastian was still his closest friend, and the only one who he could talk to about this. He rolled the bottle between his hands, more to keep them busy than because he still needed to. “I met her yesterday, when I… went for a walk. We talked about what happened in the scriptorium-”

“Onai?”

Ominis gave him a long-suffering look.

“Oh. Wait, why am I only hearing about this now? You should have told me yesterday.”

“I’m telling you now. We talked, and… we’ve decided we’d like to try to be friends, after all. We sat together in History of Magic this morning. Only it seems there are some who didn’t like that very much.” Ominis almost missed the table when he put the bottle down, but Sebastian caught it in time.

“It’s none of their business who you sit with in History of Magic,” Sebastian said dismissively.

“Obviously, but I still wouldn’t want them to bother her about it. I think… I’m fairly certain Prewett told Onai to warn her about me.”

“Even if she does, it won’t make a difference, trust me. Don’t worry about it.”

“Perhaps. But if she had to choose, I’d doubt she’d pick me over her other friends. I wouldn’t blame her.”

“I would.”

“Oh?”

“But I won’t have to. Trust me. And besides, we come as a set, you and I. She won’t choose any other friends over me.”

Ominis made a vaguely affirmative noise. Sebastian had a point- as long as the two of them were friends, it wasn’t likely that she’d shun him, now that they’d made it past their initial differences. But he somehow wished that wasn’t the reason, not all of it, at least.

“I’d thought you’d be over worrying what others thought of you. Don’t mind them,” Sebastian said soothingly.

He didn’t. He was afraid she might.

“And Prewett’s still sulking because she wasn’t impressed by his insights on chomping cabbages.”

Ominis snorted at that. “How dare she.”

As expected, Professor Sharp was not enthused to be a parchment short when he collected their homework. He gave Ominis until Monday to hand it in- at double the length. Ominis was tempted to ask for detention instead. Scrubbing cauldrons seemed like a less excruciating ordeal by comparison.

Half an hour later, his potion was on its way to turn out poorly, if the smell and Sharp’s disappointed sigh as he passed them were anything to go by.

She’d been busy at the opposite side of the classroom, doing a perfectly fine job with her own potion, of course. Even finding time to chat and laugh with Weasley while she was at it. Ominis didn’t think he’d ever wanted to drop this blasted class more.

He half heartedly dropped his spider fangs in the cauldron, causing some of its foul smelling mixture to splatter onto his hand, where it left painfully burning spots. “Oh for the love of-”

“All right?” Sebastian asked.

“Fine.” Ominis was soothing the burns with a mild cooling charm, when he heard her approach. For the first time since yesterday, he wished she’d stayed away.

“Would you like some help?”

It returned in full force. The same uneasy feeling from before, when she’d apologised about mentioning the view from the Slytherin common room windows, only now it was starting to grow into something more like panic.

He shouldn’t say anything. Her friendship had been hard earned, she only meant well, but the longer he let it go, the harder it would be to bring it up, and he’d have to bring it up eventually.

“Ominis?” She asked again. “I could help you out, if you want. I don’t mind.”

“I’d rather you didn’t,” he replied, as calmly as he could.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, very much so.”

She leaned over his cauldron. “It’s starting to curdle.”

“I’m asking you to stop,” Ominis said coldly. “Let me fail or succeed on my own. I don’t need your help.”

She froze. Just long enough for Ominis to regret every word, think of a hundred ways to say it instead.

She took a step back. “I understand.”

“Wait.” Ominis grabbed her by the sleeve as she turned to leave, but let go almost immediately. “…Are we still meeting in the library later?” he asked nervously.

She sighed- In relief? Or exasperation? “I’ll be there.” It was all she said before going back to her potion station, leaving Ominis behind, forlorn and confused.

Sebastian groaned. “Ominis-”

“Don’t.” The pain in Ominis’ hand came back- he deserved it.

He gave up on his potion. It had started to curdle, and he couldn’t even begin to guess how to fix it.

Once Professor Sharp had made his final round- with another disappointed sigh as he passed Ominis’ cauldron, but at that point it would have been foolishly optimistic to expect anything else- Sebastian excused himself. He’d spent a few minutes talking to her, what about, Ominis couldn’t hear.

“Just wanted to make sure she’s all right,” Sebastian explained, once he’d caught up with Ominis outside the classroom.

“Is she?” Ominis asked quietly.

“‘Course she is, you know her.” Sebastian paused. “Or maybe not.”

“I know she means well, I… I just don’t want it to be like that. I don’t want her help.”

“Why not?” asked Sebastian. “I still help you when you need it. All the time.”

“You’re not being so obvious when you do.”

Casually describing pictures or paintings, as if he was just musing aloud. Handing Ominis the pruning shears in Herbology so he wouldn’t either have to feel around for them and possibly cut himself, or have to grab his wand with soil stained hands. Catching his potion bottles when he missed the table.

“Now. I constantly made a fool of myself when we first became friends. Remember in our first week, when I tried to help you up the stairs and you tripped me for it?”

“I didn’t-”

“It’s been four years, you can stop pretending it was an accident,” Sebastian scoffed.

Ominis almost laughed, but he managed to turn it into an annoyed huff at the last moment. “Fine. I still can’t believe you thought I’d need help getting up the stairs.”

“They were moving!”

“‘They were moving,’” Ominis repeated, mockingly.

“All right, are you done?”

He was. Unfortunately, that meant he no longer had anything to distract himself from the doubts gnawing at his mind.

Walking through the library door, he’d felt a moment of pure dread, until the sound of her voice carried his worries away like the autumn breeze.

She wasn’t one to nurse a grudge, but Merlin, after Potions he wouldn’t have blamed her for not showing up at all. But she’d waited for him, at the same table as last time.

It tore at his heart.

After they’d spend History of Magic chatting as if they’d been friends for years, not being able to guess what had soured his mood in between, she couldn’t possibly have expected him to suddenly snap at her like he did back when he caught her leaving the Undercroft.

It must have hurt her more than she let on, but if she was at all bitter about it, she hid it well. None of them brought it up. For a terrifying moment, Ominis had thought Sebastian was about to- he’d invited himself to join them, and Ominis had been glad for it- but he’d just asked her for a piece of spare parchment.

They’d said their hellos, gave their insincere apologies because Madam Scribner had been walking by too close just then, and sat at the table in amiable silence ever since. Across from her, because there was no reason for him and Sebastian to split up when they’d walked in together, and she’d already spread out her things over her side of the table.

So there’d be no more friendly elbow jabs for today.

Deciding that Sharp was the bigger threat- and perhaps also because even without the aural sleeping agent that was Binns’ voice, more History of Magic was likely to put them to sleep then and there- they’d decided to work on Potions first.

He regretted the decision almost instantly. Potions was famously his worst subject, and each time he furrowed his brow and bit his lip because he couldn’t make sense of the instructions as they were described in the book, Ominis ignored the voice of reason that told him to ‘just ask her, that’s why you’re sitting here together.’

But he still had his pride. He wasn’t going to ask her for help after telling her to let him fail on his own, and he knew her well enough by now to know that she wouldn’t let it go without a bit of teasing.

Today, he didn’t trust himself not to retort unkindly. And he wanted to take at least some of the familiarity and warmth they’d shared this morning with him when he left.

“Not going too well?”

He froze.

“...Ominis,” she added, obviously unsure if he knew he’d been the one she’d spoken to.

Just let it go. It’s just a question. She’s only being polite, she only means well.

“I can manage,” he replied.

Sebastian was quiet- too quiet, all of a sudden, so he was almost definitely keeping an eye on them, which almost annoyed Ominis more than her unwanted thoughtfulness.

“I can read it over for you, if you’d like,” she offered.

“I don’t.”

“Ominis, I think she just-”

“I know. Stay out of it.” Ominis buried his face in his hands, fingers pressing against his temples. “I told you before, I don’t need your help. I don’t need you to be my caretaker. What I need is for you to listen to me, for once.”

It was deadly quiet.

