#three s wedding entertainment | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

babeyun · 1 month ago

Text

out of my head ✮ l.hs [m]

✮ synopsis: years after your friendship with heeseung has begun crumbling, you ask him to be part of one of the biggest days of your life - your wedding day.

✮ genre: estranged best friends to ??? ; semi-unrequited lovers au ; angst ; fluff

✮ pairing: singer!lee heeseung x financial advisor!fem!reader ; sim jaeyun x reader

✮ word count: 10.4k (yikes...)

✮ rating: nc-17.

✮ warning(s): ...kissing? lol? a lot of hurt with no comfort, semi-unrequited lovers, wedding superstitions, mentions of having kids.

✮ playlist: off my face - justin bieber ; are we still friends? - tyler, the creator ; your eyes only - enhypen ; this is why i need you - jesse ruben.

✮ a/n: i'm a yapper sorry, but happiest birthday to heeseung <3 that's my pookie! i love u.

four months ago.

"you're getting married?"

you and heeseung had been best friends for nearly twenty years. the two of you met at a park during a winter storm, both of you having begged your mothers for a chance to go see the snow. a coincidence really, the two of you having somehow lived the same experience (one that heeseung was convinced was fate, while you just boiled it down to two four-year-old kids giving into the natural urge to plunge their grubby little fingers into cold, unforgiving snow.)

however, in the last few years, you'd grown apart.

you were freshly out of university, and heeseung had recently taken a job as a backup vocalist for one of the local entertainment companies. he'd been a singer his entire life, something you never allowed yourself to pick up because your mother had always taught you that safety nets were better. while heeseung openly explored his talents, eventually learning guitar and slowly, piano - you buried yourself in mathematical equations that made your brain hurt but forced yourself through it all because, after all, you needed a plan.

heeseung lived life on the edge. he didn't care if he had money, if he had belongings - life was more than that to him. he ventured out into the city with nothing but his headphones sometimes, not even so much as bothering to bring an umbrella if it looked like rain. "if i get soaked, i get soaked! life is more than staying inside with your head heavy from studying." he told you once, and you had just shaken your head.

"come on, y/n! don't you want to dance in the rain? don't you want to risk getting sick and having your mom make you that soup you really like? live a little, life is too short to waste away in our bedrooms." he tugged you out of your house that day, making you leave your phone behind as you trekked the entire city by foot, and once the rain did start falling, you were a mile from your house. "heeseung, i can't get sick! i have a presentation–"

"screw that presentation! live in the now!" he held you close as the rain pelted your backs, spinning you around as your laughter echoed in the neighborhood. "isn't this fun! aren't you enjoying this newfound freedom, no expectations? no logarithms, no polynomials!" he exclaimed, making you only laugh harder. "hee, i'm a finance major. that is fun for me!"

"and i'm a y/n major, i know you fucking hate math!" he giggled as he set you down, his fingers brushing your wet hair off your face. "i don't have things like you do, hee! i need a plan, i need something to fall back on. you work to make money to invest into yourself, you don't follow dreams!" you say as the two of you make the route back to your house, making him scoff.

"are you saying i'm wasting my time living the way i do?" he asked, a twang of hurt in his voice going unnoticed by you as you nodded. "i do. i think you are wasting your potential." your words pierced him, but he said nothing more as the two of you reached your mom's house. "see you later, hee."

"see you later."

that had happened three years ago. heeseung noticeably distanced himself after that day, limiting your hangouts to once a week instead of dropping by whenever he felt like it. soon, what were weekly hangouts became biweekly, before you were only meeting him for dinner on a random wednesday night in the middle of the month. you never asked so he never explained, and he simply assumed your silence on the subject meant that your puzzle of a life no longer had a need for a lee heeseung-shaped piece.

it pained him to think that you were outgrowing him.

heeseung was taking classes while working, having finally let your words get to him. you were right, in a way - he couldn't live his life on the edge forever, but the fact that you actually said that to him after constantly reassuring him that you believed in him was...unexpected, to say the least.

"she's just worried about you, hee." his older brother rattled, and heeseung shook his head. he had long told him about that day, and continued to try and decipher it for the years after. he didn’t really understand why it bothered him so much, but his only guess was the same — you had pretended to have an interest in his life, but yet, just like everyone else…

…you had no faith in him.

“yes, hee, i’m getting married! focus!” you tapped your pen on the notepad in front of you, the ice in your matcha long melted. heeseung was gripping his mug of hot chocolate for dear life, wondering where he missed the fact that you were even in a relationship to begin with. “i didn’t even know you had a boyfriend, forgive me for being curious.” he scoffs, making you roll your eyes.

“you would know if you answered any of my calls.” you say pointedly, making him groan. “okay, sorry i’ve been so absent from your life. what’s this guy’s name anyway?”

“sim jaeyun. you can call him jake.” you scribble something onto the notepad, before tearing it off and handing it to him. “this is his number, you’re going to have to talk to him at some point for what i’m about to ask you.”

your smile is mischievous, one that heeseung could never forget. it was engraved in his memory, it lit up his dreams and haunted his nightmares. the same smile he’s written endless lyrics about, the same smile he’s fallen in love with but refused to admit it.

“y/n, i haven’t seen you in six months. how can someone possibly gauge if a person is marriage material in such a short time?” he argues as he folds the scrap of yellow paper. you huff with a frustrated look on your face, “jaeyun and i have been seeing each other for a year! we made it official nine months ago, and we’ve been engaged for three months! i told you this already!”

“when the fuck did you even mention him!?” he groans, and you click your pen angrily.

"hee, if you hadn't been so focused on your own life, you'd be up to date with mine." grimacing, you reach into the knapsack you brought with you. pulling out a pink binder, you set it on the table, facing him. the paper sheet behind the vinyl reads the sims - may 2026.

he snorts inwardly, before you open the binder. "i know we haven't been as close as we'd like the past few years." you start, clearing your throat as he glances at you. you pull apart the binder rings, pulling out a folder as you continue to speak. "but, i know that you're still doing the singing thing, and i wanted to offer you a gig."

sliding the folder across to him, he glances down at it. it's thick with pieces of printer paper, lyrics typed neatly in times new roman. he recognizes the first song as he slips it out of the folder, his eyes scanning the sheet over and over.

"you want me to sing at your wedding?" he asks incredulously, and you take a sip of your watered down matcha. you press your lips together as you nod, staring at your fingers. "i showed jaeyun some clips of yours from a few of your other gigs, and he really liked it. this is our song, and we want you to sing it for our first dance." you tap the paper with your pen, and heeseung sighs.

"then why are we here alone? why isn't he here, showing face and asking me with you?" he accuses, and your frown is deep enough that he's sure you're about to throw your drink at him. "he's at work, if you must know. he's busy."

"and what does he work in that he can't come with his future wife to a measly two-hour lunch?" he taps his finger on the table, his eyes boring into yours, searching for any sign of the best friend he'd become estranged from. you weren't there.

"he's..." you bite your lip, staring at whatever was behind him in order not to meet his eyes. he looks at you pointedly, brows raised in expectation - a look he'd always hated from other people. you grimace before responding. "he's a singer, he's recording his album right now." heeseung blinks slowly, something you knew meant he was about to either get up and leave, or he was going to scold you once he processed the information. your best friend was nothing short of an open book, but as he looked down at the sheet in his hand and shook his head, you suddenly couldn't read him anymore.

"after all the shit you gave me." his tongue drips with poison before he shoves the sheet of paper back in the folder, tapping it with his hand before grimacing. "when is the wedding? do i have to be there for the whole thing?" his eyes are full of fire as he stares at you, and you can feel yourself shrink under his gaze. heeseung was rarely ever mad at you, even during these years of estrangement. you were never really on the receiving end of his anger, so you never handled it. "may second. you don't have to stay, if you don't want to. but i'd love for you to be there." your words are softer than you intended, and you can really feel the tug on the invisible string that ties the two of you together.

he nods, pressing his lips together as you watch his eyes brim with tears. "okay." he looks away as the first tear falls, wiping it away quickly before getting up. "just…send me the address when the time comes." he tucks the folder under his arm as he quickly walks away, trying not to let any more tears fall as he exits the cafe.

he can't help but hold everything in as he walks to his apartment, his mind spinning with potential thoughts. when did you get so far? how did he let you stray so deeply, and where did you even meet this guy? why didn't you tell him sooner? or did you, and he just blocked it out? he can't remember, no matter how hard he skims his memory. "fuck!" he screams as he slams his door shut, throwing the folder onto the table in the foyer.

he slides down the door, a sinking feeling taking over his stomach as he hits the cold tile. he can't help but sob into his hands, his shoulders shaking violently as he does. you're getting married and he missed the entire thing, he's missed the past year of your life and has no remorse in doing so. he only feels sorry now, now that he's realized he's too late.

april 30.

heeseung was increasingly stressed.

you had told him over text (because he wouldn't answer your calls) that he had to take the week off so he could participate in bonding activities with your fiancé's groomsmen. he'd been reluctant, and said he'd get there the thursday before the wedding, nothing sooner – making you upset. he didn't care, he wouldn't lie to himself – he felt betrayed that you were getting married to someone else. it was childish of him and he knew it, but as he aimlessly wandered jeju island alone – it only sank deeper into his bones that he had truly fucked up.

he didn't bother to bond with any of your bridesmaids, either – despite their starry eyes and warm smiles, he could only see the dread in your eyes, the twitch in your lower lip as you greeted your guests with your fiancé. he kept his hand on your lower back at all times, and heeseung wonders if jake knows that he did that in the past. heeseung wonders if jake knows that he held your hand as you both skipped through the sand on family vacations with your families, heeseung wonders if jake knows that he shared a bed with you on nights where thunderstorms would scare you out of your sleep and heeseung would run the three blocks to your house to comfort you.

heeseung wonders if jake knows that he was your first kiss, in the back of heeseung's '96 civic when you were both juniors in high school. heeseung wonders if jake knows that he is in love with you, and that he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to stop.

not that jake knowing any of this would matter, because come saturday night, you'd be out of his grasp forever. he would never place his hand on the small of your back to ease your nerves, he would never hold your hand, he would never share a bed with you. he would never kiss you again, and he'd rather never see you again if it were up to him.

but it wasn't, was it? "heeseung! you made it!"

heeseung turns to see park sunghoon walking towards him with his hand shielding his eyes from the sun. "oh shit, hey! i didn't think you and y/n kept in touch after high school, it's great to see you." heeseung greets him, and sunghoon snorts.

"we didn't, actually. jaeyun and i go way back." sunghoon nods. sunghoon had been a friend of the two of you, but it was hard to keep in touch due to his prominent ice skating career. he was always busy, and it was easier to cut ropes than continuously make promises to see each other only to fall short.

"i'm sorry i didn't reach out more." heeseung starts, but sunghoon shakes his head. "don't even worry about it! my life was too crazy to keep tabs on everybody." sunghoon shakes his head, and heeseung tilts his head at him. "was?" sunghoon shifts in the sand, picking his cuticles as he sighs. "i had to quit, i got injured pretty badly during the finale of my last competition. i won, though, so at least i went out with a bang." he shrugs, and heeseung can see the disappointment in his eyes before offering a hug. "i'm sorry, hoon. that really fucking sucks."

sunghoon rejects the hug with a shake of his head. "it's fine, i'm doing other things now. i work as a backup vocalist for jake, me and jay. oh, jay's here, too! have you seen him?" sunghoon gestures to the air, and heeseung offers a small smile before shaking his head. "haven't seen him yet. to be honest, i don't want to be here." heeseung's confession, if surprising, doesn't seem to faze sunghoon. instead, the younger boy nods. "i figured you wouldn't. you're singing for them, right? i heard through the grapevine." sunghoon smirks, and heeseung rolls his eyes before lightly punching his arm. "stop lying, you brat. you read it on the wedding program."

sunghoon gives him a soft pat on the back, before leaning closer. "she wasn't going to wait forever, heeseung." with a curt nod, sunghoon continues down the beach towards the resort, leaving heeseung with wide eyes and a heavy heart. what did he mean by that?

🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊

the night was heavy as the last of your guests straggled in, and your feet were swelling in your shoes from standing for so long. jake had offered to take over as you went up to your room to change them, and you were internally thanking him as you hobbled to the elevator.

only for you to arrive and see your best friend waiting there calmly, headphones over his ears as he softly nods along to whatever is playing. he looks up when the elevator finally opens, completely oblivious to your lingering presence behind him. it's only when you get in after him, feeling the shift of the elevator's floor, that he looks at you.

his eyes are unreadable as he skims them over your face, a soft tilt to his head before he presses button six, hand hovering over the button as he waits for you to speak. you put up five fingers, and he presses it carefully as the doors close. it's silent, and for the first time ever since you were four years old, heeseung feels like a stranger. a polite stranger that presses the elevator button for you, that has come all the way from seoul on a ferry to sing at his estranged best friend's wedding.

except he's not a stranger, and you're the estranged best friend getting married this weekend. you're the estranged best friend who lied about your fiancé being excited for him to sing your first dance song, and you're the estranged best friend who wants it to hurt him. you want it to hurt, seeing you dance with your soon-to-be husband all night, you want it to burn in his chest when the two of you kiss at the end of the aisle.

you want him to ache as badly as you did when he basically abandoned you for no good reason. you want him to stay up all night in tears like you did when he wouldn't answer your calls, you want him to rant passionately about you to whoever gets the privilege of being his girlfriend like you did to jake when the two of you first started dating, and you want him to ignore the questions of if you're in love with each other.

just like you did.

loving heeseung was a thing of the past. he was out of your heart and out of your head, for the most part. you only ever thought of him when you'd talk to jake about old high school stories, skipping over the parts where you and heeseung shared loving caresses that the two of you convinced yourselves were nothing more than platonic. it didn't matter now, though, because there was no piece shaped like you in heeseung's puzzling life anymore.

you love jake. he's your endgame, and you're glad to be marrying him.

"are you excited? big day soon." he says gently, and you can feel your stomach turn as he nudges you with his elbow. you nod, a small smile on your lips as you glance down at your engagement ring. jake had it custom made, a marquise diamond nestled onto a thick gold band. it was a little tight, but you promised yourself you'd get it resized after the wedding.

"very excited. are you nervous? about your performance, i mean?" you ask, genuine concern in your voice as he shakes his head. "just another gig, really. it's special to you, though, so i've been putting my all into the rehearsals." he itches his neck, a nervous tick you'd picked up on through the years. you nod, patting his shoulder gently. the conversation stops as the elevator does, the number five on the elevator's neon sign.

"my stop. i'll see you at the rehearsal dinner tomorrow, right? you need to be there." your eyes are pleading, and heeseung can't help but sigh. "i'll try."

the answer doesn't seem to satisfy you, but you nod anyway, turning on your heels to go to your room. the doors close, and he lets out a shaky breath. you're very excited to marry sim jaeyun in less than thirty-six hours. you're very excited to be mrs. sim, you're very excited to have your first dance with your husband to the sound of your best friend's voice singing the song that reminds you and jake of your relationship.

a song that insinuates the two of you are unbelievably high off each other in every which way, and how ruined one of you has made the other for anybody else. but this song doesn't take into consideration how he is ruined for anyone else, how he is in pieces at the mere thought of you wearing white while meeting someone else down the aisle.

he doesn't want to feel like that anymore.

may 01.

"hey! you must be heeseung, i've been waiting forever to meet you!"

heeseung doesn't recognize the voice as he turns, eyes swollen with sleep when he looks to see you, and who he presumes to be sim jaeyun. he nods absently, before glancing at his cup of hot water. he'd stumbled down to the hotel's complimentary lounge, a packet of fennel mint tea in his hand.

"give me a moment, i'm sorry. i'm barely here." he apologizes sheepishly, tearing the bag open and dipping the bag into the cup. he wipes at his eyes once more, before turning to face a smiling jake. "you're jaeyun, right? nice to finally meet you man, y/n has said some awesome things about you."

lies. heeseung doesn't remember a single thing you have ever said about jake, just that he's a singer. but out of courtesy, and jake's business-like grip on his hand, he smiles through it anyway. "i heard that you asked for me specifically. your wedding song is beautiful." heeseung sees you wince out of the corner of his eye as jake looks a bit taken aback. he tilts his head slightly, but goes along with what heeseung now knows is a lie. "i'm glad you could make it. y/n talks a lot about your singing skills, are you working on any projects right now?" your face is pained as heeseung looks you dead in the eyes, "no, i'm just a backup vocalist. i gave up on that dream a while ago." he looks back at jake, who has a sad smile on his face. "the fame, the money…i was never suited for that life, anyway." "i'm sorry to hear that things didn't work out for you." jake sounds genuine, a flash of sadness in his eyes as he shakes heeseung's hand again. "i hope to see you at the rehearsal tonight. have you got a girlfriend? there'll be quite a few people at our singles' table." jake wiggles his brows and heeseung wonders when you're going to speak.

"actually, heeseung won't be able to stay. he's got another gig on sunday." you lie, and jake's eyes widen. "oh, you'll be missing our reception?" "i'll be leaving right after your dance, i do sincerely apologize." heeseung gives jake a sheepish grin, to which jake nods slowly. "that's unfortunate, there's a lot of people you could network with here! take advantage of it, dreams are meant to become reality." jake finalizes, before giving heeseung another warm smile.

"i will do my best! thank you for having me." heeseung says, and you can feel the fake tone of happiness in his voice seep into your bones. you'd been the only person to ever recognize it, and heeseung knows you're aware he used it as he takes the tea bag out of his mug. "i will see you both tonight."

he spins on his heel as he hears jake whisper to you.

"you asked him to sing our song? when? why didn't you tell me?" "we can talk about this later, okay? he's really good, i promise."

🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊

your mother had been staring at heeseung for the last fifteen minutes, and heeseung was almost sure she was trying to figure out if he was who she thought he was. he gave her a small smile and waved, and the moment her eyes lit up, the person in front of her turned.

jake. he frowns as she walks away from him mid-conversation, stumbling over only moments before the rehearsal dinner is set to start.

"sorry, sweetie. i didn't know you and my y/n finally made up! it's so good to see you!" her embrace is crushing, and heeseung doesn't have the heart to tell your mother that you're a horrible liar. you hadn't 'made up' – he was simply doing you a favor, something else you'd lied about. he just smiles as she pulls back, ruffling his hair gently. "love the red, it really suits you." "thank you, auntie. it's nice to see you again." he remains relaxed as he sees her eyes soften. "what's wrong? not ready to see your little girl walk down the aisle?" he teases, and the older woman sighs inwardly. she turns, her shoulder brushing his as they stare into the room full of tipsy bridesmaids and boisterous groomsmen. "if i admit something to you, you'll keep it quiet, right?" she murmurs, and heeseung suddenly feels like this conversation isn't going to be one that favors his unruly feelings for you. "of course, auntie. who am i to tell?" "i always thought you'd be the one to marry my y/n." she sighs, clasping her hands in front of her as her eyes watch jake speaking to you gently as he hands you a glass of wine. heeseung's eyes follow hers and the two of them can see as your face falls and jake quickly moves to hide you from any lingering gazes. "i should go see what's wrong. it's nice to see you, heeseung. please enjoy the wedding!" he nods as your mother quickly crosses the room, her arm around you as jake gets pushed to entertain the guests while you get taken care of. jake looks nervous, and heeseung can't seem to stop his body as he also crosses the room, a small smile on his face. "good evening, jake." "oh, hey! how are you liking the venue so far?" a small flash of relief passes onto his face, and heeseung feels guilty as he shrugs. "it's what i expected for someone like y/n. so floral, so bright. are you sure you had any part in this?" he snickers, and jake laughs genuinely.

"she wouldn't let me even look at the flowers with her. babe, you're going to pick the wrong ones!" he imitates you, and heeseung shakes his head in amusement. you'd always been a bit of a control freak when it came to your visions, and now that your life revolved around financial decisions, you were wound up extra tight. "yeah, she's always been like that." he sighs, and jake doesn't miss the slight tone of sadness.

"listen, i don't know you very well," jake starts, reaching for a bottle of cabernet across the table. he grabs two glasses, uncorking the wine as he leans to pour. "but i want to say thank you." he holds the wine out to heeseung, and he tries not to look curious as he takes it.

"thank you for what?" heeseung asks, and jake gives him a pointed look as he blindly pours his own glass.

"for taking care of y/n all these years. i know you and i probably won't be the best of friends, i'm the first to admit that i'm not very good at sharing her attention." jake grimaces to himself as he replaces the cork into the bottle. "but i'm glad that she has someone as reliable as you, that can just… be there for her. it's a beautiful thing, your friendship."

heeseung almost feels nauseous as jake continues talking about how sweet your lifelong friendship with him seems. it just confirms that you told jake everything and anything you could about it, and based on his mention of jealousy, that includes the first kiss you shared. he can barely hear jake over the sound of his heart beating in his ears, but understands enough when jake pats his shoulder.

"...and i figured i'd be honest. y/n didn't say anything about you singing our song, we had originally planned for sunghoon to sing it with the band we hired. i guess she thought you'd be better for it, and i trust her judgment." jake says, pulling heeseung back in. "oh, i'm sorry." "don't even worry about it, man. hey, why don't you just relax, enjoy the dinner tonight. tomorrow is going to hit us like a fucking train, we should be well rested today." jake nods, and heeseung reciprocates with a gentle smile as someone else calls for jake's attention. "remember, just chill! network!" jake gestures to the room as he walks backwards towards the people looking for him.

heeseung can't shake the nausea from his throat, setting down the glass of wine to wander to the bathroom. but, the hall seems to get longer and longer, the temperature changing from the cold air conditioning to the humid spring air. he can feel a breeze in his hair, and then he realizes he's on the beach. his feet are buried in the warm sand, shoes in his hand.

sighing, he reminds himself he can't zone out like that all the time. it's not healthy, you had told him once. what if you end up in the middle of nowhere?

he reaches into his pocket, pulled out his spare headphones. he was supposed to bond with everyone at your stupid rehearsal dinner, but he didn't care to do so as he stared at the crashing waves. plugging the headphones into his phone, he gently speaks to siri as he lays on his back, looking up at the cloudless sky.

"hey, siri. play are we still friends? by tyler, the creator."

he stares into the water as the song pours into his ears. he doesn't know where things went to shit, but he knows it's his fault. he should've told you that what you said hurt his feelings. he should have communicated, then maybe it'd be him sitting next you in the private jet your mother rented solely for your honeymoon escape after the reception.

maybe it'd be him spinning you around in your beautiful wedding dress, and whispering sweet nothings in your ear as you dance the night away. maybe it would be him, like your mom had hoped. maybe it would be him, like he had hoped, too.

his fingers dig into the sand as he swallows the lump in his throat. there is nothing in hell, heaven or earth that would stop you from trekking the aisle tomorrow afternoon. nothing would stop jake from kissing you tenderly right in front of him, and doing it for the rest of your lives. it would taunt him, it would haunt him like the ghost of your friendship. you weren't friends anymore, the two of you knew it. things would never be the same between you, and yet, neither of you was brave enough to ask the question.

why?

"heeseung! are you out here?!" he can hear sunghoon's voice over the fourth replay of the song, lowering the volume as he tilts his head to find him. "over here, what's up?" "what's up? they're waiting for you, man!" sunghoon is standing in the doorway of the resort, the soft breeze blowing his hair back as a bridesmaid also peers over his shoulder. heeseung sighs as he stands, wiping his pants of sand and shoving his phone into his pocket. he walks quickly, humming quietly to himself to semi-prepare his voice for the perfect delivery of the song you wanted him to sing.

everyone is chatting quietly around the tables as heeseung steps inside, running his fingers through his hair as he walks forward. your mother catches his eye, a concerned look on her face, but he can't hold eye contact. he faces the floor as he reaches the small stage the venue has set up for the band, jay perched on a stool holding a guitar.

"hey, hee. you ready?" he asks as he tucks in his in-ear monitor, and heeseung shrugs as he takes his place behind the microphone. only then does he notice that the chatter he heard was just two bridesmaids, kim sunoo, riki nishimura and yang jungwon – all friends of yours and jake's that he hadn't bothered to meet further than reading their names in the program.

he watches silently as you and jake take the center of the dance floor, your eyes slightly reddened as you gingerly drape your arms over your fiancé. your smile doesn't fill your cheeks as jay begins playing softly.

heeseung takes a deep breath, and your eyes catch him as he begins to sing.

one touch, and you've got me stoned. higher than i've ever known…

you were both thirteen.

he remembers the way you held onto him the night that you lost your first mathletes competition. you cried so hard that you'd almost thrown up, and heeseung could only soothe you by dragging you to the nearest convenience store and shoving a melona popsicle in your hand. you went silent after that, gripping his hand tightly as he walked you home. you'd squeezed his hand three times that night, something he'd always done but you'd roll your eyes at.

"why would i squeeze your hand when i can just tell you, hee?"

you call the shots and i'll follow. sunrise, but the night's still young…

you were both seventeen.

he remembers when you called him to come over while it was storming, because your mother was out of town. your house was a little over a mile away and normally, he didn't mind the walk. it was almost three in the morning, and he'd been sleeping when your ringtone went off for the third time. "hello?" "hee, please come over. it's storming so bad, i'm so–"

he hadn't even let you finish before ripping his bedsheets off his body and sprinting for the door. his clothes, his shoes, everything was soaking wet by the time he got to your house. you'd embraced him anyway, your own clothes soaking through as he trudged into your home – only for the storm to stop a few moments after his arrival.

no words, but we're speaking tongues. if you let me, i might say too much…

you were both twenty.

he remembers when you asked him, in the middle of your kitchen during your graduation party, if he could kiss you. the house was empty except for the two of you – his parents and your mom had decided to throw a joint party, using the excuse that two best friends should always stick together. your mom had sent you inside for more hor d'oeuvres, and you'd dragged him inside with the excuse that you couldn't carry them all yourself.

"you don't have to, hee. i'm sorry." your eyes were full of embarrassment as heeseung stared at you, a bit in shock at your question. only as you begin to move further into the kitchen does he register what you've said, and grabs your arm, pulling you toward him. "ask me again, i'm sorry. i zoned out, i thought you asked me to kiss you."

"i did." you repeated quietly, and heeseung blinked twice before nodding. "o-okay. yeah, i can do that." he cleared his throat, looking over your shoulder into the foyer to ensure no one was opening the door.

"are you sure? i mean, it's your first kiss, wouldn't you want to have it with someone special?" he's rambling, and your gentle laugh pulls him right back.

"you are special, hee."

without another word, he backed you up against your kitchen counter, his hands on your hips as he softly kissed you. your hands were on his biceps, and he could feel your nervousness seep through your locked lips. he carefully circles your thighs to lift you onto the counter, your arms instinctively wrapping around his neck before he breaks the kiss.

"how was that? okay?" his eyes searched yours, a shy smile playing on his swollen lips as you blinked. "uh, i'm not sure. i think–" "you want to try again?" his head tilted to the side, a habit you loved and eventually also caught. you nodded silently. his smile was wide as he closed the gap between the two of you, the hands on your thighs squeezing softly. once, twice, three times.

i love you.

your touch blurred my vision. it's your world, and i'm just in it…

you're both twenty one.

he remembers how he stared at his bedroom ceiling, clothes soaked in rain from prancing around the city with you. how piercing your words were, how he thought for so long that you believed in him. how all of these events he can't stop thinking about, are about you. how proud he was of you, how lucky he was to have you, how insane it was that you wanted him. you wanted him at one point.

how he didn't care that he got sick, but certainly didn't understand why your sore throat and stuffy nose didn't make him feel a pang of distress. how he didn't care that no one else was refuting his talent, because they weren't you. he didn't care about anyone else in this world, but you.

even sober, i'm not thinking straight…

you're both twenty two.

he remembers his birthday going abhorrently wrong. you weren't there, per usual – you were too wrapped up with school to give heeseung a second thought. he'd long realized that he didn't want to lose you, but it seemed that you no longer cared to keep the friendship alive. he still has the messages he sent you, and is still amazed at the lack of typos despite being absolutely shitfaced.

message to: my y/n <3 [2022.10.15 | 11:23pm] it's my birthday, baby. [2022.10.15 | 11:24pm] you can't be here for me today? [2022.10.15 | 11:24pm] i miss you. i miss our friendship. [2022.10.15 | 11:26pm] i can't believe you're missing my birthday. i never miss your birthdays. [2022.10.15 | 11:30pm] is this it? are we done? [2022.10.15 | 11:34pm] when will you come back to me? when, how much longer? [2022.10.15 | 11:35pm] when you graduate? i can wait. (not delivered!) [2022.10.15 | 11:47pm] just tell me how long. i'll wait. (not delivered!)[2022.10.16 | 12:02am] i'd wait forever for you (not delivered!)

he changed his number after that. he still doesn't know how you got his new one. he doesn't care to ask, either.

cause i'm off my face, in love with you…

you're both twenty five.

he's watching you slow dance with your fiancé, fingers interlaced behind his neck as jake's hands rest on your hips. he hates the jealousy that boils in his stomach, but doesn't bother to break eye contact with the tile on the ceiling with water damage.

i'm out my head, so into you…

he can feel his fingers tightening around the microphone stand, but can't seem to stop his eyes from averting as jake spins you gently, before your soft giggle hits his ears. you look up at jake with what he can only assume is adoration, before resting your cheek on his shoulder. you're looking right at heeseung, mouthing along to the song.

and i don't know how you do it…

you're fixing your posture instead, still staring at heeseung as jake takes your hand in his, kissing your knuckles. you instinctively smile at the feeling, and heeseung's eyes zero in on your fingers as you squeeze jake's hand.

once, twice, three times. i love you.

but i'm forever ruined by you, ooh, ooh, ooh.

