#I'm not gonna sit here and defend myself anymore though. At this point people can think what they want.

[total-drama-brainrot]

i’ve been seeing the anon hate for the rice krispies fic, and i dint really get it?? like, its so well written, and such a cool concept

also, the biggest anon hate thing is about non-con, which is usually in reference to.. unpleasant sexual advances on ao3, right? alejandro doesnt do that in the fic, he (from what we know so far) makes noah be more honest, and has an obedience trigger, as to not have him betray him

and you make sure to keep it tagged correctly, so people can filter out what they do or dont want to read, nobody is forcing them to read it, al la matchsticks on the eyes with a massive version of the fic on a wall, are they?

anyway, point is - the rice krispies fic is genuinely so cool, and an interesting way to explore their characters and others in regards to the plot

keep at it!! its so cool!! (i also thought id try and cancel out anon hate by sending anon love)

Anon, we shall have a spring wedding. /lh

I kind of glossed over it in the initial ask, but the use of 'non-con' in relation to my fic really rubbed me the wrong way, because it is usually reserved for SA and related offences- which isn't something that's going to happen in my fic.

RK!Alejandro's an obsessive, possessive creep, yes, but there are certain lines that I as an author am simply against crossing. Even in fiction that explores darker subjects.

I know they're likely making assumptions based on the whole 'hypnosis' concept- since the majority of hypnosis content used in fanfiction is sexual in nature, something I didn't find out until after publishing the second chapter, much to my embarrassment- so I'm considering adding a "Non-Sexual Hypnosis" tag to the fic itself, just for extra clarification.

(They're teenagers, why would I want to write SA content about them?! I'm far too ace to understand why people would jump to this assumption...)

But otherwise I think I've made it pretty clear that what I write in the context of the RK fic is intentionally messed up for the purpose of storytelling. It's a horror fic. It's going to be unsettling, and the characters are going to be less than moral. That's why I've tagged it as appropriately as possible (though if there are any tags you can think of that I've omitted, please tell me) and added the Dead Dove tag- fanfictions are tagged for a reason!

Sorry to go on a bit of a tangent there, I just really don't want people making unsavoury assumptions about me and my writing when I'm just trying to explore an interesting concept/plotline.

On a more important note; thank you so much for the support! It means so much to me, you don't even realise.

[tinisprout]

Not as a Friend

Pairing: Heeseung x gn!Reader

Genre: Fluff, Angst

Word count: 2,485

Summary: The two of you have always been close to each other. Saying, I love you, as friends, since young. But your feelings are deeper than that of a friend. A confession pushes you to tell him how you really feel, even if it might ruin your friendship.

A/N: It's been a millennium since I've written. This is also my first time writing in First Person so this was a struggle. Still, I hope it's not too bad. *I wrote this with the thought of the Reader and Heeseung being high school seniors, already 18, but I never specified age or grade in the story, so I guess it doesn't really matter. Anyways, enjoy!

The walk home with Heeseung today feels unbearable, I know that he keeps glancing in my direction, I know he’s worried after seeing my face in class. That makes it hurt even more, he’s so kind and caring, what did I do to deserve a friend like him? We continue our walk back home in silence and I think about the past.

I like you and I love you are very straightforward words, but depending on the context of the relationship they can have a different meaning. I remember the first time I said I loved him, it was a very wholesome moment. We were only six, our mothers watched us play together in the park, “They haven’t known each other for very long but they get along so well,” my mother said gleefully.

“Yes, they must really like each other,” Heeseung’s mother replied. I lifted my head to look at Heeseung, our eyes met and we smiled at each other. Hearing their conversation, I turned to them ready to tell the world about my friend.

“I love Heeseung, he is my best friend!” I grabbed his hands, they were just as small as mine. Heeseung leaned into me, flashing a dazzling smile to our parents.

“I love y/n too.” It was so innocent. For a long time after that, we never had a problem saying, I love you, to each other. It was just a casual statement between friends. In instances when saying goodbye to each other or times when we would annoy each other, one of us would say, ‘you still love me, don’t you?’ and the other would reply ‘...I still love you.’

It changed when we were older and our peers would make fun of us for saying it so casually. I wasn’t bothered by the teasing, but Heeseung would always try to defend the innocence of our relationship, “Guys, we don’t like each other. We're just friends, this is just how we have always been with each other.” I had already started to develop feelings for him, maybe I was feeling guilty because when I would say, I love you, it wasn’t so much in a platonic way anymore. So one day I drew a line.

“Heeseung, you know I love you, right?” We sat in his living room, relaxing after we came back from school.

“What’s wrong?” I guess my tone didn’t sound too happy, he looked concerned as he looked at me in silence waiting for my answer.

“I think we should stop saying, I love you, to each other...not just in front of our classmates, but probably when we’re alone too.” He sat up straight quickly, pushing his hair back.

“What, why? Is it because of all the teasing?” I couldn’t meet his eyes and tell him the real reason.

“Not really, I’ve just been thinking. We aren’t in love with each other or anything, we’re just friends. When you do end up dating someone, I don’t want to be the problem in your relationship. If I was in their shoes, I think I would be jealous. So...yeah.” I looked back up at him, he looked at me too, seeming to be thinking and searching for something. After the long pause, he slumps back a little and leans his head back, letting out a big sigh.

“If that’s how you feel then we can do that.”

“Hey come on, it’s not like I suddenly stopped caring about you.”

“Ha, yeah.” He gave a small smirk. We continued our evening together with a somewhat awkward atmosphere.

Not long later, I regretted what I said that day. Most people were finished with class cleaning, same for me. I was packing my things, getting ready to leave school with Heeseung like we do every day. Weirdly enough Heeseung usually finishes before me and comes to me first, but he wasn’t here yet. I walk to his classroom after I'm done getting ready, and yet still, I didn’t see him. I asked some of his classmates, “Hey, do you know where Heeseung is?”

“Uh, he left with a girl a little while ago, but he didn’t take his stuff,” one of his classmates answered, pointing to his bag half-packed on his desk, he didn’t take his phone either. Many thoughts flew through my head, but the loudest one was, ‘He’s getting confessed to.’ I pursed my lips and then said my thanks to his classmates and left back to my classroom. I wanted to take his bag, pack it for him, but the thought of finding out that he said yes, I don’t think I could look at him, it would hurt too much.

I sat down on my seat in the now-empty class, laying my head down and covering my head with my arms. ‘A confession doesn’t take long, I’ll wait for 10 minutes max. If he doesn’t come to get me then I’ll just leave.’ I gripped onto my forearms, ‘I should be happy for him if he says yes to her.’ I started to anxiously bounce my leg, ‘Please, come back soon.’ It felt like an eternity left alone with my thoughts. The sounds outside the classroom slowly softened as students continued to leave. Within the muted sounds came pounding footsteps and then the sound of the door slamming open. Startled, my head shoots up from the desk and I look to the door. There he was, bag slung on one shoulder, his breathing irregular from running, a nervous smile on his face as he let out a just as nervous chuckle.

“Thank goodness you're still here, I wasn’t sure if you left without me. And sorry, I had to do something really quick.” His face fell when he saw my face go from shocked to one that was holding back tears, emotional upheaval nearby. “What’s wrong? What happened?” his eyes were filled with concern as he quickly went up to me kneeling in front of my seat. His head now lower than mine, I looked down at him.

“Heeseung,” my voice had a slight tremble. “I- can we go to your place first...I’ll be ready to tell you then.”

“Of course,” he wrapped his arms around my body, it was such a natural gesture. “It’s gonna be okay.” I hoped it was going to be okay and that he wouldn't leave me after this.

"I-I would never leave without you," even though I said only 10 minutes, I would have waited till the sunset, till there was no more hope. With those last words I pull away from him and we walk out of the classroom without another word and made the seemingly long walk home. Finally, at his home, his parents are still at work it seems so we head straight upstairs. He gets into his normal spot on his bed but instead of leaning against the wall, he sits forward, looking at me. My normal spot would be next to him but I just stood in front of his bed. I don't want to make him uncomfortable after what I'm about to tell him.

"Before I say anything else, I just want to confirm something, if you are comfortable with sharing. What did you have to do during cleaning time?" Heeseung processed for a bit and then his eyebrows shot up in realization.

"Oh uh…" he hesitates.

"It's fine if you don't want to share." ‘I'm still gonna say what I have to say regardless of the answer, I thought to myself.’

"No, no, it's just a little weird. I…got confessed to," silence.

"...Ah, I thought that was the case."

"I rejected them!” he retorted. “...sorry, I'm not mad at you, I just-” he sighed while putting his head in his hands. “I don’t want to make this about me, but I need to say something to you too,” he looks back up at me. I was startled but I knew he wasn’t angry at me, but he was obviously in distress.

“It’s okay, Heeseung. I’ll always be here for you, no matter what. I just hope I don’t ruin the mood after this. Okay, okay, ...sorry, just a little bit longer,” I say, letting out nervous laughter. I start to pace around his room, nerves getting the best of me. I feel my heart pick up speed and I try to keep my breathing under control, clenching and unclenching my fists. I didn’t realize he got up from the bed till I felt his hand squeeze mine. I look at him, freezing up in his gaze. My thoughts are telling me to run away but the heat from his hand was suffocating against my burning one, and yet I didn't want to let go, the feeling told me to stay.

"Hey, you know. You know... I'll love you no matter what. It's okay." Those words that I want so dearly to be true made my heart stop and my body tremble with trepidation. More than anything I didn't want to lose Heeseung, but I care about him, so I don't want to lie and not tell him how I really feel.

"I love you so much. I- I don't know what to do with myself…" My hand squeezes his back, making his hand quiver along with mine. There was heat building up behind my eyes, vision becoming a little blurry.

"It’s okay, breathe. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“No, you don’t get it,” the tears that had been brimming around my eyes finally fell. “I love you and I always will but for a long time now it’s been more than that. I like-like you, I- I’m in love with you! I don’t want to be just your friend anymore. The thought of you being with someone else hurts...so much, but I’ve been too scared to say anything because I don’t want to lose you.” The words became more unsteady, I tried to stop myself from losing complete control of my emotions. I slowly started to sink to the floor and Heeseung followed me down till we popped to the ground in the middle of his room. While stared into each other’s eyes the entire time, I could see Heeseung’s face change, expressing multiple different emotions, none of them seem good.

“...I’m sorry, I d- I didn’t know. I’m sorry, y/n.” Heeseung pursed his lips, he looked like he was about to cry with me. He lets go of my hand and wraps his arms around my body squeezing me tight, repeating, I’m sorry. Are we both trembling now? It’s hard to tell if it’s just me but I wrap my arms around him too and let it all go, my whimpers and sniffles became full-blown sobs. I don’t know how long we cried for, but eventually, our cries came to a hush. It seems like we cried for a long time together and I feel exhausted.

“Ugh, I kinda feel like I have to throw up.” As an attempt to lighten the mood I joke about the very real condition of my stomach, while I pull away from him. Heeseung sniffles and chuckles.

“Yeah, same here,” we look each other in the eyes again. His hands came up and touched my face wiping away the dampness from my cheeks. Even after gently wiping he still kept his hands there. “I’m sorry, that I was a coward. If I just told you how I felt sooner, much sooner, you wouldn’t have to suffer like that. I’m in love with you too…” He pauses to see my reaction as I process this new information. “Pfft, I thought you would have been happy, why are you crying again?” he teases as he rubs at my face again. Even in a moment like this, we can't stop our bantering.

“Shut up, these are tears of happiness,” I hadn’t even realized more tears fell out, I thought I was all cried out. “We are both cowards though. It feels kinda silly now, we’ve cried this much just to say, I love you. When did it all become so complicated?” I sighed, tilting my head a little.

“I don’t know exactly when I fell for you, but when I realized, I knew I wanted you by my side, always, not like before, not as just friends. But I was afraid of ruining our relationship if you didn’t feel the same way.” I grab his shoulders pushing him down to the ground, straddling his body.

We’re so lame, worrying about the same thing, and in the end, we have nothing to worry about, because we both like each other!” Heeseung raises an eyebrow.

“Correction, love each other.” I purse my lips as I look down on him.

“Yeah, I like you, I love you, I’m in love with you! Happy now?

“Yup,” He gave a sly smirk.

“...Damn, I really want to kiss you.”

“What’s stopping you?” ‘Fair enough,’ I thought as I leaned down, closing my eyes, placing a chaste kiss on his lips. I could feel his lips form a smile against mine which made me smile too. I pulled away laughing, the happiness I’m feeling right now seems unreal, but looking at his smile, the reddish color that dusted his cheeks and ears told me just how real it was.

“That was nice,” I say as I remove myself from the top of his body and lay beside him.

“Much better than our first kiss. This time I didn’t have to hide how much I like kissing you.” He turns his body to face mine, propping his head with his hand. My eyes widened at this revelation.

“Wait, you liked me since then?”

“Definitely before then, but yes.”

“Ahh, why were we both so oblivious?!” I bring my hands up to cover my face.

“Hey, at least we know now. I don’t plan on letting you go.”

“Oh, dearest boyfriend of mine, who said I was going anywhere without you?” Heeseung grins from ear to ear.

“I like the sound of that.”

“I’m sure all our classmates and friends will love to tease us about this when they find out. Heeseung cringes at that statement, not exactly something to look forward to.

