#you’ll find that louies are not what we’ve been made out to be

[faithinlouisfuture]

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[blouisparadise]

Upon request, today we have a rec list of bottom Louis fics that have fun OT4 or OT5 moments! If you enjoy our rec lists, please be sure to like and reblog this post to help spread the word. Please also be sure to show these amazing fics love. Happy reading!

1) You Are My Familiar | Explicit | 27088 words

Louis loses his dog, and Harry takes in a stray. A whole year passes before they realize that it’s the same dog, and that kind of complicates things.

2) Drain To The Stars | Explicit | 28002 words

Louis lived a very quiet life at his inherited book shop in Notting Hill, until Oscar-winner Harry Styles walked through the door.

3) Brooklyn Saw Me | Explicit | 28537 words

In the cold and unforgiving city of New York, Louis doesn't have a home and Harry wants to give him one. But as their heartstrings become increasingly intertwined, and the snow continues to fall, home is getting harder and harder to find.

4) Cupid's Chokehold | Explicit | 35326 words

Louis is a Cupid who tries to match up Niall and Harry. It doesn't work out as planned.

5) Eyes Off You | Mature | 39396 words

A Charlie’s angels inspired fic where Louis is the brains, Harry is the charm, Liam is the muscle, and Niall drives the getaway car - and Zayn is there, too. sometimes.

6) Another Hazy May | Mature | 41042 words

Louis is a terrible poet and Harry lives in the now and they have six weeks to fall in love but, really, it only takes six seconds. Bookshop meets military meets summer romance AU ft. Marlboros, the Backstreet Boys, and underrated literary devices.

7) The Fairy Ring | Explicit | 46170 words

A medieval fantasy AU in which Harry is a prince in disguise and Louis is the king of the faeries.

8) Stole My Heart | Mature | 51344 words

Louis doesn't want much. A warm bed, and people who care about him.

Harry has everything he needs, despite his mother insisting he needs a mate. Money, status, and any omega he wants, why lock his heart down.

Until Louis comes along, and steals it.

9) Made For Lovin' You | Explicit | 52635 words

The one where a quick, horny decision ruins Louis’ summer plans, but may also lead to unexpected discoveries. Featuring the road trip of dreams, misunderstandings, and a bit of fate.

10) Apples Always Fall (As I Do For You) | Mature | 54609 words

Louis is staying at his Aunt's farm in a small town in Minnesota for four months. To deal with the boredom that sets in a week into his stay, he starts working at the local apple orchard, owned by twenty six year old Harry Styles.

Louis quickly finds himself falling in love with the orchard, and he finds a family in Harry's friends Niall, Liam, and Zayn.

He also starts to fall in love with Harry.

Falling in love with him turns out to be the easy part.

11) We've Got The World in Our Hands | Explicit | 54964 words

A mutants/superpowers AU. Louis and his friends attend the Cowell Institute for General Education and Mutant Training in London; when Louis meets Harry, the newest student at the Cowell Institute, he immediately recruits Harry to help play matchmaker for his friend Zayn. Harry and Louis are so caught up in meddling in Zayn's love life, though, that they don't notice that their own friendship is progressing into something more. Meanwhile, an ominous threat up north grows slowly until suddenly, no mutant - or human - is safe.

12) But We Have Promises To Keep | Mature | 62608 words

Note: This fic is the fourth fic in a series. The other fics do not have smut.

Maybe, Louis thought, from the beginning to the end, he had always known exactly what he wanted. He had always heard it, a quiet song in his head never giving up, because it had never been a thing apart from who he was. Someone who wouldn’t stop. Someone who could walk out into the dark, seeing nothing, having little, and still looking.

The undeniable, terrifying, gorgeous truth was always going to be this: that he had a heart, and that that heart wanted to live.

13) We'll Cast Some Light (You'll Be Alright) | Not Rated | 74409 words

There’s a standard procedure for this. Scan, track, kill. But with a solar eclipse and a Greater Demon with unfinished business looming, the path to keeping England safe from harm becomes complicated and shadowed by mystery and secrets. For Harry and his team, times have never been harder, especially when a few old friends turned foes show up. Harry is left with just over forty days to overcome the hurdle of tension between them and reconcile their past, and figure out just what Louis is hiding from him before it’s too late.

14) Waiting On You | Explicit | 76584 words

“Vampires,” Louis says with disgust, glaring over at the vampire who is noisily slurping from the woman’s neck nearby.

Zayn gives the neat fang marks on Louis’ neck a meaningful look.

“Can’t live with them, can’t live without them,” Louis finishes, ignoring Zayn when he rolls his eyes.

Louis takes a long sip of his milkshake, presses his fingers against the marks on his neck, and definitely doesn’t think about the vampire who left them there.

15) Pinkies Never Lie | Explicit | 83615 words

AU in which Louis hates his job and loves Harry, Harry just wants a distraction, everyone else wants them to get their shit together, and Louis learns the hard way that new beginnings are only possible when something ends.

16) Where You Lay | Explicit | 86038 words

When Louis's upcoming heat threatens his success at his new dream job, he asks the best (and only) person he can think of to help him through it: his best mates' best mate, Harry Styles.  Harry reluctantly accepts, and together the two navigate a strange friends with benefits relationship that quickly turns complicated.

17) Swim In The Smoke | Explicit | 101778 words

“What about this, Captain?” Liam asks, nudging the boy kneeling between their feet with the toe of his boot. The boy hisses and swipes at him, slurring out something unintelligible around the makeshift gag Niall had to stuff in his mouth. He misses by a mile and tries again, just as ineffectively.

Harry looks down at him, at the way the sun streams over his face and shoulders, at the way the gag stretches his mouth, lips pink and chapped. He’s lithe and pretty, smudged all over with dirt. They had found him tied up below deck, mostly unconscious, next to a barrel full of gold. He’s clearly a prisoner, but there’s something familiar about him, something that niggles at Harry’s brain. Something he can’t quite put his finger on.

“Put him in my cabin,” Harry decides, turning back to deal with the rest of the loot. The boys screams out jumbled curse words at Harry’s back, muffled by the gag, and Harry can’t understand any of it.

18) Saving Symphony Hall | Explicit | 124766 words

Note: This fic is a sequel to this fic. It is locked and can only be read by AO3 users.

“I think I have an idea,” Louis said. Slowly, and reluctantly, but with a growing sense of the inevitable. “God damnit, I think I have a really good idea.”

“Oh christ, that's the problem-solving face,” Babs said. “Last time we saw that face, he sold a company.”

“Wait, what?” Zayn asked.

“Right place, right time,” Louis said. “Also, fuck my life,”

“What?” Zayn repeated. Niall patted his hand.

“I usually just roll with whatever Louis is about to do,” he said. “It’s better for us all.”

“That’s the attitude,” said Louis, “I’ll tell you tomorrow. Tonight, I need to do some research. Zayn, give me your number. I’m gonna save our symphony.”

19) Collision | Not Rated | 226294 words

Mythology/Fairytale!AU in which Louis is a dainty fairy with a temper who wants to be intimidating and Harry hurts people. Naturally, they hate each other.

(Featuring Liam, the big and not-so-bad wolf who’s got a thing for humans, Zayn, a human with supernaturally good looks, and Niall, the cupid who just wants his job to be easier.)

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.

[dailybeastarsthings]

Chapter 50 – All Is Fair In War And Love

‘Good thing that train masked the sound of our footsteps’ Legoshi huffed after finally finding a place where they could rest together with Louis.

‘I’m so sorry for being late, Legoshi. What are you going to do now?’ Louis asked in worry.

‘It’s okay, Louis… Thank you for coming to see me’ Legoshi replied with the most calming and gentle smile on his face. ‘I can’t help but smile… I’ll definitely never have a New Year’s Eve like this again… Now, all that’s left for me is to finish the job.’

‘Are you crazy? You think you can just “finish the job” when you can’t even stand up on your own wo feet!?’ Louis reprimanded Legoshi.

‘I need to go back to Riz… Could you give me a hand?’

‘You’re all battered up’ Louis said in worry as he shook his head. He couldn’t bear to see Legoshi like that. ‘I can see a huge bite mark on your torso. It’s bleeding, too.’

‘Well, yeah, I’m pretty sure Riz tried to kill me. You see, it’s not about winning or losing anymore…’ Legoshi sighed. ‘We’re just pitting our ways of carnivore lives against each other… I gotta see this through. I’ve gotta utilize my strength…’ Legoshi said, as he was standing up, trembling from exhaustion and pain.

‘You still remember that?’ Louis asked while he tried to swallow his emotions.

‘I actually remember all that we’ve been through this year…’ Legoshi replied. ‘Your speech about co-existence, our fight and even how I had to stood guard while you were rehearsing with Zoe. Thank you, Louis.’

‘For what?’ Louis raised his head to meet Legoshi’s eyes.

‘You were always there to keep me from becoming a monster…’ The words reminded Louis of his late righthand man.

‘Don’t break down… Keep your act together!’ Louis thought.

‘And you’re going to prove that by getting killed!? What the hell?’ Louis said. ‘Such instinctual savagery is beyond me. “Pitting our ways of carnivore lives against each other”, huh? Nonsense. You carnivores have great strength but abysmal self-worth. If you want to die so badly, then go ahead. Just leave me, the weakling, out of it completely.’

‘That’s it. Hide your true feelings, harden your heart’ Louis thought as a teardrop rolled down his face. ‘I feel hot… Why does my body feel hot…?’

‘Just go…’ Louis said as his voice cracked. The first teardrop was soon followed by many more. ‘What is this?’ Louis asked seemingly unknowingly as he wiped his eyes with his hands to act as if nothing happened. ‘Rain? That’s unexpected’ he continued, but it was all in vain. The teardrops came back in greater amounts. ‘I don’t understand. It just keeps coming back… It’s lukewarm and sickening…’

Legoshi stood there nervously, unable to decide whether he should comfort Louis or not. It made him ache to see his love in a state like that. He sat back on the bridge’s platform.

‘I can stay here a bit longer if you’d like’ he offered. Louis collapsed on the concrete and cried like a child, tears running down his face. Legoshi reached out and hugged him tight to comfort him. As Louis tried to calm down, he remembered how he had never been allowed to cry – first because of the environment he grew up in as livestock, then at his father, who had adopted and raised him to be strong. He thought about all the sins he committed to survive and how he drove Ibuki to his death when he finally decided to step back into the light. All this made him cry even more. Eighteen years of suppressed emotions, anger, fear, hatred and sorrow all poured down his face.

‘You’re strong, Legoshi’ he said when he calmed down a little. ‘Go and settle things with Riz. I don’t have the right to stop you.’

‘I’m sorry’ Legoshi apologized.

‘Don’t be… But you’ll probably die if you try to fight him while you’re barely able to stand…’ Louis replied.

‘I can’t afford to lose my love, too…’ he thought. ‘The fawn inside me is still screaming in his cage, trying to break free… I’ll break you out now, I promise.’

‘I’ll give you the strength that you need… Eat my foot, Legoshi!’ Louis said as he took his shoe off.

‘What!?’ Legoshi asked in terror. He didn’t understand what all of that was about or what had gotten into Louis.

‘Eat my right foot! Now!’

‘But I trained so hard so I could get strong without eating meat!’

‘Don’t be ridiculous. You’ve reached the limits of your strength and you know it! No more pretentions!’ Louis yelled. ‘You want me to make you drool? Fine’ Louis said has he rolled up his pants on his right foot.

‘But why do you want me to do this?’

‘Because I don’t want to see you die! Because I love you!’ Louis yelled, quickly covering his mouth with his hands. He couldn’t believe that he confessed his feelings towards Legoshi in a heartbeat in such circumstances. Legoshi’s eyes shot wide open, his heart skipped a beat before it started to flutter. He couldn’t believe his ears.

‘You love me?’ he asked in disbelief. Louis blushed in embarrassment, looking aside.

‘I’m sorry, I don’t know what got into me…’ Louis replied.

‘It’s okay, Louis. There’s actually something that I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while now… It’s just been a bit difficult with our lives getting so crazy so quickly… But…’ Legoshi swallowed his nervousness. ‘I love you, too.’

Louis’ head shot right up at Legoshi. Did he seriously tell him that? What if it was only his imagination?

‘You do?’ he asked, his heart melted. Legoshi nodded in silence, his cheeks burning red. ‘Then eat my foot. I don’t want to lose you.’

‘But I don’t want to hurt you!’

‘How about we don’t start this awkward romance with an argument?’ Louis smiled. ‘Now then… eat my foot.’

Legoshi nervously reached for Louis’ limb. His hands were shaking violently. However, a sense of curiosity and excitement mixed with his fear. Throughout his life, he thought his ideals to be unwavering. He had always looked at eating meat as a taboo. Yet, as he reached for his love’s foot, it all felt like some sort of ritual, enough to reawaken his fangs, which he suppressed during his training. As he grabbed Louis by his ankle, he noticed a digit burned on his sole.

‘What’s that number?’ he asked.

‘It’s my curse’ Louis replied. ‘I want you to break it.’

Legoshi rose above Louis as he lifted his foot off the ground, grabbing it with one of his hands.

‘I thought I had completely separated myself from the notion of eating meat and finally reached the end of the road of becoming a harmless wolf…’ he thought. ‘What he said was crueler than telling me that I was going to get killed. You’re terrible, Louis… You’re shaking so much and yet you’ve gone out of your way to show me your weak side and that you care about me… If I don’t accept this side of yours, then who will?’

‘I don’t have time to overthink this…’ Legoshi said. Louis looked at him in surprise. ‘I’m not going to eat your foot because you told me to. That’s just an excuse. I don’t want to eat your foot. I will never justify eating meat… I will eat your foot because I’m starving for it. You’ll allow it, won’t you?’

‘So, you won’t let this be my noble sacrifice, huh?’ Louis chuckled. ‘Fine then… if that’s what it takes you to satisfy you…’

‘I swear I won’t let this be in vain’ Legoshi said as he bared his fangs. Louis gulped, unsure of what would happen next. Still, he trusted Legoshi enough for him not to lose control over his instincts.

Legoshi opened his mouth wide open and with a terrifying growl, lashed out at Louis’ foot. He sank his fangs sideways directly under his knee. It only took him two bites to get through the fragile limb. Louis started panting in pain, not allowing himself to scream. He wanted to help Legoshi, not make him feel sorry for him. As the feeling of herbivore meat reached his brain, Legoshi lost almost all control over his instincts. He greedily ate the meat he was offered, almost swallowing it whole. Louis looked at him in terror, yet in satisfaction, knowing he could finally bend Legoshi’s beliefs slightly.

After the ceremonious eating was over, Legoshi ran to Louis. Still bloodlust in his eyes, Louis got startled and shook in fear preparing himself for a possibly more serious continuation of the “meal”, however, to his surprise, Legoshi grabbed him by his now severed leg and wrapped it up with his hoodie and shirt to prevent major blood loss. He then carried Louis down near the place where he was fighting Riz and sat him down next to a tree to hide him.

Legoshi walked over to Riz to finish the fight.

‘I’m happy you’re back’ Riz said when he heard footsteps. ‘I figure I gave you plenty of time to talk to Louis. It’s already been 15 –’ his words got stuck in his throat when he saw Legoshi. With blood around his mouth, and an intimidating posture, Legoshi appeared to be twice as big and muscular then before.

‘Sorry I’m late’ he apologized. ‘Now, let’s get back to our business’ he growled aggressively. Whatever Louis’ intentions were for him to eat his foot, they seemed to have been working.

‘I have to admit, you look a lot different now… My nose isn’t working since you bent it and all, but I assume that that star actor came here to help you… You’re desperate, aren’t you? Eating your friend when he came here to help you’ Riz mocked Legoshi. ‘You, me, all the carnivores, we’re the same. We’re monsters who are easily swayed by the desire to eat meat. I’m sure Louis would agree with me…’ he said with a devilish grin on his face.

‘He’s alive’ Legoshi growled. ‘He’s here with me and inside me. And we’re not just friends.’

‘Go Legoshi!’ Louis screamed in pain from behind the tree. He wanted to see him fight and win, but he didn’t want him to lose his focus and worry about him. After all, while both of them were seriously injured, Louis just lost his leg and was losing blood rapidly, even while holding his leg up to not bleed out.

The two carnivores lashed out at each other at the same time with terrifying growls.

‘I can feel your flesh spreading throughout my body, Louis…’ Legoshi thought as he flew towards Riz. ‘It’s like some sort of forbidden magic… I’m going to use it all tonight.’

Legoshi punched Riz in the face, which sent him fly for meters.

‘You chose to become a monster, Riz when you ate Tem’ Legoshi said. ‘What do you think of him now? Or is his taste the only thing you remember about him?’ he asked judgingly.

Riz growled as a tear rolled down his face and fell to the floor.

‘I wanted him to become my best friend’ he said. ‘Even now, it’s the only thought that occupies my mind. It’s the only thing… My feelings for him are much stronger than your feelings for Louis because he never felt the same for me!’

Riz ran and grabbed Legoshi by his shoulders, then threw him against a concrete pillar again. Legoshi quickly fought his way out of Riz’s hands.

‘You can do it’ he overheard Louis. He carefully looked over and saw him gently smiling at him, his warm breath surrounding his face in the crisp air.

Riz couldn’t help but notice the connection between the wolf and the deer, making him remember his friendship with Tem, sorrow and regret flooding his mind and body.

‘The bond of a carnivore and herbivore…By eating and being eaten, they have made their bond stringer than ever. It’s what I have always wanted with Tem.’ Riz thought. ‘Did I need to match their desperation to have it for myself? Tem, you put your life in danger by spending time with me and yet, you weren’t afraid to show me your smile. If I had thanked you for being with me while you were still alive, would that have made things different?’

While Riz was zoned out, Legoshi collected his strength and punched Riz in his stomach, snapping him back to the fight. Suddenly, bells from all around the city started ringing, indicating the beginning of the New Year. Legoshi and Riz gasped in surprise, breaking their fight momentarily.

‘Hey, Riz, it’s the New Year!’ Legoshi said. ‘It might not be the best time to say it, but… Happy New Year’ he smiled.

‘I always hated his airhead tendencies…’ Louis thought as he overheard the conversation. ‘Even after eating my foot, that part of him hasn’t changed…’

‘You win, Legoshi’ Riz laughed as he sat down on the floor. ‘My heart has been broken for the past year but I finally feel like I can actually breathe now. You see, I sugarcoated my memory of Tem, and I looked at the herbivores around me like they were food so I could protect myself from getting hurt… I was wrong about everything. And I was found out by a very strange wolf. If there is one resolution I’m making for the new year, it’s that I want to get things right. You’re lucky that you have each other with Louis. You were able to establish a genuine carnivore-herbivore relationship.’

Legoshi and Riz looked at Louis, who was struggling in pain. Legoshi quickly ran over to him to help, suggesting going to the hospital as soon as possible, to which Louis replied by scolding him over his appetite and the idea of using his hoodie to close the wound. With his arm around the wolf’s shoulders, they walked over to Riz.

‘What would Louis, the red deer say in a situation like this?’ Louis thought as he looked at Riz with a piercing and judging look. ‘High-handed words? Admonishimg words? Impressionable words? I have plenty of hurtful things to say to him. He’s a damn killer who hurt not only his best friend, but someone who is dear to me! I guess anything I’d say would have an impact considering I’ve lost a foot…’

But Louis had no chance to say anything as suddenly, cops of all species and sizes flooded the place.

‘Freeze!’ one of the officers yelled. ‘Large-breed squad, get the bear first. The rest of you, put your hands in the air where I can see them!’

A rhino and a gnu quickly ran over to Riz and threw him to the ground, forcing his hands behind his back, cuffing him. A sudden urge came over Louis, seeing that it was his last chance to say something to Riz.

‘Officers, wait!’ he yelled. ‘Riz, I won’t condone what you did… but I apologize for never noticing how lonely you were. I’m a terrible upper-classman.’ Louis became sure that the carnivores he had met throughout his life would be a constant part of it. Riz looked at him with glowing eyes, a tear rolling down his face.

Riz was then stood up and escorted to a police car. A leopard raised a gun towards Legoshi and Louis.

‘Put your hands in the air! Now!’ he yelled.

That’s a tough call… My hands are occupied at the moment…’ Legoshi thought as he licked the blood off his face.

‘Stop licking your face, you’re making yourself look bad!’ Louis said to him.

‘Oh sorry’ Legoshi said as he looked over to his love. ‘Why are you putting your hand in the air?’

‘I’m doing it in your stead. I don’t know if you noticed, but if you were to let me go, I’d probably fall flat on my face.’ Louis said sarcastically.