"i love you." your eyes haven't left heeseung as you whisper the words, and you can see the way his eyes fill with fire as he looks away. you get a twisted feeling of satisfaction in your gut, before finally averting your eyes back to your fiancé. jake is smiling softly at you, and you quickly close the gap between you as heeseung continues to sing. your lips press against jake's smoothly, before he swiftly moves away. "i can't wait to marry you tomorrow." he whispers.

"me, too."

liar.

may 02.

the wedding is in twenty minutes.

your pantyhose has ripped, you tripped going up the stairs. you're not even wearing your dress yet. there are storm clouds gathering, and you can’t help but feel like everything in the universe is working against you. the only thing holding you together is your mother, her arms are wrapped tightly around you.

“are you sure we can’t just run away and elope?” you mumble into her shoulder, and your mother laughs. “not anymore. but,” she pulls away from you, cradling your face in her hands gently. “i love you, honey. everything will be okay.”

you hate the churn in your stomach at the word everything. because if everything were okay, it'd be sunny. if everything were okay, you'd be staring down an aisle full of people and only see heeseung at the end of it. if everything were okay, you would've never said yes to that first date.

“i love you.” you repeat, your hand resting on her wrists as you nod robotically. “i’ll see you out there, okay?”

“okay.” you breathe out shakily as she presses her lips to your hairline, lingering slightly before pulling away and leaving your room. you were alone now, and you glanced out the window at all the guests gathering on the beach. everyone is dressed so brightly, bunches of pinks and lilacs scattered across the sand. jake is waiting patiently at the end of the aisle, the forest green of his suit making his skin glow slightly brighter. how he does it, you don't know.

and then you see heeseung.

he’s dressed in black, despite the theme of the wedding being floral and natural. you grimace, forcing yourself to look away before spotting your dress hanging on the back of the door. you'd have to shimmy into it on your own, having sent everyone out in a fit of anxiety.

sighing, you unhook the heavy dress from the door, carefully letting the skirt pool on the floor as you step into it. it slides on perfectly, and you can't help but lose your breath at the sudden weight of the world on your chest. you're getting married, and you love jake.

but he'll never, ever be heeseung.

"tighten up, y/n. you've got this." you shake your head, reaching back and forcing the zipper up as high as you could. you had a hook-and-eye closure at the top, something you'd simply have to forego if you wanted to make it downstairs on time. groaning to yourself, you attempt to pull up the zipper just a bit more, before giving up and covering it with your veil. grabbing your bouquet, you give yourself a final glance in the mirror.

"you've got this. everything will be okay."

your voice is shaky, but you swing your room door open anyway – only to be met with heeseung on the other side. his eyes widen, mouth slightly agape as you come into his view. "wow, you look…" "what are you doing here? you're supposed to be downstairs." you scold, shoving your keycard into the pocket of your dress. oh yeah, you've got it like that. "your mom asked me to come see what was taking so long. i told her you'd be down soon, but she insisted." he shrugs, so nonchalantly.

like none of this is eating away at him.

"ugh, whatever. come on." your tone is angry, but your face shows nothing but fear. his eyes follow as you storm towards the elevator, seeing the zipper of your dress slowly sliding down as you reach the doors. "here, hold on."

his fingers move your veil carefully as you step into the elevator, before pulling the fabric tighter together and pulling the zipper to the top. he carefully clasps the closure, and you swear you feel every hair on your body sticking up when his fingertips gently graze your back. "don't touch me, heeseung."

"i'm trying to help you. otherwise, you'd flash that entire crowd." he scoffs, pressing the floor button. you sigh, wrapping your arms around yourself as the elevator becomes silent. the tension is thick between you, you know it. your eyes never leave the neon sign, watching the floor numbers go by before heeseung reaches over and pulls the emergency lever.

"what the fuck are you doing?! i'm already late!" you gasp, hitting his arm with your bouquet when he stands in front of the lever. "i can't let you do this unless you hear what i have to say."

"heeseung, i'm getting married. this is the biggest day of my life–" your whining is cut short by his hand on your mouth, and only then do you see the unshed tears in his eyes. "the biggest day of my life was when i met you on that stupid playground. i never, ever in my life thought our friendship would end this way, and you know what, it makes me kind of sick."

he breathes deeply, removing his hand from your face as he sees the shock in your eyes. "you're saying you're already late to your big day, well i just want to say i beat you in that department. i've never had a problem with punctuality, but i really missed the mark on this one." his chuckle is dry, humorless as he looks at the bouquet in your hand. "i don't think i'll get over this, ever. i'll never get the chance to be in his place. but," he steps back, fingers gripping the emergency lever in his hand.

"i want you to know that it should be me. i should be the one waiting for you at the end of the aisle. i should be the one who gets to love you until the end of my days, and even then, you'd never die. you'd be loved by me forever, the evidence strewn all over the world in compositions and lyrics. i would never let you die."

he pushes the lever back, before moving back to his original spot next to you. the elevator doors open, revealing an empty lobby. the storm clouds are no longer that far away, and you can feel the humidity through the open plan of the resort.

"i am foolishly, hopelessly, irrevocably in love with you. and i hope you realize this is the biggest mistake of your life." his voice is soft, as is his smile when he offers his hand. "here's to your forever, my love."

you say nothing.

🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊

if heeseung was anything, it was a sick bastard. a sick, rat bastard who had no shame. your mother took you from his arm at the end of the aisle, and you didn't even realize you'd allowed him to lead you there. jake's eyes shone with what could only be identified as jealousy.

he smiled the entire ceremony, clapping and whistling alongside your other guests through the vows. the sappy vows jake had penned were poetic compared to yours, but he knew what you meant anyway. you felt several fat raindrops plop onto your head and shoulders, while heeseung had come prepared and shared his umbrella with your mother.

he even helped her inside once the rain really started pouring, just after your first kiss as a married couple. your stomach was boiling over in fury as you watched him laugh with her, his eyes only meeting yours once with a soft smile.

you and jake slipped away to change into your reception clothing, his suit jacket abandoned and sleeves rolled up, showing off the watch you got him for his birthday. your ballroom white dress, now stained with sand, was traded in for an a-line style. jake met you in front of the resort, his fingers curled in yours when he finally spoke.

"we really did it, huh." he says quietly, his eyes scanning the shut doors of the reception venue. you nod, your breath caught in your throat when he takes a step back, his hand squeezing yours. "two years." your ears twitch at this. "what?" "all i ask for is two years. we can have a kid. we'll have an heir to our wills. we can get divorced after two years, and you can be with him." he breathes, eyes following the pattern on the heavy wooden door. you choke out a scoff of disbelief, your throat burning. "what the fuck are you talking about, jaeyun?" he winces at the use of his name, so used to gentle baby and sweetened honey. a sigh escapes his lips as he turns to face you. "i know you love him, y/n. you don't have to hide it from me. you wouldn't have brought him all the way out here, you wouldn't have gone behind my back and changed the plans for the band. your mom loves him, for crying out loud. i never stood a chance." he chuckles sadly, and your tears are hot as they flow down your face.

"how can you say that, jaeyun? i'm married to you, i've chosen you, over anything and anyone in this world! how can you say such things?!" your hurt is evident, but he can't figure out if it's because of the little blame game or if it's because you truly, deeply love him. he doesn't know what to say, but reaches to wipe your tears. you jerk away, a frown etched on your glossed lips as you wipe them yourself. you take a deep breath, grabbing the door knob.

"fix your face." you mutter, a tone jake had never received from you as he sighed, painting a smile of everything's okay on his face as the two of you threw the doors open in unison. your crowd of guests cheered loudly, rice flying everywhere as they welcomed you in. the band was loudly playing got to be real by cheryl lynn, and you almost forget jake's painful words behind the door. you almost forget that heeseung will be queueing up to sing for you and your husband, for free, on the very stage you're now standing in front of.

jungwon hands you a microphone and two champagne flutes, before slinking away to his seat. you hand one to jake, who swirls it nervously.

"wow, it's such an honor to have all of our loved ones here today." your voice is shaky as you take them all in, dozens of eyes staring you down. "i mean, i've waited for this day since i was a little girl. it's a blessing to finally see it in color, in person. thank you." jake breathes in deeply, before looking away to blink back tears. "i'm not crying, my eyes are just sweating." he speaks into the microphone, earning an empathetic laugh from the guests, your hand ghosts over his back, and he stiffens at it. "i'm so…so terribly in love with y/n. i can't believe this day is real." a soft aww echoes in the room, your chest tightening as you see heeseung sitting next to your mother. he's cooing with everyone else. "and i can't wait to be a man that is continuously worthy of her love. to y/n."

you almost burst into tears as everyone raises their drinks to you, the clink of glasses adding to the emotion as you and jake find your seats at the end of the hall. you sit gingerly, holding jake's hand under the table tightly. "i love you, jake." "i love you, y/n."

🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊

the speeches were a mess. jay was a mess of tears, and minjeong spewed bullshit about the two of you being like sisters. heeseung hadn't met her until five minutes after the ceremony, and if you had been close to anyone enough to consider them a sibling, he'd know them. no one knew you like he did.

"and now, for the newlyweds' first dance! we have a very special guest singing for us today, please give a warm welcome and round of applause to y/n's longest friend, lee heeseung!"

he smiled nervously as he took the stage, a puffy-eyed jay sitting behind him as he tested the microphone. "thank you for having me, and congratulations to the newlyweds. y/n, i'm eternally proud of you and so grateful to be here on your special day. i love you." none of the guests know it means something more to him, to you, as they let out an aww. how heartwarming, that your lifelong best friend was here for you. how lovely, that he was supporting you every step of the way.

he sang carefully, watching as you and jake held each other tightly, swaying to the song. he can hear your sniffle, a soft sob into jake's shoulder as he lovingly strokes your back. he looks away.

it should be him.

it should be heeseung, that gets to see you wear white. it should be heeseung, that gets to plan a tedious wedding at your instruction. it should be heeseung that gets to take you on a romantic honeymoon and spend all day in the sun and all night glued to your bed. it should be heeseung that gets to shampoo your hair for you when you're feeling too tired, it should be heeseung that gets to watch you put lipstick on in the morning just to ruin it before you're out the door.

it should be him. and everyone knows it, no matter if they know your history or not.

"thank you, everyone. let's hear it for the newlyweds!"

october 15.

"hey."

it's been over a year since your wedding. you and jake had happily posted tons of wedding photos, piled over with honeymoon flicks. you and heeseung hadn't spoken since the wedding. he left right after the first dance, catching the first ferry back to seoul. he didn't bother contacting you to see if you'd made it back safely, he didn't bother to message you a happy birthday when it came around. he just didn't care.

he dropped out of college for the second time, and spent the summer going around seoul auditioning for companies. decelis entertainment finally gave him a break, and only after he got his contract did he find out that jake and all of his friends were also at this company.

he was polite in the hallways. he smiled, he waved, he engaged in small talk and perused the past. he didn't ask questions, he didn't initiate. he spent his time holed away in the studio with a producer named yeonjun, recording for hours on end without a break. he was set to debut in two weeks, having dropped his first teaser just two days prior.

all without you to cheer him on.

"what are you doing here?" his voice was cold, nothing you weren't used to at this point. his hair wasn't red anymore, now a natural chocolate brown. it suited him. "came to visit, heard from jake that you've been training for a year." "what's it to you?"

he's being harsh, he knows he's being harsh.

"hey, y/n. nice to see you." jake calls from across the hall, exiting his studio with jay and sunghoon in tow. the two of them seem to say nothing at the sudden casualties between you and jake, or the insinuation that he hadn't seen you in a while. heeseung gives you a glance, your hands holding a gift and a grocery bag. "may i come in?" "i'm busy, at the moment." he coughs, ignoring the way your eyes roll. "too busy for a slice of cake?" you hold up a bag in your fingers, and his eyes narrow. he leans back into the studio, his eyes scanning the calendar for any potential special dates. he's not even flipped to the right month, the calendar reading july.

"shit, did i miss something?" he whips out his phone, which you simply cover with your hand. a soft laugh escapes your lips as you lift your other hand, the gift bag screaming happy birthday in gold glitter flashing at him. "oh, man." he moves away from the door, allowing you to walk in. you look around, and although the studio doesn't belong to him, it sure smells like him. it looks like him, it's covered in him, it feels like home.

"happy birthday, hee." you say gently, setting the gift down on the couch and slowly sitting down to unwrap his cake. "i know it's not much, but i'm barely here." you chuckle, tapping your temple as he takes a seat in his desk chair. he's wary, you can tell.

"something on your mind?" "why are you here? i debut in two weeks, i don't need any bullshit." he rubs his temples, and you only frown. "you know, once upon a time, you would've been happy to have me here." your tone is pointed, and heeseung sighs. "fine, fine. i'm sorry."

"i'm the one who should be sorry." you murmur, and heeseung says nothing. he knows you're right.

you're both quiet, before heeseung notices the candle next to the cake. he rolls the chair over, his fingers carefully centering the candle. "have you got a light?"

you shake your head no, a sheepish look in your eyes. "i'm sorry. we can pretend, if that's okay?" he hates the way his lips twitch into a smile at your wide eyes. "yeah, we can pretend."

you sing for him softly, your cheek squished into your hand as you lean on the armrest. he closes his eyes, making a wish and blowing the makeshift flame out. "what'd you wish for?" you yawn, and he shakes his head.

"won't come true if i tell you." shrugging, he rolls back over to his desk, leaving the cake on the table. you just make a noise of agreement, before a sigh slips past you. "i heard your teaser, you know." he doesn't care to react, only giving you a short sound. "mhm?" "is it about me?" you ask, and he straightens in his chair before spinning around to face you. "all my songs are about you. every single one of them." he gestures to a tattered journal on the soundboard. it's covered in stickers, and…a taped photo of you and him as toddlers. "oh."

"i mean what i say, y/n." he rolls his eyes, before spinning back around. "if it were me, i'd never let you die."

but it is you, you think. it's always been you.

"why did jake say it was nice to see you?" he asks, too cowardly to look you in the eyes. he hears your sigh, before hearing you shift around on the couch. he spins around again, only to see you have removed your shoes and tucked your legs beneath you. his eyes scan you, before looking at your fingers. your ring is gone, replaced by a chunky painite stone in silver. your eyes are gently burning into him, and he shivers in the warmth. "well…why?" "before the reception, he told me he knew." you shrug, "he knew how you felt about me, and how i allegedly felt about you. he brought up my mother, and how he felt like he'd never stood a chance."

"but he did. you married him, after all." heeseung rolls his eyes as you shrug, blinking slowly as you speak again. "we gave it a good shot. maybe i should've listened to all those superstitions, they're not such bullshit. the tripping, the rain, god, the way my ring was too tight." you scoff sadly, before glancing back up at him.

he seems to understand. if he doesn't, he doesn't say anything. sighing, you reach over to rustle the gift bag with your fingers. "you've got to open this, you know."

"y/n, i can't do this." he breathes out, eyes screwed shut. "i can't sit here with you and pretend like we're all good, like you're not married to the same guy i share a company with. we stopped being friends a long time ago, what are you trying to do here?" "i'm not trying to do anything but reconnect. i fully accepted the fact that whether or not you're with me, you're still someone i love. i spent years trying to figure out why you drifted away from me, and then jake and i sat down at our dinner table a few weeks ago after meeting with the lawyer and he asked me about our friendship. so i told him everything, from the very beginning."

heeseung can't breathe as you get up, walking towards him and slowly sinking into a squat. your hands are on his knees, giving a gentle squeeze before you speak.

"i'm sorry i made it seem like i had no faith in you. i said horrible things to you, even if they seemed right to me, and i'm so sorry that it took someone else to tell me that i'd treated you so badly that day."

his eyes are brimming with tears, but he looks away from you. he can't cry, not now, not in front of you.

"you've always been like that, though." he murmurs, picking at his cuticles when you carefully take his hands in yours. he suppresses a sob as the warmth of you envelopes his fingers, "i was projecting. i thought that everyone had to be like me, that everyone had to have a plan. some people are just better at flying by the seat of their pants, i mean, look at all you've accomplished despite me saying such shitty things to you. you're about to debut, you're going to see great success. everyday i'm rooting for you, even if i'm not the person you go home to."

you give his hands a firm squeeze. once, twice, three times. i love you.

"are you divorced?"

you scoff out a soft laugh, looking down at his jeans. "jake and i haven't been together since the wedding. we spent the honeymoon playing mermaids and crying over whiskey sours."

"i can't forgive you right now." he confesses, making your head snap up to look at him. he swallows hard, "i can't forgive you right now, because i'm still mad at you. for saying those things to me, and…and you hurt me, when you asked me to sing for your wedding. it hurt me a lot, y/n." "i'm sorry, hee." you whisper, your thumbs wipe at the tears spilling from his eyes. he leans into your touch, before pulling away. "i know you are, y/n. i know."

he gently pushes away, offering his hand to help you up. you take it, and he waits for you to put your shoes on before leading you back to the door. "i'll call you, okay? when i'm ready."

you step out of the studio, peering up at him with sad eyes. "you promise?"

he sighs, nodding his head. "i promise, baby."

523 notes · View notes

lemoncrushh · 6 months ago

Text

Rain Rain

Summary: Lexie is on her way to visit her sister, and she's taking Harry on the road trip with her, planning to drop him off at his friend's house for a wedding. But the weather has other plans.

Warnings: Not much - this is pretty much fluff with just a little petting and making out.

Word Count: 11k+

A/N: This is your basic "friends with one bed" trope. Harry x Bi!OC, AU, written in third person. Originally written and posted in 2019. This was based on a request I had gotten back then (which I still had copied into my docs): no worries if you’re not down to write about this, but it would be amazing if you wrote about someone who is mostly into women but just has this love for harry like no other. (maybe smutty idk) Thank you to that original anon wherever they are now! This ended up being three short parts, but I've combined them into one.

The rain was pouring so hard and so fast, the pavement was nothing but a blur as Lexie gazed out the window at the parking lot. She was grateful she’d remembered her raincoat, but cursed herself for not bringing along her boots. Her sneakers were bound to be a saturated, wet mess even after the short jog from the car. She could feel her bare toes curling against the rubber soles, and with a bitter scowl she shoved her hands into the pockets of her coat.

“Lex?”

“Hmm?” she turned her head in slow motion to see Harry looking at her with a raised brow.

“You sure you’re okay with this?”

Lexie nodded, giving a hesitant grin. “‘s fine. No worries.”

With a short nod to the man behind the counter, Harry took the room key and covered his head with the hood of his jacket. Pushing the door open, he grunted at the volume of the rain, both the noise and the amount, allowing Lexie to exit the lobby first.

“I can’t believe they only had one room,” he grumbled as she passed.

“Harry, don’t worry about it,” Lexie assured him. “We save money this way anyhow.”

Harry lifted his head to check that she was smiling, her nearly ever-present grin lighting her face, even on a full shit day such as this. He grinned back, making his way down the sidewalk to the last room on the left. Rain seemed to pelt against them sideways despite the awning above their heads.

“Jesus, it’s cold though,” Harry heard Lexie mutter as she bounced on the balls of her feet, waiting for Harry to unlock the door.

Sliding the key into the slot, the light flickered green and Harry pushed the door open. Rushing inside, Lexie pushed her hood off her face and took a gander around the room.

“Not too bad,” she appraised, sitting on the bed and kicking off her wet shoes.

“I’ll go get the bags,” offered Harry.

“Oh shit, I forgot!” exclaimed Lexie. “Let me put my sneakers back on.”

“No, no, you’re fine,” Harry waved his hand. “Sit, relax, get warm. I’ll just be a second.”

Lexie made a face, but reluctantly took off her raincoat and sat back on the bed, watching Harry make a run for it. She could see him out the window, opening the trunk of her car to retrieve their luggage, laughing to herself as she recalled how he’d called it a boot when they’d packed it.

The trip was supposed to have been a short one. So far it was twice as long as it should have been, nothing but a string of disaster after disaster. They were way behind schedule. But if Lex was being honest, she didn’t mind. Harry had proven to be a great travel companion, entertaining her jokes and chipping in some doozies of his own. When they’d gotten a flat tire, she’d helped him change it and then bought him breakfast. When Shelby had called her cell unexpectedly, and she’d panicked, Harry had covered for her, saying she was driving and couldn’t stop to talk.

“Safety first,” he’d said, even though she had bluetooth in her car.

Rising from the bed, Lexie held the door open for Harry as he ran back inside, a bag on each shoulder. Dropping them down beside the television with a huff, he finally got his own look at the room.

“Sorry about the one bed,” he sighed, unsure how Lexie felt about having to share it. “I’ll take the floor.”

“Don’t be silly, Harry, it’s a King! And should you really be offering that with your terrible back? I won’t have you complain for the rest of the trip.”

With a chuckle, Harry unzipped his hoodie and shrugged out of it, tossing it on the nearby chair. Fingers ran through his damp curls as he stepped out of his shoes and placed them next to the door. Unzipping his duffle bag, he pulled out some dry clothes.

“Mind if I shower?” he asked, pointing to the bathroom. “Unless you were…”

“No, it’s fine,” replied Lexie, grabbing the remote. “You go. I’ll watch some TV and see how this storm’s doing.”

“No calling Shelby, right?” Harry raised a brow.

Lexie scoffed. “No! We talked about this.”

“Alright. Just making sure. I mean, I can’t tell you what to do, but if it were me…”

“Harry!” exclaimed Lexie. “Go! I’m fine, I swear. I’m not calling her.”

“Or texting.”

“Or texting!”

With a smirk, Harry turned for the bathroom and shut the door. Lexie turned on the television, finding the local weather. No surprise there was a big storm in their area, possible hurricane and flood warnings.

“No shit,” she muttered under her breath.

She was bummed she wouldn’t be at her sister’s tomorrow afternoon, but she wasn’t really in a huge hurry either. It was Harry she was more concerned about. He was supposed to be at his friend’s on Saturday for a wedding and Lexie was dropping him off on the way. If this storm kept up and they got stranded, they might not make it in time.

Getting bored with the newscasters, Lexie reached for her phone. She stared at it for a few minutes, reading the last text from her ex-girlfriend. Her fingertip ghosted over her name as she contemplated texting her back. The sound of thunder made her jump, however, and with a grumble she took it as a warning, just like she knew Harry would have done.

Setting her phone next to her, she scooted back on the bed and leaned against the headboard. She heard the squeaky turn of a faucet and the shower stopped. Moments later, Harry emerged, his hair sticking out in pieces around his head from towel drying it. Lexie couldn’t help staring at him, though she didn’t realize she was until Harry caught her in the mirror and wiggled his eyebrows. She swiftly turned her attention back to the TV where the news was on some story about a robbery at a local convenience store. She could hear Harry brush his teeth and spit in the sink before he turned for the bed.

“So how’s it looking?” he asked as he climbed onto the bed next to her.

“Huh?” Lexie half-gasped.

Harry chuckled. “The weather. How’s it look for us the rest of the night?”

“Oh. Um...possible flooding they said. Hurricane conditions.”

“Bugger,” Harry muttered as he settled himself against the pillow. “Hopefully we’ll be able to get back on the road in the morning.”

“Fingers crossed,” said Lexie, crossing her hands over her stomach.

The news broke for commercial, but Lexie remained focused on the television. Her hand itched to reach for her phone, but she resisted. Her nose had suddenly made her hyper aware of her sense of smell as she inhaled the scent of soap, shampoo and something else she couldn’t quite pinpoint. Harry smelled so good lying beside her, it made her mouth water. Her stomach did some weird flip, her face was warm to the touch, and she tried to put her focus on the 1-800 numbers flashing on the screen as she wondered from where on earth this feeling had emerged.

The truth was, Lexie had been attracted to Harry since the day they’d met. They’d had a few mutual friends, one of which had introduced them at a party for another. And while Lexie considered herself bisexual, she had almost exclusively been dating women for the last few years. In fact, she had just begun a serious relationship with Shelby when she’d met Harry at that party. They’d become fast friends which she was fine with, but she couldn’t deny there was some sort of spark there, at least from her point of view.

The sound of a hearty laugh made her turn her head abruptly, but she realized Harry was giggling at the trailer for a new comedy. Lexie watched his face for a moment, the way his eyes squinted when he laughed, the deep dimple in his left cheek. These were just a couple of things that she liked about him, though she could probably make a long list.

Seemingly aware of her stare, Harry mimicked her gaze, his eyes twinkling. Lexie smiled at him, trying to come off as casual and not like a staring buffoon.

“Are you gonna go?” Harry inquired.

“Huh?”

“The shower, love,” he explained. “Thought you were gonna go next.”

“Oh,” Lexie blushed. “Of course.”

Rising from the bed, she grabbed her phone before it slid off. Harry, however, was quick too and reached for it.

“Nope. Not bringing that with you.”

“Fine,” Lexie rolled her eyes. “Wasn’t gonna look at it anyway.”

Harry smirked as Lexie rummaged through her suitcase for something to sleep in, then stuck out her tongue before closing the bathroom door, making Harry giggle again.

Lexie let the hot water soothe her muscles as she stood under the stream. She hadn’t realized she’d been so tense, but she blamed it on the weather and Shelby’s texts. Her ex wanted to get back together, it was obvious, though she hadn’t said it directly. But Lexie knew it was over. It had been over long before they’d actually broken up. Still, she couldn’t deny that she missed her.

Lexie thought about the phone call in the car when Harry had answered her cell. Afterwards he and Lex had a deep, albeit short conversation about relationships and how sometimes things quit working because you’ve run out of road.

“You’ve just reached a dead end,” he’d said. “And that’s when you know it’s time to say goodbye, let it go and travel down a new path.”

Though she knew he was right, Lexie was hesitant about taking that detour.

As she shut off the water and grabbed a towel, she could hear singing. She grinned when she realized it was Harry in the other room singing along to a commercial. She giggled to herself as she got dressed, finding herself humming the tune as well. Harry was a joy to be around. He made every situation bearable, no matter the circumstances. Perhaps, she considered, her attraction to him was merely his light that shone from within, and not anything sexual. When she emerged from the bathroom, however, and found him sprawled out on the bed in a simple t-shirt and sweats, one arm behind his head as the glow from the television defined the lines and curves of his face, she dismissed that notion.

“Damn,” she muttered under her breath before crossing the room to her suitcase.

“What’s wrong?” Harry inquired, his eyes following her. He watched her pull out a small pouch from her bag and return to the vanity.

“Nothing,” she lied, taking out her toothbrush. “That thunder just...doesn’t sound good.”

“Yeah, I think it’s getting closer than further away,” Harry commented, shifting onto his side to face Lexie while she brushed her teeth. Resting his head in his hand, his gaze roamed down her body as he noticed her sleeping attire.

“Those are cute,” he said, not meaning to. It just slipped.

“Wha’?” she sounded, her mouth full of toothpaste. Spitting into the sink, she eyed him in the mirror. “What’d you say?”

“Sorry,” Harry mumbled. “I just...I like those pajamas. They’re cute.”

“Oh,” Lexie blushed. “They’re old. But thanks.”

She couldn’t think of any other reply. He liked her old, worn out flannel pajamas? She’d had them since before Shel-

Clearing her throat, she ran a brush through her hair before making her way back to the bed. She could feel Harry’s eyes on her as she climbed in beside him again, pulling her knees up to her chest.

“Wanna watch a movie or something?” she asked, her gaze on the TV.

“Yeah, I was gonna ask you that,” Harry replied. “Unless you’re too tired.”

“I’m not really ready for sleep yet. What is there to watch?”

“Actually, not much. Most anything I found worthwhile is halfway over and has commercials. And I don’t reckon we wanna pay for something, especially if we end up losing power.”

Just as he said the last sentence, another crack of thunder sounded and made Lexie jump.

“Um…” she muttered with a grimace, “maybe we should just pick whatever’s on and hope for the best.”

With an easy grin, Harry rose from the bed.

“While you decide, I’m gonna go get some ice and a few things from the machines, if there is any. What would you like?”

“I'd like you to stay here with me,” she blurted without thinking.

Harry’s smile grew wider as he slipped back into his jacket. Lexie bit her lip as she felt herself blush for the second time.

“I won’t be gone long,” Harry offered.

“But I just brushed my teeth.”

Harry chuckled. “Then brush ‘em again. You know you want snacks, I can see the look in your eyes.”

“Yeah,” muttered Lexie. “I guess I do.”