“I meant,” she started softly, “We could switch. You read over mine and I read yours. I would have done it this way with anyone- I do it a lot with Adelaide.”

Ominis was silently begging for anything- Cressida Blume’s failed spell experiments, Peeves, the impending Goblin rebellion Binns didn’t care about because it happened now instead of hundreds of years ago- to come and put him out of this misery, to distract them and give them something else to focus on.

“It’s all right.” She said it softly, again, but Ominis almost would have preferred it if she got angry with him. At least then he wouldn’t feel as much like a fool.

Why was Madam Scribner not coming over to scold them for the ruckus, the one time he would have welcomed it?

“Well,” Sebastian finally said, jovially, “at least this isn’t awkward at all.”

Ominis groaned. “Sebastian-”

But she dissolved into laughter, and the tension with her, so he gladly shut up and quietly slid his homework across the table. A wordless apology, until he could pluck up the courage to give her a proper one.

She returned the gesture, and taking the parchment from under her fingers almost brought back the feeling of when they’d done the same in History of Magic.

Sebastian said nothing more, but Ominis knew he was silently watching them. He wasn’t looking forward to the conversation they were going to have over this, once she left and they were alone again.

To his surprise, Sebastian was the first of them to leave.

“Why?” Ominis asked desperately, as he listened to his friend packing up his things.

“I took the notes I needed, I’ll have to cross reference them with another book. One I thought I’d better not carry around with me.”

That one.

“You weren’t doing your homework?”

“No.” Sebastian’s chair screeched over the floor as he stood up. “I’ll find the time for that later. Anne is more important.”

Ominis didn’t know what to say. Of course Anne was, that’s why he’d let Sebastian take Slytherin’s spellbook in the first place, but…

“Can I leave the two of you alone?”

“Of course you can,” she replied, before Ominis could object.

He wasn’t sure if it was intentional. “Of course,” he echoed, with much less enthusiasm.

In spite of what they told him, they still sat in awkward silence for a while, after Sebastian left.

Feeling the strong urge to occupy his fingers, Ominis started fidgeting with the sleeves of his robes, then realised how silly he must look and forced himself to stop.

“I’m almost done,” she told him evenly.

“That’s good.” No, it wasn’t. Not if this was his last chance not to let the day end like this, and he didn’t take it.

“Listen,” he started, “I truly am sorry about before, I don’t know what came over me. Only…” He squeezed his eyes shut, and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “...it’s been a long day.”

“...I meant it when I said it’s all right,” she said softly.

“Did you?”

“I thought you could tell when I lied to you.”

“Fair point.” It came out low, barely above a whisper, but his relief was still audible. It made him feel vulnerable, but he didn’t mind for once.

She’d put up with a lot where he was concerned, when she didn’t have to.

Ominis was tuned into Sebastian and Anne, and being with her was… different. He was glad to be more than a casual acquaintance she’d greet in between classes, or when they passed each other in the corridors, but the constant anxiety that came from the unfamiliarity was exhausting.

Not necessarily in a bad way. Just a way he wasn’t used to.

“You don’t have to, but if you’d like, I think I may have an idea of how you could make it up to me.”

It never ceased to amaze him how quickly she always fell back into that melodic, playful tone. Perhaps that was why he didn’t stop to think twice about the offer. “I’m listening.”

But as she finished speaking, he still wasn’t entirely sure if he’d heard her correctly.

“I’m sorry- you’d like me to go where with you?”

a/n: Where, oh where might they be going? I really wanted to thank everyone who still enjoys reading this, I’m sorry I can’t seem to stick to a regular update schedule to safe my live, but it means a lot to me that people are still waiting and looking forward to new chapters ❤️ Secretly chatting in class by passing notes back and forth is something I did a lot in my school days, so I’ve always wanted to write a scene like that for them. And since they’re canonically seat neighbours in History of Magic, I thought it would be a cute way for them to pass the time, when they’re not napping, that is. And we’re still on track for the Halloween themed chapter to actually be up on Halloween (or slightly before, if I can manage).

#hogwarts legacy fanfiction #ominis gaunt #hogwarts legacy mc #ominis x mc #ominis gaunt x mc #hogwarts legacy #hogwarts legacy fandom #mallow tries to write #WAYDH

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darsynia · 3 months ago

Note

Hey, I hope it's ok to reach out like this but I'm back on tumblr with a new account after being away and am very lost, and as I love your fics, I'd love any recommendations for blogs to follow (in addition to yours, of course)!

I'm looking for non-dark Steve x Reader or Steve x OFC content. Preferably the fluffy/romantic/happy kind, although the torture-the-cinnamon-roll-before-a-tooth-rottingly-happy-ending will always be my jam too. Smut is ok! Am also open for Bucky or Tony as the male lead!

So any recommendations you (or should you answer this publicly, your followers) might have would be super welcome.

I hope you're having a good week and again, if this is silly, feel free to discard!

Well this was such a lovely thing to find in my inbox, given how much I like yours! I predictably Darsy'd this, setting up a bunch of links so I could offer a 'must-follow' list as well as some masterlists to dive into. I agree with @steviebbboi that if someone else had asked, I'd stick you on here 100%!

We'll start with some authors and masterlists (some have a mix of dark and fluff), in no particular order (I'm making Bucky purple. He'll get over it. Or he won't, and that'll be fun too) EDIT: I forgot the blog names are blue for me. Steve, you're pink now, I don't make the rules:

@ronearoundblindly Steve Series | Steve Oneshots | Bucky

@anika-ann Steve | Bucky

@stargazingfangirl18 Steve | Bucky

@navybrat817 Steve | Bucky

@targaryenvampireslayer Steve | Bucky

@thezombieprostitute Steve | Bucky

@buckets-and-trees Steve | Bucky

@witchywithwhiskey Steve | Bucky

@nicoline1998enilocin Steve | Bucky | Tony

@holylulusworld Steve | Bucky | Tony

Next we have a list of folks who make this corner of Tumblr a delightful place to be! Authors whose fics aren't quite the fluff you're looking for, readers we can't live without, mutuals who light up my life; this venn diagram is a complete, lovely mess.

@krirebr @bigtreefest @biteofcherry @sweater-daddiesdumbdork @brandycranby

@jaqui-has-a-conspiracy-theory @steviebbboi @whiskeytangofoxtrot555 @buckymorelikefuckme @caplanbuckybarnes

@eralen @nekoannie-chan @nowandjenn @secretswiftymarvelfan @rogerswifesblog

@petite-madame @rogersideup @levans44 @jobean12-blog @heli0s-writes

@deliciousangelfestival @jesevans @mrsevans90 @jamneuromain @mischief-and-tea-by-the-sea

Full disclosure: Ro helped me with a few names here, and I just followed you *waves* so please don't be freaked out that I just followed and stuck you on a list! You come highly recommended!!

Thanks for asking, it's an honor and a delight to have an excuse to boost up some truly great blogs on here!

Had to add this, too. Tumblr told on me:

Ps. that thing where you try to remember a really lovely person's username and you can't and you remember it a half freaking hour after you posted... (or a day later! Argh, I'm so sorry Jen! @late-to-the-party-81 absolutely deserves to be on this list. If it is any consolation I totally did the 'leaving out someone obvious' with wedding invitations and it never doesn't feel bad!)

#darsy twirls the fic #darsy twirls the moots #readers and writers and delight-ers

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gretavangroupie · 6 months ago

Text

The Ripe and The Ruin (Chapter 7)

Pairing: Jake Kiszka x Reader, OC x Reader

Word Count: 10.2k

Warnings: Language, Alcohol, Smoking, Angst, Anxiety, Allusions to Cheating, Lying, Jealousy, Sexual Themes, Crying.

Find the Playlist Here: Apple Music | Spotify

A new series in collaboration with my talented co-writer @gretavanmoon.

A/N: Thanks so much for waiting for us while we took our little break. We had the absolute best time at our shows. We plotted and schemed most of the week and there really is quite a bit of exciting new things on the horizon, so keep your eyes peeled.