‘Yeah, but you’re the victim so you’d just confuse the officers…’

‘I know but unless we show them that we mean no harm to each other, they will unquestionably send you to prison! And besides, you’re the victim. I basically forced you to eat my foot.’ Legoshi looked at Louis in silence.

‘I don’t mind being your assailant’ he replied, while looking Louis deep in the eye. ‘But where are my manners? Thank you for the meal, Louis. I’m glad you’re the first and last animal I ate.’

The officers looked at the pair in confusion, watching the conversation unfold. Louis, however, looked at Legoshi in awe. He knew that their relationship would always be that of a carnivore and herbivore, but he was finally able to see it as a good thing. He knew they had each other’s back and that they could always rely on the other, no matter what.

‘I’m fine with that, since we love each other’ Louis furrowed his brows. ‘Now, wipe your face and smile. You look like a damn criminal…’

‘Oh, I’m sorry’ Legoshi apologized before wiping the rest of the blood away and smiled at Louis. It was a soft, yet emotional smile, showing genuine happiness. Louis did the same.

‘His fangs are what finally broke my curse’ he thought. ‘A carnivore’s fangs are what cursed me with the pain of being a weak prey, and only by those fangs could my curse have been broken…’

Due to his blood loss, Louis suddenly became extremely pale and almost collapsed to the ground. The officers quickly ran over to him with a stretcher, lying his body onto it. While they were moving him to an already called ambulance, a wild boar stepped to Legoshi.

‘We’re going to have a long talk back at the station’ he said. ‘Don’t worry, I know there’s probably a lot more to this then what meets the eye.’

‘Yes, sir!’ Legoshi replied.

‘Legoshi, I’ll see you back at the school! I promise’ Louis yelled from the ambulance. Legoshi, however, didn’t say anything. He just smiled kindly and nodded maturely. In the events of one evening, he became an adult wolf.

[bigboxochristmas]

Yuletidings 1982: Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree

1. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - NRBQ 2. Little Saint Nick - The Beach Boys 3. Jingle Bell Rock - Bobby Helms 4. Cool Yule - Louis Armstrong 5. One Little Christmas Tree - Stevie Wonder 6. Christmas Wish - NRBQ 7. The Chipmunks - The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) 8. Run, Run Rudolph - Chuck Berry 9. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - The Jackson 5 10. Here Comes Santa Claus - Gene Autry 11. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee 12. Sleigh Ride - C3PO and R2D2 13. Santa's Space Suit - Tiny Tim 14. Santa and the Satellite - Buchanan & Goodman 15. Deck the Halls - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles 16. Winter Wonderland - Elvis Presley 17. Santa Claus is Coming to Town - Bruce Springsteen 18. Excerpts from 'The Nutcracker Suite' - Spike Jones 19. Joy to the World - Diana Ross & The Supremes 20. Nutrocker - Emerson, Lake & Palmer 21. Christmas Celebration - B.B. King 22. The Hat I Got for Chrstmas - Mel Blanc 23. Sleigh Ride - The Ronettes 24. Swingin' Them Jingle Bells - Fats Waller 25. Jolly Old St. Nicholas - NRBQ 26. The Christmas Song - Stevie Wonder. 27. Christmas Greetings 1963 (excerpts) - The Beatles 28. Happy Xmas (War is Over) - John Lennon 29. I Want a Beatle for Christmas - Becky Lee Beck 30. Frosty the Snowman - The Beach Boys 31. Santa Claus is Coming to Town - Tommy Dorsey 32. Jesus is Just All Right - The Byrds 33. Over the River - The Chipmunks 34. What Christmas Means to Me - Stevie Wonder 35. Here Comes Santa Claus - Joe Bonsall 36. Jingle Bells - NRBQ 37. Jingle Bells - The Singing Dogs

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My very first holiday music collection, assembled with a turntable and a cassette deck, both of them running through an amplifier to a second cassette deck on which the master tape was recorded.  The completed master was then transferred to the first deck and played over and over while copies were made (in real time, needless to say) on the second one.  I’m pretty sure that less than two dozen copies were made at the time.

Making these early compilations was a somewhat laborious process: after recording a track onto the master tape I would run it back to make sure I’d caught the beginning and that I hadn’t recorded over the end of the previous selection.  Then I’d fast-forward to the end, get it cued up and put the deck into record/pause mode while I played some of the next selection and checked the volume levels.  Then I would get the selection cued up: if it was on a cassette I would find the beginning and then take the tape out and manually, using a pen or fingertip, wind it back about half a turn so that when I started both decks the beginning would be recorded directly following the end of the previous track; if it was on vinyl I would slip-cue the record, manually spinning it back a full turn with the turntable in gear, then letting it go and starting the recording deck at the precise moment to catch the beginning of the track.  Sometimes this took a few tries.  And my next several compilations were all assembled this way until digital technology came along and made things easier.

I had a fairly large music collection at the time, the result of doing college radio and writing music reviews for the campus paper in previous years, not to mention working in a couple of record stores and just general accumulation over time.  But only a small percentage of these albums and tapes were holiday-themed, of course, so my options were limited, even after borrowing a few records and tapes from the local library.  So a lot of this first collection consists of tracks we’ve all heard a million times: “Little Saint Nick”, “Jingle Bell Rock”, “The Chipmunk Song”, etc., and as you’ll notice I leaned pretty heavily on the Motown Christmas anthology.  

However, there are also quite a few tracks which aren’t as well known.  First and foremost, there’s NRBQ.  These guys have been among my favorite bands since I first heard them in 1973, and they show up on a lot of my compilations.  I consider their “Christmas Wish” to be one of the best contemporary holiday songs ever recorded, and their completely improvised deconstruction of “Jingle Bells” is not to be missed.  Other highlights include: Fats Waller’s wonderfully goofy “Swingin’ Them Jingle Bells”; a then-rare live recording of the Byrds performing “Jesus is Just All Right”; the extremely peculiar “Santa’s Space Suit” by Tiny Tim (paired with a track from The Star Wars Christmas Album); a nice zydeco take on “Here Comes Santa Claus” by Joe Bonsall; a 1930’s swing arrangement of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” by Tommy Dorsey; excerpts from the Beatles’ first fan club Christmas Message, along with “I Want a Beatle for Christmas”; the massively grooving “Christmas Celebration” by B.B. King and excerpts from ‘The Nutcracker’ performed as only Spike Jones and His City Slickers could do it.  

Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, et.al, provides us with the racially cringe-worthy “The Hat I Got for Christmas is Too Beeg”.  It’s a pretty funny song but in retrospect not at all appropriate and I’m only including it because it was on the original mix.

This compilation was originally a 90-minute cassette, and although I still have the master tape I no longer have a functioning cassette deck, and in any case the tape was recorded with the short-lived Dolby C noise reduction process and would be extremely hissy to play back without it.  Also, of course, a lot of the original sources were either somewhat scratchy records or lo-fi cassettes.  So I’ve reconstructed this compilation (thank god for the internet) to make it sound better, as I’ve done with some of the other early mixes.

I’m not a visual artist, as the cover illustration makes plain.  I just sketched (with many erasures) the outlines, made multiple copies on the library’s machine and colored each one by hand. DOWNLOAD

[strmbringer]

Louis de Sade is alive, just saying

(warning: contains many gory/graphic scenes, but if you’ve read/are reading vnc you already know so moving on)

So you don’t think Louis’ still alive do you? You don’t think he survived even after being decapitated? You think he’s dead dead do you? Well, you’re wrong!

Louis de Sade was decapitated by his grandfather (un)affectionately known as “Teacher”, by Noe. I mean look:

Looks pretty clear, Louis’ dead and not in the vampire dead-but-really-undead/living-dead kind of way. Hard to argue with on-page proof like this, right? Right? WRONG!

Let’s back it up a bit. 

Let’s talk about Teacher for a second. Why? You’ll see. We first heard about him in chapter 2 when Noe told Vanitas why he was interested in the Book. He was asked by Teacher to find the book and ‘see for yourself’. Pretty open ended instruction that even Vanitas commented on the ‘vagueness’ of it.

Next we meet the Teacher with Noe’s backstory and Louis’ story being revealed. The Teacher is Domi and Louis’ grandfather. He ended up buying Noe from kidnappers and taking him back with him to where Louis lived and Domi visited. 

What’s the first thing that Louis said to Noe when he met them? Something sweet and welcoming? NON!

These words coming from a child, especially the GRANDchild of the person in question, gives you shivers trying to think of what’s in store. It really paints a layer of terror because what exactly does Louis mean? And what exactly does Louis know or has seen that makes him so sure of what he says?

Let’s go back to Louis now. We get a glimpse of Louis’ mind when Noe gets a taste of Louis’ blood and, because of his Archiviste powers, Noe look’s into Louis’ memories/mind.

Louis had been sent by his family to his grandfather’s house because he was ‘sick’. He wasn’t told what his sickness was.

And here’s where we finally get some more insight into the Teacher from his own mouth. The only reason Louis knew what ‘sickness’ he had was because the Teacher ‘accidentally’ left the papers out where he could access them. He made sure Louis knew what was wrong with him. Was it just to see how Louis would react knowing he was ‘destined’ to die? Who knows. 

But Louis lived with his grandfather long enough to know that he had ulterior plans, plans which most likely wouldn’t favour Louis and his good health in the end.

So what do we know about the Teacher besides that he’s creepy as hell? He has no lines when it comes to his experiments, not even with family.

After that conversation, Louis started acting differently. More silent, more withdrawn. He became obsessed with the idea of death, unknowingly to Noe and Domi. He would carve stake after stake. It all came to a head when Louis, Domi, and Noe’s friend, Mina, was sentenced to death, which Louis already knew.

Louis knew there was no cure. He knew what would happen to him. When Domi and Noe were in danger from the curse bearer, Mina, Louis finally met the Charlatan.

Thus, Louis finally became a curse bearer himself. The last stage of this messed up pokemon evolution.

Instead of facing decapitation which is what he’d be sentenced to, Louis begged Noe to kill him right then, right there. Instead, the Teacher showed up and, without pause, decapitated his own grandson. Pretty messed up, right?

What’s interesting is that for someone who seemed so dead set on ‘observing’ Louis, the Teacher wasted no time on going straight for the kill. Now some people might argue it was a ‘mercy killing’ or something where he didn’t draw out Louis’ death any longer because Louis would ultimately face the same death sentence had he just been captured, but I don’t think so. 

From Louis’ own mouth we’ve heard that his grandfather isn’t who Noe thinks he is. We know through Louis that he’s manipulative and calculating. We know he either conducts experiments himself or observes to see what reactions occur. He basically is a twisted scientist from what we’ve heard and seen.

Now this leads me to Vanitas’ backstory reveal and why I ultimately don’t think Louis is dead. Yes, this means we’re jumping forward.

Chapter 17 is a whole lot of information. We hear more about Vanitas’ past in this chapter. We find out that Vanitas was a test subject for Moreau’s sick experiments.

Moreau used to work for the Chasseurs but then was kicked out because they discovered he was doing side experiments that went against what they stood for: creating vampires. This was all because the Doctor wanted to become a vampire himself because he believes that they are the next step for human evolution. We learn that before Vanitas was known as Vanitas, he was referred to as No. 69. 

We learn that Vanitas wasn’t the only experiment that was part of these experiments. There were more children children who went through unimaginable pain and torture during these experiments. Moreau later mentions another child, referred to as No. 71.

Switch forward a bit and we end up at chapter 27 now. Vanitas is feverish and Jeanne has hid them both away in a small cabin. While delirious, Vanitas mumbles out what sounds like the beginning of a name. It would have been missed but Jeanne heard it despite Vanitas’ mumbling so the focus of the narrative is brought to it. 

What does this prove, you ask because you still aren’t convinced? It proves that Vanitas knows someone, most likely a child going from Vanitas’ own timeline, who’s name starts with ‘Lou’. Who have we, as an audience, met that fits this so far? DING DING DING: LOUIS GODDAMN DE SADE. The only place we know of so far, as an audience, where Vanitas could have met someone, especially another CHILD, was during the time he was kept captive as an experiment for Moreau. ‘Oh that proves nothing’ you say, unconvinced. FINE! Let’s keep going!

Let’s jump forward again to chapter 46. We’re introduced to a new character. What’s interesting about this one is it’s a child. A child that Vanitas knows. Mikhail, the child, reveals that he used to be known as No. 71. What does this mean?? BACKSTORY TIME!

WAIT ACTUALLY BEFORE THAT, LET’S HAVE A QUICK LOOK AT CHAPTER 46. 5!! Why?? You’ll see!

In case 3 of Chapter 46.5 we get another mini look at Louis, Domi, and Noe before Louis was ‘killed’. 

Louis had gone into the woods and Domi and Noe find a book that Louis had been reading before he went. 

Domi and Noe start panicking the longer it takes to find Louis because of the story Louis was reading.

Why is this significant? FORESHADOWING METHINKS!

Okay now back to the regular timeline with chapter 47.

I could go on and on about the tragedy of Mikhail but sorry Mikhail, this ain’t about you. We’ll just do a quick run through of his story to get the basics. Mikhail was saved by the chasseurs from a vampire after seeing his mother die when he was a kid. Unfortunately for Mikhail, Moreau was still hiding out in the catacombs during this time and had Mikhail taken for his horrific experiments. Mikhail, now referred to as No. 71 (the other number Moreau mentioned to Vanitas previously), ended up meeting Vanitas, No. 69. Soon after Mikhail learned the horrors of what was going on firsthand when they started experimenting on him. Vanitas, because he’s the kind who saves someone even when he was only a child too, volunteered to be the main test subject so Mikhail wouldn’t have to go through the torture.

Now here’s where I want to draw your attention:

When Mikhail and Vanitas are settling in for the night, Mikhail spots movement on the other side of their prison. Vanitas is the one to tell us about No. 70. Another child, another experiment. We learn that No. 70's is not part of the same experiments that Vanitas and Mikhail are part of and we also learn that No. 70 is mute.

If you don’t see where I’m going with this, let me spell it out for you: Louis could very well be No. 70! So let’s talk about the mini info dump we got about No. 70 and how it would connect with Louis.

No. 70 is not part of the same experiment as Vanitas and Mikhail. Why? If No. 70 is a child and they came after Vanitas (going by the numerical order), wouldn’t they automatically be part of the blue moon kin experiments? What would the purpose be to take Mikhail if they already have two children? 

If it is Louis, here’s a possible explanation why No. 70 is not viable for the blue moon kin experiments. The blood of the blue moon experiments were done on living human children. Louis automatically would be ruled out for such experiments because 1) he’s a vampire and 2) he is/was killed. We could also add in a 3) he’s a curse bearer but we don’t know enough about Moreau and any experiments on curse bearers. By this logic, Louis would not be considered a prime test subject for the blue moon kin experiments because he doesn’t fit the basic requirements. 

Vanitas believes that something happened before No. 70 got taken for experiments which is why No. 70 became mute. Louis, we know for a fact, was killed by decapitation. This would of course cause serious damage to the vocal cords and neck even if, through Moreau’s experiments, Louis was revived and made whole like a twisted Humpty Dumpty. We know the experiments that Moreau conducts breaks the children apart physically before healing them so it’s not implausible to see it done for Louis even if he was dead by that point.

Let’s connect it back to the fairytale that Louis had been reading before. A fairy and a child became friends and soon everyone, even the child’s horrible family, forgot about him despite the search parties they set up. The boy was always right there, despite the number of times everyone walked by him, they never noticed him. 

How does this foreshadow Louis being No. 70? The fairy in this case would either be Moreau or the Teacher (who I’ll come back to), but instead of Louis willingly following the fairy, he gets taken (or given away). This means that the entire time Domi and Noe thought Louis was dead, he’d been right there all along, alive but wishing he wasn’t (remember Louis’ obsession with death through the method of carving stakes? Yeah I wish I didn’t either). The mini chapter with the fairytale had a happy ending with Domi and Noe reuniting with Louis. This could possibly be hinting at a possible (tragic?) reunion with Domi, Noe, and Louis if he is actually No. 70.

Let’s jump forward again! Here’s chapter 50! 

Mikhail wants to know why Vanitas killed Luna, the OG Vampire of the Blue Moon. He tells Vanitas that the one who saved him, revealed that there’s a way to bring Luna back from the dead. 

So does that mean anyone can be brought back from the dead? And if so, has it already been done? There’s another question to be asked but I’ll get to it in a moment. 

During the heated argument between Vanitas and Noe, Noe is panicked and shouts out that he can’t lose Domi. Not like he lost Louis already.

Why is this significant? The focus very clearly focuses on Noe and how Mikhail eggs him on by bringing up Domi and her feelings of never being enough to get at Noe. But there are 2 small panels I’d like to bring attention to:

1) The panel where Vanitas first hears Noe say Louis (the white one)

2) And the panel of Vanitas right after he founds out who Louis was to Noe and Domi and how Louis died. (the grey one)

The first panel is just him reacting to hearing Louis name. Is this reaction because he’s just never heard it? OR is it because he has heard it before? It can be argued that the second panel is about Vanitas being shocked over such a cruel death of Noe’s friend BUT it looks more like Vanitas has been struck by a realization. What if that realization is that No. 70 and Louis are one and the same? It could potentially explain the look Vanitas has in that second panel.

Now to chapter 54.5! The big reveal at the end! So much happened!!!! OMG!

NOE’S TEACHER/DOMI’S GRANDFATHER FINALLY MAKES AN APPEARANCE!! Why is this significant, you ask? For so many reasons!

He deliberately waited and let Mikhail go as far as he could to ‘observe’ what would happen next. Who did he do this with before? That’s right! Louis! He observed Louis while he lived all the way up until the moment died. And the scene where he killed Louis, what happened? He thought he wouldn’t make it in time to save Noe or stop Louis. HOWEVER, what if he wasn’t actually just in the nick of time? What if he deliberately waited to see what would happen with Louis, like he did with Mikhail? What if he wanted to see what Noe would do? Would Noe actually kill Louis like Noe asked? SO MANY QUESTIONS!!

But that’s not why his entrance in this chapter had me screaming! Here’s what’s important! 

IT’S CONFIRMED THAT THE TEACHER HAS A CONNECTION WITH MIKHAIL!! Mikhail, who was part of Moreau’s experiments. Experiments which showcased No. 70 who was rendered mute from something from their past. 

In chapter 55 it’s confirmed that the Teacher was the one who told Mikhail there was a way to bring the dead back. 

So the question is, why is the Teacher telling Mikhail that there’s a way to bring the dead back? Why is he so sure? Has he himself seen it and if he has, WHO? Who is the only person we’ve seen killed that has a connection to the Teacher? If you’ve been reading this train wreck of a post up to here, you definitely know what my answer is.

Basically what have I been yelling about from day one: Louis’ still freaking alive people!! I rest my case @ disbelievers.

If I forgot to come back to a point that I mentioned I would, feel free to yell at me! Politely. Yell at me politely!

If you disagree, that’s cool! I won’t tolerate any hate or rudeness though. 

[happieasa]

Puedes hacer las canciones cuando se responden mutuamente:)

Larry Song Parallels 

(Solo songs)

En este post hablaremos de las pararlelas que encontramos en las canciones COMO SOLISTAS de Harry Styles y Louis tomlinson. 

Solo serán en partes generales y las que son citas directas, ya que proximamente hare masterpost de estas canciones por separado

Y deje de lado las referencias de FTDT y Miss You ya que esas paralelas ya tienen su masterpost aqui 

ESNY/ DLIBYH

Harry: I’ve been praying ever since New York 

He estado rezando desde Nueva York 

Louis: And I know you’ve left a part of you in New York under your bed in a box 

 Se que dejaste una parte de ti en Nueva York en una caja bajo la cama

MMITH/ KMM

Harry: Just take the pain away 

Solo toma el dolor  y llevatelo 

Louis: I can ease the pain 

Puedo calmar el dolor 

SHE/ HABIT

Harry: And she sleeps in his bed/ While he plays pretend 

Y ella duerme en su cama / Mientras el juega a pretender 

Louis: I took some time ‘cause I’ve ran out of energy/ Of playing someone I heard I’m supposed to be

Me tomé un tiempo porque me quedé sin energía / De interpretar a alguien que escuché que se supone debo ser 

TBSL/ DEFENCELESS

Harry: And I’m just an arrogant son of a bitch/ Who can’t admit when he’s sorry

Y solo soy Hijo de Puta arrogante, quien no puede admitir que lo lamenta 

Louis: And I can’t get inside when you’re lost in your pride/ But you don’t have a thing to prove

Y no puedo entrar cuando estas perdido en tu orgullo/ Pero no tienes que provar nada 

TWO GHOSTS/ TOO YOUNG

Harry: We’re not who we used to be 

No somos lo soliamos ser 

Louis: But everything’s feeling different now 

Pero todo se siente diferente ahora 

FTDT/ JUST LIKE YOU

Harry: Woke up the girl who looked just like you 

 Desperte a la chica que lucia igual a ti 

Louis: I wanna lay where she lays 

 Quiero acostarme donde ella se acuesta 

FTDT, FALLING/ WALLS

Harry: Woke up alone in this hotel room; played with myself, where were you?/ I’m in my bed and you’re not here

Me desperte solo en esta habitacion de hotel; jugue conmigo mismo, ¿Donde estabas tu?