“Plus if we end up stranded, you’re not eating my leg.”

Lexie burst out laughing. “Good thinking. I’ll take some potato chips and any kind of cookies they’ve got.”

“Soda?”

“Juice if they have it. If not, something without caffeine. Do you need money?”

“Nah, I got it,” Harry said, grabbing the ice bucket. “Be back in a second.”

Lexie sat back on the bed and flipped through the channels before landing on a Spiderman movie. She’d forgotten if she’d seen that one before or not, but it didn’t really matter. It was more for a distraction anyway, from both the booming thunder outside and the thumping of her heart inside her chest.

Harry rushed back into the room in record time, his hands full. Dropping several items onto the bed, he left again only to return seconds later with the ice bucket. Lexie watched as the door shut behind him and he pushed his hood back, revealing his damp curls.

“Were the vending machines not covered?” Lexie asked, grabbing one of the Sprite bottles Harry had brought.

“They were, but the water was dripping between the slats right above them, so I got a bit wet. No worries, though.”

“Harry, why is nothing a big worry to you?” Lexie eyed him as she took a sip of soda.

Harry shrugged as he returned his jacket to the chair and kicked off his shoes.

“Pick my battles,” he explained. “We got food, drinks and ice. Mission accomplished. A little rain didn’t stop me.”

“A little rain?” Lexie scoffed. “Sometimes you’re just a little too Mary Sunshine.”

Harry looked at her as he sat next to her on the bed. “Would it make you feel better if I told you I stepped in a puddle and nearly hit my head on a metal beam when I heard the thunder?”

Lexie smiled. “Yeah. Kinda.”

Reaching for a bag of Lay’s, she could feel his eyes on her. Finally when she bit into a chip, he spoke, his voice barely above a whisper.

“You’re one to talk.”

“What?” Lexie raised a brow.

“Mary Sunshine.”

“Excuse me, I am not Mary Sunshine.”

“Yeah, you are,” said Harry. “You were totally cool with taking me along on this trip. You were fine with us sharing a room here, even just the one bed. Right now, you seem perfectly fine with that soda instead of the juice you’d really wanted. Honestly, you’ve barely even said one negative thing the entire time. Except maybe regarding Shelby, and even that you seem to be taking in stride.”

Lexie considered his words for a moment before giving a shrug. “Maybe I pick my battles, too.”

“Fair enough.”

Taking another swig from her Sprite bottle, she looked down at her lap. “It might have something to do with present company, too,” she said softly.

Harry turned his head and looked at her, his eyes seeming to study her face, hoping she’d expand on her admission.

“You’re easy to be with,” she added. “You don’t judge me and you’re considerate and nice and...I dunno, I just like that about you. Rubs off on me, I suppose.”

Harry continued to look at her as she ate her potato chips, her eyes on the television.

“Oh,” he finally managed to voice. “That’s...really lovely, Lex. Thank you.”

Lexie gave him a soft, short smile before biting into another chip. The two of them ate and watched the movie in silence for a while, until the next commercial break. When Lexie rose from the bed to shake off the crumbs and throw away her trash, she heard Harry speak again.

“I like that about you, too, you know?”

“What?” she raised a brow.

“I like that you’re easy to be with. Fun, actually. You don’t complain a lot, and you almost always have a smile on your face.”

Lexie tried to hide her current smile but failed.

“I’m not sure that last part is true,” she commented.

“Oh, it definitely is,” said Harry. “I just noticed it earlier. I know you’re...still getting over...um...someone...but you still seem happy.”

“That’s a facade,” Lexie confessed. “Inside I’m a mess.”

“Really? Could’ve fooled me.”

Lexie eyed Harry with a smirk. “I guess I just did.”

Softening his expression, Harry nodded. “‘m sorry. You wanna talk about it?”

“Not really.”

Harry studied Lexie’s face for a moment, wondering if she would change her mind. But when she didn’t, he knew not to push her. “Okay.”

Lying back on his pillow, he folded an arm behind his head. Something about his relaxed state made her want to cuddle with him and tell him all her problems. Shaking away the thought, Lexie lied back too, her eyes on the TV.

“I think we just grew apart,” she finally muttered.

“What?” Harry turned his head to look at her.

“Shelby and me,” she explained. “We just...got too comfortable, I guess? If that makes sense. It became boring. And when I get bored, I start to get restless.”

“I think that makes sense,” Harry commented. “You can only spread yourself so far.”

“Exactly!” Lexie nodded. She rolled onto her side, facing Harry. He blinked at her nearness, her wide-eyed expression.

“Like I’m willing to give myself to somebody, everything I have. When I love someone, they’re my world. But after a while it felt kind of one-sided.”

“I’m sorry,” Harry said again. “How did Shelby feel about it?”

Lexie shrugged. “We would just end up arguing when I brought it up. She said she wasn’t like me, that she needs her space and time separate from me. I told her I understood that, but I still needed her to meet me in the middle once in a while.”

“And maybe more?” Harry asked.

“What do you mean?”

This time, Harry turned onto his side, so he was face to face with Lexie. “Maybe sometimes you needed her to make the full effort like you were doing, so you didn’t have to meet her in the middle at all.”

Harry watched Lexie’s eyelashes flutter rapidly until a tiny drop fell down her cheek. Without thinking, he lifted his hand to brush it away with his thumb.

“I didn’t mean to make you cry,” he whispered.

Lexie shook her head, then reached her hand up and grasped Harry’s wrist. “No. You’re absolutely right. How did you know?”

Harry shrugged. “‘s not hard to figure out, Lex. You’ve worn yourself thin.”

“Doesn’t mean I didn’t try,” she choked.

“I know.”

“I loved her.”

“Course you did. Maybe you still do?” Harry lowered his hand, releasing it from her grip.

Lexie pursed her lips. “I dunno. I guess I’ll always love her in some way. But I think the real love was gone a long time ago.”

“You think she feels the same?” Harry asked.

“Well...she was angry when we broke up. But now she says she wants to get back together.”

“What do you want?”

Lexie sighed, running a hand through her hair as her eyes darted around the room. “I guess...I dunno I just don’t think she can change. She’s just...she’s probably gonna keep calling me…”

Harry stopped her by taking her hand, making her look at him again. “That’s not what I asked, Lex. What do you want?”

Lexie opened her mouth to speak but shut it quickly. Then biting her lip, she really considered Harry’s question.

“I just want to move on, to be honest,” she finally admitted.

“Then move on.”

A loud boom of thunder sounded then, once again timely as though it punctuated Harry’s words. Neither of them, however even made a move. They lay facing each other in silence, the movie credits scrolling up the ignored television screen.

Butterflies danced in Lexie’s stomach as she stared at Harry, his green eyes seeming to say unspoken words. Though she wasn’t quite sure what those words were, she had an idea. Swallowing hard, she loosened her hand from his grip only to thread her fingers with his. Harry dropped his gaze to their joined hands before his eyes darted back up to her face, landing on her mouth. Instinctively, Lexie licked her lips and in one split second, she felt Harry’s lips pressed against them.

They were so soft. That was the first thought that crossed her mind. The second was that she hoped he didn’t stop any time soon.

Thunder cracked once again as Harry released Lexie’s hand to cup her cheek. She sighed against his mouth, and that was enough for him to know it was okay to deepen the kiss. Lexie opened her mouth to him, allowing his tongue to meet hers. She felt something then - something more than just arousal.

Rain continued to pelt against the roof and the window, the sound so loud, one would think the glass might break and water would rush in. But at that moment, Lexie heard nothing but the beating of her own heart in her chest.

Harry shifted slightly then, resting his leg between hers as he laid on top of her. Their kisses became intense, an apparent hunger as though they couldn’t get enough. Lexie’s hands found the back of Harry’s jeans, her fingers looping into his belt at his waistband. She held on for a few moments as his hips began to buck against hers, causing a friction that drove her mad. When his lips finally left hers and dragged across her jaw, she gasped for air.

“Ha-harry…” she sounded. Swallowing hard, she blinked to get her bearings. “Harry.”

Lifting his head, he looked at her face, her eyes reading uncertainty.

“Sorry,” he breathed. “Jesus, Lex, I’m sorry. I didn’t-”

“No,” Lexie interrupted. “Don’t. Don’t be sorry.” She shook her head. “About anything.”

“Really? Then why…”

“It’s just…” she licked her lips. “I’ve never...been with a guy...before…”

Harry’s eyes widened as he tried to sit up, but Lexie pulled him back.

“I mean...not like this. I’ve dated men. Well...boys really,” she chuckled nervously. “But it’s been a while.”

“But have you…”

Lexie shut her eyes and shook her head. She heard Harry sigh and felt his body relax against hers. She felt a flutter in her chest at the idea that he hadn’t moved off of her. She liked the feeling of his body against hers. When she opened her eyes, she saw him eyeing her, his expression sweet and calm.

“I don’t wanna make you do something you’ll regret, Lex,” he said. “But you should know, I didn’t tell you to move on in hopes that you’ll sleep with me.”

Lexie giggled. “But I am sleeping with you.”

Harry rolled his eyes and smirked. “You know what I mean.”

“I do,” Lexie said softly. “I also know I like you.”

Harry’s smile grew as he brushed a strand of hair from her cheek. “You do?”

“Mhmm,” Lexie nodded. “The truth?”

Harry raised a brow as Lex grazed her fingertips across his back. “You’re the first guy I’ve ever had these kinds of feelings about.”

“What kind of feelings?” he whispered.

“You know…” Lexie hesitated. “Feelings like...I think you’re incredible and sweet. And I want to touch you. And I want you to touch me.”

Lexie felt Harry shift again, his thigh nearly pressing exactly where she wanted it to.

“Yeah?” he asked, his eyes studying her face intently.

With the flutter of her eyelids, she nodded again. “Please.”

“Lexie…”

Before she could say more, before she barely had time to process how sexy and deep his voice sounded when he said her name, his lips were on hers again.

Lexie shoved her pajamas into her overnight bag as she watched the light yet steady rain continue to fall outside. The weather wasn’t as bad as it had been during the night. The thunder and lightning had stopped, and the parking lot wasn’t flooded like Harry had predicted.

Harry.

She could hear his footsteps coming up the sidewalk. Taking her eyes from the window, Lexie turned toward the sink to grab her toothbrush and other toiletries. She heard the door open behind her and the sound of feet stomping to rid of their dirt or water.

“We’re all checked out,” he announced. “So...whenever you’re ready…”

“Okay,” Lexie called over her shoulder before turning around and dropping her toiletry bag inside her suitcase. Then she zipped it up and gave a tight smile. “All set.”

“Here, I’ll take that,” Harry declared with a nod as he reached for Lexie’s bag.

Sucking in her lips, Lexie decided not to argue, accepting Harry’s chivalry as she slid her arms into her raincoat. Then she followed him out to her car where she unlocked it and popped open the trunk. Lexie sat in the driver’s seat, the engine running while she heard Harry slam the trunk and rush to his side.

“Rain’s not so bad now,” he commented, rubbing his hands together, “but the temperature’s dropped.”

“Yeah, it’s cold,” Lex agreed, immediately regretting it.

The entire morning had been nothing but short, redundant replies to his comments or questions, punctuated with tight-lipped smiles and nods. Awkward didn’t begin to describe the thick air between them.

“Breakfast?” Lexie managed to ask when she shifted the car into reverse.

“Yeah, sure,” Harry said as he buckled his seatbelt. “Don’t reckon those potato chips and sodas lasted long after…”

Though his words trailed off, Lexie looked at him with wide eyes. When his gaze lifted from the click of his seatbelt and he gave a smirk, however, she felt herself blush. A small, nervous giggle escaped her throat as she shifted back into drive and turned out of the parking lot.

Still catching a flicker of a grin on Harry’s face out of the corner of her eye, Lexie quickly found a radio station that was to her liking, and she quietly hummed along. Truth was, she was nervous as hell, though she wasn’t quite sure why. She didn’t like it that Harry suddenly made her nervous either, because he never had before. He was her friend. But now he was…

Harry.

Her mind wandered to the night before, his soft kisses, his hands on her hips as his own pressed against her. He hadn’t tried to rush her. In fact, he had been completely gentle and respectful, knowing she was hesitant. Her own brain had been spinning like a whirlwind, unsure of how far to go. She knew she liked him and was attracted to him, that was a given. And the feeling of his lips on hers only confirmed that. But it had only been a short time that she’d been broken up from Shelby, her long-term girlfriend and the only person who’d even seen her naked in two years.

She’d let him touch her. When his hand had slipped inside her pajama bottoms, she hadn’t stopped him, though his eyes questioned her. She’d bit her lip and opened her legs, a sigh quickly releasing from her lungs when she felt his fingers on her. His gaze had been focused on her face the entire time while his hands had done the magic, making her throw her head back and moan as her legs shook. She thought she might have breathed his name, though she wasn’t sure. It was a possibility it had gotten lost behind the sound of the thunder. She did remember, however, the tender kiss he’d given her when she’d come down, his hands cradling her face as though she was a china doll.

“Lex?”

“Huh?” Lexie blinked. She blushed again, realizing her focus was not on the road.

“Looks like there’s a diner up there,” Harry pointed. “Unless you just wanted to find a McDonald’s.”

“Oh! No...yeah...that sounds great, actually.”

“I know I could go for some pancakes,” Harry commented, patting his belly.

Lexie smiled at him. “Yeah. Me too.”

Pulling into a spot next to a pickup truck, Lexie put the car in park and killed the engine. Pushing her door open, she felt something brush her hand. But just as she turned to look at Harry, she saw him quickly peel his eyes away and open his own door, shutting it with a thud.

The overly chipper waitress seated them at a table by the window. After ordering coffee and juice, Lexie pulled out her phone, prepared to text her sister when she suddenly frowned. Harry caught it, his breath stalling in his throat as he waited for Lexie to say something.

He watched her silently as she typed hastily on her phone. He wanted to snatch it from her hands and throw it out the window, but instead he waited. Despite what happened between them the night before, it was none of his business whom she was texting. But he really hoped to God it wasn’t Shelby.

The waitress returned with their beverages then, and Lexie laid down her phone with a smile. They both ordered a big breakfast with pancakes, but suddenly Harry wasn’t very hungry.

“Um…” he hesitated, reaching for his silverware. “Everything okay?”

“What? Oh…” Lexie shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, it’s fine. I had a text from Shelby, but I ignored it. I was texting my sister to let her know I made it through the storm, and that I’ll text her again once I’ve dropped you off.”

Harry sucked in his lips and nodded, though he felt his insides release the tension they’d been holding.

“I’m sorry I had to tag along,” he muttered.

“Don’t be silly, Harry,” Lexie waved him off before dropping a straw into her orange juice and taking a sip.

“Well, if you didn’t have to take me to Brian’s, you could get to your sister’s sooner. You have to go out of the way.”

“Harry, it’s not out of the way. In fact, it’s exactly on the way. It’s fine.”

Harry watched Lexie’s eyes as she took another drink. He liked the way her eyelashes fluttered slowly, laying delicately against her cheeks. He thought of kissing her eyelids, her cheeks, her lips. He’d never been this awkward around anyone before, the morning after. But this wasn’t just anyone.

“Besides,” Lexie added, sitting back in her seat, “it was you that needed the ride. It just so happened that I could visit my sister at the same time.”

The waitress returned with their food, and for several minutes they ate in awkward silence. Or perhaps it was only Harry who felt awkward. He wanted to mention the night before, but he reckoned in a diner while eating pancakes was not the best place to bring it up.

“So, are you excited about the wedding?” Lexie asked, breaking the silence.

Harry shrugged. “I like weddings. But I’m not sure excited would be the right word.”

Lex giggled, making Harry look up from his breakfast. He’d come to notice that he really liked her laugh.

“Why not?”

“Well…” he began, swallowing the bite in his mouth, “Brian’s an old friend of mine. And I’m happy for him. His family’s always been great to me. Looks like he’s found a great girl. It’s just…”

Lexie looked at him, tilting her head. “Just what? You’re not jealous, are you Harry?”

“No,” he shook his head. “Not jealous. I just...he’s got a big family, lots of cousins and friends. I’ll be the only person there alone.”

“Oh,” Lexie mouthed. She wasn’t sure what else to say.

“Last time I visited them,” he added, surprising Lex, “I was seeing someone.”

“Oh,” she whispered again.

With another shrug, Harry dismissed his own thoughts, diving back into his pancakes. “Doesn’t matter, I know. It’s my mate’s wedding. It’s not about me.”

“That’s true,” Lexie nodded. “You’re just there to show support.”

“Exactly,” Harry said with his mouth full.

With an odd feeling in her stomach, Lexie managed to eat the rest of her breakfast. She mentally kicked herself for even bringing up the subject and vowed to stay quiet about it until they’d reached their destination.

Back on the road, Lexie gave Harry control of the music, letting him choose a playlist from her phone. Except for a comment here or there on the songs, the conversation was sparse. They were on a long stretch of highway with nothing much on either side but pasture and the occasional farm or herd of cows.

“So, um…” Harry hesitated a moment before deciding to just admit what he was thinking. “I enjoyed last night.”

“What?” Lexie turned her head quickly before returning her eyes to the road. She heard Harry let out a soft, deep laugh, making her weak in the knees.

“I was wondering how long it would take either of us to mention it, but it’s been hours now and...well, I reckoned I’d have to be the one to address the elephant in the room...or, um...car.”

Sucking in her lips, Lexie felt herself blush as she gripped the steering wheel.

“Sorry,” she finally muttered, stealing a glance at Harry. “Guess I’m not very good at this.”

“Nothing to be sorry for,” said Harry. He paused before adding his question. “Did you enjoy it?”

Lexie felt her lips curl up as she kept her eyes on the road. Then tapping her thumbs on the wheel, she nodded. “Yes. Very much.”

“Good.” Harry sat back in his seat then, trying his best not to seem cocky. But she’d said she’d liked it. And that made him happy.

“I um...just want you to know…” he added, “it doesn’t have to be...weird between us now.”

“Oh, yeah, I know,” Lexie agreed hastily.

“It’s just...um...I’d really like to do it again, but if you feel-”

“If I feel what?” Lexie eyed him, her cheeks still pink.

Harry grinned, looked down at his knees and licked his lips. He was kind of enjoying the obvious effect he had on her, but he didn’t want to push it.

“Just...if you don’t want to, I’ll understand.”

“Harry, I um…” Lexie shifted in her seat, gripping the wheel. “Something else you should know about me. I’m not a one and done type of girl. I don’t...sleep around.”

Harry’s lips widened, his dimples deeper. “I know that, Lex.”

“But by the same token,” she continued, “I don’t rush into things either. I mean, I just broke up with-”

She stopped when she felt Harry’s hand on her elbow.

“Say no more,” he murmured. “I understand.”

Slowly releasing her grip on the steering wheel, Lexie lowered her arm to the seat, laying her hand next to her, palm up. Taking it as the gesture it was, Harry gracefully slipped his fingers through hers. Their hands remained like that through the next three songs as they both hummed softly along until stopping at the next exit to fill up on gas.

Harry had gone inside the food market to get a few snacks for the road while Lexie pumped the gas. Paying the cashier, he pushed the door open to see Lexie with her back to him, leaning against the driver’s side. It wasn’t until he got closer that he realized she was talking on her cell.

“I just can’t do it anymore, Shel,” he heard her say. “I just...I think it’s time we both moved on.”

Afraid he was intruding, Harry started to turn back to the market, pretending he’d forgotten something.

“Harry!”

Stopping in his tracks, he turned around again. Lexie beamed at him as she pushed a strand of hair from her face. He never thought she looked so pretty. Except maybe last night…

“What’d you get me?” she asked, jogging around the back of the car. Peeking into the paper bag, she raised her brows. Then she giggled, recognizing the potato chips, cookies and juice. “All my favorites.”

“Well, you didn’t get your juice last night so-”

Lexie planted a haste kiss on his cheek. “You’re sweet. I’m going to the ladies’. Be right back.”

“Hey, would you like me to drive for a while?” Harry inquired.

“If you like,” she smiled, handing him the keys.

Harry watched her practically prance into the market. He didn’t want to jinx it, but it certainly seemed like she’d gotten the closure she needed with Shelby. He was happy to see her with a little pep in her step.

Setting the groceries in the backseat, Harry put the key in the ignition. Then reaching back, he grabbed the two juices and placed them in the cup holders between the front seats. Just as Lexie returned to the car, Harry noticed it was sprinkling.

“Good timing, I guess,” remarked Lex as she climbed into the passenger seat. “I saw the dark clouds forming a few miles back.”

Switching on the windshield wipers, Harry pulled out of the gas station. As soon as they were back on the highway, he heard Lexie open the bottles then hand him one.

“Cheers,” she said with a sly grin.

Harry mimicked her, tapping his bottle against hers. “Thanks.”

“So, tell me more about this Brian guy,” said Lex as she pulled out the bag of potato chips and opened them.

Harry looked at her and then back at the road. “You sure are in a good mood.”

“Am I not supposed to be?”

“I dunno. I just thought…”

“That I’d be sad or still hung up on Shelby?” she asked.

Harry shrugged. “I couldn’t help overhearing.”

Lexie was quiet for a moment as she stared at the chip in her hand.

“It’s over,” she admitted softly. Then turning, she captured Harry’s gaze. “I ended it. Officially.”

Swallowing, Harry set his juice in the cup holder and nodded. “How do you feel about that?”

With a grin slowly spreading across her face, Lexie popped the chip into her mouth.

“I feel good about it,” she announced. “Great, actually. Is that awful?”

Harry shook his head. “Not at all. I’m glad you got the closure you needed.”

“Me too,” Lex agreed. Then like before, she laid her hand palm up across the console. Harry took it as an invitation and with a tiny flicker of a spark, he threaded his fingers through hers.

“Thank you.”

Harry wasn’t exactly sure what he’d done, but the look on her face and the touch of her skin was enough reason.

“You’re welcome,” he said. “Now hand me some of those cookies.”

“Hurry before you catch pneumonia!” Lexie heard the woman at the door call out.

The rain had been coming down nonstop for the last couple hours. Though Lexie had been grateful to Harry for taking over behind the wheel, she felt guilty for making him drive through that grueling weather. They’d finally made it to his friend Brian’s house, or rather, his mother’s, but the rain was determined to be difficult, the wind only adding to the arduous driving conditions.

Closing the trunk of the car, Lexie followed Harry as he carried both bags up the steps of the large farmhouse, stomping his feet on the massive wrap-around porch. Lex had given Harry a short questioning glance when he’d grabbed her bag, but with the woman shouting and the rain pouring down, she decided not to argue.

“Virginia!” he shouted. “Nice to see you.”

“Harry Styles, get in this house this instant!”

Practically shooing him over the threshold, the woman wasn’t slow to notice the girl following behind.

“Hello, dear!” she greeted. “Welcome.”

Lexie barely got a thank you out before Virginia addressed Harry again. “Who did you bring, handsome?”

“This is Lexie, Virginia,” Harry answered as he dropped the bags in the foyer. “We drove here in her car.”

“Oh, I see,” Virginia beamed. “Lovely to meet you...Lexie, you said?”

“Well, it’s Alexis actually, but…”

“Oh, come here, give me a hug,” the older woman insisted. “I’m so happy for you.”

Lexie wasn’t sure if she was more embarrassed because she was wet from the rain, or because the woman obviously thought she and Harry were a legit couple. Catching only a slight twitch of nervousness in Harry’s reflection in the mirror on the opposite wall, she opted to once again leave it be. Virginia was certainly used to playing hostess, and from the aroma in the house, Lexie could already tell she was good at it.

“Styles, you made it!”

Lexie looked up to see a man around Harry’s height and build saunter down the stairs. Meeting Harry, he caught him in a tight embrace, murmuring thank yous and missed yous.

“Lex, meet one of my oldest, dearest mates, Brian Ramsey.”

“Nice to meet you,” Lexie nodded, extending her hand.

“Pleasure’s all mine.”

“And you already met his mother, Mrs. Ramsey, AKA Virginia, AKA the best cook aside from my mum.”

“AKA the one you never come to see anymore,” Mrs. Ramsey swatted at Harry with her dishcloth.

“I’m sorry love, I’ve been busy,” Harry smirked.

“Mhmm, I see,” she nodded, eyeing Lexie and then giving a wink.

“Well, c’mon, Harry, let’s go have a drink,” Brian gestured down the hall to where Lexie only assumed was the kitchen. “Pretty sure Pops, Jenny and Serena are back here.”

Eager to join him, Harry looked back at Lexie with a smile.

“Oh,” she mouthed. “Actually, I should probably get going.”

“What?” Virginia asked incredulously.

“Yeah, um...I was actually just dropping Harry off. I have to get to my sister’s.”

“Oh, honey, you can’t go out in this weather!” Virginia insisted. “It’s supposed to be raining all night, possible flooding. Maybe even a tornado.”

“Oh.”

“And the roads around here usually flood pretty quickly, so they close them off. You probably won’t be able to get out until tomorrow morning, at the earliest.”

“Oh,” she whispered again.

“Don’t worry about it, Lex,” Harry offered. “I’m sure Mrs. Ramsey won’t mind you staying over.”

“Of course not, dear!” she exclaimed. “Trust me, you’re not going anywhere in this.”

“I don’t want to put you out,” Lex started to argue.

“Nonsense! I have enough rooms, blankets, towels and food for an army!”

“Ugh, the army line again,” scoffed Brian.

“Hush, you!” Virginia said, daring him with his own swat from the dishcloth.

Reluctantly, Lexie followed the two boys through the hall and into a large open area with the kitchen to the left, and a family room to the right.

“I thought a heard a raucous out there!” announced the man sitting in the leather recliner. Rising from it, he quickly held his hand out. “Harry, good to see you, son.”

“Hey, Pops,” said Harry, giving him a big hug. “How’s life treating you?”

“Can’t complain.”

With a grin, Harry stepped back and placed his hand on the small of Lexie’s back. “Pops, this is Lexie.”

“Hello, Lexie,” the older man greeted with a handshake. Then placing his other hand on top, he leaned in and whispered in her ear. “Just so you know, he’s one of the good ones.”

“What are you telling her, Pops?” asked a young woman who’d just walked into the room.

“None of your business.”

“Lies.”

Lex eyed Harry who let out a burst of giggles.

“Hi, I’m Jenny,” said the woman. “Brian’s older but wiser sister.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“And that one over there,” she pointed to the brunette in the kitchen, “is Brian’s fiancée, Serena.”

“Not for much longer,” Serena sang, taking a cookie sheet from the oven and placing it on top of the stove. Then wiping her hands on her apron, she walked around the counter, holding out her hand. “Hi, so nice to meet you, Lexie.”

Lexie suddenly felt as if she was in a movie, one of those wholesome Christmas films that were shown on television every year. Everyone was so nice and hospitable, it seemed...unreal.

Brian emerged from the kitchen then with two glasses of wine, offering them to Harry and Lex. Lifting his glass, Harry proposed a toast to the happy couple, wishing them all the best.

After several games of cards, and a couple rounds of charades, in which Harry won both, plus far too many of Serena’s cookies, the evening had finally wound down. The wedding pair retired to their room upstairs and Mrs. Ramsey set both Harry and Lexie up with their own rooms, across the hall from each other. Lexie had already called her sister to tell her the situation, and that she would be arriving later than scheduled.

After brushing her teeth, Lexie opened the bathroom door to find Harry standing in the hallway. A smile slowly spread across his face as he took her in. His gaze suddenly made Lexie self-conscious, and she looked down at her ensemble.

“Different pajamas,” she remarked.

“I can see that,” Harry smirked. “I like those, too.”

Blushing, she bit her lip, then ran a hand through her hair. “Um, did you need the restroom?”

“Oh...yeah.”

As Lexie turned down her bed, a beautiful blue and white rose quilt, she found herself humming one of the songs she and Harry had listened to earlier that day in the car. A smile twitched at the corners of her mouth as she recalled the way he’d told her he’d enjoyed the night before.

Suddenly, a knock sounded behind her, and she looked up to see Harry standing in the doorway.

“Hey. Can I come in?”

“Of course,” Lexie gestured.

Harry stepped into the room, gazing up at the photos and paintings on the walls, then walked over to the dresser and inspected everything on it.

“The Ramseys are really nice,” Lexie remarked, taking a seat on the bed as she watched Harry.

“Yeah,” Harry nodded. “They’re like...my second family.”

“I can tell. They’re definitely fond of you.”

“Yes.”

“And it was very kind of them to let me stay. Even though it was mostly Virginia’s idea,” Lexie laughed. “I don’t think she was about to let me set foot outside again.”

Harry chuckled nervously in agreement. “She’s a tough one, that Virginia. What she says goes.”

Placing an old, framed photo back onto the dresser, he let out a sigh. Finally, turning around, he sucked in his lips. Shoving his hands into his pockets, Harry looked at the floor.

“Um...hey I know it’s kind of last minute, and you need to get to your sister’s and all…” he paused, biting his bottom lip before finally lifting his eyes to Lexie, “but I was wondering...and you totally don’t have to...if you’d like to stay...a little longer tomorrow...and be my date. For the wedding.”