"Like all good fruit, the balance of life is in the ripe and ruin."

DUBLIN, IRELAND

HER POV

“There,” you whispered, putting the final touches on the food display. You gathered up the empty boxes and trash and made your way out the back door of the venue to dispose of them. You hoped you wouldn’t see anyone along the way, keeping your AirPods in as a public declaration to leave you alone.

You’d thrown yourself into work the last week, doing things that didn’t even fall under your scope of work just to fill the time. Your phone was on mute, but that didn't stop the calls. The texts. The songs. They all still came, but you paid them no mind. You couldn’t. You couldn’t be that girl. You couldn’t be the one to ruin a relationship.

You hadn’t spoken to Jake since the friend request came through. You still hadn’t even accepted it. You didn’t know if you even should. She obviously knew who you were, and that alone scared you more than anything. How did she know?

You hadn’t spoken to Josh either. He had done his best to avoid you since that night in the bar, his look more than disappointed as he walked away. You felt a twinge of regret that you’d let him down, but you and Jake were nothing, and he has a girlfriend. He should be more mad at Jake than you.

A call rings through your AirPods, the robotic voice alerting you to Ruth’s Facetime call. You make the split second decision to accept it, pulling your phone from your pocket and tapping the green button.

“Hello,” you answer, shielding your face from the sun.

“God, it’s so weird that it’s sunset there and I’m just now eating breakfast,” she says, taking a bite of a bagel.

“Babes it’s literally what, noon there? Why are you just now eating breakfast?”

“Ugh, this isn’t about me, quit changing the subject,” she gripes.

“What?! I just–”

“Did you accept it yet?” she asks, wiggling her eyebrows.

“No! Are you insane! Why would I do that! Then she would know that I know who she is, and then she would know that I know she knows who I am!” you shout.

“Yeah, I…am not even gonna try to decipher what you just said,” she says, shaking the ice in her coffee.

“Ruth! Ugh!”

“What!? I’d accept it, you have nothing to hide. It’s not like you’re posting about him.”

“But–”

“But what? Show her you’re a hot bitch and she should be scared!” she laughs, tilting her head side to side.

“You are actually a terrible influence,” you scoff.

“Fine, what about McSexy,” she says, slurping up the last bits of coffee through her straw.

“Are you done with that yet? GOD.”

“You’re so dramatic,” she laughs, tossing it into the trash. “Spill about Beefy McGuns before I throw myself off a cliff.”

“Yeah I am the dramatic one,” you sigh, rolling your eyes. “Murph is…well, he’s good I guess. We have been hanging out a little bit since… ya know. We snuck into the hotel pool a few days ago, got Gelato night before last and last night we went to Temple Bar because the guys had an outing thing.”

“Okay, so you and McDouble are like kinda hot and heavy courting,” she asks.

“Please don’t call him McDouble, that is gross. I mean, courting sounds kinda…more serious than it is. We are just hanging out.”

“A lot.”

“Yeah, kind of a lot,” you admit.

“Do you like him more than Mr. Pene-Traitor?”

“RUTH ANNE!” you shout, trying to stifle back laughter.

“Answer the question,” she snaps.

“No! I don’t know! I mean, I like them equally for different reasons,” you answer.

“Well who is better in the sack?”

“Um…”

“Oh my god, you haven't slept with McSexy yet?” she asks, mouth gaping open.

“No! It hasn’t…gone there yet,” you reply.

“Yet…So you intend for it to…” she smirks.

“Well, I wouldn’t hate it,” you laugh. “I’m kinda like not planning to sleep with Jake again after all this shit. Murph seems less…complicated. He’s fun, and respectful, and we just mesh so well when we hangout. We have a lot in common and it’s just so easy. It’s not serious or anything but I’m trying to see where this thing goes.”

“So guitar daddy is out, officially…”

“Jesus Christ, Ruth.” you sigh, “I mean I haven't spoken to him in almost a week now. I’ve been ignoring every attempt and conveniently finding myself in the opposite room as him. I don't know what to even say to him without exploding so I have just been saying nothing.”

“Has he added any songs or anything?” she asks, quirking a brow.

“A few but I haven’t replied,” you answer.

“Oh I bet it’s eating him up, too.”

You shrug your shoulders as you see the back door open, Sam stepping out to light up a cigarette.

“Hey, I gotta go, the family unit is present,” you say quietly nodding your head to the side.

“Okay, well, personally I think you should accept her request. I’d think it's more suspicious that you haven’t if I were her. Maybe she just wants to talk.”

“I will think about it,” you say, pursing your lips. “I’ll text you later, okay?”

“Alright alright, and don’t forget my souvenir. I want one with sandy brown hair, blue eyes and an Irish accent.”

“You are actually so annoying.”

Your phone dings in your ear as a text flashes across the screen.

“Oh shit,” you gasp. “It’s Murph.”

“What's up McBeefy?!” Ruth shouts.

You open the text, reading it over quickly as a smile crosses your face.

“Oh okay, why are you blushing Y/N? Huh, huh? Why you smiling like that?”

“So, he just said that The Black Keys are going to be in Glasgow on our day off next week,” you say, a little shocked.

“As in The Black Keys that you’ve loved your whole life Black Keys?”

“Those would be the ones…”

You

6:02PM: How did you know I love them?

Murph

6:03PM: Just had a feeling 😉

Murph

6:04PM: I’m gonna tell the guys, I’m sure they will want to go.

You

6:05PM: I definitely want to go.

Murph

6:06PM: Well good thing I just bought us tickets

“Hello?! Earth to Y/N!” Ruth shouts, and truthfully you forgot she was on the line.

“Fuck, sorry,” you say, reopening Facetime.

“What did you say?!”

“I told him I want to go and he said he already bought us tickets,” you smile.

“Mmhm, yeah it’s not serious at all though,” she mocks.

“Gotta go! Love you bye!” you smile, ending the call and shoving your phone into your pocket.

You nod to Sam as you walk back into the building, making your way back into the greenroom to finish up. Your music begins to play through your AirPods again, and you feel a sense of calmness now that you’ve gotten a little reassurance from Ruth. You tidy up the room a bit, grabbing a few empty cans and chip bags and banishing them to the trash can that is seemingly invisible to these four men.

Just as you turn around you see Jake stepping into the room with his eyes on you.

Fuck.

You jump back a bit in shock, watching as he throws his hands up in innocence.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he says, a guilty look on his face.

You pull your earbuds from your ears and place them in their case as you lean against the wall behind you. “It’s fine. What’s up?” you ask, trying to seem casual.

“You think we can talk for a second?” he asks, rubbing his fingers over his chin.

“Um, right now? I’m just finishing this up?” you counter, not really feeling like this is the best time for, well, this.

He walks over to the small couch, tapping the spot next to him, “Please, just for a second.”

His brown eyes lock with yours and you know there is no way you can deny him. He had that effect on you. You nod and walk over to him, sitting next to him. Maybe this is it.

You watch as he pulls in a deep breath as if trying to organize the thoughts in his head. He swallows nervously and turns his gaze to you.

“You know, this last week has been…well, to be honest, it’s been complete shit,” he starts, locking his fingers together. “We went from seeing each other nearly every day and texting and everything to…whatever this is. Not speaking…”

You nod your head, wanting to hear his piece before giving your own.

“I miss you. I’ve missed you a lot. I have hated every second of this silence and I would very much like to get things back to how they were before… all of this.”

Did Josh not tell him about Murph? Surely he had…

His hand reaches for yours, grabbing it in his own as he continues and you are praying he is ready to come clean.

JAKE POV

“I know I’ve been a total and complete asshole, Y/N, and you don’t deserve that. That’s not me,” you go on, squeezing her hands in yours. Your voice continues to crack, and the emotion you feel while telling her all this actually surprises you. It’s hard to talk to her, hard to get things out. But you only know that it is because you’re positive that it all means something bigger. Your internal alarm clock is ticking, you can feel the time to get on stage is drawing closer and closer. “I just want you to know how sorry I am.”

