#the fact she couldn't even remember the cafe was the first place they met also subtracts to her negative account | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

moonchildstyles · 2 years ago

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shy

being mr. azoff's assistant was y/n's dream job, it was just a bummer that his most beloved client seemed to hate her.

wordcount: 13.5k+

—————

"Did you want anything, Harry? (Y/N)'s about to make a coffee run."

Although she'd never admit it, (Y/N) held her breath as she fiddled her fingers behind her back, awaiting any response. She already had a good idea of what he would say when he bothered to give an answer, but she still had a tiny hope he'd prove her wrong.

"No, 'm alright."

He didn't even raise his head from where it was buried in his phone. Mr. Azoff gave (Y/N) that same polite smile he always did whenever Mr. Styles rejected her services, like he wasn't sure why Mr. Styles wasn't more accepting but it wasn't his place to ask or change the habit. Mr. Azoff treated her right and that was what she tried to focus on, not that the fact his best friend and someone she could consider to be a creative idol, couldn't seem to even give her a moment of his time.

"Okay, I'll be back in a minute, Mr. Azoff," (Y/N) chirped pleasantly, well versed in how to brush off being brushed off.

(Y/N) was grateful for the fact her boss's preferred shop was only a few blocks away from his office, giving her the chance to clear her head with fresh (or as fresh as it could be here in L.A.) air instead of stuffing herself into her car.

Mr. Styles was always like this. Why it still bothered her when he brushed her off or ignored any of her offers of help, she wasn't sure, but it did. That world famous kindness that circulated within the industry as well as what was flung around Twitter had been what she was expecting when she finally made it through the vetting process to be hired as Jeff Azoff's assistant, knowing full well who one of his biggest clients was. She had been realistic, knowing that Harry Styles wasn't going to be her best friend, fawning over her at all times, or suddenly fall in love—this wasn't like those stories she remembers reading when she was young—but she had figured he would give her more than a passing glance the first time she met him.

Since that first day where he offered a single sentence introduction, she'd been waiting in vain for anything more to happen. More often than not, his conversation would stop when she entered the room or go quiet enough to let her know she wasn't to be included. He gave her plain smiles, not even the hint of a dimple, when he bothered to acknowledge her presence, usually when he would skirt around her to leave the room she'd just entered. She never got a chance to experience firsthand the humor everyone praised, the kindness he all but trademarked as a middle name, or the gentle vulnerability he gave to those who needed it. He could barely even meet her eyes, his gaze moving to his phone or where he plucked at his sleeves or painted nails.

To be fair, she was still fairly new at the job, only about six months in to her position, so there was a good chance he still needed some warming up after being so used to Mr. Azoff's last assistant that had been employed for years before relocating and leaving the position. Mr. Styles was also known to be shy, something a few others had disclosed to her when they noticed she didn't have much to add whenever he was brought up. Maybe he needed a little more time, and that was something she was more than willing to give, along with the space it seemed he needed.

At least until his European tour started. Then, he would have to at least get used to her presence, seeing as they were to be sanctioned to matching flights, hotels, and backstage areas for the better part of the next three months. She wouldn't be able to give him much space then. Hopefully he wouldn't hate her more after those ninety days together.

As much as the walk to the cafe and the extra Matcha latte she treated herself with, cleared her head and had her back on her feet after being blown back by the nonchalance paid to her entire existence by someone she felt singled out by, the effect could only last for so long when she entered the office.

Before pushing the door open, she could hear the voices inside happily chattering away. Mr. Styles' cackling laugh that she was sure had his eyes creasing closed with his head thrown back was the most prevalent noise, something she usually only caught the tail end. As she expected, the second she gave a gentle rapping of her knuckles against the door just before pushing it open, all sound stopped, even Mr. Azoff's chattering trailing off once he realized Mr. Styles was done interacting for the moment.

"Here you go," she chirped, passing along the coffee to her boss with an unbothered smile that was much stronger than she felt, "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No, no," he shook his head, "Not until this afternoon. Go and enjoy your lunch, (Y/N)."

She gave a quiet nod of her head, chancing a single look in Mr. Styles' direction. He had his gaze fixed on his hands. A flush clung to his skin, surely a lingering effect of the laughter she had interrupted.

"Okay, let me know if that changes," she offered with a short smile before turning on her heel.

Just as she left the room, closing the door behind her, she heard Mr. Azoff heave a muffled sigh on the other side.

"Harry..."

"Jeff, please. She jus'—"

(Y/N) left before she could hear much more. She didn't need to know what Mr. Styles thought about her.

—————

Despite the buzz filling the terminal, (Y/N) almost couldn't believe the way not a single person had noted Mr. Styles' presence. Not even a single muttering or whisper of his name could be heard in the busy place.

He sat in peace, a grey hoodie with the strings tied covered his torso, hood up over a pink beanie that concealed his curls. He sat with his legs spread wide, taking up space with his black sweats folded over his legs. Scrolling through his phone, he was in his own world with his chin propped up in his hand, cheek smushed against his ring-bare fingers. He only looked up when boarding was called.

(Y/N) followed quietly behind the trio of Mr. Styles, her boss, and Mr. Lambert, the tour's stylist. She could hear the tittering and quiet conversation in front of her while other members of production and the team trailed behind her. Without Mr. Azoff's wife joining them just yet for this tour, she didn't have many close friends within this group for the time being.

It was all a blur, finding her seat on the plane and placing her carryon above. She was the first in her row, huddling close to the window seat. She knew Mr. Azoff was going to join her as soon as he finished doing whatever it was he and the Harry's were doing, so at least she wasn't going to be completely alone.

Biding her time until take off while the rest of the plane filled up, (Y/N) distracted herself with answering emails on Mr. Azoff's behalf. She verified hotel arrangements, replied to all the correspondence that went along with Mrs. Azoff joining them later in the week, and anything else that needed her attention before takeoff.

Huddled into her corner of the row, the early call time for the flight began to catch up with her. The emails in front of her couldn't hold her attention against the tiny pillow she had managed to sneak into the backpack she shoved under her seat, the plush sandwiched between her cheek and the sidewall of the plane. The sound of shuffling feet as the rest of the flight filled up was like white noise to her cloud-puffed brain.

(Y/N) couldn't help herself before she was fluttering her eyes closed. Surely, Mr. Azoff would wake her before takeoff if she really passed out.

She wasn't sure how long she sat, resting her eyes with her limbs floating in the in-between realm before much of the shuffling ceased and the heft of someone settling in beside her sounded in the empty space. She didn't bother blinking her eyes open, even when she heard chattering beside her. Mr. Azoff was one of the voices, followed by someone who sounded a little too close to her for his comfort.

"Jeffery..." Mr. Styles sighed.

"Stop acting like a child, H," her boss scolded, voice stern though he was quiet, "She's asleep, I'm not going to make you talk to her."

(Y/N) was grateful for the way she had her cheeks mushed between her shoulder and her fluffed pillow. Maybe if she covered them, her seat mates wouldn't be able to feel the embarrassed heat gathering under her skin.

Mr. Styles was sitting right next to her, she realized when she heard the heavy intake of a breath leave his lungs. She wasn't sure how she'd do it, but it looked like she was going to have to pretend to be asleep all the way to the hotel. Maybe, she could convince everyone she was a very well-organized and direction-following sleepwalker if she was careful.

That thought didn't last long, (Y/N) having to break her facade at the sound of Mr. Azoff's voice calling to her.

"(Y/N)," he started, speaking around Mr. Styles. He repeated her name a couple of more times, prompting her to mime opening her eyes as if she'd been dead asleep only moments prior before he continued, "We're about to take off."

"Oh," she smiled, the curve tight, "Thank you."

If not for the fact she was sure she would die if they knew she had overheard the way Mr. Styles couldn't stand to even sit next to her, she would have hesitated more before she crossed her gaze to the man beside her. His eyes were already on her when she looked at him, expression tight as he seemingly forced a smile in her direction. His back was stiff against the seat, hands twisted in his lap with flaking nail polish. His gaze didn't linger on her for very long before he looked away, just in time for the safety spiel from the steward team.

Following suit, she followed through the motions of checking her seatbelt, absently locating the exits, and curling into her seat by the time they were cleared for takeoff. She didn't like this part, but it was enough to huddle herself against the back of her seat and brace herself with her hands clenched into the armrest to her right side.

She sat with her eyes closed, nails digging into the leather of the armrest as she felt the motion beneath her feet, the runway disappearing underneath them until the turbulence of takeoff shook the body of the plane. (Y/N) breathed her way through it, hunkering down into the slouchy fit of her hoodie.

It wasn't until the turbulence evened out, steady windfall starting in the dark of the early morning, that she felt eyes on her. Without really thinking, she blinked her eyes open only to find Mr. Styles looking to her with something softer painted over his features.

He didn't immediately flit away when her eyes met his, allowing himself to touch over her features with the warmth of his gaze. His tanned skin still held a buttery warmth even under the draining overhead lights of the cabin, stubble covering the bottom half of his face she'd never seen him grow out until recently. His eye contact was famous around the world, unrelenting though welcoming as it gave her a chance to see the flecks and streaks through the moss of his irises. (Y/N) floundered under his attention, unsure of what to do with something she doesn't think she's ever had before.

"Um—Did—Or, do you want m-my pillow?" she asked, blindly reaching for the little plush fit between her body and the sidewall.

At the sound of her voice, Mr. Styles seemed to realize what exactly he was doing and who he was glazing over with his eyes. He shook his head then, curls peeking out from underneath his beanie.

"No, thank you," he mumbled, reaching into his hoodie pocket to pull out a pair of headphones.

That was all his attention that she was granted until his headphones were plugged into his ears and she was alone again in her row.

—————

"And finally, on drums, Sarah Jones!"

(Y/N) was blown away as the area erupted into cheers she was sure could rival the screams that sounded when Mr. Styles first appeared on stage. She watched on from the mouth of the backstage area, her boss at her side with a drink in hand, as Mr. Styles reveled in the screaming and yelling, a bright dimpled smile on his face. If not for the fact she was technically there in a professional sense and this was only the second show she'd had the privilege of watching, she would have joined in and screamed and cheered for the band that was being introduced. (After getting a chance to meet every moving part of his touring band as well as watching them perform, she very much so understood the enthusiasm offered to these characters).

It was when Mr. Styles joined in on the fanfare, pumping his fist and making a noise that sounded like he was barking along with the crowd that she couldn't hold back her laughter. The layered fringe hanging from his jacket glittered in the light, matching the sheen of sweat that covered his shirtless body. He threw his head back with a bright laugh she almost wished he had the microphone held to his mouth for, just so she could hear what his joy sounded like.

Even just this moment alone was something she was sure she was always going to remember, no matter how many times she was going to witness this over and over. Never had she been to a concert that held the same energy as these arenas—and eventually stadiums—she'd visited. She couldn't blame a single person in this room for everything they did to get to this place, every moment of planning, saving, celebrating, and crying. She understood.

Mr. Styles was meant to perform. Even with his brief breaks he spent on movie sets, it was clear why he came back to this space with these people that followed him like honeybees and gave so much love and kindness to him.

She watched as he finished his introductions of the band, launching into another song that had the whole arena moving and dancing. Even without the help of the spotlight and the cameras following his every move, she was sure she wouldn't be able to keep her eyes from him; he commanded the space, with every intention of taking that attention and thriving under it.

Despite the relationship—or lack there of—off stage, (Y/N) couldn't wait to see this almost every night for however many months she had the privilege of standing stage side.

—————

"Call me if you need anything!"

Mr. Azoff shook off (Y/N)'s offer as she started off in the direction of the green room being used as the catering space for the day. A busy morning had ensued, leaving (Y/N) running around trying to find any trace of an adequate wifi connection in the middle of the venue just so she could answer emails and show up to video meetings she was attending on Mr. Azoff's behalf. It wouldn't have been so bad if not for the time differences given the fact she was on a completely different continent than any business she was working with. The stress of it all had her beat before the morning had even touched into the double digits for the day, still with another handful of hours worth of work to get through.

Finally—finally—she had typed away at every email, fielded every phone call, and spaced out the following day's agenda given the lack of a performance crowding Mr. Azoff's schedule. Now, she could sit down and eat before shuttling back to the hotel for a nap—as long as she wasn't needed for anything else, of course.

The catering space wasn't as busy as she sure it had been an hour prior, only a few others lingering about. One of the few happened to be Mr. Styles.

A clip was holding his curls back, a plain t-shirt with a pair of basketball shorts covering his legs revealed he had just finished with a workout before he would shower off and get to his soundcheck. He had his phone in hand as he forked food into his mouth, that intense look on his face that she always seemed to catch on him. His brows were knitted heavily in the middle, shrouding the bright green of his eyes in the shadow of his brow with his jaw tight as he chewed down whatever he had picked over from the table.

(Y/N) flitted her eyes to the rest of the crew littering the space before she was caught by Mr. Styles who seemed to always somehow know when someone had spotted him, even with nothing more than a phone camera. The little whiteboard catering hung above the food table was filled out with the day's menu. The prettily curved words brought a bright smile to (Y/N)'s face when she spotted the forth item down the list.

The catering team's arancini was easily one of (Y/N)'s favorite things she's ever eaten, on this tour or otherwise. She didn't care that it wasn't more than some risotto rice left over from the night before's dinner, repurposed as to minimize waste and turned into a crunchy, cheesy ball with the perfect acidic marinara served alongside it. If she could, she would live off those little pieces by themselves. Hopefully, there were at least a few left for her to devour, even if they were a little cold at this point.

Readying her plate with a small serving of Caesar salad and the lemon baked salmon (Mr. Styles' favorite and top request from what she'd heard), (Y/N) worked down the line until she reached the covered basin that held the arancini she easily dreamt of at least five times since the first bite. Lifting the lid, the fresh scent of bright tomatoes and fragrant oregano filled her senses, the bite of the smell hitting her harder with her empty stomach.

Nothing hit quite as hard on her expectant tummy than the fact she realized only a second too late that there wasn't a single rice ball left in the warmer. A thin layer of remaining sauce was laid along the bottom, but nothing was dropped beside the mushed tomatoes.

Maybe she was being a little dramatic, but (Y/N) felt her shoulders drop at the sight of the empty container. To be fair, she was almost two hours late to serving time, so she couldn't be that surprised that there wasn't any left to spare. Surely, she wasn't the only one obsessed with the parmesan coating on the outside of the sticky rice. She couldn't blame anyone for jumping on the opportunity to take as many as they could while they were there.

(Y/N) replaced the lid, taking her half filled plate to one of the small tables set up in the room. The day began to catch up with her as she sat down. Her morning had been hectic enough to suck the energy out of her bones, now combined with the disappointment of how high she put herself at the mention of her favorite food before finding it all gone. She slumped into her chair, taking out her phone and finally looking at something that wasn't work-related for the first time that day.

Every bite she scooped into her mouth was monotonous as she slipped a pair of earbuds in before screening the missed messages she'd had to ignore for the morning. Music was filtering through her headphones, the perfect distraction to her brain that felt entirely too empty now that she wasn't running at top speed like she had been the second she'd woke up. If not for the texture of each bite she took, she wouldn't know exactly what she was eating with the way she couldn't use even muster the minuscule amount of energy it would take to glance at her fork.

With her eyes glued to her phone as a video now played out on screen, (Y/N) didn't have enough room in her head to keep track of the rest of the room. As much as she prides herself on being a good assistant, especially being so new to this position, she doesn't think she would notice if Mr. Azoff walked in and screamed out her name while banging pots and pans.

That was exactly the reason she didn't notice Mr. Styles approaching her table either.

It wasn't until she noticed a plate being slid onto the table beside her, a hand complete with a tattooed cross and green glittery nails keeping a hold of the lip until she managed to pull an earbud out. Looking up, Mr. Styles still had that tight look on his face, his free hand fidgeting at his side like he was itching to get out of there.

"Yes?" she chirped, assuming he was finally taking her up on her offers to help him as well when she assisted Mr. Azoff.

Watching as Mr. Styles dropped his gaze from hers, (Y/N) had to keep from tipping her head at him. That wasn't like him at all, unable to keep eye contact. From what she knew, that was something he insisted on. She hoped he was okay.

"Um—'M full, but I thought I'd ask if y'wanted any before I threw these away," he said, his voice floating under his breath.

It was then that (Y/N) finally noted what was on his plate, finding a duo of the arancini balls she had been mourning only moments earlier. The same fragrant, acidic sauce laid underneath it along with shreds of parmesan cheese sprinkled atop, the same way she would have plated it. She had to keep herself from drooling at the sight.

"A-Are you sure?"

A beat passed, the green of Mr. Styles' gaze finally meeting hers again. "I thought these were your favorite."

(Y/N) had to stop herself from letting a pinch touch at her brows. "I mean, yeah, they are, b—"

"Then, 'm sure."

The deep vibrato of his voice was more soothing than any note of music she played could ever hope to be, the same voice she'd had the privilege of listening to every night while on the road on the loudspeakers. Despite the giving nature of his tone, underlying softness floating alongside, she knew there wasn't much room to argue. Besides, (Y/N) didn't think she had the strength to say no to his offer with that plate in front of her.

"Thank you, Mr. Styles," she smiled, reaching for the plate as he retracted his grip.

A chaste smile curved his lips, the tip of his nose seemingly blushing red before he gave her a quiet nod of his head. He didn't say anything else before he walked away, leaving her to constitute her two plates of food into one with that warmth in her stomach that could have energized her enough to work another hectic morning. Her only complaint was that she wished he would have sat down with her. She'd even give up his offer of the arancini if that meant he'd sit down beside her and finish his meal.

She didn't see him again until he was leaving the greenroom with a granola bar in hand, one bite already taken out. She had thought he said he was full.

It was with that thought that, shortly after, (Y/N) realized she had never told Mr. Styles what her favorite food was.

—————

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear (Y/N), happy birthday to you!"

(Y/N)'s skin felt warm with all eyes on her, a sheet cake in front of her with frosting flowers and twinkling candles stuck through. She didn't know what to do with everyone's eyes on her, twisting in her spot with a shy smile on her lips as the song came to a close. Fluttering her eyes to a close, she blew out the candles while everyone cheered. A wish absently flittered through her head, hoping for happiness to come to everyone in this room with her as they deserved so much after surprising her with a birthday celebration in the middle of an international tour.

"Thank you all, so much," (Y/N) muttered once the room grew quiet, her fingers knotted into a sheepish pile as she swept her gaze across the gathered crowd, "I didn't even realize anyone knew it was my birthday, this really means a lot. Thank you."

All of her new friends, crew and production members for the tour that she had grown close with over the last few weeks, all gave her mixed mutterings of more birthday wishes, that of course they remembered, and they were all more than happy to be a part of this with her. After the show tonight, they all promised to take her out to one of the clubs in town to help her celebrate before they would be off for the next city the following day. Cutting the cake came next, the grouping of crew began to break off as conversations rose in volume in the green room, leaving (Y/N) to soak in the atmosphere as the creamy icing spread over her tongue at first bite.

She truthfully had no idea anyone had been aware of her birthday, let alone have the time to put something like this together. Sure, it wasn't a huge celebration, but the fact a cake had been secured, complete with personalized frosting spelling out her name while on the road, was enough to have her heart hurting from how full it was. Even Mr. Styles had made it, huddling himself in one of the small corners with his arms folded across his chest as he sang along to the birthday song. She was pretty sure he had even been a few minutes late to a fitting for the next slew of tour outfits just so he could be apart of something like this for her.

"Happy birthday, (Y/N)," Mr. Azoff said, coming up behind her with his wife only a few paces behind, both with a plate of cake in hands.

(Y/N)'s features softened immediately as she took him in. "Thank you so much, Mr. Azoff," she started, still disregarding every invitation for her to call him by his first name, "You didn't need to put anything like this together at all. Really, thank you so much."

He would be the only one that might recall her birthday, she figured, coming from her hire paperwork. Besides, they spent enough time together she may have accidentally let it slip out while talking. Mr. Azoff would definitely be the kind of boss that would do something like this for her.

Instead of the humble way he swept away her gratitude she had been expecting, her boss let out a bubbling peal of laughter. Mrs. Azoff matched (Y/N)'s confused expression, knitted brows and all as they looked at him.

"I didn't put this together," he clarified, shaking his head before spearing another bite of cake, "I've been so busy I can't even remember what year it is, let alone the day."

"Oh," (Y/N) sounded, face dropping. "Do you know who it was then? I just want to thank them properly."

A shared look happened between the Azoffs, the missus' blonde brows raising in her husband's direction as if she was wondering the same thing. Mr. Azoff gave her a pointed look, flicking his gaze to (Y/N) for only a moment before he raised a brow. Realization seemed to spring across Mrs. Azoff's face, the kind (Y/N) was hoping she could share in.

"Tell her," Mrs. Azoff mumbled, quiet enough (Y/N) knew she wasn't necessarily meant to hear the command. She watched as Mr. Azoff floundered, his lips pressing into a thin line with wide eyes as if he were pleading with her without words. "Jeffery, I think it would be nice for her to know. He's not going to mind."

Her reasoning seemed to loosen him up some, only enough to have his gaze returning to (Y/N)'s with a small pivot. "Sorry," he told her, excusing the last few moments with a chaste smile on his lips, "Um—It was Harry. He was the one who remembered and put this all together."

(Y/N) had to keep her jaw from dropping at the new information. Her fork was limp in her hand. "Really?"

"Mhm," Mrs. Azoff chirped, "He was the one who came to us, telling us he had everything all planned out, we just needed to be here to surprise you. He did a good job, didn't he?"

The picture of Mr. Styles standing so nonchalant in the corner of the room, singing quietly to the birthday song while she stood in front of the warm glow of the sparkling candles took on a new tint. This had been all of his idea, even the light pink and warm green frosting spelling out her name with petite flowers on the sheet cake had been his idea. The cake itself was even her favorite flavor, something she was doubting was a coincidence.

"Really?" she asked, the question feeling dumb on her tongue but she couldn't help but ask.

"It's all he's been talking about his last couple of days off. He wanted to make sure everyone knew and would be able to come celebrate with you."

Mrs. Azoff's warm smile along with her boss's quiet curl to his lips was all the confirmation (Y/N) needed to know they were being completely serious. They were acting as if they were sharing a secret with her despite the room full of people that were in on it before she was.

"Th-That's really nice of him," she settled on, unsure if there were any real words that could convey just how much the idea of Mr. Styles planning this little surprise made her heart ache. "I'm going to have to tell him thank you when he has a minute."

"I think he'd really like that," Mr. Azoff told her, voice quiet as if he were sharing a tiny secret.

