#and then the first time they got that spark again after allllll that going down is only in the unicorn in captivity

[rustyisacowboy]

brusty breakup arc will always get to me because even when brock gets back with doc in season 6, you can tell things arent the same anymore. brock doesnt care. he is trying so desperately to care but he cant anymore. doc really fucked it with not ever doing anything for brock, and between ORB and The family that slays together stays together part 2 brock had enough of not being taken seriously and he just never came back from that

[bitchloveskcbaseball]

Grab a Seat

Pairing: none officially ... but also sort of Bryce Lahela x mystery girl

Series: None at least for now

Summary: A packed subway. One free seat. Two people determined to get it. (I suck at summaries lmao)

Word Count: 1107

Warnings: Swearing

Disclaimer: Bryce Lahela belongs to Pixelberry (mystery girl is all mine though) Also... I was too terrified that I might delete this if I went back and read it, so there has been no editing done. I apologize for any and all mistakes that have happened here. Also I have no idea how subways actually work, so sorry if it’s all messed up lol

A/N #1: All of the credit for this belongs to @burnsoslow​ (unless it sucks, then it’s allllll on me lmao) If not for your patience and support, your words of wisdom and your brilliant advice, I know I wouldn’t have been able to find my way back to writing.

A/N #2: Part of her amazing advice was to find a prompt that inspired me. The one that I sparked an idea came from this list by @foundyourheart​ and is: We make contact before trying to steal the last seat on the subway/bus/train and I end up in your lap and fuck you, I’m going to stay here because I’ve had a really long day and this seat was mine. I didn’t quite use it in exactly as written, but it is the inspiration and it is fairly close...

A/N #3: I also managed to sneak in @wackydrabbles prompt #98 and it is bolded.

Smirking up at the woman that had, quite literally, stumbled into his lap, Bryce couldn’t help but smirk as he asked, “You do realize that the phrase ‘falling all over you’ is only an expression, right?”

Long, chestnut-brown hair whipped him in the face as she swung around so her glare was focused fully on him. “Seriously? That’s how you want to play off stealing my fucking seat?”

“Your seat? How do you figure?”

“I’ve been on this damn train for six freaking stops and this is the first seat to have opened up!”

Not bothering to hide his laughter, Bryce tossed back, “I fail to see how that automatically makes this seat yours.”

“Because I’ve been waiting for it longer!”

That caught his attention. Because that meant that mystery girl had noticed when he had gotten on the subway three stops ago. And judging by the glimpse of the flush peeking through the light tan on her cheeks that he got before she ducked her head, he figured that was a piece of information she hadn’t meant to let slip.

Surprisingly, she recovered her wits faster than he did, cutting off any remark he might have made by spouting off, “Don’t flatter yourself. I only noticed when you got on because I was practically standing in the doorway.”

Letting one eyebrow arch in disbelief, Bryce asked, “Then why are you still sitting on my lap?”

Her grey eyes that were filled with sparks of green snapped back up to meet his own, sparking with indignation. “Because it’s my fucking seat and you won’t get out of it!”

“How am I supposed to do that if you won’t get up?”

“So you admit that it was rightfully mine?”

“Not at all. Just pointing out the flaws in your argument. Besides, it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been waiting for someone to vacate a seat. Subway seats are first come, first serve, and since I clearly got here first, it’s my seat.”

For just a brief moment, he could feel her deflate as her eyebrows drew together and her mouth pinched into a pout. Guilt washed over him in waves as he realized he had pushed his teasing too far, especially with someone whose name he still didn’t know. It had just felt so natural to banter back and forth with her that he had simply forgotten that they were still strangers.

But before he even had a chance to open his mouth to apologize for overstepping, she had slipped her mask back into place, from the eyebrow she had cocked up into the piece of hair swooping across her forehead to the sassy tilt to her smirk. The sudden transformation practically stole his breath away, even if he could still see small hints of the weariness that was weighing her down.

“If that’s how you want to do this? Then fine. Let’s do it.” Bryce’s hand slipped from around her waist -- I didn’t even realize I’d left it there -- down to rest on her thigh as she scooted further back on his lap, making it clear that she had no intentions of getting up. “Since I got to this seat first, I guess that makes it mine.”

Forgetting his intention to keep his comments to himself after she gave him such a perfect opening with her own smartass comment, he fired back, “That’s an awfully bold claim to make this early in the relationship. I mean, we haven’t even gone to dinner yet.”

When her only response was some soft spluttering, Bryce was tempted to mess with her a little more to see just how much he could fluster her. But then he remembered the flash of exhaustion he’d seen in her only moments before. He couldn’t ignore the pang of empathy he felt at the thought of her being so worn down before the sun had even risen.