Louis: Nothing wakes you up like waking up alone 

Nada te despierta como el despertar solo 

MMITH/ HABIT

Harry: Just let me know, I’ll be at the door, at the door

Solo dejame saber, estare en tu puerta, en tu puerta 

Louis: That mentally, you were already out the door

Mentalmente ya estas en la puerta 

FTDT/ TOO YOUNG

Harry: Maybe one day you’ll call me and tell me that you’re sorry too

Tal vez algun dia me llamaras y me diras que lo lamentas tambien 

Louis: I’m sorry that I hurt you, darling

Perdona que te herí cariño 

FINE LINE/ TOO YOUNG

Harry: You’ve got my devotion but man I can hate you sometimes

Tienes mi devocion pero aveces puedo llegar a odiarte 

Louis: It’s hard to think you could ever hate me

Es difícil pensar que puedas llegar a odiarme 

TPWK/ HABIT

Harry: Givin’ second chances

Dando segundas oportunidades 

Louis: I know you said that you’d give me another chance

Se que dijiste que me darías otra oportunidad 

MMITH/ WE MADE IT

Harry: Maybe we’ll work it out

Tal vez lo solucionaremos 

Louis: We were only kids, just tryna work it out

Solo eramos niños tratando de solucionarlo 

TWO GHOSTS/ TOO YOUNG

Harry: Fridge light washes this room white

La luz del refiegrador limpia este cuarto blanco 

Louis: Face to face at the kitchen table

Cara a cara en la mesa de la cocina 

FALLING/ TOO YOUNG, DEFENCELESS

Harry: And it kills me 'cause I know we’ve run out of things we can say

Y me mata por que se que nos quedamos sin cosas que decir 

Louis: I’m tryna find some better words to say/ Tryna find what to say to you/ Not sure how to say this right

Voy a tratas de encontra mejores palabras que decir / Intentando encontrar que decirte / No estoy seguro de como decirte esto bien 

IICF/DEFENCELESS

Harry: Right now I’m completely defenceless

Ahora mismo estoy indefenso 

Louis: Never been so defenceless

Jamas habia estado tan indefenso 

FALLING/HABIT

Harry: You said you cared/ And you missed me, too 

Tu dijiste qu ete importaba y que me extrañabas tambien

Louis: I was better with you, and I miss you now

Estaba mejor contigo y te extraño ahora 

FALLING/ HABIT

Harry: And I get the feelin’ that you’ll never need me again  

Tengo el presentimiento que ya no me necesitas 

Louis: I’ll always need you in front of me 

Siempre te necesitare enfrente de mi 

GOLDEN/ DEFENCELESS

Harry: And I know that you’re scared/ Because hearts get broken 

Y se que estas esustado por que los corazones se rompen 

Louis: Got so much to lose 

Tengo tanto que perder 

SWEET CREATURE/ HABIT

Harry: We started two hearts in one home 

 Empezamos dos corazones en un hogar

Louis: Come so far from Princess Park 

Hemos avanzado tanto desde Princess Park

GOLDEN/ TOO YOUNG

Harry: Of who I am and all I’ve ever known 

Del quien soy y todo lo que conoco 

Louis: Me and you is all i’ve ever known 

Tu y yo es todo lo que conozco 

SUNFLOWER VOL. 6 / KMM

Harry: Kiss in the kitchen like it’s a dance floor/Kids in the kitchen listen to dance hall 

Besos en la cocina como si fuera una pista de baile escuchando a dance-hall

Louis: You’re a nightmare on the dance floor 

Eres una pesadilla en la pista de baile 

FINE LINE/ WE MADE IT

Harry: We’re gonna be alright 

Vamos a estar bien 

Louis: Yeah, it’s gonna be alright 

 SI, va a estar bien 

ADORE YOU/WALLS 

Harry: “I get lost inside of your eyes”

Me pierdo en tus ojos 

Louis: “I looked you in the eyes, saw that i was lost” 

Te vi a los ojos y vi que estaba perdido

[sorryjustafangirl]

it’s a love story

a/n:  this is my submission for the @doubleminor​’s #hockeychallengemusic ! im so so super late but i finally had the time to write this. the toronto six of the nwhl have this as their winning song and i loved watching them celebrate this season. and apparently all i can write is matty tkachuk but i felt he really fit this idea

Pairing: Matthew Tkachuk x reader

Work count: 2.2k+

warnings: mentions of the pandemic and one swear but other than that just fluff :)

disclaimer: this is a work of fiction and real person fiction if you don’t like that, please don’t read! also the gif isn’t mine! all credit to the fantastic gif-maker!

prompt: choose an official team/player goal song and make something using that goal song // found here 

He had wanted the proposal to be perfect. The moment he knew you were the one he wanted to marry, he asked your best friend for everything you had ever mentioned about a proposal. You were only going to get proposed to once, and he wanted to make sure it was perfect. 

Secluded, yet meaningful, place? Check. 

Get it on camera? Check. 

Cute outfit with nails done? Check. 

But a global pandemic was not in his plan. Not even close. 

When the season had got put on pause, his parents suggested he come back to St. Louis to spend time with them, since Brady was coming back too. He was hesitant to go considering you were still going into the office for an essential project, but you assured him that he should go spend time with his family. He didn't get to see them a lot, and you knew he missed them. When he packed, he made sure to take the little velvet box and shove it between his socks. He didn't want to risk you finding it while he was away. 

A couple weeks later, after many FaceTimes and virtual date nights, you finished your project and work gave you the all clear to work from home. A two week quarantine and one plane ride later, you had joined him in St. Louis. You were still working, but working from the Tkachuk's home and with your boyfriend was much better than working alone in your shared apartment. 

Since you had joined the family, Taryn had noticed her oldest brother was a little jumpier than usual. Before, he was more carefree, aside from the occasional moping, and he definitely wasn't making sure his bedroom door was closed whenever he went in there alone. But now? It seemed odd. He wasn't moping, but he had those moments when he seemed too sad for it just to be about the season.  

So after Matthew's third sigh and retreat to his room while you were working, she decided it was time for an intervention. She quietly followed him to his room, where he methodically closed it and made sure it clicked. 

***

It was the second time today Matthew had looked at the box today. He knew he was torturing himself, opening the box to look at the ring he had picked out. It wasn't too flashy, something just your style. He remembered the way his heart jumped when he saw it in the store. It instantly reminded him of you and he just knew it was the one. It was like he couldn't help himself, looking at the box another time.

You could’ve already been engaged by now. The two of you could’ve been looking at venues and dates and even if he said he never really cared about that stuff… he couldn’t help but long for those things, because it would mean it was real. The two of you would be getting married, and he’d get to be your husband. 

But instead of being engaged, he’d just have to stare at the ring and wish he could make this all go away so he could give you the proposal you’ve always wanted. He relived the time he knew you were the one, anything to remind him that you wouldn’t mind waiting until this pandemic was over to get engaged. 

It was a home game against the Senators. Nothing speculator, just a regular game that they unfortunately lost in OT. Because it was against the Sens, and because he scored the only goal of the game, Matt knew he’d be chosen for press. He was tired, and there was nothing he wanted more than to see his family who had made the trek out to Calgary to see the boys play. He left the dressing room with his tie a little crumpled from the rush to meet them. 

He turned the corner to see Taryn sitting on a bench, with Brady standing with his parents, probably cracking a joke based on the way his mom was playfully glaring at Brady while his dad laughed loudly. His mood picked up a little after the interview and the loss.

As he got closer, he realized that Taryn wasn’t sitting alone. You were sitting there, your head resting against her shoulder, your eyes slightly closed. He stopped in his tracks when he saw your work bag sitting in your lap and your suitcase beside you. Your flight was supposed to get in around 8 and he had insisted that you just meet him at home after the game. This work trip had been horrible, your co-worker throwing you under the bus in a meeting with executives on a project he didn’t work on. You deserved to be relaxing with a glass of wine in the sanctity of your shared apartment. But you were here, at his game, straight from the airport, laughing with his family despite your drooping eyes. He had never felt more loved than he did right there. 

A knock startled him from his thoughts. 

“Uhh... just a second!” He snapped the ring box shut and quickly stood up from the bed to shove it in his drawer. Taryn popped her head in to see him very suspiciously standing in front of his dresser.

“It’s just me, dork. What are you doing?” She entered his room, making herself comfy on his bed. He scoffed, and closed the door behind his sister. 

“I’m not doing anything. What are you doing?” He went back to standing by the dresser and Taryn rolled her eyes.

“That’s exactly it, you’re doing nothing. Normally, when we’re all home you’re like bouncing off the walls. Like I know this time it’s different but Y/n came too so I thought… I don’t know, you just seem off but Brady didn’t think so and I didn’t want to worry Mom… so like, what’s going on? Is everything okay? Are you and Y/n fighting?” 

His eyes bugged out and Taryn would have laughed if she wasn’t so serious. “What no! We’re fine! We’re fine, why-why would you say that?” 

“You’ve been quiet Matt. You’re never quiet, especially when Brady’s home with us.” He rolled his eyes and she huffed at her older brother. “You know it’s true! So... what’s going on?” He sighed and turned to find the box from the drawer. He looked down at the velvet in his hands as he sat on the edge of the bed. Taryn moved to be sitting beside him and gasped quietly. 

“Is that...?” 

“Yeah. I was going to...you know, before the world went to shit. I had it all planned out too. The weather was getting warmer and there’s this hiking trail we like in Banff, it’s only like an hour drive. There’s this perfect spot where I could prop my phone up so I could get it on camera, just like they wanted. But now... I don’t know what I’m going to do.” 

“Do you still want to, you know, propose?” 

“’Course I do. Honestly, I want nothing more. But, they deserve it to be perfect, you know? And like, I don’t know how I could surprise them here, because we’ve been chilling in the same sweatpants for the past week! Asking them to get dressed up would seem suspicious and I want it to be a surprise,”

“Could… could I help you? I might have an idea…” She grinned towards her brother, his eyes brightening at the idea of marrying you. 

***

“Y/N, do you want to do a TikTok with me?” She called to you from across the Tkachuk’s backyard. Taryn must’ve been feeling the quarantine because yesterday the two of you did your nails together, which prompted you to, for once, put on a pair of pants that weren’t Matty’s sweatpants and do your hair, so you had no problem setting down your book and hopping up from your seat to join her. She squealed and you laughed as you joined her. 

“It’s so easy! I promise! So, it’s to a remix of Taylor Swift’s ‘Love Story’ and the only set in stone parts are that you actually kneel when she says ‘knelt to the ground’ and then the camera will start to pull away and then you just freestyle! We can do a couple practice ones before we film it for real, if you want?” 

“Yes, please, you have severely overestimated my dancing skills,” you laughed. Right at that moment, Matthew came out of the house with a Bud Light in his hand. He placed it on the edge of the firepit before walking over to you.

“What’s got you all cracked up?” He pressed a kiss to your cheek.

“Taryn thinks I’m a good enough dancer to film this TikTok on my first try,” He grinned at you. 

“A TikTok you say? Can I do it too? If you can do it surely it’s easy enough for me,” You gave him a playful eye roll and laughed. 

“How bored are you to want to film a TikTok?” 

“I want to spend time with my girlfriend, is that a crime?” He smirked and you cracked a smile.  

Taryn spoke up. “Hey no, this would be perfect! I need to move the camera away from you when you’re dancing anyways, and this way you won’t be alone. And you’ll get Matt’s dancing on camera for future blackmail!” You laughed at her comment and slugged him lightly in the arm. 

“Game on, we’ll see who's the better dancer after this,” He just laughed and then told you to tell what the heck he was doing for this dance. After a while, the two of you were ready to film. 

Taryn got behind her phone and started the music. You got into position and bumped Matthew’s hip before facing the camera. 

Is this in my head, I don’t know what to think. He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring and said

You knelt down and pretended to open a ring box, while Matthew pulled out the box he’d been hiding for six months. 

Marry me Juliet, you’ll never have to be alone

You started to dance as Taryn pulled the camera away from the both of you. Lost in the music, you didn’t seem to notice that Matthew was still on one knee, an adoring smile on his face. 

“Y/n,” 

I love you and that’s all I really know

You stopped dancing and glanced to your side. “Oh my god,” Your hands flew to cover your mouth as you saw Matt still on one knee, but with a black box in his hands. “Are you joking?”

“Not joking, baby, I promise.” He opened the box to reveal the most beautiful ring you had ever seen. It was classy, with just enough bling to catch your eye and go with the rest of your jewelry. Your eyes filled with tears as he started to speak. 

“Y/n, you are the best person I have ever met. I never thought someone would be willing to put up with me, not with my job and the media and how I play my game, but then I met you, and it’s like the whole world shifted. I have fallen more in love with you every day, even the past few days when we do the same thing every day. I love you so much, babe, and all I want is to keep being your person. I know my job means I’ll have to leave sometimes, but with me, with this, I promise you’ll never be alone. I want to be your husband and I want us to have little mini-us’s running around, well really mini-you’s but with my hair, because let’s face it, they aren’t escaping the curls,” You let out a teary laugh, and you could see his shoulder visibly relax a little. “When I look to my future, all I see is you. You are my future. And I know this isn’t perfect or even ideal but..”

“No, no, Matty, it’s perfect.” You whispered, your eyes full of tears. “It’s perfect because it’s with you.”

His grin widened if that was possible, and he looked down at the box in his hands before up to you. “If that���s the case, then Y/n, will you make me the happiest man on Earth and marry me?” 

“Yes! Yes, yes, of course,” You bent down to kiss him, leaving your tears on his cheek when you pulled away. He slipped the ring onto your finger and swept you into a bear hug. “Oh my gosh, we’re going to get married!”

“It’s you and me, baby, for the rest of our lives.” He tried to smirk, but it didn’t last long, a smile covering it as the euphoria overcame him. 

“Okay, okay, show me the ring!! Matthew didn’t tell me he was proposing!” Chantel came out in the backyard with a bright grin on her face. You couldn’t contain the smile on your face and the two of you admired the ring together. 

“I didn’t tell Dad either, don’t get offended,” Matthew said, coming over to meet the both of you. 

“Oh, you liar! You totally called me and asked me for advice.” Keith chimed in with a laugh. “Granted, you never told me you were going to do it today… but I’m happy for you kids.”

“I didn’t think he’d ever get the guts to propose, sorry for the wait Y/n,” Brady chirped, earning a whack from his mother. 

“I don’t mind, he’s worth the wait.” You looked to your fiancé, only to find him already looking at you, his blue eyes gleaming full of warmth. “So worth the wait.”

let me know what you think! thanks for reading!

[mrs-dr-reid]

Found

(A Criminal Minds Fic)

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Summary: The team often misplaces Spencer in a crowd, and the Reader usually has to resort to “drastic measures” to find him so they can get back to work.

Genre: Sooooo fluffy, my guy.

Warnings: A few swears. One F-Bomb.

A/N: Okay, so, I love those tumblr posts where a fictional character can’t find their friend/sidekick/partner in a crowd, and they yell something to make the other person respond, then go, “Found him/her”, so that’s why I wrote this. Enjoy!

Word Count: 1,630

———————————————————————

Spencer Reid is notorious for getting lost and/or distracted when the team has to enter a large crowd on a case. And funnily enough, Y/N L/N is most known for always being able to find him again so the team can keep working. Albeit through unorthodox means. Here are the top four best instances of how Y/N found Spencer, and one of how Spencer found Y/N.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One.

The team was canvassing the Santa Monica Pier in regards to a series of drownings in the area. Only problem was it was the busiest day of the week, and it was teeming with people. Hotch, Rossi, and JJ were back at the local police station setting up the investigation board, which left Emily, Derek, Spencer, and Y/N on canvas duty.

They spilt into pairs, and Derek and Emily took the left side of the pier while Spencer and Y/N took the right. After about 20 minutes, Derek called Y/N and said, “You’re on speaker, L/N. We’ve got nothing so far, Little Mama. How’s it going for you and Pretty Boy?”, so she replied, “We managed to get a few things that could be helpful. We’ll have to compare them against the case info, but that shouldn’t be too hard once we get back to the sta...tion,” but trailed off when she noticed Spencer was out of her eyeline.

She said, “Hey, Derek? You or Emily got eyes on Spencer?”, so he responded, “Can’t say we do. Why?”, and Y/N said, “I seem to have misplaced him,” while craning her neck to look around.

Emily said, “Should we try his cell?”, so Y/N said, “No. I’ve got this,” hung up, then cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, “GEE, I SURE DO WISH SOMEONE COULD TELL ME HOW MANY KERNELS THERE ARE ON THE AVERAGE EAR OF CORN!!!”

A few seconds went by, then she heard Spencer yell from a churro stand, “STATISTICALLY, THERE ARE OVER 800 KERNELS ARRANGED IN 16 SEPARATE ROWS!”, which made Y/N smile and say, “Found him,” before working her way through the crowd to get to Spencer.

He offered her a churro with a smile, so she accepted it and said, “Thank you. Alright, back to the station with you, Churro Boy,” before grabbing his arm and pulling him along with her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two.

JJ, Hotch, Spencer, and Y/N were checking out the dumpsite for the latest victim in a series of strangulations in Shipshewana, Indiana. The body was found in an alley by a flea market, and while Hotch was talking to the local police on the scene and JJ was questioning the garbage truck driver who discovered the body, Y/N looked up from examining the body and realized that Spencer had wandered off when she wasn’t paying attention, making her whisper, “Goddamnit, not again,” and try to locate Spencer in the sea of heads flowing through the flea market.

Hotch walked over to her and said, “We’re heading back to the station. You know where Reid is?”, so she said, “Not yet, but we both will momentarily,” which made him shoot her a confused look. JJ came over to them, noticed Hotch’s confusion, then said, “You’ll see,” just before Y/N yelled, “I WONDER IF SHERLOCK HOLMES WAS BASED ON A REAL PERSON!!!”

Just before Hotch could ask what that meant, Spencer yelled back, “HE IS!!! SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE MODELED HIM AFTER ONE OF HIS MEDICAL SCHOOL PROFESSORS, DR. JOSEPH BELL!”, which made Y/N smile, say, “There he is,” and pat Hotch’s arm before going to get Spencer. JJ said, “Told you,” and went to get in the SUV.

Y/N found Spencer at a second-hand book stall, and he held up a slightly worn copy of Gone With the Wind and said, “Nearly mint condition for six bucks! Can you believe it?”, so she responded, “Crazy. Let’s get moving, Bookworm,” and grabbed his hand to bring him back over to the SUV.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Three.

Rossi, Spencer, and Y/N were retracing an unsub’s footsteps through a farmer’s market in Nashville, Tennesse because Emily had made the connection that all four previous victims and the latest victim in a series of abduction-homicides had made purchases there before they vanished.

Rossi took the north end of the market while Spencer and Y/N took the south. After the two of them had interviewed five stall owners, Y/N noticed the absence of a 6’1” shadow looming over her. She took a quick look around her, let out an annoyed sigh when she couldn’t spot Spencer, then said to the owner of the strawberry stall, “Thank you for the information. Now if you’ll excuse me, I seem to have lost track of my colleague,” before venturing into the crowd.

Y/N called Rossi and said, “Did Spencer make his way over to you?”, which prompted his response of, “He did not. Why? Did he wander off on you again?”, so she said, “Yup. I swear, that man has the attention span of a golden retriever. I’ll find him, one sec,” then hung up and put her phone in her pocket. She yelled, “HOW COOL WOULD IT BE TO KNOW THE EXACT NUMBER OF RIVETS THERE ARE IN THE EIFFEL TOWER?!!”, and waited, apologizing to the patrons in her near vicinity for her volume.

Spencer’s voice came from a handful of stalls down with the reply of, “THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 2,500,000!!!”, which made her mutter, “Bingo,” before heading in the direction of his voice. She found him at a homemade donut stand, and he held up a brown paper bag while saying, “She had my favorite! Chocolate frosted with sprinkles! And she had yours too! Homemade bear claws!”, which made her say, “Excellent. Remind me to put a bell on you when we get back to the precinct,” before taking his arm in hers and dragging him off to find Rossi.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Four.