With the way Mrs. Azoff looked at hm after he spoke, (Y/N) wondered if there really was another secret she wasn't privy to.

—————

Screaming cheers filled the SUV the second the door flung open, Mr. Styles piling inside with a towel hung over his shoulder and a bright smile gracing his features. His energy was vibrating off of him in waves, intoxicating the small space of the car as they pulled out of the venue as the curtains closed behind them. (Y/N) never really got to see him this closely after a show, tonight being an occasion that Mr. Azoff and she were to head back to the hotel with him right away in prep for the late night meetings needed before any of them were to be dismissed to bed (Mr. Styles' next album was coming up closer and closer, and labels needed answers if he wanted the vinyl pressings to be done in time).

Tonight, (Y/N) was packed into the backseat of the SUV with Mr. Styles, feeling that bright energy he harnessed on stage settling in like another person sitting between them. He used the towel offered to him by security to wipe off his glistening face, sweat soaking the fabric though he didn't stop smiling.

"Jeff, Jeff," Mr. Styles started, pulling on the neckline of his blueberry embellished top, drawing the fabric away from his skin, "Did you see that back there?"

She watched as her boss let out a small laugh, turning around where he sat in the front passenger seat to face his client. "See what, H?"

The smile that broke out on Mr. Styles' face somehow grew bigger. His breathing was still coming in pants, something (Y/N) wasn't sure was coming from his excitement or the lingering exertion from his stage time. "That girl, she was dressed like a clam and her head was the pearl! I think she had a sign too, but I couldn't see it because every time I looked, she was dancing and I couldn't stop laughing."

"Oh, that's why you could barely finish singing Sushi?" Mr. Azoff pressed, matching Mr. Styles excitement with his own bubbling smile. A small glance was flicked in (Y/N)'s direction, as if she were telling her to get a load of this guy.

"It was so funny, Jeffery," Mr. Styles insisted, the purple leather of his pants squeaking against the seats with the way he couldn't manage to sit still, "It was like there was a bobblehead out there, but with these little legs." Just when Mr. Azoff went to answer, Mr. Styles completely changed with his jaw dropping before he turned to (Y/N) with another layer of excitement brewing in the car. "Wait, (Y/N)! Did you see that girl dressed like a fairy? She was standing with the angel and the sushi roll!"

(Y/N) tried to school her features, keep the surprise off her face at the fact Mr. Styles was acknowledging her—and with a smile too! Attempting to focus on the question at hand, she racked her brain for whoever it was that he was referencing. "Maybe. Were they standing in pit?" she asked, settling into the leather of her seat with Mr. Azoff watching on with a less than neutral expression giving away his own shock.

"Yes, yes," Mr. Styles chattered off, "Towards the exit catwalk! She had on big sparkly wings, and everything!"

"Oh, yeah," (Y/N) perked up, giving him a matching grin, "That was the same costume—"

"—you wore for Halloween!" Mr. Styles cut her off to finish her own sentence, bouncing in his seat in time with the rhythm of the pavement underneath the wheels of the car. "That's why I noticed her! Y'had the same wings, and the dress, and everything, right?"

This time (Y/N) wasn't as smooth to recover at his words. She had been the only one to dress as such for the holiday, and she hadn't thought Mr. Styles had seen her at all in his own rush to be dressed in his own costume and prepping the extra song he was to cover for the occasion. It could have only been twice where she thought he might have seen her, especially as more than a blur that had to run past while doing whatever errands Mr. Azoff needed.

"Y-Yeah," she bubbled off, pretending she didn't stutter in hopes that no one else would notice, "that was my Halloween costume. I didn't realize you noticed."

The curls that flopped over Mr. Styles' forehead added to the boyish sparkle in his eyes as he looked at her, dimples denting his cheeks. "Your's was m'favorite costume."

It was only a second later that Mr. Styles was distracted once more in his adrenaline-fueled post-concert excitement, drawing Mr. Azoff into another bubbling conversation about a moment that happened on stage. (Y/N) was left to settle into her spot, seatbelt tight around her chest as her heart struggled to beat out of its cage.

If he wasn't careful, (Y/N) was going to start thinking he didn't hate her.

—————

(Y/N) sidestepped out of the doorway, allowing Mr. Styles to brush past her in his rush to exit the room she'd just entered. He didn't bother to even make eye contact with her or shoot her an awkward smile she'd become accustomed to. All she caught of him was his strained expression as she bounced into the room, feeling much more awake this morning after the bubbling excitement she felt while riding back to the hotel with Mr. Styles being so happy to talk with her.

That excitement drained as soon as she saw the way he all but flinched at her presence now that the after show adrenaline had worn off. Mr. Azoff seemed just as surprised at the blatant switch as he watched Mr. Styles run off.

"Uh—Good morning, Mr. Azoff," (Y/N) attempted to chirp out.

She could see the way he floundered for words, his eyes flicking between her and Mr. Styles' retreating figure she was forcing herself to keep from glancing at. "(Y/N), I—"

"It's okay, it's okay," she waved him off, doing her best to convince herself with her own excuse, "He's probably still tired from last night, it's okay."

The look on Mr. Azoff's face told her he knew something she didn't. (Y/N) figured it was a secret she didn't want to know.

—————

This had to be the first time (Y/N) had ever seen Mr. Azoff so stressed, especially after setting out on this tour with his favorite client. His hair was a mess with the usual day's worth of stubble on his face now growing into almost a full beard with the way the last few days have come stumbling around him. Near constantly did he have a phone pressed to his ear, preferring to take all of these phone calls as opposed to allowing (Y/N) to take care of them like he had so far in this route.

"We don't know if he's going to be able to make it on this Friday," she heard Mr. Azoff sigh into the receiver, dragging a heavy hand through his hair. Mrs. Azoff looked just as glum as she listened into the conversation from the small couch that was set up in the living space of their hotel room. "I know—we're trying. He's barely been able to get out of bed since he got off stage last night, we haven't started on the road at all."

(Y/N) felt concern spike in her chest at the mention of Mr. Styles' state. She knew he wasn't doing so well after last night, especially with how hard he had to start straining himself towards the end of the show just to hit notes she knew would otherwise be easy for him. What she hadn't known was the fact he didn't have the strength to even get out of bed. She'd hate for him to have caught the same flu that one of the crew members had suffered through just a couple of weeks earlier.

"We don't want to cancel or reschedule anything, yet, no," Mr. Azoff rushed out, sinking into the couch cushion beside his equally as exhausted wife, "We have a few days still, so we'll see if he feels any better by Thursday. If not, I'll call you with options."

It was only moments later that Mr. Azoff hung up the call, looking just as exhausted as he started the call. Seeing as how it was Tuesday, and Mr. Styles had only a few days left to be feeling better in time to even travel for his next show, she could understand his stress.

Before (Y/N) could even offer her services, Mr. Azoff said her name with a lingering exhaustion. "Could you call one of those liquid IV offices, please? And get his doctor on a call; if he needs antibiotics, I want them picked up by the end of the day."

Very few times did Mr. Azoff feel like a boss, always talking to her in gentler tones with requests rather than demands. Not that he was flexing any superiority and unforgiving directions even now, but she knew this was something he needed done thirty minutes ago, but was still willing to accept it being done now.

That was all she needed to hear before she had her phone pressed to her ear. Even if Mr. Styles didn't care for her as much as she may have thought a week ago, she wanted him better just as much as Mr. Azoff did, and not just because of the touring schedule.

—————

How (Y/N) happened to be the only one within the central crew to have been vaccinated for the flu this season, she didn't know, but she didn't mind the added responsibility tied with the booster. Armed with a takeaway container of hot soup, a liter bottle of water, and another round of medication for Mr. Styles, Mr. Azoff sent her off to his hotel room.

Mr. Styles had all but been quarantined since he started exhibiting those early flu symptoms, a medical team having been the ones tending to him the previous couple of days as he apparently worsened into running a fever and getting sick to his stomach. It was into the late hours of the evening that Mr. Azoff finally shooed them off (at his client's request, supposedly. Mr. Styles felt bad to have so many people fussing over him, he had said), and thanked them for everything they did for his client. They were left with the tools and a regiment on the best and fastest way to get Mr. Styles healthy again. She remembered watching Mr. Azoff read over the extensive list left in his care, a humorless laugh leaving his lips and he muttered something about the miracle of this week being one of the longer breaks he had scheduled between shows.

As the crew couldn't afford anyone else getting as sick as Mr. Styles was, (Y/N) was chosen to be the first one to tend to him given the fact she would be the least likely to catch whatever virus he had—and even if she did, they could afford to have her on bed rest for a few days. Mr. Azoff had passed along the printed schedule of his medication times and what foods and fluids would be best to get his system back on track in the remaining forty-eight hours left until a decision would have to be made on whether or not the next show was in jeopardy, and she was on her way.

An apology was ready on her tongue for the second she breached the sanctuary of his hotel room, knowing that she was most likely one of the last people he wanted to see at a time like this. That was the hardest part, she figured. She wasn't afraid of falling ill or seeing him sick, it was knowing just how unwelcome she was going to be in his space, especially since he wouldn't be able to flitter away from her like she knew he was used to. But, that fear was going to have to be shoved into a box in the back of her mind. Mr. Styles wasn't feeling well and needed someone to help him, and that was what she was going to focus on.

After a quiet rap of her knuckles against his hotel room door went expectedly unanswered, (Y/N) pulled for the keycard Mr. Azoff had slipped into the bag of essentials he'd passed off to her. As soon as the handle clicked with a green light blinking, she twisted the knob carefully. A quiet creak whined from the hinges as she entered the dark room.

Mr. Styles' messy bed was empty, the only light coming from the dimly set bedside lamp revealing the creases and folds in the bedding she was sure housekeeping hadn't had a chance to come by and change since he'd been holed up in the space. His luggage was left neatly beside the closet, only a pair of brightly colored socks laid atop the case letting her know it had been touched in the last few days. If not for the fact she knew there was no where else for him to have gone without someone on his team being notified, (Y/N) would have assumed his hotel room to be deserted by the way the air felt stale as she stepped in.

"Mr. Styles? It's (Y/N). I know you probably don't wan—"

Before she could finish her apology for stepping into his space, a gagging noise from the bathroom gave away his position. That was when she noticed the sliver of light leaking from underneath the closed door.

Rolling her lips between her teeth with concern knitting her brows together, (Y/N) abandoned her doctor assembled and boss ordered care package on the bedside table. It was with shaking hands that she gently knocked on the bathroom door.

A groan answered a beat later. "Jeff, I promise 'm going to be alright in a couple of days," Mr. Styles grumbled out, voice deep and sour, "Don't cancel anything, please."

Releasing the hold her teeth had on her bottom lip, (Y/N) sucked in a deep breath. "Actually, it's (Y/N)."

"W-What are y'doing here?" was his stuttered response, raw voice leveling out in volume.

Not quite as biting as she may have expected in a moment like this, but (Y/N) had figured he would ask something of this type. "I'm the only one that's had my flu shot, so Mr. Azoff wanted me to come check on you. Is it alright if I come in?"

"Please, don't." That was the clipped response she had been anticipating, but (Y/N) thought his tone dipped into something more embarrassed than angry.

"Mr. Styles, I have water and food, and the medication you'r—"

Before she could get much further with her explanation, she was cut off by the sound of a guttural noise on the other side of the door. Mr. Styles gagged alone in the bathroom, his panting breaths being cut off only to be replaced with the sound of him getting sick.

As much as (Y/N) wanted to respect his privacy and foster a kinder relationship between the pair of them, there was no way she was going to be able to sit idly by knowing that she could help him when he so clearly needed some support. That was all it took for her to barge into the bathroom, rushing over the tiles to where Mr. Styles was hunched over the toilet.

Focusing herself on him and not what was currently leaving his system, (Y/N) stroked her hand down his back while the other worked on drawing his hair out of his face. A stray clip was fit against the top of his head, a sloppy attempt she was sure he had executed with shaking hands.

"(Y/N), no," he stuttered over her name until she felt a shudder rack his spine, his head being sent back to the toilet bowl as another round of sickness left his body.

She didn't say anything back, knowing not only would it fall on deaf ears, but this wasn't the time to start pleading with him to let her stay. That wasn't up for debate as far as she was concerned; whether he liked it or not, she wasn't going to leave him to be sick all by himself in a hotel room in a country he didn't call home. Nothing sounded more dreadful than that.

Instead, she only shushed him and lead a soothing hand down his spine with her other hand fixing his hair from his face. The strands had lost their curl after a few days without wash, matching the stale texture of his clothes that she was sure he hadn't changed out of in just as long. Having heard about how heavily he prioritized his self-care, especially when touring, she knew he really must feel terrible if he couldn't bring himself to do any of those basic things.

Nonetheless, she stayed a constant, steady presence beside him on the bathroom floor. She tucked baby curls behind his ears, the strands too short to reach clip on the top of his head, and she shushed him with a gentle hand on his back as he emptied his system before being reduced down to dry heaves and gags resulting in nothing more than stolen breath and teary eyes.

"It's okay, Mr. Styles, just breathe," she reminded him as he reached to flush the toilet, his breathing coming in rapid pants through his raw throat.

"Don't call me that," he panted, sitting back on his heels though he still didn't care to turn to face her, "I don't like it when y'call me that."

"Okay, okay," she soothed, the same word having fallen from her lips at least a hundred times at this point, "What do you want me to call you? What do you like better?"

"Jus' H, please. Want y'to talk to me like y'know me."

Her heart just about broke at how pathetic he sounded in that moment, his request just short of a whine given his burned throat. "Okay, I can do that," she agreed with a gentle pat to his back. "I'm going to be right back, alright? I brought you some water for you to sip on."

Before (Y/N) could even get to her feet, Mr. S—Harry—H twisted in his spot and raced to wrap his fingers around her wrists. He kept her from going any further with his manacle-like grip, bloodshot eyes glossy in the low light of the bathroom. "Wait, please. I-I don't want to be alone if I get sick again."

As much as she knew it was against her better judgment to leave the liter of water out in the bedroom, there was no way she could argue against him when he looked at her like that. And, for the first time ever, he was pleading with her to stay with him, not fighting for a way out of her presence. How could she say no to that?

"Okay, I'll stay a few minutes longer, but I need to have you drinking something soon," she reasoned, settling back down onto the tile floor. She crossed her legs underneath her, opting for something more comfortable than the cuffs of her knees digging into the hard floor as she was prepared to sit there for as long as Harry needed her (or until she could convince him of the importance of water right now).

Harry all but deflated with relief at her words, slumping into her arms in a way that had (Y/N) doubting he knew he was doing. Another sign of just how bad he was feeling then—he'd never seek comfort in her like this otherwise. Nonetheless, (Y/N) wrapped her arms around him without question, cushioning her back against the wall of the bathroom behind her while Harry's clumsy limbs found purchase around her. He shuffled up beside her with legs folded underneath him, his bottom on his heels. He was close enough to the toilet incase of an emergency, but his knees still knocked into hers with his arms around her waist, face tucking into the curve of her throat.

"Thank you," he murmured into her neck once he burrowed himself against her skin, his forehead clammy.

"Of course," she told him, her arms around his middle with her palms spanning the planes of his back. "Has it been like this all day?"

"Mhm," he practically whined, his nose scrunching against her skin, "I hate it. I hate being sick. I jus' want to be better already."

(Y/N) held him tighter the second she felt wetness slide over her skin, moreso than the sheen of sweat that covered his forehead. He was crying. That gloss that had lacquered his gaze had overflown, now leaking over her skin and pooling in the line of her collarbones. "I know, H, I know," she crooned to him, forcing herself to stay composed despite how much her heart ached for him then, "I brought stuff for you that's supposed to help you feel better. Do you want to try taking some medicine or drinking some water?"

"I don't think I can keep it down," he told her, voice watery as he spoke, "'M sorry."

"No, don't be sorry, okay?" she gently scolded him, shaking her head as she brought her hand up to card through the length of the curls on the back of his head.

"I jus' want to be better, (Y/N)," he repeated earnestly, a sniffle following right after to match the wiggle of his nose she felt against her skin. She wanted to be endeared at the small touch but that was quickly outweighed by the concern she felt the second another wave of tears washed over her skin, Harry's breathing shifting until she feared he would start sobbing.

"And you will be," she promised, hugging him tighter with her fingers lacing through his hair, "You need to give yourself a little more time, okay? Sleep a little more, and once you're up to it, we'll have you eating and drinking again and you'll be feeling so much better. I promise."

"But—"

Harry tensed in her arms before could finish his thought. A scramble of limbs ensued then, leaving (Y/N) feeling the absence of his warmth while he hunched over the toilet and threw up the nonexistent contents of his stomach. (Y/N) was behind him in a rush, rubbing his back and cooing to him as he began to dry heave, only bile leaving his system now.

It was (Y/N) this time that flushed the toilet down for him after a few minutes of nothing else triggering his gag reflex, proceeding to gather him back into her arms once he was settled enough to unlock his joints and allow his muscles to go malleable again.

"It's alright, H—"

"See?" he cut her off, voice particularly raw after his latest showing, "'M not getting better, (Y/N). I jus' want to be better and-and play a show and I do-don't want to let anyone down."

"You're not letting anyone down," she cemented, relaxing into the stiff sidewall of the tub as he tucked himself into her warmth one more time with his face in her neck.

"I've heard Jeff talking about cancelling or rescheduling shows," he mumbled, a sniffle following after, "I don't want to do that. S-So many people travel jus' to see me, and 's be-been so long an—"

Harry was cut off by his own crying, the stress of the situation along with the just how awful he felt in that moment catching up to him now that someone was there to listen. His grip on her tightened with his arms around her waist and his face buried in her neck, his chest stuttering with his uneven breaths and squeezes of his sobbing lungs.

All she could do then was hold him against her, as if her hug could keep him from shaking so hard with his heady breaths. Her neck was slick with his tears, the tip of his nose wiggling with every sniffle he sucked in in hopes of regulating his breathing.

"Its okay, H, really," she cooed to him, drawing one of her hands up to the back of his head with her fingertips twirling through the curls, "You need to stop crying, okay? You're only making yourself more sick by crying, you know. Just breathe, alright? It's going to be okay, I promise."

Though it took him a moment, she could feel the way he tried to heed her advice. He fought off the stutter of his sobs, his breathing coming out in shaky pulls with the exhales being long and drawn out over her skin. Her palms soothed down his spine, the length of her nails dragging over his shirt in what she hoped was calming runs.

"Feel a little better now?" she asked once he curated a rhythm of deep breaths and sinking exhales. Though she could feel just the smallest remnants of his tears having seeped against her neck, she didn't feel that dampness growing as opposed to the way it was only a few moments earlier.

"Y-yeah," he mumbled, nodding his head against her neck, "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, okay?" she told him, parroting her earlier words, "There's nothing to be sorry for. No one likes being sick, and I know you're under a lot of pressure since we're also on the road. It's okay."

A nasally little thank you sounded against her neck along with the brush of his lips being felt against her throat. A small smile touched at the corners of her lips as she felt him relax into her, exhaustion weighing him down now that he wasn't clinging to the edge of the toilet. (Y/N) tentatively laid her cheek on the top of his head, lending him more of her warmth in hopes of holding off another wave of his fever.

Just when she figured he'd fallen asleep, his breathing even with puffs of air fanning over her skin, he pulled his face from her neck. Harry's cheeks were flushed as he looked to her, ruddy and glistening with a sheen of sweat. His eyes were puffy and red, the scleras bloodshot from his crying session. Even his lips were swollen, the same hue as his red-tipped nose.

"Can I have some water?" he asked her pathetically, voice nasally given his clogged sinuses, "And a blanket. 'M really cold."

(Y/N) nodded her head right away, feeling her eyes rounding out as she took him in with pity in her gaze. "I'll be right back, okay?" she told him, brushing stray curls behind his ears.

Harry gave her another sad look, mimicking the nod of her head. "Thank you," he told her before tucking his swollen bottom lip between his teeth.

She made quick work of collecting the liter of water she'd put off to the side along with the knitted blanket that was bundled over the hotel bed. She knew that was something he'd brought from home, an item she'd seem him cart around to every venue and every hotel room to help him feel more at home despite the miles between. Hopefully it would be just what he needed in that moment.

Stepping into the bathroom, Harry was just where she had left him. He was bundled beside the bathtub, his legs now bent in front of him to make himself into a small ball with his arms around his shins. His glossy eyes seemed to widen at the sight of his blanket, completely glancing over the water in her opposing hand in favor of reaching for his token from home.

"Thank you so much," he repeated, grabby hands taking the knitted blanket as soon as she offered it to him.

Despite his aching limbs, the blanket was wrapped around Harry's shoulders in quick succession, the fabric being pulled up to his face with a finger wrapped in the material from underneath absently rubbing against his cheek. He soothed himself enough to have his eyes flutter to a close as (Y/N) settled in beside him, taking her spot against the bathtub wall with her legs criss-crossed underneath her bottom.

"Still want some water?" she asked in a crooned tone, hoping to keep from disturbing him too much from the sweetened state he was falling into.

"Yes, please," he murmured, eyes still closed.

Twisting off the cap of his water, (Y/N) offered it to him with a nudge against his shoulder. Harry begrudgingly untangled his hand from the knit of his blanket, taking the bottle with his eyes opened to only a slit.

"Only take sips, H," she told him as he raised the bottle to his lips, "Any more and it might make you sick again."

"But 'm so thirsty," he whined, brows pinching together in the middle.

"I know, but if you drink too fast it'll make you sick again," she reasoned with him, scooting in closer to him with her arm pressing against his own, "Just sip it for now and if you can keep it all down tonight, you can drink all the water you want."

Heaving a sigh, he gave a nod of his head as he heeded her advice and took small sips from his bottle. (Y/N) kept an eye on him as he drank, watching for any turn of the tide that would garner her helping him back to the toilet bowl. By the time he finally seemed satiated, handing her the bottle in search of the cap to be fixed back on top, he sunk down and lent his cheek against her shoulder. His eyes were shuttered closed once more, his hand working its way back under the knit of his blanket to press the material against his cheek again.

"Tired?" (Y/N) murmured, maneuvering to wrap her arm around his shoulders and cuddle him close.

"Yeah," he said, voice cracking some under the pressure of his raw throat.

"Here," she said, shuffling in her spot to move just far enough away from him to get a whine filtering through his throat. Uncrossing her legs, she unfurled them in front of her with her ankles folding over one another, "Lay down, H, its okay. You can put your head in my lap."