So, instead, he made a show of glancing out the window at the approaching station and then lightly poked at her side. “Hey, if you hop up for just a sec, you can have the actual seat.”

“Like hell I will! No chance I’m falling for that!”

“No, I’m serious. This is my stop we’re coming up to.”

After briefly studying him from over her shoulder, his mystery girl -- when did I start thinking of her as mine? -- stood up and turned to face him as the train started to slow. Her left eyebrow pulled down over her eye while the right shot back up under her hair, silently daring him to try to keep the spot on the bench. So, with hands raised in surrender, Bryce got up and stepped out of her way with a flourish.

Almost immediately after she had settled into the seat, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and practically buried her nose in the screen. He knew he ought to take that as a sign that his time with her was up, but he was filled with an inexplicable concern for her that prompted him to nudge her foot with his own. When her attention was back on his face, he asked, “Do me one favor?”

There was only a slight hesitation before she answered, “Um ... maybe? Depends on what it is.”

“Whatever has you so stressed out? Try not to let it totally weigh you down.”

While the scoff she let out was full of frustration, it was thankfully free of anger. “I really wish I could. I just honestly don’t know that I can.”

“Maybe just try thinking about the time that you sat on a stranger’s lap and declared it to be yours.” Lifting his shoulders in a shrug, he added, “That’s what I’m going to do the next time I’m feeling overwhelmed.”

Without waiting to hear what, if anything, her response would be, Bryce turned to head towards the now open doors of the subway car. Instead of exiting, however, he maneuvered his way through the crowd to an empty spot where he could still see her while he waited for his stop that was still three stations away.

When his eyes landed on her once again, a single unexpected thought popped into his mind: I wish we could do this all the time. Shaking his head, he forced himself to clear his head of the thought and the equally-unexpected disappointment he felt over the realization that he might never see her again. Instead, Dr. Bryce Lahela put his focus on mentally running through the operations he just might get to witness on this, his first day of surgical residency.

Tag List: @darley1101 @lahellacute @anotherbeingsworld @burnsoslow @mvalentine 

[is-i-halloween-yet]

The End Of All Things: Chapter 10 (Antisepticeye X Reader)

Warnings: Swearing, angst, ow ow oh no, swearing but it is Anti so... No shit? The editor was doing weird space things that I couldn’t fix sorry, cut right here to avoid allllll spoilers. AND I MEAN IT! SPOILERS QUICKLY

(AN: This was a fun series to write! It will always hold a special place in my heart as my first series on this blog.  And don’t forget this is only series one of three and they are all gonna be connected so keep an eye out for Evermore and Home! Epilogue coming soon!)

(Dark’s POV) It was hard to watch. 

This being once filled with all this life and energy seemed to be decaying before everyone's eyes.

He didn't speak or sleep, let alone feed, his skin turning grey and his eyes dull, but he no longer cried, burn marks remaining from where he had cried.

After the third day he finally moved, Once to go downstairs to where he stayed for a day and then moved once more, this time to his room which he locked the door. 

“That was a month ago.”

“A month?”

I sighed at the voice irritated at the nativity that it held before continuing, “Yes which is why I asked you-“

“I will call him but I will do you one better.” The voice said with complete seriousness, “I’m coming  too.”

I almost spat out the drink I had been sipping but instead swallowed, “That is hardly necessary.”

“We will see you Saturday.”

I sighed as the line went dead, slamming my phone on the table as I clutched my head in my hands, “Damn...”

“Will he do it?” NateNare jumped out of his seat, the entity having been exhausted from standing outside of Anti’s door at night attempting to sing him to sleep, sitting up from where  he was taking a nap.

I sighed at my ally, almost embarrassed but also full of pity as I passed my drink over to the entity who shrugged before drinking it in one swallow, then continuing though my disgust, “Yes and no. We are getting him and one better.”

Mare choked at this, politely spitting it back into the cup, “Meaning?”

“HE’S coming too.”

(???’s POV) The plan was simple. Test his love to see if it would be worth it after all the pain he’d caused but for whatever reason, I was frozen solid in front of his door.

“Don’t be a wimp. He’s not going to kill you.” Mare scoffed, “At least he can’t kill you too quickly.”

Dark shot the man a harsh glare before turning to me with a smile, “What my companion means to say is he is weak. Physically and mentally. Do what you have to do and get out.” I nodded, a smile serving its way onto my lips as I touched the doorknob but stopped as Darks hand reached my shoulder, “But- And forgive me for intruding, I don’t think you doing this is necessary. The doctor is plenty to-“

“I don’t expect you to understand how badly he fucked up not my life, my friends life, my families life, and millions more, but at least understand how this is a personal matter.” I spoke as cooly as possible at the dark ego, “He needs to prove that he is worthy of this redemption others wise he isn’t getting jack shit. Now.” I sighed as Dark removed his hand, twisting the knob slightly, “Excuse us.”