Lexie’s eyes widened. She hadn’t expected him to ask her that.

“Oh!” she breathed. “Oh, well...I…”

Harry shook his head. “It’s alright. It was a dumb thing to ask.”

“No!” Lexie exclaimed. “I mean...no, it wasn’t a dumb thing to ask. I mean...actually…”

The corners of Harry’s mouth quivered slightly before his lips spread into a smile and his dimples appeared. He let out a tiny chuckle, causing Lexie to glare at him.

“What?” she asked.

“You’re as nervous as I am,” he replied.

Lexie blushed as she realized he was absolutely right. With a smile that nearly blinded Harry, Lexie stepped forward and took his hand.

“I’d love to be your date,” she beamed.

Lexie stared at her reflection in the full-length mirror. While she wouldn’t call the dress exactly her style, she was grateful that Jenny let her borrow it for the special occasion. She liked the dainty blue flowers and flowing sleeves.

“I think it’s perfect,” declared Brian’s sister. “You look so pretty.”

“I do?” asked Lexie bashfully, her cheeks blushing a light pink.

“Definitely. Looks better on you than it ever did on me. Lucky we’re the same size.”

Biting her lip, Lexie ran her hands across her waist. She silently wondered what Harry would think.

“What about your hair?” asked Jenny. “Were you planning on wearing it up or down?”

Lex grinned nervously. “I actually hadn’t thought about it. This whole thing wasn’t planned at all.”

“Of course,” Jenny smiled.

“I usually wear my hair down though,” Lexie added, winding a strand around her finger. “What do you think?”

Jenny’s smile widened. “I have a great idea.”

Turning to her dresser, she opened the top drawer and pulled out a headband, bringing it to Lexie.

“What do you think of this?” she asked. The headband was simple, adorned with dainty flowers and leaves in gold metal.

“I love it!” exclaimed Lex.

With gentle ease, Jenny placed the headband on the center of Lexie’s head, allowing her soft, delicate hair to fall around it.

“Yes,” beamed Jenny. “Absolutely perfect.”

A knock sounded on the door then, and Jenny walked across the room to open it.

“Harry, you can’t see us yet,” Lex heard Jenny say. “It’s bad luck.”

“I thought that was just the bride and groom,” Harry chuckled from the doorway.

“Even so,” Jenny whispered. “I wasn’t quite finished.”

“With what?”

It was then that Harry spotted Lexie across the room, her reflection in the mirror as she looked down at her hands.

“Oh!” he sounded, his eyes wide.

With a sigh, Jenny stepped back and allowed Harry to enter the room.

“Wow, Lex, you look amazing!” he announced.

“Thanks,” she muttered, turning around to face him. Grabbing the sides of the dress, she felt herself blush again. “Jenny let me borrow it.”

“It’s lovely on you.”

Lexie and Harry seemed to stare at each other for a few moments until the silence was broken by Jenny’s voice.

“Shoes!” she squealed, nearly making Lexie jump. “What size shoes do you wear?”

“Um…” Lexie swallowed, “eight.”

“Aw crap,” Jenny scowled, snapping her hands on her waist. “I’m a nine. They’d be too big.”

“It’s okay.”

“I bet Serena’s your size,” she added. “I’m not sure if she brought any other shoes with her, but I could ask.”

“Really, it’s okay,” Lex chuckled. “You’ve done enough for me. Besides after the weather last night, I might be glad I’m in my sneakers.”

“Oh, that reminds me why I came up,” said Harry. “Your mum needs you downstairs. Something about a broken table and angry caterers.”

“Ugh,” Jenny rolled her eyes.

“Oh no, I hope everything’s okay,” said Lexie. “Maybe I should help.”

“No need,” Jenny held up a hand as she headed for the door. “When Virginia Ramsey’s involved, there is a way.”

“Send out an S.O.S. if you need us,” called Harry.

“Will do!”

Harry’s shoulders shook with laughter as his best friend’s sister left the room, leaving him alone with Lexie.

“Look at you,” said Lex, making Harry turn and raise a brow. “You clean up nice, Styles.”

Harry looked down at his suit, his hands on the jacket lapels.

“Wha’ this ol’ thing?” he smirked, causing Lexie to giggle.

Stepping closer to him, she reached for the cross around his neck, displayed in the center of his chest.

“I take it you’re not a tie kind of guy,” she remarked.

“Not particularly,” Harry grinned at her. “Why, do you think I should wear one?”

Lexie shook her head. “I didn’t say that.”

She felt his hand on her waist before he pulled her closer, his chest colliding with hers. His green eyes seemed to dance as his other hand slid under her ear.

“You look really pretty, Lex,” he said softly.

“Thanks. So do you.”

The corners of Harry’s mouth twitched before he leaned forward, his lips so close to hers she could feel his breath on them.

“Is it okay if I kiss you now?” he asked.

“I was beginning to wonder why you hadn’t already.”

Lexie gasped when Harry opened the back door, and she followed him out onto the large porch. It was trimmed with dangling lights and floral garlands that cascaded down the banisters to the large canopy in the backyard.

“Kinda magical, innit?” asked Harry, catching Lexie’s eye. She smiled and nodded.

“C’mere you two!” someone called from the yard and Lexie turned to see Mrs. Ramsey beckoning them. “I could use your help.”

Taking her hand, Harry lead Lexie down the steps and between the rows of white chairs to where Virginia stood.

“At your service,” offered Harry with a grin. “What do you need us to do?”

“Oh honey, don’t you look lovely!” exclaimed Virginia when she finally got a good look at Harry’s date up close.

“Thank you,” Lexie said shyly, looking down at her sneakered feet.

Her hand went to her forehead to brush a strand of hair from her face when she remembered the headband. Gently, she adjusted it, careful not to make a mess of it before the wedding as she caught the gleam in Virginia’s eyes when she smiled at Harry.

“If you wouldn’t mind, my dears,” said Mrs. Ramsey, “could you kindly stand outside the gate to greet the guests as they come in? Brian’s cousins are ushers, but I’d just like to have someone out there to make sure they’re entering on the right side, and no one steps in a mud puddle or anything.”

“No problem,” Harry and Lexie replied in unison.

Squeezing her hand that he was still holding, Harry gave Lexie a wink before guiding her around the corner to the large fence that surrounded the Ramsey’s backyard. Then unlocking the gate, he released her hand only to push it open.

“So, we just stand out here?” inquired Lexie.

“Yep. Guests should be arriving soon.”

Twirling around, Lexie inspected the view of the backyard through the gate, getting an idea of what guests might see when they walk through.

“This is really a great place for a wedding,” she commented.

“It is,” agreed Harry with a nod.

“And convenient, too. They probably saved a ton of money.”

“You better believe it,” Harry chuckled. “And not just because it’s the Ramsey’s house. Virginia will find the best deal anywhere. She’s kind of famous for it.”

“Really?” Lexie smiled, intrigued.

“Yeah, if she can do it herself, or get Pops to do it, she will. If not, she knows everyone within the next three towns, and she won’t let them take advantage of her. She always gets her way.”

Lexie laughed. “She’s a pretty cool lady.”

The corners of Harry’s mouth twitched as he stepped closer.

“You’re a pretty cool lady, too,” he declared.

“Stop,” Lexie playfully swatted at him as he tried to put his arms around her.

“Too cheesy?”

“Hmm, maybe a little…” she bit her lip.

“Sorry,” said Harry as he managed to pull her closer. “I’ll cut back on the cheese.”

“No, it’s...it’s cute.”

“I really like you, Lex. And I’m glad you’re here.”

A big smile spread across her face as she slid her hands up his arms. “Me too.”

Harry was just about to ask which statement she was agreeing with when an older couple approached them from the front yard.

“Don’t tell me the wedding’s started already,” the man chided.

“No, sir,” Lexie began before she noticed the twinkle in his eye.

“Harry,” he added, holding out his hand. “Good to see you, young man.”

“Mr. McRay, a pleasure,” Harry greeted.

“How’s that beautiful mother of yours?”

“She’s just fine, sir, thanks for asking.” Harry reached for Lexie then, placing his hand on her back. “Lex, this is Mr. and Mrs. McRay, the Ramsey’s neighbors.”

“How do you do,” Lexie smiled.

“I do wonderful, pretty lady,” Mr. McRay said, giving her a wink and earning himself a poke from his wife.

“Charles is a big flirt,” she scoffed. “Don’t mind him.”

Lexie felt herself blush as Harry’s fingertips dug into her waist as he gently pulled her closer to his side.

“You two look lovely,” Mrs. McRay added. “I trust Virginia’s inside, running herself ragged?”

“Just a wee bit,” said Harry, making Lexie giggle.

“I better see if she needs my help. Hope to see you two later.”

“Enjoy the wedding,” smiled Lexie.

By the time the McRays made it inside the gate, a short line of cars had formed along the curb, some on the driveway. Lexie took a deep breath as she watched guests exit their cars and begin the walk up to the gate.

After greeting at least half a dozen couples and clusters of families, Lexie noticed something. Harry’s hand had remained on her back the entire time. Perhaps it was a silent reassurance that even though she wasn’t a member of the wedding party or even an originally invited guest, she was still very much a part of the day’s activities because she was Harry’s date.

His date. Lexie let the word roll around her brain for a moment while she watched him chat with someone else he’d known nearly all his life. She liked the word. It was simple, not too formal or labeling. He’d introduced her as his date a couple of times already, a big, dimpled smile on his face as he’d said it.

“This is my date, Lexie,” he’d beamed, his hand giving her another light squeeze.

She liked that he hadn’t said “friend”. Although she certainly was his friend, she always thought that word held little romantic value. Even Shelby would sometimes introduce her as her friend, after they’d been dating for months, and it would rub her wrong to put it mildly. It wasn’t that she thought she and Harry had crossed the line into more than just friends after just one night together, but…

“Lex?” Harry asked, making her blink.

“Yeah, sorry,” she swallowed. “What did you say?”

“I was just telling Jackson about our little adventure on the road to get here.”

“Oh!” Lexie’s eyes widened.

Harry let out a gleeful chuckle and leaned into her. “Not the motel part, love.”

Lexie couldn’t help but laugh in spite of herself, and when she found she couldn’t stop, she rolled her head into Harry’s chest.

“Seems she’s gotten a fit of the giggles,” Harry explained to Jackson who’d joined in on the humor of an obvious inside joke.

“I’m so sorry!” Lexie shouted, muffled from Harry’s shirt.

“I’ll meet you inside,” laughed Jackson. “Good to meet you, Lexie.”

“You too!”

Harry’s chest continued to shake with laughter as he gently rubbed Lexie’s back. Once Jackson was out of earshot, she slowly lifted her head.

“I’m so embarrassed,” she whined.

“Why?” Harry asked, an enormous grin on his face.

“It’s not that I thought you’d told him...it’s just...it’s the first thing that came to mind, and...oh, God.”

Grabbing the lapels of his jacket and burying her face in his neck, Lexie got a good whiff of Harry’s cologne and suddenly felt her legs go weak.

“You are so fucking cute, Lex,” she heard him say.

“I am?” she asked, breathing him in. His skin was so close to her lips, she wanted to touch it.

“Yeah. I kind of always thought of you as very confident and self-assured.” Harry’s free hand found the back of her head and began to lightly brush his fingers through her hair. “And you are, I find it very sexy. But this…”

“Hmm?” Lexie sounded when he paused.

“This is a different side of you,” Harry explained. “I dunno if it’s because of me, but...it’s like you have your guard down a little bit. And I think it’s very sexy, too.”

Her legs now jelly, Lexie shifted slightly until her lips met the warm skin on his neck. She pressed three soft kisses there until she felt him hum against her mouth.

“Lex…” he whispered.

Lifting her head, she saw a deep green in his eyes she’d never seen before. He brushed a tiny strand of hair from her face before cupping her chin. Just as he was about the lean forward, however, a voice behind him interrupted.

“Harry, son, they’re getting the wedding party ready,” announced Mr. Ramsey.

“Oh yes, of course,” Harry cleared his throat. “Be right there.”

Lexie gave another look of embarrassment that only earned her a grin from Harry. Then taking her hand, he kissed the back of it.

“C’mon, I’ll take you to your seat.”

“You know, I knew you were the Best Man, but I guess I wasn’t thinking about the fact that you wouldn’t be sitting with me. Makes me kinda sad.”

“‘m sorry, love,” Harry frowned.

“It’s okay. I’m being dramatic,” Lexie teased. “At least I get to watch you.”

Harry chuckled low as they reached the end of a row of chairs where Lexie took a seat.

“Who says I won’t be watching you?”

“Please, it’s a wedding, Harry. Nobody’s even looking at anything but the bride and groom.”

“Hmm...that’s what you think.”

With another giggle in her chest, Lexie watched Harry turn down the aisle and walk up the porch steps. Soon enough, the music started and Brian escorted Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey to their seats on the front row. Serena’s mother was escorted next, followed by Harry and Jenny, serving as the Best Man and Maid of Honor.

Finally, the wedding march began, and Serena emerged from the porch and down the steps, her arm looped with her father’s. Lexie immediately felt the heaviness in her chest as Serena walked down the aisle, her face all aglow as her eyes met Brian’s. Then turning in her seat, Lexie caught the look on Brian’s face and just about lost it. No matter how strong and self-assured she sometimes seemed, Lex was no stranger to crying at weddings. Perhaps she was a true romantic at heart.

Just when the ceremony began, Lexie heard a familiar sound and realized it was raining again. However, with the party safe under the large canopy, it was almost tranquil.

As the couple said their vows, Lexie’s eyes veered toward her date who stood behind the groom. Her insides nearly melted when she realized he was looking at her too. And when the rings were exchanged and a tear made its way down her cheek, Lexie caught Harry’s lips curl up until they widened into a smile.

When the happy couple was pronounced husband and wife, the guests clapped and watched them make their way up the aisle. As Harry followed, he discreetly held out his hand to allow it to graze across Lexie’s shoulder. As if the looks he’d given her during the ceremony weren’t enough, her entire skin was now on fire.

Moments later, as the reception began, Lexie had just finished chatting with a friend of Serena’s that she’d met earlier when she felt the familiar hand on her waist.

“Did you enjoy that?” he whispered in her ear.

“Did you enjoy mocking me?” she teased.

“Mocking you?”

“Yeah, what was with the huge grin while I was clearly in tears over the vows?”

“That was not mocking,” argued Harry. “I was happy.”

“Happy I was crying?”

“Well...kinda, yeah,” Harry shrugged.

“Meanie!”

“No,” he chuckled, shaking his head. “I mean I was happy that it moved you that much.”

“Oh.”

“I told you I was gonna watch you,” Harry added.

“Glad to be your entertainment.” Lexie folded her arms and looked down at her sneakers.

“Heyyy,” he said, lifting her chin with his finger. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, it was...it was a beautiful wedding.”

“It was. But it’s not over yet. We have a party.” Harry spread his arms out.

“Yeah...I can’t stay that long though.”

“Oh,” Harry dropped his arms and frowned. “Why not?”

“I just...I have to get to my sister’s.”

“I thought you had that all worked out.”

“Yeah, but I feel bad. I was supposed to be there a long time ago, and now I’ll only get like a day and a half with her as it is.”

“I’m sorry,” Harry muttered.

“Not your fault,” Lexie waved her hand. “I should...I should probably go ahead and get changed. Pack my stuff. Looks like the rain stopped, so I should get out before it starts again.”

As she turned toward the back porch, Harry grabbed her hand.

“But wait…” he pleaded. “We...we haven’t had our dance yet.”

“Dance?”

As if on cue, a slow love song began to play, and a few couples took to the dance floor.

“Please?” Harry held out his hand.

With a sigh, Lexie took it and followed him. They began to sway in each other’s arms, the music leading them.

“Thanks for coming with me, Lex,” Harry said low. “And for being my date.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I wish we...had more time.”

Lexie stared at Harry’s lips for a long while before shifting her gaze to his eyes which seemed to burn into hers.

“Me too,” she finally admitted.

“Yeah?”

Shutting her eyes, Lexie leaned forward.

“Harry…” she whispered. “I don’t wanna go.”

“What?”

“I mean...I still wanna see my sister, but...I don’t wanna leave you.”

“Lexie…” Harry breathed, lifting his hand to her cheek.

“Is that awful?” she asked when she opened her eyes.

“No.”

Harry’s face looked so serene and beautiful, Lexie couldn’t help but feel a sudden calmness, even though her heart was beating a mile a minute.

“I’ve had the best time with you,” she confessed. “I’m not ready to say goodbye yet.”

“Me neither.”

“Would it be...completely awkward or inappropriate if I asked you to come with me?”

“To your sister’s?” Harry asked.

“Yeah…” Lexie’s expression faltered. “Never mind, forget it. It’s ridiculous.”

“No, it’s not,” murmured Harry as he blinked slowly, pulled her closer and pressed his lips to hers.

Rain began to pelt against the canopy once again just as the fire she’d felt before returned full force and Lexie fell into the kiss. Their bodies continued to sway as their lips and tongues collided, until the song finally came to an end. Then leaning his forehead against hers, Harry gave her another of his dazzling smiles.

“I’d love to,” he said.

Hope you enjoyed!

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MASTERLIST | KO-FI | FEEDBACK

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gaybananabread · 1 month ago

Note

ARGHSH I was thinking maybe ler!Sero and Lee!gnReader for day 15 of tickletober????? TYSM if you decide to do this (it’s also ok of you don’t ToT)

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE YOUR WORK AND HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT NIGHT/ DAY <33333333

TickleTober Day 15 - “Are you ticklish?”

~THANK YOU ANON!✨✨✨✨ Sero is best boy, no doubt about it. Fair warning, I haven’t watched the newest season yet, so this is gonna be written with the knowledge I have! As for the movie reference in here, let’s be honest: that scene with the spiders got a good few of us. I may or may not have let my old crush on Sero show here… Thank you for requesting, and I hope you Enjoy! Happy spooky season!~

Lee: Gender Neutral Reader (nickname “hon”)

Ler: Hanta Sero

Summary: What starts as an innocent movie hang-out becomes tickly chaos as Sero makes a rather interesting discovery. Unfortunately for you, he’s quite happy with the new source of entertainment.

Warnings: none! This is a tickle fic, so if you don’t like that, scroll away!!

Movie night – an innocent enough idea, or so you’d thought. You and him hadn’t had much quality time as-of-late, so you penciled in some quick, low-effort fun.

And, of course, Sero had to be the one to choose the film. You weren’t complaining (much); he had pretty good taste in films. You just hadn’t expected him to pick a movie with…that in it.

Since it was October, Sero had chosen a spooky movie: Corpse Bride. You’d never seen it before, and it seemed interesting. He promised you’d like it, even betting his favorite hoodie that you’d wanna watch it again. You happily took those odds.

About three-fourths of the way through the movie, you were definitely into it. The stop-motion animation was really cool to watch, and the plot had you wondering which way it’d go.

Of course, you also had the world’s comfiest space heater next to you, his arm draped over your shoulder as you leaned against his side. That definitely helped you enjoy yourself.

You were completely relaxed and focused, zeroed in on the television screen. So, when the scene with the spiders came on, you were completely unprepared.

As the folk of the underworld were preparing Victor for the wedding, Victor’s suit was tailored by the spiders. At least six of the hand-sized arachnids crawled across his torso, each repairing some part of his suit.

Apparently, the legs tickled; he jerked about and laughed, squirming as they accidentally tickled him. It wasn’t a long scene, by any means, but it still caught you completely off guard.

Sero felt you squirm, glancing over to see what was going on. You were blushing…? The only thing happening on screen was a quick tickle scene. He saw your foot clench through your socks, and it all clicked. Oooo, I’m gonna have fun with this…

“You’re awfully red over there, hon. What’sa matter?” Sero gave your side a little squeeze, presumably to get your attention. He couldn’t hide his smirk as you jumped, loving the little sound that caught in your throat.

“I-I’m fine. Just…need a drink.” You reached over to grab your drink, only to have him tase your underarm. Squeaking, you back, falling right into his side. He barely had to try to capture you, just wrapping an arm around your waist.

“Hey…” He leaned in, dropping his voice to whisper teasingly in your ear. “Are you ticklish?”

The question somehow both made your blood run cold and your face burn at the same time. When he testingly dragged a few fingers across your stomach, you couldn’t help but giggle in response.

“I’ll take that as a yes~”

Ugh, even his tone was enough to send butterflies swarming in your chest! That wasn’t the only sensation there; Sero began attacking your stomach with his right hand, the left holding you against him. He gave your hip a few teasing squeezes, watching as you bucked and laughed.

“S-SEHEHEHERO!” Wriggling and kicking, you tried to shove his arms away. Unfortunately, the smug hero-in-training was stronger than you, keeping you trapped in his arms.

“Damn, you really are ticklish, aren't cha?” Sero mused, glancing over at the screen. He skillfully hit the remote with his toe, pausing the movie so only your laughter could be heard. He loved the sound of it: raucous, flustered, and utterly adorable.

Actually, your laugh sounded…really different. It was less reserved; you didn’t exactly have the choice to hold back, after all. The sound was free, helpless, and oh-so-happy. It brought a slight blush to his cheeks, making him huff.

“You’ve been holdin’ out on me, you brat!” The tape-quirked boy playfully growled, resting his head on your shoulder. He wasn’t sure if it was flustering or not, but it was comfy. “Where’s this pretty laugh been, huh?”

“I-IHIHIT’S NOHOT PREHEHETTY!” You denied the claim, kicking your feet against the worn cushions of his couch. It wasn’t helping you escape in the slightest, but it helped you not to lose your mind.

“I’m sorry, what did you just say?”

Suddenly, he stopped, giving you a moment to catch your breath. Fuck, that tone…he didn’t sound happy. You just huffed, shrugging.

“You don’t get to lie to my face. That has consequences.”

Before you could ask what he was talking about, he activated his quirk. Your wrists were taped together and hoisted above your head, the tail of the tape sticking to the ceiling. You were stuck to wiggle helplessly, back facing your attacker.

“I didn’t lie!” The annoyed huff told you that reasoning wasn’t gonna work. Begging it was, then. “W-wait, wait, Sero! I’m sorry!”

“Too little, too late. Sing for me~”

With that, the real attack began. Sero let his right hand attack your armpit, the other clawing at your stomach from behind. All the while, he whispered little teases in your ear, flustering the shit out of you. It was hardly fair, but you couldn’t really complain properly through your cackles.

"You have the prettiest laugh on Earth, hon. I'm not gonna let you forget it~"

As you squirmed and thrashed, your top began to ride up. It exposed your belly fully, and Sero was more than happy to take advantage of that.

“Don’t mind if I do…” He dragged his short nails across your bare midriff, loving the feeling of your quivering belly beneath his fingers. “I could do this aaaaall day, hon~”

You were losing it, thrashing and twisting to try and get the tape off. It held diabolically strong, leaving you trapped under Sero’s evil fingers. Eventually, you hit your limit, letting your head hang forwards.

“S-SEHEHEHEROHOHO! NOHO MOHOHOHORE!”

He begrudgingly stopped, sensing you had reached your limit. The tape was removed, and he pulled you back against his chest to cuddle. Utterly exhausted, you complied without a second thought.

“Geez, I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone as ticklish as you.” Sero chuckled, gently rubbing the stomach he had just finished tormenting. You just groaned in flustered annoyance, burying your face in his warm chest.

“Shut up, Hanta.” You used his first name to let him know he was pushing it. The head pats you received were close to compensation, but he had a long way to go.

Glancing over, you finally remember the movie the two of you were watching. You were about to fall asleep, so finishing it would have to wait until tomorrow. Actually…

“Hey, since we didn’t actually finish the movie, I can’t watch it again. I won the bet.” Watching his expression go from confusion to despair felt extra gratifying in that moment. He sputtered, trying and failing to come up with a reason to deny you. You’d found a loophole.

“Damn it…fine. You can have my Kuromi hoodie…brat.” You stuck your tongue out at him before cheering; you’d been after soft purple article for months.

Yeah, he was never gonna see that hoodie again…

Worth it.

#mha tickle #lee!gnreader #ler!sero #ticklish!gnreader #augtickletober2024 #sfw tickling community #tickle #tickle fic #bhna tickle #my hero academia tickle #boku no hero academia tickle #lee!reader #ticklish!reader #ticklish!gender neutral reader #lee!gender neutral reader #augtickletober #tickletober #sero x reader tickle

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caesarflickermans · 4 months ago

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Throughout the trilogy, Effie is a personification of what the average Capitol citizen is. It is Effie who Katniss thinks of when Gale mimics the Capitol accent (THG, 1). With little contact, Effie has come to be what 12's citizen envision when they think of the Capitol.

As readers, we receive an early glimpse into what the Capitol is like through her fashion style and persona during the reaping ceremony. Effie is bright, bubbly, has pinkish hair, and a spring green suit (THG, 2). When Katniss arrives in the Capitol, its citizens are eager to see the tributes. The Capitol's colours are artificial, "the pinks too deep, the greens too bright, the yellows painful to the eyes" (THG, 4).

As Effie views her previous tributes as "savages" (THG, 3), so does the Capitol commentary reflect a similar view when they refer to District 12 as "a bit backward but that local customs [the three-finger salute] can be charming" (THG, 3).

District 12 is an underdog whose chances to win the Games are marginal and who rarely receive sponsors (THG, 4). This unpopularity within the Capitol is represented by Effie's exclaim that she might be promoted to a "decent district next year!" which leaves Katniss uncertain whether Effie is "overcome with either the emotional parting or the possible improvement of her fortunes" (THG, 10).

Effie's emotions pertaining to the tributes are akin the feelings the Capitol citizens have of their tributes. The crowd "screams assent" (THG, 10) on the prospect of more information on the star-crossed lovers. The tributes are pawns in their entertainment system, and the prospect of an interesting storyline is emotional and exciting. There was no uproar to question the Games, no saving these two kids—this fascination relied on their inherent doom. Thus, while emotions alike Effie's might be at play here, they are not enough to question the legitimacy of the Games just yet.

Once victors, Katniss and Peeta are placed in a different rank to the Capitol society as the Capitol engages in a voyeuristic enjoyment in their lives (CF, 3). While much of this can be read in a sensational manner, and that is no false interpretation, the Capitol citizens are interested in the lives of their victors and receive Katniss' and Peeta's fresh love with interest—Katniss and Peeta are celebrities who they have built a relationship with, such as being emotionally involved in their wedding (CF, 12).

Effie's care for the victors can be understood as a symbolic interpretation here, too. She has come to care for Katniss and Peeta, and it is expressed by gestures such as offering Katniss sleeping pills (CF, 5). No more tributes associated with barbarianism, she, much like the Capitol, has uplifted Katniss and Peeta to a new status; now caring for them, because she assumes they are guaranteed a long life.

On the 3rd Quarter Quell reaping day, Effie gifts Peeta and Haymitch golden jewellery and wears golden hair. She is upset at Cecilia being reaped and has come to view the victors with a loving care despite their flaws, such as when expressing Chaff could not stay out of a fight. Overall, Effie cares for the victors and seems to be in visible distress at the Quarter Quell's prospect (CF, 14).

In much the same way, Peeta states that the people in the Capitol citizens are unhappy that the victors must return to the Games. In his words, the Capitol citizens got "attached to their champions" (CF, 14).

When the victors are being interviewed on Caesar's stage, their statements consist of appeals targeted at the audience, such as the victors' deep bonds created with the Capitol people. Once Katniss enters the stage, "the audience is an absolute wreck" and "the sight of me in my white silk bridal gown practically causes a riot" (CF, 17).

However, it is Peeta's statement that causes this riot. "As the bomb explodes, it sends accusations of injustice and barbarism and cruelty flying out in every direction. Even the most Capitol-loving, Games-hungry, bloodthirsty person out there can't ignore, at least for a moment, how horrific the whole thing is" (CF, 15).

The word "barbarism" is the Capitol's citizens journey—and by definition Effie's journey—they have had throughout the past year. From perceiving the tributes in such a manner to seeing the 75th Games for what they are, the reaping of the Capitol's champions, these who they have began to care for, is reason for great upset.

The implications for Effie have no villain-hero morality attached to them—she is marked by her representation—and is a morally grey character whose indoctrination is slowly shedding away. Her status as an oppressor are bound to her Capitol citizen status, as the Capitol reaps the fruits of the District's labour.

Like Effie, the Capitol citizen's had been indoctrinated and their beliefs around the Districts were shaped in their own understanding of being the peak of civilization, as their language expressed—"savages" (THG, 3) and charming local customs (THG, 4).

Their awakening, that of Effie and the Capitol, occurs simultaneously. Effie, remaining Katniss' frequent Capitol contact, is an expression and mirror of the Capitol society. Yet, her focus, similar to the audience's focus, on the victors alone remains a vital aspect to understanding her character. They system itself is not questioned. Instead, there is upset for having wronged the Capitol's "champions" (CF, 14). Their tears and upset do not evoke questioning the broader system. In that, the Capitol citizen and Effie herself are rendered in an ignorance about their own participation.