“Jake, listen. I appreciate your apology, but I'm still not even sure what you’re sorry for? I mean, I know shit went sideways but, you never even told me why…” she goes on, pure confusion painting her expression. “I know that I was and am being left in the dark about something, and I don’t want to end up looking like the idiot.”

“Fuck, I know,” you say, rubbing a hand over your face. You can feel the bile swirling in your stomach as you prepare to speak again. “If you… I want to talk to you some more, and explain myself, but…”

“...You go on in like fifteen minutes and you aren’t even dressed yet,” she answers.

You nod, sucking in your bottom lip. Her eyes are glazed over, not with tears, but with some other overwhelming sentiment. Your voice shakes as you go on. “If you’re willing to hear me out, I have a long story I want to tell you.”

She takes a second to consider, and you know that she could just as easily tell you to fuck off, get away from her, and to never speak to her again. But instead she nods, meeting your eyes with pity. “It’s hard saying yes to this Jake, I’m not gonna lie…”

“I know it is. I know it, I’m so sorry, I’m just. You deserve to hear it all. From me,” you beg. The anxiety of it all is making you dizzy, and you hadn’t even told her anything yet. But you’re positive that when the time comes, it will all be worth it. She’s worth it.

“Please trust me.”

She nods again. “Just…come to my room after the show?”

“I’ll be there,” you agree with a smile, and you feel the faintest hint of positivity, a tiny flame burning at the end of the tunnel.

—

After an electric show, you dab the towel across your forehead and neck, wiping away the heavy sweat beads that continue to pour down.

“Just keeps getting better and better, guys!” Paul compliments you as you pass by, making your way down the hall to the green room.

“Thanks, man. Appreciate you,” you reply with a pat to his shoulder.

“Daniel, you hitting the shower?” you ask as you watch him take a seat on a red leather chair.

“Mm, here in a few, gonna have a drink first.” He pulls Mia over by the hand to sit on his lap, playfully wiping his sweat-covered arm across her face. “Where are Josh and Sam?”

You quietly walk over to the craft table, giving Y/N a sweet glance as you grab a mini bag of chips from the box, watching as she and Ty fiddle around with whatever random food is displayed across the table. “I dunno, they seemed like they were bickering all night, did you notice that?”

“Mmmhm,” Danny says through a long drink of a seltzer. “I could literally see the fuckin’ blurry tension between them, who the hell knows. He say anything to you, Ly?”

“Mmm, nope. Didn’t say anything to me…” Lyla avoids his gaze. You glance to Ty, and he offers you the same answer.

Just then, Josh and Sam burst through the door in a huffed mess of antics, yelling obscenities at one another as Josh’s hands fly up in the air around him. These two rarely fight, but every once in a while, one of them will get under the other’s skin. And sometimes it’s even worse, when they both manage to piss the other off so profusely, things can sometimes get physical.

Josh’s voice is raised, and Sam’s face and neck are blotched red. You know that whatever it is, it isn’t good.

“How about you stay the hell out of my face and sit the fuck down somewhere, huh?” Sam yells, grabbing a White Claw from the mini fridge and chugging it all almost in one drink. Your eyes dart directly to Danny who is just as stunned as you are, and equally as confused.

“I’ll sit the fuck down when you stop running your fucking mouth, Sam,” Josh barks.

“Whoa, whoa, what the hell is going on?” you ask, moving toward them.

“Oh nothing, nothing, brother. Nothing at all,” Sam huffs, fury raging from him. You watch his eyeliner-covered eyes skitter across the room and finally land on Y/N, glaring at her from his peripheral. What the fuck?

For some reason, just his look pisses you off.

“Not nothing, the fuck is your problem?” you ask him again, shooting your eyes between him and Josh. You see Mia rise up from Danny’s lap, joining Lyla on the couch. They sit closely together, and you swear they’re both biting back laughs.

You finally move your eyes to Josh, giving him a stern look only the two of you can understand. ‘You got something to say?’ you ask him in your mind.

He replies with an eye roll, shrugging his shoulders as he slips his stage jacket off. Josh is biting his tongue, you can tell, and the look in his eye is one you’ve seen often. With whatever rage he’s harboring mixed with the however many fireball shots he’s taken tonight, this could get bad.

You look at Danny, as he knows the heavy feeling in the room all too well, too. You mentally ask him for backup.

Danny stands and clears his throat. “Uh, so… we going out tonight? We’re wasting moonlight if so…”

You jump in and agree. “Yeah, yeah let’s go grab a Guinness or something.” The room stays quiet as you and Danny make moves to get going, but the heaviness is still there. You decide to turn the attention elsewhere. “Y/N, Ty, you coming out with us?”

You can tell that Y/N feels like she’s invading the awkward encounter that’s currently happening in the room, just from her body language.

“Yeah, um, sure… I suppose…” she says meekly. You offer her a little grin of reassurance.

“Oh, you mean you’re not hanging out with Murph tonight? Shocking!” Josh interjects, the tone of his voice menacing. Your head shoots to him.

Y/N shakes her head, her entire demeanor falling. “Uh, no? No, why would I…” she stammers.

“Just figured,” Josh continues, “You guys seemed pretty cozy the other night when I caught you making out at the bar in Paris, just thought you’d be continuing the festivities!”

“Josh!” Ty yells.

Hold…the fuck…on…

Your ears go deaf as you process Josh’s words, all the blood draining from your body, your extremities numb, your throat instantly dry. What the fuck. What the fuck??? He’s lying… That’s not true… she wouldn’t…

You hear a collective snicker from Mia and Lyla, both of them obviously loving whatever fucking show is happening right now.

You somehow find the courage to look at Y/N, her face bloodshot and dripping with embarrassment as she turns away.

You feel like you’ve been hit by a truck. Making out? With Murph? Paris… a week ago? And Josh didn’t bother to…

You can’t find the will to move, or speak, or breathe or anything. Your mind is wracked with confusion and stress, wondering what in the hell is going to happen next.

—

HER POV

Your heart is pounding in your chest as you turn to look at Josh.

Why? Why did he say that?

Your eyes scan the room as everyone stares at you, but all you can focus on is the look on Jake's face. It was a look similar to the one you received from Josh that night, but Jake’s hurt worse. Hit you deeper. You feel the knife twisting in your chest.

You can see his neck growing red, the color creeping up into his cheeks as his anger starts to bubble up. Your eyes flash over to Mia and Lyla who are snickering in the corner like two highschool bullies.

You shake your head and press your tongue to your cheek as you try to figure out an appropriate response. You decide at that moment that you owe none of them a single word. You silently grab your things and head to the door, brushing Jake’s shoulder as you pass.

“Guess you’re not the only one with secrets, are you?”

You cut your eyes to Josh, completely shocked at his audacity to speak about something that didn’t involve him so publicly. It seemed out of character for him and you can tell by the way everyone is reacting to his outburst.

You barely make it through the back door as the tears start to fall against your will. You feel so embarrassed. Everything has gotten so out of hand and now Josh hates you and you know Jake isn’t too far behind him.

You just need to go back to your hotel room. Go back and be alone and cry in peace. You pull your phone from your purse and find the address for the hotel, and much to your displeasure, you see that it is a brisk three mile walk. Not to mention it is 42 degrees. You lock your phone in frustration knowing you have to go back inside and wait for the van to take you all back.

You sneak back inside and head straight for the bathroom, locking yourself in one of the stalls and sitting down on the toilet bowl. You know the van isn’t going to leave for at least another thirty minutes, if not more. You let the tears flow freely in the confines of the bathroom stall, until you physically can’t anymore. You dry up your cheeks with the sleeve of your shirt as a notification from Ruth pushes through.

Ruth

11:43PM: You do it yet?

You decide to bite the bullet. Who even cares anymore at this point?

You open Instagram and tap on her request, hitting the little blue ‘accept’ button and watching as her page populates with photos. Right off the bat you see how pretty she is, every picture perfectly effortless and aesthetically pleasing. Then, you see Jake. Happy, smiling, and holding her. Recently.

