#the closest friends of mine live half an hour away >:// so fun but its okay we ball

[lavend3r-stardust]

It's literally so unfair that they live far away. like why tf can't we hang out every other weekend and do things we want instead of waiting for months 😭😭

[sour--disposition]

Lover of Mine

-

jj olatunji x fem!reader

-

a/n: i started listening to 5sos again after like 3 years (thanks amy xx) and lover of mine makes me sob, so here we go

(gif from the lovely @sdmngifs​)

“Hope and I pray - Darling, that you will stay - Butterfly lies - Chase them away”

Of course you knew who JJ was when you’d first met him; despite what your friends thought, you didn’t actually live under a rock. You’d had no choice but to get to know him when two of your closest friends had attracted the attention of Ethan and Harry on a night out and spent the rest of the evening in the club with them.

You watched from the other side of the table as your friends flirted shamelessly. Hair twirling around fingers, teeth gliding over glossed lips… it was shambolic. “Let’s go for a girls night, they said. It will be so fun, they said”, you deadpan.

“Oh so this is a girls night”, JJ exclaimed, bursting out into laughter. “That’s cold, man”, he chuckled. “Come on, drinks on me”, he winked, taking your hand and leading you to the bar to pick up the next round for the table.

You’d spent the night chatting with JJ, occasionally dipping in and out of conversation with his friends and their girlfriends. It wasn’t until you’d turned to tell your friends that the next round was on you that you realised they’d left.

“The girls with Behz and Bog?”, Simon asked you. JJ nodded for you, knowing you didn’t know their names. “They all left about a half hour ago I think”, he told you sympathetically.

“Charming”, you scoffed, starting to gather your things, ready to call it a night. JJ took your hand before you could stand, though, leaning in close to speak to you.

“Fancy a nightcap?”, he asked.

Your immediate reaction was to say no. This famous youtube star come rapper come boxer would probably only want one thing from you, and you weren’t after that. But, how could you judge him, you’d only known him 3 hours. So, against what might have been your better judgement, you found yourself nodding and agreeing.

“Bailey’s?”, he asked once you’d entered his apartment, leading you over to the kitchen. You nodded, following him and watching as he poured out the two drinks. JJ knocked your glasses together gently before taking a sip.

You’d gone home that night with a big smile on your face and a new number nestled into your contacts, under JJ’s name. You still had your reservations about JJ, you’d only known him a few hours, after all. But deep down, you hoped that whatever you had could grow into something beautiful.

-

Being with JJ was daunting. He had a massive, devoted fan base, a successful career not in one, but three different industries… And you were you. The niggling, self-sabotaging voice in your head always reminded you that JJ could do better, that no matter how good of a person he was, he would get bored of you. It took a lot to ignore the thoughts, the feelings that haunted you in the dark nights on your own.

JJ would remind you until he was blue in the face, if he had to, that he wouldn’t stay just to humour you. He’d often joke that he was too busy to waste his time on someone that he didn’t think was worth it in the long run, but by the way he held you in the dark nights that you shared, you knew that there was at least some truth to that.

“I'll never give you away - 'Cause I've already made - Already made that mistake” 

The honeymoon phase with JJ was a whirlwind. Fancy dinner dates sat across from JJ, tight white shirt pulled across his biceps; nights out with his friends, tucked under his arm so he could proudly show you off; dancing around the living room on JJ’s toes at all hours of the night.

And then JJ had music deadlines coming up, music videos to film, Sidemen videos to film… It wasn’t strange to not hear from JJ for days at a time. You tried not to worry, JJ had never given you reason to worry in the past. But there were only so many rain-checks you could take without starting to doubt your relationship. You felt guilty, how could you not. JJ was working, doing his job… You knew all of this when you entered a relationship with him.

Things were starting to look up, though. You were in an Uber on the way to JJ’s, meeting him there for your first evening out together in well over a month. You were dressed reasonably for the occasion, jeans, nice top and some heeled boots. You were excited for a few hours of JJ’s undivided attention, time for you and him to just catch up and be a normal couple again.

You knocked on the door of the apartment, surprised when Simon opened the door to you. “Y/N?”, he asked, confused.

“I’m meeting JJ here before we go out”, you told him. Simon’s face twisted into a look of guilt and remorse. “He isn’t here, is he?”, you asked, eyes dropping to the floor.

“Come wait inside, yeah? He’s probably stuck in traffic”, Simon offered, moving back to let you step into the apartment. You thanked him, following him in, pulling your shoes off before walking over to the sofa. “You good?”, Simon asked, not walking back down to his office until you’d given him a nod.

You sent JJ a text, letting him know that you were probably early, but you were at the apartment. You pulled your feet up onto the sofa, getting yourself comfortable. You let yourself get lost in a cocktail of Youtube, Twitter and TikTok. You didn’t realise how long you’d been sat there until the low battery notification popped up on your phone. Your eyes flicked to the clock on your screen. 10pm. You’d been sitting there for 4 hours.

You rolled your neck before standing up, grimacing at the pops and cracks of your stiff joints. You walk down to Simon’s office, knocking on the door. “I’m off home”, you told him, popping your head around the door. Simon turned to you, seeming shocked that you were still there.

“It’s late. Just stay, I’m not letting you go home through the middle of London on your own”, he told you. You hesitated before nodding, wishing Simon goodnight and taking yourself off to JJ’s room. You grabbed a t-shirt out of one of JJ’s drawers, heading to the bathroom to get changed and take your make-up off.

It wasn’t until you caught a glimpse of yourself in the mirror, fully made up and ready for your date, that you started to cry. You sat on the side of the bath, head hung in your hands, as you let out full bodied sobs. This is what you were worried about, this is what JJ told you wouldn’t happen. Cancelling and rescheduling dates was one thing, but completely ignoring you and standing you up… You were heartbroken. 

You scrubbed your make up off, throwing your hair into a bun on your head and changing into JJ’s shirt. You padded out to the kitchen, on a mission to make yourself a cup of tea. “You want a tea?”, Simon called when he heard you walking over.

“Please”, you said, voice small and watery. He smiled sympathetically at you. You must have made quite the sight, messy hair, tear tracks running down your face and an oversized t-shirt skirting around your thighs. You leant against the wall, staying out of the way as Simon moved around the kitchen. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?”, he asked you worriedly as he handed you your mug. 

“I will be. I just need some sleep, I think”, you told him, like your heart wasn’t tearing its way out of your chest as you spoke. You slumped off back to JJ’s room, crawling into bed and wrapping yourself in the duvet. You finished your tea, staring blankly at the wall opposite you, discarding the mug on the side table as soon as you were done.

 A fresh wave of tears started when you reached over to plug your phone in. You stayed at JJ’s that often that he’d bought you a charger so you didn’t have to worry about forgetting it. It seemed like something so trivial to cry over, but you couldn’t help it. That was the JJ you knew, JJ who bought you a phone charger so you had even less of an excuse not to stay over, JJ who bought your favourite brand of tea bags even though he knew you’d drink anything. Not this JJ, JJ who blew you off and stood you up.

 You hadn’t even bothered to shut the blinds, so you fell asleep staring out of the window, watching the lights of London’s skyline flicker and dance along the night sky.

-

You awoke to a sharp hiss and the other side of the bed dipping down. You looked over your shoulder, seeing JJ fumbling around in the dark. He looked over to you, face dropping with guilt. He opened his mouth to say something, but you simply turned over, tucking the duvet tighter under your chin.

 “I’m sorry”, JJ said behind you. “I know it’s not a good excuse, but time got away from me. We were writing and recording and next thing I know the producers started packing up, saying it was too late to do anything else”.

 He sounded genuinely apologetic and part of you wanted to roll over and let him take you into his arms and hold you until you forgave him. But a bigger part of you, an arguably pettier part of you, wanted him to suffer. You’d had to sit with no answer for hours, it was his turn now.

 JJ seemed to understand what your lack of answer meant. He quickly got changed and got ready for bed, sliding in next to you wordlessly. It took effort not to turn and wrap an arm or a leg around him like you usually would. “Night, Y/N”, JJ whispered into the dark of the room before shutting his eyes and willing himself to sleep.

 You awoke the next morning to JJ trying to bring a tray into the bedroom. You couldn’t help but giggle at the look of concentration cemented onto his face, tongue poking over his lip as his eyes stayed trained on the contents of the tray. “Good, you’re up”, he smiled once he’d rested the tray on the bed.

 “What’s this?”, you asked, shuffling yourself so you were sitting upright against the headboard.

 “An apology. I was a cunt last night. You don’t deserve that”, JJ started, perching himself next to you. “I fucked up. I’ve been fucking up. I’m so, so sorry”, he stressed, reaching over to take your hand in his. “I got tunnel vision with work. I shouldn’t have cancelled so much shit. Fuck”, he sighed.

 “Just promise you’ll try and make sure it doesn’t happen again?”, you asked, rubbing your thumb over the veins in JJ’s hand.

 “I promise. And if it does, just tell me. Tell me I’m being a cunt until I listen to you, okay?”, he said, smiling when you laughed and nodded. “Good”, he whispered, wrapping an arm around your shoulders to pull you in and press a kiss to your temple.

“When I take a look at my life - And all of my crimes - You're the only thing that I think I got I right”

 Your arm was looped with Talia’s as you walked into the club where JJ’s release party was being held. Banners decorated in album art were draped around the top of the club, lights of all different colours bouncing off of the pictures of JJ’s face. Talia led you over to the cordoned off VIP area of the club.

 “Restricted access”, the man said, voice low and gruff. 

 “We should be on the list. Talia and Y/N”, Talia told him politely. He checked his list against your IDs before lifting the rope and letting you through. “Drinks. C’mon”, she urged, pulling your arm and dragging you over to the bar.

 Once you’d both got a drink in hand, you walked over to find JJ. “Hello, Mister”, you smiled, reaching up to press a kiss to his cheek. “Congratulations”, you whispered. JJ just rolled his eyes lovingly before introducing you to Randolph and S-X. “It’s great to finally meet you both, JJ’s said great things”, you beamed, reaching out to shake both of their hands.

JJ excused himself to go and talk to some official people regarding the party and the album itself, leaving you with a soft press of a kiss to your forehead. “Love you”, he murmured quietly, before walking off into the swarm of people.

 You spoke to Randolph and S-X for a few minutes before excusing yourself to go and find Talia, Freya and the boys. “Y/N!”, Freya called when she saw you. “You look amazing!”, she gushed, reaching out to pull you into a hug. 

“So do you, Frey”, you told her, holding her tight. You’d only just sat down next to her when JJ came up beside you, resting his arm on your shoulder. 

“Are you wanting to sit down?”, you asked him, smiling up at him.

“Just wondered if you want another drink before I do, me and Simon are going for another round”, he told you. You nodded, squeezing his fingers quickly before he left. You jumped straight back into your conversation with Freya, Talia joining soon after, followed by Josh. 

At the bar, as they waited for the drinks to be prepared, Simon caught JJ staring at you. “You did good”, he told JJ, leaning in so the younger man could hear him over the music.

“She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me”, JJ said simply, turning to Simon. “This is great, YouTube is great… I love it all”, he started, “But I’d give it all up in an instant for her. She’s put up with so much shit for me to get this album out and to keep a consistent video schedule and stuff with the boxing and everything. She doesn’t complain, just tells me when I’m being a cunt and to sort my shit out”.

Simon looked at JJ, convinced he’d never seen his best friend as love as he was in that moment. “I’m happy for you, bro”, Simon told him honestly, slapping his chest supportively before turning around to grab one of the trays of drinks that had been left on the bar.

 -

 Back at the apartment, once your slinky dress was discarded on the bathroom floor and JJ’s Versace jacket had been hung haphazardly on the back of his chair, you waited for JJ to get out of the shower and join you in bed. You flicked through the photos that you’d taken or been sent of the night, landing on your favourite of you and JJ that Talia had sent you once you’d piled into the Uber.

You’d been forcing JJ to cycle through a whole album of poses, making sure you got at least one decent one from the night as you and JJ were renowned for taking the blurriest of pictures. Simon had made a quip about how JJ was whipped and JJ had sniped back. You’d burst out into laughter, head tilted back, as JJ stared at you lovingly. The picture captured it perfectly; JJ’s arm tucked around your waist, your hand hooked over his shoulder, the look in JJ’s eyes that you knew was reserved for only you…

 “Whaddya lookin at?”, JJ asked, jumping onto the bed next to you and yanking you into his arms. You showed him the photo over your shoulder. “It’s cute. Send me it”, he told you. Once JJ had removed himself from your back, you rolled over so you could face him. You watched as he received the picture and immediately went to set it as his lock screen. “What?”, he asked defensively when you fixed him with a soft look.

“It’s just cute”, you told him, leaning over to press a kiss to his lips. JJ’s hands came to your hips, guiding you over to sit on his lap. “I love you”, you whispered, resting your forehead against his. JJ nudged his head forward, dropping another kiss onto the corner of your mouth before looking up and meeting your eyes.

“I love you too, more than you’ll ever know”.

[simpsiren]

mark lee x reader

description. Over the years of being a close friend of Mark Lee, I realised that my platonic love for him slowly began to develop into a feeling far beyond the love of a friend; it’s just simply what happens when you love someone.

genre. FLUFF! JUST FLUFFY FLUFF! your classic best friends to lovers!au

word count. 2.8k~

warnings. nonee

a/n. hellooo! adding onto this series, i really wanted to do this song by day6 because its just so sweet and romantic cjdndndn

“It was a hard day wasn’t it?

It hurts my heart just looking at you

There’s not much I can do for you except being next to you, I’m sorry.”

I laid down on the couch in pure silence, the noise coming from the clock above me ticked ever so softly as the seconds passed that turned to minutes, that turned to hours as I waited for Mark to come home.

He offered me to stay at his place for the weekend. Well actually I invited myself over since I have always done that and he doesn’t mind. He’d always welcome me. I came here in the afternoon, his keys hidden under the welcome rug outside his apartment. I didn’t go out. I knew he was about to come home from work, but I got worried when I looked at the time on my lockscreen. “One in the morning? Where are you markie...” I couldn’t help but mumble under my breath.

Mark wasn’t one to get home late. Except for when he’s drunk. But he wouldn’t be out drinking if he wasn’t with me or his other friends. He would’ve texted me before he drank as well. it was out of the ordinary for him to not be home yet, which was why I stood up from the couch and frantically started pacing back and forth from one end of the living room to the other, thinking if I should go out and search for him.

“Fucking hell.” I gave up, refusing to stay put. I grabbed whatever belongings I could, which was only my wallet and shoved it into my sweatpants. Before I could reach my hand out for the doorknob, the door swung open, revealing Mark.

I looked at his figure. He’s extremely tired. His posture was terrible with his slouched body, his eyes looked like they were about to close at any second, his face was droopy and it felt like he could collapse if he doesn’t make a run for the bed.

“Mark! Where were you?!” I half-shouted, moving myself to the side to make way for Mark to come in. He dragged himself, feet sliding against the floor with each step. I closed the door for him. I watched as he made his way to the closest most comfortable spot, which was the couch.

He dropped himself onto it, his face planted against the pillow. He didn’t even bother moving his body to get comfortable. He just laid there. Sighing, I walked up to him, bending down on my knees and tapping his shoulder lightly. “Mark... Are you drunk?” I whispered, seeing his body moving up and down as he breathed.

Mark groaned, turning his body so that his back was against the couch. He grabbed a random pillow and hugged it tightly, his face digging into it. My heart softened at the act, but it also made it ache as I noticed just how tired he looked. I began to wonder what happened at work, or anything that happened for him to end up like this. He’s so worn out physically that it just somehow pained me to look at him.

I didn’t want to ask. I didn’t want to bother him for an explanation. Instead, I brought my hand up warily to his hair, threading my fingers through his black locks and patting his head as he slowly fell asleep. His eyes were closed, but I couldn’t tell if he was just closing his eyes or was he actually asleep. I assumed the latter.

I stared at him, when I hoped that he finally slept so that he wouldn’t think that I’m weird for watching him sleep. His figure made him look small and fragile, innocent and sweet, which he was. He was everything that’s bright and soft and loving. And that’s what I liked about him.

I decided to sleep next to him on the floor, my head resting on his arm. I felt bad. I didn’t know what to do. How to be there for him, how to help lift off some burden or the things that’s made him end up in such a state. I’d do anything to make his life lighter. Isn’t that what a best friend should do? Sadly, I could only be here for him. Just like this, next to him. Despite thinking that it wouldn’t even help, I’d still do it, since I just liked having his presence next to me.

“You’re so beautiful when you smile

So whenever I see you’ve lost your smile

I want to give it back to you

Whatever it takes.”

The next morning, I was the first to wake up. Just like last night, I stared at his sleeping figure. It calmed my heart seeing out peacefully at sleep he was. I smiled softly. Slowly but surely, I lifted a finger up, tracing his features in the air, the urge of wanting to touch his face was there, but I couldn’t. I didn’t want to wake him.

I stood up and went to make a simple breakfast. Toasted bread with butter. I made two in case Mark wakes up so I wouldn’t have to make him wait while I make another. I went back to the living room, sitting down on the floor again and turning on the tv to watch Netflix. I lowered the volume, considerate of the sleeping Mark behind me.

As I munched on the toast and watched the show will full concentration, I was immediately alerted when I felt something weighted on my left shoulder. I turned lightly, seeing Mark’s head resting. His eyes were still closed. Shocked, I couldn’t help but flinched, which sent Mark’s eyes flying open and making contact with mine. “What?” He whispered.

“Good morning to you.” I breathed out, trying not to freak out at the fact that Mark’s face was so close to him as I faced forward instantly to continue watching the show. “Sorry about last night. Coming home late I mean.” Mark said, his morning voice tone shining through. Another thing I liked about Mark. He used to call me first thing in the morning sometimes, I liked hearing his voice. But to have it this close to my ear, I really had to stop my urge of screaming and jumping out of my skin.

“You had me worried sick.” I said, my words muffled as I chewed on my food. Mark exhaled, his breathe warming up a part of my skin that sent a shock all over my body. “Last night was rough, physically and mentally.”

“Work?” I felt his head lifting off my shoulder as I heard him moving his body so that he’s sitting normally. I turned around, waiting for his answer. I noticed how his eyes got gloomy, a looked I didn’t see on him for a long time. It was only for a split second. It disappeared as quickly as it appeared. “That. And other things you don’t have to worry about.” Mark smiled softly, reaching forward to grab the other toast and taking a bite.

I finished mine, I rested my head on the palm of my hand as I leaned against the table. “Don’t lie.” I simply stated. I knew that he knew that I knew him well. I knew when he’s feeling down, when something’s out of place. He could never lie to me. He’s terrible at it. With a defeated sigh, he brought his hand with the toast down to his thigh.

“It’s just... Rose. I saw her cheating on me.” Mark muttered, looking down and fiddling with the hem on his white shirt. Now this, this thing, Mark in front of me, I felt a piece of my heart falling off. It broke me, seeing Mark without his smile, not hearing his laughter. It’s like the happy switch on him turned off and now he’s under the weather. I know he’d probably be standing in the rain pathetically if he could.

“I told you she wasn’t trustable.” I replied, not wanting to have that i-told-you-so tone to it. I didn’t like Rose. She’s always bossing Mark around, she’d force him to agree with her though I knew very well that Mark was uncomfortable. I didn’t like how Mark simply followed her, thinking it was love when really, it was abuse and manipulation.

“Thanks. I got your advice stabbed in my back now.” Mark ran a hand through his messy hair, strands falling back down to his face, some covering his eyes.

On instinct, I brought a hand up to sweep away the strands off his eyes, making him look up at him. I held his face in my hand, feeling his cold skin against my warmth. “Let’s go out. We can forget about her. We can go wherever you want. How’s that sound?” I put on a smile, one that I hope will cheer him up somehow. He responded, a light chuckle escaping his lips.

“You’re seriously the only one that can make my day.”

Thank you, but why wouldn’t you consider me any more than a friend? Is what I would reply, but I kept silent. Like I said and promised, I’d so anything for Mark Lee, whether he sees it as a gesture of a friend, or perhaps a potential lover. I don’t care what he thinks of me. I just want him to be happy, even if it meant sacrificing my unsaid feelings for him.

“I want to be hurt rather than letting you be hurt

I don’t want you to get hurt ever again.”

We came back home from running around the whole city. Going to parks, shopping malls for window shopping, did a photoshoot, and ended the way on the beach, walking at the shoreline as the sun sets. We got home at night, Mark stretched his arm over his head. “Today was so fun!” He shouted as he placed the take out that we got from the beach onto the kitchen counter. His giggles echoed as he made his way to the living room, which of course made me smile to myself like a dummy.

I chuckled, the day being recalled in my mind like scenes from a movie tape. It felt like any other day to be honest. But I guess it felt more special and serene since we didn’t experience such a day in a long time due to our separate lives interfering with our time together.

“I’m glad that you’re back to normal.” I said, unpacking the take out and throwing the plastic bags. I brought it to the living room where Mark sat down. I took the space next to him, not bothering to leave a gap between us.

Mark leaned forward to grab the coke can, opening it to take a sip and exhaling after. “I wouldn’t say she’s completely off my mind. But your plan definitely made me feel a whole lot better.” Mark suddenly laid his head on my shoulder, his soft hair brushing my skin. I shivered at the touch.

“All I can say is don’t let yourself fall in love with someone like her again. I don’t want you to end up like last night. I would take your spot if I could, so you wouldn’t suffer. But don’t be stupid.” I gave a firm advice. Like a child heeding his mother’s words, he nodded agreeably. “Got it, maam.”

“But who will ever treat me like you?”

“What do you mean?”

“They say I should find someone like my best friend. But no one does it like you do.”

I didn’t give a reply. His sentence resonated in my head. No one does it like me, Mark claimed. So why wouldn’t he even look at me as a woman?

“Loving someone

More than I can take

It’s so strange

When you love someone.”

Mark and I ended up falling asleep on the couch. I jolted awake suddenly. I searched for my phone which was hidden under a pillow, looking at the time and realising it was two in the morning. I looked over to Mark, who again was peacefully sleeping on my shoulder. All I could see was his fluffy hair. I sighed quietly as I examined him.

The more I look at him, the more I fell in love. I didn’t even have to see his face for the memories of us to come crashing at me like big waves against my heart. Though I never want to admit, and though I never thought that I even could feel this way, I whispered softly. “I think I’m in love with you, Mark Lee.”

“I want to be helpful even just a little bit

I want to be your resting place

If you think of me on a busy day

I’ll do my best to comfort you.”

The next morning, I woke up. Mark was gone. And I knew he went for work since I don’t work of Mondays like he does. I went along with my day, Mark’s laptop on my lap as I looked through my work emails and got some work done for the day.

Late afternoon, I got bored. Absentmindedly, my feet took me to Mark’s room. The first thing that caught my eye was his guitar. It leaned against the bed. I didn’t know why, but I had the sudden urge to take it to the living room. I walked up and grabbed it, forgetting the weight of it from not holding it for a long time now (though it wasn’t even that heavy).

I sat back down on the living room couch. I propped the guitar on my lap, one hand placed on the top part of the guitar while my other hovered over the strings. I forgot how to play to the guitar. Mark used to teach me. It was one of the few ways I got Mark to sit so close to me and to just have that bit his touch that I absolutely adored.

I pulled on one string, the sound ringing through my ears. I strummed on the guitar, not exactly caring about playing an actual song. My mind took me back to when Mark taught me how to play. It’s like I could feel his fingers on mine as he would scold, laugh and giggle with everything I do to the guitar. He would play me songs, he even sang. I could fall asleep every time I heard him play. His grey hoodie, thin glasses, messy black hair. The transparency of him; a feature I’ll always indulge myself with.

It was now seven. And at around seven thirty, the door opened. Mark walked in with his black suit and tie, his hair pushed back with hair gel though now it looked slightly messy. “How was work?” I asked, adverting my focus from the guitar and to him.

Mark plopped onto the couch next to me. “Brain deteriorating. Mentally and physically draining. Why did I even get this job?” Mark groaned and complained, running a hand down his face. I chuckled and punched his arm lightly. “You told me it’s because of the money.”

“Yeah well I’m starting to regret that I used to think money is everything.”

Mark snaked his around me, pulling me into his embrace. I was completely shocked and confused as to why he’s suddenly being so clingy. I liked it yes, but I never thought he’d grow attached to me in this manner. It made my heart race and my face heating up.

“Why are you-”

“Just... Let me hug you for awhile, please. You just make me feel at peace that’s all.” Mark whispered, digging his head into the crook of my neck as the two of us just sat there in silence, admiring each other’s presence.

“Mind playing something?” Mark asked. I chuckled lightly, giving a gentle smile. “I play like shit.”

“It’s fine.”

Comfortable silence filled the room for a moment. I wasn’t sure how to feel. I could already feel my cheeks burning and probably blushing a light pink. I gulped.

“Since when were you like this?” I questioned curiously. Mark looked up at me, his face looking as cute and indulging as ever. “Since I liked you?” He replied in a cheeky manner. My eyes widened. “Wait what-”

“Shush. I wanna sleep.” Mark pulled me closer to him. I looked down and saw that he’s closing his eyes with a light smile on his face. I couldn’t believe it. Mark likes me after all this time...? “Play me something to sleep.”

“Why?”

“I like you, _____.”

I didn’t reply, wanting that to be the last thing I heard from Mark before he changed his mind. Slowly, I strummed on the guitar, trying my hardest to make it sound decent. Mark giggled softly and gave up, his hands traced from my arms and to my hands, his head still on my shoulder with his eyes closed. He guided my fingers with each strum ever so carefully.

“I like you.”

[jisungsplatforms]

Sunflower

Pairing: Lee Felix x gn! reader

Genre: angst, fluff; Hanahaki au, college au, non idol au, (mutual) pining

Warnings: language, tiny tiny spoilers & allusions to some of my other fics if you squint hard enough. Some elements of Seungmin x reader (platonic), passing out in school, idk what else really, i guess getting caught making out by a doctor?