He seemed calmed at the prospect of her only moving so he could more comfortably. With his legs curled against his tummy into a ball, Harry laid his head in her lap, her plush thighs acting as his pillow. "Thank you," he sighed, nasally voice quietly bouncing off the tiles.

"When you wake up we'll take some medicine, okay?" she told him, placing her hands in his hair as she unclipped the sprout she'd made with the strands to card through his curls.

All she earned in response was a quiet okay, leaving him to fall asleep only moments later.

Sinking against the sidewall of the bathtub, (Y/N) let her own eyes close. Cuddling with Mr. Styles was definitely not how she saw this morning going. She was going to have to text Mr. Azoff to let him know not to expect her for the rest of the day.

—————

"(Y/N)?"

Humming to acknowledge the call of her name, (Y/N) continued to clean up the little medication station she made up on his bedside table now that each of the pills were in his system. She was going to have to call up for another large water bottle for him now that there was less than a fourth of the liter left. And, probably another serving of hot soup since that had been forgotten hours earlier, going cold.

"'M sorry," Harry said behind her, the warmth of his glossy gaze being pinned on her back.

"You don't need to be sorry, remember?" she said to him, constituting all of his orange and white bottles back into the small pack the medical team had prepared as she gave him a small glance over her shoulder. "No one is upset with you; it's not your fault you're sick, we all know that."

"No," he croaked, shaking his head against the fluffed pillow, "That's not what 'm talking about."

"Oh?" she asked, settling into the nest of bedding she'd made her own since they carted him back to bed after his nap. He hadn't been sick for hours at this point, the main concern shifting to fend off the fever that was sapping his energy and drawing a fog over his brain.

As soon as he saw her close once more, Harry made a move to lay his head in her lap again. It was instinctive at this point to have her hands carding through his hair, pulling the strands from his flushed skin. This time though, Harry looked up at her with his slightly hooded gaze, a touch unfocused despite the fact he'd been awake for the better part of the last hour.

"'M sorry 'm so mean to you," he breathed, a sheen collecting over his eyes as he took her in, "You're taking care of me, and I don't deserve it."

(Y/N) felt like a deer in headlights with his tired gaze on her. This was definitely not how she ever saw this conversation going—if this conversation ever happened, anyway. She floundered for words as she shook her head, distracting him with a particularly drawn out run of her fingers through his curls.

"Don't say that, okay? What you don't deserve, is staying alone in a hotel room while you're sick," she murmured, "But, you don't need to worry about that right now, okay? You don't need to apologize for anything."

To be fair, she never really considered his behavior mean. He avoided her, sure, but he was never blatantly rude to her.

"No, no," he shook his head in her lap, "'M so mean to you 's not fair. I-I barely even talk to you, and you're still taking care of me. 'M sorry, (Y/N)."

"Harry, really, I don't think you're mean, ok—"

"I jus' don't know how to talk to you, (Y/N)," he continued as if he hadn't heard a single word she said, "'S so hard to talk to you, and-and m'brain hurts when I try to think about it."

Canting her head as she gazed down at him, she dropped one of her hands from his hair only to skate over the planes of his face. She traced over the height of his cheekbone, and brushed the length of his lashes before she grazed the bridge of his nose. "It's okay, Harry," she soothed him, watching as his eyes fell closed, "It's okay to be shy. I know Mr. Azoff's last assistant was really close to you, it's fine if we're not there yet. We'll get there someday, right?"

"No," he whined, drawing out the syllable as he peeked his eyes open, "'S not like that—not like with Mallory, (Y/N). I like y'so much that m'brain doesn't work around you. It wasn't like that at all with Mallory—I didn't have a crush on her."

(Y/N) was thankful for the cover of his illness to keep him from fully noticing her reaction to his confession. While it was sweet the way he described his feelings—a crush, he'd said—that had to have been at the very bottom of the list of reasons she would have thought up as to why he behaved the way he did around her. What was she supposed to say to something like that? How was she supposed to take it given the fact that this could be nothing more than one of his delirious ramblings given the state of his fever?

"I can't believe 'm telling you like this," he muttered, eyes fluttered closed in a tight pinch as he turned in her lap. He faced the soft of her tummy, his arms wrapping around her middle as he nosed at the fabric of her top. "I smell like vomit and I haven't washed m'hair for four days, 'm sorry."

A quiet sigh left her lips as she carded her fingers through his hair, the unwashed curls slipping between her fingers. "It's okay, Harry. Don't worry about any of that right now, okay? We can talk about that later, but you need to focus on getting better right?"

"Right," he peeped, voice slowing and dredging deeper into sleep, "And you'll stay with me?"

Her answer was automatic, "Of course. I'll be here to take care of you, I promise."

It was only moments later he was asleep again, face tucked against her tummy while (Y/N) was wide awake.

—————

(YN) woke with a stiff neck to the sound of the shower running, still wrapped up in Harry's bedding though now she had his knitted blanket draped over her form. The side of the bed she had slipped him into once she was too tired to stay awake was now cold, only the impression of his body on the sheets giving away his presence.

Blinking her dry eyes, she tried to get her bearings after the long night she'd had tending to her boss's favorite client, along with every rambling confession he woke up in the middle of the night to share.

He apparently thought her hair was very pretty, wanted to share clothes with her, and thought she had a cute laugh. Though, those were only the confessions she could decipher in his sleepy, nasally voice.

She was still clothed in the outfit she'd donned the morning before, her phone waiting with a handful of texts from Mr. Azoff asking about Mr. Styles' state and if there was anything the pair of them needed now that (Y/N) had taken on the role of nursing him back to health for the time being. She pushed those messages off to the side at the moment, instead trying to untwirl her brain now that she had a moment alone without Mr. Styles' health at the front of her mind.

He liked her, he'd said—he had a crush on her even. That was why he didn't have it in himself to hold a conversation with her, too shy to speak to her without making an ass of himself. The thought made her heart flutter, a fact she couldn't deny especially after she realized the smile on her face when she recalled his exact words.

Despite the fact his kindness didn't always extend to her in the obvious ways, thinking back, she realized the signs were there. He remembered her birthday and put together an impromptu party that he couldn't even properly attend. He remembered her Halloween costume even though he was running around all day, preparing for one of the biggest shows of the year. He paid attention to her; he listened for her favorite foods, favorite colors, favorite books. While he was too shy to talk to her about those things directly, he still went out of his way to find them out and keep them to himself.

It was easier for her since she knew she got this job to send her own feelings packing, out of her head and her heart before she could find herself in trouble with an infatuation with her boss's favorite client and best friend. That fact grew even more important as soon as Harry started behaving the way he did around her, but now that she had that glimmering confession, the tender explanation, it was hard to keep those feelings from marching right back in. All those months that she had to school herself into knocking away the melancholy at the fact that one of her inspirations didn't seem to like her now were turned in a new light, trying to see those same moments from Harry's point of view.

How many times had she thought she felt his eyes on her, only to turn and find him looking the other direction? Had she really been only a second too late to catch his gaze? Every time she had chattered away with a member of the crew or Mr. Azoff himself, with Harry scrolling through his phone distractedly had he really been listening in and collecting information he was too scared to ask for? Or even the times he had dropped his gaze when she met his, the blushing hue to his skin now could be out of sheepish affection and not the need to get away from her as soon as possible.

She hadn't been invisible to him, or even a negative presence in his day-to-day, she was piecing together. He thought of her the same way she thought of him. What a heart-stopping thought.

"Morning."

(Y/N) jumped in her spot, the bedsheets rustling around her denim-clad legs at the sound of Harry's rumbling voice. Dropping back into the moment, she saw him standing just outside the bathroom door, luggage at his feet as he packed away the clothing he would need sent off to be washed before they were on their way to the next destination. A quiet smile was on his lips, a shy shifting to his gaze that kept him from meeting hers. His socked feet dug into the plush carpet on the floor, legs folded over in a pair of heavy black sweats along with a crewneck from his brand that hadn't been released to the public just yet. His hair was damp and dark, finally washed after the few days she was sure it had been bothering him.

"Morning," she chirped back, finding her voice, "How are you feeling?"

"Better," he mused, running a hand through his damp hair, "Finally getting to actually sleep last night helped a lot, I think. I took the medicine y'left on the table, and took a shower and I'm really feeling a lot better."

"Good, that makes me happy. Now, you can sleep all day and actually eat something instead of laying on the bathroom floor." (Y/N) felt proud of herself when she caught sight of the dimples denting his cheeks as he huffed out a quiet laugh.

A beat of silence passed between them as Harry finally dropped the guise of rifling through his bag to face her. Stuffing his hands into the pockets of his sweats, he toed at the ground as he looked at her through the fan of his lashes.

"Um, thanks for taking care of me and everything yesterday, (Y/N)," he drawled, a pinch touching between his brows, "I really, really appreciate it. 'M sure it wasn't easy. My mum says I always get whiny when 'm sick, so..."

"You weren't that bad," she told him with a gentle smile, crossing her legs underneath herself from where she sat on the bed, "I used to babysit when I was in college, and you are definitely not as bad as some of the kids I used to help."

"Great," he laughed with a playful roll of his eyes, "'m not as bad as a child. I'll have to tell my mum, that'll show her."

After the short peals of laughter died down, silence filled in for their voices. Was she supposed to say something? Did he want her to say something? Or was what was said last night meant to stay right there—in the evening hours, in the brain fog that came along with his fever?

"Listen," he said, swallowing hard as he finally met her gaze head on, "'M really sorry about yesterday. I know I said a lot of things, and 'm really sorry if I made y'uncomfortable or anything. I-I don't know why I said any of that, honestly."

Fighting the urge to drop her own gaze as she'd seen him do so many times before, (Y/N) kept herself focused on him, following the small droplets of water that clung to his forehead from his damp curls. "You didn't make me uncomfortable," she said, "But—um—di-did you mean it? What you said? About being shy and everything because of... me?"

Another harsh swallow had his throat bobbing, the green of his eyes disappearing for just a moment as he blinked towards the ceiling before returning. "I mean, yeah. I did mean it. I never wanted to tell y'like that, though, that's for sure. I know y'were being nice, but I definitely did smell like vomit and you're a saint for sitting there and letting me talk like a crazy person all night. I don't even know how you found time to sleep with me constantly bothering you."

"You weren't bothering me," she said, a smile cracking her features now that she realized there was no catch to his confession. There was no reason to quash the happiness filling her chest. "I thought it was really sweet what you were saying to me. It was nice to hear all of that stuff, especially since I was pretty sure you didn't like me just two days ago."

He clenched his eyes shut at her finishing words. "I really am sorry about that, I hope you know," he said with a heady sigh, "I wish I had a better explanation, but really, you jus' make me nervous."

"It's okay," she waved off, shuffling towards the edge of the bed closest to him without much thought, "You make me nervous, too—I get it."

"I do?" he asked, a boyish smile touching at his features while his eyes seemingly sparkled in the low light.

"I mean, yeah," she revealed, a duh tone to her words, "Why do you think it's always so hard for me to talk to you?"

Harry took slow steps towards the edge of the bed, his socked feet dragging through the plush carpet. "But you're always so—," he trailed off, flicking his hands out in front of him with a flourish, "Everywhere, I guess. Talking to everyone and laughing. I don't think I've ever seen y'nervous."

"Well, I don't like everyone else the way I like you, so I don't get nervous like that. It's harder to talk to you when all I want is to say the right thing."

Before she even realized it, Harry was stood right in front of where she was sat on the edge of the bed. He towered over her with warmth radiating from his chest, the heat much more pleasant than the fever he was running the night before, especially when he looked at her so sweetly with his big eyes. It was in slow movements that he brought his hands out and settled them on her wrists, only to trail down to lace his fingers between hers. When she didn't pull away or make any sound of protest, she felt him squeeze her hands.

"I like hearing y'talk. Y'have a pretty voice," he murmured, his voice just a touch deeper than normal given the last week of his life.

"I like your voice too," she beamed up at him, "Why do you think I'm always out there during the shows?"

"Because, Jeff makes you?" he teased, shyly dropping her gaze to where their hands were bundled between them.

(Y/N) shook her head, adjusting her position on the bed to sit with her bottom on her heels and her legs folded underneath her. "I like listening to you sing and talk to everyone. You're amazing on stage. It's my favorite part of being on the road with everyone—getting to see you every night like that."

He keened under her praise, canting his head as he squeezed her hands. Dimples dented his cheeks as he looked to her. "Thank you," he murmured, the blunt ends of his front teeth sinking into his bottom lip once he got his gratitude out.

Looking at him like this, feeling the strength of his hands and the heat of his skin all the while he looked at her so tenderly had (Y/N)'s heart racing. How was this real?"

"Harry?"

"Hm?"

Dropping her eyes to his lips, the raspberry color just a bit drained from his illness though he wasn't any less appealing. She spoke without thought as her stayed stuck on his mouth, "Can I kiss you?"

She watched as a smile grew on his lips at her words. "I—uh—'M sick, remember?" he protested less than half-heartedly.

"I got my flu shot, remember?"

That was all the convincing it took to have Harry dropping her hands from his, only to then cradle the soft of her cheeks in his hands. His lips slotted against hers in a tender press, allowing her to taste the clean mint of his toothpaste and whatever scented chapstick he'd swiped over his pout. She didn't even have time to think about the fact she was still wearing her clothes from the day before with unbrushed hair and unwashed skin, not with the way he was holding her and pressing into her mouth for more. It was as unhurried of a kiss as it was wanting, making up for the lost time that had been wasted over the past few months.

The contact remained innocent, only sweet presses of their lips growing more and more delicate until Harry pulled away just to press a smattering of kisses against her pout. His actions drew a laugh from her chest, her hands reaching for his shirt as he kissed her smiling mouth.

"We don't have to leave for the venue until tonight, right?" he asked, slightly breathless though he matched her smile tenfold. (Y/N) nodded her head still in his delicate grip, the pad of his thumb sweeping under her eye. "We should probably leave for a little and let housekeeping clean up a little, but 'm still really tired," his gaze flickered over hers, his smile growing that much more at whatever he found in there, "Could we go back to your room? We don't have to do anything"—that had his cheeks blushing—", but I don't want to sleep alone again after this."

That was all (Y/N) needed before she was dragging him down the hall to her hotel room, following right after him into her unused, plush bed. It was instinct at this point the way he cuddled up to her, face in her neck with his nose pressed to her pulse. All she felt was a press of his lips to the curve of her throat before he was asleep again, leaving (Y/N) the time to send Mr. Azoff a message.

Harry was fine, she told him, but he'd probably need another day of rest and looking after. A job she was more than willing to continue to take on. She'd tell him the full story later, she decided, especially after he saw the room service charges for double meals to her room.

—————

I got a request for something like this a super long time ago so thank you to whoever requested for being so patient! thank you so much for reading and sorry for any mistakes! if anyone has any ideas or requests of your own pls pls send them in !

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wosomarvel · 1 year ago

Text

communication - 04

alrighty, here it is. definitely not my best work, but i wanted to get something out before the second round of midterms starts.

i also got tickets to sinc's last international game so i am in a great mood and managed to write this in the span of an hour.

enjoy!! as always, i am open to feedback <3

this one is very angsty but with a nice dose of comfort as well.

-----

leah was worried. very worried.

the last time she'd heard from sim was over a week ago when she'd texted her a "got home safe" after camp was over. it didn't help that sim had been closed off since the conversation leah had overheard.

at first, leah thought that maybe she was just overreacting. that was before alessia had approached the captain, asking if she knew why sim was suddenly avoiding everyone after having been so joyous after the match.

leah thought she'd give the younger girl some space after everyone went back to their clubs, but on the third day after their return, leah had had enough. she'd gone to sim's apartment with two coffees from the cafe they frequented.

she gave up knocking on sim's door after the ice in her cold brew melted.

it didn't come as a surprise to leah that sim had shut down. she'd always been resistant to talking about her feelings, but leah hadn't expected her to just vanish. leah had spoken to beth, ella, alessia, and even sarina, hoping that sim had reached out to one of them.

her attempts were fruitless. it was during this time that it dawned on leah how little she actually knew about her friend. she had no idea where to look for her, or who else might have a clue where to start. she didn't even know if sim had any family.

logically, leah knew that this was by design. it wasn't that leah hadn't tried. in fact, it often frustrated leah that sim was so good at avoiding talking about anything from before they had met. and it wasn't that leah didn't know sim that well. she just didn't know about sim. she knew her favourite colour, knew how to read her emotions, how she liked her coffee, how kind she was even when she pretended not to care.

that didn't stop the pit of guilt that settled in leah's stomach like a 50lb dumbell she couldn't shake.

"still haven't heard from her?" viv asked, bringing leah back to her surroundings.

leah shook her head in response as she changed out of her training kit. "obviously, i want her to talk to me, but i'd honestly just settle for knowing that she's safe."

viv placed a hand on leah's hunched shoulder, taking a seat beside the english captain as alessia rushed into the dressing room.

"leah!" she panted, holding out her phone. leah took a look at the screen. all she saw was a pin on a map of north london.

"what am i supposed to be looking at?"

"it's sim, i sent her a voice note before training, just asking if she could please just let me know she's alright and she sent me her location and leah-"

"alessia," leah said, standing up and grabbing the girl by her shoulders, "breathe."

alessia took a deep, grounding breath as prompted, before continuing in a much less frantic tone: "she sent me her location. she's really close with you and i want you to come with me to go get her."

leah nodded before pulling alessia in for a quick hug, planting a soft kiss on her forehead. "get changed and meet me by my car. i'll drive."

-----

no sound is as annoying as the shrill voice of an overbearing parent at a kids' sporting event. at least, not to sim. a small voice in sim's head was genuinely impressed with how the sound carried from beside the pitch, all the way up to where she was sitting in the highest row of the bleachers.

she could hear it over the rushing wind in her ears and it made her sad to think that one of those kids on the pitch was going home with parents that cared more about winning than having fun. she wished she could rush down there and give those parents a piece of her mind.

then she remembered that she shouldn't even be here.

the last week had been a blur. sim knew it wasn't healthy to shut down the way she had, but she feared that if she didn't, she would break down. she felt pathetic. one conversation with her old uni rugby coach shouldn't have her spiraling like this.

somewhere between pretending that she was fine and missing her sport so much, sim had found herself itching to be near the game again. sat there at a random children's recreation league rugby game, she could hear the voice of her own parents in her head.

weak.

pathetic.

embarrassing.

she should never have come here. she was only hurting herself more.

it's just a stupid game. get over yourself.

caught up in her own head, sim barely registered the two women that moved to sit on either side of her. it wasn't until she felt a hand settle on her knee that sim came back to the moment.

she wasn't surprised at their presence. as much as she tried to convince herself that the only reason she had sent alessia her location was to put a stop to all the frantic messages, a small part of her secretly yearned for the comfort of her presence.

"we were worried about you, y'know," leah spoke softly.

sim shook leah's hand off her knee. "you shouldn't have been."

alessia's heart broke at the hoarseness of sim's voice and the way the younger girl seemed to shrink into herself. she wished she could show sim that she deserved to have people care about her.

she reached over and took sim's hand into her lap, intertwining their fingers before squeezing gently.

"we worry because we care about you, love," alessia spoke, voice gentle. sim ignored the way the term of endearment felt like a warm blanket of security. she refused to let herself feel anything, not wanting to break down in front of the two women she considered her closest friends.

"you don't have to talk about whatever is bothering you, but just let us be here for you," leah pleaded.

as much as sim wanted to keep her friends at a distance, she so badly craved the comfort she knew they could provide. it was something she'd always struggled with.

growing up, sim had learned very quickly to make herself as small as possible, to never be a bother or a burden. she'd learned to make herself easy to be around, easy to love.

"i don't want to bother you," sim murmured, trying her best to keep her voice level.

"babe, you could never bother me. don't know about leah, though. she's like a universal older sister. anything anyone does might annoy her," alessia said with a smile, feeling a sense of accomplishment at the way the corners of sim's mouth turned up.

"hey!" the skipper retorted as she reached across sim's body to smack alessia's chest.

there was a beat of silence in which sim tried to muster up the courage to actually say something. she tried to ground herself in the pressure and warmth of alessia's hand in her own, focusing on the sensation of the pad of alessia's thumb rubbing soft circles into the back of her hand.

"it was my safe space," sim finally let out.

"sorry?" leah's soft voice questioned.

"the pitch. it was my safe space," sim repeated. "it didn't matter what was going on at home, at school, or at work. when i was on the pitch, i was... free, i guess," she stated, though it came out as more of a question. she'd never tried putting it in words before, never tried to vocalize exactly how much rugby meant to her.

"when i was playing, it was like i could fly. i was good, too. i played on the youth teams for the red roses a few times. i went down two days after my first senior call up."

the confession seemed to take the wind out of sim. the hunch of her shoulders and way she couldn't seem to even lift her head up was almost pitiful.

alessia removed her hand from sim's grip, instead choosing to wrap an arm around her shoulder. alessia pulled sim into her side and squeezed, hoping to provide as much comfort as she could. she knew her words would do little to help.

alessia settled on a simple "i'm sorry, love."

"what's done is done," sim answered with a shrug.

leah's eyebrows furrowed as she frowned quizzically. "can i ask why the injury is permanent? surely they could have at least helped you walk again?"

sim sighed and leah's heart broke at the defeat painted clearly in her features.

"leah... football is your job. i know there's still a long way to go in terms of investment in the women's game, but you have to understand that the resources you have are not the same as what i had. when i got hurt, i wasn't just in school. i was working and i couldn't afford to just take time off and heal.

"i didn't even get a scan on my knee until i showed up to the next practice a week later and my coach drove me herself. i wasn't resting either. i probably made the injury worse because i had to go to work and class, so i was just taking painkillers and walking my way through things like normal. i couldn't afford to stop. and when i was waiting for surgery after the scans, i was still working. you got your surgery from a top surgeon relatively quickly. i didn't have that same luxury.

"after surgery, i didn't have time to go to all the physical therapy appointments. i was fitting in sessions at the university when i had time but it wasn't enough. i still had to go to work. between my job, the wait time for the surgery, and my non-existent rehab, i was never going to make a full recovery."

leah felt a surge of guilt after hearing sim's explanation. she had always been humble and made it a point to never take her situation for granted, but sometimes she forgot her own privilege.

"i'm sorry. i didn't-"

"you have nothing to be sorry for. it's not your fault you had better access than i did. just the way things go," sim cut her off, shrugging alessia's arm off her shoulder.

sim didn't want their pity. she didn't want them to feel bad for her.

"i know that it's been a long time now and i should be over it, i know that but-" sim cut herself off, carding a shaking hand through her hair, pulling on the strands in an attempt to ground herself.