And as footsteps walked away slowly, I entered the room.

It was much more... Pungent than I was expecting. Stinking of iron and rust, though I wasn’t sure if I was expecting anything more. Darkness drowned the room, walls practically oozing grey while the floor hardly seemed capable of containing the heaviness of everything it contained; a certain stale feeling everywhere. Emptiness. Almost like the room was isolation in its worst form; Silence and depression.

That was until the silence was broken by a glitched laughed coming from behind the bed, “H̷a̕̕h̵a̢h̵͘ah҉̀a͝h́͢͡a͘͢͜! ̸͞H̨͘͝A̴̕!̀ ͢͠H̨͞A̸̷͠!͏͢ ̶H͡ơ̡w̛̛͠ ͟͡ć͞u̶͜te?͘ T̢́h̵e̴y ̨s̛͢e̴͡ńt̵̢ ҉̢͠yo̡u҉ ͘҉i͏̕n̢͜҉!̸͟͜ ̧̡̕!” Before I could move to find him, he was on the bed, eyes flowing while he stared at me like an animal, “W͡h͝at? ̢͏D̷̵i̡d̷̷ ͟t̸he͟y̧҉͘ ̕t̶͏͠ḩ̕͟i̵n̵̡k s͞en̷d̴͞i͏̕nģ̀ ̸̵y̨͡o̵͝u ͢͡i͏n ̶h͟ęre͘͘ ̵̡a̷̡s s̶o̡̨͝m͡e҉͟ ̨҉̶s͝o͘ŗt͘͝ ̵of́ ͡͠͝s͜a̛͝c̴̀͡r͝͝i̴̴f̢̕͢ic̀i̢͘͞a͠l͢ ̨͜͠l̨͘͡a̡m̢b̡ ̴w͘͟͞o҉u̸͟l̸͜d̢͝ ̷r͜e̷͡sto̵r̷̡e ̕mé?̢̛ HO̡̕W ͢F̸̶U҉̨C͢KI̛͞N̛̛G̴ ̧A̷DO̴R̛͢A̸̢͢BL͘͜E̸!”

I swallowed slightly but kept my cool, remembering my mission, remembering why I came here,  “I… I sent myself…”

The being laughed manicatically, a knife visible in his left hand as his head twitched, “Th̸e͠n you ̡a̶re͢ a͏ş ̢muc̛h ͏as a fo̕ol̢ as ̵y͞o̵u ̴w͘er͏e̸ ҉a̵t̢ the̵ ͡sta͜ŗt o͠f͜ ҉t҉hi҉s ̵st͞or̷y.͡ ̛Bưt ́y̵ou̢ ͡a͠r̛e ̕lưc̕k̡y..̶. ͘” He lept swiftly off the bed, pacing around me with caution before placing the knife to my own throat, “M̷҉̪͍̼̭ḁ̖̻̮y̩̲̫b̴̦̜̮̱̤e̳̙͟͝��̪ ҉̖̝̦͚̙͝y̶͈̙͓ò͖̥̙̯̟u̴͕̲̥͟r̵̷̲̹͕̭̣̞̠̞ ̡̯̘͚͖̦̭͍̕e̸̥̫̬̘̖̳̟̲̪n̤̟̩͍̗̺̹͞͞͝d̢͍̖̭̹̠̰͔ ̢͙̹̩̻͓̫̙̯̱͞o̜̫͖̱͎̟̥̙͟f̰͓̰̹͍́ͅ ̝̜̖͎̳w̦͍͍̫͝í̬͈l̡̖̦̞̫̩͍l͍̣̯̙̮͈͟͟͡ ̡̛̘̠̞̜̖͕̥͢b̷̢͙̲̬̝͈̻͕ͅr͉̞̮͙̹͙̩͎͜i̷̮̖̯̦ͅn͖͎̼̕g̶͉̙̣͎̦̩̠͔͜ ̸̼͍̮̖̬̜ͅm̨̯̟̳̫̼ͅi͕͎̠͙̹̟̖ń̻͚̗̣̻̳e̸̼ ͕̹̳̗͘ͅa̟͕̳͝ͅn̡̫̤̬̥͖͔̺̫d̻͔̳̻̯̻̥͢ ̼͜͜ͅI̠’̯̰̫͈̙͙̯͘l̢̛͇͚͕̳̤͍l̷̢̝̰̻̤̥͖̫̤̀ ̸͈͈̮͈̖̦͖̯b̦̣̟̱͈̝̞ȩ͕͕̱͎̺̪ ̴͓̙̥f̴͚̖̳̙̩͢r̲̭͔͘͟e̢̥͚̺̭͜͠e̴̠͖̻̺̬͓̕ ̴͏̪͔̦̹̤͖a҉͍̪̤̝͉̱̺̙͝t̵̺̼̘̝͉̪̭̗̕ ̶̤̮͓̜̘l̢̗͕̳͈͡a̤͇̦̞s͚̹̬̩̱͎̩̪͡ţ͎̱!̴̡͈”

“You can’t.” I reminded, though still struggled under the blade that only tightened towards my jugular as I attempted to talk my way from this, “Even if you wanted to you can’t.”