Emily, Spencer, and Y/N were tasked with scoping out the latest crime scene in a series of stabbings in Duluth, Minnesota. This particular crime scene happened to be right near a pop-up carnival, and while Emily was talking to the local police, Y/N was interviewing the witnesses, and Spencer was surveying the scene, Y/N turned her head to see that Spencer was no longer by the crime scene.

She whispered, “Son of a bitch,” just as Emily came over to her, which prompted Emily to say, “Reid go AWOL, again?”, and Y/N to respond, “And the man swears he doesn’t have ADHD,” making Emily laugh slightly before saying, “Do your thing, Girlfriend,” and going back to talk to the lead detective.

Y/N yelled, “IF ONLY SOMEONE KNEW HOW LONG PLAYING CARDS HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR!!!”, and a few seconds later, Spencer yelled back, “PLAYING CARDS WERE FOUND IN CHINA THAT DATED BACK TO AT LEAST THE TANG DYNASTY, WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN FROM AROUND 618 TO 907 A.D.!!!”, which made her mumble, “Yep. Boy Genius located,” before trotting off to look for him.

She found him at the cotton candy vendor with a bag full of the sugary pink stuff, and when she shot him an exasperated look, he said, “What? I was done looking over the crime scene!”, so she grabbed his hand and said, “One of these days, I’m buying you a backpack leash,” before dragging him back to where Emily was, but not before she snatched a handful of cotton candy from the bag he was holding.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Five.

The whole team was out on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana looking to catch an unsub in the act of hunting for their next victim when Y/N got separated from Spencer and Derek. When Spencer noticed, he said, “Hey, Morgan. Did you see where Y/N went?”, which made Derek say, “Nah, man. I thought you two were joined at the hip. Y’all are coming up on three months now,” and wink at Spencer.

He scoffed and said, “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean she won’t wander off,” before the two men tried looking around in an attempt to spot her. Derek said, “Huh. Normally she’s the one that has to track you down, Pretty Boy. This must be one hell of a role reversal,” and ruffled Spencer’s hair.

Spencer shrugged him off, then said, “Hang on, I want to try something,” and Derek said, “Alright. Get your girl, Lover Boy,” so Spencer rolled his eyes, then cupped his mouth with his hands and yelled, “SPENCER REID IS THE WORST PROFILER IN THE BAU!!!”, and it took less than three seconds for Y/N to yell back, “WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY?!?!”, from a few yards away.

Derek burst out laughing, and Spencer smiled fondly before saying, “Found her,” and going to look for Y/N. He found her near some street musicians playing a variety of jazz songs, and when they started playing “La Vie en Rose” by Louis Armstrong, Spencer said, “It’s our song, Y/N/N,” which made her jump before saying, “Yeah, it is,” with a wistful smile on her face.

Spencer wrapped an arm around her waist, then led her back to where Derek was waiting while saying, “You’re never going to live that down. You know that, right?”, so she smacked his chest and said, “Yeah, I know. And here I was always teasing you for wandering away from the group,” before smiling and kissing his cheek.

Spencer smiled, then pressed a quick kiss to her lips before they rejoined Derek to keep an eye out for the unsub, but both Spencer and Y/N had a bit more pep in their step.

———————————————————————

Tag List: @homoose, @hurricanejjareau , @xgoldentigerlilyx, @therestisconfettis, @less-intelligent-spencerreid, @aryaarathornson, @thomasgibsonfan01

Let me know in the comments if you want to be added

[1dmonthlyficroundup]

1D Monthly Fic Roundup

Hi, and welcome to the 1D Monthly Fic Roundup for August 2021! Below you’ll find 23 One Direction fics that were all published this month in the order they were submitted to the blog. We hope you’ll check out these new fics! If you would like to submit your own fic, please check this post on how to submit or visit our blog @1dmonthlyficroundup​.

Happy reading!

He Carries The Key by @lululawrence

[Niall/Louis, OT5, 8k, Not Rated, tumblr post]

Niall was mostly home, ready for a shower and a chat with Louis, when suddenly Niall was flooded with emotions from the pack bond.Shock. Surprise. Confusion.But mostly fear.Something was wrong with Louis.

Plus One by mynameispiaivy / @missrefridgefreetorator

[Louis/Luke Malak, 3k, Mature, tumblr post]

Louis is invited to an event and he has to bring a "plus one".

Better Mistakes by lovelarry10 / @chloehl10

[Harry/Louis, 117k, Explicit, tumblr post]

“Look, this doesn’t have to be the end of the world-”

“Oh but it fucking is,” Louis said, shaking his head. “How the fuck am I going to tell Matt I’m pregnant with a baby when we’ve not had sex in months? He might be a bit thick sometimes, but he is gonna know there’s no chance this baby is his.”

“You don’t have to, uh, tell him it’s mine, right?”

Louis scoffed. “Why, are you scared he’s gonna come and kick the shit out of you?”

“He wishes,” Harry laughed, looking back down at the test. “Shit, I … I can’t believe this. Louis, I didn’t mean for this. Honestly. It was just sex for me. We have great sex, and I didn’t see why I should have to turn that down, not when you clearly wanted it as much as I did. I didn’t want this to end in a baby.”

Louis knows he shouldn’t be sleeping with his boyfriend’s enemy. He knows that. But there’s something that draws him back to Harry over and over again. Falling in love wasn’t part of the plan...

Thou, Sun, Art Half As Happy by @lululawrence

[Louis/Harry/Nick Grimshaw, 7k, Not Rated, tumblr post]

Hello, I’m sorry if this isn’t a post that is allowed on this channel, but I was hoping for the best since it is regarding a photography project I’m working on at the moment. I’m working on a set of sunrise kiss photos and therefore am needing a willing kissing partner. I’d hoped to be able to provide one for myself, but it hasn’t panned out, so here I am! I was hoping to find someone here, since I know most of you (at least peripherally) and can generally vouch for you not being creeps. Plus this way I know you will understand needing to continue to tweak the camera settings and reshoots etc that others might not.

Anyway, I’m looking for someone who identifies as male or male-ish (sorry, ladies) who is between the ages of 18 and 40. I’m a 29 year old male-ish myself, for those who would like to know before replying.

If you’re interested and are free the early morning of August 7th and would like to kiss in the sunrise with me for the sake of some (hopefully) interesting and fun photos, let me know via DM and I’ll give you the location.

OR the one where Louis needs a kissing partner, two show up, and it all might turn out for the best that way.

call my name and save me from the dark by @so-why-let-your-voice-be-tamed / we_are_the_same

[Louis/Harry, 4k, Teen & Up, tumblr post]

“I don’t know if it was a nightmare,” he confesses to the ceiling, the darkness making it easier to speak up even when he still has to close his eyes to stop himself from tearing up. “It feels more like a memory. But it can’t be.”

Harry shifts, and Louis can feel his chin perched on his chest, doesn’t need to look at him to know that Harry’s studying him. “Why?” He prompts, when Louis doesn’t immediately continue, and Louis swallows, tries to shrug off the apprehension, the fear that Harry will think that he’s gone mad.

“Because I heard them pronounce me dead.”

Feels like home by @neondiamond

[Louis/Harry, 2k, Explicit, tumblr post]

Louis comes home from work with an exciting surprise. Daydreaming and celebrations ensue.

this is my jam by @disgruntledkittenface

[Harry/Louis, 4k, Mature, tumblr post]

The guy’s eyes are so blue that Harry can’t tear his gaze away, even as he moves to the beat. The searing light shade is magnetic; he finds himself leaning in and yelling, “This is my jam!” only to earn a laugh from thin pink lips that Harry’s definitely going to be dreaming about tonight.

“Your jam?”

When the guy yells back over the music, his blue eyes sparkling and his lips twisted in a smirk, Harry’s chest literally puffs out with pride at earning his attention. His obvious approval. Tongue-tied, Harry nods and closes his eyes as he lets go, the music reverberating around them. All of the usual inhibitions that keep him in the corner at parties fall away and he bounces around the center of the dance floor, waving his arms above his head. Somehow his towel stays on, even as he starts to think he wouldn’t mind if it fell off. Fuck it. He finally made it here, he’s damn well going to enjoy it.

Harry goes to a gay bathhouse for the first time. 90s AU.

I Know My Arithmedick (2 + 2 = 4sum) by yeah_alright / @uhoh-but-yeah-alright

[Harry/Louis + Louis/multiple partners, 3k, Explicit, tumblr post]

Harry wants to watch Louis fuck someone else. Louis loves giving Harry what he wants. It’s simple math, really.

doG…and his friend by @uhoh-but-yeah-alright / yeah_alright

[Louis/Harry, 3k, Teen & Up, tumblr post]

When Joan has to move out of her small, nice home and in with a random roommate, she obviously brings her dog/boyfriend, Doug, with her.

Doug makes a friend. And maybe more.

I Heard You Talking by @lululawrence

[Louis/Harry, 10k, Not Rated, tumblr post]

It had been an hour of their noise that Louis had been dealing with, and for some reason the fact that these grown men were being this rowdy in the quiet carriage over a game of Uno was the breaking point for him. He stood up and turned around, making his way down to where the group of five were somehow gathered around a table.

Louis stopped at the table and cleared his throat, mouth open and ready to politely request they keep it down when the man who was sitting with his back to Louis turned.

He was stunningly gorgeous.

Blinking a ridiculous number of times in an attempt to pull himself together, Louis coughed and spit out, “This is the quiet carriage.”

God, he was nearly forty and that was the best he could do in front of a set of pretty, green eyes?

Or the one where Harry is famous and Louis doesn't have a clue. Good thing his son is able to help him out.

All That You Need by @haztobegood

[Louis/Harry, 2k, Explicit, tumblr post]

Pre-heat was always one of Harry’s favorite times to spend with Louis. It was a time to rest up and indulge in extra cuddles, like basking in a ray of sunshine before having to dive off the deep end. Louis lavishes him with tender touches and soft kisses. Harry wants to savor this time as long as possible. The unquenchable need will come later, but for now, his desires are simple. He just needed to be closer to his alpha. As close as possible.

sickly sweet fonding by amomentoflove / @daggerandrose

[Louis/Harry, 1k, General, tumblr post]

A few members of their crew start piling up the dirty dishes and taking them over to the sink. Harry walks around the cameras, and smiles brightly at Louis.

“What do you think, Lou? Do I have it in the bag?”

Louis eyes a bowl of bright pink lumpy batter being cleaned from Harry’s side. “Of course you do.” He wraps an arm around Harry’s waist and steers him away, all while ignoring the dramatic gagging Niall is doing. He doesn’t think it’s just the batter making Niall gag.

or the one where Louis fonds over Harry's horrible baking skills

Fractured Moonlight by amomentoflove / @daggerandrose

[Louis/Harry, 1k, Mature, tumblr post]

Louis huffs because he doesn’t want to deal with this. “Listen, I appreciate your concern.” He doesn’t. “But it’s not your duty to look after the sad man at the bar. Okay?”

'Ere comes the milk by stretchmybones / @onlyfor-thegays

[Harry/Louis, 1k, Explicit]

Louis is obsessed with Harry's mommy milkers.

everything comes back to you by stretchmybones / @onlyfor-thegays

[Louis/Harry, 8k, Explicit]

Harry and Louis are childhood best friends. What happens when Harry has to move towns just as they are starting their secondary gender presentations? What happens when fate brings them back together years later in the most unexpected of ways?

He Still Takes My Breath Away by @parmahamlarrie

[Harry/Louis, 32k, Teen & Up, tumblr post]

Camp Infinity is the perfect place for a lot of things; hiking, swimming, sports, eating, and falling in love. Harry Styles is a bit too familiar with the last one from his years of being a camper. This year things will be different. He’s 21, a grown man now, and ready to see Camp Infinity from a different point of view; working as a lifeguard. However, his whole summer turns upside down when a familiar British lad makes his return into Harry's life.Or the one where Harry is a lifeguard and Louis is the head of recreation. And, sometimes, you just need a little push to realize what was right in front of you the whole time.

Also known as – The Summer Camp Fic

tread lightly on my ground by fairytalelights / @lookslikefairytale

[Louis/Harry, 20k, Explicit, tumblr post]

No, that's the tragic part of this, the part that makes Harry feel like the universe is playing a cruel joke on him. The father of his baby is exactly right, exactly who he always imagined himself having kids with. He just imagined them married, bonded. Happy. He didn't imagine them barely talking, tip-toeing around each other because neither of them is brave enough to talk about what happened between them. He didn't imagine the father of his child not loving him back.

or, the one where Harry is having Louis' baby, but Louis doesn't know it's his.

Getting a Head for Heights by @ladyaj-13 / LadyAJ_13

[Louis/Greg James, 3k, Teen & Up, tumblr post]

The problem is, Louis thinks Greg would be quite good to date, so it would really help if everyone would stop reminding him of that fact so he could unthink it. He’d be a gentleman, at least until Louis talked him out of it, and he’s funny and nice and hot and they’re both into music and football and drama. He’s also a freakish giant of a human, and the problem with dating is that sooner or later you have to stand next to each other.

We Go Together (series) by @beelou / cherrylarry

[Louis/Harry, 3k, General, tumblr post]

A grease au

Hot Boy Summer (series) by @louisandtheaquarian / zita17

[Harry/Louis, 35k, Teen & Up, tumblr post]

Louis is an overworked bartender hoping to save up enough extra tips to buy a new air conditioner before he literally melts during a scorching NYC heat wave. Harry is the new neighbor that wakes him up by moving in his sole day off at 6am. An NYC enemies to neighbors to lovers AU featuring a rickety fire escape, the 2021 Euros, Lirry bickering like a divorced couple, and enough OT5 clichés to rot your teeth. (If Harry's pastries don't get them first.)

across the river is where my heart is by 4ureyesonly28 / @evilovesyou

[Louis/Harry, 8k, General, tumblr post]

The first time they see each other is when they are toddlers, playing out in the yard. Louis remembers sitting on the perfectly trimmed lawn and getting yelled at for picking at the soft blades of grass; she remembers looking over, across the narrow but deep and wild river, and watching another little girl, out in a different garden, picking flowers for her mother.

She remembers carefully raising her hand and waving—her little heart beating hard in her chest, as if she had done something dangerous, something forbidden, even though back then she could not understand the true divide the River made amongst them.

bright eyes, blue denim by 4ureyesonly28 / @evilovesyou

[Louis/Harry, 2k, General, tumblr post]

Louis' favourite jeans have suddenly disappeared from where he always got them. Harry is a store manager with an affinity for customer care, particularly when the customer has bright blue eyes and happens to be very flirty.

whatever you feel like doing in this moment by 4ureyesonly28 / @evilovesyou

[Harry/Louis, 2k, General, tumblr post]

Louis gets all that he's ever wanted during his favourite game at their group's weekly improv show.

[teawaffles]

The Conspiratorial Bullet: Chapter 8 / End

“Hey, Helena. In the middle of the game, you suddenly went along with that guy and disappeared — where on earth did you go?”

“Hmm…… Explaining it would be a real pain. Just imagine what you like.”

The girl groaned in annoyance. “……Can’t you just tell me? Meanie.”

After the game had ended with the blue team’s victory, as he observed Helena and her former friend’s conversation from a distance, Bond spoke to William.

“Those two sure have gotten closer, haven’t they?”

William answered with a smile.

“Perhaps it’s like how after rain, comes fair weather.” [1]

“Though for the two of them, it must’ve been like a bolt from the blue, huh.”

After that modest exchange of proverbs, Bond wondered aloud.

“Moran-kun and I haven’t heard the details, but for now, can we consider the case closed without incident?”

“Yep; the perpetrator has been caught, and the threat to Helena and her family has been effectively eliminated.”

This time, the plan had been set up after William and the others leveraged their intelligence network to identify the criminal, and then shared the information they’d obtained with Helena. From his profile of Andy, William had read the man’s every move, then intentionally left him at large in order to catch him in the act — that was the entire flow of it. Hence, apart from the key players involved, the others had been told nothing more than that they would be “using the game to capture the criminal”.

William had put an end to it all. After hearing his report, Bond seemed satisfied.

“That’s great. To be honest, ever since I got caught up in the game, I’ve been thinking a little — that maybe, I haven’t actually done anything useful today.”

“Far from it; on the contrary, it’s because you took the game so seriously, that Andy dropped his guard and carried out his plan to frame Mr Kevin.”

“——So you’re saying the match between me and the old geezer was well and truly a serious one.”

Placing a hand on William’s shoulder, Moran joined the conversation. Behind him stood Jack and Albert.

Jack sighed in consternation.

“You’re quite persistent, you know. It was just one hit.”

Yet Moran was undeterred.

“Still, it’s a fact that I scored that hit. If it was a real bullet, you would’ve been a goner.”

“Wasn’t it because it wasn’t live that it managed to hit me……?”

Jack smiled wryly, and Albert spoke up in a cool voice.

“Furthermores, it’s an undeniable fact that you got hit right after. Isn’t that right, Colonel?”

“Ugh.”

Albert had been spot on, and the corners of Moran’s mouth twitched as he fell silent.

Having watched their exchange with amusement, William thanked them once again.

“I’m truly grateful to all of you for lending a hand today. Truthfully, it pained me to have involved everyone in catching just one criminal.”

Hearing that, Moran clapped him on the shoulder.

“As I said, we had fun, so it’s alright. In fact, it’s been a long time since we’ve fought one another all out, so I’m grateful for that.”

“Indeed: we’re also pleased to have had a showdown with Colonel Moran.”

“Now hold on just a minute. Don’t think you’ve won just because you caught me off guard once.”

Even now, Moran was still snapping at Albert. Seeing that, Jack spoke up in a grave tone.

“On the battlefield, even the slightest carelessness will cost you your life, Moran.”

“I’m well aware of the basics! Don’t give me those useless platitudes!”

Just like that, William and the others were engaged in an amicable conversation, when the parent and child who’d been the central figures of this case called out to them.

“Everyone: thank you very much for today.”

Having wrapped up her conversation with her friend, Helena thanked them in a light-hearted tone that was distinctively hers. Continuing from where she’d left off, Kevin stood beside his daughter as he gave the entire Moriarty household a deep bow.

“How can I ever thank you enough for this……?”

On behalf of all of them, Albert spoke.

“We have simply acted according to our sense of justice. In particular, Mr Kevin, I would like to apologise for not informing you of our plans.”

Kevin hastily shook his head.

“No no no; Lord Albert, you have nothing to feel guilty about: you all saved Helena’s and my lives.”

“That’s right — we’re really grateful for that. We’ll probably never forget this kindness.”

Upon hearing that inappropriate cockiness, Kevin admonished her at once.

“What’s this pomposity towards the people who’ve helped you? Also, you should be saying ‘definitely’ rather than ‘probably’……. Apologies; to have such an unpleasant exchange at this time…”

He bowed repeatedly as he said that. But suddenly, as he remained in a bow, Kevin looked up and asked a question.

“……Come to think of it, what happened to that man? It seems the other participants haven’t noticed anything at all.”

He was concerned about Andy Krueger’s fate. He had punched the living daylights out of the man, so much so he’d been knocked unconscious — that much Kevin himself knew, but as William and the others had taken care of the aftermath, he hadn’t heard the details of what happened after that.

“He’s now on one of our carriages, with Louis and Fred keeping an eye on him,” replied William. “We felt there was no need to blindly call in the police and spoil the fun.”

“I see……. Then, will he be taken to the police after this?”

Handing a criminal over to the police. That was what common sense dictated, but William deliberately tilted his head with a troubled expression.

“As much as we would like to, ……the nobility of this country wield an outsize influence, hence there is a concern that even judicial rulings will be twisted in their favour. If that were to happen, both of you may end up in harm’s way again. As such, we shall engage in careful negotiations, with the aim of preventing such things from ever happening again.”

A calm smile rose to William’s face, and unconsciously, Kevin gulped.

Normally, negotiating with a criminal outside the authority of the state would be out of the question. But William’s smile held a power that seemed almost divine, erasing all such doubts.

How would they deal with Andy after this? It was probably wiser not to probe into that. Anyway, it was true that they had saved both their lives. Best to let sleeping dogs lie.

The unfathomable nature of these young men made Kevin’s blood run cold. Then, William changed the topic.

“So, what are your plans from here on?”

Kevin lowered his gaze a little, and met his daughter’s eyes as she stood beside him.

“Just like before, I’m going to spend time with my children. As for the plans for the new store…… To be honest, I’m worried about going it alone, but I intend to do my best anyway.”