She is neither villain nor hero. Like her fellow citizens in the audience, she is a part of the system by being born into it. While her role as an escort has granted her a larger part in the Capitol's complicity, she remains a character whose upset is ultimately powerless and whose fear of the Capitol remains always present (CF, 17).

#thg #the hunger games #effie trinket #sighs. brief essay on effie and how i view her. it's come to my attention ppl took my words and twisted them #you cannot say she's a morally grey character and then get upset at morally grey interpretations!#i'm always happy to be approached and talk about this but anything other than that + purposefully misreading my words. why!#and my intentions for that matter. which were simply to state my opinion when i was asked for it!

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buckysmischief · 9 months ago

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old foes, new flames (no one knows me like you do)

druig x f!reader

wc: 11.4k

summary: You and Druig were childhood friends, never one without the other, but that all ended when he got a girlfriend and things changed. Eventually it was too much to be hear him and at the first opportunity you had, you left town. Years later, an invitation to Wanda's wedding brought you back and nothing was the same.

warnings: while this story doesn't have any outright explicit content there are mentions of drinking, smoking, and sexual innuendos. minors please do not interact. angsty, stubborn idiots, fluffy ending.

an: I went a little out of my comfort zone with this one, I really hope you enjoy it. feedback is much appreciated :)

m a s t e r l i s t

Going back to the place you grew up wasn't something you ever wanted to do again. But when Wanda, one of your childhood best friends called and asked you to be the maid of honor in her wedding. How could you say ‘no’?

It was a super last minute thing. She hasn't been with the guy very long at all. But when Pietro said he didn't have any concerns you decided against calling in a welfare check.

"So she didn't tell you who he is?" Yelena asked.

"No, She did. I just forgot his name and I'm too stubborn to ask." You laughed out, "All I remember is that she met him a few months ago at her college graduation party and that he's super hot."

You and Yelena were roommates freshman year and the rest was history. It was a rare occasion you were apart. So when Wanda said you could bring a plus one, well, Yelena was the obvious choice. It’s not like you were dating anyone and could bring them, not that you would want to bring anyone you were dating back to that place anyways. She wasn't excited about the four hour train ride but you were. Not having to drive and having the opportunity to move around, even just to stretch, was preferable.

“So,” She asked you, with an hour of the ride left, "do you think he's going to be there? I remember you said he was her friend growing up too."

"I didn't ask. She only told me that it's in a few days and that she already has my dress picked out." The neighborhood you grew up in didn't have a lot of kids your age, just you and three others. Wanda, her twin brother Pietro, and a quiet boy named Druig. You and him had a different connection than you did with the twins, for a long time you thought the two of you were inseparable. But as you got older he became more independent of the group, you tried to be happy for him and not take it personally but it was hard.

You even took it well when he announced he had a girlfriend. That was until she made a joke about you following Druig around like a lost puppy. Looking back on it it was naive of you to hope he’d defend you somehow, but it felt like a punch to the gut when he not only laughed but agreed with her.

After that the only time you spoke was when you were insulting each other. For a short while Wanda and Pietro felt like they had to pick a side but that was the last thing you wanted, Druig too. Thankfully there were only a few occasions where all of your paths crossed, but when they did you made sure to avoid him completely. There was no way you were going to be the reason things got too weird.

“Well if he is and he says anything out of line,” she cracked her knuckles, “I’ll handle it.”

You laughed under your breath, knowing how truthful her threat was, “Let’s just hope he’s forgotten I exist.”

The scenery started to get all too familiar and all your mind could focus on was the last time you were here. You left a few days after graduation with no thoughts of returning, if it was anyone else but Wanda asking you to come back the idea wouldn’t have even been entertained.

Her and Pietro were the ones to drive you to the train station and it was obvious they were very against the whole thing, but thankfully they let you go without a fuss. Pietro had let it slip that he had invited Druig, in hopes of reconciliation or something, but you knew he wouldn’t. Not after what you had said to him the night before.

“Who’s there?” You woke up to the sound of rocks being thrown at your bedroom window.

There wasn’t an answer but you heard the leaves from the tree being rustled. Whoever it was had definitely done this before.

“Wanda? Pietro? Please tell me it’s one of you just trying to scare me.”

“Afraid not.”

You’d recognize that voice anywhere. “What are you doing Druig? Shouldn’t you be climbing out of someone else’s window and not into mine?”

He had finally made his way up the tree and onto the branch that had grown perfectly level with the window. The last time he did that felt like a lifetime ago, there was no reason for him to be doing that now. You didn’t want him there. Unfortunately for you he was climbing in before the words “you need to leave” could finish coming out of your mouth.

Druig looked around, “Everything still looks the same.”

“Not everyone changes their whole personalities overnight.”

He picked up a picture frame you had hanging on the wall. It was from your thirteenth birthday, in it you were with Wanda, Pietro and Druig at the top of a ferris wheel. You weren’t angry enough at him to rip him out of the photo though, but you were upset enough to put a sticky note over his face. “My mom still has this photo on the mantel, I’ve begged her for years to take it down.”

“How a saint like Ajak could raise a devil like you is something I’ll never understand.” Did he practically break into your bedroom just to be a dick? “Why are you here, Druig?”

“I heard from a little bird that you were flying the nest, never to return.” He put the photo back where he found it and walked over to your bed, sitting on the edge of it. “I wanted to say goodbye.”

Out of habit, you followed him across the room and sat beside him. You told yourself it was so you didn’t have to talk as loud, not wanting your parents to wake up, but deep down you knew it was muscle memory. “Usually that obligation is to the people who actually like the person that’s leaving.”

You noticed his eyes were glossed over, and you were close enough to him that you could smell the beer on his breath. Did he really have the nerve to show up in your room after all that had happened, while intoxicated, to talk about you leaving?

“Yeah, well..” Druig was usually so quick witted, you couldn’t put your finger on it (nor did you care to) but something was off about him, “it just took me by surprise. I never thought any of us would leave this place.”

He didn’t say it in a rude way, but something about him saying it at all made part of your brain short circuit. “You don’t know me Druig, not anymore. You treat me like shit for three years and show up here in the middle of the night for what? To make a pointless comment about a photograph and act sad that I’m leaving? You’re the reason I’m leaving! I can’t stand to be in this zip code wondering if I’m going to run into you, who you’ll be with, and what taunts you and your friends will throw my way.

“I have a long list of reasons why I want to leave and never come back, and since I’m too tired to tell you the rest of them just know that they all begin with you.” Somehow you had managed to get that all out without raising your voice or shedding a single tear and yet it didn’t make you feel better. You were so in your feelings that you missed the switch flip in Druig’s mind.

“I just came by to tell you that you’ll be back, you’re not special enough to leave this place for good. And when you do, I’ll be waiting to tell you ‘I told you so’.” His tone was cold and unforgiving, more than ever before.

He stood up and walked back to your window, but just before he climbed out he called your name. “Hey Yn..”

You snapped back, “What, Druig?”

“I’ll see you soon.”

It was midafternoon when you arrived at your parents house and it was already too much. Your mom wanted to show you all of the renovations before your bags ever touched the ground. Your dad wanted to show you the new pattern he mowed into the lawn, like you didn’t see it walking up to the front door.

“Mom, dad, I love you both so much and I can’t wait to see everything but give us like an hour to put our bags down and I don’t know, breathe?” You pleaded, hoping your parents would take into consideration the eight hour train ride you and Yelena just endured.

“Oh of course,” your dad agreed.

The two of you took that as the perfect time to walk up the stairs to your old bedroom, you had almost got to the top when your mom called for you. “Yn, I forgot to tell you. There’s a surprise waiting for you in your room.”

“Okay?” You replied, and then whispered to Yelena, “I’m scared, either she threw everything away and it’s unrecognizable or it’s a new pillow or something.”

“ME first!” Yelena barged past you, throwing the door nearly off its hinges before letting out a sound somewhere between a cat being murdered and a burglar alarm. You watched in slow motion as she flung her bag towards the window where a human shaped object fell out of it.

“What the fuck was that!?” You shouted at her as you both ran to the open window. There was a man laying on the lawn sprawled on his side.

“Oh look,” Yelena nudged your elbow with hers, “your dad’s lawn looks great!”

“I knew I liked you!” You could hear your dad yell from the front porch. “Druig, son? Is that you? Why are you laying on the lawn? You’re going to mess up the pattern.”

“Druig?” You asked in a panic to no one in particular. “Oh my god, Yelena! You killed Druig!”

The look on her face was blank, like she was wondering if she should care. “No, it was self defense. He deserved it.”

“Murder is murder Yelena!”

“Honey, we don't have the right insurance to cover up a murder.” Your mom chimed in from the doorway.

“Nope,” you heard a groan, “Still alive. A little less high than I was five minutes ago, but alive.”

“What are you doing down there?” You yelled to him, grateful he was alive but suddenly pissed off that he was there to begin with.

“So you’re like this because of your parents, not in spite of them.” Yelena said, the puzzle pieces finally clicking into place.

You ignored her and ran down the stairs and out the front door. As much as you wanted to make sure he was okay, you also wanted him gone as soon as he could stand. There was no way you were giving your parents yet, apparently, another chance of letting him in the house.

He started to sit up as you made your way out of the front door, so you asked him again, “What are you doing here, Druig?”

He took another minute to get up and wipe himself free of a few leaves and branches he took down with him. You couldn’t help but notice how his hair was longer, something you always told him he could pull off. How dare he take your advice when you weren’t around to gloat about it? And were those… Did he get tattoos?

Yelena nudged you again to get your attention, dragging you away from thoughts you shouldn’t have been having, just in time for Druig to walk up to you both. “I wanted to be the first to welcome you home…to be the one to remind you that I told you so.” He smirked, “Look who’s back.”

“Leave.” You demanded. “Leave now and leave me alone. I’m here until Wanda says ‘I do’ and then I’m going back home where I don’t have to see you ever again.”

Durig’s eyes never left yours and the smirk had grown to a full on grin. “Oh this is perfect. She didn’t tell you?” Then he looked at Yelena and laughed, “She didn’t tell her!”

You crossed your arms in annoyance, “Who didn’t tell me what?”

“Wanda. She didn’t tell you who she’s marrying?” You shook your head in confusion, waiting for him to say he was the groom even though you knew that wasn’t the case. “She’s getting married to my best friend, Bucky. So can you guess what that makes me?”

You tried your best to hold it in but a slew of “fucks” fell out of your mouth. You heard your mother shouting from inside that you could put a sailor to shame but you didn’t care. Of course Wanda was so vague with the details, she knew you’d politely decline the maid of honor (and maybe the invitation all together) position if you knew the truth. “The best man.”

“The BEST best man, actually. I beat Pietro in a race for it.”

“You’re mistaking me for someone who cares.” All the years of therapy didn’t do a damn thing. Well, you didn’t punch him so maybe it helped a little. “I’m going to call Wanda and talk to her about this. You’re welcome to walk in traffic, or don’t, I don’t really care. Just.. leave, please.”

You didn’t walk far, Druig didn’t show any sign of leaving and as much as you wanted her to, you couldn’t let Yelena hurt him again. Or threaten to hurt him again, because she would and the next time wouldn’t be an accident.

Wanda sent you to voicemail three times, so either she was super busy or she knew that you knew, so you texted her instead.

Yn: Hey! I’m back. When are we meeting up? I want to meet your future husband and hear all about how you met and how grossly in love you are! We can talk about all you need me to do, who is all in the wedding party. More specifically the best man. Do I know him?

She responded almost instantly.

Wanda: Oh good, I’m so glad you made it safe! I can swing by in an hour if that works for you?

Yn: That works. Are you going to avoid my questions then too?

Wanda: I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Yn: When did Druig get tattoos?

Wanda: I’ll be there in 5

You put your phone back in your pocket and walked back down the walkway where Yelena was obviously running out of patience. There was a part of you that wanted to ask her to go inside so you could talk to him in private, he was always less of a dick head when others weren’t around, while the other part of you wasn’t in a hurry to be alone with him at all. “Wanda said she’s going to be here in five minutes, is there a reason you’re still here or do you get off on being somewhere you’re not wanted?”

He glanced back in your direction, his eyes locked with yours. “She might not want me here,” he pointed at Yelena and then to you, “but you do. You can tell yourself whatever lie you want, Yn, but you’ve never been able to lie to me.”

Before you got a chance to tell him where he could shove the finger he was pointing at you, Wanda had pulled into the driveway. She walked up to Yelena before ever meeting your eyes, she made sure she positioned herself perfectly when she gave Yelena a hug and asked her how the trip was, her back facing you.

“Yeah, yeah. You two missed each other, I love that for you both.” You were getting slightly impatient. Between waking up early, traveling, not getting a chance to relax, Druig and Wanda stalling, you felt like you were going to explode. “Can someone who isn’t Druig please fill in the gaps for me?”

Wanda turned to give you a look of sympathy, then spoke to Druig. “Bucky’s home, he’s waiting for you.”

“He’ll be fine,” he began to walk away, but turned to give you one last look, “I had a promise to fulfill.”

Thankfully Wanda had jumped right in and explained everything, from how she met Bucky to the Druig of it all. Apparently Druig introduced them and it was love at first sight, you ignored the voice in your head telling you that this was his plan all along. That he knew short of a funeral, the only way you’d come back was Wanda getting married. You would be giving him way too much credit if you actually entertained that thought.

“I’m sorry,” Wanda said, pulling you out of your thoughts, “you said once that he was tolerable now and I just kind of assumed it wouldn’t be an issue.”

“Yeah, because I live in a different time zone, not because he’s a tolerable person!” You pouted. “Look, I’m sorry. I’m here for your big day not to make you feel bad. The wedding is in what, three days? I can handle being around him for three days, but only because it’s you.”

“I’m glad you feel that way because,” she hesitated for a moment and then braced for impact, “he’s going to be helping you set everything up in the backyard, Bucky put Druig’s name down to accept everything as it gets dropped off just in case you got delayed arriving.”

“That’s, that’s fair.” You let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding. “So what can I do for you now that I’m here?”

Wanda smiled and hugged you, excited that you weren’t upset with her. Not like you ever could be. “I just need you to come over at some point tomorrow to try on the dress and I’ll give you the itinerary for Friday and Saturday then. Friday is pretty much just you and Druig setting everything up and then Saturday I basically just need you at my side.”

It could have been worse, all you really had to get through was Friday, and Yelena being there would give you a distraction. You would only have to be around him for a minimal amount of time the day of the wedding if you played your cards right. At least that’s what you thought.

“Yelena,” Wanda said in a hopeful tone, “you can help Yn on Friday if you want but if you don’t feel like being a human buffer, my brother is driving to the city to pick up a few cases of wine and I’m sure he would enjoy your company.”

She knew what she was doing. She knew Pietro and Yelena had some weird unspoken thing. You were on Facetime with Wanda one night and she was with her brother, Yelena had gotten home and popped in to say hi to Wanda and then gave her full focus to Pietro. You ended up giving her his number before they completely hijacked the call.

They texted all the time but never talked about meeting in person. To your knowledge she didn’t tell him she was coming to the wedding, and you suspected Wanda had kept it a secret too. Yelena was never the serious relationship type, but you had a feeling if anyone could change that it was Pietro.

She looked at you, silently asking if you’d mind. Of course you did, but you weren’t going to hold her (or anyone) back because of your personal issues with someone. “Go and hang out with Pietro, I’ll be fine.”

“You sure? Because,” she paused, “I texted him when we got here and we already have potential plans. I was waiting to see what your schedule looked like before we made anything official.”

“Tomorrow too?”

“He wanted to show me around but since you’re free most of the day I was just going to push that to Friday.”

You thought about it for a moment, going over your options. The selfish part of you wanted to see if you could just be the third wheel for the day, but since you didn’t really make plans outside of helping with the wedding you decided it wasn’t fair to do that. You got to see Yelena everyday, if she was comfortable going off gallivanting with Pietro then you weren’t going to get in the middle of it. Maybe they’d be the next ones to have a last minute wedding. “No, you go and have fun! It’ll probably take my mom half the day to show me all the changes to the house, I can entertain myself after that.”

“Well that sounds depressing.” Wanda chimed in.

You laughed and rolled your eyes at her, “Do you really think I have the attention span for that? No, I’m going to walk around and be nostalgic. See where I end up. Nothing super dramatic.”

“Oh good, we wouldn’t want that.” It was her turn to roll her eyes at you. “If you want, you’re more than welcome to run errands with me.”

“No offense, but I’d rather spend the day with Druig. I don’t even like running my own errands.” You all couldn’t help but laugh at that.

After that Wanda had gotten a call from Bucky, something about the cake. She excused herself, reminding you that her offer still stood, and you and Yelena went back in the house.

The next morning Yelena woke you up, letting you know that she was leaving. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

You sat up to check the time, 8:07, there was no point trying to go back to sleep. “Yeah I don’t care, I”m going to get ready and head out soon too. Text me if Pietro gets weird, I’ll call you and fake an emergency or something.”

She knew you meant it, and you knew you wouldn’t have to do it.

Over the next hour you ate breakfast with your parents and indulged them when they asked if they could show you everything finally. Again. When the tour was over you quickly got ready and rushed out the door before they found a way to keep you inside all day.

It wasn’t that you didn’t want to spend time with them, you did. It was just that you knew they wanted you to move back home and you didn’t want to give them the chance to bring it up. It was easy for them to let you go the first time, they were under the impression you’d come back when you decided you weren’t going for your bachelor’s degree. That was three years ago and their “subtlety” of convincing you to come back was getting more and more obvious.

But of course when you dodge one bullet another one comes flying, or however that saying goes. Druig was in your parents driveway. Scratch that, Druig and his motorcycle were in your parents driveway. “Finally, I’ve been waiting for you for 20 minutes.”

“Did I wake up in a reality where I asked?”

He swung one leg over the bike and put on his helmet, offering you an extra one. “I heard you don’t have any plans today.”

Damn Wanda. She told him on purpose.

Your curiosity got the better of you, “And you made some for us?”

“No, but you can accompany me to mine.” Was a smirk permanently plastered on his face? It infuriated you to no end. Unfortunately, for no one but you, it also made him super attractive.

“Fuck you.”

“You weren’t on my to do list today but I can add you to it if you want.” Did he really just say that?

“Excus-” The sound of his bike roaring to life cut you off. You couldn’t make out what he said after that, but he extended his arm and offered you the helmet again.

Both of you were a bit surprised when you took it. You had never been on a motorcycle before so when Druig grabbed your hands and put them around his waist you flinched away from him. “Do you want to fall off?”

Obviously not. “Fine. But just know-”

“That what? Being this close to me drives you crazy?” He grabbed your hands and put him around his waist again, holding them a little tighter than he did before. “You’ll get over it.”

He revved his bike, probably so he didn’t have to hear yet another response to another one of his slick comments, and began to drive through the neighborhood. You had no idea where he was taking you and was slightly too afraid to open your eyes to guess.

For the first time since you found out it was him who fell out of your window you started to wonder why you were entertaining Druig and his antics. Was it for Wanda’s sake? Could therapy be working more than you thought? Maybe the distance had allowed you to outgrow him enough for it to not hurt anymore. Two things you decided that you knew for sure was that time and distance made you forget the feelings you had for him, and having to hold onto him for dear life solidified that they were back.

After what felt like an eternity, you felt the bike turn right and slow down. Only when it was no longer moving and had gone silent did you feel safe enough to open your eyes.

“You don’t gotta stop holding me,” he put a hand on your thigh and gently squeezed it a couple of times, “but you gotta let go of me long enough for us both to get off.”

Feelings be damned, his cocky attitude brought you back to reality. You let go of him and got your feet on the ground as quickly as you could. “You wish. So, where are we?”

If you took a moment to look around before you asked, it would have been obvious. “When did they close it down?”

“Last year.” The movie theater was your favorite place to be growing up. Not just because of the movies you saw there, but because of the easily accessible roof that you and everyone your age would hang out on after your respectable movies were over. Before things got weird between you two, you and Druig were attached at the hip and the roof was your favorite spot to hang out. After things got weird, you stopped going as much and eventually not at all. You never knew if he continued to go or not. “But they never took down the ladder.”

He gestured for you to go first but you stood there frozen. “Why are we doing this? Why did you bring me here?”

“Can we both just cut the act for a bit? I’m not used to it anymore.” His tone was laced with exhaustion.

As much as you related to his words, old habits do die hard. “Then take me home, wouldn’t want you getting used to being around me.”

He pointed from you to the ladder again, “Climb the damn ladder, Yn.”

You complied, convincing yourself you were only doing so out of pure curiosity.

When you got to the top you realized why Druig wanted you up there so badly. There was a huge blanket spread out with nice outdoor furniture set up around a cooler and a picnic basket. A lot of thought seemed to go into what was obviously a last minute thing, but you wondered why it was a thing at all. Why would he want to spend more time together than necessary?

“Take a seat,” he put his hand on the small of your back, encouraging you to once again take the lead, “it took Pietro way too long to get these up here.”

You took a seat on one of the chairs while Druig took the one across from you, but not before almost taking the one beside you. “You would make him do all the work.”

“That’s not what I said.” He began to take out food from the picnic basket, attentively placing what looked to be sandwiches, chips, and sweets out on the table. Your favorites. “You have a habit of taking everything I say the wrong way.”

“I do not.”

He grabbed two drinks out of the cooler, handing you one and keeping the other for himself. “Okay, not always. But to be fair he offered to do most of the heavy lifting, something about getting a workout in before meeting up with that scary friend of yours. And I made the food.”

“I can’t wait to tell Yelena you think she’s scary. “ You said before you took a bite of your sandwich.

“Oh I’m sure she knows, someone doesn’t get to be that terrifying by accident.”

Conversation stayed light for the rest of the time you ate, from what you majored in to the auto repair shop he opened a few years ago. It felt nice to just talk to him again without any hostility, like it used to when things were normal. Being in a secluded environment was the key, you doubted it would be that easy at the wedding while being around so many people who were secretly waiting to see which one of you take things too far first.

Then Druig had to go and ruin it. “So can we talk about it now?”

“Talk about what?”

His eyes came close but they wouldn’t quite meet yours. “About how we went from being inseparable to me having to beg Wanda for updates on your life.”

If Druig was right about anything, it was you taking what he had to say the wrong way. “Are you fucking serious? You don’t remember?”

“What? No I meant-”

You stood up and walked towards the ladder, “I don’t care, I really don’t. I’m leaving. Unfortunately I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Stop.” He grabbed you by the wrist and pulled you in closer by your hips. “I remember exactly what happened. I was about to apologize for it.”

The way the light hit his blue eyes had you hypnotized. “I'm listening.”

“If either of us was a lost puppy it was me. I didn’t realize it at first, not until I found out you were leaving. I showed up at the twins house to tell them my revelation, begging them to tell me what I could do to make things right.” His train of thought was all over the place but so was your concentration. His left hand was still on your hip while his right had traveled its way up to your cheek. “Wanda told me your plans, Pietro said I should show up and tell you everything. It felt selfish to tell you something so heavy after finding out how excited you were to leave, I always thought things would just somehow go back to normal in college or something..

“So I drank my feelings and showed up at your house. I said something that hurt your feelings, again, and you snapped and I said some fucked up shit. I went to tell you that I loved you and ended up doing the exact opposite.”

If he said anything after that your brain didn’t register it. You only had water but it felt like you drank a whole bottle of wine. Before you knew it your hands were pulling his face closer to yours, closing the small amount of distance there was between you.

His lips on yours felt foreign, yet welcoming. More than.

The way one of his hands comfortably held your jaw while the other was tangled in your hair sent a fire through you that you had never felt before. When his tongue swiped over your lips you knew you were a goner, he swallowed the soft moan that escaped your lips. Druig had made you feel a lot of things over the years but in that moment he made you feel at home.

“Stop,” you put your hand on his chest and pushed away, forcing space between you. “This can’t happen.”

You didn’t stay to hear him out, but that didn’t stop him from following you down the ladder and begging to understand what just happened.

“Yn, talk to me! What the fuck happened up there?” You both walked past his bike and down the sidewalk. There wasn’t anywhere you were walking to exactly, you just wanted to get as far away from the moment as you could. “Did I do something you didn’t want me to?”

There was something in his voice that made you stop. “No, really no. But this,” you gestured between the two of you, “can’t happen. I’m only here for two more days and-”

“Then stay.”

“It’s not that simple, Druig.”

“Why not?” He pleaded with you, asking a question you didn’t even know the answer to.

“Look, I promise to act normal tomorrow and for the wedding, I won’t tell anyone, Wanda will have the wedding she deserves and me and Yelena will go back home and you’ll never hear from me again!”

He scoffed and you swore you could feel him roll his eyes, “Can you stop being so dramatic?”

You ignored him the rest of the way back to your parents house. Eventually he stopped trying to get your attention, the only indication of his being behind you was the sound of gravel crunching beneath his boots.

Instead of paying him any mind you brainstormed of non life threatening illnesses you could quickly expose yourself to so you had a perfectly reasonable excuse to be a horrible friend to Wanda and miss her and Bucky’s wedding. The answer was none.

After what felt like hours and many blisters later, you and Druig eventually made it back to your childhood home. Much to your surprise though, a familiar car was in the driveway. “Pietro?”

Before you got halfway up the driveway a blur of silver hair came out of nowhere and picked you up into a tight bear hug, almost tackling you to the ground. “Yn, I’ve missed you so much! How did your date with Druig go? I didn’t think I’d get to see you until later.”

“My what?” You pulled yourself out of his grasp. “Is that what he told you it was?”

“No?” He admitted, obviously confused. “I just figured you both decided to stop being stubborn and were ready to admit your feelings for eachother.”

“I did.” Druig said proudly, “I think it’s physically impossible for her to stop being stubborn though, probably would combust or something.”

“That sounds more thrilling than being here right now.”

“Told you.”

Before you could get another smart ass word in, Yelena had finally come outside. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” you lied, “I was too afraid to get back on Druig’s bike so we walked back. He was just saying goodbye.” You walked into the house and went straight to your room, ignoring the worried questions of your parents. You got to your window in time to see the guys back out of your driveway, probably on their way to Druig’s bike.

You were worried Yelena would have a hundred questions about what had happened, but that was silly. She knew how to work through your issues when you couldn’t. When Yelena found you in your room she came with the only thing that could stand a chance at putting you in a better mood (no matter the season), hot chocolate.

“You don’t have to talk about it,” she reminded you, handing you one of the mugs she held, “but Pietro filled me in on some things that have happened since you left. He said he’ll come back later if you want.”

“Yes,” you grumbled, “but not if he wants to talk about him.”

“I’ll let him know.”

While you waited for Pietro, and dinner, you listened to Yelena as she told you about her day. As she spoke about all that Pietro had shown her, you noticed how much she really liked him. You had never heard someone talk so highly of Pietro. Hell, you have never heard Yelena talk highly of anyone, ever. She didn’t outright say it, and you didn’t dare bring it up, but you could tell it was going to be really hard for her to leave.

As much as you hated to admit it, so obviously you planned to take it to the grave, you were going to too.

It was that one thought that you let slip through the cracks that caused a mental avalanche. Flashes of you afternoon with Druig, all of the hurtful things he said and did when you were younger, him following you home, remembering you still have two more days with him, thoughts of what things could be like if you stayed…

Yelena never noticed how zoned out you got, but Pietro did.

He stood in the doorway, taking both of you off guard. “You’ve both been so lost in your own worlds, neither of you noticed me standing here for five minutes.”

“You’re an adult,” you stood up to take the boxes of pizza out of his hands, “you could have said something.”

“I figured one of you would have noticed the smell of pizza.”

Yelena opened the first box and looked disgusted, “Because this isn’t pizza. It’s buffalo chicken on pizza dough.”

“Ah but you said pizza dough, so you admit by default it's a pizza.” He replied to her in the flirtiest manner you had ever seen. He was absolutely smitten with her as well.

“You better have gotten something we like too.” You added for no other reason than to remind them you were still there.

The rest of the night flew by too quickly. After dinner the three of you went to the backyard, it was too nice not to enjoy it. The apartment you shared with Yelena didn’t have a yard of any kind, but at least it had a decent sized patio balcony. But even then your neighbors got really weird if you and, or Yelena were out there too late. Not weird like leaving passive aggressive notes on your front door or anything, you almost wished they did, but instead they would lean over the wall that separated you and would insert themselves in the middle of whatever you were doing.

That wasn’t something you weren’t used to though. Even though the distance between your childhood home and the neighbors was pretty spacious, that didn’t stop your friends from just showing up in your backyard. It didn’t matter if you were home or not, it never bothered you.

It only bothered you when it stopped.

“I miss this place.” You whispered. You didn’t even realize you said it outloud until Pietro asked you to repeat yourself.

“I said there’s too much space.”

“That’s not what you said.” He accused, the gears clearly turning in his head. “What would it take to get you back here?”