A terrifying pause brewed for several moments until the blade dropped to my feet, “Aw͝w͝w̶҉́ ̛͞s̵̨h̀́i̵͝ţ f͢u̷̕c̡͡k͜! ́͝Y͝o̸u̧’͠r̷̛é͟ ̸̧̀ri̧g̢҉h̴t͏́.͏ ̷̶͝H̶͟a͢͞!̴̢͠ ̡̢” Anti chuckled sarcastically with a sadistic smile on his face while he sat on the bed criss crossed, eyes never leaving mine, “k҉ne̴w̨ ̶̵͡I̶̡ ̵̀s̛h̨o̶͠ul͡͏̕d͢͢a̢̛ ̀t̛h̨o̸̢͝ug̀h҉̵͢t̷ ̷͠m̕o͠͝r͜e͡ wi͜͡th̨͟ ͜ţh͘͜҉a̵҉t̶ ͜͏d͠a̢̨m̀́n̨ ̷̕m̧á̧r̷̡k.̨͜͠”

“A mark of peace.” I reminded him as I looked at the once pure red mark on my arm that now was a crispy black around the edges, “A promise.”

It was then that I finally got a good look at him. Everything about him was as Dark had described, grey, lacking of any color or emotion except for the electric eyes and the dried blood that had flaked on his hands and chest, the wound still blessing out. He looked far worse than I had ever seen him, let alone imagined. Everything about him just screamed dull and numb.

The ego eyed the mark on my arm as he sighed, looking to the floor at last, “Yo͝u ͜fe̛l͢t i͞t ̀to̷o͠ t͠h̵en?” He softened, looking at me again with a bitter laughter, “Caņ you̴ ͡b͘lam͢e ̷me ͞f͏or̨ tr̸yi̛ng J҉ack͜ieb̶ǫy? I ̀júst ҉wan͟t̀ this ni͘ght̶m̀a̛re ͜to͜ e͠n̡d̛. ̴”

“So you do love her?” I mused, sitting beside him and setting my bag down and pulling out rubbing alcohol and some cotton swabs, setting aside the other medical supplies. Anti sat numb until it rested on him, to which he hissed at me, teach growing sharp and eyes going completely black and I raised my hands in a yield position, “You gotta get it cleaned or it’s gonna get infected and I’ll need to pop it with a large needle. Plus it is fucking disgusting.”

Anti chuckled a bit at this, tilting his neck to me in content and gritting his teeth at the pain. A strange but comforting silence followed as Anti’s features shifted back while I cleaned the blood from his neck and hands then placed gauze on his neck, his voice still slightly glitched in questioning, “So̴ be͟si̴de̴s͏ ǵetti͞ng me͝ ́to̶ lo̸o͝k͡ ͝my ̧best ͞to̵ g̛e̕t̴ back̀ ͡o̡n ̵t͏he mar̡ke͢ţ,̢ wh̨y ͢a̕re Ya͜ he͟r̶e?̷”

“How does a bandage sound?” I dodged the question with a smile before looking away to dig in my bag, “It would be better than wearing turtle necks. Especially in this fucking heat.”

But Anti grabbed my arm, the lack of any kind of heat causing me to look at him, a strange desperation in his eyes that caused me to cave, “It’s rather stupid really…”

Anti chuckled bitterly at this, but the chuckle sounded oddly human as he took a deep breath, his having the same consistency, “Not as stupid as being soulmates with the girl who saved you, broke you, then saved you only to snap you all over again. Try it.”

I sighed and began to wrap the bandage around his neck as a distraction, sighing again before finally speaking, “Come back with me Anti. The egos have a house… You’d be with family rather than here with these crazy- Well with Dark and that… Robot.” Anti chuckled at this as I finished off the bandage, “Prove What all happened was in the past. Apologize to Chase and Henrik. Meet Mar-“

“They all hate me.” He cut me off, pouting almost like a child.

“Can you blame them?” I replied to the out of character line, as Anti perked down even further though he let out a small chuckle at my words,  “Y/N changed you Anti. She wouldn’t want you to waste your change in a place you don’t belong. You belong in Septic Manor.”