“Hmm — I have no idea how to manage a store, but my brother and I will be supporting Mr Kevin together. Even though I don’t look like it, I’m good with housework and stuff, you know.”

“……Is that so?”

At their words, William nodded, and a strange silence settled between the two parties.

Kevin and Helena were trying to appear relieved at having overcome great danger, but even so, it must’ve been an immense shock to learn that a person important to both of them had been murdered. That emotional wound had yet to heal, and now that fact revealed itself in the form of silence.

“U-Um……”

In a hurry, Helena tried to find the words to dispel the unpleasant atmosphere. Right then, Kevin raised his voice a little as he made an announcement.

“In any case, we’ll be alright. Somehow, I believe we’ll overcome this tragedy and move forward.”

Helena nodded along with his words, and William broke into a gentle smile.

“Indeed. I shall be praying for your family’s bright future.”

After those modest words of encouragement, William held out a clenched fist towards Kevin.

“Also, that punch was very satisfying.”

“Definitely. You socked him with all you had — I’ve seen you in a new light.”

Helena did a swift one-two as she shadow-boxed, and Kevin ruffled his hair in embarrassment.

“It was unbecoming of me. Though, I don’t regret it one bit.”

“Since you had the courage to pull that off, I’m sure you’ll do just fine from here on.”

“I’m honoured to hear that. Well then, I hope we meet again someplace else.”

As Kevin bid them farewell, Helena stood up straight and looked at William and the others in turn.

“To everyone in the Moriarty household: today, we are truly in your debt. We’ll never forget this kindness, definitely not.”

With an uncharacteristically polite tone, Helena expressed their gratitude once again, and both father and daughter left the scene with peaceful expressions.

As he sent them off, the eldest brother asked his younger sibling a question.

“——Well now, is this truly the end of it, William?”

A hint of the Lord of Crime — who was striking terror across the country — revealed itself in William’s expression as he spoke.

“Of course not: we still have the finishing touches left.”

At those words, the entire Moriarty household smiled in unison.

T/N: Helena’s story isn’t over just yet — there’s one final piece of the puzzle, and it’s a big one! Stay tuned x)

Footnotes:

[1] This is the literal translation of the proverb 雨降って地固まる — essentially, it means that good things do come out of bad things.

Translator’s notes

The Moriarty household

I’ve translated the phrase モリアーティ家 as “the Moriarty household” when it is used to address everyone in the Moriarty organisation, since “the Moriarty family” suggests that only the three brothers are being referred to.

[blouisparadise]

Upon request, here is a rec list of BL fics that feature worldbuilding. If you enjoy our rec lists, please be sure to like and reblog this post to help spread the word.

Happy reading!

1) Weightless | Explicit | 25332 words

Harry is the best dragon racer the world has ever seen and Louis is an almost-vet who feels like he is carrying the weight of the world.

2) Boiling Blood Will Circulate | Explicit | 42420 words

The wait isn’t long before something starts rustling in the bushes. Harry takes aim, squeezes the trigger, body moving unconsciously. They’re motions he’s done a thousand times before, and his body knows how to do it without the input of his brain now. It’s what makes him such a good shot.

He misses. The shot misses.

Something howls in the woods, a pretty clear indication that Harry hit it, but there’s no telltale sounds of a big body dropping, no animal charging out at him to take him out before he can finish the job.

Something does turn and run, though. “Fuck,” Harry spits out, scrambling to his feet and slinging the rifle back over his shoulder, giving chase. He’s not going to lose this hunt.

The trail of blood goes on longer than Harry thought it would. He doesn’t know how long he runs for, but his muscles are burning, chest heaving with exertion, until the trail just - goes dead. No more blood, just like that.

“Fuck,” Harry says.

3) The Fairy Ring | Explicit | 46100 words

A medieval fantasy AU in which Harry is a prince in disguise and Louis is the king of the faeries.

4) We’ve Got the World in Our Hands | Explicit | 54964 words

Note: This fic is locked and can only be read by AO3 users.

A mutants/superpowers AU. Louis and his friends attend the Cowell Institute for General Education and Mutant Training in London; when Louis meets Harry, the newest student at the Cowell Institute, he immediately recruits Harry to help play matchmaker for his friend Zayn. Harry and Louis are so caught up in meddling in Zayn's love life, though, that they don't notice that their own friendship is progressing into something more. Meanwhile, an ominous threat up north grows slowly until suddenly, no mutant - or human - is safe.

5) Just A Flicker In The Dark | Explicit | 57204 words

Louis is a struggling witch desperate to prove himself after yet another magic disaster and finds a calling in the haunted house of client Niall Horan. Things get more complicated when he’s assigned a case partner: acclaimed medium and ex-boyfriend, Harry Styles.

6) Sweet Creature | Mature | 66753 words

It’s not that Harry expected high school to be easy. He heard all the stories from his sister and he knew that he was in for four years of hell. However, he didn’t exactly expect that hell to also be populated by Angels.

7) We’ll Cast Some Light (You’ll Be Alright) | Not Rated | 74409 words

There’s a standard procedure for this. Scan, track, kill. But with a solar eclipse and a Greater Demon with unfinished business looming, the path to keeping England safe from harm becomes complicated and shadowed by mystery and secrets. For Harry and his team, times have never been harder, especially when a few old friends turned foes show up. Harry is left with just over forty days to overcome the hurdle of tension between them and reconcile their past, and figure out just what Louis is hiding from him before it’s too late.

8) Through Struggles, To The Stars | Explicit | 80582 words

Louis is a Starfleet captain trying to find his place in the universe. Harry is a prince just trying to do what's right.

9) To Embroider Your Waist With Corals | Explicit | 100730 words

All harpy Louis has known is the sky, all merprince Harry has known is the sea, except when they’re together.

10) Praise the Mutilated World | Explicit | 106668 words

An enemies to lovers dystopian au where Harry is an elite alpha and Louis is a rebel omega with too much to fight for. Every move made is monitored, and a fertile omega’s purpose in life is one thing: to give children to their alpha.

11) The Galaxy’s Edge | Explicit | 113921 words

In which Louis is a bounty hunter with a messed up past. Harry is a prince who just wants to prove himself. Niall and Zayn have too many things to figure out together. And Liam just wants to take care of his family.

12) The Compulsion to Find Love | Explicit | 140523 words

The most prestigious English third-level institution, Candling University, accepts omega students for the first time and Louis Tomlinson applies with bright eyes and brighter ambitions. There he encounters personal obstacles, traditional mindsets and a beautiful boy who inverts every prejudice Louis has ever known.

13) Collision | Not Rated | 226294 words

Mythology/Fairytale!AU in which Louis is a dainty fairy with a temper who wants to be intimidating and Harry hurts people. Naturally, they hate each other.

(Featuring Liam, the big and not-so-bad wolf who’s got a thing for humans, Zayn, a human with supernaturally good looks, and Niall, the cupid who just wants his job to be easier.)

14) Queen Of Arizella | Mature | 277919 words

Stealing from Royalty is punishable by death.

Louis starts over, doing his best to keep his hands at his sides, but he is hungry and he tries stealing from the wrong Royal.

Harry is King of Arizella, he needs a Queen and who better than an omega on the run from death? Louis will learn to become the perfect Queen -the perfect fake Queen, but only for a few months.

A fake lover, a fake Queen, but a real bond.

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.

[murderousginger]

She’s A God - Part 2

Peaky blinder fic (Part 1 here)

Masterlist

Warnings: Sass. Alcohol. They’re criminals guys, they do bad things.

Word count: 3,954

Finn was standing at your desk, shyly smiling down on you exactly ten minutes after your shift ended on Monday. Most of the women had packed up and left quickly, shooting odd glances at you as you continued working past the bell. You might as well do more work as you waited for the boy.

Finn's face was flushed and he looked like he had just ran there -- probably from whatever errands his brothers had him on. His clothes were slightly baggy, probably to give him room to grow in, and his hat hung off his head at an angle that gleamed the razor sewn into the cap. Your face broke into a warm smile as you stood up from your desk. 

"Hello Finn, I'm (Y/N)," you said as you extended your hand to him. 

He smiled and shook it, surprise etched on his face you even offered. 

"Hello Miss (Y/N), Tommy told me to meet you here for lessons?" Finn fidgeted as you took his shoulder and guided him into Tommy's office, grabbing a book from your desk at the last moment. Tommy had been elsewhere most of the afternoon, so there was no awkward passing after his housewarming, thankfully.

"Shelly told him a woman had snuck into his study," Lizzie whispered to you at lunch, her face a mix of amusement and annoyance. "He had bought a London whore for the occasion and thought it might have been her. Imagine his surprise to find you there. Shelly knew it was you, of course. Jealousy looks ugly on all women."

"Yes," you said, trying to keep a kind tone. The poor boy seemed nervous and out of place. "Your brother said you had trouble with reading and asked if I could help. Is that alright with you, Finn?"

Finn looked at the floor and shuffled his feet. 

"I don't have no issues with reading," he grumbled. "The letters and words rearrange and get all weird sometimes. I can read."

"I have no doubts you can, Finn," you reassured as you motioned to one of the two chairs in front of Tommy's desk. "You seem like a bright boy. Maybe you can just read some of this book to me, then? You'll be doing me a favor, really. Tommy said he would pay me to help you out. And I brought candy, so any page you read, I can give you some."

You pulled a handful of hard candies from your pocket as you sat down next to Finn. He eyed you cautiously. 

"They treat me like a baby," he said. "I'm not. You shouldn't treat me like a baby, either. I'm 16. I've cut people. I'm a Blinder."

"I have no intention of treating you like a child," you said solemnly as you looked out the door and leaned into Finn conspiratorially. "I just thought, since you have no issues with reading, we could sit here and read together, eating sweets, and tricking that brother of yours out of money. You help me with this, and I'll happily bring you cookies tomorrow."

Finn leaned in with his brows raised. 

"Cookies?"

"Any kind you like," you said as you handed him a candy before popping one in your mouth. "Now read me a page or two, please."

Finn put the candy in his mouth as he squinted at you much like his brother had at the party days before. You held your gaze to his and pushed the book closer to him.

"It's about pirates," you lilted as you nudged him with your shoulder. "They have even better adventures than your brothers do."

He ran his hand over the front before he opened it. 

"Treasure Island," he read slowly, "by Robert Louis Stevenson." 

You nodded for him to go on and he began reading slowly. You let him read at his own pace, only helping him sound words out after he could not get them figured out himself. You praised him, handing him another candy after a particularly hard word or completed page. It was slow going, and you had only finished a chapter or two in an hour, but Finn was looking more and more confident in his reading and he was quickly becoming interested in the story. 

"I think that's enough today, Finn," you said as you reached for the book and dogged the ear of the page and closed it. "Tomorrow we'll start chapter three."

"But I want to find out why Billy Bones attacked Black Dog!" He said excitedly. "That fight was legendary. And why do these people like rum so much? Everyone knows whiskey is better."

"And how would you know that?" You raised a brow as Finn blushed. 

"Everyone knows it, (Y/N)," he said. "That's why all my brothers drink it."

"Maybe it's only pirates that appreciate rum," you mused as you nudged him. "Rum is for mischief."

"Whiskey is for business, and we are businessmen."

The low rumble reverberated, making both of you jump and look at the man in the doorway. Tommy leaned against it, watching you with a small smirk on his face. 

"Just thought I'd check to see how you two fared," Tommy said. "Finn, how do you like her, eh?"

Finn slowly looked between Tommy and you, giving you a mischievous curl of his lip before he grinned and nodded at Tommy. 

"(Y/N)'s a good tutor, Tommy," he said as he stood from his seat. "I think I'm getting better already."

"Good good," Tommy nodded before he jerked his head to the side. "Off you go."

Finn looked back at you to be met with your grin and nod goodbye. He bound for the door and his brother, only to spin and take his hat off to look down at it in his hand. 

"Can you make lemon bars for tomorrow, miss (Y/N)?" 

You chuckled at the boy's attempt at propriety in front of Tommy. 

"Yes, Finn," you said smiling. "Read me chapter three and four tomorrow best you can and I'll send you home with the whole pan."

"Promise?" He said excitedly before elbowing Tommy. "We never get lemon bars at home."

You nodded and Finn spun around Tommy and ran out of the room, excited for the next chapters and his reward. Tommy stood like a statue leaning against the frame. 

"Did he mind well?" He asked, searching his pockets for a cigarette and light. He took his eyes off you to light the end, shuffling the lighter back into his pockets and blowing the smoke above his head. He quirked his head to the side as his eyes found yours again and he waited for your answer. 

"Finn was darling, Mr. Shelby," you said stiffly as you gripped your chair. "He will be an avid reader with wonderful comprehension in no time. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll leave for my own home."

He didn't move, so neither did you. 

"I've talked to my brothers, (Y/N)," he said. "Arthur couldn't pick you out of a crowd and John said you've only ever been professional with him despite his normal comments. Michael works in the office ten feet away and he says you are the only woman in the office that doesn't gossip and keeps to your work when the bosses aren't looking. I'm convinced the lot of them only heard you say 'Yes Mr. Shelby' or 'No Mr. Shelby.'"

You mirrored the tilt of his head with yours.

"Yes, Mr. Shelby," you said with a raised eyebrow.

"Is there a reason you hate my family?" He said as he squinted his eyes. "Have we killed someone you love? Are you related to someone I'm not aware of? Or is it just me you actively despise?"

"Have you ever seen locusts swallow a field, Mr. Shelby?" You asked, meeting his eyes with the same intensity of a forest fire. "Without the right checks and balances, they'll decimate a field in a blink. You've swallowed Birmingham and you're already moving on to London."

"We've always made sure families were taken care of," he started. "Especially Birmingham families. And I've said to call me Tommy."

"In the aftermath, Tommy," you said as you stood up and went to grab your coat. "It's an afterthought. A reaction after your family hurts others. After your plans have consequences."

"And Finn is the only Shelby without blood on his hands, is that it?" He said as he kicked off of the doorway, taking up the exit as you stood under his gaze. 

You refused to flinch. You had been under a Shelby's nose your entire life, this wasn't new, just more literal than usual.

"Finn is a sweet boy that is willing to learn," you huffed. "I can find traits in all of you that I find admirable, but together you care for nothing but yourselves."

"Admirable traits, is it?" He said as he crossed his arms and raised his brow. "Do tell me. You've read enough books from the library I'm sure. Tell me about my family."

You faltered as your eyes went back to the ground and your tongue rushed to press against your teeth. 

"No," he stated simply as his hand tapped your chin to raise your eyes back to his. "I want to know. From a self-learned outsider, tell me about my family."

You sighed and rolled your eyes before you took a deep breath and straightened your back.

"Polly is strong but impulsive," you said quickly, as if reciting notes. "Arthur is obviously a sweet-hearted empathetic man that's been broken by his leaders and his vices to become the erratic explosive man he is today--"

Tommy scoffed as he raised his eyes to the ceiling. 

"Obviously," he said somewhere between a statement and a question. He waved his hand. "Go on."

"John wants the world handed to him on a platter and knows his charms and smile are the best way to get it. His aspirations barely go above women and drink. Ada, who I've seen rarely, is smart for wanting nothing to do with this operation. She tries to help those around her, from what I've heard of her in London. Michael was raised a nice village boy but has your ambition. I fear the day he actually gains power. And Finn is sweet and wants so badly for you to include him that he's willing to do anything. Dangerous for a young man his age."

"And?"

"And you," you exhaled tiredly. "Are very smart but your ego could suffocate anyone else in the room with you. Are you happy now? May I go?"

"No," he said as his arms dropped to his sides and he eyed you. His tone gentled to the point of startling you and you eyed him back. "You've noticed us, our strengths -- what you consider weaknesses--"

"Are weaknesses," you corrected as you crossed your arms and leaned on one hip to better look up at him. 

"Our weaknesses," he ground out. "Why?"

"You can't walk three steps in this town without hearing about a Shelby," you sighed. "You may not have noticed me but your family is impossible to avoid. Why do you think I work here? Better to work for the wolves than be preyed upon by them." 

"Is that some other latin phrase I should know?" 

Your smile held no joy as you watched Tommy Shelby finally remove himself from the doorway to let you pass. 

"No," you said as you stopped beside him and looked into his eyes one last time. "But here's one your family should learn if you ever want to stop ruling this town in fear: Ut ameris, amabilis esto."

"And that means?"

Your smile finally reached your eyes and you stepped out of the doorway. 

"You're a smart man," your mouth held in a tight line. "Look it up."

----

Tommy rolled his eyes and closed the door to his office behind her before he walked to his desk to put out his cigarette. He rummaged for another in his pocket and lit it. He inhaled slowly with his eyes closed before he sank into his chair and started shuffling the paperwork he needed to finish before he headed home. 

He looked at the door for a moment, knowing she would have been out the front door and walking through the city to get back to her place by now. He smiled softly as he leaned back and scoffed at the ceiling. He took another long drag of his cigarette and watched the smoke above him disappear. After a moment he finally leaned forward to work on his papers, pushing her and her words from his head. 

Once he got home, he nodded to the maid that greeted him and declined her offer for tea. 

"Not tonight, no thank you," he murmured as he moved silently through the house. 

He went into the study and poured himself a drink before he leaned on the shelf and looked back at his desk. The image of her leaning on it floated into his mind and he scoffed again, rolling his eyes at himself as if to shake her image away. 

Walking to the bookshelf that she had been looking through, he fingered a book out and sat down at his desk, taking a drink of his whiskey before he leafed through the pages. After quite some time, he chuckled and leaned back in his chair, looking at the ceiling. He closed the book, chuckling to himself as he finished the whiskey he had forgotten about. 

"If you want to be loved, be loveable," he said softly.

----

The next few weeks went as they ever did. Other than the addition of working with Finn for an hour after work and the extra roll of money once a week at your desk, nothing seemed to have changed. You did your work, kept your head down, and thankfully the other Shelby's returned to ignoring you. 

You enjoyed your afternoons with Finn, and had easily made enough baked goods to fatten the boy up had he not been so active otherwise. He was always hungry and you had no problem feeding him as a reward as he progressed. He was quickly devouring the first book -- reading faster and more pages every day -- and you had happily picked out a few more books you thought he would enjoy that now waited in your desk drawer.

Tommy had been polite and distant, always out of his office before Finn appeared. One afternoon, you had walked into his empty office to see a note folded with your name on it. You looked at it, frozen for a moment, before you picked it up and opened it. It was a simple phrase, printed carefully. 

Amore et melle et felle es fecundissimus.

"Love is rich with honey and venom," you murmur with a smile. 

You slipped the paper into your pocket before you picked up a blank piece of paper and wrote your reply, Vincit qui se vincit. He conquers who conquers himself. You folded the paper and placed it on top of his seat as Finn came in. 

"Ready for today?" Finn asked, sitting down in his seat. "I bet we finish the book."

"I think you can," you answered with a smile as you rounded the desk to take your seat. "I have another I think you'll enjoy for after."

Finn opened the book to his marker and started reading. You allowed yourself a moment as you bit your lip, looking across the desk to Tommy's chair. Were you smart to play this game?

After that, a note appeared on your typewriter. You smiled when you opened the paper to read 'Aut viam inveniam aut faciam,' I will either find a way or make one. You scribbled your response, 'Malum consilium quod mutari non potest,' Bad is the plan that cannot change, and left it on his desk after your lesson with Finn. 

You continued passing Latin phrases back and forth every few days. Some of them were silly, others were motivational, but all of them had an undercurrent of a double meaning that you couldn't quite place. You both continued to be proper and professional with each other in person, but the cheeky Latin notes felt like they should be between two people far more close.

One afternoon, Finn showed up with a lopsided grin on his face. 

"Tommy told me to give you this," he said as he shoved the paper at you. "I tried to read it but that's not English, innit?"

You opened it carefully to read a scribbled 'Flectere si nequeo superos, Acheronta movebo.'

If I cannot move Heaven, I will raise Hell.

You smiled. 

"No, it's not English," you said before playfully glaring at him. "What are you reading other people's notes for anyhow?"

Finn smiled sheepishly. 

"They never tell me nothin'," he said. "I wanted to know if it was about me."

You laughed. 

"It's not about you, Finn," you reassured. "Now, let's start your book."

An hour later, you hugged Finn bye. 

"Finn!" You called as you finished writing and folded the paper. "Give Tommy this."

"Tommy?" He questioned with a smile. "I think that's the first I haven't heard 'Mr. Shelby.'"

"Just give him the note, cheeky brat," you laughed. 

Finn stuck his tongue out at you and opened the note. 