Sure enough, when we came to school the next day we decided we were not going to try and hide anything, and walked to school holding hands, fingers intertwined. The hollers from our friends and classmates made us embarrassed, but explanations would come later. Though what left everyone flabbergasted, myself included, is when we had to part ways, going into our classrooms, Heeseung bent down and tilted my head up towards his and kissed me. It was short and he left me in the hall dumbstruck as he scurried to class. The shouts of everyone watching were lost to my ears. I was so gonna get him later for this.

[quillsandtypos]

Nighttime Confidence

Summary: reader and the band are having a sleepover in Julie's studio and the late hours are starting to get to the reader

Pairings: luke patterson x reader

Words: 1.9k

Warnings: lil bit of cussing and tickling and the reader doing a minorly dangerous stunt

"Oh my god I'm gonna fucking die," you groaned.

Luke pretended to be hurt. "Do you really not trust me that much?"

"Yes!"

"Maybe I'll just drop you on purpose," he offered.

"Don't you dare," you said, backing up a couple steps.

He grinned at you and pulled you back, "Trust me you're gonna be fine," he assured you.

It wasn’t that you didn’t trust him, you just didn’t trust that you were going to land on his shoulders, without breaking anything.

But your worries began to fade into more of an anticipation as your friends watched you with excited looks on their faces. Besides, you were doing it in front of a couch for a reason, right?

“Okay, I’ll do it,” you reluctantly agreed.

“Yes!” cried Reggie.

Julie just facepalmed, “I’m not sure if it would be better to watch or just look away.”

“Julie, you gotta watch, you’re the only alive person here who could save me,” you realized.

“Like I was gonna let this happen without recording it anyways,” she scoffed.

You shrugged, ”Fair enough.”

“Alright y/n you ready?” Luke asked, squatting lower to the ground.

You didn’t know if it was the fact that it was three am, or that the coffee was kicking in, or if your boyfriend's confident energy was contagious, but suddenly you felt like you could conquer anything. “I don’t know, are you ready Patterson?”

He quickly yet slyly winked at you before motioning to jump.

“Ready, set, GO!” Reggie yelled like a car girl in nascar.

You took off at a bit of a run before attempting to bounce off the pillows and onto Luke’s shoulders. As you soared through the air for a moment you could’ve sworn you heard Alex yell ‘I can’t watch this!’. But only seconds later you came in a rather harsh contact with the couch.

You groaned, but quickly got up so as to not worry any of your band mates.

“Y/n are you okay?” Alex worried.

“Yes Alex I’m fine, really, that’s why we put the couch there,” you giggled.

“How many fingers am I holding up?” Luke asked.

“Technically none since usually that theory only applies to living people, but you’re holding up three,” you concluded.

Reggie couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, I think she’s fine.”

Luke smirked at you. “Maybe a little too fine.”

“What is that supposed to mean beanie boy?” you teased back. You were getting used to your so-called midnight confidence.

“Oh so that’s how you wanna play it?” he asked, arching an eyebrow.

“I’ve been playing it, it just took you a while to catch up,” you taunted. Julie snorted and gasped before slapping her hand over her mouth.

As your eyes went back to Luke, you realized your first mistake was taking your focus off of him considering he was running right at you. You yelped before vaulting the couch.

You now had it separating the two of you.

“Come on y/n which way you wanna go?” he sang.

The look he was giving made you want to melt into a puddle of embarrassed goop but that was not a realistic solution, so you would have to come up with something a little more tangible.

You looked around the area to scan for something helpful, the instruments were put away; the other three were on the other side of the room, and had not bothered to get up from the floor to watch, and the studio doors were shut.

Luke recognized your analyzing face. “You can’t outrun me, I’m a ghost remember?”

Your nighttime confidence had a second wave. “No, but I can try.” You vaulted back over the couch and went running as fast as you could in the opposite direction of Luke. You made it about five steps until you felt his hands wrap around your midsection. Another yelp escaped your lips.

He quickly threw you over his shoulder, not unlike a sack of potatoes.

You tried to sound angry but you couldn’t stop laughing for the life of you. “Put me down!” you insisted.

Luke pretended he couldn’t hear you, but suddenly you got an idea. You stretched downwards to taser his sides. The minute you did he nearly dropped you, but he managed to muffle his laughter.

“Now that’s just dirty,” Luke commented.

“Says the one holding me like a potato sack, asshole” you quipped.

“She’s got a point with that one,” Julie chirped up.

Luke pretended to scowl at her but she just stuck her tongue out at him.

Luke finally put you back down on the ground.

“Thank you?” You were highly suspicious that he gave up that easily, and from the looks on your bandmates faces it looked like they didn’t believe him either.

“You’re welcome,” he said innocently, but his wide mouthed grin showed an ulterior motive; though you weren’t quite sure what that was yet.

You cautiously moved back to the rest of your friends. You didn’t take your eyes off of him until you were safely planted in between Reggie and Julie.

“So if Luke promises not to attack anyone, do you guys wanna watch a movie?” Julie suggested, and threw him a fake glare.

“All of you guys were clearly entertained by that, so you can’t even pretend to be mad at me,” Luke concluded.

“No, I’m pretty sure that was just you,” Alex retorted.

“And I’m pretty sure we can,” Julie accidentally finished.

Luke held his hands up in surrender, realizing he was very outnumbered. “Alright, you’ve proved your point.”

“So movie night?” Reggie asked.

“Definitely, but what do we want to watch?” Julie wondered aloud.

“Can I vote for Star wars?” Reggie hinted.

“That’s fair, anybody else have any ideas?” she asked.

“Oh, we could watch an animated disney movie?” Alex suggested.

“Which one, isn’t there like a shit ton of them?” Luke looked to you and Julie for help.

“Yeah, they have a lot,” you confirmed.

“So either disney or star wars?” Alex echoed.

“Technically they are both disney since disney owns star wars now,” you pointed out.

“They what now?” Reggie gasped.

Alex and Luke exchanged a nervous glance.

“Oh, sorry, yeah they bought them out in 2012,” you explained.

“Well now we gotta watch a star wars movie to see if they’re even good anymore!” Reggie exclaimed.

Julie scrunched up her eyebrows before agreeing. “Alright, Star Wars movie it is, I guess.”

Soon enough you were all scattered across the studio floor in a big pile of blankets and pillows, as the Rise of Skywalker played on the 'hologram projector'. Who would’ve thought that movie night was the real use of it?

Reggie seemed to be enjoying himself. It did take a little bit of explaining and some googling to get him caught up on the twenty five years that he missed, but he seemed to be fully engrossed in the movie.

Julie had never seen any Star Wars movies, so she was a little lost at first, but she seemed to really like the characters. Alex was half asleep near Reggie, it seemed like he was enjoying the movie, but the drummer was obviously very tired. Luke was propped up against the back of the couch, and you were sitting next to Julie.

You looked back at him to exchange a quick glance before turning back to the movie. You saw Julie watch you with an amused look in her eyes.

“What?” you softly asked.

“Go!” Julie whisper yelled to you.

“What?” you whispered.

“Go sit with your boyfriend.” She motioned back at him.

“No, I told you I was going to sit with you,” you insisted.

She narrowed her eyes. “Then why are you making googly eyes at him?” she asked.

You pulled your jaw back up. “I was not!” you defended.

Julie grinned, “Trust me, I think I can manage by myself up here, go back with him.”

“I’m not just gonna abandon you like that,” you argued.

“Y/n I love you, but so help me if you don’t go sit with him you are going to end up as a ghost really soon,” Julie threatened.

Not really wanting the wrath of Julie upon you, you picked up your blanket to move beside Luke.

“Hey princess,” he greeted you.

“Hi handsome.” You placed your head on his shoulder.

“You wanna know something y/n?” Luke asked.

“Mmm hmm, what’s that?”

“Reggie already watched this movie, he just wanted to watch it again because you seemed to like it,” Luke divulged.

You furrowed your brows. “You’re kidding right?”

“Nope, he binged all of them the second he heard there were more.”

“Wow, we must be really good friends if he’s willing to give up the first trilogy for me,” you commented. While it was intended as a joke, it didn’t mean you didn’t see the sentiment behind it.

“We all love you, you know that. And you love us,” he whispered.

“That’s true, and most especially you.” You placed a quick kiss on his lips but even the small moment gave you a warm feeling through your body.

“Hey y/n?” he asked.

“Yeah?”

“Do you remember earlier?”

You thought for a moment about what the hell he could be talking about until you saw the devilish smirk on his face, and you realized that you had yet again made a mistake.

Before you could make a move to get away he had already pulled you on top of him.

He pulled your shirt up slightly.

“Don’t you dare tickle me,” you threatened.

“I mean I wasn’t going to do that, but now that you mention it.” As he trailed off you felt a hand start to glide across your stomach and your breath hitched in your throat.

“I whihll khihhill yhohhuhu,” you giggled out. You were trying to be as quiet as possible so you wouldn’t wake Alex.

“You do know I’m a ghost, right?” he reminded you.

You choose not to answer that one in favor of holding your mouth shut so your laughter would stay in.

“You know what ghosts are really good at though-” he paused; you were absolutely certain you could hear his smile.

“Ghosting.”

You felt his fingertips lightly make contact with your hip bones. You tried to squirm away but Luke was strong, and he had a good hold on you. But when you felt his hands start to glide across your hips, you grew desperate enough that you managed to roll off of him.

He looked rather smug at your giggly smile as you laid on the floor.

“I hate you,” you breathed out.

Luke almost let out a loud laugh at that one. “As tempting as it probably is, no you don’t.”

“No, no I don’t,” you admitted with a sparkle in your eyes.

You crawled up to him again. “Because I will always love you.”

He looked into your eyes with a serious demeanor. “I love you too, always.”

“Good, so we both agree that we’re stuck with each other,” you joked.

Luke placed his head on your shoulder. “Forever and ever y/l/n.”

You rested yours against his. “Forever and ever Patterson.”

[barnesandrogersfanfics]

Rose Coloured Glasses - Part 8

A/N- Im sorry if this is bad! 😂

*Contains Defending Jacob spoilers*

When i finally got home later that day i ordered a pizza and decided to take a quick shower while i waited, knowing they usually take a good 45 minutes this time of night. Walking out of the bathroom 10 minutes later wrapped in a fluffy purple towel i passed the window in the hallway and spotted Andy sitting outside in his car. I walked to the bedroom and picked up my phone from the bedside cabinet and hit his number.

As it rang i walked over to the window and watched him staring at the phone in his hand for a few moments before answering.

"Hey" he finally answered.

"Hey, everything okay?"

"Yeah of course! Why wouldnt it be?"

"Well the fact your sitting outside my house....."

"Shit, sorry! I wasn't being weird i swear! Its just.....i should just go" he sighed shaking his head.

"You wanna come in for a minute?"

"I dont wanna interupt...."

"Your not its fine, let me just come down real quick and open the door....wait for me in the kitchen" i told him making my way downstairs.

"....okay" he finally agreed, I ended the call and quickly unlocked the door pulling it open just a crack before running back upstairs to get dressed.  I tossed my phone on the bed and grabbed my sleep shorts and an oversized t-shirt. After towel drying my hair real quick i tied it up out the way and made my way down to see Andy.

When i walked into the kitchen Andy looked up and smiled at me, he was sat at my small kitchen table, his coat and suit jacket discarded on the empty chair beside him.

"Im sorry to just show up like this Y/N" he said shaking his head.

"Its fine don't worry about it"

"I don't even know how i ended up here....."

"Another shitty day?"

"Yeah" he scoffed "the kids aint talking, none of them knew anything. Most of them where more interested in the fact that i was Jacob Barbers dad"

"So no leads?"

"No. But Duffy found out there's a guy who lives near the park, Leonard Patz. Done for Indecent AB on a minor"

"Why didnt you know about him before?"

"Duff said he only moved to Newton in the last year. Never registered. One of the ADA's in the child abuse unit flagged him"

"What exactly did Patz do to this kid?"

"Grabbed the kids package at the public library, got out on a personal"

"He groped a kid and got out on a personal?" I asked wide eyed at the idea of this man walking free around town.

"Apparently there was some question about the kids testimony. Duffy also said we gotta keep in mind the Rifkin kid had no signs of sexual assault"

"But its something for you to look into, right? If your getting nowhere with the kids at school it makes sense that Patz is the next point of call"

"I just, i have to be careful how i play this one.... i told Duffy i needed to sleep on it. My heads all over the place"

"You want a coffee? Or i have beer?"

"I'll take a beer please" he gave me a tired smile.

I grabbed a couple beers and we went to sit in the living room, he sat on the sofa and let his head fall back with a contented sigh as he closed his eyes.

"Thank you for this Y/N, i always feel like i can relax with you. Everyones always expecting things from me you know? But you.... you just let me be myself"

"And your not yourself at home?"

"Not at all, not for a long time anyway" he replied lifting his head to take a mouthful of his beer "Laurie and I were talking about divorce before all this happened"

"Oh...." i was genuinely surprised to hear that and didn't know how to react to this new information!

"Im okay about it though, is that bad?"

"No, people get divorced all the time Andy"

"I know. Its kinda scary though, i've been with Laurie since college.... i think we got too comfortable.... we lost that spark"

"And theres no getting it back?"