Note: this does NOT portray Stray Kids’ true personalities. This is all purely FICTIONAL

(Page III)

Sunflower:

“Tall, cheery flowers that symbolizes

adoration, loyalty and longevity

These charming beauties are know for being the “happiest” flowers in the world.”

Lee Felix.

If anyone could describe the guy, they’d say he’s sweet, bubbly, cute, fun, laid back. The type of guy who’d treat you like you’re royalty, but won’t hesitate to scold you if necessary. The guy you’d rely on when you need a shoulder to cry on. The guy who’d go through the ends of the earth to make you happy. The guy who could light up a building with just his smile.

But to you. You would describe him as:

The stunningly beautiful man who sits beside you in class every single day whom you’ve had a crush on for the past two years, whose presence always makes your day when you see him and would kill to be the reason of his insanely cute smiles and want nothing more than for him to be yours and vise versa.

Okay, yeah, a little lengthy, but you get the jist.

You sighed, turning to face the window a table away from you. Outside, you can already see the field of flowers nearby the classroom (courtesy of the environmentalist club at your school). Looking at the sea of colorful beauties always made you feel at peace inside, especially the tall sunflowers that had its own little field that you absolutely adored.

“Hey, Y/n?”

Speaking of sunflowers.

You turned your head to look straight into Felix’s glimmering doe eyes. You felt your heartbeat race when he gave you an adorably tiny grin.

“So, I’ve been meaning to ask, and your answer, by the way, will affect our friendship okay?” he trailed off, putting his phone down beside him. Your eyes widened at his choice of words. Is this it? This is it. OMG. THE Lee Felix is asking me out on a date! you thought giddily, already planning out your “date” in your head. “This is a question I’ve wanted to ask you for a while so,” Felix let out a little sigh, making your heart pound in anticipation, before continuing, “are you a pineapple pizza hater?”

...What?

Your shoulders were slumped in disappointment but was quickly replaced in confusion once you let your mind dwell on the question he asked you. “Huh? What? How does this affect our friendship?”

“Come on, just answer! I gotta know!”

You huffed out a small giggle, turning to face him even more. But before you could reply to his silliness, the bell rang.

“Oh! Wait, nevermind, looks like I gotta go now, Y,n,” he said as he packed his stuff into his bag. “I needa run home first then meet up with you and Seungmin later. I’ll see you then, yeah? Just answer my question later.”

“Uh...Yup! We’ll talk more later,” you said, starting to pack up your own things, “See you!”

“Bye bye!” Felix gave you a cute smile as he waved goodbye.

“I’m pathetic.”

You let out a despondent sigh, your body hunched over the coffee shop’s table while Seungmin quietly consoled you as he pitifully strokes your back.

“I mean, granted, you wouldn’t be so mopey if you, i don’t know, ask him out instead?” he said, not even looking up from his phone. You shot your head up to look at him in disbelief.

“And risk ruining my friendship with the greatest person who has ever lived? No thank you.”

Seungmin rolled his eyes and finally looked at you. “Don’t be so dramatic, you big baby. It won’t be the end of the world if you rejects your offer.”

You snarled at him. “Maybe not YOUR world, mine, however, would literally be decimated into little particles of dust, Seungmin dear.” You smacked your forehead back down to the table after your little personal dramatic monologue.

He shook his head in disapproval, clicking his tongue. “Sheesh. Drama queen,” he muttered to himself.

“I heard that, you jerk.”

“Good. ‘Cause it’s true. You need to suck it up and ask the ‘love of your life’ out on a date or so help me, I will drive you both to the middle of nowhere so you can sort out your feelings for each other.”

You moved your head again to face him with a pout. “And you say I’m the drama queen.” Seungmin only huffed in annoyance.

“Do something about it, or I will, Y/n. I’m serious!”

“Okay! Okay!” you said defeatedly. “I’ll get to it. Don’t worry.”

“You better,” he said, sternly, pointing his finger at you like how a mother would scold their child. His next sentence, though, you couldn’t quite catch. “I’m sick and tired of counseling you both like love sick puppies.”

You sigh for the umpteenth time today, slumping on your chair. The dainty bell handing on the entrance jingled, indicating a new customer. From your right, you could hear a cute but deep giggle. Then felt warm hands on each of your shoulders

“Aww, why’s my little cutie so pouty now?”

You did a literal double take hearing Felix call you ‘cute’, face heating up as you looked up at him. Seungmin gave you both the look before composing himself.

“What took you so long, Lix?” Seungmin questioned the blond. Felix pulled out a chair beside you to sit.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” he said, rubbing his nape, “Had to help mum out with something. It’s nothing bad though, don’t worry about it.”

“Hmm. If you say so,” you replied, “Let’s just work on some assignments, yeah?”

Several hours later, it was starting to get dark, so the three of you called it a night. You all gathered up your things as you talked.

“Oh, by the way, I might not be able to meet up with you guys tomorrow,” Seungmin announced. “Might be busy. Just to let you know.”

Felix was the first to reply. “Mhmm, that’s fine. We’ll just see you at school.”

“Yup.”

The three of you left the coffee shop, giving each other a quick ‘goodbye’. You and Felix walk in the same direction while Seungmin goes the opposite way. The two of you walked in silence for a while, enjoying each other’s company. You hummed a little tune amidst your walk home. You didn’t notice the adoring smile Felix was giving you.

“You have a beautiful voice,” he whispered. You glanced at him before turning your head down, feeling yourself get flustered.

“Thank you,” you responded, “you know, you have quite a beautiful voice too, Lix.”

Felix could feel the butterflies swarming in his stomach at your compliment. “No, no. It’s not the best, but thank you!”

You turned your head to face him again, a little shocked that he would doubt himself. “You serious? Dude, you have like this rich, deep ass voice when you talk but when you sing? It's like...”

Felix waited for you to find the right words to describe him.

“... I don’t really know how to describe it with just words but it's the best thing I’ve ever heard with my own ears! It’s like being blessed by god himself when I hear you. I could lose myself just listening to you sing.”

He was taken aback. Singing was something he was shy about, so hearing how much you love his own made his heart flutter. He smiled so widely, his eyes turned into little crescents.

“Thank you, Y/n,” Felix giggled. Hearing that, you felt yourself get embarrassed, realizing how you got a little carried away.

“You’re welcome.”

You didn’t even notice that you were already at your house. Dejectedly, you turned to bid Felix goodbye, even though you didn’t want to.

“Bye, Y/n! See you in our ‘date’ tomorrow!” he laughed half-jokingly. Only then did you realize that it was just going to be you and Felix tomorrow. You froze, a little panicked.

“Uh- yeah! See ya’!” you said hurriedly, making a beeline to the inside of your house. Once you made it to the door, you turned your body in a 60° angle to wave goodbye, to which he returned. You stumbled with your keys for a while before finally unlocking the door. You swear you could hear Felix chuckling at your blunder. You gave him an awkward smile before slamming the door shut.

You threw your bag onto the floor, sighing as you slid down the door. You held your forehead in embarrassment. “What is wrong with me?”

It was now after your last class for the day. You made your way to the coffee shop you, Seungmin, and Felixi usually go to do homework. You were beyond nervous. It was just going to be you and Felix, aka the love of your life, on a little table together for the next 3-4 hours.

Damn you, Seungmin, you cursed inwardly.

Speaking of Seungmin, you could see his figure two stores down from where you were supposed to meet up. You hurriedly jogged up to him to talk.

“Hey, Min! Kim Seungmin!”

He turned around at the sound of your voice.

“Hi, Y/n,” he greeted, “aren’t you supposed to be with Lix right now?”

“I’m on my way there now.” Looking at his hands, you noticed the small bouquet of Chrysanthemums in them. “Ooh...Who’s that for?” you asked like the nosy person you are.

Seungmin glanced down before looking at you a little awkwardly. “It’s, uhm, for my dead friend.”

You widen your eyes in shock. “Oh my gosh. I am so sorry!”

“No, no. It’s fine. You didn’t know. It’s okay, really!”

“I still feel bad though...”

“Hey. I told you, it’s okay. It’s no big deal.”

You hummed awkwardly, not knowing what to say other than apologizing. Somewhere in your mind, you really wanted to ask what happened to his friend, but decided not to in fear of offending him in any way. However, Seungmin seemed to read you. “Hey, Y/n, have you heard of the Hanahaki Disease?”

You looked in confusion. “Hantahapki? What’s that?”

“Hanahaki. It’s this disease you get from unrequited love that makes you cough a crap ton of flowers until you die.”

“Ohh man. That sounds terrible.”

“It is. That’s actually how my, uh, friend died.”

“Oh, Seungmin…”

Seeing your closest friend so upset made your heart ache. You stepped closer to him, being mindful of the bouquet, to give him a hug. Seungmin sighed in content, returning the hug. “Thanks. I need that,” he said quickly, burying his face to your shoulder.

“Of course, Min. You’re always there for me, let me return the favor, even if it’s just a hug.” You could feel Seungmin tightening his hold on you. He whispered a quiet “thank you” before letting go.

“Now go to your date with lover boy,” he said, smiling, “don’t keep him waiting. Nevermind me.”

You chuckled as well, waving goodbye. “Yeah, yeah. Bye, Seung!”

You walked a couple more steps til you arrived at your destination. Inside, you could already see Felix inside on his phone. You stepped inside, greeting the barista as you went in, walking to where Felix was. You dropped your bag in front of him, startling him a little.

“Hey,” you greeted with a smile.

“Hey,” He gave you a sweet smile.

You slid inside your side of the booth and got started on your work. For the first two hours, the two of you talked and talked. At one point, Felix mentioned the sunflowers that you both always see outside the window of your only shared class. Your eyes lit up.

“Oh my god. I LOVE them so much!” you gushed. “They’re so lovely and bright and tall too, like how the heck are they so tall? Honestly, how could you not love sunflowers!” Remembering a small little trivia about them, you beamed. “Did you know that sunflowers are known as the happiest flowers in the world? That’s why they’re the perfect gifts to give to friends!”

“Ohh really now?” Felix chuckled at your enthusiasm.

“Man, I have to thank my friend for convincing her club’s president to plant them! Seeing them everyday is, like, the one of the only reasons why I come to class everyday.”

He giggled at the dreamy look on your face. “I really like you, Y/n,” he said adoringly. “You should see how cute you look right now.”

Your heart swelled in delight. You were in such a shock, you didn’t know how to react. Your palms felt sweaty on your lap. However, your glee was shattered into a million pieces by his next sentence.

“I’m so glad to have you as a friend!” Felix adds.

A friend. What a terrible title it was.

Even though you were heartbroken to the core, you still didn’t show it on your face. Instead, you gave him the biggest, yet fakest, smile you could muster, ignoring the heaviness in your chest.

“I’m glad that we’re friends too, Felix,” you lied, voice nearly cracking at the word ‘friends’. Felix gave you a small smile before going back on his phone. In that moment, you really wished you didn’t see the familiar name that plagued his notifications. You could hear the keys on his phone clicking as he texted someone in the background, but that could be barely heard over the sound of your heart shattering.

If someone could hear your thoughts, they would say that you were being over dramatic, but you would beg to differ. Felix was the first guy you’ve ever had a crush on. Sure, you’ve found people attractive before, but no one has ever made your heart flutter the way this sweetheart of a man does. In the middle of your thoughts, Felix called out your name.

“Y/n? Hey, Y/n?”

“Hm, wha-?” you said, kind of in a daze.

“Sorry, I have to cut our session short. Something kinda came up.”

“Oh...Oh sorry. Uh, go ahead, I’ll just stay behind to work on a little more work.”

“You sure?” he looked at you worryingly. He tried reaching over to touch your hand, but you dodged it stealthily. Your hands swiftly went back to your laptop to type.

“Yeah. It’s okay. Go for it.”

His worried stare lingered a little longer than expected before he slowly packed his things. “Thanks,” he murmured. He slid out of his booth once he was finished, grabbing his phone on the table. “Bye, Y/n,” he said quietly with a strained smile, one you didn’t notice since you were trying your best to not look at him in fear of breaking down.

“Bye,” you said, flatly. You listened to his footsteps get quieter as he left the shop. Only when you heard the bell on the door jingle, indicating that he left, did you let out your emotions. You smacked your head onto the table and let your tears fall. Pathetic, so pathetic, you thought. You tried your best to cry silently, out of respect for the other customers in the shop and your dignity. It was a little embarrassing that you were crying in a public area, but you couldn’t bring yourself to be care about it.

The pressure in your chest was getting heavier and heavier. Thinking it was just a mere cough wanting to make its way out of your esophagus, you let yourself do so, angling your head away from the outside. The pressure, however, was heavier than you expected, so you continued hacking your lungs out. Forcing yourself to stop, you slowly lifted your head to drink your water to relieve your now sore throat. Through blurry eyes, you could see several yellow petals underneath you.

Are those...sunflower petals? you panicked, seeing how there weren’t any sunflowers, real or fake, in the coffee shop. Your eyes widened when you remembered your conversation with Seungmin a few hours ago.

Shit…

“What do you mean you got the Hanahaki Disease?!” Seungmin exclaimed. He stared with eyes so wide, you were afraid that they might pop out of his sockets. You almost wanted to laugh hearing him so surprised if the situation wasn’t so grim. You fiddled with your fingers, nervous to meet your other friend’s eyes. Taking a deep breath, you looked to see Seungmin’s horrified expression.

“I-I don’t know how! It just- I just started coughing out sunflower petals after he told me how happy he was that we are friends!”

Seungmin’s look of shock instantly changed into one of pity. “Oh...So he rejected you, huh?”

You nodded slowly, mumbling, “Yeah. Indirectly...” Seungmin hummed sadly, scooting closer to you to side hug you.

“I’m sorry, Y/n,” he murmured, rubbing your arm. You leaned your head onto his shoulder, pouting. “But, maybe you still have a chance? You did say indirectly so maybe he still doesn’t know that you like him and might change his answer.”

“Yeah, sure. As if the sunflower petals coming out of my mouth isn’t a clear indication of Felix not returning my feelings isn’t obvious enough.”

“Hey! Anything could happen!”

“I guess...I just...I don’t know. I can’t really think straight right now,” you groaned, moving your head from Seungmin’s shoulder to his lap. He leans back onto the couch, relaxing his back against his couch.

“I told you, Y/n. Anything could happen. It won’t hurt to try, right?” he said, patting your head.

“I guess,” you pouted, sighing as you closed your eyes to relax. “Love sucks, doesn’t it, Min?”

Seungmin laughed through his nose, a tiny grin playing on his lips. “I wouldn’t say it sucks, per say, but yeah. It’s hard, isn’t it?”

“Sometimes I wish that I can’t love anymore, you know? So I don’t have to go through the pain of heartbreak ever again,” you paused before continuing. “I’ve done a little research before you came but, it said that I can actually achieve that if I surgically remove the disease from me.”

The room stayed quiet for a while before you continued. “Maybe... I should do it.” Even through closed eyes, you could tell Seungmin was taken aback by your words. He stopped rubbing your head, his whole body stiff. “Min?” you whispered, opening your eyes to see the look of disappointment on his face.

“Don’t say that, Y/n. Ever,” he sighed as he sat up on the couch, urging you to sit up too. “I know you’re hurting. Trust me. I’ve been through it too. But this isn’t something you should decide on the whim.”

He grabbed your shoulders, a little tighter than anticipated. “Talk to Lix first before you make your final decision. Don’t make this one of the things that you’ll end up regretting.”

You look down, biting your lip to control the frown that was threatening to show. You knew, deep down, that he said this as your friend; as someone who wants the best for you, but your emotionally unstable mind warped it to say otherwise. You rolled your eyes, clicking your tongue. “What do you know? You’ve never been in love before.”

Seungmin’s eyes widened. He was upset that you’d say such a thing to him. Being the rational person he is, he knew that you just said that out of despair, but it still hurt him nonetheless. He let go of your shoulders, moving them to his lap instead. Looking up to see his sad face was the exact moment you realized you messed up.

“Min, I-”

He cut you off by standing up, brushing off your hand that was about to touch his arm. Silently, he walked out of the living room, grabbing his coat.

You felt a wave of panic within your body. “Hey, Seungmin! I’m sorry! I didn’t-”

“You didn’t mean it, I know, Y/n,” he replied coldly, his back still facing you. “I know you’re just upset right now, and I forgive you for that.”

Seungmin sighed, turning only his face to look at you. “But that doesn’t give you any right to be rude to me, to any one, actually. I just wanted you to think about it more. As someone who has experience.”

Your shoulders slumped, only realizing now the real reason why he was so hurt by you. “I’m...so sorry, Seungmin. I forgot. I- That was insensitive of me. I really didn’t…”

He finally turned his whole body around, the weak smile he was giving you fed your guilt even more. “I told you, I forgive you, Y/n.” Without another word, he opened your front door to let himself out. He tells you one last thing before shutting the door. “Just promise me that you’ll talk to him before you do anything stupid, okay?”

You slumped further into the couch in shame. You couldn't bring yourself to cry like you wanted to, the day being emotionally draining for you to handle. “I promise,” you whisper to yourself. You closed your eyes, opting to fall asleep on the couch for tonight.

You rubbed your hands together as you walked aimlessly on the streets. After locking yourself in your dark house the whole day, you went out into the busy, afternoon streets to treat yourself. You were feeling a bit cranky seeing how you haven’t eaten anything yet, but not knowing what you wanted to eat. You let yourself wander a little more until you remembered something Felix had mentioned to you yesterday.

“There’s a new café that opened just last week. We should go there together soon!”

You walk into the direction of the café, wanting a “preview” of the food there. Arriving there, you note the pastel colors painted the walls, instead of the boring browns and greys most cafés are. You peeked through the window, debating whether you should wait for the other two boys or not. Looking around, you note a familiar mop of blond strands hunched over another figure on the other side of the shop.

Your heart dropped when you recognized the yellow sweater he was wearing, the same sweater you bought him for his birthday last year. Your eyes weren’t deceiving you, it really was Felix and his “best friend” in there, shamelessly hugging each other. You wanted to run away, you thought that they were too intimate to be just friends at this point. However, Seungmin’s advice haunted you from running. Now, you were determined to ask them what their stance in their relationship is and to confess to Felix this instance.

If only it was that easy for you. You stopped once you saw Felix turn his head to kiss the top of their head. Tears filled your eyes. No longer did you need to ask, it was already obvious to you. They’re together.

You turned around and walked, borderline running, away from the café. Not feeling the need to eat anymore, you ran all the way home. Once in a while, you stopped to rid yourself of the damned petals invading your lungs. If only you paid attention enough to notice the red petals that surrounded the two.

You slumped yourself against your door, once you arrived home. Everything around you looked...blurry. You couldn’t focus anymore. The only thing you can see are the bright yellow sunflower petals scattered around your floor. You clicked your tongue, shaking and laughing at the irony. The flower that you once adored and cherished is now the bane of your existence. You hopelessly kicked the petals away from you, your anger bubbling even more when they flew back to you.

Groaning, you stood up to mope on your couch instead, face planting the moment your knees hit the arm of it. You let yourself wallow in despair for almost 10 mins before remembering about the tap that was still open on your laptop. Scrambling to get up, you nearly tripped yourself on your way to your room. You opened your laptop and clicked on the tab labeled ‘The Onesided Love Syndrome’. You reread the information on the website.

“The Hanahaki disease is a rare, deadly illness born from unrequited love. When contracted, first, the infected’s throat will begin to fill up with flowers. Then, they will proceed to cough up, or even emesis, the petals. Eventually, their lungs will fill up with the fully bloomed flowers and will suffocate, ultimately leading to their demise,” you read out loud, feeling yourself get anxious. “It can only be cured in two ways. Patient must surgically remove the flower from their lungs, which will result in the patient losing all (romantic) feelings of love altogether. Patient’s love must be returned romantically...otherwise it will result in...death.”

You stayed silent. You were contemplating if you should do the procedure. You didn’t want to die but you knew that there was no other option. Felix was a taken man, and you had to accept that. However, your mind keeps going back to Seungmin and his saddened face. You turned your head to look at your phone, the screen lighting up to reveal a picture of you, Seungmin, and Felix.

You were smiling wide with your teeth showing in the picture while Seungmin had a small, dorky smile on his face. Your eyes lingered in Felix’s face. He was smiling with his teeth as well. Only he looked cuter than you with his freckles decorating his delicate face. The ambiance of the picture felt so warm as opposed to the cold, lonely room you were in. You hunched yourself over your bed to cough out the petals.

You grimaced with teary eyes, hating how it felt like you were throwing up. You got up, purposely stepping on the sunflower petals, to get a cup of water. I’ll wait. I’ll wait to make the right decision.

You have successfully avoided Felix for the past week. It’s been 5 days since you’ve seen Felix and his lover in the café. 5 days since you’ve talked to Felix. Your chest hurt, yeah, every time you avoided him, but your chest would hurt even more if you actually did interact with him.

You walked past your next class, the class that you and Felix shared. You only had that class for 2 days of the week, so you didn’t feel bad skipping it. Not like I liked that class anyways. You were already 2 classes away when you heard your name being called.

“Y/n!”

You walked faster, your heart pounding when you recognized the voice. “Y/n! Hey!” Holding your bag closer to you, you started sprinting down the hall, getting weird looks from the people you passed. Seemed like Felix wasn’t going to let you out easy, he started chasing after you. You tried running faster when his voice started becoming louder.

Felix, being the surprisingly athletic man he is, easily caught up to you, firmly but gently gripping your shoulder. “Y/n! I’ve been wanting to talk to you!” he panted harshly. You were out of breath too, but tried your best to refrain yourself from gasping for air, in fear of triggering the disease. You stayed quiet, not making eye contact with him.

“So, what’s up, Y/n? Why have you been avoiding me?”

Shock ran throughout your body, not expecting him to cut to the chase so fast. You made a little glance at him to see the sad expression on his face. You quickly looked away before he could catch you.

“Are you okay? Did I do something wrong? What’s happening to you?”

You hate it. You hate how caring he is. You hate the worried look on his face. You hate the way he holds you so gently. And you especially hate the way your heart flutters at the way he’s basically telling you that he misses you. You mustered up the strength to look at him in the eyes. “Nothing,” you said coldly, surprising both Felix and yourself.

“Nothing, huh? Then what’s up with you avoiding me then?” Felix asked with a stern tone. He stared at you with a soft but sad look, making you feel guilty for hurting him like this.

You murmured, “I told you it’s nothing, Felix. Just- leave me alone.”

Felix was surprised by your loftiness. He, however, chose to ignore it. “Fine. Don’t tell me what’s wrong. But at least tell me what’s up with you and Seungmin!”

“What about me and Seungmin?”

“You’re avoiding him too! And he looks like he doesn’t wanna see you either. What’s wrong, Y/n? You know you can trust me, right?” Felix moved his hand from your shoulder to your cheek. He caressed with his thumb while he muttered, “I care about you.”

Your face grew warm from the sudden intimacy. His face was unnecessarily close to yours, his warm breath fanning against your lips. His eyes were filled with so much emotion, it made your head dizzy. You wanted to kick yourself for leaning into his touch. You were so caught up in the moment that you couldn't bring yourself to push him away when his face leaned closer to yours. Fortunately, or unfortunately, Felix’s phone rang. Using the opportunity, you immediately pushed him away, missing the flash of pain on his face.

Slowly, he answered. Hearing him say the name you last wanted to hear, you could feel the sunflower petals making their way up your throat. From the corner of your eyes, you could see Felix’s face grow panicked. He then started calling out their name with such urgency that it made you feel a little panicked as well. Felix hung up then turned to you with a scared face. Even if you were jealous and annoyed that your moment was interrupted, that was still someone who was dear to Felix’s heart; someone who needed Felix.

“Go,” you said gently, “They need you. You care about them too, right?”

Without another word, Felix nodded, turning to run out of the school as fast as he could. Your heart ached the smaller his figure became. No longer could you contain the petals from spewing out of your mouth. You covered your mouth and coughed harder than you expected. Unlike the past few days, this couch was stronger. This time, you felt like you couldn’t stop. You coughed and coughed, grabbing the attention of a few people.

You felt lightheaded. You had a feeling that you would pass out. Right as your vision turned blurred, you could feel someone place their hands on your back and chest. “Y/n?! Y/n! Hang in there!”

“Seung...min?”

“Y/n!”

You opened your eyes, feeling heavy. Your body ached, it was like you fell from the top of a 80 story building. Feeling something, or someone, holding your hand, you turned your head to see Seungmin resting half of his body on your bed.

Wait.

This isn't my bed? You slowly sat up and looked around. Seeing the white walls, suspended tv, and the heart monitor by your side, you confirmed that you were in the hospital. Looks like Seungmin took me here.

You felt Seungmin grip your hand tighter, stirring a bit before sitting up. His eyes met yours. “Hi,” he said quietly, squeezing your hand again.

“Hi,” you whispered back.

“You feeling okay?”

“Yeah but...I didn’t...You didn’t make me-”

Seungmin knew what you were trying to ask, like usual. “No. I didn’t. I wanted you to make the decision yourself.” You sighed in relief, falling back onto the comfort of the hospital bed. You stared up at the white ceiling as Seungmin stared at you.

“The doctor scanned you while you were unconscious,” he said.

“Yeah? What did he say?”

“He diagnosed you; said you had the disease for about a week now, which I told him that we already knew.”

You hummed, acknowledging that you were listening.

“Then he told me-“ Seungmin hesitated, trying to find the right words to use.

You sat up again, staring him down. “He told you, what?”

He sighed heavily. “I’m sorry but, you only have about a month left to live.”

“Wh-Wha? Huh?” you were scared. Only one month? “But I thought- I thought I’d have a little more time than that! One month only? How-?”

“It’s an unpredictable disease, Y/n. I know it’s only a short time left, but I still wanted you to talk to Lix first before you do it.”

You bit your lip to stop yourself from tearing up. “I kinda talked to him already- he’s kinda the reason why my petals went haywire. There’s nothing to talk about anymore, Min.”