"it's just that rugby was everything to me. it's all i had. it was the one thing i was good at, and without it i'm lost, y'know? i don't know who i am if i'm not an athlete. i'm not good for anything anymore."

sim's voice cracked on the last word, the sound like ice being dropped into hot water. it brought tears to leah's eyes to see how much sim had been struggling, how she thought so little of herself.

she gently caught hold of sim's hand, flattening it against her own thigh to stop the girl from hurting herself.

"that's not true," alessia said firmly, once again wrapping her arm around sim. "you are so much more than your injury. you're quiet, but you light up every room you walk into. you are so kind and you make everyone around you feel safe. you're funny, and thoughtful, and smart, and i think you get the point now but you're wrong if you think you're not worth anything if you can't play," alessia rambled, red rushing up her cheeks.

sim shook her head almost imperceptibly. it's not that she thought alessia was lying. that wasn't it.

how could alessia be so sure about her when she didn't even know who she was?

leah squeezed the hand still pressed against her thigh. "sweetheart, look at me," she prompted softly.

again, sim shook her head.

leah let go of sim's hand, instead placing it at the back of sim's head and using a thumb to angle it towards her own. she didn't miss the way sim's brown eyes bounced around their surroundings, refusing to land on hers for more than a second at a time.

she decided to let it slide for fear of pushing sim too hard. she'd only just gotten the younger girl to open up and was reluctant to risk another shutdown.

"it doesn't matter that you got hurt a while ago. you're allowed to feel however you feel about it. when i tore my ACL, i was a mess. i held it together on the pitch, but i was inconsolable. i was in a really dark place for quite a while. i know our situations aren't the same, but i felt lost, too. i realized that my identity as a person was tied to my performance as an athlete and it wasn't healthy. but i had beth and viv to help me out of it and i want you to let me do the same for you. less is right. you are so much more than what you can do on the pitch. and it's okay that you're feeling lost and you don't know who you are. we can find out together, yeah?"

a choked sob escaped sim's mouth, causing leah to immediately stand up in front of her, carefully pulling her head into her body.

leah didn't care that her shirt above her stomach was slowly becoming soaked with sim's tears. she let her fingers scratch gently at sim's scalp, relieved that the girl was finally letting it out.

as alessia kept a firm grip on sim's shoulder, she made eye contact with leah standing above her. a silent sense of understanding seemed to pass between the two lionesses.

they were prepared to do anything to make sure sim didn't carry her emotions on her own again. the pain they felt at seeing their friend so broken wasn't something they wanted to feel again, but they would do it over and over a million times just to make sure she wasn't alone.

-----

"so she lives!"

it was katie's turn to host the rest of the gunners for dinner this week. sim's absence from the last two team events hadn't gone unnoticed.

though sim wasn't a part of the team, they had all quickly grown accustomed to her appearance at the side of alessia, leah, and recently beth. she might not have played for the team, or even worked for them in any official capacity, but they had taken her in all the same.

sim would never be able to articulate just how much that meant to her. she went from not having any family to having found her place in two: the lionesses, and now arsenal as well.

"so where'd you run off to, anyway?" steph questioned.

"your mum's house. she says hi, by the way," sim quipped.

there was a beat of silence before a burst of raucous laughter took over katie's living room.

a playful scowl took over steph's face. "you've been spending too much time with mccabe."

#alessia russo #engwnt #leah williamson #lionesses #woso #arsenal wfc

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sebstanaddict · 1 year ago

Text

Too Good To Be True

Sebastian Stan x Reader Story

Summary: A romantic comedy story where Sebastian Stan falls in love with reader but she is not who he thinks she is.

After one of her dreams came true, which was meeting Sebastian Stan, reader thought life would finally get better for her. Unfortunately it didn't and she was forced to take a job all aspiring actresses usually took early in their careers, which was becoming a waitress/barista. One day her idol came to her work place and turned her world upside-down, literally. Will she finally get the luck she so desperately needed in her life or will bad luck continue to haunt her?

Pairings : Sebastian Stan x Female!Reader

Chapters : 3/20 (Might add more)

Chapter list >

Warning : none

Word count : 6.4k words

This story is inspired loosely by Sebastian's love life so it will have characters from his real life but I will not name their real names. I will only use Sebastian's real name in the story.

---

Chapter 3 - Conga

Go Get 'Em Tiger Cafe, LA, California - 1 month later

—

The milk steamer let out a hissing sound as soft foam started to form in the housemade almond milk inside the stainless steel cup. Being able to make a cup of latte or cappuccino using an expensive coffee machine was something Y/n never thought she could do. She guessed human brains really have a large untapped capacity for learning anything. Still, she moved out of Silicon Valley not expecting to learn to be a barista or a waitress, she wanted to learn acting, which she did, and there was nothing else she would love to learn more than acting. But the fact that she had started to run out of money and that she hadn't scored a role on anything yet, not even a commercial, she had no choice but to do the aspiring actress slash waitress job.

After her very first audition in front of Sebastian ended up with her being injured, she was forced to stay in her apartment for two weeks until her ankle was healed, so she missed out on four auditions she was supposed to do within those two weeks. She ended up doing some auditions over zoom and she also recorded videos of herself and sent them out to agencies and production houses. Of course, those types of auditions couldn't beat an in person audition where the casting directors could see her directly, so she assumed one of the reasons why she hadn't gotten any roles yet was because of that. Or maybe she just wasn't that good. Sometimes that thought crossed her mind. But Eve, her aspiring actress roommate, who had more experience in the acting world than she was, told her that she was good and kept encouraging her to do auditions. Her acting teacher Miss Davidson also told her that she was good and kept encouraging her to continue. She ended up enrolling in a part time acting class at the conservatory to improve her acting skills more while also having the waitress slash barista job on the side.

Despite being side tracked in her efforts to succeed as an actress, she was still somewhat grateful that she could get a job at the Go Get 'Em Tiger cafe. Eve was also working there and she helped her get the job. The cafe was located in Los Feliz and it was supposed to be quite a popular spot for Hollywood celebrities to hang out. However, in the two weeks that she had started working there she had only met one celebrity, Chris Pine, who was alone and spent almost half the day there just reading a book. She had more than hoped that Sebastian would one day come into the cafe but that day had not come yet.

Speaking of Sebastian, after a week of not hearing anything from him, she was convinced that the reason he was so nice to her was because he had hit her head with a frisbee. There was no chance he was interested in her at all and even though she knew it from the beginning, deep down she couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. She remembered the way he looked at her at the conservatory's infirmary and in his car. She felt like there was something more there. But of course there wasn't. She was just hallucinating. He probably looked at everyone the way he looked at her. She had tried to convince herself.

Despite knowing she didn't have any chance with him she couldn't help but wonder if she would ever meet him again. The results of the audition had been announced about a week before. The role of the main character's sister went to her classmate Lily, while both the roles of the main character's girlfriend and friend didn't go to anyone from the conservatory. It seemed no one was good enough for both roles so Sebastian and the other producers most likely opened auditions to other people. This made it harder for her to meet him again and it had made her sad. Even though she only met him briefly she felt the impact was quite deep. Yes, after meeting him in person she could say that she was more in love with him than ever. How could she not? Especially after how he had treated her. But of course it was not good to dwell on it too long. It was useless. She had zero chance with him so she should focus her mind on other things and she could proudly say that she was successful in that.

She had only been working at the cafe for two weeks but she was a fast learner that the manager had trusted her to graduate from just being a waitress to being a barista. She was quite proud of that until that day that is.

She poured the foamy almond and macadamia milk into a cup where a small amount of espresso was already in. She moved the stainless steel cup containing the milk slowly to form the signature leaf like design on top of the cappuccino. The end result was pretty and she was really happy with it. She placed the cup of cappuccino onto a tray where she had prepared some sachets of sugar and Stevia as well as a teaspoon and rang the bell. Soon Eve came over.

"Table 7, Eve." She said, gesturing her head towards a table by the window where a man was sitting.

"Okay, thanks Y/n. You're getting really good at the foam design." Eve commented and smiled at her after glancing at the cappuccino.

"Oh thanks. I tried my best." She smiled back.

She had just finished cleaning up after making the cappuccino when the one person she had hoped to meet again in the past month walked in. It was Sebastian!

He looked exactly, if not even more good looking than the last time she saw him. He still had long hair pulled back into a ponytail but he had slightly thicker stubble. He wore a navy sweater, which was peculiar to wear in LA at this time of the year, but of course he still looked good wearing it. She couldn't help but continue to stare at him. He looked around for a bit and then walked straight towards her. But just before he could really see her, her embarrassment got the best of her. Somehow she didn't want him to know that she ended up being a barista slash waitress instead of a successful actress. So she quickly ducked and squatted behind the counter, pretending to clean the cupboard in front of her with a rag that was in her hand.

"Excuse me." His voice traveled down into her ears and she could feel warmth crawling from her neck up to her cheek.

She pretended not to notice and hoped another employee could deal with him instead but she was the only barista scheduled to work at that hour and Eve was cleaning up tables on the patio outside while the cafe's manager was busy in the kitchen supervising a new cook. No one else could cover for her.

"Hello. I'd like to order please." Sebastian called out again and she took a deep breath. Okay, alright, you can do this. She encouraged herself and slowly but surely started to stand up.

"Oh hello. What can I get for you, sir?" She smiled nervously, trying to put on a professional face. For all she knew he probably didn't remember her. It had been a month after all since he last saw her.

Sebastian stared at her with his gorgeous blue eyes and soon recognition appeared in them.

"Oh hey, it's Y/n, right?" He asked, smiling wide at her.

"Hi Sebastian." She smiled back, feeling both, elated and embarrassed that he still remembered her.

"How are you? How's your ankle?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowed in concern.

Her heart felt warm at his question. Not only did he remember her, he also remembered her injury. But of course, after what happened, it was normal that he would remember.

"Oh, it's healed. I just sometimes feel weird walking on it. But it's mostly fine. Thanks for asking." She replied and he nodded in response.

"That's good. Happy to hear that." He smiled.

"Yeah. Thanks." She smiled back.

"I didn't know you worked here. Last time I was here, which was about three weeks ago, I didn't see you." He stated.

"Umm.. yeah. I just started about two weeks ago." She replied, blushing again as the embarrassment she felt earlier came back.

"Oh, I see." He nodded.

"I.. uh.. have bills to pay so I didn't have a choice." She blurted out. She didn't know why she said it and she felt really stupid for saying it. Having a high paying job for most of her life, admitting that she needed a job was actually quite embarrassing for her. It seemed her nervousness got the best of her.

"Oh yeah, I get that. Everyone in the business had to do this at some point in their careers. I did too." He winked and she could feel butterflies in her stomach and she was sure her face had reddened again.

"What job did you do at the beginning?" She finally asked after she had recovered from his wink.

"I was a waiter, also a store attendant at some point. But my first job was at a cinema, taking stubs of tickets from moviegoers. Stuff like that." He chuckled.

"Oh, the cinema huh? I bet you had a blast being able to watch movies a lot." She commented.

"Oh yeah I did. That was the only good thing about the job." He said.

They laughed and she couldn't help but notice that he did the nose scrunch. It was something cute that he did sometimes when he laughed and she couldn't believe she could witness it directly.

Just then a family of four entered the cafe. A dad, a mom and their daughter and son. They walked straight towards the counter.

"Anyway, sorry, what can I get you, Sebastian?" She asked, her eyes glancing behind him where the family had stood.

"Oh yeah. Sorry." Sebastian turned his face towards his back for a quick second and saw the family then he turned back to face her.

"I'll just have the iced almond macadamia latte and I'll also have the avocado toast." He said.

"Alright, that would be eighteen dollars and fifty cents, sir." She said after entering his orders into the cafe's system.

"Sir.. I feel so old." He chuckled as he pulled out his wallet.

"Sorry, I didn't mean.." she said but she was cut off.

"It's okay, Y/n..I was joking." He winked and she blushed again.

"Here, keep the change." He said as he gave her ten one hundred dollar bills.

Her jaw dropped as she received the thousand dollars from him. She knew that he was a generous tipper but a thousand dollars was just too much!

"Sebastian.. I.. I can't accept this." She said as she tried to give the money back to him but he put his hands behind him and wouldn't accept the money back.

"Just take it Y/n. I insist. Now let's not make these people wait for too long." He said as he beckoned his head back towards the family that were standing behind him.

"I.. okay. Th.. thank you so much, Sebastian." She stammered as she put the money into the till and typed the amount and tip that he gave into the system, her hand shaking a little.

"Hey, the change is just for you. So.. don't put them into the system." He reminded her.

"Oh.. right. Thanks." She said as she picked most of the money back and put them into her pocket. If her manager was there he would have scolded her or even take the money away from her but he wasn't and she was really grateful for that.

She deleted the actual amount that he had given to her from the system and entered the amount of the order instead. Then she printed out the receipt.

"Here's your receipt and please kindly wait. We will bring your orders to your table once they're ready." She said while giving him the receipt.

"Okay, thanks. I'll be on the patio." He said and she nodded.

He smiled at her one last time and finally turned around and left her. She felt weak in her knees as he left but she shouldn't be like this. There were other customers that needed her attention! She scolded herself.

"Good morning, sir, ma'am. What can I get for you today?" She smiled as the dad and mom of the family approached her.

"Good morning. We'll have two bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches please, then a GGET BLT and a Protein Brekkie." The mom replied.

She quickly put in their orders with her heart pounding hard in her chest. She rarely accepted large orders, Eve usually did the order taking so she was scared she would get them wrong.

"Okay, what drinks would you like to have today, sir, ma'am?" She asked after making sure the food orders had been entered correctly.

"I'll just have an iced latte, please." The dad replied.

"Make that two and two orange juice for our kids. But please make sure not to use nut milk for my husband's latte because he's allergic to nuts." The mom said.

"Yeah, I always forgot to say that. I'm allergic to nuts." The dad said.

"Noted, sir, ma'am." She said as she continued to enter their orders into the system.

"So, that would be seventy one dollars, sir, ma'am." She said as the total of their orders appeared on the cafe's computer screen.

The mom paid and they finally left her to sit outside on the patio, leaving her to finally work on making all of their orders.

She dealt with the orange juice first as they were the easiest to prepare while also waiting for the coffee machine to heat up. Then she prepared the iced lattes next. A regular iced latte and the one Sebastian ordered, the iced almond macadamia latte, basically had the same recipe. The only difference was with the milk that was used. A regular latte used regular cow's milk while the iced almond macadamia one used housemade almond and macadamia milk.

She remembered the dad was allergic to nuts so she made sure not to use the wrong milk for him. After a while all the drinks were done and she rang the bell to call Eve.

"Table 10 and 15, Eve." She said as Eve approached her.

"Y/n.. is that Sebastian Stan on table 15?" Eve asked with her eyes wide as she looked outside towards the patio where Sebastian was sitting.

"Yup." She nodded.

"Oh wow. Did he remember you?" Eve continued to ask.

"Believe it or not he did remember me." She smiled, her eyes glazed a little as she remembered the way recognition entered his eyes when he first saw her earlier.

"That's so cool." Eve exclaimed in awe.

"Well, I guess he would remember me seeing how I embarrassed myself and he basically had to carry me multiple times." She chuckled.

"Yeah, you're so lucky. By the way, do you want to bring his order yourself?" Eve asked.

"Umm.. I still have some cleaning up to do. Maybe it's best that you do it. Don't want to keep him waiting too long." She replied.

"Okay." Eve nodded and she finally left to bring the orders to Sebastian and the family.

She was again just finished cleaning up after making the last order when she heard a female voice scream out.

"Help! Somebody call 911!" The mom from the family screamed.

The mom was standing over her husband who seemed to be choking. She immediately got out of the counter and went over to them. Her heart dropped to her stomach as she watched the dad whose entire mouth had swollen. His face looked pale. It was clear he was having anaphylactic shock and had trouble breathing.

She immediately pulled out her cellphone and called 911. As soon as she was done the cafe's manager and Eve went to stand by her, trying to calm the mom and help the dad in any way they could.

"He's having an allergic reaction! I told you he was allergic to nuts!" The mom shouted at her.

"What?! Did you give this man nuts?" The cafe's manager turned to her, his voice raised.

"No! I.. I made sure I put regular milk in his order and not almond milk." She defended herself.

Her eyes glanced at the latte glasses on the table and then she turned to look at Sebastian's glass on his table, and realized their orders must have been switched. She didn't give anything on the glasses to differentiate between the lattes and Eve didn't know which ones were which. She didn't tell her. In all of her excitement and nervousness of meeting Sebastian again, she had forgotten to tell her. Her heart sank deep into her stomach as she realized that she was in big trouble.

—

"You're fired!" The cafe's manager spat at her about an hour later.

Thankfully the emergency responders came not long after she realized her mistake and they were able to inject the man with adrenaline, helping him in reversing the effects of the allergy thus allowing him to breathe normally again. They still brought the man to the nearest hospital to observe him and made sure a second anaphylactic attack didn't happen.

The man's wife was absolutely furious at her and even threatened to sue them. She calmed down eventually after the cafe's manager refunded her and told her that they would deal with any medical expenses for the man's recovery.

She was standing in the cafe's manager's office, looking down at her feet in fear and shame as the manager continued to scold her and berated her. Eve stood next to her, looking down at her feet as well.

"I.. I'm really sorry Mr.Smith. It was an honest mistake." She stammered.

"Honest mistake?! More like stupid mistake! The man could've died and you could've been charged with murder!" He shouted and she winced at that.

He was right. The man could've died. She was completely horrified at the thought.

"Me firing you is tame compared to what could've happened to you. You know I could've demanded you to pay to cover that man's medical expenses. But I know you don't have the money. So I won't ask you for that. But I won't pay you a dime." He continued to say with venom in his voice.

She could only nod as she listened to him. Her punishment was fitting. She accepted that.

"Now Eve, I'm not going to fire you. You've been with us a long time so I'm letting you go with a warning." Mr.Smith said as he turned to look at Eve.

"Thank you Mr.Smith." Eve nodded and glanced at her for a split second, as if silently saying to her how sorry she was at the turn of events.

"Now go! Both of you!" Mr.Smith said as he waved his hand and dismissed them.

She nodded, turned around and followed Eve out of Mr.Smith's office. Her mind was still reeling after what just happened.

"I'm really sorry, Y/n." Eve said.

"It was my fault, Eve, that's okay." She sighed.

"I'll ask my friends in case they know if another cafe or restaurant is hiring." Eve offered.

"Yeah, thanks Eve. I'll look for a job myself too." She said as they arrived at the small room which housed the employee lockers as well as some benches where the employees could sit and rest.

"I have to go back out. You'll be okay, right?" Eve asked, placing her hand on the side of her left arm.

"Yeah. I'm just going to go back home after I change." She said.

"Okay. See you later, Y/n." Eve reached out and gave her a brief hug then left her alone.

As she changed out of her uniform the severity of the situation dawned in her. She was unemployed, yet again! What was it with this year? She thought in disbelief. She was fired twice that year, something she never thought she would experience. Yes, she realized that for all these years she mostly had experienced bad luck and unfair conditions. But something big like this never happened to her twice in the same year. Why was she such a loser?! She complained internally as she slammed the door of her locker hard, but instead of closing, the door fell down onto her, the hinges were destroyed with rust. She cursed as she struggled to put the door back onto its place but couldn't so she just left it leaning on the locker.

Go home. That was all she could think about as she finally went out of the employee room and slung her bag around her shoulder. Her emotions about the whole situation had started to come to the surface and she felt like she was about to cry. She didn't want to cry in front of the other employees and customers. So she quickly went out of the cafe, forgetting completely about Sebastian who apparently was still there, sitting at the patio.

She wasn't sure what to do as she walked closer towards where his table was. As it happened his table was near the exit of the cafe so she couldn't really avoid him. He was looking down while reading a book so she hoped she could just slip past him. But her hope was squashed as she got closer to him and Sebastian looked up at her.

"Y/n? What happened?" Sebastian asked, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. She didn't want to stop but she didn't want to be rude either so she stopped.

"I.. I don't know if you saw what happened but.. I got fired." She said slowly.

"Oh no. I did see what happened." He said, staring at her in concern.

"Yeah, I.. I mixed up your order with that man who got an anaphylactic shock. He's allergic to nuts and I gave him your latte." She explained.

"Oh, that explains why I couldn't taste the almond and macadamia in the latte." He commented.

"Yeah.. I.. I'm sorry about that. I can ask the other barista to make the correct latte for you if you want." She offered.

"Oh no, thanks. That won't be necessary. I already finished more than half of it anyway." He said, smiling.

"Okay. Well, I have to go. See you later, Sebastian." She waved a little at him and quickly turned to leave him. She was on the verge of crying and she didn't want him to see it. But Sebastian didn't seem to get it because he quickly stood up and followed her.

"Y/n! Wait!" Sebastian shouted at her but she pretended not to hear him and she decided to run. She crossed the street and headed towards a parking lot where she had parked her car.

"Y/n! Stop!" She could hear Sebastian shouting after her so she immediately ran to her car and ducked behind it, hoping Sebastian didn't see her. She squatted on the ground, her heart beating fast in her chest as she waited to see if Sebastian had seen her. Moments later she could hear the sound of footsteps. A pair of white sneakers showed up in front of her and she knew he had caught up with her.

"Y/n?" He called out gently. She looked up to see him staring at her with confusion on his face.

"Y/n.. why are you hiding from me?" He asked in amusement.

"I.. I'm sorry. I just.. " she sighed. She couldn't tell him that she was about to cry. But seeing him looking down at her with genuine concern on his face broke the dam in her heart that had stopped her from crying ever since the incident happened. Tears started to fall from her eyes and she finally cried. She tried hard to stop because she was embarrassed but she couldn't. Once she started she couldn't stop. She cried hard, grieving over her bad luck in employment that year. Swirls of fear and uncertainty circled around in her chest. She never felt so powerless in her life. She didn't have a job! How was she supposed to live now?! She didn't want to end up homeless. She continued to sob.

Sebastian walked closer to her and knelt in front of her. He opened his arms wide and pulled her into his embrace, startling her. She froze as she ended up sitting on the ground while Sebastian's arms circled around her body tight.

"There.. there.. it's okay Y/n. Everything is gonna be okay." He soothed her while his hand caressed her back gently.

Home. She suddenly felt like she was home in his arms. She stopped crying and took a deep breath. Inhaling deeply the intoxicating smell of his cologne mixed with what she guessed was his signature scent. The warm feeling of his arms around her, the softness of his sweater and especially his comforting signature scent successfully calmed her down. She sniffled and Sebastian slowly let her go.