"Im pretty sure that boat has sailed" he chuckled to himself "i will aways love her don't get me wrong im just...."

"Not IN love with her?"

"Yeah" he nodded looking a little sad that his marriage hadn't worked out "You ever been in love?" Andy asked cocking his head to the side and watching me closely.

"Me?.... um, yeah once" i nodded as i picked at the label on my beer bottle "college boyfriend, he was everything to me.... kinda sad looking back at it"

"What happened?"

"I caught him in bed with my best friend"

"Shit"

"Yeah, i cut all contact with the both of them after that. You wanna know the kicker? ...their still together with their second kid on the way"

"Im sorry to hear that"

"It happens" i shrugged "i haven't been in a relationship since. Guess i have some trust issues"

"And you and Frank?...."

"Me and Frank, right" i shook my head getting up from the sofa "i need another beer before talking about Frank, you want another?"

"Sure".

I sat on the opposite end of the sofa facing Andy when i returned with fresh beers.

"So whats the deal with Frank?" He asked but averted his eyes while he mentioned the other man in my life.

"We spent some time together" i shrugged feeling like an idiot for thinking i could do the whole casual/non exclusive thing.

"And your not anymore?"

"At the moment i don't think so"

"What happened if you don't mind me asking?"

"I was supposed to be meeting his friends yesterday but i told him i had to reschedule. With everything going on i wasn't feeling it you know? This morning when i was getting coffee i saw him with some blonde....we want different things i guess. I mean you warned me what Frank was like right?.... i thought i could do the casual thing.... turns out i'm not a fan so much"

"The guys an idiot.....Im sorry" Andy said keeping his eyes down on his beer bottle casually raising his eyebrows.

"No your not" i laughed shaking my head at him, it was written all over his face that he was pleased to hear this news.

"Your right i'm not" he finally looked up at me "your too good for him".

"Andy..."

"Im serious. You're something else....." he took a deep breath putting his now empty beer bottle on the table then turned to face me "i have to tell you something.... its been eating away at me for a while now"

"What is it?" I asked him putting my beer down and giving him my full attention.

"I remember what happened in Vermont.... the things i said... the kiss"

I was not expecting that!

"Oh...."

"Im sorry, i just didn't want things to get weird between us. I didn't want to loose you"

"Andy.... i..."

"I haven't been able to stop thinking about that kiss in the elevator Y/N. I cant stop thinking about how much i still wanna kiss you every damn time i see you!"

"We can't...."

"We can! Its okay to want this" he reached across and took my hand rubbing circles on the back of my hand "tell me you don't want it too and i'll leave right now and we can forget this happened".

I sat there staring at him shaking my head "i cant tell you that...".

Before i knew it Andy was pulling me into his lap and kissing me breathless. His hands slipping under my t-shirt caressing my back. My heart was racing as we finally parted for air, i placed my hands on either side of his face, my thumbs stroking his cheeks that were flushed as we tried to catch our breath.

The moment was interrupted by knocking at the door.

"Leave it" he mumbled leaning forward and kissing me again. I pushed him back and laughed before climbing off his lap "thats my takeout! Im not just gonna leave it, i'll be back in two seconds".

I grabbed my purse from the table and headed to the front, i opened the door with a smile.... a smile that fell when i saw Frank standing there instead of the delivery man!

"Frank....."

"Hey sweetheart".

Everything taglist: @jesseswartzwelder @dumblani @barnesandrogersworld @patzammit

Rose Coloured Glasses taglist: @readermia @princess-evans-addict @jennmurawski13 @matsumama @ex-bloodjunkie @kaithezaftig @rainbowkisses31

[ma-gic-gay]

Turns out that sometimes, she can keep her mouth shut.

She hadn't told anyone what she knew about their relationship, him moving out and into an apartment she didn't recognize. It'd been over a week and still, she didn't snap and start screaming about how Sam should've thought it over in a better way, done this in a better way. She shouldn't have broken his heart like that.

Granted, the fact that Carly had managed to stay pretty clear of Sam didn't hurt.

She couldn't avoid her forever though, and that was proven when Sam walked into the Metro Court, asking to speak with her.

"What's up, Sam?" Carly asks, not in the mood for the conversation but knowing what's to come. She avoided her for a week, and so she'd had more time to think about what she would say.

"Did Jason not tell you?" Sam asks confused.

"About how you kicked him out? No, he told me," Carly tells her. "I understand not being able to deal with the mob lifestyle better than anyone, trust me, but you've known how he is for years. He never pretended to be anything else. For months before his crash, you two were sneaking around and now you've realized you can't deal with it?"

"Danny could've been killed in that explosion. Being with Jason, it made our lives more dangerous than they should be. So even though I love him, so much, I had to break it off for the kids. Danny and Scout don't need to grow up with guards around them constantly, wondering if he's gonna come home alive," Sam defends her decision, not entirely surprised at Carly's reaction. After all, Jason was her best friend. But Carly had also left Sonny before because she needed something safer.

"I know that fear, believe me, but he was gone for so long, Sam. Drew, I know you liked being with him because it was safe, but Jason's not like that. He's always been exactly the same way as he is now. The one thing that's changed in the years I've known him is that he became a husband, and had kids. If you couldn't deal with his lifestyle, you shouldn't have acted like you could for so long because now he's heartbroken and having to watch that is killing me," Carly snaps. "You had every chance to not be with him, but yet you pretended you didn't know what this life entails and got back together with him."

"Because I love him!" Sam exclaims. "I'm in love with him, and I tried to ignore it for months that he was like that but now you're acting like I'm a liar who strung him along!"

Carly chuckles to herself, surprised even though she knows she shouldn't be. "If you didn't string him along, Sam, he wouldn't be feeling like this. You know he's afraid now that you're gonna keep Danny and Scout away from him? No, because you're not the one who's been watching him heartbroken! I know what love can make you do but you told me you evaluated whether or not getting together with him was good and you realized it was good for you and the kids."

"I reevaluated it, Carly, and it wasn't the best thing anymore."

"You and him waited years to be together! Your parole for months was the thing keeping you two apart but now apparently you're not fine with the way he lives his life? There was so much time for you to realize it, so much. I know what it feels like, having your kids and wondering if they're okay but honestly? He'd give his life in a second for them or you. The danger doesn't go away just because you're not with him," Carly says, ending the conversation.

"So you won't even hear me out on this?" Sam asks, hurt. "You told me that you felt like there wasn't a way to deal with the mob before so many times so you left Sonny and now that Jason's hurt, you suddenly won't listen to anyone but him about it?"

"Don't make me take a side here, Sam, because you know I'll pick his," Carly warns. "He loves you so much, he stood there and took it while you word vomited and kicked him out of the house."

"Why isn't he telling me this? Why isn't he fighting for me?"

"He's got me to fight when he's heartbroken," Carly says simply.

"If he wanted to, he would fight for me. No matter what it meant for everything else in his life. Of all people, you know that," Sam reminds her.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" The blonde asks defensively.

"In all the time you've known him, has he ever fought for you, or your kids? Because I know he has, before, for me, a few times, but if you threatened tomorrow that you were leaving Port Charles with your kids and never coming back, he'd fight you on it tooth and nail?"

"Of course he would! Sam, he's not fighting for you because you practically told him you don't want him anymore. So whatever he'd do for me is different," Carly explains.

"I kicked him out and he told me he wasn't going to fight me, Carly. He point blank told me he wasn't going to fight for me or the kids. I wanted, so badly, for him to fight for me, to come up with a miracle solution I know doesn't exist but he didn't, of course, and so he didn't fight for our relationship! Believe it or not, he is not the only victim here," Sam snaps at her.

"He didn't fight because you made him feel like all of you would be better off without him there! You love the money and the great, gorgeous guy on your arm, Sam, and you love him being with the kids but you don't like anything that goes along with it," Carly fights back. "Don't you dare act like you didn't cause your own heartbreak and his too. The only difference is that you're only a victim of your own actions, while he's a victim of you breaking his heart and I have to watch him ponder his life decisions."

"What did you just call me?" Jason asks, having apparently shown up while she was causing a minor scene in public.

"A great, gorgeous guy and a victim of her breaking your heart," Carly states. "Don't read into it."

"I'm not," he assures her, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Jason, hey," Sam greets him awkwardly. "How, uh, how are you holding up?"

"Well, considering everything that's been going on, I've been doing pretty okay for myself," he smiles sadly at her. "Moved back into my apartment a few days ago, and I've been really focused on work. I get Danny next week, right?"

"About that-" Sam starts but a furious blonde cuts her off.

"You're going to keep his children from him? God, why don't you cut his heart out of his chest and serve it for dinner at this rate? They deserve to have their father in their lives!" Carly exclaims angrily. "He is a great father and they should grow up with him in their lives."

"Calm down, Carly," Jason calmly states.

"Calm down? She's trying to ruin your entire life, Jason! She's broken your heart and now she's trying to keep Danny and Scout away from you! You might be okay with just sitting back and letting her do that to you but I am not because you deserve better than that," Carly says, rage fizzing out of her.

"So first I'm a stupid heartbreaker, then I'm a vain bitch who only likes him because he's hot and has money, and now I'm a life ruiner," Sam chuckles sadly to herself. "It's good to know what you really think about me."

"You're everything I said, and you know it. Stop acting like you're perfect, and above everyone else. If you judge me for my actions that's fine but when I cast the same judgement upon you, suddenly you're this perfect damsel in distress who needs Jason to defend her honor. Jason, the same guy you gave up, the same guy who would do anything for you, for your family! Excuse me if I see through it," Carly defends herself and her friend.

"Anything but leave the mob, leave town, do anything really that involved ignoring you," the long haired brunette frowns slightly. "He's been standing here and I've been having to defend myself against you while he's there making sure you're okay! You, who he's supposedly just friends with! Like it or not, you're responsible for this too."

"How am I responsible? I didn't break his heart, tear his family away from him, you did!" The blonde shouts. "I, for once, am innocent. He is who he is and you knew that being in the business is a part of it when you had kids with him, fell in love with him."

An obviously uncomfortable Jason steps in here, "This is not your fault, Carly. It's not. Sam reached the point where she can't deal with this life anymore, and so she's done this. Does it hurt like hell? Yes, yes it does and I'm not gonna pretend it doesn't, but you're not going to start fighting her everytime you see her because of this."

"I'm getting it all out of my system now," she assures him, "but I'm still mad."

"This, this is what I was talking about! You're acting like somehow she's involved in this when she's just decided to inject herself into it because of you," Sam snaps slightly.

"She involved herself in this because she's my best friend, Sam, and she cares about me. Don't get me wrong, I know you care about me too, but she's been there for me while I've gone through some serious stuff and so I'm going to make sure she's okay because neither you or I are," Jason defends his actions.

"I'm okay, actually. Honestly, I'm happy I don't have to compete for your attention with her anymore," Sam smiles sadly at him.

"Compete for my attention?" Jason asks, confused.

"She says jump you ask how high, Jason. No one else has this power over you that she does and now I don't have to deal with that. It's refreshing," she admits.

To be continued

tO bE cOnTiNuEd

[marvinswriting]

Gut feeling

Prompt: no prompt in this one buddies, just check out bear's borrower!janis au. Like my g/t mg au its something i thought about a lot but never officially put down anywhere, but she did and you fucking bet im gonna write it

This is a long one boys, and there's still more i wanna write lmfao

Think about everything you know about borrowers-

-and throw it out the fucking window.

Yep, fuck your stereotypes. I'm Janis, and yeah I guess your right about the whole tiny-people-who-live-in-walls-and-steal. You're also creepily accurate with your borrower's code (so I wanna know who blabbed. Probably Gretchen, god. I always wonder where she was before this house). I'm sidetracked. Other then that, you guys got it all wrong. 

We are very much aware of the concept of not all humans wanna kill or harm borrowers. Thank you very much. 

We just know most of them do.

And we aren't as rare as you may think. Lots of humans know about borrowers, and you all think we're a dying species or a myth. No. We're just good at what we do, thank you. The goal is to live undetected. It's safer that way.

We also don't live totally alone, isolated in walls. Well, some of us do, and some of us wish we did. (Me, it's me, I hate my roommates.)

I live with Gretchen and Kevin. Won't call them friends, because they're not. We aren't close enough. We keep each other around because we'd go insane without the interaction from others. A borrowers life can be boring and isolated.

Its the total opposite of a human's. When the owners of the house sleep, we're awake doing food runs. When the owners of the house are awake, we're hiding away, tucked in bed.

And for a long time that worked. But then something changed. I think the owners of the house called it 'the school year ended'? Now the boy, Damian- from what we've gathered he's our age. But who knows, it's not like we can just go up and meet him. He definitely seems to be the most sympathetic one of the family. 

The dad kills any fucking bug without even getting a good look, so like- don't get caught with him (not that you wanna get caught with any of them). 

The mom watches a lot of gory sci-fi shows that always end up with the main character in some type of experimental facility so we don't trust her. 

Damian just hides in his room, playing music and singing along. I like it, its harder for us to be heard that way. 

The final member of the household is the fucking cat. Her name is Ariel which is supposedly a reference to some princess, but the only royal she is is a royal pain. Little bitch almost killed me once. 

I'm so off track though. 