“Yeah, but-”

“Besides. He needed to go to- you know. I didn’t wanna stop him from going, it sounded urgent.”

“Oh!” Seungmin gasped, “Luckily you said that! Felix is actually here.”

“...What?”

“Yup! Apparently they have the Hanahaki Disease too and their petals went haywire, like yours did. They just finished the surgery not that long ago!”

“Hanahaki…? But, how? I thought that they were together?”

“That’s why I keep telling you to talk to him,” he said, placing his free hand on your knee. “I’ll call him?”

You nodded your head, not trusting your voice. Seungmin let’s go and stands up. “I’ll be fast.” He jogged out of the room, leaving you alone with your confused heart.

About 10 minutes later, there was a knock. You looked up to see a tear-stained face Felix and a breathless Seungmin at the entrance. “I’ll leave you guys now,” Seungmin announced, patting Felix’s shoulder and muttering a good luck to both of you.

Felix cautiously walked inside, his eyes on the floor. He wordlessly sat on the chair Seungmin sat on. The two of you stayed quiet, not having the guts to look at each other.

“So, you too, huh?” Felix’s voice rang out. You turned to find him already staring at you. Different kinds of embarrassment flooded your mind.

“What? About me liking you too or about the Hanahaki thing?”

His face looked confused at the first thing you said. “Uh, both?” he said with uncertainty. “Wait. ‘Too’ as in, you knew I liked you, or-?”

“You like me...too?” Now you were confused as well. “Wait wait wait. Start over.”

“I meant, you had the Hanahaki disease too?”

“Yeah...Yeah I did. I mean, I still do. Seungmin didn’t want me to undergo the surgery just yet. He kept telling me that he didn’t want me to regret anything.”

Felix chuckled weakly. “Yup. That’s Seungmin, alright,” he sighed. “Looks like you guys are good now.”

“Yeah.” Another wave of silence took over the room.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he whispered again. You looked at the boy that was hunched over in his chair. His hands were stiffly laid on his lap, but it looked like he wanted to hold your hands instead. So you did. You grabbed his hands, cupping them into your own. His eyes widened.

“I was scared,” you confessed with determination. “I didn’t know if I was ready to get hurt. I didn’t want to get hurt. So, I just stayed quiet all this time.”

You looked into his eyes with the same amount of passion he had in his. “But then I saw you hanging out with that best friend of yours more often and- and I got jealous. I feel bad, you should be about to hang out with whoever you want, especially with them! I shouldn’t have been jealous but there's no helping it, I guess. God, I even thought that you two were freaking dating! I was- I...“

You sighed, getting overwhelmed. You took another deep breath before continuing. getting straight to the point, you said, loud and proud, “I love you, Felix.”

Felix’s face turned red. His mouth literally dropped open.

“I love you so, so much, Felix Lee. This all happened because I love you so much, and I was just being selfish because I didn’t want to lose you...I guess I just ended up hurting a lot of people, not just myself.”

He dwelled in your confession. Felix was ecstatic to hear this! He stayed silent, still in overjoyed shock, which you misread.

“If you don’t reciprocate, it’s fine. I just wanted to tell you before I do the surgery.”

All of a sudden, Felix shot out of his chair, making it tip over, and kissed you, which greatly surprised you. His small hands cupped your face with such care, you almost wanted to cry. You kissed him back, moving your hands over his. With that one kiss, you could feel all the weight on your shoulders, and in your chest, disappear. Felix was the first to pull away, leaning his forehead against yours.

“God, you don’t know how long I’ve wanted to do that.”

“Hm?” you mumbled breathlessly. “Why don’t you do it again? You know I’ve been waiting for this too.”

He pulls you in for another kiss, this one more intense than the last one. This kiss was more desperate, like you both were scared that this was a dream. Before anything could get heated, the sound of a knock and someone clearing out their throat interrupted you two.

“Sorry to interrupt you kids, but I have a patient to examine?” The two of you frantically moved away from each other, flustered. You both muttered quick sorry’s to the doctor. The doctor walked closer to you, holding some documents and a weird device that looked like a fetoscope in his hands.

“You’re L/n, Y/n, I presume?”

“Yes, sir,” you confirmed, still embarrassed from getting caught making out with Felix. The said boy rocked on his feet, his arms were comically stiff in front of him.

“Your friend, Kim, should’ve told you what I told him. Now that you’re awake, I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go through a procedure to remove the flower in your lungs. However, I’m guessing that that might not be necessary, anymore, hm?”

You and Felix grew hot. The both of you avoided eye contact with one another. The doctor only laughed at your awkwardness.

“It’s fine. No need to be embarrassed, youngins’,” he laughed, “This is way better than dying or living your life without love.”

You giggled stiffly, mustering the courage to look at Felix. “Yes, sir. You’re right,” you breathed out with a smile.

The Doctor hummed. “Well, judging by the little scene you’ve created, I think that you have already cured yourself from the disease,” he said, putting his documents down on the bedside table. “but just in case, please allow me to scan your chest to confirm.”

Hesitantly, you pulled down your shirt, revealing your chest. Felix, out of shyness, turned away from you with a red face. You had to resist the urge to laugh at his adorable-ness. The doctor gave you a lubricant to rub on your chest and held the device against it. He maneuvered it around your chest, observing the screen in his other hand.

“Well then, Y/n. Looks like you’re lucky! The petals have completely disappeared. You are now cured from Hanahaki!”

You smiled widely, looking at Felix, who returned your smile. The doctor excused himself out of the room, leaving you both alone.

“Congratulations, love. You now get to live a long life with your boyfriend!” Felix cheered. Your face burned at the title he had given himself.

“I love you,” you said happily.

“I love you too.” He steps closer to you to kiss you again when another knock interrupted you again. You laughed hearing the quiet “shit” that came out of Felix’s mouth. You both turned to see Seungmin standing there with a smug smile.

“I told you so,” he said proudly. You rolled your eyes at him.

“Yeah, yeah. I know. Thanks, Seungmin the wise,” you sarcastically said. The three of you laughed, happy that the bond between the three of you was now stronger than ever.

“Hey wait, you still haven’t answer my question, Y/n! Do you like pineapple pizza or not?”

(Case #XX2-

Name: Y/n L/n

Patient: Cured; discharged at XX,XX,XXX at XX:XX)

—————————————————————————

(back to Page I)

[quirkdotcom]

The Arrangement //

Shoto Todoroki x Fem! Reader

Part One: The Mall Incident

Part Two

Summary: Your father is a particularly strong pro hero, and owns his own agency, however, he seemingly has picked an opportunity for you to be the tie between his agency, and pro hero Endeavor's agency.

Authors Note:

One; I'm planning this to be a three part fic, my next update hopefully on Friday May 15th ! Let me know if you'd like to be on this specific taglist, or even a taglist for anything I post !

Two; I wanted to have a little fun in this, so I added in an OC of mine! I made the reader attend an unnamed school, where her friends wouldn't be main characters from MHA, and decided to throw in Maiko (my OC) anyways, I hope you enjoy !

"A student from UA? Is father okay? I thought he hated that school?" You had to stop yourself, had you really heard your mother right?

She sighed heavily, shaking her head slightly, "He does, however, your father is willing to look past the fact as long as everything goes according to plan" 

This time, it was your turn to sigh.

This 'plan' was one of you meeting some student, your parents meeting, and at the end of the day, agreeing to a marriage after graduation.

You knew that you really had no choice in the matter, which is why you had never put up a fight about it, but it didn't mean that you were particularly happy about it.

Quietly, you stood up, excusing yourself from the table and your mother, leaving the dainty tea cup where it sat.

"Well, since the meeting with this student will be this weekend, I'm going to go out and buy an outfit for it." You bowed your head slightly before turning and leaving the room.

Now out of sight of your mother, you stretched, stifling a yawn as you made your way to your room, grabbing your phone from your pocket, sending a quick message to your closest friend, asking if she'd accompany you to the mall.

The two of you attended a private academy focused on teaching it's students to not only strengthen their quirks, or accelerate their academics, but also in etiquette and manners. Everything was about being proper and elite.

It was the very same school that your father had transferred to after his time at UA.

You personally didn't quite like it there, at times some students tried to pick on you, or the teachers would reprimand you for even the slightest mistake.

But, just like the marriage arrangement, you had no choice in what school you attended, your father was hellbent on you following his steps, and staying the hell away from UA.

Regardless, you had eventually made some friends, and for the first few years, you scored in the top of your class.

"Oh, (Y/n) while you're out, would you mind picking up a few things for me?" Your mother's voice rang out from behind your door, breaking your train of thoughts.

"Just make me a list, and leave it on the counter!" 

It didn't take long for you to change out of your uniform and into something comfier, or for you to grab your messenger style purse, or to find the list from your mother. With your father gone, there were no distractions or unnecessary lectures.

What took the most time was getting to the mall. You could have driven, but it was nice out, the sky was clear of clouds, and there was a light breeze that flowed through the leaves in the trees.

So, you took to walking. Though, when you got to the mall, your best friend was standing with her arms crossed and a bored look on her face.

"(Y/N)! There you are! I've been waiting for hours!" She gave a dramatic sigh as you walked over.

"Calm down Maiko ! " you chuckled, she was almost always over dramatic, something that had drawn you to her in the first place.

She gave you a playful wink, and nodded her head to the doors, starting to walk inside, "Whatever, we both know that I can't calm down," she paused, giving small jazz hands, "I've got constant anxiety" 

"Ah, the curse of having a third eye quirk," You followed behind, then moved to the side of her. 

"Oh! What's the occasion for today's trip?" Maiko tucked a piece of light brown hair behind her ear, eyeing you as she waited for a response.

You hesitated, she still didn't know about the whole arranged marriage, and it had been about a month since you had found out.

"Oh...my family and I are meeting another family for some business thing, so I needed to get a new outfit in case they have a son or daughter our age, " You spouted off a lie, knowing that she'd fall for it, only because she trusted you.

"Ooooh another potential merger for your dad's hero agency?" 

You nodded, pausing as your stomach gave a quiet rumble. 

Despite the lunch you were having with your mother earlier, you didn't really eat. 

"Hey, let's get something to eat first," You point to the nearest food outlet.

Before you know it, Maiko and you are each tossing fries to the other, both failing to catch most in your mouth, but you are having a good time regardless.

Once out of fries, you and her are left with your milkshakes, hers chocolate, and your's strawberry. Something kind of impulsive as you haven't had one strawberry flavored in a few years.

"Hey, I think we could probably take these with us to go look for an outfit," Maiko picks hers up, already a third of it gone.

With a nod, you stand up, grabbing your shake and bag, waiting for Maiko before heading off to your favorite store.

"Hey what about this?" She held up a pleated, light blue skirt, it would stop just above your knees, and complimented you very well, "It even has real pockets!"

"And I could wear it with this shirt...and maybe the jean jacket we found earlier?" You smiled happily, holding up a plain white t-shirt, a small v neck cut, nothing too extreme but not too plain.

Your friend placed the skirt into your basket, and you followed suit with the shirt. All that was needed now, would be to grab the jean jacket from earlier.

However, as you turned, you ran into a...hard surface and along with you, came your half finished milkshake.

You stumbled back, eyes wide as you realized what had just happened.

"Oh my gosh, I am so-"

But the male cut you off, his voice monotone as he did, "Save it, just move out of the way, I need to clean my shirt," 

You quietly moved to the side, watching as the moody stranger walked away, leaving you and Maiko to recover.

He had red hair...well only half of his hair was red, and the other half was white, leaving you to wonder how much hair dye it had taken to get it to look so perfect. 

"Well...I wish I could've helped you see that coming...but uh..I got the jacket?" She smiled sheepishly, causing you to let out a nervous laugh, releasing the tension you didn't know you had.

"Okay, cmon lets go pay!" You turned, still reeling from the encounter with that guy..but hey, at least you wouldn't be seeing him again! 

So, with that thought in mind, Maiko and yourself brought your chosen outfit to the front counters, paid and left the store.

"Hey, are you doing anything tonight?" You turned to Maiko after some five minutes, a thought in the back of your mind, nagging at you since you had left the house to meet her. 

"I don't think so! Why, is your mom cooking tonight? Anything she makes is always better than your dads...or yours," she poked her tongue out at you.

"Wha?! Hey! Im not that bad of a cook!" You pouted and crossed your arms, turning away from her, "Well I did have something to tell you but now its not happening," 

She immediately moved in front of you, "Wait no! Your cooking is good! Just tell me the news!" 

"It'll have to wait for my house, it's kind of big news…"

And with that, the two of you set off for your house, Maiko calling her mom and letting her know where she'd be for the night. 

The walk was spent talking about anything and everything, and at one point Maiko tripping and you having to catch her, but hey, that's what friends are for. 

As you approached your house, you spotted your fathers car in the driveway, causing you to screw your face up in dread. 

Hopefully he didn't have a lecture for you, especially if Maiko was here. You had always hated how he seemed to pick on you whenever your friends were over.

And much to your dismay, when you walked inside he met you with a sour look, "(Y/n), where have you been? Don't forget about this weekend's meeting, not to mention the exams coming up," 

You bit back a response about how the exams were two months away, and instead just nodded your head, busying yourself with slipping your shoes off, "I was buying a new outfit for our meeting. I told mother before I left."

He paused, now eyeing you and Maiko, "And came home with...Fujino was it?" 

She nodded, even though she practically lived at your house for a week at a time due to the amount of sleep overs you had, your father had barely bothered to remember her name. 

"Im sorry for not telling you ahead of time, Sir." She bowed her head slightly, only really apologizing because she knew that if she didn't, it would come down on you. 

"Make your way to (Y/n)'s room, I still need to have a few words with her," he commanded, waiting for her to go up the stairs before he continued.

"And (Y/n), do not forget how important this marriage arrangement is. The Todoroki family is powerful, Endeavor is rising in his ranks as a hero, and his son will follow suit. You have to make sure that you are seen as exemplary, no mistakes can be made. Do you understand?" 

You paused, heart hanging heavy, "Yes father…" 

Once he let you go, you made your way to the top of the stairs, seeing that Maiko was waiting for you, a worried look in her eyes, "So...a marriage proposal?" 

"Welcome to the news I had for you…" 

You two moved into your room, the bag of clothes dropped onto the floor, and you climbed onto your bed, grabbing an orange bunny plush, hugging it to your chest.

"Okay so I wanted to tell you about the arrangement but...I dunno, its hard. I'm having my choice taken away from me and for what? So my father and this other hero to have a more powerful agency?" 

"(Y/n)...im so sorry that you've been going through this alone. I'm here for you, whatever you need!" She moved to a swinging chair you had, sitting in it carefully as she thought for a moment, "So, you've never met this guy or his family?" 

"At most I know his family name. But Im too busy focusing on school work to pay attention to how his father is "So high up the ranks" or whatever. Its like my father thinks that this 'Endeavor' guy is the number two pro hero or something…" You puffed out a breath of air, pursing your lips as you thought quietly. 

Maiko stared at you for a few minutes, blinking a few times as she tried to break the news to you. 

"Uhh..Endeavor...as in Enji Todoroki?" 

You looked up, nodding quietly at her puzzled look. 

"(Y/n) he is the number two hero...or wait..if All Might retired a few years back... then number one actually!" She hummed as she herself started to think but eventually shook her head, eyes widening. 

Maiko quickly pulled out her phone, typing hurriedly into it and gasping, "(Y/n) wait! His son goes to UA! His son is reportedly one of the Big Three of his class!" She stopped, scrolling, "uh oh…" 

At this, you scrambled from your spot to her, pulling the phone from her hand to look at what the cause of this 'uh oh' was. 

It was a picture.  A picture of Endeavour's son. He had red and white hair, and a glare so deadly it probably would kill someone on sight. 

But what got you more was the fact that this was the guy from the mall earlier.  You had totally spilled a strawberry shake all over the number one hero's son, and the guy who you would be marrying after graduation. 

"This is...this is fucked. Im so screwed! Not only did I embarrass myself but now I've probably made it seem like im a clumsy girl who likes to shop all the time and now this...Todoroki guy is going to tell his father about me and then it'll ruin the arrangement and my father will kill me." You spouted off more worries until Maiko grabbed your shoulders, shaking you lightly.

"Hey! We aren't planning your funeral yet! Maybe we can meet up with him before you have to meet with his dad! I think I know one of the students at UA!" 

You looked to her, your breathing returning to normal as you nodded along, maybe that could work after all.

"Okay so, we ask whoever you know to get his number and text him about how it was me who spilled the drink and I wanted to apologize...and that Im also the girl he's meeting this weekend!" 

Maiko punched her fist into the palm of her hand, "Okay, lets set this plan into action! I'll text Kirishima!" 

You eyed her, realizing that you had never questioned how she knew anyone at UA, "While you do that, mind explaining to me about whoever this Kirishima is?" 

She only smiled for a moment, putting her phone down after sending him a message about Todoroki, "Oh! He and I work in the same coffee shop! Not everyone is super rich you know, but he's pretty nice guy, kinda cute too. But, you know how my mom is. Im surprised that she let me be friends with you, I swear, she's scared of anyone!" 

You gave a 'Mhhm' to her, knowing full and well that this was the coworker who she tended to talk about but never named, knowing that you'd probably show up to her work to try and get more information.  But hey, you'd leave it at that for now. 

"Well...I guess that now we wait for Kirishima to hopefully send us Todoroki's number?' 

"Now we wait! And with our good luck, by Wednesday we can smoothen out what happened at the mall…" 

You nodded once, as much as this plan seemed rickety, you were willing to take the chance. While you hated the idea of a marriage to whoever this young hero may be, you know that if you messed it up, your father would never let you live it down. 

[tackyink]

Last and longest, 1600 words. Manga spoilers.

———————————————————-

The lack of footsteps at night is disconcerting.

Jujutsu High isn’t that different from her former residence, in the sense of being nested in a forest and built in a traditional style. Sleeping on a bed instead of a futon took some time to get used to, but it was fine. The sounds coming from outside are just what she’s used to — the odd night bird, the crickets and cicadas taking turns to compose a strident symphony that, she learned a few years prior, does bother many city people — and would effortlessly lull her to sleep was it not for the lack of percussion from inside.

The Tatsumi manor is a hub of activity day and night, a natural consequence of being an extense family with servants. It is the latter who mainly move at night, while the family members are asleep, either finishing their work for the day or getting an early start for the next. Shiho didn’t pay them any mind when she moved to that residence, but as she grew up she learned to distinguish the regular footsteps of the staff from the occasional interruptions in their routine. Once a pattern broke, it meant that something was happening in the house, and if that was the case, it was best to stay still and listen until the storm blew over. Chiaki, on occasion, hid in Shiho’s room at night, and Shiho played along if Chiaki was questioned about it. Their story was that Shiho had nightmares and was scared of sleeping alone, and since Chiaki’s job was to be at her beck and call day and night, they didn’t think anything of it.

Shiho’s used to waking up at once when a floorboard creaks too close to her room, but having no noise at all? It is unnatural, and the empty space where all the noise should be doesn’t feel any better than the constant, familiar state of vigilance.

If she’s lucky, she’s so tired that the lights turn off the moment her head hits the pillow. But excluding the days when she’s sent to get field experience, the moments of absolute exhaustion are less and less frequent the more her physical condition strengthens and she doesn’t have to exert herself so much to complete her daily tasks.

It’s the end of the second semester and she’s staring at the ceiling of her room for the second night in a row. Suguru expressed concern that morning when he saw her sleepy face, which was very sweet of him, but then the others poked fun at how gross she looked and nobody paid her any mind anymore. She isn’t looking forward to running on three hours of sleep again, but she hopes that at least that means that she’s going to sleep like a rock the next day. It often works like that.

She’s lost count of how many times she’s turned in her bed when something hits the deck outside and she jumps out of her skin because she didn’t hear anything approaching.

She waits, ear trained outside, when the same thing happens. Confused, and perhaps the slightest bit scared, she leaves her bed to check through the curtains. It takes her a while to notice the two small pebbles sitting on the deck. Long enough, in fact, that another one collides with it before she can open the glass door and look at the direction from which it came.

Four empty rooms down the row, Gojo Satoru is lying on the floor with half his body inside his room and half on the deck, undoubtedly the sniper Shiho was looking for, and she replies to his hostile advances with the universal arm gesture for what are you doing? 

“Can’t sleep,” he says.

She blinks very slowly. She’s probably grimacing, but people shouldn’t be required to be self-aware in the wee hours of the night. Morning? So she thinks what the hell, backs into her room to get a jacket, and she walks the length of the deck towards him.

It is so tempting to step on his face that she gives in.

“You’re so mean.” He’s grinning when she removes the foot from his face because, evidently, she hasn’t been able to touch him.

“Couldn’t resist,” she says, or at least tries to when a huge yawn makes its way out at the same time. He chuckles. “Trying to wake up people while they sleep is mean too.”

“You weren’t sleeping, though.”

Her eyes narrow. “Are you spying on me?”

“Not intentionally. All the rooms between yours and mine are empty. I see your cursed energy.”

“You could look at Suguru’s.” Who is adjacent to him on the other side.

He pouts. “But he’s asleep.”

This time he moves to push her away when her feet starts to descend on his face again.

Satisfied with that, Shiho sits cross legged next to him. “Why are you here?”

“The Six Eyes make it hard to sleep.”

Oh. That made a lot of sense. “That’s shitty.”

He laughs good naturedly, but there’s a tired edge to it. “What’s your deal?”

“Not enough noise.”

“...Seriously?”

“Yeah. I guess I’m not used to it yet.”

“I didn’t take the Tatsumi manor for a lively place. Every time I’ve met the head of your family he looked like was trying to dislodge a pole from his ass and failing.”

Her mouth twists at the memory of the man. “He’s not trying, I assure you.”

“Not fond of him?”

He takes her lack of response as a valid answer, though it isn’t as though she didn’t want to talk. She just didn’t know how to word what she needed to say.

“Not fond of him.”

She settles on what she thinks is a good enough response to an audience who will appreciate it. “He and his sons can choke.”

It’s the closest he’s seen Satoru to wearing a scandalized look. Not quite there, though, but he was not expecting that comment from her.

“They’re awful. Very… traditional, in the worst possible sense.”

“Hmm. So I’ve heard.”

She wonders how much, but she doesn’t ask.

“Sometimes I stargaze when I can’t sleep,” he suddenly says, and she welcomes the distraction.

Looking up, she understands what he was doing on the floor. “Oh.”

The idle thought that it makes sense, since his eyes look a lot like a lighter version of the starry sky above the school lingers for a bit in her mind before she realizes what she’s thinking and frowns. When has she developed a flair for the artistic?

“The eaves get in the way, though. Wanna go up?”

“Up where?”

He points at the roof. “Duh.” He gets up and smiles in that way of his that says he’s going to get his way and he knows it, and extends a hand towards Shiho. “Are you coming or not?”

Shiho regards the hand as a contract she should meticulously read before signing. Logically speaking, he is the fastest way to the roof, and she is unwilling to climb, so it’s either his hand or resuming her contemplation of the ceiling. Of course, accepting the offer also means a measure of trust that she’s not sure she should give to anyone grinning that way, much less this guy. “Fine.”

She’s taking his hand at the same time she gives her reply, and the word is barely out of her mouth when she’s suddenly standing barefooted on inclined singles.

After a brief second of panic in which she grasps his hand painfully tight, she regains her balance and says, “You’re a menace.” She hears him laugh and suspects he takes it as a compliment. Maybe he should.

They do their best not to slip as they sit down, but their shuffling around must have been louder than they thought, or maybe their neighbor is a light sleeper, because no sooner than they’ve made themselves comfortable, there’s a sound of sliding doors below and Suguru walks out of his room. Uncannily coordinated, they stay very still and quiet and watch their classmate inspect his surroundings to locate the source of the noises, but the moment he looks up at them Shiho’s face is split by a sincere smile and she waves at him. 

He’s confused, and frowning, but mostly confused. “What are you doing?”

“We can’t sleep! Come with us?” she asks, hopeful.

“Yeah, what are you waiting for?”

For a second before Satoru opened his big mouth it looked like he was going to say yes, but instead he retorts, “Are you stupid? We have class in the morning!”

Shiho gets it, because Satoru’s face always makes everyone want to say no. It’s hilarious and annoying, depending on what side of the conversation you’re on.

“Bring snacks!” he says at his friend, and Shiho lets out an unladylike snort that makes her cover her mouth.

Suguru looks so affronted by the assumption that he’s going to join them in their nonsense that they’re convinced that he’s gone back inside to sleep, but he surprises them when he reappears right away and throws a bag of crackers at Satoru that does hit him smack dab in the middle of the face, and Shiho’s still vicariously celebrating that little victory when he steps on the roof with the help of a curse and sits between the two of them.

“Someone needs to keep an eye on you,” he says to Satoru with a smile of his own, taking back his bag of crackers and opening it.

Shiho doesn’t get her three hours of sleep, but she thinks the tradeoff’s been worth it.

[heliosphoenix]

State of the Planet: 2020 Edition.

I know what you're thinking.

"How can you even think of doing one of these for this year? After everything that happened? You can't possibly be trying to do your little feel-good writeup!" 

Well...you're right. I can't. That's right, State of the Planet is cancelled.

I don't really have to explain why, do I? I have no words to describe this year and I know you don't want to hear them anyway. I understand your anger, your frustration, your sadness, everything you're feeling, I get it.

This wasn't the year you imagined and almost certainly not the one you wanted. Thanks for being there the entire way, and I'll see you next year.

Okay, I'm just kidding. I couldn't do that to you folks, I just wanted to get some more mileage out of a dead meme.

I first started this missive several years ago when I noticed that people were developing a tendency to condense the previous lap around the ol Sun into a series of terrible, horrible, no good very bad events at the expense of anything good that may have happened. I don't know why this was done, maybe as a ways to ensure that the coming year would have to be better by default.

Well...we all saw how that worked out for this year, didn't we?