At mention of Y/N, the physical name he seemed to sink further though his skin flashed a normal color for a moment, “Y/N…” A silence fell as Anti looked to the ground, clearly tensing as he fought off tears. Finally after several minutes,  Anti cleared his throat, pulling my attention from the spot I was looking at from out the window to meet his eyes to which he nodded, as though he was trying to persuade himself.

“You don’t have to decide now.” I paused, putting the backpack on my shoulder to stop him from self convulsing as I noticed electricity sparking around him, “But it would be nice to have an answer before I-“

“After I have a service for Y/N. Then I’ll fly back with you and try…” Anti nodded at me, forcing an old grin, “And I mean try.” I smiled at Anti before turning and heading to the door jumping at the noise of him glitching in front of me but concern being replaced with fear upon seeing him panting, “Stay?” I smiled at his figure wider nodding, causing a weak smile to fall on his face as his eyes dropped down, glitching back into his bed his eyes closing with a final, “Bye then.”

Complying, I left the room, quietly shutting the door as I pulled out my phone, sending a simple text to my friend who was likely in the basement with Gear, “Plan A is a go.”

(Anti’s POV)

It was about three in the morning when I finally left my room, still weak with sadness and from using my powers I had to walk with caution holding tightly to the walls as I turned up my headphones on the rare chance I ran into NateMare. Every precaution I could possibly think of I was prepared for. Well all except for the dread and exhaustion I felt with each and every step I took, but I knew that I had to continue.

The first beast I conquered was the stairs, nearly fainting and falling in the process. Though I had sit down after I finished I was instantly glad I did, seeing Jack sound asleep on the couch in the living room that was just below the stairs. Normally Jack was a sound sleeper but as he was in a house with four dark entities, I doubt he would have been sleeping. Sadly this meant that I would either have to glitch down to the basement or risk it and pass.

Naturally I chose the most harmful option.

I fell harshly to the ground, knocking medical supplies down with me as I attempted to grip the tray that was on the trolly next to the metal slab, instantly hiding in a corner for several moments (or an hour). Once I knew for certain I did not startle anyone awake, I snuck out and looked around, the light that my glitching into the room had just happened to be above the corpse, it now shining mockingly over her like a spotlight.

It was sickenly enchanting, but enough to draw me to her figure.

She looked different. She was still pale, looking cold to the touch but she was much more… clean. She still had wounds but they were cleaned, covered and sewn up. It made the appearance of the dull colors of her body unnerving. Her hand were over her chest and eyes closed that would have lead people to believe she was sleeping if The only color that was left on her was the light emerald green off the shoulder gown that she wore, no doubt a mark and memory that was Jack’s idea, a way of saying she was part of our family, though perhaps that is what got her killed.

I was scared to touch her, but I had also been scared to look at her and I was halfway there.

I took it step by step, first moving against the table and staring at her, then stroking her hair before I touched her arm to grab her hand, staring at the mark again. It was almost mocking, nauseating how cold everything but the mark was, the mark hot enough to burn even my skin.

And it was all my fault.

Perhaps if I had done everything I could to make myself known to her sooner… Perhaps then maybe we could have been happy. Perhaps if she would have kept the mark on her from the start… Perhaps this would be the other way around and that would be much better.

“I am sorry.” I muttered as I sniffed, squeezing her hand and slamming my head exhausted onto the slab, my body hitting the floor. “This is all my fault. I am sorry…”

The morning light shined through the single window stung my eyes as I woke up to two cups on the slab, one full of coffee and the other full of a strange liquid that I assumed belonged to Gear. I sighed, toying with the fingers as I listened to the activity going on the upper level.

Piano, drums, and violin playing in a strange tangent, chit chat ensuing as Schneep’s horrible singing voice could be heard and I reached for the coffee with my freehand.

Wait… What is Hennrick doing here? And why are they celebrating?

Y/N’s birthday… Her birthday would have been today...

Is this some kind of sick joke? I chuckled bitterly feeling my head glitch and electricity course through my bones as the cup shattered leaving a sharp double sided weapon in my hand. I’m gonna make those fuckers bleed.

In a furious rage I attempted to stand from my spot only to feel a tug on my arm. Y/N.. Had I really been so quick to succumb to my anger that I forgot about her?  But it doesn’t matter anymore. The other part of my thought as one of the ends sliced my arm a bit as I glitched. She’s gone and they are mocking her. Angrily in thought I attempted to drop Y/N’s fingers though they seemed to wrap around mine in protest, not allowing me to pull away.