Apparently, this 'school year' is over, and now Damian is home all the time. He doesn't have to get up early to leave so he's opted to not sleeping at night at all. Which is just great for us. He doesn't often leave his room, but Gretch, Kevin, and I have to be a lot more careful often resulting in us grabbing a lot less.

I glance around my 'bedroom'. Through the years I like to think it's grown to be decorated nicely. Unlike my two roommates, I pride myself in my living space. I spend most of my time here, so why not. Yeah, I have the necessities, but I also have other things like plants and makeshift art supplies. In the corner of my room is what you could call a bed and a bottle cap nightstand. There's a piece of a mirror hanging. We all found mirror shards and took them, and might I say life hasn't quite been the same since. 

We don't really look at ourselves that often, there aren't many reflective surfaces to do so. Yeah, I'd catch my face staring back at me in my water, or on a shiny surface, but it was never as clear as the mirror. As I look right now, I just look stressed.

Pretty accurate.

I've got a weird feeling about tonight.

"We need food."

"No shit Gretchen." 

Gretchen and I are sitting in our combined space, waiting for Kevin. I'm hesitant to call it a living room because it hardly looks lived in. There are four beer cap chairs (and three of us, it's fucking stupid- I know) a pizza saver as a table, and a bunch of miscellaneous items that haven't found a home yet.

"Hubbards are asleep." Kevin walks out from where he was keeping watch. "The kids light is still on and I couldn't locate the cat, are we sure we want to go out tonight."

"We need food," Gretchen repeats herself.

"We don't have much of a choice," I say, shoving makeshift grappling hooks and double-sided tape into my satchel, and grabbing another bad for food. "We gotta make a big run tonight. We can't guarantee a day by day flow anymore, Damian has to unpredictable of a sleep schedule."

Gretchen makes a noise of agreement, packing up her own things.

Kevin is still peaking out of the exit into the household, worriedly. 

"Janis are you down for that trip tonight? You look stressed as fuck."

I bitterly. "Yeah, I'm just- tired. And hungry. And quite frankly I may be coming down with something."

"They stay away from me," Gretchen says, swinging her bag over her shoulder. "Ready?"

"Let's just grab food and go," Kevin says before spinning around to look at me. "Only food, Janis."

I nod. No point in trying to defend myself when he's not wrong. I have an awful habit of finding something I could use for art and going out of my way to grab it.

But we have priorities tonight. 

We file out into the household, all pressing against the wall. The exit we used lead right to the floor. Its a debate on which was riskier, but I for one, preferred to be higher. Further from the cat and a better view of everything. Kevin mumbled something about keeping watch and made his way over to the island table the Hubbard had. He pulled out his climbing supplies and made his way up as Gretchen and I continued our trek across the floor, waiting to reach the kitchen to get to higher grounds. 

"It hasn't been this hard since we all moved here." Gretchen says quietly, but I understand.

"Yeah." I whisper.

We all moved into this house together maybe two ago. We tell time by the day and the decor around the house. Humans often put of decorations for holidays and it's like marking points though the year. My least favorite holiday happens during the summer. I don't know the name but everything turns red white and blue and there's tons of loud booms and explosions. It kills my ears and sends me into sensory overload every time.

 We've pasted two Christmases. I don't know much about the holiday, but its the most decorated, with fancy trees and cookie crumbs everywhere. A borrower's dream. But it wasn't like that now. It was hot and sticky, food got left out on the counter less. We haven't eaten anything more then the minimum to survive, if you don't count yesterday where we didn't eat at all. 

I was so lost in my thought for food, I almost didn't hear it. Kevin calling out, the patter of paws on the floor-

-oh shit. 

I whirl around just in time to have a paw whacked with my side. 

Cat.

There was no claw, Ariel is here for a game of cat and mouse obviously. Roles already clear. 

That didn't make it hurt less though.

I groan skidding across the floor, curled into myself. 

Gretchen shrieks and runs away, the cat's interest on me.

She left me for fucking dead.

Wow.

Rude, but unsurprising.

I'd fucking bolt too. I wonder if Kevin ran as well. 

My heart stops as the truth of the statement catches up to me. 

I'm gonna die.

I'd like to say there's so much I still haven't done, or that my life had only just begun. But that wasn't true. I live to borrow another day and borrow to live another day. But I was content like that, I don't wanna die.

Ariel stalks towards me again. I sit up and push my self backward, only to find a wall.

Fuck.

I can see Gretchen duck back into the wall out of the corner of my eye, Kevin with her.

To be fair, I'd do the same. I can't bring myself to be too mad.

"Hey, kitty," I say softly, holding my hands out in defense. The cat sits down in front of me, eyes wide and pupils dilated, ready to play. "Ariel, right? Good kitty. I'm not a toy."

Ariel doesn't seem to get the message as she lifts her paw.

No!

"Hey, whatcha got there girl?" A voice comes from behind the cat. 

My blood runs colder than it already was. 

That was to loud to be Gretchen or Kevin, to masculine to be the mom, not deep enough to be the dad-

Hands pull Ariel away despite a mew of protest, leaving me totally exposed in the open. 

Put the cat back I'd rather die that way.

My eyes connect with the boy of the household- Damian. His gaze travels up and down my small form and he lets out breathy 'what?'.

Once again, I know not all humans are bad, but you try not even being four inches call, curled up against a wall with a full ass living moving human standing there. It's a lot.

Damian kneels down so he isn't towering over me but it doesn't feel any better. I push myself closer to the wall, ignoring the pain in my side.

"Are- I uh-" Damian seems as equally at a loss as I am. 

Don't worry buddy, I didn't think I'd be getting caught tonight either.

"Are you okay?"

I can't exactly say I've been caught before, so I don't exactly know the 'this is a bad guy' red flags, but asking about my well being probably isn't one of them. 

"Yeah." I say, shakily. My voice is weak and seems a lot quieter in contrast to the boy's in front of me.

"I'm sorry about her." Damian said, placing the cat down. Ariel glares at me before walking away, clearly bored.

I could tell we were dancing around the important questions. What are you? Why are you so small? What are you doing here?

"My name's Damian."

I almost say 'I know' but believe it or not- I do have manners and hey, this human hasn't killed you yet, don't be rude and give him a reason to.

"Janis." I say, giving a small wave. 

"Janis," Damian repeats like he's testing the name in his mouth. "It's pretty."

"Thank you." I glance around but as I suspected, my roommates did not even attempt to come back. 

"You're a borrower." Damian states. It wasn't a question and his voice sounded sure, but his raised eyebrow told a different story.

"Yeah, we're real, just-" I take a breath. "Uncommon?"

Damian nods. He knew what I was right off the bat which probably means I'll have less explaining to do. It also made me feel safer in a way. It meant he's less curious. Not to mention he has yet to move any closer or invade my space, so I felt okay. I push myself off the wall a bit, trying to ignore how my head spins a bit from lack of nutrients. 

"I'm sorry if I interrupted whatever you were doing. We'll leave if you don't want us here or-"

"No, it's okay. I honestly am glad I stepped in then I did- wait, we?"

Shit.

It was one thing to expose myself, but not I'm mentally hitting myself for exposing Gretchen and Kevin too.

"There are multiple of you?"

"Nonono forget I said anything." I wave my hand as if waving away nonexistent flies. 

Damian looks like he wants to press more but doesn't. "What are you doing out here? It's like, four am."

"It's still early for me. We- I need food." 

Damian's eyes light up. "Of course! Oh my god, I'm so sorry then. Do you-" He pauses. "Do you need help?"

My instinct is to decline but- there hasn't been much food out and Damian seems genuine. Its either die by cat or human. "Yeah, help would be nice."

Damian smiles softly. "Can I pick you up?"

What?

Oh.

Oh.

Yeah. 

Riiiight.

"Yeah, you can." I smile, trying to seem brave about this, but I've never been picked up before. The only time I'm off the ground is with my climbing tools with my fate in my own hands. 

Damian places his hand down next to me, it's huge. The sheer size difference doesn't sink in when somebody is crouched a couple of human feet away from you. 

I step onto his hand regardless, trying not to concentrate on how weird it feels. 

"You ready?" Damian's voice asked from above.

Was I ready?

Why did I think this was a good idea?

I could die right here right now.

I don't know anything about this kid other than his name and his favorite musical soundtrack. 

What if he's bad news?

"Yeah, I'm good." I say, despite my inner turmoil. 

The ground beneath me shifts and as much as I like to think I was mentally prepared, physically I was not as I ungracefully fall backward into Damian's palms.

"You okay?" He asks, freezing. 

He was as nervous as I was.

This sudden realization gave me a bit more confidence in the situation.

"Mhmm," I say, patting the hand beneath me gently. "Thanks."

"Of course." Damian says, and we're moving again. Its a significantly shorter trip from here to the kitchen for Damian. He holds me close to his chest, his fingers curled around me slightly. Its comforting, and contrary to what I expected, I don't feel ready to drop. I can see Ariel curled up contently on the couch, and the entrance to my home from here. One of them at least. I wonder if my roommates are watching or if they're already cleaning out my room. 

Damian places his hand on the table and I get off on my own.

It feels better up here, to be further up. I don't feel as small when Damian steps away. 

"You've made it clear it's just you," He does air quotes. "But how many people do you take food for."

The lie of 'it is only me' is the first thing on my tongue, but I hold it. Damian has done nothing but help me so far and he already knows there's multiple of us. No harm in giving exact numbers.

"Three," I say. "One with a big appetite." I smile as Kevin comes to mind. 

Damian grins. "What do you normally take?"

"Whatever is out." I shrug, glancing around at the table. Just like the past couple of times, the tables were empty.

Damian notices this and is silent for a bit. "I'll have to conveniently forget to put stuff back then." He says quietly. I can't tell if he was talking to me or himself but I smile nonetheless. 

"So, you've never had options?"

"No." I say. It feels weird to admit that. Damian grins. 

"Guess you're in luck. Wait here." He turns around and walks over to a cabinet. Where am I supposed to even go? 

His back isn't turned long enough to let me figure that out, because he soon comes back with two things. "So I brought this because I want you to try it," Its a cookie, I know that much from Christmas, but instead of decorative frosting and sprinkles its dotted with splotches of brown. "It's a chocolate chip cookie. And I brought this for practical reasons." He lifts up a bag. "Its granola and it comes in these little chunks- well for you they'd be big, but you can just break them off as you need!"

I smile at the thoughtfulness. Maybe this kid isn't all bad news. 

He opens the bag and pours a bit into his hand before placing one on the table. Sure enough, a cluster of granola is just big enough to fit maybe two into my bag. I can break off a piece and it will last days (assuming Kevin doesn't go to town).

"Woah." I say softly, picking it up. This is the most food I've ever even been near in one place. 

Damian chuckles as I carefully place the granola into my bag miraculously fitting three. One for each of us. Damian watches me silently, I guess we're both still stying to wrap our heads around the situation. 

"Oh! I almost forgot!" He picks up the cookie breaking off a piece and handing it to me. It's the size of my head but I can just save what's left for later. Damian takes the rest for himself, watching as I silently break a piece off to eat. 

It's grainy but smooth a the same time. Sweet and salty. It's-

"Woah." 

Damian laughs, its loud and sudden, but also contagious.

I giggle a bit as I feel my face flush. I know he's not laughing at me maliciously.

"They're good right?"

"Yeah." 

We fall into silence, and I look around. I've been up on the counters before, but I've always been in a rush, get food, and get out. I've never been this relaxed in the open and certainly never so close to a human. 

I look up at Damian and he smiles. "What are you gonna do now?"

"Huh?"

"I don't know how true the stories are but isn't this where you leave and never come back because you've been caught? I won't tell anyone if you don't want to leave."

He had a point. But- the borrower's code wasn't law. More like- recommended guidelines? I mean, not true at all, but it's not written in stone or anything. Borrower police aren't gonna break in and arrest me or anything.

I think.

Besides, I didn't want to leave. I liked my room and my roommates (not that I'd admit that to them). They don't need to know I met a human. And Damian said he wouldn't tell anyone-

"How do I know I can trust you?"

The question had a lot more of an edge then I expected, but Damian didn't seem to take offense. 

"You don't. But, follow your instincts. I'm not trying to trick you or anything if that's what your thinking."

He did help me get food. Which saved my life. He also saved me from the cat, which saved my life too. Even before he knew I existed, he always seemed to be the nicest Hubbard. Something tells me his word is good.

"I think I'm gonna stay," I say after a while.  "I'll just- never tell my roommates about this. One of them flips over everything. She'd pack in an instant if she knew."

Damian smiled. "I understand if you hope to never see me again and if you wanna just walk away like this never happened, but I'll be sure to leave granola out every once in a while."

I grin. "Thanks, Damian." It felt weird to be so close to a human and already trust them so much. Something deep inside told me that this wasn't the last time we'd see each other, and that's okay.

"I figure you can get down on your own? You don't want me to know where you live or anything."

I shook my head, patting my climbing tools. "I got this from here. Thank you so much for your help."

"Of course, Janis. I'll take Ariel to my room to make sure she doesn't cause any trouble. Maybe I'll see you around, hopefully not under any life or death circumstances though." Damian grins before walking away, leaving me alone in the kitchen. I can hear him call out to the cat followed by padding of paws as a door closes. I almost feel as if I've hallucinated the whole thing, but the weight of the granola in my bag proves to me otherwise. 