You didn’t quite know what the right answer was, so you just said the only thing you knew for sure. “If Yelena isn’t a stone’s throw away from me then I might die. Do you want me to die, Pietro?”

“If that’s the case,” Yelena quickly added, “our lease is up soon. I wouldn’t mind moving here with you, I like it here.”

“You like a guy here, that’s not the same thing.”

“Don’t pretend that that’s not the same reason why you do and don’t want to move back.”

“Yele-”

“No,” she cut you off, “someone had to say it to you. Pietro said you liked him and I didn’t believe him until yesterday and again today. The way you talked about him I truly believed you hated him, but the way you look at him.. The way he looks at you! The way you talk to each other, even. Your parents even see it! He took you on a date, he quite literally told you he loves you! What’s holding you back?”

“It just feels like another set up!” You blurted out. “I feel like the second I admit how I feel, Druig and his friends are going to all come out of nowhere like we’re on an episode of Punk’d or something.”

“You couldn’t,” Pietro laughed out so hard he had to fight to catch his breath, “ahh, you’re hilarious.”

That didn’t do anything but annoy you. “Can you stop laughing at me and find your words?”

“I’m sorry,” he took a deep breath and wiped the tears from his eyes, “it’s just that you couldn’t be more wrong. Druig hasn’t hung out with that crown since we graduated, he only hangs out with me, Wanda, Bucky, and the guys at the shop. And your parents sometimes.”

“My parents?” They never mentioned him.

“We all do, we basically grew up in your backyard. They’ve always been like second parents to us. One more thing,” he moved from his seat to sit directly in front of you, “if he ever sets you up to look or feel stupid again, I’ll knock his teeth out.”

“Only if you beat me to it.” Yelena stood up, ready to defend your honor then and there.

Pietro stood again from his seat, sizing her up. “Is that a challenge?”

“Ew stop flirting in front of me,” you stood up too and told them you’d be leaving, “I got to go to Wanda’s to try on my dress. I’ll think about what you said on the way there, you two have fun and if I don’t see either of you before your mini road trip, please be safe!”

When you got to Wanda’s house it was slightly after 9pm and thankfully it was just her and Bucky. He seemed really nice, you understood almost immediately how Wanda had fallen in love so quickly. There was something about the way they were just so genuine with each other, you had never seen Wanda so happy with someone. You were so distracted by them that you almost forgot why you were there, the dress.

It was a floor length lavender dress with a short flutter sleeve, thankfully it wasn’t anything crazy. Somehow Wanda did indeed get the perfect fit. You hung it back in her closet for Saturday and went back into the living room so spend more time with the happy couple.

Throughout the night Bucky kept mentioning how he wished there was more time to get to know you better and how Wanda was so excited you were there. Neither one of them mentioned Druig. There was no way they didn’t know what happened earlier, and you’d be surprised if Pietro didn’t call Wanda the moment you left. Whatever they wanted to talk about, they weren’t going to initiate it. At least, not out right.

“You’ve never been so quiet.” Wanda stated. “Do you want to talk about something?”

“I can step out if you need some privacy.” Bucky added.

“No,” you told the both of them, “when I’m done processing I’ll let you know.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

When you got to Wanda’s the next day neither her or Bucky were there like you hoped they’d be. It was just going to be you and Druig, who was already in the backyard, and you desperately wished Yelena would have taken pity on you and not go with Pietro. But you swore to her at least ten times the night before that she was fine and you could handle it.

You were wrong.

The tension could have been cut with a knife. You both tried to stay away from each other if you could, but when you couldn’t things were tense. It was obvious that he wanted to say something, he only spoke to you when it was necessary though.

After he would put a table in its designated spot you would go behind him and place the chairs. Since it was a small backyard wedding, the couple decided against the traditional seating for the ceremony and just have everyone sit at their designated table instead. Their backyard was big enough so no matter what it wouldn’t be too crowded.

When he was done you expected him to start the next project, but when you went to grab more chairs he was already bringing more your way. “You don’t have to help me.”

“But I want to.” You wanted to tell him that he can’t always get what he wants but you opted to just let him do what he wanted.

When that was done two men started to bring back the pieces to the arch and put it together. The flowers were going to be delivered the next morning, so once you knew it was correctly assembled you snuck inside for a moment to yourself before the next project.

All of the silence gave you time to actually think and process all that had come to light, and the longer you thought about it and really thought about what Pietro had said you knew you had to make a decision.

There was no real point in going back home other than to get your things, the lease would be up in just over a month. You and Yelena were going to renew it when you got back but you had no obligation to do that. There was no doubt that your parents would let the both of you stay with them until you found a house close by. That was if Yelena didn’t move in with Pietro, which you would absolutely love and support.

You and Yelena had talked about it some when you got back the night before, she told you that she didn’t expect to want to stay but she did. Admitting that you felt the same way was like admitting defeat at the end of the night you both agreed to think about it and talk about it again after the wedding.

If someone were to have told you the week before that you’d be back in your hometown, hanging out with Druig, thinking about moving back - you would have suggested they seek professional help. You never would have guessed that you’d be standing in the middle of Wanda and her future husband’s kitchen thinking about what to do about the Druig of it all.

“Hey,” he walked into the kitchen as if your thoughts of him summoned him there, “we just have to hang the lights around the trees and the arch. Did you want to take a break and order lunch?”

“Yeah that’s fine, get me whatever you’re getting. I’ve got cash.”

“Pizza good? And don’t worry about it, it’s a ‘thank you’ from the happy couple for all our hard work.” He pulled out his phone and put in the order. The two of you weren’t standing too close, but it felt like he was the center of gravity and was trying to pull you in. When he was done and walked out of the kitchen to the living room you followed, your younger self would have been disgusted.

Everything became too much at once, so many decisions were unofficially made at once and the only one you didn’t have a solution to was less than five feet away from you. Even though you knew how he felt and what he wanted, you didn’t know how to say out loud that you felt the same. It wasn’t even something you admitted out loud to your therapist.

“I’ve decided I’m moving back.” You tried to stop yourself, you really did, but the awkward silence was getting out of hand.

He looked at you like you had three heads, “What? When?”

You knew what he really wanted to ask. “Probably in a month. I haven’t told anyone yet, I just decided about 15 minutes ago honestly.”

“Is Yelena moving too? Aren’t you two a packaged deal?” He leaned back in his seat, probably didn’t want to seem too eager or show how excited he was about your decision.

“Yes, well, kind of. She wants to move here too but I think her plans include Pietro more than they do me, which I’m totally fine with.” And you were, you wouldn’t have ever entertained the thought of moving anywhere if your best friend wasn’t going with you. Her having someone that makes her happy was more than worth it.

He smirked at your answer. “So Wanda and Bucky are getting married, Yelena and Pietro are going to be in a honeymoon phase of their own.. Where does that leave us?”

You knew he was going to bring it up eventually, you just hoped he would have waited until you unpacked your belongings first. “Why would there be an ‘us’?”

“We could be friends, we could be more, or we can just go back to ignoring each other. I just want to know so I can respect your boundaries.” He almost sounded sad, it surprised you how much it made your heart ache.

That made you want to talk out everything then and there, but fate had other plans. The doorbell rang and Druig stood up to go get the food. After he got back and you were done eating you had no idea how to bring up the subject again. You convinced yourself that it was fine, that talking it over with Wanda and Yelena first would help you sort your thoughts.

The rest of the decorating went pretty quickly, some of the things had to be done the next day so you volunteered to get up early and do those since you’d be spending the night at Wanda’s anyway.

Since the guest list was so small, Wanda and Bucky decided to pick one friend each to be their maid of honor and best man. Neither of them wanted to do anything crazy for their bachelor/ bachelorette parties either. Bucky and Druig were going to spend the night at Pietro’s doing whatever Bucky decided he wanted to do, and you and Yelena were staying with Wanda to have a spa/ movie night.

It was there, while the three of you were applying your mud masks, that you told them your decision. “So unless Druig opened his mouth and told you before I got to, I’m-”

“Finally dating Druig?!” Wanda interrupted, a little too excited.

“Ugh you too?” You threw yourself backwards on her living room floor. “No, I wanted to be the first to tell you and Yelena and I are moving back here next month.”

“WHAT?” She jumped from her stop on the couch and onto you. “This is the best wedding present ever! I can’t believe you’re coming back.”

“You’re crushing me, get off.” You laughed half seriously.

She got off of you and went to hug Yelena, “I’m so excited for us to spend more time together.”

“Me too.” Yelena smiled. You once worried about the possibility of them not getting along, so you were overjoyed that they had a bond separate from you.

The later it got and the more wine you drank, you felt more comfortable talking about the subject everyone (even your parents) wanted you to talk about: Druig.

“Are you going to date him?”

“Are you going to take it slow?”

“Is he a good kisser?”

“Does this mean we can do couples vacations now?”

“I bet you two are going to be the couple that is just obsessed with each other, but in a cute way.”

“Can you two let me decide my feelings first before you plan my wedding?” You didn’t even blame them for their questions and comments, there was a part of you that wanted to fully let loose and talk about how you’ve had a crush on him for as long as you could remember, but there was also a part of you that didn’t want to celebrate too soon.

“Decide??” Wanda emphasized dramatically, “Are you going to look at me in my face and pretend you’re not in love with him?”

Yelena was right behind her. “And he’s even told me he’s in love with you, too. So why aren’t you two together yet?”

“Because…”

“OH! I have an idea!” Wanda yelled and ran to her bedroom. When she came back she had your phone in her hand with Druig’s contact information open. “Call him and tell him how you feel.”

“No, this night is supposed to be about you. You call Bucky and gush to him about how much you love him.” She rolled her eyes at your comment and looked for Yelena to back her up.

To your surprise she actually backed you up. Well, technically. “No, Pietro sent a voice memo earlier and they’re all very drunk. A text might work though.”

“Or, and really hear me when I say this,” you suggested after finishing off another bottle, “I could just wait until after the wedding. That way you and Bucky can have your day and I can procrastinate this a little longer.”

“Ugh, fine. I’ve just been waiting for this since high school, seeing two of my best friends happy. Not pretending they hate each other anymore. I’m just so happy for you.” Wanda was drunk but you knew she meant every word she said.

For years she was in the middle of you and his hostility, even though you did everything you could so that she didn’t have to. You never badmouthed him to her, or even Pietro, but you knew they weren’t unaware it was happening. They knew it was something they couldn’t fix, but at the end of the day you were their friend and seeing you hurt, hurt them.

“No Wands, I’m happy for you.” With that, the three of you called it a night. The morning would be there before you knew it.

You woke up before anyone else and decided it was your job as maid of honor to make sure Wanda was taken care of until it was officially Bucky’s duty. There was no way you would be able to do that without caffeine so you pulled out your phone and ordered coffee and breakfast for the three of you before the flowers were scheduled to be delivered.

Yelena was the next to wake up. The two of you sat on the porch and talked about your plans for the move before Wanda woke up.

“So were you thinking about moving in with Pietro?” You got straight to the point, just like she had with you.

She looked at you in disbelief. “We just made things official, I need at least a year to get used to being so close to him before I think about that. You know how I am. Besides, I’m not ready for us to not be roommates yet. That’s too much change at once.”

You jokingly threw your head back and laughed, “Oh thank god, I feel the same way! About wanting to still be roommates and too much change. I feel like I’m going to make a mistake somehow.”

“Me too. But this feels like a step in a positive direction.” She put her hand in yours. “We’ve outgrown our apartment.”

“Yes, so naturally the next move is my parents house. I love that for us.” You said sarcastically.

That snapped her back to reality. “We’re looking for a place the minute we get on the train. I love your parents but I can’t be a recluse there, I need that time to myself or I’ll go insane.”

“Oh you don’t have to tell me twice, I fell asleep looking at places last night.”

The front door opened and a sleepy Wanda walked out, “Did anyone make coffee?”

“No,” you laughed at how well you knew her, “but in one minute a delivery driver will be here with some.”

She sat on the other side of you and rested her head on your shoulder, “You’re the best.”

Just like you predicted, a car had pulled up and a delivery boy stepped out with your breakfast. You nudged Wanda’s head with the shoulder she was leaning on so you could get up, “I know.”

From there the morning got unexpectedly chaotic. The flowers got delivered thirty minutes late and the person who was supposed to help you arrange them had apparently called out, so you spent longer than planned getting them all in their proper arrangements on each table and around the arch.

Time wise everything seemed to work itself out in the end. Wanda and Yelena were showered by the time you were done, but only just, meaning you would have been waiting for your turn anyways. To your surprise there was just enough hot water left for you to get through the shower, it only got cold at the very end.

When you stepped out of the bathroom you were faced with a new set of problems. Wanda’s blow dryer broke when she was almost done, leaving you and Yelena with wet hair and the risk of frizz.

“Let me make a call, y’all just start on make up.” You excused yourself and called the first person you thought of. “Druig?”

“Good afternoon, sunshine. I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon.”

You got so distracted with his flirting you almost forgot why you called. “I need a favor, are you busy?”

“I could never be too busy for you.”

You knew he could tell you were smiling by the sound of your voice. “Can you go over to my house and get my hair dryer? Wanda’s broke?”

“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

You thanked him and walked back to the guest bedroom to find more appropriate clothes. The last thing you needed was for him to see you in a towel, he would have found a way to bring it up the rest of the day.

When you went to check on Wanda and Yelena things finally seemed to be going smoothly. Yelena had never worn much makeup so she finished up pretty quickly. Wanda’s makeup style always depended on the occasion, and for her wedding she went for more of a non-makeup look. Her foundation was light and dewy while her eyes had a natural look to them. You had just got done helping her apply a set of very subtle eyelashes when you heard a knock at the door. “Be right back, y’all figure out what you’re doing with your hair.”

The walk to Wanda’s front door felt like it took ages to get to and once you got there you had to work up the courage to open it, but eventually you found it. “Hey, thank you again. I owe you one.”

“It’s no big deal.” He handed you the blow dryer and you ran it to the girls before joining him back on the porch. “Shouldn’t you be joining them?”

“They can wait.” You purposely stood a little too close to him, but not close enough for his gravity to pull you in again. Not fully at least. “I need to tell you something.”

It took all of his restraint not to close the gap between you. “You can tell me anything.”

“I’m sorry about the other day, I was feeling a lot of things at once and I reacted badly.”

That wasn’t what he was expecting you to say but he appreciated it all the same. “No, that was my bad, I threw too much at you at once.”

“No, it was beautiful, really.” You reassured him, “I’ve got to go, but meet me here after the ceremony, okay? There’s something else we need to talk about.”

He agreed, but before he left you both took a half step forward. You leaned your head in quicker than he did and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He smiled his signature half smile and walked back to his bike, “That just told me all I needed to know, darling. I’ll see you soon.”

You smiled and went back inside before Wanda and Yelena got curious, the last thing you needed was to get thrown off schedule right as you had caught up.

When you walked back in, Wanda was curling her hair while Yelena was almost done blow drying hers. They were so caught up in the excitement that they never questioned who had dropped the blow dryer off and why you took a few minutes to come back in, not that you had a problem with that at all.

You had just finished your hair and make up when the caterers arrived, thankfully all you had to do was unlock the door. There was still an hour before the ceremony was scheduled to begin and even though Wanda’s dress wasn’t anything super extravagant, it had probably about one hundred buttons in the back and it took you a little longer than you anticipated. Yelena had taken pity on you and helped you out, giving you just enough time to get dressed before guests and the guys arrived.

“Alright, Pietro texted they should be here in two minutes. I’m going to make sure Bucky stays out back. You,” you pointed to Wanda, “stay away from the kitchen windows, I won’t have him sneaking a peek.”

“Aye, aye captain.” Her smile was so wide, she was barely able to contain her excitement.

Everything after that was a blur.

The guys ended up arriving before the guests. You supervised Druig and Bucky while they showed everyone to their seats and Pietro joined Yelena in making sure Wanda didn’t get impatient. At least that’s the reason he gave, you were sure he selfishly (yet understandably) wanted to be close to Yelena. Druig tried doing the same with you a few times but you kept finding opportunities to slip away before he got too close, not for any reason other than to watch him get worked up.

When it was time for Wanda to walk down the aisle everyone was in their designated seats, leaving you, Druig, Bucky and his other best friend Steve at the altar. You didn’t get a chance to talk to Steve much but according to Bucky they were basically brothers and he couldn’t imagine anyone else officiating his and Wanda’s wedding.

The vows were short and sweet but they still managed to leave everyone in tears, they had nothing but love and fondness for each other and everyone felt it. When Wanda talked about falling in love with Bucky, you felt a pair of eyes on you. You tried to keep your attention on her, but Druig’s orbit had pulled you in again. In what felt like no time at all, Steve had declared them Mr. and Mrs. Barnes and instructed them to kiss.

You and Druig followed their lead as they walked back up the aisle and into the house. The plan was for the wedding party to get their food and drinks and join everyone else back outside, Wanda wanted to wait to take pictures during the golden hour before sunset. It had always been her favorite time of day so you weren’t surprised.

“Hey,” you pulled her to the living room, “is it okay if me and Druig step out front for a few minutes?”

She practically shoved you out of the door. “Finally! I don’t care, as long as you're back for pictures.”

When it was just you and him again you felt nervous, like you weren’t in the same situation with him just hours before.

“So,” he started, “what did you want to talk about?”

He stood so close you almost forgot what you wanted to say.

“Us.” It came out as a whisper.

“Oh so there is an ‘us’?” He brought his face closer to yours, his voice lower than it was before, “Do tell me sweetheart, does this mean you won’t run away after I kiss you?”

“I guess there’s only one way to find out.”

He didn’t take the bait, which you were secretly thankful for. If he did, you two probably would have missed the rest of the party, and even if Wanda and Bucky would have understood you would have never forgiven yourself. “We can save that for later, we only have about ten minutes before we need to get back.”

You tried to suppress a laugh and failed, “You’re such an ass, you just want to hear me talk.”

“I do love hearing your voice.” He admitted.

“Stop flirting!” You gently pushed him back so you could focus better, “I know this is technically new, we haven’t even had a proper conversation about us yet but I’ve known how I’ve felt about you for my whole life. I hate that we spent so many years at each other’s necks and I’m sorry the only way for me to cope was leaving. I know moving back won’t make up for the years I was gone, but I’m hoping we can make up for lost time now.”

He took a moment to let your words sink in. You didn’t know it then, but he had half expected you to tell him you just wanted to be friends (which he would have been more than okay with). So when you all but told him you love him, he wasn’t sure if he was dreaming or not.

“When do you move back?”

You weren’t expecting him to ask that, but answered him anyway. “We have about a month to get all of our things out, so I guess it depends on how fast we pack. Why?”

He grabbed your hands and pulled you into his chest, “Me and Pietro were talking about flying out to help you and Yelena pack, wanted to see if that would be okay with you first.”

“What?” You smiled at him, “Can’t go a few weeks without me?”

“I just got you back, I’ll go mad missing you.” You wanted to kick yourself for thinking his feelings weren’t genuine.

“Would you judge me for feeling the same?”

“Never.” He leaned in to seal the deal with a kiss, and you would have let him if Pietro hadn’t barreled through the door.

“I know you two are having a moment and I hate to be the one to kill it, I really do, but we can’t wait anymore.”

“Right behind you.” You and Druig walked behind him, hand in hand, to the back yard.

The rest of the night was perfect. You got to witness one of your best friends marry the love of her life, and as an added bonus you got to watch the beginning of Yelena and Pietro’s love story.

Your parents were over the moon when you told them about you moving back, but that was nothing compared to the news about you and Druig. As it so happened, they had been planning your wedding with him since you were kids. Yelena took one for the team and asked them about temporary living arrangements.

Druig took the opportunity to talk to you alone one last time before the night had to end. “You’re not going to get on that train and never talk to me again are you?”

He was mostly kidding but you could tell a part of him meant it. “Not this time, you can get up early and take the journey with me just to make sure if you want.”

“Don’t tempt me.” He held you close, anyone who paid attention would have thought you were swaying with the music. “I’m really glad this weekend turned out the way it did.”

“I am too.” You knew then that you were finally whole again. Everyone you had ever loved were going to be in the same place. The same place that broke your heart and it was put back together again. It felt like the universe gave you a second chance to have the life you always wanted and nothing, not even yourself, was going to get in the way of it happening.

@stuckonjbbarnes @buckyssoldat

#druig x reader #druig x f!reader #friends to enemies to lovers #angst with a happy ending #marvel #mcu fanfic

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monbons · 6 months ago

Text

WIP Wednesday

Posting actual WIPS on a Wednesday? Imagine that.

As long as we are all baring our hearts on tumblr, I have to admit that I have been struggling to write anything since I wrapped up Eternal Life (back in the first week of April). At first I figured I was simply burnt out since I wrote all 42k words of that fic in just about a month, but given that I've started three separate WIPS since then and made zero progress on any of them, I'm wondering if I am just out of stories. I hate all my words--even though I really love some of these concepts. So, as you may have noticed, I've been distracting myself with sewing projects because good progress is so clearly visible there...

Anywho, to motivate myself, I decided to post a snip of each today and hope that having bits out in the world will motivate me to finish at least ONE of them! All untitled. Set up and snips below the cut.

Very creatively titled "Party Robot," this WIP is a silly/fluffy one-shot inspired by an article I read a while ago about a growing trend in American weddings. This one is the furthest along and will likely see the light of day eventually...

A nervous bounce. From a robot. I recognize that bounce. “I thought you said Shepard was working tonight.” My voice is tight. “He is.” Bunce replies, similarly strained. “What did you say he does again?” Panic rises in my chest. “He’s in entertain–” Whether Bunce trails off or I simply don’t hear the rest is irrelevant because the music has changed from easy dinner instrumentals to much-too-loud techno and the show is clearly starting. As the synths build, driving towards a crescendo, my brain reels with the growing realisation that Simon would never just abandon me at the last minute, would never send me anywhere alone, certainly not my cousin’s gay wedding, which is every kind of milestone given his Old Families lineage and Pitch blood specifically and– “PARTY PEOPLE!” The DJ booms into the mic. “Have the grooms got a treat for you!”

A multi-chapter AU I have lovingly nicknamed "Baz in a Bubble." It is sad and angsty and is proving significantly more difficult to execute (despite having a complete outline) than I once thought it would be. Who could have guessed having one home-bound character would make me too sad to write? Thanks to @thewholelemon and @hushed-chorus who've listened to more than their fair share of my griping about this one. Anyway, here's the first bit of BAZ POV:

There are exactly 297 stars in the sky above me. I count them while lying in my bed every night. They do not twinkle or flicker hello like real stars. Instead, they glow a constant yellowish-green that reminds me of the colour artists always make toxic sludge in the cartoons I grew up watching. It's the colour of superhuman villains and their evil plots. Of poison. Of danger. It's the colour of the plastic star stickers Fiona put up on my ceiling when I was 10 and spent the whole year crying and begging her to go outside. Just once. Just for a minute. Because I was starting to forget what fresh air smelled like or how it felt to have grass prickle against your bare feet or how the stars lit up the night sky in Hampshire. There are no stars in the middle of London. Not outside my window. Not in this room.

And then the WIP I have the least progress on (literally almost nothing) but I so desperately want to write and could really use a thought partner to help me brainstorm/plot/figure out what the hell I'm doing--- a canon divergence where Simon successfully exposes Baz as a vamp and Malcolm steps the fuck up as a father. Here's a bit of Simon POV:

It didn't matter anyway. Pitch Manor was empty. While [the Mage] ranted and raved, I wandered into Baz’s living room. The TV was still on. Peppa the Pig was playing. A half-dressed Barbie was splayed on the couch next to a small bowl of grapes, all cut in half. I picked up the doll and brushed her tangled hair out of her face. Why didn’t I know Baz had a sister? A family that ate snacks together in front of the TV? Parents who loved him so dearly they fled their whole lives under cover of night? In the days that followed, I sat in meeting after meeting with the Coven, listening to The Mage. He demanded the casting of tracking spells, pushed through more dark creature reforms, and rambled about the miscarriage of justice and the dangers of harbouring monsters. But Baz wasn’t a monster. He was just a boy. A scared boy. A boy who ran because he wanted to live.

Anyway...here's to accountability via tumblr. Maybe once I've slept for several weeks and feel more refreshed I won't be so frustrated by every word I know, or more precisely, all the beautiful ones I can’t seem to find…

Thanks for the tag @bookish-bogwitch. Cannot wait to devour the new chapter of BPD!

Hellos and high-fives to all. May your words (and art) be faring better than mine: @raenestee, @cutestkilla, @roomwithanopenfire, @facewithoutheart

@emeryhall, @artsyunderstudy, @aristocratic-otter, @larkral, @rimeswithpurple

@drowninginships, @valeffelees, @shrekgogurt, @blackberrysummerblog, @iamamythologicalcreature

@run-for-chamo-miles, @thehoneyedhufflepuff, @arthurkko, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @youarenevertooold

@beastmonstertitan, @supercutedinosaurs, @rbkzz, @fiend-for-culture, @theearlgreymage

@brilla-brilla-estrellita, @skeedelvee, @ic3-que3n, @talentpiper11, @ivelovedhimthroughworse

#words words words and not a fic to show for it #if eternal life is my last fic at least it is a damn good one to go out on #if you would like to suggest a sewing project for me to procrastinate with i am open for business #gonna go crawl back into bed in the meantime #wip wednesday

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kckt88 · 1 year ago

Text

Gēlenka Zaldrīzes III.

Summary:

Events of Dynasty through Aemond's POV.

Warning(s): Grief, Worry, Anger, Threats of Violence, Mention of Child Loss, Mentions of Sex, Child Birth, Blood.

Word Count: 3100.

Author Note: A companion piece to Courtship/Wedding & Consummation/Bath Time/Arrival(s)/Mother & Father/Petitions & Final Tributes/The Hand, The King & The Dragon/Dragonstone/Blood & Cheese/A Time for Grief/ Rooks Rest & the Silver King/The Gullet/Taking of a City/Harrenhal and the Rivers/The Gods Eye/The Fallen Queen/New Beginnings/Ravenous/Don't Leave Me/Another Plane of Existence/Gēlenka Zaldrīzes I & Gēlenka Zaldrīzes II.

But can be read as a one-shot.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the House of The Dragon or Fire & Blood characters nor do I claim to own them. I do not own any of the images used.

Comments, likes, and reblogs are very much appreciated.

Aemond was staring at Vaera like she had three heads.

His sweet wife, who was heavy with their child, had just decided to inform him that she had beseeched the King for clemency on behalf of her bastard brother Jacaerys.

“He doesn’t deserve one single ounce of your kindness”.

“Nothing will ever change my love, not unless we are the ones who are willing to make those changes” whispered Vaera as she pressed her face against his chest.

“But he-“

“-Please Valzȳrys. My term is almost upon us, and I want to rejoice in the birth of our child, not spend it inciting another war” replied Vaera (Husband).

“Like the bastard could muster up anyone to support his cause” muttered Aemond rolling his eye.

“Cregan Stark would and with him the rest of the North would follow” whispered Vaera.

“Pfft, the Lord of Winterfell is of little concern to me”.

“He swore an oath to my mother, the Stark’s are honourable men” said Vaera quietly as she fiddled with a buckle on his tunic.

“I’ll introduce him to Vhagar, let’s see how honourable the northern dog is then”.

“Cregan Stark is of no concern, now that Jace has bent the knee” muttered Vaera.

“He what?” exclaimed Aemond.

“Aegon the younger and Viserys were offered in exchange”.

“Has my brother lost his wits” gasped Aemond.

“What other fate could have befallen the boys? They are but children, innocent of their parents crimes”.

“Children who will grown into men” whispered Aemond.

“Aegon also granted Jace possession of Dragonstone”.

“The ancestral seat of house Targaryen has the wine finally addled his brain?” asked Aemond.

“Jace needs somewhere to live, or would you rather have him here in the Red Keep?”

“I’d rather chew glass” quipped Aemond.

“Look, I know this isn’t ideal, but we must accept it” breathed Vaera.

“Why do I feel like there’s something else you need to tell me?”

“Jace has asked that the King legitimize Cregan Stark’s younger sister Sara-” said Vaera.

“-And the point of that is?” asked Aemond.

“Surely, you’ve heard the rumours my love. Sara Snow is currently with child”.

“Bastards producing more bastards. Not exactly the sort of palace gossip I keep up to date with. I couldn’t give one single shit about where your brother sticks his cock” said Aemond.

“Aegon wanted Jace to bend the knee and he has. He’s been made aware of the consequences if he dares to entertain even the briefest of notions about reclaiming the Iron Throne. Aegon and Viserys will be executed in front of him” replied Vaera.

“I still don’t like it. My brother should just execute the lot of them and be done with it”.

“I’m tired of all the death Aemond, I just want to be at peace with our children” said Vaera.

Aemond knew he was fighting a losing battle.

Deep down he wanted exactly what his wife wanted. The war had taken so much from them, and he just wanted to look to the future.

But before that could happen there was still much to be done.

Reconstituting the council had been an arduous task, but somehow Aegon had managed it. Of course, having two of the largest dragons in the world in his corner helped to move things along.