As you all know I prefer to do things differently. I prefer to go out on a high note and remember all the good things that happened in the past year. If nothing else, I think it helps remind us that as much as we want to bemoan and be pessimistic about the state of our culture, society, civilization and even species, there's plenty of evidence to suggest we're not doing so bad after all.

And even thought it feels like this past year the world went out of its way to teach us some rather harsh lessons, I'm still determined to find something good that happened. So let's take a look back at some of the good things that happened in 2020:

A circumbinary planet was discovered at the TOI 1338 system.

Luxembourg became the first country to make it's public transportation free.

The Bhadla Solar Park became the largest solar park in the world.

The BepiColumbo space probe departed for Venus, en route to an arrival at Mercury in 2025.

A fast radio burst was detected from a Magnetar in the Milky Way, the first time such an event has been detected in the Galaxy.

A team of British and Kenyan scientists discovered a microbe that can block mosquitos from transmitting malaria.

A black hole was discovered in the QV Telescopii system, at 1120 light years away it is the closest known black hole to Earth.

A 425 million year old fossil of a millipede was discovered in Scotland, one of the oldest fossils ever found.

SpaceX launched their Dragon 2 spacecraft on its first crewed missions, the first astronauts to launch from US soil since 2011.

The Perseverance rover was launched to Mars and is expected to touch down in February.

The Barakah nuclear power plant in the UAE became the first operational nuclear power plant in the Arab states.

Wild polio was eradicated from the continent of Africa.

Skeletons of 31 prehistoric animals, including 200 mammoths, were found at a construction site in Mexico City, it was the largest finding of mammoth bones ever.

The 5.37 mile La Linea highway tunnel was opened in Colombia, it's the largest road tunnel in South America.

Kosovo, Serbia, Sudan and Bahrain all decided to normalize their relations with Israel.

Phosphine, a strong predictor of microbiological life, was discovered in the atmosphere of Venus.

Preserved remains of a cave bear were discovered in Siberia.

A 1634 edition of Shakespeare's final play, The Two Noble Kingsman, was discovered at the Royal Scots College's library in Spain.

The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft landed on the asteroid Bennu and collected samples for return to Earth in 2023.

The Falkland Islands were declared free of land mines.

Molecular water was detected near Clavius crater on the Moon. 

An AI algorithm called AlphaFold was able to figure out the process of Protein Folding. 

The UN commission on Narcotic Drugs removed cannabis from its list of dangerous drugs.

The EU committed themselves to reducing greenhouse emissions by 55% over the next decade.

A Great Conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn occurred, the closest one seen in the night sky since 1226.

Comet NEOWISE passed by the Earth and was the brightest comet in the night sky since Hale-Bopp in 1997.

Among Us became one of the most popular games in the world.

Half Life: Alyx was released, the first Half Life game in 13 years (FINALLY).

Joe Biden was elected as the 46th President of the United States.

Remember all that? Good. Because that's where I'm at.

You, dear reader, are in the future. Perhaps you're reading this in the final hours of 2020, or the first hours of 2021. Or maybe so much time has passed that both those years are now confined to the history books.

Perhaps everything I listed above is not enough to overcome all the bad things that happened this year, and that's a fair assessment. Maybe at the end of the day there's nothing that can overshadow the fact that someone in China who ate the wrong bat resulted in the entire world coming to a stop. If that's your feeling, then I understand completely.

But let the record show that those things did happen. In a year full of chaos and uncertainty and anxiety and dread, there were still moments where we could objectively punch our fists in the air and say "yes!" Even if only for a moment.

So now comes the part where I have to take all the things that we just went through and sum it up in a single word. Usually I don't think about this until the day of, but this time I've actually known for months what I was going to say:

The word is...Goodbye.

It sounds both strange and appropriate at the same time, doesn't it? As we close out this year, as well as this decade (reminder that 2021 is the real start of the next decade) we can look back and realize we've had many experiences. Both positive and negative. Hopefully they were mostly positive, even during this year.

But there is at least one experience we've all shared together, especially in times like these: saying goodbye.

I will confess to you all that I have a hard time saying goodbye. Hell, I don't even like the word. Whenever I end a conversation, I always use some variant of "see you later", since, to me at least, "goodbye" just sounds so final. Though with that said, I will also admit there's some people in this world that I had no problem saying goodbye to, and I don't mean "till we meet again", I mean "get lost." And I'd be lying if I said there weren't some people who felt the same about me, but I digress.

In the last episode of his show, Red Green delivered a monologue about saying goodbye. A monologue that I am now shamelessly ripping off for your reading pleasure. Not just because it's a way to get this done quickly, but because I think what he said is very true.

Red says that when it comes to your good friends and your family, you never really have to say goodbye. Why? Because they're always in your mind. And whenever you think about them, you're together again. I can tell you from experience that works rather well, even when it involves people that I don't want to think about. But even in that instance, where our last interaction was a negative one, I can't help but think back to all the good times we had together, and for a moment I reminisce. It's nice when it happens.

We've all heard the phrase "nothing lasts forever" and we tend to dismiss it as a cliché. But we're still constantly confronted with that reality, even if we never realize it. As Al Pacino said in Any Given Sunday; "When you get old in life, things get taken from you. That's a part of life."  

We've all lost things in our lives, and I just don't mean toys that have been sold or people that we love who are no longer on this mortal coil. I'm referring to the moments in our lives where we're forced to accept that our circumstances have permanently changed, and that the way things were can no longer be the way things are. This is why you shouldn't be having kids when you're in your 70's, and no one over the age of 50 should be naked in public.

On a more personal note, this year I got that feeling once again. It's not just because I'm most likely leaving one job behind for another job, but there were things in my personal life that shifted so dramatically that I knew things could never be the same again. And seeing as how, for the most part, I liked how things were, I'd be lying if I said that this change didn't cause me some distress.

But that's all a part of growing up, isn't it? As much as I may cringe about reaching 30 years of life on this Earth, I accept it all the same. Because, if nothing else, it's a reminder that I need to keep moving forward. Is it sad that the good ol days are now just memories and dreams? You're damn right it is. But that doesn't have to be a bad thing, because even if they're not what's happening now, they still did happen. And who knows? Perhaps the days to come will be just as good, if not better. In my opinion, that's something to look forward to.

And the same is true for all of us: if we want to live a happy fulfilling life, we have to keep moving forward. We can reminisce about all the fun we've had in days gone by, but it's just as important to be ready for the days yet to come.

I think that's why New Year's is such a poignant holiday for all of us. It's a tacit acknowledgement that we have to say goodbye to the old, so we can say hello to the new.

And at the risk of making this entry so long that by the time you're finished it will be 2022, I'd like to do that now.

To all the people that have been with me since my early days, thanks so much for all that you've done. I appreciate you sticking it out with me this far and I hope you'll continue to do so for many years to come.

To all the people that I've met recently and have decided to join me on this ride, welcome aboard. We're glad you could make it and we hope you'll stay a while as well.

And finally, to all the people that are no longer here, whether they've merely left my social circle or left this mortal coil altogether, all I can say is that we've had a great run. Whatever our reasons for parting are irrelevant now and I wish you nothing but good fortune in whatever it is you decide to do. Perhaps, God willing, our paths will cross again some day. But even if they don't, I hope that every so often we'll think about each other and smile a bit.

And now I'd like to close with something different. Usually I ask you to comment below with something good that happened to you this year. You're more than welcome to do that. But if you're looking for a change of pace, may I suggest that you close out your 2020 (or open your 2021) by listening to this song from the great Ashleigh Ball and Michelle Creber (yes I know many of you are hoping to leave the Miniature Equines in the past, but I'm hoping you'll permit them one last indulgence).

https://youtu.be/XjkPH6sZM_o 

This is the song that inspired me to write this missive (along with the aforementioned Red Green) and as you're listening, I want you to think about all of those you said goodbye to this past decade. Think about all the fond memories you had together and give yourself a smile as the clock strikes midnight. Even if they're not with us today, we still have all the memories of them that no one can take from us, no matter what happens to the world.

And now the time has come for me to end this missive. Let the record show that this was my final word on 2020 as well as my expressed hope for charity, kindness and goodwill to flourish throughout the world in the years to come.

So, good night unto you all.

Give me your hands, if we be friends

.And 2021 shall restore amends.

[noahhernandez]

2/9/2015 v. 8/11/2020

1:Talk about the first time you watched your favorite movie. My favorite movie is Scream, and it started when I saw the midnight premier of Scream 4 with my dad back when I was in 8th grade, then Scream 1 came on AMC late on night and I just really like it

I still think Scream is one of my favorites, but Halloween has jumped up there just because I am obsessed with all things horror really lol. I started to love Halloween because of the new trilogy.

2:Talk about your first kiss. It’s really not that interesting but really like embarrassing. It was with my first boyfriend and I had just turned 15 and we were at the school just walking around and we went into the band hall and I was like ok im leaving and he was like wait and we kissed and i was like o

the same ! 

3:Talk about the person you’ve had the most intense romantic feelings for. I never really have had intense feelings for anyone. I d k

One my exes- I mean we were dating for awhile so that’s pretty intense to me. 

4:Talk about the thing you regret most so far. I regret… Nothing really I mean, I have done really bad things in my life, but i don’t regret them

I regret failing like 2 semesters of college lmao and almost dropping out. If i didn’t then I would 1- would have been done earlier and 2- would have already completed a year of grad school but IDK also another is wasting lots of money in 2017-2018

5:Talk about the best birthday you’ve had. The best birthday I’ve had was.. Idk This year was was nice I saw Iggy Azalea in concert, then I celebrated my friends’ birthday then mine and it was just everyone got to get together so ya this year my 18th

For my 21st birthday I went to Portland, Oregon and spent the weekend there and it was pretty and my first time there so it was nice despite what I think about PDX now. I don’t even know what I was doing for my 19 and 20th birthday lol. 

6:Talk about the worst birthday you’ve had. My 17th birthday because I was stuck 2 hours away from home with a bunch of nerds doing a band competition 

That is still probably my worst birthday. I forget to mention that I was gone literally from like 7am to midnight. They werent a bunch of loser nerds, they were my friends, but I still wish I was just at home lol. 

7:Talk about your biggest insecurity. I am skinny, but not fit. If I eat anything I get this like stomach and it makes me so sad. and ever since I got a job I work odd hours and I eat a lot of fast food and I’ve gained 10 pounds in 2 years and I guess i’m insecure about my weight

I am still insecure about my weight, and I probably weight like 5 pounds more than I did when I made this post 5 1/2 years ago. 

8:Talk about the thing you are most proud of. We have band banquets for band, and I only went my sophomore and junior year, and seniors give out awards to underclassmen that are just jokes really, and both years 4 different seniors gave me an award for being the biggest gossip in the entire band and I was proud of that lol

Well since then I have graduated both high school and college. I am proud that I finished college !! A BS in Psych. Proud of myself that I got promoted (in 2017) at my job; i’m proud of myself that I have my own apartment, and blah blah basically just doing regular adult shit. 

9:Talk about little things on your body that you like the most. I like my nose because of how perfectly fixed it is. I also really like my freckles/moles/dark marks idk what they are exactly, but they’re on my face and they look great

I still feel the same way about this, maybe add my eyebrows- they’re not like clean and nice they’re just expression markers on my face that i love.

10:Talk about the biggest fight you’ve ever had. I got into a fight with my old friend Angelica and that was almost 4 months ago and we used to be best friends and now we never talk.

When Janett didn’t talk to me all summer of 2019 because I told our other friend Angel something

11:Talk about the best dream you’ve ever had. I cant remember one 12:Talk about the worst dream you’ve ever had. I can’t remember one

13:Talk about the first time you had sex/how you imagine your first time. The closest thing i’ve had to like sex was being locked in a back of an SUV with a stranger drunk as fuck and naked and its embarrassing

Just awkward and nothing to which I expected. 

14:Talk about a vacation. When I was 16, the high school band took a trip to Hawaii, and all my friends were in band so it was great. We did a lot of things, we toured Pearl Harbor and even played a few patriotic songs on the USS Miss. and our hotel was on Wakiki beach. I went snorkeling in some beautiful water and shit and idk just walked all around Hawaii having a great time omg we got on stage at the Hard Rock Cafe and sang with German people i miss it

Hm that was fun. But I.. went to NY with my ex and that was pretty cool because I literally love New York, and I went to NOLA two years ago (today actually) and got miserably drunk so that was fun too 

15:Talk about the time you were most content in life. Probably just in the middle of junior year when everything and everyone was going with the flow

I feel like 2016 was a very content year because I remember nothing about it. 

16:Talk about the best party you’ve ever been to. Idk which one to talk about the one where I had a lot of fun and risked my life or the one where there was a lot of drama stirred up and drank myself to sadness. 

I haven’t really been to a party? I have gone out and had good times. Really anytime my friends and I go out I am having a good time 

17:Talk about someone you want to be friends with. I am already friends with people I want to be friends with

18:Talk about something that happened in elementary school. I kissed a boy on the back of the head and i told I just fell onto his head

Let me think of another one. Back in like fourth grade my friend was in a wheel chair and his backpack was falling from the back and I was trying to grab it and i was only 3 feet tall i couldnt see over or wasnt paying attention and i crashed him right into the bookshelves at the library. 

19:Talk about something that happened in middle school. A girl was mad at me because idk why lol and she pushed me in the hall way and I fucking flew across that hall on the floor and hit the wall she’s pregnant now

When I was in 5th grade (which is considered middle school in my district) I was standing on the play ground and someone threw a stick at my head and it knocked me the fuck out and I was bleeding from my temple.

20:Talk about something that happened in high school. In Jr. Year I was pulling into the parking lot but I was texting and I accidentally put half my car on grass area near the side walk luckily it was 7am and only one person saw me do it lol

One summer going into our senior year we had a party at Michelle’s house. First of all we were very drunk and Coby’s parents were like we are coming over and we cleaned TF UP so fast and sat on the couch and turned on I Know What You Did Last Summer and his parents were like interesting and and left and then we continued to drink anyways- we started playing truth or dare and my friend Angelica was like I dare u to kiss Anthony (someone I had liked prior) and he wouldnt and we started attacking him and calling him homophobic and hitting him with pillows lmao- him and I are still friend-ish

21:Talk about a time you had to turn someone down. I can’t think of something right now.

Literally anyone on grindr.

22:Talk about your worst fear. I’m afraid of having no career and being stuck doing something I hate and living paycheck to paycheck

Yeah, I’m scared of that still but I.. think just like being broke and jobless. RN with the pandemic we aren’t really working and still getting gov’t assistance, so.  IDK being a real real adult scares me a lot. 

23:Talk about a time someone turned you down. I can’t think of a time :)

One time in like 2016 maybe idk - this dude told me to come over and he lived far like not that far maybe 25 minutes lol far for me anyways I got to his apartment and there was a gate code and i asked him what it was and he didnt answer and it was like 2-3am and nobody was coming in or out and so i was like damn this sucks lmao

24:Talk about something someone told you that meant a lot. Nothing really has meant a lot to me. Everyone tells me the same thing over and over again and its so surface level

I still can’t think of anything but I’m sure the friends I have met since this and my friends Faith, Michelle, Peter, and Alisa have said something supportive that meant a lot to me. 

25:Talk about an ex-best friend. Angelica Ramirez. She was my best friend for only 3 years, but together we went through A LOT of shit. We started out senior year just fine, but she lied about a few things and made a lot of us feel like crap in October. I won’t lie, I do miss her. We have too many memories to just forget, too many funny stories and great adventures. She helped me with too much, and sometimes I think about how I cut her out of my life and I mad a bad choice. But only time can heal things and I have moved on and truly found people that won’t make me mad every 30 seconds. 

Brianna Pajak, I don’t remember anything about her except she was poor and we stopped being friends because she always wanted to fight and be annoying. 

26:Talk about things you do when you’re sick. Lay on bed on my computer and watch TV

I normally just suffer and cry about wishing I was healthy again.

27:Talk about your favorite part of someone else’s body. Their…!!>>>??? 

I must have nice hands and ur nose must be nice too! so nose and hands. lol

28:Talk about your fetishes. none

yeah I don’t have any lol not that I can think of. 

29:Talk about what turns you on. Idk i really like kissing and touching and this is awkward. 

30:Talk about what turns you off. bad breath by

that and ugly/rough hands, acne sorry i know it is natural but, shorter than me lol, white people, long hair on guys, and thats about it i think hm i am single yes 

31:Talk about what you think death is like. I think its like idk its scary tho

um idk i dont like thinking about death because i literally want to cry when i think about it. 

32:Talk about a place you remember from your childhood. I remember being in trees a lot

My step grandma’s a lot because my parents were working and she would watch us. She passed away about a month ago :( 

33:Talk about what you do when you are sad. I usually only tell one person and that person is Alisa and I cry sometimes to her and expect her to make things better and she does thank u

I be doing the same thing, I text someone and that person could really be anyone but it happened the other day and I texted Bri and she was very helpful. 

34:Talk about the worst physical pain you’ve endured. I have no idea, I’ve never broken pulled strained twisted fractures or anything i have no life

I still haven’t done any of that stuff to my body. I also have burn scars but I did not feel those when it was happening. I would just say i guess my wisdom teeth coming in because I did not get them removed. I have 3 out lol.

35:Talk about things you wish you could stop doing. Pushing potential love interests away 

I have had some ‘love interests’ since this post, but it’s been about a year now since and I kind of push away the opportunity of getting close to someone. I also need to stop being a bitch sometimes. 

36:Talk about your guilty pleasures. eating 

I would say idk eating was a stupid answer. 

37:Talk about someone you thought you were in love with. never

I was in love and i didn’t ‘think’ I was in love. I don’t know what you mean by talk about them, they were my partner but we broke up hehe.

38:Talk about songs that remind you of certain people. Fireflies by Owl City reminds me of my 7th grade crush Fancy by Iggy Azalea reminds me of my two friends Michelle and Alisa idk anything else

um Idk. i rly cant think  39:Talk about things you wish you’d known earlier. I wish I would have known that

That it’s okay to tell people you’re struggling lol . That is okay to fail sometimes (school).  40:Talk about the end of something in your life. everything is just about to start

When I ended how to get away with murder I wish I never did I love that show with all my heart. 

[sloanerisette]

Jyoumi Challenge Day #15: Celebration

I originally had another idea, but at the last minute, I thought of this and I’m super happy with it! Got to finally write more with the rest of the DigiDestined, too, and I had a lot of fun. Hope y’all enjoy!

---

With tear-stained eyes and shaking hands, Mimi slowly started to type out a message to the group chat she had with the original DigiDestined.

“He finally popped the question,” she repeated to herself slowly, before attaching a picture that had just been taken moments earlier. One of Mimi in even greater tears than she was now, holding up her right hand for the camera to show off her new engagement ring, with Joe sitting next to her, arm around her shoulders, resting his head next to hers. Both were wearing huge smiles, and Joe had been tearing up, too, eyes red and puffy from wiping them.

“And send,” she said to herself quietly, sending the message and the picture to their friends, before moving into Joe’s lap, hugging him tight. “I can’t believe it. I still can’t believe it. I had no idea…” she breathed out, unable to take her eyes off her right ring finger and the diamond that now adorned it.

“I mean, that was the whole idea, right?” Joe asked with a soft laugh, wrapping his arms around her and letting his head rest on the top of hers. Mimi giggled, looking up at him, and Joe wiped away a few stray tears of hers with his thumb.

“I know, but its still just so incredible. I had no clue when you were planning to propose and… I am just so happy,” she told him.

“Me, too. I’m happy you said yes,” he said sheepishly. Mimi looked up at him, a smirk clear on her face.

“We’ve been dating for more than half of our lives, I’d hope you were happy,” she teased him, playfully bumping her shoulder into him with a giggle.

“I mean, you make me happy, you know that,” he assured her with a soft nod.

“You make me happy, too.”

Silence washed over their apartment, the two enjoying having nothing more but just each other’s presence in those moments. Peace and quiet, and after an eventful night, quiet moments as fiances was all the celebration they needed.

However, that quiet was interrupted after a few minutes by the sudden buzzing of their phones pulled them from their reveries, and Mimi started to scramble off of Joe to get to their coffee table, unable to suppress the elation she was feeling as she started to see text notification after text notification pop up.

He did it?

Congrats!

The lovebirds finally did it!

Congratulations you two!

The ring is so beautiful!

You two look so happy!

The messages were pouring in, and neither of them could hold back the smiles on their faces, and Mimi was quick to let her thumbs fly along her phone’s keyboard.

Thanks everyone! We’re SO happy! The best night of my life :)

She sent the text off, Joe looking over her shoulder to see, then grabbed his own phone.

Mine too.

And Joe’s too!

The newly engaged couple looked at each other from the corners of their eyes, smiling at each other just as much with their eyes as their mouths. Another text alert, however, caused both of them to look back to their phones.

How about we all get together tomorrow night after we’re all off? Gotta celebrate the lovebirds finally getting off their butts!

“Does that sound good to you?” Joe asked Mimi, who nodded enthusiastically.

“Of course!” she chirped, quickly sending off confirmations and details of when to come over, just about vibrating with excitement now as she popped up from the floor.

“We have to get the apartment ready!”

By the time they were both able to make it home that next day, they didn’t have much time to get everything tidied up and set up as much as they wanted. Thankfully, the two already preferred their living space to be neat, but given this would be the first time in a long while that everyone would be coming over.

“You reached out to Yolei about seeing her, Davis, Cody, and Ken later this week?”

“Yup! Friday works?”

“Yeah, I’ll just have to meet you all at the ramen shop,” he told her, Mimi nodding, about to wipe their dining table once again before a loud knock rang out against their door.

“Oh! They’re here!” she shouted out happily, pulling the tie out of her hair and shaking her head to let her hair fall. She grabbed Joe’s wrist (her fiance’s wrist, she thought to herself, with a smile that felt like it would never go away) and brought him along to the door, flinging it open and seeing the whole group there.

Immediately they were greeted by a bright camera flash, causing Joe to blink a few times to gather himself.

“Congratulations!” the group of six cheered, the newly engaged couple wasting no time in letting their closest friends in, the group all gathering in their living room. Sora was quick to place a vase with a beautiful flower arrangement on the coffee table, with Matt placing a chocolate cake down moments later.

“You guys! You didn’t have to do this! But oh these flowers are so beautiful! And Matt, that cake looks divine!” Mimi gushed, eyes wide and sparkling.

“Thanks so much, guys. Really, you didn’t have to go all out,” Joe said.

TK shook his head, “Come on, its not everyday two of your best friends get engaged! Celebration is in order! Hell, we would be awful friends if we didn’t go all out for you two,” he assured the oldest of the group, gently pushing his shoulder, offering him a smile. Joe laughed and nodded.

“Ok, ok, if you say so. Mimi and I will cut the cake and then we can celebrate,” he said, standing up. Before Mimi could stand up or he could move, Tai was already on his feet, placing a hand on Joe’s shoulder to lower him back down.

“Hey, the man and woman of the hour aren’t gonna cut their own cake, I’ll handle it,” he insisted, waltzing over to the kitchen once he picked up the dessert.

“Don’t cut your finger off!” Kari shouted teasingly.

“I’ll have you know the last time I cut my finger while doing anything with food was years ago,” he waved her off, before pausing for a beat, “And even if I did, we have Joe here!”

Luckily, Tai didn’t hurt himself, and soon enough he and his younger sister were handing out slices to the group, everyone sitting around, relaxing like the old days.

“You know, Joe, when I first met you, I would’ve never expected you’d be the first one out of all of us to get married!” Tai said, to which Joe’s eyes narrowed.

“Thanks, Tai,” he deadpanned, before Tai realized what he had said, his eyes going wide as he waved his hands in front of him.

“No no no, not like that! I just mean when I first met you I wouldn’t have expected it! But getting to know you in the Digital World, it makes sense that you would! Just look at you, you’re a great guy, always there for people, one of the best guys any of us know, I bet,” he explained, the group nodding in agreement.

“And hot to boot!” Mimi added, sitting up straighter in order to give Joe a kiss on the cheek, relishing in how bright red he was now.

“He’s right, man,” Matt said offering Joe a thumbs up, “You two are perfect for each other.”

All of their friends had said this to the two of them over the years, but with the situation they were in now, now engaged, it felt even more unreal to the two of them.

“You’re all so sweet!” Mimi cooed, setting her plate down for a moment to get a closer look at the flowers, “Sora— you just have to do our flowers for the wedding! They’re so beautiful! I just love them!”

Sora flushed, “For you two? Of course, I’d be more than happy to,” she assured the couple, “And if you need any help with wedding planning, I’d be more than happy to help,” she nodded.

“I’m sure Mimi has a binder full of every idea she’s had since we were kids,” Izzy said, the group laughing for a moment before falling silent, eyes turning to Mimi.

“Yup, I definitely have.”

More laughter followed, and conversation continued to flow throughout the group throughout the night, with stories being told of old trips to the Digital World and plenty of teasing the Mimi and Joe— which Joe took in far greater stride than anyone would’ve expected.

The night wore on, calm and serenity filling the atmosphere.

“Congrats again, guys,” Kari said, reaching over to pull Mimi into a hug, Mimi squeezing her back.

“Oh, thank you so much. You’re all the best for doing this,” she said before the two pulled apart, Kari giving Joe a quick hug, too.

“Matt, where’d you get the cake? It was delicious,” Joe asked.

“Oh, this little bakery a few blocks from here. But I would definitely recommend getting a wedding cake from there because it was pretty good,” Matt grinned.

“Be careful, though, because Matt will probably try and eat it all before the reception,” TK laughed, earning a flick to the back of his head from his older brother.

“Hey, I wouldn’t complain if you got another cake like that,” Sora added.

“And, hey, we gotta get a bachelor party planned! I think its up to us, Izzy!” Tai said, clapping his friend on the shoulders, Izzy nearly jumping from where he was sitting. “I’m thinking lots of drinking and lots of karaoke!”

Joe paled, looking towards Mimi, mouthing the word “Help”, which left her cracking up.