You're surprised by the feelings swirling through you, as you’d convinced yourself that your feelings for him were much smaller than they apparently were. You look at every single photo, and with each swipe you feel your own guilt start to grow larger and larger.

Had you ruined this?

You hear noise in the hallway and know that they are leaving, heading to the bar or wherever they decided. You wait until you hear them leave, letting yourself out of the stall and into the empty hallway. As you approach the green room you know you want to get in, finish cleaning up, and leave, avoiding as many people as humanly possible. You press your ear to the door to listen for voices, but you hear nothing and know that the coast is clear.

Though, when you open the door, you are met with someone, and thankfully it’s a friendly face. You see Ty grabbing the canned drinks from the fridge and throwing them into a cooler. He spots you, looking relieved and stops what he’s doing.

“There you are,” he sighs in relief.

“Wha– What are you doing here, I thought everyone left?”

He walks towards you, taking you into a hug before you can even process what he’s doing. It’s as if he already knows how you’re feeling and you fall into it, letting him wrap you up in his arms.

“I’ve been around long enough to know how shit tends to go down in this family. I knew that Josh was in one of his moods tonight and Sam pushed him over the edge. Unfortunately, you were on the receiving end of things. I don’t blame you for walking out, but I am glad you came back.”

“Why are you always looking out for me?” you ask, feeling like you might cry all over again.

“Real recognizes real, baby,” he winks, releasing you from the hug and returning back to the cooler.

“Ty,” you whine, knowing you don't deserve his kindness.

“Look, I know I shouldn’t, because he needs to do this himself, but I am really sorry about Josh. I’m gonna make him apologize to you as soon as I see him, I swear.”

“No, no, no. It’s okay. He is right. This whole thing is a mess and he and Jake and shit, even Sam, have the right to be mad at me. I fucked up.”

He shrugs his shoulders, “It’s a little bit of a mess but, it will get cleaned up. And as for Sam, I don’t think Sam is mad at you, per say, but more of just the situation and how he learned of it. There’s been some other shit going on with him lately, but don’t you worry I’m on your team, here.”

“You don’t need to be on my team, Ty. You have dealt with enough of my shit,” you laugh, hoping he doesn’t actually take your advice.

He closes the cooler up and takes one last look around the room, both of you finding it spotless. “Oh, just let me. This is my shit and I am used to corralling these rowdy motherfuckers, I do it in my sleep.”

You laugh and shake your head, “Alright, alright, fine.”

He nods in victory before turning to you again, “You’re coming to the bar, right?”

“No, I’m probably gonna go back to the hotel and cry some more.”

“Actually, you’re not. You’re gonna go back to the hotel, pretty yourself up and come meet me.” He flits his hand to his chest as he points to himself. “I’ll text you the address when I get there.”

“Ty I can’t! I can’t even face Jake right now! And Mia and Lyla… I don’t know…” you stammer.

“No, hang out with me all night. You don’t even have to talk to those bitches, I don’t half the time.”

You laugh at his honesty, and realize maybe you could go tonight.

“I don’t know…”

“Listen, it will look a lot worse if you don’t go darling,” he says, tilting his head to the side. You know he’s right.

“Alright, fuck it.”

—

TY POV

Involving yourself in other people’s business wasn’t always your forte. In fact, it was something you tried to stray far, far away from. The thought of adding unnecessary stress into your life seemed daunting and pointless, especially when the outcome ended up being opposite of the one you desired, but, nonetheless… You find yourself here, completely involved in whatever drama is transpiring between Jake and Y/N.

It’s none of your business in the least. It never was. But you could tell from the get-go that if no one else was going to step in and try to help each of them realize what was happening in front of them, you would have to be the one to do it. Who better, honestly?

You told Jake from the beginning that Isla seemed shady… though at first the two of them seemed like the happiest of two human beings, just like all new relationships do. She was good for him, and he treated her well. The day he told you and Josh that he told her he loved her, you were happy for him. Happy for them both. Things were good and they were taking Jake’s career changes in stride together. That was until you started to see straight through that bitch.

That’s right, you’re not uncomfortable saying it anymore. She turned into a true-blue, cold hearted bitch.

What started off as snide little remarks to Jake, in public, grew into full-blown insults that had you left with your mouth hanging open in disbelief. He let it slide off his back, though, and you swore it was like no one else even noticed it. How her behavior had changed almost overnight. You could see the respect she once held for Jake morphing into resentment right before your eyes, but everyone else seemed to think it was normal.

It didn’t take long, though, for Josh’s twin-sense to be set off when he felt Jake’s normally low-key temper burning into fury; he was quite literally like a pot that was going to boil over anytime. Josh realized, but you don’t think he ever really realized, though to you, it was plain as fucking day.

You and Josh welcomed him into your home, let him crash on the couch or in the guest room after he’d run away from her. It almost started to drive you insane that everyone else was just watching on as he let her walk all over him, all in the name of what everyone thought was love.

No. Fuck that. She may have loved him, but your senses absolutely buzzed with the feeling that all she was there for anymore was his status and fame. It made you sick how she took advantage of his popularity and his talent, only wanting to go out with him if it meant she’d be seen attached to his arm, only wanting to support him when it meant she’d reap the benefits. Made you fucking sick.

But, like a good brother in law, you kept your mouth shut for the most part, until one day things got so bad you realized that Jake had seen the light, fully disconnecting himself from her right before you all left for this tour.

And the minute you realized he was taking interest in Y/N, you felt like your heart could explode with relief for him. Finally, a distraction. The day you let him know how you felt about Isla in the bar was the first time you really said anything at all to him, hoping that your words of honesty would help to further the situation.

But now… Now. Fuck, it seems like things have gotten messier than you anticipated. Y/N is the first person you’ve met in a while who matches your energy, who connects with you without any effort to do so. You like her a lot, and you are fighting to be on her team. But damn, if it doesn’t seem like she just dug herself into a hole…

So after what the fuck ever just happened in the green room, you know it’s time to strap your boots on and fix things, or at least try to. You’re no stranger to mediating arguments within this family, so you feel no shame in waltzing into this bar with a new flame lit under you. You’ve gotta fix this. For Y/N, and for Jake.

You blow warm air into your hands as you walk into the bar, finding everyone gathered around a large table together. Good, they haven’t ripped each others’ heads off yet.

You take an empty seat next to Josh, greeting him with a quipped ‘Hey’ as you’re still a little bit pissed at his behavior earlier. His hand lands on your thigh, but you quickly pull it away, knowing that if you’re going to be the middleman here, everyone has to be on a level playing field.

“The hell is wrong with you?” Josh slurs into your ear.

You shoot a look his way, letting him know that now is not the fucking time. A quick glance around at everyone tells you that they’re all already fairly intoxicated, still sneering at one another overtop of their half-empty glasses. Great. Perfect.

You take notice that Murph isn’t here, which is a good thing right now. He might need to stay behind and let the others have it tonight. You cross your arms over your chest as you make yourself comfortable in your seat. You clear your throat dramatically, effectively getting the attention of the table.

“Alright motherfuckers, who wants to tell me exactly what just happened in the green room?” you demand, taking a second to look Sam and Josh in the eyes first. The entire table groans and waves you off, except Sam, who gives you a look that says ‘Can’t tell you right now, but I will explain later…” He then does a quick glance to Lyla. You take mental note of that.

Of course, Josh speaks first. “There’s not much to say, Ty… I caught our runner making out with our head of security last week, I don’t know what else you want me to say…”

“I want you to tell the table why you are so pissed off about that, Josh. Why are you so concerned with something that isn’t your business?” you quip back.

Josh mirrors your stance, crossing his own arms as he motions to Jake. “Hm, I don’t know, why don’t you ask my fucking twin, huh?” Everyone then turns all their attention to Jake, putting him directly in the spotlight. Your stomach turns over with nerves as you feel the tension in the room thickening with every passing second. You don’t want to do things this way. But, you’ve learned from experience, getting it all out on the table is the best way for them to do things like this.