"Desti-" he read and knotted his face, "destitutes vent--"

"Destitutus ventis, remos adhibe," you laughed. "It means 'if the winds fail you, use the oars.'"

"What's that even mean?"

"It's not your note, is it?" You taunted. "You don't need to know."

Days later, you found a note stuck under a bottle of wine in front of your door. You opened it, immediately recognizing the messy writing that had replaced the clean letters of the first few notes as time passed. 'Audentes fortuna iuvat,' Fortune favors the bold. You smiled and looked around to find no one. You brought the bottle in and locked the door behind you. 

You wrote your response, unsure of how to give it to him after the bottle of wine on your door. You held onto it, hoping you would find a perfect opportunity. 

----

"I don't think you'll need me anymore after today, Finn," you said as you hugged the boy one Friday months later. "You've read through that last book with no problems. Just keep reading and you'll be great."

"If I woulda known that, I wouldn't have read so fast," he frowned as he closed the book he just finished. "I liked seeing you in the afternoons. I even looked forward to it after the weekends."

You laughed. 

"You can still see me around and we can talk books if you like," you smiled. "Tell you what, you can come around on Sundays. I'll feed you lunch and you can tell me what you're reading, how's that sound?"

"You promise?" Finn asked as his eyes lit up. "Deal."

"Inviting Shelby's into your home now?" Tommy called from behind them at the doorway. "Did Finn break the Shelby curse and warm your heart?"

"Tommy," you said evenly. "I was just telling our Finn that he won't need me anymore, but he was welcome to talk books with me anytime."

"If you think he's done, I suppose it's done," he said. "Our Finn, run on home and we can talk about your future once I get there. I'll need a word with (Y/N)."

"Yessir," Finn said as he looked at Tommy's serious expression. He gave you a friendly smile and was out in a flash. 

"Thank you for the wine," you said quietly once Finn was gone.

"Thank you for getting my brother's reading up to speed," he said. "In only a few months, too. I should make my other brothers see you."

"I don't think they would be as receptive," you laughed and he smiled. 

"Probably not," he chuckled. 

"I haven't found a note knocking around my desk," he said, taking a step forward from the doorway as you stood from your chair. "Did I lose it?"

You watched him carefully, but couldn't help but smile. 

"No, Tommy," you said. "You haven't lost it."

"Tommy, you say," he teased as he stepped in front of you. "I've finally lost the chill of using proper names."

"Tends to happen when you trade notes like children. Or spies."

"Well?" He said as he smiled and raised his eyebrows. "Where's my note?"

You tilted your head to look up at him to properly meet his eyes. 

"Do you pour over them by candlelight, trying to decipher them with your books you hadn't read until I upset you in your study?" You teased, smiling up at him. "Do you look forward to my responses, desperate for the challenge?"

"I've not been desperate in a long time," Tommy said, looking over your face as he leaned closer. "But I do look forward to a challenge."

"Happy to give you one, then," you said, looking down to his soft lips before meeting his bright blue eyes. 

"Are you talking about yourself or my next latin phrase, (Y/N)?" He growled as his own eyes dipped to your lips, causing you to smirk. 

"Acta non verba, Tommy," you said as you circled around him and out the door. "Goodnight and have a good weekend, Mr. Shelby," you called as you walked away. "I'm sure it will be filled with dubious adventures and women who find criminal activity all too attractive."

----

One afternoon a few days later, Tommy called for you and Lizzie from his doorway, leaving the other ladies in fits of whispers as to what was going on. Lizzie and you both shared a look, cautiously walking together into Tommy's office. 

"Close the door," he waved at you as he sat down, "I need to speak with both of you."

You closed the door quietly and turned as Tommy sat behind his desk. He shuffled some paperwork and motioned for you both to sit. 

"Now," he said as he cleared his throat. "I've been thinking about investing, or rather creating, a foundation for the orphan children of Birmingham."

Lizzie immediately stiffened before she went to say something. 

"Now Lizzie is already bogged down with my other ventures," Tommy said as he spoke over her before looking at you. "And you have a good head on your shoulders as well as an eye for bullshit. This foundation is to be above board and not to be mixed with my other operations, and I'd like you to set it up and run it." 

"Me?" You stammered, "I don't--"

"Lizzie will help teach you the paperwork and such," he said as he leaned back with his hands on the desk. "I'll trust you to set it up and keep it running. You'll report directly to me about it, and hopefully it will do some good around our city. What do you say, (Y/N)?"

"I don't-- I'm speechless," you said, looking between Lizzie's shocked face and Tommy's cool expression. "I'm not sure I'm fit for the job."

"You're fit as much as anyone else," he said evenly. "I trust you'll make yourself an expert overnight with that brain of yours. That'll be all, ladies, I'll fill you in more as I gather the pieces."

Lizzie stood up and went to walk back out the door but you sat shocked, still looking at Tommy's placid face. 

"Why me?" You asked barely above a whisper. "Why not Polly or Ada or Lizzie?"

"Someone once told me 'deeds not words,'" he said with a twinkle in his eye. "I fully intend on living by that."

[faithinthefuture28]

Larry songs timeline & what it tells us about the evolution of their relationship

**These are all just my interpretations but the more I listen to the music they wrote, the more it all fits together. ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THROUGHOUT THE YEARS THEY’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT WRITING “AUTOBIOGRAPHICALLY” AND “FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE”

I deffo missed some songs but these stood out to me:

2013

L-Strong: Love isn’t easy (waves trying to break it) but what we have means something and it’s worth fighting for. read: love is only for the brave (Think of how much love that’s been wasted...there’s nothing i’m running from...i don’t care, I’m not scared of love) And we bring out the best in each other so lets not throw this away (i’d do anything to save it...when i’m not with you i’m weaker). 

H-Happily: I want to fight for us too bc we’re on fire and our love is powerful af. ik we have to do stunts and stuff (and if (s)he feels my traces in your hair, sorry love but I don’t really care) but what we have is insane and fuck everyone else bc you’re MINE and i’m YOURS at the end of the day (i wanna be the one who holds you when you sleep). Together, we’re magic so just be with me so happily

H-Something Great: ****this song is very straightforward so i won’t explain it much***** (i want you here with me like how i pictured it so i dont have to keep imagining... We’re better off together here tonight). Written as a longing for what could be if they dont have to suppress the relationship. (script was written...want to rip it all to shreds) Louis’ response (you’re all I want so much it’s hurting) basically says “it’s not too much to ask babe, i want it too.” This has the kind of longing that ‘wouldn’t it be nice- beach boys’ which Harry has admitted is kind of a theme song. 

L-Through the Dark: I know all this bs we’re going through is taking a toll on you and hurts you and i hate seeing you upset (you tell me that your sad...you tell me that you’re hurt and youre in pain and i can see your head is held in shame...i just wanna see you smile again) but I will do everything physically possible to protect you from any pain bb (i’d never let you fall and break your heart, if u wanna cry or fall apart, i’ll be there to hold ya). We’re going through this together and I will take on any responsibility needed to keep you happy.  I’M WILLING TO GO THROUGH HELL TO FIGHT FOR US HARRY LOVE (entire chorus basically).

L-Better than Words: holy fuck our love is amazing can’t even describe it can i just sing to you foreva love u babycakes

L-Why don’t we go there: what if...we just forgot about the world and escaped and enjoyed each others love and rode the high??? Also sex

2014

L-Ready to Run: *******Followup to Why Don’t We Go There*********** But this time let’s escape for real bc (there’s me inside a sinking boat running out of time). Like i’m ready to get out of here and it could just be us living happily ever after (this time i’m ready to run). Honestly nothing else makes sense (without you i’ll never make it out alive...wherever you are is the place i belong). I know what i want out of life and IT’S YOU HARREH (i want to be free and i wanna be yours, i will never look back). 

L-Steal My Girl: all u thirsty hoes find someone else bc Harry is MY pretty princess. Srsly ask his family. But you can still admire how he looks in those jeans. We all do. You know the ones

L-No Control: boy u fine, let’s do what lovers do IN THE MORNING. bc we can. also you own me and i am urs

L-Clouds: WE KNEW THIS WAS GONNA BE HARD SO WHY ARE YOU BEING A LITTLE BITCH (you dont like it complicated...but love is never ever simple...you are tired of all the changes, but love is always always changing). We could be great yo, just keep fighting (if we’re never coming back down, we’ll looking down on the clouds...we go and we go and we dont stop)

H-Where do Broken Hearts Go: IM SORRY LOU BABY YOURE EVERYTHING (rest of my crimes dont come close the look on your face when i let you go... the taste of your lips...is at the top of the list of things i want). H&L’s call and  response at the end is basically forgiveness and acknowledgment (come on baby come and get me out, come on baby cuz i need you now)

H-Two Ghosts: *****was written around this time according to Harry******. This is fucking hard yo. We’re drained and exhausted and idk how much more we can fight for this... (it’s not you and it’s not me...sounds like something that i used to feel). That infatuation and electricity and hope that fueled our younger selves isn’t really there anymore and i’m just tired man (we’re just two ghosts swimming in a glass half empty, trying to remember how it feels to have a heartbeat, we’re not who we used to be...this was all we used to need). We’re empty vessels going through the motions (same eyes blue, couple more tattoos). AND WE AREN’T FUCKING COMMUNICATING (we dont say what we really mean). 

2015

H&L-Perfect: so what if... we get rid of the pressure of forever? What if we just have fun doing the stupid shit we love and makes us feel alive (trouble up in hotel rooms, secret little rendezvous, things you know that we shouldn’t do). Like we won’t be out of each others’ lives, I’m still around and we can find comfort in each other and even mess around here and there (I can be the one you love from time to time). Remember how we used to be young and EXCITED (when i first saw you from across the room, i could tell that you were curious) let’s get that energy back without the responsiblity of an adult relationship. And we can keep making art lmao (if youre looking for someone to write your breakup songs about). 

L-Long Way Down *****this song fkn hurts man. It’s overlooked a lot but shows so much insight**** We were...everything. And maybe that’s the problem? We’ve been through so fucking much, more than anyone our age should have to endure. (We've been in fire, Went down in the flames. We sailed the ocean And drowned in the waves. Built a cathedral But we never prayed) We didn’t know what we had. We were damn kids man. We weren’t prepared for all this. We didn’t know how powerful this would be. We didn’t know what it required of us. (We had a mountain But took it for granted. We had it all yeah. Who could’ve planned it). We didn’t know what to do with it, how to deal with it, so here we are. (We had a spaceship But we couldn't land it) We’re each other’s everything, but we can’t keep going on like this babe. (We found an island But we got stranded). I don’t want to leave you but being together is breaking us down. (Point of no return and now It's just too late to turn around) We thought we were untouchable. That love conquers all. Maybe, we were wrong. This is gonna hurt like a bitch (We built it up so high and now I'm fallin', it’s a long way down)

H-Olivia: I LIVE FOR YOU, I LONG FOR YOU, I LOVE YA. And i think i’ll always love ya. And I’m scared...of life without you (i get the feeling you’re walking out, time is irrelevant when i’ve not been seeing you, the consequences are falling now, there’s something i’m having nightmares about...dont let me go). But maybe just maybe thats okay, because you’re AIMH (you live in my imagination...i love you, it’s all i do). 

L-Love you Goodbye: I fucking love you and I’ll always fucking love you but i think this is the right thing to do even though it feels so wrong (i know there’s nothing i can do to change it, but is there something that can be negotiated?) We made some goddamn fireworks together though (unforgettable together held the whole world in our hands) and do ya maybe think...we can make them just once more? (if tomorrow you wont be mine, let me give it to you one last time, baby let me love you goodbye...one more taste of your lips just to bring me back to the places we’ve been and the nights we’ve had because if this is it, then at least we could end it riiiiight). ********in the interview with our FAVE Gwen Garcia, she asked if it’s better to say goodbye and end a relationship that’s not feeling right or keep trying even if your heart’s not in it. Harry responds with “I think it’s better to say goodbye...but sometimes if youre trying to protect..” Then Louis cuts him off and says “you’re going deep aren’t you”, brushing the question off as a joke but imho i think there was pain in that answer. Then Harry continues “if you’re not 100% in it, I think it’s better for both parties if you say goodbye”. And Louis adds a “yeah” at the end.********

H-Walking in the Wind: I know this is scary but i think we can do it, (you said to me do you believe i’ll be too far? if youre lost just look for me you’ll find me) I think because youre AIMH and i’m always in yours, it’ll be good for us. And look at us being mature, we’re killing it babe. We can live our separate lives and grow on our own. We dont need to make it messy and hurtful. We’re on the same page. (the fact that we can sit right here and say goodbye means we’ve already won. A necessity for apologies between you and me, baby there is none). At this point, we’re kinda part of each other right? So it’s healthy for us to be apart for a bit. (it’s not the end, i’ll see your face again... i know we’ll be alright...just close your eyes and see i’ll be by your side any time you need me). And you’ve helped me grow into the person I am, and I you, so that’s cool as hell, right? (you will find me in places that we’ve never been). We had a TON of fun (we had some good times didnt we) so i feel okay that we’re doing this (goodbyes are bittersweet) and starting the next adventure in our lives. 

H-If I could fly: I. am. yours. Louis. William. Tomlinson. (for your eyes only, i’ll show you my heart). Maybe this growth thing isn’t worth it, let me prove to you how much you mean to me (i think i might give up everything just ask me to). This is gonna be hard as shit because i’m so dependent on you (i’m missing half of me when we’re apart). I’m being honest and I’m being scared and I’m being vulnerable because I can’t lie to you and pretend I’m strong (i let my guard down, right now i’m completely defenseless). But we’re part of each other, right? (i could feel your heart inside of mine). I’ll always be here for you Lou (for when you’re lonely and forget who you are) even if for now we can’t physically be together. 

L-Home: I’ve tried, Harry. I’ve tried to play pretend (told myself i kind of like her but there was something missin in her eyes). But i was lost (i was stumblin, lookin in the dark with an empty heart) because none of it was enough, none of it was YOU (it was there i sawr it in your eyes). And then i met you and you felt the same and we’re both lost souls playing pretend who found magic in each other (but you say you feel the same, could we ever be enough?) Is our love enough to overcome everything? Maybe we can be enough. Maybe I can make this enough, let me try to make it enough for you. And if we go our separate ways, know that I’m here for you no matter what. I won’t let you be lost again. (When you’re lost I’ll find a way and I’ll be your light, you will never feel like you’re alone, I’ll make this feel like home). So go. wander. find yourself. Then when you’re ready, come home. 

 2016-2017

H- Sweet Creature: ***Harry admit that this was the first song he wrote for the album**** We aren’t in the best place rn. We’ve been fighting (had another talk about where it’s going wrong...it’s hard when we argue, we’re both stubborn). But it’s you Louis. It can’t be anyone else. (don’t know where we’re going but we know where we belong... wherever I go, you bring me home). That’s not even a question. I’m still trying to figure out who I am, but the one thing I know is that a large part of who I am is you (we started 2 hearts in one home). And aint no way I’m losing that part of myself (when i run out of road, you bring me home). It was always you. 

H-MMITH: Whenever you’re ready, I’m ready (just let me know i’ll be at the door,  hoping you’ll come around). I know I need to work on myself a little more (i gotta get better, and maybe we’ll work it out) but honestly i’m getting impatient and i want things to go back to how they were and i want to be yours again (once you go without it, nothing else would do). But I can’t communicate this to you clearly so let me just put this in a song and hope you get it (we dont talk about it, it’s something we dont do) ****Harry mentioned in an interview that he expresses himself through songwriting when he can’t say the words directly to a person because it’s easier to just write it in a song than have difficult conversations*****

H-ESNY: ****honestly no idea what this song is about but it’s something to do with them fighting and not communicating and being in a weird place before their relationship is rekindled******* edit: this could be about his stepdad

H-FTDT: I MISS YOU AND I’M TOO FULL OF PRIDE TO TELL YOU DIRECTLY JUST COME BACK INTO LIFE LOU I’M LONELY AND SAD AND EMPTY AND IM NOT FUCKING FINDING MYSELF LIKE YOU SAID I WOULD (woke up alone, played with myself where were you...we havent spoke since you went away, why wont you ever say what you wanna say) So until then I sit and wait for your sorry ass to make the first move (maybe one day you’ll call me and tell me that you’re sorry too...but you never do). Also like i have to hear from other people how you are?? (i saw your friend that you know from work, he said that you feel just fine) ANd you’re sharing OUR clothes with people?? wtf just swallow your pride and call me 

L-Miss You: OKAY BUT I CANT JUST CALL YOU BECAUSE I HAVE PRIDE TOO also my mates are trying to make me get over you (now i’m asking my friends how to say I’m sorry, they say lad give it ttime there’s no need to worry, and we can’t even be on the phone now). So i’m just numbing your absence with partying and drinks but CLEARLY ITS NOT WORKING (should be laughing but there’s something wrong...shit maybe i miss you...when i feel it coming up i just throw it all away, get another few shots cuz it doesn’t matter anyway...such a good time, i’ll believe it this time). This is weird bc like you were my everything but im trying to get used to this and it fucking sux (oh how shit changes, we were in love, now we’re strangers). And tbh, its scary af bc what if this is it (i’m asking myself, is it over?). BUT ALSO LIKE WTF U COULD REACH OUT FIRST YA KNOW (i’ve been checking my phone all evening).

H-Anna: wtf Louis how do you not see how much this is killing me. I miss you so much and seeing you on tv or in pics drives me wild bc you’re not mine. (I don’t want your sympathy but you don’t know what you do to me...everytime I see your face there’s only so much I can take...I guess it would be nice if I can touch your body). And idk if you’re replacing me (don’t know where you’re laying, just know it’s not with me) and we’re in SUCH a weird place rn how do I tell u you’re the loml (don’t know what I’d say if I passed you on the street...don’t know what I’d tell you if you asked me for the truth) so I refuse to put this song on the album and let you know this and give you satisfaction from knowing how gone I still am for you bc I have 0 idea how you feel (hope you never see this and know that it’s for you)

L-Always You: SO THIS IS ME SWALLOWING MY PRIDE STANDING IN FRONT OF YOU SAYING IM SORRY FOR THAT NIGHT... ok but fr i miss u i miss u i miss u i miss u and nothing else compares like i can travel the whole world and all i think about is how much more fun it was with you and the memories we shared and i wish i could just say thx fr th mmrs and move on but actually no thx actually fuck you for making me not able to enjoy my life without you. So like...come home? and wrap your legs around me? also lmao i took El to a gay bar in amsterdam for her bday lmao i miss u come cuddle me and i’ll tell you all about it

L-We Made It: looks like we made it, look how far we’ve come my baby. They saidd I bett they’ll never make it, but just look at us holding onn, we’re still togetherr, still going stronggg. Also to the fans, miss our single bed and the nights we talked about our dreams :-* also Andrew my man luv u

2018-2019

L-KMM: our love was youthful and exhilarating and fucking electric and i think it still can be. dont know what i’d do without you now H 

L-DLIBYH: We’re strong babe and we’ve grown and we aren’t gonna let life drag us down. I’m doing better, you’re doing better, this is what we wanted. And now any shit we go through, we’ll go through TOGETHER 

L-Too Young: Okay but looking back, that was a lot of shit we went through and we were just babies and i’m sorry for not fighting harder (i cant believe i gave in to the pressure when they said a love like this would never last so i cut you off cuz i didnt know no better) baby i tried, i tried to protect you but like it was just so much and i hate that you got hurt and i wont ever let that happen again. ALso go us for being mature and COMMUNICATING (face to face at the kitchen table, we can finally have a conversation that I wish we could’ve had before). ANd i know you’re an arrogant son of a bitch who can’t admit when he’s sorry so here let ME say i’m sorry that i hurt you darling. Like we were too young to know we had everything BUT now we’re old(er) and can realize that when we’re together, we DO have everything now and omg is this our happily ever after and we can have a daughter and name her Darcy 

L-Habit: do i need to spell it out for you iiiiii aaaaaaaaammmmmmm sssssssoooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyy. But tbh i let you go because it felt right because mentally you were already out the door and i needed to give you room to grow babe. And i needed the space too (you gave me the time and the space i was out of control and i’m sorry i let you down). but like also i’ve learned i can’t escape you Styles. You’re always in my fucking heart and my fucking mind and in every essence of my being and somehow I knew that 9 years ago and it took me this long to realize how powerful this really is (guess that that i know what i already knew, i was better with you and i miss you now). Ooooh also my favorite line i wrote (took some time cuz i ran out of energy of playing someone I heard I’m supposed to be and honestly i dont have to choose anymore) like who am i kidding, im done pretending i just wanna be yoursss now