TK caught on, and couldn’t help but snicker, “I think that’s a good plan. Make it the wildest night he may not be able to remember.”

“You guys are going to kill him before he even gets married,” Izzy said, voice wholly serious.

“Maybe a few girls to come along with us?” Matt added.

“You guys, at this rate you actually will kill him before his wedding day!” Sora lectured, yanking Tai and Matt up by their shirts, “It is getting pretty late, too. We should let them relax for the night.”

“Oh, don’t worry Sora, Joe will survive, he always has,” Mimi said, patting her fiance on the arm lightly, a big smile on her face.

“Hey, no worries, we’ll get out of your hair. You two can have a night doing whatever cute things engaged people do,” Tai said, as the group of six headed towards the door, Joe and Mimi following.

“Thanks again for everything, guys. Not just tonight, but you know, always. We’ll make sure to keep you all up to date on all of the plans,” Joe said.

“We’ll see you guys later. Congrats again,” Matt said.

And with goodbyes said and their friends off, Joe and Mimi started to gather up the mess in the living room, both humming to themselves happily.

“I know its kind of late… but can we have a celebratory glass of wine before bed? Please?” Mimi asked, looking towards Joe and batting her eyelashes, knowing full well how weak that would make him.

With a happy sigh, he nodded, “Ok, but just one.”

With a squeal, Mimi ran to the fridge, ready to finish off the great celebration that was the night she and Joe Kido got engaged.

[cali-holland]

The Friend Zone- Shawn Mendes One Shot

Pairing: Shawn Mendes X Reader

Prompt: Despite being actual best friends, you can’t help but feel jealous when Shawn accidentally friend zones you.

Word Count: 2900

Masterlist    Shawn Mendes Masterlist

*Gif is not mine*

~~~

“Y/N, you made it!” Taylor Swift flashed her classic, red-lipped smile at you as she greeted you in the exclusive bar. Music was blasting and the room was flooded with celebrities of all different fields.

“I wouldn’t miss this for the world. Happy birthday!” You said, giving her a quick hug. About a year ago, you had just been breaking out as an artist when Taylor invited you onto her stage for her 1989 world tour. As a surprise guest, you really weren’t on there that long, but you were still astonished by her performance and the energy of the stadium, even as the seventeen year old that you were.

“I’m so happy you came. I really did miss you.” She replied, despite the two of you only really seeing each other a handful of times in person, “So refreshments are at the bar and there’s a photo booth in that corner.” She pointed to the far side of the room where lights were flashing from a camera.

“Sweet, thanks.” You smiled as she walked off to greet more guests. Feeling extremely young and out-of-place amongst the stars, you went straight to get yourself a drink, trying your best to stay close to the walls.

“Wait, you’re Y/N Y/L/N, right?” You heard a voice ask from beside you. You turned to face the tall stranger.

“Yes, and you’re Shawn Mendes.” You laughed.

“You came on the 1989 tour for a show, didn’t you?” He said with a smile, fidgeting slightly with the cup in his hand.

“Yeah, I did. I didn’t get to see you though.”

“We’re meeting now, so I guess it’s fine.” Shawn joked.

“It’s nice to finally actually meet you.” You said.

“Pleasure’s all mine.” He replied. His eyes left yours as he scanned the crowd, “I feel so strange being here.”

“It’s absolutely wild how many people are here. I knew Taylor was incredibly popular, but this is just wow.” You answered as you saw Beyonce and Jay Z walk in the door. You could also see Blake Lively chatting with Karlie Kloss at the bar.

“I’ve never been the best at meeting people, mingling is not my thing.” Shawn let out a small laugh as you smiled at him.

“You’ve found yourself a fellow wallflower.”

“Do you want to go check out the photo booth?” He asked, standing up a bit straighter as he got off of the wall he was leaning on.

“What else would I do?” You shrugged playfully. Shawn led you through the crowd and you two entered the photo booth. You and Shawn both grabbed crown props and placed them on top of your heads. You couldn’t but laugh as you two posed playfully for all four photos.

“I love this.” Shawn said, looking at the strip of film.

“I think it’s a good thing we didn’t meet until now; we’re too powerful.” You replied jokingly.

“Definitely.” He nodded.

“Do you think Taylor would mind if we just totally dippd right now?” You asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Well,” Shawn smiled and bit his lip, “She would notice for sure, but I think we should leave.”

“Let’s go.” You and Shawn made your way through the crowd and out the door without getting caught up in a conversation by anyway. When you were finally outside in the brisk New York air, you asked, “Where should we go?”

“I don’t know. You live here, don’t you?” He teased.

“Want to just go back to my place? It’s literally a block away.” You laughed.

“Yeah, sure.” You two began to walk towards your apartment building.

“How did you meet Taylor?” You asked him casually, trying to come up with a conversation.

“Awards show at Madison Square Garden actually.” He ran a hand through his hair and then dropped it by his side again. “You?”

“She happened to contact my manager to ask me to perform. I hadn’t met her at all before that night.” You explained. You were a much smaller artist than Shawn was currently. His career was skyrocketing and yours was rather steady; touring with the one and only Taylor Swift had to have helped.

“Oh okay.” He nodded, clearing his throat as silence fell over you two. His hand brushed against yours accidentally and both of you immediately moved your hands. You shoved your hands into your jacket pocket and he stepped a bit farther away.

“Here we go.” You said, pointing to the skyscraper of an apartment complex. You punched in your pin and took the elevator to your penthouse with Shawn standing beside you.

As the doors chimed open to your place, Shawn immediately spotted to guitar perched in the corner.

“Whoa this is so nice.” He said walking over to it. “Do you mind-“

“Go for it.” You replied, allowing him to pick it up. He wrapped the strap around his shoulder and casually played a few notes.

“Where’d you get this? I’ve never seen one like it.”

“Geddy Lee actually.” You laughed.

“No way? From Rush?” He asked with an awed smile on your face.

“So you know your rock bands.”

“I know my Canadian rock bands. That’s awesome.” Shawn looked from you back to the guitar in his hands and he started to strum a few chords of a melody.

“Are you trying to play a song because I have no clue what song it is.” You teased, sitting down on the couch while still watching him play.

“I have this thought for a song, but I just don’t know how to write it. I want to use this melody, but none of the lyrics I can think of really work, you know?” He asked, hoping his train of thought made sense. He sat beside you on the couch as he held the guitar without playing it.

“Maybe I could help. What’s the song about?”

“Well, it’s about two lovers that have a summer fling and they both want to act as if they don’t like each other.” He attempted to explain, “The main lyric I’m trying to curve it around is ‘I wish I could pretend I didn’t need ya, but every touch is ooh la la’.”

“So it’s a steamier song?” You joked, giving him a small smirk. He blushed bashfully.

“I know it sounds crazy, but I just feel like a sensual theme is perfect for what I’m hearing in my head.” Shawn said, beginning to play the melody again.

“There’s just some things that never change,

You say we’re just friends,

But friends don’t know the way you taste la la la” You sang along to the guitar’s smooth sound.

“I like it. It totally fits.” He smiled, repeating what you said again to himself. His fingers stopped playing the instrument as he looked up to you, realizing you two had shifted closer than how you had originally started. Shawn felt the urge to just lean in and kiss you right then, but he steadied himself, reasoning that you had only just met a couple of hours ago.

His thoughts flew away from his head as his phone notified him of a new text. You didn’t intend to look, but you couldn’t help yourself as you read the text.

‘Are you still up? I miss you’ Your heart fell as you read the message. It was from a contact named Camila and you could only guess it was the Camila Cabello.

“Sorry, um, it’s nothing.” He said, putting his phone away and standing up. “I should get going- I’ve got to fly back home tomorrow, but I had a good time tonight.”

“I had fun too.” You replied with a soft smile as he delicately put the guitar back on its stand. You opened the door for him and he stopped in his tracks before fully exiting your apartment.

“Could I get your number?” He asked abruptly before awkwardly adding, “If I need help with the song, I want to contact you about it. Maybe we could meet up some other time too.”

“Yeah, that sounds great.” You said, exchanging phones with him and entering your number into his phone.

“See you around.” He smiled once you switched phones back. He left out the door and you closed it slowly. You had enjoyed your night with him, and that song sounded super good; you just hoped your newly found crush on him wouldn’t be wasted with this Camila.

~~~

Three years later, you still found yourself talking to Shawn and spending time with him whenever you could. He had become one of your closest friends. The only relatively new issue was that over the course of the past few years, you’ve only grown to like him more while more and more rumors of him with various other girls occurred, including none other than the Camila Cabello.

“So what did you want me to listen to?” You asked Shawn as he walked into your same New York City penthouse. He casually picked up your favorite, and now his favorite, guitar, just as he had done years ago.

“You remember that song that we worked out the lyrics to together?” He asked, beginning to play the same melody you had heard the night you met.

“We wrote like half of it three years ago. Are you finally done with it?” You teased.

“Yes, Camila actually helped me finish it off. We decided to write as a duet. So for the first time ever, here is Senorita.” Shawn smiled, before he started to sing the beginning of the song. You kept your smile wide as you felt yourself break from his mention of Camila. That was the song that brought you and Shawn together, and now he completed it and would record it with someone else- the same girl that you envied for the past three years. She and Shawn had a connection that you just didn’t understand; all you knew was that you wanted that.

“Ooh I should be running

Ooh you keep me coming” Shawn ended the song and looked at you expectantly, “What’d you think?”

“It’s amazing. You got the sensual theme right.” You said. All those years ago, his idea for the song sounded like a joke to you- little baby seventeen year old Shawn writing a song about getting laid? But now, this new twenty year old Shawn definitely exemplified that idea.

“I know. It’s a different song for me, but I’m just so happy. I feel like I got it right. Thank you so much for helping me with it.” He said, setting down your guitar and giving you a hug.

“Yeah, of course. No problem.” You struggled to speak but you couldn’t tell if it was from the tightness of the hug or the intoxicating smell of his cologne.

“You okay?” Shawn asked, pulling back from you while still keeping his hands loosely on your shoulders.

“I’m fine. What’s wrong with you?” You remarked. It was then that you saw it again- the same look Shawn had given you the first time he came over. His eyes staring intently at you and his warm embrace surrounding you. Your eyes trailed down to his lips for a moment and he instinctively licked them, biting his bottom lip as his tongue slid back into his mouth.

Once again, the moment ended too soon as his phone began to ring. He quickly let go of you and picked up the call.

“Hey,” He spoke, “I’m with Y/N right now.” He paused, listening to the other person speak, “Yeah I played her the new song. She loved it, Camila.” His smile was wide when he said her name- it fell from his lips with such ease, “Okay, I’ll see you later. Bye.” He turned back to you as he hung up his phone, sliding it back into his pocket.

“So you and Camila?” You asked and he raised a questioning eyebrow at you, “Are you two a thing now?”

“No, no. Camila’s got a boyfriend, and she’s just a good friend.” Shawn said, scratching the back of his neck nervously. He couldn’t help himself from blurting out, “Like you, you know?”

“Oh yeah, right.” You nodded, your eyes no longer meeting his. “I just remembered I have to go meet with my manager. I’ll see you around?”

Shawn was surprised by your sudden plans and your sudden change of mood. “Um, yeah of course.” You walked him outside and he left with his mind still racing at what changed for you. For you, your heart just dropped. First, you thought he was a thing with Camila; and now, he thinks of you as a good friend, absolutely nothing more.