He raised his hand up to her face and wiped the tears falling down on her cheeks gently with his fingers. Her heart galloped fast in her chest as she felt his warm fingers on her cheeks and she blushed.

"I.. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cry in front of you." She stammered.

"It's okay Y/n. Don't worry about it." He looked down at her and gave her a warm smile, making butterflies flutter around in her stomach.

For a moment they just looked at each other and she could feel it again, how he looked deep into her soul and she felt her heart skip a beat.

"Are you feeling better?" He finally asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah..thank you Sebastian." She smiled and took a deep breath.

“Do you want to talk about it?” He asked gently as he let her go completely and sat crossed leg on the ground in front of her.

“I.. Well, I was just grieving over my unemployment. This was the second time I got fired this year and I just worry so much about my future. I.. I don’t want to end up being homeless, you know.” She sighed.

“I see. This was the second time you got fired?” He asked curiously.

“Yeah it was.” She replied. She ended up telling him about her previous job at Silicon Valley, how she waited three months but couldn’t get a job and how she decided to go to LA to pursue an acting career. Of course she omitted the fact that he was the reason why she decided to pursue an acting career. She didn’t want him to know that she was his fan. She didn’t want him to feel uncomfortable because of it.

“Wow, I admire you for wanting to step out of your comfort zone. Not everyone has the balls to do that.” He commented. He seemed genuinely impressed at her story and that made her confidence level raise.

“Thank you, Sebastian. I really appreciate you saying that.” She smiled and he smiled back.

"You’re welcome, Y/n. By the way, I have something serious to talk to you about, but maybe we should go somewhere more comfortable. It’s getting kind of hot out here." He suggested as he stood up and extended his hand towards her.

"Oh okay." She said, startled as she held his hand and stood up.

"Let's just go to my car and I can put the AC on." He said, beckoning for her to follow him towards his car, which was coincidentally parked next to hers.

She just nodded as she followed him to his car, wondering what it was that he wanted to talk to her about.

Moments later they sat side by side in his car. He put the AC on full blast and she could feel warm air blasted out from the fan. Slowly the air turned cool and gave her some relief from the sweltering California heat. Her heart beat fast in her chest as she waited on what he was going to say to her. She couldn't help but fantasize that he was going to confess that he had fallen in love with her, like what happens in romcoms. But her logical side argued that there was no way it would happen. She was simply not his type. Heck, she was nobody's type. Her single status for the past thirty years proved that.

"Y/n.. first of all, I hope you don't think of me as some kind of creep for saying this to you." He said and she immediately shook her head.

"Nothing you say would make me think that." She said.

"Not even if I told you I'm a cannibal?" He laughed and she laughed as well.

"Okay, maybe that. Wait.. it's not that, is it?" Her eyebrows raised.

He laughed so hard that tears started to form in the corners of his eyes.

"It's not that, Y/n." He finally said after he stopped laughing and regained his composure.

"Oh. Phew!" She said in relief, making him laugh again.

"Anyway. What I wanted to tell you is. I want you.. to work for me." He slowly said.

"What?!" She exclaimed out loud, flabbergasted.

"Yeah. Filming for Pumping Black is happening soon and I need some PAs, personal assistants, you know. To help on set and.. well.. maybe off the set as well." He said, his eyes looked to the right as he seemed to be thinking.

She couldn't believe her ears! Sebastian f*****g Stan was offering her a job?! Out of everything that could happen in her life this one definitely never crossed her mind. Well, she would of course prefer to work with him as an actress, like a co-star of his, but being his personal assistant sounded awesome too! She could be with him 24/7! Okay, maybe not exactly 24/7 but close to that. It was like every Sebastian's fan's dream job! She couldn't believe her luck!

"Are you serious?" She asked, wide eyed.

"Yes, I'm serious Y/n. But if you don't want to work for me then it's okay. I know I'm practically a stranger to you and this might be weird for you. So I understand completely if you don't want to take up on my offer." He explained quickly.

"Oh.. yeah, well, it does seem weird, I can't deny that." She said, playing hard to get a little and he smiled knowingly.

"But.." he trailed, teasing her.

"But.. of course I would work for you Sebastian! Being your PA beats being a waitress or barista any day!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"Happy to hear that." He chuckled.

"So, when do I start?" She asked.

"Well, I love your enthusiasm but aren't you gonna ask about your salary? You should never forget asking about that in a job interview." He reminded her and she laughed.

"This doesn't feel like a job interview. But yeah, you're right. How much are you going to pay me, mister?" She asked and he laughed.

"Twice the amount Go Get 'Em Tiger paid you." He said.

"Oh! That's great! If I told you they paid me 50 grand a month would you pay me 100 grand a month?" She teased.

"I don't believe they paid you that much, Y/n." He protested and she laughed.

"Yeah, they didn't, unfortunately." She chuckled and he chuckled as well.

"Well, I assume they paid you in the range of two to three grand a month." He said.

"Yeah, you're right." She nodded.

"Okay, in that case I'm offering you four grand a month. And that's for working from 9 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon. You'll be compensated more if you work outside of official working hours. I usually pay twenty dollars per hour for work outside of working hours." He explained.

"Okay, that sounds good, Sebastian." She smiled. "How long will you need me for?"

"Well, filming will last for about three months. Two months at a studio here and a month in France. So I'll need you for at least three months. But I do have other projects coming after that where I may need your help again..I guess we'll see." He replied.

"That sounds amazing. I've never been to France before." She said in awe.

"Oh yeah? Well, it's a beautiful country, you'll love it there." He commented.

"I'm sure I will! So, when do I start?" She asked eagerly.

"Well, filming for Pumping Black is going to start in about a week. So I'd say you should start immediately. However, I still need to run this by the other producers and Maya too. I'm sure they'll be okay with it and I just need to ask them for formality's sake, you know. Because I already have three PAs working for me at the moment."

"Oh. Are you sure you still need me?" She asked, doubt started to form in her heart.

"Of course Y/n! The more the merrier! And even if you don't end up working for me personally we still need PAs for the other actors." He explained.

"Okay. That sounds good." She nodded.

"Yeah. Speaking of actors. I'm sure you know we ended up not giving the girlfriend and friend role to anyone from your conservatory." He said.

"Oh, yeah. I knew about that. We must be really bad huh?" She chuckled.

"Well, no actually, that's the thing. Out of everyone who auditioned for the role of Celeste, you were actually on the first rank, Y/n." He sighed.

"What?! Are you serious, Sebastian?" She asked, her jaw dropped.

"Yeah. But, well.. I regret to say that the other producers decided to get someone more known and famous as Celeste, if you get what I mean. Someone who could help sell the movie to the general audience. So, I'm sorry. You should have gotten the role, Y/n." He said in regret.

"Oh my God! Really?!" She exclaimed out loud, her hand covered her mouth in disbelief.

"Yeah. But I'm sure you'll get a better role in the future. You have great talent, you just need to keep practicing and take as many auditions as you can." He suggested.

"Sebastian.. you have no idea how much this means to me! I mean.. I know I didn't get the role. But to be the first rank on the audition! That is awesome!" She said in delight.

He smiled and stared at her softly, making her heart skip a beat. Once again she felt like he was seeing her deep into her soul. His beautiful eyes gazed at her warmly and she felt her heart was going to burst out of her chest.

"It is awesome, Y/n. But you know what's more awesome?" He asked with a glint in his eyes.

"What?" She asked curiously.

"This!" He said as he turned the radio on and a Gloria Estefan song started to play from the speaker.

She laughed as she recognized the song. It was the up-beat song Conga. Sebastian started to move his shoulders in tune with the music while she just watched him and laughed.

"Come on Y/n! Move your shoulder. Move your body a little." He encouraged her and she didn’t have a choice but to obey her new boss.

They ended up singing and dancing to the song, turning her bad day into an unbelievable day.

"Is this going to be the norm working for you?" She laughed as the song finally ended and Sebastian finally stopped dancing.

"Oh yeah it is!" He exclaimed excitedly and she laughed.

"Being able to spontaneously sing and dance when prompted is one of the job requirements." He teased.

"Oh okay. And how did I do?" She asked, smiling.

"You passed with flying colors, Y/n." He replied and winked, making her blush yet again.

"Anyway, I have to go to the studio. I have an appointment in an hour with Maya and the other producers." He said.

"Oh yeah, okay. I should just…go then." She said as she placed her hand on the door handle of the car.

"No wait, I can drive you home first if you want." He said, reaching out to touch her hand, making her heart skip a beat. She could feel that she was blushing again. He retracted his hand slowly and smiled warmly at her.

"Umm.. you don't need to do that Sebastian. My car is literally next to yours." She smiled as she pointed to her car with her thumb.

"Oh! Okay then! Good. By the way, can I have your number?" He asked and her heart galloped fast in her chest. Sebastian f*****g Stan asked for her number! What were the odds of that happening?! She screamed internally.

"So I can let you know when you can start and where the set is and all that." Sebastian continued when she didn't respond.

"Oh, right!" She said, feeling utterly embarrassed. Of course he wanted her number for work related purposes. How could she be so stupid.

She gave her number to him and he saved it in his phone. He then called her number and asked her to save it. She couldn't believe she had Sebastian's number! Lara must be freaking out if she told her about it.

"Alright. I'll contact you as soon as possible, Y/n." Sebastian smiled as he put his cellphone back in his pocket.

"Looking forward to that, Sebastian. And.. thank you so much for giving me a job." She said as she reached out and squeezed his hand, making him smile.

"You're welcome Y/n. Take care." He winked and she blushed.

"You too, Sebastian." She replied.

"Thanks Y/n." He replied, smiling wide at her.

She opened his car door and stood by his car. She waved as Sebastian saluted her and finally drove away, leaving her feeling weak all over.

Yup. Luck was definitely on her side this time. She was sure about it. But the universe had something up its sleeves that she wasn't aware of. It might seem like she was lucky for the time being but unfortunate events would soon be coming her way again, as they always have throughout her life.

Chapter 4 >

Taglist

@dhoruwolfie

#sebastian stan #sebastian stan fanfic #sebastian stan fanfiction #sebastianstan #sebastian stan x reader #sebastian stan x y/n #sebastian stan x you #sebastian stan x female reader #sebastian stan fluff

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jingerhead · 2 years ago

Note

See You Latte and A Hero’s Heart seem like my cup of tea (I say, as if I wouldn’t read anything you wrote) if you’re willing to share their WIPs?

Hi lovely! So sorry it took me a day to get to this, but I'd absolutely love to share! Play the WIP game with me!

See You Latte

It may sound exactly like what it is - a coffee shop au! This is actually one of the very first wips I had for aftg, and when I couldn't make it work the way I wanted it to I decided to temporarily scrap it. But I decided to return to it 'cause everyone needs their own little coffee shop au, right? Here's a little snibbit from it!

~*~

Letting out a sigh of irritation, Andrew’s eyes flicked upwards when the door opened again, nearly choking when he caught sight of who had just entered the small cafe, which was empty other than himself and two soccer moms sitting in the comfy armchairs by the window. The man who just entered was wearing the most horrendous thing he’d ever seen in his life: black sunglasses, gray hat, green sweater at least two sizes too large, white athletic shorts despite the fact there was snow outside and sneakers. He was so appalling to look at Andrew knew he’d ended up staring longer than was appropriate, especially when the man’s eyes caught his own while he waited for his own drink.

Quickly looking away and pretending he hadn’t just seen the fashion disaster of the century enter the quiet coffee shop, Andrew decided it didn’t matter what he was writing so long as he pretended he was busy. He quickly began to type out the worst dialogue he’d ever written in a panic, fingers hitting the keys harder than usual. But even as Andrew kept his eyes glued to his laptop, he couldn’t not notice the man walking towards him, stopping on the other side of the table.

“Hi,” the man greeted.

Andrew glanced up, fingers halting on the keys. He hadn’t looked closely enough to see the guy’s face, but now that he was Andrew found that he couldn’t look away. The man’s blue eyes were chilling in the best way, a crystal ice blue that could’ve pierced through his soul. Auburn curls flared out messily under the hat he wore, and on both his cheeks were noticeable scars. On his left were cuts that had healed almost crudely, and under his right eye the skin was puckered in burn marks. But despite them, the man was beautiful. Infuriatingly beautiful.

It was at about this moment Andrew remembered how gay he really is.

“Can I sit here with you?” the man asked with a smile. “I need to charge my phone.”

Andrew didn’t want a table partner, but he wasn’t feeling inspired at the moment, so if the guy was annoying he could just leave. He ended up nodding and mumbling out a “Yes,” deciding to take a sip of his own drink while the man sat down, plugging in his phone. Andrew tried to go back to his writing, managing to continue his terrible dialogue, sure that he wasn’t going to get anything productive done today. Despite the fact that the redhead wasn’t talking, he was still very distracting while he made no noise or move to start a conversation at all.

Andrew glanced at him once in a while, but the redhead never met his eyes. After a half hour of silence, a bit of inspiration came to him, and he ended up on a roll, typing a bit aggressively. All of a sudden two hours had passed and the redhead left with a small wave. For some reason the place felt emptier.

A Hero's Heart

I am a huge Zelda fan so of course I'm going to write a LOZ au at some point. One of my friends also really pushed this idea at me and I finally caved, deciding to write it. While it's inspired by LOZ and the lore of it, it's actually an original story that just so happens to take place in the LOZ universe? Kind of like what I did for my PJO au.

Basically, this fic is based off of my misunderstanding of the LOZ story when I was like 9. One of my friends attempted to explain it to me but I don't think she knew ANYTHING about LOZ so she just made it up to hold my attention? But anyways, when I was really little I used to think that Link and Zelda were siblings, and that Link was on a mission to save his sister. I decided to take that idea and run with it for this fic, having Andrew as the long-lost twin brother to Prince Aaron that only just discovered his heritage and is now being asked to save Hyrule. He's left without much choice to go on this adventure, meeting Neil along the way. The plot is still a big work in progress, but I'm excited about it, especially with the way I plan to incorporate the LOZ lore. Thanks for asking, lovely!

#jinger answers #jinger's works #aftg #aftg wip #andreil #andreil wip

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kuroos-babie · 4 years ago

Text

falling in love with a single mom hcs

INCLUDES: nishinoya, tsukishima, yaku

you spent a good part of your childhood with nishinoya, chasing away the dogs that had a penchant of scaring your best friend shitless, climbing trees and playing treasure hunt

it was funny, to say the least, seeing how he grew from such a scaredy-cat to the energetic and confident noya everyone knows

throughout highschool you watched him chase girl after girl and he watched you turn down guy after guy

the dynamic you two had was that of a feral gremlin child and its chill owner holding the leash and everyone, including you two, thought you would always be together

everyday was fun with nishinoya's energy hanging around you, no doubt

but when he asked you to travel the world with him right after graduation, he was met with a hesitant refusal

"i'm planning to go to college, yuu"

"it'll be fun, y/n! like going on an adventure!!"

"visit me once in a while"

his heart clenched at the way you smiled at him with teary eyes, "i can't change your mind can i?"

with a soft shake of your head, he sighed

he leaves in three days

the first few months of him being away were filled with calls and pictures of his trips, smile seemingly wider and brighter than before and a part of you regretted not coming with him

but college starts in a week, and with that came missed calls and ignored messages

at some point, neither of you just remembered to hit the other up, caught up with the stresses of your own life and before either of you knew it, 5 years have passed

he came to visit home for the first time in years, no longer the boyish noya you knew but he still had that warm aura around him

you were the first thought to come to mind the moment he step foot in town, his whole body buzzing with excitement at the mere thought of seeing you again

so of course he went straight to your house, feet taking step after memorized step and hands clutching bags of things he got from his travels

"Y/N!!!!!", he calls out as he enters your house which was answered with a harsh shushing

turning a corner he saw you in the living room, lovely as ever-- he thought, and with a baby sleeping soundly in your arms, "the baby's sleeping, yuu"

"whose...?"

you laughed at the cracking in his voice, "mine, who else's?"

man, he looked like he was about to cry

he quietly approached you, careful as to not wake the baby

"for you", he mumbled while handing you the bag of snacks and stuff

the room was filled with silence after you hummed a short thanks

he was looking at the child's face, it looked like you, he thinks

he asked when you got married, "you didn't tell me, didn't even invite your best friend to your wedding", he whined

"i didn't, i'm not married"

his eyes were wide as they looked at you

you told him about getting pregnant shortly after college graduation and getting ditched

he thought of himself selfish as he heaved a sigh of relief

"it's fine though, my parents are helping me a lot", he notes how you looked at your baby with such fond eyes and his heart swelled, he felt like crying

you chuckled at the look on his face, "hey don't look so sorry for me, can't be happier to have her"

"what's her name?"

you looked at your daughter's face and pet at her cheek with a finger, "yui"

nishinoya couldn't hold it in anymore and so he let himself cry and pulled you close

and for the nth time since the day of your college graduation he asked you again, "come with me, y/n, let's travel the world" but you have a child "i'll stay with you here until she's old enough", he said while kissing the tears that slipped down your cheeks

"then we can all go travel the world together"

he liked working at the museum, he really does

at least that's what he tries to tell himself as he led the group of preschoolers through the sendai museum

they were cute, yeah, but also very chatty

especially this one little boy with the frog hat

"what's this called?"

"it's a fossilized remain of--"

"how about this one?"

"it's--", and before he could answer, the child was already running to the other side of the exhibit

he just sighs

the tour ended and he was getting ready for his lunch break, proceeding to the cafe by the entrance as he always does

his eyes almost caught the flurry of green that passed beside him but he chose to ignore it

but of course it wasn't long after he sat down with his order when he heard a familiar bubbly voice

"mama that's the dinosaur guy!", he heard the little boy whisper loudly, "he's so tall, like a brachiosaurus!"

he couldn't supress the chuckle at the child's remark and he turned in his seat, "so you were listening, i thought you were just bouncing all around the place"

"oh sorry, did he give you a hard time?"

your voice drew his attention and he smiled at the sight of your worried face, something that surprised even him, "not really, no"

he invited you two to sit and eat with him and he listened to your son ramble all about dinosaurs and prehistoric animals

"a smart one, i like him"

your son really liked him too and asked you to take him to the museum again and see tsukishima

and so it became a habit for you to visit the museum every friday with the little boy, waiting for the tall blonde to get off work so you three could grab something to eat

and every time he sees you in the little cafe by the entrancne with your son, tsukishima couldn't help but smile a little and pat at his chest to calm the subtle fluttering as he push the door open

it was a weird feeling he never knew would come so naturally at the mere sight of you two

he bought your son picture books and and figurines and copies of the "walking with dinosaurs" documentary

"we should watch it this weekend..." his eyebrows shot up for a moment at your meek suggestion

of course the little boy was elated, excited to have him over at your house "yes! let's go now! i wanna watch it with tsukki now!!!"

tsukishima returned his gaze on you, "if it's not too much trouble then i'd love to go now"

and so the rest of the friday night was spent on your couch with all the lights turned off and a narration of al the allosaurus' life

you looked over at the other side of the couch to see your son laying on tsukishima, eyes fluttering shut with the man passed out and lightly snoring

he must've been tired

you draped a blanket over the two of them and waited for sleep to visit you too and it soon did

morning came and you woke up to the smell of coffee

"i borrowed your coffee maker, i hope you don't mind", his voice was still low, trying not to wake the little boy

"yeah, sorry i didn't wake you up last night... you looked tired"

he chuckled as you walked over to the kitchen to take out two mugs and prepared some toast, "i don't mind, it was the best sleep i've gotten in a while. i hope it wasn't too much of a bother for you though"

you leaned on the kitchen counter as you took in his appearance; hair ruffled and eyes puffy with sleep, "i don't mind it one bit"

he huffed a laugh and looked over to the sofa where your son still laid

"he likes you a lot"

"so it seems, i hope you do too", his face was smug but you didn't miss the red that tinted his cheeks when you told him "of course i do, in fact i was thinking maybe we should do this more often"

his smirk grew, "just say you want to wake up everyday to the sight of me and leave it at that"

you rolled your eyes at his comment but smiled nonetheless, "oh shut up"

he had just come back from the nekoma volleyball team reunion, head lightly buzzing from the few bottles of alcohol kuroo forced down his throat

making his way through the carpeted hotel hall, he could barely make out the sound of little feet hurriedly padding on the floor and quiet sniffles

taking out the keycard to his room with the blissful thoughts of finally sinking into the soft mattress was interrupted by a soft bump on his thigh, a muffled thud and a small "ow..."

it took a few moments before the sight of the little boy on the hotel floor registered properly in his brain

it was well past 2 am... why the hell is there a child running around the halls

"uh... hi?"

big bright eyes looked up at him and he can't help but sigh at the sniffles increasingly growing louder

"where's your mama, little guy?", yaku crouched to the little boy's level, careful to keep his balance as the booze and exhaustion was catching up to him

however, at the mention of his mother, the little boy's eye filled up with more tears and was ready to burst anytime, "mama..."