But Aegon ruffled a few feathers, when he named Aemond as Hand of the King, Vaera his Mistress of Laws and offered Jeyne Arryn a place on the council.

Of course his generosity with Jacaerys didn't go down to well either, there were those that believed Rhaenyra's last strong bastard should be cast to the winds and exiled across the narrow sea with his bastard wife and offspring. But Aegon was unmoved and many on the council chastised the King being too soft hearted.

Clearly Aegon wasn’t finished with his little revelations as he had refused point blank to take another wife and sire anymore children and he also casually announced to his entire council that he was naming Rhaegar as heir to the Iron Throne and betrothing him to his daughter Jaehaera.

He had planned on having an official ceremony, but that would have to wait as Vaera had begun her labours.

Aemond hated seeing his wife in pain.

It made his heartbreak to know there wasn’t anything he could do.

“I-I can’t do this,” cried Vaera.

“Yes, you can” exclaimed Aemond as he climbed onto the bed at sat behind Vaera.

“W-What are you doing?” muttered Vaera.

“Lean against me and take my hands” urged Aemond as he pulled Vaera between his open legs.

“A-Aemond” gasped Vaera.

“Now, you squeeze my hands as hard as you like” said Aemond.

Vaera was sweaty and exhausted, but she took a deep breath and as the next contraction ripped across her stomach, she pushed.

“FUCK!”

"Keep going my sweet you’re doing great" said Aemond.

"I'M GOING TO CUT YOUR COCK OFF!" screamed Vaera.

"Oh, my love, surely you don't mean that".

"I do. This is ALL your fault,” cried Vaera.

"Another push Princess"

“I swear if you say push one more time. I'll feed you too my Cannibal” snarled Vaera.

“The head is out Princess, but I need you to stop pushing. The cord is wrapped around the babe’s neck” exclaimed Maester Munkun.

“W-What” cried Vaera in alarm.

“It’s ok. Issa dōna ābrazȳrys. Just breathe” said Aemond (My sweet wife).

After a few moments, the Maester had managed to cut the cord from the babe’s neck and with a wet squelch the babe arrived.

But the room was silent.

“M-My babe?” asked Vaera her hands raised in expectation of receiving her babe.

“Just a moment” replied Maester Munkun as the babe was lifted off the bed.

“What’s happening?” yelled Vaera, her hands still grasping endlessly for her babe.

“Why is the babe not crying? What’s happening?” exclaimed Aemond.

“Aemond” sobbed Vaera, her entire body shaking.

But Aemond could only sit in silence as he watched the Maester try to save his newly born babe.

Vaera began wailing loudly in anguish, as the seconds passed.

Aemond’s heart was in his throat as the Maester did everything he could to stimulate the silent babe.

“No. Please. Don’t take my babe. Not again. I can’t lose another babe” sobbed Vaera.

Aemond buried his face in Vaera’s shoulder as he tried to stop the tears from flowing down his cheeks.

The wait was agony. His babe unmoving and lifeless in the arms of the Maester.

But then the sweetest sound in the world echoed around the room.

A loud shrieking cry.

“A daughter” declared the Maester.

Vaera all but snatched the crying babe away from Maester Munkun and sobbed.

“T-Thank you Maester” breathed Vaera, the tears streaming down her face.

“Your welcome Princess” replied Maester Munkun.

“S-She’s ok. Aemond, look” gasped Vaera.

Aemond let out a sob of relief as he gazed at his squalling daughter.

“My daughter. She’s ok. She’s alive. Thank the gods” gasped Aemond.

“She’s beautiful” cried Vaera as she stroked her daughter’s head.

“What shall we call her?” asked Aemond.

“Vharla” whispered Vaera.

“A-After my dragon?”

“I know how much Vhagar means too you and I wish to honour your old girl” replied Vaera.

Aemond’s heart burst with pride.

“So perfect” whispered Vaera.

“I’m so proud of you Issa prūmia” (my heart).

“I love you” muttered Vaera.

“-And I love you. My sweet perfect wife.” praised Aemond as he nuzzled Vaera’s neck.

“Would you like you hold your daughter?”

“Please” whispered Aemond as he manoeuvred himself away from Vaera and climbed off the bed.

Their daughter. They’d almost lost her. But she’s here. She’s safe.

Nestled in her father’s arms, Vharla had opened her eyes and Aemond’s heart stopped.

Those eyes. The colour of dark amethyst.

Exactly like her big brother’s.

She had Aemon’s eyes.

Their next babe, a boy named Caelan in honour of the Cannibal arrived in the world with relative ease, according to Aemond anyway.

As soon as he was delivered, the boy cried so loud that Aemond was sure the entire population of Kings Landing could hear him.

Caelan was such an easy babe, he slept and remained content as long as he was fed, warm and kept entertained.

He seemed to have developed a fascination with Rhaegar and would only sleep if his older brother was close by.

Which of course made Rhaegar feel special.

Vharla of course was indifferent and didn’t care for the drooling stinker she had to call brother.

Given they were so close in age, you’d think that they would get along, but sadly they didn’t as Vharla preferred to spend time with her grandmother most days.

Aegar’s birth however now that was eventful.

Vaera had gone beyond her term and there were some concerns expressed by the Maester’s over the health of both mother and babe, but Vaera remained steadfast in her view that the boy would simply come when he was ready.

Of course, doing things to help him along wasn’t an issue either as Aemond regularly found himself pressed against the bed as his wife rode him like a dragon.

Not that he minded at all, any excuse to stick his cock inside his wife was good enough for him.

On the day of Aegar’s birth, Vaera had been attending a council meeting with Aegon over some new tax laws that he wanted to implement. The other council members were not required to attend which in hindsight was probably a good thing.

Vaera had been experiencing pain on and off for most of the morning, but nothing seemed to progress, until of course she heard the splash of her water’s breaking and not even an hour later, Vaera was perched on the council table as she gave birth.

With no time to summon the Maester’s or midwives, Aegon had to be the one to support Vaera through the pain and ultimately help deliver the babe.

Upon his return from flying with Vhagar, Aemond was racing to the council chambers, to be greeted by the sounds of a crying babe.

Aemond would never forget the look on his older brother’s face as he leant against the wall, his hands shaking and his face much paler than usual.

Aegon admittedly saw more of Vaera that day than he ever wanted too.

But in the spirit of names, Vaera decided to honour her good brother, and named the babe Aegar.

Aegon was so unbelievably happy that he threw a celebration so grand that he was still recovering from the effects of the wine that he’d consumed almost a week later.

Maella was the next babe to be born, she didn’t cry at all. Not even when she was born, she was such a quite little thing, that Aemond often had to put his hand on her to make sure she was breathing.

Even though she was almost six name days older, Vharla had more of a positive opinion of her little sister, she didn't refer to her as drooling stinker which was quite positive.

Now she wasn’t the only girl, and it pleased her immensely.

Rhaegar as the oldest took it in his stride, another member of the family to love and cherish.

As much as he would join his father in his training sessions, he would also spend time with his mother and help take care of the newest babe.

He would spend hours sitting by Maella’s cradle, reading to her, and telling her about Aemon.

When Aemon had died, Rhaegar had only been two name days old, but he remembered his brother so vividly, that it was almost like he was still here.

Caelan of course followed Rhaegar everywhere, idolising his older brother and Aegar just liked to dig around in the gardens looking for bugs.

Which kept both Aemond and Vaera on their toes as more than once he tried to eat them.

Jaerys was the next babe too arrive, born in the middle of one of the worst storms that Kings Landing had ever seen.

Which of course Vaera attributed to his fearsome nature. Even on the day he was born, it always seemed like he had this perpetual scowl on his face that never seemed to go way unless he was with his grandmother.

He definitely had a soft spot for her, and he would often be found sitting beside her as she told him stories and taught him how to braid hair.

Alicent loved all her grandchildren, but she definitely had a soft spot for Jaerys.

Aemond and Vaera had believed Jaerys was their last babe, but after a nightly dragon flight, a ravenous husband and a lapse in memory over taking moontea, Vaera was with child again.

Aegon of course made sure his brother knew that the people of Kings Landing were raising their cups, in celebration of his virility and his wife’s fertility.

Aemond of course had to resist the urge to punch his brother in the face, after he told him.

As with the other births, Aemond naturally assumed this one would go just as well.

How wrong he was.

After Vaera had surprised him and birth another set of twins, she began to bleed heavily.

It began flowing out of her like a river, spilling in every direction.

The Maester’s worked frantically, trying to save her and whilst they were successful, Vaera had slipped into a coma.

For almost thirteen name days, Vaera had been a constant presence in his life, and to suddenly not have her there anymore, he felt lost.

As each day passed and Vaera still didn’t wake up, Aemond could feel himself slowly dying inside.

He was nothing without her. He needed her like he needed the air to breathe.

Aemond knew it was wrong, but he couldn’t help it. He shut himself off and spent hours at Vaera’s bedside praying to any god that was listening.

“Please come back to me my love”.

Yet she remained unmoved, her chest rising up and down slowly. Her eyes firmly shut.

He was afraid that they would never open.

What would he tell their children?

How could he go on living if she didn’t make it?

A world without her didn’t make sense.

For three weeks, Vaera remained unresponsive.

The Maester’s had said that the longer she remained in such a state, she wasn’t likely to wake up.

Aemond despaired at the news.

He was going to lose her. His sweet wife. The love of his life. His twin flame.

At some point in the night, he’d laid on the bed next to her and pressed his face into the crook of her neck.

He begged her to come back. But still she slept, at some point he’d fallen asleep, his hand clasping hers.

Every night it was the same dream, and every morning it was the same nightmare.

But this night, something moved against his hand, and he jerked awake.

Aemond stared in shock as Vaera’s fingers were moving.

At first, he thought he was imagining it, but then Vaera’s eyes began to flutter.

“V-Vaera” exclaimed Aemond.

Is she waking up? That’s it my sweet. Come back to me. You can do it.

“Vaera. Issa dōna ābrazȳrys” gasped Aemond (My sweet wife).

“A-A-Ae-m-mond” stuttered Vaera as she finally opened her eyes.

“I’m here my love. I’m here” whispered Aemond.

After being in a coma for three weeks, it took Vaera some time to fully recover.

She told Aemond about her experience whilst she was in the coma, and it fascinated him to no end.

Especially when she told him that Rhaegar would become King just after his eighteenth name day.

The gods had certainly given Vaera a gift, and she had thanked them for it every day since.

It was a phenomenon that Aemond couldn’t even begin to understand or explain, but they had both decided to keep it between the two of them.

Especially when she told him of Aemon and Helaena.

Despite the circumstances, she had briefly held their precious first born in her arms once more and Aemond knew in his heart that it was his son and sweet sister that had sent Vaera back to him.

Even though Aemond protested wholeheartedly, Vaera resumed her place on the council as Mistress of Laws three moons after she’d woke from her coma.

Saeryna and Daenys were growing fast, and soon they would be reaching their first name day.

It took a little while for Vaera to fully bond with her twin daughters, but they eventually got the hang of it, and now they would crawl after their mother as fast as they could, giggling sweetly.

Aemond watched with a smile as his wife was surrounded by their children, this was everything she’d ever wanted.

During her childhood, she’d been so lonely and Vaera never wanted that for any of their children.

This was a family they’d created and none of their children would suffer as they did.

“Marry me” whispered Aemond.

“We’re already married” replied Vaera.

“In the tradition of our house. Let us bind our blood as our ancestors once did” said Aemond.

“Who’s going to marry us?” asked Vaera.

“I’ve asked Aegon, as anyone who can speak high Valyrian can wed us” said Aemond.

“Ser Criston and my mother will serve as witnesses” said Aemond.

“Where will the ceremony take place?”

“In front of Balerion’s skull. The children will also be in attendance” said Aemond.

“You seem to have given this some thought”.

“I’ve been thinking of it for a while” replied Aemond.

“In that case. I will marry you. Again” said Vaera softly.

“Hen lanoti ānogar, Va sȳndroti vaedroma, Mēro perzot gīhoti, Elēdroma āirza sīr, Izulī amapā perzi, Prumī lanti sēteksi, Hen jenȳ māzīlarion, Qēlossa ozundesi, Syndroro ono jēdo, Rȳ kīvia mazvestraksi”

(Blood of two, Joined as one, Ghostly flame and song of shadows, Two hearts as embers, Forged in fourteen fires, A future promised in glass, The stars stand witness, The vow spoken through time, Of darkness and light)

Aemond and Vaera each took turns in cutting the other’s lip with a dragon glass blade and marking each other’s forehead with the symbols of fire and blood.

Aemond cuts his hand and then offers the blade to Vaera who did the same.

As they face each other once more, both husband and wife join hands allowing their blood to flow into one another.

Once the vows are complete, they allowed their blood to mix with a kiss.

A loud booming roar echoed across the sky as Vhagar and Cannibal flew over the Red Keep, the other dragons soon join in and Kings Landing is alight with sounds of a dragons song, unlike anybody has ever heard before.

As they part, Vaera and Aemond gaze upon one another. All their children surrounding them.

“Will you love me Aemond, until the day I die?” asked Vaera.

“No. Much longer than that Vaera. Much longer” replied Aemond as he took his wife’s face in his hands and kissed her once more.

#house of the dragon #aemond targaryen #aemond x oc #hotd fanfic #aemond fanfiction #hotd aemond #aemond fic #aemond x original female character #aegon ii targaryen #prince aemond #aemond one eye #hotd fic #hotd aegon #aemond #aegon ii

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danglovely · 3 months ago

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Regrading Taskmaster: S07E01 The mean bean.

*Score changes noted in parenthesis.

Let's do it. It's time for everybody's favorite season. It's not my favorite season, but everyone who matters likes it. I think this season really works because the cast is so competitive and willing to fight with each other in studio. James and Rhod really seemed to get what is entertaining for the show, but the other three were great as well.

Prediction time? I'll guess that I will end up having Kerry still winning it. It always felt like she wanted the win more than she wanted to be an entertainer on the show. Jess is the only other contestant that seems to take the competition aspect of seriously in any sort of way.

But enough exposition.

Prize Task: The Thing That Most People Would Like to Touch

I think that's more likely than the sign having an existential crisis.

My immediate go-to is to bring in a cat and bringing in living things always seems to work well. Greg could pick it apart if he hates cats or brings up dog people, but I think it's solid.

James chooses MC Hammer because of the song "Can't Touch This." It's a decent joke, but they only have a cardboard cutout of him. Real MC Hammer gets five points instantly; cardboard cutouts compete for one.

Jess brings in a sign that says "do not touch." James immediately mentions the weakness in that it is clearly referring to not touching something other than the sign and so that other thing would be the thing you'd want to touch. Jess limbos under James in points.

Kerry brings a Newton's Cradle. I'll give it this -- when I first saw one, I was fascinated. Once the novelty wears off it kind of becomes, as Greg says, "disappointing to touch." Kerry slots in between Jess and James.

Phil brings in a delightful chariot toy that moves in the most interesting way. To this day I want to play with it. I assume everyone is like me and wants to play with it, so it's getting the five. Note: First instance of the haggling joke.

Rhod brings in a replica of Greg's childhood toy, "BT" and there's a lot of conversation about the absolutely insane things Greg did in his youth. It's clever and deserves second.

James: 3 (+1) Jess: 1 (0) Kerry: 2 (0) Phil: 5 (0) Rhod: 4 (0)

VT 01: Design and demonstrate the best "quick change outfit." Best and quickest "quick change outfit" wins.

Just no sense of urgency whatsoever.

Two aspects to the win condition here: (1) best, (2) quickest. I would say "quickest" is more important, seeing as that is the point of a "quick change outfit," but I could be convinced the other way if there was a change where I truly couldn't figure out how they did it.

Jess's change is great and it's only marred that you can see the neon green headband from her 80's workout clothes underneath her wedding veil. She goes with the classic "curtain up, curtain down, different outfit," albeit with a lot of ruffling in between. Also insane that Greg thought she was a ghost and not a bride. 4-second change.

Rhod's attempt is completely insane. Obviously he was doing a different task and that task was "humiliate Alex." He wasn't going for points here, but he still gets one.

James seems to connect a suit and a dress on each half of his body, steps offscreen, then turns around. It was fast, I'll give him that. His third outfit was just removing the suit. It's definitively worse than Jess's outfit so the speed is irrelevant in this instance.

Kerry's is good. It happens quickly and the outfits look completely different. I'm more impressed with Jess because I can see the strings that pull Kerry's velcro apart, but I think they're close enough that fastest wins. 3.6-second change.

Oh Phil. It's so unimpressive. He basically just changes out of his outfit off-camera and it takes him longer to do it than an average person would take. It's even more brutal now that Taskmaster showed the video of him changing.

James: 3 (+1) Jess: 4 (0) Kerry: 5 (0) Phil: 2 (+1) Rhod: 1 (-2)

VT 02: Build the highest tower. You have five minutes from when your first box is assembled and maximum time twenty minutes from now.

Goddamn stinger and stinging nettles and then the friggin holly bush and thorny branches. Where do you get off?

First location task! The Woodrow High House -- I like the aesthetic of this place a lot and wouldn't mind visiting it one day. I also never noticed that they folded the task into a box before.

This task is a joy because the five put together so much failure in their own ways. The only real judgments to make is whether their attempts constituted "a tower" and when their first boxes are assembled.

James tried to hang a box off a tree with rope made of tape. A tower probably needs to consist of a minimum of two boxes. Arguably he didn't complete the task.

Phil contests that he hasn't assembled a box until every side is closed. I'm not buying it and his argument doesn't help. He also did not complete the task. Phil also argues that Rhod's tower isn't free standing. If that's what was said in the task I'd give it to him, but it wasn't.

Jess confidently builds a tower only for it to fall over as soon as she turns around. Here's the thing: the task doesn't specify when the tower should be measured so it could be interpreted to the maximum height she ever achieves. She even says "I'm leaving it there." Jess's maximum looked a lot taller than Kerry's so I'm flipping them.

James: 0 (-1) Jess: 4 (+1) Kerry: 3 (-1) Phil: 0 (-2) Rhod: 5 (0)

VT 03: Work out the circumference of the caravan in baked beans. You have three minutes. Most accurate wins.

It is such a bad omen that Rhod is the smart one.

I'm with Alex here in that the only way to do it is to find the average length of a bean. There is honestly no way for me to actually evaluate who did best from the footage, so Alex's measurements need to be trusted.

James: 4 Jess: 3 Kerry: 5 Phil: 1 Rhod: 2

Live Task: Make the best fruit display hat. You may not touch or tamper with your hat. Only the fruit picker-uppers may touch the fruit. You may only hold the fruit picker-uppers by their handles. Best fruit display hat wins.

First off, we ask if there are any disqualifications. There is some inadvertent contact with the fruit, but nothing intentional and that's the heart of the task.

The next bit is that people start collaborating by making each other's hat. The task specifically says to make the best hat, not wear the best hat. Thus, the hat that they make should be what they're graded on.

And now my subjective opinion:

James makes his own hat and gets a watermelon, and what looks like an apple and a mango on it. It's bad.

Jess makes Kerry's hat and Kerry makes Jess's hat. I think the hat Jess makes looks better and has more fruit. Phil makes Rhod's hat and Rhod makes Phil's hat. I'm honestly impressed that Phil got that much fruit on it, including a pineapple. Rhod's is similar to what Jess and Kerry did, but has slightly less volume than the other two.

James: 1 (-1) Jess: 4 (+1) Kerry: 3 (-1) Phil: 5 (+1) Rhod: 2 (-3)

F I N A L

James: 11 (0) Jess: 16 (+2) Kerry: 18 (-2) Phi: 13 (0) Rhod: 14 (-5)

There are no crazy scoring changes. I did dock Rhod a lot, but that's mostly because I felt Phil deserved credit for making his hat. There is a prisoner's dilemma version of that game where you depend on the other person to build your hat but you don't want to make it too good. That's not what the task said though.

Kerry wins.

#tm regrade #james acaster #jessica knappett #kerry godliman #phil wang #rhod gilbert #greg davies #alex horne #taskmaster

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itsawritblr · 8 months ago

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So . . . I was sent these.

A couple of you know I used to have a Beetlejuice x Lydia blog. Used to be into the fandom big time, since the movie first opened in 1988. Then, for reasons I won't get into, I lost interest in all things Beej.

But some people still read my Beej fics on AO3. And one of them sent me these photos from Beetlejuice 2. They also sent me the link to the article they appeared in.

So for you few Beetlebabes who still Follow me -- you know who you are -- here's the article.

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”... Beetlejuice returns in first look at Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder

Nick Romano

Wed, March 20, 2024 at 9:00 AM CDT

It's been 36 years, but once again, the juice is loose.

After reprising Batman in last year's The Flash, Michael Keaton returns to another iconic role in Entertainment Weekly's exclusive first look at Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the sequel to director Tim Burton's cult hit.

Winona Ryder and Catherine O'Hara also reprise their roles as Lydia and Delia Deetz, respectively, while Burton's Wednesday star Jenna Ortega plays Lydia's daughter Astrid, and The Leftovers star Justin Theroux plays Rory. Further details on Rory remain under wraps for now — unlike the titular "bio-exorcist."

The original Beetlejuice (1988) followed the recently deceased Barbara and Adam Maitland (Geena Davis, Alec Baldwin), who enlist the aid of the mischievous demon Beetlejuice/Betelgeuse (Keaton), to expel the current living residents of their home, the Deetz family. All hell, subsequently, breaks loose.

The sequel picks up decades later with a death in the family. "That's all I will say," Burton tells EW in an interview. "There's something that happens that sets things in motion." Could that be the death of Lydia's father, Charles Deetz (Jeffrey Jones)? The director plays coy: "We'll see." One thing's for sure, Beetlejuice comes back into play.

Burton describes getting Keaton back in the classic costume and makeup as "a weird out-of-body experience."

"He just got back into it," the filmmaker behind 1989's Batman (also starring Keaton) and 1993's The Nightmare Before Christmas recalls. "It was kind of scary for somebody who was maybe not that overly interested in doing it. It was such a beautiful thing for me to see all the cast, but he, sort of like demon possession, just went right back into it."

Burton says he and Keaton have talked about a sequel on and off over the years. "Unless it felt right, he had no burning desire to do it," the director recalls. "I think we all felt the same way. It only made sense if it had an emotional hook."

Many concepts were floated around, some dating all the way back to the '80s, including a treatment set in Hawaii. "We talked about lots of different things," Burton says. "That was early on when we were going, Beetlejuice and the Haunted Mansion, Beetlejuice Goes West, whatever. Lots of things came up."

What they needed, however, was time. His actors, including Ryder and O'Hara, had all moved on to other projects after the original came out, and "nobody," Burton notes, "was really pushing for it." The filmmaker also admits he didn't initially (and still doesn't to some degree) understand the success of the first film, so he wasn't motivated to move forward with an idea that didn't excite him.

The hook he was looking for, as it turns out, revolves around Ryder's Lydia and bringing together three generations of Deetz women, including O'Hara's Delia and Ortega's Astrid. "I so identified with the Lydia character, but then you get to all these years later, and you take your own journey, going from cool teenager to lame adult, back and forth again," he explains. "That made it emotional, gave it a foundation. So that was the thing that really truly got me into it."

Other details on the film itself are being kept secret for now, other than the presence of Monica Bellucci (Spectre), Arthur Conti (House of the Dragon), and Willem Dafoe (Poor Things) among the cast. (Dafoe previously disclosed his role as a B-movie action star who died and became a police officer in the Afterlife.) Burton feels "a bit jinx-y" about revealing such things, given that he's still shaping the movie in the editing phase. But he does confirm he'll be using stop-motion animation to bring a lot of the classic Beetlejuice effects to the screen. "It needed a back-to-basics, handmade quality," he says. "It reenergized why I love making movies."

And what about that title? Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. "It's been, what? Thirty-five years. So it didn't feel like Beetlejuice 2 to me," Burton says. "It didn't feel like that kind of a movie. The other one I thought of, because one of my favorite Dracula movies is Dracula A.D. 1972, was Beetlejuice 2024 A.D. But this was a nice simple one."

Just don't say the name one more time, or you risk summoning the man himself.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice will hit theaters on Sept. 6.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Addendum: Was sent the link to this, too.

I'm . . . fearfully optimistic . . . .

youtube

#Beetlejuice #Beetlejuice 2

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yzeltia · 3 months ago

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WOL/Raha Week Day 3 AU- Bridgerton

Rating: T for Tea Featuring: @ladyofvoss 's Thalia Voss Characters: G'raha Tia, Keith Summers, Fordola Lupis, Arenvald Lentinus, U'rahn Nuhn, Y'shtola Rhul, Newton, Y'zel Tia Notes: Dear Gentle Reader, I hope you enjoy

Dear Gentle Reader,

The town is abuzz once again as the society season picks up once more. Excited mamas are already setting their sights on G’raha t Gryphon, of which declared his intention to be wed this season. It’s not lost on this careful observer that last year’s talk of him being a notorious flirt for the ton’s war heroes has simply become muted. Perhaps the sizable Griffin fortune behind him helps overlook where he is wanting in poise and composure. Whatever the case, I imagine all our eyes will be on him and his prospective choices for the promise of the usual drama that comes with the season.

Speaking of potential scandal, the abandoned Lupis estate has been brought to life. Botanists have been seen cutting back jungles of weeds and staff have been seen coming and going through the back entrance with various supplies. It was reported in the Crier that the Former Duke Lupis who had spoken publicly against the peaceful policy of the King regarding foreign amnesty and was thus stripped of his title and land, died during the winter season. Our fair Queen Thalia, in her infinite wisdom, advocated against generational punishment and thus the title passed to his adopted son, one Keith Summers.

As many of you know, the former's beloved parents who supported many charities and would send off the season each year with the spectacular Summer’s End Ball. Tragically, they passed with his three brothers during a boating accident that left him orphaned. The former Duke, while lacking any of the grace or appeal of the Summer’s family, had at one point been fiercely in love with Kathrine Summers and had played for her hand and ensured the lad had the happiest remaining childhood alongside his only daughter, Fordola. Despite his exile, of course.

With the young Lord Summers returning to take up the property, it can only be assumed that he wishes to secure his adopted sister’s place in society through marriage. A bit of a late start on her part, if I dare say but with sympathetic circumstances. We shall see if her departed father’s reputation is a hindrance to the potential suitors. Hopefully the eager mamas will control their sharp wagging tongues to give her a fair chance.

In other news, Queen Thalia has declared Miss Lyse Hext as this season’s Diamond. We shall see.

Yours in anticipation,

-Lady Matoya

Fordola crossed her arms as the carriage rocked, staring daggers toward her brother as he stroked down the back of his corgi. He seemed rather calm, pleased even, to simply sit back and watch out the port on the door as the country disappeared into the towering buildings of the ton. “You are far too excited to return to a town which hates us,” she found herself huffing.

“Hate? I wouldn’t say that. Father had many friends here, even if his opinions were unpopular among them. His downfall was his pride, but I do not think that will be held against us…maybe you, though, if you are determined to hate those who were uninvolved though,” Keith replied. “Queen Thalia has already welcomed us back with open arms and was quite eager in her letter to see how you will fair this season. And I’m sure Newton will meet lots of new friends in the park.”

Fordola rolled her eyes as she watched her brother pick up his pooch and place him in his lap.“Yes, as entertainment for herself and the ton. They’re chomping at the bit for a new scandal. No doubt you’ve heard of Lady Matoya’s papers already giving us an unwelcome reintroduction.” She sighed, fishing out a biscuit from her handbag to give to Newton.

“I didn't miss it in my morning reading, no. But I think it was a good memorial to my folks and fair to our father. She must have respected him, I think,” Keith said.

Fordola raised her brow, scowling, “How so?”

“Well, she reminded us of his former title. He’s spent a greater part of a decade as Mr. Lupis. And, Lady Matoya is notorious for speaking her mind in the same fashion.”

“You speak as if she’s doing something brave. She hides behind anonymity. Father was brave, he spoke openly and freely, society be damned,” Fordola near shouted as she sat up.

Keith blinked then shook his head, “Dola, you shouldn’t swear. You’ve got to pretend to be a lady at least.”

“How about you pretend to be a lady!”

Dearest Gentle Reader,

I am absolutely stunned, in more ways than one. If you have been around as long as I, you might have remembered Fordola Lupis as a rough and tumble kind of girl that would take no qualms in mucking around with the boys in the fields, her older brother never far off trying to call her back home. If you were to have told me she’d grow up into the beauty that we’d seen last night at Ser Ement Vauban’s ball, you could have knocked me over with one of the many white feathers that decorated her dress. Her elegance and poise, not to mention the fortune put into that dress, had the mamas practically helping their sons scrawl their names across her dance card. Her fierce confidence and sharp tongue had the would-be suitors going back for seconds and those she turned out seemed to be put to tears. Or so does one rumor say.

This Dazzling Citrine of the ton far outshined this season’s Diamond. Miss Hext could be found quietly helping herself to some of the scrumptious pinwheels lovingly made by the host’s staff, an apparent favourite of our hero, the dazzling Shieldmaiden Vauban.