Not really having plans, you turned on Netflix and snuggled into your bed, wanting to forget about the tall boy with the beautiful curls for a while.

~~~

You hadn’t talked to Shawn in four days. It would be a normal thing, with both of you being busy and all, but this time it was different. Shawn was spending all of his time in the studio, recording with Camila and working out his next single. This time though, you were completely ghosting him.

Shawn was recording in NYC, and he had texted you twice asking if you wanted to go out and grab lunch or if you wanted to hang out in general. Both times, he had absolutely no response from you.

“Shawn? Earth to Shawn?” Camila called out to him, bringing him away from staring at his phone.

“Oh, sorry.” He apologized sheepishly, but he didn’t set his phone down as he looked at her from across the studio’s couch.

“What’s going on? Why is your phone so important right now?” She asked, making him sigh.

“It’s Y/N. I think she’s ghosting me.” He said.

“Ghosting you?” She raised an eyebrow at him.

“Well, I saw her a few days ago and she seemed upset when I left, and now she isn’t responding to my texts.”

“What did you do to her?” Camila exclaimed. She had never met you before, but she knew that you definitely weren’t the ghosting type- unless for a very good reason of course.

“I didn’t do anything. I went over, played Senorita, and then I don’t know- we talked about you I guess.”

“You guess? Shawn, what did you say?”

“I said you were my friend, just like she was.” He ran a hand through his hair, trying to think of what he could have said to make you be so distant.

“Oh my god, you are the biggest idiot ever. That’s why she’s ghosting you!” Camila groaned, face palming herself.

“What do you mean?”

“You are not that dense. She obviously likes you and you like her too. She’s ghosting you because you related her to being just a friend- you friend zoned her!” She explained and worry came across his face.

“No, no, I didn’t friend zone her.” Shawn tried to protest.

“You totally did. You need to go over to her place right now and tell her how you feel.” She stated.

“I can’t just do that. She doesn’t like me back.” His reply made Camila roll her eyes at him.

“She’s been in love with you for three years and you’ve been in love with her for just as long. Go to her before I drag you there myself.”

“But-“ He started, but immediately stopped as she glared at him. She may be a lot smaller than him but damn he did not want to get on her bad side. He stood up, “Okay, okay, I’ll go.”

“Finally.” She sighed. Shawn paused before he walked out the door.

“Do I look okay in this?” He asked, worried that the t-shirt and jeans weren’t enough.

“You’re apologizing to her, not proposing.” Camila stated, “You’re fine. Now go.”

Shawn nodded as he made his way out the door and over to your apartment. He knocked on your door, hoping that you would be home. He tried to mentally prepare himself for what was to come, but all thoughts vanished when you opened the door.

“Oh, hey Shawn.” You said with a small smile.

“You’ve, um, you’ve been ignoring my texts.” He stammered out.

“I’ve been busy, I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you.” You replied.

“I wanted to apologize.” He said, his voice still shaking but not nearly as much as it could have been, “For what I said. I didn’t mean to friend zone you.”

“Shawn, you don’t-“

“No, I need to apologize for that because I-I just really like you, Y/N, and I didn’t think that I’d have a shot with you. I thought you didn’t like me in that way at all, so I just tried to push it away and-“ he was cut off by you pressing your lips against his quickly. He looked down at you surprised by your actions.

“You ramble too much.” You stated.

“You don’t know how long I’ve wanted for this to happen.” He said with a smile, happy that he’d listened when Camila literally forced him out the door.

“You missed so many opportunities to kiss me.” You teased, “Like right now would be a perfect time.”

“Like right now right now?” Shawn asked and you nodded as he leaned down to kiss you again with his hands cupping your cheeks.

[oharaswife]

Blue Eyed Beauty - Alex Morgan Imagine

A/N : This is my first USWNT imagine and since i haven’t written anything in a while i really hope you’ll like it. Also i’m not very familiar with this whole woso universe, but i’ll do my best to keep it as realistic as i can.

Tbh i was inspired by all the wonderful works by @imaginesforyourfandom and they made me want to write again, so thanks for that!

Friendly reminder that English isn’t my first language so i apologize in advance for any mistake.

PAIRING : ALEX MORGAN X READER

WORD COUNT : 3.2K

Warning: LIGHT SWEARING

Enjoy ❤️

ALEX POINT OF VIEW

After weeks of relentless training and traveling around the world to prepare for our next big competition with the national team, it was finally time for us to be lazy and catch up on some sleep, or catch up with each other considering we barely spent time off the field lately. I, for one, was exhausted so these two days off were unsurprisingly most welcome. I barely tried keeping track with whatever the others had planned, knowing very well that i’d be spending the next two days in bed, sleeping for 48 hours straight preferably. But of course, I realized it was too much to ask for when I heard Kelley, whom I was rooming with, barge in the room loudly, followed closely by Allie.

“ Do you guys have to be so loud?” I asked annoyance evident in my voice.

“We do when our goal is to get you out of bed.” Allie retorted, her eyes somewhat mischievous, earning a groan from me.

“No. I warned you guys yesterday. I’m not leaving this bed.” I pointed out before burying my head underneath my pillow, hoping that would be enough to get them off my back. I really needed to get some rest if i wanted to bring my A game to our game against France in a few days.

“Come on Janice. It’s 4 p.m already, you’ve stayed in bed long enough.” I barely moved at Kelley’s words. We had all gone to bed really late last night, or more like really early this morning so to say that i didn’t feel rested was a euphemism. Plus i needed my beauty sleep. “We’ve been working non stop for the past two weeks. It’s time for us to just go out and chill.” As she said that i felt her come closer to me, before she lifted my pillow just a little bit so that i would be able to see the pout on her face and the puppy eyes she was giving me.

I loved Kelley, she was one of my closest friends, but at the second i just loved sleeping, more. Before i could say anything though, Allie suddenly jerked the blanket from my grip, throwing it across the room, as Kelley just laughed seeing how i curled up in a ball at the sudden contact of the cold air to my skin.

“Get your ass up Janice, we’re out of here.” She ordered, her phone in hand, probably filming me as she enjoyed torturing us for the world to see.

“Ugh, i fucking hate you.” I grumbled throwing the pillow at her, hitting her right in her face, causing a little chuckle to escape from me as Kels giggled.

“So you coming?” The latter asked, eyes hopeful.

“Fine.” I gave in at last. “But don’t be surprised if i start complaining the second we’re out.” The two girls laughed, knowing that i would for sure.

“Come on you have 30 minutes to get ready.”

“Don’t rush me.” I exclaimed as i finally sat up on the bed. “Where are we going by the way?” I asked, rubbing the tiredness from my eyes.

“Shopping of course.” Kelley chimed in before i finally got up and went to the bathroom for a quick shower, dragging my feet of course. This better be worth it. I thought before closing the bathroom door behind me.

—-

Shopping it was indeed. After almost an hour and a half of running around in various stores and a lot of complaining from me of course, we finally sat on a bench, to eat the ice cream they’d just bought, as a peace offering for dragging me out of bed. It did help soothe my bad mood that the mint chocolate chips ice cream was delicious.

“Still hate us?” Allie asked an amused smile on her face, to which i just answered with a laugh, shaking my head slightly. The girl knew the way to my heart was food. After some more talking with my girlies, our attention was drawn to across the street from where we could hear some people yelling.

“Just fucking kick it!” We heard, quickly followed by another voice yelling “Don’t let her take...FUCK!” And some more screaming. Intrigued, we decided to get up, and get closer to the source of the chaotic screaming. As we got closer to the fence, we caught sight of several women running around what seemed to be a small soccer field.

“We’re screwed if you don’t TACKLE HER NOW!” I saw one of them - the only one who wasn’t playing but was standing by the bench - yell at the top of her lungs. I brought my attention to the woman who was in possession of the ball, curious to see the reason why the girl by the bench was so sure they were “screwed”. The girl’s back was to me, making it impossible for any of to see her face. But what we all could see was how she was driving her opponents - her friends most likely - crazy with her dribbles, stringing together step-overs and hook turns faster than i’d ever seen.

“Do you guys see that?” Kelley spoke finally, eyes wide.

“It’s insane how fast she is.” Allie shot, an incredulous look on her face.

Following the woman’s on the bench advice, one of the opponents tried tackling her, although doubt was all over her face, as if she knew already it was no use because there was no chance she’d take the ball from

the extra talented woman. And she was right. The latter easily dodged the tackle, turning around, facing us at last. My eyes widened slightly as i took in her features. She had a huge grin plastered on her face, clearly enjoying putting her friends to shame. She was radiant, her eyes felt like they were sparkling, probably capable of hypnotizing anyone, me first. She was the kind of beautiful that you didn’t see all the time, the kind that was so rare that you’d want to engrave it in your mind forever.

“She is really gorgeous on top of being a good player.” Kelley pointed, a smile on her face, clearly liking what she was seeing.

Back off. I heard myself think, looking at her with a glare, that she obviously didn’t notice, too busy looking at the woman. I shrugged off the jealousy that was building in the pit of my stomach. Why would i be jealous anyway? It’s not like i actually knew the girl. I brought my attention back to the game and saw the girl switch the play, passing the ball to her friend that was on the other side of the field before she started running forward. As everyone’s eyes followed the ball, mine unconsciously followed the girl, not being able to tear my eyes away from her.

——

READER’S POINT OF VIEW

Driving my friends crazy on a soccer field was probably my favorite thing to do in the world. For the past 6 years, ever since i moved back to the US, after living in France for 10 years, we’d come to this very park to play at least twice a week. We’d play as if our life depended on it, even though, most of the time, the only stakes there were to these games were which team was going to pay for drinks on our next night out. After dodging a tackle i finally passed the ball, switching the play before i went to position myself up the field. As if she read my mind, started running forward as well, before lobbing the defenders with perfect timing directing the ball straight at me. With one swift move, not even taking time to control the ball, i kicked it with full force, making it impossible for the goalkeeper to do anything to stop it. She didn’t even move as the ball made its way to the back of the net in the top right corner of the goal. Cheers erupted from my teammates while our opponents groaned and swore, hating that i was this good with a soccer ball. I was about to do my usual little celebration dance when my eyes fell to the fence, or more like to the women that were standing behind it. They were cheering and applauding loudly, to which i answered with a bow. They were undoubtedly beautiful, but the second my eyes fell on the blue eyed beauty, i froze completely, unable to breath or move suddenly. I was getting massive Greek Goddess vibes. She looked like she came straight down from Olympus or whatever. It was like i was starstruck, lost in the deep blue see that were her eyes, not even noticing how her friends were looking at me with frowns upon their faces before they giggled, whispering something to each other. The blue eyed beauty didn’t move though, she just looked back at me, not that i realized that either.

“Dude, are you still here?” I heard coming from next to me and that seemed to bring me back to myself even though i could’ve stayed there, willingly drowning in her eyes forever and i would’ve been content.

I focused on my friend, Jessie, for a few seconds before my eyes drifted back to the girl. They were still there, looking at us, probably waiting for the game to resume, i thought.

“Oh. Okay, I get it.” Jessie said, earning a frown from me as i tilted my head in confusion, looking at her. She looked at the fence, before bringing her gaze back to me, wiggling her eyebrow. “I got this.” She added.

“Don’t you fucking dare d-“ i tried but before i could even finish my sentence, she was off running to where the three women were standing. I turned around instantly, not wanting to see how she’d embarrass me, or make fun of me in front of the women. I didn’t even know why Jessie was my best friend, the only thing that girl ever did, was embarrass me all the time.

It wasn’t after a few minutes that i heard her coming closer again. I was ready to kill her for whatever she had done the second i’d turn around, but stopped dead in tracks when i did so. The three women weren’t behind the fence anymore, but right in front of us, on the field.

“Alright guys, meet Kelley, Allie and Alex.” Alex, probably short for Alexandra i thought. That was a nice name. “They’re gonna be joining us for a game.” My eyes widened for a second. WTF i thought but quickly came back to myself as my eyes met the blue ones again. God she was even more gorgeous up close. She shot me a small smile, and i was sure my heart stopped for a full second. I gave her an awkward smile in return, never knowing how to behave around beautiful girls. I groaned internally knowing i’d end up making a fool of myself in front of her, as it was what i always did around potential crushes. We quickly introduced ourselves to the girls, exchanging names and just like that we were ready to start a new game. Kelley ended up being on my team which seemed to please her as she shot a quick “No way i’m gonna lose if i’m on your team.” wrapping an arm around my shoulders, a quick but awkward laugh escaping me. If only she knew how hard it was going to be for me to focus now she would’ve asked to join the other team. Allie decided she’d stay by the bench and cheer on the girls, honestly not wanting to play soccer on her day off.

“Alright, let’s raise the stakes a little bit.” Jessie said. I strongly shook my head no, not liking the mischievous look in her eyes. “Player with the most scored goals gets to go on a date with the person of her choice.” Jessie shot making my eyes widen. I glared at her which only seemed to make her laugh more. I secretly hoped Alex or Kelley would say no to that, because even though i could kill to spend time with Alex, i knew that if i were to spend time with her, especially alone would her, i’d just end up embarrassing myself. Unfortunately none of them did. Kelley even seemed pretty happy about the new stakes as she wiggled her eyebrows at me, which only caused me to look down, a blush creeping on my cheeks. Jessie walked past me whispering a quick “You’ll thank me for this later.” before jogging to her position on the field, ready for the game to start. Clearly, she thought i was going to score the most, and i usually did, but i never had a distraction quite like today before. And i was pretty sure that was going to make it impossible for me to focus on anything but the blue eyed beauty that was standing a few meters away from me. The game eventually started and within a matter of minutes, a good opportunity to score presented itself to me. I was alone in the box, ready to kick the ball, but completely failed my shot as when i did kick it, it went so high over the cross bar it, i could’ve hit a bird. Instantly, complaints from my teammates started flying around.

“What the fuck, Y/N?” One of them shot. “I’ve never seen you miss a shot, especially an easy one like that!” She added making me roll my eyes.

“Yeah well i’m kind of distracted in case you haven’t noticed!” I yelled back, a hint of annoyance in my voice. I hadn’t really paid attention to my surroundings to check whether Alex was able to hear me or not.

“Look we know we’re hot, but you gotta focus, i don’t wanna lose.” I heard Kelley say from behind me, making everyone laugh and earning a slight chuckle from me as i turned red.

“Easier said than done! Have you seen you?” I shot back, suddenly flushed with confidence. Kelley answered with a whole hearted laugh before my eyes scanned the field for Alex. I was shocked when i noticed she was just a few meters behind me, but the grin on her face, probably amused by the little banter between Kelley and I, was enough for me to swoon again. I shook my head, realizing i did need to focus. And i did for the rest a game, but it unfortunately wasn’t enough. Plus, no one had warned that Kelley and Alex were such great players, the control they had over the ball was incredible and their technique amazing. Allie was the loudest cheerleader i had ever seen probably, yelling at the top of her lungs every time Alex or Kelley would score, cheering for both her girls regardless of their teams, which i thought was cute. The game finally came to an end after 45 minutes, as Allie and Lena, her new friend from the bench, blew the final whistle, or more likely yelled that it was over. We had won the game which caused Kelley to jump around like a freaking squirrel as if she had won the World Cup, before hugging us one by one. The final score was 6-5 but unfortunately i only scored 3 out of the six goals, Kelley being responsible for 2 and Jessie for the last one. Alex on other hand was responsible for 4 of the goals her team scored, making her the ultimate winner of our little competition. I couldn’t help but be disappointed because even though i was afraid i’d screw the date up, i wouldn’t have minded spending time with her. I walked to the bench, disappointment obvious on my face, as the others started congratulating each other for the intense game. Picking up my water bottle, i felt an arm wrap itself around my shoulder. I turned to the side, ready to cut Jessie’s head off, but froze when i saw Alex by my side, a grin on her face.

“That was a very entertaining game. You’re very talented.” She pointed before pausing as if to think of what to say next. “Even when you’re distracted.” She finally added a smirk making its way to her lips. And damn those lips. I could’ve sworn i turned as red as a tomato, which only seemed to amuse her more. I didn’t get the chance to speak before she continued. “So how does tomorrow at 8 sound?” I stared at her, confused, not quite believing what she was implying, because how could someone like her want to go out with someone like me? It didn’t make sense. I looked at her my frown creasing.

“You mean...” i trailed off, afraid of saying something stupid, or of having misread the situation somehow.

“I mean i did win a date with whoever i want, right?” She questioned, positioning herself right in front of me this time, her eyebrow arching a bit.

“And you want...” i tried but trailed off again, this time not trusting my voice.

“Yeah, I want you.” She shot shamelessly. I’m pretty sure i wasn’t just blushing anymore, i must’ve looked dumbfounded at that. “I’ll meet you here tomorrow at 8 p.m” she added before stepping closer to me, way to close for my heart not to react by increasing its rhythm , and for my breath not to catch in my throat. She was so close that i could see every shade of blue in her eyes, i could see the way they were sparkling, like there was a whole unknown galaxy hidden in there, waiting to be explored. She slowly leaned in and pressed her lips softly against my cheek, making a shiver run down my spine. She made it last slightly longer than necessary before she finally pulled away. “See you tomorrow.” She whispered with a wink before she started walking back to where her friends were waiting for her.

As realization hit me, a huge grin made its way to my face. I had a date with the most beautiful and enchanting woman i had ever seen. The three girls turned around one last time as they walked away, waving at us, and i took that opportunity to shoot a quick wink to the girl i knew was going to haunt my thoughts until i saw her again. I could’ve sworn a small blush appeared on her cheeks this time, before the three of them disappeared around the corner of the street. Within a second, Jessie was in front of me, her eyebrow arched expectantly.

“Where is my thank you?” She asked, crossing her arms on her chest, causing me to burst out laughing, letting out a breath i didn’t know i was holding.

See you tomorrow, Alex. I thought as the images of the blue eyed beauty engraved themselves in my mind, for me to cherish.

THE END (maybe...)

A/N: Okay guys i don’t know where i’m going with this, maybe it will just stay a one shot, but i could write a second part or even turn it into a full fic. I guess it all depends on how you guys respond to it.

I took so much pleasure writing it that it ended up being Longer than expected. Anyway, hope you liked it!!

Also i have some ideas of my own for future works but if you guys have any requests, i’ll happily oblige.

-Kat

[shawnsorangeglasses]

The Opposition - Part 3.1

3.1k words

Shawn is a tightly wound, Type A law student in college. For the most part, he has his life figured out and planned to the minute. Then comes Caroline, a charming Type B and his unlikely equal.

thank you all for being so patient. ...

It's Wednesday. Shawn fears the closer he gets to Friday, the less motivated he is to crash the frat party. This morning, Caroline sent him a text riddled with lowercase letters and several typos to discuss the plan. He's meeting her in front of the library a few hours after his first class. On Mondays and Wednesdays, it's ethics and his third criminal law course in the afternoon. Tuesdays and Thursdays is legal writing and criminal behavior. He loves the work, but it’s nice to do something else, even if it is scheming.

He walks by a group of senior women on the way. They smile and wave flirtatiously, but he keeps his eyes low and walks faster. They laugh.

Caroline is waiting for Shawn on the back of the library's lion statue, conducting her hands to music only she can hear through her earbuds. Of course that's where she is, Shawn thinks to himself. Her sweater, the one from last night, is tied around her waist. She doesn't notice him at first because the song is up at full volume. Bright yellow socks are the only vibrant color she's chosen to wear today in an otherwise plain ensemble.

"You're not supposed to sit on those," he tells her.

Her head snaps around, "Oh, it's just you. Where's Harry?"

"Theater club until 6 PM."

Caroline grunts and groans, rolling rather ungracefully off the metal beast. "How the hell am I supposed to sit through this without him?"

"I'm sure you'll manage." Shawn leads towards the double doors, but a tiny hand latches onto his elbow, stopping him short.

"Can't you just tell me right here in the sun? It's freezing inside."

Shawn taps his heel on the pavement impatiently. "I suppose we can go to the old greenhouse out back."

Caroline cocks an eyebrow. "Oh, he's taking me out back. How scandalous."

"Relax, it's not in use anymore and half the windows are smashed. It's the furthest thing from romantic.

"She circles him, "Uh huh, sure it is."

"It is."

Shawn takes her down a path that’s gone undisturbed for a long time. The greenhouse is obscured by a wall of untamed trees and shrubbery. The only entrance is a gate overrun by vines and ivies. Shawn unlatches the lock and its rusty chain falls limp with a clang.

"After you," he says, permitting Caroline to enter first.

"Are we allowed back here, Mr. Rulebook?"

"This is the only rule you'll ever find me breaking."

Caroline gazes up at the quaint structure in all its decay and ruin. Branches extend in and out of broken windows. She can just make out a misty rainbow in the fog at the very top of the roof. Ironically, it’s probably the prettiest part of the campus she’s seen so far.

"How'd you find this place?"

"Ms. Attie brought me here my first semester. It used to be kind of panic room for me, but I haven't needed it lately."

She takes two steps forward. "Is it safe?"

"There's broken glass and exposed wires everywhere, but you're smart enough. I think you'll live."

“Aw, you think I’m smart?”

He has to smile at his slip up. “I think you’re adept. Don’t get a big head.”

Shawn pats her shoulder and moves ahead. Caroline jogs after him, trying to keep up with his long strides in the tall grass.Inside are only vague reminders of what the greenhouse may have looked like before the wilderness reclaimed it. All kinds of weeds have pushed through the ground floor. Unchecked foliage has made the once spacious house small and humid inside. Caroline picks up one of the few plants that are still in a solid pot, then sets it back in its dust ring.Shawn stops at the iron staircase leading to a platform above.

"This way. Attie said the steps are too corroded to be safe, so we have to use the ladder."

The ladder leans against the second floor ledge with cinder blocks at its feet to keep it in place. It goes straight up into a sunnier ledge, closest to the ceiling. It's the only part of the greenhouse with all the windows still intact. Caroline again goes ahead of him, but loses her footing on a loose rung. Shawn's quick to catch her, grabbing onto her hip. He doesn't let go until she's regained her balance, and even so his fingertips linger on her midriff.

"Any other surprises," she huffs.

"I don't know, maybe? It's been a while."

She smirks down at him, then continues to climb. Each step, she tests the rungs with a few taps before proceeding. Shawn is trying to keep from looking, but she's right there above his head, in shorts. He concentrates on his own steps.

Caroline's feet patter around the platform. "Hmm, I don't know Mendes. This looks pretty romantic to me."He's about to protest again until he makes the top of the ladder. A picnic is set up on one of the metal tables, but clearly abandoned. Shawn sighs.

"Harry must have been here recently with some guy or girl, most likely showing off." He can feel Caroline's eyes on him. "Which is not why we're here, for the last time."

"Alright. Did he leave any non-perishables?"

Shawn sifts through the picnic basket's contents. Every single bag is torn to shreds. "No, looks like the raccoons came through— oh wait, there's a jar of raw honey."

"I call dibs."

"You can have it," Shawn chuckles. "Harrison keeps our kitchen stocked with the stuff."

She takes the jar, holding it up to the sun. "Why did we come here, again?"

"Going over the plan."

"Oh yeah."

Caroline hops up onto a shelf in between two flower bushes, securing her jar of honey at the bottom of her bag. Sun spills shafts of light on her hair, making them a rich brown around the edges.

"The party's on Friday and I know I'm your plus one. We definitely shouldn't stay too long though. What's our out going to be?"

"I could get 'sick' or 'too drunk' and you have to take me home."

"That could work. I say we try to avoid attention altogether though. Kate knows I don't do parties and I won't know how to explain myself."

Caroline pokes a fern and its leaves retract. "Just say you're doing research on college party scenes and how they affect academic accomplishment or something."

"That's...actually a good idea."

She flips her hair and shrugs. "I know."

"Okay, don't get cocky." Shawn nibbles on his thumb. "I guess we're ready?"Caroline tilts her head at him. "You don't sound ready."

"I am very nervous, yes."

"Well don't worry. Just think of it as extreme eavesdropping."

"There's still so many margins of error," he mutters to himself. "Argh, this is why I hate parties. I have no way of actually preparing for this. What if something stupid happens? What if the cops show up? Cops always show up in the movies. Listen to me, comparing real life to the movies-”

"Hey," she slides down from the shelf and puts two hands on his shoulders. Her inky brown eyes penetrate his own. "Don’t spiral. That's why I'm coming with you. We can always improvise. It's gonna be fine. In the name of love, right?"

Shawn takes a deep, shaky breath. She'd been saying this to him since Monday. In the name of love. But Shawn isn't even positive he loves Kate, whatever that means. She just makes him tingly all over. All girls make him a little nervous once they show an interest in him. It isn't even all about love at this point. He just wants everything to go back to normal.

"Right," he says anyway. "In the name of love."

"Okay then," she gives him shake and lets go. "How much time do you have?"

Shawn checks his watch. "About two hours."

"Wanna go eat?" …

The dining hall is flowing with students coming and going. All the major groups have found their respective tables for the hour. Caroline seems to know at least a few people in every clan they pass by on the way to the kitchen, and every person is happy to see her or has some inside joke to share.

"Uh Caroline," Shawn taps her shoulder, "What exactly is your major?"

"I don’t know yet. I really like everything. Why?""

You just seem to know...well, everyone."

"Oh, I had psychology last year. Between surveys and case studies, you kind of meet people. And I made mine so they could be interesting and fun, so they’d come back."

Shawn gazes at a few of the people they passed. Music majors, science majors, even the business majors knew Caroline. A few are looking in his direction. Most people know Shawn from the mock trials because they get published in the school newspaper. His serious reputation has preceded him for quite some time. So naturally, they'd be curious as to why he's suddenly at breakfast with Caroline.

"Everybody's staring," he tells her in a hushed voice.

"Well yeah, it's me standing next to you," she said much louder, already having read the room.

Shawn has noticed the physical contrast of him Caroline before. His lean and broad figure just barely towering over her stocky, compact build is something to behold. They couldn't be more different.

"They might also be staring because of your face," she says as she makes a beeline for the pasta trays.

"What's wrong with my face?"

"Literally nothing. That's why they're staring, genius."

Shawn squints at her. "You have very interesting way of paying me compliments."

She gives him a tender pat on the shoulder. "What are friends for?"

He has to admit to himself, she is entertaining without trying. The honesty that comes with Caroline's words is refreshing. The few girls he's come across in the past hardly ever say what they mean or feel. Kate was one of them.

"Let's sit over there," Caroline nods at a small corner table well lit by a wall of windows. Empty booths are scarce in the cafe. A few feet away from that spot is Jared Price with a handful of law majors. Shawn grabs Caroline’s arm and pulls her behind a wall next to the vending machines. Without meaning to, he’s pinned her into a corner.

“What the hell’s your problem,” she snaps. “I almost dropped my pasta.”

“Shush,” he hisses.

It’s only been a few times that a guy has had Caroline on the wall in this fashion. Shawn’s approach is, of course, in no way romantic and definitely clumsy to say the least. Though she knows it’s probably not intentional, she can’t help but feel the tiniest impulse to misbehave right now.

Shawn’s still tensed up and peering around the corner. She takes a peek. There’s plenty of people to look at and her heart was kind of hoping to see Kate floating in between some of the tables. No one seems to fit the description Shawn’s given her in recent conversations. In fact, his panicked eyes are completed transfixed on a table surrounded by what look like carbon copies of him.

“Must be a law thing to dress like the dean,” she says. “Don’t you want to talk to your kin?”

“Not necessarily,” Shawn says with a shake of his head.

"Well, do you mind," she says looking him up and down. "I'm kind of stuck between a vending machine and a... well, a hard place."

A harsh blush seeps into Shawn's face and neck as he realizes the position he's put them in. Caroline holds her takeout box of food close to her chest in one hand and pushing back on his abs with the other. A wry, all-knowing smile pushes her dimple deeper into her cheek. Shawn bolts backwards.

"S-Sorry, I wasn't trying to-,” he pinches the bridge of his nose, hoping his thoughts would gather up easier that way. “I'm not- I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry."

"No worries Mendes," Caroline pats his chest. "If I have to pinned against a wall by anyone, I'm fine with it being you."

Shawn shields his face with his hand, which is already starting to get clammy and prickly. "Why do you have to make everything so weird?"

"It’s only weird in your head, Shawn. Come on.” She nods in the direction of the other exit, away from the law school table and the rest of the cafe. “We can go eat on the lawn.”

She trots over to the double doors. Her thick messy curls bounce on her shoulders in a manner that's almost teasing. With one backwards shove, she pushes the door open, making room for Shawn to follow after her. He unbuttons his collar, then trudges through the uncomfortable air he’s made for himself. It amazes him how nothing else in the room changes after an encounter so awkward.

The outdoors presents a hot and dry midday heat. As nice as it would be to sit in the air conditioning and eat, Shawn would rather sweat than be stuck arguing about the ethics of this assigned case with Jared Fucking Price.

“Right over here,” Caroline says.

She’s pointing towards one of the few crepe myrtles on campus in the middle of a green lawn. The tree is still young, so it’s shade is small and requires them to sit close if they want to cool off. She’s already made herself at home on the petals scattered at its roots. In any other setting, this whole picture would seem staged, but Caroline looks like she belongs there more than anyone. Shawn takes this brief moment waiting for her to sit down to observe again. Another nuisance of a sensation settles in his gut. He dismisses it as a hunger pain.

He crouches down at her side stiffly. Even in such limited space, he maintains the usual respectful distance. The shaded parts of the grass are soft and cool beneath his palms. Shawn expected to just eat in silence since that’s usually what happens when he’s out with someone other than Harrison. Every time he’s met with Caroline in the past few days, she’s allowed the silence to happen. Now, she’s practically itching to talk.

“So,” she sighs, “are we gonna talk about what that was?”

“I already said I was sorry. Please drop it.”

“Not that,” she sighs. “You totally ghosted your friends the law majors’ table. Why?”

It almost slips out, how much he hates Jared and his elitist herd of followers. Caroline has this way of talking that makes you forget you have secrets. It’s for this reason that he bites his lower lip and chooses his next words carefully. The law department is already a tough enough crowd without them knowing he doesn’t enjoy their miserable company.

“I didn’t ghost anybody worth calling a friend.”

“Oh,” she says, light and flippant in her tone.

“Oh what?”

“It’s just a little cold,” her eyes skirt around his face. “Even for you.”

“You don’t know them, Caroline.”

She throws her hands up. “Hey, I get it. That law department is quite the dickhead factory.”

He shakes his head, well aware that she was throwing him into that lot. “Touchè,” he mutters.

“You always this distant with peers?”

“Do we have to talk about it?”