"oh no no no no"

yaku's too tired for this

so with a sigh and a groan, he took the boy in his arms and entered his room

"let's look for her in the morning, okay? i think i still have some cookies in my room, would like some?"

the little boy nods his head, earning a relieved sigh from yaku

the rest of the night was spent with cartoons playing on the large hotel room tv, yaku leaning against the headboard with the little boy snoozing away while being tucked in his arm, cookie on his hand and crumbs all around

morning came and panic surged through your body the moment you realized your 3 year-old son was nowhere inside your hotel room

your hurried to the security desk to report and hopefully make an announcement, head reeling and aching with the sudden rush of adrenaline first thing in the morning

with your head in your hands, you let out a groan while trying not to cry at all the possibilites flashing through your mind

your wallowing was cut short with an "excuse me, i found this child last night"

turning your head back to the security desk, you see a man in his pajamas and slippers, hair ruffled from sleep and a sleepy little boy laying on his shoulder

"oh my god"

the whole conlict ended when you came up to them and introduced yourself, the little boy quickly recognizing your voice and whipped his head over to you, "mama!"

your son reached out for you and yaku couldn't help but notice how pretty your glossy eyes were despite how disheveled you looked

"mama, yakkun gave me cookies and we watched cartoons aaaaall night!"

yaku's eyes widened at the little boy's words and let out a nervous chuckle, "you make me sound so suspicious"

he turned to you and explained how your son bumped into him at 2 am and he was just too tired to bring him down to the security desk

"my tired tipsy brain thought it was a better idea to just let him sleep in my room and look for mama in the morning", he ended with the tips of his ears tinged red

you laughed at his nervousness, "well we can talk more about it over breakfast, what do you say yakkun? my treat"

with the way you were smiling at him, how could he even refuse?

the rest of the morning was spent with coffee and waffles, juice and fruits and chatter

he learned you and your son were in town for a few days, "i wanted to go see the fishies in the aquarium!", the little boy quips

with the new volleyball season just around the corner, yaku knew he'd have practices but he offered to tour you two around tokyo

he wanted to see you two again

briefly taking care of the toddler last night and having breakfast with you, he realized, were very much a welcomed change of pace in his hectic pro volleyball life

"are you my dad? mama told me daddy was working in tokyo" he remembered your son quietly mumbling last night, "i haven't seen him though, not ever"

the rest of your stay in tokyo was spent hanging out with yaku, your son growing more and more attached to him and slept over at his room every night

as promised, he took you and your son on a tokyo tour and even brought you to practice, introducing you to the national team and teaching your child receives

of course your trip eventually reached its end, promises of meeting again drowned in the little boy's tears as he tried to reach out to yaku

"we'll meet again, little guy", he says while ruffling the boy's hair, "i'll even go visit you and we'll play lots, okay?

of course he made a point of contacting you frequently, often video chatting during meal times and bedtime and a few more hours after, relishing in the time he could spend talking alone with you

"i can't wait to see you two again", he always says right after "good night"

taglist: @churochuu @bakarinnie @faithieeee @strawberriimilkshake @paulazockt @pattys-got-cakes @hidden-otaku-stuff @haikyuubabie @sachirou-senpai @your-local-abyss @stcrryskies @toosaltyforacookie @mrs-kuroojinguji @shawkneecaps @miyastrology @galacticstxrdust @wakaushi @boosyboo9206 @sugawara-sweetheart @threeconsecutivefs @chichibia @diyosku @curiouslilbeast @cowbeboppy @tsukkaria @yyvveess @kirakirasaku

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uma-sonhadora · 3 years ago

Text

Hi, how are you?

I want to apologize that English is not my first language, so I asked the translator for help.

Hope you like it.

Billy Russo x female reader

warning: Angst

Forever?

Billy still remembered exactly when he met her, it was Wednesday afternoon, despite the blue sky a light rain started to fall, so he hurriedly ran to a small cafe, when he opened the door he found few people, but then his eyes were directed to the beautiful young woman who was sitting by the window, she was drinking a milkshake and reading The Hunger Games (which he discovered was the young woman's favorite book), she was wearing a flowery dress and wearing a white converse.

It looked like he had been staring at it for hours, but he had to get out of his daydreams when a lady excused herself to leave the small cafe, apologizing he went to sit down and was soon attended to, even with the rain outside and the conversations of the people her eyes never left her, it seemed to madness, but Billy believes that he had never seen a person as beautiful as her.

But for the first time he felt ashamed and lowered his head, waited for the rain to subside, finished his coffee, handed the money to the girl at the cashier and left. Two weeks passed and she couldn't get out of her head and by irony of fate Billy was in front of the cafe and through the window he found her again, this time she was drinking coffee, wearing a long dress and reading In flames, taking courage from the "pretty boy", walked over to her.

- Hello, can I sit here? - Billy asked, fearing a negative answer, but he would understand the girl, an unknown man asking to sit with her, even he would deny in her place.

- Of course - She replied and for a few seconds he was static - Are you ok?

- Yes, I am - he sits on the bench that is on the other side of the table - My name is Billy - he extends his hand.

- Elena - She also extends her hand to greet him.

- You come here often? - great way to start the conversation Billy, he thought to himself.

- Every day in fact - she replied with a simple smile.

- You must really like it here then.

- I like it a lot, but there's also the issue of my mother being the owner.

- Damn, is your mother the owner? he asked awkwardly as he lightly scratched the back of his neck.

"She is, but don't feel pressured to pretend to like the coffee if she asks," she whispered the last part with a laugh.

To this day he wonders how they were talking for two hours like they were old friends, unfortunately she had to leave, but promised to be there again tomorrow, and Elena went to coffee the other day, but Billy got stuck in a meeting from Anvill and when he arrived at the cafe she was already gone.

And for two more weeks the two were at odds with each other. At one point Billy was disillusioned, he believed he would never see the owner of the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. Sitting at one of the cafe tables staring at his empty glass Billy felt a hand touching her shoulder and when heturned around there she was smiling at him.

And from a simple conversation in the cafe, they went to the cinemas, museums, parks, libraries and finally to lunch with the family. Elena's family loved Billy, Frank, Karen and Curtis fell in love with sweet Elena.

The proposal was at a picnic in Central Park, Elena got her face hurting from smiling so much, that day Billy promised himself that he always wanted to see that smile on his girlfriend's face.

Billy loved the way she talked excitedly about her books, how she knew about the different species of plants and butterflies, the girl's room was almost a garden and he loved that.

Elena loved the way Billy was focused when he was working out something about his company, when something went wrong he would pout and ask for hugs.

Even though Billy likes to stay at home, he goes out to walk in gardens or flower shops with his little one. And even though Elena was horrible at talking to people she didn't know, she always went to gala with Billy.

Anyone who saw the two would not even think that Elena was already 26 years old and Billy 36, after 3 years of dating they decided to move in together, it was funny to enter their apartment, one part was all technological and the other felt like you were walking in a garden.

Of course like all couples they fought too, but they had promised that they would never sleep upset with each other, they always apologized before going to sleep.

On Elena's 28th birthday they decided to go on a trip, they stayed away for a month, the destinations were Italy, London and Paris, and in front of the Eiffel Tower he proposed to her, when both families returned, all they needed to do was shoot rockets.

The wedding was a dream come true for both of them, everyone they loved was there witnessing their union.

In the second year of their marriage they started talking about raising a family, but unfortunately it was discovered that Elena couldn't have children, for a moment she thought that the two would end up there, but it didn't happen they both supported each other.

Elena was two weeks away from turning 31, Billy wanted to make a nice dinner for his wife, as he took the glasses to the table he felt a tightness in his chest, something he had never felt before, dropping the glasses on the table he ran to his phone and called his wife 1,2,3,4,5... Several attempts to call and none of them worked, Billy was already shaking. Then a sudden ring on his home phone, he rushed to answer it.

- Mr Russo? - a male voice was heard on the other end of the line.

- Yes, that's him.

- This is from the central hospital, I'm sorry to tell you, but your wife had an accident and is now in surgery.

Billy doesn't even remember the man's last words, he just takes the car key and rushes to the hospital, when he arrived nobody said anything to him, his wife's parents had already arrived and they didn't say anything either, hours and more hours and nothing.

- Elena's relatives - a woman appeared calling for them.

"Here," Elena's father replied.

- Unfortunately the accident was very serious, Elena became brain dead - Elena's mother was already kneeling on the floor crying, while her husband tried to help her, but he was also crying - I know it's not the time, but we saw that Elena is an organ donor, her eyes and heart are still in perfect condition.

-Can you give us a minute - for the first time Billy said something, he helped his mother-in-law up and looked at the doctor again - We want to see Elena.

"Of course," replied the doctor.

The way to the room was the longest in Billy's life, when he looked at his wife she seemed fine, just a few bruises on her face, her mother-in-law hugged her daughter's body and started crying again, her father-in-law didn't know what to do as well as he.

Billy was just avoiding the inevitable, he knew what his wife's wishes were, Elena always liked to help people and now even after her death she would help, so he and his in-laws signed the papers and Elena was taken, on her way back to the house the dinner table was still set, but not for long everything that was in front of Billy was broken, there was the moment he couldn't take it anymore, with his hands bleeding and with swollen eyes he screamed with all his might .

- ELENA.

The wake was something Billy couldn't describe, he believed that even nature felt Elena's loss, the sky was cloudy, the birds didn't sing and the icy wind was present.

Years and years passed, Billy still went to the cafe where he met the love of his life, the coffee no longer belonged to his mother-in-law because she had sold it months after the death of her only daughter, he always asked for the same thing and always sat at the same table.

At the age of 80, he went every day to take flowers to his beloved's grave, he never had anyone else after Elena, even because she had taken his heart with her.

- Elena my beloved Elena, I can't wait to have you in my arms again.

#billy russo angst #billy russo x female reader #billy russo #billy russo x reader #billy russo x you #billy russo imagine #billy russo fanfic

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erismerald · 4 years ago

Text

𝑰 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒕 (Jacob Frye x reader) 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 1

Hello, my lovely assassins, I've been away from writing for a while but I'm back! And I bring you a story of our beloved assassin Jacob Frye X F!reader, I don't know yet how many chapters this story will have but I hope you like it and have fun with it, I just want to remind you that I am open to requests if you want to send me a message!

𝑾𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔: Some fluff and Near Rape

𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔: 3306

𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎

You just got off the plane, you look around you, a feeling of excitement and euphoria fills your chest in a comfortable warmth, your gaze fixed on the incredible sight you had, you are amazed, it was your first time in London, and since you were a little girl you wanted to visit that wonderful city, You listened to the bedtime stories your grandmother told you, about the city, about what happened before it became as free a city as it is now, since you were 5 years old you have tried countless times to convince her to come with you to London, it was just you two against the world, she raised you in place of your parents, since they never cared much for you and your well being, and now you had just turned 18, and on this school trip you finally have the chance to make your greatest wish come true, you were so excited that it was hard to breathe, until you felt a hand lightly resting on your shoulder, it was your best friend F/n, she was looking at you with a huge smile, she knew how much you had asked your nanny to allow you to make this trip, In fact, you smiled as you remembered the conversation you had with her:

𝑭𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒉 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌

"Ahm nanny, can I talk to you? "You said leaning against the frame of the glass door of the living room, the atmosphere around you, was nostalgic, you loved the rain and the cold, your grandmother was sitting in a small brown armchair, old with time, in front of the big fireplace, the glass roof that both of you had built some summers ago allowed you to see the rain falling, even during the night, it was really calming, in her fragile hands was a book, you knew that book well "Ah that book ...." You approached slowly, and like a child you sat on the carpet looking at your grandmother with a gentle but mysterious smile.

"I know that look my dear, do you want to tell me something?" she asked already knowing what your look meant, you sighed through your nose and gave her permission for the trip "Y/n...." she said with a sweet smile, but before she could say something disapproving, you interrupted by putting both your hands on her lap on top of the book.

"Nanny you have told me so many stories about that city, why don't you let me explore, I.... I have saved enough money to be able to afford the trip, besides F/n will be there with me, can I go? I promise to draw everything I see, to show you nanny, but I want to find out who I am, so far I don't know where I belong..." you said sadly, it was true, you had a family legacy that tormented you for nights on end, your grandmother said it was a brotherhood that helped people but in your view they stole people's lives, to protect? It wasn't right, and you never accepted it, and preferred to believe it was just another bedtime story made up by your grandmother to make you a stronger person.

"Y/n... I wouldn't deny it dear, I encourage you to go, I'm too old to keep you here, besides it's only a month, what could go wrong? I just want you to be careful, and not to be fooled by anyone, and take this" she got up from the chair and walked to a wooden box hidden in the shelf, from there she took out a necklace, made with a coin? "This necklace belonged to a very important person, one that you know and that will make you know a better world and discover who you finally are" she gave you the necklace with a smile and let you enjoy it on your fingers.

"Who did it belong to?" you asked, curious about the small necklace that had been handed to you.

"Jacob Frye. That necklace belonged to Jacob" She said would be, but confident, you laughed a little, she looked at you confused.

"Nanny, you know I don't believe in bedtime stories anymore, Jacob Frye and Evie Frye are just characters in your stories, that you told me to put me to sleep, but they didn't exist but thank you for giving it to me, I will wear it proudly, even if it didn't belong to Jacob, it belonged to you and that's worth a lot, and Thank you for letting me go, I'll be eternally grateful," You said kissing her hand and smiling at her "Well now, how about I make you some tea and you read me some of your book of tales, remind me who was who?" she laughed and nodded, watching you disappear into the darkness that surrounded you.

𝑬𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒇𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒉𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌

"So excited huh?" she smiled and put her arm over your shoulder, as you laughed a little, it was a strange but warm feeling that you were in a place you had dreamed of so much.

"Of course, I am, you've seen the atmosphere! Can you imagine the adventures we'll have in a month here? I'm so excited I can feel my body energetic, I want to know, I want to visit, being here is just a demonstration that my journey to find out who I am, is going to go well!" you said excitedly as you picked up your bag and moved it to your classmates.

"I like seeing you like this, ever since you found out you were coming here, you've talked about nothing else" she laughed, you smiled shyly, grabbing the necklace your grandmother had given you before you left

"Where does that necklace come from anyway? Did your grandmother explain it to you?" F/n asked as she sat in front of you waiting for the teachers and the rest of the class to arrive.

"Well, she told me it would be useful to me in my future, I didn't quite understand, she said it belonged to one of the Frye twins, the ones she tells in the bedtime stories when we were little" you explained watching and twirling the pendant chained around your neck.

F/n smiled and thought for a moment before speaking, she seemed amused in her own thoughts, it was funny to see her like that you thought to yourself as you heard the teachers calling you to go to the bus.

"Do you think it could be true?" She asked getting up, and following the others, you stopped for a small moment, looked at the necklace, and smiled, Nah... it couldn't be true, could it? Since you were little you knew the story of the Frye brothers, their fight to save London from corruption, their adventures, your nanny loved to tell you those stories when you were younger, when she left the room you stayed awake for hours looking at the stars in the sky, closing your eyes and trying to feel the emotion they had, they were your heroes, you always admired them, but they were just bedtime stories, right? it couldn't be true, maybe your grandmother just said that to remind you of old times? You shake your head and go on your way.

*Time skip*

When you arrived at the hotel you were informed that you were going to make a night tour of the streets of London, you couldn't be more excited, you looked at F/n and she noticed your look immediately.

"I know that look," she said a bit teasingly "tell me what do you want to go and see?" you grabbed her hand and stormed out of the room "ahm calm down young lady, you are going to rip my arm off" you laughed a bit as you got into the elevator.

"You know I'd like to go see Big Ben at night and walk around there, what do you think? we could have dinner nearby, I want to draw the streets at night, to show my grandmother" you answered, going through the small backpack you had, confirming that you had everything there, pencils... sketchbook... wallet... watercolors... phone... you got scared when you heard F/n calling you, you were too lost in your thoughts.

"Hello? land call Y/n I've been calling you for 5 minutes" she looked at you with an amused smile on her face, you looked forward and finally noticed that you had arrived embarrassed, you looked to the side and smiled trying to disguise it "Come on let's go I'm hungry" she pulled you out of the hotel while signaling for a taxi.

As you walked through the streets of London, you imagined what it must have been like in 1850, you were always connected to history and literature, you loved to draw and your grandmother always fascinated you with her stories and her adventures here in London, it was here that she had met your grandfather, would the future also await you with unexpected adventures and romances?

*A few hours later

You were in a cafe near the big ban drawing the environment around you, in a way it seemed magical, it seemed that it wasn't real, you sighed happily while you put back the watercolors and your notebook in your bag, you looked at F/n and a group of friends that were with you.

"I'm going to the bathroom, I'll be right back!" you said, getting up and picking up your backpack, heading for the cafe's bathroom.

"Okay, try not to take too long, we'll be going to the hotel soon" F/n warned you as you walked away.

The bathroom was very rustic, it looked like it was from 1880, that was an interesting thing, when you finished doing what you had to do, you went to the small sink and looked at yourself in the mirror, your hair was tied up in a clumsy bun, and your eyes were more sparkling than usual, a small shade of pink adorned your face, you felt free, inspired, you were ready to have this adventure.

you made a little shell with your hand and took some water on your face to refresh it, when you looked in the mirror you saw a shadow behind you and the light had failed for a few seconds, suddenly you looked back afraid, but... there was no one there, could you have imagined it? Were you so tired that you imagined someone behind you? You took a deep breath, picked up your backpack and headed back to your friends' side, but something unexpected happened, when you left the cafe the atmosphere had changed, it didn't even look like the same cafe you had visited, the people were dressed in an old way, they spoke old English, what had happened? You felt fear invading your mind a little, still quite confused, you approached the bartender in an attempt to get an answer, but he seemed a little surprised to see you, he looked at you from top to bottom, with a disapproving look.

"ahm sorry, but what happened to the cafe? And did you happen to see a group of students on the outside terrace, do you know where they went?" He looked perplexed by what you had said.

"I'm sorry miss but, who are you? and what are those clothes you are wearing? And the student girl? I don't know where you come from but I don't want prostitutes or liars in my pub, if you can get out of here, I would appreciate it" you looked at him outraged, what does he meant by a prostitute? Clothes? Ahm you were really lost, but you respected the gentleman's answer and left, when you left you got an even bigger shock, the environment had changed, there were no cafes, the streets were badly illuminated, the people dressed differently, feeling a wave of fear invading your body you started to run like crazy, looking for someone who could help you, after many panicky minutes and without getting any answer you just sat down in an alley and started to cry, where are you? How could you have stopped there? Not even 10 minutes ago you were with your friends, and now you were alone.

You felt the raindrops wet your body and taking advantage that the rain disguised your tears, you hugged your body and tried to breathe, doubts and fears went through your subconscious until you heard the footsteps of someone approaching you, a feeling of hope invaded you but was soon replaced by fear.

"Hey there doll, want some company for tonight?" a man in his forties approached you, and crouched down beside you, he looked you up and down and examined your body, you tried to get up but he pulled you down and pinned you against the wall.

"You look strange, you don't look like you're from here... but I don't care, you'll do for tonight," he said trying to remove your clothes, you screamed and cried, while that pig undressed you and pinned you to the cold wall, the memories of your grandmother, your friends passed in your eyes while you felt your body being abused, you wanted to escape, you wanted to go home, you weren't ready for this... you should never have come .... out of nowhere you felt his body leave yours, he had fallen unconscious on the floor, you looked forward and saw another man, this one looked to be in his early 20's, his costume was different more hidden, he looked at you and helped you to pull yourself together, when you finally finished you looked up at him, his almond colored eyes bewitched you, he put his thumb on your face wiping the tears that were falling.

"I... I don't know... help me..." You fell to your knees on the ground but your body was held by the mysterious man who had saved your life, you felt safe and somehow protected in his embrace, but you weren't strong enough not to cry once again.

"Shhh love, it's ok" he hugged you tightly and pulled you closer to him "You look a little heated, do you have somewhere to stay?" His voice was husky but mesmerizing, but you couldn't answer as you had collapsed in his arms passed out, the fear, the cold, the pain had overcome the last thing you heard was him asking your name.

𝑱𝒂𝒄𝒐𝒃 𝒑𝒐𝒗

With a sigh the assassin took your face lightly, noting every feature of your face, his eyes slid down your body, it was true what he had heard, the rumors that there was a strange traveler roaming the streets was true, but your clothes looked nothing like what he had seen so far.

The rain fell on your bodies, he was afraid you would get sick, even though he didn't know you he couldn't leave you on the street after what had happened, in one movement he gently picked up your body and took your backpack, and went towards the streets calling for a carriage to take you to the station to take refuge on the train, and take care of you.

Getting into the carriage slowly, so you wouldn't be woken up, not that it would be possible to wake you up because you were fainting from exhaustion, but to prevent it, Jacob put your body on top of his, and with his coat wrapped around you, to warm you up.

"Evie will freak when she sees me... what the-" Jacob stopped his words as his gaze was drawn to the necklace that adorned your neck "How come she has this?" he said holding the necklace in his fingers and looking intensely at you "You really are an unexpected traveler."

The streets of London were bustling, the fight against Crawford Starrick, had not been won yet and there was still a long way to go, but still the streets of London was mesmerizing and agitated, the rain was a strange charm of the city, Jacob knew the streets well, he spent most of his time on the streets freeing people from the clutches of the templar.

But he was curious about this strange traveler, during the early evening some Rooks had told him about this mysterious girl who desperately asked crazy questions to people, some even theorized that she had escaped from some asylum, but Jacob had to see with his own eyes this strange girl who had stopped the city with her unusual appearance.

When he arrived at the station, he saw Grennie carrying some boxes of groceries into the train, and when he approached him with a girl in his arms, Henry ran to meet him helping him out.

"What the hell have you been doing now Jacob? Who this girl?" Henry placed his palm over her face, the heavy breathing and the heat she was eradicating were just signs of a strong fever "This girl is burning up we need to get her to a doctor" He said trying to pick up your body but Jacob refused.

"I am sorry my dear Grennie but unfortunately we can't take her to a doctor, she isn't from around here... I found her because of rumors of a strange traveler in town, but I didn't believe it until I saw her lying on the ground with a Blighter on top of her undressing her, the poor thing was terrified, I couldn't leave her there, but look at the way she looks" Jacob removed his coat a little from over you revealing the clothes your real look. "I don't know where she is from but inside her bag, there is some evidence that she isn't from here, I think it might be useful to us, on our mission... just..." Jacob looked at grennie's face with an abandoned puppy dog look.

"I...I don't know Jacob, Miss Evie will freak out about it, but since she might be useful, we can try to wait until she wakes up so we can ask her who she is" Jacob smiled at the answer, Henry opened the door to Jacob's wagon and helped him lay your body down on the small couch, where Jacob use for sleeping.

"Jacob I just got some news... What is going on here?" Evie said abruptly entering the "room" she looked at Jacob with a disapproving look, she walked over to your body examining you, you are burning up with fever.

"She was helpless with a Blighter on top of her doing God knows what, I wasn't going to leave her there alone, besides she's sick, I felt obligated to bring her here, besides Evie.... She is the girl of the rumors, if what they say is really true that she is not from here, she can be useful to us in this fight." Evie stood up and faced Jacob, she knew he was right but she didn't want to admit it, she knew well that her brother sometimes acted before he thought but at this moment he had the right thing to do.

"We'll take care of her until she recovers and we can get answers from her, we won't leave her on the streets, it's really dangerous, but try to consult me before you bring anyone else here, remember that we have a mission to accomplish, and "personal feelings, can compromise the mission" ". Evie said stroking your hair, "Now both of you get out of here, we can't let her sleep in her wet clothes or she'll get even sicker, and Mrs. Green can call a private doctor to come here to examine her?" Evie smiled sweetly in Henry's direction, who replied just as sweetly, walking off with Jacob, leaving you and Evie alone.

#jacob frye x reader #assassin's apprentice #jacob frye headcanon #jacob frye #assassin's creed #fanfic #evie frye x reader #evie frye #uncharted #samuel drake x reader #sam drake #dbh connor x reader #until dawn

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mochiusagifanficchaos · 3 years ago

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Sherlock x Mute!Reader •Part 5•

It's been three weeks now since the incident with the shooter at the London Eye, you just got out of the hospital and your boss finally allowed you to work at the cafe again, after hours of begging and doing puppy eyes.