I begin to take out a hook and rope while I think of what I'm gonna tell my roommates. Gretchen will flip either way and I don't think Kevin will believe me that I was able to fend off a cat alone, but it's what I have to do if I don't want to move. Besides, deep down I feel like I can trust the teen of the Hubbard household. 

Let's just hope my gut isn't wrong. 

alt title: how borrower janis got hooked on granola tag list!!! @realmisspolarbear @musicallygt @smallsoysauce @sourishlemons

[heyyyharry]

Chapter 9: Three’s A Crowd

(from the Flatmate Trilogy: Two Hearts, One Home)

…in which Harry learns a big lesson, and Y/N cannot tolerate his assistant.

Word count: 6.4k

Chapter 8: The Assistant - Y/N helps out a friend, and Harry also helps out a “friend”.

Wattpad link

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"Hi, I'm Kierra. I'm here to see Harry."

Y/N was taken aback when the girl pushed right past her to enter her living room. They had never met officially, but the walls in this flat were thin. You couldn't pretend like you didn't know someone after you'd heard all the sounds they'd made during sex. Now Y/N couldn't even look at this girl without blushing.

"H-Harry's at a group study. He'll be back at five, I think," Y/N mumbled, eyes on Kierra who had made herself comfortable on the couch.

Idling for a moment at the door, Y/N decided that it'd be rude to retreat to her room, so she ended up sitting down with her flatmate's guest. She always got nervous around the girls Harry brought back to their place, probably because she'd never seen herself as their equal. They always had more than one thing she lacked, and the thought of not being good enough was intimidating to her. She was jealous of their beauty and their confidence, but she couldn't hate them. They weren't responsible for her insecurities.

That was why each time she met one of them, she subconsciously tried to look for at least one quality that she found pleasant about the girl. Only then would she feel slightly better about herself. It didn't always work though. Most of the girls Harry had brought home were mean to Y/N. She couldn't figure out why, but they probably assumed Harry treated her differently because...he liked her. Oh, she could only wish. Deep down, she had always known he treated her differently because she wasn't his type. He would never be interested in her sexually or even romantically.

"Those are cute," Kierra spoke, breaking Y/N's train of thoughts as she poined to the blue tie-dye window curtains. "They weren't here the last time I came over."

Smiling bashfully, Y/N tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and her hand quickly returned to her knees. "They...they're mine."

"You made them yourself?"

"Yeah, the ones in my room are purple, but Harry likes blue so..."

Kierra pressed her lips into a faint smile. The silence took over for a few seconds before she spoke again, "were you two friends before moving in together?"

"No." Y/N giggled. "We hadn't known each other until then. It's a long story but...Harry tells it better than me so you can ask him..."

"Can't. He doesn't like talking about himself." Kierra gave her a shrug.

Y/N could see it in the girl's eyes that she was disappointed. This gave her a different view on Kierra and those before her. Maybe they were equals after all. They wanted someone they could never have. Still, Y/N didn't know if she'd rather be herself or Kierra, to have him but never really have him, or to never get to have him at all. Either way, it probably hurt just the same.

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Hugging her knees to her chest, Y/N sat in silence on the couch as her dreary eyes shifted between Niall and Layla.

"I am telling the truth," Niall said. "I've warned him and he didn't listen!"

Layla raised her voice, "warned him?! You should've stopped him?! Gosh, men are dumb!"

Y/N agreed, men were dumb. However, she'd better stay quiet because everything she said now would only add fuel to the fire. In this moment of chaos, ironically, she felt truly at peace. She watched her two friends keep on shouting. Their mouths were moving but they didn't make any sound. And they were in slow motion, almost like a music video without the music.

This took her back to her childhood years. Whenever her parents got into a fight right in front of her and her siblings, she would pretend that they were in a music video, so she wouldn't feel scared. Like she and Harry, her parents rarely fought. Her mother could be problematic yet her father loved that woman more than anything in the world. So Y/N hated whenever they raised their voices with each other. They claimed to be so in love but when things got bad, where did all the love go?

Now that she was older and wiser, she had learned that fighting didn't always go counter to love. Sometimes two people argued because they loved each other too much, and refused to let go even when it was the easy way out. Had it not been for those fights, her parents' marriage probably wouldn't have lasted this long. So maybe Y/N needed to be at home shouting at her husband, not hiding at her best friend's place like this.

"You should've told me everything! You're a liar just like Harry!"

"I'm nothing like Harry, I report everything to you! Who tells their wife about their co-worker getting hair extensions? I do!"

"Guys, I'm going home." Y/N's statement ended the argument in a heartbeat.

"You sure?" Layla asked in concern as Y/N rose from the couch.

"Yeah." Y/N nodded with a smile. "We'll be fine, don't worry."

Layla and Niall seemed doubtful of their friend's decision, still, they let her go. They walked her to their front door and kept reminding her not to throw a tantrum when she spoke to Harry. It was weird coming from someone as bad-tempered as Layla, but then they actually got a point. Y/N kept that advice in mind as she took a taxi home alone. She told herself to stay calm and think this through, for the spoken words could leave permanent damages. Still, a part of her wanted nothing more than to shout at him to release her frustration.

Soon she had arrived home. She took a deep breath before pulling out the key card from her pocket. But right before she could enter, the door swung open. Her husband burst out, frozen completely when he saw her face. He looked as if he'd seen a ghost. He was pallid, his eyes were round and expressionless, his mouth parted and his chin trembling. They exchanged a silent look before he spotted the barrel bag she was holding. She'd planned to spend one night away from him. And now she was glad she'd changed her mind.

Harry frantically grabbed her like she was the last thing in this world that could keep him sane. He panted the words "I'm sorry" into her neck, repeatedly and desperately. Maybe just a second ago, he'd thought his apology would never be accepted again. He'd thought that she'd left him for good.

Y/N hadn't seen him this scared since she returned the promise ring in that hotel in New York. And her heart ached just from thinking Harry wasn't afraid of anything, but losing her.

"Let's go inside and we'll talk," she said, pushing him away though she wanted nothing more than to stay in his arms right now. Her eyes were cold while his were filled with fear and anxiety.

He stepped back into their living room, watching her intensely to search for a sign that they would be okay. "Please hear me out," he said as she closed the door and put down the bag. "I can explain."

"Sure you can. You always have a lot to say, but never when you should."

Harry's eyes quickly shifted to the floor. It was funny how he had just asked for a chance to explain, and when he'd got it, he didn't know where to start.

"I almost stayed at Layla's tonight," Y/N went on, not wanting to waste their time by waiting for him. "Then I realized marriage didn't work that way, so I came back. And I want to hear everything from you. Niall has told me what he knew, and I've also made my own assumptions from the video. But now I want to hear your own version of the story."

"She was gonna send it to me," he finally spoke, his head hung low. "B-but she saved your name as Mrs. Styles so she sent it to you by accident."

"And you believe her?"

He didn't answer. That was how she knew he did. He believed what Kierra had told him.

"It seems to me that...you believe in everyone..." She said with a faint laugh. "Everyone. Except for me."

"No, I—"

"You didn't think I could handle it, was that you lied? Was that why I was always the last to know?"

Again, silence.

Despite all the things she'd told herself on the taxi ride home, she couldn't stay calm anymore.

"Why don't you say something?!" She screamed at him. She was furious. Still, he was just standing there like a statue, his eyes stayed glued to the floor. The frustration building up in her chest made her burst into tears. "You can't just keep doing this, Harry! This isn't the first time, I've forgiven you too many times before. I was always one of the lasts to know when something big happened. Olivia coming back, your internship in Japan, your dad offering you his company, you accepting your dad's offer and relocating an entire business, you hiring your ex to be your new assistant, and now you possibly having a child with another woman, then you going to see this child and staying to play happy family with them! I've always had to find out from another person, this time from a video that woman 'accidentally' sent to me. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Nothing."

His answer left her dumbfounded. Her mouth snapped shut, her shoulders were tight as her breath burst in and out.

"I don't want to defend myself because I know I'm wrong." He slowly lifted his face to meet her eyes at last, and then, with a sigh, he began, "when...when I discovered that I might be the father, I was...terrified. Not because of the responsibilities that would come along with that, but because...I realized I-I never deserved you."

Seeing his fingers gathered into fists and his knuckles turning white, she wanted to hold him and tell him he was the only one who deserved her. But her limbs were numb and her feet were rooted to the floor. Now she could do nothing but listen.

He swallowed hard. "I told myself...if I kept pretending like my past before you hadn't existed then everything would've been okay. But I always knew I couldn't pretend forever. Maybe that's why I'm so afraid of you leaving me. Maybe at one point, you'll see that I'm not good enough and you'll regret all the years you've wasted on me." He thought for a few seconds and exhaled sharply. "I told myself hiding these truths from you was protecting you. But all along I've been protecting myself from you realizing you'd be better off without me."

He stopped to wait for her reply. And when he got nothing, he stepped forward and cupped her face. This time she didn't push him away. She couldn't. His fingers were shaking as tears shone in his eyes, and it hurt her so much to see him like this. My God, she truly loved him. Her love for him was so massive that all of his mistakes, his stupid, careless, childish mistakes, could not make her love him any less.

He didn't let her go. Her silence urged him to go on, his voice was strained and fragile, "you have every right to be angry at me. Scream at me if you want to, give me the cold shoulders, the silent treatment, anything, just...don't leave me. Tell me how to fix this, and I'll do anything. Just please don't give up on me."

He ran his thumb across her flushed cheek to wipe away a single tear making its way down. His lashes fluttered as his brows knitted. He continued, "I came home, and you weren't here, the closet was opened, some of your clothes were gone. I-I thought I lost you, and I was so scared."

For all those years they'd lived under the same roof, Y/N rarely heard Harry say that he was scared. It might've resulted from him growing up trying to protect the women in his life, since his father had not been there for them. Now standing before her, he had accepted that he also needed protection.

Sighing, Y/N stepped forward and pressed herself against his chest. The love of her life automatically embraced her. "We don't do that in this household," she murmured, one hand stroking the back of his head. "We don't leave."

She felt his muscles relaxed as he gave her a slight nod and a 'thank you'. But his grip hadn't loosened one bit, for a part of him still feared she might change her mind. Still, she pulled away. They were eye-to-eye again, and her hands were on his shoulders, his on her lower back.

"But you need to stop this," she said. "Stop trying to protect me from the truth. I'm an adult and I can handle anything. And stop worrying that some bad news will make me stop loving you. Nothing will. I chose you because I'd known who you were, even before you did. I fell in love with my best friend and I never looked back, not when Olivia showed up, not when you were in another country for months, not when my parents hated me for being with you. Of all the mistakes I've made in my life, you are not one of them."

He nodded, sighing in contentment as she combed her fingers through his hair. She held his gaze, her eyes were much more tender now. "You lie to me one more time and I'll leave for good, got it?"

"Got it," he spoke softly. "Thank you."

She frowned, taking a deep breath. "I want to sleep alone tonight, just to clear my head. Is it okay?"

"Y-yeah, sure, I'll sleep in the guest room," Harry said quickly. Though he wasn't thrilled about sleeping alone, he believed giving her some space could be a good idea for now.

Y/N shut her eyes as she gently brushed their noses together and walked past him toward their bedroom. She felt his eyes watching her go, and something came to her mind as she stopped halfway, turning back to look at him.

"Were you disappointed that the kid wasn't yours?"

"Of course not," he answered right away though the question was unexpected.

"Really?" Her one-word question was filled with doubt.

He sucked in a breath and flashed her a reassuring smile. "Yes. I only asked Kierra to take a photo because...because I knew how much you loved kids. I wanted to show it to you after I've explained everything...I don't know why she recorded a video."

Y/N said nothing more. He wasn't sure if she still believed him after all the secrets he'd kept; however, he was glad she'd come forward instead of keeping it to herself.

"Goodnight," was all she said before going to their room. The door fell shut, the flat fell back to silent, but the thoughts in his head were deafening. How could he go to sleep?

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Harry was appalled when Kierra asked him where Y/N was. Just like all the other girls he'd been with, Kierra had never shown any interest in getting to know his 'boring' flatmate, or the fact that he was living with a girl he'd claimed to have nothing to do with. But the first thing she noticed today when she entered his living room was that Y/N wasn't here. 

"She's probably babysitting the kid upstairs," he said, thinking the girl would just move on to a different topic, but he was wrong.

"She told me she was making a Halloween costume for that kid."

He widened his eyes at her. "You've talked to her?"

"Yeah, the other day I came over to see you. I had to wait for too long so I left."

"Oh right, she did mention that." He nodded, pointing to the tie-dyed curtains. "Y/N made those. I told her it was a waste of time and she didn't listen. But I think I'm kind of in love with how they look now. She's very good at this stuff."

"Yeah, I see." Kierra giggled. "That's why I asked her to make me a Halloween costume, I'm gonna be a sexy nurse. Can you believe she agreed to do it for free?"

The girl probably expected a different reaction so her face fell as she saw how upset he was. "What? You don't look happy." She smirked. "Role-playing is so hot don't you think?"

Harry let go of a sigh and removed her hands from his chest. "You can't just ask my flatmate to make you clothes for free, Kierra."

"She said she'd be happy to do it."

"She'd say anything to make everyone happy, she's Y/N!"

"Okay, chill! I'll tell her I don't need it anymore. Are we good?"