Of note, Lord Gryphon seemed to have left in high spirits after his dance with Miss Lupis and seemed to have been talking rather closely with Duke Summers afterward. The race has begun. Mamas to your marks.

Yours in excitement,

-Lady Matoya

“I find your disposition rather amusing, Miss Lupis. I dare say I think you left your previous partner in a near state of tears.”

Fordola rose her brow high as G’raha smiled and led her about in a dance. She wrinkled her nose and shrugged. “Would you let another incessantly talk at you in close proximity after what I can only assume was eating an onion like an apple without saying something? Or am I so removed from the life of the ton that I’m supposed to find it flattering?”

G’raha laughed then shook his head. “I suppose that would be rather unpleasant. Though; if I was afoul I would be glad to have it pointed out so I could have the chance to rectify myself in private. That was…rather public.”

“I have spared my fellow dancers the niceties of enduring him. I saw Y’mhitra’s face turn as green as her elder sister’s unflattering dress and yet she thanked him for the opportunity to have done so at the end of the song. I have little doubt every other girl in here would have done the same if I had not pointed it out,” Fordola answered, spinning for G’raha before returning to his careful embrace.

“I would be careful with your words. Lady Y’shtola has a reputation of being quite a grudge holder. She’s not taken kindly to the Queen’s ban of mourning colors at balls. I thought she looked rather striking in all that black to be honest. Ever content to be a spinster, she is, though I have heard gossip otherwise,” G’raha mused.

Fordola looked to the cross looking Miqo'te as she stayed in the shadows, glassy eyes seeming to scan through the crowd despite their apparent emptiness. “Gossip seems to be the local currency in the ton. What is her story?”

“Well, rumor has it…she was quite taken with Ser Vauban before she left for the King’s Navy. Y’shtola was fiercely against it, of course, the war and all. Thank the Twelve our Shieldmaiden has only sent news of victory and strategic retreats. Shortly after Lady Matoya’s papers started up, giving rise to the rumor that she is behind the elusive nom de plume,” G’raha whispered.

“And what do you think?”

G’raha folded his ears, thinking a moment before shaking his head. “She lost her vision during an unfortunate accident. While her wit and tongue are as sharp as any blade, there would need to be careful observations made that she simply couldn’t do without assistance of some sort. I suppose her many sisters could report to her…but I also don’t think she holds society in such a regard to be bothered with such a thing.”

Fordola pursed her lips then gave a little nod. “Alright then,” she hummed before letting her attention continue to wander the myriad of people around them, keeping up with G’raha’s footing. “Who’s the man in the chair? Standing next to the tall Miqo’te.”

G’raha turned to see who she was looking at. An imposing blond haired man laughed, reclined in a wheelchair while above him the tall Miqo’te shook at his shoulders and thrashed his hair carelessly behind him and echoed in the laughter. “That is Lord Arenvald Lentius and his good friend stuffing his face with pinwheels is none other than Lord U’rahn t Drake. He was a farmboy given a title by King Rijin after returning from saving his squadron of men from a Garlean force in the war to the east. He lost the use of his legs in the process. Despite hanging to the side, they’re both rather popular with the ladies, but only the latter has had his sights set on a proper marriage. Why, last season my mother all but forged his name on my now married sister’s dance card. Really though, he’s a good man. Would you like an introduction?”

Fordola shook her head. “If I can bother to escape the relentless pursuits of your peers, I will introduce myself. You weren’t a terrible partner. If I have to keep doing these things, I will ensure you have a spot on my dance card.”

G’raha smiled as she pulled away, bowing to her before giving a small kiss at the back of her hand, ears perking as he heard his mother make a noise of delight in the distance. “I shall endeavor to seek you out on our next meeting then, Miss Lupis.”

With that, Fordola retreated, recruited quickly by the next on her card, leaving G’raha to shuffle off to find himself some food. Finding a rather large untouched sandwich, he snatched it away then hurried behind a pillar to squat down and hide from his mother and her pending interrogation.

“Aw….I was hoping that would have still been there for me when I returned,” sounded a disappointed voice from above.

Looking up, G’raha found Fordola’s older brother frowning down at him. Wiping crumbs from his face with his sleeve, G’raha stood then broke off the unbitten half of his sandwich to hand over. “Apologies. I often find myself ravenous after a round on the floor.”

Keith lit up as he was offered the sandwich, “No worries friend! Thanks!”

Eagerly, Keith started to chomp down with the same fervent excitement for the morsel that G’raha had himself. The latter found his gaze flitting up to his meal partner, lingering a bit on his sheer joy from the small snack. Clearing his throat, G’raha wiped more crumbs from himself then gave a little bow.“You are Duke Summers, are you not? I just came from the company of your sister on the dance floor. I say, she is a change of pace around here.”

Keith seemed to go pale, recoiling a bit, bread stuck to the side of his cheek. “Hells, she did not insult you did she? She is rather abrasive, but I assure you underneath that rough exterior…somewhere deep, she is the sweetest thing!”

G’raha blinked then let out a hearty laugh, shocking Keith even further. “No, she was a delight to have paired with and a fine dancer.”

“Oh. Good. Good good good,” Keith repeated, letting out a sigh of relief. “Wait, fine dancer? My sister. I could barely escape without bruised toes during practice…Ah, hells. She was doing it on purpose wasn’t she!”

His laughter couldn’t stop, G’raha finding the other charmingly amusing. “Surely you must be popular at the gentleman’s club. Your jests are as delightful as your sister.”

“Ah, so then is it your intention to court her,” Keith asked, hopefully.

G’raha’s laughter stopped immediately, as did his breath. Straightening up, he closed his eyes, not daring to consider a fellow head-of-estate’s inquiries to be with jovial intent. “I enjoyed her company, but when it comes to marriage I would keep my thoughts to myself. It is easy to make an enemy of a friend when it comes to their sisters.”

“I suppose that’s true; but, we are not friends yet. I do not know your name,” Keith said with a thoughtful nod. “We’ve broken bread together, though, so I suppose that makes us as close as friends already. Closer maybe as I would find myself hard pressed to hand over a coveted sandwich as well prepared as what has been provided by our host.”

“That is fair,” G’raha responded before carefully reaching up to thumb away the lingering crumb on the Duke’s cheek, “And as a new friend it would be remiss of me to let you walk around with your face covered in your meal.”

Keith flushed as the other touched his cheek, emerald eyes widening as G’raha’s ruby ones looked over the stubble on his chin before flitting up to meet his gaze. His heart leaped suddenly as the other’s touch lingered, feeling trapped in an infinite moment of casual intimacy. Keith pulled away, letting out a nervous chuckle. “Thank you. That would have been rather embarrassing. Though, I do not think anyone would bother to send gossip my way when my sister seems to have the attention of the ton.”

G’raha lowered his hand, looking rather unsure what to do with himself in the wake of the moment, looking at the ground before returning to Keith after he finished his thought. “You? Are you not the Duke of The Fringes? I’d dare say you should find yourself at the mercy of more ambitious mamas than I?”

“Well, I do not have one of my own to prevent me from avoiding their intentions. I’m not here for me anyway. I want my sister to find her happiness. Hopefully with someone as kind as you,” Keith said before giving a small bow as he backed away. “I beg your pardon, but I should see that she’s not left unescorted for too long, lest I get a bad reputation as a careless big brother.”

G’raha frowned as the man retreated, “I would be the first to tell them otherwise.”

Dear Gentle Reader,

Far be it from me to question the wisdom of our Queen, but it seems her Diamond just does not seem to be able to outshine Miss Lupis. Lord Gryphon’s frequent visits to the Lupis Estate seems to have everyone waiting with bated breath for the inevitable engagement announcement. Hopefully, with that out of the way, Miss Hext will get to sparkle for the Queen the rest of the season.

Yours truly,

Lady Matoya

“Have we truly no inkling as to the identity of this vile woman,” Queen Thalia huffed, flopping back into her dress upon a lounge. “She paints me as some sort of tethering gossipmonger. I know a Diamond when I see one. We must find Miss Hext her suitor! Y'zel, coffee biscuit!”

Y'zel sighed then brought over a tray of cookies for his Queen before offering one to Y'shtola as she quietly sipped her tea.

“What harm does a small societal paper pose to you? Let Lady Matoya have her audience,” Y'shtola responded.

“She poses no harm, but to question the Crown so unabashedly…Well, it weakens us in the eyes of the people. Our good King’s peaceful disposition has long made the Crown seem docile. We must show strength in our ability to direct the flow of society. To appear that we have control in all facets of life so that everyone has no reason to not feel secure in the ton and elsewhere in the Kingdom.”

“Ah yes, the Garleans tremble in fear of your astute choice of debutant. I for one will sleep better knowing we're safe once Miss Hext has been wedded and in her marriage bed,” Y'shtola hummed.

Thalia narrowed her eyes at her friend then sat up. “There are rumors that you are Lady Matoya, you know. Your tongue is certainly as sharp.”

“Me? I don't know when I'd find the time,” Y'shtola responded dismissively. “And then to risk your ire? I would miss the delicious tea so graciously brewed for us by my cousin.”

“Thank you, Miss,” Y'zel said with a little bow.

Thalia shifted in her seat then pulled out the papers to reread Lady Matoya’s words. “Well let us hope she is right about Miss Lupis in hopes that she is out of our view as fast as she came into it. Her father was a dissenter. Perhaps it is she that is writing against me to gain favour with the ton and you make me look foolish. I shall consider calling upon Lady Griffin before her ball. I can offer my assistance and if an engagement comes from it then it will be by my generosity and not her foresight.”

Y'shtola pursed her lips and stared at the Queen silently as the woman flipped through the papers again. “Tell me, have you noticed that Lord Griffin often hurries to Duke Summer’s side after every dance?”

“If one wishes to propose, I believe one would want to court favor with whoever holds his paramore’s dowry. That is nothing strange.”

“Really? Then I shall forget it then.”

Y'zel tilted his head as his cousin seemed to stare upward at the ceiling as the Queen forced the subject elsewhere. He could not help but think the Queen had missed a well placed trap.

Dear Gentle Reader,

This very well might not even be news, as Lady Gryphon’s annual Hyacinth Ball played host to what seemed like the entire ton. Even I could not keep up with all the faces and exchanges that occurred through the evening. Regardless, nothing could of happened that was more interesting than Miss Fordola’s near total humiliation on the dance floor. Once again Ser Arenvald Lentinis proved that even with it injured, he has more spine than any man in the ton save for our good King. Lord Gryphon might very well have lost his chance with our Citrine.

Yours truly,

Lady Matoya

G'raha smiled as he held Fordola close and spun about the dance floor as hyacinth petals fluttered down about them. It was picturesque, he thought. A brilliant show of beauty and grace and in the background the Duke’s smiling face as he watched.

“This is all a bit much, isn't it? Your mama cornered me early on requesting I make myself ready at the tenth bell as she appears to have hurt her ankle and would appreciate it if I would dance with you in her place at the climax of the night.”

“Is that so,” G’raha said, a slight blush across his cheek. “I am sorry for that. If you’d like, I will go speak to her,” he offered, looking up at the clock as it inched a quarter before the bell.

“If you don’t want to dance with me-”

“That is not it at all! You just seemed to find all of this inundating,” G’raha assured her before stepping back with a bow as their song came to an end.

“I do; however, it will please my brother and I’m sure it’ll pacify your mother. If I have to be made a spectacle of, I’d at least like to do it with someone who I can tolerate,” Fordola huffed.

“Ah, well. I will consider that a high compliment then. If you’ll excuse me. I have something I’d like to discuss with the Duke.”

“Go on then,” Fordola sighed dismissively before checking her dance card to see which suitor would scoop her up next.

G’raha bowed again then removed himself from the floor, finding Keith waiting nearby. He smiled up at the other, feeling the familiar rush of his heartbeat as he drew closer. While he found Fordola to be a delightful change from the usual debutants flung at him by his mother, there was a guilty pang within him that noticed he had begun to approach her so that he might chance upon her brother. “Good evening, your Grace.”

“Not that again,” Keith laughed. “Keith, please for the love of The Twelve.”

“I wouldn’t dare do so without you announcing it. I do not want to run the risk of looking like I’m trying to be too informal with my betters,” G’raha said, grinning wide as he made his friend recoil.

“Betters? Are any of them here? Has the King deigned to join us,” Keith balked, playing along as he scanned the crowd.

“You flatter me too much, sir.”

“Throwing names at the kettle are we then?”

The two laughed, Keith soon clasping his hand onto G’raha’s shoulder a moment as he swayed. G’raha perked up, looking at Keith worried as he clutched his throat a bit. “Is something wrong?”

“My throat burns. Too many spirits I think. I should find a place to sit down,” Keith said before letting out a light cough.

“Come, my study is just down the hall,” G’raha said, taking Keith’s hand in his. As they made their way through to the inner parts of the mansion, G’raha stopped briefly to grab a flute of water before tucking into his study with Keith and sitting him down on the couch.

Keith smiled, taking the water then gratefully downing it as his friend took a seat beside him. “Thank you,” he said, clearing his throat a bit before looking about at the room, finding every wall to be littered with books.

“My father’s collection. I think I’ve read through every single one of them at least twice now. Even the dryer ones,” G’raha said, noting Keith’s wandering gaze.

“Really? That’s rather impressive. I can’t imagine what your library must be like then,” Keith marveled.

“Library?”

“Yeah? Where all the books in the house go?”

“This would be it. You have a library,” G’raha asked, eyes widening.

Keith nodded then leaned back on the couch. “Yeah. I thought all great houses did. We have one and then there’s a smaller one at the main house near Rhalgar’s Reach.”

“Oh. Oh, I would love to see it,” G’raha said, before shaking his head. “No, such collections of books are not of the norm for even the nicest of estates. Most are confined to a study like this. From what I remember of your father, his expansive library was open to the public. When I was a boy my father brought me to visit. I spent hours there poring over pages. It seems your adoptive father inherited the collection.”

“Perhaps. Wait, if you visited, where was I?” Keith asked.

G'raha sat back, shocked at the realization. “You know, I am unsure. I have a vague memory of your eldest brother there but I cannot recall meeting you. I-” G'raha stopped himself, ears sinking as he caught Keith's expression soften. “Apologies. This must be a difficult subject for you.”

“Huh? No. Go on. So few people speak of my family. What do you remember of Sammy,” Keith encouraged, taking G’raha’s hand in his own.

“Oh…,” G'raha said before looking down at where their hands met. “Um, well. As I said, it is vague. He was fascinated with the law. Said he wanted to be a lawyer. I don't remember where you were though.”

“Well, I wasn't one for books,” Keith chuckled, far lighter than normal. “I was probably out being led around on whatever adventure Fordola was on about. Sammy was definitely the smart one though…That brought me a lot of trouble. He could convince me of anything. That day…he told me that sharks could jump onto ships and eat a whole crew and I believed him. I'm kinda gullible…He saved me though, doing that. I wonder if he thought of that when the ship was lost…that he saved me.”

G'raha grunted as Keith squeezed his hand, the other’s face tense as he ground his teeth. Tears were in the corner of his eyes, and before G'raha knew it he was leaning in to brush them away with his free hand. Keith sniffled lightly, looking at him quietly before widening his eyes as G'raha closed in to kiss him.

The Duke remained still, not sure what to make of the other pawing at him. He'd never been kissed, not intimately at least. Still, he was caught in the moment, and somehow he figured to properly part his lips and invite G’raha to continue. On instinct he gripped the back of his head, holding him close as his loins stirred and he started to feel a strange tightness in his trousers. His stomach twisted, unsure whether it was his nerves or excitement, unable to tell the difference being ignorant to the realm of love making.

Still, he did not stop G’raha, finding the other purring softly into his mouth as he expertly worked open the front of his suit. Laid out on his couch, he found himself doing the same, mimicking the movements of the other’s tongue before sitting up and lowering the other onto his back. With a pant, he parted from the kiss, looking into G’raha’s nervous ruby gaze before trailing down to his neck then leaning in to give it a small nip, then a kiss, earning moans from the other under him.

Above them, a clock started to chime for the hour, serenading them as their hips met. G’raha seemed to shudder with delight as their trapped bulges found one another. As the clock reached its tenth bell, G’raha’s ear perked. Squirming, he pushed Keith away then started to pant. “The music has stopped. The dance! Your sister…I’ve abandoned your sister.”

Keith bolted to his feet, stepping back from G’raha as he stood to fix his mussed up suit before starting for the door. He turned, looking to Keith nervously who seemed to be avoiding his gaze with his hand over his mouth, cheeks stained red with embarrassment. “I am sorry,” G’raha whispered before hurrying out back into the hall.

As he returned to the ballroom, the music had started back up. G’raha peaked over the crowd then pushed his way to the front, finding Ser Lentenis wheeling around in a circle with Fordola on his lap, moving in time with the music. Stopping, he let her stand then held her hand as she moved around him. In the distance, he saw his mother wringing out her glove in her hand staring daggers at him from across the way.

“Oh buddy, you’re so lucky,” a chipper voice said from beside him.

Turning, G’raha found Lord U’rahn t Drake watching the Ser Lentenis expertly wheel Fordola about for the party before others started to join in. G’raha swallowed hard. “Yes, it seems good Arenvald came to the rescue while I was engaged elsewhere.”

“A true herrro that one,” U’rahn agreed. “Though I do not think he’ll be able to save you from your mama.”

G’raha chuckled nervously, turning to look over his shoulder as Keith wandered back into the crowd, unable to meet his gaze. His heart sank.

Dear Gentle Reader,

I bring joyous news. It seems the coveted Lord G’raha t Gryphon has formally announced his engagement to the favorite of the season, Miss Fordola Lupis. It is good, for Miss Lupis’s reputation, that Lord Gryphon had been seen so frequently engaged with Duke Summers lest the state they were found in at the time of the proposal might have sparked illicit rumors that might have ruined the poor girl’s reputation. Do not let yourself be taken in by gossip, I can attest that whatever rumor you might hear, that all parties were innocent.

Yours in excitement,

Lady Matoya

“Are you really content to sit upon the shore,” G’raha asked, adjusting Keith’s parasol so as the other sat down on his blanket, Newton crawling up into his lap soon after with a happy bark.

“He’s still scared of open water. You would have a better chance at setting a fire under the waves than getting him on the boat let alone the docks,” Fordola said, tossing Keith a paper-wrapped sandwich from their picnic basket before pulling on G’raha’s arm toward the dock, not noticing the sausage link that she’d absently left out to dangle.

“Yeah…I’m going to be fine here,” Keith said, opening the sandwich lightly, not meeting G’raha’s gaze, as he’d avoided doing ever since the Hyacinth Ball.

“Ah, Miss Lupis. Why don’t you put our lunch on the sailboat and I will be right behind you,” G’raha requested, freeing his arm.

Fordola frowned then turned. “Whatever. Just hurry up. I’m starving. And mind the planks. They’re old,” she said before making her way off the beach and toward the docks.

Once she was out of ear shot, G’raha returned his attention to Keith, squatting down as Newton suddenly started to squirm about in his arms. “Keith…will you never look me in the eye again?”

“I don’t know what you mean. I’ve looked you in the eyes plenty. You shouldn’t keep my sister waiting,” Keith said while trying to keep Newton still. “C’mon boy, chill out.”

“You have not. Not since we…since I assaulted you…”

“What? You did nothing of the sort,” Keith said, nearly losing his grip on his dog as he looked up in shock.

“I did! I forced myself on you and nearly humiliated your sister by acting out,” G’raha protested. “I could not control my feelings at the moment. I did not think about all the lines I was crossing. I just wanted to have you and you have me.”

“Did you not think I wanted the same? I gave just as much as you took; but, you are to be my sister’s happiness and nothing comes before that for me. If she wishes to keep accepting your courting, I cannot stop her,” Keith said before shaking his head and patting the struggling Newton. “She is my only family left.”

G’raha balled his fists. He wanted to tell Keith the real reason for his courting Miss Lupis, but even with the other admitting consent he could not bring himself to disappoint him by admitting his true inclinations for her brother. Men dueled for less. “Then I hope she accepts someone that will not give you cause for worry, so that way you might find your own happiness,” G’raha managed to get out, ears and tail falling limp.

Keith didn’t answer, but seemed to gaze down at his boots before feeling Newton slip from his arms and race down the beach toward the docks. “Newton! Hells! Newton!” he cried out, shifting onto his feet to give chase with G’raha.

“Slow down! Newton!” G’raha called after, hurrying with Keith to the dock.

Newton barked happily as he continued to give chase, rushing by folks until hitting the dock and chasing down Fordola and the stray sausage sticking out from her basket, only to fall through a gap in the planks. G’raha hurried to look over to find the dog paddling happily in the gentle waves below and barking. He turned, looking back at Keith who was on his knees at where the docks met the sand holding himself. Before he could go to say everything was okay, the wood under him gave and he fell, hitting his head against the opposite plank. As he hit the water, everything went dark.

When he stirred again, he felt a pair of soft lips on his own and little licks on his cheeks. Sitting up, he coughed up seawater then rubbed his eyes, finding his jacket missing and his white shirt stuck to him with seawater. Beside him on the dock, a very wet Newton sat then wagged up at him while Fordola panted on his opposite side, soaked in her dressing gown. “You idiot. I warned you,” she scolded.

“Yes,” he said, flushing at the state of her undress.

Looking to the beach, he saw Keith where he’d last seen him. Beyond people were starting to take notice, U’rahn t Drake and Ser Arenvald being among the crowd as the latter wheeled down to Keith with the former riding on the back of his chair. With Fordola’s help, they returned to shore, finding the Duke almost in tears as he shook.

“We’re fine brother, we’re fine,” Fordola said softly, lowering to her knees to hug her brother.

“Rahn, go fetch Miss Lupis’s gown. This attention will not be good,” Arenvald said, his friend giving a nod and hurrying down the docks to collect Fordola’s discarded things. “Is everything alright? I fear the sand will stall me, but my lungs are hearty enough to call for help, though a delay might be wise. Should a crowd come upon Miss Lupis undressed as she is…”

“I was saving his life,” Fordola snapped. “They can mind their own business. My dignity or virtue or whatever those gossips care about does not outweigh the life of another. My brother is the one that needs care. He’s in shock. His family was lost to the sea, y’know,” she said, arm around Keith.

G’raha shook his head then looked out as people started to gather close. “It will be your life forfeit. Your brother wants nothing more than to see you settled in a life that will keep you happy. If anyone spied us on the docks and got the wrong idea your place in society will be compromised by jealous tongue wagging and the schemes of those who wish to see you fall out. That Lady Matoya painted a rather large target upon your back. You will become untouchable,” he started before getting onto his knee, looking Keith in the eye as he picked up his hand. “Keith…I mean your Grace. Please allow me to propose to your sister…and Fordola, please do me the honor of accepting. We might not be a love match but we are good company and I can ensure you a life that you might do as you please.”

Keith gave a little nod, petting Newton as the wet dog crawled up into his lap. His family restored, he took in a deep breath then looked up at everyone. “Yes, that…that seems for the best,” he said as Fordola helped him to his feet in time for U’rahn to return with her basket and dress for her to put back on.

“I could do worse,” Fordola said in the mess of fabric before popping her head out from the top. “Fine. I accept.”

G’raha’s heart raced as he gave a nod before Arenvald turned in his chair to look back at the crowd. “Clear a path! Lord Drake and his fiance have suffered a small accident on the docks and the Duke is in a fit of shock! Get back!” he ordered, letting U’rahn help him back up the hill to part people out of the way so that the trio and Newton could advance forward behind them.

Dear Gentle Reader,

It warms my heart to see how year after year the ton doesn't cease to give us a surprise. Gentle reader, it is true what they say: True love is not selfish. It always trusts, always hopes, and always endures.

Yours in love,

Lady Matoya

G’raha swallowed as he stood at the front of the church, the priest impatiently drumming his fingers upon the Enchiridion as he waited. His brothers stood behind him, occasionally reaching out to pat his back while his mother sat teary eyed up front with his sisters. Across the aisle a few people from town sat, Lord Drake and Ser Letinis up front giving him a thumbs up of encouragement. On the bride’s side, Newton sat in a little peach bow tie, wagging his little stub of a tail.

Soon the music started and through the doors Duke Summers in his cream suit and Miss Lupis in her peach dress laced with little purple flowers started their procession forward together. Arriving at the altar, Keith kissed his sister’s forehead then led her up to G’raha before taking his place to stand behind her with Newton.

“Well then, if we are finally ready to begin,” the priest said before clearing his throat to start the ceremony.

G’raha smiled, not really paying attention as the man spoke, looking at Fordola as she stared neutrally back before letting his gaze slip up toward Keith’s. Eyes locked, he inhaled nervously unable to push back the pang of loss in his heart, noting a similar expression on Keith’s face: An unspoken melancholy of a future together, but at the same time apart. G’raha’s attention returning to Fordola, he found her tracing where his attention had gone. “Oh, swive me,” she breathed out, getting a startled gasp from the audience.

“I beg your pardon Miss! This is a holy place,” the priest cut in.

“By the Twelve, you’re both such idiots,” Fordola huffed, ignoring the priest before turning to her brother. “You’re both in love aren’t you?”

The crowd murmured as G’raha was taken aback, stumbling back into one of his brothers only to be pushed forward as Keith shook his head. “F-Fordola. Please. Don’t-” the Duke protested before finding his sister putting her flowers in G’raha’s hands then pushing her brother forward.

“I am not about to sit here and be sold off and spend my days being a third wheel in my own marriage. I had my suspicions, but your Lord here cannot get through our wedding ceremony without giving you a longing stare. For once, do something for yourself and not worry about me. I can take care of myself.”

Keith gulped, looking at G’raha with the flowers then to the increasingly annoyed priest staring daggers between them. Without realizing it, he found himself reaching down to take G’raha’s in his, looking at it then up to his nervous face.

“Did we get ourselves sorted out,” the priest asked.

“I…I think so,” Keith breathed out before turning to his sister, “But- What about you?”

Fordola rolled her eyes then turned and pointed into the front row. “You. You want to spend the rest of our days getting to know one another?”

“Me,” U’rahn asked, pointing to himself as he stood up eagerly.

“No.”

“Oh,” U’rahn sounded before lowering his ears and taking a seat as he looked to Arenvald as he wheeled forward.

“Truly,” he asked, brows raised high.

“Aside from my brother’s love here you’re the only one that has been tolerable and I find you pleasing to the eyes and enjoy your humor. You could have worse offers,” Fordola huffed, cheeks turning red as she looked away.

“I accept then,” Arenvald said, wheeling forward, taking Fordola by the hand to guide her into his lap.

“Can you multitask,” Fordola asked, looking up at the priest.

“...When there is a very large, generous donation from Duke Summers on the horizon, I suppose,” the priest answered unamused, raising his brow toward Keith.

“O-Of course,” Keith breathed out before looking at G'raha and grinning.

“Very well then. Unless there’s someone else wanting to interrupt and make this day any stranger…” the priest trailed before returning to the ceremony.

Once it finished, the hall filled with music once more leaving Keith to lean in and kiss G’raha then take his hand to escort him away with Newton following behind. “Well, this was…unexpected…are dowries exchanged here? We might have to look into that. Ah, no matter. We’re starting a life together. What do we even do now?”

G’raha balked as they paused just outside the church, “Have you not given marriage any thought?”

Keith shook his head. “I wanted to get Fordola settled but beyond that I had no plans for myself. Once she was happy, I was going to continue the work my birth parents started. Y’know, charities and all that. Hey! There’s an idea, we can open up the library again and you can run it!”

“Yes, charities will be a good use of our time…and I would love to see those books…though I suppose, I will be living among them. We have so much to figure out,” G’raha breathed out.

“We do. But we can figure it out together,” Keith said before leaning down to kiss his new husband before leading him off to their happily ever after.

Inside, Fordola wrapped her arm around Arenvald and let him start wheeling after her brothers. They paused briefly as Arenvald caught U’rahn crying in the front row. “You okay,” he asked, putting a hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“Yeah. It was just all so beautiful,” U’rahn said before wiping at his face and beaming up at the happy couple. “That was trrrue love!”

Dear Gentle Reader,

The Summers-Lupis Library has finally been opened to the public, promising a wealth of knowledge to a town for their perusing. While we all had a shock of seeing the Duke take up Lord Gryphon as his betrothed, it seems their union is destined to be a happy one. Even the King and Queen are said to have come to the opening of their estate to the public to congratulate them on their marriage and give their marked approval of the library.

Many have been chomping at the bit as to what will be made of the Dukedom’s line. While the happy couple has declared they will soon be looking into adopting after their newlywed phase, Duke Summers has requested to pass the title to his sister’s first eligible heir, returning the title to the family who had graciously taken him in. Speaking of Mrs. Linitus, an heir, is rumored to be on the way!

With the season coming to a close, I wish you all safe travels back to your estates and look forward to reuniting with you next summer.

Yours truly,

Lady Matoya

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