Sherlock and Watson kept visiting you at the hospital and while your shift at the cafe and Watson updated you about the case as good as he could since the shooter turned out to be one of the Clown guys.

Lestrade had questioned him and found traces from the blacklight color on his hands, the color you and Sherlock prepared the register with before it got robbed.

But you didn't know much more about the case because Sherlock kept close about it, Watson told you that he would always do that but it still annoyed you.

And since you took the case very personally you decided to threaten Sherlock until he told you everything he knew.

He sat on his usual table again, reading the newspapers and Watson sitting in front of him, studying the menu, but you already knew that he would order, just the same as every time.

You took his order with a smile and turned around again without even looking at Sherlock, showing him the cold shoulder, which irritated Watson but he didn't say anything.

With a sweet smile on your lips, you placed a plate with spaghetti in front of Watson a few minutes later, without Sherlock's usual unordered tea in your hand.

Watson looked at you startled because of your behavior towards Sherlock, but the detective himself seemed to stay unimpressed about it, which made you even more annoyed.

After a few days of totally ignoring Sherlock and getting no reaction at all from him, you decided to use a different method.

You didn't know how and if Sherlock would react to it at all but it was worth a try.

The next morning you came to the cafe in a short skirt and a white, slightly see-through blouse.

You wore, not so high, high heels and your hair was tied into a ponytail.

The rest was just the usual routine, ignoring Sherlock and being extra nice to Watson and other customers.

At first, you got disappointed again because he still didn't seem to react to your play at all but then you actually got a glimpse of him staring at you when he thought you weren't looking.

You cheered at yourself inside 'Never underestimate the weapons of a woman!'

What you didn't notice this day were all the eyes on you from the other customers, some basically undressing you with their staring.

------------time skip to after work-----------

The cold air crawled under your thin jacket as you locked the door from the cafe.

It got pretty late this time since you needed to wash away so many dishes because the winding machine wasn't working at the moment.

Shivering you led the key slide into your pocket and crossed your arms, hugging yourself to keep your body warm while you walked down the street.

Suddenly you heard footsteps behind you, they sounded heavy and came closer.

Scared you took a random street and walked faster, but you could still hear them.

You took another and another random street until you ended up on a dead-end road.

Afraid you slowly turned around.

A tall man in a long coat walked straight towards you with fast steps. He got closer and closer and with every step he did, you stepped one back.

Until you hit the wall with your back.

"Why are you ignoring me?", the man suddenly asked and you immediately recognized his voice.

You could see his face now, he looked down at you with an empty expression but you could swear that there was a glim of sadness in his eyes.

"You shouldn't be walking around like this. It's dangerous in the night and at the café, everyone was staring at you.", Sherlock said as he took off his coat and laid it around your shoulders, closing the buttons.

You blushed deeply and your feelings were driving a roller coaster of being angry at him, loving him, being annoyed of him, and thinking of him as the sweetest man you ever met.

"So why are you ignoring me? Did I do something wrong or do you just want my attention?"

Secretly it was also because you wanted the attention but you would never admit that.

Now at this moment, you wished that you had learned sign language.

Back then you thought that no one would understand it anyway so why learn it but now it could have really helped you to talk to Sherlock.

With an annoyed expression, you pointed at him and then at yourself, forming the word 'case' with your mouth.

Then you pointed at Sherlock again, did a hand motion as if you would close your mouth like a zipper, and laid your hands over your ears, looking around like you wouldn't hear anything.

"Because I didn't tell you about my researches about the case?", Sherlock asked to know if he got that right and you nodded, still angry.

He sighed: "So that's all? That's why I didn't get my beloved tea from you anymore for a week?"

Huffing you crossed your arms in front of your chest.

But he couldn't hide a smile, you looked just too adorable in his coat which completely covered your frame.

Sherlock was silent for a moment, thinking about something before he answered softly: "I'm sorry (y/n)."

You were surprised by the tone of his voice since you have never heard him talk to anyone like this before.

"Let's go home and I'll tell you everything I know. But only if you make me tea."

You huffed amused and nodded as a response.

Sherlock had his arm around your shoulders the entire time as he walked you home to his apartment.

Watson wasn't there, he was with Marry, so you could sit on his chair, holding a hot cup of tea and wearing a pajama from Sherlock, enjoying the warmth of the fire in the fireplace as Sherlock told you about his researches.

It was one of the best evenings you ever had, you felt protected and just happy.

"I missed your tea.", Sherlock suddenly said as he noticed you drifting off to sleep.

You smiled at him before your tired eyelids closed again.

You felt how he lifted you up from the chair, bringing you to his bed.

He laid you down and covered you with the blanket, whispering a goodnight before you fell asleep.

You woke up in the middle of the night, panting and shivering.

It was this nightmare again, the nightmare about the clown guys.

They hunted you in your dreams and this time they even shoot at you.

Warm tears ran down your cheeks as you hugged your knees to your chest and buried your face in your hands, whimpering silently.

You looked around to calm yourself down and remembered that you were in Sherlock's bedroom.

Carefully you felt as if someone was laying beside you but the bed was empty.

Of course. Sherlock wouldn't sleep next to you.

But you so much wished he would. Especially now you craved a hug from him or just a touch to make you feel better.

Silently you stood up and walked on your tiptoes into the living room to see if Sherlock was there.

And he was, sitting on his armchair and staring into the fire.

He looked up as you slowly walked over to him.

"Nightmare?", he asked and looked at you concerned, probably having noticed your wet cheeks.

You just nodded and looked down, your fingers playing with the hem of the too big pajama shirt from Sherlock which you were wearing.

"Come here.", he said and gestured you to sit on his lap.

Hesitantly you walked over to him and sat down on his legs.

With a quick movement, he lifted your legs up and placed them on the armrest so that you were sitting bridal style on top of him.

You rested your head on his chest as you tried to cover the dark red blush on your face.

Did this really just happen?

His heartbeat, the way he stroked with his hand over your back and the warmth of the fire calmed you down and it didn't take you long to drift off into sleep again.

Watson walked in very early and found you and Sherlock, well, cuddling. You were still sitting on his lap, sleeping calmly and Sherlock's head rested on yours, his arms protectively around you.

Watson couldn't believe the sight and quickly took a picture of you two before sneaking down the stairs again to get Mrs. Hudson.

She needed to see this.

Mrs. Hudson giggled like a schoolgirl as she saw you both and Sherlock flinched, waking up from his nap.

"Have I missed something important?", Watson mockingly asked as Sherlock lifted his head and looked tardily at the two chuckling persons in front of him.

Fun fact: I keep forgetting that the reader is mute and let her talk in nearly every chapter until I notice it and then I have to somehow put the words into actions or else. 😂

This chapter is pretty story irrelevant but I thought some fluff between all this action and danger would be good :')

My Wattpad: @/lilakudo

Tag list ❤️ @misselsbells06 @fictionalhoomanofnowhere

#fanfiction #x reader #reader insert #bbc sherlock #sherlock #sherlock fandom #sherlock fanfic #sherlock x reader #sherlock x y/n #sherlockxmutereader

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blueflamedemon · 3 years ago

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BlueSky { Dabi x OC }

Chapter Three - Call Me Sir Again

*Chapter Summary - After butting heads a couple of times, Dabi comes to the conclusion that he and Sora are very much alike in many ways, including something that he will never admit to.

Chapter one HERE

Weeks went by with no word from Shigaraki. Sora and the others grew worried that he had been captured, so Sora took to watching the news every day to make sure he and the rest of her new friends hadn't been captured, since none of them self comfortable enough to check in with each other too often.

She was keeping her head low, being careful when she went out into public for too long, making sure not to in one area for too long. Somewhere down the line, Dabi found her a wig that hid her face enough and made her look like a whole new, younger person. It was a bit surprising when he came back one day and gave it to her out of nowhere, though she was very impressed with it.

The first few days, Dabi bought them a room in a little air b&b on the outskirts of town, tucked deep into the woods, so there would be no disturbances. Mostly, he got the place so they had somewhere to shower quickly and sleep it off for a few hours, though both were pretty difficult with her leg bandaged up.

After that, he decided it would be best if they rented a small apartment, something where Sora could hide easily and gave them both enough space to sleep--when Dabi showed up, that was.

Dabi had taken to leaving for days at a time, not calling her to check in or let her know when he might be coming back. He'd appear for a little while to make sure she was doing okay and disappear sometime during the night.

Normally, she heard him slipping out. It was hard for her to fall asleep, so she laid awake and stared out the window that her bed sat in front of, listening to the sounds of the waves crashing against the shore and Dabi's shallow breaths until he woke up. She found herself asking him where he was going at all hours of the night, but all he would ever tell her was that he was looking for recruits.

"I don't understand why you can't wait for Shigaraki's word." Sora said one day after Dabi climbed through her opened window and sat at the tiny table. "You also have a key; you don't have to become Spiderman."

"Finding new villains for the League can't wait." Dabi stated firmly, grabbing for a piece of toast that Sora had just made for herself. "When he does give us that call, I want to be ready."

"It sounds like you're trying to create your own League. Isn't there some guy that's helping Shigaraki find recruits? He found you and Himiko." Sora took the piece of toast back from him and took a huge bite out of it.

Dabi rolled his eyes and stood up, making his way over to the fridge and pulling the door open. He leaned over to look inside. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. But there might be someone he misses. Don't you have any juice boxes?"

"Are you two?" Sora raised an eyebrow. "There's a whole carton of juice in there. Grab a cup like a normal human being." She sat in the chair, seeing as only one came with the apartment, she wanted to sit in it to finish eating her breakfast.

Grumbling something she couldn't understand, Dabi reached in and pulled out an energy drink that she stored in there for training, though she hardly ever drank them because she stopped at a cafe just down the street before she trained. It was a little problem. "Why aren't you working on your Quirk?"

"You told me to take the day off. I'm really going to need you to decide what you want, sir."

Dabi was beside her instantly. He sat the drink down on the table and lifted her chin up with a single finger. "Call me 'sir' again." He breathed.

She gasped, nearly choking on the last piece of toast. Looking up at Dabi, she saw his eyes were wider than usual, and his brows were knitted together, almost in confusion. "Excuse me?" Was all she could say.

"Just what I thought. Princess better not mouth off again." He huffed and let go of her chin.

Sora grabbed his wrist, right where his burn scars ended, and she felt each one of the metal hoops that were perminetally attached. The first time she ever touched one, she thought it would be gross, like touching a reptile, but that wasn't exactly it. The scars did feel rough, but it still felt like skin. When she touched him the first time, she couldn't help but to pause and stare, which made Dabi think she was appalled, and it caused a rift in between them for a couple of days. "Is that why you've stuck around for so long? You think you can get some?"

Dabi hesitated, caught off guard by the fact he was just grabbed. His eyes flicked up to meet hers. "Somebody needs to take care of you."

****

Himiko was the one who called Sora the most. She would talk on the phone for hours, telling Sora about the boys she met, but that they just couldn't stand up to Izuku Midoriya.

When she was done explaining her need for Midoriya's blood, she would always ask how things were going with Dabi and if anything had sparked between them yet. And every time, Sora would groan and tell Himiko that nothing would ever happen between the two.

"He isn't my type." Sora would exclaim.

"But you're his." Himiko would giggle on the other end of the phone. "And last week, you told me that he got mad at you for talking to a delivery guy for too long."

"He didn't want the guy to realize he was talking with an escaped hero turned villain."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night."

It was rare to hear from any of the other villains, though she assumed they were just trying their best not to screw this up for any of them. When they did talk, they refrained from giving their location, even went so far as to not really mentioning places they visited. If one of them was caught, they would never be able to give away locations of the League.

As time went on, Sora read some rather concerning articles about charred bodies found in dark allies all throughout Japan. Police thought it strange because there were no other identifiable things that were burned, just the bodies, and most of them were hard to justify as an actual body. It was clear where Dabi had been running off to in the middle of the night.

"Dabi?" Sora opened the bathroom door to see the mysterious boy sitting on the bed, his coat draped over the foot of the mattress, and his shoes kicked off at the door, for once. She let out a small sigh of relief. "I told you to knock on the bathroom door if I'm in the shower."

Dabi rested his head against the wall, his eyes closed and his hands clasped over his stomach. "Mmmhm. You tell me a lot of things."

"Seriously, Dabi. One of these days I'm going to open this door and that's when my Quirk is going to mysteriously start working." She began drying her hair with a towel, squeezing as much water out as she could. "I keep thinking somebody broke in."

"That'll never happen on my watch."

"How will you know? You're off all day, burning people."

His eyes opened and they shifted over to her. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, you're all over the news. Keep going and you're going to get caught. That wasn't the point of all this." She threw the towel up to dry and walked over to the closet to pick out some clothes.

"I am?" She felt the smirk to his voice and she refrained from rolling her eyes.

"Not the point. You better slow down. How many people have you killed?"

"I only killed those who weren't worthy."

"Aren't worthy?" Sora turned around to face him. "Dabi, that sounds crazy."

"I am crazy, princess." He winked at her without missing a beat. "I kill people, remember?"

"When I met you, I had killed more people than you." Sora reminded him. She pulled out a skater dress with the ribs cut out and a pair of biker shorts to go underneath it. "So that little act you have going on? Not impressive."

Dabi was beside her in a second, one hand against the door of the closet, causing Sora to gasp and drop her clothes to the floor. She held her robe together as she stared up at him. "A while back I told you to remember your place. That still applies. You're still the pro hero in training in my eyes and you know how I feel about those ass hats." He said through gritted teeth, peering down at her with a blood-thirsty look swimming in his eyes.

"Then kill me." Sora put it simply, giving him an easy out. There were days that she was sure Dabi was tired of babysitting her, probably even sick of waiting for her Quirk to get back in working order. She never asked for this life, never asked to be a hero nor a villain, it didn't matter to her either way she went at this point. If she stuck around long enough to reek havoc on those who wronged her, she was happy, but not if it meant working with somebody who couldn't treat her as an equal. "Kill me if you feel so inclined to do so. But try to find somebody out there with as much hatred for those heroes. They didn't care about helping me, either. The one mistake I made, they threw away the key and never gave me a second thought. Never bothered to check in on me, to ask how I was doing. They pumped me full of drugs to keep my Quirk at bay and nearly killed me in the process. So go ahead, Dabi, kill me if you think for a second that I would ever go back to being called a hero."

He was silent for a moment as he towered over her, hunching to get in her face. Inches away from her nose, she caught a whiff of burning flesh, causing her to believe Dabi had just finished another one of his mass murders. It was a bit early for that, but she didn't put it passed the blue flamed boy, he was eager to kill now that he was on his streak.

For a moment, Sora thought he might burn her to a crisp right there. There was no emotion to his eyes, though his mouth twitched a few times as if he were going to say something. When he didn't, he broke their eye contact and gazed down at her lips. Butterflies broke free in her tummy and she felt goosebumps appear on the back of her neck. Was he thinking about kissing her? Or murdering her?

Dabi pulled back, slouching as he tucked his hands into his coat pockets. He rarely ever wore anything to hid himself, which made Sora wonder how he hadn't been caught yet. "How did it feel?"

Blinking, Sora looked up at him, still clutching her robe against her. "How did what feel?"

"To be abandoned by Endeavor and the other pros after promising to make you a better hero."

"Worthless." Sora said without thinking. "Like I just lost..." She paused, unsure if she wanted to get into her true feelings after that moment with Dabi. "He was a tough mentor, but I always viewed him as a father figure, seeing as I never had one. In school, he picked me to intern for him. He picked me after I graduated to be trained along side him, to better myself. He wanted me to be as strong as he was. He was harsh and had no real social skills, but I thought that he truly did care for me, somewhere deep down."

"He has no feelings." Dabi huffed. "None of the heroes do. The world would be much better without them around."

Sora always had a strange feeling that Dabi had more to his backstory than he let on. In fact, she wasn't sure he ever went into detail about why he hated everyone so much. Day by day, she saw his hatred for the pro heroes grow. Something happened to him, and she wasn't going to push it, but it felt bigger than just locking him up and throwing away the key. "I'm going to get dressed. Still be here when I get out?" She asked, calmly.

He turned his head to the opened window, which he'd previously climbed into, despite him having a key to the apartment. "Dunno."

"I'd like it if you stayed. You need a break from those murders of yours before you cremate more of yourself." She stated, picking up her clothes and walking into the bathroom, not really expecting him to stick around just because she asked. Dabi did what he wanted, when he wanted. That was why he never stuck around, he had a mission--a duty, and he was going to finish it out on his own.

She turned around and walked back into the bathroom, wondering if she should tell Dabi the whole truth about her hero days, but the thought of replaying those moments caused her skin to itch and she felt her stomach tighten. Maybe if she kept it to herself until she was ready.

Looking into the mirror, Sora saw a girl she no longer recognized. The girl staring back at her was different from the girl she saw a few months ago. This one had more freedom, despite her current situation. She had friends, she had a family. And it only took them a few days to really accept her. How ironic.

With her clothes on, she stepped out of the bathroom to see Dabi gone, the window wide open as if he had just left. She sighed, wondering if he would ever stay long enough for them to have a normal conversation.

Her phone started to buzz on the table. She picked it up without looking at the name, assuming it was Himiko. It was around that time for her to call in and check up on her.

"Hello?"

"I can't get Dabi to answer his phone. I assume he's still with you." Shigaraki's cold voice was on the other end.

"He just left." She stated, taking a seat on the bed. "Why?"

"Catch him and tell him it's time. I'll message you the location. Bring that asshole if you have to drag him by his hair!" He ordered. Sora heard the faint buzz as the line cut off.

"Nice to talk to you, too." She mumbled, glancing down at the message that flashed across her screen.

She saved opening it for later, so she wouldn't forget, and looked for Dabi's number. She quickly called him with no answer, which was a bit weird. He rarely answered his phone, but he typically picked up for hers.

Something felt wrong. She tried to call Dabi again, and this time it went straight to his voicemail. She pulled the phone away and looked at the number, making sure she was calling the right person.

Is he ignoring me? She thought as she typed up a quick message to tell him that Shigaraki called and they were all meeting up soon. Hitting send, the message failed immediately. He turned his phone completely off...

****

"You still haven't heard from Dabi?" Himiko asked as she twirled one of her knives in the air. "What a prick."

"I left a voicemail and told him what happened back at the warehouse. He hasn't stopped by the apartment, either." Sora watched out the window of the apartment, hoping by some chance she would see him prowling around outside.

"Maybe he was killed. I've seen the news, he's been a busy man." Himiko shrugged then paused. She looked up at Sora, her eyes wide and her mouth opened. "I'm sorry... you liked him, didn't you? I'm sure he's fine!"

Sora felt her cheeks warm up at the thought of liking Dabi. She couldn't fall for a guy like him, he was emotionally unavailable, a guy who could never feel anything towards her at all. He made that abundantly clear from the moment they ran away together. "I don't know what I think about him anymore. I mean, what kind of guy does this to a girl he's helping?" She sighed. "I've lost all progress we made..."

"Are you saying that you can't use your Quirk still?" The little girl tilted her head.

"I'm saying that it's hard since Dabi quit pushing me. I can't explain it, but it's like he knew how to get under my skin, make me angry, and that always helped me power up. Anger, it fuels me."

"Here," Toga raised her knife in the air, ready to slash somebody. "Let me take a swing at you, see how angry you get."

Sora giggled and shook her head. "I don't think so." She looked over at her friend. "What does Overhaul want with me? He said he was working on a drug to stop Quirks. What could he possibly want with me?"

During this meeting at the warehouse, Twice had brought a potential new recruit named Overhaul. The interview was meant to be nice and pleasant with no trouble, so Tomura claimed. Of course, nothing went exactly as planned and in the process, they lost Big Sis Magne and Compress' arm. After the fact, Overhaul warned Tomura and the others that he would be expecting Sora change sides and start working with him, as he could use someone with her type of power.

If only Dabi had been there, she wondered if Magne would still be alive, or if Compress would still have his arm. Today showed her just how much they really needed Dabi and his flames, and she bet that he knew that, too. If only he stuck around long enough when they actually needed him.

"I'm gonna kill him." Himiko said through gritted teeth. "Him and every single one of his members. They can all die."

"Dabi would have had him up in flames." Sora cracked a small smile, thinking back to the night of the bar. He'd let his walls down just enough to show concern for her. Regardless if he was actually worried or not, it felt nice that somebody was willing to fight for her.

Toga paused, then smiled, too. "Yeah... he would have. Hey, are you gonna be okay if I head out? Twice asked me to stop by his place for a sec and I don't want Tomura to think we're ganging up behind his back."

Sora waved a hand and nodded. "Go ahead, I actually just want to rest a little while, maybe go on a walk."

Sora threw on some shoes and a jacket, deciding on walking Toga outside before they went their separate ways at the fork in the road. She needed a walk to clear her head, to get her mind off of the Overhaul thing. It amazed her that two villains wanted her on their team, and yet they knew that she was Quirkless until she could heal from all the damage. Of course, once she got back into her groove, she'd be unstoppable.

Her usual park was closed due to an attack earlier that day, so Sora took a route to her second favorite place, an abandoned stretch of beach. It wasn't a very large one, in fact, you could see from one end to the other pretty easily during the day, but it was still nice and private. There was a little shack sitting above one of the rock formations, which Sora took to hiding in a couple of times, just to get away.

She left her shoes on the boardwalk to feel the sand between her toes as she walked along the sand, sticking close to the water. For someone who hated water, she loved to sit and listen to the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks, and watch the sun disappear beyond the horizon. It gave her a sense of humanity, reminding her that she might have a strong Quirk, but she was still human on the inside, she still held human emotions.

"There you are, little mouse."

Sora jumped in the air and landed with her hands ready for a fight. She saw a familiar looking figure sitting on the steps to the shack, slouched over his knees with his hands clasped in front of him. "Dabi?" She blinked.

"Sorry for the scare." He said, lazily. "You weren't back at the apartment. I figured you'd gone off with this Overhaul guy."

She let her hands fall to her sides and she walked up to the wood steps. "You couldn't tell by my voicemail that I was upset over it?"

"Yeah," Dabi shrugged his shoulders, not bothering to look up at her. "Doesn't mean you wouldn't have gone with him."

"Tomura is furious over it, too. Even if I wanted to join Overhaul, I don't think he would let me. Though the way Overhaul talked about this drug, it has me wondering."

"Sounds like he might just be using it as an excuse to get Tomura jealous. You don't think he really has a drug that can erase Quirks, do you?"