He stayed quiet for a bit and nodded. "Thank you."

The silence gradually sank back in, adding more weight to Harry's heavy thoughts. Maybe he'd overreacted a bit. To be honest, he couldn't explain it himself. He always felt the need to protect for Y/N even when she wasn't around, for he thought she could never do it herself. It almost became a hard-to-change habit.

"She's a sweet girl," Kierra spoke after a while.

"She is," he agreed, not adding anything else.

Still, the girl continued, "she's so shy though, she needs to go out more."

"That's just how she is." Harry shrugged, trying not to show how annoyed he was. She was getting on his nerves with all this talk about Y/N. "She hates crowds, there's nothing wrong with that. But I hope I can convince her to go with me to that Halloween party."

Kierra was taken aback, and Harry was too. He couldn't believe he was careless and stupid enough to say that aloud. He had no control over his words, thoughts, and actions when it came to Y/N. Though she wasn't here, it was her fault that Kierra knew way too much.

"You two are going together?" Kierra asked, looking slightly puzzled.

He stuck out his bottom lip and gave her another shrug. "I haven't asked her but...Yeah...she needs to go out more, right?"

"Right." The girl pressed her lips into a forceful smile, and then she changed the subject.

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"Linen or beige?"

"That's the same color!"

Harry's response made Layla growl. At this point, she'd already run out of patience.

"Are you fucking color blind?" She almost shoved her phone into his face, pointing to each of the two photos aligned side by side. "This is linen. This is beige. Pick one!"

"Uhm...linen I guess?"

With a sigh of relief, she gave him a solid nod. "Okay, beige then."

"Are you serious?"

"What?" She shrugged. "I don't trust your and Niall's opinion so it's easier to go for the opposite."

Breathing into his palm, Harry checked his watch for the third time since Layla entered his office. She'd promised it'd only take around five minutes of his time, but now it's been fifteen and she had only finished choosing the wedding tablecloths. She didn't care how bored he seemed and went ahead to show him two different types of flowers and told him to pick one.

"Ahh, I don't know. Whatever Niall chose."

"I didn't come all the way here to hear what Niall thinks, asshole."

"Fine." He rolled his eyes and pinched his forehead. "White roses. Classic."

"They're Gardenias!"

"Look like roses to me." He chuckled at the look on her face. "Did Niall also choose them?"

"Yes." She shot him a glare. "But at least my baby's an intellectual who knows the difference between roses and Gardenias."

"Lucky you," he teased, only to receive a middle finger in response. "Hey, aren't you supposed to be at your store? It's not even lunch hour yet."

The girl gave him a proud smile as she put her phone away. Thank God, he thought.

"Unlike you, I pay people to work so I don't have to," she said, making him chuckle. "But fine, I'll leave. You can get back to work now."

"Wait," he stopped her before she could walk away. "Has Y/N told you anything lately?"

Layla pursed her lips. "Nope. I thought you two had gone back to normal. It's been several days since the secret child thing, right?"

"Well, yeah, she finally let me sleep in our room two nights ago. But well, I mean, she tries to act like everything has gone back to normal, but it doesn't feel that way to me. She wasn't even home when I woke up this morning. Something's still off."

"Give her time." Layla waved him off. "She's probably still upset. I wouldn't blame her though. Your crazy neighbor threatened her that one day she'd find your assistant sucking your dick, and now the girl you used to fuck is your assistant. How convenient is that?"

"That's bullshit. You know I love her more than anything in the world."

"I know." Layla snorted as she rolled her eyes. "You love her too much sometimes that you forget love comes with trust. By the way, if I were you, I'd fire that bitch."

"I can't just fire an employee for no reason, Layla."

"No reason? Well, first off," she raised a finger, "if you just want a hot assistant for the aesthetic of your office, I'd be happy to fill her shoes, because this bitch is shit at her job. She didn't even stop me when I walked straight in here."

"She knows you, Layla."

"No, bitch, she didn't even see me. She was on the phone with a friend talking about a bikini wax. And if that's not a good enough reason to fire her, she's also obsessive, has no respect for people's personal space and she hates your wife."

"You don't have proof that she sent that video to mess with Y/N."

"Yeah, I fucking do." Layla nodded quickly, crossing her arms. "She literally told me back in uni that she hated Y/N. She knew Y/N had feelings for you, so she asked the poor girl to make a sexy Halloween costume for her just so she could strut around in it and flirt with you when Y/N was around. How's that as proof?"

Harry's expression dulled for a moment before he could speak. "Are you serious?"

"Oh God, how oblivion could you be?!" Layla exclaimed. She sat up straight, placed a hand on her chest, and took a deep breath to keep herself from exploding. "Look, I love you—"

"You do?"

"And I will mess up your perfectly symmetrical face if you interrupt me again."

"Sorry."

"Where was I? Oh, right. I love you, but you could be really stupid sometimes. You're overprotecting Y/N from anything but the things and the ones that actually hurt her. This Kierra bitch is just another Rose in your life, pun intended. She's a psychopath who deserves no sympathy. Like my family marriage counselor used to say, 'three's a crowd, and any problem that arises from a third person is always much harder to fix'. And that man was a genius. Most of my parents' arguments were about another woman and now they're divorced, and me, the product of that failed marriage, is miserable."

"I'm really sor—"

She put up a hand to stop him. "Save your sympathy for Y/N. Want my advice? Fire that crazy bitch and make up with your wife."

Just like that, she clicked her fingers in front of his face and picked up her handbag to go. He watched in confusion as she stopped at the door.

"You don't have to thank me for saving your marriage by the way," she said with a cheeky grin. "Just bring me the most expensive wedding gift you could find."

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"Miss, where do you think you're going?"

Y/N looked at the redhead she'd never seen in her life, though confused, she asked, "is Mr. Styles in his office?"

"Have you got an appointment?"

You've got to be kidding me.

"I'm his wife."

The girl squealed so loud that everyone turned to look at her at once. With her face all red, she quickly apologized for her behavior and almost knocked over her own coffee when she bumped into her desk. Where did he find this kid? Y/N thought while keeping a straight face so the girl wouldn't feel more embarrassed.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry Mrs. Styles," she said fast. "Mr. Styles is having lunch with a client. I don't know if he'll come back to the office after."

"Thanks." Y/N sighed. "But I'm sorry, who are you?"

"I'm his assistant, Marie," the redhead said with a beam. "I just started today."

"What happened to Kierra?" Y/N's eyes narrowed with confusion.

"She got transferred to a different department. Uhm...HR, I think. I don't know much, today's only my first day," Marie said while fidgeting with the buttons on her blouse.

Y/N couldn't help but wonder, why had her husband replaced someone as experienced as Kierra with someone entirely opposite, like Marie here? Still, she said nothing more than wishing Marie good luck and a good day before making her way back to the lift.

As she walked past some employees enjoying their pizza for lunch, she wondered to herself if she should get something to eat before calling Harry. But the warm feeling suddenly rising in her chest sent her straight to the ladies' room.

She stumbled like a drunkard to one stall. She kept swallowing, but it didn't go away, and she could already taste it at the back of her mouth. With each step, her throat clenched and ached more and more. Hot tears spilled from her eyes when she dropped on her knees and emptied her stomach in the toilet bowl.

Yup, she was definitely sick.

But why?

She'd been eating fine and exercising regularly for the past month, but she felt like her health was getting worse. Her body had turned on her this morning when she woke up with nausea clawing at her throat. She hated being sick, but she hated skipping an important workday more. So she'd left the flat before Harry woke up to make sure he couldn't convince her to stay at home.

But then, for the entire morning in the office, she missed him terribly. She sat at her desk, constantly thinking about how she hadn't got a chance to kiss him goodbye. And then she almost she burst into tears. This wasn't like her at all, and she blamed her being ill for her acting out of character. She couldn't wait until she got to see him. She needed to see him right away. However, with her condition, maybe she should just go back home and call it a day.

Y/N flushed the toilet and dragged her heavy feet to a sink to wash her hands and mouth. That was when an employee entered the room, looking shocked to make eye contact with her in the mirror.

"Kierra," Y/N spoke, throwing on a smile. "Hi."

She thought it was a must to always be polite to her husband's employees, even the special cases like Kierra here. But this woman didn't need her politeness. Kierra walked straight to a different sink to reapply her lipstick. The only interaction she'd made with Y/N so far had been that cold stare when she first entered.

"I heard you got transferred to HR," Y/N said, looking at the girl who paid no attention to her. "It must be fun. The manager is a sweet lady."

"Just stop faking it, all right?"

"Sorry?"

Kierra put the lipstick back in her purse before turning to face Y/N. "I know you talked Harry into getting a new assistant. So don't pretend to be the girl next door here. I'm not buying that crap anymore."

"Wow." Y/N scoffed, raising both hands in the air. "I have nothing to do with any of my husband's decisions in his company."

"Clearly." Kierra rolled her eyes as she placed a hand on her hip. "You just never grow up. You're still as insecure as you used to be."

"Excuse me?!"

"You were scared of how much Harry enjoyed being around me and my baby girl that you had to find a way to get rid of me."

Y/N laughed wryly, shaking her head as she said, "was that why you sent me the video? To show me that I'm the one who's scared?"

"No, I did it to piss you off." Kierra gave her a shrug. "He came to me first, hoping that my baby was his. It's not his fault that you can't get pregnant."

"How do you—"

"Oh, everyone knows." She smirked. "This rumor has been circling around for a while now, but judging from your reaction, I suppose it's not a rumor after all?"

Y/N's face contorted as the realization hit her like a train. "So you heard the rumor and purposely applied for the job, then you made him think the baby was his to get his attention."

"No, I was just lucky. Maybe we were meant to meet again." The bitch gave Y/N a cold, hard, plastic smile. "You know, the day you and I had our first conversation, I was actually there to tell him that I was pregnant. I thought the baby was his. If he hadn't been so crazy about you back then, maybe I would've stayed and let him believe he was the father. But if he was really the father of my baby girl, would he have chosen you over a real family?"

"Okay, you're obviously sick in the head," Y/N said as she picked up her bag, but Kierra stopped her at once.

"If I were you, I'd work harder to fix my marriage."

That's it, Y/N thought to herself as she turned around, her eyes glinted with rage. The fear was obvious in Kierra's expression as Y/N stepped forward and stopped when their faces were inches apart.

"My husband is a CEO," she said with a straight face, "and your husband doesn't exist. So don't lecture me on how to fix my healthy marriage, when you can't even fix your life. The next time I catch you trying to sabotage our happiness will be the last day you show your face in this company. You understand me?"

Kierra blanched at those words, her mouth fell open. But Y/N didn't have time to wait for a nonexistent response or comeback. She turned her heels and walked out with her head held high. Layla was right, she thought, smiling smugly. This feels fantastic!

.

.

.

Harry was working late again.

He'd been dead in front of his laptop to prepare for the important meeting tomorrow. This was a meeting that would change the future of this company. Just one more day, he thought to himself, one more day, and he'd go home early and take Y/N out on romantic dates like he used to. She surely would love that. After all, the only reason he was working hard was for her and their future. Everything he did was for her. One more day, and he'd have his old life back.

Those lovely fantasies kept him motivated and concentrated. It was only until his mother called to ask about him and Y/N that he realized how late it was and he should probably head home.

Strange. It was usually the thought of going home to his wife that made him sigh in relief, but now he was gripping the steering wheel, anxious as he could be. Maybe he'd been over-analyzing everything. Maybe it wasn't even that bad. Maybe she'd been having some bad days at work. Maybe she still wanted him. He reassured himself with those thoughts as he stepped into their flat.

The living room was dimly lit by the soft light leaking through the gap beneath the kitchen door. His wife should've been in bed by now. Lately, she had overworked herself, thinking he hadn't noticed, but he had. So what was she still doing in the kitchen at nearly two in the morning?

"Baby?" Harry spoke as he stepped in to find a sight he could never have expected.

Y/N was sitting on the floor in her white silk gown, the fridge was open and she was eating the leftovers as if she'd been starved for days. He laughed, shaking his head when she looked up like a deer in front of headlights. Her eyebrows furrowed as she spoke with her mouth full, "you're home early."

Oh, the sarcasm. He'd missed that.

"Sorry, darling. I got held back at work. But just for today, I promise."

"I hate you." She took another spoon of chocolate cake into her mouth and turned away like an angry little girl.

Beaming, Harry put down his laptop bag to join his wife on the floor. He sat with his legs crossed and his chin on his knuckles. "My assistant told me you came to my office today," he said, his eyes bored into her.

She gave him a slight pout. "Yeah, but you weren't there."

"Did something happen, love?"

"No...I just...I just missed you. That's all." Her voice went quieter toward the end, for she was shy to admit that she'd come to his office because she'd missed him. Little did she know, hearing that made him happier than ever.

He stroked her hair and threw on a soft smile. "If you miss me, you can always call me. I'll drop whatever I'm doing to talk to you."

"I know, but I wanted to see you." Then she put down the empty plate and wiped her hand and mouth with a paper towel. Her eyes had never left his. "Did you miss me?" She asked bashfully.

He nodded fast and picked up her hand to press it to his lips. "All the time."

"Good." Her mouth twitched as she stroked his chin with a thumb. "I like your new assistant. Sweet girl, a bit clumsy though."

"She'll get the hang of it," he said. "I was gonna tell you in person, but you'd already found out."