L-Defenseless: I can’t help it okay theres something about you that doesn’t let me stay away. I need you and I know that rekindling this relationship isn’t going to be easy even though it feels so so right. It’s going to be hard work (sleeping on our problems but we’ll solved them in our dreams, wake up early morning and it’s still under the sheets) and we need to communicate and solve our problems but here I am, raw and unfiltered and emotionally naked in front of you ready to lay it all on the table (not sure how to say this right, got so much to lose. NEver been so defenseless). So like this branch I’m reach out to you and you be honest with me too babe (you dont have to keep on being strong for me and you. Acting like you feel no pain, you know i know you do...I can’t get inside, when you’re lost in your pride but you don’t have a thing to prove). Be open with me. Lets talk. Let’s solve problems. Lets have an adult relationship. I’m asking for a little vulnerabiltiy babe. It’s just me. Theres nothing to be scared of

L-Walls: And here you have me in my purest form. No lies, no secrets, no insecurities to hide behind. Losing you was fucking painful but i got through it. I’ve been through hell and back and I’ve fought. And without you, I grew into the person I am. And any further growing i’m doing is gonna be with you. bc it was all for you babe. and honestly i can take anything life throws at me now. I��m strong baby. I’m fucking strong and fucking brave and fucking resilient and...fucking yours. ***** wtf is the I just hope i see you one day and you’ll say to me oh oh********

H-Golden: You are the literal sun and I’m not ready. YOU’RE SUCH A GOOD PERSON (you were way too bright for me, i’m hopeless, broken, so you wait for me in the sky). I’m scared to go through this alone, I need your comfort and your guidance (i can feel you take control of who i am and all i’ve ever known). But you’re scared to go through this with me bc you dont wanna get hurt and i’m too open so where tf does that leave us. ******this could be about coming out especially with the London AND NY secret shows where Harry added the lyric I’m hoping someday you’ll open*******

H-Adore You: You dont have to say you love me, you dont have to say nothing, you dont have to say you’re mine. I’d walk through fire for you. Just let me adore Lou. Like its the only thing I’ll ever do. read: Louis is a great person to just admire what he’s like. ALso I dont need anything back. I just dont want to hide my love for you anymore. I don’t need answers or promises. Just let me adore you. ********the music video is also basically a Louis appreciation post. He was the boy with the smile that the world took away from him. He found Harry lost and loved him and nurtured him and made him confident and allowed him to be who he wanted to be. But in doing so, Harry became big and unsatisfied and wanted to explore the world and was clearly interested in Hollywood and Rockstardom especially evident in his behavior 2014-2015. And Louis wasn’t about that life and didn’t want to hold him back. So he let him free. But they realized that they don’t work apart. Wherever they’re going, they’re going together, as the boy sails into the unknown following the fish. I see it as Harry’s version of “this one is a thank you for what you did for me” ************* I see it, I appreciate it, and I love you for it

H-Lights Up: ****fight with Louis. (What do you mean I’m sorry by the way) About coming out? About fame? (Step into the light, so bright sometimes) Either way, L is the guy driving the motorcycle in the video who makes H feel comfortable and safe until they get pulled over because SOMEONE wont let them love*******

H-Falling: What if i’m out, what if i’m someone you won’t talk about? Okay maybe I lied I do want you to claim me. Would me coming out of the closet make that hard for you? I CAN’T GO THROUGH AN IDENTITY CRISIS WITHOUT YOU LOU. I picked someone supportive and now I’m spoiled and I dont know how to be with myself. You want back in my life but what if I dont deserve it? (you said you cared and you missed me too...what i’m someone i dont want around). What if you’re better off without me? (i get the feeling that you’ll never need me again). I know youve been through so much shit because of me, things you’ve never even told me about and im afraid...that I wasn’t worth it. Am I being selfish? because either way, i want YOU (what if you’re someone i just want around). Does that make me a bad person? 

H-TBSL: ****Probably when they starting talking again but it was v casual and they didn’t really discuss their relationship yet*****. I MISS U BUT I WONT TELL U THAT and its nice to talk to u again i missed your voice but if u call me baby i will kill u bc that word has weight OKAY. Like i know you just call everyone babe and darling and sweetheart but baby is FOR ME and only for me when you wake up with me and cuddle me and if you think you have any right calling me baby without giving the luxury of being in a relationship with you then piss off because that shit hurts dude. (i know that you’re trying to be friends, know that you mean it...it’s hard for me to go home to be so lonely). ALso it’s not my fault i’m like this, you literally captured my heart when i was 16 like wtf do u expect (dont blame me for falling, i was just a little boy)

H-Sunflower Vol. 6: we were babies and i was so enamored by you and you’re so bright and beautiful and i want to watch you all day and make you smile and i want you to touch my hair and call me curly and i hope im not making you uncomfortable with my heart eyes but like how are you so perfect. I hope you think i’m cool, i’m really trying but like you’re SO FUNNY and charming and everyone loves you i hope im not embarassing myself. And now it’s like 8 years later and i think i can have you again and i want you so bad but i dont wanna seem too eager and im trying to have dignity and not text you first but like also i want nothing more than to talk to you. Do you think i’m cool now? did you like my new hairstyle? Do you think i’m funny on tour? I want everything i want to be domestic again and kiss in the kitchen and i want to cook for you and as;ldfa;sdhaf i want to buy you flowers everyday and shower ur cute face with kiss. boopx28 

H-Canyon Moon: Hell yea i got ma man back and i have a girlfriend named Jennifer ;) and we are domestic and even though I HATE being away from him for work (so hard to leave it) we have the 2 week rule yall then i can wrap my legs around him and after so so so long I’ll be h.o.m.e. Also did i tell you his eyes are so so blue like sky who i dont know her

H-TPWK: So we’re really doing this. We don’t need to have it all figured out. We can just be us. and happy. and dance. The world loves us babe. (Giving second chances, I don’t need all the answers and if we’re here long enough we’ll see it’s all for us and we’ll belong)

H-Fine Line: You’ve got my devotion but man I can hate you sometimes....We’ll be a fine line. Between what? love and hate? public and private? out and in the closet? each others’ and ourselves? Idk. But i’m going to swallow my pride (my hands at risk I fold) because no matter what, the worst possible outcome is not having you. And I never wanna go through that again. I know we have work to do on our relationship (spreading you open is the only way I know you). And there’s lot of unknown here (there’s things that we’ll never know) but what i do know is that i cant resist you (you sunshine you temptress) and i cant be without you ever again. I think it’ll be hard as hell. But when have we known love as anything but hard? And when have we known our love as anything but worth it? We’ll be a fine line baby. But i know, i knowww with every part of me that we’ll be alright. Because these past 10 years, we’ve been through A LOT. ANd it could have ruined us and made us cynical and cold and closed off. And I think at one point it did. But you know what we did? We fought it. We fought it together. Then we fought it individually. And we became BRAVE. And a brilliant man once said, “love is only for the brave”. 

[whimstories]

Summary: Vague Isekai concept. Marinette is transported into a world she read in a book and comes to fall for the female lead who was drastically misrepresented in the novel. 

A/N: I didn’t expect to write some random scenes today. This isn’t a full story, sadly. I just wanted to post some things I wrote because Marigami needs more content, and this pairing is vastly not given the attention and respect it deserves. 

Enjoy ~ ✨

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“But I don’t wish to be just a man’s wife, I want…I wish to be…”

“But you are!” Marinette exclaimed. 

Kagami’s eyes widened in surprise. 

“You don’t need permission or approval, you’re already a politician. A scholar. A warrior. Your sword is more beautiful than anyone I’ve seen. You don’t need to waste your breath wishing.”

“You say that but—“

“Please don’t contradict me. It hurts me to see you doubting yourself so much when you’re already beyond extraordinary.”

Kagami’s cheeks flushed a rosy color and she looked shyly at the ground. “You’re full of praises today.” 

“Make it more difficult to find praise then,” Marinette grinned. “I wish I had half your virtues.” 

“You’re much more virtuous,” Kagami whispered, sounding almost too sincere. For a moment Marinette’s heart stopped, fluttering with warmth and searing pride. But she covered it with a sip of her tea, knowing better.  

Marinette smiled kindly. “So when are we going to interrupt the men’s meeting on that dreadful land acquisition?”

“We shouldn’t.” Kagami sighed. 

“All the more reason.”

“Adrien would be embarrassed and mother would be furious. I couldn’t possibly.”

“Adrien is a bit…slow at times. I think he’d be elated to see his wonderful fiancée standing for what she believes in. He’s that much of a good man, at least.”

“Yes…he is good,” Kagami glanced at Marinette as if to add something but looked away again in thought. “But mother will hear of it. There’s no returning from disappointing her.”

Marinette hesitated, knowing the fear of failing one’s family. “Your mother is as accomplished as you are, yet I find it odd she doesn’t support your dreams.”

“My mother is a traditionalist. She accomplished much, but she’s calculated and conservative. She’s never acted outside the bounds of societal law. She expects the same of me.”

“You make her sound villainous.”

“Another conservative term for her.”

Marinette bristled in her seat and when Kagami looked at her she lifted a napkin to her mouth where a small amused noise burst from her lips. “She’s not so horrible. I admire my mother in many ways.”

Marinette wished she’d move the napkin so she could view the rare sight of Kagami’s smiles but her eyes also burst with a fondness that was equally as lovely. “But you believe your situation will grow worse if you disobey her.” 

“No...I—“ Kagami sat in silence for a while, then her brows furrowed. “I’ve never disobeyed before,” she finished. 

Marinette looked at her sadly but righted herself with a cross of her arms and feigned a huff. “Kagami, fold your napkin.”

Kagami snapped her head upwards, alert. She slowly did as instructed. “Yes? Why, what’s the matter?”

“Stand.”

Still confused, she stood with the good graces bestowed on her education. 

“Walk towards me please and grab my hand.”

Kagami walked a step before hesitating. Her face seemed to freeze in a panic. “Won’t you tell me why?”

“Can you not do it?” Marinette parried. 

Kagami blinked back, clearly challenged but slowly took Marinette’s hands in a gentle hold. They were soft and warm, yet strong and worn from training. Marinette had to ignore her thrill. “Now, look me straight in the eyes and tell me,” she paused dramatically, “you do not regret eating my pastries.” 

Kagami looked surprised. “They were amazing, I’ll cherish them the rest of my days. Of course, I’d never regret it.”

Oh. Marinette was teasing but the sincerity suddenly made her hands feel very warm. Marinette blinked violently to play off the warmth of her face. “A-and that you do not regret wearing that Louis Forton gown to the last gala.” 

Kagami sighed and her lips fought from curling. The dress was truly a complicated monstrosity that even amnesia couldn’t sear from the mind. “That was unavoidable. I can forgive that much.” 

“And that you won’t regret your arranged engagement.”

Her hands flinched in Marinette’s. “I—of course, I—never would,” she said, stilted, and blatantly looked away from Marinette’s gaze that Marinette was surprised. 

She continued, “And that the feeling of satisfying your mother is more precious than the feeling of picking up a sword.” 

Kagami’s face stilled. Her hands clenched Marinette tightly, but she stared forward in a new sense of wonder. A sense of clarity. Her eyes shone with a wet sheen, like a diamond forming dewdrops. 

She stood a long while, opening and closing her mouth. “Am I allowed such a thing? To not say it?” 

“It would not make you less of a wonderful daughter.”

“But it would make me a selfish one.”

“For a parent, a child could never be selfish. You’ve never been disobedient, so how can you know how she would react?” Marinette said. “And even so, even if she reacted poorly, she is not the one who has to live your life. Endure the choices. It is not your fault you were born a duchess’s daughter, but it is your responsibility to shape what this life has presented you. And so far you have disregarded that responsibility.”

“Then what should I do?” She asked slowly, as if sure no one could have an answer.

“What you want,” Marinette said simply with a shrug and a smile. 

Kagami hummed, staring at Marinette. Marinette could imagine she perhaps admired Marinette’s nativity, and that Marinette’s words meant nothing at all. But it hurt her to see such a wonderful person, a wonderful spirit like Kagami feeling trapped when she had such potential. 

Then Kagami’s face lifted miraculously into a soft smile. A rare and blossoming sight that shone like colors bouncing from her chest. Kagami grasped and lifted Marinette’s hands to her mouth, placing a brief kiss on the tips. Marinette’s face inflamed. 

“Thank you,” Kagami whispered. 

“W-what for?” Marinette laughed nervously, not sure what else to do. “I just told the truth. I hope I wasn’t acting too ridiculous.” 

“You’re never ridiculous. I always enjoy being with you. I’m very glad we’ve met, Marinette.” 

God, this woman is a weapon. I don’t think I can stand. Marinette finally pulled her hands away and contradicted herself by standing with enormous force. 

“Yes, I always enjoy your company too. Gosh, it’s warm. I should go for a walk. Not you though, you should finish your tea. Not that I don’t think you’ll keep up or incapable just—I’ll return, okay?” 

——-------------

“Marinette? Are you there?”

“Marinette sat upright and stared disbelieving at her door. “Kagami?” she whispered and ushered to open the door. Kagami stood, swaying slightly at the entrance. 

“Marinette,” she said the name so simply and with sweetness Marinette knew she was not of the right mind. 

“Come inside quickly.” They walked to Marinette’s bed and sat. “Did you drink?”

“The men wanted to have talks in the parlour. I didn’t back down and joined them.”

Marinette became alarmed. “They didn’t harm you or—?”

Kagami shook her head a little dramatically. “Many of them collapsed after I challenged them to some games. I ordered some maids to escort them then…well, I walked here.” 

“Oh,” Marinette snickered. “I wasn’t aware you were an expert at drinking games.” 

“Neither was I.”

Marinette shook her head. Of course, Kagami would be stupendous at something she never tried before. “Well, drunk or not I’m always happy to keep you company.” 

Kagami smiled sweetly again. “I could not think of better company no matter the situation.”

Marinette’s heart squeezed. Two wondrous smiles in one night, Marinette might faint from sight. “You mustn’t say that when Adrien is around,” she joked.

“But I’m sure Adrien knows it as well. I can hardly bear to leave you for a moment.” 

“What about sword training? I bet you couldn’t tell me I’m better company than your most treasured activity?” 

“Even that…perhaps.” 

Marinette's heart thundered against her chest. The room stilled and she felt she must have heard wrong. Nothing could matter more to Kagami, it was in the book. Kagami’s independence was a relationship of love itself, no matter how glorious she was, no one was enough. Yet…perhaps…

“May I…have your hand?” Kagami asked, staring intently at Marinette’s hand against the sheets. Marinette was busy stopping her heart from stuttering out of her chest and now Kagami said something so ridiculously ambiguous and wanted to touch her—Marinette didn’t think she would survive the night let alone the next few minutes. 

“Can I not?” Kagami asked when Marinette took too long. 

Startled, Marinette exclaimed, “Yes! Of course!” louder than proper and presented her hand upwards as if waiting for a palm reader’s forbidding prediction. She hoped it wasn’t obvious how her handle trembled. 

Kagami took her hand gently, the tips of her fingers tickling the back. Their hands slid over one another at various angles: a hook of thumbs, that courteous raise of the fingers, an intertwining of fingers. Marinette’s nerves made the atmosphere feel heavy and electric. Was this not intimate by all standards? Or was she overthinking? Her heart raced and Kagami seemed to languidly test all the ways their hands would fit as if it was custom. 

Marinette could not suppress her nervousness and leaned forward with a laugh. “Are you looking for something?” 

Kagami’s lids were drooping and heavy, yet her gaze was fiercely focused on her ministrations. She hummed and pulled Marinette’s palm upwards. Her lips pressed firmly, right to the center of Marinette’s palm. She moved the hand towards her cheek with a content sigh and a sleepy smile. 

“Yes, this is what I wanted.”

Marinette’s body screamed. She’s sure her heart stopped, how could she dare to hope to win against such a daring attack? Was Kagami a cozy drunk? It’s good she left those men behind, she would have hated showing herself like this. But to act so intimately—Marinette’s body was on fire. 

After a few breaths and realizing Kagami had a firm grip on Marinette’s arm and looked much too content to be moved, Marinette took a moment to appreciate—at least a little—her position. 

Kagami’s cheek was soft and smooth. It fit perfectly in her hand. Her cheek was a little warm, probably from the alcohol, but it was enticingly inviting. Marinette shifted forward, heat building between them, to get her arm more comfortable. 

“Are you awake?” Marinette whispered. 

Kagami blinked lazily into a droopy stare. Something told Marinette that Kagami might not remember this tomorrow. 

“I’m going to lay you down to sleep.” She looked Kagami up and down. “We should probably get you a little comfortable too.” 

Her grip squeezed Marinette’s wrist in emphasis. “I’m perfectly comfortable.”

Marinette laughed nervously. A clingy drunk, indeed. “I won’t leave you. W-we’ll…if you like, we can sleep together.” 

Kagami nodded as if it was the most natural conclusion. “Yes.”

“Ri-right.” 

Marinette edged Kagami gently to remove her outer garments. At times Kagami would catch her hand for another touch of her lips; Marinette applauded her ability to remain standing. Marinette dimmed the lights before carefully edging her way to one side of the bed. Kagami’s eyes never left her and tugged Marinette immediately down to the sheets. 

“Ah, Kagami!” Marinette exclaimed, happy the dim lights could hide her warm face. 

Marinette’s hand cradled Kagami’s cheeks once more, held close like some precious stuffed toy. “Let us sleep,” Kagami asserted. 

How can you act so bossy when I’m the one taking care of you? Marinette’s mind grumbled. 

“I hope you remember this tomorrow,” Marinette mumbled. 

“I will,” Kagami sighed, close to sleep. 

“If you do, you should reward me for taking care of you.”

“Anything you want.” 

Marinette grinned, sly. “Don’t forget. I really suffered. Honestly.”

Kagami hummed, clearly sleeping a moment later. Her breath tickled Marinette’s wrist and her hair grazed softer than the silk pillows. Marinette’s mouth parted, staring at the soft light in the room illuminating her slightly red cheeks. 

Her chest could not unravel and her gaze could not stray. Her stomach tightened and pooled with heat many times as she laid there. 

Before she could fall asleep, she moved her thumb a few times against that pristine cheek. Kagami breathed deep once and sighed happily. Her lips, softer than a rose, lifted slightly. Marinette grumbled once more, “Suffering is putting it very lightly.”

——---------

Marinette woke up groggy and alone in the morning. 

She stretched high to the canopy and wondered why her chest ached. The maid came in a moment later and said, “Kagami is waiting for you in the greenhouse.” 

Oh. Her stomach flipped. “Was Kagami awake early this morning?” 

“As usual. Not even silly wasted old men can unsettle our lady.” 

Marinette hummed. Kagami probably didn’t want to disturb her. Judging from the time of day, Marinette slept later than usual. “Ah, right. I heard she drank them under the table.”

“It was a true sight!” The maid gushed. “Our lady wanted to speak about business ventures in the northern lands but they only agreed if she won a round of cards. They played various games in which the loser would drink a large cup of sake. It was a dirty rule. But she rarely lost, and never slurred or stumbled when she did. Even this morning they were grumbling over headaches and she didn’t seem phased at all.” 

So she didn’t drink much last night. Is she a light drunk? Marinette giggled. “Our lady is too tremendous.” 

“I was appalled when Adrien didn’t watch over her, but I suppose he knew our lady better than us all.”

“Adrien wasn’t at the parlour?” Marinette asked, surprised. 

The maid was tugging Marinette’s dress into place as she said, “He headed to bed early after the first round. A man leaving his fiancee unattended with a room of stuffy men—I wanted to smack his behind the ears!” 

Marinette supposed Adrien would have attended Kagami to her rooms instead of letting her wander to Marinette’s. Perhaps he was finally accepting her capabilities, but something seemed wrong about leaving outright. 

“How would you like your hair, my lady?” 

Marinette hummed. “Just a few pins today.”

She walked to the greenhouse, the wind playing with her loose strands along the way. She took a deep breath before going past the glass doors. 

Kagami was leaning back in her seat, hair half hazardously in a ponytail and garbed in her training attire. Her clothes clung perfectly, showing off her strong legs and defined waist. The light adorned her hair like turquoise stars dancing on the strands. Marinette had to clutch her chest before it leaped out. 

How does this woman look more handsome than any male model on a cheesy romance cover? 

Kagami caught her eyes and Marinette held her breath. Kagami put down her cup of tea and cleared her throat. Marinette walked forward and gave a small greeting. “Good morning.” 