No… N O… N̛̛Ờ! ̧T́͢h̷̨͝ìs͢ ͢iś ̛҉͢só̴͜me҉͏ ͢k͏̧i̷n͟d̢͢ ̶҉ó̧͡f̧ ̧͘sìc̕k̛ f҉́͠uc̢͝͠ḱ͏i̵n̵̷͠g͡ m͠͏įńd҉̧ ̸t͟͢ri͘҉ç̕k҉́!̢̡͢ I thought as I tried again, this time harder as my head snapped about, S͘T́Ò̵P҉҉! ̴S̸̀͠T̴̛O̡͘͟P̢̢!̵͝T͏̢h̶̛҉i̛s̨̕ ̸i͏̡s̶̨ń̛’̢͡t͏ F̢U̷͠CK̷Ì̕͞N͞G̀͡ ̵̸F̵͞U̵N̵͞N̛҉Y̛͠

A groan was released from the figure causing me to fall to my knees, the glass from the mug digging into my knees though I could hardly feel it as I got closer and her fingers curled tighter around mine, hot tears burning my flesh as she continued to groan. Finally getting there I jumped onto the slab as she began to breath heavily, coughing rapidly as I drew her into my chest, the glass long forgotten as I grabbed both of her hands, attempting to control my glitching. “Ỳ͟/҉̴̡̧͡N̨͟͠҉́?”

She didn’t respond only coughed causing me to panic until I remembered the strange colored liquid, dropping a hand to grab the glass and bring it to her lips which she happily accepted. Once all the liquid was down I slammed the glass on the ground as I resumed hold of her hand whispering in her ear as she began panting heavily, “C̸’́m̨on ̕p͜rin͘c͏es͜s!̛ ̡You ͜g̸ot͠t͡a wa҉ke͝ u͠p n͡o̶w!!͠!”

But she stopped for a moment falling numb causing my heart to flat line, that was until I saw color begin to regrow into her mark and instead I began crying ,gentle sounds being released from Y/N’s mouth as well as she relaxed, her eyelids opening and falling up on me, “An-Anti?” I said nothing, only hugged her against me as I fought off my own sobs by kissing the top of her head, “Anti… Anti I remember you.. I remember.. Everything.”

[newtts-scamander]

Just a Little Bit of Your Heart

Imagine: You are holding your first public art exhibition. Although you think that Tom understands how important this night is to you, you are once again proven wrong. Nonetheless, a little bit of his love is better than none. Right?

A/N: I was inspired by harry styles’ original track. listen to the live version while you read, cause I did and I was a fucken mess. sorry for the angst, I love you. x

Your head spun. The dizziness was overwhelming as you gazed down from the railing into your art studio. It was a lot cleaner than usual. No spray cans or paint brushes were left astray. In fact, a large crowd littered around, chattering and admiring the sculptures and paintings which you had created. Blue and purple lights bounced off the walls within the room; causing dark, intricate shadows to be created around the guests.

You felt sick; butterflies bursting within your stomach at merely the thought of what your audience might be thinking about your exhibition. Your expression faltered as your eyes spotted Tom within the crowd. A beer was clutched in his left hand, sipping it occasionally as he nodded along to a story being told by one of your other friends. What surprised you, however, was the petite girl who clung onto his arm. Her long, silky blonde hair fell down her slim, exposed back as she laughed along to the story, gazing up to look at Tom’s expression every so often. It’s probably nothing, you thought.  

You knew that Tom and yourself weren’t ‘exclusive’. In fact, it hadn’t seemed to come up in any conversation, despite the increasing number of kisses you had shared since he had returned from America. Yet, you couldn’t allow yourself to ignore the faint stinging sensation that you felt in your chest as you watched him carefully wrap his arm around her shoulder. Bowing your head, your eyes squeezed closed; a breath of air tumbling from your soft, red lips.

“I must be out of my mind,” you admitted to yourself. Lifting your eyes up, you looked at your reflection; fixing the black, silk dress which hugged your body. Your cleavage was very prominent. Yet, there was something about the dress that made you feel extremely elegant. Tonight’s my night, you thought.

Shaking your head, you downed the remnants of some pink, bubbly liquid from an abandoned champagne flute. Checking yourself one more time in the mirror you nodded, smiling at your reflection. Feigning composure, you steadily made your way down the flight of stairs in your heeled boots and towards your group of friends.

“Look who it is! The woman of the hour,” your best friend, Sean, cheered from behind you. Despite the music which filled the atmosphere, numerous pairs of eyes were directed towards your actions as you moved towards him. Numerous cheers and congratulations were thrown at you from surrounding family friends, creating a whole-hearted smile to be smeared across your face. You stifled a laugh, taking a sky bow before turning around towards him. A sense of easiness washed over you as you were enclosed within Sean’s lanky arms. A small congratulations and praise being sung into your ear as he did so.