"It's okay." She pressed her lips together, looking slightly amused. "Kierra didn't seem so happy about it though."

Her comment left him surprised. "You talked to Kierra?"

"Yup, she's batshit crazy. She threatened me, too."

"She threatened you?!"

"It's okay—"

"No, it's not! I'll fire her for that!"

Harry, though mad, was now even more confused when instead of agreeing with him, his wife just burst out laughing. Before he could question her reaction, she pulled him in for a sweet kiss on the mouth and a few others all over his face.

"I wish nothing more than to get rid of her, but her daughter doesn't deserve an unemployed mother." She ran her fingers through his hair now that she was straddling his lap. "But don't worry. She won't bother us again."

"You sound sure." He arched an eyebrow.

"Because I am," she said happily. "All this drama only makes me realize how much we love each other. We should only focus on the two of us from now on, building our own family, living the life we've been dreaming of since college. No one else is allowed to change that."

He chuckled. "Three's a crowd, yeah?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "I hate crowds."

Slowly, Harry leaned in to kiss her again and then pressed their foreheads together, smiling contently.

"Oh, wait," She pulled back as her eyebrows snapped together. "One last question about Kierra."

"Go ahead, love," he said, laughing.

"If she hadn't left, would you...would you have fallen in love with her?"

To her surprise, he cracked up. "That's an easy question. Of course not. Why?"

"She was so good at pretending like she wasn't a shit person that I actually liked her. I assumed you would've fallen for her, given more time."

"Nope," he asserted, lips curved into a smile. "I was already in love then. How could I have fallen for someone else?"

"You were in love with me?" Her face lit up.

"No, with our handsome gay neighbor Ben. Of course I was in love with you, Y/N! Why was that even a question?!"

The couple immediately dissolved into laughter Harry held her to his chest and kissed her forehead. He felt so much joy at this moment that he didn't want to ever leave this kitchen floor. But then sadness clouded her face again, and her voice nearly cracked as she spoke, "I love you so much it hurts sometimes."

"Aww, babe—"

"I'm sorry I didn't kiss you goodbye this morning. I got sick, and had to leave for work before you found out, so you couldn't convince me to stay at home."

"You were sick?" He felt her forehead with the back of his hand, his expression hardened.

"I still am, I think. I-I threw up twice today, and now I can't stop eating and I even start crying for no reason," Y/N said tiredly as she scooted closer to nuzzle her nose against his neck. She even grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers, as if she couldn't get enough of him. Harry loved these intimate gestures, he loved how clingy she was now, but a part of him still found it concerning because she'd never been so needy.

"Also, the smell of pizza makes me wanna vomit," she quickly added. "Maybe I should see a doctor tomorrow. It might be food poisoning."

"Baby?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't...uhm...I don't think..."

"What?" She pulled back a bit to study his face.

He squeezed the hand that was holding his and looked deep into her eyes. "I don't think it's food poisoning."

That was when realization dawned on her face.

"I'm...pregnant?"

[creambunnie]

For the best

you tapped your foot as you glared at your boyfriend, Haechan , who was laughing with your girl classmate . you , Haechan and your other classmate, Seungyeon, were assigned as a group for a class research. you were pissed. no not because your boyfriend was talking to another girl. no you were not that childish and petty. you were pissed because everytime you tried to suggest your ideas or opinions, Seungyeon would interrupt you , cutting you off completely. what you were really pissed about was that Haechan didn't even defend you. he smiled apologetically to you and listened intently to Seungyeon's words. you were also aware on how Seungyeon smirked here and there when she got your boyfriend's attention all to herself.

you honestly didn't care and could handle this well if it was a one time thing. the problem was, you had sat in the same cafe 3 times for the group discussion which went the same as today. you would always be cut off and you would be glaring at the both of them who were obviously flirting with each other more than discussing for the project.

you quickly stood and 'accidentally' slammed the table, startling the two flirts.

"i'm just gonna go to the ladies for a while,". you excused yourself. Haechan gave you a soft smile and nodded while Seungyeon rolled her eyes at you for interrupting her conversation with Haechan.

you went out of the cafe and decided to go to your bestfriend's place which was technically Haechan's house too.

your besfriend, Jeno, was Haechan's housemate. he was the one who introduced the two of you to each other. you've been ranting to him about Haechan's behaviour during discussion and told him about your insecurities. Jeno tried his best comforting you and you really appreciate his help.

Jeno opened the front door seconds after you knocked. "he messed up again?". you nodded to his question and entered the house. Jeno sighed and went to the kitchen. "drinks?". you shook your head as you placed your bag down. Jeno smiled softly and went to the sofa, sitting next to you. you scooted closer to Jeno and rested your head on his shoulder. you draped one of your arms on his stomach while Jeno wrapped an arm around you as he played with his phone . you felt the warmth that you've been craving for after your older brother passed away. Jeno was like an older brother to you and he protects you like how a brother does. your relationship was like a simple siblings relationship. there for one another though you guys always argue over petty things.

Jeno looked at your phone when he felt it vibrate a few times. he was about to ask you to pick up your phone but he noticed that you fell asleep. he quickly took your phone and answered the call before the vibrations wake you up.

"hey babe? where are you? why aren't you replying to my texts?". Jeno heard Haechan's voice from the other line.

"oh Haechan. yeah she's here. i guess she's just tired. yeah come back hurry, she is just taking a nap. alright, see you.". Jeno hung up and sighed. Jeno carressed your shoulders as you curled in closer to his chest. Jeno didn't want his bestfriend to get hurt. He didn't want his friend to be hurt too. he sighed for the nth time and hoped for the best.

once Haechan reached home, he stood still in front of his girlfriend who was literally cuddling his housemate. Jeno didn't seem bothered by his stare and woke you up calmly.

"hey wake up. Haechan is back.". Jeno said gently as he tapped your shoulder. Haechan smiled when he heard you groan as he found it cute. but his smile dropped and his fists curled when you buried your face into the crook of Jeno's neck and mumbled. "5 more mins". Jeno chuckled and pulled you off him gently as he stood up. Haechan was thankful for Jeno's actions or else he would have punched him in the face.

you opened your eyes slowly only to see your boyfriend staring at you. you wiped your eyes and was fully awake as if you haven't been sleeping for the past half an hour. your burning heart made it hard for you to think about sleep.

Jeno cleared his throat before excusing himself. "i'll be in my room if you guys need anything.".

Haechan nodded and sat beside you once Jeno was inside. "is everything okay?". Haechan asked softly. you rolled your eyes and stood up . you ignored him totally and went straight for the front door. Haechan quickly ran towards you and grabbed your wrist to stop you. "what is going on babe?!". you scoffed and turned to him. "what is going on? stop acting dumb Haechan! you know well what is wrong.". Haechan sighed and looked at you coldly. "is it because i talked to Seungyeon?". you pulled back you wrist and shook your head in disbelief.

"you know well that i don't mind you talking to other girls. i am not that petty and childish to get jealous over shitty things. heck, even your tablemate is a girl! did i get mad ? no!". you paused to take a breath.

"you. you didn't even defend me when Seungyeon bullied me! you listened to all her words--".

your words were cut by his. " i didn't want her to feel left out , that's all! i didn't want her to feel like a thirdwheel with us.". Haechan explained calmly as if what you said before didn't bother him. you closed your eyes and took a deep breath.

" really? didn't want her to feel left out but it's okay if i am put aside? it is okay that my opinions are not being listened? it is okay for a classmate to bully me like that?boys are really boys huh. you didn't even notice that she was giving me looks. you know what? Seungyeon is going to be so happy right now.". you paused to muster up all your courage. Haechan looked at you, confused with what you were going to say next.

"you're available starting this very second. go on and flirt with her all you want without having me as a burden.i'm breaking up with you Lee Donghyuk.".

Haechan knew he messed up bad when you stopped calling him by his nickname. Haechan shook his head and grabbed your shoulders. "no! i can fix this! i like you not her! please babe, please don't do this.". you pushed him away and wiped a tear that fell on your cheek.

"no. she is a bully. not to me only but to many more. and you. you're her accomplice. i don't associate myself with such people. people who took my brother away from me. i lost half of my heart already. i'm not losing my other half. not to someone like you. we are done Lee Donghyuck. now and forever.". it hurt you to say those things but you believed it was for your own good. you quickly ran out of the house, not giving Haechan a chance to say anything. Haechan was frozen from your words. He wanted to chase after you but his legs gave away. he was on the floor, clutching his chest while soft sobs echoed the living room. Jeno went out of his room softly and sighed when he saw his housemate. he quickly went beside him and patted his back to comfort his friend.

*it's for your best Haechan* Jeno thought as he felt like crying himself.

you didn't attend the next discussions. you decided to just do it on your own though it might affect your grade. you were more willing to act this way rather than hurt yourself and Haechan more.

"this is a very good research y/n. but I cannot give you higher than a C because rules are rules. this was supposed to be a group project hence one of the criterias is teamwork. i really love your project but i am very sorry.". your teacher said as she handed you your grade for the project. you smiled and thanked her. "it is okay Mrs Moon. it is what i deserve anyways. thank you.".

you went back to your seat and saw a glimpse of Haechan. he looked guilty when he heard the conversation between you an the teacher. he knew you've always worked hard in everything and try your best to get straight As. but because of him, your grade was affected. you ignored his stare and kept your graded assignment.

and that marks the end of your school semester as summer break has begun. you quickly packed your bag and ran to the school entrance as usual after your break up. you didn't want to bump into him. it's been about a month since then. he would text you and call you everyday since the break up but you of course ignored everything. you blocked his number and asked Jeno to tell Haechan not to bother you anymore. you wanted to heal. you wanted to move on. people might say that you're petty but you take your relationships seriously especially after the death of your brother. who commited suicide after his 'friends' stabbed him in the back. and especially because you never felt anything like when you were with Haechan before. Haechan has a very special space in your heart. till now. but you didn't want to ruin your precious memories with bitter ones. hence it was better for you to break up with him before more bitter memories were created, overflooding your precious ones.

~

you decided to apply for a job at a small cafe. a cafe owned by an elder couple. the cafe was small and didn't have a lot of customers but that was all you needed. peace. calmness.

you were serving your regulars when a new yet familiar face entered the cosy cafe. you held your head down and greeted the customer softly. you completed the regulars' orders before taking the next customer's order. "it's my first time coming here. my friend told me that the food here is good. but would you recommend me anything?". you nodded your head and pointed to the fudgy chocolate cake. you knew he loved chocolate so much. he always has a bag full of chocolates in his bag. he smiled and nodded. "i'll take that then and a cup of americano.". you keyed in his orders and quickly prepared them. he took his orders and went to a table nearest to the counter where he could see you work. you only sighed and pulled your cap down to cover your face while doing your work.

it was finally time to close the cafe. but he was still there. reading your shared favourite book. you took a deep breath and went up to him. "i'm sorry but we are closing the cafe now.". he looked up from the book and smiled. your breath hitched. the face that you have been missing and at the same time avoiding was looking straight at you right now. "can we talk a bit?". Haechan asked.

you knew this was coming. you knew you can't run from this forever. "sure,just let me clean some stuff up,".

the two of you were finally sitting opposite of each other, face to face. you looked at your fingers all the way. you didn't want to face him. not after hurting him. but you still believed he deserved it for hurting you too. you felt warm fingers wrapping themselves around yours. oh how you've missed his warm hands. "do you still like me?". he asked calmly. you kept quiet for a while before looking up to him with teary eyes.

"of course i still like you, Lee Donghyuck.". you replied.

Haechan smiled and squeezed your hand that he was holding. he was about to celebrate when you stopped him by pulling your hand away from him gently.

"but we are not meant to be with each other. i like you. i love you. but we can't be together. i want to thank you for all the precious memories that you've given to me. i would like to also apologise, for hurting you with my words. i was hurt too but this is the best for us. please, don't try and fix something that is already broken into pieces.".

Haechan gulped, restraining himself from crying. "i really messed up bad huh?". he said as he stood up quietly. "i wish the best for you. i hope you would find happiness someday.....

i love you.".

Haechan said before going straight to the door.

you watched his back walk without turning to look at you again.