Kagami’s eyes tentatively caught hers. “Yes. Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

“It was alright.” Marinette sat and a maid poured her a cup. The color was milky and when Marinette lifted it, it was sweet. Peppermint black milk tea, her favorite. Marinette glanced upwards and fought a raised brow as she sipped. She sighed content. “You must have slept wonderfully.”

Kagami cleared her throat. Again. Marinette was fighting a smile. “When have I not?”

“Oh yes, how could I doubt you? Though, I was referring to your full day yesterday. You stuck with the men all day and left the wives and fiancees to their gossip without your input.”

“It wasn’t as scary as I thought,” Kagami said. “The men were as bad as the ladies with gossip and wholly unprepared for my education or opinions. Honestly, I feel I might have bullied them.” Her face didn’t change— as if discussing the weather— but her eyes sparkled and her tone tilted on amused. 

“Is it bullying to be educated?” Marinette mused behind another sip. 

“Only if you’re a woman. The element of surprise is an unfair advantage. Perhaps they’ll be more prepared next time.”

Marinette perked and grinned. “So you’re determined?”

“I feel more at ease. Perhaps I’m really not suited to being a wallflower for the rest of my days.”

“Certainly not. You should inherit and manage the Tsurugi estates and assets without the need for a partner. You’re easily capable of that much.”

Kagami’s body softened in the light. “As you’ve told me.”

“You should listen, I’m wiser than I look.”

Kagami looked down at her cup, losing herself in thought. Marinette looked around the flowers and butterflies in the afternoon. She downed another cup of tea slowly unwinding from her nervousness. 

“Last night…” Kagami started slowly. Marinette hid behind her cup and raised her eyes in acknowledgment. “I acted childishly.”

“Oh? To what are you referring?” 

“It’s hazy,” Kagami bit her lip and fiddled with the edge of her snack plate. “But I rudely burst into your rooms and acted unbecomingly. I want to apologize if I made you uncomfortable.” 

“You were very expressive,” Marinette grinned. “It was very cute.”

Kagami huffed in her seat, fiddling with her long braid with rosy cheeks. “Please don’t say it like that.” 

“What? You said it was your first time drinking. I was very honored to experience a new side to you.” 

“I told you that?” Kagami grumbled lowly, head tucked. She timidly glanced upwards. “What else did I say?” 

Marinette pretended to ponder, filling the space by reaching for snacks and sipping her drink. “It’s not so much what you said but what you did.” 

Marinette glanced at Kagami and she stared resolutely at Marinette as if missing any micro movement would place her life in jeopardy. Marinette stuttered in her teasing. She thought Kagami would be embarrassing but was she perhaps…curious about Marinette’s reaction?

“U-um…” Marinette stuttered and stirred too much sugar into her tea. She didn’t flinch even as the overwhelming sweetness hit her lips. “You did say you enjoyed my company. Nothing else.” 

“Mm, I do,” Kagami said simply. Then she sighed. “I invaded your space and acted brazenly. I suppose I’m starved of affection,” giving a self-deprecating chuckle. 

It was a heartbreaking sound. “No—no! I was happy you felt close enough to come to me. In fact, I’d—well I’d…” Marinette gulped a breath, realizing she was placing a blade over her head. “I wish you’d be open with me more often. I didn’t know if you’d welcome such affection.” 

“You’re alright with…? Rather you wish we were more affectionate?” 

It was Marinette’s turn to clear her throat. “I’ve always held hands and hugged my close friends. I assumed Kagami only made the rare exception to humor me, so I distanced myself.” 

“Well. I will admit you are my exception.”

Marinette’s face burst red. Then Kagami stood and moved her chair so it was inches from Marinette's. She looked up confused and when Kagami sat she offered her hand face-up, her expression calm. 

“Is this alright?”

Marinette covered her mouth with one hand, unsure how her face betrayed her, but placed the other within Kagami’s. Kagami entwined them in a strong grip that tingled up Marinette’s arm. 

Kagami’s face bloomed into a soft smile and she relaxed deep into her seat as if a weight left her shoulders. Marinette could not sip or eat the rest of the afternoon, feeling she had consumed too much sweetness for the day.

——

[holylulusworld]

The Boy Next Door

Summary: Dean is the boy next door and the one that got away.

Pairing: Dean x Reader

Characters: Sam Winchester, Lisa Braeden, Cassie Robinson, unnamed mother

Warnings: angst, shy reader, bullying, sadness, mentions of death of loved ones

A/N: This is my entry for @cockslut-padalecki‘s BACK TO THE MOVIES challenge, my song was ‘The boy next door’ by Judy Garland from the movie ‘Meet Me In St. Louis’

I just recognized the challenge was due October 1st not 7th, sorry. I hope you still like my entry.

Words: 1963

I still remember the moment the Winchesters moved in. Not as I was nosy and watched every new neighbor move in, but as a certain boy caught my attention. 

He was around 10 but the way he cared for his little brother, who he lovingly called Sammy, was something else. I never saw a kid take care of his sibling the way Dean Winchester did.

I think the moment he kneeled in front of his brother to check on Sam’s bleeding knee was the moment Dean Winchester stole my heart. I could see the smile on Dean’s face when Sam stopped crying and my heart fluttered.

I smiled with Dean when his brother jumped up to run toward his father to show him the Batman plaster his big brother put onto his wound. Of course, John grumbled something I didn’t understand before he ushered his sons inside.

The moment I saw him smile

I knew he was just my style

My only regret is we've never met

Though I dream of him all the while

Months later I saw Dean playing with the kids from the neighborhood. Only I was not around. I always was a nerdy little girl, afraid to talk to other kids.

“You should go and talk to the boys, Y/N. They seem to be nice,” my mother said, hoping I will finally get over my shyness, but I didn’t.

I tried to forget about the cocky boy's smile but – to be honest, I never did. When the months turned into years I slowly lost hope that I ever will find the guts to talk to Dean.

Once I almost made it to their house, but then Sam called for his brother and I didn’t want to interrupt their conversation. I ushered back inside, hating myself. 

Sixteen was the turning point. I got rid of my braces, asked my mom to buy me a nice dress as Dean invited every kid from the neighborhood to celebrate he got his driving license.

I smiled to myself when he hovered over the classic car his dad got for him.

I still remember the black Impala, its roar, and how the car paint reflected the sun on hot summer days.

“Will you go, sweetheart?” My mother asked when I stood in front of our door, ready to break out of my shell. “I can go with you.”

“No, mom. I’ve got this,” I gave her my bravest smile before I finally opened the door to almost run toward the Winchesters' house. But when I arrived, my heart dropped. 

Lisa, the prettiest and most popular girl was leaning against the Impala, giggling at something that Dean said. I stood on the other side of the street, glancing at Dean who yelled something at Jimmy, his best friend before he ran off.

“Why is that freak here?” Cassie chortled, looking at me with disgust. “Did Dean invite her?”

“No,” Lisa laughed, shaking her head. “He doesn’t even know that nerd exists. Hey, go back to where you belong. Stick your nose into another book, freak.” Lisa said, unbeknownst Sam heard every word.

But he doesn't know I exist

No matter how I may persist

So it's clear to see there's no hope for me

Though I live at fifty-one-thirty-five Kensington Avenue

And he lives at fifty-one-thirty-three

I dropped the gift I got for Dean. A book about the Impala as I thought it’s a nice gift and that Dean will finally see me. But when I realized he didn’t even know I exist, my world crumbled down.

“There she goes,” Lisa snickered, watching me dash toward our house. “I wonder why she showed up. Dean never mentioned freaky sneaky Y/N.”

“I invited her,” Sam picked the gift carefully up. “She’s always alone. I thought it’s nice to get to know her. I should’ve known better than letting someone that nicely get close to you…bitches,” Sam ran off, pushing his big brother aside when Dean tried to stop him.

I only know Sam never mentioned the gift or that day, but my mom told me she watched the boy hide the book in his jacket, protecting it against Dean’s elder friends.

How can I ignore the boy next door

I love him more than I can say

Doesn't try to please me

Doesn't even tease me

And he never sees me glance his way

When I said that day was a turning point – I meant it. I didn’t forget about Dean or stopped admiring him from afar. I simply stopped imagining he would finally talk to me or hold my hand. 

I knew it would never happen, not with girls like Lisa around. There are always girls like Lisa, or Cassie or whoever got his attention.

I must admit, it pained me I missed my chance to talk to him. My boy next door, the one that got away.

Instead of talking to Dean or get to know him, I watched the boy next door go to prom with Lisa.

And though I'm heart-sore, the boy next door

Affection for me won't display

I just adore him

So I can't ignore him

The boy next door

The last time I saw him was when he moved out, hand tightly wrapped around Lisa’s waist. I never asked about him or where he went. My admiration followed him, just like my heart, but I knew – I must let go of a dream that day.

I just adore him

So I can't ignore him

The boy next door

It’s been ten years since the day I swore to myself to never get close to his house but I can’t keep my mind from wandering toward the boy next door.

“Hey, I heard you are around, Y/N,” a deep voice catches me off guard, and I jump. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, sweetheart.”

“I’m sorry, do I know you?” I wonder why this foreign man stands in my parents’ front yard a big smile plastered on his lips. “You don’t look like the guy on the sign.”

“Oh-no!” The man huffs, looking at the sign of my realtor in the front yard. “I don’t think you’ll remember me, but I lived right over there. My name is Dean,” Dean holds out his hand, frowning when I step backward.

“I remember you, Dean,” eyes downcast I sigh deeply. “You moved in when you were ten,” I don’t meet Dean’s gaze when he steps closer, opening his jacket to show me something he hid for almost ten years. “How could I not remember you? I just didn’t think you knew I exist.”

“I found this, two years after that party,” Dean swallows thickly, showing me the book, I bought for him. “Sammy, he said you dropped it. I thought you didn’t like me back then and threw the gift away. Sam, he told me a few days ago what happened.”

“Lisa said you don’t even know I exist, so I went home. I think I dropped the book,” I awkwardly glance at my shoes when Dean opens the book to reveal the card I wrote. I gnaw at my lower lip, hating I dropped the book instead of throwing it into the dumpster.

“Dear Dean,” he clears his throat, stepping closer to me, “I know we never talked, but I wanted to tell you that I admire the way you care for your brother. I must admit, I kinda watched you now and then. I’m a bit shy, but you seem to be a nice guy and I’d like to be your friend. It’s okay if you don’t want to, I’m a nerd to anyone else. I know guys your age don’t want anyone to ruin their reputation. So, if you decide you don’t want to know me, I will be okay with it. I just wanted to give you the book as I like your car.” Dean puts the card back into the book, careful to not lose it.

“I was a shy teen. Sorry for the stupid words,” I shuffle from one foot to the other, hoping the real-estate agent will save me sooner or later. “I didn’t think much of it.” I lie. Truth is, I spend days finding the right words to express my feelings.

“I liked it,” Dean mumbles, stuffing the book back into the pocket in his jacket. “You see, Sammy said you’ll be back in town for a few days. As I never got the chance to thank you for the gift, I thought we can go for a coffee.”

“Listen, it’s kind of you that you want to try to be nice, but we are not in high-school any more,” I meet Dean’s gaze, giving him a cracked smile. “I’m twenty-six now, not a teen. Let’s just stop pretending you ever knew I exist. Go back to your life and throw that card and the book away. It was a gift of a stupid girl.”

“No, no, sweetheart,” when I try to walk into the house Dean runs after me, grasping for my arm. “Y/N, please. I always hoped you would come back to town. I waited for ten years.”

“You moved out after high school, Dean. Why would you want me to come back to town? This doesn’t make sense. If you excuse me now, I must sell my parents house,” I try to escape the awkward situation, but Dean won’t let go of my arm.

“Y/N, I was too shy to talk to you. You always sat under that huge tree behind the school building reading a book. Once or twice I wanted to talk to you, but you looked like you were in your own world.”

“I was, as no one liked me. I spend my days alone as I was shy, awkward, and a bit nerdy. Sam was the only one talking to me when he saw me after school,” I look over Dean’s shoulder, not wanting him to see my tears. 

“I didn’t know,” Dean mumbles, dropping the hand holding my arm. “Would go for a coffee with me? I…I want to talk about the book with you. I really would like to spend time with you.”

“Dean,” I glance at the wedding band around his finger, shaking my head. “I don’t think Lisa will appreciate you spend time with the freak she liked to bully. Go back to your life and leave me the fuck alone,” I walk into the house, slamming the door shut. “I shouldn’t have come here.”

“Sweetheart? Hey, uh-erm, can I come inside? It kinda starts to rain and I want to talk to you,” I let out a frustrated sigh when Dean enters my parent's house. He awkwardly glances around the house, sorting his thoughts. “I’m not married anymore. Just didn’t take the ring off yet.”

“When did you get divorced?” Dean shrugs, looking at the golden band. “Sorry, it’s none of my business, Dean. We don’t even know each other.”

“She died five years, three months and sixteen days ago,” I gasp, stepping closer to Dean to squeeze his hand. “I never found the strength to take it off, Y/N.”

“You don’t have to, Dean,” I give him a soft smile, silently apologizing for my question. “We all grieve differently. My brother and sister want me to sell the house for years, but I just can’t,” now tears run down my cheeks and I sob when Dean wraps his arms around me.

“Why don’t you keep it, sweetheart?” His voice calms my nerves and I relax in his arms. I feel Dean’s hand run up and down my spine whilst he mumbles softly into my hair. “Will you go for a coffee with me? I’ve missed the girl next door.”

“Okay…”

I just adore him

So I can't ignore him

The boy next door

Tags in reblog

Text divider by @writeyourmindaway

[praphit]

A message from Reverend Candyman

Before I even entered the theater, I was mad. I was mad due to certain people on social media stating that this film is "too woke", "super-woke", "BLM propaganda", etc, etc.

I'm not saying that they're right or wrong, at this point, but how did those people not know what they were getting into? Did they not watch any "Candyman" films before this? Do they not know of Jordan Peele's previous film productions? Have they never seen any of Key & Peele? It's mostly race stuff!

Some of them were probably only hate-watching. There a re a handful of pundits I like to hate-watch. Sometimes, getting heated by their takes fuels my work days. But, I know what I’m doing to myself... *smh* but these people.

I didn't stay mad for long though, because Nia DaCosta, the director of "Candyman", is on point! This whole movie, strictly from a cinematic view, is very cool. How bout that?? "The Rambling Praphit says Candyman is VERY COOL." :) She'll be working on the next Capt Marvel movie. 

Most people did not like that movie (I'm excluded from that crowd). Marvel is so scared of the public's dislike of that movie, that they're not even calling it "Capt Marvel 2". It's just called "The Marvels"; leaving the first movie's "captain" as far away from the title as they could. I bring this up, cuz after watching "Candyman", I have high hopes for "The Marvels".

In the trailer we see some shadow puppet type action going on to tell Candyman's story.

So, if you haven't seen the 1992 film, you can get mostly caught up. A creative way to knock out exposition.

They still didn't get into why Candyman rocks a pimpish coat. Or why he's called "Candyman". I mean... they address the name, kinda... (Razor blades in candy - also seen in the trailer) but there's a bit of a hole in the timeline of that story. Plus, how would Candyman (a vengeful spirit) even have the time or patience required to put razor blades in hard candy? If he were an actual pimp named "Candyman", it would make more sense... but anyway...

The main character (Anthony, played by Yahya Adbul Mateen II) 

needed more of Candyman's story , so he went into the depths to find more horror, and he found it. Now, there's a white woman, who's the main character in the 1992 version, who does the same thing, and... let's just say things end poorly for her, and Anthony is foolishly following in her footsteps.

He's a broke visual artist, but thankfully he's got himself a suga mama (played by Teyonah Parris) , 

a not-so-broke art gallery director named Brianna. Lesson number one, you broke artists - gym membership. 

Follow the path of Yahya. He’s the only hard candy mama needs! Keep that suga mama money coming to fuel your art.

I appreciate this couple though - a lot of times (in movies) we see black couples where the woman is struggling to feed the kids with like 3 or 4 jobs, while the man juggles cheating on her, being involved with drugs, and dreaming of one day being the greatest rapper there ever was. We've been there and done that with black movie couples enough.

But, Candyman can't allow this couple to be too happy, so the killing begins!

Say his name 5 times! He dares you! After the fifth time, he appears to brutally kill you. What kind of game is that? I could see if it was a 50/50 chance - win some money or die, but straight up 100% death? Who would play such a game?? 

"Let's go to the top of a snowy, slippery mountain. Let's slide down it with crazy speed and immovable objects in our way." Who’s game?

(white people)

"Let's take a detour through the woods, at night, right pass the area where those teenagers were murdered, LAST NIGHT... I don't think they ever caught the perp. Oh, well... let's go!" Who’s going?

(white people)

So, who will play the candyman name game? - white people, of course :)

I heard someone say that Candyman is only killing white people. That’s not true #1, but #2 - they’re the ones mostly playing this game.

No, this isn't just some movie about a black, pimpish, man with a hook, killing white people. We've got story as well.

Three parts to this story, actually:

The look -

Which I mentioned is great! The gruesome horror elements and the killings are well done. In fact, the kill scenes are so good that I wanted to see more of it. A lot of the kills effectiveness come from NOT showing you the gore. There's plenty gore as well, but the balance of times when you have to imagine what's happening as people scream is also dope.

The horror part to the film is kinda slowed down though by the social commentary. part to the film: The 1992 film has this as well, but it's more subtle, and flows with the story better. This... well, I can see why some hyper-sensitive conservatives might cry "wokeism!" I disagree with their sentiment, but I get it. If this movie had come out before 2020, perhaps the feeling would be different. There's a scene that's directly addressing gentrification. It's a group of four people (three black people and a white dude) talking. The movie shows how the seemingly enlightened and likable white dude was involved in the convo, but still didn't really get it. Perhaps that's how they see a lot of their audience with this, cuz there's no subtlety going on here at all. It's more of an "F U" at times. It's effective hate-watching though.

Lastly there's the psychological part to the movie. Something has clearly gone wrong inside of Anthony, and no one seems to be taking it all that seriously.

Something is also wrong outside of Anthony as well.... as seen in the trailer, he gets stung by a bee. One of those Candyman Bees! (Not a thing, but it should be) It's... maybe... infected (they never really explain), and gets worse and worse. Why doesn't anyone demand that he go to the doctor?! Not even his suga mama says anything! You know damn well, that no matter how sexy one may be, if you've got some sort of creepy Candyman infection, that's gonna mess up that sexy-suga-money flow, y'all feel me?? And if there is some sort of ghostly infection, shouldn't we be more scared of the bees than even Candyman? He only appears when you say his name! The bees on the other hand...

I guess it's kinda real though - I could certainly see people these days getting "the candyman infection" I speak of, and saying proudly "It's not real! And I will NOT be treated!" while waving a flag, with their clearly infected hand.

These three parts collide, sloppily. It's funny, cuz the film, as I said, is heavy-handed with hot topics, but the story (particular in the third act) will confuse you. I mean, I get it, cuz I saw the original film, but had I not... ??? There's a scene when Candyman is summoned and he proceeds to kill a bunch of cops. THEY didn't even summon him! They said “Defund the Police” not kill’em!  Idk if Candyman had been listening to nothing but Louis Farrakhan and Marvel’s Kilmonger nonstop during 2020, and it's all spilling over or what?? Some people are overachievers. Then he says "Spread my message" What message is that?!

Imagine if you say my name 5 times, and I appear in your kitchen, drink all of your beer, walking into your living room, and pee in the corner... then I say to you, before disappearing "Spread my Message".

You'd be like "What the hell?"

Despite this movies' flaws, I still enjoyed it. The social commentary really is important to the times we're living in, and should still be discussed, and not just discussed, by acted on. Plus, I truly am impressed by director Nia DaCosta. I do recommend that you see it, but you should probably watch the 1992 one first. Or who knows what message you'll leave with :)

Grade: generous B-

I doubt that there'll be a sequel, but if there is one, i really do hope that we can finally get to the bottom of this name thing. With Candyman, I'm still thinking drug dealer. It's not that scary of a name. Maybe CandyHOOK! Hooks wielded by maniacs are always scary.

No? Yeah, it does make me think his hook is made out of candy.

With the bees involved, perhaps "Bee Guy", or "Bee King", but... they're not really his thing. Plus, that's lame, and kinda sounds like he's buddies with Ant-Man. That could hurt his street cred. The 1992 film gets into a honey type of scenario as to the etymology. But, then, it should be "Honey Man", right? - that sounds kinda like a gigolo though. But, perhaps this is a good thing! That gives me an idea that could add some surprise to this whole name game thang! Call his name 5 times and either receive drugs, murder, a confusing sermon, or sweet, sweet lovin. Now, that's a game!