“No. We don’t have to talk about it,” she eventually says, and she almost sounds sad when she does. “But Shawn, we’ve had these meetings for a few days now. I get that you don’t talk much, but it’s kind of weird not knowing you at all by now.”

"Funny. I believe I've said more about myself in the last four hours than I've told anyone in the last year."

It’s one of those jokes that Shawn thinks is funny at first until no one laughs. It’s even worse in a conversation with only one other person.

“How generous of you,” she deadpans. For the first time since they’ve met, she sounds genuinely irritated with him.

He looks around the environment as if he’ll find something to talk about there. Nothing appears of course and Caroline is still quietly pulling weeds from the grass. Quiet was the intention, but not if it meant her shutting down. He leans back on his hands in the mulch and dirt to stretch his legs out into the sun.

“I wanted to be a musician, you know.”

Caroline’s ears perk up. “That’s...random.”

“Guitar and piano was as far as I got. Long time ago.”

“Were you any good?”

“I was told I was good. I always thought I could’ve been better.”

She snorts, “Yeah sounds about right.”

“Obviously, I changed my mind. Got into debate and ethics in high school.”

“Is that what changed?”

He nods. “So many times the system gets it wrong and sends innocent people to prison. It’s insane, I mean, the amount of laws we have overlapping and changing everyday would surprise you. No scenario is ever so thought out. Not to mention ethics aren’t always in black and white. I could talk for hours about the-”

Shawn grinds to a halt when he finally notices the smile slowly breaking his face. Caroline’s given him her full attention. Somehow, he’s leaned in closer to her, like he does every time he goes on a tangent.

I’m getting carried away,” he sighs.

“No, it’s wonderful,” Caroline cooed. “I’ve never seen you so happy.”

He cocks his head to one side. “Nobody likes a rambler.”

“Guess that makes me the biggest nobody of all.”

She shoulders his arm, rocking him slightly. Shawn’s ears start to burn. He looks down. Caroline’s sweater sleeve has ended up in the mulch somehow. He carefully picks it up, pulling the wood chips gently from the threads before setting neatly onto her thigh. She doesn’t say a word while this is all happening. In fact, she watches his movements intently. He’s going to ask and she wants to be ready.

“I have a question,” he says. “The other night, when you came back to my room for your sweater, why were you— well I thought you were, I don’t know. Maybe I was seeing things-”

“Bawling my eyes out?”

A faint grimace flashes across Shawn’s face.

“I’m not touchy about it,” she assures him. “Short answer is that it belonged to my mom. Then Dad gave it to me when I graduated high school.”

Shawn steals a look at her and she’s smiling softly. “Can I have the long answer?”

Caroline leans back. “It’s a real sob story,” she says loftily. “I’d hate for you start feeling sorry for me.”

“Please, ‘sorry’ is the last thing I’ll ever feel for you, Caroline,” Shawn quips

“Shawn,” says a familiar voice. “Shawn Mendes?”

Shawn looks up and to his disappointment finds Jared Price standing over them casting a condescending shadow at their feet. The other law majors aren’t far behind, coming closer to their spot under the tree. ...

taglist:

@tnhmblive @rulerofnocountry @matchamendes @damselindistressanu @gxccicoffee @yoelleex @5-seconds-of-mendes @darling-shawn @imaginesofdreams @nervousaroundmendes @hiyabich @sinplisticshawn @peterbrokenparker @sauveteen @allaboutthatdrummer @particularnarry @shawnwyr @1am9root

[robbiekaysfavoritelostgirl]

half a chapter from my fanfic because I need to save it and didn’t want to open another tab and figured why not share what I have done with my tumblers

Potter Lake House

December 23rd, 1991 ~Hogwarts Express~

   "Are you sure it's okay that I come, its last minute," Percy asked for the tenth time, in as many minutes. Hiding her annoyance, she smiled and handed him the letter Ella had sent that morning, explaining that the invite still stood if he wanted to change his mind. He read the letter over twice before giving it back to her, smiling at her as he scratched the back of his neck. "Thank you, I really do appreciate it, I thought I would be okay spending Christmas alone, but when it came down to it, I realized I wasn't."

  "You don't need to explain, I get it and your welcome. I'm glad you decided to come along. It will be a lot of fun, the lake house it breathtaking this time of year." Percy was about to answer when someone called for him, so he gave her a warm smile before rushing off.

   "You're a right saint, you know that?" Fred laughed, smiling as Amara leaned into his side. He paused in his game of exploding snaps to wrap an arm around her waist. The two had grown unbelievably close in the short amount of time they had been friends. It became common to see her either curled up against him or with Alex, and the rest of the group had a bet going on who she would end up.

   "I am not. I am actually very selfish. I only invited you so I could spend more time with George." Fred let out a cry of shock, while George playfully fist-bumped the air.

   "I get the girl!"

   "Mate, last time I checked, she was still cuddling up with Fred." Harry laughed, ducking out of the way the chocolate frog wrapper George tossed at him.

   "Just wait until I write Alex, he'll be heartbroken!" Zach laughed, rolling his eyes as Fred and George turned on him.  

  "Let him! She's made her choice, she chooses me!"

  "I'll duel you for her hand!" Fred cried, jumping from his seat, and pulling his wand. George followed, and the two began what could only be the most insane play fight known to man. Fred sent a stream of feathers at George, while George retaliated by hitting Fred in the face with a rose. This continued for several minutes until Athena leapt up into Fred's arms, forcing him to drop his wand to keep the animal from falling. Once secured, Athena began rubbing her head against Fred's face, purring as she went.

   "I think Athena has settled that matter." Cedric laughed, shaking his head as the kneazle nuzzled her head into Fred's neck. "You are going to have to talk about you and my sister. Athena has never acted like that with anyone other than Harry, Mara or me."

 The snow had fallen in a thick blanket of white that covered every surface of the lake. The trees were completely white, and the ice-covered lake sparkled like crystals in the late afternoon sun. The house, which was really more like a manor, sat in the middle of a field, hidden from view by the thick forest that surrounded it. Across the lake, the mountains rose high in the sky, the sun nestled between two of the highest peaks. It was a breathtaking sight, and all of it untouched by muggle creations.

  "You weren't kidding when you said this place was beautiful." George sighed, taking a deep breath of the crisp mountain air. Despite the cold, he looked as if he was happy standing on the back deck, looking out over the lake. "Do you know why your parents never stayed here?" It was Remus who answered, smiling as he stepped out onto the porch to join the two of them.

  "Lily and James wanted this place to remain a secret, only I knew about because they let me stay here during the full moon. It's miles away from the closest person, so it's a safe place for me. That cabin over there is mine. When I told Lily and James I wouldn't be staying as I wanted a place of my own, they turned the boathouse into a cabin and said it was mine. Lily said I had no excuse but to use the land now. When I told them I didn't want to be the reason they couldn't stay here all the time, she told me they charmed the house so no werewolves could enter it. Left me without a reason to argue.'

  'They did use it during the war though they would come here when James got sick of being stuck in the house. Since no one besides me knew about it, it was the perfect place for him to come and blow off steam. Lily loved it too. I imagine they would have come here if they had enough time the night they died." He wrapped a blanket around Amara as he spoke, handing another to George when he finished.

   "James and Lily sound like they were pretty amazing people." George sighed, turning to stare back over the lake.

  "That they were. Now, if I were you two, I would get inside. Ella is getting worried that you are both about to freeze to death."

  Christmas Eve 1991

  "Right, can we just pick a tree!" Harry moaned, shuffling his feet in an attempt to get some feeling back into his toes. Since they arrived home so late the night before, they had spent the better part of the afternoon searching for what Amara and Cedric deemed the perfect tree. It had been almost two hours, and the two of them had yet to decide on a tree.

  "This one is too spotty, look Ced." Amara gestured to a spot on the tree, which was the only gap on the bloody thing. Cedric nodded in agreement, and the two started on the next tree. Despite how long they had been out here, the house was still insight as they had only just walked past the first three lines of trees. The two insisted that they look at every single tree. They claimed it was the only way to be sure they found the perfect tree. Harry thought it was just there was of getting back at him.

  "You know how your siblings get Harry, they won't leave until they find the perfect one." Amos laughed, passing Harry a steaming cup of hot chocolate.

  "How about this one?" Fred called out from a few trees ahead of them, leaning out so they could see him. Harry was about to tell him that this wasn't how it worked when both Amara and Cedric went off towards him.

  "Sure, he can show you trees. I try, and I get a lecture on how I am ruining the system." Harry grumbled, glaring at Ron as he laughed.

  "Hey, maybe Fred will have found the tree, and we can all go back inside," Ella whispered, smiling as Harry stopped mumbling about unfair treatment. By the time the rest of the party reached them, Amara and Cedric were slowly walking around the tree, nodding and humming as they went.

  "It's the right height and thick enough," Cedric mumbled after a moment.

  "It isn't crooked, and there aren't any gaps in it. It's also a Fraser Fir, and they are the better tree."

  "Well, you two, what's the verdict?" Ella asked, smiling as they shared a smile.

  "Fred has found the perfect tree!"

  "That's it, Fred is now coming with us to find Christmas trees for the rest of our lives."

[sophiaholmes221b]

Sophia Holmes and the Study in Pink

Chapter Four

After I score top marks in dad's observation quiz, we head over to Scotland Yard to hand in our statements to PC Jane Downing: the wife of the murder victim and the lead officer on his case.

It's approaching seven o'clock when we leave, and the heavy traffic still hanging on from rush hour is making our commute back to Baker Street is making us dangerously close to being late, but I hop out of the taxi just as Dr Watson limps down the street. Oblivious to us, he steps forwards and knocks on the door before dad calls to him from behind.

"Hello," dad says cheerily as he steps out and hands the cabbie our fare with a "thank you."

Watson turns around, holding out his hand as we approach. "Ah, Mr Holmes."

"Sherlock, please," he insists, wringing the doctor's hand.

Watson looks to me and offers his hand. "And Sophia, isn't it?"

I nod politely and shrug as I take it. "Or Sophie, I don't mind."

John nods and looks around. "Well, this is a prime spot. Must be expensive."

"Oh, Mrs Hudson, the landlady, she's giving me a special deal. Owes me a favour. A few years back, her husband got himself sentenced to death in Florida. I was able to help out."

I smile, remembering the old man. I can now place where I remember Mrs Hudson from. Mr Hudson was an abusive husband who ran a drug cartel and sexually exploited his wife and the other exotic dancers he had in his club.

"Sorry, you stopped her husband being executed?"

Dad smiles at John, who is, at the moment, looking fairly impressed.

"Oh no. I ensured it."

John gives dad a puzzled look as the door opens, and Mrs Hudson opens her arms for both of us with a broad smile.

"Sherlock, Sophia, hello." We step into her embrace briefly before dad steps back to present John to her.

"Mrs Hudson, Doctor John Watson."

"Hello,"

"How y'do?"

Mrs Hudson gestures us in, smiling happily. From her body language and the way she's treating him, it's clear she thinks Doctor Watson is dad's partner. "Come in."

"Thank you."

"Shall we?" Dad asks as John doesn't move forward.

"Yeah," Mrs Hudson mutters and holds the door open for us as we go through.

Dad pushes past and lopes upstairs, then pauses as he waits for us to catch up. Doctor Watson is hobbling up the stairs in front of me and there isn't enough room to push up on through, so I follow up slowly behind. As we finally reach the landing, dad swings the living room door open dramatically and walks in, Dr Watson and I following a few steps behind.

"Well, this could be very nice. Very nice indeed," Dr Watson says, looking around impressed.

"Yes. Yes, I think so. My thoughts precisely," dad looks happily around the flat, "So I went straight ahead and moved in."

"Soon as we get all this rubbish cleaned out ..." he finishes, simultaneously. I grimace and John looks around at me awkwardly. "Oh. So this is all ..."

"Well, obviously I can, um, straighten things up a bit," dad says, walking across the room and half-heartedly throws some of my school folders back into a box whilst I attempt to tidy up by piling up a stack of books. I don't know much about the Holmes family, but I don't think tidiness has ever been one of its strengths.

John looks around and notices Billy, the skull, sat on the mantelpiece and he lifts his walking stick to point at it. "That's a skull."

"Friend of mine. When I say 'friend' ..." His only friend, or at least, the closest I've ever known him to have.

Mrs Hudson finally makes an entrance, and I watch as she picks up the cup and saucer dad was drinking from yesterday. Scanning for a book in one of the boxes, I sit down to read, taking off my greatcoat and scarf and throwing it into the kitchen. I might pick it up later.

"What do you think, then, Doctor Watson?" Mrs Hudson asks as she continues to flit around the room. "There's another bedroom upstairs if you'll be needing two bedrooms."

Again, I find myself having to stifle a grimace.

"Of course we'll be needing two." Doctor Watson says, looking confused.

"Oh, don't worry; there's all sorts round here. Mrs Turner next door's got married ones," she says, sounding confident. As if dad would get involved in such trivial matters such as love, let alone marriage. Not now, anyway.

Doctor Watson looks to dad for him confirm they aren't involved in that sort of business, but he seems oblivious. Mrs Hudson walks across the room and into the kitchen, then turns back to frown at me and dad.

"Oh, Sherlock, Sophia. The mess you've made." I bite my lip and raise my eyebrows as she picks up my coat and scarf and hangs it up, then starts tidying up our science equipment.

As Doctor Watson walks over to the armchair closest to the kitchen and sits down opposite the chair dad favours, I look over my book and scan him over, seeing if I can dig up more facts about him. Lives alone (obvious), traumatic past (obvious), and unwealthy (again, obvious - why else would he be looking for a flatshare?)

He looks up to dad who is still tidying up. "I looked you both up on the internet last night," John says, out of the blue. Dad turns around and my head snaps up.

"Anything interesting?"

"Found your website, The Science of Deduction."

I chuckle, whilst dad smiles proudly. "What did you think?" John sends him a disbelieving look, and dad looks comically hurt. It's our website, to be fair, but I don't update it half as much as dad does. I only tend to use it to drop the odd observation that dad misses from the case summary, but that doesn't happen often.

"You said you could identify a software designer by his tie and an airline pilot by his left thumb," Doctor Watson recalls, and I laugh again. It's quite a simple deduction, and the airline pilot is primary school knowledge.

"Yes; and I can read your military career in your face and your leg, and your brother's drinking habits in your mobile phone."

"How?" Watson questions, but dad smiles and turns away. People who ask us that are rarely satisfied with the answers we give: it's usually better if we don't explain ourselves.

Mrs Hudson comes back through from the kitchen, holding a newspaper that she found on the table. "What about these suicides then, Sherlock? I thought that'd be right up your street. Three exactly the same."

Dad walks over to the window and looks out as a car rumbles to a stop outside. There's been a fourth - but something's different about this one.

"Four," dad states looking down at the police car, its blue lights flashing against the opposite wall. It seems Lestrade has decided to contact us at last, but he wouldn't have come so soon unless something was different. "There's been a fourth. And there's something different this time."

I stand, placing my book on the table as the door opens downstairs.

"A fourth?" Mrs Hudson gasps, confused.

Dad turns to face Lestrade who he watches trot up the stairs.

"Where?"

Lestrade looks to me before answering. "Brixton, Lauriston Gardens,"

A small gasp slips through my lips. That was where I was found after I ran away.

Dad ignores this. "What's new about this one? You wouldn't have come to get me if there wasn't something different."

"You know how they never leave notes?"

"Yeah."

"This one did. Will you come?"

"Who's on forensics?"

"It's Anderson," Lestrade answers, anticipating our reaction and I groan. It never ceases to amaze me how low Scotland Yard's standards must have been to employ Anderson. Then again, I wouldn't exactly describe the rest of the force as particularly bright.

"Anderson won't work with me."

"Well, he won't be your assistant," Lestrade answers, as if that makes it okay.

"I need an assistant." dad mutters.

"What about Sophie?" Lestrade asks, gesturing towards me. I make sure I look keen, but I know I'll come either way.

"No, she'll come as well, but I need someone with medical experience."

"Will you come?"

"Not in a police car. We'll be right behind."

"Thank you," Lestrade says sincerely, before casting a quick look at Doctor Watson and Mrs Hudson and hurrying back down the stairs.

Dad waits until Lestrade has closed the front door before he leaps into the air, his fists clenched in exuberance, and twirls on the spot. I watch him with a wide grin - sometimes he really can be a bigger kid than me.

"Brilliant!" dad cries. "Yes! Ah, four serial suicides, and now a note! Oh, it's Christmas!" I throw dad his coat and scarf before retrieving mine from the hook in the kitchen. "Mrs Hudson, we'll be late. Might need some food."

"I'm your landlady, dear, not your housekeeper." Mrs Hudson sighs.

Dad opens the cupboard drawer closest to the kettle and pulls out the ID card he swiped from Lestrade last week and I tap my pocket to make sure I have mine. I might need to pickpocket Donovon again sometime. "Something cold will do. John, have a cup of tea, make yourself at home. Don't wait up!"

"Bye!" I call, giving them a quick wave before I follow after dad. I get as far as the front door before it clicks. "Wait, Sherlock!" He glances back. "John Watson is an army doctor. His experience is exactly what we need."

His eyes widen, and he sprints back upstairs, almost knocking Mrs Hudson over in his haste to go up. I consider going after him but can't be bothered to exert the extra energy so instead, I lean against the wall, straining my eyes to listen to the conversation.

It doesn't take long; Watson appears at the top of the stairs just a few seconds later.

"Sorry, Mrs Hudson," he calls, coming down the stairs behind dad. "I'll skip the tea. Off out."

Mrs Hudson reappears at her door and glances at me before coming out, looking disappointed. "All of you?"

I make to move towards the door, but dad spins around on his heel and walks back towards her. "Impossible suicides? Four of them? There's no point sitting at home when there's finally something fun going on!" He takes her by the shoulders and kisses her on the cheek.

"Look at you, all happy," she says, smiling. "It's not decent."

"Who cares about decent? The game, Mrs Hudson, is on!" Dad pushes past me and races through the door and onto the street in time to hail an approaching cab. As it pulls up in front of us, I follow dad into the back and pull the rear-facing seat down, allowing Doctor Watson easy access to the seat beside dad.

Going on past experience, I know the journey to Brixton will take around three-quarters of an hour, depending on London traffic so I pull out my phone to keep me occupied. Dad copies me, pulling out his own before starting to update our website with the recent developments.

I become aware, ever-so-often, of Doctor Watson stealing nervous glances at me and dad. It must be strange for him: we only met this afternoon and he knows very little about us, but already he has moved in. Now he's joining two strangers on a long taxi ride to a location on the other side of London. He's braver than most, I'll give him that.

Eventually, dad gets the point and lowers his phone. "Okay, you've got questions."

"Yeah, where are we going?"

"Crime scene. Next?"

"Who are you? What do you do?"

Dad looks at him. "What do you think?"

"I'd say private detective ..." Doctor Watson begins but trails off.

"But?"

"... but the police don't go to private detectives. And they definitely don't let their daughters tag along."

"I'm a consulting detective," dad explains. "Only one in the world. I invented the job. Sophia is training up to be the second."

"What does that mean?"

"It means when the police are out of their depth, which is always, they consult me."

"The police don't consult amateurs."

I choke on my laugh, and dad sends him a hurt look. He's going to prove his point if it kills him.

"When I met you for the first time yesterday, I said, 'Afghanistan or Iraq?' You looked surprised."

"Yes, how did you know?"

"I didn't know, I saw." I look up, curiously. Time to check my deductions. "Your haircut, the way you hold yourself says military. But your conversation as you entered the room said trained at Bart's, so Army doctor – obvious. Your face is tanned but no tan above the wrists. You've been abroad, but not sunbathing. Your limp's really bad when you walk but you don't ask for a chair when you stand, like you've forgotten about it, so it's at least partly psychosomatic. That says the original circumstances of the injury were traumatic. Wounded in action, then. Wounded in action, suntan – Afghanistan or Iraq." All right so far.

"You said I had a therapist."

"You've got a psychosomatic limp – of course you've got a therapist. Then there's your brother."

This was where he lost me in Bart's yesterday: I assumed he got that information from Watson's phone which I didn't get to see.

Dad confirms my assumptions in his next breath. "Your phone. It's expensive, e-mail enabled, MP3 player, but you're looking for a flatshare – you wouldn't waste money on this. It's a gift, then." He holds his hand out expectantly for the phone and John gives it to him. "Scratches. Not one, many over time," he says, pointing to the screen. "It's been in the same pocket as keys and coins. The man sitting next to me wouldn't treat his one luxury item like this, so it's had a previous owner. Next bit's easy. You know it already."

"The engraving."

Dad flips the phone over to show me the words on the back.

'Harry Watson

From Clara

xxx'

A gift from a family member - a female, going by the nail marks underneath the protective cover. I can't be sure, though. While it's not impossible that 'Harry' is a nickname and they are in a homosexual relationship with this 'Clara', it is statistically more probable that they are heterosexual and that 'Harry' just has slightly longer nails than the average male. It's clear dad is convinced Harry is male, but even so, something is niggling at me telling me that's not the case. There's no way to tell for certain without a microscope

"Harry Watson: clearly a family member who's given you his old phone," dad continues as I hand the phone back. "Not your father, this is a young man's gadget. Could be a cousin, but you're a war hero who can't find a place to live. Unlikely you've got an extended family, certainly not one you're close to, so brother it is. Now, Clara. Who's Clara? Three kisses says it's a romantic attachment. The expense of the phone says wife, not girlfriend. She must have given it to him recently – this model's only six months old. Marriage in trouble then – six months on he's just given it away. If she'd left him, he would have kept it. People do – sentiment. But no, he wanted rid of it. He left her. He gave the phone to you: that says he wants you to stay in touch. You're looking for cheap accommodation, but you're not going to your brother for help: that says you've got problems with him. Maybe you liked his wife; maybe you don't like his drinking."

"How can you possibly know about the drinking?" Doctor Watson asks slowly looking confused and a little upset.

Dad smiles. I think I can see where he's coming from. "Shot in the dark. Good one, though. Power connection: tiny little scuff marks around the edge of it. Every night he goes to plug it in to charge but his hands are shaking. You never see those marks on a sober man's phone; never see a drunk's without them. There you go, you see – you were right."

"I was right?" John repeats, sceptically. "Right about what?"

"The police don't consult amateurs."

I hold my breath as silence fills the cab. This is the moment that will either make or break our relationship, the moment that so often turns sour.

"That ... was amazing."

I turn to the doctor in surprise. While there have been a few people who haven't punched dad in the face after he has deduced them, an expression of fascination is extremely rare. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the army doctor, but that wasn't it.

Dad's seems so surprised that he's physically unable to answer for almost four seconds, his eyes blinking rapidly as he tries to compute what John has just said. "Do you think so?"

"Of course it was. It was extraordinary; it was quite extraordinary."

"That's not what people normally say," I say, quietly.

"What do people normally say?"

"'Piss off'!" Dad says, smiling at John for a moment before the doctor turns towards the window, smiling madly.

I watch him with puzzlement for a few seconds before nudging dad with my foot.

He looks up at me, confused. "What?" he mouths.

"You've got to stop doing that," I say in a low voice, glancing over at John whose back is still turned to us.

"Why?"

"Because it freaks people out!"

Dad rolls his eyes. "That doesn't matter. I need an audience for my genius: I'm a show-off - that's what we do!"

I shake my head in disbelief, but can't help but give him a small smile until the cab makes a turn and I realise where we are.

The taxi drops us at the opposite end of the road to the crime scene and turns, heading back the way it came. As I look around at the narrow street, the memories come flooding back. If I remember correctly, there is an old abandoned house a short walk down this road; around about where that police tape is...

"Did I get anything wrong?" dad asks Doctor Watson as he gets out.

"Harry and me don't get on, never have," Watson confirms. "Clara and Harry split up three months ago and they're getting a divorce; and Harry is a drinker."

Dad smiles to himself, obviously impressed with himself. "Spot on, then. I didn't expect to be right about everything."

"And Harry's short for Harriet." Dad and I stop in our tracks. A smile creeps onto my face at the realisation that I picked up on something dad didn't.

"Harry's your sister," dad realises.

Doctor Watson continues walking. "Look, what exactly am I supposed to be doing here?"

"Sister!" Dad says furiously through gritted teeth while I start walking forward again, catching up to John within seconds.

"No, seriously, what am I doing here?"

"We need you to check something out," I tell him as we approach the tape, being deliberately vague so as not to deter him.

"There's always something," dad mutters to himself from behind us and I roll my eyes. I'm really regretting not voicing my theory: just imagine the bragging rights I could have had if I did.

"Hello, freaks," Donovan greets us in the friendly manner that makes her so characteristically endearing.

"We're here to see Detective Inspector Lestrade," dad says as he catches up.

"Why?"

"We were invited."

"Why?" she repeats, purposely getting on dad's nerves.

"I think he wants us to take a look," dad retorts, sarcastically.

"Well, you know what I think, don't you?"

Dad lifts the tape for me to swing under, then follows. "Always, Sally." He inhales deeply and I take his lead, doing the same and picking up on a distinct scent. She's wearing a different deodorant to usual - one marketed towards men. It's a familiar brand. "I even know you didn't make it home last night."

"I don't ... " I smirk happily at her loss of words, so she looks over to Doctor Watson. "Er, who's this?"

"Colleague of mine, Doctor Watson," he turns to John, "Doctor Watson, Sergeant Sally Donovan. Old friend," dad says, his voice sprinkled with sarcasm.

"A colleague?" Donovan asks sceptically, "How do you get a colleague?!" She turns to Doctor Watson. "What, did he follow you home?"

"Would it be better if I just waited and ..."

Dad gives him a look and lifts the tape. "No."

As Watson ducks under the tape, Donovan lifts her radio to her mouth. "The Freaks are here. Bringing them in."

She leads us over to the crime scene and my stomach tightens as I realise it's the house I was found in after mother died. I feared it would be when Lestrade first mentioned Lauriston Gardens.

I decide to distract myself and bury my feelings once more - I can't let them get to me, especially when I'm on a case. Fortunately, a distraction steps out of the house as we reach the pavement.

As Anderson approaches in one of the awful coveralls, I inhale through my nose again to confirm my theory and smile as I identify the same scent on him as was on Donovan.

"Ah, Anderson," dad sighs. "Here we are again."

Anderson looks at us with distaste and reluctance. "It's a crime scene. I don't want it contaminated. Are we clear on that?"

Dad nods and I hear him inhale. "Quite clear. And is your wife away for long?"

"Oh, don't pretend you worked that out," Anderson scoffs. "Somebody told you that."

"Your deodorant told me that."

"My deodorant?"

"It's for men," dad says sarcastically.

"Well, of course it's for men! I'm wearing it!" Anderson retorts and I roll my eyes. It worries me that the lead officer on forensics is oblivious to such obvious observations.

"So's Sergeant Donovan," dad answers, and Anderson pales.

Dad sniffs again. "Ooh, and I think it just vaporised. May I go in?"

Anderson points at us, fury etched upon his face. How cute. "Now look: whatever you're trying to imply ..."

"I'm not implying anything," dad says as we walk past, heading for the front door. "I'm sure Sally came round for a nice little chat, and just happened to stay over." He turns back and scans Donovan over, so I do the same. "And I assume she scrubbed your floors, going by the state of her knees."

They look back at dad in horror, earning them a smug smile as we turn and head inside.

[officialtrashbin]

Always

O o f  so I don’t think this was at all what you were waiting for anon but I hope you enjoy it all the same!

Rating: M+, for prostitution, smut, and dark themes Alternate Universe. Corvus/Proxima, mentions of background pairings.

* * * * *

He’s had the audacity to dream his dreams again, and in them, he’s done something terrible.

* * *

She lays next to him in bed, an uncareful creature she’s grown in to, smoking a cigarette. He looks at her, covered only by the corner of the sheet; the lights from the building across the street flicker, and the crimson shadow of the neon sign spills into the room in intervals, bracketing her impossibly soft, blue face. She makes him feel a certain way.

“I missed you,” he says.

“Is that all you missed?”

She’s being coy. He puts his hand on her thigh and traces the momentum of her pulse. Her skin prickles where it bends under his fingertips.

He tells her, “Sometimes I miss dying.”

“Oh, Corvus.” She leaves her cigarette burning in the ashtray and straddles his waist, framing his face with her hands. “I am already so lonely when you aren’t near. What would I do with myself?”

“They make toys for that.”

She laughs from her chest, he notices, a self-contained thing. Her mouth captures his. She tastes like the accumulation of her line of work—ash, whiskey, a handful of mint—then, distantly, against the back of her tongue akin to the ghostly whisper of words never spoken, him.

* * *

The first time is business.

He was supposed to be meeting his brother in a decently priced motel in the lower historic district, but a run-in with the Shi’ar had delayed their reunion almost a full week. Corvus decides three days in that he’d rather not spend another night alone, and wanders the city streets at dusk, hood cast up to defend against the downpouring rain.

The place he finds half an hour later is called Sanctuary. Down the alley to its right side, protected from the weather by a long, sloped roof, he glimpses a lone Kree eating out an escort.

He goes up the steps and knocks. The right front door swings open. A woman standing in the foyer glares squarely into his face; her deep green hair is braided back, and she isn’t dressed like any of the escorts. She looks more of a hit-for-hire type.

“Hurry in,” she says to him. “You’re letting the heat out.”

He steps inside and she shuts the door behind him.

“You’re new,” she observes. “What are you looking for? Comfort? Fun? Prices start at three hundred.”

He hadn’t thought about that. His eyes briskly traverse the foyer, taking in the luxurious, classy interior; there are buyers, men and women and otherwise, all different species, with escorts to match the same array of variance, occupying the vast, open corridor.

He shifts his weight.

“Haven’t decided yet.”

He knows he has to buy eventually, but he has leeway with picking who he wants; he takes a second glance at Gamora, and quickly realizes she’s the guard. She carries knives and pistols to deter the potentially dangerous clientele.

“Also, no weapons,” she tells him, holding out her hand. “You can come collect when you’re finished. Don’t worry, I lock these things up.”

“I understand.”

He gives her his glaive and she disappears through a door to the right. Without the staff in hand, he feels vulnerable. But, he tells himself, it’s only for one night. So, he gathers his wits and paces the length of the hall, peering through the doors to learn the building. The rooms are open, cylindrical shaped, social venues. Only one of them yields alcohol.

He steps in, and sees her.

She’s sitting at the forefront of the bar, chatting idly with the server, a woman who doesn’t dress like an escort either; she’s in a navy teardrop dress. The softness of the lace is apparent in the way it moves with her, a painter’s brush stroke on a blue canvas, when she folds one long leg over the other.

He swallows drily.

“I’m assuming you’ve found your taste,” Gamora says next to him. She’d managed to advance on him in his daze, and he curses himself for being so careless.

“Perhaps.”

“Midnight is expensive, but worth the pay, if you enjoy getting your dick snapped in half.” Gamora hears glass break the next room over, and huffs. “I need to tend to that. See me if you require anything.”

“Will do.”

When she leaves, he finally deems it safe enough to move. He goes to the bar and internally practices his lines before laying his hand on the back of the stool and pulling himself into it. She pays him no mind, only throws back her shot of whiskey and then puts a cigarette between her teeth.

The server behind the counter is a tall, blue-skinned woman, with sharp cut cheekbones. He orders a round from her, on the rocks, and finishes it before finally saying something to Midnight.