Jake is standing, running his tongue across his teeth, his face already glimmering with a nervous sweat. “Okay, fuck it,” he sets his beer down on the table, yanking a free chair out from underneath it and harshly taking a seat. “Y/N and I have been hooking up since tour started. Pretty regularly. Thought things were good. But I guess it doesn’t fucking matter anymore since apparently I was dumb to the fact that she’s more into our beloved Murphy.” You can tell he is seething.

You hear Mia and Lyla gasp like the news was brand new to them. “So it’s fucking true, then, huh Jacob?!” Lyla practically yells, leaning over the table at him. “Ohhh, we fucking knew it, you sorry ass bitch.”

“It’s actually none of your fucking business, Lyla, so why don’t you lay the fuck off,” he retaliates.

You watch Mia put her hand on Lyla’s chest as she leans across her toward Jake, her words spitting with venom to him. “Actually it is my fucking business, Jake, Isla is my best friend you absolute dick! And she’s your fucking girlfriend!”

Jake almost stands from his chair completely, leaning over to her now. “She’s not my girlfriend anymore, Lyla! She hasn’t been for a long time! She just won’t admit it to anyone or even herself! Don’t speak on things you have absolutely no fucking idea about, Lyla. It’s not a good fucking look.” Jake is visibly vibrating with rage. You feel Josh doing the same.

Next thing you know you hear Sam bellowing toward Jake. “Hey, don’t fucking speak to her like that, man, or I swear to god–”

“Oh, I’d be fucking careful, Sam, given I know all the dirty details about our little conversation in my room the other night…” Jake defends himself with a finger pointed directly to Sam. His jaw is clenched so tightly you think he might break his teeth.

Sam gives Jake a death glare that you know all too well, as Lyla turns in her seat to face him. “What the fuck is he talking about, Samuel? Is that why you disappeared drunk off your ass the other night? To go to Jake’s room? What did you talk about?”

Sam closes his eyes as he tries to diffuse his rage. “What the fuck ever, I’m just pissed everyone knew about Y/N and Jake besides me,” he slurs. “Always failing to let me in on the fuckin’ secrets.” You roll your eyes at Sam, suddenly confused and intrigued about what kind of conversation he had with Jake, anyway.

“This is why, Sam! Right here! Shit blows up!” Jake yells.

Josh groans, leaning his elbows on the table to Jake. “Yeah, just like I fucking told you it would.”

Jake scoffs hard. “Don’t talk to me about shit blowing up when you didn’t tell me for a god damn week that she was fucking around with Murph behind my back, Josh!”

“Ohhhhhoho, don’t try and pull that, I told you this shit wasn’t going to work anyway,” Josh responds with a sneer.

“Wasn’t going to work?!” Mia yells. “What do you mean, wasn’t going to fucking work?! You have a girlfriend Jacob, are you a fucking idiot?!”

You watch as Danny physically lets his face fall into his hands, shaking his curls side to side.

“Alright, alright, everybody calm the fuck down,” Josh says loudly, actually qualming a situation for once in his life. “Let’s take a break, let’s talk this out.”

You dart your head to the side to give him a sharp look. “No, Josh, you’re the one who opened your big mouth in the green room and set everybody off, let’s hash this shit out right now. Everyone’s doing an excellent job of letting it all fly. Let’s not stop now,” you argue, putting your foot down. You motion with your hand to everyone at the table. “Keep going, let’s go…”

You hear a wholehearted laugh come from Jake at Josh’s expense.

Sam looks at Lyla, raising his voice a little. “Is this why you’ve been so fucking irritable lately?”

Oop, shouldn’t have gone there, kid.

She shoots back in her chair, looking as if she’s ready to pounce on him. “Whoa, whoa, irritable? Excuse me? Actually ya know what, yeah, I guess it fucking is!” She yells. “You’d be fucking pissed too, wouldn’t you?!”

“I guess I don’t know, since nobody ever fucking tells me anything!” Sam retaliates with his hands in the air.

“Sam you have got to be fucking kidding me… Do you not remember me sleeping on your couch for days at a time? Do you think I just did that because I missed you? Be serious…” Jake says with a little sincerity in his tone.

“I don’t know! Shit, I guess I just thought you were…”

“Thought I was what?! Bored? Lonely? Hated my own home? Well, I guess that last one kinda makes fucking sense, now, huh?” Jake goes on, running a hand over his mouth.

Lyla speaks up. “All those nights you spent at our house Jake… you know Isla cried herself to sleep each and every one. Talked to me on the phone until 3AM until she couldn’t cry anymore because you fucking left her, over and over again–”

Jake leans his elbows on the table, hiding his face behind his folded hands. You can tell by the redness in his face that he is holding himself back from absolutely laying into Lyla.

“Oh, you don’t even want to start with me, Lyla…” he grits his teeth, the vein in his head pulsing with rage again.

“Chill out, Jake…” you hear Josh warn under his breath.

“Do you know why I left, Lyla? Over and over again?!” His tone calms. “Yeah, I bet you don’t because all you care about is her fucking side of the story… did it not occur to you that I have one, too? What about my fucking feelings, huh? How do you know she’s not purposefully making me out to look like the bad guy? I bet nothing was her fault, was it? Hm?” He asks, looking around the table. Everyone stays silent, avoiding his glare.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. No one bothered to come and ask me what was wrong, hear my side of the story. Fucking figures, she always gets what she fucking wants, anyway,” he goes on, suddenly able to breathe through his words. “None of you cared to realize I’ve been fucking miserable for months? Tried ending things for months? I bet not, huh. You only got lies and a sob story from Isla.” He takes a deep breath. Keep going Jake…

“So yeah, I tried to end things with Isla. Multiple times. Now I know I have royally fucked up with making my life messier than it needs to be–”

“She still fucking lives with you, Jake–” Lyla cuts.

“Yeah, I fucking know that, genius,” he eyes her sideways. “You think this has been easy for either of us? I asked her to move out way before we started packing for this fucking tour… So yes. I did start hooking up with someone else. And you know what? I don’t regret a goddamn second of it. I finally found something that makes me fucking happy, and not miserable every single second of my life. And if you want to know why I think my actions are justified, you can speak to me directly about it. I’m a grown fucking adult, and I don’t owe you a goddamn thing if you don’t even have the decency to speak to me about my own fucking business…” Jake cuts his eyes directly to Mia and Lyla, making them sink back in their seats a little.

Fuck yes, Jacob. Fuck. Yes.

Just then, like a sitcom hitting its dramatic peak, Murph enters the bar, leaving everyone gathered around the table even more speechless than they were before. You feel a collective breath be taken by everyone before Jake shoots up from his seat. “Another round?”

Hell yes. Success.

Well, kind of. Progress.

You look at your phone, seeing that Y/N had texted you a ‘?’ about fifteen minutes ago.

“Perfect timing, Y/N is on her way here, too!” you announce, your voice full of pep.

“You’re shitting me, right,” Josh murmurs under his breath to you.

“Good, great. Grand. A big family reunion, huh?” Jake says sarcastically in his faux-accent. “I’m over the fucking moon.” Jake darts his eyes to Murph for a split second before making his way back to the bar.

You take a second to hide your phone under the table, texting Y/N back.

You

12:32AM: Come. Sit with me. I’ll have a drink waiting for you.

—

HER POV

Your palms are sweating with nervous energy, despite the freezing cold weather. You almost didn’t go. You talked yourself out of it three times before you ever left the room, but knowing that Ty was waiting for you was enough of a reason to go. He liked you, looked out for you and treated you like a friend even though he didn’t have to. You could suck it up for one night.

As you push the door open you’re immediately met with warm air and the smell of stale beer. It’s loud in the small bar and terribly lit, making it hard to find the group. You see a hand wave you in its direction, and at the end of it, Ty. The table he is sitting at is fairly empty, most of the group dispersed throughout the bar, playing pool or darts. He pulls out the barstool next to him, sliding a drink in your direction.