“You look hot, babe!” Sean wooed, holding you at arm’s length. Pulling you into his side, he nodded towards the other side of the room. “Look at what the cat dragged in over there... No one said it would be easy, but Christ, bringing another girl? He’s got some balls.”

Flickering your eyes up from the ground, your eyes fell upon Tom. He was turned away, not aware of your presence as of yet. A content smile tugged at his lips as he cheered your brother along. His hair looked neater than the wildly curly state you were used to. It was now perfectly gelled back. As well as that, his skin glowed; a healthy tan covering his face thanks to the rays of American sun which had surely kissed his skin. The flattering, denim button up shirt that hugged his biceps and the black pair of jeans he adorned allowed him to resemble some sort of Greek god.

Blinking rapidly, your eyes caught light of the blonde who clawed at Tom’s arm, attempting to bring attention to her barely there silver slip dress. It was her scratchy voice, audible from the opposite side of the room which dragged you back to reality.

“Sake,” you murmured in frustration, shaking your head.

“You’ve got no competition babes,” he assured quietly, as you made your way over to the group. Stopping within earshot of the large group, Sean most definitely made your presence known. “I mean fucking look at allllll of this!”

As if it was staged, all your friend’s eyes turned towards you. The unruly applauses and cheers were just louder than the music, causing warmth to rise to your cheeks. Taking all the attention in your stride, you curtsied for the second time that night.

Although you had resisted the urge to look towards Tom; he most certainly had not. Licking his soft lips, his brown eyes widened as he gazed over the silky dress which seemed as though it was made just for you. His imagination roamed wild as he looked up and down your body. You looked ethereal. Your hair was pulled back into a ponytail; loose strands falling from the front of your hairline, framing your face perfectly. Your eyes glimmered brightly, your face coming alight with a happiness Tom had never seen before. His heart leapt into his mouth as a sudden uneasiness fell down his spine. His hand rose nervously, combing through his hair; an anxious habit he had picked up from you.

“Who’s the next round of booze on?” Sean called loudly, encouraging the already rowdy group. You rolled your eyes, slapping him in the chest in as you looked towards the strangers, a sheepish smile on your face. “It’s (Y/N)’s first exhibition, c’moooon, don’t be cheap arses! Do we have any takers?”

“You guys don’t have to-“ you began. Waving your hands to excuse the strangers, giving Sean a stern glare.

“I got it,” Tom called quickly, cutting you off. Your eyes met his for the first time tonight; a familiar feeling tightening in the pit of your stomach as he looked you and down several times over. The group cheered louder in response to his inclination to order the group more drinks. He moved towards you, shaking his arm from the blonde’s seemingly deathly grip. Tom’s empty arms opened towards you. His strong arms skimmed around your figure; his large hands slid down, falling into place on your lower back.

“Congratulations,” he murmured sweetly into your ear, pressing a delicate kiss onto your cheek. “This is all so amazing, (Y/N), honestly. I’m so proud of you, darling.”

You squeezed him, holding him close before letting go, a shy smile on your face. “Thank you. I’m glad you’re enjoying it. It was really-”

“Where are the drinks, Holland? Huh?” your brother called obnoxiously, interrupting the sweet exchange. Sharing a chuckle, Tom hummed. “I’ll be right back.” With a wink and one more kiss to the cheek, he disappeared into the crowd.

Looking back towards your friends, you let out a sigh in relief. Slowly, you began making your way around the studio, chatting and explaining to your friends and strangers who had wandered into the exhibition the inspiration and meaning behind some of the art pieces. Your friends and family wore stupidly proud, drunken smiles on their faces as you spoke to them.

After around twenty minutes, you found yourself staring at one of the paintings you had become extremely fond of. An array of blossoming flowers were at the centre of the large canvas, more specifically, a variation of daffodils which stemmed from the overly dark and eerie scenery which surrounded them. An elderly woman stopped beside you, as if, just as mesmerised as you were.

“What do you think it’s about?” you questioned.

“It depends how you perceive it, dear,” she explained, not shifting her eyes from the dark image. “For me, I-I know that those flowers there, oh! What are they-“

“Daffodils,” you spoke, just above a whisper.

“Daffodils! That’s the one! Anyway, they normally represent new life, but, I think in this circumstance it might be an unrequited love.”

Your eyebrows furrowed, looking towards her in confusion. “I’m sorry?”

“Well don’t just look at the painting; analyse it, dear. Christ, you millennials,” she muttered, shaking her head. “The surroundings are dark, rough; but there’s a bunch of perfectly untouched, blossoming flowers. If you look closely at the ground, you’ll see other stems are trying to grow. Now, if I didn’t know any better I would say that the artist is facing a tricky relationship. Wouldn’t you?”

You remained still, your eyes fixated on the painting created by you. You hadn’t thought it through that much, but maybe she was right.