Sora tucked her hair behind her ears. "Either way, to think I might get answers about the drugs they gave me.... If he has those kinds of drugs, maybe they're the same ones."

"I would have been here sooner but... I had something to take care of." He mumbled, changing the subject, possibly to get her mind off of it.

"I thought you just got tired of me. You could have said something, you ass." Sora smacked his leg playfully.

He finally pulled his head up to look at her. He bore that same empty stare that he nearly always had, except she thought she might have seen something leave his eyes as he faced her. "Didn't want you in the middle of it. Turned out to be a dead end anyway, but it might've been more. If the police caught me, there was no way in hell they were going to find you."

"Awe, you do care about me." She teased.

"You and I aren't so different from each other."

Sora tilted her head a little and leaned against the railing, looking up at him. "Will you ever tell me your story?"

"When you need to know it." He said simply.

"You say we're alike." She pondered on that for a moment, thinking if all the ways they might be linked. It was enough for him to feel the need to keep her around. "You were an orphan, too?"

"Something like that." Dabi shrugged. "Enough guessing games. I can feel something big coming up and I need you to be prepared." He rose to his feet and jumped over the railing, landing perfectly on his feet. "That Quirk of yours is going to work eventually."

"How do you know?" Sora stepped back down into the sand. "I haven't been able to use it in weeks, you think it's just going to start now?"

"Do you trust me?" He faced her.

She paused, thinking over those words carefully. "You mean, do I trust a villain who won't even tell me where he goes every night?"

"Do you trust me as in the guy that protects you."

"Again, you're hardly around. If I'm attacked and you aren't there..."

"Answer the damn question."

"I want to trust you."

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bh7theseriesblog · 4 years ago

Text

The Origins of Big Hero 7

Big Hero 7: The Series

Origins

*A flicker of black and white starts up for a while, static noises barely blocks out a voice*

Umm…Hello? Can you hear me?

*the flickering and static stops as it shows a 14 year old girl with dyed blue hair and purple eye contacts*

Can you hear me? Oh it's working!

*The girl sits on the chair in front of the camera. She smooths out her sea green skirt as she clears her throat*

Hi! So…after some thinking I decided to make a video diary so I can remember what I said. After all, who knows when it'll come in handy right? Oh right! I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Cora Mizichio.

*Cora chuckles slightly before continuing*

So I guess I should start with my life and such. Let me warn you though, it's kind of a long and wild story.

*she pulls out a phone and starts showing pictures*

I have lived in San Fransokyo for my whole life with my Dad, Mizuchi and Grandmama, Kaguya. My mom, Akemi passed away when I was a baby.

*image of a blonde hair woman smiled warmly before switching to Cora and her family. Her father being Goliath in stature and her grandmother dressed in a kimono with a cane*

Then my family found out that I'm incredibly intelligent for my age. I suppose hacking into your father's computer to send a birthday card at the age of 4 does that. My Dad is very sweet and an old softie, but is very protective of me and wasn't sure that I should go to school. So I was homeschooled, it was fun being taught by Grandmama and such about Marine biology, but…I felt kind of lonely…

After all my studies, I actually made a habit of bot fighting disguised as an unknown cat-masked competitor under the name 'Nekodomo'. It earned good money since at the time Dad hadn't gotten any luck with jobs due to his height. But it was my very first night of bot fighting that I met him…Hiro Hamada

*she flips the photo to a young Asian boy her age, with messy raven hair, large almond brown eyes and a tooth gap in his smile.*

I've never had very much luck when it came to making or having friends, so if I someone told me that I would end up dating this guy I would had laughed. But yeah we did. I was paired up with Hiro in one of those special bot fighting events like the duo duel. We won, but than the cops were coming and I was so scared of getting caught that I couldn't move. But then the next thing I know Hiro grabs my hand and we were running like crazy before the cops even spot us! I have no idea how long we had been running, but to be honest I didn't really care because I was still awe-struck by the fact that Hiro had save me from getting arrested and we didn't even know each other at the time. But that was all about to change, because as we were finally approaching a safe distance from the cops, it was at that moment where I tripped and fell flat on my face, and at the same time broke my mask. Thankfully Hiro picked me back up and we started running again, with me leaving my broken mask behind. Once we finally stopped and knew we were safe, that was when Hiro and I actually first met face-to-face. Now I have to be honest with you, I've never really known if the whole 'Love at first sight' thing was actually real or not, but it's the only thing I can describe how I felt when I first looked into Hiro's eyes. It was there when we properly introduced ourselves to each other and after that, we started seeing each other more. And it was only after 4 months of hanging out together, that I finally got to meet his family, and he got to meet mine.

*The picture now showed Hiro with a woman holding a calico japanese bobtail cat and a young man on either side of him.*

The woman on his left is his Aunt Cass, she runs a coffee shop called the Lucky Cat Cafe. The young man on his right is his older brother Tadashi. And the adorably cute kitty-cat Aunt Cass is holding is Mochi, their family pet. They are really cool people, and they always asked how I was doing and such, and Mochi is such a sweet kitty that he always tries to cuddle up to me whenever I come over. Hiro and I actually became an official thing one night when I saved his butt from Yama's minions. And boy were they surprised! Aunt Cass actually bounced when Hiro told them that I'm his girlfriend! Dad and Grandmama met them that night too, while dad wasn't too happy at first about me dating, Grandmama convinced him…after hitting him on the head with her cane.

*Cora giggled at the memory*

Anyway, After a slight misadventure where Hiro and Tadashi landed in jail and Cass had to bail them out, Tadashi actually took Hiro to SFIT, San Fransokyo institute of Technology that same night. Hiro told me that he met Tadashi's friends. There's Gogo: the cool biker chick, Honey Lemon: the stylish Chem genius, Wasabi: Laser neat freak, and Fred: the secret Billionaire super hero geek. Afterwards Hiro and I actually applied to SFIT by entering the showcase! Hiro made these miniature robots he called Microbots which he can control via head transmitter, I on the other hand did super strength suction cup shoes that can stick on any surface. We both won and we…were gonna celebrate until…a huge fire broke out in the showcase building and Tadashi ran back inside to help Callaghan, a teacher at the school….he didn't make it…

*Cora turned quiet, looking at her hands as she takes a deep breath*

Hiro wasn't himself for a while. I visited him a lot since the fire, and I mostly talked and tried to comfort and be there for him. Then came the day Hiro stubbed his toe and Baymax came along.

*A picture of a white inflated figure came to the picture*

Baymax was Tadashi's project, a robotic nurse to be more specific. He heard Hiro say ow and activated to help him. Then one of Hiro's microbots started acting weird, and Baymax followed the direction it went! It was then we found a guy in a kabuki mask controlling the Microbots. But they were destroyed at the fire right? Once Hiro pieced together that it was the kabuki-masked man that started the fire to steal them, which in turned killed Tadashi…Hiro decided to build Baymax some armor which…well

*the next picture showed Baymax in protective gear*

We traveled down to the port where we saw him take some type of machine out of the ocean. But then it turns out Baymax called the gang to help us, but sadly the guy in the mask saw us. We barely escaped with our lives that night! Thankfully Baymax being a walking marshmallow, also makes him an inflatable raft too. Afterwards we got to Fred's mansion and discussed over what to do next. Side note: it was weird to see that Fred is a billionaire.

*shows portrait of a young Fred and his parents in classy attire*

Hiro and I then built ourselves armor to fight the guy in the mask. Honey lemon got this cute chemistry purse to pull out what she needed, Gogo got some sick skates to zoom past us, Fred got a killer Kaiju costume that breaths fire, Wasabi got awesome laser blades on the backs of his hands, and I got my aquatic camouflage suit with squid strength suction cup shoes! And learning back from his previous work, Hiro turned Baymax from a stay puff marshmallow with bicycle gear to an awesome superhero!

*the next photo shows Baymax in his red armor*

After training and flying around the city we got down to business. We flew to Akuma island where the masked guy was, and it was there we learned something interesting. Krei and some government officials had something called 'Project Silent Sparrow'. It backfired when the portal sucked everything in, and the pilot was stuck. But then the masked guy attacked us! We tried to fight back but….

*a small clip showed Fred jumping only to be punched away *

We bombed, big time.

Hiro and I got lucky to get the mask…but the person was not who we thought….

Turns out Callaghan grabbed the transmitter and used it and the Microbots to protect himself in the fire…leaving Tadashi to die….

It was then that Hiro took out Baymax's health care chip and ordered him to kill Callaghan…

*Cora took a deep breathe before standing up and leaving the room, she returned back with a glass of water and started drinking it. Once she was done She then continued.*

Thankfully the gang got Baymax back to normal but Hiro was furious. He just left with Baymax…but we eventually met up with Hiro at his place, with a video of Tadashi…it was also when we showed him what we discovered. The pilot was no random person Krei hired. She was Callaghan's daughter, and Callaghan was out for blood.

We got to Krei Tech where Callaghan got his portal running. Hiro then learned what we needed to do to beat him; instead of the mask, we take out the Microbots, then he'd be powerless. But despite that, the portal was still open, and ready to tear itself to pieces. Then Baymax dropped the biggest bomb on us, Callaghan's daughter was still alive in there.

Hiro and I got on Baymax to rescue her. We found her pod but Baymax's thrusters were wrecked from the debris…

Baymax…he got us out by rocket punch…but stayed behind in the portal…

It's been weeks since then…

Krei agreed to keep our identities a secret, Callaghan is in prison, and his daughter is making a steady recovery at the hospital. And the news had been exploding over 'the mysterious group of heroes' that saved the city.

Hiro and I had been doing good, we talked to the gang a lot and we actually reapplied to SFIT again.

*Cora then looks at the clock beside her and gasped*

Oh man it's almost midnight! And first day of class is tomorrow! Anyway, thank you for listening! And…Baymax…I don't know if you can hear me..but Hiro has been doing good. We all miss you…especially me and Hiro...wish us good luck, cause who knows what happens tomorrow.

*Cora smiles at the camera before turning it off.*

A.N: This is an updated look for the prolouge chapter of Big Hero 7: The Series!

Liking the new visuals? ;3

This chapter has been edited by WolfWitchHuntress1318 at Fanfiction.net! Thank you for being my patient editor! Thank you for following and reading Big Hero 7! Love ya!

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chocojjk · 6 years ago

Text

cafes and pinky promises

summary: bff! felix → idol! felix ,,, like i said , i suck at summaries

words: 2.8k

a/n: yall im on a roll, i really don't know why im writing so much these past few days but enjoy,, i hope

not edited, per usual

as you entered your favorite cafe, you never expected to come face to face with the boy who filled up every second of your thoughts

in fact, it was the very boy that has created so many memories with you in this same exact place

you wanted to go up to him, to see how he was doing, ask him how idol life been treating him but you found yourself glued to the floor, unable to move

every single memory with him suddenly flashing in mind

the two of you met back in middle school

it was the typical story

you were the new kid in school,

didn't have any friends,,

sat alone at lunch,,,

then one day he came up to you wearing his brightest smile, the freckles upon his cheeks shining up like the stars in the sky

“hi, im felix”

(❁´◡`❁)

and the rest was history

you guys became the best of friends, practically glued to the hip

but let’s skip all that friendship fluff and fast forward to second year of high school

you guys have been best friends for a good four years now

one of the things that you guys love doing is going to the cafe a little out of town

the cafe had free wifi and barely any people so it became a routine to just go there after school and goof around

dont get me wrong, you guys do homework too

#getyoureducationkids

also like #fuckthesystem

anyways,,,,

since you guys were the smartest in your class, it never really took that long to finish homework and instead you guys would just have fun listening to music, telling bad jokes, watching a show on netflix, and sometimes even just playing rock paper and scissors

there’s never a dull moment between the two of you

honestly if it wasn’t for you and felix, the cafe would probably be out of business

even the owner knew you two

she was the sweetest old lady, always giving you guys extra cookies and letting you stay for as long as you can

she would also always joke around about how you two would make the cutest couple, comparing the two of you to her and her husband who were high school sweethearts

being young, the thought first made you wanna vomit

like ew,,, boys are gross

but as you grew older, you started seeing the boy in a different light

the small touches and the hand holding suddenly started to have meaning

everytime he laughed, it was music to your ears

his freckles became the most beautiful thing in the world, and you loved tracing each one of them

sure, you guys have had your own share of petty fights but at the end of the day it did nothing but strengthen the friendship that you two share

there were never any secrets

(((besides of course these feelings that were growing but shh we dont speak of that)))

you knew felix like the back of your hand and vice versa

and you could just see yourself spending every moment with him in the upcoming future

until of course one day,

“y/n, i need to tell you something but pinky promise you won’t get mad?”

“felix every time someone says that, people tend to be mad”

“y/n just pinky promise me you wont”

“ok, i pinky promise, now what is it??”

felix was absolutely terrified

he’s been meaning to tell you this for a while but every time he tried he just couldn't find the words to do so

and god, how he has let time pass him by

“im moving to korea”

you bursted out laughing and felix is confused as heck like?????

whats??

so ???

funny????

“seriously lix, you made me pinky promise not to be mad over a joke??”

you see, pinky promises may seem like a childish thing but it was sacred between the two of you

so when he used it over a joke, you just couldn’t help but let out a few couple giggles

however, as you turned to face him and saw the serious expression written on his face you found yourself at loss for words

“wait, are you serious?”

“yeah”

“wh-when are you leaving?”

“in a month”

“h-how long have you known???”

“ummmm” (´･_･`)

“felix.”

“Since we went to the park”

the park

you remembered that day, it was probably one of the happiest days of your life

you passed your math test with a perfect score and has just become the student body president of your class

on top of that, felix decided he wanted to treat you out for ice cream as he was proud of his best friend

what you didnt know was that this was the day that would change everything

this was the day he was scouted

the day he received the news that he was accepted as a trainee

and hes been finding a way to tell you

but he just couldn't

you were completely over the moon

as you guys were sitting on the swings, your hands occupied with your own ice cream cones

felix started talking about his dance team and choir class

you always knew how much he enjoyed those classes

yet as he talked about his passion, his eyes twinkling and his mouth curving into the softest smile, you truly got a grasp on how much your best friend loved music and performing

you can't help but think back to a few days ago, when your friend brought up how much your eyes sparkled talking about felix

you wondered if you looked the same as how felix looked now, talking about the things that he loved to do

and then it hit you

you were in love with your best friend

god reader, how cliche could you be (●'◡'●)ﾉ♥

“felix, that was two months ago.”

to say you were mad was an understatement,, you were filled with rage

anger and disappointment all just combining into one

suddenly the future that you clearly saw vanished because every single one of those versions had the boy by your side

“im sorry”

not knowing how to respond, you started packing up your things in your backpack

felix just watching you do so, thinking of things to say to make the situation at hand better

once you stood up, he snapped out of his thoughts, worry completely washing over his eyes

“where are you going?”

“im going home.” you say emotionlessly

“let me walk you”

“no”

and that was the last of it

he tried calling you several times after that yet all he was left with was your voicemail

every time he approached you at school, you would walk the other way

every day he would show up at the cafe hoping to see your face, yet that day never came because you stopped going

you figured it’d be easier to let him go if you just stayed mad at him

you figured that your feelings would automatically go away if you replaced them with hate

but reader, you were so wrong

the day came when he finally had to go

that day was painfully hard for you

your whole class was bidding him goodbye, and all you could do was watch from the sidelines, your pride way too high to forgive him now

no one really knew about your guys’ fall out as you found it was better to keep things to yourself than become the schools new gossip

and so when everyone started asking you how you felt, you responded with the most generic answers

“whatever makes him happy, im happy”

oh reader, you are such a liar

it wasn't until a year after, that you truly forgave him

and that was because a classmate of yours barged into the room, waving her phone around

“Guys remember felix!, well he’s an idol now!!”

as soon as you got home that day, you searched up his name, and there he was

Lee Felix

Stray Kids

and you realized how stupid you’ve been

you never even bothered asking him why he was leaving

you cried yourself to sleep that night as you look back on the wasted friendship that you threw down the drain

but you figured that there was no point in being sad over it anymore

you were done holding grudges

so the next day you went back to the cafe and binged the survival show that your best friend, well ex best friend, was in

the sweet old day was overjoyed when she saw your familiar face

she asked you where your partner in crime was and with a genuine smile you responded with “he’s out there doing bigger and greater things”

ever since then, you made the cafe a weekly trip

it hurt you to know that you spent your time resenting him so you made a pinky promise to yourself, that even if he didnt know, you would support him no matter what

you ended up buying all their albums

watching their vlives

staying up late for their debuts

hell, you've even gon to the point of making a stan account just to be be updated

which brings you to now

you knew that felix was in australia, they were having a concert here

you even got a ticket for yourself, not close enough where he could see you of course

you were still ashamed of your actions even though it’s been almost two years

so when you walked in the cafe and saw him with his 8 buds seated in your guys’ usual spot, you definitely didn't know how to react

seeming as they haven't spotted you yet, you quickly made your way out the door

however, Elise, the sweet old lady, had other plans

“y/n, honey, leaving so quickly?”

and that was when 9 heads turned to the door

all 18 eyes just looking at you

‘fuck y/n okay just act cool’

‘youre fine’

‘maybe they don't even notice you’

‘omg speak’

“y/n?” felix says, his deep voice breaking you out of your thoughts

“felix?? Hi!!!” you say, giving him the biggest fake smile ever

it’s not that you wanted to okay, it was just a very awkward situation and you have no idea how to act

‘smooth y/n, so smooth’

I swear if you could facepalm yourself, you’d be doing so with both of your hands + the hands of the 7 billion people on this earth

“uhm hi?,” he replies, obviously confused as to why you suddenly acknowledged his existence

truth to be told, he was expecting you to ignore him just like all the other times before

“well, won't you look at that, my two musketeers are back together,” Elise butts in,

“ah, it's just like the old days, would you guys like some cookies???” she says, a soft smile on her face

“no that's okay El, im heading out soon anyways, can i just have the usual caramel macchiato?” you say quickly, ignoring the awkward tension in the air

“sure thing hon”

and as she goes to the back to make your order, you were left with the 9 boys

welp

its now or never

“uhm, when did you get back?”

you ask, your hands automatically playing with the hem of your shirt, a clear sign that you were nervous

“im just here for the week”

“oh,,, nice”

“Yeah”

(>_<)

the other boys just sitting in silence, going back and forth between the two of you

they know exactly who you are, and trust me, they arent your biggest fans

which is exactly why they chose to not break the awkward tension in the air

and you swear, you wish you can just have the earth open up and swallow you whole

“hon, heres your order!”

oh thank god,,

Elise is your savior

even though you wouldnt even be in this situation if it wasnt for her

you quickly grab your drink and make your way out,,, but not before saying

“uhm, it was nice seeing you again lix,” you say, this time, a genuine smile on your face

◐ˍ◑

when felix heard the nickname that you've once given him, he couldn't believe his ears

great job reader, you’ve left him stunned

taking his silence as a response, cause youre kinda a dumbass, you nodded to him and the other boys and left the cafe

however as you made your way to your car

something clicked inside of you

,,,,

fuck it

,,,,

you ran back to the cafe, grabbing the door wide open at the same exact time that felix pushed it open

which caused him to stumble right on top of you, your coffee being thrown a whole meter away

at least it wasn't on your shirt

“omygod im so sorry! are you okay?” he asks, picking you up and checking you for bruises

and youve realized that he hasnt changed one bit

he’s still your best friend felix

the same felix that treats you with so much love and care

the same felix you fell in love with all those years ago

and you couldnt help but let out a tear

this worried felix even more

“what is it?? whats wrong???”

you were blown out sobbing at this point

“Im ๑•́ㅿ•̀๑) ᔆᵒʳʳᵞ ”

“huh??”

“im so sorry felix, i-”

your emotions not allowing you to create a single coherent sentence

but because felix still knew you like the back of his hand, he knew exactly what you were talking about

“lets go inside okay”

all you could do was nod and let him guide you to your usual spot that was now empty

grabbing a couple napkins, he wipes your tears away for you before you finally became conscious of what was happening and took control

“I didnt know you still came to this cafe?” he says, finally breaking the silence

“yeah uhm, i started coming back,”

“why?”

“I-i guess i just missed you”

“I thought you hated me”

“No,” you say quickly, that was the last thing you wanted him to think

“i didnt hate you, i was just angry and sad and i acted upon those emotions. I was stupid, im sorry”

“its okay, i understand, youre not stupid y/n”

god damn it,,

why is this guy so nice,,

“no felix, it's not okay. we were best friends, i should have talked to you. I-i shouldnt have cut you off like that especially when i didnt even give you a chance to explain yourself”

damn okay reader, admitting to your mistakes, im p r o u d

“Its all in the past now y/n”

“can you forgive me for being a bitch?” 👉👈

This got a chuckle from felix

“as long as you can forgive me for keeping a secret from you” he replies, shooting you a smile

you smile back at him

“ive forgiven you a long time ago lix”

,,,,

felix has stopped malfunctioning

“ive missed you,” he says grabbing your hand from across the table and holding it the way he used to

“ive missed you too,,, so much,,, im so proud of you,”

“proud of me?”

“yeah, youve finally done what youve always dreamt of”

“you know?”

“of course i know lix, youre everywhere!”

“it kinda sucks how you know whats been going on in my life and i dont know a single clue about yours”

“I can always catch you up!” you say excitedly, but as you see the sad smile that began to etch his way onto his face, you see that that’s not the case

“busy schedule?” you question

“yeah” he replies, the grip on your hand becoming tighter, almost like he doesnt want to let go

“thats okay, im sure we’ll find some time,” you say maintaining the positive energy

right on cue, chan peeps his head in the door

“Felix we have to go now, i tried convincing them to give you more time but were already running behind schedule”

“aish” felix replies as his tears suddenly made his way down

he gets up and pulls you into a bone crushing hug as you breathe in his scent, taking it all in

“im sorry i have to go so soon”

“thats okay felix, ill always be here”

“i hope i can see you again before I leave,”

“oh dont worry, you will” you say, a big smile on your face

“what do you mean?”

“just watch out for me at the concert, yeah?”

“youre coming???!!!!??”

“yep, already got my ticket!”

and you swear youve never seen felix smile so brightly before

“you pinky promise?”

“I pinky promise.”

#lee felix #lee felix imagine #lee felix au #lee felix blurb #stray kids felix #lee felix x reader #stray kids imagines #stray kids blurb #stray kids au #stray kids fluff #stray kids angst #lee felix fluff #lee felix angst #stray kids lee felix #stray kids soft #stray kids scenario #stray kids ships #stray kids

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