“You made it!” he smiles, watching you sit down next to him.

“I did. What’s going on, I feel kinda weird about being here,” you admit.

“Ahhh, don’t worry about it, everything is fine. Promise.” he says, taking a sip of his beer. “Everyone is pretty drunk now, and has already forgotten about earlier.”

You glance around the smoky bar and as you look behind you, your eyes meet with Josh’s, who is giving you the most apologetic eyes you’ve ever seen. You give him a curt smile, and turn back around, knowing that a conversation with him is low on your list of priorities at the moment.

You spend most of the next hour with Ty, laughing and discussing anything and everything that does not have to do with Greta Van Fleet. He’s a sweet guy and you can tell why Josh fell for him, with his ability to make everyone feel heard and wanted, so easily.

You’re two drinks in when you feel a warm hand on your shoulder, pulling you from your conversation with Ty. You turn to look at the person, but you can smell that it’s Jake, his cologne at the forefront of your mind. You feel him lean down to your ear, his breath on your neck.

“I’d still like to talk tonight,” he whispers, his lips grazing the shell of your ear.

You take a deep breath and try to center yourself. You turn fully to look at him, seeing that he is not nearly as mad as he seemed earlier, and you know you want to hear what he has to say. You want to hear his side of the story you’ve pieced together over the last week. You nod at him as your eyes meet his, and he nods back, stepping away to return to the bar already going over what he will likely say later.

—

An hour later you find yourself in your hotel room, pacing as you anxiously wait to hear from Jake. He left the bar before you did, deciding to ride back with Ty and Josh after the others left. You took a shower and tidied up your room and still, you haven't heard from him, that is, until your phone buzzed on the dresser.

Jake

1:47AM: What is your room number?

Shit! Okay.

You

1:48AM: 407

You know it won't be long until he is knocking on the door, and your heart is beating hard in your chest. You try to slow your breathing and calm your heart rate before he gets here, but you know it's no use because it will spike again as soon as you see him.

The knock echoes through the room and you make your way to the door, swallowing back your nerves. As you open the door you find him standing there with one hand in his sweats pocket, and the other gripping a CD.

You look at it as he presents it to you, a smug smile on his face as you realize what it is.

‘An Awesome Wave’.

“This is–”

“The album we listened to on the plane, yeah,” he finishes, smiling as he steps into your room. “Found it in a record shop the other day in London. Thought of you and that first time we talked on the plane.”

You both step further into the room, your heart already twisting at his sweet gesture. He thought of you. You sit on the edge of the bed as you stare at the CD in your hands.

“Listen, I’m sorry you had to find out about Murph like that, I never meant for that to come out like that,” you offer, letting your eyes flick up to meet his as he stands in front of you.

“Look, I came here to apologize to you, Y/N. Not the other way around. You said I’m not the only one with secrets, and I guess that’s true, but I am more interested in setting the story straight and finding out what secrets you seem to be privy to.”

JAKE POV

She holds your gaze for just a second as she leans forward, grabbing her phone from the dresser behind you. She takes a shaky breath as her thumb dances across the screen, obviously looking for something. Your heart starts to beat faster and faster as she searches for what she’s looking for, a million different suspicions of what it could be flying through your mind.

Finally she turns her phone, showing you a screenshot of when Isla requested to follow her on Instagram. You feel your eyes grow as you breathe out a surprised “Oh.”

Fuckkkkkkk. She found her.

“Yeah. This was a while ago. I accepted her request tonight after the show. I know everything, Jake. I know about you and her. I know you’ve been lying to me this entire time,” she says bravely, gritting her jaw as she speaks.

“Let me stop you there, Y/N. Please…” you beg, preparing yourself to finally lay everything out on the line. The time had come. You take a deep breath as you readjust your seat. “Where do I even fucking begin?” you ask rhetorically.

“If I were you, I’d start at the beginning,” she suggests firmly.

“Alright, okay, yeah…” you agree, doing your best to find the courage. “Her name is Isla Whitman. And… Yes, she still lives in my home. Isla and I had been together for a long, long time. She was there when everything skyrocketed with the band, right when everything started to take off. She moved in with me, life was going good. She uh… things were great, obviously, as I’m sure you’ve seen from the photos…” you say, motioning to her phone. “We were really good for a long time, I was really happy…”

“But then uh, but then things started to go south. Like really, really badly.” You wipe a heavy hand across your face as you relive those terrible days again. “I started to realize that she wasn’t here for me anymore, that she was here for whatever status I held. Only here because of the success of the band and shit. Only wanted to be seen and be a part of things if it meant she would be photographed and noticed by our fans. It was weird shit, like the fame got to her, and she wasn’t the one even… anyways. She turned into a completely different person, almost overnight. Apparently, uh… it was a lot worse than I even realized, now that I’m kinda putting things into perspective, and Josh and Ty are agreeing with me. She used me. She used the hell out of me. Talked down to me all the time. Gaslit me. Made everything my fault. We got into terrible, horrible fights. All the time. I’m talking fights so bad that we both would throw things at the walls. There at the end, I started spending nights on Josh or Sam’s couch, I’d completely leave for days on end until she’d swindle me into coming back home, all for it to happen again. Over and over. It was…really fucking horrible, Y/N,” you recount, feeling a lump growing in your throat.

“I uh, I tried to get her to move out multiple times, told her I was finished, I couldn’t do it anymore. Mentally, I was done months ago. Over it. Then the night before we left for Europe, we fought and cried until 4:00 in the morning, and our flight left at six. The only way I could get out the door was if I agreed to go on a “break”. Which I know now was a stupid fucking idea,” you go on.

“My idea of a break was no contact, cut off completely, do our own things while she found another place to live, then when I got home, we could discuss things like rational adults and get things figured out maturely, but. Ever since we’ve been here, she’s done nothing but try to involve herself in my life even more so than she did when I was home,” you bite your cheeks in as your eyes glaze over, feeling that same gut sensation that keeps haunting you at the worst times. That guilt creeping back up again and again.

“My intention was never to hurt you, or harm you in any way at all, Y/N. Please know that. I left Nashville thinking I was practically a free man, finally. Ready to relax and disconnect while we worked. And I never intended to find you. And I never intended to… fall for you…like I did,” you explain, looking up to her with cautious eyes. “You completely blindsided me. Made me feel emotions that I hadn’t felt in years, Y/N. I should have told you from the beginning. I know I should have. That is the one thing that I regret completely and totally. I should have been upfront with you about it all. But, I was scared of fucking it up, you know? Scared you knowing about her would push you away. And now… I guess it blew up in my face even more than I thought it would…backfired completely.” You shake your head as you exhale a deep breath, letting a silence fall between the two of you.

“I understand, Jake,” she finally whispers. “I really do…”

“Really? You do?”

“Mhmm. I get how hard that must have been. Especially since you had no idea it was even happening for so long,” she explains. You nod your head in agreement. “Feels fucking stupid now, I should have picked up on it.”

“But she still lives with you. Still thinks you’re hers…” she reiterates.

“Yes. Well, I guess? She still calls constantly, still texts me incessantly–”

“Was that who was calling the night we… ya know…”

You face reddens at the memory of that first night you hooked up, when you couldn’t even fucking perform for her. You nod. “Yeah. Well, her and my techs. It was a whole thing.”

“God…” she says, standing from the bed and shaking her hands out by her sides. She starts pacing the room and running her hands through her hair. “I feel so stupid…”

“You feel stupid?! Y/N, I am the idiot, here, not you…” you argue, standing from the bed as well. “I’m the one that fucked everything up and probably lost you completely.”

She stops and rolls her eyes at you, tears poking from the corners of them. “I should have… I should have asked you if you had someone, Jake. I should have gotten to know you better…” she starts to cry. “That’s like, girl rule #1.”

“Noooo no no, please don’t cry, Y/N…” you rush to her, gently placing your hands on the undersides of her elbows as she crosses them protectively across her chest.

She runs a hand under her eye as she wipes a falling tear away. She scoffs at herself.