“I mean-“ you spoke, your finger raised as if ready to make a point. You turned towards her, but, she was gone. “Oh.”

Looking back towards the dreary painting, you huffed. As you were about to move along to the next art piece, a strong pair of arms slip around your waist, causing you to jump.

“Hey,” the rough voice rasped. Turning, you were met with a dazed, overconfident Tom. Alongside his messy, slightly dampened hair and unbuttoned, crinkled shirt, his appearance hadn’t changed at all. Your eyes flickered to the loud groan of the studio door. A twinge of jealousy struck through you as the blonde female, whose name had slipped from your memory, stumbled out of sight.

“Tom,” you spoke breathlessly, your eyes darting from Tom to the closed door. Immediately you put two and two together. Surely he didn’t just get with some other girl during one of the biggest nights of your life?

A sharp pain sparked through your chest once again. Tears stung your eyes, however, Tom remained seemingly unbothered as you desperately searched for any guilt within his lazy grin. You couldn’t believe that this was happening, tonight of all nights. Tom knew how much this exhibition meant to you. But maybe, you were wrong after all. “Were you just…? I-you, did you just…?“

Your mouth failed to form words. Yet, how could you expect anything else? You always knew you weren’t the only one, but when it came to Tom you were a fool and you knew it. He reached out, attempting to grab your arm but you took a step back. You couldn’t bear to have him near you right now. Once again, he reached his hand out towards your face but you flinched, looking the other way. Becoming conscious of your reluctance to his touch, Tom’s eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.

“Wha-“ he slurred, his face falling. The desperate shaking of your head put a stop to his words. You couldn’t do this. Not here. Not tonight. A tear slipped from your eye as you walked away, not turning back as he continued to call your name. You felt dirty; betrayed that he would do such a thing.

“Tom, I really can’t deal with this right now,” you insisted, sniffling. Holding onto your forearm, he pulled you closer to him, looking you directly into your red, blurry eyes.

“Please; just, please. Let’s go outside and talk.”

Yanking his grip from your arm, you took long strides, your head down as you manoeuvred your way past the crowd and outside into the crisp London air. The sound of Tom’s boots shuffling against the gravel towards indicated he had followed suit. Letting a shaky breath of air escape your mouth, you attempted to calm yourself.

“What is going on, (Y/N)?” Tom groaned, exasperated, leaning against the railing.

“What do you mean what is going on, Tom?” you hissed. “Honestly, you must take me for a fucking fool to think I don’t know you fucked that girl and a lineup of other girls.”

“Been with other girls? What are we? Dating all of a sudden?” he squinted, becoming defensive. Your heart broke slightly as you heard the words out loud. “You know what? I might be throwing my weight around with a few girls here and there, but at least I’m not making up a fuckin’ fairy tale in my head.”

You froze, his words feeling like a slap to the face. You knew yourself and Tom didn’t talk 24/7, yet, you thought you were worth most than these putrid words he spat. Your lack of response only allowed him more time to spill venomous words back into your face.

“What do you want me to say, (Y/N), huh? Do you want me to lie and tell you how much I love you? How much I care for you? Is that really what you want?”

Enough was enough.

“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” you bit back. Hastily, you pushed the tears that fell down your face as you, annoyed that you were crying over him. Yet, you couldn’t help but laugh in a sinister way at Tom’s lack of response.

“Do you wanna know something, Holland? Maybe I did love you and yeah, maybe sometimes I would look at you and see my whole universe. But don’t you, for one second, dare lie to my face and tell me that you didn’t care.”

Tom rubbed his face in irritation and anger. Although his heart yearned for him to yell, scream at the top of his lungs over and over again; I was lying, I care for you, I love you. Something; anything. His mind refused it; disabling his mouth from opening. It remained staying shut tight. His head bowed, blinking away tears which filled his eyes.

“Get out,” you whispered into the wind, your voice cracking. Tom looked up, his eyes attempting to catch yours. His mouth opened, ready to form some type of apology, but he didn’t. You were met with silence again. “Leave. I don’t want to see you here, Tom. Never again.”

Nothing Tom was experiencing would ever compare to the way your heart felt in that moment. It was as if your delicate heart had been ripped from your chest then smashed and battered into a million pieces before your very eyes. You were vulnerable; unable to look at him. His presence alone made you want to throw up. Your gaze was fixed out towards the flickering street light.

“I gave you everything,” you confessed, trembling in defeat. “I guess everything was never enough for you.”

With one last inhalation, you pushed the balcony door open, indicating for Tom to leave. Quietly, he passed you, not uttering a word. For you, that wasn’t even the worst part. You couldn’t fathom that not once did he turn to look back or even bother to say goodbye. 

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