“How much?”

“You can’t handle me,” she shoots back, giving him a disinterested once-over with her eyes.

He scoffs. “I’m a creature of arrogance. I can handle you, or I’ll die trying.”

That gets a smirk out of her. She says, “Seven.”

He could do seven.

* * *

There are rules. Subjective ones. Guidelines, followed by a golden reassurance that the Master of the House won’t tolerate harm to his escorts by penalty of death. When the lock on the door is secured in place, he asks her about her own additions. She kisses him, slides easily out of her dress; it puddles on the rug.

“I don’t beg for anything,” she says, “or ask for mercy from an outstretched hand,” she slides her finger under the length of his belt like slitting open an envelope, “and I like it rough. No exceptions, or I’ll take your money and throw you out.”

He considers that a challenge.

The sheets are clean, though the bed creaks under them, worn from years of use. It’s only a matter of time before he gets his mouth on her breast and three fingers buried to the knuckle inside of her, and he’s denied her orgasm each time she’s gotten close. She grinds her hips. Calls him a bastard flarkin’ tease.

“Want to come?” he hisses against her neck.

“Fuck—yes, yes—”

“Then beg.”

And she does.

* * *

Afterwards, when they’re both spent and exhausted, he isn’t sure what to do with himself. He sits on the foot of the bed and lights a cigarette. He registers the sudden chill of her bare skin against his back, her soft breasts to his shoulders, and the definition of her muscles as her arms come around his waist. He feels inadequate in her presence. Not good enough for her.

She sets her chin against him. “That was fun,” she utters, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Won’t you stay the night?”

“Another time,” he says honestly.

“So you’ll be back, then.”

“Maybe.”

Maybe becomes yes, becomes always. It’s the closest thing to a promise he’s ever had to make.

* * *

He only sees her once a month after work steers him elsewhere. Each time, her price gets lower, though he’s willing to pay anything she asks; it’s always business, a long and involved process from start to finish. The fifth time, they sit up in bed at nearly dawn, having gotten no sleep, and she tells him things he doesn’t know what to do with.

“I envy you,” she says.

“You wouldn’t, if you knew what I was.”

She’s halfway through her cigarette. He picks it from her mouth, takes a drag.

“I don’t care what you are,” she says. “What matters is that you’re free. You can leave this place any time you want.”

“Can you fly a ship?”

“I can.” She turns her head to look at him. “But. You should know better than me. Nothing is that easy—especially leaving behind a life so lived in.”

He takes another drag, and gives her the cigarette back. “How much for another round?”

“For you”—she falls into him, putting her lips on his—“free of charge.”  

* * *

Each year, the dead are less dead. That’s what his father used to say, and when translated from their language into the common tongue, it’s roughly equivalent to calling oneself old. He doesn’t want to wait for old age to claim him. Not after everything he’s seen, not after what he dreams—such terrible dreams that he wakes up next to her in a panic, reaching for her hand in the dark.

“Corvus?” she utters, half-awake. “What is it?” She rolls over and holds him against her chest. “Was it a nightmare?”

“The dead,” he says, “they become less dead.”

“I always think you want to tell me the truth, but then decide that saying something cryptic is easier.”

That isn’t an entirely untrue observation. He breathes in deep, feels her pulse through her skin.

“What about you?” he asks.

She considers it, and tells him, “I dream of leaving, of being elsewhere.”

Though, he finds out, there is nowhere to go, or anywhere else at all; he listens to her tell him about the planet she came from, Kree-controlled and Kree-mined, always at war. Wide awake, they sit at the edge of the mattress; she talks, he listens. Half-way through her criticism of her own species he leans over and lights his cigarette on hers. She smells like yesterday—the cheap summer ale, hand-washed linens, parlor smoke, soap; he debates whether to invite her back to bed.

Then she gets close to him, and whispers in his ear.

“Will you take me away from here?”

* * *

The escort’s name is Ebony Maw, which indicates that he’s opinionated. He is with Proxima when Corvus isn’t, a good friend of hers, perhaps, always a preference for the male clientele and studiously to the point with everything he speaks of. Corvus has never had a reason to talk to him. Maw, however, finds him when he’s leaving late one morning, and delivers an opinion anyway.

“What has she fed you this time?”

Corvus bares his fangs. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Of course not.” Maw presses his fingertips together and smiles grimly. “You are not the first. Let me guess—she’s asked you when you’ll take her away from here. Softened you up with her ambitions and her rectitude towards the Kree?”

His fingers tighten around the neck of the glaive.

“Perhaps you should ask her what happened to Ballista Grim.”

Corvus snarls. “You’ll find I care little for your commentary. I have somewhere to be.”

The Maw says nothing to that, and watches Corvus leave.

* * *

He doesn’t go back for nearly two months, but the allure of another night with her eventually outweighs his own pitiful resolve and he saunters through the doors and finds her at the bar and relives the first moment they collided lives, gentle as derailing trains. It’s routine by now. They lock eyes, she doesn’t say a word to him, throws back her drink and snuffs her cigarette. She takes his hand, guides him upstairs to that secluded room at the end of the long, long hall and fucks him hard against the mattress.

In the afterglow of it, she tells him, “I thought you weren’t going to come back this time.”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“I know Maw said something. He doesn’t like you much.”

“I don’t care if he does or doesn’t.” Then, “Who’s Ballista Grim?”

She lights a cigarette and reaches over to the window, sliding the panel open to let the cool city air into the room. “A lot like you. Killed people for a living, came here a few times a month to let off steam, and I took a particular liking to her. Maybe I have a type.”

“I assume you’ve made a bad habit out of falling for your clientele.”

She laughs. “Of course not. Lista was…different.”

“As for me?”

“As for you,” she says. “You’re…” She smiles distantly, perhaps reflecting, and sucks in a drag. “Lista was the one who put the idea in my head. She wanted to buy me.”

“I take it the Master of the House didn’t appreciate that?”

She offers him a smoke and he takes it. “You see, Than—I mean, the Master, has plenty of hires, and other methods of income. He shouldn’t be so worried about one woman being purchased out of his care, but…” She shrugs. “When the offer to work was made to me, I chose this. I wanted to be here, at least, in the beginning.”

“What changed?” he asks.

“I learned that everything is violence,” she replies. “Love, war, life. All of it is a battle, with a losing side and a winning side. I thought that escaping my homeworld would change that. When Gamora was ordered to put a bullet in Ballista’s head, I realized how naïve I truly was.” She snuffs out her cigarette on the nightstand ashtray. “I know now that anywhere I go will be like this, but at least I will go to war on my own terms.”

He touches her thigh. She feels cold as the night, and alive.

She wipes at the tear in the corner of her eye and tells him, “You’ll be relieved to know, though, they haven’t talked about you yet. Maw is the only one who suspects anything, but he’ll keep his mouth shut.”

He wants to tell her that they can’t threaten him. They can’t kill him. Instead he kisses her and pulls her down into the sheets with him.

She wraps her legs around his waist and holds him close. “I need to know something, Corvus.”

He hums into her neck.

“After everything I’ve told you… Will you still want to take me away from here?”

He hesitates. Slowly, he puts his hand on her cheek and holds her gaze.

“Always.”

* * *

In his dreams, he does something terrible—to her, for her. It’s dawn and they’re still awake, sharing words, and she’s telling him once more about how much she can’t wait to leave here. Here. He realizes only now that here means everywhere, means this life. He could do it. He could do what she asks of him, what the dreams warn him of; take the blade hidden under the bed and push it slowly through her throat.

“Proxima—”

His hands are shaking.

The tip of the dagger lurches through the first layer of skin, and a drop of blood careens down her collarbone. He can’t get the image out of his head. Being near her makes the dead become less dead.

“I love you,” he hisses through grit teeth.

“Oh, Corvus.”

Her hands slide into his, holding him there.

He inhales deep and takes in the scent of her nearness. His own mind is rendered unreliable—he knows only that he’s about to make a decision, one way or the other, even when both end in disaster.

She says, “Will you finally take me away from here?”

[theydontknowaboutusimagines]

Outside the Rain - Harry Styles Series (Part 1)

“Love is a word I’ve been trying to find” 

The closer you got to the venue, the higher your nerves got. There was a churn in your stomach as the driver pulled into the back parking lot to drop you off at the stage doors. That night you had a performance, something you’ve done practically you’re whole entire life. You’ve been surrounded by the tour life and musicians ever since before you could walk. Performing up on stage in front of an audience was something you lived for.

Nothing in the world made you happier than standing up on stage and singing your music. So, why were you about to blow chunks over this particular one? Well, because it wasn’t any performance. It was an elite and special performance. You were performing at the Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony with none other than Stevie Nicks. 

Or as you like to call her Aunt Stevie. 

See, your father plays the drums in Stevie’s band, which means you’ve grown up with her being in your life and plus she’s your Godmother. Being the daughter of musicians, you were constantly on tour with someone. Whenever Stevie was touring with Fleetwood Mac or not touring, your father was touring with other bands. 

However, you didn’t really connect with anyone else the way you did with her. 

The bond you two shared was indescribable. She helped you through so much, especially in your teenage years. Your first heartbreak, your first experience of puppy love, etc. Hell, she was basically the reason you were where you were in your life. 

At the age of three, the first time you can remember a show, is when you decided you wanted to be on stage. In fact, you actually did just that. You were standing at the side of the stage during one of Stevie’s shows. It was a smaller venue because it was more of a pop up show than a full on tour. Your mother was talking to someone else backstage, while you were staring at your Aunt Stevie the entire time. 

You didn’t even acknowledge your own father at the drums even though he was at a closer vantage point. At this point, Stevie was talking to the crowd about the next song, and as soon as the opening of the song started playing, you found yourself going out on stage. It was like your feet just sort of took over before the rest of you could react, but then again you were only three. 

The song was ‘Edge of Seventeen’ and you started dancing alongside of her and as soon as she noticed you, pulled you closer and the rest was history. Anytime you were at a show with her, you would come out and perform that song with her. 

And tonight wouldn’t be any different. Except, it was very different. It wasn’t just  a show in front of Stevie Nicks fan, although you were sure everyone in that building would technically be her fan. But it was also in front of a mountain of legends, Rock legends... and well, you were far from a rock legend. 

You started a career in the music industry at the age of fifteen with a group of your closest friends back home. You four formed a popular girl band that was super successful. You traveled all over the world, met tons of new people, sold millions of copies of each of your four records. 

But then it got to be to much, so you each decided on taking a break back in 2013. 

And it was a much needed break. 

However, being surrounded by music your whole life, you couldn’t get it out of you. You tried doing other projects like working with brands and designers and doing a few acting jobs, but nothing gave you the same feeling as music. 

So, then you decided on adventuring on your own. And since then, you’ve produced two solo records, slightly different from one another. Your debut album was a mix of both pop and rock. While it was perfect for radio play, there was definitely some rock and alternative undertones mixed in. And your second album, that you released last year was a little more folky/country inspired with a little pop mixed in. 

Both of your albums went number one and you had very successful tours and you loved having all of the creative input on your music, but you did miss having your girls around. You missed putting on a huge performance, with dance breaks and just having a great ass time. 

Which is one reason you all were thinking about getting back together, something not even your families really new yet. 

But you couldn’t think about that right now because you had a huge, huge performance, oh and speech, to worry about. Yeah, so not only were you performing, but you were also giving a speech to officially induct Stevie into the Hall of Fame. Writing the speech was easy. Like super easy, it’s the telling it part that you were nervous about. 

And it sort of didn’t help that you would be teaming up with someone else as well. When you found out that you would be presenting the award with Harry Styles, you didn’t know how to feel about it. You knew your Aunt was really close to him because she had talked about him quite a bit over the last few years, in fact, she’s actually tried to introduce the two of you countless times since she’s met him, but it never really worked out. 

The first time you would meet him would be at rehearsals and you had no idea how long or what he included in his speech, so hopefully you two would have time to compare before the show tonight. 

“There you are,” a loud voice came over the speakers from the stage. 

You looked up, seeing your godmother, smirking at you. 

“I got a little distracted on the way in,” you said taking your guitar out of it’s case. 

“Y/N, you’re going to do great. I don’t understand why you’re nervous,” she said walking over to you. 

“Yeah, we’ll of course you’d say that because your fucking Stevie Nicks,” you rolled your eyes. “Plus, this your night. A night you’ve earned.” 

“And you’re fucking Y/N and this is just as much your night as is it mine,” she said. “Besides this isn’t just my song now, it’s our song. It wouldn’t be right to perform it without you.” 

“Well, then what are we standing around talking for,” you joked. 

**

Harry was scrolling through his phone in the car as he was on his way to the venue. He still couldn’t get over the fact that he was not only performing with Stevie Nicks in front of countless rock legends, but that he also had the honor of presenting the award to her. That was an honor in itself. 

Harry was always looking forward to performing, but he still got nervous, especially over this one. He still had a lot to prove in regards to him being a rock musician. A lot of people still viewed him as Harry Styles from One Direction, which was fine, but he wanted people to take him and his music seriously. 

When he got to the venue, he could hear rehearsals had already started. The familiar sound of Edge of Seventeen coursed through backstage. He smiled as he took his guitar and headed straight to the stage doors. Harry wasn’t set for rehearsals for another half hour, but he couldn’t pass up this chance. 

Harry sat his guitar case down as he bobbed his head to he beat and quietly sang along. His gaze went straight to Stevie on stage, but it quickly adverted to the person next to her. 

Y/N. 

When it came to Y/N, he was quite the fan. He remembered dancing around with his sister Gemma to your music from your girl group and seeing them in concert at one of their shows in Manchester. There were plenty of times you both were present at the same award shows, especially when One Direction were in their prime, but he never got the chance to meet you. 

The day Stevie had asked him about performing and being the one to induct her, she also mentioned that she was having you participate as well. He would be lying if he didn’t feel himself blush at the mention of you being there. He knew how close you and Stevie were because she had always talked about you  in conversations. 

Seeing you up on stage, during the rehearsals, he could see just how close you two were and how amazing you. He couldn't wait to see the actual performance later that night. 

**

Once you were finished, you felt a little more relieved because rehearsals went great. As you were taking your guitar off, you noticed someone walking up onto the stage. You knew exactly who it was, Harry Styles. He and Stevie embraced and you sort of awkwardly stood to the side. 

“Y/N, come over here, I think it’s time for you and Harry to finally meet,” she laughed. 

You got up from putting your guitar back in its case and walked over. You held out your hand. 

“Nice to finally meet you,” you smiled. “She talks about you nonstop.” 

“Same here,” Harry smiled taking your hand. “And she talks about you as well.” 

“Lovely,” you joked. 

“You two sounded great,” he added. “I’m looking forward to seeing it tonight.” 

“Thank you,” you smiled. “Well, I uh better let you two get to your rehearsal. But uh, Harry, I don’t know if you have any plans after, but I uh, I was wondering if you maybe wanted to do a run through of our speeches?” 

“Yeah, sure. I’ll uh come find you once we’re done?” He asked. 

“Sounds good,” you smiled picking up your case and walking off the stage. 

**

Harry made his way to your dressing room backstage once he finished his own rehearsals. He was more than ready to get up on stage for this once in a lifetime opportunity, but he didn’t want to rush it either. He wanted to make sure he savored every minute, so while he couldn’t wait to get on stage, he was glad the show was still a few hours away. 

When he got to the door that had the printed sign with your name on it, he knocked softly before he heard a soft “Come in,” from the other side. He turned the doorknob pushing the door open. 

“Hey, is uh, this a good time?” He asked. 

“Perfect, I was just looking over what I wrote,” you smiled. “How did rehearsals go?” 

“It was fun. We sounded good and everything went smoothly. I hope tonight goes the same way,” he said. 

“I know exactly how you feel,” you said. “but if it helps, my Aunt Stevie thinks we belong on that stage next to her, even if we feel like we don’t. And honestly, I’m trying to tell myself that’s the only approval I need.” 

He laughed, “I’m telling myself that very thing. It doesn���t help that we’re both the youngest people here it seems like.” 

“True,” you laughed. “But luckily tonight’s not about us... so that helps take  little pressure off.” 

“Just a smidge,” he joked. 

You laughed, “Um, here have a seat. I have my speech written out. I know we have to give it to the producers before showtime so they can put it on the teleprompter, but I wanted to maybe compare in case we have some similar parts, so we’re not repeating each other.” 

“Oh, yeah, good idea,” he nodded walking over to sit next to you on the small red couch. 

“So, basically um, I start off with some personal memories and moments...” you said. “Uh... actually if you want, you could just uh read it...”

“Oh, okay, yeah, sure,” he said. 

You handed him your journal and he read over it. Sitting there while he read it, you instantly regretted it because you were feeling super awkward. 

“Wow, that’s... amazing,” he said. “I’m a little self-conscious about my own speech now.”

“Sorry...” you laughed. 

“In comparison to my speech, I think they’re going to fit well together,” he said. “Yours is from a more personal side, which makes sense and mine, while there are some personal aspects to it, it’s more so talking about her as an artist and her career achievements. I have it on my phone, if you want to read mine.” 

Before you could answer, he took his phone out of his pocket holding it out in your direction. You nodded, taking it in your hand and looking it over. 

“Did your mom really say that?” You laughed once you were finished. 

“Still does, actually. All the time,” he joked. 

**

This was it. The performance was less than twenty minutes away. You were in your dressing room waiting for them to call you to the stage. You would be opening up the show with Stevie, which you knew the whole time, but now that it was time for it to happen, your nerves were back. It also didn’t help that you watch the stupid live-stream of the red carpet while you were getting your hair and makeup done seeing exactly who was going to be in the audience. 

Yes, it didn’t really matter, but that didn’t help your nerves at all. There was a knock on your door before it opened it. You looked up in the mirror to see your Aunt standing there. 

“I figured I’d find you in here,” she said. 

“Because you knew I’d be freaking the fuck out?” You mumbled. 

“Yes, because you’ve always done this,” she said. “Before any big show, you always second guess yourself and your talent. You constantly reassure yourself, you’re fine, but you’re not.” 

“You’re right, I’m not,” you groaned. 

“Okay, sit down. I’ve got work to do,” she said. 

You sighed sitting down on the couch and looking at her. 

“When they told me I was being inducted, they told me to chose which songs I wanted to perform. Out of all of my songs, I chose Edge of Seventeen as the first song, do you know why?” She asked. 

“Because it’s a great song...” you said.

“No, because that song reminds me of you. Ever since you walked out on the stage as a three year old little girl, that became your song for me. I know it was quite a few years ago, but do you remember how you felt that night on the stage?” She asked. 

You nodded, “I didn’t really have a care in the world. I just wanted to be on stage next to you.” 

“Exactly, so take that feeling up with you on stage tonight,” she smiled. “Along with this...” 

She grabbed the bag, you didn’t realize she had, and took out a black hat.

“Is that-” you asked. 

“I want you to have it,” she smiled. “And I’m glad it goes perfectly with your outfit.” 

Your lips pulled into a smile as you wrapped your arms around her, “I love you.” 

“I love you, too,” she smiled. 

**

Since Stevie was opening the show, Harry stood side stage to watch the performances before he was due on stage. The audience went wild as soon as the opening notes started playing and Stevie appeared on stage. You were standing next to her, playing guitar and singing along. You were wearing a black velvet blazer with a lace bralette underneath, paired with matching flared pants with a light pink accent inside the flares and black heeled boots.

 You were also wearing a black hat, something Harry instantly recognized. He couldn’t take his eyes off of you as you performed. There was a smile across your face the entire performance and even though he had his own performance in less than ten minutes, he was a little sad when the song was over. 

Stevie quickly embraced you at the end of the performance, kissing your cheek. You smiled pulling away and clapping for her before making your way off the stage. When you came down the steps, you saw Harry standing there in a bright blue velvet suit. 

“You fucking killed it,” he said. “Wow. I think I should have gone first, you’re a bloody natural.” 

“Thank you,” you smiled taking a sip of water. “But don’t worry, you’ll get it done.” 

He smiled and the two of stood side by side while you watched the other performance. 

**

When it was time for Harry to go up on stage, you watched the whole thing. You were blown away. You knew the two of them had performed together previously, but this was the first time you were witnessing it first hand. 

After his performance, Harry joined you backstage again. He took a few gulps of water while you two waited for your speeches. 

“I think Tom Petty would be proud,” you stated. “You really did a great job honoring him.” 

A pink tint flushed his cheeks, “T-thank you,” he smiled. 

“Y/N, Harry, you’re on in five minutes,” one of the producers said. 

You both nodded, “Ready to do this?” You asked. 

“More than ready,” he smiled. 

You both were standing backstage waiting for your cue. When it was time, Harry offered his arm to you, you smiled wrapping your hand around it before the two of you walked out on stage. 

“First I would like to say, what an honor it is to be here tonight. To celebrate this amazing achievement for the one and only Stevie Nicks. But she isn’t just Stevie Nicks to me. She’s Aunt Stephanie. I’ve had the honor and blessing to grow up with her by my side. Because of her, I’m not only the person I am today, but also the musician I am today. 

It was at one of her shows, that I discovered that this is where I wanted to be, up on stage in front of thousands of people, telling a story through music. Because that’s exactly what she did and still does, I might add. She was more than just apart of my family, she was also a friend. Someone I could always go to whenever I needed someone. 

The very first song I learned on guitar was Landslide. I remember when I played it for her after hours and weeks of practice, I was so excited, yet nervous because I wanted her to like. I wanted her to have faith in me. So, I played it for her around bonfire we were having in the backyard of my parents house. I was seven years old, holding a guitar that was bigger than me. 

When I was finished, I quickly looked to her for approval and her exact words were, “It was okay, but you could do better.” Now, I know what you all are probably thinking, but it wasn’t meant in that way. She meant that I needed to make the song my own. Yes, she wrote it and it was her song, but if I was going to sing it, I needed to make it my own. 

Of course, at seven years old I had no clue what that meant exactly, but I was determined to figure it out. So, everyday for the next few weeks, I locked myself in my room and did everything I could to “make it my own.” 

And I never did. Not until she told me to stop worrying about what she thought or just focus on what I felt when I heard the song. 

See that’s the thing with my Aunt Stevie, she was never one to focus on herself. She always tries to help others find their best self. She taught me so many things, not just with music, but in life and how the two coincide together. 

When I wrote my first song, I remember she told me that you want to tell a story. You want to give the song a meaning. You want to touch not only other people who listen to your music, but also yourself because if you don’t love and feel a connection with your creation, then nothing else matters. 

And she said the same thing to me tonight. I won’t lie to you and say that being here tonight isn’t scary or a little daunting. And hell, tonight isn’t even about me, but she made sure I was okay. She made sure that I knew I was good enough to be standing next to her. 

So, yeah, all the amazing things she’s done over her career may have gotten her this amazing honor, but she’s more than just musician. She’s an absolute fucking legend, both as a musician and a person. 

Aunt Stephanie, I, along with everyone else Welcome you to the Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame for the second time,” you smiled. 

Applause took over the room. Harry walked up to the microphone and laughed, “Um, I think I’m just gonna go after that one,” he joked. 

You laughed standing back a bit while Harry gave his speech. The audience was captivated the entire time and laughed at the bit about his mother. When his speech was over, Stevie walked over and you both handed her the award. She smiled hugging both of you tightly before walking over to the microphone, while you and Harry stood to the side to give her, her moment. 

**

Backstage there were tons of press and interviews, you had do, once that was over, you went back to your dressing room. You took off the hat and drank some water, when heard someone knocking on your door. 

“It’s open,” you said turning to face the door. 

Harry poked his head, “Hey, sorry to bother you, but uh, I uh... I was going to grab some dinner with some friends in a bit and I wanted to uh, give you an invitation if you would like to join.” 

“Oh, uh, um, sure, give me like ten minutes?” You asked. 

“Perfect,” he smiled before leaving. 

You looked back in the mirror and touched up your makeup and hair before grabbing your things and heading out. 

“There’s my girl!” You heard your dad say when you walked out of the room. 

“Hey, Dad,” you smiled hugging him. “You still good? You’re not gonna like pass out or anything?” 

He rolled his eyes, “I’ve been doing this before you were even born.”

“Exactly,” you laughed. 

“So, I was thinking we could grab a bite to eat before heading back to the hotel. Stevie’s coming, she’ll be ready in a bit,” he said. 

“Um, actually, I have plans,” you said. 

“Oh, you do?” He sounded surprised. 

“Um, yeah, Harry, invited me out to dinner with some of his friends,” you said. 

“He did... I didn’t know you knew him,” he said. 

“Well, I mean, tonight’s the first night I’ve met him,” you said. 

“And he’s already asking you out for dinner,” he raised an eyebrow. 

“Oh my god, it’s not like that,” you rolled your eyes. 

“Let her go, Y/Dad’s/Name,” Stevie said from behind him. “It’s just dinner besides they need some time to talk, get to know each other.. you know.” 

Both you and your dad looked at her. 

“What?” She asked. 

“Are you trying to play matchmaker with my daughter?” Your dad asked. 

“Go have a good time, Y/N. Now, let’s go, I’m starving,” she said walking past you and your father without answering the question. 

“Just let me know when you get back to the hotel,” he said. 

You laughed nodding, shaking you head before going to find Harry. 

**

On the ride to the restaurant, you two talked about the events of the night and other little small talk conversation topics. When you got there, you both walked in and saw a table with a quite a few people. The only two chairs that were left, were right next to each other, so you and Harry sat down. 

“Hey, everyone, this is Y/N. Y/N, these are my friends,” Harry smiled. 

“We have names,“ Jeff smirked. 

You laughed, “Nice to meet you,” you smiled. 

You took the menu and skimmed over it before deciding on what to order. Everyone at the table was having their own conversations, so you looked over at Harry. 

“So, I feel like I should probably tell you this, but I have a feeling my Aunt is trying to hook us up,” you laughed. 

“You got that feeling too?” He laughed. 

“She basically admitted to it,” you laughed. “And when I saw admitted, it was more of by omission. She changed the subject when my Dad brought it up.” 

He laughed, “Just so you know that’s not why I invite you here tonight. I did that on my own accord.” 

“You did, did you?” You smirked causing him to blush. 

“I did,” he nodded. 

You smiled tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. “Are you staying in New York long?” 

“Just another day. I’m flying out the day after next,” he said. “You?” 

“Actually, staying a few more days. I have some meetings,” you said. 

“Oh, are you working on a new album?” He asked. 

“Sort of,” you laughed. “There’s a little bit a discussion going on.” 

“That sounds.. interesting,” he said. 

“I’d give you more details, but I don’t have them myself,” you laughed. 

Harry was just about to say something when you heard a familiar voice call out your name. You looked up, past Harry and saw one of your closest friends, who actually was also your ex-boyfriend from when you were a teenager. 

“Joe?” You smiled. 

You stood up from the table, walking over to him. “What are you doing here?” 

“Me and Sophie were just having dinner, when I saw you. Thought I’d come by and say hi,” he said. 

“I’m glad you did,” you smiled hugging him. 

“Hey, the Hall of Fame thing was tonight, right? How’d that go?” he asked. 

“It went,” you laughed. “It was fucking everything, at least I think so.” 

“Well, you kill it every time,” he smiled. 

“Oh, let me introduce you,” you said. “Joe this is Harry Styles, Harry this is Joe Jonas.” 

“Oh, hey man,” Joe said holding out his hand. 

“Hey,” Harry nodded shaking his hand. 

Joe looked over at you smirking, “Fuck off,” you mumbled. 

He laughed, “Anyway, I’ll let you get back to your date... I mean dinner. Text me later?” 

“I hate you,” you rolled your eyes. 

“If only,” he joked. “Bye,” he waved to Harry before walking away. 

“Sorry about that,” you said sitting back down. 

“No, it’s okay,” he smiled. “Their new record’s pretty good.” 

“Yeah, I’m glad they’re back,” you smiled. “I think they’re doing a show tomorrow night, would you want to go with me?” 

“Um, sure, I don’t think I’ve got anything planned,” he said. 

“Okay, I’ll send you the details later,” you smiled. 

“Is that your way of asking me for my number?” He smirked. 

“Damn, you got me,” you giggled. 

He laughed, “Hand me your phone?” 

You took it out of your purse and handed it to him. He quickly added himself as a contact in your phone before handing it back to you. You smiled opening up  new message and sending him a smiling face emoji. 

“There now we both have each other’s numbers,” you smiled. 

**

Over an hour had passed from getting your food and finishing it. You didn’t realize how long you all had been at the restaurant until you got a text from your dad. 

Still Alive? 

Are any of us really alive?

Drunk?

On a scale of sober to Mom at Bradley and Max’s wedding, I’m like somewhere in the middle. 

So, you’re like normal drunk. 

Sure. Let’s go with that. 

Do I need to come get you? 

Dad, I’m joking! I’ve only had like one drink and I didn’t even finish it. We’re finishing up here, I’ll be back at the hotel soon. Promise. 

His hotel or your hotel. 

SERIOUSLY. CAN YOU NOT. 

Hey, I’m just asking questions here. 

Questions you don’t need to know the answers too. But if you must know. MY hotel. 

Good answer. I’m going to bed. Good night and I love you. 

Oh and I’m proud of you tonight. Good job.

Thanks Dad. I’ll see you at breakfast in the morning. Goodnight. 

“Everything okay?” Harry asked. 

“Oh, yeah, but I should probably get going. I didn’t realize how late it was getting and I’ve got a meeting in the morning,” you said. 

“Of course, let me get you car,” he said. 

“Oh, no that’s okay. I can get it,” you said. 

“It’s fine, I need to get one too anyway,” he smiled. 

“Okay,” you agreed. “But I’ll get you one for tomorrow night.” 

He laughed,”Sounds good.” 

 After a few more minutes, your cars had arrived outside of the building. You two both headed out the door, when you saw that there were not only paparazzi there, but also fans waiting outside. They all screamed when they saw both you and Harry, so you both walked over to them. 

You each took a few photos and signed some things before heading saying goodbye and heading out to your cars. Harry gave you quick hug before opening the door for you and getting in his own car. As few moments after your car had pulled away, you got an alert on your phone. 

I had a really great time tonight. Looking forward to seeing you again, H.

You bit your lip trying to hide the smile threatening to cross your lips. You didn’t want to jinx it or say anything too quickly, but it appeared that Aunt Stevie just might get her wish granted. 

**

Thoughts? 

Should I continue?

What are some things you want to see happen? 

Also, do you like the voting idea, where every now and then I’ll ask for you all to decide what happens next and then surprise you with the outcome? 

Let me know! :)