*this is for the best. this for our best.* you thought as you wiped your neverending tears.

pics credits to the rightful owners💕

[punkscowardschampions]

Jude & Jac

Jude: are you alright? Jac: Not particularly Jude: talk to me then Jac: No offense Jac: but that really isn't going to make me feel better Jude: so do it to make me feel better Jac: What do you want, Jude? Jude: idk Jude: everyone's talking but they're not saying stuff that makes sense Jac: No one knows what they're talking about Jac: they should try minding their business Jude: bit unlikely Jac: I'm not going to give you anything more to report back Jac: I've said all I know already Jude: oi! I ain't running a story for the school paper or owt like that Jude: I'm about the angle whereby you're my sister and I've known your mates for time Jude: it's personal, like Jac: It happened to Is Jac: not me, not you Jac: we can't sit around making it about us, it's not productive Jude: productive? Jac: Don't start Jude: can we get to a place where you tell me what's going on with Izzy or what? Jac: I don't know Jac: some lad creeped on her at the party last night and now her mum is on a mission about it Jude: she's your best mate, how're you not camped out on her front garden?! Jac: Oh great, make me feel bad Jac: she doesn't want to talk, I'm not going to force my presence upon her to make myself, or any of the rest of you, feel better Jude: she needs you, not her ma, what's that woman gonna do? what does she get about anything? Jac: What do you think I'm gonna do Jac: for goodness sake Jude: fuck all if you ain't there Jac: There's nothing to be done Jac: it's happened Jude: that's cold Jude: there's like comfort you could give her Jude: you could be someone that listens to her, if her ma's on such a mission Jac: Like I said, you know nothing Jac: that's all very well you proposing all these nice ideas but I told you, she doesn't want to talk Jac: so this is a pointless conversation Jude: like you heard me say, why aren't you there waiting on her for when she does? Jac: I'm not sitting outside her door Jac: I don't know what you're getting at, to be honest Jude: she'd do it for you Jude: you know that Jac: You're far too concerned with hypotheticals Jac: Like I said, I'm actually trying to be productive here Jude: nah, you're looking out for yourself Jude: being a shitty mate in the process Jac: Fine Jac: happy now? Jude: yeah that's proper cheered me up Jude: ffs Jac: Frankly, you're the least of my worries right now Jac: and that apparently suits you fine so Jac: if we're done here Jude: are you gonna keep replying like this is a business email? Jac: I've got nothing to say Jac: that I haven't already Jude: you've said nowt to me Jac: ask mum and dad Jac: I've got stuff to do Jude: what stuff? Jac: Talk to Sav, everyone else who was there Jac: see what they know Jude: it was her boyfriend's house, yeah? that bit's true? Jac: Yes Jac: it was just a normal house party Jude: did he invite that lad or did he gatecrash? Jac: He was invited Jac: he went to our school, everyone knows him Jude: do you? Jac: Yeah Jac: obviously Jude: if it's who I heard it was then I reckon I do too Jac: Who did you hear it was? Jude: Carter Murphy Jude: he used to be a massive deal far as winning shit for the basketball team but that's not why I know him Jac: I'm not going to confirm or deny Jac: not going to spread the rumours when it's already running rampant Jude: spreading rumours ain't what I'm about either, tah very much Jac: I just meant I'm not saying either way Jude: And I'm just saying if it was him I never reckoned there was anything that off about him Jude: no more than any other older lad who chats to me at parties Jude: wondering if I should've Jac: I don't know Jac: maybe there isn't Jude: but it's not like he'd be rocking a sign saying 'top at beer pong and banter but might force himself on you' at any rate Jac: Well yeah Jac: there's two sides to every story Jude: hang on, you're saying Izzy is lying? Jac: No, I'm saying it's impossible to ever know for definite in these situations Jude: it shouldn't be impossible to take her word for it, unless you've got a reason not to Jac: its hers against his Jude: why would she say he forced her if he didn't? Jude: her ma ain't THAT strict Jac: She was drunk Jac: you know you can think a thing happened one way that isn't necessarily how it was or how the other person saw it Jude: Yeah Jude: but this is a bit different from me getting pissed off at my mates for none of 'em catching me when I thought I'd told 'em I was gonna jump and I'd never Jac: I can have personal opinions Jac: it's not as if I'm talking to anyone or doing anything with it Jac: if her ma wants to take it legal then that's for her to decide Jude: I dunno, maybe you're right Jude: legally, it is her word against his Jude: add in the drink, even if she didn't have that much, it's bollocks but it's bollocks they'd still use Jac: Everyone knows it's pointless going to the police Jac: regardless if it happened or not Jac: don't need to know exact prosecution rates to know it's a waste of time Jude: poor Izzy Jude: whatever happened, everyone's gonna have a personal opinion Jude: and they'll put it about more than you Jac: It's shit Jac: it'd be a better use of time finding a decent counselor Jude: you could tell her that when she's talking to you again Jac: Yeah well Jac: maybe everyone needs to stop trying to tell her what to do Jude: alright, fair Jude: I didn't need to go off on you either Jude: my bad Jac: You aren't the first Jac: don't worry about it Jude: I am though Jude: I don't wanna go out, I don't want you to go out Jac: Come on, don't be stupid Jac: it's not as if there's a maniac on the loose Jac: a boy pushed his luck at a party, it's nothing new, nothing to be scared of Jude: a lad I reckoned was alright Jude: like I said, nobody's got a sign on Jude: everything's gone weird now Jac: People can't be trusted Jac: if you've been going around thinking they can, you're lucky nothing bad has happened to you Jude: some people Jude: you trust Sav, don't you? Jac: I know her Jac: properly Jac: she isn't some random at parties Jude: you didn't know her from birth, like Jac: nothing is ever airtight Jac: obviously Jac: but if she was anything close to what that lad was, it'd be out by now Jude: but if you knew what that lad was like why did you let Izzy go off with him? Jac: Who said I did? Jac: not trusting people as a default doesn't mean I know they aren't to be Jude: well yeah Jac: If she wants to go off with a lad, it's not my place to stop her Jac: or do a background check before she does Jude: would you let me? Jac: We would never be at the same party Jude: I'd never be at one of Sav's Jude: she's at like a 4/10 at this point Jac: I don't care what you think Jude: bit rude Jac: You are Jac: this conversation has nothing to do with her Jude: why are you being so touchy about her? Jac: because this conversation was already close to pointless so I don't need it to get any further off track Jude: I'm bringing some normality back to it Jac: I don't have time for this, seriously Jude: my bad, AGAIN Jude: come on Jac: I'm sick of it Jac: I don't want to talk about this anymore Jude: I know but it's shit when we don't talk Jac: Well Jac: there's not much else going on with me today so Jude: is there owt I can DO then? Jude: dad's camped by the kettle already, like Jac: Keep them busy Jac: I need to go somewhere Jude: no challenge in that Jude: are you going to see Sav? Jac: Tah Jac: yeah, might take a while Jude: is she alright? Jac: No, she's really upset Jac: and her family are driving her crazy Jude: I have just the thing up my sleeve to keep ours busy for time Jude: on you go Jac: Good Jac: in a bit Jude: later then Jude: [skip skip skip] Jude: is Sav still upset? Jude: cos mum and dad are driving me crazy now Jude: they're FUMING 😡🤬 Jac: It's safe to say we're past the point of you needed to distract them Jude: I've got a good work ethic Jude: if a job's worth doing Jac: Very impressive, like Jude: tah, makes one of us Jude: meant to chuck your phone 🚮 you rookie Jac: I have Jac: check the IP address if you really fancy it Jude: 🤓 Jude: how long you gonna take the piss for? Jac: It's not about that Jude: what's it about then? Jac: having time and space Jude: everyone's saying Sav broke up with her boyfriend cos of what happened to Izzy Jude: if she's chucked her phone too she won't know Jac: She broke up with him before then Jac: you can spread that if you wanna Jude: it's nowt to do with me, just saying in case you wanna warn her Jac: Well she's not there to have to listen Jac: if people are tarring Tyler with the same brush as Carter, it'd be the decent thing to do to put that out there Jude: you can't stay away forever Jude: but alright, cos they're saying bad shit about him and all his mates and I don't fuck with that Jac: People might learn to keep quiet if they realize they could be next Jude: bit unlikely Jac: not really Jac: Ty and his friends are popular Jude: not right now Jac: that's my point Jude: yeah I got that Jude: nobody thinks any of this bollocks is gonna land at their feet, that's mine Jude: everyone wants to be special, untouchable and so on Jude: 👑✨ Jac: well if the ⭐s ain't then no one is Jude: I'm here for that, fuck cliques, this ain't America Jac: Unlikely Jude: 🙄😏 Jac: I'm serious Jac: I don't care what anyone at that school thinks now Jude: you don't, your best mate might Jac: She doesn't Jac: it's way below where our concerns are Jac: or have ever been Jude: he's her well recent ex Jude: everyone knows she loved him Jac: Like I said, you can defend his innocence Jac: She dumped him Jude: alright Jude: you ain't found time or space to be less touchy, I get it Jac: I clearly don't want to talk Jac: take the hint Jude: nah Jac: Jesus Jude: you don't get to just do one so easily, take that hint Jac: well I have Jac: and I can log off any time I want Jude: this isn't how you handle shit, anyone with a clue would put money on me legging it before you Jac: then, again, you'd all be wrong Jude: it was all her idea, yeah? Jude: if her family are that relentless you know they'd let her stay Jude: it doesn't have to be some checked in to heartbreak hotel moment Jac: No, it was mine Jac: I don't want to be there Jac: I don't know how you don't get that Jude: nobody wants any of this to be happening but it is Jude: it was you who told me to face up to the fact, how long ago, like? Jac: And I told you, I had things to do Jac: This has little to nothing to do with Isabelle Jude: ❌ running off into the sunset with Savannah off your list then Jude: you ain't missed a day of school in such a properly long time that my mates had that bet running for ages and all lost, remember? Jude: you're the weirdo that goes in 😷🤒🤕🤢🤮🤧💀👻 Jac: Some things are more important Jude: what's so important you need a room with an expensive view to do it in? Jac: Staying sane Jac: not being around to listen to that bullshit and worse Jude: it'll be here when you have to come back Jude: be my sister and pull the 🩹 off Jude: none of this is Jac behaviour Jac: Maybe you don't know me as well as you thought Jude: if in your own words this has nowt to do with Izzy, it's nowt you can't handle Jude: things were bad when you fell out with Mills, you stayed sane and around for that Jac: She didn't get assaulted by nobody Jude: it wasn't your fault that Izzy did Jac: That's not how it feels Jac: or what everyone will say Jude: nobody's saying it and I'd stop it if they were Jac: I'm sick of being treated like I did something wrong Jude: massive dickheads are the only ones who'd try and 1. I'm not gonna let 'em 2. you don't care what people like that think Jude: you're stronger and braver than their bullshit Jac: It's all of you Jac: asking so many questions Jac: Sav's parents want to lock her up Jude: it's mum and dad's job to worry and lay the law down, like Jude: I could've done better with it, alright, I know Jude: but if you reckon Sav's parents are headcases now, leaving it even longer ain't a decent plan Jude: you're the family genius, come on Jac: You worry them, they start to listen Jac: instead of saying how it is and how it's going to be Jude: you're the oldest, everyone knows what that means Jac: We aren't coming back until this calms down and they're willing to be reasonable Jac: that's that Jude: running away don't calm down anything 💥🔥🌪 Jac: Then we won't be coming back any time soon Jac: they're the adults and that's what they need to be about this Jude: what about school? Jac: It doesn't matter Jac: it's not like we have exams or anything soon Jude: school's what mattered most to you since you started going 🤓 Jac: So, I'm smarter than everyone else Jac: I don't need to worry about falling behind Jude: it IS you! Jude: I'm not just talking to a drifter wearing your skin Jac: 🙄 Jude: 😜 Jac: You're an idiot Jude: you'll miss me when you've had your time and space Jac: Unlikely Jude: 💔🥶 Jude: give Sav my love cos she'll 100% miss me Jac: Hilarious Jude: I'll be here all week 🤣🎤 Jac: Sorry to hear that, like Jude: I'll live, like Jac: Would you like me to 💔? Jude: don't fake owt for me Jude: rarely works out Jac: So I hear Jude: well those of us who ain't in the top % have books to read and not like, doodle all over or make planes out of Jude: ✌️😝 Jude: you know where I'LL be if you need ME, we're only fucked on the vice versa Jac: I'd like to say that was a nice try Jude: me too but Jac: Piss poor is more like it Jude: 🥉 Jude: [skip skip skip again] Jude: I can't knock all night, our dear brother will throw his other 👟 at me Jude: you're scaring me Jude: use some big words I can't get my head round Jac: Leave Jude: Jac Jac: No Jude: what happened? Jac: Nothing Jude: something has cos you weren't this person, like, a day ago Jude: and you said you weren't coming back for ages Jac: Here I am Jude: where's Savannah? Jude: you know I'll ask her Jac: No you won't Jude: use a full sentence then Jac: Do not talk to her Jude: why won't you talk to me? Jude: what could be this bad? Jac: Just go Jac: please Jude: I'll be back tomorrow Jude: 🩹 yeah? Jude: longer you leave it Jac: Don't bother Jude: I ain't about to ignore the state you're in Jude: how did she hurt you? Jac: She didn't do anything Jude: who else did? Jac: No one Jude: Then what? Jac: I'm fine Jude: bollocks! Jac: I am Jude: nah Jude: you came in looking like you'd seen a 👻 Jac: don't want to be here Jude: did you and Sav have a fight or what? cos I don't get why you're back if you don't wanna be Jac: she had to come back Jude: do you want me to give her a ring? get her over? Jac: no Jude: you ARE mad at her then Jac: I'm not Jude: if you ain't 🗨 it's cos you're face-to-face Jude: something's off Jude: don't need to be the family genius, like Jac: she's not done anything Jude: have you? Jac: [does not reply] Jude: you can tell me Jude: I'll help you hide her body Jac: Shut up Jude: you talk and I'll listen Jude: what did you do? Jac: I can't Jude: whatever it is, it won't be as bad as it feels right now Jude: she's your best friend, she'll come back round to that Jude: she just needs to be dramatic for a bit Jac: You have no clue Jude: clue me in then Jac: I don't want to Jac: this is my business Jac: what part of this don't you get, just stop it Jude: alright Jude: you still know where I am Jac: 👍