“No, Y/N. That was my fault. We kinda just…happened, you know? Our lust got the best of us,” you laugh a little at the memory of sneaking her into the bathroom that night at the bar.

“My suspicions kinda drove me away, ya know? I knew something was up the night Sam came to your room, talking all that…” she says. “You hiding me in the fucking bathroom.”

“Yeah, yeah I figured as much. I should have told you right then and there, I’m so sorry,” you plead.

“I’m not gonna lie, Jake, my trust is…”

“Probably fucking shattered, isn’t it?” you ask, feeling a bottomless feeling in your chest. Like the whole situation has no happy ending, because how could it? Everything is fucked.

She shrugs, looking past you at nothing. “I don’t know.” She walks slowly and sits back on the bed. “And Mia and Lyla? They–”

“Lyla is Isla’s best friend, yes. So of course Mia is pulled into that, as well. And, of course they are praying on my downfall. They don’t know my side of the story,” you explain, suddenly realizing that at the same time, Y/N doesn’t know Isla’s side of this story. You hope that she takes your’s in stride.

“Great, great. Cool,” she complains. “Now they hate me, too.”

“No, I’m not gonna let that happen. I told Lyla to come and speak with me directly if she wanted the full, true story. We’ll get that sorted out, don’t worry,” you explain. “No one hates you.”

“You aren’t mad at me for… with Murph?” she asks.

Ah, fuck.

“Shit, I mean… I’m not mad, I don’t guess. I’m… I guess I’m blindsided with that, too,” you know you can’t explain how you feel, because you truly haven’t had time to even process it yet. “I pushed you away, I get that. Fuck, we hardly spoke for a week. Of course you wanted nothing to do with me. Then Isla goes and adds you on social media…? I mean. Fuck, I get it. Murph is… a cool guy…” you have trouble admitting it.

“It’s not that serious, Jake,” she says, almost a whimper. “He and I, we just… clicked.”

Her words almost cut you in half. You thought she clicked with you.

“I get that,” you choke, as much as you hate to say it, you have hardly any dog left in this fight. “Listen, the bottom line is, I know I fucked up. Royally. I wouldn’t blame you if you never want to speak to me again. I don’t blame you for running away from me. But… I swear to god, Y/N, I would fight for you to the end of my days… You gave me something that I haven’t had in so long, I hardly remembered how it felt to be happy. You gave me excitement, and energy, and… you showed me that even though my life was absolute shit, it didn’t have to be that way. You showed me happiness, Y/N. I can’t ask for more than that. And if you ever give me another chance, I know I’d spend all my time repaying you for just that little bit of happiness you gave me, because it was one of the best times of my entire life.” You let out another shaky, huffed breath, fighting back tears, yourself.

Her eyes begin to well again, and you even work the tiniest smile from her. She licks her lips, rubbing them together. “Might take me some time, Jake. I don’t–”

“I don’t expect you to forgive me overnight. I just don’t want you to hate me.”

She shakes her head. “Don’t hate you…”

She relaxes back against the fluffy pillows on her bed, her eyes obviously becoming heavy.

“Can we agree to start fresh? As friends? Forget about all the stupid shit?” you extend your hand out for her to shake, praying that if she could just give you this….

She takes it gently, clicking her tongue. “My intuition is telling me not to, but. I don’t see anything wrong with starting fresh… Honesty. From here on out.” She shakes it with a little firmness at the conclusion of her sentence.

“Good. Yes. Perfect, even. I promise,” you say with a little added sugar in your words. “Please just understand that my… relationship at home is anything but. She’s… so far gone from my mind I can’t even explain it to you. My number one priority is finding her somewhere else to live when we get home.”

She nods again. “That’s really none of my business, Jake.”

“Yes it is, Y/N. We’re friends now, remember?” you give her a sexy side smile, knowing that just having her in your life again would be enough, for now. “Thank you… for hearing me out.”

“Thank you for explaining. If only you’d have done that weeks ago…” she rolls her eyes playfully.

“I know, I know, shit,” you taunt, rising from the bed again. As she walks you to the door, you find yourself fighting off the urge to pull her in, still sobbing a little from earlier. You want to feel her touch again, feel her body against yours and kiss away the saltiness of her tears. But you can’t do that anymore.

When she opens the door and you approach the threshold, you turn back to her, letting your hand push a strand of fallen hair from her eye. “I still want you in my life, Y/N. You’re too good to let go, I don’t wanna let you go…You’ve still got me…” you say through a whisper, feeling boldness rising in your chest.

She smiles and leans her head into the touch of your hand, but she brushes it away quickly. “Go to bed, Jake.”

You give her one last knowing look, holding her stare for just a second too long, hoping that one last ditch effort to keep you on her mind would be enough to truly start things fresh.

Lord knows you’d do anything to get her back again.

—

HER POV

When morning comes it feels different. A weight has been lifted from your shoulders and the day doesn’t seem so daunting. You are glad that you and Jake finally talked things through, though you wish it would have happened weeks ago when you could have stopped all this from happening in the first place.

You quickly dress and pack your suitcase, knowing that van call is approaching quickly and that everyone will be assembling down in the lobby before you know it. You feel happy with your appearance as you make your way to the elevator, pushing the button and waiting as it climbs to your floor. As the doors spring open, you see none other than Murph waiting inside with his suitcase.

“Well good morning,” he smiles, motioning for you to join him inside.

“Good morning,” you answer, rolling your suitcase in behind you.

“Did you have a good evening?” he asks, adjusting his hat.

“It was alright,” you answer truthfully. “You excited to head to Manchester?”

“Think I’m more excited for Glasgow if I’m honest with you,” he smirks, pressing the button to close the doors.

“Can’t imagine why,” you wink, feeling the elevator start to move toward the lobby, singing the ‘Da da da da da’s’ of ‘Howlin’ For You’.

The doors spring open and you step out onto the cobblestone lobby floor, your suitcase bumping along behind you. As you turn the corner you see your group huddled up together talking quietly. They’re standing awkwardly, seeming more out of sorts than normal. It’s then you lay eyes on the auburn haired girl you studied in great detail just last night, as she stands hand in hand with Jake.

Isla.

In a tizzy of nerves, you turn to talk to Murph, only to find that he has walked away to meet with Dean and his own group. You’re alone and you have to face this. You swallow back your nerve and decide that you will walk over to the group with your head held high, ready to meet the girl Jake swore up and down he was done with.

As she stands beside him.

Holding his fucking hand.

“Y/N!” Paul shouts, grabbing your attention as he stands next to Ty. Everyone's heads turn to look at you, including Jake’s and you feel frozen in place. His face is solemn, with a hint of guilt hiding in his brown eyes.

You step up to the small circle of people, pretending that nothing is wrong, smiling and greeting everyone with a bright and bubbly smile. If you’re going to do anything, you’re going to make your first impression on Isla one that she won’t soon forget. Your eyes flick over to Ty who is silently telling you that you will definitely be talking later. Josh’s eyes meet yours next, sad and defeated as he stands next to her, showing his obvious feelings towards the situation you've found yourselves in.

Jake looks clearly burdened, like a lifeless shell standing there as his face is vacant of any loving emotion whatsoever. His movements are aimless, his posture slouched. And for a split second, you actually feel sorry for him.

Until you regain your clarity, opting to stay on the clueless side of this very obviously two-sided party.

The lying fucking son of a bitch.

“Oh hey, Y/N!” Lyla says cheerfully, “So glad we caught you, I just wanted to introduce you to someone. This is Isla, Jake’s girlfriend!”

Isla extends her hand to you, dropping Jake’s at his side. You can feel her laser sharp eyes digging through your skull, her glare almost enough to knock you over. Your eyes meet Jake’s, looking sad and withdrawn before you look back at Isla, and grasp her hand. “Hi, I’m Y/N. Nice to meet you.”

She shakes your hand weakly before dropping hers to her side, falling into Jake’s shoulder to stake her claim. His face goes stark white.

“I’m so glad to finally meet you,” she coos. “I have heard all about you.”

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